A/N: I no own.

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The figures running around and shouting were the soccer players. And there was a lot; each had a few meters of the field, and were warming up. It wasn't too long before the Tokyo uniforms were found, and Yamato, Takeru, and Hikari all headed that way.

"Yes!" a couch from somewhere south shouted. "Go away, you kids! The tournament isn't going to start for quite a while, now! Get! Shoo!"

"Get, shoo," Yamato muttered, imitating him.

Unlike Hikari and Takeru, Yamato was somewhat terrified of what Taichi's reaction would be. Keyword 'somewhat'. Yamato wasn't afraid of anything, not really. He had no reason to.

There were quite a few shouts at them, but the trio made their way to where Taichi's team was dribbling balls around. Everybody on the team knew them, including the coach.

They were greeted, somewhat warmly.

"Hey, you kids could get in to a lot of trouble," the couch said.

"We know, we just," Hikari paused.

"We wanted to,"

"We came early to wish you luck," Yamato said. "Besides, family members of the players get free seats whenever they want."

"As far as I'm concerned, only Miss Yagami here is related to any of our players." The couch said.

Yamato put a finger to his lips. "Shh, they don't know that." By 'they' he meant the many other teams. "Anyway, good luck."

"Thank ye kindly, young men and woman!"

Grabbing them by their arms, Yamato led Hikari and Takeru up the stands to some seats at the top, that weren't reserved.

"Chickened out, huh?" Takeru challenged.

"No, of course not," Yamato said.

"Don't want to get Tai worked up before the tournament. Afterwards. We'll catch him afterwards, and give him a ride home. Tell him the same way." Hikari seemed much more relaxed as she sat down between the blondes.

"He's sitting in back with you," Yamato said immediately. "I have no will whatsoever to get strangled half way home."

"What makes you think..." Takeru started, but then backed off. "Oh, I see. Big brother thing."

"What do you mean?" Hikari asked, "Taichi will understand, he's my brother. Of course he'll be mad, but he, of all people, I know will support us."

"Hey, I just thought of something!" Takeru announced. "You two are going to have to get married!"

"Too young," Yamato pointed out. He had already thought of that.

"Nah, a few more months and you'll be eighteen," Takeru said. "And if Hikari's parents really disowned her..."

"Then Taichi would not approve."

"Sure he would; do you think he wants his niece or nephew or nieces or nephews or niece AND nephew or nieces and nephew or nephews and niece..." Takeru trailed off. Yamato and Hikari both looked a bit pale.

" I think that one is enough," Hikari whispered.

Slowly, the stadium began to fill up, and then the tournament started. Because soccer just wasn't his thing, Yamato ended up almost falling asleep.

It DID seem to last forever; people acted as though they were seeing the last football game of the season.

It was well past lunchtime when it finally ended. Tokyo got second place, which really wasn't bad.

It was still quite a bit before the crowd was allowed to go near the top three and winners, and then everybody wanted an autograph from every team member. Which is a kind of unsettling thought.

All the players were tired, hot, sweaty, but cheerful. By the time Yamato, Hikari, and Takeru managed to push their way through the crowd to get at Tokyo's players, they had to freeze, then duck out of the way. Mr. and Mrs. Yagami had beaten them to the prize.

They watched Taichi talk to his parents for a bit, then they left shouting that he meet them at the car as soon as possible. After a mob of girls passed by, the trio managed to get closer. Again, somebody beat them to it. Daisuke and Ken were there, grinning.

This time they could hear some of the conversation.

Nothing of interest, and they managed to make their way through to Taichi, Hikari wiping her eyes. She had just passed away a golden opportunity to make up with her parents...

"Taichi! Tai-san!" Yamato called, getting the attention of all three soccer players.

"Yamato," Taichi brightened up considerably.

"Hey, did you of all people actually watch the tournament?"

"No, he slept through it," Takeru said, squeezing through as well. Hikari was still fighting to get near them.

"It's still a surprise to see you here, TQ" Daisuke remarked. Ken elbowed him.

Hikari finally caught up, grabbing Yamato's arm for support. "Nah, Takeru slept through everything too," she said. Takeru scowled, lightly, mockingly. They all laughed.

"Hikari-chan," Tai said happily, "Okaasan and Otousan said that you spent the night at a friend's house and didn't make it here."

"I stayed at Yamato's," Hikari explained. "Listen, Taichi, there's something important I have to tell you..."

"Yamato?" Daisuke interrupted.

"You spent the night at Yamato's?" Taichi added. Ken rolled his eyes. "Come on, Tai-kun, don't trust your sister with your best friend?"

"She might have slept in his bed!" Taichi pointed out.

"She did," Hikari said, brightly. It was a false smile on her face, and Taichi was quick to notice it.

"And Yamato was...?"

"On the couch," Yamato said.

Takeru cut in. "Tai-san, Hikari has something important to tell you..."

"I'll bet," Taichi said.

"No, it's," Hikari paused.

"Daisuke and Ken should know too," Yamato said helpfully. Takeru elbowed him.

"Yamato, haven't you got an once of sense in the fuzzy little brain of yours?? This is supposed to pass through the families, THEN the friends! They aren't supposed to know something is up!"

"What are they going to do?" Yamato asked, somewhat offended.

"They might disown us," Hikari said seriously. This earned smiles from all around, but hers dropped, as did her head. "But, seriously Oniichan, this is important. Really, really important. Okaasan and Otousan don't know I'm here, and we need to keep it that way." Her eyes became pleading. "Daisuke- chan, Ken-chan, you guys have to promise not to tell anyone what you've seen and heard so far. Please? For me?"

Daisuke melted on the spot. "Of course, Hikari," he said in sort of a daze. Ken stared at him, snickering, and Daisuke stepped on his foot. "And Ken- kun agrees. Mums the word!"

"Thank you so, so much!" Hikari said. Again, her bright cheerfulness was fake. Taichi frowned lightly. He knew his sister, and what everybody else might have seen as the usual bright and happy Hikari-chan, he saw her lip trembling, her eyes shining with unshed tears, a sort of loss in her voice.

"Taichi, do you mind if, you know, Yamato gives you a ride home? I mean, I have to tell you something..." Hikari averted her eyes, to glance at Ken and Daisuke, then Takeru, then Yamato, and finally a spot just above Tai's left shoulder.

"No, but I'll have to tell Okaasan and Otousan."

"No problem. Do you have a reception or something like that for the tournament thing, or whatever?" Takeru asked.

"It's tomorrow," Tai laughed. "Everybody just wants to go home and take a shower and go to bed."

"Including you?" Daisuke asked.

"No, he wants to know what his little sister has to tell him," Ken pointed out. So he had seen the fakeness in Hikari's attitude too. "Come on, Daisuke-kun, let's go."

"Bye Tai!" pause. "Ooh, that rhymed!"

"Where's your car?" Tai asked.

"It's in the spot just to the left of the western door," Yamato said. "a sort of light blue color."

"Okay. See you there, don't leave without me."

"Don't worry."

Taking both Takeru's and Hikari's hands, Yamato led them away. Taichi watched them go; they looked kind of like a family. Shaking his head, he left quickly and about ten minutes later found his parents.