Chapter Two: Beginning of the End
Mina and Meramon had quietly taken their leave, leaving Tai in his room to brood. True to their words, the two had stayed to chat with Lily and Kari and have some tea. Kari said little, sipping her tea with her eyes downcast. Gatomon curled protectively beside her. Lily chatted cheerily as she swiftly embroidered a glorious sunset onto a piece of cloth. Lily's Digimon partner, Dragamon, happily chewed away at a large cookie. She was a white (though the colors of her scales changed according to her mood), miniature, dragon-shaped Digimon with a fiery temper.
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Lily enjoyed doing things with her hands—and she was very good at it too. Her room was decorated with graceful sculptures, colorful paintings, shadowy sketches, lanyard keychains, string figures, beaded animals, and hand-woven/knitted/crocheted/embroidered works, among other things. She played the flute and piano well, and among the Order, she was famed for her skills as an archer and dagger-dancer. Whenever she sat down, her hands were never idle, always knitting, painting, sewing, or embroidering.
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Despite Lily's best attempts, the conversation was rather strained, and Mina and Meramon left within the hour. Kari and Lily bustled around, getting dinner, setting the table, and such and such. As Lily was putting the finishing touches on their meal, Kari went to Tai's door.
"Tai?" she asked, knocking softly. "It's dinnertime." When no sound answered her, she gently pushed open the door. Tai sat slumped in an armchair, slumbering quietly. Agumon dozed on the floor, on several cushions. Kari smiled and scooped up two blankets from Tai's rumpled bed, tenderly tucking it around the two exhausted figures. She backed out of the room, shutting the door silently behind her.
She took her seat at the table. In answer to Lily's silent inquiry, she said, "Tai and Agumon are asleep. They work so hard, you know, so I thought it's best to let them sleep."
Lily nodded. "I'll save them some food in case they're hungry." The two humans and Digimon ate in silence, only the clinking of silverware and the sound of chewing breaking the silence.
Lily asked Kari, "Kari, what do you think about Mina's, er, vision?"
Kari stared pensively at her rice. "The same as Tai thinks. Something evil is coming. I can feel it in my bones. And…it feels…familiar, somehow."
"Familiar? What do you mean?"
"I'm sure I've felt it before. I just can't quite grasp it…"
Suddenly all of the color drained out of her face. "Oh gods…"
Lily leaped out of her seat, concerned. "What?" Gatomon and Dragamon turned to look at Kari, alarmed.
Kari turned to look at her, her eyes large in her white face. "I remember…before my parents died…I felt it. It's the D'Reaper."
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*Flashback*
Three years ago
2004
Tai, Sora, Kari, and TK and their Digimon had gone to the theater. It was a double date. They had had plenty of fun, watching The Ring. But then they had gone home.
The four walked down the hallway to the Kamiya apartment, laughing and discussing the movie they had just seen. Suddenly, Tai stopped and threw his arm out, stopping everyone in their tracks.
"Quiet," he whispered hoarsely. "Something's wrong."
He crept silently, stealthily to the door of their apartment. It was ajar. There was a dark substance staining the wood.
Tai paled. "Blood. Oh gods…" He trembled with horror and rage, terrified of what he might find behind the door. He made as if to suddenly throw open the door, but he restrained himself. He loosened the daggers he always wore strapped to his arms, hidden by his wristbands. Behind him, Sora, her throwing star drawn, stood defensively in front of Kari, who was clinging to TK. Kari shivered, though the night was warm. Tai took out a handkerchief, using it to slowly, slowly ease open the door. And nearly screamed at what he saw.
His parents brutally murdered, literally torn into pieces. Blood, splattered all over the furniture and walls. And what looked like a human with black wings standing in the middle of it all.
The human looked straight at Tai. "I am the D'Reaper," it/he/she? said. "And the Digidestined will fall." Then it disappeared.
"No," Tai whispered. "Nooooo!" Behind him, Kari swooned, caught just in time by TK.
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*Present*
2007
"The day when my parents died, I kept feeling evil in my bones. Just like now. It's the exact same feeling, and I know that the D'Reaper is behind this new fiasco. I just know it." Kari sighed and buried her face in her hands. Lily bent down and hugged her.
"We'll find it," Lily promised. "We'll find it and make it pay."
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*One month later*
TK signed into her email account, sorting through his messages. Junk, junk, he thought. Junk, more junk, and more-wait! An email from Kari!
He eagerly clicked on it and waited for the message to load. What he read made him blanch than instantly grab his Digivice and call, "Digiport OPEN!"
He raced through the Digital World, eyes on the small dot on his Digivice that was Kari. The words from the email raced through his mind. To my dearest TK: If you're reading this, I'm dead. Goodbye. I love you. Thank the gods that he had told her that he was going to a party and would not be returning till late. She must have sent it at that time, intending him to read it upon his return, and by that time, it would be too late. Thank the gods that he had not felt well and decided to stay home instead...
His Digivice had told him she was still alive, but standing at the edge of the great river that ran through File Island. Dear gods, she was going to jump. He had to stop her.
He burst through the woods and lo and behold, there she was, standing at the edge of the roaring river. "Kari!" he screamed. "Kari! Don't jump!" She whirled around, eyes widening, and then quicker than one might have thought possible, she turned and flung herself into the water. Without hesitation, TK plunged in after her.
TK swam well, as swimming was a required Digidestined skill. As he stroked furiously down, down toward her sinking body, he felt a sharp, stinging sensation in his right shoulder. Disregarding the twinge of pain, he focused his mind on one goal. Get to Kari.
There! He reached out, grasped her limp, cold wrist, and hauled her upward, toward the light. He pushed her body up onto the bank and heaved himself up next to her. Mustering his strength, he pulled herself upright and lifted Kari's head into his lap. "Why?" he asked. "Why did you try to kill yourself?"
She opened his eyes and whispered, "TK…" The unexpected tenderness in her eyes suddenly changed to panic and alarm as TK's limp body pitched forward onto her.
The following events had been a blur. TK vaguely remembered warm arms lifting him, an indistinct rumbling of male voices, and a higher, more feminine voice, another voice calling, "Digiport open!" He remembered male voices rumbling indistinctively above him, and then shouting, as he was laid into a nest of warmth. He fell asleep.
Author's Notes: Special thanks to BoarderKC and Lord Archive for allowing me to use their characters and for their invaluable help and criticisms! Also lots of thanks to my beta reader Jennafer Klingbile! Go her!!
Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon or The Ring. However, I own Lily Kamiya, Dragamon, her parents, the Order, that lovely river Kari jumps into, and pretty much anything you don't recognize. Go to Chapter 1 to see more of what is mine.
Does anyone know exactly what happened to the D'Reaper??? I missed that episode. *cries* And is the D'Reaper a he or a she? Or is it an it?
Dagger-dancing is when you literally perform a dance involving a dagger and lots of intricate moves. When performed right and by a skilled performer, it's an awesome thing to watch. (Note: I've never actually watched one, and I don't know if it really exists. I just thought of it and it seems to fit Lily)