Friends can be the reason for our success sometimes or at least a support to it. I did not think I would ever come back to this story. Crossovers have never been a big thing for me before but reading my friends' ones inspired me to try writing 'Guardians' and I have enjoyed it so much so I want to give this another go. The first few chapters may seem familiar and certain scenes as well but I was writing this for my ex-friend so I initially included Allura/Lance and Keith/Pidge but now will be leaning in my own direction of Lance/Pidge and Keith/Allura.

2. Stand by You

Two years didn't seem like a very long time, especially because the time had passed by was so beautiful. Life was at peace and even though problems were a part of everyday life, Haru Shinkai was happy with the way things were right now. He had found his soulmate and the quiet moments they spent together were eternal. Moments he captured in his mind and heart, so they would remain there forever. Yuujin had been doing a lot better now as well, with his weekly sessions with Remedimon along with his graduation from University approaching. It had taken a while for his friend to gain the confidence in creating his own identity, but he had finally decided he had wanted to help children.

Haru could understand the pain and loneliness that Yuujin felt from the way Mio had treated him. His best friend never spoke about it to him but the sadness that filled his eyes every time Mother's Day came around made it so painfully obvious. This was despite the fact that Haru's mother always treated Yuujin like another son. Right now, he and Ai were waiting for Yuujin at the bookshop since he was planning to join them after University was finished.

"Yuujin-kun is running a little bit late," Ai said, setting the tray of tea on the table. "Maybe class went over time."

Haru nodded. "Yeah, it is his final year, after all." He, himself, had graduated a few months ago and due to his GPA had gotten an amazing job in a nearby laboratory. Researching Artificial Intelligence was a relatively new field and there was not much scope for it yet, so it wasn't the most well-paid job but definitely something that he genuinely enjoyed. He hadn't gone into the lab today because as a research area with not much foundation, working hours were generally pretty flexible. Many of his colleagues had told him to change his area of research to something with previous case history but this wasn't something he was doing simply for the sake of it being a profession.

The sound of footsteps brought him back to the present as his best friend finally came into the bookshop's hideout so the Appmon could be there as well.

"Hey, sorry, I'm late," Yuujin said, rubbing the back of his head, as he Appliarised Offmon. "Makoto needed my help with something, and I couldn't say no."

Offmon giggled. "Yuujin can never say no to Makoto."

Yuujin flushed. "Offmon, that's not true! Makoto's a precious friend, that's all."

Haru smiled, shaking his head. He had only met Makoto once, but the young boy reminded him a lot of how he used to be. Being around someone like Yuujin was definitely good for him. Not to mention, it was nice that Yuujin finally had the confidence to make some friends outside the group. "It's okay. Makoto-kun is your important friend, I'm glad you didn't leave him."

Yuujin laughed. "Yeah, he rarely asks me for anything. The tea didn't get cold did it?"

Ai giggled. Leave it to Yuujin to worry about the simple things – he and Haru were alike in that way, after all. "I can always reheat it, don't worry. I'll bring more cookies too." She headed towards the kitchen, hearing Haru and Yuujin begin to talk and laugh. All of them had grown up now but some things would never change, nor did she think she ever wanted them to. Yuujin was the first A.I. to ever form a friendship with a human and change due to that. He had a better sense of himself than most humans did, those who held free will and still made horrible decisions. Like Mio – who was willing to wipe out all of humanity for her own personal gain. She had still never been caught – something which had been a struggle for all of them to accept but at the same time, Ai knew all of them would fight tooth and nail to keep Yuujin from being hurt by Mio again.

She also wasn't the only evil that proved how vile humans could be. Reheating the tea and cookies, she brought it back to her two best friends.

"Thank you, Ai-chan," Yuujin said gently. "Haru and I were just catching up on everything on how things have been. It has been two weeks since we all last saw each other after all. How are things with you?"

Ai poured the tea into the cups as she sat down, smiling. "It's been good. I haven't been able to help out much at the bookshop as usual since I've been working on my first book." Her face fell a little. "Dad's not too pleased about it though. He thinks I'm setting myself up on an unstable journey."

"Kashiki-san is just concerned for you, Ai-chan," Haru said gently. "He'll understand your dreams once he sees how successful your book is after publishing."

Ai's heart lifted a bit. "Do you really think he'll understand, Haru-kun? I mean, I'm not so sure…we haven't really been speaking for anything other than work-related stuff." She fiddled her hands nervously as she looked down, having not touched her tea. Her friends had been busy, so she hadn't wanted to bother them, but now that they were all together, just thinking of the distance between herself and her father brought tears to her eyes.

"Ai-chan," Haru's expression fell a bit. "Have things been that bad? I'm so sorry, Ai-chan. I should have been there for you."

"We should have been there for you," Yuujin added onto Haru's words, own face falling as he reached over, taking her hand into his own, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"No, no, it's okay," Ai said, quickly wiping away the water that had come to her eyes. "We're not children anymore, we all have our own lives."

Haru took Ai's free hand, shaking his head. "Ai-chan, we may not be children anymore but we're still your friends. I just wish you had told us so we could be here to support you."

Gatchmon who had been snoozing next to Haru had jolted awake upon the turn of the conversation. He was peering into his magnifying glass. "According to my search, becoming a children's author is a risky career because there's always a risk of your book not selling well. Of course, many people still pursue the profession of being a writer, but it doesn't take away from the risk that's involved. Your Dad is probably worried about that, since writing is your main career, right? Haru's right, once you're doing well your Dad will come around, since it will take his fears away and everything."

"Until then, we're here to support you when your Dad can't," Yuujin said as Offmon nodded in agreement, smiling.

"That's right, offu," Offmon said, climbing up beside Yuujin as he had previously been munching on a cookie.

Ai looked around at her friends and for the first time in weeks, she finally felt as if everything was going to be okay, no matter what. "Thank you, guys."

Moving from being one of the Nine Gods to getting offers to perform as a casual singer for other companies, Eri Karan had quite the busy schedule. It was a struggle to find time for herself, let alone her family and friends but she had to admit – if it weren't for Doka-chan and Coachmon by her side, she would have probably lost the will to continue. When she would hit her lowest point and feel like just maybe she wasn't cut out for this, they would both remind her of what was important. They would remind her of all she had done to reach here. After all, she was ranked third in the Nine Gods and that had not come overnight. Right now, the beautiful singer sat outside "New Directions," the agency that had taken over from what was formerly known as "Appliyama," with a thin piece of paper in her hand.

Dokamon floated in CHIP-form beside her. "What's wrong, wasu? You seem nervous, Eri-chan."

"Even though I'm one of the Nine Gods and getting casual performances as a singer, this is the first time I've gotten the chance to go even higher," Eri said, eyes wide as she stared at the piece of paper. "Doka-chan, do you know what's on this paper?"

"An opportunity to make your dreams come true, wasu?" Dokamon said blinking and Eri laughed.

"It is, but it's so much more than that, Doka-chan," Eri said, eyes shining as she explained this to her best friend. "This is a scheduled appointment for Satoru Kinomoto, the CEO in charge of the business called "Starlight." It was a company that was founded in Tokyo and is now an international business. He called me in for a meeting – said he saw me on TV and wanted to meet me personally."

Dokamon beamed. "That's amazing, wasu! Eri-chan is sure to get a job there as a singer."

"The singing company that's owned by Starlight is called Starzine," Eri explained, fists clenching. "If I make it in as one of the singers there, I could have a chance to be an international singing sensation. I could make so many people and children smile, Doka-chan."

"When do you have to go, Eri-chan?" Dokamon asked curiously.

"The appointment is scheduled for tomorrow," Eri admitted, her voice calming down from the excitement bubbling in it, heart beginning to thud a little. "Doka-chan, do you think I should dress up? No, I want to impress him with my work, not with my looks. Maybe I should ask Gatchmon to search for me on what I should do. Wait, does that sound too desperate?"

Dokamon laughed a little at Eri's words. "Eri-chan, you should do what you do best and just wear whatever you want."

Eri thought about that and nodded. "Okay, in that case, I'll just do what comes naturally."

Her voice was something she should exercise in case he wanted a live example of her singing. Maybe she would use her main song because even now, it's what most people asked her to perform. It was odd though. She hadn't expected the song to be this popular when she was 21 years old and no longer a young teenager. But maybe there was something truly enticing in making people smile and that was what kept her interesting. Well, she would give them all an explosive performance that they would remember for the rest of their lives.