Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Digimon seasons or any of its characters. The plotline is based off a Manga titled "Penguin Brothers", which has not been licensed in America. I don't own that either.
Shades of Gray: Chapter 11
"You were Sora's most important friend back then," Yuta said calmly. "So I guess you deserve to know."
Yamato leaned against a pillar with a serious look on his face. "I'm waiting."
"At the age of 7, Sora witnessed her mother's death. She was run over by a car… right in front of her face. So as a young girl, she was obviously traumatized, taking a toll on her mental abilities. Even the scene still gives me nightmares." He closed his eyes for a moment. "Her father and I took her to a quiet urban area. She had become a lifeless doll, unable to speak. Half a year later, she slowly recovered, but she didn't remember anything before or after the accident. I told her, piece by piece, her missing memories. Though all of it was true, I never mentioned you because I feared her memories would rush back at her."
Yamato flinched. If I had told her about their past… Sora would've suffered because of me.
"I don't want Sora to be haunted by the past. I know that you, Yamato, can't stand her being hurt like that. Please, stay away from Sora."
"When I saw Sora for the first time in years, I was very angry that she had forgotten me. But now I think it's a good thing she doesn't remember me…" the blonde spoke. "She would be… very disappointed in me…"
Yuta blinked. "Yamato… do you still live there…?"
"Yuta-san!" the girl piped. "I bought them for you," she held up a pack of cigarettes. "What were you guys talking about?"
"Oh nothing. Listen Sora, I have to go now, so I'll see you later."
"Sorry for dragging you out," Sora said sadly. "I was hoping I could get something about my past."
Yamato said softly, "It's okay. Just forget about it."
"Well… it's uncomfortable for me too," she offered. "There were others who want my memory back." Like Takeru…
"You don't have to push yourself this hard."
Sora twitched. "Weren't you the one who was angry at me in the first place? And why are you so nice all of a sudden? You're usually cold…"
Yamato flustered. "Don't misunderstand me."
"Are you opening up to me now?" Sora peered at him with her fiery eyes. His cheeks tinted of red. "That's good to know! I hope… we can talk more about my past in the future."
His eyes looked down at the sidewalk as they continued their way home.
"You Grays seem to be quite the party group," Hikari observed as Mimi and Miyako showed her pictures of all their get-togethers. "Who're those kids?"
"Oh, they're from Odaiba Middle School… they allied with us so they wouldn't have to be segregated when they come to high school."
Sora stared blankly at the table. Yamato's been avoiding me since he talked to my uncle…
"When did you start dating Koushiro?" Hikari asked.
"I'm not dating him," Mimi replied. "Why?"
"Nothing, there's just a lot of pictures with you two together. And he's always either looking or smiling at you."
The pink-haired girl blushed. "Really? I never noticed…"
"You like him, huh?" Miyako nudged her. "You don't have to hide it from us!"
"Maybe… a little. But I'm sure he doesn't feel that way about me…"
Sora shook her head and gave a thumbs-up. "I can arrange a few things. Leave it to me, Mimi-chan!"
"No, don't!" She said seriously. "If you tell him… I'll never speak to you again!"
"Mimi…" the redhead said softly. "Sorry…" Why is she overreacting?
"Sorry… I'm going to go to the restroom," Mimi stuttered and jolted out the door. Miyako followed after her.
"Doesn't she trust me to be her matchmaker?" Sora asked confused.
"That's not why," Hikari said. "Listen to me, as a friend… Don't interfere. Or else Mimi and Koushiro will be lost to you forever."
Huh? Sora stared as the brunette walked away.
Koushiro put the video up on his computer. In his hands was a script written by someone who had lip-read their conversation.
"You got careless again, huh?"
"Listen, blondie, the girl you claim as the Sora from before caused this."
"I told you to stay away from her."
"Ooh, jealous, aren't you?"
Yamato kneeled down and pulled out the knife. "Here."
Taichi smirked. "You're so considerate as to give me a weapon, too?"
"As best friends… I suppose I could do this for you. What will the other students do if their leader isn't there?"
The President of the Computer Club leaned back in his chair. The first time I saw them was after our first karaoke party… and then Yamato helped him out. What's missing?
"Koushiro?" Iori opened the door.
The boy shut his laptop immediately. "Hi, what is it?"
"There's rumor about Yamato and Taichi being secretly close. Have you heard it?"
"No, who started it?"
Iori took a seat across from him. "I'm not sure… But there's usually little truth in rumors. I guess the video threw people off."
An idea sparked in Koushiro's head. "Prodigious! You know what I'm thinking?"
The small boy gave him a confused look. "What is it?"
"If those two are really close to each other, then maybe they're only pretending to be adversaries in order to become the leaders of Black and White. The leader of the Whites is strongly academic, as he is also Student Council President. And as for the leader of the Blacks, he has to be a strong fighter. Inevitably, those two clash. If they both had the same traits only one would rule."
"… And so they've tricked people into their positions, and the fight at the beginning of the school year was a setup?"
He nodded. "When students hear this… they will certainly lose trust with their leaders and become Gray."
"Isn't this a bit evil?"
"Someone has to do the dirty work in every organization," Koushiro grinned.
Sora sighed. So many thoughts were running through her head.
/You don't have to push yourself so hard. Don't misunderstand me. /
/If you tell him… I'll never speak to you again/
/ Don't interfere. Or else Mimi and Koushiro will be lost to you forever…/
Yamato passed her as she opened the door. She snapped out of her thoughts and clung to his arm. "Don't ignore me, Ishida!"
He continued, though with difficulty, up the stairs. His strength had Sora sliding on her feet as she stuck to him. "You've been avoiding me since two days ago! Any reasons in particular?"
"Nope."
"Then why are you running away?"
"You seem to be troubled."
"Can't you listen to what I have to say?"
"No. Now let go of me," Yamato growled.
Sora felt tears brimming. "I don't know why I'm so angry! I need someone calm to give me some advice."
Yamato stopped. She grasped his arm and his shirt. "Why are you crying…?"
"I see your relationship is moving along nicely."
"Taichi!" Sora gasped. "You've recovered from the hospital?"
"Tch, I was out of there in no time."
"It's Yagami!" someone shouted.
Another one whispered, "He's still alive?"
"Look! The leaders of Black and White are meeting each other!"
A girl asked, "Did you hear about the rumor?"
"Yagami-sama!" a group of Blacks waved. "We're glad you healed!"
The brunette boy gave them a glare. "I see the number of Grays have increased while I was gone. What have you guys been doing?"
"There's been a rumor," one of them said.
A female member turned pale. "Don't, stop!"
"People have been saying that you and Yamato are really good friends, and they are really mad about it," the boy continued.
"Stop!" the girl cried.
"Is it true? Tell us it's not!"
What's happening? Sora looked at Taichi, and then Yamato. Don't make it more confusing than it is!
Taichi scoffed. "Nope. I don't remember us being friendly at all. I wonder who leaked that information, Yamato-kun."
Yamato-kun? When has Taichi ever said his first name? Sora thought.
"Looks like it's game over," Yamato said coolly.
"So it's true?" Sora asked.
"We told you we don't remember us being friendly at all!" the both said simultaneously.
"That's right," a Black member said. "At the beginning of the school year, they fought so fiercely they both went to the hospital!"
Yamato jerked his thumb towards Taichi. "That's because he got serious and really hit me."
"You gave me a black eye!" he retorted.
"It's not my fault you couldn't dodge my punch."
The Black leader clenched his fist. "What? I'll fight you right now!"
"You guys! Calm down," Sora pleaded.
"Even though you guys appear to be enemies, you guys are actually good friends," Koushiro said. Everyone looked up to the third floor and saw the boy leaning over the rail. "Each of you played the role of a perfect student or a tough person. You've helped each other in more ways than one."
Sora was confused. "Huh?"
"If you become head, anyone from any grade level will listen to you. In the end, you just wanted a good memory of this place. Right?"
"To put simply," Taichi crossed his arms, "that's it. It wasn't as fun as I thought."
"What?" a student from the masses asked. "You don't sound like you cared about lying to us at all!"
"I'm pissed!"
"All this time we believed in you!"
Sora turned to Yamato. "Is this true? I didn't think you cared about position that much. You had other reasons, right? Answer me!"
The boy merely smiled. "When one game ends, another one begins…"
To Be Continued…