Matt sighed slightly as he knocked on the apartment door for the fifth time. Sora stood next to him and gave him a confused look.
"I always thought that TK was an early riser?"
"Actually, he just doesn't sleep that much," Matt admitted as he fished around in his pocket for his keys. He pulled them out when he finally found them and selected the one to this apartment. Inserting the key, Matt opened the door and gestured for Sora to enter first. The apartment was still somewhat dark, and it was obvious that no one had been up and about for several hours. Matt glanced down at his watch. It read ten-thirty. Matt shook his head and moved into the apartment after removing his shoes. Sora had already done that and was checking the refrigerator for a note from TK. After confirming that there wasn't one she returned to the entrance hall and stopped as something caught her eye. Kari's shoes still sat in their cubbyhole.
"Matt," Sora called softly. Matt quickly came up to her. "I think we have a guest." Matt took one look at the shoes and quickly made his way to his brother's room. The door was closed, but Matt opened it quietly and looked inside. And let his jaw drop. TK and Kari lay on the bed in each other's arms. The sheets were tangled around them and even an idiot could tell what they had done.
"What now?" Sora quietly asked Matt. In response Matt walked up to the sleeping couple and quietly and carefully untangled the sheets and used it to cover them. He then left the room and motioned for Sora to follow him. Sora followed him into the living room where Matt picked up the cordless and dialed. After a moment he spoke into the phone.
"Hey Jordan? It's Matt. Look, something's come up and TK and I won't be able to make it to practice today. Yeah, I know that we have a gig in a month. Of course it's important. Yes, I know that practice doesn't mean anything without us. I'm sorry. Look can you call everyone else and tell them that we'll reschedule? Thanks man. Yeah, you too." Matt then hung up and slumped wearily into a nearby recliner. "Now we wait for them to wake up and explain."
TK woke slowly, his mind and body both began violently protesting, trying to tell him that they were perfectly content where they were. TK tightened his hold around Kari for a moment as his mind replayed the events of last night. Taking a sleepy glance at the clock, however, caused TK to become wide-awake. Groaning, slightly over the aches in certain muscles he attempted to get out of bed without waking her.
"TK?" He was slightly less than successful.
"I didn't mean to wake you, but I need to start getting ready," he explained as he began to pull on a pair of boxers. "Matt's coming over soon to pick me up for practice." Kari also got out of bed and pulled on the shorts and tee shirt from last night.
"Then why don't you take a shower while I make us breakfast?" She suggested as they left the room.
"That's a good idea," TK admitted. "If I'm late, Matt's going to be pissed."
"It's a little late to be worrying about that." The voice from the living room brought them both up short as they walked out. Matt sat on the recliner, dressed in a pair of khakis and a white button up shirt. Sora sat next to him on the arm of the recliner in a deep green blouse and a black ankle- length skirt. TK sighed and turned to go back to his room. "Where do you think you're going?" Matt demanded. TK turned back to face his less than thrilled brother.
"It's too early in the morning for us to have this conversation half naked. I'm going to go pull on a shirt and pants. I promise I'll be right back." This last seamed more directed at Kari, who was beginning to resemble a deer in headlights. After TK had left the room, Matt gestured for Kari to sit down on the sofa across from the recliner. Kari mutely nodded and took her seat, staring at her hands for a few minutes.
"Oh stop that!" Matt barked. Then his toned softened considerably. "I'm not going to bite or anything." Kari looked up and grinned lightly. Sora assessed the situation rapidly and moved over to sit next to the Angel of Light.
"Don't worry, honey," Sora soothed, giving Kari a hug. "Matt's just a little worried about the both of you. He's mostly just trying to be a brother to TK."
"And you." Kari looked up to see Matt standing next to her with a glass of orange juice. She gratefully took the glass and took several swallows. Then Matt sat down next to her and gave her a hug. "I'm not going to take your head off. Trust me," and his face broke into an almost wolfish grin.
"Don't you already have a girlfriend?" TK asked mildly from where he leaned on the doorframe, now dressed in a pair of black jeans and a black tee shirt. Kari got up off the sofa and went over into TK's open arms, nestling her head in the hollow of his neck. TK, for his part, simply let his nostrils take in the scent of her hair. They stood like that for a minute and then they separated, TK taking her hand and leading them back to the sofa to face the pair who had resumed their seats on the recliner. TK picked up the glass of orange juice and took a drink.
"What happened last night?" Matt asked.
"Well," TK started, "Kari showed up at the door around eight, soaking wet and crying. I got her calmed down a little and sent her to take a shower to warm up a little and I gave her some dry clothes to use while her own dried. Then I made some dinner for us, since Kari hadn't eaten yet. While I was making dinner, I called you and told you to keep away from the apartment for the night. After that the four of us had dinner,"
"Four?" Matt broke in.
"Yeah. Kari, Patamon, Gatomon, and me." Matt relaxed somewhat, so TK continued. "After dinner, Kari and I went to my room to talk. Last I saw Patamon and Gatomon, they were in here playing cards."
"We decided to sleep on your mom's bed when it became obvious that it wasn't going to be used," Gatomon supplied as she walked into the room, followed by Patamon. Patamon dropped into TK's arms and gave him a hug, while Gatomon climbed into Kari's lap and did the same. "Are you feeling better, Kari?" Kari smiled at Gatomon's question and nodded. "Good," was all that the feline digimon said before settling into Kari's lap.
"Anyway," TK picked up again. "Kari and I talked for a few hours and I finally got her to open up about what had made her so sad. I tried my best to comfort her, but she was still depressed, so I decided that the best way to cheer her up would be with a tangible display of love."
"So what was wrong?" Sora asked. TK glanced at Kari and then at Matt before replying.
"I'd rather not say." His voice was slightly soft and held a tinge of regret. He and Matt had become so much closer over the last year, and Sora had always been like another mother to him. The idea of lying to them was unthinkable, but he didn't think it right for him to air Tai's stupidity.
"Now for the tough questions," Matt stated.
"Shouldn't we get to practice?" TK tried to stall.
"Not since I cancelled it this morning after Sora and I walked into your little love nest," Matt replied blandly.
"Speaking of that, what are you two doing here?" TK asked.
"Sora and I decided last night that we'd pick you up early and try to get the entire group together for breakfast," Matt replied. "Now stop trying to change the subject."
"Does Tai know about the breakfast plans?" Kari suddenly asked. Matt and Sora both detected the slightest hint of panic in her voice.
"We were going to call everyone from here honey," Sora replied. Kari visibly relaxed. TK put his arm around her shoulders and spoke to her softly for a moment before straitening up again.
"What now?" he asked.
"How about breakfast?" Sora suggested, smiling. "There's no real reason why we can't get everyone together still. It is the summer, so none of us have school." Matt smiled at the idea, but quickly lost the smile when Kari spoke up.
"Not Tai."
"But Kari," Sora started, but TK cut her off with a gesture as he leaned down and spoke to her again. They quietly talked for a few minutes, before they straitened up again.
"Everyone's fine," TK assured them. "Actually, why don't we call Cody, Yolei, Ken and Davis too?" Matt nodded in response. He knew that something was up and he suspected that the inclusion of the newer digidestined was just as an excuse to get Yolei to Kari's side. Even before their digimon had DNAdigivolved, the two had become fast friends and Yolei was much like a sister to Kari.
A few quick phone calls later and everything was set up. Since it was getting to be afternoon, Sora had suggested a picnic lunch in the park. Everyone was bringing his or her digimon, of course. Matt and Sora finally left after TK and Kari had promised to meet them there, but pleading that they both needed to take showers.
"You were awfully calm there," Sora noted as she and Matt made their way to the Apartment complexes parking lot, and Matt's convertible.
"I know TK well enough to know that screaming at him won't do any good." Matt let out a small laugh. "Actually, I've been half expecting this for the last year." Sora nodded in agreement.
"I know what you mean," she agreed. "Those two went for years without really telling each other how they felt about each other and those words are very important. I think when we almost lost TK, they both realized that." They had reached the car by now and Matt moved around to open Sora's door for her. He stopped her just before she got in and kissed her on the cheek.
"I love you," he stated simply before closing the door and moving around to get in the driver's side. Matt pulled out of the garage and headed towards the convenience store that Yolei's family ran to get some food together for the picnic. After a while, Sora spoke up again.
"Why don't we go pick up Tai? I want to make sure that he gets to the picnic." A smile tugged at Matt's lips.
"So you noticed Kari's sudden one-eighty too?"
"It was fairly obvious that what ever happened last night involved Tai," Sora stated. "I doubt that we'll find out from TK. He obviously thinks that it would hurt Kari, and TK has devoted entire portions of his life trying to prevent that."
"And if it really took TK that long to get here to open up," Matt continued, picking up the train of thought where Sora had left off, "then I really doubt that she'll open up to any of us older kids. Especially since you and I are Tai's best friends."
"I think it's something else," Sora disagreed. Matt risked a brief glance in her direction as he stopped for a light. She was looking out the window, and chewing on her lower lip, like she always did when she was nervous.
"Well, the best place to try for right now would be to ask Tai," Matt suggested as they pulled into the parking lot.
Tai was lounging on the sofa watching TV when there was a knock on the door of his family's apartment. His family had moved two years ago so that he and Kari could have separate rooms. His father was away on a business trip for several days and his mother had gone with him. Tai strongly suspected that the business part of the trip would only last for a little bit of the time that the two were going to be away.
Tai grumbled slightly as he turned off the TV and got up to answer the door. He hoped that it was Kari, but in his heart he knew that he had really managed to screw up last night. He had tried in vein to justify his actions and words, but they always kept coming up hollow. He silently sighed, then composed himself and opened the door. He was met with the sight of his two best friends.
"Matt, Sora, come on in. What brings you here?" The three of them proceeded into the living room after Matt and Sora had taken off their shoes.
"We thought that we'd give you a ride to the park," Sora replied as she sat down on the sofa. Tai sat down next to her, but Matt remained standing.
"Why are we going to the park?" Tai was just a little bewildered. His sister was missing and his best friends were in the mood for a soccer game?
"For the picnic," Matt replied blandly. "We tried to call you to tell you about it, but the line was busy." Tai shrugged.
"I've been calling people. I had something important to take care of."
"Trying to find Kari?" Sora asked mildly. Tai's eyes practically bulged out of his head.
"Do you know where she is?" He shot up and almost grabbed Sora's arm, but was restrained by Matt, who caught Tai's arm and forced him to sit back down.
"We know where she is," Matt confirmed. "She's safe for right now and she's going to be at the picnic. Now what happened last night between you two?" It wasn't really a request and Tai saw that immediately. With some reluctance he began to tell them everything.
"And when I got out of the shower there was a note that just said that she was spending the night at a friend's. It didn't say which one and I spent half the night looking for her." Tai finished talking and looked at his closest friends. Sora's face was a mixture of pity and exasperation. Matt's face very closely resembled a thundercloud and for a moment Tai was actually afraid. He breathed a little easier though as Matt visibly took control of his temper.
"That was probably the STUPIDEST thing that you have EVER done!" Matt shouted. "What were you thinking! Were you thinking? You actually tried to make Kari pick between you and TK! You fucking idiot!" Then again, Tai thought, Matt always did have one hell of a temper.
"Why Tai?" This question came from Sora who had stood up and put a restraining hand on Matt's arm.
"Oh come on! Don't tell me that you two actually approve of the depth of their relationship."
"It doesn't matter whether we approve or not," Sora answered. "The choices are theirs to make and theirs alone. The most that we can do is give them our opinions and advice and trust them to do what they think is right." Tai sighed.
"I think that they've been talking about having sex." It was obvious that he didn't even like talking about the possibility.
"Even if they are, there's not much that you can do about it," Matt pointed out. "Kari's eighteen and TK's almost nineteen."
"No they're not!" Tai interrupted. "They're both sixteen. They're too young to be having sex or even thinking about it."
"You know better then that Tai," Sora rebuked. "You tried to convince your parents to let you drink when you were nineteen because of the time we were in the digital world. You tried to argue that we were all two years older then we really were because of how time passes there. Now you're trying to block that same argument. TK and Kari are both old enough physically and they are definitely old enough emotionally." Tai hung his head in shame. He and Sora had been best friends for years now and the disappointment evident in her voice cut through him like a knife.
"This was what led to your argument with Kari." Matt didn't phrase it as a question. He didn't have to.
"Yes." Tai voice was very subdued. The full weight of what he had done was finally beginning to sink in. He didn't want to lose his closeness to Kari over this. His thoughts were interrupted by Matt's voice.
"It's actually not as bad as you might think. Both Kari and TK know that you don't tend to think when you get very emotional and protective, so they might actually forgive you if you approach them right."
"How?" Tai practically pleaded.
"Well, the picnic is in a few minutes, so the best bet would be to talk to them then." Matt put a comforting hand on Tai's shoulder. "Just tell them that you don't like the idea, but that it's their decision and that you'll support what ever choice they make." Tai sighed and stood up.
"Well, let's get to the picnic." He suddenly grinned and looked at Sora. "Unless you're scarred that I can still whip you at soccer." Sora stood up and smoothed the front of her skirt. She then gave him a dazzling smile.
"You and what nation?" she asked sweetly.
Most everyone was already at the park by the time they arrived. Izzy, Yolei, and Ken were in an informal circle, talking shop. TK sat underneath a nearby tree while Kari sat in his lap and the two would occasionally join in on the conversation. Joe and Cody sat on a park bench, talking about nothing in particular. Mimi sat next to Joe and spoke up every now and then. Davis was kicking around a soccer ball, obviously waiting for Tai to show up so that the two of them could get down to some serious soccer. The digimon were just lounging around in the grass, usually close to their partners, except for Gatomon and Patamon, who were playing a game of tag with Veemon. Gabumon, Biyomon, and Agumon ran ahead of Tai, Matt and Sora to join in the tag game. Veemon was obviously it, and it was obvious that he would never catch Patamon or Gatomon. The other digimon began to take notice of the game, and soon all twelve were involved in an elaborate game of tag.
TK and Kari greeted Matt and Sora warmly, but barely acknowledged Tai's greeting. Matt joined Joe, Mimi, and Cody, while Sora called Yolei over to help her set up the picnic. Tai joined Davis in kicking around the soccer ball.
The group gathered together when Sora called out that lunch was ready. The conversation was basically idle chitchat as the friends all enjoyed the picnic lunch. Eventually, the conversation turned towards the upcoming concert.
"So, do you know what songs you're going to sing?" Mimi asked. Mimi had just recently moved back to Japan and was still trying to catch up with all of her old friends. She and Yolei had developed a bond that bordered on sisterhood and she had reestablished her deep friendship with Joe, even though she and Michael still exchanged e-mails and meet in the digital world for dates.
"Not really," Matt conceded. "We're mostly just going to practice a wide range of songs and then pick them as we go." TK nodded his agreement.
"It keeps us on our toes," he added.
"So, what's it like playing in a rock band?" Cody asked TK. Cody had grown significantly since their adventures in the digital world. He was just finishing puberty and his voice still tended to warble back and forth. He was also growing like a weed.
"Overrated," TK admitted, as Kari snuggled deeper into his arms. "There's so much to do to get ready for everything that you tend to miss a lot."
"It's really kind of depressing when you can't dance at any of the party's because your date is on stage," Kari added. TK looked like he was about to say something, but Kari silenced him by placing a finger on his lips. "We've already had this discussion, Love," she reminded him. "I don't really mind. Not too much, anyway." TK smiled and kissed her finger.
"What's it like dating a rock star?" Yolei asked, her eyes alight with curiosity. Yolei had also grown up since the digital world. She was now much less quick to judge, and was slightly more forgiving. She had also started to wear contacts, and had started to dress better. Ken privately thought that the contacts made her look very pretty.
"What's it like dating a genius?" Kari retorted. This set both girls to giggling and Ken to blushing. Ken himself had also grown. He was now much more open and fun loving. Yolei had that effect on people sometimes. His parents had recently moved into a new apartment in Odiaba, so Ken was now in the same class as Yolei, Davis, TK and Kari. He was the co captain of the soccer team, along side Davis. His hair was still short, but he wore more casual clothes.
"You first," Mimi retorted on Yolei's behalf.
"It's kind of fun," Kari admitted. "TK tends to stay out of the spot light, and everyone knows that the two of us are involved, so I don't have to deal with screaming fan girls trying to ask him out right in front of me. And of course, there are the perks," Kari sighed in pleasure as TK kissed her on the forehead and began to gently massage her shoulders.
"Perks?" Joe asked, slightly perplexed.
"It's easier to get reservations at some of the more elegant restaurants, things like that," TK supplied.
"Actually, I was talking about how attentive you tend to get whenever you feel that you've been neglecting me because of a concert," Kari smiled up at TK.
"There's that too," TK admitted, blandly. "Now you tell us," he added, turning towards Yolei. She smiled at Ken, and snaked her hand into his.
"Mostly, I just have to put up with someone needing his help. He always goes out of his way to help anyone. It's one of his more endearing traits, actually. It just becomes really annoying when I'm trying to spend a few minutes alone with him and someone runs up with a math problem that they don't understand." Yolei sighed and laid her head down on Ken's shoulder. "Of course, it's also fun to have someone to argue with."
"Does your existence get ignored this often too?" Ken asked TK.
"Get used to it," TK advised. Kari stuck her tongue out at TK and Yolei did the same to Ken. Everyone seemed to find this absolutely hilarious. After they had calmed down a bit the conversation continued.
"So what about you, Davis?" Sora asked from where she lay with her head in Matt's lap. "Anyone special in your life yet?" Davis seemed to hesitate.
"Spill it Davis!" Yolei shouted, sitting back up. The other's rapidly agreed with Yolei.
"It's really nothing guys," Davis shrugged.
"Come on, buddy," TK said. "The rest of us get our lives put under the microscope for your amusement, now you get to face the same thing."
"Come on TS, cut me a break," Davis whined. The two of them had long ago buried the hatchet and where now close friends. Davis still mispronounced TK's name more out of habit then anything else. TK let him get away with it as a sign of friendship.
"Who is it?" Kari asked.
"You probably don't know her," Davis stalled.
"Name." Kari commanded. Davis sighed in defeat.
"Her name's Maria and she's from America."
"The brunette with the Centarumon?" Mimi asked.
"Yeah, that's her," Davis admitted. "We talked a little while you and I were in New York sending all the free digimon back to the digital world. We got along fairly well and she was pretty nice. Anyway, we meet up again last year in one of the digi-chat rooms that Izzy and Gennai set up to keep all the digidestined around the world connected. We just kept talking off and on for about a month and then she suggested that we meet up in the digital world. We've been dating ever since." He leaned back with a smug expression on his face. "Its kind of cool being able to go on dates in the digital world. We also use it so I can go to America to see her and she uses it to come see me here."
"What's her Centarumon like?" Patamon asked Veemon.
"He's a nice guy," Veemon admitted. "His rookie form is a Gabumon, so he's kind of fun to hang out with."
"He?" Gatomon asked. She seamed very startled.
"Yeah, why?" Veemon asked. Then realization dawned in his eyes. "Oh no! SO not doing what you're thinking! Yuck!"
"What?" Davis was obviously confused.
"These gutter brains think that her Gabumon and I are going out. I am strait! Gesh!"
"Well, we did have a fair amount of evidence," TK pointed out. "Patamon and Gatomon got together even before Kari and I did and Biyomon and Gabumon have been together since Sora and Matt got together."
"Plus Tentomon gets along very well with that Candlemon," Gomamon added. Everyone stared at him.
"What Candlemon?" Palmon asked.
"Well the OWW!" Gomamon broke off as Tentomon jabbed him hard in the side. Mimi turned to Izzy.
"Are you keeping secrets from us?" she demanded. Izzy began to sweat.
"Well, you see, um," Izzy cleared his throat as he realized that he was going to tell them one way or another. "Well, like Davis, I also meet someone during the World Tour. She was fairly nice looking and very intelligent. We just hit it off. And like Davis mentioned, since everyone can now open digiports, it's not like we can't see each other."
"Well who is she?" Cody asked.
"Her name is Mina and she is from India."
"But I thought that Mina was partnered with a Meramon?" Kari asked, remembering the quiet, polite Indian girl that she and Izzy had helped cross the India/China border with a herd of wild digimon.
"Candlemon is her Meramon's rookie form," Tentomon explained. "She's very nice and kind of cute," he admitted.
"Looks like all of the digidestined are falling in love," TK commented.
"Not all of us," Yolei scoffed.
"Willis emailed me yesterday to tell me that he's got a girlfriend." Yolei's jaw dropped while Cody and Davis laughed. Kari just smiled.
"Good for him," she commented. "What's her digimon?"
"A Biyomon that digivolves to an Airdramon. He described her as redheaded, green-eyed, and the most beautiful thing on the planet." TK paused while a smile formed on his lips. "Of course, he could be just a little biased in this case." This sent everyone into another fit of laughter.
"Kari, can I talk to you for a minute?" Kari looked up from her comfortable position, snuggled up in TK's arms to look at her brother. The look she gave him was cold and unyielding. "It'll just take a minute," he hastily added. Kari gave no indication that she was going to move, but TK took her arms from around his neck and nudged her to stand.
"Go on, Love," he encouraged. "I'll be right here when you get back." Kari gave TK one last look and a quick kiss before she turned and left with Tai.
"So are you going to tell us what's wrong with Kari?" Yolei demanded. The food portion of the picnic had ended an hour ago, and the group had splintered into smaller groups that ebbed and flowed as the people chose. TK looked up to see Yolei standing over him with her hands on her hips, Ken hovering protectively nearby.
"Kari and Tai got into an argument last night," he answered.
"Over what?" Ken spoke up. By now everyone was drifting over to see what was up. The tension between Kari and Tai had been palpable this afternoon, and Tai had spoken very little during lunch. Also, Kari and TK had waited until Tai had sat down to come to lunch and they deliberately chose a spot as far away from Tai as possible.
"I'd rather not say," TK responded. "It's not my place to say," he continued when Yolei looked like she was about to protest. "It's between Kari and Tai."
"It has to do with your relationship," Joe commented.
"She was a lot more open about your relationship than she usually is," Cody added.
"Almost like she needed to make a point of it," Mimi concluded. "What is it Davis?" Davis had suddenly gone very pale.
"He didn't. Did he?" He looked TK in the eyes for several seconds before TK sighed and nodded his head slightly. For his part, Davis dropped his head into his hands.
"What are you talking about?" Ken asked.
"Tai criticized Kari's relationship with TK," Sora supplied from where she and Matt had moved to stand next to TK in an obvious show of support. Everyone stood dead still for almost a minute, trying to absorb what they had just heard.
"Why?" Davis finally asked. "After everything that happened last year, how could he…" Davis suddenly shut up as he realized that he had said too much.
"What happened last year?" Cody demanded. TK, Davis, Sora and Matt remained silent. "Something happened last year that changed a whole lot and I think it's about time that we knew what it was."
"What do you mean?" Mimi asked, perplexed.
"Last year at almost the same time, Sora and Matt got together, Davis stopped chasing after Kari, TK vanished for several days, and when he reappeared, he and Kari were going out," Joe supplied. "You were still finalizing moving back to Japan, so you missed most of it."
"Cody's right," Izzy added. "It's about time that you guys told us what happened." TK seamed to shrink back more and more into himself.
"TK, what happened?" Ken asked.
"None of your business," Kari responded as she and Tai came back out from the trees where they had been talking. She went to TK and dropped down to hug him.
"Actually, we think it is our business," Yolei retorted. "It obviously affects you guys, so it affects the rest of us, too." TK suddenly stood up and began to walk away from everyone. Kari got up and ran after him.
"It's none of your business," Tai repeated as he and Matt moved to block the others from reaching the couple, while Sora went over to talk to them. "Not until TK decides to tell you," he added.
"I take it that you and Kari resolved your differences?" Izzy asked. Tai nodded.
"Glad to hear it," Agumon spoke up from where the digimon stood in a small group. "You were becoming hard to live with." Tai smiled just as Sora returned.
"They're going to head back to the apartment," she reported.
"But it's only four o'clock," Ken pointed out.
"Well maybe if you hadn't all ganged up on TK," Sora began to shout, but she was stopped when Matt hugged her from behind and she seamed to calm somewhat. The picnic broke up at that point as everyone began to gather up their things and their digimon. Everyone went home, but most of them still had unanswered questions.
Matt called a meeting the next day at three o'clock at TK's apartment. He refused to say what it was about, only that it was important that everyone be there. So, by three o'clock everyone sat somewhere in the Takaishi apartment.
"Well, let's get started," Matt began standing up from his place on the sofa next to Sora. "Yesterday, you all wanted to know about what happened last year. Well, TK finally agreed that you should all know."
"I didn't have much choice," TK muttered from his place in the recliner. Kari sat on the arm of the chair and the two were holding hands. "Not with you, Sora and Tai badgering me to let you tell them."
"It's for the best," Kari assured him.
"Traitor," TK accused, although his smile took most of the bit out of it.
"So what happened?" Cody asked from the floor.
"TK tried to commit suicide," Sora answered. The entire room fell dead silent.
"This is a joke, right?" Mimi asked. She nearly fainted when Matt shook his head.
"Why," Cody demanded.
"It seamed like a good idea at the time," TK answered. Ken clamped a hand on Cody's shoulder to prevent him from standing.
"I think that you should tell us everything." His voice was cold and detached, but his eyes broadcast his feelings of shock and hurt.
"There isn't that much to tell," TK shrugged.
"Bull shit." TK began to realize just how seriously everyone was taking this. Ken almost never swore.
"It was just after New Years Day, last year," Kari began. "I had decided to go watch Davis' soccer game. After his team won I went up to congratulate him. He suggested that we go grab a bit to eat, and I agreed. We were walking near here when I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my heart. I can't explain it, I just knew that something was wrong with TK. Davis and I ran up to the apartment, where we found the door locked. TK had given me a key when he first moved in, and I used it to get us in. Inside we found TK in the bathroom. He had cut his wrists. There was blood everywhere." Kari broke off at that point as she began to shake. TK pulled her down into his lap and encircled her with his arms.
"Kari stayed with him to try and stop the bleeding," Davis picked up. "I called an ambulance. Between the two of us, we managed to keep him alive until the paramedics arrived. They managed to stop the bleeding, but he was still in pretty bad shape. We both rode in the ambulance with TK to the hospital."
"That was you?" Yolei interrupted. "I knew that an ambulance had come to the complex that day, but I never did find out who it was for."
"Anyway," Davis continued, "we got to the hospital and they tried to stabilize him, but they weren't having much luck. While we were waiting, I called Matt."
"I was in the middle of band practice when my cell went off," Matt continued. "About all Davis told me was that TK was in the hospital and to hurry. I just dropped everything and ran. When I got there, TK was still fairly busy dying. A doctor came in and asked me some questions." He turned to look at TK. "Apparently, the fact that you were two years older than you should have been concerned them. They finally managed to stabilize him and they moved him to an intensive care unit. After they managed to pull his butt from the fire I called Dad and told him what had happened. Actually," he conceded, "I still didn't have a clue as to what had happened. The words "TK" and "hospital" seemed to motivate Dad though. He got to the hospital in about fifteen minutes."
"From the TV station?" Izzy asked incredulously. Matt nodded.
"I gather that he speed a little. Anyway, they let us in one at a time to see him. Then they had us wait out in the lobby. A doctor came along and began to ask Dad some questions. Then the police came. That was when I first heard that it was a suicide attempt. I called Tai, but he was out, and a message on the machine just seemed wrong."
"The doctors came by about an hour later," Kari went on. "They said that he had lost a lot of blood and that he needed a transfusion. They checked all our medical records and had found that TK and I are the same blood type. I agreed to let them draw some of my blood to give to him, and afterwards, he began to mend. He was unconscious for about two days. By the time he had woken up, we had decided to keep it among ourselves and to keep the rest of you guys in the dark."
"How did you two get involved?" Ken asked, turning to look at Tai and Sora.
"I got involved when Tai called me late that night asking if Kari was at my home," Sora answered. "I told him that she wasn't and to try TK's. He told me that he already had, but no one had answered. For some reason this sent off warning bells in my head. I called Matt's number and no one answered, so I called Matt's cell. When he answered he sounded exhausted. When I asked him where he was, he told me he was at the hospital. I hung up in a bit of a hurry," she confessed. "When I got to the hospital, Matt was on the brink of exhaustion, Kari was an emotional wreck and Mr. Ishida was talking to a police officer in a very low voice. Davis was with them, telling them what he and Kari and seen when they had found TK. It took me nearly an hour to calm Kari down, and by then, I had a general sort of idea about what had happened."
"She talked me into calling Tai," Matt admitted. "I told him everything that had happened and told him to get to the hospital. When he got there, he and Sora talked for a minute and then Tai took over consoling Kari."
"And I started to console Matt," Sora added.
"That answers all our questions except one," Joe admitted. "Why?" He asked turning towards TK.
TK sighed. "It had been a rough year," he started. "All of our battles with BlackWargreymon had ended in defeat. It finally took a move of pure dumb luck to save the entire universe from destruction. Then we discovered that Arukenymon and Mummymon could send armies of digimon into the real world. The basketball season was suffering because I was so tired all of the time. They had all been counting on me, and I let them down. My grades were starting to go down to the point of academic probation. Matt had been so absorbed in his band that I hardly ever talked to him anymore. Mom and Dad hate me, so I saw no reason to stick around. I didn't think that anyone would miss me."
"How could you think that?" Izzy demanded. "We're your friends, of course we would miss you!"
"When was the last time that you and I had talked outside of a crisis?" TK asked in a quiet tone. Izzy groped for an answer for a few moments before finally shaking his head in defeat.
"Why didn't you talk to us about this?" Joe asked.
"When? How? You were always too busy with schoolwork and studying for some test or another. Matt was working with his band full time, trying to make it successful. Tai had soccer, Sora had tennis, Mimi was away in America and Izzy was always working on something about the digital world."
"What about us?" Yolei demanded. "Do we mean so little to you?"
"You were working at your families store full time when you weren't with us in the digital world or at school, Cody was always at kendo practice, Davis and I never really got along back then and Ken lived too far away and we didn't know each other very well."
"What about Kari?" Mimi asked. TK remained silent. "Well?"
"Kari was part of the problem," TK finally admitted. "I was just beginning to realize how I felt about her, but Davis was still trying to win her heart. I knew that she wouldn't want to have to choose between the two of us, so I kept my mouth shut. And pretty soon she started to spend time with Davis. I barely saw her at all during the week before Christmas. About the only times I saw her were when we surprised all of the original digidestined with their digimon and at Ken's party. One of the reasons I went to Ken's party instead of Matt's concert was that Kari was going to be there."
"Why do you think your parents hate you?" Cody asked in a subdued voice. The startled looks on everyone's faces indicated that most of them had missed that remark.
"Well, they do," TK explained.
"Why do you think that?" Matt asked, his concern evident on his face.
"I am the reason that they broke up in the first place. Don't try and deny it," he rebuffed Matt as he tried to protest. "I may have been four years old at the time, but I was old enough to her them yelling about how I hadn't been wanted. Now I never see Dad unless I'm over with you and then he's distant to me. Mom's away all the time. Every time she's home, it feels like she's just waiting for an excuse to leave on another assignment. I know that they don't love me Matt. I've dealt with it."
Everyone remained silent for the next few minutes, trying to process everything that had been said in the past hour. Finally Joe stood up and went over to TK.
"But you are loved," he countered, lying a hand on TK's shoulder. "By all of the digidestined, by Patamon, even by your parents. We all love you TK. It's as simple as that." He sighed as TK just shook his head in denial. "Well, it's getting kind of late and I think that we all need time to think about this. How about we get together tomorrow for a picnic in the digital world. We can talk more than." A sly smile appeared on his face. "Besides, that will give us a chance to meet Izzy and Davis' new lady-friends. And TK, come and have fun. We all do love you. Some more obviously than others," he smiled at Kari. The others all agreed and decided to meet at Digitamamon's restaurant. Then everyone said their good-byes and left TK and Kari alone.
