Chapter 12: One Night in Chicago
"Why are we in Chicago?" Izzy wondered out loud. "Shouldn't we have returned to where Jack's car is?"
Melissa shrugged, "Who knows? Maybe we're here for a reason." She looked at her digivice, "Whatever the reason is it'll have to wait though, I have a backstage pass to the best concert ever and I'm not about to waste it." Melissa turned and began to jog off down the street.
Jack looked down at his own digivice and shook his head, "What a waste of energy. She seems to have forgotten that she's traveling with the lead singer's kid brother, and the head of security."
TK looked up, "You mean my brother's here?" he asked.
Jack nodded, "Yeah, July 22nd show in Chicago. Why don't we follow her, pop in backstage, and piss her off." he suggested with an evil smirk.
"Why do we have to follow her?" Izzy asked.
"Aside from a chance to see that nice ass of hers?" Jack said with a chuckle. "I have no idea where the concert is."
Melissa could barely contain herself. Here she was about to meet the greatest band of all time face to face. It was times like this she enjoyed being rich. From ahead she heard voices speaking in Japanese.
"You're telling me your brother's in this country?" a male voice asked.
"Tai calm down." another male voice said, "It's not like he knows where you guys live; he only knows that you guys are in the U.S."
Tai laughed a little, "You're right man," he said, "I mean what are the odds of him actually managing to find out where we live?"
"Yeah," another voice this one female said nervously, "What are the odds?"
"Sora why are you so …" Tai's voice trailed off. "You told him?" he asked in disbelief. "Sora how could you? This is the last thing I need to worry about."
Melissa was close enough now to see the people talking. Tai was a tall brunette who seemed to be attempting to grow a bush on his head. Sora was an athletic redhead a little taller then herself. And the final person was Yamato Ishida, best member of the best band of all time. She somehow got the idea that she knew more about what was going on than anyone else that may have been listening.
Behind her a door opened, "So he just walked up to you and asked if this was where the concert was?" a guy asked.
"No Brett." a girl replied, He came up to me and said, 'Yo Shorty, where's the bus? I need to get rid of this hobo beard I've been cultivating for the past week.' Guess that means the parents of the girl he was supposed to be watching didn't like the idea much."
The two walked past her, Brett was average height with thick black hair that looked like it had never seen a comb. Shorty was, well short, she seemed barely over five feet tall and had dark green hair that went down to the small of her back.
"Yo Wolf-boy we're done setting up?" she and Brett left talking about some old boyfriend of hers that apparently had the same nickname.
Tai was speaking to Matt again. "Listen Matt," he said, "it's been great seeing you, good luck with the concert, but I've got to go and stop our siblings from killing each other."
The door opened and closed again but Melissa ignored it. She was sure she knew something about what was happening here, but she just couldn't remember what.
"Tai," Matt said, he was looking over Tai's shoulder at the door and his eyes were wide, "I doubt there'll be any problems."
"Listen." Tai said. "Your brother might not do anything, but my sister's bound to kill him."
Sora, meanwhile, followed Matt's gaze and her eyes opened wide in shock. Melissa looked too and her jaw dropped. It was TK and Kari, each holding the other around the waist. Patamon was on TK's head and Gatomon was by Kari's feet. Izzy and Motimon were behind them.
"Tai, I think you should turn around." Sora suggested Tai ignored her.
"Hi Tai." Kari said loudly, "Hi Sora." TK said nothing.
Tai turned, looked at them, and nearly fainted. "Kari and TK?" he asked confusedly, "And they're both alive." He looked over at Izzy, "How come you look like Kari thought you were TK?"
Izzy's face was full of nicks and cuts. "I got in an argument with the razor." he said sheepishly.
"What are you doing here?" Melissa demanded. "Where's Jack?"
Izzy looked over at her, "He's helping the band out or something and we're here to visit some old friends."
"Heartfelt meeting of friends." Shorty commented sarcastically from a corner. "Sadly we need you on stage now Wolf-boy."
"Don't they go on before your band?" Kari asked.
"Usually," Matt said, "but I've been conscripted as the backup guitarist, because their guy got arrested in a bar fight last night and they're not bailing him 'til after the concert." He looked over at TK, "If you're alive when I get back," he said, "you're dead." TK gulped.
Matt left leaving only Tai to glare at TK. "Hands off her now Takaishi." he commanded venomously.
Kari clutched TK even closer, "No." she said. "I love Takeru and he loves me, we'll touch each other if we want." Tai looked at her shocked. "And if you give him anymore trouble we'll do more than just touch." she threatened with a mischievous smirk.
Tai looked at his sister oddly, where had his innocent little Kari gone? "I can't forget what he did to you," he said, "and I can't forgive him."
Sora put her arm on Tai's shoulder, "Let them be," she said, "Kari's smiling." Even though this was Kari's first true smile in a long time Tai still felt compelled to argue. Sora brought her lips close to Tai's ear, "Drop it and I'll give you the night of your life." she whispered seductively.
Tai suddenly spun around and caught Sora as she fell back. "You know night starts in the evening." he whispered suggestively as he gazed into her eyes.
Sora wrapped her arms around Tai's neck and kissed him. "Forget it lover boy, we came here for a concert." she told him.
Tai picked her up bridal style, "Well than my lady," he said while walking towards the stage, "off we go." Before he left Tai shot TK a final glare.
"Does that count as trouble?" TK asked as he stroked Kari's hair. "You know, we're all alone here." he noted, Izzy, Melissa, and the digimon had gone to watch and listen.
Kari blushed and looked away from TK. A second later she pushed him away and sat down on the couch sadly. TK deserved someone so much better than her. He deserved someone clean, someone new, someone unspoiled. He deserved someone who wouldn't hit him, and wouldn't yell at him, and wouldn't keep secrets from him. Her mind went back to that night in the alley two and a half years ago where a strange red haired man had slammed her against the wall and proceeded to have sex with her. All she could think about after he left her lying broken on the ground was, why her? She soon got her answer; the man was known as the 'Virgin Rapist' because he preyed solely on virgins. He had been around for four years and was to this day, still at large.
She had never told anyone about it. Only Gatomon, who had found her in the alley, knew. TK deserved so much better than her. He deserved someone who hadn't been used, someone who hadn't been violated, someone who hadn't been raped. Raped, the word struck a deep cord inside her. She had never used it before, as if it would keep the event from having actually happened.
TK was sitting next to her and she fell over into his arms crying her eyes out. TK held her tight unsure of why she was crying. This only reaffirmed her suspicions that TK deserved someone better than her. TK was so loyal, so concerned; he deserved to know. "Takeru Takaishi," she began using his full name to get his full attention, "there's something I need to tell you."
TK listened silently as Kari told the story his face somber. "Did they catch him?" he asked when she finished. Kari shook her head sadly. "Don't worry." TK told her, "I'll do my best to see him punished. No one messes with the girl I love and gets away with it."
Kari looked up at him her eyes filled with sadness and love. "You're more than I deserve Takeru." she said, "I'm so -"
TK silenced her with a light kiss on the lips. "No," he said, "I love you and you love me, we deserve each other." Kari smiled a little, and the light glinting off her crimson eyes made TK once again wonder: Brown or Black, which was better? "You're too beautiful for words." he whispered in her ear.
Kari began to move in to kiss him but stopped halfway. She sunk back down her hands on her head trying to get rid of the splitting migraine that suddenly hit her. TK held her close in an attempt to comfort her. Unseen by anyone they faded out of existence.
Across the ocean Ken looked up at the sky as he stopped on the street. He suddenly had an enormous headache. He breathed a sigh and leaned against a wall as he fumbled for an aspirin. Despite what he had told Yolei the headache was horrible and getting worse. No one saw Ken slowly fade away.
Melissa was up by the stage with Izzy. On the stage was one thing she had never expected to see. Jack was singing. He wasn't using his normal voice however he was supplying vocals in all sorts of odd voices and accents.
As the song ended jack left the stage and walked over to where Melissa and Izzy were. "God that always gives me a headache." he muttered stroking his temple.
"That was very, interesting." Melissa commented Jack shot her a smirk. A second later Jack fell to his knees clutching his head. Melissa caught him say something about aspirin and searched his pockets until she found a container of them. She poured a few into her hand which she held out for him.
Jack took the container and put it up to his mouth. He swallowed half of it in one gulp, leaned back for a moment panting, and then finished them off. "Thanks." he whispered.
Images were flashing before Jack's eyes. He saw himself as best man at Big T and Shorty's wedding. He saw a huge mechanical serpent with a red haired man beside it. He saw Melissa completely naked, face flushed, moaning, and panting beneath him. He saw the red haired man talking to Kari, taunting her. He saw two six year olds, one a boy with a blonde mullet the other a girl with long black hair, jumping on a bed head banging to a song on the radio. He saw Kari standing over TK a dagger in her hand and murder in her eyes, TK's eyes were shut and he seemed to be waiting for something. He saw himself looking down the sights of a pistol at a middle-aged man with red hair. He saw himself kissing Melissa, sand whipping around them.
Melissa swallowed the pills in her hand; all this pill-popping was giving her a headache. Jack rolled forward unconscious and a second later she joined him on the floor. Izzy and the digimon rushed over to see if they were okay. Then all seven of them vanished.