AN: I feel so bad/cries/ I was re-reading my reviews, and I suddenly noticed that I've been badly neglecting this story! And I only had an excuse for two days! I'm so lazy… /sighs/

Review Replies!

Keiko13: Yes! You have finally read this story! (Don't glare at me; it's the truth!) Tell me what clichés you see, okay? I have a hard time finding them in my own work. Don't know why… Anyway, I'm glad you decided to keep up with this, and I'm really glad you added this to your fave's.

Dragon and Sword Master: Yes, I've updated. I'm glad you found this again. Did putting that I used to be Nazi Hater in the summary help? Because most of my old reviewers found this again after I put that up. /cheers/

Kay: Yes, we've made contact! Will Sora remember Kari once she gets back to Japan, though? I'm glad you found this again.

Taeniaea: I have updated! Glad you like this!

Chapter Six

Sora was bored of sitting.

She and her family had gotten on a plane, upon which she couldn't move around, and then, once they were back in Japan, had climbed into their car and headed home.

Glad that she didn't get carsick, the redhead pulled out the one book she hadn't read yet, bored out of her mind.

Her first act back home, once unpacked, was to race over to see Taichi and be best friends again.

His first words were apology for throwing up in her hat. Once she spoke her forgiveness, he wanted to know everything about America. However, when Sora tried to describe Hikari, she was unable to. Nor could she remember the girl's last name. Tai was sad about that, but quickly perked up when she mentioned the pools and soccer games she'd been to.

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Gennai was glaring at the glowing device in his hand, which refused to cross between worlds.

Scowling, he repeated the spell for the umpteenth time. The digivice in his hands grew brighter and brighter, but then the light suddenly died.

"Damn," he hissed, throwing the digivice into a nearby wall. The small thing broke on contact. "Why won't it work?" He was trying to send Kari's digivice to her early, considering that she'd already been to the Digital World.

"Perhaps she already has one," a voice calmly stated from nearby. "It would explain how she was brought here, and the fact that your spell refuses to work."

"True," the old man sighed. Then he turned to his visitor. "I hope I haven't bored you with my inattention."

"Not at all," the digimon replied. "Quite the contrary. But you must excuse me. I need to visit an old friend." Then the digimon summoned his staff, tipped with a sun, and slashed it through the air. There was a shimmering where the staff had passed through the air. "Goodbye, Gennai," he spoke, jumping through the portal."Goodbye, Wizardmon," Gennai sighed as the portal rolled in on itself and vanished.

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"Gatomon!" a child's voice called. "Gato! Where'd you go this time?" Kari was again wandering around the orphanage, but this time met up with three other children.

"Wanna play?" one of the blond boys asked, gesturing to the soccer ball at his feet.

"I'm not very good…" Hikari hesitated. "But okay."

"Yay!" the one girl, with hair as black as night, shouted. She instantly went over to the brunette's side. "Let's do girls vs. guys!" The boys were fine with this, and the foursome went out into the courtyard to move the tires around so they'd have a makeshift field.

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"I was wondering when you would show up," Gatomon said softly without looking behind her. "Are you still 'wearing your mask'?"

"Thank heavens, no," her old friend replied. "I was ready to kill that bastard myself by the time I got out, but I managed to restrain myself. How are you and Hikari?"

"We're doing fine," the cat-digimon responded with a laugh. "She was really sick until late last month, but she's really energetic now. But she can't stand anything that moves like a whip, is shaped like one, or makes a noise like one. And she's scared of the dark."

"It's not exactly surprising," Wizardmon justified. "When you remember what's she been through, you feel glad that she's not worse off."

"True," Gatomon sighed. "I guess I just worry about her too much. I don't want anything else to happen to her. That girl's already been through enough; she doesn't need more pain."

"When the children's game is over, do you think she would agree to talk to me? I can wait in your room, if it would help," the wizard offered.

"I'd start getting there," the white digimon suggested. "Second floor, third on the right from the stairway on this end. The door's unlocked. If any of the nuns come in, say you're one of Kari's 'odd' friends. They know that I can talk, and am from another world, but I have no desire to have them know any more than that."

Giving his friend a quick hug, the unusually emotional humanoid digimon headed for the stairway while Gatomon watched the children play.

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"Hiya Wizardmon!" Kari shouted, launching into a tackle/hug at the other half of her saving grace. Then she launched into a series of questions. "When'd you get here? Why'd you come? Are you going to be here for a long time? What's going on? Have you seen my brother? Does anyone else know you're here?"

She would have continued until she ran out of breath, but Wizardmon put a hand over her mouth.

"I'm afraid that I cannot stay long, Hikari," he began regretfully. "Yousee, I have to go back to the Digital World and get a friend out of a problem. He's been begging my assistance for a while, but I needed to visit you first, to make sure that you were all right. Gatomon's been taking care of you, hasn't she?"

Kari nodded enthusiastically. "She's been taking really good care of me. So have all the nuns. I don't know many of the kids, though," she added sadly. "I've been sick a lot."

"Well, I'm sure you'll make plenty of friends now that you're getting better," the wizard replied, giving the girl a hug. "You take good care of Gatomon for me, all right? And be good. Try to forget about what that monster of a digimon did, and focus on the good things. If you do that, your whole life will just keep getting better and better. Plus," he added. "I'll probably see you sooner. How'd you like that?"

Hikari cried that she'd like it very much, and gave him another tight hug before letting go and allowing him to leave.

AN: I know this chapter is very short and doesn't appear to advance the storyline much, but I feel guilty for neglecting it for so long. Mostly filler, but I'm working on Ch. 7 as you read. Give me all the advice you have. Especially on killing Writer's Block. (The bane of my existence. /shudders/)