Till The End Of All
By CyberDracomon
Chapter 2 - Beloved
The next day TK woke early, needing the time to get ready. This was normal for his all day dates, but this time he had to be perfect. With Tai's blessings out of the way, all he needed was the perfect moment with Kari to pop the question, and a little luck that she would accept. The teen was in the bathroom at 9:00 a.m. and didn't leave for an hour, ensuring every little detail was flawless. Patamon just flapped around, trying not to get in the way, but still close enough to try to figure out why he was going so overboard.
"TK, it's just a date with Kari!" Patamon shouted, his usual line as TK was nearly finished with his preparations. "She's not going to notice every little detail that's out of place." TK was used to hearing Patamon say that every time he got ready for a date with Kari, but never could explain to him why he had to make sure every tiny detail was perfect. He wasn't worried about Kari getting upset over something out of place, rather he was worried of not being perfect enough for her.
"You've got a lot to learn about dating, Patamon." TK joked while shuffling through shirts in his closet. He knew the one he had on was the one he was wearing, but just in case he wanted to have a second, last minute choice. It was a habit of his that even he was annoyed by.
"TK, somehow I doubt I'm going to get much experience with girls around here." Patamon said, joking but somewhat upset at his own comment. He shook it off quickly, gliding over to the sofa to land and rest his wings while TK came out into the front room, brushing the few remaining wrinkles in his green button-up shirt.
"So, how do I look, Patamon?" TK asked, the last pre-date tradition between the two, in which Patamon had his traditional answer.
"Exactly the way you did two hours ago." Patamon replied. Over time it had become as much a joke as it was serious. "Just try to relax, Kari's not going to have fun if you're worried about presenting yourself the entire time." Patamon had a point, but it wasn't just that problem this time. Now it was waiting for the right moment to propose to Kari, which made him more nervous than anything he could imagine. He had thought this would be the easy part, but he was starting to chicken out before the date even started.
"Relax, Patamon, she'll have a good time." TK said, trying to regain some composure. "We haven't had a bad date yet, I've got a record to maintain." Patamon could tell TK was trying to shake something off, but wasn't sure what... Probably just nervousness... Patamon looked around, his eyes passing a clock hanging on the wall, then did a double take, realizing the time.
"TK, you better get going." Patamon said, pointing to the clock. "You don't have long to get over to Kari's apartment even if you drive there." TK glanced at the clock, realizing he was right. He let time get away from him and barely had enough time to get to her apartment.
"Thanks, Patamon." TK said, making a quick jog to the door. "Wish me luck!" With that TK opened the door and quickly exited, closing it behind him. Patamon had a feeling something else was up, something TK hadn't told him... but he couldn't follow, it would wreck their date if they spotted him... Patamon was getting worried about his human partner, not knowing how to see what was wrong... Then an idea hit him.
"Well, he did say I needed to learn about dating." Patamon said with a sly smile. "What better way than to watch a pro?" He stood from his seat on the couch, then jumped off, gliding over to the door. For the small Digimon just a door was a tricky task, and it took quite a bit to get it right. Patamon landed on the doorknob with his front feet, then leaned to the left, letting his weight turn the knob. A few flaps of his wings was enough to pull the door open. He let go, flipping in the air to return to an upright position, and walked through the crack in the door, not opening it enough to fly out. He then turned, flying up to the outside knob, grabbing onto it and flapping hard to pull it closed. Patamon landed to catch his breath, looking up at the obstacle he just cleared.
"Sometimes I wish I could digivolve without TK..." He said, just now remembering he was basically human in Champion form. It was too late now, as his thoughts fell on where TK would actually go first... He went by car, meaning he'd never catch him at Kari's house, so he had to fly to wherever the two would go first... "I really hope they're walking... If this is their usual date, TK will take her to the movie theater first. That's my best bet." Patamon took to the air again, flying up over the railing of the apartment building and into the air, hoping a flying orange object in the sky wasn't too noticeable.
**********
For the small Digimon the flight to the movie theater was long, but thankfully uneventful. Patamon now found himself above the movie theater, flapping his wings to stay too high to be seen. He needed to find some way into the theater, but with no windows he couldn't sneak in and the only open doorway was the main one where the ticket booths were, meaning whoever was there would spot him...
"Hmm... Maybe I can distract whoever's in the booth..." Patamon thought out loud. He glided over to get a better look at the booth itself, flying in just a little closer. They were in between movie showings apparently since there was no line so he didn't have to worry about getting seen. Looking around the area, Patamon noticed a thick wire exposed on the booth, leading into the building. It was short, though, since the booth was joined to the building. If it was what TK thought it was, he might have one shot... He again changed positions, this time to get a good angle at the cord. Patamon took aim, slowly charging his attack.
"Boom Bubble!" Patamon fired the blast of air at the cord, hoping he was on target. Luckily he was, blasting the cord apart. Patamon watched as the lights in the booth blinked, then went black. This was just what he was hoping, if the next part came out right... He made one more move, this time to get a good angle at the main glass door of the building. It didn't take long for the guy running the booth to leave his post, starting to walk out. Patamon waited, watching him open the main door wide to let himself out. When he turned to check the cord, Patamon dived as fast as he could toward the door before it could shut, hoping the guy didn't notice. He flew past him and into the door just before it closed on his small tail, landing roughly onto the carpeted floor. He looked around, relieved there was nobody in the lobby, not even someone at the snack stand. Patamon stood up, moving carefully past the concession stand just in case someone was in it, and into a hallway across the room that lead to the various theaters. Looking at the number of hallways made Patamon realize the flaw in the plan...
"I should have asked what movie he was going to..." Patamon said, worried. There had to be at least 20 theaters, the movie could be over b the time he went through them all... He only remembered a few recent movies the two had seen, not enough to limit his search at all...
Just then something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye, but it went so fast by the time he looked for it, it was already gone... It wasn't human, though, too small and too fast... Finding TK might be a lost cause, but whatever that was had caught his curiosity. Taking the risk, Patamon took to the air, his flight faster than his sprint, gliding down the hall the thing had passed into. He looked down at the floor, watching the sides for any movement... After a minute he spotted a door closing and something just vanishing behind it.
"Can't escape now..." Patamon said, gliding down. He landed, relieved the door wasn't the kind that closed on it's own, and walked in, immediately noticing how dark the room was except for a beam of light coming from a contraption near the far wall. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust before he could look around, seeing many flat cans laying around. He quickly pushed the door closed, making sure whatever it was wouldn't get away, then scanned the area, walking into the middle of the room for a better view. It took a few minutes to spot something moving, but it was too dark to make out any details. He watched the figure dart from hiding place to hiding place until it accidentally hit a stack of flat cans, burying itself in a pile of metal discs, creating a loud crash of steel hitting steel. Patamon was glad it had stopped, but felt bad it had hurt itself doing so. He walked over carefully, not sure what to expect, inching over to the pile of cans. Patamon took hold on one, feeling how heavy it was, then rolled it out of the way, ignoring the crash it made as it hit another stack of cans. Patamon looked on at the creature, his eyes not adjusted well enough to tell what it was, but he was relieved it wasn't trying to run anymore. When his eyes got used to the dark, Patamon let out a small gasp as he recognized the figure.
"...Gatomon?" Patamon said, unsure of his guess. "Is that you?" The figure seemed to be as surprised as Patamon was. It crawled out of the cans, with Patamon backing up to give it room.
"Yeah, it's me, Patamon." Gatomon admitted, relieving Patamon. "You scared me, I thought something was after me!" She was right, of course, just it wasn't a bad thing as she implied.
"Sorry for scaring you." Patamon said, upset that he did it. "I was just curious about what was running around this place besides me." Gatomon smiled a bit, a detail Patamon could now make out in the darkness.
"I thought cats were supposed to be the curious ones." She joked. "What are you doing here, anyway? You shouldn't be roaming around in public, especially without TK." He could make the same argument about her, but chose to guess what she was doing.
"Well TK was going out with Kari tonight," Patamon explained. "but he looked nervous about something, so I followed him to see what it was. I'm guessing you're spying on Kari, right?" Gatomon looked surprised for a brief second before shaking it off.
"Yeah, but it's not the first time for me." She said. "I've followed Kari out on a lot of dates, watching her and TK. Something about human romance just catches this cat's eye, I guess." Patamon had to admire Gatomon, remembering his conversation with TK from the previous day. He couldn't help but wonder if she was one of the lucky Digimon capable of love... He shook himself from his mental trance, now worried about TK again.
"Do you know where they are now, then?" Patamon asked in hope. Gatomon smiled to him before turning and hopping up to a ledge or table, it was too hard to tell in the dark, then signaled for him to join her. Patamon flapped up to her, not sure what she was getting at, then noticed the ledge was in front of a small window into a large, dark room.
"They're in there, watching the movie." Gatomon explained. "It takes a long time for even my eyes to adjust enough to see them, though." Patamon moved to the window, looking out and down at the crowd. She was right, though, he could barely tell there were even rows, let alone chairs and people in them. He'd never be able to spot TK in all of this black...
"Shh, quiet!" Someone said. The two Digimon looked at the door, where the voice had come from, both in a slight panic. "I heard a crash in here a while ago, someone's gotta be inside..." Patamon couldn't believe this, his first time out and he was going to get busted.
"Patamon, follow me, quick!" Gatomon whispered, jumping to the floor. Patamon wasn't one to argue with an expert and followed her to the ground and against the wall the door was beside. "When the door opens, run under them, if we're fast enough they won't see us." Patamon nodded, suddenly worried about his chances, running not being his strong suit. The door slowly opened, then two sets of human legs came in. Patamon watched as Gatomon somehow darted through them and into the hall without any detection. He followed right behind, trying to keep his wings tucked in. Just as he made it past the first human, his wings caught a draft from his running, throwing them open and batting them against the second human's legs. He tucked them back in tight and started running madly, hoping he didn't notice.
"Hey, it's a pair of animals!" One of them shouted. "How did they get in here?!" Patamon mentally kicked himself for trying the same stunt a cat had pulled off...
"Who cares, we gotta get'em out!" The other shouted. Patamon picked up his pace, now running beside Gatomon, in desperate hope she had an idea.
"Get into the snack bar, quick!" She said quietly, darting ahead. He resisted an urge to fly up to catch up to her, knowing he'd be in even more trouble if the humans knew he wasn't a natural animal. Patamon ran so hard his feet were aching, but he managed to get to the bar just behind Gatomon and before the humans rounded the corner to see him do it.
"So... what... now..." Patamon gasped quietly. He looked over to Gatomon, suddenly realizing she didn't look mad, just worried. Knowing her tempter he was relieved to say the least.
"Now we wait for them to find us." Gatomon said. Patamon nearly jumped, suddenly doubting her experience at this spying business. "Relax, we can take care of them. Get onto the counter and keep hidden for now." Patamon couldn't help but worry about this, but did what he was told, flying up and hiding behind a large popcorn maker. He peeked out to see Gatomon grabbing a box from the counter, tearing it open with one of her claws. She walked over to the opening in the booth, looking around it at the two humans chasing them, who were still looking in every direction. Patamon looked up from the counter and watched the two hunting around until one turned to the counter.
"There's that cat!" He yelled, running at the counter. Gatomon hurled the contents of the box to the ground, letting many round pieces of candy roll around. The human stepped onto them, slipping off his feet and landing on his back with a loud thud. Patamon looked down at him, noticing he was now unconscious. The other human ran at Gatomon, but she remained still, waiting for him to slip, as well. Patamon watched for the same event, only to see the candy only get crushed under his feet. He realized this human must be a lot heavier, but quickly turned to Gatomon, who was now running to the other side of the bar, a very panicked look on her face. The human reached the stand, blocking the exit. Gatomon reached the back of the stand and turned a corner, but quickly noticed the other direction blocked by a huge stack of boxes, probably extra candy to restock the concessions. The human knew she was blocked and slowly moved in, a rather evil smile across his face. Patamon looked around for any way of getting Gatomon out of this, finding nothing... Eventually his eyes fell onto a plunger of some kind with the spout of it pointing to the floor.
"Here goes nothing..." Patamon said, jumping on top of the popcorn maker. Before the human noticed him, Patamon jumped as high as he could, landing onto the plunger, firing some weird yellow fluid at the ground. By luck it landed onto his shoes, making him lose his footing and fall to the ground, his head hitting first, knocking him out. Gatomon heard the thud and came out from the other side of the stand, looking at Patamon's work.
"Let's go before one of them decides to wake up." Patamon said, jumping down to the other side of the counter. Gatomon remained wordless, jumping over the human to get to the exit of the bar to join Patamon, who was already eagerly heading for the exit.
**********
Half an hour later the two were still recovering from their escape, resting on the side of the building, in a back corner where they wouldn't be seen. Patamon wasn't sure what to think, he was still worried about TK, but after that whole ordeal he didn't know if he wanted to spy on the second half of the date...
"So what now?" Patamon asked, hoping for an idea from Gatomon. "Do we actually want to risk that again?" Gatomon didn't answer at first, unsure of the answer herself.
"Well I guess we kind of have to..." Gatomon said, a regretful tone in her voice. "We didn't exactly figure out much here, we didn't even see what movie they were watching." Patamon took a deep breath, composing himself before letting out a low sigh.
"I'm sorry for messing up back there." Patamon admitted. "If I had played it smarter we wouldn't have had to go through all of that." Gatomon shook her head, trying to reassure him a little.
"It happens, don't worry about it." Gatomon said. "Even I've got caught a few times thanks to my own bad moves. At least you know what to do next time, right?" Patamon hoped there wouldn't be a next time, but was sure there would be eventually.
"I guess so..." Patamon replied. "Is the dinner part of the date any easier?" Gatomon nodded, much to Patamon's relief.
"They usually go to a restaurant with a strange ceiling." She answered. "It's really good for hiding and if they're at the right table you can hear everything they say." Patamon was glad he'd get to do some actual spying now, and hopefully enough to figure out what was wrong with TK. "We could start ahead and get there before them, but if they go somewhere different we'll be in trouble." Patamon had to know what was wrong and didn't take a second to decide which he'd rather do.
"Let's just wait and follow them." Patamon said. "Better to play it safe after everything that happened in there." Gatomon nodded, agreeing. The two moved to a better viewing spot, but still tried to stay out of view of the people leaving, many of which spoke about the incident they had caused. It took half an hour before TK and Kari walked out, thankfully unaware of the event in the lobby. The two were walking away from the parking lot, meaning TK hadn't driven the car to the movie theater. Gatomon started after them, taking as many hiding spots as she could. Patamon took to the air, watching them from above, hoping they didn't look up at the sky, which was now blue from the midday sun..
**********
The two Digimon had to wait longer than expected since TK and Kari spent a great deal of time in the park, walking and talking, but it was too public for either one to stay close enough to spy on them. The sun was going down by the time they reached the restaurant, where Gatomon left her hiding spots to climb a wall of the building that had been covered in ivy vines,, most likely as a design feature. Patamon flew down to meet her on the roof when she reached the top, both tired from the long chase.
"To they always take that long in the park?" Patamon asked. "I never knew they could walk so much..." Gatomon took a minute to respond, too out of breath from the walk and climb.
"Usually they never take that long in the park..." She finally explained. "TK must have been up to something, he kept looking around like he was trying to find something or was waiting for something." Patamon was sure whatever was wrong before was the cause of the strange behavior and was getting more worried by the second.
"Alright, let's get inside." Patamon said, shaking off his exhaustion. "How do we get in?" Gatomon fought to shake off her own fatigue, then walked over to a small air duct, pulling the grating off of it.
"This way." She said. "The ceiling hangs off of the frame of the roof and there's gaps in it for design, we take this duct and land right on top of it. Then we just look below and find them." This had to be easier than the movie theater... Patamon walked over, taking the initiative and stepping into the hole, finding it smooth and curved like a slide. Patamon leaned forward, sliding down the metal shaft until he came out the other end, landing smoothly on a large platform. He stepped forward so Gatomon wouldn't land on him, then looked over the side, seeing many tables below, some with people eating at them, others empty, and a couple with dishes waiting to be picked up. Patamon heard a slight thump behind him and looked back to see Gatomon now standing behind him.
"Do you see them?" She asked quietly, eager to get started. Patamon shook his head in response before walking along the edge, keeping his eyes downward. Eventually he stopped, spotting a couple of familiar heads of hair just below him.
"I think I just did." Patamon silently responded, motioning Gatomon over. The feline Digimon made her way to Patamon's side, looking down at the two, who were indeed TK and Kari.
"They always take the same table if it's open." Gatomon explained. "We should hear them fairly well once they're talking." Patamon leaned down a little lower, trying to hear any conversation they were having through the other noise of the restaurant.
"TK, is something wrong?" Kari asked to the boy across from her. Patamon stepped back, not aware of how well the sound carried from the table. "You haven't been talking as much as you usually do." Kari seemed to be picking up on the same things Patamon had before TK left, it must be more obvious than he thought.
"No, not at all." TK replied, a very nervous tone to his voice. "I'm with you, what could be wrong?" Obvious was an understatement, now Patamon was just picking up on how strange he was acting.
"I think you were right, Patamon..." Gatomon whispered. "He is acting strange. Was it like this all morning?" The orange Digimon nodded, hoping Kari would catch on and try to help out since he couldn't.
"That's sweet, TK, but you've never been a good liar." Kari said. "You can tell me anything, TK, you know that. If something's wrong I want to help, whatever it is." Patamon was glad his partner had Kari to help him when he couldn't. It helped knowing it
wasn't all up to him to take care of TK.
"Seriously, it's nothing." TK replied, a lot more composed than last time. At least that's how it sounded. "Don't worry about it. You know I'd tell you if anything's wrong." Even if he was trying harder, it wasn't fooling Patamon. Maybe it was their bond as Digimon and partner, but he knew TK too well to not see through his act.
"...If you insist." Kari said, giving in. Patamon was hoping she could see through it, as well. Maybe she did, but if TK wasn't going to tell her after all of that, no way he was telling anytime soon.
"Come on, Gatomon." Patamon said, turning away and starting back to the air duct. Gatomon looked back at her companion, confused at his sudden change of mind.
"Patamon, where are you going?" Gatomon said. "I thought you were worried about TK." Patamon nodded, still continuing to the exit.
"If Kari can't get it out of him, I don't think he's going to tell just yet." He explained. "I've got an idea, just follow me." Patamon reached the air duct and jumped back in, flapping his wings to fly back to the opening. Gatomon couldn't tell what he was getting at, but followed anyway, her cat curiosity getting the best of her.
**********
The two Digimon were exhausted by the time the date was nearly over, following their humans around while keeping out of trouble was harder to manage than either of them had thought. Now they found themselves just around the corner from Kari's apartment door, where TK and Kari were now approaching. The two were waiting for the two to reach it before peeking around the corner, not wanting to risk getting seen.
"You sure you want to do this?" Gatomon asked. "Even I never spied on the last part of their dates, it's too risky. Especially if we aren't there when they come back into their apartments." Patamon knew the risks as well as Gatomon did, especially since there was no way of him getting back to TK's room before he did.
"I still don't know what's wrong with him, Gatomon, I can't just stop before I find out." Patamon responded. "He didn't say at the restaurant, maybe when they're alone he'll be able to." The feline Digimon had to admire the determination Patamon had, but questioned how smart he was being...
"Sorry I wasn't better company tonight, Kari." They heard around the corner. Patamon slowly peeked around, careful not to expose too much of himself, and watched TK and Kari at the door to her apartment. Kari had her back to her door and TK was looking at her, so he probably wasn't in danger of getting caught. The two were also in a loose embrace, TK holding Kari at the waist and Kari holding him around the neck.
"It's alright, we've had off nights before." Kari said, a slightly scheming smile appearing on her. "But you've gotta make it up to me. Say tomorrow in the park?" TK chuckled a bit, obviously knowing he just got reeled into another attempt. Gatomon was taking her chances now and looking at the two around the corner.
"Alright, but let's bring Patamon and Gatomon, too." TK added. "It would be kind of unfair to leave them alone at home two days straight." The two spying Digimon quickly glanced at each other, both relieved there would be no need for spying tomorrow. Patamon didn't take long to realize how different TK sounded, like nothing was ever wrong in the first place...
"Good idea." Kari said. "I'm sure Gatomon's been bored all day waiting here." Gatomon shook her head slightly, a gesture she almost wished Kari could see just to correct her.
"I'll see you tomorrow, then." TK added. The two smiled before leaning forward a bit, gently kissing each other goodnight. Patamon and Gatomon looked on in a great deal of confusion, never before having seen the action between the two. The confusion became curiosity, watching closer until the two separated, letting go of each other.
"Goodnight, TK." Kari said, opening the door to her apartment. TK looked on as she stepped in, smiling the whole time.
"Goodnight, Kari." He replied. She smiled back before shutting the door behind her, leaving TK there. He slowly turned to the stairs, thankfully away from the two Digimon spies, and walked away, back to his car to return home. Patamon and Gatomon took their eyes from the scene and back around the corner, not sure of what they just saw.
"What in the Digiworld was that?" Patamon asked, hoping Gatomon had some clue. Unfortunately she just shook her head, with no positive answer to give.
"It looked like they just pressed their lips together." Gatomon said. "What's the point of that?" Patamon didn't know how to answer, he didn't really see a point to it at all, either.
"Maybe it's just some weird human quirk..." He said, wishing he had an actual answer. The action actually looked kind of gross, but that was probably because he didn't understand it.
"...let's try it." Gatomon said suddenly. Patamon snapped his head in her direction, completely caught off guard by her suggestion.
"You sure about that?" Patamon asked cautiously. "We don't even know what it's supposed to do, what if Digimon can't do it right?" He was worried about a lot more than that, but didn't have time to mention it all before Gatomon walked closer, putting little space between the two.
"Well I don't exactly know any Digimon that have tried it so we have to find out somehow, right?" She said. "It's just an experiment, anyway, what could it hurt?" Patamon wished he could think of some way out of this, but knowing Gatomon, he knew he was stuck.
"Alright, alright." Patamon agreed reluctantly. "How do we do it, though? Did you get a good look?" Gatomon hesitated before nodding slowly, not quite sure of her own notes.
"Just pucker your lips, just a little..." Gatomon said, a sudden nervousness in her voice. "Let me take it from there." Patamon gulped, unsure of what to expect, but did as instructed. Gatomon stepped closer until only an inch separated them, then did the same before slowly putting her lips to Patamon's. The orange Digimon felt something in the center of his chest tighten, like a jolt of lightning just ran through his spine. He couldn't even describe the sensation, it was unreal... and for some reason he had the strangest instinct to close his eyes, which he nearly did, lowering his lids halfway before Gatomon suddenly broke from him, her eyes wide and mouth hanging open a little, obviously suffering the same reaction Patamon had. The two stood in silence, neither one moving or even blinking, both too dazed to do anything.
"...What... was that?" Patamon finally said, but just barely managing to get it out. Gatomon blinked a few times, in vein attempt to regain some senses.
"I... I wish I knew..." Gatomon said, not doing much better than Patamon at speaking. "...maybe you should get home before TK worries too much..." He nodded, realizing TK would be home in minutes and Patamon would take a lot longer to fly there.
"Alright then..." Patamon said, turning to the edge of the balcony and jumping to it. He was kind of relieved to go, he needed some time to think, to take everything in. "Goodnight, Gatomon." With that Patamon leaped, taking flight and gliding back to TK's apartment. He heard Gatomon's voice behind him, probably returning his farewell, but he was too far to hear it completely. The Digimon was already trying to put what he was feeling into words, not finding any that seemed to fit as well as they needed to... He only knew one thing, that it had to be the best thing he had felt in his life.
End Chapter 2
Coming Next: Chapter 3 - Cataclysm
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By CyberDracomon
Chapter 2 - Beloved
The next day TK woke early, needing the time to get ready. This was normal for his all day dates, but this time he had to be perfect. With Tai's blessings out of the way, all he needed was the perfect moment with Kari to pop the question, and a little luck that she would accept. The teen was in the bathroom at 9:00 a.m. and didn't leave for an hour, ensuring every little detail was flawless. Patamon just flapped around, trying not to get in the way, but still close enough to try to figure out why he was going so overboard.
"TK, it's just a date with Kari!" Patamon shouted, his usual line as TK was nearly finished with his preparations. "She's not going to notice every little detail that's out of place." TK was used to hearing Patamon say that every time he got ready for a date with Kari, but never could explain to him why he had to make sure every tiny detail was perfect. He wasn't worried about Kari getting upset over something out of place, rather he was worried of not being perfect enough for her.
"You've got a lot to learn about dating, Patamon." TK joked while shuffling through shirts in his closet. He knew the one he had on was the one he was wearing, but just in case he wanted to have a second, last minute choice. It was a habit of his that even he was annoyed by.
"TK, somehow I doubt I'm going to get much experience with girls around here." Patamon said, joking but somewhat upset at his own comment. He shook it off quickly, gliding over to the sofa to land and rest his wings while TK came out into the front room, brushing the few remaining wrinkles in his green button-up shirt.
"So, how do I look, Patamon?" TK asked, the last pre-date tradition between the two, in which Patamon had his traditional answer.
"Exactly the way you did two hours ago." Patamon replied. Over time it had become as much a joke as it was serious. "Just try to relax, Kari's not going to have fun if you're worried about presenting yourself the entire time." Patamon had a point, but it wasn't just that problem this time. Now it was waiting for the right moment to propose to Kari, which made him more nervous than anything he could imagine. He had thought this would be the easy part, but he was starting to chicken out before the date even started.
"Relax, Patamon, she'll have a good time." TK said, trying to regain some composure. "We haven't had a bad date yet, I've got a record to maintain." Patamon could tell TK was trying to shake something off, but wasn't sure what... Probably just nervousness... Patamon looked around, his eyes passing a clock hanging on the wall, then did a double take, realizing the time.
"TK, you better get going." Patamon said, pointing to the clock. "You don't have long to get over to Kari's apartment even if you drive there." TK glanced at the clock, realizing he was right. He let time get away from him and barely had enough time to get to her apartment.
"Thanks, Patamon." TK said, making a quick jog to the door. "Wish me luck!" With that TK opened the door and quickly exited, closing it behind him. Patamon had a feeling something else was up, something TK hadn't told him... but he couldn't follow, it would wreck their date if they spotted him... Patamon was getting worried about his human partner, not knowing how to see what was wrong... Then an idea hit him.
"Well, he did say I needed to learn about dating." Patamon said with a sly smile. "What better way than to watch a pro?" He stood from his seat on the couch, then jumped off, gliding over to the door. For the small Digimon just a door was a tricky task, and it took quite a bit to get it right. Patamon landed on the doorknob with his front feet, then leaned to the left, letting his weight turn the knob. A few flaps of his wings was enough to pull the door open. He let go, flipping in the air to return to an upright position, and walked through the crack in the door, not opening it enough to fly out. He then turned, flying up to the outside knob, grabbing onto it and flapping hard to pull it closed. Patamon landed to catch his breath, looking up at the obstacle he just cleared.
"Sometimes I wish I could digivolve without TK..." He said, just now remembering he was basically human in Champion form. It was too late now, as his thoughts fell on where TK would actually go first... He went by car, meaning he'd never catch him at Kari's house, so he had to fly to wherever the two would go first... "I really hope they're walking... If this is their usual date, TK will take her to the movie theater first. That's my best bet." Patamon took to the air again, flying up over the railing of the apartment building and into the air, hoping a flying orange object in the sky wasn't too noticeable.
**********
For the small Digimon the flight to the movie theater was long, but thankfully uneventful. Patamon now found himself above the movie theater, flapping his wings to stay too high to be seen. He needed to find some way into the theater, but with no windows he couldn't sneak in and the only open doorway was the main one where the ticket booths were, meaning whoever was there would spot him...
"Hmm... Maybe I can distract whoever's in the booth..." Patamon thought out loud. He glided over to get a better look at the booth itself, flying in just a little closer. They were in between movie showings apparently since there was no line so he didn't have to worry about getting seen. Looking around the area, Patamon noticed a thick wire exposed on the booth, leading into the building. It was short, though, since the booth was joined to the building. If it was what TK thought it was, he might have one shot... He again changed positions, this time to get a good angle at the cord. Patamon took aim, slowly charging his attack.
"Boom Bubble!" Patamon fired the blast of air at the cord, hoping he was on target. Luckily he was, blasting the cord apart. Patamon watched as the lights in the booth blinked, then went black. This was just what he was hoping, if the next part came out right... He made one more move, this time to get a good angle at the main glass door of the building. It didn't take long for the guy running the booth to leave his post, starting to walk out. Patamon waited, watching him open the main door wide to let himself out. When he turned to check the cord, Patamon dived as fast as he could toward the door before it could shut, hoping the guy didn't notice. He flew past him and into the door just before it closed on his small tail, landing roughly onto the carpeted floor. He looked around, relieved there was nobody in the lobby, not even someone at the snack stand. Patamon stood up, moving carefully past the concession stand just in case someone was in it, and into a hallway across the room that lead to the various theaters. Looking at the number of hallways made Patamon realize the flaw in the plan...
"I should have asked what movie he was going to..." Patamon said, worried. There had to be at least 20 theaters, the movie could be over b the time he went through them all... He only remembered a few recent movies the two had seen, not enough to limit his search at all...
Just then something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye, but it went so fast by the time he looked for it, it was already gone... It wasn't human, though, too small and too fast... Finding TK might be a lost cause, but whatever that was had caught his curiosity. Taking the risk, Patamon took to the air, his flight faster than his sprint, gliding down the hall the thing had passed into. He looked down at the floor, watching the sides for any movement... After a minute he spotted a door closing and something just vanishing behind it.
"Can't escape now..." Patamon said, gliding down. He landed, relieved the door wasn't the kind that closed on it's own, and walked in, immediately noticing how dark the room was except for a beam of light coming from a contraption near the far wall. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust before he could look around, seeing many flat cans laying around. He quickly pushed the door closed, making sure whatever it was wouldn't get away, then scanned the area, walking into the middle of the room for a better view. It took a few minutes to spot something moving, but it was too dark to make out any details. He watched the figure dart from hiding place to hiding place until it accidentally hit a stack of flat cans, burying itself in a pile of metal discs, creating a loud crash of steel hitting steel. Patamon was glad it had stopped, but felt bad it had hurt itself doing so. He walked over carefully, not sure what to expect, inching over to the pile of cans. Patamon took hold on one, feeling how heavy it was, then rolled it out of the way, ignoring the crash it made as it hit another stack of cans. Patamon looked on at the creature, his eyes not adjusted well enough to tell what it was, but he was relieved it wasn't trying to run anymore. When his eyes got used to the dark, Patamon let out a small gasp as he recognized the figure.
"...Gatomon?" Patamon said, unsure of his guess. "Is that you?" The figure seemed to be as surprised as Patamon was. It crawled out of the cans, with Patamon backing up to give it room.
"Yeah, it's me, Patamon." Gatomon admitted, relieving Patamon. "You scared me, I thought something was after me!" She was right, of course, just it wasn't a bad thing as she implied.
"Sorry for scaring you." Patamon said, upset that he did it. "I was just curious about what was running around this place besides me." Gatomon smiled a bit, a detail Patamon could now make out in the darkness.
"I thought cats were supposed to be the curious ones." She joked. "What are you doing here, anyway? You shouldn't be roaming around in public, especially without TK." He could make the same argument about her, but chose to guess what she was doing.
"Well TK was going out with Kari tonight," Patamon explained. "but he looked nervous about something, so I followed him to see what it was. I'm guessing you're spying on Kari, right?" Gatomon looked surprised for a brief second before shaking it off.
"Yeah, but it's not the first time for me." She said. "I've followed Kari out on a lot of dates, watching her and TK. Something about human romance just catches this cat's eye, I guess." Patamon had to admire Gatomon, remembering his conversation with TK from the previous day. He couldn't help but wonder if she was one of the lucky Digimon capable of love... He shook himself from his mental trance, now worried about TK again.
"Do you know where they are now, then?" Patamon asked in hope. Gatomon smiled to him before turning and hopping up to a ledge or table, it was too hard to tell in the dark, then signaled for him to join her. Patamon flapped up to her, not sure what she was getting at, then noticed the ledge was in front of a small window into a large, dark room.
"They're in there, watching the movie." Gatomon explained. "It takes a long time for even my eyes to adjust enough to see them, though." Patamon moved to the window, looking out and down at the crowd. She was right, though, he could barely tell there were even rows, let alone chairs and people in them. He'd never be able to spot TK in all of this black...
"Shh, quiet!" Someone said. The two Digimon looked at the door, where the voice had come from, both in a slight panic. "I heard a crash in here a while ago, someone's gotta be inside..." Patamon couldn't believe this, his first time out and he was going to get busted.
"Patamon, follow me, quick!" Gatomon whispered, jumping to the floor. Patamon wasn't one to argue with an expert and followed her to the ground and against the wall the door was beside. "When the door opens, run under them, if we're fast enough they won't see us." Patamon nodded, suddenly worried about his chances, running not being his strong suit. The door slowly opened, then two sets of human legs came in. Patamon watched as Gatomon somehow darted through them and into the hall without any detection. He followed right behind, trying to keep his wings tucked in. Just as he made it past the first human, his wings caught a draft from his running, throwing them open and batting them against the second human's legs. He tucked them back in tight and started running madly, hoping he didn't notice.
"Hey, it's a pair of animals!" One of them shouted. "How did they get in here?!" Patamon mentally kicked himself for trying the same stunt a cat had pulled off...
"Who cares, we gotta get'em out!" The other shouted. Patamon picked up his pace, now running beside Gatomon, in desperate hope she had an idea.
"Get into the snack bar, quick!" She said quietly, darting ahead. He resisted an urge to fly up to catch up to her, knowing he'd be in even more trouble if the humans knew he wasn't a natural animal. Patamon ran so hard his feet were aching, but he managed to get to the bar just behind Gatomon and before the humans rounded the corner to see him do it.
"So... what... now..." Patamon gasped quietly. He looked over to Gatomon, suddenly realizing she didn't look mad, just worried. Knowing her tempter he was relieved to say the least.
"Now we wait for them to find us." Gatomon said. Patamon nearly jumped, suddenly doubting her experience at this spying business. "Relax, we can take care of them. Get onto the counter and keep hidden for now." Patamon couldn't help but worry about this, but did what he was told, flying up and hiding behind a large popcorn maker. He peeked out to see Gatomon grabbing a box from the counter, tearing it open with one of her claws. She walked over to the opening in the booth, looking around it at the two humans chasing them, who were still looking in every direction. Patamon looked up from the counter and watched the two hunting around until one turned to the counter.
"There's that cat!" He yelled, running at the counter. Gatomon hurled the contents of the box to the ground, letting many round pieces of candy roll around. The human stepped onto them, slipping off his feet and landing on his back with a loud thud. Patamon looked down at him, noticing he was now unconscious. The other human ran at Gatomon, but she remained still, waiting for him to slip, as well. Patamon watched for the same event, only to see the candy only get crushed under his feet. He realized this human must be a lot heavier, but quickly turned to Gatomon, who was now running to the other side of the bar, a very panicked look on her face. The human reached the stand, blocking the exit. Gatomon reached the back of the stand and turned a corner, but quickly noticed the other direction blocked by a huge stack of boxes, probably extra candy to restock the concessions. The human knew she was blocked and slowly moved in, a rather evil smile across his face. Patamon looked around for any way of getting Gatomon out of this, finding nothing... Eventually his eyes fell onto a plunger of some kind with the spout of it pointing to the floor.
"Here goes nothing..." Patamon said, jumping on top of the popcorn maker. Before the human noticed him, Patamon jumped as high as he could, landing onto the plunger, firing some weird yellow fluid at the ground. By luck it landed onto his shoes, making him lose his footing and fall to the ground, his head hitting first, knocking him out. Gatomon heard the thud and came out from the other side of the stand, looking at Patamon's work.
"Let's go before one of them decides to wake up." Patamon said, jumping down to the other side of the counter. Gatomon remained wordless, jumping over the human to get to the exit of the bar to join Patamon, who was already eagerly heading for the exit.
**********
Half an hour later the two were still recovering from their escape, resting on the side of the building, in a back corner where they wouldn't be seen. Patamon wasn't sure what to think, he was still worried about TK, but after that whole ordeal he didn't know if he wanted to spy on the second half of the date...
"So what now?" Patamon asked, hoping for an idea from Gatomon. "Do we actually want to risk that again?" Gatomon didn't answer at first, unsure of the answer herself.
"Well I guess we kind of have to..." Gatomon said, a regretful tone in her voice. "We didn't exactly figure out much here, we didn't even see what movie they were watching." Patamon took a deep breath, composing himself before letting out a low sigh.
"I'm sorry for messing up back there." Patamon admitted. "If I had played it smarter we wouldn't have had to go through all of that." Gatomon shook her head, trying to reassure him a little.
"It happens, don't worry about it." Gatomon said. "Even I've got caught a few times thanks to my own bad moves. At least you know what to do next time, right?" Patamon hoped there wouldn't be a next time, but was sure there would be eventually.
"I guess so..." Patamon replied. "Is the dinner part of the date any easier?" Gatomon nodded, much to Patamon's relief.
"They usually go to a restaurant with a strange ceiling." She answered. "It's really good for hiding and if they're at the right table you can hear everything they say." Patamon was glad he'd get to do some actual spying now, and hopefully enough to figure out what was wrong with TK. "We could start ahead and get there before them, but if they go somewhere different we'll be in trouble." Patamon had to know what was wrong and didn't take a second to decide which he'd rather do.
"Let's just wait and follow them." Patamon said. "Better to play it safe after everything that happened in there." Gatomon nodded, agreeing. The two moved to a better viewing spot, but still tried to stay out of view of the people leaving, many of which spoke about the incident they had caused. It took half an hour before TK and Kari walked out, thankfully unaware of the event in the lobby. The two were walking away from the parking lot, meaning TK hadn't driven the car to the movie theater. Gatomon started after them, taking as many hiding spots as she could. Patamon took to the air, watching them from above, hoping they didn't look up at the sky, which was now blue from the midday sun..
**********
The two Digimon had to wait longer than expected since TK and Kari spent a great deal of time in the park, walking and talking, but it was too public for either one to stay close enough to spy on them. The sun was going down by the time they reached the restaurant, where Gatomon left her hiding spots to climb a wall of the building that had been covered in ivy vines,, most likely as a design feature. Patamon flew down to meet her on the roof when she reached the top, both tired from the long chase.
"To they always take that long in the park?" Patamon asked. "I never knew they could walk so much..." Gatomon took a minute to respond, too out of breath from the walk and climb.
"Usually they never take that long in the park..." She finally explained. "TK must have been up to something, he kept looking around like he was trying to find something or was waiting for something." Patamon was sure whatever was wrong before was the cause of the strange behavior and was getting more worried by the second.
"Alright, let's get inside." Patamon said, shaking off his exhaustion. "How do we get in?" Gatomon fought to shake off her own fatigue, then walked over to a small air duct, pulling the grating off of it.
"This way." She said. "The ceiling hangs off of the frame of the roof and there's gaps in it for design, we take this duct and land right on top of it. Then we just look below and find them." This had to be easier than the movie theater... Patamon walked over, taking the initiative and stepping into the hole, finding it smooth and curved like a slide. Patamon leaned forward, sliding down the metal shaft until he came out the other end, landing smoothly on a large platform. He stepped forward so Gatomon wouldn't land on him, then looked over the side, seeing many tables below, some with people eating at them, others empty, and a couple with dishes waiting to be picked up. Patamon heard a slight thump behind him and looked back to see Gatomon now standing behind him.
"Do you see them?" She asked quietly, eager to get started. Patamon shook his head in response before walking along the edge, keeping his eyes downward. Eventually he stopped, spotting a couple of familiar heads of hair just below him.
"I think I just did." Patamon silently responded, motioning Gatomon over. The feline Digimon made her way to Patamon's side, looking down at the two, who were indeed TK and Kari.
"They always take the same table if it's open." Gatomon explained. "We should hear them fairly well once they're talking." Patamon leaned down a little lower, trying to hear any conversation they were having through the other noise of the restaurant.
"TK, is something wrong?" Kari asked to the boy across from her. Patamon stepped back, not aware of how well the sound carried from the table. "You haven't been talking as much as you usually do." Kari seemed to be picking up on the same things Patamon had before TK left, it must be more obvious than he thought.
"No, not at all." TK replied, a very nervous tone to his voice. "I'm with you, what could be wrong?" Obvious was an understatement, now Patamon was just picking up on how strange he was acting.
"I think you were right, Patamon..." Gatomon whispered. "He is acting strange. Was it like this all morning?" The orange Digimon nodded, hoping Kari would catch on and try to help out since he couldn't.
"That's sweet, TK, but you've never been a good liar." Kari said. "You can tell me anything, TK, you know that. If something's wrong I want to help, whatever it is." Patamon was glad his partner had Kari to help him when he couldn't. It helped knowing it
wasn't all up to him to take care of TK.
"Seriously, it's nothing." TK replied, a lot more composed than last time. At least that's how it sounded. "Don't worry about it. You know I'd tell you if anything's wrong." Even if he was trying harder, it wasn't fooling Patamon. Maybe it was their bond as Digimon and partner, but he knew TK too well to not see through his act.
"...If you insist." Kari said, giving in. Patamon was hoping she could see through it, as well. Maybe she did, but if TK wasn't going to tell her after all of that, no way he was telling anytime soon.
"Come on, Gatomon." Patamon said, turning away and starting back to the air duct. Gatomon looked back at her companion, confused at his sudden change of mind.
"Patamon, where are you going?" Gatomon said. "I thought you were worried about TK." Patamon nodded, still continuing to the exit.
"If Kari can't get it out of him, I don't think he's going to tell just yet." He explained. "I've got an idea, just follow me." Patamon reached the air duct and jumped back in, flapping his wings to fly back to the opening. Gatomon couldn't tell what he was getting at, but followed anyway, her cat curiosity getting the best of her.
**********
The two Digimon were exhausted by the time the date was nearly over, following their humans around while keeping out of trouble was harder to manage than either of them had thought. Now they found themselves just around the corner from Kari's apartment door, where TK and Kari were now approaching. The two were waiting for the two to reach it before peeking around the corner, not wanting to risk getting seen.
"You sure you want to do this?" Gatomon asked. "Even I never spied on the last part of their dates, it's too risky. Especially if we aren't there when they come back into their apartments." Patamon knew the risks as well as Gatomon did, especially since there was no way of him getting back to TK's room before he did.
"I still don't know what's wrong with him, Gatomon, I can't just stop before I find out." Patamon responded. "He didn't say at the restaurant, maybe when they're alone he'll be able to." The feline Digimon had to admire the determination Patamon had, but questioned how smart he was being...
"Sorry I wasn't better company tonight, Kari." They heard around the corner. Patamon slowly peeked around, careful not to expose too much of himself, and watched TK and Kari at the door to her apartment. Kari had her back to her door and TK was looking at her, so he probably wasn't in danger of getting caught. The two were also in a loose embrace, TK holding Kari at the waist and Kari holding him around the neck.
"It's alright, we've had off nights before." Kari said, a slightly scheming smile appearing on her. "But you've gotta make it up to me. Say tomorrow in the park?" TK chuckled a bit, obviously knowing he just got reeled into another attempt. Gatomon was taking her chances now and looking at the two around the corner.
"Alright, but let's bring Patamon and Gatomon, too." TK added. "It would be kind of unfair to leave them alone at home two days straight." The two spying Digimon quickly glanced at each other, both relieved there would be no need for spying tomorrow. Patamon didn't take long to realize how different TK sounded, like nothing was ever wrong in the first place...
"Good idea." Kari said. "I'm sure Gatomon's been bored all day waiting here." Gatomon shook her head slightly, a gesture she almost wished Kari could see just to correct her.
"I'll see you tomorrow, then." TK added. The two smiled before leaning forward a bit, gently kissing each other goodnight. Patamon and Gatomon looked on in a great deal of confusion, never before having seen the action between the two. The confusion became curiosity, watching closer until the two separated, letting go of each other.
"Goodnight, TK." Kari said, opening the door to her apartment. TK looked on as she stepped in, smiling the whole time.
"Goodnight, Kari." He replied. She smiled back before shutting the door behind her, leaving TK there. He slowly turned to the stairs, thankfully away from the two Digimon spies, and walked away, back to his car to return home. Patamon and Gatomon took their eyes from the scene and back around the corner, not sure of what they just saw.
"What in the Digiworld was that?" Patamon asked, hoping Gatomon had some clue. Unfortunately she just shook her head, with no positive answer to give.
"It looked like they just pressed their lips together." Gatomon said. "What's the point of that?" Patamon didn't know how to answer, he didn't really see a point to it at all, either.
"Maybe it's just some weird human quirk..." He said, wishing he had an actual answer. The action actually looked kind of gross, but that was probably because he didn't understand it.
"...let's try it." Gatomon said suddenly. Patamon snapped his head in her direction, completely caught off guard by her suggestion.
"You sure about that?" Patamon asked cautiously. "We don't even know what it's supposed to do, what if Digimon can't do it right?" He was worried about a lot more than that, but didn't have time to mention it all before Gatomon walked closer, putting little space between the two.
"Well I don't exactly know any Digimon that have tried it so we have to find out somehow, right?" She said. "It's just an experiment, anyway, what could it hurt?" Patamon wished he could think of some way out of this, but knowing Gatomon, he knew he was stuck.
"Alright, alright." Patamon agreed reluctantly. "How do we do it, though? Did you get a good look?" Gatomon hesitated before nodding slowly, not quite sure of her own notes.
"Just pucker your lips, just a little..." Gatomon said, a sudden nervousness in her voice. "Let me take it from there." Patamon gulped, unsure of what to expect, but did as instructed. Gatomon stepped closer until only an inch separated them, then did the same before slowly putting her lips to Patamon's. The orange Digimon felt something in the center of his chest tighten, like a jolt of lightning just ran through his spine. He couldn't even describe the sensation, it was unreal... and for some reason he had the strangest instinct to close his eyes, which he nearly did, lowering his lids halfway before Gatomon suddenly broke from him, her eyes wide and mouth hanging open a little, obviously suffering the same reaction Patamon had. The two stood in silence, neither one moving or even blinking, both too dazed to do anything.
"...What... was that?" Patamon finally said, but just barely managing to get it out. Gatomon blinked a few times, in vein attempt to regain some senses.
"I... I wish I knew..." Gatomon said, not doing much better than Patamon at speaking. "...maybe you should get home before TK worries too much..." He nodded, realizing TK would be home in minutes and Patamon would take a lot longer to fly there.
"Alright then..." Patamon said, turning to the edge of the balcony and jumping to it. He was kind of relieved to go, he needed some time to think, to take everything in. "Goodnight, Gatomon." With that Patamon leaped, taking flight and gliding back to TK's apartment. He heard Gatomon's voice behind him, probably returning his farewell, but he was too far to hear it completely. The Digimon was already trying to put what he was feeling into words, not finding any that seemed to fit as well as they needed to... He only knew one thing, that it had to be the best thing he had felt in his life.
End Chapter 2
Coming Next: Chapter 3 - Cataclysm
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