"Hikari! Hikari-chan, calm down! It's me - Miyako."

Yagami Hikari opened her eyes to look up into the face of the creature before her. The face was Miyako's, sure enough. She breathed a sigh of relief and practically collapsed against the older girl. Miyako released her hold on Hikari's shoulders.

"Why were you running like that?" Miyako questioned.

Hikari shook her head. "I - I don't really know. It was just a feeling of something... following me." She smiled. "Really, it's nothing, Miyako."

"That's good." Miyako adjusted her glasses. "You know, you're late."

"..What?" Hikari blinked.

"You're late, that's all. We all left early this morning - Takeru, Daisuke, Iori and me - to search for BlackWarGreymon. We waited for an hour for you to show, but you didn't."

"I'm sorry," Hikari replied, a little off-guard, "I hadn't realized-"

"You're always doing that," Miyako interrupted.

"Doing... what?"

"You're always acting so useless!" Hikari gasped, and Miyako chuckled. "It shouldn't be such a shock to hear someone finally tell you that, Hikari-chan. It's true, afterall. I guess none of us had the heart to say it to your face, but I'm not the only one who's mentioned it. I guess someone finally got the nerve. Glad it was me."

Hikari simply stood there, looking into Miyako's reddish eyes. Shock registered on her young face for an instant; then she smiled. "I know you don't mean that."

"You don't get it, do you?!" Miyako demanded, her eyes narrowing as she spoke. "I mean everything I've said. You're useless. Useless as a destined, useless as a jogress partner, and useless as a human being! We just keep you around to keep Daisuke happy. That's all. If it weren't for him, you wouldn't even be a destined anymore. You're pathetic." She laughed at the shake of Hikari's head. "Still don't believe me? You're always so sweet, believing the best in people. It's sickening. I used to wish I was more like you, Hikari. I really did. Of course, I realized that I would rather be able to speak my mind then act as if I was everyone's friend." Miyako spat into the sand at her feet, missing Hikari's shoe by mere centimeters.

Hikari's eyes were blurred by tears. "I never knew you felt that way..." She touched her camera idly, twisting her fingers through the strap holding it around her neck. Her gaze fell on the movement of the darkened waves to her left. She didn't want to look Miyako in the eye, not now. She had always thought herself a good judge of other's feelings, but Miyako's outburst had come as a complete shock. Her eyes, instead, followed the waves as they swept in and out. The sight might have seemed beautiful under other pretenses. The ocean was as silent as death itself.

"Kinda makes you think, doesn't it?"

Hikari tore her eyes away from the ocean. Miyako was nowhere to be seen. In the girl's place was a familiar furry creature with large bluish eyes. The creature regarded Hikari with something akin to worry, her tail flicking back and forth as she gazed up into the girl's face. Hikari knelt down.

"Tailmon."

"The ocean. It kinda makes you think, if you watch it long enough." Tailmon's tail swished back and forth slowly behind her, trailing a pattern in the sand. The digimon closed her eyes briefly. "If you listen, too." Her eyes snapped open to catch Hikari's reaction. The girl closed her eyes to listen, as her partner had suggested. She was surprised by what she heard.

"Everything's quiet." She opened her eyes. "Death-like."

"Listen harder," Tailmon encouraged, her tail tracing lazy circles in the sand. Hikari closed her eyes once more, her ears straining to hear something beyond the crushing silence that surrounded her. Her eyelids twitched, and Tailmon's eyes narrowed. "Hikari?" The cat-like digimon was on her feet in an instant. Her tail swung around, the golden ring hung near the tip a darker shade than usual. Several loud chimes filled the air, and Hikari opened her eyes.

"What - was that, Tailmon?" The girl was clearly shaken. "I saw - I saw Ken, and my house. H-h-how is that possible?"

"It's not," Tailmon assured her, tail once again tracing patterns in the sand. "You must have been - dreaming."

"Of course." Something about the brief vision had seemed more than just a dream, but having no other explanation, Hikari had to accept Tailmon's. It made sense, now that she thought it over. Yes. It had been a dream. Nothing more. Just a fleeting dream. Hikari smiled. "We should probably go catch up with the others. Miyako-" She paused. Miyako didn't want her on the team - the girl had said so herself. Hikari stood. "Well, the others will probably be wondering what's become of us." She took several steps forward, but turned back upon noticing that Tailmon hadn't moved. "Tailmon?"

"I'm not going."

"What do you mean?"

Tailmon turned her head slightly, just enough for Hikari to catch a menacingly gleam in the digimon's eye. "I mean that I don't intend to go anywhere with you."

"I- I don't understand.." Hikari's eyes were teary again. She rubbed them with her hand, hoping her partner hadn't noticed.

"You wouldn't." Tailmon turned around completely, her tail curled into a candy-cane shape behind her. "You're seriously lacking as a partner. You send me into battles that you know I'll lose." Her eyes narrowed. "I would have been better just remaining with Vamdemon. At least there I was appreciated."

"I-I can't believe you," Hikari whispered.

"Can't?" Tailmon chuckled. "Won't is more like it. You just can't accept the fact that your pretty little kitty of a partner just can't stand you. Wizamon was wrong. You don't need a heart to be able to survive in this world. You need to be cruel, stern, cold. You need to know how to kick your enemy when he's down and make sure he's out for the count. You need to have guts. You don't. You're spineless. 'Oh, Tailmon, please don't hurt that digimon. He's our friend, really he is.' If I hear that one more time, I swear I'll murder someone. You're such a weakling; it's amazing how I've put up with you at all over the years."

Hikari slumped to the ground, her knees sinking somewhat into the sand. She was staring at her digimon partner, her expression undescribable. First Miyako, then Tailmon! Maybe she was a weakling, and too considerate of a person. Miyako and Tailmon were two of her closest and most trusted friends in the world. If she couldn't believe what they said, then what? She sniffled quietly, a tear sliding down her cheek as she stared at the sand beneath her. There were footsteps in the sand, all around her. She looked around, puzzled. Tailmon was gone. Some distance away was a little boy with brown hair holding a soccerball.

"C'mon, imouto-chan. Just kick it - like this." He dropped the ball and kicked it into the air with his foot, catching it easily with his small hands. "Back to me. K?" A little girl with mahogany-colored hair standing several feet from the boy nodded. Her pajamas were covered with a winter coat, and her face was unhealthily flushed. The boy tossed the ball into the air and kicked it in the girl's direction. She attempted to kick it, but failed miserably and wound up lying on her back; the ball rolled to one side. The boy hurried over to pick up the ball, and scowled down at the girl.

"I can't believe you didn't kick it!"

"I'm sorry..." She coughed and stood again. "Let me try one more time, ok, oniisan?"

"One more time, then." He took a few steps backwards and rolled the ball towards her. Before the ball could reach her, she slumped to the ground. "IMOUTO-CHAN!" The boy hurried to her side. And then he was kneeling in front of her, holding her tightly.

"Just a bad memory, Hikari," Taichi whispered in her ear. She leaned against him, glad for his brotherly support. He patted her back. "You were a terrible shot."

"I was sick."

"You were still a terrible shot."

"Niichan, is what Miyako said true?" Hikari's voice was near-breaking. Taichi hugged her closer, choosing not to answer. She sighed. "I - I never knew it before, niichan. Miyako - and Tailmon - I still can't bring myself to believe it."

"It's quiet here, Hikari-chan," Taichi said quietly after several moments. "Maybe what they said is true. Maybe it's all just a lie. Whichever it is, you should be able to sort out the truth from the fiction. They're your friends. No manner of words can change that. You are who you are. If - you need time to think things over, I'll be there for you. You can think things over here."

"Arigato, niichan." She closed her eyes, blinking away the tears that had threatened to stream down her cheeks since her meeting with Miyako. She could no longer feel her brother's arms around her, and realized she was once again alone. The lapping of the waves upon the shore seemed soothing, and she sat upon the sinking gray sand. Perhaps she did need some time to think. Here, she could think without interruption, without the pain brought on by her friend's revelations about her. She sighed again.

"You sound so melancholic."

"Takeru-kun." His name left her lips before she realized it. She swiveled her upper body to look to the side. The familiar blonde she had been friends with since they were young stood several feet away. He approached slowly, his eyes on the sea before them both. When he reached her side, he turned large blue eyes on her and smiled.

"Miyako said I'd find you here." He stared at her face intently, attempting to read her thoughts unsuccessfully. After a moment, he sat down beside her. Their eyes once again turned to the sea and its hypnotic rythms. Takeru's hand sought hers, closing around her pale fingers. She glanced up, started. He was smiling again. That boyish smile - he had never lost it. His fingers curled around hers. Unconsciously, she gently pulled her hand away.

"What's wrong, Hikari-chan?" It was an innocent question, and she was an innocent girl.

"Nothing, Takeru-kun." She smiled then, although her heart wasn't in it. The silence that hung between them after that was palpable, as if reaching out with ghostly hands to choke her. She ventured to turn her head; he was no longer watching her. His eyes were solely occupied by the ocean. When his lips moved, she had to strain to hear his words.

"You act as if you don't know."

"Know what?"

"That I love you."

Hikari choked on her response. She beat her chest with a fist in an attempt to regain her breath. Had she heard correctly? It wasn't possible. She and Takeru were friends - had been since before becomming destined to begin with. There wasn't anything between them. There never had been. Yet - she found herself recalling times to mind. Takeru had always been there. He had followed her, watched her, practically declared himself her protector. She had been blind not to have seen it. She should have had the sense to ward off his advances then.

"Hikari-chan? are you alright?" He was worried now. Then again, he was always worried when it came to her. Worried he would lose her, she realized. Worried he would lose what he never had to begin with. She shook her head slowly.

"I'm fine." Her eyes sought his. "What you just said -"

"It's true. I always have."

"I - should have realized." She sighed mournfully. "Takeru-kun, we're best friends. I always thought of you as, well, a brother. Not like niichan, of course, but similar. I haven't been paying attention."

"To what?"

"To everything." She stood, brushing sand from her shorts. "I'm afraid I don't love you, Takeru-kun." Her voice was quieter than she had meant it to be. The words had a soft but deadly quietness to them that shocked her. He was on his feet, then, too.

"You're lying."

"I'm not." He reached across and firmly grabbed her arm. "Please, let go." His hand tightened on her arm, and she cringed in pain. "Takeru-kun, stop it. That hurts." He didn't respond; his head was bent towards the colorless sand, shoulders shaking. "Takeru-kun..." She took a step closer. He was laughing. She blinked several times. How strange. His grip tightened on her arm, and she cringed once more.

"It's all a game to you, isn't it?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"All of this." He released his hold on her arm so suddenly that she wasn't certain he had at first. She could still feel the pressure of his hand on her arm. "Miyako was right, you know. She told me to forget about you. Said you weren't worth it, that I was wasting my time. She said there must be someone else that had caught your attention." His voice grew deadly-quiet. "Who is it, Hikari-chan?"

"N-no one..."

Takeru laughed then, all trace of his previous malice erased. "Of course not. Not my Hikari-chan." His smile was genuine. Yet... Hikari sighed, looking past him, towards the crashing waves. This seemed familiar, in a way. Perhaps her thoughts were too muddled. Takeru's laughter faded into the roaring of the ocean and she found herself wondering. Did she truly love anyone the way Takeru had described it? She shook her head furiously.

"I love everyone." Her words were soft, tentative. "B-but -" Tears filled her eyes at the memory of Miyako's harsh words and Tailmon's rejection of her. Her brother had such faith in her - and Takeru? "How DO I feel?"

It's amazing how I've put up with you for all these years.

We just keep you around to keep Daisuke happy.

Miyako was right, you know.

Whichever it is, you should be able to sort out the truth from the fiction.

"Niichan, I wish I could!" Hikari cried, reaching out for the comfort and support her brother had offered. She was alone, of course. Bitterly alone. Sinking to her knees in the gray shifting sands, she followed the ocean's movements with her eyes. "He said I could think here." Her eyelids drooped. "They all did." She closed her eyes, listening to the soothing melody of the waves.

...just forget...

"...forget..." The word was hardly more than a whisper as it passed Hikari's lips.

Close by, the ocean roared.