A great whooping thanks to everyone who reviewed my short stories and those who urged me to update on my longer stories! Blushes Yes, I am starting on a new story… but that doesn't mean that I won't update on my other stories, it just means that it won't be at this moment. Looks away
Now, the disclaimer…
Taichi give Yamato, who's totally engrossed in a book a not-so-gentle nudge. "Oi! Matt, stop reading that. Eili says you are to do the disclaimer for her."
Yamato looks up and shot Taichi an evil look. "Tell Eili to stuff it, I am reading Harry Potter and the Halfblood Prince and I'm just getting to the good part."
Taichi shuffles away frantically from Yamato as a soccer ball in flying speed headed their way, while Yamato slouched down a bit and the soccer ball missed his hair by an inch.
"While you are at it, stop giving Eili soccer lessons. She's turning into a monster." Yamato murmured still more interested in the book.
Taichi stands up shakily. "Yeah, I think you are right. And while I am at it, Eili doesn't claim ownership over Digimon and/or its characters…there, Eili. Done…"
Chapter One – Gathering Rain
The morning had been perfect. The sky had been so naturally blue, it seemed almost artificial and the sun smiled down warmly upon the inhabitants of Odaiba. The gentle breeze toyed with the pink sakura petals and the birds hummed romantic and lively songs. Although during the night, the rain poured and the birds no longer hum their delightful song, everything is still as spring should be; happiness, beauty and serenity...
Crash!
Well, definitely not the serenity part.
"Sora! There is no need to be so violent!" A shaken and distraught voice tried to vanquish the ignited firestorm that raged in the small apartment. "I can understand that you are upset, but destroying the vase is not going to resolve anything."
The girl turned around and stared icily at her mother, the once warm and friendly hazel eyes burned with hatred.
Her mother shivered.
"How can you take it so calmly?" Sora narrowed her eyes and stared at the woman before her. The long brown hair with few strands of gray still piled neatly on her head, the same wrinkles and age spots remained on her face, yet the persistence and fire in the older woman's spirit was all gone; elegance and peace had replaced them. What was before her, Sora could not, dared not and will not recognize as her mother.
"Don't you even care that your husband has been sleeping with another woman and he has just left you!" Sora hissed.
She was angry. She was angry at the fact that her father left her mother and her for another woman to create another family, she was angry that he wouldn't take his responsibilities as a husband and father, she was angry that her mother didn't even care, but most importantly, she was angry that he had betrayed her.
'Don't worry, papa is here and he is going to protect and love Sora-chan forever and he will never ever leave Sora-chan. Pinky promise!'
Sora snorted. Much of a promise that was! In the end, he shut the door without a glance or hesitation when she begged him.
She couldn't stand it anymore. The room is full of chaos and madness, she could feel it suffocating her and trying to drown her in the abyss of darkness. She did the only thing she could think of. She ran.
The older woman gazed at her daughter as she ran out of the apartment and into the pouring rain.
"Don't you understand Sora? When he no longer cares and respects you, it is just so much better to let him go. That is the only way for your wound to start to heal." She whispered and sighed. After forty years, she has finally understood that strength came in many forms, not only persistency and passion. It took her all these years to understand that she had held onto to nothing but a shell, full of hatred and pain.
Yes, she knew her husband has been cheating on her. For three years now, he pleaded and begged her to sign the divorce paper. She held on. She thought that by holding on, he would return and they will be a happy family again. But some things, once broken can never return to its original format. The older woman sighed again. She wondered how long will it take for her daughter to realize that.
Sora ran. She didn't care that she was drenched from head to toe, she didn't care she that had no sense of direction of where she is going. Her legs carried her aimlessly until she found herself collide with someone else. Unable to absorb the impact, momentum sent her backwards.
'Daddy, catch me!'
A hand reached out to grab her.
Her father's hands...
She slapped them away, she rather fall than accept the help. Yet a second pair of hands reached for her and pulled her up.
"What the hell do you want? I don't need your help." She snapped at the person who held her, pushed the hands away and glared.
Two boys about her age stood before her. The one slightly taller had the strangest blue hair she has ever seen. His glasses and upright posture took the boyishness out of him and gave him the look of wisdom, regality and maturity.
The other boy, who is standing closer to her dressed more roguish. His sun blonde hair and the pair of the deepest and most intriguing blue eyes made him her perfect epitome of a fallen angel. Yet this moment, his heavenly blue eyes flashed angrily.
Ah! She was being rude. Sora reflected on her behavior a moment ago and blushed. She bowed and muttered an apology before running off again.
The blonde haired boy rolled his eyes as his friend picked up the umbrella that he dropped during the impact.
"Now we are drenched Jyou!" He complained to his friend. "I don't believe it. I was only trying to help and she snapped my head off and pushed my hands away like they were filth."
Jyou chuckled. "But your head is still attached to your neck Yamato. And she did apologize afterwards."
"Still! What was her problem anyway?" Yamato grumbled.
"Aye, now I understand. You were just annoyed that she didn't fawn over you like most of the young female population in Odaiba." Jyou grinned at his friend and adjusted his glasses.
"Couldn't you see? Her eyes were all puffy; she was crying before." He added softly.
Yamato grumbled something inaudible and turned to see if the girl was still there.
"Come on Yamato, we are going to be late."
Sora swung back and forth with such ferocity, that the swing in Odaiba Park sounded it would collapse anytime. Her hands gripped tightly onto the metal chains to prevent herself from becoming airborne. A small part of her wondered if it was possible that by throwing herself into the air, she can escape reality and find herself at some place happier and simpler.
Sora sniffed as her tear fused with the rain and slid down her cheeks.
She has woken up this morning with happiness flowing through her veins. She turned 17 yesterday, and as her birthday resolution, she has decided to confess to her best friend/long time crush of her attraction towards him. He liked her, she was sure of that. She has seen him glancing timidly at her when he thought she wasn't looking and turned away bashfully when their eyes met. Excitement was pumping as she decided to wear a little makeup and sprayed on some of her mother's perfume. It was going to be a brilliant day, everything as spring had promised.
She entered the school gate and approached the sakura tree beside the oval; their usual hangout. She could make out a figure standing under the cherry blossom and instinctively; she knew it was her best friend Taichi. She took a deep breath and composed herself; she was going to do this. She was going to tell him that he is much more than a best friend to her.
She fastened her steps. Then, she noticed that someone else was with him. It was her other best friend, Mimi.
"Mimi, I love you."
She gasped as she heard the words. Her mind couldn't register what had just happened. There must've been a mistake. Yet the image she saw next blown away all the doubt. She saw them kissing.
It was her cue to exit and she ran. The entire day, she tried to avoid hem like a plague. She has been a fool all these times. Taichi was gazing at Mimi. A fool to think that he would ever be in love with someone plain like her when Mimi radiated with beauty beside her.
They found her by lunch and told her in full detail of their joyous news. Mimi giggled the whole way and Taichi stared at his girlfriend adoringly. She feigned surprise and interest and congratulated them half-heartedly.
That day, she retuned home weary and torn. Her only solace for the night was that her father is going to be home from his business trip and they are going to have a lovely family dinner to celebrate her birthday.
Life played a very cruel joke on her.
She opened the door of her sanctuary to find her father pleading for divorce and her mother agreeing. To find that all his constant 'business trip' meant an affair with another woman.
She couldn't stand losing two prominent male figures in her life on one day and she rushed in and begged him to reconsider.
Their words got heated as she realized that he wasn't going to change his mind for anything or anyone.
He left.
In one day, a huge section of her life was torn away.
Swinging back and forth, Sora suddenly thought that life was nothing but a desolate stage and her only salvation was by throwing herself out of the stage and into the ocean of emptiness.
She took a deep breath, removed her hand from the chains and propelled herself forward. She will fly like a bird.
Yamato didn't know why that girl earlier intrigued him so much. Even though the party was at full swing, thinking about her dampened his mood. Everywhere he turned, he saw her shadow. Every girl he crossed path with, he remembered her big hazel eyes glaring at him.
That's it! He screamed within his head. He is going to go and find her and ask her to release him from her spell.
His mind worked to find out where she could've gone and the Odaiba Park seemed to be the perfect place for a girl in her situation would go in this part of Odaiba.
Yamato grabbed his jacket and walked into the rain.
As he approached the park, he wondered at his impulsive action. What was it of her that intrigued his that much and allured him to act so foolishly. She is quite pretty, he admitted that to himself, but she certainly is no beauty.
He scanned the park any trace of her, and then, he saw her. The moon shined upon her as she swung back and forth on the swing. She was drenched fro head to toe and her cloth stuck to her like a second skin, showing all her curves.
Yamato gulped, but he could not tear his gaze away from her.
As she swung higher and higher, he fiery red hair like a mob of wild fire flew in the air. Her eyes gazed vacantly ahead of her, obviously lost in her thoughts.
He approached her slowly. He was wrong before, she is no beauty, she is Aphrodite reincarnated. The sight of her was surreal. Yamato almost bowed in reverence to the Goddess.
Then, he noticed that her hands no longer grasped the chains on the swing. She lifted her arms, readied to fly and pushed herself into mid-air.
SHIT! Panic ran through him. She was trying to hurt herself!
Adrenalin rushed through him as he sprinted towards her, prepared to catch to her and break her fall.
Sora closed her eyes as she felt the wind rushed past her. She tasted freedom. If only this could last forever!
Then, the gravity started to pull her down, it was almost like returning to the cradle of Gaia. Arms around her shoulder protectively, offering safety and perpetual and unconditional love.
She opened her eyes fully expecting to see heaven and yelped when she realized the position she was in. The boy who helped her from falling earlier was beneath her, his arms wrapped around her. He was blushing ever so slightly and Sora became aware that her breast was pressed tightly against his chest.
She stood up hastily and pushed him away. "Get away from me, you pervert, you stalker!"
The boy glared at her furiously as he stood up.
"Well! Excuse me for being worried when you leaped off the swing mid-air. Do you know how reckless and dangerous was that? You could've seriously hurt yourself." He bellowed and Sora could not help but to feel extremely guilty as he cursed and lectured her.
"I am sorry." She quickly inserted an apology when the boy paused to draw a breath.
"Sorry? You had better be. I tried to help you twice tonight and if you are not apologetic… God! I even got shouted at and mistaken as a pervert. What is the world coming to nowadays?" He complained.
Sora stifled her giggles. The man before her complained more than any woman she has ever known. He must've noticed her vain attempt to suppress her giggles as he sent her a glare.
"Thanks…uh…" Sora suddenly realized that she had not showed her appreciation of him even once tonight.
"Yamato." He supplied his name when she paused. "Yamato Ishida."
"Thanks Yamato." Sora smiled this time as she introduced herself. "I am Sora. Sora Takenouchi."
At the sound of her name, a smile lit up his face and Sora gazed at him. An angel. She decided. Not a fallen angel, but a shining angel sent from heaven as repayment of the debt they owed her.
"You want to go for coffee?" His question came out of nowhere and snapped her out of her fantasyland with fluffy clouds and angels with wings.
"What!"
"I asked you if you wanted to go for a cup of coffee and tell me what's been eating you." He repeated his question and added more explanation.
Sora rolled her eyes. "I heard you the first time. Hello! I am completely drenched here, no place is going to allow me to even step inside."
Yet his offer had sounded appealing. She wanted a cup of hot drink and pours her heart out. Although they have just met, she felt completely safe and natural around him. They would be great friends if they were willing to make the effort to know each other a little more. At the thought of friend, Sora silently cursed herself. It has only hit her now on the scarce number of friends she had. Sure, she was quite popular at school, but Taichi and Mimi were the only two people she really attached herself to. Right now, they seem to be the root of her problems.
"Humph. I haven't thought about that." The boy grinned sheepishly. "But if you want, my place is just around the corner and I make decent hot chocolate. And that café is going to welcome you, no matter what state you are in".
Sora's eyes widened to the size of saucers when she heard his proposal. He's either crazy or a pervert and she didn't like it either way.
"Hey! It didn't have any of those dirty indications that you were clearly thinking of." He added hastily when he noticed that she was drawing as far from him as possible. "It's just that we are both drenched and needs fresh and dry clothing. My place is just around the corner and my food is going to be a lot cheaper than those from the stores."
Sora hesitated. She couldn't explain it, she know she felt quite safe with him. At the same time, they are only mere acquaintances at the most and she feared for her safety.
"Come on. I am not going to eat you. I promise!" He smiled wolfishly and raised one hand to vow.
Sora laughed. Ah heck! His offer was too tempting and she was quite sure that Yamato was completely harmless.
There it is, First chapter of the many chapters to come. I hope everyone enjoyed this…
I agree though, Sora was acting like a spoilt brat and Yamato seemed so much more mature. Then again, Yamato is suppose to be about a year older than she is…shrugs we'll see how the stories turns out later on.
Now, my muses for this chapter are Maaya Sakamoto's The Gathering Rain and Tell Me What the Rain Knows; hence the title and Tackey & Tsubasa's Negai. Beautiful songs they are, all makes me want to pick up piano lessons. Laughs
Eiliriel