Hello everybody!

I've finally written something after a pretty long time. Actually, this chapter has been sitting in my laptop for awhile now, it's just I haven't been happy with it. But I'm deciding to post it anyway. I hope you guys enjoy it - there should also be another new chapter coming soon!

Digimon Tri was amazing by the way! I have so many thoughts about it and yeah. But I should probably not include it here since that would take a lot of room. If you want to discuss tri, PM me or let me know in a review!

Thanks for reading!

Chapter 3 – An Unhappy Alliance

T.K. struggled to put on the badge that the front desk gave him. He hated these clip on things. It could fall off at any moment and then what? He wouldn't have a badge on and security would see that and they'd be forced to walk him out. A ding echoed throughout the lobby. Fastening the badge on his belt, he waited patiently for the elevator doors to open.

"Hold it please!" T.K. heard someone call out. He held out his hand to stop the door from closing. It opened up once again and he was face to face with someone who he hadn't spoken to in an extremely long time.

Kari Kamiya.

Great.

"Uh…hey T.K."

He nodded his head to her in greeting as the doors to the elevators closed. He was hoping that someone else needed to take the elevator to get somewhere. His eyes darted around the lobby before the elevator doors closed, leaving the two of them alone. Seriously? No one else wants to come along for the ride?

"We're probably going to the same floor, huh?"

He smiled a bit, knowing that her sense of humor was still there. He glanced at her and noticed she had probably just gotten off work, if the paint stains on her hands were any indication.

"Yeah." He decided to finally speak up. "I wonder what's going to happen once we're all in there again."

"Ugh, don't remind me," Kari groaned, putting her hands on her face. He didn't blame her. This was going to be a heck of a conversation. The elevator doors opened once again and the two former Digidestined stepped out, walking to their destination: Izzy's office.

Surprisingly, it was pretty quiet once they entered the room. He squinted his eyes to check if he was seeing things right. Davis was actually early for once. Izzy was sitting at his desk, typing away. Tai waved to both of them whilst signaling them to come on in. Joe was with Cody, Ken, and Yolei. The purple haired Digidestined was the first to look up and she tugged on Ken's sleeve.

T.K. rolled his eyes. She really liked making a big deal out of nothing. He just bumped into Kari on the way here. There's nothing much that happened besides that. If she was looking to gossip, she should've glanced toward Mimi who slipped in right after they did. He did a double take. Where was she when he was on the elevator? The Digidestined of Sincerity was holding two coffee cups in her hand, and it certainly surprised him when she gave one of them to Izzy. The cup receiver, albeit surprised, nodded his head and quickly muttered thanks. What the heck happened?

He glanced towards Matt who was observing everything from the opposite side of the room. His brother had a scowl on his face from observing how the two interacted. Honestly, if you asked his opinion, he didn't think Matt had any right to hate Izzy. It should be the other way around. He didn't know why Matt was being so mean—why hatred for the guy seethed from his pores.

If he remembered correctly, Mimi wasn't even the girl Matt was pining for back in the day. So why the sudden hatred for Izzy? Was he jealous? It wasn't like the two were even friends at this point so what could explain Matt's behavior?

He leaned back against the wall and sighed. While cause and effect really piqued his interest (the drama that played out in their team and their actions and the consequences that resulted from that) he was pretty tired of all the hate radiating from everyone's soul. Dark? Yeah, it was, but he didn't know or have any other way to phrase it.

Davis stood up and cleared his throat. Everyone looked up at the sound. If anyone can get the team to buckle up, he hoped Davis would be able to do the trick.

"So…I guess there isn't really any room for small talk. I'm just gonna get straight to the point. Are we in or are we out?"

Before Matt could open his mouth, Davis interjected, glaring at the supposed Digidestined of Friendship. "And by in, I mean all in. Meaning we don't have time to sit around and argue. So when we're discussing battle plans and strategies, that means no snarky comments, no insulting remarks, no subtle shakes of the head, no backhanded statements."

The leader pointed his look at his brother, who seemed to be causing the most trouble since they came in. Matt raised his hands in mock surrender.

"See?! That's what I'm talking about. None of that." He pointed to the gesture. "We need to give each other respect. Otherwise, we aren't taking this battle on. There's no point. So Matt, to say it kindly, shut the hell up unless you want to be physically thrown out."

Matt looked taken aback by his comment. He glanced at T.K., motioning for him to say something. He could stand up to Davis and defend his brother. He shook his head in response. Davis was right.

His brother rolled his eyes and spoke up. "What about the rest? You say I'm the only one who does this? Izzy over there has been doing stuff like that ever since we met up yesterday."

"SHUT UP, MATT!" T.K. was definitely surprised at Davis' reaction. He rarely raised his voice. Even if he was upset. So to see that, well…that meant that he meant business.

"While we're all together, we treat each other with respect. I could care less about what you say about each other when we're not fighting, but when we're working as a team, that is what's going to happen. Does everyone understand?"

Reluctantly, everyone nodded their heads in agreement.

"So, I'm going to ask this one more time with the conditions in mind. Are you in or out?"

"I'm in," was Tai's response. The leader of the old Digidestined was proudly beaming.

"Me too," Mimi stood up, crossing her arms.

The bearer of Light, his ex-best friend also bobbed her head. "I'm in. Always." T.K. smiled a bit, knowing that even though they had their differences, he was glad that Kari hadn't changed.

"Let's do it. The worst thing that could happen is getting our butts kicked and tearing each other's throats apart, but why not?" Izzy commented, getting up from his place behind his desk. Davis glared at Izzy. "That was my only one. It'll stop."

"Good. Anyone else?"

"I'm all set and ready to go!" Yolei declared, punching her fist in the air. He scratched his head, laughing softly. She was always the dramatic one.

"Me too." Cody responded.

"Me three." Ken answered after him.

"I'm in too," T.K. decided to say. "I'll back you up every step of the way, Davis." The leader of the Digidestined nodded in determination.

"I want peace, so I'm in," Joe announced. Everyone then looked towards Matt, who he knew would be reluctant to do this and Sora, who he was surprised hadn't spoken up yet.

"Okay, let's do this." Sora said after a moment of silence and tension. T.K. wondered what thoughts were brewing in her mind. Sora used to be an easy person to read. Now he wasn't sure what she was thinking anymore. It was unsettling.

"Fine. I'll help," was Matt's disgruntled reply.

"Great!" Davis' perky voice could be heard throughout the office. "Let's go find this Giselle lady and let her know!"

As soon as he hit his bed, he instantly felt his eyes start to close. Shaking his head to get rid of the sleepiness, T.K. stood back up. It was an emotionally charged day that's for sure. He even exchanged a glance with Kari. Her brown eyes somewhat asking him to open up and let her back into his life again. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't. Not yet.

A knock. Someone was knocking at his apartment door, eager to be let in. He stepped out of his room and into the hallway. The kitchen switch was flipped open as he refused to do it when he first arrived. His eyes winced at the sudden light that filtered throughout the room.

The knocking turned into banging on the door. Turning the knob, he came face-to-face with his brother. He stepped aside, letting the elder Ishida enter his home.

"What are you doing here, Matt?"

"I was hoping I could stay with you, since I don't exactly live in Japan anymore."

"L.A. not giving the lavish lifestyle you wanted?" T.K. joked. He wanted to see his brother laugh again. He at least wanted to elicit some smile from the guy. Matt was a lone wolf—he didn't want to be bothered by others and preferred to keep things to himself. He didn't used to be like this, especially after their adventures in the Digital World. Something told T.K. that it was going to be awhile before he saw that Matt again.

"The band's stressed out," Matt acquiesced, confessing a part of his life that he hadn't known about since he was so closed off nowadays. T.K. wished the two were closer but they hadn't been very close since their days in the Digital World. "It might be the end of the road for us."

T.K.'s eyebrows rose in surprise. "Really?

He nodded. T.K. walked over to the refrigerator and took out two beers. He threw one at Matt. "I didn't think it was slowing down."

Matt drank a little then responded. "My career is over."

He didn't want to be mean. He didn't want to breach the topic, but it was time. "Is that why you've been such a jerk lately?"

The exact blue piercing eyes he had glared right back at him. "I haven't been a jerk."

Gathering up the courage to speak, T.K. gulped. "Yeah, you have."

The older brother narrowed his eyes. "How so?"

"You've been a jerk to Izzy and not to mention you threw Sora under the bus the other day. And you were disrespectful to Davis."

"Davis should mind his elders."

"Davis is the leader of the Digidestined."

"Tai is."

"You've always had a problem with Tai being the leader. Now you want to state that he is?"

"I'm not being a jerk."

"Matt!" T.K. raised his voice a little bit. It seemed to startle his older brother. "You are. The only one that you aren't a jerk to is Mimi, and for the life of me I can't figure out why. I can't figure you out. I can't figure out why you care so much about Izzy and Mimi's interactions. I can't figure out why you hate Izzy when really, he isn't the one to blame. You didn't used to be like this, Matt. Why? What happened?"

"Izzy shouldn't keep victimizing himself. It's tiring."

"He wasn't. That's the thing, Matt. All he did was step out of the room professionally. Sure, he made some comments about his dislike for you and he was also sarcastic at times. But other than that, he didn't do anything else. Everything already somewhat blew over until you had to mention the whole Sora thing."

"Well, I thought he'd like to know."

"Yeah, to get him riled up."

"T.K., what right do you have to talk about this?"

"If it's affecting the team's performance, and my relationship with you, so yeah I have a right to talk about it." He said, not budging from his spot. He wanted to know what the problem was. He wanted to help.

"Are you jealous of Izzy and Mimi?"

"Did you see the way she brought him coffee this morning?"

"What does it matter to you? Why do you care?"

"He might hurt her like he's hurt that girl he stood up."

T.K. shook his head. While he was concerned and surprised that Izzy pulled a move like that, he wasn't about to go thinking up theories about it. Even though Matt and him weren't that close anymore, Matt was the only other person in the Digidestined besides Davis that acted remotely like a friend. It was disconcerting how disconnected he felt from the rest of them.

"Yeah I agree that was an ass move and it isn't like Izzy to do that. But he wouldn't hurt Mimi. It's beneath him to do so. And we were in the middle of talking to Giselle when it happened. Besides, I'm pretty sure they're not getting together romantically. If their friendship is coming back, I'd like it to. I'm all for it. It's been a long time since people have been friends around here."

"Oh like you and Kari?"

"Don't you dare bring her into this, Matt."

"I'm just saying, you speak of friendship but you can't even redeem yours?"

"That's a low blow."

"And what, you have the right to lecture me on this?"

That's it. He had enough of the attitude that was hurled towards him. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. "I might not. But you certainly don't have the right to lecture me. You hold the Crest of Friendship, but you aren't worthy of it. You're not playing to your strengths, Matt. And if you don't have the one strength that can help, you're completely useless."

Matt blinked in return. He hadn't been expecting that from him, huh? Matt stood up, walked towards him, and then jostled his shirt. He drew back his clenched fist. T.K. stood, ready for the punch that awaited him.

"Go ahead. Do it, Matt." He closed his eyes, ready for the punch that was about to come.

But there was no blow. After a couple of minutes waiting, T.K. opened his eyes. Slowly, Matt put his fist down and released his shirt. T.K. patted down his clothing, spreading it out to keep his shirt from wrinkling. For the first time since he last saw him, T.K. could see pain and discomfort and a hint of apology in Matt's eyes.

He watched as Matt put a hand to his forehead, cursing himself. He decided to go and pat Matt on the back, give him a bit of comfort when Matt stepped away from him.

"I almost hurt you."

"It's okay. You're slightly inebriated anyway."

"No. I'm not a lightweight. I've barely had anything to drink, T.K. I—I…I'm sorry."

For once, the pain in his brother's eyes could be fully seen; it was startling to say the least. He wasn't even like this when he and Mimi broke up.

"Hey look. It's okay. It's fine. Just shake it off." Whatever was bothering Matt seemed to be running deep within his veins. T.K. wondered if there was a chance he could go back in time and fix things so it didn't have to be like this. Matt ran his hands through his hair and started towards the couch. T.K. followed him.

He leaned his head against the sofa as Matt did the same. They sat in complete silence before T.K. breached the topic again.

"You never loved Mimi. Why care so much? She was never the one that you were in love with."

Softly, came Matt's response. "I know."

"Then why…?"

"Honestly? I don't know."

T.K. knew he hadn't been happy all these years. It had been probably about ten years since he was truly happy. Ten years. That was a long time to stew over things. He and Mimi dated for about five years—from senior year in high school to the end of college—before breaking up. It was a long time. And he wasn't happy for any part of it.

"Perhaps there's a part of you that feels obligated to care?" He offered an answer to his older brother, but just got a head shake in response.

"If that's true, why do I feel obligated then?"

A light bulb went off in T.K.'s head. "Maybe you just feel obligated because you guys dated for so long. It's understandable. You don't want to see her get hurt." He waited for Matt to reply, but all one could hear was silence throughout the room.

A part of him liked to believe that his brother loved Mimi. But another part of him always knew that he couldn't because his heart belonged to another. How sappy that sounded, he wasn't sure, but he liked to be a romantic. In a family where divorce prevailed and his older brother wasn't much of a sounding board for romance, T.K. believed that he was a romantic, an opportunist. He was happy in his current relationship. Ayumi was the one for him. She always pushed him to believe in the impossible, to believe that he could become the best writer he could someday. He hoped Matt could find what he found in Ayumi.

"I guess…I'm channeling what I wish I could show towards Sora into what I know I'm allowed to feel towards Mimi."

This definitely sparked T.K.'s interest. He sat up, eager for answers. He hadn't talked about Sora in a long time, but he's bringing her up now.

"Look…I know I don't know the whole story…but why didn't you just get together with Sora back then if she's the one you love?"

"I don't love Sora."

"It's been obvious that you kind of do. Why are you still resisting it?"

"I don't."

"Matt…."

The rock star snapped. "I don't okay?"

He chose to stare back at his brother with a challenging look on his face. The look that was on his face must've surprised Matt, because Matt gave him somewhat of a surprised and yet defeated look in return. Feeling his eyes dry up, he blinked them quickly. He's never been able to stare down Matt like that, but he's glad he did this time. He feels somewhat powerful now.

"Because I lost my right to feel for her that way a long time ago, T.K.! It's done. It's over with, I can't go back."

"But you can make amends."

"That'll get me nowhere."

"It's a start." He shrugged. From all the time he spent with them as a couple, he knew that Matt and Mimi's relationship was just a fallacy, a resignation of sorts because they screwed up the relationships in their lives. He believed that Matt didn't love Mimi, and he knew that Mimi didn't love Matt because she told him so. He didn't know the whole story, but he was proud that he knew that much.

"You can try to patch things up. With Izzy, first and foremost. And then with Sora. You've got to stop letting everyone believe that you've been in love with Mimi all this time because it isn't true. You have to fix this, Matt. It's what a true friend would do."

Matt sighed. "I can't fix my friendship with Izzy. It's too late. What I did…what we did…I went behind his back and its unforgivable. And for what? Because I thought stereotypically that they shouldn't be together?"

"You and Mimi both played a part in this. You both should fix it." T.K. was surprised in how much Matt was talking. Maybe it was the beer. Maybe it was his guilt from the almost punch. Maybe it was because he didn't have anybody else to talk to. Maybe it was just because he was truly tired…of all of this.

No matter what, he was going to help his big brother fix this.

"And Sora…she'd never fully be able to forgive me."

T.K. shook his head. "I think you're underestimating yourself." From what he heard from Tai about Sora's relationship woes, he was beginning to think that Sora wasn't just hurt by the fact that Matt and Mimi got together. He believes she was hurt because she was truly in love with Matt. But he didn't see it.

Of course, T.K. doesn't know where Sora stands now, of course. But as the Bearer of Love, he hopes and he knows that she can forgive Matt. Clearing his throat, he added, "Plus, there's a really good chance she'll forgive you before she forgives Mimi. That I know for sure."

Matt chuckled a bit. "Mimi really ruined it with Sora."

"See? I'm sure it'll be easier for you to make amends with Izzy than it is for Mimi to restore her friendship with Sora."

Matt hummed, musing.

"And…," T.K. stated. "It's time to truly use that Crest of Friendship, you have. It's your strongest quality. We need it for the upcoming battle."

"Fine," he acquiesced. "But don't expect all of us to be great buddies just yet."

"Oh and don't forget Tai. Whatever hatred that's going on between you two needs to stop."

T.K. watched as Matt took a pillow and covered his face with it. He could hear the groan of despair that came out of that mouth.

Smirking, Matt lifted his head and looked at T.K. "Only…only if you do the same with Kari."

The former Digidestined of Hope groaned. Great. That's definitely going to suck.

If they were going to fight against the Shadow King, T.K. wondered whether or not they'd meet up with their Digimon again. He missed Patamon. It had been quite a while since they had talked.

Tossing and turning in bed, he sat up. He couldn't sleep. For Matt to make amends with everyone else, he had to restore his friendship with Kari. Which wasn't exactly an easy thing to do, especially since he shut her out of his life a long time ago.

He was such a hypocrite. It sickened him.

Leaning back, he remembered the conversation that started the downfall his relationship with Kari.

"Kari! Kari, I need to talk to you!" He called out, waving to his best friend as he ran up to her.

"See you later guys, I'll call you after practice." He watched as she waved goodbye to her friends and then turned to him. Great! Her attention is all his. Now if he could only muster up the courage to say what he was going to say.

"I, um…, well I….was wondering if you'd like to go to the park with me. Take a walk or something. I have a lot of stress about homework and tests and school that I need a break. And I can't do it without my best friend," he chuckled nervously.

She laughed, swatting his arm. "Of course, T.K. Let me just tell Tai where we're going and then we can head out."

"Great. That sounds great." He replied. She smiled at him before taking out her cell phone. Once she was talking to Tai, he started trying to calm himself down. Relax. She's your best friend, and the worst that could happen is her letting you down gently. But the chances of that happening are pretty slim—according to the others—you guys were made for each other.

Hope and light all the way.

"Sounds good," he heard her say. "I'll see you at home." Her cell phone snapped shut. She looked up at him, and he smiled back down at her. "We're all set. You ready?"

He nodded. "Definitely."

Taking a basketball from his closet, he bounced back on his bed and threw it around, catching it whenever gravity pulled it back down to Earth. His blue eyes glazed as he felt the familiar shape of the basketball in his hands.

There was no way he could make amends with Kari. He wasn't ready. He doesn't know if he'll ever be ready.

"So, is something bothering you?" She inquired an hour later after walking around in the park for a bit. They went to the lake, watched the ducks in their natural habitat, and now they were looking at the cherry blossom trees that had seemed to bloom over the past couple months.

"What? No. Nothing's bothering me."

"Well you said that you were stressed out, so I thought that something was."

"I just have something to say," he decided to say boldly. She looked at him, surprised at the determination she heard through his voice. She knew him very well. She knew when something bothered him, and she knew when he was just content with what was going on in his life.

It was one of the many things he loved about her.

"I, um…I…"

"Yeah? T.K., you can say anything you want you know. It's not like anything's going to change."

But it will, he thought. It might destroy our friendship. It might bring things to a better level. "It is."

"Unless you're moving to Antarctica, it isn't," she promised. "We'll always be us."

I hope so. Here goes.

"I…I wanted to see if you wanted to go out sometime."

She chuckled a bit. "T.K., we're already outside."

"No, not out. Um. out. As in, a date out," he asked quietly and nervously.

Kari looked taken aback. She seemed surprised. Meanwhile, he was sitting there, sweating it out like a pig. He was nervous.

"Will you go out on a date with me? Not as friends, but romantically?"

"T.K…."

"Yes?"

"I…I can't. I'm sorry."

And just like that, his world fell apart. What? They were perfect for each other.

"Look, it's getting late. I should probably go." With that, she squeezed his arm and left the park. Tears didn't sting his eyes just yet. He was still in shock. They were supposed to be perfect for each other, so why turn him down?

It was supposed to be hope and light all the way.

It was supposed to be hope and light all the way. That was his thinking back then. Not only did she turn him down once, but she also did it three times.

The second time he confessed that he was in love with her.

The third time he told her that she was the only one he could see a future with—she was the only one he could see marrying, having kids with, growing old with.

He supposed he probably scared her with those last two. He didn't just destroy his friendship. He also humiliated himself in front of her. So yes, while he kind of resented her for rejecting him, he also resented himself for obliterating his dignity.

Plus, that was one of the reasons why Tai and Matt weren't speaking. Why their friendship was also finished as well. Matt stood up for him while Tai stood by Kari's side.

Not to forget that he ruined Davis and Kari's friendship too. Davis took his side in the matter and hated Kari from then on. He thought that Davis would take Kari's side, since the guy had a crush on her in middle school but that wasn't the case. Davis showed true friendship to him then. Yolei took Kari's side. He still spoke to Yolei, but it wasn't the same.

From one confession doled out many consequences. And it's because of that why he's hesitant to make amends with Kari. It won't fix everything.

He didn't know the other reasons as to why Matt and Tai hated each other. He didn't know what went on between Izzy, Sora, Mimi, Matt, and Tai. He couldn't fix those things. They probably weren't problems that he could fix.

But he remembered his words from earlier. The ones that he had spoken to Matt. The ones that have bearing and that are true. It is those words that made him hope again, and it is those words that'll help him and everyone else figure out their problems and stand up to the Shadow King.

It's a start.

"The Shadow King waits. He waits and he waits until the right time comes."

"Waits for…?" Izzy prodded, trying to get an answer out of the old woman.

"He waits. He just waits."

"For…?" Another question was heard from the genius, which Giselle just decided not to pay any attention to.

For what? The right time to strike, that was apparent. T.K. couldn't help but wonder when was the right time. She had yet to tell them more about who this mysterious Shadow King was. He had so many questions. Why did he call himself the Shadow King? Or was that name just given to him?

Giselle turned to Davis. "It is time to understand the lines and the parallels between love and hate, envy and kindness. Otherwise, you will all be doomed to fail."

That didn't sound ominous at all. The noise coming from Izzy banging his head on the desk echoed throughout the room. He glanced up at the mysterious old lady who swooped in and while she told them of danger in the Digital World, she wasn't really much help in the department of details.

"The Shadow King feeds on emotions of hatred, disgust, jealousy, sadness, and anger. As long as you aren't working together with some sort of a civilized alliance, he will just keep getting stronger and stronger. His power will grow until there's no way that he can be beat."

"So…basically you're saying that we'll beat him if we become friends again? That's it?" Izzy deadpanned. T.K. wasn't convinced. The solution sounded easy, but with the way they were behaving around one another, it didn't seem likely that it would come around anytime soon.

"You have to utilize the power of your crests and your digi-eggs," Giselle continued. "You can't give in to the opposite of your quality. That's exactly what he wants you to do."

"Sounds pretty easy enough," Cody chipped in. He sighed. If only Cody knew the half of what everyone was going through…that definitely wouldn't be the words coming out of his mouth.

Giselle surveyed the room with an all-knowing look. "I sure hope so, Mr. Hida. With that knowledge, I leave you for now."

The woman disappeared into thin air, leaving everyone confused.

So they were supposed to—what, get along? That's it? Surely they could manage that….

The air around them was filled with silence. Nobody dared to move and he was pretty sure everyone was afraid to speak. Well that's just great. It seemed like the only two options they had were fighting or sitting in silence. But what could he say? He didn't have anything to add to the imaginary conversation.

Hopefully Tai had something to say. Peeking at the leader in question, he then realized that no one would speak up anytime soon. Not even Davis who always had something to say. No one seemed inclined to motivate or inspire anyone. They were all frozen in space and time and—he stopped himself. He really needs to stop getting carried away with all of his wandering thoughts that he could put in a book one day. He was an English major, not a novelist—yet.

Mimi sighed loudly. "Can't we do this then? I know it won't be the easiest thing ever, but hey, the situation could be a lot worse."

No one answered her, choosing instead to do anything but make eye contact with her.

She continued. "For those who don't really want to do this, at least if we get through it, it'll be over faster."

He hoped that wasn't what Matt was pining for. If their conversation last night didn't do anything, he wouldn't know what else to do. Besides, deep down he knew that they couldn't pretend their way out of this. Plus, there was something that Giselle wasn't telling them about the Shadow King. His fingers fidgeted in his lap. He was sure that working together and putting their differences aside was only one step in the whole thing.

"Why not?" Surprisingly, Izzy answered her. "It's not like we have anything else to lose. Though the old lady really didn't give us anything to go on. She was pretty much useless."

Davis shot a glare at Izzy to which the computer genius sheepishly backed away. T.K. sighed. His sarcastic remarks weren't going to get them anywhere that's for sure.

"I'm in," Kari responded. Remarkably, the rest followed after her lead, Matt included. It wasn't a happy or a willing alliance by any means. But they were getting somewhere, he supposed.

"If you'll excuse me," Izzy announced, standing up from his chair. "I have a meeting to get to."

After Izzy left there wasn't any point in staying there. They'd figure out a plan later. One by one, they followed, exiting the building. T.K. stood up from the carpet and held the door open for the next person that was behind him. His footsteps led to the elevator, and then down the escalator. But as they were walking out, T.K. felt a tap on his shoulder.

"I hope we can work together on this?" Kari inquired, with a hopeful expression on her face he noted.

There were many thoughts that went through his mind at that moment. He considered telling her that they were just going to get along for the course of this battle. Or that he'd work together with her just for the sake of the Digimon and for the Digital World and nothing else. But he remembered his conversation with Matt. There was something in him that desired to make it work. Not just their alliance, but also their friendship.

Somebody had to make a move, an effort, to restore their friendship. And Kari is trying. So perhaps he should try too. The fallout happened years ago. Maybe it was time to put the past behind. Maybe it was time to forgive and forget. Maybe they were all brought together for a reason. He had to take his own advice—the advice he'd given Matt—or else he'd be a hypocrite.

There was something in Kari's light brown eyes that he knew he lost sight of. Hope. It had been awhile since he'd seen it in someone else or himself. Let bygones be bygones. He highly doubted things would return to the way they once were, but he supposed he should try.

If he gave her the cold shoulder or said some insulting things, he wouldn't be better than the rest of them. He might even give her the satisfaction that he refused to give her long ago. He didn't want to give her the satisfaction knowing that she had hurt him. He wouldn't say she ruined his life, but she might've burnt out that hope he had burning inside of him. But he couldn't—he wouldn't let her know that's what she really did to him. He had to let her know that he was happy with his life…that her rejecting him was one of the best things that ever happened to him. He can't do that if he shuts her out.

Taking a deep breath, he gave her the response he knew she wanted to hear. "Yeah, Kari. I think we can."

Thank you again for reading and I hope you guys liked it! Please let me know your thoughts about it (or Tri or anything) in a review or a PM! :)