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All Hallow's Eve	By : libek Category: Digimon > Threesomes/Moresomes Views: 8443 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon: Digital Monsters, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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DISCLAIMER: Digimon Adventure and Digimon Adventure 02 do not belong to me. They are the property of Toei Animation. To the author's knowledge, no profit has been generated in the writing or transmission of this fanfic. No copyright infringement is intended.

A/N: Crossdressing for no very good reason and a bunch of humorous fluff. There are also two separate lemons, and only two, even though the story has a grand total of three pairings and one 'grouping'. I didn't leave Miyako and Iori out, though. Just because they aren't involved or becoming involved with anyone doesn't mean they're ignored. The lack of Ken was really, really unintentional. I started this way back in October of 2000, and at the time, Ken hadn't even turned good yet. ^^;; I intended to add him in, but he wouldn't fit anywhere with how I had it set up. Poor, poor Ken...
Issai na Konjou no Ibu

(All Hallows' Eve)

Part One

by Libek

"MIMI! I AM NOT WEARING THIS!"

The cry was one of injured male pride and echoed all throughout the condominium the Tachikawa family lived in. Mimi herself was thankfully not that far away and her head poked around the door after only a moment. Ishida Yamato was standing in the middle of her room, his back to the full-length mirror, and she realized dimly that any other girl in her position would have been thanking her lucky stars. However, the attractive blond was currently making quite the nuisance of himself, and so she would not be thanking anyone anytime soon for his presence in her home.

"What is it now? I think you look fine."

He stared at her, expression as though she'd just told him that not only had NASA admitted that the moon was made of green cheese, but a small dairy company had purchased it and was selling the whole thing off in little chunks. "It's bad enough it had to be pink. That, I can deal with. But look at me, will you? This is indecent." Yamato made a vain attempt to get the skirt down another centimeter.

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

The Keeper of Friendship eyed her coldly. "Mimi..."

"I'm sorry, but pink uniforms just don't come any longer than that." She spread her hands in a display of helplessness.

"Then find me one that isn't pink!"

"But --"

"NO, dammit, I am NOT wearing this thing!"

Mimi threw her hands down in disgust. "There's no pleasing you! It isn't my fault you forgot about the costume ball! I'm just trying to help, and you could be a little nicer about it!"

He sighed deeply. "All right. I'm sorry, really I am. I don't mean to yell at you, Mimi. But you have to understand...I can't show up in something like this. It'll ruin my image."

"I don't have any extra costumes on hand," she retorted firmly. "It's this, or you don't go at all."

The blond looked at her pleadingly for a moment, but her decision was final. "Okay. But can you find something where the skirt's just a little bit longer?"

She posed thoughtfully in the doorway, and, just when it seemed the answer was going to be no, snapped her fingers. "Wait, there's one other thing we can try. It's black, though, and silk, and it'll show off your belly...can you handle all of that?"

Yamato smirked and cocked a hand up in mock salute. "Aye, aye sir." Having abandoned his skirt, it slid up a couple of embarrassing centimeters. He made a strangled noise and yanked it firmly back down before meeting her eyes sheepishly. "Anything's better than this."

And he remained convinced of that after the change of clothes. Finally, a skirt that went all the way to his knees. He supposed that it did show off his stomach, quite a bit actually, as the shirt ended about two-thirds down his ribcage. It would have been a little awkward for a girl, but the cut didn't bother him at all. Now he could sit down without crossing his legs. He took a practice whirl in front of the mirror, and smiled slightly at the result.

"I'll still never live it down."

"Oh, I don't know about that." Mimi was obstinate. "This isn't exactly an uncommon last minute costume. I'll bet you find three other boys in similar outfits."

"Taichi will laugh at me."

The Keeper of Purity shrugged. "That's unavoidable. He'll laugh at you no matter what costume you wear, and you'll laugh at him with the same discrimination." She paused testily. "Well, your majesty? Have we finally found the fuku?"

Yamato glanced at his reflection once more. "It'll do. I wish it hadn't come to this, though; I don't like cross-dressing."

Mimi stared at him, openmouthed and unabashed. "You're kidding."

"No. It makes me uncomfortable. What's so hard to believe about that?"

"Well, people like you...ah..." She promptly shut her mouth.

He arched a fine golden eyebrow. "People like what?"

"Never mind," she said firmly. "Look, we're gonna be late, okay? I have to get my costume ready."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be!" She grinned at him. "I consider this giving to charity."

"Oh? And what charity would that be, pray tell?"

"The charity for dumb blonds who can't be bothered to look at a calendar?" she suggested.

He threw a pillow at her. "What time is it, anyway?"

"Five thirty."

Yamato blinked. "I thought you said we were going to be late...?"

Mimi laughed. "You've never gone out with a girl, have you? Time-distortion. It'll take me at least half an hour to get dressed, plus another hour for our hair and makeup." With that said, she took her leave of him.

"Our hair and makeup?" the boy repeated softly to himself, but then decided he must have misheard her.

He had regretted coming to Mimi with this already, but whatever he felt then was doubled when she reappeared properly dressed with a brush, a hairdryer, and a plastic bag. The plastic bag, upon closer inspection, was overflowing with barrettes and little bits of ribbon. Her costume consisted of a formal ball gown, large glittering fairy wings and a small silver circlet.

"What are you going to do with all that?" he asked suspiciously.

"Well," she tucked the hairdryer under one arm and looked at him thoughtfully, "I think I'll straighten your hair and wash the gel out. It's not nearly cute enough for your costume."

This was a boy who had witnessed more untimely death than anyone should have had to, a boy who had faced down countless horrid creatures to keep his own heart beating. All she wanted to do was fix his hair. Naturally, he screamed like a girl and ducked behind the dresser.

"Yamato-san!" Mimi had both hands on her hips and a determined scowl on her pretty face. "You asked for my help! Come here right now and take your punishment like a man!"

Yamato shook his head rapidly and pressed himself back against the wall. "Keep that stuff away from me!"

"You're not going like that!"

"Then I'm not going at all!"

"Oh, no you don't." She took a step in his direction. "I've spent more than an hour finding you the perfect fuku when I could have been doing something much less stressful! You're not walking away now!"

"YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!"

"I CAN SURE AS HELL TRY!"

*   *   *

Tachikawa Satoe looked up in surprise at the sounds of violence emanating from her daughter's room. "Dear, what's that?"

Tachikawa Keisuke blinked. "I haven't the slightest idea. Do you suppose we ought to check on her?"

"Well," Satoe lamented, "she does have a guest over...I'm not sure it would be polite."

"Ah. I'm sure it's nothing." Keisuke turned back to his newspaper.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The tea cup in Satoe's hands went crashing to the ground. "Hmm. Perhaps we should look in. Just briefly."

Keisuke was already standing. He gave a cursory nod, and then both parents went in search of what sounded vaguely like the repeated mistreating of an aggravated housecat. Satoe lifted her hand to knock gently, and they were both surprised when the room expelled a young blonde girl whom neither of them recognized.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" she shrieked.

"IT'S ONLY DYE, IT'LL WASH OUT!" their daughter retorted.

"IT'S PINK DYE!"

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH PINK?!"

Satoe coughed pointedly. Both girls abruptly closed their mouths, the blonde going through approximately four shades of red and wrapping her arms around her bare middle. She had her short hair was up in little pigtails which made her look younger than she really was, both secured and ornamented with glass spheres that matched her averted eyes.

Picking up where his wife had left off, Keisuke was the first to break the silence. "So, Mimi-chan, aren't you going to introduce us to the young lady?"

Mimi stared at him. Then she blinked, apparently remembering that she had been the one to answer the door when her friend arrived, and smiled. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I thought you knew Yamato-chan."

The blonde shot her a look. She beamed back cheerfully.

"I'm not..." the blonde started gruffly, but then cleared her throat and tried again. "Tanaka Yamato. Pleased to meet you, Tachikawa-san." She bowed stiffly.

"You, too, Yamato-kun," Satoe returned pleasantly.

"You know," Keisuke mused, "you look a lot like one of our Mimi-chan's other friends." He turned to his wife for help. "You know the young man I'm talking about, right?"

Yamato sweatdropped.

"Dear!" Satoe clasped her mouth with wide, horrified eyes. "What an awful thing to say! She doesn't look anything like a boy!"

Yamato sweatdropped further, and seemed to take great interest in her shoes.

"Well," Mimi broke in, still smiling, "we're going to be late. If you'll excuse us...?"

"Oh, do you need a ride?" Keisuke offered off-handedly.

"No, no," their daughter assured him. "Sora-chan's mother is picking us up. She should be here any minute. Come on, Yamato-chan."

*   *   *

"I should kill you," the blond hissed once they were outside.

"You should thank me!" Mimi argued. "What was I supposed to say?"

Yamato glared daggers at her. "I think you enjoyed it."

"Me?" she asked with mock disbelief. "The original sweet 'n innocent? I can't believe you'd think that!"

He laughed. "Just as long as you don't ever do it again. And that includes Sora's mother. Leave me alone, okay?"

Mimi smirked. "Are you sure? I bet a lot of boys would love to dance with someone as pretty as you, Yamato-san. Wouldn't that be nice?"

"What?"

"Oh, look! There they are!" she said, instead of responding.

The car in question, a small silver Honda, had just turned into the condominium's parking lot, and it made for a perfect distraction. Yamato stared at her thoughtfully, wondering if she had really said what he thought he had heard, but before he could decide the car stopped in front of them and Sora in the backseat threw open the door. She was wearing a leather jacket and had her short hair greased back to give the impression of America in the fifties.

"Hey, guys!" the redhead crowed. Brass knuckles glimmered in the car's dim interior light. "Mimi-chan, you look great! And...whoa, Yamato-kun, is that really you?"

"Unfortunately," he sniffed, closing the door again after they had both piled in.

She smiled shark-like at him. "Almost makes me wish I'd asked you to the dance."

Mimi giggled. "But then you get the skirt off, and everything goes up in smoke."

Yamato moved away from them both as much as he could manage. "Mimi!"

In a confidential stage-whisper, Sora asked, "Is he wearing panties?"

"Of course!" Mimi repaid in kind. "His boxers showed in all the other skirts, and we couldn't have that, you know."

"Are they yours?"

"Well, we didn't exactly have time to go shopping!"

"Oh!" Sora veritably melted. "Which ones?"

Mimi sniggered madly. "Rabbit and cloud print!"

"With the little red ribbon accents?"

"Yep!"

"Oooh! Can I see?" She poked her head around Mimi's body and reached for the blond's skirt without waiting for an answer. He made a strangled noise and batted her hand away. "You're no fun!"

"And you are a couple of perverts!"

Mimi just laughed. "'To thine own self be true'!"

"Lighten up a little, Yamato-kun," Sora added with no small amount of reprimand. "How on earth are you going to have fun on Halloween with that attitude?"

"Sora," Mrs. Takenouchi's voice was a little sharp, "leave your friend alone. I'm sure she doesn't appreciate being teased like this."

He blushed. Sora burst out laughing. Mimi covered her mouth with one hand but was unsuccessful in muffling her own giggles.

"What?" Mrs. Takenouchi frowned into the rearview mirror. "Am I missing something?"

"Well, not much," Sora began, grinning. "But Yamato-kun is a boy, Mother."

It was a good thing there wasn't anyone behind them, because Mrs. Takenouchi's reaction was to slam on the brakes. Yamato and Sora grabbed the oh-shit handles, and Mimi grabbed Sora.

"Oh." The car started back up again cheerfully. "Does he always dress like that?"

"NO!" the young man in question bellowed.

"Not usually," Mimi admitted. "You see, he forgot about the dance, and..." She let that hang in the air meaningfully.

"But," Sora added, "he does make an attractive girl. Are you wearing lipstick?" She ran her fingers over the boy's mouth experimentally.

Yamato's cheeks were beginning to smart. Mimi ahem'ed irritably. "Sora-chan, I would appreciate it if you'd stop touching him."

"Oh." The redhead grimaced. "I'm sorry, Mimi-chan. I just never expected him to look so good like this."

"Do you really think I look nice?" he asked in soft surprise.

"Gorgeous," both of his female companions assured him.

"By the end of the night," Sora went on, "all the girls will hate you for stealing their boyfriends."

"Or their girlfriends," Mimi added pointedly, before he had time to react.

"Jeez! You can't honestly think I'd leave you for a boy, Mimi-chan? After all the trouble I went through to convince you you were bi?"

"Well..." The younger girl smiled reluctantly. "I guess not. But you worry me sometimes, Takenouchi Sora." They kissed briefly. "I still can't figure out what I did to deserve you."

"And I still can't figure out what I did to deserve this," Yamato interjected flatly, killing the romantic mood.

Sora looked as though she might be contemplating a little murder of her own, but Mimi whispered something into her ear and then her expression softened. "Sorry, Yamato-kun. I know it can't be easy watching other people being happy together. You'll find someone..."

"Like Taichi-san," Mimi put in.

Yamato burst out laughing. "Give me a break!"

The two girls blinked at him, startled by his reaction. They exchanged glances, and Sora raised an eyebrow. "You mean to tell me that you haven't figured it out yet?"

"Figured out what?" he asked, frowning now.

Mimi gestured helplessly. "Taichi-san's...feelings for you."

"Feelings?" the blond repeated vacantly. "What feelings?"

"Well..." Sora looked thoughtful. "Let me put it this way: If he doesn't start drooling all over you when we walk through the door, I'll eat my hat."

"You're kidding."

They made identical, uncomfortable expressions, crossing their legs and looking away.

"You're not kidding." Yamato put his head in his hands. "My god."

"What's the big deal?" Mimi wanted to know.

"How can you even say that?!" he demanded loudly.

Sora shrugged. "We kind of figured the feeling was mutual."

"Mutual? MUTUAL?"

"Well, yeah." Mimi twined a bit of pink hair around her index finger. "I mean, you guys were always hanging around together, and even when you fought..." She trailed off and blushed.

Sora rolled her eyes, and finished the thought for her beloved. "It looked like you were touching each other a little more than necessary. Jyou-senpai," she added in a low tone of voice, "even thought you guys had some kind of sadomasochism thing going -- that you were getting off on hurting each other."

"I know what sadomasochism means!" Yamato snapped hotly. "And we didn't, okay?!"

"Are you sure?" Mimi asked, unexpectedly.

"YES!" the blond thundered, and then turned away from them both in a huff. What a load of bull. Taichi didn't like him, and he could never like Taichi back. How dare they ask if he was sure?! Of course he was sure!

...Just not as sure as he had been a moment ago.

*   *   *

"How do I look?"

Hikari glanced up from her bedroom mirror. "I'm not really the person you should be asking, Oniichan. I mean, if we're talking about color-coordination, it's fine. If we're talking about whether or not you look attractive...well, that's not exactly something I'd know, is it?"

Taichi grunted in frustration. "Some help you are."

"I think you look very handsome," his mother offered, somewhat lamely.

"Thanks, Mom," he mumbled, slumping in place.

Mrs. Yagami sighed. "Kids. I should have known that my approval would be the kiss of death. Are we all ready now?"

Hikari nodded quickly. "I'm done." She looked half dead. But that was intentional. She grimaced through the plastic fangs and added, "Unless anyone knows a way to keep my reflection from showing up in mirrors."

"Well," Taichi mused, "we could really kill you..."

"Ha. Ha. And also ha. Was that the doorbell?" She hurried away to answer it. This would be her first date, and she was slightly anxious.

Taichi leaned against her bureau and looked himself in the eye. "All right. This is it." He would have liked to have gone as about seven other things, one of which his sister had thought of first. He was still a little bitter about that, because you could get away with a vampire costume no matter how old you were, and she had done a great job of it. The white face paint, the long dangling earrings, the fake cobwebs in her hair, and a long flowing purple dress which suited her. His own costume...well, he just hoped that no one recognized him. He adjusted the trademark red and white cap's brim, smiling falsely at his reflection.

"Are you coming?" his father demanded from the hallway, and he hurriedly left Hikari's room.

They would all be taking the same car, which was inconvenient as they were all going to different places. Hikari had whined at him about this, begging him not to say anything that would ruin her date. He had crossed his heart, promising no interference. Considering the time, though, it might be a promise he had to keep. Oh well, he could still heckle the lucky boys a little on the way to their movie. They deserved it, as far as he was concerned.

"So, is this a threesome or a two-on-one?" he asked cheerfully when they were all in the car and moving at speeds that would discourage anyone from flinging himself out the door to escape.

Hikari shot him a pained, Please-Shut-Up look, but her escorts turned interesting colors. Daisuke, who looked normal except for a sparkling pair of red devil's horns, and Takeru, with face paint marking whiskers and a pair of contrasting cat ears, exchanged glances. Takeru rolled down the window to dry-heave.

Daisuke looked mildly offended. "I'm not that gross, am I?"

Takeru laughed nervously. "Of course not. I just..." He trailed off, with no apparent inclination to trail back on again.

"So it is a two-on-one," Taichi concluded. He uttered a low whistle. "Impressive, Hikari."

"Oniichan," she hissed. "Shut up."

"Feisty, too, isn't she guys?"

"Oniichan..."

"Of course, you'll have to go easy on her, since it is her first time."

"ONIICHAN..."

"I don't think she can handle two guys at once. How about you play rock-paper-scissors for the honors?"

"ONIICHAN!"

"Or maybe you could take turns. You know, one starts and the other finishes. How's that for a plan?"

"YAGAMI TAICHI, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!!"

The car swerved wildly to compensate for the fact that one of its passengers had suddenly launched herself into the front seat, and then sped up.

"IF YOU DON'T CALM DOWN THIS MINUTE, WE'RE GOING HOME!!" Mr. Yagami threatened, reverting to demonic, his head swelling so that it took up most of the car's interior.

The kids, in turn, cowered in terror. "We're sorry!"

Mr. Yagami grinned. "That's better! Now, Taichi: apologize for embarrassing Hikari in front of her dates."

"But Dad --" he whined in protest.

"THAT WAS NOT A REQUEST, TAICHI, THAT WAS AN ORDER!! DO IT NOW!!"

"Okay! I'm really sorry, Hikari-san! I'll never do it again, ever!"

She sniffed. "You'd better not."

"HIKARI, DON'T MILK IT!!"

The vampire-costumed girl squeaked. "Yes, sir!"

"GOOD!" He turned around to look at them all. "I'm sorry I had to yell, kids, but --"

"ACK!" Taichi cried, and grabbed the wheel.

"FATHER!" Hikari shrilled. "WATCH THE ROAD!!"

"What? Oops, sorry."

"Oh, no!" Daisuke yelped, pressing his face against the window. "That was our stop!"

"It was?" Mr. Yagami spun the wheel haphazardly, and the car went careening through other lanes and to the correct street, all of its passengers screaming in terror.

Hikari threw open the door and ran ten paces before collapsing on the grass and hyperventilating.

"Hikari-chan!" Her dates weren't far behind.

"Goodbye!" Taichi yelled out the window of the passenger's side. "See you later! And all joking aside...if either of you jerks lays a hand on my sister, I'll shove it so far up your --"

"TAICHI!"

"Sorry, Dad!"

Mr. Yagami shook his head irritably and shifted out of neutral. "I'll be back for you around eight, okay? Enjoy the movie!" He twisted around and stuck his head out Taichi's window. "And if either of you kids lays a hand on my daughter, I'll --"

"No way! If I can't say it, then you can't either!"

"It's a father's privilege."

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU TWO!" Hikari thundered. "LOOK AT YOURSELVES! YOU'RE BOTH BEHAVING LIKE CHILDREN! DAISUKE-KUN AND TAKERU-KUN ARE MY FRIENDS! THEY WOULD NEVER DO ANYTHING TO HURT ME!"

Taichi opened his mouth to object. She clapped both hands over her ears.

"NO! I'M NOT LISTENING TO ANOTHER WORD OF THIS NONSENSE!" To her father, she added, "And I'll call Mother when we need to be picked up. I'd rather she came. GOODBYE!"

Takeru and Daisuke stared at her, openmouthed. She seemed like such a sweet, gentle girl most of the time... Hikari turned with a bright smile and took one of their arms in each of hers. "I'm sorry about that. Come on, we don't want to be late."

*   *   *

"Well, we're here!" Sora opened her door and hopped out, turning around to give Mimi a gracious hand.

Yamato proved to be more difficult. He cast a doubtful eye at the sea of people wandering through the gym's entrance, and shrank back. "I've changed my mind. I just want to go home."

"No way!" Sora laughed. "I've got a good hat riding on this, remember?"

He didn't even smile. "Really. I'm not going in."

"Oh yes you are!" Mimi insisted. "I've given up --"

"I know, I know, an entire hour of your life. Look, I'm sorry, all right? But I can't! I feel sick! Just let me go home!"

The girls eyed him disapprovingly for a moment.

"Stage-fright," Sora whispered. She thought he was worried about seeing Taichi.

"Performance anxiety," Mimi corrected her. She thought he was worried about Taichi seeing him. "We're sorry we brought up that thing with Taichi-san, all right? Can we just go in?"

"No! And this has nothing to do with him!"

"Whatever!" Sora grinned at the panic on his face. "I think we were right, Yamato-kun. I think you like him back!"

"I DO NOT!" he shouted. "You two are sick-minded, that's all!"

"Just keep telling yourself that."

Yamato looked as though he might explode, so when Mimi spoke, she tried a different approach.

"If Taichi-san isn't a problem, then why won't you come in?"

The blond hedged, eyes darting about involuntarily while he tried to find a good answer. Nothing was forthcoming. "I...I already told you," he said weakly. "I feel sick."

"Come on, Yamato-kun, we don't have all night!" Sora cried, obviously not believing a word of it.

"Then go without me."

"No!"

"Yamato-san!" Mimi scolded. "Don't be such a baby!"

"I'M NOT BEING A BABY! I JUST DON'T WANT TO GO IN, ALL RIGHT?"

"DON'T MAKE ME COME IN THERE AND PULL YOU OUT!"

"I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY!"

Mimi leaned into the car, grabbed the stubborn boy by his hair, and yanked. "Give me a hand, Sora-chan! I've almost got him!"

"MY HAIR! LET GO! THAT HURTS, DAMMIT!"

Mrs. Takenouchi sighed unhappily, watching the tug of war. Yamato had a good grip on Sora's oh-shit handle, but the redhead had gotten hold of his arm. Between the two of them, it was just a matter of time.

"Sora! Mimi-chan! What are you doing to that poor girl?"

Both girls looked up sharply, dropping Yamato and feeling strangely as though they'd been caught by the principal. Taichi hurried forward to assist the fallen blond, and had the misfortune of asking if 'she' was all right. Yamato opened his mouth for a caustic retort, but stopped short when he realized who he was talking to, mind locking up in a combination of shock and sheer panic.

"Whoa! You look like...Yamato?" The former leader of the Chosen Children blinked many times in succession. "Oh, my god."

"Nope!" Sora broke in cheerfully. "Although I'm sure there are girls who would say differently. You're...what, Yamato-kun? Second or third sexiest boy in the school?"

He flushed angrily and broke away from Taichi's helping hands at last. "I wouldn't know. I don't listen in on girls' gossip sessions."

"He's second," Mimi supplied helpfully. "Would be first, but some girls find him a little too femme."

"Well, they'll find him a lot more femme after tonight, nee?" Sora grinned like a madwoman.

"True enough. Taichi-san, do you need help with your jaw? It appears to be stuck." Mimi reached over and kindly shut his mouth for him, then waved a hand in front of his eyes as an afterthought. "Taichi-san, Earth to Taichi-san! Is there anybody home in there?"

Sora wrapped her knuckles -- luckily, not the ones sheathed in brass -- against his forehead, and then cupped a hand to her ear. "I do believe I heard a rattle! There's actually something in that thick skull of his!"

The brunet blinked again, blushed, and finally came back to himself enough to push her hands away. "Sorry. It's just...wow. Jeez, Yama, you look...great."

Yamato glanced at him sharply, surprise clearly written on his face. "Say what?"

Taichi didn't respond immediately, and even when he did repeat the compliment, he sounded distracted. Like he was concentrating on something else and didn't want to be bothered. Almost like...the blond cut off that line of thought in a hurry and flushed. No way. Taichi would never even consider looking at him like that. Even if he did look like a girl right now. Yamato rubbed his upper arms
self-consciously, and tried not to let himself think that Taichi looked cute when he was spacing out. They were just friends, dammit.

Sora looked from one to the other, and frowned. "Man! Mimi-chan, why'd you have to close his mouth? I would've won the bet by now!"

Her words seemed to snap them both out of their respective stupors. Taichi frowned. "What bet?"

As she seemed all too eager to enlighten him, Yamato laughed a little too loudly, and stepped on her foot. "What are you talking about, Sora? We didn't make any bets," he said firmly between gritted teeth.

She winked saucily at him. "If you say so, Yamato-kun. But I would've won."

"What are you two talking about?"

"Nothing!" the blond insisted. "Absolutely nothing of any interest whatsoever!" Taichi raised an eyebrow at him, and he broke into more nervous laughter, slapping himself mentally. What the hell is the matter with me?! They had known each other for ages, been best friends, but all of a sudden he was getting tongue-tied. Yamato hated himself for being so easily influenced. He hated the girls for making him think about these things. But most of all, he hated Taichi for not being unattractive enough to dismiss automatically.

The young man in question suddenly shook his head. "Nope, I don't buy it. What bet, Sora?"

Coming to his rescue, Mimi said, "We made a bet on whether your costume would be completely lame. Yamato-san didn't want to hurt your feelings."

Taichi pulled his head back in surprise, then smiled at his friend gratefully. "Thanks for the thought, Yama, but I'm not so easily offended. I take it that Sora was on the 'lame' side."

Yamato frowned slightly. "I don't think it's that bad," he said without thinking. "The blue overshirt brings out your eyes."

"It does?" Now he looked really surprised, and he turned to regard the blond thoughtfully.

Distinctly and unexpectedly empathizing with a small animal in the headlights of an oncoming car, the Keeper of Friendship nodded dumbly. To his terror, he heard himself beginning to babble something of a verbal reply. "Oh yeah. I mean, and the hat is just perfect. Brings out your hair. Yeah. Not as though your hair needs it, right? Heh. I mean, hair that big doesn't really need any help. Not that your eyes do. Need help, I mean, standing out. Because I've always noticed them. I love brown eyes." At this point, he tackled the part of his brain responsible for such idiotic musings and held it down until he could get his mouth closed again.

"Really?" Taichi sounded overwhelmed. "I like your eyes, too, Yama."

"Huh?" he asked when he had control again

"Why don't we go inside now?" Mimi offered after the brunet just blushed and looked at his shoes. "I don't know about you guys, but I came here to dance." Meeting no protest, she took Sora's arm and dragged her half a meter ahead. "That wasn't nice," she whispered. "I thought Yamato-san was going to faint."

"No," Sora agreed, smiling at the boys over her shoulder. "It wasn't nice. But I think they'll both thank me for it in the end, don't you?"

Mimi shook her head solemnly. "You're a devious girl, Sora-chan."

"You don't mind, do you?"

"Mind? MIND? I love you for it!"

*   *   *

Takeru stared up at the illuminated menu. Normally, snack food was expensive. At movie theaters, it was highway robbery. It looked like a large soda, a tub of popcorn, and three types of candy were going to empty his wallet. But he wasn't about to complain; Daisuke had paid for the tickets. "Who wants Pepsi?"

"Apple juice for me, actually," the current leader of the Chosen Children replied.

"Really?" The Keeper of Hope was more than a little surprised. Daisuke always seemed like he was operating on a sugar high. "What about you, Hikari-chan?"

She looked at the menu thoughtfully. "Either would be fine with me."

Great. My decision, Takeru reflected unhappily. He looked from one of them to the other, and had just suddenly wondered why he was even hesitating when the words left his mouth: "Juice it is, then." He felt like an idiot. A blushing idiot. "What about candy?"

"Strawberry JYU-C for me," Hikari responded immediately.

"Green apple HiChew here," Daisuke added after a minute.

Takeru smiled at them both, then turned to the clerk. "We'll take one large apple juice, one extra large plain popcorn, one strawberry-flavored JYU-C, one green apple-flavored HiChew, and one..." He puzzled over the assortment. "One pack of Botan Rice Candy."

"Will that be all for you, Sir?"

"Yeah, I think that'll do it."

The total was annoyingly large. He almost took back his order of rice candy, but then decided it wouldn't make that much difference. He sighed at his nearly empty wallet, envisioning a little cartoon moth fluttering up out of it. "Well, I hope one of you has change for the payphone, because I think I am done for the evening."

"I've got it covered," Daisuke said flippantly. "I'm sorry. Next time I'll pay for the snacks and you can pay for the cover charge, okay?"

"It's a deal."

Hikari looked worriedly from one of them to the other. "Guys...I thought we all agreed this was a one-time thing. I told Daisuke-kun I wasn't interested and you thought I should give him a chance, Takeru-kun. So, here we are. But this isn't going to become a habit! I don't even know if I can handle two boyfriends..."

Her dates reacted as though they'd each received a painful slap and stared at her wordlessly until the clerk nudged Takeru's arm so that he would take his order. There were people waiting behind them impatiently, so the little group moved on. Hikari was left wondering if she had so quickly lost control of the experiment. It was something that hadn't occurred to her before, but...what if they actually enjoyed this? What if she no longer had the option of a one-on-one relationship with Takeru?

It was a very disconcerting thought.

"Hey! Wow, I didn't expect to see you guys here!"

Hikari glanced up sharply at the familiar voice, and turned to find that Miyako was just getting into the condiments line with Iori. The spectacled thirteen-year-old waved at them happily, as though they hadn't noticed her already. She was dressed in long flowing black robes, the pointed hat clearly marking her a witch. Iori next to her looked like he was supposed to be a Grey -- even more than usual.

"Hi, Miyako, hi, Iori," Daisuke said breezily.

"Hey," Takeru added. He looked from one of them to the other suspiciously. "You aren't here on a date, are you?"

Miyako laughed and Iori looked embarrassed. "Not exactly. His grandfather wanted to go on some retreat in the mountains, and...well, he asked me to baby-sit."

"The term 'baby-sit' is both inaccurate and demeaning," Iori murmured sulkily to no one in particular.

"What about you guys?" Miyako beamed at them cheerfully. "I take it the situation is a little different from ours."

Hikari grinned. "I don't know. If they start fighting, it'll probably feel a lot less like a date."

"A date?" The other girl's eyes went wide and she adjusted her glasses self-consciously. "With all three of you?"

"I hear they're all the rage in Paris," Daisuke offered jokingly. "They've even got some fancy word for it."

"M�nage � trois," Takeru agreed, and then looked like he wished he hadn't said anything.

Miyako hedged. "But that's really what's going on here?" Then she laughed uncomfortably. "Sorry. Duh, that's what you said. I mean...oh, never mind." She studied her shoes.

The Keeper of Light forced a smile, and glanced at Iori, who was looking at the lot of them like some researcher in an animal behavior experiment. Green eyes piercing and calculating, but nonjudgmental. Somehow, that made her feel worse than Miyako's awkwardness.

"So, what movie are you guys planning on?" Daisuke asked, a little too sharply.

"Oh..." The spectacled girl looked as though she'd forgotten. She glanced quickly over at the display, and spat out something guttural that kind of sounded like "Torayuri". Tiger Lily turned out to be an odd name -- considering that the film was about the atom bomb, as Miyako went on helpfully.

Iori shrugged, but his eyes gleamed with morbid fascination. "All of the other movies that I want to see are R-rated," he said in his own defense.

Hikari laughed. "But that one isn't, huh? Is there something wrong about that, or is it just me?"

Takeru nodded his agreement. "It's not just you. We're seeing Wild Fire. It's supposed to be pretty cool. One of those good-versus-evil things."

Miyako snorted. "I don't need to watch that. I lived it."

"Some people could say the same about the atom bomb."

An awkward pause.

"I really wish I hadn't said that," Daisuke muttered, which made everyone chuckle a little and eased the tension. He grinned, pleased with himself. "What are you guys doing afterwards?"

Miyako grinned back. "Nothing too exciting. I think we'll probably play board games until bedtime. How about you?"

"Well, Hikari-chan's dad was going to pick us up, but she got mad at him for being overprotective, so now it's going to be her mother."

"And you're all heading back to her place? What is this, a sleepover?" Miyako blushed suddenly and looked away.

Another awkward pause.

"Well, look at the time!" Takeru cried suddenly, glancing at his wrist.

"You're not wearing a watch," Daisuke started to object, but Hikari clamped her hand firmly over his mouth.

"At any rate," she began with a broad, plastic smile, "our movie's starting now. We'll see you guys later maybe. Bye!" And with Takeru's help, she dragged Daisuke over to the ticket queue.

"That was odd," Iori announced after a moment.

"Well," Miyako muttered through gritted teeth, "it is Halloween. What did you expect?"

*   *   *

Once Taichi was out of earshot, Yamato hung his head miserably. "I am SUCH an idiot."

"Can't argue with that," Sora replied, shrugging. They were sitting in some of the folding chairs that lined the gym.

"Sora-chan!" Mimi punched her in the arm. Then she turned to the boy they were both trying to comfort. "What makes you say that, Yamato-san?"

He laughed bitterly. "I hate you both."

"Us?!" Sora sounded indignant now. "What did we do?!"

"You made me think like this!" he veritably exploded. "About my best friend!"

"So? What's the problem?"

"The problem is that I just made the world's biggest ass out of myself."

Mimi put an arm around him gently. "You're exaggerating. And hey, at least he didn't laugh at your costume, right?"

"Right. Instead he stared at me like I was some kind of freak show exhibit."

Sora whapped him upside the head. "You know, I always thought you were better at reading people than this. That was not a 'what planet did that thing get off of' kind of look! That was more of a 'whoa, if I'd known people looked like that on the moon, I would've become an astronaut' look."

"What are you trying to say?"

Now she slapped herself in the face. "HE THINKS YOU LOOK HOT, YOU IDIOT!!" she yelled, with such a force that masses of blond and pink hair swayed in the generated breeze.

Yamato reached up to still his bobbing pigtails and frowned at her. "Could you please keep your voice down, Sora? At least to the point where it doesn't affect my hair?"

But the damage was done, and some unwanted attention was coming their way. Not from Taichi, of course, who was talking to the DJ, and thus much too close to the speakers for even Takenouchi Sora's voice to reach. The offending party was a small gaggle of teenage girls, who had only just now recognized Yamato, and were fortunately some of the people that his femininity didn't bother. Or unfortunately, depending on how you looked at it.

"Yamato-senpai!" they cooed, almost in unison. "You look so cute!"

"Thanks a load," he hissed at Sora, who shrugged and leaned casually back in her chair.

"I can assure you," she said, "this wasn't my intention."

"That doesn't make it okay."

Mimi scowled at him. "Really, Yamato-san, you are the most impossible person to help!"

"Help?" the blond demanded sharply. "Redefine the word 'help' for me, Mimi! This is obviously some obscure usage that I wasn't previously aware of!"

"You're alone, aren't you?" she shot back, recalling his expression in the car at she and her girlfriend's intimacy. "And not particularly happy about it."

"Oh, no!" one of the girls squeaked disbelievingly.

"That must be terrible!" another cried.

"Let us help you, Yamato-senpai!" they chorused.

"NO!" he shrieked, horrified. "I mean...no. Thank you anyway, but I don't want any help with this."

The girls blinked in perfect unison. It was getting harder and harder to tell where one left off and the other began, especially as they had all attached themselves to various portions of his body. The chair was in danger of overbalancing. "Let us try, Yamato-senpai, please!"

"Really, I..." He paused to circumvent a hand that was nearing the edge of his skirt.

"I know how you can help," Sora chirped dangerously.

The girls, Yamato included, turned to stare. Then his eyes widened, and he mouthed a sharp, "Sora, NO!"

"What? What?" his impromptu fan-club cried. "What can we do?"

"You can go over and talk to Yagami Taichi. Bring him here."

"How will that help?" the girls asked in confusion.

"Sora!" Yamato objected. "Leave him out of this!"

"Just trust me," the redhead demurred, as though he hadn't spoken. "And see if you can't get the DJ to put on something nice and slow after this is over."

"Well...okay," they murmured uncertainly, and detached themselves before heading single-mindedly across the dance floor.

Sora blinked at the blond's accusatory gaze. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You know perfectly well!"

"Who, me?" She clasped her hands at her breast, and willed an angel's halo into existence above her short auburn tresses. "I didn't do anything."

Muttering something that sounded like, "Stupid interfering female," under his breath, Yamato crossed his arms over his chest and sulked.

She fluttered her eyelashes at him. "I'm insulted."

*   *   *

The doorbell rang. Koushirou, who was tucked comfortably under the light of a goldfish-print lamp with his laptop, made no move to answer it. He hadn't registered the noise.

By contrast, Jyou, who was occupying a grey couch on his stomach with a textbook open in front of him and four others stacked neatly to one side, heard but assumed that his younger companion, being closer to the door, would respond appropriately. After a minute or two, he realized vaguely that he hadn't heard the door open, and looked up. Gasping in shock at the negligence, he almost threw his book away in his haste to catch their visitor.

There was an orange hollow plastic pumpkin filled with candy by the door, and he had a hand on it before he touched the knob.

Several youthful faces greeted him, and bags of various kinds snapped to attention. "Trick or treat!"

He glanced away at the boy who was still absorbed in his computer, divvying up a handful of snacks before closing the door on the children. "Koushirou, what do I have to do to get you to take an interest in what's going on around you?"

Koushirou blinked, and apparently had some trouble switching gears. "What?"

Jyou threw up his hands in frustration. "Do you even realize that we just had some trick-or-treaters?"

The redhead shrugged, raking his fingers back through his frizzy hair. "I was in the middle of something."

"So was I, and I was able to...no, wait, that's not the point. The point, Koushirou, is that you're always in the middle of something. You said you wanted to come over tonight, but all you've done is sit in front of that machine and zone out. No offense, but isn't this something that you could have done just as well at home?"

"You want the truth?" Koushirou resumed typing, his fingers a veritable blur. "My parents think I've been spending too much time indoors. They wanted me to go out somewhere tonight. You're my cover story. When they ask, we went to the movies and then hung out for a while."

Jyou hedged. "Well, not to sound rude, but do you think that maybe we ought to be doing one of those things? Your parents are worried for a reason, Koushirou."

The young genius shrugged again. "There aren't any movies that I want to see, and we are both doing things that are far more beneficial at the moment."

"Are we really?"

Slowly, the Keeper of Knowledge turned to regard his companion. "What do you mean by that, Jyou-san?"

"Well, all you ever do is work on your computer, and all I ever do is study. Are you sure that being in a rut is beneficial?"

Thankfully, before Koushirou had to admit that he didn't have a real answer for that question, the doorbell rang again.

*   *   *

Taichi stared with unseeing eyes at the stacks of CDs. Part of him really, really, really wanted to turn around and go back to Yamato. Goddamn, he looked sexy like that. Taichi paused, picked up a CD, and hit himself in the face with it. Stupid brain. But then he snickered, because the part of him responsible for that thought probably hadn't been anywhere near his brain.

It was because of this that he couldn't afford to be anywhere near Yamato. He'd gotten a worrying tightening sensation in his groin when they first made eye contact, and conversation had only made it worse... He tugged on his sleeveless black undershirt at the memory. Thank the heavens these jeans were loose-fitting. If anyone had noticed...oh god, what a terrible thought.

But he couldn't help himself. There was something almost painfully erotic about Yamato's little black fuku...maybe it was just the thought of flicking it up negligently and running both hands over the resulting areas of exposed flesh...oh, man. Taichi wondered suddenly if he was wearing panties under that outfit. Tight, silky panties...

Everyone turned to stare at the boy who was repeatedly banging his head against the DJ's table, but he took no notice of them.

Through a haze of self-directed insults, Taichi vaguely realized that someone was talking to him.

"Taichi-senpai," a little cluster of girls was the source of the high-pitched voice, "could you come with us, please?"

"What? Why?"

They looked uncertain. "I think Yamato-senpai wanted to talk with you," one murmured.

"Or at least," another amended, "Takenouchi-san wants Yamato-senpai to talk with you."

"Yuriko-chan!" the third gasped. "That's really too much information, don't you think?"

"At any rate," the first continued, ducking her head slightly, "we were asked to fetch you. Will you come, Taichi-senpai?"

"Please?" the girl apparently named Yuriko added.

At that point, a loud, foreboding cackle rang out through the gym. It was the opening to the next song. The third girl grumbled something unintelligible, and went over to speak with the DJ. Taichi looked at the remaining two with something that didn't at all resemble enthusiasm.

"Do I have to?"

"Well...no, of course not," the first girl answered, looking somewhat taken aback. "But I think Yamato-senpai would be terribly offended."

"Mayu-chan!" Yuriko objected. "He was shaking like a leaf at the very idea! I think he'll be relieved."

Mayu opened her mouth to disagree, but Taichi got his question out first. "You think he was nervous?"

Yuriko laughed. "There's an understatement! But Takenouchi-san said you would know how to help him."

The Keeper of Courage was baffled. "Help him with what?"

Mayu threw a hand out imploringly. "He's alone."

"Lonely," Yuriko agreed.

"And we asked what we could do to help."

"And..." Taichi was still digesting this, "...Sora told you to get me?"

"She did."

"Ah." His heart was beating so terribly fast that he felt dizzy. But then he relaxed, realizing why Sora had asked for him. Of course, it was the sensible thing to do...he was playing Yamato's best friend, after all. Who better to cheer him up when he was low? That's what he was needed for. Bitter disappointment washed over the brunet in slow, drenching waves, and he fell back against the table for support. "I'll...I'll do my best," he whispered, glad suddenly that these girls didn't really know him. He didn't have to be energetic for them.

"Thank you, Taichi-senpai!" they trilled. Then one took hold of each hand and dragged him across the dance floor.

Yamato and the other two Chosen were standing on the outskirts of the room, the blond leaning back against the refreshments' table, a plastic cup of whatever they were serving in his hand. He didn't look very happy. Beautiful, though, Taichi amended. And sighed inwardly. He closed his eyes, resolving that when they opened, they would stay above the neck. It was a small comfort, but maybe he could avoid total humiliation while he helped his...friend.

"Hey, Yamato!" he opened, pasting a decent smile on his face.

The other boy didn't fair nearly so well. Lips quirked in a miserable expression and he dropped his eyes to the waxed floor, flushing. "Hello, Taichi."

"Thanks for the warm welcome." He sidled up and made a show of getting himself something to drink. Pink liquid. Probably lemonade. Taichi stared at it hatefully for a moment before continuing. "The girls seem to think you need cheering up."

A somewhat uncomfortable laugh. "Not from you! I mean...don't worry about it, Taichi. Sora's just...getting on my case. You know me -- I've never exactly been Mr. Sunshine."

Taichi frowned. Yes, he did know. Did that mean he had to like it? "I'd still like to help. What's the matter, man?" He let his hand settle on the blond's shoulder. It tensed and Yamato colored vividly. "Come on. You can tell me."

More nervous laughter. "Really? I mean, of course. But not this. I mean --! It's nothing."

"Try me," he insisted, ducking his head slightly to catch the other boy's eyes.

Yamato settled a little, the energy seeming to drain out of him. "I'm not in a gambling mood, Taichi."

The Keeper of Courage gave him a firm shake. "Hey! How is letting your best friend cheer you up gambling?" The words tasted like acid, and he fought to keep a straight face. A face which fell when the blond remained sullen. "Jeez, Yamato. You're so fucking depressing sometimes!"

"Sorry."

"No, 'sorry' doesn't cut it. It's Halloween, remember? Ghosts comes out tonight, and even they know that this is a time for having fun! You sink into your own private little hell as much as you want -- but not tonight, because you're dragging the rest of us down with you. I'm sorry you don't have a date, or whatever the hell's bugging you," Yamato flushed slightly, "but snap out of it. You've got Sora worried, or else she wouldn't have asked me to help. You've got Mimi-chan worried, too -- just look at her. You've got...everyone worried. Is that really fair, Yama?"

No reaction. Yamato remained stoic, his shoulders bunched up, his eyes on the floor, cheeks splashed with red, not saying anything. It wasn't particularly encouraging. But slowly, as though against his very will, his gaze wandered over to the mentioned girls. They did their part by looking distraught, which seemed to surprise him. Taichi caught his breath and held it when, now satisfied, those unusual blue eyes turned to give him the same scrutiny. Yamato hadn't really looked at him all night, and he hadn't realized how much he missed it. This...this electric charge was why he'd always enjoyed their arguments as children. All of that intensity focused on him.

"Everyone, huh? Even you, Taichi?"

It was barely a whisper, so small that it couldn't be dissected. Maybe that was intentional. Maybe he didn't want his tone picked apart. But Taichi wished that it had been just a bit louder, because he honestly couldn't tell if his friend sounded hopeful or sarcastic. He tried to find a response that would be safe in either case, but heard something leave his mouth before he'd given it proper thought. "Especially me, Yama."

There was a long, painful silence, caused mostly by the timely end of the current song, and, piece by piece, Yamato's carefully constructed shield fell apart. He was left unguarded, eyes deep and vulnerable, for just a split second before he smiled.

"Well, we can't have that, can we? You win. I'll try to enjoy myself."

*   *   *

"My favorite part was where the car exploded!" Daisuke enthused.

"I don't know," Takeru argued, catching his arm with a grin. "What about the part where the plane went down, all of the passengers screaming because they knew they were going to die, and then the hero caught them, less than a meter above the ground?"

"Okay, that was cool, too," the brunet admitted reluctantly. "But it would have been better if the plane had crashed. That's what would have happened in real life. The people would have all been zilched, and the hero would have had to cry over them."

The movie was over, and they were all standing outside, waiting to be picked up. Daisuke was apparently trying to compensate for the cold by being loud and energetic. It seemed to be working, for the boys, at least. Hikari was seated on the curb, chilled to the bone, watching them both with an incredulous expression on her face. They were much too at ease with each other, she thought.

"Things don't always work out that way," Takeru insisted. "You have to look for and focus on the good times. Sometimes, it's all that keeps us going," he added softly.

Daisuke stared at him for a long moment before cracking a smile. "You know, I see why you got the Digimental of Hope, man."

The blond returned it easily. "Yeah, well. Somebody has to keep hoping, Dai-kun."

"'Dai-kun'?" Hikari repeated quietly.

Something about the tone of her voice made Takeru feel suddenly embarrassed. He shuffled his feet and shrugged, but didn't say anything in defense. This, above all else, made the young woman nervous.

Daisuke, however, who seemed to have absorbed Taichi's incomprehension along with his courage, blurted out, "What? I happen to like the nickname."

"Since when are you two on speaking terms, much less giving each other nicknames?" she demanded.

He shrugged. "I don't know. Why does it matter?"

With a long sigh, Hikari hunched over a little. "It doesn't. Shouldn't, anyway. I'm sorry. I guess I'm just surprised." She paused. "Can I call you 'Dai-kun', too?"

"I don't see why not. Is it okay with you, Take-chan?"

This time, Hikari stiffened. Noticing, Takeru hesitated. She looked up at him, her crimson eyes accusatory. He let out a small, choked giggle. "Sure, why wouldn't it be?"

"Well, then. That's settled." The spiky-haired boy wrapped his arms around himself and shivered. "When did your mom say she'd be here, Hikari-chan?"

"Around eight. Should be here any minute." It felt weird to hear her full name suddenly. " Dais...-kun?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you...do you have to call me 'Hikari-chan'?"

He blinked. "What would you prefer?"

Takeru frowned. "Hikari-chan? What's wrong?"

She laughed bitterly. "You really don't see it, do you?"

They exchanged glances. "See what?"

That was when the car pulled up. The two boys hopped into the back, each agreeing after a brief squabble that she deserved the front seat, being a lady and all. Hikari closed the door with a little more force than was strictly necessary, and then leaned against the window, the cold glass reflecting her features and feelings perfectly. She could hear them talking in the backseat, rambling on and on about how great the movie had been. She could hear Takeru offering the last of his Botan Rice Candy. She could even hear Daisuke trying to speak around the obstruction.

Her mother smiled at her kindly. "How was the movie, Hikari?"

She grimaced. "Awful."

TRANSLATIONS


oniichan : Older brother.

To be continued...
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All Hallow's Eve