*Loud cursing and yelling ensues* STUPID HUNK OF JUNK!!! That's the THRID floppy it's erased all my files on! And I was almost done with The Grass is Greener Ch. 4...And Future's Course Ch. 9.…AND I have to start my Ken fic all over AGAIN!!! ARGH!!!!!!!
Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. And I wish I didn't own this stupid computer! None of this ever happened with the old 1989 version. *sob sob*
Lost
Chapter 2: Lost Hope
"T.K.…T.K.…"
The figure stretched out to him through the mist. The boy tried desperately to see the face, but all he could make out were two deep, deep auburn-brown eyes, sparkling through the gloom.
"Who are you?" he shouted back. "Why do you keep calling me?"
"T.K.…Please come home…" the figure whispered, arms outstretched. "We all miss you so much… Please T.K.…Come back to us…"
The eyes faded into the darkness, and the figure just seamed to vanish with them. "Wait a sec!" the boy called. "Come back!"
But the only response was a dark, evil laugh and the figure's piercing scream through the fog…
The boy Tien burst awake, gasping in a cold sweat. It took him a moment to realize everything had just been the dream again.
He stumbled to the bathroom, flipped on the light and filled the basin with water. He splashed the cold liquid on his face, then looked sleepily into the mirror.
"Third time this week…" he muttered. "That voice…It's gotta be a girl…"
With a sigh, he leaned his head against the mirror and tried to piece the puzzle together. "What is it that she keeps calling me?" he asked his reflection. "T…K…?"
~ * ~ * ~
Kari sighed, leaning her head on her hand as she waited for class to start. It was the first day of the new school year, and the sixteen year old was depressed.
"Snap out of it." she told herself. "You've got no reason to be glum. Summer's over, sure, but that's never been a reason before. And the…anniversary…was two weeks ago. Stop brooding over it. It's not gonna change anything."
She sighed again. Yeah. The anniversary. That's what was getting her down. Three years, and she still hadn't gotten completely over him. On the outside, everything was perfect. But inside…
"Hey Kari." Davis leaned over her desk from the front. "Feelin' any better?"
Kari shook her head. "Not since last week." she muttered. "My head still hurts…"
Davis sighed. She always felt this way around now, ever since T.K.'s plane crash three years ago. But it usually went away by the time school started. "You sure you're feeling well enough to be here today?"
"My head hurts, not my stomach." Kari muttered. "I'm not sick I'm just… thinking…"
The teacher came in that moment and Davis scrambled back into his seat. She cleared her throat and tapped on her podium, and everyone was silent. She cleared her throat and began. "Good morning, class."
"Good morning, sensei." the group chorused.
"My name is Ms. Tamikana. I'll be your teacher this year. Now before we start today, I would like all of you to meet our new student…" she turned to the sliding door. "You may come in now, dear."
The door slid open. Kari looked up and couldn't look away.
The boy that had walked in was tall, over six foot. His hair was semi-long, but not too bad, blonde and shaggy. He wore the usual boy's school uniform: green slacks, white shirt, blue tie and green suit jacket, so nothing strange there. So what'd gotten Kari's attention?
His eyes.
They were crystal clear and perfectly blue, so deep and gorgeous. They were captivatingly brilliant. Some how, Kari thought she'd seen those eyes somewhere before…
"Class." Ms. Tamikana continued, putting her hand on the boy's shoulder. "This is Tien. He's just moved here from China, is that right?"
"Yes ma'am." Tien whispered, not looking at the class but rather at his feet.
"For a China guy, he sure speaks Japanese pretty well." Davis muttered under his breath.
"Mr. Motamiya." the teacher growled in a low voice. "Do you have something you'd like to share?"
"N-N-No, ma'am." Davis blushed, looking down quickly.
"Good." Mrs. Tamikana turned back to Tien, smiling. "Now then…Tien, the principal has paired you with another student who shares your classes, just to make you a bit more comfortable with our school. Just a moment…let me look."
She checked her clipboard. Several students began murmuring to each other. Kari heard a couple of girls whisper, "He's real cute…I hope he's with me!" and collapse into giggles.
"Settle down." the teacher called again. "Tien…You've been paired with Kari."
Kari gagged on her own tongue and looked quickly down at the desk, blushing. The girls around her started to giggle more when they saw how red she was getting. Mrs. Tamikana noticed none of this. "Kari? Will you please raise your hand so Tien can find you?"
Kari raised her hand, but not her head. "There we go." the teacher smiled. "Tien, please take the empty seat next to her."
There were quiet whispers as Tien crossed the room, set down his bag, and slid into his seat. Kari still didn't look up as the teacher took roll, listed what was happening that school year, and sat down at her desk to wait while everyone talked.
When the bell rang, she finally looked up at her new companion. "Well?" she sighed, smiling. "It's time for first period. You ready?"
Tien looked up and their eyes connected. For a moment he seamed unable to speak, then he just nodded. "I'm ready if you are."
"Then let's get moving." she said, standing, and lead him out the door.
~ * ~ * ~
"Hey Kari!"
Kari smiled as she sat down with the group. It was lunch time, and the DigiDestined who still went to Odiva High always sat together. So there was Cody, Davis, Yolei and herself, all under the branches of the oak tree in the court yard.
Davis took a bite out of his sandwich and glanced over at Kari. "Where's that Chinese guy you're leading around?" he muttered. "Ditched him?"
"He went to get his lunch out of his locker." she muttered, undoing her package. "And he's native to Japan, Davis. He just lived in China, and now he's moved back."
"Who is he?" Cody asked. "The new student I heard Naoko and Melin talking about?"
"That'd be him." Kari sighed. "I've been assigned to show him around. He's even got the same class schedule."
"What's he like?" Yolei asked, taking a bite of sushi from Cody.
"See for yourself." Kari nodded, seeing something behind her. "Tien! Over here!"
The blonde-haired boy looked up. His face flushed when he saw Kari. "Come on!" she called, waving. "You can sit with us!"
A bit nervously, Tien crossed the grass and sat down in the group, eyeing the others nervously. There was silence for a moment, awkward and confused about what to do.
"Hi." Yolei smiled, breaking the ice "My name's Yolei."
"Pleased to meet you." Cody said with a slight bow. "I'm Cody."
"And I'll take it you already know Davis." Kari motioned to the other boy, who nodded.
Tien remained quiet a moment, then whispered, "My name's Tien…" in a voice so quiet they could barely hear him.
The rest of lunch was a bit uneasy. They tried to joke a play with each other like they usually did, but Tien just wouldn't join in. He barely spoke the whole time, and when he did, he seamed to only be to Kari.
When the afternoon classes were done, the group met in the computer room as usual. Davis stood at the door, looking at his watch and tapping his foot impatiently. "She's late." he muttered.
"Who? Kari?" Yolei asked from the computer. "It's only been ten minutes. She's probably seeing Tien off."
"Who's Tien?" Ken asked, leaning over his girlfriend's shoulder.
"The new exchange student." Cody muttered. "Kari was leading him around."
Davis huffed. Ken looked up. "What's with you, Davis?" he asked, laughing a bit. "You're not jealous, are you?"
"No!" Davis insisted. "Yes…" he sighed, and turned back to the others. "It's just so strange…"
"What?" Yolei asked. He got all of their interests now.
Davis sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. "There was only one person I ever felt this jealous of…" he muttered. "It was T.K.…
