**Okay, now we're going to find out what happens when Tai surprises Sora by coming home. He hasn't been able to write, and now he has some guilt about kissing Francesca, so be prepared for some seriousness in this chapter. . .like the other chapters haven't been serious! Anyway, this is chapter seventeen, and I am so shocked I have written such a huge fiction! I hope you all like it!**
War Torn
Chapter Seventeen: Thunder Rolls
Sora was sitting in her living room the next morning when someone knocked on the door. Sora got up to answer, and found Tai standing on the other side. He grinned like a mad man and leaned in to kiss his fiancée, but Sora backed away, not uttering a sound. Tai scratched his head, confused. Sora's cinnamon eyes were hurt and angry at the same time as she held back the urge to cry.
"Sora. . .what's wrong?" Tai asked, concerned. She looked like she was about to cry any second, and he had no idea why. His plane had just gotten in, and he hadn't even gone to his barrack to shower or change clothes.
"I knew it. . .I just didn't want to believe it." Sora spat, slamming the door in Tai's face. Tai pounded on the door, but Sora closed the curtains and left the living room.
"What's gotten into her?" Tai asked himself as he got onto a bus heading toward Matt and Mimi's home. If anyone knew what was wrong with Sora right then, it was them. He got off the bus later and walked over to Matt and Mimi's house, ringing the doorbell. Mimi answered, poking her head out of the doorway. When she saw Tai, she opened the door more, exposing her rounded tummy.
"Wow Mimi, you're getting pretty big." Tai commented. Mimi smiled and blushed.
"Yea, it's only a matter of weeks before I get to hold the little one in my arms, and I can't wait. Matt and I had a conversation about it last night, and I am very reassured about having this baby now." Mimi replied as she allowed Tai into the house.
"I'm surprised you let me in. Sora slammed the door in my face." Tai muttered as he sat down at the kitchen table. Matt walked down the stairs, adjusting his tie before sitting at the table.
"She slammed the door on you? Why?" Mimi asked. Matt looked from one teenager to the other, puzzled.
"Did I miss something?" Matt asked. Tai nodded.
"Sora wouldn't even look at me. I don't know what happened, I went to her home as soon as I got off the plane. I didn't even take time to change clothes. And she was so angry at me. She kept saying something about knowing something but not wanting to believe it. I only leaned in to kiss her, and she went crazy." Tai explained, staring at the table sadly. Matt nodded as Tai spoke, then stood up and pointed to Tai's collar.
"You DID cheat! I didn't think you would! I defended you too! How could you do something like this to her?" Matt cried in anger. Mimi and Tai put their hands up quickly.
"Yamato Ishida, what are you talking about?" Mimi scolded. Matt grabbed Tai's arm and pointed to the pink lipstick stain on his collar.
"That is lipstick. I should know, because yours is always on my collar, Mimi. He cheated on Sora!" Matt yelled angrily. Tai's eyes grew wide as he realized where the lipstick came from.
"Oh my God, Francesca. . ." Tai murmured. Matt scoffed at Tai in disgust.
"She even has a name. Are you even really injured, Tai, or was that a ploy so you and this girl could spend time in Britain together?" Matt demanded.
"Stop it, Matt. That's horrible! Tai would never cheat, would you, Tai?" Mimi asked. Tai shook his head and unbuttoned his shirt, where his wounds were still visible, though they were almost healed. Matt sat down, undefeated.
"Okay, so you were injured. But who is this girl, and why is her lipstick on your shirt?" Matt asked. Mimi also sat down and waited for Tai to explain.
"Francesca was my nurse while I was recovering. She's seventeen years old, and when I was leaving, she told me she loved me and kissed me. I couldn't kiss her back, all I could think about was Sora and how wrong I was to even be in the position I was in with Francesca. I stopped her, and she looked down. Her lips must have brushed my collar." Tai replied, sighing as he finished.
"Oh Tai. . .you didn't kiss her? And now Sora thinks you cheated." Mimi said sadly. Matt shook his head.
"I'm sorry I doubted you. I knew you wouldn't do anything over there. But how are we going to convince Sora of that?" Matt asked. Before anyone could say anything, Sora herself walked in, a cheerful expression on her face.
"The door was open, so I-" Sora started, but stopped when she saw Tai sitting miserably at the table.
"Sora. . please listen to me. . . " Tai asked quietly. Sora shook her head. She took Tai's ring of her finger and slapped it onto the table in front of Tai.
"Don't talk to me. And take this with you. Maybe you'll find someone who will be easier to trick next time. But not me, I'm not stupid." Sora said angrily. She looked at Mimi with tears in her eyes, then ran out of the house. Mimi tried to get up, but couldn't get up quick enough.
"Honey, let me talk to her." Matt offered as he jumped up and ran after Sora, leaving Tai and Mimi in the kitchen.
"Sora wait!" Matt called. He ran out the door and found Sora standing at the end of the driveway, tears in her eyes.
"What do you want? You want to defend him? How can you?" Sora demanded. Matt took Sora's hand and sat her down on the porch swing. Sora looked away from Matt angrily, but Matt put his hand on her chin and turned her back so she was facing him.
"He didn't cheat. He explained everything to me and Mimi before you walked in. You should have seen how miserable he was while he talked about how upset you were. If he didn't love you, he wouldn't have come home to you. But you see, he did. As for the letters he never wrote, he didn't have time to explain that. You walked in right as he was finishing. Please give him a chance to tell you everything. Please." Matt said, his voice smooth and calm. Sora looked down at her shoes, tears staining them as they fell.
"I hope you're right, Matt. I don't want to lose him, he's the greatest thing that's ever happened to me." Sora whispered. She rose to her feet and walked back into the house with Matt. Taking a seat beside Tai, who was very upset, Sora looked into his chocolate eyes.
"What happened, Tai? Why didn't you write me at all?" Sora asked. Tai sighed and pulled out a stack of letters addressed to Sora. He handed her the notes, and she went over them.
"Oh Tai. . .how did I not get these?" Sora asked.
"Right after I sent the first letter, the post office was bombed. They were unable to send out mail, but I wrote you every day anyway. I couldn't get you off my mind." Tai replied. Sora wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled.
"So you didn't cheat on me? Then why is there lipstick on your collar? I saw it when you first came over, and I just knew you had cheated." Sora questioned. Tai explained everything about Francesca and her love for him.
"I'm so sorry. I knew you wouldn't cheat on me, I knew it. But somewhere along the line when I didn't get any word from you, I assumed the worst. I'm so sorry." Sora said quietly. Matt and Mimi held each other and smiled as Tai and Sora embraced in a sweet kiss both of them had been longing for.
"I love you." They chorused, gazing into each others' eyes lovingly.
**Alright, I hope you all liked this chapter, and I am going to wrap it up in about. . .probably two more chapters. In the next chapter Tai and Sora get married!! Woo hoo! Read and review, folks, I love reading what you have written to me!**
War Torn
Chapter Seventeen: Thunder Rolls
Sora was sitting in her living room the next morning when someone knocked on the door. Sora got up to answer, and found Tai standing on the other side. He grinned like a mad man and leaned in to kiss his fiancée, but Sora backed away, not uttering a sound. Tai scratched his head, confused. Sora's cinnamon eyes were hurt and angry at the same time as she held back the urge to cry.
"Sora. . .what's wrong?" Tai asked, concerned. She looked like she was about to cry any second, and he had no idea why. His plane had just gotten in, and he hadn't even gone to his barrack to shower or change clothes.
"I knew it. . .I just didn't want to believe it." Sora spat, slamming the door in Tai's face. Tai pounded on the door, but Sora closed the curtains and left the living room.
"What's gotten into her?" Tai asked himself as he got onto a bus heading toward Matt and Mimi's home. If anyone knew what was wrong with Sora right then, it was them. He got off the bus later and walked over to Matt and Mimi's house, ringing the doorbell. Mimi answered, poking her head out of the doorway. When she saw Tai, she opened the door more, exposing her rounded tummy.
"Wow Mimi, you're getting pretty big." Tai commented. Mimi smiled and blushed.
"Yea, it's only a matter of weeks before I get to hold the little one in my arms, and I can't wait. Matt and I had a conversation about it last night, and I am very reassured about having this baby now." Mimi replied as she allowed Tai into the house.
"I'm surprised you let me in. Sora slammed the door in my face." Tai muttered as he sat down at the kitchen table. Matt walked down the stairs, adjusting his tie before sitting at the table.
"She slammed the door on you? Why?" Mimi asked. Matt looked from one teenager to the other, puzzled.
"Did I miss something?" Matt asked. Tai nodded.
"Sora wouldn't even look at me. I don't know what happened, I went to her home as soon as I got off the plane. I didn't even take time to change clothes. And she was so angry at me. She kept saying something about knowing something but not wanting to believe it. I only leaned in to kiss her, and she went crazy." Tai explained, staring at the table sadly. Matt nodded as Tai spoke, then stood up and pointed to Tai's collar.
"You DID cheat! I didn't think you would! I defended you too! How could you do something like this to her?" Matt cried in anger. Mimi and Tai put their hands up quickly.
"Yamato Ishida, what are you talking about?" Mimi scolded. Matt grabbed Tai's arm and pointed to the pink lipstick stain on his collar.
"That is lipstick. I should know, because yours is always on my collar, Mimi. He cheated on Sora!" Matt yelled angrily. Tai's eyes grew wide as he realized where the lipstick came from.
"Oh my God, Francesca. . ." Tai murmured. Matt scoffed at Tai in disgust.
"She even has a name. Are you even really injured, Tai, or was that a ploy so you and this girl could spend time in Britain together?" Matt demanded.
"Stop it, Matt. That's horrible! Tai would never cheat, would you, Tai?" Mimi asked. Tai shook his head and unbuttoned his shirt, where his wounds were still visible, though they were almost healed. Matt sat down, undefeated.
"Okay, so you were injured. But who is this girl, and why is her lipstick on your shirt?" Matt asked. Mimi also sat down and waited for Tai to explain.
"Francesca was my nurse while I was recovering. She's seventeen years old, and when I was leaving, she told me she loved me and kissed me. I couldn't kiss her back, all I could think about was Sora and how wrong I was to even be in the position I was in with Francesca. I stopped her, and she looked down. Her lips must have brushed my collar." Tai replied, sighing as he finished.
"Oh Tai. . .you didn't kiss her? And now Sora thinks you cheated." Mimi said sadly. Matt shook his head.
"I'm sorry I doubted you. I knew you wouldn't do anything over there. But how are we going to convince Sora of that?" Matt asked. Before anyone could say anything, Sora herself walked in, a cheerful expression on her face.
"The door was open, so I-" Sora started, but stopped when she saw Tai sitting miserably at the table.
"Sora. . please listen to me. . . " Tai asked quietly. Sora shook her head. She took Tai's ring of her finger and slapped it onto the table in front of Tai.
"Don't talk to me. And take this with you. Maybe you'll find someone who will be easier to trick next time. But not me, I'm not stupid." Sora said angrily. She looked at Mimi with tears in her eyes, then ran out of the house. Mimi tried to get up, but couldn't get up quick enough.
"Honey, let me talk to her." Matt offered as he jumped up and ran after Sora, leaving Tai and Mimi in the kitchen.
"Sora wait!" Matt called. He ran out the door and found Sora standing at the end of the driveway, tears in her eyes.
"What do you want? You want to defend him? How can you?" Sora demanded. Matt took Sora's hand and sat her down on the porch swing. Sora looked away from Matt angrily, but Matt put his hand on her chin and turned her back so she was facing him.
"He didn't cheat. He explained everything to me and Mimi before you walked in. You should have seen how miserable he was while he talked about how upset you were. If he didn't love you, he wouldn't have come home to you. But you see, he did. As for the letters he never wrote, he didn't have time to explain that. You walked in right as he was finishing. Please give him a chance to tell you everything. Please." Matt said, his voice smooth and calm. Sora looked down at her shoes, tears staining them as they fell.
"I hope you're right, Matt. I don't want to lose him, he's the greatest thing that's ever happened to me." Sora whispered. She rose to her feet and walked back into the house with Matt. Taking a seat beside Tai, who was very upset, Sora looked into his chocolate eyes.
"What happened, Tai? Why didn't you write me at all?" Sora asked. Tai sighed and pulled out a stack of letters addressed to Sora. He handed her the notes, and she went over them.
"Oh Tai. . .how did I not get these?" Sora asked.
"Right after I sent the first letter, the post office was bombed. They were unable to send out mail, but I wrote you every day anyway. I couldn't get you off my mind." Tai replied. Sora wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled.
"So you didn't cheat on me? Then why is there lipstick on your collar? I saw it when you first came over, and I just knew you had cheated." Sora questioned. Tai explained everything about Francesca and her love for him.
"I'm so sorry. I knew you wouldn't cheat on me, I knew it. But somewhere along the line when I didn't get any word from you, I assumed the worst. I'm so sorry." Sora said quietly. Matt and Mimi held each other and smiled as Tai and Sora embraced in a sweet kiss both of them had been longing for.
"I love you." They chorused, gazing into each others' eyes lovingly.
**Alright, I hope you all liked this chapter, and I am going to wrap it up in about. . .probably two more chapters. In the next chapter Tai and Sora get married!! Woo hoo! Read and review, folks, I love reading what you have written to me!**