Chapter 15- Complications
Kari found that spending time with Yolei was much different from her girls' nights with Lynn and Hannah. She could never compare her three best girl friends to one another, but it was such a relaxation for Kari to remember all of their old adventures with someone who had actually been there alongside her.
They were sitting on Yolei's bed with a movie playing in the background while Kari flipped through a Japanese magazine and Yolei braided her hair. Much like her time with Lynn and Hannah, they were almost constantly laughing about the hilarious events in their past.
"You remember when Davis couldn't spell T.K.'s name?" Yolei remembered, and Kari nodded laughing uncontrollably has they recalled all of the letter combinations Davis had concocted in his attempts to annoy T.K.
Kari sighed. "Yolei, I really missed being able to talk to you."
"Well, you could have written me every once in a while…"
"I'm sorry Yolei. I truly meant to, but I was busy. Did I tell you about the American digi-destineds that Gatomon and I have been helping about?"
"Yes you did, and don't try to change the subject! I know that you were writing to T.K. and not the rest of us, though I can understand why you didn't want to keep in touch with Davis."
Yolei laughed, "But I guess I can't blame you for writing to T.K. He's changed a lot since you left, but definitely not in a bad way." She winked suggestively at Kari.
Kari rolled her eyes at her, but Yolei only went on, "Oh come on, I know you've noticed. Don't tell me you haven't been checking him out?"
"Yolei," Kari said seriously. "I guess I should tell you that T.K. and I have been 'together' for over a year now."
Yolei laughed. "Kari, please. Do you think I'm an idiot? Even Davis knows that."
"I didn't realize we were so obvious."
"We're your friends, of course we noticed. And everybody else should to since the whole country watched you kiss when they broadcasted the Teenage Wolves concert here in Japan."
Kari blushed, forgetting that small detail momentarily.
"Believe me, the rest of the world remembers that too," Kari told Yolei. "I've been getting hate mail from the Takeru fan club ever since."
Yolei laughed so hard she snorted.
"Yolei, it's not that funny. I can't understand why people would send me such mean messages just for being with him."
"Oh, Kari," Yolei sighed. "You know they're just jealous of you. Those girls are insane; they'd attack a girl for being in the same room with T.K. You're lucky that's the worst they've done to you after they saw you kiss him."
"Yeah, I guess…" Kari sighed, "But it was still mean."
"That's what jealousy does to psycho teenage girls. T.K.'s hot and he loves you, which is everything they've dreamed about."
"Yeah, it's every girls dream to live more than five thousand miles away from the person she loves."
"Okay, you got me there," Yolei conceded. "How is that working out?"
Kari started crying then before she could even help it. "Yolei, I don't know what to do," she sobbed. "I love him but the distance is killing me. I'm so happy when I'm with him, but the thought that eventually we're going to have to say goodbye again just ruins everything."
Yolei didn't know what to tell her friend. She was fully aware that she couldn't offer the best advice when it came to relationships. Instead of attempting words of wisdom, she did the best she could and gave Kari a tight hug and a shoulder to cry on.
Despite Yolei's comforting, Kari woke up the next morning in a state of depression. She hadn't been able to sleep for very long, every minute that went by brought her closer to her plane ride back to California.
Every way she looked at their situation, she couldn't arrive at a satisfying conclusion. There was no way that she could stay in Japan, especially now that Tara would be her stepmother, and there was no possibility that T.K. would move to America. She was left in the exact same spot she had been in since the day she left. Tomorrow she would leave Tokyo without knowing when she would see him again.
Her unpleasant thoughts were with her all day. She walked home in her state of dread, helped Tara with her hair, and prepared herself for the celebration with such a solemn attitude that even the ever-perky Tara began to avoid her.
The ceremony was short and simple, once Tara had stopped obsessing over the flower arrangements. Kari took a seat in the front row and watched while her father smiled at Tara and vowed to be faithful. If Kari hadn't already been dangling over the edge, the hypocrisy of the situation would have been enough to send her there.
After the wedding ceremony there was a huge celebration at a local hall. Kari took her time entering, letting Tai escort her to her designated table. She sat down, pasting a fake smile on her face as she greeted the ancient relatives sitting beside her.
She was so down that she couldn't even laugh at Tai's minor explosion when he realized that Matt and T.K. weren't seated at their table. It took Tai about ten minutes to explain to their deaf Great-aunt Aiko that she would be much more comfortable at another table.
T.K. sat down beside her, laughing hysterically as Tai practically carried the still confused Aunt Aiko across the room. When he noticed that Kari didn't find the situation as humorous he touched her shoulder.
She looked up at him trying not to cry when he asked her if she wanted to dance. She nodded and took his hand as he helped her up and led her to a deserted corner of the dance floor.
The song was beautiful and slow but Kari didn't hear it. T.K.'s arms wrapped around her protectively and she leaned into his chest.
"Kari, I think we need to talk," he stated bluntly as he stepped away from her, clutching her hands in his as she nodded to him.
The song ended and no one noticed as they cut between the tables to the glass door at the back of the room. A faster song started just as they stepped out onto the balcony, shutting the door to the party behind them. It was completely dark outside except for a strand of twinkle lights strung above the door. They made their way across the patio where they sat down on a stone bench.
"So you're leaving tomorrow," he said solemnly.
She nodded, but when she saw that he was about to say more, she cut him off with a deep kiss. She climbed into his lap and his hands groped her underneath the skirt of her dress.
"Wait," Kari stopped him. "Not here."
"Okay," he told her, already pulling her to her feet and across the balcony. They found an old wooden staircase that led down to a perfectly trimmed lawn.
In the shadow of the building she kissed him again, pulling them both down onto the grass while unbuckling his belt. He slid his hands along her thighs, pulling her skirt up to her waist.
He thought for a moment that they were moving too fast but lost all train of thought when Kari pulled his pants down to his knees. Everything was fast after that but neither of them minded. He ripped her silky underwear in his hurry to remove them, but she carelessly flung them aside anyways.
They made love there on the grass, in plain sight of anyone who happened to meander down the stairs. It was very different from their first time, and not just because of the location. This second time was fast and rough, more of a carnal need than an expression of love.
Above them, several of the guests had followed T.K. and Kari's example and sought refuge from the festivities on the balcony. No one on the patio heard or even suspected what was taking place below them, at least, until Kari moaned a little too loudly.
T.K. and Kari's coupling didn't last long and when they were through, they collapsed onto the grass, catching their breath. It was just at that moment that they heard a noise on the stairs.
"Oh shit," T.K. murmured, pulling his pants back up.
"Who's down there?" a voice called, and Kari's eyes widened as she recognized it as her brother's.
She looked around frantically for her underwear but couldn't find them in the darkness.
"Come on," T.K. said as he gripped her arm, forcing her to give up her search.
Running as fast as they could manage, they escaped Tai's wrath just inside the cover of a small cluster of trees. Once safely concealed, they froze, not daring to budge as Tai reached the bottom step.
They watched in silence as he looked around not seeing them anywhere. They struggled to hold back their laughter, however, when Tai reached down and picked up Kari's torn underwear off the ground. He stared at them for a second is his state of extreme confusion, and then threw them back where he had found them.
As soon as he headed back up the stairs, T.K. and Kari released their laughter at the hilarity of the situation.
"Do you think he knew they were yours?" T.K. asked, nervous about what Tai might do to him if he knew what they had done.
"No way," she assured him.
A moment passed in silence before Kari said seriously, "T.K., this isn't working."
"Did I do something wrong?" he asked, their sexual activity still on his mind.
"No, not that," she scolded him. "I meant the long-distance thing; it's not working."
When he didn't respond she went on, "It's killing me T.K. How can I leave tomorrow not knowing when I'll see you next?"
"So, what are you saying?" he asked, already suspecting what she was about to say.
She took a deep breath. "I think that…maybe we should just…I don't know, cool it for a little while, maybe go back to just being friends…"
T.K. could not believe what he was hearing. "Kari, I love you, and I can't just pretend that I don't."
Her eyes were watering now. "I know T.K. I love you too. But can't you see? It's just not enough."
T.K. was growing angry at her logic. "So we're just supposed to forget everything that's happened between us? Hell, just forget what we did not even ten minutes ago? Wait a minute…" he paused. "Did you plan this? Did you know that you were going to break up with me tonight before we had sex?"
She didn't say anything. He was right, she had known. She had decided that night when she couldn't sleep, debating every possible situation in her mind.
T.K. understood her silence. "God, I feel like such an idiot. You used me. I'm just you're whore in Japan."
"T.K., what are you talking about? We used each other!"
He gave her a look that made her want to crawl inside a hole and spend the rest of her life in hiding.
"If that's what you think," he said slowly, the anger in his voice replaced with disgust, and maybe even shame, "then we should say goodbye now. There's no point in us being friends anymore since you obviously don't know me very well."
She was in tears now, but he was too angry, too heartbroken to care. "Goodbye Kari, have a nice flight."
He walked away, ignoring her sobs as she dropped to her knees, her head in her hands.