Taichi put the last of his clothes into the bag and zipped it shut. His D-Terminal had already been stuffed into a side pocket, and he made yet another mental note to get himself a new cell phone as soon as he could. The events of that night had proven to him very clearly that he needed one. The D-Terminal was quick and useful, but a cell didn't require spell-check.

"Are you ready yet?" Yamato peered into the room, his own bag already over one shoulder, since they'd stopped by his place first to get his things. "Takeru's ready to take us there whenever you are."

"I'm done." Taichi swung the bag over one shoulder. Hikari would tell their parents that he wasn't going to be available for a while, though exactly why was going to be left up to him to deal with. At least I don't have to do it for a while. He hoped there wouldn't be much of a fuss on the news about it, since it was guaranteed his parents would worry and fret if they knew any of it had happened.

Yamato stepped back and waited for him to come out of the room. Concern still lit those eyes of his, and Taichi's stomach shivered in warmth at the sight of it. He couldn't even begin to put into words everything he felt when he looked at Yamato. All over again he wished that he'd had some clue as to how he'd actually felt so much sooner. Maybe tonight really wouldn't have happened.

Though honestly, it didn't matter. What had happened was done, and there was no way that Kudo and any of his crew were going to get near him or any of the others again. They would all be on their guard too much.

That did make him wonder what else they were going to try. They weren't just going to give up. He hadn't spent that much time with them, but he'd absolutely gotten that impression. How someone could hate so much, and hate Digimon of all things baffled him.

Takeru stood in his small living room, Patamon hunched on his shoulder. The younger blond held his D-3 in one hand as he stood in front of Taichi's computer, which had already been booted up and the gateway program pulled up on it. "Are you going to need anything on this?" Takeru asked, motioning to the desktop.

"I don't think so. I don't have that much homework I haven't done yet, and most of it's already on my laptop." Taichi picked up the portable and checked it over quickly. It was a little strange to think about taking a computer into a world composed of computer data, but Koushirou, Miyako, and Ken had been doing it for years. He was doing it mainly to make certain he had something to keep his mind occupied when he couldn't be running around enjoying himself with Gabumon, Agumon, and Yamato.

"All right, then let's get going." Takeru held his D-3 out towards the computer as Taichi and Yamato came to stand beside him, Gabumon and Agumon joining them. "Digital Gate open!"

Light and sound surrounded them, then there was the strange combination of sensation that was a mixture of moving up and down at the same time. Then all of them stood just a few feet away from a small television portal. Taichi stretched, breathing in the lovely, if unusual, scent of digital air. "Good to be back here." He and Yamato had visited not all that long ago, but he always enjoyed coming back here. It was their second home, after all.

"Take care of yourselves," Takeru advised. "We'll keep you updated on what's going on back home."

"Right. You do that." Taichi was only half-listening as he reshouldered his bag and looked around. They'd picked out this area in particular for their mini-vacation. There were several trees nearby full of the various kinds of fruits, vegetables, and meats that grew in the Digital World, and a swiftly running stream that would provide them with water. For shelter, there was a small cave formed from a small rise of mountains nearby. It was just perfect for a weekend getaway, more or less.

Takeru shook his head and shot a glance at his brother. "Are you going to be paying attention to what's going on, or should we send someone to do that for you?"

"We'll be fine, Takeru," Yamato told him. His attention was more or less on Taichi as he adjusted his own bag. He wanted to find out just what kind of cooking materials they had here. There would be fish in the stream, and he was certain he could cook some of his favorites from what else was available, but he wanted to get a better assessment of what he had as soon as possible. Breakfast time would come very soon, after all.

Takeru sighed again. There were days when he wondered why he bothered with them. Then he thought of how he felt when it was just him and Mimi in the Digital World, and decided maybe he wouldn't smack them in the head after all. "See you around. Get some rest."

He didn't bother waiting for a reply, which was just as well as there wasn't one. Moments later, Agumon, Gabumon, Yamato, and Taichi were the only ones in the clearing.

"So what should we do first?" Agumon asked, looking this way and that at all the available options. Fishing, swimming, playing, having a nap…they were all good to him.

Getting everything put into the cave they'd be using to sleep in didn't take all that long, since it mostly consisted of finding a pair of niches big enough for them to stuff their bags in, and for a couple of larger niches for Taichi's laptop and Yamato's guitar. He was going to keep in practice while they were there.

"Have you thought about getting a wig until all of your hair grows back in?" Taichi asked, turning to look at the blond. "That way you wouldn't have to worry about what to tell the rest of the band. Just tell 'em you got a bad haircut or something."

Yamato shrugged. "I don't know. I might just tell them what really happened. We don't have any concerts for a while, so by the time we do, it could all be back anyway. And no publicity shoots, either." That was a relief, too. If this had to happen, then it was a perfect stroke of timing.

"Well, whatever." Taichi wasn't going to stress himself about it. It was Yamato's decision to make. "Want to go swimming? I bet that stream feeds out into a lake."

"Let's find out then." Yamato ruffled a hand through what passed for his hair, out of habit if nothing else, and started out of the cave. It was still dark here in the Digital World, just like it was on Earth, but it still lacked a couple of hours until midnight at least. The stars scattered overhead were visible in the odd, slightly off-setting constellations he'd been seeing for years now. They weren't anywhere near like the ones he remembered from home, but they were familiar at the same time. The thought of swimming underneath them, with Taichi, was one of the most attractive he'd had in quite a long time.

"We're going to go see if there's a lake close enough to do some swimming in," Taichi told their partners as they stepped out of the cave. "Want to come along?"

"Sure!" The two Digimon chorused in answer. "Want a ride?" Agumon continued, ready to evolve at a moment's notice.

"That'll get us there a lot quicker," Taichi agreed, rummaging for his Digivice. In a matter of moments, all four of them were moving along as quickly as they could. Greymon and Garurumon could see much better than humans could in the darkness, and avoided missteps and trips as easily as they would have in the daylight. Taichi clung to his partner's neck, riding with the skill of long practice.

How could anyone not like doing this? He hated thinking about Kudo and his idiot brigade, especially in a sweet moment like this, but they still kept cropping up in his thoughts. He was going to have to get over that.

"Makes you wonder how anyone could not love this, doesn't it?" Yamato asked from where Garurumon coursed next to him. Taichi snorted some.

"I was just thinking the same thing. They've got to be idiots." Just because they didn't have Digimon didn't mean they got to ruin it for all of those who did. Sour grapes, that was the whole thing, he bet.

Just as Taichi had suspected, the stream widened out into a broad lake, perfect for swimming, and reflecting all the light of the stars above. Yamato swung himself off of Garurumon and stared at it in breathless awe. A part of his mind was already busily taking notes and thinking about how to make it into a song, but the rest of his awareness was simply stunned.

"Come on!" Taichi grinned, poking Yamato in the side. "Let's go!" He stripped off his shirt and pants in seconds, then ran as quickly as he could towards the lake, wading in until he was up to his waist before he started to swim farther in.

Yamato shook his head, then tossed his own clothes to the side and joined his friend in the crystal clear waters. He saw Agumon and Gabumon making themselves comfortable on a stretch of beach to one side, and wasn't surprised. Gabumon hated getting his fur wet, after all. They'd be all right.

He stroked through the water until he found where Taichi was, and watched him for a moment or two. Starlight and the faint hints of digital moonlight wrapped all around him, reminding Yamato of the first night Taichi had stayed at his place. Was that when I started to figure it out? It had helped, if nothing else.

"Just going to swim there and stare at me?" Taichi teased him, lazily backstroking. He wasn't as good a swimmer as Yamato was, but he managed most of the time. "I admit the view's pretty good…"

Yamato rolled his eyes, then splashed quickly at Taichi before he darted off through the water, moving as quickly as an eel. "It's not all that good. I can think of a few better ones!" he teased. Taichi glowered in his direction.

"What do you mean by that?" he yelled. Yamato only slyly grinned.

"Catch me and I might tell you." He swam easily and lightly, dodging Taichi's attempts to grab hold of him. As hard as the brunet tried, whenever he thought he was going to be able to seize onto Yamato, his friend just turned and was out of reach a second later.

Taichi finally gave up, glaring half-heartedly as Yamato relaxed on his back a few feet away. He looked as if he were hardly paying attention, but Taichi had already learned quickly that pose was just that: a pose. "How'd you learn to do that?"

"Practice. That's how you learn how to do anything, you know. Music. Swimming. Anything." Yamato shifted his attention briefly over to Taichi, and when their eyes met a rush of heat passed all through Taichi.

"Anything, huh?" He slowly moved closer to Yamato, who didn't move. "Does that include…everything?"

"You don't wear goggles anymore so they can't be squeezing your brains out," Yamato replied, his eyes closed, but a small smile touching his lips. "That's what I just said, isn't it?"

Taichi started to reach for him, but before he got close enough, Yamato's hand flew out and wrapped around his wrist, pulling Taichi closer to him. "Everything," the blond whispered before he closed in and fastened his lips on Taichi's.

Since that was more or less what Taichi himself had had in mind when he'd gotten closer, all he did was start to kiss back. Both of them bobbed up and down in the water as they moved closer together, the heat building up between them as the kiss lengthened and lengthened.

Finally Taichi moved back, trying to catch his breath a little. He wanted to say something, but nothing that came to mind was even remotely intelligent. At the very least, Yamato was a better kisser than Kudo. Not that he could remember actually kissing him, but Taichi couldn't think of anyone who would be a better kisser right now. If someone out there was better, he didn't want to meet them.

"I think we should go back. It's getting kind of late." Yamato murmured, unable to take his eyes off of Taichi. Taichi nodded a little, his voice still stolen by the kiss. Who needed talking when you could communicate like that?

Side by side they swam back to the beach and emerged dripping to a realization. "I don't think we brought towels." Taichi finally managed to force coherent speech from himself. The short swim had helped with that, especially since the water was starting to cool off some. It had quenched most of the heat that had flared from that kiss. He wasn't entirely certain yet just how much he liked that fact, either.

"We'll just sit here and dry off then," Yamato shrugged as he settled down onto a clear patch of grass. "Then we can go back. Or take a nap here, doesn't matter which."

Taichi nodded and found his own patch of grass to sit and drip on. "That was fun." It was hard, even for him, to be certain if he were talking about the swimming or the kissing. He didn't think it mattered very much. They were about the same thing, after all. Both had been intensely amusing and he wouldn't have traded doing either for anything else.

"Wish we could do it some more." Again, what Yamato was referring to could have been almost anything.

"We've got time." Taichi leaned back and folded his arms underneath his head, staring up at the stars. "We've got a few days here, at least."

"Right." Yamato nodded a little. "And you're going to rest. You don't have a choice in it."

Taichi rolled his eyes. "I know. That's kind of what I agreed to by coming here in the first place. Well, that and the promise of getting to eat what you make for as long as we're here."

"I'm not as good as you think." Yamato protested, the faintest hint of a blush reddening his cheeks. "You just haven't had enough variety."

"If variety means not liking what you cook, then I don't want it to start with." Taichi retorted. "And the only way I'm staying here is if you cook every meal. Otherwise, I'm going home!" He put a deliberate plaintive whine to his tone, and wasn't surprised hear a groan from where Yamato sat. He took that as assent, especially since Yamato said nothing else in protest. He loved winning arguments like that, especially ones with Yamato. They were usually the only ones he could win against him, too.

Not very much time had passed before they were both dry and ready to head back to their little cavelet. Taichi stretched as he pulled his clothes back on and ran his fingers through his hair to get it back into the proper spiky look. He looked over at Yamato and concealed a smile at the soft fuzz that was all the other had for hair at the moment. Can't wait until he's got it all back. He'd gotten more or less used to it over the last couple of weeks, but he really did want to see Yamato back to his normal self again.

"Do you think there's any more of them out there? Like Kudo?" Yamato asked as they came within sight of the cave. Taichi sighed. He wished there were something better to talk about. Or to do. Unfortunately, they couldn't' spend all of their time kissing. Unfortunately.

"I don't know. I'm still trying to believe any of them exist in the first place." Taichi rubbed the back of his head. "Could we talk about something else?"

"Yeah. Sure, no problem." Yamato winced a little. "Sorry, I didn't…" He didn't finish the sentence, since Taichi reached out and waggled a finger in front of his face.

"That's one rule I'm putting on this little getaway. We're not going to talk about them. Remember I said I was going to vegetate and forget about it? I meant that. And that means you're not talking about them either. Okay?"

Yamato eyed him for a moment, then broke into a warm, brilliant smile. "Talk about who again?"

Taichi grinned. That was just what he wanted to hear. "Now, what are we going to have for breakfast?"

Yamato groaned slightly. "I don't. I haven't checked out what we've got yet." He'd meant to, but they'd gotten distracted by the lake and the swimming and everything else.

"Don't worry about it then. We'll figure it out in the morning." Taichi dropped his hand, and caught Yamato's in it. "Come on. Let's walk back. It shouldn't take that long."

Yamato almost protested, til he saw the look in Taichi's eyes. Their partners weren't too tired to take them back, but the thought of walking with Taichi was pretty attractive. "All right," he agreed, then looked at Gabumon. "You don't mind, do you?"

"It's no problem at all." Gabumon reassured him with a comforting pat of his paw on Yamato's leg. "It's a beautiful night, anyway. We should enjoy it while we're here."

Agumon nodded his agreement from the other side of Taichi, and Yamato smiled a little. He couldn't believe just how much things had changed in such a short amount of time. It just didn't seem possible. But here they were.

He glanced down to where his hand and Taichi's were joined. If someone had told him just that morning this would happen, he wouldn't have believed them at all. I love him. The words came easily to his mind, if not so easily to his lips just yet. But he was willing to wait til they did. They were together, there was no doubt about it.

"You know, I really should do something nice for Sora. She knew all along. Before I did, anyway." Yamato wondered just how she'd figured it out. Was it something to do with being the Chosen of Love? But then wouldn't have Miyako have known as well? He didn't really always know how their Crests factored into their normal lives.

"We'll figure something out." Taichi yawned, covering his mouth with the back of his hand as he did. She really had done them a favor, after all, even if it had taken Yamato a while to figure it out. Taichi suspected it could possibly have something to do with him being blond.

Both of them were dragging their feet in exhaustion by the time they made their way back into the cavelet. It was warm enough that they didn't need a fire, and the only thing Taichi could manage to bring to mind was that it was going to be a very hard surface to lay on if he couldn't stay awake long enough to get the blanket he'd pushed into the very bottom of his bag out.

Should brought a sleeping bag. Maybe he could get one of the others to bring one when they came to visit. For now, he managed to unzip the bag and pawed deep into the bottom to find that blanket. "Yamato?" he mumbled briefly, still searching for the blanket. "Only brought one blanket." He hadn't planned for this trip as well as he'd thought he had.

"Me too." Yamato grumbled from a few feet away. "Share 'em?" His thoughts were moving slowly and fitfully, but sharing made sense, didn't it? One below, one on top, and they'd both be comfortable.

Together they managed to get a small area of the cave a little more comfortable and they both snuggled under the light blanket. Yamato lay there, his eyes half-closed, and tried to figure out what would make this feel even better. Not that laying there with Taichi's warmth so deliciously close wasn't wonderful the way it was. But he was certain there was something missing. Now all he had to do was find out just what it was that was missing.

Sleep? No. Not yet. Sleep was tugging at his shoulder, demanding that he pay attention to it, and he thought it had already caught Taichi. The other's breath was soft and deep, at least. He sounded so much like he had that night weeks earlier. Yamato smiled at the thought. He didn't mind so much now that he hadn't said anything then, because they wouldn't be having this moment now, and he didn't want to trade it for anything.

Slowly, without thinking about it, he wrapped one arm around Taichi and pulled the brunet a little closer. This was what he'd been missing, what he'd missed since that very first night. He didn't have to leave this time. He could stay until morning, and they could wake up with one another. He closed his eyes, only a few lost and semi-confused thoughts now stirring through his mind. The last thing he heard before sleep claimed him for its own was not just Taichi's soft breath near him, but the sounds of their partners settling in as well. No matter what happened in the days to come, Yamato was certain that they would never have to spend another moment without each other that they didn't want to.

The End

Note: I decided to bring this to a sweet ending. I know, there's still Kudo and his plans and his boss's plans and a couple of secrets that I know and you don't just yet. That's what sequels are for. I do not know just at this moment when I will get to the sequel, but I will do it. For now, as always, I have many other fic-worlds I want to explore. I hope you've enjoyed it so far. Thanks for sticking with me.