HA! It has arrived! Hurrah! Here's what y'all been waiting for… Chapter 4! More Takari! (Not much, but still, there's some. Don't worry. We're getting there.) If you don't remember what happened before the little interlude (Hope being drunk came to me in a flash of writing… not really genius, but it came to me just like that *snaps fingers*… I thought it'd be a little bit of comic relief and stuff… and Kevin might become her boyfriend… *wink* anyway), the gang was just getting ready to go to the beach. So it picks up right from there. Okay? Tell me what you think. I think I'll only be able to get one more chapter out before December 20, but after that, I'm gonna be writing like crazy 'cause there's NO SCHOOL! YES!!!! =D hehe… okay I'll shush now. You read. And review. And like. (I hope.)
Disclaimer: Only James and Lily are mine, okay? And I confess! I stole their names, too! But don't sue me! Or else I refuse to write anymore and you'll never find out what happens! (Ooh, is that threatening enough for you or WHAT?)
One Light, One Hope
Chapter Four: Revelation
As it ended up, we needed Sora to drive after all. In total, there were ten of us: Tai, Matt, Sora, Mimi, Davis, Ken, James, Lily, Kari, and me. We wanted to split it up: guys in Tai's car, girls in Sora's car, but there were six guys and five seats in Tai's car, and none of us wanted to sit in anyone's lap. "So one of us has to go with the girls," Matt concluded, stating the obvious.
"I'll go!" James volunteered before any of us had the chance to speak.
"Okay, it's settled," Sora firmly said, before any of us could protest.
"Sora, you have no idea what you're getting yourself into," Lily spoke up. It was rare that she spoke up, so we all turned and looked at her. "My brother, in a car full of girls? Ummm… yeah."
"You'll be there to take care of him," Mimi reassured her, giving her a wink.
Davis and I exchanged a glance, and I could tell he wasn't too happy about the whole arrangement. "I really wanted to go," Davis told James, "but since you're going, I'm going to tell you one thing—stay away from my girl!"
I could barely keep from laughing as bewildered looks came over all the rest of the guys. "Okay, okay," James complied. "Which one is your girl?"
"Does it matter? You're gonna be the only guy in a car full of girls! Trust me, buddy, if you try any funny business, I swear—"
"Davis." Lily touched his arm and he instantly calmed. "Don't worry. I'll keep him in line. He is my brother, after all, and I am older than him," she said triumphantly, giving a look to her brother.
"Only by five minutes," James grumbled.
"Anyways, guys, let's go," Sora called. "Everyone in the car!"
The girls all piled in—well, all the girls except Kari. "Hey, there's no room for me!"
"You can sit on my lap, Kari," James offered.
"I'm warning you, James—" Davis began, but Lily shot a meaningful look at him and he subsided again. "Lily, if you weren't in the car…"
"I know, I know. Thank me when we get there." Lily blew a kiss to Davis as Sora pulled out of the driveway, and he blushed furiously.
Once they were out of earshot, I burst out laughing and gave Davis a high-five. "That was priceless, pulling your 'Kari's my girl!' line again."
"Hey, I had to save her from that… that…"
"So, Davis, anything you want to tell us?" Tai asked probingly, changing the subject.
"What?" Davis had no clue what we were talking about.
"What's going on with you and Lily?" Matt asked coyly, as we all began to climb into Tai's car.
"Oh…" Davis ran a hand through his bushy hair. "Nothing."
Ken rolled his eyes. "That's what they all say," he commented, throwing a glance in my direction.
"What? I had nothing to do with this," I protested, throwing up my hands in the air.
"Anyway, Ken," Tai said, changing the subject, "what's your cousin like?"
"James? Oh, he's a bit flirtatious, but he's a good guy. Don't worry about him—like Mimi said, Lily's there to keep him in line. She does a great job of it, too."
"She's just great overall," Davis sighed, putting his hands behind his head and closing his eyes. The rest of us looked at each other knowingly, silently agreeing to let that one go.
Later…
"We're here! We're here!" Tai announced, sounding more like a little boy than a senior in high school.
We piled out of the car and unloaded the stuff we had packed—a volleyball net, a huge cooler filled with drinks and part of our lunches, blankets, chairs, water coolers, an awning to put over all our stuff, and lots more. "Hey, ladies!" Davis called out, and all of us groaned. "Mind helping us out here with a few things?"
"Sure," Kari called back, with James tagging along. "Were you calling me a lady just then?" James asked.
Davis sweatdropped. "Uh… no?"
"Don't mind him, Davis, he's just being a jerk," Lily said, pushing past her brother. "Need help with anything?" she asked us.
"Yeah, can you take these chairs for me?" Matt handed her a couple of beach chairs.
"No problem."
After setting up and getting everything together, it was finally time for some fun in the sun! The water was glittering sapphire blue, the sun was already beating down, and an ocean breeze was blowing lightly. Davis and Lily were the first ones in the water. Ken, who had some really bad memories with water and oceans in general, was content to begin a sandcastle, and was soon joined by Mimi and Matt. (AN: NO, this is not hinting at Mimato. Sorry Mimato fans.) Tai chased Sora all the way into the water, where she tackled him and a full tickle fight/wrestling match/Marco Polo game ensued. As I watched all of this, somewhat contentedly, I decided I was going to go in and join them, but as I began to strip off my T-shirt, a voice interrupted my mini reverie.
"T.K.?"
I turned around to see Kari in a lavender, two-piece bathing suit that was modest, but still showed some skin. I stood there staring at her for a moment. I didn't realize that in the span of a year, my best friend was growing into a… a GIRL! And it definitely showed.
I blushed as I realized that not only was I staring at her, but she was staring at me too (I think)… well not at me, but… at my chest? This was really embarrassing. "Um… yeah?"
"What? Oh." Kari blushed, and I guess she realized what she was doing. (What was she doing, anyway?) "I was wondering… can you help me put some sunscreen on my back? I would do it, but… it's kinda hard."
"Oh. Sure." I sat her down on a towel and began to rub the yucky white stuff onto her back. "Hey, Kari? Are you like, stressed or something?"
"Why… oh, that feels good." Before she got a chance to answer me, I had begun to massage her back. It felt really tense, and besides, the two of us always did this for each other in school. "T.K., you're really good at this," Kari said, as I rubbed more sunscreen onto her back while at the same time massaging it. "How did you learn how to do this?"
"Practice, I guess," I shrugged. I helped loosen up her neck and her back, and then spread some sunscreen on her shoulders. "Okay, Kar. That's all," I said, giving her a small hug by wrapping my arms around her shoulders.
She turned to face me. "Thank you, T.K. That was wonderful." For a moment, I looked into her eyes, and something struck me. I'd looked into these friendly, kind eyes so many times before, but this was the first time I noticed how beautiful they were, sparkling in the mid-day sun and reflecting the water. We stared at each other again for the second time in five minutes, and then I instantly realized how… awkward the situation was. "You're welcome," I whispered softly, trying to break the moment but not really wanting to.
"Hey, Kari! Last one in is a rotten Digi-egg!" a voice, undoubtedly James's, called.
"Not if I have any say in it!" she shouted back. Then she turned back to me and smiled. "Thanks again, T.K." And she ran off into the water.
I got up slowly, in a half-daze, and as I walked to the water, watching my six friends (well, five friends and this one GUY) play and frolic in the surf, a realization hit me.
I'm falling for my best friend.
I shook my head, just to make sure it wasn't just a passing thought or a random idea. But the more I pondered it, the more it settled in. So this is what a crush felt like.
"T.K.! Hurry up, the water's getting hot!" Kari yelled, interrupting my thoughts again. But she was in my thoughts almost all the time… so did that mean she was technically interrupting? (AN: That occurred to me while I was writing this… what do you think? Random thought of the day!)
"I'm coming!" I yelled back. Then I ran at break-neck speed to the shore, and snuck up behind Kari, making a splash as I entered in the cool water with the rest of my friends.
We spent the whole day at the beach, talking, laughing, swimming, and building the best sandcastle Japan's coastline has ever seen. Kari took pictures of it with her digital camera, along with all of us, randomly, throughout the day. As I stretched out on a towel to soak up some rays, but really, to ponder over what I had just discovered, I was squinting up at the sky, trying to find a decent place to rest my gaze. Suddenly, I found I didn't have to squint anymore. I looked up and found Sora Takenouchi standing over me.
"Penny for your thoughts?" she asked.
"They're worth more than that, but they're all jumbled up, so I don't know if you'd be able to understand them." I cracked a smile.
"Funny. Seriously, though, talking about your problems helps them to become clearer," Sora relayed wisely, looking as if she had spoken from experience.
"Okay. So, how do you feel about Tai?"
"I said talking about your problems, T.K., not mine."
"What, just because I'm Matt's brother doesn't mean you can't talk to me as a friend. Besides, we may be in similar situations."
Sora sighed. "Fine, fine, but you're spitting out what's troubling you if I have to go and eat a sand sandwich." She paused for a moment and then began, "Well, I used to have this big crush on Matt before. But now, Tai's acting so differently… it's as if he… he likes me or something. And I don't know what to feel, what to say. I mean, he's been my best friend since who knows when, and I don't want to go out with him only to ruin our friendship, because he means a lot to me."
"So basically, you're saying that your best friend is falling for you, and it makes you feel weird. Do you like him back?" I asked, playing the part of psychiatrist and mentor.
"I think… I think I always have, but I haven't realized it until just lately. And it's not one of those fleeting crushes that you can just forget about in a few days. I've tried, I've tried so hard, but… it hasn't worked."
I nodded. "What is with that family?"
Sora gave me a questioning look for a moment, and then it turned into one of understanding. "This… this is about Kari, isn't it?"
I nodded again. "Sora, this is all so new to me. I just realized, like, thirty minutes ago, that I'm starting to like Kari. Well, not starting… I do. But I'm worried for just the same reasons as you are—what if our friendship deteriorates, how am I supposed to act around her, what should I do… I'm not even sure if she likes me or not."
A familiar sparkle glinted in Sora's eyes. "I'm not Tai's best friend for nothing, T.K. Let me work my magic and I'll get back to you."
"Thanks, Sora." I hugged my friend.
"No problem. Now what you and I said here stays here," she said firmly. "Clear?"
"Crystal." And then Sora scampered off, leaving me to my thoughts once more.
At the end of the day, I noticed something that had disturbed me a bit. James, like Ken had said, was very flirtatious, but he was being the most flirty around Kari. Now I now she wasn't mine to be protective of (not yet anyway), but still… he would smile at her in his cool, charming way and I'd see it in her eyes, the way she melted a little more. Could she ever look at me that way? Would she?
-a few weeks later… at the mall-
"T.K.! T.K.!"
I looked around wildly, trying to find where the voice was coming from. Through the sudden surge of people, I saw a waving Kari rushing towards me. "Oh, hey, Kari." The butterflies returned to my stomach.
"Hi!" she said, pulling me into a hug. I returned it gratefully and she exclaimed, "How are you? I haven't seen you in ages!"
"Well, you know… conditioning for basketball season. I'm hoping to make captain." I smiled. "And… if you must know… I'm working on a novel."
"You, a writer?" Kari asked. "That's new."
"Yeah, well… I kind of got into it after finding this great site called fanfiction.net (couldn't resist guys, sorry) and got inspired to write some things, and decided I was going to write my own original story. So yeah."
"Wow… you've been really busy," Kari breathed.
"Yeah, well…" I ran a hand through my hair. "It's not like you haven't been busy either, what with you and James hanging out all summer. What's with you and James, anyway?"
"Oh, we broke up," Kari stated casually, waving a hand in the air. "It was just one of those summer flings, you know? And he's going back to Kyoto in like two days, so I figured it wasn't going to work out… that long distance relationship thing. I've heard it's pretty hard."
I nodded, my heart beating faster with hope. I could almost feel a brightening of my crest, but I didn't want it to brighten too much; Kari might suspect something then. So I put on a smile and asked, "Are you okay?"
Kari shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, I knew it wasn't going to last long, so I didn't really think of it as a serious thing, but he was my first boyfriend, you know…" She sighed heavily. "But there was something else…"
"What?" I prodded, hoping to hear what I wanted to hear.
Kari glanced away and then gasped and pointed in a different direction. "Oh, my gosh! I've been wanting to buy that outfit for so long!" She pulled my arm and we flew over to the store.
"How does your brother do this?" I asked Kari, later, after everything was bought.
Kari shrugged. "Sora says it makes his arms look buffer."
Kari and I were both laden with many packages—not all for her. She was carrying all of hers, and I was carrying all of mine. We struggled to a bench outside of the mall and sat us and all our stuff down. "Thanks for going shopping with me, T.K.," Kari said gratefully.
"No problem, Kar. Next time, though, I'm not going to hold your bags."
"Well, we'll see about that," Kari winked. Then, out of nowhere, Tai's old, beat up, faded red car appeared. "Look, our ride's here," Kari said, with fake enthusiasm.
"Yay," I said, my voice filled with the same fake enthusiasm. But hey… it was better than nothing.
When Tai dropped me off at my apartment building, I took my many packages and waved goodbye to Kari and her brother. "Thanks for the ride!" I yelled.
"No problem!" Tai called back.
"I'll see you at school, okay, T.K.?" Kari called to me.
"Okay, Kari! See you later!"
"'Bye, T.K.!" And the car sped off. As I made my way into the elevator, I smiled to myself. My eighth-grade year was going to be the best ever.
Soooo… you like? Let me know! (real, honest-to-goodness Takari romance in the next chapter, I promise!) =D