Always You and I

by Firenzie

It's not a songfic and has nothing to do with that song. It's a Taiora, and it will end happily. Tai walks through the park and remembers a whole bunch of things that has happened between him and Sora... I suck at summaries, please read!

2. Unbroken Promises

Always You and I [Part 2/2]

By Firenze

A/N: Read the first part before this or else you won't understand some stuff. I put in lots of things that are sort of from the last part, so you need to know it to fully understand and spot those little things. I also added some Final Fantasy VIII-ish stuff into this, like the 'meet me at the flower field, I'll be waiting' sort of thing. Actually, it's pretty much exactly from FFVIII. I admit it, Tai and Sora are slightly OOC in some parts, but nothing big, like Sora being some beauty queen or Tai acting like some gangster. But this part is the high school and up years. So, sit back, relax, grab some popcorn, and enjoy! (If you didn't recognize that line…you obviously didn't read the first part, or your memory just sucks like mine) And if your memory does suck, I backtracked a bit, but you're not reading the same thing.

Disclaimer: I wish Tai and Sora and all these characters belonged to me, so I wouldn't have to have this stupid disclaimer, but how could they? I'm just a lowly little twelve-year-old (going on thirteen in exactly one month!) girl who has never amounted to anything in my life so far. Oh, but I own Ryo (Hazuki, j/k) and Ayumi (who was based after some people at my school).

~*^*~

"Let's make a promise."

"A promise?"

She nodded. "Yup. A promise that no matter what happens, we'll stay best friends for as long as we live, and won't let anything get in the way of that."

That was my wish anyway… "Okay," he agreed. "We'll stay best friends for as long as we live, and won't let anything get in the way of that. I promise." He stuck out his pinky and she linked hers around his.

When they let go, Sora said, "Pinky swears are kind of lame, but—"

"Now you ruined the whole deep, meaningful moment," he told her.

"Just never forget this promise," she whispered. "Never forget this night…"

"I won't forget a night this important," he said softly. "Believe me, I won't."

~*^*~

And I haven't, Tai thought to himself. I still remember it as well as anything in the world, Sora. After looking a bit around at the view from the spot, he put his hands back in his pockets, walked down the hill, and continued on his way along the path.

His legs began to get tired. He had walked so long and so far, and it was time he rested. He sat down on a nearby bench, and as soon as he touched it, he had another vision of the past race before his eyes.

~*^*~

Taichi walked along the path, whistling a merry tune. He was bored and had decided to come to the park without Sora today. Actually, he had called her house, and Mrs. Takenouchi said she wasn't home. Where could she be? Maybe she's hanging out with Mimi or something, after all, she's still here visiting. Or maybe she's at another friend's house. Maybe she had tennis practice. She could be just wandering around the city doing nothing. She could be buying some flower seeds or something. Maybe she's just running errands. Maybe she's visiting her dad's grave or something at the cemetery. Or maybe, she could've been sitting on a bench in the park in Highton View Terrace, only a few feet in front of him. That's exactly where she was.

She was crying, Taichi noticed. Her head was down, her hands covering them, and as he got closer, he could hear her soft sobs. Something was bothering her. He hated seeing anyone sad, especially his best friend, Sora, so he rushed over to her and sat by her on the bench.

"Sora?" he asked gently, placing his arm around her shoulders. "Sora, what's wrong?"

"Tai?" she asked, choking on a sob. "What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here, sitting in the park crying? What happened?"

She explained that she had come to meet Ryo, her boyfriend, here, so they could go around the park and have fun. But when he arrived, thirty minutes late, he told her that he wanted a break up, because there was "someone else."

"There's always someone else, isn't there? Who is it?"

"Ayumi," she told him. Ayumi was the most popular girl in school, the prettiest, the head cheerleader, and the biggest slut, whore, and bitch in school. She had dated practically every single boy who attended Odaiba High.

"Oh," he said dully. Taichi had to admit that he had dated Ayumi once too, last year, when they were freshmen. Then he scooted closer and wrapped his arms around her in a comforting hug. Sora buried her face in his shoulder, trying to stop the tears from coming. But he encouraged her to let them fall, to feel what was inside her heart. "Or really, to feel what your mind is making you feel. It's just a simple feeling, and one that you determine. It depends on how you perceive things that make what's good and bad. It's all just in our head, not our hearts. Sound familiar? Here's another: Why linger on the bad? Especially if the bad serves some sort of purpose, and then it can turn things good again. You said those exact things, Sora. Maybe you should follow your own advice. Maybe this break up was all for a reason."

She moved back and stared at him, into his warm, chocolate brown eyes. "I can't believe you remember all that," she said in amazement.

"I was supposed to, wasn't I?" he asked. "Now cheer up, Sora. As long as we're in this park, we might as well have some fun, right?"

She wiped her eyes with her sleeve, and he wiped any remaining wetness away with his thumb, as he held her face in his hands. "Thank you, Tai," she whispered.

"Thank yourself, years in the past. After all, you said it."

She faintly smiled. "Thank you for reminding me about it. Where would I be without you?"

"Still crying on a bench in a public park."

Sora shook her head. "No, without you, I'd be nowhere. I'd be nothing. Because of you, I am who I am."

"Well, I think your parents had some part in that—"

"Can't you ever be serious?" she asked him.

He thought for a while. "Hmmm…race ya to the tire swing!" He yelled, getting up and dashing off.

She sighed. "I guess that's a no. Wait up, Tai!" And then she got up and ran after him.

~*^*~

Taichi laughed, just remembering it. I never could be serious, could I? And if I could, I never was. He got up off the bench and retraced his footsteps those years ago, walking to the tire swing.

The tire swing now was a tree with a big, strong branch sticking out, a broken rope, and a big huge tire just lying on the ground, buried under a layer of dirt and fallen leaves. Even back in its prime, it was nothing special, just a tire on a rope, connected to a branch, a typical tire swing, but it was fun anyway.

~*^*~

Sora skidded to a stop in front of the tire swing. Where had Taichi gone? She looked all around, but he was nowhere. Finally, she turned back to face the tire swing. "Hmmm…"

"BOO!" Someone jumped directly in front of her, and she fell back, startled. As she laid on her back, that someone laughed.

"Tai!" he cried, and he stuck his hand out and helped her up.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist," he told her with a wide grin. "Does this scene feel familiar?"

"Just like when I taught that wimpy little boy how to climb trees," she replied, dusting herself off.

"Hey, I resent that!"

"Well, I resent you trying to copy my moment," she said.

"And I resent the fact that we're here arguing about nothing important, when we could be on the tire swing, getting dizzy and having fun," he said.

"Same here," Sora said, her hands on her hips. "And that's why I say… I get first dibs on the tire swing!" She ran forward, but Taichi put his arms around her waist and pulled her back.

"You won't get it that easy." He let go and reached the tire swing, but she pushed him off. "Why, yes, I'd love to have the first go on the tire swing," she said in a falsely sugary sweet voice.

Taichi rolled his eyes and laughed. He was glad Sora had so easily forgotten her troubles with her ex-boyfriend. Maybe if he pushed her around enough on the tire swing and got her all dizzy, she'd forget about it entirely. So that's what he did. And when Sora got to nauseous to stay on any longer, she fell off the tire, and Taichi caught her. "Maybe it's time we get you home now."

"But you didn't have a turn!"

"I had fun just watching your face get all green like that," he replied.

"Tai?"

"What?"

"How did I even get here in the first place?" she asked, a confused look on her face. She looked concentrated, trying to remember, but it was hopeless.

Mission accomplished, he thought with a grin.

~*^*~

Taichi walked past the big tree and the remains of the tire swing, and deeper into the trees, until it became a forest. He still remembered every exact turn and direction to go in to get to his and Sora's secret, special spot. He made a final right turn, and found himself in the secluded circle of trees. It was completely quiet, but in no means eerie. He stepped into the grassy circle, blanketed with blooming flowers, surrounded on all sides (even though circles don't have sides…) by large trees. It was their hideaway, where they spent all their time in afterwards. But he still remembered the first day they found it, directly after Sora's break up and the tire swing moment.

~*^*~

Sora hopped off the tire swing. "I don't want to go home yet, Tai. Do you realize how many places there are in this park, that even though we've been here for years, we haven't found? There can be so many nooks and crannies—"

"You sound like you're talking about an English muffin," he remarked, cutting her off.

"Hey, you interrupted my 'directly-before-a-huge-adventure-speech'," she said indignantly. "Let me finish here, okay? Anyway, as I was saying, there can be so many nooks and crannies and secret places that have yet to be explored. And I'm in an adventurous mood—"

"Too bad you never were in the Digiworld. You kept worrying about our safety and stuff all the time, acting all mother-ish—"

"Will you let me finish?" Sora asked, getting a bit annoyed. "Okay, back to what I was trying to say before you rudely interrupted me for the second time—"

"Interrupt? When did I interrupt?" he asked in an innocent tone, but his eyes glittered of deviousness.

She rolled her eyes. "I'm in an adventurous mood, so I say we try to explore as much as we can of this park that we love so dearly. And I say we first start with that forest there." She breathed a sigh of relief. "I finally fin—"

"What did you say again? I wasn't listening."

"Oh, shut up," she said, grabbing his hand, and dragging him forward. They stepped into the forest. "Wow, it's like a maze in here."

"Well, the only thing to do is run around blindly, taking turns and going any which way, acting like we know what we're doing. Come on!" Now he pulled her hand and dashed about, left, right, left, left, straight ahead, right, left, he kept on going.

"Excuse me, but how are we going to find our way out, Mr. Smarty Pants Hotshot?" she asked, her hands on her hips. (Hehe, my algebra teacher called one of the people I dislike the most that, AND she told him to shut up!)

"Easy. Do what we did to get here. Run around blindly, taking turns and going any which way, acting like we know what we're doing." He took a final right turn, and they found themselves in a beautiful, secret area. It was a round, grassy place surrounded by trees. "And look what we found by doing it," he said in awe.

"Wow, it's so secluded! Seems almost magical, like a fairy circle or something," she breathed excitedly. "See, there are plenty of places we have to explore. Look what we found! Think there are other places this neat?"

"Sure! Want to go look for them now?"

"But what if we never find this place again?" she asked worriedly.

"Don't worry, we'll run around blindly, taking turns and going any which way, acting like we know what we're doing, and we're bound to run into it again. Let's keep searching for more places!" he said, taking a hold of her hand again.

"What if we get lost?"

"Well, the only thing to do is run around blindly—"

"Okay, okay, I get the point! You sound like a broken record!" she cried out, letting him lead, as he ran around blindly, taking turns and going any which way, acting like he knew what he was doing.

~*^*~

After some time, they walked that way so many times that it was practically engrained in their skulls. They didn't have to run around every way and hope they would find it. They could practically walk there in their sleep, just like Taichi just had.

~*^*~

Springtime was in the air. Intoxicating scents of fragrant flowers and other plants surrounded them. Everything was in full bloom. It was colorful, it was beautiful, it was nature at its finest. It was a wonderful, perfect day.

Sora looked over at Tai, as they held hands (in a best friends manner, nothing more) and walked down the streets of Odaiba. "What do you say? Is it not a perfect day to go to the secret spot?"

He looked at the excited expression on her face, and hated to let her down. "It is perfect, and I'd love to go to the secret spot."

"But?" she prompted.

"But…I'm kind of busy today. My whole family has to go visit my grandma. She's really ill, but she refuses to admit it. The doctors, however, say that her time may be running short. We need to visit her one last time," he explained. "I'm sorry, but—"

"Don't be sorry, Tai. If a family member of yours is on their deathbed, I'm not going to force you to come with me and just act like little kids. Kari is even going out of her way to stay out of the Digiworld when they have something important. Why should you care that you can't be with me?"

"I don't know, I just…feel sort of bad."

"Feel bad for your grandma, Tai! Certainly not being able to spend time with me, which you always do anyway. I really don't mind. Okay?"

He nodded. "You're right. I dunno, I just…" he trailed off.

"You just…what?" she asked curiously.

Taichi turned away, hiding the blush that had crept over his cheeks. "It's nothing."

"Whatever," she said with a shrug.

He glanced at his watch. "Oh, I'm really sorry, Sora. But I better go now, or my entire family will kill me."

"All right. Listen, don't feel bad about not being able to be with me. You can spend any other time with me."

"But not everyday is a perfect day."

"Which is why you should spend this perfect day with your grandmother. See you later, Tai!" she called, as he walked off.

"Later, Sora," he said. But maybe sooner than you expect.

~*^*~

Ding-dong!

Mrs. Takenouchi opened the door. "Oh, hello, Taichi. Are you here for Sora?"

"Yes, is she home?"

"She's in her room, I think. I'll get her. Hold on." She walked back into the house. "Sora! It's Taichi!" she called.

Tai? Sora wondered. What is he doing here so late at night? She came to the doorway. "Tai? What is it? Is something wrong?"

"No, only that we didn't get to spend this perfect day together," he replied.

"So how's your grandma?"

"Oh, heh, well the doctors were wrong and she was right. She's really perfectly fine. This illness won't be the death of her yet."

"That's really great," she said with a smile. "Now really, why are you here? It's pretty late."

"I know it's nighttime, but we've been out pretty late before."

"You mean we're going out? Where?"

"You'll find out. Now close your eyes," he instructed.

"Why? Tai, what are you—"

"Shhh…" he replied. "Just relax and let me guide you. Plus, it's a surprise."

Sora felt a cloth put over her eyes and tied behind her head. "What's with the blindfold?"

"Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you. It's just a big surprise, okay? Have some faith. Just trust me," he told her.

"I trust you," she said softly.

"Good. Now come on." He pushed her forward. "I'll have her home in a while, but I don't know when, Mrs. Takenouchi!" he called inside the house, his hand on the doorknob.

"Sure, I trust you. Just have her back sometime early morning before I wake up, and I won't be angry. Just – no…funny business, all right?" She said that every single time he and Sora went out together.

Taichi rolled his eyes and he was pretty sure Sora had behind the blindfolds. "Yes, Mrs. Takenouchi. Goodbye!" He closed the door and locked it with the spare key under the doormat. "Now come on, Sora." He led her away.

~*^*~

Tai parked his car, and let Sora out. "Come on, let's go Sora." He held her hand and they started walking. But as soon as they he started taking turns: left, right, left, left, straight ahead, right, left, Sora knew exactly where they were headed.

"Why the secret spot?" she asked him.

He untied the blindfolds, they were useless anyway, and stuffed them into his pocket. "You suggested it this afternoon."

"So we came here because of me? Didn't I tell you that you didn't have to feel bad about us not being able to hang out?" she asked with a sigh.

"Well, I kind of wanted to tell you something important too," he said shyly. "Come on." Still holding hands, they walked into their secrets spot and, at the same time, they both gasped suddenly. Their normally plain and just grassy circle was covered in blooming pastel pink, yellow, blue, and purple flowers. It was absolutely beautiful, and a sweet fragrance hung in the air.

"Wow," Sora said excitedly. "This is so pretty!" Giggling, she ran into the flower field and started laughing and spinning around like a graceful ballerina.

"Are you all right, Sora?" Taichi asked, looking at her, a little surprised.

"Oh, nothing… It's just springtime and there's all these beautiful flowers… It sort of goes to my head and makes me go a little crazy sometimes… But isn't it great?" She was beaming, and she started twirling and spinning around again. "It's fun, Tai, you do it too!"

"I don't want to look queer or something," he said hesitantly.

"Aw, who's gonna see you out here in the middle of nowhere? Come on!" Sora ran over t him, grabbed both his wrists, and pulled him back. But he stumbled and fell. She giggled and helped him up. "Come on, dance with me?"

"I'm not going to look like some freaking gay Sugar Plum Fairy," he protested.

"Okay, so we don't have to prance around like little ballet dancers, but will you dance with me? I'm just in a dancing mood."

He sighed. "Maybe later. But Sora, I have to tell you something really important—"

But again, she was not paying attention. Maybe the scent of flowers had intoxicated her and gone to her head, or the many colors had given her some sort of seizure. "Remember the last time we stayed out in the park late at night?"

"You told me not to forget," he reminded her.

"So you remember the promise?"

"Of course," he answered.

"Well, I was thinking… How about we make another promise?" she suggested.

"Why?"

Sora paused, trying to come up with a decent answer that he would buy. "I don't know, these promises just make our friendship interesting. It adds more depth to it, it gives it a purpose."

The fruitless effort of adding meaning to what is meaningless…he remembered. But their friendship was anything but meaningless. It meant the world to him. Maybe Sora was right. "Okay, what are we supposed to promise now?"

"Do you ever worry that some big thing is going to happen, whether its completely horrible or not? That maybe—"

"Like what?" he asked.

"Taichi, I'm not in the mood to be interrupted. You ruined my adventurous speech last time, but you are not going to ruin my deep, cheesy, what-if speech."

"Does every sort of speech have a stereotype with you?"

"Quit it. Just let me get back to it again. As I was saying, what if something happened, and we were separated, without a goodbye? What would happen? We'd spend forever trying to look for each other, but what if we never found each other again?"

"Why are you worrying about this?"

"I had a dream last night…" she said. (If you played FFVIII, does this sound remotely familiar?) "We were both split up somehow, and I was searching everywhere to find you, but I couldn't. This world is just too big to try to find one person of six billion. And our friendship means too much for me to lose you so easily. Promise me that if we ever stop talking to each other, ever have to move away and separate, that we'll meet again."

"How will we do that?" he asked curiously.

"We need to have a place…and a time. If for some reason, no matter what it is, we get separated, we'll meet at this very spot, on this very date, this very time, exactly ten years from now. No matter what business stuff we have, or anything, we have to meet back here in exactly ten years. So we never have to worry about not seeing each other ever again."

The concept sounded remotely familiar to him, like he had read it in a book or seen it on TV or something. "In exactly ten years then? We'll come back to the secret spot and just catch up on our lives? Right here?"

She nodded. "So do you promise?"

It was an easy answer. What else would he say, 'No, I never want to see you again'? "I promise."

Sora smiled. "I promise too. Doesn't this flower field seem like the perfect place for a reunion?"

"Yeah, but not if you start getting all high again…" Tai began.

"Which reminds me, I have to go back to begging you to dance with me. Please, Tai? It'll be so perfect."

"But there's no music…" he said, still trying to get out of it. "And I'm not going to sing."

"That's a good thing," she joked. "But please…just one dance. A slow dance…I should really try to calm down and be serious here. Then you can tell me your really important thing."

"Yeah, but that important thing is kind of nerve-wracking, and that's why I'm not in the mood to be dancing…"

"Please? Just one slow dance. It'll be perfect, underneath the beautiful night sky, dancing in a field of beautiful flowers in the springtime. I used to have this fantasy sometime," she said dreamily.

"With you and who?"

Pink hues appeared on her cheeks. "Oh, nothing… Did I say that out loud? Anyway, please, Tai? Pretty please with sugar and a cherry on top?"

"Well, since you put it that way," he said sarcastically. He sighed. "Okay, fine, if you won't stop begging."

Sora broke out into a smile. "Oh, thank you, Tai!" She grabbed his hands and pulled him to the center of the circle of flowers. He awkwardly put his arms around her waist, and she put hers around his neck. They began to dance. "I gotta admit, this is pretty weird. My dreams always came with music supplied."

"Didn't I say that?"

"Shut up and dance with me. It'll be all right, just get some music in your head." They continued dancing. "So what song are you thinking of?" she asked after some time.

"I Want To Kill Myself," he replied.

Her eyes were closed and she was apparently caught in the moment. "Hmmm, I've never heard of that one. Who sings – wait a second! That's so mean, Tai! You're ruining the romantic mood!" Did I just say romantic mood out loud? I've got to develop some skills for tact.

Romantic mood, huh? Maybe I don't have to be so nervous about this after all. "I'm sorry, this is just sort of uncomfortable." What's the matter with me? I like her, why don't I want to dance with her?

"Yeah, maybe my dreams weren't really that great in actuality," she said sadly. "Maybe wishes aren't all that wonderful either. But they just seemed a lot better in my head."

"Speaking of your head—"

"What? Is something wrong with my head?" she asked frantically, her hands rushing to her head.

He grinned at how paranoid she was getting. "No, no – relax." He took her hands and put them back around his neck, and moved his back to her waist. "I was going to ask, what song were you thinking of in your head?"

She blushed and said timidly, "Kiss Me."

"What?" he asked, totally taken by surprise. Did she just say – I'm not hearing things, am I? "Can you repeat that…I didn't catch it."

"Kiss Me," she repeated.

His eyes were wide, but he managed to close them. Then he leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips. The moment was amazing, and the kiss got deeper. But after a while, it was Sora's eyes that went wide.

"What was that for?" she asked in surprise, drawing back. It had taken her some time to fully register what had been happening between them.

"You said—"

"That's a song, Tai. A song, by Sixpence None the Richer."

"Even so, why was that song going through your head?" he asked, trying to place some of the blame on her.

"Because – because it's a really romantic song—"

"There! You said it again, romantic! If you wanted romantic, then why did you pull back? I call a kiss pretty romantic."

"I don't know, it's just kind of strange. We're just best friends, right? Really close friends, but nothing more, aren't we?" Sora asked him.

Her words stung him. So that's all she thought of them. Good thing he hadn't told her that he loved her, or else he'd have been even more heartbroken. And that was hard to imagine, because nothing could describe the pain he felt. "Ummm…y – yeah," he mumbled. "Look, Sora, I'm sorry, I have to go—" And he turned around and ran off.

"Tai! How am I going to get home?" she called, but he was already far gone, running as fast as he could. That was the least of Tai's worries. She didn't love him… Maybe this was the event that would make them separate for a long, long time. So if he didn't talk to her again, it still wouldn't be the last time he'd see her.

~*^*~

Why did I have to use that excuse? Taichi thought. That was really stupid of me. At least I get to see her again…I hope… I can't believe I actually avoided her like that. For so many years… But I'll get to see her again.

He glanced at his watch, and realized he was still pretty early. So he sat down in the middle of the circle and plucked a daisy out. She loves me…she loves me not…she loves me… And five petals later, he ended on… She loves me…not. He sighed. So these stupid flowers do hold some truth to them. It's been ten years, and I still haven't been able to get over Sora. What's the matter with me? She's never loved me, I'm just her best friend, and I still can't stop myself from feeling this way…

After much thinking and more remembering, he checked the time again. Now it was the exact time he had brought Sora to the secret spot. So where was she? When a bit more time passed, he began to worry. What if she died or something? Or if she was too busy…no, we promised we'd drop anything, no matter what. But what if her mom died or something? Or this was her wedding day? Or she went into labor this day? Or…something a whole lot simpler… "What if she just forgot about this?"

He stood up and thought about leaving. She wasn't going to show up was she? It was all a trap… Just to mess with my head, bring my hopes up, screw up all my plans on this day. She just tricked me into coming here, and I'm never going to meet her again…

He realized a full hour had passed, and just decided to give up. He shoved his hands into his pockets and started to leave the secret spot.

But just then, someone jumped directly in front of him, and he fell back, startled. As he lay on his back, that someone laughed. "Boo," they whispered, their face close to his. A few strands of light brown hair framed her face, but the rest of it was drawn into a messy bun. Her ruby eyes, outlined by some eye makeup, looked more sparkling than ever.

"SORA!" he cried, overjoyed. Nothing could describe how happy he felt at that moment. He didn't care that she wasn't in love with him; he was just too elated to see her, now after so long.

She stuck his hand out and helped her up. "Sorry, I couldn't resist," she told him with a wide grin. "I haven't climbed a tree in so long, I just had to."

"Well, you never could stay away from climbing trees," he said. "Where were you? You're so late!"

"Late? I thought I was a few minutes early." She looked at her watch. "And I was right."

Taichi looked over at her watch too. "You forgot to set it for Daylight Saving's Time," he told her.

She giggled. "How typical of me, huh? I have absolutely no sense with time." After a while, she calmed down. "So, Tai…how are you?" she asked softly. "—Can I still call you Tai…?"

"Oh, yeah, of course. No one has called me that for quite a while, except 'Kari. But it's kind of nice. Makes me feel like we're not all stuffy, boring grown-ups."

"Yeah. Seems like we really haven't changed too much in ten years, have we?"

He shook his head. "I don't ever think I will change too much. This is pretty much how I like myself."

"It's how I like you too."

Taichi and Sora went on to talk about their jobs, their homes, their family, and a whole bunch of other typical things you talk about after a long time of not seeing someone. It was a typical reunion, until the subject of their love lives came up.

Taichi paled when she mentioned it, but quickly hid it. "Well, I dated a few girls that 'Kari thought were perfect for me, but none never worked out." Because I made sure none of them worked out…

"I dated TONS, and I just never found anyone. I mean, they're all my type, they were all pretty much everything I could look for in a guy, but I just never worked it out. I think I pushed them away from me, but I'm not all too sure why. I always wanted to find pure, true love, because think of my crest! But love from a man is the one thing I'm deprived of," she replied quietly. "So I still have to hope that one day I'll find my perfect husband."

Maybe you've already found him. Maybe he's always been right there, waiting for you to realize how you felt about him, since he returned the feelings too. Taichi was thinking. But what he was thinking slipped out his mind and out of his mouth.

She stared at him for a few seconds, disbelievingly, but he still hadn't realized he had said it aloud. "…You really think so? That the person has always been right in front of me and I'm too stupid to realize?"

"I never said you were stupid… I never said anything!" he said. Oh, great, she can read my mind now? Unless it accidentally came out my mouth…?

"You just said… And that that person feels the same way… Oh, Tai…were you talking about…yourself?" Her hand was in front of her mouth. "Was that an example…"

"I – I was rhetorically speaking!" he said frenetically. How did I say that out loud? Taichi Yagami, you idiot! You really blew it now! You totally and completely ruined this reunion. Why did I have to tell her that?!

"Rhetorical nothing, Taichi," she said. "I've known you practically all my life, which is a hint that you were talking about yourself, and two, I can easily tell when you're lying, trying to cover up something stupid you did. Well, let me tell you something—"

This is probably going to hurt, he thought, wincing. She's going to say something and break my heart all over again. And I'll act like a total wuss and try to run off, and this time, I'll never see her again because we haven't renewed our promise…

"—it wasn't stupid," she finished, her voice very quiet.

"What?"

"It isn't stupid that you should think that the perfect person for me is you. Because…because you're right." She lowered her head. "I have felt something for you too, but I was holding back because I kept thinking it was wrong to feel that way about someone who was supposed to be just my best friend. But who says that's all we're supposed to be? When you kissed me, Tai, I realized that I had nothing to worry about you feeling the same way or not, but then I got scared. What if it didn't work out and our friendship was ruined forever? So I just let you run away, I didn't go after you, and I lost you, because I didn't tell you how I felt. And I never got to figure out the important thing you were going to tell me, and I felt like such an idiot."

"Stop doing this to yourself. I did exactly the same thing, Sora. The important thing I was going to tell you were my feelings for you. But maybe it was a little too soon for the both of us. The thing we needed could've been a break away from each other to realize what we really want. We never talked to each other again because we still weren't sure. It took time to figure that out, and I think we know it now. The thing we both want is each other. You know how they say that sometimes if you love something, you have to let something go? And if it comes back to you, it's truly yours, and if it doesn't, it was never was yours in the first place? Well, I'm not exactly the brightest of all people, but I think that's what it means, what just happened to us."

"You're perfectly right," she replied. "But with what you just said…it sounds like you're starting to believe in fate."

"How could I not? When we were destined to be together?"

Tears were forming in Sora's eyes, but they were of happiness. "You do realize we just broke our promise, don't you?"

"To be best friends forever, and not let anything get in the way of it?" Taichi asked. "That one?" She nodded. "Well, that one was a little misguided. Love got in the way, and it only made our friendship stronger. But that's exactly what made us not want to admit our feelings for each other; we thought we had to be best friends. But don't regret it. Because if we didn't make that promise, we wouldn't have been as close as we became, and we wouldn't have fallen in love, and we wouldn't have made the second promise: which was one of the best things we've ever done. Where would we be without your dream?"

"We'd be without each other," she said. "But all those things did happen, so we don't have to worry. Because now I promise we'll always be together. Always you and I." (Proper grammar would be ME, wouldn't it? *Shrugs* Whatever) "Now there's a promise I made, that still keeps us together, but doesn't restrict us to anything."

He looked up for a while, and then back down to her. "Sora, from now on, save all these promises to our wedding day."

"So we're going to get married?" she asked with a smile. "You're thinking a bit far ahead, aren't you?"

He shook his head and grinned. "Nope, I just read our fate in the stars." Now they were both smiling happily. "Dance with me?" he asked.

She accepted his invitation and took his hand. "I'd love to." As they slow danced underneath the beautiful night sky in the field of flowers, time and the years seemed to melt away, and they felt like foolish teenagers again.

"You know what?" Taichi asked, drawing her closer. "On my way here, I couldn't help thinking about all the memories you and I have shared, at this exact park."

"Don't linger on the past," she said. "Live life for today, and think ahead of the future. Try not to think of the memories past…live life now and make more memories for later."

"Sounds a little like one of Matt's first songs," he remarked.

"Hmmm, you're right, it does." And then she started thinking more, and Taichi noticed how deep in thought her face looked.

"Relax and get lost in the moment," he whispered.

"But I was thinking of a song," she told him.

He grinned. "Oh yeah? What song is that?"

"Kiss Me," she said. "Yes, the song, and this time, I also mean it." So they closed their eyes, and he leaned in to give her a long, deep, passionate kiss.

"And that's how promises should be sealed," he said. "We'll always be together, always you and I."

"Save promises for our wedding day," she teased, and leaned forward to kiss him again. They had so many memories to remember, and they were making more.

THE END

That part really disappointed me. It was just…blah. I had no idea where in the hell to end. Apparently, the story didn't want to be finished yet. So I just quit. I literally forced myself to stop typing. The end has nothing to do with the title. What should I have named it? Memories? Making Memories? Then that goes all the way back to the alliteration problem I have when I can't think of a title. Oh well. So the end and title sucked, but those are always my weak points (along with tons of others). But it was happy, right? Right? And cheesy? And fluffy? And WAFF-y? And mushy? And all those other things my stories lately have been lacking, and that's pretty much good enough for me. But was it good enough for you? Just…just review if you have anything good to say, and it'll make me feel better.