Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Akiyoshi Hongo, creator of the Digimon concept, as well as various broadcasting networks. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Author's Notes: It's so strange that in 2020, the Sorato fandom is more active than its been in a long, long time. I'm slowly catching up with the new Digimon Adventure reboot and waiting for enough free time to watch Digimon Kizuna. And perhaps most importantly, there's a new Sorato Discord server! There's a pinned link on my Tumblr if you're interested in joining our community - the more the merrier!

As always, many thanks to B for being a sounding board for my ideas. And thank you to all my readers, both new and returning. I hope that you're all staying safe and keeping healthy.

Under the Surface

Chapter XVII: Clarity

Camp Odake's main hall was usually filled with tables and chairs for dining. In order to accommodate the audience for the camp showcase, however, all the tables were replaced with chairs crammed into almost every nook and corner. Even so, the Chosen were forced to split up to find seats. "Let's all meet by the woods after the showcase is over," Taichi said to them loudly over the audience chatter, gesturing, "It'll be too crazy trying to find each other in here."

They all nodded and split up. By unspoken agreement, Taichi guided Hikari over to where his business friends sat. Koushiro took Jyou and Mimi with him to sit with Hayate.

Takeru gave a theatrical groan over his misfortune. "Looks like we're stuck together."

Sora sighed heavily, raising her eyes skyward. "Why do I always have the worst luck?" She began to scan the rest of the room and her face brightened. "Oh! Come on, I see some free chairs near the front."

He followed obediently. Once they were comfortably seated, Takeru peered up at the stage. "Do you know which class is performing first?"

"I heard the choir is starting, but I could be wrong," Sora admitted. "I spent more time worrying about finishing my part of the mural and learning from the other artists than wondering what the other classes were up to."

Despite the way she demurred about her work, Takeru got the distinct impression Sora had enjoyed collaborating with creative people, who were so different from the crowd of athletes she kept company with at school. Discussion of said mural filled the minutes before the showcase officially began.

Although he tried to watch attentively, Takeru couldn't help but doze off, the heat of the room lulling him to sleep. Sora kindly let him be until chairs and music stands were brought onto the stage. "That's gotta be for the orchestra, right?" Takeru said hopefully, rubbing at his eyes.

Sora confirmed that the orchestra was indeed next, but still shook her head in mock disappointment at him. "I don't know how you fell asleep during the play - or stayed asleep through the choir! They were so good."

"Sure," Takeru said equitably. "But it's not like I came to the camp to see them."

Once the stage set up was completed, the orchestra musicians moved to take their seats. Some of the musicians were wide-eyed, looking at the audience; others looked intensely focused, keeping their eyes on their music stands, adjusting their seats. Takeru eagerly waved when he found Yamato with his electric bass guitar, making his older brother smirk and nod back in acknowledgment.

The conductor stepped onto the box and raised her baton. Takeru leaned forward in his seat.

Years of faithfully attending Yamato's band performances gave Takeru a passing understanding of music, but listening to a live orchestra for the first time was an entirely different experience from what he was used to. The introductory beats from the bass section were haunting and mournful. Like a magician, the conductor coaxed out the tension from the entire orchestra as they joined in, taking their nervous energy into her hands and holding it captive: drawing it out, increasing the suspense, holding each of their gazes as they followed her direction.

The song was very different from what Takeru usually heard at school festivals, but he liked how all the different instruments worked together to create such a dark atmosphere, the way they sometimes clashed and then wove back together seamlessly. Each new section of the song explored some other mood or idea. And every now and then, a different instrument was highlighted and given clarity. It was a song of raw power.

He didn't have to look around to know he wasn't the only one absorbed in the music. It was as if everyone around him was holding their breath. During the cello solo, Sora even grabbed Takeru's hand. He found himself returning the pressure instinctively, fully captivated by the cellist's effortless skill.

In the final part of the song, the orchestra's sound gathered together under the conductor's precise direction, synchronized and refined. She urged them faster, increasing their strength as well as their pace. The orchestra played - not as separate sections, fractured apart - as a single, whole entity.

In the immediate aftermath of the song, silence fell over the dining hall and held for a second. Then a whoop that sounded suspiciously like Taichi's broke the tension, and the audience laughed and began to applaud. Takeru clapped his hands so hard his palms smarted. Yamato grinned when he caught Takeru's on the way out with the rest of the orchestra, a sure sign of his satisfaction.

"What did you think?" Sora asked, a knowing smile already on her face.

"Wow," said Takeru. He shook his head. "Just wow. I mean…"

Sora laughed. "You're speechless!"

"It wasn't what I was expecting!" Takeru protested. He showed her his arm. "Look, my hairs are all standing up. I have goosebumps everywhere."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Ask me again after I try to sleep tonight. I think their song is going to haunt me for days." He shivered before nodding at the hall doors. "Should we go and congratulate the orchestra now? Or wait until the end of the showcase?"

Sora wavered for a moment and glanced back. "Let's wait. The orchestra will take a while to pack away their instruments, and I know they're probably going to need time to talk to the music scouts too." She smiled wryly. "Plus, our friends look like they're still enjoying the showcase. Let's wait for them."

She made a fair point. "Okay," Takeru sighed, deflating. Then he straightened up. "Actually, you're right. It's better to congratulate Yamato with the whole group. Then we can force a group hug on him and embarrass him in front of everyone. He'll hate it."

She covered her laughter with her hand. "You're lucky he loves you so much. He'd never let anyone else get away with that."

Takeru grinned, already relishing the idea of forcing physical affection on his aloof brother. "Oh, I know."

The rush of a successful performance went to the musicians' heads like champagne. The orchestra's mood was buoyant, even effervescent, as they filed out of the dining hall to return to the music cabin. Some of the cellists were walking arm in arm along the path, swaying from side to side, gushing over Wakana's solo. A good number of violinists were skipping or otherwise dancing along the path, and Kosuke didn't reprimand a single one of them.

Even better: when Yamato checked his phone for the time, a text from Takeru was already waiting.

That was so amazing! I'm proud of you brother! Can't wait to see you after!

Yamato's good humor would have been assured if the rest of his bandmates were at the music cabin on time, as they had promised. Instead…

It didn't help matters that Akira was entertained by the whole situation. "Take deep breaths, man. Chill out."

Yamato shot him a dirty look. "I am chill."

"That's funny. You say that, but you really just look like you're getting angrier."

He crossed his arms. "I'm not angry. I'm annoyed they're late and not even answering their phones. "

Akira said, "Maybe the traffic is bad? Dude, seriously, relax. They'll be here. Have we ever been late to a performance before?"

Yamato looked Akira dead in the eyes and began to tick off his fingers. "Shibuya, Roppongi, Shinjuku - "

"Okay, so I exaggerated." Akira chortled, which grated more than anything else. "We've been late to stuff before. But dude, it's not the end of the world. We can make it work."

Yamato's hands clenched and unclenched. "I promised we'd deliver an awesome guerilla performance. How are we supposed to pull this off if they don't show?"

"All right, all right, I hear you." Akira patted Yamato's shoulder. "I'll call them again, 'kay? Maybe they'll pick up this time."

"They'd better."

Akira pointed at him. "Go for a walk, buddy. You know it's bad for your blood pressure. They'll get here. Just stall for time if you need something productive to do."

Yamato stalked out of the practice room before he said something he regretted.

There were still dozens of orchestra members still in the music cabin, all clustered around the various scouts who had arrived and were handing out business cards. Manami oversaw the proceedings with a relaxed set to her shoulders Yamato had never seen before. She gestured him over when she noticed him. "Good work, Yamato," she said simply when he drew closer. "You did well with the other string basses."

He could feel himself coloring up and bowed to hide it. "Thank you. We all worked hard."

Her mouth quirked into a wry smile. "I know your time with the orchestra wasn't all smooth sailing, but you rose to the occasion well. I would be very surprised if your naysayers still have anything bad to say about you after the performance you gave." Manami glanced over the scouts in the room. "Unfortunately, you should know university orchestras aren't as experimental as we were willing to be. If you're serious about pursuing music performance studies at the university level, I know of a few scouts for jazz bands who would love to have a bass guitarist of your skill. Would you like an introduction?"

With the weight of Manami's well-meaning gaze on him, as well as the awareness of the other musicians nearby, Yamato blurted out the words before he could overthink them. "Thank you, but no. I'm grateful for your guidance but I've decided I won't be pursuing music studies at university."

Manami blinked, visibly taken aback, before quickly recovering. "Oh! Well, that's a shame. But I suppose when you already have a label, a university degree may not be necessary to your band's continued success."

It wasn't exactly what he'd had in mind, but he nodded nonetheless. "It doesn't feel right to audition and take a spot from someone else who doesn't already have the resources I do. The orchestra has been an incredible experience and I've learned a lot about myself in the process. I'm grateful to have studied under your leadership."

"Thank you, Yamato. I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors then, musical and otherwise." Manami smiled warmly. "I am looking forward to your band's performance, by the way. I'll try and corral everyone back in time for the start of it when they're done with the scouts."

The reminder of his late bandmates, though well-intentioned, made his stomach lurch. Yamato nonetheless kept up a professional demeanor. "Thank you."

Manami was called away, and Yamato eventually caught Wakana's eye from the other side of the cabin. She smiled and they met in the middle. "I got scouted," she whispered, waving a business card in her left hand. "Tokyo University, Yamato. My parents aren't going to believe it!"

She was fairly vibrating, and Yamato couldn't hold back a smile. "I'm not surprised. You've worked hard and you got to show it off. Congratulations."

"I felt guilty Kayo might have sacrificed her chance with the scouts since she gave her solo to me," Wakana confided, "but I think the Tokyo University scout also gave her his business card. I hope it works out for both of us."

"Sounds like the idea of working with her in the future doesn't intimidate you anymore?"

Wakana lowered her voice, "As long as Kosuke isn't my concertmaster anymore, I don't care who I work with!"

They both had to stifle their laughter at that.

"Psst, Yamato." Akira stepped out of the practice room, guitar case slung over his shoulder and Yamato's bass guitar in his hand. "They're here. They lost cell signal on the way up."

Relief flooded through Yamato. In its wake was pure focus: the WOLVES were already behind schedule and he needed to get them back on track. "I gotta go, Wakana. Let's celebrate your success at dinner, okay?"

"Okay." She looked between the two musicians, piecing together the clues. Wakana slowly smiled. "Good luck."

Yamato shushed her but grinned. "I have no idea what you're talking about." He waved her goodbye before taking his bass case from Akira, mentally calculating how much time they'd need to set up for the guerilla performance ahead. "Right. Let's do this."

Akira slapped Yamato on the shoulder. "I've got my lucky pick ready to go. Let's blow 'em away, boss man."

Sora wouldn't ever admit it to anyone who asked - in fact, she couldn't even admit it to herself - but as soon as the orchestra finished, she began to feel a thrumming in her body. Her attention for all subsequent performances diminished. Each time she heard someone moving along the rows, she had to fight the impulse to check if it was Yamato.

When he didn't make an appearance by the final round of applause for the closing dance performance, even Takeru commented on his older brother's conspicuous absence. "Yamato didn't come back? Think they're still busy with the scouts?"

"Maybe," Sora allowed. It was a possibility. Even so, it didn't seem quite right. She knew the faces of the orchestra musicians, and a good portion of them had returned to the hall to catch what they could of the showcase. It was much more likely Yamato had gone off with Akira again.

Which he's perfectly within his rights to do, she reminded herself. She shook thoughts of him away and stood up. "Come on, let's go meet the others."

Mimi skipped at Sora's side once they reunited with the rest of the group, the perfect distraction. "I wish I could dance like that," Mimi said dreamily. She attempted to pirouette along the path to the event clearing and made Jyou squawk as he dodged her. "Didn't they look like they were just floating on air? Ah! They were incredible."

Sora smiled. "They were really talented."

Mimi beamed back. "I liked how they combined classical dance with more modern kinds of dancing. Like jazz and hip-hop? Whoever came up with their choreography was a total genius. Hikari, did you get a video of the performance?"

The other girl shook her head. "I filled up my storage card with Yamato's orchestra performance. I only got to take photos of the other groups - "

"Ooh, I still wanna see!"

Once Mimi pranced away to Hikari's side, Sora fell into step beside an uncharacteristically grim Taichi. She took one look at his face and guessed sympathetically, "Your business competition?"

"Hiroyuki told us during intermission. We didn't finish in last place at least, which is a big relief." He grimaced. "I was hoping we'd place higher but some of the teams caught wind of our tactics and tried to rally their friends to help them too. If it weren't for that…"

She couldn't help the instinct to reach for him when he trailed off. "I'm sorry, Taichi. I know your team worked hard and did their best."

"It's okay. Everyone knows business can be cutthroat." He took a deep breath. "I know it's stupid, but I really thought we were going to pull off a miracle since everyone stepped up to help us. I feel like I've let everyone down."

Sora stepped closer beside him. "I had my low points with my art class too. But you know what I kept telling myself?"

"What?"

"I didn't come to camp to become a great artist. I came to figure out what I might want to study at university. Art might not be where I end up, but I feel like I'm a little closer to figuring my path out." She nudged him meaningfully. "Why did you come to camp?"

His lips quirked. "Umm… Because you made me?"

Sora raised a fist threateningly. "Don't think I won't hit you."

Taichi barked out a laugh. "I came to learn more about business. And because you made us come with you."

She chose to ignore his comment, instead prompting, "Competition and points aside, didn't you learn things about business you can use in the real world?"

A small, if reluctant, smile spread across Taichi's face. "Yeah. Yeah, I did."

"Isn't the experience you gained worth more than your place in an arbitrary competition?"

He sighed. "You're right."

"I usually am," she said, patting his arm.

They walked in silence. Then Taichi said suddenly, "Next time, though… Wait and see, I'll get first place. "

He had a look in his eyes when Sora glanced over - the look that said Yagami Taichi was a force to be reckoned with. "What next time?"

"The next time I'm in a business competition." He gestured at himself. "Next time, I'm going to come out on top!"

Despite herself, she had to smile. "I'm sure you will."

"Wait," Hikari said suddenly from the other side of their group. Her head cocked to the side in an uncanny imitation of Gatomon on the hunt. "Do you hear that? The music?"

"I don't hear anything," Jyou said.

"We're close to the clearing now," Taichi noted, checking their progress on their path. "That's probably the DJ the camp hired for dinner entertainment."

Takeru said, "No, it sounds live. Listen, doesn't it sound like..."

Curiosity piqued, Sora tried to pick out the melody of the song that was playing. The excited chatter of the crowd around them made it difficult to pick out the entire run of notes, but they were soon turning around the last patch of trees into the clearing and -

There was a makeshift stage complete with lights and -

The gaps in the song's melody filled in, and Sora's heart clenched. Now, even from a distance, she recognized the figures on stage. Akira with his guitar at stage left, Takaishi on the drum set, Yutaka behind the keyboard on stage right. At center stage, Yamato held his bass guitar and bent close to the microphone to sing, "Let's run, not for anyone else, but because it's better than standing still…."

It all came to her in fragmented flashes. The WOLVES hadn't been reprimanded by any of the counselors for trespassing onto the campgrounds. They must have been Ran's surprise for the camp. No wonder Yamato hadn't been more surprised at their showing up so unexpectedly at lunchtime. No wonder Yamato had been so scarce in the days that followed. He hadn't been ditching them. He had been rehearsing and working all along.

She felt, abruptly, speechless.

Mimi's exclamation cut through the voices of the crowd. "Why didn't you guys say the TEEN-AGE WOLVES were going to be performing?"

"The WOLVES?" Taichi repeated, his voice tense.

The tone of his voice jolted Sora out of her disbelief. Spurred by the horrifying premonition of what Taichi might do if left unchecked, Sora rapidly took charge of the situation. "Why don't we split up? I'll take whoever wants to watch closer to the stage. Anyone who's tired can go with you to find a free table for us to eat dinner," Sora suggested.

Taichi looked like he wanted to argue, but Takeru agreed eagerly. "Yeah, let's get closer! Hikari, Mimi? What about you, Jyou?"

Jyou smiled self-deprecatingly. "I think it'd be better for the sake of my eardrums if I listen to the music a little further from the stage."

Mimi turned to Koushiro pleadingly. "Come with us, it'll be fun!"

Koushiro caught Sora's meaningful look at Taichi, though, and shook his head. "Er, apologies, but I think Sora's right. We should find a table before they're all taken up." He cleared his throat. "Let's go, Taichi."

If she was disappointed, Mimi didn't let it show. She pumped her fist in the air. "All right, c'mon team! Let's go support the WOLVES!"

There was already a small crowd forming by the stage, the mood celebratory and excited. Mimi and Sora wove through the dancing teenagers until they had a clear view of the band, Hikari and Takeru appearing behind them not long after. Mimi cheered and began clapping along, getting thoroughly swept away with the performance.

She wasn't the only one. Anyone listening could tell from their ease on stage that the WOLVES weren't new to performing for an audience - they thrived on it. The crowd was eating it up.

"Don't look back, just keep going without hesitation…"

They were better than Sora remembered. Knowing that a good portion of the audience likely wouldn't know them, it seemed the WOLVES smartly chose to interweave their original songs with their rendition of classic pop songs to get everyone singing along.

Takaishi understood the crowd, reading and reacting to them effortlessly. He manipulated the mood of the songs as needed, playing snares hard when he wanted the audience's attention and holding off on the cymbals when he wanted to slacken the tension. Yutaka's piano and Akira's guitar and piano worked in tandem: sometimes in call-and-answer, sometimes in separate solos, always supporting one another. Their teamwork was rock solid.

"We were each walking down our own roads when we met, we all hold different things in our hearts..."

But how much time had passed since Sora last heard Yamato sing? The impact of his full, baritone voice struck her square in the chest. He carried none of the anxieties and stresses that had been wearing him down for the past week. The WOLVES' leader looked like a young man without a care in the world and the audience was loving it. When he wasn't singing and ceded the melody line to the others, Yamato would pull back and groove his head to Takaishi's rhythm, drums and bass acting as the pulsing heartbeat of the band.

For a singular, perfect moment, the months of pain and estrangement fell away. All that was left was the way Yamato's voice curled around Sora's heart and made her breathless. She couldn't block him out if she tried… so she stopped resisting and gave herself over to his music. She danced with her friends and sang along to the words she knew so well.

"…I'm all right on my own, I'll even walk the edge of a knife."

And maybe his emotional crooning made him seem like he was flirting with everyone in the audience, but something in the way his eyes roved the crowd made Sora feel certain he was searching for her.

At least, that's what she wanted to believe.

"They're on fire! Doesn't he sound awesome?" Takeru shouted into Sora's ear. He was bouncing up and down, pumped up and happy.

From the stage, Yamato's eyes finally found them - found Sora. Eyes locked with hers, he sang, "If you sit with me, our feelings will balance - "

" - and I think I'll be able to smile." Sora mouthed the lyrics with him as he sang, and Yamato's gaze lit up.

Sora's heart throbbed in her chest. Impulsively, she pulled Takeru closer so she could reach his ear. "After they're done," she said, "can you cover for me with the others? I have somewhere I need to be."

He looked delighted. "Yes!"