By Unseen Forces

by Artisan of the Written Word

Chapter 6~ Soul Deep (COMPLETED): Tai is very ill and the task to save his life is left to Sora. Will she be able to gather what courage she has to save him? Will the Unseen Force that has been terrorizing Tai and Sora finally be defeated? Can Tai and

5. Loving Sora

BY UNSEEN FORCES

Loving Sora

A/N: Well, this will prove to be a rather interesting chapter... Sorry it took me so long. I won't know if this is the end of the series until the end of this chapter, so read on and find out for yourselves.

IMPORTANT NOTE: FOR THOSE WHO ONLY WANT THE REVIEW FOR GENESIS, SCROLL DOWN TO THE BOTTOM

DEDICATION: To those who won't recognize love and refuse to feel it... don't let yourself become inhuman because then you will truly be lost.

-To Angel... We pick on each other so much... well, not really, but we tease each other a lot

and it's nice to be able to talk to her when I need someone... and she better remember that I'm always here. *smiles* Well, of course she will... Like I'd ever let her forget!

-To Dad -er- Logan (sorry, you know I had to. You know I love ya ^_^) one of the best writers, even though he's too stubborn to admit it. Thanks for always being an email away and for being my support when Angel couldn't be there.

-To Aushie, who I am deeply sorry to for snapping at her the other day... I didn't mean it at all... I know you said you understood, but I still feel sorry. And I still feel sorry for almost making you cry the other night, too. Thanks for being there when I needed you and always being able to cheer me up by making you laugh... (although with you it doesn't take much effort. ^_~ ) But there's even more than that... I can't say it all for risk of losing all of your trust in me, but I will say this. I will never ever leave you behind. If you fall, I will help you back up... If I can't help you, I will fall with you. And you know that this a promise... one that I will never EVER break.

-To Kimaru, duh... She's been uploading these blasted fics for who knows how long, and she's still one of my closest friends... Haven't heard from you a while. Hope to talk to you soon.

-To Star_Fairy, who I talk to all the time... I'm hoping you haven't completely given up... Life's too short to not believe in anything.

-To Kari, or Karissa. Dang girl! You troublemaker! lol j/k This one is for you because I hadn't heard from you in a long time and maybe this will motivate you, no?

-To My Keeper, who will probably never see this (if you've read my poems "Fallen" or "Walking on Moonlight's Edge", you know who I'm talking about ). I love you.

-And to every single person (probably going into the double digits) who has emailed me, asking or begging for the next part. Here you go, you guys!

DISCLAIMER: Well, dun dun dun, right? I don't own Digimon. I do own a bunch of CDs, a stereo, SuperNES, a few other things (like my CLOTHES, but anyway), but I don't own Digimon.

Now that *THAT'S* over, let's continue, shall we?

Here's the next chapter of-

BY UNSEEN FORCES

BY UNSEEN FORCES: LOVING SORA

1

please say yes

The whole apartment went completely quiet. Even the refrigerator's continuous hum seemed to stop for a moment.

Tai watched Sora's bedroom door carefully. He was hoping she'd say yes... If anything to save her life, but it would also make him happy... but did he love her?

The door swung open, startling everyone. Sora stood there, tears in her eyes, looking at Tai with something that was akin to hurt. He didn't understand it. He had just asked her to marry him! Maybe she didn't understand the question...

"Sora... please marry me."

Then, the most unexpected thing happened.

She slapped him. Hard.

Tai's head whirled dizzily as the left side of his face burned. Everyone gasped. Sora burst into tears and slammed the door. Tai sucked in a deep breath and turned around, tears in his own eyes from the pain.

"What did she do that for?!" he cried. Mimi, Kari, and Yolei looked at each other and shrugged.

"We'll go talk to her," Mimi said, volunteering herself, Kari, and Yolei, who both nodded in agreement.

"Please do," Tai said, his voice shaky. Dang, that hurt!

Mimi, Kari, and Yolei cautiously entered Sora's room, not sure what to expect. Meanwhile, the guys just stood there, too stunned to move.

"Tai..." Tai sighed.

"What, T.K.?" he asked, still nursing the side of his face.

"Did you tell her you loved her?" Tai's shoulders slumped.

"Not this again..."

"You didn't, did you?" Matt asked in disbelief. Tai shrugged, still rubbing the stinging pain away.

"No." Davis and T.K., who were standing closest to Tai, slugged him in both arms, making him yelp in pain. "Stop hitting me!"

"You deserved it! I can't believe you, Tai! You ask her to marry you, but you completely forget that you're supposed to tell her you love her before hand," Joe chided. Tai had had enough.

"You don't understand! None of you do! You only say you love someone if you mean it! I'm trying to make sure that I don't have false feelings for her. No matter what you people say, I still don't know if I love her!" Matt shook his head.

"But you asked her to marry you." Tai threw his hands up in frustration.

"Yes, because she wasn't going to let me save her life!" Matt fed on this.

"So you care about her."

"Absolutely!"

"And you don't want anything to happen to her."

"Right."

"And you want her to marry you."

"Yes, I do."

"And she means more than anything to you?"

"Yes. More than anything."

"Do you love her?"

"Yes."

Tai's eyes went wide. He had said it so fast that he had almost cut Matt off... Is that what he felt? Had Matt tricked him into saying it? In a way, he had, but Matt had only helped Tai break through a mental block that had been keeping him from telling Sora how he had felt. He did love her... and in a way, he had since he had met her... he had just forgotten.

Cody, Ken, Davis, T.K., Matt, Joe, and Izzy beamed.

"Then that settles it. You have to tell her," Izzy said. Davis nodded.

"I may not be that smart, but I know you gotta tell her."

"She's in a heck of a state, though. I'm afraid it wouldn't go over well," Joe said quietly. Cody shrugged.

"You may make her feel better, though." Tai nodded.

"It's possible... I do love her..." he said dreamily. Matt rolled his eyes lazily while the rest of them just smiled.

"Let's just wait and see what the girls have gotten through to Sora, okay, Romeo?" Ken said, slugging Tai gently to bring him back to earth.

"Sure... whatever."

The smile on Tai's face didn't go away for a long, long time.

2

what the heck was she thinking?

Mimi cautiously entered Sora's room with Kari and Yolei almost walking on her heels.

Sora was curled up in the corner of her room, her knees drawn to her chest, staring into space. Her arms were wrapped around her knees, and she seemed to be holding something in her hand. She was slowly rocking back and forth, and if someone had timed her, they would have realized that she was rocking back and forth in time to the seconds. Her eyes were wide, seemingly with fright. She looked like a cat that had just been scared out of its mind. Her mouth was slightly ajar, her lips dry except for certain places where her tears had streamed down her face.

"Sora?" Kari called softly. Sora's mouth clamped shut and she began to rock twice as fast. Mimi walked briskly over to Sora's side and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Sora, snap out of it. Come on." Sora just rocked faster, never switching her wide-eyed gaze from the air in front of her.

"Please. You're scaring us," Yolei whispered. She had grown up a bit from the person she used to be, but it was only noticeable in such situations as this. She wasn't being demanding; she was being kind.

Sora's head snapped up, a glare etched into her features, but none of the girls believed the hateful look to be intentional. Her body shook violently once. Mimi, Kari, and Yolei looked at each other. They couldn't believe how... frail she seemed. How... distant... How.... weak.

Through her shirt, which was drawn tight over her frame, you could see some of her ribs protruding. Her arms seemed to be skin and bone, although just earlier she had seemed like a healthy teenager... Now she looked like someone who was waiting for death to come and take her away.

Kari felt the urge and took the initiative.

"Why did you refuse him, Sora?" she asked. Sora looked away, but Kari chased her gaze, finally making Sora hold her head up and look her in the eye. Mimi pulled out the chair to the computer desk, where the computer had been carelessly left on all night. She opened Notepad and looked at Sora.

"You've got to tell us. We're your friends," Yolei said softly, trying to make her voice as gentle as possible, trying not to seem demanding.

Sora looked at the computer screen and sighed heavily. With visible effort, Sora made herself get up and walk over to the computer. As she sat down, all of the girls noticed that she lacked her usual grace. Sora looked at the keyboard, sighed heavily again, and placed her hands on the home keys. Then, with a final deep breath, she began to type.

Mimi, Yolei, and Kari stood back and looked at each other, not sure if they should read as she went along or just read it when she finished it. Lacking patience, all three bowed over Sora's shoulders and looked at the screen.

Because it all seems like a joke to me. So... convenient. Who does he think he is? Some kind of savior? I'll make it, married or not. Although life would be easier with someone by my side, he was already my best friend and I already have all of you. You're all my best friends and I know I can depend on you... Why did Tai do that? He doesn't love me or he would have said so already. There's been so many opportunities, but he hasn't taken one of them. I can't really deal with it all right now... If I was any weaker, I'd just kill myself.

Yolei gasped. Mimi got there next and put her hand over her mouth. Kari's eyes went wide with shock, but she made no sound or movement. Sora's shoulders shook as she went on.

In fact, maybe I'll just do it.

With that, Sora got up, gave a sad smile to no one in particular, and walked past the girls to the door.

"Sora, wait!" Mimi managed to choke out. Sora rested her hand on the doorknob and stood still. "That isn't the way! You know that!" Sora sighed, turned around, walked past all of the girls again, and went to the computer, typing two last words.

Do I?

Mimi's jaw clenched shut as she gave a look that would be perceived as impatience or anger. Sora just smiled a sad, sweet smile that said all it needed to. Kari and Yolei glanced at each other and then Sora. Kari reached out and touched Sora's shoulder.

"Yes, you do... I just hope you realize that before you do anything stupid." Sora looked Kari in the eye and raised an eyebrow in a curious expression. She turned around and placed her hands on the keyboard again... This time for the last time.

Not stupidity. Desperation.

With that, Sora promptly turned around again, this time not meeting any of the girls' horrified expressions, and walked to the bedroom door, turning the knob, and walking out into the crowd of guys in the hall.

Mimi, Kari, and Yolei looked at each other... Silently asking the other what they should do. There was nothing in reality they could do. If Sora wanted to kill herself, she would. She would find any way to do it. All that they could do would be to tell Sora what she already knew...

The Digidestined would always be there for her.

With an impossibly sorrowful look on her pretty features that made her look twenty years older, Kari provided the unspoken answer.

She slowly bent over the computer and sighed, placing her hand on the mouse...

And closed the window.

3

trying to maintain composure

"Joe..."

"Yes?"

"You have to go identify the body." Joe sighed wearily.

"I haven't forgotten."

"I know... But you have to go now."

"Yes, I know."

"...Then why are you waiting?"

"Because I don't want to go."

"Take Yamato with you."

"Since when do you call him that?"

"Since the moment when I stopped caring if he takes it offensively. Go. Now."

"Yes, Taichi. I'm going."

"Izzy?"

"Yes, Tai?"

"Go to Sora. You can talk to her by that laptop."

"Yes. Okay. I'm going."

"Cody?"

"Yes?"

"Go home and then come back later on. I want you to carry on a conversation with Sora."

"Why, Taichi?"

"Because she loves children... Maybe if she realizes that she still wants them, she'll say yes to me."

"Taichi, I am not a child."

"Yes, I know. None of us are. We grew up too soon, too fast... Deal with it, Cody."

"Under protest."

"I'm sorry, but please. This is important."

"Yes. Fine."

"Davis?"

"Hmm?"

"Go to the nearest pizza place and get Sora some pizza for me. My money is in her room. I'll get it for you."

"Fine. What would you want on it?"

"That comes later."

"Oh."

"T.K.?"

"Yes, Tai?"

"Take Kari home and stay with her for a while. Then, later on, I want you here with Cody."

"Why?"

"Because-"

"You're regarding me as a child. Taichi, I can't-"

"-act like you're eight again? Yes, you can."

"But Tai-"

"Takeru."

"Yes, Tai. Fine."

"Yamato?"

"It's Matt, Tai."

"I'm calling you Yamato right now. Do you know why?"

"No."

"Because I want you to realize when I am dead serious. Clear?"

"You've never called me that before."

"That's because I never realized what's fully at stake. It was just the world before. Now I know what that could mean."

"Mm."

"Go with Joe. Then go to the funeral home."

"Sure, Tai."

"Ken?"

"Yes?"

"Go to the pizza place with Davis or go with T.K. and Kari."

"Yes, Tai."

"Is everyone set?"

"What about the girls?"

"Well Joe, even though I don't know why you're here since I said for you and Matt to leave already... Yolei and Cody will go home together. Yolei will go to Izzy's house later on."

"My house?"

"Yes. Mimi will go to the hotel to be with her family. She hasn't seen them in a day or so."

Taichi brought his head out of his hands and sighed shakily. He looked up at all of the guys from the floor where he was sitting. Sora had almost hit him with the door as she had passed.

"Clear?"

"Clear." They responded in unison.

"But Tai... Why is Yolei coming to my place?" Izzy asked. Tai sighed.

"I want you both to get a hold of Gennai. I want to know if there is any other way at all. Sora doesn't want to do this and I don't want to force her." Izzy sighed.

"Okay, Tai."

Izzy headed for the kitchen where Sora and the other girls were currently. Joe waved beckoned Matt and they left in a hurry. Ken chose to go with T.K. and Kari, who decided to go with Davis to the pizza place and then go home. Yolei and Cody headed home. After Yolei dropped Cody off at his mother's so he could rest, she waited a bit and ran to Izzy's apartment. Mimi went to the hotel.

And Tai just sat there... Indefinitely... He had no idea how long he had been sitting there. The most time his mind could estimate he had been there would have been thirty minutes... Any more than that and Tai would have felt like he was out of control... and in a way, he was.

"Oh geez..." he moaned. He had hoped she'd say yes... although, he hadn't made himself presentable...

But still!

No! You cannot cry! You have no reason to!

Actually, he had all the reason in the world. He didn't cry when he was younger and his sister was in the hospital. He didn't cry... until that time that she had almost died... and when he had lost Sora... when he and Agumon had to leave each other... and when he had almost lost Sora just a few days ago...

That was a total of what? Four times? Four big-deal times? There were others, sure... but he was almost absolutely sure that he could count on his fingers how many times he had cried from the age of 6 and up.

He didn't want to be weak... That's all crying had ever meant to him. People cried when it was too much or when someone died or when someone was sick...

People cried when they felt weak.

And Tai had only felt that a few times.

Coincidently, about half of those times he had cried had been for Sora... someone who he had never completely lost, someone who he had always loved, and someone who loved him back.

Gah... This is confusing.

Taichi... just let yourself cry...

NO! I won't do it!

Tai picked his head up from the crook of his arm at the soft sound of feet coming down the hall.

It was Sora.

She looked at him sympathetically.

"Izzy gone home?" Tai asked, his voice turning from the frail one he had been hearing in his mind to one that had commanded the Digidestined so many times... His eyes turned into brown marbles instead of the sensitive ones he had let show just a few moments ago... although, they had been shown only to the clear space and the shadows, he had still allowed them to be seen... And Sora had seen that... With that one glance at his vulnerable, revealed face, she had known what he was thinking... what he was feeling... what he was needing.

Sora nodded and slid down the wall, landing next to Taichi with her knees up against her chest and her hands linked around her shins. He looked away from her and into the early morning shadows that seemed to dance across the walls in the early morning sun. She looked at him and turned his head toward her.

It's okay, she mouthed. Tai looked a bit startled, as he had just been snapped out of his thought... but it was also the startled feeling he had by her saying that... Why was she telling him that?

"Okay to what?" he asked confusedly. Sora smiled sadly and put a hand on his cheek, making him almost swoon at her tender touch. He felt his eyes go soft again... He felt his soul become his only shield... He felt his heart being read in his eyes... His soul was being exposed, but if it had to be that way, he would rather no other person than Sora see it. She had seen every part of him... His angry side, his sad side, his impassive side... She had seen it all... Now he realized that what they had to do would be a completely new experience, because for the first time... she would not only be able to see all of him.... she would be able to feel him. She would feel his sadness... She would feel his heart's desires... She would know everything...

Maybe that's what was beginning to scare him. He knew Sora hadn't realized it yet... but what they had been prophesied to do was so much more than just "casual sex". In fact, it was anything but. Anything that they didn't know about each other, anything at all... It would be known to the other by the time the act was committed... It was almost too sacred.

Sora caressed Tai's face, temporarily putting his thoughts on hold as he leaned into her hand and closed his eyes. He brought one of his hands up and pressed her hand against the side of his face, enjoying the soft touch. She put her other hand on his face and made him look her in the eye. Tai opened his eyes with effort and looked at her breathtakingly beautiful face. With visible effort, she began to mouth words to him.

It's okay to cry.

Seemingly offended, Tai's expression turned angry as he turned away from her. Sora sighed silently and gently put her arms around him and pulled him back. Tai tried to protest, but he was off-balance and there was nothing he could do to stop her. She lowered him until his head was against her shoulder. She looked down at him and kissed his forehead. He looked at her face and saw that one solitary tear had fallen from her eyes.

That tear was enough to drive Tai over the cliff that he had been hovering over for years.

Silently at first, he began to cry as he hugged Sora tightly. Then, as the seconds ticked on, his tears turned from silent to almost screaming sobs. He was wailing, moaning, and sobbing. His voice carried throughout the apartment with an echo. He squeezed Sora tighter, burying his face into her shoulder, not caring who heard him or not. He deserved to cry. He had waited too long to do it. And the best part of all is that he didn't feel weak at all. And he knew exactly why.

Sora was there to take care of him... and she was loving him.... and she was caring for him... and she was being kind to him... and she would always love him.

Tai's shoulders shook as he squeezed Sora even tighter. Silently, Sora began to cry with him. She held him as best she could. She placed a hand on the side of his head and one around his chest and held on, rocking him ever so gently... as a mother would to her child.

And that's how they stayed.

Taichi letting go of his past...

Sora learning how to hang on to the moment...

Both of them learning how to love the other.

4

why can't there be another way

Riiing

"Why now?" Tai asked himself. He got up from the floor beside Sora's bed and rushed over to the phone before it could ring again. Cody and T.K. had come over... and apparently, Sora had been happy to visit with them, but she was otherwise unaffected. Tai knew that both of the young men felt a certain anger toward Tai for how he had treated them as pawn in his quest for Sora's hand... but Tai had explained his position. After the two boys saw how red Tai's eyes were, it didn't take much explaining for them to believe that Tai was desperate and grasping at straws which seemed to be becoming fewer as the hours ticked by.

Davis had brought the pizza over with Ken tagging along behind him. Ken indulged in a one-sided conversation with Sora that both of them seemed to enjoy, but both had left, leaving Sora and Tai alone again... Both casting glances at each other... Both wondering what the other was thinking... Both wondering when they would run out of excuses before they had to give themselves to each other... Both knowing the answer was soon. Very soon.

As soon as Tai picked up the phone, a frantic voice on the other end began to speak.

"Tai! Sorry so late, but this is important!"

Tai rubbed his eyes and looked at Sora's clock and sighed.

"It better be, Izzy. It's 1:30 in the morning." Izzy sighed out of exasperation.

"Tai! Believe me! It is!"

"...Then say it, Iz." Tai heard Izzy take a deep breath to regain his composure.

"There is no other way."

"....Are you sure?"

"Positive. After about twelve hours, we got a hold of Gennai."

"I'm sorry, Iz. I didn't mean for it to take that-"

"That doesn't matter now. Gennai said that he had searched the Digital World for any trace of another prophecy pertaining to the Demons or the people involved with the Demons. This is called the Demonic War, by the way. Remember that there's only one Demon left?"

"...."

"Tai? Tai!"

"I'm here, Iz."

"I'll take that as a yes. Anyway, the one Demon has the ability to enter dreams. He is the most powerful."

"Figures."

"Taichi! Listen to me! There's a possibility that you are in danger, too!"

"What?!"

"Once you commit the... uh... er, the act that will end the Demonic War, you will be left in a state that can only be described as total vulnerability."

"You're saying that it can kill me."

"Exactly."

"So what can I do?"

"Absolutely nothing."

"What!?"

"Your vulnerability will be mental... and it might be physical. Gennai didn't specify-"

"Figures."

"Tai! Gennai didn't specify what he meant by vulnerability, mental, physical, or otherwise."

"So there's nothing I can do?"

"All you can do is hope that you aren't too weak to fight the Demon off. Gennai said that the aim of the Demon may have been Sora, but the aim of the Assembly of Sin may have been to kill you... So it's a-"

"-win-win situation for them."

"Right."

"So all I can do is hope?"

"Basically. The bond between you and Sora may be enough to help... but I'm not sure that the love you have... or any other power runs deep enough."

"You mean that something soul-deep isn't powerful enough?"

"I'm saying that may be the case. I'm going strictly by what's logical."

"Hmph."

"Yes, yes, I know. Love is anything but logical. And so is Courage. And so is Friendship in some cases. All of our abilities, feelings, and thoughts can be considered illogical."

"But together, we are the logic that binds two worlds."

"Hmm. True. We are the heroes of two worlds... Only one of which cares to remember us."

"Let's don't get into that right now. We can't have an all-night discussion."

"True."

"... Iz."

"What?"

"Did Gennai say... how much time we have?"

"...Two days at most."

"....That's too soon. The time isn't right for that... We're too young, Izzy."

"You have to make the time right, Tai. We're not as young as you make it seem."

"I've already been through the 'grew up too soon, too fast' bit with T.K. and Cody today."

"But sadly, it was the truth."

"I know."

"Well, Tai... Good luck."

"Thank you, Iz. I need it."

"Goodnight."

"G'night."

Tai hung up the phone and stared at it for a few seconds. He was devastated at the news. He might die?

Tai snapped out his thoughts at the sound of Sora thrashing about in bed.

"Sora?" he called frantically. He rushed over to her side and tried to hold her down. She was thrashing, kicking, and throwing punches that Mike Tyson would have had trouble blocking. "Sora!"

Suddenly, she opened her eyes and stared at Tai. Tai opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by Sora's arms wrapping around him in a panicked hug.

"Sora? Are you al-" He was cut off by Sora kissing him on the cheek, almost completely knocking him out of his train of thought. "Sora? What happened?"

Sora began to make frantic hand motions. She pointed to her head and then began to make strange shapes with her hands. She stretched her hand out above her and waved it.

"Something... tall?" Sora nodded. She made claws with her hands. Tai was beginning to realize what she was saying. "It had claws..." Sora nodded again and looked around the room. She finally pointed at her dark blue shirt and then at her skin. "...Blue skin..." She nodded and began to make another hand motion when Tai stopped her.

"Sora... You dreamed about the Demon."

Sora's mouth practically unhinged.

"...the Demon has the ability to enter dreams."

Oh no... It's feeding on her mind, now... Oh no...

"Sora... I'm going to sleep in the bed with you tonight. I don't want you having anymore nightmares, okay?" Sora nodded slowly, still wondering about her dream. In it, she had been being chased by the hideous monster. It had closed in on her and held her... That's when she had started thrashing about in her bed. The worst part of the dream was when she had actually heard its hideous voice... and what it had told her...

It had kept saying I love you, Sora. I love you.

In the dream, Sora had been in tears.

Tai climbed under the sheets with Sora and sighed.

"Goodnight, Sora."

She patted his hand to return the thought and closed her eyes, trying to will herself to go to sleep.

Suddenly, two strong arms wrapped around her mid section and a gentle, lingering kiss was placed on her ear. The sensation that was carried through her body was aided by the soft breath that caressed the side of her face.

"Goodnight, Sora," he whispered. Sora put her back closer to him and closed her eyes.

She fell asleep three minutes later.

He did so in no more than five.

Both had fallen asleep wondering if they could do so when they were in such proximity to each other.

Sometimes we fall asleep faster when we feel safe than at any other time.

5

heart and soul

Tai stretched.

"Are you taking a shower tonight, Sora?" Sora turned and looked at him. He was sitting on the foot of her bed and she was in her doorway. Looking at the clock and seeing that it was 8:30, she decided yes and nodded. He looked out the window and yawned. "It's a pretty night. Too bad we can't go out there." Sora smiled sadly and shrugged.

The day had been nothing but the old routine. Matt and Joe had called with a report about the body and the funeral home. Tai had told Sora, who had gravely nodded her approval.

Otherwise, nothing had happened.

Tai had continued to ponder the severity of the act that he and Sora must commit... but other than that, nothing had really crossed his or Sora's minds.

Sora walked over to her dresser and drew out a pair of pajamas, smiling sadly as she did so. Tai looked at her and sighed. How was she dealing with her mother's death? How was she feeling? Was there anything she needed? Wanted? There was hardly any way he could know. He knew that she didn't feel like writing or typing the answer to him, so he remained silent.

"Well, let's go," he said as he rose from her bed. Sora looked at him and shook her head furiously. "Sora. You know I have to go in there with you. Listen... I'll put my back to you the whole time and you just tap me on the arm when you're done, okay?" Sora put her head in her free hand and sighed. She rose again, her face showing her weariness with the whole deal. She made a small head movement that Tai barely registered as a nod. "Then let's go!" he said, trying to get a smile out of Sora, who just shook her head with a roll of her eyes, but he did see the corners of her mouth almost turn into a smile.

"Whoa... Gotta turn off the light... Don't want a really high electric bill, you know." Tai smiled as he flipped the light off.

Tai took Sora by the hand and dragged her with him to the bathroom, knowing very well that she wouldn't go unless forced. She didn't put up a fight however. They walked inside the bathroom and Tai shut the door, trying to make sure that there wasn't a draft. He sighed, turned around, and made a wild gesture with his hand.

"Go ahead. I don't want to stand here all day." Sora smiled slightly and began to undress, gradually turning red as she did so. She was definitely not used to this.

Tai listened and heard the showerhead start to spray water. He heard Sora step in and sighed, crossing his arms. This would be boring, but it was his job.

The minutes passed.

Tai had his hands on his hips and his foot patiently tapping to the music in his head when he heard the water cut off. He almost whirled around, but remembered the state Sora would be in. He heard her take a towel off the rack, but then all was quiet. He figured she was drying off. He felt her hand rest on his shoulder and smiled.

"Finally! I didn't think you'd... ever get... done..." Tai had turned around slowly, only to find something that he hadn't be prepared for.

Sora stood before him.

Completely naked.

"Uh... S-S-Sora?" he sputtered. She sighed and put a finger against his lips. He took a deep breath and gathered all of his courage to keep from wilting to the floor as he began to take her in with his eyes... This time without shame.

She was a beautiful girl in his eyes... although, all of the ones he had ever seen were superficial. Hardly anything could have prepared him for the body that stood before him. Her breathing was slow and shaky, as if she was just waiting for the rejection that she was almost certain she was receive. Tai put his hand on her face, cupping her cheek ever so gently. He took a step forward... and kissed her.

This was no ordinary kiss.

This was the kiss that they had been denied the night of Sora's mother's death.

This was the kiss that would shatter all of the ones that had ever been shared with anyone else but each other.

This was their kiss.

The whole world seemed to slow down... Any movement that they made seemed to be twice as slow as it would have been otherwise. Tai stopped restraining himself and made the kiss deeper, which Sora welcomed. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her deeper and deeper until they couldn't have been told apart. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him even deeper into the kiss. His hands rested on the small of her back, shaking. He wasn't sure where to go from here... He may not have known which step was next, he definitely knew what his destination was.

He broke the kiss. It was more like pulling himself out of a gravity well... The need to go back to her was overwhelming. He saw her eyes and longed to kiss her again... he could feel the pull of her love on him... His heart was crying out for her, but he needed to make sure of something first.

"Are you sure?"

Sora sighed and rested her head on Tai's chest, closing her eyes. Then, with courage she hadn't tapped into for a long time, she nodded. It took Tai a bit of time to realize that she had actually nodded. There were feelings flowing through his body that he had never felt before... both terrifying and very, very exciting. With what little conscious thought he had left, he remembered that he had more he needed to say before they went on with this... but right now, Tai was beginning to long for something that required absolutely no words at all.

"You know we can't go back after this."

She nodded slowly. Tai could feel her heart racing as she pressed her bare body closer to him, causing him to draw in sharp breath. She was nervous... more nervous that anyone could imagine. Why did it always have to mean so much to the girl and almost always so little to the guy? Sora didn't know that Tai was having almost as much trouble as she was keeping her composure and thoughts in check. She had never presented herself like this to any man, and she never planned on doing it to anyone else but Tai... he was special somehow... Somehow, he was the one... The one that would take care of her. The one that would help her reach a new level of being... the one that would always be there... and-

"I love you, Sora."

-the one that would always love her.

She opened her eyes, looked at him, and smiled. She put her hand on his face and he closed his eyes, leaning into her hand, yearning for her touch. He put one of his own hands over hers and pressed himself into it. It was hot from the shower water that had been running over it, but Tai knew that wasn't the only reason. He kissed her palm softly and rested his cheek in it again. He opened his eyes and saw her looking at him, her eyes soft, caring, and loving. He smiled as she mouthed I love you, too.

Ah, Loving Sora.

The girl whose heart could love even those who didn't deserve it.

Such as himself.

He wasted no time. He kissed her, not as deep as the last time, yet just as passionate. Then, breaking the kiss again, he took her hand and began to lead her to her bedroom. He stopped when they entered her bedroom and stared at the bed. Sora looked at him with curiosity etched into her features, wondering what he had seen that seemed to scare him.

"Sora... I'm not so sure about this... I mean, it's not like I have..." Tai coughed and then quietly continued, "..anything that would, uh... prevent anything else..." He began to blush a deep red and Sora put her hands on his face and shook her head, kissing him.

I take it she doesn't care... Maybe this is how it was supposed to be...

Tai wrapped his hands around Sora's naked body and put his head on her shoulder, kissing her ear gently. Sora involuntarily stiffened in his arms. Tai embraced her closer to him, never planning on letting her slip away from him.

"I won't hurt you, Sora... I promise... What does happen won't be intentional... I would never hurt you intentionally." And he meant it. Tai, in his whole entire life, had never hurt Sora intentionally... she was someone that he never considered that he could or would want to hurt. All of the times he had snapped at her, punched her in the arm in a good-natured manner, or made her cry... none of those times had been intentional. And he wasn't about to start now. Not when her life was on the line... Yes, two worlds were in the equation, too, but... to him... he couldn't give a care for the world if Sora couldn't live on... He felt ashamed, however, that it had taken him so damn long to figure that out.

Tai could have sworn that Sora almost melted in his arms.

He tilted her chin up toward him and kissed her again. He kept the kiss connected as he scooted back until the edge of the bed hit him in the back of the knees. With his hands wrapped safely around Sora's waist, he just fell back, still engaged in the kiss.

Falling... falling.... falling... falling into rapture...

With the kiss still going, Tai flipped Sora over to where he was on top of her. He broke the kiss and took in her face... The room was dark, as he had turned off the light before Sora had taken her shower, but the light from the glow-in-the-dark stars provided enough light for him to study her. In his heart, he knew that if there was any way to tell if she was ready or not, he had to look into her eyes. As it turned out, Sora was not only exposing her pure body, but also the soul that had been tainted in her youth. Even though she was not naive, her innocence was still with her... Her father, though a bastard, had not taken it from her... The Demon hadn't... T.K. hadn't, although it wouldn't have been him... But now... It was time for innocence to become a thing of the past... It was time for it to become something that was forgotten...

For along with innocence comes fear...

She was afraid of him.

For along with innocence comes sadness...

She had always believed she was unwanted because her innocence had stayed with her.

For along with innocence comes torture...

The torture that she felt she could never be with the man she wanted.

With the losing of her innocence...

Fear of him would not last.

She would feel wanted.

And she would be with him. The man of her dreams. The man who would cradle her in his arms and kiss her, telling her not to worry... He was there... and he would take care of her.

Tai brushed back a stray strand of hair from her forehead and cupped her cheek, still observing her face in the green light of the stars above them.

"You know that this will give us power that we've never dreamed of."

Sora shook her head, not understanding him, but almost not hearing him because she was so lost in his eyes... Oh, those eyes... The sea of peace that she wished to be within...

"This is something deeper than deep, Sora... This is almost more sacred than the most sacred, you know? We are the two people who will keep two worlds from being destroyed... That means so much, Sora... It may not give us power, but it will give us something... new. Something that we never thought could happen... We both know that.."

Sora hesitated and slowly nodded. The need for him was growing stronger, but her innocence kept that fear within her... That fear that he would hurt her... although he had told her otherwise... She was afraid. Very afraid. But the need.... Oh, she needed to satisfy the need for him... The need was overwhelming... as it was with him.

"Are you ready for me, Sora?"

With a deep, shaky breath that almost seemed big enough to make her lungs burst, she nodded. Tai, who was on top of her, felt her breath and realized that it had taken courage for her to do that. That it had taken courage for her to admit that she was ready. That it had taken what little conscience was left in her mind to admit with that nod that she was in need of him... and with his next words, he admitted the same.

"I think I've always been ready for you... Oh God, I love you."

Sora smiled softly, her face seeming angelic in the gentle light from the stars that shone down on her. He kissed her cheek, her forehead, and her lips before he rose from her.

Tai took off his shirt... then the rest of his clothes...

Instinct, Love, Courage, and Fate took over from there.

* * *

That night... As he came into her... all of the lights in Odaiba went out.

Astronomers reported the stars shone at least fifty percent brighter.

And the bond that would save two worlds was tied.

6

he gave his all

Sora rolled over in her sleep, encountering something that her body did not recognize in its slumber.

Slowly, she wakened from her sleep to see a man beside her in her bed. She rose to a sitting position and looked down at him.

His firm jaw line and plain yet masculine appearance set her off into a dreamy state almost immediately. The sheets on the bed covered him over his waist, revealing his bare torso. Sora looked down at herself and saw that she herself was exposed. She snatched up the sheets and covered her bare chest while blushing, but realized the silliness of it all after she had done so. What was she afraid of? He had seen her... and definitely touched her in a way that no one else had... Why was she afraid of him?

In truth, she wasn't. It had only been her instinct, and now she was being childish.

Trying not to dwell on her own embarrassment, she began to look at Tai again. She traced a finger along his jaw line slowly, letting it trail down his chest. She drew invisible circles on his flat, muscular stomach. In his sleep, Tai stirred slightly, making a moan that Sora thought was born of elation.

"Oh, Tai..." she whispered, and then clamped a hand over her mouth.

Did she just.. speak?

You know this will give us power that we've never dreamed of.

Was the power Tai talking about the power to heal? Or to give back what is taken? Or was it just something to strengthen Sora?

Sora didn't care right now. She and Tai could talk about it later. Right now, he had to know what he had given back to her in the incredible act they had committed.

At this thought, Sora stopped her motions completely.

Last night... Oh God, last night was... amazing...

The power had flown through both of them... They could feel it... and with it, their feelings...

In the moment that their bodies had reached a critical level of emotional and physical strain, their thoughts, heartbeats, and souls became one...

They knew each other's desire... hopes... dreams... sorrows...

This meant Sora knew why Tai didn't want to be with her in the first place.

It also meant that Tai knew and felt what had happened the night her father had left... and all the other nights she had to watch him hurt her mother.

They knew everything in the other's mind.

All in the time of less than a second.

It was an incredible feeling.

There was no other way to describe it.

But enough with that.

Wake him up, Sora! H e needs to know!

She turned over, laid down, and draped a hand over his chest. He didn't move. His chest rose weakly and slowly. His body shuddered ever so slightly with each breath he took.

Sora jerked her arm away from him. What was wrong?

Tai's face scrunched up into one that showed pain, but he made no sound.

"Tai! Tai, wake up! Come on, Tai!" Sora began to say, but still, Tai made no movement. His chest stopped rising and, although she didn't notice, Sora stopped breathing.

Abruptly, Tai's eyes shot open and he gasped for breath.

"Help me! Please!" he screamed, his body shaking violently.

"Tai! What's wrong?" Sora cried, trying to hold him as best she could. Was he going into shock? What was happening? Tai continued to shake, and by now he had broken out into a heavy, cold sweat. Slowly, he turned his head toward her and managed a fleeting smile.

"Sora? Y-Y-You can sp-sp-talk?" he asked, sputtering uncontrollably.

"Yes, I can, but what's wrong? Tai!" Tai closed his eyes and began to breath in short, sharp breaths and exhale them twice as quickly.

"A-A-Ask Iz-z-zy," he stammered out. Tai opened his eyes and looked at Sora, obviously in pain. "I'll b-b-be alright-t. It'sss... s-sus-spos-sed to ha-ha-happ-p-p-pen-happen."

"Tai, no! Please hang on! I'm going to call Joe!" Sora cried as she got up from the bed and ran toward the phone. As she was dialing the number, she failed to hear Tai gather his breath to whisper a phrase.

"H-He can't h-h-help."

Tai still shook but Sora watched in horror as his eyes rolled back into his head. His breaths became few and far between. Sora dropped the phone and ran over to him, checking his pulse but putting her ear to his chest.

.....beat..........................beat.....beatbeat............beat

Sora began to cry, the tears streaming down her cheeks as she picked up the phone and tried to dial the rest of the number with a shaking hand.

Oh God... I can't lose him, too...

"I love you, Tai! Please don't give up yet!"

As Tai fell into unconsciousness, he felt one of her tears land on his chest.

I can't fight it that long, Sora... please help me...

Then his mind sank into utter darkness...

No one, not the Good Forces, the Assembly of Sin, the Demon, Sora, or Gennai, knew if he would be able to see the light again.

All they could do was hope.

A/N: *sighs shakily and lays an arm over her eyes as she throws herself back in her chair*

That was the most... nerve racking chapter I have EVER done...

Man... when your mind writes the fics without consulting your conscience, it can get pretty dang scary... Although, I was always at least 10 steps away from going hentai or anything like that.

Sooooo.... How did I do? TELL ME TELL ME TELL ME! ~er... please?

I PROMISE to try and get the next chapter out before the whole dang month is over... although, I can't promise anything... I'll have semester tests coming up and everything... you guys know how it is.

Uh... Oh yeah! There should be one more chapter left... Review your little hearts out! I want some motivation! If you want the next chapter before the whole dang month is out, give me a little feedback, people!

Um.... *tries to think if she's missing anything*... There's something I'm forgetting... Oh yeah! Logan's review! THIS IS NOT PART OF THE FIC! My explanation for doing this is listed in the following statement:

Upon trying to review Logan's fic "Genesis" Chapter 8, to be precise, FanFiction.Net accused me of spamming the review. *rolls eyes* Anyway, I have added the review to the bottom of my fic to make it up to Logan, a very, very, VERY good friend of mine who wanted this on the site... So here it is. The HUGE review. If you want to read it, go ahead. I know this isn't what you wanted, Logan, but I'm trying to get it on the site like you wanted! I'm sorry... I know it's not good enough, but I tried to get it on here!

ANYWAY, if you want to read the review, skip down below the closing.

UNTIL NEXT TIME, THIS IS

ARTISAN OF THE WRITTEN WORD

signing off

LOGAN'S REVIEW FOR GENESIS 8: CHAPTER 8:

Finally. I'm here. ^_^ Now to get on with this review... Which will be loooooong. I hope you have a lot of time, Logan. ^_^ Okay...

1.) The first fight. Grendle and Cody. A fight of honor and chivalry. Something that both felt was necessary in some way or another. It seemed rather sad, though. Someone finding it within themselves that they had to kill someone they had always loved... just for honor? In a way, it hurts me to think that... honor, of all things, is something that has to be restored by killing the person who brought shame. That would mean so many of us would die, wouldn't it? So many of our lives... just wiped from the face of the earth because for at least one time in our lives, it hurt one of our family members to look us in the eye? Is that what it amounts to? Mostly... I'm afraid so. But, as it was their code, Cody had to do it. And Cody didn't actually restore honor. He tried to offer redemption to his grandfather... but his grandfather... the part of Grendle that still felt pain and sorrow and longing for a former life... refused. Sad... Very sad. And for Cody to watch his grandfather take such a fall... To watch as flames envelope his body... the flames that he had avoided for so long. Because Grendle had feared he would become the true beast that lived within his mind... and that had to be the way he died. So sad. Very sad. But at least the fight was over. I believe that there will stilll be a fight in Cody's heart over time, over what he could have done... But then again, his heart may turn bitter over time, as so many of ours do. *sigh* Next.

2.) The second fight. Kari and Dayus. This fight did not disturb me as much as you led me to believe it would, but it was rather... strange, I suppose. The way you conveyed Dayus, swaying to the music of voices that cried out... He swayed to the voices of pain! To the music that they play! He enjoyed the origin of pain... He enjoyed pain... It was his friend. His only friend. But then... didn't pain betray him? Didn't pain turn to death? Didn't it all go away because of what he had given to so many? Hadn't he said he would welcome death and the pain it would bring? But he did not anticipate the amount of pain... and how it had overloaded his mind and body... causing his whole body to become an overstrained machine. To malfunction to the point of death. As Stephen King used in "The Eyes of the Dragon", Dayus had reached his "breaking strain". But the breaking strain didn't happen at a gradual pace as we often snap under a large amount of stress. All of the cries, the pain, the screams, all of the pain and death he had brought so *many*... It had all hit him with the force of a million atom bombs... The time elapsed? Hardly even a second. Can any of us *imagine* what would happen to us if we felt all of the pain that we brought to others? Multiplied by 10? 100? 1000? And then, to add the final kick when we're down, it hits all in one freaking second? Less than that? Our minds wouldn't be able to handle it. Suicide would be a relief. But then again, how many of us would make it to the point of having the decision of taking our own life or living with the pain? We would all give up hope, love, courage, our friendships, the light we have inside, the reliability that we had in our hearts, the sincerity of our minds, and the knowledge that we have obtained over the years... And without those, we would lose our reason to live. We would lose our identity. We would forget who we are. All we would remember is the pain we brought to others. We would only remember what would rather be forgotten. Okay... After that, let's go on.

3.) Sora and Kale. I don't have that much to say about this one... It was rather sad how you described Kale's past. How you described she had watched her mother be murdered in cold blood. That can tear even the strongest of us down. Kale was certainly strong. My interpretation of Kale is someone who managed to totally depend on herself in the blink of an eye. A truly exceptional child, although the way her mind worked deep within was something that would have probably totally opposed the outside view of her. Inside, she was probably trying to find out how to depend on herself... she was probably confused for the longest time, and she may have been when she finally died. But then, Genesis came along... Inside her mind, he turned into the thing that would allow her to become who she wanted to be. She wanted to be with someone who would become the model of who she wanted to be. She wanted someone who was strong enough to hold the whole world's worries on his shoulders, so hers wouldn't seem so... awful? I guess that's the word. But Sora came along and stole it all away from her, although it took Kale the longest time to realize that Sora had never stolen anything from Kale... That she had always been in Taichi's heart. That she had always been Tai's and nothing could change that. It was sad to see Kale as she was at the end of the fight... Helpless... A child again. The same child that had seen so much violence. The same child that could have been one of the most brilliant people in the history of the planet... That same person laid on the ground, severed from the limb that had killed so many, and begging for Sora, the girl who she had so bitterly fought against... Telling her to go to the man she had loved... As her life force ran out, realizing that she was never the one to have Taichi, but in her heart, the one that she had always wished would be hers. *sighs deeply* Let's move on again.

4.) The fourth fight, and also the most ghastly in my eyes. Matt and T.K. How T.K. was able to let himself disown his brother, I understand now. Before, I wasn't sure. The love you have for your family is supposed to be unconditional... but when the son crucifies his own father? That was not the most horrific part to me... It was when you described the way he had taken Gabumon apart and added his attributes to his (Matt's) own body. What kind of person can you be to actually *do* that! That is the most horrific, bloody, merciless thing I have ever heard of! Gabumon and his loyalty... Loyalty is a trait that we all strive for... We all want someone to know us and recognize us for that, but when loyalty becomes the thing that kills us. Why did Gabumon have to be treated that way? He was a totally innocent creature. Yes, he knew what was going to happen... but why couldn't he have refused? If he was a mega, he could have certainly destroyed anyone who had even *suggested* the idea! I mean, please! He should have saved himself, but yes... of course... Loyalty, no matter how pointless and life threatening it seemed to him, he put Matt ahead of himself... even when it was hopeless and... Logan... You almost made me cry at this part. This was almost too much for me to keep going. Why is it our virtues that gets most of us killed? We say we believe in something, we get shot. We say a certain person is our friend, we are shot down by the comments of those who seek to bring others down with them. Why is it always what a person treasures that hurts them the most? Why? It's just the way life is, I suppose... But I wish it didn't have to be that way. I suppose it would have been poetic justice if T.K. had summoned enough strength to tear Matt apart, but the warrior could only do what the physical body would allow him to. And then, the love of his life saved him... Truly poetic in all... but so painful to read. The way Matt nonchalantly regarded to Gabumon made me furious. The digimon had given something that had been given especially to it! And it was *nothing* to Matt! Nothing! It makes me wonder if people are like that if they ever had a heart at all. Well, let's continue before I get to sad to carry on through the day.

5.) The last and final fight. Ken and Genesis. I thought it was rather disturbing how you made Sora turn into a bloody amputator (amputater, whatever) as she severed Ken's hand from the rest of his body in an attempt to save the whole world. Necessary, yes, but there must have been some kind of safeguard... as appears at the end of the story I believe, but anyway... The way you described Tai telling the others when he understood most of what Genesis was... That Genesis creates, not destroys... That it's not the force of nature that corrupts, but the men that live in nature that do. And how he was ready to sacrifice himself again, but Sora refused to let him do it... If I was her, I could understand why she did what she did. When you have a soul connection with someone and they sacrifice themselves, you can't live without half of your spirit.... Well, you can go on, but you certainly couldn't call it living. But then... She was the solution to the Genesis equation. She was what saved the two worlds. The love that existed within her and that she represented... Yes, that was why she was the solution. Because she was something that not one other was. I didn't expect Taichi to take the ring from Ken's hand (to backtrack a little ^_^) but as it was... it was another part of the Genesis equation. Most definitely. (To backtrack again-sorry ^_^*) The kiss that would have killed anyone... The supposedly last kiss. The one that was supposed to have solved the hurting in their hearts but only caused more. That would have been something that would have driven me to do the same thing that Sora did... But then... what was Kari's premonition about? And Ken is gone? Strange... But then... The next chapter is to explain all of this, which you will get out soon. ^_^ Listen to your daughter. She knows best. lol Sorry. I couldn't help it. I hope you get the next part out soon... Lord knows that you definitely not rushing it. ^_~ Just messin' with ya. That's my job as your moody teenage daughter. lol Please hurry with the next chapter. Was this review long enough? I told you you were going to get a 6-pager! lol ttyl love ya- Whit

I told you people it was long!

Please review!