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Together Again: Chapter 6

Revelation, part 2: T.K. / The Meeting

-POV: 3rd person-

          As T.K. and his publisher sat down at one table, Hope and Aaron sat at another. Kendall attempted to sit down with them, but Kristen pulled her away, complaining that Kendall never did any work. So it was just the two of them at the moment.

          "Hope, when did you get here?"

          "Like, an hour and a half ago," Hope replied. "I'm kinda tired, but I had to come with Dad here. So this is Kendall's dad's noodle shop. Pretty nifty," Hope noticed, looking around.

          "Yeah," Aaron agreed.

          "So…" Hope leaned across the table. "What's up with you and Kendall, big bro? Did you ask her out yet?"

          "No!" Aaron exclaimed, a bit too loudly. "We're just friends, that's all."

          Hope raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "Riiight. And I'm the Queen of England."

          "You know, that may not be as far fetched as you think," Aaron commented.

          "What?"

          "Never mind. Anyways… so maybe I think she's cute—well, not just cute—and funny, and smart, and witty… but that doesn't mean I like her like that."

          "Yeah it does. But on to more important things. Does Mom know I'm here? Not that I'm here, but that I as in her daughter am here?

          Aaron nodded. "Yeah. I told her a few days ago."

          "And?" Hope asked in anticipation.

          "She got all teary eyed when I talked about you, I think she misses you. And she said she had to talk to Dad about stuff… so hopefully all goes well."

          Hope smiled, tears forming in her own eyes. "I can't wait to meet her. I've been waiting for it for a long time now. How do you think we should do it?"

          "How about I set up an 'appointment' for you and Mom to go over the terms of your contract, and you bring Dad with you, and we can go to our apartment? Sound good?"

          Hope nodded decisively. "Sounds good."

-POV: T.K.-

          As soon as we had gotten back to the hotel room, Hope had a call on her cell phone. I watched her as she picked up and conversed with the person on the other end. I hoped it wasn't someone from California… the prices on that bill would be enormous.

          "What? You want us to go there now? Oh… oh… okay. Okay. I'll talk to you in a few." She hung up and turned to me. "Dad? Do you mind meeting my friend Aaron's mom with me? We're going over the contract that they have for me."

          "They have a contract for you?"

          "Yeah. I'm actually supposed to tell them if I want it or not when I meet with all the big wigs. But for now, Aaron's mom is going to run me through it."

          "Okay, I guess," I replied. "I'll just bring along a notebook or something."

          She nodded. "Let's go. Aaron's going to meet us at the subway station."

          Sure enough, Aaron was waiting for us when we got to the station. The uncanny resemblance between my eighteen year old self and him was unsettling. As he spoke to Hope, I learned a lot about him… and he reminded me more and more of myself.

          "My mom tried to get you a really good contract," Aaron was telling Hope, "but she said she can't promise anything."

          "That's okay. I'm just really excited being considered for getting one." Then she smiled—not a real smile, but a smile that I had seen many times before, when Hope had an agenda—and asked Aaron, "So… when are you going to see Kendall again?"

          "Will you stop with that? Geez, you're not going to let me live that down, are you?"

          "Aaron, that's what little—" Hope had begun to say, but I cut in—accidentally—by asking, "You know those twins? Are they Davis's daughters?"

          "Yeah," Hope answered. "It's a good thing that Aaron's mom and Davis aren't together like we thought they were, 'cause if they got married, Aaron and Kendall would be stepsiblings." She made a face, I laughed at the face, but was internally perturbed—why, I don't know—by her comment about Davis, and Aaron blushed a deep scarlet. He just shook his head and tried to ignore Hope the rest of the way to Aaron's apartment.

          As we walked through the hallways of Aaron's apartment building, I looked around in amazement. There was something really familiar about this place… but I couldn't put my finger on it. As Aaron announced that we were at his door, I saw him pull out his keys, and recognized a familiar symbol glinting on one of his keychains. He has my crest… he looks like me… could it be true? Before I could recover from the shock that this could be my son, Aaron opened the door and called for his mother. She appeared from around the corner, and instantly, our eyes locked. In that one moment, I knew it was true, all of it… but how could this have happened? Kari and I arranged it so that we wouldn't have to see each other… and then I thought of Hope. I attempted to direct my eyes to her, but Kari's eyes wouldn't let me. It had been years, but she was still beautiful: her hair was now shoulder-length, and she looked a bit weary, but her eyes, and her smile, were bright as ever. And then… she spoke.

          "Hello, T.K."

          I tried to speak, but nothing came out. I cleared my throat and then attempted again. "Kari, hi. It's been too long."

          She nodded in agreement. "Come on in. Apparently, your daughter—well, our daughter and I have things to discuss."

          I turned to Hope, who was currently conferring with Aaron, and exclaimed, "You knew the whole time, didn't you?"

          She looked up at me, her mother's innocence apparent in her eyes, and simply nodded. "If I told you, you might not have agreed, and that would have ruined everything," she said quietly, before sitting down at the table, across from Kari.

          I watched with peaked interest as the two of them sat down to discuss Hope's contract. For a moment, they sat and looked at each other, trying to make up for so many years lost. Kari was the first to speak. "Hello, Hope. I'm Ms. Kamiya, as you know—"

          "You're my mother. You don't have to be formal with me," Hope said warmly, standing up and going over to the other side of the table. She motioned for Kari to stand up and when she did, Hope wrapped her mother in a big embrace. "I forgot to do this when we came in."

          Kari hugged Hope back, tears forming in both of their eyes. (I think Hope gets her sentimentality from her mom.) "Oh, Hope… it's been so long…"

          "I know," she whispered, in between sniffles. Seeing this scene brought so many emotions to me—regret, that I had kept Hope from her mother for so long… hurt, that Kari had reverted back to her maiden name… a bit of a warm and fuzzy feeling at the sight of the reunion… and uneasiness. Hope and Kari may have welcomed each other, but would it be that easy for Aaron and me? I hadn't even fully recovered from the shock of finding this all out—only a few short minutes had elapsed.

          I glanced over at Aaron. I think he was trying to avoid me, because when he saw me look at him, he looked away. I sighed. I was going to have to work on this.

-Later-

          "Now that that's settled… what do you suppose we do now?" Kari asked.

          "Hmm?" I looked up and realized that the negotiations were done. I had been totally lost in my writing to notice. "Well, I want to see what you guys agreed on before we okay this thing."

          "Okay." Kari handed me the contract and I took it from her. For a brief moment, our hands touched, and the small but profound feeling that I had always felt whenever our hands made contact returned. I looked up at her for a moment and saw something in her eyes… something I hadn't noticed yet. But in an instant, the moment passed, and I began to look over this contract that I held in my hands. "Thank you," I said softly.

          "No problem," she replied, equally as soft.

-POV: Kari-

          I looked at my children—finally together again—and recognized the blank faces as they sat down. They were bored, and needed something to do. So I decided to give them an assignment, so that T.K. and I could have some time to work things out. "Hey, guys, I need you to run this down to my office."

          "Now?" Aaron asked, checking his watch. "Well… I guess we could, if we left now. Hope, do you want to come, just so that you don't get lost when we go there tomorrow?"

          "Sure," Hope replied, jumping to her feet. "We'll be back soon," she assured us as they went out the door and left. Now it was just the two of us. The tension in the air was so thick that you could cut it with a knife. I sat in one of the dining room chairs and T.K. retained his position on the couch. He spoke first.

          "Kari, I… I had no idea what Hope was up to. If I had known, I wouldn't have come…"

          "T.K., it's all right. At least one of us knew what was going on."

          "You knew, too? Geez, what is this—conspire against T.K. day or something?" he burst out. I had to laugh. Even after all these years, T.K. was just as adorable as he was when he was fourteen.

          "I'm sorry," I said after a moment of laughter. But it had loosened us up… T.K was smiling, leaning back comfortably against the sofa. I stood and moved my chair closer to him. "It was inevitable that they would meet sooner or later. We couldn't keep them apart forever."

          "I know, I know." T.K. exhaled and ran a hand through his messy blonde hair, the hair that I had to resist running my own hands through like I used to. "Tell me, Kari, how do you like this situation?"

          I hesitated for a moment. "You mean… the way things are now? Our children separated?"

          He nodded.

          "Well, now that Aaron and Hope know each other, I don't think it's fair to keep them apart," I began slowly.

          T.K. nodded in agreement. "That's what I think. But how are we going to do that—are we going to send them with me for half the year, and then to you, or every two months, or what? This can serve to be very complicated."

          "I know." I looked down, hoping to muster up some courage. Finally, I looked back up, right into those crystal azure eyes, and asked, "T.K., what happened?"

          Knowing exactly what I was getting to without having to spell it out, his eyes got a look of regret and sadness, which I'm sure mirrored my own, and he answered me softly. "I don't know. We were young, we had lots of responsibilities, and I guess… we let busyness take over our lives… and our love." He continued to look at me, and I got a chill down my spine; then I realized what he was doing. He'd done it plenty of times before—he was looking straight into my soul. There were only two people in this world that could do that: my son, and his father. I couldn't hide anything from T.K., not even if I tried. So when I saw that brilliant smile spread upon his face, I knew he knew. I had never let go of our love, not in these last twelve years.

          Blinking, I severed the connection through our eyes, and I stood up. "Kari, where are you going?" T.K. asked, almost in despair.

          I smiled at him. "Don't worry. I'll be right back."

-POV: T.K.-

          As Kari went to do whatever she was going to do, I put my hands behind my head and sighed. I knew that our love for each other was still there, but… time had done a lot to us. This disrupted our way of life, and I didn't want to rush into anything, but at the same time, I had missed my ex-wife so much. I prayed for a second chance. That's all I really needed at the moment—a second chance. Maybe then I'd learn to prioritize. But then… writer's block had been hitting me a lot lately. Maybe I didn't need to prioritize at all.

          "Okay, T.K., I want you to do something for me," Kari said as she reemerged into the living room.

          "Yes?" I asked expectantly.

          "Close your eyes."

          "Oookay," I said slowly, doing as she instructed. I heard a bit of shuffling, and then the sounds of a beautiful song filled the air. My heartbeat quickened as I realized what song this was.

*Flashback*

          I stood on the doorstep of the Kamiya household nervously; I adjusted my tie for the seventeenth time that night. I tapped my foot impatiently. "What's taking them so long?"

          Suddenly, the door was thrown open and there stood Tai. I gulped involuntarily; Tai had always been a good friend and respected leader, but now he was playing the part of overprotective big brother, and I didn't know what to expect. "Hey, T.K. Come on in."

          I stepped inside, ever so nervously, and planted my feet at that spot. Tai smiled at me reassuringly. "T.K., come on now. Don't be so nervous. You've known Kari for practically your whole life, and if there was one person I could choose to be with her, it'd be you. But you know, if anything should happen to her, if you should break her heart… you know who you're gonna answer to."

          I nodded quickly. "I know, Tai. It's just… gosh, I just hope she likes tonight."

          "That's up to you, kiddo," Tai advised me. "Make it the best that you can make it." He went over to the stairs and yelled, "Kari! T.K's waiting for you!"

          A faint "I'm coming!" could be heard from the upstairs, and my heart began to race. And in the next few moments, she appeared before me: a vision of iridescent pink, her hair up in a simple ponytail with a few strands framing her face, and a dazzling smile to complete the look. I gasped. "Kari… you look beautiful."

          She smiled shyly. "Thanks."

          I took the flower that I was holding behind my back and offered it to her. "For you."

          "Oh, T.K…." She took the single pink rose and lifted it to her nose, inhaling the sweet scent. "Thank you."

          "So, T.K., when do you expect to be back?" Tai grilled. And so it began.

          After dodging all the questions Tai had thrown at us, Kari and I set off… out to our first dance, and our first date.

          That night, after lots of mingling and dancing, we were taking a break from everyone and just having some "us" time. We sat down on a bench just outside and I took Kari's hand into mine, lacing our fingers together. She smiled. "I kinda like the way that feels," she said.

          "Then I'll make sure I do this all the time." I smiled back at her, and lifted our hands to my heart. "I'll keep it close to here."

          Kari jumped a bit, and I looked at her in concern, but she shook her head. "It's nothing. I just… I can feel your heart beating."

          "Oh." Relief washed over me. "It's a nice feeling," Kari commented. I looked at her, looked into her deep scarlet-brown eyes, and felt this feeling come over me… one that I had never experienced before. "You know what, Kari?"

          "What?"

          "You're very special to me. I'm so lucky to be here with you right now."

          Kari said nothing, only leaned in closer to me and rested her head on my chest. "I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be right now," she whispered, as I held her closely. Just then, a slow song started, and Kari gasped. "Okay, just kidding," she said, as she got back up and pulled me with her. "How about we dance?"

          "Okay, I guess…"

          "Come on, T.K., do it for me," she pleaded, looking up at me with those huge doe eyes that she knew I couldn't say no to. "Okay, Kari, you win."

          Her bright smile lit up her face and she led me in, as I took her in my arms and we began to sway to the music, slowly getting lost in our own world.

*Real time*

          "T.K, do you know who this is?" Kari asked, shocking me out of my memory.

          I listened for a minute. The voice was familiar, but I couldn't place her. "Not quite," I admitted.

          Kari nodded. "This is Hope."

          My eyebrows shot up. "Really?"

          "Yeah. She's good, isn't she?"

          "Yes, she is. She's always possessed a wonderful singing ability."

          Kari was quiet for a moment, listening to Hope, and then she looked at me. "You did a good job, T.K. Of raising Hope, I mean."

          "Thank you." That really meant a lot to me. "Aaron's turned out pretty well, too."

          "I tried my hardest… but there were times—still are, actually—where I thought I couldn't go on… it was very hard. You know why?"

          "Why?" I asked, although I knew that subconsciously, I knew the answer.

          "Because you weren't there with me," she admitted. "Without hope there is no light…"

          "…and without light there is no hope," I finished for her. She looked in amazement at me, then made her way next to me, sitting down on the sofa, telling me to listen to the words of the song.

So I lay my head back down

and I lift my hands and pray to be only yours

I pray to be only yours

I pray to be only yours

I know now you're my only hope

          "You are my only hope, T.K.," Kari whispered. "I need you."

          I tentatively reached out and stroked a lock of her silky hair. "Oh, Kari… you don't know how much I've missed you… how many times I've wished to go back in time and change things…" I pulled her into my embrace and kissed the crown of her head impulsively. And finally, all was right with the world… my Light was here in my arms, right where she belonged. I could feel her tense up, as if it was unexpected, but she soon loosened up and relaxed, lying comfortably in my lap. She smiled up at me. "I've missed you, T.K. More than you can ever imagine."

          "I know." I stroked her hair again, and some magical force suddenly was set in place, making me move closer to her. My lips were right about to brush hers when suddenly, simultaneously, both my phone and the buzzer rang, and we jumped. Kari rushed to get the door while I picked up my phone… and I sighed. "Hi, Daniel. No… I don't know… I'm really tired. How about tomorrow? Okay… okay. I'll see you then. Okay, bye." I hung up, sighing wearily, jet lag and fatigue setting in. Kari turned to me and said, "Hope and Aaron are on their way up."

          I nodded. "I should really get going… I bet Hope and I are going to be really jet-lagged if we don't get some sleep sooner or later."

          Kari nodded. "Okay. I'm going to see Hope tomorrow when we meet with my boss… will I see you tomorrow?" she asked hopefully.

          "I… I don't know. I have a meeting with my publisher… but I'll try and see what I can do."

          "Oh. Okay," she replied, a hint of disappointment in her voice. The door opened then and Hope bounded in, followed by Aaron. "Hope, we're going to go now."

          "Okay," Hope agreed, gathering her things. "Thank you so much… Mom. I'll see you tomorrow."

          "Okay, Hope," Kari said, smiling as Hope hugged her. "Have a good night."

          "You, too," she replied, as the two of us walked out the door. I turned to say goodbye to Kari and Aaron and held my ex-wife's gaze for a bit. "See you tomorrow, Kari."

          "You too, T.K." She smiled at me before I waved at her, and awkwardly at Aaron, and shut the door behind me.

Yay! They finally meet, Takari action is in place… hee hee. Not too many chapters after this, but it will be a happy ending, let me tell you that. Thank you to all my reviewers. And I know this doesn't seem as realistic as it should be, but come on now, it's my story, leave me alone. (And I was running out of ideas, okay???) So yeah. Let me know what you think! The button wants to be pressed, that's what it lives for! So make my day and the happy little button's day and REVIEW! Thank you. =D