AN: It's been a while hasn't it? (smiles sheepishly) well I have good news and bad. The bad news is that I've forgotten practically where this story is. The good news is I just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance by switching to Geiko. Lol okay, I know, I know, I'm lame… -- I just couldn't help it!! Those darn commercials!! Okay, the good news is that I've finished Ishida High so this story can go on! -

A tiny itsy bitsy warning for a tiny itsy bitsy bit of sexual context.

Disclaimer: Digimon not mine.

Chapter V – Day Four

Sora stood in the kitchen, her slender figure wrapped in a simple apron. The radio had been turned on for company, and this time, no one was talking about their exes. Walking over to armoire to take out the plates, Sora's mind began to drift to the previous day. She had decided to stay in the house with Taichi. Stay with Taichi…

As if on cue, the bushy haired man walked into the kitchen- actually more like bounced into the kitchen. "Good morning!" he announced.

Sora glanced over at Taichi and gave him a skeptical look. "Do you know what time it is?"

"Erm…" he paused, stealing the moment to glance at the stove clock, "2:45?"

"How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Sleep so much!"

"Hm… I'm not sure…"

She shook her head, "I envy you."

"It's a talent." Then, noticing the enticing aroma that had filled the kitchen, Taichi's stomach gave a loud gurgle, receiving an odd look from Sora. He chuckled sheepishly, scratching his head with his right hand, "So… what's for lunch?"

The redhead shrugged casually, letting her auburn locks catch the light as she did so. "Nothing much, I was going through your refrigerator- which by the way desperately needs to be cleaned, and I found one of those instant pizzas, so I popped it in the oven."

"WOW, we had pizza in there?!" Tai yelled excitedly, walking over to the refrigerator and sticking his head in, as if more food would simply appear.

Sora sighed but couldn't help laughing at his childish actions. He really hadn't changed much. "What're you planning to do today?" she asked as she bent over to take out the pizza.

"Sleep?" he offered. Noticing the disapproving look that the redhead was giving him, he held his hands up in defense immediately, "I know, I know, it's a waste of time! I remember you used to yell at me for sleeping in…"

"…yeah, I remember." An awkward silence followed and Sora busied herself with cutting the pizza. Sliding a piece onto the plate (which was extremely hot), she smiled at Taichi and handed him the slice.

He smiled and thanked her before taking the plate from her gentle hands. "Why don't we go clubbing tonight?"

"What?"

"You, me, clubbing, tonight." said Taichi.

Sora gave it thought and bit her lip, an old habit of hers, "I'm not sure… I have to work on that book and my deadline is coming up…"

"It'll just be one night, I swear! A couple of hours at most, think of it as a break."

"A break…" giving in, she nodded, "that sounds good. Where to?"

"Some new club opened downtown and everyone's been going mad about it, we should check it out."

"All right, sounds decent."

Half an hour later, Sora sat at the desk in the pastel themed guest room as Taichi did the dishes in the kitchen. She had begun to daydream, absentmindedly staring out of the window and ignoring her laptop. To a club… dancing… Sora couldn't remember the last time she went to a club, much less dance with anyone other than Taichi. What would she wear?

She could have slapped herself right there, what would she wear?! It's not like it really mattered. Sora hadn't worried about getting "dressed to impress" in nearly two years and she wasn't going to start again now. When was the last time she had dressed up for anyone?

---

"Sora, someone is going to take our reservations!"

"I'm coming Tai!" She called from the stairs and raced down to where her boyfriend was currently waiting. "Sorry, sorry."

"Man, it took me two months to—" he stopped mid sentence when he looked up. "Wow…"

Sora was wearing an amazing low cut red dress. The color of the dress complimented her hair perfectly and was easy on the eyes. A long cut ran up to her lower thigh on the side of the dress; Taichi couldn't help but stare. She blushed and smiled sweetly at her boyfriend. "You like it? I wanted to look good for our anniversary."

"Uh, erm, umph, eh…you uh… you look great- I mean not great, because you look better than great, I mean, you look beautiful, but more than beautiful, since you're beautiful everyday, but more like…" Taichi calmed himself down and took in a deep breath before finishing his sentence, "perfect. Here," he stuck out his hand clumsily and offered Sora the white rose he had bought.

She laughed at his actions; his slobbered words, rushed sentences, clumsy actions, she loved it all. "Thanks Tai."

Returning to his old self and snapping out of his daze, Taichi gave her a sly wink, "You know, with you in that dress, we could always stay here and skip dinner if you know what I mean."

Sora laughed, "I don't think so, Tai. Aren't you hungry?"

"Hell yeah, but not for food."

"Well too bad. I was promised a nice dinner tonight, and I'm not going to give it up."

"Aw…"

Sora didn't know what happened that night. All she could remember was standing in front of her apartment door, holding onto Taichi around the neck, and letting him slide his tongue into her mouth.

She sighed softly against him, "Taichi, we… should stop…"

He broke away momentarily from her neck, "I can't. Not with you in that dress." Somehow, he managed to find his key to her apartment and opened the door swiftly, while still holding Sora tightly around the waist. The two backed into the darkened apartment, lost in each other.

Sora gasped lightly as the back of her knee bumped into the bed. Taichi left her mouth to place hurried kisses along her neck, her shoulder, her chest, and continued on as his hand found its way up her tantalizingly exposed leg…

A moan escaped Sora's red lips as she was gently lowered down to the bed. "Sora…" Taichi breathed her name, his fingers tracing the zipper at the back of the dress, "I love you."

She let herself go, giving into her desires and letting her hands run about the offending belt around his waist. "I love you, Taichi."

---

Sora was shocked out of her thoughts at the ringing of the phone. She cursed, unsure if it was directed to herself for thinking such thoughts, or at the caller for bringing her back to reality. She waited for Taichi to pick up the phone, reminder herself that she wasn't a permanent resident.

The chestnut haired man could be heard downstairs, answering the phone with his deep voice. Footsteps followed, and a moment later a knock was heard on the door.

"Come in," Sora answered.

Taichi's head popped into the room with a lopsided grin, "Phone call for you, Sor."

She blinked, "For me?"

"Yup, the one and only Sora Takenouchi."

"All right, thanks." She gave a small smile before picking up the phone by the desk, "This is Sora speaking."

"Sora!" a familiar voice called out.

"Kari! How are things going with prince charming there?"

"Funny, I was just about to ask you the same thing."

"Har har."

"I hear Taichi's doing the dishes huh?"

"Yup, I cooked, he does the dishes, it's only fair right?"

"I can't believe it! I can't even get him to load dishes into the dishwasher and here you have him hand washing every plate," said Kari, sounding exasperated.

Sora gave a quick laugh, "Oh really? He offered actually…"

"Mm hm…" Kari answered. Sora swore she could feel the girl winking on the other line.

"So why did you call in the first place?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Oh nothing, just wanted to check in on you and my brother. Don't do anything silly now."

"Ha! Well Kari, we're doing fine, and the same goes for you two. Just because you're going to get married doesn't mean you can have unprotected sex! Use a condom!"

Hikari flushed positively crimson, though Sora couldn't see it. "Yes mom, I'll be going now!"

"Be safe! Use protection!"

"I'm off to have unprotected sex with my fiancé now! Bye Sor!" with that, the brunette hung up abruptly, leaving Sora laughing to herself. Kari was like a sister to Sora, she wouldn't mind having her as a sister… before she could finish the thought the phone began to ring loudly once more. Without a moment's hesitation, she picked up the device, "Hello?"

It took a while before a timid voice spoke up on the other line, "…Sora?"

Almost on instinct, Sora asked, "Who is this?" before mentally slapping herself. There was only one person it could be.

"It's Mimi."

"Oh hi, it's… been a while."

"Yeah… it has…"

"I'll get Taichi-"

"Wait Sora!" Mimi called out after the redhead.

"What is it, Mimi?"

A pause. "I uh… never mind, can you get Tai?"

"Right." Placing a hand over the mouthpiece, she called for her temporary housemate, "Taichi!!"

He appeared at her doorway in a few seconds time, "What, what is it?" he panted.

Sora almost laughed at his chaotic appearance—if Mimi wasn't on the phone. Instead, she remained stoic and casually handed him the phone, "It's Mimi."

Taichi looked almost surprised and mouthed an "o." Taking the cordless device in his hands, he spoke into it, "Meems?"

Sora would have cringed at the familiarity in the nickname—that is, if she cared. But of course, since she obviously didn't care, there was no reason for her to cringe, or get upset, or get jealous, or uneasy, or… hey, she didn't care. Though she couldn't hear what the girl was saying on the other end, Sora knew she didn't like whatever it was. So she was a bit uncomfortable, but dammit, she had every right.

"Right… okay… no Meems… actually we're going clubbing tonight… Club Flip I think… (he chuckled) okay Mimi, bye." Pressing the off button on the phone, he returned it to Sora.

"What was that about?" she asked, eyes narrowed. She didn't care how short the conversation was; didn't he have the decency to leave the room at least? Everything Taichi did was suddenly wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong… Sora was sure that when she went downstairs, the dishes would be terribly washed, with oil stains and bits of food remaining…

"Oh, it's nothing, I told Meems that you were here and I guess she might've wanted to just see how things were going," Taichi replied casually. Sora didn't say anything at first and he watched as she stared at a spot on the floor. "Why, you jealous?" he teased.

She glared up at him, ruby eyes flaring, "No, I have no reason to be jealous. And what exactly is "see how things are gong" supposed to mean? How are things going? There's nothing going on, that's how things are going. Nothing's happening, and nothing will. We're adults now, I'm sure that we've learned to coexist comfortably—"

"Sora—"

"And why exactly is everyone calling in to check up on me anyways? What, do they think I'm going to go commit suicide? Or do they still think something's going to happen between us. I mean two years is a long time, I'm sure neither of us has any feelings for the other anymore, does it even matter—"

"Sora, calm down, it's nothing." Taichi said softly.

The tone of his voice got Sora's attention and she looked up to meet his eyes. He had wonderfully strong dark eyes; she had always found them to be attractive. But this time, instead of the normal cheerfulness and childlike innocent qualities, there was a hint of… remorse? Instantly, Sora felt guilty. Had she said something that hurt him? Thinking back to her rant she recalled her last statements and sighed. Okay, she could admit that maybe she shouldn't have said those things, but dammit, she was mad. Mad at Mimi, at Tai, at… herself. The realization made her even more angered. How could she be mad at herself, this was Taichi's fault, his fault.

Looking up into his eyes (which were very intently focused on her), she knew the answer. She was mad at herself for taking away the joy in his eyes. How cheesy did that sound, "the joy in his eyes," but she knew it was true. Sora sighed and stood up. Before she realized what she was doing, she found herself wrapping her arms around the taller man. "I'm sorry Taichi, you know I didn't mean to say those things," she whispered.

He gave a laugh and parted from the redhead. "I'm fine, don't worry about anything. Just keep working on that book of yours, I'll be down the hall if you need anything," and with that, he gave her an honest smile and walked out, closing the door quietly behind him.

Sora stared at the door for a moment before snapping back into reality. He did seem better after she said she was sorry. It was absurd, why would what she said have bother him anyways, it wasn't like he still cared about her… right?

Two hours later Sora stood in front of the closet mirror checking her dark knee high skirt and light blue shirt combination. It was a comfortably loose fit, but not overly done so that she looked pregnant. Satisfied with her appearance she grabbed a jean jacket in case it got chilly, and walked downstairs to wait for Taichi.

When the man finished getting ready fifteen minutes later (no doubt gelling his hair), he paused at the top of the stairs to grin approvingly at Sora. She gave him a glare in return. "Men, I'll never understand them. They yell at women for taking five extra minutes and meanwhile, they spend fifteen minutes gelling their hair."

Opening the door for Sora, Taichi feigned a hurt expression, "Ouch Sora, you know my hair's my baby."

As Tai started up the car engine once they were seated, he could have sworn he heard her say, "I'm going to shave you bald in your sleep one of these days."

Club Flip definitely lived up to its name. Everything in the club was mirrored horizontally so that a line of symmetry ran right down the middle of the club. Sora walked in and was mildly surprised at the tidiness of the club. Tall metal tables and chairs lined the side, as couples danced on the dance floor in the middle of the large floor. A bar was positioned near the entrance.

After getting her hand stamped with the club's logo, she turned to wait for Taichi. "You realize this is ink poisoning," he said, walking up to where Sora stood.

She rolled her eyes, "Don't worry about it Tai, I'm sure it's environmentally safe ink and approved by all that 'good stuff.'"

"…right sure…" he held up his hand and took a small whiff, "that's what they want you to think."

"Tai, if you're so paranoid, then why suggest this club in the first place."

"Okay, okay, some on then, let's dance."

"Wha-no-hey!" Before Sora could react, Taichi had grabbed her hand and pulled her to the dance floor. There was a live band playing and almost as if on cue, they began playing a ballad the moment Tai placed his hand on Sora's waist. Giving in to the gentle flow of the melody, she instinctively hooked her arms around the taller man's neck.

As much as she didn't want to admit, it felt right to be in Taichi's arms, like she belonged there. It had been a while since she had that feeling. She looked up and smiled genuinely at him, relaxing in his arms. "I haven't danced in a long time," Sora confessed.

"Yeah, me either." Taichi paused before adding, "I never danced with Mimi."

Sora was quiet for a moment, until she finally smiled and replied, "It's… nice."

"Yes."

At 10pm, Sora was finally aware of the aching of her feet. She had made sure to wear low heeled shoes for comfort, but they would only withstand so much abuse. "Tai, let's stop, I need a break," she said.

He obliged and released her, instantly feeling a slight chill in her absence. "Come, I'll get us some drinks."

Sora was seated at one of the stainless steel tables when Taichi returned with two long island iced teas. Her eyes lit up at the beverage, "wow, you still remember?"

"He took a seat across from her and winked, "of course, how could I forget."

She didn't say anything, didn't even blush or react in anyway. Sora had come to hate talking or thinking about the past. Though she couldn't help drifting off into old memories, she still hated it at times. "Thanks for the drink, Tai."

"Anytime."

They sat there, sipping away happily at the drink and watching as couples danced on the floor. Sora held her breath, knowing what was to come, what Taichi was thinking about. After five more minutes, he said it. "Why did you leave, Sora?"

She narrowed her eyes and glared at her almost empty glass. "I wanted to leave."

"Why? We were good together, weren't we?" he said.

"Tai…"

"Did I do something? Sora, tell me!"

"Tai, it's useless thinking about the past. It's happened, it's over, that's it, and that's all we need to know."

"I can't forget it, and I don't want to," he lowered his voice and added softly, "I don't want to forget about us…"

"There is no us anymore, Tai—"

"Excuse me miss, could I have a dance? That is, if you guys aren't together."

Sora looked up to meet a pair of hazel eyes gazing down at her. It was a handsome man, though not nearly as handsome as Taichi. She looked away, hesitant about answering. Finally standing up she forced a smile, "No, we're not together." She didn't want to dance with the man, but… maybe it would help Taichi move on. Perhaps, he needed to realize they weren't a couple anymore.

Before she could take the man's outstretched hand, she was quickly pulled away. "Sorry, she's with me," Tai said firmly.

"She just told me you two aren't together." The stranger replied, obviously doubtful of Tai.

"She's drunk. She doesn't know what she's saying."

"She looks fine to me."

"You wouldn't know if she was drunk, you haven't slept with her."

There was a long pause as the two men stared each other down while Sora flushed furiously behind Tai. Finally, the other man stepped down without saying another word, his male pride obviously wounded.

Sora was just about to slap Taichi for saying such things but the chestnut haired man grabbed her arm and led her out of the club hurriedly. He didn't stop or slow his pace until the two of them were seated in his car.

"Tai, what was all that for?!" Sora said furiously.

He turned to look at her, frustration written all over his handsome features. "What are you talking about, I should be asking you that question."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

"If you're talking about accepting that dance, might I remind you that we're not a couple."

"…I know."

"Then I don't see what's the big deal." Sora fumed, she always had a short temper, possibly worse than Tai's. Part of her mind was nagging at her unceasingly, did he really care about her that much? She was touched by his kindness, but too stubborn to admit it.

"Well… I don't know, I just didn't want to see you dance with him," he admitted. Sora glanced over at Tai who had his eyes glued on the road; the rest of the ride was in silence.

By the time they returned home, Sora was exhausted, both mentally and physically. To her dismay, she had been thinking about the man who sat in the driver seat adjacent to her. Maybe he really did care about her, and… she cared about him too, though she wouldn't confess.

Upon taking off her shoes and giving off a mighty yawn, Sora was grabbed by her arm and turned to stare into chocolate brown. "Sora…" Tai began.

"What Tai?"

"I'm sorry."

The apology came unexpectedly and the redhead was flooded with a rush of emotions at the simple statement. "Tai… don't be sorry, nothing was your fault."

"No, it was, and I'm sorry. I just… I know we're not a couple but… I don't want to see you with someone else."

"Tai…" Sora couldn't help but find the man as sweet, "If it helps, I didn't want to dance with him."

He looked up, meeting her eyes and grinned, feeling a bit more confident. "Did you do it to get me jealous?" he teased.

Sora raised a brow at Taichi, "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but not everything I do is because of you—"

"'Cuz it worked, you know."

She stared, unsure of what it meant or how to react but Tai knew exactly what to do. Without a warning he placed his lips over Sora's in a bruising kiss.

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AN: hey, that was pretty long