Litanya: Hi again. Thanks to everyone who reviewed- this chapter is for you guys! (And for Steph and Hippy… always for those two J). Anyway, I don't own Digimon. Oh, and Tai and Sora and basically all of the others still live at home with their parents.

The Island Holiday

Chapter One: Departing

"Fridge… vacuum cleaner… kettle…" Kari and her parents exchanged looks as they watched Tai scribble a list in his sprawling hand-writing. They had no idea what the list was for, but the items seemed rather random. They had been watching him write this list for the past ten minutes, and she couldn't stand it any longer.

"What are you doing Tai?" he jumped as she spoke, as if he hadn't realised that she was there. He quickly dropped his pen and picked up his list, seeming to frown at certain items.

"I'm making a list Kari," she sighed. She should have known that he would say that. She moved so that she was behind him and tried to see the list. Tai noticed her movement and ripped the list in half, tearing it so she could not see it.

"What was the list for?" she wanted to make sure that her brother had not gone insane. He had been acting weirdly ever since Matt had asked him to go to Paris with Sora, and Kari was worried that her brother's sanity was disappearing.

"Oh… it was a list of things that I could see at the present moment. I-uh… I'm a little nervous about flying and it was calming me down a little," Tai admitted, seeing that Kari wasn't about to give up asking him, "I mean… last time I was on a plane I vomited in Sora's hat and… what if something else goes wrong? I've seen that show where they investigate why a plane crashed, and it only takes something as small as a screw to cause a plane to go up in flames." Kari rolled her eyes. She knew that she should never have shown him that show. His mother nodded sympathetically, whilst his father just shook his head.

"Tai, it'll be fine. Plane crashes are very, very rare and the chance of you being in a plane crash is very, very low. Besides, I thought that you told us that you received the crest of Courage in that other world that you helped to save. So have courage and forget about crashing. Just concentrate on having a fun holiday," his father told him confidently, "Have you finished packing? Your flight leaves in six hours, so we have to leave for the airport in about three hours, so you'd better be ready." Tai sighed and nodded.

"I've packed everything I need," his parents seemed happy with that, and after a few more hurried assurances, they left to do their weekly shopping. They would be back in time to take him to the airport.

"You still feel that something is going to go wrong, don't you?" Kari asked as he continued to tear up his 'list'. He nodded. The feeling had faded a little- he no longer felt as if he was going to vomit all of the time- but it was still there, in the back of his mind. And it wouldn't go away.

"You know… if something bad does happen on this trip… tell Matt not to feel guilty for me, will you? I just have this feeling and it won't go away. It's rather scary really. I wish that I didn't have to go on this trip, but what if I'm just making it up? What if it is just my imagination that is telling me that something bad is going to happen? And if I don't go… then both Matt and Sora will be angry with me. I can't handle that at the moment… and I mean… its Paris! I get to go and see the Eiffel Tower and the Arch de Triumph! I may not sound it, but I am excited about going. But at the same time, I know that it is going to be a little awkward. I mean… this is supposed to be a holiday for Sora and Matt, but now it's turned into just me and Sora. In Paris. What if I accidentally said something? You know how I feel about Sora. If I let something slip, she'll try to ignore me for the rest of the trip, or feel uncomfortable and then it probably would have been better if Matt had just cancelled the trip. This is all so frustrating!" Kari felt very sorry for her brother at that moment. It wasn't often that he shared his problems- he preferred to keep them a secret so that no one worried about him- but when he did, he always made her remember just how lucky she was that her best friend seemed to feel the same way about her as she felt about him. Tai didn't have that luxury, and she knew that he suffered for it. Tai had to keep on being a best friend to both Matt and Sora, and as he didn't want to alienate himself from the two of them, he had had to keep silent about his own feelings. Kari knew that it hurt him- he had told her so once before as he had advised her on what to do about Davis' crush on her- but she had no idea what it felt like to have to watch someone else be with the one that you loved. Kari shook her head slightly to herself. Matt really did owe her brother for this.

"Tai, you've seen Sora almost everyday since she and Matt started going out, and you have never said anything yet. You've solved quite a few of the arguments between them on several occasions, when you could just as easily have broken them up. You care too much for the two of them to say anything. And knowing you, I'd say that you would rather die than tell them what you really think about their relationship. So what makes you think that you'll say something to Sora in Paris?" she knew that her brother wasn't convinced. His 'mask' fell into place, and he suddenly looked very excited about the prospect of going away. She sighed. Tai would let her know what he was thinking sometimes, but when she pushed too far, he would go into automatic lock-down mode. He may not be very good at Maths or Science or other academic subjects, but he certainly was good at acting.

"You're right; I shouldn't be worrying about this. I'm going to see Paris!" he walked over to the bin, with the crumpled list in his hand. He threw the list into the bin, and he now seemed completely excited about the trip, "I can't wait until we have to leave for the airport! Do you want to play a game of monopoly with me or something? I need something to keep me from running around the house." Kari sighed, but quickly agreed.

'Oh Tai… I do hope that you can find your happiness somehow,' she thought to herself as she went to find the monopoly board, 'After all of this time, and all you have done… you deserve it.'

"Sora, are you sure that you've packed everything?" her mother called out from a distant room, "We have to leave here in about an hour to get to the airport on time." Sora smiled at the sight of her suitcase. She could still barely believe that she was going to Paris. Of course, it wasn't going to be the romantic holiday with her boyfriend that she had planned… but at least she was going to see the city. She had been quite surprised at how easily she had accepted Matt's apology when he had told her that he couldn't go on their trip. She had been disappointed of course, and she had yelled at him a lot, but in the end, she had been pretty happy with the situation. Okay, so it wasn't exactly her ideal holiday, but she hadn't really talked to Tai for a long time, and this holiday would be a good chance for them to catch up. Sure, they had had a lot of quick conversations, but for some reason she felt that they hadn't talked in a long time. So whilst she was disappointed that Matt couldn't go, at least she had her best friend to see Paris with. And, she recalled, Tai had always wanted to see Paris.

"I've got everything I need Mum, don't worry. Besides, if I miss anything, I can always get Tai to get stuff for me," she joked. Her mother appeared in the doorway of her room, a strange look on her face.

"Just be careful around Tai, Sora. The past few times I have seen him, he's been acting a little strange. He seemed worried about something when I went over to see Mari yesterday, and she told me that he has not really been himself for a couple of months. I think that she is hoping that he'll come back acting normally again. Maybe if you talk to him, you'll be able to find out what is wrong. Mari thinks that Kari knows, but she's not sure. Anyway, I'm sure that you'll have fun in Paris. Make sure that you send me a postcard whilst you're there," Sora thought about what her mother had said. It was true that Tai had been a little quieter lately, but when she had asked him about it, he had just remarked that everyone changed as they grew older.

"Okay Mum… I'll talk to Tai and I'll send you a postcard. Is that a deal?" her mother smiled before crossing the room and running a hand through Sora's hair.

"You've grown up so much Sora. I know that this is a cliché, but it seems like just yesterday you were a little baby that I could easily hold in my arms. And now you're a mature young woman, ready to depart on an overseas adventure. It just doesn't seem real somehow. Please be careful on the trip, and make sure that you have fun. I love you, my little daughter, and I want you back home in one piece," there were tears in her mother's eyes. Sora almost felt like crying too, even though she was perfectly old enough to go away without her parents, but at the same time she was old enough to understand her mother. When she had been younger, before the Digital World, she had felt that her mother would willingly keep her in a cage to mold her into the person that she should be. It was only in the Digital World that she realised that her mother just loved her and didn't want any harm to come to her. It was then that she had begun to understand her mother, and their relationship began to heal. Now that she was nineteen, Sora understood that not only did her mother love her, but she was a good friend too. Her mother was often lonely, as it was only the two of them, and so when Sora was out… her mother was alone. And so she knew that although her mother wanted her to go and have fun, she also wanted her to come back in one piece. And although the younger Sora would have scowled at what she thought was her mother trying to smother her, the older Sora was almost in tears, because her mother meant as much to her as she meant to her mother. And that was a lot.

"I'll be careful Mum, I promise. I will come home in one piece and nothing will stop me from it. And I'm going to Paris! Of course I'm going to have fun and enjoy myself!" she flung her arms around her mother and gave her a big hug, "Thank you for helping me pack Mum. I know that it's hard to think about this holiday because you'll be alone for the week, but I'll be back before you know it!" Her mother wiped her tears away and smiled.

"Of course, it's only a week. You had better tell me all about your trip when you get back though. Now come on, I'd better make sure that you packed everything. I doubt hat you can convince Tai to get you too much if you left things behind, not unless Matt has given him money or something like that. You know Tai, he's practically broke- or at least that's what he claims anyway," Sora laughed as her mother began to unpack everything from her suitcase. As the pile from her suitcase grew bigger, she sighed. Now she was going to have to pack it all again…

Matt waited with Sora's bags as she went to get a drink from a nearby vending machine. Sora's mother had been unable to leave the flower shop that she owned and ran, and so Matt had driven her to the airport himself. He had offered Tai a lift too, but Kari had adamantly refused to let him go to the airport without taking her too, and there would have been no room in the car. Besides, Tai's parents had wanted to drive him anyway.

"Are you sure that you're not mad at me?" Matt asked Sora as she returned with a can of a dark coloured drink, "I mean, last time you went on a plane with Tai he accidentally threw up in your hat and then forgot to tell you about it. I know that you must be mad at me for making you go with him on a plane again." She smiled and he couldn't help but smile too. She was always beautiful when she smiled and it was almost as if she had some kind of control over his emotions. If she was happy, then he would content himself to be happy too.

"I've told you that I'm not angry at you, per say. I'm angry at the record company for only having this time available and I'm kind of mad at the airline for not being able to change the flights, but I have found that I can't really stay mad at you. Not that I didn't try, of course," she actually looked serious when she said that. He didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

"So you're okay with the fact that I'm making you go with Tai?" he just wanted to make sure that she was happy before she left. He didn't want to force her into a week of unhappiness. She rolled her eyes at his question, as if they had been through this same conversation many times before.

"Yes, I'm fine with it. He's my best friend and I'm sure that we'll have fun. And you know Tai… if the trip is boring he'll try and do something stupid to cheer me up. I'll be fine. And I'm purposefully not taking a hat on the plane, so he can't vomit in that again. Are you going to be okay for a week without me?" It was his turn to roll his eyes.

"I don't know. I'm sure that without your presence I will wither away until nothing is left of me. Is that what I'm supposed to say?" he wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug, "Of course I'm going to miss you and I wish that I could go with you. You have to promise to call me every day, will you?" She put her head on his shoulder, feeling extremely comfortable. As comfortable as she was however, something inside of her seemed to be telling her that something was changing, that something would change and what was once comfortable would become… she couldn't quite understand.

"I promise that I will call every day. I'm going to miss you too. It's only a week though… only a week and then I'll be back here," he didn't say anything. He didn't have to. They just continued to stand as they were, enjoying the comfort of being together…

"Go on Tai, you've got to tell them that you're here now," Kari told her brother as they stood watching his two best friends, "You'll need to check-in soon." He shook his head.

"We still have about ten minutes before we even have to think about checking-in. Lets leave the two love-birds for a few minutes," he turned to her, his back now facing Matt and Sora. She knew that it was easier for him to deal with the situation if he didn't watch them. Their parents had said their goodbyes in the parking lot, and so it was just the two siblings together. Kari was going to get a lift home with Matt. T.K and the other digidestined had wanted to come to the airport to say goodbye, but Joe, Mimi and Izzy were busy with part-time jobs and T.K had promised his mother that he would help her with a report she had to write. Ken and Yolie were on a school trip with the computer club and Davis was… well, she didn't really know. Cody's grandfather hadn't let him out of his kendo lesson, and so only Kari and Matt were able to see Tai and Sora off on their trip.

"I'm going to miss you whilst you're gone you know," she said a little awkwardly. She had no idea what she was supposed to say to her brother. When he was in this weird mood, nothing seemed to really get through to him. He smiled at her words.

"I know. I'm going to miss you whilst I'm gone too. But promise me one thing. Promise me that you and T.K won't take too much advantage of the time whilst I'm gone, okay? I don't want to come back and find out that you're pregnant or something," he joked. She felt her face getting hot and she knew that she was blushing. She knew that he suspected that she and T.K were more than just friends- no, she knew that he knew that they were more- but that didn't give him the right to say things like that.

"I promise you that nothing like that will happen. Gosh, you'll only be gone for a week- it would take me at least two weeks to figure out if I'm pregnant or not," she giggled at the look of horror that crossed his face as she finished her last sentence.

"You'd better not do anything like that whilst I'm gone otherwise little T.K won't be able to do things like that any longer," he sounded very serious and for a moment Kari wasn't sure whether he was joking or not. Then he grinned, and she relaxed a little. Only a little though. She had no plans to do anything like what Tai was suggesting, but it was better to be careful with Tai when he was in his 'over-protective' state.

"I promise you that I won't do anything like that whilst you're gone. But really, I was only joking before. T.K and I would never do something like that, especially not whilst we're still in school. You have a very sick mind, my dear brother," Tai just shrugged.

"It's better to be safe than sorry," was all that he would reply. He refused to explain what he meant, even when she threatened him. By the time she had finally given up on getting him to answer, it was time for Tai to go and interrupt the two 'love-birds' so that he and Sora could check into their flight.

"Gosh… if those two get any closer I'm going to have to wonder if they really are two separate beings," Kari said loudly as she walked up to the couple with Tai. Her brother grinned, and there was a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"I know. Are they joined at the hip or something?" Kari couldn't help but laugh at how quickly Matt and Sora jumped apart, and the expressions on their faces were just too funny. Tai was chuckling as Matt and Sora just pretended to ignore them.

"How long have you two been here?" Sora finally asked, once both Tai and Kari had stopped laughing. She felt embarrassed, but it was only another one of Tai's sick jokes. She felt Matt grab her hand and she felt a lot better.

"I don't really know. I guess… half an hour or so? It might have taken me that long to get through my little 'talk' with Kari about what behaviour is acceptable during the next week," Tai said perkily. Kari rolled her eyes. He was acting way too happy all of a sudden, and she had no idea why.

"Ah… T.K's name cropped up in it somewhere, didn't it?" Matt asked, knowing that the only sibling he knew who was as protective of a younger sibling as he was, was Tai. Kari nodded, "Well, don't worry Tai. I'll make sure that T.K and Kari don't get too close whilst you're away. Besides, they have school and projects to concern themselves with." Tai grinned.

"I know. But I just like to make sure that they get the picture. A couple of threats should be enough to make them behave," Kari opened her mouth to object, but then she had no idea what to say. Why would she object when her brother was saying that he knew that she wouldn't do anything? Sora was watching the whole situation with a smile. She sometimes wished that she had a sibling, but from what she could see from the relationships between Tai and Kari and Matt and T.K, she had never wanted an older sibling. She was quite content to have no siblings, but a younger sister would have been very cool.

"Anyway guys, we'd better head towards the check-in area otherwise we're not going to be able to get to Paris," she directed the group, and everyone obeyed. Tai picked up his small suitcase, and Matt carried Sora's. They headed towards the check-in area, and after Tai and Sora had received their tickets, it was time to say goodbye. It was only a quick goodbye, because they were only leaving for a week, but it took a while, mainly because it took a long time for Matt and Sora to finish exchanging "I love yous" and everything. In fact, Tai almost had to drag Sora away from Matt so that they would make it through the security check in time.

"We almost missed the flight," Tai complained as he and Sora lined up to show their passports, "Are you sure that you had to say that many 'I love yous' to Matt?" She stuck her tongue out at him for the teasing tone in his voice. It kind of irritated her when he teased her about her relationship, but at the same time, she felt guilty. She knew that she and Matt were Tai's two closest friends, and by having a relationship they were excluding him a little. So whenever Tai said something about Matt and her, she felt bad. He didn't say much about it- and most of the times that he had said anything about it were when he was teasing them- but he would never answer her when she asked him what he thought about her and Matt together. He never made it obvious that he was avoiding the question, and it usually took her a couple of hours to figure out that he had never really answered her. But in the end, by his teasing, she knew that he was okay with it all. At least, she hoped that was true.

"You didn't help the matter by having a running commentary with Kari and so we were distracted," she shot back.

"I wouldn't have had to keep a running commentary if there was nothing to comment on," he pointed out as he dug around in his backpack for his passport. Sora already had her passport out in front of her. As Tai's search began to get a little more desperate, Sora panicked a little.

"You do have your passport, don't you?" she asked, her anxiety showing in her voice. Tai grinned and nodded, holding up his small passport book.

"I actually found it a while ago. The look on your face was priceless though," they approached the people at the desk and their passports and tickets were checked. They then proceeded to the lounge to wait for their boarding call.

"I hope you brought something to occupy you on the flight. It's going to be a long time. Eight hours or so I think it is," Sora told him in a way that suggested that if he couldn't occupy himself then she wasn't going to help him out.

"I have a portable game thing and a book packed, but there are in-flight movies to watch as well. I have been on a plane before, and so I know that they can get boring," he pointed out, and to illustrate his point he pulled out of his backpack a huge book. Sora couldn't stop herself from staring at the thickness of the book. She had never seen Tai read a book that was more than a hundred pages, and even then it had been a school book that he had been forced to read.

"You brought a book? Since when did you like reading?" he shrugged as he placed the book back in his bag.

"Kari showed this book to me and it's really good. It's only the second book out of eleven, but I'm sure I'll eventually finish it. I don't read often, but you know… I have to use my education somehow," she nodded, not knowing what else to say. Her mother had been right. Tai had changed a little, but it was only a subtle change as far as she could see. He still teased her like he used to, he still had his goofy grin and he had retained his positive attitude, but she felt that there was something… wrong… with him. It was as if there was something about his attitude that was false, or as though he himself was missing something, but she had no idea what it was.

"Well, at least you'll have something to keep you occupied. I don't want to have you vomiting on me because you're bored," she joked as they were called forward to board their flight, "But hey… we're on our way to Paris at last! I can't wait to get there!" And with that they boarded the flight…

"Hey Kari, are you okay? You've gone very quiet?" Matt asked her as he drove her home. Matt was a little worried because Kari, although normally quiet, would never withdraw into herself as much as she had now. And although Matt wasn't as over-protective as Tai was, he still was a little… enthusiastic in helping Tai out to protect her. He thought of her as a little sister, and she probably would end up being a part of his family, one day in the future.

"I'm okay… I guess that I am just going to miss Tai a lot this week, that's all," she suddenly chuckled, "I mean, I guess that that is a pathetic excuse. He's only going to be gone for a week, but I almost feel as though he's going to be gone for a long, long time. Do you know what I mean?" Matt was silent for a moment, his eyes intent on the road. After a minute or two, he finally answered.

"I know what you mean. Something is going to change. I know that. But I have no idea if we're going to like it or not. Anyway, it's probably us just being silly. It's a week in Paris- that's all. They're going to enjoy themselves and come back and everything is going to be fine, okay Kari?" he wished that he believed those words. He truly wished that he did…

To be continued…

Litanya: Okay… so maybe I didn't get as far with this chapter as I thought I would. The next chapter will definitely have at least the first day of the holiday. I just thought that this chapter may set it up a little more, and yeah. As for the list that Tai was making… well, my brother challenged me and told me that the first word of this chapter had to be fridge, so it is. Anyway, please review and I'll hopefully see you next chapter!