Caring Hearts
Chapter
3: Support
by
Silver
*Standard Stupid Disclaimer:
I don't own rights to Digimon's creatures or characters.*
Author's
Note: I am so sorry I took so long to write this chapter. My life has been
extremely busy and my writing just got lost in the shuffle. However, I am now
done with school for the summer (Yay!), so I should be able to write more (no
guarantees, though). Thanks to everyone for being so patient with me and thanks
to everyone who has been reviewing my stories. Those reviews help to keep me
going.
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In all the time he'd been a
Digidestined, Davis couldn't remember a mission more important than the one he
was about to embark upon. Ken, Cody, and Yolei were already waiting for them in
the park with their Digimon. Patamon felt like as heavy as a sack full of
bricks as he lay on Davis head. The little Digimon was still exhausted because
of being separated from TK. If this
works, Patamon and TK will be back together in no time, and Kari will be back
to her old self. Davis could feel his heart beat a little faster at that
thought. This had to work.
He waved to the others as he ran up
to them. "Hey, guys. Ready to start 'Operation Help Kari Feel Better?'"
Yolei rolled her eyes, "You couldn't
think of a better name than that?"
Davis shrugged, "Hey, it works. You
all know what you have to do, right?"
Ken nodded, "You explained the plan
to us several times last night. We don't need to hear it again." He reached
over and picked up Patamon. "Ready to go back to the Digital World?" Patamon
only moaned in reply.
Cody said, "Patamon will start
feeling stronger once we're in the Digital World. And he'll be even better one
we get TK back."
Yolei nodded, "But first we have to
help Kari. Davis, are you sure you're up to this? I can still go with you."
Davis nodded, "I'm going to give
this my best shot. Yolei, you should stay with Ken and Cody, because they'll
need your help in Primary Village. The more people that go there, the faster
the job will get done." Yolei nodded.
Davis took off his backpack and
opened it. His family's laptop computer was lodged next to Demiveemon. "Davis,
I'm getting squished!"
Davis pulled out his computer.
"Sorry, buddy. But there wasn't enough room on my head for both you and
Patamon, and you're smaller than he is." Davis opened the laptop and turned to
face the others. "Good luck, guys."
Ken held up his D3, "Digiport open!"
The light sucked the three Digidestined, their Digimon, and Patamon in.
Davis picked up the laptop, packed
it, and placed Demiveemon on top of his head. "Let's get to Kari's house!" He
ran off down the park trail.
* * * * * * * *
Demon's eyes burst open at the
sensation of a new power entering the Digital World. No… not one power; several
powers. Crest powers. Demon closed his eyes and focused on the newcomers. There
were three of them, yet two of the three were radiating dual powers.
Demon remembered the sensation of
the crests from his original battle with the Digidestined. The feel of their
crests' powers sickened him. He could sense Love, Sincerity, Knowledge,
Reliability, and another power that Demon was only slightly familiar with. It
had to be the crest of Kindness. The
former Emperor returns. A curious turn of events. The former Digimon
Emperor had just begun to align himself with the Digidestined. He was slowly
becoming a threat to Demons plans, and threats had to be dealt with.
"Harpymon." The evil Crystal Digimon
was by Demon's side before he was finished breathing her name.
"Yes, Lord Demon?"
"Our friends, the Digidestined, have
returned. Several of them are on File Island. You've served me well, and so I
am going to let you go play with them. Enjoy yourself."
Harpymon
smiled, "Thank you, Lord Demon." She flew out of sight. Demon settled back on
his throne. The Digidestined that were in the Digital World were of no
consequence, all that mattered was the child of Light. But where was she? And
where was the Digidestined of Courage and Friendship for that matter? That was
a loose end that needed to be dealt with. Perhaps it was time to have Harpymon
bring the child of Light to him.
* * * * * * * *
Davis was beginning to have doubts
about his role in this plan, which was pretty ironic considering it was his
plan to begin with. As he walked up the steps to the Kamiya apartment, he was
beginning to remember an important roadblock that he hadn't factored into his
original plan: Kari's mother. Looking at the Kamiya's front door, Davis saw a scene flash in front of his eyes.
A nine-year-old Davis Motomiya stood
outside the Kamiya's home with a small batch of papers in his hand. The door
opened and Mrs. Kamiya stepped out. "Oh, hello."
Young Davis smiled, "Hi, Mrs.
Kamiya. How's Kari?"
Kari's mother replied, "She's
feeling much better. Her fever's gone down." Davis remember how often Kari used
to get sick. She must have had taken the most
sick days from school out of their whole class.
Young Davis handed her the papers
that he was holding, "I brought Kari's homework."
"Thank you," Mrs. Kamiya took the
papers, shuffled through them, and handed several back to Davis. "But please
stop trying to trick Kari into doing your homework."
Younger Davis scratched the back of
his head and laughed nervously. "Sorry." His expression changed. "Can… can I
see Kari? I just wanna say hi."
Mrs. Kamiya's expression changed as
well. She went from sweet to nervous. "I'm sorry… but Kari isn't seeing anyone
right now. She need a lot of rest."
"But you just said that she was
feeling better!"
Mrs. Kamiya began to close the door,
"She still needs plenty of rest. Now, please go home. Goodbye." She closed the
door before Davis could reply. The scene vanished from Davis' eyes. He shook
his head.
He could
count at least several times that he'd had an experience like that with Mrs.
Kamiya. Davis had always brought Kari her homework whenever she was sick, but
Mrs. Kamiya had never let him see Kari. It was like she was terrified to let
anyone see her daughter while she was ill. There probably wasn't any chance
that Davis would get to see Kari this time either.
Oh
well, here goes nothing. Davis knocked on the door. Mrs. Kamiya opened the
door, as expected. "Oh, Davis."
Davis smiled meekly, "Hi, Mrs.
Kamiya. I came by to see how Kari's doing. Mind if I come in?" Davis stepped
forward and tried to get his foot in the door.
Mrs. Kamiya came closer and blocked
Davis' movement. "I'm sorry, but Kari still isn't feeling well. I'm afraid
you'll have to come back later."
Davis frowned, "Please? Just for a
minute." If I can just see her…
Mrs. Kamiya closed the door
slightly, "No. I'm sorry, Davis. Now, you should get to school. You don't want
to be late, do you?" She closed the door.
Davis stood there for a moment,
fuming. Why doesn't she trust me? I've
never been mean to Kari, and I always came by to check on her when she was
sick. Why doesn't Mrs. Kamiya let me see her???
Demiveemon popped up from Davis' backpack. "That didn't go too well.
What now?"
"I'm not done yet." Davis spun on his heel and stormed down the
walkway. This wasn't over. There was no way he was going to let an
overprotective mother stop him from helping his friend. If he had to, Davis
would fly on XVmon and jump through Kari's window. If it came to that-
"Hey, Davis!" Davis spun around and
saw Tai running up to him.
"Hi, Tai. I thought you'd be at
school by now."
Tai slowed as he approached Davis.
"My mom let me take the day off to help take care of Kari. You came to see her,
didn't you?" Davis nodded. Tai's expression grew somber. "I see. Listen, Davis,
I'm sorry my Mom didn't let you in. She always freaks out whenever Kari's
sick."
Davis could feel all his frustration
begin to thrash around inside him. It wanted to jump out. "Why? Why won't she
let me see Kari?"
Tai's gaze shifted to looking
haunted. "When I was a little kid, I made a really stupid mistake. I took Kari
outside to a park when she was sick, but then she came down with pneumonia or
something. It was all my fault. My mom freaked out and she… she…" Tai rubbed
his cheek as if remembering an old wound. He shook his head, "Well, ever since
then she's always lost it whenever Kari becomes sick. She makes sure that Kari
stays in bed and doesn't let anyone see her."
Davis said, "But I can help Kari
feel better. I know I can! Isn't there some way I can see her?"
Tai shook his head. "Davis,
sometimes people just need to handle things on their own. It's great that you
wanna help Kari, but there are some things that we have to deal with on our
own. Kari will make it through this, you just need to give her time." Tai
turned to leave.
"No! You're wrong!" Tai turned
around to see Davis staring at the ground with his trembling hands clenched
into fists.
Tai blinked, "Davis…"
Davis kept talking, "I've tried
handling things on my own before. It doesn't work! Even if Kari does make it
through this on her own, part of her is still going to hurt. But I know I can
make things better and that she won't have any hidden doubts. I know I can do
it!" He looked right into Tai's eyes. "You know what I mean, Tai. You still
have some soft spots from when Kari got sick, don't you?"
Tai shifted uncomfortably, "What do
you mean?"
Davis continued, "Just now, when you
were talking about how Kari got sick, you skipped over what your mom did. What
happened?"
Tai bowed his head slightly, "She…
hit me. A quick slap on the cheek."
"And you got through that on your
own, right?" Tai nodded. "Do you still hurt over it sometimes?"
Tai's voice was quiet. "yes."
"Then let me help Kari so she
doesn't have to go through the same thing. I know how you and Kari feel, I went
through the same thing on my walkabout. Tai, please, help me see Kari."
Tai was silent for a long moment.
"Okay, you've convinced me. But we can't go through my mom, she'll never allow
it. We need another way in." Tai let a small smile cross his face, "And I have
the perfect idea."
Davis smiled, "Okay, let's hear it!"
Tai said, "I saw your laptop in your
backpack with Demiveemon. If you enter the Digital World and come back through
your laptop in about ten minutes, I can arrange for you to appear in Kari's
room. Then, I'll distract my mom while you two talk. But you'll have to make it
quick because I can only keep my mom from checking in on Kari for so long."
Davis nodded, "Great idea. Let's do
it." He pulled out his laptop and handed it to Tai. Davis pulled out his D3,
but hesitated. "Hey, Tai?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry I made you talk about
that memory from when you were a kid. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."
Tai shook his head, "Naw. You're
right. Keeping things bottled up never helps."
Davis nodded, "You ever talk to your
mom about it?"
Tai replied, "No, but now's a good
time to bring it up. I'll worry about talking with my mom, you help Kari."
Davis said, "Right! Digiport open!"
The laptop's screen flashed bright white and Davis and Demiveemon were pulled
in.
Tai shut the computer screen and
turned around to head back to his home. He couldn't help but think about how
Davis had acted when he first became a Digidestined, and how much he had
changed. "Kid's grown up right in front of my eyes."
* * * * * * * *
Yolei moaned as she, Ken, and Cody
trudged uphill. "Why do we have to walk around the whole island?"
Ken explained, "There's only one
Digiport on File Island, so we have to walk to Primary Village."
"Well why can't we just have our
Digimon fly us there?"
Hawkmon replied, "Because,
Yolei, we need to keep our strength up in case Demon or Harpymon attacks.
Besides, I'm sure a walk will do us some good. You have been eating some
extra-"
Yolei cut him off with a glare.
"Finish that sentence and I'll be having roast Digimon tonight. Got it?"
Hawkmon nodded, "Indeed I do."
Ken shrugged, "It could always be
worse. At least we're walking through a forest. When I went to Primary Village
to find Wormmon, I went around the other end of File Island, which was a
desert."
Yolei clasped her hands, "Dessert?"
Hawkmon sighed.
Just then, Armadillomon's nose began
to twitch. Cody noticed his partner's action. "What's wrong, Armadillomon?"
The Digimon replied, "I know this
sounds weird, but I smell Gatomon."
Yolei came to an abrupt stop,
"Gatomon? Could she have escaped Demon?"
Armadillomon shook his head, "Naw,
the smell's too old. She must have a come by a long time ago."
Patamon, who was feeling stronger
since their return to the Digital World, said, "Gatomon's cave is near here.
She used to spend a lot of time in this area."
Ken arched an eyebrow. "A cave?"
Patamon nodded, "Most Digimon like
to live in small villages, but Gatomon wasn't comfortable around all the other
Digimon, so she decided to furnish a cave nearby the villages."
Yolei nodded, "I once remember Sora
mentioning that Gatomon used to side with evil Digimon. I guess she felt a
little uncomfortable around all the peaceful Digimon."
Patamon said, "Yeah, she did. And it
was even harder for her after having to say goodbye to Kari. The rest of us
Digimon tried to be there for her, but it was a while before she got used to
being around us."
Ken said, "Let's investigate the
cave."
Cody blinked, "Why? We need to get
to Primary Village."
Ken replied, "We might be able to
find something that will jar Gatomon's memory and help her break Demon's
control over her. It won't hurt to make a small detour."
Cody nodded, "That makes sense."
Yolei smiled, "Perfecto! Let's get
going!" She and the others began to head down a side path.
* * * * * * * *
Kari let out several coughs as she
lay in bed. Her forehead was beading with sweat, and she felt like her whole
body was going to melt. "Stupid fever. I thought I was done being sick…" She
rolled over and coughed even more.
She heard the door to her room open
slowly. Tai entered the room with a laptop tucked under his arm and closed the
door. "Hi, Kari."
Kari tried to force a smile, but it
wouldn't come. "Hi, Tai. I don't need anything right now, but thanks."
Tai smiled, "Actually, there's
someone here who'd like to see you."
Kari frowned, "Who?" Kari couldn't
remember anyone outside of her family visiting her while she was sick.
Tai set the laptop on the ground and
activated the screen. "You'll see." The screen flashed white and a black blur
jumped from the screen. It resolved into Davis and Demiveemon, who promptly
tumbled to the floor and landed on their faces.
Kari blinked, "Davis?"
Davis held up a hand, "Don't worry,
I'm okay."
Tai rolled his eyes, "I'll leave you
two alone. Davis, you've got five, maybe ten minutes. I can't keep my Mom out
too long." Davis got up and nodded.
Tai exited the room.
* * * * * * * *
Tai's mother was standing outside as
he shut the door to Kari's room. "Tai, what was that noise I just heard?"
Tai said, "I went in to see how Kari
was doing and I tripped. Sorry."
Tai's
mother nodded and turned back towards the kitchen. Tai remembered the talk he'd
had with Davis just a few minutes earlier. He brought his hand up against his
cheek as he remembered how hurt he'd been the day Kari had gotten sick and when
his mother had slapped him. That memory had driven him crazy during the battle
against Machinedramon. Davis was right, Tai couldn't keep this bottled up.
"Mom?"
"Yes, Tai?"
"Can we talk?"
* * * * * * * *
Davis stood in the center of room,
looking at Kari. He wasn't sure what to say. "Hi, Kari. How ya feeling?" Not
very original, but it was a start none-the-less.
Kari rolled back over, "Davis,
please go away. I'm not feeling well."
Davis said, "But that's why I came.
I wanted to see how you were doing." Kari remained silent. "C'mon, Kari, I
skipped school just to see you. Please don't give me the cold shoulder."
Kari repeated, "Davis, please go
away."
"But-"
"GO!" Kari coughed after slightly
raising her voice.
Davis could feel defeat welling
inside of him. He was sure what to say. It's
all or nothing. If you can't say the right thing then all your planning was for
nothing. Davis took a deep breath. He wasn't very good at speaking, but he
did know how to speak from the heart, like he had when he refused to run away
from Kimeramon. "Can I just say one thing before I go?"
Kari didn't sound all that
interested. "What?"
Davis took one more breath. "I
believe in you."
The silence that followed weighed
heavier on Davis than if MetalGreymon had stepped on him. Davis sighed and
turned around. He held up his D3.
"What did you say?" Kari rolled back
over to look at him. A small flicker of hope lit inside of Davis. He turned
back to Kari.
"I believe in you. I know things are
looking really bad right now, but I know things will get better. It's just a
matter of time."
Kari asked, "Because you're an
optimist, right?"
Davis shook his head, "No. I'm an
optimist, but that's not the reason I know everything will be okay."
"Then why?"
Davis smiled, "You. Whenever I'm
around you, Kari, I have this feeling that everything's going to be okay.
There's just something about you that makes me feel better. Sooner or later,
you'll feel better and then we can work as a team again, and that helps keep me
going."
Kari averted her eyes to the ground,
"I'm the reason everything's so messed up right now."
Davis said, "No, you're not. What
happened with Gatomon was just a fluke. I know you'll get the crystal
digivolving right next time."
Kari said, "There isn't going to be
a next time." She coughed again. "I'm not going to have Gatomon crystal
digivolve ever again. If we get her
back, that is."
"We will get her back, and we'll get TK back too. Just you wait,
everything's gonna be fine." Kari didn't look all that optimistic. Davis
approached her bed and stood at her side. He looked around, trying to find
something that would help him change the subject. "Hey," Davis reached over to
the bedpost. "I haven't seen these in a while." Tai's old goggles hung from
Kari's bed.
Kari propped herself up. "Tai gave
those to me after you returned them. I figured they'd help me be a little more
like Tai, but then I realized how lousy I looked when I wore them."
Davis frowned, "'Be a little more
like Tai?' What do you mean?"
Kari sighed, "I've always looked up
to Tai, Davis. He's brave, and caring, he makes friends easily and he's a
natural leader. But it seems like I'm the exact opposite. I don't make friends
as easily as he does, I freeze up in a dangerous situation, and I couldn't lead
a fish to water."
Davis shook his head, "That's not
true. And you are very caring."
Kari was about to reply, but
Demiveemon spoke first, "Hey, can I try on Tai's goggles?"
Davis blinked, "You? Since when do you want to try on the goggles?"
Demiveemon smiled, "You were always
going on and on about how cool those goggles were, so I wanna try them on for
once."
Davis looked at Kari, "Do you mind?"
Kari shook her head. Davis picked up the little Digimon and the goggles, then
turned his back to Kari. Kari tries to peer over Davis' shoulder to see
Demiveemon while Davis adjusted the goggles, but she couldn't see anything.
Finally Davis turned around. "Tada!"
Kari laughed out of sheer delight.
The goggles were wrapped around Demiveemon's head, but both lenses were
slightly larger than his head. The goggle straps were longer than his body.
Despite his silly appearance, Demiveemon was beaming with pride. "That is so
cute!" Kari reached over for her camera. "I need to take a picture of this."
"Wait." Demiveemon hopped back onto
Davis' shoulder. "Okay, now." Davis smiled and held up two fingers in a peace
sign. Demiveemon gave a small wave. Kari giggled and took a picture.
Then, Kari's smile faded again, "Davis, I have a
strange question for you."
Davis said, "Ask away."
"Why do you still have a crush on me?"
Davis' face turned slightly red, "How'd you know?"
Kari rolled her eyes slightly, "Davis, I'd have to
blind and deaf not to notice your crush." She hung her head slightly, "But I
always teased you and joked around. I… I played with your heart. That's
unforgivable. Why'd you stay interested in someone like me?"
Davis said, "What is with this 'someone like me'
attitude? Kari, you are a really great person. You're kind, and pretty, and fun
to be around."
Kari shook her head, "I'm pretty on the outside, but
not on the inside. I'm not kind, either."
Davis placed a hand over Kari's. "That's not true.
Kari, I didn't fall for you just because of your looks. Do you remember when we
first met?" Kari shook her head. Davis continued, "Well, I do. It was my first
day at school and I was so nervous. We'd just moved to Odaiba and I was scared
that I'd screw up and make a fool of myself, like I usually do. I ended up
sitting under a tree while watching a soccer game. Then you game over to me and
asked if you wanted to be friends. And, just like that, you became my friend.
You helped me become more at-ease with the school, so I wasn't afraid to screw
up as much. That's when I fell for you, because you such a kind person. It felt
good just to be around you."
Kari kept her eyes averted, "You're putting me up on
a pedestal. I'm not that kind of a person."
Davis replied, "Yes you are! You're only one who
doubts it. I'm not the only one who feels this way. TK, Yolei, and Cody all
feel better just by having you around. And I think Ken likes having you with
the group too. Kari, you make everyone feel better just by being who you are."
Davis sighed, "I admit that it drove me nuts when you flirted with TK, or when
you would put me down, like when I was badmouthing Jun. But I know what a kind
person you are, so I tried not to let it get to me. I'm sure you had a good
reason for teasing me."
"Well…" Kari put on a slight smile. "Have you ever
seen your face when you're jealous?" Davis shook his head. Kari said, "You're
face becomes as red as a Tyranomon and you get this look like you're about to
tear the other guy apart. I can see veins bulge in your neck and your eye
twitches a little. It's actually really funny to see, because it's such a big
reaction for such a minor thing."
Davis scratched the back of his head, "Well, I don't
like to go half-way. I'm the all-or-nothing type."
Kari nodded, "I noticed."
* * * * * * * *
When Yolei had herd the term "cave" she had expected
a damp, dreary hole in the side of a mountain; but Gatomon's cave didn't match
her expectations. It was furnished with fresh leaves and sand to warm the stony
ground. There was a bed furnished out of wood and grass, and a small table that
was made out of wooden poles secured by vines. A set of candles was placed on
top of the table. Those were the only pieces of furniture; the rest of the cave
was bare. Gatomon had probably only stayed in the cave to sleep and had spent
the rest of her time out in the open.
Ken looked around, "It doesn't look like there's
much here. Too bad, I was hoping there'd be at least something."
Cody shrugged, "Digimon probably don't keep many
items around. They're not as materialistic as humans."
Yolei nodded, "We should get to Primary Village."
Just then, Yolei noticed something glimmering on the table, farthest away from
the candles. "What's this?" She peered closer. It was a whistle; a small silver
whistle with a pink thread wrapped around it. The silver was newly polished,
and the string was laid out neatly so as not to be tangled. Yolei picked it up.
"Gatomon owned a whistle?"
Patamon flew over towards her. "That's Kari's old
whistle. She gave it to Gatomon to remember her by when TK and the others had
to go back to the real world after defeating Apoclyamon. She left it here
because she didn't want to risk losing it. It was all she had to remember Kari
by."
Ken said, "Let's take it with us. We might be able
to use it to jog Harpymon's memory and turn her back into Gatomon." Yolei
nodded and looped the whistle around her neck.
The three Digidestined exited the cave and resumed
the trek to Primary Village.
Along the way, Wormmon stopped and his whole body
began to tremble. Ken noticed first. "Wormmon, what is it?"
"There's a powerful evil force coming here. I can
feel it."
"Darkness Void!" The Digidestined were sent flying
as an explosion ruptured from the ground. The three of them tumbled along the
ground until they rolled to stop. Yolei looked up, and saw Harpymon hovering
over them like an angel of death.
Harpymon fixed them with a cruel smile, "I see that
child of Light isn't with you. That means that Lord Demon won't mind if I kill
you.
* * * * * * * *
In the short time they had been talking, Kari's condition had
improved dramatically. She felt stronger, and her coughing had stopped. Davis
had actually given her a ray of hope. She didn't feel like the world was
crumbling around her as much. "Thanks, Davis. You've really made me feel
better."
Davis smiled, "I'm glad. I wasn't
sure if I could and I nearly didn't come here at all."
Kari frowned, "What changed your
mind?"
Davis hesitated. "Jun gave me a
pep-talk that brought me out of my little depression."
Kari blinked. "Jun? Jun, your
sister, Jun?"
Davis nodded. "Yeah, that Jun."
"Jun, has a huge crush on Matt, Jun?"
"Yep."
"Jun, the boycrazy airhead, that
Jun?"
Davis threw his hands in the air,
"How many people named Jun do you know?"
Kari still couldn't believe it. "I
never would have expected your sister to do something like that."
Davis shrugged, "Me neither. I guess
you can know someone your whole life and still be surprised by them."
A knock came from the door. "Kari?
Are you awake? I hear someone talking in there?" Both Kari and Davis paled.
Davis instantly picked up Demiveemon and rushed to the small corner beside the
door. Kari's mother opened the door, squishing Davis and Demiveemon in the
process. "Kari, you're awake."
Kari put on a nervous smile, "Uh…
Hi, Mom."
"You look so much better! Let me
take your temperature." She took a step forward.
Kari held her hands up, "NO! I-I
mean, that's okay, Mom. I feel much better. You don't need to check my
temperature." Kari risked a glance and Davis and Demiveemon. Both of them were
turning blue in the face as the door pressed in on them. Their normally round
faces were squished into squares.
Kari said, "Um, Mom, I think I'm
going to take a nap, so could you please close the door?"
Kari's mother blinked, "O-okay.
Well, call me if you need anything." She turned to leave and eased the door
closed. Davis and Demiveemon let out a sigh of relief. Kari's mother stopped,
"Oh, by the way." She opened the door again, which pressed Davis and Demiveemon
to the wall once more. "I thought I heard someone else's voice in here."
Kari fumbled for an answer. "I was…
just clearing the frog out of my throat. You know. Heh heh…"
Kari's mother gave her a inquisitive
look, then nodded and closed the door.
Davis and Demiveemon slumped to the
floor. "I think she permanently squished my face."
Demiveemon rubbed his cheeks, "Mine
too."
"Sorry, guys." Kari quickly got out
of bed, ran over, and locked the door.
As she helped Davis to his feet,
Davis' d-terminal chimed with a new message. Davis took out the mini-computer
and read the message. "Oh no…"
Kari frowned, "What? What is it?"
Davis looked at her, "Ken, Yolei,
and Cody are under attack from Harpymon."
Kari could feel the blood leave her
face again. "What are they doing in the Digital World?"
Davis was silent for a second.
"They're, um, scouting around to see where Demon might be hiding." Kari didn't
believe Davis' answer, but she decided to just nod. Davis looked her in the
eyes, "You feeling up to this? We really need your help."
Kari nodded and ran over to her
desk. She opened a drawer and pulled out her D3. "Let's go."
Davis smiled, "Right." He opened his
laptop and activated the screen. "Digiport, open!" Davis, Kari, and Demiveemon
entered the Digital World.
* * * * * * * *
Harpymon couldn't stop laughing as
she danced through the air and flicked Dark Voids at the Digidestined. It was
delicious to see them scatter and run in an attempt to dodge her attacks. She
could easily wipe out the whole area if she chose, but that wouldn't be any
fun.
Her opponents, Shurimon, Digmon, and
Stingmon, all attacked in unison. Harpymon dodged Shurimon's shuriken, looped
around Digmon's drill missiles, and then grabbed Stingmon by the wrist as his
energy stinger came within a centimeter of her forehead. She knew her
opponents' plan. They wanted to strike the ruby on her head in the hopes of
freeing her from Demon's influence. They wanted to turn her back into Gatomon,
the pathetic little ally cat that had relied on a human. Harpymon didn't want
to be near anyone, she liked being alone. How dare they try to turn her back
against her will?! I won't go back to
being that weakling! Suddenly furious, Harpymon delivered a backhanded slap
to Stingmon that sent him tumbling. He reverted to Wormmon and fell to the
ground with a loud thump.
"Darkness Void!" Harpymon's attack
collided with Shurimon and Digmon and forced them back into their Rookie
stages. This game was over. "You three were hardly an amusement. I think I'll
end this."
"Boom Bubble!" Harpymon felt a
painful sting as something collided with the side of her head. Patamon was
hovering just below her.
Patamon's voice was pleading,
"Gatomon, stop this! You don't want to hurt your own friends, do you?"
Harpymon sneered at him and dove
down, clutching the little Digimon in her hand. "Listen to me. I am not Gatomon, I am Harpymon. Gatomon is dead. I will never go back to that
pathetic form." She threw Patamon onto the ground and flattened her hand into a
blade. "DIE!" She dove down with her hand thrust out.
NO!
Don't kill Patamon! Harpymon came to a stop as she felt more than heard
another voice within her mind. It wasn't a different mind, more like a part of
herself that she didn't want to listen to. That wasn't all; Harpymon could feel
herself weakening. Her strength and speed began to diminish, and she could no
longer feel the child of light's pain and sadness. She can't be feeling better. She just can't be!
Harpymon felt the other voice again. Stop hurting your friends. You can't kill the people you care about.
They're
not my friends! I am not Gatomon.
Yes,
you are. You are Gatomon, and you
care about all your friends. Stop denying it.
"I am not!" Harpymon dove in at
Patamon again, murder in her eyes.
"STOP IT!" The child of light, Kari,
appeared out of nowhere and interposed herself between Harpymon and Patamon with
her arms flung wide in a protective stance. Something in Harpymon forced her to
abort her dive and hover in the air. Kari said, "Stop it, Gatomon. Don't hurt
Patamon."
"Kari..?" Harpymon couldn't believe
her eyes. The voice in her head was calling out the girl's name, driving
Harpymon insane. She grasped her head and screamed. Abandoning all thoughts of
killing the Digidestined, Harpymon took to the air and flew away from the
Digidestined at top speed. She had to get away, but she just couldn't outrun the
tiny voice within her mind.
* * * * * * * *
Kari could feel her pulse begin to
slow as Harpymon flew away. Despite the trembling in her knees, Kari refused to
sink to the ground. She wiped the sweat off her brow and turned towards
Patamon. "Patamon, are you okay?"
Patamon nodded, "Yeah, thanks. What
are you doing here?"
"Kari!" Ken, Yolei, and Cody came
running up while carrying their Digimon. "How did you get here?"
Kari smiled, "Hi, guys. I caught a
ride with Davis."
Davis and Raidramon came out of the
forest. Davis had a half-worried, half-angry look on his face. "Kari, don't do
that again! I nearly had a heart attack when you jumped off of Raidramon and
ran in front of Harpymon. We were just about to jump in when-"
Kari cut him off. "When you noticed
that she stopped her attack and wasn't going to hurt me. Thanks for hanging
back, Davis."
Yolei came up, "Are you feeling
better?"
Kari nodded, "Yes. Davis and I had a
long talk. I think I'm ready to help out again."
Cody smiled, "That's great." Kari
noticed that Ken gave Davis a meaningful look and a shake of the head. Davis
nodded and seemed to understand.
"Kari?" Yolei lifted looped off
something on her neck. "Um, I don't know if you want to see this, but I think I
should give it to you." She handed Kari a whistle. "We found this in Gatomon's
cave."
Kari reached for the whistle with a
trembling hand. "This is… I always thought that Gatomon had lost it." She took
it from Yolei and held it close.
Yolei shook her head. "Nope. Gatomon
kept it extra-safe so that she wouldn't lose it."
Ken said, "I think we should leave
before Harpymon comes back. Our Digimon can't face her. We need to think up a
new plan of action."
Davis nodded, "Right, let's go."
Everyone began to walk away.
"No." Everyone turned around and saw
that Kari hadn't moved an inch. She still held the whistle tight in her shaking
hand. She said again, "No. No, I'm sorry, everyone, but I'm not leaving yet."
Ken frowned, "Why not?"
Kari looked at everyone with tears
shinning behind her eyes. "Back there, Harpymon said my name, and I was sure I
could see Gatomon reflected in her eyes. Gatomon is still alive, somewhere deep
inside of Harpymon. I could feel her breaking free. I can't just turn around
and leave after coming so close to getting Gatomon back."
Cody said, "Then let's wait for Tai
and Matt. They both wanted to come with us to get Gatomon and TK back."
Kari shook her head, "No. That'll
take too long. Harpymon is faster than any of our Digimon. If we wait for Tai
and Matt we might lose her. Please, everyone, I need to go after her now."
Davis nodded, "Okay, let's go!"
Cody blinked, "Davis? Are you sure
this is a good idea?"
Davis said, "Of course. If Kari's
not going to give up, then neither should we." Kari thanked him with her best
smile.
Yolei stepped forward. "You can
count me in!"
Cody followed her, "Okay, you've
convinced me."
Ken said, "I'll come too."
Kari whispered, "Thank you, guys."
Davis punched a fist in the air, "Let's get to it!"
Raidramon reverted back to Veemon.
"Veemon digivolve to… XVmon!"
"Hawkmon digivolve to… Aquillamon!"
Kari, Patamon, and Davis mounted XVmon while Ken,
Wormmon, Cody, and Yolei got on Aquillamon. The Digidestined took off in the
same direction as Harpymon. Kari could feel something deep inside of her. It
was either a premonition or foreboding. No
matter what happens, I won't give up. I'll get both Gatomon and TK back,
because I have friends like Davis and the others to support me when I need them.
That knowledge alone gave Kari strength.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kari discovers the secret of Demon
and his plans in the next chapter of "Caring Hearts." Coming soon, hopefully.
Author's Note: In case anyone is
wondering, Tai's mother really did slap him when Kari became sick. The next
time FOX shows "My Brother's Keeper" watch the flashback scene. The scene is in
black and white, but Tai is nursing a red mark on his cheek while his mother is
shouting at him.
I never understood what happened to
Kari's whistle. During the flashback in "Fusion Confusion" Kari is seen with
her whistle, but Gatomon never had a chance to return it. I guess that's just a
plot hole.
I can't make any promises about when the next
chapter will be out. I am helping to prepare for my brother's graduation from
college, and my family is going to Italy in less than two weeks. I will try and
get the next chapter out soon, but I ask that everyone please be patient with
me. In the meantime, please review and let me know how I'm doing and what I can
improve upon. Thanks in advance.
