Part Five: A Secret Exposed

Chapter Two: Real love

It was Christmas day and while their parent's focus was firmly on preparing for the hectic New Year's schedule, Tai and Kari had something else planned. Unlike the older generations, theirs had got caught up in Americanization, thus quite enjoyed the non-traditional holiday and everything that came with it. However, instead of celebrating the birth of some foreign religion's saviour, it was firmly targeted as being a romantic time for couples. And, for some strange reason that neither of the Kamiya siblings understood, strongly associated with KFC. Needless to say, Kari had been quick to put the kibosh on them going there for dinner.

"I want to go out to a proper restaurant," she had declared a week prior when they had first talked about the subject. Tai had groaned on hearing this. A proper restaurant would mean getting dressed up, not something he relished and add complications when it came to circumventing their parents without raising suspicion. It had come as a firm reminder of two things. One: going out on a date with his sister come girlfriend would always require careful planning and two: Kari had expectations that he would need to meet if he wanted their relationship to continue. Just because he was her brother and they were in love, did not excuse him from meeting the standards she expected of a boyfriend. While she had not explicitly said this, he'd picked up on that message during their first date.

Letting out a long-suffering sigh, Tai tore through his wardrobe, looking for a suitable shirt. Eventually, he found one; it was light blue. Unfortunately, it must have fallen off the hanger at some point as it was more crumpled mess than shirt. It would need to be ironed, only he had no one to do it for him. Damn it, he cursed as he tossed it onto the bed. He then began rummaging around in the bottom for the one and only pair of dress shoes that he owned. Another expletive escaped his lips when he withdrew the half-crushed pair of black shoes; they'd need polished. Picking up the shirt, Tai made his way to the living room, via a trip to the hall cupboard and set up the ironing board. From his sister's room, he could faintly hear The Songs of Distant Earth being played on her CD player. She must have finished in the bathroom he mused, trying to make the shirt fit onto the iron board. Once he was done fixing his shirt and shoes, he would go shower. He picked up the iron.

"Ok," Tai breathed, "I don't like you and you don't like me, but I swear if you screw me over now, I'll drop you out the window." It was an empty threat and the stupid household appliance probably knew that, however, it at least made him feel a little better about the situation. It took fifteen minutes of serious elbow grease, along with several rather loud curses and one nearly burnt finger in order to make the shirt look presentable. After that, he set about scrubbing and polishing his shoes, which in comparison, almost felt therapeutic. He returned both items to his bedroom and headed for the shower.

##

The music washed over Kari in much the same way as the water had done in the shower some fifteen minutes ago. Running a comb through her shoulder-length lit-match hair one last time, she turned her head from side to side as she analysed at her reflection in the mirror; perfect. Her gaze fell upon the dress that hung on the open wardrobe door. It was a red skater style affair that she had only worn once before… on her fateful one-year anniversary date with TK. The thing had gotten drenched that night when she had walked home in the rain, laundered, then shoved into her wardrobe. Had she and Tai not planned this date at such short notice, she would probably have shopped for a new one. However, she'd not had that luxury and since the red dress was the nicest one she owned by a country mile, it had won by default.

It's only a dress, she told herself, as she put on her underwear followed by a pair of black holdups. It was not responsible for what happened that night and so it's perfectly ok for you to wear. She took it off the hanger and pulled it over her head. The thin straps rested lightly on her shoulders, joining the bodice that covered her small breasts, while the skirt just brushed the tops of her knees. Reaching around her back she awkwardly zipped it up. Sitting down at her desk, she carefully applied some black eyeshadow, mascara and red lipstick that matched her dress. She then painted her nails a similar shade of red. It was rather tame, ordinary even she thought, given the neon yellow she wore with her Digital Punk outfit, or some of the other bright affairs she'd tried out. Indeed, her whole outfit for the evening was a little muted for her tastes now. However, a proper restaurant merited more formal attire. And while she loved her punky wardrobe, she still maintained a level of social etiquette that prevented her from wearing one of her creations to such an establishment.

Squeezing her feet into a pair of red shoes with three-inch heels, she stood up and moved to stand in front of the mirror once more. The outfit, the makeup, everything about her appearance except for her hair was exactly the way it had been just under eighteen months ago. Yet Kari felt polls apart from the girl that had stood in this exact same spot that night. Older, obviously. Wiser, possibly. Happier, yes. More like herself, definitely. She smiled. Gone was that young, emotional wreck of a girl who had stood here and loathed herself for the way she had been too afraid to end a relationship she knew was a sham. Now she looked at herself and saw a young woman who was sure of herself, who she wanted to be and most importantly, who she loved. Yes, there would be difficult times ahead, of that she was in no doubt. But she now felt like someone who could deal with them. However, she did not need to worry about that tonight. No, tonight was going to be fun.

Gracefully, Kari crossed the room to turn off the CD player, before leaving her bedroom. From down the hallway she could hear the sound of the shower, Tai was taking his sweet time tonight it seemed. A quick glance towards the main living area told her why; he'd left the ironing board up. She laughed to herself as she crossed the hall into his bedroom. Hanging on the wardrobe door, she saw the shirt he planned to wear tonight. Well, he certainly gets points for trying, she thought as she whipped it off the hanger, along with the pair of black trousers he'd picked out and took them to the ironing board. In little over five minutes, both were back on their respective hangers and the ironing board back in the closet. She pondered whether or not he'd notice as she sat down on the sofa to wait on him.

They'd caught a slice of luck in that their parents had gone out earlier in the day to do some shopping and then messaged them to say that they too had decided to go out for dinner. While they'd come up with a more than plausible reason for going out together, meeting the other Digidestined for a Christmas night out, it spared any potential questions as to why had they had gotten so dressed up. All they needed to do was come home after their parents had gone to bed, which they would apologise for in the morning and everything would be fine.

##

Tai exited the bathroom and staggered down the hall back to his room, furiously running a towel through his hair as he went. Tossing it to the floor, he located his underwear and pulled it on. His brow furrowed when he caught sight of his perfectly ironed shirt and trousers. Indignance filled him as he slipped it on and buttoned it up; damn Kari. He'd spent fifteen minutes and almost burnt his finger ironing the stupid thing. He pulled on his trousers and couldn't stop a smile forming on his face. At least his sister had the decency just to gently correct him. Some of his short-lived girlfriends had been the sort to see a mistake about to happen, let you blindly make it and then bitch about the fact you had done so for the rest of the date. Yet another reason why Kari was so special.

Tai finished dressing, made sure he had his wallet and phone, then headed for the main living area. He caught sight of his sister on the couch and she stood up on hearing him approach. When she turned around, his eyes almost popped out of their sockets. She looked incredible. He'd seen her the last time she had worn this outfit and she had looked good then too, but it did not compare to tonight. Then she had been a girl dressed up to appear more like a woman, whereas tonight… tonight she was a woman. Beautiful, elegant, graceful… no words existed to fully capture the sheer incandescent brilliance of his girlfriend.

"How do I look?" she asked with a light smile and flick of her dress.

It took a moment for Tai to be able to utter the only word that came close, "perfect."

He saw her blush slightly and bite her lip. "You scrub up not too bad yourself."

"I think Cinderella's mice got the wrong room tonight and gave me a hand with my outfit instead of you."

They both laughed at his joke as Kari stepped forward to stand in front of him. He reached out, wrapped an arm around her waist and brought their bodies together. "I love you," he said softly as he gazed into those captivating reddish-brown orbs.

"I love you too," Kari replied with all the gentleness of a feather brushing against his skin. She reached up and gave him the lightest of kisses. "We'd better go or we'll miss the train."

Tai nodded in agreement and released his grip on her waist. At the front door they pulled on their jackets, the inside pockets of his bulging with the Christmas present he planned on giving her at dinner. Learning from Tk's mistake, it was not a ring of any variety. Opening the front door, he ushered Kari out and locked it behind him. Before they had even reached the stairs, his hand had found hers and the two had interlocked. He turned his head and met her gaze. Wordlessly, they told each other that they shouldn't hold hands so close to the apartment. That someone might see them and tell their parents. But at the same time, that they were so madly in love that they did not care what anyone else, including their parents, thought about them. If they were going to be together then sooner or later the world would have to find out and learn to deal with it.

##

They took the train from Odaiba to Minato city and got off at Shiodome station, just as they had done on their ill-fated first date. Only this evening, everything had felt different. Hand in hand, they'd brazenly walked through the streets of Odaiba without a care. Neither of them nervously glancing around to see if anyone they knew had seen them. Instead, they'd shared light-hearted conversation, jokes and playful teasing. On the train, they had sat together and gazed out at the beautiful sight of Tokyo bay at sunset as they'd crossed the Rainbow bridge. So relaxed in each other's company.

When they had disembarked and managed to make their way out of the hectic station, Kari had taken Tai by surprise when she had told him that she needed to go pick something up and would meet him outside the restaurant in an hour's time. He had felt slightly put out by this, but his girlfriend had assured him that the surprise would make up for the time he would need to spend alone. With a parting kiss, Kari had disappeared off into the crowd.

Tai lazily strolled through the busy streets, stopping to look at some of the festive stalls that had popped up for the season, as he killed the time until he was due to meet back up with his girlfriend. In hindsight, he should have queried why she'd wanted to take the earlier train when they had planned the date. At a flower stall, he bought her a singular red rose, cheesy he knew, but a gesture she would appreciate nonetheless. Further along, he went into a sweet shop and filled a box full of her favourite types of gummy sweeties. While it did not look nearly as glamorous as a box of fancy chocolates, Kari would much prefer it. TK had never picked up on the fact that his sister was not a huge chocolate lover and had bought her increasingly expensive assortments for their one-month and six-month anniversaries plus her birthday. She never did have the heart to tell the boy that she'd passed them on to their mom. Finally, he picked up a gift bag in a card shop and deposited her present, the sweets and rose inside.

Glancing at his watch, Tai altered his course and began heading for the restaurant. Wanting to experience an authentic Christmas dinner, they'd settled on a British establishment that promised to serve just that. It was a small place and it had only been by virtue of a cancellation that they had managed to get a table. In fact, so quaint was the sign above its door, that Tai walked right passed it and had to double back when he reached the end of the road. He waited. About five minutes later, he caught sight of a flash of bright orange amidst the sea of natural hair colours; Kari.

##

"Miss me?" Kari said with a cute smile, as she reached up and pecked her boyfriend on the lips. She had a small gift bag clutched in her hands.

"Whenever you're not with me," Tai replied truthfully.

She gave him a sceptical look. "Really? You never think to yourself, thank fuck that annoying, needy girlfriend of mine isn't here so I can get some peace and quiet?"

Tai opened his mouth to immediately say, of course not, but stopped. He gave her a grin. "I suppose… sometimes. However, when that happens, I go see my sister. She's really good at listening to me when I need to bitch about my girlfriend and all the times she harps on at me about being a sucky boyfriend."

Kari burst out laughing and had to take a moment to compose herself. When she eventually did, she said, "your sister must be rather special, if she can put up with all the bitching you do. However, I'm sure that when you're being a douche," she deftly gave him a playful punch in the arm, "she knows how to handle you."

They both laughed and Tai held out his arm, "shall we?"

Kari took it, "lets."

Arm in arm the couple descended the flight of stairs beneath the quaint sign and entered the restaurant. As expected, it was not large inside the building. However, by no means did it feel cramped. The round tables were well spaced out and adorned with white tablecloths and festive red and gold runners. Each was lit by a small candle and the ceiling lighting kept to a minimum. Resulting in a warm glow permeating throughout the room. And only a low level of chatter could be heard. Like there was an unspoken agreement between the patrons to be extra polite. A maitre d' greeted them warmly at the front of house lectern, asked Tai for his name, hung their jackets on the coat rack and then led them over to a table in the corner.

As she walked past the other diners, Kari noticed two things, one: virtually all of them appeared to be couples and two: she and Tai were almost certainly the youngest. The maitre d' carefully pulled her chair out from beneath the table and invited her to sit. Naturally, she obliged. When both she and her boyfriend were seated, the man handed them menu's and took their drinks order; a melon soda for her and a grape one for Tai.

"It feels so nice in here, don't you think?" Kari said after the maitre d' had left.

"KFC might have been nice too," Tai chuckled.

She shook her head in mock disdain. "You'd eat just about anything if your stomach was remotely hungry."

"Not quite anything…"

"…anything but one of mom's kitchen nightmares."

They both let out a low chuckle, choosing to respect the rooms seemingly unspoken rule.

Tai reached into his gift bag, pulled out the singular red rose. "I bought this for you," he said as he held it out to her. "I've no idea where you're supposed to put it," he then laughed.

Kari felt a warm sense of love at her boyfriend's slight awkwardness as she reached out her slender hands and took the flower. Bringing it up to her nose, she took a deep breath in through her nostrils and allowed the sweet aroma to wash over her. "It's beautiful," she replied and sat it gently down on the table. "I'll put it in some water when I get home, then press it when it eventually dries out."

"I also got you this." Tai held out the gift bag for her to take. "It's not much, but I hope you like it."

"If it's from you, I'm sure I will." Kari took the bag and peered inside. It contained a mixed box of sweeties that she knew Tai had picked himself along with two CD's (Pink Floyd's A Momentary Lapse of Reason and Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells III) and a studded black choker with silver chains dangling from it. It seemed her boyfriend had braved for her. She felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude; the gift was perfect. "Tai, thank you so much!"

"Don't mention it," Tai smiled. Unlike with his previous girlfriends, there had been no feelings of doubt or worry about whether or not Kari would like the gift, either when buying it or giving it to her. He instinctively knew what would make her happy.

Kari sat the gift bag under the table, then picked up the small one she herself had brought. She had been extremely lucky to get it made in time, owing to the unique nature of the design, hence why it had not been ready until today. "Here," she said, offering the bag to him, "I really hope you like it." Internally she had her fingers crossed, for the gift was not quite in keeping with his normal style.

Tai could see a slight look of concern in his girlfriend's eyes as he took the bag from her. Whatever was inside, she had clearly gone out on a limb when choosing it and was worried he wouldn't like it. He opened it and withdrew something covered in tissue paper. Unwrapping it, he discovered a black leather wrist cuff.

"Turn it over," Kari encouraged.

He did so and saw embossed in the leather and painted orange, the crest of courage. "Wow… Kari," he breathed, slightly stunned. He could tell from the feel of it that the leather was genuine. Add to that the cost of having something that unique stamped into it and it must have cost her at least ¥7000, maybe more.

"I know you've been wearing a sweatband because you have still have issues looking at your wrist. So, I thought if you wore this instead, every time you look at it, you'll be reminded of how strong you actually are," Kari explained. "I really hope you like it."

Tai traced the pattern of his crest with his finger. "Kari... it's amazing. Thank you so much."

"I'm so glad you like it," Kari replied, a slight air of relief about her tone.

He put the wrist cuff back in the bag and sat it under the table, just as a waiter arrived with their drinks. They sat and talked for a while as they perused the festive menu. In the end, they both stuck to the original plan and ordered the traditional Christmas Dinner. Which consisted of carrot and coriander soup to start, followed by turkey with 'all the trimmings' whatever that meant and sherry trifle for dessert; neither of them liking the sound of Christmas pudding.

They both enjoyed the first two courses and it was while they were waiting for dessert that Tai decided it was time to talk to Kari about his plans for after school. "I've been thinking this past week and I've decided that, if I get enough on my university entrance exam, I'm going to go to Tokyo U," he said.

Kari looked up at her boyfriend. She supposed this was a conversation most couples had when it came time for one or both of them to finish high school. At that point, you were free to go off into the wild and try and find your own path. For some couples, it would be heartbreak, as a drive towards future success proved stronger than teenage love. While others might sacrifice golden opportunities on the chance their love was real. In their case, Tai was willing to make the sacrifice; albeit nowhere near the scale that some people undoubtedly did. Tokyo U was still second best in the country and with a great sports program, even if not quite at the level of Kyoto's. Kari met his gaze and couldn't keep the smile from her face. This was supposed to be the point where she told him not to sacrifice anything for her and go off to Kyoto. Only she could not. She'd already lost him once and could not bear the thought of him being almost five-hundred-kilometres away. Selfish, yes, but in this instance, it did not matter. For she already knew Tai had made up his mind.

"I know I'm supposed to tell you not to make a choice based on me, but the idea of you going to Kyoto does not bear thinking about."

Tai laughed, slightly surprised that his girlfriend had openly displayed such selfishness. "Who said it had anything to do with you?" he joked. "My bed and I have far too much history for me to just walk out on it."

"If you're so involved with it, then maybe I should leave the two of you alone permanently," Kari replied with an evil grin. "Still, you can always find solace in mom's cooking."

They both laughed, however, held back on further commentary regarding their shared parentage as the waiter approached with their trifles. Only when he was out of earshot did Kari then voice something that she'd been pondering ever since they'd gotten back together. "Tai," she began, her voice low and slightly trepid, "I've been thinking about our secret and how inevitably mom and dad will find out."

Tai glanced at her, his mouth full of cream and custard, indicating with his hand for her to continue. However, he had a feeling he was not going like what she had to say on the matter.

Kari took a deep breath before she said, "we've been living under the assumption that sooner or later, mom and dad will figure out what's going on or someone else will tell them… then all hell breaks loose." She paused for a moment, before adding, "instead, what if we tell them?"

Tai almost choked on his mouthful of trifle. Awkwardly swallowing, he stared at his girlfriend in horror, like she had gone insane and, struggling to keep his voice low, said, "what! Kari, have you gone completely mental?"

Kari had been prepared for this response and did not begrudge Tai for having thought her mad. Given that, on the surface, her suggestion sounded akin to putting the hangman's noose around their necks themselves. She chuckled lightly, even though it was no laughing matter, before launching into her explanation, "I know it sounds crazy, but hear me out."

Tai took a drink of his soda, then cautiously said, "ok."

"Mom and Dad will find out eventually, agreed?"

He nodded.

"So, isn't it better that they hear it directly from us, rather than finding out secondhand or piecing it together themselves? It also gives us a measure of control over the situation. I think I'd rather sit them down and explain things to them as calmly as we can, than have them suddenly burst into the apartment and start yelling at us."

Tai listened carefully and tried to digest his girlfriend's argument. Now that he heard it, in some strange and downright crazy fashion, it actually made sense. If their parents were going to find out eventually, maybe taking control of the where and when was the best idea. They would be absolutely furious about it, regardless of how they found out, but maybe doing it Kari's way would make the whole thing slightly easier. At least they would be prepared for the onslaught, rather than having it sprung on them. He shook his head in resignation, a grimace of a smile forming on his lips. "I think you might be right. Facing them on our terms, together, would be preferable to coming home one day and having them waiting to scream at us."

Kari gave him a faint smile and counted herself fortunate that Tai always managed to put his rational head on when listening to her suggestions. Yet part of her wished he had been opposed to the idea. For him agreeing with her led to the inevitable question of, "so when do we tell them?"

Tai felt a tiny bubble of panic rise up from his stomach. He had been afraid she would ask this. Unfortunately, he knew that there would never be a good time. Instead, it would be a case of finding a time that was the least bad. He remained silent for a few moments before eventually saying, "definitely sometime after my entrance exam. I don't like the idea of mom being a permanent state of nuclear in the run-up to it."

"Agreed," Kari replied. "That would be the absolute worst thing for you to face when you need to be focused on your studies. How about we wait until after you get your results and formally make your choice to go to Tokyo U in the spring?"

Tai sighed, "I think it might be best to wait until after I've moved out. Although, personally, I'd rather wait until you were ready to move out too. But three years is a long time for us to try and keep this hidden."

"Worst case scenario, I might have too. However, I'd rather not speculate on what mom and dad may or may not try to do," Kari said, trying to divert her mind from the topic with a mouthful of her dessert; delicious.

"Yeah, let's talk about something else now. I don't want this hanging over us for the rest of the night."

They did just that as they finished their desserts and were soon debating the merits of Akira being remade as an anime series, rather than a feature film. Tai taking the stance that the film was an iconic piece of art and should be left alone and Kari, who'd read the manga, arguing that the story deserved to be told in its entirety, rather than just what they'd managed to cram into two hours. When they finally agreed to disagree, Tai asked for the bill. They had just stepped outside and climbed back up to street level when he felt his phone vibrate. Withdrawing it from his pocket, he read the message, "we've just finished dinner and are going for a couple of drinks. Don't wait up when you get in."

Tai pocketed his phone and smiled at his girlfriend. "It seems we'll either need to stay out really late in order to get home after mom and dad are asleep, or we can go home to an empty apartment."

Kari gave him a devilish smile as she said, "empty apartment." She then drew in close to him and whispered seductively in his ear, "I can't think of a better night than tonight."

"Are you sure?" Tai asked. A single glance into her eyes told him all he needed to know. "We'd better stop off at a store before we go home then."

Kari nodded, took his hand and together the couple set off down the street.