U/N: Tenshi is actually my favourite of all the children. He's the kid who looks like Kari in the epilogue with his random digimon who is higher leveled than the other digimon for no exact reason. But he's so sweet and probably the best person amongst these wild children. I think he's the best anyway. There are others I like too, like Chika and Iris, but they're just the nicest of all the kids I feel. I don't know, I like the others too obviously or we wouldn't have created them, but still. Anyway, here you are, I hope you like Takari children.

Title: Here Comes Santa Claus

By: UrazamayKing

Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.

Chapter 05: Prodigy

Tenshi Takaishi:

I carefully closed my cello into its case, knowing that if anything were to happen to it, I wouldn't be able to afford a replacement. I was sure that Mom or Dad would be able to help me out, but I wasn't one to ask for money, even in dire situations. I liked to earn my own way and to do that, I had to have a job. It was hard to balance this job—working at the nearest fast food restaurant—with having friends, playing the cello and studying for school, but I would do everything I could to achieve my goals.

I looked to the dream board that took up much of my wall above my bed and smiled. There were ribbons pinned in a crossing pattern, woven together to keep the images up where I could see them and strive for their meanings. Of course there was an image of my family. I had taken that picture so long ago, I could tell because Hiro was actually smiling in it. Above that was a series of photographs of my friends and the times we had shared. I wasn't actually in the images, because I had been taking the pictures, and most of them were of Salamon, Renjiro, Kana and Louisa, but every now and then Mai and Haruki would pop up in the background too. And sometimes Salamon was a Nyaromon still, back when he was younger. They were pretty old pictures too. I had several images of my cello, or me playing the cello that I had taken on a timer, using my tripod. Everything on the board was a picture taken by me, I really enjoyed photography. I never had much time for it though.

But that was my plan just then. I had put aside my cello early so I could get outside and take some nice winter scenery photographs.

It was as I was reaching into the large black camera bag that Mom poked her head into my bedroom. She smiled and leaned against the doorframe, her arms folded over her chest. "I didn't hear the cello," she said in her light and kind voice. "Are you done practicing?"

I nodded and smiled at her, holding up my expensive black camera, "I was going to go out with Salamon and take some pictures of the trees and stuff."

Mom looked startled for a moment, "Are you sure?" she asked, turning to my cluttered calendar that hung next to my organized desk. She ran her finger along the boxes, reading all of the events that I had scheduled in different coloured pens to keep it better organized. Finally she found my audition date. It was only in two days, and a panic started to set in when I realized how long it had taken her to get to that point. Had I forgotten something that I was meant to do between now and then? "You don't have long before your audition. Are you sure you want to use your time on photography?"

I hesitated, weighing the odds. Yes, I really did want to, but perhaps she was right. I forced a smile, "Okay," I agreed, "You're right. I'll take some pictures some other time."

Mom smiled warmly, "I'm so proud of you," she told me in her usual way. I always believed her, but there was something about the way she said it that didn't settle well with me. "Your father too."

"What about me?" Dad asked, having been on his way down the hall. He looked into my bedroom, and looked around. He didn't come in very often because he had very little reason to, and so every time he had the chance he liked to see if I'd changed anything. I rarely did. I kept my room well organized and everything was always in place. The only thing that ever moved was Salamon's bed because she liked to drag it around, unsure where would be best. I always made sure she had enough different places to try.

"We're proud of Tenshi," Mom smiled, grabbing Dad's shoulder and rubbed it gently.

Dad beamed toward me and nodded his head, "Absolutely," he said kindly, "You're so talented. One day you'll be the most famous cellist in all the land." My forced smile stayed on my face as Hiro walked by, behind Mom and Dad, sneering and making rather obnoxious sounds as he mocked the praise Dad was giving me. Dad spun on his heel, "Hey Hiro, where were you?"

"Out," Hiro said blankly, grabbing the door to his bedroom. Salamon looked up to me and made a crinkled, upset sort of face and I nodded. Hiro was such a typical teenager. Could he not, for once, just relax and be civilized? I had a feeling it was because of his friends, and Louisa agreed. Elliot was a fine young man, sure, but he wasn't particularly polite. Louisa was always screaming at him for one thing or another.

"Elliot Washington," Louisa had barked, just the other night, "I cannot believe you did this. You've gone too far."

"Because I accidentally took one of your shoes for my science project?" Elliot asked, seeming appalled.

"Because that was my prom shoe and because it wasn't an accident you jerk!" She shrieked as she leapt into the air toward him. Kana shouted in surprise and backed up into a wall with only Renjiro and I to protect her.

And that was just a typical day in the Washingon household. Sure, Louisa and Elliot loved each other and it was extraordinarily apparent whenever they weren't screaming at each other, even if they would never say that it was so, but they were still quite argumentative. And more often than not, Elliot was to blame, and that was not just me being biased toward my friend. Elliot was a bad influence on Hiro, I was sure of it.

"Where were you?" Dad asked again.

"With Nikko," Hiro gasped, as if Dad had been hounding him all night, which couldn't have been the case since Hiro had just returned home.

"Where were you?" Dad was an amazing parent. I was always shocked at how well his patience held out, because it was clear, to me at least, that he was annoyed already.

Hiro groaned, throwing his head back dramatically, "We went to the fair, and we ate supper at Osamu's house, okay?"

"Okay," Dad decided, nodding his head.

"Good," Hiro snapped before slamming the door in Dad's face. Dad simply took a deep breath and shared a look with Mom before silently storming down the hallway to vent his frustrations into a pillow by screaming.

Mom's similar expression carried over to when she looked back into my room, but when she caught sight of my cello in its case she let her eyebrows raise, "You'd better get back to practicing, you don't want to mess up at the audition."

I nodded again, "Right," I said and then she was slipping out of my room, closing the door as she went along. I rubbed the back of my neck, hoping to relieve some of the stress that had just built up, and Salamon hopped up onto my bed, flopping over next to me for comfort. She always knew when I needed it too. I decided I would give myself a couple minutes before I started practicing again, and I turned on my camera, to look at my most recent pictures.

A twisted feeling in my stomach swelled up when I realized how long ago the pictures had been taken. The first image was of Kana and Mai sharing a strange assorted salad at a restaurant, and the ones that led up to it were of the proceeding events of the day. Louisa, Kana, Mai and I had all gone to see a play out in Tokyo. Renjiro hadn't been able to come, and Haruki simply didn't want to when we extended the offer to him, upon Louisa's request, so then the final ticket went to Mai instead.

I could remember one memory above all the others though. And it had been captured beautifully in the final picture on the camera.

Louisa and Kana had rushed off ahead, climbing the hill until they were at the very top, leaving Mai and I to walk alone. It was a long way up, and we had lost track of the others, but I knew that if we followed the path we would find our way, even if we only had the simple light from Mai's flashlight to guide us. The night was cool, but not cold, and the air was fresh and sweet. I couldn't see anything past the trees that extended their branches above our heads, but the further we moved the brighter our destination became.

"It's weird," Mai admitted, "Hanging out without Haruki. He's usually the one dragging me along with you guys."

"Oh," I said, feeling rather insulted, but Mai quickly adjusted her phrasing.

"I like it!" she insisted, "I like you guys a lot, it's just odd to have Haruki not be here. Louisa's a lot different when she isn't trying to impress him."

"That's true," I agreed. "And without Haruki there's less sarcasm on Kana's side of things." Mai snorted and nodded her own agreement. Kana liked Haruki fine I was sure, there was just something about him that set off whatever genes her father managed to give her in terms of personality. "I like it too. I feel calm. Almost happy."

"Like it doesn't matter what you say or who you are," Mai agreed, "because it's just such a peaceful atmosphere."

And as she'd said it we came up on the hilltop where Kana and Louisa were staring out at a vast sea of beautiful lights. Tokyo was beautiful from way up here. It was so beautiful in fact that I had to immediately take out my camera, but before I could take a picture, my camera began flashing telling me that I had no room on the card. I sighed and began going through the ones I had taken in order to delete just one, so I could take a picture to remember this moment.

Louisa, who had chosen to sit on the ground, staring to the city below, took a deep breath and sighed, "I'm really glad you came with us today, Mai," she said, flopping her head back to look to Mai who stood directly behind her. "If you didn't come, my mom would'a made an adult come, and we would never be out in the middle of the night looking down to the city of love."

"I thought that was Paris," Kana said, sounding confused.

Louisa ignored her, "I was thinking," she said, finally turning, to face Mai, "As a thank you, I can set you up on a date." Mai's face fell completely, and I rolled my eyes. Louisa and her attempted matchmaking skills had never proven to be useful or at all accurate. "There's this boy in my class who just transferred from Japan! He can't speak English well, so I've been partnered with him to help him with everything. He's rich of course, since he goes to my school and I think you'd like him."

"Do you even know anything about him?" Kana asked.

Louisa shook her head, "No he hates me, but he's Japanese!" she insisted, looking up to Mai, sounding hopeful.

Mai shook her head, "I'm okay, thank you."

Louisa pouted, but returned to staring to the lights. I had finally found a very blurry picture of Louisa trying to feed some birds, and deleted it, freeing up enough space for one single photograph. I turned to the lights and steadied my hands, ready to remember that moment forever, and I snapped the picture.

"You know," Salamon said, rubbing her head against my elbow affectionately, "You don't have to practice the cello, you could always say 'no' and no one would even mind, probably."

I shook my head, and put my camera away, zipping the bag up and slipping it under my wardrobe where it belonged. "Mom's right. I'm supposed to be a cellist. That's what I've always been told anyway, and so I have to make sure I get into this school. I don't have any other options for my future."

"Your career is going to be playing the cello?"

I turned to the door of my room that had been pushed open again, and saw Hiro standing there, with his arms crossed. Tokomon was at his feet looking pleased to be let out of his room—he may have been shut in there again. Hiro's room was too cluttered for Tokomon to make use of the cat door that had been installed for his escape. I usually tried to keep the door open for him, but Hiro was usually frustrated that I was taking an effort in his partner, thinking it meant I found him to be incapable when that wasn't the case.

"That's not even a real career," Hiro said, sounding lighter than before, but much more frustrated. I didn't answer him because I knew he would have a real reason to come to my room. He would never come see me without one. It made me sad to remember when we used to be friends. "Tokomon tells me that you were in my room this morning."

I nodded instantly, "He's not lying," I said, "but you knew this."

"I did not," Hiro snapped.

"How else would he have been fed?" I asked dryly, realizing Hiro was in one of his moods. I wasn't in the right state of mind to be dealing with him so I simply moved forward, to close the door, but Hiro slammed his hand into the other side of it to stop me from shutting him out. "Hiro—"

"No," He interrupted, "You can't just come into my room whenever you want to! It's an invasion of privacy and I don't like when you move stuff around!"

"I'm only trying to clean—"

"I know what you're trying to do," Hiro snapped, "But why don't you clean up your own messes and leave mine out of it?" I rolled my eyes, which was a mistake, but it was my only coping mechanism for Hiro. "Hey!" He yelled, "Don't do that! Don't treat me like I'm lesser than you! I'm not! My room is messy, sure, but your dog is always farting in the living room, and no one ever complains about that!"

Salamon coughed, sounding startled and embarrassed, "You fart in the living room too Hiro—"

"And Mom always gets mad at me!" Hiro snarled.

"You should be able to control your basic bodily functions, Hiro," I scolded, which again proved to be a mistake. Hiro hated feeling like he was being looked down upon.

Hiro looked past me to Salamon and when I looked back I saw that he looked rather upset and offended, and when Hiro added, "Well your stupid dog can figure it out too I'm sure. It's not hard. You just don't do it." He looked back to me, "So either he's too stupid to figure it out, or you're too stupid to teach him."

Salamon immediately burst into tears and Hiro knew he had gone too far. I knew he knew it and surely he knew that I knew, but I would not let him get away with it either. "Hiro, you need to apologize right now."

He looked to me with daring eyes, "You're not my parent—"

"And you're not being paid to be the household bully, so you can stop whenever you'd like," I shouted. Tokomon jumped in fright when my voice rose above its normal volume and I felt rather apologetic. Hiro was now past being upset and was about to shout back at me, but I continued before he could. "I don't appreciate you coming into my room and attempting to scold me for helping your partner find food in the warzone that you call a bedroom, but if you must yell at me to feel good about yourself, then do so. But if you ever yell at, insult, or in any way offend Salamon again, I'll make sure it's the last thing you do."

"Tenshi!" I heard Mom gasp, and as one, Tokomon, Hiro and I all turned to her. She was standing in the hallway with Gatomon rested on her shoulders, looking all too shocked to hear me threaten Hiro. Hiro however was looking rather pleased with himself that Mom had come at the perfect moment for him. "What is going on?"

"Hiro made Salamon cry," I told her, trying to lighten my voice for her, but it still came out with quite the bitter undertone. "He insulted him and is just being a complete jerk."

Mom turned her attention to Hiro immediately and he let out a loud groan, "Of course!" he cried out, throwing his hands into the air, "Of course you would side with the Golden Child."

"Stop calling me that!" I snapped, finally letting my frustration grow to a boil. He was delusional. Mom and Dad liked him just as much as they liked me and him calling me the Golden Child didn't make it so.

Hiro rounded on me, "That's what you are!"

"Hiro!" Mom gasped, "Stop yelling!"

"He's yelling too!" Hiro bellowed, rounding on the wall behind him and slamming his fist into it, creating a crater where his fist had hit. As his fist came round Dad appeared at the end of the hallway looking all to angry with Hiro.

His jaw tightened and then he turned to me, "Tenshi, go practice your cello." He looked to Hiro with a cold stare, "We need to talk to your brother." Tokomon looked up to me in horror and then to Hiro before rushing back into Hiro's room, leaving me no choice but to mimic him and back into my own room. I closed the door softly and turned to Salamon whose eyes were still wet with unshed tears.

I moved to her side and fell to my knees, drawing her into my arms to hug her. She sniffled sharply and pressed further into my embrace and we stayed like that a while. I could hear Hiro shouting back to whatever Dad was saying. Salamon didn't want to hear it anymore so she asked if I could play my cello and I nodded, popping it out of its casing easily.

I started it up quickly, playing the song I knew the best and Salamon rubbed her head against head against the back of my leg, listening to the music until Hiro's voice rose above the sound. "All you ever talk about is Tenshi and his stupid cello!" I played the music quicker, hoping to drown him out, but when I heard him once more, "I don't care!" I felt Salamon flinch.

I stopped playing immediately and put the cello away, much to Salamon's dismay. But I had a much better idea. I slipped my shoes on and my coat and then grabbed my school bag before picking Salamon up. I left the room and made my way to where my parents were still sitting with Hiro in the living room. They all looked to me as I stood in the opening to the room, and it seemed each of them looked ready to cry.

I cleared my throat, "I-I'm going to Renjiro's house." Mom looked to the nervous Salamon in my arms and nodded.

Patamon was quick to chime in, fluttering over to me, resting on my shoulder. "Could Tokomon go too, he's getting really upset."

Mom nodded, "Of course," she said, looking to my feet. I hadn't even noticed Tokomon's arrival, but I smiled to him all the same. I pulled him into my arms where he joined Salamon and caught a last minute glare from Hiro that was so dark and so cold that I had no choice but to leave then and there.

On the way to Renjiro's house, Salamon and Tokomon talked about what had been said in the argument between Hiro and my parents. I wished he would just take life more easily. His constant rage directed toward me made it very hard for me to do as Miyako had asked me to. "Always try to do the right thing. It might not be easy, but I think you can do it." And she had passed her crest on to me. Honour. What was the right thing in a situation where Hiro only wanted to scream and make others feel bad? I felt my fists tighten and Salamon seemed to notice, because he decided to change the subject, but Tokomon hadn't yet caught on.

"Takeru says that Hiro needs to pick up a hobby, like Tenshi," Tokomon said, "Tenshi's cello keeps him calm, right? So maybe if Hiro had a hobby he would be able to be happy." Salamon seemed to think it was an innocent enough topic and together they began brainstorming what Hiro could do in replacement for being filled with angst and bitter resentment.

I knocked politely on the door when we arrived and Mr Kido had been the one to open the door. "Hello Tenshi," Mr Kido said kindly, "Are you here for Renjiro?"

I nodded, "Yes, sir."

Mr Kido smiled, amused by being called 'sir'. He stepped aside and let me walk past. I ducked past and slipped my shoes off, setting Salamon and Tokomon free when they caught sight of Bukamon and Upamon chasing Hopmon down the hallway. "So, how's Hiro doing with his crest?" Mr Kido asked as usual. He always liked to know how Hiro was managing under the pressure of the crest of faith, since he had been the one to pass it off to him.

And as usual, I had no idea how to properly respond. "He'll get there," I assured Mr Kido who seemed to think that was a fair reply. He then pointed up the stairs to where Renjiro and the others surely were. I thanked him and hurried up, still wearing my coat and carrying my bag. I knocked on his bedroom door, but as it was propped open slightly I simply pushed it further to reveal myself. Louisa, Renjiro and Kana were all sitting on the floor surrounded in papers and objects and books to help them study. "Hello," I said as brightly as I could.

Renjiro seemed shocked to see me, and I felt guilty for coming unannounced. Hopefully he wasn't gearing up to send everyone home, because I wasn't ready to go back to Hiro just yet. He broke his confusion with a smile though, and he patted the floor next to himself. I grinned and made my way across the floor on my toes, being careful not to mess anything up, and then finally sat down, joining in their study session.

We had a lot to learn before our midterms at the end of the month. Renjiro and Kana were rather focused, as usual, and they were talking circles around me, and surely Louisa too. Luckily I didn't have the same classes as them, so I had a reason to be confused. I was mostly studying on my own, trying to memorize the important events in the Digital World's history when Louisa cried out in agony.

"I have to go do something," she groaned, "Anything that isn't studying." She pulled herself to her feet and made her way to the door, and nearly found herself smacked in the face as Mrs Kido opened the door sharply.

"I'm sorry!" Mrs Kido gasped, "I just heard someone looking for something to do, and I need help making snacks." Louisa perked up and waved to us all before following Mrs Kido down the hall.

Kana seemed pleased that Louisa was gone, which I found to be slightly rude, but the moment she was sure Louisa was out of ear shot she turned to Renjiro and I and dropped her pencil, "Okay," Kana said, "I know we're not supposed to say anything, but I have Louisa in the Secret Santa draw." Renjiro let out a hollow laugh, and I simply sighed. Renjiro and Kana had been the reason the Emiko secret had been spilled. Had they learned nothing from the last time? "What do you get someone who has everything she could ever want?"

There was a moment of silence and I felt kind of bad for Kana suddenly. She had a pretty good point in that it would be very hard. I had Ryou, which was hard enough because he rarely spent time with any of us. He had gone on a very long adventure before finally making his way back to his own time and finally he was here, living his normal life. He appreciated the small things I knew, but how was that helpful in getting him a present? "I have no idea," I admitted, sending Kana an apologetic look.

"Yeah, good luck," Renjiro laughed. Kana seemed annoyed that we weren't being helpful, but when there was a knock on the door to Renjiro's bedroom we all turned to look.

Emiko was standing with a big smile on her face, "Whatcha doing?" she asked with a desperate plea for attention. Renjiro and Kana both shot Emiko the coldest of glares they could muster, obviously upset with her greedy ploy for presents. Emiko's shoulders fell when she realized she would get no reaction, but she set her sights on me when I didn't join in their glare. "Hey Tenshi."

I looked to Renjiro and Kana who both shook their head, trying to tell me to ignore her. I nodded my understanding, but when I looked back to Emiko I felt too guilty. "Hello, Emiko." I said, flinching under the stares from my friends.

Emiko's face lit up, but I couldn't hear her next words because Renjiro began speaking loudly. "Kana why don't you wrap Haruki and give him to Louisa?"

Kana then turned her glare on Renjiro and hissed at him, "First, don't scream out that I have her!" Renjiro's face turned red suddenly, "And second, a person is not an object. I cannot get him to fall in love with her, nor would I if I could."

"S-sorry," Renjiro pouted.

Emiko laughed, "Little brother got in trouble," she said, but she backed up when Renjiro's glare returned. "Okay, fine," she said finally, deciding to leave the room. "Oh hey—" she stopped on her way out and turned back to me, "Thanks for letting Renjiro and Kana come to my show on your audition day." And then she was gone. I felt my stomach twist as I looked over to my friends who both looked startled, and were maybe silently asking each other if either had told me. When they understood that neither had said anything to me about it, then turned to me.

"It's fine," I said before they could try to explain, "It's just an audition. I really don't mind." I wanted the support, since I knew Hiro wouldn't be there, but I understood that Emiko was important too.

"Tenshi," Kana tried, but I just held my hand up to silence her, "You're sure it's okay?" she asked in a quiet voice. I nodded, forcing a smile anyway.

"What's okay?" Louisa asked, returning to the room with a big tray of snacks.

Renjiro looked too embarrassed to explain so Kana stepped forward, "Renjiro and I can't go to Tenshi's audition."

"Oh no," Louisa whined, "That sucks. It's my turn to pay for lunch too. Shucks, I guess I get off easy again." Renjiro laughed, but Kana simply rolled her eyes.

I looked to Louisa as she settled in on the floor, placing the tray of snacks nearest me, seeing I was upset, "You'll be there?" I asked her, my voice not as strong as I'd have liked.

"Sure thing," she said, winking my way. I smiled at her, feeling better already. I could always count on Louisa to save the day. If Hiro, Kana and Renjiro all couldn't make it, at least I'd have one friend who could be there for me.

Featured Evolution Line: Tenshi: Yukimibotamon—Nyaromon—Salamon—D'arcmon—Hippogriffomon—BanchoLeomon