A/N: Hello! Alright, I feel it's important for you all to know, for my own sake, that this is my first attempt at a Taiora story, but that does not mean I'm expecting you to accept lower quality! I just want gentle feedback; if it needs improvement, please say so nicely, ok? And now that that's out of the way, please enjoy this story!

Pairing(s): Taiora, with minor Takari (mostly because I can't write a Digimon story without them!)

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon in any way, shape, or form. Some day, though, I will have my very own partner digimon…I just have to find her first….

One Rainy Day

Tai Kamiya heaved an exasperated sigh and let his forehead meet his desk, dropping the pencil he'd been holding in the process. I can't focus today, he thought tiredly, as his mind wandered away -again- from the homework he was supposed to be doing.

"What's the matter, Tai?" Agumon asked from his resting place on Tai's half-made bed.

"I give up," Tai declared without lifting his head. "I just give up; there's no way I can do it…"

The concerned digimon pushed himself to his feet and stepped up beside the desk, to be nearer to his human partner, and asked, "Is the homework that hard? I bet Izzy would help if you asked him."

"The homework…?" Tai repeated slowly, finally lifting his head to stare curiously at his digimon. "What-? No, that's not it," he corrected, glancing down at the mostly-blank paper on his desk.

"Oh, then, what are you talking about?" Agumon asked, sounding genuinely puzzled.

Tai sighed again and his brown gaze drifted to the window idly. He looked out at the dark clouds that were gathering over the city, and felt as though they were somehow justifying his gloom.

Agumon followed Tai's gaze for a long second, before looking back at him with worry. It was unlike Tai to be depressed, even on a cloudy day. When Tai still didn't answer him, Agumon walked around behind him and grabbed hold of the desk chair, dragging it backwards forcibly.

Tai started when his chair, with him sitting on it, began to roll slowly backwards. "Agumon, what're you doing?"

Agumon released the chair and stepped around to face Tai. "Well, you weren't answering me, and you looked so upset…I had to get your attention somehow."

Tai blinked, and then said, "I didn't answer you? I'm sorry, Agumon. I just can't seem to focus today. But, I'm alright, I swear."

"No you're not," Agumon challenged. "I can see it in your eyes. Can't you tell me what's wrong?"

Tai's eyes went wide for a half second, before he looked down at the floor and mumbled, "It's…Sora."

"Sora?" Agumon repeated. He tilted his orange head slightly and added, "But I thought she and Matt broke up?"

Tai ground his teeth as he remembered the day, nearly six months ago, that he'd heard the news.

"Good practice today, guys," Tai called as the soccer team collected their equipment for the day. Tai himself was busy trying to squeeze his soccer ball back into his over-stuffed gym bag.

"Hey, Tai," one of the guys said, coming up to him.

Tai looked up at his friend and grinned. "Hey, man, what's up?"

"Not much," he started, "I was just curious…do you know that girl in the stands? I think I've seen her around campus before, but I don't think she's ever come to watch us practice before."

As Tai, who was curious about this spectator, turned to look, his friend continued. "And I tend to think I'd remember those legs, you know?"

Tai sucked in an involuntary breath when he laid eyes on Sora sitting in the bleachers, her hands curled together in her lap. She was still wearing her tennis uniform, though she must have finished with practice a good hour before. Her lips were turned down and, even from a distance, Tai could tell that her eyes were glossy with unshed tears.

Forgetting about his gym bag, Tai dropped a hand on his teammate's shoulder and said, "Dude, her name's Sora, and she's my best friend. Do me a favor and stop looking at her like lunch, ok?" Before he could reply, Tai released him and set off at a jog for the stairs that would take him up the bleachers.

"Sora," Tai said softly when he'd reached her seat. She hadn't looked up to acknowledge him yet, and he was starting to really worry.

Her head jerked up when she heard her name, and she looked over at him and tried to smile, but it was obvious the smile was forced. "Oh, hey, Tai," she said quietly.

"Sora, what's wrong? Why are you upset?" Tai asked, reaching out hesitantly and dropping a hand on her shoulder. "Please, talk to me."

The fake smile vanished entirely and Sora looked away, subconsciously clenching her fists tighter. "I…I probably shouldn't even bother you with this, I just needed to clear my head and I thought watching you guys practice might help. And it did…for a little while."

Lowering himself to the bench beside her, Tai gave her shoulder a gentle, reassuring squeeze and said, "Sora, you never bother me. If something's upsetting you, I want you to tell me. Besides, at the very least, it'll probably help you feel better if you talk about it."

"You really want to know," Sora hedged, "even if it's about me and Matt?"

Tai frowned briefly and nodded. "You're both my best friends," he started, "but if Matt's done something stupid I promise I'll kick his butt for you."

A shadow of a smile passed Sora's eyes and she shook her head vaguely. "No, he hasn't done anything you need to beat him up for," she promised.

"Well, what is it, then?"

She hesitated, and Tai wracked his brain trying to think of what could be upsetting her that wouldn't require him bruising Matt's pretty face, when Sora finally said, "He broke up with me."

Tai's eyes went wide and he tried to fight down the part of him that wanted to celebrate. She's still upset, he reminded himself. Offering her a sympathetic smile, he said, "I'm sorry, Sora."

Sora shook her head and dragged in a deep, steady breath. "No, it's ok; I mean, I sort of saw it coming. We were just…hanging out, really; it never felt like anything special. Or, at least, not like we wanted it to, I guess. And it's not like we were arguing or something; we're still friends, you know?"

When she paused, Tai nodded silently.

Softly, she added, "It's just, we were dating for over a year, and I guess I'd gotten so used to it that…I don't know what to do now."

Tai offered her what he hoped was a friendly, encouraging smile and said, "Do whatever you want. I know it must be hard, but I'm sure you'll be fine. Give it time; you'll probably find out that it was the best thing to do."

Sora looked up at him searchingly, the tears nearly gone from her eyes though the sadness remained. "You think so?"

He nodded, his smile twisting into a grin, and he said, "'Course I do."

She choked on a laugh and leaned forward, resting her head lightly on his shoulder. "Thanks, Tai."

Tai wrapped her in a tight hug, resting his cheek on the crown of her head, and whispered, "Anytime, Sora."

Shaking his head to drag himself back to the present, Tai replied, "Yeah, they did; it's not about that. Not really."

Agumon looked more confused than ever. "But, then what do you mean, 'it's Sora'?"

Tai sighed and stood, crossing the floor of his bedroom to flop face-down on the mattress, not quite landing on his pillow. His voice was muffled as he replied, "I just can't tell her."

Agumon was quiet for a minute, before walking up beside the bed and asking, "But why not? I mean, no offense Tai, but you're miserable like this. Wouldn't you be happier if you told her how you feel?"

"Not if she doesn't feel the same," Tai replied, still without moving.

"But why wouldn't she?"

Shifting his arms so that he could place his palms on the mattress, Tai pushed himself to a sitting position and looked over at his digimon. "Agumon, most people don't fall in love with their best friend."

"Kari did," Agumon stated, as if it would win him the argument.

Tai cringed involuntarily and turned so that he was sitting with his feet resting on the floor. "Thanks for reminding me," he mumbled.

"Sorry," Agumon said.

"And that's not the point, anyway," Tai continued. "Yeah, sure, if I tell Sora how I feel, and she feels the same, life would be great. I'd be up so high, Piedmon couldn't drag me down; but if she doesn't love me…it would ruin everything."

"But how?" Agumon asked. "Couldn't you still be friends; and then at least that way, you know the truth."

"That's the problem, Agumon," Tai said, "We probably couldn't still be friends; not like we are, anyway. Even if we tried, it would just make things awkward. She'd stop coming to me for help with things -especially if it ever involved another guy; she'd probably start hanging out with me less and less, until I only ever saw her for group things. I'd…I'd lose her, Agumon. And I just can't risk that."

"Oh," Agumon said softly, realizing what Tai meant. "I guess that would be bad. I'm sorry, Tai."

"It's not your fault, buddy," Tai said, dropping a hand on Agumon's head.

Agumon moved to sit beside Tai and the two fell silent. Tai's thought were swirling faster than the wind that had picked up outside; and Agumon was worried about his friend and partner. He could see that it was eating Tai up inside.

"Tai!" Kari called suddenly, rushing into her brother's room and flinging the door open wide. She sounded worried; even frightened.

Tai's head snapped back up, as did Agumon's, and he asked, "What's the matter, Kari?"

"Kari, what happened?" Gatomon demanded as she ran into the room, having been awoken from her nap by Kari's cry.

"Biyomon just called," Kari began, looking straight at her brother, "she said Sora left over half an hour ago to come talk to you."

"What?!" Tai demanded, leaping to his feet. "Half an hour? It doesn't take ten minutes to get here from Sora's place!"

"I know," Kari said, "that's why we're worried."

"Did Biyomon say if she was doing anything else while she was out?" Tai asked, trying to keep calm.

Kari shook her head. "No; she said Sora was coming straight here."

"But why would she leave Biyomon at home?" Agumon asked.

"I don't know," Kari admitted, "Biyomon just said that Sora needed to talk to Tai about something. That was all she knew."

"It's pouring outside," Gatomon declared, glancing quickly at the window. "If Sora's still out there, she'll get sick if she doesn't have a coat."

As Tai turned, reflexively, to look out the window, Kari said softly, "She doesn't. Biyomon said she just suddenly stood up and declared she was coming over here, and she asked Biyomon not to go with her."

"Agumon, let's go," Tai commanded, walking purposefully out of his room and stopping at the hall closet. He grabbed his best raincoat and slipped it on, calling over his shoulder as he did so, "Kari, call Biyomon back and tell her we're looking for Sora. Then I want you and Gatomon to head downtown, see if you can find Sora in that area. Call the others and get the search party started; I'm heading to the park side."

"Ok," Kari complied even as Tai and Agumon slipped out the door.

"Shouldn't you have grabbed two jackets?" Agumon asked as they ran through the rain-slicked parking lot of Odaiba Park.

"If I was carrying a jacket, then probably the inside would get wet, and that would kind of ruin the point," Tai replied without breaking stride.

Sora, wherever you are, please be okay. Hopefully she just got sidetracked by Yolei or something, he thought desperately as he raced through the damp, muddy grass.

The parking lot was out of sight, and his sneakers were covered in mud and grass, when he heard a familiar beeping coming from his digivice. Immediately he stopped running, causing Agumon to nearly slide into a tree to keep with him, and pulled the device from his belt. Studying the screen for a heartbeat, his eyes went wide. "It's Sora! She's nearby!"

Then he spun, in the direction the digivice indicated, and sprinted off again. Agumon quickly recovered and followed after him.

Tai slowed when he looked up and caught sight of Sora, sitting hunched over, on a park bench. The opposite entrance to the park was just barely out of sight; it was the entrance that was closest to her apartment. But she wouldn't have lied to Biyomon, he thought fleetingly as he put away his digivice and approached her. Her back was to him, and over the roar of the wind and rain, he doubted she'd heard him.

When he was parallel to the bench, he could see that she had managed to pull her knees up to her chest, with her feet just barely balanced on the edge of the bench. Her arms were wrapped tight around her legs and her forehead was pressed up against her knees. He could see her shoulders shaking and heaving, as if she were crying.

Her simple blue jeans were soaked, and her favorite red t-shirt was plastered to her skin almost awkwardly. He knew immediately that she'd been sitting there, probably in that exact position, when the rain had started. Sora…he swallowed, silently signaled Agumon to hang back, and approached the bench.

When he got close enough he could hear her sobs, confirming his fear. She was crying. Hoping the cause of her tears wasn't someone -or something- he'd feel guilty sending WarGreymon after, Tai silently and quickly removed his jacket and draped it over her shoulders while claiming a seat beside her.

Sora jumped at the unexpected warmth, her feet slipping to the ground and her head snapping up even as Tai pulled the hood up over her head and wrapped an arm around her shoulders to pull her close against him.

"…Tai?" Sora choked, subconsciously pulling his jacket tighter around her.

"It's me," Tai said soothingly, rubbing his hands up and down her back to try and warm her up some more. "What's wrong?"

"Tai," Sora repeated, sounding as though a new round of tears were about to break free. She lifted one hand and curled it into his blue t-shirt even as she pressed her forehead to his shoulder. "What are you doing here?"

"Biyomon called; she was worried about you, I guess," Tai explained. "Now it's your turn; what are you doing out here?"

Sora hesitated, sniffling faintly as she forced back the new wave of tears. Quietly, she said, "I took a detour, and started thinking…I guess I was so lost inside my head that I hadn't even consciously realized how soaked I am."

"Those must have been some heavy-duty thoughts," Tai commented, half-jokingly, giving her a squeeze before pulling back to look into her tormented eyes. "Anything you wanna share with the class?"

She laughed softly, the sound coming out half-gurgled because of the tears, and reached up to wipe her cheeks, only to smear more rainwater across her face. She paused, stared for a second at her hand, and then laughed again faintly.

"Wow, I'm really pathetic right now, aren't I?" Sora asked with a shake of her head.

"Maybe a little," Tai admitted, reaching over and sliding away a piece of hair that had gotten awkwardly stuck to the side of her face. "But you're allowed. So will you tell me what's wrong? Biyomon told Kari you needed to talk to me; is everything ok?"

She hesitated again, and fiddled absently with his jacket before responding. "I…I don't know, Tai. I'm not hurt, or in trouble, or anything…but I-" she cut herself off, biting her lower lip as her eyes drooped in resignation.

"Sora?" Tai asked worriedly, reaching out and tilting her chin up with his index finger. When she finally looked at him, he offered her a reassuring smile and said, "Hey, you know you can talk to me about anything, ok? I promise, whatever it is, I'll stand by you."

"I know you would," Sora said reflexively, before her voice lowered faintly and she added, "It's just that…it's not just about me this time."

"What do you mean?" Tai asked, before immediately adding, "Is this about that guy who was hitting on you in class today? 'Cause I know exactly how to get him to leave you alone."

Sora sighed, barely even smiling at his pretend-humor, and replied, "No, it has nothing to do with him. It…it's about us."

"Us?" Tai repeated, caught off-guard by her revelation. Hesitatingly, he asked, "As in, you and me 'us' or-"

"Yeah," Sora whispered, interrupting whatever he'd been about to suggest.

"Oh, well…what about us?" Tai asked, doing his best to push past the lump in his throat. Please don't tell me someone told her…please don't let me lose her, he begged silently. He felt as if his very continued existence hung on her answer.

Sora looked directly into his concerned brown eyes and said, "I'm so sorry, Tai. I never meant to…I figured out, a few months ago, why Matt and I would never have worked. I guess Matt already knew, which is why he broke up with me, but I was too stubborn to realize it before…. Tai, I-" She cut herself off and shook her head, another tear escaping to slide quickly down her face. "I can't do it," she declared softly, "I can't tell you."

She shifted, even as she spoke, and Tai knew she was preparing to run, to get away from whatever it was she was trying to say. And he also knew, somehow, that this was the last chance he would ever get to tell her the truth; assuming she didn't already know. And if she does, she may as well at least hear it from me, right?

Reaching out again, half to get her attention, and half to keep her from bolting, Tai cupped the side of her face gently. He smiled when her startled eyes connected with his again, hoping to reassure her.

"Then let me," Tai whispered gently. "Sora, I know this might change things forever between us, and I'm sorry for that; I really am. But it's way past time you knew. You are the most important person in my life. I love you, Sora; more than anything."

Sora's eyes went wide at his confession, and a genuine smile graced her lips as she lifted one hand to place it over his. "Oh, Tai," she said softly, "I love you, too."

"Y-you do?" Tai asked, shocked at her reply.

"Of course I do, silly," Sora teased, her tears vanishing as if they never were as she pulled his hand away from her cheek, before releasing it to wrap both of her arms around his neck and pull him towards her. "Now do me a favor," she whispered, "and kiss me."

Tai wrapped his arms around her waist as he replied, "Whatever you say." Then he ducked his head and pressed his lips to hers, and Sora buried her hands in his massive brown hair as he deepened the kiss. He pulled her tight against him, or as tight as their angles would allow, as her lips parted to grant him entrance, and his tongue danced with hers eagerly.

Around them, the rain the continued to fall hard and fast from the sky, but neither seemed to notice. Agumon blushed and turned around to give them a bit of privacy, inwardly rejoicing because he knew that 'depressed Tai' would not return come morning.

"How's she feeling, Biyomon?" Tai asked as the pink-feathered digimon led him and Agumon down the short hallway of the apartment, to Sora's room.

"Better, I think," Biyomon replied softly. "Ms. Takenouchi says her fever's broken now, so all she has to do is start feeling better, and she should be fine."

"That's good," Tai said honestly as they reached the door. "Do you think she'd mind a little company?"

"Not at all," Biyomon assured him.

"Cool, thanks," Tai said as he reached for the doorknob.

"Hey, Biyomon," Agumon called, "why don't we wait out here for a little while and give them some privacy?"

Biyomon nodded, and Tai threw them both a grateful smile before slipping into Sora's bedroom.

The seventeen-year-old redhead was sitting, propped up, in bed with a half-empty glass of water on the desk beside her. She smiled at her boyfriend as he entered the room. "Hey, Tai," she called. Her voice was still weak from her recent cold, though she seemed much improved from his visit the day before.

"Hey, how're you feeling? Biyomon says you're starting to get better," Tai greeted as he gently sat on the edge of the bed beside her, scooping her exposed right hand into both of his.

She gave a slight nod. "I am, though I don't really sound like it. I guess that's what I get for sitting in the rain so long, huh?"

"It didn't help that I didn't just take you home when I found you," Tai admitted guiltily.

Sora gave his hand a squeeze and said, "It's not your fault; I could've asked to go any time."

"Maybe," Tai relinquished, lifting her hand and pressing a soft kiss to her knuckles. Lowering her hand back to his lap, he continued, "Are you sure you don't want some help with your homework? I wouldn't mind."

Sora cast a reflexive glance to the pile of papers that had accumulated on the floor, on the other side of the desk chair, during the past four days. Sighing, she replied, "I'm sure. It's my responsibility to get it done."

Tai shook his head. "Alright, but let me know if you change your mind, ok?"

"I will," Sora promised, grinning weakly.

They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, Tai absently stroking Sora's hand, before he glanced at the clock and sighed. Pressing one more soft kiss to her skin, he released her hand and stood, shrugging off his backpack simultaneously.

"Alright, well, here're today's assignments," he stated as he added another three papers to the pile. Looking back up at her, he smiled and said, "Take it easy for a couple more days and I'm sure you'll be fine."

"That's the plan," Sora replied with her own smile. "Thanks, Tai."

Tai shrugged, his backpack once again firmly in place, and said, "It's the least I could do. I'll see you tomorrow, Sora."

"Bye, Tai," Sora called, half-giggling when he threw her a wink for no reason before slipping out of the room.

~Epilogue~

A few weeks past seven months later, Tai, Matt, Sora, Izzy, and Mimi (who had moved back to Odaiba around January), were completely done with high school. And since the younger DigiDestined (for the most part) had all just graduated junior high school, the group as a whole decided to celebrate their own way: in the DigiWorld.

"Can you believe we're done with high school?" Tai asked as he came up behind Sora and wrapped his arms around her waist, while resting his chin lightly on her shoulder.

Sora leaned automatically into him, reaching up to dance her fingers along his jaw before burying them in his hair, and resting her other hand over his crossed arms. "I'm not sure it's sunk in yet," she replied truthfully.

"I know what you mean," he said, "Some days I feel like I'm still trying to wrap my head around the idea of defeating the Dark Masters."

Sora laughed softly. "Yeah, that really was a long time ago, wasn't it?"

"Freaky, right?" Tai asked rhetorically.

Letting her raised arm fall back to her side, Sora turned around in Tai's embrace and looped her arms loosely around his neck as she smiled warmly up at him. "Have I mentioned how much I love you?"

"Once or twice," Tai replied, grinning. "But you should probably say it again; I have such low self-esteem, you know."

Sora rolled her eyes and said, "Tai?"

"Yes?" he asked, feigning curiosity.

"Not to sound cliché or anything, but, shut up and kiss me already."

Tai smirked and pulled her flush against him as he covered her mouth with his obediently. He deepened the kiss even as she pulled herself somehow tighter against him, and visions of his future -their future- danced across his mind's eye. But for now, he was perfectly content to hold her in his arms for even a moment.

The End

A/N: Ok! My first Taiora is DONE!! So, now's the part where you tell me what you thought!! Right? Please?? Well, at any rate, I hope you enjoyed all the sappy, semi-clichéd (ok, it was full of clichés, I know) Tai/Sora goodness! And with the mood I'm in, there'll probably be more to come, so hopefully you liked this one enough to be happy about that…of course, I'll know for sure if you review!! LOL