Author's note: Please read first.

Hey, everyone. So, I was recently re-reading The Love We Share and like a lot of you I felt a little bummed out by the ending, even though I stand by my reasoning from when I wrote it that things could not have ended happily for Tai and Kari at that point in their lives. A few days after I'd finished, I spoke with a reader who had just finished reading the story and who too felt bummed out by the ending. After that conversation, I have decided to share the plan I drew up for the sequel while I was still writing the story. However, before we get to that, I have a few things I want to say about it first.

Ok, so first things first, I want to say that after re-reading The Love We Share and thoroughly enjoying it, I could see myself revisiting Tai and Kari and writing a version of the story detailed here. However, I must stress that if I decide to do so, it will not likely happen within the next year. So, if you would rather wait and see if said sequel materializes, then please stop reading now. Otherwise, please do keep reading.

Moving on and in regards to the plan itself, I feel I need to first explain when and why it was written, which will require a little history lesson, so please bear with me. When I started writing The Love We Share, I had no plan for it bar the first nine chapters that made up part one. It was only after I finished part one and realized just how much I enjoyed writing Tai and Kari that I started to plan out the rest of the story. By the time I had started working on part three, I had a rough plan in place up to the point where the parents find out, however, I was unsure of what would happen then, as this was a place that no TaiKari story I'd ever read had managed to get to. After a lot of careful consideration, I realized that their parents would never allow them to be together and that separating them was the only logical conclusion I could come to, which is where the story eventually ended. However, this was not supposed to be the end and I had started planning out what would happen after that for what was (at the time) supposed to be part six (my initial plan did not include what became part four as Tai and Kari were not supposed to break up at the end of part three). Unfortunately, by the time I was writing part five, I ran into the first of two problems. First off, the plan I was drawing up (the one you are about to read) was becoming longer and longer, to the point that I realized that I had enough material for a sequel, rather than just another part of The Love We Share. Needless to say, the task of finishing The Love We Share (which at the time was nearing the 200K word mark) and then writing a sequel that would probably be of a similar length, became rather daunting. By the time I started part six, problem two had arisen; I was now very fatigued at having both written so much in less than ten months and with the story in general, to the point that it was a struggle for me to finish part six. With other writing commitments also needing attention, I knew at that point that there was no way I could start work on the sequel, as my heart just wouldn't have been in it at the time. Unfortunately, there was also no sensible way for me to end the story with a happy outcome for Tai and Kari at the end of part six, hence why it ended in tragedy.

So, in regards to the plan itself, I have only made a few minor alterations to it after having read it over, changing only things I know needed updated since I'd last worked on it. But there may still be issues and inconsistencies that I've missed and it won't cover every plot line that an actual sequel would. However, I must stress that if I do decided to write a sequel, this plan is subject to serious change and even to getting thrown completely out the window if needs be. Although it is probably safe to assume that said sequel will start with a similar time jump of several months and with the same state of play as detailed here. One other thing of note is that after re-reading The Love We Share, there are a couple of things that I might be tempted to change before I started work on a sequel (Kari's pregnancy and miscarriage being one of them). If that were to be the case, I'd let you all know what has changed at the start.

Finally, the working title for the sequel is The Trials We Face. However, like everything else, is subject to change. So, without further delay, please enjoy having a quick read through of the plan and let me know what you think about it. Any and all constructive feedback is welcome.

Warmest regards
Niaxi

##

• Tai is living with Sora in Kyoto as they both attend university. Sora has been there for Tai at every step and turn as he tries to work through his forced separation from Kari. She has been faultless in her emotional care, giving him space when he needs it and making him do things when he doesn't want to but needs to. Tai dose not know she was responsible for his parents finding out.
• Sora eventually kisses Tai and asks him if he feels anything for her, as she needs to know if there is any hope for them or if she needs to just accept friendship. Tai cannot deny that he feels something for Sora and so kisses her back. The two slowly start to have a relationship.
• After a night out with their new friends, Tai and Sora sleep with one another.
• Back in Odaiba, Kari has become cold and empty since she was forcibly separated from Tai. Her parents have tried to placate her by buying her gifts, allowing her to dress as she wants and style her hair. However, the only thing that matters to Kari is their refusal to allow her to see Tai.
• Kari is also being made to have weekly therapy sessions with Miss Katsuragi (counsellor from her middle school). Some weeks she talks, other weeks she refuses, regardless, she has no interest in improving her mental wellbeing, working through her anger towards her parents or getting over Tai.
• Kari goes off the rails, turns her style more towards goth, has the left-hand side of her head shaved with the rest of her hair combed over to the right, died black with the ends dipped blue. She also gets a lip piercing and a tattoo on her upper left arm that says 'fuck my parents' (she wears vests or t-shirts with short sleeves so it is almost always on display).
• Kari finds Tai's University entrance test result and deduced he has been sent to Kyoto. She makes several attempts to get to Kyoto to try and find Tai. Her parents have caught her before she leaves Odaiba on all occasions bar one. On that day, Kari makes it onto the train and it departs. Her parents drive after her but know they cannot get there first. They call Sora and ask her to go to the train station to catch Kari and detain her until they can arrive.
• Sora lies in wait for Kari on the platform. When she finds her, she pulls her to one side and quickly punches her in the gut. Sora tells her that she has no remorse for having just done that and that Kari can either go to the cafe across the road and get some tea to settle her stomach or she will drag her to the disabled toilet across from them and physically sit on her until her parents arrive.
• Winded, Kari agrees to go to the cafe. Sora takes her by the hand and physically leads her out of the station and to the cafe. When her parents get there they shepherd Kari to the car. Just before it leaves, Sora stops them and claims that Kari has dropped something. Through the window she gives her a folded up note. Sora (who has never forgiven Kari for clawing her face) watches with a smile as the car drives off and Kari explodes upon reading the words, I told your parents.
• Eventually Kari's principle calls her parents to the school and tells them that she will be expelled if her behaviour and grades do not improve. Her parents grudgingly explain the situation and eventually get the woman to agree to wave the bulk of the detentions she has racked up on the conditions that she attends makeup classes after school instead.
• Kari is offered the deal, but she point blank refuses. Stating that they can kick her out now for all she cares. Her father convinces the principal to give them the weekend to convince her; she agrees. He talks to his wife and tells her that the only option they have left is to ask Tai to talk to her. His wife is not impressed with this suggestion, but in the end concedes that they have little choice as nothing else has worked.
• Tai's father goes to Kyoto to talk to Tai (the pair have met a few times since the separation and are slowly repairing their relationship). They talk briefly before his father cuts to the chase and tells him about Kari. While Tai is concerned, he figures out what his father wants from him and so, sensing an opportunity, pretends not to care, citing that Kari is entitled to do what she wants. Eventually, his father concedes to Tai's request that he be allowed to talk to Kari face to face, however, not alone.
• Kari is shocked when the door to her room is opened and her brother is there. She goes to hug him but is stopped by her mother. Tai tells Kari that it is over between them, that he has moved on and that she needs to do the same. Kari is distraught by this and almost throws him off when he hugs her, however, she stops when she feels him slip something in her back pocket.
• After she is alone again, Kari pulls the slip of paper out or her pocket and sees the phone number. Knowing that she cant use the house phone or her mobile (her parents are keeping tabs on both), Kari pretends to be distraught for a few days before calming herself down and starting to act more normal.
• Once her parents stop locking her in her room at night, Kari sneaks out and calls Tai. They talk and Tai apologises for what he said, explaining that it was the only way he could come and see her. They talk for a bit and Tai tells her to buy a new sim card for her phone if she wants to talk to him on a regular basis.
• Kari does so and the pair start talking via text and occasional phone call. Kari has also agreed to the deal with her principle and has started to attend school properly and stops flaunting the rules. However, she is unwilling to alter her appearance.
• Tai eventually has a game against Tokyo U and the pair agree to meet up afterwards. Tai has also spoken to Teiko (Kari having given her his new number) and she allows them to use her, Sakura and Matt's apartment.
• Matt is out of town at a gig that weekend so is not there. When Tai and Kari arrive, they see Teiko and Sakura heading out. Sakura (who has long ginger hair) is dressed like Asuka (Neon Genesis) and Teiko intends to get her picked up by some hot girl that night.
• Tai and Kari talk and she asks him about Sora. Kari finds out about him having slept with Sora and is livid. The pair argue and Kari tells him that she will not be with him so long as he is with Sora. She shows him the slip of paper on which Sora admitted to being the one who told their parents. She tells him to 'ditch that bitch'.
• Tai is unsure if he believes Kari (owing to how she's been acting, her overly cold nature, her apparent displeasure that he has moved on and with and the fact he is unsure if it is either a good idea or feasible for them to get back together) and his hesitation causes her to lose her shit. Kari storms out and goes home, leaving Tai alone with the slip of paper. Teiko returns after midnight to find Tai alone on the couch with a bottle of spiced rum. They talk and drink and when he drunkenly hints at them being friends with benefits, she tells him that she is giving him no more than a supportive hug as she has no intention of getting on Kari's bad side.
• Tai goes back to Kyoto, but the idea that Sora sold them out is still nagging at him. Eventually he finds the paper in the pocket of his jeans and checks the handwriting against Sora's; it is a match. He then finds the notebook from which it was torn. He confronts her about it and discovers the truth. However, he is surprised to find himself confused as to what to do after Sora explains that she was still so angry with Kari after the face clawing incident, that he has been happy with her and the two of them can have a perfectly normal relationship.
• Angry at Tai for sleeping with Sora and not believing her and still enraged at her parents for causing this whole mess in the first place, Kari makes a boy who accidentally barges into her buy her a drink at a bar. He is similarly dressed to her, with a similar attitude, although does find her attractive. Kari tells him straight up that she is not looking for a relationship or any sort of commitment, simply someone to have some fun with that will piss her parents off. And that while sex is off the table, if she's feeling horny enough, she might let him eat her pussy. He asks what her parents did to piss her off so much, so she tells him that they sent her brother away because she was fucking him. The guy thinks this is hardcore fucked up, but doesn't seem to mind. Kari then asks him if he has any pot and if so, then they should go back to her place, get high and listen to some Mike Oldfield or Pink Floyd.
• Kari takes the guy back to her place and her mom hits the roof, however, Kari has pre-warned him that this will happen and to ignore 'the bitch'. They go to her room, get high and listen to music.
• Next time she brings him around, both parents are in and threaten to call the police if the boy does not leave. So Kari goes to her room and gets her CD box and leaves. On the way out, when they ask what on earth is wrong with her, as they thought she'd sorted herself out, she tells them that her now ex-boyfriend has been sleeping with the bitch who told them about their relationship. However, it would never have happened if they hadn't sent him away to Kyoto with her.
• Kari's father figures out that she has been talking to Tai and he and his wife eventually decide that they need to bring Tai in again to try and sort out the latest mess that's been caused.
• When he is next free, Tai comes to Odaiba to talk to Kari, but when he get's there, discovers that Kari has been going out and not showing up for a day or two. Unsure of what else to do, he goes to see Teiko and asks about her 'not' boyfriend. Teiko tells him that she knows him and that he is bad news. She and Tai go around several house parties until eventually they find the one they are at. They find them in a room just before the boy (who has slipped Kari GHB) can rape her. Tai hauls him off while Teiko checks Kari. On hearing that she's been drugged, Tai beats the shit out of him before picking Kari up and leaving.
• Tai and Teiko take Kari home, however, on the suggestion from his mother that he leave, he point blank refuses. He sits beside Kari's bed all night.
• Mr Kamiya brings Tai a coffee in the morning and they sit and talk for a bit. Kari wakes up and apologies to Tai for what she has done, claiming to have screwed up big this time. Tai tells her that she needs to sleep, however, she refuses as she thinks he will be gone when she wakes up. Her father promises her that he'll still be there when she wakes. Kari goes back to sleep while her father invites Tai to have some breakfast before getting some sleep himself.
• Tai sits and has an awkward breakfast with his parents, as his mother thinks he should leave. His father tries to mediate, but in the end, Tai finishes quickly and goes to his old room to sleep for an hour or two.
• Mr Kamiya talks to his wife and gives her a few home truths regarding how she sees and treats her son. He tells her that Kari was telling the truth about being the one to instigate the relationship and is equally to blame for its continuation, but that she cant see it. They argue and things get slightly heated when he suggests that they will need to seriously consider letting Tai and Kari see each other, else Kari is not going to change her attitude towards them or life in general. His wife blows up at this, but he stands firm, stating that the family has been torn apart by this and they need to try putting it back together.
• When Kari has recovered, her parents sit her down with Tai and their father states that, while he thinks it best that Tai continue in Kyoto, he is willing to let him come home at the weekends so they can try to be a family again. However, he states that if he allows this, that they are to act like normal siblings. Kari tells him that even if they do, it will not change how they feel about each other. Tai agrees with her, but is willing to acquiesce to the request whenever their parents are around. Their father accepts this and then tells Tai and his wife that the two of them need to find a way to bury the hatchet that does not involve it ending up in one of their heads.
• A few months later, during a soccer match, Tai suffers a horror challenge by a player wearing blades. It breaks his leg and slices his calf open; seriously damaging the muscle. He is rushed to hospital. Kari is the one who answers the phone at home and is horrified to discover that Tai has suffered a serious injury. She gets in touch with her parents and they all go to Kyoto.
• When they arrive, they meet Sora and find out that Tai is in emergency surgery to try and repair his leg. When it is done, the surgeon tells them that there was extensive damage done to the calf muscle and that while they have done their best to fix it, Tai will almost certainly never play again and will in fact be lucky not to have a slight limp. Naturally they are stunned at this news. While Tai is still unconscious, they debate how they should break the news to him. Kari and Sora fight over which of them should be the one to tell him.
• Yukko feels like she has no right to tell him, given how horrible she has been to him since the separation. However, she thinks Sora should do it. Susumu would prefer if he and Yukko to told Tai, but concedes that Tai would probably prefer it if it came from Kari. Kari eventually wins the argument, but tells her parents that she wants to wait until he is lucid enough to understand and process the info. She also tells Sora to fuck off, however, the girl refuses as she is still Tai's girlfriend.
• They go to see Tai, but he is too loopy on painkillers to really understand anything other than the fact that they are there. Two days later, Kari goes to see Tai on his own and breaks the news to him. Tai does not seem to react and simply says, damn, in a calm almost vacant manner.
• With a long recovery and rehab ahead of him, Tai is taken back to Odaiba and his studies put on hold with the blessing of the university. He is very despondent and Kari struggles to engage with him, she also blocks Sora coming to see him. Tai is left wondering what on earth he has left now that he's lost the one thing he was good at.
• At the insistence of an injury lawyer, who has seen footage of the game which shows the tackle was made with malicious intent,Tai's father makes Tai give a statement about the incident. However, Tai has no interest in what the man has to say or in pursuing legal action. His father goes through with it on his behalf.
• As Tai starts to slip further into depression and further away from her and not bother with his physio, Kari decides that she has had enough of his wallowing in self pity. One morning, she wakes Tai up and literally drags him out of bed. Even though he protests and eventually begs her to stop, Kari forces him through his physio exercises. She tells him that she will not let him waste the rest of his life because he's lost soccer and that either he gets on board with his rehab or he's going to have a lot more painful days.
• While initially stubborn and refusing to co-operate, Tai eventually caves and starts to work with Kari as she helps him get back on her feet. Unfortunately, he is still struggling to come up with anything he wants to do now that he's lost soccer.
• At some point, after their parents suggest that Tai should go back to Kyoto once he has finished his rehab, Kari postulates the idea that they might both have to leave Odaiba if they want to be together.
• Tai receives a cheque for several thousand pounds as compensation for his injury. However, not wanting it, he shoves it into the back of his desk drawer.
• After some soul searching, Tai realises that the only thing he wants now is to be with Kari. Alone in his room, he recalls what she said about them both leaving Odaiba. He ponders the logistics of them moving in together in a city far away. After some research, he realises that he would need a large sum of money to be able to rent an apartment for them and a full time job to sustain it. It is then that he remembers about the cheque and realises that it might be enough to get them started, however, he would need to have everything in place before tearing Kari away from their parents. Secretly he begins to plan, starting by legally changing his name to Tai Yagami.
• Kari is shocked when Tai announces that he is going back to Kyoto. She confronts him about it and he tells her that she might not see him for a while, but needs to trust him. She tells him that she trusts him more than anyone and that she will wait for him.
• Tai goes back to Kyoto, but tells Sora that he will only be there for a few days before going back to Odaiba for another few months, claiming not to be ready to return to his studies. He also breaks up with her.
• Tai then travels to {}, having aranged to rent a small, one room apartment. He soon gets a job as a froklift driver at the local harbour. Using some of his leftover injury money, he learns to drive and buys a car. He then begins saving up so that he can afford the deposit on a better place for him and Kari to move into.
• Kari receives a phone call from Tai, asking her to meet him. She does so and he explains what he has been doing and that he wants her to come and live with him so that they can be together. Kari is initially overwhelmed by everything, but eventually agrees that she was right that it will be the only way for them to be happy. They set the date for the next time she knows her parents will be out.
• On the day in question, Tai arrives not long after their parents leave and they quickly pack up all they can from both of their room, including Kari's new stereo and the GameCube.
• Kari takes one last look around before leaving a letter that she has writen and then leaves. It is difficult for her and they spend the first part of the journey in silence before she puts on some music. By lunchtime, they stop at a truck stop and eat a quiet lunch. Back in the car, they talk for a bit and Tai assures Kari that she has made the right decission.
• Tai and Kari arrive in {} and move into their new apartment. Meanwhile, their parents arrive home and read the letter. They are both stunned at first and go through a full range of emotions. Eventually, they accept that even if they found Kari and dragged her home, it would do not good as she would find a way to get back to Tai. They concede that, like it or not, they have lost both their children.

Epilogue, eight years later: Kari is writing a letter to their parents, giving some details of their lives together. At the end, she tells them that she and Tai are going to have a non-legally-binding wedding ceremony and tells them that it would mean the world to them if they came. She ends by giving them a mobile number to call if they want to come. Kari finishes the letter just as Tai walks into the room. He asks if she invited them to the wedding and if she told them about this one, he indicates the baby girl in his arms. She tells him that she invited them, but decided not to tell them about their daughter or that she is pregnant with their son. Tai agrees that it was probably for the best and wonders if they will come. He then jokes about what they would do if their kids were to fall in love. Kari laughs and says that they would have no right to stop them, however, they would have to tell them about their own relationship, as it might be a problem if they too wanted to have kids. The story ends with them sharing a kiss before going out to post the letter and take their daughter to the park. ##

Author's note: Hey, everyone. Thanks for taking the time to read through this rough plan for The Trials We Face. I hope you enjoyed it. Please do let me know what you think. Any and all constructive feedback is welcome.

Warmest regards
Niaxi