I don't own Digimon and their characters. If I do, Takari would have happened a long time ago and they would have played an even bigger role during 02. Credits go to the creator of the series.

She laughed that sweet melodic laugh of hers that he adored so much. It always managed to put him into a better mood whenever he heard it. A grin instantly grew on his face without him knowing as he watched her play in the water with their friends. She was laughing at something Mimi said in her ear. Without a doubt, he knew it was something mischievous by the wicked smile Mimi had plastered on her face. Hikari laughed louder with a tinge of scarlet colouring her cheeks before spraying the older girl with water. Quickly, she skipped away from the chestnut haired girl that was drenched with water. She gave Koushirou a wave as he walked to his fuming girlfriend, clearly trying to comfort her. He knew that they'll start bickering the minute Koushirou pointed out it was her fault that she was now drenched, with Tentomon sitting on his shoulders. Takeru knew it was interesting to see them bicker like a married couple but his eyes could only follow the lithe form of his best friend.

He watched as she skipped to Sora and Taichi who were engaged in a fierce competition with one another, a smile on her face as she greeted them. She then moved on to each and every other digidestined and digimons, greeting and teasing them before his figure finally caught her eyes. Azure met hazelnut. They shared a moment even when they were metres apart. A small smirk formed on his lips as he caught her getting redder. A wink and she broke into a small laugh, shying away from his gaze. A hand moved to push away a strand of hair from her face behind her ear. She looked at him back, azure met hazelnut once more. She opened her mouth and he waited anxiously for her words but sadly, they were abruptly interrupted. He could feel weight and water on him as a body clinged onto him. A tanned arm around his shoulder and the musky smell of cologne that he knew too well hit his nose. He could see the mop of dark brown beside him. Daisuke. He sighed as he looked at his close companion who had a huge grin on.

"C'mon Takeru! Let's play volleyball," that was all he heard before he was forcefully pulled up from his place and dragged to the makeshift volleyball court a few metres away. He struggled to look back at the girl in the water, trying to catch her eyes once more. She stared back, giving him a small smile with a wave before turning around to skip to Miyako who was having a conversation with the other girls. He looked back in front to see the rest of the guys already at the court, stretching out their body. Surprisingly, Koushirou and Jyou, who usually were too busy to play, decided to play as well. He could feel a huge pat on the back that he knew was going to leave a mark from Daisuke.

"I call Takeru in my team!" he beamed as the others groaned about how unfair it was. I guess that was the advantage of being good at sports and being a regular in the basketball team, he thought. Well, whatever it is, he was going to kill them for ruining his moment with Hikari. A creepy smile grew on his face as he let out a quiet laugh that got Daisuke to instantly move away from him. If this was an anime, an impending black aura could be seen forming around Takeru but sadly it was not. Scaring them with his creepy smile and laughter were good enough for now. Now, let the games begin.

A war soon broke out on the court as Takeru literally went beast on the other team. He moved faster than normal as he relentlessly replied all their serves. He spiked each time the ball was heading toward him. It was amusing yet scary as the rest of his teammates watched him play as they stood at the side cowering in fear. They all huddled together as the impending aura around Takeru kept on growing bigger and bigger. They were winning but they could care less about that because the situation was going out of hand.

The other team that consisted of Taichi, Yamato, Ken and Iori couldn't even get a point when suddenly their prayers were heard by some divine being. They managed to get a point when Yamato spiked and the ball hit the ground beside where Takeru was standing. Takeru broke into a maniacal laugh as he fumed at them. Shit. They looked at each other and knew that hell was about to break loose. Before that could happen, the girls decided to watch them play because they were getting bored. Takeru had already served and Taichi managed to hit back the ball hard to the other side of the court, aiming straight to Takeru. He was all ready to hit it back with full power when he heard Hikari's laugh and he lost focus as he was about to look back at her. Then, the ball hit him square in the face and his back hit the sandy beach instantly. He could hear the worried voices of his friends and brother but one voice in particular stood out to him. Azure met hazelnut once more for the fourth time, he counted in his mind. A small smile crept on his face before his surroundings turned pitch black.

His head was throbbing and that was an understatement. He groaned as slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position before a hand pushed him down, refusing to let him sit up. He was about to push the hand away and giving some kind of retort before he heard her voice.

"Takeru," he looked up and azure met hazelnut eyes once again. They locked eyes for who-knows how long but it ended far too soon as she looked away to reach for something at her side. He looked at her intently, watching her every move before she finally looked at him sternly. She pushed him once again.

"Lie back down," he did and closed his eyes as she placed a cold cloth on his forehead. He could hear his heart beating fast as she took care of him. His breathing steadying as he took in deep breaths as she fussed around him, making sure he was completely okay. He could hear her making incoherent sounds as she stumbled or trip over sand or maybe nothing as she moved about. He laughed as he looked at her, that deep laughed of his that she knew was an indication that he was alright.

She stopped whatever it was she was doing before a smile broke onto her face. The smile that was only meant for him. She let out a giggle before taking a seat beside him, placing her hand on the cold cloth. She moved her hand to play with his blonde tresses, tickling him in the process. He hummed in process, enjoying the feeling before his eyelids fluttered close. He inhaled the fresh air and her scent invaded his senses.

"Hey, Takeru…" he hummed in acknowledgement at her, urging her to continue her question. She didn't. His eyes opened as he looked up to see her staring at him, hard. They shared knowing looks, without saying a word to one another. There were no need for words, they realised because the connection they shared was that strong. He pushed himself up to look at her properly, taking her beauty and imprinting it in his memory. He could see the sun setting behind her, shining that warm and bright orange. And somehow, she looked like she was glowing as well, a tinge of light pink that seemed to blend well with the warm orange. She gave him one last glance before staring at the sunset, enjoying the beauty that nature was giving for free. In a way, to him, she looked even more beautiful that very moment, with her hair tied in a ponytail being swept by the wind and her clothing covered in sand. With her just enjoying the moment, she looked extremely ethereal and he understood completely why she was the child of light.

His hand moved to grasp hers in his hold. In response, she laid her head on his shoulder before closing her eyes as she was being lulled to sleep by his warmth. He watched the sunset as a content smile moved to his face. His name came out from her mouth so quietly he almost missed it. She muttered something incredulous that he couldn't make out. But he knew what it was because no words were needed to share between them to understand each other. He could hear the others' voices growing nearer to them as slumber greeted him warmly.

We will always be together, Hikari.

Author's note

Kekeke, I hope you guys enjoy reading this chapter because it got me snickering a few times writing this while I imagined this happening in the anime. This chapter is connected to the one before but in different orders. I do think that future chapters will be connected but in different orders. It'll be up to the your interpretation.

Beauty of musings signing off