Looking at Sora on the bench next to me, she has an intense but thoughtful expression about her. Part of me wants to ask what she is thinking about but I also get the feeling that I shouldn't interrupt her.

After some time she seems to realize that I have been staring at her. She looks up and stares back at me, presently I see a blush creep across her cheeks. But despite it, Sora doesn't break her gaze this time. I feel my face heat up as well, which tingles with a strange sensation in the cool air.

"Taichi...do you really think…" Sora begins before a larger gale of wind impacts the stadium and causes the bleachers to creak and moan out in a metallic jingle. I watch as Sora shivers and crosses her arms for warmth. I stand up in what is likely a feeble attempt to shield her from some of the Windchill.

After the gust largely passes, I extend my hand to Sora. "It's still a bit of a walk back to your apartment. Shall we?"

Sora smiles up at me weakly and simply nods. That smile, small as it may me, warms my heart instantaneously. She slowly reaches out and grabs my hand. Her hand is frigid from being outside, yet somehow so soft and comforting at the same time. I help pull her to her feet, not that she really needs the assistance. I assume she will drop my hand so I loosen my grip. Though she initially pulls away, Sora then does something quite unexpected, quickly replacing the grasp with her left hand so that we may walk side-by-side. She then leads me down the walkway as we head towards the exit.

"Let's take the stairs this time ok?" Sora giggles for the first time in over an hour and I feel flush with embarrassment. I want to make a snarky comment but I find myself simply nodding instead. Before long we end up back out in the open air beyond the confines of the soccer field. The walls of the stadium provided moderate protection from the wind, to the degree that I have almost forgotten the extent of the chill in the air. I am quickly reminded as another rolling breeze sweeps the field. Sora clearly notices this as well, dropping my hand as a result. I watch as she wraps her arms around her chest and shoulders to help guard against the wind.

"You ok Sora?" I ask her softly after the air calms.

"It's pretty cold for late October." I hear her reply, not sure if the statement is more directed at herself or at me. "I suppose winter is not too far off now…" Sora trails off, seemingly contemplating something related to the changing seasons. Shadows fall upon her face as I gaze at my best friend. She is looking off into the distance, but evidently not at anything in particular. I look down at her clutching her shoulders with each arm crossed. Then it dawns on me.

"Sora, where is your jacket?" I ask her suddenly, which snaps her out of her introspection. I am not sure how I had not noticed it before, but Sora is wearing only the long-sleeved blouse and close fitting jeans that she had on during the film. Her autumn jacket and gloves are nowhere to be seen.

She looks at me and then down at herself; apparently just as surprised as I am. "Did you leave it in the stadium? I can run back and…" I continue but she shakes her head.

"Back at the soccer club...must be." She whispers with notable melancholy.

"Should we go back and grab it or…?" I start, not really sure what the best alternative would be.

Sora quickly shakes her head. "I will be fine Taichi, besides I would rather pass on going back to the clubhouse tonight. And I am certainly not about to make you run over there after you have been sprinting around looking for me in the cold."

"I wouldn't mind doing that for you at all, Sora." I respond warmly. Though I must admit I am a bit nauseous, running with booze in your system will do that to you I suppose. Irregardless, I would gladly rush over there for Sora's sake.

"I know you wouldn't mind Taichi," Sora says with a broad and slightly lopsided smile. It's the same smile that she often displays when she is proud of me. An expression of her feelings that never ceases to make me feel better about myself. "But it's ok, really. The walk back to my place is not too terribly long. I can always grab my coat in the morning. I will hold out until we get back to my place, but we should get moving." She finishes.

It seems as though she has made up her mind and I am not about to argue. I simply nod at her. Apparently I made the right call by not pushing the point, as Sora flashes me another gentle smile. She then moves around me, loops her arm through mine, and begins pulling me along the grass in the direction of the road. A little shocked by her sudden physical contact, the muscles in my arm begin to stiffen and seize up. She surely must notice my awkwardness, but makes no allusion to the fact. I lag behind my best friend slightly as she drags me across the grass.

By the time we reach the roadside I manage to snap out of it and match her moderately fast stride. The area is clearly deserted still, but we scan the street for cars out of habit. Once satisfied, Sora leads me across the street and one over to the left. We reach a lamplit cobblestone pathway that snakes between several of the nearby university buildings. Once again we seem to have this footpath to ourselves, though glancing around at the buildings I can see a few lights on and an individual or two pass by a window. I wager that it's probably security or the janitorial staff making their rounds. Sora does not pay any mind to these innocuous details however, still appearing to be lost in thought as we stroll quietly through the campus.

Too cold for much of the native wildlife, there is little sound other than the whipping air and that of our footsteps on the cobble path. Every once and a while I notice Sora stealing a glance at me before going back to her ponderings. We wander like this in relative silence for some time. I cannot help but to recognize that Sora has taken us on a pathway that parallels the one I took on approach to the fields. I realize that she is avoiding the clubhouse, likely in case anyone is leaving the party by the time we pass it by. Only slightly out of our way, the detour is pretty understandable given Sora's clear desire to avoid any more unanticipated drama tonight. Especially since she still appears to be a bit weary, not that I am one to talk this evening.

I feel my phone buzz once again, this time deciding to at least check who is trying to reach me. I pull it out of my right pants pocket and notice I have two missed calls from Kazuki and a text from Misaki. The text reads:

"Taichi,

I hope you tracked down Sora and she is ok. We realized a bit after you left that Sora forgot to take her jacket with her. We didn't want it to get locked in the clubhouse so I am taking it back to my dorm room. I would gladly deliver it to you or to her tomorrow, as I figure maybe she needs space tonight. Let me know when I should drop it off.

Happy Halloween,

Misaki"

I cannot help but to smile at this sweet message. I consider sharing Misaki's words with Sora here and now but find myself not wanting to drag her mind back towards the events of the party. Sora seems to be calming down to some degree and I feel our walk is helping. Far from the most skilled texter in the world, I do my best to reply to Misaki with my right hand alone, as my left arm is still linked with Sora's.

"Hey Misaki,

You can tell the others that I caught up with Sora, she is doing ok, and I am taking her home. Sorry about the jacket, but thank you for offering to take it to your dorm. I am not sure who will get it, but we can send you a message about it tomorrow if that is ok?

Thank you for the message and for being a good friend to us both,

Taichi and Sora"

I decide that the message closure should include the both of us; as I know the other students are likely worried about Sora. I am not sure if Sora notices my texting, but once again makes no mention of my movements. I keep my lit phone in hand, watching for a reply from our classmate. My eyes study the background image on my phone screen in the meantime; it is of the Digidestined and our Digimon from the last time all sixteen of us were together. It feels like a lifetime ago. Looking up I realize we are approaching the end of this particular pathway, placing us not far from the clubhouse junction. Our shared pace has slowed somewhat but I continue to let Sora lead us, only adjusting our movements from time to time to avoid obstacles in our heading.

Just before we reach the avenue at the end of the walkway I see my phone light up; another message from Misaki. I open it and see she has replied with a thumbs up and an emoji of a cute zombie holding out a big cartoony heart out as a gift. I release a gentle chuckle under my breath and upon closing the message take one last glance at the group photo on my home screen before tucking the phone back into my right pocket. I notice that my faint laughter has attracted Sora's attention once again. Out of the corner of my vision, I can see that her warm ruby like eyes are pivoting between my face and the pathway. While there is emotion clearly present on her face, I cannot read her meaning.

I'm swiftly becoming filled with a desire to try to speak with her, but I resist as I do not know if Sora would prefer silence to conversation at the moment. Maybe she is waiting for me to say something? Or maybe I have opened my big mouth enough as it is tonight? I should just be glad that Sora even wanted to walk home with me after what I did. While the walk thus far has eased my mind and certainly helped me forget the cold, I still cannot shake the feeling that I really let my best friend down tonight. But it is far from the first time isn't it? Once again my mind becomes an anxious loop of concerns and questions seemingly without answers. While this mindset is an unusual one for me, I have to admit that I have felt an increasing sense of self-doubt in recent years. It is an unsettling notion to say the least, when one considers the fact that they may not be good enough, especially for their loved ones. After all, I couldn't even tell when my bond with Agumon was weakening. That we were running out of time and...

I snap out of this state however, as Sora abruptly leads us to a halt on the side of the road. At first, I imagine that she is simply checking that the road is clear before we continue; but Sora remains still as if frozen in time. I do not jostle her nor attempt to lead on, I merely watch Sora's face as we stand by the curb. After some seconds she sighs loudly and it appears that she will say something. I wait anxiously, practically paralyzed in place, not sure what she has to say.

"Do you think that Shinobazu Pond would be nice to walk by at this hour Taichi?" Sora poses the question to me in an uncertain quiet voice. Honestly, I am thrown off by the query. I was not sure what I was expecting her to say to me, but this was certainly not it. I stumble for my words, recognizing that this is the opening I was hoping for.

"It ...uh… likely would be peaceful and quiet... and the pathway should be lit all night I would imagine. The city does not usually power down public areas overnight. You know I always enjoy a scenic walk or bike ride, Sora. Though I... can't say I often take them after midnight. Umm... why do you ask Sora?" I utter with genuine curiosity.

She seems to be almost amused by my stammering. Our eyes meet in the streetlight as she expresses her idea. "Well it's just... I know I've been practically silent but I am enjoying our moonlit walk. We have not really gotten to hang out one on one much recently with our busy class schedules. I thought it would be secluded and tranquil there on a night like tonight, and maybe we could talk for a while without bugging anyone. I mean if you would want to anyway…I... understand if you want to go back to your dorm room soon, it is very late after all. Besides" She continues after another brief pause "It must be freezing down by the water with no protection from the wind, and of course I just had to leave my coat behind..." She grimaces slightly, likely annoyed at herself for forgetting the jacket. " Sorry it's a dumb thought, another time perhaps…" As she speaks her eyes slowly lower until she is hardly looking my way. Her lips twist into a soured expression as she seemingly answers the question for herself, not giving me a chance to respond.

I watch as the confidence and vigor seems to drain from her face. It takes me but a second to make up my mind. Without a word I begin to unbutton the comfy autumn overcoat that hangs down to my hips.

Sora looks at me with no small degree of shock. "Taichi what are you...it is barely above freezing temperatures, you shouldn't…"

Before she can finish her flustered objections, I snake my arms out of the sleeves and peel the jacket off of my torso. The chilly air seems to pass right through my cotton long sleeve shirt, yet I resist the sudden powerful urge to shudder. The comforting layer of body heat that I built up since leaving the clubhouse instantaneously dissipates. Damn it's freezing. But the last thing I want is Sora to feel guilty about making me cold. This is my decision, and staying out in the cold for a period is completely worthwhile if it means I can be there for Sora. I firmly pull on her right arm, she resists slightly at first, but then quickly relinquishes the fight, looking down to her feet on the sidewalk. I slide the right sleeve gently over her shivering arm and pull it snuggly into place, as much as possible for her slightly smaller stature anway. I move behind her then, wrapping the fabric behind her back and bringing the left sleeve into position. This time however, Sora attempts to help me with the process. I hold the material outstretched and she slips her arm through the other sleeve.

I walk around to Sora's front and begin to snap the buttons into position, going from the bottom up. The coat is a bit too big for her, and dangles down to just above her knees. Oversized or not, it should do the trick and help keep her warm. When I reach the final buttons I work quickly to avoid feeling as though I am being inappropriate with her, my hands cannot help but to shake as I snap closed the buttons covering her upper body. We come face to face now and her cheeks are illuminated with a crimson glow which seems to shine brightly in the halo of streetlamps. Her maroon eyes appear glossy with moisture and heavy with emotion. Gods she is so damn beautiful. This intrusive thought ambushes my wearied mind; seeming to come straight from my subconscious and instantly throws off my movement. I freeze in front of her for a second, prompting her to look at me with nervous intensity. Cut it out Taichi, you are freaking her out. Another part of my mind seems to shout. I gently reach into the jacket's leftmost pocket and produce my knitted hat and cloth gloves. I show them to her and she nods weakly. It's not as though she can't dress herself. But I feel compelled to continue, making sure she is bundled up properly. I gently place the handmade ski cap over her cropped orange hair and lower it into place above her eyebrows, gently ensuring to lift the material over each of her delicate ears in the process. She stands patiently, if not a little awkwardly still as I work. My heart beats intensely in my chest suddenly, as though I was tearing down the field in the middle of a soccer match. I shouldn't have my hands all over her like this, now knock it off and just hand her the gloves. The angry voice shouts at me from inside my head. I am worried that I am being too invasive with Sora. Worried that in my lingering intoxication, I may be acting on repressed desires.

So I relent this time, opting to simply offer her the gloves. She pushes them away however with a shake of her head. "Taichi please, if nothing else keep your hands warm. It's unusually cold right now and I can always put my hands in your coat pockets." I oblige and slide the soft woven gloves over my own hands. Instantaneously, it helps with the chill, even if only marginally. I take a step back and look at her.

"Feeling better?" I ask instinctively, hoping she forgives me for dressing her as though she was a child.

She smiles broadly at me again, seeming not to mind. That same potent emotion lingering on her every expression. "Much better...Thanks Taichi… for everything." I feel the familiar warmth shoot across my face and dance over my scalp as she grabs my gloved hand in her bare one, leading us to the left, down the sidewalk towards Shinobazu.

End of Part 4

Thanks to Malalala11 for the reviews, I really appreciate it!

I hope everyone else is enjoying everything so far!