Okay, guys; here’s the deal. There are only several Sokeru fics in the entire Digimon section, and most of them drive me up the wall. No offense intended to the authors of those fics, but most of them just repeated a single basic plot: Sora and/or TK break/s up with his/her/their current significant other/s, then just happen to come across each other and fall in love. Seeing that once was all right, but five or six times? As you might have guessed, I’ve got my own ideas for a Sokeru story, but it’s going to be more realistic and it’s going to be longer than one chapter.

We are assuming that the characters were certain ages during Seasons 1 and 2. According to this list, which I spent far too much time on:

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END OF SEASON 1: Tai, Sora, and Matt were 11; Mimi and Izzy were 10; Joe was 12; T.K. and Kari were 8.

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END OF SEASON 2 (3 ½ yrs. later): Tai, Sora, and Matt were 14 ½; Mimi and Izzy were 13 ½; Joe was 15 ½; T.K. and Kari were 11 ½; Davis and Ken were 11; Yolei was 12; Cody was 9.

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TIME OF THIS STORY (4 ½ yrs. after Season 2): Tai, Sora, and Matt are 19; Mimi and Izzy are 18; Joe is 20; T.K. and Kari are 16; Davis and Ken are 15 ½; Yolei is 16 ½; Cody is 13 ½.

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Phew!

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I’m ready if you guys are. Please review and let me know how I’m doing; criticism is welcomed, flames are pointless. Here we go! --Sacred Dust

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Only Hope

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CHAPTER ONE: Memories

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Perhaps it was only T.K.’s imagination, but there was something about warm, bright summer days like this one that seemed to bring out the best in everybody.

His mother’s writing sounded better; her aspirations of becoming a famous author had not yet come to fruition, but she wasn’t giving up just yet. Davis Motomiya’s sunny disposition was easier to put up with, although his bomber jacket looked even sillier in the heat. Even the bookish Ken Ichijouji seemed more accessible; T.K. had actually studied with him just last week.

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This was another one of those great summer days—possibly the best of them all, for two major reasons. First, because it was his very last day of tenth grade; and second, it was the night of a surprise party to welcome his best friends back from college. Tai Kamiya, Sora Takenouchi, Izzy Izumi, Matt Ishida, and Joe Kido were all coming home on the same train at seven o’clock that evening, oblivious to the impending celebration that had been in the works for a month. In fact, Mimi Tachikawa was coming all the way from America just to be part of it.

For the first time in at least a few years, they would all finally be together again—at least for one night. Back in the Digital World, the eight of them had been like siblings, a united and happy team that had plenty of disagreements, but always came out on top. However, their departure from that world, the end of their childhood, and other developments had caused them to gradually drift apart. T.K. hadn’t been able to spend much time with most of the older kids since they had gone away to college; even his big brother Matt seemed distant. That was one of the things he disliked most about growing up. It changed things, separated people who had once been inseparable—even the children once known as the “Digi-destined.”

As for school, T.K. found that he didn’t mind it nearly as much when there was no work left to do. All of his final exams had been studiously completed (more or less) in the previous few days, lifting a heavy burden from his shoulders. Now there were only about fifteen minutes left in his last class before those three months of freedom began.

It felt more like fifteen hours.

“This summer is gonna be awesome, T.M.” said Davis Motomiya, the aforementioned bomber-jacket-wearing spaz.

Well, he was sometimes, T.K. thought wryly. Davis was a nice guy and all, but he couldn’t sit still for ten seconds. Plus he was crushing on Kari Kamiya yet again (it seemed to be an on-and-off thing for him, in recent years). The only reason the two boys ever became friends was because of what they had gone through together in the Digital World.

“I think I’ll swim in the pool every day and see if I can turn my hair green,” Davis continued. “What about you?”

“Well, as thrilling as that sounds, Davis, I think I’ll play basketball with some guys from the team. If we practice enough, we could get a killer head start on the other teams next season.” T.K. said, watching with mild interest as Davis twirled a pen skillfully between his fingers.

“Aw, that sounds just like you,” Davis scoffed, his goggles reflecting the fluorescent lights.

“What does?”

“I dunno; it’s…I’ve never seen you just go wild. I mean, we’ve got the best summer of our lives ahead of us, and you’re still—”

“The best summer of our lives? How do you know that?” T.K. raised an eyebrow.

Davis shrugged. “I just know this stuff.”

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“Attention, students,” said their strict, bespectacled physics teacher. “Before you go and prepare for your futures by doing absolutely nothing for three months, I have one more assignment for you: the class evaluations. Be honest and concise; do NOT put your names on them. After you have completed them, you may go.”

The class shared a collective groan.

“I hate those things,” Davis leaned back in his desk chair. “So basketball is the only thing you’re going to do with your summer, T.P.?”

“It’s T.K.,” said T.K., although Davis never got it right. “And I haven’t thought of what else I want to do. I’ll be at Kari’s tonight for the party, I guess.”

“Well, duh. So will I. And that’s just it! You know how long it’s been since we’ve seen all those guys? This summer is gonna be special, just wait and see. So do something for me, would you?”

“No, I’m not hooking you up with Kari.” T.K. said, finally showing a trace of irritation.

“What…? Uh…not that!” Davis snapped. He looked flustered, for some reason. “I mean, promise me you’ll do something different. Something unpredictable. Surprise us for once.”

“Fine,” said T.K., only half paying attention as the class evaluation slips were passed out. He went through his as quickly as possible. Davis, he noticed, was scribbling silly answers to all the questions on the paper. That was just like him; impulsive, goofy, carefree. Everything T.K. wasn’t.

Okay, T.K. thought. So maybe I’m not the most spontaneous guy in the world. But I’m not used to just going out and doing stuff. I like to see what’s coming. I had to be that way, to keep myself alive in the Digital World. We all did.

But it hadn’t started then. All of the difficult experiences that made him who he was went as far back as he could remember—as far back as the little boy in green, crying as he shouted the name of that Digimon he nearly lost forever.

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Again, it was just like T.K. to be walking absent-mindedly through the halls, reminiscing on his first adventures in the Digiworld when the last day of school was over and the other kids were exulting around him, dropping their notebooks and papers on the hall floors (a real pain in the butt for the janitors) and rushing out into the welcoming sunlight.

But he couldn’t help it. Eight years later the memories still lingered, refusing to fade. These things had happened back when he was the youngest of the first Digi-destined—over three years before he had formed the second team with Kari, Davis, Yolei and Cody (and later Ken) to save the Digiworld a second time from very different enemies and threats. And now that those first Digi-destined would be returning home in less than five hours, he remembered them all the more vividly. Their faces laughed, smiled, cried, and wondered behind his eyes as he walked out of the school and down the sidewalk, oblivious to the other high-schoolers rushing past him.

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“T.K. Call me T.K.! And I’m not as small as I look.” The little boy said, only minutes after arriving in a strange new world, the likes (and inhabitants) of which he had only known in his dreams.

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“…All this techno-talk is making my head spinny.” The little boy declared as he watched Izzy make large pictures appear on the wall of a cave with his computer. It looked like it was something important, but he couldn’t understand what it meant.

“Computer geeks can never just do something, T.K.,” said his big brother Matt. “That would be too easy. They have to spend all day telling you how they’ll do it.”

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“Sora?” The little boy asked as he rode on the foot of a giant bird, flying high over the deadest, grayest land he had ever seen.

“…What?” the girl with the helmet asked. She was a few years older, but didn’t feel like it right now. Her voice was distracted, her mind obviously somewhere else, but he was too young to notice that.

“We’ll be able to find Matt and the others, right?” T.K. said. The boy needed all the encouragement he could get. He and his friends were facing their greatest challenge so far. If they were going to save the Digiworld, which had been manipulated and plundered of its resources by the Dark Masters (hence the starved appearance of the landscape), they would have to face this evil together—and that meant reuniting the team, as Tai had ordered them to do. They had split up after a bunch of arguments. T.K. couldn’t remember half of them, but they must have been bad. He hadn’t seen Matt, Joe, or Mimi for days.

Strangely, the girl with the helmet was silent. Normally she would have jumped at the chance to comfort him, to give him hope. She held onto Birdramon’s other talon, keeping her head turned away, her dark red eyes dull and spiritless.

“…Well, Sora?” he asked, confused. Patamon waited for her answer, too, sitting quietly on his shoulder.

She turned to gaze upon the barren world below, but still couldn’t look at him. “The only thing I can say, T.K., is…”

Her voice caught. The little boy was suddenly worried. “…Sora, are you all right? You’re not crying, are you?”

“Just…something in my eye. Don’t worry; we’ll find them, T.K.” She turned to him and smiled reassuringly, or tried to.

The boy smiled back, but he could sense that something was wrong.

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“Hey, T.K.” she said, falling into step beside him.

He nodded. “I know…I heard you.”

“…What do you mean? I only said your name once.” she asked, her bright blue helmet gleaming in the sun. “…T.K.?”

He blinked at her. “Wha—oh!”

Of course, it wasn’t Sora at all.

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He blushed slightly. “Sorry, Kari.”

She couldn’t resist a laugh. Kari Kamiya had known this boy since childhood, had fought beside him and been one of his best friends since either of them could remember. She was used to him. “Just got a lot on your mind, huh?”

“I guess,” he admitted. “Perfect time for old memories to resurface.”

She nodded. The sunlight gleamed off her short brown hair. “Isn’t it? We’re going to see everybody at the party tonight, and it’s been so long since we were all together…I can hardly get to sleep, I’ve been thinking about the old days so much. How was last hour?”

“Stimulating,” he rolled his eyes, and they both laughed. “Davis made me promise to do something ‘different’ this summer.”

“Like what? Convincing me to go out with him?”

“Nah, he left it to my imagination.” T.K. removed his white fisherman’s hat momentarily to brush a few blonde strands out of his bright blue eyes. He’d needed a haircut for a while now. If he went a few more weeks like this, he would end up looking like his older brother—and that just reminded him of how much he wanted to see Matt. He hadn’t received any emails from him in quite a while, but the guy was probably just busy with his coursework. At least, he hoped that was the reason.

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“Hmmm,” Kari looked up at the beautiful blue sky, strolling gracefully beside him as they left the school grounds. “What do you think you’ll do, then?”

“How would I know? He said it had to be unpredictable.” T.K. teased her, knowing full well that he probably wouldn’t be doing anything of the kind. That stuff hadn’t been necessary since he was in middle school, fighting alongside Ken and Davis. Malomyotismon was gone forever, and their Digimon were all back in the Digital World. Now, he at least tried to be a normal kid again. He may not be there yet, but he figured he could do it eventually.

Still, it was hard to stop thinking like a Digi-destined. He couldn’t just go with the flow; he was constantly preoccupied with the future, compulsively looking ahead and planning everything, rarely stopping to appreciate what was right in front of him. He sighed, replacing his hat. Maybe the brain underneath had a point, for a change. He was in the tenth grade now—no, he’d just finished it. These were supposed to be the best years of his life, and they were bound to run out eventually. So why wasn't he enjoying himself?

“Earth to T.K. Come in.” Kari said, jolting him out of his thoughts once more.

“Sorry,” He stopped, rubbing his forehead.

“Got a headache? Davis can be a bit much sometimes.” Kari smiled.

“No…I just wish I stop thinking about this stuff, that’s all.”

Her light brown eyes were sympathetic. “Which one is it this time? Devimon? Piedmon?”

“Nah, none of the bad guys.”

“Who?”

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(Strangely, the girl with the helmet was silent.)

He paused. “…Heck, I don’t know. It’s not important.”

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“All right, if you say so. But you looked pretty ‘deep’ for a second there.”

“You know me. I’m always deep. Deeper than the Dark Ocean.” He grinned, secretly realizing how much of an exaggeration that was.

“Hey! No joking about the Dark Ocean.” She punched him gently in the arm.

“When are you going to get over that?”

“I’m not sure. But when I do, you’ll be the first to know. Deal?”

“Deal.”

As they walked to the bus stop together, speaking as naturally as they always did, he wondered why he hadn’t told her the truth. If anyone could understand him, it was Kari. There was no logical reason not to tell her.

And yet, this memory…why couldn’t he get this one out of his head?

Enough, T.K. You’ll find yourself in a shrink's office if this keeps up.

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“So let me guess; you’re going home to get ready for the party?”

“You’ve got it,” she winked. “Want to come with me?”

“Lead the way,” he agreed. “I really can’t believe it’s been three years since we’ve all been together.”

She nodded, her steps light and carefree beside him. Not surprisingly, she was in a great mood. “I’ve missed Tai like you wouldn’t believe. Isn’t he a great brother?”

“Yeah…yeah, he is,” T.K. nodded. In fact, he remembered a time when he had looked up to Tai Kamiya more than his own brother. Tai had seemed so much more fun than Matt was back then; Matt was quiet, detached, overprotective. Throughout all their trials in the Digiworld, they had rarely connected as brothers.

Come to think of it, if anyone could help T.K. cut loose and have fun right now (it used to be so easy when he was little), it would be Tai. Right down to his basic appearance, favorite sport, and superfluous goggles, Tai was like an older version of Davis. But he was a little smarter, a little more decisive and confident. Although he didn’t view him as a surrogate brother anymore, T.K. still admired him.

“You’re coming too, right?” Kari added, though she hardly had to ask.

“You think I’d miss this?” He chuckled. “It’s exactly what we’ve been waiting for. I’m with you.”

“I know.” Kari smiled a little, still thinking of something else—probably Tai, he thought.

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“Hey, wait for me!” yelled a voice from about fifty feet behind him.

T.K. winced and Kari stifled a laugh as Davis ran to catch up with them.

“Hi, Davis,” Kari said pleasantly. She didn’t return Davis’ sporadic crushes on her, but she tried to be a friend to everyone.

“Hey, Kari, T.J.,” he waved. “You guys weren’t going to set up the party without me, were you?”

“Of course not. I wondered where you and Ken were.” Kari smiled.

“Have you seen Ken, by the way?” T.K. asked him.

Davis shrugged. “Not lately. He still goes to our school, right?”

T.K. rolled his eyes. “Yeah, Davis. I studied for finals with him a week ago Don’t you guys talk at all anymore?”

Davis looked away. “…I dunno. I’ve been busy.”

“Well, hold on. I’ll call him.” Kari took her bright yellow cell phone from her backpack and dialed Ken Ichijouji’s number. After a few rings, they heard someone pick up.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Ken. It’s Kari. How did finals go?”

“The heck with that,” Davis muttered impatiently. “Just tell him to get over here.”

“Very well, thank you. I suppose you’re wondering where I am?”

“Yep. Tonight is the party to welcome back Tai and the others,” Kari answered. “Want to help us get ready?”

“Oh, yes. T.K. told me about that,” Ken replied on the other end. “I’ll be glad to. Where are you right now?”

“Just a few blocks down from the school. Meet us at the bus stop by the park. But don’t take too long, okay? It leaves at three, and the next one doesn’t come for at least an hour.”

“All right, I’ll be there. Thank you for reminding me.”

“You’re welcome! See you soon.” She hung up and slipped the phone back into her bag. “He’s coming.”

“Good,” T.K. said. “Let’s go, Davis.”

Strangely enough, Davis was gone.

Kari blinked in surprise. “Hey, where did he…”

“There he is.” T.K. pointed far ahead of them.

“You guys coming or what?” Davis called, already close to the park. “Last two people there are rotten eggs!”

“His jokes haven’t changed since middle school,” said T.K.

Kari couldn’t help laughing; that was just so Davis. She thought silently about their relationship as she walked beside T.K. to the park. It wasn’t that she didn’t like Davis; his crush on her was rather sweet, and she had to admire him for not completely giving up, even after all this time. But he just wasn’t her type. She would much rather be with someone who really understood her. T.K. understood her better than most people did, but the one time they tried to date was so awkward and strange that they quickly went back to close friendship. As he later admitted to her, he just couldn’t fall for a girl who was more like a sister to him than anything else. Kari had been disappointed, and part of her hoped their first try wouldn’t be their last.

Still, T.K. would find someone, and he would make her very happy. Maybe that girl just hadn’t come into his life yet.

Kari quickened her pace as he began to jog ahead of her, his brown khaki shorts and bright yellow t-shirt waving slightly in a warm breeze.

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Ken arrived promptly, like they all knew he would. It was hard to believe that the slender, reserved intellectual who walked up to them now with his nose in a computer magazine had once been the merciless, egomaniacal Digimon Emporer. But he had become a much better person since that darkness was purged from his soul, and one of their longtime friends.

Davis hung back slightly, watching him. Yep, it was still the same Ken—same neck-length black hair, same piercing green eyes, same unobtrusive demeanor. T.K. was a party animal compared to this kid. For all Davis knew, he might spend the whole summer studying for the next school year. Well, let him. I don’t care. “Hey, Ken. Your mommy and daddy let you out a little longer today?”

He glanced up from the magazine, half-smiling. Davis always had something amusing to say, but that was an unusually sharp-edged comment for him. Ken pretended not to notice. “When I threatened them with my whip, we were able to reach a compromise.”

“I thought you got rid of that thing years ago,” T.K. grinned. “When we invaded your base and I beat the stuffing out of you.”

“You did, as I recall,” Ken admitted. “But I can still own you at chess, so we’re even. When are they coming?”

“Their train is coming at seven, but Mimi’s plane is supposed to get here an hour or so earlier, so we’ll probably just pick her up at the airport and wait for the others at my place.” Said Kari.

“It’s a surprise party, right?” asked Davis. “How are you going to get them over there?”

“My dad will be waiting for them at the train station. He’ll act like he’s only dropping them off at their houses, but he’s really going to take them to our apartment somehow. That’s when we’ll surprise them.”

“It sounds like the fun’s just started today. What about Yolei and Cody?” Ken sat down next to them on the bench to wait for the bus to Highton View Terrace.

“Cody is on vacation with his grandfather. Yolei has a dentist appointment. She said she’d get a ride to my place at five or so.”

“In their van?” T.K. chuckled. “That thing was having problems, last time I checked.”

“Never met someone who was harder to get rid of—except maybe June,” said Davis. “Don’t worry, T.R. She’ll make it.”

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(“Just…something in my eye. Don’t worry; we’ll find them, T.K.”)

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T.K. frowned and rubbed his eyes. Wasn’t that out of his head yet?

Apparently not. He surrendered and let his mind wander back in time once again, to his days as a small, innocent child. He had trusted and liked all of the older Digi-destined for different reasons. Tai was brave and outgoing, which made him a good leader. Mimi was funny and helpful. Izzy was really smart. Joe was dependable. Matt…well, Matt was his older brother. And Sora took care of him.

She always considered it her personal responsibility to look out for all the other Digi-destined and hold the team together. Hard as it must have been, she did as good a job as anyone could have under the circumstances. And since he was the youngest of them by at least three years (until Kari was involved, anyway), she had watched over him most of all.

T.K. sat silently on the bench, barely listening as his friends made small talk, and it occurred to him that he didn’t remember saying “thank you” for everything she’d done, for just being Sora. A few particular things, certainly, but not everything. Like most of the kids, he had often taken her for granted. Maybe, he thought, that’s why she’s on my mind right now. He promised himself that he wouldn’t forget to thank her when he finally saw her again tonight.

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“T.K. The bus is here.” Ken nudged him lightly with his elbow.

“Oh,” he stood up as the vehicle stopped at the curb, and stepped inside with the others. There would be plenty of time for reminiscing later on. They had to get ready for the party first—and, if he knew Kari, it would be a night to remember.

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--END OF CHAPTER ONE

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So, what do you think? I did my best to put detail and substance into each of the characters, while getting the ball rolling as far as the relationship possibilities go. In my opinion, compelling romance stories need buildup. You can’t just stick the characters into some clichéd soap opera scene and exploit them for your own instant gratification. Well, you CAN, but generally the most reviews on this site are going to the most imaginative stories, and I assure you I’m putting everything I have into this one.