Well people here the next part. I hope you are enjoying it. The next one should be out in two weeks I'm having a little writers block when it comes too chapter 7. As soon as I'm done with that I'll place it up.
As always I do not own Digimon. Anyway if you sue you won't get anything anyway.
Chapter 4
Tai for the most part just stood there staring at him. He couldn't move, talk, he couldn't even form a coherent thought. All he did was stare at the pair of blue eyes he thought had been lost forever. He didn't know if he should laugh, cry, or faint. Luck was something he had only thought about but never experienced. He didn't know how but somehow he was the luckiest man on the planet. They had gone to another dimension, almost gotten killed, saved by two strangers, and it was still early. This was fate's way of laughing at them when they thought all was lost. How else could he explain that one of the strangers, who saved their lives, turned out to be the very same person they were looking for in the first place?
Except from the gasps when TK introduced himself, the room was dead quiet. Everyone was trying to come to terms with this new information. Standing before them was the one and only TK. Everyone acted differently. Matt sat down hard, his legs no longer able to support him. Mimi placed a hand over her eyes to hide the tears. Joe smiled with an 'I knew it' expression. But all stared at their new arrival, not wanting to blink, in case it had all been a mirage.
TK himself started to feel uncomfortable with all the silence. Everyone was staring at him as if he had just grown two heads. Feeling himself backing up into the corner, he turned to Ajona, who just shrugged her shoulders. Some help she is. "Um...not to be rude, but…" Looking around the room and shifting uncomfortably, he couldn't help but notice the uneasiness creeping through him. Something big was coming. "Is something wrong?"
Matt closed his eyes, saying a little prayer of thanks. When he opened them, he could feel tears start to flow. "TK, is that really you?" His voice cracked with emotion. Using all the strength he had he stood and approached the tall blond boy.
"Yes...um...that would be my name." Smiling uncertainly, TK backed away even more from the group. This was beginning to freak him out. He didn't feel like his life was in any immediate danger, but something told him to be alert. "Listen, maybe you should see a doctor. I think that bump on you head is starting to affect you."
Ignoring TK's strange behavior, Matt approached his younger brother. "TK… it's me, Matt." Placing two hands on his shoulders he stared deep into his eyes. "Don't you recognize me?"
"Should I?"
"TK, it's me, Matt. I'm your brother." Letting go of his shoulders, he stared at him "Don't you remember me?"
Brother? This boy named Matt did look familiar, but maybe only because he resembled TK. That has to be the only reason he looks so familiar. "I'm sorry." TK shook his head. "I don't have any brothers."
Matt's eyes widened and his heart sank. He wanted to grab the blond boy and shake him. What the hell is he up to? Matt stared at him. This was TK; there was no doubt. With his entire strength of will, he kept his hands to his sides and stared in to TK's eyes. Why is he acting this way? he thought Sure, it had been two years, but he at least expected some recognition. Just when he was about to say something a voice interrupted.
"How do you know that?" The question came from Ajona, who had been quietly listening from the corner. She stood from her chair and approached the two boys. Looking them both up and down she continued, "You do look alike."
TK let out an exasperated sigh. He should have left her in the desert. She gave him a little 'have fun' smile and returned to her seat. I can make an exception and kill her. I'll be doing the world a great service. His anger slipped away as an important question formed in his mind. "How do you know if I have any brothers or not?" TK all but ignored his so-called brother, focusing entirely on his slender companion.
"Liz told me," Ajona said with that smile he'd grown to hate.
"Liz? Liz told you? My mother told you something about me that I didn't even know?" TK's anger multiplied when he found out that Liz had given away his secrets. How many times had Liz told him not to tell anyone what his name was, and she herself had been giving away his past—to a girl who had wanted to kill him, even.
"Liz?" Mat interrupted. "Who's Liz? What do you mean mother?" TK turned around and pinned Matt with his 'not now look' and then turned back to Ajona.
"I'm sorry, I forgot Liz was an expert on my past." The words were spit out with all the frustration he was feeling at this point. "What else did you girls have time to chit chat about?"
Her own anger rising, Ajona stood up and faced him, with more coldness in her eyes then she even dreamed she possessed. "I'm only trying to help you!"
"Help me?" What little restraint TK had was all but gone. "Up to five minutes ago you were trying to kill me!"
"Kill you!" Matt interrupted again. "What do you mean she was trying to kill you?"
"It's the stupidest thing in the world." Wondering why he was having this conversation now at all times, TK sighed. Could this day get any worse? First he met the most attractive girl he'd ever seen in his short life, who, it turned out, wanted to kill him. Then he got shot at in the desert, and almost run over by a horse. Lost fifty gold pieces playing poker, met a group of strange-looking kids, one of which claimed to be his long lost brother. And just for the fun of it, he thought bitterly, why not add in being chased by hunters and transported to another dimension. This did not include the worst part, which was losing Liz. Angrily brushing away a tear that was threatening to fall, he turned back to the group. "She thinks I killed her brother."
"Did you?" As soon as the words left his mouth Matt wanted to replace them with his foot. He turned just in time to see the stricken expression on the younger boy's face.
Turning away from the older boy to address Ajona, TK struggled to keep his voice calm. "How many times do I have to tell you, I did not kill your brother." He looked back at the group. "I have never killed anyone in my life." He lowered his eyes, wondering why it was so important to tell these strangers this information.
"I know you didn't kill him." Ajona spoke just as forcefully as before.
"What!" His eyes widened in disbelief. "Wait. Wait. You know I didn't kill him, but...but... you're still trying to kill me?"
"If I was trying to kill you, you'd be dead." Ajona quickly turned her back on him and lifted her chin stubbornly. Trying to catch her breath after all the yelling, she glared at TK over her shoulder. He must be the stupidest, dense, irrational, person on this planet.
The room was dead quiet. No one dared to speak. Finally Ajona let out a loud sigh and turned around slowly. "Listen, all I'm trying to say is that Liz told me you lost your memory two years ago." She waved her hand at Matt. "You can't remember if he's your brother or not, but don't dismiss it so easily."
TK felt horrible. He rarely lost his temper like that. Ajona was right. He couldn't just dismiss this. Other questions started popping into his head. How did Liz know about them? Was Ajona involved in all of this insanity? And…where could he get some aspirin?
If he wanted answers he had to ask the right person. He looked Matt up and down. He does look like me. We have the same eyes, and the same color hair. Except mine is a little lighter, but that's probably because of the sun. Oh well, what do I have to lose?
"I lost my memory two years ago." He began taking in all the looks on the strangers' faces. "I don't know where I'm from, or who I am. I'm not even sure TK is my real name."
"That's how long it's been." A short redheaded boy approached them. He had a look of pure concentration on his face as he tapped his finger against his chin. "It's been two years since Blitomon sent you to the other world."
Could this actually get any worse? TK groaned inside. "Blitomon?"
"Never mind about that." Matt gripped TK by the shoulders. Matt's tears were now dry, and now was not the time to cry. Now was the time to understand what was going on in his brother's head. "Do you remember anything, anything at all?" All the other things could wait. Right now his biggest concern was getting TK to believe that he was his brother.
TK let out another sigh and closed his eyes. He never could remember anything from his past. The only things he could ever remember were quick images or words. Why was he trying so hard anyway? This was probably just a big misunderstanding and he would just get his hopes up for nothing. "That digivice thing." Surprised, he opened his eyes and turned to the tall blue-haired man.
"Oh! I almost forgot." Joe went into his pocket and pulled out the D3. More gasps came from the group but Joe ignored them as he approached his young friend. "Liz gave it to me before she…" He didn't finish because of the look of hurt on the young man's face. He handed TK the D3 "I think this belongs to you."
"Thanks." TK put the device in his pocket. He wanted to leave this place, this house, just get away from all of this.
Matt wanted to wrap his arms around his little brother, but he knew TK wouldn't accept it. Not until he believed that Matt really was his brother. Fear crept up Matt's spine. What if TK never believed that they were actually brothers? Matt bit his lip. How many nights had he woken up in cold sweat recalling the events that happened that night? He had lost TK once and that had nearly destroyed him. But if he lost TK again...and like this…
"Please, do you remember anything else?"
"Look, I know you want to believe I'm your brother, but I'm not him." TK took a deep breath. "Maybe I met this TK before I lost my memory; maybe that's why I remember these things."
"I know that you're my brother," Matt insisted. "You just have to remember!" TK was about to turn away but Matt held him firmly. "When we were young our parents got a divorce. I went with our dad and you went with our mom."
"Please stop," TK gasped, trying to break free.
"NO! You have to remember. We hardly saw each other until we went to summer camp. We found these things." He took out his digivice and held it up. "We were sucked into the digital world, and that was where you met Patomon."
"Patomon?" TK stopped struggling and closed his eyes. After what seemed like an eternity he spoke up. "Someone who protects me."
Matt smiled, letting out the breath he didn't even know he was holding. "Yes, he digivolves to protect you."
"To Angemon." TK put his hand on his brow. "This can't be happening."
"I know this is overwhelming." This statement came from a boy in the back. He moved forward until he was standing next to Matt. "My name is Ken. I used to be… I am… your friend." Ken shook TK's hand. "I know what it's like to be lost. Not knowing if you are the type of person you want to be. It not easy trying to find yourself. Give it time, it will happen. Just know that you're around friends." He motioned to others in the room. "We will be more than happy to help you, if you want."
"Thanks, Ken." TK smiled. "You're a very kind person."
Ken looked startled for a second but quickly regained control. "Many people say that."
TK considered this. What the Ken had said made him want to believe that these people only wanted to help. How long had he stared up at the stars and imagine what his family would have been like? He always imagined he had an older brother who would do anything for him--could this be that brother? "I want to believe that you're my brother." He looked down at his feet. "I just need time."
Matt wasn't thrilled about this answer, but he wasn't unhappy about it either. To tell the truth, he always pictured TK's homecoming with more tears and laughter. He'd imagined TK leaping into his outstretched arms, choked with the same emotions he was feeling. He'd pictured the happy, carefree face, with a huge smile on his lips. He never would have imagined the tired and hurt face his younger brother now had. What happened to you, Squirt? That was a question he was going to ask him, that and a lot more.
"Don't worry TK, we have all the time in the world." Smiling, he pressed a hand to his younger brother's shoulder. "I'm not letting you out of my sight for a long time."
TK took a deep breath. "Okay," he said. "But if you are my brother, then answer me this. What does TK stand for?"
Matt started laughing, as did many of the other people in the room. "Hey," TK protested. "It's not funny." He was starting to getting a little annoyed. "I don't even know how old I am. Let alone my real name."
Matt stopped laughing and wrapped his arms around his younger brother. He could feel TK tense for a second, then slowly welcome the hug. Matt didn't know how many times he'd imagined himself hugging TK. He was afraid this was all a dream and any second he would wake up and TK would be gone. Holding back tears, he used all his strength to pull away from his brother. "Takeru Takeshi, and you're 15."
TK grimaced. "Just call me TK." Then he looked thoughtful for a second. He looked into his brothers' eyes. He didn't know why, but he believed him. An image formed in his head--two small boys sitting on a beach, the older one playing a harmonica to help the younger one fall asleep. Feeling himself starting to tear up, he breathed slowly and deeply. That younger boy was himself. And the older one... "Did you...Do you call me by a nickname of some sort?"
Matt tears came back to his own eyes. "I used to call you Squirt." Noticing a tear slipping down his brother's face he added quickly, "If you don't want me to call you that I'll understand..."
He was immediately cut off by TK tightening the embrace. Matt hugged him back just as tightly. If Blitomon came into the house right now Matt wouldn't have noticed. The only thing on his mind was that he had his brother back. And nothing was going to take him away—nothing.
As Matt hugged his brother he realized that things were not the same. They couldn't be. He knew that his brother had changed. He remembered that fight back on the hill with the hunters. Did TK shoot that man? He remembered TK at the bar, playing poker, not even flinching when another player got shot. Was this the result of the two years of being a loner, having to fend for himself in a harsh world, needing to have a tough heart? Matt needed time to talk to him find out what had happened, and then slowly let him know about Blitomon. But not now. Right now, nothing else mattered but this hug.
After a few minutes TK pulled away from his brother and smiled. "I kinda like Squirt, but call me Takeru, and you're dead."
Matt laughed again. "Whatever you want. Any more questions?"
"Who are my real parents? When is my birthday? Do I have any other brothers or sisters? What is this place? Am I…"
"Wait, one question at a time." He took TK into another hug. "We have plenty of time. Like I said you're not going anywhere."
"Well," Tai spoke up, "I can answer one question now. My name is Tai. I'm a friend." Instead of extending his hand like TK thought he would do, Tai pulled him into a big bear hug, lifting him off the ground and almost squeezing the breath out of him. "It's so good to see you again."
TK waited until Tai put him down. Once back on the ground he had time to catch his breath. "It's good to see you again too. I think."
"Sorry about that."
The tall boy who tried to save Liz approached TK. "Tai, you already caused one person to go unconscious; don't make it two. I guess we already met, TK. My name is Joe."
Shaking his hand, TK whispered, "Thanks for trying to help, back there."
"I wish I could have done more." Joe gave him a small hug then pulled away. "I think I'm going to faint." Joe headed over to the couch. The same redheaded boy who had mentioned Blitomon came forward.
"Wow, TK," he said. "I knew you would grow, but you're huge! Call me Izzy. I can't wait to hear about the vegetation from that world. I'm also interested in the climate, as it was exceptionally warm there." Without stopping for a breath, he strolled away as if he were contemplating a theory.
TK was starting to feel uncomfortable with all this, but with each hug he felt something. It was a feeling of comfort that came from knowing that he was safe. He felt like he belonged, that he was home. Is that it? Am I actually home? His thoughts were interrupted by a loud sob as he turned, only to be hugged by a crying girl in a pink dress.
"Uh, hey, don't cry." Pulling back from her, he raised her face with his finger under her chin. "You'll mess up that pretty face of yours."
She sniffled a little as she wiped her eyes. "You always knew what to say. Oh TK I missed you so much." With that she started to cry even louder.
"Are you okay, um…"
"Mimi."
Smiling at the girl, he nodded. "Mimi."
Mimi took one more look at him and then buried her face in her hands. She sat on the couch next to Joe, still crying softly.
"TK?" a voice whispered. TK looked around. He spotted a girl standing next to Tai. She started forward, then stopped and looked the ground.
TK walked over and pulled her into a hug. He felt his shirt getting wet with her tears. He didn't pull away. For some strange reason this girl reminded him of Liz. What was stranger was that he felt that she was comforting him as much as he was comforting her. He slowly pulled away, and smiled at her. "Please don't cry." With more care then he knew he possessed he cupped her chin and wiped a tear from her cheek. "I don't like it when you're sad."
"Oh TK…" She pulled away and ran towards Mimi, who started to cry again. He turned towards Matt, who whispered the name, "Sora."
Taking a deep breath, TK tried to cope with all of these emotions building up inside him. Why was he feeling all these emotions for total strangers? But they're not strangers. I know them. Somewhere deep inside he knew them all. There were only four people in the room that he had yet to be introduced to. He examined them all and noticed they looked to be more around his age then the others.
The first one who came forward was a young boy. He headed straight towards TK and then bowed in respect. "My name is Cody." He clasped TK's hand. "I'm very glad that you're back. I never did believe you were dead." He bowed again and headed fore one of the chairs.
Well, this kid is formal. It didn't matter; he liked him just the same. He just had to warm up a little. But what did he mean, he didn't believe he was dead? Was that why they all turned pale when he introduced himself? Did they think he was dead? If they did, why?
"Well Cody, it's great to be back…" Then an odd feeling came over him. He turned to Cody before he had a chance to get away and asked, "Are we brothers?"
Cody looked strangely at him, and then shook his head. "No, why do you ask?"
TK turned to Matt. "I'm the only sibling you have." He saw a worried expression on Matt's face.
"It's just that...Its weird I can't explain it, but..." TK closed his eyes, trying to remember that little detail locked in his head. "Its something..."
"Hey, its okay," Joe spoke up. "You'll remember everything soon." Joe smiled, putting a comforting hand on TK's shoulder. "I mean, you already remembered quite a lot in only a few minutes. You just have to give it time."
Time. He had been giving it time for the last two years, and now he wanted the answers. "Soup!"
Everyone turned to him in confession "Soup? What's so special about soup?" asked Izzy.
TK turned to Cody. "There was something about soup. Something in the soup. No, um.... It's weird... something to do with DNA." He noticed that Cody's eyes were wide with shock. "What?" he asked. "What did I say?"
"Our DNA digivolved." Cody said, turning to the others in the group as if to remind them. "The first time our digimon DNA digivolved we had just finished a bowl of soup." He looked the four youngest. "Remember it was in that digi-Chinatown."
"That's right, I almost forgot." Ken smiled as he turned back to TK.
"Your DNA digivolved? What does that mean?" asked TK.
"It's hard to explain," Cody said. "DNA digivolving occurs when the digimon of two people fuse together to become a single, more powerful digimon."
"During that time there is a connection between the two people. We can almost read each other's thoughts," Ken said. "Like Cody said, it's hard to explain."
"That's okay," TK said. "I'll remember eventually." More and more memories started to fill his head, along with just as many questions. "Where are our digimon now?"
Everyone looked anywhere but at him. "Who is Blitomon?" He stared right at Matt, who seemed to be struggling for the right words.
"I can't believe you, TK." The words came from the back of the room and he saw a young woman with long purple hair coming towards him. "You're asking about Blitomon before you even talk to me?" She smiled and gave him a huge hug. "Man TK, you're as cute as ever. Tell me you don't have a girlfriend." He felt his cheeks growing hot. Was he embarrassed? "My name is Yolie. Wow, I can't believe it." She gave him another hug then pulled him towards the last girl he had yet to meet.
TK looked back over to Matt, who had an expression of relief. TK shook his head. He was going to make sure he asked about Blitomon again. Somehow Blitomon seemed to be the key to all of this.
**********
Kari was still in shock. This was TK. She had dreamed of this for what seemed like forever. But she never imagined she would be so nervous. She could only guess that he would be cute but she never imagined he would be this handsome. He was a lot taller than he used to be, but that was expected. He was also a lot stronger, she could tell by his muscles, which she could see plainly under his shirt. His eyes even seemed a little bluer then they once were.
"And you would be?" he asked. Kari snapped her head up and peered into the same set of perfect blue eyes. She couldn't move she couldn't speak. She felt Yolie give her a push.
"Kari" She blurted out. Why is this so difficult?
"It's a pleasure to meet you again, Kari." With that TK took her hand and kissed it, like a gentleman. His bangs fell over his eyes, a painfully familiar gesture. He didn't even bother to brush them away.
She almost melted at his touch, but without thinking she threw herself at him, burying her face in his shirt. "Oh TK." She started to cry. "I thought I lost you."
He gently rubbed her back then pulled away, still holding her. "I'm sorry if I worried you." He turned to the rest of the group. "I'm sorry if I caused any of you grief."
"It wasn't your fault, it was mine." Turning TK saw the last person he had yet to be introduced to. It was another young boy with brown hair that fell into his eyes.
"What do you mean?" TK asked.
"You risked your life to save mine. You took the blast that was meant for me." The young boy lowered his head as if ashamed.
TK heart went out to this boy. All this time he felt guilty for an act that wasn't his fault. Is that why they thought I was dead? "Well you saved me from the hunters, so I guess we're even."
Davis looked up at TK and saw no anger, no sadness. Sorry TK, I can't forgive myself that easily. "Whatever, TF."
TK got a very annoyed look on his face. "For the last time Davis, my name is TK!" A sudden gasp went across the room. TK looked around, confused, and then settled his eyes on Davis. Davis widened his eyes and took a step back.
"You…you remembered my name."
"So I did." TK slapped Davis on the back. "In that case it shouldn't be too hard to remember mine." The two boys started to laugh.
*************
TK looked around the room at all the smiling faces. Now more than ever he wanted to remember his past, he wanted to remember these people. He wanted to be able to laugh with them and to cry with them. Could he ever feel happy in this world? He looked over at Ajona, who was looking at the floor deep in thought. This must be hard on her. Here, friends surrounded him, and she was all alone.
Never taking his eyes off her he walked over to the girl and knelt before her. "Listen AJ," he said softly. "I...I just want to thank you for talking some sense into me, back there."
When she looked up at him he could have sworn he saw a tear at the corner of one eye. Before he could blink it was gone. She smiled, then quickly frowned. "Ajona."
"What?" he asked, raising a brow in confusion.
"A-jon-a." She spoke each syllable deliberately slowly. "My name is Ajona. Not AJ."
"AJ, Ajona what's the difference?"
"One is my name." She stood up. "The other one is not."
"Is this going to be another one of your temper tantrums?" This wasn't going as he planned. He wanted to help her not make her angry.
"Please remind me again why I don't want to kill you?" She turned and stuck her chin up defiantly "I'm having a hard time remembering."
Shaking his head, he decided it would be in his best interest to let the whole thing drop. Turning back to his brother, he noticed Matt had gone pale and his mouth was a little agape. "AJ, um...Maybe we should stop talking about killing." Turning to the group he gave a small smile. "I don't think it's quite appropriate."
Ajona for her part noticed all the uncomfortable looks on the other people's faces. "Sorry, old habits die hard. Maybe we should discard our weapons also, like you said I don't think there appropriate." With that she placed her gun on the table followed by her shroud, then a small knife and a few daggers. She then dumped a pile of bullets on the table next to them.
TK for his part took out his two guns, laying them next to Ajona's, and a stack of bullets next to them. He then reached into his boot and pulled out a small knife leaving it on the table, next to the other weapons.
"I don't believe it." This came from Tai who was just staring at the table. This couldn't be TK. Two years ago he was the most innocent, caring kid there was.
When TK saw the shocked expression on the their faces, his head dropped. He felt a sudden sadness come over him. Were they disappointed in him? "I guess I've changed a lot over the years."
"We've all changed, TK." Sora came forward until she was in front of him. "Were just not used to your changes yet, so give us time."
Unable to look at her any longer, he lowed his head and muttered, "Thanks, Sora."
"Well I know something that hasn't changed," said Yolie, who had been unusually quiet for the most part. "Your appetite! I bet you're hungry."
"I don't know about you guys, but I'm starved." Holding his stomach, Davis grinned "Let's eat."
"Davis, you're always hungry," laughed Ken as he walked over to TK and Ajona "What would you like?"
Aspirin was the first thing that popped into his head. With all the things going on he really need some. But food would at least stop the pain in his stomach. "Anything will be fine."
"How about pizza?" asked Izzy thinking about his empty refrigerator in the corner.
"Pizza?" asked Ajona and TK in unison.
Matt laughed as he slung his arm around his younger brother. "Don't worry TK, you'll love it." Taking in TK's haggard appearance, he smiled. "We have a lot to teach you."
To be Continued:
Tell me what you think so far. It's not over yet it hasn't even started. The next part we finnaly get to see some digimon.