Author's Note: I've always wondered what happened between T.K. and Kari. I mean, they were the most likely couple out of everyone! And then in the end…they didn't get together. Well, here's my horrible attempt at saying what happened that split them apart and what happens after the end of season two. It begins with the DigiDestined's get-together twenty-five years later.
Misunderstandings: Part One
By:
"Keisuke! What are you doing here?"
Kumiko Taka ran up to join his best friend, Keisuke. In Taka's arms was little Salamon, his Digimon, while perched atop Takaishi Keisuke's head was a little Tokomon.
"I was going to ask you the same thing, Taka," replied Keisuke. He noticed the Salamon in his friend's arms. "You're here for the reunion, too?" Taka nodded.
"Taka?" called a pretty woman with long brown hair, held away from her eyes with two little clips. She was dressed in a simple pink high-collared Chinese-styled shirt with buttons on the right, over a pair of light yellow pants. "Where did you go?" With her Gatomon following behind, she stopped short when she saw the two boys. Taka waved to his mother and joined her side.
"This is Keisuke, mom," he told her, "my best pal at school." He turned back to Keisuke with a smile. "Who'd have thought we'd both see each other in the Digital World today?" Keisuke greeted his friend's mother with a slight bow.
"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Kumiko," he said politely. Kumiko Hikari gasped inwardly when she saw the boy. He looked…exactly like Takeru when he was younger!
It's nice to meet you, too," responded Hikari, in a slight daze. Memories flooded back…memories from long ago…A flap of wings cut through her thoughts and out of the bushes appeared a Patamon.
"There you are, Keisuke!" he said. "You shouldn't have wandered off like that. Your father was worried about you." Keisuke laughed and good-naturedly poked Patamon.
"You don't have to worry about me," he said. "I can take care of myself."
Following closely behind Patamon was a tall blond-haired man wearing a green buttoned-down sweater over a yellow turtleneck and a pair of khaki pants. His blond hair was longer than in bygone days, but his blue eyes still carried the warmth it always had. "Keisuke," he started in a scolding tone, "what have I told you about going off on your own?" Keisuke stood before the man, his gaze focused on the ground, shuffling his feet.
"I'm sorry, dad," he apologized, looking up. Takaishi Takeru smiled at him.
"I'm just glad you're all right," he told him. Someone sneezed and Takeru looked past his son, and for the first time, noticed the people and Digimon that accompanied Keisuke. Taka murmured to excuse him for interrupting, but Takeru didn't notice. His attention was completely focused on the brunette woman before him…someone he hadn't seen for years…Their gazes locked and they just stared at each other wordlessly.
"Dad? Dad?" Feeling a light tug on his sweater, Takeru looked down at his son. "May Taka and I go play with the others?" he asked. Takeru nodded and both boys, with their Digimon and their parents' Digimon, waved goodbye to their parents and ran off to join the others - the children of the DigiDestined - leaving Takeru and Hikari to watch each other uncomfortably.
"It's been a while, Takeru," said Hikari, venturing to break the awkward silence. Takeru nodded in agreement.
"It has been too long," he replied, "we haven't talked since…the accident…" The surprised look at seeing an old friend on Takeru's face immediately changed to one of concern. "Hikari, are you okay?" he asked her.
Hikari looked away, avoiding his gaze. "Of course, I am," she said stiffly, "why wouldn't I be?" The coldness in her voice stung Takeru. She never spoke to him like this before…except once.
"You know, Taka takes his looks from you," said Takeru, quickly changing the subject. He hadn't meant to put his friend on the spot like that. Hikari's gaze shifted back to him and she smiled.
"And Keisuke looks exactly like you when you were his age," replied Hikari. There was a far off look in her eyes, not lost by Takeru. Seeing that expression on her face, almost one of vulnerability, made Takeru want to envelop his arms around her and tell her everything would be okay, like it once was. But he had no right to do that any longer. For though Takeru still loved Hikari - he never once stopped loving her - he truly believed Hikari had completely given up her heart to her husband and they couldn't be anything more than friends from then on.
Takeru presented his arm forward and Hikari looked at it questioningly. "Shall we join the others?" he asked, mimicking a noble at a ball. This gesture brought up another memory in Hikari's mind; of a dance they had attended together once in high school. Hikari smiled and accepted it. With their arms linked, they slowly began walking toward their friends, chatting as they went. Takeru smiled inwardly to himself. This was the first time in years both of them were able to chat like old friends. Their close bond had been shattered when they were in their early twenties. Their break-up was swift; and surprisingly to their friends, they had both married someone else before they tried to sort out their problems.
While still angry over bitter words thrown between them, Takeru foolishly went and married Sukimi Chiharu. He liked her, of course. He truly thought at one time he loved her and believed it for several years. After Keisuke was born, problems arose between Chiharu and Takeru and that was when he realized his heart still belonged to Hikari. He had given it to her freely and never asked for her to return it; never wanted to. But by the time he realized this, it was too late. Hikari had been married for several years to Kumiko Hiroshi, a childhood friend of hers, someone she had known before she even met Takeru. Hikari seemed so happy with her husband that Takeru didn't dare to interfere. Even if he couldn't have her, he wanted her to be happy. If Hiroshi made her happy, then so be it.
But he was not happy. His own marriage, though seemingly beautiful at first, crumbled around him. He, Takeru, the one who never wished to fight with anyone, found himself at war with Chiharu almost constantly. She whined and complained; never really happy. She loved to bring up a list of people she could have married if she didn't marry Takeru. Finally, she left. Without a word. She just…left. She left everything. Her home, her husband, and her son…
"It's amazing that our sons managed to become best friends. I had always hoped for that but when we lost contact with each other, I thought it would never happen."
Hikari's soft-spoken words broke into Takeru's thoughts, but he didn't mind. He'd much rather forget those moments in life…Takeru took Hikari's hand in his and squeezed it gently. "Taka is all I ever hear about lately," said Takeru with a smile. "They've become the best of friends. Just like you and I were…"
"…like you and I were…" repeated in Hikari's mind. Takeru glanced at Hikari and saw the saddened expression on her face. He paused in his step and stopped her by gripping her shoulders lightly with both hands. Hikari lifted her eyes up to him inquisitively.
"Hikari," said Takeru, "I know you too well. I always know when something is bothering you. Please, just tell me." Hikari avoided his gaze, her eyes downcast. Suddenly, tears fell and trickled down her cheeks.
"I keep thinking about Hiroshi and…" she answered through her tears. Her hands moved to cover her face but the tears didn't stop. Takeru, his expression becoming sombre, tried to soothe her the only way he knew how. He wrapped his arms around Hikari and held her as she wept, her shoulders still shaking, wracking with sobs.
Taka and Keisuke ran through the forest to get their parents since Mrs. Ichijouji had asked the two boys to call them for lunch. They halted when they heard someone crying. Reaching the clearing, they exchanged glances of astonishment at what they saw. Takeru was holding Hikari in his arms and she was crying on his shoulder.
"Man…" murmured Keisuke in awe. "My dad and your mom?"
Author's Note: Well…er…weird, huh? Please tell me what you thought of it. This idea just came to me out of the blue and I don't know if it's really any good or not…I had a hard time with making up Japanese names so I thank all my friends for coming up with names for me to use. You guys are the best! =) There's a lot more to come! I'll be explaining why they initially broke up and Hiroshi and Chiharu will have flashback roles in the coming chapters.
*Sakura
~The Animé Archives Team