Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon. This is the last time in the story I'll have to state it.

A/N-This...I shall dedicate to you both, Charlie and Kevin. An end is always a beginning. Also, a big thank you to all my readers, reviewers, and friends who have aided me in creating this story in any way: Pekkle, Ishy, especially, and anyone else.

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An New End And A New Beginning

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Kako whirled around and ran off. Letting out a sigh, Kouichi leaned against the wall and made sure he turned off the microphone.

He heard Kouji announce the end of the masquerade and the beginning of the actual dance. Digging into his pocket, Kouichi walked over to where Takuya and Izumi were and tossed the once-was goggle head his goggles and his D-Tector.

Takuya caught it out of surprise, pushing Izumi away first. "W-wait...what?" he stuttered.

Kouichi smiled. Walking over to Takuya, he whacked the boy on the head. "Don't," he snapped, "ever make us worry like that again." Hitting Takuya's head again, he added, "And I don't want to hear Agunimon at my house again unless it's an emergency. You've got your D-Tector now. Use it."

An understanding smile formed on Takuya's lips. Laughing, he nodded and murmured, "Will do, Kouichi. What are you going to do now?"

The birthday boy shrugged. "I think I'll go bug Kouji and petition to go home. Do I have your votes?" he asked the couple.

"NO," Izumi and Takuya snapped in unison.

"Besides," Izumi added sweetly, "you still have that one job I gave you..."

A glum look appeared on Kouichi's face. He began to whine, "But Izumi, I did...twice!"

Takuya grinned and slipped his goggles onto his head. "So take it a step further."

There was silence. Shaking his head, Kouichi muttered, "...you all disgust me."

"Glad to be of service again!" announced the goggle boy.

"I'm gonna go change now. Should you three as well?"

Junpei nodded. "Alright, alright," he muttered, dragging a protesting Takuya by the ear. "No peeking, Takuya! We leave Izumi alone from here!"

Izumi and Kouichi withheld their laughter as they followed the two for a while before going separate ways to their locker.

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Kako let out a sigh. "Kouji," she murmured, looking up.

The two fell silent, gazing at each other. Kouji stepped towards her. Kako looked at her feet. "Kouji," she murmured again. "W-we..."

Swiftly, he pinned her to the wall, claiming her lips. Caught by surprise, Kako did nothing. When she finally came to her senses, still, she could do nothing.

"Hey, Kouji."

Kouji pulled away to find his brother staring at him, eyebrow raised. "What?" he muttered, suddenly annoyed.

Knowing he was treading dangerous waters, Kouichi threw the bag at his brother and headed off. I'll...catch him when he isn't so...so busy, he decided, scared for his health.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Kouji was about to head off when Kako grabbed his arm. He brushed her hand off, only to find his other arm had been taken hostage as well. The boy scowled, "Let go of my hands!"

Kako exhaled a shaky breath and mustered her courage. "No," she murmured quietly.

"Kako, we'll talk later."

"No, we won't! And you know it! What is your problem, Kouji?" Kako cried angrily, pushing him back. "You keep doing this to me! First, you say we're going out just to make him jealous! And then...you...I don't understand," she murmured helplessly. "Please, help me understand."

Kouji pressed his lips against hers one last time, this time, softer. A second later, he bowed his head. "If...he ever hurts you," whispered the bandana boy, "tell me. Because I don't plan on letting him get away with it. And wait one second." He yanked off his bandana and grabbed her hand, placing the cloth in it. "I'll see you around often, I'm sure."

Dazed, Kako watched as he walked off. She trembled, well aware that the guilt would eat her up if she wasn't careful. Kouji turned around and Kako nearly jumped. Smiling, he added, "Hey, if he rejects you...you wouldn't mind hanging around me a little longer, would you?" In response, Kako reddened and shook her head. "Later, Kako," he whispered.

"Kouji..." The name seemed almost foreign. Swallowing, she ran to her locker to get her change of clothes.

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Kouichi threw the suit into his locker, slamming it shut and locking it. A sigh escaped his lips as he headed back to the 'ballroom.'

Ninety-nine bottles of milk on the wall, his mind sang as he stared at the punch and absentmindedly adjusted the sleeve of his jacket. Ninety-nine bottles of a type of liquid that makes your bones stronger due to the calcium it contains, he thought. He shook his head and took a seat, bored out of his mind.

"Kouichi!" he heard Naoko call out.

Wincing, he wish he had a mask to hide behind. Under the table? Behind the plant? BEHIND THE CHAIR? He mentally panicked as she approached him.

"Want to dance?" she asked, smiling.

He began to stutter, "I...er...um, see, thing is..." I'm a complete idiot. Does that work?

"He can't dance."

Kouichi turned to his savior. Kako stood behind Naoko, changed into her normal clothes. "Of all the things he can do," she continued, "he can't dance. Pretty pathetic, if you ask me."

Naoko let out a disappointed sigh, "Oh...that's too bad. Well, I think I see Fujita. He was pretty mad at me for not going with him." She laughed, "But anyway, I'll catch you two later!"

"Is she going out with Fujita?" Kouichi asked Kako as she sat down.

Kako nodded. "So, naturally, he going super annoyed when he found out you were going to take her to the dance. And that's why everyone was surprised."

He let out a quiet, "Oh," and began to examine his shoes. But Kako's presence distracted him. "Kako," he murmured, "aren't you and Kouji going to-"

"No."

"What...?"

"We...broke up."

She...was serious? Kouichi was surprised. He had thought she was joking when she told him that while they danced the first time. Words flew out of his mouth before he had a chance to think. "But why? I thought you two-"

"Don't you get it?" she snapped in turn, glaring at him angrily. "How dense are you?"

Kouichi was truly confused. 'How dense are you?' Duskmon had asked him that before. Rubbing his forehead, he murmured, "In these matters, completely." He turned to Kako. "So...why?" he asked softly.

"Give. Me. A. Break," she growled, standing up. "YOU'RE AN IDIOT!"

"Kanaye?" Izumi muttered disgustedly as she walked over to her cousin, brushing her arms off. "Yeah, he is. God, that bastard...what does he care about my family life?" She exhaled sharply and turned to Kouichi. "Is Takuya here?"

Kouichi shook his head and pointed into the crowd. "I saw him about five seconds ago. I think he was heading after you."

A smile appeared on the girl's face. She winked at him and murmured, "Good luck." Then Izumi disappeared back into the crowd.

The boy turned to Kako, a hopeful look on his face. In turn, she shook her head and followed her cousin.

And that's when Kouichi realized what he could do. A smirk formed. I'm going in...

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Kako blindly stumbled through the crowd. She didn't bother to retaliate when her hand was grabbed. Instead, a furious glare found its way to her face. "Let. Me. Go."

She found herself pulled close to Kanaye. If Hideki were here, she thought. But he wasn't. "I'm not in the mood, Kanaye. Let. GO," she growled.

There was a smirk on Kanaye's face. He pushed away her bangs and sneered, "Why? What fun would that be? You have what I want...after all..."

Izumi...didn't...no! Kako let out a strangled cry, trying to pull away from him. "Leave me alone!" she screamed above the noise and music.

"No..." His grip was tight. As soon as she felt his breath, Kako's eyes widened. "You see, Kako," he continued, pulling her closer, "I always get what I want..."

Her hand was released. Kako caught a glimpse of Kouji. "Not this time..." he muttered, grabbing Kanaye by the lapels. "Don't you know what they do to creeps like you?"

Not knowing what to do, Kako did the first thing that came to mind. She stood there, as if in a trance, until her brain began to function. Kouji's eyes seemed so distant. He didn't see her, didn't bother to recognize her or acknowledge her.

Kako ran.

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It took Kouichi at least fifteen minutes to pick the lock of the principal's office, then fifteen more minutes to find the key to Ogata's room.

Sadly, it was right under his nose. On the desk. Again. It was as if Mr. Aizawa knew what he was up to.

Again.

But he didn't complain. Quietly, he shut the door and made his way for Ogata's room.

The door was wide open.

Kouichi stared at the key in his hand, fighting the urge to scream. Instead, he dropped it on the ground and headed straight for Ogata's computer, not bothering to turn on the lights. Just as he was about to turn the computer on, Kouichi heard a sniffle.

He froze.

Another sniffle.

"Uh...h-hello...?" he called out awkwardly.

"Go away..."

"Kako? What are you doing here?" he muttered, walking over to her. He found her sitting in her regular seat, hugging her knees. Receiving no answer, he decided to try again, "Kako...?"

A split second later, the door slammed shut and they were stuck in the dark. Kako jumped to her feet. "Wh-what...?"

Kouichi frowned and stumbled over to the door, nearly tripping over a desk or two. He tried the door, but it refused to budge. With a sigh, he announced, "It's locked."

"N-no but-"

"It's locked," he repeated firmly, trying the door again.

Kako let out a moan and sank to the floor. "This can't be happening..."

"Sorry, it is."

"No..."

"Kako."

"What?"

"Why were you crying?"

"I wasn't!" she snapped in defense, scooting up against the wall. Under her breath, she muttered, "Damn, it's cold. Can the lights turn on?"

He tried the lights, but nothing happened. Kouichi sighed and decided to make a conversation, "Is it?" He walked over to her, but she scooted away. In surprise, he stepped back. "Okay, I'll go on that side of the room?" suggested the boy.

She nodded furiously to affirm.

The even furtherly baffled Kouichi took a seat on the opposite side of the room, gazing at Kako, who glared in return. Duskmon, can you get us out? He didn't expect an answer, but he did.

Nope, Duskmon replied, I don't want to.

He tensed up. Lowemon...

I have to agree, the second digimon confessed.

"Now of all times," Kouichi muttered with a sigh. Well, might as well find out. He drew a breath and asked, "Kako, do you hate me?" Kako remained silent and he continued, "I didn't do anything, did I? Or did I? I'm confused. We seemed...close, I suppose you could say, and then after your birthday...I didn't mean for that to ruin our relationship. If it did, I'm sorry. I-"

"Listen to yourself," she muttered. There was a slight hint of disgust in her voice. "Listen, Kouichi. Just listen. Have you heard yourself talk? Even once? How could I hate you? I couldn't even push you away..." Kako let out a bitter laugh.

"Kako...then..."

"I was happy. But it wouldn't work. I understand..." She inhaled slowly. "I understand why Rai's relationship with Hideki would never work. I don't know my real father. It's that reason. That fear...that...one would leave the other. I was happy, but I was afraid."

Kouichi remained silent. Kako's eyes pierced through the darkness to meet his. "Aren't you going to say I'm stupid?" she questioned. When he shook his head, she laughed again, "Yeah, that was aproblem, too. I didn't want to use you." Kako stood up and walked over to him. "You're too nice for your own good. I told you that, right? You're too innocent. You're too naive. You're just...plain...DENSE!" As she yelled the last word, Kako attempted to kick him.

He rolled over and stood up with a sigh, thankful for Mr. Saito's lessons. "Kako, try making some sense for once," he advised in turn.

"NO! IT'S OBVIOUS, KOUICHI!" she yelled, clenching her hand into a fist and throwing at him. Kouichi caught it out of surprise. "Why...why can't you just see?" she cried softly, weakly attempting to hit him with her other hand. "Why...?"

Swallowing, Kouichi dropped her hands and allowed her to rest her head on his shoulder. "Kako," he whispered, "It's kind of...hard...to tell. I don't want to assume. 'Assumptions can lead to the wrong conclusions. To avoid heartbreak, don't assume.' That was on the proverb list. I'm not sure if it was a good one, but I've had enough regrets for ten lifetimes. Kako, Duskmon was enough to prove I'm human. I hurt Kouji. And when I think about that, I want to atone..." He swallowed.

"Kako...I wouldn't care what you did, so long as you didn't get hurt. Kouji wouldn't hurt you. If he did, well...Hideki and I would bug him endlessly. He didn't, did he? And later on, I realized I was jealous. How could I make up for all the hurt I had dealt to him if I was jealous?"

Kako shook her head, stepping closer to Kouichi. "I...lost myself," she whispered. "But...you still won't see. What do I do to make you see?"

He pushed her away. "First," he advised, "Stop crying." Kako blinked as he wiped away her tears with the sleeve of his jacket. "Second, what happened between you and Kouji."

"We broke up. Well...we weren't ever together."

Kouichi winced. Guy one and two and girl one and two have confused themselves up, he realized, remembering Kouji's earlier explanation. "So...I was 'too dense' to realize you were going out with him to make me jealous, hm?"

"That sums it up," she mumbled.

"I wasn't."

"You weren't?"

"No. Not really."

Frowning, Kako repeated in disbelief, "You weren't?"

"Nope. Takuya, Junpei and Izumi were too obvious that day. Plus, you two never did anything together very...willingly. Your feelings seemed forced," Kouichi replied, sitting down.

Kako took a seat beside him. "Then why...?"

"Because. Kouji loved you."

Silence fell between them. The tears began to flow back into Kako's eyes.

Kouichi sighed and wrapped his arms around her, pulling Kako towards him. "Listen, okay? And stop crying. Remember your birthday gift? You never opened it, did you?"

"N-no...it's in my locker right now," she cried, sobbing harder. Kouichi let go of her in surprise as she pushed away. "I'm not done yelling yet!"

"W-wait, Kako-"

"No! I...I didn't accept for a reason, okay...? Did you open up the present I gave you?"

"Yeah..."

"IDIOT! Okay, well...um...that's why."

"The locket...?"

She sighed and whacked him on the head. "Kouichi...I...first off, happy birthday," murmured Kako, quickly kissing his cheek. "And...I...had to get rid of it. Or Kanaye would have...and...I didn't really trust..."

"One matter at a time, please."

"IS IT SO HARD TO UNDERSTAND, IDIOT?" she suddenly yelled, slapping him. "I love you, okay?"

That...stung. And not the words, Kouichi thought as tears came into his eyes from the painful hit. "U-uh...you hit hard," he muttered, rubbing his cheek. "Kako?"

"WHAT?"

He smiled. Leaning forward, he kissed her softly, then murmured, "Love you, too, sadly enough."

Trembling, Kako ignored the tears that began to flow. "If I had…well, accepted to be in a relationship with you at all, it would have been disastrous."

"How?" The boy frowned. She didn't even whack me for the joke.

Kako shook her head. "It's complex…"

A smile lit up Kouichi's face as he joked, "Well we have plenty of time."

"True…"

She didn't laugh…"So tell me."

"Okay."

Kouichi laughed for a second. "Wow, suddenly I feel weird again. Like…older than old…"

Kako hit his arm. "Now shut up, because I have to tell you something important," she whispered, grabbing a hold of his arm. "See, it began...four years ago, pretty much..."

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"Have they made up, yet?"

"Yes, my lady," Lowemon murmured, kneeling down.

A sigh. "That's good. Don't let them out yet, though. Wait until the dance is over. How's his brother?"

Duskmon snorted and muttered, "Dead drunk."

"Oh...I see."

"Will you be sending anyone's D-Tector soon?"

"No."

"Where's the fun in that?"

"Duskmon, you'll get your fun soon enough." The lady continued, amused, "But Kouichi needs his fractal code."

"Right."

"So we wait."

Duskmon grumbled. All they did was wait.

But all they could do was wait.

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A/N-

If this chapter is a disappointment, I am sorry. Explanation...well, brain malfunctioned. If you've read Kare Kano, it's like volume eight. Nothing seemed to be coming together at the right moment. I hope you like it.

Merry Christmas! Do you like your gift? Three whole chapters (sorry this one is short)! Man, they took forever, especially this one (even if it's short)! Sheez, when you barely have time...or the good computer you need...And your brain has malfunctioned…

Now, your New Years gift awaits! Pick a story! Pick a story! ...and there's key words describing the story, too.

STORIES TO CHOOSE FROM (these are the two I have a solid, stable idea on)-
-Cursed Gifts-Kouichi, major depression, a whole new battle with new enemies and...new stuff.
-Not The Bandanas 3-Revenge of the Digimon-The gang. New people. Old people. Digimon. D-Tectors. Evil. FIGHTS! Digivolving! Continuing this story!

We aren't done yet! YOUR CHRISTMAS PRESENT IS INCOMPLETE! GO TO THE NEXT CHAPTER ALREADY!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Review or Flame!