A/N: Hey y'all, it is I, the great Karimon, once again!! ((Actually, I'm not all that great… (Sad smiley) )) I really hope you liked the first and second chapters 'cause I did. I'm really sorry for the long wait as it does take me a while to get to a point where I can write this all down. ((Meaning I'm lazy (sweatdrop) )) Again, I'm sorry for the long wait. My mom has a creative spur ((excuses, excuses)), so I had to help with a 'family project' that will probably take the rest of summer to finish. Also, I kinda sorta got caught up since a friend let my sibs and I borrow DDRMAX 2 for PS2, so I was 'occupied' with that, too. ((We unlocked all the hidden songs and I lost weight, too!! YAY! Go me!)) But, I do want to say that this chap will be a pretty steady one, you know, the parents find out, Tai finds out, and the plot thickens. That sort of thing. There's gonna be mostly talking and not much happening, but I'll get to that.

Trust me.

But I assure you, there will be no bashing in this chapter. But I want to thank all of the people who have been fueling me with all of the kind reviews. I really didn't think I was all that funny, to be truthful. ((Blush Blush)) And I'm naming the chaps so it's more interesting, as I'm sure you've seen. Anyways, what I wanted to tell you was that I have ((Jumps in happiness, which is hard since she's sitting at her comp)) muse plushies!! YAAAA!! PLUSHIES!! Hmm, chewy goodness. I mean it is rather hard to conduct this all by myself, so I have decided to have three muses. And, in their own order, they are:

Zidane ((I really love his tail… I wish I had a tail… (Tear Tear ) )) from FF IX

Testament from Guilty Gear X ((He is so evil!! Minus the whole kilt-ish… thing… (Eyebrow twitches) ))

And ((heart speeds up)) Sora from Kingdom Hearts. AH! I LOVE YOU, SORA! ((Glomps nearby plushie that screams in agony))

Anyone may protest, but they are MINE!! I don't really own them, but for this story they are mine. Anyhoos, this will be the last time I say this because I'll have more chaps up. I don't own Digimon, any of its characters, Digimon that may appear in this fic, whatever. I do own my own characters, so on and so forth. I do wish I owned Digimon, kinda like how I wished I owned my muses… I wonder what that would be like… Hmmmm… (Daydreams)

(Buildings lay broken, the sky deep red. Countries lay in shambles and the world leaders are rendered helpless. People are running around screaming, "AIEE!! The Anti-Christ! Run for your lives!!)

(Shudders) Now, it can't be that bad, now can it? My imagination is too wild. Even my daydreams are mocking me… (Pout) That's mean…

And to answer the question most of you had: Will Tk have his period now that he's a girl? ((Evil smiley)) You'll have to see for yourselves!! Read on!

Chapter Three – What Am I To You?

Kari's POV

Well, I don't know really what to say. I mean, first, it was Picture Day, then when I was walking home I saw my arch enemy, ran into an alley with my best friend, and now I'm a guy. Yeah. Wow. I have no flippin' idea what I'm going to do now. Well, first off, Tk and I had to tell our parents and tell them what happened to us. And to tell you the truth, it went rather well…

"Oh my God!! What happened?!?"

Yeah. It went well if having your leg bitten off by a shark tickled. Mom was freaking out, saying this and that, "Why would someone do this to my baby girl," yada, yada, yada. You know how she is. Well, Dad wasn't all too choked up about it like Mom was. He was really silent, actually, and seemed kinda relaxed. That is, until he popped the question.

"Well, who's gonna tell Tai about this?" Everyone looked at him. Mrs. Kamiya's face became whiter than it was three minutes ago. Her eyes grew wide.

"Tell Tai, are you insane?! He'll blow more than one fuse over this! You know he will!" "But we have to tell him sooner or later! We don't want to keep this from him, now do we?" Everyone fell silent at that, Ms. Takaishi stroking Tk's hair. She thought a bit. "Well, you don't want him to get angry with you, do you? And you don't want him to find out on his own?" Everyone looked at her, then looked away in thought. Tk leaned 'his' head on 'his' mother's shoulder and sighed softly in a rueful sort of way. Ms. Takaishi heard 'him' ever so faintly and looked down on 'his' head, the catching rays of the sun through the patio window behind them, making it shine like bullion.

"Tk? What's wrong, honey?" She asked softly, kissing the top of 'his' head and stroking her fingers in 'his' hair once more. 'He' fidgeted a bit. 'He' hated it when she did that. "I'm so confused right now. I mean, I'm a girl when I was originally a boy, and now I'm pretty much stuck like this. I'm…" 'He' didn't finish the statement and sighed instead. Ms. Takaishi sighed as well. It was really hard on her, having her youngest son go through all this mayhem. It was hard enough that 'he' had to go through so many other things (the Digiworld came readily to mind), and now this. The divorce was hard enough…

"I think I should be the one to tell him," Kari said quietly. "After all, I am his younger sibling, and I can tell him in a way that he can really, how do I say it, understand." 'She' raised 'her' eyebrows in a knowing sort of way. Mr. and Mrs. Kamiya looked at 'her', looked at one another, then slowly nodded. "Well, I guess that would be appropriate…" Mrs. Kamiya trailed off. She didn't want her only son and eldest child to take the blame on himself for what had happened to them. She still remembered that one fateful moment when they were younger…

"I'm sorry I couldn't kick the ball right, Tai…You probably won't want to play with me anymore…"

Mrs. Kamiya flinched a bit, something only Kari caught, then straightened up. "Well, he should be here any minute now, so… You can tell him then." She tried to be cheerful, but her nervousness was evident on her pale face. She walked over to Kari and sat next to 'her' on the couch, resting her head on 'hers'. Kari frowned. 'She' could feel 'her' mother's heart through her temple, it beating as if her worst nightmare were about to come true. Its' fast pace worried 'her', and 'she' wanted to say something about it when the door unlocked. Everyone but Mr. Kamiya and Kari gasped loudly, Mrs. Kamiya gulping at the end. There was a pause and the door slowly closed again, as if the person were held back by something. Kari winced in nervousness. Not only that, but Mrs. Kamiya had a death grip on 'her' arm and 'she' was losing feeling in 'her' fingers.

"Mom…" 'She' whispered, 'her' fingers twinging to the point where it hurt. Mrs. Kamiya looked at her pained face, looked down at 'her' almost purple hand, and immediately let go. She smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. Just got a bit nervous."

"Yeah. I could tell," Kari murmured beneath 'her' breath, something Mrs. Kamiya thankfully didn't hear. Though 'she' understood her tension. 'She' was a bit tense as well, knot the size of a hard boiled egg forming between 'her' shoulder blades. But, on another note, what would 'she' and the newly named Angel do? They were stuck on this world with absolutely no idea how to lead their new lives, with no experience, no training, no nothing!

'Heh', 'she' thought, a bitter ring in 'her' words. 'Sounds like the Digiworld.'

Not noticing how hard 'she' was biting on 'her' lower lip from frustration and anger, Kari frowned as 'she' felt a sharp pain and then a metallic, almost sweet taste in 'her' mouth. Already knowing what it was, 'she' quickly pulled 'her' bleeding lip in and hoped no one saw. But not before the keen blue eyes of 'her' best friend noticed the gesture. It wasn't hard to tell that 'she' was as nervous as 'he', as 'she' was doing a lousy job at hiding it. All Kari, er, Kyle needed was a little talking to.

Tk stood, motioning for Kari to follow 'him' into Kari's room. When 'she' entered 'her' pink and yellow haven Tk went to 'her' desk and sat down in the chair. Turning to 'her', 'he' placed 'his' hands on 'his' knees and looked 'her' square in the eyes.

"What are you thinking?"

Kari really didn't understand the question, and wasn't sure how to answer. But one look in Tk's eyes cleared the confusion.

"This is…… too….much, it's really, really—"

"—stressing you."

Kari looked up at Tk, a faint smile in place. Finishing each other's sentences was their specialty, and this was a good time for it to come in handy. Kari wasn't sure how to explain 'herself' so it helped to have someone who knew exactly what 'she' meant. Momentarily forgetting about 'her' bleeding lip, Kari licked 'her' dry lips, a dull pain meeting 'her' senses. Tk noticed the almost unnoticeable cringe and frowned a bit. It stressed even 'him' out just thinking about what will happen later with Tai… It gave 'him' chills, to be truthful. But 'he' had learned the hard way what happens when a girl gets cold. He didn't like it (as it did hurt slightly), but had to deal. It was a part of 'his' new life. There'd be a lot of things 'he'd' have to give up and get used to. Just thinking of it stressed 'him' more.

"Looks like I'm not the only one confused," Kari said, noticing Tk nibbling on 'his' lower lip as 'she' had. Tk looked at 'her', let go of 'his' lip and smiled, if you could call it one. 'He' somewhat twitched the corners of 'his' mouth, then dropped it as 'he' asked, "What do you think will happen when Tai shows up? You know he'll—"

"—blame someone, yeah, I know," Kari mumbled. "There has to be at least one way, one accurate way in telling him. He, oh I don't know, is a bit slow, in the process." Tk nodded. "Well, we're gonna have to think of something quick 'cause he's gonna be here soon." Kari sighed. They'd have to face it sooner or later.

"But, hey," Tk smiled, lightly punching Kari in the arm. "We'll do this—together." Kari looked up at Tk, looking into 'his' baby blues. Suddenly, Kari noticed something, something 'she' hadn't had time to take notice of since this all happened.

'Wow… Tk…looks really pretty as a girl…'

The thought hit 'her' like a ton of bricks. Was it the way the light from the window shown in, making 'his' hair look like the purest gold? Was it the way 'his' hair shaped 'his' face, or was it 'his' face in general? Or was it the dress? All these questions ran through 'her' head, but one still remained unanswered.

'What am I to you?'

It hurt, in a way, but 'she' knew it probably would stay unanswered. Unanswered until they had enough time to talk things out. Silence settled over them when Tk got up. "Well, Tai should be here anytime soon, so we should—"

"—be out there," Kari finished with a smirk, already at the door. Tk smiled. Though 'he' hated it when 'she' got last word right now 'he' didn't really mind. Then a thought came to mind. "You know we're going to have to get used to our new names, right?" Kari nodded. "Yeah, but to tell you truthfully," 'she' opened the door and smiled a smile that made Tk a bit weary. "You seem more like the devil incarnate than any 'angel'." With that 'she' laughed and went over to Mrs. Kamiya. Tk scowled. 'He'd' get 'her', sooner or later. Walking back over to Ms. Takaishi 'he' sighed for what felt like the thousandth time and rested 'his' head back on 'his' mother's shoulder. 'He' wasn't all too surprised that Tai still hadn't come in. Sora was probably with him, so this could take a while.

"… and he tried to hit on me, so I left."

"That jerk. I thought I told him to lay off!"

"I know! Hey, want to go out for pizza?"

"Can't. Mom needs to talk to me."

"Really? What about?" Then, "Is it about Kari?"

"I dunno. She and Tk had been gone for a while, and I'm worried. So, yeah, probably."

Almost (actually, completely) forgetting he was standing outside his parent's apartment since his loving girlfriend showed up, Tai finally opened the door and went inside. The familiar smell of potpourri filled his senses as he went through the door. They had rearranged everything in the living room a bit, the back of the couch facing the patio doors. The T.V. was facing Kari's door (his heart ached at that thought) and they had bought and moved a big recliner to the left side of the couch, sort of in an angle. Tai liked it like this, and it was almost deadly to complain, so he was sensible for once and kept his mouth shut. But this time, something… didn't feel right. Something was off, and he knew everyone else could feel it, too. Walking in, he looked at his mother, then his father. Then, by instinct or by some habit, his chocolate colored eyes looked where Kari would be to find what was so wrong.

'Who's the kid?'

Mr. Kamiya saw Tai's gaze shift then harden on the boy next to his wife and spoke up. "Tai, I know we made you come over in a rush, but don't jump to any unwanted assumptions. We asked you to come here because… we have something… to tell you." Tai noticed the two lengthy pauses, which never happened with his father, and looked over at him. Mr. Kamiya was looking over at the boy Tai had noticed earlier. And being the way he was, Tai became instantly suspicious.

"Who's this?" He asked, jutting his right thumb towards the boy and made him look up at him. Tai's hearts almost skipped a beat. There was something about this boy, something that got to him. It may have been the way he was looking at him or the way he was dressed… He just couldn't pinpoint it. But one clear thought ran through his jumbled mind, equally jumbled as his wild mane of hair.

'He looks exactly like Kari…'

This thought bothered him deeply as his dear and only sister had been missing for the last hour, as he had heard. He wasn't about to think about it as it hurt him, but he still wondered. Why was there a boy in his parents' house that looked exactly like his dear baby sister that had been missing for quite some time? He narrowed one eye in a suspicious sort of way, looking the boy over. He was wearing a green turtleneck that stretched over his muscles and black cargo pants that easily covered his large feet. He seemed about as built as he was, though a bit on the lanky side. He had short dark brown hair, the color of deep hazel brown, some of his bangs falling into his left eye and giving him a mysterious appeal. He looked about 16, or maybe 17, he wasn't sure. He probably had girls all over him, making Tai chuckle to himself. Then, looking him in the eyes made him drop the smirk faintly. The teen was looking at him with big, ruby red eyes, catching him off guard, which seemed hard from his years as a hardcore Digidestined. It was such a piercing stare and not many people, if any, could do that to him or make his skin crawl like this boy did. There was something… peculiar about the youth. But what?

"Um, Dad… Who's this guy?" He asked again, becoming more apprehensive by the minute. Mrs. Kamiya replied, "Well, he's what we wanted to talk to you about. He is a very nice boy and I think you will like him very much. So don't give him that look, Taichi." She said the last bit in a sharp manner that made Tai look away. He hated it when she used his real name to his disadvantage. He wasn't an eight-year-old anymore. Though, she was his mother and all…

"I think I'll take up from here."

Tai's eyes snapped towards the boy as he spoke and stood. He raised an eyebrow. The kid was almost as tall as he was, which wasn't saying much as Tai wasn't that tall. The boy took in a deep breath and slipped his hands in his pockets. "Well, introductions should be first. All I can say right now until a bit later is that my name is Kyle and I am related to you." Tai frowned deeply at that. "Kyle? I don't remember any Kyle in my family tree." Who did he think he was?

"Well……… it's complicated, I'll tell you that. Yes, I know you don't remember any Kyle and I can understand that. I kinda popped up recently. Well, me and my friend Angel over there."

Tai, suddenly noticing someone else he hadn't recognizes, looked over at Ms. Takaishi. Once there he noticed a girl in her arms. Once their eyes met Tai blushed heavily. She was petite, I guess you could say. (In some areas, anyways). She looked about the same age as Kyle, or maybe a bit younger, he wasn't sure. She was small and skinny and very, very pale. She had rosy cheeks and golden blonde hair, which instantly reminded him of Matt's hair, but messier. Her bangs were floating towards her left side and looked a bit stylish, which also reminded him of Matt, but he knew Matt would kill him if he knew he was comparing him to a girl. Her hair reached her shoulders and fell in locks around her face which held those beautiful, almost addiction blue eyes she had, that, at the moment were looking in his direction. Then, by some other worldly sense she noticed the look he was giving her and her eyes grew wide. At that she looked away and blushed a crimson red.

Sora had also seen the look he had on his face and scooted by him, wrapping her arms around his waist and digging her face in his chest, clinging a bit too hard and jutting her chin into his collarbone to remind him that, yes, he had a girlfriend. Tai, catching his mistake, looked away from the cute girl before him when his eyes landed on her clothes. She was wearing a reddish pink sparkly dress that looked frighteningly familiar. Sora noticed that, too.

"Um, excuse me," she asked, making the girl look up, 'if you don't mind me asking, where did you find that dress?" The girl's face suddenly became paler than she originally was. She looked almost afraid to answer, and looked like she might be beaten if she said anything. "Wh-why do you ask?" She managed to ask, stuttering a bit and trying to brush off the question as nothing. Her voice was rather high pitched, which made Tai blush deeper. "Well, we know someone who had the exact same dress you are wearing." Angel raised a slender eyebrow, resting her elbow on the back of the couch and placing her cheek on the back of her slim hand. She attempted to cross her legs, slowly putting her right over her left as if it were uncomfortable.

"Well, when I went to the store I heard this was a popular dress," she replied, a certain air about her. She breathed in slowly and let it out just as timidly. "So I, I dunno, couldn't really resist, and it's such a…" She paused, as if trying to think of the perfect word to put in, "…kawaii dress, don't you think?" She then smiled faintly, as if testing them to see what they would say. Sora just gave her a look, though not mean, made Angel drop her smirk slightly. But, straightening up again, she wasn't about to back down. Somewhere, this competitive side of Angel began to brew, something she hadn't really felt since… ever, and it was something that was completely new to her.

Well, almost new.

"Well, the thing is that we know someone who had this same dress, like we've said before…" Sora started, slowly taking a step towards her, Angel straightening up more, "… and she has been missing for quite some time. We just wanted to know, because…" She paused and, looking away from her, bit her lip. Angel looked on with straightforward eyes, watching all this unfold without taking her growing care-filled demeanor. She could almost sense their distress and wanted to tell them oh so badly, but let them talk first. Tai spoke before Sora could open her mouth.

"The reason why was are asking this is because, well, the store… that she got the dress from, it was the only one and… it's the only store for miles that had it… So where did you get the dress, Angel?" He hinted her name with a sharp, yet subtle pang of anger. Angel wasn't bothered by it, as she was used to feeling it in the air. She sighed. There wasn't any point in beating around the bush any longer. He had to know, or, as she feared, he might spontaneously combust. Anyways, she didn't feel up to keeping him from the truth any longer. He didn't need to be kept from his baby 'sister' who he absolutely adored. She saw out of the corner of her eye the same look on Kyle's face and nodded to herself. Now was their moment. "Whelp, I guess you got me there, Tai." Sora and Tai did a double-take.

"How… how do you know my name?!" Tai tried to hide the shock in his voice, but did a lousy job at it. Angel smirked as Kyle came over to her and she stood. "Well, it helps since I've known you since I was a little kid. But let's start from the beginning…"

I never thought I would ever see a man as shocked or scared as Tai was at that moment. I mean, it really hurt, seeing my big brother like that. But it would have been worse if the story weren't told. I know for a fact that Tai would have gone mad if he didn't know what had happened to me. So I'm glad that we told him.

"My sister's a WHAT?!"

Well, sort of.

"Tai, I know what you're thinking," Mrs. Kamiya said, trying to cool her ranting son, "and, yes, you have a right to be mad. We're all mad. But it can be—"

"Who did this," Tai cut her off, looking at each of the parents in turn, "huh? Who in their right mind would do this to them? I mean, really!!"

"Tai, calm down! Everything will be alright!" Sora tried as well to calm him down, but her attempt was as affective as his mother's. Tai kept pacing the room in full. "How can this be Ok? Kari's a GIRL, not a BOY!" Kari spoke up then, as it seemed 'she' was needed.

"Well, you've always said you wanted a younger brother." Tai looked over at 'her' as 'she' gave him a heart smile. All Tai could do was sigh.

"How goes it, Jakuomon? Did you stall them?"

Jakuomon bowed to his master and replied, "Yes, my master. They are very… preoccupied right now, and I don't think they will know of our plans until it is far too late." Deshmon nodded in approval. "Very good, Jakuomon. We will need all the time we can grasp." At that Jakuomon frowned.

"What makes you say that, my lord?"

A growl. "I cannot find what we need." Jakuomon frowned deeper. "I thought you had it within your grasp," he snarled. Deshmon merely glanced at him, making Jakuomon backtrack on his mistake. "…my lord." Deshmon growled deeply. "It'd be best you watch your tongue, Jakuomon. I own you, and can just as easily get rid of you. You are nothing to me. Remember that." Jakuomon went to one knee and bowed deeply, not wanting to be punished by this grave mistake. Deshmon then allowed him to stand.

"No matter. Keep those rodents busy until I have a direct lead. I don't want any foul-ups, is that clear, Jakuomon? He bowed. "Of course…" With that he left. Once he cleared the room, a sneer appeared on his thin lips.

"…my lord."

"Well, that went well."

Kari nodded. Tai, as they had suspected, did not take the news very well. Though he knew he'd have to cope with it, whether he wanted to or not. After about an hour and a half of ranting did Tai step outside to cool off. Even Sora didn't follow him. She knew he needed his space and respected that. Though it had been a long time since they had heard from him, and on their Digivices his blip was still present.

Sora was sitting over at the chair and was a nervous wreck. "I hope he's Ok," she murmured, wringing her skirt in her hands. She wasn't much on skirts, but Tai had asked her to wear it, and she was more than happy to comply. But at the moment, she looked as if she were about to rip it in two. "He hasn't come in in a while, and I'm worried. What if…" She didn't finish as a warm, tender hand held hers in it. Sora looked up to look into two kind blue eyes. Tk smiled warmly.

"Everything's gonna be Ok, Sora," Tk said with a little smirk. Sora tried to smile, but her heart wasn't in it. Tk noticed her downcast look, then bent down to her level. "Sora," 'he' said softly. "I promise you, we promise you, everything will be Ok. We'll beat this, and make whoever did this pay. I have a feeling something big is going to happen, so we'll be sure to get those jerks." 'He' then smiled wider. "And Kari and I will be put right. For that I'm sure." Sora smiled at that. They could beat this. No, they would. She became encouraged again, a pang of hurt when she looked at the open door spreading through her chest. She wanted to encourage Tai and tell him everything is alright, but she also had to respect his boundaries. She wanted to do so much… but knew she couldn't. It hurt, in a way, but she had to respect that. Kari, as if reading her mind (that seems to happen a lot in this story, no?) went over to her and rested a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I'll go out to him," was all 'she' said as 'she' made 'her' way to the door. Sora sighed. She just hoped Tai was Ok. She just didn't want him to hurt anymore. Kari, on the other hand, already knew what anguish and turmoil was running through her brother's mind. 'She' just hoped he didn't—

'She' quietly went through the front door, looked at 'her' Digivice, and peered down.

'Oh, Tai,' 'she' thought, heart broken.

There was Tai, the brave and fearless leader of the original Digidestined, the proud bearer of the crest of Courage, sitting on his rear, up against the wall, his knees to his chest and his arms covering his head. Kari had no idea he was taking it this hard. If 'she' had… 'She' didn't know what 'she' would have done. 'She' slowly bent down and leaned over to him. 'She' heard something ever so softly, and leaned in a bit closer. And what 'she' heard broke 'her' heart even more.

"I should have been paying attention… I knew something was wrong, but never… She's hurt and it's all my fault… Why wasn't I there to help her?... It's all my fault…"

Kari heard a slight tremor in his voice, and was a little surprised to see his shoulders shake slightly. He had to realize that it wasn't his fault. But with Tai, it was trying to yell through a mountain. Kari sucked in a deep breath and sighed. 'She' would get to him, one way or another. Crouching to his height, Kari did the only thing 'she' could think of and was more familiar with. 'She' gently rested 'her' head on his and wrapped 'her' large arms around his shoulders.

"Oniisan," 'she' murmured softly. "It's not your fault. You may feel like it is, but it isn't. Really, it isn't." Tai jumped slightly, startled that someone was there, and slowly raised his head. He hadn't noticed that someone else had come out, and it wasn't improving his already fouled-up mood. And looking into the ruby reds of his… whatever really wasn't helping things. He hid his tear stained face again. "How can you say it's not my fault? I… I didn't protect you! I was supposed to…" His voice cracked and he stopped. Kari thought for a bit, then countered, "Wasn't it Tk who was supposed to protect me? Sora told me what she had told him 9 years ago. She had told him to protect me while she looked for the others when I was sick with a fever that one time. Remember?" Tai then looked up at 'her', his blood shot eyes set on 'her'.

"Sora told you this?"

Kari then felt bad about telling him. That tone of voice could only mean one thing. Tai suddenly stood, nearly knocking Kari on 'her' duff, a dangerous gleam in his eyes. "Tk was supposed to protect you? And he didn't?! Why, that little—!!" With that he nearly stormed into the house when Kari (once 'she' got off the floor) grabbed him by the shoulders. "Tai! Tk couldn't have protected me! He was caught up in this, too! So don't go blaming him when no blame needs to be placed!" Tai looked at Kari, who tried to keep up a brave front, but was a bit terrified by the 'I'm-gonna-kill-myself-a-hot-little-blonde-chick' sort of look. Afraid of the look but afraid for 'her' best friend Kari did the best, and most sensible thing.

'She' let go.

Tai stormed into the house, only to knock the door into two eavesdroppers. Blonde and red headed eavesdroppers, to be exact. They looked up at the almost crazed adult and chuckled nervously.

"Oh, um, Tai," Tk stuttered, Sora almost afraid to say something, "what a pleasant surprise! Um, what brings you inside this, u-um, l-lovely home?" Sora still hadn't said anything as Tai glared down at them. Tk, still scared by the look he was giving 'him', tried another approach. "Um, well, you're probably wondering why the heck w-we're here. W-we're, um, j-just admiring the…..um….the….woodwork, on this door." 'He' then began to stroke the door fondly as if it were 'his' new pet poodle. "I mean, the design, the artwork. It's—" Tai let loose what sounded like a growl from a lion about to eat its' prey. Sora had enough.

"Bye!"

She jumped up faster than you could say, "Crap!!" and ran into the living room, leaving poor Tk to fend for 'himself' against the beast. Tk, feeling quite abandoned, looked back at the advancing Destined and gulped. This wont' end well…

"Takeru Takaishi," Tai growled, Tk getting chills from his using 'his' full name, "what is this I hear that you were supposed, let me repeat that, supposed to protect MY SISTER!?" Tk, confused, suddenly noticed Kari mouthing, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Don't' lynch me!" over Tai's shoulder. 'He' then understood. "OH. That. Um… Yeeeeah. Um, well, you see…—"

"I don't care! You were supposed to protect her, and you didn't do your job! Now she's hurt because of you! I…. I just can't believe you! I heard what Sora had told you 9 years ago, so why didn't you do it?! I thought you were smart, Tk!!" Tk bit 'his' lip and tried not to let Tai's harsh words get to 'him', but he was right. Kari… 'She' was hurt because of 'him', because of 'his' screw-up. 'She' was a main priority, and 'he' let 'her' down… 'He' had failed 'her'…

Kari…

"Tai, you're being too harsh! It wasn't Tk's fault at all! Look, if he hadn't been caught up in this," Kari replied, "then I know he would have—" 'She' didn't have time to finish as Tk suddenly jumped up, grabbed 'his' shoes, and ran from the apartment. The parents, who had come over to settle things, were taken back by this. "Tk?" Ms. Takaishi cried. "Tk, come back! Where are you going?!"

The sound of the elevator doors closing was her answer.

Tk's POV

Tai's right, it's… it's all my fault! Why hadn't I been looking for her when I should have been? Why hadn't I been careful? Why did we stop in the fog when I knew it was a bad idea? God, It's all my fault!

Tk, once 'he' got 'his' shoes on, raced outside as fast as 'he' could. 'He' didn't really feel up to looking or even being around any of them, Tai especially. But mostly, 'he' didn't want to have to look on 'his' failure, 'his' screw-up. Now Kari was turned into a guy and they didn't know how to change her back!

'But you're changed, too,' a little voice inside 'his' head chirped. 'He' ignored it as 'he' ran down the sidewalk. And just to improve 'his' mood a large droplet of rain fell on 'his' head and a thunderclap rumbled through the cloudy sky. Tk growled. 'Great. Just what I needed.' Just as 'he' finished the thought many, many, many more raindrops began to fall. It began to rain so much that if you weren't protected the rain would hurt, which for Tk it did. He mostly blamed the weather forecasters on this. They were always wrong. It really didn't help things that it was cold out, and 'certain things' were happening, but 'he' tried 'his' hardest to ignore it. 'He' still ran fast, or as fast as 'he' could in Kari's sandals. 'He' just needed a place to think. That's all 'he' wanted. And 'he' found it. Looking ahead of 'him', 'he' saw something through the curtain of water. As 'he' got closer 'he' saw it was a thick cement rail. What was better, it was thick enough that you could sit on it. Perfect. And, as 'he' checked 'his' surroundings, it was in a secluded area. Hopefully, 'he' would have time to think. 'He' nimbly jumped onto the ledge and sat there, looking out at the lake that lay before 'him'.

Now I can think. Oh, what am I going to do? It's not like I can act like nothing happened because something did happen. Tai is going to be angry with me forever, and I can't even look Kari in the eyes now! This is not going the way I had hoped.

Another thunderclap, but Tk didn't notice. 'He' just wrapped 'his' arms around 'his' knees and hugged them to 'his' chest. Not only that, but 'he' was getting another bad chill. 'He' smirked, then dropped it. If 'he' didn't get inside soon, 'he' could get really sick. 'What if Kari's out looking for me? What if… what if she gets sick? Oh, Tk, you're so stupid! Why'd you run out when you knew she'd run out after you? She could die because of you! You… dumb blonde!!' Tk grinded 'his' teeth in anger. 'He' should be more careful! Why the heck didn't 'he' look ahead? Now, if Kari gets sick, it'd be on 'him'. Though 'he'd' deserve it. 'He' sighed and rested 'his' head on 'his' knees. The dress did a poor job at covering them and 'he' hoped no one was on the lake so they could see 'his' underwear. After a bit 'he' didn't care.

Man, why… Why is this happening? Why, it's… it's so not fair. I never wanted to be turned into a girl. I… I never wanted to get Tai mad at me, and I… I never wanted to fail Kari… Oh…

Before 'he' could really stop 'himself', tears fell from his eyes. 'He' didn't care this time and kept at it. It felt like the right thing to do. Burrowing 'his' head in 'his' knees Tk cried a bit harder. 'He' never wanted this to happen! Nothing was going right! And it was all 'his'—

"Feels like the world's on your shoulders, huh?"

Tk jumped at that. 'He' must have zoned out and not noticed that someone was suddenly beside 'him'. Looking up and to 'his' left, 'he' finally noticed Kari sitting beside 'him'. 'She' was looking out into the lake, one leg hanging down off the rail and the other brought to 'her' chest. 'She' was leaning on one hand and the other was rested on 'her' bent knee. Other than the fact that 'she' was absolutely soaked and looked very cold, 'she' looked perfectly calm. Kari then turned to 'him', a smile in place.

"It really isn't your fault, Tk. Remember that."

It was s short statement, but it was enough to make Tk feel even worse than 'he' already felt. Now Kari was out here in the freezing rain, probably already sick, and most likely won't go back in until 'he' was Ok. But 'he' was far from it. "H-How can it n-not b-be my fault, K-Kari? I m-mean, I…I messed up! I didn't protect you like I should have! I…. I'm sorry…" 'He' felt a sob rise in 'his' throat but didn't bother to choke it down. Then another came and then another. Kari frowned in sadness. 'She' hated to see 'her' best friend in such a bind like this. It hurt so much. Feeling like 'he' needed some comfort, 'she' smiled a bit.

"Hey," 'she' said softly. Tk looked up at 'her'. Gently, every so gently, Kari took her thumb and brushed away a tear on Tk's cheek, and smiled a smile that touched Tk more than 'he' knew.

"You don't have to cry anymore."

That did it for Tk. 'He' covered 'his' face and cried harder than 'he' had that day. Kari just cuddled 'him' up in a hug and held 'him' close. Tk wasn't sure what to say at a time like this. 'He' felt so foolish, in a way. Kari was way ahead of 'him'. "You don't have to say anything, Tk. Just cry," 'she' said quietly, hugging 'him' closer. Tk, crying as hard as 'he' was, managed to laugh a bit. "You… you always know what to say, Kari. How is it that at the right moments you know what—"

"—to say?" Kari smirked. "It's because I care. That's all." Tk smiled, a sniffle here and there. "Thanks," 'he' said as they parted. "I really needed that." 'He' sighed and sat back a little. Kari still had a loose grip on 'his' shoulders and let 'him' pull 'himself' together. After a bit, Tk looked up at Kari, 'his' beautiful blue eyes piercing through 'her' red ones.

Kari… wasn't sure how to really explain it. 'She' knew of 'her' feelings for Tk and all, but… Something else was working. The feeling… 'Her' feelings for 'him'… it grew to a point where nothing mattered. It didn't matter to 'her' that 'his' hair was matted against 'his' head or 'her' previous dress was probably ruined. It didn't matter that 'he' may not be the best at everything, or 'his' parents are divorced or 'he' barely got to see 'his' dear brother. 'She' didn't care if 'he' wasn't the smartest person in their school, or wasn't the best athlete. It just… didn't matter to 'her'. It was just that 'she' loved 'him' more than anything in this world. And nothing could make 'her' think otherwise. Everything 'he' did felt right to 'her'. Everything about 'him' was.. balanced. Symmetrical, even. There was nothing on 'him' that was out of proportion. Even if they now were the opposite genders, Tk was still 'her' idiotic yet loveable Tk, in a hyperactive, crazy blonde chick body. Though, looking 'him' over, and now that 'she' had time to think, it was indeed true that Tk really did look beautiful as a girl.

Tk, no doubt, was thinking along the same lines. It really didn't matter to 'him' that Kari wasn't the best at everything. No one's perfect. 'He' surely wasn't perfect, both of 'his' parents weren't perfect, and even 'his' trusty Digimon partner Patamon wasn't perfect. No one was. 'But she was,' thought Tk. 'She' was perfect… to 'him'. 'Her' every move was fluid, like ripples in a still lake. 'Her' sophistication tantalized 'him' in more than one way. There… there weren't enough words in the known vocabulary to describe how 'she' made 'him' feel. It was… magical, I guess you could say. No, it was electrifying. Exuberant. Enthralling!! It was like poetry in motion, something 'he' was more familiar with, and the only thing that 'he' knew it to be. It was… 'She' was… innocence. Pure. Clean. There was no flaw on 'her' what-so-ever. And even if 'she' was a guy now, 'she' was still perfect. Though, 'she' really did look handsome, the soaked sweater clinging to 'her' muscles, 'her' hair falling in 'her' eyes, giving 'her' a mysterious appeal… 'He' smiled. Kari really did look good as a guy.

Something felt right to them. Something told them everything will be alright. Something…..

"But, hey…"

….made them….

"We'll do this…"

….for….

"…together."

….one anoth—

"Tk! Kari, where are you?!"

The two teens, shaken by the sudden outburst, opened their eyes and tore apart, their lips inches apart. Kari's heart was hammering in 'her' chest and tried to get 'her' breathing in check. So Tai had found them. Great. "We're over here, Tai!" Kari called back, still holding onto the deeply blushing Tk. They took one look at each other, and looked the other way.

'I was so stupid to…'

'Were his lips really that close…?'

Removing 'her' hands from 'his' shoulders, Kari looked to 'her' right to see Tai and Sora show up under an umbrella. Tai, once they came into view, scowled. "Kari!" He cried. "What the heck is wrong with you?! Running off like that! You could get sick!" Kari smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I know. But a friend's in need. I don't see you jumping all over Tk and being worried he'd get sick since he was out here much longer than I was." 'She' gave him a scowl of 'her' own. Tai looked over at Tk, who looked down, and sighed. His anger quickly turned to guilt as he saw 'him' quivering and a couch sneaked in there. He immediately felt bad. Going up to 'him', he took off his jacket and placed it around Tk's shoulders. Tk looked up.

"We don't want you to get any more sick than you already are, now do we?" Tai said softly as he helped 'him' off the railing. Tk looked into the kind chocolate brown eyes 'he' had grown up with and felt a bit better. At least they are on good terms.

"But remember this. If I ever see you try and kiss my so-called 'sister' ever again, I swear to you, you'll be more like an Angel than ever before." Tk's smile dropped immediately. Maybe not that good of terms. As Tai opened another umbrella for 'her' and Tk, a pang like none other filled Kari's chest. 'She' was so close… So close to get what 'she' had been waiting five years for. With all the pain inside 'her' heart, Kari got off the railing. 'She' chose not to look at Tk on the way home, and was certain Tk was going to do the same. And as they began walking home, one painfully clear thought remained.

'What am I to you?'

So! How was it? I know, I know, it was boring, but we need chaps like these to get to the good stuff. Well, it took me a while (again) to make this, so I'll try and hurry with the next one. Band camp ((Go Blue Guard!! YAY! Core Whores rock!)) is coming up, and then skool so I'll be uber busy. But I will be faithful and finish this, even if it takes me the entire skool year and next summer. I don't think it will take me that long, but hey. Well, I have a feeling you all know what is going to happen in the next chapter. I know you peeps are smart. Unlike me… ((Friends come out and smack the living dickens out of her)) Heh, anyhoos, I want to say that it may take me two to three months to produce the next chap, but I'll try and make it two. I'm going to be pretty busy since I'm going to be a freshman ((Oh god no)) and I have to get ready for stuffs yeah. But I'll try and get chap four up. Be looking for chapter four – Popularity!