Chapter One
The sound of plastic wheels scraping heavily across carpet filled the air as eager bodies rushed and squeezed past one another, making their way towards the arrivals' gate. Near the back of the pack, a slim figure walked calmly as if not wanting to reach the outside world beyond the gate. The figure resembled a girl. One length of her long brown hair was draped lightly across her shoulders while the other length flowed smoothly across her back, ending at her waist. She also grew a fringe that covered her eyebrows and parts of her warm auburn eyes. Her hands were shaking but tightly grasping the handle of her luggage trolley, the figure walked ahead slowly.
Finally, the wheels of the trolley stopped turning and stood still. The girl had already arrived at the gate. She stood for a brief moment, taking a deep breath before walking into the bright hall of the airport, illuminated by the rays of sunlight that shone through the huge glass windows enclosing the hall. The girl walked slowly past the crowd of people, scanning every single face desperate to see someone familiar. Not before long, the girl saw someone who brought a smile to her face. From among the crowd of eager faces she spotted a tall boy with hair that stood out from among all the people waiting at the hall. He had messy brown hair that stood up at least a few centimeters, if not more, from his scalp. On his face, a big, wide smile was visible.
"Kari!" the boy shouted, before running up to the girl and embracing her with a warm hug.
"Tai" Kari mumbled softly and tightly hugged her brother back.
Kari had not felt this warm nor this happy since the day she left for France two years ago. All the nervousness she felt before had disappeared and was now replaced by the warmth given as a hug by her brother. A single tear leaked from her eye and slid slowly down her face, past her cheek, before finally falling out of sight. Embarrassed by her sudden rush of emotions, Kari released herself from the tight grip of her brother to wipe away the wet trail left behind by the fallen tear. Looking back up again, Kari noticed her parents standing silently in front of her, smiling gently. Both parents were trying very hard not to be too emotional in front of their children by maintaining their smiling faces. However, no longer able to hold the joy of seeing her child again Kari's mother gave in, as tears of happiness streamed from her eyes. Mrs. Kamiya opened up her arms signaling to Kari that she too would want a hug. Understanding the signal, Kari rushed to the warm embrace of her mother. Resting her head upon her mother's chest, she felt a pair of arms wrap themselves around her to hold her tightly. Then she felt the presence of another pair, this time she was sure that it belonged to her father. In between those arms Kari felt warm, but most of all safe. She felt that those arms could block all her troubles and problems. Kari felt a rush of different emotion come upon her; she closed her eyes and let everything out. Everything that she had kept bottled up inside her for two years exploded out as tears.
Rays of sunlight quietly leaked through the window, from a small gap present where curtains failed to cover and slowly crept on Kari's face. Morning had come again. The sunlight seemed to be able to reach deep into Kari's soul, bringing the sleeping girl back to reality from her fantasy filled dreams. Woken up by these rays of intense light, Kari slowly sat up and gently rubbed her eyes with one hand, rubbing away the tiredness and hoping to give her sleepy eyes enough strength to open. The other hand made its way to the clock that sat silently on a small table near her bed. Still not fully awaken, Kari squinted as she looked at her clock, it was only seven. Kari wanted to crawl back into the warm world under her blankets and sleep for another few hours, as she had been exhausted by the long plane trip, but then decided that she'll spend her first day in Japan bright and early. Not wanting to be tempted into falling back to sleep, Kari reluctantly made her way out of bed and walked slowly to the window, guided by the light that had just woken her up. Kari pulled the curtains apart and gently pushed her window open. Immediately Kari felt bright rays of sunshine touch her skin, they seemed to penetrate deep inside of her body leaving a warm trail behind to mark the passage along which they have traveled. Still bathing in this pool of light, Kari felt a slight breeze hitting the side of her face, causing a few strands of her long hair to float up. From a distance the songs of birds could be heard as they sang a sweet melody to greet the rising sun. Kari took a deep breath, filling her lungs with morning air, still entangled with the soft tunes of singing birds. The air was slightly polluted, but this was her home. Home was unit 1306 of a tall apartment block, located in the Odaiba district of Tokyo. Kari lived on the thirteenth floor, making everything on the ground seem very small. The whole city looked like the little toy towns that could be bought at the shopping center, packed in colourful boxes ready to be taken home for assembling. Kari chuckled at the thought of that before finally snapping out of her daydream and making her way out of her room.
Walking out from her room, Kari heard noises sounding like the clashing of cooking utensils coming from the kitchen. She quietly went to investigate, as it was very unlikely for any of her family members to be awake at this time. Arriving at the kitchen, Kari saw Tai still in his pajamas wearing a pink-checkered apron, happily hymning a little tune in front of the stove. Kari was most surprised to see Tai. Normally, Tai would sleep until at least eleven or twelve in the morning after long nights of playing video games, and on most mornings Tai would always be in a bad mood, as tiredness and fatigue took its toll.
"Tai," Kari spoke out softly.
"Good Morning," Tai turned around and greeted his sister with a big, wide smile. "So, how was your sleep? Still tired?" he continued.
"No, I'm fine now," Kari replied before asking "Tai, what are you doing in mum's pink apron?"
"I'm making you breakfast. Guess what I'm making you?" Tai asked.
This was an easy question to answer. Apart from two-minute noodles, meals that involved the single ingredient of egg were the only dishes on Tai's menu. However, the fact that Tai had gotten up early, just to make Kari breakfast seemed a little suspicious.
"Ummmm, ketchup and eggs?" Kari replied, trying to sound doubtful. Ketchup and eggs was a dish taught by his close friend Matt, while they trapped and traveling through the digital world when Tai was about twelve. As gross as it sounds, Kari had grown to like the taste of this unique dish.
"Well, genius, it looks like you got lucky guessing the right answer this time, but don't expect luck to always to on your side." Tai said in a in sarcastic tone, as he was slightly annoyed that even at seven in the morning he could not escape the fact that although his sister was three years younger than he was, she seemed to be show far more intelligence than he ever did.
".But, I guess I cant blame you for being lucky, after all your brother has the brains, the luck, and the good looks all on his side" Tai added as he laughed hysterically. Whenever Tai felt threatened he would do just about anything to get on Kari's nerves, by annoying Kari and at the same time boasting about himself, he would feel two times the satisfaction.
Tai has gotten way over his head again, thought Kari looking to the ground as she chuckled to his last comment. When Kari lifted her head to face Tai again, she saw him with arms crossed and eyes squinting looking at her in a strange way. He slowly opened his mouth to say something.
"Kari, I just remembered, you have a very busy day ahead. Which means, you shouldn't be standing here talking to me and wasting your time. Instead, you should have used the time you spent talking to me to get dressed and get ready." Tai finally said.
Kari was confused. What Tai had just said did not make sense one bit, as Tai had forgotten to mention his main point. After seeing the confused look on his sister's face, Tai realised what he had left out. Annoyed, Tai narrowed his eyes even more so only a tiny slot was left in between his eyelids and began again.
"Okay, I'll start from the beginning. The digidestined gang have gotten together and organized a picnic to welcome you back to Japan. Everyone, everyone will be there, so you won't want to be late." Tai explained briefly. He had purposely repeated the word 'everyone' in hope to remind Kari of a certain boy with short blonde hair and sapphire blue eyes.
"What time do we have to meet at the picnic?" Kari asked, seemingly unaware of Tai's hint.
"Ten-thirty." Tai replied, annoyed yet again that his plans had failed.
"Ten-thirty? It's only seven-fifteen now, I've still got plenty of time to get ready!" Kari shot back.
"No, you are going to get everything ready by eight so that we can get going by eight-thirty. Now march inside the bathroom and start brushing your teeth!" Tai ordered as he pushed Kari into the bathroom and tightly closed the door behind her. It was clear that Tai was very anxious for Kari to meet everyone.
As soon as the bathroom door closed, Tai raced to the telephone and began to dial a number. Tai could hear the phone ringing on the other end, and it was not until long before someone answered.
"Hello?" A sleepy voiced answered.
"Matt? This is Tai, so have you contacted everyone?" Tai's excited voice asked.
"Of course! Who do you take me for? Anyway, I wonder what everyone's faces will be like after they unexpectedly see Kari." Matt answered, sounding very pleased with himself. "Not to mention what would happen after they find out that they have all been tricked," he added.
Matt and Tai had decided to play a little joke on everyone. Matt had rung all the digidestined telling them that Tai was going to go to France to join Kari, and that he wanted to secretly organize a picnic with the other digidestined to surprise Tai just a few hours before Tai's plane supposedly would leave.
"Yeah," Tai answered slowly, as if in a daydream.
"And TK, I wonder how he would react after seeing Kari. I can just imagine it now, his face would go red, and then, flare up like a tomato!" Matt added.
There was silence at both ends of the phone, as both boys used their best imagination to create the image of TK to fit the description that Matt had just given. After a long silence, soft chuckles could be heard, turning into little giggles, before neither of the boys could hold it any longer and burst out laughing. Just as the laughter was at its peak, Kari opened to the bathroom door and popped her head out.
"Tai, who are you talking to? If you continue to laugh that loud, you'll wake up our parents. They were tired after a long day yesterday, and they deserve a good rest." She said softly.
Tai did not expect Kari to hear his phone call, he thought that he maintained a very quiet voice, not realizing that if he had laughed just a little louder he would not only have woken up his parents but also woken up the whole of Odaiba. Surprised, Tai stood in front of the telephone and looked blankly at Kari.
While on the other end of the phone, Matt was confused about what had just happened and was desperately trying to get through to Tai. "Tai? Tai? You there? Hello?! ANSWER ME!!!" Matt was growing impatient.
After connecting the events that occurred a few minute ago together, Tai snapped back to reality. Still in a state of shock, Tai quickly hung up the phone without thinking. He could still hear Matt's voice shouting angrily for Tai to answer back, but because there was no time to think Tai would just have to explain to his frustrated friend later. After hanging up the phone, Tai's began to search through his brain to find a good explanation that would get him out of this sticky situation. Just as he was about to use one of Joe's old lines about ringing the phone repairman because the phone lines were dead, he realised that he was still tightly clutching the wet paper towels that he had used to wipe his hands after cooking the eggs. An idea came.
"Well," Tai answered as he laughed nervously. "I, I was just cleaning the phone, and was talking to myself. Kari you shouldn't be surprised because that's been something I've been doing for the past nineteen years of my life, and the laughing, well, that was after I realised just exactly how dirty this telephone was. You can practically see all the germs and bacteria present on this phone. In fact, I thought I saw little colonies bacteria moving about in their little towns near the mouthpiece. I must have been hallucinating, and that was why I had been laughing at my stupidity." Tai explained, almost out of breath.
"Sure," Kari said, sounding very uncertain before going back into the bathroom.
As soon as he saw the door to the bathroom close Tai breathed out a sigh of relief. Tai himself was completely lost by what he just said, safely ensuring that Kari was also lost. With Kari confused, she would no longer be able to question him. Tai was actually most afraid that Kari would hear his conversation with Matt about TK, as he knew that Kari regarded TK only as her best friend. Everyone was aware that TK had liked Kari more than just a friend, however Kari was the only one who did not seem to notice. Tai had always believed that Kari was unaware of her own feelings towards TK and that she had mistaken 'like' or even maybe even 'love' for friendship.
Time passed quickly and soon Kari, Tai and Matt had already arrived at the park where everyone was supposed to meet. They had arranged to meet at the far-left corner of the park where the tallest tree stood. Since this was just a month into spring the weather was just perfect. The sun shone warmly onto the park, covered in freshly trimmed grass that was still covered by the morning dew. Trees boarded the edges with flowers of different colours planted in a huge garden located near the center of the park surrounding a small, stone fountain. The park was filled with life, with the singing of birds and buzzing of insects clearly stating this point. Under the warm morning sun, birds playfully splashed around as they used the fountain as their private birdbath. A team of bees were busily collecting honey over the bed of flowers, and a few lonely dragonflies flying high over the trees with their translucent wings reflecting back the light given off by the sun. There was also a children's playground. Equipment painted in bright colours stood over a large area waiting for its little visitors to come.
Once Kari, Tai and Matt came close to the meeting place Matt winked at Tai and walked off ahead. Once arriving at the picnic site, Matt was greeted by Sora, Mimi, Cody, Ken and Joe, obviously coming early, eager to see Tai.
"Matt, hey, I thought you were coming with Tai.Where's Tai?" Mimi asked as she came running up.
"Yeah, he's coming" answered Matt.
"I still can't believe that he is going to leave this country in just a few hours and this will be the last time in at least four years that I will be able to see him." Mimi sighed as she said those words.
Matt smiled as he heard those words. He decided to tell everyone the truth. "Instead of saying farewell to Tai, why don't you guys go welcome Kari back." Matt suggested as he studied the look on Mimi's face.
From a distance, the gang could see Tai carrying a small picnic hamper walking slowly with a girl with long brown hair, who resembled Kari. Mimi had gotten all depressed ever since the day when she received the phone call from Matt, informing her with the news that Tai was leaving for France. Now, after she saw Tai walking with Kari she figured out that she had been tricked. Insensitive, Tai and Matt are completely insensitive thought Mimi. She had been unable to concentrate for days, and now Matt had just revealed that it had all been a trick, to fool her just for fun. She had wasted her emotions on an insensitive guy who only cared about himself and she was not going to let him get away with it. With Matt being the closest to her, she packed together all her anger and threw a 'special Mimi punch' straight at him, causing Matt to loose his balance and fall back. Mimi then ran a few meters to get to Tai, also throwing him a punch, before turning to Kari and embracing her with a heartfelt hug. On the bright side, Kari's back Mimi thought as tears flowed from her eyes. Tai and Matt had been expecting this from Mimi, as this was not the first time they played a trick on her. Both boys looked at each other then fell back to the ground laughing.
Not before long Davis, Izzy and Yolie arrived one after each other. They were all shocked to see Kari again, however none of them caused as much commotion as Mimi had done. The gang arranged themselves into a big circle, fighting over the spots closest to Kari. Kari's heart warmed up as she looked around the circle. She carefully scanned past every face. Mimi and Sora sat closely together, as they were the best of friends. Both girls had matured over the years, however still showing energetic bursts of energy. Joe and Izzy both did not show much signs of change, however Kari was sure that the amount of knowledge cramped into Izzy's brain would have increased several times by now. Joe was still as careful as ever, even on this picnic, he still carried his trusty friend; the first aid kit. Cody, on the other hand changed dramatically since Kari last saw him. He had grown into a tall young boy. He had left his hair a little longer with a few strands brushing against his emerald green eyes. Davis still looked the same, and still wore Tai's old goggles on his head. He was still very loud, and still had an obnoxious personality. Lastly Kari's eye's rested upon Ken and Yolie. Ken and Yolie sat closely together, with their actions proving that they were more than friends. Kari smiled at this sight.
Although happy to see her friends again, Kari had not yet seen the face she missed the most. Half an hour passed, unable to hold herself much longer, Kari turned to Matt.
"Matt," Kari spoke with a slight pause, " Where's TK?" She asked, with a hint of embarrassment present in her tone.
Matt who was also very worried about his brother went into a panic.
"I go through all this trouble to create a perfect opportunity for you and Kari, and what do you do? You leave me in the cold by not turning up." Matt mumbled under his breath.
Matt stood up and desperately scanned around the whole park. Just when he was going to explode with frustration, his eyes fixed upon a familiar figure running in a quick pace towards the group. As the figure moved closer, it began to show itself to be a tall boy with short blond hair. It was TK. Kari immediately jumped up as a sudden rush of excitement boiled up inside of her.
TK and Kari had grown to be inseparable ever since their first adventure in the Digital World. They used to share every moment of happiness, pain and heartbreak with each other. They were the best of friends and nothing was ever powerful enough to break that bond. It was the happiest day of Kari's life when she won a scholarship to study photography in France two years ago. Although saddened by the fact that Kari was leaving, TK felt a deep feeling of happiness as his best friend was finally able to achieve her dreams. However, this dream did come at a cost. Oozulongmon was right, without light, there will be no hope.
Eager to see TK after two long years apart, Kari ran up to greet him. Both figures stopped and stood still, as they positioned themselves face to face with each other. A small gust of wind swept past the two elegant statues as it blew strands of Kari's long hair away from the direction of the sun. The TK that stood before Kari was different from the one still trapped in her memory. TK was wearing a loose T-shirt with baggy shorts and a pair of white joggers on his feet. On his right shoulder he carried a heavy sports bag, which weighed down his entire shoulder. The white hat that he loved so much and wore everywhere since he was twelve was nowhere to be seen. His blond hair was still left in the same style with a few strands covering his eyes. It was messy, but not out of control. His sapphire blue eyes still looked so deep and so calm.
Happiness engulfed Kari's heart, unable to hold herself back; she leaped onto TK, embracing him tightly. Leaning her head on TK's shoulders, Kari then felt a pair of strong arms wrapping themselves around her waist, pulling her closer. Kari was curled up inside TK's embrace, just like old times.
"You're finally back." TK's voice was soft, slightly trembling.
"Yeah, surprised?" Kari asked with as she pulled away from TK realizing that streams of tears were leaking from her eyes. Embarrassed, Kari began to furiously wipe away her tears.
TK gave out a small laugh. TK placed his palm onto Kari's cheek, brushing away the tears still left on Kari's face gently with his fingers.
"Its only been two years and nine months, did you really miss me that much?" TK asked with a smirk on his face.
"In your dreams Mr. Takaishi. My tears only came out because you stupidly poked my fringe into my eyes." Kari snapped back, pushing TK's hand away from her face.
"Yeah, whatever." TK said with a smile. "Come on, let's go and sit down with the group, my bag is killing me." Taking Kari's hand in his, TK lead her to the group.
An awkward moment arose on the picnic blanket as everyone focused their eyes onto TK and Kari. Except for Matt and Tai whose faint giggles filled the air, the rest of the group sat in dead silence.
"So, Kari, what brought you back to Japan?" Yolie finally said, trying to make conversation.
"Oh.I.Yeah, its for a major project, which will count towards next year's final mark when I graduate. We can choose to go anywhere in the world to take photos that capture the beauty of that particular country. As we were able to go anywhere in the world, I thought I might as well visit home. I'm here for a month, but the thing is, I have to go to school here." Kari said while still in her own thoughts.
" .and you thought you were able miss school for an entire month. Yeah, you wish," Yolie teased.
"TK! Why were you so late today? You got everyone worried," Matt spoke in a loud voice, loud enough to catch everyone's attention.
"Sorry, I was at basketball practice," TK apologized
"Ah, did I forget to mention that my little TK has grown up so fast. Right now, he is the star player and captain of his school's basketball team." Matt boasted as he slapped TK across the back. "He took up basketball soon after Kari left. His even got a fan club now. Lots of girls are chasing after him, but I know there is only space for one girl in TK's heart. Right TK?" Matt spoke with a grin.
"Yeah, it's this real cutie. What was her name again? Karina! That's right its Karina." Yolie blurted out with a wide smile on her face.
"Ka, Ka, Karina?!" Tai and Davis shouted out at the same time. It was true that as much as Davis looked like Tai, their brains also seemed to function in the same pattern.
Silence filled the air for the second time that day, with everyone's attention focused onto Yolie.
"Oops, me and my big mouth. Stupid Yolie!" Yolie said apologetically before slapping herself hard on the head. Yolie then turned to face TK with an expression begging for forgiveness.
"It's alright Yolie, everyone's is going to find out sooner or later," TK paused for a few seconds before continuing. "The fact that we are going out wasn't meant to be a secret, it's just that I haven't found the right time to tell you guys. Like Yolie already said, her name is Karina. We go to the same school and,"
TK's voice seemed to go in one ear, then come out through the other. Only the first part of his explanation made sense to Kari, the rest was incomprehensible, as if spoken in a foreign language. The warmth and happiness of TK's hug seemed to have already left Kari's body, together taking away all her senses, leaving behind an empty shell.
The rest of the weekend passed in a flash and soon the first day of school had arrived for Kari. The Kamiya household was a chaotic place in the mornings. Angry screams could be heard around the house as everyone rushed to complete their morning routines. Kari rushed to make herself neat and presentable for her first day. Tai rushed to get dressed as he prayed that he will make it in time to hear his university lecture. He had failed to do so for the whole of last week. Mr. Kamiya rushed around to get ready for work as Mrs. Kamiya rushed to make the family breakfast so that the maniacs could leave the house.
"Bye!" Tai screamed with a piece of toast in his mouth. He rushed out only to collide with Yolie at the door.
Yolie had decided to show Kari around the school before classes began. Yolie wanted to show Kari everything in the school, everything, including who the 'cute boys' were. The walk to school seemed short with Yolie as company. The loud voice, constant talking and hysterical jokes were what Kari admired most about Yolie. Kari herself was never able to express her feelings; she would keep everything bottled up inside of her. Kari knew that it was only a matter of time when little box hidden deep inside of her, where she bottled up all her emotions would one day burst as it becomes filled to its limit. She was secretly hoping for that day to arrive, as she longed for the feeling easiness and freedom.
Kari's eyes sparkled with amazement as she arrived before the school gate. Although not as grand as her college in France, but this school gave out a welcoming feeling. Beyond the school gate stood four great trees. They were planted in rows of two on each side of the gate leaving a shady pathway in the middle, which lead to the main building. All the buildings of the school were painted white, and most of them were constructed three stories high. They arranged themselves neatly around a massive soccer ground that was surrounded by a black running track. Kari still looking with amazement was completely lost in her own world. She was only dragged out from her fantasies by the high-pitched tone of Yolie's screams.
"TK! TK! Over here!" Yolie screamed as she signaled for TK to join them.
TK slowly made his way to join the group and positioned himself opposite Kari and Yolie.
"Hi," TK said while still looking to the ground. "Kari, I rang your house a couple of times during the weekend, but your parents told me that you weren't feeling well. Are you alright?"
Even before Kari had a chance to reply a pair of hands suddenly grabbed TK from behind, hugging him tightly. A young girl appeared from behind TK. The young girl, still hugging securely onto TK's right arm made Kari's eyes sparkle for the second time this morning. She had jet-black hair that draped down past her waist. She had tied it back loosely into two pigtails, with a few stands of loose hair flowing at the side of her face. She also left a fringe, but it was brushed all onto one side. Her eyes were a mixture of blue and grey. She seemed small standing next to TK as she was only up to his shoulders. Her sweetness and innocence was only further emphasized by her school uniform, which made her look like a cute doll.
"Karina, I would like you to meet my best friend Kari." TK said, introducing his two friends.
Karina turned to Kari with a startled look. "So this is the Kari I've been hearing so much about. It's so nice to be able to meet you. I'm Karina, TK's girlfriend." Karina said in an excited and happy tone.
"It's so nice to meet you too. Lucky TK, I don't know what he has done to deserve such a cute girlfriend," Kari said with a smile.
A wide grin appeared on Karina's face. Not knowing how to reply she looked to the ground blushing. Another awkward moment passed as silence engulfed the atmosphere. Kari had unknowingly made eye contact with TK and found herself to be fully absorbed by his gaze. A loud cough by Yolie was just what Kari needed to snap herself out of her thoughts.
"I better go now, Yolie promised me that she'll show me around the school. If I don't hold on to her while I still can, I may never find her again." Kari said breaking the silence. " I'll probably loose her to her habit of running around the school tracking down and stalking Ken." Kari continued in a smaller voice before running off into the school grounds.
"Hey! You're not meant to be telling the whole world my secret!" Yolie screamed out, chasing after Kari.
Just as Kari was about to reach the gate, a voice was calling for her from behind.
"Kari, how about I walk you home his afternoon? I'll meet you here after school?" TK yelled to Kari's direction.
Kari stopped and turned around to face herself with TK. "It's okay, I'm fine to walk by myself." Kari yelled back, gave a little wave before turning around and running off beyond the gate.
Kari ran inside the school as quickly as she could, trying to escape the awkwardness that was now present between TK and herself. An emotion unknown to Kari was beginning to fill Kari's thoughts and take control of her body. She did not want to face TK, speak to him or even hear his name. She wanted to run, run as far away from TK as possible.
The sound of plastic wheels scraping heavily across carpet filled the air as eager bodies rushed and squeezed past one another, making their way towards the arrivals' gate. Near the back of the pack, a slim figure walked calmly as if not wanting to reach the outside world beyond the gate. The figure resembled a girl. One length of her long brown hair was draped lightly across her shoulders while the other length flowed smoothly across her back, ending at her waist. She also grew a fringe that covered her eyebrows and parts of her warm auburn eyes. Her hands were shaking but tightly grasping the handle of her luggage trolley, the figure walked ahead slowly.
Finally, the wheels of the trolley stopped turning and stood still. The girl had already arrived at the gate. She stood for a brief moment, taking a deep breath before walking into the bright hall of the airport, illuminated by the rays of sunlight that shone through the huge glass windows enclosing the hall. The girl walked slowly past the crowd of people, scanning every single face desperate to see someone familiar. Not before long, the girl saw someone who brought a smile to her face. From among the crowd of eager faces she spotted a tall boy with hair that stood out from among all the people waiting at the hall. He had messy brown hair that stood up at least a few centimeters, if not more, from his scalp. On his face, a big, wide smile was visible.
"Kari!" the boy shouted, before running up to the girl and embracing her with a warm hug.
"Tai" Kari mumbled softly and tightly hugged her brother back.
Kari had not felt this warm nor this happy since the day she left for France two years ago. All the nervousness she felt before had disappeared and was now replaced by the warmth given as a hug by her brother. A single tear leaked from her eye and slid slowly down her face, past her cheek, before finally falling out of sight. Embarrassed by her sudden rush of emotions, Kari released herself from the tight grip of her brother to wipe away the wet trail left behind by the fallen tear. Looking back up again, Kari noticed her parents standing silently in front of her, smiling gently. Both parents were trying very hard not to be too emotional in front of their children by maintaining their smiling faces. However, no longer able to hold the joy of seeing her child again Kari's mother gave in, as tears of happiness streamed from her eyes. Mrs. Kamiya opened up her arms signaling to Kari that she too would want a hug. Understanding the signal, Kari rushed to the warm embrace of her mother. Resting her head upon her mother's chest, she felt a pair of arms wrap themselves around her to hold her tightly. Then she felt the presence of another pair, this time she was sure that it belonged to her father. In between those arms Kari felt warm, but most of all safe. She felt that those arms could block all her troubles and problems. Kari felt a rush of different emotion come upon her; she closed her eyes and let everything out. Everything that she had kept bottled up inside her for two years exploded out as tears.
Rays of sunlight quietly leaked through the window, from a small gap present where curtains failed to cover and slowly crept on Kari's face. Morning had come again. The sunlight seemed to be able to reach deep into Kari's soul, bringing the sleeping girl back to reality from her fantasy filled dreams. Woken up by these rays of intense light, Kari slowly sat up and gently rubbed her eyes with one hand, rubbing away the tiredness and hoping to give her sleepy eyes enough strength to open. The other hand made its way to the clock that sat silently on a small table near her bed. Still not fully awaken, Kari squinted as she looked at her clock, it was only seven. Kari wanted to crawl back into the warm world under her blankets and sleep for another few hours, as she had been exhausted by the long plane trip, but then decided that she'll spend her first day in Japan bright and early. Not wanting to be tempted into falling back to sleep, Kari reluctantly made her way out of bed and walked slowly to the window, guided by the light that had just woken her up. Kari pulled the curtains apart and gently pushed her window open. Immediately Kari felt bright rays of sunshine touch her skin, they seemed to penetrate deep inside of her body leaving a warm trail behind to mark the passage along which they have traveled. Still bathing in this pool of light, Kari felt a slight breeze hitting the side of her face, causing a few strands of her long hair to float up. From a distance the songs of birds could be heard as they sang a sweet melody to greet the rising sun. Kari took a deep breath, filling her lungs with morning air, still entangled with the soft tunes of singing birds. The air was slightly polluted, but this was her home. Home was unit 1306 of a tall apartment block, located in the Odaiba district of Tokyo. Kari lived on the thirteenth floor, making everything on the ground seem very small. The whole city looked like the little toy towns that could be bought at the shopping center, packed in colourful boxes ready to be taken home for assembling. Kari chuckled at the thought of that before finally snapping out of her daydream and making her way out of her room.
Walking out from her room, Kari heard noises sounding like the clashing of cooking utensils coming from the kitchen. She quietly went to investigate, as it was very unlikely for any of her family members to be awake at this time. Arriving at the kitchen, Kari saw Tai still in his pajamas wearing a pink-checkered apron, happily hymning a little tune in front of the stove. Kari was most surprised to see Tai. Normally, Tai would sleep until at least eleven or twelve in the morning after long nights of playing video games, and on most mornings Tai would always be in a bad mood, as tiredness and fatigue took its toll.
"Tai," Kari spoke out softly.
"Good Morning," Tai turned around and greeted his sister with a big, wide smile. "So, how was your sleep? Still tired?" he continued.
"No, I'm fine now," Kari replied before asking "Tai, what are you doing in mum's pink apron?"
"I'm making you breakfast. Guess what I'm making you?" Tai asked.
This was an easy question to answer. Apart from two-minute noodles, meals that involved the single ingredient of egg were the only dishes on Tai's menu. However, the fact that Tai had gotten up early, just to make Kari breakfast seemed a little suspicious.
"Ummmm, ketchup and eggs?" Kari replied, trying to sound doubtful. Ketchup and eggs was a dish taught by his close friend Matt, while they trapped and traveling through the digital world when Tai was about twelve. As gross as it sounds, Kari had grown to like the taste of this unique dish.
"Well, genius, it looks like you got lucky guessing the right answer this time, but don't expect luck to always to on your side." Tai said in a in sarcastic tone, as he was slightly annoyed that even at seven in the morning he could not escape the fact that although his sister was three years younger than he was, she seemed to be show far more intelligence than he ever did.
".But, I guess I cant blame you for being lucky, after all your brother has the brains, the luck, and the good looks all on his side" Tai added as he laughed hysterically. Whenever Tai felt threatened he would do just about anything to get on Kari's nerves, by annoying Kari and at the same time boasting about himself, he would feel two times the satisfaction.
Tai has gotten way over his head again, thought Kari looking to the ground as she chuckled to his last comment. When Kari lifted her head to face Tai again, she saw him with arms crossed and eyes squinting looking at her in a strange way. He slowly opened his mouth to say something.
"Kari, I just remembered, you have a very busy day ahead. Which means, you shouldn't be standing here talking to me and wasting your time. Instead, you should have used the time you spent talking to me to get dressed and get ready." Tai finally said.
Kari was confused. What Tai had just said did not make sense one bit, as Tai had forgotten to mention his main point. After seeing the confused look on his sister's face, Tai realised what he had left out. Annoyed, Tai narrowed his eyes even more so only a tiny slot was left in between his eyelids and began again.
"Okay, I'll start from the beginning. The digidestined gang have gotten together and organized a picnic to welcome you back to Japan. Everyone, everyone will be there, so you won't want to be late." Tai explained briefly. He had purposely repeated the word 'everyone' in hope to remind Kari of a certain boy with short blonde hair and sapphire blue eyes.
"What time do we have to meet at the picnic?" Kari asked, seemingly unaware of Tai's hint.
"Ten-thirty." Tai replied, annoyed yet again that his plans had failed.
"Ten-thirty? It's only seven-fifteen now, I've still got plenty of time to get ready!" Kari shot back.
"No, you are going to get everything ready by eight so that we can get going by eight-thirty. Now march inside the bathroom and start brushing your teeth!" Tai ordered as he pushed Kari into the bathroom and tightly closed the door behind her. It was clear that Tai was very anxious for Kari to meet everyone.
As soon as the bathroom door closed, Tai raced to the telephone and began to dial a number. Tai could hear the phone ringing on the other end, and it was not until long before someone answered.
"Hello?" A sleepy voiced answered.
"Matt? This is Tai, so have you contacted everyone?" Tai's excited voice asked.
"Of course! Who do you take me for? Anyway, I wonder what everyone's faces will be like after they unexpectedly see Kari." Matt answered, sounding very pleased with himself. "Not to mention what would happen after they find out that they have all been tricked," he added.
Matt and Tai had decided to play a little joke on everyone. Matt had rung all the digidestined telling them that Tai was going to go to France to join Kari, and that he wanted to secretly organize a picnic with the other digidestined to surprise Tai just a few hours before Tai's plane supposedly would leave.
"Yeah," Tai answered slowly, as if in a daydream.
"And TK, I wonder how he would react after seeing Kari. I can just imagine it now, his face would go red, and then, flare up like a tomato!" Matt added.
There was silence at both ends of the phone, as both boys used their best imagination to create the image of TK to fit the description that Matt had just given. After a long silence, soft chuckles could be heard, turning into little giggles, before neither of the boys could hold it any longer and burst out laughing. Just as the laughter was at its peak, Kari opened to the bathroom door and popped her head out.
"Tai, who are you talking to? If you continue to laugh that loud, you'll wake up our parents. They were tired after a long day yesterday, and they deserve a good rest." She said softly.
Tai did not expect Kari to hear his phone call, he thought that he maintained a very quiet voice, not realizing that if he had laughed just a little louder he would not only have woken up his parents but also woken up the whole of Odaiba. Surprised, Tai stood in front of the telephone and looked blankly at Kari.
While on the other end of the phone, Matt was confused about what had just happened and was desperately trying to get through to Tai. "Tai? Tai? You there? Hello?! ANSWER ME!!!" Matt was growing impatient.
After connecting the events that occurred a few minute ago together, Tai snapped back to reality. Still in a state of shock, Tai quickly hung up the phone without thinking. He could still hear Matt's voice shouting angrily for Tai to answer back, but because there was no time to think Tai would just have to explain to his frustrated friend later. After hanging up the phone, Tai's began to search through his brain to find a good explanation that would get him out of this sticky situation. Just as he was about to use one of Joe's old lines about ringing the phone repairman because the phone lines were dead, he realised that he was still tightly clutching the wet paper towels that he had used to wipe his hands after cooking the eggs. An idea came.
"Well," Tai answered as he laughed nervously. "I, I was just cleaning the phone, and was talking to myself. Kari you shouldn't be surprised because that's been something I've been doing for the past nineteen years of my life, and the laughing, well, that was after I realised just exactly how dirty this telephone was. You can practically see all the germs and bacteria present on this phone. In fact, I thought I saw little colonies bacteria moving about in their little towns near the mouthpiece. I must have been hallucinating, and that was why I had been laughing at my stupidity." Tai explained, almost out of breath.
"Sure," Kari said, sounding very uncertain before going back into the bathroom.
As soon as he saw the door to the bathroom close Tai breathed out a sigh of relief. Tai himself was completely lost by what he just said, safely ensuring that Kari was also lost. With Kari confused, she would no longer be able to question him. Tai was actually most afraid that Kari would hear his conversation with Matt about TK, as he knew that Kari regarded TK only as her best friend. Everyone was aware that TK had liked Kari more than just a friend, however Kari was the only one who did not seem to notice. Tai had always believed that Kari was unaware of her own feelings towards TK and that she had mistaken 'like' or even maybe even 'love' for friendship.
Time passed quickly and soon Kari, Tai and Matt had already arrived at the park where everyone was supposed to meet. They had arranged to meet at the far-left corner of the park where the tallest tree stood. Since this was just a month into spring the weather was just perfect. The sun shone warmly onto the park, covered in freshly trimmed grass that was still covered by the morning dew. Trees boarded the edges with flowers of different colours planted in a huge garden located near the center of the park surrounding a small, stone fountain. The park was filled with life, with the singing of birds and buzzing of insects clearly stating this point. Under the warm morning sun, birds playfully splashed around as they used the fountain as their private birdbath. A team of bees were busily collecting honey over the bed of flowers, and a few lonely dragonflies flying high over the trees with their translucent wings reflecting back the light given off by the sun. There was also a children's playground. Equipment painted in bright colours stood over a large area waiting for its little visitors to come.
Once Kari, Tai and Matt came close to the meeting place Matt winked at Tai and walked off ahead. Once arriving at the picnic site, Matt was greeted by Sora, Mimi, Cody, Ken and Joe, obviously coming early, eager to see Tai.
"Matt, hey, I thought you were coming with Tai.Where's Tai?" Mimi asked as she came running up.
"Yeah, he's coming" answered Matt.
"I still can't believe that he is going to leave this country in just a few hours and this will be the last time in at least four years that I will be able to see him." Mimi sighed as she said those words.
Matt smiled as he heard those words. He decided to tell everyone the truth. "Instead of saying farewell to Tai, why don't you guys go welcome Kari back." Matt suggested as he studied the look on Mimi's face.
From a distance, the gang could see Tai carrying a small picnic hamper walking slowly with a girl with long brown hair, who resembled Kari. Mimi had gotten all depressed ever since the day when she received the phone call from Matt, informing her with the news that Tai was leaving for France. Now, after she saw Tai walking with Kari she figured out that she had been tricked. Insensitive, Tai and Matt are completely insensitive thought Mimi. She had been unable to concentrate for days, and now Matt had just revealed that it had all been a trick, to fool her just for fun. She had wasted her emotions on an insensitive guy who only cared about himself and she was not going to let him get away with it. With Matt being the closest to her, she packed together all her anger and threw a 'special Mimi punch' straight at him, causing Matt to loose his balance and fall back. Mimi then ran a few meters to get to Tai, also throwing him a punch, before turning to Kari and embracing her with a heartfelt hug. On the bright side, Kari's back Mimi thought as tears flowed from her eyes. Tai and Matt had been expecting this from Mimi, as this was not the first time they played a trick on her. Both boys looked at each other then fell back to the ground laughing.
Not before long Davis, Izzy and Yolie arrived one after each other. They were all shocked to see Kari again, however none of them caused as much commotion as Mimi had done. The gang arranged themselves into a big circle, fighting over the spots closest to Kari. Kari's heart warmed up as she looked around the circle. She carefully scanned past every face. Mimi and Sora sat closely together, as they were the best of friends. Both girls had matured over the years, however still showing energetic bursts of energy. Joe and Izzy both did not show much signs of change, however Kari was sure that the amount of knowledge cramped into Izzy's brain would have increased several times by now. Joe was still as careful as ever, even on this picnic, he still carried his trusty friend; the first aid kit. Cody, on the other hand changed dramatically since Kari last saw him. He had grown into a tall young boy. He had left his hair a little longer with a few strands brushing against his emerald green eyes. Davis still looked the same, and still wore Tai's old goggles on his head. He was still very loud, and still had an obnoxious personality. Lastly Kari's eye's rested upon Ken and Yolie. Ken and Yolie sat closely together, with their actions proving that they were more than friends. Kari smiled at this sight.
Although happy to see her friends again, Kari had not yet seen the face she missed the most. Half an hour passed, unable to hold herself much longer, Kari turned to Matt.
"Matt," Kari spoke with a slight pause, " Where's TK?" She asked, with a hint of embarrassment present in her tone.
Matt who was also very worried about his brother went into a panic.
"I go through all this trouble to create a perfect opportunity for you and Kari, and what do you do? You leave me in the cold by not turning up." Matt mumbled under his breath.
Matt stood up and desperately scanned around the whole park. Just when he was going to explode with frustration, his eyes fixed upon a familiar figure running in a quick pace towards the group. As the figure moved closer, it began to show itself to be a tall boy with short blond hair. It was TK. Kari immediately jumped up as a sudden rush of excitement boiled up inside of her.
TK and Kari had grown to be inseparable ever since their first adventure in the Digital World. They used to share every moment of happiness, pain and heartbreak with each other. They were the best of friends and nothing was ever powerful enough to break that bond. It was the happiest day of Kari's life when she won a scholarship to study photography in France two years ago. Although saddened by the fact that Kari was leaving, TK felt a deep feeling of happiness as his best friend was finally able to achieve her dreams. However, this dream did come at a cost. Oozulongmon was right, without light, there will be no hope.
Eager to see TK after two long years apart, Kari ran up to greet him. Both figures stopped and stood still, as they positioned themselves face to face with each other. A small gust of wind swept past the two elegant statues as it blew strands of Kari's long hair away from the direction of the sun. The TK that stood before Kari was different from the one still trapped in her memory. TK was wearing a loose T-shirt with baggy shorts and a pair of white joggers on his feet. On his right shoulder he carried a heavy sports bag, which weighed down his entire shoulder. The white hat that he loved so much and wore everywhere since he was twelve was nowhere to be seen. His blond hair was still left in the same style with a few strands covering his eyes. It was messy, but not out of control. His sapphire blue eyes still looked so deep and so calm.
Happiness engulfed Kari's heart, unable to hold herself back; she leaped onto TK, embracing him tightly. Leaning her head on TK's shoulders, Kari then felt a pair of strong arms wrapping themselves around her waist, pulling her closer. Kari was curled up inside TK's embrace, just like old times.
"You're finally back." TK's voice was soft, slightly trembling.
"Yeah, surprised?" Kari asked with as she pulled away from TK realizing that streams of tears were leaking from her eyes. Embarrassed, Kari began to furiously wipe away her tears.
TK gave out a small laugh. TK placed his palm onto Kari's cheek, brushing away the tears still left on Kari's face gently with his fingers.
"Its only been two years and nine months, did you really miss me that much?" TK asked with a smirk on his face.
"In your dreams Mr. Takaishi. My tears only came out because you stupidly poked my fringe into my eyes." Kari snapped back, pushing TK's hand away from her face.
"Yeah, whatever." TK said with a smile. "Come on, let's go and sit down with the group, my bag is killing me." Taking Kari's hand in his, TK lead her to the group.
An awkward moment arose on the picnic blanket as everyone focused their eyes onto TK and Kari. Except for Matt and Tai whose faint giggles filled the air, the rest of the group sat in dead silence.
"So, Kari, what brought you back to Japan?" Yolie finally said, trying to make conversation.
"Oh.I.Yeah, its for a major project, which will count towards next year's final mark when I graduate. We can choose to go anywhere in the world to take photos that capture the beauty of that particular country. As we were able to go anywhere in the world, I thought I might as well visit home. I'm here for a month, but the thing is, I have to go to school here." Kari said while still in her own thoughts.
" .and you thought you were able miss school for an entire month. Yeah, you wish," Yolie teased.
"TK! Why were you so late today? You got everyone worried," Matt spoke in a loud voice, loud enough to catch everyone's attention.
"Sorry, I was at basketball practice," TK apologized
"Ah, did I forget to mention that my little TK has grown up so fast. Right now, he is the star player and captain of his school's basketball team." Matt boasted as he slapped TK across the back. "He took up basketball soon after Kari left. His even got a fan club now. Lots of girls are chasing after him, but I know there is only space for one girl in TK's heart. Right TK?" Matt spoke with a grin.
"Yeah, it's this real cutie. What was her name again? Karina! That's right its Karina." Yolie blurted out with a wide smile on her face.
"Ka, Ka, Karina?!" Tai and Davis shouted out at the same time. It was true that as much as Davis looked like Tai, their brains also seemed to function in the same pattern.
Silence filled the air for the second time that day, with everyone's attention focused onto Yolie.
"Oops, me and my big mouth. Stupid Yolie!" Yolie said apologetically before slapping herself hard on the head. Yolie then turned to face TK with an expression begging for forgiveness.
"It's alright Yolie, everyone's is going to find out sooner or later," TK paused for a few seconds before continuing. "The fact that we are going out wasn't meant to be a secret, it's just that I haven't found the right time to tell you guys. Like Yolie already said, her name is Karina. We go to the same school and,"
TK's voice seemed to go in one ear, then come out through the other. Only the first part of his explanation made sense to Kari, the rest was incomprehensible, as if spoken in a foreign language. The warmth and happiness of TK's hug seemed to have already left Kari's body, together taking away all her senses, leaving behind an empty shell.
The rest of the weekend passed in a flash and soon the first day of school had arrived for Kari. The Kamiya household was a chaotic place in the mornings. Angry screams could be heard around the house as everyone rushed to complete their morning routines. Kari rushed to make herself neat and presentable for her first day. Tai rushed to get dressed as he prayed that he will make it in time to hear his university lecture. He had failed to do so for the whole of last week. Mr. Kamiya rushed around to get ready for work as Mrs. Kamiya rushed to make the family breakfast so that the maniacs could leave the house.
"Bye!" Tai screamed with a piece of toast in his mouth. He rushed out only to collide with Yolie at the door.
Yolie had decided to show Kari around the school before classes began. Yolie wanted to show Kari everything in the school, everything, including who the 'cute boys' were. The walk to school seemed short with Yolie as company. The loud voice, constant talking and hysterical jokes were what Kari admired most about Yolie. Kari herself was never able to express her feelings; she would keep everything bottled up inside of her. Kari knew that it was only a matter of time when little box hidden deep inside of her, where she bottled up all her emotions would one day burst as it becomes filled to its limit. She was secretly hoping for that day to arrive, as she longed for the feeling easiness and freedom.
Kari's eyes sparkled with amazement as she arrived before the school gate. Although not as grand as her college in France, but this school gave out a welcoming feeling. Beyond the school gate stood four great trees. They were planted in rows of two on each side of the gate leaving a shady pathway in the middle, which lead to the main building. All the buildings of the school were painted white, and most of them were constructed three stories high. They arranged themselves neatly around a massive soccer ground that was surrounded by a black running track. Kari still looking with amazement was completely lost in her own world. She was only dragged out from her fantasies by the high-pitched tone of Yolie's screams.
"TK! TK! Over here!" Yolie screamed as she signaled for TK to join them.
TK slowly made his way to join the group and positioned himself opposite Kari and Yolie.
"Hi," TK said while still looking to the ground. "Kari, I rang your house a couple of times during the weekend, but your parents told me that you weren't feeling well. Are you alright?"
Even before Kari had a chance to reply a pair of hands suddenly grabbed TK from behind, hugging him tightly. A young girl appeared from behind TK. The young girl, still hugging securely onto TK's right arm made Kari's eyes sparkle for the second time this morning. She had jet-black hair that draped down past her waist. She had tied it back loosely into two pigtails, with a few stands of loose hair flowing at the side of her face. She also left a fringe, but it was brushed all onto one side. Her eyes were a mixture of blue and grey. She seemed small standing next to TK as she was only up to his shoulders. Her sweetness and innocence was only further emphasized by her school uniform, which made her look like a cute doll.
"Karina, I would like you to meet my best friend Kari." TK said, introducing his two friends.
Karina turned to Kari with a startled look. "So this is the Kari I've been hearing so much about. It's so nice to be able to meet you. I'm Karina, TK's girlfriend." Karina said in an excited and happy tone.
"It's so nice to meet you too. Lucky TK, I don't know what he has done to deserve such a cute girlfriend," Kari said with a smile.
A wide grin appeared on Karina's face. Not knowing how to reply she looked to the ground blushing. Another awkward moment passed as silence engulfed the atmosphere. Kari had unknowingly made eye contact with TK and found herself to be fully absorbed by his gaze. A loud cough by Yolie was just what Kari needed to snap herself out of her thoughts.
"I better go now, Yolie promised me that she'll show me around the school. If I don't hold on to her while I still can, I may never find her again." Kari said breaking the silence. " I'll probably loose her to her habit of running around the school tracking down and stalking Ken." Kari continued in a smaller voice before running off into the school grounds.
"Hey! You're not meant to be telling the whole world my secret!" Yolie screamed out, chasing after Kari.
Just as Kari was about to reach the gate, a voice was calling for her from behind.
"Kari, how about I walk you home his afternoon? I'll meet you here after school?" TK yelled to Kari's direction.
Kari stopped and turned around to face herself with TK. "It's okay, I'm fine to walk by myself." Kari yelled back, gave a little wave before turning around and running off beyond the gate.
Kari ran inside the school as quickly as she could, trying to escape the awkwardness that was now present between TK and herself. An emotion unknown to Kari was beginning to fill Kari's thoughts and take control of her body. She did not want to face TK, speak to him or even hear his name. She wanted to run, run as far away from TK as possible.