Chapter 2

"Damn it" moaned Tai as he stared with tired eyes his literature assignment. He had been working for an approximate hour on it after his family dinner had finished. It was about 23.00 p.m. A desk lamp radiated heat as its light was cast upon the somewhat hopeless boy and his sheet of paper. How very hopeless he was. It was stupid, he thought, since literature was one of those subjects that no one cared about; why would he want to analyse every word written to find its consequences to the story? How very, very stupid figures of speech, alliteration, similes, quotations and literary devices were he thought and how they could all be lost into oblivion for all he cared. All that mattered to him was getting the general idea of the story!

"What is it?" called out the equally irritated sibling as she continued reading her romance inside her higher bunker bed. Tai eyed her in envy from his inferior position at the desk across the room. She was truly lucky because she needed not worry about the things he had to, but primarily, due to the fact that she did not have the same amount of workload as he. "Literature assignment" he muttered quietly.

She laughed out, then stuck her tongue at him, mockingly. A moment of silence followed making Tai feel... he got up. In heading out of the bedroom his sister's eyes -from the book's corner - surveyed him as he passed by the bed. She wanted to speak out but no words came to her mind.

Tai exited the room passing by the living-room where both his parents laid snug in each other's arms on the couch watching some old movie. It looked like the typical "date scene" as Matt would point out. Walking quietly into the kitchen, he leaned against the refrigerator and overlooked the two without them ever noticing his presence. He wondered why girls would romanticise so much about these sort of things. He contemplated if he would ever experience that with... he stopped himself. Why and where did that thought come out from? He must be dreaming nonsense because he was hungry again, with that he shook his head and raided the refrigerator again for food scraps. He quickly gulped down the 13 meat pastries and drained out the rest of the milk from the carton - thereby ending his brief study break.

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An auburn hair coloured girl watched her reflection in the mirror facing her. She examined herself with utter care, brushing strands of rebel hair blocking her complexion. Her seriousness faded as a smile gave way, she was happy and wanted to share the sensation with all around her. With that in mind Sora walked over to the bed and picked up the cordless phone receiver dialling the number of her best friend. Letting herself fall into the soft bed mattress made her feel light and content so she turned to face the ceiling. As the dial tone echoed, Sora's mind wandered. Until, her conscience reminded her who she was in fact phoning, Tai. "Hold on" she thought "I'm still angry at him! That mob-head!" Sora giggled at the comic figure of Tai's hair one day over-sizing his head and making him fall over. However, she returned to self when remembering the events earlier that day. No way would she forgive him this time! The truth of the matter was that Taichi - since very young - had almost always rearranged her mind into thinking that he was the victim. She gave a light hearted snarl showing her self criticism on how naive she was around him. He was so impossible at times she thought. She glanced over a photo frame of the whole gang at the beach where he ran - with Yamato close behind - away from a pack of 5 enraged girls - including herself. Who had had their sun tanning session interrupted because a certain "someone" spilt a litre of ice cold coke over them. She blushed as she continued looking that the picture and a certain person in it.

"Hello? Kamiya residence." Someone spoke in a familiar singsong voice.

"Err, hello Kari its me...Sora" she answered cheerfully but with a slight hint of shyness.

"Sora! Hey how are you?"

"Fine thank you" she smirked "But oh boy, how much homework I have to do!" sighing heavily to Kari's response. "Any way, what is up around your place?" she asked curiously.

"Oh nothing much...I'm just reading this romance novel since Tai is hogging the computer doing his literature essay. Don't you also have to do one?"

"No... I'm not in his class...I am above that sort of level" Sora stated sounding as intellectual as she possibly could.

"Quite" Kari also played trying to hide her laughter.

After a sort burst of laughing between the two, they caught their breathes.

"No... But really Sora, what is the reason for you phoning us at this hour?" a more serious Kari spoke.

"Oh? Wait what is the time anyway?" Sora searched for her alarm clock laying close by on her bedside table. "Oh my goodness its almost 11.30 p.m.! I'm so sorry everyone must be sleeping! I really had no idea that..."

"Sora, whoa! Its OK no one is sleeping - my parents are up watching a movie." Stopping Sora's train line of apologies.

"But I'm probably bothering your brother's studying. I don't want to..." Sora stopped and starred confusedly onto the phone which she had pulled away. "Hikari are you OK?" she managed to say in-between the roars of laughter over the other line.

"Oh...laughter...sorry...giggle...its just that Tai is in fact busy..."

"Then why didn't you tell me earlier!" Sora interrupted a bit angrily .

"in eating our family into poverty!" a hysterical Kari yelled out. "Please try to make him stop!" now yelling towards her parents to act against such abusive behaviour by part of Tai.

"Typical" Sora exclaimed rolling her eyes at the thought.

"Err...sorry where were we? Oh yes why did you phone? Sorry if I sound direct but don't get me wrong I love your phone calls!"

"No! Of course not Kari! I really like them to, you're a great listener...well...the reason I called was just to talk...nothing in particular."

"Sora I know you all too well, what's the matter?" Kari asked a bit concerned since she could feel that Sora was hiding something from her.

"Damn you Hikari for being such a good friend! OK I'll tell you, but please it's a secret only you , Mimi and I know." The sixteen year old young lady whispered.

"Oh tell me please! Please Sora! I promise I won't tell!" Kari pleaded.

"OK then...NOPE changed my mind!" Sora teased.

"SORA! Come on! This isn't fair! You HAVE to tell me or else I'll die of suspense!" practically screaming through the phone at Sora.

"FINE...calm down...my goodness!"

Kari smirked highly while clutching onto the phone, awaiting the news in great expectation which only compared to a famine. Sora sighed heavily knowing that she would regret this later.

In the meantime, Tai had managed to drowse off a bit, as he tilted the kitchen stole against the counter nearby. It was amazing how someone could feel comfortable enough in that position to doze off. His head laid on top of the counter's hard surface facing the ceiling, while his rigid body, was forced back against the counter's side by his spread out legs to give some support to the stool tilted back at a dangerously low angle. "NO WAY!" was the last thing he registered before the loud thump which followed. "Taichi, what's going on in there?" asked his concerned mother from across the living room to the thump Tai made when falling off the stole. Mumbles only came out to reply the parent as the boy picked himself painfully off the cold tiled floor. "Damn" he muttered, while rubbing hard at his head. Feeling a bit dizzy, he decided to wait until his eyes gained focus and his butt to stop feeling numb. This wasn't fair, why should he always suffer a physical accident? Many of his friends and even his parents lectured him on how to pay attention to what one is doing as to not act a clumsy fool in public. Jyou had come to sympathise with him, defending that he was a growing boy, so those senseless falls and trips were a result of his body adapting to his larger and heavier body, "which is not always easy" he would add to make him feel less embarrassed. Tai liked Jyou, but he was now very busy with university and its incredibly intense life style so they rarely had time for socialising together. Jyou resembled Tai now, both seemed to have become more distant from their friends, not intentionally of course. Jyou although only 17 had won a university scholarship and was now studying alongside his older brother in medicine. Jyou had once told Tai he would have liked to try the gynaecologist course or else the one on sexology. He could remember them both snickering with Izzy about it. "What perverts they've grown into!" he thought inwardly. Jyou had not actually told Tai which course he was now in, since they had gradually lost contact. Izzy must surely still talk to him. Tai shivered at the thought of those two together. Once, when Jyou was still in school, him and Izzy posted an edited photo where Urumi – the school's hottest girl – masturbated in front of them while they smiled and saluted back at the camera. Naturally, the teachers never found out. As for Urumi, she ripped the photo up into a million pieces as a crowd laughed and commented on her. She of course beat them up and never spoke to those two ever again. Jyou and Izzy were not hurt, surprisingly. Tai couldn't help think of how her face was redder than her hair, she was practically fuming because of the photo. It was so real! Izzy's computing skills had certainly shown their full potential in this incident!

Laughter and gasping sounds were what caught Tai's attention from his nostalgia. Eager to find the cause for all the fuss and partly wanting to blame someone for his free-fall, he trailed after its origin. It clearly came from his room so after placing the stool back into place and brushing off his clothes he headed after his goal – the bedroom. As before his parents were in the same exact spot as earlier only that they had fallen asleep in each other's embrace while the TV showed the last ending scenes from their film. Groaning he made himself do a nice deed. He walked quietly and switched off the set only after covering them with the blanket which had slid down the couch. The living room fell into darkness, as the blue glaze given off by the TV slowly faded into nothing. He watched his parents' expressions using the dim lighting from the streets to guide his eyes. Their faces showed a tranquil air. Safe and calm was his mother's face as it laid on the chest of her husband comforted by his warm hug. The huddle of the two made Tai feel sick. "God forbid the day that happens to me!" he prayed in disgust. He diverted his glance to the window, it was raining heavily now, and the glass had steady streams of water washing its side. He stood there in the darkened room, silent, except for the soft breathing of his parents and the plitter-platter from the rain.

Plague2001 notes: Sorry about the long waits, but I have had a serious case of writer's block and its been depression after depression. I have come to notice a lot of things about myself and my life. Anyway, I apologise and my New Year's resolution will be the write more often. The story seems to be jumping from place to place but that's for effect since Tai is lost in thought. I know its long and it probably will continue like that ( I can't help it /._.\ ) but I want u to get really into the character's thoughts and emotions. For those who have anxiety mounting for Taiora love scenes I'll post a preview of something but that's if I get any response from u. ( I'm a bit anxious myself but I have to develop into a climax o )

Until then