Disclaimer: I still don't own Digimon.
Note: If you want to know what's happened so far, READ AND REVIEW THE OTHER CHAPTERS!!!!!
From Courage To Love – Chapter 6
The next day of school was practically a blur for Tai. Every time Matt or one of his friends tried to talk to him, he would barely wave. Even during soccer practice, Tai's moves on the field were practically flawless, but one could see that they were missing the fire – the heart – that it usually had. The only good thing going for him was that his depression wasn't getting any worse. Matt and Kari were beginning to get more and more worried, though. To make matters worse, Sora wouldn't even TALK to Tai now, despite her promise to Matt. Matt noticed this, too, and decided to catch her after her home economics class, which was her extra circular activity. It came as no surprise that Sora had a sad expression on her face, and Matt knew why. But he hoped it had nothing to do with the "BOOM!" that occurred two minutes ago. He watched as she exited the home ec room with her two friends.
"Sora, wipe that expression off your pretty face right now!" said Mieko. "It wasn't your fault that cake blew up in pink smoke!"
"Nope…it was YOURS!" said Jane, to Mieko.
"Oh, yeah. Heh, heh."
I wondered why the smoke alarm went off, thought Matt.
"Uh, don't look now, Sora…but your boyfriend's here!" exclaimed Mieko.
Sora looked up, out of natural reflex.
"Say, Mieko…let's get home and catch your soap operas!" said Jane, trying to drag Mieko away from the scene.
"But my favorite one's just starting right here!" she whined.
"MIEKO…"
"Oh, all right. C'mon, let's go boy chasing!" Now she was the one doing the dragging.
"But I don't wanna chase boys!" she protested, as her moans echoed through the school hallways.
Matt finally walked up to Sora. "So…have you talked to Tai yet?"
"Uh, no…I…haven't gotten the chance, so far."
"I understand, Sora. But you better do so soon before the…'damage'…becomes permanent."
"Yeah, I…I know. But it just been so hard for me to talk to him lately. I just don't know if I can face him."
"You have to, Sora. He's just not the same person anymore, in case you haven't noticed. Hardly any witty humor, or headstrong decisions. I'm actually starting to miss his jokes, even the bad ones."
"Matt, please! I…I just need more time, that's all. Just give me a little more time."
"You can do whatever you want, Sora." he said in a strange, but somewhat commanding voice. "But in the end, you'll be the one to live with the consequences."
Sora nodded, and Matt figured that enough was enough. "So, uh, I take it home ec is done?" he said, trying to change the subject.
Sora was grateful for the subject switch. "Um, yeah. Mieko blew up a cake Jane and I were trying to bake."
"I was gonna ask why you had all that pink gunk on your apron," he noted. "Interesting friends you have."
"Well, the two of them are almost as different as night and day, but somehow, they get along pretty well."
Matt chuckled a little, and Sora also began to giggle.
"Look, I gotta go, Sora. But…uh…do you think you could bake another batch of those cookies that you…"
"Of course, Matt. Say no more. I'd love to." Sora said with a smile.
"Cool. I'll catch you later. And I want you to talk to Tai, all right?" he asked.
Sora nodded again. "I will."
The two them kissed, and then Matt took his leave, smiling to himself as he turned away from Sora.
"Do you whatever you want, Sora!" he called as he walked down the hall, leaving Sora somewhat uncomfortable. That quote was already starting to make a permanent mark in her brain.
Sora exhaled a deep sigh, knowing what she promised to do would be in no uncertain terms easy.
*********************
"C'mon, guys, pick up the pace!" Tai's soccer coach bellowed.
Tai was sitting on the bench, watching his teammates hustle and…well…pick up the pace.
He would have felt sorry for them…that is, if he wasn't feeling sorry for himself and drowning his head in thought. Right now, he had his soccer and schoolwork, and both were enough to keep him "satisfied." It seemed that the only thing there was to keep from losing himself to his emotions was to keep busy.
Sora pulled all and any books or knick-knacks from her locker, closed it, and left the school. She didn't mean to exit through the back doors, but it was one of those subconscious or subliminal things. She only realized what she did when she heard people shouting and running along the soccer field. And far away, she saw Tai, in his soccer jersey, sitting on the bench, faced towards her. The two of them might as well have been worlds apart, considering the way things were going between them right now.
Tai and Sora immediately saw each other, and locked eyes, even from so far away. Tai had an expectant look on his face, as if he'd just asked her a huge question, and was expecting a quick answer. Sora put on a face that Tai recognized. She had that partly sad, somewhat shameful look when she had denied a certain someone to go to a certain Christmas concert with her. She kept her stare for few seconds more, then broke it off, and walked away.
It was 5:00 p.m. when Tai had finally packed up his soccer gear and started to head home. He was surprised to find Sora's good friend, Jane standing outside the school entrance. It almost looked as if she was waiting for him. Tai never had many conversations with her in the past, but whenever he did, she never had anything bad to say about life or anything else, for that matter. Though she was quiet most of the time, she always had a certain wisdom, charm, cheerfulness and cute nature that always existed. It was pretty obvious that she wanted to talk to him, so Tai fulfilled her small wish.
"Uh, hey there…Jane? What's up?" Tai said, trying to put his best face.
"Umm…hi…" Jane began, rather shyly. In some cases, Jane was a very easy person to talk to, but her half-shyness sometimes made attempts at a thorough conversation impossible. She began to blush horribly.
"Look, I don't mean to be rude," Tai said. "But if there's something you wanna say, then say it. I'm in a bit of a rush, and I have a lot of things on my mind weighing me down. So spit it out."
Tai quickly started riding on a guilt trip. Not just because of his words, but also because of the shy (and almost sad) look on her face. The look on her face struck Tai nostalgically. For the second time today, a girl's face reminded him of last year's Christmas concert. "I'm sorry, Jane…I just…" but Tai was at a loss for words.
"Look…I know…I know I don't have much of a right to ask you, but…i-it's been on my-my mind…for a while."
"Go on." Tai nodded and urged.
"Well…are you…b-busy this weekend? Well, that is to say…I mean…I'm don't mind if you are…just curious."
"Uh, no. Why?"
"I…uh…I was sorta, kinda, maybe…ho-hoping that perhaps you and I could…go see a movie or something?"
Tai was quite shocked, to say the least. He never really perceived Jane as the dating type. Granted, she WAS attractive…but her shyness and nervousness usually got in the way of boys asking her out on dates. So she hadn't had much luck with men. Neither did her friends. Mieko for obvious reasons, and now Sora.
Tai wasn't sure what to say at first. Naturally, he was still pretty hung up on Sora, but now even the smallest possibility of the two of them getting together seemed nearly crushed. For some reason, he never thought that other girls would ask him out. He wondered what it was like for Matt, when hoards of girls would continuously leave messages on his answering machine. But Tai was soon brought back to reality by Jane's urgings.
"Tai? Tai?"
"Huh?!? Oh, I'm sorry."
"No…I am. I guess it was a really stupid idea to ask you, huh? Umm…just forget I said anything. Sorry I wasted your time, I'll…leave you alone now," she finished in a meek, sad voice. Jane felt pretty stupid inside.
But Tai wasn't about to act heartless. "No, wait!" he called. Jane slowly turned her head towards him.
"It's not that, Jane. I really think you're a nice girl…it's just…well, I'm kinda in a conflict with Sora right now, and…"
"Oh…Sora, huh…I see…"
"But that doesn't mean I wouldn't go out with you!" Tai sputtered.
"Oh…!"
"I…just need a little time to think, that's all!"
"Good enough!" exclaimed Jane, in a noticeably happier tone. "Take all the time you need! I…know you're kind of in a bind right now…so…"
"Yeah."
"Umm, ok…I…I'll call to you later ok ?" she asked bashfully.
"Sure," Tai replied with a small, yet sincere smile.
*****************
As a younger boy, Tai was always told that "some fresh air will do you good." So far, it didn't seem that the fresh air was living up to its promised potential. Maybe some better scenery would've done the trick, but somehow Tai seriously doubted it.
For the next few days, Tai tried taking walks around Odaiba after school before coming home. Tai's head would sometimes get clearer each time around, but he still felt like nothing could ever plug up the growing hole in his once big heart.
He stopped to glance at shop windows, couples, and street signs, but his brain was preoccupied with other thoughts. Tai then resumed walking. An object next to (but not in) his path presented itself. A park bench to sit and rest on. Even though he didn't feel sleepy, he slowly lied down on the bench, his face pointing towards the sky. He closed his eyes. Normally Tai had proper manners when it came to interacting with people. But considering how he was feeling nowadays, he didn't care at all if someone wanted to occupy a place on the bench. Immediately becoming lost in thought, he hardly heard the sound of footsteps unintentionally approaching him.
Sora was walking home, a bag of groceries in hand. It was by request from her boyfriend that she bake for him another batch of those wonderful, delicious cookies she'd prepared for him last Christmas, before his concert. She smiled, remembering the thought of how much he liked them. She laughed when he "accidentally" wolfed them down after realizing how tasty the first few were. Well…that and the fact that he hadn't eaten much that day. Surprisingly, she somehow managed to get a few cookies from the box to Gabumon. Thankfully Gabumon had slightly better manners than his human partner did. Sora giggled at the memory.
Unfortunately, her next few moments would not be filled with such humor. Sora stopped in her tracks upon what she saw. It was Tai resting – or maybe sleeping – on a nearby bench. She desperately wanted to apologize for what had occurred a few days earlier. And what she had said to him! She had openly shouted and insulted him over his depression concerning her and Matt's relationship. She had felt very guilty over her reaction, and cursed herself for her inappropriate outburst.
This was a good chance to make up with him, but suddenly two different voices were citing their opinions on how to proceed. Her head was telling her to walk on and let Tai come to her; have him apologize. But her heart knew that it was she who was wrong and should apologize – effective immediately. Sora was a smart girl, and always tried to do the right thing. She now knew perfectly well what to do. Nervously and very quietly, hopefully without a sound, she approached him…
…and casually passed by. She felt like there was some outside power, forcing her out of his presence. She desperately wanted to turn back, but somehow…she just couldn't. This was extremely frustrating, and she was about ready to scream. One single thought resulted from the current situation…
…"I just can't do this." And with that, she silently, painfully, and unwillingly walked on.
Sora had been successful in not alerting Tai to her presence. Though awake, his eyes remained closed and he hadn't heard Sora's footsteps the whole time. His face turned to slight anger, and he spoke once and only once…
"Nice to see you, too."
NOT THE END…
Well, things have certainly seem to have gotten worse for our friend Tai! Don't worry, in the next chapter or two, I'll try to cut him a break, but I'm not making any promises! I'm not exactly sure where to go from here, so you readers keep doing your thing while I try to think up the next chapter, okay? Thanx, people! You truly are the best!
Note: If you want to know what's happened so far, READ AND REVIEW THE OTHER CHAPTERS!!!!!
From Courage To Love – Chapter 6
The next day of school was practically a blur for Tai. Every time Matt or one of his friends tried to talk to him, he would barely wave. Even during soccer practice, Tai's moves on the field were practically flawless, but one could see that they were missing the fire – the heart – that it usually had. The only good thing going for him was that his depression wasn't getting any worse. Matt and Kari were beginning to get more and more worried, though. To make matters worse, Sora wouldn't even TALK to Tai now, despite her promise to Matt. Matt noticed this, too, and decided to catch her after her home economics class, which was her extra circular activity. It came as no surprise that Sora had a sad expression on her face, and Matt knew why. But he hoped it had nothing to do with the "BOOM!" that occurred two minutes ago. He watched as she exited the home ec room with her two friends.
"Sora, wipe that expression off your pretty face right now!" said Mieko. "It wasn't your fault that cake blew up in pink smoke!"
"Nope…it was YOURS!" said Jane, to Mieko.
"Oh, yeah. Heh, heh."
I wondered why the smoke alarm went off, thought Matt.
"Uh, don't look now, Sora…but your boyfriend's here!" exclaimed Mieko.
Sora looked up, out of natural reflex.
"Say, Mieko…let's get home and catch your soap operas!" said Jane, trying to drag Mieko away from the scene.
"But my favorite one's just starting right here!" she whined.
"MIEKO…"
"Oh, all right. C'mon, let's go boy chasing!" Now she was the one doing the dragging.
"But I don't wanna chase boys!" she protested, as her moans echoed through the school hallways.
Matt finally walked up to Sora. "So…have you talked to Tai yet?"
"Uh, no…I…haven't gotten the chance, so far."
"I understand, Sora. But you better do so soon before the…'damage'…becomes permanent."
"Yeah, I…I know. But it just been so hard for me to talk to him lately. I just don't know if I can face him."
"You have to, Sora. He's just not the same person anymore, in case you haven't noticed. Hardly any witty humor, or headstrong decisions. I'm actually starting to miss his jokes, even the bad ones."
"Matt, please! I…I just need more time, that's all. Just give me a little more time."
"You can do whatever you want, Sora." he said in a strange, but somewhat commanding voice. "But in the end, you'll be the one to live with the consequences."
Sora nodded, and Matt figured that enough was enough. "So, uh, I take it home ec is done?" he said, trying to change the subject.
Sora was grateful for the subject switch. "Um, yeah. Mieko blew up a cake Jane and I were trying to bake."
"I was gonna ask why you had all that pink gunk on your apron," he noted. "Interesting friends you have."
"Well, the two of them are almost as different as night and day, but somehow, they get along pretty well."
Matt chuckled a little, and Sora also began to giggle.
"Look, I gotta go, Sora. But…uh…do you think you could bake another batch of those cookies that you…"
"Of course, Matt. Say no more. I'd love to." Sora said with a smile.
"Cool. I'll catch you later. And I want you to talk to Tai, all right?" he asked.
Sora nodded again. "I will."
The two them kissed, and then Matt took his leave, smiling to himself as he turned away from Sora.
"Do you whatever you want, Sora!" he called as he walked down the hall, leaving Sora somewhat uncomfortable. That quote was already starting to make a permanent mark in her brain.
Sora exhaled a deep sigh, knowing what she promised to do would be in no uncertain terms easy.
*********************
"C'mon, guys, pick up the pace!" Tai's soccer coach bellowed.
Tai was sitting on the bench, watching his teammates hustle and…well…pick up the pace.
He would have felt sorry for them…that is, if he wasn't feeling sorry for himself and drowning his head in thought. Right now, he had his soccer and schoolwork, and both were enough to keep him "satisfied." It seemed that the only thing there was to keep from losing himself to his emotions was to keep busy.
Sora pulled all and any books or knick-knacks from her locker, closed it, and left the school. She didn't mean to exit through the back doors, but it was one of those subconscious or subliminal things. She only realized what she did when she heard people shouting and running along the soccer field. And far away, she saw Tai, in his soccer jersey, sitting on the bench, faced towards her. The two of them might as well have been worlds apart, considering the way things were going between them right now.
Tai and Sora immediately saw each other, and locked eyes, even from so far away. Tai had an expectant look on his face, as if he'd just asked her a huge question, and was expecting a quick answer. Sora put on a face that Tai recognized. She had that partly sad, somewhat shameful look when she had denied a certain someone to go to a certain Christmas concert with her. She kept her stare for few seconds more, then broke it off, and walked away.
It was 5:00 p.m. when Tai had finally packed up his soccer gear and started to head home. He was surprised to find Sora's good friend, Jane standing outside the school entrance. It almost looked as if she was waiting for him. Tai never had many conversations with her in the past, but whenever he did, she never had anything bad to say about life or anything else, for that matter. Though she was quiet most of the time, she always had a certain wisdom, charm, cheerfulness and cute nature that always existed. It was pretty obvious that she wanted to talk to him, so Tai fulfilled her small wish.
"Uh, hey there…Jane? What's up?" Tai said, trying to put his best face.
"Umm…hi…" Jane began, rather shyly. In some cases, Jane was a very easy person to talk to, but her half-shyness sometimes made attempts at a thorough conversation impossible. She began to blush horribly.
"Look, I don't mean to be rude," Tai said. "But if there's something you wanna say, then say it. I'm in a bit of a rush, and I have a lot of things on my mind weighing me down. So spit it out."
Tai quickly started riding on a guilt trip. Not just because of his words, but also because of the shy (and almost sad) look on her face. The look on her face struck Tai nostalgically. For the second time today, a girl's face reminded him of last year's Christmas concert. "I'm sorry, Jane…I just…" but Tai was at a loss for words.
"Look…I know…I know I don't have much of a right to ask you, but…i-it's been on my-my mind…for a while."
"Go on." Tai nodded and urged.
"Well…are you…b-busy this weekend? Well, that is to say…I mean…I'm don't mind if you are…just curious."
"Uh, no. Why?"
"I…uh…I was sorta, kinda, maybe…ho-hoping that perhaps you and I could…go see a movie or something?"
Tai was quite shocked, to say the least. He never really perceived Jane as the dating type. Granted, she WAS attractive…but her shyness and nervousness usually got in the way of boys asking her out on dates. So she hadn't had much luck with men. Neither did her friends. Mieko for obvious reasons, and now Sora.
Tai wasn't sure what to say at first. Naturally, he was still pretty hung up on Sora, but now even the smallest possibility of the two of them getting together seemed nearly crushed. For some reason, he never thought that other girls would ask him out. He wondered what it was like for Matt, when hoards of girls would continuously leave messages on his answering machine. But Tai was soon brought back to reality by Jane's urgings.
"Tai? Tai?"
"Huh?!? Oh, I'm sorry."
"No…I am. I guess it was a really stupid idea to ask you, huh? Umm…just forget I said anything. Sorry I wasted your time, I'll…leave you alone now," she finished in a meek, sad voice. Jane felt pretty stupid inside.
But Tai wasn't about to act heartless. "No, wait!" he called. Jane slowly turned her head towards him.
"It's not that, Jane. I really think you're a nice girl…it's just…well, I'm kinda in a conflict with Sora right now, and…"
"Oh…Sora, huh…I see…"
"But that doesn't mean I wouldn't go out with you!" Tai sputtered.
"Oh…!"
"I…just need a little time to think, that's all!"
"Good enough!" exclaimed Jane, in a noticeably happier tone. "Take all the time you need! I…know you're kind of in a bind right now…so…"
"Yeah."
"Umm, ok…I…I'll call to you later ok ?" she asked bashfully.
"Sure," Tai replied with a small, yet sincere smile.
*****************
As a younger boy, Tai was always told that "some fresh air will do you good." So far, it didn't seem that the fresh air was living up to its promised potential. Maybe some better scenery would've done the trick, but somehow Tai seriously doubted it.
For the next few days, Tai tried taking walks around Odaiba after school before coming home. Tai's head would sometimes get clearer each time around, but he still felt like nothing could ever plug up the growing hole in his once big heart.
He stopped to glance at shop windows, couples, and street signs, but his brain was preoccupied with other thoughts. Tai then resumed walking. An object next to (but not in) his path presented itself. A park bench to sit and rest on. Even though he didn't feel sleepy, he slowly lied down on the bench, his face pointing towards the sky. He closed his eyes. Normally Tai had proper manners when it came to interacting with people. But considering how he was feeling nowadays, he didn't care at all if someone wanted to occupy a place on the bench. Immediately becoming lost in thought, he hardly heard the sound of footsteps unintentionally approaching him.
Sora was walking home, a bag of groceries in hand. It was by request from her boyfriend that she bake for him another batch of those wonderful, delicious cookies she'd prepared for him last Christmas, before his concert. She smiled, remembering the thought of how much he liked them. She laughed when he "accidentally" wolfed them down after realizing how tasty the first few were. Well…that and the fact that he hadn't eaten much that day. Surprisingly, she somehow managed to get a few cookies from the box to Gabumon. Thankfully Gabumon had slightly better manners than his human partner did. Sora giggled at the memory.
Unfortunately, her next few moments would not be filled with such humor. Sora stopped in her tracks upon what she saw. It was Tai resting – or maybe sleeping – on a nearby bench. She desperately wanted to apologize for what had occurred a few days earlier. And what she had said to him! She had openly shouted and insulted him over his depression concerning her and Matt's relationship. She had felt very guilty over her reaction, and cursed herself for her inappropriate outburst.
This was a good chance to make up with him, but suddenly two different voices were citing their opinions on how to proceed. Her head was telling her to walk on and let Tai come to her; have him apologize. But her heart knew that it was she who was wrong and should apologize – effective immediately. Sora was a smart girl, and always tried to do the right thing. She now knew perfectly well what to do. Nervously and very quietly, hopefully without a sound, she approached him…
…and casually passed by. She felt like there was some outside power, forcing her out of his presence. She desperately wanted to turn back, but somehow…she just couldn't. This was extremely frustrating, and she was about ready to scream. One single thought resulted from the current situation…
…"I just can't do this." And with that, she silently, painfully, and unwillingly walked on.
Sora had been successful in not alerting Tai to her presence. Though awake, his eyes remained closed and he hadn't heard Sora's footsteps the whole time. His face turned to slight anger, and he spoke once and only once…
"Nice to see you, too."
NOT THE END…
Well, things have certainly seem to have gotten worse for our friend Tai! Don't worry, in the next chapter or two, I'll try to cut him a break, but I'm not making any promises! I'm not exactly sure where to go from here, so you readers keep doing your thing while I try to think up the next chapter, okay? Thanx, people! You truly are the best!