Forward: This work was inspired by the fantastic art and stories created for Taiora week 2020. I wanted to write a story that really captured and displayed the complex but wonderful nature of Taichi and Sora's nearly lifelong relationship; as well as analysis who they are as individuals. This story takes place following the end of Last Evolution, but involves one major twist on the narrative. I hope you enjoy!
As I sit leaning back into the plush microfiber sofa, the clubhouse is cast in eerie and shifting shadows. The only source of flickering light emanates from the massive one hundred and ten-inch high-definition television hanging upon the wall at the very back of the room. Generally, this expensive display is used to rewatch soccer matches and key moments, so that the college players can study and enhance their knowledge of the game. Upon this late evening however, the television set is being used for far more casual purposes, and the audience as a result is far more varied than the usual crowd. This particular room at Tokyo University's soccer clubhouse is especially dark, as it lacks much in the way of windows. A measure done to ensure utmost privacy and guard against the prying eyes of a rival team. As a consequence, when the lights are off, as they are at this moment, one can hardly see the end of their own nose. Both of the room's entrances have also been shut, eliminating the possibility of light trickling in from the hallway or kitchen.
The film's volume has been turned up pretty high, a bit too high for my liking in fact, but I understand that it was done to achieve a certain thematic atmosphere. The only sound to fill my ears is the droning of the ominous/fluctuating background soundtrack, quiet conversations, pained screams, and the gasps from my fellow audience members. It is the kind of film that seems to put minimal effort into its characters and plot, instead throwing its weight behind atmosphere, jump-scares and gross-out special effects.
In all honesty, this is probably my least favorite way to spend the holiday. I would much rather socialize at a themed party or visit Tokyo Disney with friends and family. However, I was outvoted by most of my college friends last week, some of which have been too busy with their schedules to hang out recently. I figured it would be worth sitting through a silly horror film if it meant spending time with everyone. University only lasts so long after all and my prior experiences from highschool have already shown me how time can pass before your eyes with blinding speed. So food and a horror flick it was. We ate dinner at a local themed restaurant, drank a variety of cocktails, socialized, and then finally gathered hushed around the TV for the night's main event. Here we all are, approximately an hour into the film as it nears its climax.
Thus far, and as expected, I am unimpressed. Scary movies don't usually freak me out the same way they do for many people. I suppose I was known as the child of courage for a reason after all. Not to say I never get scared, but I can usually handle my fear well enough these days. After facing real dangers in the digital world as a child, I guess these threats feel impractical by comparison, at least when they are trapped on the silver screen. At this point in the film, a little bored, I was daydreaming of Augmon and the other Digidestined, the former of which I no longer have the luxury of spending time with. Agumon and the other Digimon had to return to the digital world for the foreseeable future; an event that nearly broke our hearts at the time. The feeling of having that bond severed was unbearable, yet despite this we all knew we would see the Digimon again someday. Though they weren't all able to be with me physically, the support of my friends and family really helped me get through the following weeks where I barely had enough energy to get out of bed in the morning. Not knowing how or when I would see Agumon again hit me hard, perhaps harder than I ever could have anticipated. But with everyone cheering me on, especially Sora, Hikari, and Yamato, I found the courage to push through and focus on the future. Now that I think about it, both Hikari and Yamato have mentioned wanting to visit campus before it gets too cold, I should probably…
My train of thought is instantly disrupted by a blood curdling and tortured shriek. Instinctively my eyes shoot back to the screen where one of the main characters is apparently being meticulously ripped to shreds by the killer, the sight of which makes me wince. A jolt goes through my body as I feel something grasping at my right arm mere seconds after I was wrenched back to reality. I jump in my seat slightly and tear my eyes off the screen and direct them down towards my arm through the darkness. With the erratic flashes of light, I can just barely make out that it was a pair of hands gripping onto me quite tightly. Yoshida Misaki is a university friend of mine and Midfielder on the University's female team. She is a brilliant and rather sweet girl who fully dedicates herself to any job or task placed before her, the kind of person you know is going places in life. She has an unyielding energy that reminds me of Daisuke, but a degree of focus more akin to Koushiro. In this moment however her wide-eyed stare is glued to the screen on the other side of the room, her fingers dig intensely into my forearm displaying a small sample of her physical prowess. It stings, but perhaps more out of shock than the act itself. I watch her face in the darkness but she doesn't seem to notice me. I guess it was merely an instinctive reaction. Energetic and wildly social though she may be, Misaki is not particularly prone to being handsy. So, I give my right arm a slight wiggle within her grasp. To this I see her slowly turn her head towards me until our eyes meet in the darkness. I can barely see the outline of her eyes squinting at me through the shadows; once the realization dawns on her however, the hands swiftly retreat from my arm. I can still feel the spot pulsing where she grabbed hold of me.
I can hardly make out her face, but as she leans in close and whispers to me, the tone of her voice reveals the embarrassment.
"I'm sorry Taichi-Kun I...didn't realize." She mutters, leaning in towards my ear. "I didn't understand how graphic this film would be." She finished bashfully rubbing her hands together.
I don't want her to feel bad or to think I am annoyed so I lean in her direction as well. "Don't worry Misaki, it should be over soon. There's no shame in looking away, I don't really like movies like this anyway." I say hoping to inspire some confidence.
To this she pats me on the upper arm in an appreciative gesture and turns back to the screen. I'm about to do the same when something catches my attention. I haven't noticed until now, but faintly over the sound of the film I can just make out a rather distinct noise.
'Is someone crying?' I think to myself, feeling a pit form in my stomach.
It's one thing to bear through a film you don't like, it's quite another to be tormented by it. I find the thought quite upsetting, so I go looking for the source of the sound. As I'm sitting on the far-left side of the audience I only have one direction to search at least. Though it's still very dark I can see that Misaki is now leaning forward in her seat with her arms around her knees. It's clear that the sound isn't coming from the girl next to me, but the fact that she is leaning forward gives me an easier line of sight to the others. I wonder what the likelihood of me finding the source is in this darkness, when I'm in a room with almost two dozen students in it. However, it does not take me very long at all to notice the trembling form to the right of Misaki. A flash of light reveals the short orange hair that I know so well, and the pit in my stomach grows into a blackhole.
'Sora's crying?' I ponder to myself rather despondently. It's still dark and I'm not sure as of yet. I only know that I cannot stand seeing my lifelong best friend distressed or afraid and I quickly begin to feel myself getting upset as a natural response.
I strain to see her face in the darkness for some time. I don't want to appear overly hasty in my reaction. Something must change in the film after a moment, because a dull blue light fills the room and most of the audience. It takes my eyes a second to adjust, but I can clearly see Sora's face tilted downwards towards the center of the room. Her eyes are clenched shut and she is clearly fighting back tears. Nobody else in the room seems to have noticed; I think perhaps that lack of attention is for the best, I don't want her to feel overly-vulnerable in front of a good chunk of our college friends. The friends we have made in our years here are genuinely decent people, but I also worry about someone making a distasteful joke at her expense while not realizing how hurtful it might be to Sora. Not to mention the fact that there are a few new faces in the room tonight; Sora might imagine that she's made a bad first impression if she was found crying. She is always putting others before herself, it's something I deeply love about her. In moments like this however, that same trait sometimes concerns me. Knowing Sora, she is probably telling herself that the others are enjoying the film and that she should keep her misgivings to herself.
A sense of guilt washes over me, not only did I not notice her misery until now but I realize this must be why she requested to sit next to me during the film. I did not ignore that invitation deliberately of course, Sora and I sat together at dinner and walked side by side through the campus. It was on the trek to the athletic club that Sora let me know she wanted to sit together during the movie. Naturally I agreed to my best friend's proposition and then we broke off to continue our chat with the rest of the group. When it came time to take our seats for the film, I found a comfy spot on the corner since I knew I would not have much interest in the film and may want to get up and wander a bit. I slumped down without thinking to wait for Sora, and before I knew it Misaki practically bounced down on the seat next to me; asking only then if I minded her sitting next to me. While I never mind sitting next to a friend, I instantly recalled that I was supposed to sit next to Sora. Before I could answer, I noticed that Sora was then standing nearby so I gave her a glance to silently ascertain her opinion. Sora's face held an expression of disappointment; yet she offered a gesture that told me it was no big deal. Sora then sat down next to Misaki and greeted her as well as the neighbor to her right. I chatted to Misaki for a bit, but the film started not long after that. It was stupid of me, I should have either saved her a seat or waited to sit down alongside Sora. My inebriated state didn't exactly help my decision making at the time though. After already having had a strong buzz from the restaurant, I probably should have rejected the several rounds of beer offered at the clubhouse; I don't often drink quite so heavily as tonight but suppose I was just tired and caught up in the holiday. I was trying to unwind after a long week and I suppose simply not thinking straight; yet it seems that it was my best friend who suffered for my poor decision making. I felt bad for my absent-mindedness at the time, but now I feel dreadful.
I consider my options for a brief moment. I know the film must be wrapping up in the next twenty to thirty minutes, but that doesn't mean she should be forced to sit through the whole thing if it's making her miserable. I realize that I cannot ignore her situation, but there is no way she will hear me if I try to whisper to her from where I am sitting. I decide to take advantage of the fact that Misaki is leaning forward and I slowly snake my right hand towards Sora; who is currently hunched forward in her seat. After a brief hesitation, I place my hand on her shoulder with a gentle touch. She jumps in her seat at this and I wince again. A small shocked and sorrowed noise escapes her lips but is nearly drowned out by the movie. I can see her eyes dart around the room manically looking to see what has come in contact with her. Eventually her gaze lands on me, though I think it takes a moment before she actually recognizes me. I can't see her face as well as I'd like to, but she suddenly grasps my hand in hers, and I can feel her shaking in my grip. I feel an anger rise within me, not directed at anything or anyone in particular, just anger.
"Hey Kazuki" I call out rather loudly to the co-captain, who I last saw with the remote control.
I get shushed by one or more of the audience members, it's a bit hard to tell.
"Hey Kazuki-Kun, I need you to pause the film!" I state with a more resolute tone this time.
"What's wrong Yagami-san, you afraid the killers are gonna get ya?" I can tell by his cadence that this remark is intended to be more playful than mean, but I'm suddenly not in the mood for jokes.
"Just pause the damn film Kazuki." It comes out harsher than I intended but it seems to have gotten the point across. All the voices fall into silence for a few seconds, then I can hear him scrambling for the remote. Kazuki is lightly cursing to himself as he fumbles with the buttons in the darkness. Throughout this exchange I feel Sora's hand clutch even tighter. After thirty seconds or so, the room falls into a complete and inky darkness. Multiple voices yelp out as we lose the little light in the room that the film provided.
"Damnit Kazuki" A male voice shouts nervously in the darkness. "you didn't have to kill the power!"
The voice of a now frustrated Kazuki responds "Give me a break Kenji, I could hardly see the remote! Can someone please turn on the lights or at least open a door?"
More muttering and shuffling follows as a few students trip through the blackness in search of the light switch. I consider getting up to help since it was my request, however I am not about to let go of Sora's hand while she is feeling so vulnerable. I sit patiently enough, confident that one of our friends will figure it out. Much of the group, Sora included, give off a palpable feeling of anxiety as we wait in quiet gloom.
Here I sit staring into the void, drowning out everything but the feeling of Sora's shaking hand in mine, when I'm suddenly blinded by the intense fluorescent lights. Out of pure instinct I almost release Sora from my right hand in an effort to shield my eyes, but her grip holds firm, determined to keep me by her side. I bring my left wrist up to block my eyes and the stinging sensation gradually subsides. I hear other gripes and groans in response; but happy to have the lights back on, no one raises their voice to complain about the lack of warning.
"Sorry everyone…I guess I should have said something before I hit it…" the voice of a young female student softly apologizes, evidentially the same student who managed to track down the light switch.
A loud sigh emanates through the crowd as our eyes adjust to the new light levels. I lower my wrist, testing out my vision as forms across the room take shape; blurred at first but they quickly stabilize. I look across the room at the large group of students; it's not long before most of their gazes meet mine. It dawns on me that the situation I created is rather awkward, but I don't regret making the interruption on Sora's behalf. I try in vain to collect my thoughts as I see Kazuki-kun slowly get up from the bean bag in front of the sofa he had been lounging in. He isn't even fully standing up when I see Kenji come up from behind him and give him a firm punch to the shoulder.
"Give me a break Kenji" He half shouts before turning a steel gaze towards me. Rubbing his shoulder and glaring at me as he asks the question that is assuredly on every student's mind. "What the heck was that about Taichi-san!?
"This better not have all been for a trip to the bathroom, the film was almost over!" Kenji broke in. "You could have at least gotten up quietly…"
"Is everything ok Taichi?" I hear Misaki say to my right, looking at me half concerned and bewildered.
I lose my voice for a second, admittedly not having thought this far ahead. Stopping the film came more as an instinct. Nobody truly appears to be angry, but there are plenty of gazes of either confusion or frustration or both; and they are all directed exclusively at me. At this moment as if sensing my hesitation, I can feel Sora give my hand a gentle squeeze; in the moment I had almost forgotten that she was still right there holding my hand.
"You see…I…uh…" I stutter bashfully unsure of how to address Sora's predicament. "The violence was rather intense and…" Before I can find a way to finish the thought, I watch Kenji's gaze followed shortly by Kazuki's gaze as they travel the length of my outstretched right arm.
"Shit" one of them says gruffly and I think the same in unison.
I had hoped to spare Sora from becoming an object of drama this evening; however, my short-sightedness has all but ensured it. And it really does not feel great. One by one the students' attention falls on Sora. In the now comparative silence of the replay room Sora's sniffling has become much more audible. A glance to my right shows that her head is still hunched over facing the floor, however even with her face somewhat obscured I don't imagine it will be hard for the others to put two and two together. I hear voices calling her name, tones of shock and concern. A room full of people staring at Sora as she weeps, and it's all my fault.
Looking back at Kazuki and Kenji, I can now see that neither of them are paying me any mind, they both look rather uncomfortable as they stare off to my right. Suddenly I feel Sora release her grip on my hand, and my entire body practically jumps in her direction in response. I can see Misaki has slid closer on the couch to Sora and is placing a hand on my best friend's stooped shoulder.
"Sora-san it's ok, it was too much for me as well" She says in a low sympathetic tone. Others quickly join in with similarly supportive stops however when Sora begins to speak.
"I'm sorry for ruining the movie night everyone!" She chokes out on a strained breath.
Before I or anyone else can react, Sora all but leaps out of her seat, commences to perform a half bow to the group, explicitly without making eye contact with anyone. Then without a moment's hesitation she bolts towards the exit in a half sprint. Moving quickly through the crowd she swiftly finds the door, flings it open, then is out of my line of sight.
Ten years later and you still can't properly read your best friend's emotions... I berate myself internally. I put my head in my hands and release a quite audible frustrated groan. I can feel the eyes of the others upon me and quickly realize that I can't just sit here and beat myself up. I quickly stand up and turn towards the crowd of friendly faces. Despite the shitty situation, I have to admit I'm moved that nobody opted to take her feelings lightly. We've got some good friends here Sora, just like back home.
"Should we go after her?" One of the female students asks, clearly quite concerned.
"Let Yagami-San handle it." Kenji replies, looking towards me for approval.
I simply nod at him, before Kazuki steps in front of me.
"I'm really sorry Taichi-senpai, honestly, if I had known I would have shut off the stupid thing earlier." He bows slightly to me with a sting of guilt clearly audible in his voice.
"It's ok Kazuki, you didn't know." I respond quickly "Just next time perhaps let's watch something a little less intense for the whole group's sake."
The young soccer player somewhat vigorously nods his head at me. Clearly quite irritated with himself as he picked out this film in particular. I pat his shoulder supportively and then move past him towards the exit. The door is still half open from when Sora ran out, however I stop and turn when I hear my name called.
"Taichi" it's Misaki's voice calling out with a brief pause before continuing "please tell Sora that nobody here is mad or annoyed with her." A few other students nod or call out in agreement.
"I will" I promise with a small but genuine smile. "Thanks for hanging out with us everyone, it was a fun night. Hopefully we can hang out again soon!"
End of Part I