Part Five - Do You Promise?

This was the best practice he's had in months.

Daisuke's sure part of it is having a rival team member 'helping out', more like, spying on them. Everyone works harder together because they want to be intimidating. It's something Taichi had mentioned when he visited one of his rival teams. They hadn't noticed until the second half and gotten so nervous they'd nearly lost.

Thankfully this was practice and Daisuke wasn't the captain, so his nerves were pure adrenaline.

And it was so fun!

Everyone worked better!

He risks a few glances at Ken in brief pauses between plays. He was talking to Takeru, who had an almost… sad expression on his face. It was like pity, soft against how cold Ken's eyes were.

Daisuke is no genius but you don't need that to know that's not normal.

But he can, ugh, trust Takeru to not start a fight. He has to focus on practice.

Ken approaches as he does cool down stretches, tugging at his arm. Chibimon sleeps on in his sports bag. The little guy really can nap anywhere huh?

"Hello, Daisuke-kun! Good practice."

That sounds so fake but Daisuke is ninety-nine percent sure he actually means it.

"Thanks!" He says instead of slugging him in the stomach. "You scared yet?"

That little smile sharpens into a low, dangerous smirk. Kids shouldn't wear faces like that.

"Should I be?" Ken asks, offering him a hand. Daisuke takes it to stand.

"Duh." But Daisuke's grin doesn't fade at all. "You gotta go home right? For your leg?"

Ken regards it with some surprise, like even mentioning it was a bit of a shock. "Oh, right. I've been taking it easy, I almost forgot about it. I should be all right as long as I head to the train station soon."

"Oh." Man self-care was rough. Once Daisuke got sent flying over a bench and dislocated his shoulder. It was awful. Hikari-chan had to help him write notes in class for weeks. Her handwriting is so easy to read. "Then do you wanna hang out? We can get soda."

Ken stares again. He looks like he forgot how to be cool. Good. He's not cool. "Hang out?"

"Yeah." He turns around. "Hey, Takeru, you coming?"

Takeru looks up from his terminal. His smile doesn't fade at all, which Hikari-chan could decipher way better than him. "For soda? Sure. Can we stop at Miyako-san's place? Mom said she's not home until late."

"You could just stay over for dinner. Mom wouldn't care." Daisuke feels Ken's eyes on him and doesn't flinch.

"My mom would," Takeru counters. "And the last thing we want is our parents talking right now."

Daisuke considers his mother finding out, heck, Jun finding out, about Digimon, and shudders. "Yeah, you're right. Let's get the sodas from her place then."

"If Ichijouji-kun's leg is all right." Takeru meets their eyes as he approaches, and Daisuke watches Ken's eye twitch.

"I'm sure I'll be fine" Daisuke bites back a grin.

Yeah, if Ichijouji wasn't helping hurt innocent creatures, he'd be a real pal.

Iori isn't supposed to be at the store.

He doesn't have kendo practice. His grandfather had cited a pain in his side. he'd never begrudge the man his rest and the other students weren't nearly as diligent as Iori himself. There was maybe one, but he had other obligations.

Helping Miyako-san at her family's store wasn't the same sort of routine practice to ground him, but it helped people. Iori contented himself in that and the rhythm of helping customers and feeding Upomon and Poromon under the counter.

Then the bell rings and Daisuke's voice rings out. "Hey guys!"

Iori bites his lip not to groan. He appreciates Daisuke, he really does, but it takes a lot of practice and meditation to handle him, personally. And when he and Miyako-san start … discussions, it's a lot worse.

He hurries to another shelf to avoid the path of Hurricane Daisuke, as Miyako grumbles at him. As he does however, he catches sight of Takeru speaking with … Ichijouji Ken? He's just pointing at certain treats and Ken is nodding along, just as confused as Iori feels.

He promptly turns away and goes to stock another shelf.

He doesn't like Daisuke's plan. He doesn't hate it, and the possibility of someone being used by evil is upsetting. That doesn't change that he's doing awful things right now, and he could take advantage of their kindness. It doesn't matter that they're just kids, right now, Ken was evil.

It would be nice to take care of him without fighting though.

Ken laughs suddenly and Iori turns to see him reading one of the labels. Takeru is also smiling, but it doesn't touch his eyes. It's more than a little concerning.

"Hey, Iori, what are you doing?"

For once, Daisuke keeps his voice down, but it still makes Iori twitch. "Helping?" Iori answers because isn't it obvious? "Kendo practice was canceled."

"That sucks."

Daisuke means it, which is part of why he's not offended. "Mm. Why are you with Ichijouji-san?"

Daisuke blinks at him like he's the one who's forgotten something important. "We go to the same soccer practice right now?"

"That doesn't mean you bring him here."

Daisuke considers this and says, "How else is he going to get better if he doesn't know people who are being better?"

Iori gapes at him. "that's, that's not-"

"Iori, you're kinda…" Daisuke scratches his head. "You're strong and stuff, but you're rigid, you know that?"

Without waiting for an answer, he goes to see what the others are doing, leaving Iori staring at his back. Daisuke, being himself, ignores it. Ken doesn't pay them any mind at all.

"You okay?" Miyako asks when he's made his way back to behind the counter. Chibimon and Patamon wave at him cheerfully, but not even Upamon can calm his thoughts, wild as they are.

"I think Daisuke-kun is too forgiving," Iori says after a moment. Or naive, but he's not sure if he's right about that.

Miyako thinks about this. "Probably a little, but he won't help Ichijouji-kun if he's not."

"Do you think you could do it?"

Miyako looks at her hands. "I don't really know!"

That helps, a little.