Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or have any association with those who do.

Having a lot of fun writing this. Just what I needed to get over my current bout of writer's block.

Flash Back

T.K. stared out of the computer lab window solemnly, everyone had headed home after a long trying venture to the digital world. All saying their goodbyes to T.K. with promises of keeping in touch and hopeful visits through the years.

Kari was staring at him as she picked up her bag, seeing the disappointment in his eyes. "Hey, sorry your last day with us didn't go so well."

T.K. sighed. "Eh. I just would have liked to spend more time with everyone. Getting split up like that was frustrating."

She smiled with a shrug. "Yeah."

T.K. straightened and reached down to grab his own backpack. "Ready?"

She nodded. "So, what day are you leaving again?" She felt anxious as she spoke the words, having been avoiding the topic since T.K. had announced it several weeks before. Ignoring it hadn't made it go away.

He stopped and stared at her, something obviously on his mind. He looked hesitant as he finally made eye contact with Kari. "I have the option to stay here with my dad if I really wanted."

She was surprised, he'd never mentioned that as an option before. "Oh?" she encouraged. Kari's heart beat quickened.

T.K. gauged her reaction carefully. "Would you want me to stay?"

Kari answered without thinking. "Of course!"

T.K. narrowed his eyes and looked away, she saw the hesitation in his expression, his mouth open slightly.

"T.K.?" she asked, frowning at the difficulty he was having talking to her. It'd always been so easy for them to talk to each other and now it seemed impossible.

T.K. inhaled slowly, regaining full eye contact with her—a look of determination in his eyes. "I…I…" he let out a deep breath, frustrated with himself. "I really care about you."

"I care about you too—"

"Not…" T.K. struggled with his words, looking at her apologetically for interrupting her. "Listen. I don't mean it like that. I mean I like you. I've liked you for a long time."

Kari stared at T.K. slightly confused. "What are you saying all of a sudden?" a laugh hiding her shaking lips.

"I'm saying I want more." T.K. let his pack slide off his shoulder. "Do you understand?"

Kari laughed lightly. "Don't joke."

"I'm not." He gave her a desperate look. "Tell me to stay."

Kari didn't know what to do. She'd never really thought about being with T.K.—she did care about him a lot. She enjoyed everything about him. They clicked just right. He was attractive and kind. She couldn't have really thought of anyone else who she got along with that well. But…

"T.K. you're moving to Hokkaido with your mom in a matter of days." Kari frowned at her friend. "Why now…?"

T.K. inhaled, straightening he pulled his pack back over his shoulder. "You're not going to tell me to stay." He didn't mean it as a question. An expression of hurt flickered across his face before he smiled at her.

"T.K. stop." She panicked. She hadn't tried to have feelings for him. She didn't know what she felt, put on the spot she didn't have an answer.

"Hey. It's fine." He walked up to her, smiling brightly. "I know it might be awkward knowing this now, I haven't said anything until now because I was afraid it would hurt our relationship…" he trailed off "…but don't let it. Please. I really value our friendship. I just…"

Kari felt tears stinging at her eyes. Did she feel the same as him? A part of her felt like she did, but was it a fleeting moment of being flattered?

"I just felt like I would regret not at least giving it a shot. You know?" he looked sadly at her as she avoided his eye contact.

Kari closed her eyes and nodded, unable to form words, her mind still whirling with conflicting thoughts. T.K. was one of her best friends. She hated when he told her he was leaving. It made her sick and irritable for weeks, even still she hated the idea. But did she have the right to ask him to stay, not knowing what she really felt for him?

Finally she snapped out of it, hearing T.K. slide the door to the classroom open. She whirled around at the sound, seeing him staring at her sadly. "…I'm sorry." was all she could muster. Sorry for what? Not feeling the same? Not asking him to stay? Not just explaining her uncertainty? Not knowing what she felt?

T.K. simply smiled at her weakly. "Don't be."

#

Kari looked up at Gatomon sadly as she finished her story. She could see the surprise in her large cat eyes, taking in everything she had explained. "I…" Kari covered her face with her hands and knelt down on her knees, weakly.

Gatomon ran to her side and grasped her arm caringly. "But, Kari, you've always cared about him."

She nodded, wiping tears from her eyes. "That night I laid awake in bed all night trying to decide if the feelings I had for T.K. were real or if I was just feeling guilty."

Gatomon tilted her head to the side. "Did you ever decide?"

Kari regained her composure. "I decided I'd talk to T.K.. Tell him what was going through my mind." She pursed her lips out of frustration. "T.K. and his mom had left the next morning."

Gatomon nodded in realization. "That's why you didn't come the digital world that next day?"

Kari sighed frustrated with herself, wiping the tears from her eyes angrily. "I realized then, once he was gone, once it was too late. I loved him."

Gatomon gave Kari a sympathetic grin. "I could have told you that."

Kari nodded, picking herself up off the ground. "He tried emailing me a month later. He sounded like his old self. He acted like that entire conversation had never even happened." Kari laughed. "I was afraid if I responded like nothing happened, we were both silently agreeing to forget it happened." Kari closed her eyes. "And I didn't know how to tell him I wanted to be with him after hurting him like I did… after letting him go. So I never emailed him back."

Gatomon gave Kari a confused expression. "You never told him how you felt?"

She shook her head. "I couldn't."

Gatomon frowned at her partner, obviously disgruntled by her cowardice. "You need to tell—"

"Heeey!" Davis' voice hollered from close by. "You guys alright in there?"

Gatomon wrinkled her nose. "Can't a cat have her privacy once in a while?"

Kari turned and took the opportunity to escape the barrage of frustration Gatomon was about to unleash—she already felt it, she didn't need her partner to reiterate it all for her.

#

T.K. stared angrily at the homework he needed to catch up on by Monday to be on the same lesson as everyone else. "I'm gonna be stuck in this apartment until Monday morning trying to get all this done."

Matt laughed at him as the doorbell rang, delivering them their much anticipated dinner. "That's what happens when you wait two weeks into the school year to transfer."

T.K. glared at Matt's back as he walked around the corner to answer the door. "Wasn't really that simple."

Matt walked back into the living room and plopped the pizza box on the table in front of the couch. "I know. Moving to France wasn't really an option for you."

T.K. tossed his homework onto the end table and eagerly opened the pizza box, using his fingers as a makeshift plate for his piece he carefully took a large bite. "Mmmmm…" he leaned back and gave Matt a thumbs up. "Nevermind. Let's live off pizza."

Matt raised an eyebrow at T.K. "Have you eaten anything today? Jeez."

T.K. shook his head, swallowing he shrugged. "I didn't have time today before I went to the school."

"What about the cafeteria at lunch?" Matt frowned.

T.K.'s eyes shifted away from Matt and he stuffed another large bite into his mouth. Standing he walked into the kitchen. "Want something to drink?"

"T.K." Matt said his name exasperatedly. "What's the matter? I thought you wanted to come back to Odaiba to be with your friends and now you're just avoiding them."

T.K. walked back in with two glasses of water. "No. It's not like that."

"Then tell me what it's like." He gave T.K. a skeptical glance as he leaned over to grab another piece of pizza.

T.K. took a drink of water and leaned back, grabbing his notebook and pencil from the end table. "Kari."

Matt stopped at the name and slowly turned to T.K. "Don't tell me."

T.K. didn't look up from his notebook as he responded. "The day before I left."

"You told her?" Matt gaped.

T.K. glared at Matt's surprised expression. "Don't give me that look."

Matt shrugged and turned away. "I just didn't think you…" a knock on the door interrupted their conversation. "Oh, it's Sora. She always knocks instead of ringing the bell so I know it's her."

T.K. shrugged. "I'll go to my room." He grabbed his books and shoved them under his arm, snagging another piece of pizza he walked towards his room.

"T.K.!" Sora greeted with her normally sweet tone. "How are you?"

T.K. smiled. "Good. You?"

Sora nodded. "Oh yeah. Busy with college."

Matt beamed with pride. "Sora's at the top of her class."

T.K. laughed. "Well at least one of you are doing well in school."

"Hey!" Matt growled.

Sora laughed. "It's good to have you back. We've missed you."

T.K. shoved his door open with his foot. "I've missed everyone too. I'll see you later. Homework." He turned and walked into his room, pressing the door closed with his elbow.

T.K. sighed with relief. Sora had saved him from an awkward conversation with Matt—for the time being anyway.

Thanks for reading. If anyone is concerned I won't be taking this to the Digital World. Don't worry. We'll get there.

Thank you for the reviews, they are appreciated.

If you'd like to support me and my original work, you can do so by checking out my book series by googling The Silent Ballad Series.