AN: All right! I got everything figured out, my next fic will be a TAIORA (don't flame me please!) and after that, a SORATO (see, I'm not ditching it).
To Chikin Wang: Thanks for giving me the suggestion, but I can't bring Kari into their home, it kinda goes against what I had planned, but I will bring in Kari for a bit, jus so you know I didn't forget about her. And thank you for continuing to read Ishida High- the "first sappy fic that you've stayed with." ^ ^
Disclaimer: Digimon = not mine.
Chapter XXI – Christmas surprises
Sora stood behind Yamato as he took out his house keys and began to unlock the door to his penthouse. She had agreed on going to the Christmas dinner with Yamato, only so he wouldn't waste the evening with her and be scorned by his father. Standing outside with Yamato, the auburn haired girl's doubts were taking over her mind. Getting a hold of Yamato's arm, Sora pulled him back before he could walk inside. "Yama… maybe I shouldn't stay for dinner… I mean I'm probably ruining som-"
Lifting a hand slowly to cup his girlfriend's cheek, Yamato smiled compassionately at Sora. "Silly girl, don't you know that you're only making things better by staying? If you don't stay, I might die of boredom, you wouldn't want that to happen to the hottest boyfriend in the world, would you?"
Sora blushed at the word 'boyfriend,' it was just such a nice thing to hear from Yamato. Punching his arm lightly, she laughed softly, "careful Ishida, that ego of yours is showing again."
"Yeah, yeah," the blonde chuckled as he ushered Sora into the penthouse. Closing the door, Yamato called into the house, "I'm home!" and proceeded to take off his sneakers like Sora had done so.
Following his girlfriend, Yamato walked into the living room and sat down comfortably on the sofa. Sora glanced around the room, with an almost frightened look on her face, making Yamato laugh loudly.
"What's so funny?" She asked, a cute pout on her face.
"You don't have to look like you're being stalked; my father isn't home yet since it's still the afternoon. He'll be coming home later with his friends when it gets dark, around 6:30."
Sora's lips came together to form a silent "O."
"Yamato sweetie, is that you?" Called a woman from the halls as she entered the living room. The blonde woman stopped when she realized Sora was there, standing in the middle of the room.
The auburn haired girl blushed lightly and looked down at the hardwood floors, her shyness taking over.
The woman smiled radiantly. "Oh my goodness, where are my manners? Hello sweetie, I'm Yamato's mother, Florence Takaishi. [AN: I'm going to go ahead and guess that Takeru took up his mother's last name. Correct me if I'm wrong please.] Call me Flora, Florence, anything you prefer. Heck, I would love it if you called me 'mom.'" Yamato's mother mused.
Sora colored significantly, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Takaishi. I am Sora Takenouchi from Yamato's school."
"Oh sweetie, none of that Miss or anything. Flora is fine, and honey? Don't worry, I do know that you and Yamato go a bit more intimate than school work." Flora laughed.
"Okay mom, I think something's burning." Yamato cut in, deciding to end the conversation before it got too far. "By the way," he called to his mother as she turned to go back to the kitchen, "where's Takeru?"
"Where else?" Flora called over her shoulder and turned to enter the kitchen.
"Kari." Yamato explained to Sora as the auburn haired girl took a seat beside him on the couch.
"Oh, that reminds me, I wanted to ask her if she wanted a part in the play that the school is doing. She would be perfect for the faerie part." Looking at Yamato, Sora smiled mischievously and moved in closer to him. "Ne, Yama…"
"What can I help my lady with?"
"Well… seeing that you're so popular and everything and that you're pretty good in front of a lot of people and there is that play coming up, A Midsummer's Night Dream and auditions will be held soon when we go back to school… Mimi and I were thinking that you might want to audition."
Yamato stared at Sora, who had just blurted out the lines in about the time span of three seconds. "Wait, repeat that?"
The auburn haired girl took in a deep breath and sighed. "Would you like to audition for a role in A Midsummer's Night Dream? I am auditioning too, so it would be really great if you did too… but I don't want to pressure you or anything."
Yamato sighed and smiled apologetically at Sora. "I'm so sorry, Sora, but some concerts are coming up and we've been hoping to get a record deal… I promise to go watch the play, though." He ran his hand through Sora's long auburn locks and looked at her with sincere regret.
Shaking her head, the girl replied, "Nonono, that's perfectly alright, Yama. It's okay, I was just asking. Just make sure you're there for the opening night!"
"I wouldn't miss it for the world." A small moment of comfortable silence passed before Yamato spoke up again. "You're going to ask Hikari to audition?"
"That's right. There's no rule against people from other schools auditioning and she would make such a cute faerie. Hey, maybe I can get TK to do it too!"
Yamato laughed. "Takeru? He never participates in anything, you're going to have a tough time with him."
He was wrong.
An hour and a half later, Takeru had returned from his date with Kari and within five minutes, Sora had the boy asking for the date and time of the audition. "So, you'll bring Hikari too?" the auburn haired girl asked.
"Of course, if I know Kari, she'll love to get the part." The younger blonde said, while leaning back on the couch and running a hand casually through his hair.
"That's great! Thank you so much, TK, you've just saved me some work."
"Well, you have really great charisma, Sora. Normally, I'm the last one who signs up, if I do decide to sign up for something, which is highly doubtful."
"If only I could get your brother to go." Sora said, motioning with her eyes to her boyfriend who was currently lying on another couch positioned perpendicularly to the one she sat on.
"Forget him." The blonde sighed, got up and stretched. "By the way Sora, dad's coming home in about half an hour, so you better be prepared."
"Thanks." She replied, feeling her palms get sweaty with the mere mention of the strict headmaster.
"Sora dear?"
The girl turned to where the voice had come from and smiled politely at the blonde woman. "Yes Mis- Flora?"
"Yamato's father isn't going to return for a good forty minute or so, would you like to help me in the kitchen? I'd love to get to know the girl my son is so infatuated with." Florence suggested, a wide grin on her face as Sora blushed.
Stealing a quick glance at Yamato who had gotten too comfortable on the couch and had fallen asleep, Sora smiled. "Sure, I'd love to help."
At precisely 6:30, the auburn haired girl heard the front door open and a group of voices enter the penthouse. She froze in the middle of her laugh and turned to look with a frightened expression at Flora who in return, smiled sweetly at the girl and took her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
Florence and Sora had grown to like each other during their forty minutes of 'girl talk.' If a stranger had seen the two in the kitchen, they would have simply taken them as a mother and daughter sharing a good time together. "Dear, why don't you go and wake Yamato? His father won't like it if he's asleep," Flora suggested.
"Um… okay…" Jumping off the stool that she was sitting on, she straightened out her clothing before walking out to the living room. Headmaster Ishida and his friends were currently taking off their shoes by the door, giving Sora a bit of time before they reached the living room. Bending over Yamato who was sleeping soundly with a lopsided smile, she gently shook him and whispered against his ear, "Yama, wake up."
When the blonde didn't even stir, she tried again, "Wake up." Sighing at the lack of response that came from the blonde dead weight on the couch Sora sighed before punching Yamato lightly on the arm and shaking him much harder. "Wake up!"
He woke with a start, but his eyes softened when he realized who it was. Sitting up on the couch, he took Sora's hand and pulled her down into his arms. "Look who it is, the girl from my dreams," he yawned.
Immediately getting out of his arms Sora stood in front of a baffled Yamato. "You're father's home," she explained.
Laughing lightly the blonde stood up and stretched, "you look like you've seen a ghost."
"Close enough." Indistinct voices came from the hall, and Sora turned immediately to face the group that entered.
Headmaster Ishida paused when he saw Sora in the living room with Yamato. He opened his mouth as if to say something but at the moment, Takeru and Florence entered the room as well.
"Hello Naizen." Florence greeted Headmaster Ishida by his first name [AN: I just gave him that Japanese name. Anyone knows if he even has one in the series?]
The man nodded rigidly, "Florence." Turning to Yamato he spoke, "Yamato, you did not inform me of our…" his eyes traveled to Sora's and he paused to choose his words before continuing, "extra guest."
Sora winced, she knew this wasn't a good idea, she was about to offer to leave, but Yamato spoke before her. "Father, we always have room for one more, and since you have guests, I don't see why I cannot have one of my own." Thus, the staring contest started between the father and son.
A long silence passed between the group before a man cleared his throat behind Mr. Ishida. The strict headmaster turned to face his friend, an elderly man with small spectacles and a gray beard known as headmaster Kurohoshi. "Naizen-san, I'm personally glad for an addition to this dinner. A girl would be the perfect thing to keep the teens from getting too bored, won't you agree?"
Another headmaster nodded and agreed with the eldest of the trio, "Of course, and as people always say, the more the merrier. Please, any friend of Naizen-san's son is a friend of ours." The man smiled kindly at Sora, his bright emerald eyes reflecting his youthful wisdom and his friendly nature at the same time.
Headmaster Ishida sighed, "I suppose so, Hachiro-san and Odin-san." He replied, referring to the two headmasters by their given names. [AN: Hachiro Kurohoshi and Odin Morigawa so we're not too confused. (Odin isn't a Japanese name, btw. This headmaster is younger and born in the states so his name isn't Japanese.)]
"All right! Enough of the formalities, let's just drop the sans! We're in the States, since when has Americans called each other with sans added at the end?! Soon we'll be a bunch of merry drunks, too discombobulated to know who's who! Besides, we've known each other for years! A decade even! Isn't that right, Florence?" The eldest headmaster, Mr. Kurohoshi joked loudly.
Florence laughed, "Of course, Hachiro! But you know Naizen, always keeping up the front." She replied, causing the rest of the room to laugh as well.
Mr. Ishida cleared his throat loudly at the woman and gave her a stern look. "I believe there are things to attend to in the kitchen."
"All right, all right Naizen, I can take a hint." Pausing before the open door, Florence turned around, suddenly remembering something. "Oh my, we haven't introduced each other to Sora. Well, this beautiful girl is Sora, as you all probably know already. These two gentlemen are Hachiro Kurohoshi and Odin Morigawa, okay Sora?"
The girl nodded and bowed respectfully to Hachiro and Odin. "It is a pleasure to meet you."
"Ms. Sora Takenouchi, we meet at last. I must admit, I've heard many things about you from Naizen here." Mr. Kurohoshi watched as the girl paled and chuckled, "Don't worry, a good thing about Naizen is that he doesn't take sides, he tells the stories as is. Like from a bystander's point of view."
"Miss Takenouchi, Naizen has told us of your… relationship with Yamato. I must admit, it reminds me of my younger high school years." Mr. Morigawa said.
Sora smiled, "I flattered and grateful for your… support."
Mr. Ishida watched and he had to admit that the girl had good charisma, probably rubbed off from his son. He was just glad that they hadn't done anything that would hurt his dignity yet.
The dinner was long, plentiful, and delicious. After a day spent in the kitchen, Florence had cooked up a king's feast. They all watched in awe as plates and plates of various foods arrived- mashed potatoes, chicken, duck, (no turkey), carrots, peas, even biscuits, beef stir fry, and clam chowder.
The group sat back in their chairs as they patted their stomachs and sighed with content. Throughout the dinner conversations, many questions had been directed towards Sora, especially from Florence, and the headmaster soon realized that the girl deserved a second glance. Perhaps it was the food or the fact that his friends were enjoying the meal with the Ishidas, or maybe even the wine that they drank, but Sora's charm and wit did not go unnoticed by headmaster Ishida.
Florence and Sora stood, offering to clear the table in preparation for dessert. The auburn haired girl had loosened up and was at ease with the bunch, laughing along with them as she carried away the china.
"Yamato!" Florence yelled, causing the blonde boy to sit rigidly in his chair.
"Yes mom?"
She laughed, "Well?"
"…Well?"
"Can't you see that your girlfriend is doing all the work? And here you are, laughing along with your father's friends."
Yamato shot out of his chair so fast that you would've missed him if you blinked; in a flash, he was in front of Sora, taking the large plate from her hands and planted a kiss on her forehead, causing the guests at the table to laugh and cheer, "That's more like it, boy!"
When they turned away Yamato leaned next to Sora's ear and whispered, you're doing great, they love you. Didn't I say that would happen?"
"What about your dad?"
"Believe it or not, he doesn't look it, but he's approving of you. Now go sit down and let a man do the work."
"A man? Where?" Sora joked before sitting down quickly so Yamato couldn't retort. She sat beside Takeru at the table and the blonde leaned over to say something to her.
"This is really good, these two headmasters are my father's closest friends and by the looks of it, they approve of you highly. My father doesn't argue when both of them agree."
"You sure?"
"Positive, he's not even glancing your way anymore and trust me, that's great news. It's kind of like he's accepted you so he just expects you to kind of be there when he turns back."
"Sora! Tell us, what do you plan to do in the future?" Mr. Kurohoshi asked the girl.
The auburn haired girl thought for a second before answering, "I'm planning on either becoming a fashion designer or an architect."
"That's great! Really, it's wonderful that you have some kind of plan." Mr. Morigawa approved, "Wouldn't you agree, Naizen?"
Mr. Ishida nodded and gave Sora one of his rare approving smiles. "A creative one, are you?" he asked.
She nodded, "Yes sir, I'm in the oil painting class in school and my mother is a fashion designer."
"You paint?"
Yamato walked into the room carrying Sora's cake and cut into the conversation. "That's right, dad, she does. She painted me this awesome painting as my Christmas present. You should take a look, it's really amazing." Winking at the girl, Yamato set down the chocolate iced cake onto the table. "Everyone needs to take a slice of this cake, Sora made it this morning," he announced.
The two guest headmasters cheered along with Takeru, "I'll have some!" they said.
Odin Morigawa looked at his friend, "Naizen, wouldn't you like some of this cake as well?" he hinted.
Headmaster Ishida sighed and nodded, "I believe there is still room for a small slice."
"Hm… seeing as how everyone is so excited about Sora's cake, I'll save my dessert for another day." Florence decided, standing by the large dining table.
"Florence, your feast was so wonderful, I'll dream about it for a week. Don't forget to invite us over next time for dessert!" Mr. Kurohoshi said heartily.
"Well, I'm not so sure about that, or have you forgotten that I no longer live here?" Yamato's mother said, smiling.
"Oh! That's right, excuse me, well then Naizen, next time we come, make sure Florence cooks again!"
Mr. Ishida laughed and nodded, "Of course, her cooking was always the best."
Sora stared at Mr. Ishida as Yamato put a plate of cake in front of her. The headmaster was a different person with his friends around, he laughed, he smiled, he was… human. Smiling to herself, Sora thanked Yamato for slicing the cake and picked up a fork.
* * *
Dessert was wonderful. Instead of taking only one slice, the group of seven had eaten the entire cake, boasting about how delicious the dessert was. Yamato sat along with the other men in the living room, just talking about everything. Somehow, everything meant Yamato's relationship with Sora, who had offered to clean the dishes with Florence.
"So young man, I hear that you had quite an argument with your father over this girl. Is she worth it?" Mr. Kurohoshi asked, while taking a long gulp from his wine glass.
"Are you kidding? You should hear him. It's Sora's beautiful, Sora's wonderful, Sora this, Sora that, trust me, this guy is head over heels." Takeru cut in, receiving glares from his brother.
Kurohoshi laughed merrily and nudged Yamato. Speaking in a softer tone, he said "Don't worry, we all defy our parents at some point for the one we love. Good job, boy!" he finished by patting Yamato on the back.
The blonde froze at Kurohoshi's words, love? His mother had mentioned that he might be in love with the girl, but he had brushed it off, thinking that it was nothing. But when Kurohoshi said it, Yamato realized that it could've been a possibility. Did her smile brighten up everything? Did he go out of his way to do things for her? Did he crave her touch, her scent, her lips, her voice? Was he in love? The object of his affections appeared at the doorway, smiling radiantly at him and wiping her hands on paper towel. Her hair fell in front of her face, loose and wild, her shirt was wrinkled and slightly damp from the sink and she still looked beautiful.
Yes. Yamato Ishida was in love with Sora Takenouchi.
The blonde smiled at the revelation, slightly stunned, but not completely surprised. He wouldn't tell her yet, since she seemed to want to go slowly and had only become his girlfriend on the same day. He'd wait until the timing was right. Standing up, he suddenly remembered something and ran upstairs, not before running to Sora and giving her a light kiss on her cheek.
"Yamato boy, where are you going?" Odin Morigawa called.
"I forgot something!" Yamato replied, running into his room and closing the door behind him. Moments later, he reappeared, this time carrying a stretch canvas with him.
Sora recognized it immediately as the painting that she had given him, oh no…
The blonde finally reached the bottom steps and stood in front of the group. "Here's the amazing painting that Sora did for me."
"Oh my goodness Sora! It's so beautiful." Florence said energetically. "It's absolutely stunning!"
The girl smiled and looked down at the hardwood floors, "Thanks, Flora."
"You're truly talented." Mr. Morigawa spoke up and then turned to Yamato. "You sure know how to pick them! Beautiful, smart, and talented? I wish I had your luck in my high school days!"
Yamato grinned widely and reached an arm behind him to scratch his head. "I'm just glad that she said yes."
Sora blushed darker and laughed along with the group before she looked at the clock, which read 12:30AM. "Uh… it's getting kind of late, I think I should get going."
Her boyfriend glanced up at the wall clock and his eyes widened. "That's right, she needs her beauty sleep. Well then," he said, while getting up and stretching, "I'm going with you. Just let me put the painting back upstairs."
"Thanks Yama, I'll go put on my shoes." Turning to each of the adults Sora bowed politely, "It was a pleasure to meet you all, Mr. Morigawa, Mr. Kurohoshi, and Flora." Turning to Mr. Ishida she bowed even lower and kept her eyes glued to the floor, "Thank you for letting me stay for the wonderful dinner, sir."
The headmaster didn't say anything as the others all yelled goodbyes to the girl. She smiled and headed down the hallway as Yamato went upstairs. Walking to the shoe rack, Sora found her sneakers and placed them on the floor, slipping into them, one foot at a time. Someone cleared their throat behind her and she turned to face Headmaster Ishida. "Uh… sir?" she said hesitantly. Did she do something wrong?
To her surprise, the headmaster laughed. "Don't worry Miss Takenouchi, I'm not here to bite your head off."
She grinned sheepishly and chuckled lightly. "Is there something you wanted to tell me, sir?"
The man sighed and paused, choosing his words. "I'd like to apologize to you for not giving you a fair chance before I disapproved of you."
Sora stared at the proud man before her, had she heard right? She smiled widely and finally looked at Mr. Ishida eye to eye. "I understand, sir and believe me, an apology was not necessary."
"You're a kind person, Miss Takenouchi. Someone who paints so lovely must have a good heart as well." Mr. Ishida smiled, a rare kind smile. Behind him, Yamato made his way down the hall, looking at the floor and not noticing his father.
"All right Sora, let's go-" Yamato paused, and looked up at the man that stood there. "Dad, I don't care what you say, I'm going to bring Sora home right now. It's dark and not safe for her and I want to make sure that she's alright when she gets hom-"
Placing a hand on his son's shoulder to cease his wild talking, Mr. Ishida simply said, "Be careful, son. We wouldn't want anything to happen to Miss Takenouchi now, would we?" He turned his back to Yamato's shocked expression and nodded to Sora. "Merry Christmas. I hope you can join us for dinner again sometime."
Sora smiled brilliantly, "Of course!" Turning to the still gawking Yamato, she took his hand in hers and dragged him out the door, "Come on, Yama!"
* * *
"Did he really do that??" Yamato questioned as he walked down the street with Sora.
The red head laughed, "I swear Yama, that's exactly what happened."
"Whoa… he doesn't even apologize to me…"
"That's because I'm special."
"I don't even think he'd object if I proposed to you right now."
The girl laughed, tossing her auburn hair over her right shoulder and surprisingly didn't blush. "Yamato, you dork."
Taking Sora's hand in his larger ones he flashed her one of his best smiles. "Would you object?"
She simply laughed and pointed to her building. "I'm home."
"Well, I'm going upstairs with you."
"Why? I'm a big girl, Yama."
"I need to make sure that someone doesn't try to hit on you or rape you in the elevator." He stated simply.
Sora gawked at him, wide eyed and slapped him on the shoulder lightly, "You dork, where is your mind going?!"
"Well it's true, you're too beautiful for your own good, Sora."
"I'm going to take that as a compliment."
"I never said it wasn't." Yamato said as they entered the spacious elevator.
Sora smiled and leaned on her boyfriend's shoulder. "Thanks for inviting me over, Yamato."
"See, always listen to Yamato."
She laughed. "I was trying to thank you! And then that ego of yours got in the way again."
"Okay, okay, you're welcome." The blonde corrected himself and pulled Sora in for a kiss, but the elevator doors opened. She gasped and to his dismay, she ran out of the elevator. "Excuse me, I was trying to kiss my girlfr-" he started, but never finished his sentence as he saw what had made Sora gasp.
Outside her door was a pile of luggage. Sitting on the luggage, leaning on the wall, and fast asleep was a woman. The older woman was wearing a dress suit, and had her slowly graying hair tied in a tight bun.
Sora walked to the woman and bent down. "Mom…?"
AN: HAHAHHA, I finished another story and I started the taiora I'm writing! I feel so accomplished. ^ ^ R&R pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease!