Past and Present
Chapter 9
The 'Business Trip'
Ryo and Sora walked into the train terminal, Ryo was carrying Sora's luggage while Sora held a light business travel case in her hand. Ryo set the luggage down then looked at his wife, "I hope you have a wonderful trip," he said.
"Thanks, I'm sure I will," Sora said giving him a hug and then a kiss on her cheek. As they were still in an embrace, Sora spotted Taichi and Kyandii making out in public in front of everyone. She narrowed her eyes at Kyandii as she looked at them disgustedly.
When Ryo pulled away from their hug, Sora smiled warmly at him but he could tell there was something else wrong, "Sora what's the matter?" he asked.
Sora smiled, "Nothing just saw something odd," she returned her attention back to him.
"Well don't worry about it too much," he said he turned his head and saw Taichi and Kyandii making out. "Let's go and help them realize they aren't alone," he said as he began to walk toward them.
Sora walked behind him, with all the places and she has to grope him in a public place of all places, she thought angrily.
"Hey guys!" Ryo said the two startled broke away from their kiss.
"Ryo, Sora!" Taichi said a little surprised and a little embarrassed at the same time.
Kyandii looked Sora over for a second then turned and smiled at Ryo, "Hi you two,' she said happily. Sora wasn't ever going to get Taichi because he was hers and only hers she thought bitterly.
"Sorry if we interrupted you guys," Ryo said.
"No you didn't it was just a good bye kiss, for my baby." She said looking at Taichi with a sweet smile.
"Okay so let's go and board the train shall we?" Taichi said suddenly to Sora who nodded.
"Right then, Sora take care be sure to call me when you get there," Ryo said giving his wife a kiss.
"I will," Sora then picked up her suitcase.
"You're going to call right honey," Kyandii said to Taichi while glancing in Sora's direction with a dirty look.
"Yes of course," he said then picked up his luggage and they began toward the boarding platform.
As Sora and Taichi were out of eyesight Sora turned to him, "Did you enjoy making a scene like that?" she asked irritated.
Taichi frowned, "What are you so angry about? After all she is my girlfriend I can do what I want," he said firmly.
"You don't kiss like that in a public place to begin with!" Sora shouted at him with onlookers staring at them.
"You're the one making a scene now," he said lowering his voice.
They began toward the platform and with a help of a coachman they had their heavy luggage placed into the luggage compartment of the train.
As they boarded, "It was simply the display that was dirty," she said.
"Okay Sora I'm going to ask you again why do you care so much?" Taichi asked as he looked on the ticket for the seat numbers.
"Because it was unprofessional," Sora said simply as she passed the seats looking at the numbers of each of them. "Here, number twenty-five A and twenty-five B," she said stopping in front of the seats.
"Which did you want window or outside?" Taichi asked.
"I'll take the window seat," Sora said going in first and sitting down.
Taichi finished putting they're on board carry bags up in the storage area then seated down next to her. He watched her for a moment, "I see what is wrong here," he said.
Sora looked at him confused, "You do?" she questioned.
"Yeah, you are jealous," he said simply.
Sora gasped at him in shock, "How dare you imply that." She replied angrily.
Taichi rolled his eyes at her and laughed.
"You are totally wrong about that," she said then took a breath in, "Let's not start a fight."
"Did you need a ride home?" Ryo asked Kyandii.
"No that's okay," she said then with a serious tone she asked him "Do you trust her?"
"Trust my wife of course I do." Ryo said feeling insulted that she would even suggest something like that to him.
"It's just that she tried to seduce my Taichi," she said.
"You've gone nuts my wife would never do something like that. I'm going now good bye," he said storming out of the train station.
Kyandii ran after him, "Ryo I'm sorry that was out of line," she hollered but she stopped running after him when he got to the doors, "But I'm only telling the truth." She hollered.
The Kido's
The telephone rang Mimi was still asleep while Jyou had already left to go to work at the hospital. She reached for the receiver and picked it up, "Hello," she said half asleep.
"Mimi you have to tell me if Sora has done anything with Taichi," Ryo said in a worried tone.
Mimi got confused, "What about Taichi and Sora?" she asked still half a sleep.
"The real story, Sora didn't want to talk about it, and when Taichi came back no one still wanted to tell me it. So I'm wondering why it is so secret." Ryo said questioning her.
Mimi woke up quickly shaking her head, "Ryo there isn't anything between them. They were only friends, long lost friends," she explained.
"Is that all?" he questioned.
"Yes," she answered even though she was lying she wasn't about to tell him what really happened between Sora and Taichi not yet anyways, "Do you have her itinerary?" Mimi asked.
"Yeah, hold on a second," he put the phone down and pulled a piece of paper from the posting board. Returning to the phone, "Mimi, they are in a two bedroom suite number 202 at a best western hotel."
"Thanks Ryo, I'll talk with you later okay?" she said.
"Yeah, thanks for clearing thinks up," he replied. Closing the phones, they both looked up at the ceiling.
"Mimi is not telling me anything," he though aloud.
"Why do I have to be the one lying to everyone for something that isn't really my problem to begin with," Mimi thought.
Osaka, Best Western…
Taichi opened the door to hotel room two hundred and two; he stepped in and marveled at the view that over looked the Pacific Ocean. "Wow this is nice," he said.
Seconds later Sora came through the door and she to marvel at the scene as well. "Don't I know how to pick out hotels or what?" she asked.
Taichi laughed, the sitting room was in front of a window there was a small kitchen behind it and just behind that were two doors leading to the their bedrooms. "Which on would you like to take, door number one or door number two?" he asked.
"I'll take number two," she said walking toward the door with her luggage she opening it she walked in.
Taichi opened his bedroom door walking in he placed his luggage in front of the bed then closed the door; he walked to the big window.
Sora finished putting her stuff in her bedroom then came up closing the door behind her, "It is nice isn't it?" she said as she headed to stand beside him.
"Yeah, but we might as well get some food don't you think?" he questioned turning to her.
"Yeah you're right I'm a bit hungry," Sora said holding her stomach.
Three days later….
"How do I look? You have to be honest about it though," Taichi said, as he turned around for her slowly. He was wearing a dark blue suit with light blue dress shirt with a white tie.
"You look good Taichi, you shouldn't have to worry about that," Sora said smiling. She got up and went to the kitchen counter, "Let's practice a little more. Even though we have been rehearsing all day yesterday," she said.
After an hour, it was time for them to head down to the auditorium in the hotel they waited back stage until the head announcer started his speech about thanks and about medical discoveries.
Taichi fiddled with his fingers, "The speech was good right?" he asked her for the fourth time in that hour as the first person started to finish his speech.
"It's wonderful Taichi after all I did help you write it. It will be good just close your eyes and pretend that I'm the only one you are actually talking too instead of the crowd," she said patting him on his shoulder gently.
"And I would like the pleasure to introduce doctor Taichi Yagami and his expertise on cardiac devices and the breakthroughs that are going on…" the man announced Taichi looked at Sora she smiled to comfort him and she mouthed good luck.
"Thank you for inviting me," Taichi said finishing his speech, there was a applause and he shook hands with the previous man then exiting back to where Sora was she smiled at him, "They liked it," he said.
"You did great Taichi, I know you would," she said.
"Oh I know, I'm pretty good when it comes to public speaking," he said.
"Then why were you so nervous before?" she asked confused as they began to walk away from the stage.
"Well because I liked the attention from you," he said.
Sora hit him in the arm, "that was not very nice to do that," she said giggling at his sense of humor.
Mimi slammed the phone down on the receiver just then Jyou had just came through the door, "Hey honey what's wrong?" he asked with his eyebrow raised.
"I've been trying to reach them for three days now and no one is calling me back," she replied frustrated.
Jyou sighed, "Just leave a message so they know that you called," he suggested.
"I don't want to Jyou if they knew I called they wouldn't call me back," she told him slightly irritated.
"How do you know that for sure?" Jyou questioned.
"Well, for one I gave Sora a hard time before she left," Mimi said.
"Call again and maybe this time they are in the hotel room," he suggested.
Mimi sighed then began to dial the numbers to their hotel room once again on her touch-tone phone.
"We are going to celebrate the success of the conference tonight," Taichi replied as he walked through the hotel door.
Sora laughed at him, "Okay," she said.
"And I thought of a good place to do it, with a touch of class of course…we are going to The Raising Sun," he said as he flipped through the phone book.
Sora came to see where he was reading the name of the restaurant from, "Taichi! I don't have clothes that would be considered elegant enough to go to some place like that," she said.
"Don't worry about it, it is all on me," he said.
"What do you mean? I don't want you to do that for me," she said shocked.
"Sora, just cooperate with me," he told her then with that he left the hotel room.
Sora smiled then sat on the couch thinking of what kind of dress he would get for her until the phone rang and disturbed her thoughts. Sora reached for the phone and picked it up, "Hello."
"Finally aren't you two ever in the hotel room?" Mimi asked.
"Mimi, how did you get the number?" she said.
"From your husband you do remember him do you?" Mimi said with a little hint of anger in her voice.
"No offense Mimi but we were busy preparing the speech," Sora explained as she looked out the window that she was sitting in front off her.
"Then how come you didn't answer the phone?" she asked with confusion and frustration.
"Because we unhooked it, we didn't want to be interrupted or rather Taichi didn't want to be interrupted. Mind you Mimi he did an excellent job too," Sora said happily.
The door opened and Taichi came into the room carrying two covered clothing bags in his hands.
Sora looked over at him with a smile, "I got to go Mimi nice talking with you Bye," she hung up the phone on her.
"Sora!" Mimi shouted in the receiver, "Sora!" she shouted again. She put the phone down, "Jyou she hung up on me how unbelievable!" she cried.
Back at the hotel, "What did she want?" Taichi asked as he handed one of the clothing bags to Sora.
"She was upset because she couldn't reach us till now," Sora replied.
Taichi had just finished putting on his tuxedo jacket and was just fixing the cuff links as he was doing this Sora came out of her room in the dress Taichi picked out for her.
He turned and saw her, "Wow, you look awesome," he said smiling at her.
"I can't believe you got this dress," she said still astonished at its beauty. The dress was a nice shade of champagne it wore long with beautiful flower sequence and spaghetti straps.
"You should because you're wearing it," he said laughing a bit.
"You shouldn't have Taichi it is too much for me to ask of you to have done this," she said.
"Hey now you helped me with the speech, besides there is something missing yet," he said he went into his pocket and pulled out two velvet boxes on long one and a small square one.
Sora took both of them and looked at him, "What is it?" she questioned.
"Open them and find out, just a some accessories," he said.
Sora opened the small square box first, "Oh Taichi you shouldn't have," she cried looking down in the box there was a pair of pearl stud earrings.
"It goes with the dress," he said simply.
Sora put the earrings on and then she opened up the second box, which held a pearl necklace, she took it out and admired it, "It's really beautiful Taichi," she said softly.
"And it would look even nicer if it was on you," he said he walked toward her took the necklace from her hands; "if I may?" he questioned her.
Sora smiled, "you may," she replied giggling she lifted her hair up so he could put the necklace on her.
"There and now your outfit is complete," he said smiling, "You look as I pictured you would in the dress."
Sora smiled, "Thank you Taichi but I'm going to have to owe you all this back some how. How do you want me to repay you?" she asked.
"Simple come with me to the restaurant," he said.
Japan, Obadia…
Mimi walked up the steps to Sora and Ryo's house she knocked on the door twice and waited for Ryo to answer the door. When he did, he greeted her with a big smile, which got her even more irritated.
"Mimi how are you?" he asked.
"Good but why are you so happy what happened that made you so happy?" she questioned accusingly.
"Mimi what's your problem?" Ryo said.
"Nothing I'm sorry, I came here to talk with you about Sora and Taichi," she said quietly.
Ryo rolled his eyes at her, "Don't start this again Mimi," he said.
Mimi frowned, "Well this time I have to do everything possible to let you know the real story behind Sora and Taichi alright," she said.
"Oh so before when I asked you lied then is that it?" he questioned.
"Yes I lied," Mimi said.
"So what is it that you want to tell me about them," he questioned waiting for her response.
"Go to her right now pack up and leave and head to Osaka ASAP," she said.
"I thought you were going to tell me the whole story?" he asked incredulously.
"I was but it won't be wise because it is a long history I want you go and surprise them for the sake of your marriage go!" Mimi said pleading with him.
"Then give me the gist of the whole history then," he said.
"I will can I just come in please?" she asked as she was still standing outside.
Ryo stepped aside and let her in, he closed door after she came in and they both went to sit in the living room.
"Taichi and Sora were best friends back going way back since kindergarten. During their high school years, Sora went out with Yamato, Taichi best friend. You can imagine how betrayed Taichi felt. So acting on that Taichi got a soccer scholarship at a university in California," she said quietly.
"So Taichi was in love with Sora and angrily he left to California to presume a medical career?" Ryo said looking at her.
"Yes, he left for fourteen years Ryo! And you know how Sora was so upset, well that is the reason and she never got over it or him," Mimi said.
Ryo frowned, "if she never got over him how come she is married to me?" he asked.
Mimi didn't say anything, "If you want to save your marriage you better get going to Osaka," she said.
Italian Restaurant…
Taichi finished pouring the remaining of the champagne into both of their glasses. Taichi drank his share then Sora finished hers as well, "That was really good champagne," Sora stated as she smiled at him.
"Of course nothing but the best for you," he said a song began to play it was How do I live by Leann Rimes. "How about a dance?" he questioned as he stood to his feet holding his hand out to her.
Sora smiled at him and took his hand, "I would love too." Taichi placed his arm around her waist while the other held her hand. They danced, as friends should.
"I feel dizzy," Sora said with a laugh.
Taichi smiled down at her as the danced, "You too huh?" he said laughing. "I think we had too much of the champagne," he said.
As they swayed, they looked into each other's eyes smiling slightly of course. The music made them feel happy and relaxed so much so that Taichi placed his hands on her waist and Sora had her arms up around his neck with her fingers intertwined with each other.
"You know if we close our eyes the dizziness will go away," Taichi said as he closed his eyes.
Sora closed her eyes as well, "I believe you are right," she said. They slowly got closer to each other, Sora rested her head on his shoulder with her eyes closed and she imagined what it would be like if she hadn't gone with Yamato how their life would have played out. She imagined them married with two children living happily ever after.
Taichi swayed to the music holding her close to him. He longed for this moment and it finally came, after so many years, it finally came. The urge to tell her how he really felt was so strong.
The song slowly began to whine down to the end and they both slowly pulled away from each other, with longing they drew closer until Taichi stopped her, "Sora not here," Taichi said softly.
"YOU DID WHAT!" Yamato shouted.
"Someone had to do the right thing and tell him what really was going on," Mimi said disgustedly at him.
Yamato raised his eyebrow at her, "Oh yeah sure, blame it on us because we didn't want to hurt Ryo's feelings," he said sarcastically.
"You have to be ashamed of yourself you call yourself a friend when Sora and Taichi are slowly falling for each other the hard way! You could have stopped it!" Mimi shouted at him.
"I've learned along time you can't win with fate, things happen for a reason Mimi," Yamato said he walked a way from her.
"We COULD have saved her!" she said stressing the word could out.
"Mimi for god sakes, I didn't have Sora and Ryo didn't have her but do you know who does?" he asked equally angry about her stubbornness.
"STOP IT," Koushiro shouted they both turned and looked at him.
"I won't stop it what I did was the right thing to do," Mimi said.
Yamato rolled his eyes angry with her, "You're going to hurt Ryo's feelings, Koushiro back me up please," Yamato said pleading with him.
"He is right Mimi, they are adults they can handle their own mess. Unfortunately Ryo is the one who is going to get hurt this time," he said simply.
Mimi growled, "Why can't you both see that I am trying to help them do the right thing!" she said frustrated.
Yamato and Koushiro looked at her, "Go tell Hikari what happened I'm sure she will be thrilled," Yamato said to her.
Mimi glared at him then at Koushiro before marching out the door and slamming it behind her.
Osaka, Best Western…
Taichi and Sora entered their hotel room, Taichi locked the door after closing it behind him he turned around and Sora had taken a seat on the sofa. He walked over and sat next to her, "I want to tell you something," they both said at the same time.
Taichi laughed as did Sora, "women first," he said with a smile.
"Thank you, tonight was beautiful Taichi and it made me think of things that could have happened if I never went out with Yamato in the first place," she said taking his hand in hers gently.
"Sora your welcome I just wanted to thank you for your help with the speech and all," he said.
Sora looked down at their hands, "But there is also something else I must admit tonight," she replied quietly.
Taichi's face turned serious as he stared at her intently, "Okay sure," he said.
"Tonight I realized something, something that everyone has been telling me for years," she looked up at him and found his dark chocolate eyes staring at her and she continued, "I realized that I love you," she said.
Taichi's heart stopped for a moment it was like this was a dream and she was telling him this, "Sora…" he trailing off in shock.
Taichi was overjoyed he caressed her cheek with his free hand, "You don't know how long I've waited for you to say those words… I love you too."
Sora smiled feeling tears coming down her cheeks she let go of his hand and the two slowly leaned forward and began to kiss heatedly.
Slowly Taichi lost his tuxedo jacket and dress shirt they kissed passionately then standing up, Taichi lifted her up and carried her into his bedroom.
Obadia Train Station...
Ryo closed his cell phone with frustration there was no answer at all and it was nearly ten thirty when he boarded the train.
Hikari nearly choked on a sip of juice, "You told Ryo about Taichi and Sora…are you crazy!" she said.
"Why did you tell him Mimi?" Takeru asked.
"Why are you all against me? I'm trying to do something about Sora's marriage!" Mimi said quickly with anger.
"Because you're just helping it on the way of divorce that's why," Hikari said.
Takeru sighed, "You know what it's no use getting into a fight all we can do is wait and see what happens," he said to them both.
Osaka, Japan…
Sora's gown lay neatly on a chair while various other undergarments lay around on the floor of the bedroom. "I love you," Taichi said they were in bed Sora caressed his face with her left hand gently as she smiled.
"I can't believe you are here with me at this very moment," she whispered. For once, in her life, she truly felt whole and she didn't feel as if there was something missing at all.
Neither of the two were thinking about Kyandii or Ryo just basking in the moment. Sora kissed Taichi softly on the lips, "Taichi I don't want us ever to be apart again," she said.
Taichi simply nodded and then kissed her.
Ryo looked up at the sign Best Western, "This must be it," he said to himself and walked through the hotel doors and past the lobby desk to the elevator doors.
He looked down at the antennary two hundred and two should be on the second floor he thought the pressed the two button.
Taichi wearing a bathrobe was preparing a bath in the bathroom for the both of them he had just finished lighting the candles and had champagne from the fridge.
When he did there was a knock on the door Taichi looked at the door for a moment and then Sora came out also in her bathrobe, "who is it?" she asked.
"I don't know," Taichi said he walked forward then opened the door and was startled to see Ryo standing there he looked from Taichi to his wife then with out warning wound up and punched Taichi in the face so hard that he fell backwards onto his butt.
"Ryo! No!" Sora cried she looked at him in shock then at Taichi who had suffered a minor cut on his lip and it had been bleeding.
"No? No for what did you want me to do say it's okay that he could sleep with you?" Ryo asked angry.
Sora merely started to cry, "I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking. I do love you Ryo," she said begging him for forgiveness.
"No I don't want to hear it as far as I am concern we are history Sora," Ryo said he walked passed Taichi who was still on the floor in shock for what had happened.
"Ryo!" she cried running out in the hall after him but it was too late the elevator doors closed and he was gone. She walked back into the apartment where Taichi had gotten up and she ran into his arms sobbing uncontrollably.
To Be Continued…