Author's Note: I'm baaaaaaack! Well, this time I have brought more than poetry. . .it's a real story this time! Taiora to be precise! Lordy, this has taken forever to finish! It was supposed to be done by. . .uhh. . .*scratches head nervously*. . .Valentine's Day! Oh boy! *blushes very brightly* But hey-it's typical for Interpers to be procrastinators! (or so I hear) Anyways, about the story: like I said Taiora; I wanted to add an element of surprise. . .will you be able to "find Waldo"? (Sorry that was just. . .weird!) It isn't very well hidden. . .and can you guess who the mystery guest is? *slaps herself for constantly saying stupid things* Anyways, these things aren't hidden well b/c. . .well. . .honestly I'm not a very talented writer! MUCH APOLOGIES!
Dedication: To those who fell, are falling, and will fall in love with their best friends. Love is an extremely prestigious emotion and if you are fortunate enough to find true love in a best friend, I think you are truly lucky.
Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon; wish I did though! No! Wait! I do! And ya know what else? I'm the Queen of Sheba! (FYI- that means I DON'T OWN IT!) Nor do I own Disney or their character; or Warner Bros. or their characters. (Don't ask. . .you'll see)
ON WITH THE FIC!
{Oh wait! ***** means a new scene}
One In A Dozen
"What color sir?"
"Red and orange."
"Sorry sir-"
What's the lame excuse this time!
"We don't carry orange," the woman explained softly.
"Yes, thank you," Tai groaned as he hung up. "I have called every place listed! It's almost her birthday! What am I gonna do if I cant find these anywhere!?" Tai moaned in an agitated voice.
"What are you complaining about!" Sora asked dramatically as she poked Tai's side from behind.
Tai jumped, startled from the thought that Sora could have heard the telephone conversation. But he regained his composure the moment he laid his eyes on Sora.
"Silly, I asked you a question!" Sora teased as she threw her arms around Tai's muscular neck.
He stared down into her sparkling crimson eyes and all words left his mind. Tai felt as if his heart had jumped into his throat. But it didn't bother him; this had been his normal reaction to her for the past 18 years. The young tomboy he had so many adventures with in, and out of, the Digital World had transformed into an intimidatingly beautiful woman. Like the ugly duckling became a magnificent swan, Sora transfigured into an angel of Love. But, to Tai, this simile wasn't sufficient because Sora had never been the least bit homely. To Tai, she had always been ravishing...and nothing less.
"Any one in there?!" Sora asked, knocking gently on Tai's forehead.
Tai blushed slightly and smiled widely.
With his left hand he reached up to his forehead and took Sora's hand in his.
"I love you, you know that right?" Tai stared straight into, and past, her crimson eyes.
Sora took a step closer to Tai. "Yes, Tai, I know. You always tell me you do. And I love you, too," she whispered quietly.
Tai leaned down to Sora's lips, and when he and she were millimeters from meeting in a passionate kiss the ring of the telephone caused Sora to jump and loosen her grasp around Tai's neck.
She looked to him with a saddened disappointment in her eyes. And frowned playfully but convincingly because as Tai reached for the telephone he grabbed Sora around the waist and forced her to his side.
"Moshi-moshi?"
Sora tenderly leaned her head against Tai's chest and closed her eyes to listen to the faint sound of his heartbeat.
"When are you guys meeting?" Sora heard Tai ask.
"Well I'd better ask my significant other first." Tai squeezed Sora closer to his side.
"Okay, well I'll be there lat--" Tai was interrupted by a soft smack to his mid-section.
"-if it's okay with Sora!. . .bye!"
"Who was that?" Sora asked in mock anger as she folded her arms over her chest.
"That," Tai shifted his gaze to the telephone, "was Izzy. The guys are going to a soccer match, and being the great friends they are, they asked me to go!"
"Oh, so you're just gonna leave me here?"
"Not exactly. Izzy said he would send Yolei over, and he said he would try to get Kari. . ." Tai paused. ". . .and Matt will probably bring Jun!" he added sarcastically as he rolled his eyes.
"Ohhhhh! Kari and Yolei? I'd better get dressed and straighten up around here!" Sora dashed around the entire apartment straightening pictures and books.
"Jun's coming too!"
"Yolei and Kari! Oh I haven't seen them in such a long time!" Sora was muttering to herself.
Tai shook his head as he headed toward his bedroom to get clothes for the day. And after much deliberation, he decided to wear a pair of denim shorts and a sunset orange shirt.
On the trip to the bathroom, Tai laughed at the sight of Sora running around the apartment re-adjusting everything in sight. Then, all of a sudden, he felt a hard shoulder to his upper arm. . .he had been shoved out of the way by an overly excited Sora. He stood, dumbfounded, as he watched to door shut in his face. Tai raised his friend to protest, but lowered it in defeat when he heard the sound of rushing water.
Tai slowly padded to the telephone to call Kari to make sure Sora had a reason to be excited.
"Hello?"
"Hey, mom? Can I talk to Kari?"
"She's not here, Tai, she went to TK's."
Mrs. Kamiya could practically hear Tai's jaw drop to the floor.
Tai liked TK; he had been one of the most loyal and devoted of the Digidestined, but Tai didn't trust any guy between the ages of 12 and 17 with his "baby sister". As much as it scared him, Tai knew Kari loved TK and TK loved her. But, perhaps more importantly, he knew they respected each other.
"You. . .let her--"
"Yes I let her go to TK's house," Mrs. Kamiya interrupted.
"And you didn't--"
"NO I DIDN'T GO WITH HER! Are you crazy? She would call me a hypocrite! Letting you and Sora live together. . .unmarried! And not trusting her to go to TK's alone! Hmph!"
"I wanted to talk to you about that actually."
This time it was Mrs. Kamiya's jaw that hit the ground.
". . .YOU'RE GONNA MARRY HER!!" She began performing victory dances around the small coffee table in the living room of the apartment.
Tai began laughing hysterically at his mother's eagerness to "get rid of" her son.
"Calm down, Mom!" he was on the verge of tears. "I'm not gonna marry her. . .yet!"
Mrs. Kamiya immediately stopped celebrating and stood stock still where she was waiting for her son to pick up from the "yet" portion of his sentence.
Tai continued, "But my plan for her birthday isn't going so well."
"That was such a good idea, too!"
"Do you think you could help me out with it, Mom?"
"Sure I'll do my best! Just tell me what you need me to pick up!" she insisted charismatically.
Tai quickly explained to his mother the things he wanted her to pick up, then he heard the bathroom door unlock.
"Mom, I gotta go claim the bathroom as my territory!. . .Uh-huh!. . .I love you too!"
He quickly hung up the phone on the charger in the hallway, and snatched his clothes off the back of the couch.
"'I love you'?" Sora asked herself. "Who was he talking to?"
'How am I going to pull this one off?! I don't know what I'm thinking! I've never been able to deceive her before! I am going to get caught-up in this. . .'
'It's okay Sora, he was just talking to Mom. He wasn't talking to another girl. He loves you, remember? Yes! He does love me, it wasn't another girl.'
When Tai got out of the shower, Sora tried to stop him so she could talk to him about the telephone conversation she over heard. But Tai hurried into the bedroom, grabbed his wallet and keys off the dresser, and was out the door before Sora could utter a single word.
Sora turned her back to the door, feeling dejected.
'Maybe he wasn't talking to Mom. No, no! He was talking to her! Don't get so paranoid. . .you know he loves you, you know he does. She repeated this to herself over-and-over again as she cleaned the apartment.'
As she finished perfecting the arrangement of everything in the apartment, the doorbell rang. Sora ran to the door, sliding around the corners on the wooden floors. She peeked through the peephole to see Kari, Yolei, and Jun. Sora screamed, startling the girls on the other side, as she unlocked the door.
Kari was the first to help herself in the apartment, something she would think twice about the next time she visited Sora and Tai.
Sora threw her arms around Kari's shoulders, and the young girl's eyes grew wide.
"I love you too, Sora." Kari coughed, patting Sora on the back.
Sora ushered the other two girls into the small foyer.
Jun waited with open arms for her hug, as Sora shut the door behind her, and herded the trio towards the living room.
"Is my brother here?" Kari looked around the apartment for her mop-headed brother.
Sora drew in a deep, shuttering breath. "No, he left already."
As Yolei sat down on the couch across from Sora, she rested her elbows on her knees. "Are you alright, Sora?"
"Yeah. . .I'm fine," she couldn't look any of the girls in the eye.
"What's wrong!" Jun insisted.
"Hmmn. . .Well, today I over-heard Tai tell someone 'I love you' on the phone. It might have just been Mom, but he was acting kinda strange today. . .I think--"Sora paused. "-he might be seeing someone else?" she finished the sentence sounding very unsure of herself and looking down at her hands.
"Tai wouldn't ever do a thing like that! Not to anyone, and especially not to you, Sora. Take my word for it." Kari tried to reassure the girl who was always strong for everyone else, but seldom for herself.
Yolei reached up and placed a gloved hand on Kari's shoulder to calm her. "Kari's right, ya know?" she said, moving around the coffee table and seating herself in front of Sora. In a soft, almost careful, voice she tried her hand at convincing Sora, "He is too loyal to you. . .and he wouldn't do something like that to anyone. He realizes that no one deserves that kind of treatment."
*****
"Hey, Tai! Over here!" a gorgeous girl yelled from the sidewalk on the other side of the street.
"Oh there you are! I've been looking for you!" Tai made his way across the busy crosswalk.
"How did you get Sora to let you leave?"
Tai let a small laugh escape "I told her Izzy and the guys wanted me to go to 'a game' with them!" Tai hugged the girl who was now laughing hysterically.
"Oh, Taichi!" The young girl chuckled as she slipped her arm around Tai's.
*****
"Takenouchi Flowers!"
"Maika? It's Yukako."
". . ."
"Kamiya?!"
"Ahh! Yukako! How have you been? How's Kari? And Tai, any thing new with him and my Sora? I just talked to Sora earlier this week, but you know that silly girl just as well as I do. . .she won't tell me any thing! Are Kari and TK--"
"Maika!" Mrs. Kamiya shouted. "Calm down!"
"Sorry, I guess I got a little carried away."
Mrs. Kamiya giggled. "A little?"
"Ha-Ha!" Ms. Takenouchi shot-back sarcastically. She cleared her throat and in a very professional tone asked, "What can I do for you ma'am?"
Mrs. Kamiya pursed her lips together in an effort to not laugh, but laughter built insider her until she couldn't contain it.
Ms. Takenouchi stood for seconds listening to silence. "Hello?"
And, Mrs. Kamiya roared with laughter. Laughter so loud that even when Ms. Takenouchi held the phone at an arm's length from her ear, she could still hear her best friend exploding with giggles.
Moments later, Mrs. Kamiya began inhaling deeply to calm herself.
"Actually. . .I was calling to. . .to see if you had. . . red ant orange roses," she managed between gasps.
"Of course I have red roses! But orange. . .that's another question. I'm going to check the refrigerators, okay? Can you hold on?"
Mrs. Kamiya slowly drew in a deep breath and answered yes.
Ms. Takenouchi looked in every refrigerator in her shop.
"Red roses, red carnations, pink carnations, white roses, yellow roses, yellow carnations . . .OHH! Irises! What's this?" She dug through an arrangement of flowers in the middle of the store. She fished out one, lone, fiery orange rose.
"Yukako?" Ms. Takenouchi picked up the receiver and sounded very excited.
"Maika, did you find any?"
"I only found one, it's fire orange! But. . .it hasn't bloomed yet."
"Oh, that doesn't matter. There's only one?"
"Yep, just the one."
"Okay," Mrs. Kamiya thought for a moment. "Alright, get eleven red roses, and make a bouquet centered around the orange one!" she instructed. "I'll be there as soon as I can to pick it up!"
*****
"My mom is taking care of the flower arrangement for us, so all we need to get is the ring, alright! Nothing else! I don't have that much money!"
"Oh, I'm so excited, Tai!" The young girl began skipping across the sidewalk like a small child.
"Umm, Dorothy? Mind if I interrupt your journey to Never-Never Land?" Tai asked.
The red head rolled her eyes. "Dorothy didn't go to Never-Never Land. Wendy did. Dorothy went to Oz; ya know yellow brick road? Dog named Toto?"
Tai raised his hands, surrendering to this girl, whom while also being younger than him, was obviously smarter in the Fine Arts.
"Thanks for the Disney lesson, Bugs Bunny!" Tai retorted.
"Look I found a jewelry store!" the redhead said in a singsong voice. She pulled Tai into the shop by his arm.
*****
"Maika! It is beautiful! Ohh, I love it!" Mrs. Kamiya praised, as she smelled the perfumes of the roses.
The two friends stood side by side, staring at the marvel in front of them.
Ms. Takenouchi broke the silence. "They're for Sora aren't they? Tai is going to give them to her?" she said in a far away voice.
Mrs. Kamiya looked at her friend with a puzzled look.
Ms. Takenouchi, still staring at the flowers, answered her friend's unspoken question.
"It's the red and the orange. The colors of their crests." She looked at her best friend with a strange softness in her eyes. Like she was looking at something else. "They were destined for each other. . .just like they were destined to save our two worlds. They share a love no two other humans have had, or will ever have. Not even TK and Kari can surpass it."
Tears began to run down Mrs. Kamiya's cheeks. The words Maika had said were all too true. She and her husband were, at times, envious that Sora and Tai could love each other unconditionally and never argue at all.
The two women collapsed into each other's arms.
Against the shoulder of Mrs. Kamiya, Ms. Takenouchi wailed, "I miss Hiyu so much! He had the Crest of Security, how could it allow someone to take his life? And poor Sora, she never got to know her father! Why couldn't I have your crest, Yukako? The Crest of Wisdom? Maybe then I would be smart enough to tell WE were the original destined, and THAT'S why the bond between her and Tai is so strong?"
"Oh, Maika! You cannot blame his crest! It was a fluke that stole his life. . .not ANYONE'S fault! And the right opportunity to tell Sora will present itself; there is a right time and manner. You mustn't infatuate yourself with such depressing thoughts, this is a time to be happy."
Convinced, Ms. Takenouchi pushed away from her best friend and wiped away her tears.
*****
"Hello! How can I help you?" the man behind the counter in the jewelry store asked. He was in his mid-forties and had dark hair with a few wispy strands of gray distributed evenly across the top of his head.
He introduced himself as Mr. Midori and explained that he had been the owner of this store, Midori Gems, for over 20 years. He went into even greater detail when he began to annotate where his store got the gems. When he finished his lecture, he looked at the couple and restated his question, "How may I help you?"
The young girl still had her arm wrapped around Tai's. She smiled broadly and explained to the man that she and Tai were shopping for wedding rings.
Mr. Midori showed Tai to the counter that housed multiple jeweled rings.
Positive that the couple wouldn't attempt the theft of any of his precious valuables, Mr. Midori retreated to the back of the store.
The red head soon joined the mystified Tai; he gazed upon the rings, searching desperately for the right one. The amethyst, emerald, opal, pearl, diamond, all of them were gorgeous, but perhaps his favorite - the ruby- caught his eyes. Tai had been fascinated by rubies since before time; possibly because the deep scarlet reminded him of Sora's eyes.
He was pulled out of his daydream when the young girl started jumping around and squealing about finding 'the right one'.
Tai joined her, and looked in the case where she had pointed.
It was a large, gaudy diamond ring. One enormous, squarely cut diamond was centered between two smaller rectangle cut diamond.
Tai shifted his eyes to meet hers and gently held her hands in his. "I LOVE it!" he shouted sarcastically clasping his hands tighter around hers.
In mock anger the girl yanked her hands away from Tai's and turned to another ring case.
Tai, however, continued looking in the case. After carefully inspecting each and every ring, his eyes rested on the ring directly to the left of the one he had just been looking at.
The ring was overflowing with beauty. The band was thin and silver; there was a ruby heart placed neatly in the center of the band.
"Mr. Midori! We found the one we want!"
"We did!?" The young girl dashed to Tai's side, and looked at the ring. "Oh, Tai. . .it's so beautiful!"
Mr. Midori came scurrying out from the rear of the store brimming with happiness.
Tai pointed to the ring he wanted with out even saying a word. He had a huge grin on his face as he watched Mr. Midori take the ring from its holding place and shine it.
After Tai bought the ring, the young red head quickly snatched the jewelry box out of Tai's hand.
As Tai turned and walked out the door, Mr. Midori yelled, "I hope you two live happily ever after!"
The girl looked at Tai and began giggling. When her laughter died down, she opened the blue, velvet ring box and gawked at the precious heart-shaped stone.
"Tai," she whispered, "it's perfect. I love it."
"Uh-hmn," was all Tai answered, and the young girl pouted because she knew Tai was thinking about Sora and hadn't heard a word she said.
*****
Mrs. Kamiya glanced at her wristwatch and noticed how long she had simply been staring at the amazing display of nature's beauty in front of her.
"Maika! I have to! I need to make sure Kari comes home from TK's. Last time she called for a ride home and since no one answered she decided she would spend the night!"
Ms. Takenouchi wiped the tears from her eyes, and hurriedly grabbed the bouquet, placing it in her friend's arms.
"Thank you so much, Maika!" Mrs. Kamiya squealed as she hugged her best friend with her free arm.
*****
"Tadiama! I'm home Sora!"
"Taaii!" Sora ran to the front door, and lovingly wrapped her arms around Tai. She rested her ear on his chest and listed to his heartbeat.
Tai hugged Sora tightly, and comically told her, "I missed you too, honey."
With his left arm, Tai reached down to Sora's knees and quickly swept her feet from under her.
Sora began to giggle furiously, and playfully pecked Tai on his cheek, as he gently laid her on the small sofa in their living room. Tai picked up Sora's feet, sat in the place they previously occupied, then dropped them into his lap.
"Aren't you cold, Sora? It's freezing in here!"
"No, only my feet are cold." She readjusted the way she sat so her head lay on the armrest, and her knees were slightly bent up.
Tai began to rub his warm hands over her feet as she started at the ceiling, then he got a feeling that something was troubling Sora.
It was twilight and only two small lamps in the apartment were on, but he could see her eyes were pink and puffy.
'Oh, my gosh, what's wrong?'
"Is something bothering you?"
"No, I'm fine!" she answered with a bright smile.
'Yes, something's bothering me! Can't you see I was crying?'
Tai lifted her legs again, and moved closer to her. Now her knees were resting in his lap.
"Because it looks like you were crying." Tai brushed the thumb of his left hand over her cheekbone and let his other fingers rest behind her ear.
Sora closed her eyes and cuddled her face into Tai's gentle hand.
'He knows me too well.'
"This is a hard question. . .but. . .uhh. . .are you seeing someone else?"
Sora squeezed her eyelids shut tighter, half out of shame for asking him, her true love, a question like that, half out of fear that the answer would be yes.
'Please, Tai, don't be angry with me.'
He lifted his right hand from Sora's knee and placed it on her face. "Sora. . ." Tai put his forehead to Sora's.
She opened her eyes to meet his, and the words that need not be said, were inferred.
"C'mon Sora, let's go to bed." Tai stood and pulled Sora off the couch. He wrapped his arm around her waist and whispered to her, "Someone told me tomorrow is Sora Takenouchi's birthday!"
*****
When Sora woke, she rolled over to greet Tai, only to find he wasn't there. She swung her feet out of bed, and shoved them into her slippers. She quickly walked to the kitchen. . . but she never made it.
Sora stopped mid-stride and looked over every inch of the dining room. The table was covered with a beautiful crimson cloth, on top of the cloth was an assortment of food. Steam rose from scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, and pitchers of milk and orange juice were placed at either end of the table. Next, here eyes landed on the china. It was the most beautiful she had never seen. Sora's eyes took a confused tone, but her huge smile didn't fade from her lips.
Then her eyes stumbled across the one piece of art the whole arrangement was centered around - one solitary rose. It was of the deepest red and looked like it was made of velvet.
Sora stepped a few feet closer to the table and extended a trembling hand towards the flower.
"Ah-ah! No touching!" Tai shook his finger at Sora.
"Taichi Kamiya? Did you do all this?" she swept her whole hand over the table as she talked.
Tai took the question as praise and brimmed with happiness. "Sit, Sit! This is your birthday breakfast. . . it will only happen once a year!"
"Once in a blue moon is more like it!" Sora muttered.
"What!"
"Nothing!" Sora giggled and took her place across from tai.
She noticed for the first time, an unadorned card propped against the vase that housed the long stemmed rose.
She reached for the card, but Tai told her with a full mouth, "No, you eat, then you can open your present!"
"Tai," Sora whined as she speared a piece of bacon. "That's all you got me? A card!"
Tai suddenly tensed. 'You're going to tell her! TODAY!'
He noticeably forced a grin, and resumed eating. Sora noticed he was eating, more appropriately, shoving, the food into his mouth at an astounding pace.
While Sora took a sip of her orange juice, she thought, 'I wonder what's wrong. He seems so nervous.'
When Tai shoved the last bite of food in his mouth he excused himself, rinsed his plate, and went to the bedroom to change into his day clothes.
Sora sat alone at the table pulling the crusts off her toast, and flipping through reasons why Tai could be so anxious.
She finally allowed her restless mind to settle on the card beneath the exquisite rose. 'I can't believe my mom was in on this and I didn't know!' Sora wanted badly to open the card, but stopped herself because she thought it was only right if Tai was there when she opened her only gift. She beamed, knowing there must be another gift hidden somewhere. Sora let herself daydream about the gifts she wished Tai had bought her, but was pulled out of it when she heard, "SORA! CLOSE YOUR EYES! I HAVE A SURPRISE!"
'Another surprise? First he cooks, no this!'
Sora was happy to close her eyes this time around, and excitedly clasped her hands around the napkin in her lap. She heard Tai's socked feet pad into the kitchen and stop at her side. She drew in a deep breath and her smile grew even wider.
Sora was overwhelmed with the sweet scent of something she couldn't see as she drew in a breath. She sniffed the air again and the divine aroma was still lingering.
"Tai, did you bake me a cake too!"
Tai laughed. "I'm not THAT good, Sora!" He softened his voice, "You can open your eyes now."
Sora slowly opened her crimson eyes, wanting to smell the fragrant perfume longer without knowing its origin. She was stunned when she opened her eyes all the way and discovered Tai holding a bouquet of roses inches from her face. All the flowers were red, all but one. A sole orange rose stood alone in the center of the bouquet.
"Oh! Tai! They're. . .heavenly." Sora reached for the stems of the roses and took them from Tai's grasp. She brought the bunch to her nose again to once again breathe in the pleasing aroma.
Tai pulled the chair at Sora's side closer to her, and sat. He rested his hand on her knee as she continuously sniffed the roses.
'Our crests. . .' Sora thought.
"You can open your card now, Sora." Tai stood and took Sora's plate to the kitchen.
She laid the flowers in the place her plate had been and reached across the table for the white card.
When Sora opened the card, the only thing it said was, "Open the orange rose" in beautiful, cursive writing. Sora was confused by the message the card gave her. She set the card down beside the flowers and picked up the roses again.
Tai walked back into the dining room to find Sora studying the orange flower.
"What did the card say?"
"It said to open the orange rose."
"Did you open it?"
"No. If I open it, it'll ruin the rose though."
"Just open it. If the card said to, you should do it."
After a few moments of deliberation, Sora grabbed the solitary rose out of the bouquet, and set the rest down.
She looked a bit longer at the rose before she carefully began peeling the petals back.
Tai took his place at Sora's side again, and nervously fidgeted as Sora patiently separated the petals of the gorgeous flower.
As the bud got smaller and smaller, Tai's hands began to feel clamy and he constantly wiped them on his jeans.
Sora pulled the last few petals off the bud, and gaped at the present it dropped into her palm.
Sitting in her hand was a ring. It had a thin silver band with one ruby in the shape of a heart.
". . .Tai. . ." Sora tore her gaze from the ring to Tai's chocolate eyes.
"Sora. . .Will you. . .marry me?"
Tears began to fall from Sora's eyes, but her breath didn't falter.
And again, the words that need not be spoken were inferred.
Author's Note: Okay. . .how'd you like it? Yes, I know, the mystery guest was pretty obvious. . .*everyone in unison: MI-MI!* Well, at least I finally finished it right? How was the ending? I wasn't sure how I was gonna do it. Well like always, review and no flames please! Love you~ Sora-chan!
Dedication: To those who fell, are falling, and will fall in love with their best friends. Love is an extremely prestigious emotion and if you are fortunate enough to find true love in a best friend, I think you are truly lucky.
Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon; wish I did though! No! Wait! I do! And ya know what else? I'm the Queen of Sheba! (FYI- that means I DON'T OWN IT!) Nor do I own Disney or their character; or Warner Bros. or their characters. (Don't ask. . .you'll see)
ON WITH THE FIC!
{Oh wait! ***** means a new scene}
One In A Dozen
"What color sir?"
"Red and orange."
"Sorry sir-"
What's the lame excuse this time!
"We don't carry orange," the woman explained softly.
"Yes, thank you," Tai groaned as he hung up. "I have called every place listed! It's almost her birthday! What am I gonna do if I cant find these anywhere!?" Tai moaned in an agitated voice.
"What are you complaining about!" Sora asked dramatically as she poked Tai's side from behind.
Tai jumped, startled from the thought that Sora could have heard the telephone conversation. But he regained his composure the moment he laid his eyes on Sora.
"Silly, I asked you a question!" Sora teased as she threw her arms around Tai's muscular neck.
He stared down into her sparkling crimson eyes and all words left his mind. Tai felt as if his heart had jumped into his throat. But it didn't bother him; this had been his normal reaction to her for the past 18 years. The young tomboy he had so many adventures with in, and out of, the Digital World had transformed into an intimidatingly beautiful woman. Like the ugly duckling became a magnificent swan, Sora transfigured into an angel of Love. But, to Tai, this simile wasn't sufficient because Sora had never been the least bit homely. To Tai, she had always been ravishing...and nothing less.
"Any one in there?!" Sora asked, knocking gently on Tai's forehead.
Tai blushed slightly and smiled widely.
With his left hand he reached up to his forehead and took Sora's hand in his.
"I love you, you know that right?" Tai stared straight into, and past, her crimson eyes.
Sora took a step closer to Tai. "Yes, Tai, I know. You always tell me you do. And I love you, too," she whispered quietly.
Tai leaned down to Sora's lips, and when he and she were millimeters from meeting in a passionate kiss the ring of the telephone caused Sora to jump and loosen her grasp around Tai's neck.
She looked to him with a saddened disappointment in her eyes. And frowned playfully but convincingly because as Tai reached for the telephone he grabbed Sora around the waist and forced her to his side.
"Moshi-moshi?"
Sora tenderly leaned her head against Tai's chest and closed her eyes to listen to the faint sound of his heartbeat.
"When are you guys meeting?" Sora heard Tai ask.
"Well I'd better ask my significant other first." Tai squeezed Sora closer to his side.
"Okay, well I'll be there lat--" Tai was interrupted by a soft smack to his mid-section.
"-if it's okay with Sora!. . .bye!"
"Who was that?" Sora asked in mock anger as she folded her arms over her chest.
"That," Tai shifted his gaze to the telephone, "was Izzy. The guys are going to a soccer match, and being the great friends they are, they asked me to go!"
"Oh, so you're just gonna leave me here?"
"Not exactly. Izzy said he would send Yolei over, and he said he would try to get Kari. . ." Tai paused. ". . .and Matt will probably bring Jun!" he added sarcastically as he rolled his eyes.
"Ohhhhh! Kari and Yolei? I'd better get dressed and straighten up around here!" Sora dashed around the entire apartment straightening pictures and books.
"Jun's coming too!"
"Yolei and Kari! Oh I haven't seen them in such a long time!" Sora was muttering to herself.
Tai shook his head as he headed toward his bedroom to get clothes for the day. And after much deliberation, he decided to wear a pair of denim shorts and a sunset orange shirt.
On the trip to the bathroom, Tai laughed at the sight of Sora running around the apartment re-adjusting everything in sight. Then, all of a sudden, he felt a hard shoulder to his upper arm. . .he had been shoved out of the way by an overly excited Sora. He stood, dumbfounded, as he watched to door shut in his face. Tai raised his friend to protest, but lowered it in defeat when he heard the sound of rushing water.
Tai slowly padded to the telephone to call Kari to make sure Sora had a reason to be excited.
"Hello?"
"Hey, mom? Can I talk to Kari?"
"She's not here, Tai, she went to TK's."
Mrs. Kamiya could practically hear Tai's jaw drop to the floor.
Tai liked TK; he had been one of the most loyal and devoted of the Digidestined, but Tai didn't trust any guy between the ages of 12 and 17 with his "baby sister". As much as it scared him, Tai knew Kari loved TK and TK loved her. But, perhaps more importantly, he knew they respected each other.
"You. . .let her--"
"Yes I let her go to TK's house," Mrs. Kamiya interrupted.
"And you didn't--"
"NO I DIDN'T GO WITH HER! Are you crazy? She would call me a hypocrite! Letting you and Sora live together. . .unmarried! And not trusting her to go to TK's alone! Hmph!"
"I wanted to talk to you about that actually."
This time it was Mrs. Kamiya's jaw that hit the ground.
". . .YOU'RE GONNA MARRY HER!!" She began performing victory dances around the small coffee table in the living room of the apartment.
Tai began laughing hysterically at his mother's eagerness to "get rid of" her son.
"Calm down, Mom!" he was on the verge of tears. "I'm not gonna marry her. . .yet!"
Mrs. Kamiya immediately stopped celebrating and stood stock still where she was waiting for her son to pick up from the "yet" portion of his sentence.
Tai continued, "But my plan for her birthday isn't going so well."
"That was such a good idea, too!"
"Do you think you could help me out with it, Mom?"
"Sure I'll do my best! Just tell me what you need me to pick up!" she insisted charismatically.
Tai quickly explained to his mother the things he wanted her to pick up, then he heard the bathroom door unlock.
"Mom, I gotta go claim the bathroom as my territory!. . .Uh-huh!. . .I love you too!"
He quickly hung up the phone on the charger in the hallway, and snatched his clothes off the back of the couch.
"'I love you'?" Sora asked herself. "Who was he talking to?"
'How am I going to pull this one off?! I don't know what I'm thinking! I've never been able to deceive her before! I am going to get caught-up in this. . .'
'It's okay Sora, he was just talking to Mom. He wasn't talking to another girl. He loves you, remember? Yes! He does love me, it wasn't another girl.'
When Tai got out of the shower, Sora tried to stop him so she could talk to him about the telephone conversation she over heard. But Tai hurried into the bedroom, grabbed his wallet and keys off the dresser, and was out the door before Sora could utter a single word.
Sora turned her back to the door, feeling dejected.
'Maybe he wasn't talking to Mom. No, no! He was talking to her! Don't get so paranoid. . .you know he loves you, you know he does. She repeated this to herself over-and-over again as she cleaned the apartment.'
As she finished perfecting the arrangement of everything in the apartment, the doorbell rang. Sora ran to the door, sliding around the corners on the wooden floors. She peeked through the peephole to see Kari, Yolei, and Jun. Sora screamed, startling the girls on the other side, as she unlocked the door.
Kari was the first to help herself in the apartment, something she would think twice about the next time she visited Sora and Tai.
Sora threw her arms around Kari's shoulders, and the young girl's eyes grew wide.
"I love you too, Sora." Kari coughed, patting Sora on the back.
Sora ushered the other two girls into the small foyer.
Jun waited with open arms for her hug, as Sora shut the door behind her, and herded the trio towards the living room.
"Is my brother here?" Kari looked around the apartment for her mop-headed brother.
Sora drew in a deep, shuttering breath. "No, he left already."
As Yolei sat down on the couch across from Sora, she rested her elbows on her knees. "Are you alright, Sora?"
"Yeah. . .I'm fine," she couldn't look any of the girls in the eye.
"What's wrong!" Jun insisted.
"Hmmn. . .Well, today I over-heard Tai tell someone 'I love you' on the phone. It might have just been Mom, but he was acting kinda strange today. . .I think--"Sora paused. "-he might be seeing someone else?" she finished the sentence sounding very unsure of herself and looking down at her hands.
"Tai wouldn't ever do a thing like that! Not to anyone, and especially not to you, Sora. Take my word for it." Kari tried to reassure the girl who was always strong for everyone else, but seldom for herself.
Yolei reached up and placed a gloved hand on Kari's shoulder to calm her. "Kari's right, ya know?" she said, moving around the coffee table and seating herself in front of Sora. In a soft, almost careful, voice she tried her hand at convincing Sora, "He is too loyal to you. . .and he wouldn't do something like that to anyone. He realizes that no one deserves that kind of treatment."
*****
"Hey, Tai! Over here!" a gorgeous girl yelled from the sidewalk on the other side of the street.
"Oh there you are! I've been looking for you!" Tai made his way across the busy crosswalk.
"How did you get Sora to let you leave?"
Tai let a small laugh escape "I told her Izzy and the guys wanted me to go to 'a game' with them!" Tai hugged the girl who was now laughing hysterically.
"Oh, Taichi!" The young girl chuckled as she slipped her arm around Tai's.
*****
"Takenouchi Flowers!"
"Maika? It's Yukako."
". . ."
"Kamiya?!"
"Ahh! Yukako! How have you been? How's Kari? And Tai, any thing new with him and my Sora? I just talked to Sora earlier this week, but you know that silly girl just as well as I do. . .she won't tell me any thing! Are Kari and TK--"
"Maika!" Mrs. Kamiya shouted. "Calm down!"
"Sorry, I guess I got a little carried away."
Mrs. Kamiya giggled. "A little?"
"Ha-Ha!" Ms. Takenouchi shot-back sarcastically. She cleared her throat and in a very professional tone asked, "What can I do for you ma'am?"
Mrs. Kamiya pursed her lips together in an effort to not laugh, but laughter built insider her until she couldn't contain it.
Ms. Takenouchi stood for seconds listening to silence. "Hello?"
And, Mrs. Kamiya roared with laughter. Laughter so loud that even when Ms. Takenouchi held the phone at an arm's length from her ear, she could still hear her best friend exploding with giggles.
Moments later, Mrs. Kamiya began inhaling deeply to calm herself.
"Actually. . .I was calling to. . .to see if you had. . . red ant orange roses," she managed between gasps.
"Of course I have red roses! But orange. . .that's another question. I'm going to check the refrigerators, okay? Can you hold on?"
Mrs. Kamiya slowly drew in a deep breath and answered yes.
Ms. Takenouchi looked in every refrigerator in her shop.
"Red roses, red carnations, pink carnations, white roses, yellow roses, yellow carnations . . .OHH! Irises! What's this?" She dug through an arrangement of flowers in the middle of the store. She fished out one, lone, fiery orange rose.
"Yukako?" Ms. Takenouchi picked up the receiver and sounded very excited.
"Maika, did you find any?"
"I only found one, it's fire orange! But. . .it hasn't bloomed yet."
"Oh, that doesn't matter. There's only one?"
"Yep, just the one."
"Okay," Mrs. Kamiya thought for a moment. "Alright, get eleven red roses, and make a bouquet centered around the orange one!" she instructed. "I'll be there as soon as I can to pick it up!"
*****
"My mom is taking care of the flower arrangement for us, so all we need to get is the ring, alright! Nothing else! I don't have that much money!"
"Oh, I'm so excited, Tai!" The young girl began skipping across the sidewalk like a small child.
"Umm, Dorothy? Mind if I interrupt your journey to Never-Never Land?" Tai asked.
The red head rolled her eyes. "Dorothy didn't go to Never-Never Land. Wendy did. Dorothy went to Oz; ya know yellow brick road? Dog named Toto?"
Tai raised his hands, surrendering to this girl, whom while also being younger than him, was obviously smarter in the Fine Arts.
"Thanks for the Disney lesson, Bugs Bunny!" Tai retorted.
"Look I found a jewelry store!" the redhead said in a singsong voice. She pulled Tai into the shop by his arm.
*****
"Maika! It is beautiful! Ohh, I love it!" Mrs. Kamiya praised, as she smelled the perfumes of the roses.
The two friends stood side by side, staring at the marvel in front of them.
Ms. Takenouchi broke the silence. "They're for Sora aren't they? Tai is going to give them to her?" she said in a far away voice.
Mrs. Kamiya looked at her friend with a puzzled look.
Ms. Takenouchi, still staring at the flowers, answered her friend's unspoken question.
"It's the red and the orange. The colors of their crests." She looked at her best friend with a strange softness in her eyes. Like she was looking at something else. "They were destined for each other. . .just like they were destined to save our two worlds. They share a love no two other humans have had, or will ever have. Not even TK and Kari can surpass it."
Tears began to run down Mrs. Kamiya's cheeks. The words Maika had said were all too true. She and her husband were, at times, envious that Sora and Tai could love each other unconditionally and never argue at all.
The two women collapsed into each other's arms.
Against the shoulder of Mrs. Kamiya, Ms. Takenouchi wailed, "I miss Hiyu so much! He had the Crest of Security, how could it allow someone to take his life? And poor Sora, she never got to know her father! Why couldn't I have your crest, Yukako? The Crest of Wisdom? Maybe then I would be smart enough to tell WE were the original destined, and THAT'S why the bond between her and Tai is so strong?"
"Oh, Maika! You cannot blame his crest! It was a fluke that stole his life. . .not ANYONE'S fault! And the right opportunity to tell Sora will present itself; there is a right time and manner. You mustn't infatuate yourself with such depressing thoughts, this is a time to be happy."
Convinced, Ms. Takenouchi pushed away from her best friend and wiped away her tears.
*****
"Hello! How can I help you?" the man behind the counter in the jewelry store asked. He was in his mid-forties and had dark hair with a few wispy strands of gray distributed evenly across the top of his head.
He introduced himself as Mr. Midori and explained that he had been the owner of this store, Midori Gems, for over 20 years. He went into even greater detail when he began to annotate where his store got the gems. When he finished his lecture, he looked at the couple and restated his question, "How may I help you?"
The young girl still had her arm wrapped around Tai's. She smiled broadly and explained to the man that she and Tai were shopping for wedding rings.
Mr. Midori showed Tai to the counter that housed multiple jeweled rings.
Positive that the couple wouldn't attempt the theft of any of his precious valuables, Mr. Midori retreated to the back of the store.
The red head soon joined the mystified Tai; he gazed upon the rings, searching desperately for the right one. The amethyst, emerald, opal, pearl, diamond, all of them were gorgeous, but perhaps his favorite - the ruby- caught his eyes. Tai had been fascinated by rubies since before time; possibly because the deep scarlet reminded him of Sora's eyes.
He was pulled out of his daydream when the young girl started jumping around and squealing about finding 'the right one'.
Tai joined her, and looked in the case where she had pointed.
It was a large, gaudy diamond ring. One enormous, squarely cut diamond was centered between two smaller rectangle cut diamond.
Tai shifted his eyes to meet hers and gently held her hands in his. "I LOVE it!" he shouted sarcastically clasping his hands tighter around hers.
In mock anger the girl yanked her hands away from Tai's and turned to another ring case.
Tai, however, continued looking in the case. After carefully inspecting each and every ring, his eyes rested on the ring directly to the left of the one he had just been looking at.
The ring was overflowing with beauty. The band was thin and silver; there was a ruby heart placed neatly in the center of the band.
"Mr. Midori! We found the one we want!"
"We did!?" The young girl dashed to Tai's side, and looked at the ring. "Oh, Tai. . .it's so beautiful!"
Mr. Midori came scurrying out from the rear of the store brimming with happiness.
Tai pointed to the ring he wanted with out even saying a word. He had a huge grin on his face as he watched Mr. Midori take the ring from its holding place and shine it.
After Tai bought the ring, the young red head quickly snatched the jewelry box out of Tai's hand.
As Tai turned and walked out the door, Mr. Midori yelled, "I hope you two live happily ever after!"
The girl looked at Tai and began giggling. When her laughter died down, she opened the blue, velvet ring box and gawked at the precious heart-shaped stone.
"Tai," she whispered, "it's perfect. I love it."
"Uh-hmn," was all Tai answered, and the young girl pouted because she knew Tai was thinking about Sora and hadn't heard a word she said.
*****
Mrs. Kamiya glanced at her wristwatch and noticed how long she had simply been staring at the amazing display of nature's beauty in front of her.
"Maika! I have to! I need to make sure Kari comes home from TK's. Last time she called for a ride home and since no one answered she decided she would spend the night!"
Ms. Takenouchi wiped the tears from her eyes, and hurriedly grabbed the bouquet, placing it in her friend's arms.
"Thank you so much, Maika!" Mrs. Kamiya squealed as she hugged her best friend with her free arm.
*****
"Tadiama! I'm home Sora!"
"Taaii!" Sora ran to the front door, and lovingly wrapped her arms around Tai. She rested her ear on his chest and listed to his heartbeat.
Tai hugged Sora tightly, and comically told her, "I missed you too, honey."
With his left arm, Tai reached down to Sora's knees and quickly swept her feet from under her.
Sora began to giggle furiously, and playfully pecked Tai on his cheek, as he gently laid her on the small sofa in their living room. Tai picked up Sora's feet, sat in the place they previously occupied, then dropped them into his lap.
"Aren't you cold, Sora? It's freezing in here!"
"No, only my feet are cold." She readjusted the way she sat so her head lay on the armrest, and her knees were slightly bent up.
Tai began to rub his warm hands over her feet as she started at the ceiling, then he got a feeling that something was troubling Sora.
It was twilight and only two small lamps in the apartment were on, but he could see her eyes were pink and puffy.
'Oh, my gosh, what's wrong?'
"Is something bothering you?"
"No, I'm fine!" she answered with a bright smile.
'Yes, something's bothering me! Can't you see I was crying?'
Tai lifted her legs again, and moved closer to her. Now her knees were resting in his lap.
"Because it looks like you were crying." Tai brushed the thumb of his left hand over her cheekbone and let his other fingers rest behind her ear.
Sora closed her eyes and cuddled her face into Tai's gentle hand.
'He knows me too well.'
"This is a hard question. . .but. . .uhh. . .are you seeing someone else?"
Sora squeezed her eyelids shut tighter, half out of shame for asking him, her true love, a question like that, half out of fear that the answer would be yes.
'Please, Tai, don't be angry with me.'
He lifted his right hand from Sora's knee and placed it on her face. "Sora. . ." Tai put his forehead to Sora's.
She opened her eyes to meet his, and the words that need not be said, were inferred.
"C'mon Sora, let's go to bed." Tai stood and pulled Sora off the couch. He wrapped his arm around her waist and whispered to her, "Someone told me tomorrow is Sora Takenouchi's birthday!"
*****
When Sora woke, she rolled over to greet Tai, only to find he wasn't there. She swung her feet out of bed, and shoved them into her slippers. She quickly walked to the kitchen. . . but she never made it.
Sora stopped mid-stride and looked over every inch of the dining room. The table was covered with a beautiful crimson cloth, on top of the cloth was an assortment of food. Steam rose from scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, and pitchers of milk and orange juice were placed at either end of the table. Next, here eyes landed on the china. It was the most beautiful she had never seen. Sora's eyes took a confused tone, but her huge smile didn't fade from her lips.
Then her eyes stumbled across the one piece of art the whole arrangement was centered around - one solitary rose. It was of the deepest red and looked like it was made of velvet.
Sora stepped a few feet closer to the table and extended a trembling hand towards the flower.
"Ah-ah! No touching!" Tai shook his finger at Sora.
"Taichi Kamiya? Did you do all this?" she swept her whole hand over the table as she talked.
Tai took the question as praise and brimmed with happiness. "Sit, Sit! This is your birthday breakfast. . . it will only happen once a year!"
"Once in a blue moon is more like it!" Sora muttered.
"What!"
"Nothing!" Sora giggled and took her place across from tai.
She noticed for the first time, an unadorned card propped against the vase that housed the long stemmed rose.
She reached for the card, but Tai told her with a full mouth, "No, you eat, then you can open your present!"
"Tai," Sora whined as she speared a piece of bacon. "That's all you got me? A card!"
Tai suddenly tensed. 'You're going to tell her! TODAY!'
He noticeably forced a grin, and resumed eating. Sora noticed he was eating, more appropriately, shoving, the food into his mouth at an astounding pace.
While Sora took a sip of her orange juice, she thought, 'I wonder what's wrong. He seems so nervous.'
When Tai shoved the last bite of food in his mouth he excused himself, rinsed his plate, and went to the bedroom to change into his day clothes.
Sora sat alone at the table pulling the crusts off her toast, and flipping through reasons why Tai could be so anxious.
She finally allowed her restless mind to settle on the card beneath the exquisite rose. 'I can't believe my mom was in on this and I didn't know!' Sora wanted badly to open the card, but stopped herself because she thought it was only right if Tai was there when she opened her only gift. She beamed, knowing there must be another gift hidden somewhere. Sora let herself daydream about the gifts she wished Tai had bought her, but was pulled out of it when she heard, "SORA! CLOSE YOUR EYES! I HAVE A SURPRISE!"
'Another surprise? First he cooks, no this!'
Sora was happy to close her eyes this time around, and excitedly clasped her hands around the napkin in her lap. She heard Tai's socked feet pad into the kitchen and stop at her side. She drew in a deep breath and her smile grew even wider.
Sora was overwhelmed with the sweet scent of something she couldn't see as she drew in a breath. She sniffed the air again and the divine aroma was still lingering.
"Tai, did you bake me a cake too!"
Tai laughed. "I'm not THAT good, Sora!" He softened his voice, "You can open your eyes now."
Sora slowly opened her crimson eyes, wanting to smell the fragrant perfume longer without knowing its origin. She was stunned when she opened her eyes all the way and discovered Tai holding a bouquet of roses inches from her face. All the flowers were red, all but one. A sole orange rose stood alone in the center of the bouquet.
"Oh! Tai! They're. . .heavenly." Sora reached for the stems of the roses and took them from Tai's grasp. She brought the bunch to her nose again to once again breathe in the pleasing aroma.
Tai pulled the chair at Sora's side closer to her, and sat. He rested his hand on her knee as she continuously sniffed the roses.
'Our crests. . .' Sora thought.
"You can open your card now, Sora." Tai stood and took Sora's plate to the kitchen.
She laid the flowers in the place her plate had been and reached across the table for the white card.
When Sora opened the card, the only thing it said was, "Open the orange rose" in beautiful, cursive writing. Sora was confused by the message the card gave her. She set the card down beside the flowers and picked up the roses again.
Tai walked back into the dining room to find Sora studying the orange flower.
"What did the card say?"
"It said to open the orange rose."
"Did you open it?"
"No. If I open it, it'll ruin the rose though."
"Just open it. If the card said to, you should do it."
After a few moments of deliberation, Sora grabbed the solitary rose out of the bouquet, and set the rest down.
She looked a bit longer at the rose before she carefully began peeling the petals back.
Tai took his place at Sora's side again, and nervously fidgeted as Sora patiently separated the petals of the gorgeous flower.
As the bud got smaller and smaller, Tai's hands began to feel clamy and he constantly wiped them on his jeans.
Sora pulled the last few petals off the bud, and gaped at the present it dropped into her palm.
Sitting in her hand was a ring. It had a thin silver band with one ruby in the shape of a heart.
". . .Tai. . ." Sora tore her gaze from the ring to Tai's chocolate eyes.
"Sora. . .Will you. . .marry me?"
Tears began to fall from Sora's eyes, but her breath didn't falter.
And again, the words that need not be spoken were inferred.
Author's Note: Okay. . .how'd you like it? Yes, I know, the mystery guest was pretty obvious. . .*everyone in unison: MI-MI!* Well, at least I finally finished it right? How was the ending? I wasn't sure how I was gonna do it. Well like always, review and no flames please! Love you~ Sora-chan!