The Game of Life
By theladyknight
Disclaimer: Digimon—not mine!
My Name is R.C.: Yeah, it was confusing to explain! The date…well, I doubt anyone is expecting it the way it ended up…
I Lurv Digimon: Don't worry; the ending will satisfy your old-fashioned thoughts. It took me such a long time to write this. I knew what I wanted to say, but I couldn't figure out how to say it. Hopefully this lives up to your expectations. At the thought of how long this is going to be, I'll save the answers to most of the questions you asked to answer sometime in an e-mail. Oh, and you wanted to know how old I am: 17! Lol! I think that answers all the immediate questions. But thank you SO MUCH for all the long, detailed reviews—even if they did get cut short. Computers have a mind of their own. Thanks for all the compliments and criticisms. Maybe this story will be THE fic that everyone knows. Who knows? We'll just have to see…
Indigowolf: No, I think I was about ready to post this chapter and didn't have a name so I used Minamoto.
Sora's-evil-twin: Go ahead and rant. I'm a sucker for long reviews…
Inconnu: There'll be some more traditional stuff later.
Kuroi Black Nightingale: You won't find out till next chapter…
Money makes me smile: Trigonometry is the branch of math that ties in geometry and algebra. It's like the course right before calculus. It's evil too…
Starr-lover: Thanks! Actually, I have –counts- five sorato stories out now (six if you count that I only just finished "To the Highest Bidder" last month). It really isn't that hard for me to keep them separate. It's just something I can do. Sometimes I find myself using similar phrases or scenarios in the fics, but nothing too noticeable, expect to me.
Sorato-takari: There are 2 chapters left after this…
Princessstphanie: -blushes- Thanks!
JKWilliams: Thanks! I hope to see your stories updated sometime soon too!
Scorpion05: Sora only had to ask him out. The date takes place on Friday; she didn't have to squeeze it in on the same day. That would be hectic! Good luck on your exams!
And thanks to: Courtney, shadowcat, Mrs. Ishida-to-you, blondie121147, crazyamzy, Ballet Kitty, yamatoishida27, .I.Am.Lirin., Sapphire Dragons, Yvonne, daydreamer, DraugDae, Kazama Fangirl, Calare, thegreatwhitewolf, Moppy, animemistress419, r1za-cam1le, Only Secret, and RW Grimm.
DEDICATION: To Im4everaqt (aka I Lurv Digimon) and also to My Name is R.C. Thanks to both of you for all the help and advice and such you've given me!
Chapter 13: The Game that Plays Us
The bounce of the small green ball rapidly repeated itself if my ear. Louder and louder, gaining in speed and sound, intricately increasing in momentum. My pulse was racing, coinciding, it seemed, to the speed and power of the tennis ball.
I slammed the ball over the net, hitting it a bit too hard and causing it to reel out of bounds. Gwen tried to stop it, but failed, instead landing in a white heap on the court. "Wow, Sora. It's a good thing you didn't play like this in your match."
She stood up, brushing off her uniform skirt before serving the ball back to me. I chose not to respond, probably as I didn't hear her, too busy lost in my own ragged thoughts.
Tennis has long since been my escape, rescuing me form the real world, life's little games, and the problems and stress that reach their arms around me. Right now, a long relaxing game of tennis seemed like the best remedy to keep me from focusing on what I longed to. But did it work…no.
As I volleyed the ball right into the net, I'd come to the conclusion it was very much affecting my game. Every time I tried to return a hit, I'd think of him. Every time I tried to respond to a serve, I'd think of our upcoming date. Every time I tried to focus on the current game, I'd think of the crazy game we found ourselves in during class and how it has almost completely taken over my life.
Today is Friday, about an hour away from my date with Yamato yet I find myself here on the tennis courts getting my ass kicked. I just needed somewhere to come and think, sort out the conglomeration of thoughts running at full speed through my head, and get away from my problems.
Yet they still haunt me here.
Don't get me wrong; I'm not having any regrets or second thoughts about asking my blond best friend out. I'm more relieved than anything, along with anticipation about the date. But, there are so many new feelings I hadn't expected to come up, brought to life by our friends…
It started out simple. No one knew the two of us were going out together. I'm sure Mimi and Hikari could infer it, as they did push me to ask him, but they didn't know for sure when we were going.
Ms. Greene assigned our homework for the weekend, the last weekend of the class. "It's rather simple. I want you and your spouse to spend a night together with your children. Talk, reminisce, discuss this class…it'll all be of great help when you present your final project next week."
"What is our project?" Takeru demanded. "Won't it help us more if we know what we have to learn?"
She offered him an enigmatic smile. "That's the fun in it."
"For you maybe." He grumbled back.
Mimi's hand jetted up into the air. "Ms. Greene, I really don't have to spend time with Taichi, do I? I already have plans."
He glared at her. "Am I not good enough for Your Highness?"
She ignored him. "See what I have to deal with?"
"You know you love it."
They stuck their tongues out at each other, prompting laughter from the class and an irritated sigh from our teacher. "It will not kill you, Mimi, to change your plans and spend the evening with Taichi."
"Well, if I don't show up to class next week, you'll know what happened."
"Quit being such a drama queen!" Tai exclaimed. "If you're going to whine and complain so much—which, thankfully I only have to put up with for a few more days—then you can invite Koushiro and Gwen to hang out with us too. More for my sanity than yours."
"You are impossible."
"You are…"
Koushiro interrupted, saving us all from their bickering. "Gwen and I think that's a really good idea. Don't worry Ms. Greene, we'll get it all sorted out."
It was obvious our teacher was happy the problem was somewhat alleviated, at least for the time being. "The team exempt from this is the winner of Family Feud...Team No-Name." Cheers could be heard from the victorious team while everyone else let out some groans, exaggerated groans in Taichi and Mimi's case. "Everyone else, well, you know the drill." The bell rang, and everyone got up, voicing his or her opinion on the assignment.
"It'll be a piece of cake," Hikari explained. "We can all just hang out together tonight."
Mimi stared at Taichi. "That way I don't have to put up with him by myself all night."
"What do you have against me?" Taichi fumed. "I don't think I've heard a positive thing every come out of your mouth about me."
"And you think I hear any from you?"
"Well," he stated, "that's a different story. It's so easy and so much fun to antagonize you."
"Well it's so easy to antagonize you!"
"Fine!"
"Fine!"
It was Gwen who stepped up this time, knowing we'd all be late to class if this kept up. "Eight o'clock at Tai and Kari's sound good?"
It appeared compromise had worked. Everyone nodded their head—well, not everyone…
"Yamato, what's wrong?" His brother asked. "You and Sora will be there, right?"
He gave me a lopsided grin. "Actually, we have other plans already."
Mimi let out a squeal, forgetting about her ongoing war of words with Tai. "They're going out together! She really did ask him!"
The girl enveloped Hikari in a hug, both letting out excited—muffled—shouts of celebration. Oh great. Just stop celebrating. Don't say anything more…
"Am I the only one confused?" Koushiro wondered.
Tai shook his head. "Dude, this is way over my head."
"Care to elaborate?" Gwen replied.
No, don't say it…please for once keep your big mouth's shut…
"Yamato and Sora are finally going out!"
Tai's eyes grew wide in understanding. Koushiro was trying not to snicker. Gwen had a huge grin on her face. And Takeru was cracking up. "It took you two this long to finally get around to it. Jeez…"
"Just…shut up," I replied. "It's none of your business." I grabbed Yama's hand, pulling him in the direction of our next class.
"Hey, what's wrong?" He asked me, a bit startled by the pissed off look I so easily wore.
I sighed, getting us into the class just before the tardy bell signaled. "I just…I didn't…it would be better if they didn't know we were going out."
"Class, take your seats!" Our physics teacher demanded. "We're going to have a pop quiz…"
Yamato and I separated, pausing our conversation as we were more concerned about our test. The door opened. "…well, Mr. Yagami, come join us. We were just about to take a quiz…"
"Damn it!" I looked down at my racquet. My very nice, expensive racquet. My tournament wining racquet. My expensive game winning racquet with two broken strings now highlighting it.
Gwen walked over to my side of the court, sympathetic smile on her face. "You're just having some afternoon, aren't you?"
She gestured down to my knee. I had so gracefully fallen, diving for a very nice hit from Gwen but, as my mind was obviously not on the game, cut open my knee when I hit the court. I sighed. "It's looking that…"
"WAHHHHH!"
"…way." My head nearly fell to the ground as Megumi started screaming.
"I'd almost forgotten she was here. Koushiro has our child."
"Yama has Ryo. She was good up until now. I guess she has some sort of sensor that tells her to go off at the most inopportune moment."
Gwen laughed. "It appears that way." She glanced down at her watch and let out a curse. "Shit! I have to get going! I'm supposed to pick up some food for our little get together tonight."
"What time is it?" I cautiously asked.
"Six thirty. And…"
"Shit! I have to go!"
"Date with your soul mate?" She innocently asked. It was a phrase Taichi had penned earlier today, and I wanted nothing more than to never hear it again.
Biting my lip, I managed to gather everything I brought with me. "Have fun with the others, Gwen."
"I wanna hear all the gory details!" She catcalled as I went to cross the street.
I glared at her, walking down the crosswalk as fast as I could, Megumi in one hand and my beloved tennis racquet in the other. Due to the injury on my knee, I couldn't walk that fast, settling in the end for a cross between a slow speed walk and a limp.
People all over the streets were giving me odd looks. And it wasn't just for the way I was walking.
"Kids these days. If I ever thought of having a child when I was her age…"
"I wonder what her mother said."
"I would have disowned her if she was my daughter."
My feet stopped walking as if they were firmly planted in the cement below me. Turning, I faced the speaker of the last comment. "Look, lady, it's for a project at school. This baby isn't real."
She was shocked at my tone, facing her friend and murmuring, "And I would disown her if she had those manners as well."
I would have stayed to—most likely—yell at her, but I knew I didn't have the time. I started back down the street, heading in the direction of my apartment as fast as I could hobble.
Five minutes later I arrived. Yamato is going to be here in about twenty minutes, and I look like the Bride of Frankenstein. Battered and bruised, I climbed the steps, only to be stopped by another obstruction. "Hey Sora! You getting ready for your date with your soul mate?"
I groaned. "Taichi, I don't have time! Yamato's going to be here soon, and obviously I'm not ready."
"You look fine. Yama won't care if you're decked out in anything spectacular. Believe me."
"Have you not seen me?"
Tai chuckled. "I'm looking at you now, aren't I?"
"Ignore my last comment. Would you really want to go out with someone looking like this?"
"Dude, Sor. I'm a guy. I know how guys think. We love for a girl to look her best, but we want her to be as natural as she can too. She doesn't need to overdo it to look great. Looks are always a good thing, but it's more about personality and other stuff that attracts us."
"Taichi, that's nice to hear and all, but I'm BLEEDING and dirty."
"Oh," He finally understood, taking a glance at my knee. "Well, that merits a shower. But seriously, Sora. You don't need to doll yourself up for Yama. He likes…"
I threw my hands into the air, somehow managing to not drop everything I was holding. "Did you really think I was going to spend hours on my appearance? Tai, I really need to go take a shower and get ready. I wish you guys would stop gushing and Yama and my love life or lack of one!"
I hadn't meant to sound that blunt and rude, but I could tell that's the way my best friend interpreted it. "Oh, well then…I'll…I'll just let you go."
"Taichi, wait!" He stopped walking to his apartment at the sound of my voice. "I'm sorry for yelling at you. I've just had a really stressful day and…"
"It's cool, Sor. I know how you feel; it's very understandable. Go get yourself ready for your date with lover boy and have fun." He leaned over to give me a hug. "Just don't do anything I wouldn't do."
I finally succeeded in smiling, laughing even, knowing it had just made Tai's day. "Bye dork."
I rushed up the last set of stairs, well aware that time was not in my favor. I'm probably going to be lucky if I can get a five minute shower in. Unlocking the door, I sprinted into my apartment, hastily tossing everything on the table—with the exception of actually setting Megumi's carrier down—and then made a beeline for the bathroom.
The water began to heat up, but it didn't get there fast enough for my tastes. I climbed in, cringing as a barrage of icy liquid pelted my body. Gradually the temperature increased until it went from feeling like a glacier to a volcano.
It felt so good and had I not been in the situation I was, thinking about Yamato, or so worried, I would have stayed to enjoy it. But the clock on the wall brought me back to reality. Why was I cursed with the unfortunate fate of always running late?
Shutting the water off, I became a mad woman. I don't think I've ever moved that fast before in my life. I dressed in a new ruffled turquoise skirt—yeah, skirt, who would've ever thought—that I'd just gotten. My top consisted of a white camisole with a cute little blue wrap sweater overtop of it.
I blow dried my hair, trying to go as fast as possible. At the same time, I plugged in my straightener, hoping it would heat up in enough time to tame my hair. Finally, my red mess was dry, but the straightener wasn't ready. I nervously paced around the bathroom. 6:55, he's going to be here really soon.
Now with only five minutes remaining, I was starting to worry. I tend not to be this scared and nervous, but I just can't keep myself from it right now. The way that my day has been going just seems like it's going to parallel my date with Yamato. It's really starting to scare me. I'm not normally a superstitious person, but I'm just getting this odd feeling at the moment and…
"Ouch!" I touched the straightener to see if it was hot enough. Apparently it is.
Placing my hand under the running water of the sink, I could feel a blister beginning to form. Great, just great. This really has not been a good…
"WAHHHHHH!"
…day…
I rushed out into the kitchen, hearing my darling little girl crying again. She's been incredibly moody lately, for a doll at least. The last time I had her, she hardly ever cried. But now, it's as if she's trying to torture me. And she's winning.
KNOCK! KNOCK!
He's here. Oh, God. I'm not even close to ready. Placing the crying Megumi in my left hand—the hand that hadn't gotten burnt—I composed myself the best I could before walking to the door.
"Sor, is everything alright? I heard crying."
"Can you see what's wrong? I need to finish getting ready."
His eyes searched mine, moving down to study my body and attire. "You look…"
"…please, Yama?"
"Okay."
He walked in, offering Megumi the bottle next to her carrier while I rushed into the bathroom once more, intent upon finishing as quickly as possible. I straightened my hair, deciding to do nothing to it, and then speed walked into my room, picking up my blue flip flops.
"Yamato, I'm ready. Sorry, I've just been…Ouch!"
Why me?
He set down the now silent doll and quickly headed to where I was standing, now inspecting my knee. "Sora, what happened?"
"I cut it when I was playing tennis with Gwen." Damn table. I guess I do have the habit of running into inanimate objects.
Thankfully my skirt went just above my knees and none of the blood managed to find its way there. I walked over to the cupboard, grabbing band aids and some disinfectant. "Here, let me."
"It's fine. I can do it myself." I snapped.
The blonde's eyes widened, a bit surprised by my outburst. "Okay…"
"I'm sorry, Yamato." I looked at him, hurt evident in his eyes. How much apologizing am I going to do in one day? "Things have just been crappy for me today. School was horrible and the afternoon hasn't been much better."
"Don't worry about it. We'll have fun tonight and make you forget all about your troubles."
A smile lit up on my face. "Thanks, Yama. Hopefully we will. And hopefully the two of them will behave for us." My smile faltered as I looked at the doll he'd brought with him and the one I had. "Your dad couldn't watch them?"
He snickered. "Dad refused to watch them. I think he's been traumatized for life after watching them during your tennis match."
"My parents are at a dinner party with some of dad's associates. Sometimes I think they have more of a social life then we do."
"I've been thinking the same thing. Well, how about we get going? These two can't be that bad. We'll get through it."
"So where are we going?" Though I'd asked him out, he made all the reservations, refusing to let me know where we were headed.
"It's…"
"…a surprise. I know. Just tell me, am I dressed well enough for the place we're going?"
An adorable grin grazed his features. "Do I look that dressed up?"
I studied his outfit. He was wearing a pair of faded blue jeans and a green long-sleeved button down shirt. Nothing too dressy or casual at the same time. It was just in the middle, seemingly perfect on him. "Not especially,"
"Well, there's your answer." He picked up Ryo and opened the door for me. "But you look…wow."
A blush doused my cheeks. "I take it you approve. Let's go…"
Fifteen minutes later, we arrived at the surprise place. It was one of the nicer restaurants in our area, but not a place considered too formal. Or so I thought.
"Can I help you?" The man at the front desk asked.
"Yes, sir. I have reservations under the name Ishida."
"Ishida…Ishida…ah, here we are. Right this…" He paused in the middle of his thought. "No children are allowed inside the restaurant."
I showed Megumi to the man. "She's a doll. We have to take them with us for a school project."
"Nonetheless, we can't bend the rules for just anyone. If we did that, customers would demand that we let them bring their children."
"It's okay, sir. We'll just…"
"They're just dolls," I interrupted. "What's the harm in bringing them in?"
"WAHHHHH!" It was Ryo this time, letting off a banshee cry, as if knowing it would ruin our chances.
The man looked at me. "I'd say that is the harm. I'm sorry, but the two of you and your children must leave."
"They're dolls. Not children!" I exclaimed, noticing a few other people watching us.
"Come on, Sor. Let's go. There's no reason to stay here."
Yama nearly had to drag me outside. "That guy was a jerk."
The blond stared at me. "Well, he can't exactly go changing his policy."
I sighed, pausing to take a long deep breath. "I know. I'm being stupid and stubborn. I really have had a bad day."
He smiled, wrapping his free arm around my shoulders. "Well, then we're going to go somewhere to relax. I know this place that has great sushi. We can get some and then go eat at the park. No one will disturb us there."
I smiled up at him. "I hope so…"
"I don't know what's wrong with kids these days."
"I bet their parents nearly died when they found out she was pregnant."
"Two kids! There's no way they can afford to take care of them."
So much for the park being a place of refuge. No sooner had we got there, found a nice place to sit under the large oak tree I love, and began to talk and enjoy our supper, the scathing comments found their way into our ear range.
I tried my best to ignore them; really, I did. I've heard people—namely being children or teenagers—say rude things to me before, and I managed to keep my tongue in check. But I couldn't help it now.
"They're freaking dolls! They're not our actual children."
"Excuse me," One old lady replied as she and her friend stopped before us.
"What she means to say," Yamato was somehow able to hold his temper in, "is that they are dolls for a class we are taking at school. We have to take them with us. They aren't real nor are they our children."
The woman stared at him. "Well, thank goodness." She answered before walking off.
I stared down at the uneaten rice ball before me, suddenly losing my appetite. I can't believe I'm getting so worked up over everything. This normally never happens to me. My eyes found Yamato's, and I knew he was completely freaked out.
Something I had forgotten about the blond that I really should have remembered came flashing into my head. He's commitment phobic…afraid of commitment. It's a characteristic male trait; it seems all males have some sort of fear of it, ranging from miniscule to incredibly terrified. Yamato fits in on the far side of the spectrum, somewhere in the area of vary wary.
It goes back to the days of his parents' divorce. He never took it that well back then, but as he got older, gradually began to understand more. Yet he's never lost that fear that what happened to his parents could possibly happen to him. It's been that way with all the girls he'd dated, though nothing has ever gotten too serious. All his relationships have been casual, flirtatious, and with no inkling of any future, almost like our own relationship up to this point. But now, I want something more with him. I'm yearning for a future. And I don't know what he wants.
Yama's never one to open up very quickly. He'd rather take things slowly, not overdo anything for fear of being hurt or hurting someone close to him.
And right now, I think I'm doing more to push his fearful feelings into the open then drive them away.
"I'm sorry for being such a bitch today." I apologized for what seemed like the hundredth time.
He offered me a weak smile, finishing off a piece of sushi. "I'll admit, I wasn't expecting you to act like this today, but we all have our off days, right?"
"I wanted tonight to be special…something different than normal."
"Well it is, isn't it?"
I pulled my knees to me. "With the way I've been acting, I don't think so."
We were both silent for a moment, gathering our thoughts. More people walked by on the winding trail through the park, often pausing to comment about our "kids". Yamato was starting to look a bit more scared, and I had a feeling a lot of it was coming from things I've said.
I told myself to breathe, forget about the others around me. "They're not real. Just dolls for a class at school." The explanation stood for those who stopped to gawk, apparently satisfying their hunger for gossip and news about it.
"See, now there's the normal, Sora. You know how to keep yourself grounded and not let your temper overwhelm you. That's one of the reasons I love you…"
My eyes shot up from the peacefully sleeping Megumi. "What…what did you say?"
"I…I didn't say anything." He stuttered, nervousness clear in his voice. He was shaking as if very afraid. But I knew what I heard.
"Yes, you did. You…you just said that you love me." I looked at him hopefully.
"No I didn't!" He exclaimed. "I don't love you…I…I don't."
Yamato was completely freaked out, repeating the phrase. I felt my heart break in two, shattering into millions of tiny pieces with each repeated denial. Tears began to fall, and I tried to reason with him. "Yamato, you're just freaked out by…"
"I have to go." He shot up, grabbing Ryo and dashing out of the park as fast as his legs would carry him.
"Yamato!" I cried, pleading with him to turn around. "Yamato? Come back." Tears dripped down my face. Megumi, as if sensing the distress I was in, began to scream, echoing into the now empty park. Our sobs joined together, growing louder it seemed. I collapsed onto the ground, shoulders heaving. He had been so scared by all my fears and anger that he denied something we both knew he admitted. And now, that could have ruined it for us, everything from a chance at a relationship to our friendship. The realization hit me like a thousand bricks.
I pushed him away.
It's all my fault…
A/N: Please review, and no death threats to the authoress! 2 more chapters to go!