***Sorry, guys, but writer's block + not enough time to write = longer time in between posts. I'll try to put the next chapter up faster, but I can't promise anything! And please review! Get me up to 50 before the story's over! hee hee… =D***

Only one of you answered my poll? That's not nice. chloe-laroo, sorry, but I had to let Kari know first, because the story flowed better that way. So yeah… anyways, answering a few more reviews…

TheAngelofLove – Kuroi: You're right, they would make a cute couple. Taking that into account… I think you're gonna like this chapter. *wink*

You know what was really funny? I was going over my reviews the other day and my younger brother (who got me into Digimon in the first place) was looking at them too, and he was all, "WHAT? A Daikari? How could you?" And I was like, "huh?" And he was all, "It says there that you made it a Daikari!" And he got all upset 'cause he and I agree that Takari is the best. =D So we have another Takari supporter on our side. yay.

Before I forget… I really do hate these, they're very annoying.

Disclaimer: *sigh* Do I really have to tell you? I'm borrowing these people. Leave me alone.

Together Again: Chapter 5

Revelation, part 1: Kari / Adventures in New York City

          Aaron and Kendall had a blast going sightseeing that day. They hit all the hotspots: the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, Ground Zero, Central Park, Rockefeller Center, Times Square, the whole deal. After winding down at a cozy little Starbucks tucked in between two bustling buildings, Kendall smiled as she sipped her caramel Frappuchino. "Thank you so much for taking me around, Aaron."

          Aaron flushed slightly. "It was fun. I needed to get out the house anyway."

          "Still… it was really nice of you to do this for me."

          "Well, it was extra fun 'cause you were with me," Aaron replied seriously, making Kendall's face blossom into a smile. They took the subway back to the noodle store, where Aaron dropped Kendall off, and she pushed a slip of paper into his hand. "Keep in touch, okay? I may not be here for long."

          "That's too bad. But if you ever need to do anything fun—let me know."

          "I will. Thank you again… I had a great time." Kendall leaned over and gave him a peck on the cheek before she disappeared into her father's store. "Bye, Aaron," she called from inside.

          "Bye, Kendall," he replied, before walking away, absentmindedly brushing the place on his cheek where she had kissed him.

          As Aaron stepped into the lobby of his apartment complex, Kari had just emerged from the garage, and the two of them met. "Hi, Mom," Aaron greeted her.

          "Oh, hi, Aaron," Kari replied. "How was your day?"

          "It was fun," Aaron told her. "What about you? Did you get Hope's demo in?"

          Kari turned to Aaron curiously as they waited for the elevator to take them to the fifth floor. "Hope? Is that her name?"

          Aaron nodded. "That's her name."

          "What does she look like?"

          "I'll show you a picture as soon as we get into the apartment," Aaron promised. They chatted about other things until Aaron burst into the apartment and made a run for the darkroom. Sure enough, his photos were dry, and he grabbed the one of Hope that he had taken on their birthday, and walked back at a dignified pace to his mother. "Mom, this is Hope," Aaron showed her.

-POV: Kari-

          I studied the picture that Aaron handed me. A girl, who looked older than sixteen, smiled at me through the picture, that smile looking suspiciously like T.K.'s. Her straight blonde hair fell in soft waves that framed her face. Then I looked at her deep chocolate brown eyes and saw myself in them. I was amazed. If this was the singer that sang Only Hope, and she looked a lot like T.K. ...and me…

          "Aaron, how… this girl, she looks almost like…"

          "Who does she look like?" Aaron prodded.

          I shook my head, as if to physically clear my thoughts. "What's her full name? We need it for the documents."

          Aaron took a deep breath and warned me, "Mom, sit down. This may shock you."

          I felt myself go pale as I complied, setting the picture on the coffee table in front of me. I was getting more and more convinced by the minute that I knew who this girl was…

          "Okay. Her name," Aaron began, slowly, "is Hope Takaishi."

          I sighed as I leaned back against the couch. "I knew it."

          "Mom, how come you never told me I had a sister? She is such an awesome person—I can't believe that I missed out on the chance to grow up with her," Aaron cried, after a brief moment of silence.

          "I…" I couldn't say anything… I was still in shock. Aaron had found his sister, and was bringing her to see me… then something clicked. "Wait, that's why you want Hope to come here so badly… 'cause she's gonna bring T.K. with her, right?"

          "Well… yeah… but that's not what I asked you, Mom."

          "I know. Just… just let me breathe first, this is still a shock to me." Aaron nodded, and I picked up the picture and looked at it again. "She's so beautiful… she's all grown up." Tears misted my vision as I looked up at Aaron, my motherly instincts kicking in. "How is she doing, Aaron?"

          "She's perfectly fine… well-adjusted, independent, but sometimes a bit spoiled."

          I laughed softly. "T.K. must still be spoiling her." Then I narrowed my eyebrows. "Aaron, how did you find her? T.K. and I made sure that… that we wouldn't have to get in contact with each other," I finished softly.

          "Like I said, Mom, we met up at camp. There were a lot of other… Digidestined, is it?—kids up there, and Dawn Izumi, one of the counselors, showed us this really old picture of all of the Digidestined, and we figured out that most of our parents were in that picture. Including you and Da—I mean, T.K., and I was in that picture too."

          Trying to remember what picture Aaron was talking about, I furrowed my eyebrows again. Then I remembered. "It was the one that they took the day you were born, huh?"

          Aaron nodded. "You know, Mom, you and Dad… I mean…"

          I smiled. "It's okay. He is your father. You can call him that."

          He breathed a visible sigh of relief. "As I was saying, you and Dad looked pretty happy in that picture. You were so into each other you weren't even looking at the camera. So why are we living like we are right now, instead of being one big happy family?"

          "That's a long story, Aaron. It was something really stupid, like work taking over our lives. I found an awesome job out here as a talent scout, T.K. found a great place to write, out on the West Coast, and we were really young. I loved your father very much, and it hurt me a lot when we got the divorce. I figured it would be easier to live if I didn't have to see him, and I guess he thought the same way, so that's why we live on opposite coasts. We also thought it wouldn't be fair if one of us was all by ourselves and the other had two children… so we split you guys up. You are with me 'cause… well… you remind me a lot of your father. And your name is very dear to me."

          Aaron smiled. "Now I understand why you named me like you did. It was your crest, right?"

          I nodded. "You said your counselor's name was Dawn? Is she Izzy's daughter?"

          "Yeah. She said she was adopted, 'cause she's older than all the rest of us."

          "Really." I was intrigued; I hadn't kept in touch with most of the Digidestined, save for my brother and Sora, and was very interested to hear how they were doing.

          "Yeah. Mari and Karina were up there too."

          I smiled. "They must be all grown up now! I haven't seen them in a while. Maybe I'll go down to D.C. one of these days and visit them."

          "Yeah, they are. They were really excited to see me. Oh, and Hope roomed with Mari, so she's met her cousins."

          "That's great." The more Aaron talked about Hope, the more I started to regret what I had done years ago. T.K. and I could have worked it all out… we had a love stronger than anything. Aaron didn't deserve to grow up without his father and his sister… and how could I just leave Hope like that? I didn't know I had started to cry again until I felt a tear falling down my cheek.

          "Mom? Are you okay?"

          I nodded. "Yeah. Just thinking about how wrong some of the decisions I've made were." I looked over at my son and asked, "When is Hope coming? Is T.K. coming with her?"

          "I'm just waiting for you to tell me when you need to talk to Hope. And yes, T.K. is coming with her."

          "Good. I have a few things I need to talk to him about," I decided. But inside, I was melting. I hadn't seen my ex-husband in years, but I had always missed him… he was my one and only love of my life, and you can't easily forget about those things.

          "Tell Hope she can book her tickets as soon as she wants to, but she has to get here by Friday," I told Aaron. "My boss loves her already."

          Aaron beamed. "Okay." He came over and gave me a hug. "Thank you, Mom."

          "No," I whispered in his ear. "Thank you. You made me realize things that I should have realized a long time ago."

-POV: T.K.-

          "Hello?"

          As the person on the other end jabbered away, I sighed wearily… it looked like I was going to have to leave. "So you're saying that he can't come out here?"

          I sighed and nodded wearily. "Okay, okay, I'll see what I can do. Remember, I do have a sixteen year old to think about here. I'll be in touch." I hung up the phone and sat down. I was going to have to go to New York City to meet with my publisher, since he couldn't come out here this weekend because of an emergency. I didn't want to leave Hope here alone, though. Sure, she's sixteen and able to take care of herself, but I mean… things can happen.

          "Daddy?" Hope stuck her head into my room. "Can I come in?"

          "Sure, honey." She walked into the room and sat in the computer chair. "I need to talk to you anyway."

          "About what?"

          "I have to go to New York City this weekend… I'm meeting my publisher there. But I don't want to leave you here. Are you okay with coming with me?"

          Hope let out a squeal. "Oh, my God, I'd love to go to New York City!"

          I smiled. "So I'm taking that as a yes?"

          She nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah. When do we leave?"

          "We'll probably leave on Thursday afternoon, and get there Thursday night/Friday morning," I explained. "I don't know yet. But I'll book the tickets right now." Hope sat there, smiling, and I asked, "Hope, can I use the computer?"

          "What? Oh, yeah. Of course." We switched spots and while I typed away, trying to get airline tickets, Hope asked me suddenly, "Dad, what would you think of me becoming a recording artist with a contract?"

          I stopped and turned around. "Well, when? Like, at the present moment, a few years from now… give me some specifics."

          "What if I told you (AN: *it was all meant to be… would you believe me… would you agree?* LOL sorry, I'm in a Kelly Clarkson mood at the moment… I'll return you back to your regularly scheduled program now) I had a meeting with a record label in a few days and they might want to sign me?"

          My eyes widened, and I'm sure my jaw was in some unattractive position, as it was wide open. "Hope, you can't be serious."

          "I am. Remember the time I was recording up at camp? You didn't think I was just in there for fun, did you?"

          "I… I don't know," I said softly. I knew my daughter was gifted with a wonderful voice—probably from her uncle Matt more than anyone else—and that she had the capacity to go far… I just didn't know if I wanted her to. I wouldn't want her to be on tour somewhere in Europe or something while I was stuck here by myself, writing, in this big lonely house. I wouldn't want to follow her, either—a sixteen year old doesn't need to be tended to 24/7. A sudden random thought then crossed my mind… Takaishi, you wouldn't be so lonely if you hadn't let Kari go. I furrowed my eyebrows at the sudden internal outburst of feeling, but Hope interrupted my thoughts.
          "Dad?"

          I looked at her. "Yeah?"

          "I don't know exactly when I'm going to be able to meet with the label, but it is going to be in the timespan of this weekend, and the meeting is somewhere in a big building in New York City."

          I was still amazed at how she had done this. "But Hope… how did you pull it off?"

          She smiled. "Remember that friend I told you about, the one that set up my session in the studio?"

          I nodded, vaguely recalling something about a birthday gift… or something.

          "His mom is a talent scout for Stratus Records, and he brought a copy of my recording home with him so that she could hear it. I'm waiting to hear from him to see when my meeting is, but he's assured me that I'll be meeting with them sometime soon."

          "Are you sure?"

          "Positive." I nodded. "Okay, then. Let me book these tickets, and the moment you find out, let me know." This was still surreal to me… my daughter, a popstar? What a strange thought. But then again… if I can live with my brother being one, then I can live with Hope being one… right?

-POV: Hope-

          Ding!

          "Attention, all passengers: we are now beginning our final descent towards JFK. Please fasten your seatbelts, stow your trays, and return your seats to the upright position. Thank you… we will be with you shortly."

          I stirred from my restless sleep. Next to me, my dad was listlessly sitting with his eyes closed, and I poked him. "Dad. We're almost there."

          He opened his eyes sleepily and mumbled, "We are?"

          "Yes! Didn't you hear the announcement? We'll be there soon!"

          I couldn't help being so excited… not only was I going to New York for the first time, faced with the prospect of a record deal, but I was going to see Aaron again! And the best part of it all is… Mom and Dad were going to meet, finally.

          My head was glued to the window as we landed. I could see the Statue of Liberty from where we were flying, and the many different little islands that made up NYC. Beside me, my dad was gripping the seatrests tightly—he's not fond of flying.

          Finally, we got off the plane, got our stuff, and proceeded to go to our hotel. My dad's publisher was putting us up in a nice hotel, since he made us come out here… my dad was grateful for that. As we went out to the curb, I had the urge to do something I'd always seen done in movies and TV shows, but never had the chance to do… I stepped out into the street, ignoring my dad yelling, "Hope! What are you doing?" and raised my hand straight up. I smiled as a taxi approached us. I turned to my dad and gestured for him to come with me. With a part angry, part surprised, and part impressed look, he came with our stuff and we got into the taxi.

          "So, where to?" the driver asked, in a very thick New Yawka accent.

          Dad told him the name of our hotel, and we held on as he took us there. Let me tell you… I have been on many a roller coaster in my lifetime, but nothing compares to a ride in a New York City taxi. I swear, by the time we got to our hotel, my dad was pale, and I was dizzy. We handed over the amount on the meter—plus a good extra dollar fifty, just so he wouldn't complain—and went into the hotel. When we got into our room, there were already two messages for us—one for Dad, who was to meet his publisher at a certain restaurant, and one for me, which told me I was supposed to meet someone at a certain restaurant. Dad and I compared notes and we realized that we were going to the same place, so we unpacked a bit, got our stuff ready and hopped the subway to the noodle shop.

          "Hope," Dad queried, as we got off the subway, "who are you supposed to meet at the restaurant?"

          I shrugged. "Beats me. It could be the talent scout of that record company, or my friend Aaron… or both."

          "Aaron?"

          "Yeah… he's the friend that I met up at camp."

          "Oh." We went up the stairs and were immediately surrounded by the bustle and the energy of the city. I smiled. I liked it already. We walked briskly (like we had a choice) to the noodle shop, which was on the same block as we were walking, and when we found it, we walked in. No one was in there… except for a girl that looked vaguely familiar.

          "Hello, may I help you?" she asked.

          "Kendall?" I asked her, in surprise. She looked like Kendall… but not quite…

          The girl smiled. "Not quite. I'm Kristen. Kendall's my twin."

          "Ohh." I then remembered Kendall saying something about having a twin. "Hi! I'm Hope Takaishi. I met Kendall up at camp."

          "That's cool," Kristen replied. Then she looked at the door. "Oh, here she comes now."

          Sure enough, I recognized the bouncy red curls belonging to the girl walking in the door as Kendall's. And even better—and weirder—was that Aaron was with her. Ooh… I snickered to myself about that. I wasn't going to let Aaron live that down, no way.

          "Hey, Kristen, is there anyone here yet? Aaron and I are kind of expecting someone…" Kendall trailed off and saw my dad and me standing there, and she flew to me. "Hope! Oh, my gosh, I missed you!"

          "I missed you too, Kendall," I told her, hugging her tightly. Aaron walked up behind her and gave me a huge hug. "Hope, I'm so happy you're here. We have so much to talk about."

          I nodded. "Yeah. Oh, Daddy… these are my friends Kendall Motomiya, her twin Kristen, and this is—"

          "Aaron," my brother finished for me, not wanting to reveal our "surprise" just yet.

-POV: T.K.-

          I stood there, facing Hope and her friends, and carefully scrutinized Aaron. Strangely enough, he looked almost like me when I was his age… which I guessed to be about seventeen or eighteen—especially in his eyes. His hair was just as messy as mine, Matt's, and Tai's, but he only shared the same color as Tai. He brought something out of the back of my mind… but before I could comment on it, I felt a tap on my shoulder. "Mr. Takaishi?"

          I turned. Daniel, my publisher, stood there. "Daniel, hi."

          "I'm glad you could make it. Sit, we have some things we have to discuss."

          I nodded, shoving this nagging feeling that I knew Aaron into the back of my mind.

So… T.K. suspects something, huh? How will he find out about his connection to Aaron? Will Davis's noodles kill everyone? (I hope not) And will T.K and Kari FINALLY meet? hee hee… you'll just have to find out during the next chapter.

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