Odaiba Memorial Day- 20 Years Later

Chapter Five- Davis

"Am… am I dying?" Davis asked, although at this point he didn’t know which response he desired.

"No!" The voice was almost angelic, although a combination of sadness and sternness reigned in her inflections as she continued, "Don’t say that Davis, it’s going to be okay. Just hang on. We’re going to get through this together, got that?

"K… Kari…"

Sometimes putting it out of your head is the only way to handle problems. And as hard as it was for Davis, he was finally starting to do that. The woman he loved, Kari Kamiya, was out of his life, and she was slowly starting to fade out of his head as well. After years of going to school together, Davis will admit to anyone that he longed for Kari, something more than a mere crush could represent. Unrequited infatuation, maybe, but Davis’s feelings for her went beyond anything he could describe.

But those days were over now. Upon graduation, Davis decided that the best medicine would be to simply leave and forget about her. And as sad as it seems, it worked. Deep down, he knew he would never have those feelings reciprocated, and simply having her as a friend was only hurting him more. Finally, the years he wasted pining over Kari could be forgotten, and he could get on with his life without having to worry about impressing her. He also didn’t have to worry about TK. Despite their best efforts to shrug off any relationship they were having, TK and Kari were in love, and Davis knew it. When Davis left, he also decided to assume that TK and Kari realized that they weren’t cut out for each other, and decided to break up. He had no evidence to support that, but since it happened to Matt and Sora, he found it realistic, and the only way he could continue to forget about her. He didn’t want to think that TK beat him in the race for Kari’s heart.

Was it denial? Certainly. But it was the best medicine for him, and Davis was growing stronger because of it. He was freed up to pursue other social encounters, and he concentrated on his daily life, and was being rewarded for it. He had a bounty of friends, many of which female, as well as a steady job. He also was on a minor league soccer team, and although he didn’t have a hefty salary, it was a good compliment to his day job, and Davis made a modest wage while still being able to enjoy life to the fullest. All in all, Davis was getting the crazy notion that he was actually making it in life, even without Kari.

The tenth reunion scared Davis. A lot. After becoming very secure in his life, Davis didn’t want the risk of seeing Kari and losing it again. He also had to somehow keep up his belief that Kari and TK had broken up. Seeing them together would damper things quite a bit. But Davis decided to bite the bullet and go. He would make a solid attempt to shrug off any feelings for Kari and behave like a complete gentleman. And for the most part, it paid dividends. Kari was just as friendly as he remembered, and although he had to concentrate on not thinking about her, he pulled it off. He also saw no evidence proving that TK and Kari were still involved. It went very well… until he got food poisoning.

Why me? Why the hell is it always me?

Of course, although he didn’t leave the way he wanted to, he did leave in good standing. His flame for Kari hadn’t sparked one bit, and he could continue his prospering life. It was good. Until he showed up at work to discover something in his life that he never dreamed possible…

"A promotion??!!"

"Mr. Motomiya, you’ve earned it. You’ve had a fantastic work ethic, haven’t called in sick once, except for that food poisoning thing, and we think you will make an excellent manager."

"A manager? Are you retiring? I didn’t know there were any positions open."

"That’s the thing. It’s not here. The Nerima plant is going to be in need of a couple low-end managers and asked us to find someone to fill the job. We all thought you’re the perfect man for it."

"Wow." Davis was in shock, he really was going places. Literally. "Obviously I’ll have to think it over. I’d probably have to move, and you know how hard it is to…"

"I understand completely. This is well in advance, so you’ll have at least six months to make plans, if you decide to accept."

"Thank you, sir." Davis bowed to the manager, and went back to work.

Me, a manager in Nerima? That’s a good ways away, and a pretty swanky town if I remember. But I would be stupid not to take this. And I am not stupid! Those days are over, I’m moving on with life. I don’t know how I’m going to do it, but Davis Motomiya- you are going to Nerima!

His friends were extremely supportive. All understood that Davis had to move on with life, and since Davis and his friends very rarely met under sober conditions, it wasn’t a huge deal. In fact, Davis got extremely lucky in terms of a house. One of his friends said that he knew somebody in the area that had to go overseas and was looking to sublet his apartment. He was getting a bit desperate, and Davis got a good deal on it. And although he was signed to play for the local soccer team, they agreed to have Davis play out the rest of the season before negotiating a trade with a club closer to Nerima in the off-season.

Despite the many breaks he got, the first few months, quite frankly, were hell. The apartment wasn’t just cheap because the tenant had to move out in haste. The apartment was cheap because it was a dump as well. It was the fixer-upper to end all fixer-uppers, and the last thing Davis had was time to fix it up. His new job carried many new responsibilities, and demanded longer hours, and work at home. This, naturally, conflicted with his duties as a semi-pro soccer player, and trips from his home to the practice field were long and time-enduring. The lack of time also prevented him from being extremely active socially.

It was starting to get to Davis. He wasn’t enjoying life, and it was starting to take its toll. Did he make a mistake somewhere? Is he going backwards now?

This is too much for me to take. I can’t do this alone… I need help… I need… I just need to see her face.

Davis frantically searched drawers, dressers, books… anything that would carry the likeness of the child of light. After about ten minutes, he stopped. There was no image of Kari in the apartment. Davis simply sighed, sat down on his trusty bean bag chair (a must for any single’s pad), and pondered the situation. Of course there weren’t any pictures of Kari in the apartment. Davis saw to that ahead of time. He refused to give in to her temptation. Davis saw Kari as a harmful drug, and himself as a recovering addict. He had to make sure he didn’t have access to the drug when he had a craving.

She’s not here, Davis. So what do you do about it? You’re on your own, and you’ll have to deal with it. You’ve been through worse. You’ve been to hell and back, and you lived to tell the tale. So bite the bullet, go out, and conquer your challenges!!

Davis quickly stood up. "You’re right! Thanks!" He said to himself.

Anytime, buddy.

Sure enough, things improved. His team managed to get him a spot playing for the hometown team, and after complaining to the boss about a work overload, his division was split into two, and a new manager was hired to help out. She was definitely new, and Davis could tell by the look of her eyes that he was going to have to show her the ropes.

"Hello, Mr. Motomiya. My name’s Mitsune Bekomi, but all my friends call me Mitzy." Davis promptly smiled.

"Hi Mitzy, you can call me Davis."

Life was pretty stable for the next few years. Mitzy looked up to Davis, and although they never were involved romantically (company policy discouraged it), they had a very strong friendship, with Mitzy looking up to Davis quite often. Mitzy had friends, which she introduced to Davis. In time, they became Davis’s friends as well. Said friends also were willing and able to help Davis fix up the apartment. By the time they were done with it, it was actually livable, and even comfortable. Although the bean bag chair was still there, of course. Davis never received invitations for future digi-destined reunions, and Davis didn’t care. He was happy, and didn’t have to worry about Kari, TK, or anybody else for that matter. He was a changed man.

"Hey, Davis, you used to live in Odaiba, right?" Mitzy was pleasant around Davis, although she maintained a firm attitude with people lower than her.

"Yeah, why?" Davis was not expecting anything out of the ordinary, and Mitzy didn’t deliver anything out of the ordinary.

"I think I just hired somebody that moved from Odaiba. Maybe you can show him the ropes a bit." Davis smiled.

"Well, Mitz, although I was the most popular guy in Odaiba, I don’t know everybody, if that’s what you’re thinking." Davis’s mock-cocky attitude made Mitzy laugh, as Davis put aside memories of times when he said that as if he was serious.

"No, no… I mean I’d rather you show him around. Personally… I don’t know. He’s not my type. He’s the most qualified but… I don’t know."

"You must not know very much!" Davis quipped. Again, Mitzy laughed.

At home, Davis had completely forgotten about the incident, since it was nothing out of the ordinary between the two. Davis was just settling down to some financial statements, paying bills that he could easily afford, when he heard a knock at the door. Davis wasn’t expecting anybody, but approached the door to greet whoever it was. He also heard some murmuring from the other side, one man, and one woman. Again, nothing out of the ordinary. Until he opened the door and saw TK and Kari Takaishi stealing a quick kiss.

And then Davis fainted. That was out of the ordinary.

His eyes opened. He saw the concerned face of Kari staring back at him. He blinked a few times, at which point she said, "Davis? Are you okay? I’m… not sure what happened."

"Am… am I dreaming?"

"What’d he say?" He couldn’t see the origin of that voice, but it sounded like an older TK.

"I don’t know." Kari replied to TK, then turned back to Davis. "Um… do you need some water or something? This isn’t quite how we expected to greet the neighbors."

"Yeah, if this is how everybody in the building’s going to greet us, we’re moving."

"N… neighbors?" Davis slowly sat up and looked over at TK. TK looked at Davis, and cracked a half-smile.

"Yeah, we just moved in upstairs and were going around to meet the other tenants here. We didn’t expect to run into you. What have you been doing all this time?"

"Um… nothing. Did you say we?" Davis looked at Kari strangely. Kari returned that strange look.

"You… didn’t know?"

"Know what?"

"Kari and I got married ten years ago." TK walked over and put an arm around Kari’s shoulder as if to accentuate the point, "Didn’t you get an invitation to the wedding?"

Davis felt extremely uneasy about everything. In fact, he was starting to feel nauseous, and a strong headache was coming on. He bent over again, and held his head, forcing Kari to look concerned again.

"Davis… you don’t look too good." Davis’s headache was growing stronger, and his mood suddenly shifted and he turned to TK and snapped.

"Look, if I got an invitation I would’ve known- I’m not stupid TP!" TK and Kari were immediately taken aback.

What the? Why did I say that? Ow… my head.

"Davis… are you okay?" Kari put a hand on Davis’s shoulder. Davis’s migraine continued to rack his brain, perhaps even worse than before. TK looked at his watch.

"Um… Davis, why don’t we do this another time? You should probably lie down. We’re upstairs in 6-4. We should get going anyway, uh… it’s almost time for uh… Doraemon Tamers and we never miss an episode. Ready Kari?" TK looked anxious. Kari looked up at him and sighed.

"Yeah… you should probably just get a good night’s sleep. I’m sure you’ll be fine in the morning."

"Yeah, we’ll stop by tomorrow night if you feel better. How does that sound?"

"Uh…" was all Davis was able to splurt out as TK and Kari slowly walked out and shut the door. The headache didn’t go away, however, and Davis decided to take Kari’s advice and went to bed immediately, although it took him longer than usual for him to fall asleep.

By the next day, Davis had improved slightly, at least enough to go to work. Keeping Kari out of his head, he continued his daily routine as normal. Unfortunately, fate felt like playing with Davis’s mind, and a tenant stepping out of an elevator was all it took.

"Hey, hold that open!" Davis’s apartment was on the fifth floor, and he had almost been late for work a few times due to bad timing in the elevator department. Fortunately, one other person was in the elevator, and Kari poked her head out, smiled at Davis, and held the door open, allowing him to board.

"Hi, Davis! Looks like you’re feeling better today. That’s good." Davis just stared at Kari… and his addiction was making a speedy return. Nonetheless, Davis tried to calm down, taking a few breaths. It was working… to a point. A smile like Kari’s is hard to resist, and Davis’s head was starting to throb.

"So um, Kari… going to work?" Davis nodded.

That’s safe to say. I can get through this. Start a conversation, just don’t act stupid!

Safe perhaps, but Kari looked down and sighed. Before Davis could react, she immediately smiled at him again.

"Well, we just moved here because TK managed to find a job here. I should be able to find one in no time, right?"

"Of course, why would anybody not want you working…" Davis stopped.

Stop now. I’m getting caught up in the moment. It’s too late to try anything. She’s married, she’s off the market, she’s gone, out of here, forget it, TK won, you lost. IT’S OVER!

"Ow…" That headache was getting steadily worse. Davis bent down, glancing once at Kari, who now looked concerned. This only made it worse. The feel of Kari’s hand on his shoulder seemed to ignite his senses, but the pain continued regardless.

"Davis… are you sure you’re okay?"

She’s concerned about me. She’s truly, honestly worried about me. NO! Get it out of your head! What’s wrong with me? I’m acting like a twelve year old, I need to grow up and take it like a man. But God it’s good to feel her touch again…

His thoughts were interrupted by the ding from the elevator, indicating that it had reached its destination- the ground floor. Davis tried to stand up, but Kari immediately pressed two buttons on the controls- "5" and "Close Door."

"Kari, I need to go to work." Davis was still in pain, but he wasn’t one to call in sick because of a headache.

"I’m sorry, Davis, but I’m too nice to let you go to work in this state." Kari was stern, but her comforting touch continued to work its power. The pain continued, and Kari continued to comfort Davis. Davis, meanwhile, was having trouble deciding whether this was a good thing or a bad thing.

Help me Kari, I’m in pain, I need you right now. No! I refuse to let this vile temptress ruin my life again! Not after I’ve come so far. Leave me be, go off and enjoy life with your precious little TA and leave me alone… but could you at least kiss me goodbye?

These splitting emotions were serving to increase his splitting headache. Kari almost dragged Davis back to his apartment. Davis took a seat on the couch, as Kari went into Davis’s kitchen and returned with a cordless phone.

"What’s this for?"

"You’re calling in sick today." Kari didn’t want to let somebody in Davis’s condition go out on his own, and her concern for him only made Davis’s illness worsen. Still, Davis managed to call up Mitzy.

"Hello?" Mitzy sounded a little down, but considering the condition Davis was in, he didn’t notice.

"Mitzy? I know I promised you I’d show that new guy from Odaiba around, but I feel like shit today. I won’t be able to come in…"

"You’ve got to be kidding me! You haven’t called in sick in eight years and now you do it on the worst day possible!"

"Look Mitz, I have a splitting headache, and I think I’m about ready to die. And besides, even if I wanted to, Kari won’t let me." Kari smiled at Davis. The headache got worse.

"Kari? Who’s Kari?" Mitzy seemed concerned.

"Uh… never mind. Look, is the new guy that bad?"

"Who, Takaishi? I’ve seen his type before. Overly polite, goofy smile, no balls at all." Mitzy scoffed.

"Wait… Takaishi? TK Takaishi?" Davis looked up at Kari, who returned the look, interested.

"Oh, you know him?"

"Yeah, he’s an old friend of mine. Moved in upstairs." The headache was continually throbbing, but Davis tried ignoring it. Mitzy was particularly moody, and he had to maintain his normal attitude to keep her friendship.

"Ah. That must be why you have the headache. Well, I’ll let you go. Hope you get better Davis."

"Yeah… see ya." Davis turned the phone off, handed it to Kari, felt the intense pain and intense pleasure of feeling their hands coming into contact, and moved his hands to his temples.

"Looks like TM’s working at the same place I am." Kari smiled.

"Oh, that’s a little strange. Although I wish you’d remember his name more often."

"Hey, I got it right when Mitzy asked." Davis almost snapped again, but Kari smiled slyly.

"Oh, Mitzy, huh? Somebody special at work, Davis?" Kari was intrigued, almost as if she was rooting him on.

"Uh… no! We’re only friends, nothing else!" Kari lost her smile and stared at him oddly.

"O… kay. I was just wondering. I um, I believe you." Kari was visibly hesitant, and unsure of what to say.

"Good. You know that you’re…" Davis almost spit it out. He managed to catch himself. Kari just looked concerned as the migraine continued to flare.

"Davis…" Kari seemed to be concerned about something else, however, "please don’t be offended, but I just want to make sure. You have gotten over that little crush you had on me… haven’t you?" Again, the pain flared up, worse than before, and not allowing Davis to answer. Kari immediately dropped the issue, and attempted to tend to her friend in pain.

A few hours passed, and with the help of some heavy-duty aspirin, Davis had improved somewhat. He was still lying down. Kari could never leave somebody in that condition, and stayed with him, only leaving to run upstairs every so often. She returned from this particular errand, and sat down in a nearby chair.

"I wrote TK a note telling him I’d be down here." Davis nodded quietly, and Kari continued, "It’s a shame you’re sick, because you never got to show us around. I love what you’ve done to this place. It’s a lot nicer that the rat’s nest we have."

"Well, some of Mitzy’s friends helped redecorate. It used to be a rat’s nest." Davis tried to remain composed. It was a little easier when a normal conversation was being held.

"Well it’s nice. Very nice. And you’ve gotten a good job…"

"I’m on a soccer team too."

"Wow. That’s just great…" Kari was smiling but a look in her eyes suggested that it was just for show. Davis remained silent, fighting off his headache, as Kari continued, "I’m glad one of us is making it."

"What, you and TK aren’t?" Davis was concerned, but also a bit relieved that he actually said TK’s name right.

"Well…" Kari obviously didn’t want to talk about it, but managed to continue, "we’re getting by. It’s been rough, but we are managing. It’s just that after the fire…"

"Fire?" Davis lifted his head in surprise, then quickly discovered that it’s inadvisable to lift your head in surprise when suffering from a massive migraine. He sat back down on the pillow.

"We lost everything. We obviously had insurance, but not everything’s replaceable. TK wasn’t sure where he wanted to go in life, and he was in kind of on a creative kick. Wrote a few stories, even tried his hand at art. It was really good work too… but we lost it."

"I’m sorry."

"It’s okay." The look on Kari’s face suggested it was not okay, "We’re managing. TK’s old work had some cutbacks and he was laid off. But he managed to get a job here, and I know I can too. We’re going to be fine… I hope." Kari looked down and sighed. It was clear that life as a grown-up wasn’t all it was cracked up to be, and was starting to take its toll. Davis couldn’t help but feel sorry.

"Kari…" Kari looked up at Davis.

"I’m sorry, Davis. I shouldn’t be troubling you with my problems. Especially not in your condition. I’m probably only making your headache worse. Do you need anything?"

"Um. No… I’m fine." Davis’s headache was getting worse after that story, but he didn’t feel compelled to ask for anything.

"Okay. TK should be coming home pretty soon. I should go." Kari stood up and slowly walked out.

Davis was alone again, and he still wasn’t sure how to react to Kari’s story. Part of him was thankful for what he had. Part of him felt sorry for Kari. Part of him felt happy since he was beating TK in something. But part of him knew that that wasn’t the case, as TK still had the one thing he wanted. And Davis had another moment of weakness.

Kari doesn’t deserve that life. She deserves better. She’s obviously not happy and if she deserves anything in life, it’s to be happy. She’s not getting it with TK and…

Davis was almost used to the pain, but it continued to persist, and it was somehow continuing to become increasingly unbearable. Davis was no doctor, but he was starting to develop a hunch as to why he was getting this headache. After years of depriving himself of any thoughts of Kari, the issue was suddenly being forced on him. And it was too much for him to take. He let out a agonizing moan, but this time there was nobody to tend to him.

The pain was continuing, and Kari returned about five minutes later.

"TK will be down in a minute… oh my God, are you okay?" Seeing that Davis had gotten worse, Kari rushed to him. She hated seeing a friend in this kind of pain. She was a bit hesitant, but with lack of any better way to comfort him, she held him, simply to let him know he wasn’t alone in fighting this.

"Am… am I dying?" Davis asked, although at this point he didn’t know which response he desired.

"No! Don’t say that Davis, it’s going to be okay. Just hang on. We’re going to get through this together, got that?"

"K… Kari…" This was tearing Davis further and further away. What didn’t improve the situation was TK, who happened to conclude his trip downstairs and walked in at that moment. He was having a bad day, and the sight of his wife holding another man wasn’t improving things much. He wasn’t sure how to react, and simply stood there.

--

Fate works in mysterious ways. And for the next year, the situation didn’t improve. As bad as it seemed at the time, things would only get worse, as other factors would enter into the equation. But the story is far too complex to explain through the eyes of only Davis Motomiya, and the remainder of the tale can only be told fairly if looked upon through Kari and TK Takaishi.

Author’s Notes
That was certainly… different, wasn’t it? If you find this whole scenario a little hard to swallow, I understand completely. In fact, I even did a little research to see if this concept was really possible. I didn’t get a clear yes or no (and modified the original concept slightly since it was even more far-fetched), but I did come across an interesting thing. I found a test which determined whether somebody’s relationship was built on love or infatuation, and ran it through based on Davis’s persona and feelings for Kari. Out of a possible 130 (130 being pure love, 0 being pure infatuation), Davis scored right smack dab in the middle with a 65. So therefore- anything goes!!

This is a bit of a different style from previous chapters since Davis, Kari, and TK have pretty much the same plot, unlike the others (i.e. Matt was a major part of Mimi’s plot, but he had his own plot when we got to him). Kari and TK’s chapters will continue the story through their eyes, and believe me, I have enough twists and turns to cover it. Another big difference is that the reunion wasn’t mentioned here, since this chapter ends about a year before the reunion is to take place. The actual invitation probably won’t arrive until TK’s chapter, which is all the way up at chapter eleven.

I’m sure that die-hard Takari fans are extremely nervous right now. I can’t possibly be a Dakari fan, right? I won’t answer that, but merely say what I always do when introducing controversial material to my stories- I know what I’m doing. Just keep reading.

Mitsune Bekomi’s namesake is the character Mitsune Konno from the anime Love Hina. She’s a cool character, and there’s an interesting parallel if you feel like looking up who her Japanese voice actor is, and her other roles. She’ll be a contestant in my upcoming fic "The Mole 2: Anime Edition," along with the three Tamer kids. The older versions of the Adventure kids will be making regular cameos, however.

Speaking of Tamers, Doraemon Tamers is a reference to both the upcoming Digimon Tamers and Doraemon, an anime in Japan (which is definitely not a ripoff of Digimon). When making up a name for a TV show, being referential is just plain cool. Also, the city of Nerima is the setting for the anime Ranma ½, although that is done simply as a reference, not as a crossover invitation.

I know you’re are probably looking forward to Kari’s chapter the most, but next up is the other Kamiya!
Chapter Six- Tai
Sora Takenouchi found her man, and is living happily with him. Tai isn’t that man, but he doesn’t really care. They’ve been through everything together, and continue their friendship as if nothing’s happened. Because why would Sora’s husband be an interference? He’s nice, he’s smart, he treats Sora well, and he likes Tai. But at this stage in their lives, the bond between two friends like Tai and Sora can only grow so close without a little romantic attraction. And even the slightest romantic attraction has the potential to lead to big problems.