Path Of Destiny

Taichi Yagami stared at his phone. He had been doing this for the past half hour, ever since he had had that conversation with his sister. This was precisely the reason he had not returned to Japan for the past ten years but of course he couldn't have missed out on his sister's wedding so he had to come back. And now Kari and T.K. wanted to have this digidestined reunion thing before the big day.

He didn't want to face her. No…he wasn't talking about Kari. He was talking about the only person he had not tried to stay in touch with. The only person whose e-mails he never replied to causing her to give up ultimately…. Sora Takenouchi. He knew it was stupid. It was childish. He was no longer the seventeen year old teenager who had just got up and left but he didn't think he'd ever look at her the same. He loved her but she didn't and that is why he had got distant from her so that he'd be able to move on in life but it had not worked out and he didn't think by meeting her again, it would get any better. She had probably forgotten about him. She must be happy in her life. He knew she was no longer with Matt having been talking to him, in fact they broke up around the same time he had left, but who knew, she maybe with somebody better than him, because she had made it clear long ago that he was nothing more than a friend to her.

After she and Matt became a couple, he grew more and more distant from her, ultimately leaving the country just to escape from them and try his hand at forgetting her and today…today he would see her. He didn't know what he was supposed to do.

"OK." He said. "I just have to act natural and everything is going to be fine. Just behave normal. She won't know a thing. It is just a matter of few hours and I think I will be able to live through, right?"

He sighed. The evening was going to be a long long one.

"Wha…He is back?" Sora said holding her phone tighter.

"Yes." Kari replied from the other end. "For the wedding. He will be at the reunion today. You will come, won't you Sora?"

"I…..Kari…He never even spoke to me once he left. He talked to everybody but me. He hates me."

"Why would he hate you Sora?"

"For that rejection Kari….. All those years ago."

"Sora…you were fourteen and that was like thirteen years ago. You guys were friends even after that."

"It had not been the same. In fact, I missed him so much and he chose to ignore me."

"It is just a matter of a few hours Sora. I know my brother can be an outright moron when it comes to it but you can ignore him right back. Pay back! He had no business ignoring you."

Sora sighed. "Alright Kari, as you say."

Sora didn't know what to do. She really missed her friendship with Tai all those years ago. Tears came to her eyes as she thought back to the day when she came to know he was leaving.

Flashback

A seventeen year old Sora lay on her bed staring at the ceiling. She was unsure of everything in her life. Whatever she did, her mind kept on drifting to the two boys in her life- Tai and Matt. One her best friend and one her boyfriend, but she couldn't place her finger on one thing. She and Matt had been in a relationship for three years but still there was a spark missing. Something didn't seem right. Whenever she was with Matt, she kept imagining what it would be like if Tai had been there in place of Matt and finally she knew that things were not going to work out with Matt. She was meeting him today to break the news to him.

She got out of bed and knew that there was just one person she wanted to meet- and that was her best friend for whom she had developed feelings and whom she had so brutally rejected.

"Tai?" She said stepping into his room.

"Oh. Hey Sora." He said looking up. There it was. Things were not the same between them ever since she got together with Matt. He never even looked at her in the same way he used to.

"How have things been? It has been quite a while since we last talked." Sora said trying to make small talk before she came to the point.

"Good. In fact, I got a scholarship to a university in London. I will be leaving once school gets over." He said with a small smile. He seemed happier than he had in quite a while.

Sora stared at him. He was going….. She wouldn't get to see him…. Oh if only she had tried to mend things up sooner. That is what they say, don't they? Never take the ones close to you for granted. She blinked back the tears in her eyes and forced herself to smile back at him. "Wow….that's…that's wonderful Tai! I am so happy for you."

Tai nodded.

"I…. I will miss you Tai." She said softly.

"Really?" Tai said in a somewhat challenging tone.

"Of course I would…why do you think I won't?"

"Oh I don't know you have been pretty busy these few years."

"Tai, it is not easy being in a relationship as well as tennis and that stupid flower shop."

"I know Sora. It's alright." He said but she knew him well enough to know that it was not.

And now….she couldn't tell him what she had come to say. It might interfere with his plans to study abroad and besides she didn't think it would work out after their differences.

And that very day she broke up with Matt. However she asked him to not tell Tai for some time. She did not know why she did that. Tai was too distracted to notice anything anyways and then he went away and never ever tried to speak to her.

Sora looked at the clock. It was almost time to go. She had better get ready soon. And now, she was going to ignore Tai straight back. He had had no right to ignore her this way. And she would tell him how it felt like to be ignored by your best friend….. only they were no longer best friends…rather they were strangers.

"But why Tai?" Kari kept on pestering him. "You can't still be hurt over a rejection thirteen years ago. Talk to her."

"Well she doesn't want to talk to me." He replied glancing at Sora who was deep in conversation with Mimi and Yolei.

She hadn't even looked at him when she entered Kari and T.K.'s apartment. Like he was a ghost or something.

"Are you as big a fool as you look Tai?" Matt said joining the siblings.

"Hey! I take offence to that."

Matt rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I think you were the one who left her without any contact. She tried talking to you. Are you royalty or what that you can treat her like shit and then expect her to come flying in your arms."

"Well she…" He stopped short.

"I know what you were about to say. Grow up Tai. I am not with her anymore. It was just a teenage relationship that didn't last. I am with Mimi now. In fact we broke up even before you left….She didn't want to tell you about it for some reason…"

"Wait." Tai said. "You broke up before I left? When exactly?"

"About a month before you left." Matt replied.

"Oh crap! That would be the same day I told her about me moving and I think she didn't want to disturb me with the news of her break up or whatever reason she had for not telling me."

"Well whatever." Kari said. "Go and apologize to her this instant. I can't believe you let a teenage heartbreak come in between such a good friendship. Sorry to say but you acted like the ass of the century."

"I…what is she ignores me?"

"Then you will very much deserve it." Matt said.

Tai gave him an exasperated glance and took a gulp of all the vodka remaining in his glass and made his way towards Sora.

"Hey, Mimi, Yolei, Can I talk to Sora for some time?"

"Yeah sure Tai." Mimi said as she and Yolei got up.

"No wait." Sora said. "I don't want to talk to him." She said not looking at Tai.

"Please Sor…. Give me a chance to say sorry."

"Sorry? You want to say sorry after all this?" Sora said standing up. "You can stay in touch with everybody except the person you call your best friend." She got louder with every word and now they had ten pair of eyes watching them intently.

"Look. I am really sorry. Can we please talk about this?"

"Talk? Tai I am not some old car or something that you leave for years and then come back and expect it to function absolutely normally. You have proved that you don't give a damn about me."

"No. It is not like that."

"Um…Sora…." Matt said. "Tai is right, you guys should not be discussing it in front of everybody."

"We shouldn't be discussing this at all. I have nothing more to say to you Tai. T.K., Kari, I think I got to go. See you guys later."

With that she left the apartment quickly.

As soon as she was out on the road she let the tears fall freely. She hated treating him like this but she did not regret it. She couldn't be treated like an option- to come back like some prince all of a sudden and expect her to be falling all over him not giving a damn about the fact that he had treated her as if she did not exist at all.

She felt an arm grab her and spin her around and again she was looking into Tai's face.

"What do you want?"

"To talk. Please give me one chance to speak."

Sora looked at him. Even after all these years he looked as handsome as he did ten years ago. His hair was still the wild mob she loved and his eyes still held that softness in them. He wasn't the Matt type charming, but he had his own special charisma nevertheless.

"Tai. I wanted our friendship to continue. When I dated Matt things just got a bit complicated but you were not willing to accept it. And after you left…you had no idea how much I missed you and I tried talking to you so much, but you just… You don't know how much it hurt Tai. And then all of a sudden you are back and you want everything to be normal. Life doesn't work that way."

"I know. I…it was selfish of me…what I did before I left but I was a stupid teenager. And probably even after I went away….. I wanted to not get too attached to you Sor… So that I wouldn't feel hurt….I… I am sorry. Please give me one last chance."

"Why would staying in touch hurt?" She said moving closer to him. Their faces were just inches apart now.

Tai knew it was stupid. He had never intended saying this. But it just sort of slipped out. "Because I am in love with you. I was back then and I think I still am. I could never get you out of my mind. The only relationships I had were mere flings. I could not get serious because I always loved you. It was not a crush, I fell in love with my best friend who chose my other best friend over me. I couldn't take it and so I left. I couldn't stay in touch because I knew I could never be more than a friend to you and it would kill me. I love you. I love you more than anything else in the world."

He felt lighter after saying all that, he knew it would not lead to anything but he had to get it off him. He did it without thinking. He could see the shock on Sora's face. He knew he had screwed up any chance of friendship he had with her but now that the harm was already done, what more was there to lose and thus came his next action.

He slowly moved forward filling up the gap between their faces and kissed her on the lips. To his surprise she kissed back. It was the best kiss he had ever had….it felt so right. They standing in the moonlight…she in his arms and that kiss…he wanted it to last for eternity but all good things must come to an end and so he moved back and before she could say anything he spoke again.

"I will cherish this memory forever. Goodbye Sora."

"Tai…."

"It is okay. I will go back after the wedding and you can live your life and forget about this. Bye."

Sora just stood staring at his retreating figure. She was dumbstruck. Her hand reached up to her lips. That experience had been wonderful. She had felt like it was her first kiss. It felt so right.

But….He left her. And he would be going back soon. It couldn't work out, she thought letting the tears flow freely. She had been alright before he returned and she'd be alright now too….or would she?

One week later

Sora woke up to the sound of her alarm clock. Yesterday had been the wedding and it was a beautiful affair. Kari had looked gorgeous in that white gown and T.K. seemed to be the happiest man on earth. There was love in the air. And the blissful environment was disturbed for her only because of one person. Tai had once more been avoiding her. Why was he so convinced that she couldn't have feelings for him? Because you made him feel that way. A voice said in her head. OK. She could have behaved a bit better back then like… "I wanted to be free just in case Matt was free." Did sound pathetic but she was fourteen!

Why was he behaving so immature! He should at least wait for an answer. He is immature but that is how you love him. Argh! That stupid voice once more. Love? No she didn't love Tai…or did she…..

She began to think back on her life. He had always been there for her before he left. He had supported her in everything. When the other boys doubted her soccer abilities, he helped her prove to them that a girl can be a good enough soccer player. He was the one who had saved her from Datamon. He was the one who trusted her blindly. He was the one who had bothered to console her when she was convinced that her crest wouldn't work because she couldn't love. He made her see that she was capable of love. It was him she would go to every time she had an argument with her mother. It was him with whom she used to share all her problems and talk to late in the night.

"Sora."

"Mimi? When did you come?"

Mimi and Sora used to share the apartment till Mimi moved in with Matt and so she had a key to the place still and occasionally crashed in there.

"Just now."

Mimi was the only one whom Sora had told what had happened the night of the reunion.

"Sora…..He is going back today. His flight is in three hours, he must be leaving the hotel right now." Mimi said.

"Who?" Sora said knowing fully well who she was talking about.

"Stop it Sora. You are trying to fool yourself, him and everybody around you. You are madly in love with him. You let him go once and now you are letting him go once more. And please don't give me that bullshit that you are not in love with him. The state you were in that night Sora. Quit fooling yourself."

"I…"

"What?"

Within seconds Sora was out of her bed and on her feet slipping on her slippers and running out of her bedroom.

"Where are you going in your pajamas? At least change!"

"No time! He'd be gone by then. Ring up my boss and tell her that I am ill with a fatal disease or something." She said as she ran down the hallway ignoring the stares and straight into her car.

She was wearing red pajamas and yellow sweatshirt and purple fluffy flip flops. Her hair was flying in every direction. She had been so tired the previous night that she did not bother to take off her makeup and now there was messed up mascara and gloss to add to her beauty. Her hair was flying off everywhere and they just got wilder as she drove full speed to the hotel where Kari had told her Tai was staying.

The guard stared at her in amazement as she ran off up the steps through the door banging into several people and murmuring hurried apologies.

The receptionist was shocked to see a girl in such a condition running and thinking her to be somewhat mad yelled after her.

"Excuse me ma'am, you just can't…" She called out after her but Sora was long gone. "Security!" The receptionist yelled.

Sora immediately came rushing back.

"No need for that. I am in a hurry. Please tell me which room is Taichi Yagami staying in. I have to meet him before he leaves. Please let me meet him and then you can get me arrested, I don't care."

"Whoa!" The receptionist said. "Alright madam. He is in room 204. Second floor second room on the right."

"Thanks." She said continuing her race as everyone watched in amusement.

Tai had packed up his bags and was just about to leave the room when he felt something er…..red and yellow collide with him…. Wait no….it was a girl…oh crap was it Sora in such a terrible state?

"Sora?" Tai said absolutely unsure as to what to make of this. "What are you doing here? And um….. in this attire and…you wear purple flip flops!"

"You can't go like this." She said.

"What are you…"

Before he knew it she had kissed him. And this time she did not let him move away. They both felt the same spark they had that night. Only this time they were not standing romantically under the moonlight but in a very unromantic hotel hallway with the housekeeping woman staring wide eyed at the scene unfolding before her.

"So…" Sora said gasping when they pulled apart finally.

"You haven't even brushed?" Tai grinned.

Sora rolled her eyes. "I just got out of bed."

"Why?" He said softly.

"I couldn't lose you one more time. I had to let you know before you left. I had come to tell you how I felt ten years ago but you told me you were leaving and I did not want to come in the way of your future, so I stayed shut."

"Without realizing that my future sucks without you."

"That is why I came today. Mimi knocked some sense into my head. I couldn't let you go without knowing."

"Sir." A taxi driver stood there as amazed as anyone else in the hotel. "It is time to leave."

Sora looked at Tai one last time as she let go of his shirt. Tears came to her eyes. "Stay in touch this time."

Tai looked torn. It seemed as if he was thinking deeply.

"Sir." The taxi driver said pointedly.

"Go Tai. You will miss your flight." Sora said.

"I…" He turned to the taxi driver. "I don't think I will leave. Here" He handed the driver some money. "Your fare. I don't want to go."

The taxi driver shrugged and walked off.

"What…Why…" Sora said.

"Shhh…" He said placing a finger on her lips. "I left because I could not be with you. But now that I know that I can have you….Well my qualifications should find me a good job here."

"But…you can't just throw it all away…"

"I told you. My future is nothing without you. I love you." He said.

"I love you too Tai." Sora said with tears in her eyes.

Tai leaned forward to kiss her once more.

"Bad breathe, remember?" Sora said.

"I don't really care." He whispered.

Sora closed her eyes and she too leaned forward.

"But purple flip flops!"

"Taichi!"

"Sorry!" He said and this time he kissed her pulling her into the hotel room.

He finally had her. The love of his life. The girl without whom he had no future….. Destiny had a strange way of doing things….. And here after all hope was lost it made him the happiest man in the world and her the happiest woman.

It has been two freaking years since I last wrote a one shot! I had been totally focusing on 'Always and Forever' which has been updated by the way. I don't think I have ever written something so clichéd as this but well…it was something new for me and I liked writing it especially the ending part! Hope you guys like it and do review! If you have read my other stories you know how desperate I am for reviews :P I will soon post a Mimato one shot too for the Mimato fans out there and it will hopefully be better than this!