Intro: Haha, now back to Kari! I was going to make it her birthday/their memorial day…but then I realized how confusing it would get since I'm a stickler for making sure ages and that sort of thing are all accurate, so that got tossed. But it would be about August now, right? It was late July last chapter…so now it's just a small little celebration. And no no, don't get the wrong idea about Kari and Michael, they're just sort of siblings. Yes, I wrote this fic after seeing the ending of 02 (and hated it!!!)
Across America
Chapter 6: We're Not Alone Anymore
Kari couldn't believe her eyes. It was him, it was really him! "Takeru-kun! Takeru-kun!"
"Hikari-chan!" he was smiling, so brightly, he was happy to see her! "No, I should call you Hikari."
"Takeru!" she sobbed, throwing herself into his arms. "Oh, Takeru!" He hugged her fiercely in return. But her arms seemed to sink into him, and to her horror, he was slipping out of her grasp. "Takeru, no!"
His feet were disappearing into bits of data, fading, fading, and then he was gone, forever.
* * *
Kari awoke with a start. She gasped over and over, her heartbeat zooming. Sweat dripped down her forehead and tears streamed down her face. With a sigh, she wiped them away. She hugged her sheets closer. For some reason, she was suddenly freezing. "What does it mean?" she whispered. "What does it mean?" She started sobbing like she was a little girl again. "Oniichan, Oniichan, I want my Oniichan!" Then she was up, stumbling for the door. Matt was staying with Cara's family, Cody with Jess's family. There was no one home except Michael's parents, and…Michael! They were her parents, and Michael was her brother…She stumbled through the hallway, seeming to have lost her ability to walk in a straight line. Luckily, Michael's door was open, or Kari would've crashed through it in her crazed state. Even so, Michael woke up as soon as Kari set foot in his room.
Rubbing his eyes sleepily, he asked, "Kari? What's wrong?"
With a soft wail, she collapsed on the ground. That woke her "brother" up. He rushed over and gave her a hug. She began sobbing, her words choked out. "I can't take it anymore…I can't! I don't know if he's okay, and every time I dream about him," she gasped for air, "he's being hurt in some way, and I don't know if it means something, and I can't find out if he's okay, and we're never going to find him!" She looked up to Michael with tears in her eyes. "It's hopeless, isn't it? All of this? You know, don't you? It's impossible!" She collapsed again, burying her tear-streaked face in his shoulder. Michael kept hugging her even after she fell asleep, eyes staring sadly into the darkness.
* * *
The morning air was cool and gentle. Gentle light played across her body, lighting up her bright red hair. She could feel the wind on her face…wait, the wind on her face…Cara opened her eyes. Her eyes automatically turned towards her clock, which read 7:13 in digital numbers. Her alarm hadn't gone off…her eyes turned towards the window. Matt stood there, looking at the beautiful morning outside. He had apparently came in and opened the drapes and the window. Cara sat up and stretched, yawning. Matt turned around. "You woke up pretty quickly."
Cara glared at him, and threw her pillow at him, which he nimbly dodged. "I could have gotten 17 more minutes of sleep!"
The blond simply laughed and skipped out of the room. Cara's gray eyes softened. Kari had told her that Matt had been the lone wolf of the group years ago, and had gone under a remarkable change. He seems very energetic this morning, she thought. Still unlike him, as far as I know. She smiled and got up out of bed. Strolling slowly towards the window, she thought, It really is a beautiful morning. She turned and followed Matt's example, skipping to the bathroom. She took a quick shower and washed up, dressing in a plain, light blue t-shirt and jean shorts. Her parents were already up, being the early risers they were, and they had made Cara's favorite breakfast. She helped herself to pancakes, syrup, butter, slices of bacon, and a cup of orange juice. Biting into syrup-smothered, butter-covered pancakes, Cara wished fervently that she could cook this good. Despite all her talents, Cara couldn't cook. Jess and Kari teased her about that, but only because they could cook. And here was Matt, an excellent chef. After finishing, she announced, "Matt and I are going to Kari's again. Thanks for the great food!"
Her parents laughed gently. "Thank Matt, honey," said her mom. "He's a wonderful cook! I've never seen pancakes or bacon so perfect!"
Matt grinned at the praise. "Thanks, Mrs. Wilkinson. I used to always cook for my dad back in Japan. But it's not a real special talent or anything."
"My stomach wouldn't agree," said Mr. Wilkinson. "And Cara, those shorts are too short! I declare, the young people these days," he grumbled.
Cara rolled her eyes. Matt put a hand to his gelled hair. Mrs. Wilkinson laughed as the two quietly left.
Outside, Cara said brightly, "You know Matt, Mom and Dad are right, you're a great cook! Why don't you be a chef?"
Matt looked startled. "…Cooking is just something for fun, not really a career I had in mind."
"Why not? Were you planning on doing something, like being an astronaut?"
"Oh no!" exclaimed Matt, looking horrified. "Being an astronaut seems stupid. I'd never do that!" he lowered his voice, "Just between you and me, I think that exploring space for other life forms is stupid. After all, we know that other worlds exist already."
"True, true…" Cara trailed off as she spotted Kari and Michael's huge house up ahead, and Jess and Cody walking to it. "Hey you two!!"
Jess and Cody waved and waited for them. "Beautiful morning, isn't it?" Cody asked pleasantly. "Much cooler than in Kansas!"
"Come on, let's not keep Kari and Michael waiting."
The Michael that met them at the door looked tired and worried. "Hey man, did something happen?" asked Matt, concerned.
"Sort of," Michael said. He took a deep breath. "Kari's still sleeping though. I'm worried about her. She keeps having bad dreams about Takeru, and last night, she just completely fell apart. Guys, we have to hurry up and find the others. We've been sitting around for nearly a month trying to figure our next move, and here it is: We go to Virginia, and drag away Koushirou and Ken. Simple as that, right?"
"Michael," a voice called from above. "Are they here already? Oh my gosh, it's already 8:30???? Why didn't you wake me up?" Kari appeared above them, running frantically to the shower.
Cara giggled. "Guess she's back to normal now. But Kari being late is new."
* * *
In the end, Michael's dad flew them to Virginia on his private plane. On the way, Kari announced, "Tomorrow's August 1. It's time to celebrate!"
Cara and Jess looked blank. "I didn't know August 1 was a holiday," remarked Jess.
"It's a Memorial Day for the Chosen Children," explained Cody. "It's the day the original Chosen Children first went to the Digital World, the day it all started. "It's our holiday, and this time, we don't have to celebrate by ourselves," he said, smiling at the faces around him. "We're sort of together now. And when we get to Virginia, Ken and Koushirou can celebrate with us!"
"So, should we get you guys gifts or anything?" asked Cara.
"No, no, it's just a get-together," said Cody. "Well, I only celebrated it once with the older kids anyhow, but that's just my understanding of it."
"We're almost there!" called Michael's dad. "Seatbelts on for the landing!"
* * *
"Ken?"
"Yeah, Izzy?"
"Tomorrow is…"
"I know."
"Let's take the day off."
"……………"
"I mean, I know that you-you still…"
"No, it's okay. Let's celebrate."
"I'm glad. I didn't want to on my own."
"It's lonely that way. But once you wouldn't have minded. Neither of us would. Because now we're not alone anymore."
* * *
"So this is Charlottesville!" exclaimed Kari. The city was nice, but felt like an oven. The air was humid, with a warm breeze, and the sun beat down. "I'd never have guessed. I always thought that Virginia was cold, but I guess not."
"At least not in the summer," agreed Michael. "So where do we go? We only have a few hours before sunset."
"Someone at the University will know."
"Well duh."
"Yeah, but where is the University?"
"Excuse me," Jess asked a passing biker. "Where is the University of Virginia? Could you give us directions?"
The biker was about her age, and dazzled by Jess's smile. "Uh, uh, it's up that way, and you can't miss it. There's a big lawn, and it's about a mile away," he stammered. "Uh, I gotta go. Bye." He took off at top speed. Jess couldn't help herself, so she giggled a little.
"Don't tease the boys, Jessie!" admonished Cara. Jess rolled her eyes and tossed her hair.
"Hey, come on guys!" said Kari impatiently. Usually she would laugh at her friends' teasing, but today she was a little high-strung. The group set off at a comfortable walk in the hot summer day.
* * *
Half an hour later found them in front of the Computer Science's building. "Koushirou will definitely be here," confirmed Matt. "I'm not sure about Ken."
It was easy to find out where Koushirou, or rather, Izzy, was, and a polite student mentioned that Ken was probably with them, since they were good friends. Cara and Jess got to the room first, and ran on in. A spiked red head and a blue one swiveled to the direction of the door. Izzy and Ken had been in the middle of talking about some thing or the other when they were interrupted. The two were used to visitors, but…Ken frantically tried to clear his head. That girl…she was so pretty…her voice was very sweet…her movements so graceful…the world seemed to swim through his head. "Excuse me?" asked Izzy. "You have someone you want us to meet?"
At that moment, Kari and the others burst into the room. "You were right, Kari, when you said Cara could run fast!" said Matt, panting.
"And Jess is on the-" Kari stopped as she saw the other two in the room. "Izzy, Ken."
"Hikari-chan," Izzy acknowledged. "Yamato-san, Michael-san, Iori-kun."
Izzy had really grown, and stood even taller than Ken, and Ken was tall for his age. His hair was longer now, spiked straight up. Ken wasn't changed much, except his hair was shorter. His face broke into one of his rare smiles as he saw the people he had left behind four years ago. Then the tension was broken, as everyone broke into smiles, though Ken's knees trembled when he saw the red-haired girls. Introductions went around, and soon the group was chattering like nothing had ever happened.
* * *
"You know," said Kari, "I think that Ken likes you, Cara!"
Cara gave her a funny look. "What makes you think that?"
"I noticed it too!" said Jess gleefully. "It must've been love at first sight! Didn't you see his hands trembling whenever he looked at you?"
"And when you asked him what he was doing, his voice trembled when he answered! And he keeps blushing, " Kari added.
"Well, I mean, he is cute and all," admitted Cara. "And he seems to be an awfully nice person. But that doesn't prove anything."
"Well, well, maybe a guy will finally land our charming little friend," giggled Jess.
"Shut up!" yelled Cara, turning as crimson as her hair.
"Hoho, so you do like him!" Kari laughed. "Ken and Cara, sitting in a tree, K-" she was forced to stop as Cara tackled her, tickling the life out of her. In the end, the three were laughing so hard that they forgot about Ken.
But Ken couldn't forget about Cara. She was really pretty, and she seemed to be an awfully nice person. But of course, that didn't prove anything. And of course, Izzy wasn't fooled. "So, maybe a girl will finally land my charming friend here."
"Shut up!" yelled Ken. Luckily for him, the phone rang right then. Face flaming, the blue-haired boy quickly snatched the phone up. "Hello?"
"Ken, it's Kari."
"Hey."
"So…I know we just got here and all, but we wanted to know if you would come back to New York with us. You know, join the search for the rest of the kids."
"…………………."
"Ken?"
"Well…would that be all right? We didn't exactly leave on the best of terms…and well…" Ken sighed and tossed the phone to Izzy, then quickly left the room.
"Ken? Ken?"
"Kari, it's Izzy."
"What's wrong?"
"Well…" Izzy lowered his voice. "Ken is concerned about Miyako's feelings still, and how the rest of the group feels about him…there was some nasty Digimon Kaizer stuff said back then…it was uncalled for…but Miyako was upset…"
"I see."
"I'm fine with going back, I guess. There's nothing really holding me here in Virginia, and I miss my parents. Besides, it's time we ended this stupid argument, right?"
"Exactly!"
"But if Ken won't go, I won't either. We only met a year ago here, but we're good friends now, and I won't just desert him."
"No one blames him for anything!" Kari exclaimed.
"I know, but Ken doesn't. But…maybe with some help…"
"What do you mean?"
"Ken has a crush on your friend, Cara."
"I know! He was so obvious about it!"
Izzy heard something in the background that sounded something like, "Oh no, not again! KARI!"
Clearing his throat, he said, "Anyway, I don't mean to be manipulative, but perhaps she could persuade him."
"Izzy! I'm shocked at that suggestion from you!"
"Yes, well…she could give it a try, right? Or is she already attached?"
Another muffled noise, "What do you mean, what suggestion?!" "Cara, be quiet! No, she's not 'attached', so to speak, but is that really right…? Anyhow, I have to go. Certain people are being troublesome on my side. So, we'll talk later."
"Okay, bye."
Kari turned to her suddenly scared friend. She has that scary look on her face, thought Cara, that she and Jess get when they're plotting something…
"Cara, you're going to do me a favor."
* * *
Ken fidgeted as the pretty red-haired girl, Cara, entered his apartment. "H-hi."
He really is fidgeting, thought Cara. Sighing inwardly, she smiled sweetly and asked, "Ken, are you coming back with us?"
"Uh…I…" the look on his face was utterly helpless.
Cara felt a twinge of sympathy for him. Yes, it did look like he had a crush on her. That look was really cute though…What am I thinking? She thought, but her heart was beating faster than usual. "We don't want to impose on your life or anything, but…it's Kari."
"Kari?"
"Yeah. I mean, she's been really upset about this big mess that happened a long time ago. It would really help her, and well," she paused. "All right, I'll be blunt. You like me, don't you?"
"Y—ye-yes," Ken stammered. "I mean, n-no."
Cara smiled almost shyly. "I'm not being dishonest, but I would like it if you came with us, too."
Ken's eyes widened. "Really? You're not just saying that?"
Blushing faintly, Cara shook her head. Her heart was pounding way overtime now. Suddenly, she giggled. Ken, still surprised, stopped being uptight and laughed too.
* * *
So the next day after that, they left, although they had a super breakfast, one that they would always remember. Maybe Cara's right, and I should open a restaurant, mused Matt. They all seemed to enjoy my food a lot. It was late afternoon, and they had just gotten back, lounging around Michael's house, just relaxing. Matt was in the kitchen, wondering if he should cook dinner too, when the cordless phone in the kitchen rang. "I'll get it!" he yelled. "Hello?"
There was silence on the other end for a second. "Yamato? Is this Yamato?"
Matt's heart skipped a beat. That voice…he would recognize that voice anywhere. "Mimi? Mimi??"
"Oh, Yamato, it really is you!!"
"I can't believe it! Where are you?"
"San Diego, California."