AN: It's been a while since I put up an author's note, mainly because I haven't had anything to say, but recently I've found something. You all know I like writing Takuya/Kari stories because I like the idea of them, so I'm always really happy to see someone else writing for the pairing. This is why I'm recommending checking out, Digimon: Digital Connections, by JakeKontan. (If you want to find it just look it up under a search of Takuya and Kari stories) It's a great addition to very small field of Takuya/Kari stories. The story hasn't progressed very far yet, but I like what I've read so far and I think it needs more love. Stop by and give it a read after this. You won't be sorry.

Chapter 10

Let's Play a Game

Takuya had spent most of the morning checking on the various Digidestined and their families from afar. He didn't know if Daemon's plans would be different in this Zone, so he couldn't just count on everything going the same way as he had heard; meaning the Digidestined could still be in danger.

While Takuya had check on all of the others already, he was avoiding one place in particular. Even if it wasn't his Kari, he still felt wrong about spying on her; even if it was for her own safety. That was why he kept trying to come up with a reason to go anywhere else in the city. He was still trying to come up with an idea when he arrived at the building across from the Kamiya's apartment complex. He had chosen to walk instead of teleport so that he would have more time, but the extra time didn't help any.

Takuya looked up at the window he knew separated the Kamiya household from the outside world. Sighing he turned towards the opposing building and began climbing the stairs up to the roof. A few minutes later he exited through the rooftop entrance and walked across the stone and tar covered ground. The atmosphere on the roof was somewhat quiet as the world flowed along the streets below. The cold winter winds whipped across the roof, having nothing to break it or shield Takuya from its frozen surge. Up until now Takuya had been feeling slightly alone and the feeling only got worse when he went to the edge of the building and looked over into the warm apartment.

Through the window he could see the Kamiya family gathered in the living room, talking. Opened packages, colorful paper and boxes, and new clothes were scattered about. In the corner Mrs. Kamiya was stuffing used and torn wrapping paper into a trash bag as the rest of the family was laughing at something one of them had said. Watching her Takuya could still remember how badly his first meeting with Kari's parents had gone. He guessed that having to explain to them how Kari and the rest were kidnapped by Dominimon wasn't the best way to meet your girlfriend's folks. In the end he wasn't sure if they had actually accepted his and Kari's relationship, but from what he could make out from them was that they seemed unsure of how it would play out for the two of them in the long run.

While he tried not to, his eyes eventually fell on Kari, and they didn't move off of her. "Wow, Kari was pretty cute when she was eleven, too," Takuya smiled as Kari flashed a bright smile that was all her own to her family. "No wonder Davis and TK had a thing for her," he finished with an understanding laugh.

He found it difficult, but when the slight heartache got too bad he turned away and began scanning the surrounding area for trouble. Takuya didn't notice anyone or anything out of place, except for him that was.

After he had had enough he turned around and walked over to the rooftop entrance and leaned against the concrete structure. He loosened his legs and slid down the side until he was sitting on the rooftop and against the cold wall. As he sat there he ran scenario after scenario over in his head trying to figure out how he was best going to resolve the coming incident. As he thought it through, one problem kept coming up. That thought eventually turned into a question about how his interference in this Zone might affect it and its future. This would essentially be the second time he would change this world; well in a matter of speaking that was true. His interference in this incident was saving the Zone, but it would also drastically change it, like it had already with his Kari's Zone.

Thinking like that wasn't Takuya's style so he shook it from his mind for a final time and returned to thinking about what to do once things started happening again. After about an hour he had come up with a plan. It was a plan that would require taking some risks and a lot of his skills to pull off. It wouldn't be more then he could handle and if he did it right, it could actually be a lot of fun.

With his plan in mind he got back up and returned to the buildings ledge. Inside the apartment Kari and Tai had put on their coats and shoes in preparation to leave the apartment.

"Great, they're leaving. Now I have to follow them," Takuya tiredly sighed. With that he turned and headed back down to the street so he could follow the two of them. On the way down all he could think about was how difficult trailing them was going to be. Tai would be easy to get around, but Kari and Gatomon would be a different story. Gatomon's years of living in fear of Myotismon had made her slightly paranoid, yesterday didn't help either, which had made her even more aware of her surroundings. Kari on the other hand just had, ability, for lack of a better word. She couldn't really control it, but sometimes her ability to sense things was greater than even his. Whether it was instinct or something else Takuya was unsure. He just knew he had to be careful around her at the moment.

When he reached the bottom floor he quickly ducked into an alley and waited for the two siblings to exit the building. A minute later they appeared and began walking down the street. When they were far enough away that Takuya felt comfortable enough to follow them, he stepped out from the shadows and off in the same direction. He continued to follow the two for a while, always making sure to keep them in sight; but suddenly Takuya felt a digital presence coming up from behind him. He instantly ducked into another alley seconds before Davis ran by with DemiVeemon in his arms.

"Kari! Tai!" Davis called out to the two ahead of him.

"Hey Davis…" The two greeted him, slightly unhappy that Davis was yelling on such a peaceful morning.

"I guess if I'm with you two I won't be late for the meeting at the park this time," Davis laughed as he closed the gap between the three of them.

"We will be late if we don't hurry," Tai announced before turning around and heading off once again. Kari and Davis quickly followed after him.

"What's with Tai?" Davis asked Kari with a whisper.

"I think he's still a little worried about what happened last night," Kari responded in a whisper as well.

"You mean about that jerk from yesterday?" Davis inquired while he punched his fist into his palm.

"Some of it…" Kari said uneasily. "But I think something else about the incident is bothering him more."

"What?" Davis asked confused by what Kari had just said. However, he let it go pretty easily since he soon started arguing with DemiVeemon about how Davis had almost dropped him when he had punched his palm.

This time Takuya didn't emerge from the alleyway even as the three disappeared from sight. He knew what park they were taking about so he no longer needed to follow them. He could just Jump to a secluded spot in the park and make his way to the meeting spot from there.

Takuya removed the phone from his coat pocket and selected the Jump function. He scrolled across the map and selected a spot he was familiar with; which he knew would be empty and no one would notice the light from his Jump. A second later he hit the enter button and disappeared from the alley.

A moment later the light died down and he was standing by the edge of a frozen lake. The lake and fields were surrounded by dense rows of trees with only a small dirt path leading back to the main part of the park. This was the same place he had had his first fight in the Real World over the Sealed Digivice with Darcmon. But thanks to the three fights that took place in the area, it no longer looked like this. Actually the last time he had checked this part of the park had been completely closed off.

"It should only be a short walk from here, but I better give them some time to get there," Takuya thought out loud to himself. While he waited he walked over to the old wooden park bench and sat down. He leaned back and tried to think about what they could have called this meeting for. Well besides from the obvious incidents with him.

After about ten minutes he got up from the bench and headed off to the old playground so he could keep an eye on the group during their meeting and protect them if the need arose. He also considered this a chance to figure out what the Digidestined were planning to do about what had happened the night before.

Eventually he arrived at the small forest that surrounded the meeting spot. He stepped into the tree cover and crept quietly to the old playground. After a minute of sneaking he arrived at the edge of the woods and ducked behind a patch bushes, out of sight of the Digidestined. From the looks of it the last few members had only a few minutes ago and now they were waiting for the meeting to begin.

"I think it's best if we share our experiences from last night," Tai decided to start the meeting on topic.

Each of the Digidestined took their time and told the group exactly what happened to them. Takuya didn't really feel like listening to this since he still felt guilty about all of it. He actually began to tune them out until he heard Kari finish her story.

"It's strange, but I don't think he was a bad guy…" Kari said in a quiet and unsure voice. In truth, she had had her doubts about what she had seen. She felt that he was watching out for them and that what he had done what he had done for them. She just felt he wasn't evil, but didn't understand why she believed that.

Hearing that really made Takuya feel better about what had happened last night and it pushed him harder to try and save the Zone. The happy feeling didn't last long though when a foul presence suddenly began to fill the park. The sudden appearance was enough to rattle Takuya, making him just stared straight ahead looking for anything that could be creating such an evil aura.

"That terrible aura's definitely coming from the park… but where?" Takuya thought to himself as he tried to focus his senses. But whatever it was, it was too well hidden for him to pick up on any better without aid. Realizing that he wouldn't be able to find the source by feeling it out he reached into his pocket and pulled out his second pair of goggles; his Scanners.

The crosshairs on the Scanners locked onto one object after another, mainly the digimon and digivices, until it hit a big growing target beneath the Digidestined. A hazard symbol appeared next to the scan as well as a long column of data that might have made sense to someone like Izzy or Koji, but meant nothing to Takuya. His only concern was its growing mass and the hazard symbol I had been tagged with. The feeling of worry only intensified when the yellow hazard symbol turned orange, signifying that with each passing scan the goggles computer made, the higher the level of threat they assessed the presence to be. Only a few more colors stood between it and the ultimate threat level. Whatever it was, it was coming from the ground underneath the park and the Digidestined; and to make matters worse none of them seemed to notice it.

"Something's coming…" Takuya growled quietly. "I have to get them out of there now! But how are you going to do that Takuya… Think first, act second, stupid," Takuya thought to himself. He quickly set about thinking of a plan as the group continued to talk. A few seconds later he let out a depressed sigh. "Why is that the only plan I can think of…?" He berated himself in a whisper.

"You're kidding right!?" Davis yelled in surprise from atop of the monkey bars.

"No…" Kari quietly answered, not looking Davis in the eyes as she said it.

"I hate to say this, but I agree with Davis," TK added.

"Yeah, there's nothing good about that evil, stupid, ugly, jerk face, punk, of a murder!" Davis listed off insults in a rant. He ended with an exhale of triumph, as if he had achieved some kind of victory over the figure in black. After Davis's venting the group returned their attention to Kari, hoping she would elaborate on what she was saying, but she wouldn't get the chance now. Someone else was about to speak.

"You know, it's not nice to talk about people like that when they're not around to defend themselves," a cool voice from behind Davis.

The sudden interruption froze the group's blood. The initial surprise lasted only a second and as soon as it passed the Digidestined turned their heads back to Davis. Davis on the other hand had to turn his entire upper half to see behind him, and what he saw once he did sent a chill down his spine. There standing directly behind him was the same figure in black with the hood pulled over his eyes that had constantly interrupted them the night before. He was no longer towering over him from the roof of a skyscrapper. No, now he was now towering over him on the cold metal rungs of the monkey bars. How he had managed to get up there without anyone noticing him was beyond them, let alone how he had found them.

Before Davis could react the figure in black leaned down closer to his ear and spoke. "It's an even worse idea to do it when they are."

"You!?" Davis said trying to instinctively put some distance between himself and the figure in black. This would have been a good idea if he hadn't forgotten that he was five feet off of the ground sitting on the edge of the monkey bars. The moment he leapt back he had nothing left to sit on and fell five feet to the cold dirt floor below.

"Are you going to be okay?" The figure in black asked in a cool, but concerned voice.

"Shut up!? You did this!" Davis shouted up at the figure in black still shaken from his sudden appearance.

"You're blaming me for your overreaction and the ensuing fall?" Takuya voiced in a puzzled tone.

"You!" Both Tai and Matt roared in unison. They both appeared to be angry at him and he couldn't really blame them.

"It would surprise you at how fast you get tired of that being the first word people greet you with… especially with that same negative inflection every time," Takuya responded sarcastically from beneath his hood.

"…" There was no reply from the Digidestined. Takuya hoped that they were just still in shock and not trying to imagine what it must be like to be greeted with an angry 'You' a lot.

"You won't harm anyone this time!" Gatomon suddenly roared as she lunged at the figure in black without warning.

"Crap…! Twice my first meeting with Gatomon's started with her attacking me," Takuya sighed in his head.

Gatomon's sparking paws of electricity quickly approached Takuya, but thanks to years of training he was easily able to react to the situation. He waited until the last second before side stepping the attack leaving Gatomon with only empty air to strike at before crashing into the ground near the edge of the park.

"That's the idea! Let's play a little game of tag," Takuya stated with a whimsical tone.

"What!?" The Digidestined stared at him in utter shock. They had expected almost anything from the figure in black, but a game of tag was just not on any of their lists.

"Do you think this is funny?!" Matt questioned the cloaked Digidestined with an angry yell. Normally he wasn't the type to get angry and act so rashly, but something about the way this guy acted really set him off. He just acted so carefree and cool, like nothing could touch him. Or it could be the fact that he had set a squad of Mexican police on him and Ken the night before.

Without giving a response Takuya took a step forward and a dropped to the ground. He landed in a standing position, without even having to brace for the impact, next to Davis who just stared up at him. Then focusing his strength into his legs Takuya lunged forward towards Matt. His speed and sudden movements caught the team by surprise giving them no time to react. In the next instant he was right beside Matt who could only watch him from the corner of his eye.

"Tag… You're it!" Takuya announced in a playful voice as he placed a hand on Matt's back and gave a little push. The push sent Matt stumbling forward but he managed to regain his composure and stay on his feet.

The Digidestined turned to face the figure in black just in time to see him run towards one of the walls that bordered the park. When he was close enough he bent his legs slightly and kicked off of it, launching himself to the top of the six foot wall. He stood balanced on the stone wall and looked back at the stunned Digidestined.

"Come and get me…" He sung before he dropped off of the wall and disappeared on to the other side.

"Get back here!" Matt yelled after him.

"I wonder if this will really work?" Takuya thought to himself as he quickly crossed the street. He wouldn't have to wait long for his answer; it would come with a loud slam of metal against brick. The gate was still vibrating from hitting the stone wall when all of the Digidestined passed through it in a mad rush.

"Hmmm… I guess they are up for it," Takuya thought to himself with a small internal laugh at the sight. "Hey, you do realize that's public property right, so you should be more careful with it," he yelled across the street to the group with a whimsical tone.

"Get back here!" Both Tai and Matt yelled from the other side of the road.

"Haa!" Takuya laughed before he turned and quickly made his escape down the street.

With the speed and agility he had gain through years of training it was easy for Takuya to keep ahead of the untrained Digidestined. The difficult part was that it took time to use the Scanners to look for a target. Meaning he would have to stop, look all around, and wait for the scan to complete before he could tell if the hazardous anomaly was gone yet. He also had to make sure that they were still close by; if he put too much distance between himself and his pursuers they could be attacked or even return to the park. All of which was going to be difficult with the Zones Digidestined chasing after him.

"This is some plan you've come up with Takuya. Definitely another one of the most interesting one's you've had in a while," Takuya mentally berated himself as he slid around a corner. After turning the corner he lifted the Scanners up to his eyes and turned back to the park. Through the wall of the building the crosshairs locked onto the Digidestined first and then the mass of seething energy below the park. It had stopped growing, but was still there, which meant it wasn't able to chase them or it was just waiting for some reason. It was impossible to tell.

Takuya only had a few seconds before the Digidestined closed a good chunk of the gap and were almost on him once again. Slipping the Scanners back in his coat pocket he took off down the alley once more with the Digidestined in hot pursuit. As he turned the corner and took in the layout of the street before him a sly smile spread across his face.

"Why not…?" Takuya said in an exhausted laugh as if his next move was unavoidable.

"What is with this guy?" Davis yelled to the rest of the group as they turned the same corner the figure in black had moments ago.

"I have no idea! It's like he's playing with us!" Matt shot back.

"He did say that he wanted to play tag," TK interjected.

"But it's weird… He managed to sneak up on us, so why didn't he just attack? Or anything else besides from this?" Tai questioned. What the figure in black had said to him in Siberia still keep coming back to him, as if trying to tell him he was missing something.

"Speaking of weird, does anyone else find how fast he's moving to be kind of odd?" Ken asked. He had always kept himself in good shape, but this guy was on a whole different level.

"He went around that corner," Yolei called out reminding them of the task at hand. They had just turned down the alley in time to see the figure in black turn around the edge of a building and disappear from view once more.

With a burst of adrenaline fueled speed the Digidestined came sliding around the corner to find a semi-crowded street lined with cafés and store fronts. There weren't that many people around, but there was apparently enough for the figure to disappear into.

"Where did he go now?" Davis panted as they all scanned the area for the figure in black. There really didn't seem like there could be a place for him to hide when he looked like that.

"Excuse me," a feminine voice called attention to itself from their side. The Digidestined quickly wheeled around in response and came face to face with a young woman dressed in a green apron over a brown shirt and pants, carrying a brown circular tray in one of her arms. On top of the tray were several white mugs of some kind of steaming beverage, cooling in the winter air.

"Ahh… Yes," Tai answered his mind drawing a complete blank as to why this waitress was addressing them.

"These are for you," the woman stated lowering the eleven mugs down to their eye level. Inside was a hot brown frothy liquid with tiny marshmallows floating on the surface. By the appearance and smell it was pretty obvious that it was hot chocolate.

"For us?!" They all asked looking down at the cooling mugs before them.

"Yes. That boy over there paid for them and told me to deliver them to the people who came around this corner," the woman explained pointing to one of the café tables across the street. They quickly followed her finger to a person dressed in a long black jacket taking some calm sips from the same kind of white mug that was set out before them. When he noticed that they had spotted him he lifted his cup up to them and gave them a little nod as if asking them to join him and enjoy his gift.

"He's joking right…!?" Many of the members said as they stared at him, taking in his strange behavior.

"Do you think this is funny!?" Davis and TK yelled in unison to the figure in black who tried to act all innocent, like he hadn't done anything. You could tell they were angry when they started acting the same. In the next instant the two of them started charging across the street, ignoring the warm beverages being offered to them. The moment they began to cross the figure hopped up from his seat and disappeared down a side alley. They all followed the alleyway along all its bends and turns until they came to a dead end.

"Where did he go now!?" TK asked obviously frustrated by the current activities.

*SLURP*

A sudden slurping sound carried into the alley. Where it had come from was a complete mystery. It sounded again but the source never revealed itself.

"You know, this stuff's pretty good," a whimsical voice hummed from above. The attention of those below instantly shifted to the edge of the building about six stories above them. There sitting on the ledge sipping from the white mug he had back at the café sat the figure in black with his feet dangling over the side playfully. "You really should have taken a break and had some," he added before tipping it back fully, downing the last big gulp. This strange performance was just enough to numb the brains of those below. Never before had they been this overwhelmed by the odd actions of an enemy; this was something completely new.

"What is wrong with you!?" Davis finally yelled, his frustration reaching an all new level.

"Let's just say what I did and will do are necessary… How I went about it might have been a little odd but…" He began to explain as he set down the empty mug and stood up. He was kind of feeling guilty now, but it had worked. After his last check from his perch with the Scanners he had confirmed that the rising presence had faded, breaking off its attempt at the Digidestined. With his job done for now he turned away, opened his Runners Phone, and prepared to leave.

"I don't get it…!" Kari's voice suddenly cried out. It was a voice full of both understanding and confusion; and one thing was for sure. She wanted answers. "Are you our enemy… or…" She added before becoming quiet. She had wanted to ask if he was actually trying to help them, but that view wasn't really popular at this moment, so in time she lost her nerve.

This statement had a pretty strange effect on Takuya. Hearing her call him an enemy actually hurt. Looking at her from the shadows of his hood might have hidden his true feelings, but it allowed him to see all of hers. He could look into her soft crimson eyes and feel many of the things he felt from the one who he willingly gave his heart to and who willingly gave him hers. He knew she wasn't the same person as his Kari, he could feel that with his entire being, but with that face and soft voice even he would faultier.

"It's difficult…" He suddenly responded in a monotone voice before turning his head away and selecting the Jump function on his Runners Phone. Before hitting the enter button he turned back and looked down at the group. "Be careful tonight…" He added, his voice flooding with a mixture of seriousness and concern.

"What…?" A collective what from those below was his only response before he walked away from the ledge and hit the enter button. A flash of light from above told them that he had once again disappeared and they were left alone with all their questions.

The world once again returned to view as the Jump ended depositing Takuya on whatever roof he had picked out of all the ones that littered the city's skyline. He had already spent some time at the park trying to figure out what he had run into, but in the end he was left without an answer and a fast approaching deadline.

"So what happened?" Flamemon asked in a yawn. While Takuya had been away the rookie of flame had been filling his belly and getting some needed rest. It had been Takuya's orders since if tonight was going to go the same way it had in his friends Zone, they would be coming face to face with another of the Demon Lords; and whoever he brought along. In truth Takuya didn't know what to expect tonight. He knew that his previous knowledge had been right so far, but the virus digimon meant anything and everything could change. In many ways it already had.

"A little trouble, but everything's still heading towards tonight." Takuya answered as he brought his knees to his chest in a crouched position. He sat there on the edge of the building watching the Sun set over the skyline, knowing that a dangerous night lay in wait. And somewhere out there in a Zone just like this one was the person he wanted to see more than anything. But in this Zone they needed him more. "It'll be dark soon… We'll move out after a while…" He added in a solemn tone before turning back to look at the two he had brought with him. Behind him he heard them give their different signs of agreement before he closed his eyes and got some time to himself.

"K… A… R… I… Kari…" He sighed running his fingers over the pink metal bracelet with the white stars on it. He made sure to trace each letter with his cold fingertip letting his anxiety fade and readying his mind.

"T… A… K… U… Y… A… Takuya…" A soft voice breathed as she traced the black and orange metal bracelet with her warm fingertips. When she did this it helped her feel close to him even though the entirety of the Multi-verse separated them. Somehow it made her feel connected to him. As if somewhere he was doing the same exact thing at the same exact moment.

For Kari this connection would have to be enough for now since he was still so far away, lost in the lights of another city, in another Zone. But she knew she would see him soon. Their connection told her so. Holding on to that feeling tightly in her heart she settled into her warm bed hoping to dream of him.

To be continued…