Hope and Light



"Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

Sugar is sweet

And I love you." --Old Rhyme (Sorry for the corniness. It was the only thing I could think of!)



+Part 1: The forecoming of evil+



Kari and TK walked to the benches outside and sat.

"So...." TK said watching the people walk in and out and trying to control his raging emotions. Now was not the time to notice how beautiful Kari looked sitting by him, or how his heart started to beat faster.

"Yeah," Kari muttered. She shivered. Her jacket wasn't that warm, and sitting next to TK was starting to make her feel his exact proximity to where she sat. She mentally scolded herself for feeling this way about her best friend.

"Cold?" TK asked, noticing her huddled figure.

She nodded.

He took off his green coat and helped her into it. It was a few sizes too big for her, but with her jacket on, it felt comfortably right. And it smelled of TK, if that kind of a thing was actually possible. He never smelled bad. In fact, she hadn't noticed he had a smell until now.

"I don't know, TK. Won't you get cold?"

"Nah, it's only for a little while," he said.

She sat for a while, feeling safe and loved, but she knew she had to ask him. "Takeru?"

"Yeah, Hika-chan?"

"When you said you loved me, what did you mean by it?"

"What did I mean?"

"Yeah.... was it just the kind of love shared by friends? Or might it have been..... something more?" she asked, already rosy cheeks coloring more.

*She looks absolutely gorgeous,* TK thought. *I hope she means what I think she means... That is, of course, if she means it....* "Kari, what would you have liked it to mean?" he asked, then grimmaced at the way it came out.

"Well...." She shrugged. "The truth." She looked at him curiously as his face changed from surprise, to happiness, to nervousness, to resolve, then...

"I'm in love with you, Hikari Kamiya. More than words can say. I've loved you.... probably since the first time I met you. Every time I look at you, my heart skips a beat," he muttered, but saw she heard and reddened deeply. "As famous words from a digiworld celebrity, 'I love you. It's not just puppy love either. It's hard-core, I'd-die-without-you kind of love.' I'll always protect you Kari," he said, then looked at her, waiting for her reaction. As there came no reply, he began to start to become nervous.

*Oh my gosh,* she thought, *I can't believe it! I love him too... so much! So very, very much! He's waiting for me to say something, but if I do, I'm sure my voice will crack! I'm so happy I could burst!* Tears starting springing into her eyes.

"Say something already, Kari! The suspense is killing me!" Gatomon complained as she sat on her belly, watching the scene below.

"Is she supposed to be crying?" Patamon asked.

Gatomon sighed, realizing how ignorant the opposite sex of digimon could be. "It may look strange... but I think she's happy!" Gatomon said. She stood up on the branch and started pacing.

Patamon watched, amused, as she did so. A red leaf broke off from the tree and landed in TK's hand.

*It's so beautiful and rare, especially in winter time,* TK thought, *just like her... but I don't know if she wants me to say anything more. What if it wasn't what she wanted? Should I apologize? What if she despises me now? What if she'll never talk to me again?*

"TK," Kari said, her voice breaking.

He grimmaced, thinking it was as he was dreading.

She took a deep breath, then started again. "Takeru Takaishi.... I love you too! I love you for the way you always rush to my side and protect me whenever I'm in danger. You're the best friend I've ever had! Even when you failed at protecting me, my heart went out to you! The thought of ever losing you is too much for me to bear! You've always been there for me, even when I wasn't the easiest person to talk to. I love you for never demanding my attention, for not showing off, for just being yourself! I love your sense of humor, the simple ability that you have to always be able to make me laugh with even the corniest joke! You have, in every way, been my light. And I loved you the first time I saw you as well. Six years ago!"

"OH NOOOOO!!!!" Gatomon wailed, loud enough for the two to hear. "I'm crying! NOOOO! I don't have a tissue!"

Kari and TK laughed. Then TK put his arm around Kari's shoulders. She smiled up at him. The Odaiba High Theme Song started to play. The digimon ran down the tree and jumped into Kari's arms.

"You know something?" Gatomon asked. "You guys should act on your mother's soap opera, Kari. It was beautiful."

"We weren't acting," Kari and TK said at the exact same time.

Gatomon and Patamon looked at each other and grinned, then held still as they entered the gym.

TK found some seats, then the attended the rally just as the others did. Kari shrugged off both jackets and neatly laid them next to each other. After the main song, a few cheers were done, then they announced the players that were going to the special camp for a whole week. Everyone stood and cheered loudly. First, Tai was announced.

"Go Tai!" Kari yelled as loud as she could.

Tai grinned at her and TK, who gave him a thumbs-up. THen, Tai's face searched the crowd and locked on Sora. She grinned and nodded to him.

"Yeah! All right Tai!!!" she screamed.

"I love you," he mouthed.

"I love you too," she mouthed in return.

A lot more high school boys were called. Then, the middle school guys came. Davis was first. A lot of girls were screaming for him. His eyes scanned for and locked on Kari. She clapped and grinned. He seemed disappointed. Ken went up next.

"Yolei's voice was heard above everyone else's. "Yeah! Go Ken! You go and show those other people who's boss! I'm so proud of you! Go have fun! Bring me back something!"

He grinned and raised his right pinky in front of him. She did the same. "I love you!" she mouthed.

He grinned, pleasantly surpised. "I love you too," he mouthed back.

More people were called up there, but the highlight was done, and the rally ended soon after that.

"Yolei, my eardrums almost popped," Cody said. "Next time, warn me before you do that!"

Yolei didn't look like she cared. She seemed in 7th heaven. "He did our sign... right in front of everyone," she muttered, star-struck. "And he mouthed 'I love you'."

"How wonderful," Cody said sarcastically.

"There's Kari and TK!" Yolei exclaimed. "Hey guys!"

The two looked up from where they had regressed to, the benches they were before, and grinned.

"Hey Yolei, hey Cody!" TK said.

"So...," Yolei said, "what's the crisis in the digiworld?"

"We have to wait until everyone gets here. Why don't you sit down?" Kari offered.

Yolei complied, then looked at her friends' faces. "I knew it!" she exclaimed.

"Knew what?" Kari asked.

TK simply looked at her, confused.

"You two are in looooove!" Yolei said happily. "What will Tai say? Better yet, what will Davis?"

"Normally, it's best not to say things like that, Yolei," Cody muttered. "You're likely to have to make an excuse for why you said it."

She frowned at him until Sora came running up.

"Hey guys!" the red head said.

"Where are Mat and Izzy?" Kari asked.

"They ditched me to talk with friends." She looked closer at Kari. "Uh- oh, looks like someone's in love! Who's the lucky guy?" she asked, sitting down. "Davis?"

TK flinched, and Kari threaded her hand through his.

The action didn't go unnoticed by Yolei, who beamed. "Nope. TK," she said, looking pointedly at the two's hands.

"Well I'll be," Sora said, grinning while she looked from one to the other.

"How could you tell I was in love?" Kari asied, frowning slightly.

"You have a certain glow about you.... the both of you do. Oh, I think that is so sweet! Kari's first love. Good thing Tai knows and trusts you, TK," Sora said.

TK nodded, feeling a slight annoyance at his friend.

"Here come Matt and Izzy," Cody said with resignation. It was starting to become monotonous, digidestined walking up, then asking who Kari's in love with.

"Hey guys!" Mat said.

"What happened? Why's everyone grinning like cheshire cats?" Izzy asked.

"Hey, I resent that remark," Gatomon cried from her tree.

"Sorry."

"Kari and TK are in love, but we can't tell Tai or Davis," Yolei said.

Mat laughed. "I think Tai and I figured out that it was probably going to be TK long ago, Yolei. Don't worry. He probably already knows. So, squirt, you finally got the courage to tell her, eh? Tai'd say the same for you Kari... you'll have to wait your turn. How about that.... Hope and Light."

Suddenly, both TK and Kari paled, being forced back to the reason everyone was gathering together.

"What's wrong guys?" Yolei asied.

"N-nothing," TK said.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Kari asked, suddenly aware of something that hadn't been there before and might be the key to their destruction. They weren't an item before, but they were now. They had confessed their love, and in so doing, had they sealed their fates?

"I don't want to be, but I think I am. Do you think that this could add to that strange digimon's appearance?"

"I don't know," Kari said softly, but inside she did know. Something bad was about to happen.

"I don't know either," TK lied, for her sake. He looked up in time to see clouds block out the sun. A chilly wind came up. He shivered slightly, though not enough to grab Kari's attention past her contemplation.

"Uh-oh," Gatomon said. "Things are finally starting to add up." She jumped out of her tree, Patamon close behind her.

*****************************

And that's where I end it for now. Bwahahahahhahahahha!!!! Why? Because I'm evil, and I need to do homework, that's why. So, what d'ya think? The more you review, the faster I'll type out the next part. Sad, isn't it, but I already have it written down what's going to happen. All I have to do is type it up, which is hard to do at my house as my mother doesn't want me to write any more stories 'till school's done. I sneaked to give you this! Let's hope I don't get caught! Ta-ta! and R&R!!!!!!