A/n: I don't own anything.
I'm also gonna warn you that I wrote this when I was drunk, and have left everything as it was I found it this morning (minus spelling errors of course.) And while I'm on the subject; kids, don't have your older friend by you beer, because you'll only end up thinking that its a great idea to go mudding in a beat up old Volvo, and then you'll get stuck out in some field behind a housing development at 2 A.M., and have to call your girlfriends older brother (who already hates you enough as it is) to come pull you out with his huge Chevy Tahoe Z71, and then....
Well, lets just get to the story
Do You really Want to Know?
"Today's the day." Davis said to himself. "Today's the day you officially make Kari Kamiya your girl." He was looking dreamily at a petite girl with short brown hair, eyes the color of hot chocolate, and a smile that could make any boy at school act like an idiot just to get a glimpse of it. She was pretty, smart, popular, and just plain perfect. And soon she's gonna be all yours.
It was the perfect time for him to make his move; school had just let out on a warm Friday afternoon, and Kari was sitting by herself on a bench reading a book on photography. Davis discreetly snuck a peek in his pocket mirror to make sure there was nothing in his teeth and his goggles were on straight. Then he took a deep breath, put on his best 'cool' look, and took his first steps towards destiny.
"Hey Kari." The girl looked up from her reading and flashed him a warm smile "Hi Davis." She's excited to see me! Oh man, this is going to be easier than I thought! Davis smiled back "Uh Kari? I just got a hold of some tickets for the soccer game tonight, and I was just wondering if you wanted to go with me?"
Kari's smile went a little slack, but her voice was still cheerful as she answered "Oh I'm sorry Davis, but T.K. and I already made plans to go see that new slasher movie tonight."
T.K.? She's going on a date with T.K.? Instead of me?
Kari's smile widened again "But its really sweet of you to think of asking me first. We'll have to do it some other time."
"But, but" Davis started to sputter a protest. But Kari's attention was suddenly drawn away from him and to a rather large cluster of girls, mostly cheerleaders, surrounding a tall boy with raggedy blond hair. Kari smiled at the sight, the boy in paticular, and Davis' vision went crimson as he noted that the smile she gave the blonde made the one she had given him seem pathetic in comparison. Not only that, but Kari seemed to be smiling with her whole body, as if she was so happy she was giving off some kind of glow.
"Sorry but.... uh.... I already have plans for this weekend." Davis heard the tall boy say. This announcement was met with a chorus of groans from the encircling girls. Except for one cheerleader who replied in a haughty voice. "Uh, like, what plans?"
"What plans?..... Well...um....you see...I"
Kari was trying hard not to burst out laughing as she turned to Davis "I think I better go rescue T.K. I'll see you later Davis." And before he could reply she had moved to the side of the blonde boy and was pulling him gently away from the mob. "T.K.! Rememember you promised to help me with my science project on bacteria this weekend."
The boy looked confused for a moment, but a nudge from Kari's elbow helped him catch on. "Oh that's right! I'm helping you with your bacteria!" T.K. looked at the eager, almost desperate way the girls seemed to be inching closer. "Well come on Kari we better get started right away!" He took hold of her wrist and they hurridly moved up the street and out of the reaches of the now pouting girls.
Davis was positively seething with jealousy as he watched the two of them run off holding hands and laughing. "Probably about me." he said to himself. As he let the imagined slight sink into his brain his disposition only worsened. What's so special about T.K. anyway?
As if in answer to his thought the cheerleaders, completely oblivious to him, began talking in such high-pitched, whiny voices that Davis could hear their conversation quite easily. And he was not better off because of it.
"Its like, so not fair!" one of them said, stamping her foot to add emphasis "He's the hottest, most popular, most athletic guy in school, and that photo-nut Kamiya has him wrapped around her little finger!"
"Yeah" another one broke in "She should learn to share!" Most of the others nodded their agreement
"But," a third one began timidly "they both keep saying they're just friends."
The first cheerleader looked her with an ugly look of shock and disgust "Oh puh-leeeeze!" she screeched "We've all seen how they act together, the looks they give each other! If they're just friends then I'm a natural blonde!"
And that was about all Davis could handle. He quicly got up and wandered off in no particular destination. He just wanted to get far away from any possible mention of his rival's name.
Rival. That was how Davis had always thought of T.K. since the day the tall blonde boy and his stupid hat had walked into his life. Davis had been so sure that Kari liked him. So sure that they were destined to be together. But then he noticed how Kari's eyes had lit up like she was getting an early Christmas present when T.K. had first walked into the classroom.
At first he had tried to act as if nothing was different and kept up his constant pressure on Kari. But he noticed with regret that the girl steadily paid less and less attention to him, and more and more attention to T.K. Pretty soon they were damn near inseperable, and then the whole school was talking about T.K. and Kari and how they were the perfect couple. Of course they both steadfastly denied this, but they were just about the only ones who believed this deniel. Except of course for a few of their close friends and Davis who only tried to. T.K. and Kari were just too comfortable, too playful, too happy, in one another's company for nothing to be going on.
As Davis kept walking he realized he almost felt sick. It was like something was gnawing at his insides. And he had little doubt what it was. It was the powerless feeling he got whenever he went up against something he knew was impossible to beat. Like algebra or .......this.
"WHY?!" he screamed at the empty street "Why does it seem like I don't have a chance with Kari?! Why does it seem as if she was meant to be with T.K. instead of me?!"
"Do you really want to know?" A peculiar voice behind him immediately asked.
Davis wirled around, honestly not knowing what to expect, but kind of hoping it was something he could vent his frustrations on. What he got was a short, crumpled looking, old bald man, with long white whiskers, and a rather bemused expression on his face.
"Do you really want to know?" The man repeated his question
"Want to know what?! Who are you?! Tell me!" Davis shouted as he clenched his fists.
The old man gave a slight grin "Whoa, slow down there, bearer of courage and friendship. My name is Gennai, and I assure you I am a friend. If the truth was otherwise you wouldn't be coherent right now."
Gennai huh. The name sounded somewhat familiar, but Davis could not quite place it. He vaguely remembered Kari and Tai talking about something sounding like that. What was it again? Oh yeah!
"Hey, are you the wierd guy that helped the others when they first went to the Digiworld?"
Gennai's smile grew broader "That I am. Though I do prefer eccentric to wierd"
Davis lowered his fists for a moment, but then quickly raised them again as a thought struck him "Hey! Where have you been since then? There have been times when we could have used some help you know!"
Gennai chuckled a little "I know you have. But that's why I spent so much time with the other digidestined, so they could guide future generations. And besides," The old man added in mock gruffness. "after what those kids put me through, I thought I deserved a little vacation." Then he burst out laughing as if it was the funniest thing he had ever heard.
Davis chuckled politely for a moment, but when Gennai showed no sign of stopping his loud explosion of glee, he figured he had better say something to get the old man back to the point. "Uh, excuse me, but didn't you say something about 'really wanting to know' or something like that?"
"Oh, oh of course." The old man wiped a tear from his eye "I-I must say I almost forgot." And with that the old man appeared to grow years older right before Davis' eyes. He seemed to bend over as if an enourmous weight was being put on his shoulders. And all merriment faded from him, leaving a grave expression on his face, and a hint of intense sorrow as he spoke.
"I have come to you, because you have asked questions about the bearers of hope and light, as well as yourself. And the answers I will be able to give could indeed become important in the shaping of your life. But I must warn you that sometimes ignorance truly is bliss. And truth can be a very painful yoke to bear."
Gennai paused for a moment and gave the boy an almost pleading expression "Do you still wish to hear the answers you seek?"
Davis looked down at his shoes. Deep inside he knew that the old man's words were true, the answers would hurt him, but his jealousy raged up inside him, seemingly behind his control. "If it will help me win Kari, then I want to hear it!" He shouted defiantly.
Gennai shook his old head softly "Oh you poor, poor, fool. How will you ever become the leader and hero you must be?" But, it is as you wish." He pulled a thin gold disk from within his robes and held it out so Davis could see.
"Look. And learn."
A thin beam of flickering light shot from the disk. And as Davis watched on in confusion the beam slowly spread, until it formed a perfect picture of a small brown haired girl shaking hands with a slightly shorter blonde boy.
"The first time they met. Already they were drawn to each other like passing ships to a beacon."
The image split in two. One half showed the same boy standing watch over the girl as she twisted and turned in a feverish sleep. The other half showed the girl dangling from a roop with one hand, and desperately clinging to the falling boy with the other.
"Their first promises are made to each other. They are far from the last."
The image shifted again. The boy and girl were older. Their clothes were torn, and their bodies were dirty and bruised. They were in what looked to be a hole, or dark cell of some kind. Davis' attention was immediately drawn to the way they held each other, tenderly and protectively.
"A time yet to come." was all the old man said.
Suddenly the image blurred, and drained back into the golden disk "I pray you have seen enough. The bearers of hope and light are tied in body, heart, and soul. Their destinies decided long before they were ever born. I know that this is close to impossible for you to understand, but do you?"
As much as it pained him, Davis did understand. The images had penetrated his heart and revealed to him the love that Kari and T.K. held for each other, even if they did not know it yet. He felt the jealousy slide away, leaving only a dull hurt in its wake, along with something else....
"There's something your not telling me." He eyed Gennai suspiciously. "Your hiding something important."
The old man looked back at him with a true saddness in his eyes. "It will hurt." He said simply.
"It already has hurt!" Davis shot back. "Now tell me what you mean about them being tied. and their destinies being decided!"
Gennai nodded and bowed his head sadly. "They are hope and light, and one cannot be without the other. They need the love and strenght of each other to live and.....to die."
Davis felt a geyser of dread shoot up through his body. "What?! What do you mean to die?!"
Tears began to pool up in the old man's eyes. "The darkest hour of two worlds looms in the future, a time when the oceans boil and the stars fall from the sky. When the end is nigh, the bearers of hope and light shall make the ultimate sacrifice, and save all with their love. And when that time comes bearer of courage and friendship, you shall be there to bear wittness."
Davis fell to his knees as tears poured out of his eyes. "I don't want to bear wittness!" He tore at his hair as overwhelming waves of sorrow washed over him. "How?! When?! Where?! How can I stop it?!"
Gennai shook his head slowly. "Even I cannot see the circumstances or time of their sacrifice, only that it will happen. Although there are many possible paths, they all lead to the same destination."
"NO!" Davis cried out in grief and rage "There must be something, anything I can do!"
The tears on the old man's cheeks glistened as he smiled slightly "You can be their friend. You already care for the bearer of light, and in time you will call the bearer of hope brother. When the time of their sacrifice comes, you will be there to lend them your love and courage as they intrust you with their most precious possession, their daughter."
Davis fell over as his insides spasamed. Something was wrong. Something about Gennai's words was causing his emotions and body to go haywire. But somehow, in the midst of all the pain and disorder, he managed to latch on to a single thought. "You're lying! I can feel it inside of me! There's still something your hiding! There's still a chance they can live, and.... I'll..... and...I."
He passed out from the pain.
Gennai softly crept forward and laid his hand on Davis' forehead. "I am sorry my child. I can only leave you with this; if you truly believe there is a chance they can be saved, perhaps there is. After all it would not be the first time the pages of fate have been rewritten. But whatever happens you must never lose the hope and light your friends will give you."
He paused to wipe the tears that were still straming from beneath the boy's eyelids "For now, forget the pain you have seen and felt today, the memories will remain locked until the time is right."
And with that the old man was simply gone.
A half hour later Davis woke up. "Oh God my head. Did I get hit by a car or something?"
As the boy massaged his temples he heard a certain female voice floating on the wind. "Daaaviisss!!!"
He turned around and saw Kari and T.K. coming up behind him. Surprisingly, he did not feel his normal jealous anger as he saw that they were holding hands, only a small sort of longing deep in his heart.
"Hey Davis." T.K. said cheerfully "Kari told me about the your soccer tickets, but we were kinda wondering if maybe you'd rather go to the movies with us."
"Yeah come on Davis it'll be fun." Kari added with her patented smile.
Davis rolled his eyes as he thought about it. "Oh all right." he sighed "But only because you two would probably get scared without me." He took the hand that Kari offered him, and the three of them began walking slowly up the street.
"Hey guys." Davis said turning to them. "Did you know that the head cheerleader isn't a natural blonde?"
The laughter of the three friends echoed through the silent streets.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Well what did you think? I have an idea for an epilogue and some other stories, and if you want to hear more, tell me and I'll go get a bottle of Jack Daniels and start writing.
I'm also gonna warn you that I wrote this when I was drunk, and have left everything as it was I found it this morning (minus spelling errors of course.) And while I'm on the subject; kids, don't have your older friend by you beer, because you'll only end up thinking that its a great idea to go mudding in a beat up old Volvo, and then you'll get stuck out in some field behind a housing development at 2 A.M., and have to call your girlfriends older brother (who already hates you enough as it is) to come pull you out with his huge Chevy Tahoe Z71, and then....
Well, lets just get to the story
Do You really Want to Know?
"Today's the day." Davis said to himself. "Today's the day you officially make Kari Kamiya your girl." He was looking dreamily at a petite girl with short brown hair, eyes the color of hot chocolate, and a smile that could make any boy at school act like an idiot just to get a glimpse of it. She was pretty, smart, popular, and just plain perfect. And soon she's gonna be all yours.
It was the perfect time for him to make his move; school had just let out on a warm Friday afternoon, and Kari was sitting by herself on a bench reading a book on photography. Davis discreetly snuck a peek in his pocket mirror to make sure there was nothing in his teeth and his goggles were on straight. Then he took a deep breath, put on his best 'cool' look, and took his first steps towards destiny.
"Hey Kari." The girl looked up from her reading and flashed him a warm smile "Hi Davis." She's excited to see me! Oh man, this is going to be easier than I thought! Davis smiled back "Uh Kari? I just got a hold of some tickets for the soccer game tonight, and I was just wondering if you wanted to go with me?"
Kari's smile went a little slack, but her voice was still cheerful as she answered "Oh I'm sorry Davis, but T.K. and I already made plans to go see that new slasher movie tonight."
T.K.? She's going on a date with T.K.? Instead of me?
Kari's smile widened again "But its really sweet of you to think of asking me first. We'll have to do it some other time."
"But, but" Davis started to sputter a protest. But Kari's attention was suddenly drawn away from him and to a rather large cluster of girls, mostly cheerleaders, surrounding a tall boy with raggedy blond hair. Kari smiled at the sight, the boy in paticular, and Davis' vision went crimson as he noted that the smile she gave the blonde made the one she had given him seem pathetic in comparison. Not only that, but Kari seemed to be smiling with her whole body, as if she was so happy she was giving off some kind of glow.
"Sorry but.... uh.... I already have plans for this weekend." Davis heard the tall boy say. This announcement was met with a chorus of groans from the encircling girls. Except for one cheerleader who replied in a haughty voice. "Uh, like, what plans?"
"What plans?..... Well...um....you see...I"
Kari was trying hard not to burst out laughing as she turned to Davis "I think I better go rescue T.K. I'll see you later Davis." And before he could reply she had moved to the side of the blonde boy and was pulling him gently away from the mob. "T.K.! Rememember you promised to help me with my science project on bacteria this weekend."
The boy looked confused for a moment, but a nudge from Kari's elbow helped him catch on. "Oh that's right! I'm helping you with your bacteria!" T.K. looked at the eager, almost desperate way the girls seemed to be inching closer. "Well come on Kari we better get started right away!" He took hold of her wrist and they hurridly moved up the street and out of the reaches of the now pouting girls.
Davis was positively seething with jealousy as he watched the two of them run off holding hands and laughing. "Probably about me." he said to himself. As he let the imagined slight sink into his brain his disposition only worsened. What's so special about T.K. anyway?
As if in answer to his thought the cheerleaders, completely oblivious to him, began talking in such high-pitched, whiny voices that Davis could hear their conversation quite easily. And he was not better off because of it.
"Its like, so not fair!" one of them said, stamping her foot to add emphasis "He's the hottest, most popular, most athletic guy in school, and that photo-nut Kamiya has him wrapped around her little finger!"
"Yeah" another one broke in "She should learn to share!" Most of the others nodded their agreement
"But," a third one began timidly "they both keep saying they're just friends."
The first cheerleader looked her with an ugly look of shock and disgust "Oh puh-leeeeze!" she screeched "We've all seen how they act together, the looks they give each other! If they're just friends then I'm a natural blonde!"
And that was about all Davis could handle. He quicly got up and wandered off in no particular destination. He just wanted to get far away from any possible mention of his rival's name.
Rival. That was how Davis had always thought of T.K. since the day the tall blonde boy and his stupid hat had walked into his life. Davis had been so sure that Kari liked him. So sure that they were destined to be together. But then he noticed how Kari's eyes had lit up like she was getting an early Christmas present when T.K. had first walked into the classroom.
At first he had tried to act as if nothing was different and kept up his constant pressure on Kari. But he noticed with regret that the girl steadily paid less and less attention to him, and more and more attention to T.K. Pretty soon they were damn near inseperable, and then the whole school was talking about T.K. and Kari and how they were the perfect couple. Of course they both steadfastly denied this, but they were just about the only ones who believed this deniel. Except of course for a few of their close friends and Davis who only tried to. T.K. and Kari were just too comfortable, too playful, too happy, in one another's company for nothing to be going on.
As Davis kept walking he realized he almost felt sick. It was like something was gnawing at his insides. And he had little doubt what it was. It was the powerless feeling he got whenever he went up against something he knew was impossible to beat. Like algebra or .......this.
"WHY?!" he screamed at the empty street "Why does it seem like I don't have a chance with Kari?! Why does it seem as if she was meant to be with T.K. instead of me?!"
"Do you really want to know?" A peculiar voice behind him immediately asked.
Davis wirled around, honestly not knowing what to expect, but kind of hoping it was something he could vent his frustrations on. What he got was a short, crumpled looking, old bald man, with long white whiskers, and a rather bemused expression on his face.
"Do you really want to know?" The man repeated his question
"Want to know what?! Who are you?! Tell me!" Davis shouted as he clenched his fists.
The old man gave a slight grin "Whoa, slow down there, bearer of courage and friendship. My name is Gennai, and I assure you I am a friend. If the truth was otherwise you wouldn't be coherent right now."
Gennai huh. The name sounded somewhat familiar, but Davis could not quite place it. He vaguely remembered Kari and Tai talking about something sounding like that. What was it again? Oh yeah!
"Hey, are you the wierd guy that helped the others when they first went to the Digiworld?"
Gennai's smile grew broader "That I am. Though I do prefer eccentric to wierd"
Davis lowered his fists for a moment, but then quickly raised them again as a thought struck him "Hey! Where have you been since then? There have been times when we could have used some help you know!"
Gennai chuckled a little "I know you have. But that's why I spent so much time with the other digidestined, so they could guide future generations. And besides," The old man added in mock gruffness. "after what those kids put me through, I thought I deserved a little vacation." Then he burst out laughing as if it was the funniest thing he had ever heard.
Davis chuckled politely for a moment, but when Gennai showed no sign of stopping his loud explosion of glee, he figured he had better say something to get the old man back to the point. "Uh, excuse me, but didn't you say something about 'really wanting to know' or something like that?"
"Oh, oh of course." The old man wiped a tear from his eye "I-I must say I almost forgot." And with that the old man appeared to grow years older right before Davis' eyes. He seemed to bend over as if an enourmous weight was being put on his shoulders. And all merriment faded from him, leaving a grave expression on his face, and a hint of intense sorrow as he spoke.
"I have come to you, because you have asked questions about the bearers of hope and light, as well as yourself. And the answers I will be able to give could indeed become important in the shaping of your life. But I must warn you that sometimes ignorance truly is bliss. And truth can be a very painful yoke to bear."
Gennai paused for a moment and gave the boy an almost pleading expression "Do you still wish to hear the answers you seek?"
Davis looked down at his shoes. Deep inside he knew that the old man's words were true, the answers would hurt him, but his jealousy raged up inside him, seemingly behind his control. "If it will help me win Kari, then I want to hear it!" He shouted defiantly.
Gennai shook his old head softly "Oh you poor, poor, fool. How will you ever become the leader and hero you must be?" But, it is as you wish." He pulled a thin gold disk from within his robes and held it out so Davis could see.
"Look. And learn."
A thin beam of flickering light shot from the disk. And as Davis watched on in confusion the beam slowly spread, until it formed a perfect picture of a small brown haired girl shaking hands with a slightly shorter blonde boy.
"The first time they met. Already they were drawn to each other like passing ships to a beacon."
The image split in two. One half showed the same boy standing watch over the girl as she twisted and turned in a feverish sleep. The other half showed the girl dangling from a roop with one hand, and desperately clinging to the falling boy with the other.
"Their first promises are made to each other. They are far from the last."
The image shifted again. The boy and girl were older. Their clothes were torn, and their bodies were dirty and bruised. They were in what looked to be a hole, or dark cell of some kind. Davis' attention was immediately drawn to the way they held each other, tenderly and protectively.
"A time yet to come." was all the old man said.
Suddenly the image blurred, and drained back into the golden disk "I pray you have seen enough. The bearers of hope and light are tied in body, heart, and soul. Their destinies decided long before they were ever born. I know that this is close to impossible for you to understand, but do you?"
As much as it pained him, Davis did understand. The images had penetrated his heart and revealed to him the love that Kari and T.K. held for each other, even if they did not know it yet. He felt the jealousy slide away, leaving only a dull hurt in its wake, along with something else....
"There's something your not telling me." He eyed Gennai suspiciously. "Your hiding something important."
The old man looked back at him with a true saddness in his eyes. "It will hurt." He said simply.
"It already has hurt!" Davis shot back. "Now tell me what you mean about them being tied. and their destinies being decided!"
Gennai nodded and bowed his head sadly. "They are hope and light, and one cannot be without the other. They need the love and strenght of each other to live and.....to die."
Davis felt a geyser of dread shoot up through his body. "What?! What do you mean to die?!"
Tears began to pool up in the old man's eyes. "The darkest hour of two worlds looms in the future, a time when the oceans boil and the stars fall from the sky. When the end is nigh, the bearers of hope and light shall make the ultimate sacrifice, and save all with their love. And when that time comes bearer of courage and friendship, you shall be there to bear wittness."
Davis fell to his knees as tears poured out of his eyes. "I don't want to bear wittness!" He tore at his hair as overwhelming waves of sorrow washed over him. "How?! When?! Where?! How can I stop it?!"
Gennai shook his head slowly. "Even I cannot see the circumstances or time of their sacrifice, only that it will happen. Although there are many possible paths, they all lead to the same destination."
"NO!" Davis cried out in grief and rage "There must be something, anything I can do!"
The tears on the old man's cheeks glistened as he smiled slightly "You can be their friend. You already care for the bearer of light, and in time you will call the bearer of hope brother. When the time of their sacrifice comes, you will be there to lend them your love and courage as they intrust you with their most precious possession, their daughter."
Davis fell over as his insides spasamed. Something was wrong. Something about Gennai's words was causing his emotions and body to go haywire. But somehow, in the midst of all the pain and disorder, he managed to latch on to a single thought. "You're lying! I can feel it inside of me! There's still something your hiding! There's still a chance they can live, and.... I'll..... and...I."
He passed out from the pain.
Gennai softly crept forward and laid his hand on Davis' forehead. "I am sorry my child. I can only leave you with this; if you truly believe there is a chance they can be saved, perhaps there is. After all it would not be the first time the pages of fate have been rewritten. But whatever happens you must never lose the hope and light your friends will give you."
He paused to wipe the tears that were still straming from beneath the boy's eyelids "For now, forget the pain you have seen and felt today, the memories will remain locked until the time is right."
And with that the old man was simply gone.
A half hour later Davis woke up. "Oh God my head. Did I get hit by a car or something?"
As the boy massaged his temples he heard a certain female voice floating on the wind. "Daaaviisss!!!"
He turned around and saw Kari and T.K. coming up behind him. Surprisingly, he did not feel his normal jealous anger as he saw that they were holding hands, only a small sort of longing deep in his heart.
"Hey Davis." T.K. said cheerfully "Kari told me about the your soccer tickets, but we were kinda wondering if maybe you'd rather go to the movies with us."
"Yeah come on Davis it'll be fun." Kari added with her patented smile.
Davis rolled his eyes as he thought about it. "Oh all right." he sighed "But only because you two would probably get scared without me." He took the hand that Kari offered him, and the three of them began walking slowly up the street.
"Hey guys." Davis said turning to them. "Did you know that the head cheerleader isn't a natural blonde?"
The laughter of the three friends echoed through the silent streets.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Well what did you think? I have an idea for an epilogue and some other stories, and if you want to hear more, tell me and I'll go get a bottle of Jack Daniels and start writing.