Chapter 3: The Truth Comes Out ~~~~~~~~~~~( 18 months later)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Kari!! I brought your school stuff!" TK said as he let himself into her parents' house. Last Christmas he had been given the key, and with the new baby boy running around, he was making good use of his present. "And how's my little champ huh?" TK asked the 9 month old boy as he picked the child up. "Huh Aiko? How are you?" TK asked again looking into the child's deep blue eyes. "Thanks TK." Kari said as she came out of her room. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and took her books from him, ruffling her son's hair as she passed. Aiko looked back up at TK and giggled. Aiko was old enough to hold his head up, and he was just learning how to walk and talk. "You know, people are beginning to say he looks like you." Kari said absently as she set out her math book. "Really?" TK asked as he looked down at the small boy. Aiko had brown hair, much like his mother's, but with hints of blonde streaked in it. He also had these blue eyes. "Yeah, I guess your right." He said calmly as he examined Aiko further. "Oh, that reminds me, I have a surprise for you." TK said opening the apartment door. "Come on in guys!" he called out as Davis, Matt, Ken, Yolei, Cody, Izzy, Sora, and Joe all walked in carrying gifts and food. "Guys.you didn't have to do all this" Kari said modestly as Yolei set some noodles and a cake on the kitchen counter. "It IS your birthday Kari! Happy Birthday!" Davis exclaimed. He handed her his present. "Well, go on, open it!" Kari looked down at the ball shaped gift in her hands. It was poorly wrapped, and there were ribbons thrown everywhere. Davis was beaming with pride. "I did the wrapping job myself!" "We can tell Davis, really." Yolei said as she shook her head in disgust. Kari opened the package to find a soccer ball, signed by the whole team at school, with come back soon notes and gift certificates to the grocery store down the street. "Wow, Davis, this was really thoughtful of you." Kari smiled as Davis picked up Aiko and began to talk to him about the glory of soccer. "Davis, just because you did well at the Digimon nursery doesn't mean that little Aiko will fall for it." Cody said handing Kari his gift. It was neatly wrapped, and it had a card on it. "Shut up Cody." Davis grumbled as he turned back to Aiko. The boy was just looking around the room at all the new people. He was a curious child, and also quite bouncy. He began to push away from Davis so that he could go look at the ball. Davis put him down softly as Kari and the others went through her gifts. Aiko began playing with the soccer ball, and fell down quite suddenly. Joe heard the thump, and when he looked down he saw Aiko, laughing hysterically at his fall. "He sure is a good natured little kid, isn't he." Joe said as he put his hand down for the baby to grab. "OWW! And strong too." Joe stated when the infant snagged his finger. Everyone began to laugh, even Joe. "Well, he must get that from Kari!" Matt exclaimed over the laughter of his friends. Suddenly Tai walked in, slamming the door behind him. Everyone looked up from Aiko, and turned to face Tai. Yolei began to hand out the cakes when she noticed how aggravated the boy looked. Aiko stood slowly and hobbled his way over to his uncle and began to pull on his leg. "Are you ok?" Sora asked when the silence grew to be too much. Tai was clenching his fists so hard that they were white, and a small trickle of blood etched its way down his pale hand. He had obviously been crying, because his eyes were red, and the streaks from his tears were still visible on his cheeks. Tai just stood there, unable to move, unable to talk. He stooped to pick the child up, and looked in its eyes. The leader of their small band stood there, looking at his sister's child, his nephew, for a few seconds. Tears were beginning to form in his brown eyes once more. "Tai?" Kari asked as she stood. "I never really looked at him." he said quietly. Everyone stayed silent, waiting for what would happen next. "And now that I have, I see that I was right." He set the child down, and went back to his previous position. His fists were shaking, and the stream of blood thickened, with tiny droplets landing on the snow white carpet. "I took that dress to the authorities, so that they could find out who did that to you." He stated. "Tai, who do you think, I mean who did it?" Davis asked after waiting a moment. "Not one of us." Davis half stated, half questioned his mentor. Everyone began to scan the room. Kari fell back onto the couch. "Mah...mommy?" Aiko said as he walked over to his mother. She picked him up without even realizing it, and sat there cuddling him like a baby doll. Ken sat down beside Kari, trying to snap her out of her trance. TK sat down on the other side of her, and wrapped his arm around her trembling shoulders. "Tai, just say it, we've all been trying to figure it out, and if you know we would like to hear exactly what you have to say." Ken said matter-of- factly from Kari's side. Tai looked up at the group. "You." he hissed between his teeth. "You, of ALL people! How could you do that to my sister! You were my best friend!" With the sound of those words everyone but Kari turned to look at Matt. Matt looked at Tai, but didn't make a sound. TK stood up in his brother's defense. "Tai! How could you even THINK it was Matt?! First of all he's my brother, secondly he's your best friend and basically a big brother to Kari, and thirdly he's GAY!" Matt was still sitting there, unable or unwilling to utter a sound. The room grew deathly silent, it was so thick you probably could have cut it with a knife. Yolei, Davis, Ken, and Tai were all looking at Matt. TK was glaring at Tai, while Kari stared into space. Cody, Izzy, and Joe, however, were looking at the boy that was sitting in Kari's lap. "Look at the eyes, and at the blonde streaks in his hair." Cody whispered to the other two. Izzy nodded, and Joe just looked amazed. Then Matt began to giggle, and his giggles soon turned into laughter. Psychotic laughter. TK turned to face his brother, his best friend, his guardian, and saw that it was no longer the Matt that had protected him, the Matt that loved his music, or the Matt that had time and time again helped to rescue all of them. No, the figure sitting before him, laughing, was not his brother. The blonde boy rose to his feet, he gained some control over his laughter. "Matt, I don't understand." TK began, but the cold stare that Matt was giving him quickly silenced him. "None of you understand." Matt stated. He didn't even SOUND like Matt anymore. His voice was raspier, and softer. It sounded full of anger, and despair, and pure hatred for all that he saw around him. "Humph. Simpletons. You will never understand. You could never understand TK, my little brother. The one with the perfect life. You had everything, Mom, a girl who was crazy about you, friends. You put this on yourself, always rubbing it in, always talking about how perfect she was. She isn't perfect anymore, is she?" Matt said turning to Kari. He looked down on her, as if she were somehow less than she was before. "You never had anyone ignore you. You didn't have to cook EVERY meal for a father who didn't even notice you. You didn't have to deal with everyone else having someone to lean on, and being the only one without." Matt's statements were precise and calm, calculated to the last syllable. He had been planning his discovery for a long time. Kari's eyes met with his once, and she instantly looked away. They weren't the soft cornflower eyes that had glinted with happiness once, but ice. Matt began to laugh again, "But now, I've ruined it for you, my perfect little brother. For you, and Kari, and Tai, and soon enough for Mom and Dad as well." No one had really noticed, but during his speech Matt had been closing in on the door. He quickly flipped the lights off, and ran out of the apartment building. His horrible laughter echoing down the hall. Tai walked sullenly over to the light switch, and brought light back into the room. He quickly ushered the rest of the DD out of the apartment, and told them that he would see most of them in the morning. "Tai, call me later, ok?" Sora said as she walked out of the apartment. Tai nodded slightly and shut the door behind her. Davis, Ken, TK, and Kari were the only others left in the room. Davis opened his mouth to say something, but Ken quickly picked up a piece of cake and shoved it on his mouth. "Good cake, isn't it?" Ken said as he glared at Davis. Davis nodded. "Hey TJ, do you want your piece?" TK quickly grabbed his plate and shoved it at Davis. "Come on Davis, we better go before Tai kills you." Ken said, grabbing the other boy's sleeve and pulling him to his feet. "Why would he kill me, I didn't." Davis stopped in mid-sentence as Ken put his hand over Davis's mouth. "Goodnight Kari." Ken said as he gave her a hug. "Call me if you need anything, ok?" He smiled at her. She looked up quickly, then back down again. She was still in shock. Ken began to pull Davis out of the door, and tripped on a box that was labelled for Kari. "Kari, you missed one." Davis said as he handed her the box. She opened it slowly and found inside the box an envelope. She began to open it as Tai re- entered the room. Inside the envelope was a letter, written very neatly in blue pen. It was Matt's handwriting. It read: Dear Kari, TK, and Tai, I know that you are all very angry with me, and that you are all very confused, but your pain will end in a moment. At about the time you are reading this, I will be at the docks, about to jump into the ocean. I know you probably won't but don't try and stop me. Everyone must pay for all that they have done to me, and this is the only way I can think of to make my parents see, make them see what they have done to me! Underneath is my last will and testament. I know you will never forgive me, the truth is, that I will never forgive you either, but since it will all be over soon, there is truly no point in worrying about it, is there? Oh and TK, right now I know you must hate me, but I cared for you more than most, the only one who understood, the only one who knew. And know I leave you, forever. Matt Tai quickly got up, and grabbed his jacket. "I need to take a walk, tell Mom I'll be back in an hour." Was all he said as he walked out of the door. Kari was still sitting on the couch, her hands were shaking as the note fell from them. TK was looking at the little boy who had fallen asleep on the floor next to the coffee table. 'Matt's son.' Those two words kept ringing in his head. 'Matt's son. I did understand Matt. Why couldn't you have just asked me? I would have been there, I would have helped. I'm so sorry Matt.' And for the first time TK cried, inwardly. No tears fell from his eyes and traced down his cheeks, but his breaths became more shallow and his blond head bowed. Kari finally snapped out of her half daze. She stood up, and realized that TK had fallen asleep. She pulled out a blanket and laid it over her boyfriend. She picked up her sleeping child, and smoothed back his hair. "Oh, Aiko, what am I going to do now?" She kissed his forehead, and set him down in his crib. When sleep finally claimed her all she had were nightmares, she saw Matt jumping, that day after school, and many other horrible things. She awoke the next morning, and cried. ~~~~~~~~(That evening)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Kari was watching Aiko play with his blocks when the news came on. "Early this morning Police found the body of a young boy at the docks. Investigators say that he committed suicide around 10:30 last night." Kari glanced at the TV screen and saw the body of one of her best friends, one of her worst enemies lying on a stretcher. His blonde hair, TK's hair, had seaweed entangled in it. His once cornflower blue eyes were glazed over, and his lips were a very strange shade of blue. Kari gasped at the sight of him. "Matt." she whispered as she stared at the TV. "I'm sorry you didn't tell us Matt, really."