Cross My Heart

Cross my heart...
We said...
Cross my heart...
I'll be...

Kari sat in her hospital bed remembering that night and letting the tears flow freely down her cheeks. Takeru had been gone for two weeks and she'd thought that the pain would be gone by now. The pain never did ease though; it only weighed her down more and more as time went on. She hated herself for not sticking to her words and standing her ground. Because she didn't want to make Tk angry, she let him get in the car and what might have been a two or three day argument between them has turned into an eternity of pain and suffering. What's worse was that she got into the car with him and because of it, she was trapped in the small room all alone.

We got it all
And we'd be fools to let it go
Cos I need you more and more
You're my life, and I live
For your love that you give
And although my journey's long
I'll soon be home

They had been at a party one night, two weeks ago and Tk, along with some other friends, had been drinking heavily. It was about one in the morning when Tk decided that he was sober enough to drive Kari home. She told him that she'd rather take a cab then have him drive, but he kept insisting that he was fine. After a few futile attempts to take his Kari keys, Kari had given in to him and they left the party with Takeru at the wheel.

For the first little while it seemed like everything was fine and that they would make it home okay, but then all of the sudden a tree popped up out of nowhere and before she knew it, the tree was getting closer and closer. She couldn't remember much after that. She heard some screaming then a few flashing lights, a sea of red and then everything went dark. It wasn't until she awoke two days later that they told her that Tk had lost his life in the accident. It was still hard to believe that she would never see him again.

It's gonna be so hard on my own
But I won't be alone

The funeral was hard. They wouldn't let Kari into see him for fear of how she might react. This upset her, but at the same time there was a sense of peace inside the walls of the church. The service lasted for a long while and during the whole time Kari felt secluded from everyone else. The events of that night kept playing through her head. She relived each and every moment over and over again. It was then that she felt a light come over her and she knew that Tk was with her and that she would never have to carry the burden by herself anymore. She could hear his voice whispering softly in her ear...

Cross my heart and tell no lies
No one's leaving you behind
Just because we said goodbye, baby
Cross my heart I do believe
In my thoughts and in my dreams
I'll be taking you with me, baby

She watched through watery, blurred eyes as they slowly lowered Tk's casket into the cold, dark ground. She tried to hold herself back, but couldn't contain herself any longer. "No, don't leave me! Takeru, please don't go." She sobbed. She ran toward the hole wanting to jump in with him. She wanted to be sealed in with him, to never be away from him. She clutched mounds of dirt in her fists and poured them over her head, hoping that she could carry a piece of him with her, not wanting to let go.

It was Yamato who approached her, lifted her from the ground and held her close. He knew only too well the pain that the young girl was feeling and instinctively led her outside of the cemetery gates knowing that she couldn't bear to see any longer.

Sometimes I think
That I can feel you breathin' on me
You're there so deep inside
And I like what I feel
Though it's not, always real
It helps me carry on, till I come home
It's gonna be so hard on my own
But I won't be alone

She sat in her bedroom now, going through old photo albums and a box of his possessions. As she flipped through the pages and ran her fingers along his face. She wore his old baseball jersey and cap because it smelled of his cologne. She knew that he was there with her enjoying the memories. She felt his warm breath on her neck and heard him whisper once again...

Cross my heart and tell no lies
No one's leaving you behind
Just because we said goodbye, baby
Cross my heart I do believe
In my thoughts and in my dreams
I'll be taking you with me, baby

As she felt him, Kari quickly tried to grab him and hold him close to her, but all that was there to grab was the air. Tears ran down the plastic pages of the photo album and she was forced to close it and shove it under the bed because it suddenly became way too much to handle. She turned out the lights in the room, crawled into bed and cried herself to sleep.

Dream a dream a dream a dream a dreamin'
Wherever you are your near me
Please believe believe believe believe in
Whatever I say I cross my heart

She dreamed of him that night and they were together once again. It had been so long since she had been able to touch him and she held him close and did not dare to let go. He looked into her eyes and smiled his unforgettable warming smile that always melted her heart. "I love you Hikari Kamiya." He whispered softly. "I love you too Takeru Ishida." She replied wholeheartedly. He cupped her chin and tilted back her head and they kissed. It was very gentile, but passionate and Kari wished that it would last forever.

All dreams must come to an end however, and before she knew it, Tk was slowly fading from view. She held on with all of her might, trying to get him to stay, but it was no use. She called to him, begged him to come back, but he was still disappearing from sight. She cried into his shoulder, but before he disappeared completely, he wiped the tears from her eyes and whispered...

Cross my heart and tell no lies
No one's leaving you behind
Just because we said goodbye, baby
Cross my heart I do believe
In my thoughts and in my dreams
I'll be taking you with me, baby

Kari awoke from the dream happy and renewed in faith. Takeru would always be by her side. He would never leave her and never stop loving her. Kari vowed as well that day that her love for Tk would never fade away. "I will never stop loving you Tk. Hope and Light shall remain one." Then putting her finger on her chest, she drew an "X" and whispered....

Cross my heart and tell no lies
No one's leaving you behind
Just because we said goodbye, baby
Cross my heart I do believe
In my thoughts and in my dreams
I'll be taking you with me, baby

THE END
~MPF