The Long Winter: Chapter 2
**Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. This fic was produced purely for entertainment purposes, and I promise not to sell it. So there. Don't sue me.
**Author's notes: Well, if you don't like Takari, or hate TK's guts, then bear with me. Rabid Takari and TK lovers (like me), what are you waiting for? Read on!
It was about two or three hours before dawn. The snow had long since stopped falling, and a deceptively tranquil silence blanketed the ruined streets of Tokyo. The moon slipped in and out from behind clouds, casting its silvery light on the scene.
A small boy slipped soundlessly like a wraith through it all. Keeping to the shadows, he walked with his long staff tapping the ground, its padded end testing the ground silently. His sharp blue eyes constantly scanned back and forth, alert for danger, as he padded silently along the edge of the road, his frozen breath streaming out behind him.
TK grimaced as he shifted the heavy weight of the bag on his back. The pickings that night had been good, and he had found a cache of canned food that none of the gangs had gotten to yet. He had also found water, and other supplies, like weapons and useful tools were also stuffed into the large rucksack. After carrying it all night, his back muscles screamed at him to stop.
Patamon noticed. "Do you want to take a break?" the small digimon whispered into his ear.
TK shook his head. "We're almost home, just a couple blocks more. I'll take my break there."
Patamon fell silent, then clutched his paws around his body and shivered violently. TK turned his head worriedly. "Patamon? You OK?"
Patamon smiled through clenched teeth. "You're the one with the coat, and you're still freezing. Imagine what it must be like for me."
TK patted the little digimon with his gloved hand gently, then pulled off his woolen cap with his other. "Here. It's not a coat, but it's better than nothing." The moonlight caught his golden blond hair, setting it glowing with a soft, silvery colour.
** author's note: this is not TK's usual hat, but a black winter one that he put on for the weather.
"Thanks TK." Patamon crawled into the hat that TK held out to him, and the boy cradled him to his chest to keep him warmer. "Much better..."
TK giggled softly. "Has anyone ever told you how cute you look stuffed into a winter cap?"
Patamon glared at him with mock indignation. "Hey, just because you're ten times bigger than me doesn't mean I'm some baby to be played around with."
TK grinned down at his digimon. "Don't worry. I won't tell any of the others. I promise."
Patamon opened his mouth to respond, when he stopped. Looking around he whispered urgently. "TK...look."
TK looked up, all traces of a smile wiped off his face within an instant.
Three shadows had emerged from the darkness all around them, and were approaching the small boy and his digimon. As they stepped into the moonlight, it became apparent that they were humans. Damn, a gang. TK thought irritably. I don't have time for this.
Then his gaze turned sympathetic as he looked them over. All three of them were drastically underdressed for the weather, their clothes worn, and dirty. They looked gaunt, pale, and there was a haunted look in their eyes as they looked nervously up and down the street. All three of them were carrying weapons of some sort though, from knives to heavy lead pipes.
The lead man stopped in front of TK. "What've you got in that big bag, little fella?"
"None of your business."
The man pretended to look hurt for a moment, then his eyes hardened. "Give it to us."
TK stared back coolly. "I'm sorry, but this is for my friends and me. I'd be happy to share with you..."
"Give us the bag. All of it."
TK stopped. He could tell the man was desparate. There were no hints at joking around, no leadup. Just "give me the bag". The man stepped forward, threateningly.
"Kid. Give us the bag, and we won't hurt you. I don't have time for this." We're all in a hurry nowadays, aren't we, TK thought sadly.
At that, the other two men began to circle the ten-year-old boy threateningly, until he had been completely surrounded. There was no escape now. TK tracked them with his peripheral vision, but his gaze remained locked with the man in front of him. "And if I don't?"
"We'll kill you. I'm sorry kid, but that's the way things go. In these times, you've got to do what it takes to survive."
Patamon whispered into TK's ear. "I'd help you beat them off, but then..."
TK nodded. "I know. I'll have to do this myself." If Patamon digivolved or attacked, Diaboromon would instantly be able to track them. This close to their hideout, they had to avoid attracting attention at all costs.
"Don't worry TK. Just remember what I taught you." Patamon winked. "Hey, you had a great sensei." The digimon flew off the boy's shoulder and perched on a nearby lamp post to watch.
TK brought up his long walking staff, and held it like a bo. Crouching, he took the pack off his back and coiled his body into a spring, the staff in a defensive posture which could shift to offensive in a flash. Throughout the past 5 months, Patamon had taught TK the basics in defending oneself with a staff, drawing on Angemon's expertise. It had seemed a sensible thing to do, seeing as they were in the middle of a war.
"I can't give you this bag. I foraged all night for it, and it's for my friends and me. I could give you some of it, but not all of it"
The men stood silently for a moment. TK held his breath, would his offer be taken? Then the lead man nodded his head once to someone behind TK. The gang member behind him unsheathed a long knife and pounced forward, intent on running the boy through. Too greedy. TK thought sadly. Why won't you just take the offer?
Without looking, the seemingly helpless 10-year-old casually turned, and as the man stumbled past, whacked him on the back of the head. Spinning the staff skillfully, he brought the staff's other end skimming along the ground, and caught the man's ankle. The man flipped once in midair, and fell onto the ground with a crunch. Even before he had hit the ground, TK's staff was already back up into the ready position, and the boy fluidly turned to meet the next threat.
The next man came in swinging wildly with a lead pipe. Backing off, the boy parried each swipe deftly, avoiding drawn out strength battles, since the man would be sure to win. Withdrawing his staff after each parry, he prevented the enemy from using his own strength against him.
Suddenly, the two weapons met and locked for an instant. The man grinned. He was much stronger than the boy, and all of TK's skill wouldn't help him if it came down to a match of strength.
An instant later, his grin turned to confusion as the boy effortlessly slid his staff along his own in a shower of sparks, shoving his lead pipe out of the way. An instant after that, he doubled over in agony as TK planted his knee hard into his groin. He keeled over, helped by the end of TK's staff. Hitting the ground hard, he didn't get back up again.
The leader, seeing his two lackeys effortlessly defeated by this seemingly helpless boy, snarled. Reaching into his coat, he pulled out a small handgun. Patamon saw the gun, and yelled out a warning. "TK, he's got a gun!"
The blond boy turned. Seeing the gun, he quickly shifted his grip on his staff until he was holding it by one end. He drew back his arm, and threw it hard. The spinning staff flashed in the moonlight as it whizzed across the air, humming viciously. The leader, fiddling with the safety on his gun, didn't even see what hit him as the hard bo smashed into his head. Falling like a sack of potatoes, the gun clattered harmlessly to the ground, even as the staff spun off into the darkness.
The 10-year-old boy looked in amazement at the three adults he had just knocked out. The whole thing had taken less than 10 seconds. "Patamon, you're a better teacher than I thought!"
"Yeah well, obviously not good enough." Patamon seemed annoyed as he flew down from his perch on the lamp post. "Come on TK, I've seen you swing harder at flies! What happened? You could strike harder than that."
TK didn't answer right away. Heaving the bag back on, he retrieved his staff, and stuck it behind his shoulder, held between his back and the bag. Grabbing one of the men by the armpits, he dragged him along the ground to the side of the road, towards shelter. "Why would I want to hit them hard? You know if I'd gone all out I would've killed them."
Patamon frowned. "TK, a second ago, they would have killed you without a second thought."
The blond boy sighed, and his breath came out in a frozen cloud of vapour, glistening brightly in the moonlight. "Patamon, they were just scared and hungry. Why would I want to kill them? Life is precious, even in these times."
The little digimon looked at his human partner with a newfound respect. "You really believe that? Even in the middle of this war?"
TK nodded firmly as he took hold of another man and began dragging him towards his unconscious friend. "Yes, I do." As holder of the crest of hope, I could hardly do less. The man's body carved furrows in the light layer of snow as TK dragged him across the ground.
When all three men had been put in a more or less comfortable position, or as comfortable as could be lying on their backs in snow, TK straightened up. Looking down at them, his blue eyes softened again. What have we become? Have we really been reduced back to our survival instincts? Has the world forgotten compassion and love, and all that other stuff?
Sighing, the young boy put down his bag. Reaching into it, he pulled out a few cans and odd supplies, and placed them onto the snowy ground beside the fallen men. Patamon frowned again. "TK, what are you doing?"
"Isn't it obvious?"
The digimon was silent for a few moments, and didn't speak until TK had zipped up the bag, and set off on his way again. "You know, that innocence and kindness of yours is going get you in trouble some day."
TK blew out a breath, and watched the crystals flicker in front of his face. "Perhaps. But I won't become a cold, inhuman monster, ready to kill at a whim." His eyes flashed. Diaboromon may take away everything from me, my friends, my family, even my life, but he won't take away my humanity. I won't let him.
"Come on. Let's go home." Turning, the blond boy strode off towards the camp.
Patamon was silent again for a few moments as he flapped beside his master.
"TK?"
"Hmm?"
Patamon grinned. "I'm proud to have you as my friend."
** New York **
Tai sat outside the house, staring at the rising sun in the East. The golden orb was just beginning to creep over the horizon, bringing warmth to the frozen wasteland, and he felt he needed a time out before the day started. Agumon sat beside his friend, trying to offer what comfort he could. As the first golden rays began to shine, Tai lost himself in the sunrise.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Izzy sat down beside his friend, looking at the sun as well.
Tai sighed. "It's beautiful isn't it?"
Agumon looked at him skeptically. "Come on Tai, don't lie to people about your thoughts. It's not nice. I know you better than that. There's something troubling you."
Tai laughed. "Yeah, I suppose you do." Then he quieted down. "Truth is, I'm thinking about Kari."
Izzy sighed. They had been over this. "Tai, Kari's a strong girl. She's also a destined. She can take care of herself, and Gatomon's there with her. She's fine."
Tai looked haunted, and for the first time, Izzy saw fear in their leader's eyes. Fear not for himself, but for his sister. He had been allowed a glimpse of Tai's true self, the self he constantly kept hidden to encourage the others. "Izzy, you don't understand. Kari's too young to be caught in this war. She doesn't understand it yet. How can I know she's all right. How can I protect her, when I don't even know where she is? At least back in the digiworld, I knew she was safe because she was right there beside me. Now…I don't even know if she's still…alive." Tai choked on the last word.
Izzy put an arm around Tai's shoulders. "Tai, trust in your sister. She's stronger than you think. Kari's a remarkable girl. I don't believe I've ever seen someone more compassionate than her, but she's also one of the toughest and most stubborn people I know." He smiled. "Much like her brother. She may be small, but she can fend for herself if need be. We'll find her Tai, sooner or later."
Tai smiled gratefully at the boy beside him. "Thanks Izzy."
"No problem. Come on, let's go wake the others up." Izzy got up and walked back to the house, then turned around guiltily. "Well, I suppose I owe you a penny, but then, I'm kind of broke right now…"
Tai laughed. "Forget the penny. You can pay me back when this is all over." Joining Izzy, they walked back to the house, and stepped in the door. Agumon hurried after both of them. "What's a penny?"
"Mimi, Mimi! Come on, wake up! It's time to go." Sora was shaking Mimi's shoulder, trying to shift the girl off the couch.
"Scram!" she snarled as she snuggled deeper into the warm sofa.
Sora stifled a giggle. "Come on Mimi. We've got to keep looking for Willis. Or have you forgotten him already?"
Mimi turned over and put a pillow over her ears. "Can't I sleep just a little longer? It's been the first time in 5 months I've slept on anything this soft!!"
"No." Tai said firmly. "We have to go now. We've stayed here too long as it is."
Izzy nodded. "It's never a good idea to stay in one place too long if you're being hunted. We have to keep moving."
Mimi sat up reluctantly, rubbing at her sleepy eyes. "Kay, OK! I'm up. So how do you propose we look for Willis?"
"Well, since we suspect he's a destined, we could just look around New York with our digivices. You know, kind of like what we did for the eighth child." Sora suggested.
Mimi looked dismayed. "Do you have any idea how large this city is? It could take weeks to find him. That's assuming he's still alive."
A short silence fell over the group for a moment. If Willis had indeed been killed, then all hope was lost.
Tai sighed. "Well, I for one, don't have any better ideas. We didn't find anything that might tell us where he might have went, so the best place to start looking would be here in New York."
Tai looked out the window at the sun creeping over the horizon. The broken cityscape loomed in the distance. "We'd cover more ground if we split up, but then, we'd need some way to stay in contact at the same time." He turned to Izzy. "Do you think you can rig up some kind of signaling device with our digivices? If we find something, we'll need some way of letting the others know."
Izzy nodded. "That's easy. It would be a simple matter to program them to send out a signal to all other digivices in range."
Tai took his digivice and gave it to Izzy, motioning for the others to do the same. "Right. Do it."
Izzy accepted the digivices, stuck them into the slot on his laptop, and began typing furiously. In a few minutes, all the digivices were programmed, and he handed them back to their owners. "If you find anything, all you have to do is to punch this button here." He showed them the button on his own digivice. "The range should be about 20km, and any other digivices in the vicinity will pick up the signal and start beeping. We can track each other that way."
Tai accepted his digivice. "Fine. Sora's with me. You two stick together. Remember to stay together at all times, and keep your eyes peeled for patrols." He looked at the map. "We'll go check out the center of town first. If he's anywhere, he's probably there."
Sora looked at her digivice. "Tai, when we press the button, don't you think that others might be able to intercept the signal as well?"
Biyomon frowned. "Yeah, and with all other electronics down, if Diaboromon's monitoring radio transmissions, our little signals would stick out like sore thumbs. He'd be able to track us the moment we hit the button."
Tai frowned. "That's a risk we'll have to take. To be safe though, when you press the button, make sure you're a fair distance away from any patrols."
Izzy chipped in. "How 'bout this. Once you press the button, immediately move away from the area. Diaboromon will undoubtedly send troops within a couple minutes, so you'd have to move. The signal will only last for a second, but that second should be enough for the other digivices to pick up where you are. We'll converge on a spot 1 kilometer North of where the button was pushed. That way, we can avoid Diaboromon tracking us."
Tai nodded. "So even if he manages to intercept the signal, he can send all the troops he wants to where it came from, but he won't find anything there."
The auburn-haired boy closed up his laptop. "Yeah. It's not perfect, and he'll still detect the signal, but it's better than nothing. If we use it sparingly, and if we get away fast enough, we should be all right."
Tai sighed and got up. "Sounds good to me. If you find him, push the button, and we'll meet together. Don't approach him on your own. It would be better to do it together." The others got to their feet as well. Tai looked around. "I think it goes without saying to be careful."
Mimi rolled her eyes. "Tai, we've been at war for 5 months! We can take care of ourselves."
Tai turned away, and strode out the door. "Right…"
** Tokyo **
Kari waited outside the shelter anxiously, a small object clenched in her hand. Gatomon perched on her shoulder, hugging herself to keep warm. The sky was beginning to turn light gray near the horizon. Dawn will be arriving soon, she thought. Looking up and down the streets, she waited for one familiar figure to appear.
The snow had started up again, and soft, white flakes drifted downwards from the sky. Kari watched them dreamily, following their lazy, tranquil paths, down from the sky, drifting on the wind…and onto the rubble of the streets below.
The girl closed her eyes in despair. Is there no escape, not even for a moment? Self-consciously, she touched the scar on her left stomach. The reminders of the war were everywhere. No matter where one looked, Diaboromon's wrath had touched and corrupted everything. The quiet, peaceful snow was contrasted cruelly with the ruins of Tokyo. She sighed and scanned the streets again. I mustn't lose hope, just like him…
Then, she saw him. His small, slim figure was stooped under the weight of the large bag on his back, and the trusty walking staff tapped the ground rhythmically. The morning light gleamed off his golden hair, and his tired blue eyes widened in surprise at seeing her outside.
"Kari? What are you doing out here?"
"Waiting for you silly, you've been out all night." She looked the boy over. He seemed bone tired and cold, but otherwise all right. But something was missing. "Where's Patamon?"
Then, she noticed that TK was carrying his hat clutched to his chest. The black, woolen cap seemed to be filled with something. Then it stirred, and a small nose poked out. "Are we there yet?"
Kari put a hand over her mouth and giggled. "Patamon, do you know how cute you look in that thing?"
TK grinned at her, then looked down at his digimon. "We should take a picture. That way we can blackmail him into doing chores for us."
Patamon stuck out his lower lip in a mock pout. "Hey, you promised not to tell."
"Yeah, sorry pal. Just a joke. Come on, let's go inside." Leading the way, he padded into the building. It was old, and draughty, but it was home. Kari followed him in.
Inside, TK gratefully put down the bag, and took off his gloves. The welcome warmth seeped into his tired body, and he closed his eyes. After an entire night out in the cold, it always felt good coming back into the warmth.
"Um…TK?"
"Hmm?"
"Merry Christmas."
"Christmas?" The blond boy smiled at the irony of it all as he shed his coat. Christmas, the season of perpetual hope. "I almost forgot about that…. I suppose I shouldn't. Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to you as well."
"Well…"
TK turned to Kari. "What is it?"
Kari stared at her feet, as if the ground had suddenly become very interesting. Gatomon jumped off her shoulder, and landed on the ground lightly. TK looked concernedly at her. "Kari? Is something wrong?"
Kari shuffled her feet nervously. Gatomon, who was beside her, snorted. TK and Patamon turned their gazes towards the cat-like digimon. "What she's trying to say is that she's made something for you, and she's too shy to tell you outright."
An abashed look spread over TK's face as he turned back to the girl. "Really? I'm sorry, I didn't get you anything at all."
"I don't think she was really expecting anything in return, TK." Gatomon said gently.
Wordlessly, Kari let the object dangle from her hand as she handed it over to TK. Her gaze remained fixed on a point on the floor, though her face was rapidly turning bright red. TK took the object, and a gentle smile spread over his handsome face. "Oh Kari…"
It was a pendant made of glass. Cut perfectly, the edges had been sanded down until they were no longer sharp. The entire thing had been polished until it gleamed, and a small hole had been punched near the top to which a loop of string was attached. Painstakingly carved onto it was the crest of hope. The intricate facets of glass seemed to catch the light around it, refracting it into a dozen different colours.
"I just thought it would be an appropriate Christmas present. You know, the season of hope. It's your season, TK." Kari mumbled, still looking down at her feet. "It's not much, I know. I wish I could've gotten you something better…"
All of a sudden, she felt a pair of strong arms encircle her. Startled, she found herself in Takeru's warm embrace. "Kari…you shouldn't have. This must've taken you weeks to carve. I don't deserve it." TK murmured as he hugged the brown-haired girl tightly. Kari snuggled up against him, reveling in his gentle touch. "It's beautiful. This is the best Christmas present anyone's ever given me. Thanks a lot…"
Kari was stunned. He's hugging me! She had always been admiring TK from a distance, but had never thought that he would be interested in pursuing anything beyond a simple friendship. I'm not the right girl for him, she thought. He's perfect, gentle and compassionate. He deserves better than me…
Then she relaxed. She couldn't help it. She just felt so safe, so peaceful…
Kari embraced the boy back. "No, you deserve it TK. I still haven't said thanks for staying back to protect me when I was hurt. This is just my little way of saying thank you…"
Suddenly, on impulse, she stood on her tiptoes, and kissed TK lightly on the cheek. Then, she broke away from the embrace, and all but ran from the room, her face flushing a crimson colour. Gatomon snickered, and ran after her master. "Kari and TK, sitting in a tree. K, I, S, S, I…"
Smack. "Ow!"
TK was left holding the pendant with one hand. The other held the cheek Kari had just kissed. He had a slightly stunned expression on his face, and his blue eyes were a little unfocused. A small, smile hovered on his lips. Patamon looked back and forth from his master and the door and giggled.
"I think she likes you…"
**Author's notes: Yeah, I know, TK's a little out of character (OK, very out of character), but I can't help myself. TK's my hero! As always, remember to REVIEW!!!!!!