I do not own Digimon: Digital Monsters. (Oops! I forgot to say
"disclaimer"!)
Well, this is it! The finale of my first Takari fic! Enjoy, read, and PLEASE review!!!
PREVIOUSLY...
It came as nothing short of a shock to Kari and the other Digidestined when T.K. announced that he was moving away. Nevertheless, the others tried to do their best to save and defend the Digiworld from the almost limitless evil forces of the Digimon Emperor. And it didn't help one bit when Kari began to misbelieve that T.K. might have been falling for his new classmate and friend, May Hanaka. But circumstances screeched to a halt, when the Emperor managed to kidnap Kari and Gatomon, and pit the others against a gigantic army, completely under his control! Sensing that his friends were in danger, T.K. (with May) rushed back to his old neighborhood (and back to his old school) to help his friends. With help from Angemon, T.K. managed to successfully free his friends. But before they could escape, the Digimon Emperor pulled another stunt, releasing a huge blast of energy at them! What will happen next?
Kari's Missing Hope - Chapter 12
"AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"
Screams and shouts of plain horror (from the Digidestined and their digimon) echoed through the small area of the Digital World, and into the school computer room. Izzy tapped and typed furiously on the computer keyboard.
"Calm down, you guys!" Izzy nearly shouted through the computer. "That's not helping the situation any!"
Back in the Digital World, Hawkmon saw that the energy bolt was drawing closer. It had already trashed the broken pieces of the control spire that Tyrannomon had previously smashed. But something else quickly caught his eye. He gently tugged at Yolei's pants. It was hard to get her attention, given the fact everybody else was crowding around the television set.
Finally, Yolei turned to see what her digimon partner had to say. "What is it, Hawkmon?!"
Hawkmon pointed to what was in her hand. "It's your digivice, Yolei...it's glowing."
Glancing at it, she saw that he was right. A faint glow could be seen from it, getting brighter and brighter.
"What's happening to my digivice, Izzy?" she asked, turning to his image in the television.
"There's a problem getting you all through the gate," he replied. "So I've input a quick program that'll lock on the signals from your digivices."
"What'll that do?!" asked a somewhat impatient Cody.
"IF it works...this program SHOULD forcibly pull the ten of you through the Digital gate, and bring you back here."
Davis, Kari, Cody, and T.K. looked at their digivices, and saw them glowing, too.
Izzy typed for (literally) another second, briefly smiled, and then turned his attention to the Digidestined.
"There! It's completed! Hold on tight!"
"DO IT!!!" they all yelled.
"Standby! Transport will commence in...ten seconds!"
Suddenly, the digimon and kids started to experience a strange tingling sensation, and felt like...they were actually being (forcibly) pulled into the television!
"Hey! What is this, Izzy?!?" Davis panicked.
"Don't worry, Davis! That's just the program activating itself! Don't struggle! That'll only make it worse!"
Everyone was, to some point or another, nervous and a little scared, to say the least. But they'd made it through worse situations, not to mention they made it THIS far, so they had no choice but to place their trust in Izzy.
"Five seconds...four...three...two...ONE!!!"
Within another few short seconds, the five kids and their digimon completely vanished from sight, just as the energy bolt struck the exact spot where they were standing. (Gee, how convenient.) All that remained was a small, but smoldering crater, and a mess of ashes from where the television was positioned.
The eyes of the Digidestined could now see nothing but pale colored, bright light. This was it.
No turning back.
No second chances.
No nothing.
*********************
"Izzy, why is it taking this long? Didn't you say that transporting back and forth between worlds usually takes only seconds???" May worriedly asked nervously pacing back and forth.
Izzy turned his head with a serious expression. "Yeah, USUALLY. But because the gate was partially damaged and closed off...it's no surprise to me that it'll take longer. Plus-"
"Plus what?"
Since I initiated the program to bring them back to Earth, I have to carefully watch over their signals to make sure that they get home safely."
May looked over Izzy's shoulder, to get a good look at what Izzy was watching. On the computer, there seemed some sort of three-dimensional image. It was a deep blue, and had the shape of a disfigured mountain that cut right off the ground. And floating around (in an unorganized manner) were five yellow dots and five orange dots.
"Our friends?" May asked pointing to the dots on the screen.
Izzy nodded. "Mm-hm. It's not gonna be a smooth ride the whole way through, so with the help of the program I set up, I can half-guide their signals to this computer. Don't worry, I'm sure that you're worrying about nothing. These things just take time. See, they're more than halfway through."
"Are they conscious?"
"Well, I don't know. None of us have ever usually lost consciousness traveling between the two worlds, but with what's happened recently...I'd say that right now, your guess is as good as mine."
May continued to observe the computer screen and soon her eyes widened from what she thought she saw.
"Umm, Izzy...maybe my eyes are playing tricks on me, but it looks like their signals are getting closer!"
Izzy tapped a few buttons on the keyboard and clicks twice on the mouse.
"Hey, you're right! Their speed is accelerating!"
"And their ETA?" (Estimated Time of Arrival, for those of you aren't good with acronyms)
"By my calculations and their rate of speed...approximately fifteen seconds!"
May cautiously took a few nervous steps backwards.
"I'm getting out of the way in case they come shooting out like speeding missiles!"
Unbeknownst to May, her statement wasn't far off from the truth.
Nonetheless, Izzy continued to countdown.
"Thirteen seconds...eleven seconds...ten...nine...eight...seven...six...five...four...three...two...one ...ZERO!"
The computer that Izzy was seated at fizzled, and even some sparks flew out of it. May let out a small scream, and jumped backwards. Suddenly, the lights flickered and went out. Izzy wasn't sure how the lights were linked to the damaged Digital gate, but he'd have to figure that out later. But before he could think another thought, physical pain erupted inside his body, as he felt something VERY heavy hit him, forcing him to fall out of his chair and onto the floor. And whatever it was got heavier and fell on top of him! Keep in mind that by now, it was nighttime on Earth, so with the lights out, it was hard to even make out the shape of anything. May was a little frightened, and kept her back to the door of the room. The only thing she could decipher was a jumble of voices...
"Hey, hands off my thigh!"
"Who's pushing up against me?!?"
"Eek!!! Don't even think about trying anything funny in the dark!"
"Someone licked me on purpose!"
"I'm squished under here!"
"Get your hair out of my nostrils!"
"Oww!!! My tail! My tail!!!"
"I can't see!"
"EVERYBODY GET OFF OF ME!!!"
Immediately the light was restored. May gasped at what she saw and then laughed. In the back of her mind, she hoped that the voices belonged to the Digidestined. And she was right. There they were, literally lying in a horrible mess or heap like a garbage pile. Izzy was practically squished under Davis (sitting on him), who held Cody in his arms (much like the way a hero carries the "damsel in distress"). Not to mention that he had Yolei's glasses on. Yolei and Kari were sitting on floor next to each other...with T.K. lying in their laps. Needless to say, Kari blushed furiously at this discovery, even though she had on T.K.'s hat, which covered half her face. Lastly, Yolei found herself wearing Davis's goggles.
(Oh, yeah...the digimon made it back too, just in case you were worried.)
"Ah, the lights!" May said a little more cheerfully. "HEY! You guys made it! And none too soo-WHOA!!! I spy a naughty boy! T.K., you stud!"
T.K. wasn't exactly sure as to what May was blurting out, but he managed to figure it out as he saw the position he was in, compared to Yolei and Kari. Soon enough, the two girls noticed it as well, and tried to respond in a calm, collected, mature sense.
"EEEEEK!!!!!"
*SMACK!!!*
*SMACK!!!*
T.K. crawled along the floor, this time with a red hand-shaped mark on BOTH cheeks.
Upon witnessing this, May, now knowing that everything was all right...laughed heartily.
*********************
Meanwhile, in another building, specifically the home of Ken Ichijouji, the atmosphere was just the opposite. Ken was absolutely fuming at the stunning outcome of the previous battle, and his current defeat. Thankfully, neither of his parents were home, or they would have had their son seek psychiatric help at the sight of him yelling at his computer screen. But even if they were present and had saw this, the sad truth of the matter was that...Ken wouldn't have cared. What was really going on was that he had communicated with Wormon and the rest of the possessed Bakemon, all residing in his fortress.
"I DON'T BELIEVE THIS!!! Those idiotic kids managed to prevail over all of my forces, and STILL get away without a scratch! They completely defanged my brilliant plan! What have do all you have to say for yourselves?!?!?"
The Bakemon scratched their heads, and Wormon looked absolutely terrified. But he struggled to respond.
"I...I...I-I'm s-s-s-sorry you f-failed, Master-"
"I DIDN'T FAIL, WORMON!!!!! YOU failed!!! You ALL failed!!! Just like you always do!!! That does it! You're all working a triple shift tomorrow! No break, no NOTHING!!! Digimon Emperor out!!!"
Ken practically slammed his fist on the keyboard, and the computer shut off. He then angrily pounded his fist again on a nearby table in his room, and continued to grumble to himself.
"This is absolutely intolerable! How??? How did those meddling children pull off this victory!?! Hmph! It matters little! So they just got lucky! They won't be so smug for long! Everybody's luck runs out sometime, and when it does, I'll be there to rub their noses in their state of humiliation!!!"
*********************
"Well, at least we know that you all made it back safe and sound," Izzy stated, rubbing his aching back and brushing some dust off his green jacket sleeve.
"It's not a dream! We're really back!" Davis almost yelled. "I never thought I'd be so happy to see the school!!! Ha, ha! I kiss the sweet ground!"
Everyone erupted with laughter as Davis did just that.
"You know, the janitor was in here not too long ago, washing and waxing this floor...thoroughly," Izzy noted.
Not too surprisingly, Davis ran off to the bathroom.
While the digimon took a rest on the floor May walked over to T.K., and whispered. "Well, what are you waiting for, T.K.? Make up with 'lover girl' over there already!"
Kari glared at the two of them, but more at May, as she whispered something in his ear, making him giggle a bit.
"So I'll wait for you outside the school okay?" she finished.
"Gotcha," T.K. replied, with a "thumbs-up" sign.
May said her good-byes to the others, shook their hands, and left the room. T.K. walked over to his old (female) friend, still angry with her arms crossed.
"Hmm...uh, Izzy...I think we should check on Davis, what do you think?" Yolei said.
Without waiting for a response, she shooed Izzy and Cody out of the room, and followed them out. But not before she quickly peeked her head in and winked at Kari. Kari blushed and turned her head away from T.K.
"So..." she began, still a little frustrated over the ordeal between May ad T.K. "What did your GIRLFRIEND have to say?"
"Well...my 'girlfriend' tried to get me to admit that I have feelings for someone else."
Kari was surprised that May was - in a weird way - trying to set them up together. At least (this moment) that's how it seemed, leaving Kari somewhat speechless. But she struggled to push the conversation a little further.
I have to know, she thought.
"A-and who...m-might that be?" she stuttered.
T.K. started to smile in a very strange way and moved closer to Kari, making her extremely uncomfortable. But Kari didn't see to mind a bit that she felt this way. To make matters worse (sort of), her legs began to shake, and her teeth were chattering, even though it wasn't cold inside or outside the school.
"I'll give you a clue," T.K. replied, reaching and for her soft chin and tugging on it.
Before Kari could even think, she felt her eyes automatically closing as T.K. did the same, and gently - but firmly - pressed his lips to hers. Her eyes briefly went wide, but even after they had kissed for the first time before he left, she had (mentally) gotten used the wonderful and blissful feeling of being kissed.
That is, being kissed by the one you truly love and care about with all your heart and soul.
Having fully (and finally) realizing this, she put more effort (THIS time, FINALLY!) into her passionate embrace with T.K. She began by letting some of the cutest moans escape her mouth. She then pulled T.K.'s hand away from her chin so she could lovingly wrap her arms around his neck. Naturally, T.K. took this opportunity to wrap HIS arms around her waist. The once two shy kids pulled themselves towards each other. At that moment, she felt T.K.'s lips ("trying" to) curl into a smile. He giggled for a second at the pleasant discovery of how soft her cute, pink lips were. Kari giggled, too. As they separated from each other they were surprised at the fact they were both noticeably sweating. All they could say was...
"WHOA."
Kari and T.K. giggled again.
"Kari, have I told you lately, that I'm mad about you? And have I mentioned how cute you look with dirt all over your cheeks?"
"Well, no...not today, anyway!" Kari couldn't help but smile warmly now.
"So..." T.K. continued. "...do you at least have any idea as to the girl I'm talking about?"
"Umm..."
Kari now felt INCREDIBLY shy at the moment, not to mention that she was at a loss for words. But they came in due course as one thought became crystal clear...she DESPERATELY wanted to feel another kiss. Immediately, she wrapped her arms around his neck again.
"Sorry, T.K., but I think I'm gonna need another clue."
"Well, in that case...I'll be more than happy to give you another one..."
T.K., without hesitation, leaned in for another-
"HEY, T.K.!!!" yelled a voice. T.K. and Kari looked out the open window. Even though it was nighttime outside, the lampposts helped to illuminate May, calling to him.
"YOU COMIN' OR WHAT?"
"UHH..." was T.K. could say.
"I MEAN, C'MON! WHO'S GONNA PAY YOUR BUS FARE?"
"WELL, I-"
"ONE SECOND, PLEASE!!!!!" Kari half-angrily interrupted, pulling T.K. back away from the window.
"Uh, Kari...what-mmmph!!!"
T.K. couldn't say anything as Kari almost wildly grabbed him by the shirt and forced another powerful kiss on him. Laughing inside his head, T.K. wrapped his arms around her slim waist and held her tenderly.
As they pulled away again, Kari winked at him. "Just don't forget THAT while you go home with HER!"
T.K. gently mocked Kari, giving a fake salute. "Yes, ma'am! See ya!"
"Bye, T.K.! Talk to you on the phone?"
"You bet!" he exclaimed, scooping up Patamon, and waving to the others. "Don't worry, Kari! I'll be thinking about you the whole ride home!"
Kari looked out the window as T.K. met with May. The two talked briefly, and then laughed with each other as they left the school.
See that you do, T.K., she thought. I don't wanna lose you...
Even after she had held T.K., and sweetly shared two (or three, depending on how look at it) wonderful kisses with him, and despite what he said about her, she still wasn't sure how attached he was to May. All she could do was hope that his feelings for her were TRULY mutual.
*********************
"What a crazy day, huh?" said an exhausted T.K. to May, in the hallways to their respective apartments.
"I'll say! But, man...what a rush! Sure wish I could visit that Digital World someday!" May replied.
"Maybe you will, May! Maybe you will..."
"Well, I gotta get back! Mom's gonna have a fit about me being out so late!"
"Yeah, me too!"
Just before May unlocked her apartment door, she turned to T.K.
"By the way...didja clear up everything with Kari?"
"Not yet...but I did make my feelings for her clear...I think."
"Let's hope so. Oh, well...I know that my chances with you are shot now, so-" she said, starting to laugh.
"But?"
"I'd still very much like to be friends with you!"
"I think that could work..."
The two friends shook hands, but then May closed her eyes and did the unexpected...
(Oh, SURE...)
...and pulled T.K. (by his hand) in for (yet another - yah, I know this is getting repetitive) a sweet kiss. T.K. blushed furiously as she, like Kari, wrapped her arms around him, and moaned as she locked her lips with him. T.K. couldn't hold her, since he was carrying a sleeping Patamon in his hands. But May didn't seem to mind. As she broke away from him, he did his best to act calm. Since he came close to a premature end more than once today, it probably wouldn't be a good idea to get all angry or crazy-
"AHHHHH!!! WHADDYA THINK YOU'RE DOING?!?!?" T.K. bellowed.
May closed her eyes again, and put her hand against her mouth to keep from laughing, but she couldn't help it.
"GYA, HA, HA, HA, HA! Look at you! You're blushing right up to your ears!"
And she was right. Even the smallest ant could have seen that T.K. had a nice crimson streak across his face. But strangely enough, it wasn't from anger.
"May would you kindly tell me what that was all about?!?"
"Hey! Easy, easy, T.K.! Just think of it as a 'good-bye kiss', okay?"
T.K. realized what she was saying and calmed down. "Oh...yeah! Of course!"
"I mean, I know you and I weren't going out or anything, but...it was fun kissing you while it lasted..."
T.K. chuckled. "I understand...well...see you tomorrow?"
"Same time, same place. There's no law that says we can't still walk to school together."
"Cool, see ya!"
"Night-night!"
T.K. hugged May briefly, and the two of them entered their respective apartments. He greeted his Mom, and put down Patamon on his bed.
Ms. Takaishi heard his son sigh, and asked him to enter the living room to talk.
"So where were you?" she asked.
"I, uh...decided to visit my friends...since I had a half-day at school today and all."
T.K. tried to spare his mother the details of his immense adventure that had occurred less than an hour ago.
"How did it go?"
"Oh, believe me when I say...it was a blast."
"T.K., after that fiasco at dinner last night...it got me thinking..."
"About what?"
"Well, let me ask you this...how much do you miss your friends?"
"I miss them like crazy! It was a kick seeing them today!"
"And do you like it HERE?"
"Well, uh...it's kinda cool that we have a new apartment and all...and I made some new friends at school besides May...and I have a much bigger and more famous school to go to-"
"DO YOU LIKE LIVING HERE?"
T.K. looked at his mom long and hard. He loved her a lot, but whenever possible he tried to respect (and spare) her feelings...but this subject was just something too strong to lie about.
"No...I don't. I'm sorry, but I hate the fact that we moved twice in the last four years...and I can't take it."
"I understand. But I was thinking last night before I went to sleep...and I wondered if some if the decisions I made in the past were the right ones. And right now, I think we need to talk about those decisions."
"Yeah...maybe we do."
For the rest of the week, T.K. called up his friends and talked to them on the telephone or chatted with them over the Internet, since he had to leave somewhat abruptly after the battle with them. Yolei and Cody filled him in on the events at school, in the Digital World, or just about anything in particular that worth mentioning. Though Davis was happy to talk to him, he made T.K. swear NOT to tell ANYONE that he actually missed him. However, T.K. did promise Davis to set aside some VERY private "hugging time".
T.K. even talked to the original Digidestined, who were more than happy to talk with them. Apparently, the news of his moving to another town had made its way to their ears, as well. T.K. felt very warm and happy inside when he talked to each and every one of them. It almost felt as if he was right there with them, chatting away the day like they always used to. But he had to face the facts...the Digidestined almost fell to the Digimon Emperor's dark forces, had he not joined he battle. The team was incomplete. They didn't just need him...he needed THEM.
Ironically, the only Digidestined he hadn't contacted was Kari. T.K. was a little surprised that she was still mad at him when he rescued her, and it really made him think. More specifically, back to the first day of school, just before their new adventures in the Digiworld began. Words couldn't even begin to describe the utter joy that had entered his soul when he realized that Kari was attending his new school. It was then that something changed within the inside of his heart.
Though he had kept in contact with her before that "first day", he hadn't really gotten a good look at her inner and outer features until that morning. She looked SO different. Kari's innocent, yet spunky, little spirit had blossomed and transformed her into a graceful, caring, and loving young woman.
Upon this realization, his heart gradually began to open up to create a very special place all reserved for their love that could possibly be shared with each other. Now, at this moment, he finally planned to go ahead and formalize their mutual feelings for her, if possible. He just hoped that Kari would be patient enough to wait for him...
*********************
TWO WEEKS LATER...
"Well, Mom...I'm off to school!" T.K. yelled to his mother in the kitchen.
"Okay, sweetie! Have a good day," she yelled back cheerfully.
In the past few weeks, the atmosphere between T.K. and his mother wasn't at its best, but as she stood there in her bathrobe, sipping her mug of fresh, hot coffee, she had a sneaking suspicion that today would definitely be different...
*********************
"Later, Mom!" Tai yelled as he put on his school jacket.
"Isn't this a little early? School doesn't start for another forty-five minutes!" Mrs. Kamiya noted.
"Yeah, but I gotta meet with the soccer team today...y'know, early soccer practice."
"Oh, I see...well, have a good time."
Tai nodded but then realized that he couldn't find his bookbag. Thinking hard, he remembered that it was still in his room, so he went to get it. Upon reentering the room, he saw a familiar scene. Once again, Kari was present, moping and irradiating sadness so intense, that the richest person in the world could have felt it. Only this time Kari was dressed, and was sitting at the desk, staring at the phone.
"Umm...Kari-"
"Why doesn't he call?"
"Excuse me?"
Kari looked up at her big brother, with tears starting to brim in her eyes.
"T.K."
Tai didn't say anything, but mouthed the word, "ah".
"I mean...I really thought that we'd made up with each other...so naturally, I expected anything BUT this."
Tai sighed and knelt down near the chair where Kari sat.
"Didja ever think that...even though he's his feelings pretty clear for you...he's still a little afraid of opening up? I mean, as far as I know...he's never been with a girl before-"
Kari flashed Tai "the evil eye". She eventually had told Tai about May, and he quickly understood her predicament.
"-EXCEPT Ma-"
"DON'T say her name...!"
"Sorry, sis...look, I gotta go, okay?"
Kari nodded, but suddenly whipped her head towards Tai just as he opened the door.
"Tai, wait!" she called.
"Yeah?" he asked, casually.
Kari, with a sad and now apologetic look on her face quickly got up out of her chair and ran over to her big brother, giving him a big hug.
"I'm the one should be sorry...I didn't mean to snap at you like that..."
"No, really...it's okay," he said, hugging her back. "Just take it easy, or you're gonna burst."
The two siblings giggled briefly, and Tai left for school. Twenty-eight minutes passed, and Kari still didn't feel much better. Reluctantly, she picked up her school stuff, ad left for school, too. Upon leaving the apartment building, she remembered that she forgot Gatomon, but quickly thought back to the battle against the Digimon Emperor's forces. It would definitely take some time for him to clean up from THAT mess, for sure. So she continued on her way, but no more than two steps had been took, before she noticed that her sneaker had come untied. Growing more and more annoyed, she took off her backpack, bent down to tie it up.
"Hey 'beautiful in pink', nice morning for a stroll, huh?" said a mysterious voice.
As Kari finished tying her pink sneaker, she didn't even bother to look at the punk who just made a pass at her.
"Forget it, creep...I already have someone." I THINK, she thought at last moment.
"Well, that's okay...so do I."
Kari turned red (and fumed) with anger, and whipped around to face whoever this jerk was.
"T...T.K.?"
"Hey, Kari...now I believe we left off at 'creep'?"
"It's not that I'm not glad to see you...but...WHAT are you doing here???"
"Well, I thought that we could walk to school together today."
"Umm, correct me if I'm wrong, but don't you go to a different school now?"
"Correct me, if I'M wrong, but did I forgot to tell you that I moved back?" he replied, in a very casual tone.
"YOU MOVED BACK!?!?!" she cried, in pure glee.
T.K. nodded happily, unable to hold back a smile.
"How...?!? WHEN?!?!?"
"Last night...anyway, I thought that I'd surprise you. Did I?"
"Are you kidding??? Of course!!! Oh, wait...! What about that great job your mom took? You know, more pay, less hours?"
"Well, Mom and I talked and I took your advice...I stood up for myself and voiced my opinion about our moving away. And for the first time in a while...she really thought about what I wanted."
"And May?" she asked rather quickly.
"Aside from a good-bye kiss-"
T.K. saw that Kari was turning red again, and tried to wrap up this part of the conversation as fast as he could.
"-WE, UM...we're just friends! FRIENDS!!! But I DID invite her to come and visit every now and then."
Kari let go of her anger, and reluctantly nodded in an understanding expression.
"She also told me something else...she hopes that next time she visits, she would really like to become friends with you."
Kari turned red again, but this time from embarrassment.
"Oh, I see...um, T.K., I forgot to say this earlier, but it means anything to you...I'm sorry that I got jealous. Real sorry."
"Hey, it's okay. I might have reacted the same way if our roles were reversed."
"Really?"
"Well, you'll never know now."
"And why's that?"
"Because, right now...I have a great girlfriend, and I don't plan to break up with her anytime soon-"
Kari sighed in relief.
"-but in this case, I guess I could dump her for YOU."
The two Digidestined looked at each other, and eventually laughed. They then figured that it wold be best to start walking, otherwise they'd be late. At the very least, T.K. didn't want to be late for his first day BACK in school. But before his conscious could be totally "cleared of all charges", there was still one thing that T.K. felt he had to get off his chest. Altering his walking pace to a noticeably slower speed, he turned his head to Kari.
"Something on your mind, T.K.?" Kari asked, sensing something was up.
"This might sound silly, but I wanted to apologize..."
"Apologize? For what?"
"Well, for a lot of things. First, for not warning you sooner about moving away-"
Kari smiled as she began to make light of the situation.
"Hey, you said it yourself - it was a last minute thing. You didn't have much control over it..."
"I know, but you we're right...I should've tried harder to let you know in advance. Second, I'm sorry that I let you guys down...you know, when you all had trouble wrestling with the Emperor's army."
"That couldn't be helped. But we know that you would've been there if you could. You'll always be with us in spirit, even if we're all separated. I guess we just forgot that for a while."
"And lastly, I wanted to make amends for...well...you being kidnapped."
"Kidnapped?"
"Y-yeah..."
In a partially heavy voice, he continued to explain himself.
"If I had been more alert or...or something I could have saved you! I did a lousy job of rescuing you...!"
"T.K., listen...it's okay. I AM a big girl and I can take care of myself just as well as you can. When I was younger, I guess I was something of a 'damsel in distress', but I've changed a lot! And believe me when I say that I couldn't have HOPED to ask for a better rescuer."
T.K. let a single tear escape his eye. "Th...thanks, Kari."
"Why are you making such a big deal out of all this anyway?" she asked, still smiling.
"BECAUSE...because...I love you," he slowly said, finally cutting through the uncomfortable silence.
Kari let some tears go too, as they hugged once again in the bright morning sunlight. Acting on impulse, she raised her lips to meet T.K.'s, and they kissed passionately again.
As they finished, T.K. noted one thing more. "Hey, Kari...look, I know I kinda acted all overconfident and macho when Patamon and I came to help you guys-"
Kari didn't feel like acting all mushy and serious, since she was now in such a good mood. So she decided to respond...differently. Her eyes narrowed slyly a she got a funny idea.
T.K.'s next words and thoughts were cut off by Kari, who wrapped her arms around T.K.'s neck in a warm, playful hug.
"Are you kidding? You were so cool n' brave! You're my hero, T.K.!" she said happily.
"Aww, well...I dunno about that..." he said, scratching the back of his head.
"Well, you are...so here ya go."
T.K. wasn't exactly sure what she meant by that last statement until he saw her closing her eyes and planting a big, (overly) wet one on his cheek.
"Mwha!" she said, breaking off the kiss. BOTH of them were blushing (almost) furiously.
"Whoa!" T.K. sputtered. "Yuck!" T.K. quickly wiped his chin with his sleeve.
Kari giggled, and T.K. began to laugh, too.
"Come on, T.K. Let's go," indicating the direction of the school.
"Y'know," T.K. said, picking up the pace. "I have a feeling that wherever we go...adventure and destiny will be there."
"And WHATEVER it is..." Kari replied, taking T.K.'s hand in hers. "...we'll face it together."
Nodding at one another, the Digidestined of Hope and the Digidestined of Light ran not towards the school, and not just towards a new day, but to something much greater and more important...life. One cannot predict the outcome of life, no matter what is written. But with a powerful sense of Hope backing it up, and a strong ray of Light, leading it forward, one thing is certain...whatever the future turns out to be, it is destined to be a great one.
If trouble approaches, Hope can very well be lost. It can even be buried. But it will never die. At the same time though, it isn't always enough. It can take a little bit more than what one has to offer. Sometimes, a little bit of Light can guide the way for Hope to find the road that leads back into peoples' spirits, their minds, and especially...their hearts.
THE (HOPEFUL) END
WOO HOO!!!!! Finally done with this fic! DAMN!!! Yes, yes, SOOOOOO glad that it's over with! That's not to say that I didn't like writing this! I mean, after all, this is my very FIRST Takari fic ever! And while I don't have any ideas (at the moment) for other Takaris, you can be sure that I'll write more of them in the future! And if any of you vipers and gargoyles out there have half a black heart that's still partially functioning in your breast, then you'll be at least evil enough to review this last chapter! (As well as all my others "gems.") Ha, ha...just kidding about the gargoyle thing! Anyway, thank you all for your support through every devastating chapter, and before I forget, let me thank those who gave and suggested some bright ideas for this story...
SPECIAL THANKS TO...
ShineyEye 02
KariKamiya07
ARCHANGELMON
Kali Kamiya
Caeser Godzillatron
Wolfie
Julia Minuit
takeru
Well, I think that's everybody! If by chance, I forgot someone (and I usually do, given my bad memory,) then I apologize and thank you, too! And I would especially like to thank all the readers who were kind enough to bother to even read my fic! Check out some of my other fics that are already posted (I'm begging you!), as well as my new upcoming projects! Here's a short list for your reading disappointment...ab, uh, I mean PLEASURE! PLEASURE!!!! Oh, man...just read the friggin' list...
COMING SOON...
Tamed Afterthoughts (short Takato & Jeri romance fic)
Digi-Infomercials! (once again, another "Whose Line?"-type humor fic)
The Worst Annoyance (a group of Haiku poems, PLEASE read and review them...!)
In case you are still reading this, these are three short fics that I hope to pop out soon, which will then complete my "first season" of fanfics! (Yah, I know it sounds weird, doesn't it?) Anyway, that's about it! That's all I have to say! You guys and gals have been all so supportive through these times! (WAAAHHHHH!!! SOME PEOPLE ARE SO NICE!!!) But if you wanna see more, than catch me at my next fic! Oh yeah, if you have any questions about this fic, or anything else in particular, then don't hesitate to chat with me! I'm always willing to drop everything and just plain talk! Well, sorry if any of you are sad that this fic came to a close, but worry not, 'cuz I have plenty more adventures in store for the Digidestined and their digimon! I'd love to stay and chat, but right now I must return to my own time! Goodbye...and farewell!!! WA, HA, HA, HA, HA!!!!!...*POOF!*
(sneaks away through the smoke...) ^_^
Well, this is it! The finale of my first Takari fic! Enjoy, read, and PLEASE review!!!
PREVIOUSLY...
It came as nothing short of a shock to Kari and the other Digidestined when T.K. announced that he was moving away. Nevertheless, the others tried to do their best to save and defend the Digiworld from the almost limitless evil forces of the Digimon Emperor. And it didn't help one bit when Kari began to misbelieve that T.K. might have been falling for his new classmate and friend, May Hanaka. But circumstances screeched to a halt, when the Emperor managed to kidnap Kari and Gatomon, and pit the others against a gigantic army, completely under his control! Sensing that his friends were in danger, T.K. (with May) rushed back to his old neighborhood (and back to his old school) to help his friends. With help from Angemon, T.K. managed to successfully free his friends. But before they could escape, the Digimon Emperor pulled another stunt, releasing a huge blast of energy at them! What will happen next?
Kari's Missing Hope - Chapter 12
"AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"
Screams and shouts of plain horror (from the Digidestined and their digimon) echoed through the small area of the Digital World, and into the school computer room. Izzy tapped and typed furiously on the computer keyboard.
"Calm down, you guys!" Izzy nearly shouted through the computer. "That's not helping the situation any!"
Back in the Digital World, Hawkmon saw that the energy bolt was drawing closer. It had already trashed the broken pieces of the control spire that Tyrannomon had previously smashed. But something else quickly caught his eye. He gently tugged at Yolei's pants. It was hard to get her attention, given the fact everybody else was crowding around the television set.
Finally, Yolei turned to see what her digimon partner had to say. "What is it, Hawkmon?!"
Hawkmon pointed to what was in her hand. "It's your digivice, Yolei...it's glowing."
Glancing at it, she saw that he was right. A faint glow could be seen from it, getting brighter and brighter.
"What's happening to my digivice, Izzy?" she asked, turning to his image in the television.
"There's a problem getting you all through the gate," he replied. "So I've input a quick program that'll lock on the signals from your digivices."
"What'll that do?!" asked a somewhat impatient Cody.
"IF it works...this program SHOULD forcibly pull the ten of you through the Digital gate, and bring you back here."
Davis, Kari, Cody, and T.K. looked at their digivices, and saw them glowing, too.
Izzy typed for (literally) another second, briefly smiled, and then turned his attention to the Digidestined.
"There! It's completed! Hold on tight!"
"DO IT!!!" they all yelled.
"Standby! Transport will commence in...ten seconds!"
Suddenly, the digimon and kids started to experience a strange tingling sensation, and felt like...they were actually being (forcibly) pulled into the television!
"Hey! What is this, Izzy?!?" Davis panicked.
"Don't worry, Davis! That's just the program activating itself! Don't struggle! That'll only make it worse!"
Everyone was, to some point or another, nervous and a little scared, to say the least. But they'd made it through worse situations, not to mention they made it THIS far, so they had no choice but to place their trust in Izzy.
"Five seconds...four...three...two...ONE!!!"
Within another few short seconds, the five kids and their digimon completely vanished from sight, just as the energy bolt struck the exact spot where they were standing. (Gee, how convenient.) All that remained was a small, but smoldering crater, and a mess of ashes from where the television was positioned.
The eyes of the Digidestined could now see nothing but pale colored, bright light. This was it.
No turning back.
No second chances.
No nothing.
*********************
"Izzy, why is it taking this long? Didn't you say that transporting back and forth between worlds usually takes only seconds???" May worriedly asked nervously pacing back and forth.
Izzy turned his head with a serious expression. "Yeah, USUALLY. But because the gate was partially damaged and closed off...it's no surprise to me that it'll take longer. Plus-"
"Plus what?"
Since I initiated the program to bring them back to Earth, I have to carefully watch over their signals to make sure that they get home safely."
May looked over Izzy's shoulder, to get a good look at what Izzy was watching. On the computer, there seemed some sort of three-dimensional image. It was a deep blue, and had the shape of a disfigured mountain that cut right off the ground. And floating around (in an unorganized manner) were five yellow dots and five orange dots.
"Our friends?" May asked pointing to the dots on the screen.
Izzy nodded. "Mm-hm. It's not gonna be a smooth ride the whole way through, so with the help of the program I set up, I can half-guide their signals to this computer. Don't worry, I'm sure that you're worrying about nothing. These things just take time. See, they're more than halfway through."
"Are they conscious?"
"Well, I don't know. None of us have ever usually lost consciousness traveling between the two worlds, but with what's happened recently...I'd say that right now, your guess is as good as mine."
May continued to observe the computer screen and soon her eyes widened from what she thought she saw.
"Umm, Izzy...maybe my eyes are playing tricks on me, but it looks like their signals are getting closer!"
Izzy tapped a few buttons on the keyboard and clicks twice on the mouse.
"Hey, you're right! Their speed is accelerating!"
"And their ETA?" (Estimated Time of Arrival, for those of you aren't good with acronyms)
"By my calculations and their rate of speed...approximately fifteen seconds!"
May cautiously took a few nervous steps backwards.
"I'm getting out of the way in case they come shooting out like speeding missiles!"
Unbeknownst to May, her statement wasn't far off from the truth.
Nonetheless, Izzy continued to countdown.
"Thirteen seconds...eleven seconds...ten...nine...eight...seven...six...five...four...three...two...one ...ZERO!"
The computer that Izzy was seated at fizzled, and even some sparks flew out of it. May let out a small scream, and jumped backwards. Suddenly, the lights flickered and went out. Izzy wasn't sure how the lights were linked to the damaged Digital gate, but he'd have to figure that out later. But before he could think another thought, physical pain erupted inside his body, as he felt something VERY heavy hit him, forcing him to fall out of his chair and onto the floor. And whatever it was got heavier and fell on top of him! Keep in mind that by now, it was nighttime on Earth, so with the lights out, it was hard to even make out the shape of anything. May was a little frightened, and kept her back to the door of the room. The only thing she could decipher was a jumble of voices...
"Hey, hands off my thigh!"
"Who's pushing up against me?!?"
"Eek!!! Don't even think about trying anything funny in the dark!"
"Someone licked me on purpose!"
"I'm squished under here!"
"Get your hair out of my nostrils!"
"Oww!!! My tail! My tail!!!"
"I can't see!"
"EVERYBODY GET OFF OF ME!!!"
Immediately the light was restored. May gasped at what she saw and then laughed. In the back of her mind, she hoped that the voices belonged to the Digidestined. And she was right. There they were, literally lying in a horrible mess or heap like a garbage pile. Izzy was practically squished under Davis (sitting on him), who held Cody in his arms (much like the way a hero carries the "damsel in distress"). Not to mention that he had Yolei's glasses on. Yolei and Kari were sitting on floor next to each other...with T.K. lying in their laps. Needless to say, Kari blushed furiously at this discovery, even though she had on T.K.'s hat, which covered half her face. Lastly, Yolei found herself wearing Davis's goggles.
(Oh, yeah...the digimon made it back too, just in case you were worried.)
"Ah, the lights!" May said a little more cheerfully. "HEY! You guys made it! And none too soo-WHOA!!! I spy a naughty boy! T.K., you stud!"
T.K. wasn't exactly sure as to what May was blurting out, but he managed to figure it out as he saw the position he was in, compared to Yolei and Kari. Soon enough, the two girls noticed it as well, and tried to respond in a calm, collected, mature sense.
"EEEEEK!!!!!"
*SMACK!!!*
*SMACK!!!*
T.K. crawled along the floor, this time with a red hand-shaped mark on BOTH cheeks.
Upon witnessing this, May, now knowing that everything was all right...laughed heartily.
*********************
Meanwhile, in another building, specifically the home of Ken Ichijouji, the atmosphere was just the opposite. Ken was absolutely fuming at the stunning outcome of the previous battle, and his current defeat. Thankfully, neither of his parents were home, or they would have had their son seek psychiatric help at the sight of him yelling at his computer screen. But even if they were present and had saw this, the sad truth of the matter was that...Ken wouldn't have cared. What was really going on was that he had communicated with Wormon and the rest of the possessed Bakemon, all residing in his fortress.
"I DON'T BELIEVE THIS!!! Those idiotic kids managed to prevail over all of my forces, and STILL get away without a scratch! They completely defanged my brilliant plan! What have do all you have to say for yourselves?!?!?"
The Bakemon scratched their heads, and Wormon looked absolutely terrified. But he struggled to respond.
"I...I...I-I'm s-s-s-sorry you f-failed, Master-"
"I DIDN'T FAIL, WORMON!!!!! YOU failed!!! You ALL failed!!! Just like you always do!!! That does it! You're all working a triple shift tomorrow! No break, no NOTHING!!! Digimon Emperor out!!!"
Ken practically slammed his fist on the keyboard, and the computer shut off. He then angrily pounded his fist again on a nearby table in his room, and continued to grumble to himself.
"This is absolutely intolerable! How??? How did those meddling children pull off this victory!?! Hmph! It matters little! So they just got lucky! They won't be so smug for long! Everybody's luck runs out sometime, and when it does, I'll be there to rub their noses in their state of humiliation!!!"
*********************
"Well, at least we know that you all made it back safe and sound," Izzy stated, rubbing his aching back and brushing some dust off his green jacket sleeve.
"It's not a dream! We're really back!" Davis almost yelled. "I never thought I'd be so happy to see the school!!! Ha, ha! I kiss the sweet ground!"
Everyone erupted with laughter as Davis did just that.
"You know, the janitor was in here not too long ago, washing and waxing this floor...thoroughly," Izzy noted.
Not too surprisingly, Davis ran off to the bathroom.
While the digimon took a rest on the floor May walked over to T.K., and whispered. "Well, what are you waiting for, T.K.? Make up with 'lover girl' over there already!"
Kari glared at the two of them, but more at May, as she whispered something in his ear, making him giggle a bit.
"So I'll wait for you outside the school okay?" she finished.
"Gotcha," T.K. replied, with a "thumbs-up" sign.
May said her good-byes to the others, shook their hands, and left the room. T.K. walked over to his old (female) friend, still angry with her arms crossed.
"Hmm...uh, Izzy...I think we should check on Davis, what do you think?" Yolei said.
Without waiting for a response, she shooed Izzy and Cody out of the room, and followed them out. But not before she quickly peeked her head in and winked at Kari. Kari blushed and turned her head away from T.K.
"So..." she began, still a little frustrated over the ordeal between May ad T.K. "What did your GIRLFRIEND have to say?"
"Well...my 'girlfriend' tried to get me to admit that I have feelings for someone else."
Kari was surprised that May was - in a weird way - trying to set them up together. At least (this moment) that's how it seemed, leaving Kari somewhat speechless. But she struggled to push the conversation a little further.
I have to know, she thought.
"A-and who...m-might that be?" she stuttered.
T.K. started to smile in a very strange way and moved closer to Kari, making her extremely uncomfortable. But Kari didn't see to mind a bit that she felt this way. To make matters worse (sort of), her legs began to shake, and her teeth were chattering, even though it wasn't cold inside or outside the school.
"I'll give you a clue," T.K. replied, reaching and for her soft chin and tugging on it.
Before Kari could even think, she felt her eyes automatically closing as T.K. did the same, and gently - but firmly - pressed his lips to hers. Her eyes briefly went wide, but even after they had kissed for the first time before he left, she had (mentally) gotten used the wonderful and blissful feeling of being kissed.
That is, being kissed by the one you truly love and care about with all your heart and soul.
Having fully (and finally) realizing this, she put more effort (THIS time, FINALLY!) into her passionate embrace with T.K. She began by letting some of the cutest moans escape her mouth. She then pulled T.K.'s hand away from her chin so she could lovingly wrap her arms around his neck. Naturally, T.K. took this opportunity to wrap HIS arms around her waist. The once two shy kids pulled themselves towards each other. At that moment, she felt T.K.'s lips ("trying" to) curl into a smile. He giggled for a second at the pleasant discovery of how soft her cute, pink lips were. Kari giggled, too. As they separated from each other they were surprised at the fact they were both noticeably sweating. All they could say was...
"WHOA."
Kari and T.K. giggled again.
"Kari, have I told you lately, that I'm mad about you? And have I mentioned how cute you look with dirt all over your cheeks?"
"Well, no...not today, anyway!" Kari couldn't help but smile warmly now.
"So..." T.K. continued. "...do you at least have any idea as to the girl I'm talking about?"
"Umm..."
Kari now felt INCREDIBLY shy at the moment, not to mention that she was at a loss for words. But they came in due course as one thought became crystal clear...she DESPERATELY wanted to feel another kiss. Immediately, she wrapped her arms around his neck again.
"Sorry, T.K., but I think I'm gonna need another clue."
"Well, in that case...I'll be more than happy to give you another one..."
T.K., without hesitation, leaned in for another-
"HEY, T.K.!!!" yelled a voice. T.K. and Kari looked out the open window. Even though it was nighttime outside, the lampposts helped to illuminate May, calling to him.
"YOU COMIN' OR WHAT?"
"UHH..." was T.K. could say.
"I MEAN, C'MON! WHO'S GONNA PAY YOUR BUS FARE?"
"WELL, I-"
"ONE SECOND, PLEASE!!!!!" Kari half-angrily interrupted, pulling T.K. back away from the window.
"Uh, Kari...what-mmmph!!!"
T.K. couldn't say anything as Kari almost wildly grabbed him by the shirt and forced another powerful kiss on him. Laughing inside his head, T.K. wrapped his arms around her slim waist and held her tenderly.
As they pulled away again, Kari winked at him. "Just don't forget THAT while you go home with HER!"
T.K. gently mocked Kari, giving a fake salute. "Yes, ma'am! See ya!"
"Bye, T.K.! Talk to you on the phone?"
"You bet!" he exclaimed, scooping up Patamon, and waving to the others. "Don't worry, Kari! I'll be thinking about you the whole ride home!"
Kari looked out the window as T.K. met with May. The two talked briefly, and then laughed with each other as they left the school.
See that you do, T.K., she thought. I don't wanna lose you...
Even after she had held T.K., and sweetly shared two (or three, depending on how look at it) wonderful kisses with him, and despite what he said about her, she still wasn't sure how attached he was to May. All she could do was hope that his feelings for her were TRULY mutual.
*********************
"What a crazy day, huh?" said an exhausted T.K. to May, in the hallways to their respective apartments.
"I'll say! But, man...what a rush! Sure wish I could visit that Digital World someday!" May replied.
"Maybe you will, May! Maybe you will..."
"Well, I gotta get back! Mom's gonna have a fit about me being out so late!"
"Yeah, me too!"
Just before May unlocked her apartment door, she turned to T.K.
"By the way...didja clear up everything with Kari?"
"Not yet...but I did make my feelings for her clear...I think."
"Let's hope so. Oh, well...I know that my chances with you are shot now, so-" she said, starting to laugh.
"But?"
"I'd still very much like to be friends with you!"
"I think that could work..."
The two friends shook hands, but then May closed her eyes and did the unexpected...
(Oh, SURE...)
...and pulled T.K. (by his hand) in for (yet another - yah, I know this is getting repetitive) a sweet kiss. T.K. blushed furiously as she, like Kari, wrapped her arms around him, and moaned as she locked her lips with him. T.K. couldn't hold her, since he was carrying a sleeping Patamon in his hands. But May didn't seem to mind. As she broke away from him, he did his best to act calm. Since he came close to a premature end more than once today, it probably wouldn't be a good idea to get all angry or crazy-
"AHHHHH!!! WHADDYA THINK YOU'RE DOING?!?!?" T.K. bellowed.
May closed her eyes again, and put her hand against her mouth to keep from laughing, but she couldn't help it.
"GYA, HA, HA, HA, HA! Look at you! You're blushing right up to your ears!"
And she was right. Even the smallest ant could have seen that T.K. had a nice crimson streak across his face. But strangely enough, it wasn't from anger.
"May would you kindly tell me what that was all about?!?"
"Hey! Easy, easy, T.K.! Just think of it as a 'good-bye kiss', okay?"
T.K. realized what she was saying and calmed down. "Oh...yeah! Of course!"
"I mean, I know you and I weren't going out or anything, but...it was fun kissing you while it lasted..."
T.K. chuckled. "I understand...well...see you tomorrow?"
"Same time, same place. There's no law that says we can't still walk to school together."
"Cool, see ya!"
"Night-night!"
T.K. hugged May briefly, and the two of them entered their respective apartments. He greeted his Mom, and put down Patamon on his bed.
Ms. Takaishi heard his son sigh, and asked him to enter the living room to talk.
"So where were you?" she asked.
"I, uh...decided to visit my friends...since I had a half-day at school today and all."
T.K. tried to spare his mother the details of his immense adventure that had occurred less than an hour ago.
"How did it go?"
"Oh, believe me when I say...it was a blast."
"T.K., after that fiasco at dinner last night...it got me thinking..."
"About what?"
"Well, let me ask you this...how much do you miss your friends?"
"I miss them like crazy! It was a kick seeing them today!"
"And do you like it HERE?"
"Well, uh...it's kinda cool that we have a new apartment and all...and I made some new friends at school besides May...and I have a much bigger and more famous school to go to-"
"DO YOU LIKE LIVING HERE?"
T.K. looked at his mom long and hard. He loved her a lot, but whenever possible he tried to respect (and spare) her feelings...but this subject was just something too strong to lie about.
"No...I don't. I'm sorry, but I hate the fact that we moved twice in the last four years...and I can't take it."
"I understand. But I was thinking last night before I went to sleep...and I wondered if some if the decisions I made in the past were the right ones. And right now, I think we need to talk about those decisions."
"Yeah...maybe we do."
For the rest of the week, T.K. called up his friends and talked to them on the telephone or chatted with them over the Internet, since he had to leave somewhat abruptly after the battle with them. Yolei and Cody filled him in on the events at school, in the Digital World, or just about anything in particular that worth mentioning. Though Davis was happy to talk to him, he made T.K. swear NOT to tell ANYONE that he actually missed him. However, T.K. did promise Davis to set aside some VERY private "hugging time".
T.K. even talked to the original Digidestined, who were more than happy to talk with them. Apparently, the news of his moving to another town had made its way to their ears, as well. T.K. felt very warm and happy inside when he talked to each and every one of them. It almost felt as if he was right there with them, chatting away the day like they always used to. But he had to face the facts...the Digidestined almost fell to the Digimon Emperor's dark forces, had he not joined he battle. The team was incomplete. They didn't just need him...he needed THEM.
Ironically, the only Digidestined he hadn't contacted was Kari. T.K. was a little surprised that she was still mad at him when he rescued her, and it really made him think. More specifically, back to the first day of school, just before their new adventures in the Digiworld began. Words couldn't even begin to describe the utter joy that had entered his soul when he realized that Kari was attending his new school. It was then that something changed within the inside of his heart.
Though he had kept in contact with her before that "first day", he hadn't really gotten a good look at her inner and outer features until that morning. She looked SO different. Kari's innocent, yet spunky, little spirit had blossomed and transformed her into a graceful, caring, and loving young woman.
Upon this realization, his heart gradually began to open up to create a very special place all reserved for their love that could possibly be shared with each other. Now, at this moment, he finally planned to go ahead and formalize their mutual feelings for her, if possible. He just hoped that Kari would be patient enough to wait for him...
*********************
TWO WEEKS LATER...
"Well, Mom...I'm off to school!" T.K. yelled to his mother in the kitchen.
"Okay, sweetie! Have a good day," she yelled back cheerfully.
In the past few weeks, the atmosphere between T.K. and his mother wasn't at its best, but as she stood there in her bathrobe, sipping her mug of fresh, hot coffee, she had a sneaking suspicion that today would definitely be different...
*********************
"Later, Mom!" Tai yelled as he put on his school jacket.
"Isn't this a little early? School doesn't start for another forty-five minutes!" Mrs. Kamiya noted.
"Yeah, but I gotta meet with the soccer team today...y'know, early soccer practice."
"Oh, I see...well, have a good time."
Tai nodded but then realized that he couldn't find his bookbag. Thinking hard, he remembered that it was still in his room, so he went to get it. Upon reentering the room, he saw a familiar scene. Once again, Kari was present, moping and irradiating sadness so intense, that the richest person in the world could have felt it. Only this time Kari was dressed, and was sitting at the desk, staring at the phone.
"Umm...Kari-"
"Why doesn't he call?"
"Excuse me?"
Kari looked up at her big brother, with tears starting to brim in her eyes.
"T.K."
Tai didn't say anything, but mouthed the word, "ah".
"I mean...I really thought that we'd made up with each other...so naturally, I expected anything BUT this."
Tai sighed and knelt down near the chair where Kari sat.
"Didja ever think that...even though he's his feelings pretty clear for you...he's still a little afraid of opening up? I mean, as far as I know...he's never been with a girl before-"
Kari flashed Tai "the evil eye". She eventually had told Tai about May, and he quickly understood her predicament.
"-EXCEPT Ma-"
"DON'T say her name...!"
"Sorry, sis...look, I gotta go, okay?"
Kari nodded, but suddenly whipped her head towards Tai just as he opened the door.
"Tai, wait!" she called.
"Yeah?" he asked, casually.
Kari, with a sad and now apologetic look on her face quickly got up out of her chair and ran over to her big brother, giving him a big hug.
"I'm the one should be sorry...I didn't mean to snap at you like that..."
"No, really...it's okay," he said, hugging her back. "Just take it easy, or you're gonna burst."
The two siblings giggled briefly, and Tai left for school. Twenty-eight minutes passed, and Kari still didn't feel much better. Reluctantly, she picked up her school stuff, ad left for school, too. Upon leaving the apartment building, she remembered that she forgot Gatomon, but quickly thought back to the battle against the Digimon Emperor's forces. It would definitely take some time for him to clean up from THAT mess, for sure. So she continued on her way, but no more than two steps had been took, before she noticed that her sneaker had come untied. Growing more and more annoyed, she took off her backpack, bent down to tie it up.
"Hey 'beautiful in pink', nice morning for a stroll, huh?" said a mysterious voice.
As Kari finished tying her pink sneaker, she didn't even bother to look at the punk who just made a pass at her.
"Forget it, creep...I already have someone." I THINK, she thought at last moment.
"Well, that's okay...so do I."
Kari turned red (and fumed) with anger, and whipped around to face whoever this jerk was.
"T...T.K.?"
"Hey, Kari...now I believe we left off at 'creep'?"
"It's not that I'm not glad to see you...but...WHAT are you doing here???"
"Well, I thought that we could walk to school together today."
"Umm, correct me if I'm wrong, but don't you go to a different school now?"
"Correct me, if I'M wrong, but did I forgot to tell you that I moved back?" he replied, in a very casual tone.
"YOU MOVED BACK!?!?!" she cried, in pure glee.
T.K. nodded happily, unable to hold back a smile.
"How...?!? WHEN?!?!?"
"Last night...anyway, I thought that I'd surprise you. Did I?"
"Are you kidding??? Of course!!! Oh, wait...! What about that great job your mom took? You know, more pay, less hours?"
"Well, Mom and I talked and I took your advice...I stood up for myself and voiced my opinion about our moving away. And for the first time in a while...she really thought about what I wanted."
"And May?" she asked rather quickly.
"Aside from a good-bye kiss-"
T.K. saw that Kari was turning red again, and tried to wrap up this part of the conversation as fast as he could.
"-WE, UM...we're just friends! FRIENDS!!! But I DID invite her to come and visit every now and then."
Kari let go of her anger, and reluctantly nodded in an understanding expression.
"She also told me something else...she hopes that next time she visits, she would really like to become friends with you."
Kari turned red again, but this time from embarrassment.
"Oh, I see...um, T.K., I forgot to say this earlier, but it means anything to you...I'm sorry that I got jealous. Real sorry."
"Hey, it's okay. I might have reacted the same way if our roles were reversed."
"Really?"
"Well, you'll never know now."
"And why's that?"
"Because, right now...I have a great girlfriend, and I don't plan to break up with her anytime soon-"
Kari sighed in relief.
"-but in this case, I guess I could dump her for YOU."
The two Digidestined looked at each other, and eventually laughed. They then figured that it wold be best to start walking, otherwise they'd be late. At the very least, T.K. didn't want to be late for his first day BACK in school. But before his conscious could be totally "cleared of all charges", there was still one thing that T.K. felt he had to get off his chest. Altering his walking pace to a noticeably slower speed, he turned his head to Kari.
"Something on your mind, T.K.?" Kari asked, sensing something was up.
"This might sound silly, but I wanted to apologize..."
"Apologize? For what?"
"Well, for a lot of things. First, for not warning you sooner about moving away-"
Kari smiled as she began to make light of the situation.
"Hey, you said it yourself - it was a last minute thing. You didn't have much control over it..."
"I know, but you we're right...I should've tried harder to let you know in advance. Second, I'm sorry that I let you guys down...you know, when you all had trouble wrestling with the Emperor's army."
"That couldn't be helped. But we know that you would've been there if you could. You'll always be with us in spirit, even if we're all separated. I guess we just forgot that for a while."
"And lastly, I wanted to make amends for...well...you being kidnapped."
"Kidnapped?"
"Y-yeah..."
In a partially heavy voice, he continued to explain himself.
"If I had been more alert or...or something I could have saved you! I did a lousy job of rescuing you...!"
"T.K., listen...it's okay. I AM a big girl and I can take care of myself just as well as you can. When I was younger, I guess I was something of a 'damsel in distress', but I've changed a lot! And believe me when I say that I couldn't have HOPED to ask for a better rescuer."
T.K. let a single tear escape his eye. "Th...thanks, Kari."
"Why are you making such a big deal out of all this anyway?" she asked, still smiling.
"BECAUSE...because...I love you," he slowly said, finally cutting through the uncomfortable silence.
Kari let some tears go too, as they hugged once again in the bright morning sunlight. Acting on impulse, she raised her lips to meet T.K.'s, and they kissed passionately again.
As they finished, T.K. noted one thing more. "Hey, Kari...look, I know I kinda acted all overconfident and macho when Patamon and I came to help you guys-"
Kari didn't feel like acting all mushy and serious, since she was now in such a good mood. So she decided to respond...differently. Her eyes narrowed slyly a she got a funny idea.
T.K.'s next words and thoughts were cut off by Kari, who wrapped her arms around T.K.'s neck in a warm, playful hug.
"Are you kidding? You were so cool n' brave! You're my hero, T.K.!" she said happily.
"Aww, well...I dunno about that..." he said, scratching the back of his head.
"Well, you are...so here ya go."
T.K. wasn't exactly sure what she meant by that last statement until he saw her closing her eyes and planting a big, (overly) wet one on his cheek.
"Mwha!" she said, breaking off the kiss. BOTH of them were blushing (almost) furiously.
"Whoa!" T.K. sputtered. "Yuck!" T.K. quickly wiped his chin with his sleeve.
Kari giggled, and T.K. began to laugh, too.
"Come on, T.K. Let's go," indicating the direction of the school.
"Y'know," T.K. said, picking up the pace. "I have a feeling that wherever we go...adventure and destiny will be there."
"And WHATEVER it is..." Kari replied, taking T.K.'s hand in hers. "...we'll face it together."
Nodding at one another, the Digidestined of Hope and the Digidestined of Light ran not towards the school, and not just towards a new day, but to something much greater and more important...life. One cannot predict the outcome of life, no matter what is written. But with a powerful sense of Hope backing it up, and a strong ray of Light, leading it forward, one thing is certain...whatever the future turns out to be, it is destined to be a great one.
If trouble approaches, Hope can very well be lost. It can even be buried. But it will never die. At the same time though, it isn't always enough. It can take a little bit more than what one has to offer. Sometimes, a little bit of Light can guide the way for Hope to find the road that leads back into peoples' spirits, their minds, and especially...their hearts.
THE (HOPEFUL) END
WOO HOO!!!!! Finally done with this fic! DAMN!!! Yes, yes, SOOOOOO glad that it's over with! That's not to say that I didn't like writing this! I mean, after all, this is my very FIRST Takari fic ever! And while I don't have any ideas (at the moment) for other Takaris, you can be sure that I'll write more of them in the future! And if any of you vipers and gargoyles out there have half a black heart that's still partially functioning in your breast, then you'll be at least evil enough to review this last chapter! (As well as all my others "gems.") Ha, ha...just kidding about the gargoyle thing! Anyway, thank you all for your support through every devastating chapter, and before I forget, let me thank those who gave and suggested some bright ideas for this story...
SPECIAL THANKS TO...
ShineyEye 02
KariKamiya07
ARCHANGELMON
Kali Kamiya
Caeser Godzillatron
Wolfie
Julia Minuit
takeru
Well, I think that's everybody! If by chance, I forgot someone (and I usually do, given my bad memory,) then I apologize and thank you, too! And I would especially like to thank all the readers who were kind enough to bother to even read my fic! Check out some of my other fics that are already posted (I'm begging you!), as well as my new upcoming projects! Here's a short list for your reading disappointment...ab, uh, I mean PLEASURE! PLEASURE!!!! Oh, man...just read the friggin' list...
COMING SOON...
Tamed Afterthoughts (short Takato & Jeri romance fic)
Digi-Infomercials! (once again, another "Whose Line?"-type humor fic)
The Worst Annoyance (a group of Haiku poems, PLEASE read and review them...!)
In case you are still reading this, these are three short fics that I hope to pop out soon, which will then complete my "first season" of fanfics! (Yah, I know it sounds weird, doesn't it?) Anyway, that's about it! That's all I have to say! You guys and gals have been all so supportive through these times! (WAAAHHHHH!!! SOME PEOPLE ARE SO NICE!!!) But if you wanna see more, than catch me at my next fic! Oh yeah, if you have any questions about this fic, or anything else in particular, then don't hesitate to chat with me! I'm always willing to drop everything and just plain talk! Well, sorry if any of you are sad that this fic came to a close, but worry not, 'cuz I have plenty more adventures in store for the Digidestined and their digimon! I'd love to stay and chat, but right now I must return to my own time! Goodbye...and farewell!!! WA, HA, HA, HA, HA!!!!!...*POOF!*
(sneaks away through the smoke...) ^_^