Taiora RP: Honesty Is The Best Policy...Yeah, Right!
Sora gathered her things at the end of class and headed to the front of the campus to wait for Taichi to pick her up. Class this week had gone much better than the previous week, and although her worries were not completely gone, nothing in particular was so imminent in her mind that she could not focus on the things that needed to be done.
The Digimon seemed to have calmed down about much of the belly-baby talk, and although she and Taichi had experienced their moments of doubt, Sora had done her best to be trusting and get past those feelings. Speaking to Piyomon especially had helped, and spending the previous weekend with her mother had been a bit of a mini-vacation, even if sometimes she would rather go and visit her friends.
She mulled over these things as she waited, and watched out the window for a sign of 'Air Ishida', as Taichi liked to call his best friend's car. Or would Yamato-kun have revoked the car for once, since he only had a week left? He'd probably want to spend time with Mimi-chan. Sora smiled amusedly to herself, hoping that they weren't taking advantage of his generosity.
Taichi had been running late this time in getting to the campus and picking Sora up-it wasn't because he didn't get the opportunity to get a hold of Air Ishida, but more likely it was because he had a lot on his mind. Nevertheless when he finally did get there, he already saw Sora waiting outside in front of the campus for him.
"Either class let out early for Sora, or I'm running later than I thought!" Taichi thought while honking the horn; being in his father's car, he wasn't sure if she would recognize it, much less remember what it looked like after all this time. A huge part of Taichi wished he'd asked his parents for a car for his birthday instead of a laptop, even though having the laptop did help out in ways he hadn't expected they would.
The honk of the horn brought Sora's attention out of her thoughts, and she realized she had nearly glanced right past the car! She hurried out to meet him and grinned. Her hunch had been right.
"I see you've been demoted!" she joked, before hopping into the passenger seat, putting her bag in the back, and giving Taichi a peck on the cheek. She didn't want this week's ride home to be anything like the previous one, and though they had hung out some between then, she made a conscious effort to show him how much she cared.
"Still, that's no excuse for being late," she chided as an afterthought. If you give an inch... well you know what they say.
Taichi laughed at hearing Sora's response while opening the door seconds before feeling her lips against his cheek. "I wasn't demoted! I just didn't get to ask him to borrow the car and figured he might need it this week. Besides, once he leaves on tour I'll be picking you up in Air Ishida for quite a few months."
That being said, he pulled out of the parking lot and started the drive toward her apartment, deciding to take the scenic route. "As for my being late...there's more than a few reasons behind that. And it started last night after I had dinner."
"Mm, I thought the same." Sora nodded. She was grateful for the ride home, even though she didn't want to be a bother. She raised an eyebrow at his reply though. He wasn't blaming his mother's cooking on making him sick a day afterwards, was he?
But then, noticing they were taking the longer way, she tilted her head to the side curiously and asked, "Long story?"
Taichi nodded, wondering how he was going to explain what had happened just over 24 hours ago...or if Sora would even let him explain the whole story.
"Yeah, long story. Did you see the post Anna put up that concerned only the leaders of the worldwide Chosen?"
Sora thought back, and remembered passing over that post the other day. She had read it, worried for a moment, and then pushed it aside. Though it did have her curious, she told herself that for one, Anna was probably just wanting to get to know the other various Chosen better. And for another, if it was something important... she'd find out, right?
"I did," she answered, trying not to sound concerned what it could be that would make it a long story. "So, what was it about?"
"Well..." Taichi sighed while pulling the car over and stopping a few blocks from Sora's apartment, looking up at the darkened skies of Japan before continuing on. "Anna wants to meet up with the leaders one at a time before trying to meet up with us all at once-which would be somewhat difficult. She chose to meet up with me first though, and didn't think about trying to meet up with Mimi at the same time since she's the leader of the American Chosen, no matter where she lives at.
"And so...we met up at the Digital World last night after I had dinner. Just her, me and her partner. I would've had Agumon there, but he was busy eating store-bought food."
Whatever Taichi was working up to telling her about, Sora noticed that he sure did seem hesitant about saying it. And as he went on to mention that it was simply one on one, it was true that she again had to squelch that little green monster called jealousy again. But it didn't seem like that was the reason he wanted to talk to her. She hoped, anyway.
"Taichi, it's fine, I know-you're a leader, she's a leader, so it's not like you could help that it was just the two of you," Sora stated aloud, both to reassure him and herself. She was amused that Agumon was too busy stuffing his face, but her attention returned to the matter at hand.
"You guys were just… getting to know each other... right?" She was not going to question him. She told Piyomon just how much she didn't like that feeling, so she was going to ignore it. He was probably trying to tell her before she got any ideas, wasn't he? "I'm sure Mimi-chan would be hurt that you guys left her out, though," she half teased with a small laugh.
"I'm sure Mimi won't be pleased if/when she finds out we met up without her joining in, either." Taichi laughed a bit at Sora's attempt to lighten the mood and was pleased at it. That still didn't mean he didn't feel upset at himself about what almost took place.
"Yeah, we both have a love of soccer, for one thing. For another, when I suggested to Anna that she identify herself as leader of the Russian Chosen and get herself a pair of goggles, she actually bought the pair I used to have!
"Not to mention that when the conversation went down a different path, which I'll get around to mentioning soon, I tried to lighten things up like I usually do and it nearly went south."
"And a few minutes later, it kinda went south, but not really." Taichi finished quietly, already hating himself for what he was about to admit.
The goggles seemed to be a running theme, Sora thought. "Are you trying to spread your disciples throughout the world, now?" Sora made another lighthearted jab, trying to avoid the feeling that their conversation was bordering on the previous week's one. Couldn't they just ride home together like they had been two weeks prior?
She appreciated, she really did, that Taichi felt he could be honest with her, but the sinking feeling only got worse when he started talking in circles and becoming quieter. With a sigh, Sora looked up at the ceiling of the vehicle and tried not to roll her eyes. She just had to be paranoid, something she always chided others for.
"Taichi, just get to the point."
Taichi would've replied back that Mimi was probably the only leader who wouldn't be caught wearing any type of goggles on her head, but from the tone of Sora's last comment, he knew that he had to tell her what had happened...and that it would crush her heart.
"Anna brought Agumon some sweets from Russia-cookies, cupcakes, and fudge brownies-and, to thank her for the gift, I kissed her on the cheek before leaving."
Taichi closed his eyes tightly while reminding himself how much it had hurt when Sora had made cookies for Yamato 5 years ago; he'd told himself that he wouldn't allow her to experience the same feeling and, without meaning to, he knew that he just did.
Why was he telling her this? Sora kept her eyes on the roof of the car, trying to make sure she knew what she just heard. Why... if he just... if he meant what he said last week, why would he do that? It was true, Taichi was a little thick headed, and didn't always think before he did something, but this was just... it felt like a blatant disregard for how hard she had been trying to believe him for the past seven days.
"So..." She bit her lip, trying to decide if she needed to reconsider her feelings, and if she really could tell why Taichi was telling her this. Was it because he felt guilty? Or was he confused? It was hard to tell. After a moment, Sora found her voice, but she still wasn't sure what to ask. She just knew that those feelings of jealousy, and now, of hurt and maybe betrayal, were back.
"Why are you telling me this?" She finally blurted out, turning to look right at Taichi. She didn't mean to, but she couldn't even figure out what to think at this point. If he didn't mean the kiss, then either he wouldn't have done it, or he wouldn't have needed to tell her and make her worry, right? Why was he acting so guilty about it?
Taichi reopened his eyes at hearing Sora's question-it was straightforward and to the point, something he would expect from her. Turning to look at her, he took a breath and placed his hands on hers before explaining himself.
"It's like you told me last week about Yamato. I like Anna, and I can't deny that. But, before you have every right to yell at me, hear me out. I like her, but only as a friend. I realized that yesterday evening but needed to experience that; also, the reason I like her is because, in a way, she reminds me of how I was back in '99. I love you Sora, and will always love you no matter what. You captured my heart long before we even went to the Digital World."
Taichi squeezed her hands a bit with his own before continuing on. "I also need to tell you about why I've been acting strange throughout most of the day, and it doesn't have to do with Anna."
Sora's eyes dropped to look at their hands as Taichi took them. It was a little easier than looking him in the eyes. It hurt, hearing Taichi admit that he liked her. But he had one point, which Sora couldn't deny, and that was that she had done the same, once upon a time. Yet...
"When I liked Yamato-kun, I didn't tell you that I liked you too, Taichi," she began, trying to keep her voice even. "I didn't say that, because it would only confuse us both and it… it wouldn't be fair to anyone." She suddenly looked him in the eye again, making sure he understood just what she meant by this. "How do you think Anna feels now? Do you think it was okay to give her that kiss, and confuse her like that? What do you think she's thinking now?"
Her hands tightened into fists as Taichi squeezed them, and she shook her head, keeping her eyes locked on his. "As much as it hurts, I am willing to understand if you need to find out exactly how you feel about someone. I certainly can't ask you not to when I've done the same, and yet… you need to think about how your actions are going to make other people feel!"
He had said something else, hadn't he? About other things bothering him. But it could wait just a moment longer. Sora waited to hear his response, before she would ask about it.
Taichi nodded in agreement while listening to her explanation with an open mind. "You're right...it wasn't fair to Anna when I confused her like that with the kiss. I'm sorry that I hurt you like this Sora, especially since I told myself that I wouldn't allow you to get hurt the same way that I did. But I can't always protect you from experiencing pain like this, ne?"
Sighing a bit as he felt Sora's hands tighten, he nodded once again. "I guess I still have a bit of growing up to do when it comes to thinking about how my actions will affect others. I'd ask if you could help me out, but this might be one of those times I need to work it out on my own."
A part of her wished he hadn't told her. As much as she had wanted to know for sure, she had at least been certain, an hour ago, that Taichi wouldn't compromise their relationship. But... protect her? She didn't ask him to protect her from pain! That was an inevitable part of relationships, but to say it was something he couldn't protect her from was almost like denying it was his fault!
She leaned back in her seat, withdrawing her hands to put them in her lap as she stared out the window. Her emotions were still at war in her head, and she was fighting to contain them so she wouldn't blow up at him anymore than she had. She took into account that yes, he was trying to do what he thought was right, but it was just…
Sora took a deep breath, settling for a change of topic. When she had a moment to cool down, then she'd talk more about the issue. "What else did you want to talk to me about?"
Taichi felt her withdraw her hands and pulled away himself, closing his eyes for a moment before reopening them and staring out of the window, looking at the skies of the city. At hearing her question, he held back another sigh. Maybe he shouldn't have told her about this situation concerning Anna at all...but then again he shouldn't have thanked her in that manner last night. And now his relationship with his girlfriend was compromised. At least if he had thought ahead, Sora wouldn't bite his head off. However, how was that any different from any other day?
"I think the Digital World is in trouble again...and it could require more than just the Japanese Chosen to protect it this time."
Suddenly, Sora felt a little foolish, like the argument they had just been having was small in comparison to the news just now. Her eyes widened and she turned back to Taichi once more.
"What?" If it was possible for that sinking feeling to grow, Sora was pretty sure her stomach was about to hit bottom. She really hoped that wasn't true, but then, that had been the real reason for the meeting, hadn't it?
"What sort of trouble?"
Taichi sighed while turning back around to face Sora once again. "When I was at the Digital World, I looked up at the skies and noticed that it was different than usual even though it appeared normal. The same with the wind, and according to Anna a reason behind it is because Gennai was sick for the past few weeks. Not to mention that Gennai's condition is tied to the Digital World."
"There's something else, Sora..." Taichi added, placing his hands onto her shoulders a second later.
"It's becoming unstable again…?" Sora trailed off, not sure if that was what he meant, but it sounded like it. "I thought Gennai-san was just overworking himself. He's better now, isn't he?"
For the moment, she put aside how she felt about the previous argument, though it was a little hard to when Taichi put his hands on her shoulders. She pushed aside her personal feelings and waited to hear what else Taichi had to say.
Taichi nodded in response to her earlier question before continuing on. "He may be getting better, but that doesn't mean the danger is going away. And..."
Taichi gritted his teeth for a moment before driving the final nail in the coffin. "I'm not sure if Gennai was even going to tell us about this latest catastrophe. From what I was told...Gennai's worried about the Chosen. And, I think he has good reason to be."
“Do you think…,” Sora began, considering some of their actions that had been related to the Digital World recently, and wondering if it had anything to do with causing harm to it. But she shook her head, not finishing the question for fear of simply causing accusations and hurt feelings.
“Truthfully… I’ve been a little worried about the same thing,” was what she finally settled on admitting. Her gaze went to the window again, and worry taking over where frustration had been before. “He was pretty sick, wasn’t he?”
...Our recent actions have caused the Digital World any harm? Taichi sensed what Sora wanted to say, even if she didn't say it out loud. At seeing her face the window again, he nodded in agreement to her response-and question-before replying back.
"Guess my earlier posts about us being on our toes weren’t as paranoid as you claimed they would be, ne? And...yeah, he was pretty sick. Even though he's better now, that isn't a reason for us to think everything's gonna get fixed easily."
The Chosen of Courage had a feeling that the same thing applied to him at the moment concerning his girlfriend. "...I'll do my best to fix this, Sora. It's one of the few things I'm good at-getting out of jams I put myself in."
Sora was hesitant to reply. She still didn't know how she felt about the argument moments ago, but she knew that it paled in comparison to all of them shaping up in time to deal with whatever was going to happen.
With one hand, she fingered the necklace that she had received weeks earlier from Gennai and said, "I wish you had been paranoid. Do you think that if we stop… well, whatever it is we've all been doing wrong, then the Digital World can repair itself?"
"A part of me wishes that too..." Taichi thought as a thoughtful look appeared in his eyes at hearing Sora's question.
"Well...I think it's more than just a simple repairing problem; Gennai wants to build defenses, but... according to Gennai, us Chosen have been so caught up in our own lives that he thinks we've forgotten about the Digital World and our responsibility to the Digimon."
Taichi could understand why Gennai felt like this, but he had a strong feeling that before they could try and figure out how to help the Digital World, he needed to repair the schism that he'd caused between him and Sora.
That's not true! She hadn't forgotten! Sora knew she hadn't had nearly as much time to spend with Piyomon lately, but it didn't mean that she forgot how important she was-- and the Digital World on top of that…
But what about everyone else? And it wasn't like she could help the fact that on days like today, her education took her away for so long. Sora was beginning to feel guilty about a lot of things. She wasn't even sure which one she should be more concerned with, as confused as she was, but she figured that getting back to her Digimon was probably the first step.
"I should probably get back soon, before Piyomon worries why we've been gone so long."
Taichi nodded while pulling back out onto the road and, soon enough they found themselves in front of Sora's apartment building. A look of depression made it's way across his face while he turned and looked at her, taking hold of her hand once more with his.
"Think you could keep this information from Piyomon for a while? At least until we've found the time to inform the entire team of Chosen about it? And...want me to walk you to the door?"
Sora nodded. "I won't tell her yet, if you'd like to let everyone know at once. But don't wait too long, okay?" She wouldn't want to worry Piyomon either, with everything the situation involved. She already thought she must have confused her the previous week just explaining what jealousy was.
As they reached the complex, Sora opened her door to let herself out. "Taichi… Right now, with everything that you told me, I need to think." Not to mention, make sure she kept her composure by the time she reached the door so that Piyomon wouldn't be suspicious. She got out of the car and stood up, leaning down to look back inside the vehicle. "I'll see you later, ok? And tell Hikari-chan, Agumon, and Tailmon I said hi."
Taichi reluctantly released his hand from hers as she exited the car and stared back at Sora with a solemn look in his eyes. "I'll let them know..." he replied quietly while continuing to stare at her even as she headed to her home in the complex.
"Somehow Sora...I will make this right between us! I'll fix my mistake and set things right. I don't want to lose you, not now!"
Sora felt bad leaving like she did, but she wasn't even sure what to focus on. All she really wanted to do was sulk over the fact that her trust had been broken, when even that hadn't been afforded to her without feeling guilt over not focusing on more important things.
As she got to her door, she sat down in the hall, finally allowing herself to cry quietly. She'd go inside once she was sure she was ok. But…
To be honest...it was always you, Sora.
Why was it so hard to believe that now? And why did it have to happen at a time like this?