Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, and I never will. No explanation necessary.
Author's Notes: Well, here it its. Three glorious months as an author on FF.net. I gotta
tell ya, the only reason I keep coming back is all those great review you guys give me. I
don't exactly know how far from the ninth this will be published, because, as I'm sure
you all have noticed, the site isn't working very well right now. The thought was there
though, and that's what counts. Enjoy! (Oh, and by the way, don't let the beginning fool
you. This is purely a Taiora.)
You Weren't Grounded--by Illjwamh
Six years. It had been six years since he'd developed deep feelings for his best friend,
and Taichi Kamiya still could not find the courage to tell her. The worst part was, every
time he thought he might be ready, she got a new boyfriend. That had happened three
times already, and each time the relationship lasted longer than the one before. If he
didn't tell her soon, he may never get another chance. True, they were only sixteen, but
for some reason Tai had an uneasy feeling in his gut.
This noteworthy day was of mixed feelings for Tai. Sora had just broken up with her
boyfriend of five months, and while he felt bad for her, as a friend should, he also was
excited that he had another shot.
'Don't blow it this time, Tai,' he told himself. 'Just bide your time, but make sure to
tell her before she finds somebody else again.'
This particular February afternoon, he was sitting at a booth in the gang's favorite
restaurant with matt and Sora herself. Sora was sitting next to him, which was wonderful,
and Matt was sitting across from them. Sora was talking about her breakup.
"I don't know," she said. "It just makes me think. Will I ever have a lasting
relationship? I mean, this was my longest one ever, which isn't saying much."
"Aw, cheer up, Sor!" Tai comforted her. "You're only sixteen! And besides, you're a
really cool person! Somebody's bound to notice that sooner or later!"
"Yeah," Matt added. "You can't let just a few failed relationships get you down. I
mean, look at me and Marika. We'd been going out for almost a year when we broke up,
but I'm still okay. You've just gotta move on."
Sora smiled. "Thanks, you guys. But, I just don't think I'm ever going to find the
perfect guy for me."
Matt laughed at this. "What do you mean? He's sitting right next to you!"
Tai was startled. What to do? He still didn't have the guts to admit his feelings for her,
and this was an awkward situation. So he decided to do what he always did; pretend that
nothing was there.
"What are you talking about, Matt?" Tai laughed it off. He did his best to sound
casual, and apparently it worked, because the subject was then changed and it was not
referred to again. Matt and Sora probably forgot about it. Tai didn't, though. He would
regret saying that for the next year and a half...
About a month after that incident, near the beginning of March, Matt asked Sora out.
Tai couldn't believe it! She accepted, and the two had been dating ever since!
At first, they couldn't keep their hands off each other, and that hurt Tai more than
anything he could've ever imagined. It was nothing however, to what came next. They
were turning into a serious couple! Months and months went by, and Tai decided to wait
it out like he always did. This time, though, there was no end in sight! Matt and Sora kept
getting closer, and closer, and it looked as though he had missed his last chance. The pain
of it was almost unbearable.
Sure, Sora and he were still best friends, she would confide in him all her troubles, and
she obviously still cared for him, but she spent less and less time with him. Furthermore,
the greater numbers of their conversations were becoming Sora telling him how great
Matt was. Then, after she had been dating Matt for nearly eight months, something
unexpected happened.
"Tai, what do you think of Matt's and my relationship?" Sora asked one day as they
were drinking milkshakes in the café.
Tai almost spit his shake back into his glass. "What?"
"I want to know what you think of my relationship with Matt," she repeated.
"Why?" he asked.
"Because I value your opinion," she answered. "More than just about anyone else's."
Despite the fact that hearing her say that felt very good, Tai was still nervous about
answering the question. He could say he didn't approve, but that would be unethical.
Fortunately, he knew her well enough to figure out how to handle this.
"Yeah," he said. "But it's not like you'd stop seeing him if I said I didn't approve."
"Well, I might," she said. "If you had a good reason."
Tai's heart skipped a beat. Here it was! His chance! Probably his one and only chance
to destroy the relationship that was causing him so much pain. He could make up any
reason why she should stop seeing Matt, and if she was telling him the truth, then she'd
break up with him! It was too perfect!
'Wait, what am I thinking!?' he scolded himself. 'I couldn't do that, it's wrong! On
the other hand, I can't tell her that I think it's great, because that would be a lie, and she
can tell! What am I gonna do?'
"Well?" Sora's voice snapped him back to reality.
"Um, I don't think I can answer that, Sor," he said.
"What do you mean, you don't have any opinion whatsoever?"
"No, I do, I just can't tell you."
Now she looked upset. "Why not? You've never not told me anything!"
"I know, but I just can't tell you this." It was hard. He had always told her everything,
(well, with one exception), and she had always told him everything. This was definitely
going to have a negative effect on their relationship.
Just as he predicted, Sora got really upset, and got up and left the café, without saying
anything to him. He could feel his heart being squashed.
For the next week, Sora didn't speak to him much. After that however, she spoke to
him much more than usual. She teased him and batted her eyelashes, and everything she
always did when she wanted to get something out of him, but nothing worked. She finally
promised him that she would drop it, seeing as he really didn't want to tell her. So things
went on, and before Tai knew it, it was February again.
Things were worse than ever for Tai now. Sora was so excited over the prospect of her
one-year anniversary with Matt, that it was almost all she could talk about. Somehow, Tai
felt that if they made it past the one-year mark, then all hope was lost forever. He prayed
that something would happen. Something that would split them up before their
anniversary.
As the weeks passed and march drew nearer, Tai got more and more nervous. Then,
three days before the end of the month, his prayers were answered in a discussion he had
with Sora on his living room couch.
She had come over because she was upset about something, and wanted to talk to him.
So he made her some hot chocolate, and they sat in front of the fire with snow falling
freely on the other side of the window. They talked about this and that, but she had yet to
mention what was bothering her. After a half hour, Tai couldn't stand it anymore and he
asked her what was up.
"Well," she began, "It's about Matt and me. I think. . .I think he wants to end it."
"What do you mean, Sora?" Tai should have been ecstatic, but he couldn't help but
feel her pain. He hated to see her upset about anything.
"You know how, before we were together, he always had a bunch of girls following
him around? He was a ladies man, and he loved it. Now, every girl around knows he's
with me, and he doesn't get that anymore. I think he misses it."
"What makes you think that?" Tai asked. He anger towards Matt was growing
steadily.
"I heard him talking about it to one of his friends. I think he'd rather be back with all
those girls drooling all over him than with me. And with the way he's been acting lately,
I'd feel fine letting him." Sora too now sounded quite frustrated.
"What a jerk!" Tai nearly exploded. "He's actually thinking about dumping you just
so he can have a bunch of girls chase after him again!?"
"So what do you think I should do?" she asked.
"I'm not really sure," he answered truthfully. Telling her to break up with him was
definitely the unethical thing to do. Besides, currently all he could think about was
helping Sora, not himself.
"Tai?"
"Yeah?"
"You never told me why you didn't like Matt's and my relationship."
Tai's was stunned. "I never said I didn't like it!" he stated.
"No, but it was pretty obvious."
Tai sighed and gave in. "You're right," he said. "I don't like it."
"Why not? What is it about him? This is the perfect time to tell me, seeing as I'm
already not very happy with him."
Should he do it? Her relationship with Matt had never been so fragile, and he could
end it all right now with one little white lie. There were so many things he could say
pertaining to how wrong he was for her, and in her current state, she would take it all to
heart.
"Why do you want to know?" he asked.
"I already told you, I value your opinion. You've been my friend longer than anyone,
and I cherish your advice." She wrapped her left arm around his right and leaned on it.
This was more than Tai could take. One phrase, one statement could end the whole
thing. All he had to do was tell her something bad about Matt, and that she should break
up with him, and she would. His suffering would be over.
No. He just couldn't do it. It was wrong, and it was manipulating her feelings. He
could never take advantage of her like that. He loved her, and he only wanted the best for
her, regardless of what happened to him. He was going to tell her the truth.
"Well, if you really want to know, I'll tell you," he said. She lifted her head up off his
arm and looked at him.
"You will?"
He nodded.
"So what is it?" she prodded. "What don't you like about Matt?"
"Well, the real reason is...I'm jealous." There, he said it. Now all that was left was to
await her reaction.
"You're jealous?" she looked shocked. He nodded again. "So, it's not anything about
Matt, it's just the fact that Matt's there at all?"
"Yeah, that's about it," he said simply.
"Oh, Tai, you could've told me that," she gave him a hug.
"I know, I probably should've too, I just couldn't make myself."
She slowly released him. "I have to go now, it's getting late." She got up from the
couch and put her coat on. "Thanks for being there for me, Tai." She gave him another
hug as he got up and joined her.
"No problem, anytime." He wanted to keep hugging her forever, but alas, that would
never happen. They separated, and she walked out the door into the snow, and he was left
there, wondering.
Sora and Matt did not break up, although they had a very shaky one-year anniversary.
They went out to dinner, but it seemed like they did it more for the sake of the occasion
than for wanting to go out together. Over the next month, however, they patched thing up
and were as close as ever. Closer, even. Tai nearly cried every time he looked at her, for
he knew that when a couple got over something like that and stayed together, their bond
grew stronger still. Tai watched in silence as events began to repeat themselves. Sora was
spending less and less time with him, and more and more time with Matt. This time, it
was even worse than before. Sora was talking about being with Matt forever, and though
she spoke in jest, Tai could hear a twinkle of truth to her words. Tai was so miserable; he
didn't even notice the end of the school year sneaking up on him. Before he knew it, June
had arrived.
One day, when Matt and Sora were walking home together, he just couldn't take it
anymore. He found Mimi, who was Sora's best female friend, and confessed everything
to her. Surprisingly, Mimi seemed to take his side over Matt's.
"I knew all that, Tai," she said when he had finished.
"You did? But how?"
Mimi just laughed. It's pretty obvious, you know."
Tai frowned. "Apparently to everyone except Sora."
Mimi placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know how you feel. Believe me, I do. But you
can't give up all hope."
"Why not?"
Mimi thought for a moment, and then snapped her fingers as though she just thought
of something. "You know, Matt told me, that if he and Sora ever broke up, that I had to
make sure she ends up with you."
"What?" Tai was totally thrown off by that revelation. "Why"
"Because he knows you'll take care of her. You're the only other person who's always
been good to her, and Matt know that you're the only other person who could make her
happy."
Tai blinked. Matt had said that once. Over a year ago, and he had foolishly laughed it
off. What's worse, he laughed it off in front of Sora. He had regretted doing that ever
since the day Matt asked her out. He had wished countless times to go back in time and
change the events of that day, but it was no use. Did Matt really still think that Tai would
be a good match for Sora?
"Plus," Mimi added, pulling him back to the present, "I think you're the only one he
trusts with her."
"Matt really said all that?"
Mimi nodded. "I think I'd try to set you up with her if they broke up anyway. You two
would make a good couple."
"Well," Tai managed a chuckle, "It's going to be a lot harder to hate Matt now."
"I know it must be really hard to stay good friends with him when you're both in love
with the same girl, but you just have to be strong, okay?" she looked him in the eye as
she said this last part.
"I will," he said. "Thanks, Mimi."
"Anytime." She smiled brightly.
So Tai felt a little bit better. He felt better still, when he had a conversation with Sora
in the commons at school a few days later.
"Why do you put up with me?" she asked. Tai just laughed. "No, seriously," she said,
trying not to laugh herself. "You've been my best friend since we were ten. How can you
not have gotten sick of me?"
Tai laughed harder. "Are you kidding?" he said. "I could never get sick of you. You're
just to loveable." She gave him a playful shove. He loved to tease her like that, and it'd
been a while since he'd had a chance to do it. "What I'm worried about is you getting
sick of me."
"What?" Now it was Sora's turn to laugh. "No way! Where would I ever find anyone
else like you?" She decided to tease him back. "Besides, I could never get rid of you
anyway."
"That's not true." Tai held his finger up at her to emphasize his point. "If you wanted
me to leave, I would."
"So, what? You're saying that if I asked you to go away and never talk to me again
you would?"
"Of course. It would hurt, that's for sure, but if you said you didn't want me around,
I'd take off."
She smiled at him. "Well Tai, I want you to know that I would never, EVER say that."
She gave him a hug and he returned it.
"That's nice to know," he said. Then he remembered something. "Oh! That new
American movie is coming to town in two weeks! You wanna go see it?" There was a
theater in town that showed popular American movies. It was the only one around, so it
was a big deal. The only problem was, there was only one screen, so it only showed one
film at a time, and they tended to last a couple of months. Tai and Sora always used to go
see them together when they came out, because Tai would always somehow get free
tickets. It was like a tradition for them, but they hadn't been in almost two years.
"Yeah, that'd be fun!" she said. "Just like old times!"
"It opens on Friday, the last day of school," Tai said. "Wanna go then?"
"Sure! My cousin is coming to visit next week, but it shouldn't be a problem."
"Your cousin? Which one?"
"Reiko. She eleven. She and my aunt are coming on Monday and staying for a few
weeks. My mom's really excited about it."
"Cool," Tai said. "I want to meet them."
"No you don't, trust me," Sora replied. The two of them had a good laugh, and then
hurried off to class.
Tai was in better spirits than he'd been in a long time. He anxiously awaited the last
day of school. There was only one major event until then, but it was something he never
would've wanted to miss.
It was the year-end awards ceremony. All the students of the school gathered in the
auditorium to watch. Tai waited patiently through the whole thing, but neither he, nor
anybody else knew who was getting any of the awards. He knew he was up for best male
athlete, and that Sora was up for best female athlete. He wanted her to win it more than
he wanted himself to win. He had won last year, while she had been overlooked, and
nobody deserved that trophy more than she did.
When the athletic award came up, Tai perked up his ears. He heard them calling. . .
"Best female athlete. . .Sora Takenouchi!" Everyone cheered, but no one as loudly as
him. He cheered so loud that he barely heard what came next.
"Best male athlete. . .Taichi Kamiya!" He jumped up and almost tripped as he made
his way up to the stage. He could see Sora cheering for him, and that felt really good. He
got up there, and he and Sora were handed their awards. They hugged each other tightly,
and nothing that had happened so for could compare with what happened next.
"I love you." Tai heard her whisper it in his ear as they embraced. It only took a
second of deliberation, and he answered her.
"I love you, too." They hugged tighter. This was all he needed. Who cares if she goes
off and marries Matt? She loved him. It may not have been in the same way that he loved
her, but she loved him! She told him so, and he could not recall a moment in his life
when he felt happier.
The rest of the week passed blissfully, and Tai looked forward to Friday night more
than ever. He arrived at school that morning, and not surprising at all, there was nearly no
one there. It was never official, of course, but the teachers always told their students not
to come on the last day. Most didn't, but some liked to stay and just hang out. The
digidestined always stayed, just for the fun of it. This year, Matt couldn't though, because
his band had a gig. Tai didn't complain. Usually, they would hang out in the auditorium.
Mimi, who was in drama, had a key to the basement green room; where there were
couches and recliners, snack foods, and a television. When he arrived, everyone but Sora
was there, and Mimi led them all downstairs. Tai sat in the chair he always used, and
leaned back.
"Don't get used to that, Tai," Mimi said. "During orientation last week, TK said he
liked that chair. He and Kari are going to be in drama next year, so he'll have first dibs."
"Yeah, whatever," Tai responded. "Hey, where's Sora?" he asked, looking around.
"I don't know," Mimi said. "Why don't you call her?"
Tai walked across the room to the phone, and dialed Sora's number.
"Hello?" Tai instantly recognized her sweet voice on the other end.
"Hey Sora."
"Oh, hi Tai."
"What's up? Why didn't you come to school today?"
"I couldn't. I'm grounded."
"Bummer, why?"
"Let's just put it this way: Mouthing off to my mother in front of my aunt probably
wasn't a good idea."
"Oh, I see. So you're stuck at home, huh?"
"'Fraid so. Anything interesting happening?"
"Nope. We're just watching a new anime video that Izzy brought."
"Sounds fun. Listen, I'm sorry but I've gotta go. I'll see you later, okay?"
"'K. See ya." They both hung up at the same time, and Tai walked back to the others.
"What's the deal?" asked Joe.
"She's grounded," Tai told them. They all nodded in understanding, then went back to
the anime, in which a ninja just dispatched two opponents in the time it took his rice ball
to go up after he'd thrown it and then come back down.
That night, around six o'clock, Tai remembered the movie. He didn't know if Sora's
being grounded meant that she couldn't go, but he figured since it had been planned in
advance, she would be allowed. Besides, Sora's mother always liked him anyway. He
decided he'd better call to make sure.
When the phone was picked up on the other end, a young girl answered. Tai figured it
must've been Reiko.
"Hi, is Sora there?" he asked politely.
"No, she isn't," came the reply. Tai's smile dropped. She was supposed to be
grounded, why wasn't she home?
"Do you know where she is?" he asked.
"She went out with her boyfriend about ten minutes ago."
"I see," replied Tai quietly, barely making an effort to mask the coldness in his voice.
His heart had just cracked, and it was all he could do to maintain his composure on the
phone.
"Do you want to know where they went?" Reiko asked.
"No, that's all right, thank you."
"Bye then," said Reiko.
"Bye." As soon he hung up the phone, Tai screamed. He screamed a scream of such
pain that it hurt his throat. He threw the phone across the room and banged his fists on the
floor. Just then he heard Kari at his door.
"What's wrong, Tai?" she asked.
"None of your business!" Tai shouted back, perhaps a little louder than necessary.
"Well, if you want to talk about it, I'll be in my room," she said and he heard her walk
away. That was Kari; she never intruded on your privacy if you didn't want her to.
"She lied to me!" Tai squeaked through tears and his now damaged voice. "I don't
believe it!" he collapsed on the floor and cried. It was nearly twenty minutes later when
he finally got up again. He wiped the tears from his eyes, and forced himself to stop
crying. He decided to go and see the movie anyway. He'd go, and while he was there
he'd think about what he was going to say to Sora when he saw her.
In a few minutes, he'd cleaned himself up, and told Kari where he was going. He put
his shoes on, and was out the door. After a brisk fifteen minutes walk, he arrived at the
theater. He presented his ticket, and went in to sit down. He found, however, that there
was no way he would enjoy the picture. About halfway through, he just up and left, and
began walking the streets, trying to clear his head. After a time, he came upon the place
where Matt's band usually played. On impulse, he went inside.
Once there, he found he couldn't stand all the people around him, so he utilized the
permanent backstage pass Matt had acquired for him, and went to listen to the band away
from all the crowds of people. He found a nice chair, and listened to the rest of the
concert from backstage. When it was over, a few people came back to talk to the band.
Among them were none other than Matt and Sora! Tai stood up quickly, his blood was
boiling. They hadn't seen him yet, so he decided to work his way over to a place where
they would walk into him. He managed to get there without them seeing him, and he
leaned up against the wall to wait. When Sora and Matt rounded the corner, they found
Tai leaning there with is arms crossed and a murderously calm look on his face. Sora's
jaw dropped.
"Grounded, huh?" Tai spat out. His voice sounded the way his face looked. Sora was
trying to find words, while Matt, sensing trouble, said he was going to go speak with the
band and headed off. Tai shoved out from the wall and stood up straight, then took a
couple of steps toward Sora, who was still in shock.
"If you didn't want to go to the show with me, you could've just said so," he fumed.
"It would've hurt, yeah, but not like this."
"Tai, I. . ."
"I don't want to hear it!" he snapped. "You lied to me, just so you could spend the
evening with Matt! Obviously our friendship isn't very important to you."
"Tai, please."
"Do you remember when I said I'd go away if you wanted me to?" Tai was almost
shaking, but he was determined to keep his cool and tell her off. "I meant it. And since
you obviously don't want me around, I'll leave. Good-bye, Sora. You'll never see me
again." And with that, he turned on his heel, spun around, and walked out the back door.
"Tai, wait!" Sora called after him, but it was to late, he was already gone. As soon as
he left the building, he broke into a run and started crying again. He ran all the way to the
park, and threw himself down on a bench, where he remained for over an hour. When he
finally showed up at his home, Kari and his parents were worried sick. He didn't care.
Tai was good on his word. Despite the fact that Sora knew all of his hangouts, and
called him every day leaving desperate messages on his machine which she was sure he
was listening to as she left them, she saw neither hide nor hair of Tai for the first four
weeks of summer. Barring the months in the digital world where he had been missing,
she had never gone this long without seeing her best friend. It was tearing her apart. Tai,
on the other hand, was in a state of denial. He hung out with his soccer buddies, and
pretended he had never known Sora. He cried at home at night, but in public, he was just
the same as always.
Mimi called him a few times and tried to persuade him to talk to Sora, but he wouldn't
hear of it. In the end, Mimi got frustrated with him and gave up.
Matt was having a rough time as well. Sora was so upset about Tai, that she barely
spent any time with him anymore. Also, Tai was still his friend, and it hurt to see him this
upset.
Another two weeks passed, and Tai once again heard the familiar sound of a ringing
phone. As usual, he let the machine get it, and as expected, it was Sora on the phone. She
sounded like she was in tears.
"Tai, please. I'm so sorry. I want to explain everything to you. I never meant to
deceive you! You don't know what you're doing to me! I miss you so much, and I need
you back! Please, meet me at our tree in the park at sunset. You have to let me explain
things to you! If after that, you never want to see me again, then okay. But please,
PLEASE come see me tonight. I can't stand this anymore! I need you, and the fact that
you don't want to have anything to do with me is killing me. Do you remember when you
said you'd never get tired of me? That you'd always be there? I need you more than ever,
Tai. I know you're listening to this, and I pray you're willing to give me one more
chance. I love you."
That last part got to him. When she reminded him of his promise, and the last three
words she said. Despite the fact that he still felt angry and betrayed, he still missed her.
He resolved to meet her, if only just to see her one last time. He grabbed an already made
sandwich out of the fridge, and headed for the park. If they were going to meet, they were
going to do it his way.
Tai looked at the horizon from his perch in the tree that he and Sora had called their
own for the past seven years. The sun was setting. Any minute now, she would be
coming. He looked over at the path, and there she was. Even from the distance he could
tell she had been crying. She approached the tree, and came up to stand underneath it.
She clutched her arms as if she were cold, and wore an expression of fear.
"Tai, please come. I know you'll come. You wouldn't leave me out here." She was
apparently still crying.
"I'll have you know I considered it," he said from up in the tree. She gasped and
jerked her head up to see him, but he jumped down beside her. She stared at him wide-
eyed for a moment, and then threw her arms around him. She was now sobbing
uncontrollably onto his shoulder. When she finally let go, she wiped the tears from her
face and looked at him, as though seeing him for the first time in years.
"I was so scared you wouldn't come," she whimpered.
For a moment, his true feelings shone through, and he comforted her. "After you left a
message like that? I had to come to make sure you were okay."
"Tai, I want you to know right now that I had every intention of going to the movies
with you that night. My aunt was the one who messed everything up."
"What?" Tai was certainly not expecting that. All his anger instantly faded away, and
he led her to sit down under the tree and he joined her, eager to hear what happened.
"I told my mother I had made plans with you weeks ago. She said it didn't matter, that
I was still grounded. My aunt tried to convince her to let me go, but she wouldn't hear of
it. That night, my mom had to go meet a friend, and when Matt came by to talk to me, my
aunt thought he was you," Sora explained. "I tried to explain, but she thought I was just
worried about getting in trouble with my mom, so she practically forced me out the door.
When I told Matt what was going on, we tried to knock to get me back in, but my aunt
wouldn't let me. So Matt said we could go out anyway, and explain the whole thing to
you the next day. I never expected you to show up, and I'm really sorry I hurt you, but I
had no control over the matter." Tears were welling up in her eyes again, and Tai was
dumbfounded. All this time, it had been a huge misunderstanding! He came to his senses,
and wiped the tears from Sora's eyes. He then embraced her in a huge hug.
"Do you forgive me?" she whispered in his ear.
"Me forgive you? I should be asking for your forgiveness! I've been acting like an
idiot!"
"No, you were justified. From what you'd seen, the only logical conclusion was that I
lied to you. Everything was my fault. I should've tried to call you that night, I should've
tried harder to explain things to my aunt, and when you ran off from the arena, I
should've gone after you. I'm so sorry, Tai!"
Tai couldn't believe it! Here she was, taking all the blame for something that wasn't in
the least bit her fault! He knew there was only on way to make her feel better.
"It's okay, I forgive you," he whispered. She let out a cry of relief and hugged him
tighter. They just sat there for a while, and he stroked her hair and whispered to her that
everything was going to be okay. It was fully dark out by the time the separated.
"So," Tai said, "What've I missed in the last six weeks?"
"Well, for starters," she began, and a small grin was growing on her face, "I broke up
with Matt."
"You WHAT!?" Those were the words he had been secretly and shamefully longing
to hear for well over a year. And now that he heard them, he didn't know what to make of
it.
"Tai, if there's anything I've learned these past six weeks, it's that you're more
important to me than anyone else in the world. I died when you said I'd never see you
again, and I've been miserable ever since. Matt tried to cheer me up, but it didn't work
very well. If you remember, you managed to cheer me up pretty well when Matt and I
were fighting." Tai nodded. He did remember that. She also hadn't taken it quite so hard
when she and mat were not on speaking terms. "You're the only guy for me, Tai. I love
you, and I've finally wizened up to it. There's nothing I want more in the world than to
just cuddle up to you, and never let go."
Tai was knocked practically senseless. She loved him! She had broken up with her
boyfriend of over a year to be with him! And here she was, saying all she wanted was to
be held by him. It was as if all his dreams had come true at once.
He looked at her for a moment, and then uttered those all-important words he'd been
wanting to say for years. He'd said them once before, of course, but this time, they
carried much more weight.
"I love you, too Sora. You have no idea how long I've wanted to tell you that. I've
loved you ever since I was old enough to understand what love is, and that feeling grows
every day. All I ever wanted to do was make you happy, and now I can do that, and fulfill
my own dreams at the same time."
He leaned in and kissed her. Lightly at first, and then he put more into it. He slid his
hands onto the sides of her soft stomach, and as he did so, she flung her arms around his
neck and kissed him with a passion and fervor that he never could've imagined. He
returned it in full, and soon the two were lying on the ground, kissing with such intensity,
it was as if they were trying to make up for lost time.
Hours later, Tai sat with his back leaned against the tree, Sora cuddled up in his arms.
She looked up at him, her eyes very sleepy, but still full of joy.
"I got what I wanted sooner than I thought," she sighed. Tai smiled down at her.
"You know I'd give you forever if I could. If it weren't for the fact that we live in
different houses, I'd never leave this position." She stretched her neck enough to plant a
tiny kiss upon his lips before dropping her head to his shoulder and falling asleep almost
instantly. Tai gave he a little squeeze, and then rested his head against the tree and drifted
into dreamland. No dream however, could compare to the reality that was his wonderful
life.
The next morning, they awoke within minutes of each other. Tai first, and he used
those precious minutes to watch her sleep, and marvel over how beautiful she was. When
she woke up, the first thing she did was look into his deep, chocolate brown eyes and kiss
him. He had no qualms with this. They stood up together, and reluctantly decided they
should go home before they were both grounded for the remainder of the summer. Tai
dropped her off at her house, kissing her one last time before heading off to his own
home, walking on a cloud. He swung off lampposts, and waved at everyone he saw.
When he got to his house, he didn't even pay attention to his mother yelling at him. He
just went straight to his room, which is where she was trying to send him anyway, and
flopped down on his bed.
"Mental note," he said to himself, "August 3 will from now on be the anniversary of
the day when life officially became perfect."
Tai and Sora spent the rest of the summer together, cramming in everything possible.
All of their friends were thrilled for them, and even Matt seemed happy for them. Tai
made sure that there were no hard feelings between the two, and Matt just said he'd seen
it coming. Izzy said he'd always known it would eventually happen, and Miyako and
Mimi were so excited they could barely be contained. Tai and Sora stayed together all
through senior year. They went to prom together, and spent their last summer at home
together. For their anniversary, Tai took her to the fanciest restaurant in town, and
afterwards, to the tree. They spent the night there, just as they had on their first night as a
couple. They went to different colleges, but stayed together through e-mail and phone
calls. On holidays, they would always visit each other's families. By the time summer
came around again, they had shattered Sora's record for length of a relationship. Once
again they spent their anniversary at the tree, something neither of them would ever tire
of. They are now sophomores in college, and are still together. The Christmas holidays
are coming up, and Tai has recently made a very important purchase from the jewler near
his school. He plans to present it to Sora when they meet again at home. That, however,
is a whole new story.
THE END
*************************************************************************************
Done! Another sappy, sickening love story for all you hopeless romantics out there. And
for you people who are just bored. Isn't it amazing how we seem to write so many
Digimon fanfics that in no way involve the Digimon? I guess nobody gives three shakes
of a hippo's ass what happens to them. Personally, I think the show would be better off
without them. Think about it: Seven kids get transported to a parallel world, and walk
around for a few months before coming home to find the only other kid who can go there
with them, and when they find her, they go back and walk around some more! Sounds
great to me!
P.S. In case you didn't catch it, I alluded to TK's chair from my other story, 'Opening
Night.' I'm not saying this is a prequel, nor am I saying it isn't. I just thought that was
funny.
P.P.S. The anime the gang was watching was Ninja Scroll.
Previews of Coming Attractions:
Puckmon's Revenge
Think F.U.B.A.R. was weird? Wait 'til you read this!
World's Strongest Humans
I know I said this last time, but it takes a lot of work. A DBZ fic starring Krillin and
Yamcha.
Sequel to 'A Favor' (Untitled)
By popular demand! Yes, my most popular story ever will have a sequel coming out,
even longer and better than the original. Don't be searching around for it anytime soon,
though. Knowing my self-motivation skills, it'll be out around Christmas. Just giving you
something to look forward to.
September 9th
Next month's story. A Daiyako. (Don't like, don't read. I don't intend to be flamed in
reviews for a story I haven't even written yet.)
Author's Notes: Well, here it its. Three glorious months as an author on FF.net. I gotta
tell ya, the only reason I keep coming back is all those great review you guys give me. I
don't exactly know how far from the ninth this will be published, because, as I'm sure
you all have noticed, the site isn't working very well right now. The thought was there
though, and that's what counts. Enjoy! (Oh, and by the way, don't let the beginning fool
you. This is purely a Taiora.)
You Weren't Grounded--by Illjwamh
Six years. It had been six years since he'd developed deep feelings for his best friend,
and Taichi Kamiya still could not find the courage to tell her. The worst part was, every
time he thought he might be ready, she got a new boyfriend. That had happened three
times already, and each time the relationship lasted longer than the one before. If he
didn't tell her soon, he may never get another chance. True, they were only sixteen, but
for some reason Tai had an uneasy feeling in his gut.
This noteworthy day was of mixed feelings for Tai. Sora had just broken up with her
boyfriend of five months, and while he felt bad for her, as a friend should, he also was
excited that he had another shot.
'Don't blow it this time, Tai,' he told himself. 'Just bide your time, but make sure to
tell her before she finds somebody else again.'
This particular February afternoon, he was sitting at a booth in the gang's favorite
restaurant with matt and Sora herself. Sora was sitting next to him, which was wonderful,
and Matt was sitting across from them. Sora was talking about her breakup.
"I don't know," she said. "It just makes me think. Will I ever have a lasting
relationship? I mean, this was my longest one ever, which isn't saying much."
"Aw, cheer up, Sor!" Tai comforted her. "You're only sixteen! And besides, you're a
really cool person! Somebody's bound to notice that sooner or later!"
"Yeah," Matt added. "You can't let just a few failed relationships get you down. I
mean, look at me and Marika. We'd been going out for almost a year when we broke up,
but I'm still okay. You've just gotta move on."
Sora smiled. "Thanks, you guys. But, I just don't think I'm ever going to find the
perfect guy for me."
Matt laughed at this. "What do you mean? He's sitting right next to you!"
Tai was startled. What to do? He still didn't have the guts to admit his feelings for her,
and this was an awkward situation. So he decided to do what he always did; pretend that
nothing was there.
"What are you talking about, Matt?" Tai laughed it off. He did his best to sound
casual, and apparently it worked, because the subject was then changed and it was not
referred to again. Matt and Sora probably forgot about it. Tai didn't, though. He would
regret saying that for the next year and a half...
About a month after that incident, near the beginning of March, Matt asked Sora out.
Tai couldn't believe it! She accepted, and the two had been dating ever since!
At first, they couldn't keep their hands off each other, and that hurt Tai more than
anything he could've ever imagined. It was nothing however, to what came next. They
were turning into a serious couple! Months and months went by, and Tai decided to wait
it out like he always did. This time, though, there was no end in sight! Matt and Sora kept
getting closer, and closer, and it looked as though he had missed his last chance. The pain
of it was almost unbearable.
Sure, Sora and he were still best friends, she would confide in him all her troubles, and
she obviously still cared for him, but she spent less and less time with him. Furthermore,
the greater numbers of their conversations were becoming Sora telling him how great
Matt was. Then, after she had been dating Matt for nearly eight months, something
unexpected happened.
"Tai, what do you think of Matt's and my relationship?" Sora asked one day as they
were drinking milkshakes in the café.
Tai almost spit his shake back into his glass. "What?"
"I want to know what you think of my relationship with Matt," she repeated.
"Why?" he asked.
"Because I value your opinion," she answered. "More than just about anyone else's."
Despite the fact that hearing her say that felt very good, Tai was still nervous about
answering the question. He could say he didn't approve, but that would be unethical.
Fortunately, he knew her well enough to figure out how to handle this.
"Yeah," he said. "But it's not like you'd stop seeing him if I said I didn't approve."
"Well, I might," she said. "If you had a good reason."
Tai's heart skipped a beat. Here it was! His chance! Probably his one and only chance
to destroy the relationship that was causing him so much pain. He could make up any
reason why she should stop seeing Matt, and if she was telling him the truth, then she'd
break up with him! It was too perfect!
'Wait, what am I thinking!?' he scolded himself. 'I couldn't do that, it's wrong! On
the other hand, I can't tell her that I think it's great, because that would be a lie, and she
can tell! What am I gonna do?'
"Well?" Sora's voice snapped him back to reality.
"Um, I don't think I can answer that, Sor," he said.
"What do you mean, you don't have any opinion whatsoever?"
"No, I do, I just can't tell you."
Now she looked upset. "Why not? You've never not told me anything!"
"I know, but I just can't tell you this." It was hard. He had always told her everything,
(well, with one exception), and she had always told him everything. This was definitely
going to have a negative effect on their relationship.
Just as he predicted, Sora got really upset, and got up and left the café, without saying
anything to him. He could feel his heart being squashed.
For the next week, Sora didn't speak to him much. After that however, she spoke to
him much more than usual. She teased him and batted her eyelashes, and everything she
always did when she wanted to get something out of him, but nothing worked. She finally
promised him that she would drop it, seeing as he really didn't want to tell her. So things
went on, and before Tai knew it, it was February again.
Things were worse than ever for Tai now. Sora was so excited over the prospect of her
one-year anniversary with Matt, that it was almost all she could talk about. Somehow, Tai
felt that if they made it past the one-year mark, then all hope was lost forever. He prayed
that something would happen. Something that would split them up before their
anniversary.
As the weeks passed and march drew nearer, Tai got more and more nervous. Then,
three days before the end of the month, his prayers were answered in a discussion he had
with Sora on his living room couch.
She had come over because she was upset about something, and wanted to talk to him.
So he made her some hot chocolate, and they sat in front of the fire with snow falling
freely on the other side of the window. They talked about this and that, but she had yet to
mention what was bothering her. After a half hour, Tai couldn't stand it anymore and he
asked her what was up.
"Well," she began, "It's about Matt and me. I think. . .I think he wants to end it."
"What do you mean, Sora?" Tai should have been ecstatic, but he couldn't help but
feel her pain. He hated to see her upset about anything.
"You know how, before we were together, he always had a bunch of girls following
him around? He was a ladies man, and he loved it. Now, every girl around knows he's
with me, and he doesn't get that anymore. I think he misses it."
"What makes you think that?" Tai asked. He anger towards Matt was growing
steadily.
"I heard him talking about it to one of his friends. I think he'd rather be back with all
those girls drooling all over him than with me. And with the way he's been acting lately,
I'd feel fine letting him." Sora too now sounded quite frustrated.
"What a jerk!" Tai nearly exploded. "He's actually thinking about dumping you just
so he can have a bunch of girls chase after him again!?"
"So what do you think I should do?" she asked.
"I'm not really sure," he answered truthfully. Telling her to break up with him was
definitely the unethical thing to do. Besides, currently all he could think about was
helping Sora, not himself.
"Tai?"
"Yeah?"
"You never told me why you didn't like Matt's and my relationship."
Tai's was stunned. "I never said I didn't like it!" he stated.
"No, but it was pretty obvious."
Tai sighed and gave in. "You're right," he said. "I don't like it."
"Why not? What is it about him? This is the perfect time to tell me, seeing as I'm
already not very happy with him."
Should he do it? Her relationship with Matt had never been so fragile, and he could
end it all right now with one little white lie. There were so many things he could say
pertaining to how wrong he was for her, and in her current state, she would take it all to
heart.
"Why do you want to know?" he asked.
"I already told you, I value your opinion. You've been my friend longer than anyone,
and I cherish your advice." She wrapped her left arm around his right and leaned on it.
This was more than Tai could take. One phrase, one statement could end the whole
thing. All he had to do was tell her something bad about Matt, and that she should break
up with him, and she would. His suffering would be over.
No. He just couldn't do it. It was wrong, and it was manipulating her feelings. He
could never take advantage of her like that. He loved her, and he only wanted the best for
her, regardless of what happened to him. He was going to tell her the truth.
"Well, if you really want to know, I'll tell you," he said. She lifted her head up off his
arm and looked at him.
"You will?"
He nodded.
"So what is it?" she prodded. "What don't you like about Matt?"
"Well, the real reason is...I'm jealous." There, he said it. Now all that was left was to
await her reaction.
"You're jealous?" she looked shocked. He nodded again. "So, it's not anything about
Matt, it's just the fact that Matt's there at all?"
"Yeah, that's about it," he said simply.
"Oh, Tai, you could've told me that," she gave him a hug.
"I know, I probably should've too, I just couldn't make myself."
She slowly released him. "I have to go now, it's getting late." She got up from the
couch and put her coat on. "Thanks for being there for me, Tai." She gave him another
hug as he got up and joined her.
"No problem, anytime." He wanted to keep hugging her forever, but alas, that would
never happen. They separated, and she walked out the door into the snow, and he was left
there, wondering.
Sora and Matt did not break up, although they had a very shaky one-year anniversary.
They went out to dinner, but it seemed like they did it more for the sake of the occasion
than for wanting to go out together. Over the next month, however, they patched thing up
and were as close as ever. Closer, even. Tai nearly cried every time he looked at her, for
he knew that when a couple got over something like that and stayed together, their bond
grew stronger still. Tai watched in silence as events began to repeat themselves. Sora was
spending less and less time with him, and more and more time with Matt. This time, it
was even worse than before. Sora was talking about being with Matt forever, and though
she spoke in jest, Tai could hear a twinkle of truth to her words. Tai was so miserable; he
didn't even notice the end of the school year sneaking up on him. Before he knew it, June
had arrived.
One day, when Matt and Sora were walking home together, he just couldn't take it
anymore. He found Mimi, who was Sora's best female friend, and confessed everything
to her. Surprisingly, Mimi seemed to take his side over Matt's.
"I knew all that, Tai," she said when he had finished.
"You did? But how?"
Mimi just laughed. It's pretty obvious, you know."
Tai frowned. "Apparently to everyone except Sora."
Mimi placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know how you feel. Believe me, I do. But you
can't give up all hope."
"Why not?"
Mimi thought for a moment, and then snapped her fingers as though she just thought
of something. "You know, Matt told me, that if he and Sora ever broke up, that I had to
make sure she ends up with you."
"What?" Tai was totally thrown off by that revelation. "Why"
"Because he knows you'll take care of her. You're the only other person who's always
been good to her, and Matt know that you're the only other person who could make her
happy."
Tai blinked. Matt had said that once. Over a year ago, and he had foolishly laughed it
off. What's worse, he laughed it off in front of Sora. He had regretted doing that ever
since the day Matt asked her out. He had wished countless times to go back in time and
change the events of that day, but it was no use. Did Matt really still think that Tai would
be a good match for Sora?
"Plus," Mimi added, pulling him back to the present, "I think you're the only one he
trusts with her."
"Matt really said all that?"
Mimi nodded. "I think I'd try to set you up with her if they broke up anyway. You two
would make a good couple."
"Well," Tai managed a chuckle, "It's going to be a lot harder to hate Matt now."
"I know it must be really hard to stay good friends with him when you're both in love
with the same girl, but you just have to be strong, okay?" she looked him in the eye as
she said this last part.
"I will," he said. "Thanks, Mimi."
"Anytime." She smiled brightly.
So Tai felt a little bit better. He felt better still, when he had a conversation with Sora
in the commons at school a few days later.
"Why do you put up with me?" she asked. Tai just laughed. "No, seriously," she said,
trying not to laugh herself. "You've been my best friend since we were ten. How can you
not have gotten sick of me?"
Tai laughed harder. "Are you kidding?" he said. "I could never get sick of you. You're
just to loveable." She gave him a playful shove. He loved to tease her like that, and it'd
been a while since he'd had a chance to do it. "What I'm worried about is you getting
sick of me."
"What?" Now it was Sora's turn to laugh. "No way! Where would I ever find anyone
else like you?" She decided to tease him back. "Besides, I could never get rid of you
anyway."
"That's not true." Tai held his finger up at her to emphasize his point. "If you wanted
me to leave, I would."
"So, what? You're saying that if I asked you to go away and never talk to me again
you would?"
"Of course. It would hurt, that's for sure, but if you said you didn't want me around,
I'd take off."
She smiled at him. "Well Tai, I want you to know that I would never, EVER say that."
She gave him a hug and he returned it.
"That's nice to know," he said. Then he remembered something. "Oh! That new
American movie is coming to town in two weeks! You wanna go see it?" There was a
theater in town that showed popular American movies. It was the only one around, so it
was a big deal. The only problem was, there was only one screen, so it only showed one
film at a time, and they tended to last a couple of months. Tai and Sora always used to go
see them together when they came out, because Tai would always somehow get free
tickets. It was like a tradition for them, but they hadn't been in almost two years.
"Yeah, that'd be fun!" she said. "Just like old times!"
"It opens on Friday, the last day of school," Tai said. "Wanna go then?"
"Sure! My cousin is coming to visit next week, but it shouldn't be a problem."
"Your cousin? Which one?"
"Reiko. She eleven. She and my aunt are coming on Monday and staying for a few
weeks. My mom's really excited about it."
"Cool," Tai said. "I want to meet them."
"No you don't, trust me," Sora replied. The two of them had a good laugh, and then
hurried off to class.
Tai was in better spirits than he'd been in a long time. He anxiously awaited the last
day of school. There was only one major event until then, but it was something he never
would've wanted to miss.
It was the year-end awards ceremony. All the students of the school gathered in the
auditorium to watch. Tai waited patiently through the whole thing, but neither he, nor
anybody else knew who was getting any of the awards. He knew he was up for best male
athlete, and that Sora was up for best female athlete. He wanted her to win it more than
he wanted himself to win. He had won last year, while she had been overlooked, and
nobody deserved that trophy more than she did.
When the athletic award came up, Tai perked up his ears. He heard them calling. . .
"Best female athlete. . .Sora Takenouchi!" Everyone cheered, but no one as loudly as
him. He cheered so loud that he barely heard what came next.
"Best male athlete. . .Taichi Kamiya!" He jumped up and almost tripped as he made
his way up to the stage. He could see Sora cheering for him, and that felt really good. He
got up there, and he and Sora were handed their awards. They hugged each other tightly,
and nothing that had happened so for could compare with what happened next.
"I love you." Tai heard her whisper it in his ear as they embraced. It only took a
second of deliberation, and he answered her.
"I love you, too." They hugged tighter. This was all he needed. Who cares if she goes
off and marries Matt? She loved him. It may not have been in the same way that he loved
her, but she loved him! She told him so, and he could not recall a moment in his life
when he felt happier.
The rest of the week passed blissfully, and Tai looked forward to Friday night more
than ever. He arrived at school that morning, and not surprising at all, there was nearly no
one there. It was never official, of course, but the teachers always told their students not
to come on the last day. Most didn't, but some liked to stay and just hang out. The
digidestined always stayed, just for the fun of it. This year, Matt couldn't though, because
his band had a gig. Tai didn't complain. Usually, they would hang out in the auditorium.
Mimi, who was in drama, had a key to the basement green room; where there were
couches and recliners, snack foods, and a television. When he arrived, everyone but Sora
was there, and Mimi led them all downstairs. Tai sat in the chair he always used, and
leaned back.
"Don't get used to that, Tai," Mimi said. "During orientation last week, TK said he
liked that chair. He and Kari are going to be in drama next year, so he'll have first dibs."
"Yeah, whatever," Tai responded. "Hey, where's Sora?" he asked, looking around.
"I don't know," Mimi said. "Why don't you call her?"
Tai walked across the room to the phone, and dialed Sora's number.
"Hello?" Tai instantly recognized her sweet voice on the other end.
"Hey Sora."
"Oh, hi Tai."
"What's up? Why didn't you come to school today?"
"I couldn't. I'm grounded."
"Bummer, why?"
"Let's just put it this way: Mouthing off to my mother in front of my aunt probably
wasn't a good idea."
"Oh, I see. So you're stuck at home, huh?"
"'Fraid so. Anything interesting happening?"
"Nope. We're just watching a new anime video that Izzy brought."
"Sounds fun. Listen, I'm sorry but I've gotta go. I'll see you later, okay?"
"'K. See ya." They both hung up at the same time, and Tai walked back to the others.
"What's the deal?" asked Joe.
"She's grounded," Tai told them. They all nodded in understanding, then went back to
the anime, in which a ninja just dispatched two opponents in the time it took his rice ball
to go up after he'd thrown it and then come back down.
That night, around six o'clock, Tai remembered the movie. He didn't know if Sora's
being grounded meant that she couldn't go, but he figured since it had been planned in
advance, she would be allowed. Besides, Sora's mother always liked him anyway. He
decided he'd better call to make sure.
When the phone was picked up on the other end, a young girl answered. Tai figured it
must've been Reiko.
"Hi, is Sora there?" he asked politely.
"No, she isn't," came the reply. Tai's smile dropped. She was supposed to be
grounded, why wasn't she home?
"Do you know where she is?" he asked.
"She went out with her boyfriend about ten minutes ago."
"I see," replied Tai quietly, barely making an effort to mask the coldness in his voice.
His heart had just cracked, and it was all he could do to maintain his composure on the
phone.
"Do you want to know where they went?" Reiko asked.
"No, that's all right, thank you."
"Bye then," said Reiko.
"Bye." As soon he hung up the phone, Tai screamed. He screamed a scream of such
pain that it hurt his throat. He threw the phone across the room and banged his fists on the
floor. Just then he heard Kari at his door.
"What's wrong, Tai?" she asked.
"None of your business!" Tai shouted back, perhaps a little louder than necessary.
"Well, if you want to talk about it, I'll be in my room," she said and he heard her walk
away. That was Kari; she never intruded on your privacy if you didn't want her to.
"She lied to me!" Tai squeaked through tears and his now damaged voice. "I don't
believe it!" he collapsed on the floor and cried. It was nearly twenty minutes later when
he finally got up again. He wiped the tears from his eyes, and forced himself to stop
crying. He decided to go and see the movie anyway. He'd go, and while he was there
he'd think about what he was going to say to Sora when he saw her.
In a few minutes, he'd cleaned himself up, and told Kari where he was going. He put
his shoes on, and was out the door. After a brisk fifteen minutes walk, he arrived at the
theater. He presented his ticket, and went in to sit down. He found, however, that there
was no way he would enjoy the picture. About halfway through, he just up and left, and
began walking the streets, trying to clear his head. After a time, he came upon the place
where Matt's band usually played. On impulse, he went inside.
Once there, he found he couldn't stand all the people around him, so he utilized the
permanent backstage pass Matt had acquired for him, and went to listen to the band away
from all the crowds of people. He found a nice chair, and listened to the rest of the
concert from backstage. When it was over, a few people came back to talk to the band.
Among them were none other than Matt and Sora! Tai stood up quickly, his blood was
boiling. They hadn't seen him yet, so he decided to work his way over to a place where
they would walk into him. He managed to get there without them seeing him, and he
leaned up against the wall to wait. When Sora and Matt rounded the corner, they found
Tai leaning there with is arms crossed and a murderously calm look on his face. Sora's
jaw dropped.
"Grounded, huh?" Tai spat out. His voice sounded the way his face looked. Sora was
trying to find words, while Matt, sensing trouble, said he was going to go speak with the
band and headed off. Tai shoved out from the wall and stood up straight, then took a
couple of steps toward Sora, who was still in shock.
"If you didn't want to go to the show with me, you could've just said so," he fumed.
"It would've hurt, yeah, but not like this."
"Tai, I. . ."
"I don't want to hear it!" he snapped. "You lied to me, just so you could spend the
evening with Matt! Obviously our friendship isn't very important to you."
"Tai, please."
"Do you remember when I said I'd go away if you wanted me to?" Tai was almost
shaking, but he was determined to keep his cool and tell her off. "I meant it. And since
you obviously don't want me around, I'll leave. Good-bye, Sora. You'll never see me
again." And with that, he turned on his heel, spun around, and walked out the back door.
"Tai, wait!" Sora called after him, but it was to late, he was already gone. As soon as
he left the building, he broke into a run and started crying again. He ran all the way to the
park, and threw himself down on a bench, where he remained for over an hour. When he
finally showed up at his home, Kari and his parents were worried sick. He didn't care.
Tai was good on his word. Despite the fact that Sora knew all of his hangouts, and
called him every day leaving desperate messages on his machine which she was sure he
was listening to as she left them, she saw neither hide nor hair of Tai for the first four
weeks of summer. Barring the months in the digital world where he had been missing,
she had never gone this long without seeing her best friend. It was tearing her apart. Tai,
on the other hand, was in a state of denial. He hung out with his soccer buddies, and
pretended he had never known Sora. He cried at home at night, but in public, he was just
the same as always.
Mimi called him a few times and tried to persuade him to talk to Sora, but he wouldn't
hear of it. In the end, Mimi got frustrated with him and gave up.
Matt was having a rough time as well. Sora was so upset about Tai, that she barely
spent any time with him anymore. Also, Tai was still his friend, and it hurt to see him this
upset.
Another two weeks passed, and Tai once again heard the familiar sound of a ringing
phone. As usual, he let the machine get it, and as expected, it was Sora on the phone. She
sounded like she was in tears.
"Tai, please. I'm so sorry. I want to explain everything to you. I never meant to
deceive you! You don't know what you're doing to me! I miss you so much, and I need
you back! Please, meet me at our tree in the park at sunset. You have to let me explain
things to you! If after that, you never want to see me again, then okay. But please,
PLEASE come see me tonight. I can't stand this anymore! I need you, and the fact that
you don't want to have anything to do with me is killing me. Do you remember when you
said you'd never get tired of me? That you'd always be there? I need you more than ever,
Tai. I know you're listening to this, and I pray you're willing to give me one more
chance. I love you."
That last part got to him. When she reminded him of his promise, and the last three
words she said. Despite the fact that he still felt angry and betrayed, he still missed her.
He resolved to meet her, if only just to see her one last time. He grabbed an already made
sandwich out of the fridge, and headed for the park. If they were going to meet, they were
going to do it his way.
Tai looked at the horizon from his perch in the tree that he and Sora had called their
own for the past seven years. The sun was setting. Any minute now, she would be
coming. He looked over at the path, and there she was. Even from the distance he could
tell she had been crying. She approached the tree, and came up to stand underneath it.
She clutched her arms as if she were cold, and wore an expression of fear.
"Tai, please come. I know you'll come. You wouldn't leave me out here." She was
apparently still crying.
"I'll have you know I considered it," he said from up in the tree. She gasped and
jerked her head up to see him, but he jumped down beside her. She stared at him wide-
eyed for a moment, and then threw her arms around him. She was now sobbing
uncontrollably onto his shoulder. When she finally let go, she wiped the tears from her
face and looked at him, as though seeing him for the first time in years.
"I was so scared you wouldn't come," she whimpered.
For a moment, his true feelings shone through, and he comforted her. "After you left a
message like that? I had to come to make sure you were okay."
"Tai, I want you to know right now that I had every intention of going to the movies
with you that night. My aunt was the one who messed everything up."
"What?" Tai was certainly not expecting that. All his anger instantly faded away, and
he led her to sit down under the tree and he joined her, eager to hear what happened.
"I told my mother I had made plans with you weeks ago. She said it didn't matter, that
I was still grounded. My aunt tried to convince her to let me go, but she wouldn't hear of
it. That night, my mom had to go meet a friend, and when Matt came by to talk to me, my
aunt thought he was you," Sora explained. "I tried to explain, but she thought I was just
worried about getting in trouble with my mom, so she practically forced me out the door.
When I told Matt what was going on, we tried to knock to get me back in, but my aunt
wouldn't let me. So Matt said we could go out anyway, and explain the whole thing to
you the next day. I never expected you to show up, and I'm really sorry I hurt you, but I
had no control over the matter." Tears were welling up in her eyes again, and Tai was
dumbfounded. All this time, it had been a huge misunderstanding! He came to his senses,
and wiped the tears from Sora's eyes. He then embraced her in a huge hug.
"Do you forgive me?" she whispered in his ear.
"Me forgive you? I should be asking for your forgiveness! I've been acting like an
idiot!"
"No, you were justified. From what you'd seen, the only logical conclusion was that I
lied to you. Everything was my fault. I should've tried to call you that night, I should've
tried harder to explain things to my aunt, and when you ran off from the arena, I
should've gone after you. I'm so sorry, Tai!"
Tai couldn't believe it! Here she was, taking all the blame for something that wasn't in
the least bit her fault! He knew there was only on way to make her feel better.
"It's okay, I forgive you," he whispered. She let out a cry of relief and hugged him
tighter. They just sat there for a while, and he stroked her hair and whispered to her that
everything was going to be okay. It was fully dark out by the time the separated.
"So," Tai said, "What've I missed in the last six weeks?"
"Well, for starters," she began, and a small grin was growing on her face, "I broke up
with Matt."
"You WHAT!?" Those were the words he had been secretly and shamefully longing
to hear for well over a year. And now that he heard them, he didn't know what to make of
it.
"Tai, if there's anything I've learned these past six weeks, it's that you're more
important to me than anyone else in the world. I died when you said I'd never see you
again, and I've been miserable ever since. Matt tried to cheer me up, but it didn't work
very well. If you remember, you managed to cheer me up pretty well when Matt and I
were fighting." Tai nodded. He did remember that. She also hadn't taken it quite so hard
when she and mat were not on speaking terms. "You're the only guy for me, Tai. I love
you, and I've finally wizened up to it. There's nothing I want more in the world than to
just cuddle up to you, and never let go."
Tai was knocked practically senseless. She loved him! She had broken up with her
boyfriend of over a year to be with him! And here she was, saying all she wanted was to
be held by him. It was as if all his dreams had come true at once.
He looked at her for a moment, and then uttered those all-important words he'd been
wanting to say for years. He'd said them once before, of course, but this time, they
carried much more weight.
"I love you, too Sora. You have no idea how long I've wanted to tell you that. I've
loved you ever since I was old enough to understand what love is, and that feeling grows
every day. All I ever wanted to do was make you happy, and now I can do that, and fulfill
my own dreams at the same time."
He leaned in and kissed her. Lightly at first, and then he put more into it. He slid his
hands onto the sides of her soft stomach, and as he did so, she flung her arms around his
neck and kissed him with a passion and fervor that he never could've imagined. He
returned it in full, and soon the two were lying on the ground, kissing with such intensity,
it was as if they were trying to make up for lost time.
Hours later, Tai sat with his back leaned against the tree, Sora cuddled up in his arms.
She looked up at him, her eyes very sleepy, but still full of joy.
"I got what I wanted sooner than I thought," she sighed. Tai smiled down at her.
"You know I'd give you forever if I could. If it weren't for the fact that we live in
different houses, I'd never leave this position." She stretched her neck enough to plant a
tiny kiss upon his lips before dropping her head to his shoulder and falling asleep almost
instantly. Tai gave he a little squeeze, and then rested his head against the tree and drifted
into dreamland. No dream however, could compare to the reality that was his wonderful
life.
The next morning, they awoke within minutes of each other. Tai first, and he used
those precious minutes to watch her sleep, and marvel over how beautiful she was. When
she woke up, the first thing she did was look into his deep, chocolate brown eyes and kiss
him. He had no qualms with this. They stood up together, and reluctantly decided they
should go home before they were both grounded for the remainder of the summer. Tai
dropped her off at her house, kissing her one last time before heading off to his own
home, walking on a cloud. He swung off lampposts, and waved at everyone he saw.
When he got to his house, he didn't even pay attention to his mother yelling at him. He
just went straight to his room, which is where she was trying to send him anyway, and
flopped down on his bed.
"Mental note," he said to himself, "August 3 will from now on be the anniversary of
the day when life officially became perfect."
Tai and Sora spent the rest of the summer together, cramming in everything possible.
All of their friends were thrilled for them, and even Matt seemed happy for them. Tai
made sure that there were no hard feelings between the two, and Matt just said he'd seen
it coming. Izzy said he'd always known it would eventually happen, and Miyako and
Mimi were so excited they could barely be contained. Tai and Sora stayed together all
through senior year. They went to prom together, and spent their last summer at home
together. For their anniversary, Tai took her to the fanciest restaurant in town, and
afterwards, to the tree. They spent the night there, just as they had on their first night as a
couple. They went to different colleges, but stayed together through e-mail and phone
calls. On holidays, they would always visit each other's families. By the time summer
came around again, they had shattered Sora's record for length of a relationship. Once
again they spent their anniversary at the tree, something neither of them would ever tire
of. They are now sophomores in college, and are still together. The Christmas holidays
are coming up, and Tai has recently made a very important purchase from the jewler near
his school. He plans to present it to Sora when they meet again at home. That, however,
is a whole new story.
THE END
*************************************************************************************
Done! Another sappy, sickening love story for all you hopeless romantics out there. And
for you people who are just bored. Isn't it amazing how we seem to write so many
Digimon fanfics that in no way involve the Digimon? I guess nobody gives three shakes
of a hippo's ass what happens to them. Personally, I think the show would be better off
without them. Think about it: Seven kids get transported to a parallel world, and walk
around for a few months before coming home to find the only other kid who can go there
with them, and when they find her, they go back and walk around some more! Sounds
great to me!
P.S. In case you didn't catch it, I alluded to TK's chair from my other story, 'Opening
Night.' I'm not saying this is a prequel, nor am I saying it isn't. I just thought that was
funny.
P.P.S. The anime the gang was watching was Ninja Scroll.
Previews of Coming Attractions:
Puckmon's Revenge
Think F.U.B.A.R. was weird? Wait 'til you read this!
World's Strongest Humans
I know I said this last time, but it takes a lot of work. A DBZ fic starring Krillin and
Yamcha.
Sequel to 'A Favor' (Untitled)
By popular demand! Yes, my most popular story ever will have a sequel coming out,
even longer and better than the original. Don't be searching around for it anytime soon,
though. Knowing my self-motivation skills, it'll be out around Christmas. Just giving you
something to look forward to.
September 9th
Next month's story. A Daiyako. (Don't like, don't read. I don't intend to be flamed in
reviews for a story I haven't even written yet.)