Just One Kiss
Chapter 3 - Meetings
by Cynthia & KrazieKat

Legal Disclaimer: The characters here aren't ours.

Changes: This is a modification of what we stated in part 1. First, this takes place in a slight AU. The 02 DD are all fourteen. This includes Iori. Second... well, we'd tell you, but then you'd have half the story spoiled. Let's just say it involves OOC stuff. If this bothers you, you might want to turn back now.

Romances: Kenkeru, Taito, Iosuke, Jundori.

Author's Note 1: *snickers* oh, this is gonna be fun...

Author's Note 2: No comment.

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Takeru Takashi was not in a good mood. His older brother teasingly ruffled his hair as he tried to brush it out. "Awww... little T.K. has a date. So where are you taking Hikari?"

"It's not Hikari!" Takeru smacked the older blonde's hand away hard, his eyes burning.

"Of course." Yamato smirked just a little in a superior older brother way. He chuckled a little at Takeru started to correct the damage done to his hair. "You're primping."

"Well, if a certain blonde idiot hadn't messed up my hair, I wouldn't have to." Takeru growled. "I don't have to wear the stupid hat all the time, Yamato."

He could tell that had hurt the older blonde. "It looks good on you... and I gave it to you."

"And I've only taken it off at night." Takeru reminded him. "It needs to get washed, Yamato. It has the dust of two worlds on it. Besides, it's getting worn out by wearing it all the time."

Yamato nodded quietly. "I'll get you some more."

"Look, I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings, but you take the teasing thing too far." Takeru told him solemnly. "And I don't have to be with Hikari all the time. I'm tired of always being paired with her."

"You know you like her, TK."

The younger blonde made a face of disgust. "Please, Yama, she's like a sister to me"!

His brother snickered with a grin. "Surrrre. Just like Tai-chan is like a brother to me."

Takeru glared at him for a moment, then stalked past the Digidestined of Friendship and slammed his bedroom door shut hard. Yamato gazed after him in confusion.

"What did I say?"

* * *

Takeru stared down at his floor, wishing with all his heart that people would really recognize he wasn't a little kid anymore. Yamato wasn't as bad as he had once been, but now that his little brother was of the dating age, he was starting to be a royal pain in the rear.

His eyes flicked momentarily towards the computer as it started to boot up by itself. The Wordpad program leaped up on his screen and words typed themselves onto it. He smiled a little bit when he saw it was from Ken.

Saw the company. Close this and see a surprise. Ken. Takeru did so, and as soon as he did, a Digiport program popped up onto the computer. The blonde blinked for a moment, then pulled out his Digivice. "Digiport, open!"

A moment later, after blinding light and the sensation of being downloaded, he heard a familiar and comforting, at least to him, voice. "Good evening, Takeru." Ken was seated in what looked like a throne, with a wide variety of screens before him. "Need to vent?"

"Yes!!!!"

The emperor stood up and waved a hand to the throne room door. "Care to walk as you vent?" Takeru nodded, and the two of them headed out. "So?"

"My irritating oh so perfect brother!" Takeru hissed the words out, his eyes blazing with sapphire fury.

Ken shrugged. "He's blonde, he fell for the blonde stereotype?"

"He is the blonde stereotype! He's what they had in mind when they invented it!" Takeru virtually growled the words out. He seldom got this angry over anything, but Yamato had pushed all the wrong buttons that day.

The Emperor nodded quietly. "So I see." He listened patiently and seriously as Takeru ranted and raved and waved his arms in the air.

"And he just will not listen when I tell him I'm not interested in Hikari! I think I'd get better results talking to a wall! I swear, if he wasn't a Mega..."

Ken blinked in startlement. "What???"

"Oops." Takeru glanced at him, then winced. He really cared about Ken, had almost since that first kiss, but there were things he shouldn't have told.

"How can your brother be a Mega?" Ken wondered in surprise. Takeru sighed a little.

"He's my half-brother. His real father is... or was... Piedmon." Takeru figured he might as well spill everything since he'd already screwed up. He didn't think Ken would hurt him to find out more, but the Emperor didn't look as if he were planning how to use the information... he looked... curious, the way anyone would if they'd just heard that. "So he's a Mega because Piedmon was."

Ken nodded, still looking only curious. "I see. Oh, you might be interested in this little bit of news. Taichi and Yamato are grounded. Apparently a hacker at your school got into their school's computer system and changed the grades. And your brother isn't very pleased right now." He chuckled, an honest smile on his face.

Takeru snickered just a little. "I bet as soon as he gets someplace alone, things start blowing up."

Ken raised one eyebrow. "Shall we find out?" Takeru nodded, and they headed back to the throne room. A few clicks of keys, and every screen showed various sides of Yamato as he stormed down a street in Odaiba. They watched as he ducked into an alleyway, then glanced around, apparently making certain no one was watching him.

As soon as he thought he was by himself, the elder blonde balled up a fist and pointed it at a pile of rubble. Golden light burst forth, reducing the rubble to dust, and a cat yowled and ran as it did. Yamato muttered something they couldn't hear, then he started to blow a few other things up.

Takeru snorted; he'd seen this before. "Same ol', same ol'."

They watched as Yamato flicked both his hands in an odd manner, and a pair of long-bladed, well balanced swords appeared in his hands. He started an intricate set of maneuvers, the teenage gawkiness fading to be replaced by deadly grace and power.

Ken glanced over at his blue-eyed companion. "Should we... interrupt?" At Takeru's raised eyebrow, he pulled up the picture of several Mammothmon, then clasped his hands, tucking them under his chin and gazing at his beloved. "Oh, help me, big brother, I'm being attacked by the Evil Digimon Emperor!!" He used a high helpless female falsetto as he said that, indicating his plan, and Takeru laughed.

"All right!" This could be a lot of fun, really. He knew Yamato could stand up to the Mammothmon, that was no problem really. And it might be just what was needed for his brother to blow off steam without risking discovery of what he was on Earth, the way he was now.

Ken chuckled for a moment. "You know, you're fun."

"I am?"

The other nodded. "I doubt anyone else would have agreed."

Takeru shrugged. "Well, he needs to blow off steam in a safe place. And who would think we were seeing each other if I ask to get rescued from you?"

The bluenette chuckled as he kissed Takeru's hand gallantly. "So true, Takeru. But what about Patamon. Why were you in the Digiworld without your partner? He'll ask, you know that."

The Child of Hope thought for a moment. "I was trying to get some time alone to think about some things and didn't think I'd be noticed?" In reality, Patamon was taking a nap in his room, and Takeru hadn't felt like disturbing him. He knew that his partner approved of the relationship, though he'd been shocked by it, but Patamon wasn't all that eager to get near Ken himself.

"Sounds logical enough." Ken approved. He doubted that it would really bother Yamato that much if it were logical or not, however.

Takeru nodded. "He'll probably yell at him."

"Like they know how to do anything else to you or Daisuke." Ken's eyes flashed with unexplainable emotions as he thought of that. He wanted to suggest bringing Daisuke to the fortress as well, but wasn't certain how Takeru would take it just yet. Even being our plaything would be better than what he goes through sometimes.

The other sighed. "I know. I don't know why Daisuke puts up with it either." Daisuke was loud and annoying at times, and there was still that part of Takeru which cared deeply for him, but Daisuke and Iori were together, and he and Ken were together, and that was all there was to it.

"I think he's afraid to really fight back against you," Ken mused. The only time Daisuke truly and really fought was when he was on the battlefield. Oh, he smart-mouthed to his sister every now and then, but any other time...

"I'd never hurt him." Takeru said quietly. "And I'd pay a lot more attention to him than the others. I don't mean to ignore him sometimes, but it still kind of hurts that he fell for Iori."

Ken smirked a little. "Oh, they had an argument today, I believe?"

"I think so." Takeru nodded, recalling what he'd seen that day in school. "I saw them both looking sort of upset."

"Iori made a major mistake. He wasn't paying attention to what he was saying and he called Daisuke stupid." Ken frowned slightly, remembering. "Daisuke... well, I would have thought he would have yelled or something, but he just seemed to flinch and accept it... though he did look upset. Iori kissed him to make up for it... but..." the Emperor shook his head. "Something's just not right there."

Takeru sighed for a moment. "Daisuke really needs someone better than Iori."

"Someone that can take care of him." Ken murmured. His mind filled with images of both Takeru and Daisuke with him, all three of them caring about each other, filling all three of their lonely hearts with the love, support, and compassion they all needed. He smiled to himself. He wouldn't have thought things like this before his encounter with Takeru. But now... now it just seemed right.

Takeru agreed. "He puts up a good front, but he's really fragile inside. You know, I caught him crying once, after Hikari shot him down again."

"I also know that he cries himself to sleep most nights, even with Iori." Ken told him. "His home life isn't exactly emotionally supportive, you know."

"He hasn't ever said much about his parents." Takeru thought. He knew that Mr. Motomiya and his mom knew each other, but he didn't know the older man that well, really.

Ken nodded. "If I had a family like his, I wouldn't either. His parents either ignore him or they slap him around and his sister isn't much better, although she doesn't slap. Well, unless he really does deserve it." Of the other three Motomiyas, Jun was the only one Ken even remotely liked. He glanced to where Takeru had shuddered at the mention of the female Motomiya. "Your brother hasn't figured out her secret, has he?" The other shook his head, and Ken typed in a quick command. One of the screens fuzzed, then resolved to show Jun Motomiya and Midori Inoue, locked into a tight embrace.

Takeru stared in surprise. "You're joking!!"

Ken shook his head and grinned. "She's trying to cover her tendencies and protect her girlfriend. Oh, and he might want to thank her."

"Oh?"

Ken nodded. "There were some people at his school that were thinking about... well, let's just say that he wouldn't have found school life pleasant, before Jun started hanging out around him." Takeru nodded quietly, and Ken glanced at him for a moment. "Take-chan? What if we were to spiral your brother... to... alter his point of view? If you say no, I won't. But if you can get him off of pairing you with the Kamiya girl, then maybe you can get the others off of it too. As it is, we really need to get him here in the Digiworld to vent soon, or else someone is going to pay with their life."

Takeru considered for a few moments, then shrugged. "Let me think about it a bit more. I... just don't know right now. But he does need to vent."

Ken nodded, then smirked. "Care to send the message?" He pulled up a map and motioned to a certain area. "Not too far into my borders and has an exit point a fair walking distance away."

Takeru glanced at it, then nodded. "That'll work fine."

"And I do have a few Megas that Yamato might find... interesting. Now that I think about it, a couple of Ultimates won't really bother him that much." Ken flicked his fingers to pull up the image of a Pukumon with a spiral tightly around one arm. "He was making trouble in a village so I had to spiral him." He glanced to see Takeru looking at him rather incredulously. "What? Do you think I do that to just any Digimon? I just ring or spiral the ones that cause trouble." His lips quirked. "I do want to rule the Digiworld: because someone needs to make certain the nasty Virals don't." He shrugged a little. "Anyways, he's being kept not too far from there, so he'll be there when we need him. He's too dangerous to keep around, really. What about the message?"

Takeru hauled out his D-Terminal and started typing. "Just have to send it, and then get there before he does."

Ken grinned a little. "That will be easy. We'll hop a ride on one of my AirDramons. And before you ask, no, they're not ringed. They just have fun pretending they are."

Takeru raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Care to see before you send the message?" As Takeru nodded, Ken stood again and motioned down another hallway. "They're housed this way."

He led Takeru down to the AirDramon nests, where several of the creatures were flitting here and there merrily. Three smaller ones zipped over to the two young people and hovered before them. "Are you going to tell us a bedtime story tonight?" One asked cheerily, waving in front of Ken.

"I have to take care of something first, but if all goes well, sure." Ken told them, then glanced at the older AirDramon. "My mate and I need a lift to sector seven."

The AirDramon nodded, then smirked. "So you finally mated. Took you long enough." Both Takeru and Ken blushed at that, and the AirDramon looked over at the smaller ones. "I'll be back soon."

"We'll behave!" The group of them chorused, looking very angelic. Takeru snickered.

"I think I see horns holding up those halos," he murmured softly to Ken's snicker.

The AirDramon looked as forbidding as she could. "If I find out that you've been dumping water in the Guardromon again..."

"Don't forget the Meramon." Ken reminded her. The other nodded.

"I'm still trying to think of a way to make it up to him," the AirDramon grumped. Ken rolled his eyes, then glanced to the confused Takeru.

"Let's just say that we had plenty of steamed Digimon that day," he told his blonde love. Takeru chuckled, then his eyes flicked over to where the AirDramon had darted over to a pile of what looked like Dark Rings. She slipped one onto her tail and wiggled it a bit, a faint wince just barely visible crossing her features. Ken frowned slightly. "You need a larger one. That one's starting to pinch again, isn't it?"

"I think so." The AirDramon wiggled a little as the ring slipped a bit more into a comfortable position.

"Remind me later and I'll see to it." Ken told her. The Digimon nodded, and he smiled at Takeru. "Ready to go?"

The blonde nodded, and the AirDramon lowered her head for the two of them to get on. As Takeru was helped on, he glanced around and smiled. "I can see why you like traveling like this."

Ken smiled at him, then pulled him close. "It's no Pegasusmon, but on nights like tonight, there are benefits." He held Takeru close to him, enjoying the feeling of being with him. He nuzzled into the area behind Takeru's ear, then planted a kiss there. "Love you, Take-chan."

Takeru blinked for a moment, then knew what he felt. It felt like a lightning bolt splintering his soul and putting it back together. It felt right. "I love you too, Ken-chan."

They stayed snuggled close together until they got to that sector. Ken hopped off and helped Takeru off, then looked around. "There's Pukumon." The trouble-making virus was glowering at them, but not moving. "Was the message sent?"

Takeru nodded; he'd done that while they were on the way. "He should be here soon."

"This should be... most amusing to see. Go have fun now." Ken kissed Takeru lightly on the forehead, then slipped into a stand of trees with the AirDramon rising out of sight.

Only a couple of moments passed, with the Pukumon starting to go near Takeru as it had been ordered, before a blast of Golden Fire lit the air around the Mega Virus. Takeru fell back behind Yamato as the other slashed at them both. Yamato parried the blow easily, then sliced one sword into the middle of the creature, the other one at the head. As strong as this Mega was, it was no match for a Mega of Piedmon's line, and Pukumon vanished into digital dust.

The moment the fight was over, Yamato turned to Takeru. "What the hell were you doing??"

"Getting some air and thinking!" Takeru yelled right back at him.

"Here??" Yamato glared. "In the Emperor's territory! Without Patamon?? Are you crazy??"

"I didn't realize where I was when I arrived!" Takeru told him. Yamato snorted, then frowned at him.

"And weren't you supposed to be on a date with Hikari?"

Takeru could feel his temper rising. "I was not on a date with Hikari!!"

"So you were lying to me about a date!" Yamato's eyes burned as his hand flew up and cracked across Takeru's face. The younger blonde stumbled back and fell to the ground. Yamato's eyes widened as he realized what he'd done. "T... TK, I'm sorry."

"And so am I, Yamato." Takeru's eyes hardened into blue ice as he glanced over his brother's shoulder. "Do it."

Yamato turned behind him to see the Digimon Emperor standing there, with a spiral in his hands. Before he could move out of the way or call one of his swords to deflect it, the device had been thrown and it clamped hard onto his wrist. "Get it off!!!"

"It won't come off, Yamato." Ken told him as he came over to join Takeru.

"TK, how could you?" Yamato glared at his brother in pure anger and rage. The Child of Hope looked calmly back at him.

"I could because I grew up, Yamato. And I wasn't lying about the date. I just didn't say who it was with." Takeru took Ken's outstretched hand and was helped up.

Yamato waved his spiraled arm. "So growing up means this??"

"Yes!" Takeru snapped. "It is when you refuse to see me as more than an eight year old child! Ken-chan's the only one that's ever treated me as a fully functional human being!"

Yamato looked disgusted. "Ken-chan??" Takeru backhanded his brother hard, letting a lot of anger flow into the blow that knocked the half-breed to the ground.

"I don't make fun of your life choices, don't make fun of mine!" Takeru told him. Yamato glared back at him.

"When your life choice is evil?"

The other boy sneered at him. "Yes, you'd know about evil, wouldn't you?" He smirked, seeing the discomfort in Yamato's eyes at the oblique hint of what he was, and who he was.

"As a matter of fact, I do." Yamato finally said. "So I know what I'm talking about. Is that all it took to get you to betray us, Takeru? A few pretty words?"

The blonde snorted. "Try being attacked by your own brother."

"You selfish little brat." Yamato hissed. Takeru glared down at him.

"No, Yamato. That's what you are."

The elder blonde sneered. "Oh woe is me, no one understands me, meep, meep, meep, I'll go run to the enemy!!!"

Takeru stiffened, then started to walk away. Yamato started to get up to follow, as Ken purred, "Sit down. He didn't even want to do that. But your striking him was the final blow... and I don't just mean that literally."

"Oh, I suppose neither of you ever got angry." Yamato glared at them both, then sneered, "Of course not. I suppose you're both perfect now."

Ken raised one eyebrow. "And I suppose you are... Prince Miymon?"

Yamato's eyes shifted from sapphire to ruby. "Don't call me that!!" Miymon, the darkest side of his personality, the part of his soul that was purest evil and reveled in it, was something he never wanted to experience or even be reminded of again.

The emperor laughed. "You see, that's half your problem. You reject that part of you."

"You have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh, but I do." Ken smirked. "You've never fully accepted the dark side of you."

Yamato glowered at him. "It's a side I want to get rid of!"

"Oh, that's rich!" Ken snorted. "You can't! You can't divest yourself of your dark side, it's as much a part of you as the light is! Although this does explain some arguments I've overheard. Take-chan, how do you think Taichi will react to Prince Miymon's reappearing?"

Takeru snickered. "He'd probably go into shock."

"Should we make it appear as if he's back?" Ken purred. Takeru nodded eagerly; he was still angry over what Yamato had done. "Besides...Taichi threatened to leave Yamato if Miymon ever reappeared. Wouldn't you call that... just retribution?"

Yamato glared at them both; hatred, anger and fear boiling up inside of him. "You aren't my brother." He stated flatly, glaring at Takeru.

"Sure I am." The other blonde smirked at him. "Aren't I being just as evil as you, dear brother... Miymon?"

"Sure. Whatever." Bitterness filled Yamato's voice as he spoke, then he paused for a moment, a dark and twisted smile on his face. Ken raised his eyebrow, wondering what was going on as the other murmured something very low and out of hearing.

"What was that?" The Emperor wondered.

For a moment there was no response, then Yamato's eyes opened. They weren't as they had been before, however. Before they had been warm and lively and full of humor, even when he was angry. Now they were cold and frosty, hard and emotionless.

"He said," and the voice mirrored the eyes, "if you want Prince Miymon you have me: for real."

To Be Continued