Part
9: One Day at a Time
"Ow. Ow ow
ow ow..."
"What's the
matter, Sora?"
"My back
hurts!"
"I comes
with the territory."
"Well, it's
bad territory! Bad! Anyway, why does she have to weight so
much?"
"I'm not
sure, but it really makes you wonder what you got yourself
into."
Sora and her mom
stood outside on their porch on a sunny Saturday morning in late
April, enjoying the brisk air blowing around them. Sora pushed
away strands of her golden hair from her eyes, and placed them
behind her ears. Then, she took a seat in the white garden chair
behind her, sighing. Her mother watched her, then followed suit.
Sora brought one hand to her mouth, and a large yawm followed.
"Tired,
sweetie?" Sora turned her head to look at her mom, and she
sighed again.
"I've been
having trouble sleeping. I mean, part of me is excited, part of
me is scared, and the other part of me is wishing this had never
happened."
"Hm. That's
too bad, honey. I wish I could do something to help you. I feel
really awful that you're going through this at your age."
"Meh, what
can you do? It's not your fault, mama, don't feel bad. It's my
fault, completely and 100%." Ms. Takenouchi continued to
frown, despite Sora's words. Sora learned her head on her mom's
shoulder, moved her eyes upwards, and gave a puppy dog pout. The
older woman rolled her eyes after looking at Sora, and couldn't
help laughing, which made Sora laugh, too.
"See, that
wasn't too hard, now was it, mama," Sora said, then put her
hand on her stomach. She looked down, and thought for a minute.
"Wow, I can't believe it. Only one more month left. That's
crazy!"
"I know. I
can't believe it, either. I mean, pretty soon, you're going to
find a man, move out, have a life of your own...oh, how will I
deal?"
"I hope
that was sarcastic. Mama, I'm 16. I'm not leaving for a while.
You can't get rid of me that easily! I'll stay here and bug you
forever!" Sora said, smirking. "And, you know I already
have a man, mama."
"Right,
right. Just promise me you're not going to marry him tomorrow or
anything."
"Nah, I'd
give you at least a few months' warning," Sora said, joking.
Ms. Takenouchi gave her a look. "Alright, alright. I won't
get married until I'm 25, I promise."
"That's
good." Sora and her mom shared a laugh, but then Sora began
to think seriously. Her face took off a smile, which made Ms.
Takenouchi wonder if she was upset about anything else.
"Sora, what's wrong?" Sora was a bit hesitant in her
answer, but gave one none the less.
"Well,
I..."
"Sora, you
know you can tell me."
"Well,
I...I was wondering what's going to happen after she's born. I
mean, not just that, but...what about school and stuff? I can't
*not* go to University. She'll be almost...well, almost three. I
can't take a three year old to class with me. I was thinking
that..." Sora stoped short.
"What were
you thinking of?"
"Maybe I
should...put her up for adoption. I mean, I am a bit young for
this after all, and I...I'm just worried about my future and
everything else."
"Sora, no!
You can't do that! You'll get through everything fine, I
promise."
"But,
I..."
"Sora, you
can't just give up like that. It's hard to give away a baby. I've
had friends who have done that before, and...they felt horrible
later on."
"Well, I...
What's going to happen, then?"
"Sora,
dear. That's what mother's are for! To help their daughters
out!" Ms. Takenouchi offered. Sora smiled warmly at her
mother, and leaned over to give her a hug.
"Thanks,
mama. I can always count on you. Hey, mom?"
"Yes,
Sora?"
"How are my
feet?"
Ms. Takenouchi
laughed at her daughter.
*
* *
"Mama,
are all these dishes here dirty?"
"Yeah,
you can do all of those. Thanks, Sora."
Sora
stood in the kitchen, grabbed a white plate which was covered in
food, and stuck it in the warm, soapy water that resided in the
sink in front of her. She took a scrub brush in the other hand,
and began to wash the dish until it was perfect, shiny and white
again. After a few more dishes, she pulled her hands out of the
water and inspected them. She rubbed them together, and cringed.
"Ew...dirty
foodwater grease. Yuck," she said, then shrugged lightly,
and went back to the dish work. Ms. Takenouchi sat on a chair in
the living room, reading a new book she had purchased recently.
Then, there was a knock at the apartment door, and both Sora and
her mother turned their heads to look.
"I'll
get it, Sora," Ms. Takenouchi offered. The woman stood up,
and walked toward the door. Sora nodded her head and smiled as
her mom walked by, then she continued to wash the rest of the
bowls and cutlery. Ms. Takenouchi opened the small apartment
door, to reveal an unexpected guest. A tall man, in his early
forties, stood in front of her.
"What
are you doing here?" Ms. Takenouchi asked.
"Is
that any way to greet a guest?"
"You're
not a guest. And you should know you're not welcome to barge in
whenever you want," the older woman said coldly. The tall
man let himself into the apartment, without being asked, ignoring
what she had last said. Sora had stopped her task by then, and
slowly looked over the counter.
"Dad...,"
she whispered to herself.
"I
just wanted to see how my daughter is. Is that a problem?"
he asked indignantly.
"No,
I suppose it's not. But you could have just called," Ms.
Takenouchi said, her voice still distant. Sora had rarely heard
her mother speak that way, and it really surprised her.
"So,
where is she?"
"I'm
over here, in the kitchen," Sora spoke up. Her dad walked
around to see her, but Sora didn't turn around.
"Sora,
aren't you even going to look at me? I know we're not on the
greatest terms, but I'd like to see you," the man asked.
Sora looked down, and thought. SHe heard her mom said quietly,
"He
has the right to know, Sora. You can't keep something like this
from him forever."
"I
was sort of hoping I could get away with it, but...I guess
not," Sora said. THen slowly turned around. When she did,
her father's eyes almost bulged.
"Excuse
me, but WHAT is that about?" he asked, pointing to her
stomach.
"Exactly
what it looks like," Sora explained calmly.
"Hm.
I see. So, what, you had a few emotional problems when you were
little, then you go and get yourself knocked up?" Sora could
tell her dad was mad, but she wasn't expecting the next part.
"You little slut!"
"What?"
Ms. Takenouchi yelled. "Hiroko, that is uncalled for, and
not fair to say! How can you be so rude and inconsiderate?"
"Oh,
so now I'm to blame? I'm not the one who raised that little
idiot!"
Sora
broke down. Tears came down her cheeks, and she ran quickly to
her room. To be called a slut and an idiot by someone who was
supposed to care for her and be a role model? Sora couldn't
understand it. She flung herself onto her bed, and cried.
Outside, she heard her parents continue to fight.
"How
DARE you! I have raised Sora the way she was supposed to be. She
is the sweetest girl I have ever met. She's pretty, smart, kind,
and generally everything you're not. I have done what I was
supposed to! And how can you criticise me? You're the one who ran
off to Kyoto with Miss I'm-Too-Young-For-My-Own-Good. I've been a
role model. And look who's lacking in that department, huh?"
"You're
really egotistical, you know that? You're really out to make
yourself look better than you really are," Hiroko said,
smirking. Angered, Ms. Takenouchi brought her hand back, and
slapped it quickly across the man's face.
"You
are disgusting. You come here and say you want to see your
daughter, and then all you do is criticise her, and me. Get out
of my home, and I don't ever want to see you anymore. Come over
again, and I'll call the cops. Got it?" Hiroko nodded, and
didn't say another word as he walked through the door, with a
scowl on his face.
"Oh,
and one more thing, Hiroko. You no longer have a daughter, so
just forget about her," Ms. Takenouchi said more coldly than
before, and she slammed the door in the man's face. She sighed
deeply, then brought her head up to look at Sora's door. Slowly,
the doorknov turned, and Sora emerged, her face red and puffy.
"Mama...,"
she called out.
"Sora!
Come here," Ms. Takenouchi said, holding out her arms to her
daughter. Sora ran to her, and was pulled into a hug. "I am
so sorry, Sora. I don't know what else I can do or say. I'm sorry
for that. You didn't need to hear that, and he was wrong about
everything. You aren't an idiot. You are beautiful, smart, and
kind, and I am so lucky to have you as a daughter," Ms.
Takenouchi said, crying for her daughter.
"Mama,
I love you. I'm so glad I have you."
"Me
too, Sora. I wouldn't want anyone else for a daughter but
you."
*
* *
A
few weeks passed since the incident at her house, and Sora seemed
to be okay. It may not have actually seemed like a lot to go
through, but combined with everything else, Sora had a tough time
coping with her father's words. She hated when her parents had
fought like that, and it was just another déja-vu she didn't
need.
One
night, Matt called her over to his apartment, saying that he had
made them dinner, since his dad would be home late that night.
Sora agreed, and she went over to his aparment across the street.
But
at Matt's apartment, things weren't exactly planning to go the
same way Matt had said.
"Okay,
now everyone get down! She's going to come any minute. You have
to be ready, because she is able to let herself in, no one has to
answer the door." The 8 DigiDestined nodded their heads at
Matt, and ducked out of sight from the door.
"Hey
wait, I didn't have to bring Sora a present, did I? Because I
don't have anything,"
"No,
Davis, shh! Now, quiet! She'll be here soon!" Yolei
whispered to the boy.
A
noise was heard at the end of a the hallway a minute later, then
Sora let herself into Matt's apartment.
"Ouch,"
she said, stubbing her toe on the wall as she took off her shoes.
"Woah, why is it so dark in here? Matt?" Sora called
out. She walked down the hallway to where the lightswitch was.
She moved a hand up to turn on the light. As soon as the room was
illuminated, Sora wasn't expecting what she found.
"SURPRISE!"
Sora looked over to the living room as she heard the noise. Then,
all of her [digidestined] friends jumped out from behind
furniture, causing Sora to jump. She put one hand to her chest,
and sighed.
"Man,
you guys scared me! I was only expecting Matt!" To puntuate
Sora's words, Matt walked up to her and gave her a big hug. He
pulled away, and saw that Sora looked confused. "Hey,
so...what's up with this?"
"It's
a party for you!"
"I
figured as much, but why?"
"Hm...I
don't really know what to call it...um, how about
'Congratulations on Having a Baby?'" Matt suggested.
"You
mean a baby shower?"
"Yes,
thank you Davis!" Matt called out, sarcastically. Sora
laughed.
"Okay,
that sounds...um, interesting, actually. Wow, this is weird. So,
um...yeah," Sora seemed to stumble with her words. Matt took
her hand.
"Come
on and sit down, hon." Sora nodded, and followed Matt to the
couch. Everyone else moved away, so that Sora could sit down.
Mimi and Matt sat on either sides of Sora, the rest on the floor
or in chairs.
"So,
is this like...formal baby shower kinda thing? Like, are there
gifts? 'Cause that would be weird," Sora said. Matt nodded
and laughed.
"Well,
I don't know about everyone else, but I have something for you.
But I can't give it to you now."
"Aw!
That's so cute!" cried out Yolei. Everyone else laughed at
the girl, including herself.
*
* *
The
group spent the night just lounging around. They talked, played
some games, watched a movie, and enjoyed some of the cake that
Matt had made. Everyone was having a great time, including Sora,
who was given the chance to forget all her problems for one
night.
As
Sora got up from the couch and made her way to the kitchen to put
her dish in the sink, she suddenly stopped in her tracks as she
felt a quick, sharp pain in her stomach. She put one hand on her
large belly, and winced. She shook her head, and continued to
walk. But she got no further than a few steps before she had to
stop again. This time, Sora felt a small snap inside of her, and
her eyes went wide. She knew exactly what it meant.
"Woah...oh...oh,
woah...woah...," she cried out. Everyone's heads turned in
her direction, and Mimi stood up.
"Sora?"
Mimi said, staring at her friend. Sora looked over at everyone,
and held onto her stomach.
"I
need to go to the hospital, and now! It's time..." Sora
explained quickly, in pain and shock.
"Oh
god, um...okay, I'll take you, Sora. Come on," Matt said,
panicking and shocked as well. "And somebody call Ms.
Takenouchi and get her to the hospital!" Sora made her way
quickly to the door, followed by Matt. Nobody moved or did
anything; Just stood there, the room full of shocked faces. Sora
opened the door and the two ran out. But before Matt closed the
door, Sora's voice came though.
"For
god's sake, would somebody pick up the damn phone and call my
mother?!" Sora said, sticking her head back in the door.
Everyone widened their eyes at Sora's harsh tone, and then Kari
made a mad dash for the phone. She dialled Sora's number, and
waited for Ms. Takenouchi to pick up.
"Hello,
Ms. Takenouchi? Sora has requested you come to the hospital...and
now. She's gone into labour! Odaiba Memorial. Okay, Bye,"
Kari said calmly, then hung up the phone.
"Does
she need anyone else to go with her?" Yolei wondered.
"I
don't think so, but it would probably be nice if at least some of
us were there. I know I'm going to see her! " Mimi said
loudly.
"I'm
going, too!" Tai said. He went for the door, and a few
people followed him. He stopped, though, and looked back.
"Wait, I don't have my car here. Joe, how many people can
you fit in your car?"
"Seven,
eight if you include the driver. Since four us aren't here, that
works out fine. Wait, is everyone coming?" All the people in
the room nodded, except for Davis.
"I
don't really feel comfortable coming, guys. I don't really know
Sora very well. I mean...I don't think it's my place to be
there...," Davis said, his face to the floor.
"Well,
whatever you want, Davis. You don't have to come. I'm sure she
would like you there, though," Tai reassured.
"Really?"
"Yeah.
She doesn't dislike you, Davis. You guys just aren't exactly
given a huge chance to..be friends, you know?" TK said.
Davis nodded, and agreed to come. So the 8 DigiDestined piled
into Joe's truck [think: SUV], and drove to Odaiba Memorial
Hospital.
*
* *
[skip
over the highly unnecessary hospital scenes]
*
* *
Tick-tock.
Tick-tock.
Everything
was mostly quiet as Sora's friends waited to see her. They all
sat patiently in the waiting room. Well, except for one them.
"Matt,
sit down! Stop pacing, you're making me really nervous," Tai
exclaimed. Matt stopped for a second, and looked at Tai.
"I'm
sorry, I can't help it! It's driving me crazy. I want to know if
she's okay!"
"She'll
be okay, Matt. Sora's a strong girl. You of all people should
know that," Tai smirked. Matt nodded, and continued his
pace. But it wasn't very long before a nurse appeared in the
waiting room.
"Miss
Takenouchi can have visitors now," the nurse said calmly.
Matt almost jumped a mile, and smiled gloriously. Quickly, the
eight friends all made their way to Sora's room, Matt at the
front of the line. When they reached the door, the others stayed,
while Matt slowly crept around the corner into the small hospital
room, and saw Sora laying in the white bed, with her mother
sitting in the chair beside her. As he got closer to the two, he
noticed the small bundle that Sora held onto, and smiled even
wider than before. Sora watched as the wide eyed Matt walked
toward her, and she smiled back at him. Ms. Takenouchi stood up.
"I'll
leave you two alone. Sora, I'll be outside if you need me.
Alright dear?"
"Okay,
mama. Thanks," Sora said. She watched her mom leave, then
she turned her head back to Matt, and smiled sweetly again.
"Hi,
Matt," she said quietly.
"Hi,
Sora. How are you feeling?"
"Oh...I'm
tired and worn-out," Sora said, sighing. Matt laughed
softly, then looked down.
"That's..."
"You
want to hold her?"
"Can
I?" Matt asked. Sora nodded, then handed Matt the baby. He
took the tiny bundle in his arms, and held her close. He moved
his hand up, and pulled the blanket off to see her face, and he
found two small, bright eyes looking back at him. And he could
hardly stand it. The child was so beautiful, and Matt felt so
happy he could have cried. Again, he smiled softly.
"I
guess she really likes you, Matt. She cried when mom tried to
hold her," Matt heard Sora say. Matt nodded, and turned to
her.
"She's
beautiful, Sora," Matt said. "Just like you are."
"Matt...,"
Sora said, a few tears forming in her eyes. "Why are you so
sweet?"
"I
can't help it. Not until you stop being you," Matt said,
sincerely. "And please, don't ever do that."
"I
promise I won't..."
"Alright,
I'm barging in before you guys completely mush up this
room," Mimi said, running into the room.
"Mimi!"
Sora exclaimed. "You're here!"
"Of
course I'm here, silly! I wouldn't miss this day for the world!
You are my best friend, after all," Mimi explained, then
bent over to give Sora a quick hug. Sora then reached up to take
back the baby from Matt's arms.
"Mimi,
stop hogging Sora!" a male voice came from the doorway.
"Tai!
You're here too!"
"Ditto
to what Mimi said. Did you think I wouldn't come? Everyone else
is here, too," Tai told Sora. To punctuate Tai's words, 6
more people came through the door.
"Well
look at that. Everyone is here! Wow, I can't believe you guys all
came! You have no idea how much that means to me. Thanks,
everyone."
"Don't
mention it," Tai said. "So...," he said, excited.
Sora, smiled, the turned the the baby so she faced all of Sora's
friends.
"Everybody,
I would like you to meet someone," Sora began. "This is
my daughter, Kitsune Hikari Takenouchi." Everyone smiled.
"Hikari?
You called her Hikari?" Kari asked.
"Yeah.
I just think it's such a beautiful name, so..."
"Oh,
I feel so honoured! Thank you, so much!" Kari said, as she
felt a tear in her eye.
"Oh!
She's so cute!" Mimi exclaimed, clapping her hands together.
Sora smiled in gratitude. "Can I hold her, Sora?"
"Sure,
Mimi," Sora said, and she carefully handed Mimi her child.
Mimi held her carefully, and rocked the baby in her arms. She
walked over to where everyone else stood, to let them see her.
"Hey
Sora, I still have that present to give you," Matt said
quietly, so the others couldn't hear. Sora smiled, and nodded.
"What
is it?" Sora wondered.
"Excuse
me, Ms. Takenouchi? I'm going to take Kitsune now. I'll keep her
in the Infantry tonight, and you can come get her in the
morning."
"Okay,"
Sora said. "She's over there. My friends are...watching her
for me," she finished, pointing to the large group of people
at the end of the room. The nurse smiled, and took the baby from
Mimi's arms.
"Oh,
is that what we were doing, Sora?" Tai said jokingly, once
the nurse had left. Sora just shugged.
"Hey,
I deserve a break, wouldn't you agree?" Everyone nodded.
"*yawn*
Geez, I'm getting tired. It's really late!" Mimi said, then
looked at her watch. "Correction: It's really early! I'd
like to get back now. Is that all right with you, Sora?"
"Oh,
yeah Mimi. That's just fine. Sorry about that. Kind of a bad
coincedence that this happened on the weekend you came to stay
with me."
"Not
a problem, Sora. You can't exactly help it, right?"
"Right.
Well, go talk to mom. She'll take you home," Sora finished.
Mimi nodded, said her goodbyes, and left.
"You
know, it's probably time we go, too. We'll leave you guys alone,
and Sora you need to sleep. Am I right?"
"Boy,
are you EVER right, Tai! I am so tired I probably won't even be
able to sleep!"
"'Kay,
then. Bye, Sora. See you later," Tai said, waving as he
left. Everyone else followed him out the door, and they left to
go home.
"So
then, Matt. What did you get me?" Sora asked eagerly.
"Well...I
got you... Okay, it seems a little weird, but please let me
explain before you say anything," Matt explained. Sora
nodded in accordance, and watched as Matt pulled a small box our
of his pocket. He shyly handed it to Sora, and she opened it
slowly, smiling. As she saw what was inside, she gasped. It was a
beautiful, small ring, with a peridot stone in the centre, that
looked like it truly cost a lot of money.
"Matt,
I...it's beautiful, I...."
"Wait
a sec. Okay, I guess you didn't give the same reaction I thought
you would... I kinda thought you'd think it was stupid, 'cause
you'd think it was an engagement ring or something. But it's not
really one of those. I wanted to get you something really
special, and I know that blue is your favourite colour, so I got
you this. And with the engagement thing...when I said not really,
I just...well, I actually don't know what I meant.
"I'm
kinda afraid that we might lose touch at some point, and I don't
ever want that to happen, because I really, really love you, and
I would actually really like to marry you at some point, later on
in life, if that's alright with you. I think it's important for
Kitsune, too. And I..." Matt continued to look at his shoes.
"Matt?"
Sora interrupted.
"Hm?"
Matt pulled his head up.
"You're
rambling," she pointed out.
"I'm
sorry. I didn't mean to."
"Matt,
you don't have to explain yourself so much. I absolutely adore
the ring, and it was a beautiful gesture. And...I really, really
love you, too, and I would really like to marry you at some
point, too. And it's perfect by me. I promised mama I wouldn't
marry until I was 25, though. Can you wait that long?"
"I'd
wait a lifetime for you, Sora."
"Stop
it, you're being too mushy!"
"Okay,
I'll try to do this formally. How does it go? Oh, yeah,"
Matt said. He put on of his knees on the floor, took Sora's hand,
and looked into her eyes.
"Sora
Takenouchi, will you marry me in nine years?" Sora slapped
her other hand over her eyes, and chuckled.
"I
would love to, Yamato Ishida." Matt stood up again, then
leaned over and gave Sora a long kiss on her lips. She put her
hand on the back of his head, to deepen the kiss. When he pulled
away, she smiled brightly.
"I
should go now, Sora. You need some sleep. I will come and see you
tomorrow, okay, hon?"
"Okay,
Matt. Thank you," Sora said. Matt walked to the door, and as
he was about to leave, he turned around.
"Aishiteru,
Sora-san."
"I
love you too, Matt. See you in the morning." Matt left the
room, happier than he had ever been before. In her room, Sora
turned off the lamp beside her, and layed down in her bed. She
fell asleep very quickly, a thousand thoughts running around in
her head.
Sora
Ishida. I like the way that sounds. And, wow. Nine years. Will a
nine-year engagement actually last? Well, best not think about it
too hard, Takenouchi. You've got a long couple of years ahead of
you.
If you think
about it, the ending has to do with the title as well, not just
the party scene. But you have to think about it, because I don't
think it's too apparent. Wow, I didn't actually mean to write it
that way...it just happened.
Ooh, it's over!
The story is actually over! Good thing? Bad thing? Well, there's
just one short epilogue to read...but that won't take too long.
Please (please!) review and tell me what you thought of my fic.
I was having
doubts the whole time I wrote this, but everyone was great with
their reviews. I really appreciate the support, guys! Special
thanks go out to Kyana and Liz, for being extra-cool and being
really great friends. One huge thanks has to go to
chichamunkyhead, though, for writing *the* best Sorato I have
ever read.
I couldn't think
of any way to insert this into the story, but Kitsune's official
birthdate is Wednesday, May 30. Okay, so I guess it's not that
important. But...she has the same birthday as me! Well, I was
born on a Thursday, but I had to make the day in accordance with
the year 2003. But I guess you don't care, so I'll be quiet!
Ja ne,
lime_lizard
-:ll
bows deeply to all, then exits stage left, humming Shiny Days:-
