yes, another sora and tai one-shot. they're just so much fun to write about. i hope you aren't terribly disappointed. and i know the story line is strange, but don't ask me what it was that possessed me when i got this idea.

- midori-thumb

Turtles and Ice-Cream

Taichi Yagami was strolling through the park, after drilling himself for soccer. He was dressed in a t-shirt and shorts, his normal attire for playing soccer. As he walked, he bounced his soccer ball off his knees. His stroll eventually led him to the deserted part of the park, no one really took this path, it led into a wooded area. He didn't really know why people didn't seem to like it, but then again, he really didn't care.

He then bounced the soccer ball off his knee, he was about to use his head to hit it when something on the path up ahead caught his eye.

A girl was sitting on a bench just up ahead. Patches of sunlight fell through the trees, spilling over the girl's short red hair and light blue sundress.

Tai grinned at first, it was his best friend, Sora Takenouchi. But then he took in her position, which made him worry. She was bent over, her head in her hands, with her shoulders slightly shaking.

He approached her slowly. Then he became really worried as he heard her softly sobbing.

"Sora?" he called out to her quietly, now standing beside the bench on which she was sitting.

Sora looked up at him, slowly lifting her head from her hands. Her eyes were all red and puffy, her nose slightly runny. She swallowed a sob back as she looked at him.

"What's wrong Sora?" he asked worriedly, as he sat next to her on the bench.

"Oh Tai, it's nothing. It's really stupid," she said, wiping back a tear.

"Well, that can't be true if you're crying," Tai reasoned. "Come on Sora, you can tell me," he said, as he gently put an arm around her shoulders.

"It's so ridiculous though," Sora explained after she sniffled.

"So, I still want to know," Tai said, as he tenderly squeezed her bare shoulder, encouraging her to tell him what was the matter.

"Well, alright," Sora said quietly. "Do you remember that festival we all went to?"

"The one last Saturday?" Tai asked, thinking back.

"Yeah," Sora answered, tucking away a strand of her hair behind her ear. She sniffled once again before continuing.

"Well, do you remember the ring toss game?"

"Yeah, the one where Joe lost all that money trying to win that stupid stuffed pink bunny for Mimi?" Tai said, smiling as he remembered.

Sora nodded. "Well, then you probably remember that I won that turtle. The cute little red-eared slider?"

Sora asked him, she started to tear up again.

"Yeah," Tai answered, trying to figure out where this was all going. Sora was beginning to sob now. "Sora, come on. Calm down," Tai said soothingly, pulling her closer to him. She put her head against his chest, sobbing more and more.

"I'm so stupid," Sora said between her tears. Tai reached up and stroked her hair affectionately.

"My turtle died, Tai," she confessed, the tears streaming down her face. " I mean, I had him for only a week. I didn't even name him, and I'm crying over him. I hadn't thought about getting a turtle or anything, it was one of those 'on a whim things'."

She sniffled again before she continued, "I mean, it wasn't like I had any deep connection to the thing, and yet I've been sobbing for over an hour about it dying."

"I felt so retarded,that I came to the park so no one would catch me crying over my dead turtle," she explained, releasing a sigh.

"Oh Sora," Tai said with a smile. He pulled her a bit closer to him, and then kissed her softly on the top of her head.

"You aren't retarded, Sora. You're just kind," Tai explained to her softly, a smile in his voice.

"Maybe too much for your own good," he added with another smile. Tai held her by the shoulders and made her look at him. Her eyes were rimmed with red, and her cheeks stained with tears.

Tai smiled at her, "Remember? You were the one who got the crest of love. You're not stupid, you're just a little more loving, and a bit more compassionate than the rest of us."

He smiled at her again, and wiped away a lingering tear from her cheek. She gave him a small smile of her own.

"And you're completely adorable," Tai added, bringing a blush to Sora's face. He then leaned into her, and lightly kissed her on the lips. He pulled away slowly, and met Sora's eyes again.

"Do you want to go get some ice-cream? I think some cookie dough ice-cream would do you some good," he gave her a crooked smile. She smiled up at him, a slight blush still lingering on her cheeks.

"Okay," she agreed, wiping her cheeks off.

Tai then got off the bench, and picked his soccer ball up. He went back to Sora, who was still seated on the bench. Tai offered her his hand, which she took with her own. She got off the bench and they both began to head out of the park.

"Tai," Sora said after a moment. He looked down at her, still holding her hand in his.

"Thanks," she said. Tai smiled at her, and then leaned down to kiss her once again, lovingly on the lips.

"Anytime," he said. And with that, they continued on their way, hand in hand, to the nearest ice-cream shop.

The End

i hope you liked it. if not, then … whatever. oh, and i didn't mean much of anything about mentioning joe and mimi. like i wasn't trying to indicate any romance between those two, only friendship. so don't kill me if you have something against that pairing. i just always thought joe and mimi were fun to watch together in the series.

thanks for reading!

- midori-thumb