"Beware the Eastern Sun"
Chapter 13
"The mind and soul without the body can survive, and indeed
reach far new heights. The soul and body without the mind may
have trouble communicating, but can still function and still
contains life's essence. However, the mind and body without the
soul, although containing the countenance of normality, is an
existence without purpose."
-Physical
Therapy and Metaphysics, by Heinrich Eibert, PhD
Angemon waited patiently outside the room.
Thirty minutes earlier, T.K. had entered with two wineskins. He had not heard
anything since. When T.K. first entered the room, Angemon's first thought was
to immediately talk to him and offer him emotional support, but then he
realized that all T.K. needed was some time alone. He had grown up much in the
past few years, and could take very good care of himself. Still, even adults
need people to look after them.
"T.K.?" He knocked on the
door.
Silence.
"T.K., I know you're in
there."
This time there was a shuffling sound
and a cough. "Go away," a cranky, muffled voice called.
"It's me, T.K.," Angemon
said, pressingly.
A groan. "I said, go away!"
Angemon shook his head.
"T.K.," he asserted, "I'm coming in."
"Nnnnnggggghhhhhh..."
Angemon opened the door which he knew
was unlocked. T.K. lay unmoving on a bed, staring at the ceiling. On a table
next to the bed lay an empty wineskin, a partially filled wineskin, and a half
empty glass of wine.
"T.K.?" Angemon admonished.
"Gnnoo anay!" a voice called
out, coming from where T.K. lay on the bed.
"It's me, Angemon," Angemon
pressed. He knew that T.K. knew it was him.
"I don't care, now go away! Leave
me..."
"Alright, T.K., that's
enough," he interrupted. "I've given you enough time to get yourself
together. Some things may have happened that we don't like, but now's not the
time to regret the past. We've got to plan for the future." Again, he knew
T.K. knew all of this.
T.K. didn't respond. He continued his
stare, but Angemon knew he was listening. Idly, he walked over to the bed.
Looking down on the wineskin, he read the label. "You know, T.K., you'll
never get drunk on this."
"I know," T.K. responded,
with a hint of sorrow in his voice.
Angemon smiled and shook his head.
"T.K., what am I going to do with you."
"Let me rot here. Yes. That
sounds nice." He paused. "Come to think of it, a juicy steak would be
good, too. And mashed potatoes. And maybe one of those sweet, little..."
"You can stop now, T.K. I get the
message."
They sat in silence.
Angemon moved over to a cupboard,
withdrew a glass, and filled it from the wineskin. T.K. turned his head to look
at him; Angemon returned the stare with a smile. Holding it up to the light, he
watched the deep red hue glisten and sparkle before taking a long sip. He sat
on the edge of the bed next to T.K.
"Mind if we get not drunk
together?"
T.K. sat up smiling. "Sure. Don't
mind if we do."
Angemon handed T.K. his glass and the
two drank to a silent toast.
She was floating in space, yet she
felt something very soft. Something feathery. It was like a giant pillow that
had smothered her. At first it was comforting, and she embraced it, letting out
a hum of pleasure. When she did, things grew very bright, and a soft white
light began to cover everything. But then it began to suffocate her. And then a
hollow voice started calling her name. Kari, Kari, it chanted. Kari,
it's time to wake up. Open your eyes. The voice made her head hurt. She
tried to cover her ears and burrow into the pillow, only to discover that she
didn't have any ears because she really wasn't there. That began to confuse
her. And then the voice. And then the suffocating. And the voice. Her head
hurting. Air. Kari, Kari, the urgent plea sounded. Pain. Air. Softness
turning into a rough harshness. A shrill sound. Getting louder. Air. Kari,
open your eyes. Louder. Air, air, air...
Kari shot up and gasped for breath.
At first she was blinded by the bright
light, but when her eyes adjusted she could see around her. There was Joe,
sitting nearest with his glasses and medical bag. He looked taller and stronger
somehow, and the sight of him was very comforting. Tai was by the doorway,
having just turned around at the sound of her waking up. His mouth was open in
shock and relief as he stared at her. Sora and Mimi were sitting nearby, Sora
wetting a cloth with water that sounded cool to the touch. Izzy was there too,
at the foot of her bed.
Then it struck her. A flash of pain
coursed through her body like a dozen pins poking into her. Her wounds were
finally protesting to her violent awakening. She sunk back down to the bed and
let out a moan of pain. But then Sora was there with the cloth, which she
placed over her face. The coolness made her muscled relax with blissful relief.
"Kari? Kari!" she heard Tai calling. She wanted to say she was all
right, but the temptation to sleep was too much. She felt herself falling in a
vast pool of water, sinking deeper and deeper into sleep.
It came upon a midnight clear...
For some reason, the words of that
childhood carol rang through her ears. The sights and sounds were so familiar,
yet so indistinct. There was Tai laughing. Yes, he was chasing her. She was
laughing too. There was her parents stern voice. She tripped and fell, laughing
to the floor. Tai was upon her, tickling her. She felt so small. How old was
she? Three? Yes, three years old. And then the smell of the ham tickled her
nose. It was sweet and tantalizing, mixing with the smells of cranberry sauce,
and...and corn, and...sweet potatoes? She felt herself making her way to the
table.
What was that? She heard a sound. It
was a sobbing. Somewhere, somewhere out there. She moved away from the table,
but saw everyone else acting like she was still there. She even heard her voice
respond to Tai and her mother. Slowly, the scene of Christmas Eve drifted away
and was replaced by a cold stone cell without any walls. There was a figure
hunched over in the corner sobbing.
"Angewoman?" Kari called out
seemingly voicelessly.
The figure continued sobbing. "I'm
sorry, Kari. I'm so sorry."
She drifted closer to the figure of
Angewoman. "What's wrong?" No response. Angewoman continued to sob
and to apologize to her. She reached out and put a hand on her shoulder and
there was a bright flash of light.
Suddenly she was filled with pain as a
dozen shadows flitted by. She could not see. She could not hear. She could only
feel the pain. "Kari! Kari!" Tai was calling to her. In a black void,
he was the only figure she saw, running towards her with glowing blue gauntlets
and a raised sword. Then suddenly, something struck out at him with lightning
speed. He groaned once and crumpled to the floor. She screamed.
"Tai!" She tried to run to him, but he grew no closer. A shadow
detached itself from the blackness, raised an axe above its head, and, looking
once at Kari, lowered the axe upon the figure of Tai
"No!"
She looked around her. She was
sweating profusely. Again, there were Tai, Izzy, Joe, Mimi, and Sora, in almost
the exact same positions. It seemed like she was asleep for an eternity, but by
the looks of things, she had only been out a half an hour, at the most, from
when she last woke up. This time, the pain was reduced to a dull throbbing. She
felt stronger. She sat up and leaned against a large pillow, wincing at the
pain coming from her back. Tai, who had fallen asleep kneeling beside the bed,
picked up his head groggily and saw Kari.
"Kari! Are you all right?"
he asked immediately.
Kari smiled weakly. "I'm O.K.,
Tai."
"Oh, thank goodness we found you!
What happened? Where were you? You were O.K. while I was gone?"
"Whoa, whoa. Slow down
there," Joe interrupted. "She just woke up. I think she needs a
little time to recover before we can ask her any questions."
"Oh, of course," Tai said,
reproaching himself. "I'm sorry. I forgot."
"That's O.K., Tai," Kari
assured. "I know you care about me."
"It's great to have you back,
Kari." Tai leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "I'll be outside
if you need me." He walked to the doorway.
"You know, as a matter of fact, I
think some fresh air would do Kari some good," Joe commented.
"Here." He got up. "Help me carry her to that bench
outside."
Tai came back and picked up Kari
gently. He walked outside with the others following him. Izzy jogged ahead and
laid the pillows down on the padded bench. After Tai laid her down on the bench
Joe covered her with a blanket. "There," Joe said. "You like
this better?" Kari nodded with her usual big smile. "We'll let you
know when Gatomon wakes up."
The bright sun shone down from above,
a somewhat happy respite from the darkness of late. The western mountain ranges
hosted a lush display of greenery that ended at an abrupt line on the slope.
Their tops were not yet covered with snow, but the feeling of the autumn
overturn was in the air. Clouds drifted in from the east, laden with their
moisten burden that made them gray. The summer days were at their end.
But the summer love and the summer
hopes, the summer dreams, and the summer feels-they were all still there. In
the birds and the bees, in the fields and the meadows, in the people and the
places, in them all, there was that need to squeeze every ounce of summer magic
out of the air. The animals of nature were still prancing in pairs; Tai walked
with Sora by the lake; the trees clung frantically to their greenery; Kari and
Izzy were in animated conversation; the digimon were aloof and abroad.
Yet in the East, where things begin,
where the sun rises, it was already winter.
"Eagle Watch to Base."
"Base here."
"We have contact."
"Confirmed?"
"Confirmed."
"Stand by and await further
orders."
"I copy. Eagle Watch out."
In the shadows of the forest, the
agent leaned back and prepared a rough camp for the night. There would be no
fire tonight. Just over the next ridge and past a thick wooden grove was the
objective-five children and their digimon. He had spotted a sixth, but that
would be up to command to decide what to do. Silence, stealth, and secrecy were
of the utmost importance.
Checking the position of the sun, the
agent leaned back in the shadows and prepared for an extended nap.
"Kari? We need your help. It's
Gatomon." Joe jogged over to Kari.
Kari sat up alertly as Tai came over
to carry her back to the hut. When they entered they hear the rustling of
sheets and moaning. Kari gasped as she saw Gatomon tossing and turning in her
bed. As Tai set her down on a chair by the bed, her tossing had become sedated.
"Gatomon?" she asked tentatively.
All she heard was a moaning at first,
but then suddenly Gatomon's eyes shot open. "Kari? Kari?" Kari leaned
in closer, but her eyes already shut and she collapsed. She was still for a
moment before she began moaning again. Kari frowned. "I think she's saying
something." Putting her ear close to Gatomon, she just made out the words,
"Kari. Kari, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Oh, Kari, how can you ever forgive
me. I'm sorry..."
Kari closed her eyes in familiar pain.
Tai put a hand on her shoulder.
"Are you O.K., Kari?"
Kari looked up. "Hmmm? Oh, I'm
alright." She looked back at Gatomon and felt her forehead. It was burning
hot. Sighing, she leaned back in her chair. "I'm staying here until she
gets better."
Tai looked from Joe to Izzy; they were
just as curious and confused as he was. "Are you sure Kari?" he asked.
"Yes. I'm sure."
"O.K. If that's what you really
want."
"Yes Tai." Kari turned to
look him straight in the eyes. "Yes, it is."
Tai bit his lip and nodded
understandingly. "C'mon," he said to the others. "Let's give
Kari some time alone." He ushered the others out of the hut, leaving Kari
with the still moaning Gatomon.
Kari looked down at her fallen friend.
She felt lost and small without Gatomon there to comfort her. They had been
together so long during the turbulence of the past few years. Now, without her,
she felt an emptiness inside. A lacking. Oh Gatomon, she said silently. Where
are you?
She stared at the form on the bed that
looked like Gatomon, but did not see her companion. Only an empty shell.