I GIVE UP! I. GIVE. UP!!!!!!!!!!!!! *sigh* fine. I WON'T quit. MAKE me keep writing!
Okay, I had a question about Sora's name…Isabella Soccerball. ^_^ I had in the other part that Tai called her "Isa Soccerball." In case you didn't get that, say it outloud to yourself. "Isa Soccerball." In other words, he's telling Sora that she's a Soccerball. ^_^
~*Once Upon Forever: Epilogue part 2*~
~*Tai's point of View*~
"Tai!"
I could hear the fear in TK's voice, even over the phone, even through the crackling static. Panic immediately welled up within me. Had something happened to Kari?
"Tai! Kari's gone!"
My worst fears had been proven. Kari was…gone…no…
"What? Where? When?" I didn't even give the younger boy time to answer my questions before throwing more at him.
"Where are you? Where is she? What time did she disappear? Can you remember anything helpful?"
Sora was staring at me, a strange, confused look on her face. I realized that I was babbling on.
A few moments later, I slammed the telephone back down into its receiver. My knuckles were white from clutching the plastic so hard.
Sora looked at me, her eyes asking the question that her lips could not form.
"Kari's gone," was all I could get out.
I sank into the nearest chair. "Kari's gone," I repeated. "TK doesn't know where she is."
I lay my head in my hands, then looked back up into Sora's eyes. I knew that they must be large and pleading.
Sora gently rested one hand on my shoulder, stroking my head with the other. Sitting down in the chair next to me, she slowly put her arms around my neck.
"Don't worry," she murmured into my ear. "We'll find her."
I pulled back to look once more into her eyes. "You don't understand. Whoever took her knows who she is! Don't you see? They're going to find us all!"
~*~
~*Mimi's point of view*~
"What do you mean Kari's been taken!?" I could hear the hysteria in my voice.
Matt just shook his head.
I glanced over at the phone that he had just replaced, willing it with all my being to ring again. For it to be TK, saying that there had been some mistake.
But there was no sound other than the sound of our own breathing.
Matt finally spoke up. "TK went to sleep, and, when he woke up, he saw two shadows. One, who he thinks is the kidnapper, was dragging the other, assumedly Kari, away." He looked up. "They know who we are!"
I took a deep breath. "Do the others know?"
Matt looked at me. "When we all separated, Tai told us to keep in touch with one other person other than who we might be with. Kari kept in touch with Tai, which means that TK, who she was living with, knows where he is. And TK kept in touch with me." He looked away. "But Izzy and Joe kept in touch with each other, and no one else. We don't know where they are…which means…"
I shuddered, shaking violently. "That they could have been taken, too."
~*~
I impatiently hopped from foot to foot, staring at my watch for the umpteenth time in the last 30 seconds. Still no sign of them.
I looked to Matt for reassurance. He gave me a wobbly smile.
I sighed, still impatient. Tai, Sora, and TK should be here at any moment. It had been decided that we needed to get together. So Sora and Tai had stopped by Ireland to pick up TK, then had hopped a plane to here, in Paris.
And they were about 10 minutes late.
I knew that planes were often quite late. But it was just making me nervous. God only knew what could happen to them…
"Mimi!"
The call of my name made my head jerk upward. And then, I found myself running towards my best friend.
As I embraced Sora, I whispered to her, "It's Alexia. Remember…we have to be careful!"
Sora smiled. "And I'm Isabella." She sighed. "Isabella Soccerball."
I erupted into laughter, clutching at my sides. "Soccerball? Who came up with that? Tai?"
She nodded. "Yup." She grinned.
I turned to greet the others, giving TK a warm hug. "Don't worry. She'll be okay," I heard myself whisper.
He looked me in the eye. "I hope so. I really, really hope so."
~*~
~*Izzy's point of View*~
"NO! You CAN'T take me against my will!"
"How much do you want to bet?" the masked man sneered at me. "We know who you are! Do you hear that? We know who you are!"
I struggled against my captors.
"Let me go! This is a free county!"
"Yeah. And that means that we're free to take you!"
"Do you know who I am? I'm Zacharias Hadeofler!"
"Yeah, yeah," one of the men replied. "Sure, Izumi. Sure."
It shocked me to hear my real name after so long. I hadn't been called it for…years!
And with it came a sinking sense of loss. They knew who I was. They knew who I was…
And the next thing I knew was blackness.
~*~
~*TK's point of View*~
I felt like a failure. I had let them take Kari. God, I hadn't meant to! I really hadn't! If I could go back and do it all over again, I would never have let them take her! God, if only I had stayed awake…
"Earth to TK…"
It was then that I realized that I just sat there, with the others staring at me and Tai waving one hand around in front of my face.
I shook my head.
Matt laughed sardonically. "Pay attention, TK." He looked at me and his voice became immediately softer. "We need your help in coming up with a plan."
"So. You said that you dreamed about it?" Sora pressed gently.
I nodded.
"What did the man look like?" Mimi asked. "In the dream, I mean."
I sighed. "It was just a dream. Who says that the man in my dream was the man who took Kari?"
Tai looked angry. "Look, TK! It's all we have to go on! So TELL ME!"
Matt's head shot up, and he jumped to his feet. "Hey!" he protested. "Go easy on him! He's been through a lot, jerk!"
For a few seconds they just stared into each other's eyes, each set filled with hatred…when suddenly, Matt stumbled backwards.
"Matt? Are you okay?" I could hear worry in my tone.
He looked up with eyes full of fear. "Two sets of angry eyes…TK! What did he look like!?"
There was a tone of desperation in his voice.
"Well…he was a big man, really. Hair as black as midnight. Dark complexion…"
"His eyes…" Matt demanded.
"His eyes? They were like two never-ending holes that seemed to bore right through your soul. Eyes blacker than black on black.
Matt's eyes were filled with horror. "No…"
~*Matt's point of view*~
No. No! It couldn't be!
Could it?
Eyes blacker than black on black…two never ending holes boring through your soul...
"It's him," I rasped.
Long ago, after having rescued Mimi, I had stared into a set of eyes. Eyes that were as filled with hatred as mine.
Just as had happened with Tai a few moments earlier. Though why I should hate Tai I had no idea. Maybe it was just that, after having not seen him for so long, all of our old differences seemed to spring up.
But back on topic. I knew that the man that TK had seen in his dream was real…he was my enemy from long ago.
And in our hatred filled eyes was a promise. I promise that we would meet again and fight.
It looked like that time was drawing near.
"Matt, what man?" Sora asked, her eyes filled with curiosity.
I started to answer, but it seemed that I wasn't the only one with memories.
"The man…the one who kidnapped me so long ago…the one that you almost killed," Mimi whispered, her eyes locked on mine.
And I felt my whole soul filling with hatred. He would pay. He would pay for what he had done so long ago!
"Let's go!" I demanded, my voice rough.
I just received blank stares.
"I know where she is."
~*~
~*Kari's point of View*~
My limbs felt weighted down with lead. Almost as if I were sinking…always sinking…
But sinking without water.
My head felt heavy, kind of as if I had been hit on the head with a sledge hammer.
I felt that I couldn't move. I was so tired…
I tried to block out the pounding of my head.
But to no avail. It still hurt like hell.
My mind seemed all blurry. As if it had been shrouded in mist.
But one thing was as clear as daylight.
I had been captured. Which meant that someone…someone…knew who I…who we were.
Oh, God…had TK…had the others…TK…had they been captured? Had they!? I had to know…and yet, there was no way that I could find out.
Oh, God, please let them be alright, was really the only thing running through my head. Please…
I let out a groan, and immediately heard footsteps.
Maybe someone was coming to help…maybe someone was coming to take away the pain in my head…maybe someone…
And I was once again engulfed in darkness.
~*~
~*Sora's point of View*~
"Where?" I head Tai demand immediately.
Matt smiled grimly. "The same place where Mimi was taken after she was captured. Which means…"
Tai finished my sentence. "…That we have to go back to Japan."
~*~
I was worried. I could admit that. I was scared. I could admit that, too. Hell, I was terrified! We were going back to Japan!
Yeah, Japan was our home. But, like, everyone in Japan knew about us! We could be walking right into a trap…
And we still hadn't gotten a hold of Joe or Izzy, either.
Had they been captured, as well?
I hoped not. Saving Kari was going to be hard enough.
We were on a plane. We had caught the soonest flight for Japan.
We needed to get there as soon as possible.
There was no telling what they would do to Kari…and to Joe and Izzy, if they, too, had been captured…if we put it off any longer.
I was staring down into what seemed like endless blue ocean.
I was so tired…it wouldn't hurt to get just a few moments of sleep…since I didn't get any last night…
And the next thing I knew, we were there.
We were there. Back in Odaiba. We were there…
~*Tai's point of View*~
We were back. We. Were. BACK!
God, it felt good to be back home…even though it was dangerous.
"Well. Lead the way, Matt," I said, waving my hand for him to go ahead of me. We had to get to Kari…and Izzy and Joe, if they were there…
Matt walked on ahead of me.
"If I remember right, the building is just about a five minute walk from here," he announced.
Five minutes and our friends would be safe.
Those five minutes seemed to take forever.
But, finally, there we were…
It was a cinch sneaking in. But they had probably planned it that way.
Matt had no problem leading us to the room where he was certain that Kari, Izzy, and Joe were.
Because we were all pretty certain, now, that Izzy and Joe had been captured, as well.
We reached the room.
And there they were!
All three of them! And they were all safe…even though they were bound and gagged.
I could see the relief in their eyes upon seeing us.
I moved towards my little sister, and that's when all the trouble began.
~*Joe's point of View*~
We were being rescued! Alright!
I sighed and shook my head. I still remembered how I had been kidnapped. Or rather…doctor-napped.
They had appeared at my clinic. They had dragged me away.
I still remembered how the little kids screamed "Dr. Car! Come back!"
I shook my head again, bringing myself back to the present. I saw Tai race towards his sister.
And then my…or rather, our…captors rushed in.
And the final battle began.
Before she ran off to join the fight, Sora cut me free.
I dragged myself over into a corner to quickly regain my strength. I was too weak to be of any use…
But as soon as I got my blood flowing through my veins properly again, I would help.
Terror seemed to help me, though, and I was on my feet sooner than would have been thought.
I had never liked fighting. But here I was, unmercifully killing all that got in my way.
A kick here, a shove there…
And then everyone dispersed. Disappeared.
Everyone ran off.
I grinned. They were scared of me! Of me…Dr. Car! I mean…Joe Kido!
But then I saw the truth.
A handful of people lay, dead, on the floor. That's what the others had been afraid of. Dying.
I felt guilty. So many lives had been taken for our freedom…
Without a word, I followed the others out the window. Out the window to freedom. But I noticed that Matt and Mimi stayed behind.
I didn't question it. I knew what Matt wanted…or needed…to do. Everyone knew.
And, of course, Mimi would stay by his side.
I just hoped that they would be alright.
~*Mimi's point of view*~
Kari, Joe, and Izzy were safe! They were safe!
But what about Matt and I? Would we be okay?
I knew what Matt wanted to do. He wanted to meet up with his old enemy.
He wanted to fight with him.
To kill him.
And I knew that he wouldn't stop until he had.
I looked up. Matt was gone! I must have stopped walking…must have let him go on ahead…
Without another thought, I hurried on, desperate to find him before he did something horrible…
But it was already too late.
There they were. Staring into each other's eyes.
~*Matt's point of View*~
There he was. My old enemy.
And my eyes met his, and I saw the fear and hatred in them. I knew that it wasn't over. We had met again.
And so, two sets of eyes stared into each other…one, fearful and hatred-filled. The other, cold, distant, un-caring…but also filled with hatred…and both, with the knowledge that we had met again to fight out that fight. Battle out that battle. One on one. Me and him.
I felt my fist connecting with his rib cage, with his face, with his arm…anywhere and everywhere that I aimed.
He hit back. I dodged blow after blow, most of his hits missing me.
But some of them landed where he had intended, shooting pain throughout my body.
But I would be okay.
And I would win this fight.
I was sure. I was certain. I was INVINCIBLE!
And then, with a groan of pain, he slid to my feet.
And without thinking, my fist connected with the side of his head with a sickening crunch.
And it was over.
I turned to find Mimi behind me, crying.
I turned towards her and folded her into my arms, letting her cry.
And then I knew. It would never be over.
As long as we lived, it would never end.
And as we would lived forever, so would this episode in my life.
Nothing would ever end. Not for us, anyway.
The End.
Okay, so that was not a very good ending…
But nothing would ever end… Which means…that this story will never end! J/K…there WILL be a sequel, though. I've already got the idea! Please review!
And I hate to say this…I really do. I've never had to say this one ANY of my fics. But here it is. No reviews, no sequel.
Gatomon_1