Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Tai's Little Secret. ❯ III ( Chapter 3 )

[ A - All Readers ]

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

Summary: First part in the Series. Expected to be around four chapters + prologue. AU everyone, Taichi has a little secret, okay maybe it's not that little.

{thoughts}

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Tai's little Secret
Part III

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The wind blew in from the ocean, and through the barren trees and white fields surrounding Kasumi Freeway's Alternate Teaching School. Bitter and cold, it brought with it the feeling of more snow, and long winter storms. While snow was pretty, the students living on the school had had more then enough of it. Far away from the heat of the big city, snow had already fallen a few times, and right now the area was covered in a six-centimeter thick layer of the white stuff.

On the second floor, three girls looked out through a window, and straight down onto the snow covered parking lot outside the school. A small laughter came from the small study room as other students or sometimes a teacher walked or ran through it. Pulling back from the window, a girl with dark brown hair pulled into a short ponytail blinked her eyes. "We didn't have that much snow back in Odaiba". Shivering a little, the girl pulled back from the window and looked at the other two girls. "You know, I'm glad we're not going out in that weather."

A red headed girl with two pigtails gave a wide smile and looked at the girl. "Oh come on, I could really go for a snow ball fight right now." Turning her head away from the window, she grinned. "I love the winter." Sitting back down in her chair, she lifted up a small hand held videogame system and began to play it. "How about you Hinako?"

The girl in question moved away from the window and began to fiddle with the hem of her shirt. It had taken time, but the girl had finally gotten convinced to wear something else besides a big Kimono where ever she went. "It okay I guess, I wasn't really allowed to play outside." Looking back outside, she blinked her eyes. "What did you used to do in the winter Taichi-chan?"

Tai looked up from where she had been sitting. "Well, there was always the indoor soccer match or the snowball fights." Looking out the window, she gave a small smile. "But if I could get away from my friends. I would go out to ice skate." At the two blanks looks, she gave a loud sigh. "I used to dress as a boy, and at that time all my friends thought I was one." Sitting back, she closed her eyes. "And I just had to pretend to be a big tough macho kind of guy. The kind of guy who thinks skating is for losers." Turning a small glare to her left, she stared at the snikering form of the read headed girl. "And what is it, that's so fun Nariko?"

Nariko gave a big and nasty grin at Tai. "Come on Tai-kun, I can't believe you were that stuck in your ideas." Standing up, she crossed her arms over her chest and spoke in a deep fake voice. "Taichi, Taichi, guys don't skate, not even guys who are really a girl pretending to be a guy, you know that."

Tai stood up as well and stare at Nariko; then she crossed her own arms. "No it was something like this." Clearing her throat, Tai spoke in a deep voice as well. "Sorry Nariko, but you know me. If it can't be kicked around on a grass field, it's just not me style."

Hinako looked from both of them and shook her head. "I can't believe you two." Then she gave a small laugh. As she stopped she looked up at them. "Well, should we go out and enjoy the snow, or stand around her and play guys from the rest of the night." Standing up, she looked at them with a twinkle in her eyes. "Besides, I haven't had a snowball fight yet."

Laughing, the three girls ran out of the door to find their winter clothes and engage in a friendly snowball fight.


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The next day was a little warmer the day before. It was also the day everyone left for home, well for the students that didn't want to spend the vacation on the school, it was the day they left for home. So, in short, most of the students going to the school were standing outside in the winter cold, waiting for a family member to show up and get them.

And so were Tai, dressed in a long winter coat and holding a suitcase in one hand. She was waving at her father as he parked the car next to the place she was waiting. Turning around, she smiled. "Guess this is goodbye for now."

Next to where her father were holding, a large black limo with toned windows stopped as well. Next to her Hinako kneeled and and gave a small smile as an elder man dressed in a standard servant outfit stepped out. "Good day Miss Misu, the master sent me to drive you home"

Hinako swaetdropped and waved a hand nervously. "Ahh, that's okay Shotaro." Looking to her right, she blushed when she nticed Tai fighting hard not to laugh, and Nariko's blank stare. "It will only be minute. Why don't you put my bags in the trunk." Turing around, she gave a small glare.

Still half laughing, Tai grabbed her two new friends in a hug. "Hinako, Nariko. I'll miss you two." Failing to find any appropriate words to express her feelings, the brunette stepped back and grabbed her suitcase. "I'll see you in two weeks, okay?" Standing back, she looked at Hinako.

Nariko grinned and lifted her hand up for a high five. "You bet, I'm not done with you yet, I'll beat you in soccer game one day." Pulling up her backpack, the redhead grinned. "Besides, with us gone, our team would fall apart."

Hinako lifted up her handbag and gave a quick bow to both of them. "Kaifyuu-san, Yagami-san. I wish you both a good vacation." As the driver and head servant at her home looked away, she gave them a short hug. "I'll see you after the vacation my friends." Stepping back, the formal and quiet girl, allowed the servant to open the cardoor for her. Looking at them, she gave a short wave before the car door slammed shot and the dark colored side windows of the family limo blocked her from view.

Nariko looked up as a loud car horn filled the parking lot and gave a shout of joy. Nearly driving across the grass field as it turned to get up to the schools parking lot, a big and very noisy western type car nearly smashed the school postbox into the ground as it moved to avoid Hinako's Limo on its way. Stopping before the two girls, the driver of the car stepped out of the door and looked at them. "Dad!" The aforementioned man lifted his hand, and gave Nariko a thumps up. Opening the back door, the red head dumped her backpack on the back seat and slammed the door. "See ya Tai."

Tai shook her head and turned to face her own father waiting at their car. "Let's go."


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The drive home was mostly spent in quietness, as Tai was feeling too sleepy from the soft movement of the car and the warm air. And thanks to the snow falling, her father had to keep her full concentration on the road. So the raid was spent with Tai drifting in and out of sleep and her father sometimes asking her a question when they pulled over for gas or they had to stop for a red light. Still, as boring as the drive was, it was over after a few hours driving. As the car pulled over to stop outside the apartment building, Tai blinked her eyes and looked up at the place where she had been living with her family, giving a sigh of joy, Tai stepped out of the car and grabbed her suitcase.

After having to walk all the way up to where her parents and little sisters lived, someone had broken the elevator. Tai placed her suitcase on the floor of her old bedroom and gave a quick look around the room. Very little had changed since she had been here last, but she could clearly see something that hadn't been there before. A picture she knew all to well was standing on the single desk in the room. Lifting it up, she stared at a puzzled image of herself wearing a very formal pink dress. "Mimi!"

As the word left her mouth, the sound of someone turning around could be heard. Looking back over her shoulder, Tai gave a faint smile. Lying on the bed, sleeping, was Kari. Looking at Kari, Tai shook her head, she hadn't really thought much of it, but with her new hairstyle, she did look a lot more like her little sister. Grabbing the blanket, she pulled it up over the younger girl. "Sweat dreams Imotu-chan." Stepping back, Tai slowly walked over to her suitcase and pulled out her pajama.


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Tai grumbled as she felt someone stare at her in her sleep. Rolling over in her bed, she began to pull her blanket higher up. Still getting the feeling, Tai pulled down the blanket and sent a small glare over her shoulder. Slowly she blinked as she spotted the two very intense brown eyes staring back at her from under a mop of light brown hair. "Kari?"

The younger girl smiled and then she wrapped her arms around the older girl. "Nee-chan you're home. I missed you so much." Releasing her sister, Kari gave a very mistive filled look at her sister. "I see the time you spent with Mimi has changed you."

Tai blinked her eyes. Then she lowered her gaze to stare at the very feminine pajama she had started to sleep in. "Yeah, I guess you could say that Imuto. Wait, how did you know I met Mimi, She didn't tell anyone did she?" Tai went into a full-blown panic at the thought of Mimi telling the others about her. "I'm dead if they hear what she did."

Kari grinned from her place on the bunk bed. "Oh you mean the dress she made you wear?" Slowly, she grinned as she remembered the way her mum had reacted to seeing it. "You should have seen mum, she gave Mimi a third degree hearing, wanting to know what kind of dresses suited you best, what size you were and what kind of color you liked them to be."

Tai blushed and slowly lifted her hand to her left ear. If her mum reacted like that to something as simple as a dress, how wouldn't she react to "Mum doesn't know about my ears does she?"

Tai turned her head and heard her sister give a small gasp as she saw the light glint off the small yellow colored stones on each ear lope. "Nee-chan, you got your ears pierced! That's so cool. Did it hurt? How much did it cost you?" Lifting up her hand, she ran it across the small stud sticking out of both ears. ?Do you think I can get my ears pierced too?"

Tai grumbled and began to wonder just why the heck she had gone along with the piercing. Mrs Yuna had spent an entire evening telling her about the importance of the school rules, and just what she could do and not do. She had gotten off easy from the whole thing, only a week of confinement to her room after the school hours. She had feared Mrs. Yuna had told her to removed the studs and let the holes grown together again, but Mrs. Yuna had given in to her pleas and let her keep them, but she could only wear the small gold studs or the small gemstone tipped studs, she bought a month after the piercing. Lifting a hand and running a finger over the small gemstones, she gave a small smile. "I wouldn't bet on it Imuto, you know how mum feels about this kind off stuff."

Kari grumbled and crossed her arms. "Yeah, She'll give me the parent eye, and then say something about waiting to I'm a little older before I can think about mutilating my body."

"That's right, I will not have my girls looking like a goth."

Both girls turned to face the woman standing in the doorway. "Now Tai, I couldn't help but overhear you telling Kari that you have gotten your ear pierced." As Tai opened her mouth to protest, she closed it again, when the don't-you-argue-with-me-young-lady-look came up on her mothers face. Walking calmly over to Tai, Mrs. Yagami grabbed her head and turned it from side to side, glaring at the two studs. "They are small, I'll give you that. But I still don't like the fact that you did it." Stepping back, she lost the angry look and instead gave a wide smile and held out her hands. "Now come give your mother a hug." As Mother and daughter embraced for the first time in six months, she looked at the messy hair of her daughter and ran a hand through it. "That's my girl, but don't think you're off the hook yet."

Tai sighed as she felt her mother hug a bit harder at the last word. "Yes mum."


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The first few hours of the day passed rather fast after Tai had woken up. While she did have to answer a hundred questions by both her mother and sister, it didn't take as long as she had thought it would, giving her most of the day off. And that was why she was now sitting in her room, staring at the cell phone on her desk like it was a forbidden fruit. A part of her wanted to call her friends and invite them over, another part was sceaming in fear and doing everything to stop her.

Kari stared at Tai from the doorway. While it had been fun to watch her pick up the phone and nearly dial Sora, Matt or Izzy just to put it down and stare at it some more. It had really gotten boring after awhile. "Tai, Tai… TAI!" Finally the brunette turned her head around and stared at her. "Do you want me to call them for you." Not waiting for an answer, she grabbed the phone and quickly dialed up the first name on the phone list. "Izzy? Hi, it's me, Kari, listen, Tai has something to tell you. Can you come over around 3pm?"

Tai looked up from where she sat and slowly stared out the window. "Thanks Imouto." The words were soft and low spoken, but the younger girl still heard them and smiled. Grabbing the nearest pillow, Tai looked out the window again.

Kari looked at her big sister and shook her head. It was rare for Tai to get into a mood like this, and when she did, it was hard to get her out of it again. Quickly lifting up the phone, she ran down through the list and dialed up the number of the only one of the chosen children who knew Tai's secret. "Mimi, it's Kari, Tai's home again. We're gonna tell everyone today. But Tai's a little jumpy, think you can help us get her to relax?"

It only took Mimi twenty minutes to get over to them. Ringing the doorbell for a few seconds, she stepped back and grinned. It had been hard not telling everyone she knew that the restless and hotheaded leader of the digi destined wasn't a guy, but a girl. Still it had come a little close from time to time, but she had managed to keep her promise.

Slowly the door opened, and Kari looked out through the small crack, seeing Mimi her face lit up and then she pulled the door completely open to let in the elder girl. "Mimi, come in. Tai's in our room waiting."

Mimi stepped in and dumped her bag on the floor as she pulled off her shoes. Looking at Kari, she smiled. "So, tell me. Has Tai improved since I last saw her, I had a hard time finding clothes for her. She couldn't even tell me which color she liked." Mimi looked up and gave a small bow as she spotted Mrs. Yagami hovering in the background, trying to clean the same lamp for the sixth time. "Hello Mrs. Yagami."

Kari shot a small look at her mother, the she grinned. "Well, she still wear the goggles from time to time." Closing the apartment door, she stepped back into the corridor leading down to the living room and the kitchen. "Mum, the others will be here at 3PM." As her mother gave a silent nod, she opened the door into the sibling's room. "Tai, Mimi's here."

Mimi looked over the younger girls shoulder and gave aloud squeal. "You got pierced." Rushing in, nearly stepping over Kari in the process, she stopped at the chair Tai was sitting in and looked closer at the gold studs. "Neat, are those citrine gem stones?"

Tai lifted her hand and slowly touched the mention studs and nodded. "Cost me two months worth of allowance and extra work in the school kitchen. But they're mine." Leaning back in the chair, Tai absently moved her hand over the goggles lying on the table. "Mum freaked at the sight off it though." Tai's shrugged her shoulder and returned to staring out the window. "Guess cousin Hiyako left a rather bad impression on her."

Tai briefly remembered the once neat and always polite cousin that one day showed up wearing a tight leathr skirt and dark top with a leather jacket over it. Of course, coloring her hair black and then wearing an overload of black make up didn't help the picture much. That had been the last time the Yagami family had visited that part of the family. Still, it wasn't much of a loss.

Back in the real world, Mimi looked down at the blue hello kitty t-shirt and plain jeans Tai was wearing. "So, what are you going to wear when they show up?"

The brunette gulped and looked up at Mimi, the memory of several six hour long shopping trips and getting dressed up in one thing after another surfaced. "Uh, I think these would work good enough, don't you?"

Mimi frowned and looked at the afore mentioned clothes with a professional fashion hunters eye and gave a loud "Hmmmm" Standing up, she grabbed Tai's head and spun it from side to side. "Well, the T-shirt works somewhat with your hair. But the jeans definetly are out." Grabbing her hands, she looked closer at the nails and fingers. "You could use some nail polish." Stepping back, she spun the chair, with Tai in it, around and looked at Kari with a glint in her eyes. "Kari, bring in my bag." Holding up her hand to stop Tai's protests, she looked at the brunette. "Tell me, do you have any skirts?" Closing her eyes, she reached out her hand and pushed Tai back into the chair. "When I'm through with you, no one will doubt you're a girl. Muhahahaha"

Tai gulped again as Mimi started crackling. "Where's Agumon when you need him." Earning him a very dark look from Mimi as she heard those words. "Um, so what color clothe do you think I should wear." {Wrong subject stupid!} Tai mentally slapped herself as she saw the mad glint reform in Mimi's eyes.

Kari looked back at the room with a sweat drop on her head. "Poor Nee-chan." Then she lifted up the phone and began to call the rest of the digi destined, asking them to come over at 3Pm.

Despite having to play dress up with Mimi one more time, Tai found herself starting to relax. It might be a pain having to put up with Mimi nearly pulling out all her clothes and then stuffing them back in the drawer when they weren't up to her liking. Finally the cinnamon haired girl seemed to settle on a blue skirt and a light blue t-shirt. Then putting up with some girl fussing over her with a wide selection of eye shadow and lib stick, but at least time moved a little faster, and she could put aside her worries for later, and worry about the outcome of Mimi experiment.


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Kari looked at the group of kids as she opened the door. From the looks of it, all of them were there. Sora, Matt, Joe, Izzy and TK. Stepping back from the door, she allowed them step inside. Looking as the others took off their coats and shoes, she closed the door. "Tai's in our room waiting for you."

Sora grinned and quickly made her way towards the door leading into Tai and opened the door. "Tai..." Then she trailed off and simply stared into the room with a blank expression on her face. "Tai?"

The four boys looked at her strangely, then they walked up and stared into the room. Whatever they had been thinking about; was forgotten as they saw Tai.

Sitting at the desk inside the room, she was wearing a blue t-shirt under a white blouse that was unbuttoned. Her hair had been combed back by Mimi and was pulled into a small ponytail with only a lock of hair falling down the sides of her head. But the children didn't notice this at first, what they saw, was a very thin Tai wearing a blue skirt, then their eyes moved up and stopped to stare at the very nervous look on Tai's face and then the fact that he was wearing lipstick became clear.

Kari looked back from where she stood and smiled. "So, what do you think of my Nee-chan?"

Matt being the cool and levelheaded person he were, took this in the best way he could, when faced with something like this. "Tai, what the... You're a girl?" Meaning he blurted out the first thing to get through the haze of complete shock he was under.

Behind him, a small thud could be heard as Joe gave up trying to get a hold on reality and decided to take a quick nap. Mimi looked down at Joe and gave a small sigh. "Tai-chan, I think we gave Joe a heart attack." Looking at the small blonde kid in the horrible fashion disaster, She gave a cute smile at him. "TK, can you help me get Joe out into the living room, he might need some space."

Sora looked at Tai and felt something inside her break. Stepping back, she turned to look at the other children. "Matt, Izzy. Can I get a moment alone with Tai." Her voice turned ice cold as her head moved back to stare at the brunette standing before her. As Sora increased her glare, the other girl stepped back and with a loud ump sat down on the side of the bunk bed. "We need to talk about this in private." Matt and Izzy stepped back and nodded their heads at the frost level of her voice. In fact, it was almost a contest to see who could get out of the room first.

The door closed as the other children Finished leaving the room. Patiently waiting for her explanation, Sora stood with her arms crossed and a cold look on her face. Even as the brunette moved to sit more comfortable on the bed, her eyes never changed. But on the inside, she felt as if she had been kicked and beaten repeatedly. The only thing she could even think off to say was the simple word. "Why?"

Tai looked up from her bed and into the face of her best friend, ever since meeting Sora on the soccer field, they had been best friends. But now, She could see the look of pain in the other girls face. She could see the sadness and the feeling of betrayal as well. "Sora, I…"

A single hand movement from the reddish brown haired girl silenced her in an instant. All the doubts in the redheads mind had vanished, and all that was left for now was the hurt, and the desire to lash out, to give back some off the hurt. "How could you? You can tell Mimi, but not me?" Anger and venom fall with each word as the sudden anger that had ignited inside Sora consumed her. "I can't believe it, didn't our promise mean anything to you?"

Tai opened her mouth to defend herself, but closed it when she noticed the way Sora's shoulders were shaking. Slowly, a set of word formed in her mind and she felt her mouth move in an automatic way as she spoke. "Sora, I didn't mean to lie, I was..."

"Save it Tai." The words were coated in a thick layer of ice. Looking back to the Brown haired girl, Sora's eyes held a deep hurt, a hurt that Tai had never wanted to see in them. But behind them, a world of confusion raged. "I can't... I need... I..." Sora stepped back and turned around in one movement to hide the hurt and fear running across her face. "I..." The shaking of her shoulders had gotten worse and the sound of half hidden sobs could clearly be heard in the quiet room. She couldn't handle it. It was too much. He... no she couldn't just have been a... the one she... Slowly her heart clenched in on it self and the fear and anger she had felt rushed out ash she wanted to lash out and hurt Tai just as she had been hurt. "I HATE YOU!!" Turning around on her heels, the ember-orange haired girl stormed out of the room.

Behind her, Tai reeled back, as she heard the words. Her oldest friend, her best friend, the one she had never wanted to hurt, had been hurt. And now she… "Sora?" Standing up, she reached out a hand. Somehow hoping that it could reach her best friend and pull her back again. To give her the time to explain, to explain why she had nearly started to lie even for herself. "Sora?" The name fell from her Mouth and cashed to the ground as her froze over and broke. Dropping back onto the bed, Tai started to cry.

Looking in through the door. Four pair of eyes stared at the boy. Two of them belonged to her parents, and the other two to her little sister and the one who given the support she had need to face her friends. Mimi slowly looked at the shocked person's sitting in the living room. "Guys, I want you to sit down and listen, if you have any questions, wait until Tai has told you the reason for why she did this, okay?" The once timid girl who cried at the thought of breaking a nail vanished as Mimi stepped and took charge of this… mess.

Behind them, the sound of Kari trying to calm her big sister down could clearly be heard. And both parents were openly debating if they should retreat and allow the kids to handle this, or get actively involved in the problem.

Not far from the apartment, an ember-orange haired girl, wearing a green colored dress shirt and blue jeans, banged her hands against the wall as she tried to beat down the feeling of pain and despair inside her. Tears were openly leaking from her eyes and her shoulders were openly shaking as she turned around and continued to try and escape the pain in her heart. "Why Tai, why couldn't you just tell me?"


Tbc


AN: Well, if I were to describe this chapter in a few words, it would have to be, could have been better. I had a lot of problems with this, and to top it off I got a small winter depression last week, parts of this just don't work with me. Well, one can't win every time.


Send me your opinions, comments or just something to show that you're still reading this fic to deminohoyer@hotmail.com.


Thank you for reading,
Dak.