A/N: Hey, y'all. This is what I hope ends Tri when it does end. Before you jump on me for it, this is just my opinion and it may not happen but we will see. Fellow Taiora fans, you'll love this. Even if you don't support it, I hope you enjoy it anyway.

Disclaimer: Don't own Digimon, etc.

Enjoy.

Tai stood on the edge of Odaiba Beach watching the waves crash on the shore of Tokyo Bay. He kept making glances along the shoreline, waiting for the person he was expecting to meet him. Sora had said she would be there between five and 5:30. He looked at his watch, which now read 5:45. She was late.

'What if this wasn't a good idea?' He asks himself. 'I don't want to make things worse between the two of us. I've already been through enough the last couple of years.'

Looking up from his watch, Tai looked out at the water. He could see the Tokyo skyline on the other side and the Rainbow Bridge beginning to light up with dusk starting to settle in.

A wave of nervousness overcomes him so he does everything possible to keep himself calm. He scratches his head, his hand running through his wild hair, 'I have to cut it eventually. Time to start looking more mature,' and paces around the boardwalk path around the entire beach. He wasn't so sure that he could do this. It all sounds good in theory but actually applying it is the hardest part.

Earlier that day, he and the other Digidestined had just said goodbye to their Digimon partners for possibly the last time. After the whole infected Digimon thing was sorted out, Tai was not sure what to feel about the end of it. Part of him was relieved that everything worked out well but there was also the part of him that was sad to see it all end. He felt more connected to his friends than he had in a while because of this and he did not want it to end. Soon graduation would come and they probably will never have time for each other as much.

One particular friend in general stood out more than others in his mind.

He and Sora had always been close since they were children: playing soccer together, being together, telling each other everything, and being the best of friends. When they went to the Digital World the first time, it seemed as though he started seeing her in a brand new light. Until then, she had always been one of the guys but now he was seeing a whole new side of her. It was when they reached their teenage years that things started to change.

The first catalyst was Sora giving up soccer and taking up tennis instead. He joked to her that she was joining a "rich kid" sport and had no time for the "soccer grunts" anymore. Then she started becoming more and more feminine; not wearing hats anymore, trading jeans for skirts, and becoming a fashionista, which surprised him most of all. Fashion was more Mimi's thing than hers and Sora had not shown an interest in it before so Tai was shocked to find out about it.

Now that they were not on the same kind of playing field together all the time, their friendship became less tight than it was before. This was not to say that they became complete strangers to each other but the friendship wasn't there as it was in the past. While he served as the mentor for the second group of Digidestined, Davis mostly, he and Sora didn't have much time for each other.

Then came the worst day of his life.

Three days before Christmas, he decided to make his move at Matt's concert. Tai felt like it was the right time to ask her out, hoping that she felt the same way he did and he would receive his happily ever after with her after all. Seeing her stand there with the neatly wrapped box in her arms, he thought she looked like an angel: her long auburn locks flowing like a waterfall and her crimson eyes wrought with nervous tension in them. He gathered himself, trying to ignore Agumon's begging for cookies, and asked her if she was going to the concert with anybody, hoping that she wasn't.

He did not expect the words that came out of her mouth.

"No…I'm going to wait and see if Matt's available afterward."

His heart shattered into a million pieces.

Sora had no idea what that did to him. It felt like a stake was driven through him and then ripped out with his heart showing at the end of it. How could this have happened? Since when did she begin to like Matt? She never gave Tai any indication that she was looking elsewhere.

'Or maybe she did and I wasn't paying attention,' he sighs, tears starting to well up in his dark brown eyes.

She asked him if he was upset with her decision. Part of him wanted to scream that he was and that she should be with him instead but the part of him that valued her happiness above all else won out and he urged her to go on, no matter how painful it was.

'I guess the song was right. Only know you love her when you let her go.'

The next year and a half was painful watching the two of them be so affectionate with each other, practically rubbing the fact he was too late for her in his face every time they were in public. He wondered if fate was punishing him for something he did wrong.

Halfway through their sophomore year, he heard that Sora and Matt were separating. If this were his old self, he would have jumped on this and tried to win her back. Things could work out like they should have…only to find out they were trying to work things out, squashing the hope that had built up in him.

Over the last few weeks, he felt like they were becoming the tight group of friends that they once were. Saving the world again, fighting evil Digimon, and foiling a nefarious scheme to take over both the Digital and real worlds, it felt like old times. Just earlier that day, fate threw Tai a curveball that he was not expecting: Matt seemed to be turning his attention to the new member of the group, Meiko. It came as a shock to everybody but after Matt explained, it all made sense. He could help her be more confident in herself and she would give him unconditional love. Not to say Sora may not have provided that but without the drama between the two of them and Tai.

Tai couldn't believe it. The door is open? Fate was giving him another chance with Sora? This was all too good to be true. He felt like frolicking through a field of flowers while celebrating wildly when it hit him. He asked her if she would meet him at Odaiba Beach that evening so they could talk about things. She wasn't sure what he had in mind but agreed to meet him.

And that is the reason why he is here tonight.

Tai looked at his watch once again: it was almost six and she still had not shown up. Zipping up his black jacket, he felt ready to give up and go back home. It was getting dark and the chilly air was getting colder. The odd part about it is that it's early August, which means it should be boiling hot, even in the evening.

'Maybe it wasn't meant to be after all,' he thinks as he begins to walk away with a sullen expression on his face.

"Tai!" A familiar female voice cried.

Looking up to see a flash of auburn running towards him, Tai stopped walking. Sora panted like a dog on a hot day as she stopped running to make eye contact with him. A small smile began working its way on Tai's face, thankful that Sora had finally arrived. Better late than never, he guessed.

"Hey, Sora," he greeted.

She bowed shamefully. "I'm so sorry for being late," she apologized. "I got held up at the shop."

"It's ok," he replied nonchalantly, shaking it off with a wave of his hand. "Don't worry about it."

"Have you been here long?"

Tai shakes his head. "No, not very long."

"Good."

Sora takes a deep breath to gather her bearings after running the half-mile from the shop to the beach. Thanks to that soccer endurance she had built up over the years, she didn't mind running. It was also part of what made her a great tennis player back when she played.

Her grey cardigan gave as much warmth as it could but compared to Tai's jacket, it was like she was wearing a tank top in winter. A simple pink shirt lay underneath, her denim shorts exposed her long, firm legs. Tai had to force himself to keep his eyes on her face rather than her legs. As she got older, they became long, lanky and toned thanks to all that running she did. He heard all of the guys at school mention, to his ire, that she had nice legs.

As the two stand closer together, Tai felt his heart launch into his throat, unsure if he can go through with this. Now that the moment had finally arrived, after talking himself up about it all day, he felt his courage begin to fail.

"Do you want to walk for a bit?" He asks, hoping to buy some time for him to regain it.

She nods. "Sure."

The breeze gently blows across the area as the two friends walk along the shoreline, quickly dodging the water whenever it would get close to them. No words had been exchanged thus far. Only the sounds of waves, cars, crickets, and the wind could be heard.

Sora finally ended the silence. "Are we going to talk or just walk in silence the whole time?" She asked, annoyed that Tai hadn't said anything.

"Ok, you win," Tai finally spoke with a chuckle.

He took a few more seconds before giving a follow-up response.

"I can't believe that this is all over," he said. "I mean I'm glad it is but I feel like that chapter of our lives is ending for good this time. I don't know if we'll ever see the Digimon again after this."

Sora stops, remembering having to say goodbye earlier that day. Many tears were shed but the memories of what they went through will live on in each of their hearts forever. Meiko took it the hardest but Matt stepped up to assure her that everything would be ok. She was happy for him and Meiko. They were so cute together.

"You may be right," she said slowly. "But we also thought that last time and ended up seeing them again."

"That's true," he smiled. "They will forever be in our hearts though. They're a permanent part of us."

'It's time,' said his inner conscience. 'There's no getting around this.'

The two finally stopped walking at the edge of the shore. The setting sun reflected off the water, highlighting both of their faces in the mix of purple and orange light. Tai swallowed the nervousness in his throat as he prepared to do the one thing he had been waiting a long time for.

"Sora, what are you going to do after school is over?" He asked. "We're getting to be that age."

She thought about this for a second.

"Maybe go to Kyoto University and study fashion design," she replied. "Since my dad's a professor there, I can get in with no problems. I still haven't decided yet though because I like Tokyo as well. It all just depends on entrance exams."

"Oh come on," he chuckled. "You're a straight 'A' student. You'll pass any exam you take."

"Thanks," she returned his laugh with one of her own. "What about you? Do you finally have an idea of what you want to do?"

He shook his head. "Not yet. There's the off chance that FC Tokyo might sign me. If not then I hopefully can get somewhere on scholarship."

"Still want to be the Japanese Pelé huh?"

"You bet," he winked, giving her the famous Tai Kamiya smile. "I've wanted to be that since I got into soccer."

His whole demeanor changed after that statement: his eyes glittered with determination and seriousness, highlighted by the setting sunlight. Sora had never seen him this way before so she wasn't sure what to think.

"But right now there are some things that are more important than soccer and our future," he began. "Sora, the reason I asked you to come here this evening is because I have something I need to tell you. This is something I've been waiting a long time to say but never had the courage to do so before."

He scoffed in amusement. "It's ironic, isn't it? My crest being the one of courage and yet I never could muster up any to do this until now."

He surveyed her face for any indication that she may know what he was talking about but found none. She looked at him attentively, waiting to hear what he had to say before she reacted in any way.

"You mean a lot to me, Sora," he said. "More than you could ever know. We've been through a whole heap together with soccer, the Digital World, and many other things. Through thick and thin, you've always been there for me."

He felt his courage starting to slip so he took a few seconds to get it back. There was no turning back now that he had laid the path in front of him.

"I may not be the smartest guy around, I may not be the most good-looking, and I sure am not the most romantic person in the world but Sora…I'll be damned if I let this chance slip away again."

Sora had heard enough. She knew exactly where he was getting.

"Taichi Kamiya," she said, looking down at her feet.

Hearing her use his full name, Tai was ready for the biggest slap that she could muster. It was what he deserved for being such a fool all this time. The only time she used his full name was when she was ready to scold or berate him.

"Shut up and kiss me," she finally finished after a few seconds of silence.

Those words caused Tai to freeze up in shock. Standing catatonically for what felt like hours, he kept hearing the words repeated in his head over and over again. Was his dream finally coming true? Did she truly mean it?

"Well? Aren't you going to do it?" She asked, folding her arms across her chest expectantly.

Snapping out of his state of shock, Tai returned to reality.

"You didn't let me finish," he pouted. Taking a deep breath, he regained the courage he had just a few moments ago to finally let loose the words he had been dying to say to her for years. "Sora Aoi Takenouchi, I have been in love with you for as long as I can remember. I've loved you since we met on the soccer field, I have loved you since the Digital World, and I still love you to this very moment. I want you and only you for the rest of my life, but only if you'll have me."

Sweat ran down his forehead as Tai waited for Sora's response. What he saw almost made him panic: tears cascaded down her face and sniffles filled the air around them.

'Taichi Kamiya, you have done it this time,' he cursed himself. 'She's really going to slap you for this one.'

Sora wiped her eyes free of tears before locking them to his dark brown ones.

"What took you so long?" She said, quickly wrapping her arms around him in an embrace. Tai tensed, not expecting it, but soon relaxed and hugged her back. He could feel her shaking in his embrace.

"Tai…" she whispered. "Kiss me."

Tai granted Sora's request and pulled her in for a kiss. Sparks go off once his lips make contact with hers, exactly as he imagined it to be. He kissed her with a yearning and a passion that had been built up for so long. The wind blew harder across their bodies, blowing her hair back, and providing a picture-perfect scene as the two poured their love for each other into the kiss.

Tai's heart felt ready to burst as they broke away from the embrace. He never felt so happy in his life before.

"I let you go once, Sora, but I will not do it again," he said.

She smiled. "You better not."

"I won't."

As he wrapped an arm around her and turned to look out at Tokyo Bay, Tai knew that his life would never be the same anymore. No matter what his future held, as long as he was with Sora he knew that everything would be okay. The heartache of the last three years finally washed away like the waves on the beach as he held Sora close to his body.

A/N: Hope you guys all enjoyed that. If you saw the trailer for Symbiosis, I'm sure you saw that there could possibly be something brewing between Matt and Meiko if that one sequence indeed is true. We'll find out soon I guess. Since Sora wasn't given a middle name, I decided to make one myself and came up with the name 'Aoi,' which means 'blue' in Japanese. Since Sora's name means 'sky,' her full name would mean 'blue sky.'

The whole giving Sora a reason to go with Matt I developed because they did not give us a reason for it, which may have contributed to the backlash Sorato continues to get. I figured that she gave Tai hints to ask her out up until episode 38 of 02 but he never took them, causing her to progressively get frustrated until she couldn't take it anymore. Matt comes in and makes her feel special, planting the seeds of attraction. I think it would have flown over better for a lot of people, myself included, if that happened but it's all a matter of opinion.

Be sure to review as you read and I will see you guys next time. Thank you.