Chapter Two
Raindrops from the clouds above dived towards the earth and splashed violently onto the ground. Striking bolts of lightning created dragon-like patterns in the sky with the roar of thunder filling the air. TK was one of the few unlucky souls still forced to travel under such brutal conditions. Holding an umbrella in one hand and two grocery bags in the other, TK hurried along the dark and empty street, running as fast as his tired legs would take him.
After twenty minutes of running through howling wind and pelting rain TK finally arrived before his apartment unit. His cold hand, covered in raindrops slowly turned the key, unlocking the door to reveal the warmth of his home. TK unloaded his baggage onto the floor as he untied his shoes. Raindrops silently slid down from the umbrella and grocery bags, creating little puddles of water on the carpet. Lucky mum isn't here, or else she'll kill me, TK thought to himself. Unfortunately, TK thought too soon.
"TK? Is that you?" TK's mother appeared, coming out from the kitchen.
Shocked to find her at home TK dived down to the floor, picked up the dripping wet umbrella and grocery bags before springing back up with an awkward smile on his face.
"Mum, aren't you meant to be on assignment right about now?!"
"I was, but it was canceled at the last moment because my interviewee came down with the flu." TK's mother replied. " So I thought that since for once I'm at home during dinner time, I'd cook you dinner for a change. So what do you think?" She continued
Great! You haven't cooked a proper meal in three years, and the last time you tried to cook you nearly burnt down the kitchen, TK thought to himself. "Great! Haven't tasted your cooking in a long time, can't wait to try it again!" TK replied enthusiastically, not exactly telling the truth.
"So. what did you buy today?" TK's mother asked
"Just some vegetables, a few packets of instant noodles and tomorrow's breakfast" TK replied before handing the groceries to his mother
"Great, I'll use these ingredients and a few extras that I can find in the kitchen to cook up my masterpiece." TK's mother said happily before walking into the kitchen.
After drying off the umbrella, TK switched on the television and began flicking through the channels.
"TK, I'd rather you do something more productive, like cleaning your room while waiting for dinner." TK's mother's voice leaked through the kitchen.
"I would, but I'm too tired."
"Oh really?" TK's mother appeared from the kitchen again. This time the knife that she was using to chop the vegetables was present in her hand. TK's mother tightened her grip on the handle. A few rays of light traveled down the blade, before reflecting off at the tip.
"Okay, I've recovered. Time to clean my room" TK shouted and ran straight into his room, never daring to look back.
Scary woman, TK thought as he walked up to his bedroom door. A damp smell attacked TK's senses as soon as the door opened, and after turning on the light TK was faced with the full extent of his problem. His room was a mess. Dirty clothes covered the floor and every other surface in the room. The clothes lay in a mess above his books on the table and hung off his chair and bookcase. Basketball magazines were piled on his bedside table, with a few of them making their way into TK's tangled blankets. The closet door was jammed, as it had been forcibly closed after being filled above its limit. TK's whole room was completely hidden under the mess he had personally created and nurtured. TK truly liked his mess, it gave him a feeling of warmth and comfort that nothing else could possibly match. However, he was quite certain that if the mess did not disappear by tonight, Takeru Takaishi would.
TK looked around the room, searching for the best place to begin. Maybe under the bed? Maybe I'll find something alive under there, TK thought as he reluctantly made his way through all the clothes to reach the bed. Among the piles of ruffled clothes, a half deflated basketball, a few boxes of different shapes and sizes were also pulled out from under his bed. TK took the lid off the biggest boxes, only to find them containing his childhood toys. Digging through the boxes, in hope of finding a toy that will once again amuse him, a small wooden box caught TK's eye. The box was a light shade of brown and had patterns of wild flowers carved onto the surface. Taking the box into his hands, TK gently flipped open the lid. A pile of old photos lay inside; they were the photos of the old digidestined days. TK took the photos out of the box and examined each one carefully. TK looked past every face; Davis, Yolie, Cody, himself, and, Kari. Time has faded the colours on most of the photos, but could not dull out the children's smiles. A rush of memories flooded back into TK's mind, reminding him of the happiness and bliss that has now vanished from his present life. A little smile appeared on TK's face as he slowly flipped through the photos, reliving the memories. Finally, TK got to the last photo. This photo made TK's heart sink and produced an image that will forever be imprinted into his mind. The photo was one he and Kari had taken alone, on a sandy beach just a few months before Kari left for France. TK was standing behind Kari, with his hands firmly wrapped around her waist. Her hands were placed on top of TK's, their fingers intertwined. Their toes were buried into the sand, with the waves crashing at their feet. TK lifted his trembling hands onto the photo and gently stroked past Kari's face.
"We've all changed now." TK mumbled before giving out a heavy sigh.
Looking at the photos brought in emotions of loss and despair. Disliking these depressing feelings, TK decided to pack away the photos. Opening the lid again, TK noticed the presence of a shiny red hair clip at the bottom of the box. I searched all over town for you, but never had the chance to give you to her. I wonder if she still wants you, TK thought before taking the clip into his own hands and slipping it into the pocket of his school pants.
The sound of the whistle screeched through the air, piercing TK's ear.
"Okay kids, good work. There only a week till your big match, so I've organized a few extra training sessions. I want you all back here next week, Monday morning, 6:00am sharp." The coach yelled, indicating that today's training session had ended.
TK looked at the clock placed high up on the wall of the gym. Eight- thirty, it read, eight-thirty at night it was. TK's legs and arms were all aching from the intensive training and practice that their coach had put them through. He could hear the voice of his coach still ringing in his mind "the next match is very important, the school's reputation lies in your hands". TK's jersey was drenched in sweat and his head was feeling a little heavy. All he could think of was going home, taking a long, hot shower and going straight to bed. Damn, I forgot, TK thought, hitting himself hard on the head, Karina asked me out to have dinner with her tonight after basketball training.
TK slowly made his way into the locker room, where he grabbed his crinkled school uniform from out of his locker and got ready to get changed. TK untangled his school pants from his school shirt, and tried in vain attempts to smooth out the creases on his pants. Five minutes later, the creases were still there, but his hand felt sore was had turned into an unnatural shade of red. TK gave up. Suddenly, he remembered he was still carrying the red hair clip in his pocket. He felt his inside his pocket just to be sure that the clip was still there, it wasn't. He reached inside the other pocket; it too was empty. Worried, he frantically searched through his bag, before getting frustrated and tipping all of its contents onto to floor. He kneeled on the cold floor rummaging through his belongs, but failed to find his clip. TK searched in his locker, felt every pocket on his uniform, before scavenging the whole floor of the gym and the locker room. Still, the clip was nowhere in sight.
"TK, what are you doing? You look really distressed." A voice called from behind.
TK turned to see his teammate, a boy in jersey number five.
"A clip, you wouldn't have seen a shiny red clip lying around anywhere would you?" TK asked, not expecting a positive answer.
"Yes, I did, well we did; me and Steven. We saw it fall from your pocket when you walked in. We were going to give it to you after our training session was over, but then we saw Karina, so we gave it to her instead. I mean thinking logically, what you be doing with a hair clip if it didn't belong to your girlfriend?" the boy explained.
"You gave it to Karina?! Where's Karina?" TK screamed out as he shook the boy violently.
"Calm down! She's waiting for you outside the gym."
TK immediately let go of the clearly shaken boy and ran towards the gymnasium door. He pushed open the heavy glass door to find Karina sitting on a bench, directly opposite him.
"What took you so long? And you're still not changed!" Karina said in a disappointed voice as TK ran up to her. "Anyway, so how do I look?" She asked.
Like usual, Karina's fringe was brushed to one side. However today, it was held in place with a red clip.
"The clip, can I have it back?" TK said in an annoyed voice.
"What? First you give me something and then now you want it back? " Karina replied in a cheeky tone.
"Karina, I'm serious. Give it back"
"Sorry Mr. Takaishi, I not gonna give it back. I really like it and I'm gonna keep it."
"Look Karina, the clip was never intended for you. It doesn't belong to you." TK shouted out before ripping through Karina's hair with his fingers and forcefully removing the clip.
Karina's eyes swelled red. Tears streamed down from her eyes and rolled down her face. Her hands were gripping to her fringe, where the clip had been pinned to.
"Why are you so angry? It's just a clip!" Karina screamed back in a distraught voice. "We've been going out for nearly seven months and I'm not even worth more than a clip to you?" Karina eyes were filled with confusion and disbelief. She gave TK a hard, long stare before turning her back and running into the darkness, away from TK.
Karina's right, it's just a clip, but if it's just a clip then why did I feel so frightened when I lost it? TK asked himself over and over again as he walked through the park on his way back home. The sky had already darkened with the moon and the stars already hanging themselves onto the night sky. TK did not want to return home, to face his mother with a frowning face. By walking around a small pond at the far end of the park he would be taking the long way home. The pond was especially peaceful at night. Slight ripples were present on the surface of the water created by the cool breezes of the night air. The gentle breezes swept past TK's face, calming his soul and taking away all of his problems for a split second. TK stopped and looked over the pond to take in the tranquility of the atmosphere. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath in. The night air traveled through his body, tickling his sensations. Opening his eyes again TK noticed a small figure sitting at the edge of the pond about a not far from him. He squinted his eyes as he walked closer. The figure was Kari.
"Kari, would you mind if I sat down here with you?" TK said as he sat down onto the grass next to Kari.
"Hey, I never said you could sit down!" Kari replied in a joking tone. "Anyway, I was just about to go. I'll see you at school next week". Kari got up, dusted off the grass of her pants and was ready to go.
"You always do this." TK sounded slightly annoyed.
"I always do what?" Kari's asked back.
"You've been in Japan for three weeks already and I've never gotten a chance to even talk to you. Whenever we meet, I'd say 'hi' and you're always the one to reply with a 'bye'. Ever since the picnic, you appear to be somewhat distant from me."
Kari thought for a moment before beginning. "I, I just don't want, I just don't want to get in the way between you and Karina." Kari stumbled as she spoke her sentence. Her face was looking to the ground, her hands tightly clasped together.
"What has our relationship got anything to do with Karina!" TK questioned as he lifted himself up from the ground. He wanted to hear an explanation form Kari, after being confused and ignored for three weeks he wanted a reason, any reason.
"Huh?" Kari was lost for words. She didn't know why, she didn't even understand her own feelings. All she could come up with for now was a 'huh?'. "I don't know. I don't know." Her voice was shaking. Her hands her tightly clutching her head, her fingers digging into her skull. Confused and angry that she needed someone else to confront her with her problems before she realized them herself. Just when Kari felt herself about to explode, a pair of arms wrapped themselves around her shoulders, dragging her into the warmness of TK's chest.
"I'm sorry. Pretend I never said anything." TK's voice was soft.
TK closed his eyes and slowly ran his fingers through Kari's hair. Kari found it hard to pull away from TK's warm embrace. She laid her head onto TK's chest. She could hear the sound of his beating heart pounding against her ear. Kari took a deep breath and without thinking she gently wrapped her arms around TK's waist. She seemed to have calmed down now. The pair must have stayed in this position for quite some time, enjoying each others silent company.
"Oh what a cute couple they make! And the boy is so cute! She's so lucky to have such a cute boyfriend." A young girl said to her group of friends as they walked past TK and Kari.
Couple? Boyfriend? These words echoed in Kari's mind. She broke free of TK's embrace and stared blankly at TK.
"It's getting late, I'd better go." Kari forced out before running away form the pond and towards the grassy fields of the park, never looking back.
"Yeah, I guess so." TK replied, looking to the direction in which Kari had run to. His heart was beating fast and his whole body felt as if it was going to melt. He could still smell the sweet scent of strawberries left by Kari on his crinkled school shirt. TK had never felt this way before. When he took Kari into his arms, time seemed to have stood still. It was just him and Kari, nothing else mattered anymore.
It was Saturday morning, ten forty-five. Dark clouds had covered the entire sky, blocking away all the rays from the sun. TK walked into his room and flung himself onto his bed. Lying on his back TK stretched out his arms, leaving his legs and feet to dangle from the bed. He had just come back from Karina's house. TK had not slept for the whole of last night. Kari had completely taken control of his soul. TK lay in bed last night, unable to think of anything else but Kari. His heart too was entirely full of Kari, not just for last night, but ever since his first adventure to the digital world. TK finally knew the reason why he could not let anyone into his heart and why during the junior years of his life he would feel funny whenever Kari went out on a date. Although he caused Karina to shed more tears, but he felt as if a heavy load had been taken off of him. He was not going to let his happiness just slip through his fingers again.
"Hello, this Tai speaking." A voice answered over the phone.
"Tai? This is TK, may I speak to Kari?" TK asked.
"Didn't you know, Kari already left for France!" Tai screamed into the other end.
"What? When? I really need to talk to her!" TK shouted back
"We just came back from the airport. Her planes leaves at eleven forty- five, you might be able to still catch her."
"Okay, thanks" TK said as he hung up. He looked at the time, exactly eleven. Okay I still have time. He grabbed the house keys, his wallet and ran out the door.
It was already eleven thirty when TK arrived at the airport. A traffic jam kindly held him up on the road. TK rushed to the information desk located near the entrance of the airport.
"Can you check which terminal a flight to France at eleven forty-five will depart from?" TK asked, nearly out of breath.
"Will you hold on for a minute, I'll just check for you." The receptionist said as she typed away on the computer. "I'm sorry sir, the plane is just preparing to take off. I'm afraid you're too late"
Reluctantly getting off the taxi, TK slowly walked towards his apartment block. It had just begun to rain. The gentle raindrops fell towards TK, damping his hair and his clothes. TK had just spent the last few hours wondering mindlessly around the city. He didn't know where he was going, nor what he was doing. Both his heart and his soul were on a plane flying to France at this particular moment. Just walking into the main gate of his apartment block, TK noticed a young girl sitting on a large suitcase inside the main hall, near the lifts. The girl had short brown hair, which was slightly longer at the sides. Could it be? TK thought. He stood under the rain, afraid to move. He was scared that if he moved any closer, he would find out that the girl was not Kari. At least now he could still hold a little hope. The girl turned around her head, looking directly at TK. She stood up and started running his way.
TK couldn't believe his eyes, maybe he was dreaming, but Kari was now standing right before his eyes. TK had to pinch himself just to be sure that he hadn't fainted on the street and was now hallucinating an image of Kari. His pinches hurt, he wasn't dreaming.
"Kari? Is that really you?" TK asked just to make sure.
"Well, how many Kari Kamiyas do you know on this Earth?" Kari asked sarcastically.
"Then I'm afraid to tell you Miss Kamiya, your plane took off five hours ago."
"Yeah, I realized that." Kari replied
The two of them paused for a while, before TK resumed their conversation. "You cut your hair, it's just like how it was before you left for France," TK said as he softened his tone.
"Yeah, I was kind of thinking of going back to the beginning, our beginning" Kari followed on.
TK didn't know what do say next, so he decided to let Kari continue.
"Yesterday night at the park, remember you asked me why I was avoiding you? And remember that I didn't have an answer? Well I do now. I like you TK, I really like you." Kari stopped for a moment. Kari stopped to give TK a chance to speak, to stop her or to reject her. TK remained silent, so Kari continued. "I know that you only see me as a friend, but I have to tell you this so please let me finish first. Ever since our adventure in the digital world you have looked after me, and protected me. Maybe it was since then, I don't know, I was too small to tell then. But now, even in the real world you still continue to care for me, I have unconsciously grown to be attached to you. I was taken over by my fear of loosing you and breaking the bond we have shared for so long. It was this fear that caused me to conceal my true feeling for you. I have done such a good job that I was totally unaware of those feelings myself. Although still holding this fear at this very moment, but I cant bear the burden of holding this secret to myself anymore. I have to tell you before I leave for France."
"So what happens after you get to France?" TK asked, wanting to know what Kari was thinking.
"Slowly fade away from your life."
"What if I refuse to let you fade from my life?" TK asked in a soft tone.
Kari was stunned. She would never have thought that she would hear that from TK. Instead she was ready for a rejection speech, something along the lines of 'I have always seen you as a sister'.
"Your eyes are too beautiful to be hidden away under a fringe." TK said as he walked closer to Kari. He reached in his pocket to take out a shiny red clip. "Just before you left for France you were crying over my shoulder, telling me that you had lost your clip. You told me how much that clip meant to you, as it was given to you by your grandmother. I couldn't bear to see you so miserable, so the next day I traveled through the city trying to find a similar clip. I took me the whole day to find this," He held the clip up in front of Kari's eyes. "I never had the chance to give it to you.although it's not exactly the original, but will you take it instead?"
"Although is not the original, but it bears a completely different meaning." A smile appeared on Kari's face. "Thank you TK, it means a lot to me".
TK again inched closer to Kari. His trembling hands brushed Kari's fringe to one side, before clipping it down with the clip. Her eyes were now completely revealed. TK slid his fingers through Kari's hair before his hands cupped themselves onto her cheeks. TK stared into her auburn eyes; the feeling of warmth ran through his body. He lowered his head and gently kissed Kari on the forehead.
"Kari, I don't want to loose you. Over the years you have gradually taken over my heart. Like Matt had said, there has always only been one person in my heart, and that person is you. Yesterday night, after the hug, my whole body felt weak. For the few minutes when you were in my arms I felt that all of my problems seemed to have faded and that you were the only thing that mattered. I realized something. Maybe you might think that I'm still to young to know, but I know. It's love, I love you Kari." TK's voice faded. He felt a little embarrassed by the things he had just said, but he was also glad, happy that he had finally told Kari his feelings.
"What about Karina then?" Kari asked, still looking into TK's eyes.
"I told her as soon as I realized these feelings. She cried a little, but she seemed to understand how I felt. She offered us her best wishes," TK replied. " Now it's up to you to decide whether I still have a chance or not."
The rain was now falling heavier. The sound of raindrops crashing into the ground filled the air, but failed to disturb TK and Kari who were now in a world of their own. Kari gave out a small smile. Her eyes were now once again beginning to water. Tears flowed from her eyes, blended with the raindrops before rolling down her face. Kari made no attempt to wipe them away this time. She stared deep into TK's eyes, completely absorbed in her world of happiness.
Still cupping Kari's cheeks in his hands, TK lifted her head a little higher. His face was moving closer and closer to Kari's. So close, he was now able feel the rhythm of Kari's breathing. Kari slowly closed her eyes as their lips touched, savoring the moment. The tenderness and softness of Kari's lips made TK's heart flutter and his knees feel weak. He felt as if his whole body was going to melt, but somehow he managed to stay upright.
Some people spend their whole lives searching for happiness. As for TK and Kari, their happiness will never die but will continue to grow as the days go by. Loves has dissolved two spirits into one single unity, eternally bonding the powers of light and hope. TK and Kari were now together, forever.
Raindrops from the clouds above dived towards the earth and splashed violently onto the ground. Striking bolts of lightning created dragon-like patterns in the sky with the roar of thunder filling the air. TK was one of the few unlucky souls still forced to travel under such brutal conditions. Holding an umbrella in one hand and two grocery bags in the other, TK hurried along the dark and empty street, running as fast as his tired legs would take him.
After twenty minutes of running through howling wind and pelting rain TK finally arrived before his apartment unit. His cold hand, covered in raindrops slowly turned the key, unlocking the door to reveal the warmth of his home. TK unloaded his baggage onto the floor as he untied his shoes. Raindrops silently slid down from the umbrella and grocery bags, creating little puddles of water on the carpet. Lucky mum isn't here, or else she'll kill me, TK thought to himself. Unfortunately, TK thought too soon.
"TK? Is that you?" TK's mother appeared, coming out from the kitchen.
Shocked to find her at home TK dived down to the floor, picked up the dripping wet umbrella and grocery bags before springing back up with an awkward smile on his face.
"Mum, aren't you meant to be on assignment right about now?!"
"I was, but it was canceled at the last moment because my interviewee came down with the flu." TK's mother replied. " So I thought that since for once I'm at home during dinner time, I'd cook you dinner for a change. So what do you think?" She continued
Great! You haven't cooked a proper meal in three years, and the last time you tried to cook you nearly burnt down the kitchen, TK thought to himself. "Great! Haven't tasted your cooking in a long time, can't wait to try it again!" TK replied enthusiastically, not exactly telling the truth.
"So. what did you buy today?" TK's mother asked
"Just some vegetables, a few packets of instant noodles and tomorrow's breakfast" TK replied before handing the groceries to his mother
"Great, I'll use these ingredients and a few extras that I can find in the kitchen to cook up my masterpiece." TK's mother said happily before walking into the kitchen.
After drying off the umbrella, TK switched on the television and began flicking through the channels.
"TK, I'd rather you do something more productive, like cleaning your room while waiting for dinner." TK's mother's voice leaked through the kitchen.
"I would, but I'm too tired."
"Oh really?" TK's mother appeared from the kitchen again. This time the knife that she was using to chop the vegetables was present in her hand. TK's mother tightened her grip on the handle. A few rays of light traveled down the blade, before reflecting off at the tip.
"Okay, I've recovered. Time to clean my room" TK shouted and ran straight into his room, never daring to look back.
Scary woman, TK thought as he walked up to his bedroom door. A damp smell attacked TK's senses as soon as the door opened, and after turning on the light TK was faced with the full extent of his problem. His room was a mess. Dirty clothes covered the floor and every other surface in the room. The clothes lay in a mess above his books on the table and hung off his chair and bookcase. Basketball magazines were piled on his bedside table, with a few of them making their way into TK's tangled blankets. The closet door was jammed, as it had been forcibly closed after being filled above its limit. TK's whole room was completely hidden under the mess he had personally created and nurtured. TK truly liked his mess, it gave him a feeling of warmth and comfort that nothing else could possibly match. However, he was quite certain that if the mess did not disappear by tonight, Takeru Takaishi would.
TK looked around the room, searching for the best place to begin. Maybe under the bed? Maybe I'll find something alive under there, TK thought as he reluctantly made his way through all the clothes to reach the bed. Among the piles of ruffled clothes, a half deflated basketball, a few boxes of different shapes and sizes were also pulled out from under his bed. TK took the lid off the biggest boxes, only to find them containing his childhood toys. Digging through the boxes, in hope of finding a toy that will once again amuse him, a small wooden box caught TK's eye. The box was a light shade of brown and had patterns of wild flowers carved onto the surface. Taking the box into his hands, TK gently flipped open the lid. A pile of old photos lay inside; they were the photos of the old digidestined days. TK took the photos out of the box and examined each one carefully. TK looked past every face; Davis, Yolie, Cody, himself, and, Kari. Time has faded the colours on most of the photos, but could not dull out the children's smiles. A rush of memories flooded back into TK's mind, reminding him of the happiness and bliss that has now vanished from his present life. A little smile appeared on TK's face as he slowly flipped through the photos, reliving the memories. Finally, TK got to the last photo. This photo made TK's heart sink and produced an image that will forever be imprinted into his mind. The photo was one he and Kari had taken alone, on a sandy beach just a few months before Kari left for France. TK was standing behind Kari, with his hands firmly wrapped around her waist. Her hands were placed on top of TK's, their fingers intertwined. Their toes were buried into the sand, with the waves crashing at their feet. TK lifted his trembling hands onto the photo and gently stroked past Kari's face.
"We've all changed now." TK mumbled before giving out a heavy sigh.
Looking at the photos brought in emotions of loss and despair. Disliking these depressing feelings, TK decided to pack away the photos. Opening the lid again, TK noticed the presence of a shiny red hair clip at the bottom of the box. I searched all over town for you, but never had the chance to give you to her. I wonder if she still wants you, TK thought before taking the clip into his own hands and slipping it into the pocket of his school pants.
The sound of the whistle screeched through the air, piercing TK's ear.
"Okay kids, good work. There only a week till your big match, so I've organized a few extra training sessions. I want you all back here next week, Monday morning, 6:00am sharp." The coach yelled, indicating that today's training session had ended.
TK looked at the clock placed high up on the wall of the gym. Eight- thirty, it read, eight-thirty at night it was. TK's legs and arms were all aching from the intensive training and practice that their coach had put them through. He could hear the voice of his coach still ringing in his mind "the next match is very important, the school's reputation lies in your hands". TK's jersey was drenched in sweat and his head was feeling a little heavy. All he could think of was going home, taking a long, hot shower and going straight to bed. Damn, I forgot, TK thought, hitting himself hard on the head, Karina asked me out to have dinner with her tonight after basketball training.
TK slowly made his way into the locker room, where he grabbed his crinkled school uniform from out of his locker and got ready to get changed. TK untangled his school pants from his school shirt, and tried in vain attempts to smooth out the creases on his pants. Five minutes later, the creases were still there, but his hand felt sore was had turned into an unnatural shade of red. TK gave up. Suddenly, he remembered he was still carrying the red hair clip in his pocket. He felt his inside his pocket just to be sure that the clip was still there, it wasn't. He reached inside the other pocket; it too was empty. Worried, he frantically searched through his bag, before getting frustrated and tipping all of its contents onto to floor. He kneeled on the cold floor rummaging through his belongs, but failed to find his clip. TK searched in his locker, felt every pocket on his uniform, before scavenging the whole floor of the gym and the locker room. Still, the clip was nowhere in sight.
"TK, what are you doing? You look really distressed." A voice called from behind.
TK turned to see his teammate, a boy in jersey number five.
"A clip, you wouldn't have seen a shiny red clip lying around anywhere would you?" TK asked, not expecting a positive answer.
"Yes, I did, well we did; me and Steven. We saw it fall from your pocket when you walked in. We were going to give it to you after our training session was over, but then we saw Karina, so we gave it to her instead. I mean thinking logically, what you be doing with a hair clip if it didn't belong to your girlfriend?" the boy explained.
"You gave it to Karina?! Where's Karina?" TK screamed out as he shook the boy violently.
"Calm down! She's waiting for you outside the gym."
TK immediately let go of the clearly shaken boy and ran towards the gymnasium door. He pushed open the heavy glass door to find Karina sitting on a bench, directly opposite him.
"What took you so long? And you're still not changed!" Karina said in a disappointed voice as TK ran up to her. "Anyway, so how do I look?" She asked.
Like usual, Karina's fringe was brushed to one side. However today, it was held in place with a red clip.
"The clip, can I have it back?" TK said in an annoyed voice.
"What? First you give me something and then now you want it back? " Karina replied in a cheeky tone.
"Karina, I'm serious. Give it back"
"Sorry Mr. Takaishi, I not gonna give it back. I really like it and I'm gonna keep it."
"Look Karina, the clip was never intended for you. It doesn't belong to you." TK shouted out before ripping through Karina's hair with his fingers and forcefully removing the clip.
Karina's eyes swelled red. Tears streamed down from her eyes and rolled down her face. Her hands were gripping to her fringe, where the clip had been pinned to.
"Why are you so angry? It's just a clip!" Karina screamed back in a distraught voice. "We've been going out for nearly seven months and I'm not even worth more than a clip to you?" Karina eyes were filled with confusion and disbelief. She gave TK a hard, long stare before turning her back and running into the darkness, away from TK.
Karina's right, it's just a clip, but if it's just a clip then why did I feel so frightened when I lost it? TK asked himself over and over again as he walked through the park on his way back home. The sky had already darkened with the moon and the stars already hanging themselves onto the night sky. TK did not want to return home, to face his mother with a frowning face. By walking around a small pond at the far end of the park he would be taking the long way home. The pond was especially peaceful at night. Slight ripples were present on the surface of the water created by the cool breezes of the night air. The gentle breezes swept past TK's face, calming his soul and taking away all of his problems for a split second. TK stopped and looked over the pond to take in the tranquility of the atmosphere. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath in. The night air traveled through his body, tickling his sensations. Opening his eyes again TK noticed a small figure sitting at the edge of the pond about a not far from him. He squinted his eyes as he walked closer. The figure was Kari.
"Kari, would you mind if I sat down here with you?" TK said as he sat down onto the grass next to Kari.
"Hey, I never said you could sit down!" Kari replied in a joking tone. "Anyway, I was just about to go. I'll see you at school next week". Kari got up, dusted off the grass of her pants and was ready to go.
"You always do this." TK sounded slightly annoyed.
"I always do what?" Kari's asked back.
"You've been in Japan for three weeks already and I've never gotten a chance to even talk to you. Whenever we meet, I'd say 'hi' and you're always the one to reply with a 'bye'. Ever since the picnic, you appear to be somewhat distant from me."
Kari thought for a moment before beginning. "I, I just don't want, I just don't want to get in the way between you and Karina." Kari stumbled as she spoke her sentence. Her face was looking to the ground, her hands tightly clasped together.
"What has our relationship got anything to do with Karina!" TK questioned as he lifted himself up from the ground. He wanted to hear an explanation form Kari, after being confused and ignored for three weeks he wanted a reason, any reason.
"Huh?" Kari was lost for words. She didn't know why, she didn't even understand her own feelings. All she could come up with for now was a 'huh?'. "I don't know. I don't know." Her voice was shaking. Her hands her tightly clutching her head, her fingers digging into her skull. Confused and angry that she needed someone else to confront her with her problems before she realized them herself. Just when Kari felt herself about to explode, a pair of arms wrapped themselves around her shoulders, dragging her into the warmness of TK's chest.
"I'm sorry. Pretend I never said anything." TK's voice was soft.
TK closed his eyes and slowly ran his fingers through Kari's hair. Kari found it hard to pull away from TK's warm embrace. She laid her head onto TK's chest. She could hear the sound of his beating heart pounding against her ear. Kari took a deep breath and without thinking she gently wrapped her arms around TK's waist. She seemed to have calmed down now. The pair must have stayed in this position for quite some time, enjoying each others silent company.
"Oh what a cute couple they make! And the boy is so cute! She's so lucky to have such a cute boyfriend." A young girl said to her group of friends as they walked past TK and Kari.
Couple? Boyfriend? These words echoed in Kari's mind. She broke free of TK's embrace and stared blankly at TK.
"It's getting late, I'd better go." Kari forced out before running away form the pond and towards the grassy fields of the park, never looking back.
"Yeah, I guess so." TK replied, looking to the direction in which Kari had run to. His heart was beating fast and his whole body felt as if it was going to melt. He could still smell the sweet scent of strawberries left by Kari on his crinkled school shirt. TK had never felt this way before. When he took Kari into his arms, time seemed to have stood still. It was just him and Kari, nothing else mattered anymore.
It was Saturday morning, ten forty-five. Dark clouds had covered the entire sky, blocking away all the rays from the sun. TK walked into his room and flung himself onto his bed. Lying on his back TK stretched out his arms, leaving his legs and feet to dangle from the bed. He had just come back from Karina's house. TK had not slept for the whole of last night. Kari had completely taken control of his soul. TK lay in bed last night, unable to think of anything else but Kari. His heart too was entirely full of Kari, not just for last night, but ever since his first adventure to the digital world. TK finally knew the reason why he could not let anyone into his heart and why during the junior years of his life he would feel funny whenever Kari went out on a date. Although he caused Karina to shed more tears, but he felt as if a heavy load had been taken off of him. He was not going to let his happiness just slip through his fingers again.
"Hello, this Tai speaking." A voice answered over the phone.
"Tai? This is TK, may I speak to Kari?" TK asked.
"Didn't you know, Kari already left for France!" Tai screamed into the other end.
"What? When? I really need to talk to her!" TK shouted back
"We just came back from the airport. Her planes leaves at eleven forty- five, you might be able to still catch her."
"Okay, thanks" TK said as he hung up. He looked at the time, exactly eleven. Okay I still have time. He grabbed the house keys, his wallet and ran out the door.
It was already eleven thirty when TK arrived at the airport. A traffic jam kindly held him up on the road. TK rushed to the information desk located near the entrance of the airport.
"Can you check which terminal a flight to France at eleven forty-five will depart from?" TK asked, nearly out of breath.
"Will you hold on for a minute, I'll just check for you." The receptionist said as she typed away on the computer. "I'm sorry sir, the plane is just preparing to take off. I'm afraid you're too late"
Reluctantly getting off the taxi, TK slowly walked towards his apartment block. It had just begun to rain. The gentle raindrops fell towards TK, damping his hair and his clothes. TK had just spent the last few hours wondering mindlessly around the city. He didn't know where he was going, nor what he was doing. Both his heart and his soul were on a plane flying to France at this particular moment. Just walking into the main gate of his apartment block, TK noticed a young girl sitting on a large suitcase inside the main hall, near the lifts. The girl had short brown hair, which was slightly longer at the sides. Could it be? TK thought. He stood under the rain, afraid to move. He was scared that if he moved any closer, he would find out that the girl was not Kari. At least now he could still hold a little hope. The girl turned around her head, looking directly at TK. She stood up and started running his way.
TK couldn't believe his eyes, maybe he was dreaming, but Kari was now standing right before his eyes. TK had to pinch himself just to be sure that he hadn't fainted on the street and was now hallucinating an image of Kari. His pinches hurt, he wasn't dreaming.
"Kari? Is that really you?" TK asked just to make sure.
"Well, how many Kari Kamiyas do you know on this Earth?" Kari asked sarcastically.
"Then I'm afraid to tell you Miss Kamiya, your plane took off five hours ago."
"Yeah, I realized that." Kari replied
The two of them paused for a while, before TK resumed their conversation. "You cut your hair, it's just like how it was before you left for France," TK said as he softened his tone.
"Yeah, I was kind of thinking of going back to the beginning, our beginning" Kari followed on.
TK didn't know what do say next, so he decided to let Kari continue.
"Yesterday night at the park, remember you asked me why I was avoiding you? And remember that I didn't have an answer? Well I do now. I like you TK, I really like you." Kari stopped for a moment. Kari stopped to give TK a chance to speak, to stop her or to reject her. TK remained silent, so Kari continued. "I know that you only see me as a friend, but I have to tell you this so please let me finish first. Ever since our adventure in the digital world you have looked after me, and protected me. Maybe it was since then, I don't know, I was too small to tell then. But now, even in the real world you still continue to care for me, I have unconsciously grown to be attached to you. I was taken over by my fear of loosing you and breaking the bond we have shared for so long. It was this fear that caused me to conceal my true feeling for you. I have done such a good job that I was totally unaware of those feelings myself. Although still holding this fear at this very moment, but I cant bear the burden of holding this secret to myself anymore. I have to tell you before I leave for France."
"So what happens after you get to France?" TK asked, wanting to know what Kari was thinking.
"Slowly fade away from your life."
"What if I refuse to let you fade from my life?" TK asked in a soft tone.
Kari was stunned. She would never have thought that she would hear that from TK. Instead she was ready for a rejection speech, something along the lines of 'I have always seen you as a sister'.
"Your eyes are too beautiful to be hidden away under a fringe." TK said as he walked closer to Kari. He reached in his pocket to take out a shiny red clip. "Just before you left for France you were crying over my shoulder, telling me that you had lost your clip. You told me how much that clip meant to you, as it was given to you by your grandmother. I couldn't bear to see you so miserable, so the next day I traveled through the city trying to find a similar clip. I took me the whole day to find this," He held the clip up in front of Kari's eyes. "I never had the chance to give it to you.although it's not exactly the original, but will you take it instead?"
"Although is not the original, but it bears a completely different meaning." A smile appeared on Kari's face. "Thank you TK, it means a lot to me".
TK again inched closer to Kari. His trembling hands brushed Kari's fringe to one side, before clipping it down with the clip. Her eyes were now completely revealed. TK slid his fingers through Kari's hair before his hands cupped themselves onto her cheeks. TK stared into her auburn eyes; the feeling of warmth ran through his body. He lowered his head and gently kissed Kari on the forehead.
"Kari, I don't want to loose you. Over the years you have gradually taken over my heart. Like Matt had said, there has always only been one person in my heart, and that person is you. Yesterday night, after the hug, my whole body felt weak. For the few minutes when you were in my arms I felt that all of my problems seemed to have faded and that you were the only thing that mattered. I realized something. Maybe you might think that I'm still to young to know, but I know. It's love, I love you Kari." TK's voice faded. He felt a little embarrassed by the things he had just said, but he was also glad, happy that he had finally told Kari his feelings.
"What about Karina then?" Kari asked, still looking into TK's eyes.
"I told her as soon as I realized these feelings. She cried a little, but she seemed to understand how I felt. She offered us her best wishes," TK replied. " Now it's up to you to decide whether I still have a chance or not."
The rain was now falling heavier. The sound of raindrops crashing into the ground filled the air, but failed to disturb TK and Kari who were now in a world of their own. Kari gave out a small smile. Her eyes were now once again beginning to water. Tears flowed from her eyes, blended with the raindrops before rolling down her face. Kari made no attempt to wipe them away this time. She stared deep into TK's eyes, completely absorbed in her world of happiness.
Still cupping Kari's cheeks in his hands, TK lifted her head a little higher. His face was moving closer and closer to Kari's. So close, he was now able feel the rhythm of Kari's breathing. Kari slowly closed her eyes as their lips touched, savoring the moment. The tenderness and softness of Kari's lips made TK's heart flutter and his knees feel weak. He felt as if his whole body was going to melt, but somehow he managed to stay upright.
Some people spend their whole lives searching for happiness. As for TK and Kari, their happiness will never die but will continue to grow as the days go by. Loves has dissolved two spirits into one single unity, eternally bonding the powers of light and hope. TK and Kari were now together, forever.