Disclaimer: For all the love I have for Digimon, it is not mine.

A/N: Wow, okay...truth be told, though I'm the author, even I don't really know what's going on anymore. I had an outline...and I'm doing my best to write according to it, though I feel like this chapter came out nothing like what's in my head. I guess you either love this chapter or hate it; even I am confused, trying to switch between the mindsets of 3 romantically confused young adults.

It was just another day at Creative Lounge Mov, freelancers were typing away on their laptops at the bar top while entrepreneurs were holding meetings on the sofas. Amidst soft chatter, light music and the constant typing sounds was Natsuhi, fighting a losing battle against her latest article. It wasn't that she did not know what to write, quite the contrary, she could probably wax lyrical about the sheer deliciousness of Udon at Shin, but she simply was not in the mood to write about rich broth and al dente noodles. Even the light music in the background was grating on her nerves. "Snapping her Macbook shut, Natsuhi made a grab for her phone instead.

"Zero notifications, of course...what was I expecting?" She muttered to herself. It has been a while since she spent an entire day without some sort of message from Yamato. Somehow, the blonde always found something to send her. From the latest products at convenient stores to random conversations about his day, Yamato was always just a message away. Yet today he was miles away, figuratively and literally.

"And whose fault is that?" Natsuhi chided herself. Of course, she had to go be the 'bigger person' and send her not-so-secret crush on a date with his girlfriend! Disregarding the people in the co-working space, Natsuhi gently banged her head against the wooden table she sat at.

"Problems with your article?" A voice sounded from beside her.

Natsuhi shook her head without removing it from the table, trying to dispel the jealousy that was eating at her. "It's nothing Yumiko-san," she replied after taking a deep breath. The red head beside her however, was not convinced and shot her a 'look' instead.

Natsuhi sighed, of course it was pointless to lie to the older woman. Mitsuki Yumiko was Japan's premier love expert and ran an advice column in one of the magazines Natsuhi wrote for. It was only because of the older woman that Natsuhi knew about the co-working space she sat at now. She was doing a piece on the Yumiko for Tokyo Weekender and the interview evolved into a long afternoon chat at Creative Lounge Mov after Natsuhi shared some of her unique insights on a few letters Yumiko received for her column. It wasn't long before the two became 'colleagues', or 'friends at work' as Yumiko put it, given their lack of an actual office.

"You know, you're only tight-lipped about one thing, men," Yumiko stated calmly, wagging a finger in Natsuhi's face.

Said girl gave the elder female a pitiful look; whilst she loved psychoanalyzing people, Natsuhi hated being on the other end of the stick, it did not help that Yumiko was ruthless and blunt. Of course, the combined desire of wanting to get some work done and the need to get the problem off her chest caused Natsuhi to crack.

"Can we at least get coffee?" Natsuhi finally relented. The words 'I don't drink coffee' almost made it out of Yumiko's lips before she swallowed them back in. Natsuhi was finally ready to open up. Nodding to the girl, both women proceeded to pack up.

It was going to be a long afternoon.

And so, over coffee (and tea), the story (with some initial difficulty poured). How they had met, how she had eventually fallen hopelessly in love with him, the night at the balcony, the recent confession, their latest fight and even the situation with Taichi and Sora. At the end of it all, Yumiko probably knew more about the situation than any other living person besides Natsuhi.

Finally getting the entire situation out, Natsuhi slumped back into the plush sofa seat with a sigh. It was judgement time, what would the great Yumiko-sensei have in store for her?

Mulling over the facts presented before her, Yumiko stirred the non-existent tea in her cup, indeed, what sort of advice does this situation call for? "Before I start, someone needs to lock that Taichi guy and Yamato's girlfriend in a closet until they finally crack," Yumiko stated bluntly. Natsuhi, who was taking a sip of her coffee choked.

"Onto more serious matters…You know Natsuhi, sometimes it doesn't always pay to be the good guy," Yumiko stated with wisdom that only came with age. Natsuhi nodded at the statement, she knew…heck that is why she was sitting here, beating herself up. But she couldn't help herself…

Yumiko took one look at the girl and sighed, shaking her head slowly, she continued. "I know you want to be a good friend to Yamato and support his relationship, and you also want to do the 'right' thing and come out the better person in this little drama you've found yourself in. But you know what I think? I think you should fight for your love. You love him and because you love him, you want him to be happy. Now, it's all sound logic until this part. You think Sora will make him happy." At that, Yumiko proceeded to pour herself another cup of tea to let her words sink in to the younger girl before her.

Sitting up a bit straighter, Natsuhi nodded despite all the disagreements that raged within her.

"You know deep down, and don't give me that look, I know you well enough. Deep down, you know that Sora isn't good for him, that she won't make him happy. So really, by trying to support his current relationship, you're doing him a disservice," Yumiko stated bluntly.

Natsuhi's brows crinkled at the woman's blunt assessment of the situation. "But…that doesn't mean I make him happy. He wants Sora, not me."

Yumiko regarded Natsuhi with a rare look of surprise, then smiled to herself. Love does make people stupid. "What you want isn't always what's good for you. And in my expert opinion, doesn't matter whether or not he wants you, heck, it doesn't matter if you make him happy. You obviously love him more than this Sora girl does and that's already a vast improvement. So just go for it. He can't do worse than how he's doing right now anyways." Done with her advice, Yumiko took a long sip of her tea with a self-satisfied smile.

Natsuhi knew that Yumiko was right…but the emotional part of her just refused to listen to reason. It was oh so tempting to actively vie for Yamato's affections…but…

Groaning to herself, Natsuhi's head, for the second time that day, made intimate contact with the table top.

"Easier said than done, I know," Yumiko commented with a wry grin.

Whilst Natsuhi was battling jealousy and self-loathing, Yamato was on the other side of Tokyo (or Chiba, if you want to be specific), having the time of his life.

Sora was beaming brilliantly from his arm as they walked down the tree-lined slopes of Disney Sea, it honestly felt as if their relationship was finally back to the way it should be after so long. A tug on the Mickey Mouse ears on his head broke his train of thought.

"Your ears were crooked," Sora said with a small smile. Overcome by warm feelings of the moment, Yamato leaned in to place a kiss on her forehead, earning him a blush and a gentle shove. "We're in public Yama!" Sora stuttered.

"So?" Yamato grinned, eyes dancing with mirth.

Expectedly, Sora pouted, "Hmph, so what's next?" She grumbled

They still had an hour or so before the night time spectacle and dinner. Thanks to Natsuhi's itinerary, they had managed to get through many of the key attractions, which left them without much to do. "Well, we can always find a secluded place somewhere and…" Yamato trailed off suggestively.

Catching his drift, Sora's face immediately turned red. "What? Here? We can't..the kids…Yama-chan no baka!" Embarrassment turning into frustration, Sora smacked Yamato on the arm.

Laughing to himself, he grabbed the red head's arm and pulled her into a tight embrace. She is still so adorable and easily teased, unlike a certain someone… "I'm just kidding," he whispered into her hair.

Still blushing Sora looked at the giggling passer-by and stammered, "P-people are staring."

Yamato tightened his embrace in reply, "Of course they are, I have the most beautiful girlfriend in the world."

Never good with compliments, Sora just blushed harder and remained silent. Sensing that he may have crossed a line, Yamato finally let her go. "How about we go buy ourselves some popcorn, find a good spot to watch the show and catch up on each other's week?"

Happy with the suggestion, Sora nodded and let Yamato pull her towards their destination, feeling more than just a tad guilty. She had spent the week hanging out with Taichi, she had a good excuse of course; they were working on the same project for school. But she knew how uncomfortable it made Yamato feel whenever she brings up Taichi's name no matter how hard he tries to hide it. It did not help that a small incident happened only a few days ago at Tennis practice.

Flashback

"Sora! Your boyfriend is here to pick you up again!" Yelled a random teammate of hers. Stopping her packing, Sora looked around for a familiar head of gold but found none.

"You're so lucky to have your boyfriend come pick you up all the time Sora, he even brought you drinks and snacks!" Said another girl.

Sora looked back at her teammate, confused. Yamato rarely showed up at practice, if ever, although he always went to support her at competitions, mainly because it clashed with his classes. The only person who ever consistently visited her at practice was…

"Hey! Thought I should pick you up from practice since it's so near my dorms anyways. By the way here's a drink, you like this brand of ice coffee right?" The digidestined of courage said with a sunny smile as he pulled out the drink from the plastic bag.

"Aw! That's so sweet, I wish I had a boyfriend like that!" Squealed some of the juniors who were standing around watching the scene unfold.

"It's not, he's not-" Sora scrambled to explain Taichi's relationship with her. But the brunette just smiled and waved as he gently pulled her out of the courts, her tennis bag across his shoulder.

Yamato probably would not need to hear that story, Sora thought mostly to herself as Yamato brought her to the pop corn stand. "You alright babe?" Yamato asked as he noticed his girlfriend spacing out.

"Huh? Oh yea, sorry, I was just thinking," Sora replied, startled. Thankfully, Yamato did not pursuit the matter and instead set a bag of warm popcorn in her hands.

"Sorry, they didn't have the coffee flavoured one today, I know that's your favourite. I hope caramel is alright?" Yamato apologized.

Sora nodded numbly, why did Yamato have to be so sweet to her. Why did both Taichi and Yamato have to be so sweet to her? Subconsciously, Sora furrowed her brow at the situation at hand.

"Babe?" Yamato asked again. "Did you want something else? I can run down to buy something else if you want," He quickly added, worried.

Shaking her head to clear her mind, Sora plastered on her brightest smile, "No no, it's okay! Caramel is fine! I was just thinking if I closed the windows at my dorm or not, sorry to worry you."

Yamato nodded, accepting her excuse and Sora heaved a sigh of relief. When did everything get so complicated?

Thankfully the rest of the date went by without a hitch, the show was amazing and had wiped all unhappy thoughts from Sora's mind. Owing to that, dinner was a wonderful and romantic affair that naturally led up to the intimate post-dinner activity.

Yamato brushed a stray piece of hair from that had fallen over his girlfriend's face. He looked at the girl pillowed across her chest with a smile. He had done a good job, she was content and happy. She deserved so much more of course, but at least for today, he felt that he had at least done enough for her.

Untangling himself from her, Yamato grabbed his phone and walked towards the balcony to enjoy the night breeze and the stunning scenery. He really needed to thank her Natsuhi for all this. "Yama?" a soft voice called out as Sora padded her way next to the blonde.

"Take a picture with me?" He said, smiling despite himself at the sleepy and naked form of his girlfriend.

"At least let me wear a shirt!" Sora whined playfully at his request. Shaking his head with a smile Yamato pulled off the shirt he pulled on but moments ago and tossed it to her. Sora caught it and pulled it on, letting the shirt hang off her as a dress.

"You look beautiful," Yamato said to her, once again earning himself a blush from the girl. Pulling her close, he snapped a picture of them, lights of Disney Sea glowing in the background. Habitually, Yamato tapped the messaging app and clicked on the chat with Natsuhi. It was practically routine for him to share every and any photograph he takes with the girl. He remembered her complaining that Instagram existed for a reason, and she did not need photographic evidence of every moment in his life. And so, without thinking, Yamato sent the picture, along with his heartfelt thanks to Natsuhi.

"Won't she be annoyed?" Sora piped up from beside him.

"Huh?" Yamato looked at his girlfriend in confusion.

"Natsuhi, won't she be annoyed? The picture seems a little 'TMI'. Besides it's like…2am in the morning," Sora craned her neck to catch the time on the clock.

"Well, she is the mastermind who made all this possible. And she threatened to have my head if we didn't have a great day out." Inwardly, Yamato breathed a sigh of relief, Sora wasn't jealous that he just sent Natsuhi a picture of them…Sora hadn't found out about Natsuhi's feelings for him. At that thought, Yamato paled.

Maybe he shouldn't have sent that photo after all.

It was 2am by the time Natsuhi pulled herself together enough to finish the article she took on so Yamato could go on his date in Disney Sea. Yawning, she was about to head to the toilet until her phone vibrated for the first time that day.

Not bothering to contain her excitement, Natsuhi dove for her phone, and true to her expectations, it was a message from Yamato. Without thinking, she opened the message only to see a photograph of the happy couple staring back at her.

"Fuck," she swore without thinking and tossed her phone onto her bed. Well that just didn't hurt at all.

Dragging herself to the toilet, Natsuhi kept taking deep breathes. She would not cry, she would not. This was what she wanted no? For Yamato to have a romantic date out with his girlfriend? For Yamato be happy?

"Well he's happy alright," she muttered bitterly as she braced herself against the sink. Mechanically, she turned on the tap, trying in vain to continue her nightly ritual. One look at herself in the mirror however, had her stopping short again. She hated that look on her own face, the look of jealousy, of weakness. Damn it, she was better than this!

'It doesn't always pay to be the good guy.' Yumiko's words echoed in her head. Natsuhi shook her head to clear the voice out. But what choice did she have?

If she tries to be the good guy and support Yamato, although outwardly it may seem like she is a great friend and the better person, it doesn't change that inwardly, she is bitter and jealous of him and Sora's happiness. It didn't change that every time she saw them happy together, all she wants is for things to go wrong, for them to fight and break up. She loved Yamato, she should be happy as long as he's happy, he is happy now, so why is she feeling so miserable? Why is she such a terrible person that she can't even feel happy for him?

It's not that Natsuhi hadn't thought about doing the reverse, dissuading Yamato from the relationship and actively try and get him for herself. But what would that achieve? She will be breaking up her best friend's relationship for a selfish reason…Yamato will be miserable and sad; at worse, she could stand to lose him, even as a friend, forever. That last thought sent Natsuhi spirally down even darker paths. She was such a coward, so weak, that she won't even take the risk of losing him to pursuit him. Even when she knew that he deserved better than Sora.

"I just can't win can I?" Natsuhi said to herself with a bitter laugh. Either way, she's a despicable person. If that's the case then, she'd rather at least TRY and do the right thing, even if it was only outwardly, and be there for Yamato.

Rationally, Natsuhi knew that she was being stupid, but emotionally, once the self-loathing starts, it doesn't really end. She felt Yumiko's advice from earlier in the day try to battle out her dark thoughts, but Natsuhi was too tired to think anymore.

"God dammit why am I so fucking weak." She spat out.

"Why can't you just be happy for him?" "Why can't you even think rationally?" "Weak, so weak." The voices in her head echoed and she whimpered pathetically until finally, she snapped.

Robotically, Natsuhi walked towards the alcohol cabinet in her room, the cabinet she had been trying so hard to stay away from the whole day. There was class tomorrow but…, "Fuck class." She growled. Before she met Yamato, she only attended enough classes to pass anyway.

As she picked her poison, a tiny part of her rational side continued its futile tug-o-war against the looming self-hatred that threatened to consume her, tearing her into two.

Stop, she just wanted to make it all stop now. All the thoughts, the voices, the hate, the pain…

Unscrewing the cap of the Suntory Whiskey, Natsuhi briefly wondered if Yamato knew what this cabinet of alcohol was for. 'Probably not,' her mind answered for her. She started this cabinet because of him, just like how she went to class because of him… Before her thoughts could go any further, she tipped the bottle back, allowing the liquid to burn down her throat.

Dry and bitter, that's what tonight's heartache tasted like.

Natsuhi woke up with a pounding headache and swore. Grabbing her phone to check the time, she let out yet another curse as her phone screen lit up to display the source of her agony, the picture Yamato sent to her last night. He looked so happy in the photo. Eyes shining as Sora smiled shyly next to him, both of them basking unmistakably in afterglow. Add to the fact that Sora was wearing his shirt and Yamato was shirtless, it didn't take a genius to figure out that Yamato had put her hotel reservation to good use.

"Get used to it, get used to it now." Natsuhi ordered herself. Perhaps it was the throbbing pain of her head clouding out her aching heart, but the photo seemed a lot less painful to look at now than the night before. "Be happy for him!" She barked to herself.

Yumiko isn't always right, perhaps Sora is the right woman for Yamato. People change…tears pooled in her eyes as she convinced herself that Yamato was better off with the digidestined of love.

'Why can't he be happy with me!' Her unshed tears screamed in defiance.

Closing her eyes, Natsuhi allowed the tears to roll down her face. There was no one around to watch her cry, she was safe. The psychiatrist part of her snickered at her own plight. She thought she had a handle on her feelings for Yamato. She thought she knew what she was doing, counselling Yamato about his relationship, trying to be the perfect best friend. But really, it's all just been an illusion. She's been losing control of the situation since day one, with her silly little antics, stealing his beer cans, staying up with him, letting him sleep over. And the situation's just gotten worse, with her admitting her love for him and giving into all his little touches.

"I have no idea what I am doing do I?" She said to herself as she pressed the 'home' button on her phone. Placing a hand on her face, she sighed loudly. It was ironic, her, a psychology major, losing control of her own emotions and mental well-being. She prided herself in her ability to straighten out her emotions, to always have them in check, but then again, love made people do stupid things.

Her mind automatically ran through the ways in which she could salvage the situation, pack her messed up emotions into neat little boxes again and keep up the friendship act. Maybe it was the hang over, maybe it was the remnant alcohol in her system, Natsuhi found herself unable untangle the mess of feelings that was her love for Yamato.

"Fuck it all to hell," she groaned, pushing herself up to get some much needed water. As the cool liquid slid down her throat, Natsuhi knew that no matter what decision she made at this point, they'd all be bad ones. She had completely lost objectivity of her own situation. 'Or maybe you never had objectivity of the situation, it was all in your head,' the brutally truthful voice in her head said. Sighing to herself yet again, Natushi stared at the ceiling helplessly. It was rare that she did not know what to do, she always knew what to do, always had control…

"Oh what the heck!" She screamed, and then immediately regretted as a sharp pain shot through her head. Right, hang over. Rubbing her temple with one hand, Natsuhi made up her mind. Things could not get more screwed up than they already were anyways, she might as well take Yumiko's advice and run with it. "All is fair in love and war right?" She whispered to no one in particular.

Since she has no idea what to do anymore, might as well take Yumiko's suggestion. At least the older woman seems to know what she's doing, being a love expert and all. 'Excuses, you've just been looking for excuses to give into the temptation.' Yet another voice in her head piped up. At that, Natsuhi let out a bitter laugh. Great, now she's being dissed by herself. Had she been in a better state, Natsuhi would probably have chosen to psychoanalyze her state and perhaps run a few therapy methods through herself. But currently, all she cared for was to get food, water and painkillers in her system, and then sleep off the bloody hang over. Unfortunately, her phone had different ideas.

Looking at the caller ID, Natsuhi decided that today was just not her day.

"Oh crap, I'm supposed to meet Takeru today."

A/N: Right. So glad that this is over. Maybe Takeru and Hikari can reinstate some kind of order back into the story. And character development...anyways, please Read & Review! Also, Taiora is coming up in another two more chapters...lets hope I get there. So much to write, so little time.