Before we begin with chapter two, I want to thank you all for the reviews.The support from fellow writers really adds to the experience.
Okay. Business. Don't own Digimon and neither do I own the Creed song in here. Well, actually, my mom owns the CD the song is on, but that's different.
Comedy, cuteness, and drama in this one. Should be fun.

Always With Me
Chapter 2: Getting Worse

"All right boys and girls!" the coach ordered. "I want those balls in the goals! I want to hear that goalie complain!"

"Coach! Help!" the goalkeeper cried as he was beamed with a barrage of soccer balls.

"You're doing fine! Stop those balls!" the coach encouraged. Sora stood back. She didn't have the energy or the want to join the fun.

"I'm too tired to do anything, and I'm too afraid to sleep," she thought to herself. "Tai's right, I can't live like this. Something is hurting me. But I have no way out of this." She looked up towards the blue sky: the domain of the birds, and of the angels. "Please, just let me die," she cried out on the inside. She began to fall forward. Her eyes closed and her body went limp. Among the madness of the drill, Tai managed to look away for a second and notice Sora fall. His heart skipped a beat. She fell to the ground, lifeless.

"NO!" Tai shouted. He pushed the others aside as he rushed to her. The coach ran around the group to help her. He positioned her on her back and put his ear to her chest. Tai watched worriedly. The others gathered around in a circle.

"Her heart is beating, and she's breathing. She's normal," the coach explained.

"She's sleeping," Tai said. "She's actually sleeping."

"Well, we better wake her up," the coach said.

"No!" Tai exclaimed. "This might be the first sleep she's gotten in a long time. Let her sleep coach."

"Well, all right," the coach said. He wiped his forehead with his cap. "If you think that it can help her." He carefully picked her up and carried her to the bench. He laid her on the bench and went back onto the field. Tai stood and watched her for a moment then joined the rest of his teammates on the field.

The practice wore on. The afternoon grew cooler. Tai kept a watchful eye on Sora. He was very worried about her. This was the first time she ever passed out at practice. Tai had seen kids before who had worked themselves to exhaustion, but he never imagined that Sora would lose her strength: the strength that had kept her alive in the Digital World. Sora was losing her strength and he was losing Sora. It was like she was dying on the inside. Everything he loved about her spirit was dying. He sadly stared at his dying friend, so much that he didn't realize that the coach was blowing the whistle at him.

"Kamiya!" the coach shouted. He finally caught Tai's attention. "Come on boy. Pay attention. It's your turn."

"Sorry coach," Tai answered obediently. "Uh, what were we doing anyway?" The coach just rolled his eyes. Suddenly, there was a terrified scream. Sora's body was tense. Her hands gripped onto the edges of the bench. She groaned in pain. Tears stained her cheeks. In a flash, Tai was by her side and shaking her to wake her. She kept struggling. One of the other kids took his water jug and threw the cold water onto her face. She sat up at the shock of the freezing water. When she calmed, she looked around and saw everyone staring at her. Her face flushed. She was horribly mortified.

"That's it," the coach said. "Practice is going to have to end early. I'm taking her home." The other kids gave smiles of satisfaction. Sora looked down at the ground, greatly embarrassed.

"No. That's okay coach. I can take her home," Tai explained.

"Are you sure, Kamiya?" the coach asked.

"Really, I'll take her," Tai answered. He looked back to her. "I want to talk with her." She only looked back down at the ground in discouragement.

"I don't know," the coach said again. " What if something happens to you two. I'd get in big trouble."

"Don't worry. I'll take the best care of her."

"All right," he sighed. "But you two better be careful."

Tai carefully helped her to her feet. He picked up both his and her duffel bags, and he led her away from the field. They stopped at the park's restrooms so that they could change out of their uniforms. Tai changed quickly so that he could help Sora if anything was wrong. They were then finally on their way. As they walked, Sora continued to stare down at the ground. She couldn't even look at him. Tai looked at her, but he didn't know what to say. He tried several times to get her to talk but she continued to ignore him. He felt totally alienated.

---

Tai opened the door to Sora's apartment. He let her in first then closed the door behind himself. Sora stood there and stared at the floor. "Are you hungry?" Tai asked.

"No," she muttered.

"Are you sure? Because I can make you something to eat." She slowly shook her head in response. She removed her shoes then slowly walked into her bedroom. She lay on her bed. Tai stood at the door and watched her. "So you'll just go to sleep then?" he asked. She didn't say anything. Tai turned towards the front door. He suddenly stopped. Something didn't feel right. He didn't want to leave her alone with her fears. Inside, he knew that if she were alone, she'd be driven to madness. He walked into the dark room and sat on the edge of the bed. He carefully placed his hand on her shoulder, careful not to alarm her. She didn't respond to him. "I don't like you like this," Tai said softly. "I hate seeing you so upset. You shouldn't be this way. You should be happy. What happened to the happy Sora?"

"She died… a long time ago," she muttered. Tai pulled on her shoulder so that she was on her back. He looked into her sad eyes.

"What are you talking about?" Tai asked.

"Oh, Tai," Sora whimpered. "I haven't been the same. Not since… since…"

"Your accident," Tai finished.

"I was never afraid to go to sleep; never afraid to be alone. But now I see horrible things coming, and I never know if I'll come out of it alive." Tai carefully took her in his arms and cradled her gently.

"You're traumatized. You have repressed memories. You have nightmares."

"But they're always the same, and I never know what really happens to us."

"Us?" Tai asked.

"Anyone," she answered. "I only know that I'm helpless. I'm afraid that I may die." Tears began to trickle down her cheeks. Tai felt the warm drops drip on his sleeve. He looked down at her sadly. She was so tortured.

"You're so tired. You need rest."

"I'm tired, but I can't fall asleep." Tai smiled down at her. He began to sing their favorite song.

"Hello my friend, we meet again. It's been a while, where should we begin, feels like forever. Within my heart are memories of a perfect love that you gave to me, oh I remember."

He sang softly into her ear. He could feel her body relax.

"When you are with me, I'm free. I'm careless, I believe. Above all the others, we'll fly. This brings tears to my eyes, my sacrifice."

Sora was soon peacefully asleep in the warmth and comfort of Tai's arms. He smiled down at her lovingly. He knew that she felt the same way for him. After watching her sleep for a few minutes, he tenderly laid her head on her pillow and covered her with a quilt. He quietly tiptoed to her bedroom door, looked back at her, and closed it. He sat on the living room couch and waited for her mother to return.

Finally, after hours of waiting, the sound of a key jiggling in the lock of the front door made Tai jump. Tai looked to see a surprised Mrs. Takenouchi.

"Oh, Tai. What are you doing here?" Tai instantly stood up and bowed toward her.

"I brought Sora home. I didn't want to leave her here alone so I decided to stay and wait for you."

"That's very thoughtful Tai. Thank you. Where is she now?" she asked, looking around.

"She's asleep in her room. She's very exhausted, but I haven't heard a sound from her for hours." They smiled at each other for a moment. "I should go now," Tai said. He began to move for the door.

"Are you hungry?" she asked. He turned back around. "I can cook something for the both of us," she said again with an inviting smile. Tai smiled back.

"Thank you. I'd be honored."

A few minutes later, they both had bowls of rice. As they ate, Tai thought about how lucky Sora was to have such a kind mother, who could also cook good food. However, their meal was interrupted by a piercing scream. Rice scattered on the floor. The scream had come from Sora's bedroom. They both burst into the dark room. They found Sora thrashing around: her eyes shut tight and her teeth gritted. She was still dreaming. She shrieked as she struggled; her body was drenched in sweat. Tai jumped onto her bed and shook her body to wake her. Inside her mind, she could hear the screaming of children. She could hear the shattering crackle of electricity. She could feel her body burning internally. The next thing she saw was a faint image of Tai holding her body. He had a look of terror and worry in his eyes. On the outside, Tai was holding a shaking Sora. He was able to break her of her trance. She stared at him with eyes shattered with terror. They both stared into each other's eyes reading the fear in them. Sora then began to cry. She realized that she had done it again. She latched onto him tightly. He kept his arms wrapped around her, holding her gently. He, too, began to cry. He couldn't stand to see her like that. It broke his heart. Her mother watched them. She was terribly shaken and confused. She had no idea how to handle Sora anymore.

---

"I don't see anything physically wrong with her," Dr. Kido explained. Sora sat on the table in the room while she listened to her mother and Dr. Kido talk outside. Sora was frustrated. He was already explaining something that she already knew.

"I don't know what to do," her mother explained. "She can't sleep, she's nervous, she's depressed. I can't leave her alone anymore."

"Perhaps I can refer you to Dr. Watashi in the other building. He might be able to see if there's some kind of psychological hindrance that's causing this."

"I'm not crazy." They suddenly jumped. Sora was standing at the door. She had heard the whole thing.

"We're not saying you're crazy, dear," her mother explained. "We just think that he can find a way to stop your nightmares."

"I'm not crazy and I'm not stupid," Sora huffed angrily.

"Sora please," her mother begged. "I don't know what to do with you anymore." Sora took a step away from her.

"You don't understand! You can't help me! And neither can any shrink!" She pushed her way between the two. "No one can help me!" she cried as she ran down the hall. She ran out the front doors and stopped at the curb. She looked up. Dark clouds were moving in from the coast. Tears welled to her eyes and she continued to run. Her mother stopped at the curb and watched her run.

"Shouldn't you go after her?" Dr. Kido asked.

"I know where she's going," she answered, still watching. She took comfort in knowing about her strong friendship with Tai.

---

Ding dong ding dong ding dong… rang the Kamiya's doorbell. Mrs. Kamiya opened the door. Sora was there panting and soaked with rain water.

"Is Tai home?" Sora asked instantly.

"He's in his room," she stuttered in response. Sora quickly removed her shoes and rushed in. "Do you want a towel?" Mrs. Kamiya called after her. In his room, Tai was rocking out to the Offspring while working on some doodles. The door to his room flew open, banging the wall. He turned and saw Sora. He shot up from his chair.

"Sora!" he exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here? What happened to you?" He turned off the power to his radio. Sora didn't answer him. She rushed him, throwing her arms around him. His face blushed a bright red. "What's wrong?" he asked again.

"Oh Tai!" she sobbed. "They want me to see a psychiatrist!"

"Well, maybe now we can figure out how to stop those nightmares," he said.

"No Tai. Nothing can stop them. All I can do is wait it out."

"I don't understand. What is it that you see in there?" Sora pulled away and looked into his eyes.

"There are children: innocent children. And they're going to get hurt. And I don't know if we can stop it." Tai stared deep into her eyes. He actually believed her. He tenderly put his hand to her cheek.

"If this is true, then we should tell the others."

"The others?" Sora asked.

"Yes Sora, it's time that you let it out."

---

The rain poured in sheets. The afternoon seemed like night. A meeting in the park was definitely out of the question. The heater was on in the Kamiyas' apartment, counteracting the effects of the cold outside. The television droned unnoticed in the background, the newsman reporting the strange changes in the weather pattern. Meanwhile, the eight kids sat around on the sofa, five of them warming themselves after the journey there. Some were more annoyed than others.

"Sorry guys. If I had known it was going to rain, I wouldn't have had you all come here," Tai chuckled, trying to make up an excuse.

"That's a damn lie and you know it," Matt joked. Tai only grimaced at him.

"This better be worth it," Joe criticized. "If I catch cold, then it'll be your fault."

"Oh you'll be fine," Mimi said as she patted him on the head. Sora sat near the window, silently watching the turmoil outside. The harsh weather was somehow beautiful and hypnotic to her.

"Hey, what's with Sora?" Matt asked, noticing her calm hypnotized disposition.

"That's why I called you here," Tai explained.

"You're getting married!" Matt gasped mockingly.

"No, dimwit!" Tai snapped. "It's about her nightmares. They might have some kind of meaning."

"You mean a meaning having some significance to the planes of the dimensional rifts of time and space?" Izzy asked.

"O-kay," Tai stuttered. The rest of the group looked at one another, hoping that one of them knew what he had just said.

"A prophetic vision," Izzy finally put simply.

"You mean Sora's a prophet… a prophetess?" Tai asked, confused.

"Yeah, and I'm the reincarnation of Imohtep. Give me a movie," Matt replied sarcastically.

"How do you know all this?" Tai asked.

"Gennai sent me an e-mail explaining a prophecy of what he calls 'childhood's end,'" Izzy explained. "Sora's terrible nightmares of disaster seem to compare to the story of this prophecy. At least, it's as Gennai described it."

"I don't understand," Tai said. "How could she have gotten that power in the first place? Why did whatever it is choose her specifically?"

"I'm glad you asked, Tai," Izzy answered. "You see somewhere along the line of time, Sora somehow crossed with the supernatural streamline, a streamline that no living human can cross unless under special circumstances."

"Her accident," Tai muttered.

"She's had an experience that none of us have had. Not even Kari had made it that far," Izzy finished. The others sat up, surprised. They looked to one another with looks of question. Tai looked over to Sora.

"If Sora's a prophetess, then what will happen to her?"

---

The rain had finally let up enough for the kids to return home. Meanwhile, Sora stayed over at the Kamiyas' apartment. She was still too ashamed and angry to return to her own home and face her mother. Tai was glad to have her over. He enjoyed having her company. Now he felt closer than ever. He also felt disturbed: disturbed to know that Sora had some kind of power which could either save them or destroy them. Tai sat in his computer chair while he watched Sora sit peacefully on the lower bed of the bunk. The room was silent except for the sound of the pouring rain outside, which had begun again. He sat and watched her listen intently to the rainy silence. He was mesmerized with her mystery. He knew everything about her and yet he hardly knew her at all. Every day there seemed to be something knew about her. What never changed, though, was her inner and outer beauty. She was beautiful in both body and soul.

"We're going to have to get our digimon here soon," Sora said, still calm and peaceful.

"What?" Tai asked, his hypnotized stare broken.

"I sense that something evil is coming. We'll need our digimon," she said again. Tai left his chair and sat down next to her. "Thank you, Tai. You're the first one to believe me."

"No problem," he answered. He put his hand over hers. "You're my best friend. There's no way I could not believe you." Their eyes suddenly met. There was a moment of silence between them. "I think it's amazing that you can see the future," Tai spoke up again. He lay back on the bed and stared up at the top bunk. "It gives us the advantage and you know what will happen. You know, I kinda wish I could see the future."

"No! You don't!" Sora exclaimed. "I can see the future, but I only see bad things happen! And they're horrible things! I see the people I love and people I don't even know get hurt! And I'm helpless!" Tai sat back up with a look of regret. "You have no idea how scary, how frightening these visions are." Tears began to choke her eyes. Her voice trembled. "I hate it! I don't want to see how we live! I don't want to see how we die! I don't want it! Sometimes… sometimes I wish that I had just died, and avoided this stupid thing."

"No Sora!" Tai exclaimed. "Don't ever say that! What would have happened to us? What would have happened to me? I really care about you Sora." Sora looked back up at him, surprised at his words. "I'm sorry it had to be that way. I wish that I could have changed it." Sora looked back down at the floor.

"That's what started this whole thing." She thought back to the accident. "Everyone decided that I was just in a deep coma, but I did die. And you know that better than anyone." She sweetly looked into his eyes and placed her hand over his. "You were the only one who could see or hear me." Again they looked into each other's eyes, and saw deeper. They could see their connection, the love hidden in their hearts.

"Are you guys going to do it now?" Tai and Sora jumped a foot into the air. Standing in the doorway was Kari. "If you guys are going to do it, then I'm sleeping on the couch for a few weeks," she said again. Tai and Sora's faces burned red with embarrassment. Tai was both embarrassed and furious.

"Kari! Get out!" he shouted angrily.

"Wait a minute. I've never even seen you kiss. What kind of boyfriend and girlfriend are you?"

"OUT!!" Tai screamed as he threw a shoe at her. She quickly ran away.

"Tai, I better get home," Sora stuttered, afraid that Kari was going to rat them out. She jumped up and hurried to the door.

"Sora! Wait!" Tai begged. Sora stopped and looked back at him. He had an almost crushed look. She went back to him and tenderly kissed his cheek. She then walked to the door, looked back at him with a loving smile, then left. Tai stared after her, feeling with his fingers the spot where her lips touched. He smiled.

---

Aww! Cute! About the whole accident thing, if anybody really wants to know what exactly that was about, I might have to write another story to clear that up, 'cause to tell you the truth, I haven't really decided what happened. Anyway, you know what to do. Ja.