Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon.

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Hawaii, Wash Our Troubles Away

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"Kako...Kako, we're here," Kouji murmured, a hand on the girl's shoulder as he shook her. Kouji sighed as he watched the agitated passengers stand up and push their way to the front. We might as well wait, he decided, sitting back down.

Piximon floated up onto Kako's head. "Hey, we're here!" the digimon realized.

Kouji shot him an annoyed look and snapped, "I just said that. Why don't you people listen to me?"

"Could it be...because I should be in charge?"

Before Kouji could lean forward to attempt to strangle the laughing digimon, Kako's eyes opened. Surprised, the bandana boy fell back and cleared his throat. "Uh...we're here," he muttered, looking away.

"Oh." Kako yawned and bent down to pull up her backpack. "Hmm...mmhm...where did I put it?" Confused, Kouji looked from Piximon to Kako. The mutters finally ceased as Kako brought out a green jacket. "Oh...oops. Um..." She quickly looked at Kouji before stuffing the jacket back in and muttered, "Don't know how that got in there." Kako returned to rummaging through her bag.

Eventually the plane emptied out, leaving Kako, Kouji and Piximon to be the last to leave.

"First thing's first, I'm calling Kouichi," Kouji declared as they walked out of the plane and headed to pick up their luggage.

Immediately, Kako grabbed his arm, scaring the boy. "DON'T tell him about that!" she screamed.

Kouji twitched slightly as he removed Kako's arm. "Kako," he said, brushing her away, "Why don't you and Piximon wait for our luggage? I'll go over in that corner-" Kouji pointed to the closest corner, "and I'll call Kouichi. Dea--you brought his hat, too?" Unable to stand her presence, Kouji pushed Kako towards the baggage claim area and walked to the corner to call Kouichi.

He noticed that Kako's eyes were watching him as he took out his phone. Calmly, Kouji motioned towards the baggage. Even when she turned away, Kouji got the prickly feeling that he was being watched. He calmly dialed the number, eyes glued on Kako. "Hello? Kouichi?"

"Kouji...? Hey, you guys made it?"

"No, we're in the middle of the ocean on an island that's ten feet in diameter," Kouji replied sarcastically. "Why don't you digivolve into Velgemon and get us?"

Silence met him.

Kouji rolled his eyes. Some people just can't take sarcasm. "So, your weird girlfriend-"

The response cut him off. "I have a girlfriend?" Kouichi sounded confused.

The bandana boy was ready to scream. Through gritted teeth, he snapped, "How dense are you? Kako!" He was sure there were people staring at him. Kouji lowered his voice and asked, "How'severyone else?" Not as stupid as you, I hope.

"Well, I haven't heard from Junpei, so I was about to check on him. Tomoki is wrapped up with Bok-" There was a long pause before some coughs were heard on the other line. "Sorry. I think I caught a cold. Uh, Tomoki's wrapped up with a cook book and Izumi and Takuya are trying to get the crazy adults together. So what's this about Kako? She's not my girlfriend, you know," Kouichi commented.

Not yet, Kouji's mind countered. In a mockingly sweet voice, he answered, "It seems that the girl who is your friend and yet not your girlfriend has stolen your jacket."

Again, silence. Finally, Kouichi burst out laughing, "So that's where it went!" Kouji wasn't sure what was happening, but all he could hear was laughter.

"Sorry, I missed the joke."

"I was over at her house because Hideki was training me, and they were both yelling at me because my jacket apparently restricts my movement, so I took it off...and forgot it. And then Kako came over while I was training at Mar-I mean-Mr. Saito's, and she ended up forgetting to give it to me there because I invited her over," Kouichi told his brother. "And it was in her backpack. Say, she isn't five feet within range, is she?"

Kouji sucked his breath between gritted teeth, resisting the urge to break the phone. Idiots, he thought, I'm surrounded by billions of them. His eyes darted towards Kako, who wasn't in the spot he had left her in. Yes, idiots. "I have no idea," he growled, "but when I find out, that stupid Piximon will be pixidust and your hat is going to get burned." Kouji pressed his back against the wall as his eyes swept the room for any sign of Kako or Piximon.

There was a snort. Kouichi muttered, "You do that. There are tons of bandanas to make up for it."

Kouji's eyes locked on Piximon. Where's Kako? "You wouldn't dare," he growled.

Kouichi chuckled. "You'd be surprised. Say, is Piximon there?" the older twin asked.

"NO DAMMIT! WHY DO YOU SOUND SO HAPPY?" Kouji suddenly screamed into the phone. "I'M HANGING UP!" There was a faint sound of protest before Kouji turned his phone off and stuffed it back in his pocket, trying to regain his composure. It didn't help that he had the attention of almost everyone in the room, but he was willing to make do with whatever the milieu.

Now where is she? Kouji pushed off the wall, walking towards Piximon and grabbing the digimon by a wing. "Where did she go?" he hissed, a glare focusing on Piximon.

With a swift movement, Piximon hit Kouji on the wrist, releasing himself. The two locked intense glares and Piximon spat, "I'm trying to figure that out myself! I almost had her, too! But then you decided to ruin my concentration!" The digimon turned away from Kouji with a huff.

The bandana boy growled before making his way to find the luggage.

"You're too hard on him."

Kouji nearly fell over in surprise. He turned around and his jaw immediately dropped. Pointing at Kako, he yelled, "YOU! I WAS LOOKING ALL OVER FOR YOU!"

Kako ignored the dark glare on his face. "Yeah, well, I was looking for a way to lose you. I mean honestly, you didn't even think to look behind you," snorted the girl, grabbing a hold of one of their bags as it passed by. "Say, you wanna help? It's pretty heavy for a boy's bag. What do you have in it? Your PS2 and every game in existence?" There was a calm air about her as she attempted to drag the bag off.

Rolling his eyes, Kouji aided her, yanking the bag up effortlessly. "You're just weak!" he muttered. I bet even Izumi could pick this up, he thought with disgust.

She continued to search for their other bags, completely ignoring Kouji, who stood there, blinking as he realized she was gone. Kako sighed when she found her bag and pulled it off the belt. I can't be myself around him anymore, she realized. I'm going back to the polite attitude...although it doesn't seem polite around him. Another sigh. "Piximon...?"

"Yes? Did you finish your homework before we came?" Piximon asked as he floated over, a bright look on his face.

There was an odd silence. How can I phrase this...? I can't, Kako thought. She was beginning to feel numb. Quickly, she shook her head. "Let's go find Kouji. He's probably grumbling to himself in some corner or another."

She was partially correct. When they found Kouji, it was only because they saw him leaving without them having collected all the baggage. "Hey! Wait up!" Kako yelled, racing after him. BOYS ARE A PAIN.

Kouji let out an exasperated sigh and turned around, folding his arms across his chest. When she reached him, he snapped, "What do you want?"

"Whaddya mean what do I want?" Kako was near hysterics. "Excuse me if I'm going on this trip with you because I was FORCED!"

"Well then you shouldn't have come!"

"I didn't want to come!"

"Then go ahead and get a hotel. Wait the entire week there and then go back yourself," Kouji snarled, dragging the baggage as he continued forward.

Kako suppressed her anger and gently rubbed her temples. She was getting a headache. Great, now we're yelling. Didn't he sleep? I swear, he's as grumpy as Hideki in the morning. Biting her lower lip, Kako followed behind him at a slower pace, Piximon sitting on her head with his eyes shut.

"Hurry up, you're slowing down."

Surprised, Kako looked at Kouji. She couldn't understand, but something inside her forced her to retort, "Yeah, well maybe you should just shut up from now on. That might result in you slowing down."

"That was stupid," Kouji muttered.

Childishly, Kako countered, "You're stupid." In addition, she stuck her tongue out, quickly looking at the floor when he turned around and stopped.

Kouji dropped the bags and walked towards Kako, a furious look on his face. "You know," he hissed, "I don't know what your problem is, but leave me out of it!"

"My problem?" Kako repeated in disbelief. Her confusion soon turned to anger. "EXCUSE ME YOU JERK! I'M NOT THE BANDANA BRAIN WALKING AROUND WITH A COMPLETE ATTITUDE PROBLEM! And don't yell at a girl in public. It isn't nice and it leads to her beating you up."

"Oh, I'm so sure," Kouji snapped.

Kako's eyes narrowed.

Poking Kako's forehead with a finger, Kouji continued, "And I suppose I shouldn't throw your stupid digimon out, either? Well sorry if I can't stand everyone suddenly going cheery on me! You know what else? YOU SHOULD HAVE JUST COME WITH YOUR BOYFRIEND!"

"HE IS NOT MY BOYFRIEND!" Kako screamed, hands reaching out to pull Kouji's ears.

"LET GO OF M-uh, hi Dad."

The two froze in place, and Piximon went limp, falling off Kako's head and onto the baggage. Turning pale, Kako let go of the bandana boy's ears and quickly bowed to his parents. "H-hello, Mr. Minamoto...uh...Mrs. Minamoto," she blurted. 'Uh, sorry to bother you right now...but...for some reason Kouichi...wanted me to come,' Kako wanted to tell them. But it seemed too awkward to explain.

Fortunately, they made their own assumptions from fragments of the argument between Kako and Kouji. "So," Mr. Minamoto asked, "you're Kouichi's girlfriend?"

Kouji gave a nod of affirmation before Kako so much as had a say in the matter. Angrily, she shut her mouth and shot him a glare, which he brushed off with a satisfied smirk.

Satomi Minamoto offered a small smile. "So Kouichi isn't coming, then?" asked the lady, bending down to pick up Piximon and examine him. She handed him to Kako, expecting an answer.

Feeling guilty, Kako nodded. Accepting Piximon, she mumbled, "Y-yeah, he got caught up with things at home." She could understand Satomi's disappointment. It would have been a great chance for their family to bond, but Mr. I-must-take-care-of-the-home-base had to screw it up. He better be training hard, Kako thought, making a silent vow to slaughter Kouichi on the spot if he had been slacking in her absence.

"You will be staying with us, right?" There was a slight edge of nervousness in Mrs. Minamoto's voice.

Kako managed a smile, however uneasy it was. "Yes. If it's too inconvenient, I've always got friends of my brother's on the island, so I'm fine. I'll be out for the most part, too," she added.

Kousei Minamoto cleared his throat and asked, "Shall we go then? We'll talk about arrangements at home."

Despite her seemingly calm facade, Kako was incredibly worried. What did I get myself into? And why did he have to say I was Kouichi's girlfriend? Why not just friend who happens to be a girl? That jerk. Shooting Kouji a glare, Kako opened her backpack and dropped Piximon in, remembering not to zip it up all the way for fear of suffocating the digimon.

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There was a thought that suddenly occurred to Kako during the car ride. All the time, Kouji kept glaring out the window. Maybe, she hypothesized, he's just this way because he has to be with his dad and step mom. They're really nice, though. She frowned and inconspicuously poked Kouji. "You're sulking," Kako commented.

Kouji scowled at her before returning to staring absentmindedly out the window. Being in new places made him edgy. Not to mention he wasn't exactly a morning person. Although he didn't like explaining himself, he found it useless to not answer Kako. She'd only pester him more. With a heavy sigh, Kouji returned in a mutter, "Just...tired." Much to his relief, she said nothing for the rest of the ride.

Time ceased to matter to Kouji. He wasn't sure how much time they had spent in the car. He didn't care, either. Car trips were always long to him, and so the trip to him was long. Eventually, they reached the house. There was a heavy smell of salt water in the air; Kouji guessed the beach wasn't that far off.

They had pulled up in front of a clean looking house, painted yellow. Why bother? The sun shines enough as it is, Kouji thought, kicking a nearby rock. It was one story, but even from the outside, it looked spacious. Kouji kicked the rock again, finding it in front of him. This time, it skidded into the sea of pebbles that was on the side of the sidewalk.

"Kouji, stop kicking the rocks and come inside," his father called out from the doorway.

Glaring at the pale gray sidewalk, Kouji violently stuffed his hands in his pockets and slumped his shoulders as he walked inside. The interior was as neat as the outside. The very first thing that met Kouji's eyes was the kitchen. White tiles, gas stove, no pots or pans lying astray.

Kako walked up to Kouji, 'accidentally' stepping on his foot. Under her breath, she muttered, "You could have at least helped bring in the bags instead of spacing out." Turning to his parents, she smiled and waved. "Well, I'm off for now, sorry. I promised my brother I'd check in with him. Be back in an hour or so!"

He was slightly glad to see her leave when he saw Piximon behind her back. Kouji slipped into a chair by the table and gazed at his bags.

There was the usual silence. Tentatively, Satomi asked, "Would you like to see your room?" She was just being polite, Kouji knew. He simply shrugged, hoping they would eventually leave him alone. She sent a helpless glance in the direction of his father.

Kousei frowned at his son. "Kouji, if you'd like to tell us anything-"

"I think I'd like to see my room," Kouji interrupted, standing up and picking up his bags. "Which way is it?"

"D-down the hall. It's the second left," Satomi answered with a stammer.

Without a word of thanks, Kouji walked to his room, dropping the bags on the floor and shut the door, trying to shut out the startled murmurs of his parents' conversation. Something was wrong. He could taste it in the air, and Kouji was positive it wasn't just the salt. So much for relaxation, Kouji thought, falling back on his bed and shutting his eyes. The bandana boy made a mental note to take a walk by the beach later. For relaxation, he decided. For relaxation...

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Kako twirled the cord of the phone with a finger, leaning back against the post lazily. Pick up any time now, Hideki. God, if I have to wait an hour, you're dead. "HELLO?" Kako yelled into the phone before her brother could even answer. "You stupid idiot, I tried five times! And what were you doing? Making out with another girl? God, Hideki, get a grip!" she ranted.

"Actually, Takuya was giving me therapy lessons," came the meek answer.

There was a long silence. Finally, Kako snickered, "Give him my thanks, in that case. It's about time. Anyway, Kouji and I made it here, no broken bones on my part. Oh, Piximon, too." She grinned sheepishly at the look the digimon gave her. "So, how's everyone back home?"

It was Hideki's turn to laugh. "Happy," he replied with an evil cackle.

"You jerk! I'm telling grandpa!"

"Yeah, how's the old guy, anyway? He isn't falling apart, is he?"

Kako smiled, silently wishing Hideki were with her. I guess it's true. You tend to want something more when you don't have it. Especially if you live with it every day. "No, he's fine," she replied. "I can see why he chose Hawaii as a long term vacation spot. You could have told me he ditched his principal responsibilities for this! Oh, and how's Kouichi?"

"I...haven't heard from him yet, actually. Da-I mean, I wasn't going to curse. Don't glare at me Takuya. Um, Saito's training him at the moment. Trying the 'other martial arts' method again. He says it's too bad you aren't here to beat the twerp up. How's twerp two, not that I care? Takuya's asking," Hideki said. What interested her was his manner when he mentioned Takuya glaring at him for 'cursing.' It didn't seem like Hideki to care what anyone thought about him cursing.

"I think he's eaten something that doesn't quite agree with him. He's all sour and grumpy. Even before the plane ride he was bearable."

"H-Hey..." Hideki murmured, suddenly sounding nervous. His voice dropped into a whisper as he asked, "Are you calling Rai after this?" When Kako affirmed this, he continued, "Could you tell her something for me?"

Her heart skipped a beat. "Y-yeah?" Kako asked eagerly. Anything, anything so long as you two are getting back together!

Her heart nearly failed her the next second, when, in a firm voice, Hideki commanded, "Tell her I'll forget her. And...I'm sorry." He must have known Kako's reluctance, because the next thing he told her was, "Kako, you have to promise me you'll tell her that. I'll go so far as to tell Kouichi all your little secrets and hand your diary over to the press." They both knew it was a weak threat, but at the moment, threats didn't matter.

Kako tightened her grip on the phone. "Y-you're drunk, aren't you?" she hissed.

"No, I'm as sober as Takuya," he replied, each word more serious than the next.

Sinking to the floor, Kako shut her eyes. It isn't fair...

Hideki's voice cut through her. "Kako, promise me."

He was getting impatient. She had no choice. Without another word, Kako stood up and slammed the phone down on the receiver, trembling. Picking it up again, Kako dialed the next number quickly.

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My muscles...are...sore, Kouichi thought, groaning as he stretched out on the couch.

"Kouichi, are you alright?" he heard his mother ask.

"Yeah," he replied automatically. It was nothing major. Why worry her?

"Alright..." Ms. Kimura walked into the living room, brushing a strand of her hair out of her eyes. "I'm going to visit a friend, alright? I won't be gone long, and I don't want to see anything broken." Her frown was fixed in the direction of Duskmon. "Is that clear?"

Duskmon snorted and looked away. Rolling his eyes, Kouichi replied, "Yes, Mom. I'll make sure of it." As soon as his mother left, Kouichi focused his eyes in Duskmon's direction. "You broke it, didn't you?"

The digimon looked away, glaring at the white wall. Kouichi chuckled at his reaction. Before he could open his mouth to say anything, the phone rang. The boy froze, staring at where the phone was. "Duskmon...?"

"Give me a break. You lazy slob of a human," Duskmon growled, picking up the phone. And I'm the one who's disappearing. "Hello?" he said into the phone in a gruff voice. It was a habit, what could he say?

"Kouichi, do you have a cold? Or did I press the wrong number...?"

Great, her. Before he did anything else, the digimon growled, "It's Duskmon, stupid." Duskmon then turned to Kouichi and tossed the phone over. "Your g-"

"She isn't," Kouichi replied hotly, catching the phone and pressing it against his ear. "Hello? Kako?" He immediately regretted accepting the phone at the time. Kako was in the middle of another of her rants.

"...and excuse me if I thought that digimon didn't answer phones! I mean, the rest of them are perfectly normal enough, but I guess you're a stinking exception! HAH! YOU'RE WORSE THAN KOUJI!" Kako screamed. "HAND IT OVER TO KOUICHI!"

"This is Kouichi."

There was an awkward silence that befell them both.

Kouichi let out a sigh. "Kako?" he called into the phone.

"Sorry."

He hid a smile, aware of Duskmon's presence. "It's okay. So what's this about Kouji? Has he been doing something illegal or something? The last thing I heard from him was something about me being too cheery. I was tired..." he mumbled in defense.

Kako burst into laughter. When it finally died down, she told him, "I heard that part. He was pretty loud. About half the people were staring at him. Maybe more. I think it's just the fact that he's with your dad and step mom. I mean, if I were him, I guess I'd be pretty moody, too..." She trailed off into silence once more.

Kouichi could hear her sigh. He bit his lower lip. Already, he was starting to miss his brother and Kako. "S-so...how's Hawaii?" asked Kouichi, hoping to make some sort of conversation. Anything so I can keep talking, he thought, suddenly feeling desperate.

Oh, yes, it's such a Romeo and Juliet scene, Duskmon cackled.

Kouichi shot the digimon a glare but said nothing when Kako began to talk.

"W-well, you know how Hideki and Rai are...and...yeah..." Kako began to murmur bits of sentences quickly, too fast for Kouichi to catch.

Not understanding the rest of her blabber, he advised, "Sentences would work, Kako."

"Sorry. See I was talking to Hideki-"

"Got that part."

"Shut up so I can tell this without having a breakdown again!"

Slightly disappointed, Kouichi obliged. "Mmm..."

Kako drew a breath before explaining, "I called Hideki and we were talking for a while. Apparently Takuya's giving him therapy lessons...?"

There was silence. Kouichi had a grin on his face as he held back a laugh. She had told him to shut up, after all.

"CONFIRMATION, PLEASE?" Kako practically screamed.

"Oh, I can talk now?" Kouichi asked, feigning innocence.

Muttering something, Kako snapped, "As I was saying, Hideki was talking to me and he told me to tell Rai..." Again, she trailed off.

Completely ignoring the fact that the silence was getting annoying, Kouichi sat up. The pain in his muscles went away for that fleeting moment. "That they're getting back together?" Kouichi inquired eagerly, unable to stand the silence.

"No...Hideki told me to tell Rai...that he would forget her."

I must be hearing things, Kouichi thought, placing the phone down as a hand flew to his head to check for a fever.

"You heard just fine," Duskmon snapped. "Cut the dramatics."

Sticking his tongue out at Duskmon, Kouichi picked up the phone. "It isn't April Fool's day, Kako."

"I WAS SERIOUS YOU STUPID IDIOT. I WAS SERIOUS. AND IF YOU AREN'T GOING TO HELP ME-"

"Wait, Kako-"

"-FINE! IT'S JUST FINE!"

"No, Kako I-"

"I'LL JUST TELL HER THEN!"

"KAKO WOULD YOU-" Kouichi began to yell before the droning sound of the cut off line met his ears. Twitching, he turned to Duskmon. "She hung up on me!" the boy snapped.

Duskmon rolled his eyes. "Oh, the horror of it all," he replied with dry sarcasm. You did want to hear her voice. What better way than full volume?

Kouichi scowled and placed the phone on the receiver. "If Takuya's giving Hideki therapy lessons, he isn't doing a very good job of it."

"Can anyone give the idiot proper lessons? His head's in the clouds," Duskmon retorted. He said this with a hint of fondness in his voice, one only Lowemon could decipher. Much to his relief, the warrior of darkness wasn't anywhere near. He hid his small smile with an annoyed look. If these were going to be his last few days, he'd go down in his style. A smirk suddenly formed on his lips as he declared, "Kouichi has a girlfriend. How very befitting. I think I'll go tell everyone else."

"SHE ISN'T MY GIRLFRIEND!"

"Not yet."

"W-well-"

"Aha, so you agree."

"SHE ISN'T MY GIRLFRIEND!" Kouichi screamed again.

Duskmon smoothly countered, "And Kouji isn't your brother."

At the mention of his twin, Kouichi lapsed into silence. Kouji and Duskmon...the resemblance personality wise was uncanny. Each second he spent with one or the other, Kouichi could see more of how they were alike. Strange, and yet comforting. Maybe that's why they hate each other so much, Kouichi mused, lying back down on the couch and sighing.

"What?" Duskmon snapped.

"I didn't do anything," Kouichi replied absentmindedly. His eyes slipped shut.

Duskmon let out an annoyed growl, "You didn't counter!"

"Do I have to?"

"Yes!"

We probably all hate...to see how we really are...

"Tough, then."

It made so much sense.

"You can't just back out like that!"

But all we can see...in our mirror selves are our faults. Maybe, one day...

"I just did."

"I'm going to break another plate."

"Duskmon, NO!"

One day, they'll realize there's more to it. They'll see through the fog of hate. Maybe they'll even find the real light within themselves. One day...

He hoped it was soon.

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Kouji instantly felt calmed by the warm sand that met his feet. In the last minutes of the setting sun, he was the last on the beach. Warmth flooded through him, despite the cool air.

"It's nice, isn't it?" Kako asked in a whisper as she walked up beside him.

Absentmindedly, Kouji nodded. His eyes were focused on the rays of the sun that cast a brilliant display of colors across the sky.

There was a sigh beside him. "Kouichi always said...sunsets...are better...than sunrises. The truth is, I always thought that sunrises are soft. They definitely can be, but ultimately, sunsets are softer," she told him, taking a seat.

Kouji felt compelled to sit down as well, and did so, shutting his eyes at the sudden spray of the ocean in his face. Part of him didn't want to listen to her, but he did, all the while staring at the sky.

"I don't know...you think there could be an answer out there? In the sunset, I mean."

"He's asleep?" Kouji asked. He didn't really care for where she was heading with all her talking. He wanted to be alone.

Kako turned her head in his direction, but Kouji's eyes were strictly glued onto the sky when he finally opened them. "Piximon? Y-yeah..." she murmured. Looking back down at the sand by her fingers, she whispered, "What do you think, Kouji? Do you prefer being in the dark?"

Why won't she leave? "Depends on the meaning."

"Do you prefer being in the dark?" Kako repeated.

"No, I don't." Now be quiet and leave me alone.

"Townsfolk," she muttered under her breath, standing up and brushing away the sand. Hesitantly, she asked, "You...wouldn't help any stranger, would you?"

"Not that I know of," Kouji muttered. He couldn't understand why he wasn't shaking her off.

Kako quietly stared at him. "Hideki...told me to tell Rai that he would forget about her. I...I don't know if I should. I blew up at Kouichi and...I...I don't know why. But I was hoping...maybe a sunset would give me the answer. I-"

"That's stupid," Kouji snapped, rising to his feet immediately. "A sky won't give you answers, Kako. Get real."

"It's not the sky, Kouji. It's the people I remember when I stare at the sky."

For the first time that hour, as the sky's golden glow slowly faded, Kouji whirled around to face Kako. There wasn't the slightest hint of emotion on her face although he could have sworn she was trembling seconds ago. A complete, stolid figure.

"You hate being in the dark because you're afraid of not determining your own fate. You think it's better if you know what's going on so you can ease people into what you think are their destinies. I'm sorry, Kouji, but sometimes, being practical isn't enough." Quietly, she walked up to him and stopped. They were shoulder to shoulder, looking in completely different directions. "My fault is looking back. Yours is looking forward. Sometimes it takes a dream to move forward."

There was a split second where Kouji found himself immobilized. He wasn't sure if it was from fear or surprise. The next second, when he was finally free to turn his head, he caught Kako walking back to the house.

A dream...she said it took a dream to move forward. I have a dream, and it's as good as any other. Kouji gazed at her retreating figure. "Kako! Even the practical can dream!" he yelled. He couldn't be sure that she heard him, but he swore for a slight moment that she stopped in her tracks.

It was enough of a sign for Kouji. As the waves crawled up the shore before falling back into the large body of water, Kouji smiled softly to himself. As the waves continuously moved, it felt as if his troubles were being dragged and washed away...into the sea. "Well," Kouji chuckled, "You're certainly a sea of troubles. I told myself I was going to relax this time...concentrate more on the family. But hey, that's tomorrow morning. She asked for it..."

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A/N-

I kind of imagined that to be shorter. Hm. And I keep switching styles. I've gone from my style to a more descriptive style to manga style (without the pictures) and back to the more descriptive style that has now apparently become my style. I don't know. Am I switching styles? (tell me, please, because I can't tell myself)

Heehee, it looks like all the readers are having some downtime? Same here! I don't know, if this problem persists for both of us, I'm going to have to stop working on the story until summer. Of course, I'll still be writing it, just not as actively and I won't be posting (until the summer!). Opinions would be nice.

Speaking of stories, I had some time a while ago and was looking through the profiles of the people who enlisted me in their favorites and on their author alerts. I was mainly looking for good stories to read. But see, it was either that they didn't have any stories up or that the stories they had were longer than four chapters. () So, sorry. If you want me to read your stories, I'd be more than glad to...I just need time. Recommendations are good. Anyway, I've been writing more than reading (other than manga) and that isn't necessarily smart.

Thank you for the reviews-

PrincessYami, GemmaniGirl, Winter's Light, Catwarrior

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