Disclaimer: All Characters belong to their rightful owners. I'm just borrowing them for my own amusement. The plot, however, IS mine. Oh and the lyrics and song belong to Taylor Swift. HAPPY READING!!
You Belong With Me
"It was a silly remark, what's the big deal? I didn't mean anything by it!" TK yelled into the phone, clearly frustrated. He saw a figure at the doorway. He turned ready to snap at whoever it was. Realizing it was none other than his best friend, his anger died down and he held up a hand to let her know he'd be with her in a minute.
"I can go, if this is a bad time," she mouthed.
He shook his head vigorously before yelling into the phone once more. "FINE!" and he pressed the talk button with more force than he needed to. He threw the phone aside before collapsing down onto his bed. It wasn't long before the phone rang again. Apologizing hastily to Kari, he exited the room, telling her to wait for him. So she sat herself down on his bed, lying down to stare at the ceiling. She hated being there when he was having a fight with his girlfriend. Though he was pretty far away, she could still hear him yelling so she decided to turn on the radio.
You're on the phone with your girlfriend
she's upset
She's going off about something that you said
'Cause she doesn't get your humour
Like I do
Kari sighed, flopping herself back down on the bed. How she ended up in this situation in the first place, she didn't even know. She just knew that one day; she woke up, went to school and found herself having difficulty breathing whenever her best friend came around. At first she denied it, was adamant that it wasn't true, but in the end it caught up with her. Of course, knowing that the guy you loved was with someone else was torture enough. It wasn't like she could say anything now anyway. She had tried to, but only set herself up to get hurt. It wasn't his fault though. He didn't know. He didn't see her coming.
------
After weeks of telling herself it was wrong to fall in love with her best friend, Kari found herself giving in. It wasn't until she realized that TK was a handsome guy, that he could get any girl he wanted and would start dating. When she realized that she was afraid to lose him. Not only that but she wasn't sure she could handle being around while he gave some girl his attention while she would end up struggling for it. Wasn't that always the case? Once the best friend had a girlfriend, the other best friend would be left behind? She didn't care that he would reject her; the feelings alone were enough to drive her nuts. So come Valentine's Day, she stormed into homeroom to tell him the truth but alas there he was.
He had been sitting on a desk, hands resting on the desk. She had stopped, hiding behind the door so as not to be seen when she heard the other voice.
"I really like you TK and would like to go out with you," said the sickeningly sweet voice of some girl. Peering from behind the door, Kari saw that it wasn't just any girl. It was a very pretty girl. And she was standing very close to TK.
"Uh," TK seemed to be unable to speak but it didn't matter. The girl's lips were upon his within seconds and Kari's world had shattered.
------
"Don't say that! Look, I didn't mean anything by it! I was just—hello? Hello?! AHH!" TK turned off his phone once more, chucking it at the sofa before pacing the living room. It wasn't until he heard the radio that he remembered Kari was over. Cursing himself, he headed back to his room to find a rather strange scene in his room. He stopped at the doorway, leaning against it, his arms crossed against his chest as he watched her.
He knew Kari could dance way better than the way she was carrying on at the moment. He laughed, glad that she hadn't heard him because of the loud music blasting in the room. In her hand she held a highlighter; using it as a microphone, lip synching as she danced around the room. All his anger, stress and frustration disappeared. She could always make him feel better, even without her knowing. No wonder he loved her so much.
Oh, Kari, he blinked. Any genius would have figured it out after a glance at him when he looked at her. It was as plain as a single obvious color that he harboured feelings for the young brunette. He knew he was in trouble when he found himself hanging on her every word; when he couldn't keep his eyes away from her but he was too afraid to actually face the fact that he was in love with her so he forced himself to stop such feelings by dating other girls but it was useless. No matter what he did, no matter what he said, no matter who he dated, it was clear that his heart belonged only to her.
With TK lost in his own thoughts he didn't realize that by now Kari had spotted him. She sauntered over, still lip synching as she grabbed a hold of his shirt and gently shook him. She knew he was probably stressed out. Going out with the school's drama queen wasn't exactly easy. She didn't know how he managed to date her for so long without wanting to kill her. Of course, Kari never said anything. If he needed to rant, she would listen. If he needed advice she'd give it to him. She loved him more than anything and though it would have been better to just sabotage their relationship, she couldn't. She was his best friend first before the jealous girl who had a crush on him.
I'm in my room
It's a typical Tuesday night
I'm listening to the kind of music she doesn't like
And she'll never know your story like I do
TK laughed as she grabbed his collar, taking hold of his hands as she dragged him towards his bed and sitting him down. She continued to dance around him, trying to make him laugh, knowing that a good laugh was what he needed. He loved her for that. It didn't matter how foolish and ridiculous she looked. She would do almost anything just to make him laugh. She didn't seem to notice that he appreciated it, but he did and he just hoped she knew how much he really did appreciate it. He found himself asking why he didn't just tell her how he really felt. They'd been friends since practically forever... surely their friendship could take at least a little damage caused by love. Couldn't it? But what if it couldn't? Was he ready to lose her?
But she wears short skirts
I wear T-shirts
she's cheer captain
and I'm on the bleachers
Dreaming about the day when you wake up
And find that what you're looking for has been here this whole time
He laughed when she struck a pose and he took hold of her hand, standing up before wrapping his arms around her, dancing with her. They spun around the room, laughing, being silly, just like they always did. TK couldn't quite remember the last time they did something utterly silly but he sure as hell missed it. There was something about Kari that could bring out a side to him that he never even knew existed. Everything with her was... easy. Life wasn't so complicated with her around. The world was brighter, happier, and absolutely beautiful and he could dance and prance around like a little ballerina without caring what anyone said about it. With Kari he was always so... Carefree. He felt like himself when he was with her; like that little eight year old kid back in the digiworld.
If you could see that I'm the one who understands you
been here all along so why can't you see?
Their dance was cut short with Matt knocking on the door, holding TK's phone in his hand.
"Your girlfriend's on the line," Matt informed TK. Though he didn't want to answer the phone, TK excused himself. He gave Kari a small smile before grabbing the phone from Matt and heading to the living room for privacy.
Kari stood in the middle of the room, the high lighter falling from her hand as she sat herself back down on the bed. Matt watched, his heart sinking. It wasn't exactly discreet how the two felt about each other so to see his best friend's sister hurting... well it sucked.
You belong with me
you belong with me
TK had been so busy arguing with his girlfriend (again) that he didn't notice Kari slip out of the apartment. It wasn't until he finally hung up and headed back to his room that he saw she was gone. Sighing heavily, he sat himself down on the bed and closed his eyes.
Is it wrong... he thought, to be happy that I just got dumped?
But all he could think about was that it was his opportunity to ask Kari out on a date. He was going to finally be able to act on his feelings. He couldn't stop grinning.
------
"Kari Kamiya, will you please, please, please go out with me?" Davis asked the brunette the next day at school. He was down on his knees, making a scene while everyone else looked on. Kari stared down at him, gawking at his question.
"Wh-what?" she sputtered.
"Please?" he blinked all puppy dog eyes at her.
"But... Davis..." she bit her lip. Crap!
Her attention got diverted when the doors opened and in came TK. He stopped in mid-step, knowing instantly that something was different. It wasn't until he looked around that he realized that people seemed to be frozen in place, looking at something. Following their gaze, his mouth dropped open.
No way, he thought as he spotted Davis down on his knees. Obviously, he was asking out his best friend, in front of the whole school. Though he'd just gotten there, TK found himself anxiously waiting for Kari's answer. His eyes caught hers and the next words that came out of her mouth shattered every piece of him.
"Yes, Davis, I'll go out with you," she answered, her eyes downcast. What have I done?
TK gathered his composure, what little piece of his heart he had left and walked over. He put on a fake smile.
"Good morning Kari," he greeted her. He turned to the goggle-head standing next to her. "Davis."
"Hey, sup, TB," Davis grinned, putting an arm around Kari's shoulder.
"Congratulations," TK struggled to get out. He turned and began to walk away.
"TK..." Kari sighed. "I'll see you later Davis." She pushed the spiky-haired boy away and headed for class, glad that she didn't have a class with the blonde.
------
He found her sitting on a park bench, staring blankly at the ducks in the pond. In her hand was a small baggy full of bread crumbs. He knew instantly that she had something on her mind. He didn't have to guess for he knew what it was already. Thinking about the day's events made him so angry at Davis he had half a right mind to storm over to the Motomiya household and beat the goggle-head to a pulp for hurting Kari. He should have known Davis would only hurt her. He hated to see her hurt. He walked over, sitting himself down on the bench next to her.
He was surprised that she wasn't crying. In fact, she was smiling.
Walk in the streets with you in your worn out jeans
I can't help thinking this is how it ought to be
"You okay?" he asked leaning back, his head resting on his hands as he looked up at the sky.
"Surprisingly, yes." She turned to him, smiling at him and it seemed her smile brightened even more. Her beautiful smile was so infectious.
"I'm glad. Davis was a—"
"TK, it doesn't matter, it wasn't working anyway," she chuckled. "As if."
He laughed. "Yeah, you two just weren't meant to be."
Laughing on a park bench, thinking to myself
Hey, isn't this easy?
"It's been a while since you and I hung out, just you and me," she stated, looking back at the pond. "Where've you been?"
"Playing the field, you know," he grinned. He was about to say more when his phone vibrated in his pocket. Sighing, he picked it up. He looked at Kari, sadly. "Sorry, Kari, but—"
"No worries," she smiled. "Your girlfriend waits."
And he took off in a hurry. She couldn't believe that now that she was single, he had a girlfriend. It seemed fate didn't want them together at all. She hated it, wanting him but not being able to have him. If only she knew how he felt... But how could she? It wasn't like she could muster enough courage to ask him how he truly felt. Obviously, since he was seeing other people, it meant that he didn't feel the same. Why was she still hoping anyway? Sighing, she threw bread crumbs towards the ducks, wishing to be anyone else but herself at the moment. She was surprised when he came flopping himself back down on the bench next to her.
She stared at him, shocked to see him grinning. "TK..."
"Like I really could leave you here all alone." He shook his head. "Don't you know me at all?"
And with tears falling freely from her eyes, she hugged him tight. TK held her close, taking in her sweet scent. He never thought she would be so hurt by Davis. Did it mean... Of course, if she was crying that hard, it only meant she cared a lot about Davis. At least that's what he assumed anyway.
------
"It's over!" Kari heard TK's girlfriend yell from the phone. She watched, sadly, as TK turned off his phone and chucked it aside. He turned to her, frowning. He shrugged, sitting himself down on her bed.
"I don't understand why girls have to be so damn dramatic, do you?" he shook his head. "I'm so glad youaren't like that, Kari."
"That's because we aren't dating. I bet if we were, I'd be pretty dramatic too," Kari replied, keeping her eyes on her textbook. TK had come over to study with her when the inevitable call from his girlfriend (she didn't know what number this was now) called only to break up with him.
"I feel awful," she sighed. "The only reason you get dumped is because you spend so much time with me."
"Yeah well, don't," TK said as he smiled at her. "It's not your fault. You're my best friend. Don't you know that saying Americans say? 'Bros before hoes'." He laughed.
Kari laughed with him. "But... I'm not a guy."
"Well, whatever it just means best friends first."
You've got a smile that could light up this whole town
I haven't seen it in a while since she brought you down
You say you're fine
I know you better than that
Hey whatcha doin' with a girl like that?
He rested his chin on his palm as he watched Kari laugh. Her laugh always sounded so beautiful to him. He didn't realize he'd been staring until she stopped and tilted her head to the side to stare back at him.
"I wonder what it'd be like," he said suddenly, his voice still sounding rather dazed.
She looked up at him. "Hmm?"
She wears high heels
I wear sneakers
she's cheer captain and I'm on the bleachers
dreaming about the day when you wake up
and find that what you're looking for has been here the whole time
"If we were dating, what would it be like?" he blushed; now making himself busy, clearly embarrassed.
Though Kari would have loved to indulge him, she couldn't. She was afraid if she did he'd laugh at her and her heart would break even more. As if being with him as friends didn't hurt enough. She cleared her throat.
"Honestly, I just can't see it," she lied, looking down at her paper quickly, not noticing the cringe of pain TK had on his face.
If you could see that I'm the one who understands you
been here all along so why can't you see?
You belong with me
"Oh, me neither," he shrugged and he busied himself too, not noticing the tear that fell from Kari's eye.
------
She couldn't believe her eyes. He'd just won the winning game and his current girlfriend (soon to be ex now) was sitting in the bleachers making out with someone else. It would only be a mere few minutes before TK would see and be heartbroken. She wasn't ready to see that pained look on his face one more time. But he saw. She cringed. He smiled. He looked at her and waved.
Standing by and waiting at your back door
All this time how could you not know
Baby
He rushed up the stands, arms outstretched to hug her and when he did she found herself crying for him, hurting for him for what that girl had done to him. It wasn't right. He deserved so much better. Why was he dating all these girls that clearly didn't deserve him?
Because you can't tell him the truth.
You belong with me
You belong with me
"We won, Kari! We won!" he lifted her up, spinning her around in his arms and though she had tears in her eyes, Kari couldn't help but laugh.
After he was changed and ready to go, he went out to the hall to meet up with his best friend. She was sitting on the floor, head tilted back with her eyes closed. He smiled, watching her silent until he joined up with her. He put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to him.
"Tired? If you are, we can cancel dinner," he let her know.
"No, no... So I'm guessing you and—"
"It's over. But it's okay," he smiled.
How does he do it? How does he still manage to smile like that after everything? She sighed, loving him more, and hating herself more for not being able to tell him.
Oh, I remember you drivin' to my house
In the middle of the night
I'm the one who makes you laugh when you know you're about to cry
And I know your favourite songs
And you tell me about your dreams
I think I know where you belong
I think I know it's with me
"TK..."
"Yeah?"
"How do you do it? How do you manage to keep that hope after you've had your heart broken countless of times?" she asked meekly. He turned to her, finally getting a good look. His heart sank at the sight of her tears.
"Because... I know someday, I'll get it right," he smiled. "You wanna know a secret?"
"What's that?" Kari asked confused.
"I've been waiting for this girl to... Be available." He laughed nervously.
Can't you see that I'm the one who understands you
been here all along
so why can't you see
you belong with me
Kari blinked. "Already?"
He laughed, shaking his head. "Nope, see I've always sort been in love with this girl it's just, it's never the right time..."
"Oh."
"Yeah, see, when I'm single, she has—"
"Kari? Hey, come on!" a tall young man called from the doorway in the hall.
Kari quickly got up. "Oh, gosh, sorry TK, I forgot I had plans with Tyler. Sorry, it completely—"
He held up a hand. "Don't worry about it Kari. We'll celebrate another time."
Standing by and waiting at your back door
all this time how could you not know
Baby
you belong with me
you belong with me
With her out of sight, TK let out a sigh of frustration. Why was it always like that? Why was it that whenever he came remotely close to telling her how he truly felt there was something or someone standing in his way? But then perhaps maybe that was his fault because he never made himself available. But how could he when he was hurting. All those other girls were merely a distraction but he could only distract himself for so long. Sighing heavily, he walked on home, not feeling the need to celebrate his winning game any longer.
------
They were back in his room again. He had left her to get her a soda and had come back to find her dancing around again, the music blasting from the radio. She pranced around. As soon as she saw him, she grinned and ran over, pulling him back into the room. She took the soda from his hands, setting them down before coaxing him to dance with her.
You belong with me
Have you ever thought just maybe
Soon they were panting for air, laying side by side, fingers intertwined. Neither of them could believe how right it felt to hold each other's hands. They fit so perfectly. How could they keep lying to themselves? Finally having enough of the stupid game of cat and mouse, TK turned to her, a smile upon his face. He reached out, tucking her hair behind her ear.
"Hey, you know what?" he asked.
"What?" she replied.
"For the first time, you and I are single at the same exact time."
She blinked. It took her a while to realize what he'd said. She laughed. "Yeah, that's true... But you know what; you haven't had a girlfriend in almost four months. That's pretty long."
"Remember that girl I was telling you about? Well I decided I should just make myself available, wait it out till she's available."
"Good plan. Hope it works out for you," and here I thought he was going to ask me or at least tell me something important. As if.
"You ever wonder why our relationships never work out?" he asked.
"I don't know, probably because you keep wishing you were dating me instead," Kari joked.
TK blinked. "Well, yeah."
Now it was her turn to blink. "Huh?"
"I love you, Kari; sorry I've been an idiot and trying to deny it all this time..." TK sighed. "I was just scared how you would react if I told you but every time I saw you with a guy I just... I hated it."
She sat up, staring at him wide eyed. "TK..."
"I know, I know, you probably don't feel the same way and all but... I couldn't stand it any longer and I wanted to know... I mean, every time you were with a guy I just wanted to—"
Her lips came crashing down upon his. TK found himself momentarily paralyzed but it only lasted for a fleeting moment before he returned the kiss.
You belong with me
Kari smiled down at him, arms still wrapped around him tight. "You belong with me."
And he took her lips with his own once more. "I couldn't agree more."
Author's Note: AHH!!! My first TaKari fic. Please don't kill me. I know, it's not as good as the others out there, but it's the first time I'm writing Digimon fanfics. I'm thinking of writing more... Taiora + Koumi as couplings and TaKari once more but hey, let me know what you think. I'd really appreciate it if you reviewed and let me know what you think!! Please forgive me if it's crap. - Sigh -