Chapter 7

He was sitting in front of his computer the next day, constantly looking at the picture of his friends that sat beside it. He'd replaced the frame he'd shattered before, and the picture was as good as new.

And then he got an idea: He would do a little searching. Why he hadn't thought of that before, he didn't know, but he immediately got up and began going through drawers and his closet and everything. The drawer at his computer desk he explored last…

"What's this?" he asked, pulling out two weird objects. He held them in his hands, staring at them. One thing, small and black and gray in color, had a few buttons that he messed with. After nothing happened, he put it down and fidgeted with the other. Nothing happed with that either. Confusedly, he put it down as well, and he couldn't help but wonder what the strange devices were.

"I'll call Davis," he said thoughtfully. With that, he left his room, then grabbing a phone book and searching for Motamiya. Before long he was on the phone, chatting with Davis.

"Davis," Ken said, "there's got to be another meeting."

"What?" Davis asked in surprise. "You actually want to get with the others?"

"I have questions," Ken answered.

"Oh. Sure, I can do that for you. I'll get the others. When ya wanna do it?"

"Now!" Ken told him impatiently. "I mean… as soon as possible."

"Must be some important questions!"

"They are," Ken assured him.

"Well, then there's no time to waste! I've got to get calling the others. Bye, Ken!"

Davis, Kari, TK, Cody, Ken… Just one was missing, Yolei Inoue.

Again.

It disappointed Ken. Their previous meeting had been so brief, and he hadn't really gotten to talk to her much. It began to look as though she wasn't going to show up, but then she wandered over to him, seemingly having come out of no where.

"Hey Ken," she called.

Ken turned to her. "Hello," he greeted simply.

"I'm here this time!" she heralded. "Happy?"

Ken smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, way to be early, Yolei," Davis joked. "We've been waiting for you forever!"

"I'm sorry, guys, I was a little busy," Yolei explained, bowing. "But I'm here, aren't I?"

"So, what are these questions of yours, Ken?" TK brought up.

Ken glanced over at him. "Oh, that's right," he said. "I wanted to show you guys something." He pulled the two devices he discovered earlier out of his pocket. "See?" He held them out for everyone to look at.

Kari leaned over to TK, whispering, "His D-3."

"And D-Terminal," TK added quietly.

"Do you guys know what they are?" Ken asked.

"Sure!" Yolei exclaimed.

Davis jabbed her in the side, and she immediately quieted.

"How can we explain this?" Cody asked softly.

"Quit whispering," Ken told them, annoyed.

Kari laughed nervously. "Sorry about that," she said, "it's just that those things you've got… um… they're…"

"Remember that 'digimon' thing I mentioned last time?" TK asked.

Ken nodded. "That computer program? I remember."

"Computer program?" Yolei whispered questioningly to Kari.

"Just go along with it," Kari told her.

"Those things have to do with it," Cody explained.

"Yeah, that's right!" Yolei piped in.

"They're a key part to the program," Davis said. "You can't use it unless you've got them."

Ken stared at the objects in his hands. Then he looked at all of his friends. "I guess I must've been really involved with this 'digimon' thing."

"You definitely were!" Yolei exclaimed.

Changing the subject, Cody asked Davis, "So, did you and TK ever have that basketball game?"

Davis was quiet for a moment. Then, glaring at TK, he said, "Hey! We never had our game! You're been avoiding me these past couple of days, haven't you?"

"No I haven't," TK insisted.

"Well, it's on! And I know there's no court in the park-" -he glanced over at Kari- "-so we're just gonna go find one. There's one not too far from here, I think. It'll take some time, but we can walk there. So that's where we're going! C'mon, everybody!"

Later…

The six of them had found the public basketball court. Davis and TK were playing- TK in the lead- while Cody, Ken, and Kari stood back and watched. Yolei was following the game very closely, keeping score and sort of refereeing it.

As TK made another basket, Kari cheered, "Alright, TK!"

Ken looked at her, then at Davis.

That's how it went for a long time. Kari cheered continuously, "Go, TK!" "Great shot, TK!"

Ken, angered and irritated, raised his voice then: "Show him what you've got, Davis!" he yelled, and just after that, his friend made a basket.

Kari turned to Ken. "You're cheering for Davis?"

"We're all friends here, aren't we?" Ken asked.

"Yes."

"Well," Ken went on, "then it isn't right for one friend to get all the praise and attention. Davis deserves some cheering too. If you're not going to root for him, I will."

Kari gaped at him. "You're so right, Ken!" Then she frowned. "How could I do that? They're both my friends and I should treat them equally. There's so much I can learn from you."

"Thanks," Ken said, embarrassed by her comment.

"Go Davis!" Kari cheered loudly.

It caught Davis's attention, and he turned to look at her for a second, smiling happily.

Then, Ken looked to Cody. "You're not cheering," he pointed out.

"I'm not very into this kind of thing," he said.

"I see."

Cody had been so quiet. Not just today, but at the other meeting they'd had as well. It puzzled Ken. And then, with Cody standing next to him, just as quiet as ever, a question popped into Ken's mind.

"You used to hate me," he muttered.

Cody turned to him, frowning. "What?"

"Didn't you?"

"I never hated you, Ken, but I haven't always like you," Cody admitted. "That was a couple of years ago though."

Ken grinned. "Hey," he said happily, "I remembered something."

"Yeah," Cody said. "I'm just sorry that you had to remember that. I don't hate you, Ken."

"I understand."

When the game was over, TK ended up winning, but how close Davis made the game surprised everyone. After the game, Cody left for a kendo lesson, and TK, Kari, and Davis all noted that they had to go:

"Mom said I had to be home before six," Davis explained, shrugging.

"That's right," Kari agreed. "I've got to get home too!"

"Me too," TK told him.

Ken watched as the three of them walked away, and then went to Yolei. "Yolei?" he called to her. "Can you stay?"

"Why?"

Ken looked away. Eye contact was still hard. "I haven't gotten to know you," he said. "I've talked to all the others, but I haven't had time with you. I was hoping maybe we could talk while Davis and TK were playing, but you were too busy with the game…"

"Oh."

"So can you?"

Smiling, Yolei told him, "Sure."

"Let's go back to the park," Ken suggested.

"Ok."

The walk back to the park was odd for Yolei. Ken was silent, staring at the ground as he walked, and she couldn't think of anything to say to him. When they reached the park though, things got better. The two of them sat atop a hill, and Ken immediately asked her to tell him about herself.

Yolei told him.

And told him.

She went on cheerfully, chatting her heart away. But she didn't bore Ken. He listened intently; interested in anything and everything she had to say. When she finally stopped talking, Ken looked at her, smiling.

"You know what I see in you?" he asked.

"What's that?"

"A very sincere and loving person."

His words surprised her. Love and Sincerity were, of course, her Digimentals. She searched for a reply, but nothing much came to her. "Thank you," was all that she could say. She then watched Ken carefully.

"You're welcome." Ken sensed her look upon him and quickly turned his head away, his face a bit red.

The girl inched closer to him. "See the sunset?" she questioned.

Ken gazed at the sky with its many colors as the sun was slowly setting.

She inched closer. "Isn't it beautiful?"

Ken nodded.

And then closer still.

Ken looked at her, perplexed. He wondered why she had made her way so close to him, but decided to ignore it and go back to watching the sunset.

Yolei giggled. "You're still the same!" she exclaimed happily.

"How's that?" Ken asked curiously.

Yolei slipped her hand into his. "I guess-" -her face became a little red- "-I have a tendency to do things like this. People have told you 'things' about me before- rumors and such- but you always ignore them. Their words never mean anything. Why, just the other day, Davis and Cody were…" She paused, then went on, "I guess you wouldn't remember that. Thank goodness! Anyhow, when I do stuff like this, it never matters to you. It's as if you don't care, but it's in a good way."

"Then I must be used to things like…" He paused, gesturing to their entwined hands. "…this."

"You kind of are," Yolei admitted shyly. "But I'm really surprised that you would let me get so close to you, considering that you don't know me."

"I know you."

Yolei looked at him, surprised. "You remember me!"

"No," Ken answered, "I don't exactly remember you, but something about you is very familiar. I can't explain it, I just know."

Yolei sighed happily. "Ken, I…"

"Yes?"

"I…" Her face became redder. "Never mind."

For a long time, the two sat there, watching the sunset. Both were quiet. Ken was consumed in deep thought. Then he broke the silence. "You have them too, don't you?" he inquired.

"What?"

With his free hand, Ken pulled his D-3 and D-terminal out of his pocket. "These."

"Well, yeah," Yolei told him.

"I remember," Ken said. "We all have them, don't we?"

Yolei nodded in response.

"And we're all involved in this 'digimon' thing, right?"

"Yep!"

"This 'digimon'… It's important, isn't it? Not just to me, but all of us."

Yolei grinned. "Yes! I'm proud of you, Ken! You've remembered so much!"

Ken smiled. "Something about you brought it back to me. So, thank you."

"I haven't done anything," Yolei said.

"Sure you have. You've helped me."

"Well… You're welcome, I guess."

Ken looked at her, smiling. Eye contact wasn't hard anymore. "We'll have to get together again some time," he said softly.

"We will," Yolei assured him.

The two teens were silent from then on, watching the sunset.