December 21, 2008

Falkirk, Scotland

It was the 90th minute in Celtic's SPL match at Falkirk Football Club. It was 11 days after the Celts' victory over Villarreal to claim a spot in the UEFA Champions League knockout stage. But right now, Celtic had to deal with domestic play. After the win, they beat Heart of Midlothian 1-0 at Celtic Park. And now they were dealing with Falkirk. Celtic wore their away kits with yellow shorts. Falkirk wore their home kits, which were navy blue with white shorts and white socks tipped with a navy blue band. The sides of the kits and under the arms were white. The shirt sponsor was Central Demolition. Celtic currently led 1-0 thanks to a goal by Greek forward Georgios Samaras. Celtic's rivals Rangers had won on Saturday, so Celtic were feeling the pressure to win the match. Falkirk Stadium was mostly quiet, but there were signs of hope. But Celtic forward Taichi Kamiya intercepted a pass by Falkirk midfielder Burton O' Brien. Tai then passed to Scott, who took it down the middle of the field towards the Falkirk goal and then fired a shot on goal. The ball sailed past Falkirk's Austrian 'keeper Robert Olejnik.

C: "Scott Michaels with a great finish to put Celtic ahead 2-0! That's his fourth Premier League goal this year!" Scott celebrated by doing a high leg kick and then performing his 'Gator Chomp' celebration. Tai simply shook his head at that. After 4 minutes of stoppage time, Japanese midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura picked out Tai again, to which the other Japanese player rounded Olejnik to put Celtic ahead 3-0 and put the game on ice.

C: "And Tai Kamiya, with his fifth goal this season puts the match out of reach for Falkirk! And Celtic will win this match easily." With the 95th minute, the referee blew his whistle, signifying the end of the match, and a victory for Celtic. With the win, Celtic gained three more points to take a 4-point lead before the December 27th showdown at Rangers' Ibrox Stadium.

-
December 22, 2008

Glasgow, Scotland

Tai Kamiya and Scott Michaels sat on a bench in Glasgow's George Square. The two were there along with Maggie Gordon and Sora Takenouchi, their female friends, to see Glasgow Winterfest, which they had been meaning to see for sometime. Sora and Maggie were ice-skating, which the two guys weren't to crazy about doing. Tai just watched the girls while Scott had some fish and chips, yet wishing he had a cheeseburger. Glasgow Winterfest took up the entirety of George Square. It included small shops, a carousel, a few rides, a temporary band shell, an ice rink, where the girls were ice-skating, and even a helter skelter. The perimeter was surrounded by lights decorations. It was in the evening, so the lights were on right now. There was also a large Christmas tree, which reminded the two of home, particularly Scott. It was a fantastic sight, one that both of them enjoyed—when they first arrived.

Being polite, Scott offered some of his fish and chips to Tai, which the Japanese man turned down. It was a cold night, probably around maybe 15-20 degrees Fahrenheit. They could see their breath in the cold Scottish air, which they were becoming used to. There was some snow in the air, which coated the ground like a white sheet. Tai was wearing his familiar blue jacket with the yellow paw prints and his famous goggles, while Scott wore a Chicago Bears jacket and a Florida Gators cap. Both of them were trying to keep a low profile, so no Celtic gear today.

The sights, sounds, and smells of the festival surrounded them. A Christmas song played on the loudspeaker, most likely a British artist. The lights were something of a distraction and Tai could smell Scott's fish and chips. They could also smell some food being made in the food booths as well as the people on the ice rink conversing amongst themselves and even some wee ones begging their mom to go on the helter skelter.

"I got an e-mail from my sister recently," said Tai.

"Oh yeah, what did it say?" Scott asked.

"She says she's considering going to college somewhere in the United States," he said.

"Oh really?" Scott asked. "Where?"

"I think she said the University of Central Florida," said Tai.

"That's where Jimmy goes," Scott said. Then Scott, once he realized the implications, started to laugh. "Goddamn, your sister going to my brother's university? That should be interesting."

"He'd better not hurt my sister," Tai said.

"Nah, he's not one to hurt a lady," said Scott. "Unless they're bitches to him."

"Well, that I can understand," said Tai. "Just tell him not to mess with her. Besides, she's already got a boyfriend."

"Alright, I got ya," said Scott. "So you're one of those over-protective types, right?"

"Guilty as charged," Tai said. Scott laughed in response.

"I'm not that way with Jimmy," said Scott. "He wouldn't let me. He'd always stand up for himself; partially because of my family's hot-blooded nature and the fact that he saw himself as a badass."

"Well Kari does get annoyed by it, so I have to tone it down sometimes," said Tai. "She says that I act as though she's still 8 at times. But I think she does appreciate when I'm really there for her. And probably because I've mellowed out since then."

"Yeah, sometimes Jimmy did admit he needed my help," said Scott. "But since he plays American football, he can be pretty tough."

"I guess so," said Tai. "Kari, she can be pretty independent herself, and she says that I get too overprotective. I guess she's right."

"Jeez!" Scott said with a laughing tone on his voice.

"But I guess that it might be justified," said Tai. Scott stopped laughing, realizing that Tai was getting serious. "When I was a little kid, Kari had pneumonia and my mom wanted me to watch Kari. But I really wanted to play soccer that day and to cheer her up I took her with me. But she collapsed and had to go to the hospital for weeks and she nearly died. When my mom learned of my stupid act, she slapped me; hard; Which I probably deserved."

"Jeez," said Scott. "That's rough."

"And it gets worse. When she came home finally, the first words out of her mouth were, 'Tai, I'm sorry I can't kick the ball very good. You'll probably never want to play with me again'."

"How is that worse?" Scott asked, completely missing the point.

"Because she almost always thinks of others, and not herself," Tai said with some slight anger on his voice. It was probably justified.

"Okay, I'm sorry, I just didn't know," Scott said. "I guess I have my own traumatic story about Jimmy."

"Oh yeah, what happened?" Tai asked.

"I think it was when I was twelve," said Scott. "Jimmy and I were playing catch in the front yard when I accidentally threw the baseball onto the street. Jimmy ran to go get it, when a car came. To be honest, I didn't see it, since I had my back turned. But I looked up to see my mom have a frightened expression on her face and then I turned around in time to see Jimmy just barely dodging a car. To make a long story short, I got slapped very hard and yelled at for nearly an hour. Jimmy was okay, though and I tried to be a protective brother from then on."

"Jeez," said Tai. "I guess we both have something in common. But neither of us is looking for pity,"

"Fuck no. And I guess much like your sister, Jimmy didn't blame me either," said Scott. "Although has said that it didn't matter because he would have dodged it no matter what."

"How is it that our talk about our siblings has reopened old wounds?" Tai asked, trying to lighten things up. Scott himself laughed at Tai's comment, which the Japanese player joined in doing. "So Jimmy's toughness rubbed off on you?" He asked to change the subject. "How so?"

"Well, he plays American football as a quarterback, which is a very important position in that game," he said. "And he gets hit at times by some people who are much bigger than him. Usually, the average person would be flat as a pancake after that, but seeing Jimmy get up from that unscathed just showed how tough he could be."

"Really?" Tai asked. "I've heard from a lot of fans that they think—and this is not my opinion—that American football's for wusses."

"Well they haven't met Jimmy!" Scott said. "Hell, he told me that's really not the case and that soccer players are wusses. He said to me, 'how the fuck can we be pussies when you soccer players roll around like sissies when you get a hit? Show some balls and take it like a man'!"

"HAHAHAHAHA!" Tai laughed at Scott's—er, Jimmy's—comments. "He said that?"

"Yeah, and actually, after that, I would usually just get up after taking a hit," said Scott. "You've seen me, haven't you?"

"I guess so," said Tai, "Which is probably why you don't draw many fouls, since you just get up and keep playing."

"Of course, you do that too," said Scott.

"That's true," Tai replied. "Well getting back to our siblings, Kari was actually supposed to stay here in Glasgow with me. But for some reason, she went back to Tokyo with the rest of my friends."

"She was?" Scott asked. "Is that why your friend Sora is here?"

"Yeah, and it caught me off guard," Tai said. "I didn't know why Kari agreed to it, but she did."

"Oh, so that Sora girl does like you!" Scott said in a teasing manner. Tai, of course, did not appreciate it.

"What?"

"Aye, she's a bonny lass, innt she?" Scott said in a mock Scottish accent. Tai was not happy that Scott was mocking him about his relationship with Sora. Or he was mocking him about his inability to confess his feelings for her. Either way, Tai did not like it.

"Hey, shut up, this isn't your business! What about Maggie?" Tai tried to counter.

"You already know we're dating!" Scott replied. Counterattack: failure. The two fell silent again while Scott went back to his fish and chips. What I forgot to mention was that Tai had been growing his hair out again, and now it was starting to look a lot like it did back in 2002. But then he might cut the hair again at some point.

"Have you done your Christmas shopping yet?" Tai asked.

"I finished for my mom, dad and Jimmy three weeks ago," said Scott through a mouthful of fish. "I got done for the party earlier today. What about you?"

"Same here," said Tai. "Did you have to send your presents back to America, because I had to send mine to Japan."

"Yeah, I did," said Scott.

"So what does your dad do?" Tai asked. A little out of the blue, but a good question, anyway,

"Oh, he's a sportswriter," said Scott. "He writes for the Chicago Tribune, so he's somewhat famous in the area. My mom though, is a bit more famous."

"How so?" Tai asked

"She's a romance novelist!" Scott said with a laugh.

"What?" Tai said with a laugh.

"She writes romance novels!" Scott said. "She writes some sexy stuff. And Jimmy's kind of embarrassed by it."

"I'd probably be embarrassed if my mom was a romance novelist," said Tai.

"So what about your folks?" Scott asked. "What do they do?"

"My dad's a salaryman. A businessman," he said, clearing things up. "And my mom, well, she's a housewife."

Scott sniggered at the 'housewife' thing. "You're not mocking your own mother, are you?" He asked sarcastically.

"No, I'm not," Tai said. "But her recipes suck!" Scott laughed in response.

"Man, you're low!" Scott said sarcastically.

Meanwhile, Sora and Maggie enjoyed themselves ice-skating at the Winterfest ice rink. Sora, much like Tai, was wearing the same jacket that she wore at Christmas 2002, while Maggie wore a Scotland football jacket. She showed Sora some basic figure skating moves she knew—basic, not advanced. Sora watched, and tried to match them, somewhat successfully. But she just preferred to skate along the rink and not do anything fancy. A few people stopped to watch, but they mostly kept on with what they were doing.

"So what's Christmas like in Japan?" Maggie asked.

"It's pretty popular," said Sora. "Most of the main celebrations revolve around Christmas Eve and not Christmas Day."

"Oh really?" Maggie asked.

"Yeah, and we tend to give cakes for Christmas, which are usually not eaten after the 25th, which is why women over 25 who haven't gotten married yet are called 'Christmas Cakes'!"

Maggie laughed at Sora's humorous statement. "Och, that must be bad," she said. "Sae there's no religious connotation?"

"Well, most of us are either Shinto or Buddhist, so the religious aspect doesn't matter to most of us," said Sora. "But what about here?"

"Well, the Church of Scotland has fer years placed less emphasis on Christmas and more on New Years, which is referred tae as Hogmanay," said Maggie. "But recently the Church is relaxing that stance, so now Christmas here isn't really that different from Christmas down south in England and in America."

"Really?" Sora said in surprise. "I didn't know that."

"Aye, but now ye dae," said Maggie. "Of course, it's still a little subdued, but ye'll ne'er now by looking at this!" She said, gesturing to the Winterfest decorations. Sora laughed, thinking it was interesting.

"There is another thing about Christmas in Japan," said Sora. "It is imperative for a single woman to have someone to spend Christmas Eve with." Too bad she didn't know about the implications to Maggie.

"Ah, I see," she said. "Sae will are ye thinkin' about Tai?" She jokingly nudged Sora as she said this. "Are ye goin' to spend Christmas with him?"

"Well we do stay in the same apartment," said Sora. "So I guess."

"You're livin' in the same apartment?" Maggie asked in surprise. "And ye still daen't know that that means?"

"Um, no," Sora said.

"Och, yer're such a nugget!" Maggie said.

"Wait, what—" Then Sora realized what Maggie was talkin' about.

"Ye are in love with 'im are ya?" Maggie asked.

"Well, I don't know," said Sora. "I only stayed here because I wanted to broaden my horizons."

"Keep tellin' yerself that lassie," said Maggie. "I can guarantee ye yer're here because you're fanny-struck with 'im."

"What does 'fanny-struck' mean?" Sora asked, as she was still not entirely used to the Glasgow patter.

"Yer're in love with Tai Kamiya!" Maggie said to clarify.

"Why are you bothering me about this?" Sora said. "You've only known me for a few months, if I wanted to be bugged about it, I would have called a friend of mine instead!"

"I thought we were friends!" Maggie said with and offended tone.

"I meant an old friend, no offense to you Maggie," Sora said.

"Oh, I see," Maggie said. "Someone ye know better than me?"

"Yeah, probably a girl I know," said Sora. "Her name's Mimi, and she's been a good friend of mine for sometime. I'd rather get advice from her."

"Aye, that might work," said Maggie.

"…Well, the thing about Jimmy is, he's not really a bad person. Sure, he's hot-blooded, a foul mouth, and kind of arrogant, but he's a good kid, really." Scott was just describing his little brother to Tai. Tai was also describing Kari to Scott, saying that she was a very spunky girl who likes to play jokes on people.

"You say 'hot-blooded' when you describe both Jimmy and your dad, what are you talking about?" Tai asked.

"The whole Michaels family is hot-blooded!" Scott said. "Even me!"

"You don't seem that hot-blooded," Tai said with a skeptical tone.

"Have you seen me celebrate?" Scott asked. Tai thought about it for a moment and then saw what Scott was talking about.

"Oh, yeah, now I get it," said Tai. "I guess I can get pretty hot-blooded too. Well, I'm not as crazy as I was when I was 11, though."

"Well, like I said, the whole damn family is hot blooded!" Scott said. "Sure, we can be low-key, but given the right situation, and you'd think we were related to Arnold Schwarzenegger!"

"Really?" Tai said, trying to keep his laughter down.

"Yeah, and there's a family in-joke that we're descended from the Irish hero Cú Chulainn—even though he's from the North of Ireland and our family comes from the South of Ireland; County Cork, to be exact."

"Cú Chulainn?" Tai asked which is justified since he didn't really know much about Irish mythology.

"Whenever he went into battle, he'd go into some berserker rage," said Scott. "And probably for weeks afterward, nobody would go near him! He was insane."

"That does sound crazy," said Tai. "Do you really think you can verify that?"

"I don't know if we can," said Scott. "I mean, it's mainly a joke amongst family members. It's sort of like the Spartans in 300 claiming they're descended from Heracles."

"I guess so," said Tai. "So the JFA called me and they said they might let me back on the team for our upcoming World Cup qualifiers, probably against Australia. What about you? Has US Soccer called you?"

"Well Clint Dempsey told me that Coach Bradley might bring me back for the Mexico match," said Scott. "But I haven't heard anything from him yet."

"That sucks. By the way, does it ever get this cold where you're from?" Tai asked.

"Are you kidding me?" Scott said with a little indignation. "The Chicago Bears are notorious for playing in below freezing temperatures! And there's a lot of snow. What about where you're from?"

"It gets chilly, but not very cold in Tokyo," Tai said. "Hokkaido, now that's cold."

"No kiddin'. The thing is, in Chicago, an inch of snow isn't enough," said Scott. 'But in places like Texas, I have to laugh at those people because they cancel school with only half an inch of snow!"

"What?" Tai asked in surprise.

"I went to Texas one time and it started to snow. All of a sudden, everyone just started freaking out, the news, the cops, and I'm sitting here, thinking, 'it's just a light dusting! This isn't even enough for a snowball'!" Scott said.

"HAHAHAHAHA!" Tai laughed at the silliness of the story,

"And you know what the crazy thing about this season is?" Scott said.

"What is that?" Tai asked.

"Before Christmas, winter is romantic. After that, it's 'when the fuck is spring gonna get here'?" The two of them laughed, until Tai saw Sora waving to him to come over.

"Looks like Sora wants me," Tai said. "I guess I'll go see her."

"Tell her you love her, dude!" Scott said in a teasing manner.

"Oh, shut up!" Tai walked off, not happy with Scott's teasing. Maggie, meanwhile, walked up to Scott and sat on the bench with Scott. She was holding two cups of hot chocolate in her hands, which Scott very much appreciated. With chocolate cups in hand, Maggie snuggled close to Scott and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"Sae what were ya talkin' about?" She asked.

"Oh, not much," Scott replied. "Pretty much about our siblings and how before Christmas winter is romantic, while afterward, it's 'when the hell is spring gonna get here'?"

"Ha ha ha! Were did ya get that?" Maggie asked.

"I made it up," he replied.

"I see. Sae does it get cold where you're from?" She asked.

"I was already talking about that with Kamiya," Scott said. "You want me to repeat myself?"

"Just tell me," she said.

"Okay, then. In Chicago, it gets cold," he said. "Florida? No."

"Och, I see," she replied. "But is this a cold night fer ye?"

"Are you kidding me?" He asked. "I've been to White Sox games colder than this!"

"Oh really?" She asked sarcastically.

"And Bears games," he said.

"Yer're not impressin' me," said Maggie, much to Scott's chagrin. The two sat there, watching Tai and Sora converse while Scott whistled some song. "Wha' song is that?" she asked.

"Bear Down Chicago Bears," he said. "You mentioning the winter reminded me of the Bears, or 'Da Bears' as we in Chicago call them." Maggie stayed silent again, while Scott silently sang the words to the song. "…You're the pride and joy of Illinois, Chicago Bears, Bear Down"

"Dae ya think those two will ever get tagether?" Maggie asked, referring to Tai and Sora.

"I don't know," Scott replied. "Kamiya seems to be in denial about it, but I hope they do."

"So does Sora," Maggie said. "They must be stupid or something."

"Hey, don't say that," said Scott. "That's not nice."

"I know," said Maggie. "I just wonder what they're talkin' aboot."

"So you and Scott seem to have something in common," said Sora. "He loves his little brother much like you love Kari."

"I guess so," said Tai. "He was also talking about how his brother may be a jerk at times but is really a good kid."

"Sounds like you, Tai," Sora said with a teasing tone.

"Come on Sora, don't be like that," said Tai.

"Well it did when you were twelve," said Sora. "In fact, it seems like you still act that way today."

"Do you have to be that condescending?" Tai asked.

"Not exactly," said Sora. "But it is the truth, you do tend to act a little hot-headed from time to time, like when you got in to a fight with Scott and you were both suspended for the Villarreal match at El Madrigal."

"That's ancient history Sora," said Tai.

"I guess you do have a point Tai," said Sora. "But I guess you have changed. A lot."

"Where did that come from?" He asked, since it seemed to come out of the blue.

"Um, nowhere! I didn't really mean anything by it!" Sora said. Neither of them could hear Scott and Maggie groan at her denial. Of course, they couldn't hear her, but they had a pretty good feeling about.

"Is that all you wanted to know?" Tai asked. "About my conversation with Scott?"

"Yeah, pretty much," said Sora. "I guess you'll have to break up Scott and Maggie's romantic moment now." Well, not exactly, because he was beaten to a punch when a mom and her son, plus possibly a few friends showed up, and approached the bench where Scott and Maggie here sitting. They seemed to be discussing something, when Scott pointed in Tai's direction. That's when Scott stood up from the bench and gestured to Tai to come over, which he did.

"What's this about?" he asked.

"My son and his mates want ye to sign his footballs," said the mother. She and her son had red hair, while his friends had brown and blonde hair, plus a Pakistani kid. "They're big Celtic supporters and they'd appreciate it if ye could sign their footballs."

"Sure thing," said Tai. Hey, they may be trying to keep a low profile, but when kids ask for your autograph, might as well oblige.

"So what are your names?" Scott asked as he was handed a soccer ball.

"Mine's Liam!" The son said. He appeared to be around 11 years old, like his friends.

"Okay, Liam," Scott said has he signed his ball, and then handed it over to Tai for him to sign. "And your name?" He asked to the brown-haired one.

"It's Michael," said the other boy.

"Okay then," Tai said as he signed Michael's ball. "Who's next?"

"I'm Sean!" The blonde one said.

"Sean, huh?" said Scott. "Nice name. I have a cousin named Sean." He passed the other ball over to Tai, who also signed the ball. "And you?"

"I'm Saleem!" The Pakistani boy said.

"Ah, now that's a fine name!" Said Tai as Scott signed the ball. "So do you all play football?"

"Aye," said Saleem. "We're on the same youth club."

"That's nice," said Scott. "Do you want to play for Celtic?" The boys all voiced their confirmation, which made Scott and Tai chuckle.

"Well then, good luck to all of you," said Tai. "Maybe someday, you'll be giving autographs."

"Aye, and we'll be beain' those shite Rangers!" Liam said. He received a bit of a minor slap from his mom, though, while Scott and Tai just looked at each other.

"Cute kid," said Scott. Well, at least he didn't bash their Protestant—

"Well, I fergot tae mention, we're Protestant," said the mom. Okay, that was new.

"Ah, who cares?" Tai said. "I'm not Christian anyway, I'm just here to play. It doesn't matter to me."

"Aye, I knew that," said the mom. "I just wasn't happy when he said that word."

"Well, he's just a kid," said Scott. "So have you guys been to any matches?"

"Aye, we've been tae some," said Saleem. "We went tae the match against Manchester United and Villarreal."

"Oh, so you went to the Champions League matches?" Tai asked.

"Aye," said Michael. "And we saw ye score yer goals!" He said to Scott. Tai just frowned in response.

"Aw, thanks!" Scott said in appreciation.

"But we did see the Aalborg match on the telly," said Saleem. "And we saw ye score twice, Tai. Yer're my personal favorite!"

"Okay, you just put me in a better mood," said Tai.

"By the way, Scott," said Liam. "What's that gesture ye make when ye score a goal?" he tried to do Scott's clapping gesture. He was a little confused at first, but then realized what they were talking about.

"That's the Gator Chomp!" He said. He then corrected the kids and showed them how to do it. "See, you had it sideways. The lower hand has to be out as though you're asking for something, like this," He extended his left hand out, and held his palm up. Tai, not wanting to be left out, did this himself. "Then you take your other arm," he held his right arm out. "And have the palm facing the other palm. Then you go like this," he brought his right hand down on the left, and proceeded to clap like that. Tai and the kids then tried it themselves. "There ya go!" Scott said. "That's the Gator Chomp!"

"But wha' is it?" Saleem asked.

"It's related to where I went to college, the University of Florida," said Scott. "The athletic teams call themselves the Gators and the Gator Chomp is part of that identity."

"Why is it that your previous team had something like that," Tai said in an annoyed manner. "And mine doesn't?"

"I dunno," said Scott.

"So was that song they played after yer goal related to Florida?" Liam asked.

"Obviously!" Scott said. "The song's called 'The Orange and Blue'."

"Orange and Blue?" said Sean. Apparently he was Catholic. "How could a Celtic player like Orange and Blue?"

"Because that's the school colors," Scott said as he pointed to his cap.

"Your school gets a song?" Tai asked, somewhat upset.

"I'm guessing the fans of your team had their songs," said Scott. "Why not a university?"

"That's true," said Tai. "So do you kids want a photo?" The kids expressed their excitement in being able to get a photo with them.

"Aye, we want a picture with the American and Japanese Bhoys," said Liam.

"American Bhoy?" Scott asked with disappointment on his tone. "That's too broad. Didn't you read or at least see the cover of the Celtic View? Call me the Gator Bhoy!"

"And call me the Antler Bhoy," said Tai.

"Antler?" Scott said.

"Hey, you call yourself the Gator Bhoy, might as well call myself the Antler Bhoy," said Tai. Scott wasn't too happy though. But the kids got in the picture with Scott and Tai, with Liam, Michael and Scott doing the Gator Chomp while Sean, Tai and Saleem did not.

"Are ye gonna teach us yer school song?" Saleem said to Scott.

"If it's okay with your mom," said Scott.

"No, we have places tae be," she said. "But thank ye anyway for the autographs and the picture, they really appreciated it. Now what dae ye say?"

"Thank ye," all four of them said in unison.

"Hey, it's no problem," said Tai.

"Glad we could do it," said Scott. The two watched the group leave them and were just about to meet with the girls when they heard a voice behind them.

"Tai? Is that you?" The voice sounded familiar enough to attract Sora's attention. Scott and Tai turned around to notice a guy around the age of 18 or 19, with spiky maroon hair and brown eyes. And sort of looked a bit like Tai, including a similar complexion, except for the hair, of course, since his sideburns didn't look a thing like Tai's. But Tai recognized him instantly.

"Hey, Davis, what's up?" he said.

"Wait; is this that Motomiya guy from the Bronze Medal game?" Scott asked.

"Yep, this is Daisuke Motomiya, or as we know him, Davis," said Tai. "And Davis, this is my teammate Scott Michaels; he played for the United States in that game."

"Well, then, we finally get to meet," said Davis as the two shook hands.

"Pleasure to meet you," said Scott. But neither he nor Tai could see the look on Sora and Maggie's faces. Until Davis waved to Sora, that is.

"Hey Sora, how's it going?" Davis called to Sora.

"It's going great, Davis!" Sora said.

"So what brings you to Glasgow, Davis?" Tai asked.

"I'm here to play football!" Davis said. "And I have a new teammate." Said teammate stepped forward. He had short, dark blonde hair, brown eyes—which made him sort of the opposite of Scott—and appeared to be about 20 years old. And this time, Scott recognized him.

"Mike Jefferson?" Scott asked with a surprised look on his face. "How's it going?"

"Fine!" Mike said in response

"Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce you," Scott said to Tai. "Tai, this is Mike Jefferson, he also played on the U.S. team."

"Nice to meet you Mike," said Tai. "So are you here for the same reason Davis is?" Tai asked.

"Yep!" Mike said. "He and I are teammates."

"Oh, that's nice," said Scott. "Who're you playing for? Clyde?"

"Well, not really," said Davis.

"Is it Partick Thistle?" Tai asked. But that question was answered quickly.

"Tai!" Sora called. He and Scott turned around to see Sora and Maggie with worried looks on their faces, but that didn't register with them. "They're not playing for Partick Thistle!" After a moment of consideration, the smiles on their faces faded, and they gave each other a shocked look before they turned to the two with a look that was either shocked or dismayed, or a combination of both, because they were not happy about this.

"You guys are playing for Rangers?" Scott said with shock on his voice.

"Yep!" Davis said, oblivious to Scott's tone. "Isn't it… um, what's wrong?" Davis stopped his statement short when he noticed Tai and Scott had some very angry looks on their faces, as though they had been betrayed. In fact, that's pretty much how they felt now.

"What the hell, Davis, I thought you were going to play for us!" Tai yelled.

"Whoa, Tai, what's the big deal?" Davis asked.

"What's the big deal? The big deal is, I was your sempai for years, and this is how you repay me?" Tai said. He was very angry right now. In fact, that might be an understatement, "By joining my team's biggest rivals!"

"The same goes for you, Mike!" Scott said as well. "If you were playing for Hearts or Man U, I'd be okay with that, but them?"

"What the hell's your problem, Scott?" Mike asked.

"Yeah Tai, why are you so mad?" Davis said, getting angry.

"Because we thought you'd come to Celtic, not Rangers!" Tai said. "And then this happens?"

"Has your ego gotten big as your hair Tai?" Davis asked.

"That's not the point!" Tai retorted. "You betrayed me!"

"Oh, so it is your ego!" Mike said.

"It's not ego!" Scott replied. "We feel betrayed by you two!"

"Well too bad Scott, we joined Rangers, and that's that!" Mike said.

"Okay, then, forget it!" Scott said, pointing at Davis and Mike. "But you'd better enjoy it while you can, because we're gonna kick your blue-nosed loyalist asses this Saturday, got that?"

"No, because you guys are gonna lose to us!" Davis said as he and Mike began to walk away.

"Keep telling yourselves that!" Tai said as they walked away. He and Scott turned around and went back to the girls.

"What the hell's a sempai?" Scott asked.

"I was sort of like his mentor," said Tai. "In a sense."

"Gotcha," said Scott.

"Boy, you sure showed them," said Sora.

"Can you believe that?" Tai asked. "When the hell did they join that team?" Tai expected a quick 'I don't know' from them, but instead Sora and Maggie delayed their answer, leading Tai and Scott to draw the same conclusion. "You guys knew all along?"

"Why didn't you tell us?" Scott said.

"We forgot," said Maggie. "We meant tae tell ye both but we forgot."

"You know, that's not exactly the excuse it used to be," Scott said in an annoyed voice.

"Really, we forgot!" Sora said.

"Would have been nice if you told us, though," said Tai.

"But Scott, I don't recall ye objectin' when Beasley and Edu signed with Rangers," said Maggie.

"Mainly because those two signed with Rangers before I signed with Celtic," said Scott. "But that's not the point! He was my teammate on the Gators and for him to essentially betray me like that—"

"The same with Davis," said Tai, interrupting Scott, which the American was not happy about.

"You guys are immature, you know that?" Sora asked.

"Come on Sora, don't say that!" Tai said.

Christmas Eve

Tai and Sora were putting on the finishing decorations on their Christmas tree. He hadn't had time to decorate it with his busy schedule and all that. Agumon and Biyomon—who unfortunately haven't been mentioned much lately—also helped. Well, Agumon could only do the bottom of the tree, while Biyomon had the advantage of being able to fly. The whole 'mad at Davis thing' had blown over—temporarily—and right now they were just enjoying the night. Outside, the snow was falling, like a scene Scott described once.

But it was also a romantic scene—too bad neither Tai nor Sora noticed this! Well, actually, Tai. For some reason, Sora could not get Maggie's teasing about her relationship with Tai out of her head. If she wanted that, she would have asked Mimi to tease her about it. Actually, though, she did. And the result was the same.

Yesterday:

"You know, if I were you, I would have smothered him a long time ago," Mimi said on the 23rd.

"Except I'm not you," said Sora.

"But why are you being so indecisive?" Mimi asked. "You were never like this in the Digital World!" Okay, now she was starting to regret getting yelled at by Mimi.

"But what about you and Joe?" She asked to deflect the question away from her.

"Oh, don't worry about that," said Mimi. "You just need to get your butt in gear and confess your feelings to him!"

"I think you've been reading too many romance manga," Sora said.

"Well, they've made me somewhat savvy when it comes to romance," said Mimi. "And I can tell you by the tone of your voice, you clearly have the hots for Tai."

Today

Stupid Mimi. She didn't love Tai, did she? He was a bit of an asshole, but was also a kind, lo—whoa, where did that come from? Sora shook her head to get those thoughts out of her head. Jeez, I must be losing my mind, she thought. Stupid Mimi and Maggie. I can't be in love with Tai… can I? Oh dear, I am! Or am I? Why am I acting like this? Meanwhile, as Sora was having her little inner-battle, Tai, Biyomon and Agumon were watching her practically freak out.

"Um, Sora?" Tai asked. His question startled her and she nearly jumped ten feet in the air. "Are you okay?"

"Um, I'm fine," said Sora. "I've just had a lot on my mind lately." But Tai didn't buy it.

"Busy?" he asked. "I'm the one who's been busy."

"Oh, um, I need to lie down," she said to try and end the conversation. "Come on Biyomon, I need to lie down."

"But Sora, it's only—"

"I said I need to lie down," she said even more firmly. Biyomon shrugged—as best she could and followed Sora into her room, leaving Tai and Agumon alone in the living room of the apartment.

"Where did that come from?" Tai asked.

"Sora, what's wrong?" Biyomon asked as Sora lay down on her bed, "It's not even 9:00 yet."

"I don't know," said Sora. "I've just been getting teased by Maggie and Mimi about Tai. They think I'm in love with him."

"Maybe you are," said Biyomon.

"You too?" She asked. "Jeez, am I the only one blind to it?"

"I don't know Sora, I just don't want to see you like this," said Biyomon.

"Thanks, Biyo," she said. "I guess I can still count on you as a friend. Especially now."

"But what about Tai?" Biyomon asked. "Is he still a friend?"

"Well he is, but… I guess that's where the problem is. Maggie and Mimi think otherwise. That he's more than a friend."

Meanwhile, outside, Tai and Agumon finished putting the decorations on the tree. "I wonder what Sora's problem was," said Agumon.

"I don't know, she just started acting like that recently," said Tai.

"She seemed upset about something," said Agumon. "Do you think it's related to Matt?"

"Nah, she seemed to be over that a long time ago," said Tai. "I just don't know what her problem is."

"Maybe you should ask her," said Agumon.

"If only it was that easy," said Tai. "She might not want to talk to me."

"That's strange," said Agumon. "She usually wants to talk to you."

"She never acted like this when we were kids," said Tai. "Or at least I think she didn't."

"But you seem a little stressed out too, Tai," said Agumon. "Is something the matter?"

"Well, Scott has been teasing me about Sora," he said. "He thinks I… oh, forget it. I'm just gonna watch TV."

"Wait, Tai, what were you about to say?" Agumon asked with a worried tone on his voice.

"I said forget it," said Tai. "Let's see what's on BBC Scotland."

Scott and Maggie, meanwhile, had it a little bit easier. They also decorated Scott's Christmas tree and got the apartment ready for tomorrow's party. After they were done, the two simply sat on Scott's couch to watch and American Christmas movie, Miracle on 34th Street. Maggie was snuggled up to Scott and he had his arm around her as well.

"Did ya believe in Santa?" She asked him.

"I used to," said Scott. "But then I grew out of it like a lot of American kids."

"Oh well," said Maggie. "You know Sora was talking about how it's vital for a Japanese woman to have someone to spend Christmas Eve with."

"Let me guess, you're thinking of Kamiya, aren't you?" He asked.

"Aye," she said.

"Let's just let those two sort that out for themselves," he said. "They have their thing, and we have ours."

Later that night, when Tai and Sora were asleep, Biyomon and Agumon snuck out of Tai and Sora's rooms so they could talk to each other. "Sora's been acting strange," Biyomon whispered. "I'm worried for her."

"Tai wouldn't talk to me earlier," said Agumon. "I wonder what it is? He said it wasn't about Davis, though."

"Well Sora was talking about how Maggie and Mimi have been teasing her about her feelings for Tai," said Biyomon. "Maybe that's it."

"Well I did once hear Tai saying how Scott's been teasing him, too," said Agumon. "I wonder if it's related to that."

"Sora wouldn't say," said Biyomon. "I'm getting worried about her."

"I'm worried about Tai too," said Agumon. "I just don't know why they're acting like this."

"Do you think Tai has feelings for Sora?" Biyomon asked.

"Well, after she became Matt's girlfriend, he did drag me into the Digital World to train," he said. "I had to help him out so many times that when he started getting faster, I felt strangely left out."

"I wonder if that had anything to do with his feelings for Sora," said Biyomon.

"I don't know, he hasn't told me much," said Agumon. For most of the night, the two conversed about their humans' problems. Their confusion about their partners' actions and behavior only got even worse as the night went on. If only they knew what was going on.

End chapter