Hi. I'm iLike80sRock and I'll be your author for today.
I just have a couple things to clear up.
1. I'm sorry for any canon errors. It's not meant to be canon past the MaloMyotismon fight anyways.
2. It's a little OOC, but that is intentional and will be explained eventually.
Now that we're done with that, I'd like you to enjoy!
Kari
It's been four years since the Digidestined has been together in one place.
Tai and Matt have an apartment together a couple blocks from our parents' apartment. Tai went to school to be a physical education teacher, so he could "share his love of sports", and Matt is still doing the starving artist thing.
Sora is rising in the professional tennis ranks, and she lives in a big fancy penthouse. Tai and Matt regularly have fights over her, but at the moment she's dating Tai.
Izzy is in his 7th year of college, having switched majors a semester before graduation, because he found one of his electives "extremely stimulating in an interesting way." He's been trying to develop ways to make travel to the digital world easier.
Mimi made it big on a modeling gig and got into acting. She's currently making some movie about vampires that sparkle or something.
Joe finally finished med-school and is now officially the doctor he's always wanted to be. He's practicing in a hospital near the center of Tokyo.
T.K. is... well, he's trying to be an author. He has tried writing all kinds of fiction, and refuses to write a memoir, even though it probably would sell ridiculously well. He's done some things that are less than agreeable, and he quickly became a hermit that no one can or wants to talk to.
Davis is a "high level" pizza delivery man. He's saving up money to start his noodle stand that he so desperately wanted to run.
Ken runs a game development company out of his home in Tokyo. His parents were in a car accident that left them physically disabled, so he takes care of them as well.
Yolei is done with college, having gone to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as Izzy did. She's just got licensing tests to take then she'll to be qualified to work in governmental-level network setup and maintenance.
Cody is in law school, with some of the highest grades in his class. He finally got taller, which surprised all of us. He's still just as polite and proper as he always was.
We've separated mostly because of the lack of our digimon. We sent them back to the digital world so they could watch over it and protect it. Unless something really bad happens, we can go about our lives as normal. Last I heard, even Willis's digimon went back to the digital world. Tai and Matt still have Koromon and Tsunomon in our world, though.
I have a feeling that the relative peace we've been experiencing won't last much longer, and we'll band together once again. I hope so.
I closed my journal and put it back underneath my mattress. My mind kept going, thinking about my old friends.
Mimi couldn't come to the digital world even if she wanted to. Not without coming to one of us with a D-3. Cody and Joe are so busy that they probably couldn't spare the time anyways.
I closed my eyes and leaned against the nearest wall.
Who am I kidding? It's me that doesn't have time for them. They probably meet every chance they get. I'm the one avoiding them. And it's all...
I was brought back to reality by the front door of my apartment opening. My heart started racing.
"Kari?" I instantly calmed down when I realised it was just Max. "Kari, are you here?"
I stepped out of my bedroom to almost literally run into him. "Oh! Hi." I squeaked.
He looked at me with an eyebrow raised. "Did you just get out of bed? It's almost five at night."
"I worked until four then didn't get to sleep till almost seven. Don't talk to me about sleeping late." I rolled my eyes. "So, what are you doing today... er, tonight?"
"I was thinking about getting a movie. We haven't seen that new one your friend was in yet." He put his hands in his pockets. "That's only if you want to, of course."
"That'd be fine. First things first, though. I need some coffee." He crinkled his nose.
"Well, I'll go grab that while you're making your nasty death-beverage." He started to walk towards the door, his face having a look of disgust on it. I just stuck my tongue out at him as he exited the apartment.
I got the coffee started without even thinking. While I waited, I picked up the phone, dialing my mother's number.
Three rings later I heard Tai's voice. "Kamiya residence. Hello?"
"Tai, what are you doing home?" I asked before I thought about it.
"Kari, is that you?" His voice cracked just like it always did. "Are you alright?
"Yeah. I needed to talk to someone from home. I feel so cut off here." I sighed. It was true. Other than the few times a year when Mimi was home, I didn't get to see anyone from my past.
"Do you want me to come visit? I can take a couple days off and fly there. I bet Sora would come too, since it's the offseason."
"No, that's not necessary. I'm fine."
"Are you sure? I'm sure you miss us as much as we miss you." His voice got really quiet.
"I'm fine with you coming, just don't do it out of some sense of obligation. I would love to see you guys."
"I'll talk to Sora about it. So, why did you call? Just needed to talk?"
"Yeah, I wanted to talk to Mom. Is she there?"
"No, her and dad went to visit Grandma overnight. I'm just here feeding Miko."
"Alright. Can you give me Sora's number? And yours? I don't have anyone's except T.K.'s, and I really don't want to talk to him."
He hesitated upon hearing TK's name, but eventually responded. "Sure. We just got a new one because some girl was stalking Matt. She called at 4 AM last week asking for 'her sweet Yamato'. I got it changed the next day."
He read off the numbers, with me scribbling them on the notepad I kept by the phone.
"Listen, I need to go. I'm supposed to be meeting Sora for dinner in a few minutes. Promise you'll call me?"
"I promise, Tai. Oh, can you leave a note for Mom that I called?"
"Sure, Kari. I have to go. Call me sometime. Love you."
"Love you too, big brother. Tell everyone I said hi." I heard the phone click and I hung up. I chuckled, wondering how much that call would have costed if I didn't have free calling to Japan. I smiled and drank a bit of my coffee, leaning against the counter.
The door opened, startling me. I almost dropped my coffee, jumping to see Max standing in the doorway with a DVD case in his hand.
"Are you alright?"
I sighed. "Yeah, you just startled me. I'm fine." I smiled. "Better than fine, actually. I just got to talk to my big brother."
He put down the DVD and came around the counter, wrapping his arm around me. I took a large drink of my coffee while he made a face.
"We should take a trip over sometime. I've wanted to go to Japan ever since I took Japanese in college." He chuckled. "That is if you think we've been together long enough for me to meet your parents..." He trailed off.
I smiled at him. "Of course we have. It's almost been a year now." I pulled away to put my now-empty mug away.
Not like you ever let him know you, Kari. My thoughts nagged me. I brushed it off, not wanting Max to worry about me.
"Let's put that movie in!" I suggested. Max agreed with me, and I made some popcorn while he set up the tv. My mind was racing. You need to tell him about your past. I ignored it, putting the popcorn into bowls.
"I'm ready when you are, dear." Max said from the couch. I grabbed a couple sodas from the fridge and walked over to the couch, delivering everything like I would drinks at work. I got curled up to Max and he hit play.
"What is this movie about anyways? I just know it has Mimi in it." I said.
"It's some re-hash of a fairy tale that adds all kinds of action. Standard Hollywood 'Let's use an old story and change it a little! That'll wow the audiences!'." He shuddered. "Did you see the movie with the blue people and the helicopters and stuff?"
"Yeah, I thought it was pretty good." I raised my eyebrow.
"It's a remake of Pocahontas. Just with some high tech stuff and furries."
"Really? Oh, the previews are over."
"This movie is really making no sense. When did Snow White get an army? I don't remember that in any version of this story."
"Just watch the movie, Max."
The movie ended and like always, Max was asleep and squeezing me like a teddy bear. It was only nine and despite waking up at four, I was tired, so I just moved in closer to Max and allowed myself to drift off to sleep.
I was awoken by something in Max's pocket beeping. He stirred a few minutes later after his phone started buzzing in his pocket.
"Go away..." he muttered.
"Max, wake up." I said. He whined gibberish for a minute before his eyes flicked open. He blinked several times before smiling.
"Hi." He said while grinning goofily. "What time is it?" He asked while he stretched.
Light was coming in the window, so I knew it was early. "I think it's around seven or eight in the morning."
"Oh, wow. We slept all night? I don't even remember the movie ending."
I rolled my eyes. "Do you ever remember the endings of movies?"
He grinned again. "I remember the end of movies most of the time, thank you very much." He crossed his arms and pouted.
I giggled. "I don't see how. You go into hibernation after the first hour."
Before he could respond, something in his pocket beeped again. For some reason, the beeping sounded familiar, but that may have just been because he never changes the sounds on his electronics. He pulled out a flip messager that was basically the updated version of the D-Terminal.
Speaking of, you haven't told him about any of that... That annoying little voice came back.
"Oh, great. I've gotta go to work." He rolled his eyes before getting up. "I was supposed to have today off."
"Why did you get called?" I asked him. He just shrugged.
He grabbed his jacket he always wears and gathered his things. "I'm sorry to rush out, babe." He kissed me lightly before leaving.
I laid back down on the couch. There was no reason that I couldn't try to go back to sleep.
Why does Max always run out like that? I think he might be hiding something from you just like you are from him.
"I don't think so." I answered out loud. "Anyways, I'm not hiding anything from him."
Then why have you never mentioned what happened with you and...
"Stop. I told you that Max would just worry and be super overprotective if we ever meet him."
Whatever. I just hope he's okay when he finds out you've had this whole other life that you've never bothered to tell him about.
"Shut up, you stupid little voice!" I shouted. I got up and went into my bedroom, opening the top drawer of my dresser. I dug out my D-3 and D-Terminal and put them on top. "I'll tell him tomorrow. Will that shut you up, Voice?"
Kari, that's not very nice. I'm only looking out for you.
I laid down in bed, not having to be at work until eight that night. "I know, Voice. I know."
Thank you.
"You're welcome." I mumbled as I fell asleep.