Luinas- I'm glad that you like the story, and I'm especially glad to hear that you won't be attacking me if by chance things don't turn into a Taiora. I love open minded people! I agree that it's great that a guy is finding out that there is a lot more to women than fashion and gossip. Too bad he is fictional…
Mrs.Ishida-to-you- Again, thank you for being open minded! I'm so glad you liked the movie. I've inadvertently turned into a promotional tool for the movie studio… Anyway, thanks for the comment!
AddictiveJon- You hate me? That's…nice to know. I don't think anyone else will get the curse, sorry. And good job on the evil laugh. I usually just give a 'heheh" or a 'haha' but that 'Muhauahuauha' is really powerful…
star – Another one who wouldn't hate me! I love you people! Thanks for the comment!
J- Heheh, I loved the bunny hoodie, but I could never find a place to put it in, but I finally did! Thanks for the review!
digilover - Aww! I made you feel special! Now I feel special! Hugs to everyone! … the takari will be staying (aren't they so cute?) and thanks a bunch for the review!
ghikiJ- Thanks for reviewing! Yep, the requirements will be complete. Poor Tai.
BrnttsDoItBest- Yes, we will see… Muhauahuauha! (sorry, just trying out the whole evil laugh thing…) :) Thanks for commenting!
SoratoFan- Thanccs fasho! Right back at ya…
Vigatus- The missed work question was real, I remember reading it somewhere before. The bathroom one was complete bullhookie. Or is it? I don't know. When I go into the bathroom, I'm usually talking about whatever I was talking about before I went in. Which is usually about school/work, so I figured that was what the answer would be…Thanks for reviewing again! I always look forward to yours!
AN- I felt like putting the response to the reviews at the top this time. I just enjoy doing it so much! See, sometimes I don't feel like doing homework, and I am having writer's block, so I answer the reviews, and I'm inspired again! (to write, not to do the homework…)
And now the chapter we have all been…dreading? Man, I am going to miss my sweet, sensitive Taichi… Actually, I won't, because he has changed and will still be that way without the curse. He's just going to face some challenges without being able to hear thoughts…which will probably be more entertaining than if he did have the powers. Oh, and incase you were wondering about the quality of this chapter, I almost peed my pants laughing while writing this. Enjoy!
Chapter 5- Fall In Love
"The narratives should be about you, but with a fictional twist. Imagine that you have a million dollars, or that you live somewhere you've always wanted to. You could even give yourself superpowers, like many students have done in the past," the teacher paused as the students chattered excitedly. "Just remember, the story must have a point, one that tells about an important moment or realization in your life. The papers are due in two days, and no extensions!"
The bell wrung and students packed up their English books in their bags. Tai did the same, and gave a friendly wave to his English professor as he left. Like his classmates, he was wondering about what he could do for his paper as he walked down the hall. In fact, Tai was just another normal person. Well, almost.
I want to go check out that new video store after school.
Matako is being so bratty today!
Oh, man. My feet are killing me after wearing those high heels last night.
He was as normal as a kid could be if he were able to hear women's thoughts. But this didn't bother Tai anymore. After weeks with this gift, he had adapted and enjoyed this insight into girl's thoughts. Yep, Tai was truly problem free. Well, almost
"Hi Tai!" Mimi and Sora exclaimed in unison as Tai joined his group of friends.
Oh, yeah. One problem. He was liked two girls, who happened to be his close friends. And they both liked him back. Or so Tai believed. And to make matters worse, he had the sneaking suspicion that both girls harbored feelings for a certain blonde headed guitarist, who happened to be Tai's best friend.
Tai stopped and waved at them, slightly uncomfortable. The girls looked the same, nervously glancing at the other as they realized they had both greeted Tai in the same way. Matt looked the most uncomfortable of all them, not knowing the horribly confusing relationship twists even existed, but suspecting something was wrong on his own.
"Are you guys alright?" Izzy asked, surveying his oldest friends with concern.
"Yeah. You guys have been kind of distant lately," Yolie added.
"Our friends are right! Especially the sweet blossommon, Yolie!"
Every one turned to see Davis standing there, and instantly the same look of shock appeared on all of their faces. Around his neck was a wreath of flowers and he wore a plain white shirt, loose khaki pants and a pair of plain leather sandals. Instead of his usual goggles, he had tied on his head a bandana with a peace sign stitched on the front.
"What the…" Everyone stuttered in shock.
Davis walked up and put his arms around Sora and Mimi. Tai would have been included, but he side stepped Davis' reach. Matt looked like he would chop off Davis' arm if it came within three feet of him, which was what probably stopped him from including Matt.
"My friends, we don't need all of these bad feelings being thrown around, we need more love!"
"No, I think that is the problem…," Mimi whispered under her breath.
"Davis," Matt started, sounding annoyed. His lifted Davis' arm off of Sora and pulled her out of his reach while at the same time Mimi quickly darted forward and stood away from him. "What is wrong with you?"
Davis turned to his group of friends and opened his arms wide, as if embracing them all.
"My friends, I have seen the light! We need to embrace emotion and sincerity, so that we can all be free from hate and secrets!"
"And how did you come to this conclusion?" Ken asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Tai!"
Everyone turned to Tai.
"What? No! You're not pinning this on me! I didn't tell you to become a peace loving flower child! I told you to be nice to girls!" Tai exclaimed, holding his hands up in defense.
Everyone turned back to Davis.
"Yeah, and listening to girls taught me to be more sensitive, and now I realize that all we do is play on each others' emotions. THIS MUST STOP!" Davis shouted, punching his fist into the air.
"Mentally unstable…" TK mumbled, shaking his head.
"So just remember that, my friends! POWER TO THE FEMININE SIDE!" Davis shouted once more and ran down the hall, stopping to hug random people as he went.
Violet, who was standing behind Davis during the whole speech, smiled hesitantly. "I'm working on getting him to a balance between his original self and this new hippie faze. He'll be normal…soon?" she stated, not sounding too sure herself.
"Good luck!" Kari called as Violet left after Davis.
"Did he call me 'blossommon'?" Yolie asked, making a face.
The group started talking amongst themselves, and Tai took this opportunity to slip away. Despite his unusual manner, Davis had had a point. Tai had to pick a girl, soon. He couldn't let this tension affect the group.
Unfortunately, he didn't know how to make his choice.
Tai sat rubbed his eyes as he got up from his desk. He stuffed his notebook with his partially finished story into his bag and then wandered out into his living room. His father sat in a chair reading the newspaper. Kari and Tai's mom were out shopping. Debating for a second, Tai decided to sit down on the couch and get his father's attention.
"Dad?"
He lowered his paper. "Yep? What is it, champ?"
"I need some…" Tai cringed at the thought that he has asking his dad this, but continued, "relationship advice."
"Er, this isn't the birds and bees talk, is it?" he asked nervously.
"NO!" Tai exclaimed, flushing.
"Oh, good. No parent wants to give that talk. So what IS the problem, tiger?"
"I like two girls, and I don't want to hurt either of them, and I don't know how to choose…"
His dad chuckled and patted Tai on the shoulder. "Ah, my little ace is quite the 'playa', aren't you?"
Tai groaned and made to get up, realizing that this was obviously the wrong person to ask.
"Wait a second now!" His dad exclaimed, motioning for Tai to sit back down. Once Tai, hesitantly, returned to his seat, his dad continued. "Now, I think I have just the story for you. I was out at a business dinner last week, and it was time to order dessert.
"Now, I had wanted strawberry cheesecake for a month. There was no doubt in my mind when I walked into the restaurant that I wanted that as my desert. But, the woman at the table next to me had gotten her dessert while I was on my salad. It was mint chocolate cake. I thought, 'Well, that is nice, but I still want my strawberry cheesecake'. But then I kept seeing her eat it out of the corner of my eye as I ate my main course. I started to realize how appetizing that cake looked. I mean, I had seen this cake several times in the past, but never tried it. Suddenly, I was a little jealous that the woman had the cake. I was going to order it, but then I realized that I still wanted the strawberry cheesecake. I'd been wanting it for so long, that I couldn't change my mind. But then, I wanted to try the mint chocolate cake, because what if it turned out really good?"
Tai's dad trailed off, staring off into space. Tai looked at him expectantly. When he didn't continue, Tai cleared his throat.
"Dad?"
"What is it, buddy?"
Tai's eye twitched in irritation. "What did you do?"
"Oh, that. Well, sport, I just ordered them both and had a really good time."
Tai sat there with his mouth agape, staring at his dad incredulously. His suddenly stood up, fist clenched at his side. "DAD! That is the worst advice you have ever given me! I cannot date both of them at once! That is horrible!"
Tai's dad looked shocked. "How did you get that out of the story?"
"What?"
"All I was saying was that you should think it over while eating some dessert. That cheesecake and cake were really good. I thought you might like some while you figure out your predicament."
Tai stood incredulous again. His dad still looked confused as to why Tai was angry, so Tai just sighed and said, "Thanks, dad."
"No problemo, junior. Just trying to prove that your old man is "down wit it" and such," he said as he lifted his paper again.
'Why did mom marry him?' Tai asked himself as he walked into his room, wondering if Davis and his dad were going down hill, if everyone one else, including himself, were going down with them as well.
God, what is that smell?
Is Taichi on drugs?
He looks like a car hit him…
Tai pushed the thoughts out of his head as he stumbled to his next class. He hadn't slept at all last night. He kept debating, "Sora, or Mimi?" back in forth in his mind till he thought that it would explode. He was mentally drained, but still had to keep thinking in his classes, and had to keep on his toes to avoid the two girls in the hallways. He had been dangerously close to walking into Mimi earlier, but had avoided it. The day was almost over, and then he would have tonight to think it over again.
Tai reached his Chemistry class and sunk into his chair gratefully. He rested his head on his arms and closed his eyes. He heard someone take the seat next to him, but didn't think anymore of it. Until…
Oh, he looks so tired. I wonder why he didn't get any sleep?
Tai's head snapped up as he looked at a startled Sora. Of course. Sora was in his Chemistry class. Tai mentally slapped himself.
"Hi Tai. Are you okay?" Sora asked, putting her hand on his arm in concern.
"Yeah," Tai sighed. He smiled at her, figuring that being distant to her wasn't going to help anything right now and asked, "How are you?"
Sora smiled back. "Oh, I'm good. Are you coming to the open mike and karaoke night at that coffee shop on 44th tonight?"
"What?"
"Oh, didn't you hear? Our, er, 'flower child' Davis would like us all to come listen to his poetry tonight. He promised that it would be delightful."
"I don't know. I have a lot of work to do…"
"Oh, come on, Tai. For me?" Sora asked hopefully.
'Pretty girls should not be allowed to talk to sleep deprived men,' Tai decided as he sat at a booth at the coffee shop later that night. Most of the group was gathered, laughing and talking. It was especially fun when Davis had read his poetry. Try as they might, they couldn't suppress their laughter. Now some guy was singing karaoke, not too badly either. Tai was drifting off to sleep when two boys walked up to their table.
"Hi Mimi. Hi Sora," Said a boy Tai blurrily realized was Kyo. Next to him was another boy from his grade, Mirku. "Do you girls wanna go dance?"
Sora looked surprised, while Mimi smiled brightly. "I've been trying to get someone to dance with me all night! Sure!"
Mimi stood up, and looked at Sora expectantly.
Help a girl out, Sora…Mimi mentally pleaded.
Sora smiled and hopped up as well. "Okay!"
The girls followed the boys into the crowd of people dancing and cheering for the singer. Matt looked at Tai. "Who are they?" he asked in a slightly jealous tone.
Tai blinked. "Kyo and Mirku? Just two guys in our grade. They… they…" Tai trailed off, realizing that he had used their names together before, but not able to put his finger on it.
Joe smiled at the two. "Come on, don't you remember them?"
Tai and Matt both looked at him, confused. "Kyo and Mirku? Two guys? Gym class? Fight?" Joe said, trying to jog their memory. The two, however, just blinked back blankly. Joe sighed. "Do I have to spell it out for you? Kyo and Mirku are the two guys who fought in gym class a year ago over who got to ask Mimi out, remember?"
Their faces light up in recognition, and then they scowled simultaneously.
"Why did you let them go off with two pervs like them!" Matt yelled.
"Joe, you are supposed to be the responsible one!" Tai joined in, newly invigorated.
Joe scowled at both of them. "And may I ask why you two care who asks our two friends to dance?"
The rest of the group looked at the two boys with interest. Matt mumbled something that sounded like "Responsibility? Responsible for giving us hell…" and walked away with out another word. Tai, too tired to face down his friends, followed Matt's example.
He stumbled over to the stage, but remained removed from the dancing. Suddenly, Davis popped up at his side.
"Hey! Are you going to sing?" he asked, flipping through the list of songs in front of Tai.
"I'm not good," Tai said outright.
"Ah, don't let that stop you! I didn't think I could write poetry, but everyone loved it!" Davis gushed, and Tai rolled his eyes. "I'm gonna sing a love song to Violet, for being so good to me…"
"I'm starting to think relationships are overrated. Is it really worth it, in the end?" Tai asked more to himself than Davis, but Davis still looked appalled. "You know, I think this song is perfect," Tai said, pointing to a song.
"Okay then! You're up!" A man, the DJ presumably, pulled Tai up the steps and had him stand in front of the microphone. The lights were bright, but Tai could still see the audience. His friends at the booth had surprise and humor written across their features. Matt looked apprehensive, probably because he had heard Tai sing before, and it wasn't pretty.
Tai wouldn't have done it under normal circumstances, but he was so tired, and so confused, and Davis was acting like a hippie and his dad was clueless and Matt was such a good friend, but Sora was so loving and pretty and Mimi was so cheerful and perceptive and…
Words popped up on the screen, and Tai started.
"You love her
But
she loves him
And he loves somebody else
You just can't win
And so it goes
Till the day you die
This thing they call
love
It's gonna make you cry
I've had the blues
The reds
and the pinks
One thing for sure"
Tai dropped to his knees and belted out the chorus.
"(Love stinks)
Love
stinks yeah yeah
(Love stinks)
Love stinks yeah yeah
(Love
stinks)
Love stinks yeah yeah
(Love stinks)
Love stinks
yeah yeah"
The music cut off and the crowd was completely silent. Then, suddenly, a huge cheer erupted from the crowd. Tai barely noticed. He felt himself being lifted under his arms and helped off the stage.
"God, he's heavy!" TK sighed.
Time to get you home, brother.
'Good sister…' Tai thought blurrily as he drifted to sleep.
Two hours later, and some coffee, Tai was reading on his bed. He was skimming the fifth chapter in "What Women Want". He was tired, but he needed to figure out how to choose. It was driving him insane.
He sighed in frustration at the chapter and turned the page as his mother walked in.
"Hi honey. How are you?"
"Fine, I guess."
"Your father told me about how you came to him for advice earlier. I thought that maybe you would want a different perspective."
That crazy, wonderful man…Horrible with advice, but still good at heart.
Tai smiled at his mom. "Really? That would be great. This book isn't getting me anywhere."
Oh, my!
His mother fondly picked up the book and flipped through the pages. "You have been reading this?"
'More like living it…' he thought but replied out loud "Yeah."
She smiled brightly at him. "Taichi! I am so happy and proud! Did you know I helped write this?"
Tai sat up, stunned. "Really?"
"Yes! My Aunt Kala and my mother wrote the first two chapters. Then my cousin Mie, your Aunt Hinta and me wrote the last three. My chapter was the last one, 'Fall in Love'" She said, tracing the title with her finger.
"So you know about falling in love, then?" Tai said excitedly.
His mom looked distracted for a moment. "Do you think you are in love with these girls?"
Tai shook his head quickly. "I know love is something very serious. I don't think that I could fall in love with one of them until dating them for at least a while."
She nodded approvingly and then said, "Well, I thought I knew about love. I met your father, and fell deeply in love with him. I thought that was all that was important, finding a man to spend your life with. I thought that I had everything. But then things changed…"
"What? Did someone come in between you two?"
"No, something brought us together. You!"
Tai looked confused.
"Tai, when you were born, I realized something very important. It isn't falling in love that made my life great. It was love in general, love given and love received. It could come from a lover, a friend, or from family. I think that is really what women want, what humans really want. To be loved by someone, anyone. That is what I really meant when I wrote that chapter."
She kissed Tai on the forehead.
And god knows I love you, my son…
Suddenly, the book under his hands flashed gold then faded. Tai's mom looked confused.
"What was that?"
"I dunno. Maybe Kari was taking pictures in the other room again…" Tai suddenly realized what it probably was. Flipping the cover open, Tai looked at the index to find that the last chapter wasn't glowing anymore.
He dropped the book and ran into the other room. Kari turned to him as he rushed at her.
"What's wrong?"
"THINK SOMETHING!"
Are you nuts?
Tai sighed in relief. It hadn't finished the curse. But what was wrong?
"Tai? Are you alright?" Tai's mother walked out of his room, book in hand. Her foot accidentally hit Miko, however, and the book went flying out of her hands. Tai watched it in slow motion, his arms frozen at his side, as the book careened into his face.
It knocked him off his feet. Kari and his mom rushed over to him, helping him sit up. Tai held the book in his lap, gripped tight as holding it would keep his gift with him.
"Is this really the end?"
Tai looked from Kari to his mom, as they came in and out of focus. His mom took the book from him and flipped to the back.
"No, it isn't. See, there. The afterword hasn't been written yet." Tai's mom answered, thinking he meant the book.
Tai simply nodded and passed out.
"I awoke in the morning, only to find that my fears were confirmed, that the spell had been broken and I was back to normal. But something important didn't leave. The knowledge of who women were and what they were like were still with me. The curse that had become a blessing was gone, but the wonderful women I had come to understand were all the blessing I needed."
The class clapped enthusiastically as Tai finished his paper. The professor nodded approvingly at him. He was about to walk back to his desk, but a girl in the back raised her hand.
"Taichi, what about the two girls? Is that the end?"
Tai shook his head.
"No, it isn't. The afterword still needs to be written."
AN-Oooo! Tai broke the curse but didn't fall in love with either of the girls! Who's a tricky author?….I AM! I hope you liked it. Maybe I exaggerated a tiny bit at the beginning, cause I didn't quite laugh so hard as to pee my pants. But I did laugh writing it. I think this was one of my favorite chapters, just because of Tai's dad. Ah.
And normally I feel awkward about putting songs in stories, so that is why I only put part of the song in. Anyone who is interested in it, it is called "Love Stinks" by the J. Geils Band. I just thought that the lyrics fit.
And I'm thinking that by the end of the next chapter, you will know who Tai picks! Then only two more chapters after that (sadness!) Next chapter I'll post some ideas I have for my next fic, or maybe two new ones? I don't know. I hope you liked this chapter, and just to be nice to all of you great people who review, here's a little snippet of the next chapter:
"Get the hell away from her!" Matt snarled in a dangerous voice.
She looked at Matt, stunned, as Tai slowly took his arm away from her body.
'This seemed like a much better idea in my head…' Tai thought, and then focused on what was happening as Matt's fist slammed into his face.
(Muahauhauhah! Go evil laugh!)
