The Blind Leading the Blonde
By Ruki Minamoto
Disclaimer: In a world where there are no rules, I own Digimon. Sadly, this world has rules…so I don't own Digimon.
Chapter 3: All is Revealed…
TK looked at the two people sitting two seats in front of him on the bus. Tai and Kari were talking in hushed voices that TK couldn't hear over the rest of the noise. He wished that the other day hadn't gone so badly. He loved Kari, and the fact that they had fought had left him feeling guilty.
A boy with night black hair approached him.
"Hi, my name's Toshi. What's yours?"
"TK." TK said quietly. He returned his gaze to Kari.
"You got the hots for Kari?" Toshi asked. TK nodded without thinking.
He realized what he had done and looked to Toshi sharply.
"I mean, no! We're just old friends…old, well, I don't know anymore."
Toshi rose an eyebrow.
"We ran into each other the other day, but we had a big argument. I didn't know she was blind." TK explained and Toshi nodded. The old school bus arrived at the front of Odaiba High School, and the group climbed off the bus.
TK saw Kari making her way towards her classroom with her cane. Tai seemed to want
to go with her, but better judgment made him stay back. TK approached him.
"Tai…what happened to Kari?" TK asked bluntly. Tai looked to him in surprise.
"TK…it's a long story, and after what Kari told me happened the other day…"
TK felt tears in his eyes. He put his hand on the syringe in his pocket for comfort.
"It was an accident. That's all you need to know." Tai said as he headed inside the school.
"What are you doing at high school?" TK asked in surprise.
"I'm the principal's assistant. And Kari's." Tai told TK.
During math, TK glanced at Kari. She was using her Braille typewriter and her fingers danced across the keyboard with ease. TK drew in a deep breath and sighed. He wished that he could make her understand.
The teacher looked around.
"I'm just going to get some graph paper. Please behave while I'm gone."
As soon as the teacher had left, TK looked to Kari. The room erupted into noise, but somehow Kari kept working.
A couple of kids up the back made their way to the garbage bin while a third closed the door. Kari stopped suddenly and looked up. The way that simple sound caught her attention was extraordinary.
One boy with flaming red hair pulled out a box of matches and struck one alight. TK could hear the flames crackle and glanced over to Kari. She had heard it too apparently, and was close to tears.
He dropped the match into the bin and it caught alight easily. People began to cheer, but TK saw the tears slide down Kari's cheeks. She was screaming out for Tai. TK jumped up and raced to Kari's side. She didn't fight him as he led her outside and let her sit down
outside the door.
Kari began to sob relentlessly. TK hugged her tightly.
"It's okay, Kari," he told her, "it's okay."
The teacher returned and looked in surprise at the two outside. She smelt the fire and raced inside. TK and Kari could hear her shouting at the boys.
"I was so scared." Kari said softly. "I thought it was going to happen again…I couldn't see the fire…I thought it was going to get me again…"
"What was going to happen again?" TK asked. "I don't understand."
Kari drew in a deep breath and TK rubbed her back soothingly.
"It's alright, Kari, just take your time." TK told her.
"Well, it was about a month after you left. It was lunchtime, and I was in the school library. I'm not exactly sure how, but they blamed faulty wiring. Either way, a fire started. I tried to get out, but the fire spread and blocked my only exit." Kari told him.
TK felt hot tears on his cheeks. Not this horror, not so young…
"I moved as far away from the fire as I could, TK. I hid under a desk and began to cry. I
could hear the engines, and I felt the drops of water as the water came through the windows. I screamed out for him, TK, I screamed and screamed and screamed, but he never came…"
"Who never came?" TK asked.
"Tai." Kari answered and TK pieced it all together. So that was why Tai had said it was his fault. "I heard glass explode, and there was so much pain when they hit my eyes. I could feel it burning my eyes and I could no longer see. I was conscious, and it hurt so
much TK. I was so scared…"
TK hugged Kari tighter.
"When I woke up in hospital, they said I was blind. Since then, I've been terrified of fire of any sort. I'm scared it'll all happen again…" Kari finished and began to sob relentlessly
into TK's shirt.
"Kari," TK said as he held Kari at arm's length, "I promise that you will not be hurt again."
"Don't make promises you can't keep, TK." Kari told him. TK kissed Kari's forehead, then the tip of her nose before pausing.
"But I can try." TK said.
"That's all I can ask." Kari responded and their lips brushed before kissing passionately.
That night, TK leant against his bedroom door. He pulled out a syringe and looked at it.
He thought about Kari's predicament and how hard it must be for her, but she hadn't resorted to drugs, had she?
"What should I do?" he asked no one in particular. "What do I do?"
That voice sounded in his heart again.
"How did the digidestined of hope lose hope? Don't compromise yourself, TK."
TK looked down at the syringe and threw it under his bed. He then climbed into his bed and curled up.
If he was going to be there for Kari, then he had to start acting like the friend he should be.