Autocrat:
A/N: I'm trying something VERY different this time. I'm aiming for a better story. Without further ado:
Chapter 1: Pride, Power, Pain:
"Alright, Ken, you go with Yolie, and I'll go with Kari, any objections?" T.K asked, ignoring Davis' upraised hand. "Cool. Let's go."
Kari was both bedazzled and slightly annoyed. She was amazed by the leadership and ability of T.K, but the way he blow Davis off aggravated her. Now, she was glad that she was going to be working with T.K today rather than Kari, but the fact was, it wasn't ONLY Davis he blew off like that.
Over the last few years, T.K had gone from being her idea of the perfect boy: Heroic, persistent, a skilled leader, but most importantly, caring, to being someone who she only could put up with because she held out hope for his redemption.
Not just that, she knew that he felt the same way about her as she felt about him. But he refused to express it. This was probably because he didn't want to risk changing anything in his ever so perfect routine.
"Kari?" He asked, in that gentle, kind tone that she'd learned to hate, because it sounded like the T.K she loved, but wasn't him anymore, "We've got work to do, you probably should pull your head back into the real world."
"Right." She admitted grudgingly, because much as she hated to feed his already hyper-inflated ego, he was right "What are we dealing with today?"
"A bunch of Monochromon have been destroying the homes of Digimon in the area. I expect they're data has been corrupted, so we're going to have to destroy them so that they can come back like they were before." He said.
"Destroy them? Are you sure there is no better way?"
"I'm sure." He said, coldly.
It angered her, the way he said that. He was talking about the death of living things unwaveringly, uncaringly.
"Can you at least TRY to care about them?" She asked, "You're talking about deleting all the memories they've ever had, here."
"Their memory is already gone. There's nothing I can do to help them on that score, so I will do what I can." He said, sounding proud of himself, somehow.
"So what you are saying is: You don't care."
"Damn it, why are you putting words in my mouth, Kari? I do what I can! Am I supposed to cry because I have to save some Digimon?!"
"Yes. You are. Whatever happened to caring, frien-" She said, and then, he cut her off, one of the other new habits that she'd learned to hate with a fiery passion.
"Kari, don't start that again. We don't have the time, and I don't have the patience, for it." T.K said.
"And who made you the king of the god damn universe?" She swore, really angry about, and slightly hurt by, the way she was being treated.
"Kari... Look, we can talk about this later. I'm sorry I upset you." He said, diplomatically. She didn't believe he was actually sorry, and later would be too late, but he managed to be just convincing enough that she ended up letting her feelings get the best of her, as he'd probably known they would.
"Fine. I forgive you." She said, hoping that he recognized that she wasn't really forgiving him, but she was delaying yelling at him until later.
"Thank you." He said in that voice full of that fake kindness which she so hated, "Let's get going."
It didn't take long for them to find the Monochromon, who were stampeding.
"T.K... Are you sure their data has been corrupted?"
"Yes. Come on, Patamon, I need you to Digivolve!"
Patamon... Digivolve to... ANGEMON!
Angemon, Digivolve to… MagnaAngemon!
"MagnaAngemon, destroy them!" T.K yelled, somehow enjoying this.
Kari wanted to be sick, or yell for T.K to stop. But she knew that nothing she could do would help, T.K would just ignore her. Besides, although she was almost sure that he was wrong about the condition of the Digimon, she still held out hope that he might just be right. She hated this blasted love that she felt for him, but she really did love him.
A single tear ran down her cheek. He would claim that it had been heroic, and she knew she wouldn't argue. She was learning to hate the boy that she'd spent so long learning to love, until he'd changed. He'd started changing years ago... He got wrapped up in his own, power, and he'd begun to change. She'd been able to see her love change into this monster, and now, she felt guility.
It was, after all, partly or her fault, or so she was convinced. If she'd told him how she'd felt, she might have been able to convince him that he had been fine the way he was, but now it was too late. Now, he was manipulative, unchangeable, and in control.
Watching MagnaAngemon destroying the Monochromon was terrifying to Kari. She hadn't been this angry at the prideful... Well, to be honest, with the prideful monster he'd become. Ever.
As he walked back, expecting her usual false enthusiasm at his 'brilliant' work, she turned away.
"Kari?" He asked, once again with that fake care in his voice, "What the heck is up with you today?"
"T.K... You're a monster. You've stopped being careing in the slightest... So I took up the slack and tried to care for you even though you'd changed. You've stopped holding out hope for others... So I took up the slack and held out hope that I could redeem you. I give up." She said, looking at the beautiful blonde-haired boy one last time, "Good-bye. You know, I loved you. You used to care about me, too. But the time for feelings is long past. Perhaps by leaving you, I can change you, and someone else can have the boy I dreamed of.
"Kari... Wait. I'm sorry." He said, "I -"
"I don't want to hear you lying about being sorry anymore. As I said, good-bye. The person who was my best friend and who I fell in love with is long gone, replaced with a monster hiding in what was once his skin."
A/N: How was THAT?