Chapter 7

A/N: People! Of course it's going to be a Taiora- I'm just making it sweeter by having them have some problems… so don't worry-

PS- I would like to dedicate this chapter, and well the entire story to the memory of Gomamon, my pet goldfish/Carp. (This fish was HUGE! Seriously he was as big as my fist, not counting his long fins…) He truly was an evil little sucker who had a temper. He somehow killed off all his other tank mates (I lost count of his kill total- somewhere around 7...) and wanted to be the only one who got my attention. I never knew another fish that liked to be petted, but he did… let's just say he was truly MY pet- because he was rather strange and had an aggressive streak a mile wide. RIP Gomamon "killer" Goldfishie… They'll never be another like you- and hopefully you didn't go to fishy hell- serious people he was a mean sucker to everyone but me… he use to spit rocks at my mom and sister :) He had a good run, I guess…

In loving memory:

Gomamon Goldfishie

May 1998 - July 12, 2003

-

Mimi hummed as she walked down the hallway. She was carrying a tray of food in to Sora's room. She was going to see if she could salvage this arranged marriage before it really started.

"Sora?" She called as she entered the room. "Wake up Sleepy." Mimi smiled as she opened the curtains of the window letting the sun in.

Turning around she noticed the empty bed.

"Sora? Where are you?" She called out. "Come on- stop playing… he didn't mean it… Taichi isn't that kind of person." But she got no reply. Coming closer to the bed she found a small pouch and a note attached.

-Mimi,

I'm so sorry for all this. But I couldn't let myself be forced to live in this kind of relationship… You are such a kind person and I wish things would have been different, but I had to leave. You made my short stay bearable. The only thing I can give you for your kindness is this. The powder will ease the pain of labor. Be safe and take care.

I hope you understand I don't want to be any person's burden, but my own.

Goodbye,

Sora-

"Tai… no… TAICHI!" Mimi screamed as she took the note and ran to where Tai was waiting in the hall. He was going to apologize and beg for another chance to actually get along with the fiery girl who had came so abruptly into his life.

He heard Mimi's voice calling to him through the doors. Suddenly she threw open them and came running to him mumbling incoherent nonsense.

"Mimi- what? What's wrong?" He asked trying to calm down the woman before him. He noticed the paper in her hand and took it.

After reading it his face dropped.

"Bloody hell," he murmured.

"Taichi, where are you going?" Mimi called after Tai, who was running down the hall.

"To go and get her back." He replied without stopping.

"But."

"It's dangerous out in the wilderness alone!" He added. "Where's Matt? I'll need all the squad to help search."

"I don't know- he never came in last night. He said he had other plans…"

"Damn it… well I'll go without him then."

Tai and his men saddled up. As an excellent sportsman and solider- tracking was no problem. But to be extra positive they sent riders out in all directions.

-

Sora had made it past the next town by the creak of dawn. Things were going much slower than she had expected. But she was determined to press on.

Suddenly out of nowhere she heard a horse's gallop thundering on the ground. Off in the distance was a single rider and horse.

At first she thought it was Tai, for some unknown reason she almost wished I had because as the rider came closer she saw the blonde headed figure more clearly. Taking off as fast as she could run away from the rider. Having Tai catch her would have hurt her pride, but Matt… it wouldn't only be her pride being injured…

Her running was futile in the end. The horse easily caught up to her and was able to follow her every move. Then suddenly she felt a hard weight push her to the ground.

Matt had jumped off the horse and caught on to Sora's waist. They tumbled for a while and stopped at the bottom of a small hill. Matt quickly flipped them over so he was on top of her. His arms grabbed hers at her wrists and brought them up over her head. His legs pinned hers as she struggled to get free.

"Let me GO!" She screamed at him.

"Well, well. Looks like we have a run away bride. It's a good thing I was watching you as you took off… we wouldn't want Tai's bride to be all alone out ere with no one to watch her." He smiled.

"Get off of ME!" She demanded while struggling under his weight.

"You, my dear will learn some manners. And a little payback is in order for the other day! No ONE refuses ME!"

"To bad!" Sora said, as she was able to get enough momentum to flip him off of her. But he recovered fast. And before she got fast. And before she got far he grabbed her by the shirt. It ripped under the force of his pull. Quickly he slapped Sora and sent her flying to the ground.

"You are gong to wish you NEVER humiliated me in front of my men!" He snarled as he grabbed her throat and squeezed.

Sora began to feel light headed and soon everything went black.

-

"Sir- there are reports of a lone woman wandering to the East."

"The East? But her home is in the South, sire I don't understand." Another guard questioned.

"It's pretty clear she wouldn't return to her village, for fear we might attack it again. It's highly probable she is heading to the Eastern port city… and then over the sea." A red headed solider suggested as he and his horse stayed at Tai's side.

"You mean the city of Takaishi?" Tai asked. "Isn't that where my sister Kari and the prince Takeru rule?"

"Exactly, she'll try to leave the continent because she would endanger any city that took her in, or at least she would think that way."

"Good job Izzy. This is why you're my best hunter! Then let's get going. On foot she should be about half way there by now." Tai said as they took off.

"Sire," the red head spoke up as they were riding. "Sir, I can't help but wonder why we are going after her…. This is an arranged marriage, I know, but you could just say we couldn't find her and you'd be free."

"No, I can't… Izzy, it's hard to explain. But I think I fell in love with her… her beauty, but not only that! Her fire and just everything about her made him love her. I knew it the moment I saw her… I love her an I need to at least see her again to apologize for my actions."

"Alright my lord, we'll find her. Don't you worry!" Izzy replied as they kept their horses going strong to the East.

-

Sora awoke with a chill. Opening her eyes, she met darkness. She was blindfolded. When she tried to move she found herself restrained. Chained down to something cold and damp, she became worried. A low chuckle could be heard off in the distance, moving closer…

"Who's there?" She asked in a frightened voice. Her body shuddered as she suddenly felt cold hands run up the buttons of her torn shirt.

"Oh, I'm sure you know." His voice echoed in her ears.

"I'm sorry… please…" She trembled as his hand began to unbutton her garments.

"Please what?" He asked with a smirk on his face. "I'm sorry." She repeated her pleas, as uncaring hands ran on her body. "Please… let me go… I'm sorry." She broke out into tears as she tried to shut out his touch… his breath on her skin…

Her pleas soon irritated him to the point the stuffed some unknown cloth in her mouth. Sora's world became a jumble and then nothing…

-

A faint glitter off in the ground caught Tai's eye. Call it fate, or more like a miracle, but Tai did not pass it by. Being a skillful hunter and tracker he knew even the smallest things were clues.

"Tai- it looks like someone was being followed by a fast approaching horse." Izzy observed as they looked at the area while Tai went in search of the object.

Crouching down after dismounting his eyes widened as he picked up the fire red jewel.

His hands shook as his fingers enclosed around Sora's necklace… she wouldn't just drop this… he knew something was wrong. His suspicion was confirmed when Izzy told him what he noticed.

"Someone came up and took her off East, exactly like I thought." Izzy concluded after looking at the tracks.

"Can you track them Izzy?" Tai asked as he put Sora's beloved necklace around his neck.

'I'll get this back to you, and I'll make everything up to you… I promise.' he vowed as they took off following the tracks in the mud.

They followed the tracks as far as a stream that was the border of the Takaishi Kingdom.

"I'm sorry Tai… they must have gone down stream because there's no trail on the other end." Izzy informed Tai as their horses drank from the crisp stream.

Tai felt like swearing. Here they were sitting around and something bad could be happening to her.

"Should we go and see Prince Takeru?" Izzy inquired as they remounted. "Maybe they'll have leads for us and more men."

"Yes, let's go." Tai agreed.

-

The torture was over for now. Sora felt dirty as Matt left fort he second time to sit in the darkness. Her body ached in a way she didn't understand. Something special had been taken from her… and now she was left to lay in the dark, wet room until he returned. And she knew it wasn't a matter of if, but when.

His voice haunted her mind.

"Where's that spirit now?" He would grunt. "Can't fight back huh?" Would ring after a sound slap to her face.

He took her, never asking or relenting when pain hit her. He just took selfishly and savagely.

Her blindfold stung her eyes with the salty tears it had absorbed. No one could hear her pleas or muffled screams…

She lay there broken and bleeding… She awaited death now. Because living meant revisiting and dealing with the shame he had forced upon her…

-

"Taichi!" A young blonde called out as Tai and his men entered the castle of the Takaishi kingdom. "It's good to see you! It's a pleasant surprise. Kari is currently in the gardens, but she will be delighted you came to visit!"

"Takeru, my visit here is not one of merriments… I am in desperate need of your assistance." Tai said with a serious tone.

"Well then name it- for you are family to me and I will not turn down kin."

"Thank you." Tai sighed.

"What are you in need of?" TK asked as he motioned for servants to bring drinks for his parched quests.

"Several of your best trackers, guards and horses." Izzy spoke up

"Trackers? But what for?" The blonde young man asked. He was definitely a few years younger than Tai, but with the king's death was forced to marry and become king at such a young age.

"My intended was kidnapped not to far from here and I fear she is in great danger." Tai said. He couldn't stand just waiting around. He needed to find her and now. It was driving him crazy.

"But what was she doing this far from your kingdom?" It was a simple and logical question from him to ask and so Tai recounted the story as fast as he could. "And you found her jewel on the roadside… you're right- we must find her! I'll assemble my best men right away and come with you." TK added. "Don't worry- we will find her… I can tell she means a great deal to you."

"Thank you."

In no time the men where out on the search. But night was steadily approaching.

"Shall we call it a night, my lord?" A guard asked. Everyone was growing weary but Tai didn't want to leave.

"Maybe the night's darkness will lead us to them." Izzy suggested. "They cannot be far and will need to light a fire to see. And when they do we can follow the light right to them."

-

Sora felt ill. The room was hot and musty. Just the smell of the room, the dampness and the sweat that trickled off her brow created odors that wanted to make her gag.

She had tried everything to escape. She had pulled at her arm restraints until her wrists bled behind her back, she had even tried to indulge Matt in his sick ways… that made her feel the worst… nothing worked. He wasn't about to let her go…

An arranged marriage with anyone- even an abuser would have been better than this.

She cursed her stupid decisions to run…Taichi at least seemed to care… a little… right? She now prayed he would come after her, but it had seemed like so long of time had passed. She vowed right there to God that if she got out of this and lived, she would never be her old self again. No more over confidence, or fiery attitude… she would be obedient and quiet. 'Please!' She begged for hours. 'Some one save me… Taichi…'

-

"Tai! Look!" Izzy said as he pointed off into the darkness. "There's a light out over the field."

"A light? Where?" Tai asked to make sure he heard right as he looked. Sure enough there was a faint flicker in the distance.

Tai took off. Knowing that she may not be there, or even if she was- what state she would be in. He had a bad feeling that Matt's disappearance had a dark connection to her abduction on the road.

As he approached the little house, it looked like all the occupants were gone. It stood alone in the middle of nowhere. Just sitting there almost hidden in the fields. It was a suspicious place at best. Tai waited for Izzy, TK and the men to catch up before he dismounted.

"Keep the horses hidden." Izzy instructed a guard as TK, and he dismounted.

"Let's go in." TK said as they silently snuck in the back.

-

Sora awoke again from her half slumber by the squeaking floor boars above her. Matt had returned she figured. And he would make his way to her and shame her further. After the last time he left she had again tried to escape, but to no avail.

She now was kneeling on the floor with her bound hands still attached to the bed behind her. Somehow she had managed to tuck a sheet around her form. Shuttering she could only listen to the footsteps coming down the halls. There was more than one person this time. This fact only increased her worry.

'What now?' She cried as the door that led down to her opened. Her body throbbed with pain she had never felt before and never wanted to ever feel again.

This time she was not going to just lay there- he was not going to touch her again. She'd rather die…

'Sora you will fight him- even if it means you'll die!' She told herself as she heard the footsteps come closer to the entrance of her little piece of hell.

-

A/N: And that's where I'll stop for now… Sorry to have it such a crappy place to end- but I just don't feel like typing today… it just took longer to do homework and stuff than usual.

Some may think it's kind of silly to feel so bad about a pet dying but… he was more than just another ordinary fish. I can't explain it… maybe it's just that I was so looking forwards to this weekend because of a crappy week… and then I get a call from home saying my fish is dead… definitely killed everything… Kate needs sugar… I hate being depressed… stupid life…I think I'll just forget homework for the rest of the day and watch some anime…

Anyway- ttyl

Kate