My Dear Brother
By: Gomamon

Disclaimer: If I get a nickel for not owning digimon, I would be 5 cents richer at this moment.

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"Wonderful! We destroyed all the control spires in this area!" Cody congratulated his friends' efforts while watching the dark towers diminished.

Davis rubbed his stomach and moaned, "Can we go home and eat now?"

"You are such a pig, Davis!" Yolei laughed cheerfully as she placed a friendly pat on Davis' shoulder. "Who wants to drop by at my house for dinner? My mom makes the most delicious sushi!"

"Then let's go home and chow down!" Davis exclaimed as he raised his digivice to the tiny squared digiport.

Kari coughed.

Gatomon asked her partner with concern, "Are you okay, Kari? You are pale like a Bakemon!"

Kari smiled weakly, "I am okay, silly. I am okay."

Kari coughed again.

"Are you sure?" TK questioned in a raised tone, he sensed something is wrong with his friend. "You don't sound alright."

Davis chimed into TK's remark, "Yeah! We don't have to go to Yolei's house for dinner if you don't want to."

Kari didn't give a reply to either of the two boys. She continued coughing for the third consecutive time.

Gatomon yelled with a slight degree of panic, "I think there might be something wrong with Kari!"

"We should get a doctor, I'll e-mail Joe," said Yolei.

Kari coughed, this time she winced in pain.

"Quick!" Davis nervously commanded his purple haired comrade, "Kari may not be able to handle this any longer!"

"What is going on?" Cody is weakly maintaining his calm composure. It hurted him to see a friend suffer, even if he didn't know Kari very well.

TK snapped, "Asthma! Kari has asthma! I remembered she fainted at the digital world when we were fighting Machinedramon a few years ago."

"Asthma? That's really serious!" Yolei looked up at Kari briefly before returning her focus to the device, "I better add that to Joe through the e-mail."

"GK! Why didn't you tell us earlier!? If anything happens to Kari, I swear I will...argh!" Davis rashly threatened TK with a gripped fist.

The blonde teen barely mumbled, "I didn't know..."

Kari coughed for the fifth time.

"What is asthma anyway!?" Patamon asked, even with his heavy ignorance, he knows something is wrong.

Cody explained briefly, "Deadly. It might take Kari's life away."

"It's all TQ's fault!" Davis blamed.

"My name's TK! How would you feel if I call you Dipsy or Daisy, huh?" TK couldn't contain his childish anger at Davis. But he wished he could immediately take the comment back.

"Stop arguing!" Gatomon scolded, "Arguing is the last thing we want in an occasion like this!"

"Joe says he is coming." Yolei announced. With a quick pause, she added, "Do I need to e-mail anyone else?"

"Tai..." Kari used all her energy to mutter one word before fainting into blinding darkness.

---

Am I dead yet?

Everything here seems so dark, so grayish, so gloomy...as if I don't exist anymore.

At times like this, Brother Tai would always come and safe me. Tai, where are you?

I remembered at the first day of kindergarten, I had a high fever and was required to stay home. I was upset that I couldn't go to school. Mom and Dad were at work, and I was instructed to watch TV before Tai came back from home.

The clock hand struck three when Tai returned home. He had such an enthusiastic look on his face. He proudly announced that he was accepted to the soccer team and really wanted to practice with the other kids after school. But no, he refused to stay for the practice.

He needed to check if I was okay.

But Tai isn't the type of person who would stay home and relax. He had the passion that I admired and the energy that I lacked. I remembered him gently taking me to the park for some fresh air. He taught me how to play soccer there.

Hic. It was getting more and more difficult to breathe every step I take. It must be the asthma. But I can't tell Tai, he would have been so disappointed with me. So I followed him to the park in content while trying to manage to keep my breathing in delicate control.

Tai was teaching me how to play soccer, but I couldn't pay any attention to his fancy footsteps. Every time I try to glance at Tai, my breathing would abruptly stop. I am such a failure! Tai kicked a soccer ball at me, but I couldn't kick it, I was too weak...

But he never yelled at me, he never does. He only grinned at me and told me that I was the only sister he had.

Then the next thing I know, I was in the hospital. I heard Mother scolding Tai from a distance away. My heart felt sore at that moment, I wanted to tell Mother what had happened. Tai wasn't trying to hurt me! He was only trying to make me happy! Please don't yell at him, Mother! Please don't yell at my brother!

My asthma was getting better for the next few years. The next time I went to the hospital was during Grade 1. I remembered the beautiful sun shining its warm beams at my skin. There was a gentle breeze brushing across my hair like a hand. I liked this type of weather.

As usual, Tai walked me back to home from school. When I asked him if he missed soccer practice because he had to walk me home, he only told me that I was more important than soccer.

The sunshine only beamed brighter and the wind only grew more pleasant. I don't know why, but it made me feel a warm gushy feeling in my heart when I heard his answer. I asked him what that feeling is, he told me it was love.

Usually, we have to cross a street before arriving home. Tai always held me my hand when we were walking across the street. He was always afraid of losing me.

But that day, I bravely asked him if I could walk across the street by myself. Please Tai, I'm old enough! I promise to look both sides before walking! He didn't agree at first, but I eventually convinced him. It made me felt important to prove to Tai that I was strong.

I let go of Tai's hand and quickly dashed through the road without caution. Suddenly I saw a huge white truck moving quickly towards me. At that moment, the sun stopped shining and the wind stopped blowing.

I don't know what happened to me back then. But I couldn't feel my leg because it was wrapped under layers and layers. I remembered my mother crying beside me and she was scolding Tai furiously. After this accident, my mother picked me up from school instead of Tai, and we didn't talk to each other as much as we used to.

One year after the car accident, Mom suggested we should go to summer camp. I caught the flu and was forced to stay home all alone. I really missed my brother during that time.

However, it wasn't for long when he came back. He said that he had traveled through a vortex or something to the digital world and met some funny creatures called digimon. Although it was just one hour later when he returned home, he told me that he had been in the digital world for a long time. It sounded so bizarre, but I believed Tai. I always did.

During that hour, he cooked me a delicious meal. It astonished me how much of a better cook he became in just one hour.

Tai also brought back a very cute visitor when he came back. His name was Koromon and he looked so oddly familiar, like somebody I've met in a dream before.

Not much time passed before Tai received a message from his friend Izzy through the computer. I didn't know the exact details, but Tai didn't have the confident and joyful look on his face. He was forced to go back to the digital world.

"I want to go too." I had told him. But no, he didn't let me. He didn't want me to go through all the risks and all the danger. I didn't want to see my big brother go again.

But it was just another hour later when he came back. Once again, he explained that the time in the digital world is different than the time in earth. He also mentioned something about the search for an eighth digi-destiend.

But the eighth digi-destiend was before their eyes for a long time, it was me and Gatomon, who used to be Myotismon's slave. And after we had destroyed Venomyotismon, someone explained that we had to go back to the digital world because there was something wrong.

Tai didn't want me to go, but I wanted to prove to Tai that I am strong.

In this journey I've met a whole company of friends, but I also have to watch through dreadful losses and violent battles. But for some strange reason, I was not afraid. I had faith that Tai will protect me always.

After we defeated one of the Dark Masters, MetalSeadramon, Matt and Tai were wrapped into an argument about the deaths of the innocent digimon. I actually secretly agreed with Matt's point of view, but I had never saw Tai so angry before. It was a side of Tai I never saw before. I've always thought he was caring and polite, but that is only because I was his little sister.

When we were fighting Machinedramon, I had asthma again. Tai and Izzy were hunting for medicine while I stayed with Sora and TK in some abandoned building. I didn't know that Tai was so worried about me until Izzy mentioned it. He stated to me that he wished he had a loving brother like Tai who would do anything to give the best to his sibling. It was then I found out Izzy was adopted.

After defeating Piedmon and Apocloymon, I was in joy that the digital world is restored, but I felt miserable that I had to say goodbye to Gatomon. I had built a strong connection with Gatomon despite the short time we've spent with each other. It was painful to lose a loved one. I never wanted to go through another loss again...

Two years after leaving the digital world, I was struck again with another case of asthma. I think Tai was in the middle of a soccer game, but he left the game immediately when he heard the news.

I was okay, but the doctor stressed that I was very close to death that time. I began to cry uncontrollably, I didn't want to be scared of dying every second of my life! Why does everything bad always happen to me? Why can't I be strong and healthy like everyone else!?

Mother blamed Tai for not taking better care of me, she actually forced him quit soccer team because it was distracting him as a duty of being a brother. Tai shrugged it off with a smile, but I knew it was hurting inside.

I knew Tai went through a lot of punishment just for being struck with me as a little sister. I had said sorry to him once, but he refused the apology. He said that he should be the person saying sorry, he felt he didn't do a responsible job of being an older brother.

One time, I saw a lonely single tear trickle down from Tai's eyes when he was watching the World Cup. Of course, he wiped it off and denied such a tear when I questioned it. Brother, I know you had aspirations to become a soccer star, I know exactly how much soccer meant to you in your life. You were going to be a soccer star, but you had to give up all your dreams because of me. I'm sorry! I'm sorry!

Half a year ago, Tai had to remove his tonsils. He said he had never been in an operation before, and he admitted to feeling a bit scared. I stayed with him at the hospital through the whole operation, even when he told me to go home and study. But I had to stay and watch over Tai, after all, he had been watching me for all his life.

I could never let my brother down, especially when he needed me the most. He never let me down when I was in danger. There was no doubt I would do the same for him because I love him to death.

He is my brother, Tai.

---

TK's voice chirped with delight as Kari's eyes slowly opened, "Kari! You are awake!"

"I knew you would wake up!" Davis exclaimed in a cheerful glee.

Yolei laughed and held a tight grip on Kari's hand, "You go, girl!"

"You would never let us down," Cody added in satisfaction. He was relieved to see Kari awake again.

"Don't get too worked up on Kari, she needs plenty of rest." Joe warned in response.

Kari smiled as she looked around at all of her friends. She was happy to see all of them, but...

"Kari..."

Kari's head immediately turned to the husky voice she recognized. Her smile shimmered across her face when she saw the big haired teenager leaning over her bed.

"I was so afraid that I would lose you! I was so afraid that you would leave me." Tai was misty eyed as he embraced his sister in a warm hug. He didn't want to let her go.

Joyous tears formed in Kari's eyes, "Don't worry, Tai. As long as I'm living, I will always be your sister."

"And I will always be your brother, your good ol' brother." Tai hugged Kari even tighter.

Kari can feel it, there was a gushy kind of feeling in her heart. It was love.

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Author's Notes

Have you said "I love you" to your sibling today yet?