Notes: It was intended to be a two-part kind of thing... the first part (this one) being Yamato/Taichi, and the second part Mimi/Izumi with some Kouji/Takuya flavorings. But alas... I am teh lazy. Got to the second chapter of this, but it was only a page long so I'm not going to upload it. The plot originally was Sora came across this gypsy that offered to turn her into a male (she loved Yamato enough she was willing to get a sex-change... poor child), and it was basically Sora's antics trying to win Yama's affections but unwittingly helping him and Taichi get together faster. Weird, no? But it would have been really fun to write... heh.
Title: Double Take I Written: May 26, 2005 Rating: T
Handsome, kind, nice, and keeper of the softest hair known to all of humanity, not to mention at times that 'handsome' could slide right on into sexy. Blonde hair that was natural, not bleached or dyed like so many of those wanna-be models you see all the time on the television or magazines. Blue eyes with more depth to them than any of the oceans or even the book with so much symbolism it's impossible to keep track of all it's meanings and representations. Pale skin that was downright perfect, not too light as to be confused with that of the skin of some crazed otaku that would slit someones throat for that special edition of their favorite anime or video game. He wore an even amount of dark and light clothes, but he usually leaned more to wearing the darker shades to compliment his complexion. He not only had a great colour-coordination he also for the most part kept up with the more recent fashion trends. It certainly was a large bonus he was in his own band and could knock even Simon from American Idol off his feet with it. She doubted she ever heard his voice crack, or even off-tune in the entire time she's known him. This guy was every teenage girl's dream date and best male friend.
Who exactly was 'she'? 'She' was none other than nice and friendly Sora, the motherly friend whom you could always turn to. Her brown hair was cut in a short and almost boyish-fashion, and people generally pointed out how in certain lighting her hair would have an orange look to it. Her brown eyes had a warm glow to them, and when no one was looking they might as well have been heart-shaped as she thought upon her deathly-crush. When she was younger she'd normally wear jeans with other such things, but as of late she began to wear more skirts and other 'feminine' outfits. It was little wonder why she had been perceived as a tomboy even now though, for most her friends just happened to be males. Her closest and most trusted friend was Taichi, but her crush was on Yamato, the undiscovered teenage heart-throb. Yeah, the blonde guy that was ranted about in the paragraph above.
Today was a special day, it was the day that would be the start of a beautiful dream that would end only when she died of old age next to her beloved. Walking to the park, Sora smiled brightly to herself as she thought about this special day that was today. Wearing a white spaghetti-strap that had the love kanji on it with a broken heart beneath it in pink, she smoothed out the skirt she had bought specifically for this day. It was a frilled denim skirt, with velvet black spots and carefully placed pink bows. The description sounds ugly, but in all actuality it was beautiful. Her black high-heeled sandals gave her maybe a good two inches on her original height, and she walked with as much grace as she could. She had bribed her friend Mimi to teach her how to walk properly with them on if she tripped some girl named Izumi down the stairway. The girls broken ankle would be worth it! Although Sora did feel horrible about doing that… did the girl really deserve to get a broken ankle just because she accidentally dropped pudding on Mimi's new dress? Although the two girls had been at each other's throats since Sora could remember.
Shaking her head, she removed all the thoughts that resided in her mind that would distract her from this special day. This beautiful, wonderous day! Birds were chirping, the sun was shining, there was a large blotch of gray clouds rolling in from the west – wait. Yelping in alarm, she realized if this was going to be the special day she was going to have to hurry it up, otherwise it'd be completely ruined. Besides, she was wearing mascara for once. It wasn't water-proof, and if water got too close to it then it'd be running all over her face. She shuddered, recalling the horrors of when her mother's mascara ran down her face. It was a terrible, terrible sight. No one deserved to see that, especially her secret crush!
Yes, her crush had to do with this special day. Now whether this meant it was a celebration of them having been friends for whatever amount of years they've known each other, she was going to admit her feelings, he was going to admit his feelings for her, they were having a picnic and she was misunderstanding it as a date, who knew? She did, who else would! Well, maybe that old man snoring on the bench Sora would talk to on occasion might know too. But he wasn't a main character, and it was likely he would never be seen again because everyone referred to him as the 'dirty old man'. Running best as she could in her (Mimi's) high-heels, she took out some red lipstick and lightly put some on. As her teacher, Mimi, explained if she put too much on she would look like a slut. And no one wanted that, because Sora only wanted to be with Yamato. Hurrying up as best she could, she finally reached her desired destination. The soccer field.
It was fairly large, somewhere around four-hundred yards large with grass that was regularly well-taken care of. No, no one knew who took care of the field but they didn't really care so long as they could still play on it. She slowed from her running/jogging, and began to walk in a normal manner while trying to keep balance as she walked. High-heels were such a pain, really! Plopping down on a bench, she took a deep breath and looked at the activity on the field. Teens and pre-teens were playing on it, in this kind of silent war to see who was better. The more experienced and muscled teens, or the swifter and less experienced clumsy (puberty tended to make the teens a bit more awkward in their movements) pre-teens.
A wild-haired brunette currently held the soccer in his feets possession, wearing gray shorts and a blue short-sleeve shirt and his brown eyes were narrowed in concentration on the moving object. That just happened to be Taichi, whom although she trusted him with her life and secrets, she had not told about her crush to just yet. She wanted it to be a surprise to everyone, and so in order for that she had to not tell anyone. Besides, there was a teeny tiny percent of a chance she would be rejected and if she was she refused anyone to know about it. It wasn't a very flattering thing the be known about oneself, getting rejected. Thus, no one would know if she was! Yes, Sora had planned this all out so very carefully! For you see, she knew for a fact that Yamato would be at this soccer field messing with his guitar, because he and Taichi were good friends and did everything together; even if they were doing two very different things. It was done at the same time, and they still managed to talk! It was a friendship she had longed to have with Yamato, and already had with Taichi. Besides, sometimes she wondered if her close friend liked her, and if Taichi knew she liked Yamato… what if it hurt his feelings? She couldn't bear to hurt her best friends feelings!
If she did end up going out with Yamato however, wouldn't his feelings still get hurt? It was a risk she was going to take! Taichi was a good-natured guy (despite his lack of thinking before acting), and he wouldn't get all bent out of shape if she and Yamato went out. He would be happy for them. Although if he did like her, and he was having one of his hothead moments… she again shook the thoughts out of her head. Taichi probably saw her as no more than just a friend, and Yamato… she had no clue if he perceived her as something more than just a friend. There was only one way to find out, and she was going to… today! That was why today was so special! Nodding to herself, she got up again and headed towards where her crush sat tuning his guitar. Ahh… he was so sexy. No, he was handsome. Sexy, no handsome, no sexy, no handsome, no…! Ah, he was attractive! There, solved that problem! What was she here for? Right, staring. Ohhh… droolage… smexy man strumming guitar… yum…
"Sora? You need something?" Yamato asked, looking up from his guitar to see his female friend. She looked normal, except with the make-up, slightly fancy skirt, and the glazed expression. Was today someones birthday?
"Oh, heh heh…" Sora laughed, scratching the back of her head pulling her mind out of fangirl mode. "Uhm… someone told me you had to tell me something?" She began, lying like she never lied before. Make him think, confuse him, and then tell him so that he'd be dazed and she could dash off! While running off in a overly-dramatic fashion, he would chase after her and pull her into his arms and say in an alarmingly sexy voice, 'aishiteru' and they'd live happily ever after! Yes! Perfect plan! As you can all see, her general sane way of thinking was kicked to the side to be replaced by the insanity of fangirlism and teenage hormones.
"They did? …weird… I was going to ask someone to get you after practice with the other guys…" Yamato murmured to himself. Sora almost died; did this mean he was going to tell her he had the same feelings the same day she chose! It was meant to be; they were soulmates! Destined to be, to rock each other's world! The poor misguided girl…
"Oh, eheh… you must've told them and forgot." Sora said, laughing lightly. It was a miracle she was able to hold herself back from glomping him and loving him and making out with him. 'Mmmm… making out with Yamato… no! Must… concentrate… he's talking!' Her mind yelled.
"…so could you meet me after practice?" Yamato finished his sentence, although Sora did not hear the first half of it.
"Uh… nani? Could you repeat that please? Sorry, just these heels are bothering. You know Mimi… eheh… she likes to make me try new things!" Sora explained, laughing nervously.
"Sure. If you want you could wear my shoes on your way home… you look really uncomfortable." Yamato said, motioning at his black sneakers. He was wearing a green shirt with regular jeans, the type of clothes one would wear if they went outside to play and planned on getting dirty. "Anyway, I said I had something I really need to tell you because… you're one of my closest friends. I trust you more than anyone else, and it's something I just need to talk about so could you meet me after practice?" He repeated, the same question shedding more light on the situation.
"You'd do that for me? Oh, thank you Yamato!" Sora squealed. "It'd be no problem meeting you. I have to return your shoes after all, you know?" She said, nodding at him. He flashed her a smile, and she tried to quell the blush. Was he going to admit his feelings? The 'closest friends' thing caused that to make no sense, but he could have been using it as a cover-up. But what if something bad was happening in his family again? She had to be there for him, and ignore her feelings! …that'd be hard. But she'd do it for him!
"Great." Yamato replied, untying his shoes and handing them to her. She took off her high-heels and put them on the ground as she put the sneakers on. Heaven! Those high-heels were satan-spawns! She made a mental-note to kill Mimi if the other girl ever suggested she wear them again. Looking at the empty spot the high-heels once were, she blinked confused and then glanced up seeing Yamato put them on. What the hell?
"Uhm… why are you…?" She began to ask.
"I need something to wear on my feet you know." Yamato answered, laughing at her confused expression. He stood up in them, and walked around a bit before shaking his head. "Your feet are smaller than mine… good thing they're more like sandals then, ne?" He asked her.
"…where'd you learn to wear high-heels?" Sora asked, giving him a blank look. She was shocked beyond all feeling right now, so her expressions weren't really available because her brain went off to relocate those feelings that the shock knocked away.
"You know Mimi, always making people try new things." Yamato stated with a roll of his eyes. Sora smiled, her brain having found the feelings. He was such a sweet guy!
"See you later, and I'll wear my own sneakers tonight okay?" Sora said, waving as she skipped off. Yamato smiled back at her and waved. Oh, today was such an awesome day! Sora hummed to herself as she skipped along, thinking that by tonight her world would be perfect. Ah, poor misguided girl.
Humming 'Love and Joy' by Kimura Yuki, Sora brushed through her short hair dreamily. Tonight was the night, she just knew it! Her excitement was overwhelming, her hopes were soaring, her dinner was burning…! HER DINNER WAS BURNING! Yelping, she dashed downstairs and stared in horror at the flames blazing on her stove. Looking around wildly, she looked at the faucet. She and her mother had an electric stove, that'd be a very bad idea! She was terrified that if she used a towel it would catch on fire, and then all of Hades would break loose! Her mind then performed an extraordinary three-second miracle of recalling her experiences in Home Economics. Grabbing the baking soda, she drowned the flames with the deodorizer's almightiness. Sighing with relief, she then groaned when seeing the ruined food along with the mess on the stove. If she stopped and cleaned this she would make poor Yamato wait! No, must keep positive attitute! Remember Sora, you are the one who will open the door to the light! …wrong Sora! Remember Sora, the cup is half full, not half empty!
Taking a deep breath, she worked fast and cleaned up the mess while somehow managing to not ruin her outfit she was wearing earlier. She had to look spiffy for Yamato! After the mess was fixed, she knew exactly how to fix the lack of dinner for her mother. Grabbing some pizza pockets, she tossed them all on a plate and stuffed them into the microwave and set the time. Four minutes later she placed them on a pan, threw the plate away, grabbed one to eat and took off. Before exiting out the door she grabbed Yamato's sneakers, slipped on her own, nabbed her house key and went outside. Twirling around, she quickly locked the door and tore off down the sidewalk. All those years of soccer and these current months of tennis were seriously worth it now!
Smiling widely, she couldn't wait to see her precious Yamato! Tonight they would become boyfriend and girlfriend, in five years they'd probably get married, in ten years they'd most likely have their first kid, and everything from there would come with its own ups and downs that they could easily get through! Why would they probably get married in five years though? For then they'd be twenty-one, and old enough to get drunk and thus accidentally get married like you see all the time in those movies involving Las Vegas you could get imported from America. Sure, that country had pretty good movies and such… but if it was anything like the movies, she'd absolutely hate to live there! The crime, the idiots, the corruption… oh, it looked dreadful! Though the men there seemed really hard core… and all the blondes weirdly stupid. That was strange, because Yamato was a blonde and he was intelligent, just like his younger brother. It must have just been an American thing then.
Walking up to the Ishida residence, Sora took a deep breath and tried to regain her composure after all the running (not to mention return to her regular breathing rate). Once that was done, she walked up to the front door and lightly knocked. Some tumbling was heard, along with a yelp and a cat yowling in pain. Raising a brow, she waited for her friend to answer the door to figure out just exactly what he wanted to tell her and if it had anything to do with cats rather than their relationship. After a moment there was Yamato answering the door, grinning somewhat lopsidedly in apology and a pink apron on. Why did he wear a pink apron again? …he was a metrosexual. She knew it! That was probably what he had to tell her. No big surprise, any male who was friends with Mimi would probably eventually become a metrosexual because she was just… Mimi. Besides, Yamato had always been a rather well-hygiened individual with good common sense. Why was she worrying about this now? She never worried about it before.
Wait. She wasn't worrying. Why did she think she was worrying? She was nervous. That was it; there was no other explanation for this at all. She was nervous, and so she was beginning to notice every single little detail and the insecure part of her brain would turn it into something that it wasn't. She was looking too deeply into things, and so she had to stop and concentrate on something else. Yamato. Yum… yes, she could concentrate very well on him. 'No, must not become some simple-minded girl!' Sora's mind scowled at her, and she immediately began to think of Taichi. Yes, that's it just think of your best friend. Wait, she still needed to smack him upside the head for that time when they were little kids and he threw up in her hat and didn't tell her before she put it on. That jerk!
"Sorry, I was cooking dinner." Yamato explained, leading her into the kitchen. "I was making some Domburi and some Chazuke. Want any?" He asked, looking at her as he placed the final product of his cooking on the table. She immediately felt her mouth water at the sight, and had she not been an experienced human being in restraining herself from drooling in her crushes presence… she would have well, drooled.
"I'd love to have some." Sora answered politely, giving him a warm smile.
"Great, I cooked extra for you." He stated, laughing as he got some empty plates for them to place their food on.
"So… what was it you needed to tell me?" She began shyly, looking up at him with a sweet friendly smile. 'Yes! Tell me you love me, and I'll say I love you too and we can make out! Nyahah!' Went the fangirl part of her brain. He physically stiffened, and placed both his and her chopsticks down on the table. Taking a deep breath, he looked at her with a sigh.
"We can't have a pleasant conversation before I tell you?" Yamato asked, a troubled expression on his face. Sora hesitated, and sighed. As much as she wanted to hear him admit his true feelings (she's still rather misguided), she wanted to make him happy and comfortable more.
"Sure, don't see why not." She said, giving him a reassuring smile. He smiled back, and sat down. They talked about school as they ate, despite the fact anything having to do with school generally wasn't a pleasant thing. They would laugh together as they talked about the adventures between Daisuke and Taichi, and reminence back to the days when Mimi was just a spoiled little girl, rather than a sincere but still obsessed with killing her 'rival' Izumi teenager. Ah, how things change over time. And the good times, yes the good times… yeah. Those were the times.
"Here, I'll get the plate for you." Yamato said, picking up the now empty plates and placing them in the sink. Sora tilted her head in thought about what he was going to tell her… it must have been something either embarrassing, secret, or bad. She hoped it was just something secret, because bad things sucked, and she never wished for Yamato to be embarrassed.
"So… we going to watch television now?" Sora asked, wanting the blonde male to tell her whatever it was he wanted to tell when he was ready.
"I'm gay." Yamato said suddenly. Sora stared.