a/n: well, finally.

It was like that first phone call had broken a dam of some sorts, and Takeru berated himself for not thinking to call her sooner. They had tested the boundaries of their friendship, and though they had never thought of going that far, now that they knew it was safe (and predictably enjoyable), it was more unrestrained.

They talked three more times that week. Takeru's mom saw this as a major sign of development and had taken to knocking before entering his room so as not to disturb them. Taichi had gotten used to the idea of them talking at night, so instead of going outside, Hikari would curl up in her bed under the covers and grow drowsy to the sound of Takeru's voice.

They talked about everyday things at first, tracing circles around where their livelihoods overlapped some and didn't some. The second night, feeling emboldened, Takeru revealed that he had started keeping a written record of their adventures in hopes of paving the way towards a world more open to Digimon.

"I haven't told anyone else about this," he admitted. "But I could use a second opinion."

"I would love to listen," she said.

And so, he read, starting from the very beginning when the seven chosen were whisked away from summer camp. Hikari hadn't joined them until later, so she was fascinated. She listened, wincing and laughing and growing solemn as the story unfolded.

She was particularly struck by the chosens' stand against Devimon, and when Takeru's voice caught a bit at Angemon's death, her heart ached. It ached for the little boy with the green hat, and it also ached for the young man always at her side now. She knew it was something that had stayed with him, this deep-seated trauma about losing his loved ones—an uncertainty, a desperate fight to ensure nothing was lost, carefully hidden behind a good-natured smile. He despised the darkness because time after time it had gotten close to taking away everything important to him. Patamon, his family.

And me, she realized.

On the third night they had a play-argument about who would hang up first and both hung up on the count of three. At school, they still only greeted each other in passing, which seemed to quell the rumors that they had finally become an item. It didn't matter to Takeru what other people thought, though. He would stay by her side, protecting her, and slowly but surely, he would deliver his feelings to her.

"Oniichan!" Hikari called, sliding the veranda door open. "Breakfast."

Taichi's eyes were vacant as they looked out over the construction happening at the shopping mall across the way. She joined him. It was a beautiful day; sunlight shimmered on the water and a breeze caught his wild shock of hair.

"I don't think we did the wrong thing," she said softly. It wasn't that simple, but that was exactly why they needed to stand firm, whatever they chose. "If we hadn't fought, there would have been more loss."

He didn't move, but she knew he heard her.

"If you don't hurry up, Agumon's going to eat everything," she laughed. They turned towards the kitchen where Agumon and Tailmon were quickly clearing the dining table of its contents. Everything was enveloped in a sense of peace that was a far cry from recent events.

The doorbell rang, and Mimi's impatient voice was just a pleasant accent to a day that seemed like it couldn't go wrong.

"You're still not ready?"

"You still eating?" Palmon echoed.

"I had seconds!" Agumon announced.

"Morning," Tailmon said, carefully cleaning her paw.

"We'll be right there!" Hikari said.

Taichi slung his usual bag over his shoulder, a piece of buttered toast clamped between his teeth. "One sec!"

"Hikari-chan, what's that huge bag for?" Mimi asked from the doorway.

"Towels and stuff?"

She winked, wagging a finger. "Non! The place we're going has all of that, so we don't have to take anything!"

Taichi munched his toast boredly, and she glared at him.

"Really? We're late—and I was the one who planned this get together!"

"Yamato-san, you look like you haven't gotten much sleep," Koushirou said, though the irony of the comment was not lost on him. Usually he was the one at the receiving end.

"I've had band practice until late…" Yamato said with a yawn. Sora chuckled.

"Knife of Day?" Takeru asked, always the most up-to-date on the state of his brother's artistic wanderings. He glanced at his phone.

"Nah, different. For the cultural festival. Satoru the guitarist goes to a different school, so we formed a temp just for the festival."

"Oh? And what's it called?"

"World on the Knife."

Koushirou looked confused. "Is that any different?"

Takeru and Sora exchanged knowing smiles as Yamato struggled to explain that there was indeed a very big difference.

Panicked footsteps approached—Meiko in a muted khaki dress, clutching Meicoomon like a lifeline. "Sorry we're so late!"

"Don't worry! You're just on time," Sora reassured her.

"Morning," Takeru said.

"Good morning," Koushirou echoed.

"G-good morning!" She stumbled over her words. They looked so much like a family—Sora sitting on the ground beside Yamato, Takeru and Koushirou standing close by. It was clear they had been in conversation just up until her arrival, and she felt oddly out of place.

"Th… Thank you for inviting us today," she said, bowing deeply.

"Of course!"

"There's no need to be so formal," Sora insisted.

Takeru gave her an easy smile. He was refreshing in a pair of shorts and a tank top. "Yeah, it's your welcome party!"

"Right." They were unfalteringly welcoming of her. Even Yamato, who she now knew was quiet by nature, had an accepting look on his face. She fidgeted shyly with her bangs.

"See, we're last!" Came a piercing voice.

The three stragglers were hurrying to join them.

"I said I was sorry," they could hear Taichi groan.

"Ohayo gozaimasu!" Hikari called.

They all watched as Takeru stepped forward. She walked up to him, the breeze pushing them into their own little world. Her sleeveless lemon dress embodied all of the good parts of summer.

"Maybe I should have called you," he joked.

She scowled. "It's not like I overslept." It was a tone of voice she would have never used with anyone else, except maybe her brother.

Meiko registered afresh how close the two were. There was an unspoken sort of tenderness between them, something that went deeper than the casual friendliness he had exhibited earlier.

Sora stood, breaking into a smile at this exchange, while Yamato was gruffly impressed at his little brother's forwardness. He glanced at Taichi as if to see his reaction, then remembered that they weren't exactly on speaking terms and looked away with a frown.

With everyone gathered (except Jou, off studying), it was spontaneously decided that their Digimon would join them. Koushirou agreed, lulled into a sense of security by the sunny calm of the day.

After all, this was a day to officially welcome Meiko into their group, though it was also an opportunity for Taichi and Yamato to get past their differences. It was an exciting thing, to know that one more would join them in their fight for good. There was the matter of figuring out what exactly they were fighting against, which weighed heavily on all of their minds. But for now, on this placid morning, their joy outweighed their fears.

"Hmm, you're doing an RPG cafe for the cultural festival? That sounds fun," Hikari said, the midmorning sun catching her clear eyes. "Our class still hasn't decided, but I think we're leaning towards a play."

"It was Kawashima-san's idea, actually." Takeru walked beside her. "A play, huh? Think you're going to get a part?"

"Hehe, typical Ran-chan." She made a face. "Oh, I hope not. I want to try working on choreography or lighting."

"Mimi-san, you're back from the States?" Meiko asked from behind them. Mimi's brisk steps were a lot faster than Meiko was accustomed to, and she did her best to keep up.

"Yep, for my dad's work," she answered brightly. "What about you, Meimei? What brought you to Odaiba?"

"M-meimei?"

"Yup! Your name's Meiko, so Meimei!" Mimi said, as if it were the most obvious thing.

Sora had been conversing with Koushirou while minding Taichi and Yamato. "Isn't that a bit long for a nickname?" She broke in amicably.

"I think it's cute, kind of like a sheep," Takeru joined in.

Mimi squinted, unamused. Was he doing it on purpose? There was a twinkle in his eyes.

"W-what? N-no, I..." Meiko flushed crimson.

Hikari gave him a chiding smile, coming to her rescue. "Meiko-san, please be careful around Takeru-kun."

He grinned back at her. "Ouch."

He loved it when she spoke as if it was her job to keep him in line. Only she could, anyway.

Meiko looked flusteredly back and forth at them both, confused, while Sora and Mimi sighed, used to Takeru's smooth-talk. He was usually so mature, but at times they wondered if his glib comments were just a way of flinging rubber bands at his crush. The two younger chosen returned to their conversation as if nothing had happened, and Meiko realized that the entire moment had been a way for him to get under Hikari's skin. Boys are terrifying, she thought, and Mimi made a face as if to agree with her.

"Don't mind him," she muttered.

"Takeru-kun really is quite kind," Sora added apologetically.

"Hikari-chan! Hands up!"

Hikari giggled, fastening the obi on her purple yukata. "I'm okay."

"Aw, come onnnn," Mimi whined.

"Hands up?" Palmon asked.

Mimi grabbed a nearby obi and wrapped Palmon in it multiple times before giving it a hearty yank. "Like this! Yoi de wa nai ka? Yoi de wa nai ka?"

"Uwaaa!" Palmon went spinning.

"I think Mimi-san missed Japan," Hikari commented, and Meiko nodded hastily.

"Me too! I want to spin too!" Biyomon and Meicoomon cried.

"You're supposed to say, 'Areeee!'" Mimi coached the dizzy and staggering Palmon.

Tailmon was perched on the row of lockers, feeling herself slightly above such childish play, when the other Digimon pounced. "Tailmon! Time to spin!"

"W-wait! You guys!"

And Mimi wasn't ready to give up yet. "Sora-san! Your turn!"

"Kya!"

"Meimei, hold her!"

"W-wha?"

Hikari took advantage of the commotion to slip out to the communal area and breathed a sigh of relief. Forgive me, Tailmon, Sora-san, she thought, a little caught up in the moment.

"Close call?" said an amused voice from behind her.

She jumped and turned to perfectly swept blonde locks. "Oniich—oh, Yamato-niisan."

Yamato was equally as surprised at this. "Nii-san? You haven't called me that since elementary school."

"Reflex?" Hikari answered sheepishly. "It's Mimi-san. She keeps wanting to reenact that old comedy bit with the obi..."

"So you left Sora and the others in there as sacrifice?" He grinned.

"I had no choice," she said conspiratorially. "It's every woman for herself. I know Sora-san can fight for herself."

"You're not wrong about that," he said somewhat drily.

Hikari was quick to pick up on this. "What do you mean? Did something happen with Sora-san?"

Suddenly, he was avoiding her eyes.

"Yamato-san," she said sternly. Just how many older brothers did she have to take care of?

He coughed. "Anyway, Takeru would probably kill me if he knew, but I wanted to ask. Do you still have the ticket for my last concert that got canceled, or does he have them?"

"Hmm?" It took Hikari a moment to figure out what he meant. "Ah… actually, I thought he was going with his school friends?"

This was news to his older brother. "You mean he didn't ask you?"

Eyes wide, she shook her head. "He said he was going with some friends of his. Either way, there was oniichan's soccer game, and I ended up going to my friend's birthday party."

He sighed. "That idiot. And to think I gave him the perfect…"

"Nii-san, what's taking so long?" Takeru rounded the corner before Yamato could continue. He almost jumped out of his skin. "Hikari-chan!"

"Takeru-kun." She was ethereal in her yukata. Her choice of light purple and aubergine was surprisingly grown-up.

"You look nice!" He commented, slightly flustered. "Purple… it's nice."

All of his suaveness had gone flying out the window somewhere.

"Oh, come on, just say she looks good in everything already," his doting older brother smirked in the background.

Takeru smiled, though his eyes were ice. "I'm sorry, who was the one who had to ask me whether or not Sora-san got a haircut the other day because he couldn't tell the difference?"

"Why you—" Yamato caught him in a playful headlock and Hikari laughed, taking a snapshot of them with her camera.

"You two are as close as always."

"Oh!" There was a sharp intake of breath beside her. "Oh no, Hikari-san, are they fighting?" A concerned looking Meiko had joined them.

"No worries, they're just kidding around," Sora appeared, putting a reassuring hand on Meiko's shoulder.

Hikari nodded to corroborate. "Those two would never fight. They're really close!"

"You guys coming?" Takeru had managed to shake off his brother. He was mildly concerned about what his meddlesome sibling had been talking to Hikari about. He cast her a questioning gaze.

But her smile was as cryptic as ever. "We're waiting for Mimi-san and the others! You two go ahead."

They met up again near the footbaths, channels of hot spring water that ran knee-deep with stone benches lining a pretty courtyard. There were very few people around, so the Digimon were roaming free. Hikari had the edge of her yukata in one hand and her camera in the other as she watched.

"You want to keep your paws together as you stroke through the water," Tailmon explained.

"If you inhale lots of breath you can get floaty!" Patamon chirped and demonstrated, going drifting downstream.

"That's so cool!" Everything seemed to impress Meicoomon.

"I think Tailmon is probably the best swimmer," Takeru said softly, so the Digimon couldn't hear. He was beside her, witnessing the world she captured through her lens.

"Hehe, Patamon's not too bad either," she answered. She noticed Patamon drifting towards the rock edge of the footbath headfirst and reached towards him, letting her camera drop around her neck.

"Careful!" she said, gently picking him up.

"Oh! That was close!" Patamon nuzzled her happily. "Thanks Hikari-chan!"

When she looked up, he was right there.

"Takeru-kun?"

He smiled. "It's such a good shot." He gestured toward the camera looped around her neck.

Her shoulders relaxing, she undid the threading and handed it off to him.

"Okay, you two, look happy!" He realized he was nowhere near the natural Hikari was. But he was content to look into the viewfinder to see the two most precious beings in his life smiling at each other in the dappled shade of the courtyard.

The shutter snapped and left a frame of his heart on her memory card.

"Hikari-chan, there's just one problem with the pictures you take."

She pouted slightly. "What is it?"

"There aren't any pictures of you."

If she was surprised at his comment, she certainly knew how to hide it. "I think you just took care of that for me. Thinking of taking up photography?"

He grinned. "I'll leave that to you."

They smiled at each other.

"Oh, look, Meicoomon's gotten the hang of it!"

For the first time in a while, he felt completely at ease, watching the Digimon play happily in the foot bath as she stood beside him, clicking away. This was the type of moment he figured he wanted to have for the rest of his life. Warm and enveloping like the soothing hot spring water; clear and sweet like the air around them. Like getting a little glimpse of the (hopeful) future.

He had yet to ask her, but in his head he saw his stories about the Digital World all bound and published with her photos—the same story, the same treasured moments, captured in their own individual ways but coming together to become a cohesive work. He was busy reveling in this tiny daydream when two shadowy figures caught his eye.

Meiko and a tall, stately looking older woman were conversing in the shade of a larger tree. He recognized the woman as the driver of the truck that brought Mimi to the airport and brought them home during Kuwagamon's appearance.

"Hikari-chan," he said. "It's that official who drove us home from Haneda. She's talking to Mochizuki-san."

"Maybe they know each other?" Hikari said. "Let's go say hi. I want to say thank you."

They approached the two women together. He subconsciously stayed in front of her, the way he did when there was an enemy at hand. He wondered why he felt so apprehensive.

"Hello!" He spoke so brightly that no one would have been able to tell that his guard was up. "Thank you for the other day."

The woman simply nodded. Beautiful though she was, there was very little color to her; her face was sallow and grave.

Takeru turned back to Meiko. "Is she your sister?"

"Oh! She's not," she answered.

"What is it?" Sora saw the two youngest chosen approaching the stranger and was understandably concerned.

Mimi gasped. "It's the woman from the other day!"

"Oh, Hime-chan, there you are!" It was Nishijima-sensei, waving wildly from the other end of the courtyard.

"Hime-chan?" Taichi was with him.

If the woman had looked uncomfortable from the growing attention before, now she looked irked.

"Is she your girlfriend? Are you guys on a date?" Mimi squealed.

Takeru's eyes darted instinctively to Hikari. Would that they were. A hard, burning sort of pressure bored into him from his left. Taichi was staring at him. He quickly dropped his gaze.

"Ex, actually." Nishijima-sensei appeared rather proud of this.

Unfortunately for him, he was the only one. His words sent the woman's open hand swinging, and the slap resounded across the courtyard.

"OUCH!"

"Ahh! Just missed it!"

"Go, Mimi! You can do it!"

Mimi grinned, rolling up her yukata sleeve and brandishing a metal shuriken. "I'll take another whack at it! That bracelet will be mine!"

It was green, iridescent, and the stuff of her dreams. It was nothing more than a piece of woven string, but there was something about the festive atmosphere that made it particularly appealing.

"It does seem like it was made for you," Sora laughed from the sidelines.

"Go, Mimi-san!" Hikari snapped photos of the cheering Digimon.

"Koushirou-san, want to give it a try?"

Koushirou had been watching with a bemused expression, cheeks pink, and was startled by the sudden voice at his side. "Takeru-kun! Uh…"

The younger boy winked and pointed at the bracelet. "It's your time to shine."

There was an empty target next to the one Mimi was using. Koushirou glanced around shiftily and whispered, "Takeru-kun, the thing is, I've never played this sort of festival game before."

He didn't seem concerned. "Really? Now's not a bad time to try."

Mimi was still struggling to hit the bullseye, and the look on her face pretty much said that she would stop at nothing to get the bracelet.

"Well, I suppose," Koushirou hedged.

Takeru brightened. "Everyone, Koushirou-san said he wants to try!"

"W-wait, Takeru-kun—"

"Ooo, really?"

"K-koushirou-han, you've grown up so much…."

"You got this, Koushirou." Taichi shot him a thumbs up.

Cornered. Even Mimi had paused from her relentless barrage to stare at him curiously. Takeru was all smiles, as if he hadn't just gotten him into this whole mess. Still, seeing all of the Digimon and Taichi cheer him on appeared to instill some sort of determination in him, and he grabbed a shuriken, eyes blazing.

"I-I'll do my best!"

Mimi, always up for friendly competition, turned back to her own target. "It's on!"

Koushirou wasn't too shabby, despite having close to no athletic skill or experience. It wasn't like the hectic flailing (that's what it seemed like to him) of a sport like soccer or basketball. It was methodical, and he could take his time with it, steadying his arm, torso, and most of all, his mind. It only took him two tries to hit the innermost ring as he readjusted based on his calculations.

"Koushirou-san, sugoi!" Hikari marveled, almost making Takeru wish he had been the one playing. She framed Koushirou and Mimi playing side by side.

Mimi was getting closer to hitting the bullseye as well, fueled by Palmon's eccentric cheering.

"Oh!" Koushirou's third shuriken cartwheeled neatly through the air and landed with a precise thunk in the center of the target.

"Nice job. Here you go." A staff member handed him the sparkling green bracelet.

"I GOT IT! I DID IT!"

And there was Mimi, waving another green bracelet around on her index finger triumphantly. "Okay, I admit Koushirou-kun was like a second faster… but only a second!"

"Oh…" Koushirou was crestfallen, staring at the bracelet in his hand. "I, uh… I don't have any use for this, so I was thinking of giving it to you because I knew you wanted it. But uh…"

"Huh?" Mimi gasped. "You were going to give that to me?"

"But it's alright! I mean, since you already got it, I will exchange it for something else." He turned back to the prize booth.

"Koushirou-han…" Tentomon murmured.

Hikari, Takeru, and Sora exchanged sad looks, while Taichi was, of course, oblivious.

"W-wait!" Mimi cried. She leaned over his shoulder. "Mister! Could you please exchange this for the purple one over there?"

"Huh?" Koushirou was stunned, watching as Mimi traded her own green bracelet for a purple one that was made of beads.

She fastened both the purple one and Koushirou's green one to her left wrist, where they intertwined and caught the light. "Now they go well together," she said with a wink. "Thanks, Koushirou-kun!"

Koushirou made a mental note to thank Takeru later.

They watched as Mimi excitedly explained something to the computer genius, who was getting redder by the second.

Takeru stood up. "Nii-san's still sitting in the dining area by himself, so I think I'll go make sure he isn't feeling too lonely."

"Come to think of it, I wonder where Meiko-san went?" Hikari wondered. "I remember she said she was going to get something to drink."

"Do you think she got lost?" Sora said.

"I'll see if I can find her somewhere," Takeru replied.

The rest of the chosen continued with their games. The Digimon were particularly fond of the yoyo-fishing area, and soon they were all bouncing the colorful balloons up and down. Even Tailmon, the grown up of the bunch, couldn't resist (cat instincts?), and had procured a particularly vivid pink one, which she stood shyly posing with as Hikari leaned down to take a picture.

"Huh?" She stopped abruptly, an icy sensation slipping down her shoulders. The viewfinder on her camera had gone black. Purple and red lines streaked across the screen.

"What is it, Hikari?" Tailmon could see the worry in her partner's eyes.

And then, suddenly, it was back to normal. The camera flashed and revealed a concerned looking Tailmon with a yoyo in one paw.

"It's nothing…" Hikari murmured. "I hope."

"You sure? You're missing out. Koushirou-san got a bullseye at the targets."

"Yeah, this isn't gonna write itself."

Takeru leaned over his brother's shoulder to get a glimpse of the spiral notebook in front of him. "What is it that you're wrestling with it now?"

Yamato snapped it shut. "Woah there, this is nowhere near presentable yet. I'm trying to write a new song to debut at the Christmas concert in December."

"That's six months from now."

"I know, but this is going to be a new single, so I want to give it some time to sink in." Pen in mouth, he sighed.

Takeru shrugged. "Hmm, okay. I'm going back to the others, then."

Yamato waved, eyes still on the empty page before him.

Takeru slid the door of the dining area closed, heralded by the beating of taiko drums. His thoughts were on a certain spiky-haired leader and how to circumvent him to get to his younger sister when there was a frigid jolt that shocked him out of his ruminating. He shivered, then stopped in his tracks, finding Meiko crouched on the ground with her arms around Meicoomon.

"Is everything okay?" He called.

Meicoomon had a divided look on her face that was hard to place. It was chaotic, her eyes darting here and there like she was hunting something and being hunted by something at the same time. Meiko patted her fur reassuringly, and she seemed to regress to her normal doe-eyed expression.

"Yes, it's fine," Meiko said a touch hastily. "This sort of place… it's very new for me and Meicoomon."

"Oh," Takeru said, rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry. We should have asked how you felt about coming here before deciding."

"No, no! Please don't apologize!" She cried. "Actually, I should be apologizing, making all of you get together like this…"

He gave her an easy smile. "It's alright. This is also for Taichi-san and my brother. You don't have to feel bad."

"Takaishi-san—"

"Takeru's fine."

"Takeru-san and Ishida-san are brothers?" She already knew this, but there wasn't much else to say.

"Didn't I mention that?" He was used to this line of questioning. "Our parents divorced when we were little, so we have different last names, though."

This was news to Meiko, who flashed back to Hikari's words from earlier. "But you're close. That's nice."

That's nice. It was two little words, but they seemed to carry a disproportionately large load of loneliness and longing. He was shocked by the depth of it; for a brief moment he was swept into a vast ocean of pent up negativity—frustration, disappointment, and resignation drifted like flotsam.

"Yeah, I guess so," he said.

Meiko was looking for a place to belong. Takeru could see that much, and it impressed upon him the importance of including her and Meicoomon in their circle. The importance of dispelling whatever ominous world he had become momentarily privy to. He had a sinking feeling that it could be infectious. And he immediately knew who would be the most susceptible.

Behind his eyes he saw his recurring nightmare, the fear that first gripped him at ten years old and still lingered: a girl standing before a bleak, gray ocean, somewhere far in a colorless world where his hands could not reach her.

Never again.

"Hey, let's go back to the others," he invited warmly. "I think Meicoomon would enjoy yoyo-fishing."

Splashing and steam. And quiet. The bath area was surprisingly empty. A few old men lounged in the sauna. A father had a wary eye on his two sons who were running around outside in the open-air bath area.

Takeru joined the father in the wide bath. From where he was, he could hear some sounds from the other side, where the women's bath area was. Just some calling, shampoo bottles clanking—nothing too revealing. Nonetheless, he tried not to listen too closely for fear of picking up Hikari's sweet voice. That would spark his imagination a bit more than necessary.

"Oh, hey, Takeru."

Given Takeru's current train of thought, he nearly had a heart attack. "Taichi-san."

It was quiet for a moment as Taichi joined him, and they sat together, motionless in the warm water. Takeru couldn't stop remembering the way Taichi had stared at him earlier in the garden.

"How are things lately? How's school?" Taichi asked suddenly. It was the usual Taichi, with his friendly, older-brother like demeanor.

"It's good. We're starting to get ready for the culture festival," Takeru said, relaxing a bit. He knew that Taichi knew about his late night phone calls with Hikari. He wondered if that was something he should mention, or apologize? for.

The awkward expression on Taichi's face told him he was wondering the same thing. "A lot's been going on lately, huh? It looks like we might be going down the same path that we did several years ago," he said finally, with a sigh.

Takeru was surprised at this. Taichi had been all but avoiding the topic with everyone else, so it was unexpected. "Taichi-san… what do you think is the best thing for us to do?"

For a moment, it looked like Taichi was just about shouldering the entire world. All of the chosen and their families. The Digimon. Their futures. He gazed into the water, a heaviness clouding his eyes. "I'm not sure, Takeru. Maybe we really can't protect everything. That's something that I think we might need to accept… maybe we're just running away from reality. I'm a chosen, but I'm also a son. I'm an older brother. I'm a student. It's not always clean cut."

Takeru wasn't sure how to respond. He knew Taichi was right. Already, there were things they had not been able to protect. Making a choice one way always meant forsaking the other.

"Maybe all that means is… that we all do have something to protect. We just need to understand what that is."

"You're right. I guess I'm just losing confidence... when I was younger, I thought I could do anything." Something loosened in Taichi's expression as he looked up. "Takeru. I'm counting on you."

7 years ago, he'd heard those same words as a little boy with a lot to prove. Now, Taichi seemed to face him at the same level, a request from one man to another. There were probably many things in common when it came to things they both wanted to protect, but one person in particular came to mind. The utter seriousness in the older chosen's face was telling enough. Silent permission. But to what, exactly? To continue talking to her on the phone? To continue pursuing her? In a way, the words seemed to gloss over all of that yet address it at the same time.

Takeru hesitated. He had been ready to laugh and feign innocence had Taichi begun questioning him about his intentions with his little sister, but now, he almost wanted to tell him about everything. About how he wanted to protect her, how he would leap worlds to find her, how he wanted to stay by her side. Even how he no longer wanted to share her.

"Taichi-san—"

Taichi raised a hand to stop him. "Let's not sweat the details now, okay? First, let's just figure out how to get through this."

"Yagami! I thought I told you to wait for me." Nishijima-sensei appeared out of the steam, followed by Koushirou.

"Sorry! You were taking so long..."

"Hikari-chan… you've grown up." Mimi commented slyly. She leaned on the edge of the tub, propped up on her elbows.

Hikari reddened considerably. "What are you talking about? I haven't… have I?" she paused and looked down.

"Are you worried?" Mimi giggled.

"N-no, of course not!"

"You really have grown, though," Sora chimed in, though in a considerably more motherly tone than Mimi.

"Mimi-san, Sora-san…" Hikari blushed further and sank down into the water, making the two older girls laugh. "... Come to think of it, Meiko-san is taking a while, isn't she?"

"Do you think she's lost?" Sora said, for the second time that day.

The door to the open-air bath area slid open abruptly with a bang. And there stood Meiko, still dressed in her yukata with her glasses askew. "Everyone! Mei-chan and Biyomon are…!"

The three girls rose immediately from the bath.

"Missing?" Sora asked, grabbing her towel. "Biyomon too?"

"I checked the rest of the women's dressing room, but couldn't find them!"

"Meiko-san, it'll be alright," Hikari said. She opened her locker door and began pulling on her yukata. "We'll help you look."

They scoured the dressing room and the communal areas outside the baths, but the two Digimon were nowhere to be found.

"Mei-chan…" Meiko was on the verge of tears.

"Meicoomon is with Biyomon, so don't worry," Sora said brightly.

"I thought they were going to put on a show or something! Who would've thought we'd see animal costumes at an onsen?"

They turned. Two young men were on their way out of the men's dressing room.

"Uh oh," Mimi mouthed.

"I'll go check it out." Gomamon had tagged along to help them search.

"Wait, not by yourself," Sora said.

They peered around to make sure no one was nearby, then crouched down by the men's entrance.

"What should we do?" Hikari asked.

"We have no choice but to barge in," Mimi whispered. "Leave it to me!"

Before they could say anything, Mimi rose and ran straight into the men's dressing room.

"W-wait…!" Meiko shrank back, but Sora grabbed her wrist.

"It's ok! We'll just grab them and run right out while Mimi-chan's distracting them," she said.

Hikari nodded in agreement, unfazed. "Let's go!"

"Even Hikari-san…?" Meiko hadn't expected the younger girl to be so bold.

"HI! I'M MIMI TACHIKAWA, AND I'M GOING TO SING!"

"Come on, now's our chance!"

The three of them ran inside.

In and out. It would be easy. They darted past Mimi's mini concert and slid open the door to the men's bath area. It didn't strike them as particularly embarrassing—after all, if the chosen boys saw them, all they would have to do was explain the situation. And maybe they had even already found Biyomon and Meicoomon wandering around the bath area. Hikari was oddly not all that squeamish about seeing half-naked men, having grown up with a laid back older brother (shirtless and munching on watermelon at home on summer afternoons). Just don't look around, she told herself.

Takeru was honestly the last thing on her mind as she followed Sora and Meiko into the steam. It only struck her that he might be there once she crossed over the threshold. And, remembering his scent, the way his arms had felt around her, the teasing words from Mimi—she suddenly felt mortified about the thought of him seeing her there. It would be okay, she reasoned. They would just collect the Digimon and get out of there before he could see her.

Is what she was thinking, until her foot accidentally caught on a wash basin some careless kids had left lying around the entrance.

A distinct scream made Takeru bolt up, and he quickly shut off the handheld shower, having just finished washing his hair. He knew that voice anywhere.

He didn't even begin to question what in the world she was doing in the men's bath area. All he knew was that she was in trouble, and that he needed to do something right away. He made sure that his towel was firmly knotted around his waist and jumped out of the shower area to see what was going on, just as she came sliding towards him. Surprised, he caught her neatly before she could go crashing into the far wall.

He registered vaguely that there was some commotion going on towards the center of the bath area, some other girls squealing and Taichi groaning in the distance. He was happily and willingly too occupied to care, though.

"Hey," he said lightly, as if they had just bumped into one another in the hallways at school instead of in the middle of the men's bath.

Sensory overload. Hikari couldn't understand what was happening. Takeru was so close. He had been close before, but never like this. His hands were firmly on her waist, and it was almost as if he was refusing to let go. She could smell the shampoo and soap he had just been using. She realized she had automatically used his bare shoulders to brace herself, and his skin was warm and still a bit damp under her hands.

She didn't think she had ever been more embarrassed in her life.

"Thanks," she mumbled, cheeks bright pink.

He grinned cheerfully. "You're welcome."

Silence. He really wasn't letting go. She could feel a bead of sweat roll down her neck, her breath quickening. He couldn't stop smiling. He had never seen her so flustered around him, and he was feeling just the slightest bit selfish.

"Uhm, Takeru-kun? You… you can let go now. I'm okay."

No. The answer was right on his lips. No, I don't think I'll let go. Maybe not for another couple of hours. Maybe not until I get home. Maybe not until I wake up tomorrow.

"Sorry, right." Take it slow, he warned himself.

And it was like he was being rewarded for his self-restraint. The wash basin, that cunning mastermind, did its second good deed of the day. In her haste to retreat from his grasp, she stumbled (her foot was still caught—thank you, wash basin) and would have fallen, but fortunately? Unfortunately? He was in the way.

"EVERYBODY GET OUT!" Thankfully, Taichi was too busy trying to get the other girls to leave to notice what transpired next.

"Sorry!" Hikari gasped. She was bright red, covering her mouth with both hands.

Takeru just stared at her, touching his left cheek where the soft feeling of her lips still lingered.

Laugh, Takeru. It's fine. Your heart isn't going twenty million miles a minute. Don't scare her away. The last thing he wanted was for her to feel awkward around him. He grinned again. "Come on, Hikari-chan, we're practically family. It was just an accident."

A happy accident.

He noticed a fuming Taichi sulk back into the sauna (where Yamato had been hiding ever since the beginning). Meiko and Sora had collected their partners and were on their way out.

"Besides that, this isn't any place for a lady," he said, grabbing her hand. There weren't many people in the bath area yet, so if they were going to leave, now was the chance. He wasn't about to let her stay in a place like that for any longer.

Wordlessly, she let him lead her out of the bath area. She waited patiently on one of the benches as he slipped on his yukata—her eyes were glued to the floor the whole time. She saw her brother shirtless all the time, but there was something unnerving about it being Takeru. All of this seemed to just reinforce what she had been feeling lately: he really was no longer the little boy she knew so well, who napped cuddled beside her and held her hand with all the innocence of a child.

She hesitated at the exit to the communal area.

"My sandals… someone must have taken them," she murmured, remembering they hadn't had the time to set them neatly to the side. It wasn't much further to the women's bath, so she considered just going barefoot until then, but he nodded and grabbed her around the waist.

"No problem."

"Wha- wait, Takeru-kun—"

Strong arms, much stronger than she had expected, swept her up easily, and her feet left the ground. She looped an arm around his neck instinctively, but again, couldn't seem to look him in the eye.

"Takeru-kun, I'm really fine…" she murmured.

"Let me be cool in front of you for once," he laughed.

It was something Taichi had done many times when she was younger. Cradling her, giving her piggyback rides whenever she scraped up her knees or felt faint and couldn't stand. The very feeling of being carried reminded her of him—it was an older brother thing. Maybe that was why she suddenly felt at ease in Takeru's arms. That's right, nothing's different.

It was just Takeru, after all.

She giggled. "Takeru-kun, you're pretty strong."

"You're just light, Hikari-chan." He smiled down at her, and thought, I love you.

They were too caught up in their own little world to notice the gaping trio of girls watching them from the footbaths.

"No way… is that… Takaishi-senpai? Who's that girl?"

"It's Yagami-san."

"You're kidding. No freaking way."

"Quick, someone take a picture!"

Digiegg 9: Headcanon, Valentine's Day/White Day

In Japan, the tradition is for girls to give chocolates to guys. Guys usually return the favor on White Day, or 3/14.

Hikari is the type to give chocolate to all of her guy friends and relatives. Takeru always makes sure he gives chocolate back to every girl who gave him some (a lot).

Takeru always saves giving chocolate to Hikari for last. He gives it to her casually when they walk home, and there's always a single flower tied to it. Hers is the only one with a flower every year.