CHAPTER FIVE: Maniacs and Discussions

Kari finished tying the bit of pink silk into her hair just as the doorbell rang. "I'm coming!" she yelled, pulling it open to reveal her friends. They clustered around her, enthusiastic greetings falling from their lips. She grinned at them all. As they entered, each of them handed her tiny bottles of mouthwash. She laughed, thanking them all.
Soon enough, the party was in full swing. Kari pulled out her video games and some movies, and they ordered pizza to accompany Cathy's supply of culinary masterpieces. After they'd eaten, Mimi and Matt ran to the nearest mini-mart for smoothies. Kari's friends clustered on the balcony while Kari and Jade played the latest Digimon game.
"Do you think Kari realizes that she won't play any better just because she's yelling like a maniac?" inquired Sora thoughtfully. Overhearing her comments, Kari called, "I do, too! It makes me feel better about what I'm doing, and then I can play well. If I didn't yell, I'd fail at the game." Taichi groaned. "She's nuts." Cathy laughed, protesting, "It sounds like perfect logic to me. I always fight better after I've had a good, long yell."
It was Yolie's turn to groan. "That's really scary, Cathy." The blonde looked questioningly at her friend. "What is?" she asked, confused. Yolie rubbed her temple with one finger. "It's scary that you thought what Kari said just now was logic." She rolled her eyes. "That was definitely not logic." Kari's friends laughed.
Finally, Mimi and Matt returned with the smoothies. Mimi, of course, had eaten most of them on the way back, but Matt had bought more in anticipation of her actions. He handed them out, and Kari let Yolie take over for her at the game. Within seconds, Yolie was shrieking like a maniac, and Taichi shook his head in resignation. "Great," he muttered. "There's two of them."
Kari threaded her way out to the balcony, smoothie in hand. "Sora? 'Chi? Can I talk to you guys?" They nodded. "What do you want to talk about, Hika?" asked Sora curiously. Kari slid the glass door shut behind her, almost blocking out Yolie's yells of outrage as yet another of her game-people died.
Kari watched through the glass for a moment, and then turned to the two Outers. "It's about the fight at the bar..." She stopped, leaning dejectedly over the railing as she sipped her drink. "We already took care of the witnesses, Hika," Sora said as she leaned next to the tiny girl.
Kari shook her head. "It's not that," she said. When she didn't continue, Taichi jumped in. "Is it about that Takeru guy? I don't think you have to worry about him, either. He'll probably just dismiss it. Most people do," he added thoughtfully.
Once again, Kari shook her head. "Nah, he didn't seem to care. I just..." She paused again, taking a deep breath before she explained. "I've never killed before," she stated softly. "Not like that. Not a human being."
Taichi nodded softly, exchanging a meaningful glance with her partner. "Ah," Sora murmured. "That's what this is about." Kari nodded slowly. "I've destroyed evil digi-robots, but they aren't alive, anyway. I've also helped Mimi take out people like Kaizers, but he was just plain evil and didn't give us a choice. Still, I've never killed a regular human. That bouncer didn't stand a chance against my reflexes."
Sora turned to Kari, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "If it makes you feel any better, I've never killed either." Kari glanced at her brown-haired friend, surprised. "Never? But I thought..." She trailed off, and Sora laughed. "You think that we're as hardened as one can get, right? Our enemies were always like yours. We've never had to kill a natural being."
Kari looked over at Taichi. "What about you, Tai? Have you ever killed?" Taichi rested his elbows along the balcony railing. "Once," he answered quietly, and Sora protested, "You never told me anything about it."
Taichi cocked his head slightly. "You never asked, and I didn't feel that you needed to know. It was before I knew what we were. Besides, the guy was scum. He attacked a woman in a parking lot, and I pulled him off. I didn't yet know my own strength, and I threw him against a wall. His skull was crushed when his head hit the pavement. I still don't like to talk about it."
Kari nodded, intending to drop the subject, but Taichi started to speak once more. "Kari, that guy you shot brought it on himself. He made the decision for you when he attacked your guy. If you'd had a choice, you wouldn't have hurt him, so you're not a killer. Yes, your powers and history tend to make you more violent than the average person, but you're still not a murderer. Don't worry about it, okay?" Kari nodded, murmuring a soft "Thank you" as she slipped back inside. Yolie made room for her in front of the video game.
Sora watched her go, and then murmured to Taichi, "I always feel so badly for them. They're completely confused." Taichi nodded. "Yeah," he agreed gruffly. "They keep having to reconcile their past lives with this one. They've lost everything, and they don't know how to get it back."
Sora slipped her hand into Taichi's. "We have each other, but they don't even remember their soul-mates." She paused. "Do you think Kari realizes who Takeru is?" Taichi shook his head gently. "No, she doesn't have a clue. It's part of the magic, that we can't recognize each other. I've noticed that a lot of people react in the same way. You can sit a person down and show them a Desetine, and then show them the same Destine in normal clothes, and the person won't make the connection. It's like their minds prevent them from connecting the dots, and they just slip right over the similarities." She sighed. "Kari and Takeru don't recognize each other, but I think they still feel the same way, deep down."
Sora laughed suddenly. "Yes, I've noticed that, too. They're acting the same as when they first met. Takeru can't stand Kari, and she's totally oblivious to his hints." She grinned. "They'll get together eventually. We just have to be patient and not tell her anything, let them figure it out on their own." Taichi nodded. "It'll be interesting, to say the least."

As Takeru finished his narrative, the large kitchen clock in Davis's apartment chimed the midnight hour. He'd been talking for hours, telling his three friends about his adventure in the painting. He leaned against the tiny kitchen table, waiting for some sign that his friends were still alive.
Takeru groaned as three sets of eyes stared disbelievingly into his. He glanced at each of his companion's faces, noting the looks of we-know-he's- gone-insane-but-we-can't-decide-how-to-tell-him resting on their faces. Davis frowned at his yellow-haired friend, protesting with a wave of his arm, "This is nuts, Tk. People don't get sucked into paintings, and they certainly don't see aliens floating away in giant bubbles. Your story is completely crazy."
Takeru lifted a sculpted eyebrow. "More crazy than four men disappearing for a year and then waking up in a frozen wasteland without any memory of how they got there?" Davis scratched his head, shrugging in reluctant agreement. "Uh...no, I guess not."
Takeru rolled his eyes. "Look," he said, "I don't know what happened. The only thing that I'm sure of is that I had more flashbacks while I was in that city than I've had in all the years since we came here. Whatever happened, I think those paintings may just hold the key to our disappearances. We have to find them."
Willis leaned back in his chair, his green eyes thoughtful. "You know, assuming that Tk wasn't simply hallucinating, this isn't a bad idea. We've searched all over Tokyo, and we haven't found a single thing that would lead us to our past. We came here, thinking that there was some connection to what happened to us, but nobody in the city is willing to talk about those monsters attacking Tokyo. Now that the attacks have stopped completely, no one wants to acknowledge that they ever happened in the first place. It's just our bad luck that the attacks stopped completely before we could find anything significant. On the other hand, Tk keeps mentioning the "light" of the digidestines. That name sounds awfully familiar."
Davis also adopted a thoughtful expression. Takeru stared at his brown-haired friend, alarmed beyond words. Davis had exceptional brains, but he wasn't really a thinker. Takeru was almost afraid that he'd hurt himself. Finally, though, Davis glanced up, an excited light in his brown eyes. "I remember!" he shouted, running out of the kitchen. The others quickly followed Davis into the living room, where he'd already switched on his tiny computer. "I've been reading the back issues of all the major Tokyo newspapers. There's an entire section on the Digidestines. I'm pretty certain there were several articles on the one who brings "light", too."
He typed for a few minutes, trying to find the right article. Finally, he read triumphantly from the screen. "Here it is. This article is dated from about eight years ago." He peered closely at the words. "A school bus was attacked one afternoon by some kind of monster. Since the only eyewitnesses were really little kids, the descriptions aren't clear. It seems like each kid embellished on the original story."
"Get to the point, Dave," Willis snapped. "What about the "light" gal?" Davis made a face. "I was coming to that," he protested. Takeru forcibly grabbed Willis's wrist before the other man could smack Davis upside the head. With a warning from Takeru, Davis turned back to the screen.
"One little girl kept mentioning a destined with an angel. And I quote, "She was so pretty. She was really strong, too. She saved us from that bad monster. She's my hero!'"
Takeru blinked. "How, exactly, is this helpful, Davis?" he inquired with deceptive calm. Davis shrugged. "At least we know that she exists. Otherwise, I'd be tempted to think that you're just crazy." The other three men groaned and returned to the kitchen. Takeru flopped into a chair, body sagging dejectedly. Willis sat next to him, still looking thoughtful. "Okay, ignoring that pointless article, we can all accept that Tk wasn't just hallucinating, right?" The other two nodded. "What else can we get from this?" he continued, following his line of thought.
Ken stared up at the ceiling, stroking his chin with a careful hand. "That girl of yours said that her painting was just one part of a set, right?" Takeru nodded, though he couldn't help but add the rider, "She isn't my girl." Ken ignored him, though the others gave him knowing smiles. Takeru rolled his eyes, continuing, "She said the entire set was a gift from some girl, but I can't remember the name of the artist. I do recall, however, that each of her friends had one."
Ken glanced back at his blue-eyed friend. "We need to track down the other pieces of the set. Perhaps your experience was just a fluke, but we can still see what happens with the others. Does anyone have any ideas on how to find them or the artist?" They all shook their heads, so Takeru shrugged in resignation. "I'll just have to ask that silly girl about them." He leaned forward, letting his head thud against the table. "I can't deal with her tonight. I'll ask her in the morning. Oh, and Davis?" Davis blinked, but Takeru didn't lift his head. "Stop grinning. Kari and I aren't like that." Davis continued to grin unrepentantly.

The next morning, Takeru prepared himself for a lengthy and confusing conversation with 'The Ditz'. When the next morning arrived, however, Takeru only found an empty apartment and the remains of a party. He glanced around in disgust, gingerly picking his way past discarded pizza boxes and dirty plates. In spite of the mess, he couldn't repress a half- smile as he noticed the bottles of mouthwash stacked haphazardly on a low coffee table.
His smile faded as he looked up at the painting, still residing in benign splendor on the mantle. Takeru hesitated, and then walked over to it. Nervously, he stretched out a finger towards the canvas. He licked his lips, fighting the urge to close his eyes as his finger encountered the surface. When nothing happened, his breath exploded from his lungs in a gasp of mingled relief and disappointment.
He pulled his hand back, heading for Kari's room. Once again, the door was open. He peeked inside, and another wave of disgust washed over him. She's such a pig, he thought in annoyance. How can she live like this? Piles of rumpled clothing were scattered haphazardly around the room. Takeru could barely see the floor. Takeru would not have been surprised to learn that a tornado had somehow blasted through Kari's bedroom. Shutting the door behind him as he left, Takeru shook his head. He sighed and went back to the living room. It's amazing that we don't have more conflicts, he thought. She's so unlike me.
He wandered over to the couch, flinging himself down with a sigh of exasperation. He was just drifting off to sleep when the phone began to ring. Takeru rolled off the couch, trying to find the cordless before the ringing stopped. He searched through the mess in vain, grunting in irritation as the ringing stopped and the answering machine kicked on. "Hi, this is Kari and Takeru's place. Call back if you're a cute guy. Otherwise, just leave a message and we'll get back to you as soon as we can!" Kari's golden voice ended in a cheerful laugh, and he could just picture her laughing her head off as she recorded the message.
He gave up on his search for the phone, waiting patiently for the caller to leave a message. His eyes flickered in surprise as Kari's voice came on once again. "Hey, Taki, it's just me. My photographer finally came through, and I had to leave really early for the shoot. I should be back sometime tonight or tomorrow. Do me a favor and feed Nico, will you? His food is in the cupboard under the sink. Thanks a ton!" Message finished, the machine clicked off. Takeru cut himself off before he could sigh yet again.

Kari fell out of bed as her alarm shrilled loudly. She groaned, rubbing her aching back as she dragged herself to her feet. This is the last time I do a shoot in the middle of the night, she vowed rashly. I'm completely exhausted. Why couldn't they just put me in a dark room and pretend that it was nighttime? I know that I'd be much happier. Grabbing the first set of unwrinkled clothing that she came across, Lari headed for her shower.
Twenty minutes later, she still wasn't ready for class. She felt as though she was walking through water, and she wasn't even remotely ready for the English midterm that she had first thing that morning. At least I won't be the only one to fail, she mused tiredly. Mimi's in the class with me.
Glancing at her watch, Kari realized just how late she really was. She grabbed her purse, searching desperately for the keys to her car. Panicking slightly, she skidded towards the kitchen. "Taki!" she screeched. "I can't find my keys! Can you give me a ride to..." She stopped as she noticed the three semi-strangers gathered around her kitchen table. Takeru glanced up as she entered, his hand poised carefully over the strategy game spread out over the table. "Hello," she greeted, bowing slightly before turning her attention back to Takeru. "Taki, I'm really, really late for class. Can you give me a ride?"
She didn't listen to the snickers coming from the brunette with the brown eyes as Takeru nodded. She smiled gratefully at him, dashing past him in search of something to eat on the run. She didn't find anything, but as she turned back around, she noticed that Takeru was holding something in front of her. Seeing that he held a breakfast bar, she grinned again. He just rolled his eyes and gestured for her to follow him to the parking garage across the street.
Kari munched on her granola bar as she raced to catch up with Takeru. He ignored her as he headed for his motorcycle. He climbed on the back of the sleek vehicle, pulling his helmet over his blonde hair. She hesitated, but he tossed his spare helmet at her. She pulled it on, swinging her leg over the sleek black surface. She wrapped her arms around his waist, shutting her eyes tightly as the engine sputtered to life. "Uh...can you not hold me so tightly?" asked Takeru politely. "You're cutting off my circulation." Kari relaxed her hold imperceptivity, and Takeru pushed away from the garage. Kari whispered something, but Takeru couldn't hear over the roar of the wind. "What was that?" he asked. Kari lifted her face. "I HATE MOTORCYCLES!" she shouted. She buried her helmeted face in his back as he laughed.

With Kari pointing the way, they reached the university within a few short moments. Kari dragged herself away from the bike, pulling the helmet off her head. She blew her bright, windblown hair from her eyes, smoothing it down with a weary hand. "Thanks...I think." He shrugged. "Don't mention it," he muttered. "I do have a question, though," he started. She turned to him, eyebrows lifted expectantly. "Can you tell me--"His words were cut off as a second, flamboyantly red motorcycle roared into place beside them. A pink-haired girl detached herself from the bike, smiling lovingly at the man driving. "Thanks, muffin," she murmured as they hugged the driver tightly. She glanced up, and Takeru recognized the pinky from the bar. "Oh, hello, Kari," the pinky greeted cheerfully. "Hi, Mimi," Kari returned, attention still focused on Takeru.
The man on the red bike grunted. "Have you forgotten something, Pinky?" he inquired fondly. She blinked in confusion. "What?" she asked. The man chuckled, though Takeru could not see his face through the dark visor. "Your test," the man called 'Muffin' murmured. Mimi squealed again, latching onto Karis wrist. "Oh, no! We're going to be late! Bye, muffin!" she called as she dragged Kari away. "I'll talk to you later, Taki," Kari tossed over her shoulder as she was pulled away.

Takeru glanced at his watch for the ten-thousandth time. The sun was already setting, and Kari still hadn't returned. He didn't know her schedule, of course, but he doubted that a single class could have kept her so late. She must have gone somewhere else, he thought in irritation. Finally, he stormed over to the refrigerator, looking for the number of that maddening girl's cellular phone. After a few minutes of searching, he finally spotted the tiny, yellow post-it on the side of the fridge. Bright, pink ink proclaimed the number of Kari's cell in large, capital letters. Takeru yanked the bit of paper off, taking it back with him into the living room. He dialed the number, and was quickly rewarded by a muffled, "'Lo?"
"Kari?" he asked, unaware that he was addressing her by her actual name for the first time in their acquaintance. "Taki? Is that you?" she asked in that strangely muted tone. "Where are you?" he grunted. "I need to speak with you." There was a long pause on the other end of the line, and then Kari muttered something that he couldn't quite make out. He only understood the words, "Crown Arcade," and "brain hurts." The dial tone cut off his next reply, and Takeru sighed again. He redialed, but Kari didn't answer her phone again. Takeru groaned and pulled out a phone book. From Kari's voice, she obviously wasn't in any condition to come home. He'd have to go and fetch her himself if he wanted answers.
Having located the address of Kari's arcade in the phone directory, Takeru once again climbed onto his bike. He pulled up to the curb in front of a small building flamboyantly labeled with the name of the arcade. He pushed past several chattering school children, letting his eyes adjust to the dim lighting inside. He glanced around, finally spotting Keri. The brunette was perched on a bar stool, head buried in her arms.
Takeru approached wearily, wondering if Kari was crying. He sat next to her, realizing as he came closer that she was fast asleep. "Kari," he called as he nudged her with his elbow. She didn't respond, so he pushed harder. "Leave the poor girl alone," commanded an angry voice from behind the counter. Takeru glanced across the bar at the young blonde glaring accusingly at him. "She had a really rough night, and then those idiots she works for made her do a second shoot after her class today. She's exhausted." The girl looked him up and down, and then demanded, "Who are you, anyway?"
Takeru glared back at her, and the girl cringed and stepped away from his icy gaze. "I'm her roommate." The blonde blinked at him, glancing quickly at Kari's still form. "All right, then," she said slowly. "You can take her home." She turned to Kari, prodding her much more roughly than Takeru had. "Hika, you need to wake up. Come on, girl." Kari smiled slightly in her sleep and mumbled something under her breath. Fed up, Takeru leaned over and shouted in her ear, "WAKE UP!"
Kari jerked awake and promptly fell off her stool. She glared sleepily up at him, and then shuffled to her feet. Sighing profoundly, she stumbled towards the exit. "Bye, Kari!" called the blonde as Takeru followed, and Kari lifted a sagging hand in farewell.
Takeru walked over to his motorcycle, fully expecting Kari to follow. She didn't. Instead, she headed for the crosswalk. Takeru glared after her, wondering if she was trying to make a point. His eyes widened as Kari, ignoring the blinking red hand on the traffic light, trudged into traffic.

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