AUTHOR: ThunderEchoes

E-MAIL: thunderechoes@hotmail.com

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters or situations associated with Digimon Adventure. Toei does.

WARNING: This fanfic contains adult situations and is not meant for people younger than 17.

NOTE: This story takes place one year after Season 02. I'm using the dub's ages for the Chosen Children.

Author's Notes can be found at the end of the fic.

 

 

 

 

COMPLICATE ME

 

 

 

 

The Takenouchi flower shop couldn't be considered large, even by Odaiba's standards. It was a plain, modest building that attracted no more attention from the passerby than any other flower shop. Variety there was plenty of, what with the hundreds of different colours and shades brightening the pots, but that wasn't such a rare sight during spring anyway. Customers turned up only occasionally, if not seldom, and their appearance there didn't guarantee that they'd actually buy something. There was even talk inside the neighborhood that the shop would have closed long ago, had it not been for the long family line that served as its roots. The Takenouchi flower shop couldn't be considered large.

Which was the reason the young boy was surprised, and notably embarassed, at the number of people staring at him as he stood outside of the shop. He had totally crossed out the possibility of getting stared at, even though he knew he must look odd just standing there, short and hastily dressed, waiting for a vague someone to meet up with him. A vague someone that was apparently late, as the boy kept tapping his watch in annoyance every few seconds.

Finally, after half an hour of waiting, he let out an angry sigh and entered the shop. He came face to face with a red-haired girl, who was watering the flowers and who reacted to his entrance with a simple glance. The T-shirt and jeans weren't much of a surprise - Sora was known to be a tomboy, and she didn't mind it. What did come as a surprise was a detail invisible to those who didn't know her; the hairpin placed neatly between strands of her hair.

Tai crossed his arms. "You're late."

Sora ignored him, taking a step to resume her watering on another pot.

"You're awfully late," Tai insisted.

"Pfft," was Sora's only remark as she gave him a light push to access the pot he was standing next to.

"Making me stand in the rain--"

She furrowed her eyebrow, but still refused to look at him. "It's sunshine outside."

"For hours straight--"

"Half an hour at the most."

"When I did you the honor of taking you out on a date--"

"Sure looks like a date, with you dressed like that."

"-And- I bought you an expensive hairpin only to be shouted at in return!"

Sora's glare would have sent any person straight to his grave. At least any sane person, since Tai was still standing.

They remained quiet for a few minutes. Tai absentmindedly drummed his fingers on the pot, while Sora momentarily stopped watering. Then, without a warning, Tai brushed the dirt off his hands, purposefully making it land on Sora's face. She clenched her fists, practically steaming. She then grabbed a handful of soil, and threw it on her best friend's face before he could even protest.

Tai could only stand still, his fingers twitching, while Sora walked past him with her held head high and radiating an air of confidence. She flashed him a disgustingly sweet smile as she exited, causing Tai to groan. He quickly wiped the dust from his face and ran to catch up with her, shouting "That was mean!" at the giggling girl.

 

- - -

 

Tai gazed blankly at the television as the memories flooded his mind. The news had nearly ended, with him taking in none of the day's events. He shook his head frantically, and even then it took a lot of effort for him to empty his mind and listen to the last announcements.

"This year's White Day seems to have gone terribly wrong," the woman said expressionessly. She would have been pretty if she didn't have so much makeup on, Tai noted. "There were more couples that broke up than ones that got together, and three reports of suicides over the matter. We can only hope that next year will bring better results." Tai stopped paying attention while various scenes of the year's White Day were projected; couples shouting at each other, a girl frantically crying, a torn up Valentine lying on the sidewalk, a luckier couple hugging, both partners blushing brightly, and the woman's hair was held back with a hairpin, Sora would look much cuter with that hairpin...

He snapped out of his thoughts when a different woman's voice started speaking. "And now for the weather. Sunshine is foreseen for most of Japan over the next week, with the exception of the area of Odaiba. Unnaturally black clouds are creeping over it, but no signs of rain have been detected so far. Winds are coming from the North--"

Tai switched off the television. Boredom was the reason it was switched on in the first place, and fighting that boredom now seemed a much better idea than enhancing it. He stood up from the couch, stretched, and sat down on his chair. He had to push aside all the objects lying on his desk before he could get a hold of the phone. Without a second thought, he dialed Sora's number.

"Takenouchi residence, Sora speaking," her voice called out.

Tai grinned at himself. "Hey Sora, it's Tai. Was just wondering if you have anything to do tonight. I'm bored to death here, and I could use some company... we could go to the cinema or something..."

It was incomprehensible stutters along the lines of "umm..." and "err..." that greeted him at first. Sora insantly cleared her throat, and said "I'm going out with some friends tonight." There was an obvious anxiousness there; an anxiousness, in Tai's book, of a person using an excuse to get out of a tough situation. "I'd rather go out with you, of course," she covered, "but I've promised them..."

Tai sighed to himself. "'S fine." In an attempt to sound cheerful he followed it up with "Have fun!", though he was certain Sora would see right through it.

"Yeah. Sorry..." And she hung up.

Tai carefully placed the phone handle in its original place. He exhaled soundly; his brain was a white space of meaningless movement, active yet overworked. The indecisiveness lasted for only a couple of minutes, though; he soon picked up the handle again. Not allowing the last failure to discourage him, Tai dialed a new number. A deeper, just as familiar voice spoke up this time: "Ishida residence, Matt speaking."

"Hey man!" The grin returned to his face, wider this time. "Fancy going to the cinema tonight? It appears I'm infected with the terrible illness called boredom."

"Hello to you too," Matt answered; Tai was sure his blonde friend was rolling his eyes. A pause was next, followed by "I'm going out with someone else."

That was the last stroke needed for the frustration that had been building up inside him to burst out. "Friends of yours?" he snapped, not caring how hostile that sounded.

"Actually, I'm going out with Sora."

Tai blinked. He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, letting the wave pass. His reply came in a very softened tone: "Oh. I didn't know."

"That's okay," but Matt's voice was far away already.

"Yeah. Bye."

"See you!"

Tai leaned his head against the wall.

It hurt it hurt it hurt, God how it hurt... He was aware Matt and Sora were going out; that hadn't earned a reaction from him other than a little sting. He trusted them. They would grow up, they would change, and he would still trust them. He considered them his best friends and knew them both in and out, books as open to him as he was to them...

But he just discovered pages he hadn't read before.

He next phoned Izzy, who generously accepted his request. He was just finished bidding him goodbye when a light, sweet voice that he knew all too well pronounced: "Can I come along?"

Tai turned his head towards the door, raising an eyebrow. "What for?"

"Oh, c'mon! It's boring in here!" Kari whined, pouting cutely.

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever. Should be safe enough with Davis out of eyeshot."

"Thank you, Tai!" she chirped, moving next to him and planting a kiss on his cheek.

"Yeah, whatever," he repeated, waving her off, although there was no need; she was already prancing out of the room.

It was hours later that he'd regret this thoughtless decision...

 

- - -

 

The sun's rays were hot as they licked every patch of Tai's exposed skin, the sidewalk's white colour wasn't even discernible, and the people's attention didn't lessen when Sora joined him. This time he only waved at the people staring, though, who returned the gesture with surprised curiosity. The world was below him at this moment.

"So what will this 'date' of ours consist of?" Sora asked, hands firmly placed on her hips.

Tai rubbed the back of his head, looking away from the girl. "I dunno... I was thinking of playing soccer or something."

Sora lifted an eyebrow, though she could barely keep back the smile tugging on her lips. "Tai..."

Tai grinned stupidly; he knew he had her. "If not, we could always join Matt..." His grin widened. "Last I heard of him, Mimi had dragged him into playing dress-up."

"Soccer will have to do," Sora said, in a mock-depressed voice. Cheering up, she took off, shouting "Last one there is a loser!"

"Sneaky..." Tai trailed off and ran after her. She momentarily turned to flash him a triumphant look; Sora's smile was dazzling.

 

- - -

 

"Tai..." He felt a nudge at his side, causing him to stir. Again, more insistently: "Tai!"

He rubbed his eyes, and angrily murmured "What?"

His younger sister's face came into view, wearing a rather concerned, but at the same time amused, expression. "The movie is over."

Tai blinked. It took him some time to fully comprehend the meaning of that sentence. "Oh yeah!" he enquired at last. "The movie!"

A different voice responded to him. Izzy was standing a little farther back, arms crossed."Well, what are you waiting for? We forgot to bring an alarm clock along, and we don't have limitless time in front of us..."

"Some people would have been better off born a bit less smart." Tai stretched before standing up.

The room was empty but for the three of them. Izzy and Kari had already started their way to the exit, and he had to accelerate to reach them. They appeared to be enwrapped in a chat about the movie, seeing as they had stopped paying him any attention.

"The plot wasn't bad... just very predictable," he heard Kari saying.

"Yes, one or more plot twists would have certainly done it justice," Izzy replied, tone signifying his interest.

"And the characters..." Kari made an audible "hmph".

"Actually, I think the dialogues were more of a problem than the characters. Awfully unrealistic."

Tai, without noticing it, had slowed down his pace so that the pair of two was in lead. Finding the subject incredibly dull, he could do nothing but listen to them. It didn't help that his occasional comments like "The main character's haircut sucked" and "That hot girl didn't get much screentime" were treated with a disapproving look or movement from both of his companions. It finally reached a point where he could no longer take it. "Come on, guys, what's the detailed analysis for?! The movie just sucked!" His words were accompanied by wild gestures with both of his hands. He was distressed to find out that their reactions didn't in the least vary from the ones before.

Tai was willingly left behind in his attempt to block out their voices. In a hopeless escape from the boredom weighing down on him, he turned his eyes to the sky. Few stars were pinned on the black sheet that night, but their mere presence somehow calmed his spirit. A soothing breeze stroked his cheek, rapidly replaced by a summer night's heat once again. The shining dots above zoomed in and out of his view, forcing him to keep his eyes half-shut; he was tired, but he didn't know why.

In that state, he didn't at first comprehend what he was seeing when the black shadow concealed the stars. His mouth gaped. It was far away, it was fleeting, but it was undeniably there. He didn't have time to make sense of its shape as he chased after it, surpassing Izzy and Kari within seconds.

Then it was lost.

Tai froze on the spot, still pointing at the empty nightsky. He turned to look at Izzy and Kari, who regarded him with confused expressions. He opened his mouth for an explanation, an excuse, but the sound was muted. It might be better this way.

Kari was still blinking when she next spoke: "Umm... me and Izzy were wondering if you wanted to go to a bar. It's too late for dinner, anyway..."

"Yes, sure..." was Tai's instant answer. His mind was still too occupied for a more thoughtful response.

They took a seat in a small table near the corner, where the loud music and voices weren't as ear-splitting. Tai was still detached, thinking about nothing in particular and unwilling to change that. The rest of the group had to order the ice creams for him when the waitress arrived, perhaps hoping for an objection by his side. None came, and they ate their ice creams in silence, Tai literally digging into his own. That apparently urged them to put their concern for their friend aside, because the chat about the movie continued.

"The actors are fairly new, though. I don't think I've seen any of them before, at least not the main characters. They were fairly good if you judge them accordingly," resumed Kari between mouthfuls of her vanilla ice cream.

"Hmm. The main character wasn't bad, now that you mention it." Izzy seemed to be considering it. "But the main female was too stereotypical. Or rather, too American." He snorted.

"Who cares about the women?" Kari dismissed, waving her hand. "The main guy was dreamy..."

Tai groaned. Desperate to stop the conversation before it was too late, he said the first thing on his mind: "Did you two see that shadow?"

Raised eyebrows. "What shadow?"

He mentally cursed the lack of control over his speech, knowing any lie would be too obvious. "That large one, on the sky. Large enough to hide the stars. That's what I was looking at before."

Neither of them answered for a couple of minutes; he was about to give up, when Izzy carefully said "Did you see the news today?"

He just nodded, but inside he was celebrating.

"They mentioned notably black clouds over our area. That must have been what you saw."

Kari nodded in agreement. Tai wanted to explain that what he saw didn't look anything like a cloud, but he was sure he couldn't debate with Izzy on this one. Izzy had the news as a back-up, he only had what he had witnessed.

"The ice creams are nice," Kari spoke up.

"Certainly are," Izzy replied, while Tai just grunted. "You know how the first ice cream was created?"

"Oh, do tell!" Kari piped up, leaning her chin on her palm and listening intently.

Tai buried his head in a cavern of his hands. He'd had enough. In a higher key he started, "Have I missed something?! Why is it that the two of you only have eyes for each other and -I- don't even exist?!" Izzy's face blushed at least five shades of red, and Kari blinked. "See?!" Tai continued. "This is probably the most interesting thing that has happened all afternoon!"

Izzy had most likely noticed that his pride was being insulted, since he jumped on the defensive. "Look, Tai," he begun in attempted diplomacy. "We aren't Sora, as much as you may wish we were. You have to understand that."

Tai's lips quivered, but he was taken aback and therefore had no room to fight back. Instead, he shook his head furiously and returned to his empty ice cream bowl. He didn't raise his eyes for a second, not even to meet what was sure were Izzy and Kari's concerned eyes.

They didn't understand. None of them did. He didn't just lose his crush; he lost his best friends.

 

- - -

 

The soccer ball rolled on the fresh grass of the field, black and white that continuously merged and separated. Kick. Throw. Up. Down. Out. Flop, in the nearest garden. The woman shouting at them to carry on with their game away from her geraniums. Giggle. And it was kicked again, thrown again, up and down again, and they were getting dizzy, dizzy, but they'd got all their years ahead of them and they couldn't stop... not now...

The feverish match wasn't over when Sora abruptly stopped. Tai cocked his head, silently questioning her. Sora shook her head, before turning her head to him. "Wouldn't it be more fun if Matt was here? He's so good with team sports..." Sora's voice was wavering in hesitation.

Tai shrugged. Sora pondered this move for a minute, quiet. Tai tapped his foot, then, taking matters into his own hands, elbowed her out of the way and got the ball. All he heard was a "hey", before everything started swirling again and the ball moved as if by its own accord. He could -feel- the sweat trickling down his neck, could -taste- the tired tears as they touched his lips.

The blonde boy's name didn't mean anything back then.

 

- - -

 

The rays of the early afternoon sun washed over houses and trees, highlighting their simple colours. Whistling filled the otherwise unspeaking street, its source a messy-haired teenager and a small orange dinosaur. Men and women were few and scattered along the sidewalk; the duo didn't draw any attention outside sideway glances, and these seemed directed more at the whistling than the Digimon. The boy all but screamed purposeful casualty; his hands were dug in his pockets, eyes half-shut, and his steps strongly resembled marching. Even Agumon seemed to cope with his partner's behaviour just barely, judging by the shake of his head each time he laid eyes on Tai. The parade practising only came to a stop when they were standing before the Takenouchi flower shop; Agumon could swear he saw the passerbys sigh in relief.

The shop's look had been mildly improved in the recent years by having the outer walls replaced with glass windows. Tai was able to see Sora this time; she was wearing gardening gloves, accompanied with a yellow summer dress that brought out her slim figure, and arranging the pots for the best effect possible. The floor was clean of items but for a tennis racket, signifying that she had recently returned from her tennis practise.

Tai nudged Agumon meaningfully, still looking to the redhead. "Stay here, and watch how women are dealt with."

Agumon crossed his arms, pouting. "As long as Sora doesn't decide to ground you for another week." Then, more to himself than to Tai, he noted "I've missed her cookies."

Tai did his best to ignore that sentence, and entered the shop as quietly as he could. Sora either failed to notice him or pretended not to, as she didn't pause in her task. Tai turned over a flowerpot near her spot, and crossed his arms on top of it. He rested his head on his arms, waiting for a reaction from the red-haired girl. "Ahem," he coughed lightly.

Nothing.

He tapped his fingers on the ceramic's surface, then, groaning impatiently: "Sora." Another statement that went unresponded. He removed one hand from beneath his jaw to wave it in front of her face; after a few seconds of quiet, he playfully asked "Giving me the silent treatment now?"

Sora rolled her eyes and pushed Tai's hands from the pot in order to turn it to its previous position; not the best reaction he could expect, but it was a start. The girl had already gone back to arranging the objects, but she seemed distracted, pausing at various points to stare into empty space. Tai took action when he caught her glancing at his direction, and flashed her his widest grin. Sora turned her eyes away and bit her lip to stiffle a giggle.

As Tai was hoping, she soon gave up and snorted, turning to casually brush some dust off Tai's chin as if he had just entered. "When will you grow up?"

The brown-haired teenager shrugged, and concentrated his attention on the nearest pot. Sora looked at him in suprise, expression confused and questioning; that was before Tai dug his hands in the soil to throw a handful of dust in her face.

"Tai!" she shouted, blindly reaching for a towel. After various failed attempts, she took hold of it and wiped at her face furiously. Seeing the glitter of her brown eyes slowly revealed behind the dirt was magical. "Geez, Tai..." she murmured. It was meant to come off as a joking manner, he was sure, but there was something more intense behind it; annoyance.

Next was a short and awkward period of silence, with neither of them knowing what to say or do. Tai was the one who took the initiative, popping up the long-awaited question: "So how was your date?"

Whatever pretense Sora had been putting up vanished right when the words hit home. She looked at him wild-eyed and blushed, before turning her head to the ground. "'Twas fine."

His turn to pretend, using his most cheerful smile for her sake. The girl didn't even look up. Thinking fast, he joked "I'm not surprised. I always fail to spoil your dates anyway." He crossed his arms, mock-sighing. "Like last Christmas, remember?"

His friend didn't find this the least funny, and with the same downcast look spoke up: "Tai... I don't want you to worry about being neglected." She lifted her face to meet his gaze. Her eyes were wet, but she neither cried nor wiped at them. "It was just this one date that clashed with your schedule," she explained. "It won't happen again. Not if I can help it."

Tai decided it was wiser to leave it at that, and changed the subject; "Do you think you and Matt can come over to my house tomorrow? I'll be alone anyway, what with Kari going out with some friends of hers..." Tai trailed off. He seemed to come to a realisation at that part, as he mumbled, probably louder than intended, "Izzy, you bastard! Just wait till I get my hands on you..."

Sora blinked, but shrugged it off, used to her best friend babbling nonsense. "Sure thing." She smiled, and, just for that moment, Tai could not deny that he felt attracted to the redhead with the held-back tears and the curved lips.

Tai smiled, although he couldn't quite identify the reason. The smile still painted on his mouth left him confused, and eager to get away as fast as possible. "See you then!" He waved as he exited the shop in a hurry.

Sora's skirt and the tennis racket lying next to the wall were the last images imprinted on his mind.

 

- - -

 

The pair of youngsters collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily. They stayed still for several heartbeats, allowing their bodies to relax and the colourful dots to stop swirling around their heads. Tai turned to face the female next to him, and abruptly burst out laughing. "Your clothes!" he cried, pointing at the shirt and jeans.

"What?" Sora muttered, and looked down to her clothes. Mud was splattered all over the garments, the previously clear shades having now turned a dull brown. Sora was about to reply with an unconvincing "it doesn't matter", when she caught sight of the boy's state. She started laughing then too, pointing at him and saying "Look who's talking!"

Tai laughed even more when he noticed his condition, and leaned back on the grass. Their excited giggling came to a stop, though, as Sora, out of the blue, looked down in disappointment. Tai was caught off guard, and had no way of reacting to the girl now staring worriedly at her jeans. He just stared at her mouth, at the lips parting and closing again. "My mom," she finally said. "I'm going to hear it from her again for getting so dirty..."

Tai was speechless. Sora, fortunately, saved him the trouble of digging up a suitable answer by shrugging and lying back on the ground.

 

- - -

 

The sky had darkened by the time Tai and Agumon reached the Kamiya residence. Even the smallest light appeared to create impossibly long shadows, which crept over cars and people like ink spreading on white paper. A long line of lightpoles followed the road to its invisible end, casting their black reflections on the asphalt.

Tai paused in front of the door to take a look at the time. 8:51 PM. It was too early for anything. Tai detested the thought that he'd have to spend his night in front of the television again, mindlessly staring at under-other-circumstances-pretty women with fake makeup. Facing his partner, he asked "How does an ice cream sound?"

Agumon's excited-puppy look was a sufficient response.

They changed direction, leaving the house behind them and heading for the nearest kiosk. They bought two cone ice creams, Agumon all but dropping his from the excitement, and headed for an arcade close by. "His suggestion, not mine," the orange dinosaur would say when they'd later be questioned about it. "He said he wanted to 'kill time'."

"You're -so- dead now, mate," Tai said, in the present, as he aimed a strong kick on Agumon's character. Said character jumped back, avoiding the hit. Tai scowled. "You know... This isn't fair at all. You get to practise battling real-life."

Agumon was surprisingly good at this, if you considered that his claws should be getting in the way; but instead of that, they helped him to get a strong grip on the control stick. Agumon smirked, giving a last, victorious glance at his friend. "I'm sorry about this, Tai, but you're going down."

He handed the finishing blow to Tai's character to prove his point. Tai groaned, and slammed the control stick against the machine. "Old videogames were way better," he mumbled. On his way out, he tried to avoid looking at the starry-eyed faces of everyone who had been watching - and who weren't even being discreet about it, since a chorus of "Cooooooool" filled the room. Not even Agumon was modest enough for Tai's liking; he was blushing, yes, but he also had a triumphant look printed on his face. "Come -on-, Agumon..." Tai had to drag the lizard out of the arcade, and even then the latter wouldn't stop waving at the audience.

The pair stepped out into the darkness and the cold night air. The remaining people had sought refuge from the cold inside buildings, be it their homes or not, and Tai and Agumon were the only ones in the street when they left the arcade. Tai hugged his coat closer to his chest, not in the least blaming the others for leaving in search of warmth. Agumon was silent as he walked beside him, but his teeth were audibly chattering. Aside from that, their steady breathing was the only thing that broke the total silence. Tai found himself absentmindedly listening to the steady continuation of inhalations and exhalations as he walked on, oblivious about anything but what his ears could perceive.

The predictable succession of breaths was cut off unexpectedly, invaded by a gentle - yet now ear-splitting - thump of something falling or landing. Tai jumped as if an invisible hook had pulled at his strings, not even knowing if the gasp he heard came from his mouth or his partner's. On impulse he turned around to face the source of the sound, and he could feel Agumon doing the same next to him.

In front of them was a tree, its branches curved in strange angles and its trunk pitch-black in the lack of lighting. What they had heard was revealed to be a crow that had just landed on one of the branches. Tai gave one last look at the crow, which stared back with mysterious yellow eyes. His heart not beating nearly as fast now, he turned to walk away from the tree, beckoning Agumon to follow him. The dinosaur still seemed hesitant, but did as he was told. No sooner had they walked a few steps, though, another jolt-inducing sound came from the same spot. It couldn't even be compared to the previous one; this was a screech, horrible and deafening as it stabbed at the night like a razor.

Both of them hastily faced the small alley and the tree again. It took numerous heartbeats for Tai to register what he was seeing. In place of the small crow stood a massive, coal-dark figure resembling a bird, its weight causing the branch to sag. He was about to start thinking that the bird had evolved into this thing, like in lame horror movies and Digital World adventures, before he spotted the crow's shape between the creature's jaws. It was squirming and shrieking like mad, desperate to escape from the deadly teeth of the thing. As if watching a train accident, Tai gazed mesmerized as the huge fowl began closing its jaws on the helpless body. The screech raised to an unrearable level, then was replaced by the sound of bones breaking. The boy didn't - couldn't - look away while the avian was engulfed, having given up struggling.

The monster's eyes came to rest upon him. Tai instinctively reached to touch his partner, who was trying hard not to tremble. The boy felt odd as he gazed back at the red eyes, like a monstrous hand was pulling him away from Agumon. Trying his best to regain control, the teen tried to shake the thought away.

"Agumon, digivolve now!" he ordered, holding out his Digivice.

The Rookie nodded, still enwrapped in the creature's aura. "Agumon, digivolve to...!" He stopped.

"Agumon!" Tai demanded.

The Digimon closed his eyes, trying to concentrate. "Agumon, digivolve to...!"

Again, nothing happened, but by now Tai had stopped caring. Agumon's voice was far away, a buzz of a bee in a cup multiple tables away. The hand was pulling him farther away, lifting him to a blank, emotionless space. He was still touching someone's shoulder, he could feel that, but he didn't even know who that was. It was just himself, detached from the world and his inhabitants.

"Ugh!" he cried as a sharp pain ran through his left arm. Tai opened his eyes, and to his horror saw the great jaws that had just now killed an animal clenched on his arm. He screamed, but the steel teeth only dug deeper. Blood was spilling out, staining his coat and his shirt and his arm, and he could do nothing but yell at nothingness, not ever loosening his hold on the stranger's shoulder.

"Fireball!" Agumon cried, and the boy finally felt the teeth moving away from his flesh.

The bird gave a loud shrill, surprised and slightly injured. The last embers disappeared from its hurt wing the moment it dove for the orange dinosaur, who managed to dodge the hit just in time. Agumon aimed a second Fireball to the creature, but it didn't do nearly as much damage as before. Red eyes flaring madly, it flashed its frightening teeth, pure white contrasting with the endless black.

Lights suddenly came from somewhere above, and an irritated voice called "What's going on there?" Alarmed, the black monster snarled before flying away, immediately becoming just a black dot in the wide sheet of darkness. The voice was becoming clearer by the second: "Be quiet, kids, we're trying to sleep here!"

And the light switched off as abruptly as it had switched on.

Tai's breathing was laboured, and his head was throbbing more than ever.

He knew this thing was the shadow he had seen outside the cinema, and the reason all these couples had broken up, and the black clouds the news had mentioned.

He also knew that fear wasn't what was bothering him.

It was embarassment.

"Don't... don't let anyone know about this," Tai managed between gasps, slowly sinking to his knees from the emotional strain he was previously oblivious to.

 

- - -

 

The sun was hidden behind the clouds, and thus didn't blind the kids as they looked to the boundless blue above them. It was beyond what their young mind could grasp, the clouds fluffy as sheeps floating on the untouchable sky. So they reduced it to something more comprehensible, something between the limits of their imagination.

"That one looks like a hippo," Sora said, pointing at a particularly large cloud above her.

"What are you talking about? It looks like Matt, hands down!" Tai grinned.

Sora rolled her eyes, but didn't look away. "And that one to the left... It's, umm... a whistle."

"Possibly. Oh, look at that! It looks like your hairpin!" Tai said, overly enthusiastic. Sora groaned, slapping her forehead. "Come on, the hairpin doesn't suck that bad," Tai whined, teasingly pouting.

"We are not going through this again," Sora stated. "Geez, Tai, when will you start acting your age?"

"Hey, you're the one with the case of premature aging!" He earned a playful punch on the shoulder in response. "Whatever. A bush," he resumed, pointing at another cloud on their left.

"Nah, I think it looks like your hair," Sora mused.

"That coming from someone who thought a hairpin was meant as an insult to the holiness that is her hair," Tai fought back, in a mock-wounded voice.

She smiled. Only he could make her smile like that.

 

- - -

 

Kari was picking out clothes to wear when Tai entered her room, and Gatomon was curled up on the bed, softly snoring. Kari seemed to have settled on a tight pink shirt, but had yet to decide between two skirts to accompany it. She tiredly glanced at her brother, grunting "What is it?"

Tai leaned against the doorframe, but didn't enter the room. "Making ourselves pretty for Izzy, are we?" Tai said, in a tone more hostile than joking.

Kari raised an eyebrow, but answered with "The specific joke has gone on -way- too long, Tai. I'm just going out with some friends."

"Yeah... Some friends..." He didn't move.

Kari fidgeted. "Can you leave? You're making me uncomfortable," she said, while checking herself in the mirror.

"Oh, so now your own brother is making you uncomfortable..." Tai snapped.

"Tai..." Kari seemed about to answer, before the doorbell rang. Tai looked at her in a way that implied "We're going to talk about this later" and hurried to answer the doorbell.

As expected, his two best friends stood on the doorway, both clad in casual clothing. Sora was wearing her white tennis uniform, something that implied Matt had picked her up from her practise some time ago. They'd brought Gabumon and Biyomon with them too, both of whom rushed to join up with Agumon. Facing his partner, Tai brought his finger to his lips to hint at the secrecy required about yesterday's incident. Agumon nodded, and began making conversation with the Rookies.

"Oh, today's gonna be great!" Tai enquired, dragging Matt with him towards the kitchen. "D'you remember last time? The kitchen all but exploded! We can try putting more than one spoons in the microwave this time!"

"That was an accident!" Matt protested. His eyes widened, most likely at the thought of something similar happening again. "And, anyway, don't forget Sora's here too," he added, waving a hand to the direction of a stiff Sora.

Tai furrowed an eyebrow. "Sora has accompanied me in such 'accidents' more than once over the years. I don't see why she should have a problem with it," he snapped back, more serious than before. He sent a meaningful glance to Sora, then pulled at Matt's sleeve once more to emphasize his point.

Sora snorted, about to offer a witty reply, no doubt, when Tai's mobile phone rang. He rummaged through his pockets and, once found, pressed it to his ear. Izzy's voice greeted him.

"Hello Tai, it's Izzy." The tone was calm and steady, but also with a touch of eagerness.

"Hey Izzy," Tai answered. "What is it?"

"It's..." His friend hesitated. "It's Digimon-related problems in a nearby area." He then proceeded to give Tai directions as to where that place was. It wasn't far from his home, apparently, but not close enough to be reached on foot. "Could you also call Matt and Sora? We need as many Digidestined as possible here."

"They're in my house..." Tai trailed off. Sensing that the situation was serious, he tried to hurry things up, "We're coming."

"Quick." And Izzy hung up.

Everyone in the room looked at Tai expectantly. "Problems. Something about Digimon. We have to hurry up," Tai said shortly.

They seemed to get the hint, as everyone ran towards the door. Tai forgot about Kari for that one moment, probably because he didn't want to think about their last exchange. Thankfully, the next bus arrived only two minutes after they left the Kamiya residence, so they didn't have to wait long. That still didn't stop Tai from tapping his foot impatiently during the ride. The three of them stumbled out of the bus before the door was even fully open, carrying their Digimon for faster movement.

Panting and sweating, it wasn't a short run before they reached their destination. Tai's breath caught in his throat; he had somehow been expecting this, but it still hit too suddenly. The trouble was caused by the black bird Tai had encountered the previous day; it was currently attacking a car, crushing it between its large talons as easily as one would rip a paper apart. He only realised he was staring when Matt pulled at his arm. Tai removed his gaze from the monster and caught up with the team.

Among the other Digidestined, the only ones that could make it were Izzy, TK and Cody; Tai, Sora and Matt had apparently got there too late, since the others' partners were already fainted on the ground. Everyone could do nothing but stare at the destruction going on, helpless without their Digimon partners. Izzy moved next to Tai. "I did some research on the Digimon."

"It's a Digimon, huh? Should've thought so..." Tai said to himself.

Izzy, a little annoyed by the interruption, cleared his throat. "Yes, it's a Digimon. It's called Saberdramon, and it's one of Biyomon's evolutions, Champion level. Its attacks are Black Saber and Mach Shadow, and, according to Tentomon, it has the special ability to reverse the emotion of love. Logical, if you take into account that Biyomon represents the Trait of Love."

"I see..." Tai nodded, coming to an understanding about last day's happenings. He would have liked to think more about it, to think about what had caused him to drift away from his long-time partner in a matter of seconds... But seeing Saberdramon break the car into pieces, he knew this was no time to be reluctant. He clenched his fist and was about to start up the battle, when Izzy gripped his arm. "What?" Tai asked in annoyance.

"Just think, Tai," Izzy impatiently said. "It reverses the emotion of love. Something that is essential for our Digimon's evolution. Why do you think they are all fainted?" Izzy was obviously abstaining from saying more than was necessary.

"I know that better than anyone," Tai snapped, leaving Izzy confused and stepping towards Saberdramon. "Agumon, come here!" The orange dinosaur obeyed, getting next to his partner. Tai noticed Sora and Matt were ready to enter the battle too, although the former didn't appear very willing. Sora was fidgeting restlessly, and he could see how worried she was by her open-mouthed reaction to the black Birdramon. Even Biyomon was looking concerned about her friend's behaviour. Tai held out a hand before Sora could get into position beside him. "Sora, stay there. I can handle this on my own." Which necessarily left Matt out of it too, but there was no other way to put it.

Sora clenched her fists, frustrated at his immediate decision. She was also angry because she'd wanted to stay unreadable, that he knew, but he couldn't risk this. Matt didn't succeed in holding the girl back, though, as she did the exact opposite from what she had been ordered. She reached Tai's side in a few strides. "Yeah right you can handle it," she hissed.

"I thought I told you to stay back," Tai answered, holding his head up to stand at his full height.

"So what?" Sora snapped, her eyes lit furiously.

"Look, I am the leader! Do as I said!" Tai shouted. He didn't even know what he was saying at this point; anything that could make her leave. He hated it when they fought, he hated to see her weak.

The red-haired girl looked hurt, but it didn't stop her from continuing: "What are you, some kind of monarch? You can't just order me around!"

"I damn well can under these circumstanc--"

His sentence was cut off by a nearby yell. It was coming from a man who had got trapped beneath Saberdramon's talons. Her jaws were hovering right over him,  tongue peeking between the perfect teeth like a snake ready to strike. Only then did they forget their fight and decided to act.

"Agumon!"

"Biyomon!"

Their respective Digimon nodded.

"Agumon, digivolve to...!"

"Biyomon digivolve to...!"

The simultaneous attempts were rendered futile by the return of the all-too-familiar distancing. Tai was being pulled away again, and his mental struggle made it even more painful. He had been prepared for it this time, so he was at least able to see his surroundings, which didn't make it better at all. It was awfully discouraging to watch the Rookies fight within themselves, eyes shut and mouths stretched in a tight line. Even their hardest concentration failed to collect the energy needed for the digivolution. And Sora... Sora was pure torture for him to watch. She had fallen to her knees from the very beginning, holding her head in her hands and moaning in pain. Her cheeks were damp with sweat, and her eyes wide open and terrified. He had predicted the reversed emotion of Love and her inability to stop it would affect her like that... Tai didn't think he'd ever hated anyone as much as Saberdramon, for causing this amount of pain to his best friend.

"Come on, Biyomon!" Sora demanded, voice wavering in desperation.

"I'm... tryi..."

The phrase hadn't come to an end when a black shadow jumped out of thin air, along with a familiar high-pitched voice calling "It's Mach Shadow!". It slipped around the redhead and himself in black circles of smoke, a predator roaming around its prey, then covered them completely. Tai instantly reached out to pull Sora close to him, wrapping his arms around her protectively. He closed his eyes tightly, although it wouldn't make much of a difference; his vision was obscured by the dark smoke. Despite the pair's physical closeness, the distancing made itself known from both sides, more vividly than ever.

The first sign was the cold. It was everywhere, formless and soft like a breeze, yet stabbing at the deepest regions from the start. On the outside it felt like a mild breeze, brushing next to his skin and causing no more pain than a sting would. On the inside it felt surrounded by a thousand knives, ready to cut and stab at the slightest thought or feeling that attempted to resurface. The emptiness was more real than it had ever been in these invasions.

A bitter joke was that the physical contact wasn't lost. His arms were still holding a limp form, and his body was pressed against another. He was with someone, but that someone wasn't the red-haired girl he knew. The memories that one such girl existed were already starting to fade away...

The shadow suddenly thickened; Tai's heart was a knot in his throat, and he was sure that any moment now he'd collapse from the unbelievable pressure. The knives were closer now, forcing him to erase everything, everything... He thought he might have screamed in pain at that point, but it was impossible to tell with the mist around him. He grasped the form beside him tighter, certain that if he didn't hold onto something he'd start moving around like a possessed. His lungs were pleading for air, and his insides were about to explode, no-one should deserve this kind of torture...

And it stopped.

He caught glimpses of the shadow being destroyed, the clouds of smoke evaporating with great speed. His hands instantly reached out to hold his throat, supporting an irrational fear that the suffocation would return if he didn't take advantage of the moment. The redhead - no, Sora - was leaning her head against his chest, fighting for each breath. When his lungs had partially stopped burning, he turned to face his saviour.

"Matt..." he breathed, but didn't have the strength to say more.

The handsome teenager was on his feet, his features squinted in concentration and his fists clenched. Garurumon was by his side, teeth bared, awaiting the next order by his partner. The most surprising fragment of the scene was Saberdramon, though. She was high up in the air, but her wings were barely holding her there, each bearing various injuries. Her eyes were blazing redder than ever, but that light was worn out, as if a dusty piece of fabric had been placed on them.

"Now, Garurumon! Howling Blaster!" Matt suddenly yelled. The white wolf obliged, firing a blue wave from his mouth. Saberdramon moved to the left, making the hit brush by her wing, causing only a minor injury. "Again!" Matt shouted, and the wave was shot again, aimed straight at the Digimon's body. Saberdramon didn't have time to react, and received the hit right below her neck.

A horrible screech came with her fall to the ground. Halfway through it, though, she seemed to gather all her lost strength and soared high up again. Neck pointed towards the heavens, her flight resembled a rocket's until she used her left wing to turn direction. Matt was too taken aback to react, and by the time he shouted at Garurumon to attack again, the black bird was driven away.

"Damn!" Matt cursed. He stared at the retreating form for some time, then walked over to where Tai and Sora were still hugging. Tai stood up and dusted himself off, still panting slightly. He smiled at Matt, then hugged the other boy fiercely. Matt smiled back, patting Tai's back, before moving to help Sora up. Sora was still breathing heavily, but nonetheless smiled at Matt. She bent to hold her knees when his hand released her own.

"How were you able to do that?" Tai asked once he had regained his balance. "No-one else was able to make his or her partner digivolve."

Matt smirked. "The distancing that Digimon relied on by reversing the emotion of love couldn't work on me and Gabumon. Our Trait is Friendship, and Saberdramon couldn't break through."

As the rest of the group joined them to hear the news, all of them cheering and congratulating the blue-eyed boy, Tai looked over at Sora. She was smiling too, laughing and celebrating their victory more cheerfully than anyone.

From up close, though, he could see she was fighting back tears.

 

- - -

 

The girl still had her stare pinned to the sky, while the grass caressed her face in the soft wind. Tai watched her as she slowly closed her left fist in one delicate movement. He was still watching when she brought it up to the spot her Crest used to be, and shut her eyes tightly.

 

- - -

 

When Tai returned from the bathroom, he found Sora standing next to the window, staring at her palms. Through closer inspection, he saw she was running her hairpin through her fingers fondly, reminiscing. She only noticed Tai when he was a couple of steps into the room, and alarmed, reacted by swiftly setting the item down on the windowpane.

"Were you wearing that today?" Tai wondered aloud. "I hadn't noticed it."

The girl just nodded and hastened to change the subject. "I'll be staying here tonight." Tai couldn't help but smile at the matter-of-factly way she put it. "I've missed the last bus, and I don't want to bother mom to drive me home."

"Fine with me." Tai shrugged.

"Okay then. I'll go shower, be back in a few." A nervous chuckle, and she left the room, not getting in the trouble to close the door.

Tai seized the opportunity to phone Sora's mother and inform her of the change of plans. He dialed the number, all the while listening to the sound of running water coming from the shower. "Takenouchi residence," her voice answered.

"Hello, Mrs Takenouchi," Tai greeted formally. "I'm phoning to tell you that Sora will be staying over for the night." There was no explanation needed.

"Oh, of course," Mrs Takenouchi agreed without thinking. She was aware of the nights Sora had spent at her best friend's for the previous years. "Have fun, you two!"

Sora returned to the room just when Tai closed the connection. A white towel was wrapped around her body and her hair was dripping wet from the careless wiping - funny how a perfectionist like Sora could be so dismissive about certain things. The red strands stuck to her shoulders and back, her hair seeming much longer now that they weren't dry. She set her clothes on the window pane, leaving it to the wind to dry them up, then sat down on the bed. Tai, without a second thought, took a seat next to her.

A minute of uncomfortable silence followed, interrupted only by the wind brushing at the trees' leaves. Tai spoke first, making his troublings known: "Kari's late."

Sora rolled her eyes. "When will you stop babying her? She's fourteen, old enough to go out with friends on her own," she complained.

"Whatever," Tai muttered, knowing that Sora would easily win a debate like this. This period of silence lasted way longer than the first. Tai found himself missing the old days, when they were both too spontaneous for their own good. He would have been cruel enough to stay silent and let Sora wonder about this too, although having no hope for a resolution; just for the sole purpose of making her wonder if she could take part of the blame. The redhead sighed, though, and she won him over in the end. When his hoarse voice echoed in the quiet, he was facing the front wall and not her. "You didn't want to deal with that Saberdramon," he stated.

Sora's eyes widened. When she had recovered from the shock, she answered, "I'm not a little girl to worry about prejudices like that anymore, Tai," referring to the contrast of the genuine and the reversed feeling of Love. The statement was so ingenuine that Tai found himself biting his lip in controlled anger. Her words mustn't have sounded convincing to herself either, since she, too, avoided looking at him.

"It isn't a matter of age," Tai bit out. He knew she didn't meant what she had just said. That's why he was so mad at her.

This only provoked Sora to fight back. "Yes it is. It's only you who's not acting his age and views the matter as something more serious than it really is." She took a breath after that.

Funny, it hadn't even been an aggressive sentence. Or was that the reason it hurt so damn much?

Tai looked at her, mouth gaping. She was still facing the front wall, a determiningly neutral expression painted on her features. Tai turned his gaze to the window, and without realising it, to the hairpin. "I'm sorry," he said clearly, hoping he didn't sound as tense as he was feeling. Sora blinked, but before she could ask what he was apologising about, Tai cleared it out for her. The words sounded foreign, even though he had rolled them over in his mind countless times before. Involuntary. "I sometimes just can't keep up with you, Sora."

Tai had never seen her so terrified.

 

- - -

 

Sora looked expectantly at the brown-haired boy when he caught up with her outside the building. Tai stuttered: "So, umm... Sora? Are you going to the concert with anybody? I mean... Not that it matters to me... Just wondering."
Sora managed to keep her voice under control, but her shy expression betrayed the deceptive calmness of it. "No, I want to be available in case Matt is free afterwards," she explained.
"Oh, I see... Matt, huh?" Tai faked a happy expression for her sake. Sora blushed lightly in response. "It's okay," Tai assured, placing a hand on her shoulder. Not smiling.
"You're not mad at me, Tai?" Sora reluctantly asked, tiny clouds of air escaping her mouth with each exhalation.
"No, of course not," Tai answered right away. He nudged the girl playfully. "Now get in there and say 'hi' to Matt for me."
"Thanks, Tai." Sora smiled in relief.
Agumon jumped in, joking: "The least you could do is leave us the cookies!"
Sora smiled. "I'll tell you what. I'll make some special ones just for you." With that, she left.
The two partners stayed silent for a few seconds, Tai staring blankly at the direction Sora took off in. "You know what, Tai?" Agumon started.
"What?" Tai asked absentmindedly.
"You've really grown up."

 

- - -

 

He was left open-mouthed at how quickly Sora changed from a scared girl to a sobbing bundle, how rapidly they both stood up, and how the distance between them instantly closed. Tai couldn't determine why he was feeling so incredibly happy. It was just selfish of him...

Sora was still hugging him when her sobs subsided. "You were so right. I didn't want to admit it and, God, it hurt like hell to keep it inside, but you were right." She was babbling now, but he listened, and he understood. "You can't even imagine how awful I felt there. I was afraid something like that would happen, and... and..." She paused to wipe her tears and released Tai, ashamed at her weakness. "And that's why I looked so uncomfortable. You guessed, didn't you? But not being able to live up to my Crest - the Crest of Love, for crying out loud! - and Matt managing it so easily with his Friendship... It hurt..."

He was so damn happy.

He pulled her to a tight hug again, and, drunk in his excitement, pressed his lips to hers. Sora's eyes widened; she was trembling from head to toe, but she eventually responded to the action. Tai's lips moved with hers, as his teeth hungrily grazed the lower one. The girl's fingers reached to grip his hair, pulling his head closer and turning the kiss more passionate. He could taste the remaining drops of water on her mouth, urging him to lick them up. His tongue entered her mouth, exploring its depths and momentarily teasing her own red muscle, then returned to the wet coolness of her lips. He gently licked the water off, savouring the fresh feeling as much as he savoured Sora's cute sounds. He cradled her cheek in his palm, trying to hold on that precious kiss as long as possible.

He knew his Sora like an open book. There had been new pages added, pages he had only recently discovered. He had been eager to read them, and on the way had forgotten the rest of the book. She had now made him realise that. Tai was determined to revisit the old, known chapters, even if it was at a different time.

Then they could start over.

Could you? the hairpin teased him from the corner of his eye. Are you really able to start over? After all, you've missed the newest changes in her life...

Shut up, he wanted to tell it, shut up and leave me alone. But it wouldn't leave, still staring at him from the windowpane, cocking its small head at their kiss and wondering. His hesitation and doubts were brought back, and he once more could not defend himself against them.

Could you? Could you? Could you? Can you? Canyoucanyoucanyoucanyou? Giggling, laughing, making fun of him like nothing else could...

"I love you," Tai said desperately, breaking the kiss.

Sora stared back at him with thoughtful eyes, trying to find the motive behind his move. She smiled, tilted her head to the left, and in a voice of simple sincerity replied "I love you too, Tai."

"I... I want..." Tai stumbled over his words, not even sure what he intended to say. "I love you," he repeated, walking at grounds already tested.

Sora's smile was still there but her gaze was distracted, as if she had just woken up from a good dream. In slow, hypnotic movements she wrapped her arms around his neck and brought her mouth close to his. "Yes," she whispered.

She kissed him again.

Dazzling.

He was so happy...

His hands wandered up the towel to touch hers, although he was pretty sure it wasn't a sensible move. Still, she had said "yes", hadn't she? He didn't remember about what, but it was affirmative, in any case...

He got hold of her hands while the kiss still lasted, and slowly pulled them towards him. The towel fell to the floor. Sora didn't protest as his palms moved to touch her body, instead breaking the kiss and leaning her head on his shoulder. Tai's hands stroked the light skin between her breasts, before coming to rest on the curves. He touched around blindly in his daze, trying to become familiar with the shapes. He finally settled on her nipples, rolling them between his fingers and causing the girl to moan approvingly. Tai released her left breast and brought his lips close, taking the nipple into his mouth and sucking on it, while still working on her right one with his hand. He pressed his thumb against the right tit, then pinched it lightly. He continued the same action, and pressed his tongue on the other one.

Sora groaned in pleasure and, not wanting to disturb him by taking off his shirt, proceeded to unzip his pants. She removed the garment with some difficulty, then moved to fondle his member through the boxers. It was already hard, and it pressed on the fabric, begging to be let out. She was about to remove the cloth, when Tai gave her nipple a particularly rough bite, accompanying it by a pinch on the other one. Sora whimpered and gripped his underpants tightly, then stepped back and kneeled in order to disentangle it from Tai's legs.

Still kneeling, she encircled his left leg with her arms and bent down to kiss its lower regions. The submitting position was strangely arousing, her body in an almost perfect fit with his. The sound of her lips coming in contact with Tai's skin was enchanting, and it got repeated numerous times. Her stable breathing ruffled the hair on his legs, strangely sensual coming from her. Tai stroked her hair, mindlessly toying with the damp strands. Sora moved upwards, planting a kiss on each inch of skin until she gradually reached his thighs. She tipped her head a little to the left, and landed a final kiss on his good-sized penis.

Her lips didn't part from his cock; she licked across its length to reach the head. She started by pressing her tongue on the head, earning a loud moan from the brown-haired teenager. Her tongue next did a few circles around the tip, sometimes making him shudder by hitting a sensitive spot. The muscle disappeared inside Sora's mouth so many times it drove Tai crazy; its blunt red shades flickered like fire, which he only watched captivated, never touching. Sora occasionally took his staff in her mouth and sucked on it for mere seconds, then switched back to working on the head. Tai pushed her head closer to him in hope of receiving more, but Sora resisted and kissed the head playfully. "Sora," Tai grunted, but left it at that. The routine went on for a while, with Tai stopping right before his peak quite a few times. He couldn't deny she looked awfully sexy on her knees and wrapped around his legs like that, but this was getting too much to bear... Just as he was about to give up, Sora finally granted him his desire and carefully took most of his length in her mouth. To top it off, she lightly rubbed his balls with one hand, the other still holding on his leg. Tai cried out loudly at the never-experienced level of pleasure, his knees about to give in as he released his load.

Sora pulled back when she heard him scream out so that the cum landed on her body, trickling between her breasts. She lied back on the bed and wiped it off with a sheet. The girl stayed there, and Tai got the hint to also sit back on the bed. He removed his shirt and let it slip between his fingers to meet the rest of his clothing. He awkwardly crawled beside Sora, who watched his movements patiently. Tai reached out to touch her vagina, running his fingers through the bright pubic hair. Without looking up at her eyes, he pushed a finger inside, and when he was met with no resistance, a second one. Sora fidgeted and edged closer to him, forcing his fingers deeper inside her. Tai brought his lips to her neck, nibbling on the flesh while he entered her with another finger. The girl was squirming by now, and Tai pinned one arm of hers down in order to keep her still. He sucked on the soft skin of her throat for longer, and pushed his three fingers deeper. He moved around, exploring the territory while the redhead below him emitted multiple small sounds each time he touched a good part. In satisfaction, he felt her juices wet his fingers, and knew he was doing a good job to build up her pleasure. He pulled back from her neck to marvel, with an amount of masculine pride, at the red mark he had made there. At last, he moved his fingers farther in and brushed her clitoris. Sora gasped, giving Tai the sign to pull her into a kiss again. That was the last stroke required for her to reach her climax, moaning through his silencing lips and clenching his arm between her legs. He pulled his fingers out when she had quieted down and bent low to lick off her juices. He drunk it up like honey as it spilled into his mouth unreservedly, not stopping until her pussy was completely clean.

It didn't take long for Sora's panting to subside; she sat up on the bed when her consciousness returned. She wordlessly looked at her best friend for several heartbeats, then gently pushed his chest to make him land on his back. "What...?" Tai asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Just relax," Sora answered, and got a little farther back. Her fingers located his feet under the cold sheets and lifted them up until they were made visible. She began massaging them, changing foot every few moments but never looking up from them. The pressure she implied and the spots she implied it on made up for a magical sensation. Tai was groaning loudly within two minutes, biting on a pillow to stop himself from drooling. The girl traced each line and curve, her fine nails adding to the pleasure with their more critical touches. Like a healer, she took away knots he hadn't even realised were there, leaving him with a pleasant sting in place of them. She felt the veins on the upper side of his foot, running her finger over their length to calm Tai's spirits each time he groaned. Lastly, she rubbed his toes and their joints, the quiet cracking sounds pleasant music in Tai's ears. He almost whimpered in disappointment when she let go.

Her gaze drifted away for a second, though there was no emotion displayed in her face that he could read. Snapping out of her temporary blank state, Sora leaned her head against the wall and asked "What now?"

Tai considered this. "Lie on your stomach," he told her softly.

Sora eyed him suspiciously, but eventually did as she was told. Tai got into position behind her, holding her firm hips steady with his palms. Sora pulled a pillow to her chest and held it there, making herself as comfortable as possible. The boy took a few low breaths to calm himself, then entered her lubricated cunt. Sora gave a low moan at the intrusion, but soon settled down. Tai pushed in tentatively, and meeting no obstacle, continued his in-and-out movements undisturbed. Most of his length was inside the girl when he finally felt certain about the lack of hymen. He had somehow been expecting this, which of course didn't make the bitterness in his mouth any less.

Sora, most likely noticing the odd pause, pushed back against him in demand. That ushered Tai to return to his pleasantries, pushing his penis in and out in a steady, agonizing pace. The cries Sora let out in response drove Tai on, and he accelerated each time she mentioned his name, eager to please. He leaned his body on hers to gain easier access to her vagina, and moved his elbows higher to enable his head to rest near her shoulder. He took one of the longest red strands on his mouth as he did so, feeling the texture and the water droplets while he sucked on it. The redhead was doing the same with the pillow, sinking her teeth into it to keep herself from screaming.

It was gradual, and at first went by unnoticed, but their rhythm was diverting. It was faster and less balanced, their breathing having become almost desperate and their hips unstoppable as they slammed against each other's. Tai pushed in and out more rapidly than ever, driven by the lust that had arisen with his approaching peak. Her walls' grip on his member was indescribable, making him wish he could go farther in even when his cock entered her fully. Judging from Sora's increasingly higher screams, she wasn't far from her own orgasm either. Her body having begun its wild spasms, she reached to hold his hand, a small gesture that nonetheless got Tai going. He pushed in one last time, and as he felt Sora's wave of pleasure flooding his meat, knew his time had come. He grunted, tightening his hold on her hand while his penis pulsated inside of her. Sora screamed in perfect unison with Tai when his hot semen rushed through her, both reaching louder keys than their burning lungs should have allowed.

Tai pulled out of her and collapsed on the bed in the weirdest angle, burying his head in his hands. Sora leaned against the wall, the wet fabric still pressed against her lips. Tai caught glimpses of the dawn's colours through holes between his fingers, and uncovered his face. Indeed, the passionate shades of orange and purple mingled with the sun's radiant white light as it came to reclaim its kingdom of the sky.

Tai dragged his body backwards so that he sat next to Sora. The girl was staring outside the window too, lost in her own thoughts. "Don't tell any of this to Matt," she suddenly said. It was a violent push back to reality for Tai, reminding him of the gap between them that would return once the sun was up.

Because of that, he believed he should seize the chance and enjoy the private moment. Sora's plans disagreed with him, though, since she stood up when he tried to wrap an arm around her waist. She stretched, yawned, and made her way to the windowpane to fetch her clothes. Her mouth gaped.

There were no clothes to be found.

 

- - -

 

A black figure flew over Odaiba with the morning sun, concealing itself behind clouds. Houses, streets and cars came alive with movement, a large conscious organism spread out below her.

An arcade.
"Dat wash soooo beeootifoo, mister! Like, totally awshome!" The little boy was obviously missing his two front teeth.

"Aw, it was nothing," the orange dinosaur modestly replied, scratching his head in embarassment.

More movement, more life at her feet. And colours, millions of colours that didn't even represent all the possible blends.

A group.
"It has to be around here somewhere." The red-haired boy clenched his fist. "It was heavily injured just a few hours ago, it can't have gone far."

A shorter boy around ten years of age replied, "But it's morning. We would have seen it if it was here..."

The city, with its uncountable lights and windows, disappeared under the clouds. The landscape abruptly changed to green fields, rows and rows of trees highlighted by the sun's restored radiance. The vibrant colour of nature was at times interrupted by grey and brown cliffs, rising above every tree of the area. It was on one such cliff that the creature made her descent.

Leaves and rocks were neatly piled to form a nest in a flatter edge of the cliff. Brighter colours peeked between these thin covers, belonging to various triangular, square and circular shapes with different patterns each. Which, in turn, belonged to a large egg. A Digimon egg.

The giant black bird landed carefully on a sharp rock beside the nest. It loosened its talons, letting the objects it was holding fall on the flat surface. A white tennis uniform covered the egg's shell, providing it much-needed warmth.

Next to the egg lied a hairpin.

 

 

 

 

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

This fanfic was written for Kharon Alpha's August contest, which required a Romance theme.

I'm not that much of a Tai/Sora supporter (I prefer Matt/Sora), but this is an idea that had been bothering me for a long while. I once saw this quote online - I think it was a site about friendships and relationships in general - and, after thinking about it, found it really fitting for Tai and Sora's relationship in the series. The quote, also used right before the lemon scene, is "I sometimes just can't keep up with you."

I'm pretty sure no-one has read up to this point, but I'll just continue for my personal enjoyment. The way I see it, Sora has always been years ahead of Tai. She was very mature at an early age, while Tai was still a kid. That difference of theirs is apparent in their argument in the movie; Tai gives Sora a hairpin for a present, and she misreads the move, mainly because she can't understand it. Tai is just as confused as she is, not understanding why Sora got so upset over a hairpin. This is where the gap between them appears, and it expands even more in Season 02. Surprisingly, Tai has matured a lot in Season 02; problem is, Sora has moved on even farther ahead. She wears skirts, she plays more feminine sports, she has a boyfriend... and Tai can't keep up.

I picked the hairpin as a symbol for that gap because it was the one that required the least thinking, and the easiest to understand. The ending may seem a bit silly, but it was begging to be used. Interpret it any way you want; I wanted the readers to think.

I didn't want to portray Matt and Tai as rivals just because of Tai's crush on Sora, or make Matt into an asshole. Tai, Sora, and Matt are best friends. Tai and Sora are best friends. Sora does not love Tai; she loves Matt. They got married, for crying out loud! I prefer to think that my work views the -potential- for a relationship between Tai and Sora. Which is the reason I didn't use many scenes with just the two of them; we already know they are really close, I didn't feel the need to emphasize it.

Another thing I intended to show is how time causes friends to drift apart. It's happened to me. I would actually dedicate this to my best friend, if there was the slightest possibility that he'd ever read it. Since I'm pretty sure the chance is zero, though, I'll dedicate it to Hazan (again) for being so tolerant with my slow proofreading. *sobs* I doubt he'll like the fanfic (what person in his/her right mind would?) if he ends up reading it, but at least he likes the pairing.

I also dislike most scenes where the girl is an emotional mess and the guy comforts her by banging her lights out. Very few people can work with it properly, so even though the plot led up to it, I tried to avoid using it to a large extent. Tai is -happy- that Sora is crying about this, and he doesn't try to comfort her. Sora is the one that goes to him for support, and even then she stops halfway through because she hates appearing weak.

Title inspired from "Sober" by Tool. Actually, I don't think the song represents the relationship in any way; while thinking about possible titles I got carried away and started thinking about songs I'd heard recently. And the line "I am just a worthless liar / I am just an imbecile / I will only complicate you / Trust in me and fall as well" was among the ones that didn't seem to go away. I honestly think the title fits, whether you use it from Tai's or Sora's point of view. If there is one positive thing I have to say about this mess of a lemon, it's that I'm rather pleased with the title.

Saberdramon (or Sabirdramon, if you go by Japanese names) is one of Biyomon's evolution, and a Vaccine. I was originally going to focus only on the relationship's progress; just out of boredom, I accessed a site that allowed me to browse through Digimon Cards. I clicked on the first random link, and received the image of a black Birdramon as a result. I'm sorry, it was too tempting to ignore... ^_^;;

Here's a link to said picture: http://tnis.hp.infoseek.co.jp/web-digimon/bo-125.jpg

I asked NekoDramon for the Digimon's name, and after a quick search in Megchan's Digimon Encyclopedia, he found it for me. So he deserves a "thank you" from me, if only for respecting my laziness and letting me take advantage of h-- I mean, letting me trust him with this simple task as a sign of friendship. ^_^;;;;;; Hey, no thwacking!

Her ability to reverse the emotion of love is not an actual attack of hers. It's just a special ability, kinda like Puppetmon's string tricks. And there's no guarantee that Mach Shadow looks and feels as I described it, since it's never been displayed in the series.

The last flashback is taken from the Christmas episode of Season 02, when Yamato/Sora technically becomes official. Dialogue is from the dubbed version.

Hope you enjoyed!