For Tai, it seemed like his whole world came crashing down all at once.
For Sora, it seemed like a dream come true.
For the others, well it was just another day. Sure some of them knew how Tai had felt for Sora, but he'd never admit it. So they just let it go. As they all got ready to go to Matt's concert, Tai went off for a walk. He decided that a walk might be good for him, and that he'd eventually make his way back towards the concert to join everyone else. It seemed like an eternity for Tai, even though it had just happened mere moments ago.
"I'll be waiting... Thanks"
During moments like these, Agumon, Sora, or even Kari would wake him from his daze, but not this time. For once in his life, Tai felt completely alone. So he stayed there, lying down on a patch of grass, letting the snowflakes fall on his wild brown hair. 'This winter just may be the coldest one yet.' He closed his eyes, in hopes of driving his thoughts away. When that failed, he realized that he couldn't face his friends that night. 'I know that I'm being selfish, but I just can't be there for you. I just don't have it in me to support the both of you right now. Maybe... maybe tomorrow, but for tonight, I'm sorry.' He got up from that lonely spot and made his way home. It wasn't long before a familiar beep rang from his pockets.
"Gennai? Wh- uhm... What's going on?"
Back at Matt's concert, friends and family of the band members stayed afterwards to celebrate. Through all the excitement, no one noticed that Tai had not made it back. Agumon grew worried, but he knew Tai needed some time alone. After the celebration, the digidestined decided to have a sleepover at Mimi's for old time's sake. That night was the beginning of a new chapter in most of their lives. Most were good, except for one. His new chapter in life was not going to be an easy one... at least not at first.
4 and half years later, Matt and Sora were happily engaged. TK and Kari were living together, and Mimi and Izzy just had their first child. Joe was doing his clinicals at a local hospital, and the younger digidestined were still struggling to make it through college. Tai went his own way, joining the military special forces and becoming a representative for the digital world. Throughout the years, he made it an effort to avoid the others, only seeing Kari since she was family, and TK because Kari was dating him. Sure they had all asked about where he was, or what he was doing, but Kari honestly didn't know the answer to that either. He had kept to himself, and never talked about himself. All she knew was that he was always doing something.
Sora was making the invitations for the wedding, and was going through her list. Making sure she had not skipped anyone, she triple checked the list. 'Izumi, Tachikawa, Ichijouji, Kamiya... I'm sure Kari will let Tai know, but... meh, it's not like I have anything better to do.' She made an invitation for Tai, but before finishing it, she had no idea where to send it to. 'I'll just drop it off in person. Besides, I haven't seen him in a while. It'd be good to catch up.' She headed to Kari's place, in hopes of finding out Tai's location.
"Oh, hey Sora! What brings you here?"
Sora held out the invitation.
"Wow, thanks!"
"No problem, Kari. Uhm, I have this one for Tai..."
"I'll give it to him when I see hi-"
"No! I mean, I want to drop it off in person. I haven't really seen him in forever, and I wanted to hang out with him. Like old times you know?"
Kari giggled awkwardly. "Yeah, I see..."
"So do you know where I can reach him? I've tried calling his cell, but the number doesn't work anymore. For some reason, my digivice isn't working either, so I couldn't contact him through there."
"I'm not exactly sure where he is. I have his number, but he never answers."
"But you do see him sometimes, right?"
"Yeah, but its usually him that contacts me. He moved out of my parent's place long before I did, and we don't know where he stayed after that."
"Oh..." was all Sora could say.
Sensing the defeat in Sora's voice, Kari tried to reassure her.
"Tell you what, the next time I do see him, I'll let you know right away so you can come drop it off to him. If that doesn't work, I'll make sure he contacts you and meets up with you some time. Deal?"
A smile creeped back on to Sora's face. "Deal," she happily agreed.
They said their farewells and Kari headed back inside.
"Who was that?"
"Oh, it was just Sora. She was dropping off our invitation to the wedding."
"And?"
"And... she was asking how to contact Tai so she could drop off his invitation to him."
"Ah. When do you think he'll show up again?"
"Not sure, but I just hope its soon. I'm really worried about him, even though I know he's doing great. I guess I just miss him."
"I hope so. Sora'd be real pissed if he didn't show up the wedding."
"I know. Her perfect wedding consists of her, the groom, and all her loved ones, including all the digidestined. But who knows?" Kari just shrugged it off as she cuddled with TK and continued their movie.
Days passed and Sora still held Tai's invitation. She had sent out all the invitations except for his, and for some reason she was anxious about giving him the invitation. 'We haven't talked for years. I wonder if he's changed? How do I even talk to him? What DO we talk about? Ugh, I'm sure it'll be just like old times.' She couldn't shake the image of meeting up with him, and it only made her even more anxious.
Weeks passed, and still no word from Kari. The waiting was killing her, and Matt noticed her change of behavior.
"Babe, is everything ok? You've been acting weird lately."
"Its just... I've sent out all the invitations for the wedding except for one." She handed him the envelope.
"Taichi Kamiya. Why don't you just give it to Kari and she'll hand it to him?"
She filled him in on her last meeting with Kari.
"I see. Well, the last I've heard of him, Mimi and Izzy saw him at a restaurant. They talked for a while and caught up a bit, but I doubt they know where he lives."
Sora let out a sigh of frustration.
"But... They said he was on a date with a girl. Maybe if you find the girl, she could tell you where he lives?"
"That's actually a great idea, honey!" She kissed him on the cheek and immediately got on the phone to call Mimi.
*Ring*
"Hello?"
"Hi Meems."
"Sora! It's been a while. I apologize for that, Izzy and I, well, we have our hands full with the baby."
"Oh don't worry about it! I've got my hands full with the wedding planning anyways."
"How's that going along?"
"It's very hectic, but doable. But there is one thing I was hoping you could help me with."
"Sure! I'd be glad to help."
"Well, I've only got one invitation left to give to, and it's Tai's. Unfortunately, I have no clue how to contact him. Matt said you and Izzy saw him a while back, and I was hoping he told you something. Or maybe that girl he was with can help."
It was silent for a little while on the other line.
"Hello? Meems? You there?"
"Yeah- yes. Uhm, unfortunately, Tai did not give us an address, and neither did his date. However, I know that she is a model for a local designer place. I can text you the address, and maybe she can tell you where Tai might be."
"Wow, thanks Mimi! That's more than enough."
"No prob."
"Thanks again Meems."
*Click
They hung up, and shortly after, Sora received a text with the address of the place.
She got out of the building, having just talked with the woman Tai had been on a date with. Her information had been of some help, but it eventually led nowhere. Tai had a place sure, but she said it was empty except for basic furnishings and things like that so guests wouldn't be so thrown off. However, she knew right away he wasn't "living" there because there were almost no plates or glasses or anything that a normal person would use everyday. 'Why is it so hard to get ahold of you Tai? Its like you're doing this on purpose.' Sora decided that a trip to the digital world and seeing her old friend, Biyomon would cheer her up.
She arrived, and right away Biyomon saw her. They caught up and Sora filled her in with all her wedding plans. Then the realization hit her.
"Hey Biyo, by any chance, have you seen Tai around?"
"Have I seen him?" Biyomon laughed.
"What's so funny?"
"He practically lives here. I don't know where exactly, but almost everyday, he comes here and he and Agumon go somewhere. Agumon told me that they stay somewhere in the mountains. Its very secluded. I think Gennai might also know where it is exactly."
Sora ran off to find Gennai, dragging Biyomon along with her.
'What's wrong with me? Why am I so excited? Am I excited? Or am I nervous? Gah! Seriously, what's wrong with me?!'
With the map Gennai gave her, she and Biyomon made their way towards the mountains.
"Gennai's direction sure helped a lot. Look at this place, it's huge!"
"Yeah, I think its because Tai wanted it hidden, Biyo."
"But... why would he do that?"
"I guess we're about to find out."
They made their way into a small clearing, and found a little shack built out of wood from the forest. It was big enough for one or two persons, and as they neared it, they saw that it was overlooking a cliff. Sora knocked on the door, but there was no reply. She yelled out his name, and still no answer. She tried the doorknob, and sure enough it was open. Inside, she saw that there were stairs that led down to an opening in the face of the cliff. There was a hammock there with pillows and blankets, and a closet full of human clothes. 'Definitely Tai's stuff.' She looked around some more, but the sudden view of the opening caught her attention. From that angle, she could see the digiworld's sun setting over the horizon, overlooking the digimon villages in the plains and forests below.
"Wow..." was all she could mutter.
She stood there for a while, taking the view in.
"The best part's still to come." A familiar voice from behind her said.
She jumped in surprise, and would've fallen off the cliff if Tai had not reached her and pulled her in. He started to laugh, the same old laugh she had always remembered. She stayed silent, just shocked with the situation that they were in.
"Sor? You okay?" He finally stopped laughing and looked a little worried.
"Uhm... What? Oh yes! I'm fine, thank you Tai."
She felt a blush come over her cheeks. 'Why am I blushing?'
"Don't be embarrassed. It was my fault I snuck up on you like that. I didn't mean to scare you."
"Oh no it's not that. It's just... I haven't seen you in forever."
"Hmmm more like 4 years." He gave her his trademark grin, and she couldn't help but smile.
"Do you know the trouble I went through to find you?"
"I'm sorry?"
"No you're not. I know that you did all of that on purpose."
"All of what?" A confused look was on his face.
"Making it hard to find you. I don't know why, but for some reason you prefer to be alone. So you made it hard, almost impossible to reach you. You have a lot of explaining to do, Kamiya." He scratched the back of his head, and Sora saw a familiar sword on Tai's back. "And why in the world do you have Omnimon's sword?!"
"Calm down, Sor. Look, I'm just as shocked to see you here as much as you are finding me here."
There was an awkward silence for a while, and they just stared into each other's eyes. Tai wasn't sure of what exactly was going on, and Sora trying to figure him out.
Tai let out a sigh. "Look, I'll explain everything to you, I promise. But after this."
"After what?"
"Like I said, the best part's yet to come." He gestured towards the sunset, and right away Sora understood just what he was talking about. She could see the last rays of light fading into the night sky, and as the last glimpse of the sun disappeared into the horizon, the stars immediately came out from hiding.
'It's as if-'
"As if the stars are dancing, I know right?"
She just gave him a blank stare.
He laughed. "I had the same reaction the first time I saw it, and it never gets old."
They stayed there for a few more minutes, feet dangling over the opening, looking up into the sky. They would point out shooting stars, and they each made a wish. Then came a comfortable silence... which was abruptly ended by Tai's growling stomach.
It was her turn to laugh this time. "I see not much has changed, Tai."
He returned a smile. "You'd be surprised, Sor. C'mon, lets have dinner. I'm cooking."
Her expression suddenly changed into fear.
"My cooking is nothing like my mom's cooking! I promise!" He grabbed her arm, and led her up the stairs.
"Ok, so it is nothing like your mom's cooking."
"Told you."
"Tai's cooking has gotten better everytime," Agumon chimed in.
Biyomon was so entranced by the food she couldn't say anything. Agumon offered to clean, so Tai and Sora made their way back to the opening.
Sora laid on the hammock, and Tai was on the floor.
"So what brings you-"
"You still have one-"
Their attempt to end the awkward silence came out simultaneously, and only made it even more awkward.
"Ladies first," Tai stated.
She giggled. "You still have one other promise to fulfill."
"Oh yeah. I guess the main reason I'm here is because I like the isolation. It's very peaceful, and no one ever bothers me, except for you."
She threw a pillow at him, but he easily caught it. She thought of throwing another one, but she was comfortable lying down on them.
"This place brings me peace, and I need it. My job in the real world gets very stressful. Let's just say that sometimes I don't agree with the things I have to do. So at the end of the day, I come here. I may be exhausted, injured, and hungry, but I go to this spot... my spot, and wait for the sun to set. It's like a drug, and I keep coming back to it. So that's why I built a home here."
"So how do you explain Omnimon's sword?"
"I'll let Agumon tell you that one."
She tried to speak but he cut her off.
"Your turn!"
"Wha-... I... Fine. I'm here because I need to give you-..." She stopped herself. It was as if all that time that she was nervous about meeting him were surfacing again.
"Sor?"
'Geez what's happening to me? Get it together Sora! The whole evening, everything was going great, why is it different now?' She didn't notice Tai had gotten up and was touching her wrists gently, trying to wake her from her daze.
"Sora?"
"Oh, uh. Sorry." She tried to give him a smile but it wasn't her usual one. "I needed to give you this?"
Tai gave her a look of confusion. "Are you asking me, or are you giving it to me?"
"Giving!" 'Seriously! Snap out of it! Why is this so hard?!'
He laughed, and accepted it.
"What's this?"
"Its my-our invitation. You don't have to open it now if you don't want to. The important thing is that you have it now."
"Huh. Hmmm ok. Thanks Sor."
"No problem." This time her smile was genuine, but it wasn't because she had finally given him the invitation, but because she realized no one else calls her by that nickname other than Tai, and she genuinely loved hearing it again.
"It's getting late, shouldn't you be getting back? I'm sure Matt's starting to worry by now."
This brought her back from her thoughts.
"Oh crap!" She checked her watch. "It's already 12:30?! I need to go!"
Tai laughed once again. "Agumon and Biyomon will go with you."
They made their way back up, and Tai instructed Agumon to go with Sora and Biyomon. They said their goodbyes and Sora was on her way.
"I can't believe how fast the time went by."
"I was going to tell you, but I didn't want to bother you. You and Tai looked like you were having a great time catching up, and I know just how rare Tai ever gets to see anyone, so I thought it was best to leave you alone."
"Thanks Biyo. By the way, Agumon, Tai said you can tell me why he has possession of Omnimon's-er... your sword?"
"Well, about 5 years ago, there was a digimon attack. It was an unknown digimon, laying dormant in a volcano nearby. Gennai tried calling Davis and the rest of us, but we were at Matt's concert and no one heard their digivice going off. Since Tai wasn't at the concert, he answered the call. What happened afterwards explains why none of the digimon owned by the digidestined can't digivolve anymore. Since no one, not even me, was here to fight the digimon, Tai fought for us. Because of his unrelenting courage, he faced and fought that digimon by himself. Gennai says that the power we had that allowed us to digivolve was transferred to Tai, and he himself sort of became a digimon himself. The first ever human to wield digimon abilities. He used up all that energy and power in the fight, but he won. The sacrifice was that we all lost the power to digivolve, but in turn that also meant that evil digimon lost theirs too. So in the end, it brought peace to the digiworld. Gennai gave the sword to Tai as a reward, a gift, and a honor bestowed upon him by the digimon. Ever since then, he's been using it for his everyday activities. By the way, its probably best that you never bring it up to Tai."
"Why?"
"He says it brings back bad memories. I tried to ask what kind of memories, but judging from his eyes, he really didn't want to talk about it."
"Oh, ok. Thanks for letting me know Agumon."
A few months pass again, and finally the wedding was coming up. It seemed like everything was going smoothly, but the only thing that wasn't to Sora's liking was their honeymoon. Unfortunately, Matt's band has a concert the day after the wedding, and they had to put off their honeymoon for a few days. Sora figured it wasn't that big of a deal, and that they'd eventually go on their honeymoon. 2 days before the wedding, Sora was overwhelmed with the stress and planning of the wedding. To escape, she thought of visiting Tai again. 'Maybe the isolation would help, just like it does with Tai.'
Off she went, getting through the portal, finding Biyomon, and making their way up to the little shack.
"You think they're home?"
"I think so, I did see Tai come through earlier today."
Sora tried to knock, but just ended up nudging the door open. Upon entering, she wanted to announce herself, but saw that Agumon was fast asleep. Instead, she creeped in and tried to find any signs of Tai. She proceeded down into the opening, and heard the familiar sound of a guitar. She got closer and heard Tai singing quietly. She didn't recognize the song but it was beautiful.
Impossible, maybe, but worth one last try
I'm waiting on your reply
I'm sitting here patiently just for the chance that I might be able to hold you tight
And I want to know what makes your world go round
And I want to hear your voice for the sound
A love that defines all I've had in mind
Now I'm holding back nothing for the look in your eyes
(The Look- Ryan Tedder)
He continued to sing, and Sora was entranced by his voice. She had heard Matt sing countless of times before, but not once has she ever heard Tai sing. The difference between their voices was obvious, but Tai's had more emotion behind it. Tai eventually put the guitar down, and jumped in surprise upon seeing Sora.
Sora was so entranced that she didn't notice he had gotten up, that she also jumped in surprise.
Tai laughed. "What are you doing here Sor?"
Again, the nickname unique only to him and her gave her a warm feeling.
"It's been so stressful planning for the wedding, and I thought I could come here and have some tranquility. If you don't mind?"
"No, not at all." Tai smiled, but then the realization hit him. "Uhm... how long have you been standing there?"
She blushed. "Not long, a few seconds... maybe."
He sighed a breath of relief. They watched as the magical scene unfolded in front of them, and Tai was right. The sensation doesn't get old. Right away, Sora felt relieved and at peace. It was as if someone pushed a reset button, and a big weight was lifted off her shoulders. When it was done, she finally spoke.
"The wedding's in 2 days Tai. I never did get an RSVP from you."
"Sorry, I've been busy Sor."
"But you'll be there, right?"
"Of course. It's gonna be the happiest day of your life, I wouldn't miss it for the world."
She smiled. "Thanks Tai."
"For what?"
"For being here for me, even if its just to watch the sunset with you."
"No problem..."
"Well, I think I'm just about as peaceful as I can be. I should head back before they think I've started to get cold feet."
He laughed a little. "Yeah, I'd tell Agumon to walk you but he's already out."
"I saw that. Its fine anyways, I have Biyomon with me. Bye Tai. See you in 2 days."
"See ya, Sor."
The day of the wedding finally came, and everything was just as Sora planned it. It was her dream come true. 'I can't believe everything turned out so perfectly. Everyone's here!'
She scoured the faces that were present, and was going from one side of the room to another. However, she had to do a double-take. 'Where is that brown messy hair? Did he style it to look formal? No, that can't be. So where the hell is he?!'
Her searching eyes found its way to Kari, who seemed to know just what was running on Sora's mind. Kari gave her a shrug, and mouthed 'I have no idea' towards Sora.
'You... Have... Got... To be... KIDDING ME! Taichi Kamiya, I am going to kill you!'
Unfortunately for her, she could not just leave the groom behind and kill Taichi right then and there. She had to stay for the rest of the wedding and the reception. Tai's absence ruined her mood, but not enough to ruin her wedding day. The night ended, and Matt had to leave with his band to head to their gig the next day. They said their goodbyes, kissed, and Sora made her way towards the digital world.
She barged in the little shack, hunting down any signs of Tai. Agumon jumped at her sudden burst into the shack.
"Sora?"
"Where is HE?!"
"He-... He's not here yet. Why d-... Why do you ask?"
"He didn't show up to my wedding! He promised he would! He ruined it!"
"I'm sorry to hear that, but..."
"No buts! Not from you. I'm sorry for yelling at you, Agumon." She took a deep breath. "I just mean that you shouldn't have to defend him. When he gets back, he can defend himself."
Agumon nodded. "Uhm, the thing is, when Tai doesn't get home at his usual time, I really can't tell when he would be back. He might come home in a few minutes, or he might come home tomorrow, or even a few days from now. His job in your world really messes with his schedule."
"I have no problem waiting."
"Ok, well, I know that you're probably tired. If you want to lay down, you could use Tai's hammock."
"Thanks Agumon."
Sora was woken up by the sudden opening of the door upstairs. For some reason, she decided to get up and hide from him. Tai stumbled down the stairs, almost falling face first before catching himself. His nose was an inch away from the floor, and Sora could see he wasn't doing too well. She was gonna come out of hiding, but Agumon came down and turned on the lights. She stayed in her hiding spot observing Tai. Agumon helped him up, and sat him down against the wall. Upon seeing the front of his body, she noticed his beat up face, and that Tai was putting pressure on one spot of his stomach. She had to put a hand up to her mouth to keep from gasping. With his shirt off, she saw the wounds he sustained. Agumon proceeded to clean the wounds and bandage Tai.
"What have you gotten yourself into this time, Tai?"
Groggily, Tai replied. "There was an ambush..." was all he could say before he started to cough out blood.
For Sora, that was enough. She got out of hiding.
"Don't talk Tai." She said as she helped bandage him.
Agumon forgot the fact that Sora was there due to the attention to Tai's injuries.
Tai, with his one unswollen and unbloodied eye, looked over to Sora.
"Sora?... What-"
"Shhh." She put a finger to his mouth. "Don't talk, focus on our voices. Whatever you do, do not pass out. You've lost too much blood." As she cleaned the wound, she couldn't help but notice the scars on his body.
Tai let out a soft "Heh."
"What's so funn-... Don't answer that. Just stay awake."
Agumon also gave a small laugh.
"Just what the hell is so damn funny?!"
"He's been through much worse Sora. This? This is what we call a minor emergency."
"Minor? This is MINOR?!"
"Keep it down, Sor." Tai laughed once again.
Sora let out a sigh of frustration.
"Just relax, Agumon's got this. He's been doing this for quite some time."
"Fine..."
"What are you doing here anyways? Don't you have a honeymoon you should be on?"
"Well, TAI, if you ever bothered to show up and hang out with your friends you'd know why Matt and I postponed our honeymoon."
Tai's smile faded away. "I'm sorry I didn't make it today. I'm sorry I broke my promise." He turned his head away from her and towards the opening.
Sora's anger towards him was quickly fading. She sighed once again. "It's alright I guess. You had an emergency. I can't really blame you for following orders, can I?"
"That's the thing... I wasn't... ..."
Sora looked at the floor. "The most important thing is that you're alive. Why didn't you just go to a hospital afterwards? Why risk coming all the way over here when there's no medical facilities?"
"..."
"Tai?" She turned to face him, only to see that he had passed out due to the blood loss. "Tai!"
2 days had passed, and Tai was barely regaining his consciousness. He opened his eyes and was surprised to see Sora lying in the hammock with him. She had her head on top of Tai's uninjured shoulder, and had one arm across his chest. 'Matt would kill me if he ever found out about this. Just how in the hell did we end up snuggling like this?' He tried to move so that he could get her off him, but his soreness prevented him from doing so.
Sora woke up from Tai's movements, and blushed when she saw the position they were in.
"Sorry I woke you. I was just trying to move so that we didn't look like we did something indecent." He gave her his trademark grin.
"Oh no, Tai. It's my fault. You see, I sleep with a body pillow that I'm used to hugging each night. I guess my habits just took over."
There was an awkward silence, yet neither one of them moved from their position. They stared into each other's eyes, and Sora just saw the same old Tai she always knew. Tai saw some uncertainty in her eyes, but just barely.
"So... Uhm, how long was I out?" Tai broke the silence, finally moving to get up.
Sora finally removed her arm from his chest and her head from his shoulder. "2 days..." She said, while still staring at Tai.
Tai noticed her glaring at him.
"What?"
"I was worried to death, Tai... Seeing you like that, all bloodied and injured, I thought that you were dying." She had a look of worry.
Tai tried to ease the situation. "Sor, it was nothing. Like I said before, I've been through worse."
"You just don't get it!" The worried look was gone, but was replaced with anger. "Worse or not, I was still worried about you! That's the thing with you, you've always gone and done dangerous things, never worrying about the consequences because you believe the only person that'll get hurt is yourself. The thing you fail to see is that there are people who care about you, and when you get hurt, those people also get hurt." Tears were now streaming down her face.
Tai's expression quickly changed. "Sora... Please don't cry. You know how much I hate seeing you cry."
"I can't help it. You recklessly continue to do these things, not worrying about if you'll get hurt, or worse, die. And I'm not stupid Tai, I know that you're doing this for a reason. Agumon told me about what you did before, with that volcano digimon. I know something's wrong, but you refuse to open up. You don't live here for the peace or the view, you live here for the isolation. You live here hoping that no one will ever come visit you. I don't know how I can make you open up to me, but I'm asking as your best friend, to please just be more careful."
Tai lifted her chin to stare into her eyes.
"Nothing's wrong with me. I do the things I do because it's who I am. I live here in isolation because I need the peace after a day of turmoil. I'm not trying to run away from anything." He gave a short chuckle. "Sor, if you're worried that I'm hurt or still have feelings for you, I can guarantee you that I've moved on a long time ago. So you don't have to keep coming here to check up on me just because you feel guilty. There's nothing for you to be guilty of. There's nothing to worry about either, I've done these things countless of times. I know what I'm doing, and I know what I'm getting myself into. Go home, Sor. I'm sure Matt's worried sick about you, and I don't really want to cause any drama between him and I."
Sora sniffled, still staring into Tai's chocolate eyes. They kept staring at each other. Sora still wasn't relieved by what he had said, but she knew when Tai had made his point. Tai grinned towards her, signaling that everything would be just fine. He wiped the tears away, letting her know her problems and worries could just as easily be wiped away too. He tucked her hair behind her ears, finally breaking eye contact, and she knew that things would never be the same between her and Tai anymore. Then he did something she didn't expect. He cupped her cheeks with both hands, and she felt something she had never felt before. A jolt spread through her that she could not explain, and when amber eyes met chocolate once again, she realized that he did, in fact, had gotten over her... but she, in turn, had just started to fall for him.
'Crap...'
Still smiling, Tai let her go.
"You should go, Sor."
She was speechless.
"Mmm-hmm" was all she could utter. She got up, trying to avoid anymore eye contact, afraid that he might notice her sudden realization. She walked mindlessly back home, trying to figure out if she had just started to love him, or if she was just realizing that she always did.
2 years later, and nothing had changed for Tai. He'd make the occasional visits to Kari, but also missed her and TK's wedding. Sora wasn't surprised by it, but she never said anything either. She had learned to hide her feelings for Tai. Staying away and not seeing him sure helped, but every time someone mentioned him, she'd get that fluttery feeling. It was even worse when someone said something about him going on dates. She felt a sort of jealousy, and it made her mad. Not because of him going on dates, but the fact that she got jealous over it. Everyone had gotten accustomed to their new lives, and Kari and TK were expecting a child soon. Sora wanted a child of her own, but due to Matt's busy schedule, they figured now wouldn't be a good time to have a kid. Everything was changing, and everyone was going their own ways. The only person who hadn't changed, even just a little bit, was Tai.
Even though he made absolutely sure to keep his distance from them and keep isolated, he wasn't completely out of their lives. He'd send gifts during their birthdays and Christmas time, so while he wasn't there physically, he was there in spirit. His gifts were always over the top, especially for the kids. Everyone's kids received full college scholarships as their 1st birthday present from Uncle Tai. When Joe graduated as a doctor, Tai gave him his own clinic to work in as a Christmas gift. He gave Mimi and Izzy a brand-new van for their ever-growing family. He gave TK and Kari their own place as a wedding gift. He did the same for Matt and Sora. They couldn't really ask how he could afford all that because they never saw him. All they could do was tell Kari to thank him for them.
Sora knew... She knew just what and how much he sacrificed to be able to get all those gifts. It cost him blood, sweat, and tears. Life in the military special forces was very beneficial to a person's bank account, but the life expectancy was very short. The mortality rate even worse. Thoughts like these saddened her, but there was nothing she could do. She would never forget their last conversation.
"You should go, Sor."
Sora decided to surprise Matt during one of his tours. She was absolutely bored, and thought of visiting Tai. She changed her mind however, due to the fact that she didn't want to be saddened again.
'Stupid Tai...' she thought. She boarded the bus, and got ready for the 4 hour ride to Tokyo. His show was tomorrow, but she couldn't stand the boredom anymore. After the ride, she got off the bus, found a taxi, and gave the driver directions toward the hotel. She got off the taxi, and someone offered to help with her bags, but she respectfully declined. She got in the elevator, and waited until she got to the desired floor. She surveyed the hallway, looking for the room number Matt was in. She neared the room, but started to hear loud music coming from it.
'Must be his ritual before he has a big show.'
She got to the door, and was going to knock, but checked to see if it was open. Oddly enough, it was, and she opened the door, expecting to surprise Matt.
What she witnessed, however, surprised her instead. She stood there dumbfounded for what seemed like hours. Matt, too busy with all the women on his bed, didn't notice her at all. Instead, it was one of the women who had noticed her.
"Hey Matty, did you order room service?"
"Wha? No, I don't think so." He said while moving his gaze towards the door. His eyes suddenly went wide at the sight of Sora. He immediately got up and ran towards her. He started to give his excuses and was going on and on about it.
Sora had not heard a single word he said. She was too busy letting it all in, and realizing just what was going on. She took a deep breath, finally made eye contact with Matt, smiled, and said,
"I'll have the divorce papers set up by the time you finish your tour."
"Sora, wait!"
But she was already down the hallway. Instead of feeling anger or pain, she felt relieved.
"Sora, hold on a minute! Where are you going?!"
"Not that it matters, but I'm going to the digital world." She headed towards the lobby, and found a computer.
There was a certain hop to Sora's steps as she made her way to the familiar shack. There was a million things running through her mind, but she decided that at this moment, she would see the person who made her feel important. She didn't even bother knocking as she entered, and neglected to greet Agumon too. She just casually walked down the steps to see Tai lying down on the hammock. He was just swinging in it, staring off into the night sky,without a care in the world. Sora carefully stopped the hammock from swinging, and before Tai could even utter one word, she had gotten on it with him. She put a finger on his lips, and Tai just went along with it. With his one foot over the edge, he started to push off the ground again to swing. He had his hands behind his head, and Sora laid her head on his arm.
The closeness made Tai uncomfortable, and tried to position himself away from her. Sora, however, would not budge. Tai gave up and just continued the silence. They stayed like that for a long while, and when he felt Sora shiver, he quickly grabbed the nearby blanket and covered her with it. She gave him a smile to thank him, and they returned to their original position, to Tai's dismay.
'Man, I really hope Matt doesn't get too mad about this.'
As if by reading his mind, Sora finally broke the silence.
"I'm divorcing Matt."
"Oh, ok... WAIT WHAT?!"
She giggled. "Shhh, keep it down Tai."
He looked into her eyes, and he saw that there was a certain spark to them.
She continued to tell him of what she saw earlier, and Tai just listened.
"I'm sorry you had to see that, Sor."
The nickname gave her butterflies.
"Its okay."
"Are you alright?"
"Surprisingly, yes. I'm not mad, or sad. In fact, I think I feel relieved."
"Relieved? Are you sure?"
She smiled. "Yeah, I'm sure. Anyways, I don't want to talk about him anymore. Let's just enjoy the moment Tai."
"If you say so..."
His thoughts drifted while she was at peace. Slept crept up to them not long after that.
The next morning, Sora woke up having had the best sleep of her life. Tai wasn't used to sleeping with another person, and it felt weird to him. He got up earlier than she did, when dawn broke. It was his daily ritual to get his workouts done in the morning. He finished and washed up, and noticed Sora staring at him while he changed.
Entranced by the sight of his body, she didn't realize just how long she had been staring. He chuckled, amused by the situation. She finally snapped out of it.
'Oh God, how long have I been staring?' She blushed bright red. Tai noticed. "Is there somewhere I can wash my face at?"
"Yeah, it's in the back." He gestured towards the room behind him.
"Thanks. Oh, good morning Tai."
"Good morning Sor. I'll be upstairs, cooking breakfast."
She just nodded. She made her way to the back, and was amazed at the peculiar set-up of the bathroom. Instead of a normal faucet, it was a continuous flow of water coming through a crack in the cliff. The same went for the shower and toilet. She had to giggle at Tai's attempt at plumbing. 'Stupid Tai.'
After breakfast, Tai was a little confused about what was going on. He wasn't sure how she was really feeling, if she was even thinking straight, or if she just needed time away.
"So..."
"So?" She asked, trying to get him to continue.
"How are you?"
She sighed. "I'm great, Tai, I told you already. If you're worried about me, don't be. I know what I'm doing."
"And what exactly are you doing?"
"I'm..." 'Is it too soon to tell him? Should I wait until Matt and I are officially divorced? I want to tell him, but... does he even feel the same way? I guess I'll figure that out while I wait and get the divorced settled. Until then, I shouldn't tell him.'
"Sor?"
"Sorry." She smiled. "I'm spending time with my best friend because you always know just how to cheer me up."
"But I haven't done anything."
"All you have to do is be here for me, and that seems to work about 90% of the time."
"What happens the other 10%?"
"Either you throw up in my favorite hat or give me stupid gifts."
"I apologized for those things, and if I remember correctly, you ended up liking that hairpin."
"I'm just answering your question Tai." She giggled once again. "I'm not bothering you or anything, am I?" Her mood changed suddenly, as she realized that she didn't even ask him if she could stay over.
"No, you caught me on one of my not-so-busy days. I'm off today, so I'm all yours." He smiled his old trademark grin.
For a while, it seemed that Tai and Sora were going back to their old days, when they used to spend every waking minute together. It got to the point that Tai had to put up a separate hammock so that they wouldn't be bunched up in just the one he had before. Even then, Sora preferred to sleep with him in his hammock, so he pretty much wasted his time. It was things like these that made Tai scratch the back of his head. He was utterly confused, and if he got even close to figuring it out, he denied it. He did not want to believe that his best friend had feelings for him, because he didn't want to ruin what they already had. Most nights, while she already lay asleep on his shoulder, he would just let out a sigh, and go with it. 'It's not long till she gets tired of this and moves on... I hope.'
There were times when things weren't so smooth between them. Sora would try and get him to hang out with the digidestined, and he'd say yes, but he'd never show up. He missed out on birthdays and special events. It frustrated her, and it frustrated him that it frustrated her. He couldn't get why it bothered her so much. Eventually they'd get over it after she'd give him some silent treatment, but it didn't change the fact that she was getting frustrated about it.
Christmas was nearing, and Sora was planning an exchange gifts between the digidestined, including Matt. She didn't care if he was there, it was easy for her to ignore him anyways. She had also managed to convince Tai to go. She threatened him the way she would always do, but this time she got a promise out of him. He kept reasoning that he'd be an outsider and that they wouldn't accept him anymore.
"Don't be silly, Tai! They're you'r-... our friends, and one just so happens to be your little sister. You're our fearless leader, and nothing can change that. We used to look up to you, and some of us still do. Just attend, and if you feel like an outsider, then you can leave."
Tai just muttered a defeated "Fine," to Sora's amusement.
Sora would sometimes stay at Tai's apartment in the real world as she still had family who wanted to see her. So she went back and forth when she needed to. Anyways, the party was all set up at TK and Kari's place. Sora and the girls were getting ready, and everyone else was to show up later that night.
"So Sora?"
"Hmm?"
"I hear you've been spending a lot of time with Tai." Mimi teased.
"Oh yeah? And where did you hear that?"
"From Kari, and Izzy and I fixed the digivices, so we've noticed your digivices always together." She giggled.
"Well, it's an escape for me. It gives me time and space to think."
"Or just time to spend with my brother!" Kari joined in.
"Maybe."
Kari and Mimi were surprised. They were joking, but they never expected Sora to admit it.
"Are you saying what we think you're saying?"
"I think so. It's still too soon, and I don't really want to rush into it. I found Matt cheating on me 3 months ago, and just got divorced last month, so I'm not really in a rush to do something I might regret."
"Well, I absolutely think you two would look great!"
"You never change, do you Meems?" Sora smiled at them.
"Does my brother feel the same way?"
"I don't know. He hasn't said anything, but I know that he's happy."
"I'm pretty sure he does, but if he doesn't, you can count on us to help you out, Sora!"
"Thanks, guys."
They continued setting up for the party, still gossiping about their lives.
It was now 9:37pm, and still no sign of Tai. They had all agreed to hold off on the gift exchange until he got there, but he was running super late.
Sora was angry, and it was showing. 'He better not have. You promised Tai... PROMISED. It's Christmas, and you can't find it in yourself to spend time with your friends? With me?' Tears were about to form in her eyes, but she stopped them. 'I'm not going to cry over this anymore. If you don't show up tonight, then I give up.'
Sora didn't go back to the shack that night, but if she did, then she would've known why Tai never made it to the party. He was out for a week, and Agumon was worried that this time he might not come back. Fortunately, he did, and when he woke up, he already knew Sora was angry at him. He allowed himself time to recover, and decided to pay Kari a visit.
He explained everything, and Kari understood.
"I understand, Tai, but I don't think you do."
"Of course I do, I'm the one explaining it."
"That's not what I mean." She rolled her eyes.
"Ok, so what do you mean?"
She sighed. "I'm not sure I should tell you."
"Just tell me, Kari."
"She's..." She closed her eyes. "She's in love with you."
"Dammit... I had hoped she wasn't."
"You knew?! Why didn't you say anything to her?"
"I wasn't sure. But now that she's comfortable to tell someone else, it just makes it real."
"So how do you feel about all this?"
"I don't know." He sighed in frustration. "The last time I felt that way about her, things didn't work out. It failed miserably, and to be honest I don't ever want to feel that pain ever again."
"So you'd rather feel nothing at all?"
"What do you think I've been doing all these years away from everyone else?"
"You've got a point. But this time she'll return the feeling."
"Doesn't mean it'll work out."
"Stop being so negative, Tai."
"You're right, I'm sorry."
"It's fine. Look, TK and I have hit some rough patches along the way. It's not perfect, and in a way that's what makes it perfect."
"What?! That doesn't even make sense."
"You'll learn to work out the imperfections and in the end it'll make you happier."
"What if that doesn't happen? What if what Matt did to her, she does to me? Or what if-"
"I said stop being so negative!" she yelled while hitting him.
"OK OK. I get your point. It's just so hard to even begin to think of a life like that."
"Like what?"
"A life with someone else. I've been so used to being alone that just hanging out with one person, other than Agumon, was weird."
"Well, you just have to get used to it. It's not like your default setting is 'single' you know?"
Tai laughed. "Yeah I get you."
Kari stared at him for a while, waiting for him to continue, and she knew he was coming up with something to make up for the Christmas party.
He started to plan a surprise birthday party for her, with the help of Kari and Mimi. Sora's birthday was in a month and half, and he hoped that was enough time for her to forgive him. They got everything set up for the surprise birthday party, and on the day of the party, Kari was to call her and invite her over. They had to do it last minute because Sora was always good at finding out if something was being kept from her. However, after the phone call, Kari didn't look pleased.
"What's wrong? Is she not gonna be able to make it?" Tai was worried that all their planning was going to be a waste.
"She's coming..."
"But?" Mimi urged her to continue.
"She's bringing a date." She automatically turned to Tai, whose facial expression didn't show much, but she knew that he felt something. Their worst fears already happened, and they weren't even together yet. Before Kari could say something else, Tai cut her off.
"It's fine, Kari." His voice unwavering. "It's not like she was going to forgive me anyways. It happens..." He laughed. "Even if it so happens to be the same girl. Don't worry, I'm fine. All these years alone have made it easier for me to cope with things like these."
Kari wanted to cry for her brother, and Mimi had already stepped out to give them privacy.
Tai's duty phone rang, signaling that he was needed elsewhere. He laughed once again.
"See? I was never meant to be here after all." He said while picking up the call. "Kamiya- Wha? Yeah sure, I'll be there. See you in a bit. Kamiya out." He hugged her sister, and left just like that.
Kari still stood in the same spot when Mimi eventually came back.
"Is everything ok?"
"Yeah, I think so."
"So why does that sound like a bad thing?"
"Because I didn't want it to be just 'OK,' I wanted things to be great."
Mimi nodded her head, understanding exactly what Kari meant.
Sora enjoyed the surprise party, and when she asked who was behind it, it went without saying that Tai probably did not want them to tell her it was him. So they all said they all took a part in it. She had a blast with her date, some model she met while designing clothes for them. Sora couldn't help but notice Kari's negative mood, so she decided to talk to her about it.
"Hey."
"Hey Sora."
"What's wrong? You and TK having an argument?"
"No, not at all."
"Then what is it?"
"Nothing, really. I'm just a little exhausted from planning all this." She smiled weakly.
"Thank you for all this, by the way. I'm having so much fun."
"No problem, besides everyone pitched in to help."
"I'm sure not everyone."
Kari knew what she meant. She just giggled awkwardly.
"Mr. No-Show at it again. You did invite him, right?"
'No, he didn't need one.' "Yeah."
"Such a surprise he didn't show up." She said sarcastically.
Kari clenched her fists. "Sora."
Sora stared at her. "Yes? What is it?"
She sighed. "Nothing, I hope you enjoy the rest of your night. Oh, can you give me directions to where Tai lives? I need to go talk to him."
"Yeah, sure. No problem. Why though?"
"I just needed to give him something." Kari tried her best to hide her emotions from Sora, but it failed. However, Sora was too busy having fun, so she decided that it can wait another day. They said their farewells, and Kari headed off to the digital world.
"So you're telling me you've been here since you left? I thought you had to do something?"
"The team just wanted to hang out."
"But you said you'd go."
"I always say I'll go."
"Oh... Well, I just wanted to stop by and see how you were doing. I thought you might've gotten yourself into trouble again. Sora told me how you would come home all injured."
"Yeah, but Agumon's here to take care of me."
"Tai..."
"I'm fine Kari. This is my peace, my place of rest. I'm not trying to escape or run away."
"Yeah, she told me that too. Just please take better care of yourself."
"Yeah yeah." He mumbled. "Oh, here, can you give this to Sora? I forgot to leave it with you earlier."
"What is it?"
"Her birthday present."
"Duh, but what is it?"
"It's a hairpin."
"She's going to kill you."
Tai laughed. "I'm kidding. I'm not gonna tell you what it is. Just give it to her."
"Fine." She hugged him goodbye.
A few months passed, and things didn't work out with Sora and the model. In fact, it was just on her birthday that they really were together. She still lived in Tai's apartment in the real world, seeing as he would never really use it. Kari and her met up usually to hang out, and some times Sora would ask about Tai. Kari never saw Tai again since Sora's birthday, so she didn't really know how to answer. They just both assumed he was still doing the same old thing he always does.
One night, Sora visited Kari at her house. Seeing as there was nothing better to do, they decided to drink some wine. It had been a while since Kari had let loose like that, and Sora doesn't get the chance to do it either. When they emptied the bottle, they were both out of it. Through all their drunken gossip and antics, Kari had let slip that Tai was the one responsible for Sora's birthday party. She was about to go confront him, but her condition didn't let her get past the coffee table.
She awoke the next day with a major headache. She felt like her whole body was throbbing. 'And that's why I don't drink on the regular. Ugh, why do hangovers have to exist?' She rested that whole day, not able to do much except sleep and watch TV. She stayed in the guest bedroom at Kari's, and when she felt better, she finally made her way home.
She took a long bath to soothe her senses. She was trying to empty her thoughts, but it felt like something from the back of her mind was screaming at her. For some reason, she knew it had something to do with Tai, but shook it off. She tried to go on the rest of the day trying to forget about it, but it was constantly there, trying to tell her something. She laid on the couch, feet up on the armrest, and read a book. She didn't pay much attention to whatever it was she was reading, as she was trying to remember what she and Kari were talking about the night before. All she could remember was that they had both gotten drunk. She laughed at the memory. She was slowly drifting off to sleep, her eyelids not in her control anymore. Her mind was still on last night's events, and right before the last drop of consciousness left her, she remembered...
'Remember your birthday party? Tai was the one who set it all up. We had talked after the Christmas party, and he felt so bad about it that he wanted to make it up to you. He said something about negativity or something like that, and that he wanted to give you and him a try.'
Her eyes shot open. She immediately grabbed her phone and dialed Kari's number.
"Hello?"
"Kari!"
"Yes?"
"Who planned my birthday?"
"Ta- err told you already. Everyon-"
"I knew it! You were gonna say Tai weren't you? You let it slip last night when we got drunk."
Sora heard her gasp from the other line. "NO I DIDN'T."
"That just confirms it. Thank you Kari."
"Wait, no! Sora?" But she was already gone.
The clock read 10:23pm as she went through the portal to the digital world. She ran towards the familiar path and rushed towards the shack.
The door quietly opened. Agumon was sound asleep as she crept towards the opening. She could see him lying on the hammock, swinging on it. His hands were behind his head as he lay in a straight position. She continued to make her way to the foot side of the hammock.
"Sora? What're you doing here?"
"We... I missed you at my birthday party."
"Oh..." He remembered that day, along with the other day all those years ago. "Something came up."
"Liar." She didn't let him explain.
"I'm not lying Sor, something did come up. You can ask Kari."
"Kari told me the truth. LIAR."
He closed his eyes and sighed in defeat. "I'm not completely lying. Something, or someone did come up."
"Go on." Her tone changed as she got on the hammock, making herself comfortable.
"Well, it started with your Christmas party. You seemed so excited about it, and I didn't want to let you down, so I really did try to make it. The commander called me in, and something happened."
She just let out a small "Mhhm" while she cuddled closer to him, putting her head on his chest while brushing his brown hair with one hand.
"When I finally woke up I-"
"What do you mean when you finally woke up?"
"Well, I got into some trouble, again, and Agumon said I was out for a week."
"Stupid Tai..."
He took this as a sign to continue. "Anyways, I visited Kari afterwards, and I told her how bad I felt. She told me the way you felt about me, and I decided that I was gonna return the favor."
"She said you were willing to try to work things out between us."
"Or that. So I planned your surprise party, with Mimi and Kari's help."
"So why didn't you go?"
"When Kari called you, she said you were bringing a date."
"And?"
"What do you mean 'and'? That's it."
"How did you feel about it?"
"You really want me to go into depth about all this?"
"Yes," she said, staring into his chocolate eyes.
"I felt the same way I did before Matt's very first concert. I don't know if you remember bu-"
"I remember," Sora said, with a sudden jolt of guilt running through her.
"Well since then, I've tried to stay away from all of that. I never wanted to feel that way again. It's the reason why I've isolated myself and always avoided everyone else. I'd rather feel nothing than get hurt... but after that night you came here after finding out what Matt did, I felt something change. But the moment I let my guard down, the same thing happens..."
"So you lied when you said nothing was wrong."
"No. Nothing was wrong, and nothing is wrong. Not anymore. At first maybe, but I've learned to live with it. This is where I am now, and I'm happy. I should feel miserable and alone, but I don't. The winters aren't so cold and nights never get lonely."
"What are you trying to say?" The conversation wasn't going the way she wanted it to.
Tai sighed.
"You should go, Sor."
The words hit her like lightning on a tree. Her eyes opened wide in shock.
"What?" she uttered, hoping that she had just heard him wrong.
"Go home, Sor."
She was speechless. This wasn't the same Tai she's known all her life. Tears were now forming in her eyes as Tai got up from the hammock. But before one slid down her cheek, she looked down and saw the gift he had given her for her birthday. It was a necklace, with the crest of Love beautifully re-crafted with white gold metal, encircling a ruby stone.
"NO." She said, getting up.
The sudden sound of her voice made him turn around.
"I am home." She looked up into his eyes. "When I'm with you, it just feels like everything's in place. Sure, we might not always get along, but that's what makes us us. That's who we are,and if you think you can just kick me out of your life like that, well clearly you don't know me. I've found you once Kamiya, I can do it again. Don't think for a second I'll just let you go that easily."
"You did let me go that easily."
"And obviously that was a mistake. Look where I am now. Sure my first relationship and first wedding didn't work out, but it made me realize what I have or don't have. With him, I had a lot of things, but not the things we needed in a relationship. With you, you don't have a lot of things, but you give me the essential things. I smile for no reason when I'm with you. I wake up knowing what a beautiful day it'll be when I wake up with you."
"You don't get it, do you? I'm never going to let myself feel that way about you ever again. If you don't want to leave, then I'll leave."
He turned again to walk away, but she ran in front of him. She stood on the first step of the stairs leading up. It was her turn to look down on him. Tai saw the fire in her eyes, and she could see the fear in his.
"What are you scared of Tai?"
"I'm not scared of anything." He said, averting her gaze.
"Liar."
She always knew him better than he did himself.
"I'm scared of failing, I'm scared of falling, and I'm scared that I won't live up to expectations. I'm scared that when people realize how much I've let them down, that they'll really forget about me. I'm scared that you won't love me as much as I love you. I'm scared that you'll cast me aside once again when you realize I'm not good enough for you. I'm scared that I'll lose you again..."
"Yet here you are, trying to escape again. You're doing all this to yourself."
"Because this way, I'll never have to face those fears. I'm submitting to it before it has a chance to happen. This way, I have the illusion that I'm the one in control of it."
"Stupid Tai..." she mumbled as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
The sudden contact made him look up into her eyes, and they stared at each other. Their foreheads touched, and Sora closed her eyes. There they stood in the darkness, neither one wanting to say anything else. So instead, Sora started humming. She swayed along with it, and it was almost as if they were dancing. Tai realized just what song she was humming.
"I thought you only stood there for a couple of seconds... liar." Somehow his trademark grin made it back on his face.
She giggled, as now the tables were turned. "I didn't want you to think I was being a stalker or something." She opened her eyes and saw the smile on his face. "Can you sing it for me?"
"I don't know if you'll like my voice compared to Matt's."
"There you go again, letting your fears win before you even try. And for your information, I like your singing more than his."
Tai started to sing, and took the lead in their little dance. When he finished, she opened her eyes once again. She leaned in to kiss him, but Tai instinctively pulled back.
"Don't be scared Tai. It's just me."
"Exactly... It's you, Sor."
She smiled. "Do you know how much I love hearing you call me that?"
"What? That? I've been calling you that for as long as I can remember."
"I know, and when you disappeared, I didn't notice how much I missed it until I heard you say it again."
"I'm sorry..."
"It's ok. You had to, I understand. We each have a way of coping with problems, and for you, this was it. There's nothing to be sorry about."
"Thanks..."
"So... can we try again?"
"Try what again?"
The last thing Tai saw was a mischievous grin before she practically tackled him onto the hammock and planted her lips on his. They were lost in each other, but eventually had to stop and get some air.
"I didn't sense any resistance that time, Kamiya."
He just smiled at her, and forced himself on top this time, continuing where they left off. Again they stopped for air.
"Where did you learn to kiss like that?"
"I've had a lot of dates," was his only explanation.
"Yeah, I see. And I've only been with one person. So my making out skills aren't so great like yours."
"I disagree, but if you really feel like that, we can practice until you feel that it's good enough."
She blushed and smiled. "That's a great idea."
The next morning, they woke up in each other's arms. They didn't get up right away, as they still wanted to cuddle.
"Last night was amazing Tai."
"Yeah it was, although it seems we went much farther than just practicing your make out skills."
She blushed and clenched onto Tai's arms as she re-lived last night's events in her head.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing... its just..." Her rosy cheeks were now fiery red.
"No... You're not? You can't be. You and Matt were together for a while. How can you still be?" He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I'm... your first?"
Sora just nodded shyly.
He laughed.
"It's not funny Taichi!"
"I'm not laughing because of that. I just think it's cute. I just always thought-"
"Yeah well you thought wrong, OK." She blurted, interrupting him.
He grabbed her chin to look into her eyes.
"There's nothing to be embarrassed about Sor. If I knew, I probably wouldn't have wasted mine away with some girl. I would've waited for you. I just always assumed, so my mentality was to go for it. I'm sorry."
"You would've waited?"
"Yeah... I told you I would."
The memory replayed in her head.
'I'll be waiting... Thanks.'
Then she smiled. "You don't have to wait anymore," she said while hugging him tightly.
"You're worth every second," he said, planting a kiss on her forehead. And for the first of many thousands of times, his stomach ruined their romantic moment.
She giggled. "Let's cook some breakfast."
"I've got a better idea. Let's have breakfast with Kari and TK. And while we're there, let's have breakfast with everyone!"
Her face beamed in excitement. "You really mean that?"
"Yeah... cuz I know it'd mean the world to you."
"Well I don't want you to do it just for me."
"I know, but it's a good place to start."
Everyone was ecstatic to see Tai after so long. They wanted to thank him for his generous gifts, and also wanted to catch up on their lives. Sora didn't say much, but she was enjoying the time together with their friends. Kari was also elated to finally see her brother happy, especially with Sora. After breakfast, the gang went to a nearby park, and the men went their separate ways to tell stories.
The women, however, talked only about how Sora and Tai finally worked it out. Sora filled them in on everything, and they eagerly listened.
"All I did was just remind him of where he belongs. It was hard, but even he can't match my stubbornness."
It was finally time to go their separate ways, and Tai and Sora kept walking in the park.
"So how are we going to do this?"
"Do what?" she asked.
"Well, do you really want to keep going back to the Digital World everyday, or do you want an actual place to live in here in our world?"
"You'd leave your home behind?"
"If it means having a new one with you, yeah."
She blushed again and he laughed.
"Stop blushing Sor!"
"I can't help it." She laughed along with him.
"So? What's it going to be?"
"I don't see why we can't have both. We'll fix up the shack, and we'll use it for vacations or things like that. But we'll live here for the majority of the time. I want the kids to grow up in the real world, but I also want them to experience life in the Digital World, where they can play with their own little Yokomons and Koromons."
"Kids?" Tai asked.
Sora gasped. "I'm sorry. I just have baby fever because everyone else already has one. I hope I'm not freaking you out or if I'm thinking too fast for us."
He chuckled. "I love the idea of a mini-me playing with his own Koromon," he said while looking up into the sky.
"Are you picturing it right now?"
"Yep."
"Stupid Tai."
They both laughed.
They had a house built for them and their future family in Odaiba, and it was finally time to move into it. Tai and Sora stared out the opening for what might be the last time for a while, and took in the sunset.
"I can't believe we're leaving this behind."
"We're not leaving it behind Sor. We'll always have it, and we can always come back to it. Like you said, we can use it as a vacation house or for camping. This isn't the last time we'll see this."
She clung onto his arm, and they waited a few more minutes until they decided to finally leave. They took the last of their belongings and made their way back to the real world. They had a quiet dinner and cleaned themselves up before it was time for bed.
Tai was unable to sleep that night, and he was constantly moving. Sora awoke to one of his movements.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I guess I'm just not used to this just yet."
"Aw, I'm sorry. Do you want me to open a window?"
"No, its not that. Well, its a combination of things."
"Like?"
"Air conditioning, the sound of machines humming softly, and the unusual feeling of a mattress rather than a hammock. But don't worry, I wouldn't trade any of this for anything else. It'll just take me a while to get used to it is all."
"Is there anything I can do to help?" She said while playing with his hair.
"You're already doing everything to help." He said, turning towards her. "How do you do it Sor?"
"Do what?"
"Keep me falling in love with you over and over again."
"I don't even know why you fell in love with me in the first place."
He leaned in and kissed her.
"Go back to sleep. I'll be fine. At least I'm here with you, and that's all I can ask for."
It seemed that she had went back to sleep not long after that, but she spoke up after a while.
"Tai?"
"Yeah?"
"You know when you told me your fears? And that one of them was you were afraid I wouldn't love you as much as you love me?"
"Uh-huh."
"Well, what if I have that same fear?"
He laughed. "If?"
"Hypothetically speaking."
"Well, I'd say something like 'you'd never have to worry about that because I will always love you more or just as much.'"
"How would you prove that? How can you assure me that you will never do what Matt did?"
"I'd prove it to you in any way that I can, in any way that you want me to. I don't know how I can assure you that I won't, but all I can ask for is that you give me a chance to prove it."
She was silent.
"Look. I don't know what to say, and I don't know what you want to hear from me, but all I can do is try. I don't have that fear anymore Sor. I don't have any of those fears. When I'm with you, you bring out the best of me. I don't need the crest of courage when I have you. If you want me to constantly prove my love to you, then I'll do it. If you need assurance everyday, then you'll get it everyday. What can I say to help? What do you want me to do?"
She tightened her hug on him.
"I want you to say that you'll stop coming home all bloodied and injured from now on. I want you to find a job that isn't so dangerous. I want to be able wake up everyday, knowing 100% that your face will be the last one I'll see that night. I don't want to worry anymore. I know you can take it, Tai, but I can't. And if you're still doing that while we have a baby on the way, I wouldn't be able to handle the stress. I'd also like to be absolutely sure that our kid will have a father when he or she grows up. I want to know that this is forever, and I'm sorry if I sound crazy, but that's what I want."
"Ok."
"Ok?"
"Yeah. Ok. I'll do all of that. And Sor?"
"Hmm?"
"There's nothing else I want more than to be with you for the rest of my life."
She gave a small laugh.
"They why don't you propose already?!"
He laughed too.
"I'm working on it!"
They were silent for a while, then Tai, still unable to sleep, said something.
"For the longest time I was absolutely sure I had no place here. I honestly believed that I belonged in that shack by myself. I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life there, however short it would've been. I didn't have a care in either world what happened to me. I had nothing to leave behind. After that day at the concert, I lost sight of myself and my dreams. I left soccer and everything else behind me that day. I moved on, but I'm not even sure if I moved on to do things I wanted. I think I just did things to help me get along. Things that were enough just for me. Yet here we are, and I'm with the woman of my dreams. You have no idea how much you mean to me, Sor... and I'll never be able to explain it in words. I guess I can just try and show you, and that's what makes tomorrow and every other day exciting."
For the first of a thousand times, she held him closer as he finally fell asleep in their new home.
AN: Ended up much longer than I expected, and ended up writing it twice as long. I had writer's block for about a month and half before I decided I was content with the ending. Maybe I'll come up with an alternate ending if any ideas come to me. This is my second Taiora fic, so R&R again. I realize that most of my fics have recurring themes, like the male going away, and the female trying to make it up to the male. I'm just basing it off my own life experiences and trying to incorporate it into something else I like. Thanks for reading!