I don't own digimon, it was stolen from me.
"Come on Sora, please?" Taichi Kamiya begged, treading behind his tormentor. "Why can't we just hang out for a little bit? For old time's sake?" He frowned, refusing to relent. He kept his steps as close to hers as possible, expressing his discontent by trying to annoy her. His behavior earned him some odd looks from people along the sidewalk, but he never had really cared much for sidewalk people.
"Because, Taichi, I'm going to be busy for a while." The auburn-haired beauty used his full name as if he were a child. "School's getting hectic, and we're training to try for nationals in tennis, and my mom needs help in the flower shop." She listed off reasons one by one, using her fingers as visual aids for the somewhat dimwitted boy beside her. "And will you stop trying to step on my feet?!" She shouted, aiming a swift kick at his shins.
"You are too slow, Grasshopper." Tai grunted, jumping over the kick with his ninja-like reflexes. "Are you sure you don't have any time to hang out? It's been forever since we ever did anything fun together!" He waved his arms in exasperation, earning more ire from the denizens of the sidewalk.
"You're over exaggerating." Sora scoffed. "I mean, we hung out just last...umm....." Sora scratched her head, trying to dig out the correct memory amongst her hair.
"Hmmm? What was that, So-ra?" Tai sung in amusement, skipping up the stone steps of the road overpass. "Can't remember? Well I do: it was one month ago! A whole month!" He shouted, his voice mixing with the roar of the cars passing on the road below them. "That's more than one full moon! If we were werewolves, we would of missed an entire night of werewolf stuff together!'
"We're not werewolves, Tai."
"You're missing the point, foolish child." Tai shook his head. "The point is that you've been ignoring me, and I want to know why." All the playfulness faded from his tone.
"What are you talking about?" Sora came to a stop, her eyes nervously flit around, searching for some sort of distraction. A street brawl, a UFO, some wet cement; anything that would distract the serious boy in front of her. "Nobody's avoiding you, that's ridiculous!"
"Don't lie to me." Tai's eyes narrowed. "Ever since my soccer game one month ago, the last time we hung out, you've been avoiding me. You hardly talk to me, and I notice you going out of your way to not catch my attention."
"You're just being paranoid!" Sora shouted back. She could feel her resolve crumbling. Was Tai really this observant? Had he really noticed all these things? "Since when have you been so attentive to so many things?" She accused.
"Because you're the one who's acting weird, and it makes me worry." Tai's explanation was sincere and to the point. Sora felt a bizarre pang inside of her, something painful; it made her want to clutch her side.
"Really, Tai, don't worry so much. You're over-thinking things." She tried again to dispel his suspicions, practically pleading with him now.
"....Is it Matt?" Tai's voice almost went unheard by Sora.
"Wh- Is it Matt?" Sora was taken aback. "Tai! You know Matt would never do something like that! He's not the kind to do something like that to a friend! He has the Crest of Friendship, come on!" She shouted angrily.
"True, I wouldn't expect Matt to act like that, but then again, I would never have expected you to act the way you have been either." Tai's resolve was firm; he would not back down. It was painful to do this to Sora, but he would not back down.
"How can you say things like that?" Sora asked. Tai's argument had some ground: Matt did have something to do with it, but her boyfriend had done nothing so cruel as forbidding her to spend time with Tai. This was her decision, it was something she needed to do. But then why was it so hard?
"How can you go avoiding me just like that!? We've been friends for as long as I can remember, and I'm like an elephant when it comes to memory!" Tai thought the elephant might be from his dad's side of the family. "How do I know that you and Matt aren't just plotting against me for some reason!?"
"That's it!" Sora shouted, pushing past Tai roughly. "I'm going home, I don't want to talk to somebody who makes these kind of accusations any longer!" She was livid; with both Tai and herself.
"Wait, Sora!" Tai shouted, following after her as he pleaded. "I'm not trying to make anyone out to be a criminal here! I just can't think of any other possible explanations for this! How can I if you won't tell me anything!?" He reached out a hand to stop her from descending the overpass' steps.
"Well, Tai!" Sora shouted, wheeling around to give the poor boy a vicious talking to. "Did you ever-." She realized her error to late: She had turned around on the very top step of the overpass, and lost her balance. "Wha-?" She gasped, as she felt herself begin to tip over and fall. How could this be happening? Was she going to die? Right here? Would she never even be able to patch things up with Tai?
"Sora!" Tai shouted in fear, reaching out to grab her hand. His hand missed her's by a fraction, he felt terror spread throughout his form. In a fraction of a second, his mind went through an infinite amount of thoughts. What could he do? Had he just killed his best friend? Would he never be able to tell her how he felt? An insane thought crossed through his head, and he jumped at the bit. He pooled all his strength into his legs, and flew right after the girl, like a bullet.
Sora closed her eyes, and felt warm arms encircle her body. How nice. Am I being taken away? She thought. It felt so comfortable, even at this moment.
And the next second, it was all over.
"Oh my god! Two people just fell from the overpass stairs!" A panicked voice shouted.
"Somebody call an ambulance!" A second person bellowed.
"Ugh...What?" Sora slowly picked her head up. She hadn't died? She felt a weight on top of her, it was heavy and motionless. A sudden thought struck her brain like a bolt of lightning. "Tai!? Is that you!? Are you okay!?" Her entire body ached like nothing she had ever felt before, but that didn't matter. She managed to turn herself over, and stared at the still boy next to her. "Tai! Tai, no!" She felt tears well up in her eyes, slowly pouring down her cheeks. "Please no!" She shook him as hard as she could, ignoring the noise of the crowd around them.
"Aww man, that hurt..." Tai suddenly grumbled, lifting his head up slowly. "Sora? Are you alright?" He asked the tearful girl. "You didn't get hurt, did you?" He paid no attention to his own condition.
"Tai!" Tears of relief replaced the fearful ones. "You're okay! I thought you landed on your head and died!" She sobbed, wrapping the boy in a tight hug.
"Well, I seem to be alright. This would be kinda hard to do if I was dead." Tai gave a small laugh. "Besides, I didn't make it so I'd land with my head, I made it so I'd land on my arm!" He chuckled at his ingenuity.
Sora suddenly broke out of the hug, and slowly turned towards the boy's right arm. "T-Tai?" She brought her hands to her mouth in fear.
"Yes Sora?"
"Try not to panic, but your arm, I think it's broken." She said in her calmest voice.
"Broken? What do you mean- HOLY COW!" Tai shouted. Since when had his arm been able to bend that way!? "Agh! Somebody do something! It huuuurts!" Tai flailed in terror, which only increased the pain.
"You weren't complaining about the pain earlier!" Sora squeaked in fear, all her common sense abandoned.
"Well then you had to go and point it out!" Tai shot back spitefully, doing his best to not burst into tears.
"Well what did you expect me to do!? Just act like nothing was wrong!?"
"Yes! Please! In fact, it's still not too late!"
"Hey Taichi, you look great!"
"Put some real emotion into it! I can see the tears in your eyes! Quit being such a ham!"
"Hey! Forgive me for not being an expert in drama!"
"Well if you'd ever show some interest in theater, I wouldn't complain!"
"Oh shut up, or I'll break your other arm!"
"Oh thanks! Bring it up again! I only need one arm to lay the smack down on you!"
The argument continued on for several more minutes before the ambulances finally arrived to take the two to the nearby hospital. Sora managed to only sustain some small scrapes and bangs. Taichi, on the other hand....
--
"Doctor! How's my son!?" Mrs. Kamiya practically screamed at the bespectacled man. Her appearance was of a total lack of composure, and she held her daughter's hand tight in her own.
"Is my brother okay?" Kari was calmer, but the tears in her eyes showed her worry. Her hand clutched back at her mother's.
"Well he took quite a fall, I'm frankly surprised he's alive. But, his arm is broken now, and it'll take a while to heal." The doctor shook his head sadly. He pushed open the door to the shared room of Tai and Sora. "And, it seems as if he's not quite right in the head."
"Look Sora! I have huge muscles!" Tai grinned, showing off the badly drawn muscles on his cast. "Oh, hey Mom, hey Kari!" He waved with the wrong hand, grimacing in pain before switching to the good one.
"No, that's just how he always acts." Mrs. Kamiya sighed, as Kari rushed over to her brother. Sora flashed the doctor a smirk.
"Are you alright, Tai?" Kari asked, staring at her brother's enormous cast.
"I'm right as rain! Or maybe that's left as rain!" He waved his left hand, laughing at his own bad joke. "Man, I've been waiting to use that one since I got this thing on!"
"Stupid Tai." Kari sighed, before embracing her brother tightly. "Don't scare me like that again, okay? I thought you were really in trouble this time."
"Okay, okay. I understand." Tai smiled affectionately, stroking his sister's hair. "Big Brother is just fine. I'll be home by tomorrow." Sora watched the exchange of sibling affection with a smile on her face.
Tai's such a good guy. She thought to herself. The exchange suddenly brought about a new wave of guilt upon her. "I'm sorry Kari. It's my fault Tai's got hurt. He jumped to save me." She felt like dirt, dirt's dirt. Kari looked up at Sora, and shook her head.
"No, no I'm sure it was this dummy's idea to jump. That wasn't your fault. He just always chooses the most drastic thing to do, never thinking things through." She smiled, chuckling at a select few memories of her childhood.
"Hey, everything worked out in the end, right?" Tai growled. "Give me a little credit now and then." He clicked his tongue at the lack of praise he was receiving.
"Except for your arm." Kari quipped. Tai rapped her on the back of her head with his knuckles. Sora laughed happily, already feeling better. It was amazing how quick her mood had changed.
"Thank you, Tai. You saved my life." She smiled at him brightly. Tai suddenly blushed, and began to look embarrassed.
"No, it's no big deal. I'm sure you would've been fine. I feel like it's my fault in the first place anyways." He pushed her praise away abashedly. Sora laughed again at how cute her friend looked when he was put on spot. "Besides, this is nothing, I hardly even notice anything different." He boasted. Nobody believed him, but it was to be expected with Tai.
The rest of the day consisted of Tai and Sora calming down friends and family; who all seemed to believe that somebody had sustained fatal injuries. Which was probably due the fact that Tai's mom could overreact a little at times like these. The moments not spent explaining were spent laughing with their friends, and Taichi fighting off accusations of simply tripping down the stairs after her(many thanks to Izzy on that one). When the day finally did reach it's end, Sora was a little reluctant to leave. She was fit enough to leave at any time, but Tai had to stay the night, and she felt guilty leaving him.
--
"Where was Matt today?" Tai asked suddenly, his tone somewhat serious. "Did he sneak in without me noticing or something?" He grinned.
"Matt had a concert today; the call probably wasn't able to reach him." Sora explained, her tone sharp. She couldn't help but feel somewhat abandoned with Matt. "I'll have to call and tell him that I'm at home, so he doesn't run to the hospital looking for me." She gave a weak laugh.
"You should just let him come anyways, then he could keep me company in this boring place." They both shared a laugh. Tai fiddled with his cast, unsure of what to do next.
"You had a soccer game coming up, didn't you?" Sora's question came from out of the blue. "Next week, wasn't it?"
"I'm touched you remember." Tai brushed away a fake tear. "Yeah, I do, or did at least. I think they'll tell me to take it easy for a while. A guy with a broken arm outdoing the whole team wouldn't look very good for the team's reputation." He snickered.
"...Sorry. It's all my fault." Sora apologized again. "All of this, it's my fault."
"Sora, don't blame yourself."
"How can I not? Your arm's broken, and now you can't even make your soccer game because of me! I know how much you look forward to these games!" Her gut was filled with a mixture of self-hatred and regret.
"Like I said: I'm the one who dived after you. That was my choice! And who cares about one game? There's gonna be another one in a few weeks!" Tai shot back, insistent on clearing Sora of blame. He just couldn't understand why she was acting so guilty. Was there some other reason in her guilt? Maybe it had to do with her avoiding him.
"Still... I just wish there was someway I could make it up to you." She sighed, her mood still dark. Tai stared at her, the gears in his head turning like they had never before. A plan was quickly drawn out, proposed, vetoed, adjusted, proposed, and then accepted. He took a deep breath, hoping for the best.
"Well then, if you really want to make it up to me." He focused his attention solely on her, staring directly into her eyes.
"I do." Sora nodded her head, staring back, ready for whatever cruel punishment he chose.
"My arm's probably gonna be out for a few weeks or so, the damage wasn't as bad as it looked. But those few weeks are going to be extremely difficult without a little help. That's where you come in, my new assistant." Tai grinned, pointing a finger in Sora's direction.
"...Huh?"
"Until my arm's better, you're going to spend every moment catering to my every need." He chuckled at the thought of the fun he was going to have. "Now of course you're allowed to go home to sleep, and to go on dates with Matt, and to attend tennis practice, but when those things aren't happening, you'll be with me. Comprende?" Beneath the facade, he was filled with panic at a possible rejection, but he kept his face straight. Sora stared at him blankly, debating the issue in her mind.
There was no way she could do something like that! But why not? He had made it reasonable enough, and she did owe it to him after breaking his arm. What would Matt think though? Matt was an understanding person, most of the time, she could persuade him somehow. And, against her better judgment, the decision was made. "Alright."
"Good. You start tomorrow, I hope you'll be here bright and early to escort me home." He grinned, a wave of relief washing away his worries.
And with that, his plan had begun.
Yup it's me, I decided on writing another Taiora fic, but this one will be my first Digimon multi-chapter. I have no clue how many chapters I plan on it being though, I'll decide as I go.
Just what could Taichi's plan be? Is it going to work out in the end? Or could it backfire, and destroy humanity as we know it? What of Matt? What role will he play in this little drama? Why do digimon say digi the first time they use a new attack?
I wanted this one to be another light-hearted experience, but a more serious tone than last time. The main focus is of course on Tai and Sora's relationship, as I'm sure you noticed. The story is and idea I've been toying around with for a bit, so I think it'll come out a bit easier than a lot of the stories I write on spot.
The updating for this story might be a little erratic though. I have the general scope of ideas that will go into it, but putting them on paper, and in a good order can prove quite challenging sometimes. I hope nobody is waiting on the story too much, though I doubt that too(People only wait on good stories.)
Please drop in a review if you have the time, ego boosts are like steroids for writers. Only, you know, without the whole roid rage and turning into some kind of twisted abomination. Helpful criticism is welcomed.
Let's have fun with this one, okay guys?
PS. Thanks for the reviews on Courage Up, I was really happy that people liked it! I hope you like this one as well!