The Game of Life
By theladyknight
Disclaimer: Digimon—not mine!
Game Master and Wishinstahhz: First off, thank you for taking all that time to go back and review even though you've already read this before. Money received as prizes is a one-time thing; their salary is their yearly profit. Glad you like it…
Kazama Fangirl: Before I say anything, I want to say thank you. Thank you for putting up with this story even though you're not always happy with it. Your reviews—the criticisms—encourage me more than anything to develop my skills and make this story the best it can be. The crying part with be explained in the first few paragraphs. I really wish I hadn't written the whole "breaking into pieces thing". You're right; Sora is sensible. She understands Yamato…I'll delve deeper into that in here. As to the Michi…I really do like the pairing. I've tried to insert it where I can, but it doesn't always work out. I tried my best to put some in this chapter…
My Name is R.C: Awe, thanks. Sora is not the damsel in distress in here. In fact, she's back in her apartment by the first sentence…
Sorato4evaLove…:Your name is long. Lol. I'm glad you like them.
I Lurv Digimon:I tried to send you back the reply, but it won't let me. I keep getting these "delivery failed" e-mails. As to why (not talking about the e-mails anymore), I offer another explanation, though yours made perfect sense too. Child Development is supposed to be a breeze. It's not supposed to hard like Physics or anything. Ms. Greene knows that and is trying to change it. She's trying to adapt them to the things they'll face after school—with the exception of some of the games. Sora's human, and it seemed only normal to have an off day and mad. Nope, you nailed my thoughts on Sora, along with her having a bad day. Thanks for a long review.
A Hopeless Romantic:That's what I was trying to get across…
StarDust002: Long chapter? Ha…-looks at word count- Is 7,000 words long enough? –Looks at word count again- 7,000? Good Lord…
Inconnu: Don't worry, I believe you're female. Yeah, death threats aren't cool…
And thanks to: gftyf, Crystal Luna Starr, Yume-dream, animemistress419, raven-313, Kuroi Black Nightingale, Yvonne, teehee, .I.Am.Lirin., sorato-takari, Moppy, yamatoishida27, Happybunnyroxmysox, shadowcat, Ballet Kitty, scorpion05, Calare, Darkladyxion959, Karone-Sakura, nickygirl, Chick Gurlas, money makes me smile, Syl Sylver, KoumiLoccness, thegreatwhitewolf, Only Secret, RiaSternchen, blondie121147, Miranda, Mrs. Ishida-to-you, Princessstphanie, sapphire dragons, and indigowolf.
Chapter 14: Reading of the Wills
The monotone tick of the grandfather clock filled the air, occasionally drowned out by the still falling rain. I stared longingly at the timepiece while I sat in the cozy recliner in my living room. Perhaps the hands of time can turn back around, giving me the chance to rectify the situation I find myself in.
But at the same time, I cannot help but wonder. Could, though it could never be an option unless I lived in the Harry Potter (Not mine!) universe, traveling back to earlier in the day do any good?
Fifteen minutes ago, I sat in the park, drenching wet, tears dripping down my face, and hearing Megumi's wails drown out all sound around me. What was wrong with that scene?
Thankfully it didn't take long for my senses to kick in.
Why was I crying? Why was I just sitting there on my ass? Why didn't I go after Yamato and fix things right away?
Crying has never solved any problems for me. I learned that lesson quite a long time ago and usually don't cry over many things—with the obvious exceptions, of course. This time, though seemingly large, really wasn't worth crying over. But I found myself doing it there.
Why?
My reply would have to be shock. I know very well that I wasn't imagining what Yamato told me. He and I both know that. Goodness knows how many hints he's been dropping both before and during the project, culminating by saying those three little words.
It was just the flat-out unexpected shock of him staying his last statement. He was afraid; he and I knew that too. But it was the action of saying the words. Hearing the retraction repeated over and over again was not something I expected. I knew Yama hadn't really meant them. There was too much proof against that.
His tone and attitude only added to the effect the words gave me. Yamato was freaked out, and his response was that as well: nervous, harsh, defensive, and scared. Human tendency made me cry.
But then my senses and good judgment came back.
Brushing the last lingering tears from my eyes, I rose. Megumi was the first task. I had her quieted in no time, placing the bottle in her mouth and burping her. One of the perks of having her around all the time was knowing for what reason she tends to cry most of the time.
I gathered my remaining things. With my daughter in one hand and other materials in the opposite, I began to return home to sort out my thoughts and come up with a plan of action…
Around that time, sitting in front of the large clock, my rationale was nearly complete. I had a bad day; everyone gets them. I'm not characteristically myself on those days. But don't I have the right to be? It seems only…human…to become crabby and grumpy should you experience everything I went through.
It's easy to see why Yama freaked out on me. Quite honestly, I don't blame him one bit. My attitude resurfaced some of his old fears. Though I should have been able to keep my cool in the situations I faced and not responded to some statements the way I did, I just lost it. The stress of this game, approaching finals, and everyone assuming Yamato and I were "soul mates" did me in.
I could see him scared after some of my comments. It was something I knew about Yamato and knowing it, I should have stopped myself when I had the chance. But my mood was controlling my actions. Still, though, while I knew that about Yamato, he should have known the same about me. We've known each other for so long that we know normal behaviors and idiosyncrasies about the other. He knows how I normally act. He knew the way my day was going. He shouldn't have run. But I shouldn't have overdone it. I'm so confused!
The major conflict I now reside in—now that both Megumi and my tears have disappeared, gone and not coming back (at least in my case), and we find ourselves alone in the apartment—is what to do. My blond "husband" finally admitted something I've been hoping to hear him say, or gather the courage to tell him, for such a long time. But even though we both knew what he said, he still ran.
How are we going to get through this? What are we going to do?
Most importantly, how are we going to save our friendship from being destroyed? He really hurt me by saying that, but I know I scared him by my behavior. Is there any inkling we can be together, not just stay friends?
Yama and I are both sensible people. We've had our share of fights, both in and out of the class and project, yet we've managed to overcome them. He and I get each other; it's as simple as that. We have such a strong friendship to let it get crushed by an argument like this. Maybe my optimism is going to come through right now.
At first when he said he didn't love me, and after repeating it, it seemed like I'd been hit by a tidal wave. My heart felt like it had taken a blow, hit hard by a metal bat. But now that I really think about it, sitting down, not letting my emotions or anger control me, I realize it's not broken. Yamato and I can get through this. He knows that I understand what happened. He knows I'm not to going to sit back and let this pass through. He knows.
I've always been a strong-minded and willed person, and I'm not going to stop now. Sitting back, waiting for Yamato to make the first move will get me nowhere. I need to talk to him soon.
But there's one call I need to make first. Too bad it's 11:30 on a Friday night. I won't be a bother even though I want to talk to someone first before addressing the blond. I'll have to wait till tomorrow…
"This is Ayami Tanaka speaking."
"Ayami, it's Sora."
"Sora, hi! How are you?"
It was another dreary day weather-wise. The rain had continued, seemingly picking up in force and vigor. Today is the kind of day you either want to stay inside for or go out and play in the rain. The latter is one of my favorite things to do, but it's always a hundred times more fun when you have another person or persons with you.
So I found myself inside, not with the intention to mope or cry—how are either of those options going to help anything—but on the phone with, hopefully, someone who can pass on a few words of wisdom.
"I've seen better days."
She was silent for a moment. "Sora, I have a client in right now. Can I call you back sometime soon?"
"Of course," As much as I wanted her guidance now, I could wait. I have nothing else to do today anyway. I need time to gather my thoughts and ideas before talking to Yamato. Sometimes it's good just to jump in and let your heart and mind speak for you, but it isn't the right approach this time.
"Talk to you later."
"Bye."
My normal demeanor had returned overnight. It usually does in instances like yesterday. Don't get me wrong; I'm feeling a bundle of emotions after last night. Confusion, shock, pain, and sadness are still quelled up in my heart, but the feeling of hope and believing Yamato and I can work through this overpower all the rest.
I really do think Yama and I have a chance for a future and can work out what happened. It's just a matter of time now.
About an hour later, around eleven a.m., Ayami returned the call. "Sora, I'm sorry I couldn't talk when you called."
"It's perfectly okay. I needed the time to figure out how I can explain things."
"Go ahead; talk away."
"Well, I asked Yama out, and he said yes." Slowly I explained everything, starting first with the points leading up to the date during the weekdays and then finally launching into an explanation of all the events of yesterday.
When I was finished, she was silent once again, most likely registering everything I told her. "That's…wow. I'm really sorry, Sora."
"So am I, Ayami. Yamato and I both hold the blame for it. I'm just kind of scared about the effect this could leave on our friendship or any type of relationship between us, for that matter. We both know he admitted to loving me…"
"How are you going to go about your relationship should the two of you work things out and end up together?"
I plopped down on the couch, a heavy sigh escaping my lips. "That's another question altogether. Even though he's said those words and I'm pretty sure I feel the same, I don't want to rush us. Jumping from friendship to love isn't like waving a magic wand. Things take time."
We talked for the next twenty minutes, discussing what means I could take to solve my problem and talk to Yamato. Ayami told me of an experience in her life with her father. He had abandoned the family after she was born and come back years later. "I was never able to forgive him. There was always a wall between us, hindering our relationship. He worked hard to try and fix our relationship, but I pushed him away. It never hit me how important he was to me until he died of a heart attack two years ago."
It was my turn to offer up condolences, but she quickly brushed them away. "Don't let that happen to you. Just talk to Yamato. It sounds like the two of you are very smart people. I know you can figure it out."
"Thanks." A weak smile was emerging on my face from the talk as I turned to look out the window. The sun was shining, as if paralleling my changing mood. "I don't know for sure how we'll figure it out. Maybe our class project will provide an opportunity…"
"Why are the desks like this, Ms. Greene?"
The bell had just rung, and everyone entered the Child Development room a bit puzzled by the set-up. It was our third to last day of this class, and after sitting through the long, dull finals in our other morning classes, believe me when I say I was very much looking forward to this class and Ms. Greene's antics.
"Well, as the seniors are all done on Wednesday, the game is coming to an end. That means that married life is approaching its end as well. Our final project, though in real life it would be one you complete with your spouse, is going to be an individual one. Everyone take a seat, and I'll explain it."
My classmates and I were all eager to hear her explanation. As there were no assigned desks, it was a mad dash for the back of the room—even though it's a fun class, the seats in the back are always treasured. I sat down in the middle half between Hikari and Mimi. Leaning back in my seat, I began to shiver. Someone was watching me. I tilted my head as discreetly as possible, already certain I knew the person doing it. Only one person can give me that look.
Yamato was on the other side of the room, seemingly the farthest seat away from mine. He caught my eyes looking back into his and turned his head away. He'd been ignoring me all morning, fleeing from sight, making up some sort of imaginary—or real—excuse to leave if I came near him. But, quite honestly, I'd been ignoring him too. I know! I know! I shouldn't be ignoring him! I should have already talked to him and sorted things out. I just lost a little bit of my confidence as the day went on.
Just seeing Yama in the hall, stoical and more reserved than normal, very un-Yamato like—well, he hasn't acted like that since the year his parents divorced—should have made me run over there. But it didn't. Perhaps it was guilt, perhaps something unknown. I just couldn't face him.
Yet.
Seeing him now and the look of internal anguish, well, maybe that's being a bit melodramatic, he gave me…I know I have to talk to him soon. This is driving us both crazy.
"The reason I have for wanting you all to do this on your own is to get a sense of the ideas and insights you gained from this class. The things you learned to appreciate and the things you despised."
"It might help if you told us what exactly we're doing." Tai called out.
"Patience," Ms. Greene smiled at him. "You all will be writing out a will to be read out loud in front of the class tomorrow. As wills are a topic across the globe and usually a key thing people will do near the end of their life, they mark a fitting end for this game. You will each assemble a will. Mandatory in this will is references to your children and spouse."
Oh great…wait a minute…this could be the opportunity I was looking for.
"You can also make references to friends and other people. There's no designated length, but I ask that each of you offer up an explanation as to why you give someone something. For example, Takeru could say that he leaves his baseball cards to his children because someday they will be huge fans just like he is. These reasons will be based on both fact and speculations. In my last example, we don't know for sure that T.K.'s child likes baseball. It's just a guess."
Murmurs of acceptances traveled through the class. A project like this will be easy, a hundred times better than any test or written paper. And this could work out in my favor as well.
"You have the rest of the period to work. Final copies will need to be turned in after you present your will tomorrow. Everyone," she placed heavy emphasis on the word, "will have to go tomorrow. No one is going on Wednesday. We'll be turning things in on Wednesday, including your children." More cheers. "And, as a special treat, you all will NOT have to take your children home anymore. Consider that part of the task done."
"Free at last! Free at last!" Tai led the cheers for that proposition. I had to smile. Megumi and Ryo weren't the best children at all times, but I think I learned a lot from them. This project, wrapping up such a memorable game, seemed to make the whole class happy. Well, that and the school year winding down.
Mimi, Hikari, Gwen, and I pulled our desks together. The class was splitting up into different groups of friends to work, or more likely gossip. Yamato and the guys were all over by his desk.
"Sora how was your date with your soul mate?" Gwen teased.
The others gathered in closer, wanting to hear the juice. I thought back to something Mimi had said last week. Something about being a monkey's uncle if Yama didn't return the feelings. I'd love to call her that, but he did return the feelings before freaking out.
"It's none of your guys' business."
"Come on, did he kiss you?"
I glared at the persistent females. "Ladies, I would like to tell you, but it's between Yamato and me."
Kari's eyes lit up. "Did…did something happen that we should know about?"
"You two didn't sleep together, did you?" Mimi's eyes widened as she turned in her chair to glance at the blond. "That would explain why you're avoiding each other. Oh my God. I can't believe it!"
I furiously shook my head, face becoming a cherry tomato. "Mimi, keep it down! Yama and I didn't do that. It's…complicated. None of you need to get involved."
Gwen bit her lip in frustration. "Come on, Sora, you know you can trust us."
"I know that, but like I said, it's between Yama and me. I'd rather not have you pry for details from either of us, particularly Yamato. Just leave it alone. He and I are going to talk some things over."
"You're pregnant, aren't you?"
My face fell into my hands. She just wouldn't give up. "For the last time, Mimi, Yamato and I didn't have sex. Nothing like that happened. Just leave it alone…"
The bell rang, and I gathered my things, very happy I could get away from the girls. I love them all to death, but they refused to stop pestering me about what happened. Taichi was standing by the door waiting for me. Yamato was nowhere in sight.
"Sora, I don't know what the hell happened between you and Yamato over the weekend, but you had better do something about it. Quickly. I haven't seen him this moody and somber for a very long time. It's going to drive me insane if the two of you don't get to the bottom of whatever happened."
I made a motion to interrupt, but he kept me from doing so. "Sora, I told Yamato the same thing. I'm on no one's side. He only told me that your date didn't go as it should have. I told him that if he hurts you, he'll live to regret it. And now I'm going to tell you the same thing. Hurt him, and you will not want to talk to me. You two are my best friends. I'm trying to look out for you and…"
"Taichi, I'm touched that you're there for us. I'm being sincere too. Yama and I just had a misunderstanding. It hurt us both; we'd both admit it. But it's between the two of us. I know we can work through it, and we're going to try and salvage our relationship. I want you to believe that too."
"Sor, if anyone can work through some differences, it's the two of you. You've been friends for so long not to be able to. But what kind of relationship? Platonic or romantic?"
I smiled at him, pulling out my Physics notebook to get some last minute cramming done before part one of our three part final. Hesitating, as I was still unsure of the answer, I finally spoke up, "Taichi, I promise you that by tomorrow, you and Yamato will know what my answer is."
With the confused brunette staring at me, I walked into Physics…
"Taichi, I think you'll be our next…victim…as no one will volunteer."
Tomorrow had come too fast. I sat in my temporary desk, knuckles white, shaking in anticipation and fear. My will sat on the desk, folded, lying unopened before me, and the moment of truth was quickly approaching. But Tai came first.
He walked to the front of the room, a bit unsure of what he was doing. Ms. Greene gave him an encouraging smile. Taichi wasn't the first to go; there had already been three others "volunteered" to go first. He cleared his throat, ready to begin.
"Um, I, Taichi Yagami, here in writing, offer up my will for. First, to my wife Mimi Tachikawa Yagami, I leave all money in my name and the wish of good heath and a future. Though our marriage was never really strong…okay, strong doesn't begin to describe it. It was a mess! Chaos! Pandemonium! Complete and utter…"
"Please continue on, Mr. Yagami. I think you'll need a thesaurus if you really wanted to continue."
He turned a light shade of pink. "My bad. Where was I? Oh yeah…well even though neither of us expected to be married to each other, we stood it out, managing to avoid divorce in the process. Who would have ever thought?"
"Not me," I heard Mimi mutter from my left, smile forming on her face.
"Well, Meems, it was real and really weird, but I still had a good time with you. Oh, and I leave the house to you too. Do whatever you want with it. I might end up regretting that when I say it, but remember, I can very easily come back to haunt you. Keep that in mind when you choose to change everything to some shade of pink."
I looked over to my pink-haired friend, seeing the smile grow. Clearly she wasn't expecting him to say something along those lines.
"To my daughter, Sakura, I leave my soccer things and my hope that she'll continue on the tradition of being skilled in that field. But then again, she is my daughter so…"
"Mr. Yagami, please stay on task."
"Sorry again. To my sister Hikari goes my car. I'd give mine to Mimi, but it's not pink. And I think Kari could probably use another car anyway."
A light chuckle escaped my classmates' mouths as Tai continued on, now looking as cool as a cucumber. "T.K., who in this game is my brother-in-law— but he'll be that in real life too, eventually — I offer you all my old school supplies and notebooks. I NEVER used them, but I have a feeling a future writer could put them all to good use."
Who knew Tai could be so suave? And sweet? And sincere? No wonder he and I have been such great friends over the years.
"Koushiro and Gwen…computer games. They just seemed fitting for the two of you."
"And finally to my two best friends, Yamato and Sora."
The blond and I, still sitting across the room from each other, locked eyes. I think we both knew what was coming, particularly if it was anything like the talk he gave us each yesterday. "To the two of you, I leave a hope for the future. I'd offer an explanation, but the two of you are well aware of what I'm alluding too. Oh, and as for material possessions, I'm leaving you each some cash. I figure it's the least I can do as I'll be a rich political ambassador and the two of you…" Ms. Greene cleared her throat very noticeably. "Gotcha, Ms. G! Oh, and I also donate Mimi's time and talent to be a babysitter for your twins. She'd just love to do that. And this is my will."
I could tell he had no idea how to end it. He completely pulled that out of this butt. But is sounded good. I have a feeling that's going to be one of our teacher's favorite wills of the whole day. It looks like Taichi will be passing after all.
Ms. Greene led the applause. One by one, everyone joined in, causing the brunette to take a long bow. "Taichi, if you would now go sit down by your child." Our teacher aimlessly pointed over to the corner where all the dolls were lined up. "Your spouse will join you there when she is done."
"Okay," he saluted, large grin overtaking his features. As he passed me, his smirk grew bigger. "I'm done with this class!"
I shook my head as a small smile formed on my own face. My mind then drifted to my will and the words I had written. I'd spent a good three hours working on it amid the studying I was doing last night yet it was maybe two minutes long at the most.
I put my heart and soul into it, trying my absolute best from making anything sappy and corny; that's what took so long. It was a Herculean task, one that was proved by my now overflowing wastebasket full of discarded drafts. I attempted to transfer every feeling I had into the writing, and, truthfully, I don't think it turned out too horribly. But I guess we'll just see what Yamato thinks about it.
At first I thought it would be easy. But then I realized that I needed to make it vague enough that not everyone would understand, and of course, for my own sake, keep the fluff out of it. Every now and then I could tolerate it. I don't think I was even able to keep in entirely out of the will, particularly in the section about Yama. But I did my best. And I wanted to keep it general because I was reading it in front of the others. No one, with the exception of Yamato and I, know what happened. Heck, hardly anyone knew Yamato and I were going out. I know Tai and the others had been gossiping about it for the past twenty-four hours, though, and were desperately trying to get to the bottom of it.
Apparently from what I've heard, Yamato didn't leak out many details either. They were, and would remain, completely in the dark.
Ms. Greene sighed. "Well, four wills down. Do we have ANY volunteers or do I have to choose again?"
Silence.
"None? Then..."
"I'll do it."
I really need to keep my thoughts to myself. "Thank you, Sora. The floor is all yours."
My feet managed to stand; though I felt my nerves kick in, making me a bit shaky on my legs. I slowly moved to the front of the room taking a deep breath. It's now or never. I can do this. I need to do this. My crimson eyes searched around the room on a quest for some sort of comfort. And I thought Taichi was unsure.
Well, here it goes. At least the generic opening Ms. Greene made sure we all included will turn out well.
"Go ahead, Sora." She offered me a comforting smile and with another deep, calming breath, I began to speak.
"I, Sora Takenouchi Ishida, here in writing, offer up my will. First and foremost, I leave Taichi Yagami all my old soccer materials and collectables. I know you'll put them to good use and go far with them in life. You're my best friend, and I wouldn't trust anyone else with some of the things I have."
The bushy brunette gave me a thumbs up from his seat on the floor next to the dolls. So far, so good.
"To Mimi, I give my closest of clothes, including those unreleased to the public. As a fashion designer, I'd have some of the best clothes. I can think of no one else but you who should get them and use all of them."
She looked like she could run up and hug me. I knew it was the perfect gift for her, and frankly, it was one of the only things other than money I could think of for her. My mind was too busy concentrating on what I was writing for the blond. "To Takeru and Hikari Takaishi. I leave the two of you a considerable sum of money to fund any of your dreams and help out with family expenses. Never give up on anything you set your mind too."
My nerves were beginning to calm. While writing this was not easy, giving the speech felt like a huge burden had been freed from my heart. I really needed to do this.
"Koushiro and Gwen," I continued after seeing the two younger teens smile. "Koushiro, I know you've been jealous of some of the computer software I have. It's yours now. Gwen, you are amazing at tennis, and I offer you all my old equipment and the likes."
"Thanks, Sor!" she couldn't help but answer, setting off a stream of laughter.
"To my two beautiful children Ryo and Megumi, I bequeath my money, house, and legacy. Carry on a strong family tradition."
"And finally…finally to my husband, Yamato. To you I give the strongest, most sincere gift I can offer: my heart."
Silence filled the room. I could tell everyone was wondering if there was an underlying meaning behind the phrase. I glanced in the blonde's direction, finding his cerulean orbs locked with mine. Don't get lost in them.
At least I know I have his attention; now I just have to stay focused.
"Yama, I don't know what more I can offer you other than my regret for what happened. I can only hope you understand what I am alluding to, and it is my hope that you accept my gift." I took a deep, lasting breath. "That concludes my will."
Ms. Greene started the clapping once more, and others gradually joined in. Yamato was sitting there, eyes still on me, remaining stagnant. He made no motion of happiness, anger, or confusion.
Great, it appears that just backfired on me.
"Creative approach, Sora, particularly with the last part. Please go join your children. Alright, does anyone else want to volunteer or am I going to randomly select people again?" I headed to where Megumi and Ryo were stationed, noticing Taichi give me a rather noticeable wink.
"I'll go, Ms. Greene."
Snickers arose as people wondered what the reaction would be. "Go Yamato!"
The blond smirked at Taichi who, go figure, was the speaker. "I, Yamato Ishida, here in writing, offer up my will. Takeru, my adorable little brother," Tai snickered again, "you've got my musical abilities—but only to some extent—so you've got my musical instruments. Hikari, my sister-in-law, as an astronaut, I will have plenty of documents, charts, and contraptions dealing with space. As a teacher, I think these might all come in handy for you."
The two smiled up at him, each content with the gifts he awarded to them. "To Mimi and Taichi, I leave both of you some money. Mimi, you deserve millions for being able to put up with Tai and his appetite. Use some of the money to buy food and cooking supplies and use some of it to treat yourself to a gift. Taichi, your money can fund whatever leisure activities you choose to partake in. Hopefully the two of us are still hanging out at that age, and we can use some of it to go down to the arcade and game places so I can beat your butt at them."
"You wish, Yamato. You only wish."
"Yamato…" Ms. Greene offered a warning notice.
"Sorry. To Koushiro and Gwen, I too bequeath some computer games. What can I say? Koushiro, I know of your love for computers, and with these games, you and your wife can have some time together."
Ms. Greene was smiling, obviously getting a kick out of that gift, making note of it on the paper she had. "Ryo and Megumi, my twins, keep up the Ishida name. I offer you my money, cars, and strong tradition. The future only looks bright for the two of you."
He paused before continuing on. "And to my wife, Sora…"
I took a deep breath, holding it in in anticipation for his response. Come on, Yama…
"Sora, I was stupid. I let my fears get to me, something I should have gotten over by now. I ask for a chance…I'm sure you know what I mean. We don't have to be perfect like everyone expects us to be. As long as I'm around you, I'll be happy."
A small smile again formed on my face. Our senses sure did return. Now, we just need to talk together, not in front of a class of twenty-two other students and one teacher. "To you I leave old photographs full of memories of the past to keep a smile on your face in addition to the money and house. That is my will."
Silence was becoming very common in our classroom. Suddenly, whispers sprouted out, as if a bunch of loud noisy birds were in the room. "Very well done, Yamato." Ms. Greene said through the now loud class. Everyone was trying to decipher the hidden meaning in our messages to each other.
No one was too dense. I could tell they knew something had happened between the two of us, and we were seeking to start anew. Oh well, what they don't know will definitely not kill them.
With a nod to our teacher, knowing what she was going to tell him, the blond headed over to where I was sitting. "Any volunteers?" Everyone was quiet once again with no takers. "Okay, as your husband has already gone, why don't we hear from you, Mimi?"
The girl stood up and moved to the front. But I wasn't paying attention to her.
Yamato slowly slid down against the wall, sitting down next to me. I looked up into his gorgeous eyes. "I'm sorry,"
"Sor, it was as much my fault as yours." Yamato whispered the words, afraid of anyone else hearing. But we didn't have to worry as they were all listening to Mimi speak. "It was stupid of me to freak out like that."
I shook my head. "No it wasn't. The fears you hold are completely understandable. I knew that then and now. I didn't react the way I should have, even if I was having a bad day."
We were both silent for a moment, gathering our thoughts. Mimi's voice carried in the background. "I give all my clothes and jewelry to my wonderful daughter, Sakura. I know she'll be beautiful and charming in the future. I just hope she doesn't have Taichi's hair…"
"My hair is fine, thank you very much. She'll probably be pink-obsessed if anything." Tai muttered a few places from me. "Too bad we couldn't have gotten a boy."
Smiling, trying to keep myself from laughing at their antics, I faced the blond. "So, where do we go from here?"
"Do you want to be with me?"
He knew my answer, but I knew—given his lingering fears—he wanted reassurance. "I did offer you my heart…"
Yamato gave off a light laugh. "And you know my feelings. Sora, believe me when I say I love you. I've never been one for commitment, and you know that about me. But I want to be with you. I want a commitment with you. I want a future with you. I love you." I turned my face from his at the comment. "Sor?"
"To Yamato and Sora, two of my closest friends, I leave my music equipment and art supplies, respectively. The two of you are fantastic at what you do. Oh, and I leave you some money for baby and children necessities, particularly clothes. Your kids have hit a hereditary jackpot!" Light laughter emerged, some of it coming from Yamato and me.
I turned my attention back to the blond. He sounded so hurt and unsure when he called my name. "Yamato, I'm pretty sure I love you too…"
His head perked up at those words before falling back down. "But…"
I placed my hand on his cheek, and our eyes locked again. "I don't want to dive headfirst into this. We need to take this slowly even if we understand and admit how strong our feelings for each other are. We'll fall apart if we rush into anything."
"I get what you're saying, and truthfully, I really respect you for saying that and for thinking about my own needs and wants as well. Jumping into this won't help my fears. If I want to get rid of them, it's going to take time. Friendship, very close friendship for that matter, to love isn't the easiest thing. Just as my brother and Hikari. They've gone back to being friends and are going to wait until they're older to date each other, should they not find someone else. You and I are ready, though; I'm sure of it. Though I still carry those same fears I had the other night, I believe that with you as my girlfriend and friend, I will overcome them."
I blushed at the comment and his sincere words. "And you can help me with whatever I need to get through, particularly on bad days. Together we can make it."
His hand found mine and squeezed it. Yama leaned down and murmured, "I would kiss you now, but it would draw too much attention. I'll save it for later."
I beamed at him. "I'd like that."
He rested his arms behind his back, ready to listen to Mimi's will. But suddenly he turned back to me. "I should've said this before, but I'm so incredibly sorry for running from you on Friday night. Even if I was freaked out, I…"
My hand over his lips silenced him. "And I'm sorry for being a bitch. It's in the past, Yama. I want to focus on the future, not linger on the past."
He gave me an irresistible smile. "That sounds like a plan."
Now in a comfortable silence, knowing we had resolved the issue, Yamato and I turned back to hear the end of Mimi's speech.
"And finally to my husband, Taichi. I offer you money and the house because I know you won't want my car. Well, though we didn't ask to be together—and truthfully, neither of us really wanted it—I'm actually glad we got paired together. I learned a lot on the way and had fun between the arguing and antagonizing. I learned a lot about you, granted a good deal was unwanted…"
"…you bet, babe!" The brunette's cheeky reply resounded through the room.
Mimi laughed before continuing on. "I guess I just have to say thank you. This concludes my will."
Applause followed, as it had with every will before. Mimi approached Tai and their daughter. The boy stood up, awkwardly looking at her. "Well, Meems, it was nice being married to you if only for awhile."
"Nice? It's a relief it's done," she joked.
Tai smirked at her. "That true, but you know you'll miss me."
"Miss making fun of you, maybe. But, it actually was a lot of fun."
They glanced uncertainly at each other, unsure of how to end their conversation and well aware of everyone watching them. Five seconds. Ten. Fifteen. Finally Tai came up with an idea.
He stuck out his hand.
Mimi looked at it, as if not believing the gesture. Slowly, as no other plan came to mind, the girl extended her own, shaking his outstretched hand. They both let go rather quickly and darted off in opposite directions.
Yamato and I watched as Koushiro began to laugh, nudging Takeru next to him. "I've never seen Mimi that quiet."
The younger blond snickered. "Even when you kiss her?"
As the boy genius blushed, Yama and I exchanged a chuckle. We sat back, waiting for the next person to go and the seniors all eagerly anticipating only one more day left, me being one of them.
The next few days and weeks will be fun. I'm going to miss this class and all it's memories. I should really thank Ms. Greene for coming up with the idea to play the game as it was kind of responsible for getting the blond rock star and me together. But somehow, after she reads our journals or just from instinct as it is, I have a feeling Ms. Greene already knows…
A/N: Good Lord; I think my fingers are going to fall off. Please review, everyone. I put a lot of time and effort into this chapter—you don't know how many times I wrote it, edited it, added more, deleted some, etc—and I would love to know your thoughts. One more chapter left. Hope you liked it and please review!