I don't own Digimon. (Dammit, now where did I put that "Disclaimer" sign?)
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Second Chances For Sora - Chapter 10
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R...
R...u...
R...u...n...
Run.
RUN!
Run, run, run, run, RUN!!!
The primary instinct of all smaller animals being hunted was to run. Run away out of anger or sadness or confusion or just about any negative emotion. But for Sora Takenouchi...her reasons for running were all of the above...and more.
Watching her twin sister and her (former) best friend spend time together was stressful, and now the two of them were on their first date. Seeing them dance together so closely was hard enough...but closely observing them share a kiss, busting full of love, care, protection, and sweetness was the final straw aboard the camel's back.
As much as Sora tried to explain it, she couldn't. Tai was finally happy, with a trusting and promising girlfriend of his own now. So shouldn't that mean that she should be happy for him, too? Could it have been that they looked a little TOO happy with each other?
Not that HER love life was in any real jeopardy at the current moment. Sure, she and Matt hadn't been able to get together since their six-month anniversary picnic (which had gone rather smoothly if any of you were wondering), but there were no plans to break up anytime soon. What was her problem? What was this pain she felt?
But getting back on track, "Sor" kept running and running, not caring if she passed by her home. All she wanted was to get to a place where she could be alone.
A small narrow alleyway that she finally stopped at would probably suffice.
Sor leaned against the wall to catch her breath. While inhaling and exhaling heavily, her eyes were shielded, shrouded by shadow. But clear, salty liquid continued to roll down her face, consisting of sweat and tears. As the breaths finally slowed down, the girl fell to knees, forgetting the small bag of groceries that she just dropped.
Her vocal chords went to work once more as she put her head and fists against the brick wall. She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists even tighter, as she began to cry. No thoughts or words came forth to guide her brain to a logical conclusion about why she was feeling this way. For now...she was terribly alone.
*********************
"You'll never have to be alone anymore, Tai," Sora said to her date. She then focused her attention to her watch.
"What's up?" Tai asked, noticing what Sora was doing.
"Just checking the time, what else?"
"Hmm, it IS getting kinda late, huh?"
"Yeah, we should probably be getting back to Mimi's," Sora noted.
Tai was a little surprised that Sora actually wanted to go home, but maybe she was just tired. Since their dinner reservations had already been paid for, all they had to do was leave. Tai pulled a little money out of his pocket and placed it onto the table as a tip. Then he picked up Sora's purse and began to hand it to her.
"Hold on to it for a sec, Tai...I gotta use the ladies room. Be right back."
Tai nodded as Sora walked away, and nearly jumped a foot in the air as he felt a hand firmly place itself on his shoulder.
"WHOA!" he almost yelled, before hearing a small chuckle. "Wha-Matt?!?"
"Ha, ha, ha!" Matt laughed. "Sorry, man...didn't mean to scare you like that. Just broke off from the music for a bit to see how you were doing."
"Oh, well...Sora and I finished eating, so we were thinking of heading off."
"That's not all...I saw you and Sora on the dance floor. You two were getting PRET-ty close by the end..."
"Eh, heh, heh...yeah, yeah."
"Hey, here she comes now," Matt noted, pointing behind Tai.
"Yo, Matt!" Sora said. "What's going on?"
"Just saying 'hello' and 'goodbye' to before you two go."
"Speaking of going, Tai...we'd better-"
Tai silently interrupted by nodding quickly, then handing Sora her purse, who half-smiled as she took it from him.
"I still can't get used to this thing," Sora noted, inspecting her purse like an alien looking at something not from its planet.
"Well, catch you later!" Tai said as he left with his date.
Matt just smiled and waved. As he watched them exit the restaurant, he felt extremely confident that this new relationship between Sora and Tai would work.
*********************
In a nearby park, the audible sound that came close to bawling had ceased. But on a small bench, Sor continued to sniffle and let her tears flow down her cheeks. She wrapped her arms around her bunched up legs; the end result was that she had curled herself up in a ball.
Sor could barely think. All she could do was...feel. Which was exactly what she DIDN'T want to experience. But something relating to curiosity started buzzing in her brain. Sure, it was clear now that she was starting to feel regrets about choosing Matt over Tai, whom she was really starting to miss, but there was something else, too. Something greater. But at the moment, it was a blurry thought shrouded in a mist too thick for her to punch through. Whatever thought was trying to make its way out, she just couldn't put her finger on it.
Her thoughts became disrupted when she heard two voices headed her way. Normally, she wouldn't even take notice. But when she heard a young male conversing with a female voice that sounded an AWFUL lot like hers, her primary instinct told her to hide.
Once Sor was certain that she was well hidden behind the bushes (which didn't take much effort, considering that it was night), her ears decided to go against her will and work their talents perfectly.
"Tai, I've made a decision," Sora said as walked down the sidewalk with him.
"Yeah?" he asked.
"I wanna play soccer again."
"Really?"
"Mm-hm. Soccer has always been a big part of my life, and it'd be a shame to let my talents go to waste."
"Awesome!" Tai exclaimed happily. "I'll tell the coach tomorrow! He'll be pleased."
"You SURE he won't mind having a girl on his team?" Sora asked suspiciously.
"Positive," Tai reassured her.
The two of them wanted to talk more, so they sat down, on a bench. Unbeknownst to either teen, the seat had been "pre-warmed" for them.
"This'll be so fun, Sora! You and me out there makin' goals without even breaking a sweat!"
"Yep, and with my help, your team'll be sure to win the title this year!"
"Let's hope. Aw, Sora...you're just the coolest."
"There, now was that so hard to admit?" she said, smirking.
For the first time in a while, Tai flashed his typical wacky grin...something that NO one had seen in a while and something that Sora had longed to see ever since she got back from the Digital World.
Both girls noticed this but the one behind the bushes could clearly see that the welcome return of this grin was meant for her double...and ONLY her.
"Well, tell me something...was it so hard to admit THIS feels good!?!"
Using barely any effort at all, Tai grabbed Sora around her waist and started tickling her like crazy!
"AHH!" she almost screamed. "Nuh...n-no...eh, heh, heh...st-st- stop...please...ha, ha, ha, ha...please stop!"
"Then admit it! I'm better than you at soccer!"
"N...hee, hee...never!"
"You're gonna have to say it sooner or later! Otherwise the tickling continues!"
"Ha, ha, haaaa!!!! C...c...c-c'mon...eh, hee, hee, hee! Cut it out!"
"Make me!"
"Ah, ha, ha, ha! Okay, I give, I GIVE!!! You're better at soccer than me, happy?!?"
Tai laughed as he let go of the girl whom he loved so dearly. It felt so good to be able to interact with her so naturally! This was definitely something he'd been missing!
But he wanted so much not to be separated from her anymore, so he once again wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, but more slowly this time around. Sora started to slightly moan as Tai sprinkled light kisses on her right shoulder. She closed her eyes and sighed as the kisses gradually moved from her shoulder to her neck.
So far, Tai hadn't kissed Sora anywhere but her lips, and wondered if maybe they were moving too fast. But his love wasn't showing any signs that she wanted him to stop, so he continued. After wrapping her arms around his neck, Tai felt her body jerk briefly and she gasped when his warm lips made contact with her skin, gently brushing her neck for the first time.
Sora began to moan more as he began to lightly suck on her neck. Eyes still closed, she started to grin and giggle, as his neck sucking was seriously starting to tickle her again. Her peepers immediately fluttered open and she shifted her position on the bench so she could face him.
"All right, Tai...you've had your fun..." Sora murmured like she wanted him to stop. But anyone could clearly see that she didn't really mean it.
Back behind the bushes, Sor covered her head and ears with her hands, attempting to block out the little romantic scene that was playing itself out.
The two teens finally rose from the bench and were on their way back to Mimi's apartment.
As soon as she was sure that the pair was far away enough, Sor finally rose from the bushes and watched them with tear-stained eyes as they quickly crossed the street. The distressed girl did her best to wipe her eyes with her sleeve and ran as fast as she could back to her own home, now worried about whether or not she'd be able to hide her condition from her mother.
*********************
"Mm, the evening feels nice doesn't it?" Tai asked as they kept walking.
"Uh, huh...it's so relaxing, that it-"
*********************
"HA, HA, HA, HA, HA..."
*********************
Without warning, Sora's body suddenly jerked and her head rose up. A chill began to ride up her spine, her face became nearly drained of all its color, and her eyes became glassy. A very small, but noticeable flash of light reflected off her pupils, and she suddenly exhaled as if she had held her breath.
Tai felt her move while he had his arm around her, and locked eyes with her. But by the time he got a good look at her, her face had already returned to normal.
"Sora...you okay?" he asked, with a worried look in his eyes.
"Huh?" she went, acting as nothing happened.
"I asked if you were okay."
"Yeah, fine," she answered casually. "Why?"
"Your body just sorta...jerked there for second..."
"Did I? I-I mean...! Did it? I didn't notice anything..."
*********************
Mimi Tachikawa was in tears as she turned the page of the romance novel she was reading. She was spread out on the couch, damp tissues everywhere. A small container of half-eaten ice cream was in her lap, and an empty root beer bottle was on the floor.
"Oh, wow...sniff..." Mimi went as she finished the current chapter as slowly closed the book. "...that's the most romantic thing I've ever read! It was absolutely wonderful!"
And speaking of romance, little did she know that Tai and Sora were just closing in on her front door.
"So I'll pick you up tomorrow just before practice, okay?" Tai asked.
"No problem...I just hope your coach is as reasonable as you say he is," Sora said, albeit a little worried.
"Hey, don't worry. If he won't be reasonable, then I'll MAKE him see the light!"
Sora laughed, and so did Tai. They hugged once more, and exchanged one more kiss. The two of them said their good-byes and Sora and entered the apartment.
"Hi, I'm back!" Sora hollered as she came in.
"Oh, Sora!" Mimi stammered as she quickly put down the romance novel. She then gently brushed some of the tear-stained tissues off of the couch so that Sora could sit down.
"Well..." Sora said carefully, "I see you've certainly been busy..."
"Hey, reading these romance novels on a regular basis is tiring work," Mimi noted. "It tends to put quite a strain on a girl's heart!"
Sora laughed a little, which caused Mimi's tears to abate somewhat faster.
*********************
Both girls were pretty tired that evening, so they decided not to argue over sleeping arrangements, and ended up sharing Mimi's bed.
"So what happened after dinner?" asked Mimi who was sitting on the bed, writing some things in her date book.
"Not too much," Sora hollered from the bathroom, while brushing her teeth. "We took a slow walk through the park and came back here."
"That's it!?" Mimi went, in a somewhat dubious voice.
"Hey, just what entitles you to every little detail that occurred on our date?"
"Maybe 'cause I'M the one who set the whole thing up, while YOU kept worrying about it!"
Sora took a second to laugh, and then drank some water to rinse her mouth out. She couldn't help but feel extremely cheerful, and good inside. Her mind took a moment to review the important things that had recently happened to her.
She finally made it back to Earth, and within a few days she reunited with all her old Digidestined buddies, she began to reconcile with her mother, and she fulfilled her greatest desire to become more than "just friends" with her oldest, best friend. Not to mention that her first date with Tai went off without a hitch!
There was so much happiness built up inside her heart, that she could barely resist the urge to jump up and down, and scream in utter delight! So she tried her hardest to remain calm and said-
"I'll tell you the rest tomorrow okay, Mimi? Right now, I'm too tired to talk," Sora said, reaching for a towel to wipe her face.
"Suit yourself, Sora! But you're gonna tell me sooner or later!"
Back in the bedroom, Mimi turned to the nearby drawer in her bedstand and began to blush. In almost a timid fashion, she took out a very small photo from the nearby drawer in her bedstand, small enough to fit into the palm of her hand. It was a picture of her and Matt taken when they were about four years younger.
In America, quite a lot of boys with good (and sometimes not-so-good) intentions asked her out on dates. Surprisingly, she accepted...but she never, ever went far with any those boys. It wasn't that all of her dates turned out to be creeps. On the contrary, a fair number of them were genuinely well meaning boys, who held a moderate amount of respect and dignity for her and simply just wanted to show her a good time.
But despite their attempts to try to show her a good time, it just didn't work. Some sort of trait or feeling was missing from all of them; a certain something that couldn't be found anywhere else.
That "certain something" could only be located in Matt Ishida. Mimi missed him so much, but it wasn't due to the fact that she lived in America, while he lived in Japan. Even when she came home every now and then to visit, she'd still be a million miles away from him. And it was all because of...HER. And there was no hope of fixing the situation now.
Sora hastened her return to Mimi's room when she heard a sniffle. She quietly tiptoed back and peeked her head in her room. Mimi was on the bed, kneeling with her back to Sora, who could just barely see the photo that was in her hand.
Mimi gasped when she felt a hand placed on shoulder.
"Mimi?" Sora asked in low, worried voice. "What's wrong?"
The longhaired turned her head, and Sora almost gasped when she saw her friend's face. Mimi's face looked exactly like Sora's when Tai pushed her away a couple days before. And it took no time at all for Sora to figure out that Mimi's problems weren't much different.
It didn't take a whole lot of effort to gently pluck the small photo put of Mimi's hand. Sora held it up to her eye, and took a deep breath. By now, she pretty much knew WHAT was going on now...she just didn't know what to say, or how to go about this.
But as Sora thought hard, she realized that although Mimi was usually a cheerful person...every now and then she seemed to be a little TOO cheerful and smiled a little TOO much. As if she was trying to maintain some front that everything was okay in her little corner.
Come to think of it, Sora thought, some of those smiles of hers looked kinda...sad.
Sora's eyes widened as she remembered something that Tai told her...
*********************
"So Matt's her boyfriend now?"
"Uh huh," Tai nodded, without displaying much emotion on his face.
"So that's why Matt hugged me so tightly when he saw me...!" Sora concluded.
*********************
Of course! Sora lightly slapped her fist into the palm of her other hand.
I gotta be an idiot for not noticing this sooner, she thought. I...it's shocking...Mimi's in...LOVE...with Matt! And she can't have him...because...because of...
Sora's state of mind was that of a semi-completed jigsaw puzzle, like when you have most of the pieces put together, but the newly created big pieces of the picture still haven't been combined yet.
Mentally, she had the pieces, all that was needed was to put them together. Unfortunately, Mimi was going to contribute a lot to finish this emotional puzzle.
"Mimi-" Sora said, not sure what to say next.
"Yes, I love him," Mimi broke in, her face covered in cold sweat and tears. "And I can't stop loving him."
Sora just stared at Mimi very hard for a long minute. This was a side of her that Sora had never seen. It was probably an extremely hidden side that no one had ever seen before. But one thing was for certain...Sora wasn't going to get anywhere if she couldn't coax Mimi into clarifying things.
"Mimi...what's going on?"
The younger girl took a deep breath, trying to convince herself that she could trust the girl next to her. And like a teapot...the answers came pouring out at a steady rate. Mimi did her best to contain her tears as she began to speak.
"Four years ago, when we were all together, exploring the Digital World...we all had our own share of... personal problems. And it was too clear that Matt was having trouble caring for his little brother, T.K. That and the fact his family was...separated...and because of that I..."
Mimi stopped, trying her hardest not to cry.
"Go on," Sora said, gently patting Mimi's shoulder.
"So...I felt real sorry for him...and I realized that I was being...selfish. I was whining so much about how my feet hurt, how my dress was getting dirty, and how my hair hadn't been brushed in a while."
"And?"
"I vowed then to...try to think about others for a change...so I focused my attention on Matt. And I came to admire how...UN-selfish he was, always keeping an eye on T.K. or someone else, almost never looking out for himself first."
"And...that's when you started to...develop these really deep feelings for him, right?"
Mimi looked at Sora, sniffled and wiped a few tears away.
"Yeah, that's exactly it," she said quickly. "I wanted to tell him...but...I had to move away so soon..."
"Uh, huh..."
"Even when I visited...I still liked him...so I was gonna call him up and tell him...af-after...Christmas...but that's when it happened..."
"What? What happened?" Sora asked, really worried now.
"Sor...Sora called me up Christmas morning...to say hello. I was so happy then, since Palmon had come to visit me...and later that morning she called me...to tell me that she'd went out on her first date...with Matt."
As Mimi spoke those last few words, her tone of voice got a little angry. It was a variety of anger that Sora had never seen in Mimi before, who then firmly punched the mattress that was under her.
"I hated her for that!" she almost shouted, her tears starting up again. "SHE KNEW! She knew I liked Matt...but did she care?"
Sora herself was almost in tears too, and grabbed Mimi, hugging her ever so tightly, as Mimi did for her.
"That's enough, Mimi...you don't need to say anything else," she whispered.
"I can't...I just can't stop caring about him..."
"Look, maybe if you just talk to him...I mean, Matt...then I'm sure he'd-"
"No...I promised myself I wouldn't get involved...and that I'd stay out of their relationship."
"You mean, you'd never even...try to steal Matt away from her...?" Sora asked, half-joking.
Mimi responded with a half-smile to match, but she was still crying and then shook her head.
"I wouldn't...I'm not that kind of girl."
And she was telling the truth. As much as Mimi loved Matt, she wouldn't even consider cheating with him, even if Matt liked her back. Romantic relationships are not only built upon love and care, but trust as well. Being the Digidestined of Sincerity, she would never, ever betray that trust Sora and Matt had developed between each other.
"I...I sorry..." Sora apologized. "I shouldn't have made you tell me-"
But once again, Mimi shook her head.
"Sniff...it...it's okay..."
"No! No, Mimi it's not okay!" Sora hissed. "I pushed and you gave in! And if my stupid sister had half a brain, she would have at least asked you how you felt about all this! How could she be so insensitive?!"
Sora hugged Mimi even tighter than before. Not surprisingly, Mimi let it all out and cried for quite a while. Even after she had calmed down and went (or cried herself) to sleep, Sora lied down in bed next to her and stared at the ceiling. But her eyebrows narrowed towards each other as her brain created very unwelcome thoughts abut her sister.
"I don't believe this!" she whispered into the dark emptiness of the bedroom. "How could my sister DO this to her friends!?"
It's nearly astonishing how one person can affect the lives of so many others, even if that person weren't an action hero or political leader. Sora's romantic infatuation with Matt caused more emotional pain than meets the eye, and did more harm than good, as unfair as that might sound.
Tai was in love with her, and even though he seemed to be on the road to recovery now, it was clear that his big heart was still scarred from the ordeal at Christmas. This resulted in angering Kari and made her sad about her brother's feelings, which in turn, made T.K. worry about Kari. And because he felt alienated from her, it caused him to keep his distance from Sora's double who then received (but didn't deserve) her share of pain, as well. Sora's parents became extremely confused over their daughter's choice in boys, and that weren't enough, now Mimi was also hurt. She too, bore a considerable amount of ill will towards Sora.
Putting her hands under head, part of Sora's personality was telling her that she shouldn't dwell on this problem of Mimi's, especially since she was going to be trying out for the soccer team tomorrow. Still, from what Mimi told her, she just couldn't let things go so easily.
"I still can't believe it! Since when does Sora Takenouchi hurt her friends without even considering the consequences, much less their feelings!? That snobby, selfish, conceited, little brat!"
Sora almost shouted those words, but remembered that Mimi was (finally) fast asleep. She had her back turned to Sora, and was snoozing rather peacefully now. So it probably wasn't in anyone's interest to raise her voice right now. At the same time, it felt strange thinking this way, since Sora was also talking about herself, so to speak.
If it wasn't one thing, it was another. Sora's parents now had two daughters, each with a problem. One daughter felt distant from then, and the other was almost willingly distancing herself from her most trusted friends.
"Geez..." Sora muttered before finally going to sleep, and still thinking about her sister and herself. "...how in the world does Mom put up with us?"
*********************
"Thanks for coming over on such short notice, Ken," Izzy said as he and his friend walked into his room.
Both boys sat down at the table and Ken pulled out of his pocket a thin transparent cable and hooked up the small laptop he was holding to Izzy's.
"You have separate schematics and statistics on that old pyramid of Etemon's, correct? And an overlay of that section of the Digital World?"
"Yep, sure do. What are we trying to do here?"
"Well, we both have separate and different bits of information about that pyramid...so I thought that if we pooled out resources together, we might be able pinpoint the origin of that energy source I detected a while back."
"Oh, I see."
"But I'll admit...I'm not even really sure WHAT I'm looking for. It's a shot in the dark."
"Well, sometimes...the best strategy is simply 'trial and error', Izzy. But enough chit-chat."
Izzy nodded. "I agree. Let's get to work."
*********************
The first half of the next day wet by rather quickly. And around four o' clock (or maybe a little before, who really cares), Tai came to pick Sora up for her "audition". They exchanged multiple kisses before she noticed that Tai was in his soccer uniform. Pleasantly surprised, she mentally noted to herself that it had definitely been a while since she'd seen - much less wore - one of those.
All the same, Tai invited Mimi to come along, but Sora explained that Mimi had a "prior engagement" to attend to.
After Mimi's little emotional maelstrom last night there's no WAY I'm telling Tai about this, Sora thought.
It didn't take very long for the pair to get to the soccer field, and practice was already underway. The coach was there, watching his team run a couple of laps, telling then to hustle.
"Yo, coach!" Tai hollered to his coach. "Sorry I'm a little late!"
The coach just shrugged.
"No big deal, Kamiya...practiced only started about six minutes ago. Just go join the others," he said, pointing.
"Wait, coach! Remember you said you'd be willing to try almost anything to beat the finalist team?"
"Sure."
"Well, I might have something up my sleeve that could very well beat the stuffing outta them!"
"Then by all means, TELL me!" he said, rater excitedly.
"You sure?"
"You're my best player, Tai. I trust your judgement!"
"Okay, then. May I present my best friend and one heckuva soccer player...Sora Takenouchi!"
"Umm, I'm not quite sure what you're getting at."
"I'm saying that she CAN help us win if we get to the finals!"
Tai revealed his girlfriend to the coach, who eyed her carefully. Sora started to sweat a little.
"Hmm...all right...Tai, link up with the others. I'll talk with your friend."
"Gotcha, coach. Sora...best of luck!"
Sora and Tai exchanged a quick kiss, and he ran off to meet the rest of his teammates.
"Umm...Sora, was it? Let's sit for moment, and you can tell me a little about yourself."
Sora nodded, and the two of then sat down on a nearby bench.
"Well, Tai introduced me to soccer when I was very little. And he showed me some of the ropes as we got older, and I got pretty good at it. I love soccer. Of course, I understand if you don't wanna girl on your team."
"Oh, no! Don't worry about that!" the coach quickly replied. "So many people think that coaches are usually picky about having girls play for them, but not me. I honestly believe in fair play!"
"Really?"
"Sure! Not only would it enhance the team's reputation if you joined us, but our opponents would be at a loss for words if they got beaten by-"
"-a mere, weak woman?"
"Exactly! Look, I have no problem whatsoever if you play for us, but..."
"But what?"
"Well, I can't just let you play without seeing whatcha got to offer! I'd like to see what you can really do out there for us! Seeing's believing, after all."
"Hey, that's cool with me! When shall I perform for you?"
"How about in a few minutes? No time like the present."
"Sounds good to me."
"Okay, then, it's settled!"
The soccer coach made the team do a few more sets of exercises to warm them up, while Sora watched them closely, Tai more than the others. But she found that the more she observed them, the more she wanted to be a part of it.
After they were done, the sweaty and semi-tired team were given a break, and the coach gathered the boys together to announce the possibility of a new teammate. He also had Sora at his side to properly introduce her.
"Listen up, guys...this is Sora Takenouchi, a good friend of our star player, Tai. He says and thinks that she might be able to give us the edge we need to win the title this year, provided we make it to the finals."
Sora, slightly nervous, looked at the entire team. Everyone looked at each other and nodded or shrugged. They either didn't mind that a girl was going to play for them, or they were too tired to argue.
"But first I'd like to test out her abilities, and if she's as good as I've been told, then that soccer tournament title is as good as ours!"
Wow...he really is a reasonable guy, Sora thought.
The coach went on to explain that he needed a few volunteers to "spar" with her on the field. Tai was partially grateful that he wasn't chosen to do it.
"Anything you want to add, Sora...before we begin?"
"Yeah...just one thing, actually. Don't go easy on me, fellas."
All of the boys just looked at each other, calmly and casually nodding in agreement. A few of them politely chuckled at her partially funny remark.
The team and their coach watched intently as Sora walked onto the field. Three other team members would be against her, backed up by a goalie posted at the goal.
"Ready, Sora?" the coach hollered from the sidelines.
"As ready as I'll ever be!" she yelled back, with a confident smirk on her face.
"All right, then...GO!!!"
Sora nodded and looked down at the soccer ball at her feet. This was also something she hadn't seen in a while. Here goes nothing, she thought.
"C'mon, Sora..." Tai whispered.
Without any hesitation, Sora lightly kicked the ball in front of her, making sure not to kick it far enough that the three boys blocking her could intercept it.
Even though they boys agreed not to hold back, they still underestimated her skills. Similar to her love for Tai, her great soccer skills were just busting to get out and let themselves known to the world. Ignorance was NOT an option.
Sora wasn't exactly sure if she was extremely anxious to get back to playing soccer or if she was just running on pure adrenaline, but either way...she wasn't arguing.
Tai's teammates did their best to block her way, but the moment Sora got (back) into the mood, it was practically hopeless. She dodged right, left, and twisted out of the way of her opponents' best moves.
The team started going "whoa", "ooh", and "awesome"...all good signs, in Tai's opinion. He never doubted for a moment that Sora's performance was going to disappoint anyone. She was doing quite the opposite, actually.
Sora nearly made them look like amateurs, but they were more impressed than worried or jealous of her skills. She then made her first goal, complete with utter satisfaction. The goalie barely saw it coming.
Tai was somewhat surprised when the team cheered for her, right after she scored. But as he watched her easily making a second goal...he already knew that she was going to fit in just fine.
*********************
MORE TO COME... (I was getting sick of the typical "to be continued" bit...)
Wow, people! I gotta say it's good to be back!!! I'm REALLY sorry about not updating this story! And all you people have been waiting SO patiently! Like it said in my bio, I'd love to draw comics someday, so I've been drawing a comic strip to submit to some merciful comic book company, so that's why I've been away! I promise I'll try to update more frequently from now on! Anyway in the next chapter, it's the day of the semi-final round of the big soccer tournament! Now that Sora's back playing soccer, can she and Tai win this heated round, or will they crumble under the pressure? Who will win? Find out next time!
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Second Chances For Sora - Chapter 10
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R...
R...u...
R...u...n...
Run.
RUN!
Run, run, run, run, RUN!!!
The primary instinct of all smaller animals being hunted was to run. Run away out of anger or sadness or confusion or just about any negative emotion. But for Sora Takenouchi...her reasons for running were all of the above...and more.
Watching her twin sister and her (former) best friend spend time together was stressful, and now the two of them were on their first date. Seeing them dance together so closely was hard enough...but closely observing them share a kiss, busting full of love, care, protection, and sweetness was the final straw aboard the camel's back.
As much as Sora tried to explain it, she couldn't. Tai was finally happy, with a trusting and promising girlfriend of his own now. So shouldn't that mean that she should be happy for him, too? Could it have been that they looked a little TOO happy with each other?
Not that HER love life was in any real jeopardy at the current moment. Sure, she and Matt hadn't been able to get together since their six-month anniversary picnic (which had gone rather smoothly if any of you were wondering), but there were no plans to break up anytime soon. What was her problem? What was this pain she felt?
But getting back on track, "Sor" kept running and running, not caring if she passed by her home. All she wanted was to get to a place where she could be alone.
A small narrow alleyway that she finally stopped at would probably suffice.
Sor leaned against the wall to catch her breath. While inhaling and exhaling heavily, her eyes were shielded, shrouded by shadow. But clear, salty liquid continued to roll down her face, consisting of sweat and tears. As the breaths finally slowed down, the girl fell to knees, forgetting the small bag of groceries that she just dropped.
Her vocal chords went to work once more as she put her head and fists against the brick wall. She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists even tighter, as she began to cry. No thoughts or words came forth to guide her brain to a logical conclusion about why she was feeling this way. For now...she was terribly alone.
*********************
"You'll never have to be alone anymore, Tai," Sora said to her date. She then focused her attention to her watch.
"What's up?" Tai asked, noticing what Sora was doing.
"Just checking the time, what else?"
"Hmm, it IS getting kinda late, huh?"
"Yeah, we should probably be getting back to Mimi's," Sora noted.
Tai was a little surprised that Sora actually wanted to go home, but maybe she was just tired. Since their dinner reservations had already been paid for, all they had to do was leave. Tai pulled a little money out of his pocket and placed it onto the table as a tip. Then he picked up Sora's purse and began to hand it to her.
"Hold on to it for a sec, Tai...I gotta use the ladies room. Be right back."
Tai nodded as Sora walked away, and nearly jumped a foot in the air as he felt a hand firmly place itself on his shoulder.
"WHOA!" he almost yelled, before hearing a small chuckle. "Wha-Matt?!?"
"Ha, ha, ha!" Matt laughed. "Sorry, man...didn't mean to scare you like that. Just broke off from the music for a bit to see how you were doing."
"Oh, well...Sora and I finished eating, so we were thinking of heading off."
"That's not all...I saw you and Sora on the dance floor. You two were getting PRET-ty close by the end..."
"Eh, heh, heh...yeah, yeah."
"Hey, here she comes now," Matt noted, pointing behind Tai.
"Yo, Matt!" Sora said. "What's going on?"
"Just saying 'hello' and 'goodbye' to before you two go."
"Speaking of going, Tai...we'd better-"
Tai silently interrupted by nodding quickly, then handing Sora her purse, who half-smiled as she took it from him.
"I still can't get used to this thing," Sora noted, inspecting her purse like an alien looking at something not from its planet.
"Well, catch you later!" Tai said as he left with his date.
Matt just smiled and waved. As he watched them exit the restaurant, he felt extremely confident that this new relationship between Sora and Tai would work.
*********************
In a nearby park, the audible sound that came close to bawling had ceased. But on a small bench, Sor continued to sniffle and let her tears flow down her cheeks. She wrapped her arms around her bunched up legs; the end result was that she had curled herself up in a ball.
Sor could barely think. All she could do was...feel. Which was exactly what she DIDN'T want to experience. But something relating to curiosity started buzzing in her brain. Sure, it was clear now that she was starting to feel regrets about choosing Matt over Tai, whom she was really starting to miss, but there was something else, too. Something greater. But at the moment, it was a blurry thought shrouded in a mist too thick for her to punch through. Whatever thought was trying to make its way out, she just couldn't put her finger on it.
Her thoughts became disrupted when she heard two voices headed her way. Normally, she wouldn't even take notice. But when she heard a young male conversing with a female voice that sounded an AWFUL lot like hers, her primary instinct told her to hide.
Once Sor was certain that she was well hidden behind the bushes (which didn't take much effort, considering that it was night), her ears decided to go against her will and work their talents perfectly.
"Tai, I've made a decision," Sora said as walked down the sidewalk with him.
"Yeah?" he asked.
"I wanna play soccer again."
"Really?"
"Mm-hm. Soccer has always been a big part of my life, and it'd be a shame to let my talents go to waste."
"Awesome!" Tai exclaimed happily. "I'll tell the coach tomorrow! He'll be pleased."
"You SURE he won't mind having a girl on his team?" Sora asked suspiciously.
"Positive," Tai reassured her.
The two of them wanted to talk more, so they sat down, on a bench. Unbeknownst to either teen, the seat had been "pre-warmed" for them.
"This'll be so fun, Sora! You and me out there makin' goals without even breaking a sweat!"
"Yep, and with my help, your team'll be sure to win the title this year!"
"Let's hope. Aw, Sora...you're just the coolest."
"There, now was that so hard to admit?" she said, smirking.
For the first time in a while, Tai flashed his typical wacky grin...something that NO one had seen in a while and something that Sora had longed to see ever since she got back from the Digital World.
Both girls noticed this but the one behind the bushes could clearly see that the welcome return of this grin was meant for her double...and ONLY her.
"Well, tell me something...was it so hard to admit THIS feels good!?!"
Using barely any effort at all, Tai grabbed Sora around her waist and started tickling her like crazy!
"AHH!" she almost screamed. "Nuh...n-no...eh, heh, heh...st-st- stop...please...ha, ha, ha, ha...please stop!"
"Then admit it! I'm better than you at soccer!"
"N...hee, hee...never!"
"You're gonna have to say it sooner or later! Otherwise the tickling continues!"
"Ha, ha, haaaa!!!! C...c...c-c'mon...eh, hee, hee, hee! Cut it out!"
"Make me!"
"Ah, ha, ha, ha! Okay, I give, I GIVE!!! You're better at soccer than me, happy?!?"
Tai laughed as he let go of the girl whom he loved so dearly. It felt so good to be able to interact with her so naturally! This was definitely something he'd been missing!
But he wanted so much not to be separated from her anymore, so he once again wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, but more slowly this time around. Sora started to slightly moan as Tai sprinkled light kisses on her right shoulder. She closed her eyes and sighed as the kisses gradually moved from her shoulder to her neck.
So far, Tai hadn't kissed Sora anywhere but her lips, and wondered if maybe they were moving too fast. But his love wasn't showing any signs that she wanted him to stop, so he continued. After wrapping her arms around his neck, Tai felt her body jerk briefly and she gasped when his warm lips made contact with her skin, gently brushing her neck for the first time.
Sora began to moan more as he began to lightly suck on her neck. Eyes still closed, she started to grin and giggle, as his neck sucking was seriously starting to tickle her again. Her peepers immediately fluttered open and she shifted her position on the bench so she could face him.
"All right, Tai...you've had your fun..." Sora murmured like she wanted him to stop. But anyone could clearly see that she didn't really mean it.
Back behind the bushes, Sor covered her head and ears with her hands, attempting to block out the little romantic scene that was playing itself out.
The two teens finally rose from the bench and were on their way back to Mimi's apartment.
As soon as she was sure that the pair was far away enough, Sor finally rose from the bushes and watched them with tear-stained eyes as they quickly crossed the street. The distressed girl did her best to wipe her eyes with her sleeve and ran as fast as she could back to her own home, now worried about whether or not she'd be able to hide her condition from her mother.
*********************
"Mm, the evening feels nice doesn't it?" Tai asked as they kept walking.
"Uh, huh...it's so relaxing, that it-"
*********************
"HA, HA, HA, HA, HA..."
*********************
Without warning, Sora's body suddenly jerked and her head rose up. A chill began to ride up her spine, her face became nearly drained of all its color, and her eyes became glassy. A very small, but noticeable flash of light reflected off her pupils, and she suddenly exhaled as if she had held her breath.
Tai felt her move while he had his arm around her, and locked eyes with her. But by the time he got a good look at her, her face had already returned to normal.
"Sora...you okay?" he asked, with a worried look in his eyes.
"Huh?" she went, acting as nothing happened.
"I asked if you were okay."
"Yeah, fine," she answered casually. "Why?"
"Your body just sorta...jerked there for second..."
"Did I? I-I mean...! Did it? I didn't notice anything..."
*********************
Mimi Tachikawa was in tears as she turned the page of the romance novel she was reading. She was spread out on the couch, damp tissues everywhere. A small container of half-eaten ice cream was in her lap, and an empty root beer bottle was on the floor.
"Oh, wow...sniff..." Mimi went as she finished the current chapter as slowly closed the book. "...that's the most romantic thing I've ever read! It was absolutely wonderful!"
And speaking of romance, little did she know that Tai and Sora were just closing in on her front door.
"So I'll pick you up tomorrow just before practice, okay?" Tai asked.
"No problem...I just hope your coach is as reasonable as you say he is," Sora said, albeit a little worried.
"Hey, don't worry. If he won't be reasonable, then I'll MAKE him see the light!"
Sora laughed, and so did Tai. They hugged once more, and exchanged one more kiss. The two of them said their good-byes and Sora and entered the apartment.
"Hi, I'm back!" Sora hollered as she came in.
"Oh, Sora!" Mimi stammered as she quickly put down the romance novel. She then gently brushed some of the tear-stained tissues off of the couch so that Sora could sit down.
"Well..." Sora said carefully, "I see you've certainly been busy..."
"Hey, reading these romance novels on a regular basis is tiring work," Mimi noted. "It tends to put quite a strain on a girl's heart!"
Sora laughed a little, which caused Mimi's tears to abate somewhat faster.
*********************
Both girls were pretty tired that evening, so they decided not to argue over sleeping arrangements, and ended up sharing Mimi's bed.
"So what happened after dinner?" asked Mimi who was sitting on the bed, writing some things in her date book.
"Not too much," Sora hollered from the bathroom, while brushing her teeth. "We took a slow walk through the park and came back here."
"That's it!?" Mimi went, in a somewhat dubious voice.
"Hey, just what entitles you to every little detail that occurred on our date?"
"Maybe 'cause I'M the one who set the whole thing up, while YOU kept worrying about it!"
Sora took a second to laugh, and then drank some water to rinse her mouth out. She couldn't help but feel extremely cheerful, and good inside. Her mind took a moment to review the important things that had recently happened to her.
She finally made it back to Earth, and within a few days she reunited with all her old Digidestined buddies, she began to reconcile with her mother, and she fulfilled her greatest desire to become more than "just friends" with her oldest, best friend. Not to mention that her first date with Tai went off without a hitch!
There was so much happiness built up inside her heart, that she could barely resist the urge to jump up and down, and scream in utter delight! So she tried her hardest to remain calm and said-
"I'll tell you the rest tomorrow okay, Mimi? Right now, I'm too tired to talk," Sora said, reaching for a towel to wipe her face.
"Suit yourself, Sora! But you're gonna tell me sooner or later!"
Back in the bedroom, Mimi turned to the nearby drawer in her bedstand and began to blush. In almost a timid fashion, she took out a very small photo from the nearby drawer in her bedstand, small enough to fit into the palm of her hand. It was a picture of her and Matt taken when they were about four years younger.
In America, quite a lot of boys with good (and sometimes not-so-good) intentions asked her out on dates. Surprisingly, she accepted...but she never, ever went far with any those boys. It wasn't that all of her dates turned out to be creeps. On the contrary, a fair number of them were genuinely well meaning boys, who held a moderate amount of respect and dignity for her and simply just wanted to show her a good time.
But despite their attempts to try to show her a good time, it just didn't work. Some sort of trait or feeling was missing from all of them; a certain something that couldn't be found anywhere else.
That "certain something" could only be located in Matt Ishida. Mimi missed him so much, but it wasn't due to the fact that she lived in America, while he lived in Japan. Even when she came home every now and then to visit, she'd still be a million miles away from him. And it was all because of...HER. And there was no hope of fixing the situation now.
Sora hastened her return to Mimi's room when she heard a sniffle. She quietly tiptoed back and peeked her head in her room. Mimi was on the bed, kneeling with her back to Sora, who could just barely see the photo that was in her hand.
Mimi gasped when she felt a hand placed on shoulder.
"Mimi?" Sora asked in low, worried voice. "What's wrong?"
The longhaired turned her head, and Sora almost gasped when she saw her friend's face. Mimi's face looked exactly like Sora's when Tai pushed her away a couple days before. And it took no time at all for Sora to figure out that Mimi's problems weren't much different.
It didn't take a whole lot of effort to gently pluck the small photo put of Mimi's hand. Sora held it up to her eye, and took a deep breath. By now, she pretty much knew WHAT was going on now...she just didn't know what to say, or how to go about this.
But as Sora thought hard, she realized that although Mimi was usually a cheerful person...every now and then she seemed to be a little TOO cheerful and smiled a little TOO much. As if she was trying to maintain some front that everything was okay in her little corner.
Come to think of it, Sora thought, some of those smiles of hers looked kinda...sad.
Sora's eyes widened as she remembered something that Tai told her...
*********************
"So Matt's her boyfriend now?"
"Uh huh," Tai nodded, without displaying much emotion on his face.
"So that's why Matt hugged me so tightly when he saw me...!" Sora concluded.
*********************
Of course! Sora lightly slapped her fist into the palm of her other hand.
I gotta be an idiot for not noticing this sooner, she thought. I...it's shocking...Mimi's in...LOVE...with Matt! And she can't have him...because...because of...
Sora's state of mind was that of a semi-completed jigsaw puzzle, like when you have most of the pieces put together, but the newly created big pieces of the picture still haven't been combined yet.
Mentally, she had the pieces, all that was needed was to put them together. Unfortunately, Mimi was going to contribute a lot to finish this emotional puzzle.
"Mimi-" Sora said, not sure what to say next.
"Yes, I love him," Mimi broke in, her face covered in cold sweat and tears. "And I can't stop loving him."
Sora just stared at Mimi very hard for a long minute. This was a side of her that Sora had never seen. It was probably an extremely hidden side that no one had ever seen before. But one thing was for certain...Sora wasn't going to get anywhere if she couldn't coax Mimi into clarifying things.
"Mimi...what's going on?"
The younger girl took a deep breath, trying to convince herself that she could trust the girl next to her. And like a teapot...the answers came pouring out at a steady rate. Mimi did her best to contain her tears as she began to speak.
"Four years ago, when we were all together, exploring the Digital World...we all had our own share of... personal problems. And it was too clear that Matt was having trouble caring for his little brother, T.K. That and the fact his family was...separated...and because of that I..."
Mimi stopped, trying her hardest not to cry.
"Go on," Sora said, gently patting Mimi's shoulder.
"So...I felt real sorry for him...and I realized that I was being...selfish. I was whining so much about how my feet hurt, how my dress was getting dirty, and how my hair hadn't been brushed in a while."
"And?"
"I vowed then to...try to think about others for a change...so I focused my attention on Matt. And I came to admire how...UN-selfish he was, always keeping an eye on T.K. or someone else, almost never looking out for himself first."
"And...that's when you started to...develop these really deep feelings for him, right?"
Mimi looked at Sora, sniffled and wiped a few tears away.
"Yeah, that's exactly it," she said quickly. "I wanted to tell him...but...I had to move away so soon..."
"Uh, huh..."
"Even when I visited...I still liked him...so I was gonna call him up and tell him...af-after...Christmas...but that's when it happened..."
"What? What happened?" Sora asked, really worried now.
"Sor...Sora called me up Christmas morning...to say hello. I was so happy then, since Palmon had come to visit me...and later that morning she called me...to tell me that she'd went out on her first date...with Matt."
As Mimi spoke those last few words, her tone of voice got a little angry. It was a variety of anger that Sora had never seen in Mimi before, who then firmly punched the mattress that was under her.
"I hated her for that!" she almost shouted, her tears starting up again. "SHE KNEW! She knew I liked Matt...but did she care?"
Sora herself was almost in tears too, and grabbed Mimi, hugging her ever so tightly, as Mimi did for her.
"That's enough, Mimi...you don't need to say anything else," she whispered.
"I can't...I just can't stop caring about him..."
"Look, maybe if you just talk to him...I mean, Matt...then I'm sure he'd-"
"No...I promised myself I wouldn't get involved...and that I'd stay out of their relationship."
"You mean, you'd never even...try to steal Matt away from her...?" Sora asked, half-joking.
Mimi responded with a half-smile to match, but she was still crying and then shook her head.
"I wouldn't...I'm not that kind of girl."
And she was telling the truth. As much as Mimi loved Matt, she wouldn't even consider cheating with him, even if Matt liked her back. Romantic relationships are not only built upon love and care, but trust as well. Being the Digidestined of Sincerity, she would never, ever betray that trust Sora and Matt had developed between each other.
"I...I sorry..." Sora apologized. "I shouldn't have made you tell me-"
But once again, Mimi shook her head.
"Sniff...it...it's okay..."
"No! No, Mimi it's not okay!" Sora hissed. "I pushed and you gave in! And if my stupid sister had half a brain, she would have at least asked you how you felt about all this! How could she be so insensitive?!"
Sora hugged Mimi even tighter than before. Not surprisingly, Mimi let it all out and cried for quite a while. Even after she had calmed down and went (or cried herself) to sleep, Sora lied down in bed next to her and stared at the ceiling. But her eyebrows narrowed towards each other as her brain created very unwelcome thoughts abut her sister.
"I don't believe this!" she whispered into the dark emptiness of the bedroom. "How could my sister DO this to her friends!?"
It's nearly astonishing how one person can affect the lives of so many others, even if that person weren't an action hero or political leader. Sora's romantic infatuation with Matt caused more emotional pain than meets the eye, and did more harm than good, as unfair as that might sound.
Tai was in love with her, and even though he seemed to be on the road to recovery now, it was clear that his big heart was still scarred from the ordeal at Christmas. This resulted in angering Kari and made her sad about her brother's feelings, which in turn, made T.K. worry about Kari. And because he felt alienated from her, it caused him to keep his distance from Sora's double who then received (but didn't deserve) her share of pain, as well. Sora's parents became extremely confused over their daughter's choice in boys, and that weren't enough, now Mimi was also hurt. She too, bore a considerable amount of ill will towards Sora.
Putting her hands under head, part of Sora's personality was telling her that she shouldn't dwell on this problem of Mimi's, especially since she was going to be trying out for the soccer team tomorrow. Still, from what Mimi told her, she just couldn't let things go so easily.
"I still can't believe it! Since when does Sora Takenouchi hurt her friends without even considering the consequences, much less their feelings!? That snobby, selfish, conceited, little brat!"
Sora almost shouted those words, but remembered that Mimi was (finally) fast asleep. She had her back turned to Sora, and was snoozing rather peacefully now. So it probably wasn't in anyone's interest to raise her voice right now. At the same time, it felt strange thinking this way, since Sora was also talking about herself, so to speak.
If it wasn't one thing, it was another. Sora's parents now had two daughters, each with a problem. One daughter felt distant from then, and the other was almost willingly distancing herself from her most trusted friends.
"Geez..." Sora muttered before finally going to sleep, and still thinking about her sister and herself. "...how in the world does Mom put up with us?"
*********************
"Thanks for coming over on such short notice, Ken," Izzy said as he and his friend walked into his room.
Both boys sat down at the table and Ken pulled out of his pocket a thin transparent cable and hooked up the small laptop he was holding to Izzy's.
"You have separate schematics and statistics on that old pyramid of Etemon's, correct? And an overlay of that section of the Digital World?"
"Yep, sure do. What are we trying to do here?"
"Well, we both have separate and different bits of information about that pyramid...so I thought that if we pooled out resources together, we might be able pinpoint the origin of that energy source I detected a while back."
"Oh, I see."
"But I'll admit...I'm not even really sure WHAT I'm looking for. It's a shot in the dark."
"Well, sometimes...the best strategy is simply 'trial and error', Izzy. But enough chit-chat."
Izzy nodded. "I agree. Let's get to work."
*********************
The first half of the next day wet by rather quickly. And around four o' clock (or maybe a little before, who really cares), Tai came to pick Sora up for her "audition". They exchanged multiple kisses before she noticed that Tai was in his soccer uniform. Pleasantly surprised, she mentally noted to herself that it had definitely been a while since she'd seen - much less wore - one of those.
All the same, Tai invited Mimi to come along, but Sora explained that Mimi had a "prior engagement" to attend to.
After Mimi's little emotional maelstrom last night there's no WAY I'm telling Tai about this, Sora thought.
It didn't take very long for the pair to get to the soccer field, and practice was already underway. The coach was there, watching his team run a couple of laps, telling then to hustle.
"Yo, coach!" Tai hollered to his coach. "Sorry I'm a little late!"
The coach just shrugged.
"No big deal, Kamiya...practiced only started about six minutes ago. Just go join the others," he said, pointing.
"Wait, coach! Remember you said you'd be willing to try almost anything to beat the finalist team?"
"Sure."
"Well, I might have something up my sleeve that could very well beat the stuffing outta them!"
"Then by all means, TELL me!" he said, rater excitedly.
"You sure?"
"You're my best player, Tai. I trust your judgement!"
"Okay, then. May I present my best friend and one heckuva soccer player...Sora Takenouchi!"
"Umm, I'm not quite sure what you're getting at."
"I'm saying that she CAN help us win if we get to the finals!"
Tai revealed his girlfriend to the coach, who eyed her carefully. Sora started to sweat a little.
"Hmm...all right...Tai, link up with the others. I'll talk with your friend."
"Gotcha, coach. Sora...best of luck!"
Sora and Tai exchanged a quick kiss, and he ran off to meet the rest of his teammates.
"Umm...Sora, was it? Let's sit for moment, and you can tell me a little about yourself."
Sora nodded, and the two of then sat down on a nearby bench.
"Well, Tai introduced me to soccer when I was very little. And he showed me some of the ropes as we got older, and I got pretty good at it. I love soccer. Of course, I understand if you don't wanna girl on your team."
"Oh, no! Don't worry about that!" the coach quickly replied. "So many people think that coaches are usually picky about having girls play for them, but not me. I honestly believe in fair play!"
"Really?"
"Sure! Not only would it enhance the team's reputation if you joined us, but our opponents would be at a loss for words if they got beaten by-"
"-a mere, weak woman?"
"Exactly! Look, I have no problem whatsoever if you play for us, but..."
"But what?"
"Well, I can't just let you play without seeing whatcha got to offer! I'd like to see what you can really do out there for us! Seeing's believing, after all."
"Hey, that's cool with me! When shall I perform for you?"
"How about in a few minutes? No time like the present."
"Sounds good to me."
"Okay, then, it's settled!"
The soccer coach made the team do a few more sets of exercises to warm them up, while Sora watched them closely, Tai more than the others. But she found that the more she observed them, the more she wanted to be a part of it.
After they were done, the sweaty and semi-tired team were given a break, and the coach gathered the boys together to announce the possibility of a new teammate. He also had Sora at his side to properly introduce her.
"Listen up, guys...this is Sora Takenouchi, a good friend of our star player, Tai. He says and thinks that she might be able to give us the edge we need to win the title this year, provided we make it to the finals."
Sora, slightly nervous, looked at the entire team. Everyone looked at each other and nodded or shrugged. They either didn't mind that a girl was going to play for them, or they were too tired to argue.
"But first I'd like to test out her abilities, and if she's as good as I've been told, then that soccer tournament title is as good as ours!"
Wow...he really is a reasonable guy, Sora thought.
The coach went on to explain that he needed a few volunteers to "spar" with her on the field. Tai was partially grateful that he wasn't chosen to do it.
"Anything you want to add, Sora...before we begin?"
"Yeah...just one thing, actually. Don't go easy on me, fellas."
All of the boys just looked at each other, calmly and casually nodding in agreement. A few of them politely chuckled at her partially funny remark.
The team and their coach watched intently as Sora walked onto the field. Three other team members would be against her, backed up by a goalie posted at the goal.
"Ready, Sora?" the coach hollered from the sidelines.
"As ready as I'll ever be!" she yelled back, with a confident smirk on her face.
"All right, then...GO!!!"
Sora nodded and looked down at the soccer ball at her feet. This was also something she hadn't seen in a while. Here goes nothing, she thought.
"C'mon, Sora..." Tai whispered.
Without any hesitation, Sora lightly kicked the ball in front of her, making sure not to kick it far enough that the three boys blocking her could intercept it.
Even though they boys agreed not to hold back, they still underestimated her skills. Similar to her love for Tai, her great soccer skills were just busting to get out and let themselves known to the world. Ignorance was NOT an option.
Sora wasn't exactly sure if she was extremely anxious to get back to playing soccer or if she was just running on pure adrenaline, but either way...she wasn't arguing.
Tai's teammates did their best to block her way, but the moment Sora got (back) into the mood, it was practically hopeless. She dodged right, left, and twisted out of the way of her opponents' best moves.
The team started going "whoa", "ooh", and "awesome"...all good signs, in Tai's opinion. He never doubted for a moment that Sora's performance was going to disappoint anyone. She was doing quite the opposite, actually.
Sora nearly made them look like amateurs, but they were more impressed than worried or jealous of her skills. She then made her first goal, complete with utter satisfaction. The goalie barely saw it coming.
Tai was somewhat surprised when the team cheered for her, right after she scored. But as he watched her easily making a second goal...he already knew that she was going to fit in just fine.
*********************
MORE TO COME... (I was getting sick of the typical "to be continued" bit...)
Wow, people! I gotta say it's good to be back!!! I'm REALLY sorry about not updating this story! And all you people have been waiting SO patiently! Like it said in my bio, I'd love to draw comics someday, so I've been drawing a comic strip to submit to some merciful comic book company, so that's why I've been away! I promise I'll try to update more frequently from now on! Anyway in the next chapter, it's the day of the semi-final round of the big soccer tournament! Now that Sora's back playing soccer, can she and Tai win this heated round, or will they crumble under the pressure? Who will win? Find out next time!