..CHASING THE SUN..
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**Mild Sexual Content Ahead**
Into the Night - Part IV
July 22, 20XX
To think that the hope would only last for so long.
Sora stayed close to her phone the next few days, waiting for the scoop from her friends on how it went with Tai. T.K. was the first to ask her—he was afraid to text Tai himself, so he went to Sora's place to have her help him.
"T.K. is here with me. He says hello and hopes you are okay," she typed through her phone.
"Tell him I said, 'Hey,'" Sora read to T.K. "Give him my regards." T.K. beamed in response.
However, that seemed to be the only high point, because it went downhill from there. Mimi called her one evening, sounding agitated.
"I don't know how you dealt with him, Sora! He's completely ignoring me!" she cried over the phone.
Matt wasn't too responsive lately, and neither was Joe, but he did send her a quick message one afternoon asking, "Is Tai doing okay? I sent him something days ago."
Mimi must have noticed Sora's anxiety over this, so she dragged Sora to go shopping with her and Kari today. She begged them to have a girls' day, saying she was itching for more sundresses. It wasn't hard for Mimi to convince Sora when it came to shopping; that girl had a good eye for sales.
They went to the shopping center midtown, where there was one section closed off while it was being rebuilt, though a lot of their favorite shops were still open. They spent the longest time at the big clothing store, where Sora found new tops and skirts, Kari found hairpins and earrings, and Mimi couldn't find her dresses, but she found two pairs of heels.
The three of them walked out of the store together, stopping at the front to let people pass in front of them.
"I'm surprised the mall is still open while under construction," Sora heard a man say to his friend as they walked by. "Or that any business is still running, for that matter."
"I think it's a good thing, showing the city and its people are still alive and strong," his friend replied. "If only we stopped those monsters sooner, right?"
Sora felt a lump in her throat as she listened. She knew what kind of words would come next, and she felt anger rising in her chest as the man responded.
"Yeah! It was awesome watching them get pummeled by those soldiers on TV! It was like watching a movie!"
Mimi groaned, clenching her fists and was about to move forward when Kari stopped her.
"We can't, Mimi," Kari said in a panic, holding her back. "Let's not make a scene here."
"I would if I could!" Mimi said irritably. "Sora would too, right, Sora?"
"No doubt about that…"
Sora felt weak suddenly. Her eyesight was blurring, and she was feeling lightheaded. Perhaps that anger was too much to feel right now, or maybe…
"Sora…?" Mimi asked. Sora realized Kari and Mimi were on either side of her, holding her arms, looking worried.
"You haven't eaten, have you?" Kari asked. Sora closed her eyes, holding her hand to her head, struggling to focus.
"Come, we need a break," Mimi said, leading them both to the nearest café.
Sora's senses returned after refilling her energy with a meal and iced tea.
"I'm sorry for the trouble," Sora said, feeling embarrassed.
"You just need to worry about yourself more," Mimi said. "We know you love us, but you worry about us too much. Especially Tai."
"You're letting this happen one too many times, Sora," Kari added.
This was the second time this week. Sora nearly fainted during one of her shifts this past week with Joe, who flipped out on her for not eating before showing up. He ordered her to sit on a cot to rest, bringing her toast and juice.
Sora kept that quiet from the two in front of her, but it seemed Mimi detected she was hiding something, so she slid a slice a chocolate cake toward her. "Eat," she commanded.
After a trip to a bath house, a nail salon for a manicure and pedicure, and a full course meal at Mimi's mansion, Sora, Mimi, and Kari ended up in Mimi's room, tired from the day, and too full to move. Mimi lay sprawled on her four-poster bed, and Kari slumped into the armchair next to the bed. Sora sat against Mimi's bed on the floor, exhausted but extremely relaxed.
"So…much…food…" said Kari.
The three of them lay silently. Sora's eyes were drooping, and she felt ready to drift off to sleep then and there.
"You know what we should try to do?" Mimi asked, sitting up from her bed suddenly. "We should all go to my parents' beach house together! All of us, including the guys!"
Both Sora and Kari looked at each other for a moment, then laughed. For years since high school, Mimi made this suggestion every summer, and every summer, the plan fell through and the trip never happened.
"Oh, stop it, you two!" said Mimi. "I think it might work out this year. I mean, we've all been making time to hang out with each other already, and no one's mentioned about having any other plans.."
"It would be nice to get out of town," Kari thought aloud.
"No kidding," added Sora, turning herself around to face Mimi. She hadn't really thought about it until now—being away from the city, away from the streets she walked by that were still being cleaning up from debris of some fallen buildings, away from those daily reminders of what happened. The more she realized it, the more she latched onto this plan.
"I can't believe I still haven't gone there with you guys!" Mimi said, eyes now lit up with excitement. "We'll have the whole beach to ourselves. There are even some trails in the forest behind the beach house, it's really peaceful there. In a way, going there always reminded me of…"
Sora watched as Mimi's smile faded away.
"Oh, Mimi…" Sora got up and sat at her side on the bed. "I think we should all still go. We'll never forget our adventures in the Digital World. Maybe going together will be good for all of us."
"I agree with Sora," said Kari, appearing at Mimi's other side. "It could help us heal a little bit. And it could be fun."
"You two…" Mimi said, turning her head towards them both, her eyes watering as her lips formed into a smile.
Suddenly, Sora's phone sounded off with a buzz. Mimi's and Kari's buzzed at the same time, and Mimi pulled her phone out first.
"Ooh, it's from Matt," Mimi said. Sora and Kari took their phones out as well, all of them reading the message to themselves.
"Hey, friends. My band is ready to play again, so we're having a gig on the 26th at 9pm. It's our first show in months, and I'd be really happy if all of you could make it."
"A gig?!" Mimi exclaimed. "How exciting!"
"Count me in!" Kari said cheerfully. "Sora, are you?"
"I know I am," she said with a smile, although it was faltering.
The trip to the beach house, and now Matt's gig. Chances that Tai would agree to go to either were slim, but Sora didn't want to imagine going without seeing him there. She went to Matt's last gig with Tai a few months back, and it was one of the most fun nights she had in a while. But knowing Tai lately, she could only guess what he was going to say.
She had to convince him to go this time.
July 24, 20XX
Sora kept herself busy, hanging out with her friends more and volunteering at the clinic. Everyone was anticipating Matt's gig, and Sora was really looking forward to going. She met up with Matt earlier that day in front of Matt's garage, where the band had just finished a rehearsal.
"You know, I did say I would be happy if 'all' of us could be there," Matt told her. "I said, 'all'. Tai could have at least replied with one word saying he wasn't going."
Sora crossed her arms at him.
"You could ask the others, Sora. He seems to be buddy-buddy with Izzy now, but the rest of us don't exist to him. Seriously, he could just send 'no' – a two-letter word…"
As much as this trouble weighed more heavily on her mind, Sora was more anxious about not having seen Tai in nearly a week. Surprisingly, he was suddenly occupying his time by hanging out with Izzy more often. At the last dinner with the Izumis, Izzy's parents talked excitedly about how happy they were to see Izzy spend time with his best friend again.
She went to Tai's place that evening, keeping the question about Matt's gig for him at the ready, but more so wanting to fulfill her yearning to see him. Kari and Mrs. Kamiya were already in their rooms, leaving Sora alone with Tai on the living room couch. She rested her head on his chest, taking in his scent – a fresh, grassy scent. Tai held her close and started playing with her strawberry-brown hair, attempting to twirl a lock of it with his finger. Then she lifted her head up just as he looked down to meet her gaze.
Sora looked at him longingly. Maybe it was because she hadn't seen him in a week. Maybe she was tired of worrying about everyone, about herself, about him. But it was one of those times that she didn't want to care for anything, and the only thing that mattered was being with him.
"What is it?" Tai asked as his curious brown eyes twinkled in front of her, his lips looking smooth and inviting. Without saying anything, she licked her own lips and drew closer, holding the back of his neck as she moved up for their lips to touch. He quickly caught on, his hand lowering to the small of her back as he moved his lips with hers. Her hands then moved from his neck to the back of his head, her fingers gently massaging his scalp as she ran them through his hair. She kissed him slowly and softly, eager to see his reaction when she brushed her tongue against his.
Tai let out a soft sigh, and Sora felt excitement rushing through her. She gasped as his hand snuck its way underneath her strapped tank top and bra and onto her breast, only fueling her desire to kiss him more. Her heart beat faster, her face feeling hot as their kisses became more passionate, being more playful with their tongues. Sora's hand then trailed down from his neck, to his chest, then lower past his belly button, feeling a hardness down his-
"Mm—Sora…" Tai breathed, pulling them apart. "Not here…" Sora hovered over him, panting with her cheeks flushed, her lips numb from those sweet kisses. His eyes were now lit up towards her, his stare matching her desire. They both got up, arm in arm as they walked to his room. The longer she waited, the more unbearable it became.
As soon as Tai closed the door, they had taken hold of each other again, their lips locked onto each other, their hands running wild. They stepped carefully from the door as they made their way toward the bed, taking off each article of clothing one by one until there was no more. Then, as they stopped at the foot of the bed, Sora climbed on backwards as Tai followed forward, holding himself over her by resting the palms of his hands on either side of her.
Sora, now laying flat against the bed, looked into his eyes again, wondering which Tai she was looking at in that very moment. It wasn't the one who had the far off look in his eyes; it was the one who was in front of her, who was there for her whenever she needed him; the one who laughed at her when she first confessed her feelings to him; the one who was now smiling at the touch of her hand on his cheek.
Sora put her arms around Tai's neck as he looked at her, waiting. Then, she nodded, her legs wrapped around his bottom, and together they breathed deeply as he finally moved his way into her.
"What is it now?" Tai asked.
They were now laying on their sides facing each other. Tai had put his boxer shorts back on and Sora wrapped his blanket on her body under her arms. As her mind cleared from her euphoric mood, thoughts and doubts were slowly rolling back in. She was looking at him as she did before, wondering if the man in front of her was truly as content as he looked now.
It always happened after they made love nowadays. He didn't want to talk about anything, so she never bothered to try. But now, he was being attentive for the first time in a while; was it worth saying something?
"You know, you're always spending so much time with me… Don't you want to make time for everyone else, too?"
"Ah…" Tai's content expression lessened, to the point where he turned away. "Everyone else…"
Sora's heart sank, realizing she should have seen this coming. She tried to keep going. "You're hanging out with Izzy more now, aren't you? I think that's great. But, the others are still waiting for you. They want to see you too."
He sat up on the edge of the bed, back turned to Sora. "You want me to go to Matt's gig."
Sora raised herself up, leaning against her elbow. "It'll be fun, just like it always was. And it'll be great for you to hang out with all of us again."
"I can't go."
"But Tai-"
"I said, I can't go!"
Sora was taken aback by his raised voice, too startled to speak.
"Sora, it was fun before," Tai started, lowering his voice, "but it's not the same anymore. It can never be the same. I can't face them…"
It's not the same, he says. But his reaction, his attitude toward his friends since that day, it had always been the same to her. She was now past the point of patience, and she felt the fury rising in her chest.
"I know you won't even tell me anything…" said Sora, her voice low but shaking and quickly rising. "But you not facing them…It's the same thing as you leaving them behind!"
"That's not true!" Tai said as Sora quickly got up from the bed, still wrapped in the blanket. She started picking up her clothes from the floor, but she was more than ready to rage.
"Yeah? Tell me when's the last time you talked to them?! Matt's been aggravated by this! Mimi is incredibly irritated! Joe is worried sick! Don't even ask how Izzy was before you finally talked to him again. And T.K? That kid loves you like you're his own sibling, this has been really hard on him, too! Oh, and Kari, your actual sibling, is worried about you too!"
"You don't understand! It's hard to explain!" Tai yelled. Sora had put on her panties and bra, throwing the blanket onto the floor but stopped to look at Tai, her eyes narrowed.
"Look, I'm not even going to start talking about the real problem here," Sora said heatedly. "But they are our friends!If you won't talk to anyone else, then don't even bother talking to me!"
"Sora-!" She had already put on the rest of her clothes, throwing the door open as she stormed out of his room. Tai followed her hurriedly, calling her name but getting no response back. "Sora, please, don't do this…"
Her eyes flashed with anger at him as he stared with his panicked, pleading eyes. Her only response was putting her shoes on, standing up, and slamming the front door shut behind her as she walked out of his home.