Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Insight of Love ❯ Just Friends? ( Chapter 6 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Sorry for the delay. Here’s the next chapter.

Disclaimer: I don’t own digimon, just my characters.





It was around 12:15 a.m. The streets in Odaiba were eerily silent, except for the telltale scuttle of a few rats in an alley. Most people would be sleep around this time, with the exception of a few late night wanderers milling about. Some of these people were ones that liked to cause a bit of mischief to anyone they happen to meet (nothing major); most of these were people that had to work late, trying to get home. These people would cut through the park, as it was the fastest way to get the their respective complexes, aware of the eeriness that lurked there. Cops would patrol this area occasionally, but even they would get spooked at times just from walking around it, the slightest sound making them jump. One might think he sees a shadow lurking about in the trees, but he would just blame his eyes for seeing things that weren’t there, and hurry home at a faster pace. No one dared to go in the deeper part of the park after dark, for they feared the strange things that lurked there. Shadows seemed to move on its own accord, and if you get close to them, they turn out to be something solid, like a tree or shrub.
A solid figure walked through this part, seemingly undisturbed by the dangers there. A muscular man that had the build of a small mountain, he glided silently through the trees, blending mysteriously into the shadows with the use of his long black coat. His footsteps made almost no sound at all, despite him having a pair of black, steel toe work boots. Under the coat he had on a black, short sleeve muscle shirt and a pair of black slacks, which added to the blending in the dark, black fingerless gloves on his hands, and a pair of sunglasses that amazingly didn’t hinder him from seeing where he was going. He made his way to a recluse area, where a solitary lamppost illuminated on a small bench. On this bench sat a man in his late twenties, wearing a long, beige trench coat, an off-white Dick Tracy hat, a white button down shirt with black suspenders, dark brown pants, and brick red dress shoes. He looked up as a dark figure approached him.
“Whoa. Didn’t hear you sneak up on me,” he said in a gruff voice.
“That’s because you weren’t paying attention,” said the dark man in a deep, sarcastic voice.
“Yeah, yeah. You got the stuff?”
“Yes. Do you have the money?”
“Right here,” The trench coat guy stood up and reached into the inside of his coat and pulled out a small bundle wrapped up in brown paper. The dark guy sweat dropped and pulled out a small yellow box with a white string wrapped around it. They traded off the items at the same time. The trench coat guy opened the box and examined the contents, which consisted of some dry leaves and a flimsy piece of paper. He stuck his nose in and inhaled deeply, enjoying the scent of the leaves.
“Ah, nothing like Wild Berry Leaf tea,” he said. “What’s this piece of paper for?” He plucked it out of the box.
“Those are the directions on how to properly make the tea,” the dark guy said. “From what I heard, you burned the last batch.”
The trench coat guy gave him a smug look. “Whatever,” he said as he placed the paper back in the box and closed it.
“Why are you dressed like that-”
“Shhh!” the trench coat guy shushed him quickly as he clutched the box close to him, looking around suspiciously. “Don’t talk so loud! Who knows who might be listening!”
“Kouden, I don’t think-” the dark guy started.
“Please! Refer to me by my agent name, K.”
“Okay, ‘K’,” the dark guy said rather smugly. “I don’t think anyone would be around this area at this time.”
“Huh. How do you know?” Kouden snapped back, still in his suspicious mode.
“I don’t,” the dark guy spat out. “But I do have common sense. And will you stop talking like that? You’re really going to need the tea if you keep that up.”
“Well what about you?” Kouden asked snidely in his original voice, which sounded more like a teenager’s. “Is that YOUR real voice?”
“Yes,” the dark guy said, nonchalantly. Kouden looked at him blankly for a few seconds
“Uh, okay,” he said, coming back to reality. “Well, Agent T-”
“Tyler,” Tyler interrupted him, clearly annoyed.
“Okay, ‘Tyler’,” Kouden said snidely. “It was a pleasure doing business with you.”
“Likewise,” Tyler said, shaking his hand. “Though I’d prefer it if you’d come by my house during the day. It’s not like I’m selling drugs or anything.”
“Hey, gotta be inconspicuous, right?”
“No, because people will start talking, and I don’t want my business being driven away for something I was falsely accused for.”
“I see,” Kouden said as he pulled the collar of the coat over his mouth. “This is Secret Agent K, reporting. I have the package, and I’m returning to headquarters…” He turned and shuffled away, speaking into his collar as if he was talking into a hidden microphone.
‘I deal with the strangest people,’ Tyler thought as he watched Kouden shamble off. He turned and went the other direction back to his home.

Along the way, Tyler stopped at the lake located towards the middle of the park. He leaned against the railing and gazed out at the beautiful moonlit water, watching as small waves moved through it, caused by family of ducks. It reminded him of the time when Dracomon digivolved to Moondragomon, among his other memories. Tyler flinched slightly as a certain memory crept unbidden into his mind. This was the same spot where he took Mimi on their first date not all that long ago, and where they shared their first kiss…
Tyler snapped back to reality, his left ear swiveling backwards as a whisper of breath caught it. He noted with interest that someone was watching him intently somewhere behind him in the group of trees that towered above him. He made no indication that he knew someone was behind him. He simply stood there, waiting for the right time to say something.
‘Hmm,’ he thought to himself as he used his Mind’s Eye ability to get what information he could off his stalker. ‘Baka.’
“I know you’re back there,” he finally said. “Come out, and tell me what you want.”
“I always knew you were capable of doing that,” said a rough, cocky voice as someone stepped out of the trees. Tyler turned around, slightly surprised at what he saw. The guy looked exactly like him, from the same clothes he had on now, to the same hairstyle; shoulder-length black hair braided in many braids, and pulled back by a rubber band. Tyler’s eyebrows furrowed.
“How did you know I was behind you?”
“The silence was too loud,” Tyler answered, nonchalantly. “Who are you, anyway? You’re much too big to be a mini-me.”
“Ha, ha. The name’s DJ. Short for Dark Jones, if you haven’t guessed.”
“It’s the initials of my father, Derek Jones. Why should I guess?”
“Ooh, the clever type.”
“Clever enough to have a decent name,” Tyler said, sarcastically. “If you’re going to look like me, you could have at least picked a more generic one.”
“Everybody‘s a critic,” DJ said. “Enough of the small talk. I’m here for your demise!”
“So quick and straight to the point,” Tyler said. “And who, pray tell, is going to give it to me? You?”
“Yes, me. I’m surprised you don’t have your digimon with you. I am composed of both your data, which means-”
“You look like me, and you have his powers,” Tyler said, cutting him off. “It’s too bad you won’t beat me, though.”
“You seem so sure of yourself,” DJ said, haughtily. “You’re obviously weak without your digimon.”
“You have a lot to learn about me. Regardless of what you may have heard about us Digidestined having to depend on our digimon to fight all of our battles, there are some of us that can hold our own through any circumstance.”
“Oh really?” DJ asked as he took off his sunglasses, revealing pale, silver colored eyes. “How can you possibly beat me when I can do this?” He lifted one of his hands, turning it face up. A silver ball immediately formed in his palm. This he threw at a nearby tree, creating a hole going through both sides. He looked back at Tyler, grinning evilly.
“Trees,” Tyler said, shaking his head. “Don’t hit back.” DJ looked at him with malice.
“So, since you think I’m no match for you,” Tyler said, taking off his coat and glasses. “Let’s test that theory.”
DJ looked at him with a slightly confused expression on his face. “You’re not serious, are you?” he asked.
“Why not?” Tyler asked, doing a few stretches and getting into a fighting stance, “You’re going to kill me anyway, so why not fight me?”
DJ was shocked, to say the least. ‘He’s practically signing his own death warrant,’ he thought as he took off his coat and glasses. ‘I don’t understand why DD was so afraid of these people.’
“Well Tyler,” he said as he got into a fighting stance similar to Tyler’s. “It was nice knowing you.”
Tyler’s expression never changed. “Likewise,” he said.
DJ made a rush at Tyler so fast that any normal person wouldn’t be able to perceive his movements. Fortunately, Tyler wasn’t any normal person. He side stepped DJ’s leading punch and slammed his elbow into his nose, causing him to do a sort of lopsided Gainer and falling flat on his face just short of the lake rail. Tyler moved back a few paces to allow DJ room to get up. Tyler never kicked anyone while they were down, as he believed it represented cowardice.
“Am I still that ‘weak human’ you classified me as earlier?” Tyler asked as DJ got up, holding his face.
‘How did he anticipate my move?’ DJ thought, standing up shakily.
“How indeed?” Tyler asked, surprising DJ. “Who is this DD by the way?”
“You-”
“Yes, I read your mind. I also know my own body inside and out, and I wouldn’t come out striking with such an obvious move.” He held out his hand, palm up. “Do you want to quit now, or do you still want to go at it?”
This gesture infuriated DJ. “DIE, HUMAN SCUM!” he screamed, charging at Tyler.
“’Die, human scum’?” Tyler mocked incredulously as he blocked DJ’s strikes. “You really need to get some new lines.” He blocked a right blow that was meant for his left jaw with his right hand, which left DJ’s right cheek open, and, using the same arm, elbowed him hard there followed by a quick head butt that put him on the ground again. DJ attempted to trip Tyler with a double leg sweep by placing his elbow on the ground and performing a reverse spin on it. Tyler was a step ahead of him though, as he back flipped over DJ’s feet and landed lightly a couple of feet away. DJ completed his spin maneuver, and using great agility, catapulted his legs over his head, flipping him upright and landing on his feet, just in time to see Tyler slam his knee into his gut, sending him reeling back in pain and tripping over the rail into the lake. Tyler stepped up to the rail and smirked. “Baka,” he said in an amused tone.
Tyler knew the fight wasn’t over, for he noticed that the water was turning silver, getting brighter every second until it outshined the moon’s reflection on the water. With the smirk still on his face, Tyler stepped back from the rail as DJ burst through the surface, water glistening of his broad shoulders and his eyes glowing a hard silver. An impressive knot was forming on his head, and his right jaw was swelling up.
“I’m through playing games,” he said vehemently, as he floated in the air. “It’s time for you to die!”
“Are you ready to fight for real, now?” Tyler asked with his hands in his pockets.
DJ’s eyebrow twitched. It was clear to him that Tyler was toying with him. “RRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!” he yelled in rage as he threw both hands over his head, which started glowing. “DIE, FREAK! DRAGON MISSILE!” He let loose a volley of silver torpedoes aimed right at Tyler.
“Think you could yell any louder? I don’t think the guards up front heard you,” Tyler said playfully as he dodged the arsenal.
“I’LL KILL YOU!” DJ flew at Tyler, throwing kicks and punches at him which Tyler easily blocked, all the while keeping the smile on his face. A few punches got through, sending Tyler staggering back, but he wasn’t in any serious pain, nor did he remove the smirk that seemed to be plastered on his face. DJ ducked a backhand blow from Tyler, which left his ribcage open, giving DJ an opportunity to punch him hard there, followed by a rising head butt which drew blood from Tyler’s lip. He finished off the combo by striking Tyler with his knee and both fists, knocking Tyler back a few feet, and finishing up in a Muay Boran stance. He was slightly disappointed that Tyler didn’t fall, but nonetheless proud that he was getting the upper hand on this human that seemed to clearly match his strength. How, he didn’t know, nor did he care at the moment.
“Now you know the power I possess,” he said, haughtily. “Get ready to-”
He never got to finish his sentence. His smile of triumph slowly disappeared as he heard Tyler chuckling darkly.
“First blood,” he said in a voice that wasn’t his. He turned to DJ with his eyes still closed. “As I said before, you still have a lot to learn about me.” He flashed his eyes open, revealing blazing silver eyes.
***************************************************************** ********************
“Huh?” Sara’s eyes shot open, the shadows playing against her brown eyes for some odd reason. She sat up in bed and looked around the room.
‘What’s going on?’ she thought to herself. ‘I feel something weird, like something’s happening to someone.’ She looked out the window, concentrating on the energy signature as it grew stronger, and more familiar to her. ‘It feels like…’
She drew in a sharp breath. “Tyler!”
************************************************** ***********************************
The pale light began to fade in DJ’s eyes as he looked at Tyler in astonishment. ‘This guy isn’t normal,’ he thought to himself. The bright light in Tyler’s eyes began spreading over his body, turning him a metallic silver color, much like Colossus, but not made of metal. His hair turned a pure white silver, but his clothes remained the same black color. The cut on his lip healed instantly, along with other bruises. The light dissipated back into his eyes, which retained the silver color, but without the shine. He looked at DJ mischievously.
“Let’s do this,” he said in his other-worldly voice.

DJ didn’t see the kick that Tyler landed in his chest, nor did he seem to register the pain of his chest bone cracking, or the fact that he was flying backward at an alarmingly fast rate. It wasn’t until he hit a tree and slumped to the ground that he came out of his dazed state and quickly moved out of the way as Tyler’s fist slammed into the tree, disintegrating it in a bright flash of light. DJ backed away from him, holding his chest and spitting up a little blood. Tyler turned his head to him, grinning.
“Now you know the power I possess,” he said.
DJ slumped over slightly, breathing heavily. “What…are you?” he managed to get out.
Tyler stood up. “I can be a lot of things,” he said. “One thing’s for sure though, I am who I am. A human, and the original Bearer of Loyalty.”
DJ couldn’t figure it out. How could he, a powerful being that had abilities beyond comprehension, get beaten by a lowly human? What’s more, this human had powers similar to his, but was able to manifest it to augment his entire being. He reflected on all of this as he stared at the silver-skinned being. Tyler began walking towards him.
“I’ll give you a chance to live, assuming you leave right now and never bother me again,” he said. “By the way, you never answered my question. Who is DD?”
“No one of your concern,” DJ said, raggedly. He was on one knee now, since he was bleeding internally. Tyler stopped short of him, slight concern on his face.
“Look at you,” he said. “You’re hurt, yet you continue to be stubborn.”
“How would you know?”
“Trust me, I know. I’m giving you a chance to live. All you have to do is tell me what I want to know, and you can go. Don’t let your pride be your downfall.”
DJ painfully backed away a few more feet. “I don’t need to tell you anything, nor do I need your sympathy!”
Tyler let out an exasperated sigh. “I am trying to give you a way out,” he said in an annoyed tone. “I do not wish to be angered, neither do I wish to kill you. I just want to know who this DD is. Whether you tell me or not is entirely up to you, but I will find out.”
Even though DJ was too stubborn to let Tyler get the best of him he couldn’t stop him from probing his mind and getting the information he needed. Satisfied with what he obtained, Tyler reverted back to his original self and turned away from DJ.
“Thank you for the info,” he said. “Now get out of here, and don’t come back.” With that, he began walking back to his things.
DJ, feeling his body getting weaker, couldn’t believe what just happened. He was bested in battle by the one he was supposed to kill, had his pride destroyed, and was now dying from internal bleeding. It was too much for him to comprehend. As he watched the retreating form of Tyler, his vision getting blurred, a sense of envy and torment surged through him that left him bitter and angry to no end.
‘I will not be beaten by this cretin,’ he thought, not caring if Tyler heard him. ‘He’s just a human! A lowly…incompetent…’ “HUMAAAANNNN!!!!!!!” He screamed the last word out as his eyes blazed silver again, and a strong wind whipped up around him. Tyler turned around in annoyance, not the least bit surprised at seeing DJ up again.
“I though I told you to leave,” he said, his irritation quite apparent as his eyes shined a hard silver themselves. “Do you want to die so quickly?”
“Shut up!” DJ snapped at him. “I’m not going to be bested by you! ARMAGEDDON!” He fired a powerful giant ray of silver light at Tyler from his hands. Tyler put up both his hands and deflected the ray. DJ put everything he had into the attack, not letting up for an instant.
“YOU FOOL!” Tyler shouted as his body turned silver again. The instant he did that, he pushed the beam back with such force that it enveloped DJ, burning him from the inside out.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!” DJ screamed as his body burst into data.
Tyler stood there, breathing heavily as he reverted back to his original self. Amazingly, he still had enough energy to keep moving. He went back to his things and gathered them up.
‘I hated to do that,’ he though sorrowfully, not even believing his own words. He checked the inside of his coat pocket for the bundle of money.
“Still here,” he said. “I’d better hurry home and get some rest. Everyone’s going to flip when I tell them what’s going on.”
************************************************************ *************************
The sun shined in the bedroom through the closed curtain, right onto the pillow and the head of the person occupying it. The figure stirred, its red hair draping over to one side. It stretched out slowly, so as to not catch a Charlie Horse (those things HURT!).
“My, that was a good dream,” Sora said to herself. “I wish I didn’t have to wake up.” She settled back onto her pillow, when she realized something. ‘Odd,’ she thought, cracking one eye open. ‘Usually Sara would be in here, tossing me around right now. Not that I would want her to.’ She slipped out of bed and put on her robe. ‘Strange that an early bird such as her would still be sleep,’ she thought as she left her room.
As silently as she could, Sora made her way to Sara’s room. Once there, she cracked the door open, in which she was surprised to find it unlocked, and poked her head in. She located her wayward cousin still bundled up in the bed covers, sleeping soundly.
‘Hmm,’ Sora thought as she tip-toed over to the bed. Sora stretched out her hand to wake Sara up, only to yelp in surprise and nearly fall to the floor as a hand shot out from under the covers and grabbed her wrist. Sara pushed the covers back from her face, which had a very stern look, as if she was expecting to be attacked. Her eyes settled on Sora, and her expression softened a bit.
“Oh, it’s you,” she said sourly, promptly letting go of her wrist and sitting up in bed.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sora said, rubbing her wrist. She took notice of how disheveled Sara looked. “And what happened to you?”
“Long night,” Sara answered groggily, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. “You sleep well?”
“Exceptionally,” Sora said, sensing that Sara was holding more than what she let on, but decided not to press the issue. She moved back as Sara swung her legs over the bed and stood up.
“You sure you’re okay?” Sora asked.
“I’m fine,” Sara said. “Could you excuse me while I get dressed?”
Sora nodded her head, being even more confused than ever before. Sara barely asked her to leave the room without first torturing her. ‘Must have been a very long night,’ she thought as she left the room, closing the door silently.

Sara walked out of her room wearing a white shirt with a wide neck, the hem barely covering her navel, a pair of thin gray sweats with a pink stripe on each side that hugged her hips and had the word LOVE on the back printed in white with pink lining, and blue socks. She plopped in the chair opposite of Sora, who was sitting on the couch still in her pajamas and robe, and watching Sara intently.
“Got a question for you, Sora,” she said, laying her head on her arm across the side of the chair. Sora looked at her, waiting for her to go on.
“Have you ever been so close to someone, as in knowing them real well, that you can feel when something is happening to them?”
Sora thought for a minute. “Does Tai count?” she asked.
Sara shrugged. “I suppose.”
“Then, yes.”
Sara propped her head up a little. “What if it was someone that you haven’t known for too long?” she asked.
“What do you mean?” Sora asked, perplexed.
“What I mean is that you know something is happening to this person that you’ve only met on very limited separate occasions, yet you know that it was exactly that person, as if you knew them your whole life.”
Sora slowly shook her head, letting Sara’s explanation sink in. “I don’t know how that’s possible,” she said after a second. “Did something happen last night that got you riled up?”
“Sorta kinda,” Sara said.
“What happened?”
Sara explained everything that transpired during the night, how she felt Tyler’s presence coming from somewhere, and deftly leaving out the part about her hormonal escapade that left her slightly drained. Sora sat there, letting the whole situation register in her brain.
“How’d you know it was Tyler?” she asked when Sara was done explaining. “It could have been someone else.”
“It was Tyler alright,” Sara said. “No one else has an energy signature that strong.” ‘Or that soothing,’ she thought quietly.
“Okay, let’s say it was him,” Sora straightened up on the couch. “Why would he wake you out of your sleep?”
“Beats me,” Sara said, standing up. “All I know is that something was going on with him. I just hope he’s alright.”
“Concerned now, are we?”
“Hey, I’m not as heartless as you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Unlike you, I tend to be compassionate towards others.”
“Sounds more like someone’s in love,” Sora said with a sly grin.
“What?!” Sara looked at her cousin incredulously. “No way! We’re just friends. Besides, we don‘t know each other that well.”
“Suuuure.”
“Ah, blow it out of your tailpipe,” Sara said, turning around so Sora wouldn’t see her blush slightly. She began walking back to her room.
“Sara and Tyler, sittin’ in a tree,” Sora began quietly while watching Sara leave. Sara turned around full force.
“You better not start, Sora,” she said, making her way to the couch.
“K-I-S-S-I-N-G!” Sora sang loudly as she ran to her room with Sara giving her chase.
**************************************************************** *********************
A week had passed since the picnic. Mimi and Izzy managed to apologize to everyone, with a little difficulty from Cody, since he was the one who accidentally told them what was going on. Yolei and Mimi eventually became friends again, after Ken managed to calm Yolei down from going on a rampage on the two. They even apologized to Tyler, although quite reluctantly, but given support from everyone else, they did so. They were quite surprised to the fact that he forgave them so quickly, even though it still hurt him to see the two of them together. One can only wonder if he was just trying to get them away from his door. There was a close encounter with Sara when Mimi and Izzy were in the mall. All in all, they would have been in the hospital if Sora wasn’t there to hold back the raging demon from ripping their heads off.
Tyler himself had been quite busy. After the night of the fight, he told everyone what happened, what he learned, and what they were up against. The digidestined were ready to go face the threat, but was dumbfounded when Tyler told them he already took care of it. The only thing that confused him was that there was no double for Sara, since they only copied the new digidestined, and she was part of that group. The two of them started growing closer together as well. Sara saw to it herself to make sure Tyler got out of his apartment more often. They had to keep warning everyone that they were just friends, though, since people kept saying they looked cute together. Even though Tyler was improving, Sara could still sense sadness in him, and it would show every now and then. She also sensed longing in him as well, though she could understand why.

“Truth or dare?” Sara asked Tyler one day while they were hanging out. They were walking down the streets of Odaiba, heading for the square and trying to find something to do on a boring day such as this one.
“Uh, truth,” Tyler replied.
“Is it true that you’ll turn out to be a forty-year-old virgin in the future?”
“Don’t have me put you in a trash can,” Tyler laughed as he put her in a small headlock while she chuckled madly. He ruffled her hair a little and released her.
“I was just wondering,” she said with her hands up in mock defense.
“Well, that’s personal business, mind you,” Tyler said, making a snobby face at her.
“Well, excuuuuse me!” she said with a giggle. They carried on with themselves, Sara making jokes at Tyler, and Tyler promising her oddball punishments. They walked towards a large video arcade building that looked somewhat interesting.
“Hey, Tyler. Let’s go in here,” Sara said, tugging on Tyler’s arm.
Tyler looked at the sign. “I’m not much one for playing video games,” he replied, looking slightly downcast.
“What, you never played one before?”
Tyler shook his head no. Sara cocked an eyebrow at him.
“Well,” she said, taking him by the arm. “It’s time to broaden your horizons.” She dragged him unceremoniously into the arcade.
This was something Tyler never bothered seeing before. There were all types of games there, most of them fighting and racing, but there were others as well, ranging from old school to new school, and there were crowds everywhere cheering each other on and calling for more challengers. One game in particular, which was the first one they saw when they walked in, caught Tyler’s attention. It had two platforms connected together with arrows going in four directions on them which lit up, and an arm bar on each side to hold on to in case you lose your balance. In front of the double platform was a video machine that acted more like a jukebox that played some music that Tyler never heard before. On the screen was a display of selections for the music and the modes that you could pick.
“Wow,” Tyler said, staring in awe.
“Cool, huh?” Sara said, sidling up next to him.
“What is this?”
“It’s called Dance Dance Revolution.”
“I know what it’s called, I read the sign,” Tyler jabbed a finger at the sign above the machine, which was written in kanji. “I mean, what’s the concept of the game?”
Sara pursed her lips. “Perhaps it’d be best if I showed you,” she said, taking out a dollar and heading towards the change machine to get quarters. She put two of them in the machine and stepped on the platform.
“You can select the music using either the platform, or the control on the machine,” she demonstrated by stepping on the arrow that selected the music. “Of course, common sense would tell you that.” She looked at Tyler with a grin. “You use the same deal to select the mode you want to use, be it single, double, or challenge.”
“What’s the difference between double and challenge?” Tyler asked.
“Double is a single player game. The player uses both sides of the platform. You should already know what challenge mode is. I’m not that good, so I usually pick single. I have more control that way.” An afterthought ran through her mind at that last statement. “You better not say anything, Tyler,” she said, glaring at him.
“Uh, like what?” Tyler asked, slightly perplexed. Sara looked at him for a second longer, a small smile gripping at the corners of her mouth. She turned back to the game.
“Anyway,” she continued, her voice slightly cracking. “See the arrows at the top part of the screen? When a set of colorful arrows come up from the bottom, you step on the corresponding arrows that match the hollow ones. That scores the points for you. The gauge at the top right represents your performance. Depending on how well you do, the gauge moves either up or down. It also affects your character’s performance. If you miss an arrow, the gauge slightly drops a little, displaying the message bad. There are three types of messages that pop up after every arrow. If you hit the arrow at the right time, then it’s a perfect. Slightly off beat results in good, and complete miss is bad. As long as you hit the arrow right, you can keep the combo going. Unfortunately, I don’t know the highest the combo can get. I have yet to see anyone get past 130.”
“What’s your highest combo?” Tyler asked.
Sara thought for a minute. “If I remember correctly, I believe it was…uh, 126. I probably would have kept the combo up if I didn’t miss that fortieth arrow.”
“What exactly happens when you miss an arrow? Does the game end?”
“No, you just keep going until the music is over with.” She scrolled down the selection of music until she reached a particularly fast song that sounded like an opera overture sped up and chopped in certain places.
“I like fast music,” she said, making the selection. “End of the Century’s my favorite. Now watch carefully, young grasshopper, and you will see your master at work.”
“Hai, sensei,” Tyler said with a quick bow which made the both of them chuckle. Sara put the level on the hardest one, which slightly surprised Tyler. As the music started, Sara started bouncing her upper body with the beat. Tyler found himself doing the same thing. He found the beat complicated, but quite fun to say the least. A barrage of colorful blinking arrows flooded the screen, heading for the hollow ones. Sara, amazingly, didn’t miss a single one. Her movements were fast and deft, too fluid for any regular person to do. This didn’t surprise Tyler though, but it did pique his curiosity. As the music went on, a small crowd gathered around them, amazed that a female could move that fast.
“That your girlfriend?” a boy asked Tyler.
Tyler snapped his head towards the guy. “No, that’s just my friend,” he said. The boy’s eyebrows shot up. “Don’t get any ideas,” Tyler warned him.
“Your girlfriend’s pretty good on that game,” a girl said on the other side of him. Tyler started to say something, but just sighed and turned back to the game. The song ended with Sara getting a perfect, and a grade A. She stepped off the platform, being greeted by the small crowd cheering for her. She looked at Tyler who just shrugged. As the crowd dissipated, Tyler walked up to her, noticing that she wasn’t breathing hard or sweating.
“Nice,” he said. “You didn’t miss a beat this time around.”
“Thanks,” Sara said with a grin. “What was up with that crowd?”
“Don’t know. They just came out of nowhere.” He leaned in close to her ear. “They actually thought I was your boyfriend,” he whispered to her. This drew a laugh out of Sara, which was more of a blushing laugh than a humorous one.
“What do you win if you beat the game?” Tyler asked, stepping back and looking at the screen.
“Uh, stronger legs?”
“I’ll just take that as your way of saying nothing.”
“Dilly dally, shilly shally. Anyway, it’s your turn.” She shoved him towards the game.
“You didn’t have to do that,” Tyler said playfully, stepping onto the platform as Sara put two more quarters in.
“You should probably put it on an easy level since this is your first time,” she said, turning to him.
“Then I won’t get any legs of steel,” he said, grinning. Sara rolled her eyes and made her way to the back of the platform. Unbeknownst to her though, Tyler put the game on the hardest level, using double solo. Sara turned around in time to see him select a complicated song that had an African jungle beat playing.
“Afronova?” she asked incredulously. “Don’t you think that’s kind of fast?”
“Doesn’t seem too fast,” Tyler said. As the music started, Sara finally noticed that he was using double solo on the hardest level. Her mouth fell slack a little. Before she could say anything, the arrows were already coming up on the screen.
He’s not going to make it,’ she thought. She wished she could have taken back that thought, for what she saw made her question Tyler’s integrity.
Tyler was bouncing lightly at the start of the music. As the arrows came up, he started bounding all over the platforms, hitting each arrow in sequence, keeping up with the beat in perfect sync. As he went on, he started doing more complicated moves, like kicks, flips, twists and turns, and even a cartwheel at some point. A crowd slightly larger than Sara’s gathered around to watch.
“Is that your boyfriend?” one girl asked Sara.
“What? No!” Sara looked at the girl incredulously. “That’s just my friend. I was just showing him how to play this game.”
“You sure this is his first time?” a boy asked.
“That’s what he told me,” Sara said. She turned back to the game as the music ended.
Tyler turned around and was met by a mad applause from the crowd. He scanned his eyes quickly to the left and right, then back at Sara, and cocked an eyebrow. Sara shrugged in the same manner as he did.
“Uh,” he started as he stepped off the platform and the crowd went away.
“Don’t ask me, they just showed up,” Sara said.
“Let me guess. They thought you were my girlfriend.”
“In a nutshell, yes.”
“Figured.”
“Question,” Sara said, raising her hand and causing Tyler to jump a little. “I thought you didn’t know how to play the game?”
“I don’t. It just reminded me of martial arts. I knew a few of the steps, since I use them sometimes.”
Sara let out an exasperated sigh. “You really need to loosen up,” she said.
“What meanest thou?”
“Thou knowest exactly what I mean,” Sara said, mocking him. “Every time I turn around, you’re talking about ‘martial arts’ this and ‘martial arts’ that.”
“Quick solution: stop turning around.”
“Har har, very funny,” Sara retorted. “But I’m serious. That’s why we try to get you to break out of that eggshell of yours. Not everything is a sad solemn occasion, you just have to let certain things go.” She stepped closer to Tyler. “Don’t let your burden be your downfall,” she said in a soft , motherly tone. “Just let the hurt go, and you won’t have to worry about it anymore. And let your friends in as well, so they wouldn’t worry about you so much.”
Tyler looked at her. “You mean, let go of Mimi,” he said.
“Exactly,” Sara said. “I know you want to keep the friendship that you have with her, and that’s a good thing. You draw one away, then you draw them all away.”
Tyler was slightly surprised. He didn’t think anyone else knew about that phase, or its implicated meaning.
“Just move on,” Sara continued. “Let the past stay in the past, and look at what you have right in front of you.”
Tyler looked around. “An arcade machine?”
“Anata baka (You idiot)!” Sara retorted, playfully slapping Tyler on his arm and drawing laughter out of him.
“Come on,” she said. “Let’s find another game. I’m curious as to what other game skills you’ve been holding out on me.”
“Lead the way,” Tyler said, gesturing with his hand.
***************************************************************** ********************
“YEAH! TAKE THAT, KING!” screamed a lavender haired girl with large round glasses, pumping her fists in the air. She was currently located somewhere in the middle of the arcade, playing Tekken 5.
“Uh, can you tone it down a bit, Yolei?” asked a boy with shoulder length, raven hair that was standing off to the side. “People are looking at us weird.” He glanced at the people passing by, giving them odd looks. He waved sheepishly at them.
“So? Let ‘em look,” Yolei said, looking at him. “I can’t help it if I’m that good. Besides, Paul Phoenix is my favorite character. He reminds me of…me!” She grinned madly and turned back to the screen, preparing for the next battle.
‘You guys have the same personality, so why shouldn’t he be?’ Ken thought, sweat dropping.
“Whoa, fancy meeting you guys here,” a voice said behind him.
“Matt!” Ken said, turning around. “And Sam. How are you guys?”
“Just great,” Matt replied, shaking Ken‘s hand. “How are you, Yo-”
“Hey,” Yolei said quickly, not even looking up.
“As you can see, she pretty preoccupied,” Ken said.
“I hope she’s not too preoccupied to accept a challenge,” Sam said, looking at the screen. This made Yolei’s head perk up.
“You’re on!” she said, forgetting she was still playing the game.
Sam walked over and put two quarters in the machine. “Since everyone in a ten mile radius heard you insult King,” she said. “I’ll pick him.”
“Okay, I’ll just pummel him again,” Yolei said snidely.

“I never knew girls could be so challenging,” Matt said to Ken.
“You don’t know the half of it,” Ken replied.
“I’ll take your word for it,” he said. “Did anyone else come with you guys?”
“Not that I know of,” Ken admitted. “Why, is someone else here?”
“Yeah. I saw Tyler and Sora’s cousin Sara at the entrance, playing that Dance Dance Revolution game. They both blew it up.”
“I thought Tyler didn’t play video games?”
“Got me. Unless he has a TV hidden in his apartment somewhere.”
“He doesn’t own a TV either?”
“None that I seen.”
“Wow,” Ken said, a thought occurring to him. “You know, those two have been getting closer to each other over the course of the week.”
“I agree,” Matt said. “He needs someone to break him out of his mood. You ever notice how much of a similarity they share with each other?”
“Yeah. I don’t think he notices though.”
“I believe he will eventually. We’ll just have to wait and see.”
Ken nodded at this statement.
“OH, YEAH BABY! KING DEFENDS HIS THRONE ONCE AGAIN!” Sam shouted, pumping her fists in the air.
“NOOOO! PAUL!” Yolei cried, holding her hands out to the screen in mock sorrow.
“And yet, somehow, life goes on,” Ken said, looking at the girls as he and Matt sweat dropped. They waved sheepishly at the people that walked past them, giving them odd looks.
**************************************************************** *********************
“Alright, Tyler. I dragged you around long enough. This time you pick a game,” Sara said. She and Tyler were currently towards the back of the arcade. They just finished playing Marvel vs. Capcom 2, which she badly beat him at. Tyler didn’t seem to mind, though. In fact, he didn’t care about the fact that she beat him at eight other games, including a racing one. She was starting to doubt her last statement about him hiding his skills. Tyler looked around, settling his eyes on two small basketball stands stationed next to each other, along with some other prize-winning games.
“How about a little basketball?” he asked.
“Okay,” Sara replied. They made their way over to the stand. The game was set up in a way so that no one could just take a ball and start shooting. There was a Plexiglas covering that reached halfway up at the front so as to leave enough room for the player to shoot the ball into the net. A tent like slope hung from the hoop, slanting towards the front of the stand, a shot counter was placed above the goal, and a slot, which had the covering closed at the moment, was placed under the glass. The slot was big enough to allow the balls through, which would be released when you put the quarters in. There were five balls in all. Tyler looked at the coin slot.
“75 cents,” he read. “I can imagine why.” He placed three quarters in the machine, and the five balls rolled to the front. He picked one up and twirled it on one finger, grinning behind him at Sara. Sara made a face at him.
“Showoff,” she said.
“I’m not that bad,” Tyler said in mock surprise. He turned back to the game. After a few practice dribbles, he shot the ball at the hoop. It made contact with the backboard, and fell through the hoop.
“Huh, must be getting rusty,” Tyler said.
Sara looked at him, cocking an eyebrow. ‘Rusty?’ she thought.
Tyler picked up another ball, dribbled a little, and tossed it at the hoop, this time making it in without touching the backboard.
“There we go,” he said, getting another ball. He repeated the process with the other balls, making each one without touching the backboard.
“Nice,” Sara said as he made the last hoop. Tyler turned to her, grinning and chuckling. A whirring sound from the machine caught his attention. He turned around and saw a slew of tickets, fifty in all, depositing out of the machine, just below the coin slot. He picked up the tickets.
“What are these for?” he asked.
“They’re prize tickets,” Sara explained. “You cash them in at the prize stand over there.” She pointed to the stand in the far off corner, which was filled with stuffed animals and trinkets. “Depending on how many tickets you’ve managed to collect, you can get whatever prize is worth that many. Some prizes can be as small as one ticket, or as big as 2500 tickets.”
Tyler looked at her astonished. “2500, huh? I take it that not many people ever reached that far.”
“Not unless they put a death wish on their wallet,” Sara said. “They’d have to spend at least two hours trying to get them, provided they’re good enough and they have enough money.”
Tyler looked at the tickets in his hand. “What can I get for this many?” he asked.
Sara thought for a second. “A small teddy bear, maybe?”
Tyler rose his eyebrows with a small frown on his face while nodding his head. “Hmm. Wait here,” he said. Sara watched him as he went over to the prize stand and talked to the guy running it. She grinned as he dropped his head comically, obviously being asked the question if she was his girlfriend. Tyler made his way back over to Sara holding a brown teddy bear with a red heart etched on its foot, and a slightly annoyed look on his face.
“I take it he asked you the question of the day?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Tyler replied. “Here.” He handed her the bear.
“Ohhhhhhh, it’s so cuuuuute!” she gushed, cuddling the bear close to her face.
“Good grief,” Tyler said, gagging. Sara looked at him with a toothy grin, batting her eyes. Tyler rolled his eyes.
“Quit trying to look cute,” he said, smiling.
“But I am cute,” she said in a baby voice. She turned the bear towards her. “Don’t you tink so, Pookie?” she said, mimicking baby talk and playing with its arms.
“Pookie?” Tyler echoed, looking at her incredulously. “I think you need some professional help, like a psychologist.”
“And Pookie thinks you need an attitude adjustment,” Sara said, still smiling.
“Pookie can go soak his head in a bucket,” Tyler said with a plastered smile on his face.
Sara gasped in mock astonishment. “Now you’ve gone and hurt Pookie’s feelings. Bad Tyler!” she said, batting a bear paw at him and making a pouting face. Tyler’s face went entirely deadpan, though the humor never left his eyes.
“Now you’re going overboard,” he said.
“Give Pookie a kiss, and I’ll stop,” Sara said in her normal voice, holding the bear in front of Tyler. Tyler looked at the bear, then up at Sara with a face that said “you gotta be kidding me.”
“Okay, okay,” she said, shoving the bear in Tyler’s stomach. He gave of an audible “oof” as he slightly bent over. “It’s my turn anyway.”
Sara dug out three quarters from her pocket and placed them in the basketball machine. The balls filed out in front of her, and she picked one up.
“Let’s see how to do this, she said as she dribbled the ball. She took a deep breath and let the ball fly…and missed the goal completely. She watched as the ball rolled down the canvas and stopped at the Plexiglas.
“That was a mistake,” she said, whirling around to Tyler, who was standing behind her holding Pookie. “So don’t laugh.”
Tyler moved his fingers across his lips as if he were zipping them. She turned back around and picked up the next ball, dribbled it a little, and tossed it towards the goal, a little harder than intended. The ball rebounded off the backboard and soared over the Plexiglas and Sara’s head. Tyler deftly caught it with one hand before it could do any damage. Sara stood there facing the machine.
“Well, it’s safe to assume I can’t play this game to save my life,” she said, hanging her head. “So you can go ahead and gloat.”
Tyler’s mouth twisted in a frown. He set Pookie down on the air hockey table he was leaning on and walked up to Sara.
“I believe that you can play this game,” he said. “You just need practice; mainly working on your stance.” He handed the ball back to her. “Try again. This time I’ll help you.”
Tyler moved behind Sara and placed his hands softly, but firmly, on hers, so that she had a steady grip on the ball. “Now, one of the key things in basketball is to have a firm grip on the ball,” he said. “That way, none of the opposing team can snatch it out of your hand as you go down the court.”
Sara was finding it hard to keep her composure. Tyler’s hands felt amazing against hers, despite the firm grip he had on her hands. His skin was amazingly soft, even though he spent most of the day killing boulders. She kept having to fight the urge to grip his fingers in hers. His voice wasn’t helping any either. She didn’t notice how soft-spoken he was, but now she was getting the full effect, since he was whispering directly in her ear. That, coupled with his warm breath falling on her neck, was making her hot. She didn’t notice that her breathing had slightly increased.
“How do you know so much about basketball?” she asked, trying to deter her mind from the present situation.
“Played a little in high school,” he replied. “I didn’t want to get on any team, though. Too much trouble.”
Sara didn’t know it, but Tyler was sort of having the same problem. He noticed how smooth her hands were, and how beautiful her creamy skin looked. There were many instances where he wanted to kiss her neck and work his way to her lips. He held back, and was positively relieved when she asked him that question. To make matters worse, his member was starting to make its way to the front of his pants. Luckily, they were slightly baggy, so she wouldn’t feel anything. It took all of his willpower to coax it back down.
‘Not her,’ he thought. ‘I can’t ruin our friendship.’
“Make sure you bend your knees slightly,” he continued as they both bent slightly. Sara noticed that there was a tinge of nervousness in his voice, but let it pass. “Raise your arms until the ball is at the same height as your forehead, making sure your elbows are bent at a comfortable angle.” They moved their hands towards the front of the ball. Once again, Sara had to fight off the urge to grip his hands in hers, and vice versa.
“Now, the reason it’s at your forehead is because you have to see where the ball is going. Now when you shoot the ball, make sure it rolls off of your fingertips. Don’t just push the ball because, as you have seen, it can result in disaster. So just let it roll…” They pushed the ball off, letting it roll off of her fingertips. There was an audible swish as the ball went through the hoop, not even hitting the backboard.
“And that’s how you do it,” Tyler said, unaware that he still had Sara’s hands in his. As they put their hands down, Tyler was unconsciously aware that his arms were encircling Sara, bringing her closer to him. Sara was oblivious to the whole ordeal; both of their bodies were acting out of pure instinct. Sara leaned her head back onto Tyler’s shoulder, letting her body get comfortable in his grip. Tyler slowly lowered his head, brushing his cheek against hers, once again feeling her soft skin. Sara reacted in sort of the same way, turning her head so that her lips lightly skimmed the side of his. Tyler turned his head towards hers, their lips barely touching. They looked at each other, not realizing how much of each other they wanted. Sara turned her body fully to him, unconsciously wrapping her arms around his neck. He tightened his grip on her, bringing her closer to him. They looked in each other’s eyes as their faces moved closer together. They closed their eyes as their foreheads touched, moving their lips closer, their breathing pace starting to quicken. They turned their heads to the sides as their lips grazed each other…
Tyler pulled back right before they kissed, a look of dread coming over his face. Sara looked at him in equal shock, now realizing what they almost did. For some reason, they both felt disappointed that they didn’t finish the kiss.
“Sara, I-I apologize,” Tyler said, bowing quickly. “I should have had more control over myself.”
“Tyler, you don’t have to-” Sara started. She stopped when Tyler straightened back up, and was startled as she looked at the pain and hurt that was in his eyes.
“I thank you for showing me a good time, but I must go.” He rushed quickly past her, heading for the door.
“Tyler, wait!” Sara called after him, but it was too late. She let out an exasperated sigh and looked at Pookie, who was still on the table. “What’re you looking at?” she said as she grabbed the bear off the table.
**************************************************************** *********************
“Uh oh,” Ken said.
“What?” Matt asked, turning towards him. Ken pointed in the direction of Tyler, who was heading towards the front door with tears in his eyes.
“Wonder what happened?” Ken asked.
“Ask her,” said Sam, noticing Sara coming towards them looking rather…distraught. “Must have been real serious. Come on, Yolei. Let’s go talk to her. Boys, you go talk to Tyler.”
Matt and Ken nodded, and set off after Tyler. Sam and Yolei caught up to Sara. She looked around upon hearing her name being called, and noticed the two girls headed her way.
“Sara, wait up!” called Yolei. Sara stopped so they could catch up. “Man, you walk fast!”
“Sorry, I didn’t notice,” Sara said with a small shrug.
“It’s okay. What’s that?” Yolei pointed to the stuffed animal in Sara’s hand.
“A bear, obviously,” Sam said. “I’m guessing Tyler won it for you?”
Sara nodded her head.
Yolei decided to skip the small banter, and get straight to the point. “What happened? First you two are getting along just fine, and now he’s running out of here in tears.”
“We’re still getting along,” Sara said. “It’s just going to take a little more work to help him, though. I brought him here to relax his mind. Can you believe he’s never played a video game?”
“He told us all,” Yolei said. “Something else happened between you two.”
“How can you tell?”
“Two reasons actually,” Yolei held up two fingers. “One: Tyler wouldn’t get upset over the loss of a game. Two: I can tell that you’re holding back more than you’re willing to let on.”
Sara decided to let it go, remembering the very words that she said to Tyler earlier.
“We kissed,” she said. “Well, almost anyway.”
Yolei’s mouth fell slack, before breaking out in a wide smile. “How was it?” she asked, curiosity playing in her eyes.
“She said almost,” Sam said, correcting Yolei. She turned back to Sara. “What happened?”
“I’m not sure. He suddenly broke away, like he was in trouble or something. Then he thanked me for showing a good time, and just left. I think he was about to cry.”
“He was crying.”
“Why?”
“Got me. Let’s go to the snack bar and talk,” said Sam as she headed in its direction followed by Sara and Yolei.
**************************************************************** *********************
“Where’d he go?” Ken asked Matt outside the arcade.
“If he’s anywhere, then he’s probably at home,” Matt said.
“He can move that fast?”
Matt looked at Ken with a knowing look. “You should know Tyler well enough by now,” he said.
“Makes sense,” Ken said. “Let’s go.” They took off towards Tyler’s apartment.

Tyler sat on the couch, trying to discern what just happened at the arcade. ‘What’s come over me?’ he thought bitterly. ‘I know I shouldn’t be attracted to her, but I can’t stop thinking about her. I’m sure she’s mad at me for coming on to her like that. Hey, I would be mad too. After all, we’re just friends, and she was just trying to help a friend out. Oh, what am I saying? Of course I’m attracted to her! I just blew it by my little episode back there. That memory of Mimi just had to play in my mind.’ He buried his head in is hands. ‘What am I going to do?’
As if to answer his question, a knock sounded at the door. He got up and went to it, looking in the peephole. From his point of view, all he saw were two heads, one blond and one dark haired. ‘Speaking of which,’ he thought as he opened the door.
“What?” he said in a monotone voice that made Ken and Matt back up slightly.
“We just came over to talk,” Matt said, holding his hands up. Tyler looked at them for a second.
“Come in,” he said, leaving the door. Ken and Matt looked at each other.
“You first,” they said at the same time
“Either come in, or close the door and leave,” Tyler said from inside the apartment. “Your choice.” The boys rushed in, nearly tripping over the door step in the process.
“Want something to drink?” Tyler asked as he went into the kitchen.
“No thanks,” they said as Matt closed the door and joined Ken in the living room.
“He’s got a nice place,” Ken murmured, looking around.
“He’s a clean fanatic,” Matt whispered to him. “As I said before, he doesn’t have a TV.”
“That’s because it’s too much trouble,” Tyler said, walking into the living room with a glass of water. “So what brings you guys over here?”
Matt stared at him for a second, wondering how he heard him from the kitchen. “We wanted to talk to you about what happened at the arcade,” he said.
“Why is that so important?” Tyler asked, sitting down and gesturing them to do so as well. He took a sip of water and set the glass on the table.
“We’re just concerned,” Ken said. “We saw you run out with tears in your eyes, so we decided to check on you.”
Tyler was silent for a few seconds. “Where are your girlfriends?” he asked.
“They’re talking to Sara right now.”
Tyler lowered his gaze. “How is she?” he asked solemnly.
“I’m sure she’s okay,” Matt said, noticing Tyler’s expression. “What happened between you two?”
Tyler decided that this wasn’t the best time to be belligerent. They were going to find out anyway, so he might as well get it over with. “I almost kissed her,” he admitted, lowering his head.
Ken stared at him blankly. “Is…that a bad thing?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” Tyler said with a sigh. “I suppose it is, in a way. I mean, I didn’t want to hurt her feelings, or anything.”
Matt, who had a thoughtful look on his face, broke out into a smile. “I don’t think you hurt her in any kind of way,” he said.
“How so?” Tyler asked, looking at him. “She didn’t give me permission to do that. It was my own fault for not having control over myself.”
“It’s not your fault at all. Your body was just acting on its own instinct. Being without for so long can do that to a person, especially a man.”
Tyler thought about this statement for a second. “Well,” he said. He sighed heavily as he got up abruptly. “Look, we’re just friends, okay? I don’t want to jeopardize that by getting in a relationship with her! Sure, we have a few things in common, but that doesn’t- what are you smiling about?” He looked at Matt who had a big grin on his face.
“I think I see the problem here,” he said. Tyler looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
“You’re afraid to start a new relationship with her, or anyone else for that matter. You may have stopped loving Mimi, but a part of her still remains in you, and you’re afraid that it might interfere with everything.”
Tyler stared at him for a second. “How do you know so much about this sort of thing?” he asked.
“Personal experience,” he said. “Remember when me and Sora were together?”
Tyler thought for a second, remembering when they were together. Things didn’t go so well for them during the relationship. “Okay,” said Tyler, finally sitting back down. “But what does that have to do with this?”
“I think what Matt is trying to say is that you shouldn’t let your feelings for Mimi torture you,” Ken said. “Being stuck on one person that you know that you won’t get back, no matter how hard you try, will result in unpleasant things. Weeping endures for a night, but happiness comes in the morning…or something like that.”
“Quoting Bible scriptures now?” Tyler asked.
“I look at it once in a while,” Ken said. “What I’m trying to say, Tyler, is that it’s time for you to move forward. Sticking in one spot is not going to help any, and torturing yourself REALLY isn’t going to help. Put it this way: There are more fish in the sea. You lose one, there are plenty more there. And hey, even if you don’t get a girlfriend, you still have your own life to live. Of course it’ll hurt not being able to have someone there with you. Being single is not a bed of roses, though being in a relationship has its thorns, too.”
“Yes, but you can look past that, and be happy with the person you’re with,” Tyler said.
“True,” said Ken. “You can also do the same thing as a single person. There are always two sides to every story.”
Tyler nodded, storing the information somewhere in his mind. Then a thought occurred to him.
“How did you guys get here so quickly?” he asked.
Matt shrugged. “Ask the narrator,” he said.
Tyler rolled his eyes. “And for the record,” he said, looking at Ken. “I’m not trying to get her back, nor will I attempt to do so. I’ve already come to terms with them, so I can care less about it.”
“That’s good to know,” Matt said as he got up, Ken following suit. “We have to go before the girls get edgy, but here’s some sound advice. Go for her, Tyler. If you haven’t realized it yet, she wants you, and I believe you want her, too. But take it slow. Don’t just rush up to her, instead, let her come to you.”
“How do I do that?” Tyler asked.
“Flirt,” Ken said. “Play hard to get. She might be doing the same thing. How long you do that, is entirely up to you. One of you will know when the time is right, and jump at the opportunity.”
“Besides,” Matt said, heading towards the door followed by Ken. “You’ve already set the stone. It was actually a good thing that you broke away when you did. You may not know it, but she wants you more than ever now.”
“Whatever,” Tyler said as he held the door open. “And if I know your girlfriends, they’re telling her something similar to what you told me.”
************************************************************ *************************
(Meanwhile, with the girls at the arcade snack bar…)
“I’m telling you, Sara. You two should get together,” Sam said. “I don’t know Tyler that well, but I can tell you two have a connection that hasn’t clicked yet.”
“What do you mean by that?” Sara asked, looking at her questioningly.
“I’m saying you two look great together.”
“So does everyone else.”
“All the more reason why you shouldn’t wait,“ Yolei said.
“Look, I don’t know everything about him,” Sara said, feeling out of place since they were ganging up on her.
“How can you not? You two have been seeing each other over the past two weeks! You had plenty of time to get to know each other.”
“Yolei, you talk as if they already got together,” Sam said, cutting her off. “Anyway, Sara. You should go for him before someone else gets to him. You already know Mimi won’t take him back, not that he would want her back anyway, not after what she did to him.”
“Well,” Sara said, absentmindedly playing with the teddy bear. “Let’s say you’re right. How do I know if he has the same feelings toward me?”
Sam and Yolei stared at her in absolute shock. “You are so dense!” Sam said, emphasizing the word “dense”. “What do you mean ‘if he has the same feelings’? Of course he does! Otherwise, he wouldn’t have won you that teddy bear.”
“Hey, he just did it out of the kindness of his heart,” Sara retorted. “This doesn’t mean anything.”
“He almost kissed you, right?” Yolei asked.
“Yeah…” Sara said carefully.
“Did you try to push him back?”
“…”
“It’s okay, you can say it.”
Sara hung her head. “No,” she admitted.
Yolei’s excitement grew.
“How close did he get?”
“He…got pretty close.”
“Did you like it?” Yolei asked in a low tone as she leaned towards Sara.
“Girl, what does this have to do with anything?” Sara blurted out.
“Hey, I’m just asking,” Yolei said, backing up.
“And I’m trying to figure out what your point is.”
“I’m getting to that! Just answer the question. Did you like it, or not?”
Sara looked at Yolei for a second, then behind her at Sam, who casually shrugged her shoulder, then back at Yolei. She hung her head again with a sigh of defeat.
“Yes,” she said. “I liked it.”
“AHA!” Yolei shouted, startling nearly everyone at the stand.
“Was that necessary?” Sam said, righting herself on the stool.
“Sorry,” she said. “Anyway, what I’m saying is that you two have the hots for each other. None of these chain of events wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t so. How do you think me and Ken got together?”
“You bullied him into the relationship, and threatened to turn him into pulp if he didn’t kiss you,” Sara said.
“Yeah, and he liked it, too.”
Sam looked at her funny. Sara pinched the top of her nose and shook her head. The both of them broke out in an all out laughter. Yolei soon joined in, after having her nose in the air for a few seconds.
“Okay…Okay…” Yolei said, tying to catch her breath as they calmed down. “Seriously though, you should get with him. In my opinion, you won’t find another man like him. Mimi didn’t see that. All she saw was his pockets. And trust me, Tyler knows what he’s doing. To tell you the truth-and Sam, don’t you go back and start any gossip with my boyfriend,” Yolei said sternly while glaring at Sam.
“What?” Sam said in an accused tone.
“Anyway, like I was saying, to tell you the truth, if I was old enough and I knew that Tyler was available, I would have jumped at the opportunity to snag him right then and there.”
“What do you mean, old enough?” Sam asked.
“Tyler only goes for women in his age bracket, 19-20. No more, no less.”
“Somewhat picky. I understand, though. He’s just trying to keep things decent and in order, not wanting to be branded a rapist or anything.”
“Yeah. So give it a shot, girl. I believe you two will have a great relationship.”
Darkness played across Sara’s eyes for a moment as she contemplated this, which Yolei immediately noticed.
“That’s another connection you have with each other,” she said. “You both have powers, even though his is silver, and yours are dark. That’s just saying more that you two should get together.”
“One thing though,” Sam broke in. “Don’t just rush up to him out of the blue. That just kills the moment. Take your time with this, and play around. You know, the hard to get thing, flirting, that type of stuff.”
“What if he turns it around on me?” Sara asked.
“All the more better,” Sam replied. “In the end, one of you will see the opportunity open up, and take it. By the both of you torturing each other, you’re making things more and more interesting for each other. In the meantime, try to find out more about him, and tell him more about yourself.”
Sara thought about this new revelation for a bit. Unknown to them, she already knew half about him when she looked in his eyes a few years ago. In that space of a few seconds, she knew half of what he went through, and her eyes told him much about her as well. So in spite of herself, she decided to take this one step at a time.
‘This is going to be a long week,’ she thought to herself.







FINALLY! I finished this chapter. Stupid thumb drive wants to break on me! Anyway, I will probably have one or two more chapters, then I’ll be through with this story. The idea of pitting a human with a digimon came up because every time I watched the show, it was always the digimon fighting the monsters. I understand the impossibly big ones, but couldn’t the kids get powers as well? I might write my own rendition on that in my next story. Until then, read and review.