a/n: after this one, we can finally move on to Oedo onsen...

Every once in a while they would stop as Koushirou prompted Taichi to do a sweep of the area for distortions, then double their pace to catch up to the two girls who were busy showing their new friend with the glasses around. She was tall for her age, with stick-straight hair so black it seemed to absorb the surrounding light. Her face had a continuously stunned look on it as Mimi and Sora pointed out different aspects of the Odaiba island.

After about the third time they nearly lost sight of the three, Taichi sighed in resignation. "Since when did this become a field trip?"

Koushirou gave a sheepish sort of smile and shrugged. Mimi seemed to be enjoying herself, so there were no objections there.

"Oniichan, is she a friend of yours?" Hikari asked, glancing back at him.

She and Takeru were walking in front of Taichi and Koushirou, a few paces behind the sightseeing gang. They had managed to catch up right before the three girls entered a nearby mall at Mimi's enthusiastic urging.

"She just transferred into my class…uh, Mochizuki? Meiko, I think? She's kind of funny." Taichi squinted through his goggles at the domed ceiling. "There's no way there would be a distortion in here.."

"Hmm, I see," Takeru commented offhandedly. It wasn't that he was disinterested—he just wanted to get back to his conversation with the brown-haired girl walking beside him.

The four of them watched as Meiko shook her head furiously at something Sora said, and, as if triggered, promptly sneezed.

Hikari giggled. "Cute. She seems sweet."

You must be talking about yourself, Takeru thought, but didn't say. Just smiled and nodded.

"More importantly, Hikari, if we happen to find a distortion, you gotta make sure you get to somewhere safe, alright?" Taichi appeared agitated as he recalled the battle from several days ago.

"Oniichan, I'll be okay," she returned good-naturedly, accustomed to his protectiveness. "Everyone's here."

At this, Takeru felt a familiar something stir up from deep within him. He suddenly had the urge to jump in front of Taichi and declare those same words he had said when he was 7 and still barely tall enough to reach the kitchen sink at home.

I'll protect her! I will definitely protect Hikari-chan!

Would Taichi still kneel (well, he no longer had to kneel anymore) down and pat his head and praise him for being reliable? He wasn't so sure. If before he had been on the same team as Taichi, working together to protect Hikari and everyone else, now it almost seemed as if he was at odds with him. The feelings—the desire to protect Hikari—nothing had changed, but all of a sudden Taichi loomed in front of him like a rival instead of an ally. Like Daisuke, except about a million times more formidable. But unlike Daisuke, Taichi actually stood a fairly good chance at triumphing.

Of course, Takeru was a quiet, passive rival. So much so that Daisuke would get frustrated at how cavelier he was about being close to Hikari. So much so that Taichi probably hadn't even noticed the steadily growing shadow of a new rival for his sister's affections.

What nobody knew was that he was constantly thinking and calculating and wondering. About her. About how to approach her. About how to protect her.

"Taichi-san, you haven't changed. This takes me back," Koushirou spoke up, interrupting his thoughts. "I remember that time from the first time we went to the Digital World. You were so worried about Hikari-chan that we had an argument."

"Oh, I remember that! Hikari-chan got a fever and we stopped by a big town to find medicine." Takeru nodded nostalgically.

"Machinedramon was chasing us," Hikari added. "I felt terrible for putting everyone in danger."

"It wasn't your fault," Takeru said gently, and her apologetic expression turned into a small smile.

"Taichi-san was panicking," Koushirou remembered. "We ran all over town looking for cold medicine while Sora-san and Takeru-kun were watching Hikari-chan."

"And then Machinedramon was coming, so Takeru-kun snuck me and Sora-san out of the house. I still remember that." Hikari stopped walking for a moment, folding her arms behind herself shyly. "I got better thanks to all of you! Sora-san and Takeru-kun, and Koushirou-san… and oniichan. You brought me the medicine."

Taichi had been bemusedly listening to their reminiscing, and Koushirou prompted, "Don't you remember, Taichi-san?"

"Of course I do." He looked somewhat embarrassed.

"I knew it then, that Taichi-san is a good older brother," Koushirou stated with a grin, and Takeru and Hikari giggled. "He was so panicked that he wouldn't even stop to listen to what I had to say about Machinedramon."

"Oh, lay off," Taichi grumbled, and they laughed.

A formidable rival. An iron wall, almost. Takeru wondered if he could ever win.

Mimi, Sora, and Meiko were watching the group behind them in curiosity as they started laughing.

"I wonder what they're talking about," Sora commented.

"Ah! Taichi-san's face is all red… I think they're teasing him! Sounds fun!" Mimi cried.

Meiko, who was finally getting accustomed to the two chosen, stammered, "Um, I know Taichi-san from school, but who are the others?"

"I wanted to introduce you earlier, but you seemed a little uncomfortable," Sora explained. She gestured to the group. "The one carrying the laptop is Izumi Koushirou."

"He's in my grade!" Mimi chirped. "Super smart. He has his own office!"

Meiko's eyes grew wide. "Wow!" She was also partially in awe at how bright and outspoken Mimi was.

"The one with the white cap is Takaishi Takeru-kun. Do you remember Yamato?" Sora smiled as Meiko nodded hesitantly. "He's Yamato's younger brother."

"He's kind of like everybody's little brother," Mimi added, spinning a beaded bracelet around her finger. "And that angel over there~"

"That's Hikari-chan. Taichi's younger sister," Sora finished.

"I see…" Meiko murmured, committing the names and faces to memory. Taichi's younger sister was laughing softly at something Takeru had said, face radiant. "She's so pretty…"

"Isn't she?" Mimi laughed. "It's no wonder Taichi-san tries to keep her in his pocket all the time."

"I guess that hasn't changed," Sora said.

"They seem close," Meiko mentioned, gesturing to the two youngest chosen, who were walking beside each other, deep in conversation.

"Takeru-kun and Hikari-chan? Yeah, they're the same age. They both go to Odaiba Middle School.." Sora gave a motherly smile. "We've been together since they were in second grade, so they grew up together."

"Hehehe," Mimi grinned, throwing a slender but strong arm around their shoulders. "They're thick as thieves!" She winked conspiratorially.

"They're the same age?" Meiko asked, wincing shyly under Mimi's arm, but also not minding it much. "Wow, she looks so much older…"

"She's always been really grown up," Mimi evaluated. "I think she's the one who takes care of Taichi-san, not the other way around. Oh, look at that store! Frozen yogurt! Ahhh, I wanted to go ever since I got back!"

Sora pondered this for a moment, eyes softening. "Hikari-chan is… special," she said.

Meiko looked back at the petite girl, who was listening patiently as Takeru animatedly explained something. Indeed, there was something almost otherworldly about her, for just a moment… but then she laughed, and she was just a normal girl again. Meiko was trying to figure out what Sora had meant by "special" when Mimi went running off to the group behind them.

"Heeey! Anyone down for frozen yogurt?"

"Haaai!" Hikari cheered, ever the frozen-dessert fan, and Taichi sighed again.

That's how Meiko found herself sandwiched between Mimi and Takeru as the chosen group started picking and choosing flavors.

"I think I'll go with milk tea…" Hikari mused. Her voice was as sweet as her face.

"Heh, Hikari-chan, you always get strawberry though. At least, you did the last time when it was just the two of us," Takeru commented.

Sora noticed Taichi listening to this conversation glumly and dragged him towards the counter. "Come on, let's get something!"

"Oh, I'll go too! I want to see the flavors." Mimi jumped up and followed them.

"Takeru-kun, you're always paying attention, aren't you?" There was a playful sparkle in Hikari's eyes.

Caught. This was happening a lot lately. Or was it just that she had taken to mentioning it lately? Takeru smiled cryptically and turned to hide his pinkening cheeks. "Mochizuki-san, which flavor would you like?"

"Oh!" Meiko was surprised at his sudden attention.

Her flustered reaction made him laugh out loud. "Sorry. I'm Takeru, Takaishi Takeru. We heard your name from Taichi-san."

He was remarkably good looking, especially from up close. Light brown hair that was almost a dirty blonde and green-tinted eyes. Yamato, but more boyish and with less of that characteristic sharpness. He was most definitely Japanese, but he also looked strangely foreign. Tall, too.

"I'll… I'm not sure. Maybe I'll try…" she paused.

"The strawberry is really good, Meiko-san!" Hikari said kindly. "I'm Yagami Hikari, Taichi's younger sister. Does he stay awake in class?"

Meiko managed to laugh at this. "I think I'll try the strawberry then, thank you. And… just barely, I think."

The two giggled as Takeru received Meiko's order from the counter and handed it to her. He had to avoid Hikari's knowing smile because his cheeks were still burning.

They covered quite a bit of ground—from the beach-side mall to the nearby park and all the way back to the bay, passing by Fuji Television—without finding a single distortion. Meiko took leave as abruptly as she had arrived. While glad for their help, she still felt her usual guard coming up. Being alone was far safer.

"Thanks for showing me around. I'll keep looking on my own now."

"You sure?" Sora still looked mildly concerned.

"Yes, thank you." She gave a curt bow.

"Hope she finds her cat…" Mimi commented as the chosen group began to head back towards the mall.

"Hikari-chan?" Takeru called.

She was still standing there, caressed by the slight breeze coming off of the ocean. He didn't know why, but in that moment, seeing her by the water, he thought she might be swept away, engulfed. The way the ocean traps sunlight and pulls it from the surface all the way down to its depths—at first at clear and reflective like glass, then surrounding it and becoming murkier until it completely fades into darkness and there's no light to be found.

Her brown eyes were lingering thoughtfully on Meiko. Perceiving something. Before he could ask what was wrong, she turned and erased the question on his lips with a sweet nod. "I'm coming!"

As she fell into step beside him, she felt a sense of peace despite the brewing storm ahead.

Taichi paused suddenly, letting the goggles fall around his neck. "Hey Koushirou, these goggles can't see very far. I wonder if there's a way to check everything all at once."

"Maybe from a high place?" Mimi suggested.

"A high place around here…" Hikari chimed in.

Koushirou turned and pointed immediately to the giant attraction visible beyond the park they had passed through. "What about there?"

The rotating wheel of love, that's how most adolescents saw it. The most popular date spot in Odaiba, and for good reason. It probably had something to do with the quiet, enclosed spaces and the 16 full minutes of absolute privacy—it really wasn't about the view. Takeru wasn't surprised that Koushirou suddenly seemed keen on making a visit, especially seeing as he had recently taken to wearing brand new clothes. No one had said anything, but Takeru thought it was possible that this was the first time he had seen Koushirou in jeans.

Koushirou met eyes with the smirking basketball star and abruptly looked elsewhere, clearing his throat.

They would have to see who got up there with their girl first. Nothing like good, healthy competition to get things moving. If they ever would. Takeru cast secretive eyes at Hikari. She was listening intently and nodding as Sora whispered something into her ear.

Then she was motioning for him to come over, and now it was his turn to look away as if singed.

"Is Yamato coming soon?" Sora asked in hushed tones.

Taichi and Koushirou were too busy tinkering around with the settings on the goggles to notice the three-person huddle going on behind them.

Takeru glanced at his watch. "Any minute now."

"I was telling Hikari-chan that maybe the ferris wheel would be a good place for the two of them to talk. Alone." Two faint worry lines appeared between her eyebrows, and Takeru couldn't help but think, one line for Taichi, one line for Yamato.

Hikari took one of Sora's hands, as if to reassure her, and she smiled gratefully.

"I think that's good." Takeru nodded. "I'll make sure Mimi-san and Koushirou-san get in with us, just in case."

He grinned widely. His chances of being alone with Hikari-chan had gone out the window, but he was going to take Koushirou-san down with him.

Sure enough, Yamato arrived just as the wind began to smell of rain. The distance between him and the group might as well have been a rushing river or some yawning chasm for how reluctant he seemed to cross it. Taichi avoided looking at him, but there was no need, as he was already avoiding looking at Taichi.

"Yamato." Sora's voice was the only thing that provided him some relief.

Takeru beamed triumphantly in a way that would make anyone watching wonder which of the two was the older brother.

"Don't push me," Yamato muttered, feeling Gabumon jab at his calf. Anything to get the statue moving.

His partner scoffed in return. "You're so stubborn. I'm going to join Agumon and the others."

"W-wait, okay!" Yamato regained composure and stiffly followed before he could be left behind.

Mimi and Sora were stifling giggles at his embarrassment, but Takeru and Hikari gave each other knowing smiles like they were secret investigators who had just gotten one step closer to solving a case. Exactly as they had planned.

The group shuffled towards the ferris wheel in an odd formation. Sora was in front of Taichi and Yamato like the point of an isosceles triangle, the two boys walking with a good couple of yards in between them. Mimi and Hikari had linked arms, laughing about some clothing store, and Koushirou was doing an intricate dance as he tried to stay close enough to Mimi—but not too close—that they would end up somehow sitting together on the ferris wheel.

As their carriage approached, Takeru reached out and took Hikari's hand, helping her in and also automatically scoring the seat beside her. He could also see Koushirou-san attempting to wait for the next carriage, so he called, "Mimi-san, you coming?"

Of course, Mimi happily obliged, which meant that Koushirou also joined them, looking slightly deflated. Once he saw that he would be able to sit next to Mimi though, he brightened considerably.

"Why the ferris wheel?" In his curiosity, Yamato finally broke his silence.

"You'll have to ask Taichi!" Sora said, matter-of-fact. Like lightning, she jumped into the carriage, taking the only remaining seat before the two could even begin to react.

And react they did, once the door closed before them, their mouths falling open simultaneously. Cornered.

"Wait—"

"Hey!"

"Are you serious?!"

Takeru was smug. There was something so great about the whole situation: sitting right next to Hikari on the wheel of love as the main rival for her affections and his stubborn older brother gaped at them from below. Satisfying in so many ways.

"Taichi-san and Yamato-san are alone together!" Mimi laughed.

Sora sighed. "I hope they can talk things out..."

"Are they fighting?" Koushirou finally seemed to understand the situation.

"They're still a bit bothered about what happened the other day…"

As the carriages crept upwards towards the clouds, they could see Yamato and Taichi sitting sullenly opposite each other (as far as they could get from each other in the enclosed space).

"They're being all self-conscious," Takeru said mischievously.

"Hehe. They are." Hikari felt slightly apologetic as she watched their older brothers. Taichi was right there in the carriage below them, elbow propped on his knee, lips pressed grimly together—but at the same time, he wasn't. Where are you, oniichan? And what are you seeing?

She closed her eyes and accessed a still, small part of her, deep inside, letting the tinkering music of the ferris wheel fade out. It wasn't as if she didn't have the same doubt, the same fear. When the lines between light and dark didn't seem quite as crisp as they had been when they were younger, she became privy to that chaos, the same unsettling feeling that her brother was fighting to understand. There was always light. But there was darkness with it, and when the darkness began to mix and entangle itself with the light, it became hard to see which was which.

When she opened them again, there was a whole world of light and color around her. The faint rocking of the ferris wheel carriage; a broad, bright sky; and the city below, filled with life and energy. There was Koushirou, Mimi, Sora with her nurturing smile, Yamato and Taichi—at odds with each other, but still tightly bound by their friendship.

And Takeru. His eyes, sea-green, were the exact color of the ocean at the surface when it's crystal clear and filled with sunlight. She could see herself reflected in them.

Feeling her stare, he turned and gazed back at her, and for an instant, there was something different between them—but then Agumon's voice rang out as Koushirou brought up his computer for the Digimon to see what was going on, and the moment ended.

"Hey." In the other carriage, Yamato spoke into the silence.

"...What."

Taichi's voice was flat, but he didn't seem completely unwilling to talk, so Yamato cleared his head and continued. "About the other day… it was wrong of me to get angry. But you need to pull yourself together too. Infected Digimon could appear at any time."

They needed Taichi; Yamato knew that. Which was why Taichi's indecisiveness frustrated him to no end. Even now, the usually brash and outspoken leader was speechless.

"Still hesitating?" Yamato scoffed. "You're not like you used to be."

Taichi answered in subdued tones. "I can't help it. I'm not who I was. Now I see more and understand less."

Are we still standing in the light, or are we in darkness too? He continued. "I'm not sure if what we're doing is right. Or maybe… it's wrong."

He turned, backlit by the afternoon sun, and Yamato followed his line of sight out to the glittering ocean.

"I know we're the only ones who can do it. But it's not that simple."

"That's just running away," Yamato asserted, frowning, though he no longer felt angry. He realized that Taichi was being vulnerable, to a certain extent. The reason behind his indecision was not arrogance; it was him struggling to accept the weight of their responsibility—and the consequences of their actions—on their behalf, as their leader.

So he relented, letting the subject drop. "...Why are we up here anyway?"

"Oh, right, I almost forgot." Taichi slipped the goggles over his eyes and immediately tensed. "What is that?"

"What is it?" Yamato grabbed his arm.

"...!" Hikari let out a gasp in the next carriage over.

"What's wrong?" Sora stood up.

"It's here," she breathed, and right on cue, Taichi waved frantically to them from the next carriage, pointing towards the sky over the mall complex nearby.

Koushirou immediately flipped open his laptop; the screen was flooded with distorted data.

Their carriage was about to reach ground level.

"Let's go," Takeru said grimly.

It didn't take long for Taichi and Yamato to catch up to them, swinging themselves down from their carriage.

"I saw the distortion over there." Taichi was running as soon as his feet hit the ground, Yamato following closely behind.

Chaos and rain greeted them as the ran. The sky had formed a vortex of clouds, and if not for the distortion, it would have been like a strange natural disaster. They hurried down the stairs from the ferris wheel platform as an evacuation announcement rang through the plaza, and people streaked past them.

A huge, caped figure perched on the outer rim of a circular court within the shopping mall.

Hikari stopped in her tracks. "What is that?"

She watched her brother run ahead and felt reassured that Yamato was with him. It'll be okay, she told herself. This wasn't their final battle; there was more to come.

"I haven't seen anything like that before," Takeru echoed.

They had all come to a stop, and Koushirou consulted his laptop hastily, and the action instantly reminded him of old times, when he had been a fourth grader lugging his giant laptop around in the Digital World. "Here it is. Alphamon."

"Alphamon?"

Koushirou shook his head. "There's no more data."

"We have to do something." Takeru's voice was tight as he thought about the evacuating hordes of people who were still far from being out of harm's way.

Mimi stepped in from behind them. "Koushirou-kun, call Palmon and the others!"

"I'm on it!"

The shopping center was a mess. Birdramon had collided with one of the carriages on the ferris wheel, and it dangled down like a broken Christmas tree ornament. Togemon, Kabuterimon, Angemon and Tailmon laid around in various states of injury.

They watched the scene unfolding in horror. Alphamon was indestructible, firing green laser after green laser in the now ruined court. Hikari shivered. An awful sense of foreboding shot through her, but she managed to lock her knees and stay upright.

"What are you here for? What do you want?" She whispered.

Koushirou glanced at her. "Hikari-san, what do you mean?"

"It… it's looking for something. Seeking something. To destroy."

"Us?" Mimi cried. "It wants to destroy us? But why?"

Hikari shook her head slowly. "Not us; it's treating us like we're pests getting in the way of something."

"Taichi!" Yamato's yell echoed towards them.

"Taichi…" Sora echoed, eyes sad.

They couldn't see everything that was happening, but they could tell that Agumon had still not digivolved; putting this together with Yamato's frustrated yells, they knew that Taichi still hadn't made a decision to fight. Hikari wobbled, feeling faint, and Mimi wrapped an arm around her waist with a bright smile.

"Steady, Hikari-chan! It'll be okay. He's up there, after all."

Hikari nodded gratefully. Mimi was right. Her brother had run up to the chaos of his own will; he wasn't planning on running away. Even so, it was taking every bit of restraint to keep from bolting up there to be with him. That was her place; with him, beside him through his triumphs and his struggles. This is oniichan's battle, she reminded herself. And with hardened eyes, she decided she would trust him with his and focus on her own.

"Niisan… Angemon," Takeru murmured, watching clouds of dust rise up from the chaos. Garurumon was thrown for the third time by the ruthless black Digimon, and he could hear Yamato's desperate cries. He ground his teeth in frustration and made for the stairs leading up to the court.

"Huh?" He halted as Mochizuki Meiko, holding what appeared to be a large, striped cat, ran hastily out of the court and past him towards the open field. "Mochizuki-san?"

Alphamon came sailing out of the court in pursuit, like an angel of death.

"Takeru-kun, wait! Look!" Hikari cried.

A gleam and an ear-splitting clash came up to intercept Alphamon. A violent gale battered them and brought them to their knees; Takeru instinctively clamped one hand over his head to keep his hat from flying out to sea. When the dust settled, in the clearing stood the Digimon they had been hoping to see, glittering a clean, pure white.

"Omegamon!" Sora said.

And then, as if suddenly imbued with new strength, the chosen all got to their feet. Now that they were all fighting together, it was just the beginning.

But what followed was an odd, anti-climactic sequence that seemed to prove Hikari's earlier suspicions that they were not Alphamon's main target. Alphamon and Omegamon, stark opposites, clashed once, twice in the rainy sky—and then, it was over. A digital portal opened up, and the Digimon slid away as if it couldn't be bothered to continue fighting the chosen anymore.

"That portal…" Koushirou said in brief recognition as it vanished.

"Oniichan!"

"Taichi, Yamato!"

Both boys, exhausted, were propped up against each other in a small ditch left from the battle. Koromon and Tsunomon slept at their feet. The chosen went to gather their Digimon before returning to form a circle around the two, who were blinking numbly at the wreckage around them.

Shallow, hesitant footsteps had them all turning heads to see none other than Meiko, still grasping a cartoonish cat in her arms. She still didn't know quite what to make of the group, who seemed to know so much and have so much in common. But they had protected her, they had fought to keep what was important to her safe. It was possible that they might be able to help her.

Sora spoke up. "Is that what you were looking for, Mochizuki-san?"

Meiko looked a good deal more cheerful and sure of herself now that she had found her partner. "Yes."

Hikari stepped closer. "Her name is Mei-chan?" Something about the tawny cat reminded her of Tailmon.

They stood facing each other, both holding cats in their arms, and Takeru couldn't help but notice how stark the contrast was between the two. Both were kind and feminine, but Meiko was tall and reserved, almost grave, while Hikari was petite and radiant like light itself.

"Her real name is Meicoomon," Meiko revealed.

"Meicoomon?"

Meiko blushed, hesitantly raising a first generation Digivice up to her face. "Yes. She's my partner Digimon."

"EH?!" They all cried in unison, in varying degrees of shock.

Takeru glanced at Hikari. She too seemed surprised, but only mildly so, with the face of someone who's suspicions had just been proven true.

"So that means… you're a chosen too?" Mimi squeezed herself in between Hikari and Sora.

The dark haired girl lowered her head modestly. "I guess…"

"That's awesome!"

"I'm sorry I couldn't mention it earlier…"

"Looks like we have a new member," Takeru said brightly, though he couldn't help but wonder why Meiko hadn't joined them to fight the enemy. It wasn't something to dwell on though, so he quickly let the thought pass.

Hikari seemed delighted at his comment, and she laughed, a clear, beautiful sound. "I'm so happy!"

"Mei-chan," Meiko murmured down to Meicoomon. "Everybody helped save us." She tucked her head forward and bent her knees in a slight curtsy. "Dan-dan."