You are my Sunshine…
Time: Four years ago
Location: Digital World, in sewers
"Izzy! What are you doing?" Tentomon asked.
"He's trying to swallow Kari's head!" Koromon exclaimed. Izzy ignored them and continued to breathe air into Kari.
"He's insane! Tai's going to kill him!"
"What's he doing now?" Tentomon asked as Izzy started pushing on Kari's stomach.
"He's trying to make her flat," Koromon guessed.
"This isn't the time to be joking! Izzy snapped as he returned to filling Kari's lungs with air.
"Isn't that called 'kissing'?" Tentomon asked. Izzy stopped and he looked up at them.
"No, this is called Cardiopulmonary resuscitation!" Izzy said, blushing. He returned to pumping her stomach.
"Izzy!" Tentomon called out. "Be careful or you'll crush her!"
Izzy stopped, his head still down. He turned to look at Kari's face. Tear drops fell onto her chin.
"I'm sorry, Kari," Izzy said softly, crying. What really got him was, is he crying for Kari? Or was he crying for himself? Izzy plopped next to Kari and he cradled her head in his arms, tears splashed on her forehead. Tentomon took a cautious step forward.
"Izzy," he said, but he didn't know how to continue.
"I've let her down," Izzy said. "I've let Tai down. I promised I'd take care of her, and I failed. She's dead and I have no clue what to do. Oh Tentomon, I don't know what to do! I've never felt so hopeless in my entire life! Tai's going to kill me!"
"Will you stop thinking about Tai for just one minute?" Tentomon shouted. Izzy looked up in alarm, his eyes full of salty-water.
"Tentomon," he said softly.
"Yes, Tentomon," the digimon huffed. "I'm here for you, Izzy. Listen, you're an eleven-year-old boy who knows more than all the people I've met put together, and that may not be a lot of people, but I do know that you're the smartest kid ever. You've pulled us through a lot more strains than Matt, Kari, Sora, or even Tai put together! Forget what Tai thinks, just clear your head and focus. Listen to what you're hearts telling you, instead of your brain!"
A flush of hope opened inside Izzy. Tentomon's words made sense. Maybe this is what Kari meant, never give up, think with your heart and take chances instead of using your brain. Izzy smiled at his digimon and wiped his eyes.
"Thanks buddy."
"Sure," Tentomon said. "So, is this the old Izzy?"
"Nope," Izzy said, gently getting to his knees and putting Kari back on the ground. "You've awaken a whole new Izzy. A better one that'll spend less time on the computer, and more time with his friends."
If Tentomon had a mouth, the grin would've fill up the entire sewer system. Izzy looked down at Kari. She wasn't dead yet…if he listened to his heart. Izzy closed his eyes and got rid of all the panic inside of him. He pushed through all of his doubts and worries and even pushed aside his knowledge. When he finally felt the hope spread through his fingertips, a purplish glow invaded his eyelids. He opened his eyes and found his crest glowing inside of his shirt. He pulled it out and examined it. Maybe he didn't need to be a braniac to activate it all the time. Maybe his care for his friends and digimon was enough to make it glow. Another light penetrated Izzy's eyes, but this one was pink. Kari's entire body glowed like she did hours ago against the fight with Machindramon. Her eyes snapped open and she sat up slowly.
"Izzy," her voice was deeper, like before, but confused. "What happened?"
"You came back," he said, grinning and pushing the memories of moments ago from his mind.
"Kari!" Tentomon and Koromon said, running to her. Her light faded out and she smiled at them.
"Hey guys…we have company," Kari said as her crest light died down. Izzy's crest continued to glow, and he frowned.
"What are you talking about? We're the only ones here?"
A crash echoed at the other end of the tunnel, and a large metal dinosaur-like digimon roared as it stepped inside.
"What's that?" Kari asked.
"That's Chaosdramon," Tentomon said. "An mega level digimon, his chaos crusher is enough to crush anyone to pieces! Must be one of Machindramon's leftover goons."
"We have to get out of here," Koromon said.
"We can't, otherwise the others won't know where we've gone," Izzy said.
"And if we manage to escape, the others may run into him," Tentomon pointed out.
Koromon turned to look at them. "Then what do we do? I can't digivolve because Tai's not here, and this is a mega level digimon."
"Then we'll take this fight," Izzy said, taking a step toward the virus digimon.
Chaosdramon roared as he spotted them. Izzy looked at Tentomon, the digimon nodded. Izzy held up his still-glowing crest at Tentomon, the purple light surrounding his body. Kari started glowing too, her light giving Tentomon an extra boost of power, enough to make him digivolve beyond belief.
Time: Present
Location: Kari's Hospital Room
"Where…am I?"
"Yolei, you are here, with me."
"Kari? Is that you?"
The darkness around Yolei faded as a blinding light slowly walked over to her. Yolei stood up, and realized the figure in the light was too small to be the Kari she knew. When Yolei's eyes adjusted, she could see a small Kari. She wasn't sure how old she was until she noted the whistle around her neck. Yolei dropped to her knees.
"You're Kari, from fours years ago?"
Little Kari nodded. "Yes, I am. Yolei, I'm scared."
"Why?" Yolei frowned. She didn't feel sympathetic right now, she was scared too. Where was she at anyway?
"You're in my conscience," Little Kari said. Yolei blinked in surprise.
"I see…well, wait a minute! Kari, you're in a coma!"
The girl looked down, sad. "I know Yolei. I don't think I'm strong enough this time."
Yolei looked around at the darkness. "Is this what's been attacking you since we got back from the Dark Ocean? Darkness?"
Little Kari looked up in surprise, her eyes filled with tears. "The Dark Ocean? It could be. All I know is, even in my dreams I'm running from it."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Yolei demanded. "We're a team, we're DNA digivolution partners! I'm here for you Kari, but I can't do anything unless you ask for help."
Little Kari looked at her, a small smile on her face. "R-really? You'll really help me…fight this battle?"
"Duh!" Yolei said, gently punching Little Kari's shoulder. "What are friends for?"
"Yolei," Little Kari said. A pink light swallowed her, and the little girl grew taller. When the light faded, the regular Kari was standing there, camera around her neck, and a grin plastered on her face. Yolei jumped forward and hugged Kari.
"You're back!"
"Ugh, I'm happy to see you too, but please don't squeeze so hard!"
Yolei let go and pulled back, tears of happiness in her eyes. Kari, too, was crying, but in happiness.
"I promise I'll help whenever you need it," Yolei said. Kari nodded.
"And I promise to ask for help when I need it."
The darkness swirled around the girls, and vanished, leaving them in a sewer. Kari gasped.
"Where are we?" Yolei asked. Kari grabbed Yolei's arm to get her attention.
"Look there," Kari said. Yolei looked in the direction, and saw four figures in the distance: two standing, one lying down, and one kneeling over the lying down one. "That's my darkest memory."
"But why?" Yolei asked as the lying down figure glowed a pink light. The kneeling figure and lying down figure stood up and hugged. Yolei caught a glimpse of a laptop abandoned in the corner, and a red bug standing next to an orange dinosaur.
"Wait," Yolei said. "Is that Tentomon, Koromon, and Izzy?"
The Kari beside her nodded. "Yes, and that glowing figure is me."
Yolei's mouth flew open as the wall crumbled and a metal dinosaur joined the party.
"Chaosdramon," Kari informed. "He almost got us. But, that digimon isn't what makes this memory so dark. It's what Izzy was keeping a secret. After he saved us from that digimon Izzy flushed that memory out of him forever."
"I don't believe it," Yolei breathed. "Well, what do we do?"
"Nothing," Kari said, sitting on the ground.
"Nothing!" Yolei exclaimed. "Nothing! Kari, you're dying and all you can do is sit here?"
"What can I do?" Kari asked blandly. Yolei sighed and sat down next to Kari. The sewer faded out and Yolei and Kari were sitting under a tree in the jungle of the digital world.
Two minutes earlier
"Did you see that?" Davis exclaimed.
"Yolei!" Ken exclaimed, still shocked. "She was absorbed by Kari."
"Why Yolei?" T.K wondered.
"Yolei's just vanished before our eyes and you're wondering why she was chosen?"
T.K looked up and glared at Davis. "Well, goggle-for-brains, if we can find out why she was sucked up by Kari, maybe we can find out where she went!"
"Don't talk about my goggles, Y.O!"
"It's T.K!"
T.K grabbed Davis shirt and pulled his fist back. As T.K tried to swing his arm, he couldn't move it. He turned his head around to see Ken holding his fists.
"Both of you, stop acting like children. We have other things to worry about. Since we can't do much here, the least we can do is sop at Kari's house and tell Mrs. Kamiya what's happening."
"Don't worry about that," Davis said, freeing himself from T.K's grip. "Izzy's mom has already told her."
Ken sighed. "We could at least give her our-"
Ken's face paled. T.K and Davis, who were standing in front of him, looked at each other.
"Ken?"
"Look at Kari," Ken said, pointing over their shoulder. T.K and Davis spun around and saw Kari, her eyes lids were flickering and a moan escaped her lips.
"She's waking up!" Davis said, running to stand next to her bed. "About time!"
T.K paused and frowned. "Where's Yolei?" T.K heard a groan behind him and he turned around. Ken was grabbing his head in agony. T.K ran to him, putting his hands on his shoulder.
"Ken? Ken, can you hear me?"
Ken was shaking, his eyes wide in fright. "It's…here…"
"What is?" T.K asked. Ken shook his head. T.K shook his slightly. "Ken, I can't help unless you talk to me!"
"T.L!"
T.K swiveled his head around until he saw Davis. Davis was pinning Kari to the bed.
"Kari's having a seizure or something!"
"Tai! Don't let them get me! No! Yolei, help me! T.K, Gatomon, Izzy, someone save me!"
"I guess that means she's not in a coma," Davis said.
"This isn't the time to joke!" T.K said. "Something weird is going on and it's only affecting Kari and Ken!"
A green light emitted from T.K's belt loop. He took out his glowing digivice. Ken's hands loosened on his head, his eyes slowly returning to their normal size. T.K blinked in surprise.
"Davis, take out your digivice and hold it to Kari!" T.K ordered. Davis looked at him in confusion, but did as told. Blue lights splashed in Kari's face, and she settled down a little, breathing heavily. Davis sighed and collapsed in a nearby chair. T.K yanked a tissue from a box next to Kari's bed and wiped Ken's brow.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Ken replied, taking the tissue from T.K. "Thanks."
T.K smiled. "Sure. Davis, you take Ken home. I'll stay with Kari."
Davis opened his mouth to protest but Ken beat him to the punch.
"It's okay, I'll walk home."
"No," Davis sighed, defeated. "I'll walk you home. You shouldn't be by yourself right now."
When Davis and Ken left, T.K sat on a chair next to Kari's bed.
"You'll be okay," he told her, taking her hand. With that, T.K lied his head on her arm and fell asleep.