Disclaimer- I just don't own Digimon

Run away

Chapter eight

" Oh I love Japan!" Mimi sighed happily as she leant on Joe's shoulder,

" You just love shopping," Joe corrected her,

" Yeah but I love shopping in Japan because Sora knows all of the best places to go," Mimi grinned as she pressed three heavy shopping bags into Joe's chest. He rolled his eyes but took her bags for her.

Sora smiled to herself as she watched her five friends laughing together. Cody and T.k had collapsed on to a bench, exhausted from being dragged around a million shops by the three girls. Yolei grinned to herself as she shuffled through her bags, praising herself for all of the wonderful clothes she had brought.

Sora sighed as she stared up at the high glass roof of the mall in which they stood.

Oh it felt so good to be home. She had no idea she could feel so happy in one familiar place. Especially when she had been avoiding that place for more than a year. The air, the sun. The clouds. The trees, the pavement, the buildings. Every thing seemed so welcoming and familiar. Especially this old busy mall. She had spent so many of her teenage days in here, now it felt like a second home. Her feet felt suddenly stable, like they had finally reached some solid ground, which she could tread safely on.

Oh it felt so good to be home again.

" Hey I'm starving, is there any where to eat around here. And I mean anywhere that they don't serve raw fish,"

" Actually the food court is right over the-" Sora suddenly cut off her sentence, a look of complete horror spread across her face. She suddenly snatched her hand away from where she had been pointing, as though it was burning.

T.K's eyes followed the direction of where she had been pointing. Suddenly the earth seemed to stop moving around him. His jaw literally dropped open. The world seemed to fall to a deadly peaceful silence as his eyes lay on the most beautiful angel he had ever seen.

She had soft chestnut brown hair, she flicked it over her dainty shoulder as she walked. Her dazzling brown eyes sparkled with life and energy as a beautiful smile stretched across her flawless face. Even though she was at least twenty yards in front of him, her musical laughter seemed to echo through his head. Every slow step she took was careful and elegant. She walked beside two boys grinning at them. T.K wished with all of his soul that she would laugh with him like that. She wore a light pink turtleneck with bage tight jeans, her outfit showed off every wondrous curve of her perfect body.

His heart thumped in his chest so violently it was as though it was trying to break out, to reach her. An angel. A perfect angel.

" Actually There's a great place around the corner, a pizza place. Let's go there," Sora blurted out, suddenly changing her mind. She turned on her heels and quickly started to jog across the paved floor of the mall.

" Sora what's wrong?" Yolei asked, as she and Mimi started to jog after her.

" Nothing we've just really got to get out of here,"

" Come on T.K," Joe said as he shook T.k out of his glorious trance, " we're going,"

" No not yet . . ." T.K whispered breathlessly.

" Sora slow down what's the rush?" Cody asked as he ran after the girls.

" SORA!" An excited shocked voice screamed across the mall.

No. She had to get away. Maybe they hadn't seen her yet.

" SORA!" Another familiar voice screamed,

Suddenly two boys ran out of no where and accidentally pushed Mimi and Yolei a little to hard out of the way.

" Hey!" Yolei cried as a red haired boy threw her out of the way and tackled Sora around the ankles. Another blonde boy suddenly flew through the air and jumped on top of Sora's small body as she landed on the floor. The red haired boy suddenly jumped on top of the blond boy creating a human pile, with Sora on the bottom.

" Hey what the hell do you think your doing!" Yolei screamed at the two strange boys.

" Get off of me you idiots!" Sora gave a muffled scream from the bottom of the pile.

" SORA!" An excited chestnut haired girl suddenly ran out of the crowd screaming, past a breath taken T.K.

The girl pushed the red haired boy onto the floor and kicked the blonde out of the way.

" SORA SORA SORA SORA!" She screamed as she did so.

Sora closed her eyes as she felt the immense weight lifted off of her back. Well there was no going back now.

" Sora what are you doing here!" The brown haired girl cried as she pulled Sora to her feet.

" Uh . . .Surprise?" Sora said slowly smiling nervously at the younger girl.

" Sora!" The blonde boy suddenly cried wrapping her into a huge bear hug.

" Hey matt!" Sora mumbled from the depths of the boy's arms.

" Hey my turn. Sora!" The red head cried as he pushed the blonde out of the way and started jumping up and down with his arms around Sora.

" Hi Davis!" Sora laughed as she jumped in the air with him.

" Oh Sora what are you doing here!" The girl cried again, " You're not meant to be home for another four months! What are you doing?"

Sora smiled at her three old friends.

"I'm just visiting. I guess I forgot to mention Japan was in part of our tour,"

" Like hell you forgot. That's so like you Sora. I can't believe you didn't tell us!" The blonde cried.

" Oh Matt it's so good to see you again!" Sora cried as she hugged him again,

" Hey what about me?" The red haired asked,

" And you too Davis," Sora smiled as she hugged him as well.

" Uh . . . would someone like to explain what's going on here?" Yolei asked waving her hands in the air.

" Guys these are my guys," Sora grinned at her tour group, " This is Matt, Davis and Kari. And this is Yolei, Mimi, Cody, Joe and T.K," She pointed to each person as she spoke.

" These three are some of my best friends in Odiaba,"

" So go on talk. Tell us what's been going on. Tell us all about these brilliant adventures you've been having while the rest of us are trapped back here in boring Japan," Kari grinned at her best friend, " Oh wait I've got an even better idea. We were just going for lunch, why don't you all join us?"

"Umm. I don't know we've got to-" Sora mumbled quietly,

" It'll just be us three and Izzy," Kari told her. A glimmer of understanding crossed Kari eyes. Even though she had been away for more than a year, Kari still knew what Sora was worried about.

" Do you guys want to?" Sora asked turning back to her group.

" Sounds great!" T.k suddenly cried enthusiastically. Kari turned and smiled at the blonde boy.

Wow. Was all she could think of saying? His beautiful china blue eyes sparkled at her like two sapphire diamonds.

" Yeah sounds really good," Mimi said as well as she eyed up the cute blonde. Very interesting.

*******************

Sora rested her head on her hands. A huge smile was paste across her face. Her cheeks were actually aching from where she had been smiling so much in the past half-hour.

Nine of the people she loved most in the world were all seated around the same table. All laughing and joking and getting on like they had known each other for their whole lives.

Starting at the end of the table sat Joe, Cody and Davis. Who were all in some deep in-depth conversation on the finer points of some super model. Next to them sat Kari and T.K. Kari had been so eager to see Sora, but she had hardly said a word to her since they sat down. Sora had watched as she specifically took a seat opposite T.K. They had hardly stopped talking for an hour and a half. T.K was waving his hands above his head trying to explain some situation to Kari. As she burst into laughter. Sora hadn't realised how well those two would get on. But now that she though about it they really did make a perfect match. Kair's eyes never left T.K's as they laughed together. She looked so happy and relaxed. Sora could almost feel the electricity running between them.

Next to Sora sat Mimi and Matt. Mimi giggled flirtatiously as matt told her about the band he sung in. Sora watched as Mimi fluttered her long eyelashes. A part of her wanted to reach out and stop one of her best friends from falling into that old man eating Mimi trap. But Mimi didn't seem to be putting on the way she was hanging on his every word. Infact she actually looked like she was enjoying listening to him. Normally Mimi would get bored after speaking to a boy for more than ten minutes.

On the opposite side of Mimi and Matt sat Yolei and Izzy. Izzy had rushed into the restaurant about 15 minutes after they had sat down. He had started muttering something about a computer virus getting into his lab software. Then he had noticed Sora. After the welcome hugs and questions, Yolei had instantly started battering him for news about this new virus. The two of them had sat on the end of the table rambling on about systems and devices that Sora couldn't even begin to understand. Sora couldn't remember ever seeing Izzy look so comfortable when he was talking to a girl. Normally he would start stuttering and mumbling about some nonsense, apart from when he was with her and Kari, but he didn't think of Sora and Kari as girls. Now he looked calm and collected as he laughed at a computer joke Yolei had just cracked. Perhaps Sora had been right about those two going well together.

Right now Sora felt completely content just to sit back and watch her best friends. No one had pressured her for information about her reasons for leaving. No one had pried into the way she had up and left without a goodbye. They just seemed glad to have her back.

She started to wonder to her self how she could have ever been so afraid of coming home to these wonderful people. She loved them all so much. How could she even think of leaving in the first place?

" I just installed the new shwiups 3000 in the lab on Monday,"

" You did!" Yolei cried impressed at Izzy's statement, " Wow I don't think you can even buy that in America yet,"

" You can't it was only realised on Monday over here,"

" Wow I would love to see what that baby could do,"

" Well . . . uhh . . .would you like to come back to the lab with me now. I mean only if you weren't doing anything else and only if you wanted to,"

" I'd love to," Yolei whispered. Her big shining eyes stared into Izzy's for a brief moment, until he suddenly turned away.

" Uh, would that be ok with you Sora? If I went with Izzy for a while," Yolei asked turning to look at Sora.

" Sure go knock yourself out," She grinned at her friends and slipped Yolei a quick wink.

" Alright Sor, I'll see you later," Yolei smirked, giving Sora a 'don't you dare get the wrong idea' expression.

" See you later Sora. We'll defiantly meet up tomorrow," Izzy said as he pushed his chair neatly into the table. He bent down to give Sora a quick hug and whispered into her ear.

" Matt and I know, don't worry about the others,"

Sora frowned at him as he pulled away, trying to work out what he was talking about. Then it suddenly dawned on her as Yolei followed him out of the restaurant door.

She had been sure that Tai would have run around announcing what a bitch she was to him as soon as she left. She was sure that he would have tried to turn them all against her. He had a right to. She had been a bitch. That's what she deserved. But he'd kept it a secret. Only telling his two best friends. No one had even mentioned Tai's name. She had been grateful of that. It would only bring back memories of him if she heard her old friends talk of him. She couldn't bear to remember him right now, it hurt too much. But there was something she needed to know. She didn't want to know it, but she couldn't let it lie forever. She had to ask it, just to prove to everyone that she wasn't scared of talking about him.

" So how are Tai and Cherry?" She said rather loudly as she swallowed a sip of her drink.

Mimi's eyes darted away from matt as she stared at Sora with a shocked expression.

" Umm . . . Tai and Cherry broke up a few months ago," matt said quietly, " So then we started running out of the back . . .." Matt's words faded away as he continued to carry on his conversation with Mimi.

They had broken up. He didn't marry her? He didn't marry her. He didn't marry her! That meant that maybe . . .No. They had probably had a fight. She'd probably realised that Tai wasn't right for her. He'd probably had his heart broken again. Poor Tai.

" Wow I haven't been to the movies in seven months. I haven't even been to any where with a movie theatre for six months," T.K laughed as Kari told him about a movie she had seen last week.

" Well why don't we go now. You sound like you need a good dose of movie medicine," Kari's hazel eyes sparkled as she smiled at T.K.

" Sounds great . . .Oh you don't mind do you Sora?" T.k asked quickly as he suddenly remembered Sora was still suppose to be giving them a tour around Japan.

" Oh yeah sorry Sor I forget. Maybe we could go out later . . ." Kari suggested quietly,

" Hey of course I don't mind, go out and have a good time. We'll meet up later okay?" Sora smiled and raised her eyebrows at two of her best friends.

" Thanks Sora," They both grinned back with identical ecstatic smiles. Kari leaned over and gave Sora a quick hug as T.k pulled on his jacket.

" You have to go around and see my Mum before you leave, she'll be dying to see you again," Kari whispered,

" Oh I don't think that's a good ide-" Sora stuttered quickly,

" Don't worry Tai moved out ages ago. He lives with Matt now. It's been great seeing you again Sora I'm really glad your back, we'll meet up soon,"

Sora watched silently as Kari and T.k practically skipped out of the restaurant door.

So he lived with matt huh. Matt and Tai together, that must be a lot of fun. She suddenly found herself longing to see their apartment. Longing to hang out in a space that was totally there's, without any outsiders interfering in their fun.

But she'd never see that crazy place. It was Tai's after all.

" Well I better get back to work. My boss is a real slave driver," Matt announced as he glanced at his watch.

" Already?" Mimi couldn't hide the tone of disappointment in her voice,

" Perhaps we could meet up tonight. You know go out for something to eat or a movie or something," Matt asked the beautiful girl infront of him.

" Sure, I'd love to," Mimi smiled flirtatiously,

" Hey Davis don't you think you should be kind of heading back to work soon as well," matt suggested,

" Huh? Oh my god I'm late!" Davis cried as he jumped out of his seat and almost flew out of the restaurant door, " Bye Sora!" He called over his shoulder,

" Seya Dai," She waved at him as she giggled thinking of how it was still so scatty.

" Bye Sora, I'll see you when I pick Mimi up tonight," matt told her as he hugged her goodbye,

" Bye matt. So are you guys ready for the rest of our tour," Sora asked her remaining three friends.

Authors note- I'm sorry it took so long for this chapter to get out, I've been a bit side tracked with other things. But the next and perhaps final part will be out very soon. R+R!