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Puzzle Pieces

[Chapter 7]

the calm before the storm

*.*.*.*

Cheers echoed inside the small apartment as Taichi slammed down his cup triumphantly. He grinned sloppily and hollered to the group, "Best King's Cup I've ever had the pleasure to drink!", inciting a chorus of laughs.

With the game finished, he and a few others rose from their spots to let a new one start. Looking around, Taichi contemplated his next move; what he really wanted to do was play was beer pong, but since his partner-in-crime hadn't arrived yet, he settled on seeing how Koushiro was doing.

Squeezing through the crowd, he finally spotted his target in the corner of the kitchen flanked by Daisuke and Takeru.

"Come on Koushiro, just try it. I promise, it's not sketchy!"

"Daisuke, just you saying 'it's not sketchy' makes it sketchy, you know that, right?" Koushiro deadpanned.

"I watched him make it, I swear he didn't mess with it!" Takeru validated. "Trust us, today is all about trying new things!"

Taichi leaned over Daisuke's shoulder to examine the mystery concoction. Remarkably opaque, the drink was a cherry color with a hint of green. Wrinkling his nose he grimaced, "What the hell is that, Daisuke?"

"It's jungle juice! I made a fresh batch last night just for Koushiro and I want him to be the first to try it!"

"You haven't tried it yet...?"

"It smells alright, it only looks suspicious. Go ahead, take a whiff," Takeru coaxed. Taichi leaned into the drink and caught traces of what he thought were pineapples and oranges.

"It checks out," he affirmed to Koushiro.

Koushiro skeptically took the drink from Daisuke and hesitated before bringing it to his nose. With a firm nod, he let out a puff of air and took a large gulp of the drink. Daisuke's eyes widened in anticipation as Koushiro ran his tongue across his lips dramatically, pausing for effect.

"Prodigious!"

Daisuke and Takeru let out a simultaneous whoop and high-fived each other in celebration. The two fled from the kitchen only to return with Takeru authoritatively carving a path through the throng of guests and Daisuke, trailing right behind, towing a large cooler.

"What— "

Before Taichi could get the question out, Daisuke threw open the cooler lid revealing a pool of his jungle juice topped with an assortment of soaked fruits. Daisuke took an empty cup from the counter and ladled a large scoop of the mixture into it before handing it over to the brunette.

"Age before beauty!"

"Get bent, Daisuke," Taichi ragged as he snatched at the drink. Slapping his young friend on the back, he intended to ask about the recipe when high-pitched squeals diverted his attention.

Taichi turned at the noise and caught a flash of purple hair whizzing toward his front door, clearly indicating that new guests had just arrived. As the designated host of the night, he signaled to the others that he'd be right back before turning to head out of the kitchen to greet the newcomers. Weaving in and out of bodies in anticipation, Taichi only got halfway to the entrance before stopping suddenly to gawk, his heart pounding in his chest.

She was absolutely breathtaking.

He knew the invite said to "dress to impress", but Sora completely put everyone else to shame with her outfit, which was quite a feat with Tachikawa Mimi in the same room. As he slowly approached her, he willed himself to keep his eyes from raking over his best friend's body in order to maintain some shred of dignity. Shoving through the last of the crowd, he snuck behind her unnoticed as she chatted with friends.

"Hey, gorgeous," he purred into her ear, catching her off-guard. He chuckled as she swatted at him over her shoulder.

"Taichi!" Sora exclaimed indignantly. He could almost taste the alcohol on her breath. "Don't be stupid."

"Hey," he said, pulling her arm so she was facing him. "Seriously, Sor, you look amazing."

"Ugh," she groaned, disregarding his compliment. "Why did you guys have to make this party semi-formal? I feel like an idiot."

So you'd show up like this.

"You can blame Mimi for that. She's the one who made us enforce that particular rule."

"Mimi!" she cried. Next to her, Mimi promptly turned around while trying to steady the jungle juice she somehow already had in her possession. "What, love?"

"You didn't say you were the one behind the dress code!"

"I told you I had a new outfit I wanted to wear, didn't I?" she quipped. With a tilt of her head, Mimi blew them a kiss and sauntered off to mingle, leaving Taichi and Sora at the front door.

"Typical Mimi. Also, how'd she get a drink so quickly?" Sora asked, marveling at her friend's social prowess.

"Beats me, she's a woman of mystery. The jungle juice is pretty good though," he said, tilting his cup in her direction. "Courtesy of Daisuke."

She took a sip of the concoction and her muscles twitched into a grin in response. "Mmm, I'll have to give him my compliments."

"It's in the kitchen, want a cup of your own?"

She held out her hand to him. "Lead the way?"

He squeezed her hand affectionately.

"Follow me."

*.*.*.*