Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon but I own this story.
A Whistle and a Kiss Goodbye
Kari sat in the back seat of her parent's car; her head had now been resting on her brother, Tai's shoulder for more than two hours now. Her eyes and cheeks finally dried from all the crying she did. She shifted to be more comfortable; Tai looked down at his sister.
"It's going to be alright Kari. We'll see all of them again, and we'll E-mail and stuff".
"I know but, I couldn't even say goodbye to him or even let him say goodbye me. I just darted out the door and locked myself in the car till we were all ready to go. That was a horrible thing to do. I'm a terrible friend and now he probably hates me."
"He understood it was hard for you and he knows that even if he didn't say goodbye to you in words, he still did say goodbye. He'll miss you and he also knows that you'll miss him." Tai said Comforting his little sister.
"Yeah" Kari said trying to hold back some more tears.
~Earlier that month~
"What! We're MOVING!" The siblings almost said in unison.
"Yes. We're moving to Fukuoka. I got a promotion that requires relocating." Tai and Kari's father said.
"Isn't that absolutely wonderful!?" Their mother said with the brightest smile on her face that the two had ever seen her smile.
"We know it's going to be hard to say goodbye to all your friends and even harder to make new ones but you'll both do just fine…hopefully. And with this promotion means a better home and lifestyle. It's really the best for this family, even though you might not see it that way." Their father said sympathetically.
"You're right we don't!" Tai replied.
"This is so unfair! Why? I don't understand!" Kari said her face full of confusion.
"You will sweetheart. You will." Their mother said comfortingly while wrapping in her daughter in a tight motherly hug.
Two weeks later the siblings had decided that they would give their friends some of their favorite things so that all of them remembered the two of them.
Tai and Kari had given all their friends their gifts at the going away party that Mimi and the others planned except Kari hadn't given T.K. his gift.
"What do you think I should give him?" Kari asked her brother as they were packing up the last of their clothes. "It has to be special, since we are best friends after all."
"Well something that is really special to you. And think about that this might be the last time you'll see him for a while." Her brother said winking as he finished packing his suitcase.
"What was the wink for? And thanks for reminding about not seeing any of them for long time thing. You're not helping!" Kari said leaving the room and bringing her suitcase to the living room.
"Sorry. And you know what I mean." Her brother said as he set his suitcase down next to hers. "Think about it."
That night Kari sat wake thinking about what give T.K. She got up awaking her gentle cat-like digimon. The digimon looked at her and went back to sleep. Kari paced up and down. She went and looked though her bag of the stuff that was too important to pack in boxes. Not much was left since she'd given some of the things to her friends.
She dumped all of it out and sorted through it. Her digital camera, her Digivice, D-Terminal, her favorite camp whistle that she wore all the time as a kid, and some smaller items that wouldn't have made very good gifts. She looked at the whistle.
It's perfect! And I think I might give him something else too. She thought to herself with a smile.
Tai was right. At some points he's right and sometimes he's clueless. Like things involving Sora. Kari laughed at her thoughts.
Except for he did give her his favorite pair of goggles that he wore in our first adventure in the Digital World. He bought a new pair afterwards as to keep those ones special and ended up giving the new ones to Davis.
She smiled as put the whistle on and climbed into bed.
The next day Kari sat on the couch listening to the movers carry boxes out from the hall and into the truck. Good thing for her, the furniture was being moved last and all the boxes weren't in the living room. She tried to think of what to say to T.K. but she didn't get very far into her planning when she heard a very familiar voice.
"Hey Kari, how are doing?" A tall blonde boy with cobalt blue eyes stood in the doorway. He smiled at her. His smile almost made her nervous.
"Hey, come, I have something to give you. You know how Tai and I are giving all of you gifts so all of you always remember us?"
"Yeah and I told I don't need a gift to remember you Kari you're my best friend. I'll never forget you." He said smiling. His smile added to those words made Kari blush a little.
"Well I'm still giving you this gift. So close your eyes and hold out your hands." T.K. did as his best friend asked. Kari held the little silver whistle with the pink string close. Tears had started to form in eyes. She held them back. She kissed the whistle just before placing it gently in the boy's hands. T.K. opened his eyes and held the whistle in surprise.
"This is what you're giving me Kari?" T.K. said surprised that his friend had given him one of her most favorite things. "Your favorite whistle."
"Not just that." Kari said embarrassed at what she was about to do. She could feel the tears start to fall as she kissed the boy for the first time and ever so gently on the lips. Then as soon as T.K. had registered the kiss, Kari pulled away. She darted up from the couch and sprinted towards the stairs. He stood to try and catch her but by the time he got into the hall he heard her door slam shut.
"So?" Tai walked up behind the blonde placing a hand on his shoulder, noticing the pink string hanging from his clenched fist. "Did she give you your gift?"
"Yeah…yeah she did. And then she ran out and straight up to her room." The blonde said as he thought about what had happened when Kari had kissed him, blushing.
"So…was all she gave you was the whistle or did she…you know…kiss you?" Tai asked trying not to turn the conversation awkward. The two boys stood there in silence. T.K. was looking at the whistle still shocked over it all and Tai was just standing there, awkwardly unaware of what to do. Until finally T.K. looked up from the whistle and nodded.
"Yeah she kissed me but I'm still surprised she did. I can't even figure out why she gave me this whistle."
"Well she wanted to give you something really special, something memorable. You're more than just her best friend T.K. she needed to do this; before it was too late. The whistle is memorable because it's whistle from camp, where she first met you. It's probably the most important thing she owns, other than her Digivice and D-Terminal. And she'll need that digital camera."
"Yeah, but I don't need a gift. I mean no matter what I'll always remember her. But I am honored that she gave me something this special. Of course I feel bad now because I didn't get her anything. She didn't even let me say goodbye or herself for that matter. She didn't say anything before running off. I mean I guess she said it other ways though."
"Dude! She doesn't need anything to remember you. We told you guys that we didn't want any gifts in return. Trust me she knows that you wanted to say goodbye but she just can't handle that right now. But if you stay for a while she'll have to come out of her room eventually and you can say goodbye then." Tai said with a smile on his face.
"How do you know that she'll come out?" T.K. asked quizzically.
"Because we're leaving an hour or so she will have to come out to get in the car so say goodbye then." Tai responded with a wink before walking away.
"Wait in an hour!? You're leaving in an HOUR!? I thought that you wouldn't be leaving till tomorrow or at least not till a lot later today." The boy said completely surprised.
"Well you did get here about an hour and a half ago at the least." Tai said turn around to face the boy.
"Really? It's been that long."
"Yep so just chill here and wait till then and then you'll get to say goodbye." Tai turned back around and headed outside, but suddenly stopped swinging around.
"But before I forget; how was that kiss?" Tai asked leaning against the door frame. His tone made seem as if he was demanding an answer.
"Do I really have to tell you?" T.K. asked hoping that Tai was kidding, it was something personal between him and Kari and he was too embarrassed to tell Tai. He then thought about how Tai was bound to tell Matt who would grill him, who would then tell Mimi and her and Sora would grill him and soon the whole group would know.
"No, but It would be nice to know how well my sweet, INNOCENT, LITTLE sister kisses." Tai said with protectiveness in his voice.
T.K. took no note of Tai's protective voice and said that the kiss was short, light and gentle.
Kari had been in her room crying the whole time her tears drenching her pillow.
Why did they have to move? What just happened with her and T.K.? Was he mad at her? Why did she let herself kiss him? Why would she do that now? They were moving. That kind of interfered with any notion of the kiss creating anything between her and T.K. What if it did the opposite? Wht if he hated her now?
She thought all of that and more as she cried but that wasn't the only thing that made her cry, she was mad that she didn't let him say something or even let herself say something but she just could sit there any longer especially after that kiss.
Then all of a sudden the kids heard Mr. Kamiya yell that it was time to go.
"You ready?" Tai asked the boy sitting next to him. The furniture was still to be put away, but the family had to get going if they wanted to get to the airport in time. Kari walked out of her room her bag in her hand she had come down the kitchen stairs and when she walked into the kitchen there she saw T.K. sitting there with Tai. She froze. T.K. and Tai stood up and then Kari darted for the door.
"Kari! Kari, wait! Kari!" The Blonde dashed after her yelling.
Tears were running down her face. She was almost to the door when T.K. had grabbed her wrist. Of course he was faster than her. He did play basketball after all. She swung around to face him. T.K. saw her face full with tears and sadness. Tai walked over to them and saw her face and felt bad for his sister. Then T.K. let go of her wrist.
Kari stood there for a moment, and then quickly hugged her best friend goodbye. T.K. embraced the quick hug and they stood there for a moment till the girl finally pushed away and ran out the door and into the car. Tai heard the car locks click then turned to the blonde boy still standing in the hallway.
"Why didn't you say something!? I mean sure you hugged her, but come on! Why did you say something?! And don't give me that crap about you two having some sort of understanding with each other." Tai questioned miffed by the events.
"Because, didn't you see her face, I couldn't get anything out, and when she hugged me we did have that 'mutual understanding crap'. We said goodbye."
"Well fine, whatever. Are going to be alright? We'll be back soon. I just know it." Tai said trying to lighten the mood.
"Yeah, hey I think Sora's here." The boy said trying to hide his true sadness.
"Cool. And we'll see you later. And if you see Mimi soon tell her that she throughs a great going away party! See you later man!" Tai said saying his last goodbye to T.K. before heading over to Sora to say goodbye to her.
"Yeah, we'll see you both later, much later." T.K. said as he headed for home. He looked at Kari in the car but she had her head down but he could still see tears running down her face. He smiled though because this wasn't goodbye forever they still had the digital world and because he saw Gatomon sleeping in the back window.
"How was it T.K.? Patamon asked flying down from a tree and perched himself on top of his partner's head.
"Good. She gave me her whistle and….something else. We hugged right before she got into the car and that was it. I'll miss her. And Tai, but I'll see them again."
"What was the other thing she gave you?" Patamon asked his partner. T.K. shook his head. "Come on T.K. I won't tell."
"Later." The boy said as he sadly watched is friend and her family, drive away.
Kari rested her head on her brother's shoulder, and fell asleep. She woke up and looked at the clock. She had been asleep for two hours now. She shifted to be more comfortable; Tai looked down at his sister.
"It's going to be alright Kari. We'll see all of them again, and we'll E-mail and stuff".
"I know but, I couldn't even say goodbye to him or even let him say goodbye me. I just darted out the door and locked myself in the car till we were all ready to go. That was a horrible thing to do. I'm a terrible friend and now he probably hates me."
"He understood it was hard for you and he knows that even if he didn't say goodbye to you in words, he still did say goodbye. He'll miss you and he also knows that you'll miss him." Tai said Comforting his little sister.
"Yeah" Kari said trying to hold back some more tears.
"Is everything okay back there?" their mother asked quizzically. "Kari, are you alright?"
"She's ok. She's just sad about leaving." Her brother answered for her.
"Thank You. I love Tai." Kari quietly whispered to her brother.
"I love you too Kari and everything's going to be alright. But what are you thanking me for?" Tai whispered back but it was too late Kari had already fallen back asleep. They both knew that they would see their friends soon, because they were DigiDestined.
