Oniichan won't forget me because of Taichi... I know he won't. But I'm back in Kawada with kaasan... And I won't see Yamato much.

   But he has Taichi, so he won't be lonely... And I will.

   Takeru sighed again.

   I wish... I wish I had a boyfriend, like oniichan does... So I won't be lonely...

   This idle thought seemed to contain a very good idea in little Takeru's mind, and after a few moments of consideration, he was quickly running over the list of the other boys his age he knew. None of them were boyfriend material, though. He didn't want to lose any of them as friends.

   Well, I guess I'll just go out and MEET someone and have him be my boyfriend... Takeru thought cheerfully, heading out of his bedroom and towards the front door.

   "Kaasan!" he called. "Kaasan, I'm going to the park!"

   "Takeru, I don't think you should be going out that far alone!"

   Takeru resisted the mighty urge to beat his head against the wall.

   "Kaasaaan!" he said in exasperation. "I took care of myself okay in the digital world!"

   The woman looked embarrassed for a moment. "Right, right... I'm sorry, Takeru, I'm just not used to you being so grown up yet..."

   Takeru walked over to his kaasan and hugged her. "It's okay, kaasan!" He smiled brightly. "It was months and months for us and only a couple days for you! So I understand why you're used to treating me like I'm a whole lot younger!"

   She smiled and hugged him back. After a moment, she released him.

   "Well, now that that's settled, go on ahead. Have fun at the park."

   "I will!" Takeru chirped.

   Fifteen minutes later, Takeru was ready to give up. He'd made the mistake at first of bluntly asking a boy if he'd be his boyfriend. The boy had looked disgusted and run away. And after that, none of the other little boys at the park would get near him. Takeru sighed.

   "I just want a boyfriend," he sighed miserably.

   "Hey, look out!" a voice cried.

   A soccer ball hit him full on, sending him sprawling into the dirt. When he pulled himself up, there was a little boy there, about his age, with wild burgundy hair and dark brown eyes, with an olive complexion. He was frowning in concern and apology.

   "You okay? Sorry, I didn't mean to hit you with the ball..."

   "Yeah, I'm fine," Takeru said, getting up and attempting a smile at the boy.

   "You look sad," the boy observed.

   Takeru sighed. "I am, a little."

   "Aww..." The boy frowned. "Is it 'cos of me?"

   Takeru shook his head. "No way! It's just... My brother..."

   "What about him?" The boy led Takeru to a conveniently nearby park bench, and the two sat down. "Is he mean?"

   "No, no, he's a great brother! I love him alot... but he lives in Odaiba, so we don't get to see each other much. And he has a boyfriend, so I know he's not lonely... but I am. And I want a boyfriend so I won't be lonely, and I think I scared everyone here..." Takeru sniffled.

   The boy patted Takeru's back. "It's okay... I'll be your boyfriend!"

   Takeru turned to stare at the boy in shock and disbelief. "Will you really?"

   "As soon as I find out your name!" The boy grinned. Takeru grinned back.

   "Takaishi Takeru," he said.

   "I'm Motomiya Daisuke!" the dark-haired boy chirped. Then he hugged Takeru and gave him a little peck on the cheek. Takeru blushed and stared at Daisuke.

   "What was that for?"

   "We're boyfriends now, aren't we?" Daisuke smiled. "That's what boyfriends do!"

   Takeru smiled happily and hugged him back.

   Over the next several weeks, the two played at being boyfriends. Their innocent relationship consisted mostly of hugs, as kissing felt strange to the little boys, and any time one of them tried to kiss the other, it was so awkward that both Daisuke and Takeru were usually reduced to helpless giggles afterward.

   Beyond the awkward kisses, or lack thereof, they did actually make a good pair. They looked out for each other and whenever one was unhappy, the other was trying to cheer him up. The other kids soon learned that to pick on one was to pick on the other.

   However, after a year had passed, a problem arose.

   "You're moving?!" Takeru demanded.

   "Uh-huh." Daisuke looked up at Takeru, pouting. "My parents are moving to Odaiba. I tried to get them to change their minds, but..." Daisuke sniffled, and then threw himself into Takeru's arms, starting to cry. Takeru hugged him back, patting his back.

   "Ne, ne Dai-chan, it's okay, it's okay..."

   "No it's not!" Daisuke sobbed. "I'm never gonna see you again! Take-chan, my parents know about you... They don't want me to be with you, so they're taking me away from you! Take-chan, I don't wanna leave you!!"

   Now Takeru was starting to cry. He was going to be lonely all over again. He'd come to really like Daisuke, in fact he suspected he was actually in love with him. He felt helpless - there was nothing he could do.

   "Dai-chan... Dai-chan, we'll see each other again," he insisted through his tears. "I lost my best friend once, and we saw each other again, and I know that even though we're not together now we'll still see each other again... So don't worry!" Takeru forced a smile. "We'll always be together, just like we promised each other..."

   Daisuke sniffled, but he wasn't crying anymore. "Thanks, Take-chan... Thanks for trying to cheer me up... I love you," he whispered.

   "I love you too, Dai-chan," Takeru whispered back.

   Innocent words, coming from innocent boys... With the most sincere meaning behind them...

   "Shimatta! V-mon! V-MONNNN!!!"

   "Daisuke, it's no use," the blond boy sighed. "We're trapped in here, they're out there, and they can't reach us."

   "Hey, I didn't ask you!" Daisuke snapped.

   Takeru backed up a couple steps. "Sorry! I was just saying..."

   "Yeah, well, don't say anything!"

   Takeru shut up, staring fiercely at one of the walls of the cave, fighting back tears.

   You don't remember, do you, Dai-chan? You said you loved me... Although I forgot too...

   Takeru had gotten a sudden, rude reminder of his old relationship with Daisuke when he'd seen Taichi and Yamato having fun. Tickling each other, laughing, sharing sweet kisses... Acting like newlyweds after three years. They'd stopped when they'd seen Takeru standing in the middle of the living room, staring at them with tears in his eyes.

   "Ototo, I'm sorry," Yamato had said softly. "We didn't mean to scare you--"

   Takeru had laughed bitterly, cutting his older brother off. "Oniichan, believe me, that's not going to scare me... It's just you two... you reminded me of something that happened in Kawada, that's all..."

   The conversation had gone downhill from there. But after that, Takeru was able to remember all the details of his innocent, sweet relationship with Motomiya Daisuke.

   Motomiya Daisuke, who now hated him.

   "HELLLLOOO!!!! Digital world to Takeruu!!!"

   Takeru jumped, turning to Daisuke. Daisuke was looking at him with a puzzled expression.

   "Gomen... were you saying something?"

   "Yeah. You said I didn't remember something. What don't I remember?"

   Takeru looked away. "You'll hate me even more if I tell you."

   "No I won't."

   "It was just a stupid childhood game..."

   "What was it?"

   "It couldn't have been serious..."

   "DAMMIT, TAKERU, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!"

   "KAWADA!!" Takeru screamed, something snapping inside him. "Back in Kawada, remember?! We were boyfriends! We looked out for each other, we cuddled, we even tried to kiss sometimes, AND YOU DON'T REMEMBER ANY OF IT! NONE!! YOU HATE ME, WHEN THREE YEARS AGO YOU TOLD ME YOU LOVED ME!!!" Tears were screaming down Takeru's cheeks as he screamed at Daisuke.

   Daisuke was stunned into silence. Sobbing, Takeru spun on his heel and marched towards the back of the cave, where he sat down facing the wall, hugging his knees to his chest.

   Meanwhile, long-buried memories, feelings he'd shoved away, were surfacing in Daisuke's heart. His heart throbbed with a suddenly remembered love for the blond boy.

   Kaasan and tousan... they never wanted me to love Takeru... So they took me away from him, made me forget... Forget so I wouldn't love him...

   But I do... Oh, I do, more than ever, and now I've hurt him... Oh, my Take-chan...

   Daisuke moved forward. One step at a time, his feet carried him towards the boy he so adored, had loved since that first chance meeting in the park...

   He knelt, and put his arms around Takeru.

   "Take-chan... Gomen nasai..."

   Takeru stiffened.

   "Take-chan, I love you... But my parents never wanted me to... They moved to Odaiba to keep me from you, and when I couldn't forget... they did everything they could to convince me what I had done was horribly wrong... and... I believed them... to the point of convincing myself that I was straight, and obsessing over Hikari because she was the closest female to you..."

   Takeru squirmed around in Daisuke's arms to face the other boy.

   "But I love you, Take-chan... I love you, and I'm actually glad you yelled at me, because it made me remember... My parents be damned, they're not going to control my heart again... I love you..."

   "Oh, Dai-chan..." Takeru stared into Daisuke's eyes. He held Daisuke tightly. The other boy stroked his hair gently.

   "Take-chan?"

   "Hai?"

   "You know, we never did kiss that much..."

   Takeru smiled at Daisuke. "What are you suggesting?"

   "That we make up for that."

   "Armadimon armor shinka! The steel of wisdom, Digmon!"

   V-mon and Patamon had run to the nearest digital gateway, pounding and screaming at it until at last, by some miracle, Iori showed up in the computer lab and saw the gate open with two very distressed Digimon on the other side. V-mon and Patamon had quickly explained the dilemma, and in no time whatsoever, Iori and Armadimon were in the digital world.

   "V-mon, Patamon, where did you say Daisuke-san and Takeru-san were trapped?"

   "Right there," V-mon pointed.

   Patamon whimpered. "Hurry up and get them out before they kill each other or something!"

   Digmon was already pelting the collapsed cave entrance with Gold Rushes. "Way ahead of you! GOLD RUSH!"

   At last, the way was clear. Iori picked his way through the rubble, Patamon and V-mon beside him. He squinted through the cloud of dust which Patamon was now attempting to dispel with his wings. As soon as he got a glimpse of the two older boys, his eyes widened.

   "Uh, Patamon... I don't think we have to worry much about them killing each other..."

   "We don't?"

   Iori pointed. Patamon looked.

   Daisuke and Takeru had fallen asleep in each other's arms, snuggling happily. Smiling peacefully, at the love they had rediscovered.