Caring Hearts
Chapter 2: Wounded
by Silver
*Standard Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon and I probably never will. However, if Toei suddenly feels like bestowing upon me ownership rights to Digimon's creatures and characters, I won't complain.*
Author's Note: I finally found time to finish chapter two. Good for me! Anyway, there's one thing I forgot to mention in the last chapter. To fully understand this story, you have to remember that the Crystal Digimon Saga takes an alternate timeline just after "Davis Cries Wolfmon." That means that, in my story, the Digidestined did not relinquish the power of their crests. You'll understand what that means eventually.
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The throbbing pain was the first thing that Kari felt. The second feeling was the sensation of a hand gently brushing against the side of her face. Kari slowly opened her eyes, then shut them again as the harsh light of fading the sun beat against her face. She winced and tried to roll onto her side. That only made her body hurt even more.
"Easy." It took Kari a moment to recognize the sound of the voice.
"Ken?" Kari opened her eyes again and allowed them to adjust to the light. Ken Ichijouji was kneeling next to her, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. "W…what…"
Ken held up a hand, "Don't talk. You've been hurt pretty bad, but you'll be okay. Gennai sent me a signal when he realized that you were in trouble. He and Mechanorimon are helping Stingmon gather the others up. We're going back to Gennai's home to take care of you all. Don't worry, everything will be okay."
If only I could believe that was the last thought that Kari had before she drifted back into unconsciousness.
* * * * * * * *
Though he looked calm and oddly serene on the outside, TK's mind was filled with rage and anger at his captors. It was maddening to be conscious but not in control of his own body. It felt as though his whole body had been sealed in a cement block with two eyeholes carved out for him to see through. When he moved, his limbs acted stiffly, as if they were held by vices that only allowed him to move one way, the way Demon wanted him to move.
TK was currently standing near the pit with the organic sack, looking over at Demon and Harpymon. It killed TK to think of what Kari must be feeling at that moment. Not only had she lost Greymon, but she had also lost her partner. Kari, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I got captured and that I can't be there for you.
Demon, meanwhile, couldn't be happier. He was still admiring that stupid Digivolution Crystal. TK would have loved to shove that thing down Demon's throat. Demon, I've tried to forgive and forget about all the evil Digimon in the past, but for what you've done to Kari and Gatomon, I'll never forgive you!
Demon beckoned Harpymon to come closer. "My dear, I have another task for you."
Harpymon bowed, "Lord Demon, how may I serve you?"
Demon said, "Come closer and kneel down." Harpymon did so. Demon smiled, "This Digivolution Crystal has formed a bond between you and the child of Light."
Kari?
"I am going to use that bond to quickly take a peek into her mind."
Leave her alone!
Harpymon asked, "What must I do, Lord Demon?"
Demon replied, "Simply remain still. I will use you to reach the child of light."
Stop it!
"And then I will break her."
DEMON!
* * * * * * * *
Kari's eyes fluttered open, and the world slowly came into focus. She felt slightly better. The pain in her body had subsided into a dull ache. She reached up to place a hand on her head, and noticed that her right wrist was bandaged, as was her left leg and forehead. Kari looked around her. She was in a large room that looked like an old Japanese shoji house; a wooden framework supporting paper walls.
Tai, Cody, Yolei, and their Digimon were all asleep around her. They were all bandaged up and looked like they needed baths and fresh clothes, but they appeared to be alright. Patamon was in the far corner. He was twitching and whimpering in his sleep, probably having a terrible nightmare. Veemon was also present, but Davis was missing, and there was an empty bed that had been slept in.
Kari slowly eased herself up onto her legs. Where are we? The last thing she remembered was Ken telling her she'd be okay. He'd said something about Gennai's home. Could this be where Gennai lived? Tai had mentioned it a few times, and Davis had described it when he recounted his walkabout, but Kari had never been to Gennai's home. In fact, she had only met Gennai once, shortly after the defeat of the Dark Masters.
Kari tiptoed over Tai and the other and slipped into the hallway. She placed her hand on the wall for support as she limped down the hallway, looking for Gennai, Davis, or Ken.
A voice drifted from down the hall. It was Davis'. "Thanks again for coming to help us, Ken, Gennai." Kari moved in the direction of the voices as fast as she could.
The next voice was Gennai's, "Don't mention it, my friend. But you are lucky we got to you in time. If you had stayed there much longer, I'm sure a hungry Digimon would have made a meal out of the lot of you."
Ken's voice came next, "I'm still surprised that you're up and walking after all those injuries, Davis."
Davis chuckled, "I've got a head as hard as Veemon's." His voice grew somber, "And Harpymon didn't hit me as hard as she hit the others." Kari finally reached the room from where she heard the others talking. The door was shut, but Kari could peak into the room through a small gap.
Davis was sitting on a cushion. He was just as bandaged up as the others. Gennai was sitting across from him, and Ken was between the two with his back to the door. Wormmon was seated next to Ken.
Ken looked to Gennai, "Just who is this 'Demon?'"
Gennai shrugged, "I've never heard of a Digimon by that name. He must be very powerful to avoid my detection. But I think it is safe to assume that he was the force behind Avatar, and it was he who stole all the control spires."
"And now he's stolen TK and Gatomon." Davis shook his head. "This is all my fault." Kari blinked in surprise at that.
Ken echoed Kari's thoughts. "How is it your fault?"
Davis said, "I was the one who gave the Crystal to Kari. It just wasn't the right time. My gut didn't agree with me, but I gave the Crystal to Kari anyway. I didn't trust my instincts and people got hurt because of that."
Ken said, "There's no way you could have known this would happen."
Davis replied, "That's no excuse for not trusting my gut."
Gennai asked, "Do you not think Kari is capable of achieving a crystal digivolution?"
Davis was quick to reply, "That's not what I meant! I know that Kari can do it, but it just wasn't the right time. I don't know how else to explain it, but I just have this feeling that Kari's time hasn't come yet."
Gennai said, "I told you to be careful with the Digivolution Crystal. Its powers magnify positive and negative emotions. Kari was not in the proper mental state to use its powers." Kari felt a fresh stab of shame at those words.
Davis looked at the ground, "I thought Kari would be able to use the Crystal without a problem. I mean, she's so kind and nice to everyone. I didn't think she'd have a problem."
Ken's voice was somber, "People aren't always what they appear to be."
Gennai nodded, "I suspect Ms. Kari has some hidden doubts under her kind exterior." Kari hung her head low.
Davis said, "What about Gatomon? If we destroyed the Digivolution Crystal, she'd revert back from Harpymon, right?"
"NO!" Gennai sprung forward and shook Davis by shoulders. "No, you foolish boy! You must not destroy the Digivolution Crystal! If it is destroyed, it will release untold power across the Digital World. You could end up destroying both worlds if you shatter the Crystal!"
"Okay! Okay!" Davis rubbed the back of his neck, "Then what can we do?"
Gennai settled back down, "Harpymon's power is fuelled by the negative emotions in Kari's heart. You will have to help her overcome those emotions if we are to get both Gatomon and TK back."
Davis' expression became uncertain. "M-me?"
Gennai nodded, "Next to TK, you've known Kari longer than the other new Digidestined. With TK captured, you are the best choice for supporting Kari through this difficult time."
Davis blinked, "I-I dunno."
Ken said, "What do you mean, Davis? I thought you'd jump at the chance to help Kamiya." Ken still was not on a first-name basis with Kari.
Davis tilted his head upward and sighed. "Well, the truth is, I'm not sure I'm the best choice." He looked back at Gennai and Ken. "Kari is really cool, and fun to be with, but I don't know how close she and I really are. There's a lot about her I don't understand."
Gennai frowned, "Such as?"
Davis thought for a moment. "Well, like her powers. Tai once mentioned that Kari had this weird power where she glows and energizes Digimon. He said those powers really came in handy during the fight with the Dark Masters." Davis grimaced. "Tai and the others have seen that power, but I haven't, and that makes me feel like I don't understand Kari as much as I should."
Kari's eyes wandered to the floor. She'd always felt distant from other people because of her strange powers. She had gone through a long period of doubt after she returned to Odaiba after the defeat of the Dark Masters. There was so much about her powers that Kari herself didn't understand. It wasn't like she could control when she began to glow like a night-light, it just happened. Kari's powers sometimes made Kari feel like a freak, like she wasn't fully human. I never asked for the crest of light, so why do I have to glow? Kari returned her attention to the others.
Davis continued, "And then there was that whole Dark Ocean bit."
"DARK OCEAN?" Ken shouted so loud that even Kari jumped. "When? When did Kari encounter a dark ocean?"
Davis fumbled for his voice, "S… she, um…"
"TELL ME!" Ken pounded the floor for emphasis.
"Gennai forced Ken to sit back down. "That's enough! You cannot get Davis to tell you anything if you scare him half to death."
Wormmon pleaded, "Ken, please." Ken nodded, but continued to stare at Davis.
Davis finally regained his composure. "Kari got sucked into an alternate dimension a few months ago. It was this big dark world where everything was black and gray. She nearly got kidnapped by these weird dark creatures disguised as Scubamon, but TK found her and brought her back." Davis bowed his head, "I couldn't help her. Maybe it's because I don't understand what she's going through. I'm not 'part of the loop.'"
Gennai was silent for a moment. "Ken, how do you know about this Dark Ocean?"
Ken held up his D3. "When I first received a digivice, it was the same model as the digivices that the older Digidestined used. But then I was transported to a ocean where everything was shrouded in darkness. I put my digivice in the water and it transformed into a D3. My D3 became dark because of the evil power within that ocean." Ken's body trembled as he spoke.
Davis said, "Wow. I-I didn't know.
Ken shook his head, "There's no way you could. It's not common knowledge."
Wormmon placed one of his small legs on Ken's hand. "It's all right, Ken. That nightmare's finally over." Ken smiled and patted his friend on the head.
Davis said, "Um, Ken?"
"Yes?"
"Maybe you should talk to Kari, because you understand what she's probably going through."
Ken shook his head, "I don't know Kamiya well enough to support her. You're the best choice, Davis. Remember when you invited me to come along to the Ancient Valley? You didn't understand what I had been through, but you tried to be my friend anyway. I don't think I'd be a part of the team as much as I am now if it hadn't been for you. Understanding isn't always important, Davis. Sometimes people just feel better when they know that someone is thinking about them. I think you can help Kari." Gennai and Wormmon nodded in agreement.
Davis wasn't so enthusiastic, "Maybe I'm just scared… That's kinda funny, isn't it? The guy with the digiegg of courage is scared."
Gennai said, "Courage is not the absence of fear, but the control of it. I know that you will do the right thing in the end, Davis."
Kari stepped away from the door and began to walk back to the room where Tai and the others were. She didn't want to hear the rest. Davis doesn't want to help me because he's scared he doesn't understand me. I don't blame him. How can he understand me? I don't even understand who or what I am. A deep feeling of loneliness welled up in Kari's chest. She'd always felt like she didn't quite fit in with everyone else. She had joined the original Digidestined too late to fully understand them and become part of the group, and she had never allowed herself to become closer to the new Digidestined. I'm not part of one group or the other, I'm adrift. Davis' hesitance only proved that Kari wasn't normal. She pushed everyone else away, even when she didn't want to. Why can't I be like Tai? He has no problem making friends.
"Feeling a little lonely are we?" Kari jumped in surprise and looked to her left and saw… herself. A person who looked exactly like Kari Kamiya stood in the hallway with a mocking grin on her face.
Kari took an awkward step back. "W-who are you."
Kari's doppelganger moved toward her. Kari noticed that the girl's feet weren't touching the ground. She was actually floating towards her.
The doppelganger asked, "Why are you feelings so lonely? I thought you had friends."
Kari couldn't think of anything to say, "I… I…"
The other girl smiled even more. "I can answer for you. They're not really your friends, are they? They're beneath you. They're inferior beings. They can't match your power."
Kari was quick to respond. "That's not true."
The other Kari smiled, "Oh, but it is. None of the other Digidestined have your power, you're divine grace. You're different from them, you're above them. There's no way they could ever understand you."
"You're wrong! They're all my friends!"
The other Kari put on a mock surprised look. "Oh, really?" Suddenly, the Kari's double's features began to ripple and change. Kari blinked, and suddenly Davis Motomiya was standing in front of her. "What about me?"
Kari felt the blood drain away from her face. "D-Davis?" It couldn't be the real Davis, she'd just left him with Ken and Gennai. Am I losing my mind?
The Davis look-a-like leaned in towards her. "What do you think of me, really? Am I your friend, or just a toy for you to play with?"
Kari tried to sound confident, but fear choked her voice. "Davis is my friend."
The Davis clone laughed. "Your friend? That's funny! Last I checked, friends didn't use their 'feminine charm' to make guys serve them."
"What are you talking about?" Kari could feel herself tremble.
Davis' doppelganger said, "Remember the Digivolution Crystal? I wouldn't have given it to you unless you had batted those pretty eyes of yours. And this isn't the first time I've caved into your charm. I have to admit, Kari, you've got me completely woven around your finger." He pulled back from her face. "But you weren't always like this, were you?" The person in front of Kari began to change shape again. This time, the figure resolved into the form of Kari, except now she was eight-years old.
The younger Kari clasped her hands behind her back and put on a cute look. "I want to be everyone's friend, I don't like it when people play with each other's hearts."
Kari pressed herself against the wall in order to get as far away from the shape-shifter as possible. "Stop it."
The younger Kari looked at her quizzically. "Why do you tease Davis and make him do all your work for you? You keep asking him and TK to save you from danger, but you never save them. I don't like people who can't stand up for themselves. My brother, Tai, is a strong guy who stands up for himself and others. He's the strongest guy I know."
Kari felt her knees begin to weaken. The world began to blur. "This isn't happening… this isn't happening."
The younger Kari shape shifted again into Kari's exact double. "Maybe I should put on a princess dress and play the classic 'damsel in distress' role. I seem to do that anyway, right?" She fixed Kari with an ice-cold stare. "Face it, Kari Kamiya, you're not a Digidestined. You're too powerful and strange for them to accept you. They don't understand you, they're not your friends, and you'll never one of the group. You're too different."
Kari placed her hands over her ears and shut her eyes. "No! That's not true. NOOOOOO!!!"
* * * * * * * *
The first thing that Davis heard was a scream, followed by a loud thud. That was Kari! Davis shot his feet and winced as his wounds flared up again. But he ignored the pain and limped down the all as fast as he could. Ken, Wormmon, and Gennai were two heartbeats behind him.
Davis hobbled down the hall and saw a figure lying limp on the ground like a crumpled rag-doll. It was Kari.
* * * * * * * *
Demon sighed as he removed his fingers from around Harpymon's temples. "That was… a unique experience."
Harpymon blinked, "Lord Demon, what did you do? I feel... I feel stronger." She flexed her arms. Even her muscle town had built up somewhat.
Demon replied, "I used your link to the child of hope to create a psychic probe to her mind. I then used illusions to amplify her fears and doubts. Her negative emotions have fueled you, my dear."
Harpymon smiled and bowed, "Thank you, my lord."
Demon nodded curtly and looked over at the child of hope. He could sense the emotions boiling within the child. You'd like to tear me apart, piece by piece, wouldn't you? You'll never get the chance. The child of light was as good as broken. Soon, Demon would be poised to rule over two worlds.
* * * * * * * *
"Kari? Kari?" A voice called to her from across the darkness. Kari's eyes fluttered open, the first thing she saw was her brother. The other Digidestined were looming behind him with worried looks on their faces. Tai's concerned look eased only slightly when he saw she was awake. "Hey, how you feeling?"
Kari could feel her eyes suddenly burn. With a sob, she wrapped her arms around Tai and buried her face in his shoulder. Tai grunted as Kari hugged him, squeezing his wounds in the process. He held onto Kari and rocked her gently as she wept onto his shoulder. After a few moments of crying, Kari whispered, "Take me home, Tai. I wanna go home."
Tai nodded, "Okay, let's go home." He helped Kari to her feet, and they began to shuffle towards the nearest door. Kari kept her eyes on the ground. She couldn't bear to look any of the other children in the face.
The group departed Gennai's house in silence. Davis and the others followed Tai and Kari at a distance.
Ken was the first one to break the silence. "We will have to do some damage control when we get back."
Yolei said, "He's right. Matt will need to know what's happened to TK, and we'll have to make up an excuse for his mom."
Cody added, "One of us will have to take Patamon with us as well. He can't sneak back into TK's house." Patamon let out a small whimper.
Davis chimed in, "I'll take Patamon with me. Don't worry, Patamon, it'll be like a sleepover." He tried to sound cheerful, but his words came out forced and strained.
Kari only half-heard the rest of the conversation. Her mind kept flashing back to that horrible vision, or hallucination, or whatever it was. I've let everyone down. The Digidestined had been going so strong recently. They'd become closer, defeated powerful enemies, and achieved four forms of Crystal Digimon. And then Kari had succeeded in ruining it all. She'd failed to help Gatomon crystal digivolve correctly, and that had led to the death of Greymon and TK's capture. I failed. I'm useless. I can't help anyone anymore.
* * * * * * * *
Davis lay on his bed in a semi-fetal position, trying to fall asleep. It was only 8:00, but he was exhausted. The whole day had been one big disaster.
Davis' wounds had finally stopped hurting, and he had been able to take off most of the bandages. The ones that remained could be attributed to soccer wounds if his family asked.
The Digidestined had returned to their world, and Tai had helped Kari limp back to their apartment. That was the last Davis had seen of Kari. Why can't I help her? Davis shook his head.
Davis rolled over and looked at Patamon and Demiveemon. Both Digimon were sleeping on two pillows on the floor. Patamon was still shivering, despite the large blanked draped over him. Davis knew that the only way he'd feel better was to get TK back. But with Harpymon under Demon's control, there was little to no chance of the Digidestined getting close enough to help TK.
As Cody explained it, the only way to get TK back was to have Harpymon revert back to Gatomon, and to do that, Kari had to regain her self-confidence. That raised the problem of how to help her. Davis still wasn't sure how he could support her through all of this. He'd never been good at being the sensitive type. He was more of the go and get 'em type. But he wasn't sure that he could force Kari to feel better. I feel so useless.
Davis had gotten an e-mail from Tai about two hours after they returned to the real world. Kari was sick in bed with a fever, like the kind she used to get when she was younger. Tai had also spoken to Matt about TK, and nearly gotten his head ripped off by his friend. Matt had been in a panic until Tai had literally knocked some sense into him. Davis still remembered how surprised he had been when Matt had punched Tai during the MetalGreymon incident with the Digimon Emperor. At the time, Davis hadn't understood that some friendships took on more unusual forms. I'd call knocking each other senseless a strange form of friendship.
After Tai had hit Matt, Matt had calmed down and listened to the full story. The two of them had worked out an alibi to tell Matt and TK's parents so that they wouldn't miss him. Matt had also insisted that he go with the Digidestined on their next trip to the Digital World to get TK back. But I'm not even sure we can get him back. At least, not without Kari's help. It all came down to Kari. She was the key to freeing Gatomon and TK, but she was still in no shape to fight.
A knock at the door broke into Davis' thoughts. "Davis? Are you okay?"
Davis called out, "Go away, Jun." The door opened and Davis' sister stepped in. Davis winced as light poured over his face. "What part of 'go away' don't you understand?"
Jun folded her arms across her chest. "What's with you? I can't believe you're going to bed this early."
Davis rolled over again. "None of your business."
Jun's voice became firm. "All right! If you won't tell me what's bugging you…" She reached over and grabbed Davis by the ear.
"OW! HEY!" Davis stumbled to his feet as Jun led him by the ear and out the door. Jun hustled Davis over to the table and made him sit down.
"Wait here." Jun marched into the kitchen and opened the freezer on top of the refrigerator. Davis watched in bewilderment as Jun vanished behind the freezer door and began to shift things around. She quickly returned with three cartons of ice cream and two spoons. She placed the cartons in front of Davis and sat down on the other side of the table. "Well, dig in." She proceeded to scoop out a bite of vanilla.
Davis looked at the Jun, then to the cartons of ice cream, then back to Jun. "What in the world are you doing?"
Jun took a scoop of chocolate. "This is the best stuff to have when you're depressed."
Davis frowned, "Who said I was depressed?"
Jun gave him an "are you kidding?" look. "Come on, Davis. I know when you're depressed."
Davis blinked, "Who are you, and what have you done with my sister?" Jun's gaze became harsh. She leaned over the table and knocked her fist against Davis' head. "OW! I take it back, you're Jun alright."
"Don't be mean, Davis!" Jun's gaze softened, and she let out a small breath. "Seriously, Davis, I do notice when you're sad."
Davis shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I… didn't think you'd notice."
Jun smiled, "You're my little brother, how could I not notice?" Both Davis and Jun took a bit of strawberry ice cream. Jun continued, "Davis, I know we argue a lot, but that doesn't mean I'm not worried about you. You're depressed, and it's not the kind of depressed that you become when someone laughs at you or when a girl turns you down. Something's really eating you up."
Davis nodded and helped himself to some chocolate. "This is really good."
Jun nodded, "It came in real handy when Matt left me on a curb and drove off to summer camp with you guys." She was referring to Tai and Matt's summer camp trip while Davis and the new Digidestined fought Kimeramon. "C'mon, Davis, tell me what's wrong."
Davis sighed, "Well, I have this friend who's going through a lot right now. She-"
"SHE?" Jun dropped her spoon. "Don't you mean 'he'?"
"NO! Why would I say 'he?'"
"I thought you were using the old 'my friend has a problem' trick. You know, you say your friend has a problem but it's really you?"
Davis gritted his teeth, "I don't do that!"
Jun nodded, "Okay, continue."
How can I? You just killed the mood. Davis took another bite of ice cream to regain his composure. "My friend, a girl, is going through some hard times right now. She's lost two friends… and another friend died."
"Oh…"
Davis leaned back in his chair. "She's really depressed about it, and I wish I could help her, but I don't think I can. I'm not used to comforting people. I guess I'm afraid that I'll only make things worse."
Jun nodded, "No offense, Davis, but you're not the subtle type." Davis grunted and nodded with a little annoyance. Jun shrugged, "But if you don't try, you'll never know what you could have done."
Davis was silent for a moment. "That's… true."
Jun leaned toward Davis, "Davis, you're not the time to just sit back and wait for things to happen. You always do your best to make things happen. You're the most stubborn guy I know. I don't think you'll be happy until you at least try to help your friend. It doesn't sound like things can get any worse."
Davis nodded, "You're right. I don't think could become worse."
Jun nodded enthusiastically, "So you should at least try and make things better. That'd be better than just moping around doing nothing, right?"
Davis stood up. "Yeah you're right! I'm gonna go for it!"
Jun got up as well. "Good."
Davis smiled, "Thanks a lot, Jun. You really helped me out here."
Jun placed a hand on her brother's shoulder. "Happy to help." She put on a smirk. "But you're still a brat."
Davis scowled, "Same to you!"
Jun stuck out her tongue and swiveled around. "Put the ice cream away when you're done." She marched off with her nose stuck up.
Davis smiled as his sister left. You think you know a girl…He nodded to himself. Jun was right. Davis couldn't afford to keep feeling sorry for himself when Kari needed his support. He'd have to make things work out. But I can't do this alone. An idea formed in Davis' head. He quickly replaced the ice cream back in the freezer and went back to his room to get his d-terminal.
* * * * * * * *
Yolei stifled a yawn as she leaned against a tree in the Odaiba Park. Davis had sent out an e-mail to Yolei, Cody, and Ken, instructing them to meet him in the park. "Why do we have to do this so late at night?" Cody was sitting next to Yolei, trying not to nod off to sleep. Ken was standing a slight distance away from the group, watching Davis intently.
Davis said, "Sorry I dragged you out here so suddenly, but this is important."
Ken asked, "This concerns Kamiya?"
Davis nodded, "Yeah, we need to talk about Kari." Ken shrugged.
Cody said, "I'm not sure there's much to talk about. She's in a very vulnerable state right now and there's not much we can do to help her."
Yolei nodded, "She didn't even look at us when we left Gennai's place. I don't think she wants us to butt in."
Davis shook his head. "I won't accept that. Kari's hurting and she needs our help. I've been in her situation before."
Ken arched an eyebrow. "When?"
Davis' gaze grew reflective. "Back on my walkabout, I was attacked by this evil Digimon, Alraumon. She sprayed me with her Gloom Dust, and I went into this fever dream where I thought all my friends hated me. I woke up pretty fast, but I was a wreck. I tried to keep my feelings all bottled up and didn't tell anyone about the dream, but that only made things worse. All my bad feelings made it impossible for me to open the digiegg of friendship, so Veemon couldn't become Raidramon."
Davis looked around the group. "Kari's in the exact same position that I was. She's not going to get better by keeping things inside of her. The trouble is that it's in her nature to hide her feelings. I knew her for a year before I met the rest of you. In all that time Kari never mentioned having any problems or acting sad. That's not normal. Everyone has bad days, but Kari never showed it."
Ken nodded, "She does seem to do her best to hide her feelings." He looked directly at Davis. "So, you've finally gotten over your hesitation?"
Davis gave a firm nod. "That's right. Someone told me that if I didn't at least try, I'd regret it for the rest of my life."
Yolei asked, "Who told you that?"
"Um… you wouldn't believe me if I told you." Yolei gave Davis a puzzled look, but nodded.
Cody said, "The problem is that Kari is feeling guilty and sad over many things. She's lost Gatomon, TK, and her friend Greymon all in one day. I don't think that we can help her get over that right away."
Davis said, "We don't have to help her feel 100% better, we just have to help her get her confidence back. Once we do that, we can get TK and Gatomon back."
Yolei asked, "What about Greymon? He's… well… dead."
Ken corrected her. "Digimon don't die. They are reformatted and reborn as digieggs."
Davis smiled, "And that's how we're going to help Kari. I've got a plan to make her feel better, but I'll need all of your help to make it work. We'll have to skip school for a day, but that'll give us time to help Kari. You guys in?"
Ken nodded, "I'm in, definitely."
Yolei held her hand up, "Same here."
Cody jumped up, "And me as well."
Davis held up both fists in an enthusiastic stance. "Alright! Thanks, guys! If this plan works, Kari will be feeling better in no time. With her help, we'll get TK and Gatomon back, and then we'll show Demon who's in charge around here!"
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To find out what Davis' big plan is, keep your eyes out for chapter three of "Caring Hearts."
Author's Note: I imagine some people won't agree with how I presented Jun in this chapter, but I don't think I twisted her character. We only know about the fanatic side of Jun, which we saw when she chased after Matt. I think there's more to Jun than just her obsession with cute guys. I think, deep down, she really cares about Davis. They argue a lot, sure, but I argued with my brother when we were kids and I love him very much. So, like I said, I don't think I've gotten Jun's character wrong. She's a lot better than people give her credit.
I'll get started on chapter three right away. Schoolwork is low right now, but no telling how long that will last. Anyway, please feel free to write a review. Catch you later.