Part Six: Secret No Longer
Epilogue: To be over
Tai sat in the back seat of his father's car and watched as the last buildings in the outskirts of Tokyo passed him by. This was so long and farewell… for good. With the exception of when he might have to play a soccer game or for other university-related matters, he had agreed not to return to the capital. And Odaiba was completely off-limits. He sighed, it really was goodbye to virtually everything and everyone he had known for eighteen years. While he would probably adjust to Kyoto and make new friends, hell he might even learn to like it, he knew it would never truly feel like home. Home would always be wherever he could find Kari and that would not be in Kyoto.
From the seat next to him, he felt a slender hand reach out and rest atop his own. He turned his head from the window to look at the ginger-haired girl.
"It's going to be ok, Tai," Sora said in a soft but reassuring voice. "I know it's going to be difficult for you, but I'll be here to help and support you every step of the way."
Tai gave her a faint smile. It had come as a surprise, albeit a welcome one, when his father had pulled up outside Sora's home and told him that he had made arrangements for her to move through with him. Not only that, but they were going to be sharing an apartment, which his father would be paying the rent on until such time as they matriculated and got their various bursary/loan payments; he would also be covering it during the holidays. Although he did not know the details yet, it seemed that his new roommate had also managed to speed up her work transfer. However, to Tai, while he welcomed this small slice of home going with him, it still felt like the thinnest of silver linings to a think bank of dark clouds.
"You didn't have to uproot yourself like this," he said apologetically.
"I would have been doing so in a few weeks anyway," she replied and gave his hand a light squeeze. "Besides, when your dad told me what was happening, how could I not? You're my best friend, Tai. After what you've just gone through, I wasn't going to let you do this alone."
It was nice to know that, even after everything that had happened with her mom and Matt, Sora still had the capacity to think about other people. Like Kari, it was something that made her one of those rare, special people that you felt fortunate enough to know. He gazed into those beautiful red eyes. "I'm glad you're with me," he said softly, before turning his head once more to look out the window.
As he watched the farewell from Tokyo sign pass him by, Tai settled down in his seat and shut his eyes. What the future held for him, he did not know. Only that it was not the one he had envisioned over the past few months. That avenue had been closed off and sealed shut by his father. Would he be able to move on… who knew, he certainly didn't? But one thing he knew for certain, he would never forget the love he had shared with Kari.
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Kari stood out on her balcony, eyes staring out a the Odaiba sunset. Being out in the cooling air went against the treatment plan her doctor had set out, but she didn't care. At this moment in time, she did not feel like obeying anyone's orders or instructions. The better part of the afternoon had been spent crying her eyes out. Sobbing over the shock loss of Tai and a child she had not even been aware of carrying. Yet she still did not know how she felt about having miscarried beyond the sheer tragedy of it. For now, she at least felt like she had some semblance of mental stability. How long it would last, she did not know. But it at least gave her the clarity to think straight.
Kari's eyes roved over the city at sunset, as streetlights began to flicker into life. At present, she had no idea where Tai was, but somehow, someway she was going to find out. Despite what her parents had done, this was not the end of the love she felt for her brother. No, nothing they or anyone else did could change how she felt. Even if it took her the rest of her life, she was going to find her way back to the warmth of his loving arms; her home base.
"I'm going to find you, Tai," Kari said out loud as she took one last glance at the city, "and then we can be together. You can count on it."
Turning on her heel, she walked back into her bedroom and closed the balcony door behind her. Passing her desk, she slipped her headphones on and picked up her music player. Flicking through she found Pink Floyd's aptly titled Wish You Were Here and hit play. Lying back on her bed, she closed her eyes and listened to the haunting opening piano notes. She would see Tai again, she just knew it. As for Kari Kamiya, the love they shared was not over.
The End
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Authors Note:
So, now we know how it all ends. At this point in time, I suspect some of you might be either yelling at your screens or cursing me for ending the story in this manner. And that you probably want to know what happens after the final epilogue. I know the TaiKari fanboy in me does. However, at this point in time, I feel that this story has reached its conclusion and that any continuation would need to involve a time jump of some description. Hence, I think that would require a story in its own right (more on that in a bit).
Now that we have reached the end, I would like to extend my thanks to all of you TaiKari fans that have read this story. I know new stories featuring this paring are scarce, so I really do hope that you have enjoyed it. Again, a special thank you to everyone who has left me a review or sent me a PM. As we are at the end, I am really interested to hear what you all thought about the ending, the story as a whole and what could possibly happen in the future. So, if you have enjoyed this story, please do drop me a line or two in a review or a PM. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask them. If you do, I promise that I will attempt to answer them when I get the chance.
In regards to a potential sequel, I am afraid that this is the point where I am going to have to disappoint us all for the time being. However, I do have two good reasons for this. Firstly, while I have had numerous ideas about what avenue a sequel could potentially go down, they are too many and varied at the moment for me to know exactly where I would want to take it and secondly, I now need to shift my focus back to writing the sequel to my first novel. I started writing The Love We Share as a bit of fun when I needed a break from said sequel, but enjoyed it too much and have found that took over all my writing time. So, while I am not ruling out the possibility of a sequel, it almost certainly won't happen any time soon. However, if I do come up with a plan for one, but know I will not have the chance to write it, I might post a plot summary of it, just to give you guys a little more closure.
Finally, I would like to pass the torch on in a fashion. As I said to one of you during our PM conversation, the first time I ever felt inspired to write was after reading the old TaiKari story My Brother, some 14ish years ago. It made me want to write one of my own, which after a very long delay, has actually come to fruition. Regardless, my point is, that if any of you have read this story and feel the urge to pick up a pen or sit down at a keyboard and write either a TaiKari story or something completely different, then you should give it a go. Even if, like me 14ish years ago, you don't think you can. Who knows, you might just discover something magical…
Anyway, that is more than enough from me. So, for the final time, my thanks to all of my readers and I might see you again one of these days.
Regards
Niaxi.