A summer rain full of memories.
âYou know that you don´t have to take me home, right?â, she said while opening the door of a little cafe, in which she had just stayed for over three hours with her brown-haired company.
âSureâ, he said while closing the door and starting to walk, âbut here we are, already walking right to your home. Besides, the weather forecast predicted rain and I have, on the contrary to you, this beautiful umbrella.â He smiled while pointing it to her.
She slightly pushed his umbrella away and giggled.
âBaka, - you shouldn´t talk so high about yourself, when in reality someone else was just looking out for you.â
She was pretty sure that the rosy umbrella wasn´t his after all.
âWhy should someone else remind me of the rain? Don´t you think I´m grown up enough to read the news?â he laughed.
Her smirk grew bigger, while she shook her head. âI even wonder if you will ever grow up, Taichi.â
He grinned, while fixing his gaze on the sky. âI would be hurt if I didn´t ask myself the same thing.â
His smile faded somehow, as he lost himself in his thoughts and Sora wondered if there might be something he hadn´t told her yet. She wanted to ask him if there was something bothering him, but the nagging feeling inside her hindered her. Maybe she wasn´t in this position anymore.
She really wasn´t such a good friend for a while with all her absence and silence, not to mention her thereby connected failure as a digidestinent.
It´s like avoiding was her new superhero power, she ironically thought.
âAh, it´s rainingâ, Taichi noticed, and opened the umbrella right above their heads. âFortunately, we have this with us.â
Sora smiled suspiciously. âThankfully, Hikari takes care of you all the time. - Mr. All grown up.â
âWhy do you think it´s Hikaris? Don´t tell me I can´t have a pink umbrella, because as you can see, it suits me very well.â
Sora rolled her eyes. âOf course it does. Regardless, I Â remember Mimi giving it to her as a present. Look.â Sora pointed to the grip. âIt also has Hikaris name engraved.â
Taichi smiled as he nudged her. âOkay, I give in. I was at Hikari right before we met. I also should send you her regards. She really canât wait to see you.â
Her eyes grew brighter as a warm feeling spread through her stomach, just like hot chocolate on a cold winter's day.
So her friends werenât disappointed after all, at any rate not desperately.
âThe next time we see each other, we should do something for her as a thank you gift. Maybe some cookies, or a cake . I could teach you, if you wantâ, Sora chatters shyly, while she glances at the ground.
âNext time sounds greatâ, Taichi stated warmly and her gaze instantly met his. âIt would be nice to have you more around.â
And with that, just for a moment, she was completely lost in his eyes.
Suddenly she sensed herself out of breath, as she noticed she was holding it all along. Her face felt warm and the noice of her beating heart was already buzzing in her ears.
An embarrassed smile appeared on Sora's face, as she nodded slowly in response. Focused on avoiding his eyes quickly. Why does she have to be so close to him right now?
âYou know, I´m really proud of you, Sora.â
Her gaze automatically shifted back to him. She was indeed irritated now.
âWhat do you mean?â, she questioned, unsure what he implied to.
âI talk about you, following your heartâ, Taichi replied while shifting his gaze to the sky again. âYou know, Koushiro told me how hard it was for you to not take part in our battles anymore.â He stopped for a moment, choosing his words carefully.
âSomehow it did hurt to see that our group wasn´t the way it used to be. Everyone was changing and while all of you already chose a new path, I was still figuring out who I am and what I really want to do in the future.âÂ
He paused and his eyes looked kind of empty, just as if he was drowning in a memory.
âTaichi..â, she whispered after a moment in a raspy voice. She was unsure what to say next, but as his eyes met hers and his lips formed this kind yet sad smile, he found his words again.
âI know, I couldn´t talk about it at that time. Somehow, there was a lot of pressure to be the head of our group with all the digimon fights in our world. There were so many risks, so many people who could be hurt, so many destroyed buildings. And with every step, all eyes were on us. On top of that, everyone was so occupied with their lives, that it was hard to solve all the problems together.â
âTo be honest, I also wanted to run away sometimes. Just being somewhere else with Augumon, seeing new things and living our own little adventure. But I couldn´t, because I know I would have disappointed my parents by not attending university so soon and on top oft hat I would have let you guys down. So that's why..â, he stared now right into her eyes. âI´m proud of you Sora. For having the courage to find your own path in designing. For doing things you really want and not because it makes someone else happy, but for your own sake. It´s important to live the life we really want to, so we won´t lose ourselves.âÂ
She was stunned. Her head was out of words and somehow small tears made their way through her eyes. Quickly, Sora moved her hand to wipe away the undesired trace of sadness. Now wasn´t the time to cry, she decided for herself. His affective statement relieved her immensely, although she wasn´t quite convinced that her acts weren´t just pure selfishness. Yet the most touching part of his way of words was the undeniable similarity to Biyomons. Once again.
But this wasn´t a topic for now.
âI´m impressed, Taichiâ, she said while sliding her sight to her surroundings, to get her feelings in control.
âSince when are you so upfront about your feelings? It almost feels like talking to the 12-year-old version of you againâ Sora chuckled.
âMaybe I really can´t grow up, but grow back into my younger selfâ Taichi now laughed.
Sora patted her finger thoughtfully on her lips, while nodding her head in approval.âYou´re right, that totally makes sense after all.â
âHey!â Taichi complained, amused while nudging her.
Just as their laughing softened, Taichi became more serious again.
âTo be honest, it´s because of Agumon I started to change. Losing him made me realise many things and somehow I want to turn into a person he can be proud of.â
A heavy wave of emptiness automatically drew through her body. She nodded understanding while playing with her hands.
âSometimes I wonder if it´s really impossible to meet each other again, because it just doesn´t feel like it at allâ, Taichi added in a low voice. âBut maybe it´s just me becoming insane.â
âI don´t think soâ, Sora responded thoughtfully with a warm smile. Moving her hand closer to her heart, she felt a little confident to talk about Biyomon for the first time after losing her.Â
âYou know, sometimes I have the feeling Biyomon is still there somehow. There are moments I could swear I have heard her voice. And sometimes it´s like I could feel her anyhow. I know it sounds ridiculous and I can´t explain this feeling either, but I can´t shake this strong feeling, that we will definitely see each other again.â
Curious about his reaction, Sora gazed at Taichi and came instantly across a heart-warming smile. A cosy feeling flew automatically through her body and with it, just like that, a little voice was whispering in the back of her mind that maybe, just maybe, they both were still as close as they always used to be.
And all of a sudden her heart skipped a beat.
_____________________________________________________
...or maybe even closer ;)
I started this picture in september, while it was raining outside. Somehow I had this scene in my head...and I was pretty unsure if I should try to also write it down..so I tried my best :)
This scene takes place after Kizuna.
