True to the Heart, a digimon fanfic

True to the Heart

Okay, okay, I'm sorry, Sandrilene! I promise, this one involves my own intimate relation with sweet Yamato. So no more Sorato for now, and I get a few dates out of this. There, now be happy and don't injure me!

"Come on, Lia, you know you want to!"

"No, Mimi. Just no."

Sora, Mimi, Lia, Nicki, Kari and Yolei sat on the floor in a little circle. They all had flannel pajamas on, cuddling with pillows or wrapped in blankets. Sleeping bags lined the floor, and several bowls of popcorn, cans of soda, and candy wrappers were strewn about. Shadowmon, Gatomon, and Poromon sat in their respective owners' laps.

"Most erotic boyfriend fantasy. You have to tell it!" Mimi protested.

"Please, Lia?" Yolei begged.

"I don't have erotic Yama fantasies! Nicki may have Izzy fantasies, but as for me and Matt, just NO!"

"You don't dream about coating him in chocolate and licking it off or anything?"

"MIMI!" Sora, Kari and Lia gasped. Nicki and Yolei snickered.

"That's disgusting! In case you haven't noticed, I'm a guy and I find that highly offensive!" Poromon squeaked indignantly. Shadowmon rolled her eyes and smacked the bundle of feathers with a pillow telepathically.

Lia groaned and started combing her long, dark hair with her fingers. "If you must know, I had a dream about him recently, and on the erotic scale of one to ten, it was a negative three. We were home alone in his apartment during a thunderstorm with no electricity…"

"Oooh!" came taunting squeals.

"Cut that out! Anyway, he went to find a candle or a flashlight and I…"

"Went into his fridge for some hot fudge and whipped cream!" Yolei supplied.

"Yolei!" Sora snapped.

"And I went into his room for a blanket because I was cold. He came in and…"

"Had the chocolate already warmed!"

"Mimi!"

"We sat down on his bed and…"

"Don't even suggest it!" Kari cried, covering her ears.

"Just as he leaned in to kiss me the power came on and my sisters came to send me home."

"Ohhhhh," Mimi and Yolei groaned in disappointment.

"You two have been in the catnip again, haven't you?" Gatomon asked, stretching.

"Well Lia's just no fun. You at least had a kinky dream or two about Wizardmon, but she's got nothing! We can't even torment her about it," Nicki stated.

"Maybe she just doesn't choose to share her intimate life with the rest of you," Sora pointed out. "Just because I don't talk about what Tai and I do behind closed doors doesn't mean we don't."

"Sora?!" Lia gasped sharply. "What are you getting at here?"

"Nothing, I'm just saying…"

"Hey! Lights out in there!" came Lia's father's shout. Lia sighed gratefully as the others flicked off the light switch and climbed into their sleeping bags. The minute her group of guests had fallen asleep, she slid the balcony door open and tiptoed out, her bare feet silent on the concrete. Leaning against the railing, she stared out at the starry sky.

We don't even see much of each other anymore. Could it be that we're drifting apart?

She closed her eyes, trying to picture his location at that moment. An image appeared in her mind, somewhat saddening, yet somehow reassuring. Matt sat on his bed, a hand poised on his temples. A framed photo rested in his lap, droplets of water splashing onto the glassy surface as a tear escaped from his eyes.

What could be wrong with him? Is it something I did? I wish…I wish I could be with him right now.

~*~

A ragged breath caught in Matt's throat as he stared miserably at the image resting before him. He felt sick and confused, asking himself what he had done. Sighing, he ran his fingers over the cool glass of the frame. They had seemed so happy, so innocent, so in love. But that was months ago. They had barely spoken since.

I don't understand it. Does she hate me?

Another teardrop fell, this time onto the back of his hand. Another sigh escaped his lips as he pulled his shirt off, his heart aching.

If I fall asleep, will I wake up tomorrow and find all of this just some sort of nightmare?

He longed to talk to her, to cradle her in his arms and spill his heart to her. But those were just dreams. Empty dreams that meant little.

~*~

Most of the girls had left by lunchtime; Nicki and Shad lingered for a little while until they too returned to their apartment. Lia had declined going grocery shopping with the rest of her family, stating that she had no need to go with them and no desire to either. The minute the apartment door clicked behind them, she sprinted down the hall to her room, grabbing a shirt, her jeans, a few articles of jewelry and some hair supplies and locked herself in the bathroom. Stripping down, she stared at her reflection in the mirrored surface of the medicine cabinet.

I have the power to heal hearts with my love and faith, so why can't I heal my own?

The hot water running down her body was comforting, her tense muscles relaxing. A wordless song sprang from her throat, the melody light despite the shadow in her heart. She turned the faucet off, wrapping towels around her hair and body as steam rose towards the ceiling.

I love him too much to just let us drift apart.

~*~

Sleep had evaded Matt most of the night. When he awoke, he found himself sprawled on the floor, the mattress askew, sheets spilling over the side and twisting around his ankles and waist. His golden hair plastered to his sweat soaked forehead, Matt could barely breathe for a moment or so. He closed his eyes briefly, another tear sliding down his cheek. He felt as though he had lost his whole world, and everything in it. Life almost didn't seem to matter anymore, and Matt longed to escape his pain.

No, suicide isn't the answer. I just won't think about her.

He untangled himself from his bed sheets, threw a light tank top on, and plugged his amp in, slinging his bass over his shoulders. Plucking at the strings was slightly hypnotizing, his fingers moving along the frets almost subconsciously.

"Here we are again,

Trying not to cry.

I don't know how it happened,

I can't explain the pain.

But here we are again,

And isn't it ironic?

Every time we do this,

Somehow I get through this.

And then I come to find,

Can't get you off of my mind."

The door to his room was open, and someone was standing on the threshold, listening quietly. Matt didn't notice the figure, still poised over his guitar.

"Here we are again,

And words cannot express,

The missing part of my soul

That I know is you.

And here we are again,

And isn't it ironic?

Every time we do this,

Somehow I get through this.

And then I come to find,

Can't get you off of my mind."

Lia stepped in wordlessly, sitting on the floor beside him, her back straight and rib cage raised. Matt was still oblivious of the fact that the subject of his song was present, until her lilting soprano voice drowned out his own pure tenor.

"And isn't it ironic?

Every time we do this,

Somehow I get through this.

And then I come to find,

Can't get you off of my mind."

Matt nearly dropped the guitar. "Lia? What…how…why…?"

"We really need to talk, Matt," she murmured, dropping her hands into her lap.

"Don't say that," Matt whispered frantically, laying his guitar down and kneeling beside her. Lia clasped her hands in his and stared straight into his deep sapphire eyes.

"Matt, lately I've felt like we've been drifting apart and…"

"No…no, I can't lose you. Don't do this, Lia. Don't say goodbye," he pleaded, tears falling like rain again.

Lia looked puzzled. "Say goodbye? Why would I do that? I love you. I just thought we needed to take a break from all our outside stuff, your band and my jobs, until our relationship is mended. You're a part of my heart that I can't live without."

Tears dropped from her eyes as well, her sobs silent and breathy. Matt gathered her up in his arms, holding her from behind, his hands resting on her waist.

"I like that idea. We take a break from the outside world and concentrate on our own paradise." He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "I love you, too. Don't ever think I'll s…" Lia turned, placed a hand on his cheek, and kissed him full on the lips, silencing him instantly. Matt's fingers ran over her sides, sending her into fits of laughter.

"Stop it! I'm too ticklish!" she squealed, trying to take his hands off her waist.

Matt's grip only tightened, lifting her up and over his shoulder. She started shrieking, drumming his shoulder blades with her fists.

"No, no! Cut it out!"

Matt laughed maniacally, throwing her onto the bed. She started to get up, he pressed her shoulders down on the bed. "Let's work on our paradise right now," he whispered erotically. Lia smiled sensually, bopping him with a pillow. Matt skidded over to the door, shut it, and locked it.

"What about my parents?" Lia asked as he tried remaking the bed with her sitting on it.

"Call, tell them you're having lunch with me and you'll be walked home later."

Lia picked up the receiver, restated the entire message to her answering machine, and went back to staring Matt down.

"You've got one, right?"

"Lia, I didn't take a semester of health just so I could ignore the teacher. Of course I do. Now quit ruining the mood, girl."

"Maybe some hot fudge will help," she said sarcastically.

Just as Matt got onto the bed, sitting on his feet with his arms folded across his chest, a tremendous clap of thunder shook the apartment. Rain immediately started pelting the windows in torrential sheets. Lia jumped and flung her arms around him, trembling.

"Hey, you're not scared, are you?" he asked, tipping her head up.

"It just startled me, that's all," she whimpered.

"I'll protect you," Matt whispered, kissing her. Lia trembled again, her arms lacing around his neck, tousling his hair. His lips moved from her mouth to her throat and back again, sliding his tongue into her mouth. She ran her hands over his chest, lacing her fingers in his. He squeezed her hands for a moment, then unlaced their fingers. His hands went to her waist, to the hem of her shirt. She broke the kiss long enough for him to pull the shirt off, toss it, and pull his own shirt off. Her arms wrapped around him tight again, her lips pressed to his. They fell back onto the pillows, emotions running high.

~*~

Nicki was watching Pay-Per-View on the couch in her apartment when some loud wailing siren went off in the other room. She rolled her eyes, knowing it had to be some device of Shadowmon's.

"Shad, what the hell is that?"

The little kitten rolled an amalgamation of discombobulated parts out into the living room on a little wagon, bells and whistles chiming.

"It's the Hentai Alarm!" she cried maniacally. "Gomamon, Veemon and I bought it from a kid in another dimension and we've got it to work so that every time a team member does something considered smutty it goes off. I figure from the way it's dinging it's gotta be Yama."

"How can you tell?

"The little light over there keeps flashing blue."

"Blue light special, eh? Who's he with?"

"Miss Hot Fudge herself. Maybe Lia just isn't a chocolate person. Maybe they've got butterscotch."

~*~

When Lia woke again, it was almost four in the afternoon. Her cold flesh was pressed against Matt's, sheets wrapped around the two of them. Matt was still asleep, his arms loosely twined around her waist. She kissed his cheek and stroked his jawbone gently. He stirred; sleep still clouding his sapphire eyes.

"Sorry, lover, but don't you think I should be getting home?" she murmured.

He nodded slightly, fighting to keep his eyes open. "You're cold. Snuggle closer."

"All right, but only for a few minutes." She cuddled up, twining tender arms around his bare skin.

"When two people love each other as much as we do, are they still two people or are they one person living as two?" he whispered, holding her tightly.

"They are two people, connected by a bond of trust, and faith, and love. For they are true to their hearts and true to the ones they care for most," she replied sleepily.

"Call your mom, tell her you'll be a little late," Matt mumbled thickly, his eyes closing again. Lia reached for the phone and never quite made it. And they not only were in each other's arms, but in each other's hearts and souls as well.

~*~

Oops, I think I added a little too much artificial lemon flavoring to this. Oh well, we can't all be Wolfgang Puck. Um…the song "Here We Are Again" is actually something I thought up personally for the fanfic. Shadowmon, Veemon, Gomamon, if you'd be so kind: GET YOUR LEMON JUICER AWAY FROM MY STORY BEFORE I FEED YOU TO KUWAGAMON! I DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE SECRET AGENTS, NO JUICING FANFICS! Hope you liked it! Worship Michael Reisz!