Chicken Soup For The Digi-Destined's Soul

***

"Kari?" T.K. said as he knocked on the door to Kari's bedroom. "Kari, are you...decent?"

He blushed at his last remark, and even though he couldn't see it behind the wooden door, so did Kari. She sat up in bed, agitating her throat and causing her to cough a little, and hugged her comforter tighter around her frame. "It's okay, T.K.," she said. "You can come in."

The door opened, and the blonde boy walked in, holding a plastic thermos and smiling. "Hi," he said, and blushed when he saw Kari's uncontrollable and infectious grin. "I...I saw that you weren't in school today, and so I thought something might be wrong."

"It's just a throat cold," she said, touching her neck to accentuate, causing more pain and discomfort, and she winced in irritation. "I'll probably be fine by Saturday."

"I know. I called before, and Tai told me." T.K. shifted clumsily from one foot to the other, still blushing at the thought of him being in Kari's bedroom. Sure, he had been in her room plenty of times before; but something was different that time. Perhaps it was just a feeling he had inside him, something that made him feel strange around his oldest and best friend. Perhaps it was because it seemed no longer like just a room and more like a bedroom, now that she was actually in her bed. Or perhaps it was because he was unconsciously wondering how Kari's body looked underneath those covers...

Embarrassed by his own thoughts, he thrust his hand out, displaying the white thermos. "I brought you soup," he said. "My mom made it for you. It's chicken noodle; I hope you like it."

Kari grinned warmly. "I bet I'll love it," she said, though she was thinking iI bet I'll love it anyway if it came from you/i. She took the thermos from T.K., blushed as her fingers accidentally brushed the back of his hand, and carefully opened the jar, smiling as she smelled the rich aroma of Ms. Takaishi's chicken soup.

"Thanks, T.K.," she said as she placed the soup on the nighttable next to her bed.. "I can't believe you came all the way over here for me. You are so sweet."

T.K. blushed again, and opened his mouth to speak, when he heard a scratching noise coming from the closet.

"Kari?"

T.K. jumped at the sound of a voice behind Kari's closet door. The door opened slowly, and a white and purple cat stepped out, her blue eyes shining in the light of the room. "Gatomon!" he said, causing the cat to smile and rise up on her back legs perfectly to bow.

"In the fur, T.K.," she purred, and climbed up on the bed to join Kari. "I'm so glad to see you here," she continued as Kari scratched her behind her ears. "Kari's been talking about you all day, and maybe now that you're here -"

"Gatomon!" Kari hissed at her Digimon and gave her a quick shake, efficiently shutting her up. T.K. blushed again, and looked down at his shoes, not knowing what to say. He tilted his head down, a little too embarrassed to look Kari in the eye, and, to his surprise as well as Kari's, his hat tumbled off, and a small orange creature popped out, shook out its head to reveal two large ears, and smiled at the two.

"Patamon!" Kari exclaimed, delighted to see the little Digimon in her room. Patamon jumped up onto the bed and flew into Kari's arms, giggling. "I didn't know you brought him here, T.K.," she said, patting the Digimon on his head. "I guess you really can fit anything in that hat of yours!"

Both T.K. and Kari laughed out loud at the joke, but the irritation was more than enough to send Kari into a fit of coughs, her body shaking with each cough, causing Patamon to jump away from her and land on the bedpost instead. T.K., his face etched with concern, immediately rushed over to her side on the bed, one steady hand on her shoulder and the other on her forehead, checking her temperature. He stayed there until her coughs dispersed and she sat calmly, her throat still aching, but her mind and heart racing over T.K.'s hand on her shoulder.

"Are...you okay?" he asked, his eyes full of worry.

Kari smiled weakly and placed her own hand over his, much to T.K.'s surprise. "I'm fine." Then, thinking about something to herself, she chuckled, and motioned for T.K. to sit down beside her, which he did.

"You know what this reminds me of?" she said, her smile brightening as she looked into T.K.'s eyes. "This reminds me of a time when we were both younger. A ulot/u younger," she giggled. "We were eight, and we were in the Digiworld..."

"When...we were in Machinedramon's city!" T.K. exclaimed with excitement. "And you were sick...we were separated from the others. I remember that."

"Me too!" said Gatomon.

"Me three!" squeaked Patamon gleefully.

"Me four." Kari again took T.K.'s hand in hers and looked him in the eyes. "We were separated from the others, and I was still sick. You stayed with me, and you took care of me, T.K. You don't know how much that meant to me."

"I think I do," he whispered into her ear, not daring to break their stare.

"I knew, right then and there, that uyou/u," Kari pointed at T.K., poking him playfully in the chest, "were special. That you were the one that was going to be there for me always. That one day, we would get married..."

Both T.K. and Kari blushed, and their gaze was finally broken as they both looked away in embarrassment.

"...and we would live in a big castle up in the clouds." Kari laughed. "I was a little loopy back when I was eight." T.K. looked back into Kari's eyes and smiled. "And here you are...bringing me chicken soup."

Kari continued, her gaze never leaving T.K.'s sparkling blue eyes. "Now, I know this might be the cold medication talking...but I think I was right."

"I know how you feel," T.K. whispered, his hand reaching up to stroke Kari's cheek, his fingers reveling in her soft skin. Kari closed her eyes and sighed, leaning in towards his touch, loving every second she was with him. "When you were captured by the Scubamon...I felt horrible. I don't know how to explain this, but I knew that I had to find you and bring you back. I knew...I knew that I'd die if I could never see you again."

"Oh, T.K.," Kari breathed, smiling. T.K. removed his hand from Kari's cheek and moved lower to cup her chin gently, bringing her lips closer to his.

"Wait," Kari whispered with a giggle, his mouth only inches from her own. "We can't. I'll get you sick..."

T.K. smiled and closed his eyes. "I don't care," he said easily, and soon his lips met with hers, a beautiful union of two souls meant for each other, both knowing long before that moment who their true and forever loves would be.

"Awww..." Patamon said in a low voice, making sure not to disturb the two. "Isn't that just so sweet?"

"Let's leave them alone," Gatomon, said, crossing the room and opening the door to the balcony. "I think they'll want a little privacy right about now."

And so the two Digimon left their partners, the possessors of Light and Hope, still in each other's embrace on the bed, with the white thermos of chicken soup still steaming on the table.