A/N: HIYA! I can't believe I'm actually updating this fic too. I'm finally getting myself back on track! I stayed up till 3 a.m with tons of candy, soda, and ice cream just so I could finish this. I write the best really late for some reason. I get such great inspiration. I feel so bad because I left you guys off on such a horrible cliffhanger. Haha. I'm so evil, I know. But let's get to the chapter shall we?
DEDICATION: To Courage Sun for helping me with all her amazing ideas! Love ya Kai!
WARNING: MAJOR TAIORANESS AHEAD ALONG WITH SOME KENYAKO!
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
SWEET MISERY
Sora stumbled backwards off the curb and fell to the ground. "You okay? I'm sorry Sora. I just-"
Sora interrupted him. "No, it's fine. Don't worry about it. I said I wouldn't freak out, so I'm not going to freak out. I'm just kind of surprised. I mean, I didn't exactly expect you to kiss me, you know."
"Well, I didn't expect you to fall of the curb either." Tai told her as he helped her up. He was still holding onto her hands when they were standing. He noticed and let go suddenly his face turning crimson in embarrassment.
"We should be getting to your place." Sora told him after regaining her composure. Tai nodded and they started walking towards his apartment building. "Why did you do that?"
"I don't know. I guess I just wanted to know what it would feel like."
"Well….?"
"Well, what?"
"How did it feel?"
Tai looked at Sora stunned at the question she had just asked. "Uh…"
Sora stifled a laugh. "It's okay. You don't have to tell me."
Tai silenced and looked up at the sky as he walked. The awkward silence lingered as they continued on towards their destination.
When they arrived Tai went to his room and began throwing clothes and other stuff he needed into a bag. Sora waited in the living room with Kari. "So he's spending the night at your place again?" Kari questioned.
"Yeah, we have a lot to talk about before school tomorrow."
"Oh, like what?"
"Important friend stuff…."
"Okay…"
"Hey, where are your parents?"
"They went out to dinner."
"Oh, well do you think they'll mind if Tai spends the night?"
"I'm sure it will be fine."
"I'M READY!" Tai bellowed through the apartment. He entered the living room carrying a blue duffle bag. "Catch you later Kari!"
"Have fun." Kari said.
Tai and Sora exchanged glances as they exited the apartment. "Kenji said we all are different right? Then how come Kari's acting how she always has? I don't see anything different about her."
"I was wondering the same thing, but you never know what it could be that's different about her. Maybe we'll find out at school tomorrow."
Sora nodded, still confused but in agreement.
"What took you two so long?" Mrs. Takenouchi asked them when they returned. Dinner was already on the table.
"Uhm, We—uh…" Sora stammered. She wasn't going to tell her that Tai had kissed her.
"Ran into an old friend." Tai finished for her. He smiled, proud of his ability to lie promptly.
"Oh, well sit down and eat."
Dinner was dead silent. Mrs. Takenouchi tried to make conversation, but Tai and Sora didn't seem interested. They immediately excused themselves from the dinner table and ran to Sora's room. They sat down on her bed in silence. Tai turned towards her suddenly. "I'm sorry."
Sora looked up at him, puzzled. "Sorry? For what?"
"For you know…kissing you. It was a mistake. You're going out with Matt and…I don't even feel that way about you. I was just caught up in the moment. I'm sorry."
What Sora wanted to say was 'Don't be,' but instead she just mumbled, "Oh." She felt her spirits fall, but she didn't know why. It's not like she actually wanted to be with Tai. She laughed to herself. Matt. She hadn't told Tai that they were over yet. She hadn't gotten at chance. I mean, it had happened right before the fire. He had been acting weird and it just wasn't him. She couldn't explain it, but it was like Matt was someone else on the inside.
"SORA!" A voice yelled abruptly. She snapped out of it to look into Tai's brown eyes. She zoned out big time.
"Uh, what?"
"I was saying that we've got to be prepared for tomorrow. We need a plan, and I think I have one. We should each take several people and then get them all together. It will be easier than trying to push them all together at once. We've got to work slow if we want it to work."
"But it'll take too long then." Sora disagreed. "We only have a couple days!"
"True, but if we just throw them all together and force them to get along it's not going to work. Plus, it'll take longer than it would just slowly get them to know each other, you know?" Tai explained.
Sora eyed him suspiciously. "When did you start using logic?"
"Since I found out if we fail it's all over." Tai answered with a frown. "So you take Joe, Mimi, and T.K and I'll take Kari, Matt, and Izzy. We have to become friends with each of them first and then we'll bring us all together and we're a group again."
"You make it sound so easy."
"I know. I'm trying to stay positive." He gave a weak smile.
She managed to smile as well and lay down on her bed. Tai lay down next to her. "How do you do it?" She asked.
"Do what?"
"Be such a great leader."
"Simple, I don't. I'm not a good leader."
"Yes you are."
Tai shook his head. "No, I'm not. I've done nothing but lead the Digi-Destined into trouble."
"Well you have sometimes, but you've also made us all stronger. You never gave up and made sure we didn't either. You were the perfect person for the job and you still are."
Tai grinned at her. "Thanks….It means a lot Sora. To hear somebody say that."
"Well, it is the truth." She got up and dug through her drawers for some pajamas. She went into the bathroom to change while Tai changed into some boxers in her room. She came back and glanced at the clock. 9:45 p.m. "I'm exhausted." She said as she crawled into her bed.
"Me too." Tai agreed. He stared at Sora.
"What?"
"Well, I didn't bring a sleeping bag or anything." He replied, rubbing the back of his neck.
"You never do….or you never did. You haven't spent the night at my place in a long time and now that we're younger again it's just like old times. Remember how we always used to…." She trailed off, but started again. "Sleep in the same bed?"
"Yeah…but we're older now."
"Not now, we're eleven remember?"
"Oh right, but still. Just physically we are. We're still us. We still think like sixteen year olds."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Tai noticed what she was getting at and realized what he said was not what he had intended to say.
"NO! That's not what I meant. It's just…"
"What?"
"Never mind." Tai said, climbing into the other side of the bed.
Sora turned off the lamp by her and rolled over. "Goodnight." She whispered.
"Yeah, goodnight."
With that they drifted off to sleep, but someone didn't want them to have sweet dreams.
PRESENT TIME--Izzy, Yolei, and Ken arrived at the hospital in panic. They ran to the reception desk. "We're friends of the two teens who were found outside that apartment." Ken told the nurse.
She nodded and picked up a walkie-talkie. "Dr. Tomoko? They are some kids here who say they're friends with the two adolescents who were in the apartment fire."
"Really? Do they have any information?" The doctor asked. She looked at us.
"Not really. We don't know much about what happened at the apartment except that there was a fire." Izzy answered. He did actually know more. He knew it was Leandramon, but telling the nurse that his friends were being chased by an evil Digimon and trying to be killed wasn't exactly a believable story.
"But we do have their names." Davis added. "Tai Kamiya and Sora Takenouchi."
The nurse thanked them and repeated the names to the doctor. "Can we see them?" Yolei asked.
"I'm afraid that they're in very critical condition and won't be awake, but you can see them if you'd like. Are you sure you can handle being in there? Sora's heart beat has been failing and Tai is having a hard time as well. Honestly, I don't know how much longer they can hold on."
"Yes, we'd really like to see them." Ken replied for all of them.
"GUYS!" A familiar, not to mention frantic voice yelled. They turned to see Joe running towards them.
"Room 118." The nurse told them as they walked towards Joe.
"Thanks!" Izzy called out over his shoulder.
Joe adjusted his glasses and looked at them. "I came as soon as I heard what happened. Are they okay? Sounds like a horrible accident."
"They're not okay. The nurse said their heart beats have been failing, and it was no accident that's for sure." Izzy told him as they searched for the room. "It was all Leandramon's fault." Joe stared blankly at him, he sighed. "Evil Digimon out to kill Tai and Sora for revenge."
"Revenge?! For what?"
"Apparently she appeared when Sora and Tai were nine and tried to kill them because she knew they were going to be Digi-Destined, but they made it out alive with their crest power and sent her back to the Dark Ocean, but only for a couple years. She returned." Izzy explained to Joe.
Joe nodded. "Wow, so Leandramon started that fire?"
"Kind of."
"What do you mean 'kind of'?" Yolei questioned.
"I think she had help..." Izzy trailed off.
"From who?" Davis asked. "Her henchmen?"
"I guess you could say that." Izzy mumbled in response. "I kind of figured that when Matt, Mimi, T.K, and Kari returned that they weren't exactly going to be normal."
"What are you saying?!" Davis yelled.
"Leandramon used them to start the fire in their apartment. Tai and Sora must of let them in and they distracted them some how while they burned it to pieces!" Izzy exclaimed.
"Great." Yolei mumbled sarcastically.
Ken put an arm around her. "It'll be okay Yolei."
"I think we need a plan." Joe suggested.
"Good idea. I think we should split up. Some of us should go after Matt, Mimi, T.K, and Kari. If we capture them, I think I might have a way to bring them back to normal."
"What's that?"
"It doesn't matter right now." Izzy said as they reached the room with 118 on the door. "Anyway, some of us need to go after them and some of us need to stay here with Tai and Sora."
"I'll go." Davis volunteered.
"And I'll go with him." Ken said, raising his hand.
"I'm going to." Yolei announced.
"I think it would be better if you stayed here, Yolei." Ken told her.
"But-"
"Yolei, I don't want you getting hurt and you'll be more of a help back here anyway. If something happens to Davis and me, Izzy and Joe are going to need your help." Ken explained.
"Okay, but be careful." She said, hugging Ken tightly.
"When are we not careful?" Davis asked, in a joking matter.
No one dared to answer. "Do you guys have your digivices and cell phones?" Izzy asked.
"Yep." Davis and Ken said in unison holding them up.
"Call me when and if you find them."
"Okay. Catch you guys later!" Davis called out before walking away. Ken gave Yolei a quick kiss before following Davis down the hall.
"GOOD LUCK!" Yolei called after them.
"Ready?" Izzy asked Joe and Yolei.
"Yeah, let's go." Joe said. Yolei nodded and they entered the room.
A/N: Wow, and that chapter comes to a close. Oh, I feel bad splitting up Yolei, Izzy, Joe, Davis, and Ken, but I needed someone to go after them. I mean, they caught Cody too. This is going to be interesting. I'm going to go back and fourth between the present time with the Digi-Destined and then the dream/past that Tai and Sora are stuck in. I can tell this fic is going to be a long one, so hold on for the ride. It should be fun though.
Reviews are much appreciated! I love suggestions/comments/ideas. I take everything into consideration, and once Kari and T.K are back to normal (which will hopefully be soon) there will be more Takari.
Thanks for reading!