Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon.

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Fleeting Theories

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For the first time in a long time, Takuya took his goggles off willingly. "That's it!" he screamed, throwing them on the ground. "I've had it with you! No wonder Kako's crazy! She has to live with you!" He was becoming hysterical.

Hideki was sitting down on the couch, eyes glued to the TV as he skillfully evaded an enemy's attack. "Hah! Take that you-"

"AND YOU AREN'T EVEN LISTENING TO ME! IT'S NO WONDER YOU AREN'T SUCCESSFUL IN ANYTHING!"

"Hey, what do you call this?" Hideki snapped, motioning to the TV.

Takuya stuck his tongue out and picked up his goggles. "It's not real life. Besides," he added in a dry voice, "my brother could do better than that. I give up on you. Izumi said maybe you two weren't a lost case, but it's hopeless. You guys are past lost!"

There was a chuckle. "Glad you finally gave up," Hideki commented. "I was getting bored. Let's see your skills, then." He held the controller out to Takuya who had just put on his goggles again.

No, don't do it! You have to get him back together wi-just take the controller! Without another thought, Takuya snatched the controller out of Hideki's hands and maneuvered through the game. "Take that!" he muttered under his breath.

Izumi's going to kill me.

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Izumi drew a breath, remembering Marise's words. Takuya and Hideki, she recognized, were a lost cause. Boys give up too easily, she thought.

That's true. I just went to check up on them and they're both goofing off, Kazemon laughed.

Silent fury racked Izumi's body as she knocked on the door in front of her violently. When it opened, Izumi sighed and shook her head. "Ms. Kawai, you don't mind if I come in, do you?" she asked.

Rai stood at the doorway, utterly surprised at who was at the door. So long as Hideki doesn't come over, it's perfectly fine, she thought in relief, stepping to the side and motioning for the girl to come in.

She bit her lower lip. Izumi, part one is overwith. Come on, you can do it. Izumi smiled sweetly and stepped inside. She took a moment to observe her surroundings.

Neat, organized...everything she expected from her teacher. The mantle of the fireplace was the only obtrusive part of the room. Everything else could be taken in by the eye. On the mantle, there was a countless clutter of picture frames, most lying face down, others positioned at strange angles. Izumi tilted her head to the side out of confusion. It was incredibly strange, but then again, she could expect it from Rai.

"So what brought you to my...humble abode?" questioned Rai, sitting down on the couch and motioning for Izumi to take a seat.

Being straightforward was a dangerous method, one that Izumi planned for later, if things went well. But she guessed it would be a rocky start and kept her method to circles. Clearing her throat, Izumi took a seat in the unoccupied couch adjacent to the one Rai sat on. Just as she sat down, she replied, "I just had a few questions. I hope you don't mind." She noticed the edges of Ms. Kawai's mouth twitch. Keep it safe, Izumi, she warned herself, swallowing. "You see, I-"

It happened so fast, Izumi was shocked. Rai stood up immediately, startling Izumi to pause in midsentence. "Would you like anything to eat?" asked Rai, smiling sweetly. "A drink, perhaps? I'll go fix something up. Keep talking, okay?"

Marise's words from the night prior suddenly flooded into Izumi's head. 'She doesn't like to talk about personal matters. She'll avoid them like bats in the daylight.'

I get what he meant, thought Izumi, face falling to the sour look of annoyance. I'll just play along. She let out a distressed sigh and fell back in her seat, continuing rather dramatically, "Well, you know I was talking to Takuya the other day."

"Were you?"

"Yes...he seemed a bit under the weather."

Rai came back out with a plate of chips. "Oh? What happened?" she asked, dashing back into the kitchen.

Izumi was under the impression that Rai was afraid to show any face during the talk. Maybe she leaks out emotions facially...? Whatever it is, it's working, she realized. A change in tactics was made. She quieted down, waiting when Rai brought out some soda. The biology teacher looked flustered. "Why don't I help?" Izumi suggested, standing up and accompanying Rai to the kitchen.

There was a definite change in the air. Ms. Kawai twitched again. "That's really alright, dear," she murmured, turning around Izumi and pushing her back to the couch. "Wait here...I'll make cookies."

"I'd just love to help," Izumi insisted, pushing the hands aside and walking back into the kitchen.

Realizing Izumi would continue her stubborn act, Ms. Kawai gave in. Pulling out the ingredients one by one, she murmured, "Why don't you continue?"

Who wants to play the blame game? If it actually works. Izumi smiled, turning away from her teacher as she measured the flour. "It seems there was a boy's afternoon out."

"Oh?" Izumi turned around quickly to catch a glimpse of a facial expression. Quizzical was the only word to describe Rai.

"Yes. Apparently, he was talking to Hideki. The two went out for that day...and Hideki got drunk," Izumi said, careful not to insert any emotion in her voice. She had her best poker face on, too. Suddenly, Izumi burst out laughing, managing to tell Ms. Kawai between peals of laughter, "And he spent the hour after that throwing up. The entire time, he just said he wasn't sick. It was after I threatened to go get Kouichi that he told me..." She inserted a dramatic pause here and dumped the sugar into the bowl.

Tensing up, Ms. Kawai took the bowl from Izumi to add the rest of the ingredients. Her eyes were stuck on Izumi. Due to her absentmindedness with the concoction at hand, she nearly dumped the entire bottle of vanilla extract in. "He told you...?" Rai was hooked. It was perfect.

Quickly grabbing the bottle of vanilla extract, Izumi continued, "He told me he had a few cups, too. Do you have anything to cure for a hangover? See, I mean, you had to handle Hideki and all his hangovers, right? So I figured you'd be able to help me." Managing to look perfectly innocent, Izumi smiled brightly.

The circles were working. Rai walked to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle, handing it to Izumi. "Believe me, you don't want to ask. Yes, take the bottle. I can always make more," she sounded annoyed as she continued, "I had to make Hideki drink about a liter of this before he stopped drinking. Unfortunately, the results only lasted for a week."

Izumi took the bottle. Perfect. It's going well. "Well, I'd hate to leave the cookies undone. Say, do you have any other advice on idiots?" she asked with a grin.

Rai replied with a grim look of her own. "Oh, believe me. I ought to write a book."

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Dinner had been silent for Kouichi. There would be no laughs, no yelling, just dinner. Duskmon was brooding in his room. His mother was off at work, leaving Kouichi even more lonely than before. Dang, why does she have to work the extra hours? Uncomfortably, he sat down and stared at his dinner.

Training with Marise had been intense. He had spent the entire day there; the first half with Mr. Tsukishiro and the second with Marise. An intense sparring session that lasted for hours and then extreme meditation. At least I actually concentrated.

His thoughts drifted to Izumi and Takuya. Takuya told me he's trying a new method of getting Hideki and Rai back together...I wonder what it is, he thought, moving the rice around with his chopsticks. Kouichi's eyes were glazed over, staring endlessly at the wall in front of him. Focused on nothing, he continued to move the rice back and forth, creating a rhythm for lack of anything to do.

The reels in his mind were slowly coming to a stop. Marise, Kanaye, Rai, Hideki, Kako...Takuya and the others...Mr. Tsukishiro, even. All of them...all of them were connected in this game. Sighing in annoyance, Kouichi leaned back in his chair, continuing his hand movements. Just when he thought things were piecing together, they fell apart. There was a larger picture, and he just couldn't see what it was yet. What he thought was a puzzle was just a broken piece of the bigger picture.

Life stinks. Kouichi looked back down at his food. Kako and Kouji. Hawaii. His father, his step mother--technically, she was his step mother as well--and that supposed new child. Nothing was connecting. Come to think of it, the boy realized, Dad doesn't seem like the type of guy to do something idiotic like that. Of course, unless the two really wanted Kouji with them to break off all connections...

Kouichi speared a carrot, bringing it up to his mouth, then dropping it.

There was no question about it.

He was worried.

Sighing, Kouichi covered his dinner and shoved it into the fridge. "I'll get back to you later," he muttered and walked to his room. The entire mess required some drawing out.

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Takuya flashed a look at the obviously sleeping form of Hideki before he turned off the TV and put away the video game equipment. Another glance in Hideki's direction.

Can't make any risks, Takuya thought with a grin. As quietly as possible, he tiptoed towards the hall that lead to the bedrooms, opening two or three doors before he found Hideki's. Once he was inside, he chuckled, "Nothing unusual. Yet. But guys like him always have something on them! Just gotta look in the right place..."

He proceeded to search through Hideki's drawers, under the bed, in the closet, and check any crevice or wall for a switch. There was nothing Takuya could find. Even stomping on the floor didn't help. Tapping on the walls was no better. Damn, he thought, for a pervert, this guy's as clean as...well, nothing's really clean when you think about it. So he must not be, either! Even I have a picture of Izumi in my room! Even more determined than before, Takuya began his search again.

It was futile, he soon realized. Takuya found nothing. No numbers, no pictures, no secret diary. "Man, this stinks," he groaned, falling back on Hideki's bed. He had nothing.

There was a sound of metal clashing against each other by Takuya's ear. Curiously, he sat up and looked beneath him. Blanket. He pushed the blanket aside. There was a pillow. Pillow. Takuya pushed the pillow away.

Nothing.

Growling, Takuya picked up the pillow and threw it across the room. There was the clinking sound again. He paused, a look of pure confusion on his face. It hit him as he slammed a fist on his open palm. "Of course!" he said in an excited whisper. He scrambled off the bed and ran towards the pillow, yanking the cloth off and spilling out a chain with three tiny silver keys.

He was stuck with keys. Now he just had to find the lock.

This gets better and better, Takuya thought with a grin. He looked around the room, searching for possible places that Hideki would put any items he wanted to keep out of prying eyes, or in this case...Takuya Kanbara.

Wanting to laugh, Takuya narrated, And the great snoop Takuya Kanbara uncovers another clue-wait...I sound like I'm in 'Blue's Clues.' Way to go, Tacky. He shook his head and opened the closet again. There was a small desk in the middle of it, with clothes hanging from hangers above it. The desk had three drawers. Three drawers with three locks. Three locks for three keys. Takuya chuckled as he began trying the keys, opening the first drawer without any trouble.

His eyes widened.

Hideki was definitely obsessed. A notebook, pictures, a mess of things. Takuya shook his head and picked up the notebook, nearly gagging at the first date. ELEVEN YEARS AGO? Oh, wait...she ignored him then. Y-you mean...up until five years ago...she didn't even so much as acknowledge his existence? Takuya was amazed. Rai definitely had a stubborn streak. He flipped through a few more pages before sorting through some more of the drawer contents.

Pictures. Pictures of the two together, pictures of just Rai, pictures of her backpack. A pencil case? Takuya shook his head. There was a small, sad smile on his face. "He really does love her," he muttered in disbelief, shutting the drawer after replacing all contents. He moved to the second drawer, opening it succesfully with the next key.

Takuya had a theory that the keys were the same size and one could fit any of the locks, but decided it probably wouldn't be the best idea. He opened the second drawer.

Nothing.

Sucking in a breath, Takuya shut the drawer and opened the next, almost dying from laughter. There, he found items a typical Hideki would have. Pictures of other girls, another notebook which he discovered to have pictures and details from many girls...Takuya assumed from the faded writing, however, that it was from before Hideki met Rai.

He shut the drawer and was about to turn away when he realized there was something bothering him. The second drawer had nothing, and the other two did. That's kind of weird, Takuya realized. Curiously, he opened the second drawer again and peeked further into it.

There was nothing in there.

Out of frustration, Takuya swore and placed a hand in the drawer, feeling around inside of it.

He found exactly what he was looking for. Compared to the grainy sides of the wood, the bottom of the drawer had a smooth filmy feeling to it. There's a picture or something here! Grinning madly, Takuya clawed at the paper, managing to lift it up without harming it. Eagerly, he took a look at it.

Hideki would be sure to run back to Rai once Takuya was through with him.

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The morning was beautiful to Kako. A brilliant orange sunrise that shimmered was cast out onto the sky, decorated with a few purple hues on the sky. Eventually, she watched it fade into a soft yellow and into the blue, cloudless sky it was when everyone else woke up. She doubted that Kouji slept; all night, she could hear typing. Then again, it wasn't as if she slept.

Shrugging, Kako walked inside, locking eyes with Kouji immediately. He sat at the table, taking a bite of his food before he pushed it away and focused on her. It was slightly uncomfortable at first, but it made Kako ponder what was on his mind. Typing. Why was he typing? He looks-

Kouji's voice startled her. It was soft, almost unlike him for that instant. "How long have you been awake? You look like you didn't sleep," he told her. Dark eyes that swirled with mystery...that was what Kako saw. It irked her that she couldn't see anything more. Shrouded with mystery, Kouji was unpredictable.

She just shrugged and looked away. There wasn't much to say about it. With a soft exhale, Kako walked towards the window. She leaned on the windowsill and asked, "Would you like to go out to the beach with me?" She had no idea why she was asking, but for some reason, Kako felt compelled it. Smiling softly, she watched as the sky took its dull light blue color and pushed away all clouds. "It's a beautiful day to go out."

For a few minutes, they were silent. Kouji turned back to his food as Satomi walked in. "Kako, would you like anything to eat?" she asked the girl with a kind smile. Smiling politely in return, Kako shook her head. The lady's business was short. She collected Kouji's plate once he finished, placed it in the sink, quickly did the dishes, and headed towards the door. "I'm going shopping. Tell your father, would you, Kouji?" said Mrs. Minamoto. A few seconds later and she was out the door.

A beautiful day to go out...? Kouji turned to Kako whose eyes were glued outside the window. He stood up and his heart skipped a beat. Shaken, he swallowed. There was only one chance. "I..." he started, "I'd..."

"Kouji...where did Satomi go?" Kousei walked into the kitchen looking tired. He yawned. Then turning to Kouji, he waited for an answer with an expectant look on his face.

Kouji stood there in silence, eyes glued to Kako. He couldn't move. With a simple question, she had him immobilized. It took a while for him to shake his head and tell his father, "She went shopping." All the while, Kouji didn't move his eyes from Kako.

"Oh. That's too bad. I hoped we could sit down and talk...We'll do that tonight if that's alright." He looked at Kako and smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry...it's just-"

Kako shook her head. "Don't apologize. It's fine," she replied. Under her breath, she muttered, "It's Kouichi's fault anyway."

Suddenly surprised, Kouji took a step back. It made no sense. She cared. She cared about their family. But why? It makes no sense, Kouji thought. "Kako," he called out.

It was Kako's turn to be surprised. She looked at Kouji with slightly widened eyes.

"I think I'll take up your offer...on the walk," he told her, slipping on his shoes and yanking his jacket off a hanger from the closet. I have a few questions, he thought to himself. And you'll be answering them.

Smiling triumphantly, Kako nodded, quickly walking over and slipping on her own shoes. "Thanks," she whispered to him as they walked outside.

He was even more confused than before.

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The sand was comforting. Looking at it reminded Kouji of his life. All those small things that just collected up. I wonder if that's how the sand feels. He averted his gaze to Kako, his eyes boring into her with an intense look of interest. "Hey...Kako, why do you-"

Kako looked up at him, smiling sweetly. She interrupted him, "First, I have a favor to ask." Mischief sparkled in her brown eyes.

Are they brown? Kouji suddenly wondered. He squinted to get a better look. There was black, there was brown--he couldn't be sure. The sun was shining down on them brightly. Too bright. "What is it?" he inquired, shielding his eyes from the sun.

In one fluid movement, Kako grabbed his hands in her own and brought them up between them. "Please will you surf? I really want to see you surf!" she begged him.

Kouji's eyes slipped shut. Of course, he thought bitterly. I should have guessed. You take Kouichi away, and she starts asking the next closest person to do dangerous tricks. If I drown...no, I'll write my will first. With an exasperated sigh, Kouji asked, "Is that the whole purpose of this walk?" In truth, he was more than slightly annoyed.

Kako dropped her hands to her sides and looked down at her shoes. In a small voice, she answered, "Maybe."

"Kako," he growled, "if that's it, I'm going back inside!" He had better things to do. He didn't need to be a source of amusement for her.

He stopped when she grabbed his right arm. "W-wait!" yelled Kako. "You can't go back! And if you do, Piximon will kill me!" She looked up at him with desperate eyes.

It made sense. Piximon, him...it wasn't amusement she was looking for. It was time away from Piximon. He submitted. "Fine," Kouji mumbled. "Just no surfing."

Kako laughed, "That's fine. Hey, you wanna check my grandpa's inn? It's awesome!"

"No thanks."

She got him interested anyway. "He's got a new bandana style out," Kako sang, hands slipping down to his. She gave his hand a slight yank. Kouji followed without a word. Laughing, Kako let go of his hand and ran ahead.

New bandana style...Hawaiian? This better be good. He made a silent note to himself to tell her off to Piximon if it wasn't.

The inn wasn't too far from the beach. In fact, it was just a half mile from the house his parents were renting. Kouji was amazed with it. Aizawa's crazy, he decided as he walked inside. He found Kako at the counter, chatting rather animatedly with the front clerk whom Kouji guessed to be slightly older. Eyes narrowing in suspicion, he walked up and pushed Kako aside. Can't let anything go wrong. "Who are you?" he questioned the clerk.

The boy at the desk blinked at Kouji out of surprise. "Actually," he commented, "it's more of the question of who you are."

"Kouji Minamoto. Now state your business, buddy!" Kouji stopped when he noticed the dark aura behind him. Nervously, he turned around and saluted while he lied, "I'm...replacing Piximon for the moment?" It would have been a plausible lie if there hadn't been another reason in the matter. And at the moment, Kouji wished the reason was nonexistent.

But Kako managed to swallow her anger, concentrating it all on stepping on Kouji's foot, which worked twice. She looked back at the boy and sighed. "Sorry. Kouji's an idiot at times."

There was a chuckle. Kouji could have sworn it was a sneer as the boy laughed, "Ah, so he's the infamous bandana boy Aizawa talks about." He motioned to the two. "Come over here. Mr. Aizawa's busy at the moment, but you can still look at the new designs we've gotten."

The two followed the boy into a seperate room filled with shelves that were covered with bandanas. "I still have yet to learn his name," Kouji muttered.

"Ichiro, what are y--woah, it's Kako!" someone commented from the front.

Kako turned around, a smile on her face. She waved, but said nothing in greeting. His head was woozy from all the designs, facts and names that were swarming around. "Y-you!" he snapped, pointing at Ichiro, who was adjusting an orange bandana on its shelf. "Uhh...damn it, I'm never taking Piximon's job again," he muttered.

Rolling her eyes, Kako pointed to Ichiro. "Kouji, meet Ichiro Egawa. I suppose you couldn't call him the brightest of all Hideki's friends, but he's definitely brighter than Hideki," she introduced the two.

Brushing his blond hair back, Ichiro offered a hand. "And that," he told Kouji when the bandana boy shook his hand, "would be my little brother Ryuusei." In a quieter voice, Ichiro added when neither Kako or Ryuusei were listening, "He's the one you really ought to worry about. Keep 'em far away from Kako. He harbors a...six? Seven year old crush or so." Ichiro squeezed Kouji's hand tightly before releasing it and turning to Kako. "Anyway, if you guys want to, you can wait here or at the front if you want to talk to him," he told them.

Kako looked to Kouji for a confirmation. Waving a dismissive hand, Kouji muttered, "The front. I'm getting dizzy. It's too bright."

Ryuusei made his first remark that resulted in Kouji's buildup of dislike for him. "What?" the boy asked, blue eyes dancing with amusement, "Did Japan turn into a dump?"

Noticing the intense glare from Kouji that Ryuusei was obviously ignoring, Kako whacked her old friend's shoulder. "Ryu," she hissed. Turning to Kouji, she asked, "Would you like to wait for my grandpa or walk again?"

"I don't know. What do you want to do?" Kouji returned, folding his arms.

There it was, what she had expected. Kouji's full out stubborn attitude. Letting out a forced laugh, she turned to Ryuusei. "Hey, why don't you show me some of your surfing tricks?" Kako suggested, clapping her hands together. Please accept, please accept...

His sea green eyes sparkled. "Well, I don't know..." Ryuusei murmured, scratching the back of his head.

Kako nearly squealed. Throwing her arms around him, she yelled, "Thank you!" Finally, she could talk to Kouji.

Kouichi's asleep or I'd call him, Kouji thought in disgust as Kako practically skipped after Ryuusei. HIs hand brushed against his cellphone in his pocket. It was eight in the morning. He'd have to wait at least four more hours if Kouichi was going to wake up early. Five if he wanted to catch his twin for sure.

"Kouji, are you coming? Hurry up!" Kako called out to him, peeking her head in the door.

He was about to retort when he could the look on Kako's face. A smirk appeared on his own. Clever, Kouji realized. She's smart.

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The waves crashed down, sending surfers back to the beach and easing others into the water. Kako's eyes were glued onto Kouji, however. "What were you doing last night?" she asked immediately as soon as Ryuusei left them to show off.

Kouji let out a laugh. "Shouldn't I be asking the questions?" the bandana boy mused aloud. He lay back on the sand and let the cool morning sun shine down on him. "First tell me why you care so much for our family."

He felt her place a hand on his chest as she leaned over him, an annoyed look on her face. "Kouji," Kako snapped, "I'm serious. What were you doing last night?" The annoyed look had been replaced by one of such solemnity that made Kouji want to laugh.

Resisting, he shut his eyes and sighed. After a while of silence, he opened them and pulled her towards him, his main reason being that he didn't want Ryuusei to interfere in her relationship with Kouichi in any way. Looking her in the eye, Kouji told her softly, "Fine. But you have to answer my questions, too." When she nodded, Kouji said, "I've got a few stories to write, a few facts to connect, here and there. Small jobs, favors...that stuff." It was a lie, and he was sure she knew. She had been onto him yesterday night, after all.

Kako was indeed catching on quickly. Liar, she thought disgustedly, trying to pull away. Defeatedly, she sighed and held her position so as to not get too close. Honestly, he's worse than Piximon. Kako imagined what his reaction would be if she told him that before she answered, "Because you two idiot twins are giving your family a hell of a lot of trouble. Would you let go of me?" She was getting exasperated.

He obliged. "Your turn."

After a while of silence and actually watching Ryuusei as he fell into the waves, Kako asked, "So what's up with your family?"

"A few things. I'm not obliged to answer that, sorry Kako," Kouji returned in a grave voice. He sat up and smiled. "But I'll let you ask another question in place of it," the boy offered.

Kako tilted her head to the side. "Um...why...are you acting worse than Piximon?" It was an honest question, and she hadn't expected him to burst into full out laughter. Embarrassed, Kako brought her knees up and scooted away from Kouji as if to avoid him.

Still laughing, Kouji grabbed her arm. Eventually, he managed to let the laughter subside. "N-no, wait," he told her. "So..." There was an impish grin on his face. "I'm worse than Piximon, am I?" he asked her, pulling her closer.

"Considering you're practically making out with me at the moment, yeah, sure," Kako replied breezily.

Kouji made a face. "Give me a break," he snapped. "I'm not that bad. Besides," added the bandana boy as his expression turned grim, "I'm not letting that dork get in between you and Kouichi!"

"AHA! See! You're worse than Piximon! Not only do you treat me like a child and think that I can't withstand Ryu's constant flirting, but you think that you can't trust me with another guy! AND YOU'RE PRACTICALLY FLIRTING WITH ME YOURSELF! Not really, of course," Kako added hastily, "the last part, I mean."

Rolling his eyes, Kouji gazed at the sky. "Mmmhmm..." He lay back and shut his eyes again. "My turn. What do you know or remember about your father?" asked Kouji, fingers intertwining behind his head.

It was as he expected. Silence. Kako lay down beside him and sighed, "I really don't know." The confession didn't startle him much. "I...I remember he had glasses. And he was really nice to me. There was a time...oh, I don't know. You know when you visualize someone you don't know?" Kouji nodded and she continued, "I imagined him as an older version of Hideki, better personality, not a stupid, goddamn drunk, damn idiot, but nice and caring, making a few perverted jokes I guess. I...I also found out from something...I don't know, maybe it's just a dream, but he wasn't really strong. He was physically weak, frail, but smart. He was also sick often..." Her eyes slipped shut.

Kouji turned to his side to get a better look at her expression. "Yeah...?"

She giggled slightly. "I...I also remember just the slightest thing he did would make me laugh. For some reason, I remember a pot of spaghetti on his head..." she trailed off again and burst out into laughter.

Smiling, Kouji allowed his back to meet the sand. The sun beating down on him, the warm sand under him, the sound of the waves...it all had such a calming effect on him.

"H-hey...Kako...were you paying attention to me at all?"

Kouji's world came crashing to a stop as he glared up at the newly arrived (and wet) Ryu. With a yelp, Kako sat up, eyes open. "Umm...uh...sorry, Ryuusei," she blurted, looking away and rubbing the back of her neck. "The sun felt kinda warm...and I didn't get much sleep..."

"Why should you apologize?" Kouji snapped. He rose to his feet, eyes glittering.

For the first time, Ryu met his eyes. The message was sent in a heartbeat. Kouji looked down at Kako. "We better get going, don't you think? You didn't eat either," he reminded her.

Kako pouted. Looking up at Kouji, she insisted, "I'm not hungry!" Her stomach gave her away with a growl. Blushing madly, Kako stood up and brushed the sand off of her. "That never happened," she muttered to Kouji, turning away from both boys.

Kouji was about to drag her off when Ryu made his suggestion. The war was on from the second the words left his lips. "Kako, there's a cheap restaurant if you guys want to eat. My treat," he told her, beaming at her and taking the girl's hand.

Sending Kouji an uncomfortable glance, Kako replied with an uneasy laugh, "Sure...why not...? Right, Kouji?"

Sick from the nauseating smell of the ocean that surrounded Ryuusei, Kouji shook his head. "I've...got my work. I'll send Piximon, though. At least he won't bug you about Kouichi," he told her. The sly smile he had been hiding worked onto his lips. He left before either had a chance to see it.

Stiffening, Kako looked at Ryuusei uncomfortably. While she wasn't annoyed by her old friend's presence, she was a tad bit frightened without Kouji's presence beside her. This is NOT good, she realized. Putting on a smile when Ryu looked at her, she said, "Sure...let's go..."

"Okay. I've got to go change first. Meet up with you at the inn?" Ryu suggested.

"Right...at the inn." Rai better be up!

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Rai rolled over in bed with a groan. Her hand reached for her alarm clock, trying to shut it off. No matter how many times she pressed the snooze button, the ringing wouldn't go away. "Damn it," she swore, rolling onto her back and pushing the covers off. It was still dark; her eyes were taking their time to adjust in the given conditions. Her ears located the sound right away. Annoyed, Rai traversed halfway across her room, picked the phone off the small, round table and answered in a rude voice, "Hello?" The only idiots insane to call at this time are Marise and Hideki. And I guess some other people if they're desperate enough.

"RAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIII!"

Wait, insanity runs in the family. How could I leave Kako out? Rai smiled at the thought and shook her head when she found herself drooping. "Thanks for waking me up at..." she glanced at the clock and continued, "Two fourty-five in the morning! I've always wanted this type of wake up call."

"Oh...sorry," Kako murmured in apology.

She let out a tired laugh. "It's okay, Kako. Just...don't blame me if I start to snooze. How's Hawaii? Did you talk to your grandfather?" asked Rai.

Kako mumbled something incoherent before clearing her throat. To Rai, she said, "No...I talked to Ichiro and Ryuusei. Say, Rai...when you want to get a boy to take a hint, that hint being that you aren't really interested...what do you do?"

Ah...trouble I sense. Rai smirked and replied, "Turn them down."

Silence. "Um...hint."

"You flat out turn them down, Kako. Boys don't usually take hints. No offense to your dear Kouichi-" She braced herself for the interruption that came.

Kako's reaction was as she expected. "WE AREN'T GOING OUT! ...yet." The last word was whispered.

Rai laughed. "You know," she commented, "I think he's getting a bit restless. Duskmon's showed up at my place overnight at least five times since you've been gone. He pops in and out...then back in, then back out. So, how's twin two?"

"KOUJI DESERTED ME!"

"You make it sound like he dumped you," Rai told her.

There was a snort on the other end of the line. Kako was annoyed, Rai realized. Before Kako could say anything, she told the girl, "Just to let you know, I won't be able to catch up with your talk if you go on a speed rage. Whatever's going on, Kako, just tell him about Kouichi and then see if he asks if you're dating Kouichi. If not, just say you're busy and avoid him. Just refuse him, okay? I'm going back to sleep. I think I hear Duskmon grumbling again. Good niiiight..." Rai barely heard a word of protest before she hung up and plopped back down on her bed. "Goodness sakes, Duskmon, just go to sleep!" she snapped.

Duskmon sulked into the room from the shadows. "I don't want to," he mumbled huffily. "There is no point to sleeping."

"Liar. Even digimon sleep. If you aren't going to sleep, at least help Junpei or Tomoki. Or wake Kouichi up and force him to train," Rai returned, pulling the covers over her and bringing them up to her neck. "Good night."

Silently, Duskmon watched as Rai fell into a deep slumber. If there was anything he wanted to do, it was to go to Hawaii. "And yet will he listen to my idea?" the digimon muttered silently to himself. I doubt it. But...maybe...

A grim smile appeared on Duskmon's features. There was a slight chance. But it was only a slight chance. Either way it was worth a try.

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A/N-

The chapter title makes more sense towards the end I guess. Even I don't get it. I'm trying to cover more in the chapters. And if you want to know what I think, it's that everyone's either got no time on their hands or my stories aren't appealing. Personally, I think it's both. Plus, come on--would you read a story that updating twice a week that was over 50 chapters? Even if it's good, I find it hard to keep up myself. That happened to me once. I gave up. It finished at around 50, 60 chapters. I read around 40. It was past the point, too ahead and just way too fast updating. I found out it finished a while ago, but I didn't want to read it. Mainly because I lost interest in the fandom.

I don't blame you. I'm going to keep writing. I figured that receiving reviews generally don't matter because everyone has a different taste. It's hard to write for a majority's taste. In fact, all the season two fics I put up (on a different account) are dying. It's quite strange, but I've gotten this sudden obsession with writing Koushirou fics.

I'll keep writing in hopes that you keep reading because I love just writing. You could say that you'd never stop reading, but that isn't true. It's happened with other readers, and I'm not sure if I can say the same about you, but I can't say otherwise. That's the best part about it--I don't know you. I can't blame you because I don't know you and even if I did I couldn't. It's a little story in itself. Right now I'd just like you to know that I very much enjoy your reviews. Friends away from friends. I can talk to you guys about pretty much anything. Do I sound depressed? I'm actually not. I'm just thinking a lot lately, I guess. So thank you, and sorry for the stupidly long A/N, if you even read this. Ultimately, I must thank the lifeblood of my reviews-

Winter's Light, PrincessYami, GemmaniGirl

Review or PM or Flame, please. I take all.