A.N.: What's up people? Yeah, I know, I know, where have I been…I've been in Lazyland. That's where I have been. I am now also a college student, so that's another excuse to add to my list. Thanks for the reviews everybody…and I've seen the hits…all I gotta say is…WOW!

Anyways, let's move on to the fic, shall we?

Synopsis: Last time where we left our main protagonist, Takeru had asked his boss for time off, in which he received. Takeru and Hikari left with Mimi and Joe to go back home to Japan! Once there, Takeru surprisingly received a warm welcome from the other Digi-Destined. Unfortunately, just as he and Hikari were about to become intimately close, Hikari remembered what happened to her that night at the party. She got angry at Takeru, and the two got into a brief argument, before she left the apartment. Can the two patch things up, and is there any hope for their relationship to progress to the next level?

11/13/05- Edited for spelling, grammar errors, and consistency.

Italicized words: Thoughts, or the narrative.

Bold words: Might be pointing out certain words, like Japanese words.

Bold italicized words: The thoughts of Takeru's dark side.

And now, to present the seventh chapter of this fic...

"Second Chances are so Few"

By

Malcolm Yuy

Chapter 7: Reconciling and Reconnecting

Why? Why did this have to happen? Why did I have to hurt the one I love? We were so close…and now, we're so far away…

Can I re-establish anything with her? Is there still any chance for us? Is there still a chance for us to be friends?

It looks like everything I'm trying to create is falling in shambles…and I'm only becoming a mere shadow…

A mere shadow of myself…

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"Come on T.K., open up!" Matt exclaimed, knocking on his brother's door. Today was the first day of rehearsal for the wedding, and of course Takeru and Matt were involved. They were ushers to the bridemaids- Takeru for Hikari, and Matt for Sora respectively. Ken escorted Yolei, and Tai escorted a friend of Mimi's, Aiko. Izzy was the Best Man.

Now, since Takeru was involved with the wedding, escorting Hikari, you'd think that he'd be happy. However, with recent events, this fact only made the boy isolate himself from everybody else. And this was getting his brother to become angry. Very angry.

"Come on Takeru, rehearsal starts in twenty minutes!" Matt shouted again. Silence was radiated beyond the white door which separated Matt from his little brother. But after a few moments, Takeru spoke up.

"Well, I don't feel good today. Why don't you just go without me Yamato?" Takeru asked, stating Matt's full name to indicate how angry he was with himself. This just made Matt angrier than before. He crossed his arms in defiance.

"Fine then, if you don't want to go, then you can just stay here! Little immature brat," Matt muttered, as He walked off, back to Sora and his mom. He then joined Sora's side, and looked at his mother. He sighed tiredly.

"I'm sorry Mom. I tried," Matt replied. Ms. Takaishi had her eyes closed. She just shook her head, as she opened her eyes to look at her firstborn.

"That's okay Matt. No matter what we do right now, Takeru will not relent. He feels guilty for not telling Hikari what happened back in New York," Ms. Takaishi replied. This made Sora and Matt curious.

"Did T.K. tell you about what happened?" Sora asked. Ms. Takaishi could nodded. She then explained to them what he had told her. "Then what happened?"

"Then he told me that he was just going to spend time in his room. He said he needed time to himself," Ms. Takaishi answered. Sora frowned as she looked down towards the floor.

"Poor guy," she replied. Matt wrapped an arm around her and looked at his mother.

"Well Mom, sorry we couldn't get Squirt to go. I promise we'll check in on him after rehearsal today," Matt stated.

"Thank you. Meanwhile, while you two are gone, I'll try to cheer him up," Ms. Takaishi replied. Matt and Sora nodded as they made their way out of the apartment, closing the door behind them as they left. Ms. Takaishi could only look toward the other closed door, where her son was lying behind. She then sighed tiredly as she looked down towards the floor.

"Please Kami, please help Hikari and my son…before it's too late…"

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"Why do I have to be here?" Hikari asked, glancing around at the room where the wedding was going to take place. It was beautiful to say in the least. As she looked it over, her older brother took this moment to glance at her.

"You know very well why you're here Kari. You are one of Mimi's bridesmaids, after all," Tai answered. Hikari sighed tiredly.

"Still, I don't want to be here," Hikari stated.

"I know, I know, but, if you can't do this for yourself, then do it for Mimi. After all, it is her wedding," Tai replied. Hikari sighed again.

"Okay, okay…for Mimi," Hikari replied. Right as she finished her statement, she saw Matt and Sora make their way over to them.

"Hey guys," Sora said, as she looked at Tai first, and then to Hikari.

"Hey Sora," Hikari replied in response, with the implied tone making it sound more like a statement. Sora noticed this as she looked at the girl.

"Kari, what's wrong?" Sora asked, when in reality she knew full well was wrong. Hikari just sighed as her eyes diverted to look at something else.

"Nothing," Hikari simply stated. Tai then took the opportunity to speak with Matt.

"Where's T.K.?" Tai whispered as he looked over to the blonde.

"He wouldn't come. I tried talking some sense into him, but it didn't work," Matt answered, whispering back. Tai nodded. Right as the two finished talking, the doors burst open, as the bride herself made an entrance. Everyone else in the room turned their attention on her.

"Mimi!" Sora exclaimed, as she ran up and embraced the soon-to-be-bride. Mimi accepted the hug as she returned it, the two girls both squealing with joy. The two then untangled themselves from their holds, and smiled at each other.

"You know how good it feels to be home?" Mimi asked. Unlike Takeru, who couldn't make it home for the past two years for Christmas holidays, Mimi had. Therefore, her connection with the other Digi-Destined was much more relaxed, and tension-free. Unfortunately, Mimi still did not check her e-mails that often, in which sometimes she would miss certain events. Eventually, she would hear of them as word got around.

"Amazing? Meems, you're finally getting married! I'm so happy!" was all Sora could say, before enveloping Mimi into another hug. As the two separated, Mimi looked around. She then looked back to Matt.

"Where's T.K.?" Mimi asked. Matt seemed to redden at the sound of his brother's nickname.

"Well, uh…we couldn't get him to come. Sorry Mimi," Matt said, as he scratched the back of his neck nervously.

"Oh well, that's too bad. Fortunately, I became prepared for situations like these. Oh Davis!" Mimi exclaimed. As soon as she finished her sentence, the young man appeared out of nowhere.

"Yes Mimi?" Daisuke asked, as he had his hands clasped behind his back. Mimi turned to smile at him.

"Will you help in rehearsal today? Unfortunately, Kari's escort isn't here today," Mimi replied. Daisuke looked at Hikari, who averted his gaze.

"All right. I'll do anything I can to help with the wedding," Daisuke answered. Mimi then clasped her hands together.

"Great! Then let's get started. Oh Joe!"

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"Come on honey, you need to come out," Ms. Takaishi replied, as she stood outside her son's door. For the past two hours, she would check up on him and ask him to leave his room. But for the most part, she would get no response in return. In turn, this was beginning to frustrate her. After what seemed like eternity, but in reality was only a few minutes, Takeru finally spoke.

"No. I don't feel like it," was all he could say, as he lied beyond the closed door with his arms crossed. Ms. Takaishi sighed.

"Look Takeru, I know you feel bad for what happened with Hikari, but you can't stay in your room forever! If you want to fix your relationship, you're going to have to talk to her," Ms. Takaishi replied.

"But what if she doesn't want to talk to me?" Takeru asked.

"Then I will feel sorry for the both of you." Ms. Takaishi then looked down towards the floor, before speaking again. " If there's one thing that I regret in my life, I regret never properly discussing family matters with your father. And because we never settled our differences like adults, we had to divorce. That was one of the most devastating situations that had ever occurred to me. I don't want that to happen with you two. Please Takeru, learn from my example. Talk with Hikari. Try to come to some sort of agreement, or you may lose her. Forever." Ms. Takaishi then looked back up at the door. She was about to turn away, when slowly, the door opened, revealing a tired and worn Takeru. He smiled at his mother, before enveloping her into a hug.

"Thank you, Mom," was all Takeru could say, before rushing over to the coat rack to grab his jacket. Ms. Takaishi smiled at him as he left.

"That's my boy…"

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"How do you think rehearsal was today?" Tai asked, as he and Hikari were walking home. Hikari was just looking at the sidewalk.

"It was fine," was all Hikari could say, as she continued looking at the ground. Tai just turned his head to glance at her.

"Really? Then why do you look so depressed? Was it because your 'boyfriend' wasn't there?" Tai asked. This caught Hikari's attention.

"Takeru had nothing to do with today!" Hikari exclaimed, as she had finally looked up to make eye contact with her brother.

"Then why are you so emotional? Look sis, I don't know what happened between you and T.K., but you two need to resolve your issues. I know there's a problem because he seemed fine yesterday, and then he doesn't even show up at practice today. Hikari, what happened between you two?" Tai asked, putting a firm hand on Hikari's shoulder, as the two stopped. Hikari looked towards Tai, and then looked away.

"I don't feel like talking about it," Hikari stated. Tai just sighed tiredly as he let go.

"Fine then, have it your way. Oh look, it's Yolei!" Tai replied. Hikari then looked up to see Yolei running towards them. Once she reached them, she bent over, breathing heavily before straightening herself as she stood up. Right as her breathing returned to normal, she began to speak.

"Hey Kari, long time no see," Yolei stated.

"Yeah, long time no see. How have you been?" Hikari asked, giving the elder girl a smile. Yolei could only smile in return.

"Fine as always. I was wondering if I could get you away from your brother so we could catch up," Yolei replied, as she then looked over to Tai. "Is that okay with you big guy?" Yolei asked.

"That's fine. Besides, I want to go hang out with Matt anyway," Tai answered. Hikari looked at Tai.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure. You girls go ahead. I'll see you when you get home," Tai replied, looking over at Hikari. She nodded.

"Okay then." Hikari hugged Tai briefly, before stepping back to look at him. "Don't worry Taichi, I'll be fine. Okay?" Tai could only nod. "That's a good big brother. I'll see you later then," Hikari replied, as she and Yolei began to walk off. Tai waved bye to them, and the two returned the gesture, before fading off to join the rest of the crowd. Tai put his hands in his pockets as he looked up at the sky.

"And here I am, alone again…"

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"So Yolei, how's Ken?" Hikari asked.

"Good as always. Instead of me moving in with Ken and Davis, they moved in with me. They liked our apartment better. So, what about T.K.?" Yolei asked. A soon as Yolei mentioned the young man's nickname, Hikari cringed. A frown came upon Yolei's face as she looked at the girl. "What? Did something happen between you two?" Yolei asked.

Not again, Hikari thought, as she looked away from her friend. She was about to say something when Yolei interrupted her train of thought.

"Listen Hikari. Please, tell me what happened. You don't seem to be yourself. I know you want to deny, telling me that nothing is wrong. But then that wouldn't be the truth. Please Kari, please tell me. After all, I am one of your best friends, aren't I?" Yolei asked. Hikari nodded. "Then tell me what's eating you," Yolei replied. Hikari sighed as she looked at Yolei.

"Okay. But I'm warning you, you might not like what I'm going to say," Hikari stated. She then began to explain to Yolei the series of events that led to her current situation. "…and now I'm depressed. I don't know Yolei, I thought I could trust him. I guess I was wrong," Hikari replied, as they had finally reached where the two used to say together. Yolei gripped Hikari's shoulders and looked her straight in the eye.

"Look Kari, you do have a point. But maybe, maybe he didn't want to tell you what happened because he had his own reasons," Yolei stated. Hikari looked up at the taller girl.

"What reasons would Takeru have to keep that a secret?" Hikari asked, as they made their way into the complex, going into the elevator.

"Well, maybe he didn't want to remind you of what happened. Maybe, he was trying to protect you in his own way. Think about it. How would you feel if the roles were reversed? Would you want to remind him of those horrible events? I don't think so," Yolei answered, as the two got off the elevator. The two then reached Yolei's door, where she unlocked it. The two then went inside, with Hikari closing the door behind them. Yolei then turned to Hikari.

"Please think on it Kari. Couldn't your comprehend why T.K. did what he did? Don't you love him? Don't you want to be with him?" Yolei asked. Hikari could only frown as she looked down towards the floor.

"Honestly…I don't know anymore," Hikari simply answered. She continued standing there as Yolei stepped into her former roomate's room, before emerging a couple of minutes later with a wrapped gift. It was the present Takeru sent her for Christmas. She handed it to Hikari.

"I think this belongs to you," Yolei replied. Hikari simply slapped it away.

"I don't want it."

"Please Hikari, for me? Open it before you throw it away at least," Yolei stated. Hikari sighed as she finally took the present, and began to unwrap it.

After freeing the gift from its trappings, Hikari was shocked to realize what she had found. In her hands was a miniature stuffed animal replica of Gatomon, with a removable Santa hat with a bell attached at its end. Taped to her belly was a Christmas card, red with white trim. Hikari took it off, reading the cover from top-to-bottom. What it said was:

"Even though we may not be together right now, one thing is true; I gather all I had to present this gift to you."

Hikari then opened the card, noticing another poem written in red italics. It stated:

"May it be a beacon to show you how much I care, even though on this joyous holiday, I might not be there. Merry Christmas."

Then in Japanese symbols, Hikari read Takeru's writing.

"Dear Hikari. Sorry I couldn't be there to see you this Christmas. May your holiday be jolly and enjoyable as ever. Miss you. Takeru."

Hikari then closed the card, as she clutched the stuffed Gatomon to her chest, cuddling it. She closed her eyes as she did so.

"Takeru.. Oh Takeru, I'm so sorry…"

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Takeru hurried to Hikari's parents' apartment. On the plane earlier, she had told him she was going to stay there, so she could spend time with her family.

I hope she's willing to speak to me, Takeru thought, shuffling his way through the crowd to get to the apartment complex.

What if she isn't? Then what will you do? You can't exactly apologize to her if she isn't willing to listen, Takeru's dark half reasoned. Takeru sighed as he finally made his way into the complex, and walked towards the elevator.

Well, I have to try, at least. I'll do anything at this point just to gain her friendship back, Takeru thought, as he was traveling in the elevator, now reaching the floor Hikari was supposed to be on. The elevator doors opened as Takeru stepped out. The young man then made his way toward her door. He then reached it.

All I can say then is good luck. You're going to need it, Takeru's dark half stated, before shutting himself off. Takeru sighed, before finally managing to knock on the door. A few moments later, the door opened, revealing Tai. As he made eye contact with the boy, a smile came upon his face.

"Hi T.K. Let me guess..you're here to see my sister, right?" Tai asked. Takeru could only nod. "Well sorry, but she isn't here right now. She's with Yolei," Tai stated. Takeru could only look down towards the floor.

"Oh, alright. I'll just come by later then," Takeru replied. He almost turned around to leave when he felt his left shoulder being tugged upon.

"Whoa, hold on there! Could you at least come in and talk to your brother-in-law?" Tai asked. Takeru's eyebrows narrowed as he looked at the older male.

"Tai, Kari and I aren't married. We're not even together," Takeru replied. Tai then wrapped an arm around the boy.

"I know that T.K. But wouldn't you like to be someday?" Tai asked. As Tai finished his sentence, a vision came to Takeru, an epiphany if you will. In this vision, he imagined himself and Hikari, together in wedding wear, kissing each other, as the priest stated "You may now kiss the bride." He had to admit, marrying Hikari was one of his ultimate fantasies.

"Um…yeah," was all Takeru could mutter as Tai pulled him into the apartment, closing the door behind him.

"Then kick your shoes off and join me by the couch, will you? There's something I want to ask of you," Tai said, his tone suddenly changing from playfulness to seriousness. Takeru followed his peer's instructions as he kicked off his sneakers, before sitting at the couch. Tai sat in a chair nearby, and faced the boy.

"Alright Tai. What is it you want to know?" Takeru asked monotonously. Tai pressed his hands together as he leaned forward to look at the young man.

"I want to know what transpired between you and Hikari to make her act the way she has been recently," Tai answered.

"And how has she been acting?" Takeru asked, suddenly becoming interested. Tai could only sigh.

"Well, she's been real moody lately. She gets angry very easily, and she tries to act like everything's fine, when I know that in reality it isn't. I know this may not be easy for you, so take your time. But, if I learn that you have hurt her in any way I-"

"I know, kill me and hide all of my body parts."

"I see you've heard of this before."

"At prom, remember? Now then, where was I? Well, this is what happened…" and slowly, bit by bit, Takeru began to recount everything, from Hikari's arrival to their current situation. "…and that's how it happened. I never meant to hurt her Tai. I just..I just didn't want to remind her of what had transpired. But in a way, it really is my fault. If you want to hit me, I'll understand," Takeru replied, as he looked up to meet Tai's eyes. Tai just remained silent.

Maybe that was too much for him, Takeru's dark half replied, as Takeru looked away form Tai. Finally, Tai leaned forward to put a comforting hand on Takeru's shoulder, causing the boy to look up. "Huh?"

"Look Takeru, you did what you had to do. I understand. I'm sure if you tried explaining to her the way you've explained to me about why you kept it from her, she might understand," Tai replied. A small smile crept upon Takeru's face as he looked at his peer.

"Thanks Tai. I'm really glad someone understands how I feel. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to my mom's apartment." Takeru and Tai then stood up, with Takeru making his way toward his sneakers.

"Aren't you going to go after Kari?" Tai asked. Takeru shook his head.

"No. Hikari needs this time to contemplate and possibly calm down from this. I'll talk to her tomorrow," Takeru answered, as he put on his sneakers. Tai then joined him at the doorway.

"Well, if you need anything, you can talk to me," Tai said. Takeru smiled.

"Thanks. Bye," Takeru said, as she stepped out the door.

"Bye," Tai replied, before shutting the door. He then sighed as he made his way towards the couch.

"I better call Matt…"

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The next day, Takeru awoke to a fresh, new day, feeling relazed and refreshed. A smile came upon his face as he got ready for the day, before heading out the door.

My, you're chipper today, Takeru's dark half said, as Takeru made his way through the crowd. Takeru just chuckled to himself.

Well, today I'm going to see Hikari. And I'll tell her I'm sorry, no excuses, Takeru's light side replied.

Well good for you. Just make sure to grovel why you're at it. That'll help you get back into her graces, Takeru's dark half stated.

Hey, I'm not going to try to look like I'm desperate.

I was just kidding, you know. Just as Dark Takeru finished his sentence, Takeru stopped as he looked at the building in front of him. He sighed deeply.

Well, here we are. Good luck. You're going to need it.

Thanks, I think I will need it, too. Takeru then made his way inside. Right as he closed the door behind him, people stopped what they were doing to look at him. He chuckled nervously.

"Uh, hi guys. What's up?" Takeru asked. Matt and Sora, along with Mimi and Joe, who were talking, smiled as they made their way over to him.

"You feelin' better bro?" Matt asked, giving his brother the once over. Takeru only nodded.

"Yeah, a lot better. Thanks Matt," Takeru replied.

"So T.K., what are you going to do when you see Kari?" Sora asked. Just the mention of her name sent chills up Takeru's spine, and made his heart accelerate. He gulped as he looked at her.

"I'm going to apologize to her, and try to explain to her why I did what I did. I just hope we can be friends again," Takeru answered.

"We all do. And we're hoping maybe you'll be more than that someday," Mimi replied. She then turned her head as she heard the door open. "Well, here's your chance. Go get her!" Mimi exclaimed. Takeru turned to look over at the girl of his desires. As soon as his eyes caught sight of her, his beat began to quicken.

Great. This is just great. The last thing I need is to be nervous when I'm trying to tell her how sorry I am. Compose yourself Takeru, compose yourself. Takeru breathed deeply, then exhaled as he made his way over to Hikari. As soon as he stopped in front of her, she looked up to see his face. Takeru tried saying something, but Hikari had already beat him to it.

"Hello Takeru," Hikari simply stated.

"Uh, hi Hikari. I uh, I just want to say I'm-"

"Can't this wait until after rehearsal? I don't mean to be rude Takeru-kun, but practice is about to start soon," Hikari muttered. Takeru nodded.

"Sure. See you then."

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Rehearsal had been…unique. When it got to Takeru and Hikari's part, Takeru's heart was racing so fast he thought he was going to burst. Finally, it ended, with everyone splitting, leaving Takeru and Hikari surprisingly to themselves. The two looked up as they smiled at each other nervously, before each trying to say something.

"You first," Takeru stated.

"No, you first," Hikari replied. Takeru sighed.

"Well, alright. I just want to say..that I'm sorry. I'm sorry from keeping what happened with Willis from you. It's just that…it's just that I didn't want you to suffer through having to remember those memories. After all, you're very important to me Hikari. I never wanted to hurt you," Takeru replied.

"I know. And I'm sorry for doubting your judgment. But next time something like this happens, could you please tell me? I don't want you keeping anything from me," Hikari replied, stepping closer to Takeru. He could only nod.

"Fair enough. I promise," Takeru replied. Hikari smiled as she wrapped her arms around him, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Good. You know, I hated not being able to be with you recently," Hikari replied. This brought a smile to Takeru's face.

"Really? I felt the same. Without you, I didn't feel complete," Takeru replied. His eyes widened as Hikari looked up at him.

Did I just let my feelings slip again? Crap! Takeru thought, as Hikari looked up to see his eyes. Her eyes seemed to glow, and seemed to waver a little.

"Takeru?" Hikari questioned.

Is he…

"Hikari…" Takeru was cut-off as the doors opened, revealing Daisuke, Ken, Cody, and Yolei. The two looked at them, before suddenly separating.

"Didn't mean to interrupt. Are you guys okay?" Yolei asked. Takeru and Hikari looked at each other, before turning to look back at their friends.

"Yeah, we're just fine…"

Yay, Takeru and Hikari are back together! Sort of…anyway, I'm sorry it took me so long to deliver this chapter. I'm just being…lazy. No excuses. But this story will be finished. Believe it.

Next chapter: It is a joyous occasion as the wedding day finally arrives! Will romance blossom not only for Mimi and Joe, but for Takeru and Hikari as well? And who else ends up making a appearance? All this and more will be answered…

11/13/05- The next chapter has been written you guys. It might just take me a day or two to type it. It's really long…

Well, remember to read and review, and until the next chapter, ja ne!- Malcolm Yuy