Summary: It's TK and Kari's senior year in high school and they take a surprise Thanksgiving trip to America where things get super complicated. It doesn't look good for TK and Kari's relationship when Kari decides to move back to America and have nothing to do with TK. Can their relationship survive the test of time or will Kari's stubbornness keep them apart forever?
Hard to Love You
'Get Out of This Town'
(don't own Carrie Underwood either)
One Year and Three Months Later
Sora walked outside to the mail box to get the mail like she did every evening after work. She quickly looked through it as she walked back to the house and looked through it again when she got back inside. She separated the mail into two piles, her's and Tai's mail and Kari's mail. Even though Kari moved out of their basement shortly after she got engaged, they occasionally got some of her mail. While looking through the mail, Sora couldn't help but notice two postcards from Japan. They were invitations to Kari's ten year class reunion and the all school reunion. Sora knew, if it were up to Kari, she wouldn't go to the reunions at all when she suddenly got an idea and ran to Tai too tell him.
"I don't know Sora. Kari is pretty smart," said Tai apprehensively. "Do ya think she would fall for it?"
"All it would need is a little photoshopping. It would look just like the original!" Sora assured him.
"Well I don't want any part of it. When she finds out, she can blame you," replied Tai as he went back to watching TV.
Kari's ten year class reunion was a week before the all school reunion. If Sora could make Kari believe she was going to her ten year reunion unknowingly a week late, she would be forced to see all her old friends again at the all school reunion. Sora felt like a genius, 'this is how Izzy must feel like all the time!'
She quickly went to her computer and started photoshopping Kari's fake, ten year reunion invitation. When she was finished, Sore looked at the believable fake invite with pride. She couldn't wait to give it to Kari. The next day, Sora dropped the kids off at school and then drove to work. She made a quick stop at Brian and Kari's house which was on the way to Hendrick Motorsports. Sora let herself in and found the two eating breakfast in the kitchen.
"Hey Sora!" Brian and Kari both greeted her when she walked in.
"Hey Kari, hey Brian," Sora greeted them back. "We got some of your mail again Kari."
"Oh really? Just throw it on the island," said Kari as she continued to eat her bacon and cheese omelet.
"I couldn't help but notice a postcard from Japan inviting ya to your ten year reunion," Sora replied, waving the invitation excitedly and set the postcard on the island.
Kari curiously got up from the table and walked over to the kitchen island. She picked up her mail and glanced through it until she came to the postcard Sora was referring to. She quickly read it and tossed it in the garbage and continued to go through the rest of her mail. Kari had absolutely no interest attending her ten year class reunion.
"Kari! You're not gonna go?" Sora pretended to act surprised. She knew Kari would throw it away.
"Nah," Kari casually answered. "By August, I'll be way too busy planning my wedding anyway. I wouldn't have time to fly back to Japan."
Brian and Kari were planning to get married in mid December, which was seven months away. Kari wanted Brian to be part of the wedding planning process as much as possible but with the crazy Nascar schedule, it made it difficult for them to find time to plan a wedding together. Kari was always working at school and Brian was always gone for sponsor commitments, commercial shoots, autograph sessions, testing and the races on the weekends. The only time they got to spend any quality time together was on the weekends when Brian flew Kari out to the track to be with him.
"Kari," Brian interjected, "I'm shocked ya don't want to go to your ten year class reunion."
"Oh Kari, I think ya can take a few days off to go to your class reunion," Sora chimed in.
"I don't want to go!" Kari said aggravatedly, "besides, it's during the Bristol race weekend."
"I really think ya should go Kari. You'll regret it if ya don't," Brian tried to convince her. Sora loved seeing Brian unknowingly help her with her plan. She was glad she didn't tell Brian her plan after all.
"It's not a big deal guys," replied Kari.
"I'm serious Kari. I missed my senior prom, my high school graduation and I'll probably never be able to attend my high school class reunion until I retire. You're lucky you got to experience those things. Don't throw away this opportunity," explained Brian.
"I. Don't. Want. To. Go." Kari said defiantly.
"What if ya went for one week and ya stayed in Tokyo's nicest, most expensive hotel. And after the Bristol race, I'd fly over there to spend the last few days with ya?" Brian suggested. "It would be a little mini vacation for us."
"Ugh...If I go, would ya both let this go?" Kari asked and they nodded yes. "Fine, I'll go!"
"That's my girl!" Brian said and gave her a kiss on the forehead. He glanced at his watch and realized he was going to be late. "I gotta go babe. I have a team meeting in like fifteen minutes."
"Yeah, I better get going too!" Kari replied and they kissed one last time before they both left.
"Yeah...I suppose I should go too?" Sora said to herself, standing alone in their house.
Three Months Later
"Ugh... I can't believe you and Sora are making me go to this stupid thing." Kari complained as she was almost done packing her suitcase.
"Oh, you'll be just fine," Brian assured her as he packed his own suitcase for the Bristol race weekend.
A few minutes later, a car pulled up to their house and started to honk impatiently. Kari looked out the window to see Tai and Sora waiting for her in the car. They had kindly and graciously offered to take her to the airport. Brian helped her carry her bags and walked her to the car.
"Please, don't make me go!" Kari begged him as she wrapped her arms around his torso. She started to softly kiss him all over his body, hoping her subtle seduction would change Brian's mind.
"As soon as the race is over Saturday night, I'll be on the first plane to Japan," said Brian which was obviously not what she wanted to hear. "And we can pick up right where we are leaving off."
"I love you," said Kari sadly, looking up at him with her puppy dog eyes.
"I love ya too babe," Brian replied as he gave her one last hug goodbye. Kari finally let go when Tai honked the horn again.
"Ok, Tai! I'm coming!" Kari angrily yelled at her brother.
Kari reluctantly got in the car. She felt like a criminal sitting in the back of a police car. As the Tai started driving away, Kari put her hands against the window and sadly looked back at Brian, trying to make him feel guilty for sending her home to Japan. She quickly got out her cell phone and texted him.
I hate you
Kari didn't have to wait long for Brian's reply
I love you too...See you in a few days!
It started to rain when they got to the airport. Tai stopped the car in front of the terminal entrance. As Kari got out and went to get her luggage from the truck, Tai told her to go in and get out of the rain.
"Sora and I will bring your luggage in for you," said Tai. "Go check in."
"Oh, ok," said Kari suspiciously.
It started to rain harder so Kari ran inside. She waited for Tai and Sora at the first airport security checkpoint. She hoped she didn't look like some terrorist just standing there without her bags. When Tai and Sora finally came with her luggage, she couldn't help but notice them bring a few extra bags in with them.
"I didn't bring all that!" Kari exclaimed, "where did all the extra suitcases come from?"
"Well ya see..." Tai started to explain.
"We kinda got jealous," Sora interrupted her husband. "That you got to go back home and see all your old classmates again. So we got to thinking that we wanted to go to Japan too, so that we could see all our family and old friends again."
"So ya guys are coming too?" Kari asked suspiciously.
"Yeah, ya don't mind do ya?" Sora asked and smiled.
"Well...no," replied Kari.
"Great! We'll have a amazing time then!" Sora quickly replied and wrapped her arm around Kari's neck leaving Tai to manage all the luggage himself.
"If ya say so," Kari quietly mumbled to herself.
They boarded the plane an hour later. Kari had a suspicious feeling Sora was up to something or she would have said something sooner about them coming to Japan with her. She shrugged it off and grabbed a window seat. It would give her something to look at when Sora would go off on one of her tangents about what the Digidestin are doing now days. A few hours later, they landed in New York and switched planes to California. When they finally got to Los Angeles, they switched planes one last time and were now on their way to Japan.
The flight was taking forever. Kari couldn't remember it taking this long the last time she flew from California to Japan and vise versa. She normally slept on plane rides to make them quicker, but she couldn't get herself to fall asleep. She was too nervous to fall asleep. Too nervous to see him again. Kari couldn't tell her fiance the real reason she didn't want to go back to Japan was because she was afraid how she might act when she would see TK again. Would she be scared or full of anger when she saw him, she didn't know. Would she run madly into his loving arms, part of her hoped so.
The plane finally landed in Japan late Friday afternoon, the day before Kari's 'ten year reunion'. Tai, Sora and Kari headed to their hotel first. Brian had booked rooms for them in Japan's most luxurious hotel. Tai and Sora had a normal hotel room on a normal floor with the rest of the tourists. They couldn't afford a big and fancy hotel suite like the one Brian got for Kari. Kari's hotel suite was on the top floor and it was the most beautiful hotel room she had ever seen. Now she knew what it felt like to be a celebrity.
They all went out for a nice supper, unknowingly to Kari, at Davis's restaurant. Davis watched them eat from afar. He wasn't trying to be a creeper, he just couldn't believe Kari Kamiya was eating in his restaurant. When they finished, they went back to the hotel where Kari left Brian several voicemail messages. Kari felt jet-lagged and decided to go to bed early. She knew tomorrow would be a long day.
Kari woke up the next morning to someone knocking on her door. She hoped and prayed it was Brian but was disappointed when she saw Sora. Sora suggested they go and check out the hotel spa. The girls were impressed and spent the rest of the morning getting mud baths, massages and just relaxing in the sauna. After lunch, Sora took Kari to get their nails and hair done. Kari wanted a drastic makeover. She told the hair stylist to cut her hair short. When the hair stylist was done, Kari's long, shiny, beautiful hair was short, curly, and flirty. It was somewhere between ear length and shoulder length and Kari loved the change.
When Kari got back to the hotel, she put on a new dress that she bought for the reunion. It was a bright red dress that screamed 'look at me!' When she had put on her shoes and her jewelry, the limo Brian arranged to take her to the reunion was ready to pick her up. Kari stared out of the window and her nerves kicked into overdrive. 'Oh my God, I'm not ready for this!' Kari thought to herself as she began to panic.
"Kari! The limo is here!" Sora yelled through the hotel door. Kari rushed to let her in.
"I don't think I can do this Sora," said Kari, noticing Sora was still in her robe the spa gave her.
"Oh yes ya can! It's just your classmates from high school," replied Sora, trying to calm her down.
"No, no it's not! It's everybody I have avoided for the past ten years!" Kari exclaimed. "I can't believe ya dragged me here! Ugh...I can't wait to get out of this town!"
"Kari, you'll be just fine." Sora reassured her, "would ya like me to go with ya?"
Kari sighed, "I suppose it would help calm me down if ya came with me."
"Great, I'll go get Tai and we'll meet ya down in the limo!" Sora quickly replied and ran out the door.
Kari slowly walked down to the limo, purposely wasting time. Sora ran back to her room and threw her robe on the bed. She was already wearing a chic little black dress underneath. Tai was already waiting for her. He was wearing a nice pair of dress pants and a nice polo shirt. They quickly walked down to the limo and got in.
"Oh wow, that didn't take long but why are ya guys all dressed up?"