TRUST
CHAPTER 1
Kari yawned and cracked open an eyelid. The morning sunlight struggled in through a chink in the curtains and fell across the duvet around her waist. Not really taking in her surroundings, Kari rolled over to face the man she knew would be there, had always been there and... wasn't there! She sat up with a start and leapt out of bed. Her bare feet raced across the floor and out into the kitchen.
"TK?" she called. There was no one there. She thought back. Had he been there when she trudged in late last night? She didn't remember. Turning around, she sat down on the sofa and flicked on the TV, thinking hard. If he hadn't been home last night, maybe he'd stayed at his blonde brother Yamato's last night. TK sometimes did stay there if he was caught out late. She made up her mind to pop over and check. Turning the TV off again, she went and got in the shower. Letting the water course over her young body, she contemplated the last year. Since she'd made the huge decision to move in with TK, things had been a LOT different from normal. Well, she was 19, quite capable of making her own decisions now. She was sure she was happy with TK, but sometimes she had a nagging feeling in the corner of her heart that he wasn't quite fulfilling enough for her. He didn't meet her emotional needs...
~*He is everything you want
He is everything you need
He is everything inside of you that you think you should be
He says all the right things at exactly the right time
But he means nothing to you and you don't know why*~
She'd moved in with him because she thought that would make her love him. Sure, she HAD been in love with him, swept away by his humour and his charm, but that wasn't... the same. That wasn't LOVE. She had no cause to complain though. He was sweet and loving but... he wasn't enough. She didn't love him, really. It wasn't that he wasn't great in bed or anything, well, she'd given herself to him that night and hadn't looked back but maybe, maybe, she should. She had a feeling that someone had been hurt when she'd announced the move-in, maybe Davis. She wasn't really sure. Everything was so mixed up.
Getting out of the shower, she dried, dressed and, grabbing her jumper from the sofa, headed out the door to Yamato's house. It wasn't far so she walked the distance, climbing the stairs up to his apartment rather than taking the lift.
The door was slightly ajar when she got there. She could hear the sounds of the budding musician drifting from the apartment.
~*I don't wanna waste your time
Make you hang around thinkin' you done wrong
You should only wait for me for so long*~
"Matt?" Kari softly pushed the door open and looked around the small apartment. The place was a mess. There were dirty dishes stacked up on the bench, clothes lying all over the lounge, some washed and some - not - and one half dressed young man sitting upside-down on the sofa composing songs for his own personal amusement. Kari walked over and looked down upon him, a quizzical expression coming over her pretty face. Matt had his eyes closed, the better to hear the beauty of the music.
"Yoo-hoo music boy," she called. Matt's eyes flicked open. His eyes were serene and very blue, with faint amusement lurking in the depths, just waiting to escape. A quite smile was lingering on his face.
"How may I assist you, O dulcet toned one?" His voice rippled with the music that bubbled from deep within. Kari thrilled at the sound of it and she unconsciously smiled.
"I was wondering if you'd seen my wonderful boyfriend around."
"Oh." Mat sat up, displacing Kari. He put his guitar on the sofa and rummaged around on the floor, searching for a shirt. Kari watched him. He was only dressed in a pair of faded jeans and his hair was cutely ruffled. The muscles on his back were finely toned, although not too much as to appear bulky. He was slighter of stature than his younger brother, but just a fraction taller. At 22 years of age he was incredibly gorgeous but so distant - he spent all his time wrapped in his music, and his occasional stints with bands that came together then crumbled didn't quite pull him through. His father was constantly bailing him out and paying his bills for him. Everyone was constantly at him to get a job, but his favourite motto being "Don't just rush into it" kinda stopped him every now and again.
What he needs is a woman, thought Kari as Matt pulled a crumpled shirt out of the mess
and threw it across his back. He turned his face back to Kari and looked concerned.
And whoever gets him is one lucky lady.
"No what?" she queried. Matt sighed exasperatedly.
"As much as I adore you, you really need to keep your mind on things, Kari. No I haven't seen my brilliant brother. Not since last week," he replied, smiling fondly.
"You haven't? But he never came home last night," she started.
"Don't worry, he'll turn up. He has a habit of doing that." Kari thought Matt said the last sentence almost bitterly, but she didn't have time to think about it. She headed for the door.
"Well see ya then," she said. On the way out Kari dropped her jumper, which she'd grabbed on her way out and hadn't bothered to put on. As she picked it up, something black and lacy fell out on the floor. Frowning, she picked it up. Suddenly she gasped and threw it down as if it was poison. Matt stepped forward.
"What-"
"They aren't mine!" Kari's pitch was on the verge of hysterical.
"What-" Matt looked confused.
"These!! THESE!!" Kari picked them up and shoved them under Matt's nose. "THEY AREN'T MINE!!" she screamed. Matt squinted his eyes and looked at them.
"Oh," was all he could say. Kari dropped the lacy panties and jumped on them, venting her anger.
"Please Kari don't, maybe it's not-"
"OF Course IT IS!!!!!!!" she shrieked, tears beginning to stream down her cheeks. She started sobbing wildly, out of control, and buried her face in her hands. Matt suddenly found his responsible self and stepped forward, wrapping his arms around the distraught girl. She turned to him, sobbing wetly into his chest, clutching at him, never wanting to leave his arms into the real world again.
"He-he-he- was everything t-t-t-oooo meeeee," she wailed. Matt stroked her shoulder-length hair and shushed her.
"Come on Kari, surely not everything? Everything Kari?" He forced her to look up at him. Her face was red and her eyes were wounded, like a dog that's been beaten. She sniffed. Matt smiled tenderly and wiped away her tears with his thumb. "Was he really absolutely everything? The whole universe?"
"Well... no, I guess not," she sniffed in reply.
"There, see? There are others in this world, and the other, that love you dearly Kari." Yeah, namely me.
"Ye-ye-ye-yes, I know," she sighed. "He's just hurt me so much..."
"Oh there now." Matt wrapped his arms tightly around her. "The hurt will go away. Give it time." And someone to love you. I will Kari. I will.
"Thank you, Matt" she whispered. "You're so..." She looked up at him. His eyes were radiating sympathy for her. As she gazed at him, Matt face started to come nearer into the kiss he so desired...
Ring-ring. Ring-ring. Ring-ring. The phone rang, distracting them. Matt groaned inside. He had been THIS CLOSE to the kiss he had wanted from Kari ever since... ever since she had become one of the new digi-destined. Ever since she'd come into her own, being so special to the team and most importantly - to him. He loved her, and for five agonising years he'd suffered it in silence. He'd even dated Sora, back then, to try to turn himself away from what was obviously his brother's territory. But it hadn't worked. And it hurt all the more to see her cry over his good-for-nothing brother. TK'd ruined it for himself and there was no undoing that. He'd lost Kari's trust. And nothing can win that back.
Matt picked up the phone half angrily, speaking gruffly into the reciever.
"Hello?"
"Hi Matt!" TK's voice chirped down the wires cheerfully. Matt's face contorted with fury. He turned his back to Kari, who was still crying quietly.
"What do you want?" Matt ground out between clenched teeth, trying to keep the venom from his voice. On the other end, TK didn't notice.
"I was just wondering if you've seen Kari around today."
"No, Takeru, I haven't seen Kari. Why do you ask?"
"Oh, she wasn't here when I got in."
"When did you get in?"
"Oh, um, very late."
"Right." The sarchasm was heavy in his voice. Matt was straining to keep his voice down.
"Well if you see her, tell her to come home, 'k?"
"Fine."
"By-" Matt slammed down the reciever. He stood there for a few moments, collecting his thoughts together. Slowly he turned.
"That was TK," he said in a quiet voice. Kari nodded, her cheeks glistening with tears. "He said to come home." Kari nodded again. Their eyes met, but the intimacy of that moment had gone.
"Well then, I better get back," whispered Kari.
"You don't have to Kari, You could stay here and..." Matt suggested, but Kari cut him off.
"No, I have to go back, I have to face him. Whatever happens." Matt reluctantly nodded his acceptance. Kari smiled at him weakly and headed out the door, calling, "Good day," as she left.