"Because I had to reassure him." Kari said simply, "Don't feel bad Ken, I didn't mean anything by it."
"It seemed like you did. I obviously know that you did mean something by it."
"Why should you be so concerned anyway?" Kari said, "Everybody knows how much TK and I like each other. Besides, we're only friends. Do you want to go to the river right now? And, maybe, we could actually grab some coffee. I'm feeling a little tired, and I could use a good pick-me-up."
"Is there actually a coffee stand around here, or was that just a ruse to get TK and Matt off of your back?"
"There is a coffee shop down the way. Would you like a cappuccino?"
"Perhaps some hot chocolate instead. I'm rather fond of it. It's comforting, I find."
"Then I'll join you." Kari said quietly. "And then we can go down to the river, and grab a park bench or something."
"We sure seem to do a lot of sitting around." Ken replied, and Kari grinned in return.
"Sitting is a lot more comfortable then just trudging around the city. You can still go back to your apartment, though."
The walked to the coffee shop and each got each other some hot chocolate. Kari blew on her beverage, and Ken followed suit, untying his gray scarf in the process. They found their way to the banks of the river in no time, and they both sat down on a lone park bench, feeling the gentle breeze blowing against their faces.
"Kari," Ken began, "I want to talk to you about something."
Kari inclined her head gently, sipping on her hot chocolate.
"What is it, Ken?"
Ken laid down his own drink so that Wormmon could finish it, and then began with a long sigh.
"Just tell me about everything between you and TK." He said shortly.
Kari gave him a quizzical look, and then closed her eyes thoughtfully. She felt TK's warmth and kindness seep through her, even though she was only recalling all of those distant, though ever-nagging, memories.
"Well, I suppose that I began to really get close to him long before you came, Ken." She said. "Other than that, there's really not much to tell. Why do you ask?"
"I'm just curious." Ken admitted, backing off when he sensed that this type of thing was out-of-bounds. Wormmon crawled into his lap, and began to doze off.
"Ken," he asked sleepily, "When can we go home? I'm awfully tired."
"Soon, pal." Ken said kindly, stroking Wormmon's antennae. He turned to Kari. "I'm sure that Gatomon must be pretty tired too."
Indeed it was so, as Gatomon had reverted to her rookie form, Salamon, and was sleeping at Kari's feet. Kari picked the Digimon up gently, and rocked her back and forth in her arms.
"I think it might be best if I leave now." Kari said slowly.
"Do you want me to drop you off?" Ken asked, unsure of himself.
"No, it's okay. I don't want you wasting your money on bus fares. Besides, it won't take me more than a minute to get home. I hope that you had a nice night, I sure did."
"You really mean it?" Ken asked hopefully, "I know that some things were a bit awkward, and that run-in with TK was kind of annoying, but I did enjoy the rest of it."
"Yes, Ken." She said sweetly. "I really do mean it. You're a very nice kid, and I…" her speech stopped short, and she looked at her shoes. "Well, I guess we're both a little embarrassed."
"Yeah," Ken said, "I mean, who are we fooling? This has got to have been a date."
"Well, maybe." Kari agreed. "I did enjoy it Ken, really I did."
"Do you want to do something tomorrow?" Ken asked.
"Well, I suppose that if the Digital Gate is open, then it would be best for us to get Gatomon and Wormmon back to the Digital World so that they can replenish their energy. Do you want me to make sure that it fits into everyone else's schedule?"
Ken caught himself mid-nod, and then stared at the sleeping Wormmon for some time.
"Is it alright if its just us?" he asked quietly, "I mean…Kari…I really like hanging out with you."
"I do too, Ken." She said slowly. She felt something strange creep up in her stomach, and it gave her a sudden spasm of excitement. Were the butterflies invading her the same way they did with TK?
Ken gave Kari another smile, and then bowed respectfully.
"I should let you get going." He said. "So, tomorrow it is then?"
"Yes. We can open a Digital Gate from your lap-top, if you like."
"That would work perfectly," Ken said, and turned to leave.
Ken continued to walk down to the bus stop, and a plethora of thoughts were circling his brain. Kari made him feel warm inside, like he had had too much hot chocolate to drink. He considered this analogy for a moment, and then concluded that it had been the hot chocolate, even though he knew that he was kidding himself. There was nothing that he would like to do better than take Kari to the Digital World, if only for a short period of time. Providing that the others didn't tag along, it would give him a chance to express his feelings to her, and perhaps talk over their anxieties. The bus rolled into view, and he snapped out of his reverie and boarded it, depositing a small amount of change to cover his bus fare. The driver looked suspiciously at Wormmon, and Ken immediately confronted him.
"It's just my pet." He said shortly, "I would think that domesticated animals would be allowed on city transit."
"Sorry," the driver said almost absent-mindedly. "It's just such a peculiar animal that I can't help but be a little wary of it."
"That's okay," Ken said cheerfully, and went to sit in the back of the bus.
Kari, too, was anxious to return home. Salamon , having been walking on all fours for the past few blocks, jumped onto her shoulders and draped herself around them.
"You look concerned, Kari. Is it about Ken?"
"Yeah," Kari said slowly, "You see Salamon, I need to explain something to you. I get this wonderful feeling when I'm around TK, you know, when you feel happy and care-free, and you think that you are the luckiest person in the world. You get this tingly feeling in your shoes, and then it moves up your body, every time that person speaks to you. Well, now its starting to happen with Ken, very slowly, mind you. I only think that the tingling rose to my calves, but I still am concerned about it. I mean, I thought I only had feelings for TK."
"You can like Ken if you want to, Kari." Salamon said sagely. "There's no one around saying that you can't."
"Well, not yet anyway. I have been thinking a lot about TK's reaction, as well as my brother's. Tai was pretty good about it, but there was an edginess to his voice that I didn't like. TK, meanwhile, nearly bit my head off when I told him. And Matt's comment did make me nervous. I mean, how will Davis react to the whole thing? I don't want to see Ken get hurt, emotionally or physically."
"Ken's a strong kid. He can take care of himself. He did put an end to his Digimon Emperor days. That proves he has enough strength of character to see himself through anything. I'm sure Davis' whining, of all things, won't get the best of him."
"I'm not so sure. I just really don't want either of us getting hurt. Also, what about Yolei's reaction? I shudder to think about that. She has liked Ken from the start, and that makes me worried. What if she gets so angry at me that neither you or Hawkmon can DNA digivolve?"
"I highly doubt that that's going to happen. It's pretty much an unbreakable bond." Salamon said reassuringly.
"I don't know," Kari replied, entering the apartment, and kicking slush off of her boots.