Chapter 56: Training and Preparations
Hello everyone. I hope you all have had a great start to 2017. I'd like to thank WiiFan2009, Lilly The Omega Wolf, Atariel Tsukai, Magyk-Foal1 and an anonymous guest for your reviews of the previous chapter. I'm glad that the mature scene in the last chapter didn't go too far and that you think it still remains within the M-rating of this story. I'm also glad that I managed to succeed in showing the differences between Yolei and Ken's and Kari and TK's love lives.
Thanks for letting me know your thoughts on a potential pairing for Davis too. You all seem to be interested in seeing what I have planned, so I'll go ahead with those ideas. I won't say too much about them though because I don't want to spoil it. Thank you again for the feedback on this.
There's just over a month left now until the next Digimon Tri movie comes out. Seeing the trailer and the first five minutes has got me really hyped for it. I can't wait to see the Dark Masters again. I have a theory that either Hackmon (Jesmon) or Alphamon could be Maki Himekawa's partner. At the moment, I think Hackmon is more likely to be her partner and that Alphamon is keeping the 02 Digidestined and their Digimon safe away from them. I also re-watched the opening few minutes of the first movie and I noticed that Ken's D3 was some distance away from his body, so this could be when Maki stole it. I would guess that Maki used this to stop the other digivices from opening the digital gates and that's why TK and Kari couldn't rescue their friends. Still … you have to ask why nobody questioned why Maki had that digivice.
Anyway, on with the chapter …
"I can't believe that the armoury actually has as many katana as it does," Kari mused as she studied the sword in her hand. She had taken the advice of one of the agents and Cody before picking one with a medium-length blade. Her grip tightened around the black handle that had a gold diamond-shaped pattern within it. "With all of the guns in there, who actually needs a sword?"
"Gun's haven't had any effect on Digimon in the past," Gatomon pointed out as she glanced up at her partner. "It actually makes sense that they'd consider swords because at least they'll be able to wound some weaker small Digimon."
"It's a bit overkill though for us to need these katana." TK pursed his lips as he finished studying his sword and slid it back into its scabbard. "We're already going to be taking guns with us and, while I don't particularly want to use the power of our crests because I don't want our minds to be joined again, Kari and I can always use our light to make sure we're safe. That's far more effective against evil Digimon and the Deep Ones than any sword or gun will be."
"Yeah, my brother has gone a bit over the top with this," Kari sighed as she also slid her katana back into its sheath before placing it down on the chairs next to her. "Especially after he made us do that firearms training yesterday after the meeting and again a few hours ago. It's like he thinks that we're in an anime he's watched or one of the manga that he's read."
"He just wants you both to be safe and ready in case something bad happens," Patamon replied as he flew off TK's head while the blonde teen placed his sword down. He landed next to it and inspected the katana himself before glanced back up at the two humans. "To be honest, I'm also still not comfortable with the idea of you both getting physically involved in these battles. I'd rather you'd just leave it to me and Gatomon to do the fighting, and let us know when something bad is happening so that we can sort it out."
"Unfortunately, there isn't always time to let you know and we have to act quickly while you're busy dealing with other threats." Kari ran her hand through her silky hair before she continued. "That's why we had to take out those Deep Ones ourselves when we went to rescue Matt, Sora and Yolei."
"And that's why Tai is making you carry those katana. It's better than you using broken pieces of metal that you found in the debris as makeshift spears. Tai wants you to have them just in case we find ourselves in that kind of predicament again where you have to save each other or the other Digidestined." Gatomon joined Patamon on the chairs before she pointed at the two swords. "Kari, I know for a fact that you wouldn't hesitate to use this to protect TK if a Deep One was charging at him. I know that the reverse is true for you too, TK. You would do whatever it takes to protect each other."
Kari glanced to her left and made eye contact with her boyfriend. She and TK reached out to one another and nodded in agreement as they took the other's hand in theirs. Kari knew that she would do anything to protect him and that included using the katana and gun that she'd been given. She was never going to let him be hurt because of her ever again and she was determined to never let those events of three years ago repeat themselves.
"You're right," Kari sighed again as she and TK took a step closer towards each other. "If the situation required it, both of us wouldn't hesitate to use these katana. We'll do whatever we need to do to make sure we're safe."
"Exactly," Gatomon's tone remained serious as she continued to stare up at the two Digidestined. "That's why you need these with you. It's also why you must do this Kendo training now with Cody to give you some idea of how to use these swords properly."
Kari nodded once more before she cast her eyes around the room that they were currently in. It was the first time that she had been in the martial arts training room of the base and she noted that it appeared to be set up for many different varieties. There were several mats for various forms of hand to hand combat, there was a boxing ring and, of course, there was an area set aside for kendo and other sword-based things.
The group were alone in the room with Cody and Armadillomon, which was something that Kari was actually rather relieved about because she didn't like the idea of the DPD agents watching her practice something like this. The brunette teen's eyes fixed onto Cody as he placed their armour down next to the area that they would be using in a few minutes' time. Their younger friend had helped them pick the correct sized armour to use for this just in case they accidentally hit each other a little too hard. Kari was hoping that didn't happen because, after all, she did have a baby inside her to worry about.
She kept watching Cody as he picked up three kendo sticks and made his way over to her and TK. The black-haired teen stopped in front of the couple and handed them the sticks that they would be practicing with. "Everything is ready. However, before we start, I feel that I must ask an important question because it'll effect the type of training that I'll be giving you."
"What is it, Cody?" TK asked as he gave his friend an encouraging smile.
"I'm sorry for intruding on private matters because this really isn't something that I feel I should be asking, but I have to ask it to make sure that we don't accidentally hurt Kari. I'm even more sorry if I have got this wrong." The younger boy gave a bow of his head before he continued. "Please forgive me for asking this. Is Kari pregnant? I've seen some signs that suggest that she is having a baby."
Kari stiffened and she could feel the blood draining from her face. She stood there staring at her friend with wide eyes for several moments before she slowly turned to face TK. Her fiancé gulped loudly as his gaze met hers. There were so many questions running through her mind at that moment as she searched her boyfriend's eyes, hoping to find some answers. She hoped that he'd know what would be the best thing to do right now.
TK took a deep breath and broke the silence. "Yes, she is."
"Please don't tell anyone, especially my brother," Kari quickly added as her redwood eyes returned to Cody. "He'll try to kill TK if he finds out."
"Ok. Again, I'm sorry for intruding on your private matters," Cody gulped and took a deep breath as he glanced down at the floor. "I had hoped that it wasn't true and that I was jumping to conclusions."
Kari tightened her grip on TK's hand as she also took a deep breath. "H-h-ow did you figure it out?"
"Armadillomon mentioned that he sensed a very faint source of light energy coming from inside you that he hadn't noticed before. He said that he could only notice it when he was standing right next to you, Kari, and that it felt like a combination of the energy being emitted by both you and TK. I asked him where it was coming from inside you and he said it was your abdomen." Cody raised his head as he offered Kari an apologetic smile. "I then remembered that you had sometimes looked ill in the mornings over the last few weeks and that there were several mornings where I hadn't seen you at all. I also thought about what Murmukusmon said before he was defeated during the battle and everything then made sense."
"Yeah, Murmukusmon said what he said because he realised that Kari is pregnant with our daughter," TK confirmed in a gloomy tone. "While we didn't intend it, this does stop Dragomon from, as he put it, making Kari the mother of the future generations that serve him."
Kari shivered as she remembered Dragomon's words and what he was planning to do to her. "Dragomon's going to be apocalyptically mad when he finds out because me having TK's baby has ruining everything he was planning."
"So we might have won this war because you're having a baby?" Armadillomon asked as he glanced between his friends.
"Not quite," TK sighed as he scratched his head. "Dragomon is still occupying Tokyo and the surrounding areas because he has been driven out of the Dark World by Daemon. We need to defeat him before he tries to conquer the rest of Earth or the Digital World."
"Yeah, I figured that this stopped being just about you two and Ken when Dragomon and the Deep Ones decided to invade like they have." Cody nodded in agreement. "We're dealing with desperate creatures that are fighting a losing war and they're invading because they have nowhere else to go. Normally that sounds like a reason to help someone. However, that desperation has resulted in them being here and killing millions because they want to rule any world that they live in. As a result, we must stop them regardless of their situation."
The group all nodded too as they fell silent and thought about the bad things that could happen if Dragomon wasn't stopped soon. Kari knew that an evil monster like him wouldn't be satisfied until he had absolute control over the whole world. That meant that countless innocent lives would be lost because she knew that nobody would let him rule Earth without a fight. Kari's mind returned to the other reason why they had to end this war soon and the thing that had led them to this topic.
"Please can you promise us that you won't tell anyone about the baby?" The brunette teen asked as she glanced between Cody and Armadillomon. "We'll let the others know when we're ready to tell them, but we don't want them finding out before then."
"Yes, definitely. I won't tell anyone." Cody bowed his head again before glancing down at his Digimon partner. "Armadillomon, you cannot tell anyone about TK and Kari's baby, ok? It is extremely important that you do not tell the others because, if you did tell them, you could cause some serious problems. They are trusting us with this very important information and, if we tell anyone else before they do, we'll damage our friendships with them and their trust of us. It would be an extremely dishonourable thing to do, so we must not do it."
"I understand, Cody," Armadillomon replied in a voice as serious as his partner's. "I will not discuss this with anyone."
"Thank you both," Kari and TK spoke in unison as they gave a bow of their heads too.
"I could ask more questions and suggest things to you. However, I think that you have already discuss these things between yourselves and you have your reasons for not doing them. It is also not my place to discuss them or ask you about them." To the group's surprise, Cody smiled as he continued. "So, to take our minds off things, let's do some kendo training. And don't worry, I've decided that we aren't going to be having any contact with each other because I don't want us to hurt the baby if we accidentally hit the wrong place on Kari. I'll just teach you the correct movements instead."
"Here you go." Noriko smiled as she handed Tai a can of Pepsi. He reached out for it and their fingers briefly touched as the older teen took the drink from her. She tried to force back the heat that was rising in her cheeks as she turned around and went to put on the movie that they were going to watch.
"Thanks," Tai replied as he opened the can and took a sip. He placed his right arm across the back of the sofa as he got comfy. "I'm surprised that nobody else is around right now. Normally there's a few of us about at this time in the evening."
"Yeah, it is a bit quiet." Noriko nodded as she pressed the play button on the remote and came back to the sofa. The blush in her cheeks returned when she saw how Tai was sitting, almost inviting her to cuddle up to him. She gulped and decided that she would sit next to him while his arm was like that as she felt some hope building inside her that he might try to make a move on her.
The brunette girl sat down next to the older teen and shuffled across to him so that they were closer. She leaned back and relaxed, resting her head on his arm as she did so. Tai seemed to get the hint and moved slightly closer towards her but, to Noriko's disappointment, he didn't wrap his arm around her shoulders. She guessed that it would be too cliché for someone like Tai to do that old and obvious trick on her even if she did want him to do it.
Noriko took a quick glance at her friend's face to see how he was reacting to their close proximity. It was then that she noticed the frown forming as he stared at his drink. "Tai, what's the matter?"
A sigh escaped the Digidestineds' leader's lips before he answered her. "I'm worried about Kari and TK, and I'm worried about what could happen tomorrow."
"Why?" Noriko's eyebrows rose as her eyes met with Tai's chocolate-brown pair. "They're strong. Very strong and they're smart too. You've even managed to get them to do that gun and kendo training despite TK hating guns."
"That's not it," Tai sighed again as he fiddled with his can. "What worries me is what extent they'll go to in order to make sure everyone is safe. I don't want a repeat of what happened three years ago where they were hurt and had to save each other's lives. With everything that's going on and Dragomon specifically targeting them, there's a very good chance that something like that could happen again."
"Is that why you don't want them fighting until they have to?" The brunette girl asked as she placed her hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure that Kari and TK will do everything they can to make sure that neither of them are captured or hurt."
"Yeah, I'm sure they will and that's the thing. Kari and TK will do anything to protect one another and they won't hesitate to do so even if it meant that they got hurt." Tai took a deep breath before he pursed his lips and thought for a moment. "I know that TK would be willing to die to protect Kari and I'm certain that Kari would be willing to do the same for TK. I'm ok with that, but it's that willingness to put others before themselves that makes me think twice about putting them out there on the battlefield. They'd also risk their lives for all of us too and that's the biggest problem."
The Leader of the Digidestined paused again as he continued to run his finger around the edge of his drink. "Kari and TK can't be hurt or captured if we are going to win this war and that means that they can't put their lives at risk protecting anyone except each other. If one of us get hurt, you can guarantee that they'll try and help and not care about what might happen to them. What happened when Matt, Sora and Yolei were hurt proves that and shows exactly what risks they're willing to take to protect everyone."
"I see your point. During the battle with Metalseadramon, Kari put herself between TK and me to protect us when the Deep Ones broke through our lines. She then actually threatened the Deep Ones and told them that, if they go near TK, they'll regret it," Noriko recalled the memory from that horrific day as she slid her arm around Tai's back. "She's willing to fight them and use any means to protect TK and the rest of us."
"Exactly." Tai nodded as he finally gave Noriko what she wanted and placed his arm around her shoulders. "We can't have Kari and TK risking their lives like that. They need to understand that they can only do that kind of thing in extreme situations. As much as I don't want to say this, they need to put each other first even if that means that someone else might get hurt."
Noriko leaned in closer to the older teen as she shuffled nearer to him. Despite the seriousness of their conversation, her cheeks still turned red as she rested her head on Tai's shoulder. "I have an idea. Why don't you order Kari and TK to protect each other and put one another's safety above everyone else's? Use the fact that they are willing to do anything to protect each other to make sure that they protect one another instead of them risking their lives to protect the rest of us."
Yolei smiled at her boyfriend as he slid into bed next to her. Ken smiled back as he leaned over and placed his lips against hers. Her left hand landed on the back of his head as she deepened the kiss and hoped that she might get some action two nights in a row for what was the first time in a long time. It had been over six months since she and Ken had got intimate twice in two days.
The purple-haired girl added more passion to the kiss as she began sliding her hand down from Ken's head to his chest, repeating her actions from last night. Her lips turned upwards as she pushed her tongue into her lover's mouth and rubbed it across his. The taste of his saliva urged Yolei onwards as her hand travelled down Ken's toned stomach before sliding into his underwear.
"We shouldn't." Ken pulled back, surprising Yolei as he took her hand out of his boxers. "We shouldn't really be doing this."
She pouted as she stared into her lover's eyes. "This again, Ken? Come on, we had a lot of fun last night. I know you enjoyed it."
"I did enjoy it. I enjoyed it a lot," he spoke softly as his hand gently caressed her chin. "However, that doesn't mean that we should be doing it."
"I know you want it," Yolei teased as she tilted her head and tried giving him her most seductive look. "And last night you made me feel great too. I was really happy after that."
"But we can't make Wormmon and Hawkmon sleep in the bathroom two nights in a row," Ken sighed as he lay down on his side next to his girlfriend. "It's unfair on them."
"We can let them know when we're done so that they can come back in here and sleep." A grin formed on Yolei's lips as she rolled onto her left side so that she could face her lover. "We're not going to do it all night long. I'm not some nymphomaniac like Kari. Unlike her and TK, I can control my desires."
Ken frowned as he removed his hand from her cheek and rolled onto his back. "It's not just that. What happens if something goes wrong and you get pregnant? We were lucky that we didn't have sex that often before you got hurt otherwise you might be having our baby right now."
"We can always use a condom like last night," the purple-haired girl replied and she noticed the increased desperation in her tone. She thought that things were beginning to improve in her relationship again after she was injured and Ken was finally showing her a lot of the attention and love that she was after. "We also have those emergency pills that Joe gave us."
"Things can still go wrong. This would be the worst place and time for us to make a mistake that would get you pregnant," Ken sighed as he rubbed his eyes. "We'd have to leave our friends behind and go somewhere safe to get away from the war. We would be letting all of them down and, without us being here to help them, we would also be making things even tougher on them. As a result, we shouldn't be having sex because it's just too risky. We can do whatever you want after this war is over."
"Fine, but tell that to Kari, Mimi and Sora too so that they know it's too risky as well," Yolei huffed as she rolled over so that her back was facing Ken. She reached out and hit the light switch on her bedside lamp. "Good night."
TK smiled as he watched Kari tuck into her midnight snack of bananas. He guessed that she was unaware that she'd woken him as the brunette girl ate the fruit that she claimed helped ease her morning sickness. To TK's surprise, there actually seemed to be some truth to her claims and he had noticed that his fiancée was somewhat better in the mornings now after she started having a banana or two during the night. He wished that it was their night time love-making that had been the cure, but unfortunately he was wrong. However, that hadn't stopped the couple from indulging in their love and desires most nights since they had found out about the baby.
Kari turned around with a smile on her lips as she took a bite of her second banana. Her eyes fixed onto her lover and then opened wide as she quickly swallowed the food in her mouth. "Oops, sorry that I woke you, TK."
"Don't worry, my love, I'm used to waking up at this time too." The blonde teen grinned as he gazed into his girlfriend's mahogany orbs. He knew that she was only wearing a green lacy thong under her usual large nightshirt. "We normally have a bit of fun around this time."
A giggle escaped Kari's lips before her smile turned into a devious one. She bit her bottom lip as she mulled something over. Her hand then slowly lifted the banana that she was eating back to her mouth and TK watched as she teased him by licking the fruit in her hand like it was the larger hardening thing that was escaping from his boxers. She kept doing it as she stared him right in the eyes before quickly finishing off her snack.
"It doesn't compare to you," Kari giggled again after she swallowed the last mouthful. "It's nowhere near as big as your banana."
TK chuckled as his girlfriend bit her bottom lip again before she slid back under their bedcovers. Both of them lay on their sides, using their elbows to prop their heads up as they stared at each other. He could see the love, desire and lust in Kari's redwood eyes as she gazed seductively into his sapphire pair. The couple continued to gaze into each other's eyes, waiting for one of them to make the move that would allow them to quench their urges.
"We're meant to be trying to get our libidos back under control," Kari teased him with mock annoyance in her tone as she slowly lifted her pink shirt upwards. "I know you remember what we said yesterday morning."
"And we have." TK took this as his invitation and placed his right hand on his lover's shoulder as he moved closer. He pinned her to the bed while climbing on top. His eyes never left hers as he closed the distance between their lips. "That was actually two days ago now because it's past midnight. That means we went through all of yesterday without making love. I'd say that was a good start and that we deserve a reward."
"So much for our record-breaking run." Kari pouted and she actually looked disappointed now that she had realised that it had come to an end. "We were really busy though with the gun and kendo training that we had to do. It's nice to actually have something to do during the day instead of sitting around. We're going to be busy all day today too."
"Yeah, so we should make the most of this while we can." TK nodded as he placed his hand on her cheek and cupped it. "Even though we do need to cut back on our love-making, I think we shouldn't worry too much about how carried away we've been getting because we got over it when we got carried away last summer and the summer before that and all of those other times over the last few years. Having things to do and being allowed to leave the base will definitely help us with that though."
"At least we're keeping things in the bedroom and bathroom this time. It's not like the time we joined the mile-high club on the aeroplane like we did when we went to visit your grandparents in France and then did it again on the same flight before doing it three times on the way back. Although, I guess that counts as the bathroom since we did it in the toilet each time," the brunette replied as her arms snaked around her lover's body and her hands landed on the back of his head. "Not that it matters at the moment because I want you to give me my reward for being a good girl right now."
I'm sorry if it felt like Cody finding out came out of nowhere. I wanted it to be as much of a surprise for everyone as it was for Kari and TK. I think that scene also feels kind of rushed, so I'm sorry if it does feel that way. The reason for it being quicker than expected is because I think that a maturing Cody would feel that it isn't his place to ask questions or criticize Kari and TK for their actions. Instead, he would respect their decision to keep the baby and move on whether he actually agrees with them or not. He knows that they've been keeping it a secret for a reason, so he would also respect their privacy on the matter and that's also why he wouldn't ask more questions.
I hope everyone liked the scenes involving the various couples, or potential couple in Noriko and Tai's case. I thought I'd add a few scenes in like that before the next chapter, which is going to be the mission they've been training for.
Please let me know your thoughts on this chapter by posting a review :D
