The Game of Life
By theladyknight
Disclaimer: Digimon—not mine!
A/N: Yes, I finally updated. I've been really busy—outta town basically everyday this week for the state basketball tournament (even though my team lost in the first round). But hope you guys all like the chapter and please review.
Inconnu: Poetry and I don't agree.
.I.Am.Lirin: Well, at that point Takeru and Hikari didn't know how each other felt.
Indigowolf: Brothers are weird like that; thankfully mine is older, married, and out of the house!
(Evil) Jodi Crystal: That competition was over at the end of last chapter. Sadly Sora and Yamato didn't win. And as to your suggestion, everyone may soon be calling me the(evil)ladyknight…you'll see why eventually…
Syl Sylver: It will be a bit more…
Thegreatwhitewolf: Glad I could make you laugh!
Money makes me smile: Basically author alert is a means of e-mailing you when a certain author updates a story or posts a new story. For example, if I was on your author alert list, you'd be e-mailed every time I update and/or post a new story. It's a way of letting you know when your favorite stories are updated or your favorite authors update…
Scoripon05: It'll either be Sora or Mimi and Hikari…
Cherryblossom Sky: My school's child development class is NOTHING like this, with the exception of getting dolls. We don't offer sex ed; we have health but nothing along the other lines.
BrnttsDoItBest: I try to foreshadow…but it doesn't always work…
And thanks to Soratofanforever, anonymous, AshileSwartz, reviewer #9, shadowcat, My Name is R.C., Sakura Arielle, cac, Crazyamzy, DraugDae, Only Secret, animemistress419, Kay, SoratoFan, Mimi, feelingblue, Mrs. Ishida-to-you, and princessstphanie.
Chapter 11: Day 2—Job Shadowing
"Hey, Sor…"
"Hey Yama," I answered, walking over beneath the large tree the blond was resting against. It was the same tree in the picture I was making for art, and Yama appeared to be perched in the same position. "What are you doing here?"
He grinned and pulled me down beside him. "Waiting for you."
My cheeks began to heat up. "Why?"
Yamato chuckled. "Aren't you inquisitive?"
I had to smile. "Don't you have band practice right now?"
"Again with the questions?" I rolled my eyes. "The guys and I decided to take a day off."
"I thought you had a concert coming up soon."
Yamato gave me his heart melting smile. "We all realized we'd been missing out on things by spending so much time with the band." He paused and shut his eyes, placing his arms behind his head. "I'm glad I found you, though. I want to talk to you."
"About what?"
I could tell the blond was searching for the right words. He was quiet, seemingly ignoring me but at the same time, I could tell he was thinking about something regarding me.
"Any day now, Yamato."
A ghost of a smile lingered on his lips for a brief second before vanishing. The silence still remained. I leaned my arm up against the tree, now facing him, and sighed. A light breeze danced across my skin, blowing the blonde's bangs across his face as well.
"Yama?"
He opened his eyes, pausing to brush the stray hairs away from his beautiful azure eyes. His orbs then met mine. "Action do speak louder than words, right?"
Before I could reply, I found his lips on mine. It was a light, feathery kiss, but as I didn't pull away, he applied more pressure. Slowly Yamato kissed me harder, and I couldn't help but kiss him back. What's going on? My arms wrapped around his neck, and I melted against him. His strong upper body caught me, and he gently broke the kiss.
"I love you, Sora. And I'm a fool for not telling you earlier."
My heart melted. I grinned back at him and pulled him into a hug. "I love you too, Yamato."
Our lips met once again. His were soft and sweet. I detected a trace of mint on them, probably from the candy he hides in his book bag that he pulls out to eat during classes everyday. Suddenly the texture and taste of his lips changed. Their sweetness vanished, only to be replaced by flavorlessness. His lips grew very soft, almost like they were a…pillow.
"Sora! Sora, honey, wake up! You're going to be late if you don't get moving!"
My eyes fluttered open, and I looked down to see my fluffy pillow replacing the silhouette of Yamato's face. I rolled over onto my back and found myself buried under a pile of warm sheets rather than sitting under a tree, kissing my best friend who I've come to love. "I've been calling your name for the past ten minutes!"
"I was having a good dream." I moaned, burying my head in the pillow. "Let me sleep!"
"But today you go on your job shadow, and it's your big tennis match. I'm guessing you don't want to miss either of those."
That brought me off cloud nine, back to plain reality. "I'm up; I'm up!"
Dragging my weary body out of bed, I sleepily walked over to my bathroom doors. I turned the water on, waiting for it to warm up, hoping the shower would wake me up.
Today was going to be really busy. From the job shadowing to the tennis meet to dropping the kids off at Yamato's…Yamato.
What exactly was that dream about?
It was one of those dreams that stayed with you; one that took quite a long time to forget. Yamato seemed so sincere in it, telling me he loved me. Too bad it can't be that way in real life. I laughed to myself, a bit more awake now that the water was at a nice hot temperature.
Most people would never assume I'd have those clichéd fairy tale-like dreams about boy and girl falling in love. You know the sappy sort, as in the dream I just had, where it's all good, easy, and perfect. That's always been one of my hidden secrets. Secretly, deep down, I'm a sucker for that kind of thing. Though I will never admit this to anyone, I love the cheesy romantic movies where the guy gets the girl or vice versa. Sometimes I actually wish that would happen in real life.
But then, the more I think about it, I guess I want things the opposite of that. Erase the golden similes and metaphors. Get rid of the sappy "I love you's" and overly clichéd phrases. Give me a relationship that's going to take work and dedication over one of those overly corny ones I was lecturing Mimi and Hikari about any day. If Yamato asks me out or if I ask him—well, when I ask him—hopefully that will be avoided at all costs. Fairy-tales and unbelievable realties are great as daydreams and wishes but not something I want for my life…
"Sora! Are you trying to drown yourself in there?" Dad yelled. "Hurry it up!"
Sometimes I think I was adopted.
I shut the water off, ending my shower and soliloquy of a passionate heart, spilling the depths of my inner soul. Where did that come from? I could be a poet or writer instead of a fashion designer. Ha! No wonder I think I'm a hopeless romantic. But now, reality once again calls back…shit, I've got thirty minutes to get to school. I'll make my plan for asking Yamato out when I get to school…
"Sora, that's two days in a row you've gotten here by the tardy bell!" Mimi exclaimed when I dashed into the room.
I lightly laughed while our teacher told us to continue our projects. "I overslept today. It wasn't Megumi's fault."
She rolled her eyes. "Ready to get started on that picture of Lover Boy and the others?" The girl smirked at the glare I gave her. "Two days left, Sora. You'd better tell him soon, or Kari and I will have no problem letting him know."
"You wouldn't." I mumbled out of the corner of my mouth. "Be careful what you say Meems, I can easily change your appearance in this drawing and make you look odd…"
"You wouldn't dare…" I raised an eyebrow. "Okay, maybe you would."
I smirked. "Will you just let me work in silence?"
"Okay, okay! Since you obviously don't want to talk to me, I'll continue working on my own project."
Picking up the charcoal pencil, my mind drifted back to the matter I was thinking about earlier. How exactly do I approach Yamato with what I have to say? I mean, it's not like it's an everyday lunch topic or something we gossip about in Child Development before. I've never really done this, asking a guy out, particularly a guy that's a close friend. Taichi asked me out back when we were younger and a couple of other guys have approached me, but it's normally the guy that asks.
I wonder how I can ask him without it being weird. What if he says he's not interested? What if he laughs at me? That would be so embarrassing! But Yama wouldn't do that; he's not like that. Everyone says he likes me, and I'm starting to believe it as well by the way he acts around me and some of the things that have happened between us. I just don't want to make a fool out of myself. No matter what happens, I want us to be friends and have no awkward feelings should we end up dating, breaking up, or not even getting into a relationship.
I guess I could talk to Mimi and get some advice. After all, she did ask Koushiro out. The boy genius may have loosened up as we grew up, but he didn't have near enough confidence to approach Mimi. Luckily for them, she did.
If nothing else, I can always fall back on spontaneity. It's saved my sorry ass plenty of times before. This will be no different. I'm starting to get nervous. The time is ticking away. I really don't want Hikari and Mimi to tell him so I'd better think of something. Soon.
"Hey Sor, get out of dreamland! The bell's gonna ring!" Mimi snapped me back to the classroom.
I could feel the charcoal pencil still in my hand, and canvas paper underneath it. Uh oh, I bet I was doodling on my work the whole time I was thinking about Yamato. This is not going to be good!
"Oh my God!" I knew it. I don't want to see this. "Sora, did you draw this today? You had to! It wasn't there at the beginning of class!"
My eyes flashed to the image Mimi was pointing to. Good Lord, did I draw that? It was…me. I was now in the picture and if you removed everyone except Yamato and me, it looked exactly like the part in my dream; well, the part right before he kissed me. The drawing appeared so lifelike and natural, like I was supposed to be there, sitting next to him. Mimi's gonna be wondering how I came up with that idea as to where I would be located in it. I wonder how I thought of it. My subconscious mind must have been focusing on it while I sat here lost amid my thoughts.
Damn subconscious mind.
"Wow,"
I heard a light chuckle from behind me. "I'm glad you approve on my choice of décor. You're Sora, right?"
A petite girl—she couldn't be much older than twenty-five—approached me, pearly whites offering a humble grin. She had long black hair with red highlights scattered around it. The woman was wearing a pair of khaki capris, tied together at the bottoms by lime green strings. She had a lime green sleeveless shirt on with intricate patterns woven into it.
"Yeah, are you Ayami Tanaka?"
She smiled. "It's nice to meet you Sora. Your teacher sent me a note asking if you could follow me around on the job and with it she sent a little bio about you. I'm looking forward to this."
"Why do you say that?" I questioned. "There's nothing to special about me."
Ayami grinned once more. "From reading your information, you remind me so much of me when I was your age around six years ago." My mouth dropped. This is new.
The woman looked around. "Where are my manners? Let's go up to my office area…"
The elevator dinged, and we walked out, approaching the top penthouse suite of the huge apartment building I'd been dropped off at. Ms. Greene took the liberty of picking up three vans, and she and the two other teachers drove my classmates and me around to our different locations. Ayami's office was located in the downtown area. It was an apartment complex where many area businesses resided.
She opened up the door, and I gasped yet again. "Did you decorate this too?"
"Yes, I decorated my office area and the front lobby. I figured that as a fashion designer, I had to have some sort of idea about color schemes."
The main area of her office was gorgeous. The walls were a startling shade of midnight blue, and silver paint—most likely feather painted on—overlapped it. There were various works of abstract art hanging from different locations of the room.
"Here's my desk space. Please excuse the clutter; I'm not the most organized person. But if I know where everything is, it doesn't have to be in some area that's color-coded and alphabetized.
Too bad my mother couldn't hear that.
"And over here is a file with my work in it. This is the only place I actually use an orgazational system," she joked. "My more recent work is in the front while my older sketches are in the back. Pull some out to look at and take a seat on the couch. Would you like something to drink?"
"Anything would be fine," I politely responded.
Ayami smiled. "Great! I'll be back a just a few seconds. Make yourself at home, Sora."
I settled down on the plush blue leather couch that matched the interior of the room. Slowly I opened up the portfolio she had told me to look at. There were all sorts of drawings. Male models, female models, shirts, pants…you name it, she had drawn it. "These are really good. I can tell why you're a well-known designer." I replied as she returned with a glass of lemonade.
"I didn't start out that way, believe me. Well, Ms. Greene never really gave me instructions about what to do. Why don't you just tell me a little bit about yourself, and I'll do the same."
"I'm in my last year at the high school, currently undecided as to what I want to pursue in college. I play on the tennis team, work for my mother at her flower shop, and like to hang out with my friends. My father is a researcher, and I've already mentioned what my mother does."
"How did you select who you would shadow on a job?" she asked curiously, taking a sip of her drink.
I launched into an explanation of the game, feeling more and more comfortable around her as the time passed. She laughed at the funny moments, sighed at the downfalls, and offered a listening ear the whole time. "Sounds like you have had quite the adventure. Did you ever think about a career in this field?"
I blushed. "I've never really been one for fashion and those kinds of things, to tell you the truth. I've always loved art and drawing, and I guess the more I think about it, I've always loved creating it. Quite honestly, I am leaning towards a career somewhere in the field of art."
Ayami beamed at me. "I was exactly like that at your age. Art was like second nature to me. It never took much for me to do; naturally, I like everyone else assumed I would go into a field related to it. As time passed in college, and as it came time for me to proclaim a major, I leaned toward fashion design. I, like you, was never very much into fashion and shopping when I was younger. It grew on me the older I got. Somehow, I never really liked a lot of the clothes and outfits I saw in stores. They were just ugly, didn't work well for everyone, or too uncomfortable. I set out to make things to my own standards for all men, women, and children to wear and feel comfortable in."
We continued to talk for the next few hours. The time just flew by. Ayami was like a great role model for me. It was hard growing up the only child with no close relatives my age. Everyone is always searching for that one person to admire, that person who is someone you actually know that can be a mentor and older sibling figure. I think I just found her.
"This is excellent, Sora! I can't see how you won't make it in art. I wish you luck in any field you pursue, and if by chance you do go into fashion design, I'd better watch out. You'll be offering me some heavy competition." I blushed again as Ayami admired the drawing of my friends. She had told Ms. Greene she'd like to see any artwork I had recently done, as she had not known the careers we received were randomly chosen instead of intended choices.
"The details are very in-depth and lifelike. Who are all these people?"
"Well, that's my friend Mimi. She's a girly-girl whose best friend is the nearest mall. She can be a bit spoiled at times, but deep down she's sweet and sincere. The guy with the soccer ball is one of my best two best friends. His name is Taichi, and he was probably the first person I ever met that was my age. He and I have been friends since we were really young."
"And the boy leaning up against the tree?"
I bit my lip. "That's Yamato. He's my other best friend."
A knowing smile came to her face. "It appears from this picture there's something more there."
A blush crept onto my cheeks. Could everyone see it? "I'm really not too sure." I felt like I could pour out these secrets to Ayami. She had been telling me stories of her childhood: some odd teachers, her secret crushes, and how she had become such as success at a young age. "Everyone says we'd make the perfect couple, everywhere we go people bug us about it."
"But what do you want, Sora? It shouldn't matter what anyone else wants; only what is best for you. Follow your heart and I'm sure you'll make the best decision for both you and Yamato."
"That's the thing," I told her about the bet Hikari and Mimi had made with me, "I don't know what to do."
She put a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "Your heart will lead you the right way. Just trust it and you'll be fine."
There was a honk from outside. "It looks like my ride's here."
"I can't believe it's time for you to go already! It seems like I've known you for such a long time!"
I smiled at her. "I know the feeling."
"Here," she scribbled something down on paper. "Here's my phone number and e-mail. If you need anything or just want to talk, please let me know. I'm going to be very disappointed if I don't hear from you!"
I laughed. "I'll give you mine too."
She gave me a hug after I gave her my telephone number and e-mail address. "You're such a remarkable girl, Sora. Don't change and remember to follow your heart. That's the best advice I can give you. It was awesome to meet you, and I hope we can be friends."
"I hope so too, Ayami. Thank you for letting me come here today and for listening to all my problems."
The van honked again. "Don't worry about it. Good luck with everything, especially the thing with Yamato. I'm pulling for you…"
"And now, Sora Takenouchi of Odaiba is one game away from being the regional champion."
I anxiously awaited my opponent's serve. Here I was four points away from a title. All I needed to do now was keep my concentration.
The girl I was facing was good, one of the best I'd ever played. But I knew I could take her.
"Takenouchi volleys it back! Love-15!"
Three points.
We went back and forth on the next serve. I nearly missed one of her hits, but somehow I managed to keep my footing while diving for it. I smashed the ball over the net and then…"Love-30!"
The Odaiba crowd erupted. I could hear cheers of my name emitting through the people. There was Tai's voice, and who could forget about Mimi.
"Let her have it, Sor!"
Yamato? What's he doing here? And where are the kids? I left them with him after school and…
"ACE! Boy, Takenouchi completely missed that one!"
"Sora, focus! You've got a match to win!"
Coach is getting angry. I can't believe I just blew that. I've got to pay attention! I can't think about Yama right now.
I roared back with a vengeance. "15-40! It's game point for Takenouchi!"
My opponent was nervous. She shakily threw the ball into the air and hit it over. We started a long series of hits. I have to catch her off guard!
My chance finally came. I faked a deep hit, instead bouncing it just over the net. She's quick and she's running…she's…
"And that's it folks! Ono can NOT get to the ball on time! Sora Takenouchi of Odaiba High is our regional champion. Let's give both ladies a big hand for their outstanding year!"
I shook hands with my opponent, lost in my own daze. I won. I actually won. The announcer presented me with a large trophy, and soon the people were flocking me.
Around half an hour later, bidding my parents—with the trophy in tow—Taichi, Mimi, Koushiro, and the others goodbye, I turned to find Yama patiently awaiting me.
I opened my mouth to speak but Coach interrupted. "Spectacular, Takenouchi! I knew you had it in you! I was a bit worried for a moment but…I'm so proud of you! Mr. Ishida, make sure she gets home fine. I'm off to celebrate!"
Celebrate, get drunk…same thing.
"Of course, ma'am,"
Yamato watched me gather my stuff as Coach walked off. We were now the only two people left on and around the court. "What happened back there? You completely missed that one serve. It was very unSora-like."
"I saw you," I admitted. This is my chance.
"Me, how did I distract you?"
I walked over to where he was standing. "I just couldn't believe you were here. I thought you had band practice. And where are Megumi and Ryo?"
He smiled, wrapping an arm around me as we walked across the street in the direction of our apartments. "I decided to skip. I wanted to be here for this."
"That's sweet of you,"
Yamato chuckled. "It was the least I could do for my wife."
I rolled my eyes. "So where are our kids?"
"Well, Dad wasn't feeling well so he stayed home from work today. I left them with him. Figured they'd keep him occupied."
Bet Hiroaki Ishida was thrilled about that.
"So how did your day go?"
"That guy could talk anyone's ear off. If there was an award for the person who could explain the simplest thing in the most words, Ichiro Oshiro would get it."
I laughed. "But was it bad?"
"The guy was kind of old and boring, but he definitely knew what he was talking about. It was really pretty interesting. What about you?"
I explained my day, briefly describing Ayami and the job but leaving out the part regarding him. "Ayami was awesome. I had fun."
"Yeah, mine really wasn't too bad either."
There was a pause. Suddenly: "Does this ever make you think about the future?" Where did that come from?
His cerulean eyes searched mine. "What do you mean?"
"I mean…we graduate this year. Then we'll go into the university, get jobs, find someone to settle down with, and have a family. Do you ever think about any of that?"
"I have more and more since this game started."
I paused again. "Do you ever wonder if the person you were meant for was in front of you all along yet you never noticed or took a chance?"
Yamato stopped. "Aren't you inquisitive?"
He said that exact same thing in my dream. I looked up at him expectantly. "Actually, yeah, I have thought about that before. Recently in fact,"
We reached his apartment. "Why?"
"I'm starting to think there's someone right in front of me that…"
"YAMATO ISHIDA, get your butt in here and take these kids! They're driving me insane! Neither you nor Takeru acted this way when you were their age!"
"Does he know they're not real?" I mumbled to the blond.
His father dashed out of their apartment, Ryo in one arm, Megumi in the other. He had both of them in their carriers, diaper bags draped over his shoulders. "Please, never ask me to do this again!"
He ran back inside, and Yamato and I burst out laughing. "I take it he didn't quite get along with the two."
"I guess they caused some trouble." I took Ryo from the blond. "I'll take him tonight."
Yamato handed me the diaper bag as well. "Thanks, I'd better go inside and see why our children were so bad. See ya tomorrow."
"Bye," I whispered as he walked into the apartment. Yamato, you weren't talking about Mimi. And I know you weren't talking about Hikari. You don't know Gwen very well…I'm going to take a wild guess at who it is you were talking about.
Me.
If only you would have finished what you were saying. It would have made things so much easier. I began walking to my apartment but suddenly stopped. It was there the realization sunk in.
I have one day left to tell him…
A/N: One day left…ha! Wonder what could happen…Please review! Next chapter features one last game (Hint: It's a TV show and a board game) and it's going to be hilarious! I've got "To the Highest Bidder" nearly finished; it just has to be typed and hopefully I can have it up by Sunday or Monday. Please review; I love to hear what you guys think!