This is my first fic ever! Hope you enjoy it. I appreciate any and all honest feedback!
Disclaimer: As much as it pains me to say, I don't own Digimon
It had been two weeks since MaloMyotismon had been defeated. The Digital World was being restored from Oikawa's soul, and all throughout the land, Digimon were rejoicing that peace had once again returned. Every day, new celebrations would erupt when lost friends returned, families were reunited and homes were rebuilt. But the largest celebrations came whenever one of the DigiDestined was spotted. Everywhere the heroes and their partners went, they were hailed as saviours, and they paid back the Digimon's generosity in kind, helping rebuild anyway they could. It seemed that everyone was as happy as they could be.
But there was one person, who couldn't seem to figure her feelings out.
Kari was walking through a small grove near Rail Town. She had come to the Digital World in the hopes of finding some peace and quiet. Things had somehow become even more hectic back in the real world for her, despite everything finally being resolved. Davis was flirting with her almost twice as much as usual, Yolei's obsession with Ken had resurfaced, and Tai had enlisted her help in organising all the DigiDestined in their rebuilding efforts. She couldn't take it anymore, she just had to take some time to figure out what she was feeling without any interruptions.
I just don't know why I'm feeling this way, she thought to herself. We've finally attained some form of peace, but I just can't be happy about it. I never wanted to keep fighting, but now, everything and everyone seems to be changing. But I'm not! I don't want everyone to go on with their lives and forget about me, now that I'm no longer needed!
She reached a small hill and began to climb it. She reached the top, panting slightly and looked at her surroundings. Directly beneath her, Rail Town was humming with noise and life. She could see large groups of Digimon building new structures all over the town. She even noticed Digmon helping down below, meaning Cody was there as well. She hoped that he wouldn't notice Gatomon in the village. Kari had asked her to make sure no one knew she was here but if Cody saw her, he'd likely come looking.
Kari sat down slowly, pulling her knees close to chest. She closed her eyes and thought about everything that had happened in her life. From the time she was barely a child, her life had revolved around protecting two worlds. And as terrifying and hard as that experience had been, it had been so good to her in so many ways. She had not only made the most amazing friends but also had the best possible friend in the world. She had grown stronger each day. She had learnt more than she ever thought possible. But most importantly, she had been needed. She had a purpose.
With everything changing though, what purpose do I have left? No one really needs me now. Slowly, I'll be forgotten and I'll be all alone. Just like right now. All alone. Kari tried hard not to cry as she thought this, she hung her head and didn't notice the soft footsteps approaching her from behind.
"Looks like I'm not the only one who needed to take a break from everything."
Kari turned her head and saw T.K. standing behind her. He gave her a big smile and she couldn't help but smile back. She patted the ground, inviting him to join her, and he settled down next to her.
"You always seem to be able to find me wherever I go T.K." Kari said.
"I swear, this time, it wasn't intentional. I just had to get out of the apartment. Mom's been driving me crazy. She's been asked to do a story on the Digital World so she's been interviewing me non-stop." He told her.
"Why doesn't she ask Matt about it? Or any of us for that matter?"
T.K. rolled his eyes, "She doesn't want to disturb Matt too much right now because she doesn't want him to think she's trying to pry into his relationship with Sora. As for the others, she's talked to Yolei and Cody a bit whenever she's had a chance, but apparently they haven't been spending much time at home."
"Yeah I know. Yolei spends half her time with Ken, and the other half with me, talking about Ken. And I think Cody just keeps coming back here to help. I know he's here right now, Digmon's down in the village." Kari responded.
"That's one of the reasons I came this way. He sent me a message telling me where he was going to be, if I made it out. I was going to give him a hand but once I got here, I just felt like taking some time alone to think. So I just sent Patamon to help, and to tell him I couldn't make it."
Kari smiled, "Well I hope Patamon doesn't run into Gatomon. Otherwise our cover will be blown!"
"Well we should be safe then, because we both know that our Digimon are just masters at keeping secrets."
The two of them burst out laughing at this. The thought of their Digimon trying to keep a secret was too much to handle. After a few minutes, they calmed down enough to continue talking.
"I'm glad that you're laughing," T.K. said, "When I saw you it looked like you were pretty upset about something."
The smile slid off of Kari's face, as she once again thought about everything that was happening. She turned away from T.K. and once again tried to hold back tears.
Smooth move idiot, T.K. thought to himself. He moved closer to Kari and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I was just worried. But you know you can tell me what's wrong. You can tell me anything."
Kari turned to her left to look at T.K. He had a look of shame on his face that upset her. She didn't want him feeling bad. It wasn't his fault that she was upset, but she still wasn't sure if she wanted to talk about it. However, as she stared into his clear blue eyes, she felt warm, and instantly knew that if she was going to get through this, then she would need T.K.'s help.
"I just feel, well, lost right now," she said softly, "Everything is changing so quickly. I mean, I'm happy that we finally have peace but I just don't know what else I can do anymore. I don't think there's anything I can do."
"What are you talking about? Of course there are things you can do! We've got dozens of DigiDestined all over the world and we're all helping out however we can! And if trouble ever comes back, we can all deal with it together!" T.K. exclaimed.
"But that's exactly what I mean," Kari told him, as she began shaking, "Now that we've connected with everyone across the world, why would I be needed? I'm definitely not the strongest, or smartest one and half the time I feel like I don't belong when I'm with you, Tai and the others. Now that we've met everyone else, I just know I'll be completely out of place! Soon enough, everyone will just forget about me and I'll be all alone."
T.K. pulled Kari to him and embraced her.
"Kari, don't ever think like that. Don't ever for a second think you'll be alone. Do you think that Davis will ever get over you? Or that Yolei will ever be able to go more than a day without needing an update about you?"
Kari closed her eyes as a small smile came to her lips.
"What about Sora? Or Matt? Or any of the others? Do you think they could forget about you, when you were such an important part of their lives? What about Tai? You can't believe that your own brother who cares for you almost too much would ever abandon you!"
Kari stopped shaking, and T.K. strengthened his hold on her, as he spoke with a much more serious tone.
"And what about me? I will never, EVER forget about you. I could never forget my best friend. Every day I go without seeing you, I just go crazy. Before I moved back to Odaiba I would talk about you with my friends constantly. When my mom told me we'd be coming back, it was the happiest I had ever felt. That is until I saw you in class on the first day of school. Seeing you again after so long was the best moment of my life."
T.K. lifted up Kari's face, so that they were gazing into each other's eyes.
"So don't ever again think that you'll ever be forgotten about. As long as I'm around, that's just plain impossible."
Kari smiled, and wrapped her arms around T.K., hugging him.
"Thanks T.K." she said, her chin resting on his shoulder. T.K. smiled, and squeezed a little harder, before they broke apart. They once again got comfortable sitting on the grass, not realising that T.K.'s hand was resting gently on Kari's.
They were quiet for a while, simply enjoying each other's company. Kari was glad that T.K. had been able to relieve her fears about being alone. But slowly, she started to think about the other thing that had been bothering her. T.K. noticed that she once again looked upset.
"Don't tell me that I didn't do my job properly," he said nervously.
"No, you did. I know I'm not alone, but I still feel lost. I still don't know what my purpose is in life."
T.K. started to laugh, "Kari, we're thirteen! There's no reason to worry about that right now!"
"But we've had a purpose since we were eight! Since we were four really! It's just hard to see what else there might be for us."
They were quiet for a moment before T.K. answered her.
"That's one of the great things about life Kari. We have no idea what might happen tomorrow. Maybe we'll fight another evil Digimon. Or we'll watch Davis' team finally win a game of soccer. Or maybe we'll just all go to school just like every other day. What's important is how we spend the free time we have, doing something that makes us happy. If we're doing that, then eventually we'll all find a larger purpose."
They found themselves looking into each other's eyes once again, and Kari smiled.
I've never met anyone like him. I doubt there's anyone else quite like him in the whole world. He always knows just what to say. She thought to herself
"So what do you suggest we do until we figure out our larger purpose?" Kari asked him.
"Well, we've got a bunch of new friends. I want to take some time and get to know them all. It'd be really cool to do some extra travelling too. Maybe spend some time in Australia with Derek, go back to New York to see Mimi and Michael, or-"
"Or go back to France to see Catherine?" Kari interrupted.
"WHAT? NO! I mean yes! I mean- NOT LIKE THAT!" T.K. yelled as he blushed furiously.
Kari smirked, "I dunno T.K. she's really pretty. And Tai told me how you acted when you first saw her tied up."
"Well, yeah she's cute but that doesn't mean anything!" T.K. glowered, his face still red.
"It's alright T.K. I don't think I've met a boy who wouldn't be interested in a pretty French girl," Kari said with a twinge of jealousy.
"Well to be honest, I don't think there's any reason to chase after Catherine. Especially not when there's someone closer to home," T.K. mumbled, avoiding Kari's gaze.
Kari looked at T.K. curiously. Does he have a crush on someone that he hasn't told me about?
T.K. turned to find Kari staring at him, noticing the curiosity in her eyes. He finally realised that his hand was on hers, and slowly, he slid his fingers in between hers. He gripped her hand tightly. It's time. He thought to himself.
"Kari, I know this is silly to even ask, but do you remember the day you went to the Dark Ocean?" T.K. asked softly.
Kari winced slightly and nodded.
"Do you remember what I said to you? Before you went there?" He continued.
"Of course I do," Kari replied smiling, "you said 'I care too much about you to let anyone take you without a fight' I think about it a lot."
"Well, I meant that."
"I know you did silly," Kari replied confused.
"No I mean, I really meant that," T.K. said, taking her other hand as well.
"You're so much more than just my best friend. You're the best part of my life. More than my parents, more than Matt, even more than Patamon. I'd do anything for you. I'd travel across the world if it meant I could see you smile."
Kari blushed. "That's not saying much when we can go to two different worlds," she said softly.
"I'm serious Kari. You mean everything to me."
She looked deep into his brilliant blue eyes, and felt warm again.
"I didn't want to hope that you felt the same way I did. I couldn't stand the idea of not having you in my life if I ever said anything," she whispered.
"There's no one else it could ever possibly be. There's no one more beautiful. No one more kind. No one more loving than you. You're perfect."
"Oh T.K."
She closed her eyes as they both leaned in, and their lips met.
After a few moments, they slowly pulled away from each other, both smiling more brightly than they had ever thought possible. They gazed into each other's eyes for a minute before T.K. began to talk again.
"Kari, I-"
But Kari put a finger to his lips stopping him. She wanted to say it first.
"I love you T.K."
"I love you to Kari."
He pulled her into his embrace as they laid down on the grass. They stayed like that for a long time, not needing to say anything. Just loving each other with their mere presence, and being happy with each other.
Kari smiled, thinking how foolish she had been earlier. As long as she had T.K. she would always be happy, because he would do whatever it took to make her smile. And she realised she would always have a purpose in life.
To make T.K. as happy as he makes me.