Doesn't everyone know this by now? I DON'T own Digimon, Saban, Toei, and Bandai do. Though in wanting to own it, well let's say it's on the top of my wish list.

Beware of Out Of Characterness, Takari, Daikari, one mention of Tayako (TK/Yolei {Miyako}), and Daiken, which is shounen-ai. Simple explanation for shounen-ai: boy loves boy, boy goes no farther than kiss boy; it's all about boys. If you have problems with any of these things, please kindly leave through your preferred method of webpage exit. Otherwise, read at your own mental risk. You have been warned. Also, this takes place immediately after Conflicting Interests, so it would be a good idea to read that first, if you haven't already, before you go on to read this one.

All flames will be fed to my furnace, as always.

Through Different Eyes

By ShannonL

I can't believe I doing this.

As the dusk sweeps away day, and the velvety blanket of darkness embraces the district of Odiaba, I'm wrapped in shadows as I race into what could be called one of the seediest areas of the city. The neighborhood is drenched in blackness as leering voices and piercing eyes loom from the pitch. A drunk lurches forward and stumbles at my feet. I draw back, horrified. How can people do this to themselves? He smells of whiskey and day old cigarette butts. He giggles crazily, then with a roll of bloodshot eyes, picks himself up and walks back into the dark with a look that can only be described as stoned. Oh yeah, this is definitely not elitist country.

I clutch the duffel bag holding Patamon a little closer. Perhaps it would be better if I let him out. That way he could scare any would be muggers with a quick little digivolution to Angemon. Then again, perhaps it would have been better if I'd taken the long way around to Davis's. Not to mention safer. Ooh boy! I quicken my pace as a group of girls, dressed even more skimpily than Angewomon, notice me and begin taking in excited whispers to each other. I don't want know what they're talking about; I'm certainly not enjoying the looks that they're giving me. Davis, this better be worth it, or I'm going to have your head on a silver platter. A van rushes by, full of joyriding teens and before I know it, I'm standing plastered to the bone with mud, while the divers cause more chaos in their wake.

"TK? What happened? I was having a nice nap and then…I'm all wet? What's going on?"

I have to smile, cold and dirty as I am, at Patamon's chagrin. One rule everybody should know about when dealing with Digimon: Do not interrupt their sleep! They're not pleasant mons when you do. Who would be, after such a rude awaking! I wouldn't. But that's beside the point. What matters right now is whatever Davis called to talk to me about. Something so important that he wanted a face to face meeting with me, and couldn't be satisfied with just conversing over the phone. Sometimes I just don't understand that guy. Hey wait! Scratch that last comment; I don't get him at all. And tonight is no different.

I've never heard Davis sound like that. Depressed and sad, and definitely not himself. He didn't even get my name wrong on purpose like he always does! That in itself disturbs me. Even though we're rivals, I consider him to be a close friend. It's a screwball friendship at that…but…still; he's my friend. Even after all the times we've butted heads over Kari and all the dumb things both of us have done to impress her, still I maintain more than a grudging respect for him. I can't hate him for loving her, don't recall love ever being a crime, and I secretly admire him been able to do what I can't — tell Kari to her face exactly what he feels about her. Even being rejected constantly hasn't dulled his persistence to get Kari to even acknowledge his feelings for her. Determination is such a rare thing these days.

Which is not to say it can't get annoying. You know, I love her too, just as much as he does. And it burns inside to see him hit on her. Which is only made worse by my frustration about not being able to tell her, the one I love, how I feel about her in my heart of hearts.

I admit it, I'm jealous of his courage. Jealous of the way he lays his heart out to her, even though it's bound to be broken, and having the bravery to do it again. It was seeing that, when I realized that he truly cared, and this wasn't any simple schoolyard crush. A person, who wasn't in love, would never take that kind of risk.

But still it hurts…

As much as it pains me to say, Kari can't be held completely blameless in all of this. She toys with Davis's emotions…like mine…like a cat plays with a mouse. I don't know if she realizes that she's even doing it, but she is. In hindsight, I realize that a lot of our fights spring indirectly or not from her little games of the heart. Those games nobody wins, least of all, the one who pulls the strings. I guess that in a tangled little love triangle like ours, nobody can escape shouldering some of the blame.

I blink in surprise. Well, well, well, I'm here. I stare up at the tall, somewhat rundown, apartment building in front of me, looking somewhat ominous in the night. I pause for a moment, then start up the iron stairwell at the side. What floor was it again? Oh yes…that one. The landing creaks as I step onto it, like it would break if I didn't get my weight off it soon. I cast my eyes around in the dark, painfully aware of the embarrassing fact that I only know where to go cause of Yolei's directions. Not to be rude or anything, but Yolei's directions aren't the most accurate things in the world, especially when you know she's drooling over boys on the soapbox in the background. Then again, neither are mine when I'm watching a basketball game. Ah well…

My search finally yields fruit when I discover the Motomiya family name, engraved on a dull bronze plaque besides one of the many doors. I rap on the door, and am mildly surprised when it's immediately answered by none other than Davis himself. Scruffy as always, he seems even more so tonight, with rivers of salt encrusting his cheeks, and eyes as red as that drunk's. His blank zombie-like expression morphs into one of those "What in hell happened to you?" sorta deals. He motions me inside, and simply asks, "So, care telling me what happened to you, or do I have to guess?"

"Well nothing major, thank you very much. I had an encounter of the drunken kind, a group of teenaged…streetwalkers were literally undressing me with their eyes…" I can see Davis quirking an eyebrow at this. I swear, if he gossips about this to Ken or Yolei, I'm gonna…. "And to make things worse, this driver, who obviously never had a lesson in his or her life, nearly runs me over, and drenches me…" I wave a hand over my soiled clothes to empathize the point, but stop when I hear an indignant squeak from Patamon. He's still trapped inside the gym bag, with nothing but the smell of my basketball sneakers to keep him company. Poor guy. I continue on, while struggling with sack's zipper. " I mean, drenches us with this stuff, leaving both of us cold and wet…Achoo!" I break off as my face scrunches up in a sneeze, and Patamon breaks free of his prison. He shakes himself a few times, sending glittering water droplets flying and a sour grimace in my direction. Davis however, is shaking his head in slight bemusement. I see nothing funny about this.

"Well, I can see where the mud came from…" He smiles a tiny bit to himself, and then looks at me with more than a flicker of mischief in his eyes, "…and the nasty 'tude. Say…did you by any chance, come down Osaiwa Street coming over here?"

"What if I did?" I'm not in the mood for twenty questions right now.

"You did! TK, I thought you knew! That's one of the, if not the, worst street in this part of Odiaba. Do you seriously have a death wish? Cause you're lucky that was the worst that happened to you out there. I'm glad you brought Patamon along, but what were you thinking?"

Davis starts pacing back and forth, grumbling to himself and muttering about certain blond haired boys with absolutely no street sense. Finally he stops, and sighs in resignation.

"Next time take the long way around, and take Yanara Street to my place if you ever get the urge to come over. If you shock me like that again, then I'm bound have gray hairs prematurely." He moans and rubs his temples. "Please don't do that again."

Don't worry Davis, I won't. I've had enough running through dark, scary alleys for ten lifetimes. I blink in surprise. It's usually me lecturing Davis about these things, but then again, I'm in his world, and here he's the veteran and I'm the novice. Not to mention it's really ironic that the one who's usually one of the most reckless, is condemning rushing head long into a situation, (or street in my case) without any thought.

This has been one weird day.

I'm snapped out of my little reverie, by Davis giving me a measuring look. What's going on here? Okay, now things have leaped from strange right into bizarro land. First Davis calls me (which is an event in itself), then he doesn't tease me and get my name wrong on the two opportunities that he had, he hasn't thrown even one hissy fit in my presence (maybe one, but that was understandable), and unbelievably enough, the subject of Kari hasn't come up once. Though why do I think it will? My friend hasn't been acting like himself at all.

Suddenly, his hand locks around my wrist and he drags me into a cramped chamber. It's lined with soccer posters and the floor is littered with manga. He lets go, and begins to rummage through one of the draws in the dressing table next to his bed. Patamon flutters in and we exchange a confused look. What is he doing? At last he's found what he's looking for. He draws out a pair of blue jeans and a red tee shirt and hands them to me. I stare blankly at them. What the heck does he want me to do with them?

Davis grins as he sees the utterly clueless expression on my face. He begins to explain…

"Well since your clothes are filthy and wet, you can't go around in them, right? And it just happens that I have some clothes that are bit big for me still, but you'd fit them pretty well. So if you'll just give me your clothes, I'll wash them up for you. It's the least I can do after dragging you out here."

"Yeah sure…Hey! When did you learn how to do laundry!

Another big, impish smile. "When I got tired of having my clothes always dirty, when my mom wasn't around."

"Okkaayy…." He's definitely not acting like himself. Then again how do I know that? Coming here has made me realize that I really don't know Davis at all. There's so much about him I never realized. So much none of us ever realized. I look around to ask him about what was so important, that he had to drag me out here for, but I quickly see that he, along with Patamon, are gone. Probably for the sake of privacy, I guess.

Quickly ridding myself of my filthy garments, and yanking on the clean ones Davis had lent me, I tidied myself up the best I could, considering I wasn't able to have a shower. After getting dressed, something sticking out from his cluttered desk caught my eye. It was a folder, containing what looked like drawings. Drawings of us the group, though most of it was of Kari, Demiveemon and really surprisingly…Ken. What really grabbed my attention was the skill and detail put in each drawing. One picture of Ken especially. The hair, the face and the eyes…oh god the eyes. Mysterious yet vulnerable, the steel amethyst orbs seemed to track every movement I made. I quickly replaced the picture in the folder. Those eyes were beginning to creep me out. Why in the world would Davis draw Ken so much and with obviously so much passion? Perhaps… Who are you Davis? You're certainly not the person I thought I knew. How much have we missed? Who are you?

How could I know?

"TK, you about done in there? I've got the wash ready, all I need is your clothes" Davis calls.

"Yeah I am. Coming."

I stroll out of his room and hand him the requested items. He whisks off to another area of his apartment and before long I hear the telltale rattling that indicates the washer's in action.

As Davis reappears, it quickly becomes evident to me that he's not alone. Cradling in his arms a sleeping Demiveemon; he quietly sits on the couch. I take it as the unspoken cue it is and sit beside him. This is it. Mystery revealed finally, and all questions answered. I patiently wait for him to begin. I don't have to wait long.

"First of all", he starts, "I have to say I'm sorry."

"For being a jerk and all? You're forgiven. I haven't been an angel myself. None of us has."

He smiles gratefully and I take that as a sign that all my past wrongs against him have been forgiven as well. But something in his eyes tells me there's more, a lot more to do and say. This is only the tip of the iceberg.

"I also have to say I haven't been honest with everyone, including myself. I've been playing a person who's nothing like who I really am. I've been someone else for ages, but I've never really been me."

"What, you've been Tai for the last…. Oh, who knows how long."

My reward for that particular comment was a death glare that could rival anything my brother could throw out. Whoops, forgot that Davis is a little touchy about being called a Tai doppelganger.

"I'm not Kari's brother, or your brother for that matter. I'm just me. I wish you guys wouldn't compare me to them when I'm not either of them. I'm not going to reach either of their heights; I'll reach my own."

I nod quietly, knowing just how difficult and frustrating it is to be in someone's shadow. I had always been, heck still am, comparing myself to Matt and trying to live up to his standards and not my own. I guess nobody can really be someone else. I couldn't be Matt, and Davis couldn't be Tai, no matter how much everyone, including ourselves tried to force ourselves into those roles. The old saying is true; you can only be yourself.

" There's more isn't there?"

A quick nod from Davis answered that.

"Kari?" Who am I kidding? Of course the Kari factor would be involved somehow.

"Yeah. You know how I feel about her…"

"Who didn't?" Most people didn't know it was real however…

Davis took a deep shuddering breath before continuing, "I love her you know. Almost everyone does. I won't, I can't stop loving her either. I'll love her even after death. She's that special. And I won't apologize for my feelings. You should never say sorry for being in love. That's why I've gotta let go. If I don't, well then it was never love to begin with."

Stop everything! Did I just hear what I thought I did? The image of the drawing wanders into my head. Maybe there was more than one reason why Davis decided to let go and move on…

"You're in love with Ken, aren't you...?" I venture. Now that I think about it, the less crazy it sounds. Some of the looks that they give each other would make anyone wonder if something were up.

"Shocked? I kinda would be if you had something going with…say…Yolei. It isn't the most ordinary pairing in the world…"

"…But it still feels right, and you couldn't care less what anybody else thought, right?" When a small smile curved his lips, I got my answer. And I had no qualms with that. Hey with love, it don't matter whom the other person is, when you fall, you fall. And Davis had fallen hard.

"Does he know? Have you even told him?"

"Somethings are unspoken. I love him and he loves me, and that's all there is to it. Still…"

"Still, if I hurt Kari in anyway, I won't have to worry about Tai, you'll come after me yourself."

Davis gives a half grin and admits, "Gotcha." As I get up to leave, he turns to me and asks, "What's your hurry…?" He quirks an eyebrow and with a tinge of playfulness in his tone, quips, "What? You are getting sick of me already? Come on, it's not like we have school tomorrow."

I swear my mouth hit the floor at that. He wants me to stay? What for?

"Hey, we can pop some corn and watch a movie, or something. You know, buddy stuff. Wait a sec, the game's on!" He gives me an expectant look, his brandy brown eyes twinkling. "It's basketball…"

"Basketball? I'm there!" It's true. I can't resist a game of basketball. I walk back to the couch, while Davis is positively beaming. It's pretty obvious what he's aiming for. A fresh start. He wants our friendship to deepen from screwball rivalry to being close amigos, best buds. He's sincerely honest about it. And I like it. I like it a lot.

As I sit beside him, and he clicks on the game, I see him through different eyes. Eyes maybe a little wiser. Things will never be the same. And I look forward to them.

The End.

Just for anybody who's wondering, nothing going on between Davis and TK except them becoming closer friends. I think this will satisfy both Takari and Davis fans. You can write a Takari after all without creaming the poor guy after all (Personally, non-bash Takari fics turn out better in my opinion). Happy Holidays to Aquarius (Thank you, thank you for my Christmas gift. It's so kawaii!!!), Kyra, Debbie (Dai-chan), Charbonne, Silver, Lady Kido, ~Lys~, kale, Aynslesa, Cynthia, and everybody else in Fanfiction Net.

My warmest wishes for the season. May you and yours be happy,

ShannonL.