Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon...and Digimon doesn't own me. So there!
Digimon - Second Chances For Sora
Chapter 7 - Remeet the Parents
Mom.
That was the only thought that ran through Sora Takenouchi's brain as she slowly slumped down in a nearby chair.
In all the fuss about coming home and reuniting with all of her old friends (Tai and Mimi especially), she hadn't had any time to think about her parents!
Not that it bothered Sora too much. After all, her dad was often away on business trips...and her mom? Boy, what a story!
From Sora's perspective, her mom was a true believer in making it hard for daughter to be happy. She disliked her interest in sports, she tried to throw out her soccer gear and equipment, and prevented her from participating in games when it counted the most!
"Sora? Can you hear me?" asked a worried Mimi.
Sora slowly nodded.
"I'm just thinking about what you said...about how my mom..."
"Yeah, she wants to invite you over for dinner," Mimi sweetly noted. "What's the problem?"
Sora slightly turned her head away, but continued to speak.
"It's just that...well, Mom and I don't...haven't always seen eye to eye."
"Oh?"
"Yeah..." Sora muttered. "We would argue and disagree a lot...about almost anything and everything. We wouldn't shout at each other, really...but after a few years of this stuff, you tend to get a little sick of it, y'know?"
"I see..." Mimi acknowledged.
"But what really hassled me is that she disapproved of me playing soccer."
"Whaddya mean? Is it that terrible?"
"It is!" Sora insisted, now locking eyes with Mimi. "I don't think I ever told you this, but for my whole life...I've been a bit of a tomboy. Before I knew you and the others, I didn't really know how or where to fit in. But then I met Tai when we were really little, and I soon got introduced into the sport of soccer."
"Uh-huh..."
"For the first time ever, I really felt like I belonged somewhere. I'd found something I liked and was good at. So I tried my absolute hardest to be the best that I could possibly be at soccer. And since Mom wasn't about to pay for any lessons, I was forced to teach myself everything I know...with a lot of support from Tai. Mom didn't give me one stinking bit of encouragement, and I soon became a soccer success, no thanks to her."
Sora finished her statement, firmly and somewhat coldly. Mimi could almost feel the ice in Sora's voice.
"It can't be that bad between you and your mom, Sora..." she gently suggested.
"No, it's not that bad...it's worse," Sora replied.
"How so?"
"Mom really crossed the line once...on what was probably one of the most important days of my life."
Mimi sighed and firmly held Sora's hand as a sign of consoling.
"Explain it to me, girlfriend."
Sora sadly took a deep breath and nodded.
"I remember it like it was yesterday...it was during the last day of the soccer finals. My team had been really counting on me, even though we were all good. I'd bruised my leg a few days ago, and even though it wasn't a major injury, Mom decided to bandage it up. Although personally, I think she was just trying to keep me from playing-"
"Enough with the blame, Sor. Just keep talking."
"Anyway, that leg of mine was just fine by the day of the finals. But my mom kept me in my room, trying again to banish soccer from my life completely! It'd been nearly an hour, but I decided that I wanted to help my team in any way that I could. So I put on my uniform, got the rest of my gear together, and tried to sneak out. But Mom saw me – and stopped me – before I could even walk five feet."
"Oh, yeah?"
"Yeah...she gave me this stupid lecture about how I should stop playing and work at her lame flower shop from now on. But I tried telling her that..."
"...this match is to win the title!" Sora yelled, standing up on both feet, with one ankle bandaged up.
"She just wouldn't listen to me. It was like talking to a brick wall."
As Sora continued to talk, the memories of the horrible event kept pouring back into her mind.
"Hey, your mom's not like that..." Mimi said. "I've gotten to know her pretty well...and I think she's a-"
"Completely unreasonable, selfish mother!" Sora angrily interrupted. "She didn't care about me OR my soccer skills!"
"But-"
"No 'buts,' Mimi! She's never understood me! And she probably never will!"
"WHY?! Why can't you understand me!?" Sora shouted, almost in tears.
Not wanting to waste any more time, Sora quickly got up, and ran as fast as she could out of her mother's flower shop. It took a while for her to get to the soccer field without having someone to drive her there.
As Sora finally arrived, she looked on in shock to see that-
"...the game was already over and my team had lost. To make matters worse, I saw them heading towards me with their heads down. I was sure that they were gonna start yelling at me for not being there, but they didn't say a thing. They didn't even notice I was right there in front of them! Afterwards, I was SO angry at my mom for trying to stop me from playing in that game!"
Mimi almost gasped when Sora angrily slammed the kitchen table with a tight fist.
"I let down the team! And myself! I know you probably don't understand any of this the way I do, but believe me...I have good reason for not wanting to see my mom! So there! Maybe Mom should try calling me in about another four years or so!"
But Sora couldn't take much more of all this remembering, and almost broke down in tears, putting her head down and promptly placing her fists on her knees. Her face couldn't be seen, as it was shrouded in shadow, but Mimi jumped to the rescue once more when she noticed the small salty drops colliding with her hands and knees.
The girl started sniffling and sobbing, but her unseen face was soon pressed to Mimi's chest. The longhaired girl cupped Sora's face and locked eyes with her.
"Look, Sora...I'm totally sympathetic right now...and you must have good reason to ha...dislike your mom. And I know that not seeing her in fours years made you feel kinda distant from her...but she's here now with her hand out. And you can't afford to turn her away."
Sora sniffed again and rubbed a few tears out of her eyes.
"I...I don't know..."
"Please, Sora. One way or another, you gotta respond to your mom. I'd go with you, but I hafta run some errands with my aunt for all of tomorrow evening, which is when Mrs. Takenouchi wants to see you."
"Wait!" exclaimed Sora, standing up. "That's it!"
"Wha?"
"You'll see...first I gotta make a phone call..."
With that said, Sora picked up the phone receiver and dialed furiously.
"Jump, jump, jump! King me!" Kari Kamiya chirped from across the checkerboard.
"Argh!" Tai growled.
Kari giggled from her brother's response. To take Tai's mind off all the craziness that had occurred recently, she decided to spend the evening with her brother, doing anything as long as it was recreational. So she suggested that they play a game of Checkers, and her plan worked...to an extent.
"Hey...um, how 'bout ONE more game??" asked a desperate Tai.
"TAI!" Kari almost shouted (but smiling). "That's ELEVEN games of Checkers you've lost so far!"
"C'mon, sis! I promise that I'll beat you this time!"
"Okay, okay...if it'll help put your mind at ease...I'll make my victory count an even dozen."
"We'll see..."
RRRRRIIIIINNNNNGGGGG!!
"I'll get the phone, you reset the board," Tai said, pointing at Kari.
"Got it."
"Hello?...oh, Sora! Uh, hey there-"
"Tai, you hang up that phone right now!" Kari hissed as she raced over to where Tai was. "I don't want Sora bothering you anymore!"
"Hold on for a sec..." Tai said to the person over the phone. "Um, Kari...it's not what you think...it's the...'other' Sora."
"Oh...uh...fine, I'll let you two talk."
And Kari did just that, going into her room.
"So what's up, Sor?"
"Umm...Tai? I, uh, have a favor to ask..."
"Well, depends what it is...but lay it on me."
"Y'see, my mom called up Mimi today and asked if I wanted to have dinner with her tomorrow night."
"Uh-huh..."
"And I'm thinking of accepting her offer...but..."
"But what?"
"It's just...well, I'll be honest...I just don't think I can do this alone...I'm...I'm scared."
That word seemed to strike a chord in Tai. Remembering how THIS Sora hadn't seen her parents in about four years, it only seemed natural that she'd feel even more distant from her mom than the "first" Sora did. He pretty much saw where this was all going, but he let his friend talk.
"Okay, go on..."
"That's about it. So I wanted to know...will you go with me to see my mom and dad? I don't wanna be by myself when...IF I do this."
"Well...I wouldn't mind going with you...but are you sure it's cool? I mean...I got nothing planned for tomorrow, but even so...this is sorta a 'family' thing..."
"Oh, please!?" Sora cried desperately. "For my sake...please come with me, Tai! I can't face her without someone there with me! I just know I can't! PLEASE?!"
Sora was feeling VERY vulnerable at this moment in time. And her decision about meeting her mother all came down to this. If she couldn't rely on her best friend for help, then who else could she turn to?
"Right now..." she continued. "You...you're the only one I trust."
Tai took a deep breath, and let everything he heard over the phone sink in.
"Please?" Sora asked once more, with nothing but utter desperation in her voice.
Tai took another deep breath, and finally responded.
"Sora...you know that I'd do anything for you."
"Is that a 'yes'?"
"Yes. I'll go with you to see your parents."
Sora's eyes widened and in her mind she was jumping for joy.
"You really mean it?!"
Tai nodded, even though Sora couldn't see him do it.
"Of course."
"Oh, Tai...!"
"Huh?"
"Tai...THANK YOU! Oh, thank you, thank you! You're the best! I knew I could count on you!"
Tai was somewhat taken aback by Sora's excitement, but he smiled nonetheless.
"You can always count on me, Sor. Never forget that."
"Just...just checking," Sora replied, with a few tears in her eyes.
"Heh...s'okay."
"I most definitely won't forget this, Tai. I'll call you tomorrow with all the details."
"Gotcha."
"Ok, bye...and Tai?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks again," Sora said with a little bit of passion in her voice.
"Don't mention it."
The two teens hung up simultaneously, and both let out a deep breath of relief.
The phone rung continuously at the Takenouchi residence, and the noise annoyed the two pairs of ears that were forced to listen to it.
"Oh, Sora...can you get that, honey?" Mrs. Takenouchi asked. "I'm cooking dinner."
"Sorry, Mom. I'm fixing my hair."
Mrs. Takenouchi growled, and swiftly picked up the phone.
"Yes?"
"Is...is Mrs. Takenouchi there?" asked a somewhat shy, intimidated voice.
"Speaking."
"Uh...h-hi, Mom."
Sora's mother jerked her head up at the person talking.
"Oh! It...it's YOU, dear."
"Yeah...hey, there."
From the bathroom where Sora was humming and brushing her hair, the change in the tone of her mom's voice caused her to come to the kitchen and see what was going on. Not wanting to interrupt the conversation between her mother and the person on the other end of the line, Sora simply stood in the kitchen doorway, leaned against it, and listened in on her mom.
"It's been...ages since we've...talked, honey."
"Four years, to be exact."
"Y...yes. Four years."
Something about the mentioning of "four years" caused Sora's ears to grow.
"Anyway, I called to give you an answer about your little...dinner invitation."
"Oh, really? What've you decided?"
"I, uh...oh, geez...I...I'll come over..."
"You mean it? That's absolutely wonderful, dear!"
Over at Mimi's, Sora paused at her mom's happy response. She wasn't used to her mother being so...nice.
"Uh, yeah...well, there is ONE small condition..."
"What is it?"
"Tai's coming with me."
"Hmm?
"Even you would remember my best friend...Tai Kamiya?"
"Of course! I've haven't forgotten him...but I had my heart set on a meal just between you, me, and your da-"
Sora's sigh over the telephone was more than enough to cut her mom's words short. She slowly closed her eyes, took a deep, frustrated breath and said with a firm voice...
"Mom...either Tai is invited...or the dinner's off."
Peeking into the kitchen, Sora raised a suspicious eye at the expression on her mother's face. What sort of phone call could be causing her to act so emotionally?
"I understand. That's fine...after all, I've always considered Tai one of the family!"
Still watching her mom from afar, Sora became increasingly alarmed at the mention of Tai. Things were WAY too uncomfortable between him and her right now.
"Then I accept. Thanks, Mom."
"Great! Dinner is tomorrow night at seven."
"O-okay...we'll, uh...we'll be there."
"Great...goodbye for now."
"Uh...bye, Mom."
As they both nervously hung up, Mrs. Takenouchi took a deep breath, relieved that the phone call didn't turn into an argument.
"AHEM!"
Mrs. Takenouchi jumped at the voice, but immediately realized that it was just her daughter.
"Umm...how long have you been there, dear?" she nervously asked.
"Long enough to make me pretty suspicious. Would you mind telling me what that phone call was all about?"
"Well...you see...ever since you told me about your...double...I've been wanting to meet her. So, I...invited her over here for dinner tomorrow night."
"Oh, is that all? Sounds like something out of a bad soap opera," Sora sarcastically replied.
"Nevertheless, I'd welcome your presence at the table, too," Mrs. Takenouchi offered.
"Thanks, but no thanks, Mom. I'll pass."
"Why?"
"Because...things between me and Tai are getting difficult. And me being in the same room with him and 'sis'...it would just be kinda awkward, y'know?"
"But your father's coming home from his business trip, Sora! Wouldn't you like to see him?"
"I...I do, but...it'd be just too uncomfortable for me. Tell Dad I'm sorry. Please don't be too offended by this."
"I guess I understand, honey. But you know, it wouldn't hurt to catch up on things with Tai, since you've been spending a lot of your free time with Matt."
"What?! But I-"
"I know you think he's a nice boy, and I'm not denying that...but the special bond that you and Tai used to share is slowly...evaporating."
"Mom, you don't know what you're talking about-"
"Oh, don't I? What about last month?"
"Last month? What does that have to do with anything?"
"If I recall correctly, weren't you supposed to accompany Tai, Kari, and T.K. to the amusement park? Kari made you promise to that."
Sora eyes widened for the millionth time, but they quickly screwed shut, as she leaned against the kitchen counter and buried her face in her hands, but she wasn't crying.
"Oh, no...I totally forgot!"
"What's worse is that you blew them off to go spend the day with Matt!"
"Mom...I..."
"Look...if you really don't want to see Tai tomorrow night, then I won't hold it against you. You don't have to eat with us."
"Thanks, Mom."
"But whatever's going on with you two, just let it go and make up with one another. So...what will you do instead of eating with the rest of us?"
"Oh, I'll just hang out with some of my friends...they're thinking about seeing a movie tomorrow night, anyway."
"Fine. I'll give you a call on your cell phone when everyone's left."
Sora half-smiled and nodded. She then walked back into her room, closed the door behind her, and lied down on her bed. These last couple of days had been extremely stressful and tiring for her. She turned to lie on her side and glanced up at her dresser once more. The photo of her and Matt was still there, but standing next to it...was her old soccer trophy, that was originally meant for her old soccer coach. Sora sighed and smiled a little.
The trophy was back where it belonged. And there was more than enough space on top of the dresser for both items.
Well...there's one thing I've corrected, she thought. But next comes the hard part...
Ironically, most of the day seemed to pass by rather fast, much to Sora's dismay. She didn't do much until the evening, except think about was meeting with her parents. Most of those seemingly short hours were spent on Mimi's couch, thinking, worrying and dreading.
She thought about whether or not her mother would be happy to see her, worrying about what she should say when she arrives at her old apartment, and just plain dreading the concept of meeting her mom and dad after four years.
And before she knew it, it was already 6:30!
Sora was still brooding in the apartment, with Mimi trying to comfort her.
"Well...it's almost seven, Sor. Doncha think you should head over to your mom's place?"
Sora sighed and took a good look at her watch. It read 6:32 p.m.
"Umm, not yet...Tai's coming to pick me up any minute now."
"Ah."
DING-DONG!!
"Speak of the devil!" Mimi said, now putting on a small smile.
Sora did the same.
"Tai, a devil? Hardly."
Mimi giggled briefly and opened. And sure enough, there was Tai.
Sora was relieved to see him dressed in a dark blue T-shirt, brown shorts, long, baggy, white socks, black sneakers, and NOT in some high-class, fancy, tie and suit. Granted, her mom might have forgotten to say that it was a formal dinner, but Sora certainly wasn't a person to dress up. And if she'd shown up with Tai all dressed up for someone's funeral, it would've really gotten interesting.
"Evening, Tai."
"Hey, Meems...hi, Sora. Ready to go?"
"Uh...I guess."
"Okay, then. Let's vamoose."
"Have a good time, you guys."
Sora nodded, as she and Tai prepared to head out the door.
"And Sora?" Mimi added.
"Yeah?"
"Listen, if by chance you wanna stay over at your Mom's place-"
Sora responded in a loud voice, filled with conviction.
"Believe me, I WON'T."
"Okay, okay!" Mimi said, putting her hands up in protest. "Don't worry, you can still stay here!"
Sora smirked and nodded again.
As the door closed, Mimi exhaled slowly and sat down in a chair. Mimi hadn't been offended by Sora's outburst, but she was surprised as to how easily she forgot that (this) Sora disliked her mom a lot. She was glad that she didn't have such an unhappy relation with her mom (and dad).
The brunette went to the window just in time to see Tai and Sora leave. Mimi sighed and sincerely hoped that everything would work out...and not just between Sora and her mother. All she could say was...
"Good luck, you two."
"You gonna be cool, Sora? I mean, you don't have to do this if you feel you're not ready," Tai noted.
Had he asked a few minutes earlier, Sora might have agreed. But she knew that by now she was already past the point of no return.
"Thanks, but Mom sounded like she went to a lot of trouble to meet me. The least I could do is...say 'hello' or something. It just annoys me how Mom always seemed to wanna make me appear more feminine."
Tai suddenly stopped walking for a moment, making Sora curious.
"Well...maybe this will help."
"Huh?"
Sora looked at Tai carefully as he pulled a small white box (with a tiny pink ribbon on it) out of his pocket and handed it to her.
"Hmm," went the girl as she briefly inspected the box from the outside.
Sora didn't get all excited, but as always, she would treasure the gift, since it came from Tai. So she tried to think of something enthusiastic and exuberant to say when she closely examined the item. And in her sweetest voice she said...
"Huh?"
Inside the box was a hair clip.
"What's this?" she asked.
"Umm...it's a hair clip...you, uh, you put in your hair."
"Why that's brilliant!" she sarcastically commented. "I never woulda guessed!"
Tai nervously chuckled, as Sora closely inspected the smal item. Initially, it didn't seem like anything too special. It was metal, and had a yellow flower on it. But then she felt somewhat annoyed, because even though it probably wasn't intentional, it seemed Tai was also trying to make her look more...feminine.
"So what's this all about? You don't think my hair's nice?" she asked in an irritated tone, holding up the clip for him to see.
Oh, MAN, Tai thought. Here we go again...
"Well, if you don't like it, then just be honest..." Tai said, panicking on the inside.
"All right, Tai...I'll tell you what I think of it..." Sora said, sounding angry.
Here it comes.
Tai closed his eyes shut, turned away from her, and waited for the shouts, insults, or whacks.
"...it's kinda cute."
He opened his eyes.
"What?"
He turned around to see that Sora was looking at his gift happily.
"Really. I like it."
"REALLY?!"
"Yes!" she laughed. "Why, were you hoping that I wouldn't?!"
"It's just that...y'see, Sora didn't exactly give me the same response when I gave her a similar present for her birthday."
"Hey, it if was from you, Tai...then it's treasure. Anyway, I don't know what 'sis' was sick with that day, but I think it's cool. And I don't even like jewelry or makeup!"
Tai gulped and exhaled, while Sora took the hair clip and attached it around a tuft of hair on the right side of her head.
"So...how do I look?" she asked, showing off how she looked to Tai.
Tai couldn't help but smile at the wonderful girl.
"You look beautiful."
"Aww...you're only saying that 'cause it's true."
The two friends laughed as they walked hand in hand to Sora's old home. Sora would have been lying if she claimed that she wasn't nervous, but now she felt a little better overall.
Unfortunately, it didn't take long to walk the rest of the way there. Within a little less than ten minutes, the two of them had finally arrived at their "dreaded" destination.
Sora gulped just loud enough for the evening crickets to hear. As much as she wished she were somewhere else right now, the completely undeniable fact remained that she was actually standing in front of the door.
And behind this door was...
"You still don't have to do this, Sora," Tai noted. "If you wanna back out, I won't think of you any less for it."
For a moment, Sora seriously considered doing it, but decided that running away would just make herself look like a big coward who was afraid of her own shadow. And the last person whom she wanted to see such a thing was Tai. So the only logical course of action was to step forward...and-
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!!
"There, I did it!" Sora said, retracting her arm from the wooden door.
"Don't worry, Sora! You're doing fine!" Tai said, holding her hand.
"I...I hope so..." Sora said, more to herself than Tai. "I guess I could've knocked harder, but...!"
Her thoughts stopped frozen in their tracks when IT happened. The front door opened wide, and the light from within the apartment shined upon the two teens.
Sora was flabbergasted, shocked into silence. She stood there like an exposed criminal, no longer able to conceal herself in darkness or shadows. And standing in the doorway...was her mom.
LIKE, TO BE CONTINUED, DUDES AND DUDETTES!
Well, here's another chapter completed! Next time, it's the moment Sora's double has been dreading for quite a while! Dinner with her parents! Tai's presence is sure to help smooth things along, but to what extent? Plus...it's the moment YOU, the readers have been waiting so long for! Sora (the second one) wants an answer to how Tai truly feels about her and he's finally gonna give it! But will his response be the one she wants? No foolin', cuz' this is it, fans! His answer decides the outcome of their love life forever! And will things EVER be the same between Tai and the "original" Sora? The only way know for sure is to tune in next chapter! And one way or another, I promise none of you will be disappointed with what happens! Gotta go!