(May 19th, 2010)
Here we are! Phew! I worked all day on finishing it just because I love you guys so much. I know it seems like a shorter chapter, but I ended it at a good spot so the flow is smoother.

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Disclamier: I don't own Digimon or any of its characters. As well as any other brand name, magazine name, people, celebrities, obejcts etc.

CHAPTER 14: Knowledge

~TPOV~

It wasn't until on Monday, four days later, that Hikari's family was back home; she hadn't felt any better, but Takeru had stayed every night, trying to save her from her nightmares. At school she'd cut out her friends, she felt isolated but she couldn't help it; she just didn't want to talk about it. As far as Daisuke she couldn't even look at him without having a panic attack; although he tried everything to talk to her. Since she wasn't telling anyone anything Takeru was getting the heat.

"Why can you just tell us?" Miyako had asked after she'd cornered him on his way to practice; he just shook his head.

"It's not my right to say, she'd going through a bad patch but she'll be back to normally eventually." Miko had narrowed her eyes at him sceptically, her voice cold.

"And what constitutes as eventually?" Takeru wished he knew, she hadn't seemed like she was getting better, her nightmares were getting worse and her face was strained as she tried to keep it together at school. When they got home each evening she was drained, passing out just after six each night; he'd work on both their homework until the screaming started again. Daisuke was absolutely furious that Takeru wouldn't let him talk to her, until finally when changing after practice he was grabbed by two of Daisuke's wingmen and pinned him against the wall while Daisuke punched him. It was bad enough that Hikari was only confiding in him but the fact that Daisuke had been suspended from the basketball and taken his place as captain had been just too much for him to handle.

That Monday Takeru sat at home, working on a biology lab; the apartment felt very empty without the presence of another person he'd gotten use to. Before he went to bed he tidied up the apartment; he was trying his best to keep it clean for the next week since his mother had sent a text saying she'd be back sometime soon. Then he got into bed, placing his cell phone on his side table; he'd told Hikari that if she needed she could call him at anytime to talk. That night he had slept through the entire night without any calls, he got up, changed and walked over to Hikari's building that morning to go to school. She wasn't waiting for him. He picked up his phone and dialled her number, getting voicemail. He tried again three more times with the same result. Finally the fourth time someone picked up; Hikari's mother.

"Hello?" She sounded exhausted as she spoke.

"Mrs. Yagima? It's TK, I'm supposed to be walking to school with Kari and she's not here. Is she alright?"

"Oh hello TK dear! Actually no she seems to have come down with the flu. You should go on without her."

"But what's---" He was cut off as Mrs. Yagima started to talk to someone one her line.

"Again? Okay I'll try to talk to her, but she didn't respond to me last time either." She talked into the phone again. "TK? I'm sorry but I have to go, I'll pass on the message that you called." Then she hung up with a click, leaving Takeru staring at his phone. He debated going up to her condo, but figured her parents would turn him away anyways. Spent the entire way to school brewing over what was happening. Is she really sick? Takeru figured not or he'd be sick too; her parents probably thought she was because of the way she's acting. The day seemed to drag on; Takeru sent texts and tried calling Hikari without any luck. On the bright side Daisuke seemed to leave him alone, which was great because the last thing he needed was another punching session. During practice coach Hounsou announced that there would be an extra practice after school, much to the dismay of Takeru, all he wanted to do was go check on Hikari. Basketball practice went on until seven that night, consisting of a classroom and strategy portion; the entire time he was distracted but managed to clue in enough that coach didn't yell at him. He showered and rushed to Hikari's, ringing the intercom for him to be let up; nobody answered and after twenty minutes he gave up going home.

That evening he couldn't focus on his work; technically it had been the longest time since Hikari and Takeru met that they hadn't communicated. Even when they couldn't talk they constantly had a stream of texts going on; sure the nights that she spent with Daisuke they didn't talk but that was maybe for an evening? And even then he'd get a random text at three in the morning telling him something funny she had seen that evening. He stared at his calculus paper, not seeing it thoughts too prominent to focus on anything else. It wasn't until a quarter past nine that his phone rang out clearly in the silent room. He snatched it up and his heart raced as the caller id said "Hikari Yagima" on the screen.

"Kari?" He voice was hurried; he was so glad she was finally calling.

"Actually no, it Tai." A young, deep male voice spoke, he sounded hesitant. Takeru was startled; in the past month they had barely talked, Tai either ignored him or glared at him every time he was over. Takeru spoke slowly and deliberately.

"Hi… Tai. Is everything okay?"

"Actually no, it isn't. It's Kari… she's acting… strange. I've phoned all her friends and none of them can tell us what's wrong. Miyako said that you were probably the only one that knows what's going on. Can you come over and talk to her? She's locked herself in her room." Takeru immediately said yes, already grabbing his leather jacket and heading out the door. Fifteen minutes later he was buzzed through the door and was riding the elevator to the top floor. He knocked on the clean white door and a second later it opened showing a haggard looking Tai.

"Thanks for coming, my parents tired talking but she won't say anything, then I tried and she whacked me in the jaw." He pointed to a swelling bump on his jaw line. "Now she's locked the door to her room and won't come out. She's been in there all day." Takeru nodded following Tai to Hikari's door where both her parents leaned on the doorframe looking distressed. They looked up when they heard footsteps and a wash of relief flooded over their faces.

"Oh TK dear, I'm so glad you're here! We're tried everything. She won't even let Sora in." Yuuko's eyes looked tearful and Susumu was pinching the bridge of his nose. "We tried calling Daisuke but he says he has no idea what's going on, but he sounded angry; does this have to do with Dai?" Takeru shook his head sighing.

"Not directly, it has nothing to do school." He walked over to the door turning his head to Hikari's family. "Do you mind if try talking to her?" Tai threw his hands up in the air looking exasperated.

"Knock yourself out, it'll be a miracle if she even talks to you." Takeru rapped on the door with his index finger.

"Go. Away." Said Hikari's muffled voice; it sounded raw from crying.

"Kari? It's me, TK." He spoke into the door so she could hear his voice through the thick wood. There was silence and they didn't bother to hide their looks of disappointment. Takeru made to knock again when there was a click and the door slowly opened to a debilitated Hikari; her hair was in a messy bun and her eyes were puffy. She looked thinner to Takeru then she had yesterday, if that was even possible. The Yagima's eyes grew wide as their daughter stumbled out the door and collapsed in Takeru's arms, sobbing. He hugged her to him, unable to think about how breakable she felt right now. Tai and his parents just stared, not able to comprehend what just happened; Tai's mouth was just hanging agog, it would have been funny normally but given the situation Takeru wasn't in the mood for laughing. Takeru leaned his head down talking quietly to Hikari.

"You look tired Kari, have you gotten any sleep since I saw you yesterday?" She shook her head, still not looking up. "I thought so, are you wanting to go to bed now?" She nodded again, he looked at Susumu first; he received a brief nod then he took her hand leading her back into her dark bedroom. He stepped up onto the bed so he was sitting with his back against the mahogany headboard, legs outstretched. She climbed up after him curling herself into his chest, he heard her sigh as she settled herself comfortably. Takeru could already feel her body drifting into sleep, before she fell asleep she murmured into his chest.

"TK? Promise me you'll be here when I wake up." He pushed a stray curl from her face and kissed her forehead.

"If that's what you want Kari." She nodded vigorously, snuggling herself closer to him.

"I'll always want you around." She drawled slowly she drifted off to sleep. He sat there with her for a while until a figure stood in the open doorway; it motioned for him to come with him. Takeru looked down at Hikari to see she was fast asleep. He carefully picked her up and placed her flat on her bed, pulling the covers around her. He strolled over to the door, closing it halfway and turning to Tai, they walked down the white hallway in silence; when they reached the junction between the hallway and living room Tai stopped him.

"Look, I owe you an apology, from before. I had no right to hit you like that. And what you did tonight… I don't know what you did but I can't thank you enough. As far as I can tell Daisuke's been good to her but I get the feeling that something's changed in her when she met you, she's different. I can see now that you're the best thing that's happened to her in a long time. " He put his hand out for Takeru to take; he didn't pause, shaking his hand firmly and smiling at him.

"Matt always told me you were a good guy, just a bit of… what did he call you? That's right, a meatball head." Tai chuckled and they walked into the living room where Mr. and Mrs. Yagima sat on the perfect white couches in front of a roaring fire. Tai and Takeru sat on the chair opposite to them; when Takeru looked at Yuuko he saw that she'd been crying. When they asked him what was wrong with her, Takeru hesitated; he knew he wasn't suppose to say anything but this time was different. If something so traumatic had happened to him, he'd want someone to tell his parents (if they were to care in the first place), even if he was too scared to tell. So he told them of that night starting with Hikari's fight with Daisuke (excluding the alcohol) then the men in the alleyway.

"I don't know what to say." Yuuko cried into a handkerchief while her husband rubbed her back gently. "You must think we're horrible people, no even able to have our daughter talk to us about the important things in her life. We've been oblivious we haven't even noticed her and for that she must hate us." Takeru shook his head, leaning forward to talk.

"I don't think she hates you, I just think she doesn't understand why you've recognized one child when you have two." Yuuko looked up surprised while Tai hissed in the chair next to him; Takeru turned to him. "Don't tell me it's not true, the first time I walked in here it looked like an only child lived here. It's not that she doesn't love you; I think she thinks that it's you that doesn't love her. I mean Tai, you barely even see her, and when you do all you two do is argue. When was the last time you went out for lunch or even coffee with her?" Tai was quiet, looking at his shoes his face pink with embarrassment. "Look I know I'm not the best person to give advice, my family is the worst kind of screwed up but I can see that you care, you just don't know how to show it properly." He got up, looking at them with fierce cerulean eyes. Susumu stood up as well moving over to Takeru; for a second he was scared that he was going to hit him, but then he shook his hand gratefully, staring him straight in the eye.

"I don't know how to thank you, but I hope this will start to make up for it." He opened Takeru hand and took off his white gold Rolex watch placing it in his palm.

"No I couldn't, it's too much really." Takeru tried to give it back with no success, Susumu closed his fingers around the watch forcefully. Yuuko stood beside her husband nodding in agreement.

"For everything you've done, you deserve it. You were there for her when no one else was, if it weren't for you that night, she'd be in a completely different state then she is now." Takeru stared down at the watch, his throat felt choked up; he'd never been given gifts in the past but this was so meaningful he didn't know what to say." He opened and closed his mouth trying to find the words, Susumu grasped his shoulder smiling at him.

"You don't need to say anything, we're the ones who are in your debt. We won't forget that." Takeru just nodded dazed; Yuuko, still crying, pulled his tall frame into a hug and for the first time in years it felt like home. He knew it was stupid, but his mother was barely home, his brother was off in his own world and he didn't want to see his father ever again. After she let him go, he cleared his throat and told them he wanted to check on Hikari. He wondered down towards her room deep in thought, he stopped in her doorway catching a glimpse of her in the hall light; she tossed and turned, her face plain with discomfort and fear. He sauntered over to the other side of the bed climbing up and lying on top of the duvet cover, he wrapped a comforting arm around her. She gasped her eyes flashing open, when she turned to face who the arm belong to she sighed in relief and brought herself closer to him.

"You're still here." She smiled at him through sleepy eyes.

"I promised I would be." Hikari looked at the still open door and raised an eyebrow. "You're parents have very generously let me stay the night, in exchange I've agreed to leave the door open."

"Are they mad?" She whispered; her chocolate eyes filled with worry.

"No, you just scared the shit out of them; they were just concerned for you. I know that because you're brother actually apologized to me. But soon enough he'll go back to hating me again." He joked has he rubbed her back; she frowned at his comment.

"I don't think anyone could hate you." Takeru snorted and looked at her dubiously.

"Uh-huh and therefore you're boyfriend… dislikes me with a very strong passion?" She rolled her eyes at him.

"Now is not the time for this conversation again, I'm tired and by the looks of it you are too. Now will you get under the covers you're going to freeze to death!" He grabbed a thick blanket at the bottom of her bed and unfolded it on top of him.

"Happy now?" She scooted closer to him letting the mix of his scent and heat flow over her and bring her to the edge of sleep again.

"Yes, I am." She rolled over and exhaled, letting her body relax; she could felt Takeru's strong chest breathing steadily against her back and her breaths started to sync with his. A few minutes later he heard her mumbling something as she dozed off. He lowered her head so he could hear her properly. "What would I do without my Takeru?" He laughed softy, giving her a peck on the top of her head before he drifted off into a dream-less sleep.

Author's Note:

Okay so I didn't plan on having this fic dark, but it seems to be fitting in with my original story line, so bear with me please! And don't worry I'll get back to Dai soon enough hehehehe.

PLEASE REVIEW! Keep those reviews coming! (Coming close to 70! I would really love to hit 70....)