Hey guys, I'm back! Sorry that took so long, but for some reason I had a hard time writing chapter 3. I'm hoping that the next chapters won't take so long, but I've got a bad feeling that they're going to take even longer. I'll try to pick up the pace, but I still want to have everything well thought out. Anyway, thank's to everyone from last chapters for the excellent review, I hope you guys like this one too! Also, thank's to General Subwoofer who took a look at the first draft of this chapter and edited/opinionized it (I took your suggestions, I hope you like the final result!) So as always, I don't own Digimon or the U2 song Stay (Faraway, So Close!). Anyway, I've talked for too long. Here's chapter 3!

Chapter 3: Red Lights, Grey Morning

"Dear Sora, I'm sorry about what happened. I haven't felt this bad since the time I accidentally threw up in your hat and didn't tell you before you put it on. I know our relationship has been a little stormy lately. You say you love thunderstorms, so what's a few raindrops between friends? Love, Tai."

Sora Takenouchi stared blankly at the words on her laptop computer screen. They were that of an e-mail that she had received from Tai the day of the first attack by Diaboromon, back when they had been angry at each other over a dispute they had about a hairpiece he had given her for her birthday. Although she never told anyone, she had saved that important message for all of these years. Whenever she was angry or having a bad day, she could always pull it up onto the screen and she'd feel better right away. In this case however, all the letter could do was serve as a bittersweet reminder of a lost past.

One thing that she had always wondered was just what Tai had meant by signing the letter "Love, Tai." She had pondered this question many times before. Did he mean "love" as in love between friends? Was it just one of Tai's millions of careless mistakes and he had meant to say "from" instead? Or was he subliminally or maybe even consciously suggesting that he viewed her as more than a friend? Sora sighed. It looked like she'd never really know the truth behind how he felt about her.

She glanced back at her black, rectangular digital clock: 6:30, less than an hour and a half before school began and, more importantly, when her unfinished history essay was due. She closed out of the e-mail she had been reading and directed her attention back to the paper about the similarities and differences between Islam, Christianity and Judaism. It was unlike her to let things like this get put off so late as she was usually prompt with completing homework. However, her study habits had seemed to slip a bit after recent events.

Putting the finishing touches on the essay just as the sun began to rise through the foggy clouds, she printed out the paper and began to prepare for school. After showering and dressing herself, she entered the kitchen to where she found a note from her mother who already had left for work at the flower shop. Sora made herself a quick breakfast before donning her hat, shoes and a light windbreaker then exiting through the front door. Regretfully, she didn't have time to pack herself a lunch. Further, she wasn't able to get any money from her mom, seeing that she had already left. 'Looks like another day without lunch,' she thought to herself. 'Oh well.' As she slowly made her way to school, she let her thoughts drift to back to the last day before her happy, carefree life was turned on end…

Sora entered the café just in time to see a flustered Tai narrowly avoid collision with a waitress who's hands were stacked with what seemed to be dozen of plates. After he apologized, Sora caught up with her ungainly companion and the two made their way to the booth where the rest of their friends had been sitting.

"Hey, guys!" greeted Matt. "I thought you said Tai couldn't make it, Sora"

"Oh, so you finished that English project that mom said you had to do before you went anywhere!" Kari happily inferred.

Tai scratched the back of his head. "Well… Not exactly…"

"Ooh, back to your old ways again?" Izzy teased with a smile.

"What do you mean 'my old ways?' It's not like you guys all have it done and ready either!"

"Actually I already finished mine" Matt happily announced.

"Me too" Izzy added.

"Same here" confirmed Sora.

"What about you Mimi?" inquired Izzy.

"Hmmm, what's that?" asked Mimi, apparently breaking away from a trance.

"Your summer reading assignment." Matt reminded.

"Oh, that. Yeah, that's done…" Mimi replied, drifting back into deep thought.

"Okay, fine! But… At least… T.K didn't do it!"

"That's because I'm two grades younger than you, genius," Matt's younger brother sarcastically pointed out.

"OKAY, OKAY! YOU WIN! I'M A SLACKER!" Tai admitted in defeat. "Are you HAPPY now?"

"Yep!" Matt agreed.

"Quite," responded Sora

"Couldn't have said it better!" remarked Izzy.

"Ugh, can we please talk about something else?" pleaded Tai in a moaning groan, his face drooping with low spirits.

As if right on cue (and much to Tai's relief) their waitress arrived at their table and took everyone's orders. As the friends waited for their lunch to come, they made conversation.

"So everyone, we're going to be big bad juniors, eh?" Everyone minus T.K. and Kari nodded in agreement with Matt's statement.

"Ah, that's right!" Sora smiled, turning to their two younger friends. "You guys are going to be freshmen!"

"Yeah," Kari and T.K. somewhat shyly nodded in unison.

Izzy grinned. "First year as high-schoolers. God, I remember our first year…"

"Don't worry," assured Matt. "We've got your backs!"

"Well at least maybe…" pondered Tai.

"What do you mean 'maybe?'" Kari asked with a look of mock disgust on her face.

"I'm not sure. There used to these older kids who would push us into lockers and I was just thinking that might be pretty funny to watch…"

"Tai, you terrible brother!" Sora ranted as she gave Tai a shove.

"Ow, Ow!" I was just joking!" he pleaded as he rubbed his arm where Sora has pushed him

"Say Mimi," Matt asked changing the subject, "You've been pretty quiet this whole time. You feeling alright?"

"Uhh…" Mimi thought as she broke off from her thoughts and again turned to her friends. "Yeah. I'm fine."

"Hey, where's that Mark kid you're going out with?" Izzy inquired. "You always seem to be together."

"Oh… Mark… He's gone right now."

Sora silently looked at Mimi with an expression of concern on her face.

"Yeah, how's it going with you two?" Tai yawned as he stretched his arms out.

"Uhh… Everything's going great," Mimi quickly assured everyone. She looked at a non-existing watch on her arm, getting up and moving toward the end of the booth. "Thanks for everything guys, but I've got to go! See you later!"

"Wait… Mimi… What about your lunch!" Tai called after the pink-haired girl, but it was no use. Mimi had already rushed out the door, right past the confused waitress who was carrying the group their meals.

What do you think that was about?" Kari wondered just as the food arrived.

"I'm not sure, but I'm sure going to find out," assured a worried Sora beginning to get out of her seat to chase after her best friend.

"Wait Sor'!" called Tai as he put his hand up. "Let her go. She probably just needs time to herself for whatever reason. You can catch her later."

"Hmmm…" an unconvinced Sora sighed as she uneasily sat back down and took her plate from the server. "Maybe you're right."

"It's weird, she just doesn't seem like herself lately," observed Matt as he took a bite into his turkey sandwich.

"Maybe she's just having a bit of a rough time right now with Mike. That can happen for a while after a relationship just starts." Tai wisely pointed out, between spoonfuls of tomato soup.

Matt rolled his eyes "When did Tai "I've never had a girlfriend" Kamiya, all of a sudden proclaim himself our resident relationship expert?

Tai put his head down onto the table "Arghh! What is today, National 'Let's personally attack Tai' day?"

"National 'Let's personally attack Tai' day. Hmmm, I like it…" Izzy thought, scratching his chin.

"What wonderful friends I have" groaned Tai, sounding quite like a deflated balloon.

The conversation got better for Tai from there, as they began talking about classes, teachers, lunch food, the occasional teasing of T.K and Kari's "relationship," the weather, sports, news and sometimes just completely random topics. After everyone finished their lunches, the friends said their goodbyes and parted in their own directions. Sora was about to leave the shop when a certain messy brown-haired companion approached her.

"So Sora, what are you doing for the rest of the day?" Tai inquired.

Sora spun around to face him. "Oh I don't know. I'll probably just back to the park and see if anyone's there or maybe just hang around."

Tai scratched the back of his head. "Mind if I join you?"

Sora smiled. "So you've completely given up on the reading assignment?"

"I SWEAR TO GOD, the next person to ask about that friggin assignment…" Tai fumed, mumbling to himself.

Sora giggled. "I'm only kidding, Tai! It's just really funny to watch you get mad."

Tai face-dropped. "Why me?" he grumbled as the two set off.

"Ahhh! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Sora looked up at a terrified Mimi who she had just crashed into, knocking Sora to the sidewalk pavement.

"Meems, it's okay! It's just me!"

Mimi looked down with relief at her best friend. "Oh… Sora… it's you." She helped her fallen friend up.

Sora smiled. "Sorry about that. I was just in a bit of a daze there for a minute."

Mimi weakly returned a grin. "Yeah, me too. I guess we were both a bit… preoccupied there." She turned around and saw her gruff-looking dirty-blond boyfriend waiting for her on the steps of their old-fashioned three-story high school. "Uhh, look Sora. I've got to go right now. Catch you later!" And with that, she sped off.

"Wait, Mimi!" Sora once again uselessly called off to her friend.

"Still worried about Mimi?" a familiar voice asked from behind her. Sora spun around to face a concerned Matt, looking off toward the direction Mimi had run off.

"Yeah…" she thought out loud. Sora looked toward the ground. "There's just something about that Mark kid that I don't like."

"I know what you mean." Matt looked down. "Something just doesn't seem right. First Mimi starts acting weird and starts shutting

"I was meaning to talk to her about how she's been acting lately, but I keep getting sidetracked by…"

Sora paused for a moment. There was an awkward silence for a moment, which was immediately ended by the blaringly loud ringing of the school bell from across the street.

"Well anyway," Sora started again, "I'll talk to Mimi soon. She's my best friend, and it's my duty to make sure everything's all right."

Matt and Sora said their goodbyes and made off in separate directions. When Sora crossed the busy street, navigated through the halls and got to her locker, she was surprised to see a crisp, freshly printed $10 bill neatly laid on the top of the books that occupied the space.

'How lucky,' she thought to herself with a smile. 'Looks like there's a lunch in my future after all.'

Unbeknown to her, her dearly departed friend was invisibly watching her from two lockers down. 'Luck,' he thought to himself as he pocketed a wallet full of fresh money. He grinned as a smiling Sora made her way to chemistry. 'Luck had nothing to do with it.'

I'm sorry if you thought that was kind of a lame ending (I sure did). If anyone has any suggestions on how to make it any better or even annoying spelling/grammar mistakes (I'm sure there are) please tell me! As always, please review! I'll try to be back with chapter 4 in about a week or so (might be a bit more, school's starting to pick up more). If it seems like its been a really long time since I've updated, don't freak out. I haven't forgotten about it or abandoned it, it's just my life (yeah the one outside of fanfiction) is busy and there are other things taking priority like school, homework, my love life (hears laughs in background). Anyway, thank's again for all the great reviews from chaps 1-2 and see you next time!