Chapter 4:
"So, this job just fell in your lap?" Kari asked incredulously. She and TK had arrived at the rather spacious apartment, which she was pleasantly surprised to find was only a few blocks from her own. TK had been right about helping unpack, but Kari didn't mind and helped TK set up his room and got most of the living room and study unpacked and mostly sorted. Now the three of them, TK, Kari, and Ms. Takeshi, were resting on the couch, drinking pops.
"Yep," Ms. Takeshi nodded. "It was better pay, easier work hours, and a chance to come back to Odiba. I knew how much TK wanted to come back here ever since we left. Besides, I like it here."
"Well, it's great that you're back," Kari smiled. A knock at the door surprised them all.
"I wonder who that could be." Ms. Takeshi pondered as she rose to answer the door. She opened it slightly, than all the way to reveal Tai, Matt, Sora, Izzy, Mimi, and Joe.
"Hi Mom," Matt smiled, hugging her tightly. "Welcome back."
"Oh Matt, it's so good to see you again. Come in, all of you. So, the digidestined have managed to stay together after all these years?"
"Some more than others," Tai grinned, poking Matt in the ribs. Matt shot Tai a glare while Sora swatted him on the head.
"Matt?" Matt sighed and glared at Tai again.
"Mom, you remember Sora, don't you?"
"Of course, hello again, dear."
"Hello, Ms. Takeshi," Sora smiled, bowing.
"Oh, don't be so formal, any of you. Just call me Nancy. So you're the one who keeps Matt too busy to answer the phone." Sora's face began to turn the color of a tomato while Matt made a strangling noise and the others laughed. "Well, it's nice to meet you again." Sora smiled, though her blush remained.
"Thank you."
"Now come in, all of you." Soon, all the original children were seated around the living room, talking.
"So TK, how did you like your first day at school?" Sora asked.
"Not bad," TK responded. "I got to meet the three new kids. Not a bad bunch."
"What are your honest assessments of them?" Matt asked, leaning forward slightly. TK remained silent for a moment, collecting his thoughts.
"Yolei comes off as an airhead, but she's very intelligent. It's almost an act to cover up how intelligent she is. My guess is that she can give you a run for your money, Izzy. Cody is trying to grow up too fast, but I'd guess that there's a reason driving him to do that. He is very judgmental and I'm afraid that he doesn't like me. Part of that seems to stem from how much he looks up to Davis. Davis I don't trust."
"Why?" Tai spoke first, but the question had been on everyone's minds, Kari included.
"He's too arrogant," TK replied cautiously. "He doesn't take this seriously enough. I honestly believe that he thinks it's a game and that if he screws up, than he can just hit reset or something. Also, I don't like his attitude. He doesn't strike me as the type to follow orders or listen to other opinions. I take it he crowned himself leader early on?" The last question was directed to Kari, who nodded.
"When we first got called back to the digital world, Davis and Veemon were the first to meet. I don't know he just kind of became the leader, like Tai did when we first went to the digital world." TK shook his head in disagreement.
"No, Tai would listen to our ideas and reject his plans if another one made more sense. I don't think Davis would. Have you had to kill yet?" Kari shook her head.
"No and Davis is actually kind of reluctant to use too much force on evil or controlled digimon." TK perked up at that.
"Controlled?"
"Yeah, we've been fighting some guy who calls himself the Digimon Emperor. He's got a strange pair of ultimate-levels working for him named Arukenimon and Mummymon." TK remained silent for a moment, processing the information.
"Does he have any other digimon? Not controlled ones, but any you've seen working for him besides Arukenimon and Mummymon?"
"No," Kari replied.
"Nothing like a Lady Devimon or Skull-Satamon?" TK insisted. "Have you seen any Stingmon working with him?"
"No, nothing like that," Kari assured him. TK sighed and slide a hand through his hair.
"Sorry. I thought it might have been someone. Never mind." Izzy began to protest, but TK remained silent. The group spent the rest of the time catching up on the aspects of their lives when they weren't saving the world. Eventually, everyone had to leave, since it was still a school night, but Kari was going to spend the night, with her mother's permission. She and TK were going to spend part of the night going over what TK had missed earlier in the school year. Kari briefly went home to get a change of clothes and her sleep shirt and then came back. TK insisted on walking with her both ways.
On the way back to TK's apartment, the pair was strangely silent. The sky was dark and foreboding; a storm would be on Odiba soon. By unspoken agreement, they quickened their pace in an attempt to outrace the storm. The storm, however, had other plans. The sky broke when they were four blocks from his building. As soon as they felt the first raindrop the pair broke into a mad dash. By the time they got inside the building, they were both soaked to the bone and laughing like crazy.
"OK, that was fun," TK laughed. "I haven't played in the rain in a while."
"What? How can you not play in the rain?" Kari laughed in reply as they rode the elevator to TK's floor.
"Tokyo isn't the kind of place where you want to be out alone on the streets when it's dark," TK replied, some of the jubilation leaving his face. "Even when it's raining."
"Well, you're back in Odiba now, so we're just going to have to get you caught up on your rain-fun."
"I'm game," TK grinned as they exited the elevator and he fished in his pocket for his keys. "MOM! We're home," he called as they walked in the door and took off their shoes.
"Miss Takeshi!" Kari joined in. TK frowned and immediately headed for the kitchen. Kari set her bag, thankfully waterproof, down and followed him in. She found him frowning at a white sheet of paper.
"Mom had to go into work to cover a breaking story," TK explained. "She's sorry, but there's food in the fridge. Also, she reminded us to behave ourselves and to get some sleep. Movie?" he asked, looking up. For a brief moment, Kari thought she saw sadness in his eyes.
"TK? Are you alright?"
"Sure," he shrugged, his eyes back to their usual, emotionless blue. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"Well, you were talking about how great it would be for the three of us to spend more time together," Kari replied.
"Hey, things happen. No point crying over spilled milk. So I repeat; movie?" His grin was slightly forced, but Kari could tell that he really didn't want to bring it back up, so she reluctantly let it go.
"Movie."