a/n: I had a bit of an emotional moment last week reading the reviews that came in after I posted chapter 12. Thank you for putting up with my slow ass updating, and thank you for dropping little bits of kindness wherever you go.

I'm glad that this itch-I-couldn't-scratch turned mini project is bringing you even the slightest bit of joy during these trying times. I'm also happy to find so many other fellow Takari shippers heheheh (pls be my friends). Y'all are awesome people. Stay safe. Xx.

"This was exactly why we decided not to bring you guys here. Of all the ways to stay inconspicuous…" Yamato groaned.

"Sorry… but we wanted to see you," Gabumon said.

Takeru grinned, carrying a very pleased looking Patamon in his arms. "It's fine, nii-san. What's done is done, right? Besides, people just think they're kids in costumes now."

"I guess so," Sora sighed. They watched as Meicoomon bashfully held up her newly won medal to show the other Digimon, who crowded around her. "We'll just have to be careful."

"Hmph." Yamato fell silent. Probably still bitter that Gabumon hadn't won the costume contest.

Picking up on this, Meiko smiled apologetically. "Yamato-san is right. It might have been okay this time, but it could have been a lot of trouble. We need to be more careful," she said. "Okay, Mei-chan?"

"Yeah, I'll be careful!" The feline Digimon answered.

Hikari spoke up from where she had been kneeling beside the Digimon. "To be honest, I feel better that they're with us." She gazed at them, her eyes seeing something in the distance. "We don't know what might happen."

"Hikari-chan, you have it easy. Tailmon can just pretend to be a cat, but what am I supposed to say about Patamon?"

Takeru caught her eye, penetrating the heaviness, and she let herself relax into his levity with a small smile. He offered her his free hand as she made to stand back up.

Yamato leaned down and studied the orange Digimon in his brother's arms. "Hm… a piglet?"

Patamon blanched. "Pig…"

"Ahh!" Sora said in recognition.

"I can see it too," Tailmon piped up in agreement, winking at Hikari, who giggled.

"Or a hamster?" Meiko put in shyly.

"Meiko's so kind," Biyomon commented.

Yamato scoffed. "Never seen a hamster this size before."

"That's true," Takeru laughed again.

Poor Patamon pouted sullenly in Takeru's arms at their teasing. "Geez, even Takeru… why am I the pig? Agumon's the one who eats everything!"

"Hehe, true, he'll eat even more than oniichan sometimes… Ah!" Hikari started suddenly. She glanced down at her phone. "Speaking of which, oniichan's match starts soon. We better get going."

"Hikari-chan, you're going to go watch the soccer game?" Sora asked.

She nodded. "Since I couldn't make the last one. And—" she turned to the other orange Digimon in the vicinity, who was busy scarfing down some takoyaki she had bought him earlier (because he wouldn't stop asking whether or not he could eat the medal around Meicoomon's neck) "—I promised to take care of Agumon anyway."

"You going too, Takeru?" Yamato said. It was more of a statement than a question. Everyone knew the answer.

"Yep." The most natural thing would have been to ask if anyone else wanted to come, but Takeru didn't, for obvious reasons. He wasn't about to give up on the idea of a date.

Hikari did instead. "Does anyone else want to come?"

Nope, Takeru thought.

"I've got to get back to my class. Maybe next time," Sora said somewhat wistfully. She hadn't been around a soccer ball for a while now.

Yamato shouldered his bag, clearly more than willing to leave the two youngest (+3 Digimon) to spend quality time together and less than willing to see Taichi any more than necessary. "Yeah, same here."

Meiko jumped up at this. "Oh no, I've got to get back too! Come on, Mei-chan!" Imagining Mimi's impatient face was enough to send her scurrying back to her post at the cafe, though she didn't forget to bow to them as she left.

"Is Gomamon still with Jou-san?" Takeru wondered.

"I think they're still talking," Tailmon answered. "He hasn't come back yet."

Sora gave the school roof a worried glance. "Think they're okay?"

Hikari smiled. "They're together now. It'll be okay. Right?"

They noticed how she naturally turned to Takeru, who stood beside her, for confirmation.

"Yep," he answered, steady and placid as calm water.

"Yagami, your sister's coming to the game today, right?"

Taichi wasn't listening. It was way too hot. Was it the weather? There was an unpleasant nagging sort of feeling in the back of his head. His sister had been rather excited that morning on her way out, and he had mixed feelings when he learned who she was meeting up with.

No. Takeru was trustworthy. He knew that much. Just the heat, he told himself, dousing his hair with a few squirts from his water bottle and toeing a nearby soccer ball. Forget that. Focus on the game.

"I saw her earlier at the festival."

"Seriously? Wait, my heart's not ready."

He sighed, letting the ball he had been juggling drop to the ground as he finally turned his attention to his eager teammates. "Uhh… yeah, but I gotta warn you. She's coming with her... boyfriend today."

The word gave him pause. A hollow feeling thumped into his chest, but he ignored it. He would deal with it if it actually happened, but let the lie permeate. Better Takeru than anyone else, especially one of his teammates.

Boys are wolves, he reasoned.

"She has a boyfriend?" One of his teammates gaped.

"Nooo my heart…"

He nodded, feeling just a tad bit guilty about the lie. Still, there was probably no better way to get them to shut up.

"What kind of punk is he?" Another teammate cut in, lacing up his cleats.

"How should I say this…" Taichi muttered.

"He was terrifying. You guys had all better give up." One of the boys who had been sitting idly on the sideline benches spoke up. He rotated his wrist gingerly. His forearm was mildly red, as if someone had wrung it with quite a bit of force.

"What, do you know him, Koki?" someone asked in surprise. Koki had been one of Hikari's most ardent admirers, so to hear him of all people throw in the towel was unexpected.

Oops, Taichi thought, hoping his lie wouldn't get exposed.

Koki frowned. "No, but I had a run in with him earlier while I was doing my shift as Tsukki the mascot. Yagami's sister was in line at one of the booths, and when I went to say hi, he… well, let's just say I'm glad I don't really need my arms to play soccer."

"Ouch, that looks like it'll bruise pretty bad," one of the guys near him said.

"Right? Punk looks like a little goody-two-shoes prince charming, blonde hair and all, but don't let that fool you," Koki snorted. "He's probably a delinquent behind that perfect face."

"You probably didn't just 'say hi,' did you?" Another teammate threw in dryly.

"Hey, a hug's like a greeting in some countries, you know? Like the US."

"This is Japan, dumbass."

"Yeah, that was definitely your fault."

Taichi gave a discreet sigh of relief as his teammates bickered behind him. Crisis averted. The grass rustled beneath his feet as he moved further out on the field, taking the soccer ball and his solitary thoughts with him. He couldn't help but be impressed. To think that sweet, polite Takeru had that aggressively confronted a high schooler (albeit, one dressed in the school mascot costume). Then again, he did seem to be the most in-control and self-assured out of all of them, in pretty much any situation. Nothing could throw him. That easy, unaffected cool when interacting with the opposite gender. That absolute confidence that lay just beneath a well-positioned smile. Where had all of that come from?

Takeru had lost a lot. Actual loss, and at a really young age. No one else in their group had seen their partner Digimon die. The little boy with the green hat had. He had also seen his dad walk out of his life, taking his older brother with him, his family dissolving right before his eyes. Takeru knew what was at stake because he'd lost things in the past. And now he was geared and ready to do everything necessary to keep that from happening again. His young experiences had ingrained it into him as a coping mechanism of sorts.

That's the difference, Taichi thought. Takeru moved with the determined, decisive strokes of a man with a mission because he had a mission—one mission, to be exact. Protect what's important. Don't lose it. No questions asked.

Not me. I've never lost anything before. I've come close, but never completely. Taichi looked up at the sky, wiped the trailing sweat off his brow. That's why I don't know what to do. No—that's why I can't decide what to do.

Yamato was the same way. Ready for action, ready to fight and defend. Frustrated, angry at Taichi's indecisiveness. Right. He'd lost his family, too. Had to figure out how to pick up what remained and make heads or tails of it. Takeru had been younger, but Yamato had been young as well.

He came to a stand still, breathing heavily and offhandedly wondering why this was all finally coming to him now. The coach blew his whistle. He had gotten pretty far down the field. He raised his hand in response and made his way back to the benches, feeling some of the weight come off his shoulders.

The match was just starting when Hikari and Takeru got to there. They stayed away from the bleachers where the sun was scorching in favor of the trees bordering the edge of the field. Hikari helped Agumon up on the railing in front of them so he could see clearly.

"Taichi!" Agumon called.

"I see him!" Patamon chirped.

Said soccer star glanced up, and though he would never have admitted it, seeing the cheering group—especially his sister and partner Digimon—seemed to ignite a fresh flame in his eyes.

"Oniichan! You can do it!" Hikari called, and Takeru secretly wondered whether she had been cheering that loudly for him during his 3-on-3.

These seemingly stupid, tiny inklings of jealousy didn't bother Takeru in the slightest. No use trying to deny them. He welcomed them with open arms, letting them fuel his determination. The opposing team, who had suddenly gone from loafing around on the field to vigorously doing stretches (they'd seen the pretty girl on the sidelines), might have been Taichi's opponents for the soccer match, but they weren't the only ones. There was another contender, maybe the greatest he would ever meet, waiting by the side of the field.

Of course, these thoughts were safely tucked away where no one else could see them. He was busy hoisting Patamon onto his usual spot atop his head when he felt icy stares from the home side of the field. It was at least eighty degrees out, but he suddenly felt cold.

"Uh, Hikari-chan. Is it just me, or are Taichi-san's teammates glaring at me?"

She let out a little sigh, realizing their misunderstanding. "Sorry about that… don't mind them."

"Hikari has some admirers, it seems," Tailmon observed.

"Hmm."

If they were glaring because they thought he was her boyfriend, it was a happy misunderstanding. He wasn't about to do anything to correct them. The fact that several of them still had the audacity to glare at him, probably almost forgetting that they were about to play a game, meant that they hadn't quite given up on her yet. He couldn't stop her from being popular, but he certainly could stop those damn wolves from coming on to her. He grinned to himself. Break them, break their spirits.

"Hikari-chan," he prompted, and she turned towards him.

She was perched on the rail, letting her sandaled feet dangle as he leaned up against the rail beside her. Positioned like that, their faces were almost level, and his breath caught for a moment at the rarity of seeing her face from eye-level. Even in this heat and despite all of the running they had done to make it in time for the game, she was as unrumpled and cool as silk. He stole a glance down at her lips—smooth, petal pink. It was quick, his eyes shifting down and back up again in an instant, but she noticed. Her shoulders tensed. She didn't move.

"Takeru-kun?" Apprehension.

He shook himself back to earth, then smiled to gloss things over. He reached up slowly, like he was breaching some sort of sacred barrier, and made contact. His fingers ran through the loosened strands of hair by her face, tucked them behind her ear. They traced the outline of her ear to her earlobe, then down her cheek.

"Your hair was a bit disheveled," he lied. "Must have been because we were running."

His was a lover's touch, though she didn't understand it at that moment. An electrifying suspicion that she couldn't quite put her finger on. His fingers were too tender, too charged with passion, to be chaste.

It left her bewildered and blinking. She was used to his touch, but why it felt so different from usual was beyond her capacity to process. She looked away, abashed. "Thanks. You could have just told me…"

He wouldn't let her escape. "I know that. But I didn't feel like it."

"I see." She turned pink and fell silent, leaving Takeru positively elated and Patamon and Tailmon whispering furtively to themselves in the background.

Taichi's glaring teammates had deflated somewhat. From their vantage point, it looked like Takeru had caressed Hikari's cheek and murmured something romantic that made her blush like a maiden. They moped and cursed the prince charming with his perfect, blinding smile.

"Come on, guys," a hard voice said suddenly.

They all turned. Taichi stood in front of them, eyes blazing. Obviously, the poor older brother had also seen Takeru's rather bold display of affection. Some raging monster within him was beating inside his chest, making his lungs ache. Like hell he'd lose.

"We're gonna win this game no matter what."

"Taichi-san's really into it!"

"Yeah." Hikari beamed as her brother soared down the field. The intensity of the midafternoon sun was no match for the heat in his eyes.

He looked carefree out there. Fresh, strong, maybe a bit young, too. A young child playing with that deep, driven focus and strength of mind that seems to always get lost somewhere along the road to adulthood. No shadows to dampen whatever liveliness was usually in that expressive face.

It was easy because there was only one objective out there. Get the ball in the goal.

They watched as Taichi did just so, ball bouncing cleanly off his cleats and swooping into a transfixing curve. Easy. He struck a triumphant pose as his teammates piled around him.

"Go, Taichi!" Agumon cheered.

Patamon peeked down at Tailmon from his position on Takeru's head. She had her tail looped lazily around the railing, eyes half-open in the drowsy heat.

"Hey Tailmon, was that how intense Takeru was during basketball practice?"

Hikari, who had been happily watching her brother gleam like the sun down on the field, started suddenly. She gave Tailmon a panicked look that did not go unnoticed by Takeru.

"Hmm? How do you know about that, Patamon?" He asked good-naturedly. "You were with all the other Digimon at Koushirou-san's place."

"Oh! I heard from Tailmon. She said Hikari told her all about it! And that Takeru was really cool," Patamon responded brightly, unknowingly giving him the answer to Hikari's flustered reaction.

"T-tailmon…" Hikari mumbled.

There was a faint smile on her face, as if she didn't know what the appropriate response to this revelation would be. Was this even something to be embarrassed about? They were really close friends, after all. Practically family. She gushed about her brother all the time, so how was this any different?

Still, there must have been something different swimming beneath the surface for her to act like that. Like it was some sort of secret. A teenage girl trying and failing to hide a crush.

Takeru blinked for a second, dumbfounded. Never once had he considered that the mature, composed girl who always seemed to be one step ahead of him might give him a second thought, let alone talk about him in private. He peered at her, suddenly self-conscious—not at all the charming and confident persona he had expected to project when she finally started reciprocating interest. She returned him an equally hesitant, puzzled sort of smile before quickly dropping it and pulling out her camera. Retreat, retreat.

"...I'm going to go see if I can get closer," she managed to get out. "Oniichan's playing really well today."

"Ooh, I want to go too!" Agumon said.

She headed down to the field with Agumon in tow, and the breathless moment floated away with her.

Takeru sighed, all of the unanswered questions melting regretfully on the tip of his tongue like the last few drops of ice cream. Hikari was in the bleachers with her camera (and her heart) pointed at her beloved brother. She leaned down and whispered something to Agumon while gesturing towards the players, and he clapped his claws together excitedly.

"Guess I've still got a long way to go…"

"Hm. You'd be surprised." Tailmon stretched in a leisurely manner. She didn't bother going down to where Hikari was. She'd be back again soon enough. "You've never seen her face when she talks about you."

"That's what Tailmon always says," Patamon announced.

Takeru couldn't hide his curiosity. "Does she talk about me often?"

Tailmon smirked, ears twitching. "Define often."

"As much as Takeru talks about Hikari?" Patamon offered cheerily, just before a mortified Takeru smothered his words in a hug.

"It's okay," Tailmon yawned, unimpressed. "I already know how much you talk about her."

Patamon gave a little wriggle and popped out of Takeru's embrace. "Hehe. Sorry, Takeru!"

"Patamon… don't tell me you're telling all of the other Digimon about what I…" Takeru groaned.

A chill ran down his spine as he pictured a devilishly smug Yamato: "What do you mean my newest song sounds awfully familiar? I certainly didn't borrow a certain lovestruck boy's words… I mean, it's not like you're pining over a girl to your partner Digimon—oh, wait…"

Gabumon would tell him everything, no doubt.

"Only Tailmon!" Patamon insisted. "She said it's important, so…"

"Important, huh?" A relieved Takeru raised an eyebrow at Tailmon, who looked away, nose in the air to hide her smile.

"If it's for Hikari's happiness, of course it's important."

Before he could answer, Hikari returned from her photography mission with Agumon, the usual serenity on her face. Apparently, she had gotten past their awkward moment from earlier.

"Did you get any good ones?" he asked nonchalantly.

He could have pushed the topic, bringing back all of those unanswered questions she had so eagerly scattered to the four winds, but he let it drop like a gentleman. She had already given him his fair share of happiness for the day, and he was feeling quite satisfied overall. He didn't want to be too greedy.

Feeling comfortable again, she relaxed and leaned over to show him some of the shots. He listened and nodded and laughed as she pointed things out on the frame, happy to just be beside her. They watched the rest of the game contentedly.

Taichi was the one to make the winning goal, sliding one in to upset the tied score just as the whistle blew and a gentle breeze swept the field. The clouds were moving in.

"Yay, Taichi!" Agumon cried for perhaps the fifthtieth time.

"Taichi-san, sugoi!" Takeru said, turning to catch his sister's reaction.

She wasn't there.

"Hikari-chan?"

A dark chill ran down his shoulders. His mouth was dry. There was no way she would willingly miss her brother's heroic feats. Especially not when the game was so close. Where had she gone?

"Hikari?" Tailmon had also noticed her absence.

"Hm? If you're looking for Hikari-chan, she went that way," Agumon said, pointing with a claw. "I think she saw a friend."

Immediately the lightness of the afternoon returned, and Takeru felt his hands unclench. Still worried, but not terrified. "Oh, okay. I'm going to go see where she went."

"Okay! I'm gonna go down to Taichi!"

"Just be careful not to draw too much attention."

Takeru ran out towards the front of the school with Patamon and Tailmon in tow.

Hikari wasn't sure what had prompted her to abandon the final exciting minutes of her brother's soccer game in favor of chasing the oldest chosen. Just for a moment, she had felt a distinct heaviness, and when she drew her eyes to the source, she happened to catch a glimpse of Jou leaving the school through the chain-link fence. Almost instinctively, she followed.

She wasn't sure why. It might have been how his shoulders were hunched up, his head down like he wanted to shut everything out. That, and the fact that his partner Digimon was nowhere to be seen. It wouldn't be long before those cracks that had been forming in their perfect childhood turned into breaking points that would cleave all of them apart.

"Jou-senpai! Where's Gomamon?"

"I'm going home. I have to study." His voice caught, full of anger.

Hikari paused at this. While they had never been particularly close, he had always been quite gentle with her, seeing as she was the youngest and he was the oldest. He was shaken—probably shaken enough to not fully register who had called out to him. But she wasn't scared. His anger wasn't directed at her. It wasn't directed at Gomamon, either, although clearly their conversation hadn't gone very well.

She thought he might just leave, but he spoke again.

"Why is it me? Why? Someone give me a reason that makes sense!"

Clouds swept in, shading the sun briefly as he stalked away. She watched him go.

"Hikari-chan!"

"Takeru-kun."

"What's wrong?"

She gazed out at the front of the school, eyes solemn. "Jou-san. He left." She turned towards them. "What about the game? And Agumon?"

"It's over," Takeru answered. "Agumon wanted to stay with Taichi-san."

"Taichi won!" Patamon said, flying over and landing in Hikari's arms.

She smiled down at him. "Is that so? I'm sorry I missed it."

"Hikari…" Tailmon murmured from beside her.

"Sorry for running off all of a sudden," she said, looking first at her partner Digimon and then up at Takeru.

He shook his head. As long as you're okay. "Was Jou-san okay?"

She was quiet. "...He was looking for an answer."

"An answer?"

"You know, Takeru-kun… maybe we all think we do what we have to do because we're the chosen. Because it's our duty. And maybe we're not wrong. But…" Hikari gave Tailmon a tiny, grateful smile. "I don't think there was ever a moment where we were forced to do something. It was always our choice."

To run. To fight. To be with our Digimon. To fight alongside them.

"Ours too," Tailmon added suddenly. "Fighting to protect this world and the Digital World. It was a choice we made together, Hikari."

"Me too! I wanna do what Takeru does!" Patamon said adamantly. He lifted up into the air again.

Together. "You're right," Hikari agreed softly.

"We're partners after all," Takeru said. He reached up and caught Patamon, letting him settle down on his head. Now he understood what had bothered Hikari. "Was Gomamon not with Jou-san?"

"No," she answered, and they both shared a knowing look.

"I see."

"...I think Jou-san feels something similar to oniichan," Hikari said, remembering how confident and sure-footed her brother had been only moments earlier on the soccer field, where there was only one goal. One right answer. "I thought it might be good to hear Jou-san out. I brought it up to oniichan a while back, but he told me that if he talked to Jou-san, he would have to face the one thing he didn't want to."

"By he, do you mean Jou-san or Taichi-san?"

She thought for a moment. "Probably both."

He sighed and let the usual lightheartedness come back to his features. "Well, it might be good to give Jou-san more time to think about it. In the meantime, we can go make sure Gomamon's okay."

Everything he said was not only perfectly in-tune with her thoughts, but also seemed to answer all of her doubts and filled in those slowly growing cracks with hope. She nodded. Takeru being there, with her, and with the rest of the chosen, was so, so important.

But as they turned to go back to the main building, they were interrupted by a flurry of pink that rushed toward them in the air.

"Hikari! Takeru!"

Tailmon's ears twitched. "Biyomon."

The bird-like Digimon stopped before them, hovering frantically on beating wings. "You guys need to come quick. There's a distortion!"

Nothing seemed to make sense. It was like some strange nightmare sequence unfolding. The crackling red streaks of distortion and blackness that contrasted heavily with the normally peaceful schoolyard. Panic and confusion from everyone around them. And a deep, pulsating anger. Anger that seemed ready to come exploding out.

Hikari couldn't tell where it was coming from.

"Ichijouji-kun? Again?" Takeru was saying.

But it couldn't be. Dressed in his full regalia, hair a chaotic mess over a nasty smirk, clutching a whimpering Meicoomon with cruel forcefulness. Sweet, gentle Ken-kun. If that truly was him inside that distortion, something absolutely ghastly must have happened.

Hikari pressed her hands to her lips to keep them from shaking, and the boy beside her glanced at her in concern. He gripped her shoulders as if she would vanish. They trembled together for a moment as they tried to ground themselves.

The moment passed. Whether or not that was really Ken, there was something that they had to do, as the chosen. Confront the present evil. Save Meicoomon. They focused on that.

Palmon, Gomamon, and Leomon had made it inside the distortion, fighting but unable to overcome Imperialdramon. Gomamon was tiny and alone in the chaos, but his expression was resolute. The aftermath of his conversation with Jou.

Suddenly, Hikari knew why Gomamon had run away, and also why Jou had balked and reacted in anger moments earlier. Gomamon had made his choice, whereas Jou hadn't been able to. The hesitation. The fear. Hikari understood it, too. It was the same fear that Taichi had shown when he saw her at Haneda airport.

To not know for sure whether or not you were doing the right thing was scary. The more responsible you were, the scarier it had to be. Jumping without knowing what's there. Or knowing what you're potentially leaving behind. How can you possibly say that one thing is more important than the other?

The remaining Digimon tried to join the three fighting in the distortion but were repelled instantly.

"Something may be stopping things from penetrating the distortion from the outside," Koushirou said.

"The distortion!"

They watched in dismay as their only window into the quickly unfolding situation vanished.

Mimi, unable to see her partner, cried out. "Koushirou-kun, what's happening?"

He typed furiously away at his laptop. "Wait, I'm trying to get a visual on what's happening inside."

The chosen and remaining Digimon all crowded around him. The fight was boxed in by the tiny screen, and they watched it like the audience of a movie, helpless to do anything about what was going on inside.

"Leomon," Hikari whispered. That same frigidity she had felt for an instant at Oedo onsen returned.

Cold anger.

The lion-like Digimon was keeled over, red and purple streaks enveloping him. His normally warm, noble eyes had given away to the whiteness of insanity.

"Again!" Mimi said.

"Again?" Yamato scowled.

"The same thing happened just now, before everyone came!"

It was almost too much to watch. The Digimon who had come to their aid countless times over the years writhed senselessly on the ground. Hikari turned to her brother. Taichi's knuckles were clenched, the color draining out of them.

"Could it be… Leomon is infected?" Koushirou said.

The fight, already one-sided as it was, devolved into mere destruction as Leomon was rendered incapable of attacking. Having always been a strong ally, Imperialdramon was a ruthless enemy, throwing both Palmon and Gomamon this way and that. Even as Palmon evolved to Togemon, the adult Digimon was no match. Poor Gomamon was even more defenseless.

"Togemon can't do it alone," Sora said desperately.

"Damn! Can't we get in there somehow?" Gabumon said.

The Digimon were beings primed to fight and protect. It was a part of who they were, and now it was unbearable watching their friends struggle on their own.

"Is there no way to go through this computer?" Biyomon asked.

Tentomon hovered in the air. "What about it, Koushirou-han?"

Koushirou's eyes moved rapidly as they scanned the computer screen this way and that, clicking and typing through their options. "I can't seem to get through..."

Gomamon was propelled up into the air, smashing into the ceiling of the distorted space. Even as the unfazed Imperialdramon loomed before him, he shakily propped himself up on his front legs.

"It's too much for Gomamon," Yamato muttered.

Of course it was. It wasn't a load for one to bear. It had to be the two of them. The Digimon and their partners. That's what would help them— had always helped them—pull through.

Takeru seemed to see the same thing. "Gomamon has to evolve somehow."

Hikari straightened, her mind and body moving as one with startling clarity. She was the only one who knew where Jou went. If her brother wasn't going to call Jou back and make him face what he didn't want to face, she would.

"Hikari-chan?" Takeru said.

She turned and ran.

Don't you see? This isn't just about us, the chosen. It's not about you, Jou-san. That's why we have partners. We don't know if what we're doing is right or wrong, and the weight of that decision can be crushing, but that's why we should shoulder it together.

Her sandals slapped the pavement as she ran. It hadn't been too long since Jou left. He couldn't have gotten far; even if he had come on his bike, she could still catch up. Her own bike was chained at the front of the school. She didn't know what she would say, nor did she know the words that would change Jou's mind—she wasn't persuasive like Takeru. She didn't have the charisma of her brother, nor the level-headedness of Koushirou. She wasn't as passionate as Mimi. As kind as Sora. As determined as Yamato. She could only speak the truth.

She caught him at the bike racks, cursing and fiddling with the slipped chain on his bike. Her eyes softened. Deep down inside, there was probably a part of him that didn't want to leave. He was waiting, searching for something that would tell him it was okay to stay.

"Jou-senpai."

Something about her tone, grave but wholeheartedly understanding, made him stand and turn to her. She wasn't there to blame him.

"Gomamon is fighting."

He froze. The loosened chain dropped from his hand, forgotten.

"Jou-senpai, you said you wanted a reason, right? A reason for what? For fighting? Or a reason why we're the chosen?"

I understand. Sometimes it can be scary to make decisions, sometimes you just want to run away. You want someone else to take on the burden of making a decision for you so that you don't have to deal with the torn, confusing feelings, the doubt, the guilt, the mistakes.

Me too, she shouted in her heart. That's why I've always hid behind oniichan. That's why I could never do anything without oniichan.

But are you really going to leave Gomamon to do that alone?

He was listening to her now.

"Jou-senpai, you're forgetting something important. You and Gomamon were chosen as partners. Do you really need a reason for that?"

There were so many reasons in the world. So many ways to see things, to think about things, to evaluate things. Different perspectives. True good and true evil did exist, but sometimes the choices that life laid before them were somewhere in between, a sea of gray with waves that could take you this way or that. Could they really blame him if he decided not to fight? If he chose to focus on his future by studying—which of course, was indisputably important. Of course not. And Gomamon probably wouldn't either.

If that was Jou's choice, then Hikari was sure that Gomamon would have agreed to stay with him. But Jou hadn't made any choice.

Something cracked within him and cleared, his gray eyes watering up as if finally seeing something he had been trying to ignore all this time.

"It's not about whether we're kids or adults. You're partners."

"Gomamon…" he breathed.

He dashed, seeing nothing along the way, until he got to the clearing.

"Gomamon!"

"Jou!" Gomamon sensed him before everyone else. He was a quavering mess of cuts and bruises, but he finally smiled.

The chosen all reacted with varying levels of shock, unable to process how the oldest chosen had finally decided to join them. Only Takeru noticed Hikari run up behind their older brothers, breathing a little hard. She glowed like light itself, smiling slightly as she peeked out from behind Taichi's shoulder.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Jou sniffed.

"I would always wait for you, Jou!"

Slowly but surely, the cracks between them were healing.

They watched, transfixed, as Gomamon emerged from the silver light as a huge horned Digimon with spiked shoulder pads, his wounds gone and his strength restored.

"I've never seen that evolution before…" said Koushirou.

Jou was the only one who didn't look surprised.

"Jou-senpai," Mimi spoke, remembering their conversation from before.

He grinned sheepishly at her. "I didn't need a reason. But I kept Gomamon waiting and kept putting it off."

She smirked. "Selfish, I guess?"

None of that had really mattered. He was a coward and a worrywart, but that was okay. Gomamon had waited. And so had the other chosen, who surrounded him and filled him with courage. "I think you're fine that way too, Mimi-kun," he said.

It was rare for Mimi to go speechless, but she did as she thought of the tumultuous past few days. Her mistake with the news helicopter. Koushirou's worried anger, followed by his apologetic text. Meiko, who had spent days shopping and putting together their costumes for the festival. And Palmon, who had always been by her side through the years, no matter how bratty or tiresome she was.

The usual Mimi might have cried from all of the overwhelming emotions and gratitude, but they all deserved more than just her tears. She took in the trembling Meicoomon and Meiko's ashen face and made her choice.

"Let's do this, Togemon!"

Rosemon and Vikemon rose up out of the chaos like saviors, and the power that tremored between them was almost tangible. It seemed to revive Leomon, who came back to his senses and helped change the tide of the battle. They cornered the previously unconquerable Imperialdramon quickly, launching a deadly barrage of attacks. Even though it was three against one there was a strange lack of resistance. Imperialdramon no longer seemed to be able to put up much of a fight, having lost his evolutionary advantage, and rapidly disintegrated into spores of data that vanished into the vacuum of black.

And at this, the Digimon Emperor, whoever he was, abruptly dropped Meicoomon.

"Ichijouji! Is that really you?" Takeru called. A ghost of pain in his right hand reminded him of the fist fight he'd had with Ken several years ago. They'd never really mentioned it once they brought Ken back from the dark, but Takeru liked to think that moment had eventually helped bring the two of them closer.

But the unknown man just smiled darkly like he was enjoying some game only he was aware of. To answer all of their questions now would be no fun. He turned with a swirl of his cape and faded into darkness.

"What was that about?" Yamato said.

"Ichijouji-kun…"

Why had he just given up all of a sudden? And why Meicoomon?

Taichi stared at Meiko, whose long black hair pooled over her shoulders and seemed to keep everything about her partially hidden from view. She looked relieved.

Leomon had scooped up the shivering Meicoomon and the two baby Digimon, and now he brought them gently out of the distortion. Hikari watched, still unable to brush off the feeling of deep-seated anger that had been there since the very beginning.

"What was Ichijouji doing?" Takeru wondered.

"And Imperialdramon..." Hikari added slowly.

They glanced at each other. If that had truly been Imperialdramon, they wouldn't be able to disregard Daisuke's potential involvement. If Daisuke wasn't there with Ken, if he wasn't aligned to him in determination and soul, Imperialdramon could not exist.

They were about to come to the conclusion that it was impossible—that the Digimon Emperor who had time-slipped into their current lives like an unwelcome memory could not have been Ken—when suddenly the air became ice and their minds became devoid of everything but cold. And a large ripping noise, like something huge and terrible cleaving in two. Hikari tensed, a sickness creeping up her throat, her eyes glued on Meicoomon, who was no longer the Meicoomon they knew.

The terror she had seen like a fog in the distance was here.

She was feral, wearing the same streaks of red and purple as all of the infected Digimon they had seen, but there was startling lucidity in those glinting eyes. It wasn't senselessness. It was anger. Pure fear and anger, finally brimming over. It hadn't come from Imperialdramon or the Digimon Emperor, Hikari realized. It was Meicoomon all along. The force of her anger was more powerful than either of them.

Leomon was on the ground, data leaking endlessly from a large gash on his chest as Meicoomon loomed over him.

"What's happening?" Sora cried.

None of them had actually seen it happen. It seemed so silly, so improbable, to think that the childish Digimon who cried whenever she lost sight of her partner could have attacked their friend. She rushed forward, heedless of the danger and only aware of their friend in need, but Yamato grabbed her arm, pulling her back.

To the very end, Leomon had nothing but warmth and concern for the seething anger before him. "What is it? You're okay now," he groaned.

Time seemed to slow. Why do good people die? Like he was moving through molasses, Takeru reached for Hikari, as if sensing what was about to happen.

Why does this have to happen? Who's to blame here? Who's the evil one?

Meicoomon snarled, giant claws extending outwards and speaking volumes about her intent. The anger seemed to spiral upwards and out of control, binding them all and rendering them incapable of movement. They couldn't stop it—fury that crashed down like a wave and swept down onto the shore.

Hikari screamed.

In a grisly slash of crimson, Leomon was torn. And then he was gone.

Meicoomon slipped backwards into the distortion, the wave pulling water and sand and everything else that was there to take back out to sea. Her eyes filled with loathing as she went.

Even as the distortion faded out with a crackle, the anger lingered like freezing water that crushed them and kept them rooted to the ground, pushing the air from their lungs. No one understood what had happened but Meiko. And no one moved until Meiko did. She broke through like a diver coming up for air and ran raggedly forward, tears streaming.

"Mei-chan! Mei-chan!"

She collapsed and lay limp as a doll.

It seemed to break the spell. The sun returned. There was nothing left in the courtyard but the fluttering of bright grass. Not a sign of the carnage that had just occurred, as if the distortion had just cleaned it all up and taken it away.

Mimi and Sora ran to her right away. Taichi followed, and, having no words, silently offered a hand to help her up. Meiko wept inconsolably, blind to everything.

"Leomon…"

Hikari felt her knees give out.

"Hikari-chan." Warm hands came around her shoulders.

She looked up, half expecting to see her brother with his untidy brown locks, but she didn't. She saw sea green eyes that had always been fixed on her for so many years. He held her steadfast with a dogged sort of possessiveness, like she was water that would flow right through his fingers if he didn't.

So she would. He was constantly afraid of it.

He knew as well that there was only so much they could do. That they would have to make choices. Protect some things, lose others. Senseless loss, of course. Loss never made sense. Still, it happened.

But he had already known from the very beginning, right when she had confided in him about feeling stirrings in the Digital World. He had already made his choice. No matter what happened, no matter what casualties there were, no matter the cost, he would protect her.