Disclaimer: Digimon and all its characters does not belong to me. It belongs to Toei Animation, Bandai . . . etc
You Are the One
T.K. kicked at a rock as he walked along the path. His thoughts were all jumbled up together as he tried to decipher them. It wasn't as if he were upset. In fact, he was quite happy for his older brother, Matt, who had finally found the girl for him.
Matt could have had any girl he wanted! He just had to look at a girl to make her faint! So why had it had to be her? Why had she loved him? Why? So many questions, but not enough answers. T.K. could still recall those few minutes. The confession that had broken his heart.
"Tell him," Mimi said.
Kari fiddled with her shirt. "I'm afraid," she answered.
"You'll never know until you ask him! You might even get lucky, like I did with Joe!" Mimi answered.
"But what if he thinks I'm too young for him? After all, I am the same age as his younger brother, T.K. Fifteen. And he's the same age as Sora and Tai! Eighteen. I'm nervous," Kari said.
"Listen, Kari. How could he not like you? I mean you're very pretty and nice and sweet. C'mon! Just give it a try!" Mimi said, exasperated.
"If I do, will you come with me?" Kari asked.
"Sure. Let's go."
T.K. was sitting down, poking the embers of the fire to a blaze. Everyone was about to get settled down to have some fun. It was going to be one of their last camping trips out in the Digital World. His older brother, Matt, was fiddling around with the fishing gear with Tai. Davis was trying to figure out how to set up his tent, while Ken was showing Yolei and Cody how he had set up his. Mimi and Kari were off in the forest somewhere. Izzy was fruitlessly trying to show Joe how to use his laptop. Sora was unpacking the coolers and boxes.
T.K. took a long stick and stuck it through three marshmallows. He stuck the stick into the fire, watching them roast in the heat.
"T.K., what are you doing?" His Digimon, Patamon asked.
"I'm roasting marshmallows," he answered. "I think they're done now."
"Can I try one?" Patamon asked.
"Sure." T.K. removed the stick from the fire. Patamon immediately took a big bite of the marshmallow on the stick. T.K. laughed as Patamon cried out at the heat that had suddenly flooded his mouth.
Kari emerged from the woods with Mimi behind her. She took a deep breath and walked towards Matt. Matt looked up to see Kari walking towards him, and his face brightened. This gave Kari more confidence.
"Kari!" Matt said happily. T.K. looked up at the sound of Kari's name.
"Matt." Kari breathed, relishing the sound of the word. "Matt, I have something to tell you," she said.
Matt looked at her curiously. "What?" he asked.
"I'm sorry if you don't feel the same way about me," Kari started. "So please don't feel guilty or anything, it'll break my heart if you hate me after this, but I—I love you, Matt. Please don't get mad."
Matt looked startled for a second, but then pulled Kari to him. She buried her head in his chest.
"Kari! I feel the same way about you! I just didn't know how to say it. I've been waiting for the moment that you'd say you loved me!" he cried happily.
"Matt!" Kari said joyously. Matt tipped Kari's chin up, leaned down and kissed her.
"Way to go, Matt!" Tai yelled from behind. Everybody started laughing and cheering for the newfound couple. Kari and Matt blushed from embarrassment. Sora smiled at the pair and turned away. She suddenly noticed T.K. His face was smiling and happy as he cheered for Kari, but his eyes told her that he was sad…and hurt. Sora sighed. Sometimes all love stories don't work out.
T.K. sighed and ran his fingers through his blond hair. The memory of those moments that had only happened a few hours ago, now seemed like they occurred days before. It never failed to run daggers through his heart. After that Matt and Kari were inseparable in the following hours. It used to be that T.K. and Kari were inseparable, but T.K. realized Kari had only been using him to get to Matt. She only liked him as a good friend. Davis, T.K. noticed, had taken it well enough, and had gotten over it, (Davis had had a crush on Kari) but T.K. couldn't. Besides, Kari was the only girl he had ever liked. Why did it have to hurt so much? I'll do my best to get over it, he thought to himself.
T.K. looked up. He had been so occupied in his thoughts that he hadn't realized where he was going. He had reached the end of the forest, and a broad lake was spread out before him. He had left Patamon with the rest of the group back at the camp. His excuse was that he wanted to explore the region alone. He knew that Patamon knew that he was lying, but Patamon was a good Digimon and had left T.K. alone to get over it. T.K. sat down with his back against a tree and took off his hat. He cried.
Sora watched T.K. cry underneath the willow tree. Her heart reached out for him. Poor guy. She had known that T.K. had loved Kari with all his heart, yet she had not felt the same for him. Of all people who could have been chosen to suffer a heartbreak, why T.K.? The only person who had brought so much joy to T.K.'s heart had been Kari. His parents had divorced when he was a kid, and he had not been able to be with his dad and brother until recently when he had moved nearby.
Sora herself had been lucky. Tai was the perfect guy. She remembered the taste and feel of his lips when he had given her her first kiss.
"Tai," she whispered. She turned and hurried back to the camp, where Tai was.
T.K. finally cried himself out. He wiped his eyes, feeling ragged. How could he have had cried? He hadn't cried since he was eight! Feeling ashamed, he stood up and pulled his hat over his eyes, so no one would notice that he had been crying. He pushed aside the leaves of the willow tree and stepped out from its protective embrace. He was ready to face whatever happened next. He would accept the fact that Kari did not love him, only liked him as a friend. And he would accept the fact that she loved Matt, most of all.
They stood at the side of the lake, their bare feet touching the water. Matt slipped his hands around Kari's and instructed her softly on how to fish.
Kari looked up at him and smiled. He smiled back in return. A movement at the opposite side of the lake caught the corner of her eye and she turned. The lake was large, but she could make out that the figure was T.K. by his distinctive white hat. Kari dropped the rod and waved to him. T.K. seemed to pause when he saw her, then waved back.
Matt bent down and picked up the rod. He looked up at the setting sun.
"Well, time to get back to the rest of the group. I hope that Tai and the others have caught enough fish." He said. Kari dropped her hand and looked at him.
"I bet they did. I'm hungry," she answered. They retreated back to the edge and out of the water.
T.K. arrived back at the camp several minutes after Matt and Kari had returned there. It wasn't as if he were slow, it was because he didn't want to get close to them.
Tai had gutted and skinned the fish. Davis was helping him to stick the skewers through for an old fashioned fish fry at the fire. Kari, Matt, Sora, Yolei, Ken, and Cody had already squatted down by the fire, sticking their fish in the center of the flames. Joe, Izzy, and Mimi were opening the coolers that held the drinks and passing out paper plates and cups.
T.K. grabbed a bag of potato chips and ripped it open. Mimi snatched the bag away from him. "T.K.! We're having fish first, not chips! Chips come after!" she said.
T.K. shrugged. "Hey, calm down. I just wanted an appetizer," he answered. Mimi thrust a skewered fish at him.
"Take this and join the rest of the group!" she commanded. T.K. laughed and slumped down next to Ken.
"When will this stuff be over?" he asked.
Ken shrugged.
Yolei popped her head in between Cody and Ken's shoulders. "My, my, you're Mr. Active today, T.K." she commented.
"Guess that walk in the forest pumped me up," he answered.
Something really was wrong. Didn't he know she was being sarcastic? But Yolei forced a laugh anyway and turned back to roasting her fish.
Davis walked over and sat down next to T.K. He stuck his fish into the fire. He smelled of fish. "I hope this roasts fast because I'm starved," he said. "I'd eat it raw if you didn't get sick from it." He stared at the fish hungrily.
Everybody laughed.
"What did I do?" he asked, puzzled.
Kari chanced a glance at T.K. He looked cheerful enough. He seemed to be taking her confession to Matt quite nicely. But there was something about his eyes... Kari shook her head. Must be just the glare of the fire, she thought. Matt looked at her.
"I think the fish is done," he said. Kari removed her fish and nibbled at it.
"Mmm, it's good," she said, then flashed that dazzling smile at him that never failed to make T.K.'s legs turn to jelly. Matt almost dropped his fish.
Everyone else soon removed their fishes from the fire and plopped them onto their paper plates. T.K. took a big bite of his fish off the stick.
"You know, I think we should do this more often," Davis said, mouth full of food, but still wolfing down more.
"My thoughts exactly." Ken nodded.
Tai placed his hands at the back of his head and leaned back. "Too bad we have to leave tomorrow," he said wistfully.
"Hmm . . ." Sora mumbled, smiling at Tai. T.K. sighed as he watched Tai draw Sora close to him and kiss her. He wished that he could do that to someone.
Kari drew her sleeping bag up next to Matt's by the fire.
"Oh, Matt! This is so romantic!" she said happily.
"I'm glad you think so," he answered. They sat on their sleeping bags watching the dying embers of the fire. Kari snuggled up against Matt. Her last conscious thought before sleep consumed her was an image of T.K. His head was thrown back, and he was laughing. His hat had fallen off and was lying on the ground. His tousled blond hair gleamed softly in the sunlight, his blue eyes shining. She smiled as sleep overtook her.
T.K. woke up before dawn the next morning. Everyone else was asleep, so he got dressed, rolled up his sleeping bag and took an early morning walk with Patamon around the lake.
"Why did you wake up so early, T.K.?" Patamon asked, yawning.
T.K. shrugged. "Couldn't sleep?" he suggested.
Patamon sighed. "Please tell me what's bothering you, T.K. I'm your Digimon, your friend for life. I want to know if you're feeling bad."
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Is it…Kari?" Patamon asked.
T.K. paled and clenched his hands into fists. "No…yes…I…"
"T.K., I know how you feel. Gatomon—"
T.K. looked at Patamon. The Digimon quickly changed the subject. "So, what do you plan to do the rest of summer vacation?"
Kari woke up before sunrise. She found she was sleeping in her tent. Matt must have carried her back here. She sighed as she thought of Matt, of his handsome features and his beautiful singing voice.
Kari exited the tent, her thoughts still full of Matt as she walked to the lake's edge and splashed the water on her face. The cold jolted her out of her daydreams. Kari looked at her reflection. Her brown hair was untidy; the clip that had kept her long bangs in place must have fallen out.
There was a sudden sound, and Kari whipped around, afraid. She was surprised to see T.K. stepping out of his tent, fully clothed. He wore a green shirt with a brown unbuttoned longer shirt over it. Kari was surprised to see that he wasn't wearing his usual white hat. Patamon flew out after him and they walked away. Kari stood up. She was about to call his name when a sudden thought struck her.
What had T.K. really thought of her confession to Matt? She had been too happy to have even thought of him! She had known that T.K. cared deeply for her. She remembered seeing T.K. acting just as usual last night, but was his feelings still the same as before her confession? She had thought that he was happy for her that she had found the guy of her dreams. T.K., like Tai, had always wanted the best for her and they had both protected her in times of trouble. Kari shook these thoughts out of her mind and went back inside her tent to change.
By the time Patamon left T.K. to got to check if the others had woken up yet, T.K. was halfway around the lake.
"T.K.?" A tentative voice suddenly said. T.K. whirled around. It was Kari. She looked very pretty in a pink skirt and white shirt with no sleeves. A pink, flowered scarf was wrapped loosely around her neck and tied in a knot that fell against the front of her shirt.
"Oh. Hi, Kari." T.K. answered. "Why are you up so early?"
Kari shrugged and got into step next to him.
"I guess I'm an early bird," she answered.
T.K. nodded. "Where's Gatomon?" he asked.
"Um, she went to talk with Patamon," Kari said.
T.K. raised an eyebrow.
"But it's true!" Kari protested. T.K. laughed softly, and Kari found that she liked his laugh.
"Okay, I believe you." he answered, smiling. Kari smiled back. So far so good. He didn't seem unhappy at all.
"So what do you plan to do with the rest of your summer vacation?" she asked.
"Practice basketball, and do stuff," he answered. "What about you?"
"Oh, I'll probably do something with the girls, and most definitely, I'll spend time with Matt," she said innocently. T.K. flinched. Kari tried not to sigh and apologize for saying something she knew that was harsh for him.
"We're here," T.K. said flatly and left her side. Kari looked up. They were back at the campsite.
"T.K., wait!" she called to him, but he was already gone.
"Kari! There you are!" Matt said, jogging towards her. "I've wondered where you were."
"Matt!" she said happily, forgetting about T.K.
"C'mon, we're packing now, you don't want to be left behind!"
T.K. unassembled his tent and strapped the poles and canvas to his backpack underneath the sleeping bag.
"Goodbye, Patamon," he said to his Digimon.
"Goodbye, T.K," Patamon answered.
"Don't worry, we'll probably see each other again, someday," T.K. said, trying to cheer his Digimon up.
"It'd better be soon!" Patamon said sadly.
"T.K., hurry up!" Yolei yelled at him.
"Coming! Bye, Patamon!"
"Bye T.K.!"
T.K. jogged up to join the rest of the group clustered around the small Digi-port. He held out his green D-3.
"Digi-port, open!" The Digi-port flashed open and the group was sucked back into the Real World.
They landed in an untidy large heap in the middle of Tai's room.
"Next time, we should take a car," Davis said from the bottom of the pile. Tai got up from the top and opened the door of his room and peeked out.
"I'm just glad that my parents aren't home. They would think it weird that we suddenly arrived home in my room."
"Why couldn't we have used the computer in my room?" Izzy asked. "I don't want to walk home with this pack on my back!"
"Didn't you leave your car here?" Matt asked.
"Oh, right. I forgot," Izzy said sheepishly. The group laughed at Izzy's forgetfulness. T.K. got up and was about to help Kari up when he noticed Matt doing the same thing. He dropped his hand and offered it to Yolei instead. Matt pulled Kari up from the pile and T.K. pulled Yolei up, revealing Ken.
"Ow, I think Yolei broke my back!" he complained. Davis smirked from underneath him.
"Oh yeah, I wouldn't be so surprised, 'cause Yolei's so heavy!"
Yolei grabbed Ken's arm and helped him up. "Sorry, Ken," she said and stamped her foot on Davis's back before he could get up.
"Take that back, Davis!" she hissed menacingly at him.
"Sorry," Davis whined. "Can I get up now?"
Things had gotten back to normal.
T.K. entered his apartment. Matt followed him.
"Hm, you and Mom sure got things pretty clean around here." Matt commented, looking around.
"Yeah, unlike you and Dad," T.K. answered, trying not to snap at his brother.
"You know T.K., I was just wondering, because I know you were pretty close to Kari and everything, but if you were hur—"
"No, and I think Kari's getting impatient down there in the car," T.K. cut him off. Matt shrugged.
"Well, if you feel that way…" he opened the apartment door and left. T.K. sighed and took off his hat, fingering the material. He wished he were happy for Matt, instead of feeling sad…and hurt. He wished he had told Kari his feelings sooner, but it was too late. Why was everything too late every time he had gotten enough courage to do it? He had been waiting for the right time, but it never came. And it would never come. T.K. finally decided what he would do. He reached back into his memories and locked away all thoughts about Kari and him, all the small hints he had given her. If he didn't remember, then he would be happy for her.
The rest of the summer went by like a blur to T.K. He spent most of it playing basketball in the local park. Sometimes he went there with Davis, who proceeded to teach him soccer, while T.K. taught him to be better at basketball.
T.K. shot the ball into the hoop, watching it fall back to the ground again. It bounced once, and then it landed in his arms. As T.K. looked into the ball, he saw something written on it. He wiped at it with his shirt. T.K. sighed as he read the inscription.
To T.K.—From your best friend, Kari.
Below that was another phrase.
Friends forever—Takeru and Hikari.
Kari must have had that stitched into the ball before giving it to him for his thirteenth birthday. T.K. looked around and dropped the ball, retreating to a nearby bench.
How would he be able to forget his past with Kari when it kept on coming back? He needed help, and the best thing to do when one needed help was to escape to the Digital World.
Matt and Kari ate at a local restaurant for lunch. Kari picked absent-mindedly at her sushi while Matt wolfed his down. The past few weeks had been great, she had spent most of the time with Matt, but something kept on nagging at her. She kept on seeing mental pictures of T.K.: T.K. playing basketball, T.K. talking to her, T.K. laughing, and T.K. protecting her.
"Hey, are you gonna eat that or what, Kari?" Matt asked, gesturing to her food.
"No, you can have it." She pushed the food towards him, and he looked at her.
"Is there something wrong, Kari?" he asked softly. "Have I been treating you right? I would hate to know that I haven't. Please tell me what's wrong."
Kari looked at him. He was the perfect guy, wasn't he? She smiled at him. "No I'm fine, and let's go to the park afterwards. I haven't been there for a long time!"
Matt laughed. "Let's go then!"
Two years past and T.K. was seventeen. In one more year, he would be an adult. He wasn't nervous about it, he was nervous about the coming school prom. It wasn't as if he wouldn't have a date, plenty of girls had asked him because of his good looks, it was because he didn't know how to dance. He had never been a good dancer. And then again, not many boys were. Matt was one of the few though, being the leader of his own band.
T.K. knew that Yolei was going with Ken, Davis was going with a girl he didn't know, and Cody was going with another he didn't know. Kari was going with Matt, of course. T.K. had rejected all dates. It was too late to ask a girl, every one of them had a date. He felt sad and lonely. There was only one solution—either go with one of the older girls or go dateless. He decided to choose the latter. It would be even more embarrassing appearing with a girl three years older then him, and besides, he doubted Sora would want to leave Tai. Mimi probably wouldn't want to leave Joe, either.
T.K. picked up his hat where it had fallen on the ground and stared at it.
"T.K.!" a voice cried out, and he dropped it again, surprised.
Kari ran towards him. "Isn't this wonderful? The school prom is going to be in a week! I can't wait!" she said, sitting down next to him. "What about you?"
T.K. tried not to look depressed.
"Oh yeah, sure. Very," he said, then "unexcited." That was truthful, but Kari was too excited to notice his depression.
"Sora and Mimi are taking me shopping to find the perfect prom dress!" she exclaimed. T.K. bent down and picked up his hat again.
"Er, great," he mumbled, not very excited.
"Oh, T.K., don't be such a downer!" Kari said.
T.K. looked at her, hurt. Then averted his eyes. "I'm am not a downer! I am just not as excited about this as you are!" he snapped.
Kari looked at him shocked. In all the years they had been friends, T.K. had not been this angry with her. Kari laid one hand on T.K.'s arm. "Are you all right, T.K.? You don't seem to be acting like yourself."
T.K. sighed and ran his fingers through his blond hair. "No, I'm fine. And I'm sorry," he said. Then he stood up and left Kari sitting there and staring.
Kari wondered what was wrong with T.K. Maybe he was upset because he couldn't find a date to take to the prom. But that couldn't be it, because T.K. could have any girl he wanted, like Matt. Both brothers had inherited the good looks that ran in their family.
Kari dug her hands into the pockets of her jeans and walked through the park. She heard someone's voice as she passed several flowering bushes. It sounded like Matt! She excitedly parted the bushes to find Matt sitting on a bench with another girl. He was holding her hand and looking in her eyes. Kari watched as he leaned forward and kissed her.
It had happened all over again. Kari had caught Matt several times with another girl, but every time he had protested that Kari was the only one for him, and that he couldn't help it that lots of girls were interested in him.
Kari's heart felt like a stone weight.
How could he have done this to her again? And she had believed him and all his excuses. Tears flooded her eyes and she fled the scene.
Kari raced across the park, blinded by tears. Suddenly, she bumped into someone.
"I—I'm sorry!" she apologized thickly and tried to run away, but the person grabbed her arm.
"Kari! Kari? What's wrong?"
Kari looked up. It was T.K. She had thought he had left, but he hadn't. Kari couldn't stop the tears that flowed down her cheeks. T.K.'s arms were immediately around her, holding her close. He walked her over to a bench, where they sat down.
"Please, Kari, tell me what's wrong. I won't hurt you!" he said. Kari wiped her eyes and looked up. T.K. looked so sincere, his eyes full of worry and emotion. Somehow, his hat had fallen off again. Words poured out from Kari's mouth.
"It's Matt! He was kissing another girl. He's done this more then once already! I don't know how much of this I can take! I haven't told you guys because I didn't want you and the others to know. I wish I were more pretty and attractive to him! I wish I weren't so ugly!" she sobbed.
T.K. looked at her, stunned. "Don't blame yourself, Kari. You're not ugly. You're the best girl I've ever met, and…well, I don't think you should be with him if he's unfaithful to you," T.K. finished.
"Don't you ever say that! Matt's the only guy I've ever felt this way about! He's not unfaithful, he can't help being cute!" Kari yelled, pushing T.K. away. She ran out of the park, crying.
T.K. looked at his hands. He had only tried to make her feel better, and had only succeeded in making it worst. Why can't he do anything right? T.K. grabbed his hat and hurried away.
T.K. crossed out the last day until the prom. Kari seemed to have gotten over it. Matt must have apologized. And T.K. still didn't have a date.
Kari fingered the soft satin and silk gowns. "Wow, Mimi!" she cried, "They're so beautiful! But I couldn't ever afford prices like these!"
Mimi laughed. "Hey, Sora and I are here, right? We can pitch in!"
"You are?" Kari said, "Oh, please don't! I don't want to empty your pockets too! I feel so embarrassed!"
Sora smiled. "Don't sweat about it, okay? We're going to do it, and you can't stop us. It's your first prom, and one of the biggest days in a teen's life. Of course we want to be a part of it! I still remember my first prom… with Tai…" Sora got a misty look in her eyes.
"So, who are you going with?" Mimi asked, already knowing the answer.
"Well, I've decided…Matt…" Kari said softly. "I—"
T.K. looked dully at himself in the mirror. He was wearing a white shirt, black pants and jacket. He couldn't find a tie, so he would go tie less.
"If I had a date she would be putting a corsage in my front pocket," he mumbled to himself.
Why was he bothering to go, anyway? He didn't have to; it would only break his heart to see Kari with Matt. T.K. sighed and left the apartment.
Kari arrived at the prom with Matt. He was wearing the corsage she had given him. He smiled down at her and offered her his arm. She gave him a weak smile back and gingerly slipped her arm around his.
"Have fun, Kari!" Tai and Sora called to her. Kari turned around and smiled, then walked bravely into the building with Matt.
The sight took Kari's breath away. Girls in gowns danced in the arms of guys wearing suits on the dance floor. People who weren't dancing milled about in small groups. Music played softly in the background. Long tables set at the side were laden with food. Flowers decorated the white table-clothed tables. A photographer was snapping pictures of couples standing in front of a moonlight background. Everybody seemed to have someone.
"It feels like a modern ball!" Kari said excitedly.
"You wanna eat first, dance first, or walk around first?" Matt asked.
"What did you do at your first prom?" Kari asked.
"Well, I danced with every girl in the room," he said truthfully. Kari laughed.
"Actually, Matt, you can do whatever you want. Meet me up at the tables when you wanna dance. I'm hungry," Kari said.
"Sure," Matt said.
Kari left him and hurried over to the tables. She had skipped lunch and was hungry. Kari took a plate and piled it with food. As she sat down in a chair, she saw a flash of blond hair in the crowd of people. She instinctively thought it must be T.K. She put down her plate.
"T.K.!" she called, running to the person. He turned around.
"Willis!" she gasped, not expecting to see him again after the Digi-Destineds' little adventure in New York.
"Kari?" he said, surprised. He was wearing a white shirt and suit like the other guys, and a pink carnation was tucked neatly into his shirt pocket, meaning he had a date.
Willis grinned. "I didn't expect to see you, of all people. Who are you with?" he asked.
"That should be my question," Kari retorted. "How, what, and why are you doing here in Odaiba?"
Willis shrugged. "Oh, I told you guys that I had an ex-girlfriend, remember? Well, we kinda got back together after I explained everything to her. And when she went back to Japan, she invited me to come over and be her date for the prom. Who are you with?" he asked again.
"I—I'm with…Matt." Kari said, blushing.
"Matt?" Willis laughed. "And I thought you'll be with Davis or that other guy you were with—um, T.K."
"We're only friends," Kari said.
Willis laughed again and bowed. "Care to dance?" he asked.
"But your girlfriend . . ." Kari stammered, flustered.
"Oh, she and I have a system. We go off and do our own stuff, then come back to each other later. Not to mention we're both flirts."
Kari sighed. "All right, then. Only one dance," she said tentatively, and placed her gloved hand in his. Willis led her to the dance floor.
"Do you know how to dance?" he asked her.
"No, not really," Kari answered.
"Here." Willis placed one arm around her waist, and Kari's heart started to beat. His hand held hers in a firm but gentle grip.
Willis started to dance to the music. Kari felt her face redden with embarrassment as she tried to move her feet in tune. Her left foot suddenly kicked into Willis's ankle and he tripped. Kari let out a yell as he fell backwards, dragging her along with him.
T.K. arrived at the prom, trying to hide his empty breast pocket. He gaped at how many people were here. It seemed like the entire school had arrived for the prom.
He noticed that there seemed to be a small commotion at the middle of the dance floor, because a small group of people was gathered around something. He was curious, but he didn't dare venture out there without any girl.
T.K. instead walked over to the food tables and picked up a plate. He wasn't very hungry, but there was nothing else to do, so he selected a few pastries and took the plate out to eat on the patio. The patio led out and overlooked the large garden, with the fountain out in front of the patio. Couples were already heading out to seek benches in the garden that was decorated with lights hanging from trees for a little privacy.
T.K. placed his plate on the wood railing. He stood with his back to the prom, and watched the water flowing down the fountain, changing color as it raced into a new set of lights. Green, blue, orange…And then pink and yellow.
He sighed.
Pink was the color of Kari's crest, yellow as his. Light and Hope. Two angels. Except now it was Light and Friendship, his brother's crest. He didn't want to see Kari and Matt, so he decided not to go back in until he knew that he would not see them and they would not see him.
It had been warm inside, and T.K. took off his jacket to let the cool air rush over him. He flung it over his shoulder, took one last look inside, then turned back to watching the fountain's water.
"Willis! I'm so sorry!" Kari cried out. Willis grunted, and Kari scrambled to get off of him.
"That's all right, Kari. It was my fault for asking you to dance in the first place," Willis answered, getting up. He dusted himself off.
"I'm going to find Matt. I'm sorry," Kari apologized again and hurried off.
She found Matt with another girl, dancing. History suddenly repeated itself. Matt leaned over and kissed her.
All the anger, sorrow, and grief suddenly exploded out of her. "Matt! How could you?!" she screamed. Matt looked up.
"Kari! Kari—I didn't mean it!" he cried back.
"That's the last time you're going to do this to me!" Kari yelled, crying. She ran over and yanked the flower out of Matt's front pocket. "I don't want to be with you anymore! If you really loved me you wouldn't betray me!" Sobbing, she pushed him away. She tried to run from him and the startled girl, but he grabbed her arm.
"Kari, no wait! I didn't mean it, really! I'll never do it again! Please Kari, please forgive me! I won't! I mean it this time!" he protested.
"No! I don't want to be with you anymore! Just go away!" she yelled. She wrenched out of his grip and ran blindly in the opposite direction.
"Kari!" Matt yelled after her. Kari knocked into a person. She quickly got up again and apologized.
"Kari! Kari…Fine, then! Go! Live your own life! I'll live mine! I can't help being interested in other girls!"
"I don't care!" she shouted, and ran out into the patio.
There seemed to be a large commotion back inside. Somebody was yelling at another person. T.K. couldn't resist any longer; he turned around, just to see Kari run smack into him.
"Oh! I'm sorr—T.K.!" Kari cried. She suddenly collapsed on the ground, sobbing.
"Kari! What's wrong? Was it Matt again?" he asked. T.K. bent down and helped her up, startled.
Kari leaned her head on his shoulder, still crying. "I can't take this any longer. I'm never going to see Matt again! He's made my life miserable! How could I have ever liked him? How could I have gone out with him? He's a traitor! A flirt! There's no one else out there for me! I don't think I can ever love again after what he did to me!" she exploded.
T.K. held her close to him. "Kari, please don't cry. Don't waste your tears on somebody who doesn't deserve you. I know there's somebody out there who's perfect for you! You just need to do some searching. Everybody has heartbreaks! I know how you feel. Please Kari, don't do this to me!" The tears T.K. had been holding in erupted. He started to cry. "Please, Kari! I love you, and I never want anything bad to happen to you! You can love again, I know it! Don't waste your life brooding on somebody like him! You'll find your guy! I know you will!"
Kari sobbed and looked up. "T.K., I'm so sorry if I hurt you. I didn't mean it! I love you, too! I just realized that I love you, not Matt! Please forgive me! I'm so sorry! I love you so much! You've always been there for me, to comfort me, to hold me. I—I don't deserve you!" She tried to get out of his arms.
T.K. lifted her chin up and kissed her.
"I don't deserve you as much as you don't deserve me. That's why together we make a great team. Can you ever love again? Because if you do, I think I know the one for you," he said softly.
Kari smiled. "I think I've already found him. You are the one for me. I love you, T.K."
"I love you, too, Kari."