Hello!
I've had to play around with this chapter a few times because it hasn't felt right... maybe it's the pacing or I've just been staring at it TOO long. But I honestly just want to get past this part and move on with the story, so if you can bare with me, the next chapter is on it's way and should be much better. Sometimes these transitional sections really get me. I want every chapter to be considerably meaningful, but sometimes it just needs to be there to get from point A to point B.
Thank you in advance for any reviews and you can look forward to the next chapter very soon.
Kari shut the door to the fridge, glaring at the reflection of her brother behind her. She turned, trying to ignore him, taking a cup out of the cupboard.
Tai was leaning against the kitchen counter, his arms crossed, his eyes fixed on the floor. "We need to tell him."
Kari slammed her cup down on the counter, closing her eyes with frustration. It wasn't the first time he'd said those words, but now that T.K. was awake, it hit her differently. She ignored him, grabbing the bottle of juice she'd taken out, pouring it. She turned to put the juice back into the fridge when Tai spoke again, making her pause.
"Kari, if he doesn't know and something happens—"
She turned to face him, anger rising in her chest as she snapped at him. "He just woke up! He needs time. And we don't know…"
"We know we don't have time, Kari. Besides, we know enough." Tai kept his voice low, his eyes locking with hers. "It's not just his life on the line anymore. He needs to know."
Kari turned and put the juice away more aggressively than needed. "I'll tell him."
"When?" Tai pushed away from the counter, taking a step toward her. "Kari, what if he tries to do something to himself again—"
"We won't let him do that!" Kari turned on her heels and glared up at her brother with an intensity that even Tai wasn't accustomed to.
"There's never going to be a good time, Kari. You do realize that, right? He needs to know what you did and—" Tai stopped at the tears that suddenly welled in her eyes.
"He's going to be so angry." Kari's voice broke. "I don't know how to look him in the eyes and tell him what I…" she cleared her throat and looked away from Tai, closing her eyes. "I don't want to see that look on his face again."
Tai frowned. "What look?"
Kari hesitated. "Betrayed…"
Tai opened his mouth to respond but stopped and let out a deep breath instead. Closing his eyes, he pulled Kari into his arms. "Even so, there's nothing we can do about it now. Besides, I think he will understand, eventually…"
Kari tried to pull away from Tai, but his grip was too firm. "Tai…"
"He would have done the same thing if your roles were reversed." Tai released her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "But if he doesn't know…"
"I know…" Kari wiped her tears away. "I will, I'll tell him. Just…"
Tai pursed his lips and turned to walk out of the kitchen. "If you don't, I will."
Kari looked down as Tai left the kitchen. "T.K.…" Kari pressed her hand to her head, suddenly feeling lightheaded. It passed as quickly as it had come. She blinked twice. Suddenly she heard Matt's muffled voice yelling T.K.'s name. Her breath caught, her heart beating in her ears.
She heard Tai's voice. "Izzy?"
"There's nothing, not even a disturbance." Izzy called back.
Running out of the kitchen, she saw Tai opening the door to the bedroom. She attempted to shove past him, but he grabbed her arm, pulling her back so that Joe could run in ahead of her. Once Joe had passed, she stepped into the doorway.
Matt was supporting T.K., patting his face gently. "Hey…" he cursed under his breath. "Come on, T.K., hey…"
"What happened?" Kari's voice shook.
Joe kneeled in front of the brothers. "Matt?"
"I… I don't know. I…" Matt stuttered. "He said it was just a headache and then he lost consciousness out of nowhere."
"Okay." Joe took his stethoscope from around his neck. "Just calm down."
"He was fine and then suddenly…" Matt's voice broke.
"Quiet, please." Joe spoke firmly, pressing his stethoscope to T.K.'s chest, closing his eyes as he listened for a moment.
T.K. suddenly moaned, stirring. "Mmm…"
"T.K.?" Matt's voice trembled.
Joe shifted onto the bed beside T.K., taking his hand and feeling his pulse. "Hey, T.K., can you hear me?"
T.K. didn't respond, groaning lightly as he leaned his face into Matt's chest.
Joe spoke as calmly as possible, ignoring Matt's apprehensive expression. "Hey, it looks like you passed out, but you're alright. Can you look at me?"
T.K. murmured something incoherent before losing consciousness again.
After a few moments, Joe finished checking T.K.'s vitals. Leaning back, he looked up at Matt. "He's alright." He attempted a light smile to ease Matt's anxiety.
"But…" Matt looked at Joe skeptically.
"As far as I can tell, he's fine, physically at least. Listen, the strain he's been under for the past several months has, no doubt, taken a toll on him. He just needs more rest."
"Are you sure? What if it's…" Matt turned, and as if on cue, Izzy appeared behind Kari, his tablet in his hand.
Izzy didn't bother looking up from his tablet as he spoke calmly. "There's still nothing showing up on my end, Matt."
Matt let out a deep breath, allowing Joe to help him settle T.K. back in bed. Kari pulled away from Tai, trying to release his grasp. "Can you let go now?" Her voice was low, annoyed.
Tai gave her a look before releasing her.
As she walked up to the bed, Joe stepped back, allowing her to sit on the edge of the bed.
Matt looked down at her, his expression dark. He closed his eyes and stepped back toward the wall, leaning against it, lifting his face toward the ceiling, letting out an exhausted sigh.
#
T.K. opened his eyes. It took a few seconds to gather his thoughts, remembering he was in Izzy's apartment. It was dark now—quickly recalling he'd passed out while talking with Matt earlier. T.K. closed his eyes and allowed himself to relax. For once, he didn't remember having any dreams or nightmares. He dared to shift, surprised to find that nothing ached, and he didn't feel that overwhelming weakness that always followed him. When T.K. rolled over, it wasn't a surprise to find his brother in the chair across the room. Though it was surprising to see him passed out, and it was clear from his slumped position that it hadn't been intentional.
T.K. watched his brother's sleeping face for a long time, the most peaceful look he'd seen on his face since well before all this started. He was causing him so much pain. His chest tightened as his thoughts spiraled. He was only bringing his brother and all his friend's pain. No matter which direction he went, there was no right choice anymore.
Run.
Get away.
Leave.
Hide.
Run.
The word repeated in his head involuntarily.
Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. RUN!
"Shh…" A voice from the other side of the room halted his intrusive thoughts.
T.K. shifted, blinking away tears he didn't realize were sliding down his face. He looked up. "Sora…" his throat felt dry.
Sora smiled, a warm, comforting smile. "He hasn't gotten much sleep lately." Her voice was soft, barely audible as she turned, taking the blanket she'd had hanging over her arm and gently laying it over Matt's slumped form.
T.K. rolled back onto his back, biting his lip to fight back more tears, laying his arm over his eyes.
He felt the edge of the bed shifting beside him and Sora's hand resting on his shoulder. "Do you need anything?" she whispered gently.
He shook his head, refusing to move his arm, hot tears sliding from the corners of his eyes. "No…" he whispered shakily.
Her calm voice soothed him. "Alright. I'll be right here if you need anything." No pressure, no hint of worry or anger in her voice. A gentle squeeze to his shoulder and he felt her step away from the bed to go sit near Matt.
#
Matt opened his eyes, the first light of the morning dimly lighting up the room. He blinked a few times, trying to refocus his vision. Matt jolted up as he suddenly remembered where he was, panicked. He'd fallen asleep—how could he have allowed himself to do that? Stupid. He stopping he realized a blanket fell to his feet.
"He woke up around midnight last night, but he fell back to sleep pretty quickly." Sora's voice cut through his panic. She was sitting on the floor beside his chair, leaning against the wall under the window.
He relaxed and dropped back down to his chair, burying his face in his hands. "Thank you…" he whispered. "I can't believe I fell asleep."
She didn't respond right away, keeping her gaze on T.K.'s sleeping form on the bed. "Matt, you can't keep this up. You need to take care of yourself, too. You're no good to T.K. worn out and exhausted."
Matt leaned back, propping his head up tiredly with one hand. "I know, Sora… but I just feel like if I even blink for too long, he's just going to vanish." His voice was hushed, but the strain was clear.
Sora finally looked away from T.K. and peered up at Matt's exhausted features. "Matt…" she reached her hand toward his face, caressing the back of his hand gently. "We're going to save him."
Matt closed his eyes, moving his hand so that he was pressing her palm to his cheek. "I don't know what I'd do if he really…"
Sora's heart ached as she felt tears run down between her fingers. "Shh…" she shifted herself up onto her knees and faced Matt, taking his face with both her hands, and pressing her forehead to his. "Shh…"
Matt lifted his face, their eyes meeting. "Sora, I…" The images of T.K.'s lifeless body flashed through his mind. "I really thought I lost him, and I can't…" his voice broke. "…not again."
"I know, Matt." She breathed, holding his face firmly. "I know…"
Matt pulled away gently, looking up at the ceiling, trying to blink away the tears in his eyes. "Mmmm…" he leaned back, wiping the loose tears from his face.
Sora looked down at their hands, squeezing his tightly. "Don't forget we're all here for him, too. It's not just on you to keep him safe."
Matt straightened in his chair. Leaning down, he pressed his lips to her forehead softly. "You're right. I'm sorry. Thank you."
They both turned to look at T.K., seeing his chest rise and fall evenly.
"Well," Matt sighed. "I'm awake, so now you can get some rest. Thank you for looking after him while I was asleep."
Sora hesitated. "I think we should all talk before T.K. wakes up."
Matt frowned. "I don't want to leave him alone."
"I know you're worried about him, but we have to tell him sooner than later, and I think it would be smart for us all to agree on… how." Sora gave him a worried look.
Matt looked past Sora at his brother worriedly. "Can't we just…"
"Matt." Sora stood, drawing Matt's attention back to her, looking him in the eyes. "I know what you're worried about. But we can't keep it from him forever. Even if he's angry, even if he lashes out again, we need to get it out of the way so we can start building his trust."
Matt closed his eyes, defeated.
#
Cody had one elbow resting on the table, propping his head up as he tiredly stirred the steaming coffee in front of him. The creamer had long been mixed in, but he was clearly lost in thought as he swirled the hot liquid. Everyone was either still asleep or groggily lounging around the living room space, trying to be awake. Aside from Izzy and Joe, that was. Though at this point Cody couldn't remember if he'd seen Izzy take more than a 3-hour nap, so he was pretty sure he was running on empty.
Joe walked over, the sound of the chair scooting across the tile floor making Cody look up, pulling him from his mind. "Mm. Good morning." He acknowledged softly.
Joe smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. He was as tired as everyone else. None of them had left Izzy's apartment since bringing T.K. back either, except for Mimi, who had gathered belongings for everyone and gone shopping—even though they all knew she was only doing it to keep herself busy as to not go stir crazy or nag at Izzy to rest more.
"How're you sleeping?" Joe asked lightly, taking a sip of his coffee while scrolling through his phone.
Cody let out a breath before answering. "No better than anyone else."
Joe made a grunt, acknowledging Cody's answer. "That's fair." He was wearing jeans and a white button-up shirt, the sleeves rolled partway up his arms, wrinkled, and obviously slept in.
Mimi walked down the hall, rounding into the living room as softly as she could. She was obviously trying not to wake Davis and Ken, who were asleep on the floor beside the couches. Or disturb a groggy Tai lying in an uncomfortable position on the couch beside his sister, who was asleep leaning against her brother.
She sighed at them, shaking her head before walking up behind Izzy. After a moment of watching him work, she reached out and gripped his shoulders tightly, leaning forward and whispered something to him.
Cody watched as Izzy tensed and then slumped, shaking his head before murmuring something to Mimi he couldn't quite make out.
"I'll go make breakfast then…" she shrugged, putting her hands up in the air, exasperated. As she walked by Cody and Joe at the table, he heard her mumbling to herself. "You're going to pass out eventually if you don't rest, you big dummy."
Cody sighed softly, looking back down at his coffee. He could feel everyone's stress reverberating around the room, like the suffocating walls of the invisible barrier keeping them safe was bound to burst from the tension that seemed to rise at each passing second.
"Cody?" Joe said his name, his voice raised just slightly.
"Hm?" Cody straightened and looked up at Joe, blinking.
"I asked if you could pass the sugar." Joe looked at him worriedly.
"Oh. Sorry." Cody quickly grabbed the cup of sugar and started passing it to Joe, seeing the concern hadn't left his expression.
"Thanks…" Joe took the cup, but set it down on the table instead of putting any in his cup of coffee. "Hey, it's going to be alright. We're going to get through this." His gaze glanced toward the bedroom door where they knew T.K. was. "All of us."
Cody attempted to give Joe a reassuring smile, but he could tell from the expression on Joe's face that he wasn't convinced.
"This is hard for you, isn't it?" Joe's voice lowered, not that it seemed anyone was listening. The only other sound was Mimi quietly prepping to make breakfast in the kitchen and Izzy's occasional tapping on his keyboard.
Cody closed his eyes. The feelings of regret and guilt were weighing on his shoulders. "So? It's not like it's any easier for you or any of the others. Besides, T.K.'s really the one…"
Cody looked up at the sound of the bedroom door directly across the room from where he sat open. Matt and Sora slipped out, closing the door gently behind themselves, clearly not wanting to wake T.K.
Cody couldn't help feeling tense—this was the first time since anyone had left T.K. alone since—he forced the images of blood smeared across the floor of Gennai's house out of his head, forcing his voice to be as even as possible. "Is he awake?" He asked, ignoring that everyone that was awake looked his direction.
Matt shook his head tiredly. He looked like he'd just woken up himself.
Sora saw the concern in not only Cody's expression, but he assumed Tai's and Izzy's as well. "He's still asleep…" her voice sounded more exhausted than Matt looked.
Tai shifted on the couch, straightening, which made Kari open her eyes—she pulled away from Tai and sat up, clearly having unintentionally fallen asleep on her brother whom she was still at odds with. "Do you want me to go sit with him?" She asked groggily.
Sora shook her head. "No, not yet… we need to talk. All of us." As she spoke, she scanned the entire room, clearly counting the occupants. "Where are Yolei and Mimi?"
Mimi popped up behind Cody, almost startling him. "I'm here. Yolei's asleep. Want me to go wake her?"
"I'll go get her." Sora smiled softly and disappeared down the hallway.
Matt eyed the sleeping boys on the floor in front of the couch.
Tai leaned down and pressed his hand to Davis's leg to shake him awake. "Hey…"
Davis pushed himself up quickly, looking around a bit dazed. "Did something happen?"
"Sorry." Tai straightened. "Nothing happened. We just…" he looked up at Matt, who was leaning against the bedroom door, eyes glued to the floor.
Davis followed Tai's gaze. "Did you tell him?" Ken was sitting up now, looking at Matt worriedly.
Matt closed his eyes, exhaling. "No. That's what we need to talk about." He clearly wasn't thrilled about the conversation at hand, and it didn't seem like he was the one who wanted to have it.
Cody looked up just then to see Yolei walking out with Sora, tired, but she had clearly gotten some rest. "Any coffee left?" She nodded toward Cody's cup.
"Yeah, in the kitchen." He pursed his lips as she silently walked by him.
#
T.K. hadn't realized he'd fallen back to sleep until he opened his eyes and saw the first light of sunrise shining into the room. His eyes immediately fell to the chair where Matt had been before, empty. He pushed himself up, glancing around the room—alone.
He let out a deep breath, this whole ordeal was overwhelming. He leaned forward, running his hands over his face tiredly, resting his forehead against his clasped hands, staring blankly at the plain white blanket over his legs. This was the first calm moment he'd had to himself in so long and he couldn't even relax. Instead, his thoughts were whirling around all his friends who he'd spent the past few months ostracizing, sitting in the next room trying to keep him from getting himself killed. They said they're safe, but they'd said it before too. No where felt safe, not anymore. It was only a matter of time. He was resigned—whether by his own hand or Wisemon's, he was as good as dead.
T.K. winced violently, his eyes snapping shut, grabbing the side of his head as the sound of metal scraping across concrete shrieked across his mind, so amplified he wasn't sure he could still hear anything over the residual ringing that followed. After a few seconds the ringing faded, and he was left in almost deafening silence, it was stale and reminded him of all the times Wisemon had stalked him in the real world before. A sound from outside the room snapped everything back into clarity. He blinked a few times before he was able to regain his composure.
Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, T.K. tested his strength gingerly before putting full weight on his legs. After a moment he pushed himself into a standing position, finding the strength to stand without weakness or pain. He straightened his white t-shirt and smoothed out his dark grey shorts. Taking a couple of steps, close to the bed for support, he made his way around it.
At the foot of the bed he stopped, noticing a large mirror hanging on the bedroom wall—he hadn't looked at himself in weeks. He didn't look as different as he felt, but there were some noticeable things, the large cut on the side of his forehead and the seemingly permanent look of exhaustion plastered to his face. He didn't look unhealthy, but he could see the toll all this was taking on him.
T.K. looked at the door suddenly, hearing a hushed argument coming from the other side. T.K. couldn't discern what was being said, but he could tell from the tone in Matt's voice that it wasn't good. He hesitated. There was no doubt that he was the topic at hand. He didn't know if he wanted to hear what they were saying. Closing his eyes he inhaled and exhaled slowly, trying to quell the anxiety building in his chest. He opened his eyes, still uncertain, walking forward he left the support of the bed and made his way toward the closed door. The hushed conversation grew more heated as he drew closer. He leaned against the wall beside the door and closed his eyes, listening to their conversation.
Next Chapter should be out soon, please leave a review!