.

.

.

-Colors in Autumn-
-Chapter Twenty-Eight-
[knock 'em dead]

.

.

.

Just before leaving Tai's house for work on Monday, Sora received a call back from Kasumi.

"Okamoto-san has time available on Wednesday afternoon," said Kasumi. "Would you be able to make it then?"

"I'll get back to you on that," said Sora. She couldn't just give the okay right away. Whether or not Bira-sensei was going to be at the boutique when she arrived, Sora at least wanted to give her boss the respect and courtesy in asking for the time off first.

As luck had it, the door to the shop was unlocked when Sora arrived, and Bira-sensei was in the backroom, working on an alteration. Bira-sensei stayed put this time, as opposed to running out the door as soon as Sora walked in, and she focused on sliding the edge of flared jeans leg through the sewing machine.

"Good morning, sensei," Sora said, setting her purse to the side. "Will you be here all day?"

"I'll be here all week, darling," Bira-sensei replied. "It'll be a nice break for me. Travelling between here and Paris is taking its toll. Can you take the last pie out front?"

Bira-sensei sounded upbeat, but Sora noticed the worn expression on her face as she pulled the jeans from the machine and snipped the loose thread clean. She must have been getting a lot of things done, but not getting enough sleep in the process. It was a feeling Sora knew all too well.

Sora did as she was told, bringing out Mimi's apple pie from the fridge and setting it on the table closest to the cash register. Just like the other pies last week, Sora expected this one to disappear before the sun went down. Customers had already taken interest in putting pies on order, which Sora was uncertain whether Mimi would be okay with at first. But when she sent the question to Mimi via text message, her phone lit up almost immediately with her response, to which Sora could almost hear scream into Izzy's ears:

"YES I'LL DO IT! I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL WE GET BACK NEXT WEEK!"

When Sora returned to the back room, Bira-sensei handed the jeans to Sora, who, out of habit, and perhaps even sympathy of the work weighing down on her, handed her the skirt hanging at the front of the rack of alterations.

"It's amazing how you do it, sensei," said Sora, folding the jeans neatly and placing them on the counter. "Travelling to and from Paris every other weekend already seems like a lot. But it seems like your trips have been more frequent, and longer."

"It can take a lot out of you, certainly." Bira-sensei held the skirt from its top and let it flow in front of her. "Twelve-hour flights each way might not seem ideal, but long flights can also make for good, restful sleep if you let it. It can clear your mind to let new ideas and brainstorming flow into you."

Sora took another item of clothing from the stack—a dress that needed to be shortened at the hem line—and wondered to herself if she could handle the travel, if her job ever required it. She had always known that working in fashion required it, and when rising to the caliber of an experienced and well-respected fashion designer like Bira-sensei, travelling between fashion city capitals was likely to happen.

Wherever she ended up in the fashion world, she ideally wanted to be stationed in Tokyo near her friends and family, but she hoped that travelling would be a part of it. The most she ever had to do in her previous jobs was to run around the metropolis of Tokyo. She attended fashion shows with clothes she didn't design herself, but only included her input on the small things, like color and neckline style choices.

"Sora, dear," Bira-sensei said before Sora stepped out of the backroom with the dress. "Thank you for being patient with me."

Sora turned to her. "I... really don't know what I'm being patient for."

Bira-sensei set her skirt down and let out a deep breath. "I know I'm not being completely reliable, and I understand if you want to go our separate ways when you want to."

"Bira-sensei…"

"I truly hope that you don't. Your talent already rivals that of Birahana and CocoLily - I mean, that dress! I would hate not to witness you flourish. Whatever you do, just know that I will always support you, no matter what."

Sora clutched at the fabric of the dress draped on her arm. She had been struggling to find patience with Bira-sensei, and tried not to let Haru's meeting add to the stress. But hearing Bira-sensei's words made her feel overcome with emotion.

Now that Haru wanted to meet with her, perhaps things would change for her. Sora's kimono designs were still under that name, still on top of a desk of the snake that bit with her poisonous venom of betrayal. For weeks, Sora felt like letting it be, let them have their fame and fortune with whatever they did. Running away from the flames was easier than turning back.

Hearing from Kasumi was a wake-up call. Those designs were hers and hers alone, and she did not want Aki or Haru to play any part of showing them to the world. Sora thought to turn around and leave in silence, but remembered she still had something to ask Bira-sensei.

"Would it be any trouble if I took Wednesday off?" Sora asked.

"Of course not," was Bira-sensei's easy reply. Sora admired her patience and relaxed nature, even when she herself might have been going through enough stress, if not even more. "Any special occasion?"

"I'm meeting with Okamoto Haru. She has something of mine that I want returned to me."

Bira-sensei smiled. They had only talked about Haru, Inc. once, before Sora presented her fixed-up wedding dress to Mimi, but her knowing smile showed Sora just how much she was on her side.

"Go get 'em, tiger," Bira-sensei said with a wink, and Sora felt even more confident in running back into the flames.


Tai sat at the fireplace when Sora arrived that evening. She greeted him with a kiss, and told him to stay where he was, so that she could grab her dinner and eat as she sat next to him. He cooked chow mein, something she remembered that he made really well. When she returned at his side with a plate full of noodles, veggies, and shrimp, she noticed the pensive expression in his eyes that told her that his mind was more than just tired from Monday.

"I've been chatting with my old buddies from uni who might have job leads for me," he said. "One's downtown, and one just outside the city, but they say they're happy. Who wouldn't be, anyway—with better hours, and way better pay?"

"No word from your boss, then?" Sora asked.

"He's quiet on that front, other than saying, 'We're still in negotiation about that, Taichi. More to come on that soon.'"

Sora giggled at the way he deepened his voice in mockery as he said it.

"That is the formal version of exactly what Bira-sensei told me. I can't stand all this waiting."

"Tell me about it. At least there hasn't been any more surprise business trips."

"Don't jinx yourself."

Tai laughed, and so did Sora, as she picked up noodles on her chopsticks to devour. As she cleared her plate, they talked more about their day, updating each other on what their friends told them. Sora told him about Mimi's pie orders, and Tai mentioned that he talked to Joe earlier that evening, who said he was catching up with the workload and was hoping to get more time off soon.

Sora took a few sips of her tea which she set back on the coffee table near them When she was about to get up from her spot to take her plate and chopsticks back to the kitchen, Tai stopped her and set her plate aside, so that he could bring her closer to him to hold in his arms.

"I don't want that plate on the floor like that, Tai," she said.

"I'll take it later."

He kissed her forehead, and she turned her to face him and place her arms around his waist. She looked into his eyes, the light of the dancing flames reflecting only adding to his warmth as they gazed lovingly into hers, but reading his subdued expression even after she kissed his lips, she could tell something was troubling him.

"What else happened today, Tai?" she asked.

"She called me earlier today, Sora. Yuki did."

Sora felt a chill creeping at the back of her neck.

Not that name again.

"She wanted to meet since she was heading back to Beijing at the end of this week," Tai went on to explain.

"Oh…" was all that Sora could reply back. How else could she react to this? Any other reaction would have been worse.

"Obviously, I said 'no,' Sora. There's only one thing she wants. It's not friendship. The thing she wants, I can't give it to her."

Sora looked away, not knowing what to feel. She then felt Tai place his fingers on her chin to gently lift her to meet his eyes again.

"You're worrying again, aren't you?" he asked. "That she'll somehow take me from you. You could not be any more wrong. I love you, and only you."

"I… I know that, Tai." Sora brushed her hand against his cheek. "But I'm not sure why you're holding me so tightly. It's almost as if you're worried, too."

Tai chuckled. "I just wanted to make sure that you weren't going to run off in case this conversation went sour."

Sora had to laugh at that. He made a fair point. The sheer mention of her left a sour taste in her mouth, even when she knew how Tai felt about her. She kissed him again, feeling his palm gentle warm on the back of her neck when he kissed her back. Then, she rested her head on his neck to let him hold her tighter. There were things she couldn't help but worry about, like the fate of her place in her dream career, but feeling the warmth of being in Tai's arms let her remember one thing—that there was no reason for her to run from him, at least, not anymore.


Sora did her best to try to relax over all day on Tuesday. She went for her jog in the morning and curled up on the couch to read a book before she had to go to work. During the downtime at the boutique, Bira-sensei turned the radio on, the classical music playing at a soft hum while Sora swept the floors, rearranged the accessories stands, or worked on sewing for an alteration. Back at Tai's place, she drank her tea as she leaned on the arm of the couch closest to the fireplace, then took a long bath in the evening, before settling in next to Tai when she fell asleep.

On Wednesday morning, she was already awake the moment Tai's phone alarm rang. She stared at the ceiling, resting against her back when she felt him reach for his phone to silence it. Then, she felt him turn again, his arm falling just below her chest, only for him to lay still again.

Sora turned her head to see his eyes closed as he comfortably returned to slumber.

"You do know that snoozing makes you feel even sleepier when you do it," she said softly, knowing that he heard her voice by the twitch of his crinkling brows. Tai certainly had those rare mornings in which he begrudgingly accepted his responsibility to wake and get out of bed at the first sound. Obviously, this wasn't one of those mornings.

Her normal method of waking him up was to keep talking to him with her reasoning. Otherwise, she would just watch him until he decided to open his eyes, if not after the second or third time his alarm went off.

This time, she knew he was going to open his eyes from the moment she moved closer to him, burying her face in his chest.

"How long have you been awake, Sora?" he asked, his hand patting the top of her head.

"About an hour."

"You know… lack of sleep doesn't help sleepiness throughout the day, either."

She responded in silence at his teasing remark. He rolled out of bed soon after, but his long kiss on top of her head beforehand told her he understood why she was awake so early.

Sora tried to close her eyes while he got ready for work, but she opened her eyes only after a few minutes. She was too distracted by the thought of going downtown later that day, and it ruined the normally calming ambience of listening to the water running in the bathroom. Feeling helpless, she got out of bed, taking the comforter wrapped around her, and headed downstairs to the fireplace, which had been burning the night before. She lit it up again before taking her place on the side of the couch to stare at it.

"That bad, huh?" Tai asked, walking down the stairs with his hands adjusting the tie around his neck. He sat next to her on the couch, and she got a whiff of the cologne freshly spritzed on, his hair styled the way it normally was, and the tie perfectly straight.

"I know that I'm ready," said Sora. "I'm just dreading it."

"You'll knock em dead," said Tai, placing his hands on top of the comforter where her shoulders were. "I'd want to be there to knock them out if I could."

"Tai." She gave him a stern look. "I'd stop you before you did it."

He narrowed his eyes. "Give me one good reason why you would."

"Because I'd want to do it first."

"I'll accept that," he said, tilting his head back.

Sora laughed and Tai smiled at her, but his stare lingered as though he had more to say.

"Listen, Sora," he continued. "I know you said you never wanted to set foot downtown again, yet here you are, about to go. What you're doing is brave, and I'm proud of you. Just remember if anything happens, if anything goes wrong, I'm only a few buildings away."

"Three buildings and twenty-five floors up," she said, looking up at him. "How could I forget?"

"Let me know how it goes."

He gave her a kiss before he put on his dress shoes and coat, leaving Sora alone in the living room. Finally, she accepted her surroundings, the fire softly crackling nearby, the window brightening as the sun slowly rose in the sky outside, but her mind calm enough to catch up on sleep.

A few hours later, she got up dressed into a blouse and pencil skirt. She was so used to dressing casually at the boutique, whether it was from her own closet or boutique clothing that Bira-sensei let her take home from. It had been a while since she dressed so formally.

Try as she might, stepping onto the train and seeing the flood of supportive text messages from her friends made Sora feel as though she was reliving the day of the presentation. It was the day she had hoped to get a promotion and be one step closer to becoming a fashion designer, but also the day that she arrived at her desk, finding her drawer unlocked and her portfolio missing.

Sora got off of the train and ignored the shouting at the magazine stand that she passed by, just as she thought back to throwing a punch at Aki before she quit and stormed out of the building.

It was the same building she was walking toward. The sun shone brightly with not a cloud in the sky, but the air grew colder the closer she approached.

It was the kind of cold she felt ready to handle.

Sora approached the receptionist at the front lobby to wait for her escort. A few minutes later, she was greeted by a young woman, in business attire similar to Sora's. She led Sora to the elevator and pushed the button to the same floor she used to work in. She took a deep breath once the elevator bell sounded, and followed her escort into the hallway, feeling her heartbeat pick up its pace. Dread filled her as they approached the conference room where she last presented, and the escort slowed until they stopped right in front of it.

"Miss Haru will see you now," said the escort.

It's now or never.

Sora handed her jacket, scarf, and purse to the escort, and entered the conference room, holding her breath as she observed who was looking back at her as she walked it.

It was as though they intended to replay that day for her. Sitting next to Haru-sensei, with her short hair fluffy but styled to perfection, was Sora's former boss, Dora-senpai, still with an unreadable expression. Shiro-san was there, too, not smiling like he had been at first back then, but with a serious face that matched expressions from the other two.

Sora shifted her eyes left and right. There were no easels or poster boards—just a chair in the center of the room facing the long table where the three of the 'judges' sat. A number of scenarios sprung into her head when she sat down in the chair, but as she stared back, she felt ready to take on whatever they decided to throw at her.

"Thank you for allowing us to meet with you today, Takenouchi," began Dora-senpai.

"I appreciate your time, senpai," Sora replied, her hands calmly folded over her lap.

"I would like to cut to the chase. We all know that this is not a job interview."

Sora remained silent, noting that this was one of the scenarios that ran in her head. Surely, as she would agree on her part, she was sure their meeting was meant for a discussion of some sort. And apology on their behalf, which she might have hoped, but something that would leave both sides on good terms with each other.

"In fact," Dore-senpai continued, "this is a job offer."

Out of all the scenarios Sora thought of, somehow, this wasn't one of them. Sora sat in her chair, dumbfounded.

"A… a job offer?" she repeated.

"You heard that correctly. We are willing to reinstate your position effective today. The three of us were very impressed with the transformation of the CocoLily bridal dress. Your work on that was exceptional and unmatched, just as the quality of your designs have been when you were here last—and, yes, I am including the kimono designs."

"You mean, my kimono designs?"

"That's right."

Sora held her breath.

"So, then, Aki…"

"Aki no longer works for this company."

Sora held her stare among the three, but tried to process everything that Dora-senpai just mentioned. She had to assume that Aki must have been terminated from the company once it was discovered that the designs didn't belong to her. Yet, Sora found it strange that she wasn't told about this at all.

"How long has she been gone?" Sora asked.

"Just over five weeks," Dora-senpai replied.

Sora's eyes flashed. One week after her dreams were crushed, and they didn't tell her a word. Something began to bubble within her, but she tried to remain calm.

"I would have preferred if you told me about this sooner," was the best Sora found herself to say in response.

"Surely," said Dora-senpai. "However, in your experience working for this company and in this industry, you should realize how fast things move and how quickly decisions need to be made. Some things unfortunately get lost in the midst, and we have to catch it when it appears once again, before the opportunity is lost again. And our meeting today, Sora, is that opportunity."

Sora knew about this kind of opportunity. It was an opportunity that could potentially change the course of one's goals and dreams, one that she would regret if she let it pass her by. She'd be lucky if she were to come across that opportunity again in her lifetime.

But in this case, this 'lost opportunity' was utter bullshit.

Sora stood up and bent forward to take a bow. "I appreciate your time meeting with me, but must decline your offer."

There was finally some movement in front of her. Shiro-san glanced at Haru in surprise, and Dora-senpai's brows raised, her shock visible.

"We are offering your job back with a promotion, and you will take the place of Aki's spot on the creative team. Are you sure you want to decline this?"

"I am positive, Dora-senpai," said Sora standing up straight. "While I've learned a lot working for this company, I don't think returning will end up being the right fit for me and my career goals."

Dora-senpai scoffed. "You are willing to give up a position of prestige, one that many others have been attempting, but failing to achieve? Some have to work years before getting to where we are putting you now. I expected much more from you today, Sora."

Exactly what she said the last time.

"To be honest, I expected more from you," Sora said suddenly, placing her hands on either side of her, to which Dora-senpai's eyes flashed in return.

"I beg your pardon?"

Sora breathed in, closing her fists on her sides.

"I won't deny that anything you said wasn't true, Dora-senpai. Being promoted to a spot on that creative team was one of my dreams at the time, and I put in a lot of work and effort into this job. I said that I've learned a lot, and that included the fact that I can be tossed to the side and trampled on at the drop of a hat, regardless of that work and that effort. I deserved that spot. I earned it. But after what happened, I don't want to be 'put' into it, especially not like this."

"Well said, Sora-chan."

Sora turned to Haru-sensei in surprise.

"Okamoto-san—" Dora-senpai began, but Haru-sensei held her hand up to stop her from speaking.

"We shouldn't talk to her as if though it was her fault this all happened, Dora-san. She was one of the best on our team. Even you have said good things about her well before that day happened."

Dora-senpai's expression returned to its non-expressive manner, although Sora could tell that she was stumped on how to respond to Haru-sensei's words, which were sharp in tone even with her soft voice.

"Sora-chan," said Haru-sensei. "We made a mistake in not seeing through Aki's actions. This is not what I want my brand to stand for. We took everything at face value and lost one of our most valuable designers in the process. For that, I am truly sorry. We are truly sorry."

Sora held her ground, although she felt a stinging of tears behind her eyes with the relief of finally hearing an apology.

"Thank you," said Sora, not caring that her voice let out a crack. "It means a lot, especially coming from you."

Then, Haru-sensei turned to Dora-senpai, shooting her a look. "Regardless of having no tact, Dora-san was telling you the truth. We would be grateful to have your talents back in our company. Not only do I want you to be a part of that creative team, but I am willing to make you in charge of it."

"Haru-sensei…"

Sora stood there, now lowering her stare to the long table where the three of them sat. Since Haru-sensei's speech, she was starting to consider coming back to work at Haru, Inc. Sure, Dora-senpai had her opinions, but mistakes can happen, and it's one thing for the head designer to acknowledge her mistake and hold everyone accountable, but…

As her eyes stopped at the leather-bound folder in front of Shiro-san, Sora knew one more question needed to be answered before she made her decision.

"Please answer me honestly," said Sora. "If you meeting with me—this opportunity—if it was lost the second time, would you still have launched a special collection next fall?"

Haru-sensei looked to Dora-senpai and Shiro-san, the three of them giving each other knowing looks.

"Nothing would have stopped us, Sora-chan," said Haru-sensei.

There was no way she could have fought back for her designs the first time, but if she didn't fight as she stood in front of them then, then it only would have been something she would have regretted for the rest of her life.

Sora walked up toward Shiro-san, taking the leather-bound folder, staring at it as though it was a long-lost treasure. Then, she opened it, finding the pages and fabric samples, her drawings, her designs—all that were her own.

"What are you doing?" Dora-senpai asked, and Sora chuckled.

"Stopping a 'lost opportunity' from happening," she replied, closing the portfolio and hugging it to her chest. "Needless to say, there will be no special collection in the fall. At least, not for you, anyway. And I am still going to decline your offer." Sora bowed one more time. "I appreciate your time."

As she turned around to walk toward the door, Dora-senpai called to her.

"You do realize when Haru says, 'nothing' will stop us, she means nothing, young lady."

Sora stopped and turned to her, unfazed by her threat. "You've brought me down before. I'd love to see you try again. Oh, I can't wait to tell Bira-sensei…"

What surprised Sora next was watching the three faces turn pale after she spoke.

"Did you just say, 'Bira-sensei'?" Haru asked with a gasp.

"As in, 'Birahana'…." said Dora-senpai.

"Th… There's only one 'Bira'-" began Shiro-san, who was cut off by Dora-senpai.

"Of course it's the one she's talking about!"

Sora watched the two of them bicker as Haru sat to the side, staring down at the table in wide-eyed apprehension. At this point, Sora realized that this 'nothing' no longer had relevance, and to them, she had nothing more to say.

She headed towards the door, her portfolio clutched against her chest, feeling as though that missing part of her had finally returned to her. Then, after she took back her other things to bundle up for the chilly weather outside, she walked out of this building smiling ear-to-ear, with her next destination being three buildings down and twenty-five floors up, where she couldn't wait to tell Tai the good news.


.

.

.

.

A/N: To 009: On the friendships, in my mind I've been writing them on the basis of everyone being friends for a long time, especially since Matt lived together with Sora and Tai. I think Matt and Sora have similar qualities that they relate to each other (and this could be argued why we have Sorato). Also, I think of Sora as the one taking care of everyone in her group of friends in their times of trouble. In her point of view, she forgets to care for herself in her own troubles, and at the same time her friends want to show their support too. Cheesy, I know, but I like cheese ;) I appreciate your comment/feedback and I'm happy you reviewed - twice!

And of course, thank you all for your reviews, and for reading! I LOVE that you're all still here, it warms my heart, you don't even know. xoxo

Shoutout to my friend makeyourlifehappy! She is an amazing writer. Go to her profile and start "When the sun sets" so you can catch up to the sequel that she's currently updating! If you like Adventure and Taiora, you will not regret it.

I know it's hot here, but if only just for this fic, please...

..Stay warm..
(at heart - winks to Sky ;D )