Ebacusta: SPRING BREAK!!! One and a half weeks of freedom, no homework, and sleeping late! Plus, swimming and shopping while hanging out with my friends. I totally can't wait! Anyway, I've been working hard to get out this third chapter but, play practice has been keeping me pretty busy. (I'm in my school play Clue.)
Pikachu-dude was all over my email. There were like 70 emails alerting me that you reviewed. I spent 15 minutes clicking through every one of them. By the way, if you ever wanna drop me an email with ideas for the story, I'm all ears. Well, here it is, the exciting third chapter. Enjoy!
Yolei: Well, Ebacusta and company would like to thank:
Botan and Kurama lover
RogueSummersLover
miaow227
anime-freak-1503
anonamous
...
TksSWEETY
Hazy
Death Pixie
Pikachu-dude
Takeru+Hikari
baba. Thank you all.
Kari: Note: This chapter begins with Kari and it happens when T.K. is at school talking to Yolei.
T.K.: Fic time!
By ebacusta
Chapter 3
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Another scream escaped her lips as she plummeted toward the ground. She watched fearfully and helplessly as the ground flew up at her until...FOOM!
*******
T.K.'s face went pale. He stood up painfully, turned around, and threw up into a conviently placed trash can. Afterwards, he looked at Yolei with a childlike, innocent expression on his face and collapsed on the ground.
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Crimson eyes fluttered open silently. The sun shined brightly into them. They closed and a hand shifted in front of them to block the light. Kari sat up, shook her hair free of the leaves and grass that had so graciously decided to stick to her and then stood brushing the leaves off her white dress.
Her head suddenly began to pound and she began to waver. She moved in a slow drunken looking way. Her movements slow and carefully thought out. Spikes of pain shot mercilessly through her head and racked her brain. She felt her muscles contract as a sickening feeling settled firmly in her stomach.
So hot and tiring. The energy she had was rapidly leaving her. Her movements became more drunken like and sluggish. Her stomach gave another sickening lurch and she bent over throwing up. Moving away a few feet, she fainted falling softly back into the grass.
**************
"T.K. wake up!" Yolei screamed. She grabbed T.K. by his collar and began slapping him over and over again begging him repeatedly to awaken. His head tossed this way and that with each slap but his eyes never opened. Feeling her sanity slipping away, Yolei stood and ran down the hall.
Throwing open the door she yelled, "NURSE!"
"What is it Yolei?" the nurse asked appearing from around the corner. "T.K. fainted!"
"WHAT? We must hurry!" the nurse exclaimed. She ran behind Yolei and as soon as they arrived by T.K. she knelt down to feel his head. "He's burning up. Help me with him would you?" Yolei bent down and together, the two lugged T.K. back into the nurse's office.
As soon as T.K. was comfortably settled, she stood up and moved to the phone. "Who do you think is the best person to call? His mother or father?"
Yolei recalled how much they worked to support their separated families. "His brother," she answered firmly.
"Brother? Matt? Seriously?"
"Yes I'm sure, now quickly, call him," Yolei urged.
"Where would he be?" The nurse asked.
"Just call his cell," Yolei instructed. "731-1008." The nurse picked up the phone and dialed the number. She listened as the phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Yes, hello Matt? This is nurse Minako. T.K. seems to have a fever and has passed out. We need you to come get him," the nurse said coolly.
"WHAT? T.K. PASSED OUT? I"LL BE RIGHT THERE," Matt shouted into the phone and quickly hung up.
"Now," Minako said rounding on Yolei. "How did this happen?"
"Well, T.K. and I were talking, and then he suddenly stopped, and then he threw up in a garbage can and fainted," Yolei admitted.
"Well, we can't have you hyperventilate now, so calm down. Take a deep breath." Yolei sucked in a breath slowly and choppily. "That's it. In, out, in, out. Now keep doing that until you feel calm enough to talk in a normal voice without feeling panicky." Yolei did this exercise for a few minutes and then said, "Is he going to be alright?"
"Yes, it's just a fever. If Matt takes him home and puts him to bed with plenty of cold compresses and water then I'm sure he'll be fine," Nurse Minako assured her. Yolei nodded shakily. Matt suddenly rushed into the room.
"I'm here, I'm here, where is he?" he asked looking around wildly.
"Now you need to calm down Matt. Take a deep breath. He's right over there lying down. Now, I need to explain what you need to do so he'll get better. When he gets home, put him to bed and put a cool towel with damp water on his forehead. Change it every 20 minutes. And when he wakes up, attend to his every need," the nurse instructed.
"Got it," Matt said who was only half listening to the instructions. He leaned over and hoisted his brother over his shoulder. Yolei followed Matt wearily out to his car. As soon as T.K. was placed in the car seat, he groaned and opened his eyes. Instantly a hand flew to his swollen cheeks. Yolei blushed but said, "T.K., you're all right. What happened?"
"I don't really know," he said slowly. "I just remember feeling suddenly nauseous when I was talking to you. I started feeling hot, threw up, and fainted."
Matt went around and climbed into the drivers' seat. "Well, Yolei, we'll see you later. I have to get this one home before he, you know..."
Yolei nodded and waved as T.K. closed the door. "Bye!" They drove off.
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"T.K., are you all right?" Matt asked. He and his brother had just arrived at the apartment complex, and Matt was helping his exhausted brother up the stairs. When they reached the steps, T.K. leaned against the wall, and waited for Matt to unlock the door.
He was breathing heavily as he replied, "Yeah, just tired and overheated." He smiled. Matt quickly opened the door and helped T.K. change out of his school uniform and into some bedclothes.
"You lie still T.K., I'll make some food, and call mom," Matt told him. "Don't get up for anything." T.K. was sweating. He nodded slowly. "I think you have a fever," Matt said. "You're not so out of shape that walking up stairs would make you that sweaty." T.K. managed a small giggle of some sort before he began to drift into an unknown blackness that begged to swallow him and relieve him of his pain and worry.
"Matt, you'll stay with me right? Even if mom comes home?" T.K. asked in a feeble voice.
Matt turned to stare at him from the doorway with his intense blue eyes, "I'll never leave T.K. Even if I have to die to stay beside you. I will. I'll be here. Forever."
***************
Kari's eyes flew open, there was a shadow over her. She blinked her eyes a few times until the image became clearer. A boy was staring at her. A boy with blonde hair and green eyes.
He reached out and touched her, "Hey, are you okay?" His skin was soft to the touch and slightly tanned. "Here I think you need some medical attention. I'll take you to my home and we'll get you a doctor." He hoisted her onto his back, positioning her so her arms fell over his shoulders, her legs were on either side of his body, and her head leaned on his left shoulder.
He was strong with a decently muscular body. After securely locking his hands around her legs, he began to walk. Kari soothed by the swaying movement, faded back into the waiting darkness.
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Kari groaned as her eyes fluttered open. She was lying on a bed in a well-furnished and decorated room.
"Oh you're awake," a voice said from the doorway. "How are you feeling?" The boy she had seen earlier. He was holding a bowl of water and a pile of clothes.
"I-I'm feeling much better now. Thank you but, who are you?" Kari stammered.
"I am Mizuki," the boy introduced himself. (A/N. Mizuki is Japanese for snow.) "My mother says you can stay here as a maid."
"A maid?" Kari asked puzzled.
He continued oblivious to her question, "You'll be going to school with me." He sat down the clothes and water. He held up an outfit for her to see, "Here's your maid uniform. And this," he put down the maid uniform and picked up another one, "is you're school uniform."
"This is your room and a bathroom is connected. You're resting clothes are over there in the closet," he said gesturing to two closed doors.
"Are you feeling well enough to stand?" he inquired. Kari nodded and stood slowly as if testing the ground to see if it would collapse beneath her. "Well," he said walking close to her as if to catch her in case she fell. "I was hoping to be able to give you the grand tour of the house."
They left the room and he showed her the other maids quarters, his room, his parents room and their offices. The living room, the garden, the pool, the dining room and the kitchen.
They stood for a minute in the kitchen. Kari looked around in wonder at the many maids bustling around with pots and pans, bowls and cutting boards. She slowing took in the stainless steel refrigerator, stove, and dishwasher. She took in the hanging stainless steel pots, pans, and bowls. The stainless steel cooking utensils were all securely placed in pockets fastened to the walls.
"You know, I'm quite good at cooking. If I do say so myself," Kari said. She giggled slightly as she thought about her mother's cooking compared to hers. She wasn't a gourmet chef, but it was a definite improvement towards the home cooking her family experienced.
Kari's eyes widened as she remembered that she wasn't wearing anything except for her white dress. No hat, no ribbon, no jewelry, nothing but the knee length white dress. "Where are my things? The things I was wearing?" Kari asked.
"Oh those. Well, we figured that you wouldn't need it so we going to burn them," Mizuki shrugged. "Why?"
"I want them back," Kari said as tears came to her eyes. "I want them back now." The spilled over and cascaded down her cheeks. "I need those. You can't burn them! You can't!" She began to cry.
"Oh, oh don't cry. I'll stop them. I'll get them back, just stop crying," Mizuki promised. He quickly pulled out a cell phone and dialed a number. After a moment he said, "Don't burn anything. I need the girl's things returned to my room at once." He hung up.
"Here, you've been under a lot of stress and you had a very high fever. You should rest. Let's go back to your room," he offered. When she entered her room she ran over to the bed and collapsed on it.
Resolute thoughts bounced through her head. "Where am I? How did I get here? Where's T.K.? Tai? How are they doing? How long have I been here and unconscious? How did I get stuck working as a maid in this god-awful place? I mean, Mizuki is nice and he's rich but I'd rather be home in the loving arms of my family. My family. Will I ever see them again?" The tears fell for five minutes before she remembered the bag that had been with her.
She spotted it on her desk in the corner. She got up and approached the desk. It was her satchel from school. She scooted back over to the bed and sat down on the edge of it. She put her hand on the latch that kept it shut and unlatched it. She was about to open it when Mizuki entered her room.
"Here are your things," he said approaching the bed and setting them down next to her. "Are you okay? I had no idea. I'm so sorry if I caused you any pain."
"Um yes thanks. It's okay," she said. "I'm a bit shaky in terms of emotional stability right now. Where am I anyway?"
He looked at her funny, "Odaiba."
"Really?" he nodded. "Then that means my family is here." She was about to get up and leave when she spotted the calendar. 2024?
"What year is it?" she asked. 2024? Her mind had to be playing tricks on her.
"2024," Mizuki replied. What?" Kari thought. 20 years in the future. No! That can't be right. It's not possible. How am I gonna get back home? She began to cry again.
"I-I'm sorry was it something I said?" he asked concerned.
"No, um, could I be alone for a while please?" Kari asked.
"Uh, yeah," he replied. "You need to come down in 30 minutes to fix dinner." And with that, he left the room leaving her utterly alone. That's how she felt. 2024? How would she ever get back to 2004? Ever? This wasn't fair. Why did this happen to her? T.K. She slowing remembered the bag she held in her hands and opened it.
"These things," she whispered. "I remember these. They were given to me on my 17th birthday. By the digidestined." She slowly pulled out each present. First was a 201 ways to escape anything including homework book that was given to her by Tai. Next from Sora were some comfy sweats, a pair of jeans, and a package of shirts.
Matt had given her a set of hats exactly like T.K's. From T.K. she had gotten an anklet, bracelet, and necklace set. Izzy had given her a new digital camera. From Mimi, she had got a sweatshirt, a pair of shoes, some hair accessories plus a cookbook. Joe had given her a journal. Yolei had got for her some nail polish, nail polish remover, lip balm, and lip-gloss.
Ken had gotten a make-up kit for her. Davis had gotten her a specially made Friends Forever bracelet. From Cody she had gotten a Travelers' bag with her name in curvy letters and picture of all the digidestined children together. And finally one of her most treasured possessions was her present from Gatomon. A scrapbook of all the digidestined. In the bottom of the bag were her digivice and D3 plus the present she had gotten from her parents. A laptop.
Quickly, Kari tucked all her gifts back into the satchel and added her extra clothing and things from T.K. She stood up off the bed, tucked the bag beneath her bed, and washed her face in the bowl Mizuki had brought in earlier before proceeding out the door and down the grand staircase into the kitchen to make dinner.
1 hour later, Kari stood in the corner of the dining room watching Mizuki and his family eat.
"Oh this is so good," his mother said. She turned around to look at the silent Kari. "From now on, you will be in charge of all cooking." She smiled and Kari tried not to look too sad as she smiled back. "This food really is delicious."
"Thank you. I learned how to cook from my friend, Mimi," Kari said nodding. She wanted to cry. A slave in a house 20 years in the future and with no way to get back to her family and friends. The mother turned back around.
"You know," Mizuki spoke up. "If you're tired, you can go back upstairs to bed."
"Mizuki! You shouldn't favor any one maid," his mother scolded.
"Mom, you heard what the doctor said. She shouldn't push herself and she looks kinda tired and stressed. I just think that she's been through a lot and should rest. Besides she does have to get up early to make breakfast and she is going to school with me tomorrow," Mizuki defended himself. "I just-"
"I would like to go to bed. I am a bit tired," Kari interrupted. "May I be excused?"
"Um yes," Mizuki's mother. "I hope you'll feel better in the morning dear."
"Thank you," Kari said bowing. She straightened and quickly left the room.
**************
Kari yawned and sat up. Her big bright eyes blinked. She pulled back the covers and got out of bed. She stretched a little and then took a shower. As she dressed for school she had an idea to put on T.K.'s necklace, bracelet, and anklet. She pulled the bag out from underneath her bed.
She rooted through the bag and upon finding her target pulled it out. She put them on and then she made her bed and left the room. The sun was just starting to rise as she slipped silently through the halls and down the stairs. She scooted into the kitchen and began to make breakfast.
After making breakfast she then proceeded to make box lunches for Mizuki, his father, and his mother. She then made more for the maids and others. Just as she finished washing the dishes Mizuki and the rest of his family came into the dining room. Many maids were now moving the breakfast out into the dining room.
After the family was done eating, Kari picked up two of the lunches and her school bag and quickly moved to the front door. As the father passed by her on his way to work she said bowing, "Sir, here is your lunch. Please have a good day."
"Oh thank you," Mizuki's father said taking the lunch. As soon as he had left the house Kari straightened and waited for Mizuki. In a few moments he appeared.
"Oh? Are you ready to go?" Mizuki asked. Kari nodded.
"Sir, here is your lunch. Please have a good day," Kari said. Mizuki laughed.
"You don't have to be so formal with me. Now straighten up and let's go." Kari straightened and the two left the house. They were both silent on the way to school, as the school came into sight, Mizuki put his arm around her shoulders. She didn't move.
The many girls surrounding the school waiting for him noticed this. "Oh my god," they whispered to each other. "Who is she?" Kari could tell they were jealous. She didn't care, it's not like she wanted this.
Hey," Mizuki said, "I'd like to introduce you to my friends." He had steered her over to a group of boys. "This is Ryo (Ree-YO). This is Yue (You-ay). This is Garth. And this is Kyoshiro (Key-You-SHE-ro)." Kari being incredibly depressed could barely hear him.
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Kari made her way slowly through the halls towards the school's doors. Looking down silently at the ground she didn't notice the girl standing in her path. She bumped into the girl. Kari looked up.
The girl turned around. She had blonde hair streaked with brown and ocean blue eyes. Kari looked at her. Those eyes. Those eyes. "T.K.," she whispered.
The girl lifted Kari off the ground. "What do you know of T.K.?" she growled. Angrily, Kari was thrown into the wall. "How do you know him?"
Kari responded, "He's...He's my best friend." Kari watched the girl look her over. Her eyes froze on her neck and then dropped to her ankle and then flew back up to her arm.
"Did he give those to you?" she asked.
"Yes," Kari nodded. "He did."
"For your 17th birthday?" the girl asked.
"Yes," Kari nodded again. "By the way, I'm Hikari Yagami. But you can call me Kari. I-" She stopped. "What's wrong?" Kari asked noticing the tears welling up in the girl's eyes. "Was it something I said?"
The girl dropped to her knees as the tears began to fall.
"What's wrong?" Kari asked about to panic.
The girl opened her mouth and out fell the words, "You came back...Mom."
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Muahahahahahahahahahahahaha! I've done it again. A cliffie! The more reviews I get the faster I'll get out the next chapter. Bye. And don't forget to review.
ebacusta *~.^* 1 2