Disclaimer: Anyone out there wanna own Digimon instead of me? Oh,
wait…someone does. In that case…never mind.
PREVIOUSLY…
Sora achieved a great deal of sadness when she found out that her "bestest" friend Tai Kamiya was possibly falling for her other good friend, Jane Cooper. But Sora wasn't about to take it lying down! As Tai and Jane were returning from their date, they were confronted by Sora, who demanded to speak with Tai. What will she say? What will she DO?!? Keep reading to find out, my little Munchkins! (Bwa, ha, ha…)
From Courage To Love - Chapter 11
Tai looked at Sora, wide-eyed. He then switched his sights on Jane briefly, and back to Sora. His mind was processing a thousand thoughts, and all of them intersected at the conclusion that somehow, the situation was going to turn ugly. He mentally recited every prayer he had ever heard before, hoping he was dead wrong.
"Umm…okay…" was all he could say at the time.
"Uhh…Tai?" asked Jane. "Maybe I'd better…"
"Yeah," Tai agreed.
"I'll see you tomorrow," she said with a smile. Jane lightly grabbed Tai by his hands, and sweetly kissed him goodnight. They exchanged waves as she proceeded down her walk, and up the stoop into her house, but not before passing by Sora, who shot her a less than happy look. Sora stepped down off the stoop and over to Tai, who was feeling pretty uneasy.
"Sooooo…um, what's up?" he said to Sora.
"C'mon…walk with me, Tai," she said most seriously.
The two walked in silence for almost a solid minute. Sora knew Tai was at a loss for words, so she stopped walking and turned towards him. Tai noticed her face had changed expression, from seriousness to something that almost looked like sympathy…or a begging for forgiveness.
"So…what's on your mind?" Tai asked, nearly oblivious as to what she was going to tell him.
Sora looked very uncomfortable now, and blushed slightly. Just as she did last…
(Aww, forget it, you know how that sentence is gonna end.)
"Well, I, uh…" Sora started. But to her surprise, this was as hard as it was the first few times she tried to reveal her true feelings to Tai. Old "habits" die hard. Her old feelings for him had been revived and gotten all stirred up again. But this time, she mentally vowed to herself to make it clear as to how she really felt about him. She laughed nervously.
"Y'see…it's kinda funny, really…I…"
C'mon, girl, you can do it! she thought to herself. Don't you dare make the same mistake twice! Tell him! You have his complete attention! TELL HIM!
"I…heh, heh…I sorta…love you…" Sora's cheeks blushed an even deeper shade of red, and she looked down at her shoes. At the same time, Sora felt a strange feeling, almost as if she had no right whatsoever to do this to him. All she could now was take a deep breath…and wait for him to answer.
Tai, once again, was speechless. Only maybe about a week ago, had she broken an old promise and called him "stupid." Now there she was, saying those magical words that he had longed to hear. What could he do?
"You…you do? R-really?" he finally got out, with an unbelieving look on his face.
"Yes…I do."
Tai remembered what Matt had said over lunch, but even that hadn't prepared him for the shock he was receiving now.
"I…don't know what to say."
"Why don't you just…say it back…?" Sora gently pleaded.
A giant part of Tai desperately wanted to, and at the same time…a lot of signs were telling him otherwise. It had been so hard for him to talk to her, much less face her. But he had to cope with the situation, one way or another. This was his dream come true! He still couldn't believe it! He had to say something…anything!
"I…"
Sora worriedly looked at him, as her heart nearly skipped a beat.
"…I don't know if I can."
"W-what? What are you saying? O-of course you can," Sora replied. There was absolutely no doubt, Sora – and her voice – were shaking, even though it wasn't a particularly cold night.
"I KNOW you can."
"I'm sorry, Sora…but this…this is just too sudden."
Sora sadly looked back down at the ground, unable to speak or move. Tai couldn't either until he saw a small drop of clear liquid fall from her face and hit the sidewalk. That's when he realized that Sora was doing more than just asking for his love in return…she was asking for his forgiveness.
"Look, Sora…I just need some time to think about this, okay?"
Sora looked back up at him with tears falling from her eyes. Tai was a little surprised that he WASN'T crying, even though he should have been.
"Okay." Sora nodded obediently. I don't blame him for how he's responding, she thought. I caused him a lot of pain…I deserve this.
Tai hated to see her cry, and reached out his hand to caress her face. His left thumb made contact with her cheek, and gently wiped away some of the salty tears, while his other four fingers slowly stroked and inadvertently tickled her soft cheek. Sora closed her eyes and raised her right hand to meet Tai's left. She sniffled and brought the hand to her lips, and softly kissed it. Sora couldn't deny it…what Tai just did felt so good…so appropriate…so right.
Sora finally opened her eyes and Tai was wearing the exact same sad face that she was. Sora took another deep breath in anticipation for anything else that Tai was going to say. He only said one more thing before parting ways with her…
"Goodnight, Sora." And as Tai walked away, another cold breeze blew and Sora once again was forced to hug herself. She felt so terribly alone.
*********************
"I'm home!" Tai yelled as he walked through the door of his home.
"Hey, Tai!" Kari yelled back.
"Kari, you wouldn't believe what hap-" but Tai stopped talking in reference to the sight before him. T.K. was there and dancing with his sister. On a boom box some remix dance song was playing. (Chapter 8, remember?) T.K. and Tai exchanged "hello" waves.
Tai might have been mad or shocked, but he was too preoccupied with Sora's proclamation of love to do anything major. Instead he grabbed a glass from the cupboard, and some juice from the refrigerator.
Tai sat down at the kitchen table, poured himself a glass, and slowly sipped his juice while the rest of the song played out. As it ended, T.K. and Kari stopped dancing, and were partially out of breath, laughing and holding on to each other.
"Ah, it's getting late, Kari. I gotta go, okay?" asked T.K.
"Oh, all right," said Kari, a little disappointed.
T.K. picked up his hat from the table and quickly kissed Kari's cheek. Kari touched it and blushed a little as they said their good-byes.
"You two looked like you were having fun," noted Tai.
"You better believe it," Kari replied with a wry smile, turning off the boom box. "But what about you? You were out kinda late, weren't you? On a date with a special someone?" Kari began to playfully nudge her big brother with her elbow.
Tai responded with nothing but a half-smile, while Kari sat down at the table with a glass of milk and an open magazine waiting for her.
"Uh, yeah…I was," Tai said finally.
Kari smiled as she took a sip of her milk, thinking she knew what he was talking about.
"With Jane."
*SSSSSSSSPPPPPPPPPRRRRRRRTTTTTTTTT*
Tai would've shouted at Kari by now, had his mouth – and his face – not been full of milk.
"WHAT!?!" sputtered Kari, nearly slamming down her (much less than full) glass.
"I said…"
"I know WHAT you said, I just don't know WHY! And to crown it all, look what you made me do!" Kari exclaimed, indicating her shortage of milk.
"What I made you do?" he replied, drying his face off with a small dish towel. (With the emphasis on "I.")
"Tai, why in the world are you dating Jane???"
"Because she's a nice girl and she asked me out."
"That's not the point and you know it! Why aren't you with Sora? I mean, she broke up with Matt and all…!"
"How did you know about that?"
"Matt told me over the phone."
"Yeah, well…anyway, Sora just told me how she felt about me before I got home."
"That's great! I knew she'd come around!"
Yeah, but that's only HALF of it, Tai thought to himself. The big question is…will I?
*********************
"Hi, Mom," Sora said glumly as she entered through the door.
"Well, hello, sweetie. It's a little late to go out, don't you think? Where were you? I was starting to get worried."
"Sorry, Mom," Sora apologized. "It's just that…well, I was looking for Tai."
"I see…"
"I tried to tell him how I feel…but he just…"
"He just what?"
"No offense, Mom, but I really don't wanna talk. I'm gonna hit the sack. Goodnight."
"Goodnight." Sora's mom didn't want to guess how it went, yet she couldn't help but wonder.
Sora laid down on her bed and thought. She picked up one of the photos of Tai and gazed at it, emitting a small smile. A tiny tear fell again from hey eye as she thought about that particular boy. Sora's thoughts starting running again.
C'mon, Tai! I know you've loved me since the beginning. I didn't realize it for a while, but I've loved you too since day one. Please don't let this bond break! You just weren't given a fair chance last year, but that's my fault; I didn't give it to you. Just look into your heart and find the part of you that loves me! I'll wait for you this time, I promise…no matter how hard it is.
The next day of school seemed dark and dreary, not just because of the gray clouds and the rain. Sora was deeply depressed, as was Tai, though not as much. They were both wondering about his decision on how to proceed and with who. She tried not to look at him, during their shared classes. It was as hard to look at him as it was to not think about him, and vice versa. As Sora came home, she decided that she would try to ask him again as soon as possible. She sighed as plopped down on her bed again, very tired.
Suddenly something caught her eye. Sora looked closer and saw something sticking out of her closet just far enough to get her attention. Sora got off her bed, and opened her closet the whole way. What was sticking out was the sleeve of a coat. The same one she wore last Christmas…
It's funny. She couldn't exactly remember why, but shortly after New Year's, she had stopped wearing it. Sora only seemed to be able to dig up bad memories as she took the coat off the rack. She knelt down on the floor and gently hugged the coat. As she held it in her arms, one of her hands accidentally slipped into one lower side pockets. Sora felt something in the pocket, and she pulled her hand out. Wedged between her fingers was a small crinkled, folded piece of paper. Sora was indeed curious as to how it got there, since she never left stuff in her coats and jackets. Growing more and more curious by the second, she hastily unfolded it. On the paper, scribbled in pen a small message was written…
I'LL BE WAITING.
The message struck a chord inside Sora and she knew that somehow those words sounded way too familiar. Wait a minute, she thought…
"Tell you what…I'll make some special ones for you."
"I'll be waiting…thanks."
Sora went wide-eyed (yep, again) and thought hard. How did that little scrap of paper get into her pocket anyway? There was no doubt that the message was from Tai, but…
"Now get in there, and 'hi' to Matt for me."
"Thanks, Tai."
Sora's mind screeched like a car. Her mind drifted back to that exact second when he pushed her into the tent where Matt's concert was being held. Sora rewound that scene and kept playing it over and over in her mind. Could Tai have somehow slipped that paper into her pocket at that moment? And could he have known that she already had her sights set on Matt when he wrote it?
"He's a clever one, I'll give him that," she almost whispered.
Sora quickly got herself off the floor, made her way to the telephone, and dialed the Kamiya's number as fast as her fingers could work.
Kari picked up the phone while quickly glancing at the caller ID. (I have one too, but it doesn't give the caller's name…lousy piece of junk.)
"Hello? Oh, hey, Sora."
"Uhh, hi. I-is Tai there?"
"Umm, no I don't think so…"
"What? Are you sure? I know he doesn't have soccer practice today."
"Oh, wait…I remember now! He said he was gonna spend some time in the Digital World!"
"The Digital World?"
"That's what I said."
"Okay. Thanks, Kari."
"Wait! Sora…before you go…umm…you DO love Tai, right?" Kari asked, with uncertainty in her voice.
Sora smiled at the question and answered without hesitation. "You bet I do."
Kari began to smile at her response. "That's all I wanted to know."
"See ya!" they both said before they hung up.
Kari turned away from the phone, curled her right hand into a fist, and stabbed her elbow downward, hissing, "YES!"
*********************
It was still pretty bright in the Digital World when Tai arrived, since he came there straight after school. It wasn't near the weekend, but there was some sort of teachers' "in-service day" thing that was going on the next day, so the students would have no school. (My school has those, too. I still don't know what they're about.)
Tai walked here and there, seeing various digmon go at it, or getting along perfectly. He had forgotten how beautiful this world could be. He closely observed the scenery, including the multi-colored sky, the weird weather changes, the strangely-shaped trees, and blinding, yet clear mists…
*********************
Sora ran as fast as she could to the school. She ran up the steps to the computer room, and indeed, one of the computers were on, and the Digital Port was open. "I'm coming, Tai," she said, with love and hope in her voice. Sora pulled her digivice out of her pocket, and raised it to the screen.
Not too far away, Tai found himself walking along a quiet stream. The sky, trees, and mist were things that he just wouldn't be able to get used to. However, the stream seemed normal enough with the exception of a small white digimon with small purple spots all over it, and an orange mane of hair spreading from its head down to the middle of its back, like a Mohawk.
"Gomamon! Hey there!" said Tai, with a smile.
"Oh, it's you, Tai! Back off! This is MY fishing spot!" Gomamon complained.
"Hey, take it easy, I'm not here to fish!" Tai assured Gomamon.
"Oh! Well, in that case…greetings!"
"So what are you up to, Gomamon?"
"Whaddya think? Fishing! Life doesn't get much better than this!"
Tai laughed. Some things just don't change, no matter how much time passes. Tai left the small digimon to his work, and tried to make his way up the mountain he was now facing.
Many minutes later, a bright flash of light erupted from a nearby television, half-buried in the grass. Sora shouted as popped out of screen and landed on her butt. She groaned and rubbed her bottom. She quickly looked around for Tai, but he was nowhere to be found. She hoped he hadn't left already. Sora suddenly noticed something very strange. The mountain she faced seemed somehow familiar. She stood there with her mouth nearly hanging open. It was Infinity Mountain! And she was on File Island! Where the entire adventure began! As Sora looked upward, the mountain seemed pretty high. But if Tai was up there…
Sora did her best to climb. It took a long while, but as to exactly how long the trip was…she wasn't sure, since she didn't have a watch. When she finally reached the top, she slumped down next to a tree, breathing hard. Sora had plenty of hope left inside her, whereas others would sooner or later wonder whether or not all this was really worth the trouble.
Taking a drink of water from a nearby pond, Sora started looking for Tai. It wouldn't be easy, but sometimes the best things are worth struggling for. She search for almost an hour, looking right and left, and asking digimon of all shapes and sizes if they'd seen her friend. No luck. Sora once again slumped against another tree, and began to catch her breath. As she inhaled and exhaled, she noticed that somehow the sounds of her breathing didn't match what she was doing. Curiously, she turned her head and saw what was causing it…
Out on a far cliff, was a young man sitting with his back to her, his arms wrapped around his legs. His hair was "wild" and brown, and he was wearing a green school jacket. Sora didn't have to hope or guess as to who it was…she knew.
Tai Kamiya.
Her best friend.
Her true love.
Tai let the soft, cool wind brush past through his face and his hair. He smiled, since it felt refreshing. Haven't been here in a while, he thought. Since he had arrived here, he thought he might've been able to forget all his troubles, but quite the opposite. All he could think about was his recent troubles. Sora's infatuation with Matt, her insults, his encounter and fight against Cherrymon, Joe's counseling, his dates with Jane, and now-
"Tai."
Tai smiled without even turning around. "Hey, Sora. Knew you were there."
"How did you know?"
"Same way I knew you were at that bench back there."
Sora covered her mouth in partial shock.
"Guess it was just instinct," he added.
In her mind, Sora disagreed. To her, it was more than just that. It was the growing signs of a truly unbreakable bond…
Sora walked over to where he was sitting, trying to keep the realization of how high up they were out of her thoughts. "Is this rock taken?"
Tai signaled for her to sit down, and she did. Sora felt very uneasy as she breathed in the air around her. She glanced over at her friend. Tai was looking out far into the distance. Sora swore she could almost see the continent of Server over the enormous ocean. As looked back at Tai, she saw another sad smile enter his face.
"Hey, Sora?"
"Yeah?"
"Remember when we first left this place?"
"Mmm?"
"You know…when we all left for Server?"
It took Sora a second to remember. "Oh…yeah. What about it?"
"When we were riding on that raft, and then on Whamon…I felt so free. Sure we had to get used to living in his digestive system for a little while, but…"
"But?" asked Sora, subtly smiling too.
"I really felt all troubles get off my back. I was headstrong…but I really didn't have a care in the world."
Tai's smiled faded as he sighed. "But that's not how it is at all anymore, is it?"
Sora didn't quite know what to say.
"Sora, what do want from me? I thought you wanted to be with Matt, you made that clear. As then you turn around with…THIS."
Sora sighed as well and glumly looked down at her lap.
"I'm not trying to make you feel bad, Sora. But I do think I have a right to know."
"Know what?" she asked, turning her head towards him.
"How do you feel about me?"
Sora and Tai locked eyes, and stared at each other for what seemed like a long, hard time.
"Tai…" Sora finally said. "Believe me when I say…"
Tai listened closely.
"…I love you."
Tai sighed again, but now Sora decided that she had enough. She was planning to "lecture" him again, but this time about something else.
"Listen, Tai…I know it's been difficult between us lately, but now it's time to make YOUR feelings clear! And I am really, REALLY, sorry for what I said! You're not stupid! I am! Friends don't insult each other! And they most certainly don't abandon each other when they need a shoulder to cry on! Especially BEST friends!"
"Sora, I-"
"I'm also sorry that I didn't give you a fair chance last Christmas! I should've waited longer. But you have another chance now! Don't blow it!" Sora reached out her hand to him and began to cry a little. "Please, Tai…if you can find it within your heart to forgive me…do so! And this time, I'll foolishly wait for you as long as it takes…to give you all the time you need! You were brave to ask me out! And if you're crazy enough to risk taking our friendship to the next level…then I am too."
Tai listened to every single word, and hung on to every syllable. But Sora couldn't take it any longer. More and more tears fell from her eyes, and she sniffled one more time before she got up to leave. She sadly closed her eyes to stop herself from audibly crying. Tai had always repeatedly cursed and blamed himself for squandering his chances with her. His eyebrows turned towards each other, and he almost angrily forced himself to act this time. No more mistakes. Never again.
Sora's tear-stained eyes immediately snapped open as she felt the warmth of another hand wrap around hers. She got even more curious when a gentle arm wrapped her waist, urging her to stop moving. She did. Sora was a little confused now, but it all became clear when Tai's voice whispered into her ear…
"I don't know how I'm gonna break this to Jane."
"Wh…what…I… " Sora quickly turned around to face him. All her eyes saw in Tai's was a fresh batch of true love…and it was all theirs.
"You're right, Sora. I am crazy…about you."
Sora was practically speechless. "You mean…you…"
"Does this answer your question?" Tai asked as he closed his eyes and slowly moved his lips towards Sora's face…and Sora closed her eyes too and softly puckered up her lips…
Neither of them could hear the alarming sound. They were both too drunk on love to notice the crumbling noise beneath Tai's feet…
It all happened so fast. The next thing they knew, Tai was just barely hanging on to the side of the rockface, since the cliff under his feet had given way. Sora could not stop screaming. She tried desperately to extend her hand to reach him.
"C'mon, Tai! I'll pull you up! Reach for my hand!" Sora shouted.
"Ungh! I'm tryin'!"
"C'mon…just a little higher…!"
Tai reached with all love and determination. And with a little luck, his hand just brushed Sora's hand…
…until the piece of rock broke. None of this seemed fair.
"NO, TAI!!!"
"SOORRAAAAAA!!!!!!!" Tai yelled.
As Tai plunged to his…as he fell (ahem), he remembered something his mother once told him…
"The world isn't fair."
THE END (?)
Author's note: Of course this isn't the end! You think after all that's happened, I'd really end the story like this?!? As if! Anyway, don't worry, fans! SOMETHING will happen to Tai…I'm sure of it. Just keep reading and reviewing…!
P.S. If you're frustrated over the lack of Taiora mush in this story, there'll be much more in the NEXT one.
PREVIOUSLY…
Sora achieved a great deal of sadness when she found out that her "bestest" friend Tai Kamiya was possibly falling for her other good friend, Jane Cooper. But Sora wasn't about to take it lying down! As Tai and Jane were returning from their date, they were confronted by Sora, who demanded to speak with Tai. What will she say? What will she DO?!? Keep reading to find out, my little Munchkins! (Bwa, ha, ha…)
From Courage To Love - Chapter 11
Tai looked at Sora, wide-eyed. He then switched his sights on Jane briefly, and back to Sora. His mind was processing a thousand thoughts, and all of them intersected at the conclusion that somehow, the situation was going to turn ugly. He mentally recited every prayer he had ever heard before, hoping he was dead wrong.
"Umm…okay…" was all he could say at the time.
"Uhh…Tai?" asked Jane. "Maybe I'd better…"
"Yeah," Tai agreed.
"I'll see you tomorrow," she said with a smile. Jane lightly grabbed Tai by his hands, and sweetly kissed him goodnight. They exchanged waves as she proceeded down her walk, and up the stoop into her house, but not before passing by Sora, who shot her a less than happy look. Sora stepped down off the stoop and over to Tai, who was feeling pretty uneasy.
"Sooooo…um, what's up?" he said to Sora.
"C'mon…walk with me, Tai," she said most seriously.
The two walked in silence for almost a solid minute. Sora knew Tai was at a loss for words, so she stopped walking and turned towards him. Tai noticed her face had changed expression, from seriousness to something that almost looked like sympathy…or a begging for forgiveness.
"So…what's on your mind?" Tai asked, nearly oblivious as to what she was going to tell him.
Sora looked very uncomfortable now, and blushed slightly. Just as she did last…
(Aww, forget it, you know how that sentence is gonna end.)
"Well, I, uh…" Sora started. But to her surprise, this was as hard as it was the first few times she tried to reveal her true feelings to Tai. Old "habits" die hard. Her old feelings for him had been revived and gotten all stirred up again. But this time, she mentally vowed to herself to make it clear as to how she really felt about him. She laughed nervously.
"Y'see…it's kinda funny, really…I…"
C'mon, girl, you can do it! she thought to herself. Don't you dare make the same mistake twice! Tell him! You have his complete attention! TELL HIM!
"I…heh, heh…I sorta…love you…" Sora's cheeks blushed an even deeper shade of red, and she looked down at her shoes. At the same time, Sora felt a strange feeling, almost as if she had no right whatsoever to do this to him. All she could now was take a deep breath…and wait for him to answer.
Tai, once again, was speechless. Only maybe about a week ago, had she broken an old promise and called him "stupid." Now there she was, saying those magical words that he had longed to hear. What could he do?
"You…you do? R-really?" he finally got out, with an unbelieving look on his face.
"Yes…I do."
Tai remembered what Matt had said over lunch, but even that hadn't prepared him for the shock he was receiving now.
"I…don't know what to say."
"Why don't you just…say it back…?" Sora gently pleaded.
A giant part of Tai desperately wanted to, and at the same time…a lot of signs were telling him otherwise. It had been so hard for him to talk to her, much less face her. But he had to cope with the situation, one way or another. This was his dream come true! He still couldn't believe it! He had to say something…anything!
"I…"
Sora worriedly looked at him, as her heart nearly skipped a beat.
"…I don't know if I can."
"W-what? What are you saying? O-of course you can," Sora replied. There was absolutely no doubt, Sora – and her voice – were shaking, even though it wasn't a particularly cold night.
"I KNOW you can."
"I'm sorry, Sora…but this…this is just too sudden."
Sora sadly looked back down at the ground, unable to speak or move. Tai couldn't either until he saw a small drop of clear liquid fall from her face and hit the sidewalk. That's when he realized that Sora was doing more than just asking for his love in return…she was asking for his forgiveness.
"Look, Sora…I just need some time to think about this, okay?"
Sora looked back up at him with tears falling from her eyes. Tai was a little surprised that he WASN'T crying, even though he should have been.
"Okay." Sora nodded obediently. I don't blame him for how he's responding, she thought. I caused him a lot of pain…I deserve this.
Tai hated to see her cry, and reached out his hand to caress her face. His left thumb made contact with her cheek, and gently wiped away some of the salty tears, while his other four fingers slowly stroked and inadvertently tickled her soft cheek. Sora closed her eyes and raised her right hand to meet Tai's left. She sniffled and brought the hand to her lips, and softly kissed it. Sora couldn't deny it…what Tai just did felt so good…so appropriate…so right.
Sora finally opened her eyes and Tai was wearing the exact same sad face that she was. Sora took another deep breath in anticipation for anything else that Tai was going to say. He only said one more thing before parting ways with her…
"Goodnight, Sora." And as Tai walked away, another cold breeze blew and Sora once again was forced to hug herself. She felt so terribly alone.
*********************
"I'm home!" Tai yelled as he walked through the door of his home.
"Hey, Tai!" Kari yelled back.
"Kari, you wouldn't believe what hap-" but Tai stopped talking in reference to the sight before him. T.K. was there and dancing with his sister. On a boom box some remix dance song was playing. (Chapter 8, remember?) T.K. and Tai exchanged "hello" waves.
Tai might have been mad or shocked, but he was too preoccupied with Sora's proclamation of love to do anything major. Instead he grabbed a glass from the cupboard, and some juice from the refrigerator.
Tai sat down at the kitchen table, poured himself a glass, and slowly sipped his juice while the rest of the song played out. As it ended, T.K. and Kari stopped dancing, and were partially out of breath, laughing and holding on to each other.
"Ah, it's getting late, Kari. I gotta go, okay?" asked T.K.
"Oh, all right," said Kari, a little disappointed.
T.K. picked up his hat from the table and quickly kissed Kari's cheek. Kari touched it and blushed a little as they said their good-byes.
"You two looked like you were having fun," noted Tai.
"You better believe it," Kari replied with a wry smile, turning off the boom box. "But what about you? You were out kinda late, weren't you? On a date with a special someone?" Kari began to playfully nudge her big brother with her elbow.
Tai responded with nothing but a half-smile, while Kari sat down at the table with a glass of milk and an open magazine waiting for her.
"Uh, yeah…I was," Tai said finally.
Kari smiled as she took a sip of her milk, thinking she knew what he was talking about.
"With Jane."
*SSSSSSSSPPPPPPPPPRRRRRRRTTTTTTTTT*
Tai would've shouted at Kari by now, had his mouth – and his face – not been full of milk.
"WHAT!?!" sputtered Kari, nearly slamming down her (much less than full) glass.
"I said…"
"I know WHAT you said, I just don't know WHY! And to crown it all, look what you made me do!" Kari exclaimed, indicating her shortage of milk.
"What I made you do?" he replied, drying his face off with a small dish towel. (With the emphasis on "I.")
"Tai, why in the world are you dating Jane???"
"Because she's a nice girl and she asked me out."
"That's not the point and you know it! Why aren't you with Sora? I mean, she broke up with Matt and all…!"
"How did you know about that?"
"Matt told me over the phone."
"Yeah, well…anyway, Sora just told me how she felt about me before I got home."
"That's great! I knew she'd come around!"
Yeah, but that's only HALF of it, Tai thought to himself. The big question is…will I?
*********************
"Hi, Mom," Sora said glumly as she entered through the door.
"Well, hello, sweetie. It's a little late to go out, don't you think? Where were you? I was starting to get worried."
"Sorry, Mom," Sora apologized. "It's just that…well, I was looking for Tai."
"I see…"
"I tried to tell him how I feel…but he just…"
"He just what?"
"No offense, Mom, but I really don't wanna talk. I'm gonna hit the sack. Goodnight."
"Goodnight." Sora's mom didn't want to guess how it went, yet she couldn't help but wonder.
Sora laid down on her bed and thought. She picked up one of the photos of Tai and gazed at it, emitting a small smile. A tiny tear fell again from hey eye as she thought about that particular boy. Sora's thoughts starting running again.
C'mon, Tai! I know you've loved me since the beginning. I didn't realize it for a while, but I've loved you too since day one. Please don't let this bond break! You just weren't given a fair chance last year, but that's my fault; I didn't give it to you. Just look into your heart and find the part of you that loves me! I'll wait for you this time, I promise…no matter how hard it is.
The next day of school seemed dark and dreary, not just because of the gray clouds and the rain. Sora was deeply depressed, as was Tai, though not as much. They were both wondering about his decision on how to proceed and with who. She tried not to look at him, during their shared classes. It was as hard to look at him as it was to not think about him, and vice versa. As Sora came home, she decided that she would try to ask him again as soon as possible. She sighed as plopped down on her bed again, very tired.
Suddenly something caught her eye. Sora looked closer and saw something sticking out of her closet just far enough to get her attention. Sora got off her bed, and opened her closet the whole way. What was sticking out was the sleeve of a coat. The same one she wore last Christmas…
It's funny. She couldn't exactly remember why, but shortly after New Year's, she had stopped wearing it. Sora only seemed to be able to dig up bad memories as she took the coat off the rack. She knelt down on the floor and gently hugged the coat. As she held it in her arms, one of her hands accidentally slipped into one lower side pockets. Sora felt something in the pocket, and she pulled her hand out. Wedged between her fingers was a small crinkled, folded piece of paper. Sora was indeed curious as to how it got there, since she never left stuff in her coats and jackets. Growing more and more curious by the second, she hastily unfolded it. On the paper, scribbled in pen a small message was written…
I'LL BE WAITING.
The message struck a chord inside Sora and she knew that somehow those words sounded way too familiar. Wait a minute, she thought…
"Tell you what…I'll make some special ones for you."
"I'll be waiting…thanks."
Sora went wide-eyed (yep, again) and thought hard. How did that little scrap of paper get into her pocket anyway? There was no doubt that the message was from Tai, but…
"Now get in there, and 'hi' to Matt for me."
"Thanks, Tai."
Sora's mind screeched like a car. Her mind drifted back to that exact second when he pushed her into the tent where Matt's concert was being held. Sora rewound that scene and kept playing it over and over in her mind. Could Tai have somehow slipped that paper into her pocket at that moment? And could he have known that she already had her sights set on Matt when he wrote it?
"He's a clever one, I'll give him that," she almost whispered.
Sora quickly got herself off the floor, made her way to the telephone, and dialed the Kamiya's number as fast as her fingers could work.
Kari picked up the phone while quickly glancing at the caller ID. (I have one too, but it doesn't give the caller's name…lousy piece of junk.)
"Hello? Oh, hey, Sora."
"Uhh, hi. I-is Tai there?"
"Umm, no I don't think so…"
"What? Are you sure? I know he doesn't have soccer practice today."
"Oh, wait…I remember now! He said he was gonna spend some time in the Digital World!"
"The Digital World?"
"That's what I said."
"Okay. Thanks, Kari."
"Wait! Sora…before you go…umm…you DO love Tai, right?" Kari asked, with uncertainty in her voice.
Sora smiled at the question and answered without hesitation. "You bet I do."
Kari began to smile at her response. "That's all I wanted to know."
"See ya!" they both said before they hung up.
Kari turned away from the phone, curled her right hand into a fist, and stabbed her elbow downward, hissing, "YES!"
*********************
It was still pretty bright in the Digital World when Tai arrived, since he came there straight after school. It wasn't near the weekend, but there was some sort of teachers' "in-service day" thing that was going on the next day, so the students would have no school. (My school has those, too. I still don't know what they're about.)
Tai walked here and there, seeing various digmon go at it, or getting along perfectly. He had forgotten how beautiful this world could be. He closely observed the scenery, including the multi-colored sky, the weird weather changes, the strangely-shaped trees, and blinding, yet clear mists…
*********************
Sora ran as fast as she could to the school. She ran up the steps to the computer room, and indeed, one of the computers were on, and the Digital Port was open. "I'm coming, Tai," she said, with love and hope in her voice. Sora pulled her digivice out of her pocket, and raised it to the screen.
Not too far away, Tai found himself walking along a quiet stream. The sky, trees, and mist were things that he just wouldn't be able to get used to. However, the stream seemed normal enough with the exception of a small white digimon with small purple spots all over it, and an orange mane of hair spreading from its head down to the middle of its back, like a Mohawk.
"Gomamon! Hey there!" said Tai, with a smile.
"Oh, it's you, Tai! Back off! This is MY fishing spot!" Gomamon complained.
"Hey, take it easy, I'm not here to fish!" Tai assured Gomamon.
"Oh! Well, in that case…greetings!"
"So what are you up to, Gomamon?"
"Whaddya think? Fishing! Life doesn't get much better than this!"
Tai laughed. Some things just don't change, no matter how much time passes. Tai left the small digimon to his work, and tried to make his way up the mountain he was now facing.
Many minutes later, a bright flash of light erupted from a nearby television, half-buried in the grass. Sora shouted as popped out of screen and landed on her butt. She groaned and rubbed her bottom. She quickly looked around for Tai, but he was nowhere to be found. She hoped he hadn't left already. Sora suddenly noticed something very strange. The mountain she faced seemed somehow familiar. She stood there with her mouth nearly hanging open. It was Infinity Mountain! And she was on File Island! Where the entire adventure began! As Sora looked upward, the mountain seemed pretty high. But if Tai was up there…
Sora did her best to climb. It took a long while, but as to exactly how long the trip was…she wasn't sure, since she didn't have a watch. When she finally reached the top, she slumped down next to a tree, breathing hard. Sora had plenty of hope left inside her, whereas others would sooner or later wonder whether or not all this was really worth the trouble.
Taking a drink of water from a nearby pond, Sora started looking for Tai. It wouldn't be easy, but sometimes the best things are worth struggling for. She search for almost an hour, looking right and left, and asking digimon of all shapes and sizes if they'd seen her friend. No luck. Sora once again slumped against another tree, and began to catch her breath. As she inhaled and exhaled, she noticed that somehow the sounds of her breathing didn't match what she was doing. Curiously, she turned her head and saw what was causing it…
Out on a far cliff, was a young man sitting with his back to her, his arms wrapped around his legs. His hair was "wild" and brown, and he was wearing a green school jacket. Sora didn't have to hope or guess as to who it was…she knew.
Tai Kamiya.
Her best friend.
Her true love.
Tai let the soft, cool wind brush past through his face and his hair. He smiled, since it felt refreshing. Haven't been here in a while, he thought. Since he had arrived here, he thought he might've been able to forget all his troubles, but quite the opposite. All he could think about was his recent troubles. Sora's infatuation with Matt, her insults, his encounter and fight against Cherrymon, Joe's counseling, his dates with Jane, and now-
"Tai."
Tai smiled without even turning around. "Hey, Sora. Knew you were there."
"How did you know?"
"Same way I knew you were at that bench back there."
Sora covered her mouth in partial shock.
"Guess it was just instinct," he added.
In her mind, Sora disagreed. To her, it was more than just that. It was the growing signs of a truly unbreakable bond…
Sora walked over to where he was sitting, trying to keep the realization of how high up they were out of her thoughts. "Is this rock taken?"
Tai signaled for her to sit down, and she did. Sora felt very uneasy as she breathed in the air around her. She glanced over at her friend. Tai was looking out far into the distance. Sora swore she could almost see the continent of Server over the enormous ocean. As looked back at Tai, she saw another sad smile enter his face.
"Hey, Sora?"
"Yeah?"
"Remember when we first left this place?"
"Mmm?"
"You know…when we all left for Server?"
It took Sora a second to remember. "Oh…yeah. What about it?"
"When we were riding on that raft, and then on Whamon…I felt so free. Sure we had to get used to living in his digestive system for a little while, but…"
"But?" asked Sora, subtly smiling too.
"I really felt all troubles get off my back. I was headstrong…but I really didn't have a care in the world."
Tai's smiled faded as he sighed. "But that's not how it is at all anymore, is it?"
Sora didn't quite know what to say.
"Sora, what do want from me? I thought you wanted to be with Matt, you made that clear. As then you turn around with…THIS."
Sora sighed as well and glumly looked down at her lap.
"I'm not trying to make you feel bad, Sora. But I do think I have a right to know."
"Know what?" she asked, turning her head towards him.
"How do you feel about me?"
Sora and Tai locked eyes, and stared at each other for what seemed like a long, hard time.
"Tai…" Sora finally said. "Believe me when I say…"
Tai listened closely.
"…I love you."
Tai sighed again, but now Sora decided that she had enough. She was planning to "lecture" him again, but this time about something else.
"Listen, Tai…I know it's been difficult between us lately, but now it's time to make YOUR feelings clear! And I am really, REALLY, sorry for what I said! You're not stupid! I am! Friends don't insult each other! And they most certainly don't abandon each other when they need a shoulder to cry on! Especially BEST friends!"
"Sora, I-"
"I'm also sorry that I didn't give you a fair chance last Christmas! I should've waited longer. But you have another chance now! Don't blow it!" Sora reached out her hand to him and began to cry a little. "Please, Tai…if you can find it within your heart to forgive me…do so! And this time, I'll foolishly wait for you as long as it takes…to give you all the time you need! You were brave to ask me out! And if you're crazy enough to risk taking our friendship to the next level…then I am too."
Tai listened to every single word, and hung on to every syllable. But Sora couldn't take it any longer. More and more tears fell from her eyes, and she sniffled one more time before she got up to leave. She sadly closed her eyes to stop herself from audibly crying. Tai had always repeatedly cursed and blamed himself for squandering his chances with her. His eyebrows turned towards each other, and he almost angrily forced himself to act this time. No more mistakes. Never again.
Sora's tear-stained eyes immediately snapped open as she felt the warmth of another hand wrap around hers. She got even more curious when a gentle arm wrapped her waist, urging her to stop moving. She did. Sora was a little confused now, but it all became clear when Tai's voice whispered into her ear…
"I don't know how I'm gonna break this to Jane."
"Wh…what…I… " Sora quickly turned around to face him. All her eyes saw in Tai's was a fresh batch of true love…and it was all theirs.
"You're right, Sora. I am crazy…about you."
Sora was practically speechless. "You mean…you…"
"Does this answer your question?" Tai asked as he closed his eyes and slowly moved his lips towards Sora's face…and Sora closed her eyes too and softly puckered up her lips…
Neither of them could hear the alarming sound. They were both too drunk on love to notice the crumbling noise beneath Tai's feet…
It all happened so fast. The next thing they knew, Tai was just barely hanging on to the side of the rockface, since the cliff under his feet had given way. Sora could not stop screaming. She tried desperately to extend her hand to reach him.
"C'mon, Tai! I'll pull you up! Reach for my hand!" Sora shouted.
"Ungh! I'm tryin'!"
"C'mon…just a little higher…!"
Tai reached with all love and determination. And with a little luck, his hand just brushed Sora's hand…
…until the piece of rock broke. None of this seemed fair.
"NO, TAI!!!"
"SOORRAAAAAA!!!!!!!" Tai yelled.
As Tai plunged to his…as he fell (ahem), he remembered something his mother once told him…
"The world isn't fair."
THE END (?)
Author's note: Of course this isn't the end! You think after all that's happened, I'd really end the story like this?!? As if! Anyway, don't worry, fans! SOMETHING will happen to Tai…I'm sure of it. Just keep reading and reviewing…!
P.S. If you're frustrated over the lack of Taiora mush in this story, there'll be much more in the NEXT one.