Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Angels Acceptance ❯ Chapter 2

By Time Lady
------------------------

Part 2

Kari/Angewomon awoke from a restless night's sleep. First of all, it was incredibly difficult getting to sleep in her new form. Second, she couldn't stop thinking about her parents and what they were going through. She dressed and walked outside of the Toy Town Hospital. The sun was just beginning to rise. Suddenly she heard a sound that appeared to be coming from the roof. She instinctively spread her wings and flew up to investigate. She found TK/Angemon sitting on the roof. His helmet was next to him, the breeze blowing through his golden hair.

"Couldn't sleep either, huh?" he asked. She shook her head and landed on the roof next to him. "Me neither. I just kept thinking about my parents."

"Same here." She sat down next to him, took off her helmet and laid it to the side. The early morning breeze felt good on her face. "What do we do now?"

"I haven't the faintest idea. Everyone around here should be healthy enough to leave, except Wormmon, Biyomon, and Palmon. Tentomon was already complaining about getting back to his treehouse."

"We could stay here a bit longer." She bit her lower lip.

"What's wrong?"

"Have you. . . . had the feeling that you don't know who you are anymore?"

Spreading his wings out for comfort, he lay back against the roof. "Yeah. Am I TK? Or am I Angemon? Or am I both? Or neither?"

"Exactly." She drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. "I have memories that I didn't have before. But I almost don't know which memories are which. . . ."

"I think first thing on the agenda is to figure out who we are."

They sat quietly for the next few moments and tried not to think. Instead they concentrated on the sunrise before them. Once the sun was up, they put their helmets back on and flew down to the ground. Inside, just about everyone was up and about. Veemon pushed Wormmon around in a wheelchair they had found in one of the rooms.

As they ate breakfast, the consensus was that everyone who could wanted to return to the areas they were protecting. There was a lot of rebuilding to do around the digital world. It was agreed that Veemon, Hawkmon, Armadillomon, Terriermon, and Betamon would remain behind at Toy Town to help Wormmon, Palmon, and Biyomon while they continued their recovery. TK/Angemon and Kari/Angewomon offered to remain behind as well.

"We need to know how much damage there was," said Gabumon. "You two can cover the greatest amount of area."

They agreed. Hopefully the moving about would be enough of a distraction. After packing up preserved food and supplies, they took flight. It was an incredible sense of freedom, gliding through the clouds under their own power. Occasionally they stopped and surveyed the situation. Things weren't as bad as they seemed. The Veggiemon and Gazimon were already at work rebuilding their villages. Digitamamon had rebuilt most of his restaurant. The two angels stopped and helped the somewhat cranky egg digimon. He was grateful enough to make them lunch.

After a few more stops at some of the smaller villages, the sun began to set. "I don't think we're ready to face anything at night," said TK/Angemon. "We should find someplace safe for the night." He didn't want to mention that Kari/Angewomon looked like she was becoming very tired.

"All right."

Unfortunately they weren't near any villages. They were lucky enough to find an empty cave. TK/Angemon gathered some wood for a fire. Kari/Angewomon unpacked some of their supplies. The fire was warm, but not quite warm enough to eliminate the chill. She wrapped her blanket around herself. "I never realized how much work flying was," he said as he joined her by the fire. "It makes you wonder how birds fly across the ocean."

"We're just not used to it," she returned as she stared at the flames. Shivering, she wrapped the blanket more tightly around herself.

"Here, take my blanket," he said, offering her the blanket.

"No, that's ok. I'm not cold. It was just a thought making me shiver."

Outside the sun set behind the mountains. The fire brightened the cave and offered some warmth. He handed her one of the sandwiches Digitamamon had sent them off with. One sandwich wasn't enough. Each of them ate at least three.

"Now I understand why the digimon were always so hungry," said Kari/Angewomon.

"We are digimon now," said TK/Angemon.

"Yeah. . ." she said after a moment. "Sometimes I try and forget."

"It's not like we can. We have to deal with it though sooner or later."

"Why can't it be later?"

"Kari, we can't avoid this." She didn't respond. Sighing, TK/Angemon took his helmet off and lay back against the ground and tried to maneuver his wings to a comfortable position. He watched her remove her helmet and curl on her side by the fire. "We could be dead right now."

"And what about Angewomon and Angemon? What of them?"

"We are them."

"Are we? I almost don't know who I am anymore."

"Do you think it's any easier for me?"

"I just don't know anymore. I just want to sleep." She closed her eyes and refused to talk anymore.

He let out a long, drawn-out sigh. "Good night Kari," he said.

A couple of times during the night, he woke up and added wood to the fire. Not that sleep was easy. His mind felt like one huge mass of confusion. The second time, he noticed Kari/Angewomon was still huddled and shivering. He moved over right behind her. First he pulled his blanket over both of them. Then he put his arm around her. Finally he wrapped one of his wings around her protectively. "Oh Kari," he whispered. "We're going to get though this." Kari/Angewomon reacted to the warmth of his body. She turned over in her sleep to her other side and snuggled against him, her face buried in his chest. "We have .to." Somehow he managed to doze off.

The sun streamed in through the cave entrance, warming that which its rays touched. The warm rays touched the back of a sleeping angel. She stirred and snuggled up to what she thought was her pillow. Gradually, as she became more awake, she realized that she didn't _have_ a pillow. Her eyes flew open. She found herself looking into the face of another sleeping angel. His wing wrapped around her, as did his arm. Her blanket was still over her. His was over the both of them. She realized he must have been trying to keep her warm. "Oh TK," she whispered, not wanting to wake him. "What are we going to do? I don't even know if my feelings are my own anymore."

She gently disentangled herself from his grasp and walked to the mouth of the cave. The sun was high above the trees. "I wonder how long we slept?" she thought.

Behind her, TK/Angemon stirred. He sat up and groggily rubbed his eyes. Before him stood a beautiful angel bathed in sunlight. She was totally unaware of his approach. "Good morning," he said softly into her ear.

Kari/Angewomon turned to face him. Part of her mind wondered if he always had such blue eyes. "Good morning."

"Good morning. I hope you slept well."

"I had a very warm blanket," she returned. "Are you ready to head out?"

"Yeah. Let's eat something first."

They ate a breakfast of bread and dried fruit from the supplies they took with them from Toy Town, then packed up their camp and took flight. As they flew this day, Kari found many things at the back of her mind coming forward. Late in the afternoon she faltered. "Are you okay?" asked TK/Angemon in genuine concern. "Do you want to take a break?"

"Would you mind if we stopped for the rest of the day?"

"Sure. There's no saying we need to keep going non-stop."

"Thanks."

The nearest shelter was a cave part way up a mountainside. As they had the night before, they set up a small camp. Again Kari/Angewomon sat lost in thought. Something lurked in the back of her mind, nagging at her. "Here," said TK/Angemon, handing her a can from a vending machine they passed earlier. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know anymore. Part of me keeps thinking I'll wake up and it'll all be a bad dream."

"It's not a dream."

"Thank you for reminding me." She took a sip of her drink. "Doesn't it bother you?"

"What? The fact that we're now human/digimon creatures? Yes. It bothers me, but there isn't much we can do about it."

"Not that. Don't you ever feel like you don't know who you are?"

He leaned back against the cave wall. "Sometimes. I know I am me. Whether that's TK, Angemon, or even Patamon, I'm not sure. But if I let it bother me I won't make it day to day."

"You're very calm about it. What if Angemon's mind died so TK's mind can live?"

"It hasn't. . . at least I don't think it hasn't. There are too many memories. Things only Patamon could have seen that I don't remember as TK. . ." He stared at her a minute. "Now you're making _me_ feel confused."

"Don't blame me."

"I wasn't thinking about it until you started me thinking about it." She glared at him, then stood and walked back to the back of the cave. He sighed. A few minutes later he took off his helmet and tossed it aside. After a few more minutes he walked back to where she was sitting huddled in the back of the cave. Her helmet lay next to her. "Kari?" She turned away at the sound of her voice. "Kari, I'm sorry. . ." He took a step towards her.

"Go away," she snapped.

"But. . . ."

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" She stared daggers at him. "GET OUT OF HERE!" she shouted.

He stared at her a moment. Then, in a move uncharacteristic for TK, he said sharply "Fine. I'll leave you alone." The large angel turned on his heel and resolutely walked towards the cave entrance, pausing only to scoop up his helmet, then took flight. He didn't look back.

Kari/Angewomon remained huddled for she didn't know how long. When she looked up, the cave was entirely dark, save the glowing embers of the fire TK/Angemon had started earlier. By adding some dry kindling, then some small sticks, she brought the fire back to life. After a while, she looked out of the cave. There was no sign of TK/Angemon. "TK!" she called. No answer. She noticed their supplies were where they left them, completely untouched. "He'll come back when he's hungry," she thought.

About two hours later, there was still no sign of TK. She pulled out her digivice. "Strange that I still have it, when I don't really need it," she thought. But it still had a clock. And it had the locating function. According to the D-3, TK/Angemon was no where in the area. After another hour, she made herself a small meal, added more wood to the fire, and bundled herself up in the blankets. "He'll be back when it's daylight. He probably didn't want to fly in the dark."

---

TK/Angemon flew on through the night. An anger foreign to him fueled his flight. The moon was high in the sky when he saw a large, familiar looking town ahead. He landed in a field filled with digieggs. "Primary Village," he thought, recognizing the buildings. A red, rabbit-like creature bounded towards him.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Elecmon demanded.

"Either the light is still dim or your eyes are going," said TK/Angemon. Elecmon drew closer, then stopped in surprise.

"Angemon? Sorry about that. You just can't be too careful these days."

"I understand."

"Come on with me. I have breakfast heating up. By the way, I had a message from Monzeamon about what happened."

"Word travels fast."

"Would you prefer being called TK or Angemon?"

"I'm still sorting that out. TK will do for now."

"Where is Angewomon?"

"Kari needed some time alone to gather her thoughts. I'm giving her just that."

"Well, you're welcome to stay here for a while. I could use a hand. Lots of digieggs here after the whole Mega Apocolymon thing."

"Thank you. I appreciate it." He followed Elecmon into the main building.

---

"Where is he?" thought Kari/Angewomon as she stood in the mouth of the cave. The sun was high overhead. She held the digivice in her hand. She would have tried emailing him, but she found his D-terminal among the things he left behind.

"I've chased him off," she thought.

"You said you wanted to be left alone," said another voice in her mind. Tears rolled down her cheek. "Go find him," she thought she heard. Not even bothering with her helmet, she spread her wings and took flight.

She circled over the forest several times, then returned to the cave, hoping he had passed her by. The cave was as empty as she left it.

"It's all my fault," she said, tears flowing down her cheeks. She practically threw herself down on her discarded blankets and began to cry.

"Kari," she heard a soft voice say.

"G - Gatomon?" she stammered. Kari sat up and looked around. Instead of the cave, she was surrounded by a meadow filled with flowers. Looking down at her hands, she saw the small, pink gloved hands she associated with her own. "So it was all a dream?"

"No Kari. This is the dream," said the white cat digimon as she stood in front of the kneeling girl. "This is the easiest way for us to communicate right now."

"Then I'm dead. . . or you're dead. . ."

"Neither one of us is dead," said Gatomon flatly. "We are the same person now."

"I don't understand. . . ."

"Right now, it might not seem like it. But I'm here, part of you. Now it might feel a bit like two minds in one body, but as we get older, more and more we'll become one. I've given you some of my memories. . ."

"Only some of your memories?"

"There are some memories. . . . from when I was with Myotismon. . . you're just not ready to deal with those yet. For something as permanent as this, it has to be gradual or we'll be driven mad."

"I feel like I'm already crazy."

"You're not crazy. You just need time."

"I've forced TK away from me, haven't I?"

"He'll be back. You said you needed time to yourself. I think he does too."

"He doesn't seem to be having the same problems as I am."

"Patamon doesn't have the painful memories that I do. Also, he and TK had more time to bond emotionally. All that time when we were separate, they were together in the digital world. They won't stay away long?"

"How can you be certain?"

"Neither one of them can hold a grudge for very long. And. . ."

"And?"

"Remember before the battle? When you two were talking, and you were going to tell TK how you felt about him?"

"Yeah. He didn't want to talk about it, and then we were interrupted."

"Before the battle, Patamon told me TK was afraid to tell you that he loved you."

A mixture of relief and fear crossed Kari's face. "He loves me. . . . and I've forced him away."

"You both need time to reflect. A lot has happened in a short amount of time. No one should have to experience what we've been through."

"I wonder where TK is. . . . and what he's doing."

---

TK/Angemon sat on the roof of one of the buildings of Primary Village, staring over the horizon. "Why did I ever do that? I haven't felt that angry at someone I cared about since. . . since the time I left myself. . . ." His thoughts trailed off into a confused jumble. He knew he should have been thinking about the time Patamon and TK argued and Patamon flew off the subway, but memories and thoughts separating the two were blurring. He laid back on the roof and closed his eyes.

In his minds eye, he was lying in a field as TK, with Patamon lying on his stomach. "What's going on?" asked TK softly.

"We're merging," said Patamon. "We're becoming one mind. My thoughts and memories are becoming yours, and yours are becoming mine."

"We're becoming one. . ."

"Yes. But while it's instant for our bodies, it takes longer for our minds. I think we're adjusting pretty well."

"What about Kari and Gatomon?"

Patamon yawned lazily. "Gatomon has some memories that she's shielding Kari from. It's going to be a slower process for them. They need our understanding, but they also need a little space. Give them a couple of days alone. Enjoy some peace and quiet. Get your own act together. It'll be easier if Kari has someone stable to depend on. They'll need it."

"I don't know. It sounded as if she really didn't want me around."

"Kari loves you."

"She. . . . no, you're kidding me."

"She was about to say so when you kept cutting her off, and then everyone else showed up."

TK laid there deep in thought. He felt as if something was bouncing on his stomach. Patamon wasn't moving. Instead, he appeared to be fading. TK/Angemon opened his eyes. A couple of Yukimibotamon were sitting on his stomach, staring right into his face. "He's awake!" they shouted. A half a dozen more Yukimibotamon bounded forward onto his stomach. "Play with us," they chorused as they bounced on him.

"So much for a peaceful, contemplative nap. . . ." he said.

---

As she had for the last three days, Kari/Angewomon watched the horizon, hoping for a sign of TK/Angemon. "He can't be that angry with me, can he?" she asked herself.

"He may just be giving you your space," returned Gatomon's voice. "Our merging is going a lot slower than theirs." It didn't have to be spoken that the spirit of the digimon was acutely aware of the human spirit's emotional pain. "You love him. Don't worry so much."

"I don't know if he loves me."

"We can go find him. The digivice will help locate him."

"No. I don't know if I'm ready yet."

"Well, make up our mind."

---

Saturday morning. A group of youngsters met at the apartment belonging to the Kamiya family. "This everyone?" asked Tai, anxious to be off to the digital world.

"Sora has a tennis competition, Joe's studying for exams, and Izzy was up all night talking to Willis online trying to perfect their communications program. So yeah, this is it," said Matt.

"Right. Let's get going," said Yolei.

"Tai, do you have everything I asked you to take to Kari?" asked Mrs. Kamiya.

"I said her clothing won't fit anymore. I've got everything else," said Tai with a sigh. Matt rolled his eyes. His mother had done the same thing earlier.

"I guess we're ready," said Cody. He held up his digivice. "Digiport open!" Mrs. Kamiya watched in amazement as the six children were pulled into the computer.

"Ooof! Get offa me!" complained Davis, who wound up on the bottom of the pile.

"Sorry," said Yolei as Ken helped her up.

"At least there's some cushions this time," said Cody.

"We knew how painful it could be so we prepared for you," said Wormmon, who was walking towards them. He still had a bit of a limp, but the casts were off. Hawkmon, Armadillomon, and Veemon all ran into their companions' arms. "You missed Biyomon and Palmon. They left yesterday. Agumon and Gabumon are still checking out their sectors."

"Any word from Kari or TK?" asked Tai.

"Not a word," said Hawkmon. "They left a few days ago for the north."

"We've got to find them," said Matt.

"Let's split up," suggested Ken. "We can keep in touch via our D-terminals."

Matt, Davis, and Cody headed off on Xveemon's back, while Tai, Yolei, and Ken rode on Aquillamon. The two groups split up to cover more ground.

"Head towards Primary Village," said Matt.

"Why there?" asked Davis.

"TK, Patamon, and Elecmon were close friends. Knowing that, he might want to check on him," returned Matt.

"Besides, even if they aren't there, they might have stopped by there to survey things," added Cody.

Elsewhere, Aquillamon asked "Where are we heading?"

"I don't have any particular ideas. They were heading north, so that's as good a direction as any. Keep a close eye on your digivices," said Tai. "Let's try to go as far as the Data Mountains."

"Right," said Yolei.

Flying nonstop, Xveemon reached Primary Village in a few hours. They landed in a clearing next to the town. "I'm exhausted," said Veemon as he devolved. He sat down on the ground. Suddenly Elecmon began running towards them. He skidded to a stop when he realized who it was.

"I should have realized you guys would show up," said Elecmon.

"Are they here?" asked Matt.

Elecmon gestured to the highest tower in Primary Village. A winged figure was sitting on the top, staring off towards the Data Mountains. "He's been like that since he came here."

"Where's Kari?" demanded Davis.

"From what I've been able to figure out, she's not adjusting as well as he is. She yelled at him to go away, and he did. He's been here about 4 days now," said Elecmon with a sigh. "Occasionally some of the babies coax him down to play, but as soon as they're finished, he flies back up there."

"I should have expected something like this," said Matt.

"Why?" asked Cody.

"When we had first returned from the digital world to Tokyo, we were on the subway. TK and Patamon had a small argument over something really minor. Patamon took TK literally and had flown off on his own," explained Matt. "It took us the whole day before we found him. If TK and Patamon merged their personalities, he might have taken something the wrong way."

"SO WHERE IS SHE?" shouted Davis.

"Davis, stop that," said Matt with a glare.

"What I did get out of him was that he had come from the Data Mountains," said Elecmon.

"I better email the others," said Cody.

---

"What's the email say?" asked Tai.

"Cody says that Elecmon told them that Kari and TK had a tiff. TK is in Primary Village. Kari is somewhere in the Data Mountains," said Ken.

Tai gritted his teeth in anger. But he couldn't blame him. Kari rarely got angry. When she did - you didn't want to be around. And if she was merged with Angewomon, there's no telling what happened. "Email them and tell them we're nearing the Data Mountains now. See if they can find out what happened from TK's end," he told Ken.

---

Cody relayed the message to Matt. Matt nodded and sighed. "Any way up into the tower?" he asked Elecmon.

"There are stairs in the tower up to a window near the top," said Elecmon. "There's some way the babies get up there that we haven't quite figured out yet."

"We could just try calling him down," suggested Cody.

"Let's see if he hears us," returned Matt. They approached the tower. TK/Angemon appeared to be watching the direction of the mountains for something. Matt stared up at the being formerly his brother for a long moment, marveling at the changes. "TK!" he called from the ground.

"TK!" added Cody.

"HEY TP DOWN HERE!!!!!" shouted Davis at the top of his lungs.

Surprised, TK/Angemon looked down at the ground, then sighed. He was glad to see his brother and Cody. Davis was another story. Davis was sure to give him hell about what happened between him and Kari. Spreading his wings, he glided down easily to the visitors.

"Hello. . . " he began, but was instantly cut off by Davis.

"OK TJ, WHAT DID YOU DO TO KARI?!?"

---

"My digivice is picking up something," said Yolei. "Over that way." Aquillamon followed her directions. They saw a small cave entrance and a slender, winged figure standing at the entrance.

Kari/Angewomon stood staring out into the distance, hoping TK/Angemon would return. She glanced at her digivice from time to time. Looking at it again, she sees 3 blips approaching. Her heart leapt at the thought that TK might be coming back. Her eyes scanned the horizon. Then her heart fell.

Aquillamon approached. Yolei, Ken, and Tai were on his back, Wormmon in Ken's arms. The giant bird drew up next to the cave mouth and allowed his riders to jump off. Then he devolved to Hawkmon. "Boy, are my wings tired," he said.

"Kari!" Tai ran up and threw his arms around her. Angel digimon or not, she was still his little sister.

"Oh Tai. . ." Tears began rolling down her cheeks. "I've forced TK away. . . he must be so angry he doesn't want to see me again. . ."

"Whoa, start at the beginning. . . ." said Tai.

---

"Then she yelled at me to go away and leave her alone," finished TK/Angemon. "I did what she wanted."

"You know how you're acting," said Matt.

"Yes. But if she doesn't want me around, then I don't want to bother her," he returned.

"That's ridiculous," said Davis. None of them noticed Cody relaying their conversation through the D-terminal to Yolei.

"Is it?" returned TK/Angemon. "She's not adjusting to the changes well. It's taking a lot longer. She seemed to feel like she wanted to do it on her own."

"You're crazy," said Davis. "That's reason enough to not leave her alone!"

Davis couldn't see TK/Angemon glaring at him behind his helmet. "You don't know what it feels like to have the person you love tell you to go away the way she did. If she doesn't want to see me again, then I'll follow her wishes."

---

"I think I've driven him away for good," said Kari/Angewomon tearfully. She sat on the ground, knees drawn up, her head on her knees. Yolei showed Tai and Ken the message Cody sent her.

"You're being silly," said Yolei aloud.

"Am I? If I hadn't driven him away, he'd still be here. Or at least he would have come right back."

"I just got an email from Cody. Right now, he's in Primary Village thinking you never want to see him again," said Yolei.

Kari/Angewomon looked up at her. "I. . .I'd never want that to happen. He should have known. . . ."

"Any different than you?" said Ken. "You may not remember it, but TK is experiencing a lot of the same things you are. Maybe not to the same degree, but he understands you more than anyone else can at this point."

"Kari, he loves you," added Yolei.

"How do you know?"

"Aside from the fact that Cody says TK just said it, anyone can see it," said Yolei. "Well, perhaps anyone but Davis."

"TK's always been there for you," said Tai, "and he'll still be there for you. But right now you two need to talk it out."

Kari/Angewomon began wiping her eyes. "You'd think we were both still little kids the way we've been acting."

"Under the circumstances, it's really hard to know how to act," said Wormmon, who had been listening quietly. Hawkmon had curled up in a corner and was napping after his long flight.

"I guess," returned the angel.

"Well then, you know what time it is," stated Yolei.

"What time?" asked Kari/Angewomon.

"Time for you and TK to kiss and make up!" said Yolei standing up, her arm pointing up in the air.

"Aheh. . . ." Ken, Tai, and Wormmon looked like they were ready to die of embarrassment.

"I have to find him first," Kari/Angewomon pointed out.

"The others found him in Primary Village," said Yolei. "No more excuses. Let's go!"

"Some of us are trying to sleep," muttered Hawkmon as he pulled one of Kari/Angewomon's blankets over his head.

"Oops. . . well, I guess this can wait till morning. . . ." said Yolei, her face flushing.

"What about your parents?"

"They think I'm spending the night at Sora's," returned Yolei.

"And Mom is covering for Ken, Cody, and Davis by saying they're sleeping over at our house," said Tai.

"Davis is here too?"

"He went with Matt and Cody to find TK. According to Cody, they're in Primary Village," said Ken.

"I should have known that's where TK would go," said Kari/Angewomon.

"I'll email them and tell them we're coming in the morning," said Ken.

---

"So how do we get up there now?" asked Matt. Tiring of arguing with Davis, TK/Angemon had flown back up to the top of the tower. He sat on the edge of the roof.

"I could get Xveemon to fly us up there. . . ." began Davis.

"Haven't you already done enough?" asked Cody. "Besides, Veemon's still sleeping."

"Well, as I was saying, there's the long way. . . ." said Elecmon.

He led Matt into the tower and up several flights of stairs. Winded, Matt poked his head through the small window. "TK?" The angel didn't respond. "Come on TK, you're acting like a stubborn idiot."

"_I'm_ acting like a stubborn idiot?"

"We all know Davis is a jerk. He's just worried about Kari."

"And I'm not? I care more about her anything in the world. But when she said what she said. . . ."

"She hurt you. I know."

The brothers talked until the sun set. TK/Angemon refused to come down from his perch. Elecmon showed Matt, Davis, and Cody to a room in one of the buildings. From their window, they could see the angel pacing back and forth, sitting down, standing up, pacing some more.

Davis felt like a heel. He watched TK/Angemon. Matt, Cody, Veemon, and Armadillomon were sound asleep. Silently he slipped out of the room and walked to the tower. "I didn't think there were this many steps," he thought on the 4th flight. At the fifth flight, he found a couple of Punimon. "What are you guys doing here?" he asked them.

"We were seeing if we could get Angemon to read us a bedtime story," said one.

"How did you get up on to the roof?" asked Davis.

"There's a secret way," said the other. "We'll tell you if you promise you won't tell Elecmon."

"I won't. Cross my heart," said Davis.

He followed the Punimon up a couple more flights of stairs. Then they showed him a series of beams leading to a hole in the ceiling. It was only visible from the right angle. Carefully he balanced on the beams and made his way towards the hole. Davis squeezed through the tight spot on to the roof. Eyes wide, he realized that he was _very_ close to the edge. "Oh man. . . ."

Startled by the noise, TK/Angemon turned. His helmet was on the floor beside him. "What do you want now Davis? Want to yell at me more for everything that happened?"

"No. . . ." Davis took a deep breath. "I came to say I was sorry." TK/Angemon turned away. "I don't blame you for leaving when Kari told you to. I. . . blame myself. I blame myself for not paying more attention during the battle with Mega Apocolymon."

TK/Angemon's eyes widened. "It wasn't your fault. You didn't know he would be attracted to me and Kari."

"I didn't know, but if I would have been watching more than Magnamon, I would have been able to do something. I might have been able to get Magnamon to do something. Or I could have pushed one of you out of the way. . ."

"Then what? You might have gotten killed, or wound up in a permanent DNA Digivolution with Xveemon."

Davis shuddered. "Now _that's_ a scary thought. We'd probably wind up looking like a lizard version of Silphymon" Then he began laughing for the first time in days as he imagined himself merged with the giant flying lizard. TK/Angemon followed suit. Neither had laughed in over a week and now they couldn't stop for at least 15 minutes.

"Neither of us blame you Davis," said TK/Angemon at last. "Maybe it was fate. Things have always seemed different for us as the guardians of hope and light. So stop blaming yourself."

Davis sat down and looked up at the stars. "How does it feel to fly? I mean, I've flown with Xveemon and Halsemon. . . . but what does it feel like to fly by yourself?"

TK/Angemon smiled, not surprised by the change in topic. Davis never could stay on one track for long periods of time. "It's hard to explain. There isn't another feeling like it in the world. But long distances are really exhausting." He flexed his wings briefly. "Think of it like jogging nonstop for an hour."

"Ouch."

"Exactly. Gliding takes some of the strain off but affects speed."

"Have you had the chance to blast anything yet? And what about that weapon of yours?"

"No, I haven't had the chance to fight anything yet. And I summon the Angel Rod when I need it. I don't have to carry it all the time."

They spent the next hour or so drifting from topic to topic. Davis began to yawn more and more frequently. Before he totally fell asleep, TK/Angemon flew him down to the door of the building where the others were sleeping. Once Davis was safely inside, he flew back up to the tower roof. The moon was high above. TK/Angemon knew what he had to do. He would have left that moment if the others weren't there.

---

"Why don't you come closer to the fire?" Tai said to Kari/Angewomon. She sat on the edge of the cliff, her legs dangling over the side.

"I'm not very tired. I've spent the last few days sleeping on and off and thinking."

"You're not cold?"

"I'm getting used to it. It's not like I can find a jacket that fits."

"Kari, if I could take your place. . . ."

"I know Tai. But this is my fate and now I need to accept it. I don't want to do this alone. . . ."

"I'm here for you."

"But you can't stay here in the digital world all the time. I know you want to, but you can't. I just hope TK can forgive me for the way I spoke to him."

"When has TK ever held a grudge?"

"TK's not the same person he was."

"And neither are you. But if you two really care about each other, you'll work through this. You just need to sit down and talk."

"Maybe I should go find him now. . . ."

"How about we wait till morning and we all go together? Now why don't you come closer to the fire. Everyone else is asleep."

"All right Tai. As soon as the sun is up we leave."

As soon as the sun was up the next morning, so was Kari. She was anxious to be on her way. "Kari's definitely changing," muttered Yolei to Ken. "She never would have woken everyone up at the crack of dawn. Gatomon might, but not Kari."

"So is this supposed to be a good sign?" yawned Hawkmon.

"You better email Cody and Davis," suggested Ken. "Just our luck we'd head out to Primary Village and they'd take off."

"Good idea."

---

"How do you guys ever have sleepovers with him snoring like that?" asked Matt.

"Earplugs," replied Cody.

"You should try living with him," interjected Veemon as he rolled his eyes. Armadillomon was trying to sleep with his pillow over his head.

Out of habit, Cody picked up his D-terminal and checked for messages. "I have a message from Yolei. She says to keep TK here. They're bringing Kari."

"This should be interesting," said Matt. They left Davis sleeping and Armadillomon trying to. Elecmon was bustling about, getting the baby Digimon together for breakfast. "'Morning," he said as he herded a dozen Nyokimon towards the building where food was served.

"Looks like a lot of work," said Cody.

"Yeah, but someone's gotta do it," returned Elecmon. He whistled and a couple of Pabumon oozed towards him. On the top of the tower, they saw TK/Angemon pacing back and forth.

"We need to make sure TK stays here for a few more hours," said Cody. "I have an idea."

A couple of minutes later, Elecmon waved TK/Angemon down. "TK, I need a hand with something," said the digimon. "I'm trying to get the babies rounded up for breakfast and headcount. I can't find a few of the Yuramon, Punimon, and Yukimibotamon. Could you help my find them?"

"Could they have digivolved?" asked the angel.

"No. They only hatched a couple of weeks ago. It will be at least another few months before they reach in-training."

"All right," said TK/Angemon.

First he did a quick fly over and scooped a Punimon and a Yukimibotamon out of the branches of a tree. However, he realized that many of them would probably be keeping to lower ground. He dropped the two errant babies with Elecmon, then went on foot into the surrounding forest. As he searched, he realized how acute his senses had become. Giggling came from a bush. Inside a Yuramon hid. "What is this? Morning hide and seek?"

"Playtime!" it said.

"Not playtime," said the angel gently. "Breakfast time." With a sigh, TK/Angemon resumed his search

---

"Hey, slow up. I have passengers you know," said Aquillamon as he followed Kari/Angewomon towards Primary Village.

"Sorry," she said. "I just wanted to get there before TK decided to leave."

"Cody said they're keeping him busy," said Ken. "So you should have plenty of time."

"Do you want me to digivolve and carry someone?" asked Wormmon.

"No, that's ok," returned Aquillamon. "You're still recovering from those broken legs."

"You don't have to rub it in," returned Wormmon.

After flying for two hours, the Primary Village came into view. Kari/Angewomon put on an extra burst of speed. Aquillamon growled slightly then tried to catch up. They saw Matt, Davis, Cody and their digimon standing in the square. Kari/Angewomon's heart fell when she didn't see TK/Angemon with them.

"Where is he?" she asked.

"He's still here," yawned Davis.

"Elecmon asked him to find some baby digimon," explained Matt. "Otherwise he would have taken off first thing this morning."

Aquillamon landed beside them. Once his passengers were on the ground, he devolved. "That was tiring," he yawned.

"You shoulda been up all night talking to TK," said Davis, also yawning.

"No, I just flew for the last 3 hours with three people on my back," retorted Hawkmon.

"Doesn't anyone just say hi anymore?" grumbled Armadillomon.

---

"I hope you're the last of them," TK/Angemon told a Punimon as he picked it up. He had a Yuramon on his head, a Yukimibotamon on each shoulder, and a Punimon in each hand. The angel turned back towards the Primary Village.

"Can we play some more?" asked one of the Yukimibotamon.

"Maybe later," he returned. "Elecmon is worried about you guys."

The babies let loose a chorus of disappointed moans. Angemon smiled. He would have played with them, but they were expected back at Primary Village, and he wanted to go find Kari. On the way back, he found a Yuramon and a Nyokimon who had also wandered off. These two were content to follow behind, as were a few more babies he discovered. "I think Elecmon needs to put a fence around Primary Village to keep up with all of you guys," he said.

He walked out of the forest, and into the Village. All of the digi-babies hitching rides leapt to the ground and bounded towards the town square. TK/Angemon followed them, then stopped dead in his tracks.

"Kari. . . ." he said in a low voice. She stood in the town square talking to Davis. TK/Angemon's heart skipped a beat. She was here. . . but was it because she wanted to be, or was it because Tai, Yolei, and Ken convinced her to come. He walked forward hesitantly.

Kari/Angewomon heard a commotion and turned. In the middle of a crowd of baby Digimon stood a tall, golden-haired angel. He hesitated, as if uncertain of what kind of reception he would receive. A tear rolled down her cheek. "Have I hurt him so badly?" she thought to herself. Tentatively she stepped forward, as did he.

"Go to him," whispered Yolei behind her.

Kari/Angewomon took another tentative step forward. Then suddenly something in her urged her forward. She ran to him, throwing her arms around his neck. She was rewarded with his arms encircling her tightly. "TK. . . . I'm sorry. . . ."

He felt her tears on his chest and struggled not to cry himself. "I'm the one who should be sorry. . . . I should never have left you like that."

"No . . ." she returned, her face buried in his chest. "I should never have snapped at you like that."

"I shouldn't have stayed away so long. . . ."

"It's my fault. . . ."

"No. . . ." TK/Angemon held her tightly, his cheek against her head.

"This is so sweet I could barf," muttered Davis. Yolei kicked him in the shin. "OW!" he exclaimed.

Davis' exclamation brought the two angels back to the real world. Kari/Angewomon looked up into the eyes of TK/Angemon. "Please be patient with me," she said in a low voice. "I may say things I don't mean."

"I understand. I should have been more understanding when it happened." Reluctantly he released his grip on her waist and took her hand. "Come on. Time to face the others."

Hand in hand, they walked back to where the others were waiting. "Nice to see that's over with," said Tai.

"Sorry Tai," said TK/Angemon.

"Don't be. I'm one of the few people who've ever had to deal with Kari when she blows her top. Like the time I put her favorite doll down the garbage disposal. . . ." said Tai.

"You never did get me a new doll to replace it," retorted Kari/Angewomon.

"Heh. . ." Tai scratched the back of his head.

"Come on," said Elecmon. "I've got breakfast ready and a couple dozen baby digimon who haven't had their breakfast." Everyone followed him to the main building, where breakfast was set out.

After breakfast, Digimon and Digidestined talked quietly. Davis watched jealously as the two angels sat close together. "It's never going to happen," said Ken, knowing what was on Davis' mind.

"I know that, but old habits die hard," returned Davis.

Matt and Tai took the opportunity to lecture their younger siblings on responsibility, on keeping their tempers in check, and the importance of sticking together. It briefly crossed their minds to discuss other things, but as they were uncertain as to whether or not that was something Digimon did, they decided to leave that topic alone for now. Besides, Tai wasn't really certain if he felt comfortable discussing _that_ with his sister.

"You know," piped up Cody, "perhaps Willis was right about one thing."

"What's that?" asked Ken.

"Well, if you two are neither the human nor the digimon you once were, but are instead a merger of the two, another name would be in order," said Cody.

"Huh?" said Davis.

"He means, calling them KarAngewomon and TakAngemon might not be a bad idea," translated Ken.

"Oh. Well, why didn't you just say that?" returned Davis. Everyone rolled their eyes.

"Maybe for others, but to us, I'm sure they'll still be TK and Kari to us," said Tai.

"Yeah," agreed Matt.

"If you guys think you're going to be okay, it's time we were heading back home," said Cody. "I don't think my mother and grandfather would understand if I spent another night at a friend's house. It's not like the time where we set up the camping trip."

"True," said Ken. "We're all going to be expected home by dinnertime."

"You two better email us at least every other day," said Tai.

"Oh come on," said KarAngewomon. "You wouldn't be satisfied if we emailed every 5 minutes.

"Now there's an idea," chuckled Matt. TakAngemon groaned. "Just kidding," added Matt.

"Give everyone our love," said KarAngewomon. She hugged each one of her friends goodbye. Davis was somewhat reluctant to let go. She sighed. "Davis, it would never have worked, you and me," she whispered into his ear.

"Now it won't. But before, you never know what might have happened," he returned in a whisper. Aloud he said "TB, if you ever do that again, so help me I'll send Palidramon after you."

"Trust me, it's not going to happen again," replied TakAngemon. He crossed his arms over his chest. "You'd think by now you'd get my name straight."

"Davis? Never," said Yolei.

"I resent that," grumbled Davis.

"Let's find where Armadillomon, Wormmon, Veemon, and Hawkmon have gone off to," said Ken.

They heard a commotion coming from the courtyard. Hawkmon and Wormmon had wisely taken refuge atop a giant decorative block. Veemon and Armadillomon weren't so lucky. They were cornered by a group of rambunctious baby digimon in search of playmates. "All right, let's go!" called Elecmon.

With a chorus of "Awwww's," the babies followed Elecmon. Veemon and Armadillomon slumped to the ground. "This is embarrassing," said Davis.

"I'd rather take on Arukenimon and Mummimon as DemiVeemon than a horde of baby Digimon," said Veemon.

"Well, come on. We're going home," said Cody.

"Oh good. I'll be able to get some rest," said Armadillomon.

"You sleep too much as is," returned Hawkmon.

"I've had enough rest," said Wormmon.

The group walked to the nearest TV set. "Give Mom and Dad my love," said TakAngemon.

"Me too," added KarAngewomon.

"We will. Don't forget to email them," said Matt.

After final hugs, the humans and their digimon opened the digiport and disappeared.

"Now what?" asked KarAngewomon.

"You two can stay here for a while," offered Elecmon.

"We've imposed on you long enough," said TakAngemon.

"Nonsense," returned Elecmon. "I can use the extra help, at least until some of these guys digivolve to in-training level and leave."

They found themselves surrounded by a horde of baby digimon, looking up at them with big, sad eyes.

"All right," agreed KarAngewomon. "At least until we find ourselves a place of our own."

"YEEEAAA!!!!" cheered the babies. The two angels suddenly found themselves swamped.

---

Late in the evening, KarAngewomon stood atop the tower TakAngemon had previously taken possession of. Her helmet was on the roof at her feet. She stared out at the moon and stars, unaware that TakAngemon was behind her. At least until she felt TakAngemon's arms around her. "You don't know how many nights I've spent up here wishing you were with me."

She looked over her shoulder and found that he had left his helmet behind. His arms wrapped around her tightly. "The view from up here is beautiful," she murmured.

"At the risk of sounding extremely corny, I'm still going to say that it's not as beautiful as you."

KarAngewomon felt her face burning. His arms tightened around her. His chin rested on top of her head. They stood there silently for several long moments. Then she wriggled around in his grasp to face him.

"Kari. . ."

"Shh. . . . let me talk," she said as she laid her finger on his lips. "I was going to tell you this before the battle, but you stopped me." Her eyes widened when she felt him kiss her finger. He moved his hand from her waist to her hand. He uncurled her fingers and kissed her palm. She shivered. Not from the night chill, but from the electricity coursing through her body from where his lips touched her hand. She reached up and brushed golden hairs away from his face, then caressed his cheek. Her fingers drifted up to tangle in his hair. "TK. . ." Her tongue snaked out to wet her suddenly dry lips.

Slowly he leaned closer to her face. "Shh. . ." he whispered millimeters from her lips. "Sometimes things are better left shown than said." Ever so gently he brushed his lips against hers in a tentative kiss, then waited for her reaction. Her free hand drifted up to his neck and pulled him closer. Encouraged by her reaction, he kissed her again, this time lingering longer. Her other hand moved to his neck and refused to let go.

Her first kiss. . . so ironic that it was now. . . . though not so strange as with who. Briefly she pulled away. Just long enough to say "I love you TK." Then she pulled his head back down to her.

Hearing those little words relaxed something within TakAngemon. His Kari loved him. No matter what form either one took, they still loved one another. They would make anything work. He kissed her again. There was nothing tentative about this kiss.

"EEEEEEEWWWWWW!" Startled, they pulled away from each other. A group of Punimon were watching them. "GROSS!"

"Why does this remind me of the first time I walked in on Matt and one of his girlfriends?" chuckled TakAngemon.

"I know exactly what you mean," said KarAngewomon with a giggle. She put her hands on her hips and glared at them sternly. "Aren't you supposed to be in bed?"

"TakAngemon promised to read us a bedtime story!" they chorused.

"All right, all right," said TakAngemon with his hands up in a defeated pose. "Go get into bed and I'll be there in a few minutes."

"YEAAAAHHH!!!" they cheered. They bounded down through their hole into the tower.

KarAngewomon tried to stifle a giggle while she picked up her helmet. "I'm going to go ahead to bed. I'll see you in the morning."

"Kari, before you go. . ." he moved closer to her and whispered in her ear "I love you too." He kissed her lips.

"EEEEWWWW!!!!"

TakAngemon pulled away and rolled his eyes in exasperation. "You guys better be in your beds before I get there if you want a story. Good night Kari." He spread his wings and glided down to where the baby Digimon slept.

She watched him for a moment, then saw a group of Punimon, Yukimibotamon, Yuramon, Nyokimon, and others hopping as fast as they could towards their beds. Then she spread her own wings and glided to the building where Elecmon had given her sleeping quarters. She glanced over her shoulder in the direction TakAngemon flew. "I think we start looking for a place of our own as soon as possible."

- The End -

Author's Notes: Thanks everyone for your responses. I guess it didn't get out the first time. When I didn't hear from anyone, I wasn't sure if you guys liked this concept.

Next up is finishing "The White Gatomon." I was hoping to have it finished this weekend, but I don't know if home projects will give me the chance.

After that I'm going to try and get back to working on Digiquest for Glory: So you want to be a hero 3.

I also have a copy of the QFG Collection on order from Ebay, which I should have in a couple of weeks.

I'd like to work on a sequel to this series. Next part will be called "Angels Aerie." The initial idea is that TakAngemon and KarAngewomon go in search of a place to call their own. I may create two versions. One rated PG, one rated NC-17 (hears the gasps in the audience). Don't be surprised guys. I write lemons all the time for my characters in GRIT (the Global Ranma Insanity Thread). But this will be after several other projects.

And, based on what happens Tuesday, I may have "A Teacher's POV - Parent/Teacher Night" written. But that depends on inspiration and time. I _really_ have to work on writing out some of my lesson plans.

For those of you who don't know it, teachers do not work from 8 to 3. I'm up as early as 5 AM some mornings and at school as late as 8pm (though usually I get out around 5). I'm lucky. I don't give grades teaching computers. But teachers who give grades have papers to grade, which they take home and sit up until 10pm grading. So be nice to your teachers. They don't have it easy.