One Week...
NB: 1) I don't own Digimon. 2) I hate the last chapter as much as you probably do. I just have a melodramatic/romantic streak. Also I wrote that chapter mainly in the same public library as Forever Kari- it shows, doesn't it? [raises eyebrows]
Part Nine: The Loneliest Week of my Life
*TK*
Joe walked on ahead of us, rucksack on his back. I was helping Kari now, hands linked, taking careful steps and not wanting to skid on a sudden patch of ice.
Was that a light down there?
We found our way down what was becoming a gentler slope, trying not to trip over snow-covered rocks, as another fresh fall of snowflakes landed delicately on everything. They melted into droplets of water on Joe's glasses as he looked ahead with an unexpected smile.
"It's a Digimon village!" I shouted. Kari started to laugh from sheer relief, grasping my hand and starting down the last bit of the slope.
"Not just any Digimon village," Joe grinned. "I recognise that architecture. It's a Yokomon village! They're friendly Digimon!"
We stumbled into the main clearing at the village's centre. Tiny huts and houses surrounded us- the Yokomon's homes. Lights glowed from the windows.
As we looked around, a Yokomon came out of one of the bigger buildings. "What?" it exclaimed.
"We-" began Joe.
"More human beings? I don't know," it muttered, though still in its charming voice. "We haven't seen any for eight long years and then six come along at once."
"Six?" we said together, hardly daring to hope.
Mimi was sitting at the end of what looked like twenty Yokomon beds pushed together. Izzy wasn't far off either, drinking something hot from a wooden beaker. Both of them looked up as we came in. "Oh, thank goodness!" Mimi exclaimed. "We thought we might have lost you."
Tai was lying on the bed, goggles hung over the corner as he slept there, still unconscious. "He'll live," explained Izzy reassuringly. "But it could be a while before he comes round. The Yokomon are doing a good job of looking after him."
Yokomon cookery hadn't changed much in eight years. What they served us now looked very like the stuff we'd turned down at another village- or was it the same one? Now, though, we tucked in without complaining. It wasn't actually bad at all.
Suddenly I noticed Kari looking out of the window. "What's wrong?" I asked her.
She turned. "Nothing's wrong exactly. I just thought I saw something out there."
After a moment I saw it too, through the swirling snow that had become quite thick now. A dot of black on the horizon, moving too slowly to be a person- any right-thinking human being would be trying their best to get out of this by now. A Digimon, maybe, one that didn't mind the cold. We watched it. There was little else to do.
Joe came to see what we were looking at, and squinted to see the distant silhouette. "It doesn't look like any Digimon I've seen," he said. So the three of us sat by the window, while Mimi rearranged Tai's covers and his hair for the hundredth time and Izzy tapped at his databank and sipped the hot drink he'd been given.
The figure was coming in our direction. Kari closed one eye and focused on it. "No, I think it looks like a human," she said thoughtfully. "I know what you said, TK, but maybe whoever it is might just be tired."
But then, from the opposite side of the house, a flash of light lit up the other window. Leaving the mystery to be solved later, we ran outside and dashed to see what had happened. Even Mimi left her seat and followed us.
On the outskirts of the village- which wasn't actually far away, given the size of it- a huge tree had been standing. Now there was just a scorched trunk, all the branches turned to ash in a moment. "Lightning?" said Izzy. I felt doubtful. "We should tell the Yokomon to be careful." I couldn't disagree with that, and we began walking back to the house where Tai was being cared for.
Before we reached it, though, Joe stopped suddenly. "I heard something," he said. Saying nothing, we followed him to one of the gates of the village and a little way out into the mountain snow. Then we saw.
"Sora...?"
She'd been almost at the village when the cold had finally got to her. Thank goodness she wasn't as badly affected as Tai. I guess it was because she'd stayed on the move.
We wrapped her in Joe's sleeping bag and brought another hot drink. Eventually she started to look as if she knew what was going on.
"What am I doing here? Where's Tai? Where..."
Mimi pointed, a strange expression on her face. "Oh, Tai," whispered Sora. "Is he... I mean, will he..."
"He'll wake up in time," said Joe gently, knowing she'd be concerned for her fiancé.
"I'm amazed you got back here all right, dressed like that," Izzy remarked.
"I had to get back," she said quietly.
I carried over a bowl of food and a little wooden spoon. But I wasn't expecting the effect as I entered Sora's eyeline. With no apparent reason, she started to cry uncontrollably.
"Sora, it's OK," I told her. "Whatever it is, it's all right. I know it's a pity about Tai, but he'll come round. Tell me about it. It's all right."
"No, it isn't," she whispered. "Oh TK, it'll never be all right again. Ever."
I held her hand. Kari went to her, and silently pointed at a piece of paper fallen from Sora's pocket. "It's addressed to Tai," she whispered. "I'll read it. I'm the closest thing we've got to Tai at the moment." Sora looked up for a moment but didn't try to stop Kari reading.
She unfolded the paper.
/Tai-
I hope so much that you're reading these words. Because if you are, I haven't failed. Sora's all right.
I've been wanting so much to tell you this, but I didn't want to hurt you. Now at last it doesn't matter any more- although in another way it matters so much.../
As she spoke I felt myself detaching from reality, drifting as though I was dreaming, watching my friends' faces change from puzzlement to horror to sadness.
It was midnight. Things were quiet now, the Yokomon's fluttering about reduced to a few soft shuffling sounds in the dark. I gazed silently around the room. The moonlight touched things and changed their appearance. Joe's glasses as he sat watching the stars. Izzy's databank, untouched on his knee. Mimi's bag thrown unconcernedly onto the floor, as Mimi next to it had finally managed to sleep. Kari's eyes in the dark, shining and glittering as she sat by my side. Tai's goggles as he slept, blissfully unaware of the world and how it could change.
I sat with my arm around Sora's shoulders, the two of us supporting each other, looking like the dazed survivors of a disaster.
Heartbroken Sora, Izzy unable to understand the situation, Joe with a thousand responsibilities on his shoulders, Mimi anxious and troubled, Kari hurt by guilt and worry, me unable to help any of the important people in my life, even Tai drifting somewhere in dreams no-one could break through to- even though we were at last together, I guess we were all alone.
As I tried to sleep the window lit up again. I stared out at the night. There were no stormclouds, every star was shining as brightly as it could. Then this could mean only one thing, I thought to myself as I shook Mimi's shoulder to wake her. That the world needed saving on this, the loneliest night of my life.
..............
Miaow227- Thanks. Stick around.
Butterfly()- I'm flattered. Matt? Wait and see.
Scorpion05- Great to have someone new on board! And YAY a Sorato fan! (I was beginning to think all nice people were Taiora.)
Gerjomarty- The wedding...You're smart. The building didn't exactly blow up, it collapsed...
Forever Takari- Merci bien.
HuntressDiana- You'd better not put a time constraint. Am WAY too busy. If I get finished by Christmas it's going to be a miracle.
***ELLE787***- Thank you so much.
NB: 1) I don't own Digimon. 2) I hate the last chapter as much as you probably do. I just have a melodramatic/romantic streak. Also I wrote that chapter mainly in the same public library as Forever Kari- it shows, doesn't it? [raises eyebrows]
Part Nine: The Loneliest Week of my Life
*TK*
Joe walked on ahead of us, rucksack on his back. I was helping Kari now, hands linked, taking careful steps and not wanting to skid on a sudden patch of ice.
Was that a light down there?
We found our way down what was becoming a gentler slope, trying not to trip over snow-covered rocks, as another fresh fall of snowflakes landed delicately on everything. They melted into droplets of water on Joe's glasses as he looked ahead with an unexpected smile.
"It's a Digimon village!" I shouted. Kari started to laugh from sheer relief, grasping my hand and starting down the last bit of the slope.
"Not just any Digimon village," Joe grinned. "I recognise that architecture. It's a Yokomon village! They're friendly Digimon!"
We stumbled into the main clearing at the village's centre. Tiny huts and houses surrounded us- the Yokomon's homes. Lights glowed from the windows.
As we looked around, a Yokomon came out of one of the bigger buildings. "What?" it exclaimed.
"We-" began Joe.
"More human beings? I don't know," it muttered, though still in its charming voice. "We haven't seen any for eight long years and then six come along at once."
"Six?" we said together, hardly daring to hope.
Mimi was sitting at the end of what looked like twenty Yokomon beds pushed together. Izzy wasn't far off either, drinking something hot from a wooden beaker. Both of them looked up as we came in. "Oh, thank goodness!" Mimi exclaimed. "We thought we might have lost you."
Tai was lying on the bed, goggles hung over the corner as he slept there, still unconscious. "He'll live," explained Izzy reassuringly. "But it could be a while before he comes round. The Yokomon are doing a good job of looking after him."
Yokomon cookery hadn't changed much in eight years. What they served us now looked very like the stuff we'd turned down at another village- or was it the same one? Now, though, we tucked in without complaining. It wasn't actually bad at all.
Suddenly I noticed Kari looking out of the window. "What's wrong?" I asked her.
She turned. "Nothing's wrong exactly. I just thought I saw something out there."
After a moment I saw it too, through the swirling snow that had become quite thick now. A dot of black on the horizon, moving too slowly to be a person- any right-thinking human being would be trying their best to get out of this by now. A Digimon, maybe, one that didn't mind the cold. We watched it. There was little else to do.
Joe came to see what we were looking at, and squinted to see the distant silhouette. "It doesn't look like any Digimon I've seen," he said. So the three of us sat by the window, while Mimi rearranged Tai's covers and his hair for the hundredth time and Izzy tapped at his databank and sipped the hot drink he'd been given.
The figure was coming in our direction. Kari closed one eye and focused on it. "No, I think it looks like a human," she said thoughtfully. "I know what you said, TK, but maybe whoever it is might just be tired."
But then, from the opposite side of the house, a flash of light lit up the other window. Leaving the mystery to be solved later, we ran outside and dashed to see what had happened. Even Mimi left her seat and followed us.
On the outskirts of the village- which wasn't actually far away, given the size of it- a huge tree had been standing. Now there was just a scorched trunk, all the branches turned to ash in a moment. "Lightning?" said Izzy. I felt doubtful. "We should tell the Yokomon to be careful." I couldn't disagree with that, and we began walking back to the house where Tai was being cared for.
Before we reached it, though, Joe stopped suddenly. "I heard something," he said. Saying nothing, we followed him to one of the gates of the village and a little way out into the mountain snow. Then we saw.
"Sora...?"
She'd been almost at the village when the cold had finally got to her. Thank goodness she wasn't as badly affected as Tai. I guess it was because she'd stayed on the move.
We wrapped her in Joe's sleeping bag and brought another hot drink. Eventually she started to look as if she knew what was going on.
"What am I doing here? Where's Tai? Where..."
Mimi pointed, a strange expression on her face. "Oh, Tai," whispered Sora. "Is he... I mean, will he..."
"He'll wake up in time," said Joe gently, knowing she'd be concerned for her fiancé.
"I'm amazed you got back here all right, dressed like that," Izzy remarked.
"I had to get back," she said quietly.
I carried over a bowl of food and a little wooden spoon. But I wasn't expecting the effect as I entered Sora's eyeline. With no apparent reason, she started to cry uncontrollably.
"Sora, it's OK," I told her. "Whatever it is, it's all right. I know it's a pity about Tai, but he'll come round. Tell me about it. It's all right."
"No, it isn't," she whispered. "Oh TK, it'll never be all right again. Ever."
I held her hand. Kari went to her, and silently pointed at a piece of paper fallen from Sora's pocket. "It's addressed to Tai," she whispered. "I'll read it. I'm the closest thing we've got to Tai at the moment." Sora looked up for a moment but didn't try to stop Kari reading.
She unfolded the paper.
/Tai-
I hope so much that you're reading these words. Because if you are, I haven't failed. Sora's all right.
I've been wanting so much to tell you this, but I didn't want to hurt you. Now at last it doesn't matter any more- although in another way it matters so much.../
As she spoke I felt myself detaching from reality, drifting as though I was dreaming, watching my friends' faces change from puzzlement to horror to sadness.
It was midnight. Things were quiet now, the Yokomon's fluttering about reduced to a few soft shuffling sounds in the dark. I gazed silently around the room. The moonlight touched things and changed their appearance. Joe's glasses as he sat watching the stars. Izzy's databank, untouched on his knee. Mimi's bag thrown unconcernedly onto the floor, as Mimi next to it had finally managed to sleep. Kari's eyes in the dark, shining and glittering as she sat by my side. Tai's goggles as he slept, blissfully unaware of the world and how it could change.
I sat with my arm around Sora's shoulders, the two of us supporting each other, looking like the dazed survivors of a disaster.
Heartbroken Sora, Izzy unable to understand the situation, Joe with a thousand responsibilities on his shoulders, Mimi anxious and troubled, Kari hurt by guilt and worry, me unable to help any of the important people in my life, even Tai drifting somewhere in dreams no-one could break through to- even though we were at last together, I guess we were all alone.
As I tried to sleep the window lit up again. I stared out at the night. There were no stormclouds, every star was shining as brightly as it could. Then this could mean only one thing, I thought to myself as I shook Mimi's shoulder to wake her. That the world needed saving on this, the loneliest night of my life.
..............
Miaow227- Thanks. Stick around.
Butterfly()- I'm flattered. Matt? Wait and see.
Scorpion05- Great to have someone new on board! And YAY a Sorato fan! (I was beginning to think all nice people were Taiora.)
Gerjomarty- The wedding...You're smart. The building didn't exactly blow up, it collapsed...
Forever Takari- Merci bien.
HuntressDiana- You'd better not put a time constraint. Am WAY too busy. If I get finished by Christmas it's going to be a miracle.
***ELLE787***- Thank you so much.