Alrighty, this is an Alternate Universe fic. It's my first AU, and I wanted to try it out. K? K. Um... **blink** there's... um... damn, I really don't wanna give the plot away. No flames though, please. If you don't like, don't review. And if you're wondering why some characters are wearing 01 stuff and some 02, well, I like how some look better in 01 or 02, and it's AU, so nyah.
Alright, here's the scoop. Yamato's father was offered a new job with better pay, and is moving him away toward the new place. Of course, this pulls Matt even further from TK. Which makes him depressed. Which makes him very pissable. You get the idea... Ages? Matt is 16; Tai is 17; Mimi is 15; Jyou is 18; Kari is 14; Izzy is 15; Sora is 16.
A blonde-haired boy wearing a green tank-top and blue jeans propped up his feet against the back of his father's seat. Arms crossed, face in a scowl, he glared out the window. He hated the area already. It was already turning into one of those places they show on Lassie movies or something. Nothing but trees, lakes, and a few scattered farms. He relieved slightly as he saw that at least he wouldn't have to live there as they started driving to a small town.
He read the sign silently. Cucamonga, population.... 634?? I've seen more people in a mall!
"Almost there." his father announced from the driver's seat.
"Hurrah." Matt almost growled with false enthusiasm.
"Well aren't you the chipper one?"
"Fuck off."
His father opened his mouth to correct his son's language, then closed it, deciding against it. He paused. He tried to lighten the mood. "I heard this place has some really good kids. First time I came here, I saw a bunch of them. There's some computer genius even."
"Yay. Nerds." More false enthusiasm.
His father sighed, then pulled the car to a stop.
*********~~~~~~~~~*********
Matt simply leaned against the car, arms crossed, eyes closed as his father carried multiple loads of boxes and bags into their new apartment.
"HI!" A shrill, yet not-annoying voice piped.
Matt looked up to see a pink-haired girl waving at him. He simply shook his head and looked down again.
"I'm Mimi!" the girl didn't seem to notice being shunned. "You're new here, right?"
Matt shrugged, then looked away pointedly.
Apparently, Mimi didn't notice. "So, what's your name?"
Matt stayed quiet.
"Uh... hello?"
Matt glanced at her a second, then looked away.
"Well fine, I was just trying to be friendly."
"Hey! Mimi!"
The two looked up to see a boy with bushy brown hair heading toward them. If the kid was a redhead, people would have mistaken that his haed was on fire...
The other jogged up. "Hey, who's this?"
"I dunno... he won't--"
Matt's eyes locked on the other. Before he knew it... "Yamato... Yamato Ishida... some people call me Matt."
"Hey Matt." the guy smiled. "Taichi Kamiya. You can call me Tai."
Mimi pouted. "How come he says hi to you and not me?" she whined as the two shook hands.
"Hey, listen Matt. Me and my friends were planning on going for pizza. Wanna come with?"
"Whatever." Matt blinked, wondering why he didn't instantly turn it down.
"Alright, come on."
*********~~~~~~~~~*********
Matt once again began his 'I'm cool, stay the fuck away from me' lean, this time just outside the pizza parlor, a few feet away from Tai and Mimi.
Soon, a group of four more approached. A girl with a camera around her neck, some red head who somehow managed to type a computer and safely cross the street at the same time, some guy with blue hair that seemed the oldest, and... another plain-looking girl (A/N: and I'm not sayign that just because I don't like Sora. I tried to think of a way to describe her, and that's all I could think of!).
The youngest one, with the camera, headed to Tai. "Hey onnichan!" she smiled, then blinked at the unfamiliar face nearby. "Hey, who's that?"
"His name's Yamato." Mimi answered.
"Hey Yamato!" the girl chimed happily. "I'm Hikari, Tai's sister!" she reached for a handshake, but, after 10 seconds of no effort on Matt's part to accept it, she lowered it. "Um... okay..."
"Well isn't he Mr. Social?" Sora whispered sarcastically to Tai.
"I dunno. He seemed nice to me..."
"Tai, out of everyone he's seen so far, you're the ONLY one he's been nice to." Mimi added.
The others introduced themselves, and, after a while, the group of 7 headed inside.
*********~~~~~~~~~*********
At the table, everyone chattered happily and gorged, with the exception of Yamato who sat quietly, simply looking at the group... especially one person in it.
He's kind of... oh my god... don't even think that. he scolded himself. But he is... looks so... kawaii... STOPPIT "grr.."
The group turned to look at the blonde who know was holding his head. "You okay?" Taichi looked at him worriedly.
"Y-yeah... I'm fine. I just... have a headache is all." Yamato lied.
"You okay though? Jyou probably has some aspirin..."
"Yep." Joe nodded.
"How did he know?" Kari questioned in mock wonder.
"No... really... I just..." Need to get out of here before I start to question my sexuality! Need to get out before I leap over the damn table and french him. "Need to get out of here... I'm just not feeling well."
"Um... okay." Tai nodded, watching as the blonde squirmed past the others to get out of the booth. "Um... wanna go somewhere tomorrow then with us?"
"Y-you know... I really don't think that would be a good idea."
And with that, Matt turned and walked off.
*********~~~~~~~~~*********
Matt stopped his walk outside of some grocery store. He sat down on a bench, thoroughly rubbing his face. "Stop this Ishida..." he whispered to himself. "It's wrong. Wrong wrong wrong. And stupid. You're not like that!" Matt tried to laugh, but quickly stopped. "No, you're not. You're straight. One hundred percent, unquestionably straight."
He looked up, staring across the street for no real reason. What was it about Taichi that was so kawaii? His wild chestnut mop of hair? His chocolate eyes? The tanned skin? His personality? All of it? Well, whatever it was, it was major.
Matt sighed, running his hand through his hair and closing his eyes.
"Hey, feeling better?"
Matt almost jumped out of his skin, eyes shooting open at the voice. "H-hey Tai."
Tai sat down next to him on the bench. "Unusual place to get rid of a headache."
Matt shrugged.
Tai tilted his head to the side. "How come you're always so... withdrawn? The others say theat you won't even talk to them."
"None of your business."
"Ooh.. let me guess. Left a girlfriend back home and you're pissed at your parents?"
"No and yes. No, I didn't leave a girlfriend back home. I've actually never really had a girlfriend other than in like, 6th grade when everyoen pretended to date. And yes, I'm mad at my parents. But in more ways than you know."
"So how about clueing me in so I do know?"
Matt looked at Tai, walls inside him wavering. What the hell was his problem??? Every time he saw Tai, his brain shut down and functioned just enough to screw everything up. "My... parents divorced."
"Oh... sorry man."
"That's not it. They've been divorced since I was a kid.. and they split me and my little brother up. And when I moved here, I..."
"Got pulled farther away from him..." Tai finished for him. "Oh, sorry." he sighed. "Maybe... stop beign antisocial and your friends you'd get would help you."
"I'm not antisocial."
"Then how come you have six people willing to be your friends and you won't give any of us a chance?"
"Just... leave me alone."
"Fine. But here." Tai pulled out a peice of paper from his pocket, found a pen in it somehow, and scribbled down 7 numbers sloppily. "If you change your mind and want a friend, call me." and with that, he walked off.
Matt blinked at the phone number. Tai's phone number.
*********~~~~~~~~~*********
A group of six kids; Tai, Kari, Sora, Joe, Izzy, and Mimi; walked out of a theater. They always hung out alot in the summer. This was just one of their average weeks.
"That Ishida kid seemed like a jackass." Sora brought up as they walked out.
"Yeah, antisocial freak."
Tai glared at them. "Hey, back off. Dont' talk about people behind their back."
"Well, Tai!" Sora rolled her eyes. "He IS a jerk!"
"Well ask him why like I did."
"Why?" everyone chimed at once.
"Well..."
*********~~~~~~~~~*********
Matt continued to stare at the phone number, now inside the new apartment. Should he call? Not?
He blinked a few more times, then darted to the phone, rapidly dialing. "HimissesKamiyaIguess?Yeah,friend.IsTaithere?" he asked in a blob.
Pause. Crackle crunch. "Hello?"
"Hi." Matt suddenly swung his mood, trying to sound only half interested.
"Hi. Wow, I expected it to be days before you called."
"Well, whatever." Matt attempted sounding casual. "Um... I... don't have many friends yet, you know... so... maybe wanna come over and play on the PS2?"
"Sure! Here, let me call the others..."
"No." Matt cut him off. "Just you. Two of the guys or whatever."
"Oh, okay. I get it. So..."
"How about in an hour? You know where I live."
"I do?"
"Yeah, right where the car was parked when Mimi first came up."
"Alright,see ya."
Matt hung up the phone. Alone with Tai... sure, to Tai, it'd be a hangout... but Tai was allowing Matt some of his time for them to be together... and... for some odd reason... that meant the world to Matt.
Matt closed his eyes, sighing. Something had come over him since he had gotten here, and in a rush. Something he never felt before. Something he was amazed by. Something that scared the living hell out of the young blonde.