Trouble At Home: Part 2
by Kari
A/N: Sorry this took me so long... I was trying to get my Christmas takari done in time for Lace123's contest, but it didn't happen... I'll be posting it up probably tonight or tomorrow after I get this up. You know all that disclaimer stuff, so I'm not even gonna type it here. There's going to be a part three, I'm working on it now. Funny... this was originally going to be just one big story. Guess not! Okay, the dedications: as always, to Logan, and to Aushie (my personal trainer when it comes to a certain something...1, 2, 3! ^_~), Whit, Hikari-chan (where are you girl!? Still at the airport or what?), R80, Amber(Sora), Meagan, and there are definitely more... if I forgot you, you'll see you in part three for sure. Alright... read, review, all that. ^_^ Thank you all! Kari :)
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Tai sat with Sora on the white upholstery that was the family couch in his living room, his arms around her shoulders and her head wearily resting on his shoulder, as they anxiously listened to the one-sided conversation between Tai's father and Sora's mother.
"Kim, I think Sora should stay here for a couple of days....
Yes, I know, but she really wants to and I think you should let her...
Please Kim, calm down!...
We have everything here she needs for her stay, if you would let her...
Of course we'll watch her for you...
What's wrong with her? I don't really know the whole story, but she doesn't seem to want to go home for a few days...
Yes Kim, we'll try to talk to her, to see if she wants to go home early, but I wouldn't count on it. We should just let her stay it out...
Of course... thank you Kim... We'll take care of her for you... yes, goodbye."
Mr. Kamiya hung up the phone gently, staring at it for a moment after it was returned to its place on the phone tray. Mrs. Kamiya looked in worriedly from the kitchen where she was making dinner for the family and Sora. Sora pretty much was family, she almost lived at the Kamiya's apartment and she considered Tai's parents almost her own. Like her second set of parents. She hoped that one day they really could be her parents-in-law, and she knew Tai did as well. Mr. Kamiya's gaze went from the phone to the floor.
"She said you could stay, Sora," he said softly. Tai squeezed Sora gently within his grasp. "However, we do need to have a talk with you." Tai looked at his parents, as did Sora. Mr. Kamiya cast a glance at Tai and he immediately understood its meaning. Tai began to get up from the couch, but not before hugging Sora and kissing her on the forehead gently.
"I'll be back in a minute, Sora," he told her softly. Sora smiled after him. After Tai had left the room, Mr. and Mrs. Kamiya sat down on the couch opposite the one Sora was sitting on. There was a brief awkward silence before Mrs. Kamiya finally spoke up.
"Honey, what's been going on at home?" she began softly, obviously concerned. Sora remained silent, but slowly felt tears welling up in her eyes once more. Her eyes were already very tired from crying so much...
"Please Sora!" Mr. Kamiya pleaded, a little louder than Mrs. Kamiya had. Mrs. Kamiya placed a hand upon her husband's.
"Don't pressure her, dear, she's obviously upset," she whispered to him. He looked at her briefly and nodded, but still seemed upset that Sora wouldn't tell them anything. Mrs. Kamiya reached over to Sora and took one of her hands in hers. Sora's gaze remained on the floor. "Sora dear, you know that you are like another daughter to the both of us, and Kari considers you her sister... I don't think Tai considers you a sister though, because he likes you..." Mrs. Kamiya paused and smiled at Sora with a mischievous sparkle in her eye. She looked past Sora and saw Tai standing in the hallway near his bedroom door, blushing furiously, and she chuckled a bit to herself. "But we all love you Sora, as one of the family, and we hope you love us enough to confide in us and tell us what's going on with you and your mother."
Sora looked up, tears rolling down her cheeks. She suddenly jumped up from her seat and gave Mrs. Kamiya a hug. "Thank you Mrs. Kamiya," she whispered faintly.
"You're welcome dear, but... call me mom, okay?" Sora laughed through her tears and nodded on Mrs. Kamiya's shoulder. From his place in the hallway, Tai smiled at his mother and his love, and wiped away a tear that was beginning to run down his cheek. Sora broke away from Mrs. Kamiya and took a shuddering breath.
"Okay... I'll tell you..." she paused a moment and a pleading look appeared on her face, "but can Tai be in here with me?" Mr. Kamiya nodded and looked to Tai, who had already started towards the living room. He sat down next to Sora and put his arms around her, hugging her tightly. Sora tried to begin telling the Kamiyas what the trouble at home was, but she had to cry first... she couldn't just begin then, or else she'd stop in the middle to cry and probably confuse them. She was confused herself. She buried her head in Tai's shoulder and held to him around his waist like she never wanted to let go. Tai laid his head gently on Sora's and rocked her back and forth, as he had at the flower shop where he had found her earlier. He whispered to her, trying to calm her down, and felt a slight blush appearing on his cheeks from the knowledge that his parents were watching the whole thing. Tai opened his eyes and looked to his worried parents.
"She'll be okay, just let her cry a minute," he mouthed to them. They understood, and Mrs. Kamiya went to the bathroom to get some tissues.
"What's going on?" Kari asked as she walked into the living room, holding the phone to her ear. "Huh? No T.K., I was talking to my par... OH MY GOD!" Kari, with the phone still to her ear, ran over to Tai and Sora. She switched between talking to Tai, Sora, and her parents and talking to T.K., whom she was on the phone with. "Sora, are you okay? Tai, what happened? Sora's here crying T.K., I don't know what's wrong... yeah, let me ask them if that's okay. Tai, can T.K. come over here? He says he wants to see Sora."
"Sora, what do you think?" Tai whispered to the weeping girl in his arms. She faintly nodded on his shoulder, and Tai relayed the message to Kari, who in turn gave it to T.K.
"They said you could... okay, see you in a bit... haha, you're seeing me in five minutes and you still can't hang up the phone without saying it... yes, I love you too... okay." Kari hung up the phone and returned to Sora and Tai's side. "Tai, what's wrong with her?" she mouthed to Tai.
"Her mother," he mouthed back. Kari and Tai often mouthed things to each other, so they both knew what the other was saying from across the room... they had plenty of practice. Mrs. Kamiya returned to the living room with a large box of kleenex she always had somewhere within the apartment and placed it on the coffee table in front of the couch Sora and Tai were sitting on. Mr. and Mrs. Kamiya were carrying on a quiet, worried conversation while Tai continued to calm Sora down. Kari sat watching them as Sora cried until she had no more tears. She only got up when the doorbell rang a few minutes later. She opened the door to a worried looking T.K.
"I got here as soon as I could... is she okay yet?" he blurted out even before giving Kari a quick hug and kiss.
"No... she hasn't even told us what's wrong yet," Kari replied quietly. "Come on in though, I think Tai's almost got her calmed down." Kari led T.K. into the apartment and he shut the door behind him before joining Kari on the floor in front of Tai and Sora.
"Hey T.K.," Tai greeted him quietly.
"Hey," he replied softly. T.K. took Kari's hand in his and she rested her head on his shoulder. Sora finally stopped crying and looked up at Tai. He smiled sadly at her and gently brushed away her tears. She smiled weakly at him in love and gratitude, and finally noticed T.K.'s presence.
"Hey T.K.," she whispered.
"Hi Sora," he smiled at her. Kari gave his hand a quick squeeze and smiled at him. He smiled back and then returned his attention to Sora.
"Feel better now?" Tai asked Sora, smiling down on her like an angel. She smiled faintly back and nodded, sniffling a little bit. Tai's mother promptly handed her a couple tissues and Sora gratefully took them, rubbing her nose and eyes with them. Kari stood and took them from Sora when she was finished with them and threw them in the small trash can by the TV.
"Sora," Mr. Kamiya began, "do you think you're ready now?" Sora turned in Tai's arms to face them and said she was with a nod of her head.
"Go on," Mrs. Kamiya probed softly. Sora looked up at Tai, who nodded at her. This seemed to give Sora the strength she needed... the knowledge that Tai was at her side and would never let her go... that he would always be there for her as he had been in the past, and he would give her the support she needed and wanted in this ordeal with her mother. Sora drew in a shuddering breath to calm her nerves and began.
"Well, as you all know, my mother and I don't get along very well... we never really have. That's why I didn't think my crest would glow when I first discovered its meaning. Tai, Matt, and T.K. helped me realize that my mother didn't hate me, but instead, she kept me on a short leash because she loved me. I thought that after I got back from the Digital World, my mother and I would get along much better from then on. For awhile, that was the case. My mother and I got along great! We went places together, I actually started to enjoy working at the flower shop, and, even though she wouldn't let me play soccer again because my knee was permanently injured... a torn tendon or something like that... my mom let me start playing tennis.
"But then, after a year or so, it began again. It all started with a fight over a messed up bouquet, no big deal... it was a stupid fight anyway. But soon the fights became more constant. My mother threatened to take away everything from me... my computer and internet access, tennis, all contact with Tai and the others... pretty much everything but my schoolwork and my job at the flower shop. Eventually her threats would die down, but as soon as they did, something else would happen and they would fire back up again. When Tai came to the flower shop that one day a couple of weeks ago and bought me those flowers, my mother saw me with them after he had left and thought that I had made the bouquet for myself and lied about Tai getting them for me to cover it up. That was the day she really started being downright cruel to me... she began to treat me less as a daughter and more as a maid, or a slave, or... something."
Sora's voice caught for a moment and she paused to swallow. Tai took one of her hands in his and meshed his fingers with hers. He gave her hand a comforting squeeze and Sora continued.
"It's been getting worse and worse everyday... she... started hitting me a while ago..." Sora paused again and hesitated before pulling up the bottom of the back of her shirt, exposing a rather large bruise on her lower back. Mrs. Kamiya gasped in horror, as did Kari and T.K. Mr. Kamiya stared in shock at the bruise. Tai felt anger burning inside him as he gingerly touched the bruise. He ran his fingers across it, feeling the swollen bump where Sora's mother had hit her.
"Sora... why didn't you tell me?" he asked quietly, trying to keep his emotions under control.
"I don't know... it just happened the other day... my mom got mad because she burned dinner and she threw the pan at me. I... didn't quite move out of the way in time," Sora replied, flinching a bit when Tai unknowingly pressed a little harder on the bruise. Tai noticed and jerked his hand away from it.
"Oh God Sora, I'm sorry... I got angry and I didn't know I was pressing so hard..." he apologized profusely. Sora smiled weakly.
"It's okay Tai," she whispered. She didn't really know anything else to say. Tai placed his warm palm over the bruise and rubbed his hand over the spot, barely brushing the skin. Sora shivered a bit from the touch. "That's the worst she's ever done, but lately... I don't know how bad she could get... I'm so scared that one day she'll go ballistic and really hurt me..." Sora paused again and fought the urge to cry. Kari had tears in her eyes, and T.K. looked in shock at Sora. He couldn't believe his ears. Sora's mother was hurting her this badly? Kim Takenouchi had always been known to be a strong, caring woman... not the indifferent monster Sora had just described.
Mr. Kamiya arose from his seat. "Sora, you know what we have to do now, don't you?" Sora snapped to attention.
"No!! You can't call anyone about this," she cried.
"Sora, this is a serious crime. Child abuse is..." Mrs. Kamiya was interrupted by an outburst of tears from Sora.
"Mom, what do you think is going to happen to Sora if her mother is sent to jail for this?" Tai yelled angrily, cradling the sobbing Sora in his arms. "She and her mom may not get along, but I know that deep down they love each other. And sure, this makes me angry too, I want Sora's mom to be punished for this just as much as anyone else does, if not more... but... what would she do without her mother?"
Kari and T.K. looked at Tai, and then to Mr. and Mrs. Kamiya with shocked expressions. Tai had never yelled at his parents before. Mr. and Mrs. Kamiya looked just as surprised as T.K. and Kari. Mr. Kamiya's expression softened first and he took his hand off of the phone. "Okay Tai, we won't say anything... for now though. This has to be dealt with, either with Sora's mother or with the police." Mr. and Mrs. Kamiya walked down the small hallway and into their bedroom, no doubt to talk about what to do.
T.K. and Kari got up and sat on the couch that Tai and Kari's parents had just left. Sroa was still sobbing and Tai stroked her hair with soft, loving motions. "It's okay Sora, they're not going to tell," he whispered to her. Sora lifted her head off of Tai's tear-soaked chest and looked sadly into his eyes.
"Tai, I don't want my mother to go to jail... but I can't stand what she's doing either!" Tai placed a hand on her cheek.
"Sora," he said, "I'll be here for you the whole time... and remember what I told you at the flower shop, because the offer still, always has, and always will stand." Sora smiled and hugged Tai tightly, pressing her cheek against his chest. She removed it quickly and looked at his chest where her head had just rested.
"Tai," she laughed, in spite of her tears, "you're soaked!" Tai looked down at his shirted chest and grinned.
"Well, I have been your tissue for the past two hours you know," he joked. Sora giggled.
"I'm sorry! That was one of your favorites too."
"Sora, it'll wash, don't worry!" Tai smiled and kissed Sora's forehead. "Kari will take you to her room and find you some pajamas, okay?" Sora nodded, and Kari got up from the couch next to T.K. and led Sora to her room. T.K. looked at Tai and frowned.
"You're really worried, aren't you?"
Tai's expression became very serious and he nodded. "Yeah... I don't want to see her get hurt."
"Yeah, I know what you mean. If anyone every hurt Kari, I don't know what I'd do to them."
Tai looked at the young blond and laughed a bit. "What's so funny about that?" T.K. asked self-consciously.
"It's not that," Tai said, smiling. "It's kinda funny that you and Kari are only twelve and you figured out this love thing before Sora and I did." T.K. thought a moment and laughed a little as well.
"I don't think we figured it out before you and Sora did... we just acted on it first," he said, smiling warmly. "I think you two figured this thing out a long time ago... maybe even before we all went to the Digiworld the first time. I know you knew it by then though."
Tai smiled. "Maybe..."
Just then, Kari and Sora reentered the living room, Kari still wearing her regular clothes and Sora wearing an old gray Westside Elementary phys ed shirt and blue and green plaid pajama pants. She walked over to Tai and sat down next to him and Kari redeposited herself at T.K.'s side. T.K. looked at his watch. "Whoa... it's almost 8:00... I'd better get going, Matt was cooking dinner when I left." Kari looked into T.K.'s eyes and nodded.
"I'll see you tomorrow then?" she asked, getting up with T.K. and walking him to the door.
"You know it," he smiled, giving her a kiss. Kari returned it and they broke away. "See you tomorrow, love you," he said, walking out the door. Kari leaned out of it a bit and waved after him.
"Bye T.K., love you too," she called after him. T.K. looked back, grinned, and waved back before continuing down the hallway and into the elevator. Kari closed the apartment door and walked back into her room to change into her pajamas.
Sora suddenly yawned. "Tired?" Tai asked her.
"Always stating the obvious," Sora joked. Tai wrapped his arms tightly around her and squeezed her.
"You know, that hurts," Tai said, a mock pout appearing on his face.
"Whatever Tai," Sora laughed. Tai hugged her within his arms and Sora let out a small painful gasp.
"Did I hurt you, Sora?" Tai asked worriedly, releasing his grip on her.
"No Tai, it's just that bruise, it wasn't you." Tai looked at Sora's sullen face and lifted her chin so her gaze met his.
"Don't worry Sora, we'll get through this." Sora smiled and gently kissed him. He returned the kiss and they pulled away when Kari came back into the room, dressed in a pair of old cotton exercise shorts and a large t-shirt.
"Tai, go change into your pj's," Sora told him, shoving him off the couch.
"Yes mother," Tai said, sounding more like an intimidated five-year-old than a young man of fifteen, and padded off to his room. Sora looked after him and giggled. Kari sat at Sora's feet and looked up at her.
"Are you going to be alright, Sora?" she asked, sounding worried for her friend's safety. Sora smiled.
"Of course I'll be okay Kari, as long as I have you and Tai and your parents to help me through this... and let's not forget the other Destined." Kari accepted this and gave Sora a hug, carefully avoiding her lower back. Sora returned the hug.
"I've always considered you my oneesan," Kari said cheerfully. Sora felt happiness arising within her.
"I've always seen you as the little sister I never had, Kari," she replied. Tai walked back in.
"He Kari, hands off," he said playfully. Kari pulled away from Sora and looked at her brother in disgust.
"Ugh... that's great Tai," she said sarcastically. "Besides, I've got T.K. for that." Tai's playful expression immediately left his face. His face paled and he frowned.
"You'd better not be going any farther than I would," he scowled.
"Bad choice of an analogy Tai, but we don't go that far." Kari laughed at her brother as he glared at her and she walked towards her room. She gave Sora another hug and kissed her brother on the cheek. "Goodnight you two," she said cheerfully before she entered her room.
"So where do I sleep?" Sora asked Tai as he sat next to her again.
"You can sleep in my room, and I'll stay out here," he said, putting his arms around her shoulders.
"You sure?"
"Of course I'm sure," he grinned. To prove it, Tai scooped Sora up into his arms and carried her to his room. Sora giggled, trying to keep her voice down so she wouldn't disturb Tai's parents or Kari, and wrapped her arms around his neck. Tai plopped her down on his bed and covered her with his comforter. "Now you get a good night's rest, 'cause we're going out tomorrow to make up for the date we missed today," Tai said, grinning as he brushed Sora's hair back from her eyes softly.
" 'Night Tai," Sora whispered.
Tai gently kissed her forehead again and whispered, "Goodnight, my love." He began to lift his head to stand, but Sora put her hand behind Tai's neck and pulled his lips to hers. They kissed passionately before finally breaking apart, their heads swimming. Tai smiled lovingly at Sora and she returned the smile as he walked out of the room. Sora sighed as sleep overtook her. Tai went into the living room and laid down on the couch with a pillow and blanket he had brought from his room and drifted off to sleep.
Ms. Takenouchi walked into Sora's room and gently shook her awake. "Wake up honey, it's time to go," she coaxed. Sora slowly woke up to her mother's smiling face.
"Hi mom, where are we going?" she asked groggily.
"We're not going anywhere, you're going somewhere." Sora sat up and looked at her mother questioningly.
"Huh? What do you mean, mom?" Sora looked in horror as her mother's happy expression turned to one that was morbidly dark.
"You've been a bad girl, Sora," she growled. Ms. Takenouchi pulled out a small handfun from behind her back and held it to Sora's forehead. Sora shut her eyes and gasped as she heard a loud bang.
"AHHHHHHHH!" Sora screamed, sitting straight up in bed. Tai came running into his room.
"Sora, what's wrong!? Daijoubu ka?" he blurted, sitting on the bed next to Sora. Sora was breathing heavily and tears began rolling down her cheeks.
"My mom... she... she shot me..." Sora cried between gasping breaths. Tai wrapped his arms around her as she cried hysterically. She held her head in her hands and rested her forehead in the hollow of Tai's neck. Tai rested his head on hers and tried to calm her down.
"It's okay Sora, it was just a bad dream.. just a bad dream..." he whispered in her hair. Kari and Mr. and Mrs. Kamiya rushed into the room.
"What happened? Is she okay?" Mr. and Mrs. Kamiya asked frantically.
"What did you do, Tai!?" Kari growled, obviously not all the way awake yet. Tai frowned at Kari.
"I didn't do anything Kari, she had a bad dream. She said her mom shot her," he explained. Mrs. Kamiya went to Sora's side and gently stroked her hair.
"It's okay honey, you're safe now," she crooned. Sora calmed down enough to stop crying, but she still sniffled every so often. Kari went back to bed, soon followed by Mr. and Mrs. Kamiya.
"Are you okay now?" Tai asked Sora, rubbing her arms gently to calm her down. Sora nodded, and Tai got up off of the bed. Sora grabbed his arms and caused him to look back down at her in shock.
"Please Tai... stay with me?" she pleaded. Tai smiled and sat back down on the bed.
"Sure," he said quietly. He laid down closest to the wall and Sora laid down with her back against his chest. Tai took the comforter and wrapped it around the both of them, followed by his arms around Sora's waist. Sora soon drifted back off to sleep, but Tai stayed awake a bit longer. If only Sora's mother could see what she's done to her, he thought angrily. A few minutes after Sora had fallen asleep, Tai closed his eyes as well and went to sleep, Sora still in his arms.
The next morning, Sora woke up first. She looked around groggily at her surroundings. She recognized them, but not as those of her own room. Why the heck am I in Tai's room? she thought, confused. Then all the memories of the previous day and night flooded her mind. It was then that Sora realized that Tai was holding her from behind. She gently turned to face him and saw that he was still asleep. Sora smiled to herself and tenderly brushed his cheek and forehead with her hand. He's so cute when he's asleep, she thought, a grin appearing on her already smiling face. Sora reached over and kissed Tai's forehead gently and ran her hand through his thick hair. It was surprisingly soft for being such a mess.
Tai's eyes suddenly fluttered open and he yawned, stretching his arms in the air and childishly wrinkling his nose as he did so. His eyes focused and Sora's smiling face came into view. He looked surprised for a moment but then seemed to remember the previous night as well.
"Morning beautiful," he said with yet another yawn. Tai wrapped his arms back around her and hugged her tightly, kissing her cheek.
"Morning," Sora replied, giggling. "I thought you'd never get up." Tai smirked and bolted up.
"Well I'm up now!...Whoa..." Tai felt a strange dizziness overcome him. He brought a hand to his temple and shut his eyes, groaning softly. Sora sat up, slowly, and laughed softly.
"You should never sit up too quick after lying down for so long," she quipped playfully, "it makes you dizzy."
Tai rubbed his temples and squinted his eyes painfully. "Yeah... no kidding..." he replied. After Tai's dizziness had gone away, he and Sora walked into the kitchen together. The smell of eggs, toast, and bacon wafted into their noses before they had even reached the living room.
"Well good morning you two!" Mrs. Kamiya said cheerfully, turning to face them from her place at the table. Kari and Mr. Kamiya were cooking breakfast, much to Tai's relief. He didn't think Sora, or anyone for that matter, could handle his mother's infamous cooking. Izzy had already proven that. (Think back to the movie people... WAS THAT NOT HILARIOUS!! Poor Izzy... ^_^) Tai's father turned from his bacon and smirked at the two sleepy-looking teens.
"You know," he said, mock anger shining through, "normally I'd be angry that you two slept in the same room... not to mention the same bed..." Tai and Sora looked at each other and then to the floor, blushing furiously as Mr. Kamiya continued. "But since this is a special case and Kari got such a GOOD picture of you, I'll let it go." Tai exhaled a sigh of relief and Sora giggled... but then the information registered in Tai's mind that Kari took a picture of him and Sora sleeping and his eyes widened in horror.
"Don't... EVER... show that picture to anyone but us, Hikari Kamiya," Tai growled. Kari only glanced over her shoulder at him and shrugged, a huge grin on her face. Tai was angry, but decided to let it go... for now.
"Sit down you two, breakfast is almost ready," Kari said, smiling and motioning to two of the chairs at the kitchen table. Tai glared daggers at Kari but sat down anyway. Tai and Sora watched as Kari and Mr. Kamiya set plates and silverware at their places. Mr. Kamiya dished out breakfast to each person and Kari got her, Tai, and Sora glasses of orange juice and Mr. and Mrs. Kamiya their coffee.
After they had eaten, Mr. Kamiya left for work and Kari left soon after to meet T.K. at his house. Mrs. Kamiya whispered in Tai's ear, "Tai, I need to speak to Sora privately." Tai looked at her questioningly but nodded and stood from his place at the table.
"Okay, potty break," he said, stretching his arms into the air.
"Eep... Joe was right... too much information IS a bad thing," Sora said, wrinkling her nose playfully.
"Did we really need to know THAT much, Tai?" his mother asked him.
"Just thought you might want to know where I'm going," he said innocently, shrugging, and he walked down the hallway into the bathroom. Mrs. Kamiya turned to Sora and looked at her happy face. She knew this wouldn't be an easy conversation...
"Sora dear, are you going to try and talk to your mother today?" she asked cautiously. Mrs. Kamiya was right. Sora's smile immediately left her face. "I mean, we love having you here, but sooner or later you're going to have to talk to her."
"I... I don't know... I don't want to today..." Sora suddenly found the tiled floor to be very interesting.
"You know you can't put this off for long."
"I know... but I'm not ready to talk to her yet, okay?" Mrs. Kamiya nodded sadly.
"I understand dear, you've only been here for..." she glanced at the digital clock on the microwave, "15 hours or so." She smiled a small, motherly smile at Sora and she smiled weakly back.
"Thanks... mom," Sora said quietly. Mrs. Kamiya felt tears mixed with joy and sadness fill her eyes as she gently hugged Sora, keeping in mind the large bruise on her back.
"You're welcome... my daughter," she whispered back.
Tai was watching from the hallway and smiled, and overwhelming joy filling him. She's already a part of the family, he thought happily. Of course, he knew she always had been.
"Jennifer, I was thinking of going to see Kim and trying to talk to her about Sora," Mr. Kamiya told his wife over the phone. Tai and Sora had left hours ago for their date, at 1:00. It was now 4:30.
"Kyle, I don't think that's such a good idea."
"Why not?"
Mrs. Kamiya told her husband the conversation she had had earlier with Sora.
"Well, she may not be ready to confront her mother, but I am... she needs to be stopped."
"Honey, listen... I think it's best that we let Sora work this out with her mother instead of us, okay?" Mrs. Kamiya heard him sigh on the other end of the phone.
"Okay... but I still think we should talk to her."
"We will, but later, okay?"
"Alright then. I have to get back to work now, I should be home in about an hour or so."
"Okay, goodbye dear, I love you."
"I love you too Jen, bye."
Mrs. Kamiya hung up the phone when she finished her conversation with her husband. The notion of confronting Kim was incredibly tempting. Jennifer Maekawa Kamiya had known Kim Takenouchi since they were in junior high school, and not once had she ever presented herself as an abusive person. But seeing that bruise on Sora's back drove her mad with anger. Sora never deserved to be hurt like that... and as long as Jennifer Kamiya was around, Kim Takenouchi would never... EVER... lay another finger, or frying pan, or anything else, on Sora again. She would make sure of that.
Tai and Sora walked down the small brick sidewalk that went straight through the park in a comfortable silence. Tai had one arm wrapped tightly around her waist and Sora mimicked his action. After having walked around Odaiba for a couple of hours, Sora was ready to sit down for a bit. "Tai, can we sit down?" she asked.
Tai looked at her and smiled. "Sure, whatever you want." Tai led her to a bench that was placed along the path under a large willow tree. Willow trees weren't native to Japan at all (Actually, I have no idea if that's true or not... just work with me here, okay?), as were many of the trees in the park. The entire grounds were practically manmade, or hand-planted, whichever way you'd rather look at it. The long willow branches almost seemed to curtain the young couple from the rest of the world. The surroundings were really hopelessly romantic. Sora sighed and rested her head on Tai's shoulder, and Tai laid his head on top of hers.
"Tai, do you think it was me in any way?" she asked him out of the blue.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Tai asked, obviously confused.
"Do you think it was me that made my mother this way?"
Tai lifted his head off of Sora's and forced her to look into his eyes. He frowned and shook his head furiously. "Of course it wasn't you Sora, don't ever think that," he said firmly. "All of this is your mother, I don't think it really has anything to do with you at all." Sora sighed forlornly and thought for a moment.
"I think you might be right Tai," she whispered.
"What do you mean, Sora?"
"Well, there's something I didn't tell your family and T.K.," she continued, feeling on the verge of tears, partly because of the fact that she had held something back from the only real family she had really ever known.
"Well, out with it then," Tai said almost playfully, trying to make Sora smile. She did, but faintly.
"My father... you remember him?"
"Yeah, how could I forget?"
"Well..." Sora paused a moment, let out a shaky sigh, and told him everything. "He... he used to beat me and my mom. In the daylight he would be the perfect father, but at night... God I was so afraid when it got dark... he'd beat my mother and me, and yell and scream about everything. My mom and I were so afraid of him. I think that's when we were closest... when we would hide in the coat closet together from him before he came home. I thought I'd escaped the abuse when he finally left me and my mom... guess I was wrong, huh..." Sora took in a shuddering breath and felt a tear roll down her cheek. Tai lifted her chin so he met her eyes.
"God Sora... I had no idea..." Tai's eyes were filled with tears of pain for her. He wiped away her tears, paying no heed to his own. "Why didn't you tell me? I could've helped you..." Sora shook her head.
"No you couldn't have, Tai, at least not in the aspect of making my father stop what he was doing. He would've hurt you too, and I couldn't let that happen. But you did help me in another way..." Tai looked questioningly into Sora's eyes. She lifted a hand and placed it on his cheek.
"You helped me have the courage to survive it all, through your love and friendship, Tai. I couldn't have asked for anything more than I have found in you. You're everything I've ever dreamed of, Taichi, from the moment we met I knew I could never love any other as much as I love you. You've been at my side for as long as I can remember, through thick and thin... you've saved my life countless times, and for that I am eternally in your debt. I know my love for you is true, and I would hope that it is at least some payback for everything you've done for me."
Tai looked through tear-filled eyes into Sora's crimson ones, also shiny with tears. Tai opened his mouth to speak but found that no words could be spolken from them. His love for Sora completely blew him away, as did their love for him, and he could do nothing but this...
Tai leaned forward and kissed Sora passionately. Only out of true love could a kiss like this be born. The world around them melted away and soon it was just them, the bench, and the feeling of their lips pressed together. Sora wrapped her arms around Tai's neck and ran her hands through his soft brown hair. Tai held Sora's waist with one hand and gently caressed her cheek with the other, as he had done before. The fire inside the two elevated to an all-consuming inferno as Tai and Sora realized through their daze that their tongues were pressing together. Tai sighed in complete content within the embrace and kissed Sora like it was the first and last kiss they would ever share. Neither wanted to let the other go. Their tears of love and happiness fell from their eyes and mixed together on the way down their cheeks and fell to the ground as one. It seemed an eternity before they finally broke apart. Tai smiled, a bit dizzy from the kissing.
"God..." he whispered, "I love you so much, Sora." Sora smiled lovingly and wiped away the tears that were still on Tai's cheeks.
"I love you too, Taichi," she whispered in reply.
Mr. Kamiya walked up to the Takenouchi's apartment door. He hesitated a bit before knocking. Maybe I shouldn't do this... maybe I should let Sora talk it out with her first... he thought. His wife had asked him not to confront Sora's mother about this until Sora had spoken with her... but his mind was made up. Seeing that bruise on Sora's back yesterday drove him mad, and he was going to see that Kim was confronted about it. He knocked a bit too loudly on the door and Sora's mother opened it in an instant.
"Um, Kyle, hello, how are you?" she greeted him, seeming a bit surprised at him being at her front door.
"We need to talk, Kim," he said flatly.
"S-sure, come on in." Mr. Kamiya walked into the apartment and looked around. The apartment was a complete disaster. There were dishes everywhere in the kitchen and the living room looked like it hadn't been cleaned in days.
"What a mess..." he mumbled under his breath. Ms. Takenouchi walked over to the couch and sat down.
"What did you want to talk to me about, Kyle?" she asked apprehensively.
"Sora," he replied still emotionlessly, sitting down on the chair opposite the couch.
"What about her, is she okay?"
"No, she's not okay! She's a total mess because of you. Sora spent most of the night last night crying because of what you've been doing to her."
"I...I don't know what you're talking about."
"Save it Kim," Mr. Kamiya snapped, his voice rising even louder, "you know exactly what I'm talking about. You're treating Sora more like a slave than a daughter. You throw a frying pan at her because YOU burned dinner and she shows us a black, blue, and brown bruise the size of Texas on her lower back. She didn't sleep part of the night last night because she had a dream that you walked into her room and shot her in the head. Now don't EVEN begin to tell me you don't know what I'm talking about!!"
Ms. Takenouchi looked utterly shocked. She didn't say anything at first... her mouth just hung open in surprise. "I...I had no idea..."
"Well you should have. She's your daughter for Christ's sake! You should know how to treat her and what's wrong with her and you should know that she's tough as nails on the outside but fragile as stained glass on the inside. She didn't want to talk to you today, and Jennifer asked me not to talk to you about this either, but after what Sora said to us, I could not wait to confront you about this." Mr. Kamiya stopped and lowered his voice... he had been yelling for the past five minutes.
"I have to get home now, I told Jen I would be home in 5 minutes... I leave you with this information. Think about what you've done... and what you're going to do about it," he growled. Kyle Kamiya turned and walked out of the Takenouchi's apartment, slamming the door hard behind him. Ms. Takenouchi sat in complete silence, the same shocked expression on her face. She couldn't believe what she had just been told... but she did indeed think about it.
After about an hour of sitting on the bench together, Tai and Sora made their way home. They walked in the front door together and saw Mr. and Mrs. Kamiya talking in a hushed tone on the couch. Mrs. Kamiya was obviously upset with her husband, but about what, neither Tai nor Sora knew.
"Sora, come here a minute sweetie," Mr. Kamiya said quietly, motioning to the couch next to the one he and his wife were seated at. Sora glanced at Tai and he nodded, so they sat together on the couch Tai's father had motioned to. Kari apparently was still out with T.K. because she was nowhere to be seen in the apartment.
"Sora," Mrs. Kamiya began, casting a very peeved look at her husband, "Kyle went to see your mother today..." Sora's eyes widened with fear as she continued. "And he told her what the problem was with you." Mrs. Kamiya looked to the floor. Tai could've sworn he saw smoke rising from his mother's ears. She must have been really mad about this.
"Jennifer asked me not to until you spoke with her, Sora, that's why she's... upset with me..." Mr. Kamiya sweatdropped. "But after I saw that bruise on your back yesterday I couldn't help myself! I had to confront your mother about it." Sora looked at the floor and nodded.
"What did she say?" she asked flatly. Tai squeezed her hand supportively.
"She seemed like she honestly didn't know what she had done to you. She said she didn't know what I was talking about when I told her that she was the reason you're acting this way." Tai felt tears begin to fall onto his hand from Sora's eyes. Tai felt anger and sadness arise in him all at once. When he saw Sora like this... he felt every emotion she felt a hundred times over. He wanted to take all the pain away from her. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly, his own tears beginning to fall in her hair.
"I drilled everything into her head Sora, and told her to think about what she did and what she's going to do about it... I guess we'll just have to wait." Mr. Kamiya's gaze also fell to the floor. Sora broke away from Tai, stood slowly from her chair, and walked over to where Mr. Kamiya was sitting. She kneeled in front of him and wiped away her tears so he wouldn't see them.
"Mr. Kamiya," she said quietly to get his attention. He looked up at her and she could see a distinct fatherly sympathy in his eyes. "Thank you," she finished. Mr. Kamiya smiled weakly. "I don't think I ever would've talked to her about this unless she already knew about it anyway." Sora suddenly hugged Tai's father as she would her own... if he hadn't been such a horrible person.
"You know Sora, you're an incredible girl," Mr. Kamiya told Sora when she had let go of him. "You have such a strength inside of you... if you two..." he glanced from Sora to Tai and back to Sora, "get married someday, I would be honored to walk you down the aisle... since your father isn't around anymore." Sora smiled brightly and again burst into tears. Happy tears, for the second time that day. Tai went over and knelt next to Sora and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry Dad," he whispered, "now that I've got her, I'm never letting her go."
A/N: Part three to come soon... This was only supposed to be one, and at the most, two... guess I was wrong! This is turning out much longer than I thought it would. Well, I'm gonna finish HTML-ing my Christmas Takari now... it's late enough as it is already. R&R, please!
Kari :)