Chapter Twenty-Four

"Come on, Sora!" Tai pleaded again. "You can't listen to Demidevimon—he's a liar!"

Sora was still staring at the ground, not moving. "But…he's right. I don't know how to love…my mom never cared for me. Ever. All she cared about was her flower shop…"

"Oh cry me a river…" I thought silently in contempt. You wanna know what growing up without love is? You have NO idea. And why, for the love of Yggdrasil, is TAI ACTUALLY TAKING THIS CRAP SERIOUSLY?

"Because of her and her making me look in the stupid flower shop, I let all my friends down. That's all she cares about-she doesn't understand me…that's why Demidevimon's right. I don't know what love is…"

With a snarl, she pulled a hand back in an attempt to toss her Crest away…

"Sora, stop it!" Tai shouted, grabbing her by the hand.

"Let go!"

"No! Even if you said was true, you still shouldn't listen to Demidevimon! He's just a creep trying to hurt you!"

Sora's eyes filled with tears before she started crying softly.

"Wait, wait!" He said helplessly. "Don't cry Sora! Matt, help me out! I never know what to do when she's blubbering!"

"Just leave her be Tai…" Matt said softly as Sora kept crying.

Renamon looked over at me and raised an eyebrow at the look on my face.

"Whoah…she's really pissed…"

"Sora?"

"Huh?"

She looked down as TK hugged her around the middle. "I wanted to thank you."

"Huh?"

"You stopped me and Tai from eating those mushrooms Demidevimon gave us—by warning Agumon! Thanks to you, I found my brother."

Sora swallowed. "I…"

"So please don't go away again." He smiled up at her. "I like you. When you're here, I don't miss my mom as much!"

"We've all been really missing you Sora!" Tai added. "I don't know what I'd do without you-Lily?"

I stared at Tai, my face a mixture of fury and pain before whirling around and storming off.

"Lily w-wait! What did I do?"

"Nice going moron…" Mimi said with a sigh.

"Huh?"

She rolled her eyes. "You know you just told another girl you didn't know what you'd do without her? In FRONT of your girlfriend?"

Tai's face paled. "Oh crap…I didn't mean it like! LILY WAIT!" He bolted to his feet and ran after her.

"Should we go after them?" Joe asked nervously.

Matt shook his head. "They need to figure this out on their own. And Sora needs to get some rest."

She slowly raised her head and smiled up at Matt. "Thanks Matt…"

I stormed through the forest, ignoring Tai's cries behind me. "What was I THINKING? I should've known he didn't really like me!"

"Lily, wait!"

I slapped a tree branch aside as hard as I could, and he yelped as it hit in the face.

"…I may have deserved that, but Lily, if you just let me-"Go AWAY." I growled, my back still to him, anger filling me.

"Lily, I swear it's not like that! Look, just listen to me!"

"I heard what you had to say!"

"Lily, please I-"NO!" I snarled, whirling around to face him. "I don't wanna hear it! You like HER-fine! But don't come crawling to me, asking for forgiveness you MISERABLE PLAYER!"

Tai slowly took a step back and his eyes narrowed. "Fine!"

"Fine!"

"Good!"

"Good!"

We both stormed off in opposite directions, me hiding my face so he couldn't see the tears running down my cheeks…

"How'd it go?" Joe asked as Tai stormed out of the woods.

He kicked at a rock.

"That bad?"

"Yes, that bad! She was…being completely insane!" He added angrily. "She wouldn't listen to me at all!"

Mimi rolled her eyes. "Can't say I blame her…" she muttered under her breath.

He scowled at her. "What is THAT supposed to mean?"

She got to her feet. "Look Tai—when you like a girl, you don't tell another girl you "can't get along without her"! I'd have thought even YOU got that…"

"But I didn't! I mean…not like that…"
"And how is Lily supposed to know that? She's never met Sora before—and you're acting all happy and excited and offering her s'mores and-"I was worried about her!" Tai exclaimed. "She's been really depressed and I wanna make sure she's okay! That's all!"

"Lily doesn't know that Tai. She's got no way of knowing that!"

Izzy blinked. "Wow…Mimi, I'd never thought you make so much sense!"

"Thank you I-HEY!"

Tai looked down at the ground. "Man, I really messed up…" He sighed. "…I'll go and…try and talk to her again."

He glanced back at Sora and bit his lip. She and Biyomon were still sitting at the edge of camp, not really paying attention to anyone.

"Don't worry." Izzy said, his lips quirking in a slight smile. "I think Matt's got that handled…"

Tai watched as his friend made his way over to Sora and said something softly.

She looked at him and smiled shakily.

Tai breathed a sigh of relief and turned around. "Kay, I'll go find Lil-GACK!"

"Shadow Scythe!"

"What the HECK?" Gomamon yelped, backing away from the huge slash in the ground, which was still steaming with energy.

Tai stared in disbelief at the face of the same Digimon who had been tormenting Lily all those weeks ago, smirking cruelly at him.

"Well, well…" Phantomon chuckled airily. "We meet again…Digidestined."

Renamon's eyes widened with shock. "Oh no…" she muttered softly under her breath.

I sat miserably on a rocky ledge overlooking the forest.

The sunset shone on my face, illuminating the tearstains on my cheeks. "I'm such an idiot…"

Such a fool…such a moron…

Now what do I do?

I can't-I WON'T-go back to the castle. No-I can never go back to Myotismon again, I knew that.

But I also can't stay with someone who doesn't really care for me…

I sighed and wearily ran a hand through my hair. Maybe I should just flee Server..

Change my name, cut my hair, dye it blonde…and become a hermit!

Eh, why not? Nothing else to do with my life…

Hellllllpppppp!"

"Huh?" My ears perked up as I heard the sound of a familiar scream. "Joe?…"

Then another one, this one in pain.

"TAI?"

"Shadow Scythe!"

All the blood drained right from my face. Oh, Yggdrasil, oh holy Yggdrasil!

I leapt to my feet and starting running as fast as I could back the way I came. "TAI NO!"