an: Happy new year, everyone! 2003 is here! whoo-hoo! (Although I still can't really feel it, it's definitely here.) It's so weird because I'm graduating this year… but anyways, let me get to what I have to tell y'all.
SORRY FOR THE DELAY!
I thought I was going to be able to write a lot during this break, but things came up—one being (maybe) a new boyfriend *crosses fingers* so I'm really excited (and guess what guys—he writes fanfic too! Except for Star Wars, not Digimon)—and plus, writer's block kicked in a lot. UGH. So. This (sorry guys, a break from the Takari) is a little on the long side because of that (to make it up to you guys for waiting so long). If you don't get the ending, that's okay. It'll be explained in depth later in the next interlude. And if the next chapter isn't up in a while, please don't throw your shoes at me. I'm a busy girl, and when you add that to writer's block it's not a pretty combo. So yeah. Read, enjoy, review, and put me on another natural high! (Reviews do that to you, you know.)
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One Light, One Hope
Interlude Two: Crossroads
Aaron Kamiya-Takaishi drummed his fingers boredly on his "desk," the table that was attached to every seat in his lecture hall. This was the last day of school before winter break, and his last day at an East Coast institution of higher learning until… forever, practically. For this weekend, he was flying back out to Santa Monica, California, where his father, sister, and girlfriend were. Now, if he could only survive this physics class, everything would be fine.
"Why did I have to take physics?" he muttered to himself as the professor droned on about something called torque, which Aaron didn't quite understand. Aaron was majoring in journalism, so he had no idea why they made him take physics as a "general ed" course.
Suddenly, his cell phone went off, which elicited a few annoyed stares by his classmates, but Aaron didn't care. It was his last day here anyway. He eagerly reached for his phone, grateful for the distraction, and looked at the display. He had a text message.
Aaron—I miss you. Counting the hours until you come back. Much love, Kendall
Aaron smiled at the simple, but very meaningful message. Kendall Motomiya, his girlfriend for about a month and a half, was in California with his dad and his sister Hope, Kendall's best friend, and he missed her a lot. They'd been separated only four days into their relationship, but kept in touch most of the time—thanks mostly to Hope, who was an up-and-coming recording artist who was constantly flying from sea to shining sea. Aaron's and Hope's mom, Kari, was in New York with Aaron, and was trying to tie up loose ends so that she could go back to Santa Monica and Aaron's and Hope's father, her fiancé. However, it wasn't quite working out as much as Kari wanted it to—her boss had told her that she needed to work at least four months in New York before she could go back to the Santa Monica branch. Everyone in the Kamiya-Takaishi clan was grateful that Hope was on both coasts a lot—they were also able to plan a lot of the wedding stuff because of that.
Still paying no attention to the lesson at hand, Aaron wrote Kendall back:
Kendall—Can't wait to see you again. Miss you, love. I promise we'll be together soon.
Thinking of you always, Aaron
~*~
(Santa Monica)
"Hello? Anyone home?"
Kendall walked into the foyer of what she considered to be her second home, and called out. The coolest thing about living with this family was that everyone had a non-conventional schedule, which meant any person could be home at any given time. Kendall liked that a lot. Because she was a college student (she had skipped a grade back in elementary school), she was able to rig her schedule, too, which meant she fit in perfectly with the rest of them. And since she had just finished up her finals and was off for a week, she had a lot of time on her hands.
"Hey, Kendall!" The redhead smiled at the unmistakable voice of her best friend, and Kendall walked into the living room and looked up at the loft. "Hey, you. What are you up to?"
"I'm going to New York this weekend. Wanna come?" Hope referred to this casually only because she went there every other weekend, mostly for promotions or some other things. This time, she had an interview and performance on MTV's Total Request Live, plus she was going to help her mom pick out a wedding dress. She also knew this weekend Aaron was finishing up all his loose ends in the Big Apple and was planning to come back to California, so she figured Kendall would want to come. Hope wanted her to. It was lonely sometimes in those airports.
"And see Aaron sooner? Of course!" Hope smiled. She was right. "Not to mention free TRL seats, and seeing all of 'N Sync reunited," she chimed in, and Kendall squealed. "You're not serious."
"Dead serious, hon. What do you say?"
"Heck yeah!" Kendall was practically jumping up and down.
"Then we're set! Except for one thing—my plane leaves tonight and lands Friday morning, and we've only got a few hours until the plane leaves."
"Seriously? How long are we gonna be there?"
"Probably until Sunday morning, so pack light. It's not like you won't ever go there again."
"Yeah, but I want to go shopping there!"
Hope laughed. "Okay. I'll see what I can pull. Maybe while Mom is looking for a wedding dress."
Kendall rushed up the stairs to meet her friend and to start packing for her trip to New York, and her reunion with Aaron. She was psyched.
~*~
(The next day, in the NY apartment)
Hope kept pressing the buzzer, but no one would answer. "Gee, you'd think that at seven am on a Saturday morning, that someone would be home," she grumbled.
Finally a faint "Hello?" could be heard. "Mom? Mom, it's me," Hope said into the speaker.
"Okay, Hope, hold on a sec." There was a buzz and the door unlocked for the two girls, and Hope gratefully threw it open. "Finally."
Kendall didn't say much, partly because she was tired, partly because she was remembering the last time she'd been here, but mostly because she knew she'd see Aaron soon. That alone should have woken her up, but she wasn't able to get much sleep on that plane.
Finally, they made it to the top floor, and Hope knocked distinctly (but not loudly) on the apartment door. Being the wonderful surprise girl that she was (Hope was always the best at pulling off surprises), Aaron, again, didn't suspect a thing about Kendall being here. Kendall was waiting with anticipation when the door opened to reveal Kari Kamiya, Hope's mom.
"Oh, Hope… hi," Kari warmly greeted her daughter, with a big hug. "Here, let me get that for you."
The two girls wandered into the apartment and Kendall noticed how much more empty it looked from the last time she was here. Hope noticed this and explained, "It's quite frustrating to come back with more than you came with. We've worked out this plan for me to bring back a couple of boxes and stuff every time I come so that by the time Mom moves out of here, she doesn't have to bring much."
"By the way, Hope, there's your next project," Kari pointed out, gesturing to two big boxes in the corner. Hope smiled weakly and replied unenthusiastically, "Thanks, Mom."
"Hey, Aaron's coming home with you this time, so you'll have help. But, you'll also have a few more boxes of his stuff, so I guess they cancel each other out."
"Where is Aaron, by the way?" Kendall piped up. It was the most she had said since getting off the plane.
"Oh… hi, Kendall, I totally forgot about you coming here. He's not here right now, he had a few things to clear up with the college. But he'll be here shortly."
"Okay."
"So, do you girls want anything to eat?" Kari asked. "I can make something for you guys." Thankfully, Kari had not inherited her mother's cooking skills. In fact, she had quite the opposite—she cooked fairly decently, but not anything fancy.
"Um… not really. Do you think I can just sleep?" Kendall asked. Kari smiled.
"Of course, honey. You can use the bed in Aaron's room, if you want." She looked at her son's girlfriend knowingly and Kendall smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Ms. Kamiya."
"Please, call me Kari. You've been around us long enough that you don't have to be formal with us."
"Okay, Ms…. Kari." Kendall then wandered into Aaron's room and practically passed out on his bed from all the tiredness she felt.
"Jet lag." Hope shook her head. "Always gets 'em."
"You shouldn't talk, Hope, the first time you came here you were really tired, too."
"True. You know what, I think I'll take you up on your offer, Mom," Hope said, as Kari nodded and started moving around the kitchen. "I have to be at MTV Studios at 11 am, and it's going to take a while, I think, for taping and stuff. I need the energy."
"I hear you, Hope. It's coming." Kari cracked some eggs and for some reason unknown to her, started scrambling them. Hope watched her mother make the eggs and when she was done and began on the Spam (sliced into thin pieces and fried), Hope was amazed. It was true that she had become closer with her mother in the last several months, but she didn't know everything about Hope… did she?
"Okay, there you go," Kari said cheerfully, setting a plate of Spam, eggs, and plain white rice (AN: mmm! good stuff. maybe I'll have some tomorrow morning. as an Asian myself, I know from experience how good that stuff is. =D) in front of her daughter. Hope looked up at her, in awe. "Mom… how did you know that this is my favorite?"
Kari smiled. "You do remember that I raised you until you were four, right?"
"Yeah, but… that was ages ago!"
"A mother doesn't forget these things," Kari said wisely, a hint of sadness creeping into her voice. Hope's eyes watered slightly as she smiled at her mother. "Thank you."
Kari just sat and watched her daughter gratefully, thankful that she had this chance to be with her.
A couple of hours later, Hope was rushing to get herself ready for her TRL performance, and was about to rush right out the door when someone rushed right into the door. The two of them collided. "Ow!" Aaron exclaimed.
"Sorry about that, big bro," Hope said, brushing herself off. "My fault."
Aaron smiled broadly. "Hope! Hey!" He hugged her tightly and Hope squeaked, "Um. Aaron. I need to go."
Aaron blushed and let his little sister go. "Sorry about that, Hope. I'll see you later?"
"Yeah. I don't know if you want to come with us to look for Mom's wedding gown, so if you don't, I'll see you even later than I would have before."
Aaron nodded slowly, then smiled in understanding. "Okay. 'Bye, Hope. Have fun. I'll be watching for you."
Hope beamed. "Okay. Later." She went out the door and Aaron greeted his mother. "Hey, Mom. I don't have to deal with that college any longer. Yes!!!" Aaron pumped his fist into the air excitedly and Kari laughed. "So, do you have any plans for today?"
"I'm probably just going to pack up the rest of my stuff. Not that I have much more to do."
"Okay. Hope and I are going later to find a wedding dress for me, you're welcome to come along, but you don't have to."
"That's what everyone tells me. Well, let me know if you're leaving, and I'll decide whether or not to come with. Where are you going anyway?"
"I've always wanted the kind of dresses they have over on 5th Avenue, but I wasn't ever able to afford it. Now with Hope's career taking off we might be able to. She promised me she'd help me out with whatever I needed."
"Sweet girl, my sister is. Don't you just love her?"
Kari smiled. "I do. She's turned out so beautifully. I am so grateful to your father for that."
Aaron nodded and said, "Well, I'm going to go finish up in my room now, okay, Mom?"
Kari smiled, a twinkle in her eyes, not unlike her daughter's sometimes. "What?" Aaron asked, suspiciously.
"Oh, nothing… just go to you room."
"Ookay…" Aaron shrugged and headed to his humble abode. As he walked in the door, he saw a figure on his bed that he didn't recognize at first, but then smiled brightly as he realized that his girl was sleeping peacefully on his bed. He set his stuff down gently and then knelt next to the bed, right in front of Kendall's head. She slowly stirred and blinked her eyes open, and then gasped. "Aaron!"
"Kendall, hi," he said softly, kissing her. "I missed you so much."
"I did too." She sat up and hugged her boyfriend tightly. "When did you get in?"
"Just now. I didn't know you were going to be here," Aaron said.
"Trust your sister. You know how good she is at that." Then her eyebrows furrowed. "Where is Hope, anyway?"
"She just left, said she needed to go to some taping or whatever."
Kendall gasped. "Oh, my gosh. I was supposed to go with! How long does it take to get to Times Square?"
"Maybe thirty minutes? Something like that."
"Oh, man, I have to go! I don't want to miss 'N Sync reunited!"
Aaron laughed. "Okay. Well since you're here, I guess I'll go dress shopping with you guys. Where are we going to meet?"
"I don't know. I'll call you when I do, okay?" Kendall kissed Aaron softly. "And I'm really glad to be with you again," she whispered, before she left the room. Aaron flopped down on his bed and smiled. "I have the best sister ever."
~*~
(Later)
The four of them had decided they were going to meet at 5th Avenue and take things from there. Kendall and Hope had already gotten there and were window shopping when two arms snaked around Kendall. She jumped, but then turned around to see Aaron. "Hi, you," he greeted her.
"Please, enough with the mush already," Hope sighed. "You two are impossible."
"Hey, we haven't seen each other for a month and a half, okay?" Aaron retorted. "Besides, you're just jealous that you don't have a boyfriend."
"Aaron, Hope, please, don't start with that," Kari pleaded, noticing the hurt look in her younger child's eyes. "We're here for a happy event." Then she turned to Hope. "Do you want to buy your dress here too?"
"If you want me to, Mom," Hope replied softly, still reeling from the remark from her brother.
After a couple of hours, it was basically Hope and her mother doing the dress shopping; Kendall and Aaron were in a world entirely their own. Hope was happy that her best friend got to see her boyfriend, but her brother was just being obnoxious. She was detracted by her thoughts by Kari.
"Hope, you have to come see this. I think this is it."
Hope turned to see her mother in a simple, yet elegant two-piece white gown: the top was sleeveless, shimmery and tied in the back; it covered most of her back, but her lower back was exposed, except for the tie in the back and a string of translucent beads that went across Kari's back. The satin skirt wasn't poofy, but instead just flowed out and down lightly until it reached the floor, and the front was slightly shorter than the back. There was a detachable train on the skirt and the veil Kari had found, a gauzy, lacy fabric encrusted with rhinestones, was attached to her head by a small tiara.
Hope smiled at her mom. "Mom, you look amazing. Just like an angel."
Kari returned her daughter's smile. "I'm hoping your father will think so." Hope nodded and then said, "Hang on." She went and got her brother, who was sitting down on the couch with Kendall and whispering something in her ear (she was laughing), and cleared her throat. "Kendall, can I take Aaron from you for just a sec?" she asked.
"What? Yeah, no problem." Hope smiled sweetly at her and then turned to her brother. "I have to show you something." She took him around the corner to where her mother was standing and Aaron's breath caught in his throat. Kari saw him from the reflection in the mirror and she smiled at him. "Mom… wow…you look amazing." For the first time that day Aaron was focusing on something other than his girl, and Hope was happy. She loved Kendall and everything, but their mother was the most important one here.
"Thanks, Aaron." Then she turned to her daughter. "So I should get this one?"
"Definitely," Aaron and Hope said together, then looked at each other and smiled. They had always been special children—being the children of Light and Hope, they shared a special bond—but they didn't show it as much anymore.
~*~
(At the airport)
"'Bye, Mom," Hope said, her eyes moist, as she hugged her mother goodbye. Kari, whose eyes were moister than usual, hugged her tight and whispered, "'Bye, Hope. Come visit me soon."
"I will." Hope brushed a stray tear out of her mother's eyes and smiled. "You'll be back before we know it, Mom. And until then, I'll still come out."
"I know. You know I always cry when you leave, Hope." Hope nodded and laughed—this was true. "But," Kari continued, "my other baby's leaving me too, leaving me all alone."
Aaron rolled his eyes. "Mom, I'm eighteen."
"It doesn't matter if you're eighteen or forty-eight, you'll always be my baby boy," Kari shot back. (A/N: My mom does that all the time. LOL)
Aaron sighed, then tightly hugged his mother. "I'll miss you, Mom. Don't let anything happen to you from now until you come back, okay?"
"I'll try," Kari said, her eyes watery. Kari had known that this day would come from the day it was just her and six-year-old Aaron. She just didn't know that it would come so soon—or so unconventionally. Aaron was moving away, but back to his father's house. So in a way, he wasn't really moving—it was just a long separation. Still, Kari couldn't help letting the tears fall as she watched her children leave, disappearing into the cloudless sky.
Meanwhile…
The plane was quite empty, so the passengers were going around and switching seats. Hope didn't want to spend any more time near her older brother and his girlfriend than she had to—she was tired of the mush she had to deal with, it just made her feel even more lonely than she already did. Lately, with all the traveling she'd been doing on her own, Hope had been feeling lonely, but not like she didn't have any friends. No, she felt an emptiness inside that she didn't know how to fill. It was totally out of character for her—after all, her name said everything—but she still felt it anyway. Especially when she'd see couples walking hand in hand, or witnessing a truly touching, but private moment. Aaron and Kendall were not helping at all. She loved them both, really she did, but seeing them together just reminded her of how lonely and empty she felt. So Hope moved to another seat and sat down, leaning her chair back and closing her eyes, trying to rest. That is, until she heard a voice…
"Hey, can I sit here?"
Hope opened her eyes, then looked up and remembered those stunning hazel eyes looking back at her. Then she remembered the last time she'd been with that guy.
*Flashback*
Hope blinked her eyes open and groaned. She had the most horrible headache in the world, and her stomach wasn't feeling too pleasant. She rolled over on her side and squinted to see the time: 11:24 a.m. Then she closed her eyes in pain—the bright sun was too much for her to take right now. "The light… it burns!" she hoarsely whispered. (AN: stole that one from my brother! =D) Hoarse. That was not a good thing. Hope tried to think through the cloud that her brain was immersed in, and slowly, the events of the past night came to her. "Kevin…" she thought. "Did he… no. Nothing happened." But if there was any reason for her to stay away from alcohol, she thought dryly, this would be it. She reached onto her nightstand to find aspirin and a glass of water, and eagerly, she took it and lay back down again. Hope vowed never to feel that horrible again.
*Real time*
"Kevin?" she asked, in a whisper. "Is that you?"
The guy looked at her strangely, half in surprise that she knew his name and half in confusion, as if he was trying to place her face.
"Hope, right?" he said after a while, sitting down.
"Yeah!" Hope smiled. "Hey, what's up? Oh, and go ahead and sit down, that's fine." She felt strange inside—it's not like she fell head over heels in love at second sight with this guy, but there was something inside her that sparked, and she took a deep breath to try and calm herself.
"Hey. I kind of expected you not to talk to me after the last incident," Kevin began, cringing a bit. "If it's any consolation, I woke up with one hell of a hangover on New Year's Day."
"Tell me about it," Hope replied. But she waved a hand nonchalantly and said, "Hey, it's okay. It wasn't your fault—they were drenching us in champagne."
Kevin smiled weakly. "I guess." Then he looked over at his seatmate. "So how has life for you been since then? You fly between East and West Coast all the time too?"
Hope nodded. "Yup. You know the deal—Dad's in L.A., Mom's in New York, what not. Except that this time, my brother is coming out with me and staying in L.A. with us. All we need now is my mom and things would be perfect."
"Yeah… I don't intend to fly back to New York anytime soon. The band decided we're going to stay based in Southern California, and we needed to take care of some last-minute things. That's why I'm on this plane."
Hope smiled. "Southern California, huh? Well it looks like we'll be seeing a lot of each other, then."
Kevin just smiled back and replied, "That'd be awesome."
ooh, what could this mean for Hope? Will she find the thing she's been looking for? We'll get back to our main Takari story, then after chapter nine you'll find out! =D review review review, i haven't gotten any in a LONG time! =(