a/n:
So kiddies- thanks for the reviews. Here is my Turkey Day present to you! Two updates in a month! OMG!
Anyway in a matter of hours I will be on my way for a four day anime splurge vacation in Osaka. Where they have not one but TWO Mandarakes and and Animate in the nearby city of Kobe!
Oh baby! I am going to buy me some doujinshi! So enjoy your chapter! And have some Turkey for me on Gobble Gobble Day!
"Sabotage?" Tai asked again looking straight at Izzy. "How could the city's defenses be sabotaged?"
"I don't know yet. All I know is that my system would not malfunction like that. Sabotage is the only other alternative."
"What about the bugs? Have they adapted again? Somehow letting them sneak in?" Matt asked looking around the table. Tai had been called to the headquarters rather early the next day for a briefing on the attack.
"Who?" Tai asked thinking things over.
"I tried to check the logs to see if someone broke in on our end... but it didn't look like anything was tampered with... so that means it would have to be an external sabotage." Izzy replied typing on his computer. "The attack happened near the entrance where the outer clans members entered the city..."
"Are you saying that they set this up?" Davis asked.
"It's possible, or one of the team members who brought them in could have..."
"No, none of my men would do this. Besides nearly half of them died defending the city. Why would they do that only to be killed?" Tk stood up. "I can't believe that my men would do such a thing. This is their HOME!"
"TK does have a point." Matt said calming the growing tension in the room. "We can't point fingers. We need to stay level headed and not cause more fights." He added looking at Tai. "Ok, we're done for the moment. Everyone meet back at 0900 ok? Oh, and Tai... I need to talk to you."
Tai winced a little. He knew exactly what Matt wanted to talk to him about.
"So, what's up Matt?" Tai asked trying to keep the topic of discussion off as long as possible.
"Yesterday... you blew up at the outer clan. Do you realize that you make things worse by pissing everyone off?"
"Do you realize that I would be forced to marry someone I don't love? Do you realize I was ripped from my home and forced to come and help you? Do you realize how utterly stupid this prophecy is?"
"Yes, I do!" Matt surprised Tai. "I do... but you are not helping this any. I said I would try and talk them out of it."
"No you won't." Tai said unable to control himself. "You want to see me married off to that woman so I will no longer be a threat to you and your imaginary relationship with Sora. Admit it Matt it pisses you off that she loves me, doesn't it?" Tai practically was screaming now. "Well it's too late Matt, we love each other and there is nothing that anyone in this city can do about it."
"You really love to make things complicated for me don't you? Well enjoy it while it lasts. Sora will come to her senses soon and you'll be left to finally follow what the ancients have foretold."
"Don't count on it." Tai said as he left the room. 'Man, what a jack ass... oh shit... what did I do... Matt knows for sure now. Before he must have just had suspicions... Sora is going to be pissed.'
Tai felt uneasy walking over to Sora's house that afternoon. He wondered if Matt was going to sick some guards on him and keep him from Sora. 'Would he do that? He certainly could... but would he?' Tai couldn't decide.
"Sora?" Tai called as he entered the garden. She was laying on her side with her back to him. Thinking she was asleep, Tai quietly walked up to her.
"Sora? What's wrong? I thought you were asleep." He said startled to she she was away. She was hardly moving, just laying there with a tear stained face. "Sora, come on talk to me."
Taking her he gently rolled her on her back and sat down on the bed. She let him move her so her head was resting in his lap.
"Come on, tell me what's wrong." He asked again. "What did Joe say to make you all upset? Please, tell me what's wrong."
"It's... I... it's nothing really. I was just doing some thinking. A lot has happened today." She sighed taking his hand in hers.
"Tell me about it. I've had a rough morning as well."
"What about the attack? Are things settled now?" She asked. Tai knew she was purposely changing the subject. He would allow it, she would tell him when she was ready.
"Izzy thinks it was sabotage." He replied squeezing her hand.
"Who?"
"They don't know. But it looks like the outside clan might be a major suspect."
"What? But why?"
"You know how they are... no one really trusts them."
"Why not? Not all of them are bad or like their ancestors who started the fighting between us."
"Sora? Why are you defending them all of a sudden? I thought you disliked them for what they did to your family."
"I... so what are they doing now? Izzy and the rest?" Tai looked at her. That was twice she had changed the subject. 'What's the matter with you?' He wanted to ask, but held his tongue.
"Well, not much at the moment. Matt wants me dead or something for causing him 'problems.'"
"Well you are causing problems." She smiled. Tai was glad that she did.
"I know, I can't help it. I'm the destined one remember? I will come through in the end... but on my terms and my way." He smiled. "I do what I want and feel is right... something like this."
He leaned down and kissed her tenderly.
"You know we never really finished that ceremony. And you I am dying to become the next Mr. Taichi Takenouchi."
Tai noticed she twitched as he said her last name... something was going on... some that was really hitting her hard.
"Sora, can you tell me what's wrong?"
"Can we talk about it later? Right now I just want you to hold me..." She whispered against his chest. Tai nodded and took her in his arms.
"No matter what it is... or how bad you think it is, we'll get through it ok?" He told her as he stroked her hair loving the fell of it in his hands.
"I know. I just am a little confused at the moment."
"Joe said something didn't he? Nothing is wrong with your wounds? No more complications?" Tai asked in a worried voice.
"I'm fine. Just a little confused with myself at the moment."
Tai stayed with her like that for hours, just holding her while she slept. Getting up only when his stomach growled, he made a quick meal for them both and returned to her bedside.
After they both ate Sora seemed to want to talk. She kept asking him strange questions about his family and hypothetical things that really confused him as well.
'What if you found out your parents weren't really your parents? That there was no way they could be?' She had asked. Tai blinked at her and wondered where that had come from.
He had answered the best he could, but he doubted they helped her any.
'Well, I guess I would be hurt a little. But then I guess I would realize that even if they weren't my birth parents, they were the ones that raised me, loved me and in the end, isn't that what parents are? People who love you and keep you safe. A smile when you return home, a hug when you are crying? They did all that for someone who wasn't even their own. I think that goes above and beyond being a parent.'
She had quieted down after he said that. He could tell she was thinking over his words. Trying to figure out something important for herself.
The next morning, Tai kissed her goodbye and left to go see Gennai. 'Maybe she would know what is bothering Sora?' He hoped.
The temple had sustained minimal damage in the attack, and already it was being put back together. Tai slipped past the workers towards Gennai's room. Like he figured the old woman was reading a book at her desk.
"Come in child. Back so soon?" Gennai smiled as she saw Tai. "What? No Sora today?" She asked surprised to see that they had not come to finish the ceremony.
"Actually I wanted to talk to you about Sora." Tai said closing the door and finding his way to the couch. Sitting down he sighed... Sora was not going to be happy he came to ask Gennai about things... but he truly wanted to know.
"Something is bothering her. Ever since the attack she's been really... confused. Joe did some tests, or something and the news has made her ask weird questions..."
"Weird? What kind of questions?"
"She wanted to know what I would do if my parents weren't really my parents." Tai said with a laugh. "It was really out of the blue. Suddenly she started defending the outside clans a little more than she use to, and now asking those kind of questions..."
"I figured this would happen. And with them here... it only makes things more complicated and apparent." Gennai said with a saddened expression on her face.
"So you know something about this then?"
"Yes." The old woman nodded.
"She won't tell me."
"She doesn't know what to say herself. It is mostly my fault I guess. I might have to go and talk with her later... I guess this day was going to come."
"So are you going to tell me about it or am I going to be kept in the dark?"
"This is something I cannot tell you. You will have to hear it from Sora. Do not push her. She is deeply confused by this news. In her own time, she will let you know... Now, I hear you had a little shouting match the other day."
Tai could only sigh as he was once again left out of the loop of information.
It had been another long day for Tai. He had been at HQ practically all day. Aside from trying hard not to piss people off, Tai worked with Izzy on other strategies using the last battle information to help plan a better attack.
'There is only so much defense on can do.' He told the group. To his surprise the majority of the people there agreed with him. It seemed that the attack on the city had stirred a will in the people that wasn't there before. They were now willing to talk about the possibilities of attacking the bug nesting ground, or beginning to act first against the creatures.
Tai was glad in a sense that they were now getting somewhere. It was actually very interesting to have a tactic meeting. He could tell the others were impressed with his insights. Risk had been one of his favorite games as a child. And in college, well he was well versed in war history and strategy. This was right up his alley.
The day had been going up from the confusion of this morning's talk with Gennai, until... Tai sighed. Shoving his hands in his pockets he thought about the day on his walk back to Sora's house. Everything was good until someone brought up something that Tai had totally forgotten... the Prophecy.
'I want to find that prophecy and burn every God damned copy!' He shouted in his head.
'What of the prophecy?' Someone had asked.
'Yes, without the second destined one, how can we even attempt to start such a battle?'
Tai had wanted to slam his head on the desk. He almost went a full day without hearing that word...
'Have you ever wondered if I can even have children? Maybe I'm impotent!' Tai nearly screamed. 'Just what would you do then?'
'Thankfully we don't have to worry about that.' One of the elders said. 'Your charts look healthy.'
'My what?' Tai asked mad that Joe would allow anyone access to his records... not to mention when the doc had run that kind of test.
'How did you get those?' Izzy asked looking over at the elder from the outside clan.
'We have our ways.'
'Yeah, and if I catch you hacking my system one more time, we'll throw you out of here so fast...' Izzy said getting mad.
Matt stopped him.
'I gave it to them. I ordered Joe to give me a copy of Tai's medical files after we ran some tests the first time we met and after the attack in the forest.'
Tai wanted to slug the blonde. He still did.
'So having children isn't physically a problem, but it does come on if I won't sleep with anyone.' Tai said with a smirk.
'In the end it is your choice... but I wish you would reconsider.' Matt had said.
The conference and all the planning they had begun came to a halt. Tai was once again forced to sit through a complaining session.
While the others complained, Tai began to tune them out. If college lectures had taught him anything, it was to tune out the unwanted noise. However, even that had its limits.
He got up mid-yelling match and simply walked out of the room.
'If you want to discuss strategy, then follow me. Those wanting to act like children and see the destruction of mankind forever, can stay here and yell at each other.'
They had gotten a lot done with a group of two outsiders and several of Matt's men. But that didn't help Tai feel any better.
On his way home, Tai stopped by Kari and Tk's place for a quick talk. Kari did most of the talking, but being around the bubbly girl made him feel close to home.
"So are you and Sora going to finish getting married?" She asked.
"I want to, but Sora seems to shy away from the topic now. Someone said something to her that is really bothering her... she won't even talk to me about it." Tai sighed and took a drink.
"She'll pull through."
"I know- but I just don't like seeing her so... so... lost."
"You could ask Joe what he said to her, or maybe Gennai knows."
"No good, already tried the both of them. Neither would talk."
"Well then, its time to become forceful." Kari said with a smile.
"Kari, are you sure that is a good idea? I mean it is Sora..." Tk said with a little less enthusiasm at Kari's purposed approach. "She'll come around in time. You just need to learn to be patient with her. She's really stubborn."
"Understatement of the year." Tai smiled.
The walk back to Sora's was quick. He wanted to see her. It was sad and so sappy, but he had wanted to see her since he left that morning. His attitude seemed to brighten when he was near her.
"Sora, I'm home." He smiled as he walked into the garden. His heart leaped with fright as he saw the empty bed and unattached IV. He quickly scanned the garden and found her sitting on the fountain ledge, her feet in the cool water.
"You'll catch cold if you keep your feet in there forever." He smiled as he sat next to her. "How was your day?" Tai asked not getting a response from her. The look on Sora's face was terrifying. She was staring into nothing, her eyes focused on nothing really. She looked to be in a daze.
With a sigh he pulled her close to him. "That bad, huh?" He continued to talk even if she wouldn't respond. He was about to move in and kiss her gently when she qucikly and abruptly moved. Tai was so surprised that he nearly fell face first into the fountain.
"My life is a lie... it's all a lie." She repeated as she walked towards a wall of the garden. Leaning her head against the glass wall, she sobbed.
Tai didn't know what to do. Someone had come and made things worse... maybe it was Gennai. Tai couldn't understand why Sora would be this distraught over something Gennai could tell her... 'Someone else must have talked to her.' He thought.
"Sora? Can we talk about all this?" He asked coming close to her. He didn't know if he should push as much, but he had to try and get her to open up to him.
"It's a lie Tai... everything I have thought I was... everything I have lived me life for... everything!"
"Sora, what are you talking about? How could anything you are or do be a lie?"
"Because I'm not a Takenouchi..."
"What?"
"I'm not a Takenouchi!" She screamed as she pushed past him her body shaking with anger and sadness.
Things made a little more sense. Her asking weird questions about family and all. Someone had told her that she wasn't who she thought she was... 'That has got to be hard to hear... and I am sure Joe found some medical proof. Then again just looking at her, she looks a lot more like... more like... Ryo... Oh my God. Sora is really a member of the outside clan...' The wheels in Tai's head began to more. 'If she is a member of the outside clan and I love her, then we can get married and those old bastards can get off my back about marring into their clan! Bingo! Problem solved!' He smiled.
"This is great!" He shouted nearly jumping up and down for joy. "Don't you see this is perfect!"
What Tai didn't see was a swift slap that came and hit his face.
Calming down, he looked at the pain in Sora's eyes. He had totally forgotten she was in agony about this. Of course she didn't care that it meant they could be married now, to her it was like someone had taken a major part of her life away right before her eyes.
"Sora?"
"GET OUT!" She screamed. "JUST GET OUT! LEAVE ME ALONE!"
A/N:
The End!
Just kidding!
You'll have to see what happens now! Ah the fun!
Gobble Gobble People!