[Notes:

Words cannot describe how… mixed I am about this chapter. This is THE big kahuna! Probably THE most important chapter in the whole damn story! And bigger than the rest of the story before it, more than TWICE OVER. I had mentioned I wanted this part done by February, but then it occurred to me soon after that, that this chapter would be a 50+ page monster. There's no way around it, it's just how I am, dammit.

Anyway, I feel like in some ways I've written an epic, and in others I wrote the worst piece of shit ever, but there's lots of emotional ups and downs here! And the happiness ends HERE! I was right all along! And it only gets worse after this. But just to quickly clear up any confusion, I never -ever- recall talking about the pairing that starts with an R and ends with an O. XD Silly imaginative knaves!

Anyway, shounen-ai addicts can get their fill from this chapter, and yes, there's plenty of Het left over as well. As for the song near the end, it's obviously a ripoff of "Ojamajo Ondo de HAPPIPPI!!", the 2nd ending to Ojamajo Doremi's fourth (and final) season, Dokkaan! Download the song. It is hyper-fun. Just to note, the lyrics in italics signify lines sung by the people on the stage, unless I otherwise note a solo part, and the bold lines are shouted/sung out by the crowd cheering the Tamers on. YAY!! And I may note beforehand that I probably got a lot of Japanese culture references wrong and for that I'm very sorry.

In any case, I forking loved writing this, but like I said, I don't know if I should be proud of it or not. I HOPE IT GIVES YOU HAPPY FEELINGS-SU. So enjoy, damn you all. Enjoy my carnage, which will most likely one day get me thrown into the crazy house. BRING PRESENTS!! Love ya lots~!

Final note: I've had a time fixing as many problems as I could for this story since it's come out funky several times when I've uploaded it here (but it's even fuckier on MediaMiner, which is funny). I think for SURE, now, I got rid of all the big problems, and now there's only minor problems of certain areas not bolding/italicizing which I originally had them be in my document. Since those are very minor, I won't mess with it. The Ondo scene allegedly messed the fic up in the first place, and still has some Get-Into-A-New-Line-Dammit problems, but those are also minor. I just wanted the entirety of this story fixed for painless viewing. XD The bolding/italicizing seems to come through at least once during the Ondo, so hopefully that'll give you enough of an idea of what would be going on. Without me writing it out and sounding redundant. Uh, yeah. Download the song. AND ENJOY, FINALLY!]

[POV - Takato]

Before the festival had even started, I had the sinking feeling that this giant group of ours wouldn't stay whole for long. It's kind of messy to maintain seven people all together, you know. Then you gotta factor in that Hirokazu got into the caffinated drinks really early this time, so it wasn't long at all before he was rotating around the rest of us, constantly bouncing, and talking so fast that none of us would be able to tell what he was saying to save our lives. And, well, I don't really know Ruki very personally, but I could tell the only thing that would annoy her more than Hirokazu himself is Hirokazu when he's under the influence of sugar and a copious source of energy.

So, yeah. She was the first to split from the group. About two minutes after she was out of sight, Hirokazu and Ryo went their separate ways… I can only guess they were wanting to follow her when she's away from the safety of the group. Juri and Kenta obviously didn't want to get involved, so they remained with Jenrya and me.

But y'know… I didn't really mind the group being like this. We had essentially gotten rid of all our aggressive people. So what could go wrong now? All that was left to do was to view the sights and do the things we intended to do.

"Could they possibly Americanize these things any more?" Kenta complained, completely out of nowhere. But he was right. Some of the things here were definitely not Japanese traditional.

"I think we're supposed to deal with it," Jenrya mused. "The U.S. is the corporate powerhouse of the world. Not to mention an indispensable business partner of ours. You can only expect some kind of American influence in our lifestyles."

"That's right," Juri agreed. "You might not think so, Kenta-chan, but we've got a big influence in lifestyles of the Americans, too. I think all kinds of kids over there are trying to be like us."

I had to somehow prove I was just as knowledgeable on this cultural topic as Jenrya was. Male hormones or not, something inside me triggered a signal that told me to be apart of this conversation actively. "It's because of the anime we produce, isn't it?"

Jenrya smiled and nodded. "They buy some translation rights to certain anime we make and they dub it to their language and let the kids watch it, and it's proven to be very profitable."

I just smiled along with him; oh yeah, I knew what I was talking about.

"They say American animation is kind of inferior to ours," Juri explained, tossing her hair back. "Which is a little ironic, seeing as they created the whole animation concept back in the early 20th century."

"But I guess old classics are just as marketable as our own stuff," Jenrya assumed. "We've brought over some American animation and dubbed it and aired it here. But I'm sure it doesn't fare as well as the anime."

I was beginning to lose my flame of glory here… I know this stuff too, Jen!

"Definitely not," Juri concurred.

"Don't they call their animation something else in America?" I asked just then. "Ca… Cat-"

"Cartoons," Kenta corrected. And now I felt really stupid.

"Arigatou," I mumbled back, slumping. My urge to feel dominant in a conversation had died.

"So… what does anime have to do with the fact that we've got like, half of a Japanese traditional festival, and half of an American carnival?" Kenta asked, sounding annoyed, as usual. You'd think as independent as he is now, from Hirokazu and all, he wouldn't even come here if he didn't want to… sheesh.

"There's just some things better left unanswered," is all what Jenrya said.

Juri gave Kenta a reassuring smile. …Hey, where's my reassuring smile? "Daijoubu. I'm sure the American-themed games are just as fun!"

"I'm sure we'll understand them," Jenrya said, in a purely positive tone. "Maybe the organizers of the festival just decided to focus this one on American culture or something."

It suddenly hit me that Jenrya was in a MUCH better mood than what he's usually in. Not to say he's like Ruki, but Jen always seemed to be serious about things… just… someone not adjusted to having fun. Even when he was in a good mood, he was always so quiet and calculating… like he was too old to be having fun at all. Kinda like he didn't… belong… with us. Considering the fact that he just went through a tight situation between his brother and sister just makes this all the more unusual. Not to say he immediately recovered from this after it was over… it was when everyone else came and when Juri arrived-

DAMN IT!

Do I have to smash my head through a ton of cement or something?! Does it take that much for me to get the point?! Jen is NOT after the object of my affections! He's not, he's not, he's NOT! He even TOLD me that! And he wouldn't lie to me! Would he…?

"ARGH!"

Everyone stopped walking and turned their attention to me. …By this point, I could feel my cheeks burning. And I suddenly wanted to be alone. Not here.

"Daijoubu, Takato?" Jenrya asked, breaking the awkward silence in which I had taken the time to notice that other people in the background were looking at me. Good god. I wanted to shrivel up and die.

Kenta adjusted his glasses. "What's your problem?" Sounding impatient and irritated as ever, he did.

Meanwhile… I couldn't seem to make myself talk properly. Only make weak attempts to.

Juri leaned over and touched my shoulder. "You can tell us, Takato-chan," she said quietly. Quiet enough to make the tone of her voice seem suggestive to me. And thusly make me blush more.

I probably looked like I was gonna explode.

Jenrya put his hand on my other shoulder. "Do you need to sit down?" …He seemed really concerned…

It was enough to make me cough, and find my voice again. I sputtered a bit and hunched over. I was hoping by now the outside attention had disappeared.

"Nothing's wrong, nothing at all," I said very quickly and lightly. "Um… my… stomach hurts. B-but, it was just a brief cramp. I feel fine now, seriously."

"Are you sure?" Juri looked straight down at me. "You could be sick… it's not too early in the fall to catch the flu."

Totally unannounced, Jenrya pressed the back of his hand against my forehead. It was just for a moment, though. He withdrew it… his semi-lighthearted expressions had given way to his natural thoughtful one. "He's not that hot, but his face is red," He reported.

"It isn't the flu," I assured. Even though I was feeling miserable and embarrassed beyond anything, I couldn't help but appreciate all this overwhelming concern my two very close friends were giving me… I could definitely count on them in the event that something actually was wrong with me.

"Maybe we should take a break and let you recover, just to be sure," Juri suggested. "We have plenty of time to have fun."

"Yeah, we won't forgive you if you make us leave early just because of your timely ways of getting sick," Kenta warned. But I thought he wanted to leave… geh… nevermind. I was past the point of caring about Kenta's attitude problem.

I straightened out, attempting to look as healthy, normal, and un-embarrassed as I could. "Don't make me say it again, guys!" I said in a loud, exasperating manner. "I'm okay! I'm nowhere near sick!"

This made Jenrya and Juri back off a little bit away from me. Then I felt bad again. Don't know why; must be conscience. "… Let's just go on and do something, ne?"

"I second that," Kenta promptly commented, raising a hand. "I want a fish, and we're just ahead of the stand where you catch them."

"Sounds like a good idea," I was ready to move on past this. "Don't worry so much, you two. It's not like I'm dying or anything."

Juri and Jen looked to each other with some concern… then just warily nodded, and looked back to me and Kenta.

"Sure, let's go," Jenrya concluded, putting his smile back on for us. Thanks, Jen.

[POV - Ruki]

I should've guessed those losers would follow me. I wouldn't expect any better of those Rooster Heads.

However, this was the big… festival… outing… thing. I narrowed my eyes, because I just remembered my defenses were up 100% for this night, and I was in no mood for a cat-and-mouse, especially not this early in the game.

Shaking off Hirokazu would be pretty easy. All I need is… a really fast ride from this semi-American hellhole. Knowing 'Kazu, he'll jump at the opportunity to ride it and try to impress me with his so-called 'endurance'… only to fall short to the challenge. That's how he was in the Digital World, and that's how he is in the real world. A lot of gusto and no common sense to regulate it. It's a wonder why he didn't end up kicking it during our last adventure other than Leomon.

But I shouldn't even joke about that mentally, should I? I might jinx him, for all I know…

Hello… what was this I came across? I looked up, and on the horizon was some odd ride I was not familiar with. …SO very American, it looked. Looked American-type cheap, too. It was just a stick with a spherical riders' capsule on each end of that stick. Sure, granted, the thing looked intimidating because the actual size of the ride was about 70 feet tall from my estimates. But given such a limited design…what was it supposed to do, exactly?

Guess it's my cue to sit there and wait. For just two passengers at a time… the line up ahead was progressing very suckily. As two new passengers were loaded into the seats, my eyes wandered through the crowds, trying to pinpoint where my Rooster-Headed admirers were hiding.

Of course, with their stupid-looking hair, it wasn't very hard to pick them apart from the people with sane hairstyles. Hirokazu was seemingly waiting in line for some inane kiddy right that happened to be right next to the one I was at. He was keeping his eyes on me constantly, so he kept walking into people like the douche he was. I don't think he even noticed I was looking at him! He really is an idiot. Even more of a Goggle-head than Takato. And he doesn't even wear goggles. It makes him that much lamer.

I looked to the other side of me, seeing a stand for stir-fry. A slew of people had covered the perimeter… or at least the front of it. Ryo was well hidden in there, I admit, but his retarded hair sticking out completely gave him away, just like 'Kazu. He was also keeping an eye on me without taking a moment to look elsewhere.

Their general inferiority, as well as the fact that BOTH of them were breaking their promise was annoying the hell out of me. I gave Ryo a very sharp glare, which made him realize I knew where he was. Upon this enlightenment, he just scratched his head and chuckled a bit half-heartedly. Without changing any expressions after that, he made his way out of the noodle-crazed crowd and walked over to me, sweatdropping like an utter, found-out fool. How fitting.

"I'd like to tell you 'Nice try', Ryo," I told him, looking away. "But that would make you feel good for what you're doing, wouldn't it? So I'm just going to say this: don't make empty promises, dumbshit."

Ryo just laughed a little bit. Yeah, I bet he probably found that funny. Apparently a lot of people find me funny when I'm pissed off. This might be a sign for me to stop being merciful and to just go ahead and bite their heads off. Then they'll know I wasn't trying to be humorous, right?

"I haven't a clue of what you mean!" He said light-heartedly.

"Yeah, whatever," I grumbled, refusing to argue with him until I rounded up Dumbass #2. "Fun's over, 'Kazu! Get over here and stop being a coward!"

It wasn't long before Hirokazu was obediently at my other side, also looking horrified that I somehow knew he was hiding out all along.

"It isn't what you think!" He insisted, right as I was about to say something. "Honest!"

"Don't interrupt me!" I snapped, looming over my very reluctant acquaintance. "It was so what I thought; you're so full of CRAP!"

Hirokazu shrunk back a bit, making me happy at least in knowing he knew he was tampering with forces he dared not provoke too much. "…I wasn't interrupting you," he mumbled.

"Yes you were," I argued back. "Now shut up!"

"Ruki," Ryo, following suit, butted into the conversation before he was spoken to. "He wasn't interrupting you."

"Did I say you could speak yet?!" I growled, pointing at Ryo. "I didn't ask for your opinion!"

"Just saying," Ryo said, still remotely calm.

"Don't say," I clarified. "Apologize. If I recall correctly, you both made promises over the phone that you wouldn't treat this like a date. Am I right?"

"One hundred percent," Ryo agreed. Hirokazu nodded along with him, balling his hands up into fists.

"So we agree that we've come to this festival together as friends among friends. That was the deal, wasn't it?"

"You bet," Hirokazu said in his wannabe-confident tone.

My eyes narrowed. "Do friends obsessively spy on each other when one friend wants to be alone?"

"Best friends might," Ryo said with a grin. A grin I wanted to destroy via fist-to-mouth.

"If they're really concerned!" Hirokazu added. He is SUCH a Ryo-asskisser, even when he's hitting on me to compete with him.

"Don't give me your bullshit," I ordered; the urge to hurdle them both into space was very overpowering at this point. "You both know you're going over the borderline of friendship and you don't care at all!"

"No need to dwell on it," Ryo explained. "I can admit I made a mistake. How about you, 'Kazu?"

Hirokazu just looked up at Ryo with his eyes wide and shiny. Eww… you know, if Ryo just realized how obsessed 'Kazu was over him, you'd think he'd just get a clue, and those two would get hitched, and live happily ever after on some mountain range far, far away from me. I wouldn't mind, personally. That kind of thing doesn't bother me. After dealing with so many boys in my time that seem so much more interested in each other than me, it's so natural by now.

Ryo just grinned at the scene. "Yeah, well… it's past us now!"

"Like hell it is," I shot back quietly, moving ahead in the line.

"You wanna go on that ride?" Hirokazu inquired, following me. "It looks a little boring."

I decided that moving away from the subject for a while might be a little easier on me. "Have you actually seen it in action yet?"

"Can't say I have," Hirokazu replied, scratching the back of his head. "But it looks cheap to me. It's so…"

"American?" I finished.

Hirokazu nodded. "Pretty much."

"Looks can be deceiving," Ryo added, walking over to where we were. "So don't judge a book by its cover. Not yet, anyway."

"Don't preach to me, Rooster Boy," I grumbled. Not only was Akiyama a big stupid flirt, he also had to be the annoying Nanny of the Tamers, didn't he? "Cheap things like this can't be deceiving. Not when it looks like it's going to fall into pieces if it gets used again."

"Maybe it's meant to look shoddy," Ryo countered with a nonchalant shrug.

"You make it sound unsafe to ride on," Hirokazu noted with a cringe. "And you haven't even been on it."

I gave 'Kazu a look. "Does that scare you, Hirokazu? Just because I think the ride's gonna bust and I have no grounds whatsoever to prove that on? Just the sheer thought of the possibility makes you chicken out?"

Hirokazu automatically frowned. "Hell no! I'm not scared of a cheapass American ride!"

I stepped away slightly, smirking. "If you mean that, I want you to ride it. Just so I can see how not-scared you really are."

"You're on," he shot back. Coming off as an extremely cocky asshole, as always. "I can take any dumb carnival ride."

Ryo looked to me, in a strange gesture. "Weren't you going to ride on it?"

I simply folded my arms. "You seem way more in love with that ride than I am, Ryo. Take your own advice. Don't chicken out, and you go on the ride."

"I will, then, by no doubt," Ryo assured. "But you still didn't answer my question."

That just made my blood boil. How dare he be impatient with my way of addressing issues! Just because he's SO interested in what I'm going to do! Is it any of his business on what I ride and don't ride?

"I'll go," I responded calmly. "But I want you and 'Kazu to go before me. Just so I can make sure you don't run off. Plus I want to see the looks on your faces after you get off that ride."

"And you won't run off while we're on it?" Hirokazu asked.

"Why would I?" I asked in a rhetorical manner. "And miss the two of you getting tortured in that stupid ride?"

"You… want us to go together?" Ryo seemed a little uneasy. For what reason I wasn't sure of.

"That's how I wanted it," I said with a nod. "You two Rooster Heads riding it together. Besides, it'll be quicker that way, don't you think?"

"Makes sense," Ryo admitted with a grin that was entirely fake. "Well, I guess we could."

Almost on cue, Hirokazu moved in closer to Ryo. "I can't say I mind that plan! You'd make any lame ride seem like a blast, Ryo-sama!"

Ryo chuckled a bit. "I guess I am the life of a party, ne?"

Oh, I just wanted them both to die.

"Don't get your hopes up, 'Kazu," I pointed out. "It's not like you'll be riding next to him or anything."

Hirokazu paused for a moment, then frowned. "Goddammit."

"You'll get plenty of other chances," I assured, sounding annoyed, but I wasn't really. Hey, more power to him if he'd rather hang over Ryo than me. Just seeing Hirokazu happy in general just… irks me.

"Yeah, the night's still young," Ryo noted. "We have plenty of time."

"… It's not even night yet," I said, looking up at the sky, where indeed, the sun hadn't even set over the hills.

"Whatever," Hirokazu said in his throw-offish manner. He turned his view to the front of the line. "I'm ready to take on this challenge whenever you are, Ryo. Just say the word, wait for our turn, and I am all over this ride."

"I'm sure we're all ready for it," Ryo concurred, smirking. He also turned his attention to the line of people standing in front of him. "All that's required of us now is a little patience."

After this exhausting situation, all I could throw in was an unenthusiastic "Whoopee."

Just a few minutes later, Hirokazu was looking ahead to where the line first began, then to the end, then to the stands to the side of us.

"… You think one of us could go and make a stir-fry run for the three of us?"

Sigh.

[POV - Takato]

I was right, of course. Things were much more peaceful and enjoyable with the lacking presence of Hirokazu, Ryo, and Ruki. … But maybe it was… too peaceful. Too enjoyable. Too perfect. Well, save for the Kenta-Complaining factor, but it didn't seem to long before even he was softening up after having enough fun with the rest of us, his complaining was dwindling away until it was just a rare occurrence for humor purposes. Hard to believe Kenta would have a sense of humor. Then again, after hanging out with 'Kazu for so long, I guess you wouldn't be able to help it eventually.

Oh well. He caught more fish than Jenrya, Juri, or myself, anyway. We seemed to go on rides sparingly throughout our evening. I don't know why, some rides we've ridden since we were little just don't have that… fun spark in them anymore. Plus, everything had a long line of kids you had to wait for before going on them. Not really the way you should be spending these special events. We had our fair share of buying things, though. Since we were growing up, I think this is how preteens and teenagers really spent their festival time, anyway. Either buying things for their girl/boyfriends or winning prizes for them at the little games in the stands.

Of course, since no one amongst our group was going out on an actual date, this was a little awkward. At least it was for me. Juri was really into the shopping. Jenrya seemed to be comfortable with it, and Kenta had a blast winning prizes solely for himself.

Who knows? I guess it's good to be a little self-centered after suffering a breakup.

Then there was me. I sucked at the games… and I really would've liked to win something for Juri, but every time I tried, I crashed and failed. And then in my place, Jenrya or Kenta would win, but at least they didn't hand over their prizes to Juri. This made me feel a little better, further proving that my thoughts of having competition for Juri's affections were only mere paranoia.

"God, these are huge," Kenta gasped as he grabbed hold of a giant lollipop from a rack… and no, I'm not kidding. This sucker was ENORMOUS. About the circumference of Kenta's head. "Who do you suppose would possibly eat something like this?"

"Ah, I'd say you could pull it off in a couple of months," Jenrya assumed. "Of course, then you'd wind up with a bunch of cavities."

"Or a real stomach ache if you tried eating it in under a month," Kenta added, uneasily sticking the lollipop back in its original place.

"You should get it, Kenta-kun," I urged with a grin. "And dare 'Kazu to eat it."

Kenta sneered at the thought. "I ought to. He'd do it, for sure."

"Something tells me he wouldn't get a stomach ache from doing it," Juri said, concerned. "Hirokazu-chan seems to be immune to sugar and caffeine overdoses. I think he'd just be more insane than he usually is on a sugar high."

"If you put it that way," Jenrya reconsidered, sounding unsure. "That does seem to be tampering with forces we have no business messing with."

"Just like hitting a beehive with a stick," Kenta added. "Or invoking the wrath of Ruki."

Juri rolled her eyes. "Kenta, Ruki-chan isn't evil. It's all in your head. She's just very over-protective of her well-being."

"I still think she wants to kill us, deep down," Kenta mumbled.

"After all we've been through, I don't think she'd want to kill us herself," Jenrya corrected. "But there's no doubt in my mind that she'd want us DEAD. She just wants something bad to happen to us. The fact that I got a really bad fortune ten minutes ago might be a sign…"

A Ruki debate? Not interested. I came here to have fun, not fear for my life. Especially when she's right here at the festival with us. Well, not literally, but if she wanted to find us and kill us, she could. … Argh. Don't wanna think about it. I decided I'd just look at the candy for a while. Because candy brings happy thoughts, yes it does.

"You haven't tied that up yet?" Juri said with a small laugh. "Jen-chan, you'll free yourself of that evil fortune reading if you just tie it to a tree."

"Do you see any trees around here?" Jenrya countered lightheartedly. "I'll get to it when we pass by some."

Juri didn't give a verbal response; she just laughed.

I think getting Juri something like a giant lollipop wouldn't be a good idea. One, there's no way she'd eat it because of the reasons we mentioned, two, I always hear girls are sensitive about their diet and their weight and stuff. I don't want Juri thinking that I think she's fat or anything. Or that she's too skinny and I want her to fatten up…

But I decided that I wanted to get her something before this night was over. It may have been decided that this is just a friendly outing, and it was supposed to end that way, but I was tired of letting opportunities pass me by like this. And I'm sure everyone wants me to stop beating around the damn bush anyway. What to get her for certain, that would be tricky… probably not food. Like I said, I didn't want to give off any offensive impressions. Then again, food would be one of the most modest ways of giving gifts. I mean, food is food, and it might not seem so obvious that I'm giving her a present because I like her like that if it's something that simple. Besides, isn't food connected to love in some way? That's why everyone goes out on romantic dinners and stuff, right?

"Takato-kun." It was Kenta. "You've been staring at that candy for a while now. Buy it or don't buy it. Just hurry! We need to move on!"

Bah. Maybe food's just the cheap way of giving your love a present. When you suck too much at games to win something for her instead! God, I feel so second-rate! It wouldn't be a wonder if she didn't like me back. Why go out with someone like me when you've got so many friends superior to you in every aspect? Yeah, it's sick, sick irony. I'm the only Goggle-Boy of a Digimon team to be an insecure wuss. I'm not an asshole, but I still have faults that are just as annoying, and just as cliché.

But I can't let that get me down, right? I mean, I may be a loser, but Juri likes me for who I am anyway. At least, I think so. Maybe I should learn to like myself a little more. Then again, I am the one who's always whining about how I can never tell Juri about my feelings directly, and I'm beginning to think I'll never really have the courage to ever do that. When in fact, I probably should have just listened to Hirokazu all along. As… wrong as that seems. Following his advice, sheesh. You just have to be open about your feelings sometimes, to get what you want in life. Hiding the emotions sure isn't doing favors for anybody. If anything, it's delaying the inevitable.

Then again, that can be a good thing. If the outcome of my confession turns out to be horrible and heartbreaking. Which I can never be sure of until it happens. Sometimes I want to keep a friendship for as long as humanly possible before I jeopardize it with my stupid hormones. Although, the longer I keep it, the more it'll hurt when the confession comes out. So she'd just hate me more…

Argh. Maybe I should just get Juri something that screams 'We're Friends Forever! BFFs! YAY!' That way she'd never misinterpret it, and she'd have to love it. No one can hate a token of glorifying friendship. Especially a close one. Now there's just a matter if determining what would possibly pass for a friendship gift, and what reeks of an underlying gift for a hidden crush. Maybe Jenrya and Kenta would know. I mean, especially Kenta. He's even gone through this before, I bet!

"Hey, Kenta…" I turned around to face my friends, only to come upon a horrifying realization.

My friends were gone. And nowhere in sight.

[POV - Nobody]

Ruki just looked down and shook her head. "Guess I did underestimate that ride a bit. I was just watching, and even doing that seemed painful. I suppose I owe you an apology."

Ryo and Hirokazu were reduced to nothing but worthless bodies on the ground, on the verge of losing the stir-fry they had consumed before the ride.

"No need for it," Ryo assured, wincing. "We accepted the dare, so we brought it on ourselves."

Hirokazu moaned. "I just wouldn't wish this kind of torture on anyone. Nobody at all! Ruki, I'm not sure if you should even ride it."

"It didn't even look fun," Ruki commented. "It was just a stick that kept making vertical spins, and that was it."

"That's what the ride's all about," Ryo said with a prolonged sigh. "All you do is sit in a capsule with no openings whatsoever, going through endless loop-de-loops, and since you're SITTING at a vertical angle and your safety belt is really loose…"

"… You end up falling from your seat and your head crashes onto the ceiling when you're upside down," Hirokazu finished, looking even more pained as he recalled it.

"Ouch," Ruki said with mock-pain. "Even more brain damage unleashed on poor Shiota."

"Don't joke about it," Hirokazu pouted seriously. "It wasn't even fun and I still wanna throw up. This totally sucks."

Ryo smoothened out his hair. "Totally. Don't ride it, Ruki. It's not worth proving your bravery. You're better off waiting until we hit a roller coaster or something…"

"Yeah," Ruki muttered. "Well, I guess I can commend you for your willingness to put up with that trashy ride, since it was all fuss and no fun."

"Tell me about it," Hirokazu growled, following Ryo's actions, started fixing his mangled hair as well. "I spent a good three hours perfecting this and it's all a damned disaster now!"

Ryo looked irritated as well, which was a rarity for anyone to see. Since Ryo was known so well for always playing it cool under any circumstance. "If I had known this would happen, I would've brought extra gel."

Ruki rolled her eyes. "You Roosters and your gel. Well, come on. Let's find something worthy of our riding."

"Hold up, hold up," Hirokazu urged, trying to stand up. "My stomach's still feeling a little sensitive. I don't wanna move too much too early. I still stand the risk of losing it."

Ryo also rose, able to fully stand sooner than his obsessive friend. "Yeah, I'd like to take a little break before we go off into more intense rides. Just to be safe. I'd hate to leave early." After that, Ryo gave one of his famous suggestive smiles.

Ruki gave her natural look of response: Unimpressed. "I suppose I owe you that much. Go ahead, sit down and calm your stomachs." She looked down to her wrist at her watch, just to check the current time. She blinked, and looked surprised… all of a sudden, she just remembered a plan of hers she was participating in for the festival a few days ago.

"What time is it?" Hirokazu asked as he and Ryo sat down on a bench.

"Er… it's early," Ruki assured the boys. "But I just remembered there was something I needed to do."

"You mean in here?" Ryo asked, obviously clueless at what Ruki was getting at.

"Yeah," Ruki said hastily, grabbing her bagged belongings and already motioning to leave. "I need to meet someone."

"Someone?" Hirokazu echoed, not pleased.

"About setting up a game, you doofus," Ruki clarified with a glare. "I made a promise a few days ago, so I need to be there to help. Okay? You guys can live without me for a little while, right?"

Ryo smiled and gave her a peace sign. "Without a problem."

"We'll be okay!" Hirokazu said with a smile. "Hey, our stomachs are rebelling against us anyway, it's not like we'll be going anywhere anytime soon."

Ruki just stared at them hard, trying to make sure these two were being honest with her. After she realized they were both still genuinely run-down, she sighed and gave them the nod of approval. "Then don't follow me. And for the love of god, don't eat anything, either."

With that, she was off. Fortunately at the right time, as her mention of food brought the forces of regurgitation back upon Hirokazu and Ryo with a powerful vengeance. They couldn't say their goodbyes, therefore leaned over the sides of the benches and let the backlash of the ride overcome them. In the grossest way possible.

[POV - Nobody]

"Huh… maybe if I wasn't so hard on Jen, he would've taken that Ruki girl along."

Jaarin sighed, sitting in a seat, hidden in a secluded corner of the booth she was working in. Her day was far from over, and already the job was taking a toll on her physically. Setting up stacks of cans over and over again wasn't as fun as she had originally thought it to be.

"Ruki?" a girl Jaarin's age had listened in. She was just working at the booth next door to Jaarin's. Apparently, she was also taking a little break. "Who's that? A new transfer the rest of us haven't met yet?"

Jaarin smiled, though clearly her smile made it all the more apparent how tired she was. "She's not our age, Yariko. Ruki's more around Jenrya's age."

Yariko rose an eyebrow. "Isn't that kind of young for you, then?"

"She's more of Jenrya's friend than mine," Jaarin insisted. "Even though Jen doesn't seem to like her very much. But we had a plan for something we'd do together today, so I'm kind of hoping she's here…"

Jaarin's friend still wasn't satisfied with the information. "Do something? You're supposed to stay here most of the night, Jaarin."

"I'm not leaving!" Jaarin promised. "You don't need to worry about that. All we're going to do is pull a little prank on my obnoxious brother. I'm not going anywhere."

"Really," Yariko seemed a little amused. "Wait, which one was the obnoxious one again?"

"Rinchei's the blowhard," Jaarin reviewed. "So Jenrya is the obnoxious one. The one who's trying to grow up too fast, you know."

"Right, right," Yariko nodded, now remembering. "So you're playing a prank? I thought Jenrya was sensitive about practical jokes, Jaarin-chan. Did he really do something bad enough to merit for that kind of treatment?"

Jaarin shrugged. "He was trying to be a smartass to Rinchei just before we got here. Everyone in that family tends to get on my nerves at least once a week. I figure now's a good time as any to cash in on a little fun, harmless revenge. Besides, it might even end out positively for Jen either way." She smiled. "Depending on how things go."

"What's the plan, exactly?" Yariko asked. "I mean, since I'm going to be witnessing this from where I'm at, anyway."

Jaarin just winked and shook her index finger. "I'll tell you when Ruki arrives. I don't want to leave her out on the details. I just hope she gets here before Jenrya does…"

"Jenrya Lee? Beating me to the stand? Me? What a joke."

Noting the presence of the new voice, Jaarin and Yariko turned to the front and found Ruki Makino standing before them.

"Thank goodness," Jaarin said quietly, very relieved. "I almost thought you changed your mind on coming."

Ruki sweatdropped. "Wasn't gonna happen. Too many of my other friends invited me. A decline to come along might've broken their hearts. You know how friends are."

"At least you're here, that's what matters."

"Yeah," Ruki set her bags on the ground, and bent down to dig into one. "I assume you have the glue gun warmed up already?"

"Maximum heat," Jaarin confirmed. "Just waiting to melt some glue sticks, now."

"Here you go," Ruki offered, standing up straight. "I think I got more than enough from Obaasan's crafts drawer. But I'm afraid I haven't been keeping an eye on Jenrya at all."

Yariko just stared blankly ahead at the scene going on in front of her. "Wait… what is this?"

"Gomen," Jaarin apologized, laughing. "Ruki, this is my friend from school, Kisaragi Yariko. Yariko, Makino Ruki."

Ruki looked over to Jaarin's friend briefly, not looking too terribly interested. "Oh. Um, a pleasure."

"Sou," Yariko looked back to Jaarin. "So tell me, what does hot glue have to do with this prank you're planning?"

Ruki started chuckling evilly to herself as Jaarin started to explain. "When I see Jenrya, I'm going to invite him over for a game. I'll pit him against one of his friends. A fun little competition, it'll be. His opponent will be knocking over the cans on this stand," Jaarin pointed it out, with the cans already neatly stacked. "While Jenrya will be aiming for this one," She gestured to the stand to her other side, which was remotely bare.

"Where's the cans?" Yariko asked. "I don't even remember you using more than one stand for this earlier."

"This one's made specially to be rigged," Jaarin answered, winking.

"That's where the hot glue comes in," Ruki added, still snickering.

Yariko seemed to be getting the picture now. "Ohh… so you can…"

"Tada!" Jaarin, out of nowhere, lifted up a new stack from the ground. Though she only held it on one side with one hand, the stack remained whole. "The invincible stack! The glue dries fast enough, so it won't come apart no matter how hard you nail it!"

"You're gluing the bottoms too, right?" Yariko asked again, just to be sure.

"Correct," Jaarin nodded. "But I don't want to confuse the customers into thinking I really have two sets to knock over. I just want to cheat my brother out for a bit, not everyone else."

"So there's no way he could win." Yariko noted, as if it wasn't obvious enough.

"Pretty much," Ruki agreed. "That glue's really quick to dry, too. So she doesn't need to attach it to the stand until we see him coming. Then we just have to get him to compete on a dare, and he'll lose. He'll have to consent to our will. He has to do anything we ask him of." This particular thought made Ruki smirk. The sweet satisfaction of dictating a boy's fate.

Jaarin looked beyond Ruki, just to make sure for a moment that her younger brother wasn't coming her way right this moment. "So you don't really know where he is now?"

"Sorry I didn't keep up," Ruki apologized again. "I've had two Rooster Heads sidetracking me since I left the house today. I didn't have a chance to catch a break from them until now."

"Just as long as he's still here," Jaarin assured.

"Oh, he is, I know that much," said Ruki. "Just not his exact location right this moment, or when he'll be coming here…"

"So what exactly would you make him do once he inevitably loses?" Yariko inquired. "I mean, obviously something he wouldn't want to do…"

"Well, we-"

"RUKI-CHAN!!"

Ruki was suddenly trapped in an overwhelming greeting hug by her best friend, Juri. In the distance, Kenta and Jenrya were approaching slowly but surely. Terriermon was perched over a shoulder of Jenrya's.

"J-…Juri," Ruki uttered, completely taken by surprise. She nodded to Jaarin quickly before giving full attention back to Juri. "Good we crossed paths… again…"

Jaarin understood the signal and immediately went to work gluing the base of her unbreakable stack. She worked as quickly as she could, slamming the stack onto the formerly empty stand just before Jenrya took the time to notice who he just came across.

"I'm glad you're okay," Juri said, sounding ecstatic. "But weren't Hirokazu and Ryo with you after you split up? Or did they actually not tag along with you?"

"Katou, please," Kenta murmured. "You're almost making them sound innocent and good-natured with no evil intent."

"They're around," Ruki replied, with no hint of concern in her voice whatsoever. "For the record, yes, they were following and trying to hang out with me. But last I heard of them, one of the American rides nearly made them lose their lunch. They're off resting to cope with the pain."

Kenta was amazed. "There's a ride that makes 'Kazu sick…?" He blinked, just realizing something else. "There's a ride… that makes RYO sick?!"

"It's not really that great of a ride," Ruki explained. "It makes you sick. That's about all it does."

"Maybe you can warn us if we come across it," Juri said with a smile. "And maybe 'Kazu-chan and Ryo-san can rejoin us when they feel better."

Jenrya was keeping quiet. But only because he had discovered Jaarin, and the last thing he wanted to happen for tonight was to come across anyone in his family. Especially if it was a family member he just had an argument with. He just kept an eye on her, and Jaarin did the same. Neither attempted to look happy at the other's arrival.

Somehow, Juri could sense the tension. And being the good person she was, she wanted to break that tension. She never liked her friends fighting amongst each other. "So… Jenrya no oneesan is working here as well!"

Jaarin looked to Juri and smiled. "I do. I'm Jaarin. And you are…?"

"Katou Juri." Juri made a respectful bow to the elder. "It's good to finally meet you."

"And you," Jaarin returned. "Jenrya doesn't seem to talk about you much. Then again, he was never popular with girls. The only girl he talks about is Ruki on occasion, and usually he just complains about her."

At that instant, Jenrya shot Jaarin a bold glare, as Juri just giggled. Ruki reflected Jenrya's same angry glare on Jenrya himself.

"Don't you have anything better to do with your life than complain about me?!" Ruki shouted. The tone of her voice had immediately scared anyone standing within a meter of her, forcing them to step back. "Your presence alone pisses me off, but I don't whine about it all the time when I come home!"

"I refuse to participate in this conversation," Jenrya grumbled as calmly as he could. "You wouldn't know this, Ruki, being an only child and all, but siblings will do anything they can to make their other siblings miserable. They'll even make up the lamest lies ever to make their siblings look bad in front of their friends."

It was Jaarin's turn to glare. "How dare you call me a liar! You know damn well every time I ask about the girls in your life, you talk about Ruki and how allegedly evil she is, how she's a demon from hell sent to suck the life out of men… I have recorded tapes if you still insist on denying it!"

Jenrya was infuriated and aghast at the same time. "You tape our conversations?!"

Ruki was also becoming enraged. "He thinks I'm a WHAT?!"

Jaarin looked to Ruki and shrugged. "I figure, the way you two get along, you'd already know this."

"Must be losing my TOUCH," Ruki snarled as she grabbed for Jenrya's kimono, in an attempt to pull him down to his knees. Jenrya, wary enough of his reluctant friend, stepped sharply away. "Get back over here, Lee! If you think I'm that evil, come and say it to my face!"

"I'm not going to argue with you," Jenrya repeated sternly. "And I'm not fighting you, either. I didn't come here to get into this position."

"He's right," Juri said in support. "There's another time and place for this to be taken care of. None of us came here to fight." She eyed Ruki. "Isn't that right?"

Remembering that her other friends existed, and that she herself didn't agree to this trip just to get into another daily fight, Ruki calmed down and nodded in compliance to her friend. "Right."

"Ah, they can't help being themselves," Terriermon finally cut in. "They'll know now to behave better."

Jaarin blinked at the voice, and couldn't believe that all this time she never noticed Terriermon perched on her younger brother's shoulder.

"Terriermon? What're you doing here?"

"You think I'd let Jen keep me in the house a few extra hours, alone, with Shuichon? Please," Terriermon muttered. "I don't take 'no' for an answer when it comes to consequences like that." Then he grinned. "But you don't need to worry, Jaarin! I'll behave!"

Jenrya sweatdropped and shrugged. "Can you argue with logic like that?"

"Probably," Jaarin replied slyly. "But I won't tell 'kaasan if Terriermon doesn't end up burning the place down."

Jenrya's expressions softened upon hearing this, and he nodded to her. "Arigatou."

"You're welcome," was Jaarin's cheerful response. "So, anyone interested in knocking some cans over?"

The crowd was quite silent.

"Come on!" Yariko urged. "It's your sister's booth, Jen! How could you refuse?"

"Easily," said Jenrya. "It looks boring, anyway."

"Then you can play a free game if you play it against someone else," Jaarin offered. "And I'll throw in a prize."

Jenrya was taken aback. "… Why do I have to play against someone?"

"Because your non-competitiveness tends to get annoying after a while," Ruki cut in smugly.

"I didn't ask you!!" Jenrya shot back, before he turned back to Jaarin. "So what're you offering as a prize?"

Jaarin looked around the area of her tiny booth. "Well, if you don't care for any of these stuffed animals… you can take this!" She held out a full bag, which was bigger than the size of her head. "Lots of money. You can spend it on whatever you want. You were complaining about getting a new CD player anyway, weren't you?"

After some thought and consideration, Jenrya sighed. "Fair enough. I'm in."

"Another condition," Jaarin added. "You have to go against…" she trailed off as she pointed a finger that moved left and right between Jenrya's friends. "Him!"

Kenta almost jumped. "M-me?!"

"Yep. You."

"Why me?!" Kenta wailed. "I haven't even said anything of relevance to this whole thing!"

"Jenrya needs a neutral opponent," Jaarin answered. "And you're the best candidate. So step on up!" She stood up, looking more like her enthusiastic and proud self. "Jenrya, you'll take on this stack," she gestured to her specially rigged set on the left of her. "And… whoever you are, take the one on the right!"

"That would be Kitagawa Kenta," Kenta pointed out as he walked to his assigned position. "What, are you saying Jenrya never talks about me?"

Jaarin shrugged. "He talks about Takato and complains about Ruki. That's about all I know."

"Aww," Kenta whined. "But we're buddies too!"

"We've been off that subject for the last few minutes now," Jenrya reminded, fully annoyed as he walked to face his assigned stack. "Can we drop it?"

"Whatever you say," Jaarin complied as she bent down to take out a pair of balls. As she fully stood up again, she looked down at the balls, thoughtfully. Everyone just stared at her wordlessly as, unknowingly to them, she contemplated her fun little scheme.

Kenta scratched his head, not understanding what was going on. "Um, do we get the balls or not?"

Jaarin looked up slowly to her company. "Gomen nasai. I was just thinking…"

"Thinking?" Juri echoed, blinking. "About what?"

"… Just… I think I should spice up this game a little better before we start."

Jenrya raised an eyebrow, already sensing bad vibes. "… Spice up how?"

"Something to make the challenge more interesting," Jaarin suggested. "If that's okay with YOU, Mr. I'm-Content-With-Everything-Boring."

"I'm up for interesting twists," Kenta admitted. "If it beats the other bogus games around here."

"Kenta, that's not helping," Jenrya scolded.

Ruki scoffed. "I swear to god, you're afraid of everything challenging, Jenrya! I can't believe as long as I've known you as a Tamer, you're still slipping by on the fast lane by taking the easy way out of things. Where's your sense of adventure gone to? Hell?"

"I just don't feel like taking unnecessary risks through stupid things like this."

"Aw, what's gonna happen?" Terriermon chimed. "It's not like you're gonna DIE or anything. It's just a game!"

"Make it more interesting for us, Jen-chan!" Juri urged, but in a friendly way. "We want to see what you guys are made of."

Jenrya looked to Juri sadly, and sighed again. "All right… fine."

"That's the spirit!" Yariko cheered on.

"You owe it to me and Rinchei for your attitude earlier on, anyway," Jaarin smirked as she tossed the two balls around in her hands. "Okay, here's the final condition for this match."

Not amused that Jaarin brought up that situation again, Jenrya rolled his eyes. Kenta straightened his posture as much as he could bear to, as he prepared for Jaarin's ground rules.

"The consequences," Jaarin said, extremely clearly for extra effect. "If you lose."

Kenta already felt like turning back.

"The first one who knocks down his stack wins, obviously," Jaarin informed. "You win, and you'll get your money. But if you lose…"

Jenrya swallowed and glared at his sister. "Just get to the point; don't pause like this."

Jaarin smiled widely; something that sent a chill up almost everyone's spine. "If you lose, you don't get the money."

Jenrya and Kenta both sighed in relief.

"And then you have to go on the mysterious boat ride."

"The… WHAT?!" Jenrya looked around the area. "What boat ride?!"

"The one without the sign," said Jaarin.

Kenta squinted off in the distance, adjusting his glasses in the process. "Is that what that was?"

"Kind of like our Japanese equivalent to the Tunnel of Love," said Yariko. "If you even know what that is."

"I can make a guess," Kenta uttered warily.

"Well, THIS ride is just a boat ride across the open lake that's close to here," Jaarin announced. "You have to ride with a girl that is randomly chosen for you."

Jenrya's face fell. "Whaaaaaat…?! You mean one of us has to ride across the lake with a total stranger?!"

"I wouldn't diss it, Jen!" Terriermon advised. "Seems like a great thing to start a romantic relationship for guys without a girlfriend!"

"Right, like I'd REALLY be so shallow as to date some stranger I've only met once," Jenrya growled. "Jaarin, don't you think that's too much?"

Once again, Jaarin shrugged. "You won't have to worry about it if you win, now will you?"

Kenta flinched, already shaky in the knees. "Now I think I'm gonna be sick."

"I think this kind of consequence makes it more interesting," Juri commented. "I mean, when you really think about it, a boat ride isn't really a bad thing… just think, Jen-chan, Jaarin could've made you be her slave for a month or something instead."

"Listen to your friend for once, Jen-niichan," advised Jaarin, complete with a smirk. "Don't you remember what it was like the last time you lost a bet to me, and you had to clean my room?"

As the memories flowed back into Jenrya's head, he twitched, showing the amount of trauma he had gone through during that wretched, wretched time.

But Jenrya felt a sudden comfort as Juri placed her hand on his shoulder, and she gave him an assuring smile.

"I'm sure it'll turn out fine, Jenrya," she whispered. "Kenta-chan isn't backing out, see? Be a good sport and put on a show for us. If things turn out bad, I'll buy you both some cotton candy."

While the possibility of losing still tormented Jenrya's mind like the plague, he put on the best smile he could muster for his friend, and gave her the nod.

"Argiatou," Juri thanked, patting him on the shoulder once before stepping back.

Jenrya looked on ahead at his challenge, determined this time to prove to his sister and Juri that he wouldn't chicken out.

"So, who do you suppose will win?" Juri asked Ruki, who was finally easing up after her tangent and taking in the amusement of all that's gone on so far.

"That's a very good question," Ruki answered with a sneer. A rather grim, scary-looking sneer. "I'll definitely have to think about that one…"

"You can do it, Jen!" exclaimed Terriermon as he leaped off his partner and onto Juri, as he full well knew he'd be risking his life to jump on any part of Ruki's body.

Jaarin smiled, now holding one ball in each hand, just tossing them slightly upwards. "Ready, boys?" And like that, she tossed one ball to Kenta, and one to Jenrya. Both boys caught his respective ball, Kenta stumbling a bit after. It was apparent he was more nervous than anyone else.

"Guess it's now or never," Jenrya muttered, getting the best grip he could muster on his ball, positioning himself for the best possible throw he could muster. Funnily enough, his stance was much like a baseball pitcher. He must've seen it on TV before.

"Please god, let something good occur in my unlucky life once," Kenta choked out his pray, also positioning himself for throwing. His pose was much less professional-looking than Jenrya's.

Jaarin walked over to a secluded side of her booth, just to ensure her own safety. "Have at it whenever, then."

Jenrya and Kenta placed 100% of their attention to the ball in their hands. Gripping it tighter and tighter, positioning their arms to the length and direction they felt was best to demolish the stack of cans. Beads of sweat formed on Kenta's face from his relentless concentration; Jenrya's eyes, never leaving his respective stack, were particularly fierce by now. The sharpness of the grays in his irises were standing out more than they usually did. Just like a full-metal spike of the same color, Jenrya's eyes were piercing the area he observed. Though only Jaarin and Yariko were the only ones able to see them, Yariko suddenly felt an odd queasiness in her stomach after staring at Jenrya's eyes for a certain period of time.

Kenta's were nowhere near the level of fierceness; his were simply calculating. And that was it. Calculating, and hoping. Neither opposing Tamer could afford a slice of their concentration on anything else at this moment.

All this time… all that concentration… all for a mere split-second action. Both Jenrya and Kenta released their ball at nearly the exact same moment.

Both balls sped at blinding speed to their targets…

And the winner was…

… Neither of them.

Both balls missed their targets, and smacked against the wall. They rebounded into the bottom of the front of the booth, and rolled to the middle of the booth ground. Jaarin was suddenly very happy and fortunate that it occurred to her to move to a safe place.

The boys absolutely couldn't believe it. After all that time spent on concentration…!

"Now, that's just sad," Yariko remarked.

Jaarin, after calming down from that life-threatening moment, looked down to the balls and nodded. "Jesus Christ. You both suck!"

Ruki found herself chuckling at the scene. Juri and Terriermon could only sweatdrop.

Kenta plopped to his knees, already visibly worn from the tension of just one throw. "Oh… my… god…"

Jenrya frowned in disbelief. "Figures this would happen."

"Surprise, surprise," Jaarin muttered, picking up the balls. "Who would've thought…"

"Make them BOTH ride the boat!" Ruki called out.

"SHUT UP, RUKI!" both Jenrya AND Kenta shouted back fiercely, in unison.

Ruki just smirked. "You both suck. Neither of you clearly deserve the money."

"Now now," Jaarin cut in. "Ruki, we need to remember that we had a deal cut out. I intend to keep it as-is. We need a winner, here." She gritted her teeth impatiently. "Even if it takes all night."

"Oh, come ON," Kenta grumbled, standing back up. "We don't suck THAT much."

Yariko looked just as cynical. "You'd better not be bluffing. We got jobs to do here, kids."

"Fine, fine," Jenrya growled quietly. "Give us the balls; we'll try it again."

"I can't believe we have to go through with this," Kenta complained as he received his ball again. "Again!"

"Boys," Jaarin called out. "It might help if you just relaxed a bit. Just focus on your target and let the ball flow as natural. Just a suggestion."

"Whatever."

"Thanks."

Terriermon stood up, pumped with spirit and belief for his Tamer. "C'mon, Jen! Cream that thing!"

Juri, wanting to jump in, didn't really know who to root for. So, out of completely nowhere, she whipped out her Puppet and they both cheered. "Go Jenrya! Go Kenta! Go Jenrya! Go Kenta!"

"YOU BOTH SUCK!" Ruki called out, in an oddly positive tone.

The positioning took place again, but the situation was much more light-hearted now. Kenta managed to relax some, and Jenrya's eyes were remotely normal again.

They both let the balls fly.

CRASH! And Prang.

Kenta's stack was completely demolished; and sadly, as planned, Jenrya's stack was glued tight to the stand it sat on. The ball hit its target dead-on, so his stack as well could've been completely knocked over like Kenta's.

If only he wasn't rigged from the very start. Jenrya's ball simply ricocheted off its target, and into the bottom of the booth.

Jenrya, Terriermon, and Juri all gasped at the sight. Ruki, of course, was not surprised, and only smiled because the evil plan had succeeded. Kenta was too busy marveling at his own victory to even notice.

"No way…! Did I actually win?! Just now?!" Kenta took off his glasses, rubbed the lenses against his kimono, and then put them back on again. "Holy crap…! I… I WON!"

Jenrya just stared, his mouth gaping, wide open. Yariko couldn't help but just giggle at the all-too inevitable outcome. Jaarin smiled, but didn't laugh. She just shook her head, retrieved her bag full of god-knows-how-many yen, and walked over to Kenta.

"Jen, Jen, Jen," she teased. "Dishonoring our family line again by losing a lousy bet. I'm so disappointed!"

Kenta looked at his prize in awe as he received it. "God… I can't remember the last time I actually won something… 'Kazu kept beating my ass in the card games… and now…"

Jenrya could barely move. He well knew of what just happened, and why. The shocking part for him was believing it. Believing that after that ridiculous argument earlier on, would trigger this moment of revenge, and cause him to sit next to some random girl he didn't even know on a boat ride that lasted who-knows how long.

Ruki just looked pleased, but Juri was horrified. Terriermon was just staring, oddly silenced, for once.

"Jaarin, you…"

Jaarin sweatdropped. "It's all part of being a big sister, Juri. Torture your little brothers if they annoy you first, but because I'm the elder, I have to do what's best for him, too."

"What…?" Jenrya could suddenly speak again. "What the hell made you think dragging me into a boat with a total stranger was the BEST for me?!"

Jaarin narrowed her eyes. "I'd know, because according to Rinchei, it was the best thing for him when he was your age. And I'd kill for having enough free time to go on the ride myself…"

Jenrya growled. "Do I look like Rinchei to you?"

"You're still a growing boy," Jaarin pointed out. "You'll need to vent your hormones on something eventually. All boys do. I think having any girl for just a little while will open your eyes and renew your perspective on reality. You should think positive!"

"And what if the girl was another Ruki?!" Jenrya cried. "What if I have to be stuck in a boat with someone like that?"

Yariko looked to Ruki, who seemed rather unphased by that comment. Odd, since she reacted violently to the previous ones… "Um, didn't you just hear him?"

Ruki just laughed again. "Should I care? I got what I wanted! He's miserable now!"

And just by hearing that, Jenrya felt even more ill than ever before. "YOU were in on this too?!"

"Are you honestly surprised?" Ruki asked as she folded her arms. "Why would I ever decline in the offer to humiliate you? Or anyone? You should really lighten up, you know."

"Really," Jaarin agreed, sneering at her brother. "You could've avoided this whole thing by declining the offer to play."

"You were guilt-tripping me when I declined it the first time!" Jenrya mentioned angrily.

"And since when does that affect you at home?" Jaarin shot back. "You never care about us when you're home. It doesn't matter that this was a setup. If you were oblivious enough to fall for it, Mr. Prodigy-of-the-Family, I'd say that's well enough proof that you deserve what you get."

Jenrya stomped his foot in frustration. "But that's not fair!"

Yariko rolled her eyes. "Life isn't fair, kiddo! Get used to it!"

"Come on, don't fight us anymore over this," Jaarin urged, less aggressively as she had been just before. "For all you know, it might turn out wonderful for you. And you might thank me for it!"

"Somehow I highly doubt that," Jenrya muttered under his breath. Facing the facts and undergoing this punishment would be a lot harder than he imagined.

"You might as well keep your chin up while you're doing it," Yariko suggested, attempting to be helpful. "Whether you enjoy it or not, keeping a positive attitude will make the process go by much quicker."

"Like he's going to consent to that," said Ruki. "If he thinks all girls are like me, there's no way he's going to force himself to enjoy a boat ride."

Juri blinked, unable to really find the right words to reprimand the other girls of what they did. By no means, did she think what they did was right at all, but at the same time, Jenrya's behavior was giving her a really hard time with thinking up something for his defense. It sort of made her feel bad… because she knew she was the only other Tamer of the group to know the pain that is having a sibling. If there were anything she could relate to with Jenrya in terms of family problems, this would be it.

But the solutions just weren't coming to her this time.

'What could I say to help him anyway,' she thought, as she already had given up on trying to support her friend. 'Like I really treat Masahiko any better than Jaarin and Jenrya treat each other.'

"Jen," Juri said quietly and softly, as to not intrude too heavily on the heated debate. "Do you really think all girls are like Ruki-chan…?"

And the verbally battle-worn Jenrya turned to Juri in surprise, not expecting her to actually say anything until they had left the vicinity. "Ah… what do you mean?"

Juri couldn't bring herself to even look at Jenrya; her eyes were firmly directed to the ground. Her arms were behind her back; the continuing fight made her more timid by the second.

"I don't think there's anything wrong with Ruki," Juri said almost in a whisper, albeit a shaky one. "I know you don't like her, and I shouldn't tell you how to feel, but…"

Jenrya was already feeling guilty, and he didn't even have a clue about what Juri was getting at. But he knew one thing; this guilt-tripping was beginning to upset him.

"… she's my friend, Jenrya," Juri forced out as softly as she could. She never liked to be an intimidating figure, after all. "And if you really discriminate against all girls just because you don't like her…"

"I-… I don't!" Jenrya claimed, stuttering. "It's not like that at all, Juri-san…"

Juri refused to look relieved just yet. "Are you telling the truth?"

"I'm completely honest," Jenrya assured, looking to Juri in the desperately begging manner. "I don't think you're like Ruki at all. You're a very nice, smart girl. I'm happy that I'm getting to know you better, really," Jenrya was the one starting to look away now; he was suddenly finding himself short-winded. "I just… don't… like being around people I don't know… people I don't trust."

Juri looked up. "Total strangers?"

Jenrya nodded. "Girl or boy. If it was someone I knew and wasn't Ruki, I wouldn't mind this so much."

Juri seemed to understand that. When she thought about it, going on a boat ride with some random guy sounded like no pleasure trip to her, either. "I see."

"Oh, please," Jaarin sighed. "Haven't you ever heard of 'love at first sight'?"

"That's only but a fantastical myth," corrected Ruki.

Jaarin frowned. "Hey, I'm trying to get him to go on the boat, okay?"

"I'll GO on the stupid boat if it means that much to you," Jenrya finally conceded. "Just to prove I still have some dignity and pride for myself, if nothing else. Because I know if the roles were reversed in this situation, Jaarin, you'd drag this conversation on for years just to get out of riding the boat."

This made Jaarin laugh. "If I was anything like you, maybe!" Then she smirked. "Quite frankly, Jen, I envy you. I wish I could ride the boat instead of manning this cramped booth all night long."

"Save it for someone who cares," Jenrya called out as he stomped off to leave. Terriermon made a giant leap from Juri back to Jenrya. "Didn't think you'd handle it so well, Jen! I'm proud of you! How about I stick with you for this ride of torture, just to make it easy on ya?"

"Just so long as you don't talk and freak the girl out…"

"Mwahahaha!"

The others looked on worriedly as the pair walked off towards the end of the line for the specified ride.

"Oh well, that's that," Jaarin announced, sitting back. "All we can do now is sit and wait for our result to come to us." She sat down and kicked her rigged stand over. "And meanwhile it's back to business for me."

Yariko looked to the piling line starting on her booth as well. "Guess it's the same routine for me… eheh…"

"Well, I appreciate your help, Ruki," Jaarin thanked cheerfully. "Couldn't have done it without you."

"My pleasure," Ruki insisted. "I'm just glad Goggle-Head wasn't here to screw this up even more than it already is."

The mention of the unfriendly pet name made Juri's mind snap just then.

"Anou…!" Juri gasped. "Oh… where has Takato been all this time?!"

Ruki blinked. "He wasn't with you?"

"He was a while ago!" Juri panicked. "Kenta… do you have any ideas?"

Kenta was still obsessively admiring his wonderful prize. His dark eyes filled with enthusiastic sparkles, his mouth gaping wide open with his teeth bared out fully… he hadn't been this happy in ages.

"I… I won… and I'm RICH! YATTA!!"

"Oh no," bemoaned Juri. "If he's been gone all this time, he must be lost… where could he be now?!"

[POV - Takato]

Now where could I be?! I've been searching forever, surely… I can't believe my friends would just LEAVE me like that! I can't help it if I zone out between my own thinking sometimes! They know I do that! How could they do this to me?! Especially when it wastes so much time!

The worst part of this scenario was that the bulk of the crowd was coming in by this time. The entire place was packed with people, making it near impossible to spot any of my friends. Not only this, every ride had a giant waiting line to go with it. Even places to buy food were utterly crowded. Everything just had to fall apart when I got left behind like this, didn't it?

This was getting ridiculous. Even finding Ruki would be relieving in a time like this. I guess it's better than being alone… like I am now…

It was useless wasting my time like this. I decided to just go ahead and pick a ride with a line that was either short enough to wait for, or progressed on fast enough. Who knows, I could always find one of my friends there. I bet they're living it up without me… I just know they are… but I can't think about that right now. Not until I find them.

Okay, that's enough of thinking. Thinking myself out of the festival entirely would be bad right now. I looked up to see another line just ahead of me. But this one was considerably shorter than all the other lines I've come across. After inspecting the area a bit, I noticed there wasn't a sign indicating what kind of ride this line was for. Or if it was even a ride to begin with. But there was a giant cardboard wall trailing along with the line with lots of bright colors painted on it. If that doesn't signify a ride, I don't know what does. And I was sick of wasting time just trying to find shorter lines. Whatever this ride was, it was a little isolated from the groups of others, so I figured if I had to endure the pain of being in a line, it was best to suffer it here quickly.

So, as casually as I could, I walked over to the public and took my place at the end of the line. I was only doing this because there happened to be a lot of girls in the vicinity. Unlike Hirokazu, I had the manners to at least act sophisticated when in the presence of a lot of women. Call it courtesy, I guess. Or practice for Juri, either one…

Maybe it was just me, but several of the girls seemed to do double takes by the time I had made it to the line. A few of them even continued to stare at me after that. So, taking precautions, I checked my kimono thoroughly, ruffled my hair, and wiped my face just to make sure there wasn't something on me or something wrong with my appearance that was making me such an obvious attraction. But as it looked… that wasn't the problem. And it's not good etiquette to just go up and ask a girl what her problem is. Especially if it's one I don't know! So I just decided to ignore them. But it wasn't easy, and all the staring was beginning to make me feel uncomfortable. It's like they were trying to make me feel like I didn't belong in the line… maybe I was a curse, which many people followed me wherever I went, so that would make me the cause of all the long lines plaguing this place?

That's ridiculous, though. I thought I made a promise to myself to have more self-esteem. Me, a curse? I couldn't be that bad. If that were the case, my friends would all most likely be dead now.

Thankfully, though, as the line continued to move up, which it did at a fair speed (I was thankful for this greatly), the stares started dwindling down to nothing. So I was excited to finally be able to go on a ride. It was just too bad I couldn't share it with a friend. And it was starting to get late now… the sun was already in the process of setting. Between this and the numerous people here and the size of the festival itself… I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever find my friends before the night was over. Would I be stranded here? They wouldn't really do that… Jen would stay behind for me. Juri might, too. It's good to have at least one or two friends to count on when you get in sticky situations like this…

Ugh… the possibility of being stranded, all alone in the festival wasn't agreeing with my nerves. I felt an actual stomach pain coming on this time, but I didn't figure it was anything illness-related. Stomach cramps caused by nerves tend to happen to me all the time. I just needed to think about happy thoughts to calm down. If I'm lucky, I might catch one of my friends while we're riding…

It wouldn't be long now. I could see I was well on my way towards the front of the line, but I still couldn't see anything resembling a ride up ahead. But we were so close to the woods; it was already naturally dark in this area without the sun having to be completely down. In a weird way, this setting was kind of… spooky. Might possibly be a scary ride. It is autumn, and this festival DOES seem to be half-American, and it's getting close to Halloween time in the States now… makes sense to me, I guess!

Even if it wasn't a ride, there was no way I'd turn back now. I was too close to the end of this line to just wait for nothing. I couldn't pass up this chance to find a friend on the ride; the line was moving so quickly, it MUST be taking a lot of passengers.

All of a sudden, I heard some giggling in the background. And for some reason I wasn't sure of… that giggling sounded familiar. I was sure I've heard of it before. Kinda reminded me of Juri, and her silly, cute little giggle whenever I did something stupid. The kind of giggle that-

… JURI?!

What the hell was I doing? THINKING? Thinking was only getting me into trouble. Without another thought in my head, I turned around to look at the line behind me, to trace the source of the giggling. And for some reason, this made even more girls stare at me. Once AGAIN making me feel alienated. Why, oh why must everyone pick on me…?

But I'll whine about that later. After scanning down the line behind me, I spotted a couple of girls I could immediately recognize, but despite my efforts, I couldn't actually find Juri anywhere in line. The girls I did discover happened to be a couple of my old classmates: Itou Ayaka and Nakajima Miki. They were a couple of Juri's good friends, so I was surprised to not see her with them this time around… even though she hadn't come to the festival with them to begin with.

When they noticed that I was there facing them, their giggling stopped quite abruptly. Their smiles disappeared, and they made no movement whatsoever. Once again, I was confused. I was SURE they haven't forgotten about me…

… or… wait. They were laughing at me, weren't they?

Despite this suspicion, I tried to keep a friendly tone to myself. "Ayaka-san, Miki-san! How's the festival going for you guys?"

There was a moment of silence as one of the frazzled girls tried to speak. I could sense quite well that somehow, they weren't really intending to speak with me tonight.

"J-… just fine," Miki replied. "Gomen nasai, Takato-kun. We thought you were someone else."

"Really!" said Ayaka, very nervously. "It didn't seem likely you'd be in this line! We were surprised."

I think it was obvious that they were not all right. Even I could tell that. "… This IS a ride, isn't it?"

This made both Ayaka and Miki come close to laughing again, but they held it. "Well… sure it is!" Ayaka assured. "Without a doubt!"

"Thank god," I muttered, turning briefly to the front to move on ahead in line, since some people behind me were beginning to get impatient. It would just be another minute or two before I could come on. "So what exactly is so funny?"

"You wouldn't understand it!" Miki blurted out right after I had asked. "It's… ah, a girl thing."

Something felt SO wrong, now. "… Are you sure?" I was beginning to think I had missed a spot when I checked my hair and clothes for any foreign objects or stains…

Miki by now had managed to keep a straight face. "It's not about you, if that's what you're thinking."

Continuously looking to the line in front of me, I let out a deep sigh. Maybe I'll never know what's caused practically every girl to blatantly notice me, but if I have assurance from my friends, then that's all I need to get past this. The girls in the line had stopped paying any more attention to me, now. They seemed a little more eager to reach the end of the line. And that wouldn't happen until I moved and kept up with the actual line progression… so despite my happiness of actually finding some people I knew amongst the strangers, I had to pay attention so everyone in line wouldn't start staring at me again.

Miki was able to keep a straight face, but Ayaka was giving into her quiet giggling once more. This worried me again, as Miki made little attempt to shut her friend up.

"Don't mind us!" Miki said, waving me off. "Just… enjoy your ride! I'm sure we will, too!"

I just shook my head and sweatdropped. "Are you sure there isn't something wrong?"

Ayaka's laughing was gradually increasing in volume, as she clung to her friend in a desperate attempt to regain control of herself. Miki's own calm expressions were soon giving in to whatever the hell she found so hilarious.

"There's nothing wrong at ALL!" Ayaka practically shouted as she fell to her knees, in an uncontrollable fight of laughter that was getting louder and scarier by the minute.

"T-Take our word for it!" Miki wailed, bending over with her hands on her knees, catching her breath. "And have fun, Takato!"

Like I was gonna trust their word now. But I didn't have any more time to worry about it. I ran to where the line was moving on without me, realizing I was up for riding after one more person. Finally. I peeked around the area in front of the person next in line… but she was unusually tall, so it was hard to see everything. In fact, it was almost pitch black because we were practically inside the beginning of the woods, now! All I could make out was an unusual tunnel jutting out from a body of water, which stretched out far beyond where I could see where it ends. In fact, the woodland area seemed almost like a cave with an opening in the distance, where I could still see water continuing ahead.

My eyes wandered back to the surroundings of near where I was at right now, and noticed that on the other side of the line I was at and the tunnel, there seemed to be another line that was ending out in more or less, the same place this line was, only on the other side of the small dock connecting to the land. I was a little confused. Were they going on the same ride as I was? Why would this ride have two separate lines? Was this other line SHORTER than the one I was at? Damn it, did I just waste even MORE time?! … But it's kinda pointless to loathe myself for it now. I'd be getting on this ride in just a few moments.

Just then, I stepped up on the dock, seeing the girl ahead of me walk on ahead to the mode of transportation giving me the allegedly satisfying ride I needed: a… boat. After thinking about this, I was beginning to wonder if a ride that would totally soak me was the best for my entertainment needs. I mean, don't get me wrong; I like those kinds of rides just fine, and I'm certainly not scared of getting wet, but it was getting a bit nippy outside since the sun was setting. It would only get colder over time; now wasn't a good time to be drenched.

Oh well, I guess I could stand to make the sacrifice, after going back and thinking about all those other rides with their hideously long lines which decrease the whole value of the ride in general… I should be more thankful that this line has gone by as quick as it did; this'll probably be the quickest I'll ever manage to get to a ride tonight.

As I stepped to the front, anticipating my turn to board a boat, I glanced back at all the people waiting behind me. Every single one of them seemed to be looking straight at me now. It didn't feel right… but I'd swear, every single eye was right on me. For a brief moment I looked further back to the line just to re-locate Ayaka and Miki's position in the line. They were a little ways off from the end, but I could still see them both laughing just as they were when I first found them. This fact didn't bother me as much as some other thing… other girls in the line were beginning to laugh with them!

But I wasn't going to let a stupid thing like peer pressure chase me out of this ride. I turned to the front, vowing not to look back again. I just… couldn't take that right now. Instead, I tried to get a better look at the line across the water from me. It was really dark, though, so I couldn't see anyone's faces. But I could see their outlines well enough, since it WAS getting dark, every stand and ride in the entire festival that had lights were being turned on by now. It made this area in particular all the spookier, honestly…

But I breathed a little sigh of relief when I realized that the figures looked quite masculine on the other side. This was a good thing; there were so many girls in my line, I was beginning to think I was wasting all this time for riding the Pretty Pink Princess Ride Of Sugary Peace And Love Yay. Then again, if that were the case, I would've seen Shuichon in line for this line for sure, if she were here by now. Hell, I could see her just riding a ride like that alone for the entire time she'd be here.

The boat carrying the girl that was previously in the line before me was beginning to float away, now. I noticed there was another person with her in the boat since I had observed it briefly ago. So it WOULD be a two-person ride, but I could deal with that, I guess. Strangers aren't all that bad when it comes to rides; I mean, they're here for the same reason you are. I can easily coexist with someone I don't know and enjoy the ride all the same.

Besides, if I didn't find my friends soon, I'd have to get used to riding with a bunch of people I don't know.

The older man who was in his tiny (and probably cramped) operation booth on the dock gave me somewhat of a funny look before the boat I'd be taking came along. Unknowing of what the supposed problem was, I just gave a little grin and sweatdrop in return, and resumed my state of total embarrassment. If the ADULT even sees what's wrong with me, then this couldn't be a joke.

He didn't say anything, though. He just motioned me to board the boat that had just stopped before me. It wasn't a particularly large boat at all, though. Made of wood, and specifically meant to seat two people, with two oars sitting at the bottom. It seemed like these boats were automated to run on their own, so I wasn't sure exactly what they were for other than effect, but I decided not to waste anymore time dwelling on unimportant details.

I still couldn't help but think what this ride was all about… considering there were no safety bars or seatbelts or anything to secure you in. It was almost like it was just a regular boat ride with no surprises at all. But I'd never know until I stepped aboard, so that's what I did. The boat was a little shaky… it didn't balance easily, so I made sure to remain perfectly still on the boat as my stranger companion would take his or her seat after me. I gave one last look to the crowd watching me board, and frowned. They seemed to be plenty amused that I'm going through with this, but WHY this was such a big deal, I'll never know…

"Hey, come on! Don't chicken out now! You waited the whole time in the line; now that you're here, you might as well get it over with!"

I.. recognized that voice.

"I can't go through with this, I'm sorry. I know I said I would, but… the whole premise of this ride is utterly ridiculous! It's a waste of time!"

"Didn't I tell you to give it a chance? And you agreed to it. You need to keep your promises, y'know. Besides, if you cut out now, the others will know you choked out for sure."

"Fine! LET them know! By now I couldn't care less what they think! They can't make me ride this stupid thing!"

"You're making this a lot worse than it really is."

I recognized the other voice too…

"Hey, what's the hold up? Who's supposed to be boarding next?"

"Uh… "

"Is it you? Get the lead out; people are waiting here!"

"R… right… sumimasen…"

"Y'gotta keep that promise. So moumantai!"

"YOU keep your promise and stop talking right now."

M… Moumantai?!

"Right!… Right!"

The dark, tallish figure approaching the boat let out a giant sigh that reeked of 'I'd-Rather-Die-Than-Go-Through-With-This'. The other voice stopped talking as he stepped aboard the boat. From the darkness, I still couldn't see my riding partner's face, but I could tell that he wasn't looking at me at all. And from the familiar body build and hairstyle outlined from the festival lights gave me a pretty good idea of whom I'd be riding this boat with. The voices, and everything… it was all clear now. Thank God! And here I was thinking I'd never find any of them!

"Je-"

"Listen," I was… suddenly interrupted. "I don't know you, and you don't know me. And I obviously don't have anything against you personally because of that, but the fact remains that I'm not looking for a girlfriend at this time, and even if I were, I wouldn't start a relationship on such shallow grounds. You can't make a lasting relationship based on a 10-minute ride across the lake. You might not understand that now, but someday that realization will dawn on you and you'll feel like an idiot. I'm ONLY here because I lost a stupid bet to my sister. Please accept this and move on with your life."

Admittedly, I was silenced by that disturbing turn-off speech. But at least I could be sure of who I was sitting next to now.

"Jen, it's me!" I exclaimed, putting my hand over his shoulder to express my point. "Takato!"

Jen's response was a little hasty at first. "Nice try, but-" Then he stopped in mid-sentence, like he was just now recognizing my voice. "… Takato-kun?!"

"Hi, Jen!" I greeted cheerfully, as I was still VERY pleased that I could at least find one friend on this ride as I had hoped. "I'm glad I found you! It's taken me forever to find you guys…"

Even though it was hard to tell what his facial expressions were in the dark, something just didn't feel right to me about Jen. He didn't seem all that happy that he found me… oh god, just what happened…

"What are you DOING here?!" Jenrya practically shouted at me. But he wasn't angry… he was more scared. Surprised, aghast… like I wasn't supposed to be there.

Dude, what the hell is going on?! Just WHAT was I doing wrong?! First the girls, then Ayaka and Miki, then the guy operating the ride, and now Jenrya as well?!

"Heeey," the other voice, which was obviously Terriermon, spoke again. "It's not a stranger-girl. It's a… guy you know. Um, Takato? What brings you HERE?"

"Excuse me!" I interjected, completely aggravated at this point. NOW Terriermon has a problem with my being here… enough of this bull. "Just WHAT is going on here?! Why is it a big deal that I'm on this ride?!"

"You tell us," Terriermon shot back. "I'm sure no one forced you onto this!"

I blinked, not understanding what Terriermon meant. "… What are you talking about? Of course I came on my own free will. This was the ride with the shortest line. And it was my best chance of finding one of you, since you SO thoughtfully left me behind nearly half an hour ago!"

Jenrya paused again before responding. "… Ah, gomen nasai," he shook his head, still visibly shaken. "We lost track of you. We didn't know where to look, so we just kept going."

"Still doesn't explain your position," Terriermon noted. "Takato, why are you on this ride again? Juri wasn't planning on going at all on this one in particular."

I was taken aback. For Juri? Since when was Juri apart of this equation? "And how exactly was I to KNOW she wouldn't be on this ride?

"Why else would you be here?" Jenrya asked. "Then again, you did come here through the wrong line, obviously…"

Terriermon chuckled a bit. "Yeah; he couldn't have done that on purpose."

I suddenly felt numb all over my body… "Um, I didn't see a sign anywhere… do you guys know what this ride IS?"

"I was wondering when this would occur to you," Jenrya grumbled impatiently. "It's a LOVE ride, Takato."

It did occur to me that the person seated next to the girl in front of me on the boat ahead of us was a guy. It explains why the guy at the operation booth was giving me funny looks, as well as all those girls. Then again, I had longer hair than most boys… some people might've been wondering if I WAS a girl all along… that'll do wonders for my self-esteem… but now I understand by the hell Ayaka and Miki found this so amusing.

Hell, come to think of it, there weren't any guys at all in the line I was at.

Oh. My. God. My stupid naivety has placed me on a love boat with my goddamned best friend.

Holy SHIT.

[POV - Nobody]

Jenrya knew for sure, now, that Takato had somehow wound up here completely by accident. Otherwise he wouldn't be frozen, silent in a state of shock. Sure, admittedly, he thought Takato was usually not this dense; then again, Takato never seemed to function right when he was all alone. So in all likelihood, that might've caused Takato to be a little braindead… at least, that theory seemed to make sense…

"T-Takato?" He stuttered, somewhat afraid to have to witness Takato's next reaction to this horrifying situation. "Takato?"

His best friend was yet unable to talk coherently, however. He was stiff as a board, squeaking out only a quiet, soft-pitched whine as his first initial take on the horrible mistake he just made.

"Poor guy," Terriermon sympathized. "I'd feel like a dumbass too, going on the wrong line like that."

"You'd THINK someone would tell him before he got up to this point," Jenrya bemoaned, still finding it hard to believe he'd find Takato in this manner. "There's no way Jaarin would believe this happening."

"True," Terriermon agreed. "You'd have to be really unlucky to get into this situation."

Jenrya only shook his head as he turned back to Takato. "Come on, Takato. It's not that big of a deal…" And just like that, his last ounce of calm-ness disappeared, as he started shaking Takato, "ON-EG-AI!! Takato, are you all right?!"

Just after briefly looking back, Terriermon sweatdropped, never comfortable with Jenrya's random spurts of panic. "Moumantai, Jen! You might make him more braindead!"

Jenrya pulled away sharply, looking around at his surroundings, noticing that despite this awkward turn of events, the boat had been moving all this time, and they were almost into the actual lake now. But after looking back to Takato, who was still effectively stunned, he decided there were more important things to fix first.

"Ah…" Takato forced out, falling to the side, but remained sitting up through the support of his arms. "Oh my god," he said, almost in a whisper. "I'm such a moron…"

"Are you okay, really?" Jenrya asked, wincing at the sight of his best friend being this miserable. "It's not your fault…"

"Jen!" Takato shouted, sitting upright instantly. "I could've chosen to not come here! But I did, and I ruined your chances of meeting a girl…"

Terriermon just smirked. "What makes you think he wants to meet a girl? Didn't you listen to him earlier?"

Takato just looked down at the bottom of the boat. "I thought he was just nervous…"

"Not really," said Jenrya, finally calming down. "I wouldn't come off so mean if I was nervous. I just had to come here since I lost a bet to Jaarin. I knew I shouldn't have gotten involved, but I swear, everyone was pressuring me to do it, and without you around, I didn't know what else to do…"

Takato raised an eyebrow. "You really need me to help you make decisions?"

"Well, it was just the pressure of everyone wanting me to do it… Jaarin, her friend, Ruki, Kenta… even Juri…"

Takato stiffened, as he often did hearing Juri's name, especially when Jenrya mentioned it these days. "So they made you ride this when you lost…"

"Yeah," Jenrya confirmed, sounding rather bitter. "I don't really want to talk about it right now."

Takato sighed and looked back at the dark area they were beginning to leave. Two boats with a couple on them were already coming behind them. The crowd seemed rather far away now, and the water was getting steadily deeper as he, Jenrya, and Terriermon were moving gradually away from the trees and out into the open lake.

"I guess it's too late to turn back on this," Takato assumed, turning back to the front.

Jenrya looked back one last time, and nodded. "Unless you're up for swimming back."

"No thanks," Takato declined with a laugh. "We'd freeze for sure. I guess this isn't too bad, though, right?"

Jenrya smiled. "It takes a lot of pressure off me in knowing I don't have to do this with someone I don't even know."

"Though you're gonna have a time explaining this to Jaarin and the others when we get back," reminded Terriermon. "You know full well Jaarin's expecting you to bring a pretty girl back with you!"

"Jaarin can shove it," Jenrya growled under his breath. "First she has to make me feel bad when we're riding over here, and now she has the nerve to pull this on me, just because she wants me to be popular like EVERYONE ELSE in the Lee family."

Takato shook his head, pitying Jenrya. "They shouldn't expect so much of you," he comforted. "Being popular isn't everything it's cut out to be, I'm sure. And if you don't want a girlfriend right now, there's definitely no reason why you should have to have one."

"At least my parents can understand that," Jenrya credited. "But they're both so busy, it's hard for them to keep up with the four of us up to every little detail. So all of us have a war waging against each other for some reason or another. Jaarin and Rinchei will sometimes team up, but other than that our fights are pretty much free-for-alls."

"That must be hard," Takato sympathized, almost wishing he could really understand how aggravating this would be. "You guys don't always have to fight, you know. You said it yourself once, remember?"

Jenrya narrowed his eyes. "Siblings are the rare exception I make for my morals." He leaned over on his knees, peering at the lake just ahead of them. "Trust me, it's impossible to live with so many annoying people for your entire childhood. You'll always get cheated, ganged up on, blamed, and humiliated by them at some point in your life. There's just no avoiding it."

"That's horrible," Takato commented sullenly.

Terriermon chuckled a bit. "You'll have to pardon Jen, he sometimes might exaggerate a few things!"

"There's no exaggeration here," Jenrya muttered. "Brothers and sisters are just a living hell to deal with."

"You're making it sound like you don't even love 'em," Terriermon said jokingly. "If you were an only child like Ruki or even Takato, you would SO miss 'em!"

"Sometimes I wonder…"

"I don't know exactly what to say," Takato said nervously, chuckling a little just to make it seem like he was as lighthearted about the situation as Terriermon was. "Okaasan made it very clear that she didn't want anymore kids after me, so I guess really, the closest way I can relate to you is through Kai…"

"He's your cousin," Jenrya pointed out. "That's not quite the same thing."

Takato looked down and shrunk away from Jenrya. "I know."

[POV - Takato]

When we were finally out on the open lake, we realized the boat was no longer moving on its own; so I guess the oars were actually meant to be used. Jenrya and I both took one and started paddling away on the trail that was set for us, lined with buoy balls. But it seemed way too easy to just go off course and get lost… especially in the dark like this…

But when we were far enough away from where the ride began, and just completely surrounded by the lake and the land around it, I couldn't help but adore the atmosphere. It was just absolutely perfect. There wasn't a cloud in the sky; and since it was already autumn, it didn't take long for the night sky to come along, and after that the stars were showing up, the moon following after.

Despite the fact that the lines moved quite quickly for this line, we didn't see much of the pair in front of or behind us. Somehow it was spaced so well that each pair had their own decent amount of alone time. And only now did I curse myself for screwing up by going on the wrong line; if only I knew about this in the first place… and could've somehow invited Juri on it…

"Are you really okay, Takato?" Jenrya suddenly asked, looking overly concerned as usual. "You seem a little tense."

I looked over to my friend and gave him an assuring smile, though he was right about me being tense. I really haven't been myself this entire time. "Just… certain things on my mind do that, Jen. It's really nothing."

"If you say so," Jenrya said with uncertainty. "But I never did get around to asking you why you fainted a while back, just before we met with the others when we got here…"

That was exactly what I DIDN'T want to talk about. "Um… thinking again. Sometimes it makes me a little light-headed." And that had to be the stupidest lie I ever came up with.

"You really suck at lying, y'know?" Terriermon noted oh-so conveniently. "And I thought Jen was bad." Terriermon was relaxing around the very front of the boat, away from us.

Jenrya also didn't look anywhere near convinced. "Are you sure it wasn't something I said that made you faint?"

Goddammit, Jen.

"Um… of course not!"

This was Terriermon's cue to grin. "I bet it was something I said!"

"It wasn't anything!" I insisted harshly, because to me, there was no point in bringing up this issue again. Because I've told myself a million times that my paranoia was all just apart of my overactive imagination. "Nothing that was important!"

Jenrya looked over to Terriermon, seemingly ignoring my futile denial. "What were we talking about before Takato-kun fainted?"

"Katou Juri," Terriermon said slyly, in that hideous suggestive way that made me want to EXPLODE.

"Oh, yeah," Jenrya smiled, finally remembering the conversation held. But that smile soon disappeared when he looked back to me, like he instantly knew what I feared back then. "Takato, you're being silly."

I let out a sigh; it sucks when your friends can read you like a book. "I know I am."

"I don't want to go out with Juri-san," Jenrya reiterated with a laugh. "I've never thought of her in that way! You don't have anything to worry about."

Terriermon, not looking at either of us, just snickered quietly, looking as if he was plotting some evil scheme already. "You are suuuuuch a liar…"

Jenrya just shook his head. "You can ignore Terriermon; he just can't stand the fact that I'm not ready for a relationship yet."

"I bet," I could only give Jen a nervous smile in return. "Terriermon, why would you want Jen-kun in a relationship even though he clearly doesn't want to be in one?"

"It sure would help his self-esteem," Terriermon replied. "To have some girl cling on him and tell him how great and wonderful he is. 'Cause I know Jen thinks so badly of himself that he'd need it!"

"Isn't that what we're here for?" I inquired.

"Hah," Terriermon scoffed, beginning to scratch at the wooden boat now. "He just thinks you're saying that because you're his friends! He needs someone he doesn't directly know to point out his positive characteristics!"

I blinked, and looked back to Jenrya. "Is that really what you think…?"

Jenrya chuckled again, but not so casually this time. "No way! I don't think you all would lie to me that much! I trust you…" He looked up to the sky… where I could see the moonlight reflecting off the whites in his eyes. "You guys are all I really can trust."

I felt better knowing that, so I patted Jen on the shoulder friendly. "Arigatou, Jen."

"Don't mention it," Jenrya insisted, looking back down on me, before giving an annoyed glare to Terriermon. "And you really need to watch what you're saying, Terriermon. I swear, you couldn't keep a secret to save your life."

"That's what I'm all about!" Terriermon proudly exclaimed as he scratched harder against the surface of the boat. "Jokes and gossip!"

"Yeah, I can believe that," Jen grumbled. "And will you stop shredding the boat?"

Jenrya's response was a very mature raspberry. Boy, maybe I should be thankful I didn't have a Digimon partner so overly witty, too…

"The point is," Jenrya resumed, getting back on-topic. "I can't be lusting after Juri if I don't want to have a relationship yet. So you don't have anything to worry about, Takato. All I want to be is her friend." He then smirked. "Besides, she's the only other one amongst our group that isn't an only child aside from me and Shuichon. I could probably learn something from her."

"I know, I know," I assured, knowing these explanations would be said to me sooner or later. "I don't want to discourage you from being friends with her. I'd just be greedy to do that… I just… I don't really know what's bothering me. I'll be easier on you, I promise."

Jenrya shook his head. "I'd like it better if you just calmed down. Fainting over a girl can't be healthy at your age. I don't want to have to worry about you, because you know I tend to do that a lot…"

"Don't I," I said with a happy sigh. "It's a best friend requirement, Jen. We should look out for each other, always."

Jen paused for a moment, and blinked once, before saying anything. "I've always wondered, Takato-kun… do you really mean I'm actually your best friend? Above everyone else?"

"As long as I've known you," I responded, feeling better to talk about something a little more… us-related than Juri-related. "Kinda makes me wish I've known you as long as I have my other friends. It might've made my life a lot more enjoyable."

Jenrya just stared at me in shock.

"… Not to say I hated my life, or that it was bad or anything!" I said quickly. "I only meant… well… I wish I knew you like I know 'Kazu… and Kenta… and Katou-san. I never got to know you until we became Tamers. I've been with my other friends since kindergarten, practically."

Jenrya's stare turned into a warm smile, which I've grown to like so much. Kenta smiling in that manner is just unheard of; Juri smiling constantly makes me blush; and 'Kazu smiling that way is just plain scary. Plus it means he obviously wants something. That's how he works.

"Sometimes I wish I knew you forever too," Jenrya spoke very softly. "I wouldn't have felt so lonely all the time, then…"

I felt somewhat compelled to ask him about that, but I decided it was too good of a night to force Jenrya to talk about something that might make him feel bad. "You're not alone, though," I reminded him as quietly as I could, scooting closer to him. "And as long as you're with us, you won't be alone again. While I'm still around, I'll make sure you won't be alone."

Jenrya looked to me, but remained silent. He wasn't staring at me oddly like he was just recently, but he was looking at me in a certain peculiar way; something that told me he never experienced this kind of loyal friendship before. This just put more questions into my head that I wanted answers for, though… just what kinds of people did Jenrya hang out with before he met us? If he even hung out with anyone?

"I don't know how we became such good friends over a short period of time," I admitted. "Maybe we're not supposed to know… but as long as I've known my other friends, I'm nowhere near as close to them as I am with you, Jen. I can't explain how that came about, but the point is… we are best friends. Forever, and always. And nothing can change that."

Before Jenrya even responded to that… I felt a little weird on the inside. I'm not sure why, but just… saying that made me feel a little fluttery. Somewhat nervous, but mostly… relaxed. I couldn't remember the last time I've had this open of a conversation with Jen, but I was glad we could have this moment to share it now. Nobody around except Terriermon… we could say any secret we wanted to share, talk about anything we wanted to, and express ourselves in any manner we chose to; without having to put on a tough-guy stereotype routine in front of a bunch of people just so we wouldn't be made fun of. I wasn't going to fool myself for a second. Jen and I weren't very big players in the Men's Conquest to keep an eye out for #1. We didn't care if we weren't the strongest, beefiest guys in school who kicked ass in sports. Preying upon the smaller, weaker kids of the school didn't interest us.

Practical jokes, on girls particularly, was not our way of having fun.

And as long as I've been at Hirokazu's side, I knew all along this kind of behavior, as humane and superior as it seemed to be, was just an eternal blackmail to the bigger male influences of the school, so it was always best to mask yourself in the hallways. It's wise to make them think you're one of them, without having to totally change your personality. I guess that's one thing I could thank 'Kazu for… if it weren't for him, I'd be in the league of the Nerds by now. And one might think that I technically am a nerd, but I'm talking about a 100% full-blown wheezing, nose running, allergy-infested zit-covered monster of a nerd. If it weren't for Hirokazu, my best friend would be the kid with the boil jutting out from his left cheek. And while I certainly don't discriminate against the nerds (they're people too!)… that's… just not me.

But it just occurred to me that as much as Jen acts like he's been friendless up until he became a Tamer, that he OBVIOUSLY didn't have anyone to protect, or at the very least warn him about these kinds of dangers. He might've not had a circle of friends in his past to hang out and show off his normal-ness with. Perhaps he was even oblivious of the art of changing your personality in front of certain people to evade oppression. … It was beginning to make sense now. As good as Jen tended to be in school… oh dear…

"… Takato…"

I snapped out of my trance of endless thoughts upon hearing Jen's voice. It all came back to me, now. What all I just told him… what our friendship meant to me. Because I could see the mutual feeling all over Jenrya's face just then. It somewhat discomforted me in a way… because it really looked as if NO ONE has ever given Jenrya this kind of reassurance in his entire life. But at the same time, I felt so great… because all along, we really understood each other. Our needs. Our feelings. What we want from life.

"Jen…?"

Odd yet predictable as it seemed, Jenrya looked like he was about to cry again. But this time out of happiness, rather than resentment for his siblings. Thankfully though, he was able to hold it back and resist his urges.

He still didn't seem like he could say anything, so I gave him a small hug to relax him, or at the very least disprove any doubt in his mind that this was really happening. Because it was happening. This was meant to come up sooner or later; Jen and I couldn't hide from ourselves forever.

"Daijoubu, Jen…" I sighed out as gently as I could… hugging him with one arm, and my other hanging over his chest, taking a hold of his hand, doing anything I could to put him at ease. Though I wasn't exactly sure if my soothing tactics were working, I at least felt content with this… what I was doing. Leaning over Jen, giving him a loose, easy hug… feeling his body shudder upwards and down every single time he breathed (I figured this was because of the weather getting steadily cooler)… and his hand in mine, my fingers lacing between his own. Despite the cold, his hand was quite warm… and in spite of my attempts to calm him down, I could feel the pulse near his wrist quicken slowly, but gradually in a significant manner. I was wondering for a moment if I was making him feel uncomfortable… it was almost like he never even experienced this kind of thing with his parents much. But he wasn't saying anything to oppose it… and we're so open to each other… he must not mind it…

Either way… I loved this experience. Because it was definitely successful in calming me down.

Jenrya was still speechless, but finally he seemed to give in to the comfort, and soon his own arms were around me. He must've known he wasn't the only one who's been overly stressed out lately… I desperately needed my own reassurance, I realized. And Jen didn't fail to deliver that; with a meaningful squeeze of a hug, he brought my body even closer to his own… and from such a good feeling, I couldn't help but fall limp onto his chest, practically attaching myself to him, not wanting either of us to end this position anytime soon. Not only must this have been soothing and relaxing for the both of us, but it was also keeping us warm! The body heat created from the contact of our two bodies was amongst the most wonderful I ever indulged in. And when Jenrya pressed me against him once more with a friendly squeeze, I was suddenly feeling a little overwhelmed. But it was in a… good way. Another pleasured sigh escaped my slightly gaping mouth… my head resting under his chin, yet over his neck. Since my own chin was pressed against his olive-toned skin… I could feel him sensing the movement of my mouth. So suddenly he paused… and peered down at me. Obviously he wanted to know if everything was all right, but couldn't seem, still, to say the words actually asking that.

Then again, we didn't need words. Our own body language was how we communicated the best, I learned.

The best response I could give my best friend was to look straight at him, with the happiest, most satisfied eyes I could muster… and smile. That seemed to be enough for him. He smiled back in return… somehow the smile wasn't as casual as mine, but at that time I couldn't be bothered by it. Nothing could trouble me now. As long I was like this…

Various thoughts were going through my head like crazy…

'Why did we never do this before…? If only I knew how… right this would've felt… so many years ago…'

Finally it occurred to me that Terriermon was still on this boat with us… and I wondered what he would say about it. W… what would he think? It wasn't what he'd think it was… no… he exaggerates everything. This is completely normal… even though he wouldn't think so.

I gave a short glance to the front of the boat just to make sure where he was, and unsurprisingly enough, he was still sitting where he sat when we first came out to the lake. And he had not yet ceased to scratch on the boat, even after Jenrya ordered him to stop a while ago. There were wooden splinters all over the place now, where a small chunk of the edge of the boat was missing. Heh… kinda like a cat without a scratching post…

Another epiphany hit me; I suddenly didn't care what Terriermon thought about us. I was still as serene and tranquil as ever… clung to Jen, with him securing me in place. It was nice… Jen may be somewhat of a geek most of the time, but his martial arts training made him anything but a weakling. And to be held with strong, supportive arms like this… it made me feel protected. Safe from anything threatening in this world.

Now I was definitely sure I didn't want this moment to end.

All this time though, it felt as if Jen and I were connected. Kind of like Biomerging except… not like it at all. It was strange… and wonderful at the same time. Jenrya and I felt as if we were one being, though… our breathing patterns at this point were in synch with each other; our pulses following suit. Both of us were around the same body temperature, and each time one of us moved, the other would move as well. We could sense what was going on within our bodies… right down to every miniscule twitch of our fingers. Every swallow, every blink of the eye…

That's why I could sense Jenrya suddenly straightening out and therefore ending this moment soon. I wanted to beg him mentally not to… but I figured there had to be a reason why he'd break this heavenly embrace apart.

Dazed and only partly coherent, I moved away from Jen as he fully straightened up to look to what I was just looking at: Terriermon. … See? We really were connected…

"Terriermon," his voice came out clearly, and sharply as it ever did when he was about to reprimand someone. Almost as if our moment never happened.

Terriermon met the call with a giant, evil grin. "Hai? Did I interrupt you…?"

"Stop scratching to boat to pieces!" he shouted with a VERY sudden hint of anger in his tone.

Enough anger to send me scooting away, that was for sure. Terriermon just sweatdropped as he felt the emotional moment we just had just literally fall down and crash into pieces. Somehow, I don't think he meant to do that…

"Come ON, Jen!" Terriermon protested. "I can't help it! I was all hyped up earlier today thinking I'd get to scratch up all the furniture in the house! And now that I don't get to, I've had it on the brain this entire time! Only I know it's not good to just scratch on you, so now here's harmless wood! I just HAVE to scratch it, Jen! ONEGAAAAI!!"

"That's NOT our boat," Jenrya spat with gritted teeth. "If they find out we damaged festival property, they'll probably make us pay for it!"

Terriermon sweatdropped again and looked to the massive shredding he did. "I really wish you would've told me that before I started."

In frustration, Jenrya smacked his fist against the side of the boat, which almost looked painful… as he cursed at his realization. I just continued to be intimidated by him.

"God, could this festival get any worse?!" Jenrya complained. "A hellish ride to it, being betrayed by my sister AND Ruki to go on this damned ride, and now I'm going to have to pay a fee for something I didn't do!"

"Moumantai!" Terriermon advised his partner, laid-back as ever. "Just tell 'em you didn't do it! Say it was like this when we boarded! How could they prove you're lying?"

"It doesn't matter!" Jenrya insisted, folding his arms and turning away from the direction of Terriermon. "The fact remains that you never listen to me until you find out there's consequences of not doing so."

I think even Terriermon was getting freaked out by how quick Jenrya was to change emotions. Minutes ago he was so peaceful… and now he's an erupting volcano.

"Jeeen," Terriermon pleaded, but not in a serious manner. "Since when has this been an issue before?"

"Terriermon, 'before' no longer matters. We're not on speaking terms anymore. So stop scratching the boat and do something else."

Terriermon obeyed, but he was just giving Jenrya odd looks in return. I felt like doing the same, but I knew that wouldn't help anything. With a shrug, Terriermon hopped down to the bottom of the boat to find anything relatively amusing for his short attention span.

All of a sudden I felt reluctant to talk to Jen. This was terrible… we understood each other so well. And one little blow-up suddenly ruined it all for us. Once again, he was cooped up with one side to himself, folding his arms, hunching his back over, shivering, and glaring at nothing in particular. … I hated this. I couldn't stand seeing him so unhappy. But as luck would have it, reality started seeping back through my mind… and something all of a sudden didn't feel right. And it wasn't something about Jen or Terriermon.

Oh… no.

"J… Jen-kun?" I uttered nervously, looking at the lake surrounding me rather than Jen himself. "Jen?"

Returning the favor, Jenrya refused to look at me. "What?"

That cold, unfriendly 'What' seemed to pierce through my heart very, very painfully. …As much as it hurt, I forced myself to ignore it.

"I think there's something wrong…"

NOW he was looking at me. "What do you mean?"

I looked from my side to his side of the boat… back to mine, returning to his… over and over… I looked to the front… I looked to the water behind us… and I was for SURE we were screwed now.

"… Didn't we have oars…?"

Jenrya's eyes shot WIDE open. I was willing to bet anything he just noticed he didn't have his oar with him. And we WERE paddling all this time… and yet, I was without my oar too. They weren't under our feet like they were when we first boarded. Needless to say, they weren't anywhere in our boat, and looking out to the water, it was so dark… we must've gone so far since whatever point where we lost them… we didn't see them.

They were just plain gone.

You know, now all of I sudden I wondered what became of them when Jen and I first embraced. … Ooh, shit.

"Uh, Takato…" It was Jen. Sounding nervous. Like he just discovered something else that I didn't want to hear of.

"Hai…?"

Jen tried to wait as long as he could to say what he intended to say. With a painful swallow and cringe, he peered at our surrounding full of solitude.

"Weren't we originally on a trail…?"

Double shit.

"W-what do you mean?" I asked, panicking slightly. I started frantically looking around for the lined trail of buoy balls that so un-neatly kept everyone on a set track. And to my displeasure, I did not see one. "We were just on the trail! Since when did we come off it?!"

Jenrya was doing the same thing I was doing, but obviously wasn't getting any better findings than me. "I don't know! I didn't think you could ride past them! I mean, they're spaced out enough to let a boat through, but…" He flailed. "I have a better sense of direction than that!!"

"You can't have any sense of direction at all if you're not paying attention to what you're doing," I calmly informed. "Not that I'm saying it's your fault, but… OH MY GOD!!" Who the hell was I fooling? I was as scared as he was! "Jen, we're LOST!"

Seeing me spaz out like this seemed to make Jenrya only want to do it with me. But someone had to be calm here! We'd be stuck here forever if we all just went crazy.

"D… don't be silly, Takato… we're not that lost… I'm sure couples ride out of the trail boundaries all the time just to really be alone!" He assured, though even he could tell, obviously, he had no idea of what he was talking about.

I didn't see any oars out on the lake… I didn't see any trance of a buoy ball… so I sure as hell did NOT see other boats on the horizon. There was no reason to believe this.

"So just where the hell ARE they, Jen?"

Jenrya turned red in frustration as he formed shaking fists. "I… I don't know!" he stammered. "But if we found someone, they could show us back to the trail!"

I could just feel this situation becoming more desperate by the second. "Jen, we don't have OARS. We're sitting ducks out here! There's no way we can move!"

"I KNOW that!" Jen shouted back, though obviously he was a lot less willing to admit our doom than I was. "I guess all we can do is just sit here and wait for someone to find us somehow…"

I slumped, feeling very ill now. "You think someone will find us eventually…?"

"They'll have to, once they find one of their boats missing," Jenrya replied, still keeping an eye out for anyone on the lake to pass by them. "We just have to hang in there until we are found…"

A cold breeze blew past us just then, making us shiver. It was cool beyond comfort now. In other words, it was getting too cold. The warmth of having Jen's body close to mine would fix that for sure… but somehow… I had a feeling he was in no mood for hugging right now. And I couldn't really blame him, but… I was suddenly feeling extremely cold. There was nothing else I could do.

While Jenrya kept a lookout for any possible passerby, I looked back over to where Terriermon was, because he was remotely quiet about this situation. That was very much unlike him. However, Jen WAS still mad at him… but Terriermon's more stubborn than this. He wasn't sitting at the bottom of the boat anymore, which oddly looked darker than it used to be. … I couldn't even see my feet now. Terriermon was back on our level, near the front of the boat, his back turned towards us, and he seemed to be occupied with something. There's no telling what unless I asked him… and for lack of anything better to do except to freeze, I decided to talk to him, since that eerily seemed like a better idea than talking to Jen.

"Ne, Terriermon…" I said, trying to sound at my very best, innocent and undemanding. "It's not like you to not say anything."

Terriermon didn't turn back to me. "Eh, Jen said we're not on speaking terms. I figure by that point it's meant I said the wrong thing, did the wrong thing, or just plain talked too much. He acts like I've done all three, so usually if I keep quiet he'll forgive me."

Ah, poor Jen and Terriermon. It's sometimes odd how they can be so… opposite sometimes. "Well, did you have any ideas about what we should do? I mean… we're kinda stranded out here…"

Out of nowhere, I felt a chill run up my spine. It was getting uncomfortably cold now… and I wanted out SO bad. I didn't understand, though… it wasn't that late into the autumn yet. This was an unseasonably cold night we were experiencing. I could tell I wasn't the only one; Jen was openly shivering as well.

"Not particularly," Terriermon answered with a nonchalant shrug. He turned around to face me, where I could see what he was finally toying with.

Not surprisingly, he found something else to satisfy his scratching cravings on. This time, it was an unusually large cork. Made out of… whatever corks are made of… and Terriermon was clearly having fun, sticking in one claw at a time, sharpening or doing SOMETHING, and then occasionally scratch at it.

But I guessed it was all right. It was a lot more harmless than taking it out on the whole boat. Heh, the boat could've gotten unbalanced and sunk!

… Where did Terriermon get that cork? I asked him just that.

"If you think it belongs to those corporate bastards who run the festival, you're wrong!" Terriermon clarified with a humorous glare. "I claimed it! And they can't have it back!"

"Terriermon, you shouldn't take things from people," I said with a laugh. That laugh stopped when I felt another chill coming on. Then I just curled up the most I possibly could in a sitting upright position. "Really, which stand did you take it from? The shooting gallery?"

"Nah," Terriermon dismissed with the wave of a paw. "It didn't occur to me to steal things until we got on this ride. This is from the boat."

One more chill coursed through my body. My eyes widened. My feet got even colder, so I decided to adjust them in some manner… any manner to make them warmer.

I heard a splash in the process. I almost didn't want to look down. But I had to… and…

There was… water in the bottom of the boat. A considerable amount of it.

Jenrya looked over to me. "What was that?" He… heard it too.

"Jen," I whined nervously… sitting as STRAIGHT as I possibly could. "Is the boat supposed to sink like this…?" And the boat, indeed, had been sinking very slowly this whole time.

Jenrya looked to the bottom of the boat and noted the presence of the water. The cold, agonizing, freezing water had practically covered our ankles.

"Oh my god," Jenrya sputtered, as if he was out of breath. "How… how did this happen?!"

There was no time to explain. "TERRIERMON! You have to put that cork back wherever you found it!!"

"A cork?!" Jenrya was aghast. "Are the boats really that cheap?!"

I REALLY don't think that's important right now, Jen…

Terriermon looked up in surprise from our shouting… startled for once.

"Yeah?" He asked. Shaken a little himself, Terriermon was… because our shouting accidentally seemed to have made him cut the cork in half while he was sharpening a claw on it. …The cork silently fell into two halves on Terriermon's paw.

Emotionally panicked, I knew not what else to do other than to stand and loom over Terriermon. "OH MY GOD!! WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!"

… This was a very retarded thing to do. All that weight brought the boat down even more, making water flow in gratuitously from the sides. The boat sunk completely, just below the surface of the water.

Terriermon wisely jumped before any of the water could hit him, and landed on Jenrya's head. Jenrya, who was still sitting all this time, found himself suddenly submerged in water up to his chest. I stumbled a bit, but could still stand, as the boat was still under my feet even though it was completely under the water. But I was in the freezing lake just as much as the others, from the waist down. … I couldn't bring myself to move.

But all of us could scream.

Jenrya, also overcome with panic, stood up along with me, streams of water pouring out of his drenched kimono. This only made the boat go deeper into the water… deep enough to the point where it sunk beyond where our feet could touch. So without any warning, the boat slipped away from us, causing Jenrya and I to fall back into the water where it went up to our necks.

The boat re-emerged shortly, but it was upside-down.

Without any words exchanged, the two of us frantically swam over to the boat and clung to it as tightly as we could. But it was a pretty rounded bottom that the boat had… there really WAS no good area to grip onto. Terriermon climbed off Jenrya's head and mounted the top of the… bottom of the boat. We had a few brief moments of catching our breath from that horrible stroke of bad luck…

"What… the hell… was that?!" Jenrya cried, coughing by now.

I just couldn't think straight at all. The lake was like being cramped in a freezer naked. My legs were desperately swirling around in the water, trying to create SOME form of heat, but to no avail. The fact that my kimono was riding up from all this water wasn't helping, either. …Things were definitely looking grim now.

"Kinda funny you could make a boat sink so easily," Terriermon commented, before looking down at us. "Maybe you should turn the boat over!"

"It'll just sink again!!" I shouted, clearly upset. "What can we do?! I'm freezing!!"

"We'll have to find s-something to clog the hole!" Jenrya exclaimed, the extreme cold was beginning to drive him crazy as well. "But we can either do that or just stay in the water, Takato!! You decide on what's better!"

I grumbled, exasperated and way too cold to give anything anymore thought. "Fine! Let's tip it back over, then!"

This wasn't easy to do from the water, though. Not easy at all. I suddenly realized I had little to no lifting strength in my arms when I was swimming. Even with Jen and Terriermon's help, the boat refused to tip over even in the slightest bit. It was like trying to tip over a turtle that weighed a ton.

"This isn't working," I groaned, squinting my eyes shut, painfully trying my best to ignore the cold eating away at me and focus on what little strength I possessed.

Jenrya, though obviously stronger than me, was wearing down in a matter of time too. "Just don't give up…"

It was about this time when the boat, still upside down, sunk under the water completely.

Words couldn't describe our despair, as Terriermon jumped off at the last minute and back onto Jenrya's head. The boat didn't resurface this time. It continued to sink further and further… and that would be the last time we'd ever see the boat.

We were devastated. Not to mention doomed.

Triple shit!

"… So that's it…" I whispered to my friends. "W-we're sunk. No one's gonna find us now… we don't have a boat to be found in…"

"Don't… don't don't don't…" Jenrya shook his head in agony. "Don't talk about it, Takato! Just DON'T!!"

I sniffed in despair, openly crying now, but unable to force a loud sob out of myself. It was just… way too cold. "Gomen nasai…"

Jenrya coughed out loud again, and it was a particularly nasty cough, mainly because he sunk even further into the water as he took a deep breath to cough, and his mouth wound up full of water causing him to gag a bit. … I really wanted to come over there and comfort him… but he seemed like he was angry at everything now… with good reason.

I wouldn't stand to see him like this, though, as I struggled to swim and keep my own head above the water.

"T-Terriermon," I stuttered, momentarily spitting out a bit of water that made its way into my mouth. "Get off Jen's head… he can't take that much weight! Y-You'll… you'll drown him!"

Terriermon looked to me, as he was hard on concentrating on doing his very best not to get wet. "Do you realize how COLD it is in there?! … Well, I guess you do. But you're tough, right Jen?" He playfully knocked him on the head. "You're not gonna drown on me, are ya?"

"I-… I have a better idea," Jenrya forced out from his mouth, shivering intensely, barely able to keep his eyes open because of the freezing, stinging pain. Nonetheless, his hands emerged from the water, and pulled out two very familiar things…

My eyes widened as I paddled harder to remain above the water to clearly see what Jenrya held. "Jen…! You brought…"

His D-Arc. As well as a deck of cards. Both righteously soaked, but other than that, looked the same as we've always used them back in the day…

"I th-thought this would come in handy," Jenrya muttered to himself as he looked through his very damp cards. "I just hope these things still work while they're wet…"

I admired Jen's cleverness when it came to things like these. Only he would bring such things along in case of an unforeseen emergency. "And if they don't…"

"Then we can't say we didn't try!" Terriermon announced as cheerfully as one could in such a dire state. He looked down to his partner again. "So what's the plan, buddy?"

Jenrya winced, looking utterly exhausted. He was now leaning back in the water, tilting his head just slightly so that Terriermon still wouldn't get wet, but mostly this was the purpose for letting his face float against the surface of the water… he was trying to conserve his energy.

He let out a deep sigh before divulging in his plan. "Terriermon, on my mark, I want you to jump off my head into the air. I'm going to use the Hyper Wings card… remember when Takato used that for Guilmon back when we fought IceDevimon?"

"I'm amused you remember that," Terriermon said. "That was way back… but of COURSE I remember."

"Well…" Jenrya closed his eyes and coughed once again. "Somehow you'll have to make this last… but when you grow the wings, I want you to fly back to the festival, and find someone… our friends, someone official, my sister… just anyone you see first. Find them, and tell them what happened so they can send out some kind of rescue squad out to get us…"

"Anyone?" Terriermon blinked. "Uh, Jen, I dunno if just anyone would have a conversation with me before running away screaming."

Jenrya gritted his teeth… "Damn. … Right, fine then. Find someone we know who knows about you. I don't care who it is, but tell them me and Takato had to abandon ship and we're stranded out here with no way to get back."

Terriermon looked to the surroundings around him. "It's awfully dark, Jen. And we ARE lost. Are you sure I could even find the festival? I don't see any lights or nothin'…"

"We can't be that far off course," Jenrya interjected. "But it's TORTURE just to be in this lake… I don't think Takato and I could bear to swim all the way to shore. So it's up to you to save us. We'll try and hang in there while you get help. Just… please hurry."

Terriermon turned his gaze to me… as if he wanted me to confirm this plan was going to be used.

I gave a weak nod, my head wearily lolling to the side just like Jen's. "It's the best chance we have, Terriermon. Don't worry… we won't be going anywhere. Just remember what Jen said, and… be as fast as you can." I gave him a small smile, and winked. "Moumantai."

"MOU-MAN-TAI!" Terriermon cheerfully saluted to the both of us. "No point in wasting time, then!"

"Hai," Jenrya said with a hint of relief in his voice. "Don't let us down; we're counting on you."

"Just say the word, Jen!"

"Alright, then… GO!"

With that, Terriermon leaped off Jenrya's head and soared high into the sky. When it looked like he was beginning to fall, Jenrya lifted his arms up over his head, the D-Arc firmly gripped in his right hand, with the card of his choice in his left. He performed the Card Slash sequence, obviously without his nifty moves this time around. Now was not the time to show off karate poses.

"Digi-Modify…! Hyper Wings, activate!!"

Everything seemed to go as planned; a bright glow shined down upon us where Terriermon was, and when we saw Terriermon's silhouette in the moonlight, he was successfully winged, and having no problems flying at all. We could only slightly hear his voice as he immediately soared off into the unknown.

… And that was that. Terriermon had left in pursuit of our rescuers. He was our only hope.

Things were silent now. I could hear various insects going on about from god-knows-where… and the occasional owl. But that was about it. … It was kind of scary now, that Terriermon was gone. We had no gabby companion to laugh at our stupid paranoid fears of various things now. Now it was just us. Me and Jen.

Jenrya himself looked worn down as his arms collapsed back into the water, and he stuffed his D-Arc and cards back into his kimono. He looked over to me momentarily… probably to make sure I was still okay, and leaned back into his upright swimming position, no longer relaxing his back into the demonic coldness of the water. Might as well, I suppose… no matter how you swim in it, being in the lake on a cold autumn night will be a living hell for you.

I tried to straighten myself out for Jen in return. And for some reason, I wound up grinning in the process. Either that or I was just baring my teeth just to tell how cold I was. It's needless to say they were chattering. Unendingly so. But so were Jen's, so he was no better off than I was. If Terriermon couldn't come through for us, we'd both die for sure…

But I don't want to die… even if I die with Jen…

Thoughts of death… being alone… I couldn't take it anymore. I sluggishly swam over to Jen. As close as I could get to him. From all what's happened, and now something that's put our lives on the line… I needed some more of that reassurance now. This was it; this was the event that would put our friendship to the test. I really needed Jenrya this time. This time… I'd die without him now.

He didn't seem to mind me being so close to him, so he must've been cooled off after his last bout of anger. This made it easier on me. I never wanted to break off the embrace we were in before we just discovered our dilemma. … I felt so warm with him on the boat… and our primary need right now was definitely warmth…

So without saying anything, only letting out a pleading, but very weak sigh… I latched my entire body onto Jenrya's. He was currently no warmer than I was, but with any luck… we could survive this together.

Jenrya greeted this with his own sigh and a smile as he immediately locked himself around me. This felt even more comfortable than last time, if you ignore the frigidness of the water… it wasn't just our bodies and arms this time, that were wrapped around each other. Our waists, down to our legs… and to the very ends of our feet… were intertwined with one another's. I was a bit shorter than Jen, and also smaller… it was really hard to tell just by how much until now.

"… Good idea," Jenrya murmured out of nowhere.

I blinked myself out of my daze, my eyes staring directly into Jen's. "Nani?"

Jenrya graced me with his wonderful smile once more. "We'll… b-be able to maintain some body heat if we're together like this. I… It'll buy us s-some… some time…"

It elated me to know he approved of this. I held onto him even tighter than I did before, finally finding some trace of slight warmth from our embrace. …But I really needed more. Enough for the both of us.

The warmth we had, though… I was beginning to think about things again. How could I have waited so long to get to Jen like this? If I only had done it sooner… I think it would've solved a lot of problems in our life. What if he wasn't apart of my life? Where would I be now…?

… Riding the boat with some other random guy, that's where I'd be.

There was no denying how much I loved this embrace, though. If Hirokazu and the others found out about this, they'd never let me live it down. But that's okay. Because they don't have to know what Jenrya and I do. No one really does have to know. Maybe they'd never understand. All I knew was… I didn't want to imagine life without my best friend.

I was certain now that Jenrya Lee would be my closest companion. No friend of mine, no romantic interest, no member of my family could compare to what Jenrya and I share between each other. I was absolutely sure.

My head was lying against Jenrya's shoulder now, exhausted and desiring a rest. I still looked back to Jen through the corner of my eye, seeing the profile of his face, and still spotting the same lovely smile on his lips.

… Then another feeling was plowing through my insides. No telling what… but…

I felt like I was between a cross of being ultimately happy and ultimately wanting to die.

I was right on the borderline of each spectrum. My head was feeling light and dizzy… despite the fact that I was freezing to death, I was actually sweating. I was feeling short-winded, and suddenly I found it painful and laborious to just breathe. Something deep in my stomach wanted to erupt very badly, and from that, my dreaded nerves came back to cause me pain once again. My throat was feeling swollen… and something was threatening to come up, though I wasn't sure what. The surroundings around me began to spin in my head… it was hurting to even think now… Thinking, Thinking… ah… thinking is ow…

But last… and far from least… ow…

My heart was beating at an extremely rapid pace. I could feel it and hear it thumping violently in my chest… my chest seemed to move from the force of it… almost like it was trapped and wants out… ow, but…

Wh… Wha… What was it? What was this I was feeling…? What is it?

Other than feeling like I was going to throw up… I was feeling something else. But what…

Ow, ow, ow…

[POV - Nobody]

Jenrya was no longer smiling when he noticed Takato was beginning to falter. It hadn't been THAT long since Terriermon left. Was Takato already succumbing to his frozen fate?

"Takato…?" He called out in a very slight whisper. "Daijoubu?"

"J… Jen…"

To shorten the suffering, Jenrya pulled Takato's face up to his level, more or less forcing Takato to look at him. "What is it? Do you not feel well?"

In a few short labored breaths, Takato was able to force out his response. "Dai… joubu… desu yo…"

It was apparent that Jenrya wasn't convinced. Not when Takato looked like this much of a wreck. "You don't have to act like you can withstand it," He assured. "Just tell me what's wrong… is it getting too cold for you?"

As if it wasn't getting too cold for Jenrya himself. Both boys had been long since perpetually shivering. Jenrya was unable to keep his teeth from chattering, and he could literally feel the color draining away from his face with each and every second passing. But he was determined not to fall victim to this cold water until help arrived. It was the least he could do for Takato, so he thought.

Takato made hasty little half-nods, trying his very best to speak coherently. "But it's… but it's…"

"D-don't panic, Takato!" Jenrya ordered. "You're only m-making it worse for yourself!"

"Don't-panic, d-don't panic don't panic," Takato repeated, whining in pain every single time he said it. "Jen…"

Jenrya looked scared as he clung to Takato to the best of his ability. "W-what?! What is it?!"

Takato leaned over his friend, as if he just slung his whole body on Jenrya's shoulder. This was not making it easy for Jenrya to keep his face above the water. "W-what if, what if…"

Jenrya paused from his struggling. "What if…?"

Takato found himself able to change his position, finally. He leaned away from Jenrya, taking the weight off him and therefore easily letting him rise to the surface as normally. Takato then barely swam (and more like floated) to the back of Jenrya, where he re-attached himself. Looping his arms around Jenrya's chest, his upper and lower torso right up against the length of Jenrya's back, and his legs, risen a bit with the help of the water, wrapped tightly around Jenrya's waist.

This wasn't weighing Jenrya down anymore than his last two positions, so that didn't bother him. What did bother him seemed to be… something else…

"What if… wh-what if they don't find us," Takato finally blubbered out in a frustrated cry. "What if… Terriermon d-doesn't find help in time…? What if… if we freeze… what if we die out here…?"

Like that possibility hadn't gone through Jenrya's mind the second they lost the oars.

"J-just don't think about it," Jenrya urged, feeling pained as he did so. Because he knew he couldn't blame Takato for feeling his hopeless. He honestly had no idea how long he and Takato could possibly last out in the lake and escape with, as a possible minimal affect, pneumonia. "We-We… can't lose faith in Terriermon."

Takato's face rubbed against the back of Jenrya's neck. The slimy, yet soft coldness pressed against Jenrya's own freezing skin gave him some sort of odd sensation. They were both freezing as it was, so the stinging pain of the cold was minimal. Suddenly, Takato rose up a bit in his position and leaned over, so he could get a clearer view of Jenrya's face again.

Jenrya himself could only float in the water, and stare.

"I… d-don't want to die," Takato squeaked in what had to be his most pitiful, helpless voice ever. "I wa… want to be with…w-with you…"

"Y… You're with me," was all Jenrya could think of saying. He let out a small gasp when Takato's face inched nearer to his own… and soon their cheeks had come in contact with each other. Honestly, Jenrya had no idea what was going on, but it was safe for him to assume that Takato was very delirious now. But he didn't want to upset the emotionally unstable Takato… what good would it do? The best he could do was to not interrupt Takato in how he was coping with his fear. Their cheeks rubbing against one another… Takato gasping at Jenrya's sides… and poor Jenrya even made sure to comfort Takato when his lips were against his ears…

All Jenrya could hear were Takato's labored breathing patterns. Each breath sounding like it was Takato's last.

Just by listening to this… hearing Takato's life falling through his own fingers pulled at his heartstrings like mad. Relentlessly, hurting him and yet making him feel wonderful all at the same time. He couldn't help but think… Takato had very beautiful breathing sounds.

Jenrya frantically looked around for something, anything that would suffice as a reprieve from their unending frozen torture. He did so in a manner not to stir Takato from exploring… but as Jenrya looked far off to a side, he saw something dark not too far off in the distance.

It seemed solid… so it could be a large piece of litter…

… Or maybe it was land.

Jenrya's gray eyes, silvery-toned in the moonlight, widened at the possibility of…

The L-Word.

LAND!!

[POV - Nobody]

This whole thing of Ruki narrowing her eyes at the request of something from 'Kazu was becoming a constant thing now, everyone started to realize.

Yes, much to Ruki's dismay, Ryo and Hirokazu had recovered from the evil ride of torment and reunited with their friends once more. No one was worried about their two missing members, however: Ruki had proudly boasted her partnership with Jaarin that forced Jenrya to be on the romantic boat ride with some girl he didn't even know. As for Takato, well…

"He can take care of himself," Kenta claimed. "He's our leader, after all. I'm sure he's got something funny planned up for us, that's why he doesn't want anyone to find him."

"Is that so?" Juri asked.

"If you can come up with a better excuse, feel free to say it," Kenta challenged. Ever since he won his Bag-O-Yen, he had refused to let go of it. When Hirokazu asked for some change, Kenta just gave him a very threatening glare.

Money's a precious thing, you know.

Anyway, the peak of the festival was just now coming up. Hirokazu was just full of ideas on how to live it up and party until they dropped from this point on.

"ONDO DA!!" Hirokazu screeched in delight. "LET'S DO IT!"

It was no mystery; he was hyped on the caffeine badly.

"It's too cold," Ruki complained. "Those are best saved for the summer festivals."

"Oh, COME ON!!" Hirokazu shouted. "I miss the summer! There was no school! It was warm! We could go on vacation! No school! I could stay up as late as I wanted! Hang out with my friends! No school! And I also didn't have to go to school!"

"An ondo in memorial of the summer, huh?" Juri noted with a giggle. She held her scary demonic puppet up. "We will be pleased, because the ondo is very enjoyable!"

Ruki looked increasingly annoyed. "Yes, it's Let's-All-Go-Against-Ruki's-Logic Day. Let's all go do the fucking ondo…"

"It's something to do," Kenta pointed out. "As long as nobody touches my money!"

Ryo smiled and stretched out a bit. "It's been a while since I busted a move."

Ruki gave Ryo a look. "You'd call that busting a move?"

"Eheheh!"

"I hate you," Ruki muttered. "Do whatever you guys want, then!"

"Oh, come on!" Juri urged her friend. "Why don't you try it? It'll be fun!"

Ruki snarled in rejection. "That sounds like something my mother would force me to do."

"But we're not your mom!" Hirokazu said with a grin. "We're your friends!"

"I KNOW that!"

"Just do what we do!" Hirokazu instructed, standing up on an empty stage they had been next to the whole time. "Now, if I had some music…"

"HAI!" A boombox was presented on the premises. The owner: Jaarin Lee.

"I thought you had to work," Ruki recalled in confusion.

Jaarin smiled. "I got a break! So what's this I'm hearing about? Ondo?"

"Just hit the play button," Hirokazu ordered with a wink. "And I'll lead off!"

And so it was hit…

Hirokazu grabbed the nearest microphone he could find, and cranked the volume up to as loud it would go.

"SAA, MINNA! KYOU MO GENKI NI ITTE MIYO!!"

Loud enough to make the Tamers' ears bleed, but well grabbed the attention of everyone else that was passing by.

"HAI!!!" Many people chanted in response. And the music began. Hirokazu performed the dance, and his singing was… better than expected. Before even starting, Ryo and Kenta joined Hirokazu forming a neat line.

"Anata mo watashi mo DOKI DOKI-"

"A, sore!"

"PAPA MAMA minna de UKI UKI-"

"A, doshita!"

"DANCE ni aki tara Ondo wa ika ga?

DejiTeima Ondo de HAPPIPPI!"

"Dorya~!"

Juri, now filled to the brim with excitement, practically jumped onto the stage, so very eager to participate, and joined the line of fun. Ruki just looked on… annoyed. A giant crowd was forming near her… And giant crowds to Ruki were the devil.

"Ohisama SANSAN omatsuri kibun de

PIRIKA PIRIRARA Nobi-yaka-ni-"

"A yoisho!"

"Sakki made naiteta KARASU no akachan mo

Ondo wo unareba HAPPIPPI-"

"A soidemotte soitemotte!!"

Hirokazu took the lead singing role, now. Primadonna that he was.

"Haa~ asa kara-

A, asa kara SUTEKI tabetara egao mo-"

"DOKKA~N to sekai ichi! YOSSHA!!"

"Hirokazu mo Kentakun mo DOKI DOKI-"

"A, sore!"

"Jurichan mo Puppetchan mo UKI UKI-"

"A, doshita!"

"Ondo de hiro karu NIKKO NIKO egao

DejiTeima Ondo de HAPPIPPI!"

"Orya!"

It was a festive song indeed, which whooped the crowd into a frenzy. Everyone clapping along at the correct cues, singing along with a song they knew all-too well. Hirokazu almost seemed to be leading a Congo line for a second. Ruki could only stare at the hysteria her Rooster-Headed admirer had given birth to. And at that time, she could fully determine what she long-suspected for sure:

Hirokazu is a dangerous, crazy party-animal.

Jaarin was looking eager to join the fray, which only scared Ruki more. The thought of being up on that stage… in front of all those people… ooh, the horror of everyone bugging Ruki for her overly nice kimono was something best never to be experienced. She really, really didn't want to do this. Even if Juri was on the stage and humiliating herself. That wasn't enough for Ruki to throw her own dignity in the garbage.

"Ooh, Ruki-chan!" Jaarin squealed. "I can't stand it anymore! Let's go up and join them!"

Ruki gawked at Jenrya's older sister. "I don't recall the last time I let you call me by that!"

Jaarin refused to address the issue and grabbed Ruki's hand. "Come on! This'll be really fun! I promise!"

"But I didn't- GAAAAAH!!"

Poor Ruki suddenly found herself on the stage with the others. This was NOT a good omen at all.

A familiar little creature suddenly flew into a tree, though. Less-than-gracefully. The wings on Terriermon's back dispersed, and Terriermon himself thudded to the ground. Everyone was too riled up by the party to really notice the crash-landing, however. It was lucky for Terriermon to land so close to his friends. Even though they WERE the party.

The singing and dancing (Ruki reluctantly doing so) continued.

"Soyo kaze RUNRUN tanoshiku uta uyo

PAIPAI PON PAI Shina-yaka-ni-"

"A, yosho!"

"KENKA shita ano ko mo isshyo ni odorous yo

PAMERAKU RAARAKUKU Taka-raka-ni-"

"A soidemotte soitemotte!!"

This time, Kenta lead the singing for the first line, and Ryo sung the second. Ryo's singing was low and pleasant, while Kenta's… well… no one would ever want to describe Kenta's singing.

"HAA! Hito koto~"

"A, hitoko gomen to ietara yuuki mo-"

"DOKKA~N to sekai ichi! YOSSHA!!"

"Jaarin mo Jenkun mo DOKI DOKI-"

"A, sore!"

"Ryosan mo Rukichan mo UKI UKI-"

"A, doshita!"

"Kokoro to Kokoro wo Ondo ga wasubu

DejiTeima Ondo de HAPPIPPI!"

"Dorya!"

Terriermon sat up, not fully recovered from his blow to the head on that unfortunate tree. He rubbed his bruise and turned to the area where he heard a lot of noise and commotion going on; that's what his large, sensitive ears heard first. He started standing up and moaned a bit, because the racket was frankly giving him a headache.

He had half a mind to go over there and tell them to Shut The Hell Up, but then he looked down to the ground, as he noticed upon his impact he had caused it to fall. It was originally hanging from the tree… It was a fortune.

'Beware of cold weather conditions, or people with a cold disposition.' It read.

Terriermon's grogginess had vanished; he remembered his mission. "… Jen!!" This was, in fact, the fortune he received earlier.

He quickly turned back to the singing and dancing everyone was so attracted to. He almost recognized the people on the stage. So of course, he didn't waste any time at all making his way over to the vicinity, edging past the crowd, heading right for the stage.

The Tamers and Jaarin on stage were in the middle of their song, doing a proud march, the only lyrics sung being:

"Hai!… Hai!… Hai!… Hai!… Hai!… Hai! Sore~Sore~Sore~Sore!"

Ruki, of course, was being very nonchalant when she did this; she wanted to make it clear to everyone that she did NOT do this on her own will. Terriermon was this close to making it to the stage and getting the Tamers' attention, until all of a sudden he was knocked clear off the stage entirely by a new little energetic body. Oh, yes. Just as sugar-crazy and insane as everybody else.

Lee Shuichon had made the scene!

Carrying her own microphone, she leaped to the very front of the stage, snapping her fingers.

"ONE MORE TIME!" she shouted, in Engrish.

Everyone else laughed along and let her join in on the final verse:

"Natsu demo fuyu demo DOKIDOKI-"

"A, sore!"

"Asa kara Ban Made UKI UKI-"

"A, doshita!"

"Nen gara Nenjyuu odori akakasou

DejiTeima Ondo De HAPPIPPI!"

"Dorya!"

Everyone cheered as loud as the possibly could within their human limits. Everybody except Ruki modestly bowed to the crowds, before swiping a fan from their kimono and waving it out to the crowd.

"YOSSHA!"

However, even Ruki was impressed that something arranged by 'Kazu completely on the spot had worked out so well. To compensate for her negative attitude, she gave a small, silent applaud in that respect.

"EVERYBODY SHUT THE HELL UP!!!"

Fear the day Terriermon had gotten a hold of a maximum-volume microphone, because that day had come. Terriermon's screeching, never-ending demand had the crowd either on the floor or running away. And just like that, the only people remaining were the people on the stage.

Shuichon blinked a couple of times before this all sunk into her. "…TERRIERMON!!"

"NOT now," Terriermon snarled back impatiently. "Not now, not ever!"

Ryo blinked as well, scratching his head in confusion. "What're you ticked off about, Terriermon? That's not like you."

"Hey, where's Jen?" Jaarin asked right away. "Jenrya would be crazy to leave you all alone!"

"What's going on, Terriermon?" Juri asked, trying to be as nice as she could, despite the fact that Terriermon could have very well made them deaf at this very young age.

"Th… there's no time to really explain it!" Terriermon wailed frantically, tossing the microphone aside. "Jenrya and Takato are in big trouble, and we need to help them!"

"What?!" Ruki seemed a bit enraged. "What did they do now?!"

Terriermon just shook his head and motioned for everyone to follow him. "I can't tell you the full story right now, but it's a BIG emergency! We're talking life or death! Jaarin, you gotta tell me where the rescue crew it! They're our only hope!"

A sharp, stinging pain had just struck Jaarin in the heart. … Something happened to her little brother.

"Ha… hai. … Right away!"

[POV - Takato]

There was honestly no way to tell if sitting on the land was doing better for us or worse. It was good not to work to keep my head above the water, at least… and somehow, Jen had me calmed down enough to a point where I could act remotely sane again. It didn't hurt so much to think now… but I couldn't keep this up for much longer…

Where in the hell was Terriermon?! What has it been, forty minutes?

I looked over to Jen, who was sitting a distance away from me. I don't know what I did to make him do that, but… maybe I did something to make him uncomfortable. … He was still shivering nonetheless. The distinct tone of his skin seemed to have vanished now. He looked just as pale as I did. This wasn't good… even if we did make this out alive, we'd have a damn good chance of dying later…

"J-J-J-Je… Je-en…?" I choked out, holding onto myself as tightly as I could make myself. "Ah-… Ah-… A-are you-u… a-ny warm-mer now…?"

This was pitiful, but I couldn't really make myself talk any better than that. I was desperately longing for warmth, and now it seemed like I couldn't get what little I'd find from Jen anymore, since he wouldn't come near me…

Jen hesitated a little bit before he turned to face me. "No-… not… n-… really…"

I looked down at the water sadly. "M-my kimo-.. ono is really c-co-cold."

Jenrya looked down at our reflections in the water. "S-so's mi-mine."

I let out shaky sigh… Jenrya looked back over to me.

"Y-you… think we shoul-ld… take them off?"

That almost immediately made Jenrya scoot even further away from me… but at the last second he declined it and looked to me, trying not to look extremely embarrassed.

"D-do… you… th-thi… think that w-would help…?" he asked me, sounding very uncertain himself. But really, beats me. It seemed like there was no REAL way of being significantly warmer no matter what you did. Every possibility had a major downside to it.

Not wanting to make our conversation anymore painful and long, I undid my sash and slid out of my kimono, letting the top fall to my waist. I only wanted to experiment, though; I had no intentions of fully stripping down… eh…

Jenrya just stared at me without saying a word as I leaned back on the back with my arms spread out behind me. I let out a sigh, because it was indeed a huge relief that I got rid of those heavy, sagging robes that were weighing me down so much while I was in the lake.

It DID almost seem warmer to have it off…

I didn't think much of Jen-kun watching me, though. I just bathed in the relaxation of having all that weight taken off me. My bare, damp chest glistened in the moonlight; the hues making it look like an extremely pale blue. With glitter. I looked at my stomach curiously, as, despite this being warmer for me, it wasn't THAT much warmer, and I was still freezing, thank-you-very-much. My chest was moving up and down rapidly… as my breathing was not yet stabilized. Goosebumps had long since covered my body, but their job of holding in my body head was pure crap.

The next time I looked over to Jenrya, my eyes widened as I found him bare-chested as well. He was taking the risk and trying my experiment too. He didn't lean back like me; he only sat up and hunched over, trying to pretend he wasn't looking at me, but any idiot, even I could see through it.

"F.. feel better?" I finally asked.

Jenrya took his time to reply, as usual. "… K-kind of."

Right after he said that, a gust of wind whooshed through the area, ruining our peaceful moment of warming up. I fell flatly on my back, while Jenrya just curled up into a ball. It was a strong breeze. So much of one that it seemed to have taken what little energy I had left in me. I was stuck here, on my back, my bare back, on a mud bank. The freezing water came in like the tides of a beach… and because it was night, it made me think of high tide. Damn it!

Jenrya crawled over to me, looking worried. "D-did that sc-scare you, Ta-.. Takat-to-kun…?"

I just shook my head, unwilling to speak, and had the greatest desire to close my eyes. What could be taking Terriermon so long…? Didn't he understand that Jen and I were dying out here…? Our lives rested in his hands!

Then again… we WERE in the middle of nowhere… maybe he's unable to relocate us… which would make our attempts to survive this an absolute waste of time…

Jenrya looked to his D-Arc, his eyes lazy and half-shut… he was beginning to give in to the cold, too. I hear the familiar bleeping of a signal locked on, and afterwards heard Jenrya's heavy sigh as he shut it off.

My eyes were closed now, and I absolutely could not make myself speak words at all. I only made a tiny little inquisitive moan.

"I d-don't think we'll make it, ho-honestly," Jenrya mumbled, doing something I thought he'd never do, and that was leaning over me, resting on his arm that he planted right next to mine. "Gomen n-nasai, Takato-kun…"

I could just wince. What did he have to be sorry for? I came here on accident and he came here because his sister made him. Why was HE at fault?

Suddenly, Jen picked my limp, freezing body up slightly, cradling it in his arms. A smile tried to form on the corner of my lips; our own bare skin touching… this felt even better than our last embrace.

"J-just… please, don't d-die," Jenrya begged me, rocking me gently to keep my body mobile. "If you fa-fall asleep… tha-that's what'll happen… so… Takato…"

"M'not sleepin'," I forced myself to say. And it took a lot out of me to say that… I didn't understand why falling asleep would make me die, but… I wanted to so much… was death really right around the corner for me…? Edging me to come closer and closer…

"YES YOU ARE!!!" Jenrya practically screamed, almost jolting me awake just from that. "Now STOP it!! I won't le-let you die! I-If you die, I swear t-to God I'll…"

Still keeping my eyes clothes and still trying to look peaceful, a hand of mine shot up and covered Jen's mouth to keep him from talking even more.

"Don't do that," I snarled hatefully. "You're wa-wasting your energy… and the-then you'll fall asleep… and die or something…"

Almost like a cue, Jenrya almost completely collapsed over me…

Arm on arm, leg on leg, stomach on stomach, chest on chest… neck on neck…

Face on face.

Though my eyes were still not open… I could just feel Jenrya so dangerously close to me.

I estimated his lips were about an inch away from mine. But I sensed warmth… a weak one, but still a warmth emitting from those lips…

I could also feel Jenrya was this close to passing out… parts of his body, one by one, were performing their final collapsing over mine, never to rise again. The familiar feeling I had felt earlier before was firing up in my heart again… was I supposed to do something…?

I think I was…

A bright white light shone in the distance, and I didn't need my sight to see that. I only knew it had to be the grand light of death, seeing an opportunity to take us both and was on its way to do so. It was coming, fast. What would I do…? What are you supposed to do right before you die?

I pursed my lips, and brought them to meet Jenrya's. That's exactly what I did. And with one final lock of our lips… our energy had diminished.

We both had fallen. Our lips never once parted. And the great white light had just then paid us a little visit. Hi, Death.

I'm gonna carry this weight, aren't I…?

…

[TBC, believe it or not!]