Litanya: I can't believe that I'm doing this. flipstahhz, this is for you. I'm only writing this because flipstahhz is writing a Taiora, so I'm going to make a Sorato *shudders* fic that does not focus on the Sorato *shudders again* And even though I'm writing one, in my opinion Sorato is one of the worst couples, but Taito is worse. This is only my opinion though, and everyone is entitled to theirs. If you like Sorato *shudders* or Taito *shudders again* then you are entitled to your opinion. Please don't flame me because of my choice of couples. I'm going to go completely different to my other fics and write a Sorato with hints of Mishiro fic now, but the main focus will not be on the Sorato. I'd die if I did that, no offense to Sorato fans. Now, on with the fic!
To flipstahhz: see, I'm writing a Sorato fic…. *shudders* Anyway, this may seem a lot like your fic, but it's COMPLETELY different. Your fic is too good for a writer like me to write, so please continue it soon! I really do love it!
Lost Again
'No, I'm just waiting to see if Matt is free afterwards,' these were the words that kept on repeating over and over in Tai's head as he tried to enjoy the concert. Sure, Matt was a great singer and all and the songs were great, but Tai just couldn't make himself have the best time in the world. Sora, his best friend, had rejected their friendship for the time being so that she could wait for Matt. Tai hadn't asked her out on a date, he had just asked her as a friend.
'I hope that she didn't take that the wrong way… I didn't mean for it to sound like a date. All I did was ask her if she wanted to go to the concert, I mean, she's my best friend and best friends go to concerts together. Now she probably will avoid me… darn! I mean, I do love her, but I know that she loves Matt. Me and my stupid big mouth… I can see that she took it the wrong way by the way she's avoiding me. Why does this have to happen to me? Not only did I have no chance with the love of my life, but now I've lost my best friend too. Darn you Matt! There's no way that I'm going to enjoy myself now. I might as well go home,' he somehow managed to weave himself through all of the 'I Love Matt Club' and after ten minutes he was out of the door. He leant back against the cool metal lamppost for a moment, trying to regain his breath. The night air was blowing softly against his face and he was glad that he was out of the hot, smoky air of the concert. He started the walk home, his eyes closed. He didn't have to cross any roads for a while, so it was safe for him to keep his eyes closed.
'Wait a minute, what am I going to tell Matt on Monday? It was a great concert Matt; I just left halfway through because I wasn't feeling well? I guess that that is going to have to do. I can't go back now. I know that Sora is in love with Matt and all, but she could at least stay my friend. It was just a stupid misunderstanding. Girls, you can't live with 'em and you can't live without 'em I suppose,' he opened his eyes as the path began to climb a little, knowing that there was a major road coming up ahead.
"I wonder what it would be like to 'accidentally' step out into the road without looking," he muttered to himself. He wasn't suicidal, he was just wondering. There was no way that he was going to be suicidal either. He had been affected by suicide when one of his best friends, a guy that none of the other digidestined had known, had killed himself. James had been a great friend to Tai, and the pair had been inseparable in school. Sure, Sora and Matt were also Tai's best friends, but they didn't get along with any of Tai's soccer friends, so Tai hadn't bothered to introduce them to James. At lunch he had always sat with the digidestined for ten minutes before going and playing soccer with James and a few other guys. Sora would have played with them when they were younger, but now that she had quit soccer for tennis, she never played anymore.
'I never really understood why she gave up soccer. Probably so that Matt would be able to see her in a short skirt,' he chuckled to himself as he remembered Matt's face at any of Sora's tennis matches, 'They do make a good couple I suppose, but I wish that Sora loved me instead. Oh well, I'm just going to have to make sure that Matt looks after her right, aren't I? That's what best friends are for, if Sora still considers me a friend.' Without even realising what he was doing because he was so caught up in his thoughts, he stepped out into the road without looking. Luckily for him though, the road was still and no cars were coming towards him. He crossed the road without even seeing a car and soon he was safely on the footpath again, still deep in his thoughts. He didn't even notice that he was being followed, not until it was too late.
"Hi Tai!" he wanted to kick himself.
'Stupid, STUPID Tai for not checking if she was following you!' he beat himself up on the inside, but on the outside he was all smiles, "Hi Alison, it was nice meeting you. Now I have to get home quickly, it's very important that I do. Sorry about not being able to stay long." The last thing that he wanted to do at that minute was talk to the girl that flirted with anything that moved. He was too upset about the thought of losing his two best friends, one to death and the other to love, to have the patience to speak with the vain Alison.
"Oh, that's okay Tai, I'm waiting for one of my friends anyway," Tai felt like punching the air in celebration. She wasn't going to chase after him anymore, well at least not at the time being, "So I'll see you at school Tai." She flicked her hair back, but the action was lost on Tai as he was once again on his way home. This time the 16 year old was not deep in thoughts when he crossed the road, but again he forgot to look. You can be lucky once, but twice is pushing it. Unfortunately for Tai, Lady Luck thought that he had pushed her too far and a horn was heard before a sickening crunch filled the air, followed shortly by a girl's scream.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
It's said that before one dies their entire life flashes before their eyes. That is how Tai knew that he wasn't going to die. But for some reason that he couldn't fathom, he did die. So T.V is wrong. His life didn't flash before his eyes, he didn't feel himself float away and he didn't have to follow any lights, but there was no doubt about it that Taichi Kamiya was dead. He wasn't breathing, he was pale, and he was dressed as an Angel. Things like that did not happen to him when he was alive, so he surmised that he must be dead.
"Where am I? Unless it's Halloween, I'm dead. Wait, let's see, car headlights coming straight at me, then a big object sending me flying… yep, I'd say that I'm dead. Unless I'm unconscious and having a really strange dream… hmm… this needs some thought…" he stared off into space for a while, until a hand waving in front of his face jumped him out of his thoughts.
"Welcome to the place where all Angels are given charges to look after, Mr. Kamiya. Now, I know that you have only just arrived on the job, but I'm going to have to make you start right away. We're on the edge of a crisis here and we're going to really need your help. Will you accept the job?" Tai just stared at the Angel in front of him, not really knowing what was going on. He just felt like he had woken up after a long nap and it didn't help that he was dead. The Angel who had spoken to him was a girl who looked to be his age. She was pretty tall for a girl and she had intelligent brown-hazel eyes. Her light brown hair was kept in a high ponytail and she held a white clipboard that was almost overloaded with papers.
"Hang on; can you say all of that again? I mean, I'll probably do it, it's just that being dead takes a little while to sink in, you know?" the Angel sighed and muttered under her breath, but she explained it again for him.
"You are an Angel, right? And all Angels look after people, like a Guardian Angel. We usually take two-three people each and look after them until they die and then we have a years rest before we look after another person, but only one at a time or something like that. Anyway, we might have a problem, well, okay, we do have a problem. One of the Angels was guarding over three people and has mysteriously disappeared down to Hell, meaning that we now have no one to look after two of the charges. The third one died just recently. We need you to look after these two teenagers, especially as the other one that just died was their close friend. So, can you help us out? I have a rule book here for you already if you say yes," the Angel in front of him looked so desperate for help that Tai couldn't refuse.
"Yeah sure I'll help. I have nothing else to do now that I'm dead and I've always loved helping people," the Angel thanked him profusely before handing him a thin handbook, that looked like it only had one rule in it.
"Oh yeah, there is only one rule: Don't fall in love with your charge, but I don't think that you're really going to break that rule. You can appear to your charges only when they're alone or with each other, but that's pretty self-explanatory too. Oh and the two charges that you'll be looking after? You know them pretty well. Now I'd better go and instruct the next person," and with that the Angel just disappeared.
'Great, well, let's go down to my charges. I'm allowed to follow them as long as I remain invisible. Wait a minute, how'd I know that? Must be this Angel thing… and this being dead thing… I'll figure it out soon enough I expect,' the white room around him slowly disappeared and he found himself in the park in the middle of Odaiba. 'Wait a minute, all these people here are digidestined! And my charges should be highlighted with a bright white light… hmm… great. Sora and Matt. How'd I guess?' As Tai was invisible, none of the digidestined could see him, but he could see them. Kari was in tears, crying her heart out against T.K, her best friend. T.K himself seemed to be finding it hard not to cry and it was the same everywhere Tai turned to look. Mimi was crying, not caring that her tears were splashing all over Izzy's laptop. Izzy wasn't even caring about it and his hands were away from the machine, as if he didn't care about it anymore. Joe was handing around tissues from his medical bag, with tears in his own eyes and Sora was crying into her hands, leaning against Matt just like Kari was leaning against T.K. Matt was upset too, but it wasn't obvious unless you knew him very well.
"I-I can't believe it! How could he be so stupid as to not look before crossing the road? Melissa is an emotional wreck now and mum and dad aren't much better. Why didn't he look?" Tai felt awful as Kari continued to cry on, all because of him. He wanted to tell her that it was alright, but he couldn't, for obvious reasons.
"Alison said that he had told her that he had to get home because it was important. Could that have been true?" Matt's voice was a little choked up and it was obvious that he was trying his best not to cry.
'Whoa, I didn't realise that they would be this upset about my death. Not that I was planning on killing myself or anything. Why didn't I look before I crossed the road? Oh well, I was stupid and now I'll never do anything like that ever again… Oops, I forgot, I can't do that again,' he sat down on thin air to listen to the rest of the conversation so that he could find out what was going on. He knew that they were talking about him because he had been a stupid fool. But it was too late to change that now.
"No, Melissa said that Tai used that excuse almost every time he bumped into Alison. The girl would never leave him alone and I guess that he was annoyed with her. Anyway, Melissa would have known why Tai was on his way home if it was important and she said that she had no idea… but she could have been lying. She never told me any of Tai's secrets and he never told me hers, so she could have been lying…" Kari trailed off and cried even harder, soaking T.K's shirt right through. Tai felt even worse. He had no idea what his family was going through and Melissa would be having a worse time. She had lost her twin brother and Tai was scared about what she was going to do.
"I feel terrible! The last thing I said to him I yelled at him because… well… I don't really know why. He was only being my friend and I yelled at him and now he's dead and… I wish that I had said something else, or not misunderstood what he had said!" this came from Sora and again Tai felt a stab of pain. They were all crying because of him darn it! It was torture to watch them, but he knew that he had to. He had to get the situation that his charges were going through otherwise he couldn't help them.
"Don't worry, I'm sure that he doesn't hold it against you," Tai swiveled around to see Melissa, his twin, standing behind him. She was staring at the spot where he was a little suspiciously, but she didn't say anything. After all, it would sound like she was crazy if she did.
"What makes you seem so sure about that?" Sora demanded to know, not convinced that he wouldn't hate her.
'Of course I don't hate you Sora, you're my best friend! How could I hate you? It's impossible!' he wanted to scream at her, but of course he couldn't. Being dead officially sucked. Melissa mouthed something that looked like 'sorry Tai' but he wasn't sure.
"He doesn't hate you Sora; in fact he was kicking himself for saying that without classifying what he meant. He was afraid that you would hate him forever… I think that's when he decided to go home. He did wonder something about roads on the way home, but I don't know what he was going on about. So there, that's proof that he doesn't hate you," Melissa sat herself down on the edge of the bench, fiddling with her hands.
"Are you alright?" Joe asked her, seeing that she was sort of out of it.
"Yeah, I'm fine, never felt better! My twin brother has just died and so everything is just peachy!" Joe recoiled at the sarcasm in Melissa's normally calm voice, but he understood. It was hard enough for him that he had lost his friend and he couldn't even imagine what it must have been like for Melissa, "Sorry Joe, I didn't mean that. It's just that first one of my best friends commits suicide and now my brother is gone… I'm sorry."
"I didn't know anyone that committed suicide?" Matt remarked, before suddenly wishing that he hadn't.
"You wouldn't know him; he was one of my best friends and Tai's too. We used to play soccer with him all the time, but we never bothered to introduce him to you guys because we knew that you wouldn't get along. I bet that Tai and James are having a good conversation right now…" tears cascaded down Melissa's cheeks and Tai felt even guiltier.
'Why? Why did this have to happen to me? I should have just looked before I crossed the road… I'm a dumb idiot. Don't be sad everyone! I don't want you to be sad!' only then did Tai realise that tears were pouring down his cheeks too. He missed his friends, but most of all he missed his twin sister and Kari. He just didn't want to see them with him anytime soon.
"They probably are, don't worry Melissa, Tai wouldn't want any of us to cry," Izzy tried to be rational, but Tai noticed that that statement didn't stop tears from rolling down Izzy's cheeks.
"He doesn't," Melissa agreed with so much certainty that the others were startled.
"You seem to be so sure about that," Mimi mumbled, trying to dry her eyes with sopping wet tissues. Joe had managed to run out, so wet tissues were all that she had.
"I am sure. But just because Tai wouldn't want us to cry it doesn't matter if we do. I'm sure that he's crying too if he can see us like this," Tai knew that Melissa could see him now, or at least sense his presence. That scared him in a way, but in another he was glad.
"Yeah, you're right. We always say these things and then we never mean them," Sora had soaked Matt's shirt, just as Kari had soaked T.K's. It was then that Tai realised that he thought of Sora as a sister. That was why he cared about her so much. She was just like another sister.
"Oh, I just remembered, I was here to bring Kari home. My parents don't trust either of us walking home by ourselves now. Come on Kari…" the two unhappy siblings got up, still trying to dry their eyes from tears. It hadn't really sunk in that their brother was gone, it was too soon. Tai watched them walk away, feeling as though he had been run over by twelve trucks. It was true that he had been run over by a car, but that didn't hurt him nearly as much as seeing them all upset. Soon Mimi and Izzy left together, with Izzy supporting the still sobbing Mimi. Joe left straight after them and so it was only T.K, Sora and Matt.
"I think that I'm going to go see how Kari is going. I just know that she is going to need a lot of help in the next few days," T.K stood and walked away, not getting a reply out of Matt or Sora.
"This is all my fault!" Sora exclaimed to her boyfriend once T.K had gone, "If only I hadn't misunderstood what he had said and yelled at him, he would still be here!"
"Maybe I would have, maybe I wouldn't have," Tai stated, making himself visible as his two charges were the only people that could see him. Besides, he had to stop Sora from blaming herself otherwise he wouldn't be doing his job.
"T-Tai? B-but you're-you're…" Matt stuttered, his blue eyes opening wide with both fear and surprise.
"I'm dead. I really should remember that next time I make an entrance… sorry about that. Oh, and you are allowed to say the word 'dead.' You don't need to stutter around it… Anyway, as I was saying, it's not your fault Sora. I decided to go home and then I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. It's as simple as that," the two teenagers were still staring at him in shock, not being able to believe what they were seeing. Tai wasn't in his Angel gear because that would just scare them, so he was wearing the same clothes that he had been wearing when he had died. Other than looking a little paler than usual, they couldn't see any difference in him.
"B-but how are you here? I mean, why are you speaking to us and not your sisters?" Sora stuttered, causing Tai to roll his eyes.
"Let's see how I should answer this. I'm here because I am and I'm talking to the two of you because I want to. There, those are the answers to your questions, now I am going to ask one of my own. Why do you blame yourself for my stupidity?"
"Because if I hadn't have misunderstood what you were saying and yelled at you, you wouldn't have left the concert and therefore you wouldn't have been killed," Sora said straight away, blaming herself all over again.
"That is true, but I still may have been killed. I could have been struck by a drunk-driver on my way home after the concert, or I could have been murdered by a thug or anything. So it's not your fault at all."
"What was this 'misunderstanding' that the two of you keep on mentioning?" Matt asked, curious to hear the answer. Sora hadn't told him about it and so he couldn't help but to be a little bit curious.
"Well, I asked Sora if she wanted to go to your concert and she took it as though I was asking her out on a date, which I would never have done. She was just nervous because she was going to ask you out, so she yelled at me thinking that I was trying to ask her out when I knew that she was going to ask you. Which is not really an easy mistake to make, but she still did," Tai told Matt carefully, "But it doesn't matter anymore. I think of Sora as a sister and I always have done. And it's not your fault that I died Sora, so don't think that it is."
"But I know that it was my fault!" Sora protested weakly, knowing that she didn't have much of an argument. Tai looked at her pointedly.
"Well, if you're going to think like that then I will never speak to you again. Choose now, before I disappear forever," he teased her, but she had no way of knowing that he was just teasing.
"Okay, okay, it isn't my fault!"
"Well, it doesn't matter because I have to leave now anyway. I'll see you guys later!" Tai popped out of sight just as T.K arrived back again, shaking his head sadly.
"What's wrong T.K?" Matt asked his little brother, still a little shocked from his encounter with Tai, "You look pretty bummed out." T.K kicked the ground with his foot, obviously annoyed at something and upset about it at the same time.
"I went to see if Kari was alright, but she just yelled at me and told me to go away. From the sounds of it she and Melissa were talking to somebody that wasn't even there, because Kari asked somebody something, but I looked through the peep hole and Melissa and Kari were the only ones in the room," Sora and Matt exchanged glances, and then looked to where Tai had been standing.
"Don't worry T.K; I'm sure that there was someone there that you just couldn't see or something. And Kari is going through an emotional time at the moment. Just give her some time and she'll come round," Sora advised him, wiping the last of her tears from her eyes. Tai smiled and turned around, bumping into the Angel who had given him the task of being Sora and Matt's Guardian Angel.
"Oh, hi there again," he told her, grinning his infamous grin.
"Hi Tai, I need your help with one of my charges," the girl got straight to the point and Tai blinked, a little surprised.
"Err… yeah, I'll help… err, whatever your name is," Tai assured her, even though he had no idea who she was.
"Emma. My name is Emma," she told him as they began to walk towards Emma's charge's home, "I used to be friends with your twin when I was younger. I died at the beginning of this year, but I had moved away before then. That's why you never heard about my death."
"Wait, I remember you! We used to play with you and your brother. I would play soccer with Daniel whilst you played with Melissa. For some reason you didn't talk to me much, which I didn't really understand. You're Emma Fareer, aren't you?" The other Guardian Angel nodded and then they transported themselves to Emma's charge's home.
"You look after my sisters?" Tai asked, amazed to see that they were in his apartment. His parents were seated in the living room, sitting on the couch. Tai could see that they were looking through a photo album, his mother in tears and his father not much better. He felt really bad; he was responsible for making them all upset and he hated it. He really hated it. The moved quickly from the living room and into the room that Melissa and Kari shared. Tai had had his own room as he was a boy, but he had spent a lot of time in his sisters' room, as they had spent a lot of time in his. Melissa was sitting in the middle of the room, her head resting on her knees. Tai could hear her crying and from the faint link that was all that was left of their twin bond, he could tell that she was contemplating things that she should not have been thinking about.
"Can you talk to her for me? Nothing that I say will get through to her, but maybe if you say something…?" Emma asked, looking a little embarrassed at asking him for help. He nodded in reply and the two Angels made themselves visible. Tai was allowed to do this only because he had been asked to help by Emma; otherwise he would not have become visible at all to Melissa.
"Hi Emma, hi T-Tai," she stuttered when saying his name, indicating that she was very upset. Tai came and sat beside her and Emma couldn't help but notice that they definitely looked like twins, even though they were different.
"Hey Melissa, what's up? I know what you're thinking and I want you to stop that right now!" Tai commanded, making Melissa look down at the ground, looking very guilty.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she denied, but Tai just raised his eyebrows at her.
"If you don't know what I'm talking about, then why do you look so guilty? Look, I may be dead, but I'm not exactly very far away, if you ever desperately need me. And before you say anything, it was my destiny to die at the concert. If I hadn't have left when I did, then I would have been crushed to death under a rock fall that a digimon would have thrown down on me and then an innocent digimon would have had to have been deleted. No, it's not all your fault and it was my destiny to die. I still have a lot of things to do, so it's not like I'm going to get bored. Now cheer up or I'll be forced to take desperate measures," his eyes twinkled mischievously and as Melissa looked at her twin, she couldn't help but feel a little guilty.
"But what if-," she was cut off by Tai.
"What if the moon was upside down and the sky turned purple? I was destined to die and you can't change destiny, you just make it. You choose your own destiny, but in doing so you complete a pre-ordained destiny. It's complicated and yet simple at the same time. You have to believe me. I will always be here for you, whether you like it or not. I just won't be around all of the time. Please Melissa, you have to get on with your life like nothing happened. Please promise me that you will… I need you to promise," Melissa hesitated for a second, but after looking up at Tai again she knew what she had to do.
"I-I promise, I guess. But I still think that it is unfair!"
"Life isn't fair all of the time, but it does its best. Unfortunately I have to go now. I have to avert a crisis… but I will see you again later, maybe. Remember that you promised!" and with that Tai was gone in a flash, and he arrived in Sora's room. The girl was sitting on the floor next to her window, staring straight out into the pouring rain.
"It's all my fault…" she was muttering under her breath, over and over again.
"What's your fault?" Tai enquired popping up from thin air beside her. She jumped, not really understanding how Tai could do that every now and again.
"Tai, you're here again? How do you do that?" she asked, mainly to try and get over the shock of seeing her dead best friend for the second time that day. Tai rolled his eyes.
"I'm dead. D-E-A-D, dead. I could go into a long and boring explanation of how it works, but you'd be asleep on the floor before I even got through one hundredth of the lecture. So, back to my first question. What is your fault?" Sora looked back out of the window.
"It's all my fault that you died. If I hadn't shouted at you, then you would never have left the concert and then you would not have been killed!"
"Sora, we've been over this before. It was my destiny to die. Do you want to see what would have happened if I had stayed at the concert? Well, I'll show you anyway," a round glass ball appeared onto his hand from nowhere, startling Sora once again. She wasn't used to things appearing out of thin air. Clouds swirled inside the ball, but they were orange clouds, "Just look into this Sora and this will show you what would have happened if you hadn't yelled at me and I hadn't left the concert…"
~WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN ~
The concert was crowded and it was hard to breath in the warm, smoky atmosphere that was inside the concert hall. Tai sat with Sora, T.K and Kari at a table at the back of the hall. They had been up the front for most of the concert and they had retreated to the back so that they could rest for a bit. They had been sitting down for five minutes when Sora's favourite song started to play.
"I'm going to go back up there, this is my favourite song! You want to come?" she exclaimed, getting to her feet.
"We'll come with you!" T.K and Kari agreed, also standing. Tai shook his head.
"Nah, I'll just stay here for a bit and keep the table for when you come back. Enjoy yourselves!" he called after their retreating backs. He relaxed for a second, enjoying the rest after standing for a long time. He had had soccer training before the concert, so he was pretty tired. He was sitting at the table, watching Sora, T.K and Kari dance to the song, when he heard a strange creaking noise coming from above him. He looked up at the roof and saw a small crack appearing on the surface. Before he could get up and away from the table, the whole section of the roof above him caved in, trapping him under a layer of cement and metal. The claw of a digimon could be seen through the hole in the roof and as people scrambled to see if they could help any of the people trapped under the wreckage, as there were three or four, the digimon disappeared completely.
"Tai!" Sora, T.K and Kari had realised that Tai was under the wreckage and they were some of the people that searched the hardest for people as they desperately searched for their friend, or in Kari's case, brother. All of the people were pulled out alive, but still Tai was trapped under the wreckage. When they finally found him, he had already run out of oxygen and he was pale. His arm was completely crushed and so was his chest. He was dead and no one had foreseen it at all…
~BACK TO THE PRESENT~
"See Sora? Even if we'd never fought and even if I had stayed at the concert, I still would have been killed. It was my destiny to die and so you shouldn't blame yourself. Now I can tell that something else is bothering you, so spill," she looked surprised as he saw through her act, but she only sighed before she opened her mouth to speak.
"T.K was really upset after Kari yelled at him and it just seems that all of our bad luck is happening at once. I hate it, and I want to help everybody out, but I can't. T.K goes to Kari for advice and vice-versa and Mimi and Izzy depend on each other. Joe depends on his family and I just feel helpless! I feel as if I'm not helping anyone!" She blinked back tears, not wanting to cry in front of Tai over such a little thing.
"But Sora, you are helping people! Matt depends on you and so do the other digidestined. Just knowing that you're there helps everyone in ways that you cannot imagine! In the Digital World the only reason that I succeeded as a leader was because I had you to help me! The only reason that Mimi and Izzy got together was because of your advice and look at them now! You have done so much for us Sora and don't you dare think that you're useless!" Sora looked a little more cheerful after Tai's little speech and he was pleased that she was a little brighter.
"Sora!" both of the teens turned their heads to the door as they heard Mrs. Takenouchi call out to her daughter. Tai mock saluted to Sora, before he disappeared back to the Guardian Angel Society. This was a place where he could relax and keep tabs on Sora and Matt whilst getting to know the other Angels and relaxing a little. As soon as he arrived, he bumped into Emma again.
"I just want to thank you for helping me out with Melissa," she told him happily, "She has gotten over the whole I'm-going-to-commit-suicide-because-my-brother-is-dead thing now. Thank you."
"That's alright, I'm happy to help anytime. Now there is one thing that I would like to know. When you died, did your life flash before your eyes?"
"No, it was very disappointing! I wanted to see my whole life so that I would be able to remember it, but it didn't happen. I thought that I was going to live because of that," she admitted, laughing along with Tai.
"No kidding? Me too! I also…" the pair of Guardian Angels continued to talk, realising that they had a lot of things in common. They talked for ages and ages and ages…
~ 3 YEARS LATER~
Tai watched as Sora and Matt started to finish packing up after Matt's concert. The pair had been going out for three years now and oddly enough, it was the third anniversary of Tai's death. Matt had performed a concert that night and he had dedicated it to Tai. He had explained to the roaring fans why he had dedicated it to his friend and that had just made the fans hold more respect for the young adult singer.
"Come Tai, quickly!" Emma appeared beside him and grabbed his hand and before he knew what was happening, they were standing on the edge of the same road that Tai had died on.
"What's going on Emma?" he demanded to know, unaware of what was happening.
"It's Kari and T.K's time. They are going to die here too, just like you did three years ago," Emma said solemnly, tears springing to her eyes. Kari had been Emma's first charge, along with Melissa of course.
"That is really freaky. Why do they have to die here, on the same day as I did, when they are the same age as when I died? That is going to freak everybody out. I know that it's Kari's destiny, but I can't help but hate it," Tai was calmer about it, although he detested the thought of watching his little sister die. But he knew that he should watch it, to know what happened to her. They were standing on the edge of the street, so they could see T.K and Kari already approaching the crossing. They were talking quietly between themselves, walking hand in hand. Kari seemed to be nervous about being near the road, but she used T.K as support. Besides, they needed to cross the road to get home. Tai watched as the pair checked both ways about six times for traffic before they began to cross the road. Out of nowhere a black car swerved around the corner and sped straight towards the two 16 year olds, leaving them no escape. T.K stood in front of Kari as if to protect her, but that did not stop her from flying as the car hit them. Tai squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to see the body of his little sister. He heard Emma begin to sob beside him and he put his arm around her, knowing how hard it was for her to watch Kari die.
"Oh no! I just remembered… Sora and Matt have to come this way to get home… they're going to be the first people here… I'll be right back," Tai slowly pulled away from Emma so she wouldn't fall flat on her face before disappearing into thin air.
"We're almost at the place where Tai was killed," Sora told Matt softly, and the pair slowed down in their walk, both not wanting to get to the road where their friend had been killed, especially on the anniversary of the accident.
"You don't have to go this way," Tai suggested, appearing in front of them, "It is perfectly fine if you don't." He looked over his shoulder nervously, his good eyesight making him able to see the road where Kari and T.K lay battered and bruised on the ground. Tai didn't know if they were dead yet or not, but he knew that they would eventually die.
"What's wrong Tai? You look really upset about something," Matt commented, noticing that tears were still falling down Tai's face.
"You'll see… just remember that sometimes destiny can seem to be a cruel thing to those that don't understand it. Just remember that…" they had continued to walk whilst they were talking, with Tai going backwards. The road was now in sight and the bodies were too.
"Oh my gosh! Somebody has been run over! We've got to help them," Sora called, running to the bodies to see if she could help. Matt pulled out his mobile, dialing the number for an ambulance quickly. He hadn't seen who the bodies were yet. Tai just stood and watched. Emma had disappeared off somewhere, probably back to the Guardian Angel Society, and so Tai could only watch, knowing that he would have to calm Matt and Sora down before the ambulance crews arrived.
"Matt… you're not going to believe who it is…" Sora now knew who the two battered bodies belonged to and she couldn't believe it. Her hands shook as she reached over to check for a pulse in both of the teenagers bodies, but all she felt was cold skin. There was no pulse and as she took her hand away from Kari's neck, she realised that there was blood all over her hand.
"What's wrong Sora?" Matt came over to stand behind his girlfriend and froze as he looked down to see his little brother lying dead on the road. Sora was frozen from her position on the ground and Matt froze behind her. He hadn't even seen Kari, he could only focus on the body of his little brother.
"Why? Why Kari and T.K? Why today? WHY?" Sora shouted at Tai, knowing that he knew the answers, "Why did it have to be them? Why didn't you save them?"
"You can't stop destiny, you should know that by now. Do you think that I enjoyed watching my little sister die? I was here when it happened. I would have stopped it if I could, but it was their destiny to die tonight, just like it was mine to die three years ago. That is why and that is all that I can tell you," Sora and Matt didn't move and Tai knew that they were deep in shock. It had been hard enough for them when Tai had died and they hadn't even seen his body on the road. Alison had been the one to do that and the girl had been really upset for months about it.
"T.K, I'm so sorry. I should have made sure that you got home safely before I packed up," Matt sobbed, staring at his pale little brother's body, "I should have made sure you were safe." Tai was about to say something when the sound of sirens broke the still, silent air of the night. He knew that he had to go.
"Remember that destiny can seem cruel to those that don't understand it…" he told the pair before he disappeared back to the Guardian Angel Society. He found Emma sitting as far away from everybody as she could, holding her arms tightly with tears flowing like a waterfall down her face. Tai silently sat down beside her, knowing how hard it was for her. She had only been Kari's Guardian Angel for four years, but she was very attached to the girl. It hurt her deeply to know that she was dead.
"I heard about it this morning. I knew that she was going to die today, but I didn't want to believe it. Kari and T.K are soulmates and I didn't want to have to watch them die, but I did… I mean, I understand this destiny thing, but it's still hard to watch them die… Maybe I shouldn't have dragged you there, but I thought that you would want to know and I really needed the support," Emma's voice was choked up with sobs and Tai was still crying too. He leant over and gave her a hug, knowing that it would only help a little. He was upset about his sister's death too and so he was glad that she was there for him to lean on, just as he was there for her. Tai and Emma had been inseparable ever since Tai's first day on the job. They were soulmates, and other Guardian Angels teased them regularly, just to make them squirm. Now, when they were both grieving, they had each other to lean on and that made their problem a little better than it had been.
"Destiny… Matt and Sora hate that word now. T-they found T.K and Kari… they were so upset. I just don't know how I can tell them that everything is alright. I mean, I know that it is, but how can I tell them that? They're at the hospital now, so I can't say anything to them, but that just makes it worse. At least T.K and Kari will get the year and then maybe everything will be okay," Tai persuaded himself, slowly rocking Emma as they sat isolated in their corner. They sat like that for two hours, before they both realised that they had to go. Their charges needed them.
"I'll see you later, okay?" they promised each other before they disappeared, Tai going to Matt's place and Emma heading to where Melissa was.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Sora stared down into her hands. All of the remaining digidestined, which consisted of Matt, Mimi, Izzy, Joe and herself, had all gathered at Matt's apartment, after hearing the news about Kari and T.K. As is natural in these types of situations, they were all in tears. Unbeknownst to them Tai and James stood in the center of the group, watching sadly as their charges were in tears.
"I didn't know that you were the Guardian Angel of Mimi, Izzy and Joe," Tai remarked, surprised that his dead best friend was there. It had surprised them both when they had appeared at the same time, but now they were getting over the shock.
"And I didn't even know that you were dead! We must have been taking breaks at different times. Hey, about this situation, do you think that we could both appear now? I mean, you will be able to comfort them more than me and they can all think that they dreamed it in the morning. I'm going to really need your help here and although I can't do much, I still have to be here. Do you think that that is a good idea?" Tai thought about the proposal for a minute, really thinking it over.
"I guess that it wouldn't hurt. I mean, it's not like I'm going to do anything wrong and we do need all of the help that we can get to comfort them," he eventually agreed and with that they both materialized in the room.
"W-what the? T-Tai, is that you? B-but you're…" Joe was wiping his glasses as if they were to blame for him seeing Tai's ghost. Tai himself just rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm dead. I know that already and you shouldn't get so upset about it. We all have to die sometime, so I just decided to get it over and done with. Look, I know that you're all upset about T.K and Kari, and so am I, but it was their…"
"Their destiny, right? That's the crap that you told us before, so why would you change your story now? You keep on going on and on about this destiny crap, but do you truly believe it? You've been brainwashed by something Tai, don't you realise that destiny does not exist? We could have saved T.K and Kari and they would still be alive right now!" Matt interrupted harshly, his voice filled with ice as he yelled at Tai. The Guardian Angel was silent for a second, but that did not stop James from saying anything.
"Destiny is not something that will go away. It is true that you choose your own destiny, but there are set times when you come into and when you leave this world. You choose how you leave the world, but other than that, your death date is set. You choose everything else in your life, but your date of death you cannot change. So stop telling us that we are brainwashed, when we know the truth and you are just left to guess," it was easy to tell that James was angry, and Matt just turned away and rolled his eyes.
"James, what do you know that you aren't telling us? I mean, I know that you keep on appearing to us, but why? And what are you hiding?" Izzy, his mind curious as ever, was trying to get his mind off of the tragic deaths that had happened that night, so he turned to his curiosity.
"Nothing, I'm not hiding anything. You just don't ask the right questions. Look, it's 2am in the morning and I think that your parents are starting to get worried, so maybe you had better go home? That's just a suggestion of course," James added the latter as an afterthought, but knowing that it was true anyway. Tai was about to say something when Emma appeared, making everyone in the room jump.
"You REALLY have to come and help me… James, you stay here," Emma dragged Tai for the second time that night, but this time it was back to Tai's apartment. They went straight to Melissa's room, where they found the teenage girl fingering the edge of a rather sharp knife.
"Stop that Melissa! You promised me," were the first words out of Tai's mouth as he looked at his distraught twin, noting her red eyes and her shaking hands, "You promised. I know that it must be hard for you, but I beg of you to think reasonably! Think of mum and dad, how devastated they would be to find that their only child still alive had killed herself. Please don't do it Melissa!" the 19 year old didn't even look up. She and Kari had shared all of their secrets after Tai's death and they had been extremely close. To Melissa it was almost like losing another twin.
"But you've all left me! Now I have no one left to talk to and mum and dad are so upset… they probably wouldn't even notice! Why did this have to happen?" Tai came and sat to Melissa's left and Emma sat to her right. Tai wrapped his arm around his sister, as if to calm her down. He explained the destiny thing to her and she seemed to understand, even though she was still bawling her eyes out.
"But I don't want to be alone," Melissa whispered, leaning against her brother, even though he technically wasn't there.
"It's okay Melissa, we can stay for a while," Tai promised, just thankful that his twin wasn't about to do the worst. They sat together for a few hours, until the sky started to turn a light pink. Melissa had dozed off and Tai hadn't had the heart to move and wake her, but now he had to go.
~A Few Months Later~
Tai was sulking around the Guardian Angel Society, feeling really alone. Melissa and their parents had moved to Australia, to get away from all of the bad things that had happened in Odaiba. As a result, Emma had had to move to a different sector of the Guardian Angel Society, and he couldn't get to see her anymore. He knew that their destinies would bring them back together because they were soulmates, but that didn't stop it from hurting. It was midnight and he just wanted to mope, but Sora was having a crisis, although it was at a strange time. Still, he was obligated to go and help her. As soon as he realised, he transported himself to Sora's room, where he knew that she would be.
"Hey Sora, what's up?" she was again staring out of the window, but this time there was something different about her. It was like she wasn't really thinking about anything at all.
"Tai, you're here again. Nothing is really wrong I guess," this unenthusiastic reply worried Tai even more and he walked over to where she was sitting and blocked her view of the window.
"That answer is not good enough now tell me what is really wrong," she sighed, hating the fact that he had gotten the best of her.
"Matt and I had a fight. He is still blaming himself over T.K's death, but I kept on telling him that it wasn't his fault. That argument continued on and on and then we ended up in this huge fight and now… I don't know," she admitted, her eyes moving to the floor.
"Is that all? Look Sora, Matt isn't beating himself up that much, he just feels like he should. And your fight… well, you love him and he loves you, so it's bound to get back on track. As long as you love each other, you share a bond that cannot be broken. That's all that matters and you can get through everything," Tai had to believe that as it was the only way that he knew that he and Emma would end up together again. If he didn't believe that then he would go crazy.
"I know all of that… I just need to get my mind off it all. I was wondering something and I know that you can answer this… so I'll ask you. What happens when you die? I mean, what happens to your soulmate? Are they just doomed to searching the Earth until they die and you never get to meet them, or do you end up finding them anyway?" Tai was silent for a moment.
"You'll find out the answer one day… well, once you die anyway. I'm not going to tell you now because that would ruin the surprise. You'll find out eventually though," he didn't want to talk about it, or think about it either. He was missing Emma too much. Sora somehow picked up that he didn't want to talk about it and the conversation turned onto other things, until Sora had been cheered up again.
"Thanks Tai, you always look out for me. Thank you," Tai just smiled and bowed his head.
"I always try to help out my friends. I'll see you again Sora," and with that he left. He didn't have anything else to do, but he didn't really care. He just wandered around aimlessly. He spent the years just doing that, wandering aimlessly before helping Matt or Sora when they needed it, before wandering around again. He would talk to Kari and T.K, but they were often busy with their charges as they were only little kids. Matt and Sora got married when they were twenty-two, but they did not stay happy for long. They were killed in a car accident when they were twenty six. Tai was free from Guardian duties for a year, but he stayed around and helped out doing administrative things to help out. He was upset that Matt and Sora had died, as they made a great couple, or so he thought. Then one day, a year after Matt and Sora had died, they came back.
"Welcome to the Guardian Angel Society. I assume that you are here because you are interested in becoming Guardian Angels, is that right?" Tai looked up to see that it was Matt and Sora that were standing in front of him, not just two anonymous Angels.
"Tai? Is that you?" Matt asked, laughing at Tai's lack of enthusiasm. To Matt it looked like Tai was just a clerk or a receptionist for the Society.
"Oh look, it's my first ever charges. Did you enjoy having me as your Guardian Angel? I thought that it was quite funny myself," Sora and Matt gaped at him, not believing that he had been their Guardian Angel, "Wait… if you're back then that means I get some more charges. Oh yeah, here are the people that you are looking after and here's the rule book. And here are my charges……… now lets see………… I've got to go, bye!" Tai's face had lit up when he had read his piece of paper and he was out of there like a bat on fire, leaving Matt and Sora very confused.
"Matt, Sora, over here!" they looked up to see T.K and Kari weaving their way through the crowd towards them. When they finally arrived, T.K and Matt hugged and so did Sora and Kari.
"It's been a long time since we've seen you! I mean, Tai was your Guardian Angel so he got to see you all the time, but we didn't. How have you two been?" Kari asked after they had all gotten over the fact that they were seeing each other again.
"We've been alright, considering that we lost the two of you and Tai to death. Speaking of which, do you have any idea why Tai ran off so quickly?" Sora asked as they sat down in a corner so they wouldn't be disturbed.
"Wait, you're back so that means Tai has received word of who he is looking after next… I happen to know that Tai will be very happy with his next charges for two reasons," T.K trailed of, wanting to make Sora and Matt annoyed. It worked in about two seconds.
"What were the two reasons?" Matt demanded to know, glaring at his little brother.
"Well, the first reason is that he gets to be Guardian Angel to his nephew and niece," T.K told them slowly and he was about to go on when Kari interrupted, not having the patience to annoy the new Angels.
"And the second reason is he gets to see Emma again," Sora and Matt exchanged glances.
"Who's Emma?" they asked simultaneously, wanting to know.
"Emma is Tai's soulmate. They were practically inseparable until Melissa moved to Australia. You see, Emma was my Guardian Angel, but she was also Melissa's too. When Melissa moved to Australia, Emma had to move to a different section of the Guardian Angel Society, meaning that Tai and Emma were separated. He's been moping around here for years, and now he finally gets to go and see her again," Kari explained happily, in a good mood because she knew that her brother was happy.
"Well, I guess that answers my question that I asked him ages ago," Sora remarked thoughtfully.
"What question?" Matt enquired.
"I asked him what happens to your soulmate when you die, but he wouldn't tell me because apparently he didn't want to spoil the surprise. Now I know that he knew the answer all along."
THE END
Oh my gosh, I can't believe that I wrote this. A Sorato *shudders.* I had about a billion ways that I could turn this into a Taiora and I really wanted to, but I promised flipstahhz that I would write her a Sorato and so I did. This is like 9000 words and it's really long, but I hope you enjoyed it, even though I didn't. And I managed to put myself into the fic too!! Yay! Go me! But I really hate Sorato. Remember, Taiora 4eva!!! Oh and please remember to review!!