A/N: I guess I really shadow Taiora, Kenyako, and Takari below Mimato, but I can't help it! Gomen, but please read anyway? A lot of you enjoy it, and I'm glad ^.-
***THE PARENT TRAP: DIGITAL VERSION***
~CHAPTER 10: OLD HABITS DIE HARD~
Taichi arrived at the spot, huffing. What had been so important to Miyame they needed to talk in private?
He smiled then, all annoyance fading away. At first, he had only stayed with Mimi so she could get back on her feet after her divorce, but then, he had grown to love Miyame like she was his own daughter. Somehow, both had managed to get him to stay as their butler, and so that's where he was now.
"Taichi…"
He whirled around to see the last person he wanted to see. "Sora…"
"They set us up," she said quietly.
"I know."
There was an uncomfortable silence between them.
"How has life been to you, Sora?" he asked finally.
"OK, I guess. I only stayed with Matt as a baby-sitter, but soon, Misaki meant so much to me that I couldn't leave. I know, it's pathetic," Sora said nervously.
"No, it isn't," Taichi replied. "Believe me, I know the feeling."
Silence again.
This time it was Sora that spoke first. "You know, it's hard to believe that Jun and Matt are really engaged. Especially if you remember long ago how Matt would hide every time he saw her."
Taichi laughed at the memory. "Oh yes, you're right."
A few minutes later found them sitting next to each other on a fallen log.
"Those were the days," Taichi said, looking at Sora.
"Yes, they were."
Taichi said suddenly, "I'm sorry, Sora."
She looked at him, surprised. "Whatever for, Tai?"
"For being stupid and impulsive. I know I hurt you all those years ago, and I know an apology now can't fix anything… but I've regretted our argument for ten years…but my stupid pride got in the way…"
He laughed, bitterness tinting his voice. "Mimi always told me to go get a girlfriend, but I think what she was really trying to say was…"
"Go and apologize," Sora interrupted. "I know. Matt's been telling me that, too."
They fell silent.
"I'm sorry, too," Sora said without warning.
Taichi finally gathered enough courage to ask a question that would change their futures forever. "Sora, do you think you could give me another chance... just as friends?"
She said nothing for such a long while that Taichi grew fearful, and his fear grew as he saw a tear travel down her cheek.
"Forgive me. I shouldn't have asked…" he began, standing up.
She looked up at him, eyes full of tears but smiling. "Tai, you don't know how much I've wanted to hear that from you…"
Taichi knelt down in the ground before her, putting his hands on her knees. "Then will you?"
She smiled at him. "Yes."
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
"… and now they're always together, and once, Miyame even caught them hugging," Misaki said eagerly to her mother.
Mimi Tachikawa smiled. "Both of you did well. These ten years of silence only delayed something written in the pages of destiny."
Misaki sighed. "How romantic… pages of destiny…"
Mimi hugged her daughter. "You're such a romantic… just like your father."
"Dad?" Misaki choked, staring. "Dad a romantic?"
Mimi smiled. "Oh yes. He was a hopeless romantic." Her eyes were dreamy, but sad.
Misaki noted this and thought vigorously of the plan that had been slowly thought up with Miyame.
"Misaki!"
Speaking of Miyame, she was walking over to them with her father.
"Misaki! Mother! Guess what?"
"What?" asked Misaki.
"In Taichi's pocket I saw a necklace."
At this both twins squealed with delight. "Yes!"
A smile was twitching at the corners of Mimi's mouth, but she asked seriously, "Now Miyame, what did I tell you about going through other people's property?"
"But Mother, this is Taichi," Miyame explained. "He told me once that if I ever needed anything, I could look through his stuff. It's not like he ever notices; it's such a mess!"
"Old habits die hard," Yamato remarked.
Mimi gave up on suppressing her smile. "It's funny how he can keep everything clean but his own things."
"Yeah, like the one time he was looking for his tie and it was hanging around his neck the whole time," Misaki chimed in.
"Or the time that he thought he dropped one of Mother's necklaces down the sink," Miyame said triumphantly. "He tried *everything* to take it out, and it was only right before she came home that he noticed he had put it on the countertop."
"He WHAT?" Mimi asked.
Miyame blushed. "Oops. I promised Taichi I wouldn't tell, but it's too late now. It was the night of Michael's party. I heard you talking to Taichi that night. You were telling him about how Michael propo-"
"Miyame, you weren't supposed to hear that," Mimi chided, cheeks pink.
"Like I wasn't supposed to her about how you broke his hea-"
"Miyame," Mimi said in a strained voice, "I have no memory of teaching you to eavesdrop."
"Of course you don't," Miyame said, blushing. "Taichi taught me."
"It all comes back to Taichi," Mimi said, sighing.
Misaki, sensing that her mother was rather upset, said quickly, "Hey Miyame, will you tell me about the necklace?" and steered her away.
Mimi held a hand up to her lips, trying to hold back the little cries that tried to escape as unwanted memories flew at her.
"Mimi, are you alright?" Yamato asked.
Mimi let out a small cry but looked up, having given up on holding them back. "No, I'm not alright, Yamato." She looked down. "I didn't think she'd remember… it was years ago…"
Yamato said nothing, but looked at his ex-wife, marveling at how much she seemed to be the schoolgirl she used to be.
She shook her head. "It's nothing, Yamato. It's nothing." She looked up at him, into his stormy blue eyes, and their gazes locked for what seemed eternity. Then, her gaze shifted, and she was looking past him to something behind him.
"I… I better tell Miyame that we'll be leaving soon," she said, looking flustered. "Maybe in a day or two, whatever Taichi can book… Taichi will be staying here with Sora, probably… his home is in Japan…"
She blushed. "I'm sorry, Yamato. I'm rambling again."
He repeated his earlier words, smiling at her. "Old habits die hard."
She shook her head, but wouldn't meet his gaze. "I… I'll go and tell the twins… I think you should go… and meet her…"
"Meet who?" Yamato asked, confused.
Mimi straightened. "Meet Jun. She's walking towards us… I'm sure you'll want to spend some time with her before your wedding… I… I…"
She trailed off as Jun appeared next to Yamato and clutched his arm. "Am I interrupting something?" she asked nastily.
Mimi shook her head. "No. I was just leaving." With those words, she slipped past them and walked towards where the twins were standing in front of the house.
"Is she leaving? Good riddance, then," Jun said, smiling at him. "She's already stayed too long as it is…"
Yamato said nothing, but stared after her.
TO BE CONTINUED...
A/N: No, I'm not bashing Taichi! I LOVE Taichi! I just think his messiness and habits are so kawaii, and are part of his charm! Review, all people... even though you're not an avid Mimato fan, write a few sentences inside the little box if you don't like Sorato, like me... and even if you do like Sorato, do so anyway. I respect your opinion, and I hope that you will respect mine. ^.^
***THE PARENT TRAP: DIGITAL VERSION***
~CHAPTER 10: OLD HABITS DIE HARD~
Taichi arrived at the spot, huffing. What had been so important to Miyame they needed to talk in private?
He smiled then, all annoyance fading away. At first, he had only stayed with Mimi so she could get back on her feet after her divorce, but then, he had grown to love Miyame like she was his own daughter. Somehow, both had managed to get him to stay as their butler, and so that's where he was now.
"Taichi…"
He whirled around to see the last person he wanted to see. "Sora…"
"They set us up," she said quietly.
"I know."
There was an uncomfortable silence between them.
"How has life been to you, Sora?" he asked finally.
"OK, I guess. I only stayed with Matt as a baby-sitter, but soon, Misaki meant so much to me that I couldn't leave. I know, it's pathetic," Sora said nervously.
"No, it isn't," Taichi replied. "Believe me, I know the feeling."
Silence again.
This time it was Sora that spoke first. "You know, it's hard to believe that Jun and Matt are really engaged. Especially if you remember long ago how Matt would hide every time he saw her."
Taichi laughed at the memory. "Oh yes, you're right."
A few minutes later found them sitting next to each other on a fallen log.
"Those were the days," Taichi said, looking at Sora.
"Yes, they were."
Taichi said suddenly, "I'm sorry, Sora."
She looked at him, surprised. "Whatever for, Tai?"
"For being stupid and impulsive. I know I hurt you all those years ago, and I know an apology now can't fix anything… but I've regretted our argument for ten years…but my stupid pride got in the way…"
He laughed, bitterness tinting his voice. "Mimi always told me to go get a girlfriend, but I think what she was really trying to say was…"
"Go and apologize," Sora interrupted. "I know. Matt's been telling me that, too."
They fell silent.
"I'm sorry, too," Sora said without warning.
Taichi finally gathered enough courage to ask a question that would change their futures forever. "Sora, do you think you could give me another chance... just as friends?"
She said nothing for such a long while that Taichi grew fearful, and his fear grew as he saw a tear travel down her cheek.
"Forgive me. I shouldn't have asked…" he began, standing up.
She looked up at him, eyes full of tears but smiling. "Tai, you don't know how much I've wanted to hear that from you…"
Taichi knelt down in the ground before her, putting his hands on her knees. "Then will you?"
She smiled at him. "Yes."
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
"… and now they're always together, and once, Miyame even caught them hugging," Misaki said eagerly to her mother.
Mimi Tachikawa smiled. "Both of you did well. These ten years of silence only delayed something written in the pages of destiny."
Misaki sighed. "How romantic… pages of destiny…"
Mimi hugged her daughter. "You're such a romantic… just like your father."
"Dad?" Misaki choked, staring. "Dad a romantic?"
Mimi smiled. "Oh yes. He was a hopeless romantic." Her eyes were dreamy, but sad.
Misaki noted this and thought vigorously of the plan that had been slowly thought up with Miyame.
"Misaki!"
Speaking of Miyame, she was walking over to them with her father.
"Misaki! Mother! Guess what?"
"What?" asked Misaki.
"In Taichi's pocket I saw a necklace."
At this both twins squealed with delight. "Yes!"
A smile was twitching at the corners of Mimi's mouth, but she asked seriously, "Now Miyame, what did I tell you about going through other people's property?"
"But Mother, this is Taichi," Miyame explained. "He told me once that if I ever needed anything, I could look through his stuff. It's not like he ever notices; it's such a mess!"
"Old habits die hard," Yamato remarked.
Mimi gave up on suppressing her smile. "It's funny how he can keep everything clean but his own things."
"Yeah, like the one time he was looking for his tie and it was hanging around his neck the whole time," Misaki chimed in.
"Or the time that he thought he dropped one of Mother's necklaces down the sink," Miyame said triumphantly. "He tried *everything* to take it out, and it was only right before she came home that he noticed he had put it on the countertop."
"He WHAT?" Mimi asked.
Miyame blushed. "Oops. I promised Taichi I wouldn't tell, but it's too late now. It was the night of Michael's party. I heard you talking to Taichi that night. You were telling him about how Michael propo-"
"Miyame, you weren't supposed to hear that," Mimi chided, cheeks pink.
"Like I wasn't supposed to her about how you broke his hea-"
"Miyame," Mimi said in a strained voice, "I have no memory of teaching you to eavesdrop."
"Of course you don't," Miyame said, blushing. "Taichi taught me."
"It all comes back to Taichi," Mimi said, sighing.
Misaki, sensing that her mother was rather upset, said quickly, "Hey Miyame, will you tell me about the necklace?" and steered her away.
Mimi held a hand up to her lips, trying to hold back the little cries that tried to escape as unwanted memories flew at her.
"Mimi, are you alright?" Yamato asked.
Mimi let out a small cry but looked up, having given up on holding them back. "No, I'm not alright, Yamato." She looked down. "I didn't think she'd remember… it was years ago…"
Yamato said nothing, but looked at his ex-wife, marveling at how much she seemed to be the schoolgirl she used to be.
She shook her head. "It's nothing, Yamato. It's nothing." She looked up at him, into his stormy blue eyes, and their gazes locked for what seemed eternity. Then, her gaze shifted, and she was looking past him to something behind him.
"I… I better tell Miyame that we'll be leaving soon," she said, looking flustered. "Maybe in a day or two, whatever Taichi can book… Taichi will be staying here with Sora, probably… his home is in Japan…"
She blushed. "I'm sorry, Yamato. I'm rambling again."
He repeated his earlier words, smiling at her. "Old habits die hard."
She shook her head, but wouldn't meet his gaze. "I… I'll go and tell the twins… I think you should go… and meet her…"
"Meet who?" Yamato asked, confused.
Mimi straightened. "Meet Jun. She's walking towards us… I'm sure you'll want to spend some time with her before your wedding… I… I…"
She trailed off as Jun appeared next to Yamato and clutched his arm. "Am I interrupting something?" she asked nastily.
Mimi shook her head. "No. I was just leaving." With those words, she slipped past them and walked towards where the twins were standing in front of the house.
"Is she leaving? Good riddance, then," Jun said, smiling at him. "She's already stayed too long as it is…"
Yamato said nothing, but stared after her.
TO BE CONTINUED...
A/N: No, I'm not bashing Taichi! I LOVE Taichi! I just think his messiness and habits are so kawaii, and are part of his charm! Review, all people... even though you're not an avid Mimato fan, write a few sentences inside the little box if you don't like Sorato, like me... and even if you do like Sorato, do so anyway. I respect your opinion, and I hope that you will respect mine. ^.^