Revised 7-17-2023

Chapter One: Tickets

"Come on Noriko, hear me out." Taichi all but shoved Noriko into his car. The GPS beeped and Kei giggled from the front seat, his partner in his lap. He of course had already buckled himself in. He Apparently, he had bought them everything for a vacation with his new, fancy, diplomat salary. (Hikari had joked about him buying everyone a break since he had started the Union program, Noriko hadn't taken her seriously.) "Give me Kei's stuff and we'll get out of your hair! It'll be fine!"

Noriko crumpled a piece of paper instead of crushing Taichi's nose with a fist. It was an improvement. Terriermon snickered on her shoulder. She sighed, and buckled in.

Today was December 22nd. Noriko was planning to go home with Kei and Plotmon from the bookstore and spend time with Hikari before the Yagami family's Christmas Eve date.

(And, if she was lucky, some time alone with her partner under strategically placed mistletoe.)

Of course, Yagami Taichi, being the anxious – meddling - big brother that he was, had to get involved. He saw her while walking home. He knew she hated cars, he knew she hated big fancy transportation, so of course, what did he do? Invite Kei to sit in the shiny thing because he really couldn't walk back from work, no. Manipulative jerk. If she'd just gotten to the teleport pad two minutes faster, they'd have avoided this.

They were barely in the car for over two minutes, made so much more agonizing by Taichi's special idea of driving. Kei stared out the window, watching the trains. Plotmon was distracted by Agumon's claws and silly faces during important meetings, when Taichi posed the question.

"How long has it been since you or Hikari have taken a vacation?"

Noriko stared at him for a moment, even as he continued his sedate drive. She didn't know anyone that wasn't a truck driver to go this slow. "A while," she finally said. "The school years are pretty taxing with the parents and all. I don't remember, to be honest."

"And that's a problem," Taichi declared. He would have gestured dramatically if he could, Noriko was positively sure of it. "You know what happens when Hikari overworks herself?"

"Yeah, she cuddles with me and watches cheesy dramas for six hours. What's the problem?" Okay, she actually ended up in bed with a fever for half the week and overworked herself the other half to make up for it again.

"The problem is that neither of you go out." Taichi paused at a stoplight. So, they were going to get Hikari from the training the school board had dragged her to about the recent field trip choices for her grade. She was a kindergarten teacher, not a high-school coach. However, Hikari being Hikari, she had nodded eagerly and listened along. She was more than likely bored out of her skull right now. "Kei is nine. The Digimon are around, heck, we're around, I don't see the problem. You walk him home and he's nine."

"I ask her and Mom to do it!" Kei chimed from the backseat. Taichi made a playful scowl into the mirror.

"Not helping, buddy."

Kei grinned wider and Taichi and Noriko shared a moment of commiserating eye contact. The kid really had inherited his mother's penchant for teasing them. Brat. "Look," he continued, focusing on the road again. "I know your jobs are important, and the family is important. I probably shouldn't be talking because Tsukiko is Tsukiko, and she drives her mum up the wall."

"Probably shouldn't be talking about this with Kei around," Noriko interrupted, folding her arms.

Taichi, as was customary when he felt he was doing the right thing, talked over her. Meiko was so getting a text once she had some breathing room. "But you guys are pretty young." He mussed his short hair, probably wishing it was the fluffy spikes he had grown up with. "And busy. You need to make some time for yourselves or you'll both be grumpy and I dunno about you but!" He winked at Kei. "I don't think Kei wants two grumpy mothers instead of just one."

Noriko grinned a little, amused regardless. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Whatever you want it to." He slowed in front of the parking structure. "So, come on. For Hikari."

Damn it. He always knew that would work. Bastard.

She let out a sigh. "What did you have in mind?"

Taichi smirked. The smug look meant he had been planning this for a while. She decided not to punch him though. Hikari wouldn't want to see her brother with a black eye, funny as it was. He pulled out his phone and started texting. "Mimi wanted Meiko and I to fly out to New York. Apparently she's working with Daisuke for a New Year's special on what noodles are healthy alternatives that are affordable. Unfortunately, Meiko's got a lot of health appointments for the two of us planned for next week and the rescheduling would be a nightmare."

Noriko blinked. "She got a timeslot on MSNBC?"

Taichi grinned. In the backseat, human and dinosaur play mini magnetic checkers under Plotmon's curious watch. "Somehow. I think Hiroaki-san knows somebody who works there and they were looking for someone to take the place of one of the older shows. So a few days before is her premiere, and she said she was hoping for a couple of us to be in the audience. I heard Michael's supposed to be there, and Wallace, at least. So you wouldn't be alone with Daisuke and Mimi."

"You make it sound like that's a bad thing." Noriko controlled her dry amusement, if only so she could smile and wave at Hikari as she hurried to the car.

Kei, at the sound of her footsteps and Plotmon's swaying tail, looked up from his game now and waved. Tailmon leaped from her shoulder and pulled the door open.

"Easy, Tailmon," Taichi joked. "We just had this thing cleaned."

"Don't give me incentive," grumbled the cat. "That meeting was a nightmare. If I have to hear one more complaint about the restrictions of water and the right headgear around eggs I will Neko Punch that person into the next century."

Hikari laughed and shook her head, sidling in after her cat. Kei would have jumped her if he wasn't, thankfully, wearing his seatbelt. Plotmon had no such compunctions, and naturally leaped into her lap. "I didn't expect an entourage."

"We're going home and packing," Noriko informed her. "Taichi insists we take a vacation."

"We're taking Kei and I bought tickets, if you need persuasion," Taichi offered. "Ken and Miyako were going to but Meiko wants practice."

Hikari laughed. "Give her my thanks, but Kei's not at the age where he wakes you up in the middle of the night anymore." She looked over at Kei. "Will you be okay being with Uncle and Auntie for a little while?"

Kei only grinned. "I'm a big tough Chosen, Mama!"

Hikari mussed his hair. "Indeed you are."

That settled that then. She was outvoted. Damn.