TAKE MY HAND: A CHRISTMAS STORY- PART 1
By Venus163

First of all, I'm warning all Sorato/Sora fans that this IS NOT SORATO. I REPEAT, NOT SORATO, IT'S MIMATO. I personally don't have anything against Sora, okay? No offense meant, and I hope none taken. If you like Sorato, then you'll listen to me and not read this fic unless you like Mimato too.

I've been feeling just awful about The Good Life: Kari's Story right now..

Well, this is for the Mimato contest, held by Azusa. I just LUV Mimato, so if I win (I seriously doubt it) I'm going to ask for a sweet, mushy Mimato fic! I've been working on this for a while, hope everyone likes it.

It's a really sweet, mushy story about Matt and Mimi. It starts out Sorato, but ends up Mimato.

I switch from Mimi's to Matt's POVs. It starts out Mimi and ends with Matt.

I don't own Digimon (I wish), just the plot.

Please review (crescent87@hotmail.com)

Please, no flames about Mimato. I just LUV Mimato!



TAKE MY HAND: A CHRISTMAS STORY- PART 1
By Venus163



Mimi pulled her coat closer to her. The wind was blowing right through it, and she shivered involuntarily.

Suddenly an arm slipped around her and a voice said suavely, "Hello, beautiful."

She looked up and smiled. "Hey Matt!"

He smiled at her and removed his arm. "Isn't that coat a little thin for this wind?"

She nodded, avoiding his gaze. "A little." She shivered, contrary to her words.

Matt didn't seem to notice. "You know, Christmas is coming up, and uh, I'm starting to wonder what to get Sora…"

Mimi felt a flash of pain as he mentioned Sora, but blinking it away, she said lightly, "Matt, Christmas is in two weeks. You better think of something."

Matt shrugged. "Well, I really want to get her something special…"

Mimi felt the hurt bring tears to her eyes again, as it always did, but she forced them away. "Something special…" she said softly.

"Too bad it won't be a white Christmas," he remarked, gesturing to the sky.

She gave him a weak smile, but he had already forgotten about her and was talking about Sora.

Mimi soon became lost in her own thoughts. Matt loved Sora, she knew; had known for years. And it was so hard; just to see Matt's eyes light up when he talked about her. But somehow, she could never really hate Sora…

She sighed softly. How it hurt to seem oblivious to the obvious love radiating from Matt, to ignore her own feelings when all she wanted to do was blurt out...

"Mimi?"

She blinked; realizing that Matt was looking at her anxiously. "Huh?"

"I just asked you if you thought that a necklace would be nice, you know, with a gemstone of her favorite color, you know, yellow… an amethyst, maybe…"

Mimi smiled, unable to keep the bitterness out of it. "Matt, an amethyst is purple. It's a *topaz* that's yellow…"

Matt nodded absently. "Yeah, yeah, whatever, but still, what do you think of…"

A lone tear rolled down her cheek, but she brushed it off before Matt could see it.



The first sign that something was wrong with Mimi came when she came to the apartment that he and his father shared. T.K. happened to be there at the time, watching a movie.

Matt had opened the door for Mimi, and after she had greeted his father, who was on his way out, T.K. had spoken up.

"Mimi, are you alright?"

Matt turned his gaze quickly to T.K. "What do you mean…"

"I'm fine," Mimi reassured T.K. "I'm okay, don't worry."

Matt looked her over, and to his surprise, noticed that her usual cheerfulness was gone. She seemed to have grown thinner, and her face was pale.

He shook his head. Why hadn't he noticed?

He glanced at T.K., who accepted her answer but looked as if he didn't believe it. "Okay, Mimi." T.K. smoothly changed the subject. "Have you seen this movie? Kari pestered me into renting it, it's actually pretty good, for a romance…"

Matt noticed her lip trembling as she answered, "Is it?"

T.K. must have noticed that he had trod onto dangerous ground, for he immediately asked, "Do you want a cup of hot chocolate? I can make you some…"

Mimi nodded gratefully. "Thanks, Takeru, I'd really appreciate it."

As T.K. left the room, Mimi fell silent. Matt looked at her, feeling strange. His eyes unconsciously took in her pink lips, the jeans that showed off her long legs, and the shirt that was casual, yet showed off her curves…

He closed his eyes, shaking his head. He was crazy; he shouldn't be thinking things like that about Mimi because… well, because she was *Mimi*…

He couldn't help smiling as he glanced at her brown hair. Years ago, he had persuaded her that the natural look was better, so she had gotten rid of the pink dye, and the little stars. Yes, the natural look was better…

He was snapped out of his reverie by a frantic knocking on the door. Curiously, he stood up and answered it.

He stared at *her*. "Sora?"

She whispered, "Oh Matt," before bursting into tears. He held out his arms, and she fell into his embrace.

"What is it?" he asked, disbelieving of his good fortune.

"He… he broke up with me…"

Wordlessly he led her to his room, and closed the door behind him.



Mimi felt numb as she watched Matt lead Sora into his room. Her heart felt shattered, and she felt so empty inside…

A mug of hot chocolate was thrust into her hands, the movie and TV were turned off, and a comforting voice asked, "Mimi, I know something's wrong. Please tell me."

She stared at the swirling hot chocolate before looking up at T.K. "Oh, Takeru, I… I love him…"

T.K. looked at her seriously. "I know."

She gasped. "How did you…"

He grinned lopsidedly. "A guy's intuition," he said jokingly, before growing serious again. "Mimi, has he hurt you? If he has, I'll kill him, brother or no brother…"

She fearfully shook her head. "No, no, he hasn't hurt me at all! It's just that…" She burst into tears. "Oh, T.K., he loves Sora, I know it!"

A handkerchief was held out to her. "Here," T.K. said, looking worried.

She took it from him, nodding her thanks, and wiped away her tears. For a few minutes, the room was silent except for her occasional sniffle. Then, Mimi gathered enough courage to break the silence.

"You know," she began, eyes tearing again, "I shouldn't love him. It's just doomed, you know?"

"Mimi…"

"And I've tried and tried not to," she went on, staring into her cup. "I tried so hard to just forget that I love him, but… I just couldn't." She smiled sadly. "I just can't." Mimi took a sip of her hot chocolate, trying to drown herself in its warmth. Of course, she only succeeded in drinking the whole cup.

T.K. put a hesitant hand on her shoulder. "Since you told me your secret, I'll tell you mine," he said, taking a deep breath. He blurted, "I love Kari!"

It was Mimi's turn to smile, even though she was feeling just terrible. "I know," she said softly.

"You do?" T.K. asked, looking surprised.

"Yes. Girl's intuition," she joked. Putting the mug down onto the coffee table, she stood. "I'm leaving, Takeru, I… I just think that I couldn't bear it if he came out with her…"

T.K. nodded, and stood up. He helped her put on her coat.

Mimi looked up at him gratefully. "Thank you, Takeru." She noted with shock that, although T.K. was several years younger, he was already taller than she was.

T.K. grinned at her, and said suddenly, "You know, I just hate it when someone calls me Takeru, but when *you* call me that, I… I like it…"

Mimi gave him a hug. "That's sweet, Takeru. I mean, you're like a little brother to me." She turned and was halfway down the hall before she turned. "Takeru?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks." She turned and walked away, her mind on a blonde who was undoubtedly with a girl with brown hair… that wasn't her…



"…and so Tai broke up with me," Sora finished brokenly.

Matt looked at the beauty before him. Sora had long ago abandoned the tomboyish look, and now wore more makeup and had more clothes then Mimi.

"He's a fool," he said softly, his hand brushing against her hair.

Sora blushed.

Matt couldn't resist. He leaned down, and kissed her.

The moment their lips touched, he was hit with a sense that this was all wrong. A little voice inside of him was insisting that this wasn't right, that there was somewhere else he needed to be, with someone else, but he tamped it down and tried to enjoy this kiss, the one he had been waiting for, for so long.

When they pulled away, Matt wasn't feeling as ecstatic as he wanted to be.

Sora smiled up at him, and he forgot those inner doubts. "What was that for?" she asked.

He smiled at her. "For comfort, for your coming to me for help. Sora, I…"

She pressed her lips against his and silenced him.

He lost track of time, but it was a *long* time later that he came out of his room with Sora, hand in hand.

T.K. was staring out the window, a cup of hot chocolate in his hand, his expression thoughtful.

Matt waved a hand in front of his brother's face. "Um, T.K., hello? Anyone in there?"

T.K. blinked. "Oh, it's you, Matt!"

Matt smiled. "T.K., Sora's my new girlfriend."

For a split-second, Matt could have sworn that he saw anger and disbelief in his brother's eyes, but it was gone as he said politely but coldly to Sora, "Congratulations."

Matt noticed another cup on the coffee table. He belatedly remembered Mimi. "Um, where did Mimi go?"

Again, he was sure that T.K. was angry with him, but it quickly disappeared and was replaced with cold indifference. "Oh, she went home."

"Why?" Matt demanded.

"Because… she had some things to think about," T.K. said vaguely. He then stood. "I'm going to go visit Kari. I have something I need to tell her." Grabbing his coat, he slipped out of the apartment.

Matt stared confusedly at the door as it swung shut.

Sora linked her arm through his. "Matt…"

Matt blinked and smiled at her. "Sora…"



Mimi blinked as the glass was filled with bubbling liquor. She was feeling just awful. It had been over a week since Matt and Sora had officially started going out.

It had cracked her heart, and she could swear that it was nearly in pieces now.

She cautiously pulled the glass towards her, and stared at the liquid.

The waitress looked at her strangely, then her expression became sympathetic. "Problems with your man?" she asked kindly.

Mimi looked at her with desperate eyes. "Yes," she said lifelessly.

The waitress nodded and walked away.

Mimi turned her attention back to the glass. Warily, she took a sniff, and she immediately turned her head away, the fumes overwhelming her.

She had *never* touched a bottle of beer in her life… until now. She hadn't touched any alcohol, period. But, this was different. She needed to get away, to forget all the pain…

She took a deep breath, and brought the glass to her lips. She tilted the glass upward…

"MIMI!"

Before the liquid had even touched her lips, the glass was yanked out of her hands and put down unceremoniously to the side. It tipped over, and the beer seeped into the hard ground.

Mimi looked up and she saddened. "Oh, Takeru, why did you come?"

He looked at her angrily. "Mimi, are you crazy? Here I am, taking a walk, and I see you here, HERE, in a bar off the street, trying to GET YOURSELF DRUNK!!?"

She burst into tears, cursing herself for being so weak. "It just hurts, Takeru…"

Immediately, he sat down besides her and took her hand. "I'm sorry, Mimi, please don't cry…"

After a few moments, she managed to stop crying. "I'm sorry, Takeru," she said miserably. "But my day's been just awful. I had to go with Matt and shop for a gift for…*her*…"

T.K. patted her on the back. "Oh Mimi, I didn't know…"

She took in a gulp of air. "Oh, Takeru…"

T.K. was silent for a few moments. Then, he asked, "Did you drink any of that stuff, Mimi?"

She shook her head. "None."

"Then, can I take you home?"

She nodded. "Alright."

T.K. paid the waitress for the liquor before they walked out of the bar.

They had walked a short distance before T.K. suddenly said, "I told her, Mimi."

"You what?" Mimi asked, puzzled.

"I told Kari that I loved her," he answered, looking straight at her. Then, he blushed and looked down. "That day when you told me of how you felt for my brother, I got to thinking. If *you* cared for Matt and *he* didn't know, then what if *Kari* cared for me, but *I* didn't know? So I just went to her house and when she opened the door, I just told her, 'I love you'."

Mimi looked at him nervously. "And what happened?"

T.K. suddenly grinned. "She told me she loved me too."

Mimi felt a smile spread across her face. "That's great, Takeru!"

He stopped, right in front of her house. "Thank you, Mimi," he said honestly. "If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have told her."

Mimi hugged him. "Oh, Takeru, you would have done it sooner or later."

He smiled. "But I did it sooner, and it just made me a happy man sooner."

Mimi said, "Good-night," before walking inside. Once she closed the door to her house, however, she leaned against it and burst into tears.



Matt looked at Mimi as he finished, "…so that's what happened."

She was quiet.

Too quiet.

Matt looked at her, concerned. She was thin and pale, and she seemed to be depressed. Her eyes never left the ground.

He impulsively reached out and grabbed her arm. Roughly, he dragged her to the park.

"Matt, I…" she began.

He stopped and looked at her. "Mimi, what is wrong? You've lost weight, I know, and you're too pale to be normal. Don't lie to me, tell me, *what* is wrong? How come you don't talk to me, anymore?"

Her eyes snapped up from where they had been looking at the ground. Her eyes flashed with a mixture of pain, anger, and something else that Matt didn't recognize, and when she spoke, her voice was low and husky with frustration.

"Do you want to know what's wrong, Matt? Do you really want to know? Well, I'll tell you what's wrong," she went on, not waiting for an answer. "*This* is what's wrong, Matt." She stepped closer to him and grabbed him by the shirt. For one, awful, moment, she stared into his eyes and Matt was sure that she was going to slap him…

She leaned over, and kissed.

His eyes widened in surprise.

Just as quickly as she had kissed him, she pulled away, looking frightened. "Forgive me," she whispered before turning and running away.


~END OF TAKE MY HAND: A CHRISTMAS STORY- PART 1~


Please tell me if you liked the first part!

Reviews to crescent87@hotmail.com

-Venus163