Trouble At Home: Part three

Trouble At Home: Part Three (FINAL!! YES!)
By Kari

A/N: Here's the part three of my latest Taiora series... I hope you all liked the series, cuz this is the last part! YES! IT'S DONE! ^_^ Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot. So don't take it. The song, "Come Home Again", isn't mine either... it was written for a Christian musical called "Where Jesus Is" by Jeff Slaughter and Matt Tullos. Dedication: To all of the people that don't get along with their parents... there is always love in them for you, no matter how deep it is, it's there. Also: Logan, Whit(aka Artisan of the Written Word, or The Writer), Amber (aka Sora), Meagan, Melissa (aka Tachikawa Mimi), Stephanie (Melissa's sister), Hikari, Jennifer (Atryeu), Rob (R80), Diana, Patty, Krystal Clay (if you're out there, I remember you and I miss you! If anyone knows her, email me and tell me... last I knew, she lived in Virginia, and before that, Montana, and before that, in Illinois with me... that was before I moved again...), David, Angelica, Brandy, Krystin, and everyone who reads my fics (if I forgot anyone, I am SO sorry!). And last, but not least, to my parents, for always being there, even though we may not always get along. I love you both.

You guys know the drill, read and review, please! ^_^ And I apologize for any typos and all that good stuff in advance, I'm too lazy to read it over to check for them. You all know what I mean to say anyway, don't you? ^_^

Kari :)
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Sora looked up at Mr. Kamiya after she had finished crying. "So she doesn't know?" she asked, her happy exterior disappearing once more.

"No... I don't think she had any idea. But she does now," Mr. Kamiya replied softly. Tai squeezed Sora's shoulder, where his hand rested. Sora placed her hand gently onto Tai's and looked down at the floor.

"I don't want to talk to her... and yet, I know I have to, but I don't know what to say."

Tai sat so that he could look into Sora's eyes. "Sora," he said, "if you don't want to talk to her yet, then don't. If you talk to her now, when you're not ready, you may say something you might regret." He paused and smiled at her. "Plan it out. Think out every word you want to say to your mom. Come up with an answer to every question or reply she might have. I'll even help you if you'd like."

Sora smiled sweetly and rested her forehead against Tai's. "I'd love that Tai. I know I can't do this without you."

Tai gently kissed the tip of Sora's nose. That's as much as he wanted to do with his parents watching. Tai started to stand and looked at his parents. "Sora and I are going to talk in my room, okay?" he said, without consulting Sora. Sora also stood and nodded. Mr. and Mrs. Kamiya eyed the two suspiciously for a moment, but nodded anyway. As Tai and Sora walked to Tai's room, Mr. Kamiya called after them,

"I better hear talking in there the whole time you two, or I'm coming in there!" Tai blushed and Sora giggled, her own cheeks turning a slight pink.

"Sure dad," Tai called as he and Sora entered his room and he shut the door. Sora took a seat on his bed and Tai sat on the chair at his desk. As she sat on the soft bed, bouncing a bit, Sora looked around at Tai's room. On the walls was the occasional sports poster, mostly of soccer players. Tai's floor was littered a bit with a few articles of clothing, a couple pencils, and a book or two. The whole room was unusually clean, at least for Tai. On Tai's desktop were a few pictures. Sora glanced at them. one was of Tai and his sister. Another was of all the Digidestined, including Yolei, Davis, and Cody from the day they had all met together for the anniversary of when the original destined defeated Myotismon. Yet another was of Tai, Matt, T.K., Joe, and Izzy on one of their guys' days out.

Sora blushed at the sight of another picture... one she recognized at once. It was of Tai and herself, after the big soccer tournament they played in 6th grade together. The two of them had huge smiles on their faces... they had won the tournament. Tai was hugging Sora around her shoulders and Sora was holding a soccer ball in her hands. her mind drifted back to immediately after the game...

***************************** The score was tied at 13-13. Sora kicked the ball softly along with her as she ran down the field. Her adrenaline rushed through her as she glanced out of her peripheral vision to see Tai in his red uniform on one side of her and someone in a green uniform on her other side. She saw no one in front of her but the goalie and the net. Sora gathered up her slowly draining strength and stamina and ran harder. Tai, who had always been a bit faster than she, ran slightly ahead of her.

"Sora!" he shouted, looking back at her. She didn't even have to ask to know what he wanted to do. Sora again glanced out of her peripheral vision to see if anyone was coming up close on Tai's rear. She saw no one but sensed someone coming up on her. Sora quickly passed the ball to Tai right before someone from the other team overcame her and cut her off. Tai trapped the ball with one foot. This move caught the goalie by surprise. Tai took advantage of the opportunity and kicked the ball hard with the inside of his foot. The ball flew towards the goal... and sailed past the goalie's outstretched hands.

"GOAL!! The winners of the Odaiba District Soccer Tournament are the Strikers!" the announcer shouted over the PA system.

"YEAH!!" Tai and Sora yelled together, jumping up and throwing her fists in the air. Tai ran over to Sora and picked her up around her waist, spinning her around as he turned in circles. Sora laughed and hugged Tai around his neck.

"That was great, Tai! You totally surprised him!" Sora laughed happily.

"District champs!" Tai yelled enthusiastically, still holding Sora. Tai's parents and Sora's mother ran up to the two celebrating children.

"Hey you two, pose for a picture!" Mr. Kamiya shouted to them, holding up his camera along with Ms. Takenouchi. Sora picked up the soccer ball that had been sitting near her and Tai and walked back over to him.

"Good idea Sora," Tai grinned at her. Sora wrapped her arms around the ball, which she held at her waist. Tai put his arms around her shoulders from behind and gently placed his chin on her shoulder. This was totally natural to the both of them... they often showed such affection towards each other, as they had been best friends since they were very little, and during their time in the Digiworld they had only grown closer. Mr. Kamiya and Ms. Takenouchi held up their cameras and prepared to take the picture.

"Say cheese!" Mr. Kamiya yelled from behind the camera.

"Come on Dad, we're a little old for that," Tai quipped, rolling his eyes. "Just take the picture!"

Mr. Kamiya laughed. "Okay son... 1... 2... 3!" Two flashes of light appeared and Tai and Sora's win was captured on film. Tai and Sora turned to each other and began reminiscing on the game, kicking the ball to each other. Mrs. Kamiya sighed from her place next to her husband and her friend from junior high.

"You know," she started, looking fondly at her son and his best friend playing together in the distance, "I wouldn't be at all surprised if they got married one day."*************************************

"Sora," Tai said, snapping his fingers in front of Sora's face. He had scooted his chair right next to the bed so he was within touching distance of her. Sora shook her head to snap out of her thoughts and looked in surprise at Tai.

"What?" she asked, looking quizzically at him.

"Nothing... you were in La-la Land there for a minute... wanted you back here with me," he said playfully. Sora blushed and smiled sheepishly.

"I was just thinking about our soccer tournament where we took that picture."

Tai looked behind him at the picture of him and Sora from that day and smiled. "I remember that..." he said quietly, as if his mind was drifting to three years prior as well. Sora playfully hit his shoulder and he snapped back to attention. He chuckled a bit and got up from his chair to sit next to Sora on his bed. Sora flopped back gently to lie on his bed, but her head bumped the wall before it hit the bed.

"Ow!" she half-cried half-laughed, bringing her hand to the back of her head. Tai looked in both worry and amusement at her.

"Sora, are you okay?" he asked, laughing in spite of himself. Sora was giggling in embarrassment.

"Yeah... you should really move your bed away from the wall!" Tai laughed and lifted Sora's torso into his arms.

"Come here you," he grinned. He gently forced Sora's forehead onto his shoulder and rubbed the back of her head where it had hit the wall. He then lifted her head with his hand and looked into Sora's eyes. "Better?"

"Much." Sora and Tai stared into each other's eyes, suddenly becoming sober. Tai leaned forward and gently met Sora's lips with his own. He slowly moved his arms from around her shoulders to around her waist and held her as closely as he could to him. Sora wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. The fire inside them elevated to the same intensity as it had been earlier in the park and the kiss became open-mouth. Tai slowly lowered Sora to the bed and continued kissing her. The intenseness of the kiss made both Tai and Sora's heads swim. They stopped only to breathe before they continued kissing again.

After a few minutes Tai quickly straightened himself when he heard footsteps coming towards his door. Sora sat up quickly as well and held her breath. The door to Tai's room opened and Kari's head popped in from behind it. "Don't you knock?" Tai growled at her.

"Dad told me to check up on you two since it was getting pretty quiet," she smirked. Sora silently let out the breath she had been holding and Tai glared at his sister.

"We were talked about when we were little," Tai explained. At least it wasn't a total lie.

"Yeah... I believe you," Kari smiled, and she removed her from the doorway and shut the door. Tai and Sora looked at each other and laughed nervously.

"That was close," Sora grinned.

"Yeah," Tai laughed. A silence fell for a moment and Tai soon broke it. "So... do you want to talk about what to do about your mom?" he asked her. Sora smiled sweetly at Tai.

"No..." she whispered, leaning towards him. Tai grinned as he realized what she was doing. "I'd much rather continue our last conversation," she finished seductively, meeting his lips once more.

Ms. Takenouchi walked briskly down the sidewalk, shivering lightly from the cold fall air. She was feeling a bit hesitant... she had thought every minutes about what Tai's father had told her. I'm the reason for this? I did this to her? she continuously asked herself as she walked towards the Kamiya's apartment. Her heart was troubled... What if Sora doesn't talk to me at all? What if I've lost her forever? What if...? He mind reeled with dozens of 'what if's'. She thought over them as she reached the Kamiya's front door. She glanced at her watch before knocking - 9:47 PM. I hope they're still up, she thought as she knocked softly on the front door.

A few moments passed before Mrs. Kamiya opened the door. Jennifer's eyes widened at the sight of her friend of many years at her front door. Usually there was a smile on her face when Kim visited, but considering the events of the past two days, this was probably not a happy visit. "Hey Jen, is Sora here?"

Mrs. Kamiya narrowed her eyes slightly at Kim, to her surprise as well as Kim's. "She's in Tai's room, but I don't know if she's awake... I haven't heard anything out of them for a couple hours." Ms. Takenouchi hesitated again.

"May I check? I need to speak with her about... about what happened."

Jennifer Kamiya stepped aside and opened the door wider for Ms. Takenouchi to step inside. "Thank you," Kim said in an intimidated tone.

Jennifer and Kim had rarely fought as preteens and teenagers in junior high and high school, and the pattern stuck as they entered their adulthood. During their rare fights, Kim, being the emotionally and physically stronger woman of the two, was always the more aggressive one... never the passive. This memory and fact struck Jennifer in a way she couldn't explain... it was a sort of pity/guilt/anger/sense of power. Jennifer was in control of this situation... she had control over whether Kim saw her daughter. Mrs. Kamiya savored this strange power for only a moment... Kim Takenouchi was her friend... her best friend. She quickly shook away the strange feelings and led Kim to Tai's room.

"So go ahead," Mrs. Kamiya said flatly, folding her arms across her chest and motioning to the door. Kim cautiously stepped forward and knocked lightly on the doorframe. There was no answer... no sound of movement, no shuffle of feet on the floor walking to the door.

Kim looked to Jennifer for a moment and cast her a pleading look that said, "Can I look in on her?" Mrs. Kamiya nodded and Kim put her hand on the knob. She twisted it slowly to decrease the noise it made when it spun in her hand. The door lightly clicked open and Kim peeked inside. She gasped lightly at what she saw. "Jennifer..." she breathed, "come and look at this!"

Jennifer uncrossed her arms and looked into Tai's room. Her hardened heart temporarily melted at the sight she saw. There, on his bed, was Tai and Sora, curled up together in a peaceful sleep. They lay facing each other, curled up in a slight fetal position. Their knees and foreheads touched ever so slightly. Tai had one arm draped limply over Sora's shoulder. His hand was softly grasping Sora's. Both Tai and Sora dozed with sleeping smiles on their content faces... the corners of their mouths were turned up just slightly.. you wouldn't have seen it unless you had looked closely.

Jennifer Kamiya unknowingly smiled at the sight of her oldest child and her best friend's only child sleeping together as innocent children. It was so sweet...

"I won't wake them," Kim whispered, beginning to back away from the door. Jennifer looked questioningly at her friend. She had almost forgotten Ms. Takenouchi was even standing there. The sweet sight of Tai and Sora cleared her mind. Their true love blew even her away. She loved her husband dearly, but not even she thought she knew this phenomenal bond Tai and Sora shared. "I'll try and come back tomorrow," Ms. Takenouchi said quietly as she let herself out of the apartment.

Jennifer sat down in her small kitchen and glanced wearily at the digital clock on the microwave. 9:54 PM. Mrs. Kamiya sat, supporting her head with her hands, elbows propped up on the table, and allowed the innocent picture of her son and Sora sleeping together drift into her mind once more. It was the last thing she thought about before she went to bed.

Sora ran through the park, Tai grasping her hand. She was laughing, as was he, but she could only faintly hear Tai or herself. The sound was like a summer's breeze... a whisper through the trees heard for only a brief moment before it ceases to be. Time was slow... it was as if it wanted this moment to continue on as long as Sora and Tai wished it to. They stopped... Tai held Sora gently and held one hand in his while his other hand rested on her shoulder. Red, white, and orange rose petals appeared from nowhere and fell from the sky around them. They danced delicately on the breeze that tossed strands of Sora's hair around her face. Tai leaned in on her, smiling lovingly. Sora smiled back as she prepared herself for a moment of bliss...

A flash of light appeared suddenly and all went dark. Sora looked down around her and Tai and saw dead rose petals at their feet, all a disturbing shade of brown. Tai knelt down to pick one up, but the minute his finger brushed the petal, it disintegrated. Sora tried her luck at picking up a dead petal, but it also disintegrated at the slightest touch. The two looked at each other in unspoken horror...

"You two just cannot be," a low, menacing femal voice growled from the shadows. Tai and Sora looked to the voice and saw Sora's mother standing before them. Tai wrapped his arms fearfully around Sora, and she copied the action. Ms. Takenouchi pulled out a large knife and carelessly wielded it in front of Tai's face. Tai tried to focus in on it, but it was so close to his face that even cross-eyed it remained blurry. With an ungodly cry Kim Takenouchi thrust the knife into Tai's face and wriggled it around. Sora pulled away from him in shock and looked at her love, now unrecognizable as the blood poured down his face, fell the rest of the way to the ground, dead.

"Now it's your turn, bitch," Sora's mother cackled to her. Sora looked on in horror as her mother pointed the knife in her direction and drew the hand holding it back. Sora closed her eyes and the tears relentlessly streamed down her cheeks for her fallen love. She heard the ungodly cry that had signified Tai's death and held her breath as the knife plunged into her chest.

Sora sat up gasping for breath, dripping in a cold sweat. "Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God..." she repeated over and over, beginning to cry incoherently. Tai immediately awakened and looked at Sora in extreme worry.

"Sora, what happened!?" he cried, holding her violently shaking form in his arms.

"My... my mom..."

"What about her?" Tai growled, becoming more and more angry by the moment.

"She... she..." Sora gasped, trying to catch her breath in between shuddering sobs, "gouged your face.... out with a ... butcher knife and then... she... k-kiled me with t-the... same... knife..." Sora couldn't withhold the tears any longer. She broke down and shook even more violently with every hysterical tear. Tai held her to him in a fatherly yet loving fashion... rocking her back and forth, trying to calm her down.

"Shh... it was another dream Sora, just another horrible nightmare..."

Though Tai was putting out a caring and worried exterior, on the inside he felt extreme rage rising within him. Of course he was worried for Sora, and he cared for her more than anything in the world, but there was more to his feelings at the moment... that indescribable anger. Sora's mother again caused her pain... terror... lack of sleep... he couldn't, and wouldn't, stand for it any longer.

"Today Sora," he said, frowning at the thought of seeing Ms. Takenouchi, "today we are talking with your mother. Otherwise your nightmares will never stop." Sora somehow managed to stop crying and looked through blurry eyes into Tai's eyes.

"Okay Tai... just make them stop... they're horrible..." Sora broke down on Tai's shoulder once more. He held her there until she stopped crying... until the first light peeked in through Tai's royal blue curtains.

Mrs. Kamiya peeked in on Tai and Sora at 12:30 PM. They were still sleeping together, in the same semi-fetal position. I wonder why they haven't gotten up yet... they were the first ones to go to bed last night, she thought curiously. A very inappropriate thought began to push its way into her mind, but she quickly shook it away. No... they wouldn't do that, they're too young... and they both know Kyle and I would absolutely kill them. Mrs. Kamiya laughed a bit to herself and softly shut Tai's door leaving her son and Sora to their sleep, and walked back into the kitchen to think.

This time, Tai woke up first. He groggily lifted hishead and looked at his clock. It read 12:53 PM. He groaned from the extra fatigue that plagued him from sleeping in. Then he noticed Sora was still asleep. She had a soft sleeping smile on her face. Tai smiled. God, she's beautiful, he awed silently. Just then, a ray of light hit Sora's closed eyes from Tai's window. She stirred a bit and wrinkled her nose slightly before her eyes fluttered open. They focused on Tai's smiling face and she immediately smiled.

"We slept in," Tai grinned.

"There you go again," Sora playfully yawned, stretching her arms above her head.

"What?" Tai asked, looking innocent.

"Stating the obvious again."

Tai smirked and started to tickle Sora lightly. Sora began to giggle uncontrollably as Tai tickled her. "Okay, okay! Mercy!" Sora cried, laughing hysterically. Sora was still laying down and Tai was sitting up, bent over her.

"Okay," Tai said, grinning his famous lopsided grin at her that she loved so much. He stared into her eyes, lost in the deep cimson that swirled with love for him. Tai gently bent down so that his lips met Sora's in a tender kiss. He didn't lift himself up until he felt his head start to swim. He slightly lifted his head so that his nose touched hers.

"I love you Sora," he whispered.

"I love you, Tai," Sora replied, just as quietly. The two of them got out of bed and walked into the kitchen. Mrs. Kamiya snapped out of her thoughts and smiled brightly at the two teens.

"You two sure slept in," she said, narrowing her eyes. "Anything happen... I should know about?"

Tai and Sora blushed furiously and sweatdropped. "MOM! You know we wouldn't do anything like that," Tai said, completely embarrassed. Sora nodded in agreement, twiddling her fingers nervously.

"I know, I know," Mrs. Kamiya laughed, "I was just teasing you. But seriously... you two were the first two asleep last night, how did you sleep so late?" Sora looked at Tai and the smile left her face. Tai frowned. Mrs. Kamiya looked questioningly at the two teens before her. "What?" she coaxed.

"I..." Sora began, looking at the floor.

"She had another dream last night," Tai finished quietly for her. Mrs. Kamiya looked immediately concerned.

"What was the dream about?" she asked quietly. Tai and Sora sat down across from Tai's mother and Sora told her about the horrific visions of her mother first killing Tai and then killing Sora in the same fashion. Mrs. Kamiya's jaw scraped the floor. She snapped out of it and her expression hardened. "Sora, your mother came by last night after you two had fallen asleep," she said quietly. Sora's eyes widened.

"You're kidding! What did she want?"

"She wanted to talk to you about what Kyle told her."

Tai looked to Sora and smiled. "See? She does love you," he smiled. Sora looked at her hand joined with Tai's and sighed.

"Maybe... but what do I tell her?"

"Just tell her what you feel. Or if you can't, let her start talking and what you have to say will follow." Sora smiled at Tai and kissed him.

"Thanks Tai," she said, hugging him.

"Anytime sweetie," he whispered, hugging her back and stroking her hair tenderly. Mrs. Kamiya's heart melted as it had the previous night. She looked at the happy couple in a slight envy. An envy of their immense and total love for the other, something she didn't think anyone but Tai and Sora knew. Maybe T.K. and Kari came close, but Tai and Sora were by far the closest two people Jennifer Kamiya had ever seen or heard about in her 36 years of living. She knew about the Digiworld and the adventures that Tai and the others had experienced there... she knew they had spent months there, something must have happened that created the unbreakable bond between the two teens and between her daughter and T.K. Maybe it was because Sora and Tai had known each other since birth. Jennifer arose from the table and left the room.

"I'll... leave you two along," she said teasingly, walking into her home office, which was next to her bedroom. Tai looked into Sora's eyes lovingly.

"Do you want to talk to her now?" he asked her.

"Well," Sora began, taking a deep breath, "if I don't now, I never will."

Sora and Tai waved goodbye to Mrs. Kamiya as they walked out the door two hours later. "Good luck dear," she called after Sora. Sora looked back at her and smiled.

"Thanks mom," she said. Tai and Sora walked hand in hand towards the Takenouchi apartment. They walked very slowly because it wasn't a long walk... about 5 minutes. Their apartment buildings were in the same complex. Sora looked at the ground as she walked and didn't say a word to Tai. Tai looked worriedly at her.

"Sora, are you okay about this?" he asked her. Sora looked up in surprise.

"Of course I'm not okay about this, but if my mom came over last night, she must care at least a little bit." Tai wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and laid his chin in the hollow of her shoulder and walked in synch with her.

"I told you," he said, turning his head slightly to kiss Sora's neck. Sora blushed a bit and felt a chill run up her spine from the touch. Tai noticed and chuckled to himself.

"What?" she asked defensively.

"Nothing... the effect that had on you was kinda funny though."

"Shutup Taichi," she shot back playfully. Tai shrugged and kissed her neck again. Sora smiled to herself, but then stopped to think about her mother again. Tai hugged her within his grasp.

"Don't worry Sora," he whispered, reading her thoughts, "you'll be fine. You both will be." Sora stopped walking and turned herself in Tai's embrace. Tai looked surprised for a moment, but Sora simply smiled and tenderly kissed his bottom lip.

"I love you so much, Tai," she said once she had broken away. Tai smiled and kissed her again. They continued walking towards Sora's apartment and when they had reached the door, Sora dug her key out of her pocket. She always carried it with her. Sora reached to put the key in the lock, but hesitated, freezing her hand in midair, mere centimeters away from the lock. She stared at her hand, watching it shake a bit from nerves.

Tai hugged Sora again and whispered in her ear, "Go ahead sweetie, you can do this... I'm here for you, I know you can go through with this." Sora smiled and put the key in the lock and turned it with resolve.

"Mama?" she called out into the apartment as she and Tai walked in. No answer.

"She's not home," Tai commented. Sora laughed. "Oh... did I do it again?" Tai asked sheepishly.

"Yes," Sora said part playfully, part dryly. Tai squeezed her tightly and quickly released the tight hold.

"Watch it, I know where you live."

"Yes Tai, and I sleep with you... who's in more danger here?"

Tai audibly gulped but then smirked. "That could be turned the other way you know... you sleep with me, so you're in danger too."

Sora playfully punched Tai's shoulder and he kissed her in retaliation. Sora punched him again and he kissed her again. Sora once again punched him, but this time Tai grinned. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were doing that just for the kiss."

"You just now caught on?"

Tai laughed and pulled Sora into a tender, passionate kiss. After they broke away, Sora let out a breath. "Wow..." she said breathlessly. Tai grinned that same old lopsided grin. "Well, we'd better go look at the flower shop," Sora said, beginning to walk towards the door.

"Now who's stating the obvious?" Tai teased. Sora glared playfully at him and he ran out of the apartment door. Sora ran after him, quickly locking the door behind her as she went. A couple minutes later Tai stopped running, bending over and putting his hands on his knees to catch his breath. Sora ran up behind him and jumped onto his back, throwing her arms around his neck. Tai laughed heartily and began to run with Sora on his back. Sora laughed uncontrollably and then finally stopped.

"Okay, okay, all playing aside... I have to think of what to say to my mom," Sora said, her laughter dying down.

"Okay Sora, I won't do it again," Tai laughed.

Before they knew it they were at the flower shop. Sora looked in the window and saw her mother. Ms. Takenouchi had her back turned to Tai and Sora and was working diligently on a display of flowers. Kim Takenouchi seemed like she had been working on it for awhile. It was a beautiful display... the most beautiful in the shop. Sora squinted to see what the display was. She recognized it as the bouquet Tai had bought for her. "Oh..." Sora breathed. Tai looked at her questioningly.

"What?"

"That's my display... mama's making it better..."

Tai squinted to see the display as well. He blushed when he realized that it was the same type of bouquet that he had bought Sora two weeks ago. "Those look like the flowers I bought you."

"They ARE the flowers you bought me, Tai."

Tai smiled and put an arm around Sora's waist, hugging her from the side. Sora saw her mother begin to turn and she panicked, leaping to the side of the window so that Ms. Takenouchi couldn't see her. Tai looked strangely at her and looked in the window to see Ms. Takenouchi head to the back of the store.

"Sora, she's gone," Tai said quietly. Sora let out a sigh of relief and walked to Tai again. "What's the matter?" he asked her, wrapping his arms around her.

"I'm a little nervous..." she admitted. Tai transferred one of his hands from Sora's waist to her chin, lifting it so she looked into his eyes.

"Sora, you can do this. I know you can."

Sora smiled, her eyes shining, and hugged Tai tightly. Tai hugged her back, closing his eyes to enjoy his true love's embrace.

Ms. Takenouchi came back to the front of the shop. She looked out of the front window nonchalantly only to see Tai and Sora holding each other outside of it. Kim froze and brought a hand to her mouth. She came... she thought happily. Kim could see that Sora looked a little apprehensive, and she wondered what she could do to make her come in. Please Sora, come home... she thought pleadingly. Then it clicked. "That's it!" she said to herself, and she again went to the back of the store and came back out with a cd player and a familiar cd.

Sora looked up in love at Tai, smiling brightly. She felt a tear run down her cheek, and Tai kissed it away. "Now come on Sora, let's talk to your mom." Before they could move, they heard beautiful music floating out from inside the shop. A beautiful voice began to sing, and Sora recognized it as her own. She brought a hand to her mouth as her jaw dropped in surprise. Tai recognized the song... it was one that he and Sora had sang the previous year in a musical for church choir. Ms. Takenouchi turned her back to the window so Sora wouldn't think she had seen her.

"Fallen daughter, wayward son,
Broken spirit, wounded one,
Full of promise at the start,
Listen to your empty heart

Come home again, come home again,
The light is always shining in the darkness and the rain
Come home again, He'll take you in,
The door is always open, come home again

Bitter journey, rugged road,
Lost and lonely, tired and cold,
Turn your collar to the wind,
Turn around, come home again

Come home again, come home again,
The light is always shining in the darkness and the rain
Come home again, He'll take you in,
The door is always open, come home again..."

Sora looked into the shop window as the song continued on. She had tears running down her cheeks relentlessly. Tai looked in as well, just as Ms. Takenouchi turned and looked right at Sora with tears in her eyes as well. Sora broke away from Tai and ran into the flower shop, straight to her mother, and hugged her. "Mom!" she sobbed. Kim Takenouchi wrapped her arms tightly around her daughter and cried pitifully.

"Oh God Sora, I'm so sorry! Can you ever forgive me? I've been such a terrible mother!" she sobbed. Sora nodded into her mother's shoulder. Tai smiled and walked into the shop behind Sora and stood at a distance from the mother and daughter, feeling tears of joy filling his eyes.

"Come home again, come home again,
The light is always shining in the darkness and the rain,
Come home again, He'll take you in,
The door is always open, come home..... again."

Ms. Takenouchi pulled away from her daughter and looked at her through teary eyes. "Sora, I'm so sorry I ever hurt you like that..." she paused when her voice broke and cleared her throat to continue, "I just want you to know that... I'm so, so proud of you Sora, my precious child... I've always loved you, even though I haven't always shown it... I thank the Lord for you every single day Sora, please come home again!" Sora began to cry even harder than she had when she first came in, and hugged her mother again.

"Well, it's been great living with Tai and his family," she laughed through her tears, casting a glance at Tai and then looked back to her mother, "but it's a lot better living with my own family." Ms. Takenouchi embraced her daughter again. She looked up to Tai and motioned for him to go to them. Tai walked over to Sora and her mother.

"Tai, I'd like to apologize to you as well," Ms. Takenouchi began. "I know I haven't always been the kindest person to you, especially during this ordeal, but I have always been proud of you, and I've always considered you the son I never had. I wait anxiously for the day that I can really call you son, and I know that day will be just as happy for me as it is for the both of you." Tai smiled and Kim reached out to him with the arm that wasn't around her daughter. Tai joined her and Sora in their hug and the three cried happily together.

"My children... my precious children..." Ms. Takenouchi cried with joy as she hugged Tai and Sora. The sun began to sink below the horizon outside and its reddish-orange light filtered in through the windows, shining on the three people embraced inside next to the beautiful flowers. Sora smiled to herself, felling a great joy inside her heart.

Finally... she thought, It's over... everything is as it should be. I've got my mom back.

A/N: Was the ending okay??? It's kinda rushed, but I didn't really expect to do a third part, not to mention the second part. But I guess if I hadn't it would've been REEEEEEEEALLY long. Hope everybody liked this, and I hope it was a little of help to those of you (including me) that don't really get along with their parents. Keep in mind that they really do love you, even though they might not show it. You were a creation born of the love of two persons, and that love was transferred into you. Your parents do love you, and care for you more than anything. Tell them how much you appreciate them, it'll brighten their lives. Love to all! Review, please? Even if it's really short? ^_^

Kari :)