Chapter 6: Ride of Reflection

TK woke up groggily at about ten in the morning. At first he dismissed what he had seen earlier as a dream, but then he noticed Izzy lying in a crumpled heap in the corner. A second later he realized there was something on his chest.

TK looked down in time to see Kari open her eyes, "TK?" she murmured groggily.

"Morning sleepyhead." TK replied running his hand through her hair, yesterday's events momentarily forgotten. TK liked her hair black; it better accentuated her pale complexion and crimson eyes. She was even more beautiful than the last time he had seen her, if that was even possible.

"Don't touch my hair." Kari complained pulling away. "Don't speak to me like we're still friends either Takaishi." she got up and turned away from him.

"Um, Kari," TK began, Kari glared at him and growled a what, "you're only half dressed." Kari huffed and walked off.

"Get up;" she ordered as she left, "apparently we're all going on a trip today."

TK smiled as he watched Kari leave. He decided he'd get ready after she showered; he wasn't willing to take the chance of walking in on her and getting another beating.

After another hour they were all ready to go and were piling into Jack's old Volvo Cross Country. "Digimon in the back." Jack said as he opened the trunk.

"Think you have enough tuna in here?" Gatomon asked sarcastically as she hopped in. The trunk was mostly full of tuna cans, with a couple small suitcases of clothes and other necessities of life underneath them.

"I said I was nearly living off the stuff." Jack stated as he got behind the wheel. The headache that had been bugging him was rising up again and he popped his last two aspirin. As he did so he heard screaming and saw a gray landscape, the screams soon became sobs, and he saw a dark blue haired boy. Then his head cleared, the pain retreating to the back of his mind. Melissa was in the passenger seat, Izzy behind Jack, Kari on the rear right, and TK between Izzy and Kari. As he started the car up the cd player started too, it was an old metal mix of his.

♪Its twilight and I wake up hot

My body's soaked in a cold, cold sweat

I reenact the lurid scenes

And clawed engravings in my head

Kari was looking out the window when the song started. It fit in perfectly with her thoughts. Her mind was on her nightmares

Oh, I can't punch hard enough and I run

I can't kick high enough and I run

I can't shoot straight enough and I run

I can't hold on enough and I run

Oh, I can't stay down enough and I run

I can't take pain enough and I run

I can't bleed fast enough

I can't die dead enough

It was just like that: she couldn't fight them and she couldn't escape them.

The air is thick, but the oxygen's thin

My heart is beating like a drum, boom!

Ice is flowing through my veins

Explosives on my lips and in my lungs

Oh, I can't punch hard enough and I run

I can't kick high enough and I run

I can't shoot straight enough and I run

I can't hold on enough and I run

Oh, I can't stay down enough and I run

I can't take pain enough and I run

I can't bleed fast enough

I can't die dead enough

Those damn nightmares were always there with her, no matter where she was. The Dark Ocean wanted her and it wasn't about to give up. It was scaring her to death.

I don't know what I'm running from

I don't know where I'm running to

But there's something deep and strange inside of me I see

I don't know what I'm running from

I don't know where I'm running to

Something's compelling me to run into the dark

The nightmares were changing her. She was acting so much differently than she had before, in ways she wouldn't believe. All she wanted to do now was get away.

And now I am more driven than before

And now I live just to settle score

And now I feel the nearness of your breath

Now I introduce you to your death

The more she thought about it the more she realized the nightmares had already changed her. Her black hair and antisociality testified to that. The old Kari never would have attacked TK, at least not so brutally.

I am more driven than before

I live just to settle score

I feel the nearness of your breath

I introduce you to your death

I can't punch hard enough

I can't kick high enough

I can't shoot straight enough

I can't hold on enough

I can't stay down enough, die dead enough

I can't take pain enough, die dead enough

I can't bleed fast enough, die dead enough♪

In the seven years since the Dark Ocean had first attempted to take her she had changed immensely. The Dark Ocean was molding her to its whims slowly but surely. It seemed that TK wasn't totally responsible for all the changes in her life. There was a moment of silence before the next track began.

♪When I was wandering in the desert

And was searching for the truth

I heard a choir of angels calling out my name

I had the feeling that my life would never be the same again

I turned my face towards the barren sun

And I know of the pain that you feel the same as me

And I dream of the rain as it falls upon the leaves

And the cracks in our lives like the cracks upon the ground

They are sealed and are now washed away

You tell me we can start the rain

You tell me that we all can change

You tell me we can find something to wash the tears away

You tell me we can start the rain

You tell me that we all can change

You tell me we can find something to wash the tears...

After he and Kari had gotten into 'the fight' TK had been a lost soul. He had wandered through life without thought or purpose. Until one day when he met a homeless man named Brian. Brian hadn't given TK a sad story about his life that made TK feel that he was lucky though. Brian had instead told him point blank that if he was unhappy he should get off his ass and do something about it.

And I know of the pain that you feel the same as me

And I dream of the rain as it falls upon the leaves

And the cracks in the ground like the cracks are in our lives

They are sealed and now far away

You tell me we can start the rain

You tell me that we all can change

You tell me we can find something to wash the tears away

You tell me we can start the rain

You tell me that we all can change

You tell me we can find something to wash the tears...

And so TK had done what he thought was right. He had scrimped, and saved, and begged, and pleaded for the better part of two years. And then he had left, at that miraculous moment when all the variables were just right. So he arrived at the time when Kari needed him most; and he would be damned if he failed her now, like he had three years ago. TK could see in Kari's eyes that she wasn't mad at him anymore, her brain just hadn't realized it yet. No way he was leaving now.

And I know of the pain that you feel the same as me

And I dream of the rain as it falls upon the leaves

And the cracks in the ground like the cracks are in our lives

They are sealed and now far away♪

And so here they were half a world away from where they had begun. TK and Kari, said to be the best team of all time. Two souls supposedly destined for each other. If Piedmon wanted to come back they would take him down, just like the last time. TK didn't doubt that. Somewhere along the line he and Kari would get back together too, once more the insurmountable team they once were.

♪Feel the sweat break on my brow

Is it me or is it shadows that are

Dancing on the walls

Is this a dream or is it now

Is this a vision or normality I see

Before my eyes

Jack was driving; a nice, straight, drive up the parkway, a no sweat trip he had done countless times in the past. Now however his head was humming and he was damn sure it wasn't going to go and let him concentrate. It felt like he was going to have another vision, not the best thing to happen when you're driving a car full of people.

I wonder why I wonder how

That it seems the powers getting stronger

Every day

I feel a strength an inner fire

But I'm scared I won't be able to control it anymore

There's a time to live and a time to die

When it's time to meet the maker

There's a time to live but isn't it strange

That as soon as you're born you're dying

There's a time to live and a time to die

When it's time to meet the maker

There's a time to live but isn't it strange

That as soon as you're born you're dying

Jack had always been a bit prophetic, especially through high school. Back in those days it had been an on and off thing. His visions were vague and had to be interpreted, usually for quite awhile. They had never been so perfectly clear, nor had they made him feel like his head was going to split.

Just by looking through your eyes

He could see the future penetrating right

In through your mind

See the truth and see your lies

But for all his power couldn't foresee his own demise

There's a time to live and a time to die

When it's time to meet the maker

There's a time to live but isn't it strange

That as soon as you're born you're dying

There's a time to live and a time to die

When it's time to meet the maker

There's a time to live but isn't it strange

That as soon as you're born you're dying...

... and be reborn again? ♪

Jack had no control over where and when he saw, he just saw. Half the time he didn't know what he was seeing, and either way times eluded him. He wasn't good at seeing good things either, so he really wanted it to take a break for awhile.

In the back of his mind something stirred. A giant mechanical serpent slithered through sand, then a large explosion, and a man wearing a black cape. That was all he saw, and he had no idea what to make of it. 45 minutes later they pulled up to a school with a parking lot full of cars around it. "We have arrived." Jack declared.

songs were Megadeth's 'Die dead Enough' and Iron Maiden's 'Rainmaker' and 'The Clairvoyant' I don't own em.