DISCLAIMER: For the last time, I said all this stuff in Chapter One!!! I don't own Digimon, KatGrrl owns Katina and Havamon, and I own Kacie and Cabaiyomon! And, oh yeah, I own all of Kacie's household as well. Her family and the maid.
Authoress's Notes: Recap: Ferodramon defeated. Katina and Kacie find out they're long-lost best friends. I'll shut up now.
At the dinner table, the two girls explained what had gone on for them to finally put it together.
"I thought you were literally Izzy's sister, Kat. That's why I never thought anything of it, even if you did look somewhat familiar and had the same nickname as before. Izzy simply introduced you as 'Kat' and I assumed it was spelled with a 'C'...although I thought it was an odd coincidence..."
"Well, I never knew you left Arkansas, so when you said your home was Chicago...and you never talked of your family. You were all really close when I knew you before." Suddenly Katina blushed, realizing she had put her old friend on the spot.
"Kat...early last summer...Alaina died in a car wreck."
Katina remembered her friend's impressive older sister. "Oh, Foxx, I'm so sorry..."
"It's okay."
Mrs. Izumi tried changing the subject so as not to upset their guest. "Why does she call you 'Foxx', Kacie-san?"
"Oh! That!" Kacie said. She laughed a little. "When we met I thought Kat was lucky because she could have a nickname from her name that was an animal name. She said the first thing that had popped into her head when she saw my hair was that it was the color of a fox's fur, so she started calling me Foxx--double 'x' on the end, just for fun."
Katina smiled with the memory. "And I called you that so much, I almost forgot you had any other name. When you said you were Kacie, I didn't think anything of it."
"Until today."
"Yup!"
Izzy laughed. Katina had never been this talkative, even when they had met before, unless there was no one else around. Kacie--or rather, *Foxx*, was bringing out some of her old self.
Suddenly something hit Kacie. "Hey! Kat, what *did* happen that you live with Izzy and his family now?"
"Uhh...well, a while after we moved away from Arkansas, Mommacita and Papa just left Jules and I...after a couple of foster homes, Mom's old friend, Mrs. Hatek, took us in. That was only a few months ago...and Jules...well, Jules was Jules. I couldn't take it anymore, and when I asked Izzy if he knew of a cheap place to stay, he offered for me to come live here."
Kacie nodded. ~Poor Kat. But she seems to be happy here. Really happy.~
"This is all so intriguing!" Mrs. Izumi said. "Who ever would have guessed that you two would be reunited like this?" she smiled.
After dinner, Kacie, Izzy, and Katina sat on the floor of Izzy's room. Kacie booted up her laptop and brought up the program.
"Okay, Izzy, I need your address, and at least one other place where I can appear without causing a riot."
Izzy told her his address and used his computer's GPS to pinpoint a location in the nearby park. She typed in both and showed Izzy how she put them into the program. Under "Shortcuts" there were now two things. One said "Kat and Izzy's Place" and the other said "Tokyo Park".
"Prodigious!" Izzy grinned.
Kacie then entered her own address in the "Address" box, and her name, Cabaiyomon's name, and "duffel" in the "Items to Send" box.
"Now to see if it works..." she reached over and hugged Katina. "I'll come every day I can, after school, and Saturdays, okay?"
"Every day," Katina smiled.
"Come on, Cabaiyo..." The small digimon hopped into her arms. Kacie sighed. "Now I just have to explain to my parents where I disappeared to all the time I was in Tokyo...whoa boy..."
"Good luck," Katina said.
"I'll need it. Bye, Kat, bye, Izzy!"
She reached down to her laptop and tapped the button that clicked the mouse.
And she was gone. Vanished. Disappeared. No lights, no effects, just...gone.
Katina looked at Izzy. "That was abrupt..." she said.
He nodded. "But cool!"
Kacie materialized right in front of her door, fifteen floors up in the apartment building, Cabaiyomon in her lap, bag beside her, and laptop in front of her.
"Whoa. That's...weird."
"At least it wasn't a rough ride," Cabaiyomon reminded her cheerfully.
Kacie put her laptop in her bag, and then opened the door. ~Here goes everything...~
Her house/apartment was really a home built into the top two floors of the apartment building. Her father owned the building and rented out the rest of it, as well as being a businessman.
"Marta?" she called in a low tone. She winced as she heard a dish crash to the floor.
"Kacie? Kacie, is that you?"
"Marta!"
An older woman, stocky in build and short of stature, wearing a black-and-white maid's uniform, entered the hallway. "Kacie Kerrianne Juliet Kensingten, where have you been?"
~It's so nice to be home!~ "Marta, Marta, can it wait until tomorrow morning? Right now I just want to spend an hour or two in the tub with a book, and then get some much-needed sleep..."
"What is that?" The maid pointed to Cabaiyomon.
Kacie looked down. "This is Cabaiyomon. I'll explain her tomorrow as well. She talks and moves on her own, and she's not a pet. She's a friend."
"Hello!" Cabaiyomon greeted her cheerfully.
"Dear Lord, you weren't kidding..." The woman bent over the creature, staring at her, gingerly reaching out fingertips to touch her mane.
"You can call me Cabaiyo. Kacie does. And I won't bite unless I find out you're an evil digimon."
The woman shrank back. She didn't know what to make of the creature. "A what?"
"Marta, please, tell my parents I'm home and I will explain to all three of you tomorrow..."
Marta stood. "I will get your bath started and give your parents your message. You *are* too exhausted to do *anything* tonight?"
Kacie nodded. "You're a doll, Marta. I'd hug you, but then you'd understand why I desperately want that bath."
The woman nodded and turned to do what she got paid to do.
The next morning Kacie awoke in her own bed and hardly knew where she was. ~What is all this stuff on top of me?~ She pushed some of it off, and realized that it was sheets and her blanket.
"Cabaiyo?"
The small digimon was curled up against her stomach. She crawled out from under the blankets, yawned, and opened her eyes. "So that's what a bed feels like," she said.
Kacie smiled and hugged her digimon. "I'm so glad you're here!" she said.
"Why? I never left you, Kacie..."
"Oh, but your being here now proves it wasn't all a dream!"
There was a knock at the door to Kacie's "parlor". "Who is it?" she called
"Marta!"
"Come on in!"
Marta came through the empty room and entered the bedroom. "Get up and get dressed. Tell me what you want, and what your friend eats, and I'll bring you both breakfast."
"When do my parents want to see me?"
"As soon as possible. Your father won't be leaving for work until you have explained yourself."
"Bring us each a bowl of cereal...Cabaiyo doesn't need a spoon."
Marta just nodded and left.
Cabaiyo sat on the bed while Kacie got dressed in her bathroom. By the time Kacie had combed all the snarls from her long hair, Marta had returned and her digimon was eating the "strange new food". ~I should have done my hair last night!~ she reminded herself.
Kacie ate hurriedly, emptied her duffel and Cabaiyomon crawled in.
She walked slowly down the hall to her parent's private dining room.
She entered. Marta was already there, standing next to the door that led to a shortcut to the kitchen. ~Good. Now I won't have to repeat it all for her.~
Her parents were at the table, her father at the head and her mother to his left, her back to the door Kacie had come in through. Her father was in a gray suit and burgundy tie, and her mother was dressed for company.
Her father stood up. "Kacie, where were you? I had a private detective combing all of Chicago last night--"
"Father, please. Am I not here to explain myself?"
"Well, start, then," he ordered, lowering himself to his chair.
"Only if you promise not to interrupt--no matter how outrageous it sounds."
Her parents nodded their consent, and she spilled the whole story, skipping minor details here and there concerning her feelings towards Matt. And when she was finished, she just stopped. "Well, that's everything."
Her parents looked at her.
There was a moment of silence.
Her father stood again. "Kacie Kerrianne Juliet Kensingten, that is the most ridiculous story I ever heard."
~How many times do I have to listen to people say my entire name before this is over?~ "Even if I could prove it?"
"You can't," he challenged. Mistake number one.
Kacie smirked. She set her bag on the table, tipped it over, and unzipped it. Out tumbled Cabaiyomon.
"Hello!"
Kacie's mother dropped her fork onto her plate. Her father stared. Kacie had described Cabaiyomon in telling her story, but the fact that she would be there, then, had not clicked in either of the elder Kensingten's minds.
"Proof enough?" she asked. "Father, Mother, meet Cabaiyomon. Cabaiyo, these are my parents."
"Please to meet you, parents," Cabaiyomon said cheerfully.
Kacie's father sat down in shock. "Well...Kacie, I--don't know what to say--"
"Don't say anything. You can't go telling people about this, you know. I just want you to know that if I should disappear for lengths of time, I'm in Tokyo. I'll never know when I'll be called to go to the DigiWorld."
Her father was flustered. Kacie enjoyed seeing him in a state she could not recall ever seeing him in before. "Well--Kacie--if this is--is your--destiny--then--we have no right to--to stop you. If you have to save our world--well, then you can--can be gone--as long as you need."
"Wait a minute," her mother said. "Tokyo?"
"All the rest of the DigiDestined live in Tokyo. Including Kat. When I go to the DigiWorld no time passes. Didn't I explain all this to you?"
"You did, but why do you--"
"Mother. They're my friends. I hope to go every day after school to see Kat and all my new friends."
Her mother sighed. "Fine. Go--just go do whatever you want. Gallivant all over a foreign country. Just don't do anything stupid."
"Mo-ther!"
"I suppose that since this is Saturday, you'll be going today?" her mother pressed.
"Well..."
Her father stood once more. "Kacie, go whenever you need to. I wouldn't want anything to happen that could destroy the world, or the Internet. Go have fun with your friends. It seems to me that you do not have many--"
Kacie blinked. "Is that all you care about? The Internet? What about the Digimon? Look, Father, I'm going to do my duty, but the Internet--which, as I recall, you desperately need to keep your business going--is the least of my worries." Kacie picked up Cabaiyomon and spun on her heel, leaving the room.
Kacie took Cabaiyomon and her laptop to the park, well-hidden in her duffel. She went to a less-ventured-into corner and got its coordinates into her portal program. "Home Park" became the shortcut.
"Why are we coming here?" Cabaiyomon asked her.
"This way, my parents will think that I need to leave the house to use it, when, in fact, that's not true at all. So if they should ever say no, I can just lock myself in my room and go anyway. But only if it was a digital emergency."
Cabaiyomon nodded as Kacie brought up the Internet and quickly found Izzy to be online. They had exchanged all online contact information while in the DigiWorld, and put each other on each other's buddy lists. She started an instant message.
CityGal14: Yo! Izzy! You there?
wIZard15: Kacie? Yes, I am, obviously.
CityGal14: Yup! It's me! Cool! Got any plans 4 2day?
wIZard15: Well, Tai called and thought that we could all get together in the park and play soccer.
CityGal14: Well, I don't (have plans, I mean)...I thought I might test my portal, though...
wIZard15: Come on over, then! Hey, do you play soccer?
CityGal14: Nooo...but I'm a fast learner and anything is better than home...
wIZard15: OK then. When do you plan to leave?
CityGal14: Umm...within the next 5 mins. works 4 me...
wIZard15: OK. See you in a few. Bye!
The instant message cut off and Kacie clicked on her shortcut that took her to the park.
And suddenly, they were there. No ceremony, no wild ride, just...there.
She zipped Cabaiyomon in her bag along with her laptop and then went and sat on a park bench to wait.
Izzy and Katina were first to arrive.
"Kat!" Kacie hugged her friend.
"Foxx!"
Izzy laughed. "Kat, I haven't seen you quite like this since we were little!"
"I haven't been quite like this since I last saw Foxx!" she smiled.
The others arrived as the minutes passed. Sora, Tai and Kari were together, Matt and T.K., and then Joe, and finally Mimi.
They found a large grassy area where there weren't any picnickers. Kacie took off her jean jacket and tied it around her waist by the sleeves. She was immediately taught the basic rules of soccer. At first she found it hard to not use her hands, but she caught on to the gist of it pretty quickly.
Kacie could not help noticing Matt again. He was pretty good, as far as she could tell. Of course, she had to admit, Sora and Tai seemed to be the resident experts, but Matt looked better doing it. ~He'd look better than Tai doing anything!~
After the game, Kacie went with Katina and Izzy to their apartment.
She hung out with Katina, catching up on the past five years of "girl stuff" they'd missed sharing, and Izzy spent the time with his laptop.
That evening, Kacie was back in Chicago for dinner, and she had to admit she'd missed Marta's cooking. She sat on her bed to eat, and Marta stayed to keep her company.
"How did your day go?" Marta asked.
"It was a blast! Soccer is more fun than I'd thought. I don't think I'll ever be that good at it, though. I'll leave that to my friends." She shrugged.
Marta smiled. "So just exactly what are your new friends like?"
Kacie was grateful for the woman, and her endeavors to treat her like real family. She had come to think of Marta as her "mom", while Mrs. Kensingten was now just her "mother". She wished her mother would've asked such questions of her--and her mother might have, had Alaina still been alive.
"Oh, Marta, they're wonderful!" Kacie gushed. "There's Kat, of course, you remember her. She hasn't changed a bit, except she talks a little bit less than she did, especially when there's a group around--"
"You mean it's actually possible to talk *less* than she did before?"
"Oh, Marta, don't be silly. And then there's Izzy--she lives with him and his family. Her parents left, and she and Jules were with one of her mom's friends, but she didn't like it there, so Izzy offered to let her stay with his family. Izzy's cool, he's a computer expert--"
"How old is he?"
"A little bit older than Kat. Almost fifteen--no, just turned fifteen. And then there's Joe, he's studying to be a doctor. He's the oldest of the group, seventeen, I think. He has these glasses that are always sliding down. It's funny. And Mimi--well--she's a ditz. She's into clothes and fashion and such. She's fifteen also, she'll be sixteen in a few months, but she acts twelve. Weird obsession with the color pink--"
"You should talk, Miss Purple," Marta teased.
Kacie glanced around her room. Purple wallpaper, purple carpeting. White furniture. "At least I *wear* other colors."
"True. Go on."
"Then Tai--I guess I should have said him first, because he's the leader. He's fifteen--halfway to sixteen. Me and him--well--we're civil. That's about as close as it gets. He ignored me at first, and now he understands that I'm part of the team, too. I understand that he's a major pain *but* he was destined to be the leader, so I have to get along with him. I tied his shoelaces together in the middle of the night and got away with it." Kacie said the last sentence as if it was a point of pride, and grinned evilly.
"Kacie..."
"He deserved it. He thought I was incapable of taking a watch. A watch, Marta, is when one person stays up and if that persons sees or hears anything bad happening they wake up everyone else so they can fight."
"Sounds simple enough."
"T.K. and Kari could do it if they could miss the hour's sleep. Oh, yeah, back to my friends. Kari is Tai's little sister. She's really sweet, about nine, but other than that, I don't know much about her. She's got a gift of foresight, to some extent. It's through her Crest--I don't completely understand how it works. I just know it does, 'cause I saw it. And then T.K.. He's also nine, and he's an *a-dor-a-ble* little guy! He's got the whole blue-eyed-blond thing going on, and...you'll just have to meet him."
"When might that happen?" Marta asked dryly.
"I have the portal. I'm pretty sure I can bring friends with me if I want to."
"Mmm. Go on."
"Then Sora. She's Tai's girlfriend. Nobody told me, and maybe it's not official, but it's *obvious*. They're always together, and...well...it's just obvious. She's fifteen."
"That makes eight. Didn't you say there were ten, counting you?"
"Yes. One more. T.K.'s older brother, Matt. He's sixteen, as of about four months ago. He and I...got to know one another pretty well. I spent a lot of time with him. Remember I told you--and my parents--this morning he's the one that was injured when we defeated Ferodramon?"
"Somewhat." Marta wavered her hand a bit.
"At any rate, Joe took care of the wounds right off, but Matt was still unconscious so he had to have somebody watching him all the time. For *three* *whole* *days*. Joe, Kat and I took turns."
"You?"
Kacie nodded. "I volunteered. Joe showed me what to do, it wasn't that hard--"
"That's not like you," Marta said.
"Matt's...special to me, Marta."
Marta nodded. "Must be."
"Well...he...he's...*noticed* me...I *think*." Kacie hung her head, avoiding Marta's eyes.
Marta shook her head. "I always found those men confusing. Don't ask me."
Kacie just rolled her eyes. She wanted to figure men out for herself anyway. ~It's more fun that way.~
Cabaiyomon finally lifted her head from her own plate. "Thank you, Marta."
Marta cocked an eyebrow. "It'll be a while before I get used to you talking," she informed the small creature.
"Oh well. That's okay." Cabaiyomon smiled at her.
Kacie smiled a little as well. "Just wait--if you think this is hard to get used to, wait until you see her digivolve--"
Marta just shook her head and took their plates.
Kacie hung out with Katina every day that week after school. Kacie had no idea how *pretty* of a city Tokyo was until Katina and Izzy got to show her around.
Early in the week Mimi announced that the victory party she'd decided to throw was to be held that Saturday evening--for DigiDestined Only.
On Saturday, Kacie came to Katina and Izzy's place and walked with them to Mimi's house. When they got to her backyard, Mimi was out there, being the "perfect hostess". Kari, Sora and Tai, and Joe had also arrived. Mimi had music going and snacks set out. The almost-setting sun provided a perfect backdrop for the entire scene.
It was only a little while before Matt arrived, T.K. in tow. The younger boy immediately ran to join Kari.
Kacie noticed that Matt's arm was completely healed up, and she knew his hand was none the worse for a few scars, although tonight, as usual, it was hidden by his glove. She remembered that Joe had said he should be grateful he had been wearing his tough leather gloves at the time or a lot worse could have happened.
For the most part, the kids danced--not in couples, the music wasn't right for that--and the digimon stayed close to the snacks. Gatomon tried to teach Havamon to dance, and had some success, but not enough that she dared to take him for a spin across the "dance floor".
Kacie had fun. She had never danced before, but she got out there and got into the groove, and no one else could tell. Mimi showed her a few steps and the two of them pretty much led the way.
Even Joe tried it, but he got more laughs than compliments. He shrugged them off and kept going anyway. Gomamon sat at the snack table, his jaw a few inches below where it was normally. "I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it."
"Who's the stick-in-the-mud now, Gomamon?" Joe called triumphantly.
At one point Mimi shut off the music and let Matt play his harmonica. He made it up as he played, and he had to make stuff up fast at the least. Kacie liked the sound of it, the riffs and twangs. ~Definitely something I could get used to hearing!~
After that, the party began to slow down, as did the music. They broke off in groups to chat quietly. Tai and Sora continued to dance, now to the waltzy stuff. Izzy turned to Katina. "I know we are not going out anymore, but that actually looks like fun, so would you have any objections to dancing with your brother?"
Katina smiled. "Of course not."
Izzy was glad--it was not often she had a chance to show off her natural grace, something he wished he could see more often.
Mimi, Joe, T.K., Kari, and Matt were around the snack table with the digimon.
Kacie sat by herself, leaning against the trunk of a tree in the darkness. The sun had long since set and the stars twinkled above. She sighed.
Cabaiyomon left the food and came and sat beside her. "What is it?"
"Oh, any minute now, Matt will ask Mimi to dance, and then I'm finished."
"Finished?"
"No date. T.K. is just a *little* bit too young, and Joe--well, even if I liked him at all in *that* way--which I don't--he's crazy over Mimi and so he's also gonna be all depressed when Matt asks her."
Cabaiyomon blinked. "He's coming this way, Kacie--"
"Who? Joe?" Kacie was aghast that he might *actually* ask her. ~What? Does he want to clear the way for Matt and Mimi, or is he just desperate?~
"No, it's Matt," Cabaiyomon reassured.
She sighed, relieved. For a second the stars reflected in her eyes, but they vanished as a bitter thought entered her head. "I swear, if he asks me what he should say to Mimi...hold me down, okay? I don't want to cause more work for Joe."
Cabaiyomon just gave her a helpless look. She had no idea what the girl was saying.
Matt was carrying something that was about the size of a book. As he got closer, she could tell it *was* a book, although *what* book she had no idea.
She stood to her feet. He took her by the arm and pulled her around to the other side of the tree. "Kacie--"
"What is it?" She dared not say much more, for fear she betray her inner self. If it *was* Mimi he wanted, who was she to stand in his way?
"I--I have something, for you." He pushed the book into her hands.
She frowned, and looked him in the eyes. Then she looked down at the book and gasped. "'Romeo and Juliet'; complete and unabridged, notes of explanation for today's reader...where did you *get* this?"
Her eyes searched his, but he tried to avoid her gaze. "One night on the phone with Izzy, telling me the best places to buy books on the 'Net...we had a doozy of a time ordering it in English...and then three days hoping it would get here in time for tonight..."
"Does this mean--"
He looked her in the eyes and nodded. "Yeah. It does."
"But I thought--Joe said you liked Mimi--"
"Mimi? That ditz? Who wants her?"
Kacie laughed a little. The stars had re-entered her eyes. "Actually, Joe does--that's why he told me that--I asked why he didn't tell her, and he said--"
Matt raised a hand to stop her. "It doesn't matter. Do you...would you...care to dance?"
Kacie was thrilled. "Would I? Come on, let's go!"
They went out on the floor hand-in-hand. The music was still slow. Kacie felt his arm fall into place around her waist and she took his other hand. They danced close. Kacie had never been that close to any guy before in her life. She didn't pay any attention to her dancing, she just flowed with the music, and watched his eyes.
Had she had eyes for anything besides Matt, she might have noticed Joe practically float to Mimi and ask for a dance. Mimi leapt into his arms as her yes.
T.K., sitting atop the snack table, watched all the older kids dancing. He turned to Kari, who was sitting next to him. "You think we oughta try that?"
Kari wrinkled her nose. "I don't know...looks kind of boring."
"We could do the hokey-pokey..."
She picked up a half-sandwich from one of the trays. She looked at him. In unison, they voiced their opinion.
"Naaah."
The party finally died off. Tai offered to take T.K. home for Matt. Matt accepted--he needed the time with Kacie. At first Tai's offer confused Sora, until she remembered that T.K.'s home was between hers and Tai's. It would give Tai an excuse to walk her all the way home. They would drop off Kari, and then T.K., and then they would be alone until they got to her place.
Joe went home--alone, but happy with the fact that Mimi was his.
Katina and Izzy walked on home, knowing Kacie could leave for America from anywhere at any time she wanted, and that she probably wasn't ready to leave just yet. Joe had not been the only one to notice Matt's display of affection.
Matt and Kacie left together. Her bag was slung over her shoulder, laptop and digimon inside. Tsunomon bounced along after them. They walked toward the park, slowly, ignoring the other people they passed as they went along. Matt had some idea of how her portal worked and he knew that when they got to the park she would be leaving.
"Thank you...for the book," she said.
"It was worth it," he told her. "For you."
She smiled. "I...I had a really great time tonight." ~Aside from the part where I fretted over you liking Mimi.~
"You want to do it again, sometime?"
"Anytime." She smiled up at him.
He returned the smile, and took her hand.
She blushed in the darkness, and leaned against him. He let go of her hand and placed his arm around her waist. They turned a street corner, and the park came into sight.
~Aww, man! Just when we were getting to the good part!~
At the gate, he let go of her, and she was about to turn and go on home, but he caught her hand and drew her close to him. He didn't want her to go just yet. "Kacie..."
"Yes?"
"When? When can we see each other again?"
"E-mail me. I never have plans. Anytime you want."
"Okay. I'll do that." He looked down. "Soon."
She put a hand on his arm. "Very soon, please."
He pulled her even closer, bent down and their lips met. Kacie sharply drew in a breath in shock, but did not pull away from his touch. It was her first kiss, and she had every intention of enjoying it as long as she could. It got deeper as the seconds passed. After a minute he broke away, but not because he wanted to. It was late, and he knew his dad would be upset if it got much later.
She smiled at him once more, and then turned and left. She didn't trust herself to say anything.
"Tomorrow afternoon? Meet you here?" he called after her.
She paused, and turned back to face him. "Wouldn't miss it! I'll be here at two!" she called back.
A/N: Another Happy Ending! One of these days I'll write a sad story with a sad ending and everyone's gonna die. (Which would be a pretty sad ending in itself.) Nah, I don't want to kill a bunch of people, and, besides, I want to go on calling myself and Advocate of the Happy Ending. Don't worry, even though this is the end of this story, there will be more fics with Kacie. (As a matter of fact, I already have a Kacie/Matt songfic just about ready.) Anyway, you've read, now review.
Authoress's Notes: Recap: Ferodramon defeated. Katina and Kacie find out they're long-lost best friends. I'll shut up now.
At the dinner table, the two girls explained what had gone on for them to finally put it together.
"I thought you were literally Izzy's sister, Kat. That's why I never thought anything of it, even if you did look somewhat familiar and had the same nickname as before. Izzy simply introduced you as 'Kat' and I assumed it was spelled with a 'C'...although I thought it was an odd coincidence..."
"Well, I never knew you left Arkansas, so when you said your home was Chicago...and you never talked of your family. You were all really close when I knew you before." Suddenly Katina blushed, realizing she had put her old friend on the spot.
"Kat...early last summer...Alaina died in a car wreck."
Katina remembered her friend's impressive older sister. "Oh, Foxx, I'm so sorry..."
"It's okay."
Mrs. Izumi tried changing the subject so as not to upset their guest. "Why does she call you 'Foxx', Kacie-san?"
"Oh! That!" Kacie said. She laughed a little. "When we met I thought Kat was lucky because she could have a nickname from her name that was an animal name. She said the first thing that had popped into her head when she saw my hair was that it was the color of a fox's fur, so she started calling me Foxx--double 'x' on the end, just for fun."
Katina smiled with the memory. "And I called you that so much, I almost forgot you had any other name. When you said you were Kacie, I didn't think anything of it."
"Until today."
"Yup!"
Izzy laughed. Katina had never been this talkative, even when they had met before, unless there was no one else around. Kacie--or rather, *Foxx*, was bringing out some of her old self.
Suddenly something hit Kacie. "Hey! Kat, what *did* happen that you live with Izzy and his family now?"
"Uhh...well, a while after we moved away from Arkansas, Mommacita and Papa just left Jules and I...after a couple of foster homes, Mom's old friend, Mrs. Hatek, took us in. That was only a few months ago...and Jules...well, Jules was Jules. I couldn't take it anymore, and when I asked Izzy if he knew of a cheap place to stay, he offered for me to come live here."
Kacie nodded. ~Poor Kat. But she seems to be happy here. Really happy.~
"This is all so intriguing!" Mrs. Izumi said. "Who ever would have guessed that you two would be reunited like this?" she smiled.
After dinner, Kacie, Izzy, and Katina sat on the floor of Izzy's room. Kacie booted up her laptop and brought up the program.
"Okay, Izzy, I need your address, and at least one other place where I can appear without causing a riot."
Izzy told her his address and used his computer's GPS to pinpoint a location in the nearby park. She typed in both and showed Izzy how she put them into the program. Under "Shortcuts" there were now two things. One said "Kat and Izzy's Place" and the other said "Tokyo Park".
"Prodigious!" Izzy grinned.
Kacie then entered her own address in the "Address" box, and her name, Cabaiyomon's name, and "duffel" in the "Items to Send" box.
"Now to see if it works..." she reached over and hugged Katina. "I'll come every day I can, after school, and Saturdays, okay?"
"Every day," Katina smiled.
"Come on, Cabaiyo..." The small digimon hopped into her arms. Kacie sighed. "Now I just have to explain to my parents where I disappeared to all the time I was in Tokyo...whoa boy..."
"Good luck," Katina said.
"I'll need it. Bye, Kat, bye, Izzy!"
She reached down to her laptop and tapped the button that clicked the mouse.
And she was gone. Vanished. Disappeared. No lights, no effects, just...gone.
Katina looked at Izzy. "That was abrupt..." she said.
He nodded. "But cool!"
Kacie materialized right in front of her door, fifteen floors up in the apartment building, Cabaiyomon in her lap, bag beside her, and laptop in front of her.
"Whoa. That's...weird."
"At least it wasn't a rough ride," Cabaiyomon reminded her cheerfully.
Kacie put her laptop in her bag, and then opened the door. ~Here goes everything...~
Her house/apartment was really a home built into the top two floors of the apartment building. Her father owned the building and rented out the rest of it, as well as being a businessman.
"Marta?" she called in a low tone. She winced as she heard a dish crash to the floor.
"Kacie? Kacie, is that you?"
"Marta!"
An older woman, stocky in build and short of stature, wearing a black-and-white maid's uniform, entered the hallway. "Kacie Kerrianne Juliet Kensingten, where have you been?"
~It's so nice to be home!~ "Marta, Marta, can it wait until tomorrow morning? Right now I just want to spend an hour or two in the tub with a book, and then get some much-needed sleep..."
"What is that?" The maid pointed to Cabaiyomon.
Kacie looked down. "This is Cabaiyomon. I'll explain her tomorrow as well. She talks and moves on her own, and she's not a pet. She's a friend."
"Hello!" Cabaiyomon greeted her cheerfully.
"Dear Lord, you weren't kidding..." The woman bent over the creature, staring at her, gingerly reaching out fingertips to touch her mane.
"You can call me Cabaiyo. Kacie does. And I won't bite unless I find out you're an evil digimon."
The woman shrank back. She didn't know what to make of the creature. "A what?"
"Marta, please, tell my parents I'm home and I will explain to all three of you tomorrow..."
Marta stood. "I will get your bath started and give your parents your message. You *are* too exhausted to do *anything* tonight?"
Kacie nodded. "You're a doll, Marta. I'd hug you, but then you'd understand why I desperately want that bath."
The woman nodded and turned to do what she got paid to do.
The next morning Kacie awoke in her own bed and hardly knew where she was. ~What is all this stuff on top of me?~ She pushed some of it off, and realized that it was sheets and her blanket.
"Cabaiyo?"
The small digimon was curled up against her stomach. She crawled out from under the blankets, yawned, and opened her eyes. "So that's what a bed feels like," she said.
Kacie smiled and hugged her digimon. "I'm so glad you're here!" she said.
"Why? I never left you, Kacie..."
"Oh, but your being here now proves it wasn't all a dream!"
There was a knock at the door to Kacie's "parlor". "Who is it?" she called
"Marta!"
"Come on in!"
Marta came through the empty room and entered the bedroom. "Get up and get dressed. Tell me what you want, and what your friend eats, and I'll bring you both breakfast."
"When do my parents want to see me?"
"As soon as possible. Your father won't be leaving for work until you have explained yourself."
"Bring us each a bowl of cereal...Cabaiyo doesn't need a spoon."
Marta just nodded and left.
Cabaiyo sat on the bed while Kacie got dressed in her bathroom. By the time Kacie had combed all the snarls from her long hair, Marta had returned and her digimon was eating the "strange new food". ~I should have done my hair last night!~ she reminded herself.
Kacie ate hurriedly, emptied her duffel and Cabaiyomon crawled in.
She walked slowly down the hall to her parent's private dining room.
She entered. Marta was already there, standing next to the door that led to a shortcut to the kitchen. ~Good. Now I won't have to repeat it all for her.~
Her parents were at the table, her father at the head and her mother to his left, her back to the door Kacie had come in through. Her father was in a gray suit and burgundy tie, and her mother was dressed for company.
Her father stood up. "Kacie, where were you? I had a private detective combing all of Chicago last night--"
"Father, please. Am I not here to explain myself?"
"Well, start, then," he ordered, lowering himself to his chair.
"Only if you promise not to interrupt--no matter how outrageous it sounds."
Her parents nodded their consent, and she spilled the whole story, skipping minor details here and there concerning her feelings towards Matt. And when she was finished, she just stopped. "Well, that's everything."
Her parents looked at her.
There was a moment of silence.
Her father stood again. "Kacie Kerrianne Juliet Kensingten, that is the most ridiculous story I ever heard."
~How many times do I have to listen to people say my entire name before this is over?~ "Even if I could prove it?"
"You can't," he challenged. Mistake number one.
Kacie smirked. She set her bag on the table, tipped it over, and unzipped it. Out tumbled Cabaiyomon.
"Hello!"
Kacie's mother dropped her fork onto her plate. Her father stared. Kacie had described Cabaiyomon in telling her story, but the fact that she would be there, then, had not clicked in either of the elder Kensingten's minds.
"Proof enough?" she asked. "Father, Mother, meet Cabaiyomon. Cabaiyo, these are my parents."
"Please to meet you, parents," Cabaiyomon said cheerfully.
Kacie's father sat down in shock. "Well...Kacie, I--don't know what to say--"
"Don't say anything. You can't go telling people about this, you know. I just want you to know that if I should disappear for lengths of time, I'm in Tokyo. I'll never know when I'll be called to go to the DigiWorld."
Her father was flustered. Kacie enjoyed seeing him in a state she could not recall ever seeing him in before. "Well--Kacie--if this is--is your--destiny--then--we have no right to--to stop you. If you have to save our world--well, then you can--can be gone--as long as you need."
"Wait a minute," her mother said. "Tokyo?"
"All the rest of the DigiDestined live in Tokyo. Including Kat. When I go to the DigiWorld no time passes. Didn't I explain all this to you?"
"You did, but why do you--"
"Mother. They're my friends. I hope to go every day after school to see Kat and all my new friends."
Her mother sighed. "Fine. Go--just go do whatever you want. Gallivant all over a foreign country. Just don't do anything stupid."
"Mo-ther!"
"I suppose that since this is Saturday, you'll be going today?" her mother pressed.
"Well..."
Her father stood once more. "Kacie, go whenever you need to. I wouldn't want anything to happen that could destroy the world, or the Internet. Go have fun with your friends. It seems to me that you do not have many--"
Kacie blinked. "Is that all you care about? The Internet? What about the Digimon? Look, Father, I'm going to do my duty, but the Internet--which, as I recall, you desperately need to keep your business going--is the least of my worries." Kacie picked up Cabaiyomon and spun on her heel, leaving the room.
Kacie took Cabaiyomon and her laptop to the park, well-hidden in her duffel. She went to a less-ventured-into corner and got its coordinates into her portal program. "Home Park" became the shortcut.
"Why are we coming here?" Cabaiyomon asked her.
"This way, my parents will think that I need to leave the house to use it, when, in fact, that's not true at all. So if they should ever say no, I can just lock myself in my room and go anyway. But only if it was a digital emergency."
Cabaiyomon nodded as Kacie brought up the Internet and quickly found Izzy to be online. They had exchanged all online contact information while in the DigiWorld, and put each other on each other's buddy lists. She started an instant message.
CityGal14: Yo! Izzy! You there?
wIZard15: Kacie? Yes, I am, obviously.
CityGal14: Yup! It's me! Cool! Got any plans 4 2day?
wIZard15: Well, Tai called and thought that we could all get together in the park and play soccer.
CityGal14: Well, I don't (have plans, I mean)...I thought I might test my portal, though...
wIZard15: Come on over, then! Hey, do you play soccer?
CityGal14: Nooo...but I'm a fast learner and anything is better than home...
wIZard15: OK then. When do you plan to leave?
CityGal14: Umm...within the next 5 mins. works 4 me...
wIZard15: OK. See you in a few. Bye!
The instant message cut off and Kacie clicked on her shortcut that took her to the park.
And suddenly, they were there. No ceremony, no wild ride, just...there.
She zipped Cabaiyomon in her bag along with her laptop and then went and sat on a park bench to wait.
Izzy and Katina were first to arrive.
"Kat!" Kacie hugged her friend.
"Foxx!"
Izzy laughed. "Kat, I haven't seen you quite like this since we were little!"
"I haven't been quite like this since I last saw Foxx!" she smiled.
The others arrived as the minutes passed. Sora, Tai and Kari were together, Matt and T.K., and then Joe, and finally Mimi.
They found a large grassy area where there weren't any picnickers. Kacie took off her jean jacket and tied it around her waist by the sleeves. She was immediately taught the basic rules of soccer. At first she found it hard to not use her hands, but she caught on to the gist of it pretty quickly.
Kacie could not help noticing Matt again. He was pretty good, as far as she could tell. Of course, she had to admit, Sora and Tai seemed to be the resident experts, but Matt looked better doing it. ~He'd look better than Tai doing anything!~
After the game, Kacie went with Katina and Izzy to their apartment.
She hung out with Katina, catching up on the past five years of "girl stuff" they'd missed sharing, and Izzy spent the time with his laptop.
That evening, Kacie was back in Chicago for dinner, and she had to admit she'd missed Marta's cooking. She sat on her bed to eat, and Marta stayed to keep her company.
"How did your day go?" Marta asked.
"It was a blast! Soccer is more fun than I'd thought. I don't think I'll ever be that good at it, though. I'll leave that to my friends." She shrugged.
Marta smiled. "So just exactly what are your new friends like?"
Kacie was grateful for the woman, and her endeavors to treat her like real family. She had come to think of Marta as her "mom", while Mrs. Kensingten was now just her "mother". She wished her mother would've asked such questions of her--and her mother might have, had Alaina still been alive.
"Oh, Marta, they're wonderful!" Kacie gushed. "There's Kat, of course, you remember her. She hasn't changed a bit, except she talks a little bit less than she did, especially when there's a group around--"
"You mean it's actually possible to talk *less* than she did before?"
"Oh, Marta, don't be silly. And then there's Izzy--she lives with him and his family. Her parents left, and she and Jules were with one of her mom's friends, but she didn't like it there, so Izzy offered to let her stay with his family. Izzy's cool, he's a computer expert--"
"How old is he?"
"A little bit older than Kat. Almost fifteen--no, just turned fifteen. And then there's Joe, he's studying to be a doctor. He's the oldest of the group, seventeen, I think. He has these glasses that are always sliding down. It's funny. And Mimi--well--she's a ditz. She's into clothes and fashion and such. She's fifteen also, she'll be sixteen in a few months, but she acts twelve. Weird obsession with the color pink--"
"You should talk, Miss Purple," Marta teased.
Kacie glanced around her room. Purple wallpaper, purple carpeting. White furniture. "At least I *wear* other colors."
"True. Go on."
"Then Tai--I guess I should have said him first, because he's the leader. He's fifteen--halfway to sixteen. Me and him--well--we're civil. That's about as close as it gets. He ignored me at first, and now he understands that I'm part of the team, too. I understand that he's a major pain *but* he was destined to be the leader, so I have to get along with him. I tied his shoelaces together in the middle of the night and got away with it." Kacie said the last sentence as if it was a point of pride, and grinned evilly.
"Kacie..."
"He deserved it. He thought I was incapable of taking a watch. A watch, Marta, is when one person stays up and if that persons sees or hears anything bad happening they wake up everyone else so they can fight."
"Sounds simple enough."
"T.K. and Kari could do it if they could miss the hour's sleep. Oh, yeah, back to my friends. Kari is Tai's little sister. She's really sweet, about nine, but other than that, I don't know much about her. She's got a gift of foresight, to some extent. It's through her Crest--I don't completely understand how it works. I just know it does, 'cause I saw it. And then T.K.. He's also nine, and he's an *a-dor-a-ble* little guy! He's got the whole blue-eyed-blond thing going on, and...you'll just have to meet him."
"When might that happen?" Marta asked dryly.
"I have the portal. I'm pretty sure I can bring friends with me if I want to."
"Mmm. Go on."
"Then Sora. She's Tai's girlfriend. Nobody told me, and maybe it's not official, but it's *obvious*. They're always together, and...well...it's just obvious. She's fifteen."
"That makes eight. Didn't you say there were ten, counting you?"
"Yes. One more. T.K.'s older brother, Matt. He's sixteen, as of about four months ago. He and I...got to know one another pretty well. I spent a lot of time with him. Remember I told you--and my parents--this morning he's the one that was injured when we defeated Ferodramon?"
"Somewhat." Marta wavered her hand a bit.
"At any rate, Joe took care of the wounds right off, but Matt was still unconscious so he had to have somebody watching him all the time. For *three* *whole* *days*. Joe, Kat and I took turns."
"You?"
Kacie nodded. "I volunteered. Joe showed me what to do, it wasn't that hard--"
"That's not like you," Marta said.
"Matt's...special to me, Marta."
Marta nodded. "Must be."
"Well...he...he's...*noticed* me...I *think*." Kacie hung her head, avoiding Marta's eyes.
Marta shook her head. "I always found those men confusing. Don't ask me."
Kacie just rolled her eyes. She wanted to figure men out for herself anyway. ~It's more fun that way.~
Cabaiyomon finally lifted her head from her own plate. "Thank you, Marta."
Marta cocked an eyebrow. "It'll be a while before I get used to you talking," she informed the small creature.
"Oh well. That's okay." Cabaiyomon smiled at her.
Kacie smiled a little as well. "Just wait--if you think this is hard to get used to, wait until you see her digivolve--"
Marta just shook her head and took their plates.
Kacie hung out with Katina every day that week after school. Kacie had no idea how *pretty* of a city Tokyo was until Katina and Izzy got to show her around.
Early in the week Mimi announced that the victory party she'd decided to throw was to be held that Saturday evening--for DigiDestined Only.
On Saturday, Kacie came to Katina and Izzy's place and walked with them to Mimi's house. When they got to her backyard, Mimi was out there, being the "perfect hostess". Kari, Sora and Tai, and Joe had also arrived. Mimi had music going and snacks set out. The almost-setting sun provided a perfect backdrop for the entire scene.
It was only a little while before Matt arrived, T.K. in tow. The younger boy immediately ran to join Kari.
Kacie noticed that Matt's arm was completely healed up, and she knew his hand was none the worse for a few scars, although tonight, as usual, it was hidden by his glove. She remembered that Joe had said he should be grateful he had been wearing his tough leather gloves at the time or a lot worse could have happened.
For the most part, the kids danced--not in couples, the music wasn't right for that--and the digimon stayed close to the snacks. Gatomon tried to teach Havamon to dance, and had some success, but not enough that she dared to take him for a spin across the "dance floor".
Kacie had fun. She had never danced before, but she got out there and got into the groove, and no one else could tell. Mimi showed her a few steps and the two of them pretty much led the way.
Even Joe tried it, but he got more laughs than compliments. He shrugged them off and kept going anyway. Gomamon sat at the snack table, his jaw a few inches below where it was normally. "I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it."
"Who's the stick-in-the-mud now, Gomamon?" Joe called triumphantly.
At one point Mimi shut off the music and let Matt play his harmonica. He made it up as he played, and he had to make stuff up fast at the least. Kacie liked the sound of it, the riffs and twangs. ~Definitely something I could get used to hearing!~
After that, the party began to slow down, as did the music. They broke off in groups to chat quietly. Tai and Sora continued to dance, now to the waltzy stuff. Izzy turned to Katina. "I know we are not going out anymore, but that actually looks like fun, so would you have any objections to dancing with your brother?"
Katina smiled. "Of course not."
Izzy was glad--it was not often she had a chance to show off her natural grace, something he wished he could see more often.
Mimi, Joe, T.K., Kari, and Matt were around the snack table with the digimon.
Kacie sat by herself, leaning against the trunk of a tree in the darkness. The sun had long since set and the stars twinkled above. She sighed.
Cabaiyomon left the food and came and sat beside her. "What is it?"
"Oh, any minute now, Matt will ask Mimi to dance, and then I'm finished."
"Finished?"
"No date. T.K. is just a *little* bit too young, and Joe--well, even if I liked him at all in *that* way--which I don't--he's crazy over Mimi and so he's also gonna be all depressed when Matt asks her."
Cabaiyomon blinked. "He's coming this way, Kacie--"
"Who? Joe?" Kacie was aghast that he might *actually* ask her. ~What? Does he want to clear the way for Matt and Mimi, or is he just desperate?~
"No, it's Matt," Cabaiyomon reassured.
She sighed, relieved. For a second the stars reflected in her eyes, but they vanished as a bitter thought entered her head. "I swear, if he asks me what he should say to Mimi...hold me down, okay? I don't want to cause more work for Joe."
Cabaiyomon just gave her a helpless look. She had no idea what the girl was saying.
Matt was carrying something that was about the size of a book. As he got closer, she could tell it *was* a book, although *what* book she had no idea.
She stood to her feet. He took her by the arm and pulled her around to the other side of the tree. "Kacie--"
"What is it?" She dared not say much more, for fear she betray her inner self. If it *was* Mimi he wanted, who was she to stand in his way?
"I--I have something, for you." He pushed the book into her hands.
She frowned, and looked him in the eyes. Then she looked down at the book and gasped. "'Romeo and Juliet'; complete and unabridged, notes of explanation for today's reader...where did you *get* this?"
Her eyes searched his, but he tried to avoid her gaze. "One night on the phone with Izzy, telling me the best places to buy books on the 'Net...we had a doozy of a time ordering it in English...and then three days hoping it would get here in time for tonight..."
"Does this mean--"
He looked her in the eyes and nodded. "Yeah. It does."
"But I thought--Joe said you liked Mimi--"
"Mimi? That ditz? Who wants her?"
Kacie laughed a little. The stars had re-entered her eyes. "Actually, Joe does--that's why he told me that--I asked why he didn't tell her, and he said--"
Matt raised a hand to stop her. "It doesn't matter. Do you...would you...care to dance?"
Kacie was thrilled. "Would I? Come on, let's go!"
They went out on the floor hand-in-hand. The music was still slow. Kacie felt his arm fall into place around her waist and she took his other hand. They danced close. Kacie had never been that close to any guy before in her life. She didn't pay any attention to her dancing, she just flowed with the music, and watched his eyes.
Had she had eyes for anything besides Matt, she might have noticed Joe practically float to Mimi and ask for a dance. Mimi leapt into his arms as her yes.
T.K., sitting atop the snack table, watched all the older kids dancing. He turned to Kari, who was sitting next to him. "You think we oughta try that?"
Kari wrinkled her nose. "I don't know...looks kind of boring."
"We could do the hokey-pokey..."
She picked up a half-sandwich from one of the trays. She looked at him. In unison, they voiced their opinion.
"Naaah."
The party finally died off. Tai offered to take T.K. home for Matt. Matt accepted--he needed the time with Kacie. At first Tai's offer confused Sora, until she remembered that T.K.'s home was between hers and Tai's. It would give Tai an excuse to walk her all the way home. They would drop off Kari, and then T.K., and then they would be alone until they got to her place.
Joe went home--alone, but happy with the fact that Mimi was his.
Katina and Izzy walked on home, knowing Kacie could leave for America from anywhere at any time she wanted, and that she probably wasn't ready to leave just yet. Joe had not been the only one to notice Matt's display of affection.
Matt and Kacie left together. Her bag was slung over her shoulder, laptop and digimon inside. Tsunomon bounced along after them. They walked toward the park, slowly, ignoring the other people they passed as they went along. Matt had some idea of how her portal worked and he knew that when they got to the park she would be leaving.
"Thank you...for the book," she said.
"It was worth it," he told her. "For you."
She smiled. "I...I had a really great time tonight." ~Aside from the part where I fretted over you liking Mimi.~
"You want to do it again, sometime?"
"Anytime." She smiled up at him.
He returned the smile, and took her hand.
She blushed in the darkness, and leaned against him. He let go of her hand and placed his arm around her waist. They turned a street corner, and the park came into sight.
~Aww, man! Just when we were getting to the good part!~
At the gate, he let go of her, and she was about to turn and go on home, but he caught her hand and drew her close to him. He didn't want her to go just yet. "Kacie..."
"Yes?"
"When? When can we see each other again?"
"E-mail me. I never have plans. Anytime you want."
"Okay. I'll do that." He looked down. "Soon."
She put a hand on his arm. "Very soon, please."
He pulled her even closer, bent down and their lips met. Kacie sharply drew in a breath in shock, but did not pull away from his touch. It was her first kiss, and she had every intention of enjoying it as long as she could. It got deeper as the seconds passed. After a minute he broke away, but not because he wanted to. It was late, and he knew his dad would be upset if it got much later.
She smiled at him once more, and then turned and left. She didn't trust herself to say anything.
"Tomorrow afternoon? Meet you here?" he called after her.
She paused, and turned back to face him. "Wouldn't miss it! I'll be here at two!" she called back.
A/N: Another Happy Ending! One of these days I'll write a sad story with a sad ending and everyone's gonna die. (Which would be a pretty sad ending in itself.) Nah, I don't want to kill a bunch of people, and, besides, I want to go on calling myself and Advocate of the Happy Ending. Don't worry, even though this is the end of this story, there will be more fics with Kacie. (As a matter of fact, I already have a Kacie/Matt songfic just about ready.) Anyway, you've read, now review.