Chapter three! I think this is running along pretty well, don't you? I hope you all are enjoying this. I think it will be a couple more chapters before the end. Keep writing those nice reviews… Flattery will you get you everywhere. ^_^; Okay, enjoy chapter three!
~ D-Chan
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YAMATO:
I watched Tai leave the room and I turned back to Mimi. She was looking at me sweetly, watching my face intently.
"Um…" I just sort of stared back at her. Now what? What was I supposed to say?
"So… Are you happy with Tai?" I asked. It was the first thing that came to mind, and to tell you the truth, it had been bugging me for a while now.
She smiled and shook her head. "No." she said.
"No?" I said in surprise, and all of a sudden, I felt relieved. Talk about weird.
"No. We're not even together."
"Oh- What?!"
"I said, we're not together."
I stared at her, dumbfounded.
"So Tai lied to me? Damn him."
Mimi started laughing and inched closer to me. "Well, it wasn't all a total lie. We at least pretended to be a couple. But really, I have no interest in him. He's cute and all, but not really my type." She was looking dead at me, and I suddenly felt nervous.
"So, are you happy with Sora?" she asked.
I stared at her and bit my lip. In a way I was happy. Sora was someone to talk to, someone to confide my feelings in. She was practically the only person I could do it with, and she understood me in a way that no one, not even my best friend Tai would ever understand me.
But then, in another way, I wasn't happy. Sora was like a really close friend, but nothing more. We never really acted like a "normal" couple. Now don't get me wrong, I don't go for those typical stereotypes with couples being completely obsessed with each other, and making out 24/7. I really wasn't that type of guy. But Sora never liked to do anything. She worked all the time, and it was like we weren't even together except when we met at the diner and ate lunch together.
"Well?" Mimi asked, her smile growing wider.
"Um… sort of…"
"That's not good enough, Matt. Yes or no?"
"Yes."
"So you're happy with her?"
"No."
"No?"
"I mean, yes!"
"Are you sure?"
"No, but-"
Mimi cut me off with a kiss. My eyes went wide, and my brain went into temporary shut down mode.
Mimi was kissing me. I couldn't believe it. Part of me wanted to push her away, but the other part of me told me that this was something too good to let go of. Besides… I'd always wanted to feel Mimi in my arms, to taste her sweet lips… In the far reaches of my mind though, I knew that if Sora came back in here and saw us like this, she would kick my ass.
But at the moment, I didn't care.
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TAICHI:
When I finally managed to find the kitchen, I was greeted with the sight of Sora leaned over the sink, looking about ready to puke or something. I walked over and lightly placed my hand on her shoulder.
"Go away, Matt. I don't need help." She said groggily.
"Um, I'm not Matt." I said, and she jerked around to face me.
"What do you want Tai?" she demanded. I could have sworn I saw a single tear streak on her cheek.
"I just came to see how you were doing."
"Right, well I'm fine. Go away now."
"Sora, you're not fine. You've been crying, haven't you?"
"No! Just go… go away…"
"I'm not leaving until you tell me what's bothering y-"
"Why do you care?!"
I blinked and shut my mouth. I mulled over that statement for a moment. I had a perfectly legitimate reason for caring, but I wasn't sure she'd like the answer. …But I told her anyway.
"Because I love you." I said simply.
She stared at me, a look of shock on her face. I smiled weakly and reached up to brush a stray lock of red hair from her eyes. Her face relaxed for a split second before she batted my hand away.
"You love me? What happened a year ago then, Tai? Why didn't you tell me before? I'm not psychic, you know! Why did you wait so long to tell me this? Do you know how much you hurt me?" she asked me. I could hear the pent up anger in her voice, and I knew she'd been holding this back for a long, long time. She started to shake, and she gripped the kitchen counter behind her.
"Because I'm an idiot. I didn't realize then what a wonderful and beautiful person you are, and it took the reality of losing you to make me see how much I really needed you." I said wholeheartedly.
I saw tears well up in her eyes, and she collapsed against me in sobs. I put my arms around her and hugged her close. This wasn't exactly what I'd expected, but it was still good.
After a long while, she looked up at me, and I kissed away the tears on her cheeks. I almost felt like crying myself, but I figured she had enough tears for the both of us.
"I'm sorry Tai… I'm sorry…" she whispered vehemently, and I shook my head.
"Sorry for what?" I asked.
"I'm sorry for… for not giving you a chance. And I'm sorry because I know that it's too late for us to be together."
"Too late?"
"I have Matt now, and you have Mimi…"
Her face seemed to crumple after she said Mimi's name, and something finally clicked.
"You thought I really loved Mimi?" I asked.
She looked at me as though I'd gone mad. "Well yeah, isn't that why you're going out with each other?"
So that was what this whole semi-depressed business was about.
"No, no Sora. I love you. Only you." I said as I hugged her again.
"B-But… You and Mimi…"
"We're not together."
She seemed to choke and she looked down for a moment.
"I won't ask why… But still Tai. We can't… Can't keep doing this. I never stopped loving you Tai… I swear I didn't. But you weren't there, and Matt came…"
"It's okay. I understand that part. I won't ask you to do anything you don't want to. I want you to be happy, Sora. That's all care about. Whatever you want to do, I'll back you up on it 100%."
"Really?"
"Really."
"Okay then… Tai. I know it's wrong to ask this, but I want… I want you to kiss me. Just this once."
I looked at her seriously, and she nodded slowly. I smiled and leaned down slowly. Our lips met tentatively, her arms coming up to wrap themselves around my neck as my own snaked around her waist. It was absolute heaven. Even with the salt of her tears on her lips, she still tasted sweet. I never wanted this moment to end.
And then it did.
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TBC…