WARNING: None. =]

Disclaimer: I own nothing in this marvelous universe; it all belongs to Toei Animation, I believe.

Dedication: Khajmer. For your advice and reviews. I appreciate both more than you know!

Reviewers: N/A

Author's Note: None.

Rating: T

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"This isn't working."

Yolei blinked at Ken's bluntness and she felt her jaw drop slightly. 'Is this really Ken speaking . . . ? I mean, if Ken is breaking up with me - and that's pretty much what it sounds like - isn't he the type of boy who, I dunno, like cries when doing so?' Yolei thought to herself.

Yolei was confused. ". . . What?"

Ken sighed softly and ran his pale fingers through his blue hair. "We. As in: you, me, us. We're not working.

"….what?"

Yolei started at Ken with a blank expression. She wasn't necessarily upset, but she was pretty shocked at the whole thing.

"Could you repeat the question, please?" Yolei asked politely, still slightly dazed.

Ken unconsciously bit his tongue. He only realized what he was doing when he felt the coppery taste of blood fill his mouth. 'Better than yelling at her,' he thought wryly.

"We. Are. Not. Working."

"Oh."

Yolei mentally cursed herself for her foolish voice. 'Why Is my voice coming out all squeaky? It's not like I'm upset or anything stupid like that . . . I mean, I wanted to break up with him! So why am I'm being so weird . . .?'

Ken sighed. He knew Yolei didn't love him, so he really didn't understand why she was being so difficult. He was barely resisting the urge to run across the room and shake her shoulders.

"Yolei, it's not that I don't love you. I do. I really, really do. But we just can't do this - "

"Why not?" Yolei responded instantly, her insides feeling more and more like mush with every passing second.

"Because this is what's right. I know the truth, Yolei. I know who you really like."

Ken mentally congratulated himself. To the point. That's what woman really wanted. The hard facts. At least that's what the people on TV said. Not that he was watching a show on how to talk to woman. Because he wasn't. His fingers just slipped when he was looking around. And stayed slipped. Of course.

Yolei laughed nervously, "That's funny, Ken! Because I like you." She smiled, "Yep! I like Ken, alright!" Yolei winked at Ken, but could already feel some of her resistance leave her.

"No, you don't."

"Yes, I do."

"No, you don't." Ken sighed despite himself and winced mentally for what he was going to say next:

"You like Davis."

Yolei could feel her face flame, but she shook her head quickly. "What are you talking about? That's ridiculous! I mean, why, would I of all people, like someone like him?!"

Ken rolled his eyes, "Because you do; I don't know, Yolei! I don't think I'll every understand the female mind! But I know it's true!"

'How does he know?!' Yolei thought to herself desperately, 'Am I that obvious?! Should I keep denying it or just go with it? I'm so confused!'

Yolei bit her tongue and realized that she didn't have it in her to fight him any longer. The past few days had been draining enough and Yolei wasn't in the condition to deny such an obvious truth. The shock that Ken knew was finally beginning to wear off . . . and Yolei figured she was ready to listen to whatever he needed to say.

"Go on," she said softly, nodding at him.

"I think I've always known," Ken started quietly, "Even when I asked and you said it was me who you had a crush on. I knew you were lying . . . and I still went along with it. I guess I just needed to feel needed. With us, we've always had our places."

He smiled and his eyes got a far away sort of look, "Davis was the crazy leader, you were the outgoing optimist and I was the follower. Whenever Davis would suggest something utterly stupid, I would agree. But I could always count on you to hit him on the head and yell at him for being an idiot."

He smiled whimsically, "I guess I just got sick of being a pushover. I realized . . . well really grasped . . . that I couldn't depend on you forever." He cleared his throat, "So basically, you used me to forget about Davis and I used you to build up my self esteem."

"Don't say it like that," Yolei interjected with an angry edge to her words.

"Say it like what?" Ken asked, scrunching his face up in confusion and tilting his head to one side (managing to look very much like a puppy in the process).

"Like I don't love you," Yolei responded sternly, clutching her chair so hard that her knuckles turned white.

Ken laughed loudly and sat up straighter in his chair.

"Oh, I know you love me," he said easily, "I didn't mean to make it sound like you didn't."

He chuckled again and leaned back into his chair, "It's just a different type of love. You love your siblings differently than you love me. And you love me differently than you love Davis. I never doubted your love, Yolei. I guess we got confused the types of love."

Ken smiled encouragingly at the purple-haired girl across from him.

"I g-guess you're right."

Yolei mentally berated herself for her stutter. "Show no weakness!" as her older brother, Yuu, often reminded her. 'Of course,' Yolei thought sarcastically, 'he was talking about sports . . . God forbid he ever talked to me about guys!'

Ken smiled warmly at her and continued, "I thought that we could be happy. I loved you and you loved me. It didn't matter that it wasn't romantic, right?"

Ken shook his head and closed his eyes. "I was wrong. You deserved to be with the person you love and I want - need - to be with someone who loves me for me. I don't want to be the person that you settle for, Yolei. I want to be with a person who really wants me - body and soul. This is for the best . . . it'll make us happy and I couldn't stand to put any more pressure on you."

Ken sighed at the end of his speech and gestured towards Davis. He opened his eyes and before he could blink, Yolei was running across the room and throwing herself into Ken's arms. He grimaced slightly as he felt the rapid rise and fall of her chest, indicating her sobs.

"Why is this break up so hard, Ken?" Yolei asked, though her voice was muffled because her head was tucked between his shoulder blade and his neck.

"I don't know . . ." Ken admitted. "Probably just because we're such good friends."

"Great friends," Yolei corrected softly. She lifted her head up from his shoulder, but kept a tight grip on his shirt. Her gaze shifted towards Davis. "H-he's going to be okay, right? He can make it through this . . . he's a fighter."

Yolei looked up at Ken for reassurance and Ken nodded.

"If anyone can do, it's him," Ken assured and hugged her tighter to his body.

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TK shuddered as the cold, unrelenting wind pushed harder across his body and pulled his jacket tighter around his shivering body. He was on his way to the Kamiya's apartment, but his mind was elsewhere. He had walked the path so many times; his feet unwillingly led him there.

'I can't believe I was such a jerk. This was nobody's fault . . . Kari couldn't help what she said when she was drunk. I know what she said was anything but okay . . . but I'm sure she feels horrible about it.' TK sighed heavily and shut his eyes briefly. 'She's never going to forgive me, is she? I wouldn't blame her . . . I was just so angry and so scared . . . I needed someone to take my feelings out on. It shouldn't have been her,' TK admitted to himself.

The blonde Junior nodded his head in assurance and looked up, blinking in surprise. In front of him was the door to the Kamiya apartment. He absently wondered how long he had been standing there like a creep, but dismissed it. He had more important things to do, after all. He raised his fist and knocked solidly against the cool oak.

Kari's older brother, Tai Kamiya, swung the door open brashly and without looking up from the paper in his hands greeted, "Hey Sora. I didn't know you were coming so soon."

When he got no reply, he looked up in confusion and blushed slightly when he saw that TK was standing in front of him. Tai frowned slightly, "Oh . . . hi TK. Sorry 'bout that. I thought you were someone else." The older boy paused for a minute, before motioning TK inside.

"Come in, come in. Sorry again. I don't know what's wrong with me today."

TK followed the bushy-haired boy into the warm, bright room and frowned to himself.

"Listen Tai," he started boldly, "I'm so sorry about what happened. I just came here - "

Tai put his finger on TK's rapidly moving mouth. He said sternly, "Don't give me excuses or reasons or any of that crap. I don't care. Just fix it." Tai looked pointedly at Kari's bedroom door before turning and leaving without saying another word to the blonde boy.

TK nodded numbly, ignoring the fact that the older teenager couldn't see him. He closed his eyes tightly for a second before releasing a shuddering breath and opening the door to Kari's room.

"Go away, Tai," came the sad, muffled response, "I said I didn't want to talk about it."

The blonde boy blinked and gazed sadly at his girlfriend. She had her face turned towards the wall and was wound tightly in various colored blankets. The room was dark; illuminated only by the ever changing screen saver from the computer.

"E-er," TK stuttered, "It isn't . . . well this isn't . . . umm Tai."

He mentally rolled his eyes at his weak greeting and ran his fingers nervously through his shaggy hair.

The only response TK got was a stifled 'eep' and a whispered, "Why are you here, TK?"

"I want to apologize," TK said firmly.

A heart wrenching half-sob, half-laugh came from underneath the blankets and Kari sat slowly up, though obviously avoiding eye contact with her boyfriend.

"Stop joking, TK I know it's my fault. You really didn't have to make the trip over here just to remind me."

A few of Kari's blankets slipped off and allowed TK to see Kari's unkempt state. Her hair was messy and not brushed; her eyes were rimmed with a deep red and she had small, purplish bruises underneath her eyes; Kari's clothes were crinkled pajamas.

TK looked at her sadly, "Gees Kar'. You . . . you really think I'd do that?" He hesitantly sat on the very edge of her bed.

"No . . . not really," Kari admitted. She finally looked TK in the eye and TK was a little surprised at the fire burning behind her eyes, "But you should!" She added on heatedly and grabbed the blankets, pulling them around her self-consciously.

"Why?"

Kari sat up straighter and spit out, "Because it's what I deserve. I did this to . . . him," Kari hesitated and TK got the distinct expression that saying Davis's name out loud was painful for her, "It's my fault."

He stared at Kari's face for a moment before a brash, slightly hysterical laugh erupted from his throat.

"I don't think that's funny, Takeru," Kari spoke strongly, though TK could still pick up the slight waver in her words.

TK waved his hand dismissively, "I'm s-sorry," he said between chuckles, "It's just so . . . stupid! I mean, how could you possibly think that was your fault Kari? 'Cause no one else does!" He smiled encouragingly at her and timidly intertwined their hands.

Kari snapped her hand from TK's, "You don't mean that! You know it's my fault . . . everyone knows it's my fault!"

TK rolled his eyes and said sarcastically, "Yes, Kari. Because you drove that car. You made Davis storm in the street. You made him stand in that exact spot at that exact moment. You made Yolei follow the noise. You made them - we, actually - argue. I believe you."

TK shook his head, continuing, "If anyone should be blamed, it's me. Because, you know, I was the one who left you two alone. I was the one who left you two drink in the first place too! Better yet, it's Ryo's fault for throwing the party. And hey, this never would have happened if Davis's parents never had them. So really it's their fault, right?" TK smiled at her cockily.

Kari chewed on her bottom lip, "You're being . . . ridiculous." Even Kari couldn't ignore the fact that her words no longer held the same bitter edge as before.

"I'm just mirroring you," TK shot back and leaned over to hug Kari to his body. Kari stiffened visibly before eventually relaxing into the hug. The two sat there for a while not saying anything.

Kari's timid voice broke the silence, "D-do you think . . . well maybe that we could get some coffee or something?"

TK smiled so widely he was surprised his face didn't break into two. "I'd like that," he whispered.

Kari nodded and with a whispered "I'll go get ready" climbed out of her bed and walked to her walk-in closet. TK smiled and leaned back, before hesitating and walking towards the door to the hallway. He walked in the living room to see Tai happily munching at chips while watching a sports program.

"I fixed it, Tai," he announced loudly.

"I knew you would," Tai answered back, his eyes never leaving the TV. TK laughed loudly, as if a weight had been removed from his chest, and went back to wait for his girlfriend.

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I wanted to add this on to chapter eleven - and I'll probably do so - but it would mess up the reviewing for my next chapter and . . . too complicated. I'll add this in (maybe) after this is finished.

I hope you review despite the length (or lack thereof).