Disclaimer: To all the people who have so little to do that they spend time looking for fan fic authors to sue, I don't own this show. So na na na na na, you can't sue me! Shame!
I hated Tai in that moment. I would have wrenched him away from Sora and beaten him up on the spot, but I couldn't help thinking it might cause a bit of commotion. I couldn't possibly face either of them. I turned around and walked back to my car.
I started thinking of ways to get back at Tai. Murder was my first choice, but there were laws against that. Maybe I could just maim him. Or maybe I could just maim his car. That would really piss him off. What I really wanted to do was to give him a taste of his own medicine; make him feel all the hurt and betrayal that I was feeling. How would he feel, if someone he thought was his friend stole the girl he loved the most?
When I got home I parked my car and trudged inside. I wanted to collapse on my bed. Everything at home was screwed up. I wished I had never come home from my tour.
Kari was still over at my house. Her and TK were in the same class at school and had been paired up for a big assignment which they were working on today. When I got home TK glanced up from his work to wave at me, and Kari smiled at me and said, "Hey, Matt!"
And that's when it hit me. How would Tai feel, if someone stole the girl he loved the most? I knew Tai. His love for Sora was nothing compared to his love for his little sister Kari. He was also fiercely protective of her; sometimes he was stricter with her than her own father. He had been reluctant to let her spend the day alone with my brother today. He's known my brother for seven years and he still doesn't trust him around Kari. TK has got to be the most trustworthy guy I know, and I think he's the kind of guy that'll still be a virgin the day he gets married. But that doesn't seem to comfort Tai.
Suddenly I was feeling a bit better. I walked over to where TK and Kari were working and sat down. I sat watching them silently for a few moments. They seemed to think it was a bit weird that I was watching them doing school work, because after about a minute TK snapped, "Matt, we're busy, whaddaya want?"
"You guys have been working all day, do you wanna go see a movie tonight after all your hard work?" I asked.
TK looked a bit suspicious at first, so I continued. "There's that new blockbuster out, and it's supposed to be really good. None of my friends wanted to go, so you two should come instead. I can't just go to a movie by myself."
They both still seemed a bit reluctant. "Look, finish your work and then if you wanna go, come tell me, okay?"
Then I left and went to my room. About an hour later, there was a knock on my door. I turned down my iPod and called out, "Come in, Teeks!"
TK poked his head in the door. "Hey, Matt, me and Kari have finished our project. Are you still gonna take us to that movie?"
How did I guess? Like my brother would turn down a chance to see a movie he desperately wanted to see, for free, with his best friend and his older brother. I tried to look reluctant. "Well, I dunno… I was just making plans with Joe and Izzy…"
"Aw, please, Matt? Kari already called her mom and asked if it was okay, and her mom said it was."
I grinned. "Yeah, alright, the movie starts in half an hour so you two better get in the car."
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When I came out after fixing my hair, TK was about to clamber into the front seat of my car. I grabbed his shoulder. "TK, what's wrong with you? Girls get the front seat, remember?" Okay, so this wasn't entirely true. My girlfriend got the front seat. Or whoever I was feeling nice towards. Back when me and Tai were friends, I would have gladly put Kari in the back and given Tai the front seat, even though Tai clearly wasn't a girl.
TK muttered something under his breath, but held the door open for Kari to get in. Kari looked a bit taken aback. "No, Matt, TK, you guys don't have to. I'll sit in the back."
I smiled at her. "Na, you can have the front seat, Kari. I'm sure TK doesn't mind."
I turned to look at TK and raised an eyebrow at him, daring him to complain. I knew he wouldn't. He knew how selfish he would sound, telling Kari to get out of the front seat so that he could sit there. He glared at me, but all he said was, "Of course I don't." He climbed into the back seat.
It took about twenty minutes to get to the movies, which left us just enough time to get tickets and popcorn. When we got in, the trailers for upcoming movies had already started. I sat down next to Kari, and TK sat on her right.
The movie didn't have the best plot, but there were lots of explosions, which kept me interested for at least half an hour. At one point the hero was almost killed, and Kari got a fright and grabbed my hand. I think she must have thought she was grabbing TK's hand, because she looked at me and blushed crimson. I just grinned at her and kept watching the movie. A few minutes later I put my hand on hers. She blushed slightly but didn't remove her hand. I smiled.
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After the movie we all got back in the car for the drive home. I was giving Kari a lift home so that she wouldn't have to wait at the cinema for her parents. This time TK sat in the back seat of the car without complaint, but I could tell he was unhappy because I was the one sitting next to Kari, not him. We started talking. "So Kari, how's high school been going?"
"It's okay, but there's a lot more work than in middle school."
I nodded. She was right; Odaiba High School was hard work.
"Yeah, but it's not so bad; at least all your friends are with you," I said.
"I dunno, Davis can be a bit annoying," laughed TK.
"Well, if he's anything like his sister…" I replied. June Motomiya scared me. Even though she didn't get along with her brother, the two of them had a lot in common if TK's account was anything to go by.
We kept talking for the rest of the way home. When we parked outside the Kamiyas' house, I left TK in the car and walked Kari to the front door. At the front steps, Kari smiled at me and said, "Thanks for taking us to see that movie today, Matt. It was really nice of you."
I smiled back at her. "Any time."
Just then Tai opened the door. "Hey, Kari! Hey, Matt. Why didn't you meet us at the park today? We all wanted to see you, you've been gone for four months."
"I guess I felt kinda sick so I went home," I answered icily.
Tai raised an eyebrow. "You don't look too sick,"
"I felt better, okay? Look, Kari, I gotta go. TK's waiting in the car. See ya."
I headed back to my car. As I walked I heard Tai ask Kari, "What was that all about?"
Idiot. As if he doesn't know. I got back to my car, got in and slammed the door. TK had gotten into the front seat. "What's wrong?" he asked. I ignored him and started the car. He remained silent until we got home.