Don't Look Now: CHAPTER 5
notes: I don't own Digimon, so please don't sue.
~~ Credits to animelyrics.com for the translation to Sora's theme song.
~~~ I'm so sorry for the LOOOONG delay in updating this fic! =( Gomen nasai!!!!! I've been so busy with schoolwork......... Gomen nasai!!
------------------------------------------
Sora sat up tiredly in her bed and blinked repeatedly as she wiped the sweat off her brows. Her body was sore and aching all over.
The image of Taichi Kamiya's face floated hazily in her mind.
"Why do I keep thinking about him?" She wondered. But inside, Sora already knew the answer. Her conscience reminded her of how she had taken advantage of him when he wasn't looking. She had stolen his wallet and used up all of his money, and she would have thrown it away if it weren't for that one picture that fell out. Furthermore, Sora had made him waste so much of his time and energy in chasing her down. In the end, what did he do? Nothing. He could have reported her to the police, but he didn't. He even shook off the money issue. And most importantly, he had risked his own life to save hers. In short, he had been an extremely nice guy to her despite the all the things she had done. Given another scenario, things would have been ruthless and life-threatening. Sora concluded that she was downright lucky.
This Taichi Kamiya puzzled her greatly. And he moved her heart as well as her curiosity.
Once again, Sora found herself wondering if she would ever get the chance to see him again. If so, she hoped that she would meet him in a less...intense manner than the night before. Perhaps they could "start over." Then again, Sora felt that she was hoping for too much. She was, after all, a thief. Of course it would be awkward for a thief and victim to suddenly start conversing casually one day.
Sora laid back down on her bed. She squeezed her eyes shut, but opened them wide when the image of her own guilty face popped into her mind.
Guilty. Guilty. Guilty.
A thief is a thief is a thief...and a thief should be punished. A thief should be--
NO. Sora rejected the thought fiercely. She was NOT a bad person, her heart protested. She had reason to steal...
She had been stealing to survive, stealing for a cause. And it wasn't like she was physically hurting people in the process...
But a thief should be punished. A thief should be punished. A thief should be--
NO. What was she, a teenager who barely kept up with school and had no job because no one wanted to hire her, supposed to do to survive? What was she, a young girl supporting a sick mother and an apartment by herself, supposed to do to in order to live?
Silent tears trickled down Sora Takenouchi's face. No one would ever understand her pain...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kari Kamiya watched with her arms akimbo as her older brother took his time in putting on his socks and shoes. She knew he was careful about keeping the bruise on his abdomen unprovoked. However, she did not know the details of what had happened the night before to cause his injury.
She sighed deeply, knowing that he wouldn't tell her anytime soon. So instead, she asked him, "You know Mom and Dad are going to be FURIOUS if they catch you on the street, don't you?"
The bushy-haired teen smirked at that. "That's IF they catch me. Be a good sister and cover for me, yeah?"
In response, Kari bit her bottom lip.
"Oh come on! You know that this time I'm sneaking out of the house for a really good reason. Izzy and Gennai need to talk to me and when both of them want my attention at the same time, you know it's something urgent and important," Tai reminded her, to which she rolled her eyes as she quickly reflected upon the countless times he had snuck out of the house when he was supposed to be grounded.
"I will cover for you again..." she said quietly. "...just mind your wound."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3:17 P.M., Saturday afternoon. Tai still had more than a half hour before Izzy expected him to show up. Considering the fact that he was out when he wasn't supposed to be and had some time to spare, Tai decided to stroll leisurely down the streets of Odaiba.
Upon approaching an intersection, he spotted a large runaway cart speeding dangerously towards a small girl. The child was oblivious to the imminent danger as she was crouching to pick up a shiny quarter on the curb.
"Oh no..." The bushy-haired teen panicked and made a mad dash towards the little girl. He scooped her into his arms and out of harm's way. When the cart crashed noisily into a nearby wall, heads finally turned.
People started to crowd around Taichi Kamiya, who stood awkwardly still with the stunned child in one arm and the other arm on his abdomen. Murmurs filled the afternoon air until a middle-aged woman pushed her way through the crowd towards Tai.
"My baby!" she shrieked. Her face was etched with panic and fear. "Oh, my baby!"
Tai kindly placed the little girl in her mother's arms. "She isn't hurt..." he told her softly.
The woman hugged her child tightly as she looked up gratefully into Tai's face. "Thank you so much..."
"It's no problem..." Tai murmured, his face turning slightly red. He often liked playing the hero, but this was kind of unexpected and embarassing with so many eyes on him...including of pair sunset-colored eyes.
The bushy-haired teen was about to excuse himself when the little girl tugged on his arm. Without saying anything, she dropped the shiny quarter into his
hand and gestured for him to keep it. Tai gave her a friendly smile and turned towards the crowd.
But to his disappointment, the crowd had already dispersed and the pair of sunset-colored eyes had disappeared.
Was it really her or was it just someone with the same eyes? Tai scanned his surroundings and suddenly realized that there were so many people out on the streets.
He speed-walked since running only increased the pain in his abdomen. The midnight encounter not too long ago plus today's heroic act had worsen the injury that Kari had warned him to tend to.
He turned his head continuously until he finally caught a glimpse of short red hair. He kept the girl in sight and determinedly followed after her.
The girl walked fast, as Tai had to push his way through a few people in order to keep up with her. After a while, she rounded on a corner and into a small street.
The first thing that Tai noticed upon entering this unfamiliar street was its squalid condition. The environment had changed from clean and kempt to grim and musty. It didn't take long for him to realize that he had followed this girl into the less thriving side of Odaiba.
He wondered if this was her neighborhood...
"Er--Hey!! Hey, wait up!!" Tai yelled. He suddenly realized that he didn't know her name.
The girl continued walking, unaware of his calls. Not knowing what else to say to get her attention, Tai decided to catch up to her. She was about to go inside a shabby-looking apartment building when Tai abruptly--and loudly--said hello.
The red-haired girl finally turned towards the speaker. She blinked a few times before she recognized who he was. Then she rushed towards the door.
"Wait!" Tai shouted. He realized that his presence was scaring her away. "Listen, I just...um...wanted to...say hi."
"Oh...hi..." she replied softly, eyes round with surprise. She awkwardly raked a hand through her hair. "You're not mad at me anymore...?"
Tai turned slightly red and chuckled heartily. Such an innocent question, he thought. "Nah, I forgive you--But you could have just asked. For the money, I mean."
Sora Takenouchi watched the bushy-haired teen with utter amazement. Here he was, standing in front her, being forgiving and friendly. Did she deserve this? She had no idea...
Deciding that the ice was still not completely broken, Tai took a few steps closer--but ended up crouching over in pain. "Ow...my stomach..." he groaned.
Sora gasped and quickly came to his side. "Let me help you. Come inside," she offered quietly.
~~~~~~
Soft music from a battered-looking radio filled the air and persistently kept the silence from becoming defeaning.
The red-haired girl let her bangs fall over her eyes as she worked earnestly in wrapping a bandage around his waist. A red blush claimed her face as she felt guilty for being the reason why he was injured. If only she hadn't kicked him so hard in the stomach...
Aside from that, his shirt was off and Sora noticed how well built he was and how handsome he looked. Her cheeks burned all the more hotly and she prayed that he didn't notice.
Fortunately for her, Tai kept his eyes averted and sat extremely still. He didn't want the girl to know how embarrassed he was feeling. He glanced everywhere around the small living room of the apartment--anything to focus on while she worked--and in the process, he noticed the details of everything the place held. The living room was rather dark except for a few rays of sunlight that seeped through a few of the broken rungs in the closed blinds. The small TV in the corner looked old and rusty, as if it had been broken and fixed up many times. As for the wooden coffee table, it looked rather shabby as it supported numerous battered school books and medicine bottles. Even the couches looked old and scruffy. Tai figured that she was living a rather tough life and felt bad for her.
Sora concentrated on the music as she continued wrapping the bandage around his waist. A new song was filling the air, and although it expressed sad lyrics, she took a liking to it. For one thing, it calmed her nerves, and secondly, it seemed to take the words right out of her mouth.
~*~ That time when I had a dream seems so far away
I feel like crying more than anyone knows
Too clumsy to convey my feelings
I try to pretend to be strong ~*~
Tai started to drift away from observing the room and began to listen to the song. Soft and gentle...just like the way this girl was patching up him.
~*~ But if I'm all alone in this world
And love disappears instead of tears
I won't hang my head, I'll fly away
Tomorrow I'll be closer to that dream I held ~*~
Tai closed his eyes and tried to imagine a smile on the girl's lovely face. For the first time, he realized that he had never seen her smile before.
~*~ The journey is long and sometimes painful
People are just so small
My weakness suddenly makes me unable to see
Even the meaning of my being here ~*~
The meaning of the song finally hit home and Sora paused, not realizing that her arms were still wrapped around his waist.
~*~ But if I clear my heart
Someday I'll surely find a love I want to fill it with
I won't give up, I'll fly away
Tomorrow I'll get stronger for someone's sake
But if I'm all alone in this world
And love disappears instead of tears
I won't hang my head, I'll fly away
Tomorrow I'll be closer to that dream I held ~*~
Sora felt Taichi Kamiya's hands wrap gently around her own. "Are you alright?" she heard him asked softly, tones of concern and care in his voice. A teardrop slid swiftly down her cheek. "No, I'm not okay..." she answered, her voice barely audible. Sora closed her eyes.
Tai turned around and took the weeping girl into his arms. "Hey, it's okay..." he murmured and allowed her to cry on his shoulder.
"You have no idea how hard it is for me to keep on living the way I do..." she sobbed.
"How do you know that? You haven't even given me a chance yet..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I'm sorry for causing your injury...and I'm very grateful to have your forgiveness," Sora told him, without making eye contact. She kept her head bowed. It was embarrassing enough to be expressing these feelings to him, let alone having cried on his shoulder earlier. "I'm also sorry for losing my composure and crying like a baby..."
Tai put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "It's okay," he said warmly. "Sometimes you just have to let it all out."
"Really?" she asked innocently.
"Sure," he confirmed and smiled warmly at her. "By the way...I still don't know your name."
"Oh, it's Sora!"
Tai grinned. "That means 'sky.' You have a pretty name."
"Thanks," she said softly and smiled back at him. Tai blushed slightly as he noticed how breathtakingly beautiful she looked when she was happy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Thanks for being more than two hours late, Tai," Izzy said in a deadly-calm voice when he opened the door.
Taichi Kamiya laughed nervously because he knew exactly how pissed-off his friend was.
-------------------------------------------------------
Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Chapter 6 will come out as soon as possible, I hope...
notes: I don't own Digimon, so please don't sue.
~~ Credits to animelyrics.com for the translation to Sora's theme song.
~~~ I'm so sorry for the LOOOONG delay in updating this fic! =( Gomen nasai!!!!! I've been so busy with schoolwork......... Gomen nasai!!
------------------------------------------
Sora sat up tiredly in her bed and blinked repeatedly as she wiped the sweat off her brows. Her body was sore and aching all over.
The image of Taichi Kamiya's face floated hazily in her mind.
"Why do I keep thinking about him?" She wondered. But inside, Sora already knew the answer. Her conscience reminded her of how she had taken advantage of him when he wasn't looking. She had stolen his wallet and used up all of his money, and she would have thrown it away if it weren't for that one picture that fell out. Furthermore, Sora had made him waste so much of his time and energy in chasing her down. In the end, what did he do? Nothing. He could have reported her to the police, but he didn't. He even shook off the money issue. And most importantly, he had risked his own life to save hers. In short, he had been an extremely nice guy to her despite the all the things she had done. Given another scenario, things would have been ruthless and life-threatening. Sora concluded that she was downright lucky.
This Taichi Kamiya puzzled her greatly. And he moved her heart as well as her curiosity.
Once again, Sora found herself wondering if she would ever get the chance to see him again. If so, she hoped that she would meet him in a less...intense manner than the night before. Perhaps they could "start over." Then again, Sora felt that she was hoping for too much. She was, after all, a thief. Of course it would be awkward for a thief and victim to suddenly start conversing casually one day.
Sora laid back down on her bed. She squeezed her eyes shut, but opened them wide when the image of her own guilty face popped into her mind.
Guilty. Guilty. Guilty.
A thief is a thief is a thief...and a thief should be punished. A thief should be--
NO. Sora rejected the thought fiercely. She was NOT a bad person, her heart protested. She had reason to steal...
She had been stealing to survive, stealing for a cause. And it wasn't like she was physically hurting people in the process...
But a thief should be punished. A thief should be punished. A thief should be--
NO. What was she, a teenager who barely kept up with school and had no job because no one wanted to hire her, supposed to do to survive? What was she, a young girl supporting a sick mother and an apartment by herself, supposed to do to in order to live?
Silent tears trickled down Sora Takenouchi's face. No one would ever understand her pain...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kari Kamiya watched with her arms akimbo as her older brother took his time in putting on his socks and shoes. She knew he was careful about keeping the bruise on his abdomen unprovoked. However, she did not know the details of what had happened the night before to cause his injury.
She sighed deeply, knowing that he wouldn't tell her anytime soon. So instead, she asked him, "You know Mom and Dad are going to be FURIOUS if they catch you on the street, don't you?"
The bushy-haired teen smirked at that. "That's IF they catch me. Be a good sister and cover for me, yeah?"
In response, Kari bit her bottom lip.
"Oh come on! You know that this time I'm sneaking out of the house for a really good reason. Izzy and Gennai need to talk to me and when both of them want my attention at the same time, you know it's something urgent and important," Tai reminded her, to which she rolled her eyes as she quickly reflected upon the countless times he had snuck out of the house when he was supposed to be grounded.
"I will cover for you again..." she said quietly. "...just mind your wound."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3:17 P.M., Saturday afternoon. Tai still had more than a half hour before Izzy expected him to show up. Considering the fact that he was out when he wasn't supposed to be and had some time to spare, Tai decided to stroll leisurely down the streets of Odaiba.
Upon approaching an intersection, he spotted a large runaway cart speeding dangerously towards a small girl. The child was oblivious to the imminent danger as she was crouching to pick up a shiny quarter on the curb.
"Oh no..." The bushy-haired teen panicked and made a mad dash towards the little girl. He scooped her into his arms and out of harm's way. When the cart crashed noisily into a nearby wall, heads finally turned.
People started to crowd around Taichi Kamiya, who stood awkwardly still with the stunned child in one arm and the other arm on his abdomen. Murmurs filled the afternoon air until a middle-aged woman pushed her way through the crowd towards Tai.
"My baby!" she shrieked. Her face was etched with panic and fear. "Oh, my baby!"
Tai kindly placed the little girl in her mother's arms. "She isn't hurt..." he told her softly.
The woman hugged her child tightly as she looked up gratefully into Tai's face. "Thank you so much..."
"It's no problem..." Tai murmured, his face turning slightly red. He often liked playing the hero, but this was kind of unexpected and embarassing with so many eyes on him...including of pair sunset-colored eyes.
The bushy-haired teen was about to excuse himself when the little girl tugged on his arm. Without saying anything, she dropped the shiny quarter into his
hand and gestured for him to keep it. Tai gave her a friendly smile and turned towards the crowd.
But to his disappointment, the crowd had already dispersed and the pair of sunset-colored eyes had disappeared.
Was it really her or was it just someone with the same eyes? Tai scanned his surroundings and suddenly realized that there were so many people out on the streets.
He speed-walked since running only increased the pain in his abdomen. The midnight encounter not too long ago plus today's heroic act had worsen the injury that Kari had warned him to tend to.
He turned his head continuously until he finally caught a glimpse of short red hair. He kept the girl in sight and determinedly followed after her.
The girl walked fast, as Tai had to push his way through a few people in order to keep up with her. After a while, she rounded on a corner and into a small street.
The first thing that Tai noticed upon entering this unfamiliar street was its squalid condition. The environment had changed from clean and kempt to grim and musty. It didn't take long for him to realize that he had followed this girl into the less thriving side of Odaiba.
He wondered if this was her neighborhood...
"Er--Hey!! Hey, wait up!!" Tai yelled. He suddenly realized that he didn't know her name.
The girl continued walking, unaware of his calls. Not knowing what else to say to get her attention, Tai decided to catch up to her. She was about to go inside a shabby-looking apartment building when Tai abruptly--and loudly--said hello.
The red-haired girl finally turned towards the speaker. She blinked a few times before she recognized who he was. Then she rushed towards the door.
"Wait!" Tai shouted. He realized that his presence was scaring her away. "Listen, I just...um...wanted to...say hi."
"Oh...hi..." she replied softly, eyes round with surprise. She awkwardly raked a hand through her hair. "You're not mad at me anymore...?"
Tai turned slightly red and chuckled heartily. Such an innocent question, he thought. "Nah, I forgive you--But you could have just asked. For the money, I mean."
Sora Takenouchi watched the bushy-haired teen with utter amazement. Here he was, standing in front her, being forgiving and friendly. Did she deserve this? She had no idea...
Deciding that the ice was still not completely broken, Tai took a few steps closer--but ended up crouching over in pain. "Ow...my stomach..." he groaned.
Sora gasped and quickly came to his side. "Let me help you. Come inside," she offered quietly.
~~~~~~
Soft music from a battered-looking radio filled the air and persistently kept the silence from becoming defeaning.
The red-haired girl let her bangs fall over her eyes as she worked earnestly in wrapping a bandage around his waist. A red blush claimed her face as she felt guilty for being the reason why he was injured. If only she hadn't kicked him so hard in the stomach...
Aside from that, his shirt was off and Sora noticed how well built he was and how handsome he looked. Her cheeks burned all the more hotly and she prayed that he didn't notice.
Fortunately for her, Tai kept his eyes averted and sat extremely still. He didn't want the girl to know how embarrassed he was feeling. He glanced everywhere around the small living room of the apartment--anything to focus on while she worked--and in the process, he noticed the details of everything the place held. The living room was rather dark except for a few rays of sunlight that seeped through a few of the broken rungs in the closed blinds. The small TV in the corner looked old and rusty, as if it had been broken and fixed up many times. As for the wooden coffee table, it looked rather shabby as it supported numerous battered school books and medicine bottles. Even the couches looked old and scruffy. Tai figured that she was living a rather tough life and felt bad for her.
Sora concentrated on the music as she continued wrapping the bandage around his waist. A new song was filling the air, and although it expressed sad lyrics, she took a liking to it. For one thing, it calmed her nerves, and secondly, it seemed to take the words right out of her mouth.
~*~ That time when I had a dream seems so far away
I feel like crying more than anyone knows
Too clumsy to convey my feelings
I try to pretend to be strong ~*~
Tai started to drift away from observing the room and began to listen to the song. Soft and gentle...just like the way this girl was patching up him.
~*~ But if I'm all alone in this world
And love disappears instead of tears
I won't hang my head, I'll fly away
Tomorrow I'll be closer to that dream I held ~*~
Tai closed his eyes and tried to imagine a smile on the girl's lovely face. For the first time, he realized that he had never seen her smile before.
~*~ The journey is long and sometimes painful
People are just so small
My weakness suddenly makes me unable to see
Even the meaning of my being here ~*~
The meaning of the song finally hit home and Sora paused, not realizing that her arms were still wrapped around his waist.
~*~ But if I clear my heart
Someday I'll surely find a love I want to fill it with
I won't give up, I'll fly away
Tomorrow I'll get stronger for someone's sake
But if I'm all alone in this world
And love disappears instead of tears
I won't hang my head, I'll fly away
Tomorrow I'll be closer to that dream I held ~*~
Sora felt Taichi Kamiya's hands wrap gently around her own. "Are you alright?" she heard him asked softly, tones of concern and care in his voice. A teardrop slid swiftly down her cheek. "No, I'm not okay..." she answered, her voice barely audible. Sora closed her eyes.
Tai turned around and took the weeping girl into his arms. "Hey, it's okay..." he murmured and allowed her to cry on his shoulder.
"You have no idea how hard it is for me to keep on living the way I do..." she sobbed.
"How do you know that? You haven't even given me a chance yet..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I'm sorry for causing your injury...and I'm very grateful to have your forgiveness," Sora told him, without making eye contact. She kept her head bowed. It was embarrassing enough to be expressing these feelings to him, let alone having cried on his shoulder earlier. "I'm also sorry for losing my composure and crying like a baby..."
Tai put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "It's okay," he said warmly. "Sometimes you just have to let it all out."
"Really?" she asked innocently.
"Sure," he confirmed and smiled warmly at her. "By the way...I still don't know your name."
"Oh, it's Sora!"
Tai grinned. "That means 'sky.' You have a pretty name."
"Thanks," she said softly and smiled back at him. Tai blushed slightly as he noticed how breathtakingly beautiful she looked when she was happy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Thanks for being more than two hours late, Tai," Izzy said in a deadly-calm voice when he opened the door.
Taichi Kamiya laughed nervously because he knew exactly how pissed-off his friend was.
-------------------------------------------------------
Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Chapter 6 will come out as soon as possible, I hope...