Intro: Chapter 1, here we go! Now the story is told from third-person. Jessica and Cara are my characters. Also, I'm not sure how the school system works in New York, so I'm just using what I know of my sister's high school. To be honest, I don't know where NYU is, so I have no idea if it's close by to Kingston or not, but hopefully not. The story is kinda blah, but I'll have to think of way's to make it more interesting.
Across America
Chapter 1: Hikari
"Kari! You're going to be late!"
"I know! I'm coming!" Kari shouted back. Running a brush through her brown hair, still with the same haircut from when IT had happened, except it was longer, the front parts reaching a little past her shoulders. She pinned two flower hair clips to her hair, stuck on her favorite three stars necklace, and adjusted her clothes, a white and pink spaghetti straps tank top, and khaki shorts. It was early June, and school was almost over. Today, to be exact. Running downstairs with her backpack, she picked up a bagel and her lunch, waved goodbye to Michael's parents, and ran out the door. Her carpool was there, driven by her friend Jessica's mom.
Jessica greeted her happily. "Hey Kari! Aren't you so glad that school's going to be over soon? Me 'n Cara and Jeff and Bryan are going to the mall after school. Wanna come?"
Kari grinned at her blond friend. "I'm in! I could use the shopping break!"
Laughing, they drove off to the school. Soon enough, the sign, LEVINE RIVIERA HIGH SCHOOL flashed up, with Cara sitting above the R. Of all of Kari's friends, Jessica and Cara were the closest. Jessica and Cara had been absolute best friends. When Kari arrived in middle school, she had been sort of shy and withdrawn at first, although every boy had been drooling at the sight of her. Jessica and Cara took her in and soon they were super friends.
"Jess! Kari! Took you long enough! Come on, let's not be late on the last day!"
Jessica was blond with hazel eyes, while Cara had auburn hair and rather strangely, gray eyes. The trio made quite an impression, and were well-liked. They chatted about all the things going on over the summer.
"Yeah, we're going to Maine for vacation. I heard that it's really pretty. We're even going to visit that lighthouse at Bass Harbor Head, you know, the one in that painting in the art gallery."
Cara was very artistic, being a great artist.
"I wish our vacation was that exciting or pretty, at least. But we're going to Kansas! Boring old Kansas," Jessica mumbled.
Kari looked amused. "Why would you go to Kansas? Relatives?"
Jessica nodded miserably, putting on a face that made all three laugh. "Say Kari, weren't you going back to Japan for a little while?"
"Yeah, in a week. It'll be nice to see my parents and friends again."
* * *
The last day of school was a shortened day, so it was only noon when the kids piled into their homerooms. Kari, Jessica, and Cara had the same homeroom. Their teacher, a fun but strict woman named Mrs. Lee, called for attention, then waited as the kids sat down and fidgeted impatiently. Kari waited for her name to be called.
"Bryan Banders."
"Jessica Eleffley."
And finally, "Kari Kamiya."
And a while later, "Cara Wilkinson."
Cara was the last one to be called, so they left after that.
"Yo!"
Jessica turned at the voice. "Jeff!" she exclaimed. "How did you do?"
Cara rolled her eyes as Jessica threw herself in Jeff's arms. Jessica and Jeff had been together since eighth grade graduation, and they had a great relationship, but sometimes they were so sugary.
"Come on, let's go you guys!"
The mall was located on a pleasant wide street known simply as Main Street. Main Street Mall was really restaurants and cafes and shops along the street, but it was known as the mall for obvious reasons. The group sat down at a table outside of a restaurant called Bel Forno, with a nice little green umbrella above the table. They ordered and started chatting.
"I have to stay in Kansas for three whole weeks! I'm gonna be bored out of my life!" moaned Jessica. "What can you possibly do in cornfields?"
"Aw, Jess, it can't be that bad," said Bryan. "You'll get to be with your, um, cousins, right?"
Jessica sighed. "I just don't understand. All of a sudden these cousins we didn't even hear of invite us to their home in Kansas. I mean, you think my dad would have mentioned them before this."
"Well, at least you're leaving the state. I'm only going to New York City," said Bryan.
"At least you're going somewhere," snorted Jeff. "I get to stay here the entire summer and take classes, just because I got one lousy C on my report card. And it was a C+!"
"Oh yeah, we never shared our grades. Well, spill!" demanded Cara. "I got As and Bs. What about you, Kari?"
Kari sipped at her water. "Straight As, again."
"Straight As, again," sighed her redhead friend. "How do you do it, Kari?"
She shrugged. "Just study, and work hard. That's all it takes."
The other four shook their heads. Sometimes, Kari was just too perfect. Bryan got a mischievous glance in his eye. "You sure you won't go out with me, Kari? Just once?"
Kari shook her head. "I'm sorry, Bryan. I…I…have someone else."
Usually it was so easy to shrug it off, but all of a sudden everything crashed down on her again. Tears filled her eyes and she leaned back. Jessica and Cara shot accusatory glances at Bryan, who simply looked surprised. They were used to Kari, who sometimes just looked so depressed and sad and unresponsive, and learned to accept her mood swings.
Jessica cleared her throat. "So, Kari, I heard your cute brother Michael's coming back from NYU tomorrow!"
Kari couldn't help but smile weakly. "Jess, you know Michael isn't my brother! And you have Jeff!"
"Yeah," complained Jeff. "Aren't I cuter than him?" he said in a plaintive voice, which set everyone to laughing. Kari smiled. Her friends could always cheer her up, no matter what.
"Number 58!"
"Oh, that's us!" exclaimed Bryan. "I'm starving!"
A few minutes later, Kari bit into a warm turkey & swiss sandwich on wheat. "Mmmm, I love this restaurant! Their food is always so good," she commented. "Not really relating to any specific culture. Just nice and American."
Jeff paused for a second in his sandwich, which was already half gone. "Hey, Kari, Jess told me that you're going back to Japan for two weeks. Can you get me something?"
"Sure, but actually…I think I might stay for three weeks. I haven't exactly bought my return plane ticket yet anyway. Um…what do you want me to get for you?"
Jeff grinned, then pulled out a list that was about four pages long. The other four sweatdropped as he started reading. Jessica cut him off, skimmed the list, and said, "Basically, he wants food and anime stuff. But I'd advise on not buying more than a couple things, and we can share them, right?" she smiled sweetly.
* * *
"Michael!" screamed Kari, and hugged him tightly as he stepped out of his car. It was the next day, and Michael had come back from NYU.
"Yo, Hikari-chan, nice to see you again," he said in perfect Japanese.
Kari made a face. "You don't have to speak in Japanese to me, you know that, Michael-san," she replied, also in Japanese.
"So, what's up? Ready to go back? Oh, Mom told me you and friends tore up the mall yesterday. Apparently you bought half of it."
Kari stuck out her tongue. "Yeah, very funny. Wanna see what I got?" and without waiting for a reply, dragged him upstairs. "Get your luggage later!"
She opened the door to her room. Her room was bright and sunny, with a small wooden desk, a pretty lamp, and supplies. The wallpaper was a soft and pale yellow, with slightly raised silhouettes of flowers and small butterflies. A bookcase stood next to the desk, completely filled with books, English and Japanese, workbooks, and lots of photo albums. There was a closet and a nightstand. Large windows with pale yellow drapes stood next to her bed. The bedspread was pale pink, and looking like the designs on a kimono. Her room wasn't very large, but there was plenty of room to move and sit on the soft cream carpet. Michael was always a little taken aback when he saw Kari's room. It was so pretty! And 'pretty' was not a word Michael used often. Kari walked to her closet and pulled out:
A sky blue halter top
A baby blue skirt that reached above her knees
Khaki capris
A baby pink t-shirt that read, "Angel" in sparkly cursive
2 pairs of hair clips
At first Kari had been embarrassed and refused to use Michael's family's money, but they had been completely overjoyed to take her in, having always wanted a son and a daughter, so Kari had become just another member of the family.
"Nice stuff, Kari. Gonna wear it next week?"
She nodded, eyes momentarily sparkling with emotion, but it was pushed aside. "It'll be nice to see my family again," she repeated.
Michael gave her a worried glance. "Kari, don't push yourself. If you need to, stay in Japan. Don't wait your whole life for your brother and friends to show up, because they might not. The greater chance is that they won't. I'm not trying to be a downer, but that day was pretty bad. The things that were said weren't very pretty. No one can recover from verbal wounds."
Kari sighed impatiently. "But Michael, I don't know what happened that day. I can barely remember stuff from four years ago! I just…" she said quietly. "I just want everything to go back being the way it was. Not that I haven't been happy," she added hastily. "But, it's not quite the same. I want my Oniichan. I want Takeru-kun. Why did they leave me?" and with that she crumbled into tears on the ground.
Michael quickly bent down and hugged her tightly. "Kari, I'm sorry for bringing that up. I just don't want you to waste your life waiting for someone who might not show up. Please understand…"
* * *
"Bye Kari! Have fun!" called Michael's Mom, Sara. Kari waved back and got into the flight terminal of an airplane bound for the Odaiba Airport. It was all planned out. After visiting in Japan for two weeks, she would leave by the Digiport, saying that she was leaving by airplane. She would call after a little while so no one would suspect her of being in danger. Her parents in Japan would think she would be back in Kingston, while her family in America would think she was still in Japan. It was perfect! Now she could spend time with Tailmon and the others.
* * *
"Okaasan!" Kari called joyously. She ran and threw herself in her mother's arms, then hugged her father. After a long and boring flight, she was finally back in Odaiba. Kari felt twinges of guilt as she saw her parents crying hard with joy and relief that their little girl was safe. "'Kaasan, 'Tousan, I'm so sorry. I'll try to come home real soon. I'm sorry I still haven't found Oniichan and the others," she said and dropped her eyes.
"Hikari, we don't mind. It's not your fault. We're just glad…that you're with us," her mother said with a trembling smile. "Come on, let's go home."
Hikari felt another twinge. "Okaasan, I'm not staying, you know. I have to go back."
"Of course. We understand," she said quietly. "But you know what I think."
Hikari and her mother had had several arguments over the past four years, mostly dealing with living in America. But she had been adamant in staying in Kingston. For a moment Michael's words flashed in the girl's mind, but she shrugged it aside. "I can't wait to see all of the other parents too," she said. "Didn't Yamato-san and Takeru-kun's parents get remarried?"
Hikari's father nodded. "Like we said, they started spending more time with each other after they…left. They just got married two months ago though. They'll be real happy to see you again."
Hikari sighed wistfully. There was just so much she was missing! Of course, her family missed lots of stuff in her life as well, but she had always been betting with Takeru on the day his parents got married again. Grabbing a bag from her luggage, she and her family walked off.
The air was bright and crisp as she strolled through the streets of Odaiba. Visiting familiar places, talking with old friends, buying stuff for her friends, it was all good. Hikari stretched her arms and smiled brightly. "Like sunshine on a beautiful new morning," Taichi had once said, and then Sora would tease him for being poetic. Memories flitted through her head like elusive butterflies, dancing and swirling. Hikari's expression froze on her face. Here she was daydreaming again. Daydreaming about something that would never be again.
"Excuse me, do you have the-" the speaker gasped and stepped back. "Time," she finished weakly. Hikari stared, totally confused. The speaker was a girl, about 20 or so, with decidedly pointy red hair. "Hikari? Are you Yagami Hikari?"
Slowly the girl's picture processed in a memory of four years ago. Hikari gasped. "Motomiya…Jun?"
* * *
After getting some shaved ice, the two girls sat down at a park bench. Hikari couldn't help but stare at Jun. Her hair now pointed down instead of up, but it was still rather spikey. She seemed more mature, not all hyper and genki like before.
Abruptly, Jun turned, "So, Hikari-san, how is everything?"
"They're all right. How about you? I've never heard from you for a long time."
Jun sighed. "Things are real different. Have you heard from Daisuke at all?"
"No, not a word. Gomen. I really want to find them all. I assume you heard the story, right?"
"I just don't understand. Nothing's been the same. Believe it or not, I miss that little gaki," Jun said with wry affection, but her eyes were sad.
Hikari could only wonder. The last time she saw Jun Motomiya, she had been a big pest, and she and Daisuke hadn't gotten along at all. Now, she was…different. How many lives have changed because of our foolishness? She wondered. Her eyes filled with tears for a second, but she brushed them aside and stood up determinedly. "Jun-san, I'll find them. I was stupid before, just sitting in Kingston thinking about finding the other kids someday, but you know what? I never really did try, did I? I've been such an idiot! I've wasted so much time!" she sobbed.
Jun blinked, taken aback. "Um, here," she said, wrapping Hikari in a comforting embrace.
Hikari looked up after a few minutes. "Gomen nasai, Jun-san. I've been a real watering pot lately. Would you like to come to dinner at my-" she caught herself, "My parent's apartment?"
Jun grinned. "Let's invite all the families!"
Hikari shook her head sadly. "Jun-san, I've seen the way you look at me. The only child that bothers to keep in touch, the only child that they know is alive. It's torture for them. But I'd like it if you could come."
The other girl nodded. "Of course."
* * *
Hikari couldn't sleep that night. Dinner had been great, naturally, but the earlier conversation with Jun was bothering her. She really hadn't tried to find her friends, despite everything she said, nor had she really found out how the other families were coping with their loss. That'll change. They won't have to worry after I find them all. And I will find them, even if I have to spend the rest of my life doing it. Michael's words again flashed through her mind, but she thought, Michael, thank you for worrying about me, but this is what I want. I understand now.
* * *
"I'll see you again sometime real soon! Bye bye!" Hikari shouted in the crowd at the airport. When her family asked if she had bought a ticket, she had lied and said yes, feeling guilty, but knowing that she needed this. She had asked Jun to call her parents over to do something else before the plane loaded. Feeling sneaky, she crept into the Ladie's Room, and opened her laptop. "Digital Gate, open!" she commanded. A bright white light flared up and sucked up the girl and her digivice, while an elderly lady in another stall started at the sudden light.
"Tailmon? Tailmon, are you there?" Hikari called. She had used the digivice to lock on to her partner's position, but where was she? "Tailmon!"
"Hi-kari?"
A sleek white cat bounded from a nearby field of flowers. Hikari saw Patamon floating in midair, looking confused. "Hikari?"
The girl and her digimon hugged each other tightly. They didn't see each other very much, so each time was a treasured time. "How long are you staying? The others will be so glad to see you!"
Patamon flapped up, hope shining in his eyes. Hikari shook her head. "Gomen nasai, Patamon. I still haven't found Takeru-kun, but I promise I will soon."
The little digimon deflated. None of the other Chosen Children had entered the Digital World since four years ago, all the digimon swore. Hikari had thought that they might visit their digimon, but maybe they were still hurting, afraid to see each other. Putting on her trademark sunshine smile, she said brightly, "Come on! I want to see the others too! I'm staying for a week, hopefully the gate will be open for America by then. Oh, tomorrow I have to e-mail my parents. I'll need Tentomon's technical knowledge for that."
Tailmon and Patamon led her to a pleasant forest clearing where the rest of the 10 digimon were. All were startled when she entered. They immediately bombarded her with questions, but each time she had to shake her head, watching sadly as they wilted.
ONE WEEK LATER
"Ne, Hikari?"
"Nani, Tailmon?"
"Do you want me to come back with you?"
"How come?"
"Maybe you need some help finding the other children?"
"That's very thoughtful of you, but I think that it would be best for the digimon to stay out of this. Please understand."
Tailmon smiled crookedly. The two were lying in a field of swaying wildflowers. Hikari was going home tomorrow, as the gate would be open. "You know that if you need any help, or just someone to talk to, count on me."
Hikari smiled. "I love you, Tailmon."
"Me too."
The next day, it was time for Hikari to say yet another goodbye. This was a very regretful goodbye, for the digimon couldn't help in the search for their partners. For a moment, Hikari wished to stay just one more day, but she stepped through the gate…
…and landed from Michael's laptop. "Michael, I'm ba—"
She stopped and gaped, for Michael was not alone in his room. Cara and Jessica were there, and standing with them was Ishida Yamato and Hida Iori.