A/N: I have nooooo excuse. I'm so sorry this is late. The holiday season was CRAZY. D: But I promise, this chapter will be worth your while!

Muse!Asashi: Hmph.

What's wrong?

Muse!Asashi: I don't like it.

Hehe, I forgot to mention that I play with a NEW couple in this one. There haven't really been many references to it in my story so far, but it's here with a vengeance. xD I'm gonna get my ass flamed.

Muse!Keiko: *Giggles* Probably.

Shut up.

Review replies for chapter 36:

Celestial Writer: Yeah, that chapter was a mess. *Points to holes in ground* See all the plotholes? Thank you very, very much for the review, and I hope you like the next chapter! :D

Jennison Silverye: Hehe, yeah, the kidnapper was a freak. xD I tried to trick the reviewers with the whole interview thing, and I think it worked! :D I'm glad you liked the chapter, and thank you for the review!

Caliboy: Yeah, I'm not actually sure if Keiko's going to tell her family or not, but you never know! Thank you so much for the review, and I hope you like the next chapter!

LoveCherrySnow: I know! I love Saburo too! He's my baby! xD I'm so glad you liked it, and I hope you like the next one! Thank you for the review!

Empyrea: I wanted to give Keiko and Izumi a little moment, because they seem to be drifting… Hehe, I tried to fool the reviewers there. xD Thank you so much for the review, and I hope you like the next chapter!

GirlsLikeeBoys: Deep down, you LOVE Ayame. Just like you love Tamotsu and Kouzumi. xD Ayaka and Keiji are too cute together, I have to agree. :D Naoki and Keiji are the bad ass mother fuckers of life. Srsly. Haha, PSYCH. Thank you for the review, and I hope you don't kill me for this chapter! :D

My-Little-Star: It's alright, I understand. I've been busy too. I'm sorry to hear about your parents splitting up! D: Mine split when I was a kid, too. But I was like, three or four. Dx Hehe, maybe that makes you paranoid like Izumi. (Muse!Izumi: Shut up.) I know, men, right? xD And I JUST got your PM. I'd be glad to judge in the contest! :D Thank you so much for the review, I hope you like the next chapter!

So, I've decided to let the next chapter be a viewer's choice!

In my next chapter, which would you rather see?:

1. A disastrous double date with Asashi, Izumi, Tamotsu and Keiko?

2. A chapter about (insert name here)?

3. Tamotsu vs. Kouji?

4. A chapter with some major (insert couple here) hints?

5. A showdown between Kouichi and Belphemon?

Hehe, you can pick two of the above, y'all.

Muse!Keiko: Ehh, just don't pick 1... Or 3... Please?

Muse!Takuya: Hehe, pick 1! AND 3~!

Sooo, a reviewer asked what I would put for the this or that thing I did a few chapters ago… Here are my choices!:

1. Tamotsu or Kouji?
Umm, it really depends. Right now, I kind of like… Tamotsu. But tomorrow, it could be Kouji. xD

2. Izumi or Michiko?
Izumi, for sure.

3. Asashi or Tamotsu?
Again, I like them both. But if I had to choose one, it'd be Asashi. He appeals to me a lot right now. xD

4. Keiko or Izumi?
Hmmm. That's a good question. Tie. :D

5. Tamokei or Koukei?
Ugh. I don't want to tell my reviewers which one I like more. I could get shot…

6. Takumi or Asazumi or Junzumi?
Either Takumi or Asazumi! :D

7. Kouichi or Kouji?
KOUICHI! :D

8. Who is your favorite character out of EVERYBODY?
Kouichi and Saburo! Saburo's my baby! I love him so much! And Kouichi's adorable! xD But right now I've also got a thing for Asashi.

"Hey, Naoki?" Keiko walked into the living room, where her brother and Ayame were sitting. "Can Tamotsu come over?"

"Sure," Naoki said.

"I don't know about that, sweetheart…" Ayame said softly.

Keiko narrowed her eyes. "Eh?"

"Why not, Ayame?" Naoki asked curiously.

"Well, I just think it's strange that she hangs out with this boy so much," she said. "And the two of you aren't even dating. Or so you say…"

Keiko's eyes widened. No, they couldn't know about the two of them just yet. "What?" She gripped the necklace around her neck, the one that Takuya had gotten her for Christmas. It had a silver chain and a small green stone on the end. Kouji and Takuya had the exact same ones, only Takuya's stone was red, and Kouji's was blue.

Naoki tilted his head to the side. "You have been seeing that boy quite a bit." He narrowed his eyes. "Are you with him?"

"No," she lied.

Ayame looked slightly disappointed. "Don't lie to us, sweetheart."

"I'm not!" Keiko snapped. But she was.

"Go to your room, Keiko," Naoki said, sighing softly. "Tamotsu can come over tomorrow."

Keiko groaned loudly before stomping up the stairs, slamming the door to her bedroom and jumping onto the bed, burying her head in her arms. This sucked.

"So," Izumi said softly, looking at the raven next to her. "How've you been lately?"

He shrugged. "I've been okay."

"We haven't hung out in forever, Kouji. I'm so glad you invited me to hang out with you." She smiled brightly.

"I've missed hanging out with you," he muttered, fighting the blush that threatened to come up on his cheeks. "We've all been pretty busy lately."

"Yeah," Izumi agreed. "You with your little partying thing, and I guess I've been busy with Asashi."

"Partying thing," Kouji grumbled.

"About that, Kouji," she said, sighing. "I know that like, eighty percent of our grade does it, but maybe you overdo it a bit."

Kouji narrowed his eyes. "And why do you say that?"

"Because you're going to several parties every week, and you're getting drunk and hooking up with all of these girls," Izumi said. "I mean, I'm not gonna lie and say I don't drink, or that our friends don't either, but I think you should try to do it less often. It could really hurt you."

Kouji rolled his blue orbs. "Okay, Izumi."

"I'm serious, Kouji," Izumi said, her tone becoming more scolding. "If you don't chill out with this, something's gonna happen, and you're really going to regret it."

"Okay, Izumi," Kouji said heatedly.

Izumi sighed. "Well, are we gonna start the movie or not?"

Kouji nodded and stood up, walking over to the TV and putting a DVD in the player. He turned the lights off and sat back down on the couch with the blonde.

Izumi looked at him sadly for a moment, before she scooted closer to him and wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his shoulder. "You know that I only said that because I care, right?" she asked softly.

"Yeah," Kouji muttered, moving his arm up to encircle her shoulders. "I understand."

"I mean, besides Keiko, you're really my best friend," she said, squeezing him a little bit.

He smiled fondly at her. "I'll be sure to think about what you said, okay?"

She smiled back and pecked him on the cheek. "Thank you Kouji," she said.

They went silent and began to watch the movie, but they didn't let each other go.

"Naoki?" Keiko said softly as she walked into his office. "I was hoping that Tamotsu could come over for dinner. I want him to meet you all."

Naoki raised an eyebrow. "We've all met Tamotsu already, Keiko."

"But I want to introduce him to you all as my boyfriend."

"It's different with you," Kouji muttered as he allowed the blonde to curl closer to him. "You listen."

"Takuya listens," Izumi replied.

"I know," he sighed. "But he gives me the same advice all the time. I don't know… Your thought process seems to be quite different from his."

"I think that you need him," Izumi said. "You two need each other."

Kouji sighed again, fingering the necklace with the blue stone around his neck. "You're right…"

Izumi smiled and let her head drop back to his shoulder. "I always am."

Kouji huffed a laugh. "Usually."

"Mostly," the girl replied stubbornly. She looked back up at him. "You wanna order some dinner or something? My treat."

"Alright," Kouji said, shifting so that Izumi could get up. For some reason she stayed where she was. "Well, are you going or not?"

She grinned up at him. "You're warm."

Kouji rolled his eyes and Izumi got up and walked to the phone in the kitchen, laughing. The raven's face heated up.

Takuya sighed, dropping the phone on his bed. He had tried to text Kouji repeatedly, but the teen just wasn't answering his phone.

Looking determinedly to the phone, he decided to call this time. After four rings, the raven answered.

"What?"Takuya grinned happily. "Kouji! What're you up to?"

"I'm at Izumi's house."

"Ooooh… And what're you doing at-"

"Takuya, why did you call me?"

"I just wanted to know what you were doing! Aww, can't a guy call his very bestest friend in the whole universe whenever he feels it's necessary?"

"…No."

"So cold. But I know how you really feel."

"Look, Takuya, I'm gonna go. Izumi and I are about to eat."

"Oh… Well, okay then. Have fun."

"Bye."

The call ended and Takuya sighed heavily and tossed the phone across his bed. He rested his chin in his folded arms and furrowed his brows. Since when were Kouji and Izumi so close, huh?

He and Kouji were supposed to be best friends! He gave him, along with Keiko those necklaces after all. Well, now that he thought about it, Kouji had been acting weird lately…

The brunette's eyes widened. Was he being replaced?

"So, Tamotsu," Keiji said, narrowing his eyes and plopping his elbows on the table. He folded his hands and rested his chin on them. "If Keiko, your mother and a puppy were all thrown into a pit of fire, and you could only save one of them, which would you save?"

The blonde's eyes widened and he gawked. "Hah?!?"

"Answer the question," Naoki said. "And be honest."

"Ah… Um…" Tamotsu rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "I… Uh…"

"Knock it off," Ayaka huffed as she walked into the room with a platter of food. "Dinner's ready."

Tamotsu looked over to Keiko, who was sitting in her chair with her eye twitching. This was going to be a long night.

Kouichi looked around the large home nervously as Takuya stood next to him. "Uh… Takuya?"

"Yeah, Kouichi?" he asked, grinning. "What's the matter?"

"I've never been to a party before," he muttered.

"Well, you'll be okay," the brunette said, smiling. "I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time."

Kouichi groaned and nodded, following the slightly younger boy farther into the house.

"I just don't understand why you don't like Tamotsu," Izumi said, sighing exasperatedly. "He's really a nice guy."

"He's an ass," Kouji replied. "He's nice to you, but then as soon as I come around, he's a jerk to me. He pretends to be nice to everybody, but I know how he is."

"You don't like him because he's with Keiko, and you haven't hooked up with her yet," Izumi said.

"That's not it," Kouji huffed.

"Well, from what she told me, she honestly thought that you liked her at one point. Like, during the play, she said that she thought you liked her, because you were being all nice to her, and then right after, you were trying to get into her pants," Izumi replied, twisting a strand of her hair on a finger.

Kouji rolled his eyes. "Well, it's not my fault."

"You were so denied," Izumi said, grinning. "By Keiko, who practically thinks you're inhumanly beautiful. How weird."

"It's not like a relationship was going to come out of it or anything," Kouji muttered.

Izumi sighed. "You can't just mess with girls like that. We have fragile hearts, you know."

"Whatever," Kouji mumbled.

Izumi looked down at her hands, her eyes sad. Kouji turned the other way, hiding the same expression.

Tamotsu's brows furrowed as he spotted a picture on Keiko's dresser. He got up from the bed and walked over to it, taking it in his hand. Looking closely, he realized that there weren't four children in this picture, there were five.

The girl had blonde hair that just barely went past her chin. She was grinning happily at the camera, her bright blue eyes shining brightly. Next to her was Keiko, who was smiling as well. Tamotsu smiled. Her smile was exactly the same. She still had the same shy quirk of the lips. The two girls were about the same height.

Just as his eyes turned to an adult, who was next to the blonde girl, Keiko walked into the room, her arms full of blankets and pillows. Her eyes widened and she dropped the load in her arms, rushing over to the blonde and snatching the picture from him. "What are you doing?" she asked tersely.

Tamotsu raised an eyebrow. "Looking at this picture that I found on your dresser." Keiko was silent, so he spoke again. "Was that blonde girl there your cousin?"

"Ah…" Keiko walked across the room and tucked the picture between two books on her shelf. "Don't worry about it."

Tamotsu stared at her as she walked back to the pile that she had dropped earlier. "Well?" she prompted. "Let's make that nest and watch out movie, okay?"

"Yeah…" he muttered. He helped her pick up the bedding and they made a huge burrow made of blankets, pillows and sheets.

Keiko laid on her stomach comfortably and Tamotsu moved next to her, laying an arm over her back and pulling her closer. "This was a good idea," Tamotsu said, pecking her on the lips.

Keiko's face went slightly pink. Tamotsu thought it was adorable. "Well, my brothers and I used to do this all the time when we were little."

"Mini-Keiko," Tamotsu muttered before smiling. "You were really cute when you were a kid, by the way."

Keiko smiled. "Thanks…"

Tamotsu rolled over so that he was on top of her. He pressed their lips together. "But I think that you're even cuter now." He smiled when her face went red and she began to stutter something. "I like cute girls," he said. "I mean, I'm not a fan of girls that have too much sex appeal. I like you. You're beautiful, sexy in a subtle way… Adorable."

Keiko averted her gaze. "Th-Thank you, Tamotsu."

"You're too self-conscious," Tamotsu whispered. "You really are gorgeous, you know. But you don't seem to think that, do you?"

Keiko muttered something under her breath, causing the blonde to quirk a brow. "What, baby? I can't hear you."

"I said it's because I'm always with you…" she said softly, staring at the wall of their blanket nest.

Tamotsu squealed loudly and crushed the girl to his chest. "AAH! SO CUTE~!"

"I can't breathe, Tamotsu!" she wailed, struggling to make him loosen his grip.

And he didn't let go until their hideaway caved in.

"You're Kimura Kouichi, right?"

Said raven lifted hazy eyes to look at a girl with brown hair and dark eyes. She was wearing a pink halter top and tight jeans that accentuated her legs.

"That's me," he said, trying to keep his voice from slurring. He took a gulp of the can of beer in his hand. "Have we met before?"

"No," she said softly, moving to sit next to him. She rested a hand on his upper thigh. "I'm friends with your brother."

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Chiasa," she replied. She moved the hand up higher, then moved in so her lips brushed over his ear. "Would you like to dance with me?"

He smiled. "Sure."

Kouji groaned and clasped a hand to his forehead. It was sudden, and it caused Izumi to jump. "Kouji?" she asked softly. "Are you okay?"

"My head hurts," he muttered. "Do you have any aspirin or anything?"

"Yeah, I'll be right back," she said, getting off the couch and walking up the stairs. She headed to the medicine cabinet and pulled out a bottle full of pills. Filling up a glass of water, she brought two tablets down and handed them to Kouji, whose eyes were clenched shut in pain.

"Kouji, are you alright? Do you need to go home?" she asked, gripping his hand.

He shook his head as he took the pills and drank the water. "No…" He groaned softly again and gripped at his hair.

"Lay your head down," she commanded, patting her thighs. He stared at her for a moment, and she glared right back at him, patting her legs more forcefully this time. Kouji gingerly laid his head down on the blonde's thighs and she draped a throw over his frame. "You're shivering…"

"Well, I'm cold," he replied.

Izumi tentatively ran a hand through his hair. "You were fine a few minutes ago," she said softly. "But now…"

He nodded tiredly and shut his eyes tightly. "I know."

"I just want you to be okay," she whispered.

"I'll be fine," he mumbled, his hand clenched into a fist under the blanket due to the pain. "Just need to wait for the meds to kick in."

"Okay," she said.

"You're a good kisser," Chiasa said with a gasp when she pulled away from Kouichi's mouth.

"Well, I'm drunk," Kouichi slurred. He pressed open mouth kisses to her clavicle and began to unbutton the back of her shirt. His hands fumbled drunkenly, and she pulled them away from her.

She dropped to her knees and gripped the back of his thighs tightly. "Well, let me put my mouth to good use."

"Hey! Kouichi! Where are you?"

Said twin looked up and Chiasa quickly got back to her feet.

Takuya came into the hall and grinned. "There you are! I've been looking all over the place for you. Come on, we've gotta leave now if we're going to catch the subway back home."

He grabbed Kouichi's hand and dragged him out of the house. "Well, did you have fun?" he asked as they walked down the street together.

Kouichi replied by puking all over himself.

"Keiko?"

Said brunette looked to her right. "Yeah?"

"What's your favorite thing in the whole world?"

Keiko stared at the field of yellow flowers in front of her. She smiled, and her cheeks flushed cutely. "I like flowers…"

"Keiko? Keiko, wake up."

The brunette opened her eyes blearily and found herself curled up in Tamotsu's lap. "'Motsu?"

"You fell asleep," he said.

"Oh," she said softly, wiping at her mouth self-consciously, hoping to God she hadn't drooled or done anything embarrassing in her sleep.

"I have to get going, though," Tamotsu said. "My dad's here."

"Oh… I'm sorry I fell asleep, though," she muttered embarrassedly.

"Don't be," he replied, pecking her on the lips. "You're adorable when you sleep."

Keiko opened her mouth, then shut it, looking back down and blushing. "Uh, thanks. I'm glad you liked it…"

Tamotsu laughed softly and gave her another kiss. He stood up and waved to her. "Bye, Keiko, I'll see you soon."

She waved back. "Bye, Tamotsu," she said. He grinned and walked out of the bedroom and down the stairs towards the bottom floor.

Keiko groaned and fell back against the bed, her face heating up. "Oh. God. I fell asleep in front of him…" She though about what he had said, about how she looked adorable while she was sleeping, and she cackled out of hysteria.

This relationship was going to make her face a permanent red.

"Kouji," Izumi cried out helplessly as he dropped to the ground. He had his hands planted on the floor and his knees seemed to be shaking from the strain of holding him up. He gasped for air and cried out again as another wave of excruciating pain swept over his body.

Izumi dropped to the floor next to him, putting her arm over his back as he suffered. "Kouji, please…"

He began heaving raggedly, gripping at his head with one hand and raking his fingers through his hair roughly. The blonde pulled his hand from his inky tresses and gripped it in her own, allowing him to squeeze it.

"You're gonna be okay," she said shakily, tightening her grip reassuringly. Her eyes widened when she noticed his blue orbs began to change color. "KendoGarurumon…" she muttered. "He's changing…!"

She held his hand tighter and pulled him closer. "Kouji, you can't transform! Fight it!"

Kouji cried out again and his eyes clenched shut. She noticed a faint glow from his lower back, and she realized it was his tattoo glowing. "Kouji, you can do it. Fight!"

He let out one more strangled scream before collapsing against her, the tattoo on his back's glow dissipating. She stared as Kouji laid limply in her arms.

He was able to overcome his beast spirit…

Well, that's it for today! I hope you all liked it, because this bad boy is about half way done! :D Thank you all for reading, and I hope you review! Here's the interview!:

My-little-star was the winner this time. :D

1.) Who do you like more, Tamotsu or Kouji? Be completely honest.

K: Uhm, in general? I like them both, a whole lot. I think that Tamotsu's always treated me better, though. I'm not just saying that because we're dating, either. Kouji treats all women with disrespect, though. Besides Izumi…

2.) Where you scared the first time you beast spirit evolved and you couldn't control it?

K: Oh, I was terrified. I was afraid that I was going to hurt my friends. I'm scared now, too, especially after seeing what happened to Takuya. I don't want to lose control again…

3.) If you had never met the others, how do you think things would be for you now?

K: I think I would be more alone than anything. My friends are my everything, and if I had never caught that train, then I don't even know where I would be. I'm so thankful for them. *Smiles*

4.) Does it bother you that you and Kouichi were broken apart so easily before?

K: *Shifts* Um, yeah, it does bother me a little bit. I'm worried that that's a bad omen. But the reason we broke up was because… *Sighs* It's weird. Dating one of my best friends. I mean, besides Izumi, he really is my best friend, Takuya's about equal…

5.) Are you worried about ever losing control over your Beast spirit again?

K: Yeah, I am. As I said before, I saw what happened to Takuya, and that was really scary. I mean, Takuya and I were the ones that lost control of our beast spirits the worst in the Digital World. I'm worried that I'll hurt my friends again, or worse.