*raindrop_chan*: This is a sad story that I thought of when I read a Yakari - Matt and Kari. No, it's not gross. It was actually really good. When I first saw that it was Yakari, I was very very freaked. But trust me, it's the best. Anyways, I feel depressed right now so I'm not going to blab like I usually do. Please read and review. Oh yeah, Digi doesn't belong to me. *sob*

Winter in Summer

She sat, frozen, on the chair. She didn't move.
"Sora?" called her mother. "Come here."
She stood up and walked slowly to where she knew the kitchen would be.
"You need to snap out of it, dear," said her mother worriedly, looking at her daughter and receiving only a blank stare in return. "Tai's-"
"Please don't say anything about him, Mother."
Her cold tone told her mother that the topic was over already.
"Okay, then. You remember how I told the government that you could go to a normal school just as well as anybody and showed them how you excellently did in therapy and tests? Well - in any case, the principal of Hirojishi High School just called and said they have a place for you in Mr. Kinimoto's class, in room 209. School year starts the following Monday, which is three days from now, and your partner will be here to show you around when you get there so you can get familiar with the surroundings. He…" she glanced down at the piece of paper in her hand. "…has a deep voice and is older than you by about half a year. Ask him what his name is and he'll tell you in letters, okay? That's how you'll know."
"Yes, Mother."
She left her sighing mother in the chair and went back to her room, opening the door slowly.

*****************

Tai stared around him with wide eyes. Everybody was different. The door to the house was painted a different colour. Nobody was the same anymore. Not even…
Matt walked up to him, dressed in a neatly tucked in shirt and smart pants. Huh. What was the world coming to? Matt…dressed neatly? And Mimi. Customary pinkness all gone. Instead was a sparkly deep purple tank top and cargo pants with no nail polish at all. Not that the change was bad, of course. All the old Digidestined had arrived - except for…
Matt noticed the yearning look in his friend's eyes. 'Don't worry, Tai, she'll be with us in…" he glanced at his watch. "0.01 minutes."
As if on cue, the door opened and a slender figure, deeply red head drooping down, her hair covering her face and carrying a small blue backpack. Matt exchanged a worried look with the rest of the Digidestined. She didn't look too cheerful.
"Sora?" asked Tai timidly. "How are you doing?"
For a moment, the girl's head jerked up a bit, then drooped back down. "Fine…"
Tai was hurt. He had missed Sora for so long, and now that they were back together with the old gang again, she didn't even feel happy at seeing him. He opened his mouth, ready to protest, but felt Joe's hand at his elbow.
"Leave it, Tai." Joe's eyes radiated firmness, but concern. The rest of the group followed Matt down the steps, their happy mood now gone at Sora's morbidity. She walked slowly behind the worried Tai, her head still down and not meeting anybody's eyes.
The house door flew open again and Sora's mom came out, her face framed by the same red curls that her daughter had inherited.
"Guys?"
The Digidestined turned.
"Will you…help her get used to things?" she asked hesitantly.
Mimi nodded slowly.

*********************

What's wrong with her? Tai asked himself. And why is she ignoring me like this? He chanced a glance at the unresponsive girl, who was sighing morosely at the moment. And why is she so SAD?!?
The other Digidestined, quietly walking towards their high school, led the two confused teenagers as they pondered their individual problems.

**********************

"I don't know why she's like this!" moaned Tai after school, his head in his hands. "Was it me? What did I do?"
Cody regarded him solemnly.
"She's…having a temporary breakdown, I'd say."
"She is? Why didn't you tell me? I'm going over there right now and -"
"NO!" hissed all of the others, yanking him back and looking furtively at the silently sitting Sora. "Just…just give her a bit more time, Tai," murmured Mimi.
"Okay, fine, then…"
Tai stared at them suspiciously. "Are you sure you're not hiding something from me?" he demanded. "You guys obviously know something about this that I don't know, and if you don't tell me now, I'm really gonna stomp over there and ask her what's wrong."
A circle of blank faces stared at the steaming Tai.
"Fine. Have it your way."
He went galumphing his way across the pavement valiantly before tripping over his own feet and falling facedown on the ground. Matt took the chance to get up and dragging the sputtering Tai back to where the others were also sitting.
"Just stay…"

********************************

When the whole group went ahead to their homes, Tai pretended to walk inside his house and slammed the door from the outside, peeking around the side of the building to check if the others were watching him. They were heading towards Mimi's house, talking and whispering. Slamming it again, he listened for any words about Sora.
He caught a few words.
"Sora…"
"Tai…"
"I saw them…something naughty…last month…smooching like…"
Tai turned red and slammed the door again out of pure embarrassment.
The door fell off its hinges and clattered noisily to the steps.
"Whoops."
Kari appeared at the once-doorway with a skeptic look on her face and a confused T.K. in tow.
"Tai? What precisely are you doing? And what's with the door?"
Tai stared off into space, mumbling and cursing under his breath.
"I bet it was Sora again…"
"Sora?! Where? When? What? Why? How?"
"What the heck are you talking about?"
"Don't swear, it's bad for your health. The cookies are in the fridge, drink your milk or else, and stay away from T.K. if he tries to kiss you, okay? I'll be back."
The pair stared at the rapidly retreating Tai as he ran down the street towards Sora's house.
"…kiss me? Really, T.K.?"
"I dunno! What's he talking about? Although that's not really a bad prospect, I'll actually have to save that for…"
He was cut off as Kari smiled and crooked a beckoning finger at him.
"Get your butt in here right now, lover boy."
"Uh yeah, sure."
He followed a grinning Kari inside the house, scratching his head in pure bewilderment.
"Huh."

********************************

Tai knocked gingerly on Sora's door, his eyes focused on the peephole. A large brown eye stared at him, made even larger by the glass mechanism, and then the door opened.
"Tai! How nice to see you!" Mrs. Takenouchi warbled unconvincingly. "Um - Sora's…in her room, and…I…actually was just going to go the flower shop to check something for tomorrow, so I'll se you guys later, okay?"
"Sure, Mrs. Takenouchi," Tai responded as cheerfully as he could manage.
"And…"
Sora's mother paused on her way to the car.
"Please, Tai, take care of her, again."
Tai nodded.

********************************

He walked slowly into the house and closed the door behind him. Making his way up the stairs, he paused to study a picture of a laughing Sora, her arm around an also younger Tai's shoulders as the held a soccer ball together in their arms.
Sora means a lot to me…but do I mean a lot to her?
Continuing up the steps, he reached the landing and looked around for Sora's room, where they had kicked each others' behinds at N64 many a time.
He called out to her, knowing that she was there. He could feel her presence.
"Sora…"
"Tai…" The door opened and Sora walked out slowly, her eyes blank. "I…have something to tell you, and I thought you knew it already, but my mom told me that you didn't know…so you'll know soon, anyways…okay. Well…you see, Tai, I'm…"


Sorry bout the cliffhanger! The next chapter will be up as soon as possible!