Better the Devil You Know

Chapter 11: Neodevimon's Plan for Kari

A few white, fluffy clouds floated aimlessly above Tokyo in the blue morning sky. The Sun shone brightly as yet another fantastic day for weather was forecasted. It was also the first day of the summer break for schools in Japan and most kids were determined to make the most of it. Some, however, didn't have that luxury.

Davis and Veemon strolled along a concrete sidewalk. Both of them weren't in any rush to get to their destination. Izzy had sent them an email the night before telling them the Digidestined were going to meet at his place at eleven and Davis had just assumed it would just be another conversation and nothing would come of it.

"I hate it when I can't fight," Davis sighed as he glanced over to Veemon. "I've never liked being on the bench."

"Same here," Veemon replied as he looked up at his partner. "I've always liked being in the middle of a battle and fighting alongside my friends."

"There's got to be a way to persuade TK to let us help him," Davis pursed his lips together as he began to think.

"I'm not sure that would be a good idea, Davis," Veemon interrupted the goggle head's thoughts. "As I said, I would like to fight alongside Patamon but if he and TK don't want us to then I'll not get involved unless I have to. It seems really personal to them."

"I think maybe we should remind him there's no I in team," the teen boy added.

"Why are you so desperate to fight?" Veemon's voice showed some concern. "I know you Davis, there's more to this than just being on the sidelines. This isn't about Kari again, is it?"

"No Veemon, it isn't about Kari," Davis sighed and scratched the back of his head as he tried to think of a way to word his reply. "I'm just worried about TK. You saw what happened last time he fought Neodevimon. What happens if Neodevimon does that again and kills TK next time?"

"TK said he wouldn't because Neodevimon wants to hurt him," the blue dragon quoted the Digidestined of Hope.

"What if Neodevimon gets desperate and decides just to kill TK?" Davis asked bluntly. "There's only Magnaangemon there to help him."

"Magnaangemon will keep TK safe, I have no doubt about that," Veemon confidently reassured the teen boy.

"There's more to my worries than just that," Davis continued, thinking he might as well share all of his concerns about the situation with Veemon. "Have you seen how tired TK's looked recently? He looks like he hasn't had any sleep. Also, have you seen how stressed he is? His stress levels are off the chart."

"I think most people would be stressed if they knew someone they hated was trying to kill everyone they cared about," the Digimon thought aloud, scratching the back of his head as he spoke.

Davis sighed, knowing there wasn't anything he could do to improve the situation. Then a thought suddenly occurred to him. "That's probably why Kari's been spending so much time with TK. I've noticed they're spending even more time together than usual, if that's possible."

"They're best friends," Veemon stated in a matter of fact tone and glanced over to his human partner.

"I know," the teenager rolled his eyes as he replied. "I also know they care about each other and in a way that's probably more than just friendship. So I think Kari has been trying to help him through this and she's probably the best person for the job."