I know! I know! I know! This was sOOOO supposed to be posted like three days ago, I suck, I'm sorry! Feel free to stone me later! =D
I promise I won't retaliate! Scout's honor.
I wanted to thank everyone for their enthusiasm for this story! Much appreciated loves! You people are GRRREEEAATTT! Hey I'm not Tony the Tiger but egh, I try.

DISCLAIMER: PrincessJaded owns nothing!


The Taming of Sora

Sora used to be fun and outgoing, she used to like talking and being bubbly, but then it all stopped. Maybe it had to do with the loss of her mother, maybe the reality that she had to play mom to her younger sister, maybe just adolescence. Whatever it was it changed her. Mimi never changed, she remained kind and slightly air-headed, and popular. She wanted to date boys, it wasn't like there was a lack of possibilities but it was a common known fact that the Tachikawa girls weren't allowed to date. Their father was Mr. Over-Protective, come with in ten feet of either one of his daughters and you won yourself a one way ticket to the grave.


Chapter Five: Frienemies With Benefits

"Go talk to him." Izzy muttered, nudging Matt.

"No you go talk to him." Matt whispered back pushing Izzy forward.

Izzy planted his feet and hissed. "I don't have a death wish, besides this is for you!"

Matt and Izzy were standing behind some bushes (Matt refused to call it hiding, he said he would never "hide" from anyone) as they watched Tai and Ken eat lunch. Ken was talking to Tai who looked very bored with the chatter. They'd formed a plan the night before. They would simply ask Tai if he would go out on a date with Sora. How hard could that be? Sora was mean; Tai was strange, it only seemed fitting.

Matt adjusted the collar of his grey button up shirt. His dark blue eyes were finally visible because he'd let Mimi borrow his sun glasses. It was last week that he'd taken Mimi home. It was bright in the afternoon sunlight and she was shielding her eyes from it, those beautiful caramel eyes that Matt had become completely entranced with. He offered her the glasses and she accepted, with a wide smile on her face. It was for that smile and those eyes that Matt stood up from his position.

Izzy stared at him in disbelief as Matt began to walk toward Tai and Ken. Every person Matt passed in fact gave the same reaction. No one dared approach Tai Kamiya. He was like a parasite. It was as if the guy had some contagious disease that was capable of killing instantaneously. But Matt had dealt with worse guys; he used to sell drugs to them. He'd fought a few here and there. Matt crossed his fingers hoping that that wouldn't happen today. That's all he needed was to get into a fight with this guy.

"So I stayed up last night writing a new song. I hold high hopes for it." Ken said happily, well with as much happiness as a guy who hidden his face with his hair for the past four years could must, as he scribbled unreadable words in a notebook. "Do you want to hear it?"

"Fascinate me." Tai said in a bored voice.

"When you came in the air went out. And every shadow filled up with doubt. I don't know who you think you are but before the night is through, I wanna do bad things with you."(1)

"Interesting." Matt said lazily, as he strolled up to them.

Ken put his pen down and stared at Matt with eyebrows raised and eyes slightly enlarged.

"Are you addressing us?" Ken asked skeptically. "And enlighten me as to what you find so interesting."

Tai looked up at Matt and laughed. Matt smirked and stared at the notebook clutched in Ken's hand.

"The lyrics, they sound really interesting. They are lyrics right?"

Ken nodded and Tai tilted his head to the side trying to size Matt up.

"What do you want?" Tai asked tartly.

"I'm Matt." Matt held out his hand to Tai to shake, Tai merely stared at it. Matt pulled away, "Yeah, I'm new here."

"That's nice and dandy," Tai sneered, "But it doesn't answer my question."

Matt shifted his weight from one foot to the other, maybe this guy made people fear him, but not Matt. "Would you be willing to go out with Sora Tachikawa?"

Tai choked on the green Monster energy drink he was consuming. Ken's eyes bulged beneath his fringed bangs and Matt took that as an odd sign.

"Are you effing crazy?" Tai demanded.

"No."

"Then what in that pretty boy head of yours would make you think that I would even go near that hag?" Tai stood up from the table he was sitting at. Ken mirrored his action but held a hand to Tai's shoulder. Tai shrugged him off.

"The fact that you are." Matt said boldly, now eye to eye with Tai. They were both impressively tall and Ken paled in comparison.

Tai's face twisted from outrage to thoughtfulness to disbelief then finally it calmed. His deep brown eyes became unreadable. "Sorry pretty boy but you'd have to give me cash before you get me to agree to that."

Matt's hope died in an instant. His cobalt eyes blinked with a tinge of sadness. Matt nodded solemnly and turned away.

For a second Tai's heart strings pulled. This guy looked so pathetic in front of him, an image that Tai had seen of his own reflection in his mind's eye. What did it matter to this guy if he went out with Sora? Why did this guy want him to? What would possess someone to do such a thing?

Then the light bulb flickered on, like a neon sign trying to push energy through itself to illuminate the word.

Mimi.

Tai wasn't stupid, and he really couldn't ignore the latest buzz around school. No matter how hard he'd tried. The news was everywhere he went. Girls gossiped about it in the hall, guys talked about it in the restrooms (the one place that Tai actually thought was a sacred place for men), even the teachers couldn't help but add their two sense on the situation.

Even though he'd refused to speak with her on friendly terms, he himself was admittedly a bit intrigued in the face that Mimi and her sister could now date. It was actually quite stupid; Sora had always dated behind her father's back. Mimi on the other hand actually followed the rule.

So this guy, Matt, wanted to go out with Mimi. But he wanted Tai to go out with Sora. Well it was going to take a lot for Tai to even consider doing that!


Sora walked down to the library with Kari and TK. They were younger than her, but she preferred their company to others. Kari could always made her laugh and TK was maybe one of the few guys that Sora could actually stand being around.

"So how about we all go to Moonshine on Friday night?" Kari asked laying her books on the oak table top. "The cover band, you know The Monster's Flesh, is playing."

Kari's likes didn't seem to fit her appearance. She was very petite and had short wispy light brown hair. Her eyes were a soft chocolate brown. She had a small nose and large eyes, thin eyebrows, smooth cheek bones and jaw line. Her style wasn't overly feminine but it lacked that hint of masculinity that Sora flaunted. She even added cute little clips and bows to her thin hair. It might seem a bit odd to people that this tiny creature loved death metal and acid rock. Kari was a diamond among the rough.

And that diamond belonged to Takeru Takaishi, TK for short. Kari had been friends with TK since they were in elementary school. It took some time for the shy young man to admit his feelings toward his best friend. But when they were freshmen at Akira Odaiba HS he'd come out with that fact, accidentally. Since then the tall, lean, and boyishly charming TK snagged Kari. TK was very cute; he would be handsome once he lost the baby face. It was round and always wearing a smile. He had sky blue eyes and sandy blond hair.

The way the two acted together was exceptionally sweet. To the point in fact that Sora found it either sickeningly sweet or captivatingly adorable. TK adored Kari and would agree to just about anything she ever suggested. Despite the fact that he chose classical and jazz music to the more chaotic favors of Kari.

"Sounds like a plan." TK smiled at Kari who beamed and planted a chaste kiss on his lips.

"Do you people mind?" Sora sniped. "I just ate and I can feel my lunch churning."

"Fine." Kari smirked. "So you up for it Sor?"

"I don't know," Sora started as she stared at her Algebra book. Her eyebrows were furrowed together pensively.

"Come on Sora, it would be fun." TK said throwing a wad of paper at Sora.

It hit her in the head and she looked up wildly, "Watch yourself little boy." Her voice was cold.

TK paled and hid behind Kari. "Sorry." He said weakly, trying his best to be pleasant.

Sora sighed, "Fine I'll go. Besides maybe that way I can get Queen of the Tards to leave me alone. Mimi's been bugging the crap out of me."

Kari closed her book and started doodling on it with a black Sharpie. "Why don't you just tell her to sod off or at least ignore her?"

"Kari?" Sora said lamely, "Haven't you noticed that talking to Mimi is like talking to a brick wall? And if she does hear me it goes in one ear and out the other. It's pointless."

Kari and TK laughed and Sora joined. The librarian came over and tisked at their disruption to the silence. When all they did was laugh harder, she kicked them out.


"Miya?" Mimi called to Miyako who was standing at the other end of the hall.

Miyako's head snapped up at the sound of her name and she rushed over to Mimi. "What's up?"

"I need to talk to you!" Mimi squealed. "It's so important like you have no idea!!!"

"Really?" Miyako said adjusting her small glasses. Her dyed lavender locks hung limply down her back. Her large light brown eyes showed some annoyance that Mimi couldn't place.

"Yup. Last week this really hot guy took me home and ohmigod I swear he was like the sweetest thing ever." Mimi gushed.

"Uh huh." Miyako said thoroughly bored and uninterested with what Mimi was saying.

Mimi frowned at Miyako's lack of enthusiasm. Mimi hadn't actually planned on telling Miya about Matt. If she did, she feared Miyako would chase after him. It was the type of person that she was; she wanted everything that Mimi had and more. It was probably the reason she'd thrown herself at Jou. No one actually said anything happened that day when Matt took Mimi home and Miyako forced herself upon Jou, but Mimi had a very good idea what they'd done. It was sickening.

Still Jou had much to offer, the car, the money, and the connections. His father had many important friends and Mimi was really interested in music. She wanted to sing, and she was actually good at it. If she kept Jou around her, she might get a little help with that.

But still…even in the short time that she'd spent with Matt, she enjoyed his company so much more than Jou's.

Miyako's expression brightened and she exclaimed, "Look there's Jou. Jou come here!!"

Jou waved at Miyako and walked over to them. He was exceptionally tall. Well over six inches taller the Mimi, she put his arm around Mimi's thin waist and pulled her close to him. "Hello ladies, how are we doing this fine afternoon?"

Miyako blushed and giggled; Mimi only looked at her questioningly and smiled awkwardly at Jou. "We're fine. And yourself?" Mimi asked, minding her manners.

"Alright, I guess. But you know what would make my day a lot better?" Jou asked, lifting his eyebrow up and down.

"What would that be?" Miyako asked excitedly.

"If Mimi would come to Tara Okiija's party with me on Friday night."

"Uh, Jou obviously by now you've heard about my father's rule." Jou nodded and Mimi continued, "Well Sora has to go out with someone before I can. Sorry." Mimi finished, shrugging her shoulders.

"Don't fret babe," Jou said, his hand sliding down the folds of Mimi's pleated skirt. "I'll take care of it."

Mimi's eyes bugged and she turned her furious stare to Jou as he walked away.


"So what happened?" Izzy asked Matt as they walked to the burger joint three blocks from the school.

"He said no." Matt replied grumpily.

"I see." Izzy nodded. "Maybe there's another way."

Matt shook his head, "I doubt it. I think the only thing that might change his mind is money. Money that I don't have."

"I wish I could help you there." Izzy said sadly.

They got to the hamburger stand and ordered. They took their seats and Izzy opened his laptop. Matt eyed him, "Izzy, do you ever stop?"

"Not when I'm on a mission!" Izzy replied, his tongue lolled out to the side and his eyes were fixated on the bright screen in front of him.

"Mission?" Matt asked taking a large bite from his burger.

Izzy chomped down on his own meal. He nodded his head, "I tishnk at the ony probem can ee fishxed."

"What?"

Izzy swallow his food and smiled sheepishly, "Sorry. I said I think that the money problem can be fixed."

Matt put down the fry in his hand and let his full attention rest on Izzy, "Yeah, how?"

The door to the small restaurant opened, the bells above it jingling in the process.

"That's how." Izzy said nodding toward the door. "An idiot with money and a lot at that."

"Jou!! Hey Jou! Come sit with us!!!" Some overly flamboyant girls called to the tall blue haired boy who was standing at the counter.

A renewed hope kindled in Matt stomach. He didn't want to associate with the jerk but if it meant he'd have a shot with Mimi…then so be it.


I will be the first to admit this chapter kinda sucked, so sorry. It just that I need to get from point A to B, so next chapter will be WAAAAYYYY better.
Characters (Kari in particular) are a smudge OOC, but I wanted them to be that way. I hope no one is terribly upset by that.

MAJOR TAIORA MOMENT COMING UP IN THE NEXT CHAPTER: OH NO HE DIDN'T!!!

Notes:
(1) Bad Things by Jace Everett. Awesome song that I totally jacked from HBO's TRUE BLOOD, great show. Kinda makes you wonder if Stephenie Meyers ripped it off. Huh...

All things aside, please REVIEW!!