Mayu
Finally! The 3rd Chapter!
KoumiLoccness: No, I don't think I will let Tai kiss Mimi in the story. As it is, I am having enough trouble to get Matt to kiss Sora...lol
Sweden's Pride: Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it) thatwasn't the end of the story. Yep, it has got many more chapters (at least, it's planned to have many more chapters)
Hyourinmaru07: 'nod' Yeah, I just had to throw that in there...because somehow, the content in the 4th chapter has got to work. As to what will happen in the 4th chapter? Read this chapter and find out.
Yurikitsune: XD You see, formation of a poem depends on inspiration and a very good Thesaurus...
winta-skies: 'blush' Yes, Channel 9. Double yes, Australia. Triple yes, the author is an Australian girl with no sense of grammar and sentence structure. LOL
Inconnu: No! Let's not talk about me composing stories longer than 2 chapters...cause...you see...I am the sort that lacks (desperately) stamina... 'blush more fiercely'
Aino Yuy: I am willing to say that this story will be at least 5 chapters long (97 percentchance that it will be longer than that). As for whether or not I can complete your challenge and finish the story... How much time are you willing to allocate?
Now, the disclaimer…
Jyou bows and adjusts his glasses to hide his slight nervousness, "well, this is like the 3rd chapter of the story. I am sure everyone is fully aware that Eili doesn't claim ownership over Digimon and she would like everyone to be aware that the disclaimer also applies to every chapter hence forth since she's too lazy to nag or blackmail us into doing it."
All other digidestined gave a sigh of relief. "Phew, there's the end of the torture."
Chapter Three – Next to You
It was terribly difficult to concentrate on senior calculus on such a brilliant spring day. Sora gazed out of the windows and took delight in seeing the birds soar freely in the sky. She couldn't believe what she said to him last night, she toyed with the first line and the rest came flowing out of her in such poetic form that she never knew existed in her. She cringed at the last two lines, "Yamato. My friend, my love, my knight in shining armor."
What possessed her to say that!
"Miss Takenouchi!" The teacher suddenly appeared right in front of her and nearly made her jump out of her seat. "Do you find calculus this distasteful?"
"No! No, ma'am." Sora stuttered.
He is definitely distractive! Just an hour ago, she was so caught up in her little daydreams; she failed to notice that Mimi has been trying to capture her attention. Nor did she notice the note Taichi passed to her telling her not to wait for them after school as he and Mimi are going on their first date. The note stayed on her desk until the teacher noticed it and read it out to the whole class, which landed both Mimi and Taichi in detention.
"Well then Miss Takenouchi, since you find calculus intriguing, why don't you finish the whole chapter of exercise by next week."
Sora suppressed a groan. "The whole chapter?" She squeaked and hoped to god that her ears have deceived her.
"The WHOLE chapter." The emphasis on 'whole' was unmistakably strong and Sora sighed in defeat. Great! That is just what she needed, a whole chapter on a subject that she find impossible.
"I swear! What has gotten into you girl?" Mimi gave Sora a look of concern as the trio headed over to the detention room after the school was over.
"Yeah. It's like you lost your mind or something." Taichi chorused.
"Really, are you sure that you are alright with me going out with Taichi? I know it's kind of hard, especially if you feel that you are excluded. But if it helps, you are more than welcome to join us on our dates." Mimi offered generously, however, Sora's guilt began to gnaw on her as she realized that her best friends have to spend their first date in detention all because of her, even though they have told her that they didn't mind.
"Right, that won't be necessary. I don't think I want to be the third wheel. It might just pollute my young and innocent mind."
It's terrible to feel excluded, but it is even worse to have that feeling shoved under one's nose. And that is only one of the reasons why Sora would not want to intrude on the couple's quality time together.
"Young and Innocent! Wow! My eyes must have deceived me, because I just don't see it." Taichi joked and received a not-too-gentle slap on the back from Sora.
"No Tai, it's your mind that's failing you. If you ask my opinion, I strongly recommend a psychiatrist."
"But he didn't ask your opinion. Did he now?" Mimi quipped and came to her boyfriend's rescue.
Sora pulled a puppy-dog face and pouted. "That's not fair! The two of you are gaining up on me!"
They all laughed at their childish antics and the topic about Sora's earlier lack of concentration was momentarily forgotten.
However, momentarily forgotten does not mean completely forgotten. Just before Sora parted her way with Mimi and Taichi, Mimi pulled Sora back and whispered to her, "I am your best friend. So I will always be on your side. You know that right, Sora?"
Sora smiled and hugged Mimi gently.
"I know that. Don't worry, I will be fine."
Ah friends! They may be the roots of one of her problems right now, but she is truly fortunate to have someone like Mimi and Taichi.
Sora waved goodbye and walked towards the school gate, behind her, she could still hear Taichi whining, "what about me! Don't I get a hug?"
Sora laughed. She didn't know how she got through the day with her heart raw, broken and aching, but apparently, it wasn't that hard and undoubtedly, her constant thoughts about Yamato had helped.
Thoughts about him followed her every corners she turned and right now, she is imagining that he stood right in front of her grinning at her.
Wait! Sora paused and rubbed her eyes in disbelief. He IS right in front of her, leaning on a motorcycle with a cocky grin on his face.
"Oh my god! How! Why! You! Are you stalking me?" Sora was speechless and her face was stuck between horror, disbelief and happiness.
Yamato chuckled over her comical expression. That was he result he had expected from her and her expression was almost the same to as he had imagined. To be quite truthful, he hadn't been able to get her out of his head, her smile, her laughter, and her tears…
"Let me guess, you want to know how I found out which school you went to?" Sora nodded and Yamato grinned complacently.
"You also want to know what am I doing here?" Sora nodded again and Yamato's grin widened a notch.
"You also want me to wipe that smug off my face?"
At this, Sora laughed. "Egotistic bastard." She scolded him affectionately to which Yamato took as a compliment in great humor.
"Well, get on with it Ishida. Tell me how you became a psychic."
"Elementary Takenouchi. Elementary." Yamato pulled an unconvincing imitation of Sherlock Holmes, which sounded more like Mr. Burns. "You see, there is only three senior highs in Odaiba for girls. Odaiba Public, Odaiba Private and Odaiba Ladies' College. You don't go to Odaiba Private because that's where I receive my education and you don't seem like those rich, posh and snobbish girls from the Ladies' College either. And that narrows my choices down considerably, doesn't it?"
Sora gave an indignant gasp as she heard Yamato's theory. "I will have you know, I was offered a sport's scholarship to attend the Ladies' College. But I turned it down because I believe that public education is just as good as private education and that the people are more down to earth."
"That's exactly my point, you are too nice to be in a snobbish school."
Sora smiled slightly at his flattery, "okay Sherlock, so you got that right. But what are you doing here? If you are doing private investigating, shouldn't that be done in discrete?"
Yamato looked hurt. "Who said I was trying to be Sherlock Holmes? I am the famous and handsome detective Ishida. Yamato Ishida. Here, on a private mission to escort my lady to the Pepper Wood Restaurant." He said trying to look as suave as possible to which Sora reacted by laughing so hard that she only stopped when Yamato handed her a motorcycle helmet.
"Oh no. No. No way." Sora's face blanched and she pushed the helmet back to Yamato. "There's no way I am going to get on your motorcycle while I am wearing a skirt."
"Well princess, what's wrong with wearing a skirt on a motorcycle?" Yamato sighed exasperatedly. If he knew she has going to be this difficult, he would've walked here instead.
"Hello! I don't have the habit of flaunting myself to the public." Sora rolled her eyes. Guys can be so daft sometimes. "I don't trust your riding ability that much either." She added softly as afterthought.
Yamato groaned, nope, he didn't like the idea of having the entire population of Odaiba having glimpses of her underwear, which is very likely to happen given the length of her school skirt. However he was upset at the idea that she didn't trust his skills, even though he has got his provisional license just a couple weeks ago. "What do you suggest we do? Walk?"
Sora grinned and Yamato's heart sank. "Actually, that's exactly what I had in mind." Yamato would've pouted then and there, except that pouting isn't his style. Nevertheless, he could protest, but before he could lodge his complaint, Sora cut him off. "Come on, old man. A little exercise won't do you any harm."
Old man! He hasn't been called an old man since…well…last month when his brother Takeru tried to get him to clean up his room. But that was beside the point. The point is,
He always felt challenged when people called him old. "Old man indeed! I will show you what this 'old man' can do!" Yamato muttered softly, but it was loud enough for Sora to catch every word of it.
Sora grinned slightly at Yamato's wounded ego and decided to relent a little. "All right, how about we walk to my place, let me change into something comfortable and then we go for ride on your precious motorcycle?" It was more of a statement than a suggestion, but by the glint in Yamato's eyes, she knew he was pleased with the idea that he gets to show off his skills.
Sora cursed herself. Well, she dug her own grave and now she had better hold on tight for her deal life when she gets on that demon of a motorcycle. Plainly written across Yamato's smug face, he planned revenge for her sharp tongue.
"Ahck!" Sora gave a little gasp as she zoomed past the intersection with flashing yellow light while all other vehicles slowed down. She shivered slightly and clutched tighter onto Yamato's waist. She hated how she traps herself into situations she can't get out of knowingly. "Yamato! We are not in a hurry, slow down please."
She heard his laughter and reply whizzing past her with the wind, "relax, I am still within the speed limit." His 'comforting' words made her sick to the stomach. Relax! How on earth is she going to do that? She is on the bike of a maniacal strategist for heaven's sake!
She thought he was unnaturally quiet on their way towards her apartment but Sora simply assumed that he was planning a bit of good-humored revenge. The warning bell should've sounded loud and clear when he told her that she need to stay calm as they needed to talk.
Sora nearly bolted then and there if not for the fact that Yamato premeditated this and had an iron grip on her wrist.
"Now Sora, listen to me." He didn't even give her a chance to protest. He knew that if she were given the chance, she would raise a storm without hesitation.
"I know you are probably not on the best terms with your parents right now and you would probably think this is the most stupid thing you ever heard. But you've got to hear me out here."
Yamato gave a slight pause and seeing her stunned look, he decided to continue. "I organized a gather with your parents and mine." It was simple and straightforward and he waited for the thunderstorm.
"You what!" He shrugged bore her onslaught as her response was expected. "Have you been possessed by devil? That's the worst idea I have ever heard. I can barely deal with one set of parents and now you want me to deal with two!
I am not going to participate in your lunacy." Sora proclaimed her position and refused to sway.
"Come on Sora, communication is the best way to sort out problems. You know what the statistics say: 90 of the problems in the world can be promptly and efficiently solved through communication and understanding."
Sora rolled her eyes at Yamato's blatant lie to coerce her to participate in his idea. "As if! There is no statistic center the world that provides that kinds of statistics. And no, I am still not going."
Exasperated, Yamato moved on to the next plan. He knew that little bit of poor coercion would never entice Sora to participate and therefore, he actually planned an alternative solution.
"Okay, what if I treat you to ice-cream in exchange for your cooperation?"
Miraculously, that seems to have amused her considerably.
"Ah! So that's your strategy. First reasoning combined with coercion and when that doesn't work, you go to bribery. So what happens when bribery doesn't work either?"
At this, Yamato's ocean blue eyes lit up and nodded confidently and egotistically. At least Sora seemed to be a little bit more cheerful. "Well, I will then have to resort to blackmail. Wouldn't I?" He asked rhetorically while Sora shook her head in disbelief.
"You don't have anything to blackmail me about Yamato. That's surely not going to work."
It had suddenly become a competition than merely plans. The battle of wits to see which one can think fast enough to trap in the other into a corner. Yamato smiled slightly, in this game, he is sure to win. Attack has always been easier than to defend, especially when he knows exactly what would come next and his opponent has to wait for him to make his move.
"I guess it's extortion and when that wouldn't work, I'd just have to throw you over my shoulder and carry you like a sack of potatoes." Yamato shrugged and caught Sora's eyes confidently and announced checkmate.
Sora raised one of her eyebrows. "In another word, I am going regardless what I've decided."
"I think that's summed up perfectly."
Sora sighed and tore her gaze away from Yamato and glimpsed at the motorcycle. "I suppose I'd better accept the ice-cream offer and go along with whatever you planned. But you hear this mister, I refuse to travel on that demon of motorcycle!"
Yep, that's exactly how she ended up on the motorcycle, holding on to her dear life as he sped through the city in great humor.
He somehow managed to cajole her to changed into something comfortable and get her on the bike employing the same tactic he used to 'persuade' her to participate in his plan. So far, he owed her ice-cream, coffee and cake and a movie. If those events are to be threaded properly on one day, she has got herself a date. And no, she wasn't the one who thought of it; he was the one who said that!
Sora shifted uncomfortably behind Yamato on the bike.
Did he just ask her out on a date?
"Stop squirming. I am only driving at 90 kilometers an hour." Yamato shouted back casually and Sora stiffened considerably.
"90! The legal limit here is 80 kilometers an hour! Slow Yamato, or I will jump off immediately!"
"Go ahead, but I got to warn you, at this speed, you will break your legs and probably the arms and very possibly fracture your skull. It's not going to be a pretty sight." Yamato laughed heartily at Sora's empty threat and countered it with a threat of his own.
"Yamato! I am going to KILL you once I get off!"
"There, now that wasn't so bad. Was it?" Yamato jested as he took off his helmet and extended his other hand to help Sora down the motorcycle.
Sora slapped his hands away and glared at him venomously. "I am alright. No thanks to you and your reckless behavior." Her feet landed on the ground shakily and it took her a good minute to stabilize and closely inspect the surrounding.
There they stood, one in school uniform and the other in very casual outfit, outside of one the most posh restaurants Sora has ever seen in her life. With crystal chandeliers, vanilla candles on sterling silver holders that were so polished hat it actually sparkled and fresh bouquets on every table, Sora looked every much out of place.
She rubbed her eyes slightly, unable to believe in what she's seeing. There was a concierge in tuxedo! The waiters and waitresses were all very well groomed and all in formal dresses and the customers themselves looked regal, extravagant and important that Sora actually feared to step foot into the place and disturb their lavish society.
"We are not going in there. Are we?" Sora stammered a little and her quarrel with Yamato obviously forgotten. "We can't afford this! I am from a mediocre family with mediocre income. I don't think we can even afford the appetizer in here."
Yamato laughed at Sora's reaction. What she said was exactly how he felt when he first saw the place. He felt rather proud that the restaurant still manages to awe anyone who feasts his or her eyes upon the place. "Don't worry Sora, my dad is footing the bill and I use to work here and still have connections in here. They are sure to give us a staff discount."
He held gently onto Sora's hands as he led her into the restaurant. The concierge behind the counter lifted his head and smiled warmly and knowingly at the two of them as Yamato nodded cordially and gave him a friendly smile.
"The concierge looks familiar." Sora muttered as Yamato ushered her towards rooms with the words 'VIP' engraved onto the wall calligraphically.
"He's bound to look familiar. He was with me yesterday when you literally ran into us." Yamato shrugged slightly as he pushed the door open and everyone in the room turned to look at the new comers, and by their awkward reactions, it was clear that they weren't having much conversation at all. Sora gulped. How did she get herself into this?
Jumps up and down excitedly. I have finally finished the third chapter! Pinches myself. Am I dreaming? Faints and then gets up because I want to keep on blabbering.
Yep, this time, it's Melody and I had a long debate whether to use the song Next to You or Once Again. They are both really catchy, while Next to You had more beats to it while Once Again is slower and more soothing and fitted the context of the chapter better. Anyway, in the end Next to You won because I had that on repeat more often than Once Again. Another song that inspired the chapter was Yuki Kaijura's Strange Names from Tsubasa Reservoir. It's very upbeat and sounded like tradition Turkish music. It actually made me feel as if I was in the desert and belly dancing. LOL
Eiliriel