A date and shocks

Dressed in uniform, Takato was standing by the school gate, having arrived early like on Thursday and Friday but this time without Guilmon. He was lost in thought. Maybe this isn't a good idea. That nightmare really wasn't encouraging.

In his mind, Takato re-experienced the nightmare from last night. He was standing, surrounded by nothing but darkness. The place slowly shaped into a street that looked very familiar. "I'm… home?" Takato said to himself, as he stood in front of his family's bakery, the one he had lived in for almost all his life. Looking at it still felt like home.

Hearing footsteps, Takato turned and saw Kari and Jeri walking towards him in the distance, a large space between them. "Jeri? Kari?" Takato said, confused as to what they were doing there. They didn't reply. They just kept walking forward.

Suddenly, a dark hole appeared beneath both of them, and they started to sink like in quick sand. "JERI! KARI!" Takato yelled, running a few steps forward. But he stopped, seeing that, with the large space between them, he could only save one of them. "What do I do? I can't pick one over the other!"

The two girls kept sinking, gone up to their middles already. If Takato didn't do something soon, both of them would be gone. "NO!" Takato screamed, wishing there was some way he could save them both.

He woke up as he screamed "no", sitting up in bed. He found himself panting. Takato wiped sweat off his forehead. Laying down, he whispered: "I'm so screwed."

"Yup, I'm definitely screwed," Takato said to himself now. Looking at teenagers chatting as they walked to school grounds, he added: "But… I gotta find out what exactly I feel for Kari. I hope the DigiDestined arrive soon, before I chicken out."

Lucky for him, Kari was the first one of the 'second generation' DigiDestined to arrive. She was worried about Tai, of course, but seeing Takato greet her with a smile made her feel a lot better. "Good morning," she replied.

"Listen… Uhh… I know this isn't the best time, but… Well… Would you like to… erm, you know, go out after school today to catch a movie?" Takato stammered, scratching the back of his head nervously.

"I'd be happy to," Kari replied at once, as red as a beetroot with pleasure.

"Great, so… I'll come to your place at three. See ya then!" Takato quickly ran off before he would say something stupid.

"What's up with Takato?" TK asked, as he, Iori, Ken and Yolei arrived in time to see the goggle-head flee. Kari didn't reply. She just watched the boy bump onto Yamaki and stammer an apology before fleeing to a corridor. Kari smiled and giggled a little, making her friends look at her oddly.

"No way!" Yolei said suddenly, realising why Kari was on this mood.

"Yolei?" Iori asked, but was ignored. His friend grabbed Kari by the shoulders and they started giggling madly. "Okay… Girls sure are weird."


"Not this. I wear it every day," Kari grumbled to herself as she threw her usual red T-shirt that had a pink flower onto her bed. She threw some more clothes on the bed and all around, trying to decide what to wear for the date. Lucky for her, she had gotten out of school at two. She had decided to skip photography club today and go straight home.

"Kari? Honey, what are you doing?" Yuuko Kamiya asked as she stepped into the room and got a pair of jeans thrown on her.

"I have a date today, and I've nothing to wear!" Kari complained, turning to her mum and holding her favourite purple skirt before throwing it across her chair. She still had her school uniform on.

"A date? With who?" Yuuko asked, folding the jeans.

"Takato Matsuda. He moved here the week before last week, and I've gotten to know him pretty well. We have a date in half an hour, but I've nothing to wear."

"Well, why don't you just wear what you usually wear when going out with friends. I'm sure he doesn't even notice what clothes you have on."

"Are you sure?"

"Are you sure about what?" Susumu Kamiya asked as he came over from the living room. "What a mess! I thought Gatomon was out looking for Tai."

"She is. Kari's just getting ready for a date," his wife explained.

"With TK?"

"No. With a new friend, Takato Matsuda."

"How long have you know this Takato?" Susumu asked his daughter.

"A little over a week," Kari replied, picking up clothes into a pile.

"A week! I'm not going to let my daughter go out with some teenage boy she barely knows!"

"Now, now, dear. Kari can date who she likes," Yuuko said to her husband soothingly.

"No way! I forbid it!"


The doorbell rang, and Susumu opened the door. He glared at Takato, having lost the argument to his wife.

"Good afternoon, sir. I'm Takato Matsuda. Is Kari home?" Takato said, bowing politely. He had gotten Davis to show him the way to the Kamiya apartment.

For a few seconds Susumu just glared at him. Takato didn't look like a bad person at all. He was wearing his usual clothes apart from his goggles, which were in his pocket. Susumu felt a little disappointed, since he couldn't say something like "where'd you get your ear pierced?" or "did you steal that leatherjacket?".

Grumbling something that sounded like "yes, she's waiting for you" and "come on in", Susumu stood aside and let Takato in the apartment. He led Takato to the living room, where Yuuko was pouring juice into a cup.

"Here. So, Takato, I hear you're new to Odaiba," she said, handing him the cup and sitting down to the sofa.

"Yeah. We moved here two weeks ago, from Shinjuku."

"Shinjuku is such a nice place. Why did you leave?"

"My parents own a bakery and decided to widen their business," Takato explained, "So they sold the old bakery to a young couple who were hoping to raise a family and we opened up a new one down here. They're hoping to start a chain of bakeries."

"Oh, that's nice," Yuuko remarked, just as Kari came from her room wearing her usual outfit, with a small yellow bag that had her cell phone, D-terminal and D3 round her waist. "Do you plan on joining them in their business when you're older?" her mum said to Takato.

"I haven't exactly given that much thought," Takato answered, his face turning bright red. Kari thought it was cute to see him get embarrassed over something like that.

"Hi, Takato."

The Tamer whirled around and smiled. "Hi, Kari. So… Shall we?" He held his hand to her as he walked past, and she took it.

"Be home by four," Susumu said, crossing his arms.

"Honey!" Yuuko laughed, swatting her husband with a napkin. "You know your curfew, Kari."

"Yeah, Mum! Bye!" was the reply as Kari slammed the door.

Soon the two teenagers were out of the apartment complex. "So… What movie are we seeing?" Kari asked, fiddling her D3.

Takato shrugged. He had paid zero attention to his lessons, busy thinking about the date but forgetting to prepare for it. "Is there anything in particular that you would like?"

"Not really. How about we go to Shinjuku? You're from there, right?"

"Uhh… Yes, I used to live there."

"Perfect! You can show me Guilmon's shed and your old bakery and all sorts of places. Is that okay with you?"

Takato had no idea what to say. If he went to Shinjuku with Kari, there was a risk that his friends would see them. But on the other had, he really longed to see the old bakery and the shed, and pay a visit to his friends' houses. Maybe I can go there, say bye to Kari when the date's over, and then go see my friends. Yeah, that's perfect! "OK. I know a train we can catch and I should have enough money to pay both our tickets."


It wasn't very long before the two teenagers were walking in Shinjuku Park. They had talked about all sorts of things on the train apart from anything related to Tai, and both of them had relaxed. As they walked around, Takato showed Kari the shed and a pond, savouring the memories he had shared there with his friends.

Takato felt Kari's hand close round his. For some reason it didn't feel all that awkward. It felt pretty nice and made Takato's heart feel light, happy and free. But then Jeri's face appeared in Takato's head, and he let go of Kari's hand. Kari, who had felt the same as Takato had, looked at him. She was puzzled and a little afraid that he didn't like her.

Takato noticed two boys his age, one of them with brown hair that had been cut shorter yet still was spiked up, the other green-haired and wearing glasses. Kazu Shioda and Kenta Kitagawa. His childhood friends and fellow Digimon Tamers.

They were fairly near, sitting on grass with their partners, Guardromon disguised as a statue and MarineAngemon disguised as a stuffed toy. The two teenage boys were playing the Digimon Card Game instead of doing their homework, as their school books were open in front of them but completely ignored.

Kari noticed Guardromon, but decided she must be imagining things. "Are those guys your friends?" she asked Takato instead.

He turned to look at her. "Yeah. I've known them ever since first grade."

"Do you want to go say hi?"

"No thanks. Lets go to the bakery."


Soon they arrived in front of the right place. There was hardly anything new. The sign still read 'Matsuda Family Bakery', and the window displays had the same kind of pastries that were in display at the new one. The only differences were that this bakery was smaller and part house, and there was a small text next to the sign that read 'Fujieda family'.

Takato led the way inside, where they found a young man and woman busily stocking shelves and trying to fulfil the orders of a little crowd of shoppers.

"Two loaves of that Guilmon bread!" one customer shouted demandingly.

"A box of those ginger and cinnamon cookies!'

"A package of Kaiser rolls!"

"Okay! That was two loaves of Guilmon bread, one box of ginger rolls, and three packages of Kaiser cookies," the woman frantically repeated incorrectly, running into the back.

Takato turned to Kari and said: "Excuse me for a second."

Takato immediately ran behind the counter and tapped the man on the shoulder. The man waved. "Just a second, dear. Okay two loaves of bread, one loaf of… wait, hang on, let's start over."

"Hey, Mr Fujieda, need a hand?" Takato asked.

Mr Fujieda jumped up in surprise. "Wha… oh, hello. It's been a while. You were…Taichi, right? Or was it Takeshi?"

"Takato," the Tamer corrected, "What's the situation?"

"Well, my wife is doing her best to get the bread and dough ready," Mr Fujieda explained, "And I'm just trying to restock the shelves and get the sales on these purchases."

"Alright, I'll give you guys a hand." Takato rolled up his sleeves, threw on an apron and ran into the back. Kari watched awestruck as Takato ran out and quickly started stocking shelves with different boxes and bags. He disappeared and reappeared from the kitchen again, this time holding a tray of doughnuts in each hand. He placed them on the display shelves by the window front before disappearing into the kitchen yet again.

"He works fast, doesn't he?" Kari turned her head and saw a girl her age with short auburn hair, wearing a navy blue school uniform. She wasn't sure why the other girl was talking to her or when she entered the store but she had to agree.

"Yeah, Takato is quite good."

"He's always been," the other girl stated matter-of-factly, her tone suggesting she didn't hear Kari. She was gazing in the direction of the kitchen, where Takato had just gone. "He always loved the bakery, even if he doesn't want to admit it."

"I'm sorry?" Kari asked in response to the cryptic words.

As if awakening from a trance, the girl shook her head and said: "Oh, I'm sorry. My name's Jeri, Jeri Katou."

"Hi, Jeri. I'm Hikari Kamiya but you can call me Kari. It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," Jeri replied with a smile. She seemed pretty nice.

They were silent for a minute, and Kari's thoughts wandered back to Takato, who rushed by and told Mr Fujieda he was quickly helping with making some dough. Then she thought about Tai. He had been gone for two days, with no-one having any clue where he could be. Kari dismissed the worrying thoughts at once, wanting to enjoy her date with Takato. She would look for Tai if he wasn't found by tomorrow morning.

"So, are you two in the same class?" Jeri asked.

"Yep. In English, maths and chemistry."

"How's Takato settling in?"

"Pretty well. He's been hanging out with me and my friends a few times, and I think he knows one of the teachers at Odaiba High."

"Well, I guess that's good. Takato was really sorry to leave Shinjuku. It's where he met Guil– I mean, an important friend." Phew, that was close. I wonder why I almost spilled out about Guilmon to a total stranger?

"Do you mean two boys around my age?" Kari asked, remembering Kazu and Kenta.

"Uhh… Don't know. Anyhow, are you a friend of Takato's?"

Kari nodded, then asked: "So, how do you know Takato?

""I'm his girlfriend," Jeri said rather plainly, as if it were a common fact.

Kari felt something inside her break. Takato already has a girlfriend? Then why would he ask me on a date? Is he trying to cheat on Jeri with me? Or…no…no, none of this makes sense. Anger boiled up inside her. Trying to contain herself, she calmly said: "Excuse me."

She then departed out of the bakery and disappeared down the street, hoping to get to the train station.


After about half an hour of work, Takato hung up his apron. The Fujiedas thanked Takato for his help and he went out to meet Kari. Only she wasn't there. However, Jeri was and she immediately greeted Takato by running up to him and placing a kiss on his lips. Takato was completely caught off guard, but he wanted the kiss to keep going even though he was feeling extremely guilty on kissing Jeri when he was out with Kari.

When they finally broke away from the kiss, Jeri happily said: "Hey, Takato. I missed you."

"I missed you too Jeri," Takato answered, but his mind was whirring. There was no sign of Kari, and he got very worried about her.

Jeri was hugging him tightly. "You should have told me that you were coming back to Shinjuku for a visit. I would have met you at the station."

"I'm sorry," Takato replied, "Do you know where Kari went?"

"She left a little while ago," Jeri answered, releasing Takato from the hug. "Since you're here, why don't we go around town for a bit?"

Takato happily agreed, while quietly worrying about what went on between Jeri and Kari. As they left the bakery/house, waving their final goodbyes to the Fujiedas, Takato asked: "So what did you and Kari talk about?"

"Not much really," Jeri answered, "Simply about your work at the bakery. A few minutes ago I introduced myself as your girlfriend and she left."

"You did?" Takato's voice shook weakly.

Jeri nodded. "Yeah. So why don't we go to our usual spot? They have some new brews on the menu I'm sure you'll like."

Takato wearily agreed, a sinking feeling in his gut telling him he had messed up big time.


Kari had no clue where she was. She was a complete stranger to Shinjuku and felt out of place here in this strange part of the city. She wandered up and down the streets, doing her best to retrace her steps to the station.

She took her cell phone out of her little bag, dialling TK's number. But it said there was no signal. "Great," Kari muttered to herself sarcastically. "The one day I really need my phone, the phone lines go down."

She put it back into her bag and continued trying to find the station, when her D3 beeped and showed a Digimon had appeared.


Takato and Jeri walked down the street towards their usual spot, a small café near the bakery where they used to go enjoy a cup of coffee or tea while listening to the casual music. However, all Takato could think about was the worry, the guilt and the fear that overtook him. Poor Kari can be anywhere in Shinjuku. Man, I've messed up so bad!

As they walked down the alley-like street, Jeri looked at Takato in surprise. "Takato? Is something wrong?"

"Huh? Did you say something?"

"I asked you what's wrong."

"It's just… Kari."

"Kari?" Jeri echoed, not sure how to feel.

"Yeah. She has never been to Shinjuku, so she might be lost."

"Lets go find her, then!" Jeri decided, relieved. Of course, she didn't know the whole reason of Takato's worry. Jeri took his hand and they ran forward, planning to head for the park.

Just as they came only a crossing away from the park's edge, the street lights flickered and went dead, making the whole place a lot darker. Lights went off at some apartments and shops, as well. It was a blackout.

A large Digimon called Craniamon showed up. He landed on the street in front of the two teens, his sword/stick striking the ground and making it crack a little. A car smashed onto the sword/stick, causing another one to crash too. People screamed as the unmistakable sounds of confusion and uproar started.

"Where'd that Digimon come from?!" Takato exclaimed. He unclipped his D-power from his belt, but it showed no information of the large Digimon, only a picture.

"I am Craniamon, one of the great Royal Knights. We have orders to seek and destroy the DigiDestined."

Oh no! Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse! Takato screamed in his mind, sick with anxiety over Kari.

Then came a sudden vibration of the ground caused inevitably by another Royal Knight, Alphamon, slamming onto the ground. Jeri clung to Takato, holding on close for dear life. Takato, however, couldn't bring himself to hold her. He was too worried about Kari and his new friends.

They're after the DigiDestined! I have to warn them! He took his phone from his pocket, but found that he had no signal. The phone lines were down.

"You shall be destroyed!" Alphamon shouted, preparing to attack. Takato grabbed Jeri's arm and rushed out of the way, the attack missing them by mere inches. It hit an empty parked car and wrecked it completely.

"Why are they attacking us?" Jeri screamed as the two ran into the park, pursued by the two Royal Knights.

"They want the DigiDestined! And since we're Tamers, they must've mistaken us for them! We've got to find Kari now!"

To be continued…

If you're wondering why Davis was okay with Takato asking Kari out, here's the explanation: Davis matured a lot during 02's second half, in case nobody noticed, and he accepted Kari only liked him as a friend when she went out with TK in CherrygirlU19K's Twist of Fate. And if you wanna know why Jeri almost spilled out about Guilmon, it's coz she felt natural talking to Kari. This'll be shown more in the episode after the next two episodes (Explanations).

Oh, and if you're wondering about the Frontier gang, don't. Their story will be shown sometime around the next few episodes.

PS. Again, some of my story belongs to the writers of Takato's Light.

Anyhow, I hope the story's getting really interesting.