Author's note: It took a while coming, but here it is! The third chapter! Originally this was the final chapter, but it went on for so long I had to make another chapter after this. Sorry.
The three songs featured in this chapter are 'Be All Right' (TK's 01 theme), 'Hitoribotchi no Seesaw', and part of 'Turn Around' (both by Matt's band). Thanks to Megchan for the lyrics to the first two songs, and a specially big thank you to my friend Majestic Arcanine not only giving me 'Hitoribotchi no Seesaw', but for inspiring the entire concert scene! Thank you! If at all possible, PLEASE get yourself a copy of 'Hitoribotchi' and listen to it when Matt's singing it! It gives a great effect, and if you use your imagination it's like you're at a TW concert *_*
I didn't know the band's last names, so I used Empress of the Eclipse's names for them. Hope you don't mind ^^;;
There's also a Red Dwarf reference! See if you can spot it! And Kari's seriously big understatement. And TK acts like me at one point. No, I don't mean that I'm a depressed psychotic killer, I mean I really love cheesecakes. My friends and I have a thing about all knowing cheesecakes, so I made a little joke about it.
Warning: I cannot be held responsible for any feelings of nausea that occur from reading the Yakari scenes. I can't believe I wrote it. My first proper straight couple and it's a Yakari _. Sorry once again...
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Chapter 3: Lonely Seesaw
Ashita mo kyou ga tsuzuku no?
Negaeba kitto tsuzuku yo ne...
Ashita tenki ni naare yume made todoke
Teruteru bouzu to nakayoku narou
Hora akushu wo sureba ishindenshin
Kimi mo egao wo misete zutto be all right...
Matt hummed and sang as he walked towards the convention centre, his guitar case slung over his shoulder. His band, the Teenage Wolves, had a concert on tonight and he was meeting the other members- Takahashi, Akira and Yutaka- there. His guitar case felt as light as a feather as he caught a lamppost with his hand and swung round.
"Will today continue tomorrow?
If we wish for it, surely it will...
Tomorrow we'll have good weather, and continue into my dreams..."
His voice echoed down the street as he approached the convention centre. A cat watched him curiously from the safety of a high wall, and he grinned up at it and continued to sing.
"Let's make friends with the weather god
Look, if we shake hands, it's like telepathy..."
A crowd of mainly fangirls was forming outside the front doors, so he went round the back way. He reached the band entrance, still in song.
"Let me see your smile..."
He burst through the side door, throwing his arms wide and finishing in an over-dramatic flourish.
"It'll always be all riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight!!!!"
The band looked at him oddly.
"Hey guys!" said Matt cheerfully, practically skipping over to a chair and putting down his guitar case.
The band looked at each other, then back at Matt.
"You okay, Matt?" asked Akira, looking slightly puzzled.
"Never better!" grinned Matt, getting his guitar out.
The band looked at each other again.
"Matt..." began Yutaka, the third member "Have you been drinking or something?"
"Haven't touched a drop all day!"
"Hey, Yama!" Takahashi got up, carrying a cup of coffee over to Matt "We've got a full house tonight! I hope you're up to it!"
Matt snorted "What, you think I'm not?"
"Well, there was-AHHH!!!!"
Takahashi tripped over a cable that was lying on the floor and landed flat on his face. The coffee went flying through the air and neatly spilled itself all over Matt's guitar case.
The band froze. One of their golden rules was to never, ever touch Matt's guitar case. Once Yutaka's little brother dribbled some ice cream over it, and Matt had gone on a rampage. If Yutaka hadn't managed to persuade his itoto-chan to visit his auntie in Osaka, then he would probably now be an only child.
Takahashi took one look at the now coffee-soaked case and wailed, covering his head with his hands "It wasn't me!!! IT WASN'T ME!!!"
Matt looked at the case and turned slowly to Takahashi.
Everyone shrunk back.
Suddenly, Matt broke into a smile.
"It's ok, Taka! After all, accidents do happen!" he grinned.
The band looked at each other in astonishment, then rugby tackled Matt to the floor.
"Alright!" said Takahashi, pinning Matt by sitting on his chest "Who are you, and what have you done with the real Matt?"
"I AM the real Matt!" protested Yamato jokingly from underneath.
"Oh really," grinned Akira slyly "You're acting seriously out of character! How do we know that you're the REAL Matt? You could be an evil alien clone sent to kill us all!"
Suddenly the door on the far side of the room opened and a stagehand came through "Right guys, you're on in 10 minu..." his eyes went wide as he saw Matt being pinned by the other band members and being seemingly straddled by Takahashi.
Yutaka glared at him "Do you MIND??"
"Umm...Sorry. I'll see myself out..." the stagehand slunk away and closed the door.
"Anyway," continued Akira "How are we supposed to know if you're the real Matt? The REAL Matt would have ripped Taka's head off for spilling the coffee on his guitar case! You'll have to prove that you're the real Matt!"
Matt sighed and rolled his eyes "You're Yutaka Ikari, Akira Nakatsuru and Takahashi Miyahara, we all live in Odaiba and we're all 15, apart from Taka who's 16. Yutaka was arrested once for getting drunk and mooning on a subway train, Takahashi got beaten up by his ex-girlfriend's mates and ended up with a black eye and broken ribs, and you, Akira, were once admitted into hospital completely naked and attached to a..."
"OK! OK!" shouted Akira, releasing Matt's arms "You are the real Matt! We believe you!"
Yamato looked up at Takahashi sitting on his chest "Would you mind moving? This is kinda embarrassing..."
"Gomen!" Takahashi got off, allowing to Matt stand up and dust himself down.
"Now..." began Matt "Would someone please explain to me what you lot thought you were doing?"
Akira picked up his drumsticks and started to clean them "You were being totally OOC!"
"Whaddya mean, OOC? I'm not being out of character!"
"Yes you are! You're just so smiley and so...*happy*! You mind telling us why?"
"Well, ah..." Matt began to blush.
Takahashi looked up from flicking through a magazine "Yamato's in love!"
"WHAT?!?" Akira and Yutaka stared wide-eyed at Matt, who blushed even harder.
"No I'm not!"
"Wahey!" cheered Akira "So who's the lucky girl then, eh?"
"Is it Sora?"
"Is it Jun?"
"Is it Yutaka?"
"HEY!"
Matt waved at them to shut up, still blushing "No, it's none of them, and definitely NOT Yutaka! It's...ah..."
The band all moved right next to him "C'mon c'mon!! Spill the beans, Yamato!"
"It's...ah..." he lowered his voice to a whisper "Snthry."
"Oh, *what* was that?" asked Yutaka in a singsong voice, cupping his hand around his ear.
Matt whispered again.
"Oh, I'm sorry Yamato, I didn't quite catch that!" smirked Akira.
"Fine! It's HIKARI, you gimboids!"
The band stared open mouthed at Matt.
"KARI?!?! As in your little bro's ex-girlfriend?"
Matt sighed "Yeah..."
Takahashi elbowed him "You wild thang, you!"
Matt blushed again "Stoppit!"
"So when did THIS happen, Romeo?"
"Don't call me that! Anyway, it was...ah...last night."
The band wolf-whistled and cheered.
"Whoohoo! Matt's pulled!" cheered Akira.
"SHUT UP!"
The door opened again and the stagehand came through, a lot more nervously this time "Um...sorry to disturb you, but you're on!"
"C'mon then, loverboy! Let's get going!"
"Stop calling me that!!"
The announcers voice boomed out over the audience "And now, it's the moment we've all been waiting for...give it up for...the TEENAGE WOLVES!!"
The entire arena burst into cheering and fangirl squeals as the band came on and took their places.
"ODAIBA!" shouted Matt into the microphone "Are you ready to ROCK???"
A massive cheer answered him. He grinned and strummed his guitar as the band opened up the concert with their classic song: 'Turn Around'.
I turn around,
I can see what's behind me
I'll turn back the road,
Make you see what's ahead.
And if you don't believe
I've been here all along,
Just turn around
Just turn around...
Eventually, the concert wound down and it came to the final song. Matt shifted his bang of hair from his eyes and spoke out over the crowd "For our final song, we're doing a change from 'Tobira Door'. This is a song for all you romantics out there, because for every man, there's a perfect girl waiting just for you, and vice versa..."
Jun was in the audience, next to her best friend Momoe, who was Yolei's eldest sister. She squealed and went starry eyed "He's talking about me! Matt thinks that I'M his perfect girl!!"
"Jun, I'm not too sure about that..."
"And this song...is for my perfect girl." Matt played the opening bars on his guitar and as they began to play their slow and romantic song, 'Hitoribotchi no Seesaw'.
"Fuyu no sanpomichi
Ate nado nanimo
Nai mama de arukou
Tsumetai aozora
Ryoute wa poketto
Kokoro de korogaru ishikoro...
Kimi no yasashisa ga
Massugusugite
Sukoshi dake tsurai yo
Sunao ni narenai
Sunaosa nanka ja
Kotaeru shikkaku mo nai ne..."
The audience began to sway in time to the song, and a few held up cigarette lighters. Across the darkened arena, it looked as if they were holding up candles, each one flickering in the light.
"Hitoribotchi no shiisoo de
Daremo ga dareka ga kuru no wo matteru
Boku mo onnaji dakedo ne
Itsu demo hantai muki shite
Suwatte itan da...
Itsumo omotteru toori no
Kotoba ienakute
Ita kedo
Muri shite miru koto
Yappari kimeta yo
Waratte kuretemo ii sa..."
Matt squinted past the bright stage lights, his eyes finally resting on a figure who stood towards the back, watching him with love in her eyes. She smiled at him, knowing that this time, the song was for her and her alone. There was nobody else here, except for her and Matt, singing softly.
"Hitoribotchi no shiisoo de
Sabishikunai furi shinagara matteta
Kimi ga suwatte kuretara
Kimochi ga tsuriau
Egao ni nareru to omou yo..."
The final chorus came up and Matt closed his eyes, putting all his soul into the song. There wasn't a packed arena before him, nor was there a band behind him...just him and his love, Kari.
"Hitoribotchi no shiisoo de
Daremo ga dareka ga kuru no wo matteru
Kimi ni aitai kimochi ga
Mafuyu no aozora mitai ni
Kokoro ni hirogatta..."
The music died away and there was silence for a few seconds, before the entire arena burst into wild applause, cheering and screaming. The band bowed and the applause grew stronger. The audience began to throw stuff on stage, namely teddy bears, flowers, telephone numbers and marriage proposals. Someone threw their bra and it landed on Yutaka's head. He pulled it off, held it up and gave a thumbs up at the crowd, who cheered even more. The band left the stage, but Matt stopped, turned round and blew a kiss. Every fangirl in the audience squealed, positive that the kiss had been for them.
In fact, the kiss had been for the girl standing quietly at the back, watching the band as they slowly went backstage.
She closed her eyes and a happy tear slid from under her eyelid.
"Thank you, Matt..." she opened her eyes and gazed upwards "Aishiteru, Yamato-chan."
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I trudged up the 5 flights of stairs to my apartment.
Kari...
Matt...
My anger had given away to sorrow.
To pity...
To emptiness...
Kari...
My dear sweet Kari...
Why?
I reached my door and tried the handle.
Locked.
I fumbled with the key and opened the door.
The place was dark and empty.
Just like me...
I turned on the light.
A note was on the side table.
'TK, just nipping out to drop off my portfolio and to pick up some groceries. Be back in about an hour.
-Okaasan
PS. There's a surprise for you in the fridge!'
I think I've had enough surprises.
Still, I open the fridge.
Sitting there is a cheesecake.
I love cheesecake.
I take it out and put it on the table.
I sit down and look at it.
Orange cheesecake.
Sitting there on a plate.
I adore cheesecakes.
I could eat a hundred of them.
But...I can't bring myself to touch it.
Why?
I don't want to eat.
I haven't eaten in hours, but...
I just don't want to eat.
I don't want to eat ever again.
And the cheesecake...it mocks me.
Because it knows.
I don't know how, it just does.
Suddenly, it blurs.
I'm crying.
Why?
I brush the tears away and get up.
I should have a shower.
But I don't want to.
I don't want to do anything.
I get up and go to my room.
I don't want to walk.
I don't want to stand.
I close the bedroom door behind me and lean against it.
The room is dark.
Patamon is asleep on the bed.
I don't want to sleep.
I don't want to be awake.
I sit down on the bed.
Patamon wakens.
"TK? Are you all right? You look upset."
I don't answer.
I don't want to.
I just feel numb.
As if my soul has died...and I'm just an empty shell.
Patamon places a paw on my leg.
"Please tell me what's wrong! Has something bad happened?"
I look into his dazzling blue eyes.
And I can see myself.
I start to cry.
I try to stop myself, but the tears keep coming.
They won't go away.
Patamon climbs into my lap and I hug him like a toy.
He's so soft...
I bury my face into his velvety fur and sob.
I cry and cry until my chest hurts.
Until I can't see.
Until I can't breathe...
Yet still the tears come.
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Nancy Takaishi struggled up the stairs under the weight of her grocery bag. Why did it have to be today that the lifts broke down? Stupid cheap labour! At least she didn't have an apartment at the top of the building!
Finally reaching the door, out of breath, she tried the handle.
To her surprise, it was unlocked.
TK normally locked the door while he was in at night.
She went inside, shutting the door behind her with her foot and dumping her groceries on the side. She stretched painfully to get rid of the cramps and looked around.
The TV was off.
So were most of the lights.
And on the table was an uneaten cheesecake.
She looked at it, surprised. TK must have taken it out, yet he hadn't eaten it. Why? She thought he loved cheesecake! So why hadn't he eaten it?
She quietly checked the apartment, but TK wasn't there. He must be in his room, but the light wasn't shining out under the door. Why was he asleep? It was far too early for him to go to bed! He normally didn't go until at least 10:30!
Nancy went over and quietly opened the door, and poked her head round.
TK's clothes and hat were strewn willy-nilly over the floor, having been dumped there. Takeru himself was lying in bed, his back to the door with the quilt pulled almost over his head. He looked asleep, but his mother knew better than that.
"TK? Are you all right?"
No answer.
"TK, I know you're awake. Please answer me."
"I'm fine, mother." Came the quiet reply.
"Are you sure? You're not sick or anything, are you?"
TK didn't move, keeping his back to his mother "No, I'm fine. I'm just a little tired, that's all."
Nancy didn't believe him, but she didn't question further "Well, if you need to talk to me, I'll be here, okay honey?"
"Hai, okaasan..." TK's voice trailed off into a whisper as he huddled under his blankets.
Nancy looked sadly at her son and withdrew back into the living room, closing the door behind her.
TK shifted his pyjamas around him, his face still slick with tears, and hugged Patamon closer to his chest.
Nancy cut herself a slice of cheesecake and sat on the sofa. She bit off a piece and chewed thoughtfully. She was worried about her youngest son. The fear she had felt lately for him made the anxiety of him going to the Digital World pale into nothingness. She had been at her office a few weeks ago when she received a phone call, saying that her son was in the hospital. When she arrived, she had cried to see him, unconscious and covered in cuts, lying there as still as death. His friend Joe had been there, and he had to explain to her what had happened. She had felt a guilty pleasure knowing that her son had survived the attack, even if his ex-girlfriend's brother hadn't. Then Matt and her ex-husband Richard arrived and she had hugged her eldest, trying to stop herself crying. But TK, being the fighter he was, pulled through. But he had been more concerned about Kari's well being than his own. He had been given counselling to help him get through the trauma of the attack, yet he had only needed a minimal amount, since he seemed to be handling the stress remarkably well. However, now Nancy was being to worry that the stress was starting to catch up with him. A lot had been piled on him lately. First he had to cope with Daisuke's death, then Kari splitting up with him, now surviving a vicious attack and Tai's death...
She finished her slice, lent back and sighed. She was beginning to not want to leave him in the house by himself, in case he did something stupid, or try to take his own life. But she knew that if Patamon were there, he would stop him...yet what could a little flying guinea pig do? Maybe if he-what was the word? - Digivolved, then he might be strong enough to. Yet she was his mother, and she had a right to worry. After all, he was her youngest son.
Nancy stood up and went into the bathroom.
Might as well have a shower to help wash away the pains of the day.
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Kari sat on the park bench, basking in the sunshine. The day couldn't have been better. There wasn't a single cloud to darken the sky, and the sun was shining high above, yet it wasn't too hot. She and Matt had been seeing each other for 3 days now, and had managed to keep their relationship relatively secret. Only Joe and Sora, as well as their Digimon, knew about them. But if they wanted to continue their relationship, they had to come out at some point.
And that meant telling TK.
"Kari! Kari!"
She looked up to see Matt running towards her, in much the same way that TK had all that time ago, with an ice cream in each hand. He gave her one, and they both started eating. Matt's ice cream suddenly decided it didn't like being eaten, so tried to escape by melting. Growling, Matt tried to lick up all the vanilla rivers, but failed and it dripped all over his shirt. Kari giggled and tried to hide it from Matt, but bought her ice cream too close and ended with some on the end of her nose.
Matt gave up trying to tame his ice cream and put it in the bin next to the bench. He moved towards Kari with an almost predatory grace, staring at her intently.
"Umm...Matt?"
"Don't move..." he whispered "You've got ice cream on your nose." He leant forwards and kissed the end of her nose, removing the ice cream. Then his lips moved lower until they were kissing each other passionately.
"Matt!" said Kari breathlessly, trying to pull away "My ice cream's melting! We can do this later!"
Yamato gave her big puppy eyes "Don't you love me, Kari-kun?"
Kari giggled and pushed him playfully away "You know I can't say no when you do that!"
Matt shifted round and lay on his back on the bench, resting his head on her lap and staring straight up at her face "Is it my fault I'm so loveable?"
Kari laughed and dripped some of her ice cream in her boyfriend's mouth, sharing it between them.
"But anyway, Matt, I need to talk to you."
"What about?"
"When are we going to tell everyone about us?"
"I'll call a Digi-Destined meeting this afternoon. We can tell them then."
"What about TK?"
"What about him?"
"Don't you think he'd be, well, a bit upset? I think we should tell him before the others."
Matt frowned "I think you're right. I'll go tell him."
"No, you'd better let me do it."
He looked up at her, curious "Why do you say that?"
Kari pondered for a moment, not too sure what to say "Well, I think it would be a bit...y'know, safer."
Matt snorted "Safer???"
Kari shook her head "Honestly Matt, you have no idea what TK's like when it comes to love. He does tend to get a bit jealous. Remember that time he got suspended from school for a week because he said he got into a fight?"
Matt nodded.
"Well, that wasn't the full story," continued Kari "This jerk from another class was hitting on me, then tried to kiss me. TK flew off the handle and attacked him."
"He didn't do anything serious, did he?"
"He broke his nose."
Matt winced "Ouch! I didn't know TK had it in him!"
Kari ruffled his hair "Well, your nose is just perfect, and I don't want your face ruined by an angry little brother! So I'll go and break it to him."
Matt grinned "Well, you always were the nice one!" A drop of ice cream dripped from Kari's ice cream and landed on his nose. Kari leant down and kissed it off.
"See? What did I tell you, your nose is perfect!"
Her boyfriend smiled and pulled her into a deeper kiss.
And pretty soon, Kari forgot all about her ice cream.
************************************************************
Kari walked up the steps to TK's apartment, cursing the fact that the lifts still weren't working. Mentally, she went over what she would say to TK. She really hoped that he wouldn't over-react. Or start to cry, for that matter. She didn't think that she could handle a crying TK. She began to wish she had bought Gatomon along for some support, but she knew that this was something she had to do by herself.
She reached the apartment and straightened her hair and clothes. Taking a deep breath, she rang the doorbell.
No answer.
Was it broken? Shrugging, she knocked on the door.
No answer.
She knocked again.
Still no answer.
She peered through the letterbox. She could see Patamon hovering in the background, calling out into a different room. She frowned. Why was TK ignoring her?
She pounded the door again "TK! I know you're in! It's me, Kari! Open the door!"
Silence.
She knocked again, harder this time. Finally, she heard someone turning a key in the lock, and the door swung open.
She blinked in surprise.
"TK...?"
TK stood in the doorway, looking like death warmed up. His blond hair was mussed and uncombed, and his eyes were heavy from lack of sleep. He was still in his pyjamas, and a scruffy dressing gown with his initials 'TT' (a present from Mimi in America) hung untied around his shoulders. He wore a pair of very old cartoon slippers that looked extremely threadbare. He spoke quietly in a voice that sounded hoarse from too much crying "What do you want?"
"TK..." Kari blinked again "Are you alright? You look...well, like hell."
He grimaced "Thanks for the compliment."
Patamon fluttered down and landed on his partner's shoulder "He's not feeling very well."
"Oh...sorry for that. I hope you feel better soon."
There was silence.
Takeru broke it "So, what do you want?"
"Well, ah..." she stumbled "I've...come to tell you something."
His hooded eyes bored into her "What?"
She felt all her prepared speech crumble away and her courage almost deserted her. But in her mind's eye she saw Yamato standing there, encouraging her. She braced herself.
"I'm seeing someone else."
"Who?"
She faltered again "Matt."
"As in my brother?"
Her courage ran again "...Yes."
"I know."
She started, first at the reply, then at the deadpan tone he said it in. She peered curiously at him "You...know?"
His eyes were focused on the ground "Yes, I know."
"How come?"
"I guess I just did...you'd be surprised at what I know." He raised his eyes and met her gaze "I'm totally fine about it, you know. I've got nothing against the both of you. "
Kari eyed him suspiciously "Are you just saying that to make me happy?"
He forced a smile "No, of course not! I'm really happy for you! I wish you the best! Hey," he nudged her "If not me, then Yamato, eh?"
Kari smiled, then grabbed him in a hug "Thank you..." she whispered "Thank you for understanding..." she broke out the hug "Matt's calling a Digi-Destined meeting later, usual place, under the tree in the park. He's going to announce it to everyone. If you feel better, why don't you come along?"
He smiled again "Sure, that'd be great. If I feel up to it, I'll come."
"Thanks, TK..." she smiled at him with that smile that made him melt inside "And I mean it. Thank you." With that, she turned around and went back down the stairs.
TK watched her go, shut the door and locked it.
He leant against the door, head bowed and silent.
Suddenly, a loud sob escaped him and he slid down the door, tears streaming down his face. He huddled into as small a ball as possible, his entire frame shaking from his soul-wrenching cries.
"TK...oh TK, please don't cry!" Patamon tried to soothe him, but in vain. The boy's sobs grew louder as he sank deeper into his grief.
Patamon nuzzled up to him and TK hugged him tight. Eventually his sobs subsided and he fell silent.
He had cried himself to sleep.
Patamon looked up at his partner and huddled closer to him.
"Oh TK...please be alright again. Please go back to being that happy little boy I once knew..."
He snuggled closer into his arms and closed his eyes.
"Just please...come back to me."
************************************************************
"I'm here! I'm here! Don't start without me!!" panted Cody, carrying Upamon, as he ran up to the other Digi-Destined and flopped down in his space in the circle, next to Joe.
"Now I've seen everything!" laughed Poromon, "Cody's late for a Digi-Destined meeting!"
"His grandfather wouldn't let him go until he'd finished his prune juice." Explained Upamon.
"I *pant* HATE *pant* prune juice!!" complained Cody.
"Are we all here now?" asked Izzy. The circle had grown a lot smaller recently, with the deaths of two members and their Digimon. Mimi wasn't there either, having gone back to America after Tai's funeral. However, the Digimon of the original Digi-Destined were there, filling out the circle a bit.
"No...where's TK?" asked Joe.
"And Patamon?" asked Gomamon, twitching his long, ribbony ears.
"They couldn't make it," said Kari, who was sitting next to Matt, with their Digimon on either side "TK's not feeling very well, so he's staying in bed."
There was a moment's silence.
"So why did you call the meeting?" asked Ken, breaking it.
"Because...Kari and I have something to announce..." Matt took Kari's hand and they laced their fingers together "We're now officially a couple."
"Ohhhhhhh, that's so adorable!" squealed Yolei, starry eyed "You two make such a cute couple!"
"I already knew." Said Tentomon. "I was just waiting for you to announce it to everyone."
"You KNEW???" Kari and Matt blinked, shocked "Who told you?"
"Izzy did."
They glared at Izzy.
"Whoa, hey, don't blame me!!" Izzy held up his hands to fend them off "It was Mimi who told me!!"
"But then...who told Mimi?"
Everyone looked at Joe.
"Hey! Why are you all looking at me???"
"Joe!!! You said you wouldn't tell anyone!" complained Matt.
"Well, I only told Mimi since she couldn't come to the meeting...how was I to know that she was gonna tell Izzy?"
Yolei looked uncomfortable "If we're all coming clean...then I knew as well. Mimi told me."
"And Yolei told me." rasped Cody.
"And us!" squeaked Poromon and Upamon.
"So are we the only ones who didn't know?" asked Ken.
"Actually..." said Minomon nervously "I knew. Gatomon told me."
"So Ken's the only one we had to announce this to?" asked Kari incredulously.
"Looks like it!" said Gabumon, trying to stop himself laughing.
"This is ridiculous..." sighed Matt "So there was no point of calling this meeting, except to tell Ken?"
"Well, you had to make it official!" laughed Sora "But anyway...congratulations on getting together!"
"Yeah, congratulations!" the Digi-Destined began to applaud, causing the couple to blush.
"How come no one told me?" pouted Ken.
"We thought you knew!" said Minomon.
"If it's any consolation," piped up Gomamon "When Joe hooks up with Mimi, I'll tell you first!"
"HEY!!" Joe grabbed Gomamon and shoved his hand over his mouth "You are NOT going to broadcast my love life to everyone within a ten-mile radius!"
"Joe and Mimi, sitting in a tree!" grinned Izzy "K-I-S-S-I-"
"You can be quiet, Mr 'I love-" Jyou whispered in his friend's ear, who then blushed.
"Hey! How do you know that?"
Joe pointed at Gomamon.
Gomamon pointed at Tentomon.
"It wasn't me!!" panicked Tentomon.
Everyone laughed as Izzy tried to strangle Tentomon. Kari and Matt looked at each other, then began to kiss.
"Aren't they cute?" asked Yolei to Ken, as she went starry eyed again.
"Yeah..." Ken averted his gaze and looked up into the blue, afternoon sky "You know, I wonder how TK's coping with all of this..."
************************************************************
Bastard!
There was no other way to put it.
Bastard!
I'm finished moping around. Now I'm furious.
I'll get you for this, Matt. Just you wait.
I'll teach you to steal my girl!
Get rid of him.
Put him out of the picture.
Then Kari will be yours.
Forever.
Ah yes, the old mantra.
We haven't heard that in a while, have we?
Davis learnt the hard way that Kari belongs to me.
And it looks like Matt's gonna learn it that way, too.
How dare he go out with Kari?
How DARE he?!?
The anger courses through my veins.
Pure and righteous anger.
How dare he??
HOW DARE HE???
BASTARD!!
The glass in my hand shatters into glittering fragments as I crush it.
Just like I'm going to crush Matt...
"TK?"
I look round.
Patamon.
"What was that crash?"
"Oh, I just...dropped a glass. Don't worry about it."
"You sure?"
"Yeah, it'll only take me a minute to clean it up."
He excepts it and flies out the room.
Idiot.
Sometimes Patamon annoys me so much I want to choke the life out of him.
But then...he is my Digimon.
I guess he has some uses.
I sweep up the glass and put it in the bin.
If only all problems could be solved as easily as that.
I take out two more cups and fill them with orange juice.
One for me, one for the batpig.
I open up the medicine cabinet.
A bottle of sleeping pills.
How many would it take to knock out a batpig for a few hours?
Let's see...adults and children over 12 years: 2 pills per night.
I tip in 5.
Better safe then sorry, eh?
I dissolve them in the orange juice. There's no trace of them being in the drink.
The perfect crime.
I go into the other room.
Patamon's sitting on the sofa, watching some animé on TV.
"Here Patamon! Have some orange juice!"
I smile that smile that makes people think I'm nice and harmless.
Oh, that's fun to do.
Patamon takes it, thanks me and drinks it all.
I drink mine and watch him intently.
He blinks a few times.
He starts to sway.
"TK...I feel funny..."
I try to stop myself laughing "Funny how?"
"Funny...odd...I..." he passes out and falls off the sofa.
I grin, pick him up and put him on my bed.
Sweet dreams, you flying rat.
Now, to business.
I pick up the phone.
************************************************************
Matt was in the kitchen, making himself some instant stir-fry. It was only a light snack. Earlier that evening he had Kari had been out to a restaurant, then to a movie, before walking through the park. It had been incredibly romantic. Then the goodnight kiss...
He tipped his (now done) stir-fry into a bowl, picked up some chopsticks and went into his room. Normally he'd sit on the sofa and watch TV, but his dad was fast asleep on it, still listening to his relaxation tapes about happy little buffaloes. Matt didn't blame him: once he tried to listen to those tapes and it had sent him to sleep. And besides, his dad worked too hard. He needed his rest.
He sat down on his bed and let his gaze wander while he ate. On his dresser were four framed photos, the most recent being one of him and Kari, arms round each other and smiling. The second was of the picture they had taken of themselves after defeating Apocalymon with their Digimon and allies, while the third was of Gabumon doing a victory sign at the camera. The other, set apart from the rest, was of his late best friend, Tai. He sighed. It didn't seem that long ago since he and Tai were hanging out, running amok around Odaiba and getting drunk on their parent's alcohol. Sometimes they wouldn't come home until the early hours, then get tongue lashings, grounded and banned from seeing each other again. Of course it never worked. How could you separate two kindred spirits?
He still missed him. It was like a gaping wound inside of him. When he had first heard the news, he had collapsed. How could Tai- indomitable, loud-mouthed, big-haired Taichi- be dead? But dead he was, and he was never coming back.
Sometimes he wondered if Tai approved of him going out with his little sister. Taichi had always been a little over-protective. But it made both him and Kari happy, and helped them get over the pain they had at his death...so maybe, just maybe, it was okay.
The telephone rang and he got up to answer it.
"Moshi moshi, Ishida resi...TK? Oh, hey, what's up? Huh? You want to see me? What about?...Oh, okay. Where shall I meet you?...Why there? Oh, I see. Okay then. I'll be there in 10 minutes. Right. See you there."
Matt hung up and looked at the phone, puzzled. Why did TK want to meet him?
I can't explain over the phone...I have to see you in person.
Sometimes Takeru could be a strange little boy.
He went back into his room and took out his jacket. It was night and no doubt chilly as well.
He was putting on his shoes when a cold breeze blew through the room. It blew the picture of Tai off the dresser and it landed face up at his feet.
He stared at it, then picked it up.
Matt...please don't go...
He shivered, despite the thick jacket. He put the picture back on the dresser and closed his bedroom window. That should keep the wind out.
He unlocked the front door and looked back at his father. Still asleep. Ah, it didn't matter. He'd be back soon, anyway.
Matt went out the door and locked it behind him, before leaving the apartment.
But if he'd stayed just a little longer, then he'd have felt the cold breeze again and the quiet voice of someone crying in the darkened apartment.
Matt...please don't go...you won't come back...
The plea went unanswered.
To be continued...