The Blind Leading the Blonde
By Ruki Minamoto
Disclaimer: I'll never own Digimon. If I did, there'd probably be Season 5 right now.
Chapter 8: At Last… Seeing Clearly
Kari awoke, and at first couldn't remember where she was, or why she was there.
Bandages were pulled snug around her eyes like a second skin. She clawed at them out of instinct.
"Kari, please stop clawing at those bandages."
Kari felt happiness well in her heart.
"TK…you're here."
"Of course I am. I've gone and when they take those bandages off in a few hours, you'll see a new man." TK said with a huge smile.
"I hope you're not too different." Kari said. "Cause I still want to be able to recognize you."
"You will." TK assured her.
"Don't tell me that you went out and bought a stupid cap like the one you wore eight years ago! I hated that hat…" Kari said with a smile.
"Oh, so now the truth comes out," TK said with playful anger. "What was wrong with the hat?"
Kari laughed nervously.
"It was so dorky!"
TK was about to make a comment, but the doctor walked in.
"Miss Kamiya…how are you feeling?"
"Pretty good, yeah, yeah." Kari said.
"Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there is a chance that you may not regain
full sight. There were…complications…" the doctor said.
"I'm blind for the rest of my life?" Kari cried as she felt all her hope disappear.
"Maybe not. All I'm saying is that there was more glass than we first thought. The chances are no longer fifty-fifty. More like 35-65."
"No." Kari whispered and sank back into her pillow. "No."
"Kari…Kari." TK said. "I don't care whether you're blind or not. I will always love you, no matter what. You could be blind, deaf and have no sense of smell, and I would still adore you. You are everything to me, Kari, everything. You brought me back from dark places I never wanted to see. As Hoobastank said - I've found out a reason for me, to change who I used to be, a reason to start over new, and the reason is you'."
Kari hugged TK as tight as she could.
"Thank you."
Several hours later, the nurse slowly removed the bandages from around Kari's eyes. TK watched on in emotional agony. Kari sat on her bed, wearing the pink kitten pajamas that TK had bought for her.
The nurse removed a couple of patches from over Kari's eyes and stood in front of her. Kari sat there with her eyes closed. The nurse indicated for TK to move in front of Kari, and TK, carrying his gifts for Kari, sat in front of her on the bed.
"Now Kari, open your eyes slowly. There's no rush."
Kari's eyelids began to move slowly. After several seconds, her eyes fluttered open.
"Now, tell me what you see," the nurse said.
Kari felt tears in her eyes, and TK realized the worst.
"Nothing." Kari whispered hopelessly. "Nothing at all."
TK wrapped his arms around Kari and hugged her as tight as he could Kari wrapped her arms around TK's neck and began to sob relentlessly.
"Give it a couple of minutes…sometimes it can take a little while for them to adjust," the nurse said.
TK and Kari moved slowly apart and TK placed his hands on her shoulders. Kari blinked and suddenly, everything became white. She blinked a couple more times, and was stunned to find everything coming into focus. Anything further than a couple of feet away was blurry almost beyond recognition, but Kari didn't dwell on that. She watched as a teen around her age came into focus. He was the most handsome thing she'd ever seen.
"Wow…are you sure you were ever doing drugs?" Kari asked the teen that sat before her.
TK beamed and pulled Kari into a hug.
"It worked!" Kari cried. "It worked! It…oh, yuck! Pink kitten pajamas! TK, how old am I? Five?"
TK laughed and held up the roses and chocolates. Kari let her eyes light up as she took them from TK and then looked to him suspiciously.
"Peace offering." TK said and Kari laughed. She threw her arms around him again and they hugged tightly.
"I don't believe this, TK," Kari whispered, "after eight years, the miracle I've prayed for,
I've dreamed about, it's come true." Kari drew away from TK. "Do you believe in acts of God?" she asked.
"I suppose I have to now." TK said with a smile. "I prayed to just about every God I knew that you would get your sight back, and it worked. It's all going to be okay, Kari. I promise you that together, we can move into the new light, the new dawn. We can face whatever challenges life throws our way. I promise you."
"And I know that a promise from you is a promise well-kept." Kari said and they kissed once more. "TK…you led me through such a tough time. The blonde led the blind, I think."
"No." TK said. "I don't think so. You led me through everything. Four years ago, when I first started using drugs, I kept hearing your voice in my heart, helping me and guiding me. And when I returned to Odaiba, you led me through the darkest days I'd ever known."
Kari blinked in confusion.
"I think the blind led the blonde this time."
Ending Song
Title: Because You Live
Artist: Jesse McCartney
Album: Beautiful Soul
Staring out, at the rain, with a heavy heart,
It's the end of the world in my mind
Then your voice pulls me back like a wake-up call,
I've been looking for the answers, somewhere
I couldn't see that it was right there
But now I know what I didn't know
CHORUS
Because you live, and breathe,
Because you made me believe in myself when nobody else can help
Because you live, girl, my world
Has twice as many stars in the sky
It's all right, I survived, I'm alive again,
Cuz of you, made it through every storm
What is life, what's the use if you're killing time
I'm so glad I found an angel, someone
Who was there when all my hopes fell
I wanna fly looking in your eyes
CHORUS
Because you live, there's a reason why
I carry on when I lose the fight
I want to give, what you've given me
Always
CHORUS
Because you live, and breathe,
Because you make me believe in myself when nobody else can help
Because you live (Cuz you live), my world
Has everything I need to survive
Because you live, I live
I live
Author's note: I love that song! By the way, this fic is dedicated to two gd friends of mine, Jess and QH, who were there when I needed them. Thanks, guys!