It's that time of year again; Taiora Week!

Like last year I'm doing both writing pieces and drawings for each of the themes so they'll be posted here and on deviantart. I'll post links to them on my twitter and tumblr account as well if anyone follows me on those

Today's theme: Flowers

Originally this idea was meant to be when Tai and Sora are dating, but as I usually set these in with my 2.5 timeline I realised that wouldn't have worked due to the events in A Twist of Fate so I decided to set it back a few years earlier when they're fifteen.

Hope you enjoy


The Language of Flowers

Her mother made Ikebana look easy and almost effortless. And everyone who knew her mother just assumed she would naturally be great at it too…

Oh how wrong they were.

Sora looked down at her feeble attempt at her first flower arrangement. She had been at it all morning and each arrangement she tried they all looked the same; dull, lifeless and totally lacking any artistic flare or inspiration. When she had started learning ikebana a few months ago during the summer vacation her mother had made it look a breeze. But now she was trying it on her own she was starting to regret the promise she had made to have her first arrangement finished by the end of the afternoon.

A year ago Sora would never have imagined herself learning Ikebana. But after helping her mother finish one of her arrangements she had been pleasantly surprised to find she had enjoyed it somewhat, and found it was an opportunity to spend some quality time with her mother. Having contrasting interests, it was nice they now had something to bond over.

Toshiko was currently working at the flower shop, so was unable to witness her daughter's failed attempts; the evidence of those failures spread out around her on the floor. Sora knew her mother wasn't expecting perfection, as she had only been learning it for a few months; but she still wanted to impress her and not have her first arrangement be a disappointment.

The fifteen year old let out a frustrated sigh and allowed herself to fall onto her back, sprawling out on the floor and giving her legs a well overdue stretch. Kneeling on the hard floor for however long it had been was starting to feel uncomfortable. Sora remained on her back for a few moments, staring up at the ceiling in hope that a sudden burst of inspiration would hit her. But staring up at the blank ceiling only reminded her of how empty her ideas were.

Perhaps she needed to take a break.

Stretching her arm out, she reached for her cell phone that was resting on the floor nearby. As she checked her messages and emails she noticed the time in the top left corner of her screen. The high school soccer team had been in Shibuya that morning for a game. The game would be over now, and the team was probably making their way home on the bus by now. Feeling a little guilty the morning had passed her by so fast without a single thought to Tai's game, she quickly sent her best friend a message.

'How was the game?'

By the time it had taken Sora to place her cell phone back down on the floor and force herself to sit back up again she had already received a response. A rather blunt response;

'Don't ask.'

Oh no. Sora didn't have to be a genius to work out what that meant. If the game had gone well she usually received an essay response from him boasting about how many goals he scored and so on… but those two words could only mean one thing; they had lost. Which of course meant one other thing; Tai would be in a bad mood.

But how much of a bad mood he was in was unclear at this early stage. That all depended on how bad of a loss it had been. Growing up and playing soccer together Sora had grown accustom to Tai's moods whenever he lost a game. He hated losing. He had been at his worst when only last year he had been sent off during a semi final match; thus earning him a suspension from the final. He had sulked for almost a week. Sora just hoped he had stayed on the pitch for the entire game this time otherwise he would be unbearable again.

Sora decided it was best not to reply to his message and ask any more questions. It would only make his mood worse. She could picture him now; slumped in his seat scowling and brooding over every aspect of the game. She had to admit to herself, and couldn't quite understand why, but sometimes he did look a little cute when grumpy. She would never tell him that though. It would probably make him more angry.

The fifteen year old smiled to herself as she picked up one of the flowers closest to her, which happened to be a Asagao. It was a bright blue flower which for some reason always seemed to remind her of her best friend. His favourite colour was blue, and just like this flower; his personality could be bold and bright… when he wasn't sulking over losing a soccer game of course.

As Sora continued to stare at the flower, she realised she had Lilacs and Astrantia amongst the mess she had made. Learning Ikebana from her mother she had also began to learn the meanings each flower represented. Sora placed the Asagao gently in the shallow vase in front of her. It remained upright, standing tall; although it looked a little lonely on its own. She picked up the Astrantia and placed it in the centre, which turned out to be even taller. Sora thought that was perfect. She picked up another Asagao, before surrounding the bottom with Lilacs.

Who knew Tai's misfortune would have given her the inspiration she had needed…


Sora knew exactly where Tai would be once he stepped off the bus. After losing a soccer game he would always head to the beach and sit on the sand and just look out across the water. She never really understood why he did it. Maybe he just needed some time to himself out in the fresh air, or perhaps the sound of the water helped calm his mood. Regardless of the reason, Sora was just glad she knew where to find him and it was a short distance from her apartment.

Carefully holding her flower arrangement that she had proudly showed off to her mother before leaving, she soon arrived at the beach. It wasn't long before she spotted Tai as expected out on the sand still dressed in his soccer kit. He was sitting hunched over a little with his arms resting on his knees staring out at the water with his sports bag next to him. Even with his back to her, she could tell by his body language he was definitely in a bad mood. Sora slowly made her way across the sand, with the soft surface aiding her ability to approach without him noticing. As she got closer, she guessed it must have been a rough game as she noticed he had grass and mud stains on his shorts and socks. "…Game didn't go too well then, huh?" she finally said, announcing her presence.

Tai glanced briefly over his shoulder, but not long enough to notice what she was holding. "I don't want to talk about it." He grumbled before turning back to look out at the water.

Sora walked up and sat down cross legged next to him placing the vase gently on the sand, not at all bothered by his attitude. After all, she was used to it. "…How bad was it?"

"I said I don't want to talk about it Sora." He half snapped without looking at her.

Sora remained quiet, and joined him in looking out at the water. Anyone else might have been offended or upset by his manner or told him to grow up and get over it, but this was part of who Tai was. He was competitive with a desire to win, and hated losing. That was one of the things she loved about her best friend and as rude as he was being right now, she knew she wouldn't have him any other way.

She also knew deep down he really did want to talk, or rather rant about it and get all the frustration and anger out of his system.

In 3… 2...

"I mean the whole game was just a joke! The other team just dropped behind the ball for the entire game and only attacked on the break. The ref was blatantly favouring them; he was gifting them free kicks and allowing dirty tackles to slide. I should have been awarded a penalty in the first half but apparently there was no contact-"

Sora just listened, allowing him to vent his anger. She knew he was probably over exaggerating a little in some parts, but nevertheless she allowed him to continue without interrupting knowing he would probably feel that little bit better afterwards.

"-And their winning goal was a mile offside!" Tai paused to take a breath, and noticed Sora was glancing at him; looking as if she was itching to say something. "Don't even say it Sor'. I know what you are thinking… 'You can't win all the time… just put it behind you and concentrate on the next game' so don't say it. I'm not in the mood."

Sora smirked slightly. That was exactly what she was thinking. "You know me so well… Just like I know you. I know you hate losing so I'm not going to say anything that will bruise that ego of yours even further than it already has today." She teased somewhat.

Tai frowned at her. "You know you're pretty brave coming out here. Even Kari knows to stay well clear of me after I've lost a game."

"I'm used to your sulky moods Tai Kamiya." Sora replied. "To be honest, it was expected when we were younger but I thought you would have grown out of them by now." She humoured.

Tai scowled, and he was about to bite back at her remark when his attention finally fell upon the vase resting on the sand in front of his best friend. "Who are the flowers for?" he asked rather bluntly.

"They're, um, for you." Sora replied a little hesitantly.

"Huh? For me?"

Sora nodded. "I was practicing my Ikebana when I messaged you so I thought I'd make you a little flower arrangement to try and lift that grumpy mood you would be in... although it turned out a little bigger than I thought it would."

Tai blinked somewhat surprised. Sora had never brought him flowers before, in fact, no one had ever brought him flowers… he always thought that was something only guys gave to girls; either for a special occasion or when they had done something wrong. "… Is this finally payback for that hairclip I bought you?"

This time it was Sora's turn to scowl. "Tai!" She smacked him on his arm. "I've done something nice for you and all you can think of is there must be a payback motive behind it?"

Tai cracked a smile, as he rubbed his arm a little. "Sorry… that was just a joke… uh, seriously though thanks. I'm just a little surprised that's all. No one has ever given me flowers before." He admitted, his tone now a little softer.

"Well there's a first time for everything," Sora remarked. "Besides, this isn't just a bouquet of flowers I bought from the shop. The three main flowers are personalised to you." She turned the vase a little to the left so the best side of the arrangement was facing him. "These are Lilacs; they represent our friendship… and these are Asagao; blue for your favourite colour and they always seem to make me think of you. And at the top there's Astrantia, which represent strength and courage; perfect for you. I finished off the arrangement with other colours that match and some greenery."

"You really put a lot of thought into that, huh?"

"Of course I did. You're my best friend and I hate seeing you all grumpy and miserable. I love the happy, fun loving Tai… even when you do crack unnecessary jokes."

Tai's smile grew some more as he looked down at the arrangement, now feeling a new found appreciation for it. "I didn't realise flowers had meanings… I thought they were just… well flowers."

"Neither did I until I started learning Ikebana. Flowers can say a lot of things you know. It's like they have their own language." Sora said. She smiled to herself as she watched her best friend admire her gift. "So, you feeling better now?"

"Yeah, thanks Sor'." Tai smiled. "Uh, just maybe don't tell anyone you brought me flowers to cheer me up. I'd never hear the end of it. I'm already dreading what Kari will say when she finds out."

Sora laughed. "There's nothing wrong with girls giving guys flowers you know. It works both ways." She said. "But, if you're worried that much about your reputation do you want me to carry this home for you? Imagine if your coach or teammates saw you carrying flowers. You may never make the soccer team again." She teased.

Tai got up, picking up his sports bag and swinging it over his shoulder. "Very funny." He said sarcastically. "Anyway, seems as you are coming to my place; did you want to stay for dinner? Don't worry my Dad's cooking."

"Sure, why not." Sora said after she had got to her feet and picked up the vase.

As the two friends headed back across the sand to leave the beach, Tai leaned in and playfully nudged her with his elbow, being careful not to knock the vase from her hands. "So…. You think about me when you're flower arranging huh?"

"What? I didn't say that."

"You said those Asago flowers always made you think of me…" Tai continued to tease with a grin.

"Asagao." Sora corrected him. "And, that's not what I meant. I simply meant the bright blue colour reminds me of you; in personality and because it's your favourite colour."

"You sure about that? It seems to me like those flowers are telling me you can't stop thinking about me."

"Urgh seriously Tai, sometimes I think I prefer it when you're in a bad mood."

Tai laughed. "Hey you came and cheered me up. You've only got yourself to blame."

Sora couldn't help but smile. ".. .Stupid Tai." She thought to herself.