k2: Well, truthfully I noticed this when I was working on chapter 9 part three, but I think it is safer to mention it here, just in case I have those problems here. I'm not to sure due to the fact that it's been a while since revamping this chapter. Then again this problem could be in all my chapters since numero uno-.
MK: Just get on with it already!
k2: Yeeks! Sorry. Err…anyway, point is that I have to make mention of a serious grammatical error I am sure peeps will notice. Run on sentences. I have a lot of them. I already know that so if anyone wants to comment on it please tell me how I can get rid of them while managing to leave my sentence structure in tack. I like the way my sentences sound but I also have to admit they are a real mouthful. So anyway, yeah. Have reading anyway and please do enjoy. Remember to review when your done!
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What now?
Rated: PG-13
drama/romance
Chapter 6-Painful thoughts
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TK. Is this all my fault?
Kari stared into the small fire that lit the cave; her eyes sparkling with unshed tears. The pain in her chest was inconsistent; she didn't know what to do.
It hurts. I don't understand. TK please. Tell me how to help you!
The fire danced as it burned, shapeless logs crumbling to ash.
It's all happening at the worst of times. Were just beginning to get serious, to have a real relationship.
A solitary tear slid down her cheek.
And no one knew yet. Not that it mattered, I guess, it's no one's business what we do. It's just so hard! IF it's not one obstacle in our way it's another! First it was Davis, neither of wanting to hurt him….
Our brothers were no help either, each one being so protective.
Kari squeezed her eyes shut, the pain she felt from TK mingling with her own pain, the pain she felt in her heart and soul as she worried over TK, feeling helpless. She hugged her knees tightly and her tears fell freely from her eyes.
Oh, TK! Why can't I help you! Why do I feel this pain if there is nothing I can do to stop it? Am I really that weak? That useless? What is the purpose of all of this? Why are we made to suffer?
She relaxed as a strange sort of defeated calm washed over her. Her eyes opened and stared into the fire again, fresh tears sparkling in her eyes before trickling down.
I wish I were stronger TK…if only for you. Maybe then…maybe then you could feel me as I feel you and I could help you. IF only you could truly here me, my thoughts going out to you….
I wish you could know…I wish I could tell you…I…I….
I'm always with you….
"Kari?"
The young girl looked over to see her purple striped friend staring at her with trepidation in her eyes.
"Yes, Gatomon?"
"Why are you crying?"
This startle Kari, she hadn't even been aware of it.
"I am?"
"Yes." Gatomon confirmed.
Kari dabbed at her eyes and examined her hand. She did, indeed, have water there, the salty trickles leaving a tingling sensation she hadn't noticed until now.
"Oh. I didn't realize. I've been so…deep in thought…."
"MATT STOP!"
Startled, Kari turned around in shock. Matt was standing up, his ankle bandaged, and holding onto the cave wall for support. Tai was standing in front of him, his arms spread out, blocking the way to the cave entrance. Davis and Ken, who had been talking with Cody and Yolie stepped up beside him and both stood firmly against Matt, determined to keep the equally determined young man from doing something incredibly stupid.
"WHY?" Matt cried, frustration building within him, "Why are you doing this?"
"Look around, Matt!" Tai shouted, "It's dark out there. We need to rest."
"If we rest, we'll get there to late!" Joe placed his hand on Matt's shoulder, a gesture Matt shook off roughly. "I'm not going to let TK down."
"None of us are." Joe murmured softly as he set his hand firmly on Matt's shoulder. This time Matt couldn't' shake it off and found Joe's other hand on his other shoulder. "Please, listen to us Matt. You need to rest."
"I need to help TK!"
"How can you help him if Gabumon can't digivolve because he's tired?" Tai argued, "Not to mention that twisted ankle. In your condition, you'd be a sitting duck. Please Matt, Rest."
Matt tensed. He knew Tai was right. Without saying a word Matt relaxed his stance and allowed Joe to direct him away from the entrance. He helped Matt sit down, made sure Gabumon was next to him, and walked back over to the fire. Kari noticed that Matt's head was bowed and his shoulders were shaking furiously.
Kari watched him for a moment then turned her head around the cave. Ken and Davis had gone back to Cody and Yolie, Mimi and Sora were just returning to the cave with their digimon, their arms loaded with a few choice roots that Palmon surly picked out (she'd gotten a lot better at finding edible plants for both human and digimon) as well as a rather large stick.
She looked around for her brother and saw him watching Matt for a moment, deep in thought, until Izzy came up to him and began talking to him, indicating his laptop as he did.
Joe, on the other hand, was sitting off by himself, writing on some sort of notebook. She wondered, briefly, if he was keeping a journal or something.
Kari then turned to look at Matt again. His shoulders had stopped shaking and he was fingering his pocket, as if he had some sort of stress relief hidden, and he was talking with Gabumon. Making a decision Kari stood up and began walking towards him.
"Kari?" Gatomon asked, "What are you doing?"
"I'm gonna talk to Matt."
As Kari headed off towards Matt, Mimi and Sora approached the fire with their load and knelt down by the bags lying next to the flame.
Kari didn't even notice them.
"Matt?" Kari asked hesitantly when she reached him
"Yeah?" Matt asked glumly, turning to glance at her. "What is it?"
"Are you…okay?"
"Oh, yeah sure! Of course I'm okay. My brother was just kidnapped by some evil creep and I can't do a thing to help him, nothing to worry about! It happens all the time!"
"Sarcasm isn't very becoming of you." Gatomon stated. Matt just glared, forcing Gatomon to step behind Kari.
"It's not like it's your fault Matt.' Kari replied, ignoring the brief exchange between him and her partner. "You're the last one who needs to be blamed for this. In fact, if anything…it's mine." Her last words were spoken softly. She looked at Matt and saw him staring at her, something in his eyes that she couldn't determine. Finally, Matt shook his head, frowning.
"Neither one of us should blame ourselves," Matt began, "let alone each other. Don't worry; I'm not going to blame you, of all people. Besides," He gave her a small grin, "TK would be upset if I did, right?"
Confused, Kari looked at him funny. "Huh?"
"I know about you and TK." HE replied, "About you two going out. And no, he didn't'; tell me. I had a feeling you wanted to tell both me and Tai at the same time."
"Then…how?"
"Because he was happy."
"Happy?" Kari asked
Fully expecting Kari's reaction Matt smiled softly, an enigmatic smile that reminded her of someone she had watched on TV once.
"I think you are the only person who doesn't realize the depth of his feelings for you Kari. How deeply he cares, how much he would do to prove those feelings. He would do anything to protect you Kari. He's done before you know, the only who could do it. Remember? We talked about it earlier with Gennai. You're the only one, besides TK, who was there. None of us know what happened at the dark Ocean, none of us know how TK made it to you. We all figure that somehow you and TK must have opened a portal in order for him to get there, but until Gennai mentioned that link between the two of you none of us could figure out how it could of happened. Now, I think most of us anyway, have a pretty good idea what it is, or was, or whatever."
Kari, who had never thought about things in that light, stared at Matt with something akin to shock. She was surprised, but more then that. It was as if she had received a sudden revelation. Herr head was spinning with thoughts she couldn't sort through, she had to think this through, try and determine where it was when this all first started.
"Thank you Matt." She murmured, still rather stunned, "I…I need to go think. C'Mon Gatomon."
"Uh, right Kari."
As she walked away from Matt Kari felt her heart clench. If what Matt said was true then she had an entirely different reason to feel bad about things. She had known, for a long time, that TK liked her. After all, they were dating now but….
I never knew just how much he cared.
Kari passed by the fire where Mimi was stirring something in a pot and walked towards a back section of the cave. She sat down in the gloom, leaning against a wall, and rubbed at her face absently.
I don't even know what my true feelings are and yet I cause this to happen to TK. Why is it that these things keep happening to me? Why am I always plagued with…with…why do they always have to come after me? And now…and now they drug TK into it, all because of me. What kind of friend does that make me? What kind of person am I to cause so much pain to someone I care about?
"Kari?"
"Yes, Gatomon?"
"You're crying again."
"I know Gatomon. I know."
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I don't blame her. I can't blame her. It's not her fault even though she's the one they're really after. In fact, I feel more like it's my fault; I should have been spending more time with him. Maybe…maybe I could have seen something. Anyway, for all we know they could have grabbed TK for a much bigger reason, one that none of would have ever thought. But if that's the case then…then what would the reason be?
I let out a sigh as my nerves refused to settle down. It bothered me that I couldn't' look for TK, bothered me so much that I felt as if I were going to burst. I had managed to keep from grabbing one for this long and I doubt anyone is going to bother me for a while. I was far enough away from everyone that I was sure they wouldn't be able to smell it so I reached into my pocket and pulled a pack of cigarettes out, the lighter came out of my other pocket. Putting the butt of the stick into my mouth I lit a flame and waited until it caught, smelling the nicotine as it began to turn into ash.
"What is that Matt?" I heard Gabumon ask
"Nothing." I replied, "Nothing important anyway.
"It smells bad, I don't think you should be putting it in your mouth."
He watched me for a moment as I sucked in a breath and let it out again; smoke exiting my nostrils as well as my mouth,
"I thought humans weren't built to produce smoke." Gabumon stated, "Is that what that is for? You told me a human's body couldn't handle smoke Matt, isn't that hurting you?"
"Yamato Ishida, what do you think your doing?"
My cigarette, which I had taken out in order to talk to Gabumon, fell from fingers as the sudden voice startled the crap out of me. Fell from my fingers and landed in my lap that is.
I quickly brushed the stick of nicotine off and looked up at the anger face of Sora, her hand on her hips and her eyes narrowed dangerously.
I looked around quickly to see if anyone noticed her shout but everyone was nosy doing whatever it was they were doing. Most of them surrounding the fire, looking at what Mimi was cooking.
Mimi?
"Is Mimi cooking?" I asked
"Don't try to change the subject Matt!" Sora hissed, "What kind of hypocrite are you?"
"Hypocrite?" Matt frowned, "That's a little uncalled for Sora."
"I think I'm going to go talk to Biomon." Gabumon stated then, "She looks like she could use someone to talk to."
"Uncalled for?" Sora didn't even seem to notice my digimon's hasty retreat. "What are you doing smoking when you won't even let your father smoke anymore?"
"Dad's been smoking for years, if he continues to do it he'll get cancer. Plus, he smokes too often. I don't."
"Oh, so it's okay for you to do it but not your father?"
"I only light up when I feel really stressed Sora, it helps to relax me."
Sora's anger died down and she her frown deepened. "If you feel you need to relax you can always talk to me." She replied, "You once told me that talking helps you relax."
"It's different." I replied, "It's…." I trailed off. How could I talk to her when I already know what she's going to say? Telling me that everything is going to be all right, that we'll get to him in time. It's just the same crap that I hear from everyone, the same deal. "It doesn't matter." I muttered.
"Matt…." I looked away from Sora and picked the cigarette up. I looked at it for a moment then put it out on the cave floor.
And then Sora's hand was on my shoulder.
"Matt. I think…I think I get it."
"You do?" I asked skeptically.
"Yes. Oh, Matt!" Sora flopped down onto the rock grouping I was sitting on. "I don't understand why both you and your brother have to have the same major flaw!"
"Same…what?"
"Major flaw. I've noticed that you blame yourself for a lot of things Matt. TK has picked up on that and has even come to start doing it himself. And if I'm right you're blaming yourself for what happened to TK. You can't do that Matt, there is no way to blame yourself. What could you have done to stop it?"
I kept my eyes averted form her. I couldn't reply. She was almost right, I was pretty much blaming myself and the fact that there was no real reason to just…made it so much harder!
"Matt, I know you. The only one that knows you better then me is Tai and I'm sure he'd say the same thing as me. In fact, I bet anything he'll most likely be over here, right after me, now that Izzy isn't harassing him.
My eyes burned. They stung as I kept my tears inside. The last thing I wanted to do right now was cry, it was the one thing I would never let myself do around anyone. But when I looked at Sora, the way her face softened into one of such caring and comfort, I knew she could see what I was holding in.
"Don't go blaming yourself for what you can't help." She repeated. Then, with a wry smile, "And don't let me catch you blaming Kari either!"
I coughed. Sort of a cross between a laugh and a sob as the wry humor hit me. We both knew what would happen if I did blame Kari, even though that was nowhere near the case.
"I…I know it isn't my fault." I murmured when I knew I could talk without a quaver in my voice. "It's just that…I just can't help but wonder, you know? If I had spent more time with him, could I have at least noticed something wrong? Something more then I did? Would I have caught some sign sooner, or would it still have turned out the same?"
Sora's arm snaked around my shoulders and she leaned into me, kissing my cheek. "We'll find him Matt. We'll get him back. They went through this much trouble to get him alive, I don't' think they want to kill him. He's going to be just fine when we find him, maybe a little worse for where, but just fine."
"Let's just…hope…."
Hope.
TK.
"Do you still want to be alone?"
"I…I don't know…."
Sora lowered herself, allowing herself to sit next to me, and we continued to stare at each other, neither of us saying a word. Then she leaned into me again, slowly inching closer and….
…she abruptly snatched my pack of cigarettes from my other side.
"Well, I certainly don't think you need to hang on to these, do you?" She asked sweetly, "Stress relief my foot." She grinned at me, holding them at a distance. "If you really need one Matt, come to me for one and I'll talk to you about it. I might even give you one. And that is the only one you get tonight." She indicated the one I had put out. "And don't leave the butt on the floor."
I stared at her in shock, the gloom I had been feeling mixing with my surprise.
"You sound like my mother." I murmured, "And it's actually kinda scary how much."
Sora's grin fell then and she looked at me with a gentle calm that spoke volumes. "I don't want you hooked Matt, that's all." She leaned into me again, the smokes having been laid to rest by her side. "Besides, would a mother do this?"
Sora's eyes closed as she brushed her lips against mine, the contact sending an electric surge through my spine.
"If she did…I would be scared my father would kill me." I replied before I placed my hand on her head, pulling her forward again. Her eyes remained closed as I kissed her and I shifted my body until I was closer, no need for her to lean in anymore. It was then that I began to feel something surging through me, a sort of warmth that kept on growing, a sort of burning desire.
But Sora broke the kiss to soon and stood up, looking down at me. The moment she broke away I felt the separation like a slap in the face.
"I'll be by the fire if you need to talk Matt." She said, "Just talking though."
Desperation filled me as I realized she was walking away. I didn't want her to go, I was afraid…if she went….
I quickly grabbed her hand. At the time I would not have been able to say why, it was more a reflex action then anything else. All I knew was I didn't want her to go, to leave. She looked at me in surprise but when she noticed the expression I wasn't even aware I had on my face she softened again.
"Sora don't go." I pleaded, "I…I need you now. To talk."
She smiled and clasped my hand with her other one.
"I won't go." She sat down again and I placed my forehead on her shoulder.
"Thank you."
"Sora…I…I need you to know. Before anything happens…if anything. I need you to know that…I love you."
"Matt?" I heard her ask
"I just need you to know."
"Oh, Matt. IS that what's been bothering you? IS that…the problem with TK?"
I nodded into her shoulder.
"When was the last time you told him that?"
"I…I don't know." I couldn't' hold it in any longer. The tears came and my voice shook. I cried into her shoulder as I told her the real thing that was bothering me. Did my baby brother know that I loved him? I ignored him so much lately, what was I supposed to think?
"TK knows you love him Matt." Sora murmured as she caressed my head, "And…I…I love you too."
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Tai stared at the small wooden bowel that was said to hold a form of curry. It way supposed to be chicken curry, but from what he saw of it, it was….
"You sure this is edible Mimi?" he asked hesitantly, "I mean…I see where the chicken is but…what's this other stuff floating around in the juice?"
"Well you have a choice." Mimi replied with a huff. She crossed her arms, the wooden spoon she used to stir with resting in her right hand. "Eat it and be happy, or don't eat it and starve. Either way I will not have you making fun of my cooking." She stared at Tai, almost daring him to make another crack. "You wouldn't be very good at it either if all you had were things grabbed from someone's house in haste and vegetables you managed to find. I'm mean, I know I'm not Matt, I never spent a lot of time cooking because there was no one else to, but I do the best I can and I do it for you guys. This is supposed to be good practice anyway. So if you really don't like it I know what not to do in the future."
"How do you mean?" Tai asked quizzically
"I'm thinking about being a cook." Mimi replied dreamily
Tai stared at her in shock, s well half the other occupants circled around the fire. None of them could believe what Mimi had just said, it was…it was….
"Just eat it Tai." Joe murmured, "It's all your gonna get and if you don't eat it now she'll make you eat if for breakfast."
"That's right!" Mimi replied with a cheeky grin holding up her index finger.
"Hey, I like it!" Davis shouted, "It's better then some of the curry my mom makes!"
"Thank you Davis!" Mimi shouted gleefully, bending down to hug the younger boy. HE blushed slightly, but began to chow down on his food, V-Mon doing the same.
"Davis is right, it is good!"
Tai and the others looked down at their bowels. They still weren't to sure about it, but for Mimi's sake….
Joe took a bite, putting his plastic spoon to his mouth. Surprised, he took another mouthful, then another.
"Mmm. This really isn't that bad!"
"Let me try." Tai stated as he took a mouthful. "Wow. Not gramma's but better'n moms!"
"Yay!" Mimi twirled around, giddy with excitement. "This has to be one of the happiest days of my life!"
"Thus the drama queen reacts." Yolie murmured as she sipped at her curry.
Tai, who was sweat dropping slightly, began eating his curry again. He had to admit, it was just as he said it was. Not great, but not bad either. It was good. He had to give Mimi more credit, this was defiantly something.
As he ate the group around the fire slowly shrank. Izzy took his curry over to the corner where he left his laptop. Now that it worked, battery powered, while he was in the digital world he was bale to do a lot more analyzing first hand. He wanted to compile as much data as possible so he could give it to Sora's father when he returned to the real world. Cody, who had really gotten interested in some of the goings on with Izzy's work, followed him.
Mimi, promising she'd be right back, took a bowel over to Kari. She was still sitting in her corner, thinking her private thoughts and discussing them with Gatomon. Tai wished he could be there with her, talking to her, but he also knew that Kari didn't want to talk to him. At the moment she needed to sort things out. She needed some alone time, time to think.
Besides, he had already tried to talk to her and she blew him off.
"I'm going to step out of the cave for a moment." Ken announced, standing ad walking towards the exit/entrance. "Coming Wormon?"
"Of course Ken, I'm right behind you!" the dutiful digimon replied
"Hey Tai." Davis whispered as Mimi returned to the fire and her curry.
"What Davis?"
"Look at Matt and Sora."
Looking where Davis indicated Tai saw Matt leaning into Sora, his face buried in her shoulders. She was swaying a little, as if comforting a small child, and if he listened close enough he could swear he heard humming. It was awkward.
"What are they doing?" Davis asked, "I mean…is Matt gonna get some action or what?'
"Shut up Davis." Tai growled as he watched them. He knew what it was; they were having a moment. Mat was confiding in Sora the way someone confided in the one person they knew they could trust above all else. The type of person Tai was supposed to be. After all, Tai knew exactly what Matt was going through, knew how he felt. OF course, at first he didn't. It was hard for me to understand why he went crazy every time TK wasn't near him. I always told him to stay calm, that we would get to him. We would find him. But then Kari became the eighth and I discovered exactly what it was that made him worry so much.
But right now Matt doesn't need someone who knows what he's going through. He needs…something more. He needs…her.
It was that point that Gabumon and Biomon sauntered over, both chatting idly as they approached the fire.
"And I've never seen him this upset before, I'm really beginning to worry."
"Matt's a tough guy." Davis said to the two digimon, "He'll get through this, nothing can keep him down!"
"And yet you've never seen Matt get hysterical." Mimi stated as she sat down with her own bowel.
"Hysterical?"
"Darn near close!" Tai replied
"And it's all because everything happens to them!" Mimi huffed, "It's just not fair!
"I know what you mean." Joe replied "Becoming digidestined was almost a mixed blessing for them."
"I don't get it." Davis stated, "What are you guys talking about?"
"It's like this Davis." Tai said as he put his almost empty bowel down, "When we first started out Matt was a little on the abstract side. He worried about his little brother, but he also hadn't lived with him in so long that it was hard for him to be a proper big brother. He treated TK like a combination of a nuisance and something delicate that might brake. Luckily that only lasted the first two or three days we were here. Unfortunately that was because Matt began to grow increasingly worried about the little guy. In fact He was so worried that he started a fist fight with me because I had a different plan then he did when we were all separated."
"At the time, when we first arrived, TK was in the most danger of all of us." Joe continued, "Due to a legend, one similar to the one about Kari, TK was the first on the list to be destroyed."
"Wasn't TK eight when this all started?" Yolie asked
"Yeah. Eight years old and not strong enough to protect himself." Mimi replied, "Patamon couldn't digivolve, out of all of us he was the only one who couldn't at the time."
"Until it came time to protect TK from Devimon that is." Tai grinned. "We were all knocked down, none of us could get up again. Matt tried desperately to reach out to TK who was the only one left standing. Devimon had focused all of his attention onto him and Patamon was attacking with his little boom bubbles."
"They were useless." Joe murmured, "I remember everything about that day. I think we all do, it was the first major digimon we ever fought. And none of us could get over the fact that he was intent on killing our youngest member."
"So what happened?" Davis asked impatiently
"Patamon evolved." Tai replied. "As he was reaching out grab TK Patamon flew forward and began hitting his hand with Boom bubbles. Devimon grabbed Patamon then and began sleazing, crushing the poor little guy."
"And that is when Angemon first appeared." Mimi replied, "He was beautiful, a sight for sore eyes when we were all defeated. He took what little energy our digimon had left and used it with all of his."
"And Angemon disappeared." Tai continued. "He returned to the form of a digiegg, having lost so much energy in order to defeat Devimon."
"You mean…he lost Patamon?" Davis was aghast.
"What are you guys talking about?" Ken asked as he returned, sitting down among the little group.
"TK." Yolie replied, "Their first adventure in the digital world and the reason why Matt was almost hysterical during their stay."
"Matt?"
"How did TK get Patamon back?" Davis asked, "I can't believe him of all people, lost their digimon!"
"Only for a short time." Mimi replied. "It was also the last time Patamon digivovled into Angemon."
"For a while anyway." Tai corrected, "Patamon had only just evolved and he used up all of his energy to stop Devimon. When he disappeared TK was heartbroken, he thought he'd never see him again. And then three feathers fell to his feet and changed into a digiegg."
"I never knew TK had lost Patamon." Ken murmured as he held Wormon close to him. "From first hand experience I can tell you that is the worst feeling anyone can ever feel."
"You said it was the last time he digivolved for while, right?" Yolie asked, "When did he next evolve?"
"Oh, a long time after that." Tai replied.
"It wasn't until we reached the human world." Joe replied, "After defeating this crazed Elvis impersonating monkey. It was also the first time we met Pixiemon. And then we all discovered out ultimate forms, except TK."
"TK said that Patamon digivolved into Angemon for the second time in the human world when we were fighting Myotismon." Tai said, "He arrived just in time to save Werewolfmon from getting pummeled by the creep. Even managed to scare him off somehow."
"After that Patamon digivolved just fine when he needed to." Joe finished.
"Wow, I never knew TK was such a danger magnet." Davis stated
"He wasn't the only one." Tai replied, "Kari too. She was just as big a target for Myotismon as TK was for Devimon. Only Myostismon had more initiative then Devimon, bigger plans too.
Our last trip into the digital world was a real biggy." Joe stated, "So much happened then and Kari and TK wound up being our only hopes again when we fought the dark masters. Patamon, however, was the only digimon with them."
"The first appearance of MagnaAngemon." Mimi sighed, "I wish I could have seen that!"
"One thing I can say about the Ishida family." Tai grinned again, "IS that when they're determined, nothing can stop them."
"Oh, I've seen that before." Ken replied, "And I never want to be on the receiving end of it again."
"When was that?" Tai asked
"When I was the emperor." There was an awkward silence then. No one knew what to say, but it was Ken who broke the silence when he continued. "When you guys infiltrated my base TK headed off alone."
"Hey, I think I remember Cody mentioning something about TK's attitude then." Davis stated, "HE had seen part of a digimon and nearly flipped."
"What do you mean nearly?" Ken asked, "I've never seen anyone take a whip to the face the way he did. He was to bent on beating some sense into me that he had no sense of personal safety."
"I see it." Tai stated, "He's just like his brother."
"Knowing him for who he really is it's disturbing just thinking about that other side of him."
Silence followed again and no one said anything. There wasn't much else to say, really. The silence, however, was uncomfortable and the night was till young.
"Ya know," Davis broke the silence, "For a while I used to wish TA would disappear or something."
"Davis!" Yolie shouted, dismayed, "How could you!"
"What?" Davis cried, "I never thought it would really ever happen! Besides, it was only when she paid more attention to TH then to me that I felt that way! What do you expect me to feel? Besides, I know how much she likes him now. I know I have zero chance with her."
"What are you talking about?" Tai asked
"Yeah. Kari is really into him. She likes him the best, I can't compete. In fact she more then likes him. Matt's noticed it, I can tell. And it's not hard to see if you think about it. TK is the one Kari prefers."
"Did you just say TK?" Mimi asked
"Huh?"
"You did!" Yolie agreed, "You voluntarily said TK."
"Oops."
"Oops?" Ken asked, "Why oops?"
"Well…I at least have to make it look like I'm still competing with him, right? He's my rival! Plus, it's fun!" Davis winked and held his forefinger and thumb out at an angle.
"Davis, you're an idiot!" Yolie stated
"At least I enjoy my life." Was his only reply.
Tai looked over at Kari, still stunned by what Davis had said. How had he never noticed before? Should it have been obvious? Should he have realized that Kari and TK were….
This is ridiculous. Tai thought to himself as he stood up. Forget wanting to be alone.
Having set his mind to it Tai stood up and walked over to where Kari was sitting with Gatomon but when he got there however he froze. Kari was sitting with her back against the cave wall, her eyes filled with tears and her body wracked with sobs. Next to her Gatomon was trying in vain to comfort her and Tai found himself collapsing to his knees on her other side.
"Kari?" He asked hesitantly, "Kari, are you okay?"
"Tai…we have to find him! It hurts! It hurts so much! He seems to need…it stops! Then it starts. It's like…the pain is too much! Please Tai, we gotta do something!"
Tai pulled Kari to him and hugged her fiercely. "Don't; worry Kari, we'll get him back. There's no doubt about it, we'll get him back."
As Kari cried into Tai's chest Tai looked over towards Matt and Sora. Matt must of fallen asleep because all he could see was part of his back as the rest of him was obscured by Sora who was sitting quietly with her hands where his head most likely was. It was in that moment that Tai felt the most helpless, that he felt as if the world were going to crash down at any moment.
My baby sister and my best friend sharing the same pain. And all I can do is watch. What am I supposed to do, how do I handle this? What…now?
