Part One: Her Secret
Chapter Six: Any colour you like
The subway train slowed to a halt as it announced its destination. When the doors slid open, Tai Kamiya promptly stepped out; his sister directly behind him. Walking patiently amidst the crowd, the siblings made there way up the escalator and out into the warm sunlight of a beautiful Odaiba day. Tai turned to look at his sister, still trying to get used to her new look. He'd sat and watched her while they road on the subway and thinking back, could not recall the last time he'd seen her genuinely happy. How long had she been dressing and acting like the child of light that everyone expected her to be? Putting on a fake smile each morning when inside she felt in turmoil? However, while he'd managed to coax her out of her shell, he still had no idea what troubled her so. If he was going to find out, he would have to persevere. Yet at the same time give her some space. He pondered this predicament for a moment. Perhaps the best course of action would be to just allow her to be herself today. That way he might better understand who Kari Kamiya was as a person now, rather than the perception he had taken for granted for so long.
"There's a CD shop just up ahead," Tai suggested as they entered one of the main shopping streets.
Kari let out a laugh that she normally reserved for when he'd said or done something stupid that she found cute, "they don't stock the sort of thing I'm looking for. Trust me, I've checked."
"Ok..." Tai replied, before asking, "what sort of thing are you looking for?"
"Something you won't find in a store that focuses on current pop rubbish."
Tai scratched the back of his head and felt a pang of guilt. He'd bought her a pair of 'current pop rubbish' CDs as part of her birthday. Guess it was time to correct that particular error. "I take it you know where you're going then?"
"This way," Kari said as she shepherded him down a side street.
The music store his sister led him to was poles apart from the one he'd referred to. Situated inconspicuously between a soba bar and a golf surplus store, Tai could have walked passed it and never known it was there had Kari not pointed it out. No neon sign adorned its front and the CD's on display in the window were largely by bands he'd never even heard of. However, they all had one thing in common, they all looked western.
"When did you start listening to western music?" he asked as she led him inside, "and how did you find this place?"
"It took me a while," Kari replied, electing to answer his second question first. "I went around all the chain stores in the area looking for a particular album."
"Until someone directed you here?"
She laughed, "no. I found a copy in one of them. It was when I decided I wanted the next album, I realised that I'd have to find a more specialised store. Even though someone online told me there was one somewhere in the area, it still took me the better part of an afternoon to find this place. I was wandering around like a little lost Digimon!"
The man behind the counter glanced over at them and Tai saw a look of recollection form on his face when he saw Kari. "Good morning, Pretty Girl," he said in a cheerful voice, his face now beaming, "it is nice to see you again." He then looked up at Tai, "is this your boyfriend?"
He saw Kari blush at the comment before replying, "he's my brother, Iowa."
The shopkeeper bowed to him, a gesture which he returned, before turning back to Kari, "you let me know if there's anything I can help you find or if you need some more advice, Pretty Girl."
"I will, Iowa, thank you," his sister replied before heading off down one of the aisles of CDs.
Tai followed her and waited until they were slightly further away from the counter before asking, "how many times have you been in here?"
There was a moment's silence before she replied, "this makes time number six." Then she laughed, "I was probably even more like a little lost Digimon when I finally found this place. Iowa helped me figure out what album I wanted next. He's really nice."
Trying his best not to sound overprotective, Tai ventured, "and he calls you pretty girl because?"
"He used to greet his granddaughter with that term, apparently we look alike. Besides, are you suggesting I'm not pretty?"
"Wha...no...I...Kari..." he stopped babbling at the point Kari was unable to maintain a straight face. He really needed to have a comeback prepared for when she pulled that sort of comment out.
Feeling somewhat out of place, he began aimlessly flicking through the P's while Kari stood next to him purposefully looking through the O's. A set of albums by a singular artist caught his eye due to their interesting artworks, that including two heads large metallic heads that became a singular face depending on how you looked at it, a large collection of beds on a beach and a prism splitting a beam of light into its composite colours.
"Pink Floyd," Kari said to him having glanced over at what he was looking at.
"How'd you know that?" Tai asked in confusion. While he certainly felt out of his depth, it was becoming apparent that his sister was not.
"Iowa showed them to me last time. He said I really should listen to them at some point."
"Why don't you get one then?"
"I would, but I really want these two Mike Oldfield albums," she indicated the two CD's she'd pulled out, "and can't afford a third if I want something from ."
He looked at the price of the two CD's she held then took them from her, "pick one and I'll buy you these two."
"I can't let you do that, Tai," she replied glumly and held out her hand, "please give them back to me."
It lightened his heart somewhat to discover that, despite what else may have changed, Kari still remained selfless. If more people in the world were like her, it would be a much better place. "I told you last night, I screwed up with your birthday present so today I'm going to make it up to you."
"You don't have to do that."
"I want to," he then gave her a wicked grin, "now either choose one, or I'll pick for you and buy all three."
"Don't you dare, Tai Kamiya," she said in alarm, making a grab for the two CD's he'd taken from her.
He'd been prepared for this eventuality and quickly held them out of her reach.
"Tai, that is so unfair!"
"Better make a choice then, hadn't you."
"I hate you," Kari pouted as she began flicking through the Pink Floyd CD's, eventually selecting one with two men shaking hands on the cover, one of whom was on fire. "Iowa suggested this one to me last time. Apparently, it has some lengthy instrumental sections that he thinks I'll enjoy."
"Instrumental sections?" he asked, now quite curious as to exactly what sort of music she listened to.
"Yeah, the majority of the Mike Oldfield albums I have are made up of long instrumental pieces."
A confused look formed on Tai's face, "how on earth did you discover this stuff?"
"Yolei showed this old horror film at her last sleepover. It wasn't very scary but had this really captivating piece of music. I checked it up online and discovered that it came from an album called Tubular Bells."
"And then you spent half a day wandering around town looking for a copy?" Tai said, the dots now connecting in his head.
"Right. I listened to it every day for a week and found myself hooked. However, it was the only Oldfield album the CD store had, so I knew I needed to find somewhere else to shop when I decided I wanted a different one."
They walked back towards the front of the store and waited while the elderly shopkeeper served another customer. Absentmindedly, Tai turned one of the CD's over and looked at the back. It was called Incantations and consisted of only four tracks, each between seventeen and twenty minutes long. He sighed internally. It felt like Kari had been living two lives over the past year. The one he and his parents knew about and this other that involved black jeans, denim jackets, repeat trips to an old western music store and who knew what else. Why hadn't she shared any of this with him before now? Had she simply thought him too busy and didn't want to bother him? That certainly sounded like Kari, both old and new; selfless. Except something about that did not quite ring true, but he could not put his finger on it. He would just have to learn more he reasoned if he wished to figure it out. And he had a good idea how to keep the ball rolling after today's shopping trip was over and done with.
"Kari," he ventured, drawing her attention away from a rack that contained old vinyl LP's, "would you play one of your albums for me when we go home?"
The look she gave him suggested that nothing would make her happier, but ever the selfless one, she asked, "are you sure?"
"Yeah, I want to hear what all the fuss is about."
Before she could reply, Iowa called them over to the counter, "hello, Pretty Girl, what can I do for you today?"
Kari handed over the singular Pink Floyd CD.
"No Mr Oldfield today?" the man asked with a smile, "although I see you're taking my advice."
Tai held up the two CD's in his hand, "I've got those."
The shopkeeper glanced up at him before returning his attention to Kari, "is your brother a fan?"
"He's just asked to be initiated tonight," his sister replied as she handed over the money for her CD.
The man laughed, "be sure you don't scare him off now."
The comment made Tai feel slightly perplexed as he watched Kari take her change and the small bag Iowa handed her. "I'll try," she replied before moving aside so he could step forward.
Tai handed the CD's over along with the correct change, then slid them inside his sister's bag once the man sat them atop the counter. They both said goodbye to the friendly shopkeeper, bowed, then headed back outside. When the door closed behind them, he turned to his sister, "what did he mean about scaring me off?"
Kari laughed, "it wasn't meant as an insult if that's what you're wondering."
"Then what did he mean by it?"
"A lot of people are put off this sort of music because their first experience takes them too far out with their comfort zone."
Not entirely convinced, he gave her a funny look, "seriously?"
"You'll understand tonight, promise."
He took her word for it and they set off back towards the main street. "So where to now, Sis?"
Kari gave him a wicked smile, " ."
Tai sighed, "if you insist. Lead on."
Once more he found himself following his sister through the crowd. And he found himself wondering how many times she'd done this by herself. Or did she have a new group of friends that he was oblivious too? If so he would surely find out in due course. They walked for another few minutes and he had just started to ponder which sports shops he should scout in search of new soccer boots when he almost walked straight into Kari's back.
"Oh wow!" he heard her exclaim as he struggled to stay upright.
Tai followed his sisters gaze to the window display of the store he realised was .
Kari, apparently oblivious to the fact he'd almost toppled to the tarmac in an effort not to bang into her, then said, "they're so cool!"
He looked at the display and frowned, "seriously? It's just some boots."
"Not the boot's, those hairdos."
He looked passed the display of boots to a pair of banners, each displayed a model, one with bright red hair, the other metallic silver.
"Mom would probably flip if I asked her to take me somewhere that did those sort of hairstyles."
Tai listened to her words and could hear the longing for something that she couldn't have. Kari never asked for anything, even if it was something she wanted. And he'd never heard her want something so much in his life. In his head, he totalled how much the two CDs he'd already bought her came to and reasoned that it did not nearly equate to a sixteenth birthday present. Not only that, he and everyone else had screwed it up big style. It was time to call in a favour.
Following Kari inside the store, Tai pulled out his phone and quickly composed a message. "Hey, Teiko, do you still work at Shockers?"
He had to wait a few minutes, in which he watched Kari look through a selection of punky t-shirts before he got a reply. "Hey, Tai. How'z it hanging? Yeah. I'm actually at work just now. Wot's up?"
Yes, he exclaimed internally as he wrote, "Ok, remember when I let you cut and style my hair for your folio? Now it's payback time." He smiled to himself as he recalled the incident. Teiko was one of his middle school friends who had not agreed with the school system and so had gone off to do an apprenticeship in hair styling. They had kept in touch and she'd eventually, after much badgering and a slight bit of friendly blackmail, roped him into being a model for her folio. Afterwards, she had promised to pay him back anytime. He just hoped she would make good on that promise.
"Ha, ha, ha. Did your mother actually take scissors to your hair this time?"
Tai stifled a laugh, although would concede that he did occasionally go to bed wondering whether he'd wake up to find his mother had done just that. "Ha, ha, no. It's actually for my sister, Kari. I know it's short notice, but would you be able to do her hair this afternoon?" It was asking a lot, he reasoned when he hit the send button. However, Teiko was a good friend and the only thing better was a good friend who owed you a massive favour. He crossed the fingers of his free hand as he waited with bated breath for the reply.
"...let me check and I'll get back to you..."
Way to ramp up the suspense Teiko, he thought. Looking up from his cell phone, he realised that he'd not been paying attention and subsequently lost Kari. Crap. Pocketing the device, he scanned the crowed store for any sign of her. Finding none he was left with little choice but to venture further in. Where are you, he thought, having to remind himself that he was looking for spiky hair and a denim jacket. In the end, it was Kari who found him.
"I love it in here," he heard her voice say directly in his ear, which caused him to jump. "Lose something, Tai?"
He turned to see her with a devilish smile on her face, "you did that on purpose."
"Who me?" she asked innocently.
He let out a sigh, that same smile had gotten his little sister out of trouble more times than he could count when they were kids and it seemed she had not lost her touch. Granted she had never been in trouble too often, maybe that was why it typically worked. "Are you finished?" he asked, spying the t-shirt and choker she had clasped in her hand.
"Yeah, do you want to go shop for soccer boots after I pay for these?"
"Maybe," he replied tentatively. That would all depend on what Teiko said when she got back to him, but he had no intention of telling her that at present. "Or we could go have lunch."
Kari laughed and shook her head, "like Digimon, like partner. Come on, I'll go pay for this."
Tai followed her to the cash desk where, fortunately, there was no queue. As he waited for her to pay, his mind wandered to the orange dinosaur that was his Digimon partner; Agumon. He might have no clue as to what his friend was doing right about now, but he'd wager anything that it involved food in some way. Whether that be daydreaming about it or actually eating it. For a rookie, Agumon had an insatiable appetite. When Kari returned, now clutching a second bag, they walked steadily towards the exit. No sooner had they left the store, his phone beeped.
"Bring her in by one o'clock, don't be late. P.S. This is more than I owe you, Kamiya. You can pay me back at a later date :)"
"Who's that?" Kari asked as he flipped his phone closed again and put it back in his pocket.
"An old friend," he grinned, electing to keep the whole thing a surprise. "Let's get lunch."
"What about your boots?"
"They can wait," he replied, "come on, why don't we get burgers."
##
They finished lunch by 12:15 pm and after buying them both an ice cream cone, Tai used the ruse of going to a specific store to look for soccer boots as a way of leading Kari out of the main shopping district. When the neon sign of Shockers came into view, he made a simple comment about one of his old school friends working there and if she didn't mind, he'd like to pop in to say hello. Kari had agreed without question and happily followed him through the shop door. The hair salon had a funky look, with black leather and chrome chairs, a checkerboard tiled floor and a different bright colour on each wall. Somehow, the designer had made it work.
"Wow, you actually showed up on time, Kamiya."
Tai looked up at a girl his age with short, spiky turquoise hair and a sassy smile on her lips. "At least I bothered to attend class, you just showed when you wanted to annoy the teachers, Sato."
The pair stood with firm expressions on their faces after the trade of insults. Out of the corner of his eye, Tai could see Kari looked confused. However, this was war. Like a pair of old west gunfighters, they stared one another down, neither willing to flinch. After a few moments of intense eye work, he could feel the corners of his mouth begin to tug. However, he was not the only one. Come on, Kamiya, just a few more... Tai burst out laughing at the exact same time as his opponent. Crossing the distance between them, he embraced the girl before turning to his sister.
"Kari, this is Teiko, one of my friends from middle school. Teiko, this is my sister, Kari."
"Nice to meet you, Kari," Teiko said, stepping past him to greet his sister. "So what would you like me to do?"
"Nice to meet you too," Kari replied, still looking confused, "Tai, what's going on?"
He gave her a grin, "Teiko's going to do your hair for you. Happy birthday, Kari."
He watched as her mouth fell open in disbelief. After a few moments she managed to say, "Tai, you can't be serious. Mom will flip."
"Leave mom to me and tell Teiko what you want."
A wave of excitement must have blown away her inhibition for she blurted out, "I want to look like a lit match!"
It seemed that Kari had been thinking about this for a long time Tai realised. However, her selflessness quickly kicked back in and she turned to look at him, "you don't have to do this, Tai. You already bought me two CD's, lunch and ice cream. Besides, it'll cost a fortune."
"I know I don't have to, Kari. But I want to. You got nothing you actually wanted or like for your birthday, so I want to make it up to you."
"Tai..."
"Come on, I could tell from how you looked at those posters that you've been thinking about this for some time. Now tell Teiko what you want."
He could see the look of guilt start to form on her face as Kari turned back to the waiting figure of Teiko, "please just do something inexpensive."
The turquoise haired girl smiled, "have a seat over there and I'll be right with you," she said, pointing at the chair furthest from the door.
Kari handed her bags to him and he could see the torn look on her face. He watched her walk over to the chair and once she'd sat down he turned to Teiko, "how much for you to make her look like a lit match?"
The stylist thought for a moment, "I'd have to bleach her hair, then add two different colours to it. So about ¥13,500, but for you, I can knock that down to ¥11,000."
Tai thought for a moment on hearing the cost. Well, what did you expect, his brain piped up as he weighed up the rather substantial sum. He had the money, but it would mean going without new boots for the foreseeable future. Did he feel that guilty over Kari's birthday or have that strong a desire to see her happy. There was only one answer to that he realised. "Work your magic, Teiko."
"Whatever you say, Kamiya. Though I must say, she's one lucky sister. My douche-bag brothers forgot about my last birthday."
"I just hope she doesn't get upset once she realises what you're doing."
"You just leave that to me," Teiko said before wandering off to where Kari sat.
Finding an empty seat, he sat down in the waiting area. Praying that Kari would not feel guilty about him spending so much money on her. Unfortunately, there was one other drawback he had not considered. The contents of his mother's casserole dish would almost certainly become dinner now.