..CHASING THE SUN..

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Into the Night - Part VII

July 26, 20XX (cont.)

"ENOUGH!" came a yell. Silence fell again, and the barman appeared from behind the bar, looking absolutely livid. "Alright, break it up! No fighting in my bar! All of you will have to leave for the night!"

Tai kept his glare locked onto the bigger guy in front of him, who stepped away slowly with his angry eyes staring back. Then a hand was placed on Tai's shoulder – it was Matt, who gave him the same serious face from before.

"My arm… my head…" Tai turned around to see Mimi helping Sora who was struggling to stand. He looked at them and the rest of his friends further behind them, as well as all the people around who had their unwelcome attention. It would be impossible for anyone else there to side with Sora and the rest of them. He needed to get his friends outside to prevent any more trouble.

"Tai…?" Mimi asked, tilted her head to the side and squinting as though she couldn't see him even being up close. Tai put his hand on Mimi's shoulder and examined her—he could tell she had a few drinks, but she was more conscious than Sora was now.

"You two should get outside," he said. "Are you okay to walk on your own?"

"I think so," Mimi said.

The crowd was slowly dispersing, chattering excitedly about what they just witnessed. With haste, Tai grabbed Joe and told him to follow Mimi and Sora, but he was already digging through his bag for the first aid supplies he kept in there as he followed them out. Then Tai went over to the T.K. and Kari, who were gathering everyone's things, including Sora's and Mimi's bags. Kari refused to make eye contact with him.

"Matt and I will meet you outside," Tai told her and T.K., then hurried with Matt to confront the barman, both of them bowing in front of him as an apology. They never imagined they would cause a scene like this, much less at a bar where they knew and respected its owner.

Geez," said the barman with a sigh, shaking his head. "I know you kids had no intention of fighting. I saw it all unfold. I just didn't expect that from Sora. That girl had a lot to drink tonight—make sure she gets home safely."

"Yes, sir," they said in unison.

Tai couldn't help but feel guiltier by the moment as he and Matt walked out of the bar quietly. Why did Sora turn her phone off? Why did she barely eat? Why did she drink so much?

It was hard to believe it was because of anything other than him.

"You know, all of this could have been avoided," Matt said, matter-of-factly, as though he read Tai's mind.

Tai felt a pang of annoyance. "Let's just get to the others," he said.

They found the rest of the group sitting on a bench not too far from the bar. Sora hung her head low as Joe examined her forehead and eyelids, and Kari was next to her, cleaning up Sora's shoulder wound with gauze and some antiseptic liquid.

Mimi had run into two of the girls from the bar and was screaming at them as T.K. tried pulling her back with her arm.

"Mimi," Matt said under his breath, running towards her. Tai followed suit.

"You'll pay for what you did to Sora!" Mimi shouted, struggling to throw her hands at the girls in front of her, who stood in front of her, making provoking gestures toward Mimi.

"Hey!" Matt yelled, standing himself in the middle of them, confronting the two girls. "We already got kicked out of the bar tonight. Let's not get into any more trouble than we already are."

"Tai?" Mimi said, no longer struggling and standing up. She seemed to recognize him now, but before Tai knew it, she was running toward him, raising her hand and ready to throw it at him.

"Mimi!" T.K. called, grabbing hold of her again as Tai stepped backward, and this time, Matt stopped in front her, too, holding her shoulders.

"Calm down, Mimi," said Matt who was staring at Mimi intently, and Tai watched Mimi shoulders relax from being tense. She glanced at Tai, then scoffed as she looked away.

"Hey, aren't you the lead singer?" said one of the other girls Matt just confronted. He turned around at them again, and Tai saw the two girls' expressions had changed.

"That's me."

"Your band is really amazing," the other girl said coyly, but suggestively. "You have an awesome voice. You should hang out with us sometime."

Matt stared at them impassively. "I've got better things to do." Then he turned to Mimi, helping T.K. walk her towards the rest of the group.

"Are you okay?" Matt asked her, as Tai carefully walked ahead of them to get to Sora. Him being there was tense for everyone, but he had to make sure everyone, including Sora, was okay.

"I still feel dizzy from drinking, but I'll be fine," Mimi replied, the tone of her voice now calm. "I think I should call a car. I can take everyone home. I just don't know where my phone is…"

"I'll take care of it, don't worry," Matt told her reassuringly.

A heaving sound was heard then, and they all turned to see Joe jump back, Sora leaning to edge of the bench opposite where Kari sat. Tai immediately ran over as Kari hunched over Sora with her hand placed on Sora's back in comfort.

"Geez, Sora," said Tai when he finally got to her as she coughed up the sick in front of her.

"She hasn't said a word," Joe told him as he stood next to him, worried. "I've told her once before about her eating habits, I didn't expect that about her drinking, but right now, she's not in the best mood…"

"You did this, Tai…" Kari whispered suddenly, her head down and eyes not meeting Tai's. Then she looked up at him, her eyes glistening with angry tears. "If you came to the gig tonight and looked after her… If you weren't so closed off from us… None of this would have happened!"

"Kari…" T.K. said nervously, rushing over to her.

"No, T.K., it's alright," said Tai, feeling his shoulders tremble. He was feeling annoyed, afraid, angry, maybe at Kari, maybe at everyone else, maybe at himself. "She's right. None of this would have happened, if it weren't for me. It's all my fault…"

Past memories began to trickle into his mind, each one flashing after another… Tai discovering Agumon in an alleyway, where Agumon jumped into his arms and joyfully greeted him… The Digimon partners warning their humans of the threat to come… Tai, Matt, and Izzy huddling together in front of Izzy's laptop, watching various points on the map light up as an army of Digimon entered the real world at the same time… Tai coming up with a plan, and leading everyone to fight, even when half of the team disagreed… and then…

"Hey, Tai," said Matt.

Tai blinked and saw in front of him that T.K. was now sitting next to Kari, both of them now looking at him with concern.

"Come on, Tai, let's talk about this," continued Matt, who was now holding Mimi's phone, with Mimi holding onto his shoulder, watching Tai with a frown.

Tai shook his head, the memories still fresh on his mind. Sometimes he tried pushing them out from his mind; sometimes he succumbed to them, letting the guilt take over. "There is nothing to talk about. I…I screwed up… I shouldn't have come here."

"Tai…?" came a weak voice. It was enough for the memories to crumble and drift away from his thoughts. Everyone turned to look at Sora, who was stirring from her face-down position on the bench. "Is he here…?"

"I'm here, Sora," he said, crouching down to her eye level. Her eyes were still closed, but she had a look of pain.

"Take me home, Tai… please…" It surprised him, considering how things were left between them the last time. He wasn't sure whether it was because of her current state of mind and the alcohol that could very well be affecting her, but there was no doubt he wouldn't refuse her bidding regardless.

"Of course I will." Tai caressed the hair covering part of her face, then he stood up. He looked at everyone in front of him—Joe, Kari, T.K., Mimi, and Matt. They all looked back at him, not saying a word, but with the same understanding that it was best for them all to put their issues to rest for the time being; they would have to talk later, after they all recovered from the events of the night.


As soon as Tai helped Sora out of Mimi's limousine, she bent down at the curb to throw up again.

"We're almost home, Sora," Tai said, rubbing her back as she coughed, then helping her drink water from a bottle Mimi had in the car. "Can you walk up the stairs?"

Sora shook her head.

"Here, hold on," he said, putting her arms around his neck as he lifted her up, holding her from her back and her legs. He carried her in silence as her face rested on his shoulder, and he got a whiff of her perfume of sweet citrus, which was surprising to him, all things considered.

Unable to find her house key, he took note of the lights on from inside her house and knocked for Mrs. Takenouchi to answer the door. She answered, though with a look of confusion and heavy concern at Sora's current state.

"We'll explain later," he said quietly, setting Sora down to remove his shoes, then helping Sora remove hers. He helped her walk through the living room and into her bedroom, where he led her to lay in her bed, with him sitting beside her.

Sora's room was always clean and tidy. There were no clothes scattered on her floor but all folded neatly in her drawers and hung in her closet; her desk was clear of scattered pencils and accessories. That's why it caught Tai's attention to see her bedside drawer left pulled open, showing her small light blue digivice, shining only by the glare of the light turned on in her room. He pushed the drawer to close it. He had been wondering since then where she put hers, even though he never wanted to ask her.

He carried his in his pocket this whole time.

"You were there earlier, weren't you?" she asked, looking at him, sounding a little stronger than before, but quiet and exhausted. Her words were slurring a little, and her face was pink. "I was in that fight, and I saw you protecting me…"

"I was pretty late in getting there…" Tai said. "But we saw you and Mimi were holding your own. Geez, can you throw a punch, Sora."

Sora laughed. "Only when they're deserving of it." Then she sat up, taking his arm, and holding it tightly as she leaned herself against him. "Did you hear what that girl said? Why I punched her?"

"Yes…" Tai said, feeling his chest tighten from remembering. "She said that… that they deserved to die."

She held onto him a little closer. "You don't believe that, do you?"

Tai looked at Sora in surprise. "No—No, Sora; of course not. What makes you ask that?"

"I'm sure you don't, I just had to ask… I mean… you never talk about them. The Digimon."

"Sora…"

"You never mention them… I haven't heard you say his name once since… Don't you wish you could see Agumon again? I want to see Biyomon, so badly… I wish I could have protected her then…"

Her face was now buried into his arm, and he could hear her sobbing quietly. She wouldn't have been so honest if she wasn't still drunk; Tai knew that much. Either way, it was already excruciating to talk about the thing he was so used to avoiding by now; but it was even worse having to see her cry.

He was brought back to the day before the plan of attack, when she shouted over everyone, nearly in tears, as most of the team were divided over Tai's plan. She had convinced everyone, even Matt, to agree with it, although she told Tai later in confidence that she was afraid of the outcome, either way.

He would never come to terms with the outcome that they were all now suffering through. Tai motioned her to lean towards his chest, putting his arms around her to hold her. It only made her cry harder.

"If you don't want to cry, then I will just cry for me and you both, baka…" she said, and he wrapped his arms around her more tightly, his eyes closed, wanting to block out those unwanted memories, including the new ones of his friends confronting him tonight.

"I know you're here with me now," Sora continued, and he opened his eyes to see her looking up at him with tears pouring down her face. "But I miss you, Tai. I miss you so much. I wish you could just talk to me, like you always did before. I hate seeing you like this…"

He was silent as he listened to her pleading voice, her words shattering him. She wanted the old Tai back, but even he didn't know how to get to him. Taking her drunkenness to his advantage, he decided to ask something that he knew she would answer truthfully, no holds barred.

"What if things don't go back the way they used to be? What if… What if I just stayed like this? Are you going to leave me?"

"What…Leave you…?" Sora stared at him, eyebrows furrowing, looking shaken by his questions. "Tai, baka… I waited for you for the longest time, even throughout high school… After all we've been through, I could never leave you." She buried herself onto his chest, now sobbing into his shirt, and then she added so quietly:

"I'll wait for you for as long as it takes… because I love you… way too much…"

Tai sat there, stunned.

He had been holding back saying that to her for the longest time. Never, in a million years, did he ever believe Sora would want to be with a guy like him in the first place. His childhood best friend who was always there for him, his lover who shines the light in his darkness, even when he has no will to fight it. And now she says that so freely… Is this why she fights so hard for him…?

He couldn't find any words to say. All he could do was hold her with her hands clinging to his back, as he listened to her calling him 'baka' over and over, crying until she tired herself out and fell asleep in his arms.