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
'Realize'
(don't own Colbie Caillet either)

"Wake up Kari!" Brian greeted his fiancé the next morning. Kari fluttered her eyes open, trying to adjust them to the bright sunlight that eased into their hotel room. She rolled over to her other side to see Brian's smiling face. Seeing him smile made her smile. Brian leaned in close to her to give her a kiss.

"Good morning to ya too!" Kari said and giggled as Brian kissed her neck, "you are way too excited this morning."

"I am excited," replied Brian and he continued to shower her with kisses.

"For what?" Kari asked and leaned closer to him.

"To go sightseeing," answered Brian.

"Sightseeing...where?" Kari carefully asked as she slightly pushed him away.

"Ya know to see the sights and maybe your childhood neighborhood," continued Brian.

"What?!" Kari exclaimed, "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?" Brian asked suspiciously.

"It's just not a good idea," Kari vaguely answered.

"Is this because you're afraid to see someone?" Brian carefully asked.

"What?" Kari asked and tired to hide her panic.

"Well yesterday I got worried about ya. I can't think of anybody who would rather stay in their hotel room all day instead of doing something fun like going skiing with their fiancé. So I asked Tai and Sora and they said its because you're afraid to see someone," explained Brian.

Kari was shocked and couldn't think of anything to say to defend herself. Kari casually shook her head and rolled away from Brian so he couldn't see her facial expressions.

"So who is it?" Brian asked curiously.

Kari rolled back towards Brian and looked into his piercing blue eyes but they only reminded her of TK. Kari shook her head to erase the image from her mind. She was getting married in four days, why was she thinking about TK?

"Just an old friend. We didn't exactly end high school on the best of terms." She vaguely answered, "I'd rather not talk about it."

"I'm sorry to hear that babe." Brian said and kissed her on the forehead. "But get up! I want to see where ya grew up."

Kari groaned as she rolled out of bed. She slowly got dressed, dreading to see her old neighborhood again. Brian was well aware of her Digimon filled past, but Kari didn't want him to know it was pretty much her fault her childhood neighborhood was destroyed. She was too embarrassed to show him where she grew up. After she finished getting dressed, Kari went down to the lobby to get breakfast. The more time she wasted, the less time she would have to play tour guide.

Brian and Kari finally walked out of the hotel and resort about a half hour later. They jumped in the new rental car which Brian kindly let Kari drive. Kari drove down the mountain and into Tokyo. She drove through suburb after suburb until she parked the car outside of an old high school.

"So this where I went to school," said Kari with a fake yet convincing smile on her face. Brian looked around slightly confused. "What's wrong?"

"I thought ya grew up in Odaiba. Why does that school say Ibebukuro High School?" Brian asked after seeing a rare sign written in English

"What? Ibebukuro is Odaiba. It's one of those weird Japanese things. Every suburb has two names!" Kari lied and giggled.

Brian wasn't convinced. He was positive she grew up in Odiaba. He had heard enough stories from Tai that he knew she grew up in Odiaba. Kari knew Brian was very smart. He had a 4.00 GPA in high school but she hoped and prayed he believed her.

"This is not Odiaba," said Brian. Her hopes were dashed. "Kari...why are we sitting here in Ibebukuro?"

Kari only looked away and shrugged her shoulders. She couldn't bare to look at him. One look into his deep blue eyes and she would be spilling her guts to him. Only one other person could make her do that..TK. She mentally slapped herself. Why was she thinking about TK again?

"Are ya embarrassed of where ya grew up?" Brian asked, "ya know, it's ok if you're embarrassed. I will love ya anyway whether ya grew up in a nice neighborhood or a bad one."

"It's a little more complicated than that,"said Kari sadly.

"Why?"

Kari didn't answer. She started the car up and started driving away from the old high school. Kari drove across Tokyo until she reached the ghetto that was Odiaba. Brian was surprised to say the least.

"Wow...I know Tai can over exaggerate his stories sometimes but Tai made Odiaba sound like a really nice neighborhood," said Brian as he stared at the run down neighborhood.

"It was," mumbled Kari.

"Oh yeah?"

"Odiaba use to be one of the nicest suburbs in Tokyo and then I moved away," explained Kari.

"Oh whatever Kari," Brian laughed thinking she was trying to be funny. "I'm sure ya moving away had nothing to do with this."

"I'm serious Brian," said Kari and Brian's smile quickly disappeared. "Odiaba was a very respectable community and after I moved away, digimon started randomly appearing here in the real world. The digidestin tried their best to save as many as they could but there were so many of them and the Japanese government didn't know how to properly handle them, so they would attack the digimon. The digimon would get confused and scared so they would attack back. That's why so many buildings look like someone took a wrecking ball to them. It's pretty much my fault that so many innocent people died."

"Oh Kari, it's not your fault," Brian tried his best to comfort her.

"Thanks but I know it is my fault. I don't even know why they started showing up in the first place and they only started showing up after I moved away. They probably wouldn't have shown up if I stayed here," said Kari.

"But if ya wouldn't have moved to Charlotte, we wouldn't be getting married. Everything happens for a reason," replied Brian and kissed her hand.

It was the second time in two days she had heard that phrase. Everything happens for a reason. Was this some sort of sign? Kari wasn't sure. This whole thing was starting to give her a headache.

"So ya understand why I didn't want to come back here?" Kari asked.

"Yeah, I'm sorry I pushed ya to come here," apologized Brian.

"So can we go now?" Kari asked and Brian nodded his head yes.

Kari started the car again and drove back to the hotel and resort. She wanted to get out of her childhood neighborhood as soon as possible. She was afraid to see him again. Although Kari knew Brian still wanted to go sightseeing but she just didn't feel like playing tour guide anymore. She was too depressed by her past to drive around Toyko. When the couple got back to the hotel, Kari cuddled up in the warm comfy bed and quietly cried herself to sleep, in the middle of the afternoon.

"Where are we going again?" Kari asked Sora the next night. Kari was starting to get use to being dragged around places with Sora.

"Brian is waiting for you at the hotel restaurant," answered Sora.

"At 9:00 at night?" Kari asked, "does this hotel even have a restaurant?"

"Ya ask too many questions!" Sora complained. Sora led the way as Kari followed closely behind. "Let's take a short cut through this room."

"Sora, I don't think we can go..."

"SURPRISE!"

Kari was shocked. As soon as she walked into one of the hotel and resort's many conference rooms, she was greeted by some of her closest girlfriends. 'Congratulations Kari' posters and banners hung on the walls. There were several neatly decorated tables scattered throughout the room.

"Ya didn't think ya would get married without having a bachelorette party did ya?" Sora asked.

"Well I wasn't expecting one after I told ya I didn't want one," Kari whispered back but kept the fake smile on her face for the benefit for all her friends that showed up.

Sora rolled her eyes as she led Kari to the head table. The hotel staff served the guests a piece of cheesecake and strawberry wine. Sora kicked the party off with a few bachelorette party games. After the bottles of wine were gone, Sora handed Kari her first present. Kari had been to enough bachelorette parties to know what to expect she was getting. Kari pretended to act surprised as she opened each gift and having a good time, but she wasn't. Something just wasn't right.

"What's wrong?" Yolie whispered when Kari opened the last present.

"Did ya have second thoughts before ya got married?" Kari asked. It was a question meant to be heard just between Yolie and Kari but everyone heard it. Kari sighed. "Did ya'll have second thoughts before ya guys got married?"

The guests looked at each other, waiting for someone else to answer first. Time seemed to stand still. Each second that passed by, Kari felt guiltier. A few seconds later, someone finally answered.

"Nobody likes to admit to it, but everybody has second thoughts before they get married." Chandra answered. "But when ya think about it long enough, you realize you're doing the right thing. If you're having second thoughts Kari, it's ok. Besides, ya and Brian are such a cute couple. I can't see ya getting married to anyone else."

Hearing Chandra's encouraging words made Kari realize who she loved. While the guests mingled amongst themselves, Kari snuck away from her own party and back to her hotel room. When she got to her room, she quickly opened the door and ran to the bed where Brian was sleeping. She snuggled up to him and gave him a kissed on the lips.

"Hmmmm...What was that for?" Brian asked half awake as he kissed her again.

"I'm excited to get married to ya in three days, fourteen hours and thirty-six minutes." Kari happily answered and continued to kiss him, each kiss more passionate than the last.