Tai and Sora were the best of friends, and nothing could take that away from them.
"Oh.. I see. Matt, huh?"
OK, maybe that. After that day Taichi Kamiya wasn't the same. Well he still was Taichi Kamiya, but it was as if he was just playing the part of Taichi Kamiya. All the things he did was just because it was what he needed to do, except for soccer. For sure, that will never change.
He was good at soccer, great even, and he was getting better everyday. It seemed that soccer was the only thing he was happy about. He didn't see Sora or the others as much as he used to. He felt Sora didn't need him, because if she ever needed anything, well Matt was there for her. Kari had TK, and everyone else had each other. He isolated himself from the others, telling them that he needed to concentrate on getting to the playoffs and winning the championship. That was partly true, but the truth was he couldn't face them. He wanted to, but he couldn't find it in himself to do so.
Days, weeks, and months passed, and graduation was here. The younger digidestined showed up to congratulate the new graduates, and they all went for a celebration dinner at Tai's afterwards. It was Kari and TK's idea, and Tai wasn't really looking forward to it. Instead he walked to the park and spent his time there. He turned off his cell phone as the constant calls and messages annoyed him, but not before he sent Kari a short text. "I'll be home later. Don't worry."
Kari accepted the situation for what it was and decided to continue celebrating with the others. As the small celebration ended, the last few visitors were going home, Sora among them. They were headed to the door when it opened, and a brown haired boy came inside.
"Hi, Tai!" Her sweet smile always brought one to his face, but not this time.
"Oh Sora! It's late already, what're you guys still doing here?" He said, forcing a smile.
Kari noticed. "We lost track of time re-telling old stories and talking about girly stuff. Things you don't want to know about."
They laughed, and finally said their goodbyes. Sora noticed that Tai was acting unusual, but decided to leave it alone as he usually just talked to her about his problems anyways.
"So, when are you going to tell them about the good news?!" Kari beamed in excitement for her brother.
"What good news?"
"C'mon Tai! How are you not excited?! My big brother is going to play for a major team, and is a prospect to play for the country in the Olympics! AHHH!"
Her shrill made Tai cringe. 'Girls and their antics' he thought. "Its not that big of a news, Kari. And I'm not gonna tell anyone. I'm sure you and mom have already done more than enough of your share to inform every body."
It was true, she and her mother had already spread the news. Again, Tai shut his phone off in annoyance of all the calls and messages heading his way. Still, this news wasn't enough to bring him back to his former self. He went out again to hang out with his friends, and it seemed like he was better. They laughed, smiled, and had a great time. However, it was obvious that something was still missing from Tai. Soon, he was to leave for Tokyo, and he didn't really feel like saying goodbye. So he left a day shorter than what he had previously planned, not giving anyone a chance to see him off other than Kari, TK, and his parents.
The next few years were great for Tai's career. He received the MVP and Rookie of the Year award, won the national championship and got Gold at the Olympics. He didn't let the stardom get to his head, as he avoided interviews and media altogether. He was nice to his fans, but aside from that, he tended to steer away from the spotlight. Even his old friends didn't seem to know much about him anymore.
Sora loved her relationship with Matt, and even though it wasn't the same as it was in the beginning, she still loved him. She assumed it was just that they spent so much time together that they didn't have much to say anymore. Eventually she realized that something was missing, but she couldn't put a finger on it. She gave up on the idea and just focused on the present and her work.
She was still close to Kari, as she was like a big sister to the younger Kamiya. They used to see each other most of the time, but lately they've went their separate ways. Even though they were dating the sibling of each other's boyfriend. Again, she assumed that Kari and TK were just into other stuff than she was. However, it seemed like they still saw all their old friends more than Sora did. It never occured to her that maybe SHE was the one getting into other stuff.
One day, as fall made its way into winter, Sora went out for a stroll in the park. Matt had practice with his band, and for some reason, today she didn't feel like being there. Before she knew it, she had rounded the park about 7 times now, and her feet were tired. She sat on a bench and rested for a while, letting her thoughts take over.
Tai had finally decided to visit his family back in Odaiba. It had been years since he was home, as they usually were the ones who went to visit him. It was the off-season, and he had all the time in the world until training camp started once again. As usual, Tai eventually got bored of doing nothing. He was staying at a hotel close to his parent's apartment, and there wasn't much to do. Today he decided to go for a jog at the park. With his earphones on, his trademark blue jacket, and his goggles, he jogged not really paying attention to his surroundings. It was the same park he knew all those years ago, and it hadn't changed much. He knew the routes and paths to take.
Sora's thoughts took her back to the days when Tai and her would spend their time in that very same park. The soccer field they used to practice at, the tree they would rest under, and the bench they shared. She moved her eyes in search of those very things, and barely noticed the man who had jogged right past her. 'That jacket... hm Tai used to wear one just like it. I wonder how he's doing? That jerk didn't bother to say goodbye, or keep in touch. Stupid Tai.'
The jogger finally made his way around again, and this time Sora tried to get a better look at the man's face. He had a sweater hoodie inside the blue jacket, so she couldn't see his hair too much. On his face was a pair of goggles, so she couldn't make out his face all too well either. The man passed her again, and it wasn't long until Sora realized just who that person was.
"Tai! Tai! TAI!"
With his earphones on, he couldn't hear much, but he heard someone faintly calling out his name. Slowing down, he turned to see the only other person in the park calling after him. He came walking back, taking off his earphones, hoody, and goggles. 'Who in the hell is that?' he thought.
Sora was wearing a scarf around her neck which partially covered the bottom half of her face. Her beanie covered her hair, and Tai couldn't recognize who she was. It wasn't until they were within talking distance that Tai finally asked, "Uhm, do I know you?"
She giggled and gave him a smile.
"Oh," he said. There was no way he could forget that smile. "Sora?"
"Yup!"
"What're you doing out here? Its so cold!"
"Oh nothing, I just wanted some time to myself. What about you?"
"I'm visiting Kari and my parents, and I got bored doing nothing. So yeah..." he trailed off.
"It's been so long Tai, I barely recognized you."
"Well its not like I've changed all too much. I didn't recognize you either but that's cuz almost all your face is covered up." He grinned at her.
She tried to smile back at him, but her teeth chattered instead.
"Do you want to get some hot chocolate, Sor?" He said, noticing her reaction to the cold.
The nickname he called her made her feel warm inside. 'I haven't heard that nickname in forever.' "I'd be happy to!"
They caught up and reminisced on their old adventures. Sora was happy that she finally got to talk with her best friend again in so long. 'Is that right? Are we still best friends?' Wanting to clarify, she tried asking him a trick question. "My best friend graduates, gets his dream job, and leaves all of us behind. What's up with that Kamiya?"
"Best friend?" He laughed. "By now I would've thought Matt or Kari replaced that role."
'I guess not.' This thought saddened her, but she hid it from him. It wasn't that good, as Tai noticed her uneasiness.
He wanted to talk about it while the topic was still fresh. "I just didn't think you'd still see me that way."
Sora was surprised at the sudden change of tone in their conversation. "Well why wouldn't I?"
"Well you had Matt. I mean, if you ever needed something or needed cheering up, I would've been there in a heartbeat, Sor. You know that."
'Would've?' "Yeah but you were never around."
"Me?! I was never around? Please, Sor. You were the one who stopped coming to my soccer games and went to Matt's rehearsals instead."
"Well he was my boyfriend, Tai. Of course I'd have to choose him over you! I meant that you stopped hanging out with me. We stopped walking to school together, and you weren't there like you usually were when I had a problem."
"Why would you need me for all that when you had Matt?"
"It wasn't the same, Tai!"
He rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. "Of all the people, I knew best that it wasn't the same anymore. Your right, and I'm right too. I wasn't there, Matt was. There was no reason for me to be there. Its not like you ever called or messaged me asking to hang out. You were too busy being there for him, and it didn't seem like you needed anyone else. Besides, after what had happened, did you really expect for the 3 of us to keep hanging out like before? I practically told you how I fe-..." He stopped himself. "Look, I... You didn't need me, so I didn't need to be there." He got up and walked away, heading back to his hotel.
Sora stayed there, dumbfounded from what he had said. 'After all these years? Agh! Stupid Tai.' Afterwards she, too, made her way back home. The almost empty streets helped her to calm her mind and think about what Tai had just said. It was before she opened her doorknob that the realization hit her. 'I was the one changed. I was the one who stopped everything, just for Matt. I was the one that went away from the group. Kari and them still see each other from time to time, no matter how busy their schedules are. Matt and I haven't seen any of them for months now, and we're not even that busy. Geez... what happened to us? What happened to me?'
Tai called his sister, telling her not to tell anyone he was in town, especially where he was staying. After what had started as a good conversation, it only made things worse between him and Sora. 'How could she be so ignorant? Telling me I'M the one who changed. Pfft...'
The doorbell rang, and Tai opened it up to see Kari and TK. Before he could say anything, she already cut him off. "So what happened?"
"What do you mean what happened? Hey, TK."
"Hi Tai."
"What happened that made you not want to see the others? I thought you wanted to go have dinner with the rest?"
"I did, but not anymore. I just had a change of heart, ok? So stop pestering me about it. What're all those bags for?"
"Well, its too late. Instead of calling it off, I told them to come here instead."
"Kari! What the hell?!"
"You need to see them, and they want to see you!"
"Gah! No they don't!"
"It won't matter Tai, I've learned that there's no sense arguing with her when she has her mind set on something," TK butted in.
Tai rolled his eyes and finally let the young couple in. "Fine, but I'm not helping at all."
"Didn't expect you to. Wow Tai, I was expecting this place to look like a dump. I'm glad to see you finally know how to clean up after yourself."
"I'm gonna take that as a compliment. This is a lot. Are you 2 gonna be able to make all this in time?"
"Sora's coming over to help, along with Mimi, Izzy, Joe, Davis, Ken, and Yolei." Kari made sure to say Sora's name first.
'You've got to be kidding me...' He made a disgruntled face.
"What's wrong?" Kari noticed his facial emotions.
"Nothing," he grumbled. "Just... let me know if you need anything." He left them and locked himself up in the bedroom.
The night before, Sora couldn't sleep as her recent realization gave her too much to think about. 'All this time, we... I thought Tai was the one who distanced himself from us. I guess physically yeah, but it was us, ME who changed things first. Getting together with Matt was the start, and eventually everyone else found someone to be with. We all distanced ourselves from him. He was the one who needed help, and no one bothered to talk to him about it. Geez, that stupid pride of his.'
Just then, she heard Matt finally come home. She turned to face the clock, and it read 4:30am. 'His rehearsal couldn't have lasted all night. Unless... Yeah that's it, they have a big gig next week.' Matt got changed and laid down next to her, not even saying a word before dozing off. Sora couldn't help but think that the distance between them was growing. She tried to shrug it off and hug him, but a certain smell caught her off guard. 'My perfume doesn't smell like that.'
The next day, the morning of the dinner, Sora was preparing breakfast for Matt. Kari phoned her, inviting her over for dinner later. Sora happily accepted, and offered to help. She was excited to tell Matt, but she waited and waited, until breakfast turned into lunch when he did finally wake up. "Good morning, babe," he said.
"Good afternoon."
"Is it afternoon already? I'm sorry."
"Don't be, its not a big deal. Here, eat some breakf- er, lunch." She giggled and gave him her patented smile.
He ate his food, and thanked her for the meal. She got ready to clean up after him, and was about to inform him of the dinner at Tai's later.
"Babe?"
"Hm? Yes, Matt?"
"I need to talk to you."
"OK, sure, go ahead." Her attention were on the dishes that she was washing in the sink.
"I feel like..." He sighed. "I'm just gonna spit it out. I cheated on you Sora."
A plate fell to the floor and smashed into pieces. "Oh gosh I'm sorry. Wait... What?"
"I cheated on you."
Things were silent for a while.
"Oh..." Tears were about to form in her eyes.
"It was a few weeks ago. Not that it matters, but yeah. I'll have my stuff gone by the end of the week."
She shot her eyes up to him. "Excuse me?"
"Fine, 2 days at the earliest."
"I can't believe this. So you cheat on me, and you don't think there's a way that we can work through it to help keep our relationship together?" Tears were now streaming down her cheeks, but anger was building up inside her.
"Well, I just thought you wouldn't want to be together afterwards."
"We've been together for years Matt. By now I assumed there would be ways that we can work through our problems, even problems like this."
"Sora... You know this wasn't going to last. Besides, I'm still seeing that other girl."
Another plate smashes, but this time, intentionally. "Not going to last?! Are you kidding me?! Argh! I can't believe this. Fine. Leave!"
"It's gonna take me a while to get my stuff outta h-"
"You have 2 days!" She grabbed her keys, cell phone, and wallet before she stormed out, tears falling down her face.
At Tai's hotel, Kari's phone rang.
"Sora! Where are you? There's so much to do, and I don't think we'll have enough tim-... Sora?" She heard sniffling on the other line. "Sora are you ok?"
"Matt and I just broke up. He cheated on me, that asshole."
"WHAT?!" TK was alarmed by the sudden outburst. 'Sorry' she mouthed to him.
"Yeah, so I left him at the apartment and now I'm out in the cold."
"Geez. Uhm, you know what. Come over here, and maybe seeing everyone might cheer you up."
"I don't have any change of clothes, and I really don't want to go back to the apartment right now."
"That's fine. We'll send TK to get some of your clothes. In the mean time, we can talk about it."
"Thanks Kari. Do you need anything?"
"No, we're all set. Just get whatever you think you need, ok? I'll be waiting here."
"Where is that exactly? You didn't get to tell me this morning."
"I'll text you the address."
"Ok, thanks Kari. See you in a bit."
"TAI!" The younger Kamiya yelled into the room. "TAI!"
"Dammit Kari what?!"
"Sora and Matt broke up, he cheated on her."
"What?!"
"She's headed here now, and I've told just about everyone to make sure they don't bring the subject up and to help cheer her up."
"OK?"
"So don't be a jerk and make her feel worse!"
"What?! What makes you think I'll do that?"
"The hairpin, her hat, her-"
"Ok ok I get it. What am I supposed to do?"
"I don't know. Just don't be... YOU."
"That doesn't even make sense."
The doorbell rang.
"That's probably her. Just be nice, ok?"
"Fine."
Sora came in, and hugged Kari. It was a while before the 2 of them separated. They tried to make small talk while they prepared, but eventually the conversation turned to Matt.
"It's really over Kari. There's just no way to take back what happened. And besides... Honestly, I feel like I've found something that had been missing for a while."
Kari grinned. "I see." She said mischievously.
Sora laughed nervously. "What?"
"Oh nothing."
"Spit it out Kamiya!" She didn't like being teased.
Kari laughed at the older girl's antics. "You said it yourself. You found something that's been missing for a while."
"Ok. And? What's your point?"
"Well, there is someone who had been missing from everyone's lives who just recently came back."
Sora was thinking about what Kari was saying. "Tai?"
The younger girl smiled. "I was about to say Mimi, but sure." She laughed once again.
"Oh, be quiet Kari!" She felt a blush coming, and she wasn't sure why talking about Tai made her feel like that. "Do you think... He still feels the same way?"
Kari was surprised at her question. "Uhm. I'm not sure. He doesn't really talk about any of that stuff. Why? You interested?" She shot Sora a wink.
"No! Well... I don't know. It's just we haven't seen each other in so long." 'Aside from yesterday.' "And I don't know him as much as I used to."
"None of us do."
The door opened, and TK finally brought her a change of clothes for the dinner.
The dinner/celebration started, and Tai dealt with all the "Hey, how've you been?"s and the "Congratulations." He caught up with all of them, and answered any questions they had. "Oh it was nothing" and the "I just played to win" scattered throughout the conversations. They were all having a good time, despite the situation Sora had. However, she was dealing with it another way, as she brought a few bottles of wine to the dinner, 2 of which were already downed by herself.
"Tai, you should talk to her." Izzy suggested.
"Yeah, you might make her feel better." Mimi added.
"Look, I don't know if that's a good idea." Tai replied.
"Why?" Ken asked.
"Because..."
"Because what?" Davis urged him to continue.
Tai sighed. "Because I already talked to her yesterday. We ended up arguing..." He trailed off, avoiding any eye contact with anyone.
"Arguing?!" Kari was annoyed at her brother's actions.
"Look, she brought it up! And I was just being honest y'know?"
"Who brought what up?" Sora entered their conversation.
"Uhm, my mom... about my hair. It's nothing Sor."
"You know, I've missed that nickname."
Everyone decided to give the 2 space to talk. Mimi gave a wink to Tai, and he just rolled his eyes. Even though Kari told him not to bring it up, he felt it was a good idea to talk about it.
"How are you feeling?"
"A little dizzy." She giggled.
Tai smiled. "I'm sorry to hear about... Matt."
"Oh." It was as if she sobered up instantly. "Don't worry about it. I don't think it was going to last anyways."
"I don't think that matters."
"What do you mean?"
"If you want it to last, then make it last. It doesn't matter if you feel like it won't. That's like having a dream or a goal, not knowing if you'll achieve it, then giving up right away."
"Hm. I guess your right Tai. But, its too late anyways. He cheated, and we already broke it off."
"Its never too late, Sor." He shifted his gaze out the window. "Love and Friendship. It just fits y'know? Just like Light and Hope. It just has a ring to it. I was there when you wanted to be with Matt, and I saw how happy it made you. I haven't talked to Matt or anything, and I probably won't, but you can't just give up on something that you've worked on for years."
Sora was shocked by what he was saying. 'Is he saying what I think he's saying? Does he really want me to work things out with Matt? But I thought you felt something for me, Tai?'
"You 2 fit, and I really don't want to see all that time wasted away."
It seemed Tai had kept on rambling about her working it out with Matt.
"Sor? You... OK?"
"Huh? Oh yeah. Its just... I don't know. This is all very confusing."
"Confusing?"
"Yeah. Here I was thinking you were going to tell me you were gonna kick his ass for breaking your best friend's heart. I thought you'd fina-..." She stopped herself.
"I'd finally what?"
"Nothing." She took a few gulps of her drink. "I don't think its going to work out with him. He's still seeing that other girl, and he seemed pretty adamant about breaking up with me to be with that girl. I can't continue that relationship knowing that he did that."
"Well... Either way, its not really my place to say anything, but its my opinion. Win his heart back, Sor. You two belong together." He finally gave her his trademark grin. She hadn't seen that grin of his in so long. "C'mon. Let's head back to everyone." He turned and walked towards the rest of the group.
'Stupid Tai.'
Kari saw Sora grab another one of the bottles of wine. She elbowed Mimi. "That doesn't look good."
"Let's go see what happened." Kari excused herself from TK.
She immediately rushed to the kitchen to stop Sora from gulping down the whole bottle. "Geez Sora what in the world happened?"
"Love and Friendship" she said, mocking Tai.
"OK, I think I should grab this away from you." Mimi said as she got the bottle away from the auburn haired girl.
"So, what about love and friendship? That's good right? He loves you and he knows you'll remain friends forever?" Kari was trying hard to decipher just what the hell Sora said.
"No. He said Love and Friendship belong together. That the 2 fit."
Kari could not believe it. 'Did... Did my brother just tell Sora that he wants her to be WITH Matt?' She stayed silent for a while, mouth open and eyes wide.
Mimi, slow as ever, questioned on. "Well he has a point. Love and friendship do kinda go hand in hand."
"That's not what he meant Mimi."
"Huh? So what did he mean?"
"Love... Me... Duh. Friendship-Matt."
"Wait a second. Did he-"
"Yep."
"But that means-"
"Uh-huh."
"So he doesn't-"
"Nope."
"Ugh." The pink haired girl let out a sigh of defeat, simultaneously taking a swig of the bottle.
"Tell me about it." Sora said, while Mimi handed her back the bottle, and she too, took a few gulps.
"How are we even related." Kari said, more like a statement than a question, as she also took a few sips of wine.
The 3 females stayed in the kitchen, watching the others, and intensely glaring at the brown haired boy. "Stupid Tai," they said in unison.
The celebration was slowly ending, and people were starting to leave. The 3 girls finally moved from their spot, and Mimi was saying bye to them. TK and Kari were about to leave as well. Then it came down to only Sora.
"You alright Sor?"
"Am I alright? What do you think Kamiya?!"
"Whoa hey what are you getting mad at me for? I think you've had one too many to drink."
"Oh don't blame this on 'drinking too many'! Blame yourself!"
"Myself? What... did I do exactly?"
She rolled her eyes and proceeded to make herself comfortable on the couch. Tai followed and sat on the reclining chair, facing Sora. There was a few moments of silence before she broke it.
"What about Courage?"
"What about it?"
"You said Light and Hope go together, and Love and Friendship. So what does Courage go wtih?"
"Nothing. Courage stands alone."
"Pfft. No Courage and Sincerity?"
"Doesn't match. Besides, Mimi's not my type. Don't tell her I said that. She'll make a big deal and accuse me of calling her ugly."
She was unmoved by his attempt to make a joke. "Courage stands alone. Don't give me that bulls-"
"Well why is that so bad?" He cut her off. "What do you want it to be?" By the time he looked up, Sora was sound asleep. "I should've known. Even cough syrups used to knock you out like this when we were little." He carried her to his bed, and made sure she was comfortable. He grabbed some blankets and pillows and made his way back to the couch to sleep.
The next day, Sora awoke and was surprised to see an unfamiliar ceiling. She tried to get up, but all the drinks from the night before took its toll on her. 'Crap. Where am I?' It dawned on her just where she was. 'Double crap. What's that smell? Don't tell me he's cooki-'
Tai swung her door open. "Hey sleepyhead, I just wanted to see if you were up. Seeing that you are, anything you want for breakfast?"
"Tai! Geez, what the hell? You used to sleep till 2 in the afternoon. What are you doing up so early?"
"Well, unlike some people, I didn't get hammered last night. Besides, I do my workouts in the morning and thought that 'Hungover Sora' would want something to eat."
"Fine. Well, 'Hungover Sora' wants orange juice, sunny side up eggs, and toast."
"Thought so." He brought a tray of food onto the bed.
"How did you know?"
"It's what you always used to eat for breakfast when you weren't feeling good. Eat up. I have to take a shower anyways. You're gonna have to excuse me because... Well my clothes are in here and I use the bathroom in here too."
"It's fine." 'Wow. Tai cooks? Well, I hope its nothing like his mom's cooking.' She took a bite. 'Wow! Definitely not like his mom's cooking.' "Tai!"
"What?" He yelled from the shower.
"When you're done in there, can you grab some more food for 'Hungover me'?!"
"Sure thing, Sor!"
She giggled. A couple of minutes later, the door to the bathroom opened, and she saw a shirtless Tai come out. Her eyes opened in amazement. 'Tai definitely filled out yep look at those muscles oh my God-'
Tai noticed her expression. "Sorry, I forgot to grab a shirt."
'Geez did he get taller look at those shoulders and arms and those ABS holy crap I'm staring how long have I been staring has he noticed I've been staring holy crap say something anything just make a sound!' "Eep!"
"Uhm, everything alright Sora?"
"Yes yes everything's fine."
"Oh yeah. Let me grab some more food for you." He got the tray and headed back into the kitchen.
Sora immediately lied back down, grabbed a pillow, and yelled into it.
Tai forgot to ask her if she wanted more orange juice, and walked in on her antics. 'Hm maybe I should just forget that happened.' He smiled to himself.
When she finished eating, Tai gave her some time to sleep some more. He knew from experience that she always took a nap after eating when she wasn't feeling good. She finally got up and washed her face, then made her way into the living room.
"Thanks for breakfast Tai. It was really good. I can't believe you remember what I like to eat." She smiled at him.
"Glad you liked it. I only remember because you got sick more times than I did, and I was there to help you and your mom to make you feel better. Old habits die hard, I guess. So how are you feeling?"
"Much better. Ugh, I wish I could change out of these clothes though. They reek of alcohol."
"Do you want me to drop you off at your apartment?"
"Matt's still there. I gave him time to get all his stuff out of the apartment."
"So you're going through with it?"
"Well yeah. He cheated on me Tai, and I would try to work things out with him and try to win his heart but the truth is the other girl already has it."
"Hm. I see. But still,-"
"NO Tai. No way. I'm done with him. That's it. You can't talk me into doing it, because I won't. I don't want to."
"Ok."
"You promise to drop it?"
He laughed. "Yes, I promise to drop it. But not because you're asking me to, but because this time around you sound confident about it."
"What does that mean?"
He laughed once again. "Nothing Sor. Hey, how about I take you shopping?"
"Oh no, I've already asked for too much. I took your bed and your privacy."
"I don't mind. You're talking to a superstar here."
"Puh-lease."
"Well, my awards and medals say otherwise."
They both laughed.
"But shopping for girls stuff is expensive Tai."
"Trust me, Sor, it's not a problem. Go get ready, and we'll go when you're done."
"Thanks." She came over to him and gave him a quick hug.
"Anything for a friend."
'Friend. Just a friend.' The thought saddened her, but it wasn't enough to ruin her day.
"Tai, this is more than enough. We can stop now."
He just shook his head and kept leading her to more stores. He analyzed her eyes to see what she was looking at and immediately ask the store clerks to get her sizes.
'How does he know what I want?'
"You keep saying you don't want to buy more stuff, but your eyes say otherwise."
"Is that how yo-... You're good."
"The best."
"Nuh-uh." She gave him a playful punch.
They went to a few more stores, and after they left the shopping mall, Tai had to stop by someplace.
"Do you want to come up with me?"
"Sure. What is it?"
"Well, seeing as Odaiba is my home, I need an actual place to stay other than a hotel. So I made plans to build a place for me. It's almost finished, should be done by tomorrow."
"So I'm assuming we'll actually get to see you more?" She tried to say it playfully, but when it came out, they both felt guilty about it. Tai for neglecting his friends, and Sora for bringing it up.
"I'm sorry I wasn't around Sor."
"No no. It wasn't your fault. I don't blame you. You've always been adventurous, so I could see why you left."
"That's not the reason why I left." He said it quietly, but he knew she heard. Before the conversation went any further, the elevator reached his floor. "We're here." The beauty of his penthouse immediately changed the subject.
"Oh my. Tai! It's so beautiful! Its huge!"
"I didn't expect it to be this big. Oh well." He smiled.
"How can you afford all this?"
"Told you... Superstar." He said while pointing both thumbs to himself. "Want a tour?"
"Heck yes! So what's left to do? It looks done."
"Just gotta connect the water and cable and all the little things. Anyways, that's it. Let's head back 'home'."
While Tai was busy cooking them dinner, Sora couldn't help but think about the conversation they had earlier. She decided to let it go for now since dinner was ready. They ate, made small talk, and enjoyed each other's company.
"No Tai, let me do the dishes."
"It's fine Sora. I'm used to it."
"Can't let you do it. So just drop it and relax. K?"
"Fine." He muttered something else under his breath but she decided to ignore it.
"You know, you've really matured. You clean up after yourself, you know how to cook, and definitely know how to take care of yourself."
"Well, being alone sorta forced me to learn on the spot."
"Alone?"
"Yeah, I live by myself during the season."
"Don't you have friends and teammates?"
"We do hangout sometimes, but we usually go out. The only people who ever come to my apartment in Tokyo is Kari or my parents. So I was forced to 'grow up' and learn to take care of myself."
"Don't you ever get... Y'know... Lonely?"
"Meh. It's not bad. I like the privacy anyways. Like I told you, Courage stands alone." He smiled at her.
"Yeah, I guess. I just can't imagine living like that. No family or friends, and just being alone most of the time. Ugh."
"I guess I'm just used to it." He laughed. "I think my default setting is 'single'." He laughed some more.
She giggled, but inside, she felt sorry for him. "So, why did you leave us?"
Caught off guard, he stammered. "Uh, uhm, see uh. It's just that. Hm, I. Uh."
"C'mon Tai, spit it out."
"I just have my reasons."
"Like?"
"I got offered to play. Who wouldn't want to play in the national league?"
"Hm, that makes sense. But if you didn't get an offer, would you still have left?"
"..."
"Tai?"
"I don't know. Eventually I would've left."
"Why?"
He was avoiding her eyes. "Because."
"Because?"
Silence.
"You know I won't drop this until you answer me. You used to tell me everything. Why is this any different?"
"Because we're not best friends anymore."
"Who says we aren't?"
Tai was shocked she didn't get mad. "I just assumed tha-"
"Well don't assume. Yeah, we didn't talk for a while, but-"
"A while? Sora it was years."
"Ok, but still. I never stopped thinking you were my best friend, and I understand your point of view, but I'm asking that we look over all of that and pick up where we left off."
'We left off at my heart breaking.' "It's not the same. Can we just drop it? I left for my own reasons."
"Ok, you're right. I'm sorry for trying to force you. The important thing is that you're here now, and we should enjoy it." She smiled at him.
"I can't believe you haven't gotten mad at and stormed out like you did before. 'Old Sora' would've ignored me for days." He shot her back his own trademark grin.
"Yeah well, I've matured too Tai."
"Are you sure? Matured? Seeing you from last night, I don't think you've matured at all." He said teasing her.
"Hey, I just got out of a long relationship."
"Yeah yeah."
"Hey, there's a few bottles left. Want to drink some tonight?"
"Sure. As long as 'Drunk Sora' from last night doesn't make a comeback."
"Shut it, Kamiya."
Before they knew it, they had downed 2 bottles. They hadn't noticed because they were having so much fun talking and just being around each other. Slowly but surely, they were losing it. Sora was the first as usual, but Tai followed soon after.
"So hey. Last night you were making a big deal about Courage being alone. Why is that?"
"Because it's crap, Tai. It's a load of crap!" She giggled.
Tai hiccuped."Why is that crap?"
"Because everyone deserves to be with someone else."
"That's your opinion. You're Love, you're supposed to believe that there is someone special for each person. I get that. But you have to understand from my experiences and point of view that maybe that's not true for everybody."
"Argh! You're so stubborn Tai!"
"And you're too blind Takenouchi!"
They glared at each other for some time. They realized just what was happening, and Tai apologized.
"I'm sorry for blowing up like that."
"No, I instigated it."
"Why is it so important to you anyways?"
"Why is what so important?"
"Me being single."
"I don't know."
"Yeah you do."
"Well I don't want to tell you."
"C'mon Sor."
"I just have my reasons."
"You can't use my argument from before."
"Says who?"
"Says me."
"I still won't tell you."
"Then you won't get to know what led me to that mindset."
"Fine!"
"Fine... I think we've both had enough to drink. Wanna call it a night?"
"Yeah. You don't have to sleep on the couch Tai. I mean, you don't have to give up your bed for me."
"Its fine. What kind of gentleman would I be if I let you sleep on sofa?"
"Its not like you were a gentleman beforehand."
"Hey!"
"Kidding." She smiled at him. "Good night Tai."
"Good night Sora."
Sora had been secretly in touch with Kari the whole time, telling her about everything. Breakfast, shopping, his condo, and their conversations. Kari was elated to see that Tai seemed to be happy, and just dealt with things his own way. She decided to give him a call.
"So I heard you've been very hospitable?"
"Well what was I supposed to do? She just got out of a relationship. I'd feel terrible if I didn't do anything to cheer her up."
"Sure. Anyways, isn't she going back to her apartment today?"
"Yeah, I'm gonna drop her off later."
"Is there anything you want to tell her before she leaves?" She asked mischievously.
"Like what?"
"'I'm gonna miss you' maybe?"
"Well, its not like I won't see her again afterwards. We'll all get to hang out again won't we?"
"Hm, I guess you're right. But aren't you gonna miss her presence?"
"Not really. It was nice to have company, but you know I'd rather be alone."
"Ugh. You're hopeless Tai." She hung up.
'Why is she all mad? Whatever. Gotta get my own stuff ready too.'
"I'm ready Tai!" He heard her call from his room.
"Yeah I'm just about done too."
"Wow, moving in is so exciting isn't it?!"
"I guess. I'm not all that excited."
"You're so weird."
"What? Why?"
"Nothing."
"Ok, well the movers are almost done loading up most of my stuff. They're gonna head over to the condo already. Which gives me enough time to drop you off at your place. Sound good?"
"Great!" She smiled.
About 30 minutes later, Tai pulled up to her apartment complex. He helped her with all the bags she had gotten from shopping. They went inside, and it looked partly empty, as Matt had taken some stuff already. 'Why didn't he get everything that was his? Gah, now he leaves his trash behind for me to deal with.' She let out an disgruntled breath of air.
"I'm guessing he left some stuff behind that you don't want?"
"Are you some kind of mind reader, Tai? First my breakfast, then the clothes, and now this."
He scratched the back of his head. "I can read your habits like a book Sor." He giggled.
The moment was cut off, however, as a sound was heard coming from the room.
"Oh no. He better not be here. I told him he had 2 days." She said while storming towards her bedroom. Tai followed just in case something happened. She opened the door, and there in her bed was Matt and a girl who she could only assume was the girl he cheated with. "Are you kidding me?! I said for you to leave! Not stay and use my place as your personal bachelor pad!"
"Sora! Uhm, well-"
"I don't want to hear it! I don't care. Stay here if you want. I don't want to continue living here after you desecrated it." She turned to get a bag, but it seemed Tai had already grabbed one for her. She squinted her eyes at him. "Seriously?" She turned back around and grabbed some things. She made her way to her closet and started to grab shoes and clothes. Tai came in with more bags and helped her.
Matt and the girl just laid there under the blankets. Not knowing what to do or say, they remained silent. Just as Tai and Sora were about to leave, Tai turned back around and went to the room.
"Y'know, I had high hopes for you and Sora. Even though I was sad at first because I liked her, I eventually got over it because I knew you made her happy. Even 2 days ago, I was rooting for her to get back together with you because it hurt me to see her that way. I thought you were better than that Matt. I thought you were better than me. If I had known this was how it was gonna turn out, then I probably would've fought for her all those years ago before your concert. And I probably would've enjoyed those cookies more than you ever will. Friendship, over." He smoothly turned around and made his way back to Sora before Matt had a chance to close his gaping mouth and make a sound.
They were silent as they drove towards Tai's condo. Sora couldn't believe what she had just heard, and Tai too nervous fearing she had heard his little speech. Sora also couldn't think of what she was going to do now, since she was pretty much homeless.
"I've got a bunch of rooms at the condo, you can stay there for the time being."
"Geez Tai! Are you sure you can't read my mind?!"
He laughed. "I'm pretty sure I can't read your mind."
She decided to test him. 'Ok Tai, I think I have feelings for you.'
Tai kept on driving.
'I was happy when Matt told me was cheating because I was then free to try and make things work out between us.'
No reaction.
'Do you hear me Tai?! I'm in love with you! I! ME! LOVE! YOU! YOU IDIOT!' She was practically screaming in her thoughts.
Tai noticed she was intensely staring at him. "Uhm, you okay Sor?"
"Hm. I was just testing you."
"Testing me?"
"To see if you could really read my mind."
He laughed. "Oh yeah? And what exactly were you thinking?"
She blushed. "Ok so you can't read my mind."
He kept laughing. "Told you. But what were you thinking? You were glaring pretty intense at me."
"N-... Nothing Tai. Just colors and numbers. Basic stuff."
"I guess." He said as they turned into the underground parking for his building. "We're here."
"Tai, are you sure I can stay with you? Kari said you were the kind of person who'd prefer to be alone."
"Pfft. Don't listen to her. Besides, who're you gonna listen to? Her or your best friend?"
She smiled. 'Best friend?! Yes! But wait, Kari JUST told me earlier that you preferred to be alone! What gives, Tai?'
"So?"
"Thanks again."
The next few days were quite busy for them. She helped him buy furniture and decorate the place. They were having a great time. After everything was situated, Tai planned on having a housewarming party. Sora was happy because she was gonna see her friends again, even though she just saw them a few days ago. Still, before that she wasn't able to see them for long periods of time. The small party started and everyone was amazed at Tai's place.
Upon hearing that Sora was living there with him, Mimi and Kari gave each other a mischievous look. Kari approached Sora.
"So. Why didn't you tell me you were staying here? I thought he dropped you off at your apartment and that was it?" Sora filled her in on what happened. "I see, but that still doesn't explain why I wasn't told of your living arrangements here."
"Because I knew you'd make a big deal out of it."
"Of course I'd make a big deal about it. This is like skipping steps and going straight to living together." She laughed.
"Oh be quiet! Look, I'm just happy that him and I are finally getting along. It's nice to have my best friend back."
"More like the love of your life back." Mimi joined in. She and Kari laughed at Sora's expense.
"Any louder Meems? Geez he could've heard you!"
"Lighten up Sora."
"And you calm down!" The three laughed.
"Oh, by the way, was Matt not invited?"
"Ha! Doubt Tai would've invited Matt."
"Why's that?"
Sora looked around to see if there was anyone else within earshot, and proceeded to tell Kari and Mimi about Tai's lecture to Matt.
"Wow, talk about manly!"
"I know! He smoothly walked away before Matt could even say anything."
"Leadershipped!" Kari excitedly said. She was proud of her brother.
"What about leadership?" Tai asked.
The 3 looked at him. "Oh nothing" they said in unison. Sora was blushing, while Mimi and Kari were smiling and giggling like little girls.
"I don't remember opening any bottles of wine just yet." He joked.
The 3 proceeded to punish him for his snide remark.
"Hey hey!" They stopped, and smiled at their handiwork. "You 3 are dangerous. Anyways, come join us. Its just us 'kids' now. All the parents left."
They proceeded to join the rest of the digidestined, sans Matt.
Sora was happy to see all her friends, and was even more excited knowing that she was gonna get to see them more often. 'Seems like we can still all still be great friends even without Friendship being a part of our lives.' She smiled a smile that she hadn't had in a long time.
Tai noticed, and had a smile of his very own.
Kari noticed his smile and his stare towards Sora. She got up and decided to make a toast.
"I just want to say congrats to my brother for having his own place to call home. Its nice to see you again, Tai, and we're all very happy for you and your accomplishments. I know that ever since you were small, you dreamed of being a soccer player and winning, and here you are now. You've done it, and you haven't given up or changed anything about you to achieve your goals. I'm proud of you Tai. And whenever you feel lonely on those long trips or just at your own place, I- We want you to know that you'll always have us."
They raised their glasses and proceeded to drink. If anything, the party got even better. The music was great, and they didn't care how loud they were because, well, who would hear them? They danced and told more stories. It was great, and some of them did not want it to end.
After a while, TK stood up, and gave his own announcement. "Well I didn't want to do this today, but seeing as everyone's in a good mood, I think it's the perfect time. Tai, I'm sorry if I steal all the attention from your night."
Before he could continue, Tai just gave him an assuring nod, letting TK know he's giving him his blessing.
TK asked Kari to stand with him, and he gave a little story of their relationship before he got down on one knee. He pulled out a small box, "Kari Kamiya, my Light." He opened the box to reveal a diamond ring. "Will you give me the honor of being my wife?"
Tears welled up in Kari's eyes. She yelled in excitement, "Yes, more than anything yes!"
TK slipped the ring on her finger, and everyone applauded them.
Sora came up to Tai. "I'm surprised you haven't gotten mad yet."
"We talked about it a few days ago, and I even helped him choose the ring."
"You've really matured Tai. 'Old You' would've beaten him to a pulp by now."
He laughed. "Yeah well, 'Old Me' wasn't all that great."
Their conversation was cut short as TK approached Tai.
"Uhm, I'm a little nervous to ask you this but... Seeing as how my brother's gotten himself into a mess, I wanted to ask you if you would be my best man, Tai. It would mean a lot to Kari, and its not like I've written off my brother from my life, but what he did was wrong. It would also be very awkward if he was my best man, seeing as Sora would be Kari's maid of honor. It wouldn't look right. But having you and Sora be there for us, I don't know... It just feels perfect."
Tai laughed. "I'd be honored to be your best man TK, even though it's only because I'm your second option."
Sora elbowed him. "Geez Tai. Be more respectful to the groom."
"I was just kidding!"
TK laughed and thanked him, and they continued celebrating.
They started to plan for the wedding the next day. They scheduled it to meet Tai's soccer schedule, so about a year from then. Sora and Kari were ecstatic about the whole thing, and Tai was being... Tai about it. It irritated the women, but they didn't let it get to them. TK was very supportive of the whole thing, and Tai was happy for his younger sister.
Tai had a month left before training camp started, and he was busy getting into soccer season form. He had been working out all through out the off season, but he felt he needed to work on some things.
Sora was working on new designs for her winter line, so she was also busy. They always found time to talk during breakfast and in the evening. She felt like Tai had reserved specific times of his day for her, and even when they didn't talk much, she just felt comfortable in his presence. He'd always cook dinner, and they ate together every time. Sometimes they'd just sit in comfortable silence watching a movie or a TV show, and they'd call it a night and she'd get a good night's rest.
One night, a certain topic came up. "So Tai, want to help me find a new apartment this weekend?"
"A new apartment?" He asked, looking confused.
"Yeah. You're leaving for Tokyo in less than a month, and-"
He cut her off. "You can stay here... Well, only if you want to."
"Oh, I couldn't do that Tai. I feel like I'm free loading off of you and your hospitality."
"I really don't mind Sora. I make an ok amount of money, and it'd be a waste if I didn't use it to help my friends. So if you want to stay here, by all means stay. Besides, it'll help me knowing that there'll be someone here to watch over the place."
"OK, but you gotta at least let me pay rent."
"Nope."
"Some utility bills?"
"Nah."
"Groceries?"
"Uh-uh."
"Something... Anything?"
He laughed. "Fine. How about-."
"I'll pay for the TV service! Since I'm the one who uses it the most anyways." She giggled.
"I'm fine with that. Now that we've figured out you'll be staying here, we can only assume Kari and TK will spend some time here as well. Good thing I asked for those extra rooms."
"Yep! We're gonna plan this wedding perfectly to what she wants."
"Ugh. Girls and weddings."
"You have a problem with it Kamiya?!"
"I don't have a problem with marriage, its just how crazy you girls get about planning it." He laughed. "It's like the apocalypse when something goes wrong."
"You just don't understand, Tai."
"Good, I don't want to." They both laughed.
The days passed, and it was nearing training camp for Tai. Kari was focused on one other thing besides her wedding, which was to set Sora and her brother up before he left. She kept in constant touch with Sora, and kept trying to plant the idea into Tai's stubborn head.
"C'mon Tai, just do something romantic for her. Make her dinner!"
"Why do I have to do romantic stuff? Besides, I cook dinner for her everyday."
"Ugh, fine. Let me figure out what she considers romantic."
"Kari, just stop. We're perfectly fine as friends, and its not like she feels that way about me. Even if she does, I don't feel that way about her."
Kari gasped. "What do you mean you don't feel that way about her? You used to love her so much. So much so that you were willing to give up your own happiness so that she can be."
"Uh, I don't remember telling anybody that."
"You didn't have to! It was so obvious!"
"Does..." He couldn't finish.
"I don't think she knows, so don't worry. But I might have to tell her. You two were always so oblivious to each other. This time, however, its the other way around."
"What?" He was confused at that last part. He shook his head. "Don't you dare tell her. I don't want anyone to know, especially her."
"C'mon Tai. I think she knows by now after what you had told Matt."
"So she heard."
"Yes she heard you."
It was meant more like a statement than a question. "Things are different now Kari. I just don't think its a good idea to even think about her that way. She just got out of a relationship, and I'm there for her, but just not in that way."
"So you don't feel anything for her anymore? Did you move on?"
"I still care for her, but only as a friend."
"Don't you mean best friend?"
"Whatever! It doesn't matter. I'd do all the things I've done for her for anyone else if they needed me to."
"So it wasn't special?"
"No, it wasn't supposed to be special. I don't know why this is such a big deal. Yeah I left because I was heartbroken, but I had all that time to think and eventually I moved on. No one seemed to make a fuss about it when it was the other way around. Hell, no one even came to me and talked to me about it. Now that I have my life together everyone just expects me to go running back to her arms. I've learned from those experiences, and I know better. Just forget it Kari. I'm sorry for blowing up on you like that. I'm just saying that right now isn't a good time for her. She's still regrouping, and I'm confident that a few months from now, she'll be back to her former self. It won't be long till she finds someone else and moves on with her life. I won't be jealous and I won't feel anything. I expect it to happen and I'll just be another lost memory. Maybe she'll remember years after and we'll talk again. Then she might blame me again for not being there for her even though she doesn't need me at all. It won't be long till she realizes that, and it won't be long till everyone moves on with their lives. In the end, I'll still be alone, and it'll be by my own choice."
He heard a click, signaling that she hung up on him. 'What's gotten into her? Whatever.' He sat there in the dining room waiting for Sora to get home so that they could have their usual dinner together. For some reason, she was running late today.
Sora got out of work early that day, and it was a good thing too because Kari needed her help with a few wedding errands. They had been busy all day, and before they knew it, it was night time.
"Argh. I'm going to be late!"
"For what Sora?"
"Nothing. I'll just text him and let him know I'm out with you."
"I've got a better idea. Since he won't tell you how he feels, maybe I can talk to him about it and he'll spill it out while we put him on speakerphone."
"I don't think that's a good idea Kari."
"Don't worry about it. Just stay quiet ok?"
"Fine."
Kari proceeded to call her older brother and put him on speakerphone so Sora could hear the conversation.
"C'mon Tai, just do something romantic for her. Make her dinner!"
The conversation continued, and it did not live up to their expectations. Each word Tai uttered pricked Sora's heart, and Kari felt absolutely horrible. Sora could not take it anymore and grabbed the phone from Kari to hang up before he could say any more.
Tears were forming in Sora's eyes. "I... I had no idea Tai." She sniffled. Kari embraced her to console her, but she herself was crying. It was true, when Tai was the one who was feeling like this, no one consoled him. The guilt Kari felt was too much. She couldn't believe how selfish she was, and Sora couldn't believe how much his heartbreak affected him.
The crying lasted for a while, and TK walked into the apartment and saw them. "Is... everything ok?" He asked.
They filled him in on their failed plan, and the guilt set into him too. As a friend of Tai's, he wasn't there for him either. It didn't affect him the way it had affected Kari, but he still wanted to make things right.
"It's not too late to make it up to him."
The 2 girls looked at him, looking confused.
"We weren't there for him before, but we can be there for him NOW. Kari and I will talk to him, soften him up, and assure him that he's not alone. Sora, you bake cookies for him. He said it himself, he would've enjoyed those cookies more than Matt ever could. Even though it was a metaphor, I think it'd still be nice. After all, he really likes cookies. I'm gonna go get ready, you 2 start on those cookies."
TK was motivated. He was hopeful that they can save Tai from himself. His hope spread to the 2 girls, and they quickly set out to do their parts. About 20 minutes later, Kari was just about ready. Sora was to follow shortly after with the cookies.
They rang the doorbell to Tai's condo, and he answered. He was expecting Sora, but invited them in anyways.
"Tai, we wanna talk."
"About?"
"Everything."
"I said just drop it, Kari."
"It wasn't her idea, it was mine. Look, you're a damn good leader, and an even better friend Tai. To find out that I or anyone else wasn't there for you when you needed us is something I can't live down. Even though its the past, its still a part of your life, and if you let us, we'd like to help you about it."
Tai stayed silent for a while before he said "You really think I was a good leader?"
Kari and TK smiled. Kari was the first to speak. "Out of everything he said, that's all you got?"
"Not just a good leader, a damn good one," TK reassured him.
Tai grinned, and offered them something to eat.
"This is great Tai!"
"Thanks. Sora and I usually eat together but for some reason she's running late today. Oh well, there should still be enough for her."
"Uhm, we also wanted to talk about her too."
Tai rolled his eyes, but proceeded to talk about it. Seeing as they would not let it go so easily. He admitted what he felt for her, and informed them of how he felt after that day. He told them how he felt like a shadow and a puppet, only doing things because he had to. He opened up to them, and told them everything. The doorbell rang again.
"That must be Sora. Its weird she has to ring the doorbell though. I gave her a key."
He opened the door to find her, holding a wrapped box.
"Hi Tai!" She smiled at him.
"Hey Sor. What happened to your key?"
"Nothing. I just wanted to do this right."
"Do what right?"
She handed the box to him. "This."
He looked at it suspiciously. "What is it?"
"Open it silly!" She giggled as they approached the other 2 in the dining room.
Tai opened the box and was distracted by the aroma of the cookies. "You made these Sor?"
She nodded.
"Wow thanks!" He grabbed one for himself and offered some to the other 3, but they respectfully declined.
"I made them just for you."
"Uhm, ok. Thanks again. Sorry I already ate, but I'll stay and wait for you to finish eating."
Kari heard of all the things he did for her, but she never witnessed it firsthand. 'Tai's really nice to her. I'm finding it hard to believe he doesn't feel that way about her.'
Sora proceeded to eat, and in between bites, she asked them "So uhm, what're you guys up to?"
Kari was about to tell her everything, before Tai stopped her and told her everything himself.
She stopped taking bites about 5 seconds in his story, as she was finding it hard to swallow everything, literally.
"Sora... Do you remember that day at Matt's concert? I had planned that day for about 2 weeks before, and within 8 seconds all my plans were broken." He laughed. "Its true, my heart broke that day, but please don't feel guilty about it. It was bound to happen, whether it was you or another girl. A guy's heart will eventually get broken. Anyways, I was surprised at how I reacted. I didn't speak out about it or try and steal you from him, even though that's exactly what I wanted to do. For some reason I just realized that he made you happy, and that was more than enough reason for me to swallow my pride and pain. It wasn't easy though, in fact I had to create some distance in order for me to forget it. In the end, I didn't forget it. I still remember, and I tried to remind myself that I wasn't good enough for you. Then when I finally saw you at the park, and we finally caught up, I was so happy to see you and your smile. When Kari told me that Matt had cheated on you, I paced back and forth in my room for hours, seething with anger. I even tried to take a cold shower to cool down, but it didn't work. I know I seemed all relaxed and calm at the party, but that's cuz I've learned to hide emotions very well. All these years of practice made me a really good actor." He smiled half heartedly. "When I did see Matt, it took everything I had to hold myself back and not punch the crap out of him. God knows I wanted to. In the end, all I could do was scold him like a child. So you see, all these years of trying to stay away from you did nothing to help. No matter how much you hurt me Sor, I'll still keep coming back to you. You're my gravity, and I can't seem to jump high enough to get over you. I've learned to accept things though, and I realized that no matter what, I just had to be there for my friends. I let all these experiences shape my way of thinking. Even though I'll always have my friends, I always knew I'd be alone in the end. Like I told Kari earlier, everyone will eventually move on, and I'll be alone. The worst part is that I've come to accept that too. Please don't feel bad, Sor. All these things, while they were bad at the time, they've come to be great lessons learned. I'm happy now, and I've got my life together. I don't what Kari's told you, but I don't feel that way about you anymore. All I know is that I'll always be here for you, or for any of our friends."
Sora's hands were trembling. She leaned her head forward, and her hair hid hey eyes. Tai couldn't read the emotion from her face as she spoke.
"So that's why you have that stupid idea of Courage being alone?"
Tai looked at Kari and TK, then back at Sora. "Uhm, yeah."
"Out of all the stupid things I've heard you say Tai, and trust me, there's been a lot, this might be the stupidest one yet. Just cuz you think you're gonna end up alone doesn't mean you will. I won't let it. You know why I constantly brought up Courage being alone? Because while Love and Friendship does sound nice, Love and Courage sounds downright legendary. Just like how Light and Hope sounds awesome. I'm staying Tai... for good. And I'm not out to find a rebound relationship, because honestly, I knew my old one ended long ago. I was just stupid enough to think I could make it work. You know why I realized it was ending? Because I was finally noticing that he wasn't you. I realized his smile doesn't make me all warm like yours does. I realized that he was boyfriend material, but definitely not love-you-the-rest-of-my-life material like you are. No offense TK. I could go on and on, but quite frankly I don't even want to remember that scumbag." She had kept rambling not paying attention to her hand gestures. She had gotten food everywhere.
Tai couldn't believe it, but reminded her "It doesn't matter if you feel that way for me, I told you I don't." Although this time, he didn't sound as confident.
"I don't care Tai. I'm not going to give up just like that because you feel that way about it now. But I'll change your mind soon enough."
Tai sighed. "Good luck with that. I leave in less than a month."
"More than enough time, Kamiya."
"But wait, let's rewind a bit. Matt wasn't 'love-you-for-the-rest-of-my-life' material like me?"
Sora's eyes widened. "Uh, when did I say that?"
Kari butted in. "Oh just about at the end of your rant."
Sora shot her a look that basically said 'I thought you were on my side?!', but all Kari did was smile innocently.
"What's wrong Sora? Seems your confidence from earlier is starting to fade."
She turned her gaze towards a smiling Tai. She let out a huff and continued to speak.
"Yeah, I did say that. I love you, and if you weren't so ignorant and stubborn you would've known by now."
"I'm sorry, what?"
Sora started to blush. "I..." She gulped, but she knew she had to continue with her confidence. "I said I love you."
"I must be hearing things. Can you say that again, just to clarify?" Tai said teasingly.
"I SAID I LOVE YOU TAICHI KAMIYA. Did you hear that?!"
"Yeah I heard you the first time, Sor. You don't have to keep repeating it y'know."
Sora let out an exasperated sigh and out of frustration, threw some food his way.
His smile immediately disappeared, and his expression changed into a 'challenge accepted' mode. Food was now flying left and right, and TK and Kari were desperately trying to find shelter from it. They decided that maybe this was the best time to call it a night and head home. They yelled their farewells from where they were hiding, and carefully got out of the house.
By the time the 2 finished their food fight, the whole kitchen and dining room was a mess. They breathing hard and puffing air from the battle. Sora's stomach grumbled, and she realized she didn't really get to eat.
Tai laughed. "Here, even though they're supposed to be for me, you need them more than I do." He handed her the cookies.
"This is all your fault Tai."
"What?! You started it!"
"Yeah but only because you annoy me so much!"
Tai scratched the back of his head and grinned. "Sorry!"
She couldn't help but smile. They were both lying down on the floor in the dining room. She was eating the cookies and he just lied there waiting in comfortable silence. She finally finished the cookies, but decided to lean her head on Tai's shoulder. Tai's cheeks suddenly felt warmer than usual, as he wasn't used to this.
Sora broke the silence. "Stop fidgeting Tai. Here put your arms like this, it'll be more comfortable this way." She said as she moved his arm. His hands were now on the back of his head, and Sora used his arms and shoulder as a pillow as she snuggled onto him.
"Don't you think you're getting too comfortable Sora? I mean, I keep reminding you that I don't feel that way about you."
"Oh yeah? Then why haven't you moved away or told me to get off?"
"Well I don't want to be rude."
"Sure Tai." She said, still not moving.
He just let out a defeated sigh, and then moved his free hand to his chest. Sora then put her hand over his. They stayed like that for what seemed like hours.
"Hey, why don't you take a shower and I'll clean this mess up?"
"No, I'll help. I did start it." She smiled as they got up. Surprisingly, the mess was easy to clean up, and they proceeded to clean up themselves. Tai took a quick shower, and got ready to go to sleep. He was surprised when his door opened and a pajama covered Sora walked in and made herself comfortable in his bed. Tai was just staring in disbelief at her.
"Oh just relax Tai. You make it seem like this is the first time we've spent the night on the same bed."
"Yeah but we were kids before. We didn't know any better. It's a little different Sora!"
"Would you hush down. It's late already." She said groggily.
Tai muttered something under his breath, but she was already fast asleep to hear. It wasn't long before he too fell asleep.
He woke the next morning, and was caught off guard by the unfamiliar smell. It was the scent of a woman's shampoo. He opened his eyes and saw that he and Sora were cuddling. He jumped out of bed at the realization. Last night's occurrences finally caught up with him, and he let out a sigh of relief. His actions woke Sora up. She lifted her head and tried to open her eyes but failed.
"What are you doing up so early?" She asked.
"Uhm, I have to do my morning workout."
"But it's Saturday, can't you skip it and come back to bed?"
"I can't slack off. Besides it'll be a short workout."
"Then you promise to come back to bed?"
"I promise."
She smiled and immediately dozed off again.
Tai worked out for about an hour before heading back home. He showered and went back to bed just as he promised. This woke up Sora again.
"Told you I'd be able to convince you."
Tai didn't admit it, but he knew her plans to win him over were working. 'Dammit' was all he could think of before Sora pulled him in to cuddle again.
Tai awoke about 2 hours later, and saw that Sora was no longer in bed. He got up and smelled the scent of breakfast.
"I'm surprised you haven't burned down the place."
"Hey! I don't know if you remember but I used to be a better cook than you."
"Used to."
"YOU'RE WELCOME FOR THE BREAKFAST TAICHI."
He laughed. "Thanks for the breakfast Sor. Uhm, do you have any plans today?"
"No, not really. Kari and I are taking a break from planning." She said as she set down his plate in front of him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. She saw him blush and smiled at her own handiwork.
He muttered something.
"What was that?"
"NothingIsaidthislooksdelicious." He quickly replied.
She sat down and set her own plate, and they ate in silence. When they were done, she decided to keep teasing him about the night before.
"So, not once did you ever kick me out of your bed."
"I was just shocked is all."
"Sure Tai."
He decided to talk to her about it, since it seemed she was serious about her plans.
"Sora I'm gonna leave in a month and I'll be gone for the season. Are you sure you want to go through with this? I mean, I've heard that long distance relationships are hard and end up not working."
"Are you saying that you're finally okay with this? Us I mean?"
"Well, I'm just saying that we won't get to see each other much if we do go through with it."
She was ecstatic. "Tai, we were able to salvage our friendship even after years of not seeing each other. A few months is no problem for us."
"But that was different. You didn't need me, and I was ok being alone. Now that I have you to think about, it'll make the distance harder to bear."
"Its not like I won't ever visit you. And besides, you won't have games all the time. I'm sure you can find ways to come home once in a while Mr. Superstar."
He smiled. "Well, as long as you're okay with it."
"I knew exactly what I was getting into, Tai. So don't worry about it."
They spent the rest of the day cuddling on the sofa, watching TV and laughing.
The time came for Tai to head back to Tokyo, and while he and Sora were both a little sad, they knew that eventually they'd see each other again. Tai video called her whenever he could, and she was waiting happily for it every night. They managed to make the new relationship work throughout the next 9 months, and Tai was coming home soon. The wedding was right around the corner, and everyone was excited about it. TK eventually had to invite Matt, but Tai and Sora assured him it was fine. They understood the value of family.
Sora happily picked up Tai from the airport, and rushed home. Even though they were able to see each other a few times during the soccer season, it wasn't enough for them. They wanted to have their own time together, and they did. Tai was surprised at the fact that Sora was still a virgin after all the years she and Matt were together. They spent about 2 whole days locked up at their condo before they finally went out and met up with everyone.
Kari knew that Tai had arrived 2 days before, and wanted to tease the couple. "Wow Sora, did you lose some weight?"
The auburn haired girl blushed. "Oh its a new diet I'm trying."
"What's wrong with your back and legs, Tai?"
"Oh it's just sore from the long season." He also blushed.
Kari just laughed at them.
All the wedding preparations were just about done, and the wedding day had finally come. It was a lovely wedding, and the reception was just as great. It wasn't long before Tai had to make his best man speech.
"I know that I wasn't around for a while to see how you two grew as a couple, but you clearly knew how to take care of yourselves. Usually, young couples go through a lot and fight a lot because, well, they're young. Most first relationships don't really work because each person is learning on the go about relationships. But when I look at you two, its different. When I look at you, I just know you were the one for each other. Most people spend years looking for the one, and both of you were lucky to find each other so young. You give the rest of us hope when we go through troubled times, whether as part of our own relationship or being single. You let your light shine when we find ourselves in the darkness, trying to figure out who we are. When I look at the both of you, I know that I'm looking at something eternal, and I'm glad to be a part of it." He raised his glass. "Cheers! To the newlyweds, Mr and Mrs Takaishi."
"CHEERS!" Everyone else followed. His gaze turned towards Sora, who was staring at him. He smiled and gave her a wink. The reception continued, and they all had a wonderful night. Everyone at least said 'Hi' to Matt, even Tai and Sora. The time came for the newlyweds to leave for their honeymoon, and Tai and Sora made their way back home as well.
"Did you have fun?"
"Yeah, it was nice to see all our planning come to fruition."
"I'm glad nothing ruined it."
"Me too."
They sat in comfortable silence, and finally reached the condo. They went inside and got changed. For the rest of the night, they just watched TV until Tai carried Sora to the bed and they both fell asleep.
Sora awoke from a nightmare, and she was breathing violently.
Tai woke up from her movements and noticed her condition. He pulled her into an embrace, and she started to sob into his chest. Not wanting to make things worse, he decided it was best not to ask her about the dream, and instead let her open up to him.
Her sobbing calmed. "We were back in the digital world, and Datamon came back and kidnapped me. You made a deal with him to take my place, and I couldn't save you Tai."
He tried to lighten the mood, and he chuckled softly. "That was it? That's not that bad Sor."
"Are you kidding me? Losing you is the worst thing that could happen. What's worse is the reason I couldn't save you in the dream was because I faced the same wall you did, and I didn't have enough courage to go through it. I'm not like you, Tai. I'm not as courageous."
He chuckled again. This time she looked up to see his face, and he looked down to face her.
"It wasn't courage that helped me get through that wall..." He slid her hair to the side of her ears. "It was love, Sor." He smiled down at her.
A single tear rolled down her face as she also smiled. "I love you too, Tai." She embraced him tighter. "It took you this long to admit that?"
He rested his head on hers, and closed his eyes. "I was too scared to."
She laughed quietly at him. They stayed like that for a few more moments before Tai convinced her to lie back down and get some rest. She had her head on his chest, as his right arm went around her back and shoulders. She felt safe and warm with him. It was completely different from what she had experienced with Matt, and she absolutely loved it.
"Don't ever leave me again, Tai." She blurted out, not expecting to say her thoughts out loud.
Tai opened his eyes and just simply said, "There's no way I could ever do that." He turned his body so that his forehead touched hers. "I left the first time around because I couldn't deal with the thought of not being with you. But now when I'm away I constantly wake up and find myself wanting to leave soccer behind and live a life with you. The thought of not being with you tears me apart, and it's not easy. But somehow we've made it work, and I have no doubt in my mind that it will work for the rest of our lives. You're not just my best friend, and you're not girlfriend material."
She shot him a look of hurt and confusion.
He smiled. "You're spend-the-rest-of-my-life-with-and-love-you-eterna lly material. I don't know when or where I'll propose, but I know that I will. I don't know where or when our wedding will be, but I know it'll be wonderful. When I think of the future, all I see is us, Sor. And I don't ever want that to change."
"Soon is a good time."
"Wha-"
"To propose."
"Seriously? That's all you have to say about all that?"
She just laughed, and while Tai fell asleep, she stayed awake thinking about everything he had said. She tried to think of what her future might be like, but all that came to her head was Tai.
'You were wrong. You don't stand alone. You're our fearless leader, and while you may be the first to run into danger, you'll always have me running right behind you. I love you, Tai, and I think I always have. Its just that I never had the courage to break through that wall.' She smiled one last time before she fell asleep.
AN: This was a lot longer than I meant it to be. It's my first Taira fic, so please R&R. I don't know much about soccer, especially the schedule of the season in Japan, so I'm sorry if that turned out to be a plot-hole of some sort.
Thanks for reading!