DISCLAIMER: Digimon and all its affiliates do not belong to me; they are the rightful property of Toei, Saban and Bandai. I wish they were mine, and have hatched numerous plots to steal them, but somehow nothing seems to be working (!) If NE1 decides 2 hatch their own plot 4 how to nick this fic then I warn U, I'll set my hordes of flying monkeys on U! Don't say I didn't give U advanced warning on this front!
I'm sorry this chapter has been so long in coming. I know I said to think of it as a Christmas present, so you'll just have to think of me as the absent-minded aunt who always forgets that it's Christmas and subsequently sends all gifts late. I was visiting my relatives in Liverpool during the holidays and had no access to a computer, but now I'm back and ready 2 go once more.
Just to clarify, the working title for this chapter was originally "Tai's Dream" but I changed it at the last minute. Keep this in mind when UR reading it, as it may explain a few things.
Obligatory blurbarooney out of the way, for your consideration, here is the sixth part of my saga. Wish you luck, and I'll see U on the other side!
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"The Darkness Within" By Scribbler
Chapter Six ~ "Noble Deeds"
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"In real love you want the other person's good. In romantic love, you want the other person." -- Margaret Anderson
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Matt sat cross-legged on the carpet, twisting a tissue in his hands. Across from him sat Ken and Izzy at the dining table, murmuring softly to each other, and beside them Cody, TK, and Davis stood, huddled together as if for warmth. Yet the cold they shied away from came not from the elements, but from within themselves. From the silent worry they all shared for their comrades.
Matt glanced nervously at his watch. Surely there should be some news by now? They'd been locked away in there for what seemed like an eternity - at least to him.
It had been almost two hours since they'd found them. It had been Davis really, with his uncanny knack of sniffing out trouble wherever it was hiding, Digital World or no. The blonde youth still remembered the younger boy's hopeful shout, followed quickly by a yell of horror. The other Digidestined quickly hurried to his side, worried that some thug had attacked him. When they reached the scene, however, they'd almost wished that were the case. That was less horrific than the actual scenario spread before them in the dark Tokyo back street.
Matt recalled the tortured images, still painfully fresh in his mind. Sora and Kari, clinging to one-another, sobbing. It had jolted Matt to see both girls crying, especially Sora. Sora never cried. She'd made it a point that she never cried. "Crying is weak," he'd been told hundreds of times before, "And I, for one, am not weak." Yet there she was, face buried into Kari's shoulder, weeping as if her heart had been smashed into a thousand tiny pieces, not even attempting to cover her tears.
Beyond them stood someone Matt had never expected to see in a million years. A tall, blonde woman, wearing a metal helmet. Her incredibly skimpy outfit out-of-place in the frosty alley - as were the six feathery wings sprouting from her back.
Angewomon. Here, in the real world? How was that possible? How could that be?
But the boy's attention had immediately been claimed by what lay at the Digimon's elegant feet. On his back, brown hair spread limply around his head and coat half open, lay the one person Matt had truly believed he would never see again before this night. The one individual he'd been certain was gone from his life forever.
Tai Kamiya lay still, to all intents and purposes dead, and Matt's heart had frozen at the thought of once again losing his best friend. He barely even noticed the bodies strewn about. Until, that is, Joe's retching alerted him to their presence. Three bodies, each mutilated in some form or another. One's throat had been torn out, the other's neck was obviously broken, whilst the third...
The third...
The third was barely even recognisable as human. Blistered flesh still smouldering, a pool of rapidly crystallizing blood surrounded the decapitated carcass. Of the head, there was no sign, save for the blood. The seemingly interminable oceans of blood. Matt had stared at the corpse for a few priceless seconds, then turned and vomited violently into the gutter, unable to shield himself from the gaze of his comrades. Despite what they thought, it was not the sight of the maimed remains that had triggered the blonde boy's reaction. Rather, it had been the faintly glowing symbol etched into the flesh beneath its torn vest. The symbol he'd looked upon so many times, three circles, eight triangles, all assembled to emulate the sun. Unmistakable, even as the victim's blood dried around it, threads of dark liquid creating graceful patterns across a canvass of reddened skin.
The crest of courage.
Matt snapped sharply from his thoughts by the sound of rushing water. He jerked his head up - as did all the others gathered there - to see the bathroom door open and Kari walk shakily out, brushing yellow stains from her lips.
Behind them, a small white form suddenly leapt out of the folds of the sofa and bounded across to the pale girl. Kari crouched down and scooped Gatomon into her arms without a word, nuzzling her pinched face into the feline-Digimon's soft fur. Gatomon drooped her long tail around her partner's shoulders, offering as much comfort as she could with the tactile gesture.
Matt's gaze slid across to his little brother. TK stood, staring intently at the shorthaired girl before them. He'd been the most surprised of all to find Tai's sister in Tokyo, let alone with her Digimon in tow. The younger boy's eyes were questioning, yet hesitant, memories of how Kari had cut herself off from everyone evident in his pained cerulean eyes. She'd rejected them - rejected him, when all he'd wanted to do was help. Closing herself off on all fronts, until finally moving away without even a goodbye to her old companions. TK was - understandably - unwilling to repeat the experience and reopen old wounds. The fact that Kari had yet to speak a word to any of them only served to drive him further away.
The door to Mrs. Takenouchi's bedroom opened fractionally, and Mimi slid out, closing it quietly behind her. Matt scrambled hastily to his feet, mangled tissue still in his hands.
"Is she...?"
The pink-haired teenager held a finger up to her lips. "She's gonna be OK, Matt."
Matt sighed gratefully. "Can I see her?"
"Well, I don't know..." Mimi trailed off, but one look at the raw emotion in her friend's blue eyes caused her resolve to waver. "Well..."
"Please." Matt said simply, letting his eyes do the talking. Mimi emitted a soft sigh of her own.
"Alright then. But only you, Matt, and not for long either. I know it's for a good reason, but I'm still not happy about her not going to the hospital." The slender girl pushed open the door behind her, and then moved away, allowing the grateful boy to slip past her and through the slight aperture.
"Thanks." He whispered, before shutting it again.
Mrs. Takenouchi's bedroom was warm and dark. The curtains were drawn, and the light off. The only illumination came from a street lamp below the window, its ghostly beams filtering through the flowery coverings to spread across the equally flowery bedspread. Matt picked his way carefully across the floor, avoiding any objects or personal belongings of the older woman that may have been concealed in the blackness, waiting for an unwary foot to pass by so they could attack it.
He stopped by the bed. It was a double, making the figure curled up beneath the sheets seem small and fragile. The person's chest gently rose and fell, causing the chintzy covers to move in time with its breathing. The body faced away from Matt, towards the wall, which the bed was pressed up against. Self-consciously, Matt cleared his throat.
"Sora?" He breathed tenderly. "Sora? Are you asleep?" There was no response, and Matt prepared to leave. Suddenly a thin voice piped up, muffled by the pillow it was directed into.
"No."
"Sora?" Matt turned back to his girlfriend. "Are you OK?" Mentally, he kicked himself. What a stupid question! He knew full well that tonight, she'd seen horrors he couldn't even begin to imagine. Things no living person should ever have to witness, whatever their crimes. Thankfully, his inane question received no answer.
Matt stood uncomfortably in the stifling silence, wanting to say something, but curiously finding himself devoid of words. Silently, he wished with all his might that he possessed Davis' verbal-diarrhoea; although even the younger boy had been struck dumb by the sight in the alley, and hadn't spoken a syllable since they found him. Quiet echoed around the small space for a few minutes, punctuated only by the rustling of fabric from the teenage boy's clothes as he shifted his weight from foot to foot.
Suddenly, Sora turned over, levering herself upright with her good arm. The other limb was swathed in snowy fabric and clasped to her chest by a tight bandage beneath the loose fitting pink pyjamas Yolei had found in one of her dresser draws. Matt couldn't see, but he assumed her leg was similarly dressed. It pained him to see the chestnut-haired girl in such a sorry state, and tried unsuccessfully to push her back down onto the mattress. With a strength he didn't know she still had, the hazel-eyed girl pushed him away and sat up. Matt simply stood there, unsure of what to do. Eventually, Sora's voice - weak, and filled with unspoken agony - sliced a communicative hole in the void between them.
"It was horrible." She said simply. Then, without waiting for a reply, continued, volume not rising above a strained whisper. "I was looking for Tai, and then they found me. Those... those..." she stopped, drew a deep breath, then continued with her disjointed story. Matt wasn't sure who 'they' were, but from Sora's tone alone he could tell that they'd done something to her. Something she wasn't going to share with him no matter how hard he pressed her for the information. "I was so scared. I thought... and then there he was. But he was different. He wasn't Tai. It was like... he was a mask. A mask over someone - no, something else's face. He... he went after them. He killed them all. It was awful. So much blood..." Inadvertently, a shudder ran through the teenager's slim body, and her boyfriend sat down beside her, encircling her shoulders with one arm. Sora shoved him roughly away, and Matt dropped his arm, shocked at her sudden apathetic manner. He gazed worriedly at her consternated face as she went on unabated. "He came after me. He tried to... to kill me. And Kari, his own sister. He was so savage. I didn't recognise him. He was my best friend, and I didn't recognise him. What happened to him, Matt? Why did he do those things? Even when we were in the Digiworld, he... he never took a life like that. He always wanted to save lives, not destroy them. Not like that. There was so much blood. So much..."
Matt didn't know what to say. There wasn't much he could say. He felt helpless and somehow alone; like when he'd been forced to watch as Puppetmon captured TK in the Digital World five years ago. Matt hadn't been able to do anything then, either. He'd only watched as the evil Digimon dragged the then eight-year-old off into the forest, away from him. Matt hated being helpless, yet he forever seemed to end up in that situation. Never able to aid those he cared about, or just getting in their way. Useless. A burden. Now it appeared he was doing the same to Sora. Smothering her when she was trying to tell him what happened.
Two glistening hazel eyes turned and stared into his own. "I want to see him." was all she said.
"Sora... that's not a good idea. Joe says - "
"I don't care what Joe says!" Sora burst out. "I want to see him!" She clutched at the flowery sheets around her, trembling both with emotion and weakness from the loss of blood she'd sustained. Matt gazed deeply into those twin orbs, burning with fire and independence. God, he loved her. He didn't want to see her hurting this way.
The youth sighed, dropping his head onto his chest. "Alright." He promised reluctantly. "When Joe says that he can - "
"No! I want to see him now."
Resignedly, Matt nodded.
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Tai lay in his bedroom, sprawled across his bunk. Music blared out of the stereo on the unit next to him, and he half expected his mother to come in and yell at him to turn it down. She was always doing that, invading his privacy. They all were. He never got any peace in this place.
Curiously, Mrs. Kamiya didn't put in an appearance, and the speakers screeched as the song came to an abrupt end. There was a whirring as the CD finished, followed by that not-quite-silence that always accompanies the death of a compact disc when the volume is up too high. Sighing, Tai turned over - eyes still closed - and reached out to hit the play button again. He didn't recognise the tunes, but who cared? It was an escape, and that was all he asked from it. He fumbled for a second, searching blindly for the control panel.
Suddenly his hand struck something soft. Tai brushed his fingers over it, wondering at the malleable texture. It was strange, warm, and almost... furry. Furry? What was something furry doing where his CD player should be? He shoved at it, and his fingertips sank into wetness. He recoiled, finally opening his hazel eyes and bringing his hand in front of his face to inspect the sticky substance that now coated them.
Tai emitted harsh choking noises as red liquid dripped from his index finger onto the white bed sheets. He sat up and banged his head on the bottom of the bunk above him. Cursing under his breath, he rubbed his scalp with his clean hand. But his scalp was moist, and the teenager lowered his arm to reveal a palm covered in blood. Tai yelled, whipping round to jump off his bed, but gagging at what he saw. Stretched across the electronic device was a small hairy body, eyes wide open and mouth leaking scarlet fluid. Miko the cat stared blankly at the horrified boy, who sprinted across the room and wrenched open the door, intending to call his mother, father, anybody, to come see what had happened. To explain to him how a dead animal could suddenly appear without his knowing, belly slashed open and entrails dripping copiously over his bedside table.
However, when he opened the door, Tai didn't find what he expected. Instead of looking into the rest of the apartment he shared with his family, he stared straight into what appeared to be a whirlpool suspended in space. Total blackness surrounded the spinning vortex, which seemed to be made up of a maelstrom of colours rather than actual water, but was twirling so fast that it was hard to make out just exactly what fabricated it.
Tai cried out as he found himself picked up and dragged bodily towards the violently eddying mass. He grabbed the doorframe with both hands, clinging on with all his might as the strange swirling force buffeted about his legs. What was going on? What was that thing?
"Tai! Help!"
Kari?
"Help me, Tai!"
"Kari!"
Tai twisted his head around and squinted into the cyclone of colour. Grains of dust blew into his eyes, making them water and causing him to cough spasmodically. The cry came again, and he forced his hazel eyes open, staring hard into the maelstrom.
There! There she was! Tumbling about like a puppet without strings, Tai's little sister danced in the wind without breath. Her mouth open, screaming for her brother with all the air in her small lungs.
"Kari!" Tai yelled. He yelped as the doorframe clutched in his fingers suddenly dissolved, and he was sent flying into the whirlpool to join his frightened sibling. Reaching out as far as he could stretch, Tai called her name. "Kari! Grab my hand!"
But she didn't. In fact, the young girl seemed completely unaware of his presence, despite his being so close to her. Tears streamed down her cheeks as objects flew at her from all sides, catching and cutting her on impact. The older boy yelled vicariously for her pain, as unidentifiable shapes sliced at her flesh, then spun around in mid-air and came back to stab her again. Kari bled from a hundred different places; the red juice being swept up in airless wind and lost among the spinning eddies. All the time she screamed for him, each vociferation filled with a new generation of pain and torment. Tai couldn't bear it any longer. He was her brother; he was supposed to protect her!
"KARIIIIII!" He shouted, closing his hazel eyes and squeezing all the oxygen contained in his thin chest into one, powerful yell. Kari's own eyes snapped open, and she swivelled her head to look at him, happiness and relief etched into her pretty features.
"Tai!" She called with a mixture of gratefulness and compelling joy. Tai smiled despite their situation, and struggled to stretch his hand out enough to reach her as he spun past. Kari did likewise, and as the boy was carried in a circle, their fingertips nearly touched one-another. Just a little bit more. Just a fraction of a centimetre further, and he would have her hand. Tai stretched until his muscles screamed, every tendon protesting profusely as they were pulled to their utmost limit.
A dark shape darted out of the gloom. Like a giant needle, it sped towards the helpless pair and in the blink of an eye had speared Kari in her stomach. There was a wet ripping noise as it exited through her back, and she doubled over in pain, clutching her open wound. Tai's eyes widened in shock.
"KARI! NOOOOOOOO!"
Something exploded inside of him, and before he knew what was happening, the shadows around the whirlpool took on a life of their own, streaking towards the grief-stricken boy to gather as a pitch sphere in his still-outstretched hand. He stared at the ball of darkness hovering just above his palm, until the swirling vortex around him abruptly dissipated, and he dropped like a stone to an invisible ground below.
Tai made impact with a thud, rolling over and over until he came to a stop, lying on his back, several metres from where he'd landed. A sickening slap - like that of uncooked meat hitting concrete - sounded as his sister followed suit behind him. Tai scrabbled to his feet and bounded to her side, picking her broken body up off the floor to cradle lovingly in his arms. The younger girl's sweet face was bloodstained and pale. Unmoving and death-like. Tai brushed a stray lock of brown hair from her visage, whilst gently shaking her.
"Kari. Kari, wake up. Wake up, Kari."
But Kari didn't wake up. Kari would never wake up again. Tears welled up in Tai's hazel eyes at the sight of her silent, drawn face, so peaceful yet so agonizingly pained. He rocked her gently back and forth, not caring if the thing that had killed her came back to claim him as its second victim. He was supposed to protect her. She didn't deserve to die like this. Not here, in this cold, dark void. Not when she'd always exuded such warmth. Such love. Such... light.
Tears dripped down Tai's face, mingling with the blood and dirt on Kari's as they continued their sad journey down her ivory cheek.
"Crying is weak." An emotionless voice rang from the surrounding shadows. Tai's head jerked up, recognising it.
Sora Takenouchi stepped forward, trance-like. She walked towards the pair of siblings with a sober, womanly step, not faltering at the tragic tableau laid out before her. Tai watched her advance. Something was wrong - seriously wrong. Sora's left arm hung limp and useless by her side, the sweater sleeve around it shredded and bloody. Added to this, she walked with a pronounced limp, one leg dripping crimson liquid behind her.
"Sora? What... what happened? What is this place?"
Sora didn't answer. Her hazel eyes were blank and cold. Another voice sounded from Tai's left - equally frosty.
"You happened, Tai."
Matt Ishida hobbled forward, and Tai saw in horror that his right foot was no more than a bloody stump, leaving dark wet marks on the transparent floor. The blonde youth stared at his friend through one piercing blue eye - the other closed; latticed by elegant red scratches.
"Matt? What do you mean, 'I happened'? What's going on?"
"You know perfectly well what's going on, Tai." Joe's nasal tone crawled from the blackness, followed closely his battered and bleeding body. Beside him, leaning on the taller boy for support, was Cody. The small child's brown hair had been completely burned away, and his blistered skull smoked slightly, sending ethereal wisps into the air that wasn't really there.
One by one, the other Digidestined detached themselves from the shadows, each of them injured or disfigured in some new, sickening way. Tai stared around at their faces, so hard and unemotional, all gazing at him. Tentatively, he hugged Kari's rapidly stiffening body closer, as if fearful they would try to take her away. Davis stepped forward. A huge gash was carved into his cheek, and the goggles atop his sooty head were smashed and splintered. Shards of glass glittered in his brown hair as he looked down impassively at the older boy. From his apathetic expression, it was hard to tell that he'd ever even liked the figure before him - much less idolized him!
"Why'd you do it, Tai?"
"Do what?" Tai cried desperately.
"What did we do wrong? Tell me, Tai. Tell all of us."
"Tell you what?" Tai asked, voice filled with despair.
Ten pairs of eyes stared impassively at the cowering youth, and ten pairs of lips began chanting.
"Tell us. Tell us. Tell us."
"What?" Tai yelled. "What am I supposed to have done to you all?"
A new voice filtered through the mantra. High and childlike, it cut a path among the canticles spoken by the remaining chosen children like a verbal Moses beside the Red Sea.
"Don't you remember, Adam? You killed them."
Tai's gaze dropped to the bundle clasped in his arms, hazel eyes meeting steely grey. Locks of soft golden hair brushed Tai's tanned fingertips as the five-year-old girl stirred slightly in the hollow where Kari should have been. But Kari was gone. Vanished without a trace. He recoiled; dropping the child like it was a white-hot coal.
"Y... you!"
"You killed us all, Adam. They remember. Why don't you?" She repeated as she picked herself up off the floor. Standing, she was no more than a head higher than Tai's crouching form, yet her facial expression was mature. Wise. Too old for her youthful body.
"Terri?" Tai queried, trembling. "N... no. You're dead. You can't be here."
"So are they." The blonde child gestured to the surrounding teenagers, all glowering at their one-time leader. "You murdered them, Adam."
"No!" Tai yelled. "I didn't! I wouldn't!"
"You did." Affirmed a familiar voice. Tai raised his tear-filled eyes to stare deeply into a pair of hazel orbs. Hate was etched into Sora's beautiful face. Hate directed at him. Her hard gaze struck the brown-haired boy like a physical blow, wounding him with the anger and loathing buried in her stare. He gaped at her, open mouthed.
"Sora?"
"Don't you remember the alley, Tai? How you murdered me?"
"Sora, I... I..."
She turned away, abhorrence clearly recognisable in her dulcet tone. "I hate you, Tai Kamiya. I hate you for all the pain and suffering you've caused me. I hope you burn in hell!"
Tai gasped. He'd never heard the chestnut-haired girl sound so vehement, so bitter. Had he done this? His mind was cloudy, but he remembered running. Running down a back street, then coming round a corner to see...
Tai suddenly clutched at his head, tearing at his unruly hair and sobbing. He'd lost control again. That was the only explanation. And Sora had been there, easy prey for him to ... to...
He felt sick. Bile bubbled in his gullet, and he swallowed hard through his tears to stop himself from vomiting at the thought of what he must have done.
"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." He gulped. Sora walked away from him, away into the all-consuming darkness. Tai's head bolted upright at her departure. "Sora, wait.... Please!"
"Adam." The blonde child was standing next to him, slender hand on his shoulder. Tai brushed her away, confused at what was happening.
"Why do I do these things?" He yelled at her. "Why?"
"Because." She answered simply. "And you're going to do it again, too."
"No!" Tai spat. "Never again. I'd rather die first!"
"But," the little girl said softly, grey eyes serious. "You can't die, remember."
Tai's eyes widened. "No!" He breathed. Then louder; "No! No! No! No! NO!"
"The time is drawing nearer." A new, throaty voice abruptly boomed from the shadows, wrapping itself around Tai's brain and permeating the nooks and crevices of his mind with it's sound. Tai didn't recognise it, but all the same, it filled him with dread so intense he thought his heart would explode within his chest if it uttered another word. His tears fell faster, both from physical pain and mental agony.
"No." He whispered. "Please, no."
"It is inevitable." The voice continued. "Do not fight it. It is your destiny to be the vessel."
"But I...I don't..." Tai mouthed, confused at his half remembered recollections. Vessel? Him? What was that strange voice talking about, and who was it anyway?
"Who are you?" He called into the gloom. Abruptly the entire scene around him dissipated into a flurry of shattered colour. The faces of his friends splintered and scattered, doomed to fly on the non-existent breeze of this dead world until the end of infinity. Tai crouched into a tiny ball and cried quietly to himself - totally alone in that void of inexplicable darkness. He raised his head at a sound, and watched as a figure emerged deliberately from the gulf of blackness in front of him. His hazel eyes widened.
"But... it can't be..." He murmured incredulously.
"You're almost ready." The figure stated. Tai only stared. He was rooted to the spot, frozen like a statue. Helpless. Alone.
He remained this way as the figure slowly brought one hand up to its chest, and then cupped the other one beside it, making a small hollow between the two palms. Gracefully, a tongue of shadow appeared there, wrapping itself like a snake around the stranger's fingers, gliding in and out almost languidly. Tai's mouth fell open of its own accord - or so it seemed. But as he attempted to close it, his maw remained ajar. Dust settled upon his tongue, and the hazel-eyed boy longed to cough the offending particles out of his throat. But he couldn't. Even inadvertent reactions that constituted his humanity had been terminated. He was no longer in control of his own body.
The flicker of darkness swelled in the stranger's almost caring grasp. It swirled, a murky mass of shadow and soot. Suddenly, as if its own master, it leapt from the stranger's possession and hurtled towards the incapacitated teenager. As it sped towards him, a pitch spear of pure darkness, Tai identified it as the murderous object that had attacked Kari. But also, it was reminiscent of something else... something from a long time ago, when he was very young... before the terror began.
Inexplicable hate flared in his gut as it ploughed into his open mouth and down his yielding throat. Like acid, the shadow-creature spread throughout his body, corroding organs from within. Tai's eyes widened, unable to even cry out in agony at the torture he endured. His thin chest burned with unspoken affliction, and his heart heaved within his breast. Finally, the throbbing organ relinquished its fight to pulse, and with a horrible shuddering, ceased to beat. Tai's muscles became lax, and he fell forward, blood leaking plenteously from his parted lips.
The figure standing before the collapsed teenager laughed, voice artificial and echoing in the nothingness. It laughed at Tai's pain. At his feeble attempts to rise from his own scarlet mess. The same mess that constitutes all humans, now spreading across the floor like a sticky red carpet. Yet at the same time the individual cried. Tears streaming down its cheeks like an unchecked waterfall. It laughed and wept in equal measure, guffawing loudly, yet sobbing even louder.
Tai's vision became hazy. His chest was an open wound, and he could feel crimson fluid slinking down his chin. Yet he didn't die. He wished with all his might that it could be so, but he remained where he was. Alive. And in pain.
His tattered mind was a maze of jumbled pieces. Questions and images flew around inside his confused brain, giving him no peace as he longed for the comforting numbness of death. Why was this happening? Who was the figure that laughed at him, but also cried for him? What had he done in that alleyway? What happened to Sora?
Why? Who? What? Sora?
Who? What? Sora?
What? Sora?
Sora?
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Kari sat on the couch, facing away from the other Digidestined into the darkened sitting-room area of the Takenouchi apartment. Despite the presence of the others behind her, Kari retained an aura of loneliness. Her slender hand trailed absently over the beige cushion next to her, ruffling the tassels on one corner. She wore her customary fingerless gloves, although they were dirty, and torn in several places. Her brown hair also appeared unkempt, as if it hadn't been brushed for several days, and traces of soot were clearly visible among the mousy tresses.
She sighed, and Gatomon stared up at her. From her position on the girl's lap, the cat Digimon nuzzled her partner in a rare show of affection. Kari was upset, and through their near-psychic link by the Digivices, this reflected into the small feline so that she in turn felt agitated. Kari didn't even acknowledge the gesture, so lost was she in her own thoughts. The teenager stared at nothing in particular, hazel eyes fixed and unmoving. Was it really only a few hours ago she'd been at her Grandmother's house? It seemed like an eternity between that safe, secure haven with the geriatric woman, and this confusing and dangerous world she now found herself in. Tokyo would never be the same for her.
Subconsciously, she wiped at her mouth, the taste of bile still distinct on her tongue. She'd cleaned her teeth with a spare toothbrush Mimi gave her, but Kari was disinclined to believe that the caustic flavour would ever be removed. Just like her memories of the alley. Those shining eyes, the feral scream, and then the body - falling. Tumbling from the sky like a fallen angel... or demon...
T.K. watched the reticent girl through concerned blue eyes. He stood a little way behind the couch, and she was - as yet - unaware of his presence. The blonde boy stared at her slender back. She seemed so lonely. His comrades were engaged in a whispered discussion around the kitchenette table, and hadn't even noticed his absence from their deliberations. None of them, that is, except one....
T.K. observed Kari in a disconcerted manner. Beneath his calm exterior, a wealth of conflicting emotions fought for supremacy. At that moment he wanted nothing more than to put his arms around the sequestrated figure sitting there, to hug her, kiss her hair and tell her that everything would be all right. His arms yearned to encircle her fragile form, and his heart ached to speak comforting words into her shell-like ear.
Yet he didn't act on these impulses. Instead, he simply watched her. This was the girl who had left without a word. Walked out of his life without even saying goodbye. Now she waltzed back into it, expecting good-old T.K. to just come running when she snapped her fingers.
No, she didn't, a sensible voice in the back of his mind stated. She never asked for your help. She never asked for anything from you.
She abandoned you, the disquiet tongue reminded. She cut your heart into pieces and mailed it back from her new house.
T.K. was confused. Despite all that she'd done, his soul still craved after Kari. That sweet and innocent girl whom he'd been through so much with. He remembered that time, so long ago now, when he'd journeyed to the Dark Ocean in order to save her. He recalled the words he'd said to her face that very day in the schoolyard. They'd slipped out unannounced, uncalled for - but he'd uttered them anyway.
"Kari, I care too much about you to let you go without a fight!"
But now...? Was he still willing to fight for her? Still willing to put his soul on the line, just to see her smile again? He hated the empty look that now resided in her soulful hazel eyes - devoid of the spark that used to dance there. Yet still, his heart retained the wounds inflicted upon it when she deserted him a year ago. He'd never really been the sentimental type, but her unusual actions had left him with no other alternative but to assume that she no longer cared for him. No longer felt for him what he felt for her. He'd been cast aside, and felt hurt. Rejected. Unloved. So much so that he'd pulled away from the friends that remained in Tokyo, avoiding each and every one of them, even his own brother. All reminded him too much of the winsome girl who'd stolen his heart, then trampled it beneath her delicate feet.
But you still care about her, the sensible voice propounded.
No, you don't, vociferated the disquiet one.
You cared for her then, and you care for her now.
You hate her. She hurt you, and she'll do it again if you let her.
She needs your comfort.
She'll use you.
Go to her.
Stay away.
T.K.'s mind whirled, but his tranquil expression didn't falter. Over the past year he'd learned how to hide his emotions from the outside world - especially his mother. That woman seemed to have a nose for misery, and to dissuade her concern, her son had become an adept of false smiles and cheery words.
Kari shuddered at some inner thought of her own. T.K. watched her, almost apathetically, but inside... inside his heart was breaking. Kari gave a short, unintentional whimper, not intended to be heard by anyone else. But the blonde boy behind her heard it, and it practically tore his heart in two.
Without really realising what he was doing, or the implications his actions would cause, T.K. slid around the side of the couch and sank into the seat beside his old companion. Kari looked up at his arrival, but the expression in her hazel eyes didn't waver. She simply noted him with the same detached, removed manner that had permeated her movements since she came to the capitol.
"Hey." T.K. murmured. Mentally he berated himself. What a stupid greeting. A whole year apart, and all he could come up with was 'hey'?
"Hi." Kari replied, not looking at him. There was silence for a moment, punctuated only by the muffled whispers of their friends at the table. T.K. felt uncomfortable. He was used to long silences, but usually he was the one who initiated them. The blue-eyed youth wasn't accustomed to being lost for words when in the company of another. He glanced across at Kari. She didn't seem in the least bit perturbed at the quiescence surrounding them. Rather, she seemed at home in it. He looked down at his feet, searching for something - anything to say.
Surreptitiously, Kari stole a glimpse of the boy sitting next to her. T.K. hadn't changed much - at least not physically. He still wore the same fishing hat she's seen him in a year ago, intractable blonde hair sticking out haphazardly from underneath it. Beneath his insubordinate bangs, azure eyes stared almost impassively at the floor. She wondered what he was thinking about.
Gatomon gazed up at her partner, to find the hazel-eyed girl looking directly at her old companion, who seemed oblivious to her penetrating stare. Human emotions had always confused the little Digimon. It was obvious to her that these two had so much to say to each other, yet neither initiated conversation. Something had created a barrier between them, a wall they were unwilling to breach from either side. The white cat sighed and shook her furry head. As always, it was up to the Digimon to fix things.
With a small 'mew', Gatomon leapt from Kari's lap across to T.K.'s, landing heavily on his knee. Feigning a stumble, she slid down his leg and dug her claws into the fabric there for support. T.K. registered her effort with a grunt, leaning over to lift her back up onto the seat beside him. She thanked him with a curt nod, and then launched herself to balance above his head on the back of the couch. The Digimon swivelled her head round and fired off one last comment before bounding across the kitchen to where the others were still deep in discussion.
"Of course, I didn't really need your help. I AM a cat-Digimon, you know - the most graceful Digimon there is. You just make an incredibly good scratching post is all."
T.K. watched her go with faint amusement. "Same old Gatomon." He stated softly.
Kari's head jerked up from where she'd been staring at her fingernails, having self-consciously transferred her gaze thus when Gatomon jumped.
"Wha- Oh, yeah. Sorry about that. I'm sure she didn't mean it."
"I'm sure she did, but it doesn't bother me." T.K. replied, happy to hear her voice, even if it was just to apologise for her Digimon's behaviour. Swallowing, he ventured a tentative question. "Uh, Kari. What's Gatomon doing here anyway?"
"What do you mean?" Kari sounded confused.
"Well, when the rest of us came back from the Digiworld last time, our Digimon didn't return to the Real World with us, and we haven't been able to open a portal to get them back since. I just wondered why Gatomon wasn't affected." That was good. He'd managed to say all that without stuttering, or losing his train of thought.
Kari's eyes had yet to meet his gaze, but she answered nonetheless, staring at some point just above his head.
"She wasn't affected because we never went back to the Digiworld. Gatomon's been in the Real World ever since I moved in with my Grandma. She thinks Gatomon's just a regular housecat that I like to dress up. Her eyesight was never the best."
T.K. made a half-attempt at a chuckle, but it died in his throat. Why wouldn't she look at him? Did she really not care anymore? Did he really mean so little that he didn't even merit a passing glance?
Kari's resolve nearly wavered at the sound of his voice. No! She wouldn't look down. She wouldn't meet his eyes. Those transfixing blue eyes. Eyes that used to send such a thrill through her whenever she looked into them. But he probably hated her now. Hated her for leaving without a word. For abandoning him. Kari knew that if she met his eyes she would crumble, and then he would hate her even more for being weak. At least this way she could retain some of her dignity.
T.K. cleared his throat. The silence was creeping back into place between them, and as it did he decided to take the plunge. He had to know. HAD to. If she hated him, then at least he would have an answer, instead of this tepid, insufficient gnawing at his gut whenever her name was mentioned. He took one breath for strength, let it out, and spoke - slowly and evenly. Trying not to crack.
"Kari. What are you doing here in Tokyo? Why did you come back?"
Curiously, the brown haired girl didn't seem surprised at his question. Rather, it appeared she'd been waiting for one of her old comrades to ask it. It had only been a matter of time, she reasoned, before one of them plucked up enough courage to broach the subject with her; she just wished it hadn't been T.K.
Plucked up the courage...
Courage.
Tai...
"We came back," Kari began, careful to use the plural so that he didn't think it was her own weakness which had drawn her back to her old home, "because the Powers of Light summoned us."
"Powers of Light?" Now it was T.K.'s turn to sound confused. "You mean, the same powers that spoke through you when we were battling Puppetmon? The forces that showed us why we became Digidestined, five years ago?"
"The same." Kari affirmed. "They spoke to me again. Told me - I mean us! - Told us that something was coming, and that we had to be in Tokyo when it did. Azulongmon's power was still working inside my Digivice, so Gatomon digievolved and carried me here. Much faster then driving - safer too, if my Grandma's behind the wheel." Kari winced inside. She'd slipped - horribly. He was sure to have noticed.
T.K.'s heart sank. So it wasn't because of him. It wasn't to see him that she'd returned; it was because she'd been ordered to. Probably, Kari never would have come back if the Powers of Light hadn't forced her to do it. But still... something nagged at the back of the blonde boy's mind. He needed to hear her say it - that she didn't care about him anymore. It would be painful, yes, but it would flush out all of these remaining emotions clogging him up inside. All these old feelings he still harboured for her....
"Kari..."
Her gaze didn't waver. Wouldn't waver. She wouldn't let her weakness show.
"Yes, T.K.?"
A pause. Then finally, unable to contain himself any longer, the blue-eyed boy let everything out in a rush of words, not caring if he were coherent, only wishing to release all his bottled-up emotions at last.
"Kari, why did you leave? And without saying goodbye? Did I do something wrong? Do you really hate me so much that you didn't get in touch, or leave a forward address? Tell me, Kari. I need to know. I have to know. Do you hate me?"
Kari's mouth opened slightly in shock. Hate him? How could she hate him? How could he even think she would feel that way about him? Rather, she was worried he hated her for what she'd done to him.
"I... I don't hate you, T.K."
The blonde youth blinked. Didn't hate him? But then...
"Then, why?" His tone was questioning, but his voice was edged with barely concealed joy and... could it be...affection? Kari tried to keep her eyes riveted to the spot above his head, but they wandered down, despite her efforts. Her gaze lowered, inch by painful inch, until finally, hazel locked with blue. The two teenagers stared into each other's eyes for a second, and then the walls came crashing down. Kari's hazel orbs welled with tears, and she bent her head, ashamed of her failing.
But T.K. didn't abhor her emotional breakdown. Nor did he ignore her, and walk away, as she believed he must do. Instead, Kari felt warm arms surround her, and she crumpled helplessly into his comforting embrace.
"Shhh." He whispered soothingly, rubbing her back and resting his chin on the crown of her head. Kari gulped copiously, juddering sobs wracking her slender frame.
"I'm sorry, T.K. I never meant to cause you so much pain. It's just... when my family died, I felt so guilty. Like I should've been there, should've done something. I couldn't bear feeling that way, so I closed myself off from everyone. I didn't want anyone around in case something happened and... and I wouldn't be able to help them either." She sucked in a lungful of air, tears dripping off the end of her small nose and onto the blonde boy's shirt, wetting the green fabric. He didn't seem to mind, though, hugging her tighter as all her pent-up feelings came pouring out. It was as if Kari had built a dam against the flow of emotions pervading her mind over the past year, and now someone had opened the floodgates and allowed all the water to cascade away.
T.K. patted her shoulder, murmuring comforting noises to the distraught girl in his arms. As he breathed in, the sweet scent of her hair invaded his nostrils. He inhaled the smell, drinking it as if it was water and he was stranded in the Sahara. God, he's missed that smell. He'd missed holding her like this. He'd missed everything about her. This innocent, caring girl sobbing silently against his chest.
Kari hiccupped, continuing with her torrent of words.
"Over time, I started to feel... numb. Like I couldn't feel anything anymore. I couldn't love, I couldn't hate, I couldn't forgive myself, or the criminal who'd done that to my family...all I had was this...this numbness, eating away at me from inside. I felt like I was losing my humanity. Like part of me was dying along with my parents and...and..." She couldn't continue for a second, too choked with emotion to carry on. T.K. waited patiently, allowing her time to compose herself before speaking again. "I needed to learn how to live again; and for that, I needed time. My memories of that period are hazy, but I can remember my councillor saying that I needed rest to recuperate. Then all I know is that I was at my Grandma's house in the country, with Gatomon. I'm sorry, T.K. I don't remember not saying goodbye. I'm so, so sorry. When you didn't contact me, I... I thought that you didn't want to know me anymore. I thought that you didn't want to associate with somebody as weak as me. I didn't realise you didn't know where I was. It's my fault. I'm sorry."
T.K. rubbed her spine with one hand, supporting her weight with his other arm. He whispered into her ear, as he'd longed to do, shushing her and soothing her juddering body with his gentle tone. "Shhh, it's all right. It's O.K., Kari."
The shuddering sobs became fewer, as if with the liberation of her feelings the tide of emotion Kari had been riding was dissipating. Tears still trickled down her ivory cheeks, but her breathing was becoming slower, more even. Yet she didn't move from the blonde boy's arms. In fact, she seemed rather reluctant to relinquish his warm embrace at all.
The brown-haired girl spoke again, her euphonious voice scarcely above a whisper. "I missed you, T.K. I missed you so much it hurt. Every time I looked at your picture I wanted to cry. I hated not seeing you, but I thought you despised me."
"I missed you too, Kari." T.K. replied, also whispering. "And I want you to know that I never hated you. I never did, and I never will. You mean too much for me to simply let you go through something like this alone. I'll always be there to help you, and I never ever want you to forget that. OK?"
Kari lifted her head. He didn't hate her? She mattered to him? Her heart swelled within her chest at these caring words.
"OK."
They sat together in silence, no more words needing to be said. Those two individuals, reunited at last into a bond that would never again be broken, nor weathered by time. Two people meant for each other, separated by fate, but reunited by destiny on that couch in an insignificant apartment in the heart of Tokyo that night. Kari leaned her head down, nestling against T.K.'s thin chest. They didn't need to declare what they felt for each other, for each already knew what was contained within the other's heart. Silently, they sat, content in the knowledge that despite everything, they'd found each other again - both in body, and in spirit.
___________________
A figure watched the happy duo quietly from behind. He stood where T.K. had resided not a few minutes ago, looking at them... together.
Davis sighed, a small sad sigh. Even after all this time, Kari had still chosen T.K. Still picked him over the goggle-wearing boy. Davis didn't resent their love. Even he could see from their expressions that they were truly happy. She was happy.
He loved her too. True, he'd proclaimed his feelings in such a manner as deserved retribution, but the sentiment had been real enough. Yet it had always been those two. Kari and T.K. Everyone had seen it, including him. They were meant for each other - fate, he supposed. Some inexorable force, which had drawn them back together even over the chasm that had stood between them for a year.
She looked so content in his arms. It seemed... right, somehow. Like the final piece of a puzzle had just slotted into place. Unfortunately, the Davis shaped piece was left over. Spare. Unattached to anything, or anyone. God, he cared for her. Maybe it wasn't real love, but it was as close as he'd ever come in his ultimately short life on Earth. He cared so much for her that he wanted her to be happy, no matter what. Even if that meant that she would be happiest with T.K.
Silently, and displaying a nobility that wouldn't have been present in him before the events of the past year, Davis Motomiya turned away from the scene laid out before him, and walked away. His heart cracked a little more with every step he took, but his resolve remained strong. Kari was content; therefore, vicariously he was too. And that, really, was all he needed in the world.
Wasn't it?
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AUTHOR'S NOTES: I was a bit iffy about this chapter. I know it doesn't really progress the story much, but I felt that there were a few things that needed to be tied up, and it was just too bloody long if I tacked the next instalment on the end!
I'm not very good at Takari, so review and let me know what U think. Should I just stop the whole thing right now? Or would you like to know what happens next. There are more chapters if NE body's interested. (Just as a bit of random information, I've nearly finished Chapter Seven, and it currently reads as 20 pages (!) and still going.) Please review, all C&C welcome, and let others know so I can get their input too. Thanx.
Also, B4 I go, I have another piece of work - totally unrelated to Digimon btw - which I was considering posting. It's a comedy script I had 2 write 4 my Theatre Studies exam in the summer, and I was just wondering if NE1 would read it if I did post it. Let me know, and I'll provide according 2 demands.
Ta very much.
Beware of falling cows.
Scribbler ^_^* (That may seem a random comment, but actually there's a story behind it. If people want to know what it is then let me know and I'll tell you on the next chapter.)
I'm sorry this chapter has been so long in coming. I know I said to think of it as a Christmas present, so you'll just have to think of me as the absent-minded aunt who always forgets that it's Christmas and subsequently sends all gifts late. I was visiting my relatives in Liverpool during the holidays and had no access to a computer, but now I'm back and ready 2 go once more.
Just to clarify, the working title for this chapter was originally "Tai's Dream" but I changed it at the last minute. Keep this in mind when UR reading it, as it may explain a few things.
Obligatory blurbarooney out of the way, for your consideration, here is the sixth part of my saga. Wish you luck, and I'll see U on the other side!
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"The Darkness Within" By Scribbler
Chapter Six ~ "Noble Deeds"
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"In real love you want the other person's good. In romantic love, you want the other person." -- Margaret Anderson
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Matt sat cross-legged on the carpet, twisting a tissue in his hands. Across from him sat Ken and Izzy at the dining table, murmuring softly to each other, and beside them Cody, TK, and Davis stood, huddled together as if for warmth. Yet the cold they shied away from came not from the elements, but from within themselves. From the silent worry they all shared for their comrades.
Matt glanced nervously at his watch. Surely there should be some news by now? They'd been locked away in there for what seemed like an eternity - at least to him.
It had been almost two hours since they'd found them. It had been Davis really, with his uncanny knack of sniffing out trouble wherever it was hiding, Digital World or no. The blonde youth still remembered the younger boy's hopeful shout, followed quickly by a yell of horror. The other Digidestined quickly hurried to his side, worried that some thug had attacked him. When they reached the scene, however, they'd almost wished that were the case. That was less horrific than the actual scenario spread before them in the dark Tokyo back street.
Matt recalled the tortured images, still painfully fresh in his mind. Sora and Kari, clinging to one-another, sobbing. It had jolted Matt to see both girls crying, especially Sora. Sora never cried. She'd made it a point that she never cried. "Crying is weak," he'd been told hundreds of times before, "And I, for one, am not weak." Yet there she was, face buried into Kari's shoulder, weeping as if her heart had been smashed into a thousand tiny pieces, not even attempting to cover her tears.
Beyond them stood someone Matt had never expected to see in a million years. A tall, blonde woman, wearing a metal helmet. Her incredibly skimpy outfit out-of-place in the frosty alley - as were the six feathery wings sprouting from her back.
Angewomon. Here, in the real world? How was that possible? How could that be?
But the boy's attention had immediately been claimed by what lay at the Digimon's elegant feet. On his back, brown hair spread limply around his head and coat half open, lay the one person Matt had truly believed he would never see again before this night. The one individual he'd been certain was gone from his life forever.
Tai Kamiya lay still, to all intents and purposes dead, and Matt's heart had frozen at the thought of once again losing his best friend. He barely even noticed the bodies strewn about. Until, that is, Joe's retching alerted him to their presence. Three bodies, each mutilated in some form or another. One's throat had been torn out, the other's neck was obviously broken, whilst the third...
The third...
The third was barely even recognisable as human. Blistered flesh still smouldering, a pool of rapidly crystallizing blood surrounded the decapitated carcass. Of the head, there was no sign, save for the blood. The seemingly interminable oceans of blood. Matt had stared at the corpse for a few priceless seconds, then turned and vomited violently into the gutter, unable to shield himself from the gaze of his comrades. Despite what they thought, it was not the sight of the maimed remains that had triggered the blonde boy's reaction. Rather, it had been the faintly glowing symbol etched into the flesh beneath its torn vest. The symbol he'd looked upon so many times, three circles, eight triangles, all assembled to emulate the sun. Unmistakable, even as the victim's blood dried around it, threads of dark liquid creating graceful patterns across a canvass of reddened skin.
The crest of courage.
Matt snapped sharply from his thoughts by the sound of rushing water. He jerked his head up - as did all the others gathered there - to see the bathroom door open and Kari walk shakily out, brushing yellow stains from her lips.
Behind them, a small white form suddenly leapt out of the folds of the sofa and bounded across to the pale girl. Kari crouched down and scooped Gatomon into her arms without a word, nuzzling her pinched face into the feline-Digimon's soft fur. Gatomon drooped her long tail around her partner's shoulders, offering as much comfort as she could with the tactile gesture.
Matt's gaze slid across to his little brother. TK stood, staring intently at the shorthaired girl before them. He'd been the most surprised of all to find Tai's sister in Tokyo, let alone with her Digimon in tow. The younger boy's eyes were questioning, yet hesitant, memories of how Kari had cut herself off from everyone evident in his pained cerulean eyes. She'd rejected them - rejected him, when all he'd wanted to do was help. Closing herself off on all fronts, until finally moving away without even a goodbye to her old companions. TK was - understandably - unwilling to repeat the experience and reopen old wounds. The fact that Kari had yet to speak a word to any of them only served to drive him further away.
The door to Mrs. Takenouchi's bedroom opened fractionally, and Mimi slid out, closing it quietly behind her. Matt scrambled hastily to his feet, mangled tissue still in his hands.
"Is she...?"
The pink-haired teenager held a finger up to her lips. "She's gonna be OK, Matt."
Matt sighed gratefully. "Can I see her?"
"Well, I don't know..." Mimi trailed off, but one look at the raw emotion in her friend's blue eyes caused her resolve to waver. "Well..."
"Please." Matt said simply, letting his eyes do the talking. Mimi emitted a soft sigh of her own.
"Alright then. But only you, Matt, and not for long either. I know it's for a good reason, but I'm still not happy about her not going to the hospital." The slender girl pushed open the door behind her, and then moved away, allowing the grateful boy to slip past her and through the slight aperture.
"Thanks." He whispered, before shutting it again.
Mrs. Takenouchi's bedroom was warm and dark. The curtains were drawn, and the light off. The only illumination came from a street lamp below the window, its ghostly beams filtering through the flowery coverings to spread across the equally flowery bedspread. Matt picked his way carefully across the floor, avoiding any objects or personal belongings of the older woman that may have been concealed in the blackness, waiting for an unwary foot to pass by so they could attack it.
He stopped by the bed. It was a double, making the figure curled up beneath the sheets seem small and fragile. The person's chest gently rose and fell, causing the chintzy covers to move in time with its breathing. The body faced away from Matt, towards the wall, which the bed was pressed up against. Self-consciously, Matt cleared his throat.
"Sora?" He breathed tenderly. "Sora? Are you asleep?" There was no response, and Matt prepared to leave. Suddenly a thin voice piped up, muffled by the pillow it was directed into.
"No."
"Sora?" Matt turned back to his girlfriend. "Are you OK?" Mentally, he kicked himself. What a stupid question! He knew full well that tonight, she'd seen horrors he couldn't even begin to imagine. Things no living person should ever have to witness, whatever their crimes. Thankfully, his inane question received no answer.
Matt stood uncomfortably in the stifling silence, wanting to say something, but curiously finding himself devoid of words. Silently, he wished with all his might that he possessed Davis' verbal-diarrhoea; although even the younger boy had been struck dumb by the sight in the alley, and hadn't spoken a syllable since they found him. Quiet echoed around the small space for a few minutes, punctuated only by the rustling of fabric from the teenage boy's clothes as he shifted his weight from foot to foot.
Suddenly, Sora turned over, levering herself upright with her good arm. The other limb was swathed in snowy fabric and clasped to her chest by a tight bandage beneath the loose fitting pink pyjamas Yolei had found in one of her dresser draws. Matt couldn't see, but he assumed her leg was similarly dressed. It pained him to see the chestnut-haired girl in such a sorry state, and tried unsuccessfully to push her back down onto the mattress. With a strength he didn't know she still had, the hazel-eyed girl pushed him away and sat up. Matt simply stood there, unsure of what to do. Eventually, Sora's voice - weak, and filled with unspoken agony - sliced a communicative hole in the void between them.
"It was horrible." She said simply. Then, without waiting for a reply, continued, volume not rising above a strained whisper. "I was looking for Tai, and then they found me. Those... those..." she stopped, drew a deep breath, then continued with her disjointed story. Matt wasn't sure who 'they' were, but from Sora's tone alone he could tell that they'd done something to her. Something she wasn't going to share with him no matter how hard he pressed her for the information. "I was so scared. I thought... and then there he was. But he was different. He wasn't Tai. It was like... he was a mask. A mask over someone - no, something else's face. He... he went after them. He killed them all. It was awful. So much blood..." Inadvertently, a shudder ran through the teenager's slim body, and her boyfriend sat down beside her, encircling her shoulders with one arm. Sora shoved him roughly away, and Matt dropped his arm, shocked at her sudden apathetic manner. He gazed worriedly at her consternated face as she went on unabated. "He came after me. He tried to... to kill me. And Kari, his own sister. He was so savage. I didn't recognise him. He was my best friend, and I didn't recognise him. What happened to him, Matt? Why did he do those things? Even when we were in the Digiworld, he... he never took a life like that. He always wanted to save lives, not destroy them. Not like that. There was so much blood. So much..."
Matt didn't know what to say. There wasn't much he could say. He felt helpless and somehow alone; like when he'd been forced to watch as Puppetmon captured TK in the Digital World five years ago. Matt hadn't been able to do anything then, either. He'd only watched as the evil Digimon dragged the then eight-year-old off into the forest, away from him. Matt hated being helpless, yet he forever seemed to end up in that situation. Never able to aid those he cared about, or just getting in their way. Useless. A burden. Now it appeared he was doing the same to Sora. Smothering her when she was trying to tell him what happened.
Two glistening hazel eyes turned and stared into his own. "I want to see him." was all she said.
"Sora... that's not a good idea. Joe says - "
"I don't care what Joe says!" Sora burst out. "I want to see him!" She clutched at the flowery sheets around her, trembling both with emotion and weakness from the loss of blood she'd sustained. Matt gazed deeply into those twin orbs, burning with fire and independence. God, he loved her. He didn't want to see her hurting this way.
The youth sighed, dropping his head onto his chest. "Alright." He promised reluctantly. "When Joe says that he can - "
"No! I want to see him now."
Resignedly, Matt nodded.
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Tai lay in his bedroom, sprawled across his bunk. Music blared out of the stereo on the unit next to him, and he half expected his mother to come in and yell at him to turn it down. She was always doing that, invading his privacy. They all were. He never got any peace in this place.
Curiously, Mrs. Kamiya didn't put in an appearance, and the speakers screeched as the song came to an abrupt end. There was a whirring as the CD finished, followed by that not-quite-silence that always accompanies the death of a compact disc when the volume is up too high. Sighing, Tai turned over - eyes still closed - and reached out to hit the play button again. He didn't recognise the tunes, but who cared? It was an escape, and that was all he asked from it. He fumbled for a second, searching blindly for the control panel.
Suddenly his hand struck something soft. Tai brushed his fingers over it, wondering at the malleable texture. It was strange, warm, and almost... furry. Furry? What was something furry doing where his CD player should be? He shoved at it, and his fingertips sank into wetness. He recoiled, finally opening his hazel eyes and bringing his hand in front of his face to inspect the sticky substance that now coated them.
Tai emitted harsh choking noises as red liquid dripped from his index finger onto the white bed sheets. He sat up and banged his head on the bottom of the bunk above him. Cursing under his breath, he rubbed his scalp with his clean hand. But his scalp was moist, and the teenager lowered his arm to reveal a palm covered in blood. Tai yelled, whipping round to jump off his bed, but gagging at what he saw. Stretched across the electronic device was a small hairy body, eyes wide open and mouth leaking scarlet fluid. Miko the cat stared blankly at the horrified boy, who sprinted across the room and wrenched open the door, intending to call his mother, father, anybody, to come see what had happened. To explain to him how a dead animal could suddenly appear without his knowing, belly slashed open and entrails dripping copiously over his bedside table.
However, when he opened the door, Tai didn't find what he expected. Instead of looking into the rest of the apartment he shared with his family, he stared straight into what appeared to be a whirlpool suspended in space. Total blackness surrounded the spinning vortex, which seemed to be made up of a maelstrom of colours rather than actual water, but was twirling so fast that it was hard to make out just exactly what fabricated it.
Tai cried out as he found himself picked up and dragged bodily towards the violently eddying mass. He grabbed the doorframe with both hands, clinging on with all his might as the strange swirling force buffeted about his legs. What was going on? What was that thing?
"Tai! Help!"
Kari?
"Help me, Tai!"
"Kari!"
Tai twisted his head around and squinted into the cyclone of colour. Grains of dust blew into his eyes, making them water and causing him to cough spasmodically. The cry came again, and he forced his hazel eyes open, staring hard into the maelstrom.
There! There she was! Tumbling about like a puppet without strings, Tai's little sister danced in the wind without breath. Her mouth open, screaming for her brother with all the air in her small lungs.
"Kari!" Tai yelled. He yelped as the doorframe clutched in his fingers suddenly dissolved, and he was sent flying into the whirlpool to join his frightened sibling. Reaching out as far as he could stretch, Tai called her name. "Kari! Grab my hand!"
But she didn't. In fact, the young girl seemed completely unaware of his presence, despite his being so close to her. Tears streamed down her cheeks as objects flew at her from all sides, catching and cutting her on impact. The older boy yelled vicariously for her pain, as unidentifiable shapes sliced at her flesh, then spun around in mid-air and came back to stab her again. Kari bled from a hundred different places; the red juice being swept up in airless wind and lost among the spinning eddies. All the time she screamed for him, each vociferation filled with a new generation of pain and torment. Tai couldn't bear it any longer. He was her brother; he was supposed to protect her!
"KARIIIIII!" He shouted, closing his hazel eyes and squeezing all the oxygen contained in his thin chest into one, powerful yell. Kari's own eyes snapped open, and she swivelled her head to look at him, happiness and relief etched into her pretty features.
"Tai!" She called with a mixture of gratefulness and compelling joy. Tai smiled despite their situation, and struggled to stretch his hand out enough to reach her as he spun past. Kari did likewise, and as the boy was carried in a circle, their fingertips nearly touched one-another. Just a little bit more. Just a fraction of a centimetre further, and he would have her hand. Tai stretched until his muscles screamed, every tendon protesting profusely as they were pulled to their utmost limit.
A dark shape darted out of the gloom. Like a giant needle, it sped towards the helpless pair and in the blink of an eye had speared Kari in her stomach. There was a wet ripping noise as it exited through her back, and she doubled over in pain, clutching her open wound. Tai's eyes widened in shock.
"KARI! NOOOOOOOO!"
Something exploded inside of him, and before he knew what was happening, the shadows around the whirlpool took on a life of their own, streaking towards the grief-stricken boy to gather as a pitch sphere in his still-outstretched hand. He stared at the ball of darkness hovering just above his palm, until the swirling vortex around him abruptly dissipated, and he dropped like a stone to an invisible ground below.
Tai made impact with a thud, rolling over and over until he came to a stop, lying on his back, several metres from where he'd landed. A sickening slap - like that of uncooked meat hitting concrete - sounded as his sister followed suit behind him. Tai scrabbled to his feet and bounded to her side, picking her broken body up off the floor to cradle lovingly in his arms. The younger girl's sweet face was bloodstained and pale. Unmoving and death-like. Tai brushed a stray lock of brown hair from her visage, whilst gently shaking her.
"Kari. Kari, wake up. Wake up, Kari."
But Kari didn't wake up. Kari would never wake up again. Tears welled up in Tai's hazel eyes at the sight of her silent, drawn face, so peaceful yet so agonizingly pained. He rocked her gently back and forth, not caring if the thing that had killed her came back to claim him as its second victim. He was supposed to protect her. She didn't deserve to die like this. Not here, in this cold, dark void. Not when she'd always exuded such warmth. Such love. Such... light.
Tears dripped down Tai's face, mingling with the blood and dirt on Kari's as they continued their sad journey down her ivory cheek.
"Crying is weak." An emotionless voice rang from the surrounding shadows. Tai's head jerked up, recognising it.
Sora Takenouchi stepped forward, trance-like. She walked towards the pair of siblings with a sober, womanly step, not faltering at the tragic tableau laid out before her. Tai watched her advance. Something was wrong - seriously wrong. Sora's left arm hung limp and useless by her side, the sweater sleeve around it shredded and bloody. Added to this, she walked with a pronounced limp, one leg dripping crimson liquid behind her.
"Sora? What... what happened? What is this place?"
Sora didn't answer. Her hazel eyes were blank and cold. Another voice sounded from Tai's left - equally frosty.
"You happened, Tai."
Matt Ishida hobbled forward, and Tai saw in horror that his right foot was no more than a bloody stump, leaving dark wet marks on the transparent floor. The blonde youth stared at his friend through one piercing blue eye - the other closed; latticed by elegant red scratches.
"Matt? What do you mean, 'I happened'? What's going on?"
"You know perfectly well what's going on, Tai." Joe's nasal tone crawled from the blackness, followed closely his battered and bleeding body. Beside him, leaning on the taller boy for support, was Cody. The small child's brown hair had been completely burned away, and his blistered skull smoked slightly, sending ethereal wisps into the air that wasn't really there.
One by one, the other Digidestined detached themselves from the shadows, each of them injured or disfigured in some new, sickening way. Tai stared around at their faces, so hard and unemotional, all gazing at him. Tentatively, he hugged Kari's rapidly stiffening body closer, as if fearful they would try to take her away. Davis stepped forward. A huge gash was carved into his cheek, and the goggles atop his sooty head were smashed and splintered. Shards of glass glittered in his brown hair as he looked down impassively at the older boy. From his apathetic expression, it was hard to tell that he'd ever even liked the figure before him - much less idolized him!
"Why'd you do it, Tai?"
"Do what?" Tai cried desperately.
"What did we do wrong? Tell me, Tai. Tell all of us."
"Tell you what?" Tai asked, voice filled with despair.
Ten pairs of eyes stared impassively at the cowering youth, and ten pairs of lips began chanting.
"Tell us. Tell us. Tell us."
"What?" Tai yelled. "What am I supposed to have done to you all?"
A new voice filtered through the mantra. High and childlike, it cut a path among the canticles spoken by the remaining chosen children like a verbal Moses beside the Red Sea.
"Don't you remember, Adam? You killed them."
Tai's gaze dropped to the bundle clasped in his arms, hazel eyes meeting steely grey. Locks of soft golden hair brushed Tai's tanned fingertips as the five-year-old girl stirred slightly in the hollow where Kari should have been. But Kari was gone. Vanished without a trace. He recoiled; dropping the child like it was a white-hot coal.
"Y... you!"
"You killed us all, Adam. They remember. Why don't you?" She repeated as she picked herself up off the floor. Standing, she was no more than a head higher than Tai's crouching form, yet her facial expression was mature. Wise. Too old for her youthful body.
"Terri?" Tai queried, trembling. "N... no. You're dead. You can't be here."
"So are they." The blonde child gestured to the surrounding teenagers, all glowering at their one-time leader. "You murdered them, Adam."
"No!" Tai yelled. "I didn't! I wouldn't!"
"You did." Affirmed a familiar voice. Tai raised his tear-filled eyes to stare deeply into a pair of hazel orbs. Hate was etched into Sora's beautiful face. Hate directed at him. Her hard gaze struck the brown-haired boy like a physical blow, wounding him with the anger and loathing buried in her stare. He gaped at her, open mouthed.
"Sora?"
"Don't you remember the alley, Tai? How you murdered me?"
"Sora, I... I..."
She turned away, abhorrence clearly recognisable in her dulcet tone. "I hate you, Tai Kamiya. I hate you for all the pain and suffering you've caused me. I hope you burn in hell!"
Tai gasped. He'd never heard the chestnut-haired girl sound so vehement, so bitter. Had he done this? His mind was cloudy, but he remembered running. Running down a back street, then coming round a corner to see...
Tai suddenly clutched at his head, tearing at his unruly hair and sobbing. He'd lost control again. That was the only explanation. And Sora had been there, easy prey for him to ... to...
He felt sick. Bile bubbled in his gullet, and he swallowed hard through his tears to stop himself from vomiting at the thought of what he must have done.
"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." He gulped. Sora walked away from him, away into the all-consuming darkness. Tai's head bolted upright at her departure. "Sora, wait.... Please!"
"Adam." The blonde child was standing next to him, slender hand on his shoulder. Tai brushed her away, confused at what was happening.
"Why do I do these things?" He yelled at her. "Why?"
"Because." She answered simply. "And you're going to do it again, too."
"No!" Tai spat. "Never again. I'd rather die first!"
"But," the little girl said softly, grey eyes serious. "You can't die, remember."
Tai's eyes widened. "No!" He breathed. Then louder; "No! No! No! No! NO!"
"The time is drawing nearer." A new, throaty voice abruptly boomed from the shadows, wrapping itself around Tai's brain and permeating the nooks and crevices of his mind with it's sound. Tai didn't recognise it, but all the same, it filled him with dread so intense he thought his heart would explode within his chest if it uttered another word. His tears fell faster, both from physical pain and mental agony.
"No." He whispered. "Please, no."
"It is inevitable." The voice continued. "Do not fight it. It is your destiny to be the vessel."
"But I...I don't..." Tai mouthed, confused at his half remembered recollections. Vessel? Him? What was that strange voice talking about, and who was it anyway?
"Who are you?" He called into the gloom. Abruptly the entire scene around him dissipated into a flurry of shattered colour. The faces of his friends splintered and scattered, doomed to fly on the non-existent breeze of this dead world until the end of infinity. Tai crouched into a tiny ball and cried quietly to himself - totally alone in that void of inexplicable darkness. He raised his head at a sound, and watched as a figure emerged deliberately from the gulf of blackness in front of him. His hazel eyes widened.
"But... it can't be..." He murmured incredulously.
"You're almost ready." The figure stated. Tai only stared. He was rooted to the spot, frozen like a statue. Helpless. Alone.
He remained this way as the figure slowly brought one hand up to its chest, and then cupped the other one beside it, making a small hollow between the two palms. Gracefully, a tongue of shadow appeared there, wrapping itself like a snake around the stranger's fingers, gliding in and out almost languidly. Tai's mouth fell open of its own accord - or so it seemed. But as he attempted to close it, his maw remained ajar. Dust settled upon his tongue, and the hazel-eyed boy longed to cough the offending particles out of his throat. But he couldn't. Even inadvertent reactions that constituted his humanity had been terminated. He was no longer in control of his own body.
The flicker of darkness swelled in the stranger's almost caring grasp. It swirled, a murky mass of shadow and soot. Suddenly, as if its own master, it leapt from the stranger's possession and hurtled towards the incapacitated teenager. As it sped towards him, a pitch spear of pure darkness, Tai identified it as the murderous object that had attacked Kari. But also, it was reminiscent of something else... something from a long time ago, when he was very young... before the terror began.
Inexplicable hate flared in his gut as it ploughed into his open mouth and down his yielding throat. Like acid, the shadow-creature spread throughout his body, corroding organs from within. Tai's eyes widened, unable to even cry out in agony at the torture he endured. His thin chest burned with unspoken affliction, and his heart heaved within his breast. Finally, the throbbing organ relinquished its fight to pulse, and with a horrible shuddering, ceased to beat. Tai's muscles became lax, and he fell forward, blood leaking plenteously from his parted lips.
The figure standing before the collapsed teenager laughed, voice artificial and echoing in the nothingness. It laughed at Tai's pain. At his feeble attempts to rise from his own scarlet mess. The same mess that constitutes all humans, now spreading across the floor like a sticky red carpet. Yet at the same time the individual cried. Tears streaming down its cheeks like an unchecked waterfall. It laughed and wept in equal measure, guffawing loudly, yet sobbing even louder.
Tai's vision became hazy. His chest was an open wound, and he could feel crimson fluid slinking down his chin. Yet he didn't die. He wished with all his might that it could be so, but he remained where he was. Alive. And in pain.
His tattered mind was a maze of jumbled pieces. Questions and images flew around inside his confused brain, giving him no peace as he longed for the comforting numbness of death. Why was this happening? Who was the figure that laughed at him, but also cried for him? What had he done in that alleyway? What happened to Sora?
Why? Who? What? Sora?
Who? What? Sora?
What? Sora?
Sora?
___________________
Kari sat on the couch, facing away from the other Digidestined into the darkened sitting-room area of the Takenouchi apartment. Despite the presence of the others behind her, Kari retained an aura of loneliness. Her slender hand trailed absently over the beige cushion next to her, ruffling the tassels on one corner. She wore her customary fingerless gloves, although they were dirty, and torn in several places. Her brown hair also appeared unkempt, as if it hadn't been brushed for several days, and traces of soot were clearly visible among the mousy tresses.
She sighed, and Gatomon stared up at her. From her position on the girl's lap, the cat Digimon nuzzled her partner in a rare show of affection. Kari was upset, and through their near-psychic link by the Digivices, this reflected into the small feline so that she in turn felt agitated. Kari didn't even acknowledge the gesture, so lost was she in her own thoughts. The teenager stared at nothing in particular, hazel eyes fixed and unmoving. Was it really only a few hours ago she'd been at her Grandmother's house? It seemed like an eternity between that safe, secure haven with the geriatric woman, and this confusing and dangerous world she now found herself in. Tokyo would never be the same for her.
Subconsciously, she wiped at her mouth, the taste of bile still distinct on her tongue. She'd cleaned her teeth with a spare toothbrush Mimi gave her, but Kari was disinclined to believe that the caustic flavour would ever be removed. Just like her memories of the alley. Those shining eyes, the feral scream, and then the body - falling. Tumbling from the sky like a fallen angel... or demon...
T.K. watched the reticent girl through concerned blue eyes. He stood a little way behind the couch, and she was - as yet - unaware of his presence. The blonde boy stared at her slender back. She seemed so lonely. His comrades were engaged in a whispered discussion around the kitchenette table, and hadn't even noticed his absence from their deliberations. None of them, that is, except one....
T.K. observed Kari in a disconcerted manner. Beneath his calm exterior, a wealth of conflicting emotions fought for supremacy. At that moment he wanted nothing more than to put his arms around the sequestrated figure sitting there, to hug her, kiss her hair and tell her that everything would be all right. His arms yearned to encircle her fragile form, and his heart ached to speak comforting words into her shell-like ear.
Yet he didn't act on these impulses. Instead, he simply watched her. This was the girl who had left without a word. Walked out of his life without even saying goodbye. Now she waltzed back into it, expecting good-old T.K. to just come running when she snapped her fingers.
No, she didn't, a sensible voice in the back of his mind stated. She never asked for your help. She never asked for anything from you.
She abandoned you, the disquiet tongue reminded. She cut your heart into pieces and mailed it back from her new house.
T.K. was confused. Despite all that she'd done, his soul still craved after Kari. That sweet and innocent girl whom he'd been through so much with. He remembered that time, so long ago now, when he'd journeyed to the Dark Ocean in order to save her. He recalled the words he'd said to her face that very day in the schoolyard. They'd slipped out unannounced, uncalled for - but he'd uttered them anyway.
"Kari, I care too much about you to let you go without a fight!"
But now...? Was he still willing to fight for her? Still willing to put his soul on the line, just to see her smile again? He hated the empty look that now resided in her soulful hazel eyes - devoid of the spark that used to dance there. Yet still, his heart retained the wounds inflicted upon it when she deserted him a year ago. He'd never really been the sentimental type, but her unusual actions had left him with no other alternative but to assume that she no longer cared for him. No longer felt for him what he felt for her. He'd been cast aside, and felt hurt. Rejected. Unloved. So much so that he'd pulled away from the friends that remained in Tokyo, avoiding each and every one of them, even his own brother. All reminded him too much of the winsome girl who'd stolen his heart, then trampled it beneath her delicate feet.
But you still care about her, the sensible voice propounded.
No, you don't, vociferated the disquiet one.
You cared for her then, and you care for her now.
You hate her. She hurt you, and she'll do it again if you let her.
She needs your comfort.
She'll use you.
Go to her.
Stay away.
T.K.'s mind whirled, but his tranquil expression didn't falter. Over the past year he'd learned how to hide his emotions from the outside world - especially his mother. That woman seemed to have a nose for misery, and to dissuade her concern, her son had become an adept of false smiles and cheery words.
Kari shuddered at some inner thought of her own. T.K. watched her, almost apathetically, but inside... inside his heart was breaking. Kari gave a short, unintentional whimper, not intended to be heard by anyone else. But the blonde boy behind her heard it, and it practically tore his heart in two.
Without really realising what he was doing, or the implications his actions would cause, T.K. slid around the side of the couch and sank into the seat beside his old companion. Kari looked up at his arrival, but the expression in her hazel eyes didn't waver. She simply noted him with the same detached, removed manner that had permeated her movements since she came to the capitol.
"Hey." T.K. murmured. Mentally he berated himself. What a stupid greeting. A whole year apart, and all he could come up with was 'hey'?
"Hi." Kari replied, not looking at him. There was silence for a moment, punctuated only by the muffled whispers of their friends at the table. T.K. felt uncomfortable. He was used to long silences, but usually he was the one who initiated them. The blue-eyed youth wasn't accustomed to being lost for words when in the company of another. He glanced across at Kari. She didn't seem in the least bit perturbed at the quiescence surrounding them. Rather, she seemed at home in it. He looked down at his feet, searching for something - anything to say.
Surreptitiously, Kari stole a glimpse of the boy sitting next to her. T.K. hadn't changed much - at least not physically. He still wore the same fishing hat she's seen him in a year ago, intractable blonde hair sticking out haphazardly from underneath it. Beneath his insubordinate bangs, azure eyes stared almost impassively at the floor. She wondered what he was thinking about.
Gatomon gazed up at her partner, to find the hazel-eyed girl looking directly at her old companion, who seemed oblivious to her penetrating stare. Human emotions had always confused the little Digimon. It was obvious to her that these two had so much to say to each other, yet neither initiated conversation. Something had created a barrier between them, a wall they were unwilling to breach from either side. The white cat sighed and shook her furry head. As always, it was up to the Digimon to fix things.
With a small 'mew', Gatomon leapt from Kari's lap across to T.K.'s, landing heavily on his knee. Feigning a stumble, she slid down his leg and dug her claws into the fabric there for support. T.K. registered her effort with a grunt, leaning over to lift her back up onto the seat beside him. She thanked him with a curt nod, and then launched herself to balance above his head on the back of the couch. The Digimon swivelled her head round and fired off one last comment before bounding across the kitchen to where the others were still deep in discussion.
"Of course, I didn't really need your help. I AM a cat-Digimon, you know - the most graceful Digimon there is. You just make an incredibly good scratching post is all."
T.K. watched her go with faint amusement. "Same old Gatomon." He stated softly.
Kari's head jerked up from where she'd been staring at her fingernails, having self-consciously transferred her gaze thus when Gatomon jumped.
"Wha- Oh, yeah. Sorry about that. I'm sure she didn't mean it."
"I'm sure she did, but it doesn't bother me." T.K. replied, happy to hear her voice, even if it was just to apologise for her Digimon's behaviour. Swallowing, he ventured a tentative question. "Uh, Kari. What's Gatomon doing here anyway?"
"What do you mean?" Kari sounded confused.
"Well, when the rest of us came back from the Digiworld last time, our Digimon didn't return to the Real World with us, and we haven't been able to open a portal to get them back since. I just wondered why Gatomon wasn't affected." That was good. He'd managed to say all that without stuttering, or losing his train of thought.
Kari's eyes had yet to meet his gaze, but she answered nonetheless, staring at some point just above his head.
"She wasn't affected because we never went back to the Digiworld. Gatomon's been in the Real World ever since I moved in with my Grandma. She thinks Gatomon's just a regular housecat that I like to dress up. Her eyesight was never the best."
T.K. made a half-attempt at a chuckle, but it died in his throat. Why wouldn't she look at him? Did she really not care anymore? Did he really mean so little that he didn't even merit a passing glance?
Kari's resolve nearly wavered at the sound of his voice. No! She wouldn't look down. She wouldn't meet his eyes. Those transfixing blue eyes. Eyes that used to send such a thrill through her whenever she looked into them. But he probably hated her now. Hated her for leaving without a word. For abandoning him. Kari knew that if she met his eyes she would crumble, and then he would hate her even more for being weak. At least this way she could retain some of her dignity.
T.K. cleared his throat. The silence was creeping back into place between them, and as it did he decided to take the plunge. He had to know. HAD to. If she hated him, then at least he would have an answer, instead of this tepid, insufficient gnawing at his gut whenever her name was mentioned. He took one breath for strength, let it out, and spoke - slowly and evenly. Trying not to crack.
"Kari. What are you doing here in Tokyo? Why did you come back?"
Curiously, the brown haired girl didn't seem surprised at his question. Rather, it appeared she'd been waiting for one of her old comrades to ask it. It had only been a matter of time, she reasoned, before one of them plucked up enough courage to broach the subject with her; she just wished it hadn't been T.K.
Plucked up the courage...
Courage.
Tai...
"We came back," Kari began, careful to use the plural so that he didn't think it was her own weakness which had drawn her back to her old home, "because the Powers of Light summoned us."
"Powers of Light?" Now it was T.K.'s turn to sound confused. "You mean, the same powers that spoke through you when we were battling Puppetmon? The forces that showed us why we became Digidestined, five years ago?"
"The same." Kari affirmed. "They spoke to me again. Told me - I mean us! - Told us that something was coming, and that we had to be in Tokyo when it did. Azulongmon's power was still working inside my Digivice, so Gatomon digievolved and carried me here. Much faster then driving - safer too, if my Grandma's behind the wheel." Kari winced inside. She'd slipped - horribly. He was sure to have noticed.
T.K.'s heart sank. So it wasn't because of him. It wasn't to see him that she'd returned; it was because she'd been ordered to. Probably, Kari never would have come back if the Powers of Light hadn't forced her to do it. But still... something nagged at the back of the blonde boy's mind. He needed to hear her say it - that she didn't care about him anymore. It would be painful, yes, but it would flush out all of these remaining emotions clogging him up inside. All these old feelings he still harboured for her....
"Kari..."
Her gaze didn't waver. Wouldn't waver. She wouldn't let her weakness show.
"Yes, T.K.?"
A pause. Then finally, unable to contain himself any longer, the blue-eyed boy let everything out in a rush of words, not caring if he were coherent, only wishing to release all his bottled-up emotions at last.
"Kari, why did you leave? And without saying goodbye? Did I do something wrong? Do you really hate me so much that you didn't get in touch, or leave a forward address? Tell me, Kari. I need to know. I have to know. Do you hate me?"
Kari's mouth opened slightly in shock. Hate him? How could she hate him? How could he even think she would feel that way about him? Rather, she was worried he hated her for what she'd done to him.
"I... I don't hate you, T.K."
The blonde youth blinked. Didn't hate him? But then...
"Then, why?" His tone was questioning, but his voice was edged with barely concealed joy and... could it be...affection? Kari tried to keep her eyes riveted to the spot above his head, but they wandered down, despite her efforts. Her gaze lowered, inch by painful inch, until finally, hazel locked with blue. The two teenagers stared into each other's eyes for a second, and then the walls came crashing down. Kari's hazel orbs welled with tears, and she bent her head, ashamed of her failing.
But T.K. didn't abhor her emotional breakdown. Nor did he ignore her, and walk away, as she believed he must do. Instead, Kari felt warm arms surround her, and she crumpled helplessly into his comforting embrace.
"Shhh." He whispered soothingly, rubbing her back and resting his chin on the crown of her head. Kari gulped copiously, juddering sobs wracking her slender frame.
"I'm sorry, T.K. I never meant to cause you so much pain. It's just... when my family died, I felt so guilty. Like I should've been there, should've done something. I couldn't bear feeling that way, so I closed myself off from everyone. I didn't want anyone around in case something happened and... and I wouldn't be able to help them either." She sucked in a lungful of air, tears dripping off the end of her small nose and onto the blonde boy's shirt, wetting the green fabric. He didn't seem to mind, though, hugging her tighter as all her pent-up feelings came pouring out. It was as if Kari had built a dam against the flow of emotions pervading her mind over the past year, and now someone had opened the floodgates and allowed all the water to cascade away.
T.K. patted her shoulder, murmuring comforting noises to the distraught girl in his arms. As he breathed in, the sweet scent of her hair invaded his nostrils. He inhaled the smell, drinking it as if it was water and he was stranded in the Sahara. God, he's missed that smell. He'd missed holding her like this. He'd missed everything about her. This innocent, caring girl sobbing silently against his chest.
Kari hiccupped, continuing with her torrent of words.
"Over time, I started to feel... numb. Like I couldn't feel anything anymore. I couldn't love, I couldn't hate, I couldn't forgive myself, or the criminal who'd done that to my family...all I had was this...this numbness, eating away at me from inside. I felt like I was losing my humanity. Like part of me was dying along with my parents and...and..." She couldn't continue for a second, too choked with emotion to carry on. T.K. waited patiently, allowing her time to compose herself before speaking again. "I needed to learn how to live again; and for that, I needed time. My memories of that period are hazy, but I can remember my councillor saying that I needed rest to recuperate. Then all I know is that I was at my Grandma's house in the country, with Gatomon. I'm sorry, T.K. I don't remember not saying goodbye. I'm so, so sorry. When you didn't contact me, I... I thought that you didn't want to know me anymore. I thought that you didn't want to associate with somebody as weak as me. I didn't realise you didn't know where I was. It's my fault. I'm sorry."
T.K. rubbed her spine with one hand, supporting her weight with his other arm. He whispered into her ear, as he'd longed to do, shushing her and soothing her juddering body with his gentle tone. "Shhh, it's all right. It's O.K., Kari."
The shuddering sobs became fewer, as if with the liberation of her feelings the tide of emotion Kari had been riding was dissipating. Tears still trickled down her ivory cheeks, but her breathing was becoming slower, more even. Yet she didn't move from the blonde boy's arms. In fact, she seemed rather reluctant to relinquish his warm embrace at all.
The brown-haired girl spoke again, her euphonious voice scarcely above a whisper. "I missed you, T.K. I missed you so much it hurt. Every time I looked at your picture I wanted to cry. I hated not seeing you, but I thought you despised me."
"I missed you too, Kari." T.K. replied, also whispering. "And I want you to know that I never hated you. I never did, and I never will. You mean too much for me to simply let you go through something like this alone. I'll always be there to help you, and I never ever want you to forget that. OK?"
Kari lifted her head. He didn't hate her? She mattered to him? Her heart swelled within her chest at these caring words.
"OK."
They sat together in silence, no more words needing to be said. Those two individuals, reunited at last into a bond that would never again be broken, nor weathered by time. Two people meant for each other, separated by fate, but reunited by destiny on that couch in an insignificant apartment in the heart of Tokyo that night. Kari leaned her head down, nestling against T.K.'s thin chest. They didn't need to declare what they felt for each other, for each already knew what was contained within the other's heart. Silently, they sat, content in the knowledge that despite everything, they'd found each other again - both in body, and in spirit.
___________________
A figure watched the happy duo quietly from behind. He stood where T.K. had resided not a few minutes ago, looking at them... together.
Davis sighed, a small sad sigh. Even after all this time, Kari had still chosen T.K. Still picked him over the goggle-wearing boy. Davis didn't resent their love. Even he could see from their expressions that they were truly happy. She was happy.
He loved her too. True, he'd proclaimed his feelings in such a manner as deserved retribution, but the sentiment had been real enough. Yet it had always been those two. Kari and T.K. Everyone had seen it, including him. They were meant for each other - fate, he supposed. Some inexorable force, which had drawn them back together even over the chasm that had stood between them for a year.
She looked so content in his arms. It seemed... right, somehow. Like the final piece of a puzzle had just slotted into place. Unfortunately, the Davis shaped piece was left over. Spare. Unattached to anything, or anyone. God, he cared for her. Maybe it wasn't real love, but it was as close as he'd ever come in his ultimately short life on Earth. He cared so much for her that he wanted her to be happy, no matter what. Even if that meant that she would be happiest with T.K.
Silently, and displaying a nobility that wouldn't have been present in him before the events of the past year, Davis Motomiya turned away from the scene laid out before him, and walked away. His heart cracked a little more with every step he took, but his resolve remained strong. Kari was content; therefore, vicariously he was too. And that, really, was all he needed in the world.
Wasn't it?
___________________
AUTHOR'S NOTES: I was a bit iffy about this chapter. I know it doesn't really progress the story much, but I felt that there were a few things that needed to be tied up, and it was just too bloody long if I tacked the next instalment on the end!
I'm not very good at Takari, so review and let me know what U think. Should I just stop the whole thing right now? Or would you like to know what happens next. There are more chapters if NE body's interested. (Just as a bit of random information, I've nearly finished Chapter Seven, and it currently reads as 20 pages (!) and still going.) Please review, all C&C welcome, and let others know so I can get their input too. Thanx.
Also, B4 I go, I have another piece of work - totally unrelated to Digimon btw - which I was considering posting. It's a comedy script I had 2 write 4 my Theatre Studies exam in the summer, and I was just wondering if NE1 would read it if I did post it. Let me know, and I'll provide according 2 demands.
Ta very much.
Beware of falling cows.
Scribbler ^_^* (That may seem a random comment, but actually there's a story behind it. If people want to know what it is then let me know and I'll tell you on the next chapter.)
