Well... here's chapter two. It's MUCH longer than the first, and Kori is introduced to Henry and Suzie. Hope you like this chapter! Please R&R!
Disclaimer: Digimon Tamers (c) Yukio Kaizawa
Claimer: Kori (c) me
Chapter Two: The New Neighbour
Before Henry could reach the front door, he noticed that there was furniture moving into the apartment next door.
"Hmm… it seems like we have some new neighbours," Terriermon muttered to Henry. Then suddenly his ears twitched. "There's something interesting about the feeling I'm getting from next door. I'm sensing a Digimon or two, and that other human presence seems familiar."
"We'll visit them later," Henry said absentmindedly, unlocking his door and walking in.
"Welcome back, Henry," his dad greeted him, "Did you meet the new neighbour yet? She's 14, and apparently she's working with a secret government agency that's watching the Digimon carefully. It's sad though, that she's an orphan. But she's really quite bright for her age, much like you. I think you'll like her. Don't worry, your older sister is helping your mom in the kitchen bake a welcoming cake for her."
"So, you've already met her?" the 14-year-old asked.
He nodded. "Yep. Nice girl. Her name's Kori. Kori Hinagaya. She's half-Chinese, half-Japanese. You and Suzie are going to visit her later for tea," he explained, "Which explains why your mother is baking a cake," he laughed.
"D-Did you just say 'Kori'?" Henry stammered, a bit taken aback. Can she really be here? He thought, amazed, More or less, can it be the same Kori that brought back Terriermon and the others?
Mr. Wong nodded. "Why? You've met her before?" he inquired.
"Ah, no," he retorted, thinking whether he should tell his father the full truth.
I knew that presence was familiar, Terriermon thought. "Can Lopmon and I go with Henry and Suzie when they go over?" he asked.
"Sure. I don't see why not," Mr. Wong answered.
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Two hours later, Henry, Suzie, Terriermon and Lopmon were all standing in front of Kori's front door. Henry held the boxed-up cake as Terriermon rang the doorbell.
A young woman just about a few inches shorter than Henry opened the door, brushing away a few long black bangs away from her face. She smiled and her golden eyes lit up. Her face looked both childish and yet so mature. She had on a black T-shirt and jeans, complimenting her slender curves. Her black hair fell around her shoulders in waves. A sweet lilac, lily, and jasmine scent surrounded her. As Terriermon had said, she was cute.
"Hello," she greeted, "You must be Henry and Suzie Wong from next door. I'm Kori Hinagaya. Please, come on in."
"Kori!" Terriermon exclaimed, jumping up into Kori's arms, surprising her slightly.
"Terriermon! What are you doing here?" she implored, stroking his head. Then she spotted Lopmon. "Lopmon! You too!"
She let them all into her apartment and closed the door. Terriermon hopped out of her arms and nudged Henry gently, who was staring at Kori with dazed grey eyes.
"See? I told you she was cute," the Digimon teased.
The tamer tensed in surprise as he snapped out of his trance. "Huh? Terriermon!" he scolded, face turning red in embarrassment. Then he remembered the cake he was still holding. "Oh! This is for you!" he said, now blushing as he handed her the cake.
"Why, thank you!" she replied graciously, "It smells delicious."
"Eh, yeah, my older sister and my mom baked it for you," he replied sheepishly.
She smiled sincerely, then called, "Gatomon! Patamon! You two can come out now!"
Both Digimon came out from the kitchen.
Gatomon stood by Kori's side. She looked like a white cat and had pointy ears. There were yellow gloves with purple stripes on her large claws, and had large cute feline eyes.
Patamon flew onto Kori's shoulder. He was small with four short legs, small claws for clinging, and wings on his head. He had very short orange fur on his back and peachier on his belly.
"Hello," both Digimon greeted.
"So you're a tamer too?" Suzie exclaimed cheerfully, fully able to pronounce her 'R's now, "They're so cute!"
"Aww… she called us cute," Gatomon said, smiling up at Kori, who chuckled in reply.
"Come one and take a seat. I'll explain everything over tea," Kori said, leading them over to a couch and matching chair and loveseat, a wooden table in front of it. Also in the large living room was a TV and a black piano against the ivory-coloured walls.
The tamer suddenly sighed and turned to Suzie. "Actually, Suzie, why don't you go with Gatomon into the kitchen and help cut the cake? Be careful while handling the tea and the kettle," she told her while handing the cake to Gatomon.
"Okay!" the little girl exclaimed happily before following the cat Digimon into the kitchen.
"Should I go help too?" Lopmon inquired.
"If you wish," Kori replied, sitting down on the couch with a sigh.
Lopmon looked at Henry who gave a single nod, and the Digimon followed into the kitchen.
"Aww… Don't be sad," Patamon said to Kori as he clung onto her shoulder.
Henry and Terriermon sat down next to her and looked at her with worry in their eyes.
"Momentai, Kori, momentai," Terriermon muttered to her.
She shook her head. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine, just rethinking something. Anyway, are there any answers you need from me?" she said, directing the subject away from her.
"Why did you bring Terriermon and the others back? It's not that I'm not grateful for it, but I was just wondering. Was there an objective accomplished by bringing them back?" Henry inquired.
"When you, Takato, Rika and Ryo were fighting the D-Reaper, I was being held captive in the Digital World by Zhuqiaomon, who didn't want me to help you guys in previous battles," she explained, "Afterwards, I was soon forgotten by him and watched helplessly as you all went into battle. I saw everything that happened, and how emotional you all were when the Digimon left."
"Gatomon and I were searching for her everywhere," Patamon said, "We knew that Zhuqiaomon had kidnapped her, but we didn't know where. We found her unconscious in a field."
"After all the Digimon returned to the Digital Plain, I blacked out. I woke up in a huge open field, where Patamon and Gatomon were shaking me," Kori explained, "A few minutes later, we were visited by Zhuqiaomon, who came to apologize for keeping me captive. After he left, Terriermon and the others fell out of the sky in their In-Training form, and well… that's how we were all aquatinted."
Terriermon hopped onto her lap and sat down as she pat him on the head. "Yep! And we all digivolved back into our rookie forms. So it was a meeting of rookies! Well… except for Gatomon, I mean. After all, she is in champion form!"
"Right…" Henry trailed off, rolling his eyes and turning back to Kori. "And you just decided to send them back because you saw all our tamer/Digimon relationships?"
She smiled and nodded. "Now I've decided to show up because I wanted to meet you guys," she explained.
With that said, Gatomon, Lopmon and Suzie walked into the living room from the kitchen. Gatomon was carrying the pot of tea, Suzie carrying a tray of teacups and cutlery, and Lopmon carried many plates of cake… and seemed to be having a bit of trouble with her balance while she was at it. Suddenly, Lopmon tripped on the carpet and the slices of cake and plates went flying into the air and fell towards Suzie.
"No!" Lopmon shouted as she watched the cake fall.
Kori suddenly just leaped from the couch and slid onto the floor, a hand extended towards the falling items. All of a sudden, the pieces just stopped in mid-air.
"Whoa…" Henry murmured, his eyes wide, "Impossible. This completely goes against the law of gravity."
"Hey, the Digital World did too," she commented in reply.
Patamon flapped his wings and grabbed a plate and slid it under a piece of cake, and did the same for all the other plates and cake pieces. Then he flew back down onto the couch.
"That was a close one," Gatomon sighed, placing the pot of tea on the table.
"Amazing!" Suzie exclaimed, putting the tray of cutlery next to the tea.
Lopmon got up and walked over, head bowed, to Kori. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to trip," she apologized.
Kori just smiled and placed the mid-air cake pieces gently on the table. As she still lay on the ground, she put her free hand on top of Lopmon's head. "It's okay, Lopmon. After all, it was just an accident. Plus, there's no harm done," she reassured. She picked herself up and brushed dust off her, sitting back down beside Henry.
Both he and Terriermon were staring at her in amazement.
"What?" Kori inquired.
Suzie gaped as she sat down in the loveseat, Lopmon sitting beside her. "What was that?! That was so cool!"
"Oh… umm… It's nothing special," she replied embarrassingly.
"Nothing special? That was amazing!" Henry retorted, "How did you do that?"
"I think and focus on the element and control it," Kori explained simply, pouring the jasmine tea into the any teacups, "The only reason I don't know how to control earth is because it's the only element that remains unmoving."
"What do you mean?" Lopmon asked curiously.
"Air is always moving," Gatomon began.
"Fire can be wild and uncontrollable," Patamon added.
"And water is ever-flowing," Kori finished.
Suzie's eyes brightened. "It's like Yin and Yang!" she exclaimed, then she stopped and thought, "Maybe not…"
"It sorta balances out," Terriermon added, eating some cake.
"So, how did you manage to get two Digimon partners?" Henry implored, sipping some tea.
Kori sipped gently on her tea before placing her cup on the table. She pulled out a necklace from her pocket and showed him the pendant. It was a heart-shaped crystal with two symbols on it. One was the Crest of Hope and the other was the Crest of Light.
"Aren't those the crests from that book written by T.K. Takaishi?" he noted, "Wasn't he, like, a DigiDestined? Or at least claimed to be?"
She gave a single nod. "Yep, he was a DigiDestined like us. Patamon is with the Crest of Hope, and Gatomon, the Crest of Light. The day I met the both of them, I received both this mysterious necklace and my Digivice," she explained, pulling out her Digivice and showing it to them.
Kori's Digivice was striped green and a dark purple around the rim and golden on the band.
"Ooh… It's pretty," Suzie said, smiling as she took a bite of cake.
"So…" she replied, leaning back onto the couch with a dish in her hands, "What's your guys' story?"
"It's a long story," Terriermon began.
"We've got a while," Gatomon retorted, taking a huge bite of cake.
Henry, Suzie, Terriermon and Lopmon explained how they met, the adventures they'd had, the friends they've gained, the choices they made, and also how they've grown since they first met.
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An hour later, Suzie yawned tiredly.
"I think someone's getting tired," Patamon noted, "Or bored."
"Maybe you should go back, Suzie," Henry told his little sister, "Go back home with Lopmon and relax."
For once she didn't argue and obeyed obediently. "'kay. Thank you, Kori, Patamon, Gatomon! Bye-bye!"
"It's no problem," Kori replied coolly.
"It was nice to meet you!" Patamon exclaimed cheerfully, flying beside Suzie.
Gatomon walked over to her, holding out a paw. "We'll see each other again soon," she said.
Suzie hugged Gatomon. "Bye, Gatomon," she said, letting go and hugging Patamon, "Bye Patamon."
Lopmon bowed to Kori. "That you very much," she stated respectfully.
She shook her head. "No problem."
Both Suzie and Lopmon left and Gatomon closed the door after them.
"Your sister's both cute and adorable," Kori told Henry with a chuckle and a wink.
He blinked his grey eyes, feeling his cheeks grow red and hot.
"You should have seen what happened when I still a doll to her," Terriermon retorted, green eyes glittering mischievously.
"Terriermon!" Henry scolded, "That wasn't very nice."
Gatomon and Patamon went back to Kori. Gatomon sat on her lap, and Patamon settled himself onto her shoulder.
"Weird, he wasn't acting like this back in the Digital World," Gatomon commented, blinking large blue feline eyes.
"Really?" Henry exclaimed, surprised, "He wasn't?"
"He was really calm, quiet, and focused at the problem at hand," Patamon told him.
"Really?! Terriermon?!" the male tamer exclaimed.
"Henry!" Terriermon scolded, "Momentai! I just wanted to come home!"
Kori giggled in amusement. "I can see why you two are such good partners," she said, "Reminds me of myself, Patamon and Gatomon."
Henry sighed as Terriermon teased him by pulling on his ears.
"Oh yes, Henry, I forgot to tell you something. On Monday I'm coming to your school. Apparently I'm in your friend Takato's class. From what I've heard, his teacher gives them too much homework," she laughed, "Lucky thing I've already talked to her about that."
"What do you mean?" he inquired, a bit confused.
"Less homework for both our classes. Yours and mine. Things might start to get a bit hectic around here, and I don't think we'll have time for extra homework. By the way, I've got a surprise for all of you," she said.
"What is it?" Terriermon asked excitedly.
Kori smiled and tapped Terriermon gently on the nose. "If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise anymore, wouldn't it, silly?" she teased.
"And don't think we're telling you either," Gatomon added.
"We've been sworn to secrecy," Patamon joked, winking at Terriermon in amusement.
"Don't worry," Kori reassured, "I'm sure you'll all like my gift. I know Patamon and Gatomon were excited when I first told them."
"Aww…" Terriermon whined, "I'm going to be up all night trying to figure out what it is!"
Henry pat his partner on the head. "Don't worry, Terriermon. It's only tomorrow," he retorted, smiling. But in truth, he was also trying to figure out what the surprise might be.
"By the way, would you two like to go out for some dinner with us later?" Kori invited, "I've asked your dad already if it was okay and he said it was fine, only if you and Suzie wanted."
"But considering Suzie went home," Patamon began.
"Looks like it's just you guys and us," Gatomon finished.
Henry exchanged a brief glance with Terriermon and both said in union, "Sure."
"Awesome," Kori said, "We can take my bike."
"No offence, but how is a single bicycle going to hold us all?" Terriermon inquired, scratching his large ears.
Gatomon and Patamon grinned.
"Who ever said it was a bicycle?" Patamon pointed out, hinting at the same time.
Henry's eyes widened in realisation. "You don't seriously have a motorcycle, do you?" he demanded from Kori in shock, "You're not old enough to drive it!"
Kori nodded, smiling easily. "I have a government permit and license," she told him, "And I've practised many times before. Anyway, I was actually joking, cause we're just gonna walk. The restaurant isn't too far. It's just on the other side of the park."
"Aww…" Henry's Digimon partner complained, "I wanted to ride on a motorcycle too…"
Kori, Gatomon, and Patamon chuckled.
"Maybe next time," Gatomon told him.
Suddenly, a bell chimed, and Kori looked at the clock hanging on the wall. It read 6 o'clock. Gatomon went down to the hallway and into a room.
"Wow… Six already," Patamon noted.
Terriermon's stomach growled in hunger. "Okay, who's hungry?" he lied innocently, though everyone knew it was him.
"I guess it's time we head out for dinner," Kori announced, standing up and smiling. She winked at Henry as she said, "My treat."
The other tamer was speechless as he stared into her golden eyes. "Uh…" he gaped.
Patamon nudged Terriermon. "Is he always like this?" he whispered teasingly.
The bunny Digimon pulled on Henry's ear. "Hey Henry," he muttered, "You're making us look bad here."
Kori, pretending not to have heard, stifled a laugh and held her hand out to Henry. "Come on. You ready?" she asked.
"Eh… yeah," he replied, taking her hand and also standing up.
Gatomon came back and gave Kori her blue wristbands, her dark chocolate-coloured wallet, and a ring of keys.
"Thanks Gatomon," she thanked, slipping the keys and wallet into her jean pockets and slipping the wristbands on. She secured the hear-shaped necklace around her neck, and her Digivice on her belt. "I'm ready too."
"Then let's gooo!" Terriermon shouted, gliding towards the door with his ears.
"We'll just briefly stop by next door to let your parents know you're going to be out with us," Patamon told Henry.
"What about the dishes and the cups? Do you want us to help you clean up before we go?" he offered.
"It's fine. We can do that later," Gatomon answered, "Thanks for the offer though."
Kori walked towards a cabinet near the door, grimaced, then opened it. She pulled out a card holster filled with a deck of modify cards and slipped that on the right side of her belt. "You never knew when she's gonna strike," she muttered to herself.
"When who's gonna strike?" Terriermon inquired, he and Henry walking towards her.
"Oh, er, never mind," she reassured, smiling at them.
Henry looked at her suspiciously as she grabbed a dark windbreaker from her coat rack, and he knew there was something wrong, but decided not to question her on it at the moment. It's all about timing, he thought, But I shouldn't think to ask too late.
She opened the door and they all left. She closed and locked the door behind her and went next door.
"Dad! I'm back," Henry called, and his father rose from the couch after putting the newspaper down and walked over to them at the door.
"It's nice to meet you again, Mr. Wong," Kori greeted, slightly bowing, as did Patamon and Gatomon.
"You too, Kori," he replied, "So I take it you kids are going out for dinner?"
"Yep!" Terriermon exclaimed excitedly.
"Don't worry. I'll try not to keep Henry out too late," Kori reassured, "The restaurant is just across the park."
"Take your time. It's no worry. After all, teens usually tend to stay up and out pretty late," he commented.
"But then again, they aren't the average teenagers," Patamon said.
He laughed. "I guess not. Have fun!" he said, patting Terriermon on the head.
"See you later, Dad," Henry said as they began to leave the apartment and down to the park.
Hmm... seems Henry has already fallen for this tamer, not to mention get lost in her eyes. lol. D'you think it's just going to be a NORMAL dinner 'date'? *hint, hint, no, hint, hint* lol.
Please review to find out what happens next!