They sat against the wall underneath the bridge, shivering and huddling together for warmth. Even tucked up underneath the supports as they were, every now and then a fierce gust came along and soaked them to the skin again. T.K. had let Patamon out of his backpack, which was also soaked; they'd discovered from a very bedraggled-looking Patamon that it was not waterproof, offering little to no protection from the rain.

T.K. leaned back against the wall, staring out at the turbulent waters of the ocean. After nearly half an hour of silence, Patamon decided to scout out the area--perhaps he could find a clue to the location of the Gate to the World of Darkness, if it even existed, and since he was already soaked anyway, flying in the rain didn't bother him.

"Alright, but be careful," T.K. had finally said. "Don't get lost, that'll be easy to do in this weather."

"I'll be fine, T.K., you worry too much," Patamon giggled before flapping off into the storm.

Gatomon sat beside him in silence, her eyes trained on the violent downpour just feet away; she, too, seemed to be waiting.

"So," T.K. finally broke the silence. "What do you think, Gatomon?"

Even though the question seemed general, even though he hadn't said her name, Gatomon knew exactly what and who the blonde boy was talking about. She didn't reply; she didn't have to.

"I don't know what to think, either," T.K. said quietly. "I guess we just have to be patient—"

Gatomon suddenly squeezed her eyes tightly shut and burst out, "T.K., if Kari calls you, I want you to take me with you!"

"What?" T.K. blinked, looking a bit surprised at her outburst.

"If Kari calls anyone, she's going to call you, T.K.. Not me, not Tai. You. But Kari needs me, too, if she's going to fight this thing, so I want you to take me along with you and Patamon!"

T.K. smiled down at her and rubbed the top of her head affectionately. "I will, Gatomon. I promise."

At that moment a very wet Patamon perched himself on T.K.'s head. "Hey, what about me? You didn't forget about me, did you?"

"I'd never leave you, buddy!" T.K. laughed, pulling the dripping digimon off his head and hugging him tightly, not caring one bit that his shirt was getting soaked again. If she calls for us, Kari will probably need all the help she can get, he thought grimly.

A determined look came over his face, and his blue eyes narrowed in resolve.

Five years ago T.K. had almost lost Kari to the World of Darkness.

He would not let it happen again.

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