Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended; I do not own Digimon.
GROWING UP
~ chapter I
Growing up is never easy. And yet, it is the most natural thing a human being encounters.
"Surely we can figure something out, gentlemen? Look, if we can come to an agreement on this, both the Digital World and the Real World will greatly benefit." The long table of diplomats continued their arguing, ignoring the attempted intervention of the chairman completely. "Right... Okay everyone, listen up! We'll take a small break here and let everything sink in a little. We will resume this discussion in a good fifteen minutes then, how does that sound?" The annoyed politicians stood up from their seats grumpily and left the ambassador alone in the room, wrongly assuming that the question was rhetorical.
When the noise of talk had simmered down – which actually didn't take long – and the only sound that could bug anyone was the zooming of the air-conditioning, the man who led this meeting pinched the bridge of his nose exasperatedly and plopped down on a nearby chair in defeat.
"I feel a headache coming on, Agumon. Why can't they see that this is probably the solution that'll put an end to all the political talks we've had for the past 6 months?"
"They don't see things the way we do, Taichi. They're too absorbed in their own bubble and refuse to open up to things they're not familiar with. It's what people do. I can imagine it would be the same if the situation was that digimon had to decide on the fate of both worlds. But don't worry, sooner or later, they'll come around", the orange kid-sized digimon tried to placate.
"I hope you're right… And I also hope that that time comes soon, because I'm not sure I'll be able to think of something else to try and convince them after this meeting. It's on its way to going down the drain as usual... You know what, I think I need some coffee." He abruptly stood up from the swivel chair with an energised air at the thought of caffeine. "Want to help me find some?"
"No, that's okay. I promised Gatomon I'd bring her those special sardines – you know, the ones from that secretary lady on the fifth? – by four o'clock, so I'd better get them now before she threatens to starve me again."
"All right, see you at home then, buddy." And with that, they parted.
"Coffee coffee cof-fee. Must have yummy cof-fee. Coffee coffee… Oof!" Whilst softly singing to himself on his way to the coffee machine, he had failed to notice the bespectacled woman on his path. She was carrying what seemed like rolled-up carpets of fabric and was mostly unable to see where she was heading as well. And as an obvious result of both their inattention, they had walked right into each other, causing her to fall and for the fabric rolls to unravel. Taichi himself was only surprised that there was an obstacle in his way over to the coffee supplies.
"I'm so sorry, Miss, I didn't see you there. You okay?" the ever-gallant Taichi Kamiya asked the woman who was sitting on the floor in a rather dishevelled state.
"Y-yeah, I'm okay." She put her hand on her head in order to stop the spinning and tried to stand up. "Oof." And failed.
"I got you." The chivalry with which the suited man tried to save his gentleman status and hers as damsel in distress confused her. Then again, the last time she had been in the presence of a gentleman was during the first years of her now-failed marriage. She had forgotten how it foolishly yet delightfully made her glow inside.
'A redhead. Of course. And a clumsy one by the look of things, too. Cute.'
"Thanks for helping me up, public embarrassment is the last thing I need in my life right now." She scrambled to pick up her fabric rolls agitatedly.
"Sure. No problem, Miss..."
"Ishida. Sora Ishida. And that's Mrs", she tried to say as neutral and unsuspicious as possible, still facing the floor to grab her things.
"Sora…"
*flashback*
"SOOOOOOOORRAAAAAAA!" a whiny child's voice resounded all over the park's playground. Children on swings and seesaws alike looked up from their games and worried or curious parents were disturbed in their conversations or newspaper reads upon hearing that loud banshee-like sound.
The dramatic scene they were all searching for was transpiring in the shelter of the playground's dinosaur, a hiding place which also distorted the little boy's voice to a weird echo.
A girl of about the same age was sitting in front of the pouting boy (he had an unusual amount of poofy hair) with her small arms crossed over one another, her back as straight as she could manage. She was staring inquisitively at him, as if she was twice his age and about to reprimand him for disturbing civil peace. One might argue that children at the age of seven cannot express inquisitive looks, but the boy as a recipient of that convincing glare would surely beg to differ.
"Come on, Sora! One hour in the sandbox with that ugly fat kid and we get a box full of my – err, your – favourite candies! You know, like the caramels and the cherries and all that other stuff I – I mean you and me, I mean we – like. Play one hour with him and we get all that yummy candy for free! What's wrong with that?"
She was still staring at this whining sugar addict with a motherly frown etched in her features and made no notion of agreeing with him anytime soon.
"If you want your candy so bad, why don't you go play with the fatty? Huh, Taichi?"
The boy named Taichi cringed. "I'm not Taichi, I'm Tai. My Mom is the only one who calls me that! You know I hate that, Sooooooraaaa."
"Stop whining my name, Tai! It's not working!"
Tai was looking quite pleased with himself, though. "Now, what do I have to do to make you play with him?"
Sora replaced her annoying/motherly look with a devious smirk. "Oh I'll tell you what you have to do."
7-year-old Tai gulped in reluctant anticipation.
*end flashback*
30-year-old Taichi gulped in stupefying recognition.
Why does it feel so difficult then? Why do we blame others for doing it?
*flashback*
"NO! I don't care what you have to say, Tai! I'm not going to drop everything just so you could waltz into my life again!"
The woman in front of him was most definitely a force to be reckoned with. She had gone from a harmless 16-year-old to a hurricane of anger in a matter of seconds just upon seeing him. It had to be a record. Her red hair in combination with her flushed cheeks and fiery eyes presented him with a scary image indeed, and her shrill voice made him flinch visibly. In short, she was the personification of a raging fire.
"But Sora, I can explain-"
"FUCK IT, TAICHI! I am not one of your willing victims you can override with your charm! I won't be! And I certainly have no interest in the details of your intricate sex life!" she shouted even louder.
The mere fact that she used his old name, for which only she had the permission as an inevitable consequence of a bet once upon a time, indicated just how serious she was. He faintly wondered if he would have to dress up as a girl again as well...
"Look, I know I made some mistakes-" he started.
"SOME? Are you even listening to yourself? How can you dismiss everything that's happened as 'some mistakes'? You know what, never mind. I don't even want to go there. But I'll tell you this, Taichi. If you ever – I mean, ever – come back to me to talk about your pathetic excuses, I will personally make sure you will not be able to walk out that door and-"
Urgent lips and steady hands captured her in mid-rant and, for a second, the world was giving out under her. And in that wonderful instant, her heart stammered against her chest in accordance with the rumbling earthquake she was feeling in her entire body. It was an earthquake emanating from him to her. Only her. All that mattered was the two of them, and the delicious hard kiss that always swept her off her feet-
Slap.
Tai's head swivelled to its right and his handsome cheek began to redden and swell. Sora stared at him with wide eyes, trembling from the aftershock of both his kiss and her slap."D-d-don't..." He had to strain to hear her.
When he chanced a glance at her still-red face, she looked as if the raging fire was nothing but a dissipated smoke cloud anymore. Broken. Shudders ran over her spine and her eyes were filling up with uncontrollable tears. Acting on instinct, he reached out his arm in an attempt to comfort her, but she quickly took a step backwards as if it held a grave infection. He frowned when she almost stumbled to get away from him.
She honoured him with one last doe-eyed stare and then left abruptly, breaking into a run to her car and hurrying off with screeching tyres.
Tai was left alone in the parking lot, nursing his aching jar in defeated contemplation.
*end flashback*
And why can't we see we are just as much to blame?
His eyes fell on the simple golden ring sporting her delicate finger, and he vaguely registered her more adult, concerned voice.
"Sir? Sir, are you all right?"
She had gathered her things already and a large part of her vision was concealed because of the towering rolls in her arms.
"What? Oh. Y-yeah, I'm okay." He was still in a daze from the assault of memories and the vision of that piece of metal around her finger, and couldn't express anything more than an automatic response.
"All right then. Look, I really have to get going. I have a meeting in two minutes and since it's my first day, I really don't want to be late. Thank you again for your help, though." And with that, she hurried off, much in the same fashion as she had 14 years ago, the only difference being her high heels and cylinder skirt that in his mind's eye were once sneakers and worn jeans.
A ring.
Ishida.
He steadied himself against the wall as the impact of those words hit him. 'No freaking way...'
A/N: Right. So. I have no idea what happened here, but I will try to make a story out of this :p Bear with me until then, and if you want, let me know your suggestions in a review/PM! (don't you just hate how a story never goes the way you plan it? I seriously wanted to make a oneshot without the heartbreaking flashback scene... Ugh. But in hindsight, I must admit I kind of like it :p)
-x-