A quick note that this is a Taichi x Sora/Taiora story and even though it's also labeled with Koushiro and Hikari/Koukari and the latter is more of a background pairing. Still, I wanted to try and give them the build up they deserve in the story. So know that these two will have and get their (proper) build up in this and upcoming chapters, but the main focus will always be on Taichi and Sora.

Aaaaand shout out to my friend who gifted me the new cover art :D

Have a great day and a happy read!

xxx

Just dance partners

It had been two weeks since they had last seen each other in this constellation but Hikari was already nervous for the night. Not only had she no clue about what Sora thought of her drunk shenanigans or how Sora and her brother would respond to each other –especially after that awkward goodbye in front of the apartment building those two weeks ago—, but Hikari would also come face to face with Koushiro again. They had texted each other quite a bit during the course of time, telling each other good morning and good night over text every single day since then. The courage to tell him how she actually felt towards him lacking. Besides, how could she possibly like her brother's best friend like that? And where did it come from? It were questions no one could answer for her, still she was desperate to find the answers to her feelings and the only way of finding out was seeing him again.

So she swallowed and said yes to a movie night with her brother and his best friends.

It was somewhat safe to be in the company of Taichi and Sora too, they could act like a disguise; an excuse to hide behind if she needed to. However, she was highly aware of the fact that having Koushiro in the same room with her and Taichi could be a dangerous thing too. Not that he disliked the idea of her and Koushiro together, on the contrary, to him it was just a weird image he had to get used to, she knew. And she understood that.

Her inner dialogue was roughly interrupted by the doorbell ringing and Hikari jumped up from the couch. Wanting to be faster than her brother, she left the couch in a hurry to rush to the door. She inhaled with one hand on the doorknob, exhaled as she turned to open it. In the doorframe appeared the outlines of her two favorite redheads, her eyes avoiding Koushiro's and thus shifting to Sora first.

To Hikari, Sora had always been the definition of a natural beauty. Her genuine and friendly smile could break the iciest of hearts, making you talk and open up without even knowing. Funny thing was that Sora's smooth skin showed no indication of any worry or stress, while it was basic knowledge to basically everyone that the, to Hikari, sisterlike figure was always worrying and stressing over things outside of her power and reach. When it came to her own feelings, Sora was a pro in masquerading things, often coming across as a beautiful mystery with her exotic red hair. A code to crack for most of the people around her, from vague acquaintances to even family and good friends.

"Hi Hikari-chan, you look lovely," Sora broke the silence with her sweet and almost motherly voice. Hikari nodded her thanks, returning Sora's compliment with one of her sweet smiles. Looking closer at Sora, Hikari could see something in her expression. Because as much as Sora tried to not let her inner turmoils be seen on the outside, she had gathered a few people around her who actually could read her in one way or another – even if it was just a tad, only in certain situations or to some bounded extent. And by any chance, those people were all present in this house tonight.

After putting off her shoes, Sora walked past Hikari, moving further into the house. Hikari was on her way to follow her friend as a hand on her back reminded her of her other guest.

Koushiro.

His genuine and warm smile was among the ones she could melt for, one that made her heart skip a beat. Usually, he wasn't one for up close touching, but ever since they had shared that rather intimate, and above all, drunk evening, she felt like he wasn't as afraid or awkward anymore to get physical in small ways. Like placing hands on backs and shoulders.

The blush that flooded her face wasn't one she could easily hide from him. Luckily, the blushing seemed to be mutual as Koushiro's face showed the same shade of red. They giggled together, Koushiro's well positioned hand in between her shoulder blades still in place, marking her skin with loving warmth right through the thin fabric of her shirt. The warmth underneath his hands quickly found its way to Hikari's chest and upwards to her face, intensifying the cherry red her face had already turned into. Their gazes eventually drifted from each other's eyes to the living room where they watched Sora taking a seat next to Taichi. Hikari sighed.

"I hope it doesn't get as uncomfortable as two weeks ago," Koushiro whispered to Hikari, only audible for them to hear. She nodded, a flashback entering her thoughts and vision that had stuck with her despite the lack of vivid memories due to the intake of alcohol.

Leaving the insides of the club, including the alcohol and dancing, to exchange the scenery with a walk home through the frisky night's air underneath the midnight's sky had made Hikari sober up a bit. What sobered her up even more was her brother giving her speech after speech about not drinking that much ever again the entire way home. Usually, he wasn't that type of a big brother, only when he needed a distraction. Especially a distraction from his own little situation with Sora. It made Hikari giggle, not taking Taichi's speeches too serious.

Koushiro and Sora were walking behind them. Hikari giggled a bit more at hearing Sora dodging Koushiro's own curiosity about the thing between his two best friends. Luckily for Sora it wouldn't take long anymore as they almost arrived at her and Koushiro's apartment complex.

Once arrived and goodbyes were exchanged, she had watched Taichi and Sora stumble over their words, trying to find the right way to tell each other good night. Hikari remembered the awkwardness, taking them forever to tell each other a proper good night. Not that Hikari blamed them, she and Koushiro had been going through the exact same awkwardness without the endlessness, their goodbye ending in a warm and friendly hug. And it finally seemed like Sora and Taichi would do the same.

Taichi's arms were around her waist, Sora's arms around his neck. The process of letting go taking them quite some time as well and Hikari could feel the tension rising, thinking it would lead to something more. She followed one of Sora's hands brushing over Taichi's neck and ear to land on his cheek. Her other hand slid down along the length of his arm and Taichi's hands were loosely placed on Sora's waist. Her lips neared his other cheek where she left him a small and soft peck. Hikari gasped before complimenting the scene with an inaudible giggle.

"Thank you, Taichi," were Sora's simple words. Her eyes locking with Taichi's, her face not giving away any secrets. It seemed to confuse Taichi.

"For what?," was his response, a light blush – that even the darkness of the night couldn't mask away – visible on the cheek Sora had lightly touched with her lips. His hands had to let go of Sora's waist in a split second as Sora wiggled away, out of his grasp and towards Koushiro. Hikari could see his unwillingness to let go just yet, not satisfied with whatever was happening and she absolutely shared that feeling. Had she wanted more for them? Or maybe more for her to happen between herself and Koushiro.

It was too late to act on any of that, Sora dragging Koushiro towards the entrance of the building and disappearing through the door. With that, leaving herself and her brother behind, staring, eyes filled with confusion, awkwardness and the mutual feeling of unsatisfaction.

"Hikari-san?"

It was her name in combination with Koushiro's gentle voice that pulled her back to the present. In the meantime, he had walked past her, taken his hand away from that safe spot on her back. Hikari nodded as she started following Koushiro into the living room, a cold shape on her back marking the missing warmth of that sweet hand of his. The same kind of unsatisfaction and want for more that she had felt that certain night striking her spinning head.

One and a half hour and some back and forth between her and her brother about what movie to watch later and Hikari's head had stopped spinning. For some reason, Taichi was into cheesy musical movies, but held that under the rug. Hikari knew of course and so she had eventually convinced him to watch a musical movie with tons of dancing anyway. With her eyes she followed the quick dancing figures on the television's screen, reminiscing the dance classes she had taken with her brother years ago.

"Doesn't that look incredible to you guys? I would love to take some dance classes again." Hikari's hopeful eyes wandered to her brother.

Taichi shrugged his shoulders after exchanging a quick look with her. "My dancing could use some dusting." He eventually concluded.

It made Hikari grin, her gaze then shifting from her brother to the two redheads present in the room. Koushiro's eyes were still glued to the movie while Sora's were looking at Taichi. Hikari watched her slightly parting her lips, ready to make some kind of comment that she apparently decided not to say out loud. But Hikari could guess the comment she wanted to make, but was too embarrassed for.

"Didn't seem like you needed to dust off those partner dancing skills the last time I've seen you dancing," Hikari winked and Taichi couldn't hide his little blush.

"Seconding that," Koushiro chimed in with a rather neutral face. Now it was not only Taichi blushing, but Sora too, to which Hikari's grin widened. Of course Sora knew exactly what Koushiro and her were talking about, the last time Taichi had been dancing with a partner that night two weeks ago. And that partner had been very much Sora herself.

"As if you two weren't all over each other. Maybe you two should take some dancing classes together, if you two are really into each other like that." Taichi snarked back.

Hikari knew it was meant as just a comment to get back at her and Koushiro, but the idea sounded like music to Hikari's ears. Her eyes and smile both widened, unusual excitement hitting her.

"I think that's a great idea!" Hikari said, instead of giving her brother attention, immediately turning to Sora – who was a little taken aback by Hikari's sudden excitement – and grabbing both of her hands. "Don't you think so too, Sora-san? We could all dance together!"

Sora smiled. "W-we could. I only go if Koushiro-kun is going too," she said. Her eyes shifted from Hikari to Koushiro, skipping past Taichi's on purpose. "What do you say, Koushiro-kun, we could be dance partners and dance together."

Hikari looked at Koushiro carefully nodding to Sora's suggestion. That was not how it was supposed to go, Hikari thought to herself, because as much as she liked dancing with her brother… She bit her lip before opening her mouth to speak.

"Oh, but wouldn't it be nice if I partnered with Koushiro-san and Sora-san with Onii-chan? Height-wise, that's better," she quickly added, not wanting her brother and Sora to jump to conclusions too quickly. "Besides, I'd like to have another kind of partner." She said through her nerves anyway. A quick glance in Koushiro's direction said enough, the boy intensely blushing now too. Internally, she slammed her hand against her forehead, since this was enough bait for Taichi, her brother squinting his eyes at her, telling her in his way that he would keep an eye on her.

Sora's sudden hand on Taichi's shoulder, however, made him unable to make a verbal comment. Once again his cheeks flushed red, matching Sora's hair and his own cheeks. It made Hikari snicker a little.

"I think Hikari-chan is right," Sora said, sounding as confident as possible, but failed when her voice cracked a bit. Hikari smirked back. "About the height-thing of course!" Sora quickly added, her hand still on Taichi's shoulder though.

Unable to contain her excitement, Hikari stood up reaching for Sora's hands and taking her hand off of her brother's shoulder. She observed Taichi's face. It was funny to her that the way Koushiro had left his marks on herself, Sora had definitely left her marks on Taichi. The disappointment on Taichi's face due to the loss of physical connection; one Hikari had shared with her brother.

Hikari knew him all too well. She wished her brother all the good things and with that, there was only one thing left to say for her.

"Don't worry, Onii-chan, I won't keep you away from Sora-san for too long."

A wink followed her words, making not only Taichi but Sora turn red once again. How she loved to make the both of them blush.

Defeated, Taichi had let himself fall back into the couch against the backrest, his eyes following the girls' every move. He shook his head, letting out a little chuckle. To most others, seeing Hikari this excited and outgoing was a sight unknown, but to Taichi, his sister could be a bomb of energy. Especially when it came to the art of teasing him.

Hikari had pretty much always been a true master of that art for as far as he could think back. Everybody always thought that 'his' trademark lopsided grin was only his, while in reality, it was a Yagami thing and one that Hikari had mastered before him. Imagining his sister with those sparkling eyes searching for information, bobbing eyebrows included. Her voice slightly lowering in a way to show him that she already knew and just wanted to hear it from his own mouth. Because Hikari, being the damn empath she was, always knew exactly what was going on before everyone else.

The past two weeks she had been trying to dig even deeper, driving him to confess a thing of two. Hikari had looked right through him, knowing Sora may have or may not have made his heart beat faster. He wasn't ready to confess that. Heck, how could you be ready for something you just found out?

Sure, him and Sora had always been rather close. Sure, lots of friends, classmates and family had asked when they would finally started dating. Sure, deep down inside he had always felt that he liked her like… more than a friend. But that's what it was; she was his friend and he had always told himself to not fall in love with a friend.

Not falling in love with Sora had gone quite easy throughout the years and years they shared classrooms in primary, middle and high school. Every time seated right beside or behind each other. He had circled his fingers through her hair countless of times as he escaped his classes by daydreaming away. Sora had never minded those little massages, until the teacher noticed and she abruptly turned around to warn him. That's when he had given her all those grins, teasing her annoyance, which only fueled him more. But aside from that, those grins had always been platonic and often empty. Just the usual.

Taichi looked at his sister and Sora dance. It made a smile appear on his face, the steps Hikari was teaching Sora steps he had already taught Sora too. Sora was a natural, eagerly learning, no matter who the teacher was and it somehow reminded him of himself.

He had never been a big learner, but those dance classes with Hikari had been a real eye opener for him. They were fun, he could goof around and still be good at it. Besides, he loved to move and learn new sports – and how was dancing any different? Taking some more dance classes, be it with his sister or his friends or all of them together, wouldn't be a punishment, though he would never admit that, and so he played the indifference card.

Looking to his right, he saw Koushiro with a small smile shaping his lips, a pinkish color on his face and his body slightly uneasy and stiff.

"You want to give it a try?," Taichi decided to ask his friend, the question genuine while keeping his cool.

"D-dancing?"

Taichi nodded, the image of Koushiro dancing with his sister that night two weeks ago clear as freshly cleaned windows. He had probably come off a bit too strong, sounding like he didn't want his sister to date with Koushiro, even though all that Taichi wanted was his sister to actually date a guy like Koushiro. It was just the idea of them… together… Hikari, his sweet and innocent sister, with Koushiro, his nerdy best friend. He loved them both to death, but seeing them hitting off so easily like that was a bit strange to him.

He had to get used to it. And what better way than to take dance classes all together, so he could keep an eye on the two of them.

"Yes," Taichi finally answered verbally, "with my sister."

Koushiro swallowed. "I— er… Taichi-san, it isn't what you think—"

"Look. I'm fine with you two… dating or whatever. I just hope you see that this can be a bit awkward for me, I mean, you're still my best friend and she will forever be my sister. You gotta give me time to get used to the two of you, well… together."

Relief broke through Koushiro's expression, a bit of nerves still visible and audible as he spoke.

"A-as if I shouldn't get used to both of my best friends getting it on with each other."

Taichi laughed, lowkey impressed by Koushiro's counter. "Excuse you? When did you get so cocky?"

Koushiro shrugged his shoulders, a sigh of relief and a laugh escaping him while their eyes met. Now it was Taichi's time to smirk the Yagami smirk, knowing exactly what to do.

Making sure Koushiro and Hikari would have a safe place to find out their feelings for each other, under his brotherly supervision.

And maybe something else too…

"Okay fine," Taichi said loud enough for the girls to hear to grab their attention and make them stop their dancing. His gaze shifted from Koushiro to Hikari, intentionally skipping Sora. "Count us in."

But in the end he failed, completely captured by the rapid blinking of her copper colored eyes, closely paying attention to every little movement she made. The inhale that made her chest rise, the tip of her tongue that moistened her lips dry from the dancing, her feet she nervously shuffled a bit and the corner of her mouth that eventually curled up into a teasing grin that could easily match his own.

"Good," came Hikair's voice, interrupting the second that felt like it lasted for minutes. Taichi looked at her as she continued. "Because we have already signed up all four of us for a trial class."

A week later, Taichi was seated at a table looking at the dance floor, where coupled were doing little freestyles with dance partners. Dance partners, he reminded himself once more. Just dance partners.

He gritted his teeth.

The class had all been fun and Taichi had danced with everyone in the room. With his sister, two random girls, a random guy, he even danced with Koushiro, which was awkward until they bursted out in laughter. Of course he danced with Sora too, most of the time, and it had felt good and comfortable right from the start. It was all very basic and nothing compared to how they had danced before already. His fingers had itched to just twirl her around and dip her down, but he decided to lay low and just follow instructions instead of bragging.

Right now, however, he wished he had bragged a little.

The instructor had already told Sora once or twice that she had talent. And apparently, it wasn't only picked up by the instructor, but by other more experienced male dancers too.

Taichi couldn't blame them, Sora was obviously a gorgeous woman to look at, in every single way. With her red shaded hair being exotic to most, her dance talent and the way her body was able to move all sensually, she simply stood out in the crowd of female beginners and even those smooth experienced salsa men with their stupid fast footwork. Taichi cursed them under his breath.

With a growl he forced himself to shift his attention to something less aggravating. Koushiro and Hikari. They were practicing the steps they had just learned, tripping and stumbling over each other's feet. Taichi laughed to himself, how could this not be the most adorable thing?

He waved at them as they caught him staring at them. Before he knew it, they were seated on either side of him. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Hikari looking in Sora's direction.

"Looks like someone's having fun and it's not you. Come on, Onii-chan! You have to dance too!"

He shook his head in response.

"Taichi-san, even I embarrassed myself by stumbling over my own feet in public and we both know you are much better at this than I am."

They were trying to make him feel good, but it didn't help. He shook his head again.

"You know, you could have just asked her to dance with you. I'm sure she wouldn't say no to you," Hikari tried to soothe him.

He didn't need soothing.

"Hikari-san is right. I'm sure Sora-san would love to dance with you. Besides, it's not like it would be a first, am I right?," Koushiro said his line.

Would she love it? She looked happy dancing with that guy… Or better said, those guys… How many partners did she already dance with?

"Taichi…"

Wasn't it supposed to be Koushiro partnering up with Hikari and he himself partnering with Sora? The one that was basically partnering every other guy instead of him?

"Taichi-san…?"

He should be on that dancefloor with her, but he wasn't nearly as good as those smooth dancing boys were. He could become better than them though.

"Hey, you three! Already done danci— Oi, Taichi!"

With Sora right in front of him, she grabbed her wrist and dragged her with him, right through to the middle of the dance floor to the bar where the instructor of their trial class was seated. Next to him on the bar lay a pile with unfilled forms.

He could feel Sora resist, but he was stronger. Plus, he somehow knew she would follow – hadn't she shown him tonight that she was perfectly capable of doing so?

"Hi. I would like to sign up myself and my dance partner here for a course."