Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon!

TAIORA THE MOVIE


It began as a light-hearted joke. Two Digimon scriptwriters were on a lunch break in the studio lounge. Both were seated comfortably in overly cushioned armchairs while munching on their sandwiches and sipping on their coffee.

"Did you take a look at the popularity graph this morning, Ed?" asked Lenny, a lanky man with heavy-rimmed glasses.

"What popularity graph?" questioned Ed. His black eyes, which were already very tiny in his round face, appeared practically closed as he squinted at his co-worker.

"The one that the boss pinned up on the bulletin board this morning. You know, that thing depicting the popularity of each 'Digimon couple,'" Lenny explained.

"Oh, I did glance at it. So, what about it?"

Lenny leaned back in his armchair and smiled gleefully. "Well, Taito happens to be the most popular ship among Digimon fans."

Ed chuckled. "I'm not surprised. More fans are getting into yaoi and yuri fanfiction nowadays. At least they're being open-minded, you know?"

"Yeah, that's great and all, but of course, North American television networks are never going to let us throw in Taito as canon in the show. We could possibly get away with it in Japan. Anyway, aren't we supposed to be brainstorming for the next North American movie release?"

Ed shrugged and took a huge bite out of his sandwich. "Sho whaz duh second mosht shupported coupul?"

"Gosh, don't talk with your mouth full," Lenny chided his colleague. "And for your information, the second most favored ship is Taiora."

"Hehe, my personal favorite," said Ed with a chuckle.

Lenny nodded in agreement. "Mine too."

Suddenly, a joke came to Ed's mind. "Hey, wouldn't it be cool if they made a Taiora movie?"

"They? Don't you mean us? As in, wouldn't it be cool if we made a Taiora movie?" Lenny stared quizzically through heavy-rimmed glasses at his absent-minded colleague.

Ed squinted his tiny eyes again. "Huh?"

"We are, after all, scriptwriters for Digimon," said Lenny while rolling his eyes.

"Oh, yeah! Uh...I mean, I knew that!"

"Sure you did," Lenny stated flatly. The lanky man gave a little exasperated sigh, but then brightened a moment later. "Anyway, your idea is pretty cool."

"Hehe, thanks! Hey, imagine if we were asked to write the official script for the movie..." Ed started to space out, and a faraway look occupied his round face. He began daydreaming about striking rich with a hit Digimon movie. He imagined himself swimming in a pool filled with money. He also imagined buying his beloved wife all the jewelry she had ever wanted, which would effectively end all her nagging about him never getting her anything fancy on their anniversary.

"Hey Ed," said Lenny, bringing his beady-eyed colleague back to reality. "What would we write about for the plot?"

Ed snapped out of his daydream. "I dunno... Maybe something along the lines of Matt first going out with Sora, but then he realizes later on that Mimi is his true love, so he breaks up with Sora and eventually tries to confess his feelings to Mimi?"

Lenny grinned. Sometimes his colleague could be pretty creative when his head wasn't stuck in the clouds. "Yeah, good idea. And while Matt and Sora are dating, Tai is silently suffering because he has been in love with Sora all along, but for the sake of her happiness, he hides his pain and tries hard to be supportive of everything she does..."

"Then one morning, Sora asks him to come to her family's flower shop to help her with some chores..."

By this point, Lenny was grinning from ear to ear. Sappy ideas were multiplying inside his head. "So Tai eagerly meets up with her at the flower shop, and in his beaming presence, Sora's blues start to fade away. Then the next thing we know, she's smiling for the first time in a long while!"

"And pretty soon, she's blushing as much as she's smiling because Tai's presence is warming up her heart."

"Yup! Ultimately, Sora realizes that the right guy for her was by her side all along."

"And during that moment of realization..."

"Sora stops what she's doing and looks at Tai..."

"He moves closer to her..."

"They gaze deeply and lovingly into each other's eyes!"

Ed squeaked in delight as he excitedly clasped his hands together. "Ooh, ooh, ooh! And then the two of them say to each other at the exact same time, 'There's something I have to tell you.'"

"They react by blushing madly and it dawns on them to confess their true feelings to each other."

"Thereafter, they inch closer..."

"And closer..."

"And ever closer..."

"And they finally meet in a warm kiss!" Lenny thundered proudly.

"Hey!" Ed pouted at his lanky colleague. "I wanted to say that!"

Before Lenny could retort, the lounge door burst open and in fell the entire studio staff.

Startled, Ed and Lenny jumped up from their over-cushioned chairs. They stared for a moment at the tangled heap of arms and legs, and then exchanged glances. The two men asked in unison, "Were all of you guys eavesdropping on us?"

Scrambling to get back on his feet, the studio boss huffed and pushed off the scriptwriters and animators who were flattening him.

"Brilliant! Just brilliant!" The studio boss was now practically bouncing off the walls with excitement. "We can all expect to see big bucks soon! Digimon rules!" He hopped over Ed and Lenny and smothered them with hugs.

"Mmmphttffph! Can't breathe!"

When the boss finally released his scriptwriters, he enthusiastically exclaimed, "You two are geniuses! Ed, you're now officially promoted. Lenny, same for you!"

"What about us?" The studio staff members had all clambered back to their feet and were eyeing the boss very hopefully.

"Uh...no?"

"Awwww!" They all groaned and then proceeded to saunter out of the lounge.

A sweat drop appeared on the studio boss's head. "Where was I? Oh yeah!" He returned his attention to Ed and Lenny, who were now staring at him with wide eyes. "I hereby place you two in charge of writing the script for 'Taiora The Movie'!"

"What?!" Both men gawked, almost disbelieving their ears.

"I was eavesdropping—er, I mean, strolling by with everyone else—and overheard your ideas, and I love them! I don't know why I never thought about producing a Taiora movie before?!"

Both Ed and Lenny sweat-dropped.

"Um, but sir, we were just jokin—ouch!" Ed grunted in pain from Lenny's ruthless elbow to his rib.

With a big grin that Ed quickly mirrored, Lenny stated for both of them, "Yes, sir, we are very proud of our ideas and we would be honored to write the script for this movie..."


And so, seven months later, zillions upon zillions of Digimon fans all across North America flooded the theatres to see Taiora The Movie.

On the day of the premiere, as soon as that red velvet rope was unhooked, every entrance keeper was stomped upon halfway to death as zealous fans made a mad dash to grab the best seats in the house.

Everyone was uproariously noisy, chattering away excitedly and making new friends with fellow Taiora fans. Yet, the very second the movie began, everyone hushed themselves up and gazed attentively at the giant silver screen.

As expected, the movie began with the beloved Digimon theme song. However, the audience was treated to a little twist at the end of it... "Taiora, Tai and Sora, they are always the champions!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah! We know that already! Get on with the movie!" complained one impatient fan. Instantly, that fan was pelted by popcorn, candy, shoes, and random paper airplanes.

"Quiet, you! The new theme song rules," chided someone seated behind that impatient fan.

The first part of the movie focused on Sora and Matt's relationship shortly after the Christmas World Tours. During this part, audience members were either asleep to pass the Sorato time or fidgeting angrily in their seats.

"Urgh, who does Matt think he is, taking Sora away from Tai like that?! If he wasn't so good-looking, I'd totally hate on him right now," a disgruntled fan mumbled to a friend seated next to her.

During the second part of the movie, Matt does some introspection and starts to acknowledge his true feelings for Mimi. Meanwhile, he behaves distantly and coldly with Sora, causing her much confusion and heartache.

"What a stupid, hot jerk Matt is," complained someone in the audience.

When Matt decides it's time to end his relationship to Sora, he asks her to meet him at a coffee shop for an important talk. Sora shows up, looking rather apprehensive. She has a sinking feeling that what Matt is about to tell her isn't good. Her intuition is proven right when Matt tells her that he has fallen out of love with her. Although the breakup is amicable and Matt even offered his sincere and respectful apologies, Sora still can't help crying. Tears roll freely down her lovely face as Matt leaves the coffee shop.

At this point, some fans are crying out of sympathy for Sora, while others are grinning and rubbing their hands gleefully in anticipation of the true Taiora parts of the movie.

During the third part of the movie, a depressed Sora is seen walking around listlessly in a nearby park. A month has passed since Matt broke up with her, but she still feels a dull ache in her heart. Intermingled with this melancholy, however, is a sense of regret. Sora wonders whether she shouldn't have dated Matt in the first place. She stops in front of a tree and looks up at its leaves. A memory crosses her mind of Tai and herself climbing this tree and hanging out in it when they were little. "I wonder how he's doing these days?" Sora sighs sadly as other memories with Tai resurface...

Tai is quietly keeping an eye on her from a distance. In fact, he has been secreting watching over her since the day he learned about the breakup. Worry is evident in Tai's eyes and he wants very badly to go up to Sora and comfort her. He wants to do whatever it takes to ease her emotional pain. He debates with himself, but ultimately decides against making his presence known to her. Sensing that space is probably what Sora needs and wants most for the time being, Tai quietly leaves the park.

Fan girls are collectively swooning at this point, and many them have hearts in their eyes. "Tai is so perfect!"

Fan boys, on the other hand, are slightly miffed, although they would say that Tai is their favorite male character. One guy even asked out loud, "What does an anime character have that I don't have?!"

In the final part of the movie, the audience learns that Sora has been keeping busy at her family's flower shop. One weekend morning while she is putting together a floral arrangement, she suddenly feels nostalgic and yearns to see Tai. The realization that she hasn't seen him in weeks prompts her to call him. She invites him to come hang out with her at the flower shop, which he accepts.

When Tai arrives, he beams brightly at Sora. His trademark grin warms up her heart and she smiles for the first time in a long time. Tai exudes nonchalance on the outside, but on the inside, he is simultaneously elated and nervous about seeing her face-to-face after since her breakup with Matt. By the look on Sora's face, however, Tai realizes that she's glad to see him too.

Fan girls are sighing happily at this scene.

At the flower shop, Tai helps Sora with various tasks and chores. They don't say much to each other, but conversation isn't necessary anyway because they are both content with each other's company and enjoying the simple peaceful atmosphere. At one point, Sora is seen sweeping a corner while Tai is seen organizing vases on the opposite side. He steals a glance at Sora and catches her looking at him. He blushes slightly, and she smiles, also looking a bit embarrassed. Their sweet moment gets interrupted, however, when Tai's elbow accidentally knocks over a vase.

He winces at the sound of that vase hitting the ground and shattering into numerous pieces. He apologizes, but she waves it off with a laugh. She watches him affectionately as he is cleaning up the mess. "Clumsy, but adorable," she thinks to herself.

The longer she gazes at him, the more it dawns on her how dear he really is to her. "Is it too late for me to start appreciating him?" Suddenly overcome with emotion, her eyes begin to water. "He was the right guy for me all along and I had the audacity to reject him in favor of his best friend. Do I even deserve a second chance with him?"

Tai hears a stifled sob coming from Sora and immediately rushes to her side. He asks her what's wrong, but she doesn't reply, so he tenderly folds her into his arms. He is clearly worried and confused about her.

Sora presses her face against his shoulder. He rocks her gently. They stay like that until Sora ceases crying. Tai then pulls back a little to peer at her face. His large brown eyes are filled with so much concern, warmth and love for her. She gazes back with equal affection.

"There's something I want to tell you," Tai and Sora say to each other at the same time. They both blush and momentarily avert their eyes.

Fans are savoring every detail...

When their eyes meet and lock again, Tai shyly takes Sora's hands into his.

Fans are bubbling with excitement.

"I care a lot about you, Sora. Always have and always will," Tai confesses. "My heart belongs to only you, and I'm willing to wait for you forever..."

Sora's face lights up and her eyes are wide with wonder. "A second chance with Tai...I actually have a second chance with him!" Sora mentally told herself, feeling so happy and blessed.

Fans are now sitting on the edge of their seats...

"There's no need for you to wait anymore...because I want to be with you, Tai," Sora confesses. "I learned the long and hard way how much you truly mean to me..."

Upon hearing these words, Tai pulls Sora into a loving embrace, laughing heartily as he does so.

Sora's heart feels like it's soaring. She reaches up with both hands to cup Tai's face.

Many people in the audience are giggly now.

Tai leans in close... Sora closes the gap between them... And their lips finally meet in a sweet, warm kiss.

The entire audience collectively lets of a sigh of happiness before bursting into cheers. Everyone is ecstatic!

"TAIORA RULES!"

Tai and Sora, together at last. Another round of cheers erupts as the screen fades to black and the ending credits start to roll.

The End!