From the author: Oi minna! [Hey everyone!] This is a dark/angst fic about Sora and Yamato. Please review!
Email: tux_man19@yahoo.com
Rating: R, this fic gets rough.
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Digimon. They are licensed to Toei and its respective partner companies.
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~9:00 AM: Odiaba Junior High~
What's happening to her? Yamato thought in silence as her glanced at Sora across the hallway of their school. Even though she was supposed to be talking with a few of her girlfriends, it looked like her heart wasn't into it. Yamato noticed her changed appearance: her hair was tousled, she was wearing her long sleeved uniform despite the heat of the approaching summer, and dark rings encircled her eyes. Yamato wondered what was going on behind the scenes.
"Hey Sora, how's it going?" Yamato's voice rose slightly. Sora turned with a gasp to him as her friends scooted away.
"Uh...well. Everything's fine, Ishida." She snapped. Yamato could see the indecisiveness in her amber eyes.
"Better get to class, Takenouchi and Ishida." Someone's voice rang out.
"It's time to go, Ishida." Yamato grabbed her arm as she turned from him. "Ouch! Ishida, that hurts!" Sora nursed her forearm."
"Gomen [Sorry]. Sora, what's going on?" She turned away again. "Sora! Sora-chan! Please, we've been friends for a while, you can tell me anything!" If only Yamato was in front of her, he would have seen the tears welling up in her eyes.
~5:00 PM: The Takenouchi Residence~
Sora quietly unlocked the door to her home. More like a halfway house, she thought bitterly. Ever since her father had lost his job, he seemed to be using his hand instead of words. Stepping out of her shoes, Sora hurried to her room.
"Where the hell were you?" Sora's father's voice boomed. She cringed.
"I was at tennis practice, daddy." Sora looked up at her sneering father. "I came straight home after it was over."
"Didn't I tell you academics comes before athletics? I bet you have homework, and I received this today." He held up a progress report and smashed it with his fist into her face. Sora cried out. "What the hell is this!? Read off your grades for me."
"A, B, A, A, C, A." Sora sputtered through tears.
"What? Not straight A's? I guess we'll have to change that huh?" The back of his hand swept across her right cheek. He raised his hand above his head as Sora cowered beneath him. "I think you've learned your lesson. This time. Now get to your room and study!" His voice shook the frame of the house.
Sora sniffed as she ran to her room, clutching her school bag to her chest. It was heaving up and down as tears streamed down her hot cheeks. Why? She wondered. Why was he like this? Sora took off her itchy uniform and threw it in the closet. She stared in the mirror as she inspected the growing number of purple and blue bruises gathering on her arm. Wiping her puffy face, she plopped down at her desk and opened her bag.
As she tried to read the words in the textbook, her head spun. The words were blurring together. Memories of time in the past when her father hurt her rushed to her head. Looking around to calm her down, Sora noticed her phone on the side of the wooden desk. Why don't I call Yamato? It'll take this off my mind.
The phone rang twice before Takeru picked it up. "Hiya Sora!" Sora could see him smiling. "I'm visiting, let me find my onii-chan [brother]." She heard him calling: "Yamato! It's your girlfriend!" Takeru stretched out the last word. Sora's face flushed terribly at this, Yamato wasn't her boyfriend. Still, her heart pounded at the mere thought of him.
"Shut up, baka [idiot]! Hello Sora? Hey, how's it going?"
"It's good Yamato. Look, about this morning, I'm sorry if it seemed I was a bit rude, but I was a little distracted."
"I noticed. So what's up? Care to tell me what's bothering you?" Sora hesitated at his words.
"Well, Yamato. You promised not to tell anyone, EVEN Taichi, about what I'm going to say?"
"Oh, that you like him?"
"Yamato! He's just a good friend. Promise?"
"Alright, what's your deep dark secret?" She could almost picture his face tightened in laughter.
"Actually, 'Mato, it is a deep secret. A dark one, that depressed me every time I think about it. Please, don't tell anyone." And Sora launched into her story about how her father treated her, and every time he hurt her whether it was verbally or physically. An hour had passed before she was finished. There was a pause at the other end of the line.
"Sora, I can't possible express how I feel about this, or how hard this is for you, but you need to get out and get help."
"Yamato, I can't! He'll make up stories when I try to tell someone and he finds out. My father will make it look like it was my fault. I can't."
"Sora, promise me that you'll get help tomorrow. I don't care if it's a counselor or a police officer, you have to. Please Sora...for me."
"For you...I don't get it."
"Don't you see Sora? I have...well...I like you. A lot. No, I love you. I feel like flying every time I'm with you." Sora paused.
"Someone loves me? I felt alone always. Unloved. But Yamato, you found it in your heart to love me?" She was in disbelief. "Okay. I'll do it tomorrow. But not for you. For us." Sora beamed, the first time she smiled in weeks. "Night, Yama-chan."
"Sweet dreams, my dream girl." Sora giggled. Hanging up the phone, she walked out in the kitchen to grab a snack. Her father was on the phone.
"...she feels that her grades are suffering because of it. Yes, it's really a shame. I'm sure the team will miss her. Thanks, Coach, good luck to the tennis team." He hung up the other line and took a sip of his brandy.
"What? You were talking to Coach? Daddy, what did you do!?" Sora yelled, hurt. Her father spoke calmly back.
"Sora, your grades have been decreasing because of tennis. It is really a shame you had to quit the team."
"No! You liar! I didn't want to! My grades are fine to me. They're great. Why do you have to interfere!?" Sora screamed.
"Because I am your father, and what I say is the best for you!" His fist caught her lower jaw. Sora felt the sickening crack of bone. "And don't you ever..." He raised his hand and brought a blow to her broken jaw. "...talk back to me!" Sora was kicking and screaming, as she tasted her own blood.
"Stop it! No! Please, daddy. Don't!" Sora felt helpless as his foot connected with her ribs and propelled her backwards. The base of her skull hit a wall, denting it.
"You little bitch! I heard you telling your sweet Yamato all about me and what a bad father I am. Whiner! I have done nothing but provide for this family, and this is what I get?" Sora's dad picked her up and slapped her across the face.
"Yes! You're a bad father, an abuser!" Sora bit her lip. Things she had wanted to say forever were flowing from her mouth. This sent him into a full out rage.
"I am a good father. Pulling you off the tennis team was for your good. This is for your own good!" He began to kick and punch Sora as hard as he could. "This is for love!"
"No...I love Yamato!" Sora shouted feebly with all the strength she had left. Her father blew up. He took his brandy bottle and smashed it against her head. Brown glittering fragments of the bottle flew everywhere. Sora slumped heavily against the wall.
~8:30 AM: Next morning, Odiaba Junior High~
"Hey Taichi!" Yamato spotted his best friend with a girl. As usual! He thought. "Great day huh? Oh hey Mimi!" The chestnut headed girl only mumbled a reply. Yamato noticed the glum, mournful faces of the two. "What's the matter? Mimi, you look like your pet died or something."
"Not exactly." Taichi put his arm around Mimi's shoulder. "Yamato, last night Sora had an argument with her dad. There was alcohol involved, and he got way more violent then usual." Mimi burst into tears.
"What! What happened! Tell me, tell me now!" Yamato exploded, shaking Mimi's shoulders.
"Yamato! She's dead! He killed her!"
"No. NO!!" Yamato's voice howled over the others in the school. He fell to his knees. "No, she was supposed to get help today. Sora was going to solve her problem, and we were going to date and..."
"Will you be okay alone Yamato?" Taichi asked sullenly.
"She was going to be helped tomorrow, she said."
"Yamato, tomorrow never came for her." Mimi's hoarse voice spoke up.
"Tomorrow was simply too late."
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Why did I write this fic? Well, right now I'm a little depressed because the seniors at my school, Dimond High, are graduating soon. Today was their last full day in school. And whatever mood I'm in influences my writing. Tell me what you think about it.
