Missing

'Wonder if they'll even notice I've gone? Probably not.' He thought to himself as he checked over his supplies one last time before stuffing them all into a dark blue sports bag, 'They've barely noticed me when I was around so I don't see any reason why they should start now.'
It was around noon so Kari would be at school, both his parents would be at work and Agumon and Gatomon were spending the day in the Digital World, he'd complained about not feeling well that morning and convinced his mother to let him stay home that morning, leaping out of bed the moment all of them were gone.
With his stuff packed away he looked about his room for the last time. The walls were covered in posters of his soccer hero's as well as ones advertising a few of his favorite movies along with pictures of happier times. One was a picture of him and his little sister taken a few weeks before he left for summer camp where he along with six other other kids were transported to the Digital World and the whole crazy adventures for them began.
'Kari, she looks so happy.' He thought softly smiling. 'She has everything she needs now. T.K, Davis, the rest of the new Digidestined, and the original and Gatomon not to mention Mom and Dad.'
His smile disappeared. 'They pay so much attention to her that it's like they sometimes forget that they have a son too. One reason for sticking around would be to make them happy, but I guess I just wasn't trying hard enough for them so I guess they decided to focus on to her and forgot about me. I failed them, so they moved on to Kari, who would always be able to please them. I'm not good enough for their liking.'
'Guess thats why they don't seem to have the time to attend any of my soccer games or banquets or the awards programs at school. I received an MVP award, honor roll, perfect attendance, and I won first prize for the essay writing contest at school? Yeah, I know something totally out of character for me.'
His fist was clenched so hard his knuckles were white. 'If there's not enough time in their schedule for me, then shouldn't they make time. How complicated is it to make time for your own child?'
Just as he felt a burning begin to well up within him he then caught sight of another picture, this one depicting him and the other members of the Digidestined and their Digimon along with Gennai, Ogremon Centaurmon, Meramon, Elecmon and Frigimon, one that had been taken after they had beaten Apocalymon and beside it was another which included the new kids on the anniversary of their adventures.
'As for the rest of my so called friends they don't seem to have time for me either. Joe, the poster boy for being a workaholic, is so focused on his studies he hardly sees the light of day. Izzy pretty much lives online nowadays and since there hasn't been a note worthy threat to the Digital World or here since Armageddemon I'm not needed on that front either. T.K's just really changed, I guess the attention he's getting from being Matt's younger brother has kinda gone to his head.'
'I haven't spoken to Davis in ages, guess soccer practice and chasing after my sister takes up all his time and I don't really know any of the other new kids well enough for them to really care. Mimi...well she's in America and we weren't really that close to begin with so I guess she has an excuse.' 
'And finally Sora and Matt. The one who betrayed me. I mean of course Matt knew I liked Sora because I told him so months before they got together. The keeper of friendship betrays his crest, duty, my trust, and more importantly me, his supposed best friend like it was nothing.' he could feel anger boiling within him again.
'Why did those two have to get together, it just seems like a totally random thing. I mean their relationship has no grounding what so ever because as far as I can tell they have basically nothing in common. When they first met at camp she didn't even like him.' 
Angry tears rolled down his face but he quickly wiped them away. 'I guess it doesn't matter now anyway.'
Turning away from the pictures he took his Digivice out of his pocket as well as his tag that bore his crest of Courage and his cell phone and placed them onto his desk, that done he opened the draw and from it retrieved his goggles, Davis had returned to him shortly after the incident with Armageddemon, and hung them around his neck.
With that he grabbed his shoes, slipped them on to his feet, pulled on his jacket, slung his backpack onto his back and picked up his sports bag. He walked over to the kitchen table and upon it placed an envelope and a CD case with a disk inside. His last task completed the brown haired teen walked to the front door, and turned too looked about the apartment that had been his home ever since he since he was born for the last time before walking through it and locking the door behind him, once outside dropped his keys into the small plant basket beside the door.
----Kari considered herself pretty lucky, she had two loving parents, a loyal group of friends, her Digimon partner Gatomon, two boys who made it no secret they were infatuated with her (not that she was interested romantically in either of them but she couldn't help but sneak a small amount of guilty pleasure out being lusted over), and of course she had her brother who ever since she was small had been her hero.
However she it was only recently she had noticed that he hadn't been himself, normally he was upbeat and optimistic but lately he had been withdrawn and depressed, however between to school work and after school clubs she hadn't had a lot of time to herself lately so she could only hope he could he could work through this by himself.
Today however was different, she had no pressing engagements or after school activities, she was determined to shake her sibling out of his funk. So she invited the other Digidestined over to her place and see it they could cheer him up, although only Izzy, Davis, Ken, T.K and Sora had been able to make it. The six made small talked as they approached the apartment none of them sensing something was amiss,
"Tai I'm home." Kari called as she and the others entered the front door however there was no reply.
"Ok that's odd." Kari said to herself.
"Well maybe he went out, y'know to get some air." Ken suggested.
"I'm not getting any answer from his cell phone." Sora as she pressed a button on her own phone and put it back into her bag, "But this is Tai. Knowing him he's probably forgotten to switched it on."
Kari laughed at this as she headed over to her room to change. "Be back in a sec kay." She told them before closing the door behind her.
Whilst they waited for the Barer of Light to gets back the others made themselves comfortable, as they did Sora noticed an envelope on the kitchen table along with a CD case with a disk inside, taking a closer look she saw the words 'mom dad and Kari' scribbled on the envelope in Tai's hand writing, an unpleasant feeling began boiled up from the pit of her stomach, she didn't like the looks of this situation one bit.
Just then the sound of a door being opened was heard and Kari emerged from her room dressed in a pair of khaki shorts and an oversized dark blue t-shirt that sported a picture of a grim reaper being suspended from a military helicopter with El Mañana written across the side, obviously it belonged to her brother. "Kari, I think you need to see these." Sora said in a firm tone of voice.
Kari looked slightly confused as the copper haired teen handed her an envelope which had her name as well as mom and dad scrawled across it in familiar hand writing, opening it she took out a piece of paper. She began reading what was written on it then her eyes widened.
"Kari, what is it?" Sora asked, "What's wrong?"
Kari didn't reply, she just handed it to Sora who gave the younger girl a concerned look before turning her attention to the piece of paper. The others gathered around her as she read it.
If you're reading this you have finally noticed my absences.
Someone said that a family is a group of people who care for and
support each other no matter what. That it is not just limited to blood relations,
that it also extends to the family that you make for yourself, surrounding yourself
with close friends who will never desert you.
For a long time I thought I had such a family, however the past few months have proved otherwise.
I thought I'd done everything in my power to be a good leader, friend, brother and son, but I guess in the end it just wasn't enough.
Tell Agumon I'm sorry, whilst I have no doubt he wouldn't hesitate to be at my side I can't take him with me this time,
I don't know what lies on the road ahead but I won't subject him to that kind of life.
I'm also sorry if I ever let him or anyone else down in my role as his partner and as a member of the team.
I don't know if I'm ever coming back or if you'll ever see me again so I wish you the very best of luck in whatever you path you choose to follow.
Tai
PS I'm not great when I come to expressing my feelings but the song on that CD pretty well sums up how I feel.
Whilst Sora was reading Kari picked up the CD from the table, removing it from its case she walked over to the stereo that was located next to the TV in the living room, switching it on she placed the disk in the CD player and pressed play.
(Can you stop the fire?
Can you stand to fight her
You can't stop the fire
You won't say the words)
Please, please forgive me,
But I won't be home again.
Maybe someday you'll look up,
And, barely conscious, you'll say to no one:
"Isn't something missing?"
You won't cry for my absence, I know -
You forgot me long ago.
Am I that unimportant...?
Am I so insignificant...?
Isn't something missing?
Isn't someone missing me?
Even though I'm the sacrifice,
You won't try for me, not now.
Though I'd die to know you love me,
I'm all alone.
Isn't someone missing me?
Please, please forgive me,
But I won't be home again.
I know what you do to yourself,
I breathe deep and cry out,
"Isn't something missing?"
"Isn't someone missing me?"
Even though I'm the sacrifice,
You won't try for me, not now.
Though I'd die to know you love me,
I'm all alone.
Isn't someone missing me?
And if I bleed, I'll bleed,
Knowing you don't care.
And if I sleep just to dream of you
I'll wake without you there,
Isn't something missing?
Isn't someone...
Even though I'm the sacrifice,
You won't try for me, not now.
Though I'd die to know you love me,
I'm all alone.
"Isn't something missing?
Isn't someone missing me?
Kari stood there, whilst her face wore a look of stunned shock inside was a torrent of conflicting emotions. This couldn't be happening, there was no way. Tai couldn't have wrote that letter, he was strong, the strongest person she knew. He wouldn't do this, there was no way he'd just up and leave. She just couldn't take it anymore, she burst into tears.
"Kari, please don't..." Sora began as she went to place her hand on the younger girls shoulder then, to everyone's surprise, Kari turned round and slapped Sora across the face hard.
"GET OUT." she yelled the red haired girl just stared at her, "I SAID GET OUT." Kari repeated.
"Kari calm down." T.K said trying to place his hands on the girl's shoulders in an attempt to calm her.
"DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN TAKERU." Kari snapped at him calling him by his full name, TK hated being referred to by his full name. "I WANT YOU ALL OUT OF MY HOUSE NOW."
Kari then ran to her room slamming the door behind her the sound of her sobs audible through the door the group stared at it for what seemed like an eternity.
"Come on," Izzy said, "We better go."
"But..." TK started but was cut off, "There's nothing we can do for her, not in the state she's in. I doubt she'll be willing to listen to us."
Just then suddenly Davis and Ken emerged from Tai's room. "Bad news, some of Tai's stuff is missing and we found his Digivise, Crest and cell phone on his desk." Ken said as he and his maroon haired friend rejoined the group, "He obviously doesn't want us to find him."
"This is just great, Tai being gone is a major blow to our forces. If there's an emergency it means we'll be facing it without WarGreymon and Omnimon." Izzy groaned as he ruffled his hair, "And I can only imagine what its going to do to morale when we tell the others about this."
No one spoke after that it was if some force had taken away their ability to speak. They then noticed Sora walking over to the apartments phone and began dialling after a few seconds she began speaking. "Hello my name is Sora Takenouchi, I'm trying to reach Yuuko Kamiya...yes I'll hold."
"Sora, what are you doing?" TK asked.
"Calling Tai's mom, she'd want to know about this." Sora replied.
"How come you have her number?" Ken asked.
"Tai's mom and my mom are close friends. So close in fact Yuuko-san gave me her work number in case there was an emergency and I couldn't get a hold of my mom." Sora explained , "Hang on. Hello Yuuko-san...yes...listen I've got something to tell you are you sitting down...no Kari's fine its Tai...actually this is kinda hard to explain over the phone. Can you come home I think it will be easier to explain if we were face to face...you will ok see you in half an hour."
She then put the phone back on the receiver. "She's on her way." She told the others, "Will you all excuse me for a moment." She then headed towards the bathroom, locking the door behind her. Turning the tap on Sora scooped up some cold water and splashed it on her face and stared at herself in the mirror
'Tai...' whilst on the surface she had seemed calm inside it felt as if some creature where trying to crush her heart with its steely claws.
Tai had been her best friend ever since they met and she knew that he would be there for her when it mattered, although recently things had changed due to her relationship with Matt plus her commitments to the tennis team and working part time for her mother meant she didn't get to spend any time with him lately but like always she knew she could count on him when she really needed too.
And now he was gone maybe forever. 'I guess it's really true. You don't appreciate something until its gone.'
A tear rolled down her cheek followed by another but she no effort to wipe them away. 'Tai please come home, we need you ...Kari needs you...I need you.'
----Whilst this was going on Tai made his way across town and arrived at the bus terminal and headed over to the ticket booth, dug some money out of his wallet and told the person behind the counter, "Anywhere but here."
The guy stared back at him confused. "Care to be a little more specific young sir."
"Surprise me, as long as it's far away from Odaiba." Tai replied.
"Well there's one leaving from terminal 4 in 10 minutes that's going pretty far." the guy said.
"Fine." Tai said indignantly as he waited guy to print off his ticket.
Soon enough Tai was sitting in his seat in the back row as the bus thundered down the highway leaving Odaiba behind, its destination he didn't know as he hadn't bothered to look at the sign front of the bus and frankly he didn't care he just wanted to get as far away from Odaiba and the pain in his heart as possible.
He then looked out the back window and saw his last glimpse of the city as it disappeared over the horizon, 'Good bye guys, I'm sure you'll all get along fine without me to mess things up.'
He then sat back in his seat, pulled his jacket tighter around him leaned his head against the window and closed his eyes in hope of dreaming of a bright future that lay ahead of him.