Whispers From the Heart
TK opened his eyes as he woke up in bed. He suddenly found he was totally awake and keenly aware of everything around him. He was also keenly aware of what day it was. It was now Sunday, the day Kari would return from her trip.
Over the course of the past two weeks, TK had discovered a wellspring of new emotions with his relationship with Yolei. He had devoted himself to being the best boyfriend he could be to her and her alone. Their parting after their last date the previous night had been a teary one, but this was the day of destiny for everything. TK got out of bed and stared himself down in his mirror as he psyched himself up.
'It's time to finish what I started. No more dodging the issue. No matter what, I won't regret whatever the outcome is.' He thought to himself.
He went about his usual morning routine, showering, brushing his teeth, combing his hair to straighten it out as best he could, and then getting dressed. He chose his favorite from years past, a pair of tan cargo shorts and his yellow and green shirt. As he finished dressing, he looked on his dresser at the newest decoration in his room, which was a photo of him and Yolei dressed nicely at her sister's birthday. He smiled at it and touched the picture gently.
'That was one fun party, especially the wish her little sister made.' He thought, smiling to himself. Yolei's sister had wished that she and TK would be together forever. Everyone had found it at least somewhat amusing at the time, though truth be told TK had little problem with that possibility.
'Yolei, thanks for everything.' He thought as he looked intently at the photo. 'You're an incredible girl, and I do care deeply for you. I promise, no matter what, I'll never forget the times we shared. But I have to sort out my feelings for Kari once and for all, it's not fair to cause you any more heartache than I already have. It's not fair to drag this out any longer. Just know that no matter what, I'll never forget…'
TK left his room silently, getting a quick breakfast at the refrigerator. He then slipped his shoes on at the genkan, said goodbye to his mother for the morning, and headed outside.
'I've got to clear my mind if I'm going to sort all of this out. That means I can't be thinking about Yolei. I have to focus on what I feel for Kari. Maybe a walk around town will help me out. She's certainly not back quite yet.'
So TK began to walk, trying to clear his mind of everything and focus on Kari. Some time later, he found himself walking through the park, and he stopped by the bench he always sat at and wrote.
'I've done quite a lot of writing this summer so far.' He thought. He then laughed to himself for a moment. 'I remember the last time I was here. I was trying so intently to write something about Yolei, and she was trying to peer over my shoulder and get my book away from me. She started tickling me, and before I knew it we were…'
TK stopped and shook his head vigorously, trying to get the image of the memory out of his head.
'Stupid TK! Don't think about her! You've got to block her out if you're going to figure out how you feel about Kari! I need to walk some more.'
TK left the park quickly, heading off in another direction as he tried to purge his thoughts. A little while later, he found himself passing by the train station as a train was pulling up to the stop.
'The amusement park was such a fiasco.' He thought as he watched people disembark. 'I must've hurt Kari pretty bad that day. Hell, I hurt everybody that day, especially Yolei. Man, I still feel bad about that, even though she's totally forgiven me for it. I guess I was just trying to get her to warm up to me more. I liked her even back…then…damn it TK! You're doing it again!'
TK smacked his forehead as he turned away from the station, angrily grumbling at himself for still not being able to focus just on his feelings for Kari. He wandered a bit, finally managing to clear his head of everything that had been running through it, and then noticed he was in front of a game center.
'Hey, a game or two might get me better focused. Why not?' he thought. TK headed in and played a couple of shooter games, but quickly lost interest in them. On his way out he passed by the crane game machine again and, after finding one last 50-yen coin in his pocket, tried his hand at it. He positioned carefully and made his strike, nabbing a plush lion and sending it down the chute. He picked the doll up and headed on out.
'Yet another plush doll. Yolei's collection would be spilling over her cash register now.' He thought. 'Aw hell! There I go again! What is wrong with me?'
Now miserable, TK just continued to wander as he tried to sort out his thoughts yet again. It was almost noon when he finally stopped wandering around and actually noticed where he was. He was just across the street from Yolei's store. The entrance was very enticing, and were he not so resolute about resolving things with Kari, he would've gone in to see Yolei again. But he found the willpower to just pass on by, though he glanced back at the shop a few times as he walked off towards home.
TK climbed the stairs to his floor and no sooner opened the door than there stood Cody, looking expectantly at him. It just about made TK jump out of his skin.
"For the love of all that's good, Cody, stop doing that!" TK said, catching his breath. "You really are some kind of damn ninja anymore, aren't you?"
Cody just smirked, shaking his head at TK as he helped him stand back up.
"Maybe that's it, or maybe you're just really distracted these days TK." He said as he watched TK brush himself off a bit.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I mean you've been really caught up with everything with Yolei recently. Your mind isn't focusing on the things it usually does."
"Believe me, Cody, it's far more than just a preoccupation."
"Oh I didn't mean to downplay it at all. I know you feel pretty seriously about her after all."
'Yeah…I just don't know how seriously is all.' TK thought to himself. 'Why can't I stop thinking about her?'
"Anyhow, I just thought I'd let you know that the Kamiyas got back a couple of hours ago." Cody told him. "You going to go see Kari?"
"I don't know how I can't go see her. Thanks Cody."
"Best of luck to you, old friend. You might just need it."
TK nodded to Cody and the two continued on their separate paths: TK on his way to a date with destiny as he confronted Kari, and Cody on his way to a date with yet another ice cream flavor.
_ _ _ _ _
TK took a deep, cleansing breath as he stood outside the door to the Kamiya apartment. The butterflies wouldn't stop fluttering in his stomach, but he quelled them long enough to be able to go through with what he'd intended.
'Here goes everything.' He thought to himself.
He rang their doorbell a few times and after a couple of tense moments, Kari answered the door. Both of them felt their hearts jump into their throats.
"TK…" Kari said, opening the door the rest of the way. She was dressed in her usual as well, pink and white shirt with shorts, her hair held aside with a pink clip.
"Hi Kari. Do you have some time that we could talk?" TK asked, stifling his nervousness.
"Absolutely. Hold on just a sec." Kari slipped her shoes on quickly and called to her family, letting them know she was going out for a bit. The two proceeded in silence to the playground where she sat on a swing as TK paced a bit back and forth, trying to figure out where to start.
"How was Yokohama?" TK finally asked.
"It was lots of fun, though it got really hot for a couple of days. Was it like that up here?"
"Oh yeah, one day was a real scorcher. Almost too hot to bear."
"I can only imagine. We lucked out that we had the sea breeze to cool things off, but you guys must've suffered."
"Yeah, something like that…"
Talking about that hot day brought back images and memories in TK's head about what had happened between him and Yolei that day, and it brought some redness to his face. He quickly tried to shake it off, cursing himself yet again for not being able to focus on the moment.
"Still, my mind wasn't really on the fun the entire time, but I probably don't have to explain to you why." Kari said after a moment.
"Yeah, I can imagine. I guess I owe you an explanation first." TK said, leaning back against the monkey bars.
"No, I'm the one who should go first." Kari said, swinging a bit on her swing. She sighed to herself and retold the story that TK had more or less already figured out for himself. "I went out with Davis all those times in the hopes that it'd get enough of a reaction out of you that I could know if you really cared about me or not. I was afraid that you weren't interested in me like I was in you, and I didn't want to endanger what we already had, after all."
"I had a feeling that might be the case after what happened at the amusement park."
Kari bit her lip as she thought about how badly she must've hurt Davis' feelings that day.
"I truly feel bad that I used him like that, but I more feel bad that I toyed with your feelings like that TK. We've been friends since we were little, and you deserved better than that."
"Davis deserves better than that too. I think you need to talk to him as well. He was pretty troubled about finding out how you felt about him, especially the way it happened."
Kari sighed aloud, showing her frustration over talking more about Davis and less about the two of them.
"I just figured he'd get the point that I wasn't interested sooner or later and would just give up."
"You expected Davis to give up on something? Do you have any idea how crazy about you he is?"
"TK, I didn't come down here to talk about Davis…"
"Well that's what we're talking about anyway because he's as much a part of what's been going on as any of us are." TK said, starting to get a bit angry with her. "I mean, don't you care about him at all?"
"What kind of question is that? Of course I care about him, as a friend! I wouldn't ever not be friends with him."
"Well that's not the idea he got after the amusement park, believe me I…talked with him, a lot."
TK stopped short of telling Kari about the incident where Davis had beaten him up pretty badly, figuring that would only exacerbate the situation.
"I should've figured he might overreact about it all."
"If you ask me, he didn't overreact at all. He reacted like anyone would given the situation, what with you leading him on like that."
"I swear to you, TK, I didn't mean him any real harm. My plan had been that you'd eventually get the courage up to ask me out yourself, I'd break up with him nice and easy and everything would be just fine."
"All the same, talk to him Kari. He needs to hear this from you, not anyone else."
"From how you tell things, I guess so. I'll see if I can't catch up with him sometime and talk for a bit then."
TK pursed his lips a bit as he nodded slowly. Kari wasn't making this easy at all, and he wasn't comfortable with the fact that it seemed like she was so willing to brush Davis off. Her mind was set on what she wanted to talk about, and if there's one think TK knew about the Kamiya family, they were all as stubborn as mules.
"So what did you think about me dating Davis after all?" Kari asked after a while, standing up from her swing. "I always thought you didn't totally approve of it, but you never really said anything about it either."
"So long as you were happy, Kari, I was happy. Even if it wasn't with me. Your happiness was all that mattered to me." TK told her, shoving his hands into his pockets.
"Happiness isn't a one-way street, TK. There's only so much you can get from making other people happy, after all. At some point you have to be happy too. And that's all I ever wanted too, was for you to be happy too!" Kari moved towards TK as she spoke. "But I wanted it to be with me. And then…I saw you and Yolei…"
"Yeah. I guess it's my turn for explanations now." TK said, pacing away from her a bit. "I did pretty much the same thing to you that you did to me with Davis. I dated Yolei to see if it got a reaction out of you so I'd know if I could actually ask you out."
"Really?" Kari blinked and stared at him in disbelief, hardly about to believe the fact that they'd each used the same ploy to try and get together with the other.
"Kari…you're the only person who doesn't know. I have four composition books sitting in my room of writing work I've done in the past year and a half. Half of those works are about you, and how I've felt for you."
'He's written…about me? Oh TK…if I had known…' Kari thought.
"Kari I've cared…no, I've loved you for as long as I can remember. You're all I thought about and dreamt about for years."
"Oh TK…I've felt the same for you, every day for just as long…"
Kari moved to embrace him, but stopped as TK held his hand up in front of her.
"It's not that simple, Kari." He said. "Because something else has happened…while you were gone."
"I don't understand. What happened?" Kari asked, puzzled.
"I, um…I kept dating Yolei after you left. And…I fell in love with her, too."
"Wh…what??" Kari couldn't believe her ears, but the look in TK's eyes as he averted her gaze confirmed that what he said was the truth.
"I realized it a week ago, and well…she more or less knows how I feel about her, though I haven't put it in words yet."
"And she also knows how you feel about me?"
"Yeah."
Kari certainly hadn't been counting on this happening. Over her trip she'd had a sneaking suspicion about TK's dating Yolei, but to be told that now he was in love with her as well was a bit shocking. She quickly changed tactics to try and move things back in the direction she wanted them to go in.
"You can't love us both, TK." She told him, folding her arms.
"Don't you think I know that?" TK said, looking at her again. "It's plagued my thoughts and dreams for weeks now. No matter how much I think about it, I end up stuck in the same place. It's just about driven me insane."
"I can only imagine. So since we're talking about dreams, let's fulfill a couple here then." She said, smiling slyly at him.
Kari walked over to TK slowly, this time taking him into her arms and resting her head on his chest. TK's back went rigid as she snuggled up to him.
"Relax, TK, I'm not going to bite or anything." She said reassuringly, adding in thought, 'This has to work, this'll bring him around. I know it will. TK, I love you so much…'
'What's wrong with me? Why can't I relax and enjoy this?' TK thought. 'Something's out of sorts, but I can't put my finger on it.'
"There was a time that this was all I'd ever needed to be perfectly happy." TK said after a moment, still confused by his thoughts and feelings. Indeed, it was still something of a dream come true for him to finally be as close to Kari as he was.
"Me too. TK, I've loved you in my dreams and my thoughts for the longest time as well. My diary is full of passages where I wish you would carry me off like a shining knight and we'd live happily ever after. I always thought that was meant to be, and I still do."
The two stayed as they were for a long while, completely silent. TK wrestled with his thoughts as Kari just enjoyed being as close to him as she was. Finally, Kari decided to make another move on him.
"You know, I never kissed Davis TK. I always wanted to save that for you." She told him.
"Oh…" TK said, swallowing audibly. He was clearly nervous at this point.
"I'd have waited forever for you, TK. I love you after all…"
"Kari…I…"
TK saw her pulling up towards him, her eyes closed as she reached to kiss him. He felt his heart's pace quickening as she drew closer and closer.
'Why is this happening to me? Why does this feel so awkward? So…so…oh, why can't I come to accept this?!' TK thought to himself, his mind racing. 'This just feels…what? What does this feel? It feels…wrong! But why? Why is this wrong?!?!'
And then it dawned on him. All the memories he'd had that day, his inability to clear his thoughts, the heated conversation he'd had with Kari and now this. It was like a beam of clarity that pierced the cloud of confusion in his head. His heart had been doing just what Sora had said, it had been whispering to him and he just hadn't realized it until now. His heart had been whispering to him the name of the one he truly loved. The realization gave him a courage and understanding he'd never had before. He knew just what to do now.
"I'm sorry, Kari…" he said, putting his hands on her shoulders and pulling away from her before she could kiss him. He looked her dead in the eyed and spoke four words that, until just now, he thought he'd never be saying to her. "I can't do this."
_ _ _ _ _
Yolei had waited at home most of the day, hoping for a phone call from TK, but nothing had come. The only thing she had heard was from Davis who said he'd seen TK and Kari together on the playground the previous day. She knew in an instant that she'd lost him, and she'd already shed her tears over it. She was just hoping he'd call her up and get it over with so she could get back to being lonely all over again. It was just after noontime when she got fed up with sitting around and decided to head out. She heard her parents call after her, asking her where she was going, but she didn't feel like talking to anyone right at the moment.
She walked and walked, not paying attention to the path she was walking, as she was lost in thought.
'I guess it all was too good to be true…it was a fun three weeks, but what was I thinking? He loved Kari for years before I was even in the picture. I was a fool to think he'd choose me.' She thought.
After a while, she heard the sound of running water and noticed she was in the park that TK had always done his writing in. She looked around for a moment, letting herself relive the few memories she had of being with him in this place. Finally, her eyes came to rest on the bench they'd sat on. A piece of folded paper was securely taped to the back of the bench. Curious, she walked over and peeled it off of the bench, sitting down as she unfolded it. It was in TK's handwriting.
~/ Whispers from the heart are more silent than any whisper you have heard.
Less perceptible than the whisper of the wind, some never hear them.
When you do hear then, it's like you're just waking up from a deep dream world.
Everything is clear, and suddenly you know just what needs to be done.
I listened closely, and there's no way this is not correct in my mind.
For all that's happened, and all that we've shared my dear, how could this not be? /~
Her hands now trembling, Yolei noticed there was another small piece of paper taped over the bottom of the note. It had written on it, "Pull back and see what I'm talking about." She was hesitant to do it for a moment, but then slowly unfolded it. Tears immediately began to fall from her eyes as she read the final line.
~/ The name of the one I hold dearest and love, that name is Yolei. /~
"Th-this can't be for real…" she said, her voice a whisper as she read the line over and over. She then felt a pair of hands on her shoulders, squeezing her gently.
"Why wouldn't it be for real?" she heard a voice say behind her. She leaned back and looked up, seeing TK smiling back at her.
"Takeru…but-but what about…"
"I couldn't bring myself to believe it until I saw her and talked with her." TK said, moving his hands to either side of Yolei and leaning on them. "Then she moved to kiss me, and that's when I realized that being with her there made me feel…well, empty. I realized that I didn't really feel that kind of love for her anymore. Kari will always be a special person to me, but she's not the one I could really love."
"And…and then, what happened?" Yolei's voice was still timid, but now hopeful as she started to believe in the moment.
"I told her right then and there. She was hurt, and angry. I can't say that I blame her. I probably won't talk to her again for some time, not until she gets over it."
"You know…you didn't have to go to all these lengths to tell me this." Yolei said, standing up as she dried her eyes, regaining her composure. "I did wait by the phone most of the day."
"A phone call wouldn't have done this any justice." TK said, walking over and taking her into his arms. "This is the sort of thing you tell someone in person. See, I found the person I want to hear these words now, and she's going to hear them once and for all.
"I love you, Yolei, and only you."
"Takeru…oh I love you too, with all my heart." She said, leaning in towards him. They kissed, expressing their love for each other in the best way they knew how, and after a moment they broke the kiss only to hold each other, both suddenly very content with how things were.
"This is right. I know it is now, I can feel that it is." TK told her. "You're not too mad at me for making you wait this long, are you?"
"In the end, it was all worth it." Yolei said, hugging him tightly. She let go after a minute, hopping back and smiling brightly at him. "Okay, so let's go!"
"Go? Where?"
"Dinner with my folks! They'll be thrilled to know the good news about us, after all. C'mon, it's Fiesta night at home after all."
"Fiesta night?"
"Tacos and other Mexican type food. Good to eat, but spicy!"
"I'm not too good with spicy…"
"Well it's either that, or we celebrate being together by you treating me to dinner at that new high-profile sushi bar down the way. You know, the one with the little boats that carry the sushi around and all? Your choice"
TK blanched at the idea of spending that much money at the moment, but then just smiled back at Yolei who was waiting expectantly for his response.
"Um…in that case, lead on senorita!" he said, taking on a mock Mexican accent to his voice.
Yolei giggled and took TK by the hand as they walked towards her home. No matter what would happen from there on out, she knew she would be able to take comfort in knowing that she had TK in her life, and he knew likewise went for him with her. They may have started out reaching out for love in opposite directions, but they had ultimately found that what they had really been looking for had been right in front of them the entire time.
TK opened his eyes as he woke up in bed. He suddenly found he was totally awake and keenly aware of everything around him. He was also keenly aware of what day it was. It was now Sunday, the day Kari would return from her trip.
Over the course of the past two weeks, TK had discovered a wellspring of new emotions with his relationship with Yolei. He had devoted himself to being the best boyfriend he could be to her and her alone. Their parting after their last date the previous night had been a teary one, but this was the day of destiny for everything. TK got out of bed and stared himself down in his mirror as he psyched himself up.
'It's time to finish what I started. No more dodging the issue. No matter what, I won't regret whatever the outcome is.' He thought to himself.
He went about his usual morning routine, showering, brushing his teeth, combing his hair to straighten it out as best he could, and then getting dressed. He chose his favorite from years past, a pair of tan cargo shorts and his yellow and green shirt. As he finished dressing, he looked on his dresser at the newest decoration in his room, which was a photo of him and Yolei dressed nicely at her sister's birthday. He smiled at it and touched the picture gently.
'That was one fun party, especially the wish her little sister made.' He thought, smiling to himself. Yolei's sister had wished that she and TK would be together forever. Everyone had found it at least somewhat amusing at the time, though truth be told TK had little problem with that possibility.
'Yolei, thanks for everything.' He thought as he looked intently at the photo. 'You're an incredible girl, and I do care deeply for you. I promise, no matter what, I'll never forget the times we shared. But I have to sort out my feelings for Kari once and for all, it's not fair to cause you any more heartache than I already have. It's not fair to drag this out any longer. Just know that no matter what, I'll never forget…'
TK left his room silently, getting a quick breakfast at the refrigerator. He then slipped his shoes on at the genkan, said goodbye to his mother for the morning, and headed outside.
'I've got to clear my mind if I'm going to sort all of this out. That means I can't be thinking about Yolei. I have to focus on what I feel for Kari. Maybe a walk around town will help me out. She's certainly not back quite yet.'
So TK began to walk, trying to clear his mind of everything and focus on Kari. Some time later, he found himself walking through the park, and he stopped by the bench he always sat at and wrote.
'I've done quite a lot of writing this summer so far.' He thought. He then laughed to himself for a moment. 'I remember the last time I was here. I was trying so intently to write something about Yolei, and she was trying to peer over my shoulder and get my book away from me. She started tickling me, and before I knew it we were…'
TK stopped and shook his head vigorously, trying to get the image of the memory out of his head.
'Stupid TK! Don't think about her! You've got to block her out if you're going to figure out how you feel about Kari! I need to walk some more.'
TK left the park quickly, heading off in another direction as he tried to purge his thoughts. A little while later, he found himself passing by the train station as a train was pulling up to the stop.
'The amusement park was such a fiasco.' He thought as he watched people disembark. 'I must've hurt Kari pretty bad that day. Hell, I hurt everybody that day, especially Yolei. Man, I still feel bad about that, even though she's totally forgiven me for it. I guess I was just trying to get her to warm up to me more. I liked her even back…then…damn it TK! You're doing it again!'
TK smacked his forehead as he turned away from the station, angrily grumbling at himself for still not being able to focus just on his feelings for Kari. He wandered a bit, finally managing to clear his head of everything that had been running through it, and then noticed he was in front of a game center.
'Hey, a game or two might get me better focused. Why not?' he thought. TK headed in and played a couple of shooter games, but quickly lost interest in them. On his way out he passed by the crane game machine again and, after finding one last 50-yen coin in his pocket, tried his hand at it. He positioned carefully and made his strike, nabbing a plush lion and sending it down the chute. He picked the doll up and headed on out.
'Yet another plush doll. Yolei's collection would be spilling over her cash register now.' He thought. 'Aw hell! There I go again! What is wrong with me?'
Now miserable, TK just continued to wander as he tried to sort out his thoughts yet again. It was almost noon when he finally stopped wandering around and actually noticed where he was. He was just across the street from Yolei's store. The entrance was very enticing, and were he not so resolute about resolving things with Kari, he would've gone in to see Yolei again. But he found the willpower to just pass on by, though he glanced back at the shop a few times as he walked off towards home.
TK climbed the stairs to his floor and no sooner opened the door than there stood Cody, looking expectantly at him. It just about made TK jump out of his skin.
"For the love of all that's good, Cody, stop doing that!" TK said, catching his breath. "You really are some kind of damn ninja anymore, aren't you?"
Cody just smirked, shaking his head at TK as he helped him stand back up.
"Maybe that's it, or maybe you're just really distracted these days TK." He said as he watched TK brush himself off a bit.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I mean you've been really caught up with everything with Yolei recently. Your mind isn't focusing on the things it usually does."
"Believe me, Cody, it's far more than just a preoccupation."
"Oh I didn't mean to downplay it at all. I know you feel pretty seriously about her after all."
'Yeah…I just don't know how seriously is all.' TK thought to himself. 'Why can't I stop thinking about her?'
"Anyhow, I just thought I'd let you know that the Kamiyas got back a couple of hours ago." Cody told him. "You going to go see Kari?"
"I don't know how I can't go see her. Thanks Cody."
"Best of luck to you, old friend. You might just need it."
TK nodded to Cody and the two continued on their separate paths: TK on his way to a date with destiny as he confronted Kari, and Cody on his way to a date with yet another ice cream flavor.
_ _ _ _ _
TK took a deep, cleansing breath as he stood outside the door to the Kamiya apartment. The butterflies wouldn't stop fluttering in his stomach, but he quelled them long enough to be able to go through with what he'd intended.
'Here goes everything.' He thought to himself.
He rang their doorbell a few times and after a couple of tense moments, Kari answered the door. Both of them felt their hearts jump into their throats.
"TK…" Kari said, opening the door the rest of the way. She was dressed in her usual as well, pink and white shirt with shorts, her hair held aside with a pink clip.
"Hi Kari. Do you have some time that we could talk?" TK asked, stifling his nervousness.
"Absolutely. Hold on just a sec." Kari slipped her shoes on quickly and called to her family, letting them know she was going out for a bit. The two proceeded in silence to the playground where she sat on a swing as TK paced a bit back and forth, trying to figure out where to start.
"How was Yokohama?" TK finally asked.
"It was lots of fun, though it got really hot for a couple of days. Was it like that up here?"
"Oh yeah, one day was a real scorcher. Almost too hot to bear."
"I can only imagine. We lucked out that we had the sea breeze to cool things off, but you guys must've suffered."
"Yeah, something like that…"
Talking about that hot day brought back images and memories in TK's head about what had happened between him and Yolei that day, and it brought some redness to his face. He quickly tried to shake it off, cursing himself yet again for not being able to focus on the moment.
"Still, my mind wasn't really on the fun the entire time, but I probably don't have to explain to you why." Kari said after a moment.
"Yeah, I can imagine. I guess I owe you an explanation first." TK said, leaning back against the monkey bars.
"No, I'm the one who should go first." Kari said, swinging a bit on her swing. She sighed to herself and retold the story that TK had more or less already figured out for himself. "I went out with Davis all those times in the hopes that it'd get enough of a reaction out of you that I could know if you really cared about me or not. I was afraid that you weren't interested in me like I was in you, and I didn't want to endanger what we already had, after all."
"I had a feeling that might be the case after what happened at the amusement park."
Kari bit her lip as she thought about how badly she must've hurt Davis' feelings that day.
"I truly feel bad that I used him like that, but I more feel bad that I toyed with your feelings like that TK. We've been friends since we were little, and you deserved better than that."
"Davis deserves better than that too. I think you need to talk to him as well. He was pretty troubled about finding out how you felt about him, especially the way it happened."
Kari sighed aloud, showing her frustration over talking more about Davis and less about the two of them.
"I just figured he'd get the point that I wasn't interested sooner or later and would just give up."
"You expected Davis to give up on something? Do you have any idea how crazy about you he is?"
"TK, I didn't come down here to talk about Davis…"
"Well that's what we're talking about anyway because he's as much a part of what's been going on as any of us are." TK said, starting to get a bit angry with her. "I mean, don't you care about him at all?"
"What kind of question is that? Of course I care about him, as a friend! I wouldn't ever not be friends with him."
"Well that's not the idea he got after the amusement park, believe me I…talked with him, a lot."
TK stopped short of telling Kari about the incident where Davis had beaten him up pretty badly, figuring that would only exacerbate the situation.
"I should've figured he might overreact about it all."
"If you ask me, he didn't overreact at all. He reacted like anyone would given the situation, what with you leading him on like that."
"I swear to you, TK, I didn't mean him any real harm. My plan had been that you'd eventually get the courage up to ask me out yourself, I'd break up with him nice and easy and everything would be just fine."
"All the same, talk to him Kari. He needs to hear this from you, not anyone else."
"From how you tell things, I guess so. I'll see if I can't catch up with him sometime and talk for a bit then."
TK pursed his lips a bit as he nodded slowly. Kari wasn't making this easy at all, and he wasn't comfortable with the fact that it seemed like she was so willing to brush Davis off. Her mind was set on what she wanted to talk about, and if there's one think TK knew about the Kamiya family, they were all as stubborn as mules.
"So what did you think about me dating Davis after all?" Kari asked after a while, standing up from her swing. "I always thought you didn't totally approve of it, but you never really said anything about it either."
"So long as you were happy, Kari, I was happy. Even if it wasn't with me. Your happiness was all that mattered to me." TK told her, shoving his hands into his pockets.
"Happiness isn't a one-way street, TK. There's only so much you can get from making other people happy, after all. At some point you have to be happy too. And that's all I ever wanted too, was for you to be happy too!" Kari moved towards TK as she spoke. "But I wanted it to be with me. And then…I saw you and Yolei…"
"Yeah. I guess it's my turn for explanations now." TK said, pacing away from her a bit. "I did pretty much the same thing to you that you did to me with Davis. I dated Yolei to see if it got a reaction out of you so I'd know if I could actually ask you out."
"Really?" Kari blinked and stared at him in disbelief, hardly about to believe the fact that they'd each used the same ploy to try and get together with the other.
"Kari…you're the only person who doesn't know. I have four composition books sitting in my room of writing work I've done in the past year and a half. Half of those works are about you, and how I've felt for you."
'He's written…about me? Oh TK…if I had known…' Kari thought.
"Kari I've cared…no, I've loved you for as long as I can remember. You're all I thought about and dreamt about for years."
"Oh TK…I've felt the same for you, every day for just as long…"
Kari moved to embrace him, but stopped as TK held his hand up in front of her.
"It's not that simple, Kari." He said. "Because something else has happened…while you were gone."
"I don't understand. What happened?" Kari asked, puzzled.
"I, um…I kept dating Yolei after you left. And…I fell in love with her, too."
"Wh…what??" Kari couldn't believe her ears, but the look in TK's eyes as he averted her gaze confirmed that what he said was the truth.
"I realized it a week ago, and well…she more or less knows how I feel about her, though I haven't put it in words yet."
"And she also knows how you feel about me?"
"Yeah."
Kari certainly hadn't been counting on this happening. Over her trip she'd had a sneaking suspicion about TK's dating Yolei, but to be told that now he was in love with her as well was a bit shocking. She quickly changed tactics to try and move things back in the direction she wanted them to go in.
"You can't love us both, TK." She told him, folding her arms.
"Don't you think I know that?" TK said, looking at her again. "It's plagued my thoughts and dreams for weeks now. No matter how much I think about it, I end up stuck in the same place. It's just about driven me insane."
"I can only imagine. So since we're talking about dreams, let's fulfill a couple here then." She said, smiling slyly at him.
Kari walked over to TK slowly, this time taking him into her arms and resting her head on his chest. TK's back went rigid as she snuggled up to him.
"Relax, TK, I'm not going to bite or anything." She said reassuringly, adding in thought, 'This has to work, this'll bring him around. I know it will. TK, I love you so much…'
'What's wrong with me? Why can't I relax and enjoy this?' TK thought. 'Something's out of sorts, but I can't put my finger on it.'
"There was a time that this was all I'd ever needed to be perfectly happy." TK said after a moment, still confused by his thoughts and feelings. Indeed, it was still something of a dream come true for him to finally be as close to Kari as he was.
"Me too. TK, I've loved you in my dreams and my thoughts for the longest time as well. My diary is full of passages where I wish you would carry me off like a shining knight and we'd live happily ever after. I always thought that was meant to be, and I still do."
The two stayed as they were for a long while, completely silent. TK wrestled with his thoughts as Kari just enjoyed being as close to him as she was. Finally, Kari decided to make another move on him.
"You know, I never kissed Davis TK. I always wanted to save that for you." She told him.
"Oh…" TK said, swallowing audibly. He was clearly nervous at this point.
"I'd have waited forever for you, TK. I love you after all…"
"Kari…I…"
TK saw her pulling up towards him, her eyes closed as she reached to kiss him. He felt his heart's pace quickening as she drew closer and closer.
'Why is this happening to me? Why does this feel so awkward? So…so…oh, why can't I come to accept this?!' TK thought to himself, his mind racing. 'This just feels…what? What does this feel? It feels…wrong! But why? Why is this wrong?!?!'
And then it dawned on him. All the memories he'd had that day, his inability to clear his thoughts, the heated conversation he'd had with Kari and now this. It was like a beam of clarity that pierced the cloud of confusion in his head. His heart had been doing just what Sora had said, it had been whispering to him and he just hadn't realized it until now. His heart had been whispering to him the name of the one he truly loved. The realization gave him a courage and understanding he'd never had before. He knew just what to do now.
"I'm sorry, Kari…" he said, putting his hands on her shoulders and pulling away from her before she could kiss him. He looked her dead in the eyed and spoke four words that, until just now, he thought he'd never be saying to her. "I can't do this."
_ _ _ _ _
Yolei had waited at home most of the day, hoping for a phone call from TK, but nothing had come. The only thing she had heard was from Davis who said he'd seen TK and Kari together on the playground the previous day. She knew in an instant that she'd lost him, and she'd already shed her tears over it. She was just hoping he'd call her up and get it over with so she could get back to being lonely all over again. It was just after noontime when she got fed up with sitting around and decided to head out. She heard her parents call after her, asking her where she was going, but she didn't feel like talking to anyone right at the moment.
She walked and walked, not paying attention to the path she was walking, as she was lost in thought.
'I guess it all was too good to be true…it was a fun three weeks, but what was I thinking? He loved Kari for years before I was even in the picture. I was a fool to think he'd choose me.' She thought.
After a while, she heard the sound of running water and noticed she was in the park that TK had always done his writing in. She looked around for a moment, letting herself relive the few memories she had of being with him in this place. Finally, her eyes came to rest on the bench they'd sat on. A piece of folded paper was securely taped to the back of the bench. Curious, she walked over and peeled it off of the bench, sitting down as she unfolded it. It was in TK's handwriting.
~/ Whispers from the heart are more silent than any whisper you have heard.
Less perceptible than the whisper of the wind, some never hear them.
When you do hear then, it's like you're just waking up from a deep dream world.
Everything is clear, and suddenly you know just what needs to be done.
I listened closely, and there's no way this is not correct in my mind.
For all that's happened, and all that we've shared my dear, how could this not be? /~
Her hands now trembling, Yolei noticed there was another small piece of paper taped over the bottom of the note. It had written on it, "Pull back and see what I'm talking about." She was hesitant to do it for a moment, but then slowly unfolded it. Tears immediately began to fall from her eyes as she read the final line.
~/ The name of the one I hold dearest and love, that name is Yolei. /~
"Th-this can't be for real…" she said, her voice a whisper as she read the line over and over. She then felt a pair of hands on her shoulders, squeezing her gently.
"Why wouldn't it be for real?" she heard a voice say behind her. She leaned back and looked up, seeing TK smiling back at her.
"Takeru…but-but what about…"
"I couldn't bring myself to believe it until I saw her and talked with her." TK said, moving his hands to either side of Yolei and leaning on them. "Then she moved to kiss me, and that's when I realized that being with her there made me feel…well, empty. I realized that I didn't really feel that kind of love for her anymore. Kari will always be a special person to me, but she's not the one I could really love."
"And…and then, what happened?" Yolei's voice was still timid, but now hopeful as she started to believe in the moment.
"I told her right then and there. She was hurt, and angry. I can't say that I blame her. I probably won't talk to her again for some time, not until she gets over it."
"You know…you didn't have to go to all these lengths to tell me this." Yolei said, standing up as she dried her eyes, regaining her composure. "I did wait by the phone most of the day."
"A phone call wouldn't have done this any justice." TK said, walking over and taking her into his arms. "This is the sort of thing you tell someone in person. See, I found the person I want to hear these words now, and she's going to hear them once and for all.
"I love you, Yolei, and only you."
"Takeru…oh I love you too, with all my heart." She said, leaning in towards him. They kissed, expressing their love for each other in the best way they knew how, and after a moment they broke the kiss only to hold each other, both suddenly very content with how things were.
"This is right. I know it is now, I can feel that it is." TK told her. "You're not too mad at me for making you wait this long, are you?"
"In the end, it was all worth it." Yolei said, hugging him tightly. She let go after a minute, hopping back and smiling brightly at him. "Okay, so let's go!"
"Go? Where?"
"Dinner with my folks! They'll be thrilled to know the good news about us, after all. C'mon, it's Fiesta night at home after all."
"Fiesta night?"
"Tacos and other Mexican type food. Good to eat, but spicy!"
"I'm not too good with spicy…"
"Well it's either that, or we celebrate being together by you treating me to dinner at that new high-profile sushi bar down the way. You know, the one with the little boats that carry the sushi around and all? Your choice"
TK blanched at the idea of spending that much money at the moment, but then just smiled back at Yolei who was waiting expectantly for his response.
"Um…in that case, lead on senorita!" he said, taking on a mock Mexican accent to his voice.
Yolei giggled and took TK by the hand as they walked towards her home. No matter what would happen from there on out, she knew she would be able to take comfort in knowing that she had TK in her life, and he knew likewise went for him with her. They may have started out reaching out for love in opposite directions, but they had ultimately found that what they had really been looking for had been right in front of them the entire time.