Last to Know
"Tai... Tai..." he heard being called out - softly at first.
"Taichi Kamiya!" snapped the lone voice, which brought him back to reality. It was Sora Takenouchi - his best friend since the age of 5 – who now stood impatiently awaiting a reply from her drowsy companion. Sora - now at the tender age of 16 - had changed a lot since their childhood days.
"Oh... sorry Sora...I...I was..." a struggling Tai answered searching for an explanation for his lack of active part taking.
" You were day-dreaming! That's what! I bet that you didn't even pay any attention to what I was telling you!" she rhetorically scolded him. She angrily added "YOU'RE IMPOSSIBLE!" before departing in a more hectic state then she started with.
"I, err..." he watched stupefied as she stormed off, but the truth was that he wasn't listening to her. But then again he wasn't thinking of anything else in particular. This – he had noticed – began to repeat itself more and more often as the months passed by. He thought repeatedly over upon many things that he himself couldn't put a finger on, or didn't know why he started thinking of them in the first place. He only knew that it would come at the worst of times, interrupting his friends' many conversations and eventually leading to their grave. They started dismissing it at first, but like everything that Tai seemed to do; they began to nag over his attitude and how he was not being a "good" friend back. It had now come to such a point where he was strangely finding more spare time for himself. Tai never meant to do the things he did, but he would get irritated whenever his friends started acting arrogant around him – so as a result – it usually lead to the worsening of their relationship. Although, there was always Sora who strangely seemed to put up with him – but to a certain extent. Tai shrugged the thought away and continued – soul now – on his daily course back home.
"Next station... Yamouhaki District" a mechanical feminine voice called out through the loud speakers. Tai stopped looking beyond the blackness of the metro carriage's window as it quickly passed. He looked at his watch. "17.05" he muttered. As the carriage reduced speed he got up from his seat and battled his way through the crowd to reach the doors. He looked at his reflection cast onto the door's glass. His mob hair, his large hooded sweater and lose Bermuda shorts gave him a tramp image of a denied inner-child. He sighed slowly stepping out as the doors flung open and followed the herd of people out from the subterranean station. The clouds now in unison monopolised the inner-city skyline. People hurried past, trying to run from the menace that towered above them. Tai however enjoyed watching the people hastily trying to run their life like clockwork while he did none of that. His closer friends – including Sora, knew Tai – to never seem worried. Many thought this philosophy for life immature, backing it up with the fable of "The Grasshopper and the Ant" but others envied him.
"You're so lucky... not a worry in the world!" they would comment.
But Taichi had his own worries, worries that would not leave him alone. Although it seemed a minor detail to others it was still something for Tai, a small worry.
Chapter 1
The clouds had given way to small outlets of drizzle, which stayed suspended in the air. As Tai breathed in, he could feel the humidity of it all – fresh but making difficult his breathing - as he walked the tree-lined dirt track of the park. Since as long as Tai could remember he had always taken this very same route on his way home. A daydream formed of him in earlier times walking accompanied by his younger sister – Hikari. However, she was now grown (12) and felt less need to spend time with her older brother, since as she but it was "well capable of finding his way back home... if there wasn't anyone playing football or eating beside him." He felt a slight anger to her ironic response but had to admit that he certainly missed her company.
"Oh well, its a phase" he mumbled, aware that this apparent "phase" had changed her a great deal, rather like Sora; more sociable, self conscious and centre of other boys' attentions their... her age. Tai sighed heavily, only he didn't change, still the same old Taichi Kamiya.
The wind had picked up, ever intensifying the drizzle. Although Tai enjoyed the breeze he had better get heading home - he felt tired. He picked up the walking pace amongst the fallen leaves, kicking them up occasionally. The trees became sparser as he reached the limits of the park, looking back he saw the fainted silhouettes of the trees with the slow, dense grey dew making them blend into the grey sky and concrete jungle he called "home".
"Slam!" went the front door as the adolescent entered into the comfort of his home.
"Tai! How many times do I have to say that you're not supposed to slam the door like that! What will the neighbours think!" bellowed the voice of his "master" as he shook off his tennis shoes.
"Yes, good afternoon" came a sarcastic response to his mother's demand and a kiss on the cheek from over the kitchen counter. As she eyed him in a sceptic way.
"Where's your little sister, Tai?" she asked overlooking the small front door corridor from the counter in a lighter tone of voice.
"Dunno" said the 16-year-old returning from his room after having deposited his affairs – yawning.
"What! What do you mean "dunno"? She was supposed to come back with you after school!" voice raising.
"Don't worry she must have had cheer leading practise, but since its starting to rain she must be on her way right now" reassuring his worried mother as he raided the fringe for anything to eat.
His mother was obviously ahead of him in thought as she dialled the number of Hikari's mobile. "Don't eat now!" she scolded "it will ruin your dinner!"
"Never" he answered with a grin on his face as he beelines past her with the left over of some chicken pie.
"Tai! Kari tells me you didn't go to practise - why is that?" she waved her arm trying to catch the boy's attention.
"Wasn't feeling right," he said before slamming the door to his room behind him.
"TAICHI!" yelled the mother.
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"He did WHAT?" exclaimed a shocked Mimi over the phone. Sora had to pull the receiver away from her sensitive ears – not used to such levels of noise pollution.
"Yes like I told you, Matt is going to ask me out but please Mimi lets keep this just between us" she repeated discreetly even though there was no one at home.
"Well what do you mean "is going to", did he or didn't he?" asked the anxious girl.
"Err, sorta but I noticed that he has been hinting a lot of things to me and that he is always nearby. He has even phoned me and followed me home once" a shy Sora stated feeling a small hue on her face appearing.
"Oh my GOD! Then he does like you! I can't wait to see you two in school together, you would make the cutest couple. Are you going to take initiative?"
Sora could guess Mimi's sly smirk on the telephone "Yes, I've been talking to Tai after school today to find out some info, ARGH but he is such an idiot!"
"Why? What did he do THIS time?"
"He just stood there! Brain dead! DUHHH!" she imitated him while some giggles came from the phone.
"I can imagine"
"He just makes me so irritated at times!"
"Why?" questioned a battled Mimi.
"Because - I don't know... he's just Tai!"
"You are weird you know that Sora?"
"Hey! No I am not!"
They both giggled.
"Sure, so see you tomorrow then, you lucky girl!"
"OK, bye Mimi thanks for listening" she ended saying and put the wireless receiver back to its place.
"Stupid Tai" she told herself.
"Achuu!" sneezed Tai from behind the living room couch. Someone must have been saying something about him. Just then a rather wet Hikari peered through the doorway, entering stealthily and closing the door as genteelly as possible.
"Where have you been young lady?" interrogated her mother who sat on the arm chair without even turning to face the surprised child who crept behind the shadows.
"Err, as I told you over the phone I was at cheer leading practise but it started to rain..."
"Yes, but I phoned you an hour ago!" mother interrupted.
Tai looked at his watch – 18.35. "she's dead meat" he grinned inwardly as he eavesdropped their conservation.
"But mom, it was because..." a hesitant Kari said.
"Because?"
"Because she probably waited for a less full metro – it is rush hour right now. Plus the fact that it is raining hard – she would've waited under the station for it to pass" Tai added coming to his sister's aid.
"Exactly, but after waiting so long I decided to go anyway – look! I am all soaked!" she played along, showing her mother how wet she really was.
"Go and take a hot shower before you catch a cold!" she ordered her.
And Kari didn't object and skipped happily to her room. Tai followed shortly after having switched off the TV and picked himself off the couch lazily.
He opened the door to their bedroom – bunker bed, bean bag, rug, desk, computer, swivel-chair, incorporated (inside wall) wardrobes and some shelves with various objects.
"Tai!" shouted Kari while throwing a pillow which hit him on the face "Knock before you enter, OK!?"
"Hey its my room too, anyhow you're not naked or anything" he answered throwing the pillow back to place.
"But I could've been, so knock!" as she dug into the wardrobe fishing out some cloths to which she could change into.
"How about "Oh thank you Tai for saving my butt"? And where really were you anyway?" he curiously asked, although he himself had a pretty good idea where she might have been.
"None of your concern" she calmly added as she passed by her irritated brother making her way to the bathroom.
"Fine!" he muttered unsatisfied with the response. Left alone in the room he walked to his veranda's sliding glass door – it was darkening and he could hear the faint howl of the wind outside. Tai's apartment was on the tenth floor so he could see pretty far out – most buildings were starting to light themselves with white, yellow or blue. He could portrait the mosaic of the artificial lights from the grey buildings against the purple darkness of the clouded night sky. Tai looked straight down and saw the park – a dark island midst a sea of flashing lights from the cars and neon city centre lights. He pictured himself in a dream once walking down the dim lit winding park trail holding someone he couldn't recall very near to him and holding hands. He remembered only that they walked some more then stopped by the lake – and the rest was lost. After that flashback he drifted into an emptiness until he noticed something. It was Sora! Although he could hardly make her image out – he squinted his eyes to try to see better. "Yep, its Sora" he said, proud of having noticed her from such a distance "Wow, I didn't think I could see her apartment from here." Sora lived relatively close to Tai, just at the adjacent block from his. "What is she doing?" he thought as Sora stood by her veranda too, apparently not doing much. Tai examined her until she turned around showing one of her hands holding something next to her ear. "Phone call, should've known - what is it with girls and phones?" he questioned himself trying to solve the enigma. He watched her disappear behind the curtains. "Good idea" turning on the computer as he said so "I could use some attention myself."
The Internet connection started dialling, as Tai returned from the kitchen with a can of Sprite. He switched off the light, so that the room was filled with the monitor's blue glow. Tai being almost engulfed by the bean bag, lazily laid back pulling the laptop closer to him. After a few moments of waiting and seeping on the can, a small box appeared at the bottom right corner of the screen.
"You have 1 new/unread mail" it indicated disappearing as fast as it showed up, to reveal the unread e-mail. "Hooray! Someone remembers me!" he sarcastically mumbled. He read the notice out loud:
"Tai, don't forget to give me back that FIFA 2002 pre-edition CD copy at football practise on Friday that I leant you 2 weeks ago... I don't care if you haven't finished, and don't give me that dumb aired excuse at school either!!! I want it back or it's your head!
Shinji a.k.a. "Snakehead"
He grunted at the remark and closed the window, not having much craving to go web surfing at that particular moment he decided to leave. But, just in doing so, a chime came from the small computer meaning that someone he knew had logged on-line. A small window opened showing a familiar face.
"Izzy! What are you doing here at this time of day? I thought that you only went on at around mid-night" a surprised Tai typed down.
Only to be replied by Izzy through the video portal a few seconds later with a little static as well. "When is it at you are going to get a web-cam so that I won't have to look at these fonts? And yes I do go on at a later time, but coincidentally I didn't go help out in the after school computer club, so I arrived home earlier. Anyway, how can I be of any service?" he said as Tai watched him bend down and sort numerous CDs and computer software programs.
"What do you mean with that? Do I look desperate to you or something?" proclaimed Tai.
"Yes, something... I can sense that you are a bit tense over something or maybe someone?" he casually seemed to ask, but after seeing that Tai had not replied he changed the subject. "Anyway, what has happened with you lately? You're always distant - can not have a decent conservation with you anymore. Plus, I miss our guy reunions where we mess about and just chill and talk with the others - you know about stuff and girls..." he said bending down again to fetch a small note book.
At this point Tai got annoyed "What is up with you?! Why the sudden increase of interest in girls? And can you make a copy for me of a CD?"
After a moment Izzy laughed "Why the sudden interest in girls? Há! Because I'm a male teenager and I'm straight - that's why! And yes I'll. copy that CD for you, just drop by the computer lab after school tomorrow OK? But seriously Tai, have you noticed how both Mimi and Sora have "matured"" he emphasised while drawing their curves with his hands. "Not that I would stand a chance...sigh... but I bet you could, since most girls like the football captain type, you could just choose from anyone in school- except for the older girls..." Izzy stopped to read Tai's message.
"You old pervert! That's how you end up if you spend more time with these machines locked up inside! And no, it doesn't work like that at all and I'm not interested and don't you start thinking I'm bent!"
"We will see." he chuckled back.
Just before Tai could have his final word he was interrupted by the call of his mother ordering him to help with dinner.
"Later Izzy, see you tomorrow." As Tai watched him give his salutation before switching off the small machine.
"TAICHI!" called his mother.
"Coming, oh impatient one"