Disclaimer: Who here owns Digimon? Raise your hand and scream, "I do! I
do!" (Yeah, right.)
From Courage To Love - Chapter 7
"Mom, I'm home!" Sora yelled as she stepped through the door of her home.
"I'm in the kitchen, sweetie!" Mrs. Takenouchi yelled back.
Sora hung her coat on the coat rack and brought her bag of groceries into the kitchen. Her mother was washing and wiping the kitchen counters. Sora put down her bag on the counter.
"Sora! I just finished polishing the counter and now you waltz in here and dump your stuff on it!" she exclaimed half-serious, half-jokingly. Sora's mother began to giggle.
Sora started to laugh a little too, but ceased when her thoughts drifted back to her "encounter" with Tai.
Mrs. Takenouchi noticed her daughter's behavior, and decided to ask. "What's wrong, dear?"
"It's nothing...just...Tai..."
"Oh, I see."
Sora had told her mom about what had happened in the past few days, and her mother did her best to console her daughter. Unfortunately, Sora had continued to remain uneasy.
"Oh Mom, I'm so confused inside! Tai and I used to be the best of the best of friends! What's happened between us?! I can't bring myself to utter even three words to him!"
"I think it's YOU that's come between things, Sora!" her mother said, now in a partially scolding tone.
"Huh??? Whaddya mean???" Sora almost screeched.
"The way I've heard it, Tai's nervously been trying to reach out to you, and you just insult him, ignore him, or do something equally dreadful!"
"Who told you that?"
"Oh.just some teenage wolf that contacted me over the phone."
Sora rolled her eyes, understanding. "Mom, it's not like that. Me and Tai- "
"Sora, how did you feel after all your failed attempts to make Tai notice you?" Sora's mom said, cutting her off.
She thought for a second, trying to remember. "I felt...angry. Really angry."
"And remember when you told me that even while you were dating Matt, you've been carrying a certain anger inside you?"
"Uh...y-yes."
"What kind of anger was that?"
"It was...the same..."
"Is it possible that you're still mad at him for ignoring you?"
"I...I don't know. Mom, Matt said to me today 'Do whatever you want.'...do you know what he meant by that?" Sora asked.
"It means just how it sounds, honey. He's telling you to do what you feel is the right thing.in your heart."
"And live with the consequences, as well." Sora added, remembering well what Matt has said.
"Look, Sora...Matt was just...oh..." Sora's mother quickly slapped her hand over her mouth and did her best not to laugh.
"What?!?" Sora asked, getting annoyed. "Matt was just what???"
"Nothing.I mean.hopefully you'll figure it out soon enough." She walked out of the kitchen, continuing to laugh as quietly as she could.
"Oh, whatever!" Sora snapped.
She quickly went into her room, slammed the door, and lied down on her bed. She sighed while staring at the ceiling. In her mind, Tai's face briefly flashed onto the ceiling. Sora shook her head and rubbed her eyes.
"Boy, I'm more tired than I thought," she muttered.
Dropping her head back down onto the soft pillow, she decided to just let her mind drift. She looked at her digital clock just before her vision started to blur. The clock read 4:45p.m. She listened to her own breaths as she fell asleep...
...Tai sat down by the movie theater with an empty popcorn cup in his hand. People passed by without even granting him a glance. And the fact that he was dressed in raggedy clothes begging for money didn't help. A limousine pulled by near the theater, and two rich-looking, well-dressed people stepped out. Tai looked up almost apathetically. His couldn't believe whom he saw. "S...Sora?"
"Hmm?" The lady looked down at the down at the homeless person who called to her. Sora felt absolutely nothing but disgust as she laid eyes on him. "Please leave me alone, you bum!"
Her husband Matt was a little more sympathetic as he reached for some money in his pocket.
"Please, honey! You don't need to be cruel! Here you go, sir!" Tai barely noticed Matt dropping some change into his cup.
His eyes were fixed on Sora.
"Sora, it's me! Tai!" he exclaimed. "Don't you recognize me?!?"
"I've never seen you before, and I hope I never have to see you again!" she snapped.
She then continued walking into the theater, but not before spitting on Tai. Tai looked on with wonder and a world of hurt as he watched the two of then pass by. He kept shouting, but it was like shouting at a wall.
"Sora, don't you remember me? Come back! I love you!!!"
"NO, TAI!!!"
Sora sat up immediately sat up in bed, with a nervous sweat covering her forehead.
She sighed, relieved that it was just a crazy, stupid dream. She wiped the sweat off her forehead. Her digital clock now read 7:10 p.m. Sora got up and looked out her bedroom doorway.
"Mom? Mom?" she called. But her mother was nowhere to be found. Her eye quickly caught the note taped to her door. She pulled it off to read it.
Sora, I had some business to take care at the store and some errands to run. I'll be back late, but I left you some dinner in the fridge in case you get hungry. Love you, Mom.
Sora walked back into her room, the note already out of her mind. Thinking of her nonexistent contact with Tai, as well as her dream, she decided to finally listen to her heart, and not her head. She slowly picked up the receiver, and dialed the Kamiya's number, which she knew by heart. As a little girl, she called up Tai almost every day to chat. It seemed like yesterday that the two of them were best friends, who knew each other inside and out. At the same time, it seemed like so long ago, like memories from a past life...
The phone started to ring...once...twice...thr-
"Hello?" said a female voice. "Hello? Anyone there?"
"Umm, hi!" Sora stammered into the receiver.
"Oh hello, Sora dear! It seems like ages since we've heard from you!" chirped Mrs. Kamiya.
That makes two of us, she thought. "Uh.yeah. Anyway...i-is Tai there?"
"Umm, no. He went out with his dad to pick up some groceries."
"I see...uh, is Kari there?"
"I think so, hold on..." Mrs. Kamiya saw Kari watching television, her back to her mom. She could just barely see the back of her head peeking over the top of the couch.
"Kari!" she called. "Sora's on the-"
Kari shook her head quickly.
"Umm, she doesn't seem to be around right now. But I'll tell her you called, though." Mrs. Kamiya replied.
"I understand," Sora said. "Thank you, Mrs. Kamiya."
"My pleasure, sweetie. Call again soon."
"I'll try, and take care. Bye!" Sora hung up, but she knew that Kari was there.
Mrs. Kamiya hung up, but was confused, knowing that her daughter and Sora were (supposed to be) good friends. But her thoughts were interrupted by the opening of the door.
"We're back!" Tai yelled, two bags of groceries in his arms.
"Oh, Tai.Sora called just a minute ago, right before you came in," Mrs. Kamiya noted.
"Oh, yeah?" Tai said in a slightly low voice. "What did she want?"
"She didn't say, but she wanted to talk to you."
"Hmm..." Tai sighed.
Meanwhile, Kari was still seated on the couch with her arms crossed and an angry face to match at the sound of Sora's name.
****************
Sora could sense that Kari was there, but she also knew that Kari was pretty close to her brother Tai. So it would only make sense that she wouldn't want to talk, either.
Sora picked up her little date book in which she kept track of important events during the week. She gasped upon what she wrote for Saturday, marked with the outline of a red heart. She quickly dropped her notebook, picked up the phone receiver, and dialed furiously.
*RRRRRIIIIINNNNNGGGGG*
"Hey Matt, could you get that?" Mr. Ishida yelled across the room.
"Uh...sure, as soon as I can find it," Matt responded, carefully putting down his guitar.
Just great, where did Dad put the portable phone THIS time, he thought. With all the dirty laundry lying around, it was a struggle to find ANYTHING.
Matt finally found the phone, partially hidden under a few dirty pairs of "don't-need-to-say-it". Matt growled, groaned, and pressed the "TALK" button.
"Hello?! Who is it!?!?" he nearly bellowed.
Jerking her head away, Sora tried to put a good 36 inches between her ear and the phone upon Matt's response, and timidly tried to answer.
"H-hello?"
"Sora, is that you? Sorry for yelling, it wasn't directed at you."
"Who were you shouting at then?"
"Oh...just a small argument with some dirty laundry.a mere nothing."
"Yeeeeeaaaaah...okay...um, anyway Matt, I was calling you about Saturday."
"Saturday?" he repeated, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, remember...the dance?"
Matt smacked his forehead. "Oh, geez.I almost forgot! Ahh, but..."
"But what?" asked Sora impatiently.
"I thought I told you that I didn't want us getting together until..."
"Yeah, I remember what you said, but you promised me that we'd go together, no matter what...!"
"But Sora..."
"No buts, Matt! Don't try to weasel out of this one! You promised!"
Matt sighed. "Rrrgh...all right, Sora. You win. We'll go."
"Thanks, Matt. You'll a doll." Sora (sort of) tried to hide her enthusiasm, but it was pretty hard.
"You're always welcome, Sora," said Matt in a kinder tone. "Bye."
"Bye. Love you," she replied, sweetly.
*CLICK*
Matt sighed again as he hung up.
"Something wrong, son?" Mr. Ishida asked as he walked into the room.
"Yeah...a lot of things," Matt replied.
"Well...don't let your personal problems eat you up, okay?"
"Y'know, I just recently figured out something," he said in a voice sounding full of wisdom. "The only person who can start a change right now is me."
"What do you mean?" asked his dad, glancing up from his newspaper.
"I've gotta set things right for my friends...and I know what I have to do now to get everything rolling."
Matt sighed again and walked into his room, leaving his dad more confused than ever.
*********************
The next day was pretty ordinary like all the other days. Of course, you just might mutter otherwise if you're name wasn't Tai Kamiya. He had to admit he was starting to enjoy the walks. It wasn't at all similar to jogging. Sure, one could think while jogging, but it just wouldn't be the same. This was something special that Tai unexpectedly created, and it provided time to think about anything and everything.
But his ideas screeched to a halt when a sharp pain made its debut in his throat. Tai's legs refused to move due to the unpleasant sensation. However, Tai paid attention in health class, hence he was capable of identifying the feeling as...thirst.
Tai turned his head looking for a place that sold (cheap) drinks. Unfortunately, he wasn't anywhere near Miyako "YOLEI" Inoue's convenient store. It was a minor setback, for Tai spied one of those coffee/cappuccino restaurants across the street.
Tai entered the building, but immediately felt slightly out of place, as this was more of a shop for those brainy or philosophic types. Tai slowly walked forward, and was greeted by the cheerful face of the cute girl at the counter.
"What'll it be, cutie?" she asked.
"Uhh...just give me a vanilla latte, pleas..." he answered almost meekly.
"You got it!"
Tai sighed as he sat down on the stool in front of the counter, and began once again thinking about the past few days and his recent episode with Sora. He unconsciously reached into the pocket of his green school jacket for some money, and softly placed it on the counter.
"Here ya go, cutie!" exclaimed the girl happily.
"Heh, yeah...th-thanks," replied Tai, noticing how infectious the girl's mood was.
"Aww, what's wrong, huh?" she said realizing Tai's glum face. "What's with all the 'gloom 'n doom'?"
"Well...no offense, but I'd rather not talk about-"
"I've seen that look before," she interrupted. "...lemme guess...girl trouble, right?"
Tai was a little surprised at how unexpectedly sharp she seemed.
"Well...yeah, but it's kinda complicated. SHE...well...she's a very special girl."
"I see...well, I won't pry, hon. You just make sure to keep your chin up, okay?"
"I will. Promise," he said, trying to put on his best (fake) smile.
"You better," replied the girl, also with a smile. And having said that, she left to tend to other customers.
Tai pondered over the girl's words. Maybe she was right. He should keep his chin up, otherwise he risked dragging everyone else into the state of thought he seemed to be trapped in. Tai really wished he could go back to the person he used to be, since the "new" him didn't seem to raking up points with anyone. His old self was the more popular (and favorable) character, the good 'ol, courageous, loveable-
"Tai!"
"Huh?" Tai whipped his head around to see who was calling his name, but he didn't recognize anyone standing around in the coffee shop. That's when someone tapped him on the back, causing Tai to turn his whole body around to face-
"Joe! Hey there!" Tai said with a genuine smile for once. Joe Kido returned the gesture and the two shook hands.
"Joe, what're you doing here?!" he asked, as the two friends sat down.
"I come here all the time, but this visit must be your first, huh?"
"Uhh...yeah."
"What's wrong, Tai? You've never been one to be at a loss for words."
Tai really didn't want to go into explaining all the craziness that occurred over the past few days, but if he couldn't talk to "Ol' Reliable", who could he talk to? Joe took a seat next to him at the counter.
"Hey, Joe!" said another familiar voice that made Tai's ears perk up.
Joe turned his head to face the person. "Ah! Jane!"
Jane had on her usual small, shy, yet cute smile. "Hey there! Here're those notes I borrowed! I really needed to copy those down! Thanks, you're a lifesaver!"
"Happy to lend a hand," he said calmly and casually, taking back the notes.
"Of course...oh...hi there, Tai..." she said, starting to blush.
"Uhh...hey," Tai replied. "You two know each other?"
"Yeah, Tai," Joe began. "A few days a week she takes some of her classes at my school."
"Umm...so, uhh, have you thought about IT?" Jane asked to Tai, who knew very well what she was referring to.
"Well...uh...I..."
"Oh, geez...look at the time!" Jane stammered. "Look, Joe...I, uh...gotta go, so I'll see you both tomorrow! Bye!" Jane then quickly exited the coffeehouse, a cup of coffee or something in hand. Joe scratched his head.
"Okay, Tai, what exactly is going on with the two of you?!?"
"It's a long story, Joe."
"Hey, I've got some time, so let's walk and talk," said Joe, getting up from his seat.
Fifteen minutes later, everything came out. Joe listened closely as Tai talked about his problems with Sora, the encounter with Cherrymon, and Jane's offer.
"Well..." Joe started, throwing his empty cup away, "I've heard a lot of extraordinary stories before, but this definitely goes on my 'Top Ten'."
"So, uhh...whaddya think I should do, Joe?"
Joe paused and scratched his head again.
"This is quite a predicament you're in, Tai," he noted.
"Boy, detective school wasn't wasted on you, was it?" he muttered. "Look, do you have any advice or not?"
"Well, I've got a suggestion, but you may not like it."
"Hey at this point, I may as well take advice from Devimon. Shoot."
"I was thinking..." Joe took a deep breath. "...maybe you should go out with Jane."
Tai stared at Joe wide-eyed. Most of the Digidestined knew that Tai and Sora had always been extremely close friends, and assumed that two would maybe one day...
...but that's not the way the world works, correct? Happy endings aren't always the conclusion. Life isn't fair or convenient, as proved last Christmas. Tai tried to shake the thought out his head and quickly focused himself back at Joe.
"But...but why?"
"Well, Jane's a sweet, intelligent, polite and responsible girl...and she likes you."
"That's not what I mean and you know it," Tai said firmly.
"You mean she's not SORA," Joe replied in an equally firm voice.
Tai was struck by his words, and they began to sink in. Joe was right. What was he going to do, wait patiently until Sora ran into his arms? Tai shook his head sadly at the possibility, which regrettably had been decayed into a far off dream.
Joe shook his head at Tai.
"Look, I know how you feel about Sora, but she has Matt now. You're still young, so you have other opportunities to be happy. But keep in mind.life is short. You have another chance to be with a trustworthy 'someone else', besides Sora. Someone in my opinion who's also a very special girl. You may have lost you chance with Sora, but not with Jane, Tai. It's not exactly the best idea to pass a chance like this one up again. Think about it."
The dark blue-haired teen then quickly looked at his watch.
"Oh, I gotta get back to my after-school classes. Nice talking with you, Tai."
Tai smiled again and nodded.
"You too. I'll think about what you said, Joe. See ya later," he finished with a wave.
"Later!" Joe yelled, also waving as he ran across the street.
"See ya..."
Later that night...
"Mom, the phone's ringing!" Jane yelled from her room, studying.
"I'll get it, dear!" Jane's mother yelled back. But as part of her routine, she checked the caller identification machine.
"Hmmm...Kamiya residence...I don't know anyone by that name..."
But Jane's ears heard her mom, and she quickly responded before her mother could pick up the receiver.
"Mom! I got it! I think it's for me!"
"Okay, sweetie!"
Jane reached from her bed where she was studying for the portable phone lying on her small desk. She wedged it between ear and shoulder while she reviewed the notes she copied from Joe.
"Hello? Tai, is that you?"
"Y-yeah, uhh...hi there, Jane."
"Oh, hey there. What's up?"
Normally, Jane would've answered rather shyly, but she was somewhat preoccupied, given the fact that she was reviewing her study sheets.
"So, uh...what're you up to?" Tai asked, surprised by her change in tone, compared to his previous encounters with her. He hoped that she didn't suffer from tremendous mood swings.
"Not much, really. Just looking over those notes I took down, thanks to Joe. Anything else you wanna ask?"
Jane's cheeks immediately began to flush, her heart pounded, her thoughts stopped short of completion, her eyes widened, her lips opened into an open- mouth smile, and she gasped upon the next few words spoken from Tai's voice...
"Umm...Jane...about your offer to go see that movie together..."
TO BE CONTINUED...
Ahhhhh!!!!! I FINALLY completed this damn chapter! It's been sooooo difficult with my new college semester starting up to continue writing/typing, but I kept thinking about you fans who wanted to know what was going to happen next in my fanfic, so I worked long and hard at it, and now it's done! Well, PLEASE read this new chapter and review it! As for the next chapter, I can tell you this much...it's DATING time for the characters! On separate dates, Matt comes to a decision, Sora comes to a realization, and both Tai and Jane discover something important about themselves! The end of the next chapter will leave you breathless! (Well, probably not, so just PRETEND to be surprised.) Well, nothing much left to say except TTFN, tah-tah for now!
From Courage To Love - Chapter 7
"Mom, I'm home!" Sora yelled as she stepped through the door of her home.
"I'm in the kitchen, sweetie!" Mrs. Takenouchi yelled back.
Sora hung her coat on the coat rack and brought her bag of groceries into the kitchen. Her mother was washing and wiping the kitchen counters. Sora put down her bag on the counter.
"Sora! I just finished polishing the counter and now you waltz in here and dump your stuff on it!" she exclaimed half-serious, half-jokingly. Sora's mother began to giggle.
Sora started to laugh a little too, but ceased when her thoughts drifted back to her "encounter" with Tai.
Mrs. Takenouchi noticed her daughter's behavior, and decided to ask. "What's wrong, dear?"
"It's nothing...just...Tai..."
"Oh, I see."
Sora had told her mom about what had happened in the past few days, and her mother did her best to console her daughter. Unfortunately, Sora had continued to remain uneasy.
"Oh Mom, I'm so confused inside! Tai and I used to be the best of the best of friends! What's happened between us?! I can't bring myself to utter even three words to him!"
"I think it's YOU that's come between things, Sora!" her mother said, now in a partially scolding tone.
"Huh??? Whaddya mean???" Sora almost screeched.
"The way I've heard it, Tai's nervously been trying to reach out to you, and you just insult him, ignore him, or do something equally dreadful!"
"Who told you that?"
"Oh.just some teenage wolf that contacted me over the phone."
Sora rolled her eyes, understanding. "Mom, it's not like that. Me and Tai- "
"Sora, how did you feel after all your failed attempts to make Tai notice you?" Sora's mom said, cutting her off.
She thought for a second, trying to remember. "I felt...angry. Really angry."
"And remember when you told me that even while you were dating Matt, you've been carrying a certain anger inside you?"
"Uh...y-yes."
"What kind of anger was that?"
"It was...the same..."
"Is it possible that you're still mad at him for ignoring you?"
"I...I don't know. Mom, Matt said to me today 'Do whatever you want.'...do you know what he meant by that?" Sora asked.
"It means just how it sounds, honey. He's telling you to do what you feel is the right thing.in your heart."
"And live with the consequences, as well." Sora added, remembering well what Matt has said.
"Look, Sora...Matt was just...oh..." Sora's mother quickly slapped her hand over her mouth and did her best not to laugh.
"What?!?" Sora asked, getting annoyed. "Matt was just what???"
"Nothing.I mean.hopefully you'll figure it out soon enough." She walked out of the kitchen, continuing to laugh as quietly as she could.
"Oh, whatever!" Sora snapped.
She quickly went into her room, slammed the door, and lied down on her bed. She sighed while staring at the ceiling. In her mind, Tai's face briefly flashed onto the ceiling. Sora shook her head and rubbed her eyes.
"Boy, I'm more tired than I thought," she muttered.
Dropping her head back down onto the soft pillow, she decided to just let her mind drift. She looked at her digital clock just before her vision started to blur. The clock read 4:45p.m. She listened to her own breaths as she fell asleep...
...Tai sat down by the movie theater with an empty popcorn cup in his hand. People passed by without even granting him a glance. And the fact that he was dressed in raggedy clothes begging for money didn't help. A limousine pulled by near the theater, and two rich-looking, well-dressed people stepped out. Tai looked up almost apathetically. His couldn't believe whom he saw. "S...Sora?"
"Hmm?" The lady looked down at the down at the homeless person who called to her. Sora felt absolutely nothing but disgust as she laid eyes on him. "Please leave me alone, you bum!"
Her husband Matt was a little more sympathetic as he reached for some money in his pocket.
"Please, honey! You don't need to be cruel! Here you go, sir!" Tai barely noticed Matt dropping some change into his cup.
His eyes were fixed on Sora.
"Sora, it's me! Tai!" he exclaimed. "Don't you recognize me?!?"
"I've never seen you before, and I hope I never have to see you again!" she snapped.
She then continued walking into the theater, but not before spitting on Tai. Tai looked on with wonder and a world of hurt as he watched the two of then pass by. He kept shouting, but it was like shouting at a wall.
"Sora, don't you remember me? Come back! I love you!!!"
"NO, TAI!!!"
Sora sat up immediately sat up in bed, with a nervous sweat covering her forehead.
She sighed, relieved that it was just a crazy, stupid dream. She wiped the sweat off her forehead. Her digital clock now read 7:10 p.m. Sora got up and looked out her bedroom doorway.
"Mom? Mom?" she called. But her mother was nowhere to be found. Her eye quickly caught the note taped to her door. She pulled it off to read it.
Sora, I had some business to take care at the store and some errands to run. I'll be back late, but I left you some dinner in the fridge in case you get hungry. Love you, Mom.
Sora walked back into her room, the note already out of her mind. Thinking of her nonexistent contact with Tai, as well as her dream, she decided to finally listen to her heart, and not her head. She slowly picked up the receiver, and dialed the Kamiya's number, which she knew by heart. As a little girl, she called up Tai almost every day to chat. It seemed like yesterday that the two of them were best friends, who knew each other inside and out. At the same time, it seemed like so long ago, like memories from a past life...
The phone started to ring...once...twice...thr-
"Hello?" said a female voice. "Hello? Anyone there?"
"Umm, hi!" Sora stammered into the receiver.
"Oh hello, Sora dear! It seems like ages since we've heard from you!" chirped Mrs. Kamiya.
That makes two of us, she thought. "Uh.yeah. Anyway...i-is Tai there?"
"Umm, no. He went out with his dad to pick up some groceries."
"I see...uh, is Kari there?"
"I think so, hold on..." Mrs. Kamiya saw Kari watching television, her back to her mom. She could just barely see the back of her head peeking over the top of the couch.
"Kari!" she called. "Sora's on the-"
Kari shook her head quickly.
"Umm, she doesn't seem to be around right now. But I'll tell her you called, though." Mrs. Kamiya replied.
"I understand," Sora said. "Thank you, Mrs. Kamiya."
"My pleasure, sweetie. Call again soon."
"I'll try, and take care. Bye!" Sora hung up, but she knew that Kari was there.
Mrs. Kamiya hung up, but was confused, knowing that her daughter and Sora were (supposed to be) good friends. But her thoughts were interrupted by the opening of the door.
"We're back!" Tai yelled, two bags of groceries in his arms.
"Oh, Tai.Sora called just a minute ago, right before you came in," Mrs. Kamiya noted.
"Oh, yeah?" Tai said in a slightly low voice. "What did she want?"
"She didn't say, but she wanted to talk to you."
"Hmm..." Tai sighed.
Meanwhile, Kari was still seated on the couch with her arms crossed and an angry face to match at the sound of Sora's name.
****************
Sora could sense that Kari was there, but she also knew that Kari was pretty close to her brother Tai. So it would only make sense that she wouldn't want to talk, either.
Sora picked up her little date book in which she kept track of important events during the week. She gasped upon what she wrote for Saturday, marked with the outline of a red heart. She quickly dropped her notebook, picked up the phone receiver, and dialed furiously.
*RRRRRIIIIINNNNNGGGGG*
"Hey Matt, could you get that?" Mr. Ishida yelled across the room.
"Uh...sure, as soon as I can find it," Matt responded, carefully putting down his guitar.
Just great, where did Dad put the portable phone THIS time, he thought. With all the dirty laundry lying around, it was a struggle to find ANYTHING.
Matt finally found the phone, partially hidden under a few dirty pairs of "don't-need-to-say-it". Matt growled, groaned, and pressed the "TALK" button.
"Hello?! Who is it!?!?" he nearly bellowed.
Jerking her head away, Sora tried to put a good 36 inches between her ear and the phone upon Matt's response, and timidly tried to answer.
"H-hello?"
"Sora, is that you? Sorry for yelling, it wasn't directed at you."
"Who were you shouting at then?"
"Oh...just a small argument with some dirty laundry.a mere nothing."
"Yeeeeeaaaaah...okay...um, anyway Matt, I was calling you about Saturday."
"Saturday?" he repeated, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, remember...the dance?"
Matt smacked his forehead. "Oh, geez.I almost forgot! Ahh, but..."
"But what?" asked Sora impatiently.
"I thought I told you that I didn't want us getting together until..."
"Yeah, I remember what you said, but you promised me that we'd go together, no matter what...!"
"But Sora..."
"No buts, Matt! Don't try to weasel out of this one! You promised!"
Matt sighed. "Rrrgh...all right, Sora. You win. We'll go."
"Thanks, Matt. You'll a doll." Sora (sort of) tried to hide her enthusiasm, but it was pretty hard.
"You're always welcome, Sora," said Matt in a kinder tone. "Bye."
"Bye. Love you," she replied, sweetly.
*CLICK*
Matt sighed again as he hung up.
"Something wrong, son?" Mr. Ishida asked as he walked into the room.
"Yeah...a lot of things," Matt replied.
"Well...don't let your personal problems eat you up, okay?"
"Y'know, I just recently figured out something," he said in a voice sounding full of wisdom. "The only person who can start a change right now is me."
"What do you mean?" asked his dad, glancing up from his newspaper.
"I've gotta set things right for my friends...and I know what I have to do now to get everything rolling."
Matt sighed again and walked into his room, leaving his dad more confused than ever.
*********************
The next day was pretty ordinary like all the other days. Of course, you just might mutter otherwise if you're name wasn't Tai Kamiya. He had to admit he was starting to enjoy the walks. It wasn't at all similar to jogging. Sure, one could think while jogging, but it just wouldn't be the same. This was something special that Tai unexpectedly created, and it provided time to think about anything and everything.
But his ideas screeched to a halt when a sharp pain made its debut in his throat. Tai's legs refused to move due to the unpleasant sensation. However, Tai paid attention in health class, hence he was capable of identifying the feeling as...thirst.
Tai turned his head looking for a place that sold (cheap) drinks. Unfortunately, he wasn't anywhere near Miyako "YOLEI" Inoue's convenient store. It was a minor setback, for Tai spied one of those coffee/cappuccino restaurants across the street.
Tai entered the building, but immediately felt slightly out of place, as this was more of a shop for those brainy or philosophic types. Tai slowly walked forward, and was greeted by the cheerful face of the cute girl at the counter.
"What'll it be, cutie?" she asked.
"Uhh...just give me a vanilla latte, pleas..." he answered almost meekly.
"You got it!"
Tai sighed as he sat down on the stool in front of the counter, and began once again thinking about the past few days and his recent episode with Sora. He unconsciously reached into the pocket of his green school jacket for some money, and softly placed it on the counter.
"Here ya go, cutie!" exclaimed the girl happily.
"Heh, yeah...th-thanks," replied Tai, noticing how infectious the girl's mood was.
"Aww, what's wrong, huh?" she said realizing Tai's glum face. "What's with all the 'gloom 'n doom'?"
"Well...no offense, but I'd rather not talk about-"
"I've seen that look before," she interrupted. "...lemme guess...girl trouble, right?"
Tai was a little surprised at how unexpectedly sharp she seemed.
"Well...yeah, but it's kinda complicated. SHE...well...she's a very special girl."
"I see...well, I won't pry, hon. You just make sure to keep your chin up, okay?"
"I will. Promise," he said, trying to put on his best (fake) smile.
"You better," replied the girl, also with a smile. And having said that, she left to tend to other customers.
Tai pondered over the girl's words. Maybe she was right. He should keep his chin up, otherwise he risked dragging everyone else into the state of thought he seemed to be trapped in. Tai really wished he could go back to the person he used to be, since the "new" him didn't seem to raking up points with anyone. His old self was the more popular (and favorable) character, the good 'ol, courageous, loveable-
"Tai!"
"Huh?" Tai whipped his head around to see who was calling his name, but he didn't recognize anyone standing around in the coffee shop. That's when someone tapped him on the back, causing Tai to turn his whole body around to face-
"Joe! Hey there!" Tai said with a genuine smile for once. Joe Kido returned the gesture and the two shook hands.
"Joe, what're you doing here?!" he asked, as the two friends sat down.
"I come here all the time, but this visit must be your first, huh?"
"Uhh...yeah."
"What's wrong, Tai? You've never been one to be at a loss for words."
Tai really didn't want to go into explaining all the craziness that occurred over the past few days, but if he couldn't talk to "Ol' Reliable", who could he talk to? Joe took a seat next to him at the counter.
"Hey, Joe!" said another familiar voice that made Tai's ears perk up.
Joe turned his head to face the person. "Ah! Jane!"
Jane had on her usual small, shy, yet cute smile. "Hey there! Here're those notes I borrowed! I really needed to copy those down! Thanks, you're a lifesaver!"
"Happy to lend a hand," he said calmly and casually, taking back the notes.
"Of course...oh...hi there, Tai..." she said, starting to blush.
"Uhh...hey," Tai replied. "You two know each other?"
"Yeah, Tai," Joe began. "A few days a week she takes some of her classes at my school."
"Umm...so, uhh, have you thought about IT?" Jane asked to Tai, who knew very well what she was referring to.
"Well...uh...I..."
"Oh, geez...look at the time!" Jane stammered. "Look, Joe...I, uh...gotta go, so I'll see you both tomorrow! Bye!" Jane then quickly exited the coffeehouse, a cup of coffee or something in hand. Joe scratched his head.
"Okay, Tai, what exactly is going on with the two of you?!?"
"It's a long story, Joe."
"Hey, I've got some time, so let's walk and talk," said Joe, getting up from his seat.
Fifteen minutes later, everything came out. Joe listened closely as Tai talked about his problems with Sora, the encounter with Cherrymon, and Jane's offer.
"Well..." Joe started, throwing his empty cup away, "I've heard a lot of extraordinary stories before, but this definitely goes on my 'Top Ten'."
"So, uhh...whaddya think I should do, Joe?"
Joe paused and scratched his head again.
"This is quite a predicament you're in, Tai," he noted.
"Boy, detective school wasn't wasted on you, was it?" he muttered. "Look, do you have any advice or not?"
"Well, I've got a suggestion, but you may not like it."
"Hey at this point, I may as well take advice from Devimon. Shoot."
"I was thinking..." Joe took a deep breath. "...maybe you should go out with Jane."
Tai stared at Joe wide-eyed. Most of the Digidestined knew that Tai and Sora had always been extremely close friends, and assumed that two would maybe one day...
...but that's not the way the world works, correct? Happy endings aren't always the conclusion. Life isn't fair or convenient, as proved last Christmas. Tai tried to shake the thought out his head and quickly focused himself back at Joe.
"But...but why?"
"Well, Jane's a sweet, intelligent, polite and responsible girl...and she likes you."
"That's not what I mean and you know it," Tai said firmly.
"You mean she's not SORA," Joe replied in an equally firm voice.
Tai was struck by his words, and they began to sink in. Joe was right. What was he going to do, wait patiently until Sora ran into his arms? Tai shook his head sadly at the possibility, which regrettably had been decayed into a far off dream.
Joe shook his head at Tai.
"Look, I know how you feel about Sora, but she has Matt now. You're still young, so you have other opportunities to be happy. But keep in mind.life is short. You have another chance to be with a trustworthy 'someone else', besides Sora. Someone in my opinion who's also a very special girl. You may have lost you chance with Sora, but not with Jane, Tai. It's not exactly the best idea to pass a chance like this one up again. Think about it."
The dark blue-haired teen then quickly looked at his watch.
"Oh, I gotta get back to my after-school classes. Nice talking with you, Tai."
Tai smiled again and nodded.
"You too. I'll think about what you said, Joe. See ya later," he finished with a wave.
"Later!" Joe yelled, also waving as he ran across the street.
"See ya..."
Later that night...
"Mom, the phone's ringing!" Jane yelled from her room, studying.
"I'll get it, dear!" Jane's mother yelled back. But as part of her routine, she checked the caller identification machine.
"Hmmm...Kamiya residence...I don't know anyone by that name..."
But Jane's ears heard her mom, and she quickly responded before her mother could pick up the receiver.
"Mom! I got it! I think it's for me!"
"Okay, sweetie!"
Jane reached from her bed where she was studying for the portable phone lying on her small desk. She wedged it between ear and shoulder while she reviewed the notes she copied from Joe.
"Hello? Tai, is that you?"
"Y-yeah, uhh...hi there, Jane."
"Oh, hey there. What's up?"
Normally, Jane would've answered rather shyly, but she was somewhat preoccupied, given the fact that she was reviewing her study sheets.
"So, uh...what're you up to?" Tai asked, surprised by her change in tone, compared to his previous encounters with her. He hoped that she didn't suffer from tremendous mood swings.
"Not much, really. Just looking over those notes I took down, thanks to Joe. Anything else you wanna ask?"
Jane's cheeks immediately began to flush, her heart pounded, her thoughts stopped short of completion, her eyes widened, her lips opened into an open- mouth smile, and she gasped upon the next few words spoken from Tai's voice...
"Umm...Jane...about your offer to go see that movie together..."
TO BE CONTINUED...
Ahhhhh!!!!! I FINALLY completed this damn chapter! It's been sooooo difficult with my new college semester starting up to continue writing/typing, but I kept thinking about you fans who wanted to know what was going to happen next in my fanfic, so I worked long and hard at it, and now it's done! Well, PLEASE read this new chapter and review it! As for the next chapter, I can tell you this much...it's DATING time for the characters! On separate dates, Matt comes to a decision, Sora comes to a realization, and both Tai and Jane discover something important about themselves! The end of the next chapter will leave you breathless! (Well, probably not, so just PRETEND to be surprised.) Well, nothing much left to say except TTFN, tah-tah for now!