"Don't tell me you're leaving too," I smiled at Davis.
"Why would I do that? I'm with my most favorite person in the world…and the best part of all is, we're all by ourselves," Davis said.
"You always know what to say Davis. When it's just you and me, you say the sweetest things."
"It's easier when it's just you and me. You never care if I mess something up."
"Why should I?"
"I don't know. Maybe because I mess up a lot of things."
"We learn from our mistakes."
"I don't feel like I've learned anything."
"That's ok, sometimes you don't learn anything," I smiled.
"It sure is bright," Davis said.
"The sun's light makes your eyes glow beautifully."
"I think it's cute how you always compliment my eyes."
"Fine, I won't. Your goggles have a nice glare in the light."
"Very funny."
"I think it was."
"Remind me again why I love you."
"Because I was your first love, and you've liked me since we were ten, and I like you."
"I always thought it was because you were a good kisser."
"Oh, I see how it is," I smiled as I turned my back to him.
"Aww, you know I love you for more than that," Davis turned me around.
"Yeah, I do," I smiled.
"Kari, you can be so funny."
I looked into his eyes and didn't say anything, I just smiled.
"Oh, I understand what you want," Davis said as he softly kissed me on the lips.
I backed away and started to laugh.
"I'm that bad?" he asked.
"No, it's just, that tickled!" I smiled.
"So, I am bad," Davis thought.
"I never said that."
"Yes you did."
"I said it tickled."
"Great, now my kisses tickle!"
I took his hands and started to blush.
"What are you doing?" Davis asked.
"Let me lead," I said as I slowly let my lips touch his.
Davis backed away. "Oh, I see how it is. I'm not good enough to lead."
"I never said that. You're a great leader, but sometimes you have to let someone else shine," I said.
"You can shine with me," Davis told me.
"Want to try again?" I asked him.
"We'll both lead this time," Davis decided.
We started to lean close to each other. Right when are mouths were about to touch, Tai started to call for us. "Kari, Davis! Come on, we're leaving!"
"The perfect moment ruined," Davis frowned.
"The perfect kiss was already given to me, a year ago," I smiled.
"I wonder by who."
"This guy named Davis, he's kind of cute, and funny, and I love him to death."
"He must be pretty lucky to have a girl like you."
"Come on," I took Davis's hand and walked over to the others.
"We need to get home," Tai told me.
"Can't you just call Mom and tell her we'll be home late?" I asked.
"I could, but I'm not."
"I have other things I need to do. Tell her I'll be home later."
"You're coming home, and telling her yourself," Tai said.
"But Tai!" I complained.
"What is so important?" he wondered.
"I have to go over to Ken's today. You understand, right?" I smiled.
"I'll tell her that you'll be home later," Tai decided.
"Thank you Tai," I smiled.
"Shouldn't you be going?" Tai questioned.
"Oh, no, Ken doesn't get out of school until three," I smiled.
"Kari!" Tai yelled as he walked away.
"See you later!" I called to him.
"Whatever," he said back.
"Hey, wait up Tai!" I saw Sora running up to him.
"Call Mom," Tai told me as Sora and him walked off.
"I always have to call her," I complained.
"Kari! Look at this!" Yolei ran over to me.
"What is it?" I asked.
"T.K. gave it to me," Yolei said.
I looked at the letter.
Yolei,
With you in high school, I know things are going to be difficult. We'll be able to make it through, right? I'll understand if you don't want to go out with me, so you'll be free. It's all up to you. I know you don't want to hear this. If you find someone else, don't worry about me, I can handle another broken heart.
T.K.
"Wow, what are you going to do?" I questioned.
"I hope he knows I'm only for him. What if he wants to break up with me? Maybe T.K. is telling me that it's ok for me to break up with him, because he doesn't want me anymore. I wasn't ever planning to break up with him," Yolei said.
"Yolei, calm down. I'll tell you if I see any signs of him wanting to break up," I told her.
"Thanks Kari!" Yolei smiled.
"Where is T.K. anyways?" I wondered.
"He went to the computer lab, said something about checking his mail," she said.
"Oh! I better do that myself! I'll get something out of him too," I decided.
"Ok, I'll keep Davis busy for you," Yolei smiled.
I walked into the school and went to the computer lab.
"Hey T.K., aren't you lonely up here by yourself?" I asked.
"I was just reading some things and remembering old memories," he told me.
"I came up here to check my e-mails," I informed T.K.
"Oh, want me to leave?" T.K. questioned.
"Of course not!" I said as I started to type on the computer.
I looked at the computer screen, my eyes lit up.
"What, did Davis send you random love letters?" T.K. joked.
"No, Willis e-mailed me," I smiled.
"That's great," T.K. said.
"Come here, read it!" I told him.
"Ok, ok," he leaned over and read the e-mail.
Dear Kari,
Hey! It's been a year since all that stuff happened in Japan…A whole year. I just wanted to say hi. We haven't talked in awhile. I'm doing great. Though, I did start 8th grade. So, how are you doing? What about Davis? You still with him? I'm still with Hanna…She's great. I hope I can come visit you guys soon. I like it in Japan better than America. I better let you go.
Love, Willis
"It was nice to hear from him," I said.
"Love Willis, that's funny," T.K. laughed.
"What is so funny about that?" I demanded.
"I don't know, it sounds weird."
"Oh, but if it was love Davis, it would be ok."
"I never said that."
"Don't you have something to do?"
"Not that I know of."
"What were you thinking about when I came in?" I asked.
"I was just remembering the past year," T.K. told me.
"Like what?"
"I was remembering what happened in the hall between us."
"Oh, that."
"That moment just flashed through my mind over and over again."
"It's kind of weird remembering that."
"But the part I remember the best is when you said you loved me."
"That will always be in my memory…"
"T.K., I love you with all my heart!" That didn't end up coming out right.
"What?" T.K. was confused by my words.
"That came out wrong," I tried to explain.
He just stared at the ground.
Why did I tell him I loved him with all my heart? I didn't love him; Davis is the one I love. Was our friendship really dying? It was never meant to end. I do love T.K., as if he was my brother…He was my first friend other then Tai.
"I meant it as if you were my brother…T.K., you were my first friend other then Tai. I don't love you as if you were my boyfriend, more as a friend that I can always trust. I don't want to lose you. I never want to see our friendship die; it's what made me strong!" I was scared.
T.K. didn't say anything again. He just stared at my eyes, as if he was trying to read my thoughts.
"Your eyes…They glow in the light, just like Davis's. They are beautiful," I said out loud.
"Kari? Who are you? You aren't the girl I know, something is wrong," T.K. told me.
"Something is wrong; my heart is hurt, as if torn in half between two people. T.K., there will always be a place for you in my heart, and I think it just grew to the same size as Davis's part. I'm noticing things about you that I never saw before. Your eyes, your smile, your laugh, they seem so different now."
"Kari, what are you trying to say?"
"This is all wrong! This shouldn't be happening! I shouldn't be thinking this way; I have no feelings for you, no more than the love of friendship!" I was in pain, my heart ached.
"This is wrong…You shouldn't be here, or maybe I shouldn't be here. This is your spot, the spot for you and Davis. It isn't safe in this spot. Where I stand is where Davis stood when he gave you that kiss, when I walked out on you. My feelings for you will always burn, but this isn't right. I would give anything to get a kiss from you, but not when you are with Davis, not when it feels so wrong," he said.
I looked away, then I looked back. What I saw wasn't there, T.K. was right. I was seeing things that weren't there. I was seeing Davis when it was T.K. I was looking at.
"You shouldn't be sorry, I should be. Thank you for telling me how you feel, but you will never lose me. So, I'm sorry for the trouble I put you through…You have nothing to be sorry for. You can't control your heart, or your head. It's hard to figure out which one is right. Sometimes you have to guess. If you ever need help, just ask. I will never leave you; our friendship will always be safe. Friends forever, that is what we'll be, rough times will come, but we have to be strong, and get past those points. We must face our journey, we have long to go, our lives are short, the memories will last, if we believe this, the times we have will never be part of the past," I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.
T.K. placed his hand on his cheek. "What was that for?"
"A kiss to seal our friendship…But that is the only one you get. Keep it locked in your heart, don't tell a soul. I'll keep your secret, it will never be told," I told him.
"Did you read that out of a book? Never mind…I know where we stand, our friendship will last…That's if we want it to," he said.
I smiled a sweet smile. T.K. opened the door, and we went back into the stage room.
"Yeah, that was an important part of our friendship," T.K. smiled.
"It was, but now it's just a memory," I agreed.
"So, tell me again how many boys you've kissed."
"Lets see, we have Davis, you, Willis, and Ken. I've kissed Tai on the cheek, but he's my brother."
"You've kissed Willis and Ken! Where was I?"
"It was last year, when he was visiting. When Tai got hit by the car, I was very sad, I kissed Willis on the lips after he kissed me on the head. Ken was…In the Dark World both times."
"You haven't talked about that place in forever."
I held the hand that once had the cut on the palm.
"What's wrong Kari?" T.K. asked me.
"It's just…It feels weird bringing that place up. I haven't been there in what seems like forever. Yet, I still feel like it's lurking inside me. I still feel the pain of the cut. I guess some things never go away. I just wish this feeling would," I explained.
"I wish I could help; I wish I knew how you feel. I'll never understand this feeling because I've never been there before. I hope that one day you'll be free from the feeling you have."
"Thank you T.K.; for one that has no clue about what I'm going through, you sure do know how to make me feel better."
"That's what friends are for. Now, shouldn't we get back to the others?"
"I do have a questioned for you before we leave."
"What?"
"Do you want to break up with Yolei?"
"Uh, she showed you the note, didn't she?"
"Yeah…I would like an answer."
"It's not that I want to, I have a feeling she wants to."
"What about Al?"
"What about her?"
"You were flirting with her during class."
"I was?"
"Maybe it was because she was flirting with you."
"Yeah, that was it."
"Or maybe it's because you have so much in common."
"Kari."
"What?"
"Al is cool and all, but I love Yolei. You helped me to know that. I'm not going to break her heart, not for Al. You showed me what I needed to do. I was giving Yolei the option to break up with me because I thought she wanted to. I thought maybe she would want to be free because we are in two different schools. I just thought she didn't want me anymore," T.K. explained.
"Why would you say that she didn't want you?" I questioned.
"Yolei just doesn't seem interested in me anymore. I mean, we haven't really hung out in the past month. Maybe I'm just imagining it all. She just never wants to talk…And when we went to look for Cody, yeah, that wasn't so smart," he told me.
"What happened?"
"We got in an argument."
"About what?"
"Our relationship, about what has been going on."
I didn't say anything. I decided we should go. I walked over to the door and opened it.
"Have you ever felt that way? Unsure of your love?" T.K. asked me.
"With Willis, when I kissed him on the lips. Sometimes with Ken. Even with us out in the hallway I was unsure. It was my heart playing a game. It seems to like to do that. I'm pretty mixed up, I'm just starting to get organized. When Willis left for America, that's when I found out the truth. I didn't like Willis or Ken the way I liked Davis. I loved Davis because he's always there to protect me. He made me know my reason in life. He always understood. Most important, he never cared about how different I was. He just cared about my feelings, and how I was doing. I guess you can say that I'm just starting to understand life itself," I explained.
"So, it isn't always easy to find what you're looking for?"
"Nothing is ever easy. I thought it was going to be easy for Davis and me right away, but that wasn't what happened. I discovered that I had to find the reason why I wanted him. It took me awhile to figure it out. Sure, I liked other guys, but they could never be Davis. I decided that Davis needed me, to bring the better out of him, to show how he is smart, he just doesn't show it."
"Right…You had to make a decision, just like I have to make one myself. It's not going to be easy, but I have to choose. I have to figure out what is right. Thanks Kari."
"I don't know what I did, but you're welcome," I smiled.
"You told me what I need to do. You're being a great friend in my time of need…Unlike I was. I was a terrible friend when you needed me. I blurted out your secret," T.K. told me.
"So you made a mistake, so have I. Everyone does it, you can't help it," I said.
"I just have to be myself. I'll try the best I can. And, I promise, I won't tell anymore of your secrets. That's if you have anymore," he smiled.
"Well, I told you about the Dark World, me liking Davis, my depression…I don't think there is anything else," I opened the door.
"Then we should get going. I don't want Yolei thinking we're doing something bad," T.K. walked out the door and ran down the hallway.
"Mr. Takaishi, no running, even if it after school hours," Mrs. Shing was still at school.
"Right, come on Kari!" he yelled for me.
"Coming!" I shouted as I ran over to him, that was when I caught sight of Mrs. Shing.
"You're going to be as bad as Taichi, aren't you?" she asked me.
"No, I'm rather different!" I smiled as I shoved T.K. down the stairs.
"I have a feeling you are going to be."
"No, I have more patients!" I called to her.
"Hikari Kamiya and Takeru Takaishi! Get up here right now!" Mrs. Shing told us.
We slowly walked back up the steps.
"I will not stand for this behavior from any of my students. I will not stand for the attitudes from you Hikari. You should both know that there is no running in the hallways. I had a feeling you were going to be a troublemaker right when I figured out who your brother was. If you ever want respect from me, you better straighten up your act!"
"It's not an act," I coldly said.
"And my brother was in your class too, but you seem to like to gang up on Kari. What has she ever done to you? Kari is different from Tai, she is sweet and kind! She isn't that talkative either. You just need to learn who she is before you go off and make assumptions about her!" T.K. yelled.
"You are my first Takaishi…And I'm not liking the fact that I have you," Mrs. Shing said.
"How about an Ishida?" he questioned.
"Yamato Ishida, yes, the rock star. How funny he was to be brought up."
"What? You going to treat T.K. differently because his brother was in your class too?" I asked.
"I will give you both another chance…But I don't want your relationship to interfere with your school work. And I don't want you guys passing love notes either, save it for after school. I will have nothing of that in my classroom," Mrs. Shing told us.
"T.K. and me? We're just really good friends. Anyways, I have a boyfriend…And it's not T.K., I can promise you that," I laughed.
"Yeah, and my girlfriend is in a different school…In a different grade!" T.K. smiled.
"Oh, and I'm assuming you and Mr. Motomiya are friends, give him this for me," she handed me a piece of paper with 'Davis Motomiya' in bolded lettering on it.
"I'll give it to him," I smiled.
"Good," Mrs. Shing walked away.
"I'm Mrs. Shing and I love ruining my students' lives!" T.K. mocked Mrs. Shing.
"I think she might be worse than the Dark World!" I laughed.
"There is a new evil in town, and it goes by the name of Mrs. Shing."
"Not that we are truly sure she is a she!"
"I wonder if Davis got in trouble already," T.K. smiled.
"The worse thing he has ever done was breaking that window when he was playing soccer indoors."
"Man, I wish I could have seen that."
"Come on, the faster we get down to Davis, the faster we'll get to see what this note is about," I smiled as I stuck the piece of paper in my pocket.
"I'll race you," he told me.
"You're on!" I laughed.
"Go!" T.K. yelled as we ran down the stairs.
"Beat you!" I smiled when we reached Davis.
"Next time…I'll…Get…You," T.K. gasped.
"You ok T.K.?" Davis wondered.
"Yeah, I'm just out of breath," he said.
"Oh, Davis, Mrs. Shing wanted me to give you this," I pulled the piece of paper out of my pocket.
"I'm already in trouble! Great," Davis laughed as he unfolded the paper.
I looked at him. His smiled quickly turned into a frown.
"What is it Davis?" I was concerned.
"I have detention for the next week," Davis said as he handed me the paper.
"What? For what?" I was outraged.
"It doesn't say. All it says is for the next week I have detention after school."
"That's stupid," T.K. said.
"If she gave you detention for no reason, who knows what she's going to do to me and T.K. for running in the hallway. And I was talking back at her," I mentioned.
"Bright one Kari, never give a teacher an attitude," Davis smiled.
"I don't blame Kari! Mrs. Shing was ganging up on her just because Tai is her brother," T.K. backed me up.
"Where is Tai anyways?" I asked.
"He left with Sora, don't you remember?" Davis asked.
"Right!" I smiled.
"And I thought I was forgetful."
"T.K., you better go talk to Yolei, you really scared her," I whispered to him.
"Ok, I'm ready," T.K. walked away.
"Hmm, looks like we're alone again," Davis smiled.
"It does look a little familiar," I agreed.
"Where were we again?" he questioned.
"I think it was right here," I said as I put my hand on his cheek and slowly leaned in. Davis then leaned in. Our lips gently touched the others. After a minute, I slowly pulled away. He did the same.
"Oh, that's where we were," Davis grinned.
I smiled.
"So, tell me more about this perfect kiss," he requested.
"Our first real kiss was the best kiss, but not the perfect kiss. The perfect kiss was when you kissed me after Willis left," I told him.
"I miss that guy," Davis smiled.
"He e-mailed me. Said that he wants to come back to Japan soon."
"Really? For a guy that doesn't know Japanese, Willis sure does like it here!"
"No, he just has friends here that he can't get anywhere else."
"Yeah, he does have some good friends…And I don't think he'll ever find someone as amazing as you or as honest as Cody."
"And I don't think Willis will ever have a best friend like you," I smiled.
"Aww, you really think I'm a good friend?" Davis asked me.
"Why else would I pick you?" I countered.
I looked around, I saw Izzy walking over here.
"Ken called, he wants you to be at his house for 3 if it was possible," Izzy told me.
"At 3? Everyone?" I questioned.
"You, Davis, T.K., Yolei, and Cody," he said.
"We'll have to go if we can get Cody away from Liz," Davis smiled.
"Ken said that you could bring Liz with you because he'll have Jordan with him," Izzy informed us.
"Jordan is always there! I mean come on, does he ever have time for his guy friends?" Davis asked.
"Like you have any time," Izzy mumbled.
"I have lots of time! I don't ruin a good friendship just because I have a girlfriend that I love with all my heart. I know how to equally spread out my time for everyone. Unlike Ken!" Davis yelled.
"Stop complaining Davis. We spend just as much time with each other as Ken does with Jordan," I told him.
"We never spend much time together! When was the last time we had a date?" he asked me.
"A month ago, I think," I replied.
"They go out every day. I lost my soccer buddy," Davis frowned.
"I know, but you need to be concerned for other people too. What if he thinks he's losing his friendship with you because of me? Look at it from Ken's view too," I told Davis.
"I have a suggestion…You guys should leave now and get to Ken's. You only have 30 minutes and it takes 15 minutes on the sub, and another 15 to get to his apartment," Izzy smiled.
"Right, we better get the others," Davis agreed.
"I'll get Yolei and T.K.," I decided.
"Fine, I'll look for Cody," Davis said.
We left Izzy standing there.
The last time I saw Yolei and T.K., they were by the fence. I slowly walked over there. I heard talking and I stopped.
"I never said that!" I heard T.K. yell.
"Then why would you tell me it was ok to break up with you? Why would I want to? Gosh T.K., I thought you understood me. I wouldn't have told you I loved you if I didn't," Yolei told him.
"I thought you would want someone older, someone in your school."
"Who was that Al girl anyways? I never really got to meet her."
"Kari, Davis, and I met her in school today."
"Do you like her?" Yolei questioned.
"As a friend," T.K. said.
"You want me to break up with you so I won't be heart broken because you want Al to be your girlfriend!" Yolei exclaimed.
"She's just my friend! Sure, we have a lot in common, but I don't like her as anything more than a friend. Don't you trust me. I would never do that to you!"
I started to walk over like I heard nothing.
"I do trust-" Yolei stopped when she saw me.
"Sorry about breaking your conversation. Ken wanted us to come over to his for 3. That means we have to leave now," I explained.
"Ok, where is Davis?" Yolei asked.
"He went to find Cody," I told her.
"Lets go find him, Davis will need some help," she smiled.
Yolei started to walk off, I began to follow her, T.K. held me back.
I turned around and stared at T.K.
"You were listening to us," he told me.
How did he know? What should I do now? I thought.
"I heard you come up, and I saw your shoes," T.K. smiled.
I looked at the ground and frowned. "Sorry."
"No need to be, but you could have walked right in on us…So I didn't have to have that argument. Thanks for coming when you did anyways," he said.
"You aren't mad?" I asked.
"I have no reason to be."
"I'm sorry about what's going on with you and Yolei."
"It's no problem, I'm handling it."
I nodded my head and slightly smiled.
"Lets go," T.K. decided.
"Are you sure you're going to be ok?" I questioned.
"Yeah…Oh, I forgot my backpack in the computer lab," he said.
"Come on, lets get it," I told him.
"But what about the others?"
"We'll pass them when we get to the school doors."
"Ok."
We walked passed Davis, Yolei, and Cody.
"We'll catch the next sub, ok?" I wondered.
"Ok guys, just don't take too long," Cody said.
"We won't!" T.K. waved as we walked into the building.
We opened the door to the computer lab and looked in.
"Here it is," T.K. smiled as he picked up his backpack.
"You've got mail!" the computer I was on repeated over and over again.
"Go ahead and check it," T.K. told me.
I opened the e-mail and read it.
Kari,
T.K. is really getting on my nerves. I mean, he sounds like he wants me to break up with him because he wants someone else. I'm just so confused. He just needs to make up his mind.
Yolei
"What was it?" T.K. wondered.
"Nothing…It was nothing," I lied. "Lets go!"
"Ok Kari, if you say so," he said as he opened the door.
We slowly closed the door behind us and saw Mrs. Shing walking down the hall.
"Does she live in this school?" T.K. whispered.
"Kari, T.K., you are still at school, why?" Mrs. Shing asked.
"Forgot my backpack!" T.K. smiled.
"That reminds me, these are for you two," she handed us both a piece of paper with are names written in bold letters on the front.
"What's this?" I questioned.
"Your detention slip," Mrs. Shing coldly said.
"Detention! What, why?" T.K. demanded.
"Running in the hallway, giving me an attitude."
"Why did you give Davis detention? He didn't do anything," I requested.
"Talking when I was talking."
I started to tense up.
"Well, we would love to stay and chat, but we have to get going," T.K. put his hand on my shoulder to tell me to calm down.
"Takeru, keep your hands off of other people," Mrs. Shing looked at T.K.'s hand on my shoulder.
T.K. slowly removed his hand from my shoulder and took my hand. "Lets go."
T.K. started to walk off.
"Takeru Takaishi!" Mrs. Shing called for him.
"We don't have time to chat, I already told you that!" he yelled to her.
We ran to the subway station.
"I don't think she likes us," I told T.K.
"Who, Mrs. Shing? I know she doesn't like us," he smiled.
"Ok, here's your ticket," I handed T.K. a ticket.
"Oh, I was going to buy my own," he offered me his money.
"Keep it, I don't want your money," I said.
"Thanks Kari," T.K shoved the money back in his pocket.
"Hurry T.K., here comes the sub!" I pulled on T.K.'s arm.
"I'm coming," he followed me.
We ran to the sub. It stopped, and we jumped on.
T.K. took a seat. There was a seat next to him, but I decided to stand.
I stared out the window of the sub.
"What's wrong?" T.K. asked me.
"Huh?"
"What's wrong Kari?" he asked again.
"Oh, nothing," I shook my head.
"You seem distracted."
I sat next to T.K. "Are you sure you're ok with Yolei?"
"Yeah," he looked at his shoes.
"I'm sorry about all of this."
"You have no reason to be sorry. I told Yolei she could break up with me for a reason. I thought she didn't want me anymore. I guess I was a little unsure about our relationship," T.K. explained.
"I'm still sorry," I said.
"Enough about me…What about you and Davis?" T.K. questioned.
"What about us?" I countered.
"How is your relationship going?"
"It's been better, it's been worse."
"What do you mean?"
"We have our rough points, but most of the time we get through."
"I see."
"My mom is going to be so mad at me for getting detention on the first day of school," I smiled.
"So is mine. I don't think Matt even got detention in 8th grade," T.K. told me.
"Tai has! He also got it in 7th grade. He didn't behave calmly," I laughed.
"This is our stop, we better get going," T.K. said.
"Right," I agreed.
We stepped out of the sub. We walked quickly to Ken's apartment.
"Kari, T.K., it's about time you got here!" Ken smiled when he saw us.
"Sorry, we met up with our teacher…Again," T.K. told him.
"We even got detention," I said.
"Kari, you got detention? That's hard to believe," Ken laughed.
"Our teacher has issues," T.K. mumbled.
"Oh, come on in, the others are already here," Ken got out of the doorway so we could get in.
We walked into Ken's room. The others we sitting on the floor. There were clothes and books all over Ken's bed.
"Sorry about the mess," Ken frowned.
"It's cleaner than Davis's room," I smiled.
"How would you know Kari? Have you been sneaking out to see Davis in the middle of the night again?" Ken asked me.
"No," I frowned.
"She got out of that habit a couple of months ago," Cody told him.
"What?" I yelled.
"Kari isn't that bad," T.K. smiled.
"So, when were you in Davis's room?" Ken questioned.
"And why were you in his room?" Yolei wondered.
"I've been in Davis's room a bunch of time because I was over at his house," I answered.
"What is your point?" Davis requested.
"It's just weird," Ken muttered.
"Why? I've been in Kari's room lots of times. I've even slept over at her house before!" Davis said.
"Whatever to that. Ken, where's Jordan?" I asked.
"I told her to go home, that I would talk to her later," Ken frowned.
"Why did you do that?" Davis shouted.
Ken softly spoken, "Because you don't like her."
Davis looked at the ground. "I never said I didn't like Jordan."
"You always made it seem like you didn't."
"I wasn't trying to. It's just weird."
"Why is it weird Davis? Do you not want him to be happy like you? Do you not want Ken to have a girlfriend and live life to the fullest? Do you think you're the only one that deserves it?" Cody jumped in.
"Nobody asked you!" Davis growled.
"He's making a point Davis. You've been having a bad attitude about all of this. Calm down. If you want to play soccer, make plans ahead of time. Just relax a little. You don't need to jump to conculsions about any of this. Have you ever wondered what Ken is thinking, how he's feeling?" I smiled.
"Don't worry too much about him Kari. I'll deal with him later," Ken told me.
"So Ken, why did we need to come all the way out here for?" Yolei questioned.
"I got sick of always coming out to you guys. Why should I always have to waste my money?" Ken smiled and started to laugh a little.
"Now we aren't even worth Ken's money," Cody said.
"So, why are we here again?" I questioned.
"Oh, right! I invited you guys over because…We never seem to hang out anymore! Kind of funny, isn't it?" Ken explained.
"Oh boy," Davis frowned and looked at me.
You can be so stupid sometimes Davis, I thought.
"Funny, yeah, funny," Davis looked nervous.
"Calm down Davis," I whispered.
"Anyways, I thought we could do something to celebrate the first day of school being over. I thought we could do something fun," Ken smiled.
"Well, what kind of fun things do you have?" T.K. asked.
"Yeah, that's kind of the problem. I don't know what there is to do," Ken laughed.
"Very, very funny," Davis looked around the room.
"Are you ok Davis?" Cody asked.
"Fine, yep, I'm fine," he laughed.
"You're all, um…Pale," Yolei pointed out.
"You sure you're ok?" T.K. questioned.
"Yeah, I'm great! Haven't been better!" Davis smiled weakly.
I walked over to him.
"I'm fine Kari, really," he told me.
"You're not looking so hot," Yolei frowned.
"I'm…Fine…Well…It is…A little…Hot…In here," Davis slowly got out.
"Here, maybe this will help," Ken opened the window.
I put my hand on Davis's forehead. "You're not running a fever."
"Don't surround him; Davis is going to need some air," T.K. told us.
Davis stood up. "See I'm fi-." Davis fell to the ground.
"Davis!" I screamed.
"Ken, what was that screaming?" Ken's mother was knocking on the door.
Ken ran to the door and opened it. "Davis kind of passed out."
I sat next to Davis, I held his hand.
"Give the dear some room. Ken get some water," Mrs. Ichijouji said.
"He'll be fine, just give him some time. Could you leave us alone for a few minutes?" I asked.
"Sure, come on guys," Ken shooed everyone out.
"Thank you," I whispered to him.
"Call me if you need anything," Ken left.
"Davis, wake up, please," I spoke softly.
I took a pillow and placed it under his still head.
Please Davis, just wake up. I don't like this. Please wake up. Oh, wake up! I thought.
I looked around the room and back to Davis.
"Open your eyes, show your smile. I want to see your face glow. In moon light, your eyes, they sparkle so bright. A warm touch, a soft smile. A kiss that would wake any death. A fun time isn't a crime. Wake up, don't let go, not tonight. I will be here waiting for you. Open your eyes, show your smile. Don't let go. A kiss that would wake any death. Let me see your eyes shine. Open your eyes. Let me see you wake up from this sleep. A kiss that would wake any death. A tear that would never rest. Open your eyes, look deep inside. Wake up. Don't leave me. A kiss that would wake any death. A tear that won't let you rest. A soft kiss to wake you from your death," I gently kissed Davis on the lips.
Davis turned and slowly opened his eyes. I let go of his hand and started to smile a little.
"Hey there," I said.
"Sorry, I lied," Davis whispered.
"Huh?" I was confused.
"I wasn't fine, I wasn't even close. I was just a little anxious," he explained.
"That's ok."
"I've been doing a lot of lying."
"What?"
"I don't like Jordan! I think she is a stuck-up, two-timing girl!"
"Davis!" I slapped him across the face.
He placed his hand on his cheek. "I deserved that."
"Sorry," I started to cry.
There was knocking on the door.
"Kari, are you ok in there?" Ken questioned.
I didn't say anything. Davis didn't either.
"Kari, if you don't answer me, I'll come in," he said.
I got up and sat on Ken's bed. Ken opened the door. Davis was still laying on the floor, his eyes were closed.
"What was all the yelling in here?" Ken asked me.
"Ask Davis," I crossed my arms.
"Are you ok Kari?" he questioned.
"Huh? Yeah, I've never been better," I smiled.
"What happened?"
"Nothing."
"Liar!" Davis yelled.
"I'm not the only liar in this room," I crossly said.
"Stop fighting! You're sounding like babies that don't get their way!" Ken shouted.
I quickly stood up. "At least I don't bad mouth people."
"What do you mean?" Ken demanded.
"I'm talking about Davis. You should have heard what he was saying."
"Davis?"
"Uh…It was nothing," Davis was looking nervous again.
"He called Jordan a stuck-up, two-timing girl!" I blurted.
Ken quickly turned to Davis. He then punched him in the face. "Don't ever talk about Jordan that way. You don't even know her!"
Davis quickly hit Ken back.
"Stop it! You're being jerks!" I screamed.
"You're the one who started it," Davis coldly said.
"No Davis, you started it," I shook my head.
There was knocking on the door.
"Come in," Ken quickly said.
The door opened.
"What's with all the commotion?" Yolei asked.
I just pointed at Davis and Ken.
"What did they do now?" Cody questioned.
"They're being stupid," I said.
"What did they do?" T.K. repeated Cody.
"Davis said something about Jordan, Ken came in here, I told Ken what Davis said, and now we're in this fight," I explained.
"I can tell there was a fight. Nice black eyes guys," Yolei pointed out.
"Why thank you! Doesn't Ken's look wonderful? I did it myself!" Davis sounded proud of himself.
"My work on Davis is much better though!" Ken said.
I looked away from them. I could have prevented this, I could have made it stop. Just like a year ago, I'm still the cause of the problems. It's always my fault.
"You're both being jerks! Can't you see what you're doing to Kari? You're tearing her apart! I bet right now she's thinking she started this. You should know by now what all this fighting does to Kari. Don't you remember what happened last year?" Cody shouted.
"It doesn't matter Cody, they will never understand what happened to me," I softly said.
"It does matter Kari," T.K. told me.
"It doesn't matter! I started it all! It's my fault, my fault, my fault! It's always my fault! I'm the cause of everything…I could have stop this from happening!" I yelled.
"Don't say that!" Yolei demanded.
"Ah!" I screamed. I grabbed onto my hand that once had the cut on the palm.
Ken fell to the ground and held his neck. "No!"
Davis grabbed onto his arm. "Err!"
T.K., Cody, and Yolei backed away.
"What's going on?" Yolei questioned.
"Could it be?" Cody wondered.
"This can't be possible!" T.K. was shocked.
I fell to the ground in tears. "The Dark World."
"Kari!" Davis and Ken ran to my side.
"It's all ruined, it's all gone," I whispered.
Davis pulled his fingers through my hair. "It will be ok, don't worry."
"When I thought my life was finally going good, I get back on that bumpy road. It came back in the end. Everything came back. The memories, the thoughts. Every kiss, every wish; it all came back. It came back for it's revenge. It's all back," I softly spoke.
Yolei walked over to me and sat down. She quickly slapped me across the face. "That is a bunch of nonsense! All of those things had reason to them…Don't be thinking like that!"
I placed my hands over my mouth. I couldn't believe what has happened.
Davis pulled my hands away and moved my hair out of my face. "Sweet Kari."
I looked at Davis. "Oh Davis, I'm sorry I told Ken, I just thought…"
"Don't worry, I've been through worse."
"And Ken," I turned to face him.
"Don't worry about it Kari. I'm fine," Ken smiled.
I stood up and looked at T.K. "It's back."
T.K. stared at me with a puzzled look.
"Just like it happened a year ago," I softly said.
"No Kari, that isn't going to happen," T.K. told me.
"What isn't going to happen?" Cody wondered.
"It will T.K., I know it will," I whispered.
"Nothing is going to happen Kari. I promise you, what ever does happen, won't be your fault. Just because something like that happened before, doesn't mean it's going to happen again," T.K. smiled.
Davis stared at T.K. "What are you talking about?"
"It's something you wouldn't understand. Just trust me about it, I know what I'm talking about," T.K. told him.
"I guess I can trust you this one time," Davis joked.
Images of the past year flashed through my head. Izzy and Mimi had that fight. Tai getting ran over by the car. The concert. All the make-ups. Cody getting his heart broken. Willis leaving for America. All those kisses. My secret being revealed. The trips to the Dark World. Now it felt like that stuff was happening again. T.K. and Yolei are in their argument. The Dark World is back.
I was staring at my hands. I was confused and scared. I decided to see if it was true, I decided to see if the Dark World was really back. I slowly pulled off my glove that covered where the cut once was. I looked away as I took it all the way off. I looked at the ceiling, then Davis, and then Ken. I still hadn't looked at the palm of my hand.
Calm down Kari. Everything will be alright. You have friends to help you through. You have everything that you could possibly need. Nothing can stop you now. Not a cut, not a fight, not even the Dark World. Nothing! I thought to myself.
Davis took my hand and held onto it. He softly smiled as he closed his eyes.
What is he doing?
Davis opened his right eye and flipped my hand over so you could see my palm.
I closed my eyes tight. I'm not looking, I'm too scared.
"Look Kari," Davis whispered to me.
I slowly opened my eyes. The cut was there. It stared at me, I stared back. I looked at Davis.
He smiled as he rolled up his sleeve. He had his cut.
Why are you smiling Davis? Do you think this is a game?
"America," Davis said.
"What?" I was puzzled.
"In America was when my cut first went away. A week before we went there."
"Huh?"
"Our cuts went away a week before we went to America to see Willis! After he left Japan. Are you understanding this?"
"Um…Not really."
"How do I explain this?"
"When I gave you that e-mail, it was a week before we left for America to see Willis. It was the day we thought we destroyed the Dark World for good, but we didn't. Maybe the Dark World is scared of America or something like that. It made the cuts go away," Ken said.
"But my cut was there when we went to America," I told them.
"Or was it? You don't know if it was or wasn't, you never looked at the palm of your hand to make sure," T.K. smiled.
"This is so confusing. I understand what you guys are saying, and it makes sense, but I'm just not sure. It's all very confusing."
"Lets put it this way, we're going to make it through, no matter what," Davis decided.
"That is a great idea!" Ken agreed.
"I like that plan," I smiled.
"Anyways, we have some great friends that will help us through anything," Ken said.
"Uh…Does Jordan know about it?" I nervously asked.
Ken looked at Davis.
"Don't look at me! She's your girlfriend," Davis smiled.
"Was I supposed to?" Ken questioned.
Everyone turned and looked at me.
"I guess not, not when you really didn't have it when you guys started to go out, but-" I was cut off.
"I hate when there's a but," Ken complained.
"Let her finish," Yolei laughed.
"But, if this Dark World is really back, Jordan should probably know. Of course, you have to make the choice, if you don't think she should know, then don't tell her. It's all up to you," I explained.
"Right, I have to choose, just like you chose to tell Davis and everyone else," Ken nodded.
"And you'll have all of us to help you," T.K. reminded him.
I looked a Davis. Tell Ken you're sorry. Make everything better.
Davis turned to look at Ken. "Dude, I'm sorry for calling Jordan what I called her."
"No problem! If I wasn't friends with Kari, I would have thought the same thing about her. We haven't been talking much, you think Jordan is taking away from our soccer playing time. I understand, I thought Kari would have done that too, but she likes to play soccer. Jordan doesn't, she's more into girl stuff, like hair and make-up," Ken explained.
"So, we're cool?"
"Of course!"
"Perfecto!" Yolei laughed.
"Now what should we do?" I wondered.
"Uh, yeah, weren't we stuck with this question before? I still don't have an answer…I'm willing to hear suggestions!" Ken smiled.
"How about we go out for some pizza?" Cody asked.
"Yeah, and we can invite Jordan, so I can get to know her," Davis agreed.
Ken nodded. "She lives right by the pizza place."
"Then, lets go!" T.K. opened the door.
We ran out.
