Tai could say no more to the boy as he quickly walked over to a small room and knocked on the door. He watched as a girl with short brown hair and pale skin appeared from the opening.

The two young people must have been close since the moment the girl recognized Takeru, she threw her arms around his neck. Tai couldn't help but watch the embrace of the couple. After a quick kiss, the boy reluctantly pulled out of the tight grip of the girl wearing a nurse like outfit.

They conversed for a short time; the news seemed to go from happy to sad. The emotions on the face of the young nurse told him Takeru had told her bad news. Tears welled up but only a few escaped before their embrace tightened. The tender moment only served to remind him that in this time he was alone.

After a few moments, Takeru seemed to relax his hold on her and whispered something into his partner's ear. The girl composed herself in a few seconds and the tears were wiped away with a handkerchief from her pocket.

Tai tried to look like he wasn't staring at the couple as Takeru seemingly mentioned him and the girl glanced his way. The two conversed for a short time before the boy took her hand and brought her back over to Tai's side.

"Tai, this is Hikari." Takeru said with a faint blush. "Kari is a nursing assistant here. She's going to take you over to the house to get cleaned up."

"But, I..."

"It's good to see you got out of that in one piece. Don't worry about a thing. We'll put you up at our place for the time being." The girl smiled. For some reason, the girl before him looked strikingly familiar. He could not place it, nor could he explain how he could possibly know a girl from the future.

"But the girl I came in with... is she..."

"You mean Sora?" Takeru asked looking at a confused Hikari.

"Sora was taken in for minor injuries. She should be up and about in two days. Don't worry, she's been beat up worse than this. She's in good hands." The brunette reported easing both men's worry.

"Kari, I'm leaving him to your care. I won't be back for supper, I'm sorry. I know you did a lot to make it, but at least Tai here will get a taste of some fine cooking his first night here. I have to help Matt get things settled here, I'll make it up to you, ok?"

"I guess... I can't keep you when it's something this important. Just stay safe and come back as soon as you can. I can remake it another night for us..." She blushed faintly as she took his hands.

"I will." The blonde smiled and gave her a quick kiss to the lips. "I'll be home as soon as we get done."

Tai and the girl were left to watch the younger man run down the hall and out the doors.

"Well, I guess it's just you and me now." The girl smiled as she motioned for Tai to follow. "We'll make our way to my house. If you want to follow me, it's not too far."

Tai followed the nurse for a time in silence. All the while he wracked his brain trying to remember who the woman before him could possibly be.

"Um..." He started off but stopped after not knowing what or how to ask the girl leading him out of the medical ward. Once they were away from the madness of the wounded and scrambling doctors, Tai took a cleansing breath.

"My name is Hikari, but everyone calls me Kari." She said looking back at the man following her. "I can tell you're wondering about my looks, right?"

"Um... actually, yes. I feel like I've seen you before or something. It's impossible, I know... but I can't shake this feeling." He finished saying while trying not to scare her too much.

"No, I totally understand. If I didn't already know- I'd want to know the same thing." She smiled at him.

"So I'm not going insane." He asked for clarification.

"I hope not." Kari giggled at his expression of relief. "Actually, we're related... distantly, but it's there. Your mother's older sister is a direct ancestor of my mother."

"That would explain the looks; you look exactly like... my mom..." Tai's voice died as he remembered again that his parents were dead.

The sadness in his eyes were something Kari had seen many times... in times of war many lost loved ones on a daily basis, however this felt different. She felt connected with him on a level she only remembered once before.

"Let's go and get you some fresh clothes. Then something to eat... we can talk after that, if you like." She said in a strangely soothing, and motherly voice. A supporting hand also comforted him a great deal.

After a short walk, she was ushering him up the stairs of a three story building. The door was unlocked and opened with a wave of her hand over a screen. The technology was amazing. Tai had never seen anything like it, with the exception of in movies.

Once they were both inside the house his host excused herself to go and find some clothing for him. While he was left alone, Tai's attention was caught by the items displayed on around the house. Entering fully he looked around; nothing seemed to match the high technology of the security systems, or the building materials. He could almost swear he had stepped into a house reminiscent of some of the trends of his time. The only differences were a few technology items scattered around the house.

With all the things to take in, he found himself looking back towards a shelf of trinkets and what looked to be pictures. A few were actual paper copies of photos, others looked like little holograms some how projected from a small base on the shelf.

The care taken in maintaining the clean and organized state told him of the importance of these memories. A few were of an older couple, presumably the girl's parents. Something must have happened to the couple due to the abrupt loss of their presence. Tai was left to assume that Kari had also lost her parents; soon after the two blonde men Tai had met began to appear. The strong bond between Takeru and Kari was hard to miss.

It hit him then that in each of the photos those crimson orbs were staring back at him. The owner of the enchanting orbs had been the first thing he noticed as he looked at what had to be a graduation photo.

The large smile on her lips and the utter look of pride on her face even made Tai smile. He couldn't miss the motherly figure she played around the younger two. Tai smiled more at the strange and happy moments the group had shared- many familiar faces appeared in the captured moments. He had seen many of them on the battle field that day.

Picking up a photo for closer inspection, Tai saw his mysterious savior once again. A man and a woman stood proudly behind her with an arm on her shoulder as she had an impressive blade in her hands. The specifics of the event were lost on him; however he could still see it was something very important. Her face was solemn, yet the excitement in her eyes seemed to make the photo sparkle. Kari, Takeru, and the first blonde man he met, Matt, were also standing close. They were all proud of whatever accomplishment she had achieved.

The next photo was of two individuals... and something about the couple made Tai's heart tighten. The blonde, Matt was holding the auburn haired goddess in his arms. They didn't look like a normal couple in their combat gear and painted faces; yet, the eyes of the man told of a great connection to his partner.

"They were the first pair to finish the final war games at the academy since the war with these... creatures elevated. They're the pride of the resistance. And our greatest hope, well next to you of course." She smiled looking at the photos with him. "Here are some of Matt's clothes. He'll have to deal with me going in his room later."

"His room?"

"We live together, Matt, Takeru and me... it's convenient because we work together so much... and well TK and I are sort of engaged and all... I have the downstairs and he and Matt share the second floor, and the small attic on the third is a storage and training room. It is home." She added after thinking it over. Her smile saddened a little suddenly. Tai figured she was reliving sad memories...

Looking down at the picture again, he couldn't help but touch the face of their girl from earlier.

"Sora's been the mother I could hardly remember. Strict at times, always expecting the best from me, but loving and the most caring person ever... her family was very special to this town... they saved us so many times."

"She saved my life today... but she got hurt. You said she..."

"Knowing her, she's fine. Don't worry about that stuff now. We need to get you cleaned up, fed and rested. Tomorrow we'll try to explain everything... I'll set up the guest room here for you. It's not much, but it's better than what Matt would set up for you. The bath is down the hall and I'll have the table set in a sec."

Before Tai knew what happened, he was soaking in a warm bath. It felt good to wash the troubles of the present off for a bit. He forgot where he was, what had happened, and everything that came with the day, except for the moments with her. He was so close to her several times, inside the bunker, and the transport. Both times he felt himself yearn to touch her...

Shaking his head to forget the images popping up, Tai got out of the tub and changed into the clothes Kari had provided. Walking out of the bathroom, the towel around his shoulders as he attempted to dry the large mass of hair, he entered a quaint kitchen.

"You must have been looking forward to your dinner with Takeru..." He said seeing the delicious food on the table. She had just taken away the romantic candles as his voice interrupted her silence.

"Yeah, but it worked out alright. Now it's a welcome meal for a relative." The smile came again and Tai felt truly welcome. Kari motioned for him to join her at the table.

"Looks delicious, I'm starved."

A/N: Ah, another chapter… not much action-action in this, but the next one will pick things up. Actually I might have that one up sooner than the monthly updates… sorry I don't mean to keep things waiting for a month. The good old days of weekly updates seem so distant now… I'm working on it.

Once again you may have seen some similarities to different anime/movies in this one. I originally thought of this fic around the time of the second Matrix film (yes, I sadly watched that POS movie… so disappointed. I haven't seen the ending of it… oh well) and then there's other factors involved. However, things aren't always as they appear. In the end it's all Taiora. Enough said!


Thanks for the hits and reviews. Feel free to drop a line if needed.

Atto de