You Don't Take Coffee with Sugar

Chapter One
She Would Never Take a Bullet

--October--

Yellow and orange leaves fell from the trees around the city, littering the ground in a frenzy of hate and delight. Coldness began to seep into the town and caressed the warm cheeks and hands of the students.

Tai Yagami ran through the city. He was almost late for his first class and that would be the third time that month. Tai's third year of high school was proving to be difficult. He never had time to hang with friends anymore, play soccer on both the city team and school team and then have energy to do homework. Not only was Tai behind on his homework in 4 out of 5 classes he's been in to see the principal a number of time about his tardiness.

With a backpack slung around his shoulder, a biscuit in his mouth and hands busily doing up his Tai he finally marched up the stairs to his school with minutes to spare- which he would use to go to his locker. Tai fixed his jacket and pants, changed his shoes and ran into his math class.

In every class he always sat behind a red haired boy who had the key to every answer and always paid attention and took notes. Sometimes Tai would get lost in thought wondering if he ever had fun- this character name Izzy Izumi. Tai had known the boy to be smart, intuitive and at times boring but there was a time when they hung out. High school had sent most of the digidestined in their own direction for Izzy it was back to what he knew- books and his studies.

Tai rushed to his seat and sat down letting books fall onto his desk. He opened the text and his note book to random, unorganized pages and began writing feverously the notes that were scribbled on the board.

'Page 89' the shorter boy noted and Tai nodded in thanks. He could always count on Izzy to help him out. He could years ago and he can still now. He knew that was the power of having a smart friend that you kept in touch with over the years, only Tai often thought about his relationship with Izzy. They never hung out after school; they didn't hang out IN school and they didn't hang out in class so Tai wondered, with a pencil in his mouth, why Izzy was so helpful.

In some of his classes and even outside of his classes there was something else that was on his mind and that was Sora Takenouchi. The two had been together in soccer for years but Sora had never returned the feelings Tai had for her. Perhaps it was because she had no feelings for him (she was dating the lead singer of a band). A band Tai often thought of as stupid because its lead singer was Matt. Or it could be that she was head over heels in love with but was too shy to tell him. Every time Tai thought about that concept he was always sadden by his real discovery that it wasn't the case.

Because of his revelations of Sora he knew that it would be time to take action and take what was rightfully his. He wasn't sure how to do that, but he devised a plan: talk to someone who knew.

Instead of finishing his notes he began a list of boys he knew starting with Joe whom he immediately crossed off because he knew the thought of girls would scare him. Next he thought of Matt because the two of them together could think of a way for any situation but since Sora and Matt were dating he crossed him off the list thinking, 'it may be awkward'. He went through one-by-one the members of his soccer teams but ended up scratching each one off. Finally in defeat Tai revised his attention to the board but his eyes met the red hair of Izzy.

When the bell rang Izzy stayed seated finishing the problem he was working on while everyone around him, including Tai packed their books and raced for the door. Tai walked around Izzy's desk and leaned in front of him. His head rose from his note book and met the unusually cruel brown eyes of Tai's.

'Hi.' He said simply and Tai smiled, eyes filling with joy.

'I need your help.' The brown haired boy said casually.

'Yes?' Izzy said formally and Tai jumped up and began to explain. 'Well, you probably don't know but I like Sora...' he blurted, he knew in order for Izzy to help he needed to know.

'Yes, I know that... it's quite obvious, to me anyway.' Izzy was just starting to put his things away while Tai leaned on the desk.

'Well I need your advice...' Tai began and Izzy sighed.

'For starters Tai, she's dating Matt so I beg of you don't make yourself look like an idiot by asking her out.' He stood and finished his sentence.

Tai sprang from the desk with hands out stretched saying with excitement, 'exactly! So I need you to help me come up with a good idea to win her over Matt.'

'It isn't that easy Tai... Think of it this way: if you and Matt were about to die, she wouldn't take a bullet for you she would take it for Matt. We already know she loves Matt so don't scheme to make her hate him.' Izzy explained while walking down the hall to his next class, incidentally it was the same class as Tai. Izzy sat down and beside him sat Tai, leaning in to speak to him some more.

'Well I know... but there has to be some advice you can give me.' Tai looked sad and Izzy knew he had advice for him, but it was all a matter of Tai wanting to hear it.

'Listen Tai, I know you like her but if you jump at her with 'I love you's and 'take me in stead's she'll just run away from you. You have to ease her into a relationship. Now it's easier said and done IF she didn't have a boyfriend. You can't just expect her to dump her boyfriend just to be with you and if you ask her to do that, you can kiss your friendship goodbye. My advice is to just remain friends with her, be nice and show her you care. Do little favours here and there, when she's stuck with something help her out and Tai, the most important thing is to not tell her you like her especially if you don't know if she likes you back.' Izzy opened his text book and began to read about pig dissections.

Tai made a nasty face but then thought about what Izzy had said to him. Finally it dawned on him- advice which can only come from a smart person who has a crush on someone. A smile crossed his face and he leaned in. Izzy glanced over. 'What?' he asked nervously.

'Thanks for the advice.' He was still grinning.

'You're welcome...' Izzy averted his attention to his text.

'So who is this person you like?' Tai asked finally.

'N- No one- I don't like anyone' Izzy stuttered at the unexpected question turning pink in the face as the last bell rang and the teacher quieted everyone down. Izzy was glad that it was class time but he could feel Tai's eyes on him burning with wonder and amusement.

Every time Izzy would glance over to Tai he would be looking at him asking him quietly who the girl he liked was. And every time Izzy would blush thinking to himself that he didn't like any girl. It wasn't the fact that he didn't like someone- he did but it just so happened that the person he liked was the same person who was bugging him for who he had a crush on:

Tai Yagami.

Okay, my first story on . If you haven't guessed it is going to be a TAISHIRO fic... so please review. Please, pretty please.
Chivas