Yamato, Sora and Taichi are 21 and are in college.
Dedication: For The Gatekeeper, who writes absolutely beautiful
poetry. Please check it out if you have a moment. This is just
my way of saying thank you for all the wonderful praise he has given me.
My Keeper
by Melissa
Yamato stood at the bar and took in the surroundings. Taichi's fraternity was holding a function to kick off the semester. It was going to be the last time they were all going to be able to really celebrate because this was their last semester before graduation. He sighed slightly, being that he wasn't really into the whole bar scene. The only reason he was there was sitting across the room in a booth.
Sora appeared to be engaged in a lively conversation with a young man. Yamato couldn't see his features well, but did notice he was wearing a tan long sleeved shirt and light blue jeans. Yamato wished desperately that he was the one Sora was talking to. They hadn't seen very much of each other lately because he majored in music and Sora majored in botany, and their respective classes were held on opposite sides of the campus.
He couldn't pinpoint the exact moment his feelings for the keeper of love had changed to something deeper than just friendship. The instant he realized he was in love, he tried distancing himself on purpose. He thought that Taichi and Sora were meant to be together and it would be better for him to just disappear. By the time it was made clear that Sora and Taichi were nothing more than best friends, the damage had been done. Sora had been really hurt by his actions, and Yamato wanted to kick himself for that. They were still friends, but no where near as close as they once were.
Yamato's thoughts were interrupted as the guy Sora was talking to walked up to the bar to order some drinks. Yamato gave him a dirty look, which the guy didn't notice. He had ordered a cranberry juice with vodka, Sora's drink of choice, and a beer.
After getting the drinks, the guy looked around for a moment. When he was satisfied no one was paying attention, he then reached for something in his pocket. He withdrew something that looked like an aspirin and dropped it into the mixed drink. It fizzed for a moment and then dissolved. He then picked up his drinks and quickly left.
Yamato had watched the whole thing happen through his peripheral vision. After his initial moment of shock he was brought crashing back to reality when he realized that this man was going to drug Sora.
Yamato left his spot and went after the man when he was knocked to the floor by someone who had just a few too many. Fear now gripped Yamato's heart as he scrambled to his feet, pushing the drunk off of him. He looked around, but had lost sight of his prey.
'Oh God, please don't let her leave,' he thought frantically as he fought his way through the occupants of the bar.
After many panic filled minutes, he made his way over to the booths. To his relief, they were both still sitting there. That relief was short lived as he made his way to stand by Sora. His expression fell as he realized that her glass was empty.
"Hey Yamato," she said with a small smile. "How are you?"
In response, he turned his sights on the young man. In one swift movement, he grabbed him by the front of the shirt, picked him up out of his seat, and slammed him to the floor. Yamato then proceeded to beat him senseless.
"What are you doing??" Sora cried out, not understanding why Yamato would just attack someone for no reason.
The commotion did not go unnoticed by the rest of the patrons. They surrounded the two combatants and watched the scene unfold. After several minutes, Taichi and his fraternity brothers managed to separate the two. Taichi held onto Yamato while two others held onto Sora's companion.
"What the hell is going on??" Taichi yelled, while trying desperately to corral his friend.
"That bastard put something in Sora's drink!" Yamato roared, struggling against Taichi's grip.
Tachi felt his blood run cold and both Sora and her companion paled considerably. The keeper of courage turned his sights to the accused, absolute rage showing in his eyes.
"What's your name?" he asked, his tone dangerously low.
"L-Lee," the man stuttered. Blood trickled down from his nose and split lip, and a black eye completed the appearance. The fraternity brothers tightened their grip on him.
"I'm only going to ask you this once. Did you put something in her drink?"
Lee turned his gaze to the floor. He could almost feel himself shrinking under the intensity of Yamato and Taichi's glares. "Yes," he finally answered.
As the answer left his mouth, Sora felt her knees weaken from shock. She slowly lowered herself into the booth. She couldn't believe that she had been drugged. It was something her mother had warned her about constantly, but she never thought it could happen to her. It made her ill to think what this guy could have done to her. While staring at the table, she suddenly became aware that it was very difficult to focus. Moaning slightly, she put her head down on the table.
When Yamato stopped struggling, Taichi released him. He went over and sat next to Sora. Placing a hand on her shoulder he spoke softly. "Are you all right?"
She was breathing very heavily. "No...I feel so dizzy..."
Yamato worriedly looked at Taichi. "Damnit. It looks like what ever he gave her is starting to take effect. I'm going to take her to the hospital."
Taichi nodded. "We've got everything under control here," he said, glaring daggers at Lee.
Yamato put his arm around Sora's waist and gently helped her stand. Walking slowly, they left and headed for his car.
***
Twenty minutes later, Yamato was sitting in an exam room with Sora. She was lying on the bed, dozing off occasionally. Yamato stood up and began pacing, growing impatient about the distinct absence of someone who could tell him what was going on.
Several minutes passed and then a doctor entered the room.
"Hello," he greeted politely. "My name is Dr. Tokita."
Yamato nodded in greeting. "I'm Yamato Ishida. This is Sora Takenouchi."
The doctor glanced at Sora. "Can you tell me what happened?"
"The cliff notes version is that we were at a bar and I saw this guy put something in her drink. I was unable to get to her before she ingested it."
The doctor listened to Sora's heart and breathing. She giggled slightly and Yamato arched an eyebrow in response. Sora never giggles.
The doctor finished his preliminary exam and turned to Yamato. "In all likely hood, he probably gave her Rohypnol."
"What's that?"
"It's a popular date rape drug. Rohypnol is similar to Valium but about 10 times as strong. Initially, it causes muscle relaxation, dizziness, and headaches, slows psychomotor responses, and lowers inhibitions. Victims may have difficulty moving or speaking. Victims often remember the effects of the drug as a feeling of being 'drunk.'"
Sora giggled again. She made a move to sit up but only made it about half way before promptly falling back down again. Yamato slowly nodded in understanding. Sora was acting like she had had seven drinks instead of only one.
"Is there anything you can do?"
The doctor shook his head. "Not really. We just have to wait for the drug to get out of her system."
"How long will that take?"
"Around eight to ten hours. The other problem with this drug, and what makes it so popular, is that when it is mixed with alcohol it causes memory loss. She'll wake up tomorrow and have no recollection of what occurred tonight." He paused. "All you can really do is take her home and keep an eye on her."
"Thank you," Yamato said.
The doctor nodded. "She's very lucky to have a friend like you. I hate to think what might of happened to her if you hadn't been there to help."
Yamato shuddered at the thought. He thanked the doctor again and grabbed his coat.
"Where we goin'?" Sora asked, her speech slightly slurred.
"I'm going to take you home."
Her brow creased slightly. "Do we hafta?"
"Yeah. Don't worry, well hang out and watch a movie or something."
"OK," she replied and attempted to get off the bed. Her momentum was a bit much for her compromised equilibrium to handle and she fell forward, right into Yamato arms.
"Sorry," she said through a grin.
"No problem," he said as he put her arm around his shoulders to help support her.
***
They reached Sora's apartment a short time later and Yamato helped her inside and onto her couch. He stepped back to get a better look at her.
"Is it all right if I make us some tea?"
Sora waved her hand towards the kitchen and then let it flop across her midsection.
'I'll take that as a 'yes,'' he thought to himself as he went to the kitchen. He turned on the kettle and waited for it to boil. After fixing two mugs of tea, he then returned to the living room. He took a seat next to Sora, who was half sitting, half lying, on the furniture.
"Hey Matt," she said with a slight slur.
Yamato grinned at the fact that she had slipped back to using his childhood nickname.
"You know," she continued, "as long as we're hanging out, I think I should tell you something."
"Oh? And what is that?"
"I used to have the biggest crush on you." She said it as casually as if she was telling him the time.
Yamato's jaw dropped as he remembered what the doctor said about how the drug lowers a person's inhibitions. He swallowed hard. "You did?"
She nodded. "But I don't anymore."
The elation he had felt a moment before had suddenly been dashed to bits. He turned his gaze to the floor. "Can't say I really blame you, after what a jerk I was being." He could feel a lump forming in his throat. "I am so sorry. I should have never have avoided you. If I hadn't, you might not have been in that situation tonight."
Sora sat up and shifted her position so she was right next to Yamato. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned close to his ear.
"And do you know why I no longer have a crush on you?"
Yamato shook his head.
"Because," she whispered in a low tone, "I fell in love with you."
Yamato's head snapped around to face her. She gave him a small smile and then pressed her lips to his. Electricity seemed to shoot through every nerve in his body. He put his arms around her and deepened the kiss he had waited for his whole life to happen.
The need for air finally broke them apart. She moved to kiss him again when he placed his hands on her shoulders to stop her.
"What?"
"We shouldn't."
"Why not?" her asked as her brow creased in confusion. "Don't you want to be with me?"
"More than anything in the world. However," he sighed, "I love with all my heart and soul, and that is precisely why we can't do this."
She still looked hurt and confused.
"Trust me," he said. "I'll explain everything in the morning. Right now, I just want to hold you in my arms."
She nodded and crawled into his embrace. He laid down on the couch, hugging her body close to his.
Sora looked at him through half closed eyes. "Goodnight," she said softly. It was only a few moments before she was out like a light.
Yamato lay there with the woman he loved more than anything in his arms. A tear traced it's way down his cheek as he realized that she wouldn't remember anything that had happened between them this night. He was going to have to pretend like nothing happened, and that she hadn't told him she loved him.
'She was just under the influence of the Rohypnol,' he thought sadly as he closed his eyes. 'She could never be in love with me.'
***
The next morning, Sora slowly opened her eyes due to the sun streaming through the window. As she slowly got her bearings, she realized that she was in her living room, lying on her couch, and she in Yamato's arms. She also had one hell of a headache.
"What the...." she said slowly as she tried to sit up. "How...what happened?"
Sora tried to recall what had happened, but her mind was a complete blank. She glanced at her clock, it read a little after 10 am. "Why can't I remember? How does a person lose 11 hours?" she mumbled to herself.
All of her movements stirred Yamato out of dream land. He opened his eyes and saw Sora now sitting on the opposite end of the couch, her head in her hands.
"Morning," he said as he shifted to a sitting position. She didn't acknowledge his greeting. He gently reached over and placed his hand on hers. It startled her slightly.
"Hey," she said, her voice shaking slightly.
He just watched her, waiting for her to continue.
"What happened last night? Why can't I recall anything?" she asked, her voice plaintive.
"What is the last thing you remember?" Yamato asked gently.
"Um....we were at the bar. Taichi and his friends were holding a function. I was talking with Lee and....it gets fuzzy after that...."
"Sora, what I am about to tell you isn't going to be easy for you to hear."
She nodded, trembling slightly as Yamato told her about how Lee had drugged her, their trip to the hospital, and what the Rohypnol did to her.
"Oh my God...." her voice trailed off. "He...he was going to..." Tears began to form at the corners of her eyes.
"Shhh," Yamato said, drawing her into a hug. "You're safe. We came here right after the hospital and we fell asleep." He paused for a moment, while rubbing her back. "You know that I would never let anything happen to you."
"What happened to Lee?" she asked.
"Well, after I beat him within an inch of his life, I left him in Taichi's capable hands. Needless to say, he was less than pleased."
She gently removed herself from his embrace and sat back on the couch. She appeared to be blushing slightly.
"What's wrong?"
She reached up and brushed her hair behind her ears. "It's hard knowing that I'm missing 11 hours of my life, that I don't know what happened during that time frame. I can never get those hours back either. "I...I just can't even imagine what I was acting like. What did I do? What did I say last night?""
A brief look of hurt flashed in his eyes. "Don't worry about it."
That look did not go unnoticed by her. "Please?" she pleaded. "I want to know."
He looked into the very depths of her auburn eyes and found himself swimming in them. All Sora ever had to do was look at him, and he was a goner. He just couldn't say no.
He took a deep breath and without breaking eye contact he spoke. "You told me you loved me last night."
Her eyes widened considerably.
Yamato gave her a sad smile. "It's OK. People say lots of things they don't mean when they are under the influence."
He was giving her a way out. It would have been so easy for her to just nod her head and agree with him, but something inside wouldn't let her. She did mean what she had said, even if she couldn't remember.
"But I did mean it...," she whispered.
Now it was his turn to be shocked. "You did?"
Sora laughed nervously. "Yeah. I can't remember a time when I didn't love you." She was on the verge of tears. She ran her hands through her hair, something she did when she was nervous. "I can't believe I did that. You're probably all weirded out now, and I've probably screwed up our friendship, and...," she trailed off as she realized she was babbling.
Yamato reached over and cupped her face in his hands, gently forcing her to look at him. "I love you too."
Sora didn't have time to react as he leaned in and kissed her. All higher brain function ceased as all she could concentrate on was his soft lips pressed against her own. After a moment, Yamato moved away and rested his forehead against hers.
"What was that for?" she asked breathlessly.
He chuckled slightly. "You kissed me last night after you told me you loved me. I thought it would be only fair that I do the same."
Sora hugged him. "You make me feel safe, you know," she said through a stifled yawn.
He smiled. "I could never do anything but."
She squeezed Yamato tighter. 'My guardian. My keeper,' she
thought as she closed her eyes.
The End
More Author's Notes: That's about it. Please let me know what you thought of it. Until next time.
"One day, you look at the person and see more than you did the day before,
like a switch was flickered somewhere. And the person who was just a friend
is suddenly the only person you can imagine yourself with." - Scully (Gillian
Anderson,) X-Files
