Exhaling, she knew. The trees were right. The downfall of Hate and Cowardice would soon begin.
She found herself facing Tai. She looked into his eyes and saw a love like no other. They leaned forward, their lips so close, they were almost touching.
"Tai, I love—"
KA-BOOM!!!
The ground shook. Clouds rolled into the sky, blocking the sunlight from view.
"Awwww, how sweet! The two digidestined I leave for last are having a romantic moment together!" Hate cackled evilly.
"I'm sorry, did we interrupt you?" Cowardice asked, a large smirk on his face.
"What do you want?" Tai yelled. As soon as he asked the question, he knew the answer was obvious.
"What do I want?!" Hate screeched "What do I want?! I want to destroy you! As soon as you digidestined are out of the way or in my control, I'll have no problem taking over the world!"
Thunder shook the ground. Lightning lit up the area.
"Why did you save us for last?" Sora asked, barely audible above the roaring of the storm.
"Your love for each other is strong, something that I will never have. If you have much hatred inside of you, you cannot be loved. I am made up completely of hatred, the hatred of all of you, the digidestined,"
"She's jealous," Sora said in shock.
"You shall be punished for having this love, this joy I will never have! It is because of you that I was created, because of your hate and jealousy towards each other! Why must I suffer because of your feelings and imperfectness?!" Hate bellowed "I promised that I would destroy your happiness together, now it is time for me to keep that promise,"
She smiled.
"In fact, I'm tiered of playing around with you two. Let you live any longer, and you may become an actual threat to me!"
Her hair rose up from her sides and began to blow in the wind from her storm. Rain pelted the ground. Hate's eyes turned crimson. Her brow furrowed in concentration.
Tai's eyes slowly started to turn the blood-red that was all too familiar to them, but stopped midway.
"Tai! No!" Sora yelled. Hate's mouth opened in a silent scream. "There's no use fighting me! It's impossible to win!"
Tai battled on, the color of his eyes never changing. He was still halfway under Hate's control, and twitching madly. Sora stared at him in silent horror.
Her dream. It was coming true.
Hate and Tai both screamed at the same time. It was some horrible mix of anger, defiance, and pain.
Sora watched the color of Tai's eyes slowly get redder, then lighter.
"You're putting up a good fight!" Hate said " I would expect no less from the leader of the digidestined. You will be hard work, but in the end you'll be useful. The strong ones always are,"
Darker, lighter, darker, lighter, darker, lighter, darker, darker, darker.
Hate was now in complete control.
She relaxed, wiping the sweat from her forehead.
"No one has fought me that hard before," Hate commented. She turned her head towards Sora. "He fought for you my dar, he fought for you. He will continue to fight for you...that is.....unless you are......shall we say.....eliminated."
Tai stood there, his eyes glowing bright red in the darkness of the storm. His hand twitched visibly.
"You see?" Hate said to Sora "He still fights, even though his battle is over,"
Sora stared at him. In some desolate corner of Tai's mind, he was a prisoner. He wasn't dead, as her dream foretold, but then again, maybe this was a fate worse than death. A slave forever. Not able to control your hands, not being able to look where you wanted to, to touch what you wanted to touch.
"Cowardice?" Hate said
" Yes Hate?"
"Eliminate the girl, she is only a pebble in my shoe,"
"Of course! It has been a while since a kill," Cowardice said with a grin. A bullet started to form on his vest. Sora could only gape in fear. Hate had just signed her off. Her legs wouldn't move, they were cemented to the ground in fear. Tai started to twitch uncontrollably.
"Now, Taichi Kamiya, leader of the digidestined, carrier of courage. I shall make you watch your loved one die, right in front of your eyes, and there will be nothing you can do about it! And we all know that you'd hate to see that show, wouldn't you?" Hate said with a venomous laugh.
"Oh, and Sora? Since you'll be leaving us soon, let me tell you a little secret: Cowardice and I, we do have a weakness!"
"A weakness?" Sora asked, meekly.
"Yes, a weakness!" Hate said, positively enjoying herself. "Just think about our names, then think opposites,"
Hate and Cowardice Sora thought Hate and Cowardice. The opposite of Hate is caring...no, it's love! My crest! The opposite of Cowardice is....courage! Of course!
"Figured it out, have you?" Hate said, seeing the look of realization come across Sora's face. "The answer was right under your noses, I don't see why you didn't figure it out. Too wrapped up in yourselves to think about it I suppose. I was quite sure that the beans had been spilled when that boy- what's his name-Matt? He actually told you the answer, but you were too ignorant to think about it. It worked out so perfectly. Cowardice?"
"It's ready for firing!"
"Good, do it on my command," Hate looked at Sora "Goodbye Sora, it was nice knowing you, but it's time for you to leave! FIRE!"
Everything seemed to be in slow motion.
The bullet fired from Cowardice, straight towards Sora's heart. She closed her eyes, bracing for the pain to come, but she never felt it. Instead, she felt strong arms entwined around her waist, then a sudden jolt from the body in front of her.
It all snapped into normal speed again.
Sora opened her eyes slowly to see Tai in front of her.
"No! It can't be! I can't leave no-" Cowardice disappeared before he could finish.
Tai fell to the ground at Sora's feet. Hate seemed to be at a loss for words.
"Tai, how'd you..." Sora said, but then, she stopped. She knew. Tai had broken free of Hate's cold, controlling grasp with love. Pure, everlasting love.
"Tai! No!" Sora screamed. She kneeled down beside his body and lifted him onto her lap. Her dream was coming true.
"Tai! You can't leave me, you can't!"
Sora felt warm blood gushing from Tai's chest. His breathing was labored, his eyes closed. He was alive, but barely. Tears welled up in her eyes. He had done it for her. He had traded his life, for hers.
"Don't leave me Tai," she whispered. Tears were now falling freely down her cheeks. The rain continued to hit the ground.
His eyelids fluttered open and he looked at Sora, an expression of deep caring upon his face.
"Sora," he managed to gasp out "I love you."
She felt Tai's hand go limp and cold in hers.
"NNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"
she and Hate both screamed at the same time. Sora's scream was one of loss, of grief. Hate's was one of fury, of anger. She disappeared into nothingness. The storm quickly rolled away, leaving a sense of serenity in it's wake. Water dripped from the autumn leaves. Peace had been regained, at a price. Sora sobbed over Tai's now limp body.
A gentle breeze blew by, taking Tai's spirit along with it.
*end of flashback*
Sora sighed. When that grievous day occurred, she had been sixteen. Now it was the exact same day, six years later. She was in the park where he died, where he made his sacrifice of love.
It was the small things she remembered about him, the little things that make life special. The way his hair moved as the wind blew through it. The way he laughed at her jokes. The way his warm eyes filled with concern for her. The way his lips felt on hers, like rain on dry, parched earth.
But that could no longer be.
She looked up at the blue sky, at the trees. The golden leaves rustled slightly as a breeze came by.
Amazingly, the breeze seemed to come towards Sora, enveloping her in warmth. Familiar arms wrapped around her body. She closed her eyes in ecstasy, enjoying the moment. She knew those arms, the ones that held her as she was protected, the ones that comforted her when she was depressed. She hadn't felt that embrace since six years ago. She sat there in that embrace for all too short a time.
The warmth slowly unraveled from her body, seemingly unwilling to go, but feeling the need that it must.
"Wait, don't leave," Sora said
The breeze seemed to pause, then headed back towards her, comforting her once more.
This time, when it left again, she did not plead for it to come back.
It had sent a message to her, one which she now understood.
"I love you too, Tai," she whispered "I love you too."
~*~ Although you are not here, I can feel you within my heart. You are here to love me forever, to love me for an eternity ~*~
She found herself facing Tai. She looked into his eyes and saw a love like no other. They leaned forward, their lips so close, they were almost touching.
"Tai, I love—"
KA-BOOM!!!
The ground shook. Clouds rolled into the sky, blocking the sunlight from view.
"Awwww, how sweet! The two digidestined I leave for last are having a romantic moment together!" Hate cackled evilly.
"I'm sorry, did we interrupt you?" Cowardice asked, a large smirk on his face.
"What do you want?" Tai yelled. As soon as he asked the question, he knew the answer was obvious.
"What do I want?!" Hate screeched "What do I want?! I want to destroy you! As soon as you digidestined are out of the way or in my control, I'll have no problem taking over the world!"
Thunder shook the ground. Lightning lit up the area.
"Why did you save us for last?" Sora asked, barely audible above the roaring of the storm.
"Your love for each other is strong, something that I will never have. If you have much hatred inside of you, you cannot be loved. I am made up completely of hatred, the hatred of all of you, the digidestined,"
"She's jealous," Sora said in shock.
"You shall be punished for having this love, this joy I will never have! It is because of you that I was created, because of your hate and jealousy towards each other! Why must I suffer because of your feelings and imperfectness?!" Hate bellowed "I promised that I would destroy your happiness together, now it is time for me to keep that promise,"
She smiled.
"In fact, I'm tiered of playing around with you two. Let you live any longer, and you may become an actual threat to me!"
Her hair rose up from her sides and began to blow in the wind from her storm. Rain pelted the ground. Hate's eyes turned crimson. Her brow furrowed in concentration.
Tai's eyes slowly started to turn the blood-red that was all too familiar to them, but stopped midway.
"Tai! No!" Sora yelled. Hate's mouth opened in a silent scream. "There's no use fighting me! It's impossible to win!"
Tai battled on, the color of his eyes never changing. He was still halfway under Hate's control, and twitching madly. Sora stared at him in silent horror.
Her dream. It was coming true.
Hate and Tai both screamed at the same time. It was some horrible mix of anger, defiance, and pain.
Sora watched the color of Tai's eyes slowly get redder, then lighter.
"You're putting up a good fight!" Hate said " I would expect no less from the leader of the digidestined. You will be hard work, but in the end you'll be useful. The strong ones always are,"
Darker, lighter, darker, lighter, darker, lighter, darker, darker, darker.
Hate was now in complete control.
She relaxed, wiping the sweat from her forehead.
"No one has fought me that hard before," Hate commented. She turned her head towards Sora. "He fought for you my dar, he fought for you. He will continue to fight for you...that is.....unless you are......shall we say.....eliminated."
Tai stood there, his eyes glowing bright red in the darkness of the storm. His hand twitched visibly.
"You see?" Hate said to Sora "He still fights, even though his battle is over,"
Sora stared at him. In some desolate corner of Tai's mind, he was a prisoner. He wasn't dead, as her dream foretold, but then again, maybe this was a fate worse than death. A slave forever. Not able to control your hands, not being able to look where you wanted to, to touch what you wanted to touch.
"Cowardice?" Hate said
" Yes Hate?"
"Eliminate the girl, she is only a pebble in my shoe,"
"Of course! It has been a while since a kill," Cowardice said with a grin. A bullet started to form on his vest. Sora could only gape in fear. Hate had just signed her off. Her legs wouldn't move, they were cemented to the ground in fear. Tai started to twitch uncontrollably.
"Now, Taichi Kamiya, leader of the digidestined, carrier of courage. I shall make you watch your loved one die, right in front of your eyes, and there will be nothing you can do about it! And we all know that you'd hate to see that show, wouldn't you?" Hate said with a venomous laugh.
"Oh, and Sora? Since you'll be leaving us soon, let me tell you a little secret: Cowardice and I, we do have a weakness!"
"A weakness?" Sora asked, meekly.
"Yes, a weakness!" Hate said, positively enjoying herself. "Just think about our names, then think opposites,"
Hate and Cowardice Sora thought Hate and Cowardice. The opposite of Hate is caring...no, it's love! My crest! The opposite of Cowardice is....courage! Of course!
"Figured it out, have you?" Hate said, seeing the look of realization come across Sora's face. "The answer was right under your noses, I don't see why you didn't figure it out. Too wrapped up in yourselves to think about it I suppose. I was quite sure that the beans had been spilled when that boy- what's his name-Matt? He actually told you the answer, but you were too ignorant to think about it. It worked out so perfectly. Cowardice?"
"It's ready for firing!"
"Good, do it on my command," Hate looked at Sora "Goodbye Sora, it was nice knowing you, but it's time for you to leave! FIRE!"
Everything seemed to be in slow motion.
The bullet fired from Cowardice, straight towards Sora's heart. She closed her eyes, bracing for the pain to come, but she never felt it. Instead, she felt strong arms entwined around her waist, then a sudden jolt from the body in front of her.
It all snapped into normal speed again.
Sora opened her eyes slowly to see Tai in front of her.
"No! It can't be! I can't leave no-" Cowardice disappeared before he could finish.
Tai fell to the ground at Sora's feet. Hate seemed to be at a loss for words.
"Tai, how'd you..." Sora said, but then, she stopped. She knew. Tai had broken free of Hate's cold, controlling grasp with love. Pure, everlasting love.
"Tai! No!" Sora screamed. She kneeled down beside his body and lifted him onto her lap. Her dream was coming true.
"Tai! You can't leave me, you can't!"
Sora felt warm blood gushing from Tai's chest. His breathing was labored, his eyes closed. He was alive, but barely. Tears welled up in her eyes. He had done it for her. He had traded his life, for hers.
"Don't leave me Tai," she whispered. Tears were now falling freely down her cheeks. The rain continued to hit the ground.
His eyelids fluttered open and he looked at Sora, an expression of deep caring upon his face.
"Sora," he managed to gasp out "I love you."
She felt Tai's hand go limp and cold in hers.
"NNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"
she and Hate both screamed at the same time. Sora's scream was one of loss, of grief. Hate's was one of fury, of anger. She disappeared into nothingness. The storm quickly rolled away, leaving a sense of serenity in it's wake. Water dripped from the autumn leaves. Peace had been regained, at a price. Sora sobbed over Tai's now limp body.
A gentle breeze blew by, taking Tai's spirit along with it.
*end of flashback*
Sora sighed. When that grievous day occurred, she had been sixteen. Now it was the exact same day, six years later. She was in the park where he died, where he made his sacrifice of love.
It was the small things she remembered about him, the little things that make life special. The way his hair moved as the wind blew through it. The way he laughed at her jokes. The way his warm eyes filled with concern for her. The way his lips felt on hers, like rain on dry, parched earth.
But that could no longer be.
She looked up at the blue sky, at the trees. The golden leaves rustled slightly as a breeze came by.
Amazingly, the breeze seemed to come towards Sora, enveloping her in warmth. Familiar arms wrapped around her body. She closed her eyes in ecstasy, enjoying the moment. She knew those arms, the ones that held her as she was protected, the ones that comforted her when she was depressed. She hadn't felt that embrace since six years ago. She sat there in that embrace for all too short a time.
The warmth slowly unraveled from her body, seemingly unwilling to go, but feeling the need that it must.
"Wait, don't leave," Sora said
The breeze seemed to pause, then headed back towards her, comforting her once more.
This time, when it left again, she did not plead for it to come back.
It had sent a message to her, one which she now understood.
"I love you too, Tai," she whispered "I love you too."
~*~ Although you are not here, I can feel you within my heart. You are here to love me forever, to love me for an eternity ~*~