Bridging the Gap II
By: tuffles
"How am I going to start school knowing that Kari won't be there by my side?" Takeru thought "I need her there, and she knows it to,"
"Hey there Hun," his mother said, "Nervous for the first day of school?"
"Uhh," he didn't want anybody to know about his problem with Kari, not even his own mother, "Yes.. I guess,"
"Well, you better eat quickly because the bus will be here any minute!" was his mother's reply as she watched him scurry around the house collecting the items that he had forgotten to pack the night before
* *
As he looked at his new class list, he found to his pleasure that Kari would be in the same class as him. He remembered that night he first confessed his feeling to her. He hoped that she had remembered what she said. If he could find a way to bring them together, then it would happen. She said not to tamper with it because she didn't want to scheme against her own brother
"Hi TK!" Kari yelled to him from across the hall.
"What's up?" he said nervously. Kari didn't seem to notice that his voice was shaking and she seemed to treat him as a friend.
"We're in the same class together!" she said. For the first time since the summer, he felt something that he hadn't felt in awhile, relief. Kari didn't hate him and she would keep on talking to him for awhile!
"Yeah. I saw! It's great!" he replied
"Takeru," she said, suddenly in a whisper, "You know that I care for you but what I said at the park is what I meant. I really like you but I don't want to hurt Tai."
"I understand Kari. Nothing will happen, we're just really good friends after all," he said. "But I know that we were meant to be Kari," he said under his breath, "Later Kari!"
**
"Good morning class!" the teacher said, "My name is Mr. Lupin and I'm your core teacher. You will have a time schedule delivered to your desk and all of your classed and teachers."
The class just nodded. Mr. Lupin was friendly, according to Matt and Takeru chose to believe Matt, because he was his brother.
"In a science class, once a week, you will be joining the *grade 9's because they will be helping you. This is because our school has community services options. It is mandatory in gr. 9 to serve some kind of community service and this is a choice that they have. Do I make myself clear?" he asked the class
Takeru raised his hand, "Who's class are we with?"
"You will be with 9f. You are now supposed to report to Geography. See you in 5th period for English!" he said, waving
"He seems really nice!" Kari said to Takeru
"Matt said that he would be. Thank goodness he's right!" he replied
"Tai said the same thing! I thought that they were in different classes all through out junior high," she said suspiciously
"Maybe they had him together for a science class or something like that." He said, wanting to drop the subject
"Whatever,"
*Grade nines. Takeru and Kari are both in grade 7. I think junior high goes from 7-9 ^_^
**
It was the class that Takeru was waiting for, science with the grade nines. He wondered if the grade nines would be nice and if the work would be hard.
"Hello 7B, welcome to science with me, your regular science teacher. As you might not have known, the grade 9's here will help you with whatever problems you have in your regular science classes with me so feel free to ask your partner. Oh, by the way, I'll be assigning your partners now!" Ms. Sprout
Takeru saw that Izzy was in this class. He caught his attention for a moment and waved. Izzy waved back but he seemed to have his mind on something else. When Takeru saw Ms. Sprout walking towards him, he hoped that he would have Izzy as a partner. Not because he was smart, just because he knew him.. (A/N: I think it was because Izzy's smart! ^_^)
"Takeru, your partner will be Lavender Brown," she said as she moved on to Kari who was sitting next to him, "Kari, your partner will be Koushiro, or you might know him as Izzy,"
"Lucky," he whispered to Kari, "I wish Izzy was my partner,"
"I know I'm lucky…." She said in somewhat of a distant voice. No matter how long Takeru was among girls, he would never understand them
(A/N: I have to tell you this joke… Sorry for interrupting! What is the thinnest book in the world? What men know about women! ^_^)
**
Late at night, right before he went to bed, he was scheming up a plan that would let him be with Kari. *Maybe I can use a decoy.. make it seem like Kari is going out with someone else while I'm the one who she is really out with! Good plan but I gotta get to sleep! *
**
Over the next couple of weeks, his favourite subject was easily English and Science with the gr. 9s and his non-favourite, Math. He talked to Kari more often but he realized that he didn't like her as much as he did before… maybe it was because he was becoming exposed to other girls, but he still liked her.
*Maybe Matt will know what to do… I'll ask him for advice but I won't mention names… he had girlfriends before! I just won't tell him its Kari. *
As he walked over to his brother's apartment (which wasn't too far) he was thinking up questions that he would ask him that would give him the best result… maybe he should ask questions in an indirect way… he wasn't sure. As he walked in the door (he had a key) he saw that there was a pair of shoes that looked oddly familiar, shoes that he had seen before…
"Tai?" he said in a whisper
He noticed that there were people talking quietly in the living room so walked towards the sound…
"Matt, are you sure that no one saw me come in?" Tai asked
"Yea, and I also made sure that people think that I'm out seeing a movie… we are by ourselves for an hour or so.. A rare occurrence," Matt replied
"I know what you mean. A day by ourselves.. it's sort of hard maintaining the image of hating each other, isn't it? Especially to Kari and Takeru,"
"They think that if we were together, we'd rip at each other's throat. That's how it used to be, before that day when…" Matt said
"I remember, our first kiss. I knew then that we were meant to be together. Forever. Corny, I know but that's what I think is true," Tai replied
"Tai, I think that we should tell everyone about … us. I don't think it's right keeping it from them." Matt said suddenly, "I want to go out in the open with you,"
"I know Matt, but we'll know when the time is right. Right now, all I want to think about is you…"
Takeru couldn't take anymore so he quietly retreated to the door. *I can't believe it! Tai and Matt? They seemed so…. angry! They are good actors.. Really good. What would Kari say? I don't think I should tell her. She looks up to Tai so much! What would she say if she found out? I don't think that I should be the one to tell her. I think someone said that the messengers get hurt because of the message that they are bearing. Not now. Maybe later* He thought as he walked back to his own apartment.
**
At school for the week following the incident, one half of Takeru couldn't help but wonder, why Tai and Matt liked each other and the other half was on Kari. If she knew what was happening between her brother and Takeru's, he knew that she would be heart broken. Recently, she had this look in her eye that he couldn't interpret. It was a happy look that much was clear but it wasn't a normal look.
"Hi Kari!" he said to her in the hall on Friday
"Hey TK," calling him by his name that he had left behind in the Digiworld. Her voice seemed distant.
"Anything new?" he asked, trying to start a conversation. She suddenly looked alarmed. She pulled him closer and talked in a voice he knew that only he could hear
"Takeru, I have to talk to you. Meet me at the big willow tree behind the school at 3:20, okay?" she said
"Okay," he said as he went to talk to some other friends. *What does she want to talk about… Maybe she finally figured out that she doesn't have to obey Tai's every whim.* That was his last thought as he walked into his next class
**
At exactly 3:20, Takeru was at the willow tree. He saw that Kari was waiting there for him
"Takeru, I want you to listen to me and not interrupt. Okay," she asked and then she started to talk, "Takeru, remember how I said that if it were possible, then you want I could be together? Well, I think that there are no more possible ways. I feel that our relationship is drifting apart, it wasn't as close as when we were in the Digital World. I think that we should just remain as friends and that we should leave it at that,"
"I thought that you felt the same way as I do!" Takeru said. Then he realized he was jealous and he still liked her as much as he did in the beginning, "You said if there was a possible way, then it would be and nothing is impossible!"
"Takeru, can't you see that it's time to move on and have fun in your life? I'm not worth that much! There are other fish in the sea!" Kari yelled
"Kari," he started to say but he changed his mind. Instead of talking to her, he walked home which was the opposite direction.
**
He couldn't believe it. He went through so much to try to make the relationship work... That was a lie. He didn't do anything. He just sat there and waited because he thought they were meant to be. He could relate to the statement, "Love is blind". The next day, they had a science class with Ms. Sprout's class. His partner, Lavender Brown, didn't seem to notice that he was more… silent than usual.
"Hey, do you have any homework you need help with?" she asked
"No," he said in a monotonous voice. He kept on staring at the floor when he noticed something unusual between Izzy and Kari. They seemed to be a little closer than usual and then…
"What?!?" he said out loud,
"What's wrong Takeru?" Lavender asked
"Nothing's wrong, just thought of something unusual," he said calmly. *I was just thinking, why are Izzy and Kari holding hands?*
To be continued! ^_^
A/N: Well, I know that this wasn't what you excepted… Or was it? Izzy/Kari… GROSS! That's what you might be thinking but whatever. It makes this story unusual and with Taito! ^_^ Interesting, eh? ^_^