10 Steps To Make You Mine
Part Three Written & Edited by Hikari-sama
That reminded Taichi of Sander right away. Sora had said the ghost had told her that he was her guardian angel. Would she be making this up? Tai remembered telling Sora about his guardian angel, as she had made fun of him.
But if she was joshing him, why would she be holding back tears? Could it be that she, too, had a guardian angel of her own?
All he could do was watch Sora quietly sob for a while. It was not like there was anything he could say. To try to make things better, he did the one thing he desired.
Taichi reached out and placed his hand on Sora's, holding it tightly. She then felt relieved, as if the world around her had suddenly given her a chance to cry. But she wanted to feel more secure, protected, and safe.
Before he knew it, Sora had wrapped her arms around his neck, embracing themselves into the most unexpected hug Taichi had ever experienced. Letting her tears flow freely, Sora finally felt comfortable in Taichi's cozy hug. She didn't want to leave.
Tai felt like his fears had suddenly revolted away from his instincts, enabling him to hold Sora closer to him. "I know how it feels," Taichi whispered in her ear.
Unable to speak, Sora kept sobbing, hugging him tighter.
"What else did he tell you?" Taichi asked her in his unmoving position.
"He said... he said that I should be more... more aware of what's h-happening around me," responded Sora through gloomy sobs. That's true, Taichi found himself thinking.
"He said... that I should o-open my eyes a little more," Sora continued. Yes, Taichi thought, You should open your eyes a little more to me. Don't you know that I love you?
"And the next thing I know," said Sora, "I felt like I've been missing something in my life."
Sora tried to pull away from their hug, but Tai hugged her even closer to him with their noses touching, and their eyes gazing up at one another. "What do you think that is?" Taichi whispered.
Silence.
Sora thought about it, not quite understanding what she's been missing all this time. Then, she found herself lost inside Taichi's eyes, as if searching for her own words. Would it be possible, if she found her way out of Tai's glance, she'd be able to find what she's been missing?
Every time she found herself deeper into Taichi's maze inside his eyes, her heart seemed to rise to her throat. She was unable to move, unable to speak. Nothing she tried would do her any good.
Taichi couldn't maintain his control anymore. He began to caress Sora's shoulder with his warm fingers, going up to her neck. Unable to help it, he closed his eyes, pushing her face closer to his. He yearned for this ever since the first time he had met Sora herself.
Taichi kissed Sora, his lips gently pressing against hers, although her lips wouldn't budge. Feeling the warm sensation hit her awareness and body motion, Sora decided it wouldn't do any harm to kiss back. She placed her hand on his cheek, pushing their kiss deeper into each other's lips. A quick tingle of happiness rushed up and down Taichi and Sora's bodies, wanting more, more, and more each time they buried themselves in their shared internal and physical emotion.
Tai pulled back, panting, but smiling at Sora, whose expression remained unreadable.
"Taichi," she whispered. Tai offered his full attention. "I was missing..."
"Onii-chan!" Hikari opened the door to their room, only to find her brother and Sora sitting awfully close to each other. She gasped to herself, loudly enough for her mother to hear. Sora scooted away from Taichi as Mrs. Yagami stormed in the room.
"What happen--Taichi? Did you...," Mrs. Yagami trailed off, but managed to ask, "What happened in here?"
Great, Taichi thought, life is ruined, and my perfect chance with Sora was screwed up! He hated this moment.
"I... I better get going, my mom's probably worried about me," said Sora, getting up from Tai's bed and walking out of the room. Taichi heard the door shut itself as Sora left the house.
"You owe me an explanation, young man," Taichi's mom stated.
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~
Perhaps Taichi could ask Sora at school what she was going to say that other day. Did she finally figure out that he loved her? He smiled at her when she proceeded to the locker they both shared. "Hi, Sora."
"Oh, hi," Sora greeted back, not being able to look up at Tai.
"Sora, about the other day..."
"About the other day, please forget that," Sora interrupted, "Forget everything I said."
"Um... and everything you did, too?" asked Taichi.
"Yes," Sora responded, "Please... just forget it."
Tai hesitated for a while, then said, "All right."
He watched his locker partner grab a notebook from their locker, but just as she was about to leave, Taichi placed his hand on her shoulder. This caused Sora to look back at him, but when she once again encountered the sight of his eyes, she looked down at the floor.
"Sora, I can't," Tai admitted, "I can't forget it."
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~
"You kissed her?" Yamato wanted to know badly.
Taichi nodded.
"So why aren't you excited, man? Come on, let's grab a pizza and celebrate!"
Taichi shook his head, remembering what happened that day. Everything was so perfect as gold until the end. He finished telling Yamato the end of the story, from Hikari interrupting with their conversation, Sora walking out of the house, to her telling Tai to forget about what they'd done that day.
"I don't get it," Yamato told Tai, "How can anyone forget such a thing?"
"Maybe I... I shouldn't have kissed her," Taichi immediately regretted his action.
"No, your kissing her was right. Her leaving your house was wrong," Yamato corrected.
"No, no. The other way around, Matt. I think I took things too seriously this time. All I was supposed to do was care for her, be loyal, and cheer her up. But I crossed the line."
Matt couldn't help but feel that his friend was right. "Yeah. Next time listen to my instructions."
"What do you mean?"
"You were too loyal. Now I have something that will make Sora run back to you."
Taichi looked up at the ceiling, thinking about it. It was probably good enough to give his blond friend a chance, since step number five did work. Sort of. Right?
"Alright, what's number seven?" Taichi wanted to know.
Matt smirked. "Apologize."
Tai looked at Yamato, as if he were the weirdest thing he had ever seen in his entire life. "Apologize?"
"Of course. It might be extremely hard to apologize, but that's actually one thing that girls love to hear; 'I'm sorry. Please forgive me.' Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. They love having guys have their knees soaked onto the floor. They love torturing all of us," Yamato explained as if he were the funky scientist who had just learned a secret to the hurricane eye.
"So, basically, you mean... what?"
"Say sorry, man!"
"Oh! So... I just say something like, 'Sorry'?"
"Dude, do you want me to hurt you or something?"
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~
"Sora--"
"Um... I'm sorry, Tai, I have to go."
Taichi held onto Sora with a firm grip on her shoulder. "Look, Sora, I've been thinking it over, and I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, well, do what I did the other day."
Suddenly Sora spotted Junnosuke a couple of meters behind Taichi. "Tai, I really have to--"
Taichi put his other hand on Sora's other shoulder, restricting her from avoiding him. "Please forgive me, Sora. I really didn't want us to end up this way. Please tell me if there is any way I could ever make it up to you. I am so--"
"Ahem, I think I hear horseshit talkin'."
Tai turned around to see Junnosuke, but he tried not to let him get on his way. "Not now, Araki. Sora, can I make it up to you by inviting you over for dinner?"
Sora remained speechless. "She's gonna say no, shithead, don't you understand?" Junnosuke argued, "She's taken, you asshole."
Tai ignored him.
Sora gulped, then stammered, "I, well... I, uh..."
"Trust me, she wants to go."
Sora turned around to see... "Mimi?"
"Mimi?" Tai echoed.
"Duh!" Mimi stomped her feet on the ground, "Is my hair too pink or something?"
"Mimi?" Junnosuke repeated.
"That's it," Mimi stated. She kicked Junnosuke's shin.
"Mother crap-eater!" he yelped in pain, grabbing his knee in endurance, "You're like a huge chunk of muscles!"
"Of course I am," Mimi said, "And I am also Sora's friend. Unless you want another kick, Junnosuke, I advise you to leave these two lovebirds alone."
"But Sora's my chick!" he complained.
Mimi kicked Junnosuke's shin once more. "Well, nobody in the universe cares," she declared, pulling him by the ear.
"By the way, I faked an excused tardy for you two. Take your time," Mimi said before winking at Taichi. She then left the scenario with Junnosuke. Sora giggled.
"So what do you say?" asked Tai, now more confident than ever.
"Well, I say, heck, why not," Sora replied. "Thanks."
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~
"Okay, Hikari, I have a few things to clear up with you. Do you hear me?" Taichi instructed to his younger sister.
The doorbell rang just after he finished his statement. "Uh-oh," Hikari responded, "Houston, we have a problem."
"Listen," Tai said strictly, "You are going to avoid me and Sora in any way possible. When she asks you something, just shrug your shoulders and say, 'Ask my brother.' Remember, nothing embarrassing, or I'll tell okaa-san what you did last week."
"Okay," Hikari nodded, remembering how she sneaked out of the house to go on a date with Takeru. He had seemed so sympathetic that she couldn't resist saying yes to him.
Taichi turned the doorknob and opened the door to reveal a beautiful Sora standing right in front of him.
"Hi!" Sora smiled up at Taichi, seeming very cheerful.
"Uh, yeah, hey," Tai greeted, busily staring at her eyes. He shook his head in order to remain in concentration. "Come in."
Sora stepped inside and eyed Hikari, who was fiddling with her fingers and looking back at both of them.
"Oh, hi! Are you Taichi's little sister?" she asked Hikari, grinning at her.
Remembering Taichi's golden rules, she shrugged, then said, "Ask my brother."
Tai stifled a laugh, just so he wouldn't embarrass himself. "Don't worry, she's not staying with us. Hikari has somewhere to be, anyway."
"I do?" Hikari questioned.
"Yes, you do, Hikari. Go."
"Where?"
"TO YOUR ROOM."
Hikari rolled her eyes at her brother, then left. Taichi looked back at Sora, "I'm sorry about that."
"That's okay," Sora beamed at Tai, "Thanks for inviting me. I think it was very considerate of you."
"Well, it was very considerate of you, too," Taichi replied, not knowing what else to do, but grinning dumbly.
Sora kept smiling at Tai until he began to sweat, feeling quite nervous around her. "Well, what are we waiting for?" he said, "Let's hit the dining room!"
Taichi led Sora to the dining table, where the food was neatly placed on. Of course it was takeout, since he didn't have the minimum skill of cooking. They sat down next to each other, Sora's smile beginning to fade as they began eating.
Why isn't Taichi speaking? Maybe at his abode they don't talk while eating, Sora thought as she picked up one of the sushi on her dish with the wooden chopsticks provided.
Why isn't Sora speaking? Maybe her mom thinks it's impolite to talk while eating, Taichi thought as he started chewing off a piece of meat.
Hikari stumbled upon the dining room, watching Sora and Taichi eat peacefully. "Wow, Taichi," Hikari couldn't resist but say, "You haven't been this quite for a long time. Besides, you've already broke your record!"
Tai turned to look at his little sister, shooting her a dreadful glare. "Ahem," Taichi began, "I think you forgot something, Hikari. Maybe something like a... hmm... small pact? Yeah, go find it in your brain."
Hikari shrugged, then skipped cheerfully towards her room. Tai, once again, stifled a small laugh. "Sorry about that," Taichi apologized, "You probably don't make a sound when you're eating at home."
Sora shook her head right away. "No, no. I thought you were the one who didn't talk while eating. That's why I didn't."
"Oh. Well, then, I guess we can talk," Taichi said, grinning.
Sora shrugged, "Yeah."
Silence.
Chewing started filling the area once again. I guess they just couldn't find a way to communicate. Once they were finished, though, Taichi led Sora to the living room. Both of them sat down on the sofa.
"Um... you wanna watch television?" asked Taichi.
Sora shook her head.
"Wanna go on the internet? I hear Mimi's on at this time."
Sora shook her head once again.
"Okay... what do you want to do then?" Taichi gave up.
Sora thought for a moment, then answered, "I want to hear your voice."
"Um, okay. Aren't you kind of sick of my voice though?"
Sora shook her head confidently, a smile becoming evident in her lips.
"Well, uh, I can't really sing, you know, unless you want me to make my windows shatter and hurt your ears..."
"I don't want you to sing," replied Sora.
"Then... what do you want from my voice?"
"I want you to talk to me, Tai. Tell me how you feel," she answered, "It won't hurt."
"Uh... okay. I'm fine, thank you very much. You?"
Sora looked down at Taichi's shirt. After a while, she said, "Maybe I should just leave..."
"No, don't leave, Sora. I... I really like having you around."
Sora looked back up at Tai. "Y-you... you do?"
"Um, y-yeah," Taichi stammered. He nodded slowly. "Yeah," he said more confidently.
"Why?"
Tai hadn't expected that question to come up. He looked at Sora's eyes, hoping to find the answer somewhere inside that fire-lit maze of hers.
She had to go.
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~
"So..? Did it work?"
"Did what work?" Taichi muttered.
Yamato sat down at one of the tables in the school library. He eyed Taichi, then sighed. "Alright, what happened?"
"It all went fine until she asked me why I liked having her around."
Yamato knitted his eyebrows at Tai. "And what did you say?"
"I didn't say anything... I didn't know what she wanted to hear me say."
Matt chuckled. "Maybe because THIS IS THE EASIEST QUESTION EVER..."
That was a little too loud, at least from the librarian's point of view. "I think I recognize you," she whispered to Yamato, "Then again, everybody looks just like you!"
The old woman held an encyclopedia in her wrinkled hands. You can guess what she did next.
"Itai!!" Matt screamed in horror.
"Keep. It. Down!" The librarian whispered once again, and hit his head with the encyclopedia. It seemed that he was about to have tears in his eyes, so the librarian shot him a ghastly glare and left the area.
Tai raised an eyebrow at Matt, then placed both hands on the table as he stood up. "Whatever, man, there are times when I just don't get you."
"Okay, okay," Yamato said, stopping Taichi from leaving. "Look. Why do you like being around her so much?"
Taichi looked around, then gave him a small shrug. "I don't know... because I just do, I guess. I can't help it sometimes. I really like her."
Matt shifted his weight to the other side. "Why didn't you tell her that, then?"
"I... I don't know."
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~
While walking, Taichi decided to take the long way home instead. "What's worth the hurry?" he asked himself.
Tai crossed the street and looked at the house right in front of him. "Hey... I recognize this place..."
Taichi turned around, having the presence of somebody being there, right behind him. At first he thought of Sora, or Matt, or maybe even Junnosuke...
"Greetings, young fellow."
"Oh, hey. I haven't seen you in a long time," Taichi told the figure right in front of him. His body was upside-down, as the first time he had met him, his feet were positioned on air, like he was flying in a poised manner. The mysterious face of his was still invisible by the fact that his dark, dark hair covered his identity.
"That's because your life has been, so far, so good," Sander explained. He winked and disappeared into the air, leaving a very confused Taichi standing on the sidewalk.
Shrugging, Tai turned left and began walking again, until he spotted a very familiar sight. He ran towards the nearby flower shop, anxiously wanting to know what he had seen that had been so recognizable.
Taichi stopped as he saw an elderly man paying for a bouquet of roses. "...Thank you, miss," the man said.
"Thanks to you. Hope to see you another time."
As the man nodded and walked away, Taichi craned his neck to see who the girl was.
"Sora...?"
The ginger-haired girl took one fleeting glance at Taichi, then turned back to arranging the Sakura flowers, as if no one had really called her name.
But Tai decided to walk up to her anyway. "Sora, I didn't know you worked here."
"I don't," Sora replied, not taking her eyes off the flowers, "I'm helping okaa-san (mom) until she comes back from the bank."
"Okay. Well, I just wanted to, sort of... talk to you."
"We have nothing to talk about," said Sora. Taichi couldn't tell whether she sounded depressed or irritated.
Tai looked at the ground, then looked back up. Say something, he told himself, Say something... important, not stupid.
"Sora, is everything okay between us?"
Sora stopped what she was doing, then sighed. Finally looking up at Tai, she told him, "I don't know."
Taichi forced a smile. "Is that a good thing? I mean..."
Tai looked at the cherry blossoms for about three seconds, then turned back to Sora. "If you don't know," he continued, "then how do you want things between us to be?"
Sora hesitated for a moment, then looked back down at the flowers, continuing to arrange them in order. "I... I better get back to work."
"Sora, I really want your answer."
The auburn-haired girl squeezed her eyes closed, hoping Tai would just go away. She really didn't feel like answering that question, especially not until he answered her question first... the question she had asked the other day.
"Excuse me, how much for a dozen of those?"
Sora looked up to see a middle-aged woman pointing at the flowers she was holding in her hands. Taichi had left.
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~
"Wake up, Odaiba! It's six-thirty in the morning, Sunday, the fourteenth of--"
Basically, two days later.
Sora slammed her hand on the snooze button of her radio alarm clock. She rubbed her eyes, yawned, and slowly got up from her bed. She could tell by the sweet aroma that her mother was preparing breakfast in the kitchen.
"Sora-chan! Breakfast is ready!" Sora's mother called, "Hurry up! I need to go to the flower shop early today!"
"I'll be right there, okaa-san," Sora shouted in response. She picked out a casual outfit for the typical weekend... an old pair of jeans and a tank top. After brushing her teeth and combing her hair, she fastened a hairclip on the side of her head and rushed downstairs for breakfast.
"I decided to try something more American today... it's called waffles. Try them."
Sora looked down at her plate as she sat down on the breakfast table. She picked a waffle up with her hand and began chewing. "This is pretty good," she remarked, "Especially with the syrup."
"Yes. Oh, that's right... the mailman delivered something for you today. It's over there, on the coffee table."
Sora looked over at the coffee table. She craned her neck to receive the sight of a bouquet of cherry blossoms.
"Well, I have to go now, Sora-chan. I'll see you later today... take care!"
Sora waved good-bye at her mother as she exited out the door. "Ja ne!"
As soon as she left her plate empty, the auburn-haired girl placed it in the sink, so she could wash it at a later time. Sora walked toward the living room and spotted the cherry blossoms on the coffee table. There was a tag attached to it, so she took the bouquet in her hands as she sat down on the couch.
Is everything okay between us?
How do you want things to be?
Come to the mall at noon,
Join me for a cup of tea. :)
Taichi
Sora tossed the flowers on the ground, lazily laying on the couch. She sighed in both sorrow and anger as she said to herself, "I want things to be a lot more than just okay."
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~
"I hope it worked," Taichi desired, "I mean, what if she doesn't show up?"
"Nah, man. She won't stand you up," Yamato replied.
"How do you know? Maybe, like your other plans, step number number eight won't work. You have two more steps left. If nothing happens after the tenth, or things get worse... you're dead meat."
Matt nodded in comprehension. "Yeah... but, come on, you gotta have some self-esteem. It's doesn't completely depend on what I tell you, but it's also about how confident you are about it."
"Wait. You're right there, Yamato. All this time I've had low self-esteem because all the advice you've given me was to act like somebody else besides myself..."
"Yeah... you know what they say about bad actors."
"So all I gotta do is... just be myself."
Yamato nodded in approval. "Be yourself and chill out there."
"Wait... what should I talk about?" asked Taichi, "What if I don't know what to say?"
Matt shrugged. "If I tell you what to do, I wouldn't call it being yourself. The best advice I can give you on this one is to go with your instinct. Don't let doubt get to you."
"But what if something I say makes her feel awkward about me?"
Yamato looked right. "Oh, no time. She's coming this way. Ja ne, Taichi... I'll be at the other side of the mall!"
Taichi watched Yamato as he hurried down the passageway. He then looked the other way, where Takenouchi Sora was heading toward him. Tai gulped in nervousness.
Sora stopped to eye Taichi sitting on a table for two at the coffee shop. She couldn't make out any words to say, so she just stayed speechless.
"Uh... have a seat," Tai signaled to the empty chair in front of him. Sora did as told.
They looked away from each other; Sora looking at her laps, Tai staring down at the table.
Deciding to break the uncomfortable silence, Taichi looked at Sora, who would still not meet his gaze. "Did you... um... did you get the flowers?"
What a stupid thing to say!, Taichi told himself as he started to smack himself mentally, Of course she did!
Sora nodded slowly.
"So... uh... what do you think?"
Deliberately, Sora lifted her head to stare softly into Taichi's eyes. She cleared her throat, remembering the small script she had written for herself at home. Sora had known exactly what to say when she was practicing in front of her mirror, but now that she was actually with Tai, nothing came out of her mouth.
Sora's Script
TAI: So, how do you want things to be between us?
SORA: Well, I have actually been meaning to ask you the same thing, but
you didn't answer me accurately the other day.
TAI: So you were expecting an answer from me?
SORA: You could say so. How do you think things should be
between us?
TAI: ...
SORA: Well, I have to go now. Okaa-san is probably waiting for me at
home. Sayoonara.
"Well... I have... uh..."
Taichi stared hard into Sora's diamond eyes, trying to make out what she was trying to tell him. But Sora seemed so nervous and tongue-tied with her words, that she didn't even know how to feel when they were said.
"Sora," Tai stopped her from stammering. "Just be yourself. Just tell me what comes to you first."
Sora gazed down at the table, lifting her hands up to fiddle with the edge of the table. She then looked back inside Tai's chocolate-melting eyes. It was about fifteen seconds that Tai was waiting ever-so-patiently for Sora's response, but staring into each others' eyes felt like centuries were passing by between them.
She closed her eyes, stood up, and placed her hands firmly on the table. "Taichi, I can't say anything about us until you tell me first."
Taichi blinked in confusion. "But... I asked you first."
"No... I asked you in the first place, when I went to your house... when you didn't answer me."
"Oh...," Tai looked down at the table. It was hard to answer a question when you didn't know what the other person was wishing for you to say. "You asked me the same question?"
"Sort of like it. I want to know how you feel around me... why you like being around me..."
"Sora, you're right," Tai said, standing up as well, "Maybe we shouldn't discuss this."
Sora looked at the floor for a while, then whispered, "All right."
She looked back up at Taichi, then added, "I have to go home now."
"I'll walk you," Tai offered immediately.
"No... it's okay."
"At least let me walk you outside the mall."
Sora hesitated before saying, "Okay."
Taichi smiled as they both walked side by side in silence. Sora seemed a little molested, but Tai had the urge of holding Sora's hand as they fell into step together.
Once outside the colossal doors of the mall, it was when Sora's hair looked damper than usual that Taichi noticed it was raining. The rain got heavier each bypassing second.
Tai got out his umbrella, which he had brought with him just in case the weatherman on the television was correct this time. He opened it to shield Sora and himself from the pouring rain.
"Are you okay there?" Taichi asked Sora loudly enough for her to hear past the rain. Sora nodded.
"Come on," Tai shouted, placing his arm protectively over Sora's shoulder as she bowed her head down. Thank goodness Sora's apartment was not more than five blocks away.
After crossing busy streets under the heavy rain, Taichi waved good-bye at Sora as she walked up the stairs to her apartment's front desk. Looking back at the damp boy, she grinned at him and headed toward her residence.
Sora stopped mid-way, as if she had forgotten something. Desperately, she looked back at Taichi to see any peculiar reaction in his face. "Oh," she mouthed, walking back to him, regardless of her growing wetter. She stood right in front of Tai, looking gently into his eyes as he looked back into hers.
"Thank you," she said, bowing her head.
Taichi smiled down at her, stepping a bit closer to Sora. He felt a sudden tickle in his heart, making him let out a small chuckle. Shaking his head, Taichi dropped his umbrella, allowing the rain to trickle down his face. Sora's waist was slowly being secured by Taichi's firm arms. He pulled her closer to him as he closed his eyes, feeling the sudden warmth of the cool rainwater.
The rain became rays of sunlight when he felt the placid touch of Sora's arms reaching around his neck. "Sora," Taichi whispered as Sora breathed on his chest, "I love you."
The first reaction that came to Tai's mind after he said those words were total shock. Oh no, he thought to himself, Why did I just say that? Oh God... oh Sander!...
His face flushed a deep shade of crimson, as his hands began to shake while holding Sora's waist. But once he told himself to take a deep breath and try to relax, he felt as if he finally got those words off his chest.
Sora took a step back, releasing her arms from Tai's neck, so that she was now face-to-face with him. To his amazement, Sora stood there, smiling. "I know you do," she said, then ran up to the apartment building.
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~
She knew I loved her... what does that mean? Sometimes I wish I could just read her mind, so that I wouldn't have to suffer all day long. Now I'm hitting my head against the wall--ouch! I shouldn't have said that. I mean, she knew I loved her... but she never said anything about her feeling the same way for me.
Taichi opened the door to the freezer in the kitchen. He took out an ice-cream cup and began eating the delicacy with a spoon. He then turned on the television, hoping there were any romantic flicks where someone confessed their feelings to a significant other, and how they dealt with it.
But the only movie he ended up seeing was Sander's upside-down head.
"Dude!" Taichi half-whispered and half-yelled. "You scared me! What are you doing here?"
"Why are you eating such fat meals?" Sander asked back.
"Why shouldn't I?" Taichi responded.
"Why not eat healthy foods instead?"
"Why don't you just mind your own business?"
"Why should a guardian angel mind his own business?"
"Gah!" Taichi retorted, "What is this, Whose Line Is It Anyway?"
Sander cleared his throat as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. His dark bangs were a little out of place, so when he reached out to push a strand behind his ear, it was the first time Tai noticed the magical blue color of Sander's right eye.
"Well, I wanted you to know that this might be our final meeting," Sander declared slowly.
Taichi narrowed his eyes. "God arrested you?"
Sander shook his head. "It's not like that. You see, there are times when a regular person--"
"But I haven't even seen you in a long time! How could this be our final meeting?" Tai interrupted.
Sander sighed, then continued. "Listen. Everybody has a time when they're stressed out about something and need a guardian angel of their own. And now it's my time to help somebody else."
"But then who will help me?" Taichi asked.
"Love shall," Sander replied.
"Wait, wait... what if I have other problems?"
Sander shook his head. "I doubt you will, Tai. You're only a few steps from being a full-fledged man, and by then, you will have to take care of your troubles by yourself. Nothing major though."
"But then who's going to tell me about my future? About Junnosuke?"
Sander laughed. "Don't worry about Junnosuke, I think I got that part covered. But about your future... it's all in your hands. I can't see your future when you haven't even created it. Your future stands dependent, but when you know something is about to happen, it is always possible to change it."
Tai looked down at the floor, thinking. Then, he looked back up at his temporary guardian angel. "Why do you have to leave?"
"Well, my job here is done."
"Job? What job?"
Sander smiled. "Taichi, you thought I was only your guardian angel all this time."
"Gah!" Taichi shrieked, "Stop reading my thoughts!"
"Well, I'm not just a guardian angel who helps an individual. In fact, I am the guardian angel of love."
Taichi burst out laughing. "You? Ha ha! The guardian angel of love? Ha ha!"
"Well... not just any kind of love."
"Then?" Tai inquired, wondering how such a mysterious, dark person like Sander could ever be the guardian angel of love. But then again, never judge a person by the clothes they're wearing and the smirk on their faces. Oh, and the standing-on-the-ceiling thing.
"I'll tell you when she gets here."
Sander flipped over and landed on the edge of the couch. His legs were crossed over as if he were meditating.
"Wait... who's she? Mom?" Taichi asked.
The doorbell suddenly rang. Tai stood up and opened the door, revealing a heavily damped Sora... but still good-looking, at least in Taichi's point of view.
"Sora! What are you doing here?" Taichi blurted out, "Come in, come in!"
Sora smiled a little shyly, then walked into Tai's house. As Taichi shut the door closed, he motioned Sora to sit on the couch.
"Sander? What are you doing here?" she inquired as she sat down. Sander waved at her, "Hello Sora!"
"What? Wait--you guys can see each other?" Taichi asked.
"Well, I certainly didn't know you could see him," said Sora.
Sander beamed at them, standing up on the edge of the couch. "Remember when you two asked me what kind of guardian angel I was?"
Sora and Taichi both nodded their heads.
"I am the guardian angel of your relationship."
Sora and Taichi both turned to face each other, but when they looked back to see Sander... he was no longer there.
"What do you think he mean by that?" Taichi asked Sora.
"I don't know," Sora said, "But I have something to tell you."
"Hold on just a second," Taichi said before he rushed into his bedroom.
When he came back, he was holding a plain white shirt and Hikari's largest skirt. "Here, you should wear these, so that you don't feel so cold in those."
Sora grinned, slowly taking a hold of the clothes he handed out to her. "Thank you so much," she said, "You're too kind, Taichi-kun. I don't know how I could ever pay you back!"
Taichi-kun?
Tai blushed. "I think you already did."
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~
"So, what did you have to tell me?" asked Taichi, once Sora was all dressed. They were sitting on the edge of Tai's bed.
"Tai, I was always waiting for you to tell me that you loved me," Sora confessed, "Because... well... it's my turn to say that I love you, too."
Sora's face flushed red as a tomato as she looked down.
"Really? I mean, since when?" Taichi questioned, feeling the urge to start laughing his head off. His heart was leaping with joy, making him want to jump up and down, shouting like crazy.
"Since I found out we were locker partners."
"But you weren't weirded out by Yamato's--I mean, the things I did?" Tai wanted to know.
"Well... yeah, I was," Sora looked at Tai, "But I like you for who you are, Tai. Why were you trying to be so different?"
"I don't know," Taichi admitted, "I guess I thought you'd like me better that way."
Sora smiled, nervously reaching up to push a strand of Taichi's hair behind his ear. Slowly, she lowered her hand, her fingers gently caressing Tai's cheek.
Sora's smile gradually faded. "I love you... and only you," she whispered.
Taichi moved closer toward Sora as they pulled each other into a quiet kiss--the first real kiss shared by two individuals who loved each other and were aware of it. When Tai pulled away, he bent over Sora's ear and softly spoke the words, "I love you, too."
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~
"Thanks for walking me home, Taichi-kun," said Sora, when they went into her apartment. Taichi figured he needed to take her since she didn't have an umbrella with her, and well...
"But, you know... Okaa-san won't return until midnight today, so why don't you stay for a while?" Sora asked seductively.
Tai nodded. "Sure..."
Sora held Tai's wrist and led him to her bedroom. She pushed him on the bed and bent down to smile contentedly at him.
Taichi willingly pulled her on top of him, holding her in his arms. Sora closed her eyes as she slowly placed a kiss in Taichi's lips once again. He kissed her back, each feeling the placid sensation of their bodies getting acquainted. A tiny shiver of bliss and relief ran through their bodies as their lips deepened into each other's.
Taichi let out a small chuckle as Sora gently kissed his neck, creating a sentiment that tickled his heart. She giggled as she kissed him again and again. They slowly sat up on the bed as they spent ten whole minutes only smiling at each other and holding each other's hands. It felt so satisfying to just be able to sit right next to the one you loved.
Taichi kissed Sora's hand without taking his eyes off hers as he made a mental list...
Ten Steps I Used To Make You Mine:
1. The Flirting
2. The Laughing
3. The Helping
4. The Winning
5. The Complimenting
6. The Caring
7. The Apologizing
8. The Giving
9. The Un-Acting
10. The Confessing
