I don't own digimon! These characters don't belong to me and I'm not claiming them as mine! The story line however, IS mine. Hope you enjoy it. Sorry about spelling and grammar errors. If you find them, let me know and I'll fix them. Read and review!
Quarantine
Chapter V
Tk helped Cody fix the frame of the roof of the shelter. They used the laces from their shoes to tie the frame together. Kari and Yolei had cleared the area, to make it easier and safer to built the rest of the shelter. Since they were all barefoot now, they needed to have the camp area free of debris. The girls had went to collect palm leaves for the roof cover. They talked as they worked.
"we're going to need another bath after this," Yolei says, laughing as she strips the leaves off the large branch. Kari smiles down at her. She had a smudge of dirt streaked across her cheek from climbing the tree. "So are the guys, they're going to be all sweaty after making the shelter frame." Kari says, walking out on a large limb to reach its palm leaves. Yolei stops and looks up at her, raising an eyebrow and grinning. "Really?"
Kari blushes, not looking down at her but instead rips a leaf off the branch and lets it fall to the ground at Yolei's feet. "Let's just focus on getting this stuff back to the camp without damaging any of it," she says, still avoiding Yolei's gaze. Yolei covers a laugh as she puts her hands on her hips and looking up at the other girl.
"No, no, go ahead. Do tell," she says with a straight face. She almost had to bite her tongue to keep from busting out laughing.
"There's nothing to tell. I was just pointing out a simple fact," Kari answers as she slowly climbs up onto a higher branch. Yolei watches, hoping the branch Kari was sitting on would hold.
"Be careful Kari, don't fall."
"I'll try not to. The last thing I want is to plummet uncontrollably to the ground," she says, reaching out for another leaf. She stops though when Yolei snorts with laughter and she looks down at her.
"What?"
"Nothing….." Yolei answers, looking up. "I think we have enough, we should haul them back."
Kari nods and rips the leaf she had been reaching for off the branch with a loud crunching noise. After dropping the leaf to the ground, Kari made her way back down the branches. She hadn't realized how big the pile had gotten while she was up in the tree but now that she was on the ground next to them, they rose almost to her waist. Dividing them up the best they could, they started to carry them back toward camp. Both of them had about half the pile. Yolei carried her like you would a bundle of laundry, some under each arm. Kari found it easier to carry all hers over her right shoulder. The weight of the heavy stalks ripped the shoulder of her t-shirt and was starting to cut into her shoulder but she didn't seem to notice. It took about 10 minutes to get back to camp. The guys were tying the last support beam into place when they walked into the small clearing. Hearing them approach, Tk and Cody stopped and turned. They were surprised at how effortlessly they carried the palm leaves. The girls walked silently up to the edge of the shelter and slowly lowered their loads to the ground. Tk and Cody exchanged glances.
"Wow, you guys collected a lot. There has to be at least 70 here," Tk says. "You guys can go clean up now if you want, me and Cody can finish up here."
"It's ok, since we're already covered in junk, me and Kari will scout around for a bit."
"Don't worry, we'll stay away from the caves," Kari says rolling her eyes, interpreting the look on Tk's face correctly.
"Be back before dark, we don't know what's out there," Cody says as the girls disappear through the trees.
"Do you really think they would go to the caves?" he asks, looking at Tk. The blonde shrugs and tightens one of the support joints for the shelter.
"I wouldn't put it past Kari. Hopefully Yolei will keep her out or trouble," Tk answers, backing away from the structure to look at it better.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For several minutes, Kari and Yolei walked through the trees in silence. They had to be careful where they walked because the forest floor was covered in debris. Yolei tried to catch Kari's eye but the brunette kept her eyes determinedly pointed at her feet.
"ok Kari, what are we really doing?" she asks, knowing something was up.
"Scouting, like I said," Kari answers. When Yolei doesn't respond, she looks at her to find her giving Kari a very skeptical look. "what? You don't believe me?"
"I know you Kari. And I also know how much you want to see the guys."
Kari sighs and stops walking, causing Yolei to almost run into her.
"And you don't? you don't care that they are on their own and seriously ill?" she snaps and Yolei takes a step back, looking offended.
"Excuse me? You have no idea how much this is eating me up inside. I love Ken. And Davis is like my brother. I know I argue with him a lot but I care about him very much. So don't you dare tell me that I don't care, ok?" Yolei stops, slightly out of breath after raising her voice.
Kari is silent as she looks at her.
"Did you ever tell Ken?" Kari asks as Yolei turns away, so her back is to the brunette.
"Tell him what?" Kari could hear that she was close to tears.
"That you love him."
"Of course not," she answers, still standing with her back to Kari.
"Well, why not right now?"
Yolei turned around slowly, looking at Kari suspiciously. "What?"
"I said, why don't you tell him now?" Kari says while taking a handkerchief from where she had tied it to her belt.
"You cant be serious," Yolei says but when she doesn't get an answer she adds, "Kari, we'd be infected!"
"That's why we'll wear these," Kari answers while holding up the handkerchief and a decorative scarf.
"Seriously?"
"Pick one Yolei and quit worrying."
Yolei takes the scarf and ties if so it covers her mouth and nose. Kari follows suit with the handkerchief.
"How do I look?"
"Like you fell out of a western," she answers with a smile that Kari couldn't see.
"Yeah, well you look Arabian. Now lets get moving. The caves should be this way….." Kari says as she heads to her left, pushing huge palm leaves out of her way as she walks between two huge trees that are leaning slightly sideways. Yolei follows in silence. She couldn't help thinking that they were making a mistake. 'But I'll get to see Ken.'
After a few minutes, they made it to the small stream flowing through the almost stagnant pool of water that the guys had been using for drinking water. Kari kneels next to it and puts her hand into the murky water, wrinkling her nose in distaste.
"This water is awful, I hope they haven't been drinking it."
Yolei nods in agreement, then points through the trees. "I can hear a fire. We're close."
The two of them walk through the stream, the water only reaching up to their knees. After another couples minutes, Kari and Yolei find themselves in front of the mouth of the cave. There was a fire right in front of the entrance, outside the cave.
"Guys?" Kari says cautiously as she moves slowly inside the entrance. Yolei follows, making sure the scarf was covering her mouth and nose. They paused as their eyes adjusted to the dim light inside the cave. There were remains of a fire but it had clearly not been used recently. Next to the ashes was Davis. He was laying still on his back with his eyes closed. Kari gasped and quickly knelt by his side. His hair was drenched with sweat. Kari slowly reaches out and touches his pale cheek. It was very warm to the touch and wet like his hair.
"Davis? Davis, open your eyes," Kari says quietly. She puts her hand on his forehead, feeling the heat coming from his skin. "He's breathing at least."
Yolei nods as she walks toward the back of the cave, starting to panic because Ken wasn't with Davis. But she could see him laying on the floor on his side, his back to the entrance to the cave. She throws herself onto her knees and pulls him onto his back. He looked as bad as Davis. At her touch, he slowly opened his eyes. They were dull and distant looking.
"Yolei?" he asks. His voice was weak, scratchy and barely a whisper.
"Hi," she says with a weak smile that he couldn't see.
"What are you doing here?" Ken asks. He looked exhausted.
"Kari and I missed you guys."
"But you could get infected….."
"Don't worry, we're taking precautions," she says, pointing at the scarf covering the lower half of her face.
"Yolei, Davis has too high a fever. We need to lower it fast."
Yolei looked back over he shoulder at Kari. "Ken isn't any better. How can we lower them?"
Kari is quiet as she thinks. "The stream, it was cold. It could lower their fevers."
"But it could also shock their systems, I don't know if they can take it," Yolei says, holding Ken a little closer, protectively while still looking at Kari.
"We will just have to risk it. Since neither of them can stand, let alone walk, we'll have to carry them to the stream on those huge leaves."
They agreed that Yolei would stay with the guys, while Kari went to collect several leaves. Ken was having trouble staying awake and his breathing was getting more forced.
"Hurry Kari….." Yolei whispers. "Ken, where's Demiveemon?"
"He went looking for something….." he answers with difficulty. His eyes were becoming blurry. "I-I don't r-remember-"
Ken's eyes slowly close as he gasps for breath. Yolei slides her arm under his shoulders and pulls him into a sitting position. He seemed incapable of even holding his own head up.
"Come on Ken, stay awake," Yolei says, a tear running down her cheek. She looks back over her shoulder toward the cave entrance. "Hurry Kari!" Her voice echoed off the stone walls slightly in a mocking way. Kari hurries back inside, dragging for of the huge leaves and she had several bloody scratch marks under her left eye.
"We can carry them both at the same time," Kari says, as she lays the leaves down on the stone floor side by side. She then moves to Yolei and Ken. "Hold his head and I'll carry his feet."
They carefully lifted Ken with Yolei supporting his head and chest while Kari held his legs tight under her arm. Ken was limp but his breathing still came is gasps. The girls slowly lowered him onto the leaves, then quickly did the same with Davis. Then they each grabbed an end and carried the guys to the water as quickly as they could. When they got to the small stream, they just waded in and slowly kneeled as they lowered Davis and Ken into the water. Again, Yolei supported Ken while Kari supported Davis.
"Keep them submerged in the water up to their necks," Kari says, while holding Davis's head above the chilly water.
"I hope this works," Yolei says, getting annoyed with having to speak through the scarf.
Slowly, Ken's breathing became easier and she could feel his skin cooling down.
"His fever is dropping. Kari, how's Davis?"
The brunette brushes Davis's hair out of his face with her fingers. His fever was still very high but wasn't boiling anymore.
"Well, its went down a little. We shouldn't keep them in for very long."
"Ken's beginning to shiver already. I'm going to take him out."
Yolei picks him up and walks back to the dry bank. She lays him down and then sits by his side. A couple minutes later Kari comes up on the bank with Davis.
"I wonder where Demiveemon is?" Kari asks.
"Ken said he went looking for something. He shouldn't have left these two alone," Yolei answers and Kari could hear the bitterness in her voice.
"What was he suppose to do? They needed supplies and he's all alone with Ken and Davis sick."
"All of this is a nightmare. I cant believe this is happening. I mean, our digimon are sick, Ken and Davis are infected and Gennai wants us to destroy our only way home," Yolei looks over at Kari. "We never should have left them alone Kari."
"We had to, Gennai said we couldn't risk anymore of us to be infected."
Yolei doesn't answer but reaches up and grabs the front of the scarf covering the lower half of her face and pulls it down.
"What are you doing Yolei?!" Kari yells and she moves to put her hand over Yolei's mouth and nose.
"What I should have done a long time ago," she answers while moving away from the brunettes outstretched hand. She leans down and kisses Ken on the mouth.