Sunlight

"But it is a sort of April-weather life that we lead in this world.
A little sunshine is generally the prelude to a storm."
―William Cowper


Chapter Six

April was a beautiful month. The cherry blossoms had bloomed, the sun was shining after almost a week of rain, Japan had just passed a law that offered extended visas to digimon, allowing them to stay with their partners for up to a year at a time, and Yolei was in sudden, active labor.

"Don't touch me!"

Davis jerked his hands back from Yolei's elbow and let her squat on the side of his beat-up car. She let out a round of expletives and an odd sequence of breaths before collapsing into the passenger seat.

"You're not gonna have the baby in my baby are you?" he asked. "I know its trashed, but baby goo-"

Yolei snarled at him like a wild animal, cutting him off.

"You might want to do more driving and less talking," Hawkmon observed as he climbed into the backseat. "Ugh," he peeled a wrapper complete with a wad of already-been-chewed gum from his talon, "it certainly is trashed. This is despicable."

"I think its cozy," Veemon interjected as he nestled into the worn seat. "Oh! I was looking for that." He pulled an opened bag of Skittles from between the cushions and dumped a small lump resembling an oddly squashed rainbow into his mouth.

"Disgusting."

"Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow!"

Davis started the car and pressed a button on his phone. "Dude!" he said when line connected. "I hope you're close. She's gonna squirt your kid out in my car. I'm not ready for this!"

"You're not ready?!" Yolei growled.

"Is it happening?" Ken's voice came over the speaker, panicked.

Davis looked at Yolei, who was leaning forward onto the glove compartment, body tense and round belly almost between her knees. "Is it happening?" he repeated.

Yolei glared at him.

"Yes," Davis answered. "Push!" he told Yolei.

"I am NOT pushing in your nasty car," she spat back. "Stop staring at me and drive me to the hospital!"

"How far apart are her contractions?" asked Ken.

"How far apart are your-"

"I can hear him, you dumbass!"

"You're hurting my feelings."

"Drive the damn car!"

"Geez, you hear how your woman is talking to me?"

"Drive!" Hawkmon and Ken's voice shouted simultaneously.

"Okay okay!" Davis put the car in gear and took off.

Yolei seemed to relax some. She reclined in the passenger seat and rubbed her eyes under her lenses. "I don't know, they seem close." She looked back at Hawkmon. "Have you been timing them?"

"I'd say about three minutes," Hawkmon answered, looking at the stopwatch in his wing.

"Three minutes?" Ken choked.

Yolei stole Davis's phone from his lap. "Please tell me you are going to make it," she said into the mouthpiece.

"There's traffic on the bridge," Wormmon answered.

This time Yolei's growl turned into a moan and she grasped Davis's thigh, digging into it with her fingernails.

"Ow," said Davis. Yolei's face changed into something that resembled an oni mask, its glare directed at him. Her cheeks were puffed and red and sweat was beading on her forehead.

"Honey?" Ken's voice cracked.

Yolei loosened her hold on Davis and let out a long breath of air. She took a moment to gulp down more oxygen and in one breath expelled it in a frenzied scream. "I don't CARE if there's traffic on the bridge! Leave the car! Digivolve into Stingmon and FLY my husband over here NOW!"

"We're on our way," Ken replied meekly while Wormmon could be heard complaining, "She could've asked nicely." The line disconnected.

Yolei looked like she might bite the phone in half. It was a good thing Wormmon was not in the car at that moment.

Davis rubbed the claw marks in his thigh, wishing he was somewhere else too. He and Veemon had been waiting for Ken and Wormmon to get home from work so they could have one last hurrah before Ken got sucked into fatherhood. Davis figured the other half of his friend that hadn't already been occupied by the she-demon beside him would hereafter be taken over by her spawn. Despite the underworld references his brain created, Davis was thrilled that his two best friends were having a baby together (if he didn't think of the how), but as usual he felt a little left behind.

Before this whole mess started he had been complaining about that very thing to Yolei, who had been rubbing her watermelon of a stomach and walking around like something was stuck between her legs.

"Your little pity parties are starting to get old," she had told him.

Davis pouted. "I only get pitiful when you force Ken into life changing events that impact our male comradeness."

Yolei rolled her eyes. Davis wasn't sure if it was from his statement or if he had botched up a word again. "I haven't forced Ken to do anything. You two hang out as much as you did before we were married. And what's the deal with male camaraderie anyway?"

So he had said it wrong.

"Hawkmon doesn't have a problem having me as a partner and we aren't both guys," Yolei continued. Hawkmon ruffled his feathers proudly at this. "Why can't we all hang out?"

Davis hadn't been sure if he should mention that she and Ken could get annoyingly affectionate, but it came spilling out his mouth before he had the chance to think it through. "'Cause you two stop hangin' out to suck face and then I'm all alone."

Veemon huffed beside him, crossing his arms.

"You know what I mean," Davis explained. He sat cross legged on the floor next to his partner and started to filter through their video game collection. "Let's play Street Fighter. I can always kick your ass in that."

"You are sadly mistaken," Yolei said. She tried to get down beside him, but it took a good minute to get to the ground with her huge awkward stomach in the way.

Davis snickered and offered her the controller, which she snatched out of his hand with ferocity. They started to play, hurling insults at each other's gaming skills when Yolei suddenly let out a sharp, "Ow!'

"Losing hurts, don't it?"

Yolei's player remained still on the screen and Davis turned to look at her. She had one hand on her belly and her teeth were clenched.

"Uh, you okay?"

"Is it a contraction?" Hawkmon asked, fluttering to her side.

Yolei took a deep breath and shook it off. "I don't know... maybe. No big deal, if it is it'll probably be hours before we have to go to the hospital." She turned to Davis and seemed to be studying him. "Do we really make you feel all alone?"

Davis shrugged, then took one look at Yolei's downtrodden face and her swollen stomach and shot her a grin. "Nah, I'm bein' a drama queen."

"No, that role is currently being filled by me."

"Then I'm the king."

"Ken is the king. You're the prince."

"Ken is pretty dramatic. Your kid is gonna be the drama prince."

"Or princess." Yolei insisted on keeping the gender of the baby a surprise.

"I'm just the court jester, along for your amusement."

Yolei shoved him. "You need a girlfriend."

Davis felt his lips curl downward. "I don't think I'm boyfriend material. I can only con a couple dates out of a girl max."

"You don't have the greatest taste in women."

Immediately his mind went to Kari. "That's not true."

"Name me one girl you've dated that you could've brought home to your mother."

The sad thing was he couldn't. None of the girls he'd been with were worth bringing home or they didn't stay around long enough to find out. He sighed. "Mom loves Kari."

"Davis..."

"She loves you too," he said in an attempt to avoid her lecture. "Do you remember when Jun and Momoe tried to make us go on a date when we were in third grade?"

"I was in fourth, and yes, you told them I looked like a purple praying mantis."

Davis snorted. "I'm still waiting for you to eat Ken." He poked her belly. "You kind of look like you did."

Yolei cringed and grabbed her stomach.

Davis looked at his finger, shocked it had done such damage. "Uh... sorry?" A minute seemed to pass, Yolei's face tensed and wrinkled. "I guess I'm stronger than I look."

Finally she sprung back to life. "Don't be stupid," she seethed. She looked at Hawkmon a bit panicked. "I think I just had another one. That was soon."

Hawkmon nodded and then took off, flying into her bedroom. He returned with a stopwatch and a duffel bag.

Yolei looked at a dumbstruck Davis. "Call Ken." She pushed herself up and started to pace. "The baby's coming."

That was what brought them here, Yolei growling at every stoplight they hit as she made phone calls to her family and then, finally, to Kari.

Davis heard her soft voice answer with a polite hello and every fiber in him melted. He felt warm and loose and suddenly not so panicked.

"Davis is driving me now," Yolei said. "I don't know why they're happening so fast. The classes told us it'd be hours, some people take days! Ken was stuck on Rainbow Bridge – I told Wormmon to digivolve and fly him here. I need him here, Kari."

"He'll make it. It won't take long if they fly," Kari reassured her. "Davis?"

Davis flushed. "Yeah?"

"Call me when you get to the hospital, okay?"

"Sure."

"And drive safe!" Kari sounded a little snippy this time.

"I am driving safe. I'm safer than the safest safe driver there is."

Kari let out a breathy laugh. He could imagine her shaking her head at him, her long silky hair shining in the sun. "Just pay attention to the road," she said. "You have precious cargo. TK and I are going to leave in a few minutes."

"Precious cargo," Davis shot Yolei's stomach a grin, "check!"

"Look at the road!" Yolei snapped at him.

"Davis," Kari scolded.

"Sorry sorry."

"Call Cody for me!" Yolei squeaked out after finishing another contraction.

"Of course. Hang in there and breathe. You're going to do fine."

Yolei nodded vigorously as if to convince herself and the phone line disconnected. "Hawkmon?"

"About two and half minutes apart now," Hawkmon answered. Davis could tell by the stiffness in his voice that he was trying to hide his concern.

"Oooh, if we don't make it can I catch the baby?" Veemon asked. "I saw someone do it on TV once. I'm a good catcher."

"We're gonna make it," said Davis. "I just gotta get ahead of some of this traffic." He swerved into the adjacent lane and Yolei looked a little sick. She grabbed his thigh again.

"Can you just talk me through this next one?" she gasped before she lost the ability to speak. Davis could feel her nails in his leg.

"Go Yolei Go! You're wonder woman! You - ack! - have claws of steel!"

Davis stole a glance at her. Despite being ridiculously knocked up, there was something childlike in her face. Beneath her round glasses her skin creased at the corner of her eyes and tiny tears rolled along the lines. He hadn't seen her like this since they were kids fighting monsters and... well... Ken (although he probably shouldn't mention that) in the digital world. She was terrified.

His voice went serious. "Ken's gonna make it. We're gonna make it... but in the off chance we don't I'm not gonna let you down, okay? Me and Hawkmon and Veemon, we're are all gonna take care of you." He stopped at a light and patted her stomach. "And the precious cargo."

He was answered by a powerful kick beneath his palm. For some reason, every time Yolei had offered for him to feel the baby until this point it had gone still if his hand so much as hovered near her stomach. Davis had tried not to take offense. He was a little weirded out doing more than poking it anyway. Now he stared at his hand in bewilderment as he felt the little thing slide beneath it.

Yolei cracked a smile. "Okay," she breathed. "Okay."

Someone behind them honked and Davis tore his eyes away from the miracle to see that the light had turned green. He sped off... safely, he reminded himself.

Veemon and Hawkmon both chirped in their support as well. Yolei's nails unburied themselves from Davis's thigh and she gave him two gentle pats of thanks. She was quiet the rest of the ride, concentrating on her breathing, and they arrived at the hospital in less than ten minutes. She held her tongue as Davis ran two tires over the curb by the entrance. Her lack of ridicule made him realize how serious the situation was.

They hobbled awkwardly into the maternity ward and Davis proclaimed loudly, "SHE'S GONNA BLOW!"

Yolei smacked him in the back of the head and his goggles went awry.

The nurses seemed unfazed by their antics and one handed Davis a stack of paperwork while they ushered Yolei into a wheelchair.

"What the?"

Yolei shook her head through a contraction and then said through her teeth, "I preregistered."

"I'm sorry, we don't see you in the system," said the nurse. "You'll need to fill out the paperwork for your wife," she told Davis.

"Alright wifey," Davis snorted, straightening his goggles. Then, after scanning the questions, his tongue rolled out of his mouth in disgust. "When was your last bloody Mary?"

"What?"

"When'd you get... you know, go all Bloody Carrie on us?"

"Davis, what the hell are you talking about?"

"The red nasty? Blood baths of the womanly kind?"

"I'm about to show you a blood bath!"

"Should I throw a tampon at you?"

"It was precisely June 20th," Hawkmon interceded. He snatched the paperwork away from Davis. "I'll handle this."

"You are so immature," Yolei spat at Davis. "Stop acting like you can't say menstrual cycle. You used to use your sister's pads as beds for your soldiers for God's sake."

"You aren't ever gonna let me live that down, are you?"

Yolei could not answer him as she was overtaken by another escape attempt by her spawn.

"How far apart are her contractions?" the nurse asked Davis.

"Uh... two and half minutes? Maybe?"

"I think they may be less now," Hawkmon said worriedly.

"We'll get you set up in a room right away," the nurse told Yolei, who nodded at her with puffed cheeks. "Don't hold your breath honey. We don't want you pushing quite yet."

They began to wheel her away and Davis and Veemon stood awkwardly in the foyer as Hawkmon scurried after.

"Davis!" Yolei yelled.

He jolted and followed. When he caught up to them, her hand reached for his and squeezed it so tightly he was worried his bones might break.

"It hurts," Yolei whimpered.

"I know," Davis whimpered back.

Once they got them settled into the room, Yolei had called Ken for an ETA and Davis remembered he was supposed to call Kari.

"You made it safe?" Kari's soft voice answered. "Is Ken there yet?"

"Yes and no-ow!" Davis cringed as his hand collapsed under Yolei's vice-like grip. "Ken!" he yelled when he heard the click of Yolei's cell being answered. "Where are you, man?!"

Yolei's phone cracked and swooshed as if it were picking up the wind. "We're close," Ken said.

"I NEED SPECIFICS!" Yolei shouted.

"They're two blocks from the hospital," TK's voice answered through the speaker on Davis's cell.

"What the? How would you know?" Davis asked.

"Because they just flew over us," Gatomon's voice butt in. "Stingmon is carrying a car."

"It had the carseat..." Ken explained. "How're you doing, honey?"

Yolei's face had gone red as she held her breath through another contraction.

Davis's fingers went purple. "She's great," he squeaked.

"Is that normal?" Veemon asked, looking between the color of Yolei's face and Davis's hand.

"Perfectly." A doctor walked in, all smiles. A terriermon was by his side, holding a clipboard. "You seem to be having a quick labor for a first timer, Mrs. Ichijouji. Shall we see how dilated you are?"

"What's that?" Veemon asked.

"Dilation is the opening of the human female's cervix in order to pass the baby," the terriermon answered rather monotonously. When Veemon's expression remained unchanged, it huffed. "Once it widens 10 centimeters she can push out the baby." It lifted its ears and held them apart as a visual aid.

"Ugh," Davis exclaimed. "That's gonna leave a mark – OW!" He swore his hand cracked.

"WhencanIgetanepidural?" gushed Yolei.

"Let's see, shall we?" The doctor sat on a stool and rolled right up to Yolei's legs.

"Don't you dare look!" she spat at Davis.

"You think I wanna?"

The doctor pulled on the glove and Davis shielded his eyes with his free hand while looking the other direction. "Let's see here... Well, it looks like -"

Davis's hand got crushed again.

"Ugh!" The exclamation of disgust pulled his attention to the door where Yolei's brother, Mantarou, had appeared. Mantarou's eyes were wide beneath his glasses and the corner of his mouth was pulled up in a cross of horror and shock, like he couldn't tear his gaze away from a gory accident.

"GET THE HELL OUT!" Yolei screamed at him, throwing one of her pillows in his direction. It didn't come close to hitting him, but he escaped into the hall. Davis tried to follow, but Yolei wouldn't release her hold on his hand.

"... your water just broke," the doctor finished, chuckling. "You're 9 centimeters. At this rate, I'm betting you'll be ready to push within a half hour."

"Whew," Stingmon's voice exclaimed over the phone. "We're going to make it."

"Epidural?" Yolei choked.

The doctor shook his head. "I'm sorry, but there isn't time. You're going to have to do this the old fashioned way."

"WHAT?! I don't do pain! I need an epidural NOW!"

"Try to relax," the doctor said, taking off his gloves and wheeling toward the exit. "Soon enough, you'll be holding your baby and this will all be over."

"You can do this, honey," Ken said after the doctor and Terriermon had left. "Put the car down there, Stingmon."

"NO I CAN'T," Yolei cried. "I CAN'T DO THIS!"

Hawkmon patted her arm with his feathered wing. "You can and you will, my dear."

"You're so strong, Yolei," Kari's voice said over the phone. "And we'll all be here if you need us."

"I NEED an EPIDURAL!"

Davis nodded in agreement, but he forced his mouth to say otherwise. "Well you're not gonna get one."

Before she could protest he squeezed her hand back and she fell silent. "Its time to get tough," he said. "You CAN do this. You're a fighter. Just think of all the times you wanted to give up – when you thought you couldn't do it, but you did. You always did what you had to and you HAVE to do this." He pulled her hand to his chest so their arms seemed locked in a wrestling match. "And this fight's a win-win."

"That's right," Hawkmon chirped in. "You've always pulled through, even when you were scared. I believe in you, Yolei."

She used her other hand to pull Hawkmon into a fierce hug. He and Davis let out a loud oomph as she squeezed them through another contraction.

"Yolei?" Ken's voice came to them doubled.

Davis looked up to see his DNA partner windblown and disheveled, half his hair escaping its ponytail and clinging with static to his cheeks. Ken pulled the cell phone from his ear and shoved it into the holster on his waist next to his police badge.

Yolei finally released her grip on Davis's hand and he stepped aside. Whatever words she had for her husband gurgled into a sob. Ken fell into her arms and then gathered her into his, almost pulling her off the bed. They both broke out into laughter and said in unison, "You (I) made it."

"I did good, right Ken?" Wormmon's voice piped in. He had scurried in the behind his partner, looking nervous.

Veemon slung an arm around Wormmon's segmented body. "Sure did, buddy."

"Of course," Ken said as he released his tight hold on Yolei. He didn't move his gaze from her. His hand pushed away her sweat soaked hair and caressed her cheek. "How are you doing?"

"I'm going to be okay..." Yolei sniffled and forced a smile. "We're having a baby."

Davis slowly began to slink away, but Ken grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him into their hug.

"Thanks Davis."

Yolei let out a squeak which turned into a muffled scream and suddenly both men were being crushed by a strength equal to the angriest evil digimon they'd ever had the pleasure of being crushed by.

"No problem," Davis choked out as he was released. "Good luck." He rubbed his sore ribs and then punched Ken in the arm, hard. "You're about to be a dad!" He grinned and took off, Veemon at his heels. He could hear static coming over his cellphone and remembered Kari and TK were still on the line.

"You guys almost here?" he asked.

"I'm looking at you."

Davis jerked his head sideways to see Kari with her phone pressed to her ear, smiling at him, like a beam of light and color in the sterile hospital hallway. His breath hitched in the back of his throat. Kari's hair was tied back, but a few strands had fallen by her face like a thin frame, leading to the strap around her neck that held an expensive Nikon camera. Her small hand let go of TK's to give him a wave.

Davis tapped END on his cell phone, ruffled the hair on the back of his head and blew out a long puff of air. He turned on his cheesiest grin. "Yo!"

Before they could join him in the waiting room, Davis was yanked sideways.

"Thanks for taking care of my baby girl!" Mrs. Inoue cried, holding him in a tight hug. Her husband proceeded to slap his back and the entire Inoue family surrounded him like a pack of rabid wolves, hungry for information.

Kari laughed behind her hand when Davis shot her his best puppy dog eyes, begging for rescue. Momoe's head blocked his view and they all started talking excitedly before being interrupted by a string of curses coming from the she-demon lair. The doctor rushed back into the room.

"No time for drugs," Davis explained when he was released.

He was answered by a chorus of oh's.

"Dude," Davis said as he escaped the flock of Inoues, "whatever you do, don't hug me." He rubbed his side for dramatic affect.

"Aw, man," TK pouted. He went for a handshake instead and Davis yelped.

"And definitely no handshakes," he whined.

Patamon landed on Davis's head. "Yolei beat you up, didn't she?"

"I almost had to digivolve," quipped Veemon.

Davis batted Patamon away and straightened his goggles. When he looked back to his friends, he saw that Kari was biting her bottom lip and the corner of her mouth was curled into a tiny smile. He had to beat back every mental image his brain conjured of kissing her.

"What?" he asked her. His voice came out sharp and impatient. He wasn't sure if he was frustrated with his brain for its disobedience or at her.

Kari's smile faded and she looked a little taken aback. "I... I was just -"

"Thinking about the baby?" Gatomon supplied. Her blue eyes had narrowed.

Kari nodded in agreement and now seemed unable to meet Davis's gaze. His cheeks burned and he felt awful for snapping. She couldn't help being so pretty.

"Howdy y'all!"

Armadillomon's odd southern drawl broke through the tension and they all turned to see he and Cody approaching, looking a bit flustered.

"Did you skip class?" Kari asked the youngest digidestined. He was now attending Tokyo University, like the majority of their group had, and planned on going into law.

Cody nodded and adjusted a bag full of schoolbooks on his shoulder. "How's Yolei?"

A loud scream and a series of curse words streamed into the waiting area.

"Oh you know," Davis said, "just pushin' a baby out her vag-"

"Let's pass on the details, please," TK interrupted.

"I'm glad I'm not a human," Gatomon remarked.

"I'm glad I'm not a girl," said Davis.

"I'm not either!" Veemon exclaimed gleefully. "Shweet!"

Kari took a seat in one of the chairs in the waiting area and fiddled with her camera. "I don't know... I'd be happy to have a baby someday." She gave TK a shy smile.

TK turned a cherry red and seemed relieved when Yolei let out another wail. Davis crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, pouting to himself.

"Women are the strongest creatures among us. No other animal or digimon has to go through anything close to human childbirth," Cody said. Then clearing his throat when Yolei let out a particularly strong expletive, he added, "I can't believe Yolei's about to be a mother."

"The next generation of digidestined," TK said.

"Huh." Davis's hand automatically went to his goggles. He gave them a flick. "Kinda crazy, ain't it? Our kids are gonna be born into a world with digimon. And they won't have to keep it secret."

Kari met his eyes for the first time since their awkward exchange and her smile melted his heart.

Twenty minutes and several screams later they heard the wailing cry of a newborn.

"Omigosh," Kari gushed, teary-eyed.

Ken came out a few minutes later with his own tears and the biggest smile Davis had ever seen on his face.

"Its a girl."

Davis tackled him before anyone else could get in the way. After the Inoues and Ken's parents had their time, the rest of them were called into the room to meet the new addition to the Ichijouji family.

Yolei looked worn, her long violet hair stringy and sweat soaked, but completely content as she watched her husband walk up to them, cradling their child in his arms. "Isn't she beautiful?"

Ken pulled back the swaddle to show them more of the tiny face. The infant's eyes were closed and her mouth puckered in a sucking motion. Her tiny nose was long, ending in the tiniest upturn, just like her mother. She looked like a tiny Yolei except for the downy dark blue hair that peeped out from beneath her knit hat.

"Yeah," Davis breathed, suddenly overcome by the reality of everything. Ken held the bundle out to him and he hesitated. "Uh..."

"Just support her head." Ken kissed the baby's nose. "This is your Uncle Davis," he told the little thing. "Davis, this is Aiko."

Davis's heart raced as Ken slowly placed the tiny bundle into his arms. He stood as still as possible and his eyes fixated on the little face. "Hey baby..."

Tiny Aiko stuck out her tongue and then her mouth opened in a wide silent yawn. Davis chuckled and then he felt a presence close in on his right side. He looked over to see Kari gazing adoringly at the baby in his arms. He went warm all over.

"That's your Aunt Kari," he said softly.

"Hi sweetie," Kari whispered.

For a moment they were alone in the hospital room, taking in this brand new life together. It brought back memories of his childhood, their friendship, and a hope that Davis knew he should never hope for.

Kari turned to him, smiling, her bright eyes still shining with joyful tears, and his mouth curved into a crooked grin. She chewed on her lip and looked down, almost shyly, and gently ran the side of her finger over the newborn's tiny cheek.

Davis's eyes never left her. "She's perfect," he murmured.

When Veemon asked if he could see the baby, the spell was broken and everyone else reappeared.


...

Never in a million years did Kari imagine things ending like this.

TK rubbed the bridge of his nose and then his fingers expanded over his eyes until they were hidden from her view. His blonde hair had gotten shaggy again so that between it and his hand, he was completely shielded from her. Kari was certain that he could be anyone right now. Anyone except for the man she loved and thought she knew.

"But... we're better than that," she argued.

"Then why can't we leave things the way they are?"

"I want a family," Kari whispered. She looked down to Gatomon as if her partner could somehow back her up, but the champion's tail only twitched irritably. Patamon looked equally dumbstruck from his perch on the back of their park bench. Maybe TK's reaction had surprised him as much as it had her.

It had been a little over six months since little Aiko had been born and Kari took advantage of every opportunity she had to visit with the Ichijoujis. Yolei kept joking that Kari had been hit with baby fever. It was probably true. She loved the warmth of little Aiko curled into her arms and the tiny squeals of laughter she made every time Gatomon so much as looked at her.

Kari had always loved children, though. She was already student-teaching at their old elementary school while she finished her Master's degree in education. She was determined to have a positive influence on the next generation, to help end the discrimination against digimon and see peace between their worlds.

Today had been one of the few days she and TK had free together. They had both been busy lately. TK had been granted his own column in the paper thanks to his mother's influence and his own standing as an original digidestined.

It seemed like their whole crew had a little less time for each other than they used to. To mend the situation they decided to spend their free day on a double date with Ken and Yolei. The Ichijoujis had toted little Aiko along in a carrier throughout the park until she finally passed out and they called it a day. Kari had caught the glimmer of their wedding bands in the sun as they clasped hands. The parting image tugged at her heartstrings, bringing up the question that had started this whole mess.

"Why don't we get married?" Kari had asked quietly. She and TK had settled onto a park bench, watching a pair of doves searching for crumbs by the trash. Her face flushed and TK's mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water.

"Are you ready for that?" he said finally, voice thick with nerves.

"Of course I am." She smiled shyly and began observing her fingers as she wrung them together in her lap. "Aren't you?"

"I don't know," he said. When Kari looked up to meet his gaze, her smile fading, his Adam's apple moved down his throat in a heavy swallow. "We're so... young."

"Ken and Yolei have been married over a year now."

"I know, but...we aren't them."

Kari tried to search his eyes, but he had turned from her. "What does that mean?"

"We're happy now, aren't we?" he asked the sidewalk.

"Yes, but -"

"So why change things?"

Kari felt her whole body sink. This was not how she expected things to go. "You don't want to marry me?"

TK fumbled for her hand. "It's not you, Kari. Don't take it like that." He looked flustered and just as quickly as he had grabbed her hand, he let it go. He pulled down the rim of the baseball cap he was wearing. "I just... I don't know if I want to marry anyone."

"TK." Kari put a hand on his knee. "We aren't your parents."

He shook his head. "That's not it. I mean... it is, but it's not... I just-I don't want to mess things up."

"How is getting married going to mess things up?" Kari asked. "It won't change us, will it?"

"Then why are you pushing it?"

"I'm not..." Kari felt her jaw tense. "I just asked-"

"I don't think it's a good idea."

"But-"

"Kari, when have I ever pushed you to do anything?"

Kari felt her whole face go red. "N-never. But I..."

"Then please don't push this," TK begged. His gaze became completely absorbed in the doves. One found an on old french fry and was pecking at it obsessively. It finally grasped it in its beak and took off, leaving its mate behind.

"Maybe you're right," he sighed. "I don't want to end up like my parents. I don't think I could handle it."

That was what brought them to the topic of a family. TK's hand slipped from his face, revealing the turmoil in his eyes. "You want to have a baby, don't you?"

Kari bit her lip. "Someday. It doesn't have to be right away."

"I don't want to split apart a family."

"You wouldn't." Kari suddenly felt something dwindle inside her. "Why would you?"

"I don't know. Anything could happen. I would never leave you, but what if you..." TK faltered and looked at Patamon, whose ears drooped. "I'm only half the equation."

"I love you, TK."

"Is that enough?"

Kari ground her teeth in frustration. "Of course it is. I'm the one who brought up marriage."

"I can only control me. I don't know what's going on in your head."

"I just told you. I want to get married and have a family."

TK went quiet for a moment as a couple walked past them. He watched them, unable to meet her eyes when he finally murmured, "Why don't you just want me?"

Kari wavered. "I... I thought you wanted to have kids someday."

TK didn't answer her. He let out a slow breath and pulled on his cap again.

"This is really important to me," Kari said. "I didn't think you would be like this. I thought you wanted to be with me."

"I am with you, Kari," TK said, sounding exasperated. "Marriage is just a piece of paper. Don't we have more than that already?"

"If it's just a piece of paper, then why not?"

"I don't want to get married, he spat, voice raised. It was the first time Kari had ever felt his anger directed at her and she flinched. There was a long moment of silence that followed.

"I'm sorry," he said softly when Gatomon began observing her claws. "I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"So I should just drop it?" Kari felt hurt and confused and angry all at once. "You just told me there's no future for us."

TK looked like she had slapped him. "That's not what I said," he choked.

"It is." Tears filled her eyes. "You have hope in everything but me."

"Kari..."

"Why would you ever think I'd leave you? Don't you know me better than that?"

TK stared into her eyes and the sharp blue of his irises seemed to peel back the layers of her soul.

"Sometimes I feel like you pull away from me, like you're afraid to open up...completely."

Kari tried to find a reason, something that she could pull out from inside her that would explain his fears. "Is it because we haven't-"

"No, it's not that." TK's cheeks went pink, but his eyes remained hopeless and lost. "I don't know what it is."

"It's a reason not to marry me." A tear rolled down her cheek. "If that's how you feel... I don't know... maybe we should just end it now."

"What? Are you serious?"

"If you don't have any hope in us, then there really isn't a point, is there?"

"But..." He seemed to be trying to come up with an argument. His hands had balled into fists around the fabric above his knees. "Kari, I love you."

She shook her head in an attempt to stop the emotions that spun inside her: the complete rejection and despair, the loss of her dreams.

"Maybe that's not enough," she said. She stood up from the park bench and TK jumped to his feet, scaring away the dove that had been left behind. It flew off with a hurried flutter of its wings.

"You're really going to go?" he asked. "Are you giving me an ultimatum?"

"I guess I am." Kari whispered.

"I..." TK looked torn and shocked. "I can't marry you."

Kari nodded and the rest of her tears escaped even though she tried to bite them back. "Okay."

"I can't believe this is happening," TK looked at Patamon as if he needed confirmation that it was real. Patamon looked to Gatomon who shrugged and the three of them turned their focus back to Kari.

She forced a smile. "Neither can I." She wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. "Goodbye, TK. I... I'll see you later, okay?"

He nodded, but remained silent as she walked away. She hoped he would come after her, tell her that he loved her enough to change his mind, but he never did. She could hear Gatomon pad up behind her and Patamon suddenly spilling out a thousand questions to his partner as they went their separate ways.

"Are you okay?" Gatomon asked.

"No," Kari sniffed. "I'm not."

They walked in silence, but her mind was spinning. Was she being selfish? She could tell TK was devastated, that he didn't want to end their relationship and her heart ached for him. Maybe she was the one who should turn around and change things. Maybe she shouldn't even want to bring a child into this world – the turmoil among the Humanists seemed to surmount with every new law in favor of digimon. There was so much hate and hurt.

She wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly cold, but she continued past the apartment she shared with her brother.

Gatomon looked up at her expectantly. "Where are we going?"

Kari chewed on her lip, knowing she should stop, but her feet seemed to have a mind of their own, following the selfish part of her that wanted nothing more than to feel warm and loved.


...

The elevator ride to his apartment always felt lonely, even when he caught the ride up with his neighbors. Although that one guy that lived down the hall was hilarious. He and Davis would throw bad your mama jokes back and forth every time theby ran into each other – Davis still wasn't sure how that ever got started, but he now had a great arsenal for the next Humanist that dared to make a comment about Veemon.

The elevator was silent but for the creaks and groans as it struggled up the floors. Weren't these things supposed to have old jazz music? Davis clicked his tongue to fill the silence. The quiet was just a reminder of the stark bachelor apartment that awaited him. Davis missed having Ken around. If he didn't have Veemon, he'd probably have done something stupid, like move back in with his parents or, even worse, Jun – neither of which would make him very attractive to the ladies. Then there were the times when Veemon went back to the digital world without him, making the empty place almost unbearable. Davis wasn't a fan of being alone. In lieu of people he found himself talking to the contents of his refrigerator far too often for a sane person. The conversation (yes, the food answered him) usually went something like this:

Chicken, what would you like to nest in today? A bed of rice or noodles? You're in the mood for rice, huh? Wait, you were hoping the bok choy and the chives would join you? Carrots, too? Look at the balls on you. And you want to bathe in the hot ooze of teriyaki? How do you veggies feel about that? Geez, you guys are kinky. Chicken, my friend, you are the man.

He really needed to find a roommate.

Davis let out a large yawn as he watched the numbers change above the elevator door. He had worked a double shift at the restaurant and was completely worn out. Maybe he'd skip video games with Veemon and go straight to bed.

When the elevator finally deposited him onto his floor, he trudged out, rubbing his eyes. The walk to his apartment went by in a blur. He didn't even remember putting the key in the door or kicking off his shoes. He was just suddenly standing in his living room, arms frozen in an overhead stretch, watching Kari smile sadly at him from his couch. She put down her cup of tea on the coffee table and said hello in that soft way she always did.

Davis suddenly became very aware of how badly he smelled like someone's dinner. He put his arms down and it took him a minute to find words.

"Uh...hi?"

"I figured you'd want me to let them in," Veemon said. He and Gatomon were involved in some kind of card game, the latter looking like she'd rather be sleeping.

"Y-yeah." Davis gave a few rapid blinks. "course."

"Sorry for barging in," said Kari. Blood slowly pooled into her cheeks, giving them a beautiful rosy hue. She pulled her pink cardigan closed. "I should probably go."

Gatomon sighed. "We've been here for three hours waiting on him."

"You have?" Davis asked, bewildered. He slapped and rubbed the side of his face to make sure he wasn't dreaming. "What's goin' on?"

"She broke up with TK," Gatomon answered. "Oh, and go fish, Veemon."

"Sheesh, you never got any of the cards I need."

Kari's rose tinted cheeks had turned cherry red. She pulled her knees into her chest and hugged her jeans.

Davis still wasn't convinced he hadn't sleepwalked into a dream. He actually had a recurring one about this very scenario, but this was too different. In his dreams, Kari usually came bounding into his arms, declaring her love and kissing him silly until they went into the more X-rated version of his mind. Instead she avoided his gaze and looked completely dejected and alone.

He plopped down beside her and pulled his feet onto the cushion, sitting cross-legged. "You okay?"

She nodded, but the rest of her body disagreed. There was a low choking noise in her throat and her hand lifted to wipe away tears.

Davis fidgeted. He felt hot and really wanted to pull off his socks, but his feet probably smelled worse than the rest of him. In his dreams he had never just worked a double shift and stunk to high heaven, so this must be real. Which meant, unlike his dreams, she probably hadn't broken things off with TK because she magically realized she was in love with him.

"What happened?" he asked.

"He..." Kari took a deep breath and tried to pull herself together. She rested her chin on her knees and stared into the void. "He said he didn't want to marry me."

Davis shut his eyes and shook his head in disbelief before turning his entire body to face her. "What?"

"He doesn't want to marry anyone," Kari explained. "Does that qualify as a 'it's me, not you' breakup? I think it might have been." Her joke came out flat through a smile so forced it looked like it hurt to make it.

"Wait, so did he break up with you?"

"I think it was me. I gave him an ultimatum." She pushed some hair behind her ear that seemed to be tickling her cheek. "We didn't have a future together, right?"

"Huh..." Davis sighed and then gave a shrug of his shoulders. "I mean, I guess not. I can't believe it... who wouldn't wanna marry you?"

Kari let out a cough that could have been either a laugh or a sob. She leaned against him and hid her face in his arm. She seemed like she would say something (he could've sworn he heard her start to speak), but she stopped herself.

Davis looked up to see both Gatomon and Veemon staring. They were never in his dreams either.

He shifted, holding his arms tight to his body, and prayed her nose was stuffed from crying.

Kari sat up straight the moment he moved, looking embarrassed. "I'm sorry."

Davis shook his head fervently. "N-no, don't be. It's just... I smell like a sweaty fish that's been swimmin' in a pond of miso."

Suddenly Kari was laughing, a sweet gentle laugh that brightened her face, making the tears on her cheeks sparkle like drops of morning dew in the sun.

"I don't think fish sweat," she said.

"I dunno, but I sure do." Davis's mouth curled into a half smile even though his face burned. "Uh, you mind if I hop in the shower real quick?"

"Of course not," Kari said, still smiling through tears. "I'll be fine."

"You want some more tea or somethin'?"

"I'm fine. Veemon's been a great host."

Veemon broke into a toothy grin.

"Yeah, I guess he's good for somethin." Davis pushed himself off the couch. "Joking!" he said when a flurry of cards came flying his direction.

"Do you have an ace of spades?" Gatomon asked snidely, staring at the cards on the floor.

Veemon huffed. "You're such a cheater."

"Just hand it over, dragon-breath."

"I don't have– oh, wait. I guess I do."

Davis rolled his eyes at the digimon's antics and then turned his serious on for Kari. "You sure you don't need anything?"

She shook her head and he started to leave when she called his name. She looked so pretty sitting there, still so much like the little girl who sat beside him all those years ago, making him feel cared for when he had felt so alone. He could hear his name from her lips a thousand times and never grow tired of it.

"Y-yeah?" he finally stammered out.

"Thanks. You always know how to make me smile."

Davis didn't know what he was hoping her to say, but for some reason her statement only brought back the memory of his conversation with Yolei. Maybe he was doomed to be the court jester forever.

"Here for your amusement," he said.

Kari didn't look amused. Her lips curved downward and she fiddled with the button on her sweater, like she was buying time. Davis was about to walk away when she spoke up again.

"You still don't remember anything from Ken and Yolei's wedding night?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Uh no, thank God. Ew." When Kari shot him a glare, he faltered. "Oh, ha! That's not what you meant. That'd be pretty gross. Sorry, my brain likes to go to these sick places..." he trailed off when her lips pursed.

"Uh, not really." Davis rubbed the back of his head where he had injured himself. "I think the last thing I kinda remember was dancing with you actually." His fingers curled into his fist, as if they could feel the curve of her hip beneath them.

She seemed disappointed. "Oh."

"Why?"

Kari shook her head. "I just worry about you sometimes."

Davis threw her a cocky smirk. "No worries. I'm good as new." This time he knocked on the back of the skull as if to prove its solidity. "Unless I just blacked out on you or somethin'. Did my other personality show up? He's the one that does the stupid stuff, that bastard."

She forced a laugh. "I'm glad you're okay."

Davis gave a mock-salute. He was about to shut himself into the bathroom when he felt overcome by a desire to spill out all the thoughts in his head: to tell he had loved her all this time, to ask her why she had come here of all places, to him of all people, but instead he just said her name.

Kari looked at him with those brown eyes, warm and sad, and he managed to pull out a strand of courage.

"You know I'd do anything for you..." he trailed off. He wanted to tell her that if he were TK he wouldn't have hesitated a moment to marry her, but he bit his tongue and watched her smile again.

"I know."

Davis tried not to think of his dreams. He turned the shower on colder than he liked and started counting the tiles on the wall to keep his mind from wandering. He suddenly felt energized, like he could stay up talking to Kari for hours.

Maybe this was the beginning of things. They'd take their time, they'd eventually ask TK for his blessing the same way they had asked Davis all those years ago. TK would give it because he was too damn nice and everyone would be happy. Davis just had to keep himself from kissing her too soon.

If Gatomon hadn't been on Kari's lap when he came back to the living room, smelling less like sweat and more like the cologne he was worried he'd used too much of, he would've given up taking his time. He would have given into the impulse to wake her with his lips, even if it was just on the tip of her adorable nose, and hope she would fall into his arms – because he had waited this long and maybe now was the time.

But Gatomon was there, curled protectively over her partner, with one eye watching him and that eye told Davis everything. That Kari wasn't his, she was her own, and he needed to just be there beside her as a friend. So Davis quietly dug out a blanket from inside an ottoman and draped it over Kari's side, covering Gatomon's swishing tail, and went into his bedroom alone.

He woke up that morning before she did, wired with nerves, and started making breakfast. His banging of pots and pans woke her and she began apologizing profusely for falling asleep. Her hair stuck in all directions and her cheek was imprinted with the seams of the couch. She was flushed and tear-stained and beautiful. Davis asked her to stay and eat, pouting until she agreed. She slowly became more like herself, helping him chop up ingredients and chatting about their careers and laughing when he managed to cover himself in a cloud of flour.

The light of her smile could have given him enough energy to work a hundred shifts back to back and he could still come home to her at the end of the day, ready for more.