DISCLAIMER: I do not own Digimon or any of its characters. I just like to torture them. Please don't sue. I also don't own the video game Super Smash Brothers, I don't even own a copy of it, but I'm giving it the free advertising because I hear on there you can beat Pikachu's butt, and if he doesn't deserve it, I don't know who does...and I don't own Amazon.com. Duh.
A/N: Well, we beat out chapter seven. This is even longer--but it moves fast, and the latter half is romantic.
Yolei murmured in her sleep. Someone was poking her. Repeatedly.
It took a few seconds in her sleepy, befuddled brain to figure out who. When it clicked, she sat straight up.
"Hawkmon! Do you mind?!" She held a pillow threateningly in her hands.
He smiled. "It's late. You need to be up."
The clock read seven-thirty. She sighed. "It's not late, but I do need to be up. I have a...oh brother, how do I say this? I have a date."
Hawkmon stared. "With the Kaiser." It wasn't a question.
She blushed and nodded. "Yeah. But don't worry. I'm taking you along. Not *every* time, but I want you there the first few times. And if Ken won't let you come, then I won't go."
"Sounds like a good plan, up until the part where you start leaving me behind."
Yolei rolled her eyes. "It's hard for you to trust him, but not for me. I just wish you'd trust my judgment."
Hawkmon frowned, crossing his arms stubbornly.
"Hawkmon, have I misjudged anyone before?"
He smirked. "Might I remind you of Digitamamon?"
She sighed. "I can't win. Anyway, I still think that if you got to know him, to realize that he's not all bad--"
"It's only the parts of him that *are* bad that scare me."
She blinked. "You're scared? Not upset that I fell for him, but scared that he'll hurt me?"
Hawkmon nodded.
"Well, Hawkmon, I promise you that I will not let him hurt me, okay?"
He looked at her lop-eyed. "Well..." he dragged it out, "I don't know about this. But if you promise..."
"I promise."
They shook on it.
Davis sat on the couch in the main room. He twiddled his thumbs nervously. Kari was still asleep, and no one else had come out of their rooms.
~Aww, Veemon.~ He was trying to wait patiently, but patience was not his best quality, and the longer he waited, the more he was sure that Ken had decided not to make a special-model Spiral for Veemon.
Ken always had hated him. The soccer game where Ken had whipped his butt, the time that same day that Ken had tricked him into thinking that he was going to kill the rest of the DigiDestined, all the battles in the Digital World, their final day of freedom.
Davis had thought long and hard about that day many times.
Breaking into the base. Getting split up. Reunited. Battling Kimeramon. Losing.
That was the part that had always made him mad. That their five Armor Digimon were not enough to defeat that stupid amalgamation of digimon body parts. They needed...
He grinned. Sometimes a thought from the part of his mind that was still thirteen caught him off guard. ~We really could have used a Super-Digimon. Veemon digivolve to Supermon!~ He almost laughed aloud.
Suddenly, the door opened, and he was on his guard, until two Pagumon escorted Veemon in.
"Davis!" Veemon cried in his adorable lisp.
"Hey, buddy!" Davis got up off his rear and the two of them met in a big bear hug.
The Pagumon slipped out, locking the door.
"This is so cool!" Veemon said, all smiles.
"I'm so happy!" Davis picked up the little blue critter and swung him around. They both laughed. Then Davis sat on the couch with his digimon in his lap.
Veemon studied his face. "Davis...is that a...are you...*crying*?"
Davis nodded. "I really missed you, buddy. But everything's okay now."
Veemon smiled. "So...how are things going with you and Kari?"
"Wonderful. Veemon, except for the fact that you weren't here, the past few weeks have been perfect. And now, everything is perfect."
Veemon smiled. "Ahh, this is the life." He snuggled down next to Davis and spent a rare moment in silence.
Davis grinned.
And then, they fell asleep.
T.K. was aware of a warm presence in his bed with him. He opened his eyes groggily. ~Oh. Yeah. Patamon.~
He sat up. The blankets fell from around him, revealing his shirtless state. He watched his digimon sleep.
~Damn, I missed him.~ He'd known that he missed Patamon in the special times, but he hadn't realized how much he missed him in the normal, everyday things, like right now. They'd only been together about ten hours, and slept eight of those, but it was already dawning on him.
He sighed in contentment, running a finger along Patamon's ear, and then placing his hand on the digimon's head, as if to assure himself that Patamon was really there.
Patamon woke at the touch. He looked up. "T.K.!" he cried joyfully. "It wasn't a dream!" T.K. almost fell over as Patamon jumped into his arms, but caught himself and hugged the small digimon.
"Nope!" T.K. laughed. "And I promise, we will never be apart again!"
Cody slowly drifted into consciousness. He was in his bed, but he was laying against something hard on his left side.
Armadillomon's shell.
Armadillomon's shell?!
"Armadillomon!" he cried, waking the digimon and hugging his neck.
"I reckon," Armadillomon smiled. "Thanks for the wake-up call."
Cody laughed good-naturedly. "I'm so happy that you're here!"
Armadillomon couldn't help but notice how Cody had grown. "Cody, you look completely different. But you haven't changed a bit."
Cody laughed. He knew he'd shot up considerably height-wise, but at the same time, looked very much like he always had. "I think I know what you mean."
"You should. We're friends for life. We should understand each other."
Cody was still happy, and laughed yet again. "And we do! I am so glad we're together again!"
Kari woke up reaching out for Davis. Why wasn't she in his arms? He might be in the shower, but surely he would have woken her to see if she wanted to join him like he always did.
Finally, she touched warmth. Body.
Waitaminit! This wasn't Davis! Davis was not *furry*!
She sat straight up, clutching sheets to her bare chest, and opened her eyes.
"Oh! Gatomon, you scared me!"
The digi-kitty rolled her eyes. "Davis went out to the living room to wait for Veemon and woke me up, so I decided to come in here with you. I was going to wake you up soon."
"Why?"
"'Cause it's time to be up." Gatomon pointed to a clock on the nightstand. Eight-thirty.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Tell you what, you go get yourself something to eat, and I'll get dressed."
Gatomon nodded, and then scampered off to the kitchenette to find something to eat. Around the time she had scrounged out something she liked, Kari came out, fully dressed. "I'm going to go get Davis and then I'll make breakfast...for the two of us," Kari said, noticing that Gatomon had foraged for herself. "Or three, if Veemon's there."
Gatomon nodded, too busy with something that involved tuna fish to reply verbally.
Kari went out into the living room, and spotted her husband, with Veemon asleep on his lap.
~Aww...how kawaii.~ Kari walked up behind the couch and leaned down, kissing Davis's neck right where she knew--from experience--there was a sensitive spot.
Davis murmured, shifted, and woke. "Kari?" he asked, heavily.
"Right here," she whispered in his ear. "It's an incredible feeling, huh?"
He knew she was referring to having Veemon back. "It's second only to having married you."
She sat on the middle of the back of the couch.
He slipped a hand up and around the front of her waist, pulling her backwards and causing her to tumble onto the couch. "Davis!" she squeaked. He pulled her close and mischievously pressed a kiss to her lips.
Veemon woke up from all the jostling. "Hey! Break it up, you two!"
Davis laughed and let Kari jerk away.
She glared at him. "You know, if I didn't love you so much, I wouldn't speak to you for a week."
"Maybe so, but I wouldn't have done that unless I knew that you *do* love me so much."
She rolled her eyes. "Breakfast?"
"Sounds great."
Ken paced in the Control Room. It was an hour until lunch, after which he was bringing Yolei back up here to his personal quarters.
He had no clue how they were going to spend the time. Just talking sounded good, but it wasn't what she was expecting, nor what she wanted. ~I have to think of *something*!~
The workings of controlling nearly every digimon alive wouldn't interest her, he knew that for a fact. He had countless "toys", mostly of the electronic nature, but most of them were only enjoyable for one. Games were out, they were too old, and it wouldn't be particularly fun. He considered trying to talk her into a make-out session, but she had already gotten onto him once for moving too fast. ~It can wait.~
He looked around and sighed. He let his face fall into an upraised hand and growled at himself. He was annoyed at himself.
"Master?" Wormmon ventured out of the corner and looked up at him curiously.
"What?"
"What's bothering you?"
Ken blushed behind his hand. ~How in the world does one explain love to a digimon?~ "Yolei," he said, simply. "I don't know what we're going to do when she comes up here later."
"Why don't you let her decide?"
The light clicked on in Ken's head. Duuuuu-uuuuuh. For a genius, he could be such an idiot. "Of course," he said. He let his hand drop and looked at Wormmon. "Call me when it's time to go down for lunch. I have work to get back to." ~And now that I've settled that, I can concentrate.~
Yolei was a bit nervous as lunchtime approached. She wasn't sure when Ken wanted her to come see him, but she knew the way he thought. Today was probably the day.
Sitting out on the couch, she told Kari, and Kari just smiled. "Good. I'm glad to see things are going how you'd hoped."
Yolei rolled her eyes. "I wish I knew *what* I had hoped. This is all so *confusing!*"
Kari frowned. "You do still like him, right?"
"More than ever...but I'm kind of scared of him, too."
"That's understandable...I know when Davis and I first got started, I was scared of what I was doing."
"Really?" Yolei blinked. She didn't remember that. But, the more she thought about it, the more she thought that she had never *really* been in love before. Just, crushes, or infatuation.
"Look, Yolei, everyone is scared of new-found love. They're afraid of letting things go on because they're not sure they've found the right person."
"Well, when do you know?"
Kari sighed. "You just do. You're both just sitting there, and you look in each other's eyes, and one of you just can't hold it back any more, and says it, and the other gets all teary, and asks 'Really?', and then you both know it. And then usually, you kiss like you never have before..."
Yolei rolled her eyes. "Assuming you've kissed."
Kari laughed. "Well, consider what the alternative to having never been kissed would be in your specific case. You'd have to have been kissed by T.K....Cody's a little young for you..."
Yolei made a face. "Yuck. I mean, he's a great guy, a great friend, but...I just can't...yuck."
The door from outside opened, startling them both. Ken entered, followed by digimon slaves carting in food. Hawkmon, who had been silent throughout Yolei and Kari's conversation, frowned and glared, but maintained his silence.
Kari stood. "See ya, Yolei. I have to go cook for two bottomless pits..."
"Veemon and Gatomon?"
"No...Veemon and Davis."
Yolei laughed as her friend disappeared into her suite. Then she turned to face Ken. "Hi...I think the guys are already in there..."
Ken nodded. They went into the dining room--Hawkmon in tow--and they sat in their normal seats. T.K. and Cody--and their respective digimon--had already settled down to their plates. The seven ate in silence, and then T.K. looked up at Cody. "Super Smash Brothers?"
Cody nodded. They left, Patamon and Armadillomon following close behind.
Hawkmon turned to Yolei. "Should I go with them?"
Yolei turned to Ken. "Well, Ken, that depends on you. When are we going?"
He looked surprised. "As soon as you're finished."
"Well, I want Hawkmon along the first few times. That would include today."
Ken frowned. ~But this is supposed to be our time. Special.~ Funny, he felt jealous, not angry. "Why?"
"Because I want him to know where I'm at when I come see you. We'll both feel better."
~Well, at least she trusts me not to try anything on her. I would never do that to her.~ Somehow, he knew she was telling him the truth and not trying to cover up what might have been the obvious answer. "Once. That's it."
Yolei nodded. She'd been thinking three or four times, but it seemed enough. "Great. Let's go." She grabbed his hand and stood, waiting for him to come.
He stood, and she picked up Hawkmon and ran ahead to the outer door. He followed at a slower, more dignified pace. He tapped on it. "Pagumon!"
The door opened from outside, and they stepped out into the hallway. The lock clicked shut as the door closed, and again Yolei noticed it was a far friendlier sound when you were on the outside rather than the in.
Ken stuck out his arm. "I think it would be best if I had a hold on you...you *are* still a prisoner." ~What an excuse!~ he bashed himself mentally.
~What an excuse!~ Yolei thought. ~Oh well.~ She shifted Hawkmon so that he was entirely in her left arm and stuck her right one through his, taking the closeness where she could get it. Hawkmon offered to get down but she shook her head. She realized that Ken had said "a" prisoner and not "my" prisoner. Maybe something was clicking. Of course, it might have been a fluke, but Yolei was just too optimistic to believe that.
The walk seemed much shorter with Ken than it had with the Pagumon, but Yolei wondered if maybe that was because she hadn't *enjoyed* being with the Pagumon.
They just passed the Control Room, and Ken led her into a suite far bigger than her own, and fancier--as well as the obvious of more masculine. She let go of his arm and set Hawkmon down. She looked around with wide eyes. They were in the living room. There was an entertainment center, a couch, and a bookshelf. She could see an open doorway to his bedroom, and another door that Yolei guessed led directly to the Control Room.
Hawkmon promptly went and sat down on the far end of the couch.
Ken shut the door quietly and started to lock it, but then... "No. You're not my prisoner here. You're my guest." She turned to see him purposely open the door a crack. "If I can't trust you, then there's no point in even going on like this. If you're only here hoping for a chance to get away, then I don't want you here."
She blinked. Twice. "Ken...that's sweet." She blinked a third time, and assured herself that the stupid tears *were* in check.
"Well, it's not like I'm going to ignore you, anyway. We'll be so busy that you won't have half a chance to try." He grinned, although lopsidedly. "But even if we weren't I'd trust you." ~And I have no idea why.~
She nodded. "Busy doing what?"
"Oh...I was going to let you decide that. I have no idea what you like to do, and I want to find out. I figured that letting you pick what to do would be the best way to do that." He *had* figured that, after Wormmon had planted the idea in his head.
~Well...there's a lot to do...but what would be fun?~ She went over to the entertainment center and started looking through its contents. DVDs, videos. She hadn't realized that he had enough free time to still do "normal" stuff, but the more she saw of the room, the more she realized that he must have missed the real world as much as the rest of them. The decor in the room was not unlike what she'd expect to see in a typical bachelor pad back home in Tokyo. "Why don't we watch a movie?"
"Well...okay...pick one."
She started flipping through them. "Have you seen them all before?"
"Yeah."
"Where do you get them?"
"Just because I've lost access to the real world doesn't mean I can't access the Internet. I know how to hack into things...they're all free. Amazon.com will never know the difference if one copy of any given DVD ends up at points unknown."
She cocked an eyebrow. "But how do you get them to ship here--"
"That's the tricky part, but we'll leave it at that, okay?"
She nodded. "I'd probably rather not know, right?"
He nodded in return.
When she finally found an action/romance that looked promising, she turned and held it out to him. She was surprised to see that he'd slinked out of his cape and draped it over the arm of the couch opposite Hawkmon, and casually taken a seat. Sitting there in that tight--Yolei only then noticed how tight--jumpsuit, he actually looked...attractive? Striking? No. Lose the glasses, calm the hair, maybe then. But it wasn't right, not quite like that.
"Do you know how to work it?" he asked.
"I've been a computer geek most of my life. If there's an electronic device I can't figure out, I'll be ashamed of myself."
He smiled and watched her figure it out. It didn't take but a few seconds, and she came and sat on the couch, between her digimon and the object of her affection. He dimmed the lights--"because the way the room is set up, the glare is awful, I really ought to fix that"--and they were all quiet.
It was...awkward.
She tried to pay attention to the movie.
Tried.
She wouldn't have minded Ken's inching closer if Hawkmon hadn't been giving him dirty looks. She wouldn't have minded Hawkmon's dirty looks if Ken hadn't been inching closer.
She almost wished she had left Hawkmon behind. She knew Ken wasn't going to try anything, and Hawkmon's presence was only making things awkward--for her, anyway. Ken seemed perfectly at ease.
She sighed inaudibly and leaned back--
Against Ken's arm! For a split second, she reveled in the fact that his hand was draping over her shoulder, and his fingertips seemed to fall in just the right places to make her shiver. But then, she remembered exactly what was going on, and she jerked forward, but he didn't let his hand let go of her.
They exchanged a glance. By the light of the TV, she saw him smile.
She blushed, but settled backwards into the couch, and snuggled against his arm.
Even in the dark, even though she could not see, she knew she'd made him blush.
As the movie went on, she started leaning less and less on the couch and more and more against his side.
When the movie was over, they let the DVD do its thing. Hawkmon had fallen asleep, so he wasn't bothering them.
They simply sat. Neither one dared to break the spell by speaking, or making any sudden moves. Ken's hand was still on her shoulder, and he started stroking with his thumb. Yolei was amazed at how simple touch could send tingles down her spine. They'd never kissed; he wasn't even touching bare skin; *but*, she was leaning against his side in the dark; they were alone--or close enough to it.
"Ken?" she murmured.
"Yes?" He spoke softly, not daring to let his voice break a whisper. The moment was too incredible to just shatter it.
"*What* in the *world* are we *doing*?" She still whispered, but harder.
"Nothing wrong...nothing even questionable." ~Are we?~
"I know...but...why us? Why do we feel the way we do? Why does it feel so right and so wrong all at once?" ~It does. Oh, it does...~
~Oh.~ "I...don't know, Yolei...but...*please*...don't make it end..." His hand lifted from her shoulder and came to the side of her near him, and he stroked a bit of hair out of her face and behind her ear.
She noticed every small detail. The way he seemed reluctant to chance leaving the here and now; the way his finger hit the arm of her glasses; the way his hand quickly returned to her shoulder.
She closed her eyes in the semidarkness of the TV screen. She drew her legs up sideways onto the couch and put the hand that wasn't pinned against Ken's side on her knee. He put his own hand on top of it.
"Yolei..."
"Ken, no, don't say it. I know that there's something between us, and it's something we can't turn back from, but it isn't...you know...not *yet*..."
"Someday?" he implored, overwhelmed by what he was feeling. He had never felt so much for another person before. He wasn't even sure he'd ever cared so much about his own well-being. ~I want to *love* you, Yolei...I don't really care if you love me or not, but I want you to know that I *do* love you...now. I do love you, and I am waiting for you to want to hear that from me.~
"Someday. Maybe even some day soon. But not today." ~Soon. Very soon. I promise. I know what you're feeling. I feel it myself. I just want to be sure it's going to last.~
"Don't leave yet."
She let out a deep breath. He could feel it, but barely heard it. "I wasn't going to. The change of scenery is nice, but I enjoy being here with *you* more than anything else." She laid her head on his shoulder. He laid his head on top of hers, and then turned and planted a kiss on the top of her head, pushing her kerchief backwards on her head with his lips. Then he settled himself back how he had been before he did that, amazed at how soft her hair was under his cheek.
He moved his hand from atop hers to brush her hair out of her face on the other side, and she took the opportunity to place her hand on his shoulder under her cheek. He put his hand on her far shoulder and turned her more facing him. Finally, they were comfortable.
In the dark, it didn't take them long to fall asleep.
Wormmon knocked on the door from the Control Room to Ken's private quarters. "Master?" It had been three hours since Ken had brought Yolei back to his room, and one hour since Wormmon had heard muffled voices. No answer. Finally Wormmon opened the door and found the room almost completely dark, save for the blank screen of the TV. Hawkmon was asleep on the end of the couch nearest him, and on the other end...
Yolei was asleep in Ken's arms!
Things had gone better between them than Wormmon had dared to hope.
Now, how to wake them so that it seemed accidental?
Wormmon decided that the easiest thing would be to turn on the lights and turn off the TV, generally make it seem like he was cleaning up after them. As soon as the lights were no longer dim, Hawkmon stirred.
"Eh...? I was asleep? Oh no, Yo..." he stopped when he turned and saw Yolei wrapped up with Ken. Not what he would have preferred, but she seemed happy, and it was obvious Ken had not done her any harm.
"Hawkmon?" he heard. The voice was low, and wavery.
"Wormmon?"
"Yes."
Wormmon appeared from behind the couch, and the two of them stared at each other for a few moments. Wormmon broke the silence. "Should we wake them up?"
Hawkmon frowned. "I hate to break Yolei away from something that seems to make her happy, but the others down in our rooms will be worried if she doesn't come back soon. Yes. Let's wake them." He started poking her in the back.
She frowned in her sleep. She was against something rather warm, and it was far too big to be Hawkmon. Whatever it was, it was bigger than her. She opened her eyes to see blue. Ken's jumpsuit...
Oh boy. Hawkmon was going to be upset later on. He wouldn't get onto her until they were alone, but she dreaded even suggesting that she was awake.
"Ow!" he finally poked her hard enough that she had no choice.
Ken woke quickly, hearing her. He pulled his arms away as she jumped back with a start, thinking he had made her cry out. When he realized it was Hawkmon trying to get her up, he relaxed, but did not reach for her again.
"Yolei, my dear, we need to go."
She rubbed her eyes. "What time is it?"
"If the movie was two hours, it's been an hour since it was over."
"Oh! We need to get back to the others. Kari will worry."
Ken sighed. Still seated, he pulled his cape back around his shoulders. "I'll have to walk you back."
She nodded. "I know. I was hoping you would, at any rate."
He nodded, stood, and helped her to her feet. She picked Hawkmon up off the couch, and carried him like before.
He took her arm and led her out of the room, heading back to her prison. When they got to the door, she let Hawkmon down and he went in, giving them a minute alone.
He held her, a hand on each of her elbows, but not touching her anywhere else. "Yolei...I know you have to get back with the others. But...next time..."
"Tomorrow?" she asked hopefully.
He smiled. "Definitely. *Tomorrow*, we need to talk about today."
"What about today?" she asked, her eyes searching his the best they could through the tinted glasses he wore.
"Something happened. I felt something for you today that I never felt for anyone before in my whole life."
"I told you, it's too soon to be..." she trailed off. She didn't dare say the word.
"I know. I know. But I think that what I felt--*feel*, Yolei, I *still* feel it--for you, today, is...oh, Yolei, you already said you're not ready to call it that. But that doesn't change how I feel."
She took in a deep breath. She wanted to hear him say it, desperately, but it was too soon. Give it a few weeks, at least. ~But it *has* been a few weeks, and time won't change anything,~ her inner mind argued. "Okay, Ken, we'll talk about it...tomorrow. I need to get in..."
He nodded, and she went in. He closed the door behind her, and as soon as the lock clicked shut, he banged his head against the metal door.
~Damn! I want her to know! I want her to *know*! I love her, damn it!~
How had he fallen for her? How? Why? At that moment, he would have given up everything just so that he could tell her. Just to have her know that he cared about her. Cared about her more than his own self.
If Yolei had known, she would have come back to him that instant and begged him to say it. To tell her what she was pretty sure she knew. Things might happen, and they might have all returned to the real world yet.
But, soon, the "reasonable" side of him took over. He would *not* give up anything as long as he didn't *have* to. He didn't think he'd have to.
Kari, of course, wanted the 4-1-1 as soon as possible. For the first time, Yolei was a little reluctant to share.
"Well, Kari...we watched a movie and fell asleep on the couch. That's it. We didn't kiss or anything major like that."
"You *fell* *asleep*?"
Yolei rolled her eyes and sighed. "Yes, we did."
"Together?"
"Yeah. I'll be in my room until dinner, okay?"
Kari nodded. "Thinking of Ken."
Yolei just sweatdropped and headed for her room. Of course, once there, Hawkmon had his chewing-out prepared.
"Yolei, my dear, what was that all about?"
"What was what about?"
"Yolei, you should know what! When I woke up, I found you all tangled up around...him."
Yolei rolled her eyes again. "Hawkmon, we fell asleep."
"Closely!"
"We're dating. That kind of thing happens a lot on dates. We didn't even kiss."
"You didn't?"
"No. We did not."
"Well, that makes me feel better. But, still..."
She smiled at his bullheadedness. "I promise I won't do anything stupid."
"I'll hold you to that."
She smiled. "Please do."
After dinner, Cody knocked on Yolei's door. "Hello?" she asked.
"It's Cody."
"Come on in. It's not locked."
He did so and sat on the couch. He looked at her over the half-wall between the kitchen and living room. She was sitting on the counter. "We haven't talked in a while."
She half-smiled. "That's not entirely my fault. I think between falling in love and having our digimon back..." she sighed. "But I'm glad you noticed. What do you want to talk about?"
"About your falling in love. What's going on?"
She blinked at him. "Huh?"
"How serious is it? What's going to happen? How long is it going to be before you marry him and move up there?"
She blinked again, surprised he would think so far ahead. *She* hadn't even thought that far ahead. "Cody, the practical question is 'When is he going to give up the throne?', because I would never marry him unless he did. With any luck, seeing me die of a broken heart due to being apart from him will influence him to do so, if nothing else does before then."
He cocked an eyebrow. "So you'll be here for a while?"
She smiled. "Yes, of course."
"Good. Hey, how about a game of chess? We haven't done that in a long time, either..."
A/N: Tune in...*authoress gets whacked over the head with a hammerspace mallet by random reader*...next...time...please...review...
A/N: Well, we beat out chapter seven. This is even longer--but it moves fast, and the latter half is romantic.
Yolei murmured in her sleep. Someone was poking her. Repeatedly.
It took a few seconds in her sleepy, befuddled brain to figure out who. When it clicked, she sat straight up.
"Hawkmon! Do you mind?!" She held a pillow threateningly in her hands.
He smiled. "It's late. You need to be up."
The clock read seven-thirty. She sighed. "It's not late, but I do need to be up. I have a...oh brother, how do I say this? I have a date."
Hawkmon stared. "With the Kaiser." It wasn't a question.
She blushed and nodded. "Yeah. But don't worry. I'm taking you along. Not *every* time, but I want you there the first few times. And if Ken won't let you come, then I won't go."
"Sounds like a good plan, up until the part where you start leaving me behind."
Yolei rolled her eyes. "It's hard for you to trust him, but not for me. I just wish you'd trust my judgment."
Hawkmon frowned, crossing his arms stubbornly.
"Hawkmon, have I misjudged anyone before?"
He smirked. "Might I remind you of Digitamamon?"
She sighed. "I can't win. Anyway, I still think that if you got to know him, to realize that he's not all bad--"
"It's only the parts of him that *are* bad that scare me."
She blinked. "You're scared? Not upset that I fell for him, but scared that he'll hurt me?"
Hawkmon nodded.
"Well, Hawkmon, I promise you that I will not let him hurt me, okay?"
He looked at her lop-eyed. "Well..." he dragged it out, "I don't know about this. But if you promise..."
"I promise."
They shook on it.
Davis sat on the couch in the main room. He twiddled his thumbs nervously. Kari was still asleep, and no one else had come out of their rooms.
~Aww, Veemon.~ He was trying to wait patiently, but patience was not his best quality, and the longer he waited, the more he was sure that Ken had decided not to make a special-model Spiral for Veemon.
Ken always had hated him. The soccer game where Ken had whipped his butt, the time that same day that Ken had tricked him into thinking that he was going to kill the rest of the DigiDestined, all the battles in the Digital World, their final day of freedom.
Davis had thought long and hard about that day many times.
Breaking into the base. Getting split up. Reunited. Battling Kimeramon. Losing.
That was the part that had always made him mad. That their five Armor Digimon were not enough to defeat that stupid amalgamation of digimon body parts. They needed...
He grinned. Sometimes a thought from the part of his mind that was still thirteen caught him off guard. ~We really could have used a Super-Digimon. Veemon digivolve to Supermon!~ He almost laughed aloud.
Suddenly, the door opened, and he was on his guard, until two Pagumon escorted Veemon in.
"Davis!" Veemon cried in his adorable lisp.
"Hey, buddy!" Davis got up off his rear and the two of them met in a big bear hug.
The Pagumon slipped out, locking the door.
"This is so cool!" Veemon said, all smiles.
"I'm so happy!" Davis picked up the little blue critter and swung him around. They both laughed. Then Davis sat on the couch with his digimon in his lap.
Veemon studied his face. "Davis...is that a...are you...*crying*?"
Davis nodded. "I really missed you, buddy. But everything's okay now."
Veemon smiled. "So...how are things going with you and Kari?"
"Wonderful. Veemon, except for the fact that you weren't here, the past few weeks have been perfect. And now, everything is perfect."
Veemon smiled. "Ahh, this is the life." He snuggled down next to Davis and spent a rare moment in silence.
Davis grinned.
And then, they fell asleep.
T.K. was aware of a warm presence in his bed with him. He opened his eyes groggily. ~Oh. Yeah. Patamon.~
He sat up. The blankets fell from around him, revealing his shirtless state. He watched his digimon sleep.
~Damn, I missed him.~ He'd known that he missed Patamon in the special times, but he hadn't realized how much he missed him in the normal, everyday things, like right now. They'd only been together about ten hours, and slept eight of those, but it was already dawning on him.
He sighed in contentment, running a finger along Patamon's ear, and then placing his hand on the digimon's head, as if to assure himself that Patamon was really there.
Patamon woke at the touch. He looked up. "T.K.!" he cried joyfully. "It wasn't a dream!" T.K. almost fell over as Patamon jumped into his arms, but caught himself and hugged the small digimon.
"Nope!" T.K. laughed. "And I promise, we will never be apart again!"
Cody slowly drifted into consciousness. He was in his bed, but he was laying against something hard on his left side.
Armadillomon's shell.
Armadillomon's shell?!
"Armadillomon!" he cried, waking the digimon and hugging his neck.
"I reckon," Armadillomon smiled. "Thanks for the wake-up call."
Cody laughed good-naturedly. "I'm so happy that you're here!"
Armadillomon couldn't help but notice how Cody had grown. "Cody, you look completely different. But you haven't changed a bit."
Cody laughed. He knew he'd shot up considerably height-wise, but at the same time, looked very much like he always had. "I think I know what you mean."
"You should. We're friends for life. We should understand each other."
Cody was still happy, and laughed yet again. "And we do! I am so glad we're together again!"
Kari woke up reaching out for Davis. Why wasn't she in his arms? He might be in the shower, but surely he would have woken her to see if she wanted to join him like he always did.
Finally, she touched warmth. Body.
Waitaminit! This wasn't Davis! Davis was not *furry*!
She sat straight up, clutching sheets to her bare chest, and opened her eyes.
"Oh! Gatomon, you scared me!"
The digi-kitty rolled her eyes. "Davis went out to the living room to wait for Veemon and woke me up, so I decided to come in here with you. I was going to wake you up soon."
"Why?"
"'Cause it's time to be up." Gatomon pointed to a clock on the nightstand. Eight-thirty.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Tell you what, you go get yourself something to eat, and I'll get dressed."
Gatomon nodded, and then scampered off to the kitchenette to find something to eat. Around the time she had scrounged out something she liked, Kari came out, fully dressed. "I'm going to go get Davis and then I'll make breakfast...for the two of us," Kari said, noticing that Gatomon had foraged for herself. "Or three, if Veemon's there."
Gatomon nodded, too busy with something that involved tuna fish to reply verbally.
Kari went out into the living room, and spotted her husband, with Veemon asleep on his lap.
~Aww...how kawaii.~ Kari walked up behind the couch and leaned down, kissing Davis's neck right where she knew--from experience--there was a sensitive spot.
Davis murmured, shifted, and woke. "Kari?" he asked, heavily.
"Right here," she whispered in his ear. "It's an incredible feeling, huh?"
He knew she was referring to having Veemon back. "It's second only to having married you."
She sat on the middle of the back of the couch.
He slipped a hand up and around the front of her waist, pulling her backwards and causing her to tumble onto the couch. "Davis!" she squeaked. He pulled her close and mischievously pressed a kiss to her lips.
Veemon woke up from all the jostling. "Hey! Break it up, you two!"
Davis laughed and let Kari jerk away.
She glared at him. "You know, if I didn't love you so much, I wouldn't speak to you for a week."
"Maybe so, but I wouldn't have done that unless I knew that you *do* love me so much."
She rolled her eyes. "Breakfast?"
"Sounds great."
Ken paced in the Control Room. It was an hour until lunch, after which he was bringing Yolei back up here to his personal quarters.
He had no clue how they were going to spend the time. Just talking sounded good, but it wasn't what she was expecting, nor what she wanted. ~I have to think of *something*!~
The workings of controlling nearly every digimon alive wouldn't interest her, he knew that for a fact. He had countless "toys", mostly of the electronic nature, but most of them were only enjoyable for one. Games were out, they were too old, and it wouldn't be particularly fun. He considered trying to talk her into a make-out session, but she had already gotten onto him once for moving too fast. ~It can wait.~
He looked around and sighed. He let his face fall into an upraised hand and growled at himself. He was annoyed at himself.
"Master?" Wormmon ventured out of the corner and looked up at him curiously.
"What?"
"What's bothering you?"
Ken blushed behind his hand. ~How in the world does one explain love to a digimon?~ "Yolei," he said, simply. "I don't know what we're going to do when she comes up here later."
"Why don't you let her decide?"
The light clicked on in Ken's head. Duuuuu-uuuuuh. For a genius, he could be such an idiot. "Of course," he said. He let his hand drop and looked at Wormmon. "Call me when it's time to go down for lunch. I have work to get back to." ~And now that I've settled that, I can concentrate.~
Yolei was a bit nervous as lunchtime approached. She wasn't sure when Ken wanted her to come see him, but she knew the way he thought. Today was probably the day.
Sitting out on the couch, she told Kari, and Kari just smiled. "Good. I'm glad to see things are going how you'd hoped."
Yolei rolled her eyes. "I wish I knew *what* I had hoped. This is all so *confusing!*"
Kari frowned. "You do still like him, right?"
"More than ever...but I'm kind of scared of him, too."
"That's understandable...I know when Davis and I first got started, I was scared of what I was doing."
"Really?" Yolei blinked. She didn't remember that. But, the more she thought about it, the more she thought that she had never *really* been in love before. Just, crushes, or infatuation.
"Look, Yolei, everyone is scared of new-found love. They're afraid of letting things go on because they're not sure they've found the right person."
"Well, when do you know?"
Kari sighed. "You just do. You're both just sitting there, and you look in each other's eyes, and one of you just can't hold it back any more, and says it, and the other gets all teary, and asks 'Really?', and then you both know it. And then usually, you kiss like you never have before..."
Yolei rolled her eyes. "Assuming you've kissed."
Kari laughed. "Well, consider what the alternative to having never been kissed would be in your specific case. You'd have to have been kissed by T.K....Cody's a little young for you..."
Yolei made a face. "Yuck. I mean, he's a great guy, a great friend, but...I just can't...yuck."
The door from outside opened, startling them both. Ken entered, followed by digimon slaves carting in food. Hawkmon, who had been silent throughout Yolei and Kari's conversation, frowned and glared, but maintained his silence.
Kari stood. "See ya, Yolei. I have to go cook for two bottomless pits..."
"Veemon and Gatomon?"
"No...Veemon and Davis."
Yolei laughed as her friend disappeared into her suite. Then she turned to face Ken. "Hi...I think the guys are already in there..."
Ken nodded. They went into the dining room--Hawkmon in tow--and they sat in their normal seats. T.K. and Cody--and their respective digimon--had already settled down to their plates. The seven ate in silence, and then T.K. looked up at Cody. "Super Smash Brothers?"
Cody nodded. They left, Patamon and Armadillomon following close behind.
Hawkmon turned to Yolei. "Should I go with them?"
Yolei turned to Ken. "Well, Ken, that depends on you. When are we going?"
He looked surprised. "As soon as you're finished."
"Well, I want Hawkmon along the first few times. That would include today."
Ken frowned. ~But this is supposed to be our time. Special.~ Funny, he felt jealous, not angry. "Why?"
"Because I want him to know where I'm at when I come see you. We'll both feel better."
~Well, at least she trusts me not to try anything on her. I would never do that to her.~ Somehow, he knew she was telling him the truth and not trying to cover up what might have been the obvious answer. "Once. That's it."
Yolei nodded. She'd been thinking three or four times, but it seemed enough. "Great. Let's go." She grabbed his hand and stood, waiting for him to come.
He stood, and she picked up Hawkmon and ran ahead to the outer door. He followed at a slower, more dignified pace. He tapped on it. "Pagumon!"
The door opened from outside, and they stepped out into the hallway. The lock clicked shut as the door closed, and again Yolei noticed it was a far friendlier sound when you were on the outside rather than the in.
Ken stuck out his arm. "I think it would be best if I had a hold on you...you *are* still a prisoner." ~What an excuse!~ he bashed himself mentally.
~What an excuse!~ Yolei thought. ~Oh well.~ She shifted Hawkmon so that he was entirely in her left arm and stuck her right one through his, taking the closeness where she could get it. Hawkmon offered to get down but she shook her head. She realized that Ken had said "a" prisoner and not "my" prisoner. Maybe something was clicking. Of course, it might have been a fluke, but Yolei was just too optimistic to believe that.
The walk seemed much shorter with Ken than it had with the Pagumon, but Yolei wondered if maybe that was because she hadn't *enjoyed* being with the Pagumon.
They just passed the Control Room, and Ken led her into a suite far bigger than her own, and fancier--as well as the obvious of more masculine. She let go of his arm and set Hawkmon down. She looked around with wide eyes. They were in the living room. There was an entertainment center, a couch, and a bookshelf. She could see an open doorway to his bedroom, and another door that Yolei guessed led directly to the Control Room.
Hawkmon promptly went and sat down on the far end of the couch.
Ken shut the door quietly and started to lock it, but then... "No. You're not my prisoner here. You're my guest." She turned to see him purposely open the door a crack. "If I can't trust you, then there's no point in even going on like this. If you're only here hoping for a chance to get away, then I don't want you here."
She blinked. Twice. "Ken...that's sweet." She blinked a third time, and assured herself that the stupid tears *were* in check.
"Well, it's not like I'm going to ignore you, anyway. We'll be so busy that you won't have half a chance to try." He grinned, although lopsidedly. "But even if we weren't I'd trust you." ~And I have no idea why.~
She nodded. "Busy doing what?"
"Oh...I was going to let you decide that. I have no idea what you like to do, and I want to find out. I figured that letting you pick what to do would be the best way to do that." He *had* figured that, after Wormmon had planted the idea in his head.
~Well...there's a lot to do...but what would be fun?~ She went over to the entertainment center and started looking through its contents. DVDs, videos. She hadn't realized that he had enough free time to still do "normal" stuff, but the more she saw of the room, the more she realized that he must have missed the real world as much as the rest of them. The decor in the room was not unlike what she'd expect to see in a typical bachelor pad back home in Tokyo. "Why don't we watch a movie?"
"Well...okay...pick one."
She started flipping through them. "Have you seen them all before?"
"Yeah."
"Where do you get them?"
"Just because I've lost access to the real world doesn't mean I can't access the Internet. I know how to hack into things...they're all free. Amazon.com will never know the difference if one copy of any given DVD ends up at points unknown."
She cocked an eyebrow. "But how do you get them to ship here--"
"That's the tricky part, but we'll leave it at that, okay?"
She nodded. "I'd probably rather not know, right?"
He nodded in return.
When she finally found an action/romance that looked promising, she turned and held it out to him. She was surprised to see that he'd slinked out of his cape and draped it over the arm of the couch opposite Hawkmon, and casually taken a seat. Sitting there in that tight--Yolei only then noticed how tight--jumpsuit, he actually looked...attractive? Striking? No. Lose the glasses, calm the hair, maybe then. But it wasn't right, not quite like that.
"Do you know how to work it?" he asked.
"I've been a computer geek most of my life. If there's an electronic device I can't figure out, I'll be ashamed of myself."
He smiled and watched her figure it out. It didn't take but a few seconds, and she came and sat on the couch, between her digimon and the object of her affection. He dimmed the lights--"because the way the room is set up, the glare is awful, I really ought to fix that"--and they were all quiet.
It was...awkward.
She tried to pay attention to the movie.
Tried.
She wouldn't have minded Ken's inching closer if Hawkmon hadn't been giving him dirty looks. She wouldn't have minded Hawkmon's dirty looks if Ken hadn't been inching closer.
She almost wished she had left Hawkmon behind. She knew Ken wasn't going to try anything, and Hawkmon's presence was only making things awkward--for her, anyway. Ken seemed perfectly at ease.
She sighed inaudibly and leaned back--
Against Ken's arm! For a split second, she reveled in the fact that his hand was draping over her shoulder, and his fingertips seemed to fall in just the right places to make her shiver. But then, she remembered exactly what was going on, and she jerked forward, but he didn't let his hand let go of her.
They exchanged a glance. By the light of the TV, she saw him smile.
She blushed, but settled backwards into the couch, and snuggled against his arm.
Even in the dark, even though she could not see, she knew she'd made him blush.
As the movie went on, she started leaning less and less on the couch and more and more against his side.
When the movie was over, they let the DVD do its thing. Hawkmon had fallen asleep, so he wasn't bothering them.
They simply sat. Neither one dared to break the spell by speaking, or making any sudden moves. Ken's hand was still on her shoulder, and he started stroking with his thumb. Yolei was amazed at how simple touch could send tingles down her spine. They'd never kissed; he wasn't even touching bare skin; *but*, she was leaning against his side in the dark; they were alone--or close enough to it.
"Ken?" she murmured.
"Yes?" He spoke softly, not daring to let his voice break a whisper. The moment was too incredible to just shatter it.
"*What* in the *world* are we *doing*?" She still whispered, but harder.
"Nothing wrong...nothing even questionable." ~Are we?~
"I know...but...why us? Why do we feel the way we do? Why does it feel so right and so wrong all at once?" ~It does. Oh, it does...~
~Oh.~ "I...don't know, Yolei...but...*please*...don't make it end..." His hand lifted from her shoulder and came to the side of her near him, and he stroked a bit of hair out of her face and behind her ear.
She noticed every small detail. The way he seemed reluctant to chance leaving the here and now; the way his finger hit the arm of her glasses; the way his hand quickly returned to her shoulder.
She closed her eyes in the semidarkness of the TV screen. She drew her legs up sideways onto the couch and put the hand that wasn't pinned against Ken's side on her knee. He put his own hand on top of it.
"Yolei..."
"Ken, no, don't say it. I know that there's something between us, and it's something we can't turn back from, but it isn't...you know...not *yet*..."
"Someday?" he implored, overwhelmed by what he was feeling. He had never felt so much for another person before. He wasn't even sure he'd ever cared so much about his own well-being. ~I want to *love* you, Yolei...I don't really care if you love me or not, but I want you to know that I *do* love you...now. I do love you, and I am waiting for you to want to hear that from me.~
"Someday. Maybe even some day soon. But not today." ~Soon. Very soon. I promise. I know what you're feeling. I feel it myself. I just want to be sure it's going to last.~
"Don't leave yet."
She let out a deep breath. He could feel it, but barely heard it. "I wasn't going to. The change of scenery is nice, but I enjoy being here with *you* more than anything else." She laid her head on his shoulder. He laid his head on top of hers, and then turned and planted a kiss on the top of her head, pushing her kerchief backwards on her head with his lips. Then he settled himself back how he had been before he did that, amazed at how soft her hair was under his cheek.
He moved his hand from atop hers to brush her hair out of her face on the other side, and she took the opportunity to place her hand on his shoulder under her cheek. He put his hand on her far shoulder and turned her more facing him. Finally, they were comfortable.
In the dark, it didn't take them long to fall asleep.
Wormmon knocked on the door from the Control Room to Ken's private quarters. "Master?" It had been three hours since Ken had brought Yolei back to his room, and one hour since Wormmon had heard muffled voices. No answer. Finally Wormmon opened the door and found the room almost completely dark, save for the blank screen of the TV. Hawkmon was asleep on the end of the couch nearest him, and on the other end...
Yolei was asleep in Ken's arms!
Things had gone better between them than Wormmon had dared to hope.
Now, how to wake them so that it seemed accidental?
Wormmon decided that the easiest thing would be to turn on the lights and turn off the TV, generally make it seem like he was cleaning up after them. As soon as the lights were no longer dim, Hawkmon stirred.
"Eh...? I was asleep? Oh no, Yo..." he stopped when he turned and saw Yolei wrapped up with Ken. Not what he would have preferred, but she seemed happy, and it was obvious Ken had not done her any harm.
"Hawkmon?" he heard. The voice was low, and wavery.
"Wormmon?"
"Yes."
Wormmon appeared from behind the couch, and the two of them stared at each other for a few moments. Wormmon broke the silence. "Should we wake them up?"
Hawkmon frowned. "I hate to break Yolei away from something that seems to make her happy, but the others down in our rooms will be worried if she doesn't come back soon. Yes. Let's wake them." He started poking her in the back.
She frowned in her sleep. She was against something rather warm, and it was far too big to be Hawkmon. Whatever it was, it was bigger than her. She opened her eyes to see blue. Ken's jumpsuit...
Oh boy. Hawkmon was going to be upset later on. He wouldn't get onto her until they were alone, but she dreaded even suggesting that she was awake.
"Ow!" he finally poked her hard enough that she had no choice.
Ken woke quickly, hearing her. He pulled his arms away as she jumped back with a start, thinking he had made her cry out. When he realized it was Hawkmon trying to get her up, he relaxed, but did not reach for her again.
"Yolei, my dear, we need to go."
She rubbed her eyes. "What time is it?"
"If the movie was two hours, it's been an hour since it was over."
"Oh! We need to get back to the others. Kari will worry."
Ken sighed. Still seated, he pulled his cape back around his shoulders. "I'll have to walk you back."
She nodded. "I know. I was hoping you would, at any rate."
He nodded, stood, and helped her to her feet. She picked Hawkmon up off the couch, and carried him like before.
He took her arm and led her out of the room, heading back to her prison. When they got to the door, she let Hawkmon down and he went in, giving them a minute alone.
He held her, a hand on each of her elbows, but not touching her anywhere else. "Yolei...I know you have to get back with the others. But...next time..."
"Tomorrow?" she asked hopefully.
He smiled. "Definitely. *Tomorrow*, we need to talk about today."
"What about today?" she asked, her eyes searching his the best they could through the tinted glasses he wore.
"Something happened. I felt something for you today that I never felt for anyone before in my whole life."
"I told you, it's too soon to be..." she trailed off. She didn't dare say the word.
"I know. I know. But I think that what I felt--*feel*, Yolei, I *still* feel it--for you, today, is...oh, Yolei, you already said you're not ready to call it that. But that doesn't change how I feel."
She took in a deep breath. She wanted to hear him say it, desperately, but it was too soon. Give it a few weeks, at least. ~But it *has* been a few weeks, and time won't change anything,~ her inner mind argued. "Okay, Ken, we'll talk about it...tomorrow. I need to get in..."
He nodded, and she went in. He closed the door behind her, and as soon as the lock clicked shut, he banged his head against the metal door.
~Damn! I want her to know! I want her to *know*! I love her, damn it!~
How had he fallen for her? How? Why? At that moment, he would have given up everything just so that he could tell her. Just to have her know that he cared about her. Cared about her more than his own self.
If Yolei had known, she would have come back to him that instant and begged him to say it. To tell her what she was pretty sure she knew. Things might happen, and they might have all returned to the real world yet.
But, soon, the "reasonable" side of him took over. He would *not* give up anything as long as he didn't *have* to. He didn't think he'd have to.
Kari, of course, wanted the 4-1-1 as soon as possible. For the first time, Yolei was a little reluctant to share.
"Well, Kari...we watched a movie and fell asleep on the couch. That's it. We didn't kiss or anything major like that."
"You *fell* *asleep*?"
Yolei rolled her eyes and sighed. "Yes, we did."
"Together?"
"Yeah. I'll be in my room until dinner, okay?"
Kari nodded. "Thinking of Ken."
Yolei just sweatdropped and headed for her room. Of course, once there, Hawkmon had his chewing-out prepared.
"Yolei, my dear, what was that all about?"
"What was what about?"
"Yolei, you should know what! When I woke up, I found you all tangled up around...him."
Yolei rolled her eyes again. "Hawkmon, we fell asleep."
"Closely!"
"We're dating. That kind of thing happens a lot on dates. We didn't even kiss."
"You didn't?"
"No. We did not."
"Well, that makes me feel better. But, still..."
She smiled at his bullheadedness. "I promise I won't do anything stupid."
"I'll hold you to that."
She smiled. "Please do."
After dinner, Cody knocked on Yolei's door. "Hello?" she asked.
"It's Cody."
"Come on in. It's not locked."
He did so and sat on the couch. He looked at her over the half-wall between the kitchen and living room. She was sitting on the counter. "We haven't talked in a while."
She half-smiled. "That's not entirely my fault. I think between falling in love and having our digimon back..." she sighed. "But I'm glad you noticed. What do you want to talk about?"
"About your falling in love. What's going on?"
She blinked at him. "Huh?"
"How serious is it? What's going to happen? How long is it going to be before you marry him and move up there?"
She blinked again, surprised he would think so far ahead. *She* hadn't even thought that far ahead. "Cody, the practical question is 'When is he going to give up the throne?', because I would never marry him unless he did. With any luck, seeing me die of a broken heart due to being apart from him will influence him to do so, if nothing else does before then."
He cocked an eyebrow. "So you'll be here for a while?"
She smiled. "Yes, of course."
"Good. Hey, how about a game of chess? We haven't done that in a long time, either..."
A/N: Tune in...*authoress gets whacked over the head with a hammerspace mallet by random reader*...next...time...please...review...