Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon.

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Intertwining Plans

-------------------------------------

Kouichi walked ahead of Kouji and Kako, who were both discussing Ms. Kawai and Mrs. Nakamura's brilliance.

"I swear, she was completely serious!"

"And you looked nervous, too," Kouji cackled.

Whacking him, Kako continued, "And then did you see his face when she told us the truth?"

I'm right here, Kouichi thought, turning his head to glare at the two. "You know, you really aren't helping. The point isn't to make me feel even more humiliated," he snapped as he picked up his pace.

Kouji laughed, "But hey, you've got fans!"

"I don't want any!"

Kako ran to catch up with Kouichi. Grinning widely, she asked, "Oh, can I have your autograph?"

Kouji yanked her back. "No way! I get an autograph first! I'm your brother!"

Forget ever helping Kouji, thought the older twin, storming straight into Saito's bookstore. Kouji followed, wincing slightly. Kako flashed a glance in his direction and asked, "Does it still hurt?"

He shook his head and replied, "Don't tell him. He'll start worrying. Besides, it's not all that bad."

Kako ignored his assuring tone and poked his stomach. Kouji stepped back, gasping. Through gritted teeth, he muttered, "That...didn't...hurt..."

"Kouichi!" Kako yelled, running inside the bookstore. "Kouji's still h-"

Kouichi placed the book down and frowned. "He lied to get out of the office?"

Wobbling over, Kouji grunted and shook his head. "I'm...I'm fine."

Kako fell silent. Her eyes were glued to the book in Kouichi's hand. "I remember that book...Hideki has all of that guy's books..."

"Hm? Oh," Kouichi murmured, glancing at the cover. "The Secrets of Yuto? It's a good book."

She snatched the book from him, flipping through it absentmindedly. "He told me," she said slowly, "that he knew the author. So I always said he was stupid. I think one time I drew on one of them and he started yelling at me...apparently it was irreplaceable. But if a bookstore has it..." Kako handed the book back and started examining the shelf. "Which one was it...?"

Kouichi held his breath, gazing from Kouji to Kako. Sighing, he shut his eyes and ordered, "Kouji, go home before I call Mom. Kako, if Hideki said the book was irreplaceable, it was probably a first or special edition or something. And you don't even remember the title of the book you ruined, do you? Stop bugging my limited silence and take Kouji home so he doesn't collapse halfway."

"I wouldn't collapse," Kouji huffed angrily. "I'd...just...not be able to move. I mean, I only got the wind knocked out of me."

"Same thing." Ignoring Kouji's glare, the older boy turned to Kako and cleared his throat, "So?"

Kako paused. "Do I...get chocolate?"

"In my room, first drawer of my desk. The top one. Touch anything else, I'll find out and you'll regret it." Duskmon, you take Agunimon and Blitzmon and make sure of it, Kouichi told the digimon, hoping he would hear.

Nodding happily, Kako yanked on Kouji's arm, practically singing about chocolate as she skipped out the door. Kouichi let out a relieved sigh. It had taken him forever to calm down Kako after he had given back her diary. And chocolate seemed to have aided him in his time of need.

It was almost as if she thought it holy.

-Flashback-

"You...but...you didn't read anything, did you?" Kako shrieked, eyes wide and searching Kouichi's eyes for an answer. Her hands tightened around the notebook and she pulled it tightly to her chest, whimpering as Kouichi shook his head. "Did Kanaye?"

Shrugging, Kouichi replied, "No clue." I lied. Great, he thought glumly. In an attempt to stop her wailing, he added with a forced laugh, "But I'm sure he didn't!"

"Nooo! Someone did, though!"

"How can you tell?" asked Kouichi, growing nervous by the second. The color drained from his face and his heart began to beat faster. Don't tell me there's something of mine there...

Kako sniffed and allowed him to view the corner of a page, blocking as much writing as possible. Although Kouichi caught a few key words, he said nothing. "The page is bent..."

Mentally sighing in relief, Kouichi slumped back into his seat. "Maybe you did that when I gave it to you...?"

"But-"

"How about I give you my locker stash of chocolate and you stop worrying?"

"OKAY!"

-Flashback End-

A proverb-In times of need, chocolate will aid you no matter what. One down, nineteen more to go, he thought, flipping to the last page of the book. He sighed, "Didn't think that Yuto w-WHAT?" he yelped, throwing the book aside as his pocket began to glow. Kouichi panicked as it began to grow hot. "What the..."

A second later, he yelled loudly, frantically digging into his pocket and yanking his D-Tector out. It fell to the floor with a dull thud and lay in front of him, seemingly harmless. In the meantime, Kouichi examined his damaged pocket. The pocket was gone, replaced by charred cloth, but the exterior was perfectly fine, despite the slight burn marks. Mom's going to complain if I keep killing my clothes...

He returned his attention to the D-Tector, which was now enveloped in flames. Kouichi's eyes widened past the size of golf balls. "WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?"

Appearing by the boy's side, Lowemon tried his best to contain his overflowing excitement. "Takuya's D-Tector. It's close. Once the flames die down, check your D-Tector. It'll give you a signal to follow."

"Will this happen every time?"

"Yep. Unless the one who it belongs to finds it first."

Kouichi grumbled and picked up his book. "The ending was stupid."

"Oh? What happened?" the digimon asked, interested.

"Yuto's bratty nephew got all the money. There's a sequel, though. And Naoto got sent to jail for supposedly murdering Yuto." Kouichi let out a sigh and the flames soon died down. He gingerly picked up the D-Tector, which was surprisingly cool, and commented, "Yuto's nephew reminds me of Kanaye."

Lowemon's eyes betrayed amusement. "I think you better hurry. The signal can be lost quickly.

Making a face, Kouichi glanced at his D-Tector and began to follow the signal.

-------------------------------------

"You're...kidding."

"The D-Tector doesn't lie."

"KOUJI'S HOUSE?"

"Looks like it."

Disgusted, Kouichi glanced at his D-Tector. "It's inside..." he muttered in disgust.

"So go inside."

"NO WAY."

"NOW!" Lowemon barked.

Gulping, Kouichi nodded and stared at the door. "He said...hey...under...oh yeah!" Running into the yard, Kouichi gazed at a nearby tree. "This one," he confirmed, reaching up and yanking at a branch. It revealed a small compartment, allowing a small box to fall to the ground. Kouichi snatched it before it hit the ground, then let go of the branch, letting it spring back up. He opened the box and took out the key, chuckling to himself, "Who ever thought that Kouji's convincing me to come over would ever help me?"

"Open the door already!" Agunimon appeared by Lowemon, looking impatient. "Please?"

Suddenly, Kouichi frowned. "Wait...you, Blitzmon and Duskmon-"

"The other two are there, don't worry! Open, open, open, open, open, open," chanted Agunimon desperately.

Ignoring the warrior of fire, Kouichi slid the key in and opened the door. Removing the key, he shut the door, then raced upstairs as the signal showed. And turn...open this door...and-wait...this is...

"Kouji's room...?" Kouichi whispered in confusion. What, Kouji hid the D-Tector?

"Hurry up!" Lowemon and Agunimon urged, staring in anticipation.

Rolling his eyes, Kouichi opened the closet, staring at it blankly. "It...the signal stops here."

Lowemon cleared his throat and looked away, "Oh, forgot to mention..."

Agunimon continued sheepishly, "It's not specific."

"Great," Kouichi muttered, pulling out the boxes. "Which one of you...? This one seems to be opened recently. Nah. How about...this one!" Triumphantly, Kouichi opened the box to find bandanas. "EH? Kouji's...bandanas. Great. Just gr-"

Suddenly, a column of light shot out, disappearing quickly. On top of the bandanas lay a red and black D-Tector. Kouichi slowly recovered from the shock, smoothing his jacket and putting away his own D-Tector. Picking up Takuya's D-Tector, he sighed and muttered, "Takuya's...D-Tector. Well, that's good news."

"Kouichi?"

Whirling around, the boy found himself face to face with his twin. There was silence before Kouichi realized what was wrong with the entire situation. "U-uh...hi?" he stuttered, hiding Takuya's D-Tector behind his back. "Nice day for a...um...visit, isn't it? And why aren't you home?"

"Kako walked with me over here, because I asked her to. What...are you doing here?" Kouji snapped rudely. His eyes were red. Overall, Kouji thought he looked incredibly tired. "And how'd you get in?"

"Remember that key you told me about? Uh...yeah. And um...Agunimon can explain! And where's your bandana?" Kouichi inquired curiously.

Kouji shook his head and muttered dismissively, "Doesn't matter. Is that Takuya's D-Tector?"

"Uh...yeah."

"Oh. Who else has theirs?"

"Just me, I guess."

Kouji looked at his feet. "Oh..."

Suddenly worried, Kouichi walked up to his brother. Kouji looked up in surprise. Examining his face, Kouichi observed, "You were crying."

"N-No..."

"Stop lying. You're really bad at it. Hey...Sunday, you're free, right?" the older twin suddenly asked.

His brother nodded slowly. "Why?"

Sighing, Kouichi looked at the ceiling. "If you wanted...I have some tickets to the amusement park you seem to enjoy so much..."

"Y-you're kidding..."

"Well, I don't have them now, but I can get a hold of however many I need to."

"AWESOME!"

Kouichi turned around and put the bandana boxes back. "Eh, so, who do you plan to drag along?"

Frowning, Kouji shrugged. "Not sure yet," he muttered, "but we'll see pretty soon." Then eagerly he asked, "You coming too?"

"Nope. Amusement parks are rip-offs."

"You aren't any fun."

"Uh huh." Kouichi shut the closet and glanced at his brother demanding, "Now tell me why you were crying."

Kouji's face contorted into one of fury. "I wasn't," he murmured quietly. He turned around and headed down the stairs.

Kouichi raced to catch up with him. "Kouji, please, stop lying! I only want to help!"

"First, you can help me by not running down the stairs. Remember what happened last time?" When Kouichi fell silent and looked away, slowing his pace, Kouji continued, "Nothing is wrong. I swear, I'm not lying. I'm just...really tired, okay? Are you heading home?"

"Yeah," the older boy murmured in defeat.

"Great. I'll go with you."

Kouichi sighed. If he was going to get the truth out of his brother, he needed a more creative way to do it.

-------------------------------------

"So..."

Kouji turned his head towards his brother. "Hm?"

"Did Kako get any chocolate?"

"I told her you'd give her some when you got home."

"Oh. Cool. Any thoughts on who to invite, yet?"

"Nope."

Kouichi sighed. "Hey...Kouji, what does it feel like?"

"Hm?"

"Being an older brother. At least...knowing that."

Kouji let out a soft sigh, digging his hands into his pockets. "I don't really know," he confessed. "I don't want this to happen. Mom looked...so...torn apart..."

"I suppose it isn't all that bad."

"What?"

The older twin shrugged and replied, "Being an older brother. It's just...you need to make sure nothing happens to you." Kouichi turned to his brother, then ordered firmly, "Promise me."

"Wh-wha...?"

"Promise me you'll make sure nothing happens to you. You can't," he continued desperately. "You just can't. Mom's been happier since she's met you. You've pretty much given back her life, Kouji. Do you know why she's afraid of Dad having another child? She's afraid he'll take you away and leave just so that child won't have our screwed up life. She's afraid that the kid'll be a replacement to Dad if you get hurt. Nothing can replace you, understand? Now promise."

Kouji stared at his brother, startled. Despair, anger, annoyance...his family loved him, sure. Both sides. He was only one person. Did they expect him to choose? "I...I promise," he stuttered in surprise. Suddenly a thought hit him and he asked, "Uh...hey, how are you giving Takuya his D-Tector?"

Kouichi broke into a smile.

"I'm not."

-------------------------------------

Kako opened the door and was immediately met by a sock in the face. Twitching, she picked up the sock and let out a sigh, shutting her eyes. She snapped, "Hideki, if you've decided to make out in the living room..."

A loud was curse and Kako fought the urge to bang her head against the wall. Dearest brother, you're a freaking idiot, she thought as she walked into the kitchen to find something to eat.

"W-wait! No-OW! I swear, I didn't kn-OW! Goddammit! Kako!" barked Hideki as the door slammed in his face. He walked into the kitchen and pulled on his shirt as he scowled, "What the hell was that for?"

"FOR THE SOCK IN THE FACE. God, wash it. It really smells," the younger girl commented, making a face.

Hideki let out an exasperated sigh and leaned against the fridge, glaring at his little sister grumpily. "Stop screwing up my dates. I thought you said you'd be gone the entire day."

Kako frowned and attempted to push him out of the way. "That was yesterday. Now move! You're too fat!" she whined.

Turning red, Hideki yanked his sister's arm, dragging her to the couch and glaring at her. "LISTEN, okay? One, get a social life, just not with the twerp. Two, stop interfering with mine! Three-"

She interjected with a deadly sweet voice, "I believe our agreement was you did your funny stuff...IN YOUR ROOM."

"THREE," Hideki continued, his glare growing with intensity, "stop being a pig. And blasting music. And do the freaking laundry sometime! Also, did I mention that it's your turn to do the dishes? You also have to cook dinner. Stop going out with the twerp and actually DO something."

Angrily, Kako stood up and kicked her brother in the shin. "YOU JUST GAVE CONTRADICTORY COMMENTS!"

He grabbed his shin, nearly falling backward. Hopping over, he sat down on the couch. Kako's older brother muttered to himself, "You know...this wouldn't have been this big of a mess if I weren't here. Or maybe it would have. I was old enough. He could have taken me..."

Eyes widening, Kako snapped, "What?"

"Nothing."

"Stop lying!" she yelled, lunging forward and yanking his ears. "SEE! I always knew you were hiding something from me!"

"IT'S NOTHING, DAMMIT! LET GO OF MY EARS!"

Kako did and headed straight to her room, screaming, "You're a freaking idiot, Hideki! No one else is as stupid as you! You're worse than Kouji, Takuya and Kanaye put together!"

"Yeah? Well I'm not a brat who decides to play with people's hearts, thank you!" Hideki snapped in return, wincing as Kako screamed and slammed her room door shut. "I'm sorry, door," he murmured, "if you feel any pain. I swear, it's her fault, though."

Standing up, Hideki looked at the clock. "Eh. I have enough time for a walk," he muttered, slipping on his shoes and heading outside.

-------------------------------------

"Now what?" Kouichi sighed, gazing at the shadows where Duskmon lingered. After dropping Kouji home, he decided to go for a walk, but there was really nothing to do. He could always drop of the candy he promised Kako, but he didn't feel like heading to her house. Besides, he hadn't wanted to go there since her mother died. There would be nothing interesting, other than a verbal exchange of complicated words with Hideki.

He didn't feel like talking much, anyway.

"You could always bug Saito."

"Yeah, but-HUH?" Surprised, Kouichi looked to his right and found Hideki leaning on a wall, staring at him, amused. "What do you want?" he snapped out of habit.

"Cool down, kid. No need to turn into your twerp of a brother. I need to meet someone, anyway. I don't have time for you."

"Yeah...well...well..." Kouichi was at a loss for comebacks. "Whatever. I don't really care," he muttered, sulking into the bookshop.

Hideki followed him silently, pausing at the entrance. "When was the last time I came, anyway?" he muttered to himself, his eyes following Kouichi's movements.

Irked by the stalking, Kouichi headed to the bookshelf and picked off a book, selecting carefully. "Which...? Oh, this one," he muttered, taking it and heading to the register. Turning to Hideki, he asked, "Why are you following me?"

"Boredom, actually. I have an hour."

"Can't you go bug Kako?"

"Eh...she's mad at me."

Kouichi rose an eyebrow and Hideki continued, "Other than the fact that she caught me nearly making out with someone in the living room, that I yelled contradictory statements at her, and then muttered something she didn't understand, it's the usual fact that I'm Hideki Sakai, her older, stupid, brother."

"Ms. Kawai said you were smart."

"Key word there. I was smart. But I screwed up my life," he replied casually, snatching the book from Kouichi. "Good choice. Saito's books are good."

"Kako said you had a lot of his books or something."

Hideki chuckled and nodded. "Yeah...I got all the first editions...except for one or two of his books. Never got a hold of them, never will."

Kouichi sent him a questioning look. "Wait...why not?" he asked curiously. "Only one copy in the world?"

"Yeah...and...because the stories are painful." As he continued, Kouichi realized Ms. Kawai was right; Hideki wasn't such a slobbering drunk, stupid older brother of Kako's. "See, Saito always wrote stories that people could relate to. The plots in his book were from his life, his and those close to him. His characters were all important...each person's personality was derived from someone he knew. And that's why his books are great. They're beyond great. They're the world itself."

The room grew quiet until the door someone began to clap. Looking up, the two found Mr. Saito clapping. "Very nice, Hideki! I haven't heard you give that speech in years!"

Hideki turned red and shrugged. "Yeah...well..."

Kouichi handed the book to the shopkeeper. "Hey, Mr. Saito...what's it like to be an older brother?"

"I wouldn't know...you can ask Hideki," the man pointed out.

"Yeah...but...I mean...oh, fine," grumbled the boy, turning to Hideki. "So? What's it like?"

Raising an eyebrow, Hideki considered it before answering slowly, "Well...you have Kouji...it's like that. Annoying, but worth it. Every second."

Mr. Saito smiled softly, holding out the book. "Here's your book, Kouichi."

"Thanks, Mr. Saito," Kouichi replied, taking back the book. He turned back to Hideki. "Yeah, but don't you ever regret it?"

"Duh. Kako's the worst thing on EARTH."

"No she isn't!" Kouichi snapped, immediately turning red and looking at the ceiling. "Er...that...would be...um, Kouji."

Hideki's surprise melted into a smug look. "Sure, sure," he replied, poking Kouichi's shoulder. "You have the hots for her, don't you?"

Kouichi stated, "She's going out with Kouji."

"So? That doesn't mean-"

"I'm not like you. Plus...she's just a friend."

"Uh huh...we so believe you, right Mr. Saito? Eh?" Mr. Saito shook his head, containing his laughter and heading to the back. Grinning, Hideki continued, "Aw, come on, you've known her since fourth, right? I mean, you two looked pretty close..." Under his breath, he added, "I'd prefer you to the twerp."

"WHAT?" Kouichi sputtered, turning a deeper shade of red. "N-no! Kouji's going out with her, okay! God, I think I just got a new proverb..."

"Well, that's good news, isn't it?" a new voice commented.

The two turned their heads and turned red, both bowing slightly as they greeted, "Hello-"

"Ms. Kawai," Kouichi continued, straightening. Then, he frowned and commented, "You said Hideki was smart. He's only smart when it comes to Saito's books."

"Ooh, which one are you reading?" Ms. Kawai suddenly asked, delighted.

Kouichi showed her. "Revenge of a Thief. Sequel."

"Oh...that one I never bothered reading," Hideki muttered.

"Why?"

"It's...the story. Painful. Same with the book before. Painful, never read it."

Kouichi looked at the book, then frowned. "Is there something you know I don't? Because it didn't look so painful..."

"Just read and shut up," Hideki grumbled, turning to Rai. "Hey. Glad you could make it."

Rai smiled and nodded. "Believe me, Kouichi, you'll definitely like it."

Kouichi nodded. "Oh, proverb count is up to two. I'll see you tomorrow," he said, waving before running off.

"Lucky kid," Hideki muttered jealously. "Gets class time with you...anyway, where were we?"

"No."

"What?" he asked in surprise.

Rai shook her head and stepped away from Hideki. "My answer. No. I'm sorry, Hideki."

"Rai! Come on, give me a break! Why won't you just fight it?" he exclaimed angrily, grabbing a hold of her arms. "It's ridiculous!"

She smiled and gently pushed his arms off. "I'm sorry," she replied, kissing his cheek, "but I made my decision a long time ago. Remember what your first girlfriend said? The one who made Kako cry? And then I gave candy to Kako..."

"Yeah...but she's wrong!"

Shaking her head sadly, Rai murmured, "She was right. Hideki, I can never be there for you when you really need me. I'll be gone soon, you know. You need to learn how to move on. And-"

"I don't want to."

"Then I'm sorry," Rai simply said, heading for the door. "I'll see you later, then. Tell Kako I said hi."

Hurt, Hideki walked over to the bookshelf and picked a book off of it. "The Secrets of Yuto. Do you really want me to read it, Dad?"

-------------------------------------

"OW!"

"Shut up!"

"New proverb," Kouichi observed, eying Kako whacking Kouji viciously. "Don't try kissing violent girls."

Kako turned to glare at him. "Are you saying I'm violent?"

Kouichi winced and muttered, "Another one would be know when to keep your mouth shut. And Kako?"

"Yeah?"

"WHY IS YOUR BROTHER FOLLOWING US TO SCHOOL?"

Kako shrugged, whacking Kouji again. "Dunno, really. I think he wants to see Rai...?"

Hideki had a dreamy look on his face. "Wow...that would be a really nice gift..."

"Hm? OH YOU PERVERT!" snapped the girl, turning around and kicking her brother's shin. "I swear, someone has to have you on a leash or something!"

"Leash would be nice...if Rai was the one holding it."

"WOULD YOU SHUT UP?"

Kouji and Kouichi burst into coughing fits, quickening their pace and eventually running to school.

"You know," Kouji commented as they turned a corner, "never thought I'd be so glad to get to school."

Kouichi shook his head, containing his laughter as he agreed, "Same here. Eh...Kako's catching up."

"Speed it up?"

"Fine with me."

"No way!" Kako whined, managing to grab Kouichi's backpack and yank him back. "You owe me chocolate!"

Kouichi yelped at the sudden stop, falling back. He winced at he hit the ground, his backpack cushioning him. "Um...Kako..."

"Oops?" she replied sheepishly, offering a hand.

Kouji stopped and turned around, shaking his head. "See, Kako, that's why you don't yank people's heavy backpacks. Kouichi must have it filled with bricks. No wonder he fell back."

"Don't carry any more than you can. Yet another proverb," Kouichi muttered, accepting Kako's hand. As he stood up, he glared at Hideki who had a mischievous look. "What?"

"Oh...nothing," replied Kako's brother, tripping his sister.

Kako barely caught herself. "You jerk," she snarled, turning around and aiming a kick towards his head.

And falling back onto Kouichi.

Kouichi yelped as he fell forward, books flying out of his hand. "Gah! Noo!" he yelled, reaching for the books as they crashed to the floor. He let out a weak yell as Kako fell on top of him with a thud, whimpering. "Oww...get...off..."

"Gah!" Kako yelled, looking at Kouichi, Kouji, then her brother frantically. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT, HIDEKI!"

"You know," Kouji commented, trying his best not to laugh, "It'd be a lot easier if you got off of him..."

Standing up, Kako scratched the back of her head. "Ehe...heh...sorry, Kouichi," she apologized, performing a back kick and hitting her brother in the stomach. "Some people just don't get what they deserve on certain days, huh?"

Kouichi scrambled to his feet, ignoring her and looking at his books. He examined each of them, whimpering, "Don't die, books...please, don't die!"

Kako twitched. "ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?"

"Huh?" Kouichi looked up and winced as Kako slapped him. "Wha...?"

Hideki and Kouji burst out into laughter, clutching their stomachs as Kako stormed off. Kouichi sighed and picked up his books, walking in front of the laughing duo.

"God, you're a clueless idiot," Kouji cackled.

Hideki snorted and burst into more laughter, "Just like your brother is a twerp!"

"And Kako's brother is a pervert!"

At this, the two stopped and glared at each other before snorting and bursting into more laughter. Kouichi shrugged, rubbing the cover of his newly acquired book. "Yeah...well...whatever," he muttered, quickening his pace to avoid the two. "Meet you up at school."

"N-no! Wait! I wanna see Rai!" Hideki wailed.

Kouji, appalled, yelled, "You can't leave me with him! I'd die!"

Kouichi just ran.

-------------------------------------

"Oh, the books are more important than my apology. FINE THEN!" Kako slammed her locker shut and sighed. "I guess...I kind of deserve it..."

"No, you really deserve it."

"GO AWAY, HIDEKI!"

Hideki snorted, "God, I oughta be a match maker. You two could've kiss-"

"Shut up!"

"Calm down, Ms. Feisty! Sheesh, you've got some problem. Anyway, where's the twerp's brother? I wanna see Rai..."

Kako ignored her pestering brother, storming straight towards Kouichi and slamming his locker shut just as he tried to put his biology book away. "Chocolate?"

Blinking, Kouichi nodded, pushing her hand away and opening his locker. He withdrew a bag of chocolate, tossing it to Kako. "Happy?"

"No."

Kouji edged towards the two, his face tinted red. "Um...hey, Kako..." Kako turned to him, blinking and he continued, "You're free Sunday, right...?"

Kouichi nearly dropped the biology book on his toe. Clever guy...

"Uh...yeah, I should be."

"NO SHE ISN'T!" Hideki snapped.

"I'm definitely free," Kako confirmed with a smirk.

"Great. Then...wanna go out, then?"

"Sure, Kouji," she replied, kissing him.

Hideki twitched and started ranting, "That isn't fair! You're just doing this to annoy me! You know, Kako, I really should tell Dad!"

Kako pushed Kouji away and glared at her brother. "You wouldn't!"

As the two began to bicker, Kouji yanked on his brother's sleeve. "Hey, Kouichi, you have to come."

"Why?" Kouichi asked, shutting his locker, then turning to his brother. "Take Izumi or someone."

"N-no...I mean...you have to. Like a chaperone, you know?"

"Kouji...don't tell me you're afraid of being alone with her," Kouichi groaned.

Kouji shook his head and corrected, "Being with her alone and trying something I'll regret."

And so, Kouij has grown up! Let us clap, Kouichi thought sarcastically. "Fine, but you owe me..."

"Your hat'll be spared?"

"My hat's far, far away, Kouji."

"I know, but...still...when it comes close, it'll be spared?"

Letting out a sigh, Kouichi shook his head. "I said fine. Drop it."

"YES!" Kouji cheered. "You're awesome. Uh-" he stopped as the bell rang. Turning to Kako, then Hideki, he grinned. "Class time."

Kouichi's eyes widened. "H-hey...wait...you aren't-"

"Have fun with Hideki!"

"NO! KOUJI!" the older twin yelled, gazing at Hideki in horror. "This...isn't...good..."

-------------------------------------

"Where is she?" Hideki asked impatiently.

Kouichi shrugged and kept reading.

Letting out a groan, Hideki lay his head on the table, looking up at the sound of the door opening. "Sweet!" he muttered to himself as Rai walked in, then stopped. "Uh...I...need to talk to you..."

Rai shook her head. "Sorry, I have office hours for conferences. How's life, Kouichi?"

Wincing, Kouichi replied, "I have about five proverbs. I forgot some along the way...and the sad part is they're due today...great, I forgot."

"Ah. That's good, considering not all of them have to be your own. One day extension, since Hideki bugged you yesterday," Rai replied absentmindedly, her gaze on Hideki. "Hideki, get out."

"Nope."

"Now."

"I told you, I'm staying," Hideki replied, leaning back in his seat and grinning as he placed his feet on the table. Kouichi made a face, but continued reading. "So, I'll bug you until I get that talk. I have the time, anyway."

"OUT!" Ms. Kawai snapped angrily.

Kouichi looked up from his book in surprise. "Uh...Hideki...maybe you shouldn't-"

Laughing, Hideki shut his eyes. "Nope. Don't even bother, kid. You're too inexperienced to give advice about lad-OW!" Hideki yelled as Rai slapped him. "JEEZ, what is it with you girls?"

Boiling, Ms. Kawai turned to Kouichi. "Kouichi, remember that advice about girls I gave you? Add this to it; Bug a girl, and you'll regret it deeply."

Annoyance is minor, anger is major. A wise man knows when he's gone too far, Kouichi added to his list of proverbs. Would Duskmon enjoy this?

Are you kidding? Anytime a girl ends up creaming a guy, Duskmon grumbled, they're an EMBARRASSMENT.

Sexist, Lowemon thought.

Kouichi shook his head. "Told you," he muttered, returning to his book. Amazing he hasn't learned after living with Kako.

But Hideki just rubbed his cheek, ignoring the pain. "I want that talk. And I'm not leaving until I get a chance," he declared, folding his arms across his chest.

Rai forced a smile. "Persistent as usual." The smile faded. "I told you, Hideki. No. Now leave." When Hideki made no motion to get up, she sighed and shook her head. "Kouichi, same assignment. Have fun. I hope this isn't too much trouble."

The boy shook his head. "I'm fine," he replied, flipping the page. As Rai shut the door, he turned to Hideki. "That was stupid."

Hideki slumped in his seat and sighed. "I know...but...I have to talk to her. Now, to plot on how to set you up with Kako!"

"Get. Away. From. Me!" Kouichi growled, glaring daggers at Hideki.

"Gimme a break! It's either you, Kouji, or Kanaye. Sorry, but you're the better choice! Aren't you lucky?" cackled Hideki, standing up. "Actually, a walk is good enough. I'll bug you later."

Kouichi frowned and looked up while Hideki slumped out of the room. Proverb number who knows what-Love is a pointless game. Only fools play. The wise dominate.

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A/N-

'It'll give you a single to final.' Oops? XP

...() Long chapter alert! Yes, if I plan to finish this under forty, I will have to do this. And then move on! To the next part! .:cheers:.

Takuya got his D-Tector! Well it's available. But what about Junpei? And Izumi? Ooh...damn, things just get harder and harder to write...

Thank you for the reviews-

The Light's Refrain, GemmaniGirl, Lady Hikari-Yami, PrincessKaze

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