A.N.-YES! My cat is safe for another two weeks. He'll be happy to know this. Though, he does live in the same house as my brother, so he COULD actually die at any given moment....What? Oh, right. Story time. Well, I'm SO happy that people are still reading this. THANK YOU everyone who reviewed, including the ones who were prepared to injure my cat. Here's the next chapter that you all desperately want!

A Mid-Chapter Crisis

Tai woke up the next morning feeling very accomplished. He had already completed two of the chapters, and there were only three more to go. He could have this done by the end of the week, he realized, and got dressed with cheer.

Once dressed, he sat down at the kitchen table and his mother set down a plate of watery looking scrambled eggs. Tai put pepper and salt on them and prepared to eat as his mother made her way back to the kitchen.

"Wait. Mom?" Tai said suddenly.

"Yes?"

Tai grinned sweetly at her and said, "Thank you for breakfast. I know that it took a long time to make. It means a lot to me."

She smiled at placed a hand at her heart.

"Why thank you, Tai."

What a sweet thing to say. Oh, my little boy is become such a gentleman...

Tai's dad, across the table, raised his eyebrows.

"What?" Tai asked.

"You can see those eggs, right? Your MOTHER made them. I think that they are moving," his dad explained.

"Dad," Tai said seriously, "Did you know that Mom works on breakfast for a half an hour every morning? She's been doing it since I was born. That is 185,640 minutes, which is 3094 hours or 129 days or 18 and a half weeks, of her life that she has wasted on cooking me a meal that I could have made myself. She deserves a thank you every once in while."

His dad blinked, stupefied. "Did you do all that math in your head?"

"Dad, this is serious," Tai said impatiently, "Did you know she hates soccer, but she has never missed one of my games? She is an amazing woman. We should do something special for her."

"Well, uh, I guess I could get her a bouquet or something..." His dad trailed off, thinking.

Kari suddenly ran out of her room, sprinting for the front door. She stopped suddenly when she saw Tai at the table.

What the...

"Tai, you're still here? I thought that you would have left."

"I know that you were running a little late, but I decided to wait. You don't wanna walk, do you?"

"No, I guess, it just...Well, lets go."

I think he is going mental. Wait, oops. Sorry Tai. Thanks for waiting.

The two walked for the door, when Tai turned to his father. "Get her a bouquet of yellow carnations, she hates roses. And some of those chocolate covered strawberries from that candy store on the corner. She thinks those are like heaven."

Tai waved and left. His dad stared at the door.

"She hates roses?" He whispered, confused.


"So, little sister, what do I have to do to 'make a difference'?" Tai asked when they were on their way to school.

"Hey, I can't think of everything, you know! You just need to help some people that really need it. Use your talents, and such..." Kari said, waving her hands.

"My talents? I don't see how soccer is going to help anyone."

"Tai!" Kari groaned. "You know, you are good at other things too."

"Oh, yeah? Name one," Tai challenged.

"Well, there's..." Kari trailed off.

Wow, he does have no talents...

"Hey!" Tai said.

"Sorry. Its okay, it will come to you eventually."

"Yeah, I know. I'll have it done by three days from now, tops."


A week went by, and Tai was ready to kill. What the hell was so hard about helping people? It wasn't like he wasn't trying.

For example, he had gone over to Sora's to help her study (really, he did!), just to find out that he had gotten her more confused and she got a C minus on the test.

He had tried his hand at matchmaking, but not everyone was so willing. Everyone seemed to be in denial that they liked others, even Kari wasn't cooperating with him.

He even tried playing to his talents, like suggested, and helped some elementary kids with their soccer skills. It didn't go well. The doctor did promise that the kid only suffered a minor concussion, and the pig tailed girl's bleeding would stop with some pressure.

So, Tai sat in chemistry, hands clapped over his ears, trying to zone the never ending voices out of his head. It was getting better, but not much.

"Er...Tai? Are you okay?" asked Sora tentatively.

"What? Oh, yeah. Just have a headache..."

He's had a headache for weeks, maybe he has something seriously wrong!

"Taichi, maybe you should see a doctor."

"No, no. I'm really fine. Its just..." Tai trailed off. Sora looked at him worriedly, and he continued. "You see, I need to find a community service that I'm good at. And evidently, I am horrible at everything."

"Not everything!"

"Really? Want me to help with your homework again?" he asked.

God no! she thought

"It wasn't THAT bad Tai."

Tai simply rolled his eyes.

"Tai, I'll personally help you find your community service project. It's my mission now"

Any thing to take my mind off of Matt

Tai tried to smile brightly.

"At least she doesn't want to think of him. She's moving on, right?" he thought

"You are in total denial, honey," a feminine voice answered inside his head. Tai looked around, but realized it wasn't the voice of any of the girls in the class. His mind was CONJURING its own female voice now. That was great.

Tai buried his face in his hands.

"I need to get past this chapter."


Tai was at his locker between classes, listening as his friends talked about a new mall opening in a month, when a commotion caught his eye. Violet, the girl with the locker next to his, was a little ways down the hall, when suddenly she had her books knocked out of her hands by a group of boys.

She bent down to pick one up, and one of the boys kicked it away. Mimi and Yolie came around the hall and stopped suddenly. Mimi, eyes flashing made her way to the boys.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?"Mimi yelled, facing them down. Behind her, Violet let her mouth open in surprise.

"Hey, guys, look its Tachikawa. You know, honey, you are pretty hot for a man hater," the leader stated.

Next to Tai, TK, Davis and Ken made to move towards the scene, but Tai held out his arm to stop them. He was seeing red, and needed to do this on his own.

The boy who kicked the book only had a second to look before Tai pushed him into his friends behind him.

"What is your prob, man?" the kid asked, brushing himself off and looking cocky again.

"I should ask you, you scrawny twerp," Tai growled back.

"Tai, I can handle this," Mimi whispered, sounding defensive.

"We weren't hurting anyone," the leader added, and his friends nodded in agreement.

"Yes you were!" Tai yelled, pointing down at Violet, who looked stunned at what was happening. "Her name is Violet, and she's a human being, you dick."

"Tai..." Mimi warned.

Let me handle this, you ass!

"Back off, you bitch. This is between men," Another boy from the group threw in.

Violet grabbed Mimi's hand to prevent her from lunging for the boys, and Mimi did likewise to Tai. He shook her off, but didn't attack the boys again.

"Listen to me, and listen close," Tai said, stepping forward.

The boys backed a little further from Tai.

"Violet and Mimi are better people than all of you combined. If you ever lay a finger on them, or another girl on this campus, I will hunt you down faster than you can say 'Oh Shit'," Tai said, and then pointed at the crowd now surrounding the scene, "And I'm pretty sure everyone here will help me."

The group nodded swiftly and then walked quickly away, receiving glares and some pushes from the crowd as they went.

Tai bent down and helped Violet get the rest of her books.

"Thank y-you, Taichi," she whispered.

"Tell me if they bother you again."

"Okay."

Tai looked at Mimi, who was staring at him with betrayal and distrust. No thoughts came to him from her, just Violet's confused thoughts of what had just happened. Mimi led Violet away, parting the crowd as they marched away.

Tai went back to his locker and picked up his bag. Sora and Kari stared at him oddly and none of the boys said a word. Tai simply walked to class, and didn't even respond to the odd looks the whole school was shooting him.


Tai sat in the counselor's office, where he had been called to in the middle of class. The counselor, Mrs. Helpering, was shifting through some papers, leaving Tai to his own thoughts and nervousness.

"Why did she call me down here?" Tai thought, fidgeting in his chair. "Maybe because I almost beat those boys into a pulp earlier." His thoughts drifted to Mimi, which it had been doing a lot after the confrontation. "What was her problem? I was helping. Why did she look at me so oddly?"

"Sorry about the wait, Taichi," Mrs. Helpering interrupted, and smiled at him kindly. "Thank you for coming. You are probably wondering why you are down here. It seems that some of your teachers and peers have noticed a change in you recently."

"Oh crap!" Tai thought. "I am going to be examined by a shrink. They'll think I'm insane. Whose to say I'm not?"

"Taichi, are you interested in some community service hours?"

Tai cocked his head in confusion

He is a little odd, this one. I wonder if he is feeling alrig-

"Yes, I'm feeling great!" he exclaimed. She looked at him funny, and realizing his mistake, continued, "So I could sure use some community service. Because I'm feeling great! Perfectly normal!"

Okay...

"Well Taichi, I would like you to become a peer advisor. Evidently, many students idolize you, so you would make a good advisor. Your teachers say that like to help others sort out problems."

And he broke up that fight so easily today. We need more students like him...

Tai realized that this was his chance. He would be able to make a difference, somehow, with all of these students coming to him. God, what if he screwed up?

"Sure why not?" his voice answered, a little unsure.

"Great! Don't worry, it's a piece of cake!"

That's what I tell all of them, and they always fall for it

Tai's smile slid off his face and worry replaced it.

"Great."
Sitting in a small classroom, Tai waited after school for another peer advisor, who was going to train him. He heard the door slide open, but the peer advisor wasn't there. It was a very familiar girl.

"Tai."

"Oh, hey," he replied, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

He is so handsome went he is confused...

"Tai, what you did today, it was so wonderful. I've never seen a guy do that before. Tai, you are so...I don't know...perfect," she murmered.

Tai sat there, stupefied as she walked closer.

"I can't believe this is happening. I can't believe..." he thought

"I can't believe I've ignored you all these years. But I see you now." She whispered, standing in front of him.

And then she leaned in and kissed him.

A.N.- It was popular request (aka one person) that there be a cliff hanger, soooooo.... TA-DA! Who is it? Think you know? I do. (dodges shoes thrown)

Also, I've been re-thinking things, and what I said before about it being Ken/Kari, ect., could change. So, just assume everything is up in the air again. Sorry about false hopes, but it might be better another way...I won't say anymore.

Please keep reviewing! I love looking at them and they make me laugh. They also inspire me to write more quickly, if that persuades you. Well, till next time, bye and thanks,

Starlilly