Chapter 3: Fate's Ball of String
DarkGatomon said nothing until Kari finally stopped running. "You know," she murmured, "that you can't leave the Digital World without your D-3."
"It must've slipped my mind," Kari snapped. She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Violet. It's not you I'm mad at."
"I'm aware." DarkGatomon stared up at Kari's sullen face. "Do you wish to go home?"
"Yes, but I can't without my D-3."
"There may be a way."
Kari looked at her. "How?"
"You'll probably think I'm trying to trick you."
"No, tell me! I…I trust you."
DarkGatomon paused. "Why?"
Kari kneeled and stroked the cat's back. "I don't know, I just do. Tell me."
"You would have to proclaim me your partner."
Kari bit her lip. "What would happen to Angewomon?"
DarkGatomon sighed. "I have no idea. But I have a feeling it wouldn't harm her data. It's up to you."
"All right," Kari said after a moment. "Let's do it."
"Are you certain, Kari?"
"No," Kari replied. "Let's do it, anyway."
* * * * *
It was Sally's alarmed yowls that initially got Angewomon's attention. Then the light from Kari's D-3 caught her gaze. "What in the Digital World…?"
Kari's D-3 continued to glow for a few seconds, and then vanished without warning.
Sally crawled over and examined the empty space with her paw, unsure of what had just happened.
Angewomon wasn't sure, either. But she had a bad feeling all the same. It only took a moment for her to lock in on Kari's location…but she could feel that partner awareness slipping away, and knew at once what Kari was about to do.
Flying faster than she ever had before, Angewomon zoomed through the halls of her home, silently praying that she hadn't driven Kari to such a drastic action. But when she reached the balcony and found the dark, LadyDevimon-shaped shadow, she knew it was too late.
"Kari, don't do it!" she cried. "Please!"
Kari's face swam out of the darkness. "Do you accept her?"
Angewomon hesitated. "I can't, but you-"
"Then I don't accept you. Goodbye, Angewomon."
LadyDevimon scooped up Kari and glanced back at Angewomon's shrinking form. "Until next time, kitten," she whispered before diving over the balcony.
Gatomon looked up from the floor, her eyes full of tears. "Kari…no…come back…"
"I fear you've made a grave error, old friend," a voice behind her stated.
Gatomon whirled around, gasping as she caught sight of the ghostly image. "Wizardmon?!"
"Hello, Gatomon," he said, leaning down to pet Sally's head. "We should talk."
* * * * *
It was easy enough to sneak DarkGatomon by her mother, as Kari found out that morning. Kari personally couldn't think of any cats that actually changed the color of their coats so drastically, but she explained it like a true cat lover would. Her mother seemed to accept it, especially after DarkGatomon (introduced as the once white cat that had followed her home several months ago) had curled around her ankles a few times. She definitely knew how to win approval among humans.
But Kari knew there would be no convincing her big brother of the same. He had his own Digimon, after all, and would spot the differences instantly. She decided to tell him everything that had happened in the Digital World.
But, much to her surprise, there was no need for it. Tai simply spotted the black cat, stooped to pet it, and asked, "What's her name?"
Kari blinked. "DarkGatomon," she said faintly. "You know, dark as in evil and voted Most Likely to Destroy Digidestined Kids?"
Tai chuckled. "Sure, Kari. Whatever you say."
DarkGatomon smiled evilly. "Would you care for a demonstration?"
"No, thanks. I'm late to meet some friends for Matt's concert." He stood up. "So what happened to Gatomon?"
"We…had a difference of opinion," Kari stated, trying to look neutral.
"Okay. So this is permanent?" he asked, nodding at the black cat.
"Um…trial period," she replied.
He shrugged. "Works for me."
"But…aren't you worried?" Kari asked. "Aren't you going to tell me I made a big choice without thinking it through?"
Tai rolled his eyes. "As if the Digital World EVER gave us time to think anything through. Kari, my middle name is Spontaneous. Do I look like someone who's going to lecture you on responsibility?"
"But…that's what big brothers do."
"No, that's what standard big brothers do. I happen to be an exceptional model, and I think you're smart enough to make your own choices and learn from your mistakes. Besides, I used to help change your diapers. I think I've babied you enough for one lifetime."
"Tai!" Kari cried, blushing furiously.
"See, you're learning already. Now you know never to ask me to lecture you again." Tai leaned over and kissed her forehead before walking out. "Later, kiddo."
"That was rather unexpected," DarkGatomon commented. "Maybe I should've digivolved…"
"Like you weren't going to if he stood there a second longer," Kari muttered.
"I told you I don't do nice. How do you think I got my name, from my fur?"
* * * * *
Wizardmon had been deleted by Myotismon long ago. Whether it was his magic that kept him around, or the fact that he'd taken a lethal hit for her and gained a huge amount of positive karma, Gatomon couldn't be sure. But no matter what form he was in, he was still her oldest and wisest friend.
Although he had a habit of showing up just after something really bad happened. And then he always gave her advice that she hated at first, but eventually had to take. He was good like that.
"Why can't you accept DarkGatomon?" he asked. "What has she done that's made you so unforgiving?"
"First, she left me. Then she betrayed me. And then she revealed my past to Kari and…took her."
Wizardmon shook his head. "Kari was not taken. She was perfectly willing to go with LadyDevimon. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you can be back in her arms."
"How can you take her side?!" Gatomon cried.
"Because you used to be on her side, too," he replied. "Or did you forget that you used to love her?"
"Well, she forgot," Gatomon snarled.
"She did not. She loves you even more now. You're just too blinded by anger to see it."
"I have a right to be angry! She made me choose between her and Kari!"
Wizardmon sighed. "No, she did not. YOU forced yourself to choose. You could've allowed them both to stay here. Instead, you've gone and made a big mess of everything. Now, you've done enough talking. You're going to listen to me, and you're going to see that there's only one way to fix this."
Gatomon glared at him, but said nothing.
"A long time ago, I met a cat. A very special, beautiful cat. She changed my life…and saved it. She showed me that even those who do evil work can still have hearts of gold."
"I already know that part. I was there."
"No, you were not," Wizardmon replied at once. "That cat was DarkGatomon."
Gatomon blinked. "That was ME!"
Wizardmon refused to agree. "Of course, I was amazed when the exact same situation repeated itself years later. The second cat was indeed you, and I was reminded of what the first told me." He paused to see if Gatomon was listening, and decided that she was. "She told me that if I should ever meet a Gatomon with a certain golden tail ring, I should protect and guide her. Only then would my debt be paid. The safety of one life for my own."
Gatomon shook her head. "No. That…that's not true!"
Wizardmon narrowed his eyes. "You know perfectly well I would never lie to you, Gatomon. It's thoughtless statements like that which cost you your partner." He cleared his throat. "You see, DarkGatomon was never truly evil. In her heart, she was only masquerading darkness, waiting for her chance to do good. Just like you were when you met Kari. You were both waiting for her, and you just happened to find her first."
"You…you never told me," Gatomon whispered.
"DarkGatomon swore me to secrecy. But, seeing as how I was alive then and now I'm not, I suppose I'm free of that oath. Besides, if I didn't tell you, you'd surely lose Kari for good."
"But…if you or her had just TOLD me…" Gatomon insisted, shaking with anger.
"We all have our secrets," Wizardmon said faintly, staring pointedly at her. "Sometimes they hurt the ones we love, and so we must keep them. That's why DarkGatomon never allowed you to defeat her in front of Myotismon. If she had, she would've paid a terrible cost…your life. It's why she was forced to obey Piedmon as well. The moment she disobeyed, Myotismon would've deleted you without hesitation."
Gatomon could still see the battle on Spiral Mountain in her mind's eye. She hadn't understood why LadyDevimon had fought so passionately, so determined not to lose. How ironic that she'd nearly destroyed the love of her life to protect it.
"Do you see, Gatomon?" Wizardmon asked. "Do you see how much she loves you?"
Gatomon nodded slowly. "What should I do?" she whispered.
"Go to Kari. Tell her the truth, everything you've been hiding. There should be no secrets between you."
"And…DarkGatomon?"
Wizardmon smiled as he began to fade. "Tell her she owes me one."
* * * * *
TK was awakened by a scratching at his window. He glanced at his digital clock, nearly cursing when he saw that time it was. The steady pounding in his head was actually the constant fall of rain, and he knew at once that his visitor was not human.
Checking first to see if Patamon was still asleep under his favorite hat, TK moved to the window, paused long enough to recognize the white, drenched figure, and threw the window open.
Gatomon slowly lifted her head, her ears and fur drooping with the weight of the rain. "Hey, TK," she said, sniffling a bit. "Can I come in?"
She looked absolutely pitiful, and TK didn't have it in him to refuse her. Momentarily forgetting that she was soaked, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the bathroom. "Gatomon, what were you doing out there?"
"You live higher up than I thought," she replied, closing her eyes.
"I bet everything seems higher up when you're climbing apartment buildings in the rain."
"Point taken." Gatomon sneezed into his shirt. "Sorry…" She gave him a sad puppy face, which looked rather odd on her.
"That's okay." He put her down in the tub and reached for some towels. "Do you want to tell me what's going on? And where's Kari? She's not in any danger, is she?"
Gatomon shook her head and practically leaped at the offered towels. "Kari's probably at home. She should be fine."
"But…don't you…um…KNOW?" he pressed, looking uneasy.
Gatomon knew that he was referring to the link between a Digimon and its partner. A link she no longer had. "No, I don't. Kari disowned me," she replied from under the towels.
A towel was yanked away from her face. "WHAT?"
"We had a fight. A big, bad fight, with shouting and things I really regret saying. The kind I don't wanna talk about just now."
"Oh." TK looked puzzled for a moment, then hesitantly returned the towel. "I'm sorry."
"Not your fault. Mostly mine." Gatomon carefully dried off her ears. "I don't suppose your mother has a hair dryer?"
"Yes, but…she'll want to know where I got a cat…and why I'm giving it a makeover at two in the morning…"
"Oh, you won't have to explain. Just go back to bed and let me do it. I mean, you can hardly explain a cat hair-drying itself, right? And once she sees how smart I am, she'll want to keep me."
TK didn't look so sure, but nodded. "Do you…need anything?"
"Just privacy and that hair dryer, thanks. I mean, you ARE a boy."
"A very NICE boy who let you soak his pajamas and sneeze on him, you mean."
"Yeah, but think about how grateful Kari will be when I tell her how good to me you were. And I KNOW you want that, right?"
TK blushed. "How did you—"
"Oh, please, TK. Even Veemon knows, and he's practically chin-deep in Davis Denial."
* * * * *
"Do you think we should've brought Sally home?" Kari asked, watching the black cat curl up on her bed.
"The Salamon?" DarkGatomon gave her a curious look. "So you're just going to run around adopting every cat you find?"
"Well, I told you I wanted to be an old lady with a house full of cats."
"It's a bit early. You'll be young for quite some time."
"But I want to be a young lady with a house half full of cats, so I should get started."
"You're a very strange human," DarkGatomon said after a moment.
"I'm going to take that as a compliment, Violet."
"If it gets you through the day, go ahead. But you're still very strange."
"Maybe I just like cats."
"If that were the case, you would've brought home three cats instead of just me. But then, we could always go back…"
"You really think so?" Kari asked, looking worried.
"We might not necessarily be welcome, but yes, we could go back."
"Do you think Gatomon's okay?"
"There is little doubt in my mind. Gatomon can be very self-sufficient when the need arises. Although she may need a push in the right direction to get started."
Just then, Kari's D-3 beeped loudly.
DarkGatomon only looked slightly interested. "Is it supposed to do that?"
"Only when I have e-mail." Kari picked up her D-3 and flipped it open. "It's from TK."
"Angemon's partner?"
Kari nodded. "He wants to meet us at the park." Her face paled. "He's got Gatomon with him…"
DarkGatomon waved her long tail. "The plot thickens."
* * * * *
"Are you sure you want to do this, Gatomon?" TK asked.
"Is Veemon blue?"
"Okay, you do. But are you sure you want me here?"
"She'll listen to you. You haven't screwed up. Well, not lately."
"Hey!"
Gatomon silenced him with a look. "They're here. Let's go."
"Where?"
"The swings. Neutral territory."
"How's that neutral?" asked a voice from TK's backpack.
"It just is, I don't know," Gatomon replied. "And don't draw attention to yourself, Patamon."
"What, like a cat on two legs won't get noticed?"
"Quiet, you."
The reached the empty swings a moment later.
"They're not here," TK stated. "You said they were here."
"I meant 'here in the park,' not 'here at the swings,' TK. I'm supposed to be the nervous one."
"Well, if YOU screw up, and I'm the one that brought you, won't get Kari get mad at me? Girls are unpredictable that way."
"You may have a point. I certainly didn't think she'd ever pick DarkGatomon over me. Now, shush, there they are."
Kari appeared a moment later, looking more cautious than anything else.
DarkGatomon stood next to Kari, saying nothing and giving off the distinct impression that the real world simply wasn't good enough for her.
The silence was getting to TK. "Hi, Kari," he said abruptly.
Kari blinked and looked at him, her lips twitching into a ghost of a smile. "Hi, TK. Thanks for letting Gatomon stay with you."
"She was no trouble at all," TK replied. He suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Should I leave you three alone?"
"Yes," said Gatomon.
"No," said Kari.
DarkGatomon sighed. "You can stay, just don't talk."
Even if it was meant as an insult, it seemed to make perfect sense, so no one thought to argue. TK's backpack did seem a little perturbed, though, twitching angrily every few seconds.
"So…who goes first?" Kari asked softly.
No one spoke.
"I guess I will," Gatomon volunteered after a few seconds.
Kari nodded and sat down in one of the swings. Having nothing better to do, TK sat next to her.
"Gee…never had such an attentive audience before." Gatomon chuckled nervously.
"I'm listening, too!" Patamon cried from TK's backpack.
Gatomon smiled, feeling a little bit braver. "Well…Kari…you were right about me. We wouldn't be having these problems if I wasn't Angewomon at the time."
"Does that mean you're happy to see Violet?" Kari asked.
Gatomon blinked. "Who?"
DarkGatomon rolled her eyes. "Me."
"Oh." Gatomon gave her an odd look. "If I ignore the fact that she replaced me, then yes, I guess I am happy to see her."
"Good to see you, too, kitten," the black cat added.
There was a hint of red in Gatomon's cheeks as she continued. "It's just…when I'm Angewomon, I'm not really…me. Things change. My whole perspective and outlook on the way things should be is so different. That's why I prefer to be Nefertimon. With her, I still feel like…me."
"Gatomon, why didn't you tell me?" Kari asked. "We…we could've done…something…"
Gatomon looked away. "Because as troublesome as Angewomon can be, she's still a powerful Holy Digimon. We need her. I just wish I wasn't her sometimes."
"There may be a way," DarkGatomon murmured. "But it could be painful."
Kari looked worried. "How painful?"
"Very. But I guarantee you'd never have to be Angewomon again, kitten At least, not the annoying one."
"You can…really do that?" Gatomon asked.
DarkGatomon shook her head. "Not me. My tail ring."
"But what good will that do? I mean, it's still a Holy Item, so-"
"No, it isn't," DarkGatomon said patiently. "It's a Forsaken Item, and it happens to be on your tail as we speak."
Gatomon's eyes widened. "What? But you told me-"
"I told you that it was a copy of mine. I lied." The black cat shrugged. "I guess I wanted a little piece of me to be with you always. Actually, it's probably the reason why Angewomon is so different. She's using the power of a Forsaken Ring."
"So…in a twisted sort of way…this is all your fault?" Kari asked slowly.
DarkGatomon shrugged again, grinning wickedly. "I told you I didn't do nice."
* * * * *
The Digimon Emperor tossed his cape over his shoulder, frowning as his army of DarkTyrannamon made their way across the burning sands.
At his feet, Wormmon tried his best to cheer up his master. "Want to destroy some powerless Digimon today, Master?"
The Digimon Emperor did not reply.
"Maybe shoot down some Kuwagamon? Squish some Poyomon?"
"One more word and I'll feed you to my pets, Wormmon." He bit down on his lip, hard enough to taste blood.
"Master? What's wrong?" Wormmon asked as the Digimon Emperor stood up, signaling the army to halt.
The front line suddenly spun around and leaped at the ones directly behind them, resulting in a flurry of claws and jaws as the DarkTyrannamon viciously tore into each other for apparently no reason at all.
"Stop!" the Digimon Emperor shouted. "I COMMAND YOU TO STOP THIS AT ONCE!"
A dark figure rose up on the horizon. "I'm afraid they won't obey with their Dark Spirals destroyed, Emperor."
The Digimon Emperor snarled. "Who dares?!"
The dark figure rose higher into the air, flapping its wings. "Be free, my dark brothers," said a decidedly female voice. "Show the Emperor your true might! Darkness Wave!"
A black fog rolled over the army, and many of the DarkTyrannamon still under the influence of the Dark Spirals broke free and attacked the ones still awaiting the Emperor's orders.
"RETREAT!" The Digimon Emperor wheeled his own around, only to be faced with another figure in the sky, this one framed by a blinding light.
"Not today, Digimon Emperor. Now you'll know what it feels like to watch helplessly as your 'friends' turn on you."
A beam of silvery light flew into the sky, even as a voice cried, "Celestial Arrow!" The beam suddenly split into many, raining down towards the army.
"Master, we should get out of here!" Wormmon moaned, tugging at his master's ankle.
But the Digimon Emperor smiled slightly and shook his head. He already suspected what the arrows would do.
Upon impact, the remaining DarkTyrannamon roared and whirled around, intent on repaying their captor for all his cruelty.
"Master, please!" Worrmon begged.
"It's over," he said softly. "There is no escape."
Then the one under them bucked, tossing the Digimon Emperor and his companion to the sand. A tight circle quickly closed around them.
Wormmon placed himself between the nearest set of jaws and his master. "I'll protect you, Ken!"
The Digimon Emperor smirked and looked up, watching the two flying figures soar away together. "You win, Digidestined," he whispered, just before a gaping mouth blocked his view.
* * * * *
TK finally remembered to close his mouth and glanced at Kari, who hadn't moved in the last twenty minutes. "Kari?" he whispered, reaching for her hand and finding it strangely cold. "Are you in there?"
She blinked, slowly, and looked at him. "Yes," she replied softly, before looking away again. "It's over."
"I noticed." TK swallowed noisily. "But…don't you think that was…"
"Exactly what he deserved," Gatomon said, coming to stand by Kari.
"In any case, it's too late to change your mind, isn't it?" DarkGatomon asked, appearing on Kari's other side.
"You two are in agreement all of a sudden," TK observed, though he wasn't sure that was a good thing anymore.
"Let's go home, Kari," Gatomon suggested, tugging on her partner's paw. "Can we?"
Kari smiled and rubbed Gatomon's head. "You were great."
"Hey!" DarkGatomon protested. "I helped, too!"
"You both were great," Kari added, petting the black cat as well.
"Kari…" TK began.
She smiled brightly at him. "Coming, TK?" With that, she walked off, the two cats bounding on either side of her as she headed up the slope.
TK watched her go, almost totally unaware of his hat shifting on his head.
"Is it me, or does it seem like Kari has a tail?" Patamon asked.
TK looked closer. "No, that's only that Salamon she's been carrying around since we left Angewomon's place." He paused. "At least, I THINK it is…"
"It's gotta mean too many sweets for us. Right?"
"Right," Tk murmured. But the more and more he watched Kari and her cats, the harder and harder it was to tell the difference between them.
Next: Night Eyes – The results of Kari's decision, and the start of a legacy.