Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

As I sit leaning back into the plush microfiber sofa, the clubhouse is cast in eerie and shifting shadows. The only source of flickering light emanates from the massive one hundred and ten-inch high-definition television hanging upon the wall at the very back of the room. Generally, this expensive display is used to rewatch soccer matches and key moments, so that the college players can study and enhance their knowledge of the game. Upon this late evening however, the television set is being used for far more casual purposes, and the audience as a result is far more varied than the usual crowd. This particular room at Tokyo University's soccer clubhouse is especially dark, as it lacks much in the way of windows. A measure done to ensure utmost privacy and guard against the prying eyes of a rival team. As a consequence, when the lights are off, as they are at this moment, one can hardly see the end of their own nose. Both of the room's entrances have also been shut, eliminating the possibility of light trickling in from the hallway or kitchen.

The film's volume has been turned up pretty high, a bit too high for my liking in fact, but I understand that it was done to achieve a certain thematic atmosphere. The only sound to fill my ears is the droning of the ominous/fluctuating background soundtrack, quiet conversations, pained screams, and the gasps from my fellow audience members. It is the kind of film that seems to put minimal effort into its characters and plot, instead throwing its weight behind atmosphere, jump-scares and gross-out special effects.

In all honesty, this is probably my least favorite way to spend the holiday. I would much rather socialize at a themed party or visit Tokyo Disney with friends and family. However, I was outvoted by most of my college friends last week, some of which have been too busy with their schedules to hang out recently. I figured it would be worth sitting through a silly horror film if it meant spending time with everyone. University only lasts so long after all and my prior experiences from highschool have already shown me how time can pass before your eyes with blinding speed. So food and a horror flick it was. We ate dinner at a local themed restaurant, drank a variety of cocktails, socialized, and then finally gathered hushed around the TV for the night's main event. Here we all are, approximately an hour into the film as it nears its climax.

Thus far, and as expected, I am unimpressed. Scary movies don't usually freak me out the same way they do for many people. I suppose I was known as the child of courage for a reason after all. Not to say I never get scared, but I can usually handle my fear well enough these days. After facing real dangers in the digital world as a child, I guess these threats feel impractical by comparison, at least when they are trapped on the silver screen. At this point in the film, a little bored, I was daydreaming of Augmon and the other Digidestined, the former of which I no longer have the luxury of spending time with. Agumon and the other Digimon had to return to the digital world for the foreseeable future; an event that nearly broke our hearts at the time. The feeling of having that bond severed was unbearable, yet despite this we all knew we would see the Digimon again someday. Though they weren't all able to be with me physically, the support of my friends and family really helped me get through the following weeks where I barely had enough energy to get out of bed in the morning. Not knowing how or when I would see Agumon again hit me hard, perhaps harder than I ever could have anticipated. But with everyone cheering me on, especially Sora, Hikari, and Yamato, I found the courage to push through and focus on our future. Actually now I think about it, both Hikari and Yamato have mentioned wanting to visit campus before it gets too cold, I should probably…

My train of thought is instantly disrupted by a blood curdling and tortured shriek. Instinctively my eyes shoot back to the screen where one of the main characters is apparently being meticulously ripped to shreds by the killer, the sight of which makes me wince. A jolt goes through my body as I feel something grasping at my right arm mere seconds after I was wrenched back to reality. I jump in my seat slightly and tear my eyes off the screen and direct them down towards my arm through the darkness. With the erratic flashes of light, I can just barely make out that it was a pair of hands gripping onto me quite tightly. Yoshida Misaki is a university friend of mine and Midfielder on the University's female team. She is a brilliant and rather sweet girl who fully dedicates herself to any job or task placed before her, the kind of person you know is going places in life. She has an unyielding energy that reminds me of Daisuke, but a degree of focus more akin to Koushiro. In this moment however her wide-eyed stare is glued to the screen on the other side of the room, her fingers dig intensely into my forearm displaying a small sample of her physical prowess. It stings, but perhaps more out of shock than the act itself. I watch her face in the darkness but she doesn't seem to notice me. I guess it was merely an instinctive reaction. Energetic and wildly social though she may be, Misaki is not particularly prone to being handsy. So, I give my right arm a slight wiggle within her grasp. To this I see her slowly turn her head towards me until our eyes meet in the darkness. I can barely see the outline of her eyes squinting at me through the shadows; once the realization dawns on her however, the hands swiftly retreat from my arm. I can still feel the spot pulsing where she grabbed hold of me.

I can hardly make out her face, but as she leans in close and whispers to me, the tone of her voice reveals the embarrassment.

"I'm sorry Taichi-Kun I...didn't realize." She mutters, leaning in towards my ear. "I didn't understand how graphic this film would be." She finished bashfully rubbing her hands together.

I don't want her to feel bad or to think I am annoyed so I lean in her direction as well. "Don't worry Misaki, it should be over soon. There's no shame in looking away, I don't really like movies like this anyway." I say hoping to inspire some confidence.

To this she pats me on the upper arm in an appreciative gesture and turns back to the screen. I'm about to do the same when something catches my attention. I haven't noticed until now, but faintly over the sound of the film I can just make out a rather distinct noise.

'Is someone crying?' I think to myself, feeling a pit form in my stomach.

It's one thing to bear through a film you don't like, it's quite another to be tormented by it. I find the thought quite upsetting, so I go looking for the source of the sound. As I'm sitting on the far-left side of the audience I only have one direction to search at least. Though it's still very dark I can see that Misaki is now leaning forward in her seat with her arms around her knees. It's clear that the sound isn't coming from the girl next to me, but the fact that she is leaning forward gives me an easier line of sight to the others. I wonder what the likelihood of me finding the source is in this darkness, when I'm in a room with almost two dozen students in it. However, it does not take me very long at all to notice the trembling form to the right of Misaki. A flash of light reveals the short orange hair that I know so well, and the pit in my stomach grows into a blackhole.

'Sora's crying?' I ponder to myself rather despondently. It's still dark and I'm not sure as of yet. I only know that I cannot stand seeing my lifelong best friend distressed or afraid and I quickly begin to feel myself getting upset as a natural response.

I strain to see her face in the darkness for some time. I don't want to appear overly hasty in my reaction. Something must change in the film after a moment, because a dull blue light fills the room and most of the audience. It takes my eyes a second to adjust, but I can clearly see Sora's face tilted downwards towards the center of the room. Her eyes are clenched shut and she is clearly fighting back tears. Nobody else in the room seems to have noticed; I think perhaps that lack of attention is for the best, I don't want her to feel overly-vulnerable in front of a good chunk of our college friends. The friends we have made in our years here are genuinely decent people, but I also worry about someone making a distasteful joke at her expense while not realizing how hurtful it might be to Sora. Not to mention the fact that there are a few new faces in the room tonight; Sora might imagine that she's made a bad first impression if she was found crying. She is always putting others before herself, it's something I deeply love about her. In moments like this however, that same trait sometimes concerns me. Knowing Sora, she is probably telling herself that the others are enjoying the film and that she should keep her misgivings to herself.

A sense of guilt washes over me, not only did I not notice her misery until now but I realize this must be why she requested to sit next to me during the film. I did not ignore that invitation deliberately of course, Sora and I sat together at dinner and walked side by side through the campus. It was on the trek to the athletic club that Sora let me know she wanted to sit together during the movie. Naturally I agreed to my best friend's proposition and then we broke off to continue our chat with the rest of the group. When it came time to take our seats for the film, I found a comfy spot on the corner since I knew I would not have much interest in the film and may want to get up and wander a bit. I slumped down without thinking to wait for Sora, and before I knew it Misaki practically bounced down on the seat next to me; asking only then if I minded her sitting next to me. While I never mind sitting next to a friend, I instantly recalled that I was supposed to sit next to Sora. Before I could answer, I noticed that Sora was then standing nearby so I gave her a glance to silently ascertain her opinion. Sora's face held an expression of disappointment; yet she offered a gesture that told me it was no big deal. Sora then sat down next to Misaki and greeted her as well as the neighbor to her right. I chatted to Misaki for a bit, but the film started not long after that. It was stupid of me, I should have either saved her a seat or waited to sit down alongside Sora. My inebriated state didn't exactly help my decision making at the time though. After already having had a strong buzz from the restaurant, I probably should have rejected the several rounds of beer offered at the clubhouse; I don't often drink quite so heavily as tonight but suppose I was just tired and caught up in the holiday. I was trying to unwind after a long week and I suppose simply not thinking straight; yet it seems that it was my best friend who suffered for my poor decision making. I felt bad for my absent-mindedness at the time, but now I feel dreadful.

I consider my options for a brief moment. I know the film must be wrapping up in the next twenty to thirty minutes, but that doesn't mean she should be forced to sit through the whole thing if it's making her miserable. I realize that I cannot ignore her situation, but there is no way she will hear me if I try to whisper to her from where I am sitting. I decide to take advantage of the fact that Misaki is leaning forward and I slowly snake my right hand towards Sora; who is currently hunched forward in her seat. After a brief hesitation, I place my hand on her shoulder with a gentle touch. She jumps in her seat at this and I wince again. A small shocked and sorrowed noise escapes her lips but is nearly drowned out by the movie. I can see her eyes dart around the room manically looking to see what has come in contact with her. Eventually her gaze lands on me, though I think it takes a moment before she actually recognizes me. I can't see her face as well as I'd like to, but she suddenly grasps my hand in hers, and I can feel her shaking in my grip. I feel an anger rise within me, not directed at anything or anyone in particular, just anger.

"Hey Kazuki" I call out rather loudly to the co-captain, who I last saw with the remote control.

I get shushed by one or more of the audience members, it's a bit hard to tell.

"Hey Kazuki-Kun, I need you to pause the film!" I state with a more resolute tone this time.

"What's wrong Yagami-san, you afraid the killers are gonna get ya?" I can tell by his cadence that this remark is intended to be more playful than mean, but I'm suddenly not in the mood for jokes.

"Just pause the damn film Kazuki." It comes out harsher than I intended but it seems to have gotten the point across. All the voices fall into silence for a few seconds, then I can hear him scrambling for the remote. Kazuki is lightly cursing to himself as he fumbles with the buttons in the darkness. Throughout this exchange I feel Sora's hand clutch even tighter. After thirty seconds or so, the room falls into a complete and inky darkness. Multiple voices yelp out as we lose the little light in the room that the film provided.

"Damnit Kazuki" A male voice shouts nervously in the darkness. "you didn't have to kill the power!"

The voice of a now frustrated Kazuki responds "Give me a break Kenji, I could hardly see the remote! Can someone please turn on the lights or at least open a door?"

More muttering and shuffling follows as a few students trip through the blackness in search of the light switch. I consider getting up to help since it was my request, however I am not about to let go of Sora's hand while she is feeling so vulnerable. I sit patiently enough, confident that one of our friends will figure it out. Much of the group, Sora included, give off a palpable feeling of anxiety as we wait in quiet gloom.

Here I sit staring into the void, drowning out everything but the feeling of Sora's shaking hand in mine, when I'm suddenly blinded by the intense fluorescent lights. Out of pure instinct I almost release Sora from my right hand in an effort to shield my eyes, but her grip holds firm, determined to keep me by her side. I bring my left wrist up to block my eyes and the stinging sensation gradually subsides. I hear other gripes and groans in response; but happy to have the lights back on, no one raises their voice to complain about the lack of warning.

"Sorry everyone…I guess I should have said something before I hit it…" the voice of a young female student softly apologizes, evidentially the same student who managed to track down the light switch.

A loud sigh emanates through the crowd as our eyes adjust to the new light levels. I lower my wrist, testing out my vision as forms across the room take shape; blurred at first but they quickly stabilize. I look across the room at the large group of students; it's not long before most of their gazes meet mine. It dawns on me that the situation I created is rather awkward, but I don't regret making the interruption on Sora's behalf. I try in vain to collect my thoughts as I see Kazuki-kun slowly get up from the bean bag in front of the sofa he had been lounging in. He isn't even fully standing up when I see Kenji come up from behind him and give him a firm punch to the shoulder.

"Give me a break Kenji" He half shouts before turning a steel gaze towards me. Rubbing his shoulder and glaring at me as he asks the question that is assuredly on every student's mind. "What the heck was that about Taichi-san!?

"This better not have all been for a trip to the bathroom, the film was almost over!" Kenji broke in. "You could have at least gotten up quietly…"

"Is everything ok Taichi?" I hear Misaki say to my right, looking at me half concerned and bewildered.

I lose my voice for a second, admittedly not having thought this far ahead. Stopping the film came more as an instinct. Nobody truly appears to be angry, but there are plenty of gazes of either confusion or frustration or both; and they are all directed exclusively at me. At this moment as if sensing my hesitation, I can feel Sora give my hand a gentle squeeze; in the moment I had almost forgotten that she was still right there holding my hand.

"You see…I…uh…" I stutter bashfully unsure of how to address Sora's predicament. "The violence was rather intense and…" Before I can find a way to finish the thought, I watch Kenji's gaze followed shortly by Kazuki's gaze as they travel the length of my outstretched right arm.

"Shit" one of them says gruffly and I think the same in unison.

I had hoped to spare Sora from becoming an object of drama this evening; however, my short-sightedness has all but ensured it. And it really does not feel great. One by one the students' attention falls on Sora. In the now comparative silence of the replay room Sora's sniffling has become much more audible. A glance to my right shows that her head is still hunched over facing the floor, however even with her face somewhat obscured I don't imagine it will be hard for the others to put two and two together. I hear voices calling her name, tones of shock and concern. A room full of people staring at Sora as she weeps, and it's all my fault.

Looking back at Kazuki and Kenji, I can now see that neither of them are paying me any mind, they both look rather uncomfortable as they stare off to my right. Suddenly I feel Sora release her grip on my hand, and my entire body practically jumps in her direction in response. I can see Misaki has slid closer on the couch to Sora and is placing a hand on my best friend's stooped shoulder.

"Sora-san it's ok, it was too much for me as well" She says in a low sympathetic tone. Others quickly join in with similarly supportive stops however when Sora begins to speak.

"I'm sorry for ruining the movie night everyone!" She chokes out on a strained breath.

Before I or anyone else can react, Sora all but leaps out of her seat, commences to perform a half bow to the group, explicitly without making eye contact with anyone. Then without a moment's hesitation she bolts towards the exit in a half sprint. Moving quickly through the crowd she swiftly finds the door, flings it open, then is out of my line of sight.

Ten years later and you still can't properly read your best friend's emotions... I berate myself internally. I put my head in my hands and release a quite audible frustrated groan. I can feel the eyes of the others upon me and quickly realize that I can't just sit here and beat myself up. I quickly stand up and turn towards the crowd of friendly faces. Despite the shitty situation, I have to admit I'm moved that nobody opted to take her feelings lightly. We've got some good friends here Sora, just like back home.

"Should we go after her?" One of the female students asks, clearly quite concerned.

"Let Yagami-San handle it." Kenji replies, looking towards me for approval.

I simply nod at him, before Kazuki steps in front of me.

"I'm really sorry Taichi-senpai, honestly, if I had known I would have shut off the stupid thing earlier." He bows slightly to me with a sting of guilt clearly audible in his voice.

"It's ok Kazuki, you didn't know." I respond quickly "Just next time perhaps let's watch something a little less intense for the whole group's sake."

The young soccer player somewhat vigorously nods his head at me. Clearly quite irritated with himself as he picked out this film in particular. I pat his shoulder supportively and then move past him towards the exit. The door is still half open from when Sora ran out, however I stop and turn when I hear my name called.

"Taichi" it's Misaki's voice calling out with a brief pause before continuing "please tell Sora that nobody here is mad or annoyed with her." A few other students nod or call out in agreement.

"I will" I promise with a small but genuine smile. "Thanks for hanging out with us everyone, it was a fun night. Hopefully we can hang out again soon!"

Chapter Text

After bidding farewell to the group, I rush out of the room, down the hall, and towards the clubhouse exit. Stopping briefly by the entranceway just to grab my autumn coat and sneakers from one of the lockers. I tie up my shoes and slip into the long coat. With that done, I am off into the brisk night air and ready to search the nearby campus grounds for Sora.

Despite being presumably around midnight, the campus is not as deserted as one might expect. As I observe the street corner, students are littered around the area. The soccer clubhouse exists on a junction between some of the other clubhouses and the agricultural sciences department. It’s a decently centralized location with each direction having something different to offer. To the west you have other clubs and most of the sports fields; to the east more academic buildings; to the south a variety of dormitories, shops, and restaurants; and to the north there are administrative buildings, and not far beyond that lies Shinobazu Pond. As I look around somewhat frantically I see small groups of students moving primarily in the direction of the dormatires. There is a chill in the air and most of these young adults are not dawdling as a result. They move with a quick stride, whilst clutching their jackets for warmth. They are likely heading home from a late night out. But Sora does not seem to be among the crowd as I step out onto the avenue.

Damnit Sora where did you go off too? It’s only been a minute, she has to be around here somewhere! Worried that I might not be able to find her, I spot a group of younger male students passing by and I step out onto the road in front of them. “Have any of you seen a girl with short orange hair pass by here a minute ago?”

They nearly leap into the air and stare at me bug-eyed, mouths agape. I figure I must have scared them by jumping out in front of them suddenly. “What are you on about, guy...you almost gave me a heart attack?!? One of them shouts belligerently into my face. “I don’t know man, it's a bit late for looking for girls and parties doncha think?”

I can’t help but sigh in response “Nevermind…” I quickly retort before breaking off from the group. They are clearly wasted and are not going to be of any help. Possibly too young to be drinking too from the looks of them, but that is hardly my chief concern at the moment.

Pacing on a grassy patch next to the intersection, I wonder where Sora might have gone off too. And honestly, I am fairly worried about her wandering the streets alone at night, especially with so many drunk people around on the holiday. I consider the fact that she may have returned to her dorm room, but a gut feeling is telling me that I should take a look around the area before checking her place. Why didn’t you wait for me to come out of the clubhouse?

Speedily I yank my phone free from my jacket pocket. Checking to see if I have any missed texts or calls from Sora; frustratingly however, my phone has no new messages. I use my shortcut to dial Sora’s cell number. It rings...and rings...and rings some more. After several seconds I reach her voicemail. “Hey Sora, it’s Taichi. Please call me back.” With that I jam my phone back into my pocket in frustration.

I’m struck with the nauseating impression that she may be trying to get away from me specifically. Sometimes Sora just needs space, I’ve learned that the hard way over the years. However, tonight frankly I am not comfortable leaving things as they are. I need to apologize to her if nothing else. But how can I do that if I have no idea where she went?

Come on, calm down... I can’t do anything to help the situation without a clear-head. It has been about an hour since I last had a few cans of beer prior to the start of the film, but I can still very much feel the lingering effects from the variety of Sapporo and mixed drinks in my system. In an attempt to center myself, I inhale deeply so that frigid yet refreshing air fills my lungs. The temperature difference causes my entire body to shiver under my coat as I am clearly still adjusting to the change in Celsius. A slight cough follows as a result; but I pay it little mind and shift my focus back to Sora. Knowing her, if she is feeling upset at people or a social situation, she is probably going to find a quiet place to be by herself for a little while.

When we were younger, if Sora ever got really angry or upset with me, she would often either A. go for a walk to clear her head or B. stew in her bedroom; where neither I nor anyone else for that matter could reach her. I always hated making Sora sad or angry at me. Though at times it occurred as a genuine misunderstanding, often it was the result of something stupid I said or because I was not taking her feelings into consideration. Sometimes I just do not think before I speak and honestly, though I’ve never told her this, there isn’t much in this world that upsets me easier than seeing her in a distressed state; especially if I am shown to be the culprit behind her hurt feelings. I’ve had more than a few sleepless nights over the years as a repercussion. And it has always been difficult for me to determine if she requires a helping hand or space. In showing up to apologize to her, sometimes I would get a hug, at other times an earful. How am I still struggling with this after almost twenty years by her side? Am I just a bad friend?

I give myself another mental slap in the face. Come on, I’m still quite buzzed and this line of thinking isn’t helping anything. If Sora wanted to be alone she could go to her dorm. It’s much warmer than hanging around outside. But if her flat-mates were back (and still conscious) from their respective night’s out, she might walk straight into a line of questioning. She has already made it clear that she doesn’t want to “ruin” anyone's holiday so she probably wants to calm down before going back. But where then?

After another cursory glance down the road, it occurs to me that powerful stadium lights are still on over the track and soccer fields, so bright in fact that the sky above the area is lit up with a blinding halo of light pollution. With the area illuminated it would be a quiet but hopefully safe place for a night time walk. A good a spot as any for me to start my search. Not wanting to wait for any more doubts to cloud my judgement, I take off down the road and toward the fields at a full sprint. Since I doubt that Sora is currently running top speed herself at present, I hope I can make up for lost time and catch up with her; if my hunch is correct anyway. Despite the bitter chill in the air and the lack of a warmup, my body naturally finds its rhythm as I rush down the university side streets. I can thank my almost two decades of soccer practice for the speed and endurance that allows me to keep pace with most anyone.

There are several blocks between me and my destination so I do my best to make haste as I rush down the lamplit walkways which weave their way between university buildings. At one point, my coordination likely impacted by the alcohol, I catch my foot on a curb and tumble to the group. Landing primarily on my right knee and forearm I manage to prevent any serious bodily injury to myself. The harsh impact with the concrete shakes my joints and I think may have scraped up my skin underneath my clothing; yet I do not hesitate for a moment to scramble to my feet, find my bearings, and continue on my journey. I run past several groups of students going about their night, many of which turn their heads as I dart past them. The closer I get to the fields however, the more sparse and empty the campus becomes. Not much reason for students to be hanging out here on a cold autumn night, I just hope that Sora had the same thought and came this way. As I approach the high-powered floodlights moments later it becomes a little hard to see, the light seems to bounce off of every surface and is then redirected right into my eyes; a blinding contrast to the mellow lamplit streets. As a result, I slow my pace to a tepid walk as I finish my approach to the athletics fields. Between the frigid air and all the alcohol I consumed, after running top speed for several blocks, and not to mention slamming into the sidewalk, I find myself gasping for breath; so I decide to give my lungs a moment to recuperate.

Looking at the fields on the other side of the road, I perceive no obvious signs that Sora has come this way. Everything is still as a strong breeze ripples through the seemingly empty sports complex. As it washes over the turf, the wind releases an echoey howl, loud enough to easily drown out Sora’s footsteps if they are present. After heading this way it would be silly to leave without at least taking a closer look. Neither of the two fields in question are horribly far from the road, my vision of them however is obscured by the walls, stands, and bleachers. If I want to be certain, I will have to walk onto the grounds. I cross the empty street and move along the grass that lies between the sidewalk and the track.

My approach to the track first is more of a mental coin toss than a calculated move, I figure that I will rule them out one at a time. Before me now stands a tall barricade of metal bleachers singing in the wind. Another gust begins to rise, making me clutch my jacket. I hug the bleachers for some sparse protection as I make my way around them. After a moment I come face to face with the interior portion of the field, a large and colorful athletics track. I scan back and forth between the rubber foundations up to the top of the bleachers. It does not take me long to realize that the area is completely barren. I begin to doubt if I made the right call and wonder if I may be searching campus all night for her. I turn on the spot and break into a sprint to check the neighboring soccer stadium; which stands about a kilometer apart.

“Please be here Sora” I whisper to myself as I dash towards one of the open gateways. Rushing over a large grassy meadow, I eventually dart through the closest gate into the sizable stadium. It’s rather dim in the concrete entrance tunnel and my footsteps echo with each slam onto the rocky material. As I reach the end of the corridor, I see stairs heading up to public seating and a small gate that blocks the way to the field. I feel I have no time to lose as I vault over the four foot metal gate, stumbling slightly on the landing. Catching myself on the nearby wall, I soon regain balance and walk out onto the soccer field; huffing slightly as I do. I look out onto the pitch only to realize that it’s empty as well. “damnit!” I half shout, slamming my fist against the edge of the stadium. The impact stings, but nowhere near the pain of knowing that I fucked up once again.

I feel frustrated almost to the point of nausea, as I realize that I likely ran several kilometers in the wrong direction and I have no idea where my best friend is. However, when I suddenly hear voices speaking in hushed tones not far from me, I’m broken from my angered trance in an instant. My eyes snap upward towards the sound. And the sound is apparently originating from the audience seating. I cannot see anyone from where I stand, so I push off the sidewall and rush to the center of the field. When I reach midfield, I skid to a stop on the slick grass and look back up towards the stands. With the glaring luminescence filling the stadium it takes me no time at all to spot them. Three individuals huddled around a spot halfway down the railing. When I squint and look beyond them, I see her fiery orange hair glimmering in the light.

Chapter Text

“Sora!” I roar, and booming reverberations of my best friend’s name bounce around the stadium.

The three people, whoever they are, quickly turn around to look at me. Sora picks up her head from where she is crouched and does the same. “What the fuck…?” I hear a noticeably male voice call out in return.

If someone has laid a single finger on her… I vow internally. With a fiery burst of adrenaline now surging through my veins, I rush across the field towards the inner wall, leap off of a nearby bench and grip onto the railing above me. I hear gasps from these strangers as I begin to pull myself up over the seven foot wall. The metal railing is ice cold against my grip, but I swing my body to the side and soon have my right leg wrapping around it. I complete the maneuver and am soon standing on the first level of bleachers, about five meters to my right is a set of thin aluminum stairs that leads up towards Sora and these strangers.

I look up and now that I have a closer view, realize that these are likely to be three male students; especially given the fact that two of them are wearing university gear. They quickly form a semi-circle around Sora who is sitting on a wooden bench with tears in her eyes. She looks dazed and shook. Instinctively, I jump several benches and charge up the stairs towards them with a fist raised. Three against two aren’t great odds, and I’m not sure what kind of shape Sora is in to defend herself. I see them raise their fists as well and I rush at the taller guy directly in front of Sora.

“We won’t let you harm her!” One of them suddenly yells out with a shaky voice.

“............huh….?” is my only thought as my charge turns into something of a stumble; my foot catching the edge of a step. I still slam the taller student to the ground but practically fall on top of him. Before I can react further, the other two are on me; yanking and grabbing at my body.

“Taichi! Guys knock it off, stop hurting him!” My best friend orders in a distressed but firm tone.

I heard a pained voice coming from below my knees “Hurting him...what about me?” The tall boy groans.

One guy still has me in something of a headlock as we all look to Sora. “Isn’t he the reason why you were crying? You said you didn’t want some guy to find you.” He asks, confused.

That statement alone acts as a massive punch in the gut. So she was avoiding me. I cannot help but to grimace and Sora seems to notice my reaction with a slight frown. I can’t blame her either, after what I subjected her to at the clubhouse.

Sora jumps up off the bench just as guilt washes over me once again. Standing up tall she wipes her eyes and shakes her head at the boys. “This is Yagami Taichi, he’s a student here, not to mention my best friend in the world.”

For some reason my stomach practically does a flip as she makes this declaration to these students.

“Her tone went from upset to stern so quickly.” One of the students remarks almost dumbfoundedly.

“That’s Sora for you” I think to myself. In any even half-serious situation, Sora can quickly transition to that protective and motherly side of her that I have grown to recognize so well over the years.

“So he isn’t the friend you were hiding from?” The guy behind me asks, still not quite ready to release his grip on me.

“Well he is...it’s uh complicated…” She says, stuttering now as she nervously rubs her blushing cheek.

An audible sigh rises from the now pile of guys.

“Please let him go” She follows up urgently “Taichi would never ever hurt me. In fact” She continues after a brief pause. “I’m pretty sure he thought you guys meant me harm.”

“Oh…” The guy holding my neck says as the image surely dawns on him. He lets go of me suddenly and I fall forward on my face.

I’m rubbing my pulsing neck and chin when I hear a familiar voice beneath me “Hi Taichi, nice to meet you...can you get off me please?”

I scramble to my feet in short order using the bench for support. Still aching from the impact but I shake it off and offer a hand to the student on the floor. “Sorry about that.” I say in a low voice honestly feeling a bit bad about the situation.

“It’s whatever” He says as he somewhat begrudgingly takes my hand with a perturbed look on his face. As soon as I pull him to his feet, his friends shove me aside to check on him; almost knocking me off balance again. I sigh to myself but understand their coldness directed towards me, I think I freaked them out a bit; probably came across as a bit of a jerk too. That being said I still don’t really understand what is going on, just that these guys do not seem to mean Sora any harm.

I look at Sora as she sits back down onto the bench and realize she must have already been looking at me. Our eyes meet briefly but after a few seconds I watch her eyes dart down and to her right. Then she scans the field as if she had been looking around the whole time. She must be upset with me for following her here. Why couldn’t I just leave her be, why am I so stupid? I can hear the male students talking behind me, but their words turn to gibberish in my ears. She said so herself, she doesn’t want me around. Why couldn’t I just take the damn hint. I feel like I’m losing control, it really hurts to hear her admit that she was avoiding me.

As though she could sense my thoughts or perhaps simply read my expression, Sora calls out to me then with sorrowful emotion. “Taichi…” Her voice lingers and drops off as if she wants to say more but can’t.

“If you want me to leave you alone Sora I get it, I’ll go...” My voice breaks slightly at the end of the statement. I’m not usually an exceptionally emotional person, but right now I feel almost overwhelmed. Perhaps it is the mix of alcohol still in my system or possibly it is the fact that I was reminiscing about Agumon and the other Digimon earlier. At this point it does not matter, better to say my piece and be out of her hair. “I just wanted to say I’m really sorry about tonight...and I wish I had been paying better attention...and I’m sorry that…”

I hear the boys turn around to face me and can practically feel them staring a hole through the back of my head. It is awkward to do this with an audience, but it is unavoidable at this point.

Before I can finish my apology though, Sora quickly cuts in to stop me in my tracks. “I... I don’t want you to go anywhere Taichi. I’d like you to stay. I wasn’t running from you...well kind of but not because I was upset with you.” I can hear her choking back sobs and it almost causes me to tear up myself.

I muster the bravery to look Sora in the eyes again and I see that she is patting the bench next to her, inviting me to sit down. I hesitate for a brief moment, but then slowly make my way over to the bench she is on and sit down a few centimeters apart from her. Admittedly somewhat relieved that she did not send me away. Looking up, I can see that the students are gazing at the both of us, probably feeling a bit awkward in this situation. I gather the feeling is mutual between the five of us. We sit there in relative silence for a moment, with only the sound of the wind whipping against the stadium.

I feel my phone buzzing but opt to ignore it, I’m far too preoccupied with the situation at hand.

I look at Sora and see that she is still collecting herself. So I decide it best to break the silence and talk to the guys standing before me. “So what exactly happened? How did you guys end up out here with Sora?”

They seem to jump at the opportunity to interrupt the quiet air between us. At first they all speak at once and I can’t understand a word they are saying. They look at one another frustratedly and this is followed by some bickering between them. Then suddenly the one on the right, who I only now realize is wearing a jacket for the University’s baseball team, steps in front of his friends in a clear declaration that he will handle the recap.

“Well I’m Sato Takuya. This here is Mori Itsuki.” He says pointing to the slightly stockier boy with glasses. “And you already ran into Ando Minato” He finishes the introduction pointing almost neveriously to the tall boy whom I was kneeling on top of a brief moment ago.

“Yeah sorry about that again…" He rolls his eyes at me but I continue. “My name is Yagami Taichi. Sora and I have been friends since we were very little. We were coming from the same party tonight. When I saw her surrounded by a bunch of strangers by the field in the middle of the night, well I was worried that…” Trailing off not really wanting to finish the thought nevermind the sentence.

Their expressions before me all soften. “Yeah I guess I could see how that might have come across as a bit concerning...” Says Minato. “Just think before you go charging at strangers next time huh?”

I see him double over as Takuya elbows him in the ribs. Minato sneers at his friend then turns back to me “Aright alright... I got it, it was a mistake. No big deal.” He says bitterly, rubbing his side.

“Anyways” Takuya continues. “We were out celebrating Halloween of course. We went out to this lesser known bar down in Ebisu, Dragon's Den, they had some great drink deals. Managed to avoid the crowds too. Would highly recommend it” He scratches his chin and seems to forget what he wanted to say for a moment. “Oh yeah, so I was invited to a party at the baseball clubhouse and we left the bar later than planned to see if we could make it in time for the end of the party. I decided to try to cut across the back streets to get to the clubhouse faster, but on our way we saw this girl sprinting across the street and towards the sports fields. We couldn’t tell if she was afraid, upset, drunk, or what; but we knew something was probably wrong. The guys and I didn’t feel comfortable just ignoring that. Plus while Tokyo University is fairly safe, you never really know what someone might do. So we followed her here. Freaked her out a bit too when we did, so I suppose you made us even.” He laughs a bit awkwardly. I can’t help but to crack a small grin myself, but realizing the situation still is not that humorous in large, I swiftly purge it from my face.

“So you guys were just looking out for a girl that you thought was in trouble?” I ask him stoically.

“Bingo. We followed her into the stadium and approached her here on the bleachers. She was understandably apprehensive of us at first, but I said we just wanted to know that she was alright. We introduced ourselves and she gave us her name; well her first name anyway. She did not want to talk with us initially. I thought maybe someone was after her, I mean why else is a girl running through an empty field at night. Eventually she told us bits and pieces. That she was at a party with friends, that something happened at the party and she had to leave. She said someone was probably looking for her, but that she did not want him to find her. Well not long after that you showed up here shouting like a madman. I think it’s safe to say that we all thought you were the guy chasing her down and so here we are.” He finishes with a slight shrug as though he does not know what to do with the situation at present.

I rub the back of my head feeling a bit embarrassed. “I see...” Which are the only words I can muster for a moment.

“So mind telling us your side of the story now?” Itsuki breaks in suddenly. The three boys are looking at me a bit eagerly as though I’m about to share some juicy gossip.

“Yeah that is fair enough.” I say while wondering how I should explain the incident. I suppose that a simplified version would probably be best. I look at Sora who musters a small smile as if telling me that I’ve got this. I give her a nod but can’t help to notice that she still looks pretty shaken up. I sigh internally still feeling quite gloomy about everything, but recognizing that the guys deserve a response, I shift focus and turn back to them.

“Like you guys we were out enjoying the holiday with some friends. Sora and I went to a party at the Soccer clubhouse with a bunch of our classmates. We had…”

“You play for the club?” Takuya butts in eagerly.

I nod “I’m not in the division, but yeah I play at some of the club organized matches. Sora too when she can, we both played when we were young.”

Takuya seems impressed. “Nice yeah I…” He starts but is quickly interrupted by Itsuki.

“He was telling a story, Takuya-kun. Let’s not be out here in the cold all night.” Itsuki groans grumpily but with a valid point.

“Sorry about that, athlete to athlete ya know?” He says bashfully.

I nod again. “So long story short I guess we were having a good night, but then I unintentionally put Sora into a bad spot due to my own block-headedness and really embarrassed her in front of our friends… it was an accident… but it would not have happened if it weren’t for me. After she left I went to find her so I could apologize. And to tell her that everyone at the party was worried about her.” I say the last part more for Sora to hear.

I decide to finish the story there, not thinking it would benefit Sora to go into details if I do not have to. I find myself a little bit worried that they will ask to hear what exactly I did, but my explanation is followed by another brief moment of silence. The boys look curiously between Sora and I.

“Sora-san, are you comfortable if we leave you with Taichi here? Or would you rather we walk you home? We wouldn’t mind walking you of course, if that’s what you want.” Takuya asks seemingly testing Sora’s level of comfort with me at the moment, which I figure is not a bad call.

We all turn to look at Sora, who does not say anything at first, she merely gazes at me with a concerned expression. “Sora I understand if you would like them to walk you home, honestly.” I say in an attempt to put her at ease.

“Taichi…” She begins, then stops. “Would you mind walking me home instead?” Again she looks like she wants to say more, yet again she falls silent, looking at me dejectedly as though she is expecting her request to be rejected for some reason.

“Of course I’ll walk you home, Sora. I would love to in fact.” I say, giving her a small smile. She returns it with one of her own.

“We’ll take our leave then. Probably a bit too late for that party, but we might as well swing by and see if anyone is still there.” Takuya says. He gestures to his friends to start walking.

“Sorry if I made you guys miss out on the holiday by worrying about me.” Sora says without looking up at them. “Thanks for making sure I was ok though…”

“Oh nonsense. We were running super late anyway.” Minato steps in this time. “Plus we already spent hours at the bar. We celebrated and then some. Right guys?”

“Yeah.” The two other boys exclaim in unison.

“Besides, no party is worth ignoring someone in need. We are just glad you are alright.” He finishes and they begin to walk off down the bleachers and towards the stairs.

“Hey guys…” I say softly, causing them to turn around and face me. I stand up off the bench and give them a small bow. “Thank you for looking after Sora. Honestly I really appreciate it. I was very worried about her.” I blurt out and wonder if it is almost too earnest an admission.

They look stunned by this but Takuya then walks up and extends his hand. I reach out and shake it firmly.

“Perhaps we will see you guys around campus” He says cheerfully.

I nod and soon enough, Sora and I watch from our bench as they walk across the bleachers, down the stairs, and out of the stadium. Leaving the two of us in near silence again.

Chapter Text

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Taichi,

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

Happy Halloween,

Misaki"

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

"Hey Misaki,

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

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

Taichi and Sora"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

End of Part 4

Chapter Text

We fall into a more comfortable silence on our approach to the pond. Sora still seems to be a bit lost in thought, leaving me with time for more ponderings of my own. And I find myself enraptured by a single overpowering thought, or rather a sensation. Sora being physical with me is absolutely nothing new. We have been best friends since we were in the single digits of age. When we were eleven we spent months surviving in the digital world with the other Digidestined and our Digimon. Sora and I learned to really rely upon one another, in a way that I honestly believe most people will never experience; facing adventure, friendship, peril, and death every day. When I think back to it Sora was always right there beside me. I learned to trust all of the Digidestined with my life, but Sora was the only one that I trusted from the very start of our journey; a bond which grew ever stronger during our time together. Though it was years ago, I still remember almost each and every moment with her like an imprint on my soul.  From high fives, a pat on the back in conjunction with words of advice, holding onto each other for protection in a dangerous situation, to napping in the grass together on a warm afternoon; Sora’s touch is something I have grown quite accustomed to. 

Even in recent years: Sora will often lean on me, nap on my shoulder, put a hand on my back in a show of support, or give me a hug if I have not seen her recently. But despite all of these fond memories, I struggle to remember the last time Sora and I walked side by side with our fingers intertwined. Middle school perhaps? If so...that would be almost a decade ago. Yet now Sora has held my hand twice tonight; and not just for a brief moment but minutes at a time. It sends genuine shivers down my spine just to think about. Twenty-two years old and she is still somehow giving me butterflies. It makes me almost wish I was barehanded right now despite the cold, but her contact even through my gloved hand causes me to almost disregard the frigid temperatures entirely. 

I’m overthinking it...I must be. Sora is simply reaching out for support tonight, support from her best friend. Why else would she be holding my hand? Tonight hasn’t exactly been romantic. I messed up earlier and Sora, generous as she is, is giving me an opportunity to make up for it. That is all it is… She has always been good to me, I need to be good to her too; dredging up feelings of being a lovesick teenager is not what’s going to help Sora tonight. And so I am determined to focus on Sora’s own wellbeing, over my own confused feelings for her; regardless of whatever drunken mental gymnastics my mind conjures up this evening.

I look back to the sidewalk before us, in my moments of absentminded reflection I would not have been surprised if I walked straight into a lamp post. I became lost to the feeling of her hand and the rhythm of our stride. Looking around, the sudden lack of building density is quite noticeable. The mimicking urban nature of Tokyo University is fading, giving way to the natural landscape that surrounds the popular park; bringing with it a peaceful sense of earth that even someone like me, born and raised in a metropolitan area, can find deeply relaxing. 

The two of us have always loved athletics and the outdoors, in fact soccer was quite probably the first thing we ever bonded over as children; adventuring and physical activity came naturally to us. We were big fans of camping as well, which is what would lead both of us to summer camp on that fateful day eleven years ago. Little did we know that it would go from a simple day of camp to the greatest adventure of our lives, an Adventure unlike anything humankind had experienced before. We greatly enjoyed both the physicality and the natural beauty that would come to surround us in the digital world. That love of nature and the adventure never truly left us, even if we do not have as much free time to go exploring these days. We love Tokyo, naturally as it is our home, but there is something to be said for the majesty of the outdoors. It is something I find myself missing somewhat regularly. This all the more reason why I cannot think of a more idyllic location near campus for an impromptu stroll with Sora, even at this time of year. 

In the spring, summer, and early autumn months hundreds of locals and tourists alike can be seen visiting the pond. It is one of those magical spots around Tokyo within which the natural beauty of Japan is on full display. Sakura trees, lotus flowers, rental boats, feudal era shrines, cormorants, and koi fish; compounded with the fact that it is within walking distance of arguably the best university in Japan, it is no wonder why the area has become such a popular attraction. Over the past few years while studying here, I would occasionally get up at the crack of dawn and jog around the pond before the crowds arrived. Sora would sometimes join me as well, especially when we were first years; we would sit on a park bench after our morning work out and just talk about anything that came to mind until it was time to head to class. 

I remember sitting next to her one spring morning in particular, and feeling so fortunate that Sora decided to go to the same university as me. Even when we were just too busy to hang out, knowing she was only a few blocks away really helped to make campus feel like home. Although our relationship has evolved and gone through various strains and phases, Sora has remained one of the few constants in my life. Sure sometimes we fight, or become so preoccupied with life that we do not talk for weeks on end; but in the end I know that when I really need her, Sora will be there. Or...at least I hope so. That’s how it’s always been with us. But can two people stay childhood best friends forever? This line of thinking, unlike some of my other negative musings this evening, is nothing new. I often wonder if Sora and I are running on borrowed time. Just like Agumon and I...I used to think it would all last forever.

“Taichi...is everything ok?” Sora’s voice instantly breaks me out of my stupor.

My senses seem to return to me and I quickly remember just how cold it is. I look at her but we are far enough from the nearest street lamp that the colors on her face have become muted by shadow. “I’m holding up alright, why do you ask Sora?”

“Well because you suddenly stopped walking for one thing…” Pointing out the now obvious fact that we are indeed standing still not far from the park entrance. “Also because this is the third time I had to call your name. And… well you whispered Agumon’s name just now.”

“Oh” Is the only reply I can muster for a moment. “I’m sorry Sora. I think I’m still a bit drunk from the party.”

“I can tell,” She says, but her voice is entirely free of judgement. “I really miss Piyomon too.” She says before wrapping herself around me in a warm and reassuring hug. I am a little shocked by the sudden contact but after a moment I return the hug; wrapping my arm tightly around her upper back. “Should we turn around, we really can go on a walk another time, Taichi. I’m worried about you being drunk and out in the cold. I think I have put you through enough tonight.”

“No Sora please, I would really like to go to the park with you so long as you are still up for it. You are...I mean making sure that you are ok is important to me.” I feel totally embarrassed for my inebriated behavior, but something inside me is telling me that I should not throw away this one on one time with her.

She looks at me, perhaps a bit stunned by my words but then nods enthusiastically. Fully releasing me from the hug now, she tugs gently at my arm and we continue to walk towards the park sign.

Not wanting to be left in brooding silence again yet not wanting her worrying about me, I decide to chat but am determined to change the subject. “So Sora, how have classes been lately?”

“Yagami Taichi” Stating my full name rather sternly. “You already asked me this at the restaurant. Don’t tell me you were ignoring me before?”

I raise a hand in defense and begin to stutter an attempted apology.

“I’m only teasing” She says, sticking out her tongue slightly. “Someone had a bit more than he can handle, I can let it slide...this time.” She states this final utterance with part jest part threat. If you did not know Sora that well you might think her serious. But even in my intoxicated state I recognize now that she is only attempting to get a reaction out of me and lift my spirits.

“Go ahead, continue to torment your poor drunk best friend, why don’t you?” I whine dramatically.

“You’re right Taichi, it’s simple enough to get one over on you when you are sober; this is just too easy.” She chuckles softly, throwing off the pace of our walk.

“Hey I resent that!” I say joining her for a laugh. In the meantime we step onto the loose gravel pathway that leads to the pond itself. Pebbles shifting loudly beneath our athletic shoes.

After her chuckle subsides she continues “In all seriousness classes are going alright. I mean I’m doing well grade wise, even if I sometimes feel a little overwhelmed with all of these projects and exams. Sometimes I still feel a little lost in it all.”

“Yeah I feel that Sora, I mean I still get jittery before an exam, even if I am well prepared for it. And the papers jeez, I never knew you had to write so much in political science. I just submitted a 20 page essay plus citations this week.”

“You're a really good writer though Taichi, I should know, you’ve had me proofread a handful of your essays since we were in junior high. Not to mention that you’ve helped me with plenty of my writing assignments as well. I know you still get a bit anxious with writing assignments but you should have some confidence in yourself, you're a better writer than I think you like to give yourself credit for. Anyway, better that they have you writing than drawing.” She cuts the sweet compliment with a sudden low blow.

“I’m not that bad of an artist!” I reply energetically.

“Uh huh…” She mouths simply not even bothering to turn towards me this time.

“Sora!” I fume at her.

“I seem to recall a certain someone trying to make us a map of File Island in the Digital World...I also seem to recall not being able to tell a lake from a mountain.” She laughs louder this time.

“I was eleven! Besides we were lost, someone had to help us find our bearings!” But this only makes Sora laugh harder.

“Ah yes and we never got lost again after that day…oh wait” She announces sardonically.

Self conscious as I am currently feeling, I experience a short-lived temptation to take her comment personally. But I know Sora, teasing is often part of our dynamic. Especially when coping and trying to get our minds off of other things. “You never know Sora, maybe that map will end up in an art history museum one day.”

“What? As history’s most peculiar map?” She chortles. At that I can’t help but to laugh a bit.

“Funny funny.” I feign a cartoonish annoyance.

Sora starts laughing a sweet, almost hysterical laugh now. “Hey Taichi? Do you remember the time that Koushiro’s laptop wasn’t working, and you tried to fix it by just smacking it?” She pauses as her laughter grows. “Poor Koushiro, I think his life flashed before his eyes when you grabbed it out of his hands. You tried the same thing on Andromon when we found him shut down in that old factory.”

“Hey it used to work on our old tv! A good thawk on the box and boom, image back to normal. My parents still have that tv too.” I say defensively, knowing that those weren’t exactly my best moments back in the Digital World.

“Yagami Taichi grandmaster strategist.” Her hands form a rainbow shape as if the title were about to magically appear before her as her laughter slowly subsides.

“I guess I really did mess up a lot as everyone’s leader didn’t I?” I say struggling to conceal my melancholy.

Sora’s tone shifts slightly, but remains light in nature. “Oh come now Taichi who wouldn’t have, we were elementary schoolers lost in a strange world without adults, we only had our Digimon backing us up. I’d say we did pretty amazing all things considered. I tease Taichi, but you know there is a reason I always backed you as leader of the group, and I never once regretted that decision; even when I would at times get mad at you or disagree with your stance on something.”

Was I really worth your support though? “Thanks Sora” I respond a bit quietly “You always did have my back, and you were there when I needed you most.”

“And you always had mine, especially when it really mattered. You really believed in me Taichi, in a way nobody, not even my family did. You just had those natural leadership instincts, and pushed us all to victory. Even as a kid you really were a hero.” Her tone is intensely genuine and I hear her words, yet for some reason I am moved to strenuously doubt them. I keep my misgivings to myself though. All I ever did was force you to fight and put you in danger, Sora. Don’t you see that?

Just when I think she is finished, Sora continues her impassioned flow of praise. “You know sometimes I wonder how we ever could have saved anything without you. What I ever would have done without my best friend there. When I look back on those days, some of my strongest memories are of you pushing us to do what was right; inspiring us. You took eight uncertain kids far from home and turned us into a team. That’s why all of us, even Yamato, looked up to you, even if he didn’t always want to admit it to himself. I for my part was always happy to just back you and the others up.” I should be moved by my best friend’s near-rambling admiration, but I feel uncomfortable and exasperated. I'm starting to question if it really is just the alcohol giving me grief or something deeper than that. But she still continues. “Sorry, a bit of a rant I guess. But you know what I am trying to say Taichi. You really pulled through for us and I guess hearing you call out to me in the stadium before made me nostalgic, it reminded me of the time that you rescued me from…” Not that!

“Sora...you realize I... we never would have made it through back then without you right? We probably would not be alive today without you.” I turn to her rather seriously.

“Taichi...no, I’m not saying I didn’t pull my weight but come on I’m sure you would have pulled through.”

“Remember the time when Agumon and I were almost tricked into eating poison mushrooms, and you got word to us just in time. Right then and there I would have been dead on the spot.”

“But if I hadn’t gone missing you wouldn’t have...” She seems surprised by my intensity but I press forward.

“And what about when Agumon, Jo, Gomamon, and I got locked in the castle by Mimi. Who showed up to help bring Mimi to her senses so we could continue our journey?”

“Mimi would have come around, plus I was only making up for...” I cut her off again, losing all patience suddenly to hear Sora underplay her own importance.

“What about when you tried to talk sense into me when I forced Agumon to dark Digivolve. Then there was that time you and I saved Jo on that mountain top, I never would have made it up there safely by myself. Also that time that you and Piyomon protected the entire group from Vamdemon. Or how about when the group literally broke apart without you. Not to mention the fact that you brought the others back to fight against Piemon. And did you think Yamato never told me about how you tried to fight off several Digimon by yourself in order to protect Hikari? Shall I go on? I really fucking hate it when you make it sound like you didn’t matter, like you don’t matter. Yet, you talk me up as if I knew what the hell I was doing…You are standing here calling me a goddamn hero, after admitting how much I always fucked things up; meanwhile here you are discounting your own merits once again and putting me on a pedestal. You give me praise I don’t deserve but won’t give yourself the slightest amount of credit for all the amazing things you’ve done? Why are you like this?” I never cursed at Sora, literally never in my life before now. I want to shut up already, I can hear my own voice echoing painfully in my head, it’s cold and abrasive. Why am I being such an asshole, she already isn’t feeling good tonight. Why the hell did I just do that!

I look over and unsurprisingly there are tears in her eyes. She gazes at me like a deer in headlights and seems to almost wince. “Taichi...I didn’t mean to suggest…” She pauses with a deep heart-rending inhale as if she was struggling to breathe. She really isn’t much of a crier normally, Sora is honestly tougher than most, but she was already feeling unusually vulnerable and then I had to go and tell her off. Why am I such a jerk!?! “I was just trying to express that you are important to me, that I always appreciated…” She pauses again and my heart drops in my chest. “You were being so sweet just a minute ago...I just don’t understand Taichi...I’m sorry...I should go.” She starts to turn to walk away.

My breath leaves me, I feel like I’m going to collapse under my own weight. Why do I have to fuck everything up, why can’t I just be the hero she thinks I am? I do something completely out of character then, but I’m already acting unlike myself so what does it matter really? I throw myself on my knees in front of her. The pebbles of the walkway dig into my knees agonizingly through my jeans. I see her head snap back to me, a result of the sound caused by my body slamming into the ground. “Sora...wait please!” I can feel tears forming in my eyes now. “What I just said, it didn’t come out right. I even recognized as I was speaking that I should have stopped. I’m sorry, I’m so fucking sorry. You’ve already had a rough night and I’m just fucking making it worse. I’m always making it worse aren’t I? I...I just wanted to help, but I can’t even do that right. There’s nothing wrong with you Sora, it’s me who has the problem, it has always been me. Please don’t let tonight end like this.” I whimper like a tantruming child and I slam a half curled first into the gravel. It stings surprisingly badly, but I feel that I deserve the pain. I’m losing my damn mind, like a floodgate broke inside me and I’m suddenly drowning in my own negative thoughts.

The next thing I know one of Sora’s arms is around my trembling form, the other is grabbing my gloved fist, ensuring that I do not continue to hurt myself. “Taichi, you are scaring me. In twenty years I have never seen you like this. I’ve seen you upset, angry, down in the dumps sure, even cry on the rarest of occasions, but what’s with this harshness? I don’t understand, what is going on with you?” She whispers to me.

“I don’t know...I really don’t.” I say, which is at least partially true. “I was so happy and so excited when you asked me to go on a walk, I was sure you would be angry at me for what happened at the party. You ran away from me because I was being a terrible friend. I thought you would send me away back at the stadium, but for some reason you didn’t. Of course even when you gave me a chance to make recompense after I embarrassed you in front of everyone, I’m too drunk and stupid to know how to be a good friend to you. And when you started complimenting me like that, Sora I just don’t deserve it. And nobody, not even the other Digidestined, give you enough credit for how you helped us back then, how you helped me. I got angry, not really at you but at me I guess... I don’t know. I messed up your Halloween, I forgot to sit next to you, didn’t notice till too late that something was wrong, pretty much put a spotlight on you when you were crying, and attacked guys who were just trying to help you out. Yet here you are not thirty minutes later, talking about how amazing I am? What gives? ” I fumble with my words as I rant to my best friend. Drunken guilt radiates from me as I feel compelled to relinquish my internal feelings.

She is silent for a moment but continues to hug me. I take it as a better sign than her running away from me again. But even now I feel I don’t deserve her contact, her warmth. “You dummy” she says suddenly, I can’t see her face as she now has my head pressed firmly against her chest; but I do not have to see her to tell that tears are streaming down her brilliant features. “Your sister is right, you really are oblivious sometimes.” I can’t tell if she is sobbing, laughing, or both.

“Sora I’m sorry, I know sorry probably isn’t good enough but I don’t know what else to say right now. I just…” I continue to ramble.

“Taichi I’m not mad at you!” She pulls back from me now looking me in the eyes, wiping away lines of fresh tears. “And I wasn’t even mad at you at all this evening, not once. Is that really what you have been thinking all night?”

Not mad at me, what is she talking about? “But Sora, what about all the issues I caused for you tonight...besides you ran away from me, you said so yourself.”

She maneuvers her hand behind me, up to the base of my head; gently stroking my hair as she does. “I did run away from you Taichi. I knew you would follow me out of the clubhouse so I ran.” She says looking me squarely in the eyes. “I ran away because I did not want to ruin your night anymore than I probably already had.”

“Ruin my night, Sora, what the heck are you talking about?” I say, truly bewildered now.

“I could ask you the same exact thing Taichi!” Sora says a little accusatorially and looks somewhat vexed, yet she continues to rub the back of my head in small circles despite this. She sighs then. “Perhaps we both jumped to some unfounded conclusions this evening.” She crouches there silently for a number of seconds, continuing to hold me until she speaks again suddenly with a resolute expression. “ I know you’re a little drunk right now, but I want you to promise me something; no more silly fighting tonight, no more drama between us ok? If we have something bugging us, we can talk it out.  Please...” Her voice is firm yet filled with emotion and she seems to plead the last part.

I’m surprised by the request, but I do not hesitate. “I promise Sora...and I’m really sorry for going off on you like that. Drunk or not, it was entirely uncalled for.”

Sora slowly rises then offers me her outstretched hand. “Come on Taichi, stand up. Kneeling like that cannot be comfortable.”

I don’t argue the point, after the briefest hesitation I place my hand in hers and she helps pull me up off of the gravel pathway. “Thanks Sora.” I say brushing off my jeans. Then suddenly I wince, look down, and notice a large streak of blood left behind on my right pant leg.

End of Part V

Chapter Text

“Taichi your hand!” Sora yelps in unpleasant surprise. Reaching out rapidly and taking my hand in hers, she then turns it over so that my palm is facing her. A small pool of blood has gathered on the palm of the glove. Ever so gently she peels the glove from my hand. I cannot help but to whimper softly as she does this. “Sorry Taichi.” she whispers, obviously having heard my pained noises.

My hand is instantly chilled in the air making the wound throb. I steady my hand as much as possible as Sora examines the injury. “It doesn’t look too deep.” She says after inspecting it for a moment or so. “If only I had something to bind it up with.” She scrambles for my pockets digging through them, likely to see if I have any items that might be useful at the moment. She makes a frustrated groan as her search for some kind of spare cloth becomes apparently fruitless. “We should wash this out at the very least, not about to have you get some kind of infection.” She looks around the lamplit area. “We are quite a walk away from either of our apartments, and the school buildings are bound to all be closed at this point.” She furrows her brow as she continues to contemplate our options. “I wonder if the water fountains are still functioning. It’s cold but not so cold yet that they would have to worry about any pipes freezing. Perhaps they have yet to shut them down for the season. Let’s see if we can find one Taichi.” She releases my hand and encourages me to follow her.

I bring my hand close so that I can have a look at the cut myself. Even through the dim light I can instantly make out the shape of a gash at the base of my palm, about a centimeter up from my wrist. I must have cut it on a particularly sharp rock for it to have gone through my glove as it did. Seems like a lot of blood for that kind of thing. I squat down quickly to have a look and within seconds can spot something glimmering in the glow of the nearest lamp. “Sora, I think I found our culprit.”

She has already gone a meter or so up the path. I watch her turn suddenly, looking surprised that I am not already following her. “Culprit?” She says confused. I wave her over and point to the spot on the ground in front of me. Sora sees that I am squatting down so she does the same. I watch her eyes as she scans the ground. Her expression hardens when she sees the shattered remnants of a glass bottle at our feet. “Inconsiderate jerks.” I hear her mutter under her breath.

I shrug slightly. “Probably some students out drinking where they shouldn’t have been. And of course I had to pick this spot in particular to act like a jerk myself. What luck...” I groan.

“And now we have to worry if there are any shards stuck in your hand. Look at some of these larger pieces, that cut could have been much worse than it is. What if a child or pet had stumbled upon this mess before someone cleaned it up..” There is concern in her voice as she reaches forward and starts to pick up the shattered glass with her bare hands.

“Sora!” I protest at her sudden impulse to clean up the litter.

“I am not going to just walk away and risk someone else getting injured! This might go right through someone’s shoe. One incident is more than enough Taichi.” Sora is clearly quite determined as she carefully plucks up the largest pieces.

“I understand...just please be careful Sora.” I say, worried that she will cut herself too.

Her tone softens once again. “I promise I’ll be careful.” She gently stacks the pieces in her hand and slowly stands up. We scan the surrounding area and I spot the recycling bin back towards the park sign, pointing it out to her. She walks carefully over to it so as to not drop anything. After discarding the remnants of the bottle, she dusts off her hands over the bin to ensure she got everything. Then, walking back to me in relative haste. “That is probably going to have to be good enough, it’s too dark to be searching for tiny pieces amongst the gravel.” She then looks at me rather seriously. “With all of that glass around, we should be certain that we only have one cut to worry about.” With that Sora slips off my other glove and looks at my left hand; it seems to remain completely unharmed. Sora pockets my glove then kneels down and pats down my legs to ensure that I did not fall on any shards. After a moment she stands up and gives me a thumbs up, telling me that I’m all clear aside from my right hand. “Had you fallen in a slightly different spot...well honestly I don’t even want to think about what kind of injuries we might be looking at." She pauses then, taking several deep breaths to compose herself. However, that expression of sheer determination returns to her face in short order. "Come on Taichi, let's find something to clean that cut with.”

We continue marching up the path side by side, while I hold my right wrist with my left hand; keeping it somewhat elevated and to stop blood from getting everywhere. There is no small amount of blood covering the lower portion of my hand and upper wrist, but it is hard to tell if it is enough to warrant concern. Heading to the hospital at this hour would be a headache and most city buses stopped running over an hour ago. The thought of potentially spending the night in the emergency room while I get stitches in my palm frustrates me and honestly staring at my hand like this is making me a little nauseous; not for the wound itself but yet another thing that seems to have gone wrong tonight.. Just another screw-up to add to my list of screw-ups. I notice that Sora keeps glancing over my hand as we walk, and seems to subconsciously increase her pace each time she does. I work to match her quickened stride and before long we make it to a clearing beyond the rows of barren Sakura trees. 

We find ourselves at the edge of Shinobazu pond, the large body of water seems dormant and peaceful. The remnants of hibernating lilies and brownish-yellow pond reeds stand stiff and still waiting patiently for spring to revive them. A slight icy mist rises up off of the water and sweeps it’s way across the surface, carried off by the wind into the night sky. The mist seems to glow slightly as it reflects the light of a nearly full moon. This effect imparts a magical yet eerie look to the fog. 

Encircling the pond itself is the main brick outlined trail, a number of benches, tarp covered food stands, a handful of shinto shrines, the boat rental station, public restrooms, lake viewing bridges that jut out of the water with tall black metal railings, and on the little center island named Benten stands a small red roofed temple dedicated to a Japanese buddhist goddess named Benzaiten. All the while the backdrop of the Tokyo skyline can be viewed from most any direction, a fragment of a more natural world surrounded by a sleek contemporary city. The skyline may serve to break the pond’s old-world illusion, yet it brings with it a unique modern sense of beauty. At this late hour the skyscrapers gleam brilliantly with electricity. You can even easily spot the Tokyo Skytree giving off a unique cool blue luminescence. There is a certain comfort in that glow standing out against the darkened sky.

A sight like this often reminds me of the only that I ever saw this city truly engulfed in darkness. I was eleven years old and had recently returned from the Digital World with Sora and the others. A very cruel and dangerous Digimon named Vandemon invaded our home in search of the eighth child of destiny, who we now know to be my younger sister Yagami Hikari. He sought to destroy the latent power buried within her crest of light and to bathe both the Digital and Human realms in a darkness that only he could control. Vandemon attacked our power grids and communications networks; then used his unholy abilities to place many of Tokyo’s citizens into a trancelike comatose state. Meanwhile his demon-like followers scoured the city streets and attacked anyone unfortunate enough to cross their paths. The adults, the government, the military all could do nothing to protect us. It was up to the Digidestined, our Digimon, and a few key allies to stop him; somehow together despite the odds we did just that.

If I ever told anyone that on those nights I wasn’t afraid for Hikari, for Sora, my family, my friends, my very life, well I would have been outright lying. Something about being a kid almost made facing my fears easier though, I knew that I needed to keep moving, keep fighting or I and everyone that I loved would parish. We were significantly outnumbered but knowing that my friends were fighting beside me made it all feel less lonesome and hopeless. I recognized the potential consequences but never really stopped to consider the odds that a bunch of elementary schoolers might be slaughtered in their attempts to protect the lives of millions. It was like playing the hero in a video game, you do not tend to stop and consider the little details of what you need to do or what might happen to you. I feel fortunate for that fact however, had I hesitated, I may not be alive now to reminisce. I sometimes wonder if we would be able to survive those harsh trials today. If darkness returned to this city and threatened to consume all. But the vibrant Tokyo before me reassures me that I need not worry, not for right now at least. 

Even as a small child I enjoyed the view of my city’s outline, but now Tokyo’s radiance helps me feel safe and secure. Bringing with it a hope that those nightmares of the past shall not be relived. Still...it was far from all bad wasn’t it? I used to love those days, in middle school I would dream about going back. Back to adventure, back to the Digital World. Even in this moment I find myself terrified to go back yet wanting to. A deep desire to see the Digimon again, to be a kid again. Who would I even be without the Digital World, without Agumon, without her by my side? I think to myself as I watch Sora intensely scan the area for the nearest fountain.

Sora seems to notice my day dreaming once again. “Come on Taichi, we need to get moving, we don’t want that cut healing over before we get a chance to at least rinse it out.” She pulls me down the path, gripping her hand tightly under my left shoulder. Upon reaching the main pathway we fork to the right towards the nearest restroom. As I had suspected most of the lamps that line the pound remain lit, making this walk of ours possible. Though it is nearly impossible for me to enjoy the walk as intended, with my hand throbbing and Sora worrying about my well being. She tugs at me energetically, her thumb digging into the muscles beneath my armpit. I feel she must be pressing a nerve as my arm almost goes numb, but I do not complain, I know she is just doing her best to help me like always. Suddenly Sora stops on a dime jerking me to a halt as well, then raises her left hand and points. “Finally” She says, directing me towards a free standing water fountain about twenty meters from the restrooms. “Let’s hope we can actually get some water out of it.” She then continues dragging me forward, over the grass this time in a beeline for the fountain.

When we reach the fountain, Sora releases her grip on me and my left arm is wracked by that pins and needles sensation that one often experiences after their leg falls asleep. The feeling shoots down my arm and into my left hand, I am tempted to rub the numbness out of my limb, but I am too busy cradling my other wounded hand. Besides the sensation is a minor discomfort compared to seeing my best friend worried like this. I suck it up and wait for the sensation to return to me.

In the meantime, Sora races to the front of the fountain in search of whatever button, step, or lever that will activate the pumps. In this case it is an old fashioned stone fountain with a small fourway lever below its spout. She reaches out to turn the lever and… “You have got to be kidding me!” I hear her moan with an exasperated fatigue as the fountain fails to produce any drinking water.

I see her frustration growing and feel guilty for placing her in this situation. I suspect that the park’s water pipes may likely be shut down for the season, but I decide against vocalizing the thought. Positivity, for Sora. “Perhaps it’s just this particular fountain, Sora. We should check another one.” I say searching the area for another nearby fountain.

“Or…” Sora continues after pause. “What if they left the restrooms unlocked? Even if the water is shut down we could get you some paper towels.”

Sora does not wait for me this time. Before I can reply to her suggestion, she is off and jogging towards the small building. I attempt to run after her but at this point I’m struck by growing fatigue. It has been a long night and I’m starting to feel it. Feet and ankles aching while my forehead is pounding from the booze. Following to the best of my ability, I observe as she rounds a corner towards the female entrance door. I keep moving, but prior to me even reaching the building, Sora bolts from the entranceway and makes her way towards the mens room. I force myself to break into a sprint so that I can close the distance with my best friend. When I round the corner by the doorway, Sora is wildly yanking at the handle; it does not budge despite her furious movements. She slams a closed fist against the door and a hollow metal echo follows.

“Damnit!” She shouts, her body slumping against the door. I can hear choked sobs coming from Sora, but this time I’m positive it is not sadness but overwhelming frustration. My heart sinks and I stand behind her not really knowing what to say. It has been a hell of a night . Every time things start looking up for us tonight, something manages to go wrong.

Instinctively, despite my body shaking with exhaustion and my hand throbbing in pain, I release the grip on my wounded wrist and approach my best friend. It’s my jacket, if I get blood on it it’s no big deal. I consider this momentarily before wrapping my arms carefully around Sora’s sobbing body. “It’s going to be alright Sora, I promise.” I tell her softly but adamantly.

She stiffens at my contact, but quickly turns herself around in my grasp and hugs me back extremely tightly. Sobbing furiously now into the crook of my neck. “I...just….don’t want you to get an infection...or have a permanent scar... over something so stupid Taichi. I'm scared... what if something happens to you?”

“We will find a way to clean the wound, we'll figure it out together. For the record, I would much rather develop a small scar and know that you are safe and sound Sora, than be at the party alone or wandering the streets, worried sick about my best friend in the world.” She continues to sob, so I continue to hold her. The wind whips at my backside, but Sora's touch fills me with warmth. After some time she begins to calm down and I loosen my grip on her slightly. Wanting to still give her some time to collect herself, I look around wondering what the heck we should do next. Then suddenly I hear a faint but distinct sound. A jingle in fact. A vending machine? The sound is coming from the backside of the building. “Maybe we aren’t out of luck after all.” I say letting go of Sora, she looks up at me with red puffy eyes.

“Taichi?” She speaks my name softly, the confusion is clear in her voice yet I have her curiosity piqued.

“Follow me Sora, I think I might have an idea.” I wait for her response, and she nods vigorously at me. We go around the building to the backside where Sora had yet to explore, and exactly as hoped, I see two vending machines standing against the brick wall, both fully lit up with electricity.

“Great idea Taichi, I hadn’t even thought to check!” Sora almost shouts in excitement. The compliment and her brightened tone raises my spirits. Sora gently pushes past me and digs through her pocket. “Good thing I kept my wallet in my jeans.” In a few seconds Sora produces the slim athletic wallet that she uses when she wants to travel light. Opening it up she grabs a one thousand yen note and begins to straighten it out against the drink machine.

I watch as Sora studies the vending options for a brief moment, nods to herself, then inserts her money. The buttons below each drink begin to flash and glow, confirming  payment. Sora then smacks the button below the bottled water, with more force than is likely required. The machine whirls for a brief moment before dropping a water bottle into the lower compartment with a thud. She eagerly opens the flap, scoops it up, and slides it into the pocket of my jacket. So eager in fact that she ignores her clanking change returned by the machine. “Come on, let’s get you near a lamp so I can see what I’m doing.”

We walk a few meters to the nearest park light and I hold up the gash so that Sora can take a look at it. She holds my hand in hers and squints at the cut through the lamplight, tilting my hand back and forth as she does. I can tell that the bleeding has already started to slow slightly and that the edges of the cut are caked in dry blood. The center of the wound however, is still oozing fresh blood. “Hmmm. Taichi, do you have your multitool on you by chance?” She asks looking back up at me.

“I think I might, yeah. Let me check.” I say starting to reach towards my left pocket since I’m fairly sure that’s where it would be.

“Wait.” She cuts in. “Your hands are both covered in blood, I’ll grab it. Which pocket?”

I pause for a moment, a little thrown off by the idea of her digging through my pants, not that I have anything to hide. “My left...I think.” I say finally, knowing she has a point. Sora then walks up to my side and somewhat awkwardly sneaks her hand into the pocket of my jeans. She fishes around for a few seconds and I can feel her grabbing my wallet only to release it again. I feel her hand brushing against my outer thigh and I look away. I turn back to Sora when I feel her hand leave my pocket; she is now holding my small orange multi-tool in her hands. She opens up the tweezers; a handy tool which she and I have often used to remove ticks from each other after a hike in the woods.

I guess she found something . I think to myself as Sora slowly lowers them towards my palm.

“Try to hold still Taichi.” Sora says, warning me that this might hurt. And good thing she does, the next thing I know the tweezers are digging into the raw flesh of my wound. I wince and let out a sharp exhale of breath. “Sorry, I’ll be as quick as I can.” Sora says to me without looking up, a focused expression plastered on her face. It really fucking hurts, I almost pull my hand back a few times but fortunately, Sora is able to hold me in place well enough. I clench my eyes shut and do my best to endure it; yet I cannot contain the exasperated noises that escape my lips. She retracts the tweezers once or twice, only to go back at my hand again.

“It was starting to heal over the glass. You certainly don’t want this stuck under your skin.” I open my eyes. I had not even noticed that Sora removed the tweezers until now, as the stinging sensation remains. She slowly lifts the tweezers up to eye level and I can see it now; a blood covered, semi triangular piece of glass about the size of a ladybug. It shimmers in the lamplight.

“Did you get it all?” I ask with a gasp, feeling rather exasperated.

“This is the third piece I have found, in case you weren’t counting.” She states simply. “You're doing really well, hang in there, I just want to be sure I haven’t missed anything.” She drops the fragment into the trash bin next to us and then once again lifts my hand for a closer inspection. “Ah! A tiny little chip here.” She exclaims after a moment, before digging into the corner of my hand and producing a sificangly smaller piece of glass this time. “I think that ought to do it.” She finishes, which is music to my ears. Especially as the tweezers, necessary as they may have been, have renewed the flow of blood from my hand.

“Thanks for the help Sora, I would have surely ended up at the hospital if it weren’t for you.” I say, trying to ignore the stabbing pain which radiates from my palm.

“I’m just glad you noticed the bottle before we let the wound close up.” She smiles at me softly, before pulling the bottled water out from my jacket and unscrewing the lid.

“This might be a little uncomfortable but we need to wash it out ok?” I simply nod at her, trying to grit and bear it the best I can. The water is frigidly cold as she slowly tilts my hand at an angle and pours a steady but small stream directly onto the wound. The water spills over the side of my palm, washing onto the bricks beneath us, taking some of my blood along with it. I shudder from the icy temperatures, which only serves to irritate my pain receptors. I can’t help but to groan loudly as shivers travel up my arm. After washing out the wound channel itself, Sora proceeds to gently scrub the majority of dried blood off my hands. She stops pouring once a little over a third of the bottle is empty. She releases my hand and I instinctively pull it back, cradling it once again in my uninjured hand.

“Aww Taichi...look at you, you're trembling. This isn’t good.” Sora says with apprehension. I look down and realize that my entire right arm is shuddering slightly. “Maybe we should go to hospital after all, just to be safe?”

I look down at my hand, the skin around the wound is red and irritated but the cut itself doesn’t look as bad as expected. “Let’s not be too hasty Sora, I think I might just need a few minutes to compose myself.” Feeling exhausted, I slump down, with my back sliding against the light pole. I look up to see Sora staring at me with unease. “Just need to catch my breath for a sec.” I say trying to reassure her.

"Still feeling the alcohol?" Sora asks me in that worried motherly way of hers.

"Yeah a bit" I respond " I guess it was all that running around but I'm feeling a little queasy to be honest, don't think it's bad enough that I'm going to throw up though."

"I'm really sorry Taichi, take your time, if you do end up needing to puke there is a trash bin right here at least." She unscrews the lid of the water bottle and lowers it down to me. "In the meantime you're almost certainly dehydrated. Drink some water; hopefully you'll feel a little bit better after you rest for a few. Sorry that the bottle is so cold."

I nod and accept the bottle with my left hand. It's freezing within my bare-handed grasp but Sora is absolutely right, I've been drinking too much alcohol and not enough water to balance it out this evening; a surefire path to a dreadful hangover. The icey temperature would be refreshing on a hot summer day, yet freezing as I am right now, this feels more akin to snacking on shaved ice in the middle of a snowstorm. I suck it up however, taking a few big swigs from the bottle and the ice water runs down my throat causing me to shiver all over again. I leave about a quarter of the bottle full, partially because of the temperature and partially in case we need it later. Shaking slightly, I hand it back to Sora who closes it and returns it to the jacket pocket.

Sora then looks between me and my hand for a moment, before suddenly unbuttoning the jacket that I lent her. She works quickly to pull it off her body, until she is standing before me in her jeans and blouse once again.

“Sora, I gave my jacket to you tonight for a reason. I don’t want you to be cold either.” I say protesting, what I assume is Sora offering my jacket back to me for warmth.

“You're going to get sick if this keeps up. Just put it on while you're catching your breath, I’ll take it back shortly, I promise Taichi.” I nod slightly and grab for it with my left hand. I slowly and carefully work it onto my body, but decide against covering my wounded arm, opting instead to drape it over my shoulder. When I’m finished I look up and to my immense shock see Sora pulling her blouse over her head.

I open my mouth to say something, but can’t find the words as I sit practically frozen in place. I watch as Sora’s toned lower abdomen comes into sight briefly before her white Uni Tokyo undershirt falls back into place. Why is she taking her shirt off in the middle of a public park? Why is she taking her shirt off at all for that matter? I find myself completely dumbfounded as my best friend seems to be undressing on a frigid late-autumn night.

When she is finally free of her blouse, Sora grabs hold of it in her left hand then slowly looks back down at me. I can’t help but continue to stare at her in silence. Her facial expression which is at first rather neutral, twists into one of nervous embarrassment when our eyes meet. A blush creeps up her face, obviously recognizing the way that I am staring at her. We sit there for a moment, eyes locked in awkward silence, until she suddenly speaks. “Can you uh...hold this for me for a minute...I’ll be right back...just...wait here ok?” Sora stutters practically tossing her blouse at me. Usually I would attempt to catch it with my uninjured hand, but I’m so stunned that her top simply just falls into my lap. The next thing I know Sora is sprinting off back towards the restrooms, my multitool still clenched in her fist. Then she rounds the corner of the building and out of my line of sight. What the heck just happened?

I catch my breath and the shivering seems to subside as I lean against the pole for a number of minutes. Hopefully a drawn-out trip to the emergency room can be avoided thanks to Sora's quick thinking, but I must admit my body is kicking me right now for its recent mistreatment. I’ve already been running on a lack of sleep with my class assignments recently, so when you factor in tonight’s alcohol and sprinting around campus I suppose my fatigue is only natural. It really is bitter out right now, but the jacket is somewhat warm from being on Sora’s body, and that warmth seems to reinvigorate my tired muscles. My hand on the flip side is still freezing and in no small degree of pain, but I do my best to ignore it. Honestly, I’m a bit worried about Sora randomly running off in her undershirt like that, plus I can’t hear her at all from this distance over the wind. That being said, I trust Sora with my life and know she would not just run off on me like that. So I decide to rest my eyes for a minute and wait for her to come back.

If not for the chill in the air and the radiating pain from my palm I might have passed out right here against the light post. It is for the best that I cannot despite my body's clear desire for slumber, I recognize that I need to be sharp and present in case Sora needs me. I'm honestly not sure if I could stand up if I wanted to right now, but if Sora needs me I'll make it work as I always do; just as she would for me. So I sit quite still for some time in a meditative silence with my eyes clenched shut but my ears tuned and ready. Not really thinking about much of anything just sitting, listening, and waiting.

Eventually, I hear the sound of her footsteps approaching. I open my eyes to yet another unusual sight. As Sora gets within a few meters of me, I quickly realize that her belly is exposed to the cold air. I almost double take as I see her doing her best to cover the newly exposed skin with one arm. When I see what she is holding in her other hand, it all clicks into place in my head.

“Sora you didn’t have to do that.” I say feeling rather guilty. “You’ve had that shirt since orientation.”

When she reaches me, a slight smile forms on her face. “Yeah I liked the shirt Taichi, but believe it or not I like you more. Crazy I know!” She grins at me now. Before I can even attempt to stand up, Sora gets down on one knee directly in front of me. “Now let me see that hand.”

I bashfully extend my right hand to her, and Sora begins wrapping the long strip of cloth around my open palm. She wraps it rather tightly, causing me some momentary discomfort as the cotton material digs into my skin; that pain soon eases however. She then ties the excess length into a firm knot on the backside of my hand. Finally, she checks her handiwork to ensure that the temporary bandage will stay in place. “That should do well enough until we get back to my apartment, then we can get that cut properly cleaned and dressed.” Once satisfied, she stands back up and extends her left hand out for me to grab. I do just that, and Sora helps me back to my feet while I clutch her blouse against my stomach, preventing it from falling to the ground. I stumble slightly upon standing, but she helps to stabilize me against the lamppost.

“Thanks Sora...really thank you. Don’t know what I would ever do without you.” I say as I find my balance again.

“Hey, what else are best friends for?” She responds quickly, giving me a gentle and playful punch on the shoulder. “Now can I have my top back, it is unbelievably cold like this.”

I hand the blouse back to her and she rushes to put it back on. I begin to slip my jacket off as she does this.

“Taichi wait… you don’t have to.” She starts.

“Sora you promised! And I’m even more adamant about this now that you’ve ripped up your under shirt!” I exclaim, cutting her off. I had a feeling she might try to get out of it.

“Fine…” She pouts, grabbing the jacket from me as I finish removing it. “I’m concerned for your wellbeing in this cold too, you know.” She gripes.

“I know I know” I chuckle softly. “I just won out this time.” She crosses her arms to this response, before begrudgingly slipping my coat back onto her body.

After bundling up, Sora looks around at the park surrounding us for a brief moment. Perhaps just now being able to take it all in, as she was too concerned over my injury beforehand.  "It's a good thing the park is so dead right now, we must look like quite the pair. You, intoxicated with your hand cut up and wrapped in a scrap of shirt. Me walking around with a makeshift crop top and my eyes all puffy from crying." She chuckles then, seemingly more exasperated and amused than upset at our situation.

 "I suppose they would have quite a few questions for us." I reply giggling, with a slight amusement of my own. Sometimes you just have to find the humor in the unexpected absurdity of a situation. “So what do you think Sora? Back to your apartment or should we actually enjoy the view since we’re here?”

She raises a finger to her chin for a moment, furrowing her brow as she thinks. “Part of me wants to head home before we experience any other turns of bad luck, plus I do wanna see to your hand. But...I guess we did walk all the way here, and how often is it this quiet at Shinobazu? Are you sure you're ok to be out longer in the cold? And I want an honest answer Taichi, don’t go acting all tough for me.” She finishes bluntly.

“It’s cold Sora sure, but honestly I’d like to hang out here with you, at least for a little bit. After all, like you said we already went to the trouble of coming down by the pond. Besides, if I am being totally honest, my legs are killing me at this point.”

She smiles at me sympathetically. “Let’s find ourselves a bench with a nice view in that case, in fact, I have an idea.”

“Oh?” I ask inquisitively.

“Just follow me.” She says softly, grabbing hold of my arm.

End of Part VI-

Thank you to everyone who has been reading!

Chapter Text

Together we slowly stroll toward the walkway that runs parallel to the pond. My aching muscles seem to shudder with each step but Sora supports my weight and keeps to a gentle pace that I can manage. We walk north along the water's edge as Sora apparently scans the area for a bench with suitable scenery. If we have the park to ourselves then we might as well find the best seat in the house right? Strolling up the strip of land not far from the boat rental dock, I am rather curious to know what spot Sora has in mind for us. When we have come here in the past, traditionally we just plop down on whatever bench is open and convenient; however tonight Sora obviously has something special in mind. Eventually, she leads us onto a raised viewing platform above the northern side of the main pond. Sora observes our surroundings for a number of seconds, gazes briefly between the various benches, then approaches one that is roughly in the middle of the raised wooden deck. She lowers herself onto the seat, then pats the open space next to her, and I do not hesitate to get off my aching feet; slumping down heavily next to her. Huffing slightly, my cloudy breath spreads through the frosty lamp-lit air. With time my body begins to find it's natural tempo once again. We sit in silence for a while, Sora is looking around at the surrounding city, and I am watching her as she scans the horizon.

“Do you know why I picked this spot in particular Taichi?” She turns to me, looking directly into my eyes.

I shake my head.

She raises her finger towards the northwestern skyline. “Over in that direction, though it’s too far to really see much detail from here, is Hikarigaoka” She says fondly in a low voice.

“Where we used to live...and where we first met!” I exclaim feeling an instantaneous shared wave of nostalgia wash over us.

“Exactly.” Sora says warmly, and I can tell she is smiling just from her tone. “And over there…” She continues, twisting her body around and pointing all the way to the left of us, where off in the distance, between some skyscrapers, if you look hard enough you can just barely make out a glowing bridge by the Tokyo bay. “Is where we grew up...”

“...Odaiba.” I whisper, surprised by my own guttural emotional reaction. “You really did pick the best spot in the park Sora...” With that she snuggles closer to me, opting to rest her head on my shoulder.

“I thought you’d like it.” She whispers into my ear.

I strain my eyes to observe the rainbow bridge. After living with Sora in Odaiba for most of my life, it feels rather strange to have that bridge be so far away from us now. “Hey Sora, do you often find yourself missing home?” I ask her suddenly in response to my own thoughts.

“All the time, it’s strange not being close enough to visit our parents regularly. Even if we could make the trip, often we are just too busy with everything on campus as well. Of course we don’t get to see our friends from Odaiba that often either; I do really miss them.  But...I also really like University; you know my parents, I love them with all of my heart, but they can be very strict and traditional; my mother especially. Being away at school like this, well I have access to a level of independence that I’ve never really known before. That is unless you count our days in the Digital World anyway. It’s a bit scary, but it’s also really nice to be my own boss in life. Plus honestly Taichi, having you at college with me makes being away from Odaiba one hundred times easier. I’m really glad you helped push me to come here.”

“That’s funny.” I say quietly, as I consider her words.

“What is?” She asks, lifting her head from my shoulder, clearly a bit perplexed.

“I was just thinking the same thing...that is...I’m really glad you came to university with me Sora. Wouldn’t be the same without you.” Wouldn’t be home with you either. I think to myself, but bite my tongue.

“Aww, how sweet! And here I was worried that my drunken bestie was about to blurt out something inconsiderate again…I tease Taichi...mainly…” She giggles gently, laying her head back down upon my shoulder.

I join her, as we share a light laugh. “I think I’m finally sobering up at this point.”

“I’m glad.” Sora says simply, then continues. “What about you Taichi, do you miss Odaiba a lot?

“Yeah, I miss home a lot more than I ever realized that I would. I was pretty ready to get out there on my own after highschool, and finally figure out what the heck I should do with my life. But now and again, like sometimes late at night when I’m laying in bed, I think about home. But it’s always too late at night to go calling our apartment. I mean I miss Hikari, my parents, the other Digidestined, being able to go for a bike ride around Odaiba to clear my head, and all that stuff you know?”

“Yeah...I know what you mean.” She says softly. “Honestly, I’m a bit surprised you don’t call your mother more often. I know she’d like you to...not trying to give you a hard time of course Taichi. It’s just strange to me. Your mom’s been supportive of you since, well since as far back as I can remember. She really seems to believe that you and Hikari can do anything you set your minds to. Ever since I was little, my mom seems to have imagined me growing up and following in her footsteps with Ikebana. In a lot of ways our mother’s have always been polar opposites, but I know they both love us more than we will ever fully comprehend.”

Sora’s words seem to stir up emotions deep within me. It is a subject that honestly, I’ve gone out of my way to avoid thinking about. “You're right Sora, and really I should call her more often. It’s just...I don’t know sometimes I feel like she sees more greatness in me than I see in myself. Like she overestimates what I’m capable of. I don’t know why, but when I talk with her on the phone I find myself feeling awkward, and sometimes even a bit angsty for no good reason. Like you said, she’s always been supportive of us. Even before we were Digidestined she seemed to think that we could take on the world. Remember how she was one of the first adults to embrace our Digimon, despite the fact that we were small children walking around with monsters? It should be easy to reach out to her every week, I don’t really know what my issue is to be honest.”

Sora reaches out and ever so gently holds my wounded hand for support. “We’re at a pretty pivotal point in our lives Taichi, university is all about figuring out what we want to do, and I guess who we want to be by extension. She has every reason to be proud of you, but still it concerns you. If you’re worried that you’ll let her down, I understand, truly I do. I know something about feeling like a let down. I had to fight for university, yet now that we are approaching graduation I still don't know exactly what I'm going to do with my career. I keep thinking that they'll be so disappointed in me. I mean my mom didn’t even want me to go to college. You remember of course, she was upset with me when I even floated the idea. She took it as a rejection of the family floral business, of the skills she taught me, maybe even of our family name itself to an extent. I’ve always been a bit different from her, and that was something she struggled to come to terms with.” 

"We tried our best to see eye to eye with each other over the years, but there were days when it was very difficult for both my mother and I. The idea of me running off to university distressed her, as if it was somehow an indication that she failed me as a parent; it wasn’t obviously, just an effort for me to find out who Takenouchi Sora really is and what she stands for. But my mother didn’t view it as a personal issue, she viewed it as a family matter. I’m their only child, and so the family name rests squarely on my shoulders. Even my father, a well-regarded professor himself, stayed largely neutral on the matter. Of course he said that he would support me in furthering my education, but added that it was an issue that my mother and I needed to work out. But it’s my life, all I wanted was his open support to make my own decisions.” I sense Sora getting frustrated even as she speaks, and I give her hand a gentle squeeze to remind her that I’m there for her.

Sora looks at me with tears welling in her already irritated eyes. “Sorry Taichi, you already know all this; besides you were talking about your family situation. I didn’t mean to override you.” She says bashfully as she wipes her eyes.

“No, Sora, please go on. I want to hear what you have to say, what you are feeling. I know I’ve never been great at responding to your feelings or knowing the right thing to say. But I want to be here for you Sora, it’s what I’ve... always wanted.” I say as I gently rub my thumb back and forth over the backside of her hand. “Speak your mind Sora, I’m listening.”

Sora looks positively shocked by my response, I hope in a good way, as I really do have a history of putting my foot in my mouth with her. She inhales deeply trying to center herself. “Thanks Taichi...I haven’t thought much about these things for a while; no idea why it’s all bubbling to the surface now.” She utters with a jagged breath, then pauses seemingly looking for the right words. “I just never imagined that the idea of me exploring different careers would be so controversial in my household. Sure, I was beyond nervous to tell her that I was considering college; it took me weeks to build the courage to do so in fact, but deep down I hoped that she would be understanding. But she shut down on me, acted as though it was a personal betrayal even though she never outright said it. She gave me the cold shoulder for days, and then said the only reason I was doing it was to “rebel against her.” It was as though I was never expected to make my own life choices, as though I was a woman living in the feudal era or something. Be what your family expects you to be, marry who your family expects you to marry. It is so aggravating, but I also know that it’s not one sided. Over the years she and I made a lot of compromises for the sake of our relationship.”

Sora looks at me and takes another deep breath before continuing. “You know better than anyone Taichi that I was far from a traditional Japanese daughter, whatever that is supposed to mean anyway. From the moment I was old enough to leave the house on my own two feet, I wanted nothing to do with dolls, dresses, and daintiness; instead I wanted challenge and adventure. It wasn’t so much that I wanted to “be like a boy”, I just wanted to be me. My parents of course realized this and for a number of years my mom let me live that lifestyle; but after I injured my knee all of that changed. I know she genuinely cared and worried about me, but I loved playing soccer with the girls and with you, it was part of my identity."

"At first she wanted me to give up sports entirely and instead work at the flower shop every day. In fact, that was the last argument we had before I left for summer camp, and incidentally we all ended up in the Digital World. After we made it back home, my mother and I spent a lot of time talking. She did care about my feelings and she did love me, but she’s traditional, and heavily disliked the idea of her daughter playing a “rough and dangerous” sport like soccer. She really hated how I injured my leg and was worried that it might be something more serious next time. But I told her that the idea of being forced to give up sports entirely made me miserable."

"So my mother listened to my needs, not conceding entirely of course, but she suggested that I pick up tennis instead. Tennis would still allow me to remain physically active, but it was a solo sport that involved practically zero physical contact with other players. We loved each other deeply and wanted to make it work; so we struck a bargain. I worked in the flower shop part time, but only when I didn’t have tennis matches or practice to attend. As you obviously know I also insisted that I be allowed to hang out with you and the others, but promised we wouldn’t play soccer anymore. Neither of us were fully happy with the resulting arrangement, but at the same time it became deeply meaningful that we both gave up something that we wanted for the sake of one another. We both made concessions, but neither party had to fully lose out. My mother and I coexisted like that for many years, discussing our issues and making compromises."

"However, that was just the problem with going to university, there was no bargain to be made. I couldn’t physically attend the University of Tokyo with you on the mainland, and help run the flower shop back in Odaiba at the same time. Sure I could assist her seasonally, but she was used to me being her primary assistant and protégé. Besides when I did come back in the off season, I would be out of practice and my mother would surely notice that fact. There were no two ways about it, in this case someone had to win and someone had to lose, there would be no great compromise…” The pain is more than apparent in her voice as she takes a deep inhale to steady herself.  “I can’t believe it is years later and I’m still not over this...”

I take a slight lull in her retelling as an opportunity to comment. “I know you’ve shared some details with me as well as our friends in the past, but perhaps you simply need time to think and talk it all out. I know sometimes you stop yourself from really opening up, even to Mimi or Hikari because you're worried about becoming a burden to others; despite the fact that you and I both know they would never see you as such.” I make the suggestion in an attempt to comfort her and reconfirm that I do not mind listening to her story. “Of course I remember that time quite well Sora, you were absolutely devastated; and in the moment, you seemed certain that you would have to be the one who would end up sacrificing their goals. Even though it was over three years ago now, I remember that late night call like it was yesterday. Your mother was so upset that she wouldn’t even hear you out. And your father wouldn’t argue on your behalf, despite the fact that he admitted you would likely thrive in college, despite the fact that your parents wouldn’t have met if it wasn’t for his university. I wanted to be supportive of you, but I just remember you sounding so hurt and hopeless over the phone. Inside I was terrified that they would force you to stay and work at your mother’s shop. You know I think a lot of your parents, but all of that, it just wasn’t fair to you. It was a very important matter to you and they weren’t treating you like an adult, it’s no surprise that you still have strong feelings in regard to that situation.” I say hoping I’m not overstepping my boundaries by criticizing her parents.

Sora just nods to my statement however, and looks back out over the large body of water. “You know...if it wasn’t for everyone backing me up...I probably wouldn’t be here today. I’ve never been one to put my foot down with my mother, and when I do it doesn’t usually go very well. Truthfully, I started to feel guilty about even considering university, as though I was actually the one being selfish and disrespectful to my family. But Mimi, Hikari, Yamato...Piyomon...and you, well you guys wouldn’t hear it. You all insisted that “it was my life and my choice at the end of the day”; you were right of course, but after almost a decade of cultivating a positive relationship with my mother, well I couldn’t just throw it all out to chase unknown passions. So when I was ready to sacrifice an academic future for my mother’s sake, Taichi you begged me to have a full family sit down with both of my parents, and explain exactly what it would mean for me to have their open support to go to university. I was afraid to confront them after they reacted as they initially did, but you gave me the courage to see it through. Later when my mother and father hugged me, told me that they were very proud of me, and that they would miss me when I was away at school; well I just broke down on the spot. I know I told Mimi, but don’t think I ever told you that part of the story. I was so mentally prepared for a rejection that never came, and the support and love that I felt was almost unreal. When I went to my bedroom afterwards, Piyomon was instantaneously under the impression that they rejected my bid for college, because I literally couldn’t stop crying long enough to tell her what happened. I was so overwhelmed that evening, I wanted to call you first and foremost, but I decided that I wanted to tell you the good news in person, and preferably not when I was bawling my eyes out.”

I nod at her recollecting the following conversation well. “You had me meet you bright and early on the soccer field where we used to play by my house, you wouldn’t tell me why, but I knew it had to have something to do with college. Walking to the park that morning, I was seriously under the impression that we were meeting so that you could break the news to me lightly; that I would be going off to university without you. I’ve never been so happy to be wrong about something. Crazy to think all of that is so long behind us now right?”

“Yeah seriously...I can’t even imagine what my life would be like today, had all of you not given me that boost to come here. ”

“We pushed you to confront your parents because we knew it wasn’t just about going to college, it was about having the ability to make your own choices in life. None of us would have judged you if you decided to pass on university, but it needed to be your decision, not your parents. All we did, Sora, was tell you what you already knew. You're the one who confronted your traditional parents, not us. I didn’t give you that courage, you already had it within you...You know...when I went off on you before…” I pause as I feel a little hesitant to finish the statement. But Sora gives me a gentle look that tells me it’s ok to continue. “Which I am very sorry about by the way...”

“It’s alright Taichi, I mean it’s not...but you know what I'm trying to say. I’ve had my share of blockheaded moments too. I know you didn’t mean it the way it came out...it just hurt to hear you sound so frustrated...so done with me. It felt like you thought I was being disingenuous in my praises, which couldn’t be further from the truth. You’ve never spoken to me quite like that and to be honest it kind of freaked me out.” She speaks rather dolefully.

“I really am so sorry Sora. The truth is it does make me sad when it feels like you don’t give yourself credit, when you don’t see your own potential. But that’s only because I’ve seen how capable you are first hand. So I really dislike when you sell yourself short. Not everybody would have been able to have that conversation with their parents, especially when your mother was as adminently against university as she was. You're braver than you think you are. But it’s so much more than that...Look...I never told anyone this, not even Hikari...you know when Yamato and I first worked out our friendship, he more or less became the de facto co-leader of the Digidestined?”

She nods at me slowly.

“Well if you had asked me at the time who my co-leader was, I would have said you.”

Sora gazes at me with utter disbelief. “Your co-leader...what...what do you mean?”

“Sora, if there was anybody that I trusted back in the Digital World above all others, maybe even more than Agumon, it was you. You were wicked smart, had great instincts, were deeply caring, kept a cool head, and literally always had my back. I know you tend to criticize yourself for certain moments, like when you ran off from the rest of the group after the incident at the pyramid, but I won’t ever forget that the entire reason you ran off on your own in the first place was to look for me. I was lost and separated from the group so you were worried about me. And the only reason you stayed away was because someone hurt you and tried to convince you that you weren’t worthy of your crest, that you didn’t deserve to be part of the team. Even then you continued to watch and support us from the shadows. You didn’t walk away out of selfish reasons, quite the opposite in fact; you hid from us because you were misguidedly afraid that you would hold us back, that you somehow weren’t worthy to be a Digidestined. In reality though, you're more worthy than anyone I know…and I am not just saying that to console you, I truly believe that you were the best of us.”

“I don’t mean to sell myself short...sometimes I just…” She pauses. “You really felt this way back then Taichi? Don’t get me wrong I know you trusted me and I you, but co-leader?” She says trailing off to a contemplative silence.

“Still do.” I nod. “Honestly, I should have told you this years ago; but I thought that it was all perhaps a bit petty, me dictating who I thought was worthy of a group title when we were fighting for our lives. I was the one who wanted to be “leader of the Digidestined”, you just wanted to help people who needed us and find a way home. I knew you didn’t care about titles like that, and though you had plenty of confidence in us, you probably wouldn’t have even seen yourself as worthy of such a title. But in my head and in my heart, I knew you were the glue that kept us together; my co-captain who I very literally never would have survived without. I really mean it Sora. Yamato means a lot to me, don’t get me wrong, but you guys were on a different level; to my shame I never properly expressed that to you. In the years that followed, you pulled back from being a Digidestined, so it became more concrete to everyone that Yamato was second in command. With our Mega forms and with Omnimon it seemed almost fated to be that way. But your crest wasn’t accidental Sora, and I still believe that you were the very heart of our group. I mean who was it who broke up the constant fights between Yamato and I, and did her best to have us see eye to eye? Who defended my leadership when the others lost faith in me? Who helped me think over all of my strategies? Who would help us stay positive when we felt lost and defeated? Who puts the safety and wellbeing of everyone before themselves? Who supported each of us, but was never afraid to show someone the error of their ways? Who never left my side no matter how dangerous or uncertain our mission became? You said before that I was the one who turned us into a team, and while that may be the case, you were the one who kept that team together, who helped to give that team purpose. You may have slowly backed out of your active combat role over the years, but you were still always there for us when we really needed you. When it mattered most I could always count on you Sora, and I will never ever forget that.”

I find myself wanting to say more, but at a loss of where to go next. Before I can collect my thoughts, I feel Sora’s arms wrap themselves tightly around my waist, her head gently resting on my shoulder once again. “Thanks Taichi...I never knew. Years later or not, it means a lot to hear you say those things.”

“It’s true Sora, I swear it. You mean a lot to me and you always have.” I say softly embracing her warmth. “Now that I’ve finally said it, honestly I feel pretty guilty for making you wait to hear it for so long...”

She hushes me then. “It isn’t as though I haven’t known that you care for me Taichi. I’ve spent nearly my entire life growing up by your side; I just never knew you felt so intensely about my role in the team, especially back then. Hearing this now honestly is a little overwhelming; yet I can’t say I blame an eleven year old boy who was trying to save everyone, for not being able to communicate complex emotions like an adult. And you're not wrong, even though I could shove it to the back of my mind when someone needed my help, I wasn’t exactly overflowing with self-confidence back then, particularly when it came to my crest as you know. I’m not sure what the heck I would have even done with you naming me co-leader at the time; even now the concept feels strange, not to say I dislike it...it’s just strange...College aged or not I’m just happy you’ve told me.”

We sit there embracing for an unknown amount of time, enjoying the calm of the night together. This time the silence doesn’t lead to any self-deprecating thoughts on my behalf, but a sense of tranquility instead. It honestly feels really good to have finally expressed to Sora how much her support meant to me back in the Digital World. While I’m usually more than comfortable to share much of my feelings with Sora, Hikari, Yamato or...Agumon; there are some subjects that I’m not comfortable broaching with all four of them. In fact, and perhaps it's not that unusual, but there are some subjects that I keep entirely to myself, especially in recent years. This was one of those cases, my thoughts that Sora deserved to be our official co-leader, having been locked in my head for over a decade. To the point that I’m pleasantly surprised that I had the courage to tell her tonight.

Not to say that I never tried to convince Sora that she doesn’t give herself enough credit, but I feel I am something of a hypocrite for getting frustrated by her self-doubt yet keeping the depth of my admiration from her. I love seeing Sora smiling and confident; and though I feel guilty for keeping my feelings for her, that sense is overpowered by a profound feeling of content for being with her tonight. In those moments resting with Sora by the waterside I determine to address the elephant in the room directly so to speak, that is if she is willing to discuss it; as I feel this chat has already done wonders for us and may continue to lift her spirits after a rough evening.

“Sora?” I say gently breaking the long silence, to which I feel her shifting slightly against me.

“Hmm?” She mouths quietly, still likely lost in her own train of thought.

“Can we talk about tonight, Sora? I mean like with the party and everything?” I ask her a little awkwardly.

I can tell from her movements that she has heard me, as I felt her entire body stiffen in response to the question; yet she remains dead silent for a number of seconds.

“Only if you are up for it of course Sora, we can always chat about it another time, or even forget I mentioned it at all if you prefer.” I say trying to reassure her that it was more of a request than a demand.

She is silent again, and at this point I’m not sure what to say, worrying that I may have ruined our moment together. Fortunately, I don’t end up having to find other words as Sora eventually responds. “No...it’s ok Taichi, we can talk about it. But perhaps on our walk back to my apartment? Are you feeling better?” She asks with genuine concern and a pause. “Cuz I’m the one wearing a jacket and even I’m starting to get pretty cold at this point. The lake's beautiful right now but the cold air coming off of it isn’t exactly helping our body temperatures. I'm really glad we came out here but you're already injured and I don't want you getting sick as well."

Even though every part of my body which is not pressed up against Sora is absolutely freezing, it feels a shame to leave this place. I was really enjoying us having the park to ourselves, but doubtlessly Sora is right, we really should get moving before either of us gets sick or it gets even later than it already is. So after a brief pause I nod gently to her. “Yeah my feet are feeling ten times better and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t feeling a bit chilly myself. But Sora?” I say trailing off.

“Yes Taichi?” She asks, looking into my eyes with marked curiosity.

“We haven’t been going to the park like this in some time. Do you think we could do this again soon...the two of us?” I ask a little bashfully.

She takes the briefest of pauses and smiles gently before answering “I’d love to Taichi. Let's just remember to both wear proper attire next time.” She chuckles gently. With that she slowly stands herself up and offers me her hand once again; and once again Sora helps pull me to my feet. My muscles quiver slightly under my weight and I can tell that I’m going to be sore tomorrow; but our rest on the bench has given me enough energy to at least make it back to Sora’s place, and then my apartment after that.

“Might have skipped my workout this morning had I known I’d be running around like this.” I joke to Sora as I stretch my legs.

Sora giggles gently then leads us towards the viewing platform’s exit. “Worry not for your poor legs, I don’t plan on us needing to do anymore running tonight, at least I certainly hope not.” She stays close and seems to eye me with extra caution as we make our way down the few steps leading back to the lakeside pathway

Chapter Text

As we trek south, tracing our earlier steps back through the park, I take notice as Sora reaches into her pant pockets and appears to become a bit distressed.

“Is everything ok Sora?” I ask her.

“My phone...I guess I left it in my jacket back at the clubhouse, that wasn’t too bright.” She groans to herself.

Suddenly I’m even more relieved that I found Sora tonight. Had she wound up in some kind of trouble, she wouldn’t have had any easy time calling for help without her phone. “Try not to worry too much, I’ve got my phone on me and I’m not going anywhere. Plus you don’t have to worry about it getting lost or stolen, I got a text from Misaki on our way to the park; she found your jacket and is taking it back to her apartment for the night for safekeeping. If your phone is in the pocket of your jacket then it should be safe and sound until we can pick it up from her tomorrow. I was going to mention it earlier but you seemed like you had a lot on your mind.”

Sora breathes a sigh of relief as I tell her about Misaki’s message. “That’s one less thing to stress about at least, and just incredibly sweet of her, thank her for me won’t you?”

“One step ahead of you, I sent her a thank you message from the both of us to let the group know that you were doing ok.” I say, informing her of my text.

“Thanks Taichi, that was very considerate of you. We have some pretty good friends just like back home don’t we?” She asks with a cheery disposition.

“Definitely, I was just thinking the same thing before. Perhaps we can take her out for lunch next week as a little thank you gift for looking out for us.” I propose to Sora.

“I think that’s an awesome idea! So what’ll it be...ramen or hot pot?” She asks the pointed question with thick layer suspicion.

“I mean...it has been a little while since we last went to either…” I respond bashfully, she knows my seasonal preferences like the back of her hand. Once the temperature takes a dive, there’s nothing quite like hot pot or a steaming bowl of ramen to warm and fill you right back up.

“It’s only been like two weeks, Taichi.” She chuckles.

“Fine fine fine! You know I'll eat practically anything at the end of the day. We’ll let Misaki choose the place then. But when she chooses a ramen bar because it’s the perfect autumn pick-me-up, well you can’t blame me.” I retort, knowing that Misaki is also quite the ramen fan herself.

“Oh I think I’ll find a way.” Sora giggles with faux menace. “Oh by the way, not that we can do much about it, but just how late is it?”

I quickly reach into my pocket and grab my phone. I hadn’t bothered checking when I was texting Misaki earlier and we’ve been out for a while now; so I’m not too surprised when my screen lights up with the answer. “A bit past 2:45." I tell her with a shrug.

Sora looks at me with a saddened expression. “I’m so sorry for keeping you up and out this late Taichi, especially when you were already drunk and tired to begin with. Do you have to get up early for anything tomorrow?”

“It’s ok Sora honestly, I can just crash when I get back to my place. Fortunately I’m all caught up on work with no assignments due tomorrow, and figuring tonight might be a late one I didn’t book anything for tomorrow. I can afford to sleep in for once.” I say cheerfully, as I am quite ready to catch up on some lost sleep.

“I’m glad” She smiles “You’ve been seeming tired recently. You were a bit sluggish out on the field this week, well compared to your usual self anyway. These work deadlines can be killer sometimes, especially when trying to balance it with any half-normal social life. School work is important of course but so is rest. I hope you're not pushing that cute head of yours too far. After all you were the one who used to take all of those afternoon naps after school and soccer practice back in the day, recharging that overwise boundless pool of energy of yours. I don’t suppose you get to nap too much these days?”

Did Sora just say I had a cute head?… I do a bit of a mental double take in the moment, but continue to listen to her intently. “Nah I haven’t had a real nap in quite some time, usually I just don’t have the time in the day for them. Besides honestly these days when I do nap, I run a serious risk of throwing off my whole sleep schedule. Back then I could doze off for a while in the afternoon and have no issue passing out at bedtime. I do kinda miss those days though. Reminds me of those spring and summer afternoons back in elementary and middle school when we would find a nice shady patch of grass and just curl up for an hour or so. I’m not sure if you were usually even tired but you often joined me regardless. Probably sounds silly but those days are among my fondest summer memories.”

Sora looks at me with a large and vibrant grin which is easy to identify despite the darkness. “Oh wow I haven’t thought about our little naps in the park in ages!” She pauses for a moment as if recounting the specific memories herself. “That’s not silly at all Taichi, it was a wonderful way to spend a warm afternoon. I remember when we would play soccer together till we were ready to drop. Even when I wasn’t tired enough to join you in conking out, I would lay there next you to with my eyes closed: just feeling the sun on my skin from between the leaves, smelling the blossoming spring flowers, feeling the grass blades sway and tickle my skin...and to be truthful sometimes I would even…” She gives a long hesitated pause, her smile shrinking slightly. “Nevermind Taichi, it's too embarrassing.” She says in a low flustered voice.

“Aww come on Sora, don’t leave me hanging. You can tell me anything.” I honestly have no idea what it could be about those memories to cause her such embarrassment.

“Promise you won’t be weirded out by it or poke fun at me?” Sora asks hesitantly.

While I am no stranger to teasing my best friend, it’s usually all in good fun. So seeing that Sora is clearly and genuinely hesitant to tell me, I would feel like a real jerk making fun of something she is requesting I take seriously. There is no need therefore for me to hesitate as I speak to her. “Sora I promise you that I will not make a joke at your expense if this is something embarrassing for you.”

She fiddles with her short orange hair which pokes out the sides of my hat in a brief contemplative silence. “Sometimes…” She begins with a shaky voice. “I would lay my head against your chest...and I would listen to your breath and your heartbeat while you rested…It was...comforting to know my best friend was right there next to me; that you were relaxed enough with me that you weren’t afraid to be vulnerable in front of me. It wasn’t like you napped like that with just anyone...I guess I found it endearing that you liked to nap with me. At least… it seemed like you enjoyed napping with me, we did it fairly often back then. Sorry if that’s weird, if it was an invasion of your personal space...I...always hoped you wouldn’t mind but I was also a bit scared to ask.” She says with a bashfulness that is truly uncharacteristic of her. Sora looks away then, seemingly worried what my response will be.

My heart begins to race slightly as she tells me this, giving me pause before I can even think to respond. I could be quite a heavy sleeper as a child, still am really; so I had no idea that she would rest on my body like that. Not to say that I mind, quite the opposite, in fact just thinking about it causes a warm blush to wash over me. The only response I can muster at first escapes my lips “wow…” I quickly recognize that it probably is not the response Sora is hoping to hear; I look over and see that she is still not making eye contact with me. “Sora...I honestly don’t really know what to say.”

“I hope you’ll say you're not too mad at me for being a silly kid…” I hear her barely whisper.

“Sora...I’m not upset in the slightest, and I certainly wouldn’t have been upset back then…I’m just a little mind blown I guess. Honestly it’s kinda cute to think about...if that makes any sense. I'm actually happy to know that you felt so...comfortable with me.” I do my best to shake off my nerves and awkward tone. Now taking a deep breath to center myself “And by the way, of course I loved napping next to you Sora, like you said we did it pretty frequently after all. It always meant so much to me that you would dedicate those afternoons to being by my side, even if it was for something as simple as sleeping in the park. It’s not as though you didn’t have other things you could have been doing or other people to be hanging out with. Yet you choose to spend many of those summer hours with me.” I stutter with my heart pounding away.

Those buried romantic feelings for my orange-haired lifelong companion instantly come bubbling to the surface for the second time tonight. I only ever dreamed of doing that kind of thing with Sora; especially in my teens, cuddling and getting physical in a more intimate way than we were habituated to. Even though we were only young at the time, the knowledge brings me an unusual sense of satisfaction, to know that Sora not only felt comfortable getting that physical with me, but enjoyed it and sought it out...A repressed part of my subconscious begs me to ask Sora if she ever had feelings for me, but the thought of actually asking terrifies me; especially if it ends in rejection or worse repulsion. All these years and I’ve never had the courage to ask her, not so directly anyway. But she couldn’t love you, you idiot. I seem to taunt myself internally. If she did, don't you think you would have known by now?  

I want to say more to Sora but I find myself sulking in silence again. To my slight surprise Sora doesn’t seem to have anything to say either. I begin to wonder if I embarrassed her, but glancing at her now she at least does not look quite as hesitant as she did a moment or so ago. Once again she seems to look off in the distance as we stroll back towards the park exit. Perhaps contemplating my response in her head.

I find that I really do not want to be lost in silence again; somewhat afraid of my own thoughts, so I begin to speak once more. “Sora...did I say something wrong?” I ask with genuine concern.

She seems to be so far off in her thoughts that when she comes to her senses, she asks me to repeat myself; so I do.

“No, not at all!” She begins with a surprising level of energy. “Sorry I just got lost in memories and thought a bit there. What you said was quite sweet...and makes me rather happy. Thank you Taichi, I didn’t mean to just not reply to you. I guess I’m just feeling unusually nostalgic tonight.”

“Seriously Sora I understand. I haven’t been far behind you this evening. Plus my mind keeps going back to…” I start but she finishes my sentence for me.

“Agumon?” She asks simply with a hint of melancholy. Perhaps being reminded of Piyomon’s absence herself.

I simply nod in response, as my digital partner’s toothy grin takes shape in my mind.

“It’s only natural Taichi. It has been about six months now since we...lost touch with them. And besides, with you and I not getting to hang out one on one like this quite as often these days, well it makes sense that our shared memories would resurface tonight right? I get the feeling that both of us have been pushing some of these things to the back of our minds of late, perhaps some things that should be confronted, not buried.” Sora speaks the last part with a wisdom that quickly reminds me of just how sharp and witty I know her to be.

“Well said Sora, even though it isn’t always easy to come to terms with, I think you more or less hit the nail on the head there. The eight of us grew up in a pretty unique situation to say the least, and while I’m extremely grateful for it...it does make life complicated at times, more complex than I ever realized my life would become. I literally never thought I would be the type of person to just suppress my troubles and let them fester, yet here I stand. 

Eight of us went to the Digital World when we were kids; we built friendships that we thought would be lifelong. But now six of us have lost any means of contacting our digital partners, and while it breaks my heart to contemplate, we all know that Tailmon and Patamon will be leaving Hikari and Takeru in not too long. It’s not as though people aren’t sympathetic, heck we know all of our parents were heartbroken for us when our link to that world was severed. But still, there are only eight of us plus Daisuke and his team who really understand what it feels like to have that connection broken, and the original eight of us have been so preoccupied with life that we haven’t even all been together in one place since it happened. We were once a close knit team, and though we are all still friends, very close friends in fact, it feels as though we all grieve in isolution. Yet another reason I am really damn glad you are here at school with me, our friends here are great but I’m not sure I could ever talk about this stuff with them.”

“I am always here for you Taichi, I hope you know that. Not just as a fellow Digidestined, but as the girl who got to grow up with you. Who has your back through thick and thin.” Sora responds sweetly.

“I know Sora, and I honestly cannot put into words how much your support means to me. And I hope you know that I want to be there for you too, even if I’m not always the best at showing it.” I meekly state, referencing my many fumbles in relating to and helping her through her emotions in the past.

“Trust me, you're not as bad at reading my emotions as you think.” I raise a finger to protest. “Yes, I know I’ve gone off on you for it in the past...many times to be truthful. Don’t even get me started on the hair clip fiasco. But Taichi focusing only on our rough patches isn't exactly fair to either of us, if you were really that bad do you seriously think I’d still be by your side after all these years?”

I hesitate pretty heavily now, not really sure how to answer. I don’t want to lie to Sora but I’m also afraid to vocalize my fears of losing her; not to mention my romantic feelings which I feel are buried for good reason. Granted it's been quite some time, but on the occasions I try to drop hints or slightly broach the subject, suffice it to say it hasn't exactly been successful. And then there's the Yamato situation… The thought of Sora's potentially past, potentially current romantic interests for my formal rival and current close friend causes my body to tremble with a sense of hopelessness and fear. I can't help but worry that Sora has noticed this visceral reaction. Is she even over him? I question with a sense of dread looming over me. I've no right to be upset over her feelings, I should be happy for her whatever she chooses... but I'm not. 

Chapter Text

"Taichi?" Sora calls my name; clearly perplexed by my lack of response. Panicking now, ashamedly I look for an out to the line of questioning. After glancing around, I recognize that we recently left the park grounds and so I try to change the subject.

“Speaking of things that should be confronted, not buried, we should probably discuss tonight’s events before we wind up back at your place in no time. I’m sure your roommates are just as wiped out as we are, they may not appreciate our very early morning chat.” I say while directing her attention to the fact that we are heading back towards the outskirts of campus. It’s a cheap trick and dishonest to attempt to distract my best friend from the current topic like that; I honestly feel horrifically guilty as a result. Throwing her situation under the bus so I can avoid addressing my fears. Real fucking smooth Digidestined of Courage . I think berating myself once again, but this time assuredly more deserving of self-hate.

Sora looks at me with a strange expression. Like a mix of frustration and sorrow perhaps. Is she going to call me out on my bullshit? I wonder silently to myself. She glares at me for a moment with her face scrunched up as though she is analyzing me through the gloom of the night. I brace myself for her warranted reproach of me and my obvious changing of the subject, yet it never comes.  She simply lets out an audible sigh. “I suppose you’re right Taichi,” Sora says at last. “I did say we could discuss it on the way back. So where should we begin?”

Right now I’m not sure if Sora simply didn’t notice my lame deception or perhaps was simply determined not to fight me on it. Either way I feel really bad. But considering that I do genuinely want to discuss the events of this evening, this after all being the reason we are out here in the first place; and because she seems receptive enough, for now at least I plan to continue us down this topic of conversation. Yet how do we properly broach this delicate subject? I wonder to myself.

I ponder in a low muttered contemplation to myself for some seconds, and Sora silently watches me as she awaits my response. “I suppose we might as well start at the beginning when this night first went off the rails. I’m sorry for not having saved you a seat next to me at the soccer club, it was just me being drunk and absentminded and I feel really bad about it. Were you seriously not mad at all about that? After all, Sora, you went out of your way to ask me on our way to the clubhouse."

Sora seems to ponder to herself now, as if replaying the events in her head. The streets are darker here on the very outskirts of the college grounds and we take our steps carefully to avoid incidents as we approach the partially lit campus area.  We are probably less than a kilometer away from campus streets when Sora begins to speak without turning to me. “Honestly Taichi, my mind didn’t linger on it for very long. Was I a little frustrated in the moment? Sure, but I wasn’t actually mad at you. You just got caught up in the moment of the party; wanting to find a good seat for the film. It’s not as though you intentionally snubbed me or asked Misaki to sit next to you. Also it isn’t as though Misaki intentionally got between us; having had no idea we planned to sit together. She sat on the far end of the table from us during dinner, so perhaps she just wanted to spend some time with us before the holiday ended. Knowing her she would have totally moved if we asked, but I would have felt bad making a big deal out of the situation. In other words, it was a little slip up and one you obviously didn’t intend.”

Listening to her response I cannot help to think of how much we have both grown since fighting over a hairclip all those years ago.“And while I wholeheartedly appreciate the forgiveness and understanding in the situation.” I admit softly but wanting to touch up the issue at large. “My screw up left you stuck towards the middle of the sofa with students on the ground in front of you, leaving you with no easy exit from the room. So when something upset you, you didn’t exactly have that many options to address the situation. It was indeed the film that freaked you out I’m guessing?”

Sora simply nods but in a somewhat exaggerated fashion making it easy to detect even with the limited streetlight.

“You never said why you wanted to sit next to me when we talked about it after dinner, but looking back on it now it seems pretty obvious that you were hoping I’d be there to have your back during the film, maybe get you out of there if need be. Like me you don’t exactly enjoy horror movies and I’ve known that for a longtime, but I wasn’t taking your needs into account like I should have been. You expected your best friend to be there for you and I let you down.” I am about to continue but she cuts me off this time.

“That’s a great theory Mr. Holmes.” Sora says with a hint of annoyance. “Except for the fact that my asking you to sit next to me had nothing to do with the film!”

“Wait really?” I utter with earnest surprise.

“Yes really!” She responds still a little aggravated by my assumptions; but her tone softens then. “You're right that I dislike horror movies of course but I was enjoying our party so much that the film hadn’t really come to mind. I asked you to sit next to me because I wanted to sit next to my best friend. Like we’ve already addressed tonight, we haven’t exactly hung out one on one too much in the last several months. Maybe it’s foolish since I still see you at least once a week most weeks, but I guess I’ve just been missing you Taichi. So I figured we could spend a bit more time together if you didn’t mind.”

“I’m sorry Sora, I didn’t mean to assume. Just based on what happened, I figured you were counting on me.”

Sora sighs slightly now. “It’s not like I don’t understand your train of thought, it was a fairly sensible conclusion to come to, but you shouldn’t go beating yourself up about something like that, especially when you don’t even know the whole story. I seriously admire you looking out for me Taichi, but given that we are both in our twenties now I should be able to handle myself in a social setting; especially amongst friends. And I should certainly be able to manage sitting through a scary movie with those friends for a single night of the year. I’m positive I wasn’t the only one who is not a fan of horror movies at the party, after all you and I weren’t alone in voting against the film; yet I was the only one who couldn’t just sit through it, who made a big fuss over it. In fact you don’t really like horror movies either, but you being you, toughed it out for the sake of the group. All it took was a bit of bravery and knowing your friends were having a good time. I tried to be courageous like you and well we all saw how that ended up. I wonder if they even got to...”

I have no intention of mocking Sora’s feelings, but I cannot help but to chuckle at her mention of me “manning my way through the film”, cutting her off suddenly with a reflexive laughter.

Sora looks at me bewildered. “You’re the one who asked me to open up about tonight, to talk about my thoughts and reasonings...yet now you’re ridiculing me!” Her tone is a mix of hurt and rising anger. “Of all people I thought maybe I could talk to you Taichi, but after all these years you're still making light of my feelings!” She starts speeding her way up the pathway, not running but walking at a very fast stride. This appears to happen so quickly that honestly it takes a moment for my mind to process her reaction.

“Wait Sora!” I say sobering up from the unintended laughing fit. “It’s seriously not what you think!” I say pushing my body to match her speed; this against building aches and pains of my sore feet and muscles.

“Why do you have to be so weird sometimes, I thought we were really behind that childish fighting of ours. I thought we were having a moment.” She whispers the last part sadly.

“Sora please, let me explain I wasn’t laughing at you, I was laughing at myself!”

Sora stops suddenly and takes a deep and heavy breath. “Calm down...hear him out” I hear her mutter to herself under her breath. Before addressing me in a rather vexed tone. “What do you mean Taichi?”

I stop next to her and lock eyes with her. “Like I said only minutes ago, I have a hell of a way of putting my foot in my mouth with you and you know it.” Reading her expression I can tell she agrees yet does not want to admit it. “It’s ok you can say I’m a screw-up, I deserve it. I may tease you sometimes Sora, and sometimes I definitely push your buttons in moments when I should know better. But I hope you trust me enough to believe me when I tell you that I would never try to intentionally belittle your feelings. Think about it, I have been worried sick about you all night and already said I felt guilty about my role in all of this.” I watch as her expression softens yet her cheeks are still flush with embarrassment. “I’m worn out and still sobering up, you alluded to something that made me laugh, but I swear Sora I was not laughing at you.”

“So what the heck were you giggling about? Spit it out Yagami!” Sora uses my last name sternly and impatiently, struggling to hide that she is clearly more intrigued than angry now.

“Well…” I say scratching my cheek awkwardly, not really sure how she will react. “You were talking about how brave I was during the film, but to tell you the truth I was just drunk and completely zoning out. I uhh couldn’t even begin to tell you what happened in the movie. I know mine was the crest of courage, but I think in this case it would be more akin to the crest of daydreaming.”

She squints at me briefly before her gaze changes into one of wide eyed bewilderment. Her mouth agape for a moment before the muscles around her mouth pull into a wide grin, and then after a few seconds Sora loses it, laughing hysterically on the quiet university sidewalk.

“Ok now who is laughing at who!” I’m a bit flustered and thrown off by her reaction, laughing perhaps the hardest that Sora has laughed all night. Perhaps even overkill for the situation, but it seems that I really caught her off guard.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Sora chokes out between her furious laughing fit. “You always had your head in the clouds Taichi, but that...that is a different level.” I can see that she is trying her best to control this sudden outburst; fortunately for us the academic offices which we approach are almost assuredly vacant at this hour. “ between that blaring music and those blood-curdling screams and shrieks...jeez, only you could daydream during like the world's most gruesome slasher flick! If the gore and special effects weren’t bad enough, Kazuki had the volume cranked up so high I swear students walking by the building must have been able to hear the movie. Probably freaked them out too.” Sora’s laughter begins to subside and she gains control of her voice after taking a deep breath. “How you could ever manage to just drown something like that out and day dream, well perhaps it’s just one of those unique things about you, a great enigma. Kind of reminds me of you in grade school to be honest, there you would always be with eyes out the window. And if the teacher inevitably called on you I would do my best to cover for you...not to say I minded coming to the rescue when I could. Still…I used to wonder how you could zone out during school the way that you did.”

“Yeah yeah I know…” I sigh audibly, feeling embarrassed, yet simultaneously find myself quite relieved to see Sora laughing again. I pause for a moment thinking back to those days. “To be fair, it wasn’t exactly easy coming back to a normal life after adventuring in the Digital world. It was hard to focus on math or history when I knew that Digimon and untraversed lands were out there, practically waiting for us to explore...”

Sora lets out something of a sharp exhale, as though perhaps she regrets her outburst of giggles. Not that I really minded of course. "That does put things in perspective. In hindsight I understand Taichi, I suppose I always knew it to some extent. You especially really found your niche in being a Digidestined; then we had to just go back to being normal school students at the end of summer. No Digimon or quests, just lectures and exams. It was quite an adjustment for all of us….I’m...sorry I snapped at you.” She says bashfully.

“And I’m sorry I laughed when you were just trying to have a serious conversation with me. It wasn’t the time or the place for such a reaction, especially not without some kind of explanation first. I know I must be beginning to sound like a broken record but I’m very sorry Sora.”

“You don’t need to apologize Taichi, I’m the one who broke my own promise about us not fighting anymore tonight. I was just so shocked when you started laughing, I guess I wrongfully assumed the worst. At this point I really should know that I can trust you with my feelings, yet it can be difficult to discuss these things all the same. Silly as it may be I thought perhaps that you were mocking me...But you're sobering up and you're exhausted, not to mention the fact that the only reason you're out here well past two in the morning is because you went looking for me. The reality is I need to stop giving you a hard time so often, I was just feeling vulnerable and I reacted a bit...more than a bit harshly…” She mutters with glum disposition.

“It’s ok Sora really, it isn’t as though your anger with me isn’t often justified. Sometimes I swear I lack any and all situational awareness with you, despite being your best friend for like twenty years.” It dawns upon me that my rude laughing bout cut off the entire point of the conversation. “Wrong or right, I still interrupted your train of thought, I would like to hear the rest of what you have to say, assuming you don’t mind?”

She shrugs at me then “I don’t mind at all Taichi, but honestly I can’t remember where I left off and feel like I was more or less finished with the thought anyway. Is there something else you wanted to ask about?”

I give her a cursory glance before running my uninjured hand through my rather lengthy tuft of hair; mulling over the potential questions I could ask her. “There is in fact. Perhaps it should be rather obvious but I would like to hear in your own words, why exactly did the film upset you the way that it did. I’m seriously not judging but I know you Sora, we all have our moments but you aren’t exactly a timid, anxious, or easily frightened person. I mean heck I don’t think I’ve seen you cry like this since High School. That was when Piyomon temporarily lost her memory and big surprise I was being more than a little oblivious to your feelings at the time.”

Sora chuckles slightly to this admittance. “No arguments there.”

“So please don’t take this the wrong way,  but what freaked you out so much about it? I totally get you not liking the film; heck Misaki was clinging onto my shoulder seemingly for dear life when things in the flick got really violent. You obviously weren’t the only one disturbed by the movie, even so I haven’t seen you that vulnerable and afraid since...since...well I can’t even really recall.”

“Misaki was holding onto you?” Sora says in a quiet but shocked tone, a much more intense reaction than I would have expected from such a statement.

“Yeah… briefly...not that she realized it though.” I laugh slightly thinking back to it. “She was so engrossed in the film that she didn’t even notice that she was digging her nails into me until I pointed it out. She was very embarrassed about it but it was clearly an honest mistake.

“I suppose…” Sora briefly responds before trailing often, not even looking my way.

“Sora?” I call her name as I am feeling rather perplexed by the shift in focus and the silence.

“Yes Taichi?” She asks me innocently as if she had not even heard the question.

“I had asked what about the film bugged you so much.” I repeat the question to Sora, being sure to be a bit more clear this time. I suppose I’m not the only one feeling fatigued at this point.

“Oh of course...sorry…” She sighs rather loudly now. “It’s a bit ridiculous isn’t it Taichi, we’ve faced death defying odds when we weren’t even in our teens, but here I am as a young adult terrified of a fictitious story. I was a little creeped out at first, sure, but the film didn’t become a real problem to me until the killer started...torturing that poor girl...she was screaming and begging for mercy but...they just wouldn’t stop… I wanted to leave the room that instant; I wanted to be literally anywhere but the soccer club. I tried to be brave for you and for the others but the more the movie continued the more the characters were suffering. I tried to tell myself that no one was actually getting hurt, but it was all so visceral and graphic. Closing my eyes didn’t help either because I could hear them. Those screams just...felt so real. It...was as if they were calling out to me to save them, yet I was powerless to do anything about it...just like…” Sora steadies herself then, taking a few deep breaths.

“Take your time Sora, I’m listening. Just like what?” I ask with as patient of a tone as I can muster.

 “Just like...everyone we lost back when we were the Digidestined. The ones we couldn’t save... Whamon, Pixiemon, Leomon, Wizarmon, Mr. Oikawa, Mr. Nishijima, and so many others . No matter how hard we fought, tried to do what was right, there was always damage and casualties. How many humans died that night when the power went off in Tokyo? And how many Digimon risked their lives for us over the years? Those Digimon truly cared for us and died so that we might succeed in our mission. I know Koushiro always said that there is still a lot we don’t understand about Digimon; that they don’t necessarily die the same way that humans do, but it does not change the fact that we may never see them again. As a kid even though there were times when I was scared or times when I grieved, I was able to push past it and fight beside you. As I got older though, the burden of those losses, the weight of that responsibility became almost too much to bear. I cherished our adventures yet I simultaneously felt trapped by our chosen roles. It felt like I was never given the choice as to whether or not I wanted to be a warrior; a so-called paragon of love. Though my eleven year old self might have scoffed at the idea, eventually I yearned for that choice. The ability to simply decide if I wanted to fight monsters. In hindsight...I suppose it was not too dissimilar from the situation with my mother.”

“A bit of a running theme in your life I suppose. Wanting to control your own destiny.” I mutter thoughtfully. “Not to say that that is a bad thing of course. I think it is something that is probably easier said than done for many people.” I follow quickly wanting to clarify that it is an observance more so than a judgment.

Sora simply nods at me before continuing. “You know what followed of course, I slowly decreased my engagement with the team until I was no longer active in my role as a Digidestined. You guys never judged me for it; or at least you never vocalized your judgment if in fact you did. I could tell you never quite understood Taichi...understood why I needed a break from it all. I loved our team, our Digimon, working together to make the world a better place; but at the end of the day there was so much suffering and pain as well. There always seemed to be another fight on the horizon. And the solution to the challenges we faced were rarely easy...sometimes people got hurt no matter how hard we tried. I really enjoyed saving and protecting those who could not protect themselves, but I despised watching others suffer. Sometime around highschool I started to worry that it would not be long before I watched you or one of the others get hurt...maybe even killed.” Sora seems to visibly shiver as she speaks of the possibility of one of the Digidestined dying; something that we fortunately have never had to face, despite a few close calls.” As Sora says this my mind instinctively shoots back to almost losing Sora at the Pyramid, almost losing Hikari Mugendramon, and even my own near death with Nishijima Sensei.

“I guess the film, fake though it may have been, reminded me of that sense of hopelessness, that inability to save everyone no matter how hard you try. It reminded me of the real horrors that are out there in the world, the people who would torture and kill for whatever sadistic ideologies they have adopted. Whether they be human or digimon it really doesn’t matter, there always seems to be someone or something around the corner willing to hurt people to get their way. I mean just look at Menoa for example, I know what she did was horrible but I honestly can’t help but to feel a bit bad for her. Nearly driven mad with grief from the loss of her Digimon partner, she was willing to kidnap digidestined and separate them from their families, possibly forever, in a bid to live a fantasy world with our Digimon. If you and Yamato hadn’t stopped her, I have no idea what might have happened. Piyomon had already left by that point so I couldn’t have joined in the fight if I wanted to, and part of me did want to, Taichi.”

I find myself shivering slightly and honestly cannot tell if it is from the cold or the recollection of the events about six months ago. She’s not wrong, it was yet another close call. To my shame I almost gave in to Menoa’s offer to live in the fantasy program she created. I mean a chance to be a kid again...a chance to be with Agumon and the others forever, it was...tempting.

“In the end I wasn’t able to be there for you and Yamato as you faced her. I know you always see me as being very strong and capable, but to tell you the truth sometimes I wonder if it isn’t a similar case to your mothers expectations...in other words if I’m not everything you seem to think I am? That perhaps I’m not as brave and heroic as you make me out to be, even with your words this very evening. Tonight I found myself frozen from terror, terror from a fictional story that twenty something other college students were able to handle far better than me. Sitting helplessly on a couch awaiting your rescue; as if I was caught in Nanomon’s pyramid like all those years ago.” I jump a little from the reference involuntarily. Sora seems to take notice but continues regardless. “It is honestly a little sad to think that I was once the Digidestined of Love that you thought so highly off, and now well I’m Sora Takenouchi who really hasn’t done anything heroic in years, half the time is afraid to stand up to her own parents, and doesn’t know what she wants to do with her life even as we approach graduation.” She sighs loudly once again.

“And before you push back.” She says a bit more firmly. “I recognize that we had been through a lot as children. That in order to survive those ordeals and emerge victorious it required devotion and effort, not to mention strength of will. I truly do not mean to downplay my role as part of the team, as what you said before was true. Yet I was never quite sure of myself, and the older I got, to my disappointment, the less confident I became in my abilities; in the team’s true need for me. I don’t know...maybe I am just being too harsh or...maybe I was just being a coward afraid to face my responsibilities, perhaps I wasn’t fit for the role of Digidestined after all. I know you probably disagree with me Taichi, but just look at what happened to us over the years: I missed the fight against Diablomon all because I was mad at you about a gift and wouldn’t hear you out when you called…”

“Sora I told you then and I will tell you now, it was just a misunderstanding, if you knew what was happening I know you would have...”

“Please let me finish Taichi!” Sora says a little aggressively, likely not pleased with my little interjection. I feel myself shrink back a bit, I have obviously crossed the line this time by interrupting the point she was trying to get at “Sorry...I just need to get this off my chest…” She takes my renewed silence as a sign to continue. “Tokyo was seconds away from being struck with a nuclear projectile and I should have been there to help you face such a threat, misunderstanding or not. But more than just that, I wasn’t around to help all that much during the return of Vandemon, not to mention the fact that Piyomon couldn’t reach her ultimate form anymore. When the mutated form of Armagemon reappeared over the Tokyo Bay, I showed up late once again and to my frustration could not do much beyond offer moral support. And like I said, it was the same story six months ago, offering moral support from my mother’s apartment as you and Yamato fought for your very lives against Menoa.”

Sora breathes out heavily then; presses her hand to her face seemingly out of frustration while collecting her thoughts for a moment. I get the sense that she has more to say, but she is clearly hesitating. “I’m just rambling at this point, but I guess all I was trying to say is it feels like it has been a lose lose scenario for years. I either embrace my “destiny” and fight or sit back, try to find myself, and leave everyone hanging...sometimes it feels like I’ve let everyone down...myself included.” Her voice sounds like it is becoming fraught with emotion once again, and as a result Sora simply shrugs her shoulders and lets that be the end of her explanation. We fall back into an awkward silence as we meander down the broad and still campus avenues.

We walk in this silence for some moments as I contemplate Sora’s words. So that’s what this is about huh. In context it is all pretty understandable. The pieces are finally coming together in my head. It should have been obvious to me really, Sora wasn’t afraid for her own well being, she hates to watch as others suffer; and in a horror film there is nothing you can do but sit back and watch. On top of all that she feels guilty for not doing more, for not being able to do more in the past, even though she did plenty. More than most humans ever have, nevermind most young girls. We’ve seen individuals in real pain, we’ve witnessed the death of friends...it must be so traumatic to witness something like that again and not be able to do anything to help. It doesn’t matter if it’s just actors in a staged scene, it feels real to Sora. Not willing to let Sora beat herself up like this and more than ready to rectify the situation, I muse to myself for a moment on how to best combat these negative assertions of hers; after all I feel she is being far too harsh on herself but also have no desire to spark further argument. Then in a flash, inspiration hits me. I tap my hand gently on her shoulder. “Can I ask you something Sora? It might sound unrelated but it isn’t and… it’s kind of important to me.”

Sora stops in her tracks causing me to stop a few seconds later and turn towards her. She looks up at me, seeming both intrigued and uncertain. Going so far to tilt her head in a cute inquisitive manner as we lock eyes briefly. She does not speak a word but simply nods with the slightest of noises, telling me to ask away.

“Six months ago…during our fight against Menoa…when Yamato and I were surrounded, Agumon and Gabumon knocked down, I grabbed hold of Hikari’s childhood whistle and I blew it as hard as I could...when that happened...I...could have sworn…” I stop almost afraid to continue, thinking that the idea is ridiculous, that it must have been my imagination.

Seemingly picking up on my hesitancy, Sora places her hand on my shoulder, grasping me firmly yet supportively; peering straight into my eyes . Despite her downbeat state a mere moment ago, Sora’s facial features seem to glow with a remarkable intensity, as if she somehow knows what I am about to say. “...Go on Taichi.”

“I could have sworn...that I heard your voice calling my name, like… a loving whisper in the back of my mind telling me that I could do it, that I was strong enough...I know that must sound ridicu…”

“You actually heard me!” She exclaims half shouting half gasping. The sheer volume of her voice breaking the peaceful ambiance of this deserted avenue. I find myself astounded by her confirmation yet violently shaken from the sudden increase in decibels.

Instinctively, I bring a hand to cup my ear and a finger to press my lips in a gesture of silence. I am not certain if anyone is around or awake to hear us, but I would rather not risk us becoming a pariah or having a runin with university security; who would almost certainly be wondering why we are wandering the avenue at 3am. I quickly shush her, to which she moves to cover her own mouth with lighting reflexes, cutting short the exclamation. We both scan the area in case we have attracted any unwelcome attention. After a moment or so it becomes clear that the streets remain empty and the windows of the nearby buildings remain darkened.

“Sorry Taichi.” She blushes deeply. “I didn’t know what exactly you had in mind, but I certainly wasn’t expecting you to drop a bombshell like that on me.” She says in an excited yet hushed tone this time.

“So I wasn’t imagining things, you really called out to me that night didn’t you Sora?” I am still bewildered but am extra careful to whisper now. “But I was locked inside of Menoa’s digital program, how is that even possible?”

Sora shrugs in response. “Honestly, I have no idea. I never even stopped to think about how it was possible really. It just...happened. I was at my parent’s place alone at the time, staring out the window, hoping against hope that everyone would get through the night safely. Then suddenly I heard the sharp sound of a whistle ring out in the distance. It brought me right back to that night in Hikarigaoka.”

I start slightly as my mind instantly connects the dots. “The battle between Greymon and Parrotmon of course. First time we ever witnessed a Digimon battle. Honestly that never even crossed my mind when I was reaching for the whistle, I just realized that we were losing and needed to do something. Good thing I did too because it helped to snap the others out of their trance.”

Sora smiles at me warmly before continuing. “There was no hesitation for me, no uncertainty, somehow I just knew it was you Taichi. I could sense that you and Yamato were fighting for your lives and for the lives of others as well. The sound was so familiar to me, as though I had heard it mere days before, as though it was your very own voice reaching out to me from a great distance. It felt as though I was in the middle of a waking dream, after all here I was alone in my mother’s highrise, not only many kilometers away from your physical location but technically on another plane of existence at the time. My body was practically frozen in place in front of the dining room window, but I remember quietly crying out your name, almost subconsciously in fact; as if I was naturally returning the call. I think I just wanted you to know how much I believed in you; yet in truth I never anticipated that you might actually be able to hear me that night. I knew you could do it Taichi, I knew you could save everyone; but it did not stop me from feeling so damn helpless. Like I said with Piyomon gone, I felt truly powerless in the situation. I was afraid that once again you were out there facing probable death alone. Afraid that all I could do was stand on the sidelines and believe that you and the others would be ok.”

“And yet you were there for me…there for me in my most desperate moment, Sora. It wasn’t that I merely discerned your voice mid-battle; Sora you gave Yamato and I the resolve to finish the fight. When I heard you call my name...for the first time since the fight started I became certain that we were strong enough to put a stop to Menoa's plotting. I’m sure you’ve heard this plenty of times, but in that moment Yamato and I were completely surrounded by the other Digidestined who were being controlled, wounded on the floor and less than an hour away from losing our Digital partners, perhaps forever. I’m ashamed to admit this to you Sora, but I was almost ready...ready to give up; ready to accept Menoa’s offer to live as a child again in her digitized delusion. But then I thought of my parents, of Hikari, of Yamato, of Augmon, and...of you. I knew I could not afford to give up, if not for myself then for everyone and everything that I cared about. I could not knowingly accept a lie that would harm the ones I loved, no matter how tempting that lie had become. So I did what I had to do, and like I said instinctively grabbed the whistle. Yet despite my willingness to fight, I wasn’t sure if we were strong enough. I hesitated and it was only when I heard the whisper of your voice dance around my ears that I had the strength to trust in my bond with Agumon. Your voice brought back so many memories…memories of us, of the Digidestined, of Agumon. I remembered how no matter how grim things looked Agumon never lost faith in me; never backed down from a fight. Not dissimilar from the way that you have supported me my entire life. In the heat of the moment I didn’t stop to question whether it had really been your voice or merely my imagination, I believed that you were out there somewhere supporting me regardless. That same belief I always got from my parents, from Hikari, from the other Digidestined and Digimon. I realized that it was beyond time that I put some faith in Augmon like the old days. Embracing the trust and faith which allowed Agumon to digivolve into a form we never thought possible. A form which reflected the true strength of our relationships with the Digimon. When I grabbed my Digivice at that moment, I thought back to when we were eleven, reflecting on the impact all of you had on my life. I thought about Agumon of course, of the other Digidestined, Gennai, our parents, and the Digimon who helped us...but it didn’t stop there. The next thing I knew the memories of growing up with and fighting by your side engulfed me. So much so that it felt like you were beside me at that very moment. In my head it wasn’t just Yamato, Gabumon, Agumon and I but you and Piyomon as well. It felt so real… The next thing I knew Agumon was before me in his new form, and Yamato was right beside me with Gabumon. It truly felt just like our fights in the Digital World all those years ago."

I look at Sora who once again has tears in her eyes, yet the quivering smile on her face tells me that my words are having the desired effect.

“Don’t you see Sora, despite you stepping back from all the fighting, you never left me...never left us alone in the dark to stumble and fall. You were there for us, like you always have been, like...” I sigh afraid to finish the thought but push through this time. “like how I hope you always will be. You're right Sora, I never fully understood why you more or less retired your Digivice, yet I never questioned for one second your love for us. It was...very frustrating for me in truth, I missed fighting by your side and often found myself wondering if it was partially my fault that you stopped going on missions and eventually stopped attending most meetings as well. I questioned for a long time if I had fallen short as a leader for you, that perhaps I did not give you the encouragement and support you needed as a Digidestined. I was confused…I was frustrated…heck I was even down right sad at times.I mean like I said, I would often wonder if I simply was not there for you like a best friend should be… But never, even for a split second, did I suspect you were acting selfishly or maliciously. Even if I could not understand it I knew you were out there doing what you felt you needed to do; and at the end of the day that was good enough for me.

“Never tell yourself that!” Sora insists before reaching out and gripping the front of my shirt firmly with both hands, I almost stumble backwards from the shock, the fibers of my longsleeve stretching as she practically yanks me forwards while staring straight at me. “…Don’t you dare even humor the idea that I walked away because of you Taichi…you, Yagami Taichi, were what made choosing to step back from everything so damn difficult…leaving my best friend to face the weight of the world without me. I always knew that you would be ok at the end of the day, just how capable you were, but that didn’t make it any easier for me, you dummy. Next to Piyomon I missed fighting by your side most of all” She practically gasps these words before smooshing her face up against my chest. I find myself so shocked by this display despite everything tonight that I stand there both physically and emotionally uncertain as to how I should respond.

Sora nuzzles her face against my chest, all whilst refusing to loosen her grasp on my shirt. “I did not leave the Digidestined because of you or anyone else Taichi. I left the Digidestined because I was tired of the fighting, but more than that I think I left because I couldn’t stand that idea that it was my “destiny” to be a Digidestined. We were similar in many ways growing up Taichi, but the older I got the less comfortable I became with…well basically with everything beyond my relationship to you and the others. My physical and mental capacity to fight monsters, my familial expectations, my long term career goals; whatever they might be, trying to master Ikibana, just coming to terms with the fact that I was growing up. There came a point where even when I went on adventures with you and the others that I would feel awkward and out of place. Not because I felt unwelcomed of course, but because I felt as though I was merely mocking the confidence and adventurous nature of my younger self. Especially by the time we reached high school the fighting and questing felt almost unnatural to me, and I eventually became unsure of myself and even afraid in a way that I had never experienced before. I started to question what role I really had in love, and what role love really had in the team.  Heck I used to wish I had your crest growing up, to be able to be the paragon of courage instead of love. Being the Digidestined of love overwhelmed me as a child, and frankly scared the heck out of me growing up. Yet you and Piyomon always gave me the confidence boost I needed back then to keep going. I looked up to you, wanted to be more like my best friend. But I’m not like you Taichi, not in that way, even though you seem to think that I am. I used to tell myself that I could be brave, but when push came to shove, where did that lead me?”

“I can say with absolute certainty that you're not giving yourself enough credit here; and deep down I think you recognize that. Sora you are bar-none probably the bravest person I have met in my entire life.” I can already feel her shaking her head to my statement. I need to break through to her, find a way to help her understand. “When my courage failed me after the whole skullgreymon incident, the others clearly did not know how to react or how to help me. I don’t blame them for it either, I went from one extreme of being overly cocky to being ashamed and terrified of what I had done. But you Sora, you never lost faith in me for a second, and you pushed me to get back out there again. I can think of a hundred other examples of you being a shining example of courage in the Digital World. But it did not even stop there. On the soccer field, tennis court, or in the school yard; you were always doing what you felt was right, always helping and standing up for people.” 

I pull back from  Sora’s grasp, wanting to speak eye to eye; young adult to young adult.“You mistake your compassion and hatred of suffering for cowardice, but that could not be further from the truth. You are still the passionate and loving person that you were back then, you’ve just grown up some, I guess we all have. And those traits which are a part of you never stopped you from doing the right thing in the past. Sora, you have always done right by others it is only natural that you want to do right by yourself too. You paint yourself as the antagonist for exploring your own needs after years of service to others. That does not make you evil and that sure as hell doesn’t make you a coward. You don’t like gruesome violence in a horror film, so what? We’ve seen real battle you and I, that’s nothing to be ashamed about.” I tell her in a tone which even surprises me with its firmness. “We all faced struggles during our time in the Digital World as well as troubles after we finally made it back home. Yet each of us faced our own demons; demons which were unique to us, our personalities, and our situations. Even if your symptoms are different, we all faced and had to work through trauma. You wouldn’t shame a soldier for coming home with post traumatic stress disorder and it certainly doesn’t make them a weak person. Why should your situation be considered any different?”

“I suppose…” She mutters. “It's just…”

Except this time I opt to cut her off, firmly grasping her shoulders and looking her squarely in the eyes. “It's just nothing Sora. I heard you out like you asked, now I want you to hear me out. I know you looked up to me Sora, but I looked up to you too; so did the others. Stop acting like this is all so one sided. You basically admitted earlier that you helped keep me on the right path when we were young. Helping me be the best leader I could be. Bravery and courage are great characteristics without a doubt. I really like my crest and what it stands for. But let me tell you something that you taught me over the years, Sora. Courage is nothing without love. Bravery is nothing without compassion. If your heart isn’t in the right place then all the effort in the world may as well just go to waste. What good is a warrior who does not feel for and protect those around him? Love, real love, can honestly be the difference between good and evil. To tell you the truth, even I felt myself pulled towards a darker road at times, I never walked those paths because you wouldn’t let me fall. Besides it's not just me Sora, but you helped every one of us understand just how vital it is to care for those around you. If the Digimon and other Digiestined were here right now, every single one of them would agree with me, and you can count on that fact. You question your affliction with love; and I get that…I know connections and relationships have not always come easy for you. But you underestimate your compassion and dedication; something that nobody, not a single person who knows you well would ever question.”

Sora’s eyes go a bit wide when I speak. I hope that I am not overdoing it but almost in a frenzy now I continue my impassioned flow. “No Sora, you're not like me I suppose. But you never needed to be just like me and never should be for that matter. You are your own amazing person and that’s exactly what I love about…” I pause “I mean to say what I respect about you so much. You don’t need to be the Digiestined of Courage, in fact I’d argue being the Digidestined of Love, the heart of the team was a more important job anyway. It was no wonder that you felt overwhelmed. It was truly a lot of weight on your shoulders. A weight that I realize in hindsight I sometimes added to, even though it was never my intention... You’ve changed not just my life forever,  but the lives of countless others. You are able to do things flawlessly that I could never do in a thousand years. You're not just compassionate, but creative, funny, clever, artistic, and so many other things that I would be out here naming them all night.”

“Taichi!” I hear her gasp.

“I’m not trying to be tough on you, I know you haven’t exactly had it easy in recent years. And I’m not asking you to change the way you view yourself overnight. All I am asking is that you give yourself a break and try to view yourself from the perspective of me and everyone who loves you.”

My throat practically aches from the emboldened rant and my overall fatigue. For a brief moment I had forgotten the aches and pains that rack my worn out body. This was my last stand this evening so to speak, I simply don’t have the energy or the focus to continue. I can only hope that my words broke through this self-bashing shroud that Sora seems to have cloaked herself in. I continue to stare at her, breathing a bit heavily. I don’t notice it at first but Sora seems to inch her face over closer to mine. It becomes apparent once we are mere centimeters apart. I freeze in place and whilst still trying to catch my breath. I can feel her breath flow in short bursts across my cheeks. So close that I can smell her, even after a night of drinking and running around she smells so sweet to me. Kiss her! That little voice in my head screams suddenly…but as much as I want to cross that line…I just can’t do it. After a moment she seems to sense my awkwardness and I see a bashful expression spread across her face as well. 

For a mere second Sora moves closer still, before swiftly moving her head adjacent to mine, and enveloping me in a hug once again. “I will Taichi…I promise you that.”

At this my eyes cannot help but to get a little watery. She really does listen to me…care about what I have to say. “That’s all I needed to hear.”

I’d like to stay here like this but if this goes on at this rate the sun will be up before we make it to her apartment; and Sora clearly has the same thought as she pulls back from me while gently whispering “Come on Taichi, let’s go home.”

I do not need to utter another word. I take her hand and we continue our walk. Sora has made her point and I have made mine. It feels like a weight has been removed from my entire existence. The events of this evening, good and bad, are behind us, at least for now. There is no need to drag on with conversations of the party. Sora and I simply understand each other, I can feel it. That feeling made the condition of my body easy enough to ignore in the final kilometers of our trek to her dorm. We walk silently across wind swept streets hand in hand, not really looking at or thinking about anything in particular, just being present; here in this moment.

Some time later we slowly approach the modern apartment complex that Sora and many other female students and young professionals temporarily call home. Unsurprisingly the area around the complex is barren and vacant at this late hour. Relieved by the sight I begin moving towards the stairs that I usually take whenever I visit her here. But Sora, thinking ahead of me, gestures to my legs then to the first floor door by the elevators. Without her having to say a word, I simply smile, nod, and follow her lead. From the elevator I stare out of the outer glass wall; which displays the peaceful and beautiful city that surrounds us. The ride up to the fourth floor in the well lit cabin is short but makes me glad that Sora stopped us from climbing up several flights of stairs.

Finally, just as my body feels as if it is about to give out on me, Sora carefully guides us down the corridor along the edge of the building; all the way down to flat 407. Instinctively, I find myself holding onto the railing for support, my body protesting every final towards our goal. I breathe an audible sigh of relief as we make it to the door; not only exhausted but for having been out in the cold for the several hours since we left the party. To this Sora simply looks up towards me and gives me a gentle smile. She then lets go of my hand in order to fish through her pockets in order to address this final barricade. I prop myself carefully against the railing while I wait, but it is not long before I hear the jingle of her keys as they are pulled free from the pocket of her jeans. Sora briefly signals for me to keep my voice down before pressing the key into the deadbolt above the handle. A subtle but audible click presents itself and Sora gently swings open the door.

Chapter Text

The entrance door pushed slowly backwards with a low moaning creak, the kind of noise that you would not even notice were it not for the deafening silence which engulfed the complex at this late hour. Sora’s apartment is barely visible past the door’s outer frame as it seems not a single light has been left on to bid us welcome. Sora’s flat is even more silent than the surrounding city streets where we at least had the sound of the wind passing by the buildings and billowing the trees. It is that kind of silence that can be almost unnerving even. This quiet atmosphere is broken ever so slightly as Sora takes a few cautious steps beyond the door frame and finds the nearby switch to illuminate the apartment's genkan; yet leaving the remainder of the hallway veiled in darkness. I wait briefly in the entranceway, putting most of my weight against the doorframe as I watch Sora remove my jacket from her body and hang it on a nearby available wall hook. She then sits herself down where the hallway meets the little entrance area and slowly but efficiently undoes then removes her shoes one at a time. 

Our gazes meet as she stands back up, and there is almost an expression of pity on her face as she signals for me to step inside the apartment fully. 

I maintain a slight hold on the wall as I do so, honestly shocked at the soreness of my feet and calves. Guess I’m just not quite in the same shape I used to be. A bit of a saddening thought yet honestly one that makes me yearn to improve my exercise routine once again; at just twenty two years of age I recognize that it is well within my grasp to regain that state of peak physical fitness. Observing the young woman beckoning me inside, It occurs to me that perhaps Sora would be willing to even join me in such an endeavor, just like our good old days. Though it's hardly a discussion for tonight after everything the both of us have been through. I determine at this moment that I will ask her about it before the start of winter break.

 I work my way inside before as gently as possible closing and locking the apartment door behind me. I then take a few heavy steps towards the back of the genkan but to my confusion, Sora steps in front of me, blocking my path. She leans in very close and my tired mind cannot seem to grasp the reason for this sudden behavior; especially after she just beckoned me forward.

“Wait Taichi, let me help you with that.” Sora whispers this softly to me and at first I do not catch her meaning. But Sora then squats down in front of me, and after the briefest of hesitations begins to untie the running shoe on my left foot. Once my mind caught up with the present, it was in truth a little awkward and embarrassing standing here like this; yet I was hardly going to argue when it must have been beyond apparent to Sora that I was currently on my last legs for the evening. I simply watch her quietly attend to the present task; pressing a hand against the nearby wall for support and lifting each foot when she would whisper the order with a firm tug on my ankle. Before long she had freed my aching feet and placed my shoes alongside hers.

“That’s odd” I hear Sora mutter barely above a whisper.

“What is?” Oddly anxious to know if she is referring to me in any capacity.

Sora stands up once again, being only about fifteen centimeters from me now. “Some of my roommates’ shoes are missing.” She shrugs gently at this.

“Maybe they took them to their respective rooms not knowing if you all would have guests tonight?” I suggest.

“Or perhaps” Sora sighs “Perhaps they were so wasted they walked straight in. With the night we’ve had and all the drinking going on around campus I wouldn’t put it past them.” She almost seems to let out a silent laugh at this possibility. “Ren and Yui did seem pretty exuberant about the prospect of letting lose tonight. Oh well…if a mess has been made it can certainly wait until tomorrow at this point to be dealt with; I just hope that they are not so hungover that I am the one dealing with it. I swear in moments, those girls sometimes remind me of Mimi in her more…volatile moments.”

I flash her a gentle and slightly weary smile; knowing that she has on occasion had to care for them in the past. She seems to instinctively return the favor with a smile of her own before moving alongside me and helping me up the small step into the hallway. We step as carefully and quietly as we can muster but if someone was awake and nearby they would surely be able to hear our dampened footsteps on the gently creaking wood floor. We advance with nothing but the light of the lone bulb above the entryway. After walking about three quarters down the entry hall and passing a half bathroom with its door slightly ajar, everything before us becomes a wall of twisting shadow. Sora pauses here and seems to hesitate for a brief moment before swiping another light switch on the side of the hallway. I would not have even been able to make it out in the darkness, but for Sora who has called this apartment home, she effortlessly located the small object like muscle memory without a perceptible sign of difficulty.

The apartment's modest kitchen soon took form before us under a low incandescent light. In truth it was quite nice and spacious; for student housing anyway. A round and sturdy wood center table, big enough to support four or maybe five diners at a time. There was an older but full sized fridge/freezer, a small two pan burner, an oven large enough for a single baking tray, a kettle, utensil drawers, and several counters with built-in cabinets. Sora breathed a clear sigh of relief, which I took to mean she was glad nobody was currently in the kitchen awake or otherwise. Beyond the kitchen however, one could make out the apartment balcony overlooking the city block, a small hallway leading to the full sized bathroom and washer dryer combo machine, and another slightly larger hallway which leads to the apartments three unassuming student bedrooms. It was clear even front this distance that at least one of the bedroom doors were ajar.

Sora gave me another knowing glance to keep quiet, she did not have to tell me twice, though my slightly labored breathing may have been making her uneasy in her attempt to not disturb her flatmates at this late hour. After giving me this look, Sora untangled herself for my arm leaving me to stand on my own crushing weight once again. Creeping slowly in a much stealthier approach than I could muster in current physical exhaustion, she started moving cautiously towards the open dorm rooms. I watch her dart like a dexterous cat through the kitchen for a few seconds, dodging any noise making obstacle with relative ease. At this point I look back towards the kitchen table where something catches my eye. So I decide to investigate this peculiarity; doing my best, albeit lamely, to duplicate her grace of movement.

Without too much trouble I make it to the object in question and study it under the bright kitchen light; holding it close and squinting to encourage my weary eyes to focus. “Sora..” I whisper suddenly.

I look up and I think that I might have whispered too well, as it seems Sora either has not heard me or is simply too focused on the current task at hand. I see her shaking arm reach out through the nearest gloomy doorway in order to grasp at the doorknob which would lie just out of sight.

“Sora!” After concluding my appraisal I opt to call out again, this time assuredly louder than I intend. Sora freezes in place in the hallway, turning on a time and glaring at me like a disappointed mother. She silently mouths a flustered " Taichi, what the heck!" at me. I simply point to the note currently clutched in my left hand.

Even from this slight distance I can discern as her head tilts sideways slightly and an inquisitive look replaces the one of surprise and annoyance. I decide at this point to simply wave her over to me. To which Sora simply and silently nods her head. She then pivots back towards the bedroom door long enough to close it most of the way before moving across the room back towards me, still taking great care with every step.

When she reaches me I hold out the note so that she may examine the contents herself. Sora looks at me then glances at the note before taking it from my outstretched hand, after a brief pause she begins to read it out loud whilst still suppressing her volume.

"Hey Sora,

We decided at the last minute to spend the night at a friend’s flat, so no need to wait up for us. Ren sent you a couple of texts but you didn't respond. Hope everythings fine, you're probably just busy with your party. In fact, I'm sure you're fine, since you have your personal soccer hunk with you after all <3. When are you going to  have him over again, it's been a HOT second. But I digress, we didn't want you to worry when you got back late to an empty apartment. Be sure to double lock the door, safety first after all. We'll see you tomorrow…at some point.

Happy Halloween,

Aoi and Ren”

I observe as Sora’s face flushes red before sighing heavily and pocketing the note.

“Safety first” Sora scoffs “Who do they think is the one having to constantly remind those two to be careful when going out. Did I ever tell you about the time that they went out and left our apartment completely unlocked? They came back wasted after midnight and called me complaining that I left the apartment unguarded. Only for me to remind them that I was away that weekend and they had the bright idea that it would be one less obstacle when they returned home late from a night of partying. Of course I felt keen to remind them that it would also remove the obstacle for any unwanted guests…” Sora huffs again and my sympathetic but tired mind can’t help to let out an awkward chuckle.

“Anyway” Sora continues “at least we don’t have to worry about waking anyone or making a scene. She then gives my shoulder a quick squeeze before walking off back towards the hallway in order to finish closing the doors to two bedrooms which do not belong to her.  Turning around once again to face me, still barely standing in the kitchen, Sora looks at me with a content expression before throwing her hands up in the air in an intentionally exaggerated display. This before speaking to me at a volume which reinforces that fact that it is just the two of us here in her flat for the evening. “Well it's been a long and…interesting night, but it looks like we made it through to the otherside unscathed.” She seems relieved but also quite happy somehow.

“Mostly unscathed” I chuckle tiredly, raising up my right hand, which is still wrapped in a slightly blood stained strip of undershirt fabric.

That serious air of motherly care immediately reforges itself within her. “Duh, how could I forget?” She quickly marches right up to me and grabs me by the wrist a few centimeters above my injury. “Come on, I’m not about to turn you loose with an injury left untended.

With her not unremarkable strength, it seemed as though she was going to pull my arm off before I think she remembers just how worn out I am at this point. After which, she gently guides me down the other adjoining hallway towards the larger of the two bathrooms within the flat. Once in the doorway, Sora lets go of my wrist long enough to turn on the bathroom and peek inside, presumably to make sure everything is clean and tidy. I see her nod to herself after a quick scan, and steps inside; before ultimately walking over to the toilet and closing the seat.

At this point I am still standing in the doorway when she gestures me over with a single pointer finger. “Come here Taichi, take a seat.” And with that, I suddenly feel like a child back at school, visiting the nurses office. All the same, with my aching feet groaning away beneath me, the chance to sit down sounds inviting, even if the invite is on a toilet seat in front of my best friend. “That’s it, you can do it.” She teases suddenly, perhaps picking up on the slightly awkward vibe.

I feel myself blush at her chaffing but I walk over and do exactly as she requests. No sooner have I sat down than Sora is standing over me, gesturing to see my injured hand. I relent without complaint, though cannot help but to feel a little embarrassed for reasons I do not fully understand. I do not linger on this feeling for long however, as Sora begins to untie the shirt scrap with a bit of difficulty; she had apparently tied a tight knot. She eventually worked it loose before unwrapping it and unpeeling the section now plastered to my palm. This process hurts quite a bit more than I was anticipating, and I let out a yelp as a result.

“Sorry Taichi” She whispers. “I think the shirt helped ebb the flow of blood but when the blood dried I think some of the fabric got glued into the wound channel. Not our best move, but we did not exactly have much to work with out there by the lake. Sora stands up suddenly then and begins browsing between the different bathroom drawers and cabinets pulling out a few items here and there. Lastly, she pulls out a small emergency flashlight from under the sink.

She places the items on the sink countertop next to me and kneels down next to me this time. “I did my best with the light available at the park but let's go ahead and make extra certain that I did not miss any pieces of glass the first time around.” I groan slightly at the thought, but she reassures me then. “I’ll be gentle Taichi, it's not my goal to hurt you.”
“I know…” I mutter like a kid who fell off his bike and had to march back to his mom for help with a scraped knee. Sora chuckles softly at this, then flicks on the flashlight to get a closer look at my palm. She pokes and prods at me for a moment or two, and even pulls out a small magnifying glass, analyzing every millimeter of the wound channel. After which she stops to make a triumphant pose, which I cannot help but to laugh at.

“Not a single piece of glass left, and they said I’d never make it through med school” She jokes. “Though the cut is still bleeding a bit, let's patch you up properly this time, and hopefully the only scar left from tonight will be an interesting memory.” Sora lifts her fingers in front of my face so I can see that there is fresh blood coating the tips of her fingers.  I turn my palm to face me and indeed see blood trickling out of the wide and gruesome looking cut.

Sora returns to the sink in order to wash my blood from her hands, then drying them thoroughly with a small hand towel. She then pulls a miniature bottle of hydrogen peroxide out of its box, a small tube of ointment, some gauze, and a roll of medical tape. Step by step she goes to work disinfecting the wound, applying a liberal portion of ointment, and securing wrapping my hand. Sora makes no noise or comment during this procedure, all while maintaining a steely focus on the task at hand. From the intense look on her face you would think she was attempting to defuse a bomb. Despite the humorous imagery populating my mind, I must admit her care and dedication to me never fails to warm my heart. 

The medical process stings slightly, but nowhere near as bad as her removing glass shards in the park, so I truly cannot complain. It is not long before Sora has this new and more proper protective wrapping securely set. A jolt of surprise rocks my body just then however, as Sora does something that she would have perhaps done for Hikari when we were kids. Grabbing my now bandaged palm, pulling it close to her face, and giving it a deep kiss. It is an overreaction perhaps but I find myself almost falling off of the toilet, but Sora quickly steadies me. “You can relax” she teases, suddenly sticking out her tongue at me, “nurse Sora has done all she can for this patient, but I’m afraid he’s quite braindead.”

I groan loudly at the joke. “Funny Sora…real funny.”

“Oh, I know I am” She jeers back “But thank you for reminding me anyway.”

I stick my tongue out briefly, knowing that I’m too tired to come up with clever replies. At this moment it suddenly occurs to me to check the time. I pull out my cell phone once again and tap the activation button. 3:39am flashes across the small screen. I look up to see Sora staring at my phone as well with a bewildered expression. “Well…” I start, a little awkwardly. “If I leave soon I can probably make it back to my flat around 4 or so.

Without really responding, Sora pats me on the leg, stands up, and begins to put her various surgical implements back where they belong. I have half a mind to suggest that she leave it for the morning, but my best friend has rarely been the type to put off work for tomorrow when it could be done today. It does not take long but I find myself watching her carefully throughout the duration.

Sora does not even glance at me while she cleans, however I see her face contort and her brow furrow. At a point she even seems to mumble to herself; so quietly though that I cannot make out a single comprehensible word. She’s thinking pretty intensely about something…or at least… I think she is? At this point I realize my exhaustion is so extreme that my mind is beginning to feel rather fuzzy. I press the palm of my uninjured hand up against my forehead and rub it in small but deliberate circles; feeling almost as if I am trying to kick start my brain. At some point, I notice that Sora has finished cleaning and is staring rather intently at me.

“Well, unless you have to go to the bathroom, I would say our work is all wrapped up in here.” She says, but her eyes tell me there is an ulterior motive at work. Her tone is friendly, but her face is rather stern and serious.

“Actually,” I respond quickly “With all that alcohol in my system, I think my bladder would thank me for it.” This assertion is true, I really could pee right now, but I also find myself trying to figure out what Sora is trying to accomplish at the moment.

“Totally understandable, even so you have to stand up first.” She posits, as if it were not already obvious. I could have mistaken it for being meanspirited, but I know something else is afoot.

Honestly, I’m tired and rather confused, and the last thing that I want to do right now is to start another fight with her. I look up at her again, and she is standing firmly by the sink, seemingly with no intention of retreating from the bathroom so that I can have some privacy.

I sigh and begin to stand up, seriously having no idea what is going on. I start to stand up, but despite the short rest, my legs still wobble like jello beneath me. I put a hand on the nearby laminate countertop for support. 

Sora’s mouth twists into an almost scowling frown, looking at me very seriously. “Taichi, you're staying the night here and I don’t want to hear any arguments about it!” She attempts to order me almost as if she were a military drill instructor.

I am taken aback, surprised by the sudden outburst, and my mouth gets to work before my mind. “But, Sora that’s…”

“But nothing, I said I do not want to hear a single argument or complaint.” She stares at me, likely noticing my puzzled expression. “I am not sending my injured and exhausted best friend back out into the cold. You're crazy if you seriously think I’m going to let you go wandering campus alone at this hour with near freezing temperatures. You are staying here for the night and that’s final!”

Sora just yelled at me…of course she just yelled at me. What the heck was I thinking? “I’m sorry Sora” I mumble softly. “Sorry for worrying you like that, I didn’t mean it to…”

“I know you didn’t” Sora cuts in abruptly, then sighs. “I’m sorry for yelling, it's just that I know you, you can be so stubborn and strong headed sometimes. Trying to prove to me and everyone else that you're tough and can handle everything yourself…but even you have your limits and I would never forgive myself if you didn’t make it back to your apartment safely. Please stay…”

It honestly had not even crossed my mind that Sora was concerned about me going home now, but it makes sense does it not? I am kind of a mess right now and am in no state to begin a 20 minute walk.

“I’ll stay Sora, no complaints.” I regain eye contact and see the worry flush from her eyes. “I wasn’t kidding though, I really could use the bathroom.” I add somewhat bashfully.

Chapter Text

“I’ll stay Sora, no complaints.” I regain eye contact and see the worry flush from her eyes. “I wasn’t kidding though, I really could use the bathroom.” I add somewhat bashfully.

“Oh…yeah…of course” She blurts out awkwardly. “Sorry, I’ll leave you to it.” With that she is out the door and closing it in short order. I take a deep breath but right when I think I’m alone, she continues. “Let me know if you need anything…not that you would…I just…sorry I’ll be in the kitchen.”

As she walks away I can hear frustrating mumbling continue, this time clearly not directed at me. “Great going Sora, you just had to go and raise your voice at him again, just give him a break…” Then it trails off out of hearing distance, presumably towards the kitchen.

Standing truly alone now in the bathroom, I feel the need to cover my mouth with a hand to avoid the sound of laughter traveling through the door and down the hallway. Same old Sora, some things never change I suppose. This is honestly one of those cases, where I feel like she had every right to raise her voice at me, but I am still glad that Sora is cognizant of how she speaks to me.

 If someone were only observing the two of us tonight, they would probably think that for best friends we sure are awkward and argue a lot. And I suppose they would be partially right. Fighting came and went throughout the years. Sometimes we would go over a year without arguing, other times it would seem that we had it scheduled on our weekly calendars to annoy, frustrate, or simply confuse one another. And despite us both being pretty social and outgoing individuals, you might be surprised how awkward and tongue tied we can both get. But I could assure any observers that we are both clearly in rare form tonight. Despite our quirks, we always have each other's back. If I was to calculate out how we have spent our time together over the years, a vast majority of that time was spent enjoying each other's company and building each other up not tearing us down. Tonight has truly been a lot, and I think it has taken a toll on both of us; but frankly, despite the stress, the anxiety, and the unpleasant looking wound on my palm, I feel oddly glad the way that things have turned out. Sora may never love me the way that I secretly love her, but a night like tonight gives me hope that she will always be in my life, even if at times we both get busy. An unpleasant chill radiates through my body, as I think about how I will likely never get the chance to be with Sora as more than a friend. However, I quickly remind myself that this is neither the time or the place for this sort of moping.

After being lost in thought for a moment there, I remember the whole reason why I am currently standing in Sora’s bathroom. Shaking off the mental cobwebs, I go about my business. Pardon me for being gross, but after a night of heavy drinking and running around across campus, this hits the spot like finding an oasis in the desert. My mind was so preoccupied with everything else going on that I did not realize quite how badly I needed to go. A good thing too, since there is certainly nowhere to go on campus at this hour. After I finish, I wash my hands and head back down the hallway where I assume Sora is waiting for me.

When I reach the kitchen once again, Sora is nowhere to be seen, but the light coming from her bedroom which bleeds into the adjoining hallway swifty resolves that mystery. Deciding not to intrude, and frankly needing to get off my feet, I pull out a chair and take a seat at the nearby table.

I do not remember putting my head down on my arms or resting my eyes, all the same Sora’s inquisitive voice seems to pull me out of a trance. I jolt back up in my seat only to find Sora standing about a meter to my left. She’s holding two towels, and has a gym bag slung over her right shoulder.

Sora is now looking at me with discernable worry in her gaze. “You ok Taichi?”

“Yeah, of course sorry it's just been a long day.” I say wanting to put her mind at ease. “I was not exaggerating when I said I poorly chose this morning to work out; not to mention that it was the first time I have worked out in over a week. Classes have been brutal and I have been feeling out of it. I probably went a little too hard on too few hours of sleep, but hindsight is 20/20 as they say.” I watch as Sora frowns slightly at this.

“Nevermind me” I continue “you must be pretty exhausted yourself Sora. You had a class bright and early this morning. I suspect you’ve been up near as long as I have.”

“I'm a bit tired of course, but not as much as you might expect. I suppose everything that happened tonight has given me something of a second wind. Besides I often get a bit anxious falling asleep after watching a horror movie; tends to cause some pretty messed up nightmares so I'm not exactly in a rush to go pass out.”

This statement still makes me feel a little glum, but she certainly seems to be feeling better than she was a few hours ago and I suppose that is what counts.

“And besides” She teases again “I did not make the questionable decision to run a marathon right before a long night of drinking and unknown shenanigans.”

“Yup, fair enough. You got me there.” I admit raising my hands in a show of defeat. “So, uh, what's with the towels Sora? Am I using them as blankets or something?”

“Oh please Taichi, I’ll have myself sleeping with towels before making you go without proper bedding. Remember, you're my guest tonight, and you’ll be treated like it. No, these towels are for a much more standard reason.” She pauses and unfurls one in dramatic effect. “Shower anyone?”

I have to pause and consider this for a moment. “ On one hand a hot shower would feel really nice right now, on the other hand…literally my other hand…” I raise my injured hand to Sora. “Not sure if I should be getting these bandages wet right after you went through the trouble of getting them on properly.”

She nods gently. “I could always redo…”

“Besides” I go ahead and finish my thought. “As nice as a steaming hot shower would feel on my muscles right now, if I’m being honest, my legs feel so weak right now I’d probably faceplant the second I stepped in.” I suggest exaggeratedly, but honestly not exaggerating by much.

“Yeah, all good points” Sora responds. “Well if you don’t mind, I for one am still freezing; despite the charity of you lending me your coat for our recent outing. If you’ll be ok here, I’d like to refresh myself quickly. I promise I won’t be too long. I would like you to stay up if you could manage, as soon as I am out of the shower I will set up your sleeping arrangements. Deal?”

“Of course, go ahead Sora, take your time. I’ll stay here and do my best to keep myself awake. Besides if I do nod off, I won’t mind in the slightest if you wake me up again. Who knows, maybe when you're done I’ll feel up to showering myself. I probably stink to high heaven anyway.”

“Oh hush now” She retorts strongly, now leaning in close. “You smell just fine, Taichi. You’ve never been one to be particularly stinky after a work out; besides its cold out there, you probably weren’t sweating as much as you imagine that you were. I’m your best friend, remember? If you smelled I would level with you, you're good.”

“Well I appreciate it.” I say, as her comment honestly puts my mind at ease in that regard.

“Anytime.” Sora pauses for a brief moment before suddenly shifting her expression to one of delight and excitement. “Oh how could I forget! I have the perfect thing to help you stay awake and alert while I shower.”

“Oh yeah?” I respond honestly, having no clue what she might be talking about.

“Yeah, I have a gift for you! I bought them for you a few weeks ago, but you haven’t been over to visit recently. Honestly, I didn’t buy them for any particular reason or occasion, I just saw them while out shopping with Mimi when she last visited me, and well I thought of you.”

Before I can even think of how to respond to this very thoughtful gesture, Sora drops the towels off in my lap and  rushes off back to her bedroom. Presumably to procure these mysterious items. I watch the hallway for her return, and it does not take long for her to reemerge with a large brown shopping bag; she seems to intentionally be carrying in such a manner that I cannot make out the bag’s logo.

“If only I had thought ahead to wrap these, but naturally I had no idea you would be stopping by tonight.” She says putting the bag on the table in front of me. She is still covering most of the label, but I can see a few english characters written in bold green lettering. “Come now, don’t spoil the surprise, close your eyes Taichi.”

Ordinarily I might tease her about it or put up a fight, but I’m so surprised by this unexpected gift, that I close my eyes without a second thought. 

“No peeking now!” She says eagerly, perhaps even more excited than I am. I wonder what her surprise could be.

I sit quietly and listen to her rummage through the bag for a little while. I can hear various sounds of different materials being moved and shuffled about. After a moment of this, I hear her mumble to herself. “What to pick, what to pick?”

“I didn’t realize there were options, how fancy” I chuckle, while keeping my eyes clamped shut.

I hear Sora scoff slightly at this. “Hold your horses…yeah you know what, I think this one will work.” I hear her fiddling with a familiar but unplaceable soft yet clattering material. Perhaps she is opening something.

“Alright Taichi, say ahh” She says softly, her voice coming from nearby my left ear.

 I guess it must be food then, at least I hope it's food. I hesitate slightly. She wouldn’t prank me at a time like this, would she?

 “Come on tough guy, it won’t bite; that’s your job.” She follows-up, clearly sensing my hesitation.

I do as she says, and Sora gently places a rather odd, long but thin object on my mouth. Her fingers brush against my lips softly, as she does, giving me a not unpleasant tingling sensation. The object feels to be around the size of a cigarette, but is rather hard and seems to have some powder on the outside, which coats my tongue.

“Now chew” She bids me gently. I do as she says and the object splinters into pieces in my mouth. It’s crunchy and just a bit odd tasting; but not in a bad way.

“How is it?” Sora seems to ask with genuine curiosity. “I don’t think either of us have had these before.”

I continue to chew and swallow before responding. “It’s good, I can’t really describe the flavor. It’s savory but also…maybe a bit citrusy…and…well…that’s strange…it's getting hot…like really hot…why is it so hot?” I say panicking slightly, as I feel my entire mouth reacting to some delayed spice.

I think Sora senses the panic in my voice, suddenly I hear her rush off away from me. At this point I can’t help but to open my eyes, and watch as she heads towards the kitchen sink. Grabbing a glass from the nearby cabinet and filling it with water, before finally rushing back to me. I take it gladly and start drinking, which alleviates the burst of heat to a manageable level.

“Sorry Taichi, I knew the bag said hot, but I figured it would just be a mild kick.” She says with slight concern.

I finish off the glass of water and place it down in front of me, breathing out a slight sigh of relief. “What did I just eat?”

Without saying anything, Sora lifts up a small purple chip bag. It says Takis on the front, a product of Mexico. “I guess Mexican snack makers don’t mess around.” She says a bit bashfully. “Sorry.”

“No worries Sora, it wasn’t that bad, I just wasn’t expecting it.” I sit there momentarily thinking about the mix of flavors. “Honestly it's kinda nice, in a strange way. I just don’t know if I would recommend the blind taste test next time you show these off.” I chuckle.

“Note taken” Sora says with a smile.

“So what made you think of me when you saw these chips? Is it because I’m so hot?” I tease, but almost feel a bit awkward doing so.

“No you goofball, it was all these snacks in general.” She says while gesturing to this table.

 It is at this point I finally turn my attention to the table and realize that there are probably about a dozen different little snack packages spread out before me. I quickly scan each of the packages, but the only one that I recognize is a selection of peanut butter cups from America. I quickly realize that each package looks like it is from a different country.

“Wow Sora” I gasp “This is awesome…but all of this could not have been cheap. And really for no occasion either?”

She beams brightly at me, clearly happy that I like the gift. “Well, I guess you could say Mimi has a way of rubbing off on me. When she wants to go on a shopping spree, it's almost hard not to get into the mood yourself. You don’t need to feel bad though, it was a little costly but didn’t exactly break the bank. We went to one of the big international grocery stores in Minato. Since you’ve been studying politics and diplomacy, all these neat international options made me think of you. Besides, you’ve always been a fan of interesting snacks, you just had to watch what you ate when you were on the soccer team. I remember how it would sometimes frustrate you when you had to watch your intake of calories. Now that you're not on the team, you can afford to indulge a bit more. Especially on a night like tonight, when you’ve very much earned it.”

Perhaps it is a bit silly of an occurrence over some snacks, but I find my eyes getting slightly watery; I honestly cannot remember the last time someone bought me a present out of the blue. I try to rub my eyes slyly with the back of my wrist. Sora gives me a reassuring pat on the head, lingering with her fingers in my messy hair for a brief moment. “Thanks Sora, really this is an awesome gift. You really didn’t have to go through the trouble…but I’m glad you did.”

“For the best friend who has been there for me my entire life, please it's nothing. Oh and don’t go thinking that you need to get me something in return now. This was just something I felt like doing and besides…you haven’t always had the best luck with gift giving.” She teases playfully.

“Yeah…I know.” I respond quietly while looking down at the table. Now thinking of the times in which I struggled in that department. Just like the hair clip and well most attempts to get her something special.

“I’m only teasing Taichi, you know that right?” I look back up at Sora, who is eyeing me with concern again.

“Yeah…yeah of course Sora… I know. Sorry if I seem out of it, just a bit weary.” I bluff slightly now.

She’s quiet for a moment, then responds. “Well, maybe this can help with that, if only a little bit.” Reaching out to the now cluttered kitchen table in front of me, Sora picks up a long rectangular box. I examine the box as she holds it up for me, but I notice there are no Japanese characters, only English and another language. My english is good enough to pick up the word chocolate at least. 

“What is it?” I ask.

“Luckily for both you and I, Mimi spent a few years in America, so she knows English as well as anyone in Japan. She told me they are hot chocolate balls, imported from Switzerland. We just add some steaming milk and boom you got yourself a hot treat for a cold night like tonight. May not wake you up as much as coffee, but I don’t know if either of us should really be reaching for caffeine at four in the morning.”

I simply nod in agreement with a quiet affirmative grunt.

“Fortunately Ren actually keeps milk in the fridge, she likes it in her coffee.” She walks over to the fridge, grabs the slim white carton, then heads to the electric kettle sitting not far from the sink. She fills it up then hits the switch and a red light appears as the appliance whirls to life. Sora hums a catchy little tune as she waits for the milk to come up to temperature. I do not recognize the tune, perhaps it is something she came up with herself, but I find it relaxing nonetheless. I sit watching her, my cheek resting on my left hand, enthralled by her, almost like a sailor to a siren.

Before long, steam begins to billow out of the small machine. Sora then proceeds to flick the switch again, and carefully carries the kettle over to me. Ever so gently, Sora pours a fine stream of hot milk into my mug which is now situated on the table in front of me. She stops pouring once the mug is a little less than three quarters full. Then, as carefully as she brought it over to the table, she returned the kettle to its heating baseplate.

“You do the honors” Sora says after returning to my side, a spoon now in her hand. I pick up the box, unseal it, and grab one of the balls of semi sweet chocolate. Lifting it up, we can both see that the treat has little patterns and a white chocolate drizzle across its surface. I drop it into the steaming hot milk, with a tiny splash. The milk makes quick work of the chocolate sphere, which begins to melt away and reveals puffy marshmallows and colored sprinkles which float to the top. Sora gives it a quick stir with her spoon to even everything out and the drink settles into chocolatey goodness.

“Thanks Sora, this is honestly the best gift anyone has gotten me in a  long time.” I say letting a little emotion shine through my words.

She smiles warmly at me. “Be careful Taichi, you might need to let it cool down a bit.” Sora picks up the semi-unfurled towel that I had half forgotten was on my lap and along with her gym bag, starts making her way towards the bathroom. “I’ll be back soon ok? Then we can both get some much needed rest.”

“Sounds great, and with the hot chocolate I shouldn’t have to work about dozing off.” I give her a small wave. “Enjoy your shower.”

“Thanks” She responds, turning to me. “Oh and Taichi…”

“Yeah Sora?” I respond dumbly, noting that her tone has changed again.

“No peeking” She says quite firmly.

I almost knock over my mug, when I wave my hands defensively. “Sora…I!”

“Relax, just messing with you.” WIth that she chuckles, gives me a wink, and heads down the hallway towards the bathroom.

I sit here in the kitchen in no small degree of shock for a moment. Sora teasing me is not unusual, in fact she has been on fire with it tonight now that I think about it. However, lewd or raunchy humor is rarely ever her style; so that comment was a bit out of character for her. I sigh heavily, loud enough to hear in the quiet apartment. I know Sora was teasing but I wonder what brought that on, she’s gonna be the death of me one of these days.

I gaze at my steaming mug of chocolate drink. It looks incredibly inviting but Sora was completely right, I would probably burn my tongue if I drank it right now. Looking around the kitchen I suddenly realize that Sora left the milk out on the counter and did not clean out the kettle; usually used for water its internals are assuredly caked in hot milk. Maybe she forgot, or maybe she figured she would deal with it after her shower.

I decide to get up and address both of these tasks, besides I figure it will help keep me awake in the meantime. A few minutes pass and I return to my seat at the table. After giving the liquid a few shallow breaths, I slowly bring the rim to my lips. The drink is incredibly rich but somehow not too sweet. I cannot remember the last time I ordered a hot chocolate but this is absolutely delicious.

“Thanks Sora” I find myself saying out loud. “Sometimes it feels like you know me better than I know myself. This really hits the spot.” I add cheerfully, especially considering how cold I now realize that I still am. I hadn’t exactly been dressed for the weather for the past few hours after all.

Savoring the drink, and not wanting to burn right through my treat in a matter of moments; which has often been my style, I take several small sips enjoying the complexities of the flavor. Despite the beverage I still find myself feeling rather drowsy; a strong desire to rest my weary eyes. So, after a few repetitions of this, I determine that pulling out my phone would be a good additional distraction.

I browse mindlessly through my applications seeking an activity. I have most of the major Japanese social media apps and even some international ones, but I have never been a particularly active user; mainly keeping them in order to chat with and keep track of my friends, not to mention a bit of networking now that I am studying to work in government. I flick past all these apps, a few games, and YouTube, until something catches my eye.

“Haven’t been on here in a while” I say contemplatively.

The last time that the Digidestined were all together at Koushiro’s office, he set us up with a shared cloud storage drive for photos and videos. If I recall correctly it was actually Hikari’s suggestion; a shared location where we could all contribute and view photos of our time together. This way, no matter how far apart we may become physically, we could always feel like the rest of the team was there rooting for us from the sidelines. Especially after the Digimon left, it became increasingly important to all of us that we hold onto the memories that we have remaining.

The storage drive has only been active for about six months but already hundreds of photos have been added to it. The Digidestined pulled them out of everywhere they could find them. Browsing emails, old cell phones, and even uploading scans of old physical copies. There are dozens of photos of the entire team and even more photos of us broken into various sub groupings. Most have our Digimon in them, but there are even some older photos of us humans hanging out as kids. Just now I see a picture of everyone hanging out after our first foray into the Digital World. Whoever took this photo, likely one of our parents, seems to have caught us all in action. Sora and Mimi are playing with Hikari and Takeru in the jungle gym. Sora with her arms outstretched under Takeru making sure he does not fall off the monkey bars. Koushiro and Jo sit on a nearby bench having a discussion like two old men in a park. Finally, Yamato and I are on the right side of the photo, on a picnic bench having an arm wrestling contest. Both of our faces are red with focus and a drive to win. Even now I find myself wondering who ended up winning, not that it matters much. I really miss those days…

There are pictures in here from basically every step of our lives, from Sora and I playing soccer as kids, to elementary, middle school, and high school graduations, meetings of the Digidestined, trips and times we went camping, all the way up to the last time we were together…together without or Digimon anyway… The photos both sadden me while simultaneously warming my heart. I feel a little guilty for not having contributed much to the collection myself, but Hikari seems to have gone through all of our old photos on my behalf. There are photos here that I have not seen in many years.

As I continue to scroll, a picture suddenly catches my attention. In the picture Sora and I are posing on a picnic blanket in front of some bento boxes. On my shoulders sits Agumon eyeing up the food, and Piyomon is comfortably settled in Sora’s lap. Upon closer inspection you can make out tailmon having a cat-nap on a nearby tree. Hikari must have taken this photo. I honestly do not even recognize it or remember the picnic for that matter, but it looks like Sora and I must have been in late middle school or early high school at the time. Around the time that Sora started embracing more of her feminine side; perhaps not coincidentally this was also around the time that I developed confused feelings for my best friend. Some many phases and changes, yet throughout it all our Digimon were there by our side; supporting us through thick and thin. As I gaze at the joyful Agumon and content Piyomon, I cannot contain the single tear that forms and rolls down my cheek.

Suddenly, I am snapped out of my nostalgia as I hear Sora yell loudly. Dropping my phone on the table with a clattering thud, I stand up and hurry down the hallway and towards the bathroom. Arriving at the door, all I can hear is the rushing water on the other side.

“Sora are you ok in there?” I call out, my hand hovering by the door not but not quite touching it. No response.

“Sora!” I try louder. After which the water suddenly is shut off.

“Taichi, was that you?” I hear her call back suddenly, putting my mind at ease.

“Yeah, I could have sworn I heard  you yell just now. Are you ok, do you need me to…” I start.

“Don’t come in! I’m alright. Just the building's stupid water heater acting up. Sorry to worry you, go back to the kitchen, I’ll be right out.”

“Gotcha, was just checking.” I turn around without saying another word, feeling relieved that nothing was wrong but stuck wondering if tonight's surprises will ever come to an end. I return to the table and to my hot chocolate; taking a large gulp before resting my hands behind my head and leaning back in the chair, all in an effort to shake off the recent jolt of excitement to my nerves.

A few minutes pass and I hear the bathroom door open down the hall. I realize that I have been staring off into space, but I readjust my focus to the doorway awaiting Sora’s return.

“Sorry again about the scare Taichi.” I hear her say before appearing through the doorway. I am ashamed to say that I cannot help but to gawk at Sora in her current state. Sora appears in the kitchen now wearing a loose fitting white undershirt and the shortest red shorts that I have probably ever seen her wear.

“We have been having a problem on and off with the building's water heater.” She continues. “Sometimes we can wash just fine, other times the water becomes freezing or too hot with no notice.” She clearly toweled herself off after her shower, but did not do a thorough job, perhaps because she did not want to leave me hanging for long. Her beautiful red-orange hair was messy, with some strands heavy with moisture and sticking to the side of her head; especially by her neck.

“The really frustrating part is, once it gets cold it tends to stay like that for hours. Building management told us that they planned to have it addressed before it started getting cold for the year, clearly they missed the deadline. Since I doubt an icy cold shower would do you good right now, it looks like you might be skipping out tonight after all. Sorry about that Taichi, you probably could have used a warming up more than me.” She says walking around the kitchen table to stand by my side once again.

I cannot help but to notice that while her shirt is loose fitting, her skin is clearly a bit wet too, as the undershirt sticks to her body here and there. Looking at her I suddenly realize Is she not wearing…

“Umm earth to Taichi, you there?” She says waving her hand in front of my face to get my attention. Looking up to her face, I can see that Sora is blushing deeply. The tingling heat from my cheeks tells me that I am doing the same, probably have been since she walked in the room.

Knock it off Taichi, not cool . I kick myself internally. “Sora…sorry.” I mutter, what I was doing must have been clear.

“Taichi, you goof, did you hear a word that I just said?” She says with a blushing sigh.

I simply shake my head in response.

“Aww well it hardly matters anyway. You still look pretty out of it. Not that you are going to be on your feet much longer, but do your legs feel any better?” She asks while reaching out to rub my knee gently. I am surprised but feeling grateful for the change in subject. Maybe she actually did not notice or maybe she is simply giving me a break after the night we’ve had.  

“They are still sore, but they do feel better. I don’t feel like I’m going to collapse under my own weight anymore, so that’s good.” I realize that I probably expressed this a bit too honestly, as Sora frowns in a clear reaction to my words.

“You really did overdo it today, didn't you Taichi? I have not seen you in a state like this in many years, then again, I am partially to blame after all. Well we are safe and sound here now, we will get you rested up and back to your normal energetic self in no time.”

Sora steps close to the table, and clearly sees the old photo of us open on my screen. “Aww I almost forgot about that photo, I think that was our last picnic with Hikari before Yamato and us graduated highschool. Going down memory lane a bit?” She says obviously feeling as emotional as I was a few moments ago.

“Yeah.” I remark softly. “I’m really glad that we still have these pictures to hold onto.”

With that thought concluded Sora suddenly steps even closer to me, reaches her hand out, and brushes her fingers through my messy hair without warning. I can feel each finger as they trace their way across my scalp, ever so gently tugging at my long hairs as they do. Sora repeats this process with her other hand, but moving at a slightly different angle. “I really do love your hair Taichi, I’m glad that you decided against cutting it short when we started university.”

With this Sora takes both hands and ever so slowly clenches them in my hair, giving me a gentle but amazing tugging sensation at my roots.

“Sora” I say, instinctively, but it comes out more as a moan than I would like to admit.

“Does that feel good?” She asks in a whisper near my ear. I can do nothing but nod slowly at this; embracing the sensations.

She then moves behind me fully, placing her hands onto my shoulders. “How long has it been Taichi?” She says before giving my shoulders a firm but careful squeeze. Sometimes after a soccer game Sora would rub my shoulders or massage my calves back in the day, but she is right, this has not happened for several years at least, maybe longer.

“It’s been a moment.” I whisper, not out of need to keep my voice down, but simply because that is all I can muster right now. 

I can almost feel Sora smiling softly behind me, as she begins to massage my shoulders and upper back through my long sleeve short. And this is Sora, a former and recently renewed athlete we are talking about. These are not gentle strokes, but a firm pressure targeted at my stiff muscles. Using her thumb to squeeze and stretch out my upper trapezius. Using knuckles and briefly her elbow to dig in deep around the muscles of my shoulder blade.

I groan in pain now and again. But not a bad kind of pain, the kind of pain that any athlete knows comes with a skilled massage. After loosening up my back a bit, Sora reaches her hands around to the front of my shoulders.

“I still remember that your pectoral muscles are often a bit tender.” She says warmly, before pressing her fingers through my shirt into the deep muscles of my upper chest. I groan pretty loudly now, not having been touched here in a while, I had until now not realized how sore my body is. This goes beyond this evening as well, I am probably not taking care of my body the way that I should be.

“Is the pressure too much Taichi?” Sora checks in.

“No… it's perfect” I feel myself blushing deeply again. Even though it is happening through my shirt, it feels quite intimate to have Sora touching me like this, especially with just the two of us alone here in her apartment.

Sora continues to press deep circles with her fingers into my pectoralis major until the degree of pain begins to subside. After which her hands actually return to play with my hair again. Her hands run circles around my scalp then work their way down toward the base of my skull.  She skillfully and diligently rubs every nook and cranny of my head with a deep but much desired pressure. This earns a few stifled moans from me embarrassingly. I think I hear her giggle to herself at this. Finally she works her way down to my neck.

But when Sora reaches the back of my neck, her hands stop moving all of a sudden. This brings me out of my trance a bit, realizing that I had my eyes closed, I open them. Her hands are still just gripping my neck from behind without any sign of movement.

“Sora?” I call out softly, almost sensing that something is wrong.

She does not respond, but places her warm hands inside the collar of my shirt, less massaging now more just feeling that around. Pulling her right hand out from under my shirt, she places it on my forehead like a mother testing her child for a fever.

“Sora, is everything ok.” I ask suddenly, a bit concerned myself now.

I can actually hear her clenching her jaw in frustration behind me. “No Taichi, everything's not alright. Your skin is ice cold, we have been inside for probably about thirty minutes or more and you are still absolutely freezing! You should have said something at the lake! Just thinking about all that cold wind, I was not even thinking about you sitting there without a coat.”

That statement about her not thinking about me is not remotely true and I suspect she knows that, but sensing her frustration I am not about to push back against her assertion. It is clear that Sora is upset, but I can tell it's more out of concern and less out of anger.

“We need to get your body temperature up right away, before there is a risk of pneumonia.” She says eagerly. “Keep drinking your hot chocolate, I will be right back.”

I grab her by the wrist though before she can walk off. “Wait Sora, won’t you try my hot chocolate quickly before I finish it off, you got it for me after all.” I realize that it is probably not the moment but I want to calm Sora down at least a little, and this is the best way that came to mind. I know she said earlier that she is not that tired, but she was drinking too; granted not as much as me, and I can tell the stress of tonight is still getting to her. Plus she spent all this money, I really do think she should at least taste it. She really likes chocolates as well. “Please Sora.” I add, pleading to her with my eyes.

Sora sighs heavily and looks at me sadly. “Fine, but quick, and then we need to get you warmed up.”

I am honestly not sure why but it makes me really happy that she is listening to me even though I know she wants to run off this instant. Stepping closer to the table, Sora lifts the mug and brings it to her lips, taking a moderate sip. She closes her eyes for a brief moment to focus on the flavors.

“It has cooled down a bit, but it's delicious.” She says with a smile “I am going to have to thank Mimi for the suggestion.”

I grin up at her as I can see a relative calm has been restored to my best friend. That sense of drive and focus never leaves her expression fully however and it is not long before she hands me the mug once again. She pats my head softly. “Now finish your drink Taichi, I am going to prepare things to get your body temperature up. You are not getting sick on my watch.”

She expresses her last statement with a fire in her eyes, and before I can blink she is speedily off back to her room once again. I feel my wrist with my other palm, Sora is not wrong, my skin is very cold to the touch. I don't really know if there is a risk of pneumonia here, but Jo is not exactly here to answer that question for us, and Sora, understandably, wants to play things safe. I suppose my mind had simply been otherwise occupied, as now that the realization of my condition dawns on me, I feel a deep shiver run up my spine. Grabbing the nearby mug, I finish off what is left of my still warm but no longer hot beverage.

As I place down my empty mug, I realize that I can hear Sora shuffling around her room; not entirely sure what she is planning, but am sure I will know soon enough. I decide to get up and rinse out the mug in the sink so that it does not stain. I do so, wipe down the area around the sink with the nearby hand towel, and place the mug on the drying mat. Leaning against the counter until I hear Sora call my name.

“Yes Sora?” I call back.

“Come here please.” She responds.

I do not question her request, and quickly make my way down the hallway towards her bedroom. I realize I have not been in her room, either this one, or her room back home in a very long time. Sora’s mother and I get along fine, but in Japan it is not really acceptable for an older boy to be just hanging out in the bedroom of a female friend. My parents were always fine with Sora visiting, but Sora’s conservative mother was not eager to host me or any other guys for that matter. I do not know why, but I feel a bit nervous at how long it has been.

As I enter her small room, I am a little shocked at how neat and orderly everything is. Sora has always been more organized than myself, but all the same it is a shocking contrast from my own apartment. Her textbooks, laptop, backpack, and classroom supplies neatly organized around her small wooden desk. There is no clothing in sight except for the outfit she was wearing this evening, sitting at the bottom of a small hamper. The walls are lined with a few posters, a landscape painting, some pressed flowers, and a large photo of her and Piyomon that her mother had framed for her recently. It was truly a very thoughtful gift.

I walk up to the picture on the wall. Sora had texted me a photo but this is my first time seeing it in person. The photo is the size of a large portrait. It looks like it must have been taken in late highschool, Sora is dressed up in an expensive looking kimono, and holding Piyomon in her arms. They both look so happy together. I am not used to seeing Sora so dressed up, but must admit to myself that she looks very beautiful in this portrait; this despite the fact that I have never been the biggest fan of that traditional Japanese wardrobe and style.

“Taichi?” I hear her voice call softly from behind me.

I turn around on the spot, dumbly forgetting that I am not in the room alone. Sora is standing next to her bed, which looks to have recently been remade with fresh sheets. She is holding a few folded blankets and staring at me with great interest.

I notice there is a blush on her cheeks. Suddenly I am left wondering if my tired mind vocalized my thoughts about the portrait. I am uncertain but cannot help but to feel embarrassed in case I did. Is she mad at me?

“You're wearing an undershirt like usual, right Taichi?” She asks me suddenly.

“Yeah of course.” I respond almost thoughtlessly, still wondering if she heard me say anything just now.

Sora nods at this. “Alright…take off your shirt.”

Chapter Text

I stare at Sora for a moment. Not saying anything, just slowly blinking at her, trying to get my weary mind to focus. My attention had still been on the portrait and whether or not I embarrassed myself, so now I stand here wondering if I just heard her correctly. “Huh..?” is all I can muster after a few seconds pass.

She furrows her brow a bit in response. “Your shirt Taichi, lose it.” Clearly noting my confusion she adds. “It’s time to get you warmed up and ready for bed before you fall flat on your face.”

“Wouldn’t that be a little counter-intuitive?” I ask whilst attempting to retain a calm demeanor, a bit surprised I have the brain space left for such vocabulary at the moment.

Sora sighs at this. “In case you hadn’t noticed, your shirt has not exactly done much to warm you up from the unusually frigid temperature outside. Clothes, blankets, and things like that do not create heat obviously; they just retain your body heat. At the moment your body does not exactly have a lot of excess heat to be retained. I have an idea to help warm you up, but at this point your clothes will just get in the way. Just trust me ok?”

Even as exhausted as I am, I follow Sora’s reasonable logic without issue. I nod but suddenly my mind becomes enraptured by a single word she uttered. “Clothes?” I repeat quietly, feeling the heat return to my face.

Sora’s cheeks are bright red in response as well. “Down to your…boxers…and undershirt I mean.” She tries sounding firm but seems quite flustered herself. “It’s not like you have pajamas to wear, and besides I’ve seen you in less haven’t I?”

I take a step backwards away from her. “Sora…that…was a long time ago. And even then, I’m pretty sure your mother would have killed me.” I say only jesting in part. We did not exactly have spare clothing in the digital world, so there were times we slept in our underwear, like when we found that old mansion that Devimon used as a trap for us. We were only young, we did not think anything of it at the time.

She gives me a bashful nod in return. “Let’s just say I did not tell my mom every detail about our time in the Digital World. Anyway, unless she has installed spy cameras…” She looks around the room feigning paranoia. “…it's just us here and you’ll be covered up in no time. Come on Taichi, you have been taking care of me all night, let me take care of you…please.”

“...Ok.” I say finally, still feeling pretty uneasy about the situation. I reach down and gently grab the lining of my long-sleeved shirt, before pulling it over my head, taking extra care to ensure that my undershirt does not come with it.

I go to look for a spot to put it down, but Sora reaches her hand out to take it, begins folding it, and places it neatly on her desk. “Since I don’t have any spare clothes for you, you will be needing these for tomorrow.”

“Yeah, good point.” I reply with a yawn. I reach my hands down to start undoing my belt buckle and as ridiculous as it likely is, I notice that my hands are trembling a little. I undo the brown leather belt and begin removing it loop by loop; fumbling slightly as I go. However, something possesses me to look up at Sora just now, I stop in my tracks when I realize that her eyes seem to be glued on crotch. I know she does not mean anything lewd by it, but it kind of freaks me out.

“Uhhh…Sora.” I say nervously. Sora eyes meet mine then and the look on my face must say it all. Her eyes go wide and her mouth starts quivering.

“Sorry!” She blurts out. “I was just waiting for you to be done with your belt and jeans so I could fold them for you, didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I’ll go ahead and turn around until you're done.” She says quickly, turning her back towards me.

I feel a bit bad honestly, if I was not so exhausted I probably would not have reacted that strongly; I’m reaching that level of fatigue that feels to impact one’s judgment and reaction time. I just was really thrown off by her watching me undress. I sigh internally hoping that I did not make things awkward again. After a moment I have finished undressing and tell Sora that it is ok to turn around again.

Making a clear effort to keep her gaze around eye level, she turns around and eagerly takes my jeans and belt from me before folding them away for tomorrow; slinging my belt over the back of her chair.

Turning back to me Sora jolts in surprise where she stands. "Taichi what happened?!"

I followed her line of sight down to my elbow which is visible thanks to my short sleeve undershirt. The skin around my elbow is rather bruised and scratched up. Looking down I see that my knee is also pretty banged up. Sora had clearly not noticed my knee a moment ago, but her expression gives way to the fact that she is now well aware of the injury.

"With everything going on tonight I almost forgot, I might have lost my footing when I was out looking for you after you left the clubhouse. It doesn't hurt too bad." I say attempting to downplay the injury to my best friend.

"Oh Taichi, your poor body. You really need to take it easy for at least a few days. I can address it further tomorrow, but let me at least put some ointment on those scrapes." Sora does not wait for a reply. However, rushing down the hallway and reappearing a moment or two later with the bottle of medical ointment in her hand.

It's still pretty embarrassing to be exposed like this, but I keep my thoughts to myself and let her apply the ointment without any resistance.

"There you go, this should help. I can't believe I've had to patch you up three times tonight, I hope you're not getting fragile on me." She jokes.

“ I certainly hope not,  So Sora, now that that's out of the way, tell me about this warm up plan.” She was almost certainly right about my shirt and jeans not helping much. But all the same, the lack of clothing makes me shiver. I rub my arms for warmth, but it does little to address my condition.

In response to my query, Sora walks back over to her bed and picks up the pile of blankets that she had been holding when I entered the room. “Come on.” She gestures with a turn of her head. “lay down.”

I walk up to Sora’s bed looking at it, it seems as though it has been made up with fresh sheets just for me. I look up at her with concern. “But where will you sleep?”

“Yagami Taichi, lay down before I make you lay down.” Sora gives me a stern, almost scowl of a look. I sigh quickly relenting, to be fair I would do the same if she were staying the night at my apartment and she surely recognizes that fact. Crouching over slightly, I clumsily climb my way onto her bed, opting to lay on my back for the moment.

Sora places the blankets down next to me, and I am shocked as she reaches down to my feet and starts pulling my right sock off. “Almost forget, I know like me you usually prefer sleeping barefoot.”

I do not respond to this, feeling even more bashful now. First my shoes, now this… It's not exactly that I mind her assistance or that I’m offended, but it just feels weird, as if she were taking care of a child. It is after all the kind of thing I might have done for Hikari when we were little. I do not mind being looked after either, yet I find myself worrying that she will see me as weak or incapable.

After removing and hanging both of my socks from her chair alongside my belt, Sora returns to the side of the bed, gazing down at me. Subconsciously I press my legs together feeling a little exposed, suspecting that she will be tucking me in next.

“Do me a favor and hold still so I can climb over without accidentally stepping on you. Knowing you and how much you’ve had to drink tonight, I wouldn’t be surprised if you had to get up and go again at some point. I don’t want to be blocking you if that happens, and from memory you are far from graceful when you’ve just woken up.” She whispers bashfully, as if she expects my reaction.

My eyes cannot help but to go wide as I look up at her. “Sora…” I say realizing what she is proposing.

“Unless, you’d be more comfortable with me on the couch.” She says, sounding as nervous as I feel.

“No! No…it's not that… it's just…sorry…go ahead.” I say quickly making myself as small an obstacle for Sora as possible. Her single mattress is far from the biggest bed I’ve ever seen, and while it can certainly fit the two of us, I recognize that it will be a tight fit.

I look over and see Sora looking anxiously at me. “Thanks” She mumbles in a barely audible tone before climbing onto the bed, carefully stepping around me, and finally kneeling down next to me. She then reaches down to the foot of the bed and grabs the pile of various blankets. “If this ends up getting too warm for us during the night we can always throw some of them to the side.” Unfurling each covering one by one and draping them over me, leaving enough slack for her to crawl under when she is done. I say blankets, but now that I see each individual piece, I recognize that a spare bed sheet is laid down first, followed by two plush blankets, finally topped by a down comforter.

I am still quite cold, but now feel as though I have been placed inside a plush cocoon, only my head and neck sticking out against a pillow by the headboard. Looking over to my left, I observe as Sora carefully lifts the various layers and slides her body underneath them. I take a deep breath to steady myself as I feel her bare leg bush up against my own.

“So…” I hear her start after getting comfortable.

I turn onto my side so that I can look at Sora, there now being maybe half a meter between our faces. “I know you're sleepy, but all the same, I’m guessing you’ve figured out that I’m volunteering myself as your heat source for the evening…or morning I should say at this point.” Her joke turned into a shared realization that the sun will be peaking over the horizon in a few hours. “I’d like to help you warm up for a little bit if that’s ok with you.”

“Yeah….” I say barely above a whisper. So softly in fact, that the looks on Sora’s face suggests that she did not hear me. So I opt to nod my head instead.

Her crimson blush grows deeper in hue as Sora scooches a bit closer to me under the covers. Subconsciously my body tenses in anticipation of her touch. Ever so gently she brushes one of her warming hands up and down the exposed skin of right arm which protrudes beyond my undershirt. I stiffen slightly at first contact, but she bids me to relax; after a few seconds of this, I find my breath again.

She may not be vocalizing it, but it is apparent that Sora senses my anxiety. She is patient and loving in her movements; gliding gently up and down my arm. Reluctant to fully relax under her grasp as I worry about my lower body reacting to her sensual touch. After a few moments of this however, I find it impossible to fight and find myself closing my eyes, drinking in each new sensation.

Not long after this, I feel Sora move her entire body closer to me, wrapping her free arm around my torso and twisting a leg around mine. Her skin is warm and supple against me. I feel a heat rising within me but do my best to ignore it. We stay like this for a few moments and my mind tetters on the edge of sleep, until her voice brings me back from the brink.

“Geez hugging you is like cuddling with a human sized ice cube Taichi.”

A bewildering embarrassment knocks me out of that sense of growing comfort. I pull back from her slightly, moving a few centimeters towards the edge of the bed. “But…but…this was your idea!” I stutter probably a bit too loudly, opening my eyes to face her.

Sora gives me an apologetic look. “Hush, did not mean it as a criticism of you. I’m just shocked that you did not realize how cold your body was getting. Looking back on our walk, I should have realized just how cold you must have been. I tried putting on a brave face as I was not really comfortable going back to the soccer club, but I was shivering before you lent me your jacket.

“I guess fortunately for my sake, my mind was elsewhere at the time, more focused on our conversations. In all seriousness, I did not even think about it that much.” I respond simply.

“All the same, you must have been so cold with nothing but a shirt on, especially out by the lake. To be truthful I started to worry about you a lot after I wrapped your hand with my shirt scrap, but you were adamant about me taking your jacket back, and you seemed to really want to go out on the lake with me. I was a little shocked by your resolve, but maybe I should have resisted and made us call it an early night, if you could even call it that.”

“Well Sora, I for one am grateful that you did not have us turn back towards your apartment. If you had, we might have never had that conversation out on the lake.” I look her straight in the eyes and speak confidently. “It was an important talk, and speaking openly, one that made me feel quite relieved. I will not be forgetting our chat anytime soon.”

Sora’s mouth curves into a hearty smile, her eyes returning an intense stare into mine. “I am very happy we had that chat too. I’m just worried about you, you big dummy…I…often worry about you.” She pulls herself even closer to me pressing her face against my chest, only the thin layer of undershirt now separating our skin. “What would I do without you?” I hear her mumble to herself.

Once again this line of conversation serves to make me feel the praise unwarranted; me undeserving...“You’d be just fine.” I mutter back, the unintended coldness of my tone betrays my thoughts.

In an instant Sora breaks off from her hug, pulls her head back, and stares at me with that mix of frustration and confusion; the same exact bewildered look in fact that she gave me on our walk to her apartment.

Instinctively I try to address my blunder. “What I mean to say is…you're strong and very capable Sora, I know you can handle yourself.”

But this time Sora does not respond, giving me a look that suggests she is not buying my excuse, not this time. Glaring at me as if she is trying to silently extract the truth from me, I cannot help but to avert my gaze, which assuredly makes me seem even more guilty than I already appeared to be.

“Sorry…I'm really tired…I’ve been tired all night to be truthful…and I guess I just…” I start but Sora seems to have had enough of my excuses at this point.

"Listen Taichi, I am beyond grateful that you have gone through strenuous efforts to support me all night, but if you think I haven't noticed your strange behavior, well you're dead wrong. I noticed when you dodged my question as we were leaving the park earlier. I noticed that you grew quiet and distant whenever I paid you a complement or discussed our relationship. And you better believe that I noticed when you blew up on me at the slightest mention of nanomon’s pyramid; I may have opted to avoid the subject at the time, but I'm not that oblivious. I don't know what's been going on with you, but I know you well enough to be certain that it's not just the alcohol or the exhaustion. Even if those factors are exacerbating the situation, there's more to this story than that; something is bugging you Taichi and you know it. All night you have been staring at me like there is something you really want to ask or tell me. Remember when you said that I could tell you anything, shouldn't that door swing both ways? I'm not going to sit here and try to force you to open up to me if you don't want to, but it would seriously mean a lot to me if, following all of our conversations tonight and after nearly two decades of friendship, you could trust me enough to tell me what the heck is going on."

I blink a few times, rather thrown off by the sudden confrontation. I should have known she was paying close attention the whole time, stupid of me to even consider otherwise. Sora is too sharp and knows me too well for that. She must be so disappointed... Instinctively, I look away from Sora feeling that same sense of shame resurface in me. However, Sora is quick to gently turn my face back towards hers. I want to speak to her, to acknowledge her, and admit that she was right; yet my mind is racing and the muscles of my face begin to quiver out of my control. I want to stop what’s coming; aside from a few stray tears tonight I haven’t really cried since I lost Agumon and I haven’t cried in front of someone in years. I try to force myself to calm down but my body refuses to yield to my control, so I then try in vain to turn away from Sora. Desperately attempting to avoid her gaze, not wanting her to see me in such a shameful state, yet her firm touch against my cheek holds me at eye level.

“Oh Taichi…” She whispers softly, clearly seeing and sensing what is to come.

It begins with sniffles and a few reflexive twitches. My body begins to shiver and the feeling of profuse vulnerability only serves to make me sadder yet angrier at myself for being in the process of losing control. It is not long at all before the first tears begin welling in my eyes and I roughly swipe them away with the back of my hand. But it is of little use, the tears are replaced with even higher quantities surging from my tear ducts. To my disgust, being only centimeters away from my best friend’s face, my nose starts running and I finally lose what little remaining control I had over my emotions. I clench my eyes tightly, attempting to force my emotions into check, but to no avail. To this Sora reaches out and glides her hand under my cheek and down the side of my face which is making contact with her mattress. With her open palm facing my cheek she lifts me up ever so slightly and lovingly runs the fingers of her other hand through my hair, down my forehead, and across the side of my face. “So...ra...I...I'm...sorry...I...” I attempt to express my shame and guilt but it comes out entirely incoherent.

“Shhh...It’s ok...it’s ok.” She says soothingly. “Hush I’m here for you, you have nothing to be ashamed of. I promise I’m not mad at you. I know you must have had your reasons for not answering me, for going off on me before, and well for acting so unusually in general recently. I know that if my best friend is acting so strange, you must have a good reason behind it. I just want you to feel safe opening up to me, I want to find out what’s upsetting you and help to address it if I can. But I can’t help you if you won’t talk to me Taichi.” Sora continues to cradle my head in her palm while using her other hand to stretch out and reach my upper back. Like a mother to her injured child, she pulls me closer to her chest, caressing my upper back in soft circles.

At first I did not even consider trying to respond verbally, far too upset and emotional to even put the words together in my head, nevermind to express them externally. To my immense gratitude Sora displays no signs of impatience, letting me take the time to calm down from my breakdown. I have not an inkling of how much time passes now, but thanks to her coaxing and tender nature I feel control slowly returning to me. Sora, most likely sensing my renewed calm, hands me a tissue from the bedside table. Once I finally regain control I require no deep contemplation or preparation, as my conscience and overwhelming sense of humiliation speak for me. "I’m a coward Sora...” I mutter just barely loud enough for my own ears to perceive.

“What..did you say?” I would have assumed Sora had simply not heard my shaken voice had it not been for the look of utter disbelief which is plastered on her face.

“I’m a coward…I’ve made a mockery of my crest, and I don’t deserve to be called the Digidestined of Courage.”

Sora looks disquieted, and fumbles with her words as though she does not know how to react. “What on earth makes you say something so ridiculous?”

Negative and self-effacing thoughts swirl around me in a murky cloud; reflecting all of the guilt and doubt that has had a hold on me these past several years. There is so much noise that I find it hard to think straight.

Sora takes my hand in hers and gives me a firm squeeze. “Taichi, it's me. You’ve known me your entire life. You can talk to me, you have nothing to fear.”

“I trust you Sora…there’s just so much, I don’t even know where to begin.” I say still finding it hard to focus down on a single concept. I can literally feel my heart racing in my chest, my hands are even shaking. I’ve kept some of these feelings locked inside for so long, that I suppose part of me never thought that I might never have to confront them out in the open.

“Breathe, close your eyes and just breathe. You are going to be ok, I’m here for you.”

I close my eyes and inhale then exhale, as slowly as I can manage in my current state.

“Just one thought and one step at a time ok?” She whispers supportively while gently stroking the palm of my hand. “I’m starting to suspect that these are concerns you have been keeping to yourself for quite some time. Not unlike our co-leader conversation from earlier.”

“But that’s just it Sora, when did I lose the courage to talk openly with my friends and family. When did I stop facing my guilt and countless mistakes? I didn’t used to feel so vulnerable and full of doubt, but…ever since Nishijima Sensei’s death a few years back, I’ve been growing concerned that I don’t have what it takes, that perhaps I never did. And to be honest with you…it's only gotten worse over time. How can the leader of the Digidestined make so many mistakes and still be considered the leader? When is it time to recognize that you simply do not have what it takes anymore and hand the title down to someone more capable.”

“I can only imagine how you felt when Diago died, I know he was becoming something of a mentor to you. We only knew him for a little while, but it was clear that he cared about all of us, and about you especially. He was willing to die so that you might live, because Sensei believed in you. We all make mistakes Taichi, Digidestined or not we are only human. We make mistakes and we learn from them, trying to improve where we can. Sometimes you want so badly to go back in time to change things but you just can’t, so you have to focus instead on growing and improving. That’s what it means to be an adult, that’s what I believe anyway, and I think Daigo would have thought so too.”

“Well I sure seem to make a lot of mistakes…sometimes it feels like I am simply incapable of learning, of being better. Over the years I have questioned if I was ever worth sensei’s sacrifice in the first place. I know it was his choice to make, but what if it was the wrong choice? I’ve had so many regrets and failures, times where I should have done better. Instances where I just made the lives of others harder, or worse yet put them in danger.”

“You mean like what happened at Nanomon’s pyramid?” She says stroking my check.

I recoil at the mention once again, pulling away from her touch. My extreme reaction clearly distressing Sora. 

“I suppose even after all these years, we never really did sit down and talk about it, did we, Taichi? You actually still blame yourself for that? Perhaps this is my fault for never clearing the air with you?”

“How could this possibly be your fault?” I say, snapping at her. “You were seconds away from dying! You were kidnapped and almost died all because of my stupidity, my arrogance; acting like I knew it all!” I raise my voice. “I almost killed you, my best friend in the world. Even after you expressed to me that you were worried about the group's safety, I put you…you, of all people, in danger. You almost paid the ultimate price for my mistakes. It's a miracle that you didn't get killed.”

“Taichi…you were a child, it's as though you meant to put my life in danger, you protected me more times than I can count; both before and after that incident.”

“It doesn’t matter what I intended, what matters is what I did and what almost happened to you because of me.” The volume of my voice shrinks to a murmur. “Even now…so many years down the road…I still have nightmares about it from time to time. Dark reimaginings of you falling into the pit. If you had died that day Sora…I don’t think I could have continued on living…I would have…”

Reaching out a bit more forcefully this time, Sora brushes her fingers through my hair. “I wish you would have told me years ago that this was still haunting you, we could have talked about it.”

“I just feel so damn guilty, I didn’t even know how to bring it up…besides I figured it's not an incident that you like to think back on.” I admit softly.

“Taichi…you almost got me killed that day, you did, there’s no two ways about it. When Nanomon took me away from you and the rest of the group, I was frightened, very frightened. I had no idea what he planned to do to me or Piyomon, or if we had much time to live.”

I wince at her words, knowing they are all too true. 

“And yet it seems as though you have forgotten half of the story.” Sora continues with a passionate energy. “The most important part of that story, and I know for a fact that the other Digidestined would back me up on this.”

“Sora it doesn’t matter if I saved you when I was the one to put your life in danger in the first place.” I interrupt feeling I know where she is going with this line of thought.

“Taichi, this is important, so I need you to hear me out, and not get so defensive about this.”

My resolve crumples against her unyielding determination, realizing that I am not really being quite fair to my best friend. Shutting my mouth in an instinct I signal for her to continue.

“You took one of Koushiro’s theories to heart and thought you might not be able to die in the Digital World. Was it smart? No, but you were eleven and Koushiro should have kept such a speculative theory to himself; but guess what, he was just a child as well. We were kids, kids dealing with supernatural circumstances, you would not expect perfection from others, you cannot expect it from yourself. Falling and learning how to pick yourself back up is all part of childhood, you taught me that Taichi.”

“Really?” I gasp in surprise.

 “Yes really! We may have never spoken about the incident, but Mimi and I have. I know you cried after I was taken, cried for what you did, cried because you knew I was in a lot of danger.”

I look away from her, not being particularly proud of breaking down like that in front of the group. “I didn’t know that Mimi shared that with you, not that she needed to keep it a secret or anything…”

“She told me years later when we were in highschool, around the same time that you began to doubt your ability to keep fighting as a Digidestined. Now I recognize that you have been doubting your abilities since that time, but I digress. I was shocked when Mimi told me this because you hardly ever cried as a child, even when you got injured. And no, before you even dare think it, it was not a sign of weakness, it was a sign that you cared; a sign that I was important to you. A sign that you understood your mistake, you regretted making that mistake and wanted to make it right. And guess what? You did, you risked your life to save mine. An eleven year old child stormed a fortified pyramid with electric fences and who knows how many enemies; yet, somehow, against all odds made your way to me. It doesn’t matter that you had help from the Digimon, do you understand how crazy of a feat that was. Then not only did you save me, but you saved the entire group by helping Agumon finally reach his ultimate evolution.” Sora rants this explanation at me until she is nearly out of breath.

“I know, but even back then I knew well enough that I should have respected your opinions and concerns. I had promised you that I would look after you, and I let you down. You must have been furious with me, and had every right to be.”

“You dummy, if you hadn’t gotten sucked into that portal created by Etemon, you would have gotten the world's biggest bear hug from me…and probably a kiss on the cheek to boot. You’ve been harboring this guilt for years, yet I forgave you in an instant. After you went missing, the only thought and mission in my mind was finding you and making sure that you were ok. For two months, I pressed the group to search for you. Then when the rest of the group gave up, I went to find you on my own. Does that sound like someone who was furious at their best friend? I could barely sleep when you were gone. It turned out that you were safe, but at the time, for all I knew anyway, you could have been in grave danger…or worse.” She finishes getting a little choked up herself.

“I’m…sorry that I worried you.” I say softly, rubbing her hand back now.

“I know you are, but it wasn’t your fault for getting sucked into that portal. You were acting in the moment in order to protect us. Even back then you so often put me and the rest of the team first, even if the others did not always realize it. You wanted exploration and adventure, but you also wanted to get everyone home safely. But I don’t need to remind you, because you know full-well how intensely you fought for us. So please, let go of the guilt and the shame for getting me captured, and recognize that I never held it against you. I have seen first hand just how much you have grown and matured since that point, I could not be more proud of you Taichi!”

Her words rattle me to my core but can I truly just let go of the shame that has stalked me like a dark shadow for so long? Can I go back to a time where I felt confident and proud in myself? Not having the will power to force them back anymore, rejuvenated tears storm down my cheeks, before Sora wipes them away with her thumb.

"If I hadn’t been tricked by PicoDevimon, I would have explained this back when I found you. Gods that little jerk messed so many things up for us.” Sora groans the last sentence with a profound frustration, before taking a deep breath herself. “But...this isn't about him. This isn’t just about you not telling me that you felt I should be co-leader is it? This isn't even just about the incident at Nanomons pyramid all those years ago. You blame yourself for every single mishap and tragedy that occurred in our journeys, suffering in silence because you think you let everyone down. For years you've had this all hanging over your head haven't you?"

"I was our leader Sora, of course I'm responsible for all of it. If I was just better, if I was just stronger…"

"First of all, Taichi, you still are our leader, present tense…"

I do not mean to be rude or dismissive of Sora, yet I cannot help but to scoff at this point.

Sora sighs heavily. "And more importantly…" She presses on. "You cannot put the weight of the entire world on your shoulders, blaming yourself for every unpredictable barrier or challenge that we would face. Might I remind you once again that you and I were only eleven years old when we first entered the Digital World. And even in the years to follow you had to balance a normal childhood with helping manage and support the Digidestined. Our lives were always complicated, our trials often came with no easy answers. You didn’t know all the answers, how could you have, but that never stopped you from giving us your best every single time that we needed you.”

“I tried…I tried giving you and the others my best, but frankly, I’m not sure if my best was good enough compared to what the team deserved.”

“Our best has to be good enough though, because there is nothing more we can give. We were Chosen Taichi, but we aren’t gods, you know this. Nobody else could have led us, and to be completely honest with you there is nobody else that I would have followed. Say what you will, but I do not believe any of us would have survived the Digital World without you.”

“Deep down I know you're probably right Sora, I think there’s a part of me that recognizes it. I know you and the others believe me to have been a good leader. But even so, considering how tragically everything ended six months ago, how can I lay here and tell myself that I did good enough, that I was the leader the group truly needed? How can we still be considered Digidestined if we have no Digimon partners, and if we aren’t Digidestined anymore how can I be considered the leader of anything?”

“So that’s what has aggravated this whole bout of self-negativity.” Sora frowns and is silent for a brief moment. Suddenly rousing me from stupor as she leans forward without warning to plant a lightest of kisses on my forehead before pulling back again. “Of course that is what this would be about. I know you grieve but you don’t have to grieve alone Taichi. Last I tried to broach this subject with you a few months ago, I got short evasive responses. It was clear that you were not ready to talk about it, and trust me I understood. Now I wonder if I should have pushed you to talk to me, or to talk to your sister about things. I know she misses her big brother after all; but perhaps that's a topic for another time. Talk to me Taichi,about the Digimon, a broken heart can’t heal if we deny it's broken in the first place.”

“Most of the time…I try to just not think about them being gone, not that it stops me from being reminded of Agumon everywhere I look…It’s not as if I want to forget them...it’s just…so…hard. I grieve for Agumon as though he was dead, even though I know he is still alive and well with the others somewhere in the Digital World. Since we have no clue if…” I stop myself quickly, feeling a little angry that I even uttered the word. “...When we will see them again, well I find myself caught between hope and hopelessness. Maybe we’ll see them in the summer, but then again...what if it’s years...what if…”

Sora thankfully cuts me off before I can continue, she gently stops us in our tracks and places her right hand upon my cheek, slowly applying pressure until I turn my neck towards her; and soon I am observing her brilliant crimson irises, locked intently onto me. “We will see Agumon, Piymon, and the others again; trust me I know it’s hard but please don’t lose hope. We have to be strong for them if not for ourselves; you know they want us to be happy and to keep pushing towards our goals, whatever those goals may be.” She gently strokes my cheek as I listen to her speak, I can feel myself getting emotional all over again, but her touch helps to sooth me. To my embarrassment I feel yet another tear forming in my eye, but Sora swiftly wipes it away as soon as it takes shape.

“Taichi, you still feel guilty for not making much time for Agumon before the end. You got distracted with life and the start of university; now believing that you took him for granted.”

I can’t help but to react as Sora practically reads my mind.

Sora chuckles slightly at my reaction. “How do I know this? Because you knucklehead, it's exactly how I would feel in your shoes; plus believe it or not but I’ve learned pretty well how my best friend thinks. Though you regret it now, it was pretty understandable for you to have left Agumon at your parents place while you were at school. Agumon would have been lonely sitting in your apartment all day, you would have been worried sick about him, unable to focus on your school work. And who knows what your neighbors or landlord would have thought of having a Digimon in the apartment. You knew that Hikari and your mother would take good care of him while you were away; and that he would always have Tailmon around to keep him company too. I know he missed you like crazy, but he was happy there don’t you think?”

My vision of Sora’s face grows blurry as more tears begin to well, threatening to escape. “You’re right Sora...I know he was happy before the end...I just…” I find it hard to speak but she continues to comfort me silently. “Had I known it was the end...that we wouldn’t be able to see each other soon, I would have made it work, I would have found a way.”

“Of course we would have been there for them, would have spent even more time with them. But that’s just the thing Taichi, we didn’t know, we were all blindsided by it. You and Yamato found out mere days beforehand, and I...I didn’t even get a…” Sora speaks the last part with a heavy heart.

“How inconsiderate of me. At least I got a chance to say goodbye for a few days.” I interrupt her bashfully. “You barely even get a warning of any kind, Piyomon just suddenly left one day. Worse yet you were alone when it happened. That must have been so hard for you Sora.” Now it is my turn to wipe her free falling tears.

“It was hard, but it was hard for all of us. We all suffered, all grieved in our own way. You are right that it was sudden for me, and it broke my heart, but on the other hand I feel fortunate that Piyomon and I spent a lot of time together before it happened. It’s not just you Taichi, I have regrets too. I guess Piyomon learned a lot from my mother and I, because she made no shortage of sacrifices for me. More than anything she was concerned with my well-being, my happiness. She would always tell me that it was enough for her that we got to spend time with me. But it wasn’t Piyomon who gave up on our Digidestined partnership, it was me. Had I told her a week before her disappearance that I wanted to go out and fight an invading Digimon like the old days, she would have been out the door in a heartbeat. She knew I was sick and tired of all the fighting, and more importantly that I wanted to take the time to figure out who I was outside of being a Digidestined. She was never concerned about what she wanted, and I was so stuck in my head with my own problems that I rarely spent the time to ask her what she might want her future to be like, even though she asked me fairly often. If I could go back now I would be sure to find out what she wanted to do while living here. Find out what her goals and ambitions were, and if she wasn’t sure, to help her discover them. It’s a partnership after all, these things are meant to go both ways.”

My response to this comes quite naturally. “Sora, I may have not known Piyomon the same way you did, but one thing I do know is that she wasn’t just pretending to be satisfied with life for your sake. Seeing you confident and enjoying life was enough to make her very happy. Forgive the pun, you but two were birds of a feather. Our Digimon partner’s weren’t exactly given out at random. They each matched our personalities and spirits in a way that took me a long time to fully appreciate. Piyomon was just like you Sora, she put others before herself; and while Piymon had a big heart, just like you in fact, there was no one she loved half as much as you. You were there for her, and she was there for you. I don’t think she would have wanted it any other way. Sure like you said, she would have been ready for a fight the moment that you asked, but certainly not at the expense of your happiness. She loved you completely, just the way you are; just like Agumon loved me.”

“Thanks Taichi,” She responds after a short pause.” It’s hard not to feel guilty about the whole ordeal isn’t it? But you're right...except you said loved. They still love us and even if we don’t see them for a long while, deep down I think we both know that they won’t just forget us. Even as certain memories grow fuzzy with time, the spark that is our bond cannot be snuffed out so easily. We shall see the Digimon again one day, and when we do, that spark will be reignited.”

I continue the sentiment. “Until that day comes we just have to stay strong and hold their memories in our hearts.”

She smiles and nods at me, both of us clearly appreciating the opportunity to open up about what has been an awkward and painful subject for all of the Digidestined.

I lay there with her gazing into her ruby-brown eyes. “Thanks for encouraging me to speak honestly with you Sora, and for talking some sense into me for that matter.”

Sora nods again but seems to hesitate in return. It is as though at this moment, she is not sure if she should speak her mind. "Thank you for trusting me enough to share these feelings with me, I appreciate that it must have been difficult after holding on to them for so many years. I am tempted to leave things there but there's something else though, isn't there Taichi? I can see it in your eyes, I hear it in your voice, you're still holding something back. Something you're not telling me? We've talked about our lives, the Digimon, our Adventures, growing up...and yet something still torments you. This thing, whatever it is, it's very important to you isn't it?" Her expression is in equal parts concerned, curious, and hesitant..

This rebuttal causes me to swifty drop my smile. Recognizing that Sora can see right through me, there is a decision to be made. I take a deep, almost pained breath. "Yes…there is something else." I honestly do know if I can do this, but I have decided that I am going to try. I start to sit up in the bed to Sora’s marked confusion. My body and mind are so drained at this early hour, that even the simple act of sitting up becomes a struggle. Recognizing that presentation absolutely matters here, I do my best to sit up straight in front of her; positioning myself crossed legged in front of her. The blankets now slipping down my body as I slowly emerge from the spot where I lay next to my best friend. Please give me the strength to say what I need to say, if she rejects me…well…at least I will know for certain.

“Taichi?” She asks suddenly sitting up as well, perhaps worried that she has pushed me too far tonight. "If it's too personal we don't have to…!"

“I need to tell you something Sora…something that I don’t know how I am going to say, so…please be patient with me.”

Taking both of my hands in hers. “Take all of the time that you need Taichi. I’m here with you and I’m not going anywhere.”

I’m nervous, scratch that, nervous does not even begin to describe how I am feeling right now. It would be more applicable to say that I am fucking terrified. Many times over the years I imagined how I might do this, heck I even tried once outside of one of Yamato’s concerts many years ago. It can’t go worse than that…can it? What if she says she still has feelings for him? Or says, sorry Taichi, I just don’t see you like that. I take a deep inhale through my nose and let it out slowly through my mouth, an attempt to shake these nerve wracking thoughts. The breath followed by a long yawn, my body desperately struggling to get enough oxygen to my weary brain. We sit like this for several moments while I ponder the best way to do this. Shooting down every idea, every long winded variation, I eventually come to the conclusion that perhaps few words would be better than many. Perhaps I just need to say it and skip the build-up, for both of our sakes.

Looking down at my lap but still feeling her hands in mine. “Sora…I…” My nerves stop me in my tracks. Why is this so damn hard! This may be the last chance I ever get to tell her how I feel, No matter the risk, no matter the odds.  I HAVE TO TAKE THIS CHANCE.

“Takenouchi Sora…I love you.” I finish this utterance in the quietest of whispers; using the strongest phrasing that one can utter in Japanese,  one so serious many married couples do not even use it. A phrase that leaves zero space for misinterpretation. “I love you almost more than I can bear…more than I even know how to express.”

Sora does not respond to this, her fingers remain tangled in mine however, and at this moment I lack the fortitude to regain eye contact with her. It is now out in the open, the only thing I can do is press onward. “ I have loved you Sora, for practically as long as I can remember. Granted I did not understand it to be love at first, when we were kids I only knew spending time with you made me happy. Just being in your presence was enough for me, enough to make even the darkest of clouds hanging overhead disperse into warm sunny skies. I would groggily wake up in the mornings thinking when I might see you next, probably having dreamt about you as well in truth. With you I felt brave, I felt safe, I felt invincible, I felt infinite possibilities, I felt like I was home, I felt loved.”

My ears detect that Sora is breathing heavily now, still not ready to face her, I opt to continue. “Many years ago, back in the Digital World, when I found out that yours was the Crest of Love, I told you that it was perfect for you. At the time, thanks to the mischievous actions of Piccodevimon, you lashed out at me; convinced that I had to be wrong, that I did not know what I was talking about. But even though you had been tricked by that cold-hearted jerk, I knew from the bottom of my heart, that the Crest of Love belonged with you, that it was a part of you Sora. I wanted so badly to express that to you, but in truth your reaction scared me. I wanted to be there for you, but I remember feeling my Courage wane. Yamato assured me that I needed to back off and that you simply needed time. Perhaps he was right… but it didn’t feel right. Either way, Piyomon was able to show you that Piccodevimon had been misleading you. Which was great obviously, you realized that you were capable of love and that your mother did truly care about you.”

“Even though you were feeling better, maybe it was in my head, but things still seemed weird between us following Vamdemon’s attack. You might not know this but after the incident at the Pyramid, though I did not wear it on my sleeve, I was desperate to find you as well, to apologize for what I had done, and to beg for your forgiveness. But when I finally found you, and you ran from me, then well…you…yelled at me, saying that I did not really know you. I felt my courage falter for the first time since the Pyramid. I was terrified that my actions had ruined our friendship, perhaps forever. Even after you accepted your crest, I noticed that you were acting differently and I guess I became afraid to talk to you about things; unsure of how you might react. While I never forgot, I also could not bring myself to talk to you about things. So I kept it to myself for many years, until tonight that is.”

“Even those events aside, overtime you made it clear that you still trusted me and wanted to be my best friend; I was very grateful and tried to never take you for granted again. For a while I hoped we could stay that way together forever. But life showed me differently, things changed quickly for us. Back at the park Sora, you spoke about how your mother had you give up soccer in exchange for tennis. I’m ashamed I never told you this, I never really showed it but… I was heartbroken that day when you told me you were quitting soccer. To be clear, I was never disappointed in you, I was frustrated by the situation itself. I knew that your relationship with your mother was very important to you, and that giving up soccer was something that you simply needed to do. I meant every word that I said back then, about how there was more to our relationship than just soccer. But to be honest, it really hurt to know that we might never be on a sports team together again; that you wouldn’t be my partner on the field anymore. Yet despite the fact that you never wanted to give the game up, you still came to my matches and cheered me on, even though I knew you wanted to be on the field too! You never said it but I constantly got the sense that you really missed soccer. And I missed you like crazy, but it was ok because you were always there cheering me on from the bleachers; you were still in my life and that's what mattered.”

Worrying that I am spinning my wheels, I try to push through to my point. “But of course time went on and things kept changing. When I hit puberty, things were awkward, I was awkward. It was as if I forgot how to talk to you, finding myself in situations where I could not understand your meaning and emotions like I used to be able to do. It was a strange time and growing up was weird.  I still very much enjoyed your company, yet I was confused and frustrated because it sometimes felt like every single thing I did or said made you mad. I was attracted to you…very attracted to you, but I did not know what to do with myself. The more I upset you the less confident and even more awkward I became around you. Some weeks it seemed like we were fine, more than fine even, you would hold my hand as we walked to school. Other weeks you got so mad that you completely shut me out; I…hated those weeks. Asking you out crossed my mind a few times, I mean of course it did, but I could never find the right time or way to ask you. Not to mention that the fear of losing you as a friend still lingered in the back of my mind.”

“Later on, around the time that the new Digidestined joined our ranks, it seemed as though things were finally evening out. I was still awkward, but it felt as though we had finally found rhythm again. You stopped getting mad at me so often, and it felt like I could breathe; be myself around you.  We started hanging out more, and it felt like you really trusted me again. We went on Digital missions together when we could, and our teamwork was on point just like the old days. Even now I don’t really know what led us back to feeling like best friends, perhaps we were finally finding our stride as young teenagers. I recognized things were stabilizing, but my romantic feelings for you never diminished for even a second. So I resolved myself to finally do it, to ask you out once and for all. For the first time in a little while, I was feeling confident again. I told myself that if I asked you out and I did it right, that you would say yes and we would finally be together. But as you know all too well, that’s not what ended up happening.”

“Fate cruelly had me set my plans on the date of Yamato’s concert. I picked the event simply because it took place on Christmas. In my mind it was the perfect romantic season to finally confess that I loved you. I did not anticipate having Agumon with me that day, but when Hikari brought him home, I could not turn my buddy away so coldly; he was so excited to see me after all. So, I brought him with me, awkwardly and anxiously I approached you. But it did not play out as I imagined; you informed me that you could not spend Christmas with me because you were waiting on Yamato. You had picked the same day that I had…I felt like a fool. I tried to be strong for you and bury my feelings deep, so deep as to never let them see the light of day again. Never daring to even mention them to you or anyone else ever again!

“There you have it Sora, the real reason that I believe that I do not deserve my crest…is you. I should have had the courage to confess my feelings for you years ago, but after my lame attempt at the Yamato’s concert, I lost any semblance of bravery that I had left from my childhood. I was afraid. Afraid of the future, of what I might become, that I might not be able to be a Digidestined forever, and perhaps most importantly afraid that I might lose you as my best friend forever. So I went on existing in fear, terrified that the day would come when you left my life forever, and yet too weak to do anything to stop it. That is why I know I am a coward.” I finish trailing off into a shamed silence.

"Yagami Taichi, look at me!” Sora commands in a shaky yet firm voice. I hesitate but realize that I cannot avoid this confrontation any longer, whatever her reaction may be, I have laid my heart on the line, there is nothing more that I can do. My future lies in the arms of my best friend, and in that of fate. My heart dreads approaching rejection.

Forcing myself to look at my best friend, I audibly gasp as a glossy layer of tears coats Sora’s reddened cheeks. Each stunning feature of her face flush and careworn after a long emotional evening. She is breathing heavily, her body shaking, yet her beautiful eyes seem firm with resolve. “Of all people, you are not a coward! Despite these feelings that you have been holding in your heart, you value our longtime friendship above all else. You were willing to repress these feelings for years not because you did not care but because you cared so deeply for me." She smiles a broad warm smile at me then. "You're not alone here Taichi, sure I wish you would have confronted me with these feelings years ago, but a relationship is not forged upon the actions of an individual. Perhaps I should have been more proactive myself, should have perceived your trepidation and helped us to work past it together. You've always been so strong and capable, I suppose I always assumed, possibly unfairly, that my best friend would want to be the one who asks me out."

My very being shakes and trembles as Sora openly speaks about my feelings for her. "Sora...what…what are you saying?" I ask her and can myself hear the fear and raw emotion present in my voice.

Sora reaches out then to hold my shivering body with one hand and caresses my flushed cheek with the other. "I'm saying that perhaps it was unfair for me to place those expectations, those responsibilities squarely on your shoulders. I'm saying that for the longest time I was also afraid, hesitant, and simply unable to articulate my heart’s yearning. I'm saying Taichi, that I have feelings for you as well, and that despite our ups and downs and the many complications along the way, I think I always have." She finishes this world shaking admittance whilst staring deeply into my eyes. It is as though she gazes straight into my very soul.

Sora's stare is impassioned and frankly intense, despite my anxiety I keep my gaze locked with hers. Her words play over and over again in my mind. After all these years it feels surreal to hear Sora express romantic feelings for me; it's something that I have secretly wished for as far back as I can remember. A fervent and consistent yearning from the very core of my being. I recognize something in this moment, something which perhaps I've always known, and that is the simple fact there is nothing more I wish for, nothing which I desire more in this world or any other than to be with Takenouchi Sora for all my life and beyond; my very best friend, the one I love without boundary without limitation. I know I should respond to Sora's impassioned confession, but it is not long before fresh tears begin cascading hot and noisily once again. The salty droplets obscure her beautiful features, but I do my best to keep my gaze locked on her as my best friend pulls me close to her awaiting body.

“Aww Taichi, that’s not exactly the response I was hoping for.” Sora whispers gently with concern and love filling her every movement and mannerism. “I think we’ve both done enough crying tonight to last us a year, doncha think?” She teases me lightly now, then reaching her arms around my mid-back, pulls me into the strongest hug anyone has perhaps ever given me. Squeezing me so hard that it almost hurts, and yet I find myself hoping that she never lets me go.

“I know…I know” I sniffle trying to regain control of my frayed nerves. "I'm sorry."

"Hush now Taichi, no more apologizing. Not for tonight at least. It is ok to have these feelings, uncomfortable as they may be at the moment. In truth I am so very happy that you shared these feelings with me tonight. I always suspected I suppose, but was never certain. Hikari once told me that your relationship with me was one thing that you just weren't comfortable broaching, even with her."

“I was afraid if I let the secret out, even to my sister, that I would not be able to contain it. That you might find out, maybe even grow to resent me.” I say, remember the feeling of pure despair.

“I understand…I imagine we both regret not confessing to one another sooner. Being together when we were younger would have been magical…and yet, though our hearts yearned for one another, maybe it truly was meant to be this way. It may be that neither of us were quite ready for a relationship. I would rather date you now and find long term happiness, than date back then if it meant pushing each other away because we were inexperienced and did not know how to properly care for one another. I mean Taichi, we weren’t even teens yet when I first developed a crush on you. I was impatient too, wanting you to ask me out on the spot, especially after the whole hair clip fiasco. Waiting everyday for you to knock on our apartment door and ask me out felt like an eternity back then. You were young, in mind and body, you simply weren’t ready; and that's ok. I was passionate but honestly I could not handle or process my feelings. Being angsty with you because every romance manga I consumed taught that a man asks a woman out and must act a certain way. I could not understand what was taking so long. I loved you deeply and tried my best to show it, so what was I doing wrong? After a while I grew weary and hurt, fearing that maybe you did not love me after all. Only now do I have the hindsight and maturity to recognize life is not quite so simple as that. What you needed was time and support, and as much as I now kick myself in hindsight, I guess I just wasn't at a point where I could provide that for you."

"And then, I got frustrated with waiting, done with the whole situation, or so I told myself.  And I guess that's where Yamato came in… I think there was a time where I genuinely loved him, but I also wonder even now if angst played a role in it. I don't know what it was, but one day I was just swept off my feet by him. I believe my mother loves you Taichi, I really do, but I would be lying if I said she wasn't clearly in favor of me dating Yamato. Perhaps it was because he seemed like a more traditional match, while you were my sporty, tomboy loving, best friend. I suppose it should have been obvious shouldn't it, but I never realized how much my relationship with Yamato hurt you. I'm sorry, maybe I was the bad friend after all."

"Sora you had every right to pursue whoever your heart desired. Yes, in truth it hurt more than I can describe watching you be with Yamato. Watching you pursue him in late middle school and into highschool broke my heart. You pleaded with me to be honest with you tonight so I shall. But it was true then and is still true now, the last thing that I wanted was for you to be unhappy. So whoever you would be happy with, I would have supported you in every way that I can."

Pulling back from me now for the first time in a few minutes Sora seeks to end this line of conversation, and I am not opposed. “What matters above all else right now, is that we are together. Assuming you have no objections to us being together.”

I chuckle softly, letting loose another spare tear. “Quite the opposite I can assure you, I would love nothing more than to be with you Sora.”

“Then it is settled, isn't it. Taichi Yagami and Takenouchi Sora are officially boyfriend and girlfriend. That sound good to you boyfriend?” Sora says with a laugh; tears welling above swollen cheeks.

“Naturally, girlfriend.” We share a laugh together as Sora rests her head against my chest.

“See, it's not so hard is it?” She muses after our laughter dies down.

“I suppose not.” I follow. “I like how it feels to say it though.”

"And I know you didn't ask, perhaps it is really too soon to share this, but I want to clear the air here and now. Yamato and I never made it past first base. We didn't kiss very often either. I just want you to know after you opened up to me so honestly."

It's a little uncomfortable to hear her talking about even kissing one of my longtime guy friends, but I'd be lying if I said hearing they didn't go further cheers me up. "Thanks Sora, I probably shouldn't care but…I'm glad…not to say I wouldn't have dated you if you did. Of course I still would have."

"I know you would have Taichi. I just wanted you to know. We are in our twenties and a lot of people have, you know, done the deed by this point. If it's not too personal, have you ever done anything? But if you don't wanna share I totally get it!" She says leaving the ball in my court.

"No, in fact I've never even kissed anyone." I admit a little bashfully. "Well I suppose that’s not entirely true, at a party during our second year here, I was drunk and another student was drunk as well, she…kissed me suddenly…but I didn’t kiss back, and I really wasn’t ok with her doing that either. She actually got upset when didn’t kiss back, and I never really spoke with her again.”

“Oh” Sora says softly, a hint of sadness in her voice.

“I don’t really count that though, or I would like to think that it doesn’t count; I really didn’t consent to it, it was really awkward and I seriously felt nothing. I technically also went on first dates with a couple of people, but I never felt even a spark of connection with anyone aside from you."

"That…makes me really happy Taichi. Really really happy. Maybe it's bad to admit, but I like the idea of being your first; your first real kiss anyway, I wouldn’t count that one either honestly. When we kiss I say it will be official!” She blushes and seems to realize her excitement in the moment. “I mean…when we are ready for it that is." She adds the last part nervously.

“Yeah” I cannot help but to yawn suddenly, stretching my arms out as I do. “It’s been a lot of firsts tonight as it is. Honestly tonight has been crazy, but now I can’t think of a time where I have been happier or more at peace.”

Sora reaches out then, holding my face between her palms, then brings her face in close, gently rubbing her nose against mine. “I’m so glad that tonight worked out the way that it did, I wouldn’t change it for the world. Frankly, this is beyond surreal, I never could have imagined this turn of events when I got out of bed this morning.”

“Me neither, I keep hoping it's not a dream.” I admit quite honestly.

“Oh trust me, this is all very real," she says, giving me a peck on the nose. “I’m sure we will get used to this, but it’s going to be an adjustment, for the both of us to be certain. There is no need to rush into things, we have waited twenty years, we can afford to wait just a little bit longer. But right now, we need to get you to bed, mister, I have forced you up way too late as it is.”

I yawn again, causing Sora to yawn along with me this time. “Yeah, sleep does sound pretty good about now.”

She chuckles softly, then gently lowers us back onto the sheets before replacing the blankets. After we are resting against her small bed once again, her body pressed snuggly against mine, her now messy hair matted against the pillow, Sora suddenly looks as though she wants to ask me something now.

“Sora?” Truly exhausted beyond belief now, but want to ensure that my new girlfriend gets to speak her mind. Wow girlfriend, I really like being able to think that and know it to be true.

“Winter break isn’t far off now. I don’t know what your plans are for break, but it just occurred to me, maybe it would be nice to get away from the city and visit an Onsen in the mountains. What do you think, Taichi?”

“That’s an excellent idea Sora! With everyone’s busy schedules I’m sure a group trip to the spa would do us all wonders, especially since we haven’t seen the other Digidestined in a while.”

Sora laughs at this but I can’t tell why. “I would certainly like to see them too, but I was thinking maybe just the two of us could get away. I’ve heard there’s a wonderful couples Onsen in Kusatsu, maybe we could stay a few days; still making some time to see our family and friends of course.” She makes this offer while brushing her index finger ever so gently across my lips.

“That sounds…amazing Sora.” I say as a hot blush fills my cheeks. “I would love to go to a couples Onsen with you.”

“Then it's a date, I’ll try to book it this week.” Sora responds with a satisfied smile.

I smile right back at her, experiencing an incommunicable bliss.

Sora begins to excitedly discuss how our friends and family may react to the news, and make suggestions for how we might tell them; who we should tell first. I hear her mention that if Mimi finds out first, there would be no containing the secret any longer. At one point, I seem to lose track of the conversation however.

“Taichi?” Sora whispers softly.

“Sorry, what was I saying?” I ask Sora, feeling bad that I started to nod off during our conversation.

Sora starts laughing. “I was the one talking, you goof. I think we’ve truly hit your limit. Sorry, I just haven’t been this excited in a long time. Go on, get some sleep, we can talk more about it tomorrow.”

“I want to stay up with you though, I want to enjoy this moment.” I protest. “And besides, didn’t you say that you were worried about having nightmares due to the film? I am not about to leave my new girlfriend hanging.” I try to sound firm, but yet another yawn highlights my body’s calls for sleep.

“Honestly Taichi, I don’t think I have to worry about having nightmares tonight, not anymore. But if I do have one, I know you’ll be right here waiting for me when I wake up. And I can’t think of a more comforting notion than that.” Sora whispers softly with a small yet fervent smile spreading across her face. Slowly her face inches even closer against the side of my head so that I can now feel her gentle warming breath splash against every crevice of my inner ear. “So get some well earned rest Taichi. We can talk more in the morning, my calendar is wide open tomorrow and I’m all yours.”

Sora’s final words reverberate within my mind and a tingling warmth fills my cheeks. I simply do not have the vocabulary to properly describe the feeling of being with her like this. As if on her command, I feel that I am losing the battle with my leaden eyelids. I blink a few more times, with my eyes seemingly opening less and less on each occurrence. Sora’s supple neck, her cute protruding ears, and brilliant tangerine hair all soon blur before me. I feel my mind slipping away out of reality for a moment or so; when I come back my vision of her is gone, locked behind my wearied lids. Her familiar smell is still with me however, and it fills me with a satisfaction that I have not felt for a longtime. Her body’s presence encircles me with heat, which radiates all around and penetrates deep into my aching muscles. My body sinks further into her and the mattress and I realize that I could not grapple against this oncoming slumber if I tried with all of my might. Her hands continue to stroke me, running gentle yet captivating circles throughout my scalp and the back of my neck, driving me further into the point of no return. Right before I completely lose consciousness her movements slowly cease. My thoughts have barely registered this change when I feel my head being lifted off the pillow ever so gently. I am intrigued but cannot stop my mind from blipping in and out of its wakefulness. All of a sudden I feel her breath flowing against the skin on my face.

 What I experience now I can only pray that I remember, not just when I awaken, but for the rest of my life. With exceptional grace and passion her sweet lips press themselves against my mouth. Shock waves of pleasure and sensation explode from where Sora's lips meet mine. Like little lightning bolts branching and spreading throughout my entire being. Even with my mind fading from consciousness, the phenomena is far beyond anything I could have imagined. I want to say something, to do anything in response; but I am too far into the spiral sending me towards the world of dreams. Embracing the lingering sensations, I soon fade away into the night.