Hey everybody

Hey everybody!! I'm so happy so many of you read and enjoyed that last chappie!! Yep, many of you said that was probably the best chappie I've written so far in this fic! I think so too! It was very intense, huh??

Thankyou very much for all your support and reviews! Here's chapter 10! Read and review!!

TEN: 'cause Love Hurts

It was a lot later on that tiresome day when Tai finally opened his eyes. He had somehow managed to stop the strangled sobs from rising in his throat as he ran for home and when he got back to his house, he ignored Kari's questions and bounded up the stairs to his room. He had paused at the doorway and recalled that he had left behind the text book he had needed to do his homework. His mind had blurred and he found it impossible to think anymore about anything.

He remembered that he had stumbled over to his bed and simply collapsed, giving in and welcoming the dark mindless blanket of sleep. He peeked through half-closed lids and saw the warm afternoon sun streaming in from the window over him.

Groaning, he pulled himself up and realized it was already late afternoon. He absentmindedly gazed around his room and found that the events from before were still vivid in his mind. He disliked it and he shook his head trying not to think of it. But he couldn't.

Scenes of Matt and Mimi together, and then how he himself had snapped and gotten so pissed off, how he yelled and screamed at Matt. And then… the cool way Matt retorted. The way he said, "Mission accomplished." How he explained everything, how everything had been planned. How he and Mimi had been in on everything, as well as Sora. Sora… How?! How the hell could she have done this to him??

The reason he had blown up, the reason he had gotten so angry and defensive was because of her! It was because he loved her, because he cared for her, because they were friends that he had jumped in and tried to protect her!! It was because of Sora he had fallen into the trap only to realize that she had been in on it too!!

"Why would you so deliberately hurt me… stab a dagger into the wound I've been trying to heal… why would you hurt me by dating Sora in the first place?!"

"That's the truth, isn't it?? The truth is you can't give up on her even if you want to!! You're love her so much you can't do anything about it!! You've never stopped loving her once since you decided to move on!!"

Tai scrunched up his face and cringed as he remembered the words he and Matt had screamed out at each other. He didn't want it! He didn't want to know!! He didn't want to think about it! He didn't need to… have the pain hurt anymore… he didn't need to know he couldn't stop loving her. He didn't need to be betrayed and stabbed in the back like this!!

What the hell was all this meant to accomplish in the first place?? Why had they pretended to do all this? What was it meant to do? So Matt proved Tai had been lying and that he still loved Sora but so what?? So Matt and Sora had pretended to be going out just for this? What was the point?

Tai grumbled as he got to his feet and angrily bustled out of his room. He stomped down the stairs still contemplating everything. What, was he meant to be relieved that Sora and Matt weren't really dating? Well he wasn't, okay? How was he supposed to be relieved when he found out they had all lied to him?

"Tai?? Bro?" Kari's head poked out of her room as he brushed past. She was concerned and puzzled. "What's wrong? Tai??"

He said nothing, kept moving on, past her towards the front door.

"Tai, you haven't said anything since you got back!! Answer me!! Tai, where are you going?!" Kari said louder.

The only reply she got was the sound of the door slamming.

--

I need to go. I need to leave. I have to get out of here! Have to leave NOW!!

He couldn't stand it. A little sweat was building up over his forehead. Tai thought that maybe he was going insane, but he went on, grabbing his bike from outside the house and pedalling away, harder than he ever had before, moving so fast the wind blurred everything around him.

He didn't want to think. But… was this bike ride meant to take his mind off everything? 'Cause if it was, it wasn't working. No matter how much harder he pedalled or how much faster he travelled, although the scenery blurred around him inside he felt like he was moving in slow motion. Inside, scenes replayed over and over in his head. Inside, everything was going so slowly, everything was semi-frozen making the pain inside ache more and making him want to scream out.

Then suddenly he saw her. His eyes grew wide and his chest began to hurt. He tried to turn away, tried to look away but was unable to.

The pain was so obviously visible in his eyes yet he couldn't pull his eyes away, nor could he look straight at her and then leave. Sighing inwardly to himself and angrily punishing himself he rode on his bike and went up to her, slowing to a halt beside her and the Takenouchi flower shop.

"…Sora…" he managed to say and that was all he could spit out before the memories and pain of betrayal took over him and he was left speechless.

"Tai. Um… hello!" she said, smiling.

Tai couldn't hide the sadness in his eyes so he turned away. "…do you… want a lift home? I'll take you back on my bike."

Sora brightened. "That'd be great! Thankyou!"

"It's no big deal," he said automatically as Sora sat down behind him.

As he pushed off and began riding towards her house he felt the unwanted questions and doubts rising up inside him and he didn't want to say anything, because it had been a while that they could be together like this. But…

"Let me give you the explanation you've been dying to hear so much! I'll tell you why everything happened!! You know why I dated Sora? I'll tell you, Tai… I never felt anything more towards her other than as a friend. But when I told you all that stuff about dating friends, you just so naturally assumed it was Sora when I did date her. And you know what else; me and Sora were never actually dating!! It was all a lie, Tai, a big fat lie!! Sora, Mimi and I were in on the whole thing!"

Sora was struggling in the silence between them but she sat there, behind him, just watching the scenery. She felt uncomfortable thinking about everything that she was hiding from Tai, and she felt horrible about the plans Mimi had laid for her. But… when she thought about Shiori and Tai… guiltily she figured it was all right to do this.

Finally he spoke. "Sora. Why did you pretend to be dating Matt?"

"Huh?" She hadn't heard him properly. Then she tensed. "What??" Her voice went up unnaturally high and slightly panicked. It was this reaction that made Tai's heart drop as he knew she really had betrayed him.

"This afternoon… I found out exactly what you, Mimi and Matt were doing. You guys… were playing me, weren't you? Apparently… you and Matt weren't really dating. You just wanted to prove that I was still hopelessly in love with you!! Why, though, Sora, I don't get it!! Why would you do that to me??" His voice was painful and he stared angrily out in front of him.

Sora was shocked. "Wh… what…" her voice trembled. "What are you talking about??"

"Don't pretend, Sora!!" Tai's voice was loud and harsh. Sora shut up. Tai continued, "I know everything you guys did now and you just pretending you don't know… doesn't help at all!! You guys… have really hurt me and pulled me apart!! You should know by now, Sora, I… I don't really love Shiori, okay? And I couldn't get over you, okay?? I tried, dammit, I tried so hard!! But I… I'm still in love with you, okay? I just can't… get over you!! Even now!! Even now after you've really ripped apart my heart even more?? Is that what you wanted, Sora? Just to prove me wrong? Just to… see that I really couldn't… move on? Dammit…" his voice faded now.

"No!! No, that's not why!!" Sora cried. "That's not it at all!!"

Tai was silent.

"I mean it! You're my best friend, Tai!! I would never want to deliberately hurt you!!" Sora said loudly and desperately.

Maybe it was the desperation in her voice or how hurt Tai was but he stopped the bike and got off. Sora stared at him but he avoided her gaze. She also got off the bike and stood, watching him.

"Really, Tai!! I didn't do it because I wanted to hurt you! I didn't want to do what Mimi suggested at all!! I never wanted to use such… deceitful and horrible methods!! But the only reason I did it… I only pretended to date Matt because… because I wanted to make you jealous, okay?? I wanted to make you jealous, Tai!!"

Tai's eyes widened. He frowned as he slowly turned to look at Sora.

She wasn't looking at him anymore. She was facing the ground and nervously fiddling with the sleeves of her shirt. "I… I missed you, Tai. I really did!! When you said that you were going to give up on me, when you decided that chasing me for so many years was a waste of time, when you started to date Shiori I really… really missed you. And seeing you two together made my heart ache. I… I didn't like having you around just because you made me laugh and you'd do anything for me!! I appreciated everything you always did for me… but I couldn't… bear to let you go because I… I really… love you, Tai. I just… broke down and couldn't handle it; I wanted you back even though I never honestly accepted your feelings. So I went to Mimi for help and she suggested to do all that and now… now I don't know what's going to happen…"

"Sorry, Tai!! I'm sorry!!" She cried. "I'm so sorry for every resorting to such methods to get you back!! I just wanted to somehow… hopefully make you realize you still maybe liked me. I knew it was wrong! I know it's so despicably wrong to play with someone's emotions and feelings like that!! I know its wrong betraying and lying to a friend! I know I shouldn't have done that… because I knew how much hurt and pain I would put everyone through!! I knew all that and yet… I still… did it!! I'm sorry!!"

Tai tore his eyes from her as soon as she looked up at him, hopefully, pleadingly.

"I'm sorry, Sora." he said softly. "I can't…"

She felt the tears slowly beginning to build up in her eyes as she watched him turn away from her once again, like those many times he had turned from her since he gave up.

"I can't… even look at you right now. I still can't even think about Matt or Mimi. It just… hurts so much right now, just to know you guys planned this and would… do something like this. I don't know what I can do. I don't know if things can ever be the same again, or even what it used to be so long ago."

Tai began to step over to his bike and climb on. He could feel Sora's teary eyes on him but he couldn't look at her, because if he did he knew he would break.

My whole body is moving so numbly… my thoughts are flying everywhere… I don't know what's going on, I'm so confused. So much has happened, so many words spoken, I can't remember anything. I… I want to be somewhere else. I don't want this… I want to forget everything that even happened today. I can't… I can't handle it.

Get me away from here. Get me away now!! His mind screamed out at him.

"…goodbye."

She watched him ride away into the distance and it was only then she realized she was standing outside her house. She was frozen, she knew she should turn and go inside but...

Tai… her heart cried out for him but she shook her head and tried to wipe away the tears.

I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.f

--

"But I… I'm still in love with you, okay?"

"I appreciated everything you always did for me… but I couldn't… bear to let you go because I… I really… love you, Tai."

Why… even now after they had heard what they had wanted to hear the most, why were the words already lost amongst the tides of hurt and emotion?

Tai stumbled up the stairs into his room. Where had the day gone? Where had the time gone? It was getting dark now. He was so tired, so weary. Everything had collapsed. Everything!!

He couldn't face all the events that had happened today. He was so… exhausted and tired, weighed down and heavy from all the burdens. He needed to sleep. He wanted to hide. He wanted to turn himffself off, to hibernate.

It was too hard. Love always was.

And now after all these years of loving Sora, he should've known.

Thanks for reading! Please review!!