DISCLAIMER: Full disclaimer in chapter one. No need to retype all that. In short, I don't own anything but Kacie and the character introduced in this part. KatGrrl owns Katina and her digimon.
Authoress's Notes: *RenaissanceGrrl is at desk* Wow, you're back! Cool! As you remember, we left Kacie at school where no one will talk to her but the DigiDestined...and not even all of them...She's falling hopelessly in love with Matt, but she hasn't told him...or anyone else. Now the excitement starts: A new character, and Kacie's account of what happened before she met up with Izzy and Kat...
Somehow Kacie survived the school day, with no less than ten sheets of notebook paper covered both sides in meaningless doodles. A fair share of them had been hearts with arrows. Katina had noticed one K&M4EVER, but said nothing.
"I'm glad that's over," Kacie told Izzy walking home. ~And I thought Chicago public school sucked...~
Izzy wasn't sure if she was joking or not, but he laughed just a little anyway. "It wasn't so bad...today was computer lab day for me..."
"Lemme guess...you're at the head of that class?" Kacie was quick to notice things anyway, and his computer expertise was more than a little hard to miss.
Izzy reddened. "Not to sound pretentious or anything, but..." he trailed off, having said enough to answer her question.
Kacie laughed, and then sought to reassure him that he wasn't bragging. "You can't help when you've got talent. And I *did* ask."
Katina's eyes followed the ground, but her ears followed the conversation.
A voice emitted from Izzy's backpack. "Is it safe now?"
Izzy sweatdropped. "No! We're not even halfway home. Now hush, Motimon."
Again, Kacie laughed, half at the Digimon and half at the look on Izzy's face. ~These Digimon are kinda cute!~ "It must be fun," she said wistfully.
"What must be fun?" Izzy asked.
"Having a digimon."
"It's more than just fun, Kacie-san, it's a DigiDestined's destiny."
"I realize that, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy it," Kacie said.
"I agree, Izzy!" Motimon said.
Izzy sweatdropped again. "Will you be quiet? You know I care about you, but sometimes I feel more like I'm raising a child than being protected!"
Katina snickered quietly, hearing the banter between the two.
At last they got home, and the first thing that both Izzy and Katina did was open their backpacks and let out the two small creatures.
"Motimon...digivolve to...Tentomon!"
"Cajamon...digivolve to...Havamon!"
It rather confused Kacie to see the two small creatures change. "That's how digivolving works?" she asked Izzy.
"Yes. Each digimon has six levels of digivolution. Baby, in-training, rookie, champion, ultimate, and mega."
~Dollar answers to nickel questions. At least it's a bargain.~ Kacie smiled inwardly at the thought. "Which level are they at now?"
"Rookie. All our digimon tend to stay at the rookie level once they get there, except for things like today, when we need them to be smaller, and in battles, when we need them to be stronger and tougher."
"Except for Gatomon," Havamon reminded him.
Izzy nodded. "Yes. Gatomon is at her champion level."
Kacie nodded, a gesture she was beginning to become very familiar with. She had already learned quite a bit about these small, odd creatures, but she was sure she was far from finished. The thought crossed her mind as to which one Gatomon was, but she figured she'd find out later one way or another.
Katina left to change out of her uniform, and take her schoolbooks out of her backpack. When she returned, Izzy turned to Kacie. "After lunch Tai told me that we--all ten of the DigiDestined--are supposed to meet at the park as soon as possible after school."
"I see. And then what?" ~I don't wanna go...the goggles kid will be there, too...~
"Who knows, with Tai? Probably to ask if I've heard from Gennai, and give everyone a recap of the situation. Joe, Kari, and T.K. all go to different schools than the one we do."
"Well, let's get going," Kacie said. "No point in standing around."
"True." Izzy left to change, and again Kacie was alone with Katina. No words were exchanged until Izzy's return.
"Let's go," he said, opening the door for them to do so.
"Lead the way," Kacie agreed.
They walked, Kacie asking questions about Digimon and Tokyo, brought on by things they ran across or that the digimon said, until finally Izzy pointed out the gate that led into the park.
"I take it that's where we're supposed to--"
Kacie was cut off by another one of those blinding flashes of light. "What's happening?!" she screamed in alarm.
"We're coming in for a landing, that's what!" Izzy yelled. "Careful, Kat-chan! Ouff!"
THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!
"This is becoming all too familiar," Kacie moaned. She sat up and looked around. "Uh, guys..."
"Yes?" Izzy questioned.
"We have company."
Izzy looked around and was greeted by the familiar faces of their fellow DigiDestined.
They were looking about and making similar comments. Tai was the first to stand to his feet. "Are we all here?" he asked of no one in particular. A chorus of "yes's" sounded out as the others took a count mentally.
Izzy looked over at Kacie, feeling a bit responsible for her. "Are you okay?"
She nodded at him. ~there's so many people...one-on-one is one thing, or if I know everyone, but *this* I do not like~
Mimi was shaking her head. "No! Nonononononono this isn't *right*!"
"It never seems right when we come here, Mimi, but there must be something we have to do," Sora reminded her gently.
Tai stood and turned to Izzy. "Did you ever hear anything more from Gennai?"
Izzy shook his head. "Not a thing, Tai."
"It must have something to do with you," Tai said, pointing a finger right in Kacie's face. The act was innocent enough, but it made Kacie feel like he was condemning her. She wanted to just crawl into a hole somewhere and fill the opening behind her, but she had work to do, or she wouldn't be there in the DigiWorld. ~May as well get used to this kid. Let him know where I stand right away.~
She blinked up at him, and pushed his hand away. "If you must point at me, could you at least do it from far away enough so I don't have to cross my eyes to see your finger?"
He didn't answer her in any way, verbally or with an expression. Instead he turned to the rest of the group and began rallying them together to do whatever it was that they were supposed to do--although he didn't know what it was at that time.
Izzy took the opportunity to properly introduce Kacie to each of the kids, since it had not been done the day before.
"Kacie, this is Kamiya Taichi, better known as Tai. He's our leader, and Agumon."
~So the goggles kid is the leader? Does that give him the right to snub me just because I'm the new girl?~
"And Takenouchi Sora, with Biyomon,"
~Tomboy? Yeah, most likely~
"Kamiya Hikari, Tai's younger sister--call her Kari, and Gatomon,"
~she looks nice...~
"Takaishi Takeru--preferably T.K., and Patamon,"
~What an ADORABLE kid--but I bet he doesn't like that!~
"Tachikawa Mimi and Palmon,"
~A Japanese cowgirl? In pink? There are some days I just don't ask...~
"Kido Joe and Gomamon--Joe's studying to be a doctor, so if you get hurt or feel sick, come to him,"
~preppy!~
"and you know Ishida Matt."
~and he's *still* a hottie! they don't make 'em like this back home, *that* is for sure!~ Kacie thought. "Pleased to meet you all," she said. "But please forgive me if I have trouble with all your names."
"Enough with the chitchat," Tai said. "We need to get going." It was less than five minutes before the ten kids and nine digimon were walking--again, as Mimi pointed out.
Kacie talked with any one person who would talk, but if a third party jumped in she would drop out of the conversation, and fall to the back of the group. She didn't talk enough with anyone to really form a concrete opinion about them, except for Matt. Truthfully, she tried to fix it that way, because she really did want to get to know him, but she was at the same time trying not to be obvious about it. ~Why do guys have to be so good at complicating a girl's life?~
It was around five when they stopped for a rest. "Does anybody have food?" Tai asked.
Joe had a little food in his emergency bag, but that was it. Tai said that they should try to ration it, but Izzy was quick to point out that it wouldn't go far among nineteen stomachs even for *one* meal.
"Can everyone last 'til we stop for the night if we rest longer now?" Tai asked. There was a general agreement, so it was decided to follow that course of action.
Kacie sat under a tree and watched as the digimon began playing some game she'd never heard of. Matt came and sat next to her. It surprised her, and she was sure he was doing it only out of politeness. "No, it's okay, go with your friends..."
He furrowed his eyebrows. ~Why would she say that? No one *asked* me to sit by her.~ "Look, you're one of the group now. That doesn't mean you have to like all of us, but we all need to at least be civil for the most part, and making a friend or two among the group couldn't hurt you. You've been awfully quiet--almost like Kat."
She laughed, knowing that it was not an insult, at least not one meant to hurt her feelings. "I never have been one for large groups. I'd rather spend half an hour talking and getting to know one person than hours and hours of playing a game with a large group." ~Change the subject, he won't know what to make of that "getting to know someone" remark! Not that I don't want to get to know him...ohh...this is so confusing!~ "Speaking of games, what are they playing?" She pointed to the digimon.
Matt watched for a second. "It's some sort of tag. T.K. and Kari could explain it, because they've actually played it."
She nodded. "You know, I don't think anyone is liking the idea of another kid to worry about...I feel like I'm being a burden."
He frowned. "Don't do that. I mean, it's true, none of us were expecting a tenth DigiDestined, but it's not like we have a choice in the matter, and neither do you. There's someone bigger out there making the decisions and they know what they're doing. There's obviously a reason we don't know yet for your being here, and once we figure it out the others might be a bit more friendly. Like Kat--Izzy was the only one of us who really paid attention to her until we knew she was DigiDestined, and even then no one was *really* friendly to her until she saved all our necks. All I'm saying is, don't feel bad." Matt wasn't sure why he was telling her any of it.
~Why is he doing this? Could it possibly be that he--~ she left the thought unfinished. She thought this guy was really nice as well as having a gorgeous pair of eyes, and he seemed to think her okay, if nothing better, and she didn't want to jinx any luck she might be having with him.
She and Matt went on talking, and although they were stopped there for only half an hour, by the end of that time Kacie was pretty sure she could count him a friend.
As they walked Izzy noticed Kacie was still talking to Matt. He did not try to cut in, thinking that it was probably a good idea for Kacie to get to know as many of them as possible. It could not hurt for her to have at least one other friend besides himself and Katina.
They walked until eight o'clock or so, and then they ate Joe's rations. Tai said that they should try to find a place to sleep. Gomamon found a dry cave--small, but just big enough for all of them.
They all crowded in, and Joe offered to take first watch. "Besides, the watches will be shorter from now on," he said, gesturing toward Kacie.
"Not until Kacie gets her digimon," Izzy said. "She doesn't have enough experience in the DigiWorld to do it now."
Tai agreed with Izzy, but Kacie was sure this was because he thought she just didn't have enough experience, period. Not that she thought a whole lot of him, either.
Kacie laid down near the back of the tiny cave and tried using her duffel for a pillow. Not the most comfortable, but definitely better than laying her head on the cave floor. She took off her jacket and tried to use it as a blanket. It wasn't cold outside, but it was a psychological thing.
She rolled over so she wasn't facing the back wall anymore and found herself again next to Matt. He was laying on his stomach perpendicular to her, chin on his folded arms. "Hello again," he said.
"Hi," she said, for lack of anything more intelligent. ~How is it possible for me to get butterflies around him when we were only introduced this morning? He *is* the first guy who seems to be interested in me, perhaps in *that* way, and he may be being awfully friendly to me, but *still*, we hardly know each other...~
"Good night." He turned his head on its side and tried to sleep.
~Well, at least I didn't embarrass myself in front of him. It would have been nice if he'd stayed up to talk, though.~ Kacie yawned. ~Then again, I'm feeling pretty tired myself.~
Throughout the night, no matter how much noise was made in switching watches, Kacie slept through it, not being a light sleeper. It was when she awoke that she got her biggest surprise.
"Mmm..." she mumbled, in the state halfway between dreams and wakefulness. ~nice dream...Matt...~ She opened her eyes and half-expected him to be sitting right close to her, like he had been in her dream, but he was exactly where he had been last night, a few feet away. What *was* sitting right close to her was a little purple head.
In a girl's voice, the head greeted her. "Good morning, Kacie."
"Huh? What in the--AAAH!" she screamed loud and clear...forgetting that they were in a cave...where it...echoed...
Jumping back and sitting up in one motion, she clapped a hand over her mouth, staring widely.
Matt looked at her, smiling. He wasn't holding back laughter, but it was obvious he found the whole scene amusing. "Looks like you have a digimon."
The little purple critter began to bounce up and down. "That's right. I am Jacamon!"
She reminded Kacie of Tsunomon from the day before, only purple instead of orange around the face, sky-blue eyes, and small horselike ears rather than a horn. "Whatever you are, you scared the daylights outta me," she said, finally finding her voice.
The other kids were watching them--them as in Kacie, Jacamon, *and* Matt. Tai was laughing his head off over the fact that she had been so scared of a purple head no larger than a basketball, but Kacie chose to ignore him. There was some real discord between the two.
The Digimon smiled. "I told you, Kacie. I am Jacamon, and we're friends for life!"
Kacie watched her digimon--*her* digimon--bounce in happy little circles around her. Then she looked up at Izzy, who was smiling broadly. It wasn't an "I-told-you-so" smile, but it definitely said "See?-You-*can*-trust-me".
Just then Jacamon jumped right into Kacie's lap, regaining her attention.
"I have a question for you," Kacie told her.
"What is it?" Jacamon looked up at her and smiled brightly.
"How did you know my name?"
"I've known that. I've been waiting for you."
"Oh." Kacie didn't bother to continue. She knew she'd never understand.
Then Matt asked a question of the new digimon. "You're at your In-Training level, aren't you?"
"Yes, I am." At that she jumped out of Kacie's lap and went back to going in little circles. ~boingy-boingy-boingy-boingy~ Kacie thought. ~So now I have a friend for life. She *is* kinda cute.~
Ten minutes later, when Tai finally quit laughing, he said that they should hurry and get a move on.
Kacie simply put her jacket on and was done. She had not taken anything out of her bag, and had slept with her shoes on. She waited on the others.
"Where are we going?" Jacamon asked.
"I'm not sure. I'm just following the rest of them. I don't dare go alone. I would have no idea where to go."
"Oh." Jacamon continued bouncing in circles until Kacie began to walk forward with the rest of them, and then she made an extra-large bounce right up in front of Kacie's head, and then Kacie caught her in her arms.
"Whoa! If you had legs I'd say you have springs in them."
"But I don't have legs," Jacamon reminded her.
"In that case you'd rather not hear what I'm thinking." ~Rubber. Butt.~
"Oh. Hey, you'll get awfully tired carrying me in your arms, won't you?"
"No matter. You'd get tired walking--uh, bouncing--uhh--"
"Bouncing!" The little critter bounced out of her arms and began doing the little loops around her again. "I was just thinking, I might fit in your bag there."
"Maybe," Kacie acknowledged. She swung the bag around front, so that it was hanging around her neck. That way she didn't need to stop walking and slow everyone else down. She unzipped the main part of it and rummaged through her stuff, with the purple critter going in circles incessantly. It made Kacie smile as she rearranged the duffel's contents. ~laptop against the back, flashlight in the outer pocket...there!~ She zipped up the sides and a little bit of the top. "Hop in," she said, "No pun intended."
Jacamon laughed and bounced right in. Kacie had created a sort of nest inside the bag into which Jacamon just fit, and out of which she could see in all directions. Now Kacie pushed the duffel back so it hung at her side again, and her hand rested on Jacamon's head. (Or rather, just on Jacamon.) The small creature giggled and looked forward with the rest of them to see where they were headed.
Matt fell back to where she was. "Hey. How are you two getting along?"
"Just great!" Jacamon said.
"Yeah," Kacie agreed. She ran her finger over the critter's soft fur. "We're fine." She looked up at Matt, and thought she caught him looking at her. He averted his gaze to Jacamon before she could be sure.
"I wonder what she'll be when she digivolves."
Jacamon thought it was a stupid thing to wonder. "I'll be a digimon!"
Matt laughed. "I know. I mean what *kind* of digimon. Like, see Gabumon up there?"
"Yeah?"
"When he digivolves, he turns into Garurumon."
"Oh, I get it. Hey, Kacie?"
"Hmm?"
"Would you mind if I got to know the rest of the digimon?"
"Go right ahead." Kacie was a little sorry to see her go, but she wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to talk to Matt alone.
Another bounce, and several quick forward leaps, and Jacamon was caught up to Patamon and carrying on a conversation.
"She's so sweet," Kacie said. "I was worried we wouldn't get along."
"Nah. Once you meet a good digimon they're pretty hard not to like."
"There are people like that," Kacie said. "And there are people who are the exact opposite." She quickly glanced at Tai, at the head of the group.
"Yeah. I know what you mean. Kind of like my brother, he's really hard not to like--"
"Your brother?"
"What? You mean there's no family resemblance between me and T.K.?"
Kacie thought over it carefully. ~T.K.--Tak--Takeru. T.K.--T.K. is the younger blond boy...~ "Oh! Yes. There is, but I just assumed that Izzy and Cat, and Tai and Kari were the only ones that were related to anyone else within the group."
"No, T.K. is my ototo-chan. Little bro."
Kacie shook her head. "So much to keep straight. Nineteen new people within twenty-four hours, plus thrown in with the fact that I'm either in Tokyo or the Digital World instead of at home..." she trailed off, leaving him to picture it.
"At least you have someone else who knows what's going on. You should have seen us when we first came to the DigiWorld. No one knew which way was up." Matt grinned, remembering.
"What happened?"
"Well, all of us except Kat, and Kari, who both came later, were at soccer camp. Camp, as in summer. As in August first. We're all just going about our business, and all of a sudden it starts snowing."
Kacie tilted her head. "In *August*?"
"Yeah. Then the Digivices fall out of the sky, and we get sucked into the DigiWorld and attacked by a big old Kuwagamon that thinks we'd make a nice lunch."
Kacie shook her head. "And I thought I had it weird. I was walking home from school, and I had even made the last turn. I could see my house, and then this multi-colored beam of light just shoots down out of the clouds. It was weird, because even though it was overcast, everything was as bright as if it were the middle of summer, and it was even starting to feel warm. Chicago isn't exactly known for its high temperatures, you know."
"Wind. Chicago is known for wind," Matt remembered.
"I know. At any rate, the really weird part was that no one else noticed. No one was taking off their jackets, or coats, or anything, and usually when it gets that bright everyone whips out their designer sunglasses, but nothing. Like I was the only one who could see any of it. I got the distinct impression that I *was* the only one who could see any of it. This light beam inches toward me, and when it hits me I feel a jerk and all I can think is that someone is trying to rape me or mug me or something, so I hold on to my duffel very tightly and I'm all on the defensive. Then the ground just drops out from under me, or so I think until I look down and see I'm floating. And I screamed, but no one heard, no one saw, nothing."
"It's weird, flying through the air like that," Matt agreed.
"You can say that again. At any rate, next thing, I land on my duff, still clutching my bag. I look around, and I start to wonder if the fruit on any of the trees is safe, because usually at that hour I am sitting at my computer, chatting in some chatroom, eating something. After-school snack. Then the digivice falls out of the sky and hovers in front of me. I tried to run from it, but it was faster, and it was in front of me no matter how fast I went, so I took a hold of it. It beeped, and then I looked at its little screen and a little screensaver kind of thing was flashing across it, and it read, 'Hello Kacie'. So I knew it was mine, and I clipped it to my jacket until I had time to fiddle with it. I mean, I had time, but I think I was too busy thinking about the fruit to try anything else. I spent about an hour and a half wandering through that forest, and then that Venimon thing came into sight. I set my duffel down and ran to it to ask...I wasn't sure what I was going to ask, but at least it would be a start. As I get closer I realize he's not human, he's more of a six-foot snake with hands, but he was black, and black snakes aren't poisonous, right?" She rolled her eyes at Matt and he nodded, smiling.
"We've all assumed stupid things while in the DigiWorld."
"Anyway, I ask him where I am, and he asks what sort of Digimon I am. It confused me at the time, but I get it now. I tell him my name is Kacie Kensingten, and so he goes around calling me KacieKensingtenmon until I tell him I'm no mon. So then he picks me up, and I started screaming for somebody to please come help me, and that's when Cat and Izzy arrived on the scene, and you know the rest."
"I'm glad they did, I hate to think what might have happened to you otherwise."
"*You* hate to think? It scares *me* even more!"
~Yes, I *do* hate to think it...~ "You're safe now. You have Cabaiyomon, and me, and the rest of the kids."
"Well..." Again Kacie's eyes looked to Tai. ~I'm not too sure I have *all* the rest of the kids...~
Matt followed her glance. ~Oh.~ "He may not like you as a close friend, but he would not let anything happen to you if he could help it. You *are* DigiDestined, and he just has to accept it. He knows it's his responsibility to look out for *all* of us. He's the leader."
"How did he end up leader?"
"He was the one with the peppiest pep talks, and he's the one that everything happens to first. First to get his crest. First to have his digimon go to champion, and ultimate. First to come home--even if it was only for a day." Matt laughed at the memory.
Kacie didn't quite get it, but smiled anyway. It sounded funny. "Oh. I see."
Matt shook his head. "Seriously, he just did. The only one of us that ever cared to fuss over it was me, but not because I wanted to be leader. I just thought that maybe we'd be best off with no leader, you know, taking a vote on all the important decisions."
Kacie nodded. "So do we ever do anything besides walk around the DigiWorld?"
"Yeah. Whenever we run into something, or someone. We battle the bad guys and learn from the good ones, and when there are no more bad guys for the time being, we get to go home and miss each other and the days in the DigiWorld."
"You like it here better than home?"
"Sometimes. We definitely have more freedom here. Watch Tai and Sora tonight and see if you get my drift."
"I get the drift just from watching them right this instant." Kacie pointed ahead. The pair was walking together, holding hands, blushing a bit.
"That's nothing. Hey, so go on, what's it like at your home?"
"Lonely. I don't have a lot of friends, and I avoid my parents, so the only company I have is Marta."
"Marta?" Matt asked. ~If *that* name didn't come out of nowhere...~
"The maid. Fascinating old lady. She's been with our family since before we were a family. She was my mother's nanny--of course, she was only in her twenties then."
"You guys have a maid?"
"Just the one, and she lives with us. Don't look at me like that. We're not millionaires, my dad just happens to be some high-up' executive guy. I don't even know what company or exactly what he does. I never bothered to ask, and of late, I don't really care."
Matt could sense that he was treading on *very* thin ice, so he tried to change the subject. "Why *do* you have so few friends?"
"I was never big on the idea of a lot of friends, and ever since my best friend moved away when I was nine..." she trailed off again. ~Kat. I miss her. I wonder what she'd think of all this.~
~Oops. I don't think that I helped any.~ "Ah. I see."
Kacie continued. "We didn't live in Chicago then, in fact, we moved just after that. We lived down in Arkansas, and if you should ever move to America, I will definitely recommend the city over the country. Chicago's the greatest, but any city is better than none."
"Kat lived in America, and she's just the opposite...of course, she loves the outdoors..."
Kacie made a face. "Not that I have anything against the outdoors, but it's so much easier to blend in and be ignored in the city. In Arkansas I'd pop into the grocery store to buy a comic book and the checker and I would have a conversation about how stupid the truckers were, always bringing the magazines in late."
Matt grinned. "And you didn't like that?"
Kacie rolled her eyes. "It wasn't so bad, I guess, but after that, he'd usually plaster this *huge* old grin over his zit-covered face and ask me for a date..."
Matt sweatdropped. "Yeah, that could definitely make a difference..."
"It did."
"But seriously, didn't you ever have any fun?"
"Only when I was with my friend. We would have a blast every time we were together. We'd go outside and go up to this field and spread out a blanket and lay there and just talk."
"About what?"
"Everything from cabbages to kings. Mostly other people, friends of ours, guys...how stupid they happened to be being in not noticing us at that moment in time...of course, she was always too shy to try doing anything about it--I should talk. I wasn't much better when it came down to guys."
"Really? I wouldn't have thought that..."
"Of course you wouldn't. That all changed when we moved to Chicago. I guess you could say the move boosted my confidence somehow. Not that it did any good, I'm still single. Of course, with most of the guys at my school, that's a good thing...a *very* good thing..."
The expression on her face made Matt laugh. "Well, now you have new friends, and plenty of them."
"Speaking of *my* friends, I've been talking an awful lot about myself. Your turn."
Matt tilted his head. She'd caught him off guard, not something that happened to him a lot. "There's not much to say. I was born in Tokyo, and I've lived with my dad ever since my parents split. I was younger then--just barely twelve. T.K. went with Mom, but he was even littler--like, five. We don't see each other as much as we'd like."
"I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault that they--"
"No, I mean I'm sorry for making you bring it up. I know I don't like to talk about my family."
"No biggie." ~Why isn't it a biggie, Matt? You don't usually say this much about it to anyone.~
They walked in silence for a few minutes. "He's really special to you, isn't he?" Kacie asked, nodding towards T.K..
"Yeah. I'm his big brother, right? I have to look after him."
Kacie just nodded. "I don't have any younger siblings. Basically, I'm an only child. Don't call me lucky for that." ~I hate being an only child...~
"I wouldn't. I know what it'd be like to not have T.K.."
"Thank you--"
"EVERYBODY STOP!" Tai called from the front.
"What's the matter, Tai?" Kari asked.
"Kat heard something, and the last time Kat heard something we were almost eaten by a snake woman. You remember."
Kacie felt the sweatdrop float down her neck. Quietly she asked, "Uh, Matt, would you care to--"
"Later. I'll explain later." Everyone's ears were on edge, and then the sound could be heard. Were those--battle cries? It sounded like a troop of soldiers training.
Everyone looked around at all the others, not knowing what to do.
A/N: CLIFFHANGER! YESSS! What can I say? The pages worked out here. It was either that or go on for another four page's worth. *Readers give her evil eye for stopping* What? If I *had* gone on, they'd be giving me the evil eye for being too long! AGK! I can't win for losing! Um, the character I couldn't mention at the beginng in my notes is Cabaiyomon. (DUH!) I own her.
Authoress's Notes: *RenaissanceGrrl is at desk* Wow, you're back! Cool! As you remember, we left Kacie at school where no one will talk to her but the DigiDestined...and not even all of them...She's falling hopelessly in love with Matt, but she hasn't told him...or anyone else. Now the excitement starts: A new character, and Kacie's account of what happened before she met up with Izzy and Kat...
Somehow Kacie survived the school day, with no less than ten sheets of notebook paper covered both sides in meaningless doodles. A fair share of them had been hearts with arrows. Katina had noticed one K&M4EVER, but said nothing.
"I'm glad that's over," Kacie told Izzy walking home. ~And I thought Chicago public school sucked...~
Izzy wasn't sure if she was joking or not, but he laughed just a little anyway. "It wasn't so bad...today was computer lab day for me..."
"Lemme guess...you're at the head of that class?" Kacie was quick to notice things anyway, and his computer expertise was more than a little hard to miss.
Izzy reddened. "Not to sound pretentious or anything, but..." he trailed off, having said enough to answer her question.
Kacie laughed, and then sought to reassure him that he wasn't bragging. "You can't help when you've got talent. And I *did* ask."
Katina's eyes followed the ground, but her ears followed the conversation.
A voice emitted from Izzy's backpack. "Is it safe now?"
Izzy sweatdropped. "No! We're not even halfway home. Now hush, Motimon."
Again, Kacie laughed, half at the Digimon and half at the look on Izzy's face. ~These Digimon are kinda cute!~ "It must be fun," she said wistfully.
"What must be fun?" Izzy asked.
"Having a digimon."
"It's more than just fun, Kacie-san, it's a DigiDestined's destiny."
"I realize that, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy it," Kacie said.
"I agree, Izzy!" Motimon said.
Izzy sweatdropped again. "Will you be quiet? You know I care about you, but sometimes I feel more like I'm raising a child than being protected!"
Katina snickered quietly, hearing the banter between the two.
At last they got home, and the first thing that both Izzy and Katina did was open their backpacks and let out the two small creatures.
"Motimon...digivolve to...Tentomon!"
"Cajamon...digivolve to...Havamon!"
It rather confused Kacie to see the two small creatures change. "That's how digivolving works?" she asked Izzy.
"Yes. Each digimon has six levels of digivolution. Baby, in-training, rookie, champion, ultimate, and mega."
~Dollar answers to nickel questions. At least it's a bargain.~ Kacie smiled inwardly at the thought. "Which level are they at now?"
"Rookie. All our digimon tend to stay at the rookie level once they get there, except for things like today, when we need them to be smaller, and in battles, when we need them to be stronger and tougher."
"Except for Gatomon," Havamon reminded him.
Izzy nodded. "Yes. Gatomon is at her champion level."
Kacie nodded, a gesture she was beginning to become very familiar with. She had already learned quite a bit about these small, odd creatures, but she was sure she was far from finished. The thought crossed her mind as to which one Gatomon was, but she figured she'd find out later one way or another.
Katina left to change out of her uniform, and take her schoolbooks out of her backpack. When she returned, Izzy turned to Kacie. "After lunch Tai told me that we--all ten of the DigiDestined--are supposed to meet at the park as soon as possible after school."
"I see. And then what?" ~I don't wanna go...the goggles kid will be there, too...~
"Who knows, with Tai? Probably to ask if I've heard from Gennai, and give everyone a recap of the situation. Joe, Kari, and T.K. all go to different schools than the one we do."
"Well, let's get going," Kacie said. "No point in standing around."
"True." Izzy left to change, and again Kacie was alone with Katina. No words were exchanged until Izzy's return.
"Let's go," he said, opening the door for them to do so.
"Lead the way," Kacie agreed.
They walked, Kacie asking questions about Digimon and Tokyo, brought on by things they ran across or that the digimon said, until finally Izzy pointed out the gate that led into the park.
"I take it that's where we're supposed to--"
Kacie was cut off by another one of those blinding flashes of light. "What's happening?!" she screamed in alarm.
"We're coming in for a landing, that's what!" Izzy yelled. "Careful, Kat-chan! Ouff!"
THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!
"This is becoming all too familiar," Kacie moaned. She sat up and looked around. "Uh, guys..."
"Yes?" Izzy questioned.
"We have company."
Izzy looked around and was greeted by the familiar faces of their fellow DigiDestined.
They were looking about and making similar comments. Tai was the first to stand to his feet. "Are we all here?" he asked of no one in particular. A chorus of "yes's" sounded out as the others took a count mentally.
Izzy looked over at Kacie, feeling a bit responsible for her. "Are you okay?"
She nodded at him. ~there's so many people...one-on-one is one thing, or if I know everyone, but *this* I do not like~
Mimi was shaking her head. "No! Nonononononono this isn't *right*!"
"It never seems right when we come here, Mimi, but there must be something we have to do," Sora reminded her gently.
Tai stood and turned to Izzy. "Did you ever hear anything more from Gennai?"
Izzy shook his head. "Not a thing, Tai."
"It must have something to do with you," Tai said, pointing a finger right in Kacie's face. The act was innocent enough, but it made Kacie feel like he was condemning her. She wanted to just crawl into a hole somewhere and fill the opening behind her, but she had work to do, or she wouldn't be there in the DigiWorld. ~May as well get used to this kid. Let him know where I stand right away.~
She blinked up at him, and pushed his hand away. "If you must point at me, could you at least do it from far away enough so I don't have to cross my eyes to see your finger?"
He didn't answer her in any way, verbally or with an expression. Instead he turned to the rest of the group and began rallying them together to do whatever it was that they were supposed to do--although he didn't know what it was at that time.
Izzy took the opportunity to properly introduce Kacie to each of the kids, since it had not been done the day before.
"Kacie, this is Kamiya Taichi, better known as Tai. He's our leader, and Agumon."
~So the goggles kid is the leader? Does that give him the right to snub me just because I'm the new girl?~
"And Takenouchi Sora, with Biyomon,"
~Tomboy? Yeah, most likely~
"Kamiya Hikari, Tai's younger sister--call her Kari, and Gatomon,"
~she looks nice...~
"Takaishi Takeru--preferably T.K., and Patamon,"
~What an ADORABLE kid--but I bet he doesn't like that!~
"Tachikawa Mimi and Palmon,"
~A Japanese cowgirl? In pink? There are some days I just don't ask...~
"Kido Joe and Gomamon--Joe's studying to be a doctor, so if you get hurt or feel sick, come to him,"
~preppy!~
"and you know Ishida Matt."
~and he's *still* a hottie! they don't make 'em like this back home, *that* is for sure!~ Kacie thought. "Pleased to meet you all," she said. "But please forgive me if I have trouble with all your names."
"Enough with the chitchat," Tai said. "We need to get going." It was less than five minutes before the ten kids and nine digimon were walking--again, as Mimi pointed out.
Kacie talked with any one person who would talk, but if a third party jumped in she would drop out of the conversation, and fall to the back of the group. She didn't talk enough with anyone to really form a concrete opinion about them, except for Matt. Truthfully, she tried to fix it that way, because she really did want to get to know him, but she was at the same time trying not to be obvious about it. ~Why do guys have to be so good at complicating a girl's life?~
It was around five when they stopped for a rest. "Does anybody have food?" Tai asked.
Joe had a little food in his emergency bag, but that was it. Tai said that they should try to ration it, but Izzy was quick to point out that it wouldn't go far among nineteen stomachs even for *one* meal.
"Can everyone last 'til we stop for the night if we rest longer now?" Tai asked. There was a general agreement, so it was decided to follow that course of action.
Kacie sat under a tree and watched as the digimon began playing some game she'd never heard of. Matt came and sat next to her. It surprised her, and she was sure he was doing it only out of politeness. "No, it's okay, go with your friends..."
He furrowed his eyebrows. ~Why would she say that? No one *asked* me to sit by her.~ "Look, you're one of the group now. That doesn't mean you have to like all of us, but we all need to at least be civil for the most part, and making a friend or two among the group couldn't hurt you. You've been awfully quiet--almost like Kat."
She laughed, knowing that it was not an insult, at least not one meant to hurt her feelings. "I never have been one for large groups. I'd rather spend half an hour talking and getting to know one person than hours and hours of playing a game with a large group." ~Change the subject, he won't know what to make of that "getting to know someone" remark! Not that I don't want to get to know him...ohh...this is so confusing!~ "Speaking of games, what are they playing?" She pointed to the digimon.
Matt watched for a second. "It's some sort of tag. T.K. and Kari could explain it, because they've actually played it."
She nodded. "You know, I don't think anyone is liking the idea of another kid to worry about...I feel like I'm being a burden."
He frowned. "Don't do that. I mean, it's true, none of us were expecting a tenth DigiDestined, but it's not like we have a choice in the matter, and neither do you. There's someone bigger out there making the decisions and they know what they're doing. There's obviously a reason we don't know yet for your being here, and once we figure it out the others might be a bit more friendly. Like Kat--Izzy was the only one of us who really paid attention to her until we knew she was DigiDestined, and even then no one was *really* friendly to her until she saved all our necks. All I'm saying is, don't feel bad." Matt wasn't sure why he was telling her any of it.
~Why is he doing this? Could it possibly be that he--~ she left the thought unfinished. She thought this guy was really nice as well as having a gorgeous pair of eyes, and he seemed to think her okay, if nothing better, and she didn't want to jinx any luck she might be having with him.
She and Matt went on talking, and although they were stopped there for only half an hour, by the end of that time Kacie was pretty sure she could count him a friend.
As they walked Izzy noticed Kacie was still talking to Matt. He did not try to cut in, thinking that it was probably a good idea for Kacie to get to know as many of them as possible. It could not hurt for her to have at least one other friend besides himself and Katina.
They walked until eight o'clock or so, and then they ate Joe's rations. Tai said that they should try to find a place to sleep. Gomamon found a dry cave--small, but just big enough for all of them.
They all crowded in, and Joe offered to take first watch. "Besides, the watches will be shorter from now on," he said, gesturing toward Kacie.
"Not until Kacie gets her digimon," Izzy said. "She doesn't have enough experience in the DigiWorld to do it now."
Tai agreed with Izzy, but Kacie was sure this was because he thought she just didn't have enough experience, period. Not that she thought a whole lot of him, either.
Kacie laid down near the back of the tiny cave and tried using her duffel for a pillow. Not the most comfortable, but definitely better than laying her head on the cave floor. She took off her jacket and tried to use it as a blanket. It wasn't cold outside, but it was a psychological thing.
She rolled over so she wasn't facing the back wall anymore and found herself again next to Matt. He was laying on his stomach perpendicular to her, chin on his folded arms. "Hello again," he said.
"Hi," she said, for lack of anything more intelligent. ~How is it possible for me to get butterflies around him when we were only introduced this morning? He *is* the first guy who seems to be interested in me, perhaps in *that* way, and he may be being awfully friendly to me, but *still*, we hardly know each other...~
"Good night." He turned his head on its side and tried to sleep.
~Well, at least I didn't embarrass myself in front of him. It would have been nice if he'd stayed up to talk, though.~ Kacie yawned. ~Then again, I'm feeling pretty tired myself.~
Throughout the night, no matter how much noise was made in switching watches, Kacie slept through it, not being a light sleeper. It was when she awoke that she got her biggest surprise.
"Mmm..." she mumbled, in the state halfway between dreams and wakefulness. ~nice dream...Matt...~ She opened her eyes and half-expected him to be sitting right close to her, like he had been in her dream, but he was exactly where he had been last night, a few feet away. What *was* sitting right close to her was a little purple head.
In a girl's voice, the head greeted her. "Good morning, Kacie."
"Huh? What in the--AAAH!" she screamed loud and clear...forgetting that they were in a cave...where it...echoed...
Jumping back and sitting up in one motion, she clapped a hand over her mouth, staring widely.
Matt looked at her, smiling. He wasn't holding back laughter, but it was obvious he found the whole scene amusing. "Looks like you have a digimon."
The little purple critter began to bounce up and down. "That's right. I am Jacamon!"
She reminded Kacie of Tsunomon from the day before, only purple instead of orange around the face, sky-blue eyes, and small horselike ears rather than a horn. "Whatever you are, you scared the daylights outta me," she said, finally finding her voice.
The other kids were watching them--them as in Kacie, Jacamon, *and* Matt. Tai was laughing his head off over the fact that she had been so scared of a purple head no larger than a basketball, but Kacie chose to ignore him. There was some real discord between the two.
The Digimon smiled. "I told you, Kacie. I am Jacamon, and we're friends for life!"
Kacie watched her digimon--*her* digimon--bounce in happy little circles around her. Then she looked up at Izzy, who was smiling broadly. It wasn't an "I-told-you-so" smile, but it definitely said "See?-You-*can*-trust-me".
Just then Jacamon jumped right into Kacie's lap, regaining her attention.
"I have a question for you," Kacie told her.
"What is it?" Jacamon looked up at her and smiled brightly.
"How did you know my name?"
"I've known that. I've been waiting for you."
"Oh." Kacie didn't bother to continue. She knew she'd never understand.
Then Matt asked a question of the new digimon. "You're at your In-Training level, aren't you?"
"Yes, I am." At that she jumped out of Kacie's lap and went back to going in little circles. ~boingy-boingy-boingy-boingy~ Kacie thought. ~So now I have a friend for life. She *is* kinda cute.~
Ten minutes later, when Tai finally quit laughing, he said that they should hurry and get a move on.
Kacie simply put her jacket on and was done. She had not taken anything out of her bag, and had slept with her shoes on. She waited on the others.
"Where are we going?" Jacamon asked.
"I'm not sure. I'm just following the rest of them. I don't dare go alone. I would have no idea where to go."
"Oh." Jacamon continued bouncing in circles until Kacie began to walk forward with the rest of them, and then she made an extra-large bounce right up in front of Kacie's head, and then Kacie caught her in her arms.
"Whoa! If you had legs I'd say you have springs in them."
"But I don't have legs," Jacamon reminded her.
"In that case you'd rather not hear what I'm thinking." ~Rubber. Butt.~
"Oh. Hey, you'll get awfully tired carrying me in your arms, won't you?"
"No matter. You'd get tired walking--uh, bouncing--uhh--"
"Bouncing!" The little critter bounced out of her arms and began doing the little loops around her again. "I was just thinking, I might fit in your bag there."
"Maybe," Kacie acknowledged. She swung the bag around front, so that it was hanging around her neck. That way she didn't need to stop walking and slow everyone else down. She unzipped the main part of it and rummaged through her stuff, with the purple critter going in circles incessantly. It made Kacie smile as she rearranged the duffel's contents. ~laptop against the back, flashlight in the outer pocket...there!~ She zipped up the sides and a little bit of the top. "Hop in," she said, "No pun intended."
Jacamon laughed and bounced right in. Kacie had created a sort of nest inside the bag into which Jacamon just fit, and out of which she could see in all directions. Now Kacie pushed the duffel back so it hung at her side again, and her hand rested on Jacamon's head. (Or rather, just on Jacamon.) The small creature giggled and looked forward with the rest of them to see where they were headed.
Matt fell back to where she was. "Hey. How are you two getting along?"
"Just great!" Jacamon said.
"Yeah," Kacie agreed. She ran her finger over the critter's soft fur. "We're fine." She looked up at Matt, and thought she caught him looking at her. He averted his gaze to Jacamon before she could be sure.
"I wonder what she'll be when she digivolves."
Jacamon thought it was a stupid thing to wonder. "I'll be a digimon!"
Matt laughed. "I know. I mean what *kind* of digimon. Like, see Gabumon up there?"
"Yeah?"
"When he digivolves, he turns into Garurumon."
"Oh, I get it. Hey, Kacie?"
"Hmm?"
"Would you mind if I got to know the rest of the digimon?"
"Go right ahead." Kacie was a little sorry to see her go, but she wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to talk to Matt alone.
Another bounce, and several quick forward leaps, and Jacamon was caught up to Patamon and carrying on a conversation.
"She's so sweet," Kacie said. "I was worried we wouldn't get along."
"Nah. Once you meet a good digimon they're pretty hard not to like."
"There are people like that," Kacie said. "And there are people who are the exact opposite." She quickly glanced at Tai, at the head of the group.
"Yeah. I know what you mean. Kind of like my brother, he's really hard not to like--"
"Your brother?"
"What? You mean there's no family resemblance between me and T.K.?"
Kacie thought over it carefully. ~T.K.--Tak--Takeru. T.K.--T.K. is the younger blond boy...~ "Oh! Yes. There is, but I just assumed that Izzy and Cat, and Tai and Kari were the only ones that were related to anyone else within the group."
"No, T.K. is my ototo-chan. Little bro."
Kacie shook her head. "So much to keep straight. Nineteen new people within twenty-four hours, plus thrown in with the fact that I'm either in Tokyo or the Digital World instead of at home..." she trailed off, leaving him to picture it.
"At least you have someone else who knows what's going on. You should have seen us when we first came to the DigiWorld. No one knew which way was up." Matt grinned, remembering.
"What happened?"
"Well, all of us except Kat, and Kari, who both came later, were at soccer camp. Camp, as in summer. As in August first. We're all just going about our business, and all of a sudden it starts snowing."
Kacie tilted her head. "In *August*?"
"Yeah. Then the Digivices fall out of the sky, and we get sucked into the DigiWorld and attacked by a big old Kuwagamon that thinks we'd make a nice lunch."
Kacie shook her head. "And I thought I had it weird. I was walking home from school, and I had even made the last turn. I could see my house, and then this multi-colored beam of light just shoots down out of the clouds. It was weird, because even though it was overcast, everything was as bright as if it were the middle of summer, and it was even starting to feel warm. Chicago isn't exactly known for its high temperatures, you know."
"Wind. Chicago is known for wind," Matt remembered.
"I know. At any rate, the really weird part was that no one else noticed. No one was taking off their jackets, or coats, or anything, and usually when it gets that bright everyone whips out their designer sunglasses, but nothing. Like I was the only one who could see any of it. I got the distinct impression that I *was* the only one who could see any of it. This light beam inches toward me, and when it hits me I feel a jerk and all I can think is that someone is trying to rape me or mug me or something, so I hold on to my duffel very tightly and I'm all on the defensive. Then the ground just drops out from under me, or so I think until I look down and see I'm floating. And I screamed, but no one heard, no one saw, nothing."
"It's weird, flying through the air like that," Matt agreed.
"You can say that again. At any rate, next thing, I land on my duff, still clutching my bag. I look around, and I start to wonder if the fruit on any of the trees is safe, because usually at that hour I am sitting at my computer, chatting in some chatroom, eating something. After-school snack. Then the digivice falls out of the sky and hovers in front of me. I tried to run from it, but it was faster, and it was in front of me no matter how fast I went, so I took a hold of it. It beeped, and then I looked at its little screen and a little screensaver kind of thing was flashing across it, and it read, 'Hello Kacie'. So I knew it was mine, and I clipped it to my jacket until I had time to fiddle with it. I mean, I had time, but I think I was too busy thinking about the fruit to try anything else. I spent about an hour and a half wandering through that forest, and then that Venimon thing came into sight. I set my duffel down and ran to it to ask...I wasn't sure what I was going to ask, but at least it would be a start. As I get closer I realize he's not human, he's more of a six-foot snake with hands, but he was black, and black snakes aren't poisonous, right?" She rolled her eyes at Matt and he nodded, smiling.
"We've all assumed stupid things while in the DigiWorld."
"Anyway, I ask him where I am, and he asks what sort of Digimon I am. It confused me at the time, but I get it now. I tell him my name is Kacie Kensingten, and so he goes around calling me KacieKensingtenmon until I tell him I'm no mon. So then he picks me up, and I started screaming for somebody to please come help me, and that's when Cat and Izzy arrived on the scene, and you know the rest."
"I'm glad they did, I hate to think what might have happened to you otherwise."
"*You* hate to think? It scares *me* even more!"
~Yes, I *do* hate to think it...~ "You're safe now. You have Cabaiyomon, and me, and the rest of the kids."
"Well..." Again Kacie's eyes looked to Tai. ~I'm not too sure I have *all* the rest of the kids...~
Matt followed her glance. ~Oh.~ "He may not like you as a close friend, but he would not let anything happen to you if he could help it. You *are* DigiDestined, and he just has to accept it. He knows it's his responsibility to look out for *all* of us. He's the leader."
"How did he end up leader?"
"He was the one with the peppiest pep talks, and he's the one that everything happens to first. First to get his crest. First to have his digimon go to champion, and ultimate. First to come home--even if it was only for a day." Matt laughed at the memory.
Kacie didn't quite get it, but smiled anyway. It sounded funny. "Oh. I see."
Matt shook his head. "Seriously, he just did. The only one of us that ever cared to fuss over it was me, but not because I wanted to be leader. I just thought that maybe we'd be best off with no leader, you know, taking a vote on all the important decisions."
Kacie nodded. "So do we ever do anything besides walk around the DigiWorld?"
"Yeah. Whenever we run into something, or someone. We battle the bad guys and learn from the good ones, and when there are no more bad guys for the time being, we get to go home and miss each other and the days in the DigiWorld."
"You like it here better than home?"
"Sometimes. We definitely have more freedom here. Watch Tai and Sora tonight and see if you get my drift."
"I get the drift just from watching them right this instant." Kacie pointed ahead. The pair was walking together, holding hands, blushing a bit.
"That's nothing. Hey, so go on, what's it like at your home?"
"Lonely. I don't have a lot of friends, and I avoid my parents, so the only company I have is Marta."
"Marta?" Matt asked. ~If *that* name didn't come out of nowhere...~
"The maid. Fascinating old lady. She's been with our family since before we were a family. She was my mother's nanny--of course, she was only in her twenties then."
"You guys have a maid?"
"Just the one, and she lives with us. Don't look at me like that. We're not millionaires, my dad just happens to be some high-up' executive guy. I don't even know what company or exactly what he does. I never bothered to ask, and of late, I don't really care."
Matt could sense that he was treading on *very* thin ice, so he tried to change the subject. "Why *do* you have so few friends?"
"I was never big on the idea of a lot of friends, and ever since my best friend moved away when I was nine..." she trailed off again. ~Kat. I miss her. I wonder what she'd think of all this.~
~Oops. I don't think that I helped any.~ "Ah. I see."
Kacie continued. "We didn't live in Chicago then, in fact, we moved just after that. We lived down in Arkansas, and if you should ever move to America, I will definitely recommend the city over the country. Chicago's the greatest, but any city is better than none."
"Kat lived in America, and she's just the opposite...of course, she loves the outdoors..."
Kacie made a face. "Not that I have anything against the outdoors, but it's so much easier to blend in and be ignored in the city. In Arkansas I'd pop into the grocery store to buy a comic book and the checker and I would have a conversation about how stupid the truckers were, always bringing the magazines in late."
Matt grinned. "And you didn't like that?"
Kacie rolled her eyes. "It wasn't so bad, I guess, but after that, he'd usually plaster this *huge* old grin over his zit-covered face and ask me for a date..."
Matt sweatdropped. "Yeah, that could definitely make a difference..."
"It did."
"But seriously, didn't you ever have any fun?"
"Only when I was with my friend. We would have a blast every time we were together. We'd go outside and go up to this field and spread out a blanket and lay there and just talk."
"About what?"
"Everything from cabbages to kings. Mostly other people, friends of ours, guys...how stupid they happened to be being in not noticing us at that moment in time...of course, she was always too shy to try doing anything about it--I should talk. I wasn't much better when it came down to guys."
"Really? I wouldn't have thought that..."
"Of course you wouldn't. That all changed when we moved to Chicago. I guess you could say the move boosted my confidence somehow. Not that it did any good, I'm still single. Of course, with most of the guys at my school, that's a good thing...a *very* good thing..."
The expression on her face made Matt laugh. "Well, now you have new friends, and plenty of them."
"Speaking of *my* friends, I've been talking an awful lot about myself. Your turn."
Matt tilted his head. She'd caught him off guard, not something that happened to him a lot. "There's not much to say. I was born in Tokyo, and I've lived with my dad ever since my parents split. I was younger then--just barely twelve. T.K. went with Mom, but he was even littler--like, five. We don't see each other as much as we'd like."
"I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault that they--"
"No, I mean I'm sorry for making you bring it up. I know I don't like to talk about my family."
"No biggie." ~Why isn't it a biggie, Matt? You don't usually say this much about it to anyone.~
They walked in silence for a few minutes. "He's really special to you, isn't he?" Kacie asked, nodding towards T.K..
"Yeah. I'm his big brother, right? I have to look after him."
Kacie just nodded. "I don't have any younger siblings. Basically, I'm an only child. Don't call me lucky for that." ~I hate being an only child...~
"I wouldn't. I know what it'd be like to not have T.K.."
"Thank you--"
"EVERYBODY STOP!" Tai called from the front.
"What's the matter, Tai?" Kari asked.
"Kat heard something, and the last time Kat heard something we were almost eaten by a snake woman. You remember."
Kacie felt the sweatdrop float down her neck. Quietly she asked, "Uh, Matt, would you care to--"
"Later. I'll explain later." Everyone's ears were on edge, and then the sound could be heard. Were those--battle cries? It sounded like a troop of soldiers training.
Everyone looked around at all the others, not knowing what to do.
A/N: CLIFFHANGER! YESSS! What can I say? The pages worked out here. It was either that or go on for another four page's worth. *Readers give her evil eye for stopping* What? If I *had* gone on, they'd be giving me the evil eye for being too long! AGK! I can't win for losing! Um, the character I couldn't mention at the beginng in my notes is Cabaiyomon. (DUH!) I own her.