Part
8: Untitled
Sora stood over
the phone, not completely listening to what she or her mother
said.
"I...I..."
"Sora, will
you come soon?" Ms. Takenouchi pleaded. Sora nodded.
"Yeah, I
will mama. I just..."
"If you
need time Sora, please take it. I don't want to upset you any
more."
"Thanks,"
Sora said. Another tear made it's way to her chin. "Bye,
mama."
"Bye, my
love," Ms. Takenouchi finished up. The two of theme both
hung up their respective phones. Sora turned around, and walked
over to the couch Matt sat on. She kept her head tilted to the
ground, and plopped down beside Matt.
For Sora, it was
almost as if that conversation hadn't happened, like she couldn't
believe it. Was she really going back? Sora could only imagine
what it might be like seeing her mother for the first time in a
month....
The two boys in
the room watched Sora with interest. She hadn't said a word for a
few minutes, and it was beginning to scare them. They shared a
look, then Matt turned back to his girlfriend.
"Hey,
Sora?" he asked. Sora whipped her head up to look at Matt.
"Hm?"
"Mind if I
ask what happened on the phone? That was a little odd. For you
anyway." Sora's eyes became soft, and she felt like she
would cry again. Sora held herself back for Matt's sake, and
spoke slowly.
"I'm going
home." Matt's face took on a look of surprise at Sora's
statement.
"Really?"
Matt wondered. Sora nodded in response. "That's great,
Sora!" Matt brought Sora into his arms and hugged her.
"I'm happy for you." Sora enjoyed Matt's hugs, but
still felt a bit of uneasiness. This time, she was worried about
what Matt really thought. After all, she had been there for a
month. Would he miss her? Would she miss him? Sora's thought was
comfirmed after Matt pulled her face to his and gave her a deep
kiss. Sora loved it...she didn't want it to end. Although, there
was someone else who didn't agree...
"A-HEM!"
A voice 'accidentally' coughed. Matt and Sora quickly pulled
apart. Sora blushed, and Matt looked to the other side.
"That's not the sort of thing one might usually do in front
of one's brother," TK pointed out.
"Oh, right,
uh...sorry about that," Matt said, embarassed.
"Why don't
you two go 'talk' in your bedroom?" the younger boy
suggested, smirking. Matt nodded, and stood up. He motioned for
Sora to follow, so she did. They went into their bedroom, and
shut the door behind them.
"Sora, I
really do just want to talk," Matt said seriously, sitting
down on the bed. Sora faked wiping her brow.
"Wow,
that's a relief. 'Cause we all know how much we both hate making
out!" Sora smiled at Matt, who gave a small smile back. Sora
became concerned, and sat down beside Matt on the soft blankets.
"What's the matter, Matt?"
"What did
your mom say on the phone?"
"Well, she
just...asked me to come home."
"And you
just agreed? Don't you think that..."
"Matt, I
know what I'm doing, okay? Don't tell me how to act with my
mother!" Sora snapped. Matt looked hurt. "Matt, I'm
sorry. I just...well, I don't know."
"I think
you're just a bit confused."
"Yeah, I
think I am, too," Sora said, looking towards her hands,
which rested on her lap.
"This is
all a lot for you to go through."
"Yeah."
"And you
really should be with your mom. Not some deranged family across
the street."
"Yeah."
"That last
part was a joke," Matt said, eying her.
"Yeah,"
Sora continued.
"Sora, will
you please talk to me?" Matt shouted out, to get Sora's
attention. Sora came out of her daze, and looked at Matt. She
frowned.
"I'm sorry,
Matt. Oh course I'll talk to you. I was just...thinking about
stuff."
"That's
understandable. So...when are you going back?" Matt
ventured.
"Oh. Well,
Mama said she wanted me home soon," Sora started. Matt
frowned again. "But...," she continued. "I...want
to stay here another night. Is that alright with you?"
Matt's face brightened up.
"Yes! Of
course! Sora, this is your home, you can stay as long as you
like. 'Cept I think we'll have to kick TK out in a few
months," Matt joked. "The baby's gotta sleep
somewhere!"
"Very
funny, mister. You should be nicer to him, ya know. Brothers like
TK don't come around very often."
"No. No
they don't. Thanks for your help, mom!" Matt joked once
again. This time, he got a laugh out of Sora. "Wow, that's a
relief. I like it when you laugh, Sora. Makes me happy."
Sora smiled, and gave Matt a big hug.
"Hm...what
would I ever do without you?"
"Well, I
suspect you'd be living a normal teenage life," Matt
laughed. Sora nodded and chuckled. "So, are we done talking
now?"
"Depends on
if you are."
"I am. Can
we make out now?" Matt wondered, actually being very
sincere. Sora raised an eyebrow at him.
"Calm your
hormones there, Yamato. Later on. Right now, I have to go call
mama," Sora finished, standing up.
"Okay,"
Matt said dejectedly. He stood up with her. Sora walked out of
the room, and went to the phone. She picked it up, dialled her
mother's number, and waited. Matt stood right beside her.
"Hello,
mom? Yeah, it's me. Yeah, I know. No, no, mom. I'm still coming.
Well, a little later. Tomorrow. Because I want to stay here
another night? Well, even it wasn't acceptable I'd still be doing
it. Everything's great here. Listen, I've got to run. I'll see
you tomorrow, alright? Mm-hm. Oyasumi, okaa!" With that,
Sora hung up the phone. She turned back to Matt.
"Okay, I'm
here tonight."
"Figured as
much," Matt said. Sora smiled. "So, do you want to have
like...a 'going home' party or something?" he joked with
her. She raised her eyebrow athim for what seemed like the 20th
time.
"Just a
movie will be fine, thank you," she said.
"Movie it
is. What do you want?"
"Something...scary."
"Yeah,
those are the best. That way, when you get scared, I'll be right
beside you, and you can cuddle upclose to me!" Matt said,
half-sarcastic. Sora sighed and dropped her head.
"You boys.
Always trying to score at the movies," she said, in mock
disgust, shaking her head from side to side.
"What can I
say? I'm just me."
"And glad
for it," Sora finished. She walked back over to the couch
and sat down, Matt in close tow.
"Hey,
Sora?" Sora looked up at the other boy calling her name.
"Yeah,
TK?"
"I'm really
happy that you're finally going home," TK said. He waited
for an answer from the girl, but it never came, she just gave him
a confused look. Then, he sweatdropped, realizing what he'd said.
"Oh, wait!
That came out all wrong. I didn't mean to say that I don't like
having you here. I really like having you here, it's just
that...well, you're going home, and I'm happy for that, 'cause
you'll get to see your mom again. But don't think that I'm happy
happy that you're going home. It'll be weird with you not here, I
completely didn't mean to sorta tell you to get out of the
apartment, and I really should stop before I ramble you to
death." By that point, both older kids were watching him
with keen interest. Sora and Matt exchanged glances.
"It's okay,
TK, I know what you meant," she said, laughing.
"Really?
You mean, I rambled for nothing?" Matt confirmed TK with a
nod. "Darn. I really should work on that."
*
* *
"How come
there's never any of the movies you want to see playing at the
theatre?"
Sora and Matt
stood outside the box office, contemplating their movie options.
Sora stood with her arms folded across her chest, frowning.
"Oh, come
on, Sora. It's not that bad. Why don't we go see the Tiger-Dragon
movie?" Matt suggested.
"You mean
'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon?'" Sora corrected.
"Yeah, the
Tiger-Dragon movie!" Matt said again. Sora sighed at his
more-than-obviously purposely-made error.
"Well,
would you like to see it?" Sora asked. Matt shrugged.
"I want to see it."
"Then I
want to see it, too! But only if you let me pay for
everything."
"Oh, man.
Again? Why do you have to keep paying for me?" Sora asked
jokingly.
"Oh, I
don't know. It's just something we gentlemen like to do for their
girlfriends." Sora nodded in agreement. Matt took out his
wallet, and went up to pay the cashier at the box office. Once
they had the tickets, they went up to the food counter. Matt
turned to Sora.
"You want
anything?" he asked.
"Just
water," she replied.
"You
sure?"
"Yes."
"Okay,"
Matt said, turning back to the girl behind the counter. "One
bottle of water, and one Pepsi, please." The girl nodded,
and got their stuff. Matt payed the appropriate amount, and he
and Sora headed off for the movie. He looked at Sora.
"Are you
sure you you don't want anything? You're not hungry?"
"Yeah, I'm
a little hungry," Sora said.
"Why didn't
you get anything to eat?"
"Because
I'd rather not feed her junk food. I can grab something after the
movie."
"Oh, okay.
Wait, it's a her? How do you know?"
"I can
just...tell."
"It's only
been a month!"
"Yeah,
so?" Sora said. Matt eyed her, and she gave up. "Okay,
fine. I can't tell. But I really want it to be a girl."
"Okay,
that's valid."
"What do
you want it to be?"
"You know,
I don't really know. Or maybe it's just that it doesn't really
matter. Yeah, I think it just doesn't really matter," Matt
decided.
"'Kay,
cool. Well, shall we go in?" Sora suggested. Matt grabbed
the door, and pulled it open.
"After you,
my dear." Matt allowed Sora into the theatre first, then
closed the door behind him as he went through.
*
* *
"Wow, this
is a lot of reading," Matt whispered.
"Well,
unless you know Chinese, we don't have any other choice,"
Sora whispered back.
"No, I
don't. But I don't think I'll be able to make out with this
whole...weird language thing."
"Well,
that's fine. 'Cause I wasn't planning on it. Now, shh! I'm trying
to read."
*
* *
"This is a
long movie. Hey, why are they flying?"
"I don't
know, Sora, but it's getting a bit boring."
"You wanna
make out now?"
"I thought
you'd never ask."
*
* *
"Wow, that
was such a good movie, I loved it!"
"Didn't I
hear somewhere that some Academy thingy in America was nominating
Tiger-Dragon for one of the best movies of the year or
something?"
"Yeah, I
think so. Maybe we should ask Mimi about it," Sora
suggested. Both her and Matt got up from their seats, and walked
towards the exit. "The ending was really sad. I didn't think
Li Mu Bai was actually gonna die. And it was sweet when Shu Lien
confessed her love..."
"Yeah, but
it was kind of bad that she waited until the last minute."
"Hey, it's
the movies; What do you expect?"
"I don't
know. Hey, you're still hungry, right?" Sora nodded in
response. "Why don't I stop and get you something? What do
you feel like eating?"
"Something
quick. I'm tired."
"Yeah, that
usually happens at 11:30 at night," Matt pointed out. Sora
nodded again, and yawned. Sora and Matt walked home, Sora almost
asleep the whole way there. When they got to the apartment, Sora
got ready for bed. Matt decided to go, too, regardless of whether
he was tired or not.
In bed, Sora
snuggled up close to her boyfriend. Matt put his arm around her,
and kissed her forehead.
"You know
what, Sora?"
"Hm?"
Sora said, groggily.
"I'm going
to miss you when you leave. I liked having you here with
me," Matt told her. He looked down at Sora to see her
smiling, her eyes still closed.
"I'm going
to miss you, too, Matt," Sora said, then brought head up and
put her lips to his for a deep kiss. She pulled away a second
later, then got herself comfortable again. "Well, goodnight,
Matt."
"Konban wa,
Sora-chan. Aishiteru."
"I love you
too, Matt. Goodnight."
*
* *
"Yikes!
I slept in!"
"Mmm...Sora,
it's only 10 o'clock," Matt said groggily.
"Yes
I know, but that's sleeping really late for me!"
"Okay,
fine."
"Well,
I'm just excited."
"Can't
you be excited a little quiet?" Matt said, causing Sora to
pout. "Okay, okay. I'm up. What do you want to do
first?" Matt sat up in bed.
"Um...pack?
You don't have to help with that, I'll do it by myself. You can
go start breakfast!"
"Ugh.
Why do I feel like we're a married couple already?" Matt
joked. Sora gave him a 'look.' "Just kidding, Sora. I'll go
get breakfast ready, you pack."
"Okay,
sounds like a plan." Sora and Matt both got up, Sora got
dressed, and Matt headed for the kitchen to make some eggs. Sora
began to pack up some her things (however much it was), then
brought her bag to the door.
"Everything's
ready. Would you like some milk?" Sora nodded 'yes,' and
Matt filled a glass with the white liquid. After breakfast, Sora
helped Matt to clean up, and then Matt aided the girl in carrying
her bag across the street.
When
they got to Sora's apartment, the two of them stopped right in
front of the door. Matt put the bags down, and turned to Sora.
"'Bye,
Sora. Sorry we weren't the most hospitable family. And...sorry
for the lack of room," Matt said sadly. Sora pouted, and
looked at him. She took his hand in hers.
"Aww...it's
okay, Matt. I enjoyed every second of it, and it was amazing of
you to even offer to have me here in the first place. You were
all very hospitable, actually." Matt continued to frown.
"Come on, Matt...don't be that sad! It's not as if I'm
moving out of the country...we'll still see each other!"
"I know,
it's just that..."
"I
understand. After a month one can really get attached to someone.
It'll be fine, Matt, I promise." Matt started to brighten
up.
"Well, I
should probably let you see your mom, now."
"Yeah, I
guess so. I'll call you later, Matt!"
"Bye,
sweetie!" Matt said, then turned from the door. Sora watched
him intently as he walked down the hall, the again as he walked
across the street. She smiled, then turned to her apartment door.
Well, here
it goes...
She stuck the
key in the doorhandle, turned it, and pushed the door open
slowly. She entered the apartment, closed the door behind her,
and slowly made her way into the kitchen.
"Hello...?"
she called into the seemingly empty home. Her ears perked up when
she heard the slam of a door down the hallway, and her heart
began to beat faster. She was a bit nervous to finally see her
mother. What would she actually say?
Oh, how bad
can it be? She was the one who invited me back home, after all.
"Sora?"
Sora flug her
head up to look at the voice. Ahead of her, at the entrance to
the hallway, stood Ms. Takenouchi. Sora froze, and her eyes went
wide. She paused for a beat, then made no attempts to stop
herself from running to her mother, and she called out to her in
joy. Ms. Takenouchi almost did the same, but instead caught her
daughter in her arms, and spun her around.
"Oh, Sora!
You're back! I'm so glad to see you!" Ms. Takenouchi held
the girl tightly, as if she hadn't seen her in years. Sora had
tears in her eyes, as did her mom. She had never realized exactly
how much she loved her mother, until now.
"Mama, I
missed you so much! I...," Sora stuttered, through tears.
"I...I don't think I've ever been this happy to see anybody
in my entire life!"
"Me
neither," Ms. Takenouchi replied, and the two shared a small
laugh of gratitude. The older woman pulled Sora back, gave her a
kiss on the cheek, then pulled her back for a hug. Then, she
began to think.
"Sora, I
thought I had really lost you forever, this time. Forget the
Digital World, that has nothing on how sad I was that you were
gone," she confessed. This just brought another onslaught of
tears for Sora.
"Mama,
I...I really missed you. So much. I woke up one night crying and
I...I thought I'd never see you again, too," Sora said. Her
mother pulled her away, and looked into her eyes.
"Sora, I
can't believe how much of a jerk I was. I should have just
accepted your choice. I can't even begin to apologize for what I
did wrong. I feel like I've failed you as a mom, now. I'll
understand if you never forgive me, but please know that I have
never been so sorry, and so upset over my actions ever. I am
terribly sorry, sweetheart." Sora's eyes became more clouded
at her mother's speech. Ms. Takenouchi brought a hand up to wipe
away her daughter's tears.
"Oh,
mama...we were both idiots, then. I acted wrongly, too. I
shouldn't have been so rude, and I...I'm so sorry, too."
"But Sora,
you don't need to be as sorry as I am. You were just defending
someone you love, who I was wrongfully accusing and getting mad
at. I know Matt was just trying to help, and I know I have to
apologize to him, too. You may have yelled, but in the end, I
deserved every word of it. What kind of a mother abandons her
daughter in a time of need? That's why I feel like I've failed as
your mother." Sora shook her head 'no.'
"Never,
mama. You're the greatest. And I'm glad that you let me come
back."
"I just
needed to come to my senses. Not having you around made me
realize how stupid I was." Sora laughed a bit.
"And being
away made me realize how much I rely on you. Scary, because I'm
16. I shouldn't have to rely on you so much, but I do."
"Well,
Sora...you are old enough to make your own decisions, and you
don't rely on me as much as you do, but I like that you still
need me at least a bit. I mean, there's no one else, right? When
you're gone, I have no one to be with. Not since your father
left, anyway."
"Mama...don't
talk about him, please? We don't need to. I love you, and I need
you as my mother, and that's all that matters."
"I guess
so, sweetheart," Ms. Takenouchi finished, then was pulled
into another hug by Sora.
"Phew, I
think I'm all hugged-out now. I need to take a rest," Sora
said, wiping her brow. Ms. Takenouchi smiled and laughed at her.
*
* *
Later on, after
Sora had finished moving her things back into her room, her
mother fixed her Sora herself a lunch of pasta salad. They sat
down on the couch, and started to have a conversation, almost as
if the last month had never happened.
"So, how
has school been? Anything exciting?"
"Mama, it's
school. How exciting does school get?"
"Hey, it
was just a question!" Ms. Takenouchi said innocently.
"Well, it's
been okay. It was a bit hard to concentrate, though. There just
just so much bothering me. Well, there still is, but at least
there's one thing less to worry about."
"What's
that?"
"You,
mama," Sora told her mother. The other woman smiled
gratefully. "Anyway, how was the shop? Did you get lots of
customers?"
"Well, not
too many. Fall isn't usually a busy time for flowers.
Generally."
"No, I
guess it's not. Hey, this is great salad, mama, I love it!"
"I'm glad.
So, how has everything else BESIDES school been doing? Have you
been feeling okay?"
"Well, I
guess I've been okay. I mean, I obviously feel different, but...
And anyway, Matt, and everyone at the Ishida place...they were
all super-nice."
"That's
great, Sora. There's just one more important thing to
consider."
"What's
that, mama?" Sora wondered.
"School.
After all, you've only got a few months left until it starts to
show that you're..." Ms. Takenouchi trailed off.
"Yeah, I
have a hard time saying it to. It's so...weird. Even just to
think about it. Anyway, I see your point. And I really don't want
to go to school with this huge belly, and have everyone asking
all these questions. What can I do? I don't want to drop out of
school, or anything. I'm not going to let this ruin my life
*that* much," Sora said.
"Well, how
about...I look into some home schooling for you?"
"You can do
that?"
"Yeah, of
course. I'll do anything for you, Sora."
"Thanks,
mama." Sora put her bowl down, leaned forward, and gave her
mom a hug, which she acknowledged. She pulled away a few seconds
later, and looked at Sora.
"By the
way, have you decided on a name yet?"
"Yes,"
Sora replied, smiling. "Kitsune."
"Aw...Kitsune
is a sweet name. I guess you assume it'll be a mischevous little
one." Sora laughed. "Are you sure it's a girl,
though?"
"Yeah,
pretty sure. I dunno, I can just...tell. It's weird."
"Mother's
intuition. Mine must be off, though, because I thought you were
going to be a boy."
"Oh,
really. Interesting."
"Yeah. So,
what about Matt? What does he think?"
"Well, we
haven't exactly discussed it in an extremity. I mean, I don't
want to worry him too much, I just want to let him lead a normal,
teenaged life. After all, I was taking up most of his time."
"But Sora,
he *did* offer to do it. He could have left it up to someone else
to take care of you, but he didn't. He cares about you a
lot."
"Yeah, I
guess so, mama. Thanks."
"Oh, but
what if it is a boy?"
"What do
you think of...well, I'm torn between Kazuo and Kigan."
"Those are
both very nice names. But personally, I hope it's a girl, because
I like Kitsune better."
"Me
too," Sora said, laughing.
Okay, sections
of this part really stunk. Gomen ne! I tried my best.
Stayed tuned for
the next part, up now! It'll be better, I promise.
Ja ne,
lime_lizard
