I finally did it. I...finished this story*gasps*. Man, I can't believe it...this was such a long one, and I really enjoyed writing it, although I had many cases of Writer's Block during this piece. THANKS A MILLION TIMES FOR YOUR REVIEWS! I guess without I wouldn't have managed it to complete this...*coughs* And thanks to Settiai for beta-reading....yeah....
Hope you like this part. I wrote some Kenyako, and I really tried to write a bit Daikari, but somehow I didn't manage it. Uhm. Yeah, guess I am no romance writer :P.

Avalanche - White Danger

by Kaeera

Epilogue: Conversations

Daisuke's POV

It is funny. I mean...when I woke up from this nightmare, my heart was full of dark feelings. I actually felt depressed; something I've never experienced before. But then there was Jun. As soon as she realized that I was awake, she started screaming and hugging me. The girl cried! My sister! Do you believe me when I tell you that I've never seen her crying?

My life has been a chaos over the last days since I've woken up. Everybody comes and hugs me! Hey, with the time it really gets too much...but they just laugh when I'm protesting. They laugh and look so lucky...which makes me even more confused. After the experiences in my nightmare, I really expected that they wouldn't care...but now I've woken up, only to see that a bunch of people waited only for this to happen!

I really don't feel that bad. Okay, I've a broken leg, and some pretty bad bruises...and I guess some of my rips are cracked. But they give me pain-killers, so I don't notice it that much. My head is a different problem. I swear it's killing me! HEADACHE! Man...there's a thick bandage wrapped around it, hey, I resemble a mummy with all the bandages on my body. Yeah, and my throat hurts because of the stupid tube. A freaking thought. That I needed a tube for breathing. It frightens me somehow; I must have been so weak! And I still am, although I don't want to admit it. I sleep 18 hours a day, and I still feel exhausted. Man...wish I could do that at home. My parents would throw me out of the bed after maybe 12 hours. Typical. And now I can't enjoy it, because I really don't want to sleep. I want to talk with my friends, want to ask questions about what happened to me while I was unconscious. I want to eat cookies with Veemon, but they won't allow it. Argh. If I don't get anything GOOD to eat soon, I will die...Hospital food is horrible. If you ever want to kill yourself....go to a hospital and eat the meat. Believe me. It helps.

Did I say already that I can't stand hospitals? My friends can't stand it, either. They visited me. Ken and Miyako and Hikari...and of course the digimon. They talked pretty much, explaining to me that X-Veemon rescued them and me and that I was lying in a coma. It's all pretty diffuse, and I can't remember many things. It's all a blur. I remember cold and pain - incredible pain...and some dreams where I was meeting Veemon. However, I remember EXACTLY my so-called dark dreams...in the desert. And they are still nagging on me. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and I find myself crying because nobody cares. I think that I am alone.

You know, it's kinda difficult. I never believed that the others actually cared about me...Liked me, respected me. And now I find myself as the center of attention, while everybody is telling me how much they missed me. That they were scared to lose me...I want to believe them. I really do.

But I think it will take some time until I can convince my heart.

Because of this I had the deepest conversation I've ever had with my sister.....


*FLASHBACK*

"Why are you crying, Jun?", the brown-haired boy wanted to know. He had just woken up, and his sister had called the doctor after some minutes of shock. He had explained her that her brother would be fine, now that he had managed it to wake up(and the nurse had took the tube away), and that he would call the parents now - she should talk with him, explain some stuff, because he was surely confused.

The girl wiped her eyes. "Because you woke up, silly you."

Daisuke stared at her. "Normally you don't cry when I wake up...", he looked around, "But normally I'm not in a hospital room either."

"Oh, Davis, don't you remember what happened?"

He frowned shortly, obviously thinking hard. "Wait...I had some strange dreams...and...oh.", his eyes grew wide, "The avalanche!!"

Jun nodded. "You were buried under tons of snow."

"Oh.", Davis just made, not knowing what to say. "What's with the others?", he finally asked.

"They are all okay. In fact, they are all better than you. They even visited you while you were sleeping."

"Really? Cool!", he smiled. "Wait a moment....how long have I been sleeping?"

"Uhm...", Jun didn't know the answer. "I have no idea. I've lost the track of time somehow.", she admitted sheepishly. "Guess I was too worried about you."

"Oh come on, Jun - as if you would worry about me!", Davis snorted.

"Of course! How can you think like that? I'm your sister! I love you! And I was worried like hell!", the girl crossed her arms.

"Honestly?", Daisuke asked.

"Yes!"

"You...like me?"

"Yeah."

"Oh."

"Man, Daisuke, are you that stupid or is it only masquerade? Did you really think that I wouldn't care about you?"

The boy traced with his finger some lines on the bedcovers. "Well, we never got along that well as other siblings do. We were always quarrelling...and you never seemed to care about what I was doing and..."

Jun rolled her eyes. "That's true, I don't care about what you are doing, but I do care about you. I mean, I know you, I know that you would never do anything stupid...like hurting your friends or something like that. We fight often, that's true, but hey, look at all the other brothers and sisters - they are totally different in their whole character. Fight is a good stress reliever, if you didn't know.", she grinned.

Then she continued. "But I can tell you one thing: this past hours - or days - have been the worst in my life.", she threw her hands in the air. "I was so afraid that you would die!!! I mean...you looked so small and fragile in the hospital bed! I was scared like hell. I talked to you, tried to get you back, but you never responded. And with every passing hour, you became weaker...It was a torture."

"I'm sorry.", Davis murmured.

"There's nothing to be sorry about. I'm just glad that it's over!"

"So am I."

"Yeah."

The two siblings fell silent, for a moment totally content in the others presence.

"By the way, how are you feeling?", Jun asked concerned after some minutes.

"Not that bad.", the boy told her. "Kinda weak and exhausted. And my head is hurting."

"Well, when it's only your head...there's nothing important inside of it."

"Thanks a lot, sister. I really missed your compliments while I was dreaming..."

"I thought so. That's why I'm telling them now."

"How noble.

"I know.", she beamed at her brother.

*END FLASHBACK*

Daisuke's POV

I had to smile when I thought of this scene. It was strange, but over the last few days, a lot of people have acted...differently about me. They were so happy. Happy that I, Daisuke Motomiya, was alive. I thought I could never understand what they have gone through. But then again they would never understand how terrible MY experience had been. When I remembered the loneliness and the...darkness of my dream, I always shuddered. Is the dark ocean like this? Did Kari have to face this...fear, too? Then she was stronger than I thought....don't understand me wrong. I never believed or assumed that Hikari was weak.....her strength was just different than mine. It's easy for me to believe that there is hope, that there is a way out...and that we will win in the end. Maybe it's because I'm not that smart. I don't care. It just is!

.....My dream told me something. It really did, honestly!
I learned that I should trust my friends more. Not only trust them that they can manage their tasks - but trust them to like, to accept me! Some part of me always believed - and, to be honest, does it still - that they don't care. That nobody would really miss me if I was gone. Isn't it true?
I mean, come on....what's special about me? I'm loud, I'm a jerk, I never think before acting...I am neither beautiful nor extra-nice nor super-intelligent. Everybody has his special powers - Ken is a genius, TK is kind, Kari is...lovely, Miyako is open-minded and Cody serious and responsible.

Daisuke is stupid.

At least I believed this. I was crying at night. I felt so alone....there was nobody who did understand me, nobody who did see me crying. And who tried to reassure me that everything was okay, who took me in his arms. I was lonely.

But....they didn't see me crying because I was hiding.

They didn't hug me because I smiled at them, telling that I didn't need a hug.

They didn't know that my heart was bleeding, because I put up a facade.

And inside of me, a voice was crying: Why don't they notice it? They are your friends! They should see your tears, your sorrow, even if you hide it. They should help you. Isn't that the job as a friend?

I guess that's why I started dreaming this stuff while I was lying in the coma. And....if my friends hadn't came to my rescue, I would have stayed there forever. They were just images, dreams...but when I managed it to dream of them saying these things....didn't this prove that they really were my friends? Maybe my unconscious self has recognized this and had tried to help me. This thought made me smiling. I started believing that it was true. And some of our conversations...well, let's say that they helped me a lot!

*FLASHBACK*

Hikari was sitting in her hospital room, trying to read a book, but failing miserably. She just couldn't concentrate! Her thoughts were always flying to a certain person....seeing Daisuke so helpless had made her depressed. And his condition hadn't changed.
The girl still felt terribly exhausted, and there was no part of her body which wasn't hurting. With a sigh, she shut the book and slammed it on the table.

"You will ruin the book.", someone said amused, and Hikari looked up. "I don't care about the book, Tai.", she told her brother gloomily and stared on the covers.

"Because you are worried?", the taller boy asked and sat down on the bed.

"Of course.", she replied angrily. "I mean, there's a friend - a VERY good friend of me lying in a coma...", she sniffed, "And probably dying...how I can I relax and read a book???"

"Hey.", Tai put up his hands defensively, "No reason to be angry. Remember, Daisuke is my friend, too, and I'm worried as hell. But...there's still hope, so I want you to hope."

"I know, Taichi, it's just...I don't know..."

"Because he's more than a friend?", the boy suggested, smiling a little bit.

Hikari's eyes widened in shock. "No! That's not true....I just miss him and....", she hesitated, not really knowing how to continue. Tai laughed. "Come on, Kari, I know thatyou like him."

"Of course I like him, he's very important to me, but I wouldn't think of him as a....boyfriend."

"I know. But...we will see, let's talk again about this in two or three years, okay?", he grinned, and Kari glared at him. She wanted to give him a harsh answer, but right then a breathless Jun entered her room.

"Jun! What's wrong?", Kari asked, fearing the worst. No! Nothing had happened, maybe Jun was just running because she needed to go to the toilet....and...and...no....

"Kari!", the Motomiya girl nearly screamed, and in her eyes were tears. "Davis! He's....HE'S AWAKE!!!!"

"He's...", Hikari gasped. Then it meant that...he wouldn't...die...."Really?",

"Of course! He just opened his eyes and looked at me. And ya know what? He was smiling!", Jun's voice was cracking of enthusiasm.

"That's wonderful!", Taichi shouted back, jumping up and looking at his sister. His eyes were sparkling. Hikari didn't know what to say. "Thanks...", she finally stuttered, clutching the blanket. "Thanks for contacting me."

Jun smiled. "You earned it. After all, you are one of his best friends...and sometimes even more.", she grinned mischievously.

"Can I visit him?"

"Yeah. He's exhausted, of course, so don't stay too long.", the girl waved. "I have to go now - I must contact my parents and everybody else!", she ran out of the room.
Hikari stared at the open door. Tai smiled at her. "Now, hurry."

"Don't you want to come with me?"

"No. I think you have to tell him some things I'm not supposed to hear."

"Uhm, okay..."

She put on her shoes and left the room. The hospital room of Daisuke wasn't far way, and she needed less than a minute to reach it.
I really hope he's okay...maybe he has changed? I hope not....he must be okay....

For a moment she hesitated, hand stretched out to the doorknob, but with a sudden determination she opened it and stepped inside.


Friends are there to help each other

They share happiness

And they share pain

And although a friend might not be able to understand

Or to ease your pain

He may help you

In giving you the knowledge

That he is there for you

Always

And that he will listen

Always

Because he is your friend

Daisuke was lying on his back, trying to control the swirling emotions and thoughts in his head. He felt confused, relieved, tired, weak, all at the same time. And it was frustrating....

The door opened, and he looked up. The boy blinked a few times, then sat up abruptly, wincing because of the pain.

"K-Kari!", he stuttered, "What are you doing here?"

"Visiting you.", she smiled. "Jun told me that you woke up, and I immediately came here."

She walked to his bed and sat down, studying his face. Daisuke did the same. "Are you okay?", he asked. This made her laugh. "I'm okay, dude. It's you who had us all worried!"

"Me?", Davis stared at her in shock. "Why that?"

"Errr....because you were lying in a coma and we all feared that you might die?"

"Oh, this...", he said. "You know me, nothing can beat me, hahaha.", he tried to laugh, but it all came out wrong.

"Daisuke, stop this.", Hikari ordered firmly.

"What?"

"This I-do-so-as-if-nothing-has-happened-act! It's ridiculous! You've been lying in a coma, that's really bad!!! And I'm sure that it had had an effect on you, you just don't want to show it!"

"I.....", Daisuke was speechless.

"No.", Hikari said, motioning him to be silent. "Let me continue.", she took a deep breath.

"Do you know how worried I was? I visited you, Davis. You looked so small and helpless, and I wanted nothing more than help you. Because I could sense that you were in pain. But all I could do was standing there and...watching! I nearly lost a very dear friend. I-I don't know what I would have done if you had died. You are precious to me, Daisuke. I love your smile. I love the way you make me laugh. And I really, really love it that you trust me always, just because I am your friend....", she sniffed and wiped some tears away. "I noticed that I actually did never show it. I mean, that you are important to me. You know, you've always been there. To me. It was normal, and I accepted it as that. And it's like all the other things in life - you realize what you have when they are gone. I was treating you bad sometimes, and I'm ashamed for acting like that. But I can't change it now. I just want you to know that I really....care for you. And I'm proud to be your friend!", the girl blushed, not having the courage to look into her friend's eyes.

Daisuke himself was rather shocked. He had expected anything, but not this....outburst. It seemed to him as if the bearer of light had wanted to say these words for a long time, but had never managed it.

"Really?", he croaked out, "You really...think like that?"

There was no reply, just a small nod.

"I'm your friend? And you....care for me?", his voice was barely a whisper. This had been the question which had entered his dreams, had made him crying...

"Yes. I do."

Daisuke smiled. It was a small smile at first, barely visible, but it grew wider and wider. "Wow...", he managed to say, and then he screamed: "WOHOOOOOOO!"
Kari jumped away from him, eyes wide in shock. "Wh-why are you crying like that?", she glared at him.

"Because I'm so happy that I just HAVE to tell the world that LIFE IS WONDERFUL!!!", the boy beamed at her, and there it was, the sparkle in his eyes, something she had missed over the last days. "Kari, you don't have the slightest idea what this means to me!!! The last days were a nightmare. I dreamt...horrible things, and they seemed to be true! I was all alone and started believing that I had nobody....nobody who cared! And now you come to me, you of all people, telling me that you do care. This is like Christmas and birthday on the same day! I...wow...I'm just stunned...It's so COOL! WOHOOOOO!! YEAHHH!", he yelled again.

Hikari could just stare. The she smiled, too, and finally she started laughing. "I'm so happy that you are alive!", she told him.
Because you can always make me laughing.
Because I can trust you.

Because I like you.


**********

*CONTINUE FLASHBACK*

"Uno!", Miyako announced happily, smiling at Ken. The boy glanced at her, then on the pile of cards he was holding in his hands. Minimum ten, while Miyako had only one left and would probably complete her winning streak the next moment.

"You're just too good for me.", he smiled, putting a blue card on the pile.

"Yep!", she grinned and threw her last card away. "Won again! Wohooo!"

Ken sighed. He enjoyed this game, and even more he enjoyed being together with Miyako. Since they were neither allowed to leave the room nor their bed, they could just read, talk....or play. So they played. But there was another part of him, a nagging voice inside of his heart which told him that he shouldn't feel content, that his friend was over there, dying....

He never stopped worrying about Daisuke. He was his best friend - and his first ever. As the kaizer, he hadn't knew that something like friendship even existed! And then a brown-haired boy appeared. He was wearing stupid goggles on his head, and he was loud, stubborn, annoying, blunt and not the smartest. Or so he had believed.
But this boy had been the first who had welcomed him with open arms. He suggested to fight together - seemingly forgetting about all the cruelties Ken had done. And in the end, it wasn't the brain of Koushiro or Ken who had won the fight. It wasn't the kind heart of Miyako or TK. It wasn't the seriousness and determination of Cody. And it wasn't the light of Kari.

It was this damn stubborness of their leader. His belief that they could win. That they WOULD win.
In all the years he had knew the boy, this spirit had never changed. And it made him special. The people liked him because of his unique character. And over all the years they had stayed friends.

Should this be over now?

No. He simply couldn't believe it. He....the door swang open and a breathless Jun bustled through. "I just wanted to tell you...", she smiled, "That...Davis...Daisuke has woken up. He's out of danger....", then she left again, leaving two very confused kids.

Ken blinked. What? He recalled word for word what the Motomiya girl had said.

Has woken up....

Is out of danger....

He looked at Miyako and Miyako looked at him. Then they both shouted at once: "YEEEEEEEEESSSSS!!"
Miyako had tears in her eyes. "Oh Ken, he's alive...I'm so happy!", she hiccuped, "I really would have missed his stupid remarks...", and she flung her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.

Ken became red like a tomato. "Uhm....Miyako?", he stuttered, although he had to admit that he did enjoy this situation.

"Oups.", she became crimson red and quickly took her arms away. "I'm sorry, Ken, I was just upset and I, well, my feelings, you know me, they get easy in control of me and since you were in the near I hugged you...", she babbled hastily, "I didn't want to disturb you, god, I'm really sorry, I am such an idiot, it's always me, I can never act normal, oh man, this is too embarrassing...."

Ken chuckled softly and put a finger on her mouth. "I liked it.", he said and smiled.

"You....what?"

"I liked it.", he repeated patiently. "Because I like you."
Miyako's eyes widened and she just stared at the indigo haired boy. Ken laughed even more. "Do you think I would go on a date with somebody I didn't like?", he teased her, and she smiled, too. "I guess I need some time until I get used to this.", she giggled.

"You have all the time you need.", Ken told her. "But now I deed some of your precious time....because I want to visit Daisuke, and you must help me to convince my parents that they let me!"

"Whatever you want. But I want to visit Daisuke, too, so you have to help me convincing my parents - and my siblings.

"Okay."

*END FLASHBACK*

************

Daisuke's POV


"Muuumm, I want to get up.", I wailed.

"No way, honey.", my mother replied. "You are still recovering. And you need to keep your strength for the journey."

Oh yes, the journey. Today was out last day in this hospital. Because this wasn't my time, I would be brought to the hospital in my hometown, where I had to stay for THREE MORE WEEKS! I mean, honestly...it will be so BORING!!! No soccer practise...

"I want to run again!", I murmured gloomily.

"But you have a broken leg, Davis.", Veemon crawled on my bed. "You can't run!"

"But I WANT to run. I feel so tied to this bed. I want to move on my own...argh, it's truly depressing."

Absently I stroked over the head of my blue friend. Luckily we had managed it to convince the hospital staff to let the digimon stay with us. They first didn't want to allow it, but when Miyako started one of her typical panic attacks as soon as Hawkmon wasn't there, they quickly grew tired of her screaming and brought the digimon. Figures. I wonder why they haven't realized that it was only acting...hey, but you should have seen Ken! He was staring at Miyako as if she would be the love goddess personally. Guess it has caught the poor guy pretty bad. First love....but I'm pretty sure that Miyako likes him, too, so there shouldn't be many problems.
Unlike me.
Oh well, I shouldn't bother about my love life. I'm alive, isn't that enough? And Kari is my friend, so...there's still hope. That's it! Never give up hope, Davis. Fight!

Because she's worth it....

Hospitals are terrible. It was okay on the first few days...I was always tired and slept most of the time. And when I woke up, my mind was all blurry. But now I realize how terrible the food tastes. There are such disgusting little things in the potato salad, but I can't find out what they are. I asked the nurse about it, and she told me that they were gherkins. Then I asked another nurse about the SAME meal and SHE told me that they were meat-balls....uhm, great, huh? Well, I tend more to the first, since these bobbles have a slightly green color. Then again, meat can be green, too...

See my problem?

At least I have Veemon. He stays with me all day and all night. And, of course, my family. There's always a Motomiya around me. I guess the staff believes that we are crazy. I mean, my mother comes in and quarrels with my father about the most stupid things, while my lovely sister sits in the corner and reads 'Bravo'....then they start babbling about all possible stuff, me in the middle wondering how the hell I have come to this family....
They are cool. Really.. They are neither very sensible nor very polite. But they were unique, and well, they were my family. Sometimes I discover myself in watching them and thinking: Hey, they are not that bad. I would really miss them. And they actually do care for me....

That's a totally new idea to me. There are people who care! And...so many of them! Didn't I notice this earlier? Have I been blind?
If I had known this before, I would have never cried at night.

I wouldn't have lost against the darkness.

I wouldn't have had to hide my tears and to fake a grin....

I can be like I am. I can smile when I feel like smiling, and I can cry when I feel like crying. I don't know whether I actually can cry in front of my friends....but I will try. I have to. They earn it.

And...I think it will help me. A lot.

Always

And that he will listen

Always

Because he is your friend

THE END!

*does a quick little dance* WOHOOOO! It's finished! And, what do you think?? Hope my epilogue wasn't too bad....by the way, I've posted another story right now. It's called 'Broken Wings', and there's some Daisuke angst as well...uhm...just read it*hinhint* It's a very sad and serious story, though....and I don't know yet if I will leave it as an one-shot or continue....

THOUSANDS HUGS TO EVERYBODY WHO HAS REVIEWED! Mandi, Settiai, DCE, Anthony and the rest of you....you're great!!!!

~Kaeera (kaeera@yahoo.de)