One-Off: Petty Bickering:

A/N:: I found this piece on an old USB drive. I decided to finish it and then put it up. If you like you what you read, you can always favorite me or put me on your alerts list, that way you'll know when I publish a new chapter or story.

T.K's POV:

I threw my notebook across the floor. Nothing had been quite right in a long time, but things had been getting steadily worse. I hadn't seen Kari in four days, since Winter Break had begun, and somehow that felt so wrong. I'd fought with her so much over the past few months, and we'd slowly drifted apart. She didn't like my newest friends, they took too many risks, in her opinion. That was alright, I didn't like her newest friends either, they were geeks, and not just that, they were SO self-righteous.

It had been a stupid reason to allow myself to drift so far away from my best friend, especially since I'd liked her as much more than a best friend. We currently weren't speaking to one another, and while I had been at least SEEING her at school over the week before, when the quarrel had started, now I was not, since school wasn't in session for about two weeks, or ten more days now. Of course, I'd done plenty of stupid things in his life , but this had to have been one of the stupidest.

But there wasn't much I could do, if there was anything at all.

"I can't get anything done like this. I have to get out for a bit." I muttered to myself.

Kari's POV:

I was trying not to think of T.K. He had become my obsession in the time that we'd been apart, and I was almost certain that it was unhealthy. Try as I might, though, I couldn't keep his blue eyes out of my head.

I need to get outside and get some fresh air. This can't be healthy. I thought.

T.K's POV:

I was just getting outside, wearing a jacket to protect against the cold of the winter evening. I really had no where to go that would distract me from my thoughts of her, so I went where I always did when something went wrong: my old Junior High school.

The place was full of good memories. The basketball court had been witness to my many victories and defeats, including the several times I'd absolutely crushed Davis' team after Davis had arrogantly believed he could beat me. The beach itself almost seemed to remember my victory over the Dark Ocean alongside Kari. The classrooms were reminders of a time when homework had been easier, and when I'd always have someone to ask about the problems, and 'someone' almost always meant 'Kari'. Of her and Davis, I could actually stand her, and she actually understood the homework.

But if the school abounded with memories of my Junior High School years, then the computer lab was a manifestation of the good times of my Junior High School years. There had been by far my most common entry point into the Digital World, and while I had once or twice entered through other computers, and once through a realm of dreams, it felt almost like being in the digital world again when I sat in the computer room.

As I arrived, though, I didn't feel any happier. I still couldn't stop thinking about the girl. Because this place was just as much seeped in memories of her as it was seeped in memories of the digital world and of a better time.

I walked up into the computer lab. This place was just as bad as anywhere else, perhaps worse. I could have sworn I heard footsteps.

Must be wishful thinking I thought as the footsteps tailed off. I wasn't really supposed to be here, but nobody every actually checked up on the place anyway. There were few people who would show up here, and it clearly wasn't Davis, he was far more headstrong and would have just ran up to the room. Cody was... a bit too much of a goody two-shoes to sneak into a place he wasn't supposed to be on his own, and Ken or Yolie would have just come through the digital world to get here... they would have somehow had the means.

So if there was someone here, it had to be Kari. I knew that if she really was here, she was bound here anyway, so I stayed where I was listening hopefully. Sure, she'd probably just walk off when she saw me, but I needed to see her face. In the time we'd been apart, my crush on her had evolved into a passionate obsession.

I heard the footsteps again. It was her, I was certain of that. At long last the door to the lab opened.

"T.K?" She asked, looking and sounded excited.

"Kari!" I said, thrilled that she seemed so thrilled to see me.

Having now greeted one another, neither of us was quite sure of what to say. An awkward pause followed as each of us tried to think of something to say. Finally, I broke the silence, asking,

"We're on speaking terms again, right?"

"Yeah." She replied.

Another awkward pause ensued as the two of us, now friends again tried to decide what to say next. This time, she broke the silence.

"T.K... I... I like you." Kari said, blushing.

"I like you, too." I said, smiling.

She sat down next to me, and then asked, "You know I mean as more than just a friend, right?"

"Of course." I said, and smiled, "I assume I'm forgiven for everything?"

"Hardly." She said with a wry smile, "I'm assume I'm forgiven?"

"Not until you accept who I am." I said, and then smiled, "How can you like me, if you don't even admit that I am who I am?"

"You ARE who are... I'm just concerned that your 'friends' are going to get you in serious trouble."

"I know better than that, Kari. But these people are accepting. I can be who I am. Your friends, by contrast, are too uptight."

"Hmph. I think they are good people."

"I'm sure they are. They just are too serious. I mean, why would you take life that seriously, if you are just going to die, anyway?"

"I don't know." She admitted.

"If I forgive you, will you forgive me?"

"Sure."

I kissed her on the cheek, "I'm glad, I don't like being angry at you."

She smiled, "I don't like being angry at you, either."

She threw her arms around me, and I embraced her back.

"T.K... Promise never to stop speaking with me again?"

"I promise. Will you do the same?"

"I promise." I said.

"You'll call me tomorrow, right?" She asked.

"Of course." I said.

"Then I have to go." She said, "My parents might be worried if I stay out too late."

"Yeah... I'll spend every moment thinking about you." I said as the embrace broke and we stood up.

"Same." She said, and then began to walk away.