I feel like I've been writing for three days straight. Fair warning, chapter ten is a novel.
Thank you for reviewing chapter seven: ToastyToaster22, Berry Doyle, ReaperOfShadows125, Sweet Cari, and Sanzoline! And thank you dnofsunshine for reviewing chapters four and seven! I got a ton of reviews this time, and some of you have amazing internal timing too! The first wave of reviews came in after the chapter had first been posted, as expected. But I got quite a few within the last few days too, coincidentally right about the time I'd started writing the next one. It's like you knew… Anyway!
Chapter Eight: Investigation
Their investigation, as they'd taken to calling it, was put on hold not long after this get-together. Davis went off to his soccer camp, as planned. And Yolei used his absence as an excuse to drag Kari all over town on little outings, much to Cody's chagrin. But, even in the midst of shopping trips and beach days and trying to get at least some of her summer work done, Kari felt adrift. Like she was waiting for something.
If only she knew what. She felt she had gleaned all she could from their trip to Highton View Terrace and felt no desire to return. But this left her unsure of the next step. Cody had regained his composure so completely, but she knew he was grasping at straws as well. No amount of problem-solving training had prepared her for magic and monsters and other worlds. It seemed like the task should be rather simple. After all, the magic seemed to be coming to her, without any well-thought-out provocation. It was starting to look like she would just stumble into whatever world they were looking for sooner or later.
Except… As the summer wore on, Kari didn't have a single new 'episode' as she'd taken to calling them. Her dreams returned to their usual state, when she dreamt at all. She didn't run across anything that triggered another flashback. And, even when she tried to summon it from the depths of her mind, the fog world remained frustratingly out of her reach.
She sighed loudly, flopping back on her bed and staring up at the underside of Tai's bed above her. It had been her room alone for four years now, but they had never switched out the bunk beds for something less restrictive, and it was still second nature for her to leave Tai's side of the room alone, for the most part. She wondered what that said about her… but only for a moment, before quickly brushing that question aside. She answered it firmly: It said she was a loving sister who had every faith her brother would return.
Kari sighed again and sat back up. The feeble breeze from the fan couldn't reach her from her previous position. She had managed to procure a day for herself, free from any of Yolei's impulsive adventures. Now she was thinking she would endure enough shopping trips to sate even Yolei, if only it meant she got to enjoy some air conditioning while they were at it. She was melting in the midday heat.
Kari remained utterly still for a moment. If not for the cicadas buzzing in the distance, she would be in total silence. Her mother had gone to the store, and she found herself with even more downtime than she'd anticipated. Well… She might as well have another go at crossing the world barriers.
Kari took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She did her best to clear her mind of all else… and envision herself back in that foggy corridor. She remembered the dimness, the way her very thoughts seemed to echo in that space, the splashes of water whenever she took a step forward. And then she opened her eyes and… no dice. As usual. She was still in her bedroom, in body and spirit.
So what was left, she wondered? Where might she find the answers to her questions? She didn't think the library would be of much use. It may have been a wealth of information, but it was unlikely to be the information she needed. Her other sources of information (namely Cody) seemed to have run dry too.
But there was still whatever TK was hiding.
The thought came out of nowhere, but she found herself… unsurprised. She had always known TK was tied into this mess, and her newest revelations made her shudder. If they really were dealing with monsters, it was no wonder his mind had blocked it all out. Was she really contemplating dredging those memories back up?
Yes… Yes, she was.
It was for a greater good, she rushed to reassure herself. There were six other kids out there somewhere, still facing whatever TK had escaped. Including both of their brothers. Surely, TK would agree with her once he realized Matt's wellbeing was at stake… Right?
Well, first thing's first. She had no idea how to contact TK. It was as if he'd faded into oblivion at the start of the summer. As far as she knew, no one had heard from him. And her mother had fallen out of touch with the other families.
There was one place sure to have TK's address and other contact information… And good lord, was she really thinking about breaking into the school's main office to sneak a peek at the student records? What was this investigation doing to her?
But, once planted, she couldn't seem to properly uproot this plan. The school would be near-deserted this late in the season… And, despite all her close calls with tardiness, she'd never really gotten into trouble before… Even if she was caught, she could talk her way out of it. Probably.
Kari was on her feet and out the door before she really had the time to think it over. She felt as if she and her friends had reached a crossroads of sorts. Maybe it was about time they started taking some risks.
The summer allowed her to stick to the shadows and remain inconspicuous at the same time. No one wanted to be caught out in this heat. And darting from one shady place to another helped to put Kari into the right mindset. Soon she was no longer an ordinary girl struggling to apply logic to a million impossibilities. She was a spy on a reconnaissance mission. And TK was her target.
As she'd expected, the school was nearly empty. She lingered outside the gates for a while and saw only janitors come and go. At last, she took a deep breath. Okay. She was ready. But then, just before she could dart inside, a voice rang out behind her.
"Kari?"
She whirled around and found Yolei standing a few steps behind her, out in full view of anyone passing by. In perfect unison they asked, "What are you doing here?"
Kari quickly waved her friend over, and they stood pressed up against the outer wall so that no one inside could see them. Yolei whispered again, "What are you doing?"
"I'm… sneaking into the school." It was just as she'd feared. Now that she'd been forced to stop and think about it—say the words aloud—she was starting to have some doubts.
Yolei's eyebrows shot up, but her surprise was quiet enough not to blow their cover, at least. "What?! Why? Even Cody's not that eager to go back. We only have a few more weeks!"
"I know. This is something I have to do before we go back. I'm… looking for a way to contact TK."
"TK?" Yolei was quiet for a moment, more serious and contemplative than usual. "You know, I'd usually have some joke prepared for this… but you're looking for him because you think it will help with the investigation, aren't you?"
"Yes." There was something off about her friend's tone. Kari relaxed against the wall, putting her 'mission' aside for the moment. She scrutinized Yolei. "I thought we were all trying to work out the mystery."
"Of course. We are." Again, her voice didn't sound entirely genuine. And she wouldn't make eye contact.
"Yolei… Is everything okay?"
The other girl sighed. "I… I didn't want to say anything the other day. Especially with Cody barely on board with it either. I didn't want to see you shot down, because I'm sure you are right, but…" Kari hadn't noticed before, but Yolei's hands were trembling. "We're up against something huge… And every time I think about it, I can't help feeling like we're in way over our heads. I'm afraid of what we might find next."
Kari was quiet for a moment. To be honest, there was a part of her that was relieved someone else had said it. "Yolei… None of you have to help with this if you don't want to. But… If you think I'm not scared… Well, that's the craziest thing so far."
They smiled at each other and then giggled, in unison once more, the sound tinged ever so slightly with their panic. But, frightened or not, the sound seemed to reassure Yolei.
"Of course I'm still going to help you. I may be afraid… But we're in this together. So. Where do we start?"
Kari grinned. "Well, this should go a little more smoothly now that I have a lookout. I've only seen janitors on the grounds today, and they've been entering through the side door by the sports fields. We'll have to sneak in through there."
Yolei nodded. "Okay. Let's do this."
They peeked around the wall again and then took off across the yard, running on tiptoe. Kari realized immediately that her mission mindset would be impossible to reclaim. She and Yolei were still fighting giggles, doing something so crazy with a friend. But Kari had to admit, she was grateful for the company.
They were lucky. They took cover behind a tree for a few seconds and, seeing no one, darted across the last field and through the unlocked door. There was no one in the gym—and no place to hide even if there had been. Even so, they stuck close to the walls and kept their pace as quick as stealth allowed.
The hallways were dim and deserted. Kari was reminded of her last… episode. In this very main hallway. She shook her head. Now was not the time to dwell. Yolei gestured wildly to the next hallway, but Kari could hear the footsteps drawing nearer too. They ran for the main office, trying to muffle the sound of their own footsteps.
They made it inside and quickly hid behind the long counter where the secretaries worked. The entire front wall of the main office was made of glass, offering no cover whatsoever. The two remained crouched behind the counter for a second, catching their breath, but they stiffened up at the sound of the door to the office opening again. Come to think of it, they probably should have been suspicious that the door was unlocked in the first place. And, looking farther back into the office, all of the doors to the inner rooms stood open too.
Yolei was looking at her with wide eyes, but Kari held up a single finger, signaling for her friend to wait. The carpets smelled freshly vacuumed. She suspected they were about to get lucky once again.
Sure enough, they listened to the worker for a few minutes and then heard the sound of a spray bottle and could smell the faint odor of chemicals. He was washing the windows. Excellent. Kari gave Yolei a smirk and a thumbs up. She began crawling towards the principal's office down the hall behind them, keeping her pace slow and inconspicuous. Yolei followed her lead, and soon they had turned a corner and were hidden by an actual wall. Now came the hard part.
As could be expected, the cabinets containing the student files remained locked. The janitors had no reason to open them. Kari pulled a small, thin rod from her front pocket, perfect for picking locks. Yolei looked at her quizzically, and she just smiled. She and Tai had gotten up to all sorts of trouble when they were small. All harmless, of course, but trouble nonetheless. Kari had picked a few locks in her day.
Yolei seemed to be holding her breath, fingers visibly crossed. They both froze for a second when they heard the lock click into place… But it wasn't loud enough to bring anyone running. Nor was the sound of the drawer sliding open. After all that suspense, Kari was able to flip through the files, locate TK's, and copy down his address in record timing. She slipped his file back into the drawer, and the girls prepared to make their escape.
Yolei opened the window over the principal's desk wide enough for them to both crawl through, not wanting to risk going back the way they came. And so followed one last sprint across the open schoolyard, and then they were free! Free to fall into near-hysterics at what they had gotten away with.
"I can't believe we didn't get caught!" Yolei exclaimed. "That was like something right out of a spy movie!"
"I know!" They finally paused to catch their breath. The heat returned then, as if they themselves had summoned it back merely by remembering it was supposed to be hot. The girls ducked into the shade of a nearby tree, refocused.
"Okay, so what next?" Yolei asked.
"We go see TK, of course." Kari pulled the slip of paper where she'd written his address out from the pocket of her shorts. "Actually, I think this is just a few streets down from where you live."
They set off again, in contemplative silence. Kari wasn't sure where she wanted to start, or if TK would even answer her questions, but this confrontation felt like it was long overdue. And… there was a part of her that knew that this part of the journey belonged to her.
"Yolei—" she began.
"Oh, no," her friend interrupted. "How many times are we going to go through this? We're in this together."
Kari smiled, giving in easily. They had reached his apartment building. The door to his apartment was in sight. "Okay. Just… let me go first, all right? I think he'll be more open to talk to just me. I'll get him out of the apartment and we can all go for a walk."
Yolei nodded and ran back to take cover around the corner. Kari felt a little bad about the ambush, but… No. She had to remember. She was on a mission. So Kari squared her shoulders and walked up to confidently knock on the door… Only to immediately be caught a little off-guard when TK's mother was the one to open the door.
Nancy Takaishi looked very much as Kari remembered her. Too much so, in fact. It took Kari a second to understand why this was unsettling. Then she realized. Her eyes had the same look to them that they'd had in the early days of her sons' disappearance. Her own parents had slowly lost that look as they'd learned to cope with the pain. Had Nancy never learned to deal with it? How could she live like that? With TK back, at least, why did she have to?
"Um, hi," she said after a moment of awkward silence. "I'm sorry to bother you. You may not remember me—"
But Nancy smiled, if a little glumly. "Kari Kamiya. Of course I remember you. How are your parents doing?"
"They're fine… How are you doing?" she asked hesitantly.
TK's mother smiled politely but didn't answer, indicating, it would seem, that she knew exactly what Kari was referring to. Instead, she opened the door a little wider. "Why don't you come in?"
Kari sent a silent mental apology to Yolei as she accepted the invitation… and then an extra one when she let Nancy take the time to set them both up with tea.
It was only once they were both seated that his mother said, "I suppose you're trying to find TK?"
"Um… yes," she answered. She couldn't help but think her phrasing was a little odd.
"So am I," Nancy said, nearly inaudibly.
Her words made Kari's skin prickle. "What do you mean?"
Nancy smiled at her again. "You're TK's friend, right? He's always been so friendly… Yet he's never made any close friends. I could never understand why, but I thought moving to a new place might help him to open up a little more."
This wasn't helping to clear things up. Kari decided it was best to ask directly, "Where is TK?"
Nancy smiled again. A sad, hopeless sort of smile, suggesting she was at the end of her rope. "I'm supposed to say he's visiting his father. We split up, you know."
"I did hear that… But what do you mean 'supposed to'?"
"I've never told anyone this before…" said Nancy quietly, clasping her hands anxiously around the cup of tea cooling before her. "But I think you might understand."
Just as Kari had suspected, Nancy could feel the connection between them. The tragedy had brought them together in a way an outsider could never truly understand. This was why she'd wanted Yolei to hang back. She doubted Nancy would have been willing to divulge her secrets to the both of them.
"TK was never the same after he got back. I expected that much, of course. But it was strange. Not like he couldn't remember, but like he just didn't want to talk to us. We didn't know what to do… And then he disappeared for the second time."
"Wait!" Kari gasped. "He went missing a second time? I never heard about that!"
Nancy nodded. "His father and I had already separated by then. Things had been bad between us for a long time. When I called, panicked, to tell him TK had vanished, again, he told me TK was there with him. And when I asked TK about it later, he said he just wanted more time with his dad. I'd gotten full custody, you see. Hiroaki worked long, strange hours. The courts ruled his lifestyle wasn't suitable to child-rearing. Hiroaki wasn't too torn up by this. I think he'd expected as much. But TK still saw him on visiting days. …Anyway, I promised him more time with his father, but it kept happening. I would wake up in the morning or come home from work in the afternoon, and TK would just be gone."
"And you don't think he was actually going to visit his dad?"
Nancy was quiet for a moment. "I called him one morning… to ask if TK had run off to see him again, and Hiroaki told me yes, TK was there with him. But TK was asleep in the other room, you see. That's when I knew Hiroaki was covering for him."
"So where was he actually going?" Kari asked, just now realizing how far she'd leaned forward in anticipation.
Nancy's hands, still locked around her cup, had started to tremble. "I don't know. I don't know if I want to know. What if his silence was meant to protect us from something? At least the way things are now, he's always come back to me. What if I press him for answers and lose him for good?"
Kari left the Takaishi apartment weighed down with more than a few new questions. Yolei was waiting curiously, as expected. But the only answer Kari had to give was, "I think things just got even more complicated."
Review please!
I don't own Digimon.
I guess this chapter ended up being on the longer side too… Well, we're closing in on the plot reveal. Thank you for joining me!