Clouds

by Natsu

This is a re-write of my very first fic. Since 'Darling Buds of May' got such good reviews, I decided to write another Mimato. This one is darker and the first part of a looong fic. Please review, or I won't continue. ^_^

Clouds- by Natsu

A/N: This is prolly gonna confuse you all completely. Now, this is a re-write of my very first fic. And to understand the story at all, you have to read these authors notes. I'm SERIOUS. It's for your own good. There will be a prologue to this fic, if I ever get round to writing it, that is. Basically, in another reality, the Digi-destined have to face a completely different dark force. But, this time they lose, and both worlds are destroyed. All the Digi-destined are re-incarnated in yet another reality to try again, but with no memory of their pasts (I got this idea from when Gennai was telling the kids about the 'original digi-destined'. We see their silhouettes, and I swear that one of them looked just like Matt). All except Mimi. Because of a sacrifice she made, she could not be reborn. Therefore, she never became a digi-destined in the new reality and another girl (Cass) was chosen for the crest of sincerity. However, someone (you'll find out who later) intervened, and re-created her as an ordinary child. Although she could never become a digi-destined it was impossible for her not to have any contact with her friends. She becomes best friends with Matt in her childhood and although they become separated as they grow up, and Matt still becomes a digi-destined, they are brought back together by fate.

This is why Mimi's character and background are so different to what you would expect. She is, in essence a completely different person. Argh. That made NO sense whatsoever.

This is for my new friend Jehana, (I hope it meets your high standards!) ^_~

My Brit mate Nanaki Lioness, (This will REALLY confuse you. Sorry, but the original version just wasn't getting the reviews.)

And of course my best friend in the world Yoshe.

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. Any questions?

Additional note: Cass has the same character traits as the erm…'original' Mimi. Or, if you watch Sailor Moon, she's kinda like Serena.

WARNING: If you have severe arachnophobia (fear of spiders), maybe you shouldn't read this…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

' Your arms are open wide, waiting for me to run inside. I'll meet you in the clouds, please use your power to bring Heaven down.' – Nikki Hassman ' Any Lucky Penny '

Matt blinked hard and screwed up his face at the blinding light that had suddenly invaded the blissful darkness of his sleep. Damn sun he thought groggily, rolling onto his side.

"You up Matt?" Sora prompted at his movement. It was phrased as a question, but it contained an authoritative note and Matt knew that what she really meant was " Matt get up now! " It was exactly what his mother called to him every morning he spent at her house. Funny how when Sora said it, he didn't feel like screaming at her. Matt laboriously pulled himself into a sitting position. Yawning, he ran hand a through his spiky blonde hair, lifting it off his forehead.

"Morning, Sleeping Beauty." Joe said with a grin.

Matt decided not to dignify that with an answer. Instead, he glanced around him, sighing in content. He felt more at home here in the Digiworld than he ever did back home with his family. And who could blame him with the dysfunctional family he had? And besides, being in the Digiworld had the added bonus of seeing TK 24/7, a pleasure Matt was denied in the real world.

It had been two years since he'd last been here, yet it felt like he'd never left. It surprised him how comfortable he felt to be back, considering how alone and alien he had felt when they had first arrived, all those years ago. They had defeated Apocalymon, saved two worlds, and now they had been called back to help with the latest threat.

As he stood, Matt stretched his arms above his head with a groan, feeling the tension flow out of his muscles. He delicately brushed the dirt off his jeans and walked lazily to the crackling campfire before him. Taking a seat amongst his friends, he gazed around at their mis-matched little group with vague amusement. Almost everyone had arrived now, including Cass who had not been there when Matt had fallen asleep the previous night. He assumed that she must have made her entrance earlier that morning. She was now sitting with pink-clad arms wrapped around her knees, taking in her surroundings with a look of disgust on her face. Well it's nice to see that someone else is glad to be back.

Sora had flashed her warm smile as Matt sat down, but now she had turned her attention to the lovely task of cleaning a fish to add to the four already positioned precariously over the fire. Izzy was tapping away on his laptop, as usual, frowning deeply at the glowing screen. TK was watching Sora, his face a mixture of curiosity and disgust.

And then there was Joe. The grin he had worn just a minute ago had disappeared. His body was rigid and his eyes wide as he stared at Matt. Matt cocked his head to one side and raised an eyebrow as he stared back.

"What?"

"Don't. Move." Joe said in a tight and barely audible voice.

"Why?" Matt asked uncertainly.

"Don't panic, but there's a huge spider on your head." Joe answered in the same strained voice.

"A spider? Jeez Joe, don't scare me like that! I thought it was something really bad."

"No, I don't think you understand. It's a big, big, really big spider."

"So flick it off!" Matt said with irritation. Joe looked shocked.

"You expect me to touch that?! Did I mention that it's really big? And well, it looks kinda…"

"Poisonous." Izzy finished bluntly. Despite what Joe had said about staying calm, Matt could feel himself start to panic. He wasn't really scared of spiders, but the idea of being poisoned in a world where Joe was the closest thing to a doctor was not particularly appealing.

"Well do something!" Matt cried. At the sound of his voice, TK and the girls looked up. TK, who had been mortally afraid of spiders ever since Matt had stupidly taken him to see the movie 'Lost in Space', gasped and grabbed Sora's arm. But Cass jumped up and ran to hide behind a tree, emitting a high-pitched shriek as she went.

"Oh Cass, come back here. It's just a spider." Said Sora in her not-so-calm-as-usual voice.

"Yeah, and anyways, Matt's the one with the problem, not you." Ever-tactful Joe spoke up, eyes not leaving Matt's head. Cass just continued to whimper whilst backing further into the surrounding forest.

"Come on Cass, where you going?" Joe added, wrenching his eyes from the spider to look at the trembling girl.

"I really think that we should all stay together and where we are. There could be anything out in those woods " said Izzy reasonably, as he and Joe stood up to attempt to coax Cass back in to the clearing.

"Let Cass do whatever the hell she wants, just can we please deal with the spider?!" Matt yelled in frustration.

"Oh, I know!" Joe cried, thrusting his hand into the air as if he were answering a question in class. "If you stand still, then it will just get bored and go away. "

"What?! That's your idea?!"

"Well, y'know, it's like when a bee lands on you. If you stand still, then it will fly away and won't sting you."

"Spiders don't fly, Joe!"

"Look, let's just find something to knock it off with" Izzy said calmly. "We need to shift it as quickly as possible, before it knows what's happening, so as not to aggravate it and to prevent…"

"What're you doin' with that?!" Matt interrupted, as he spotted Joe creeping ominously towards him with a huge stick in his hand.

"Well, I was going to knock it off…"

"You're not coming near me with that!"

"What, don't you trust me?"

"In a word, NO!" Matt was really having to fight stay calm now (Ok, so maybe he was a little more scared of spiders than he'd first thought…). Despite what Joe had said about staying still, Matt's brain was screaming at him to jump up and down and make as much fuss as possible. But he couldn't let everybody see him freak like that.

He could feel the eight scratchy legs tickling his scalp, as if the creature was moving. Slowly, tentatively picking it's way through his sandy hair. The thought of it was making Matt's palms sweaty and his throat dry. He could just picture it. A dozen glittering little eyes bunched together like tiny marbles. A dark, bristly body, from which sprouted the long, thin, jerky legs that seemed to bend in the wrong place. And then, just as one of those trembling legs brushed the clammy skin of his forehead, something in Matt's brain clicked, and all his self-control left him.

He was on his feet in a second, and shaking his head violently in an attempt to fling the spider off. He wanted to grab hold of it and throw it as far as he could, but he just couldn't bring himself to touch it with his glove-less hands. Then, perfectly on cue, Matt saw a thin, dark shape flash towards his face, lifting just at the right second to avoid breaking his nose. He felt a slight tug at his hair and looked up to see Sora standing over him, Joe's stick held in her hands, like a baseball bat. She looked just as distressed as Matt felt.

"Man, I'm glad I didn't miss" she said, her voice wavering slightly. Matt followed her gaze to the spider, which was now scuttling aimlessly in Cass' general direction. He shuddered. It was at least as big as his hand.

Cass squealed loudly, obviously thinking that the spider was targeting her for a fresh attack. She spun on her heel and ran full pelt into the forest, ignoring the protests that followed her.

Izzy sighed deeply.

"I'll go get her," he said, eyeing the forest before him. "You okay, Matt?" Matt nodded and Izzy started after Cass. Joe sank slowly to the ground, as TK came running and threw himself at Matt, something he hadn't done in a years. He stared up at his brother, looking alarmingly close to tears.

"I…you…spider..." He whimpered pathetically. Matt was just about to say something comforting when a loud, over-confident and all-too-familiar laugh caused him to turn sharply.

"Hey that was great the way you handled that spider, Matt. Real smooth."

TK immediately let go of Matt, blushing furiously as he spotted Kari hovering nearby in the shadow of her brother.

Not at all phased by the remark, Matt calmly met Tai's mocking brown eyes, a sarcastic smirk playing on his lips. But as he realised that Tai and Kari were not alone, he caught his breath and the witty retort flew from his head. There, next to Tai was a girl Matt had never seen before, but she looked strangely familiar between the figures of Tai and Kari. She was slightly taller than Tai, with brown hair that flowed down past her shoulders in soft waves. Her features were plain, but her eyes were achingly beautiful. A soft, deep brown, framed by thick, sooty lashes. There was something cold and yet strangely magnetic about those eyes, as the girl took in her surroundings with a look that could almost have been malevolency. But as she caught Matt looking at her, she smiled, and such warmth flooded her face that Matt thought he must have imagined the previous look. And there was something else about her. Something…something Matt couldn't quite put his finger on.

As his hand automatically flew to his head to re-arrange his tousled hair, Matt suddenly became aware that he wasn't speaking. He looked back at Tai who was tentatively awaiting a response to his insult. The insult…Oh God, what had Tai said? Had it even been an insult?

Matt could feel six pairs of eyes staring at him expectantly. He opened his mouth to say something,

"I…I…um…" was all he could manage. Tai's grin broadened as Matt struggled to regain his composure. Matt could feel the heat rising to his cheeks. There was nothing he hated more than being made to look stupid by Tai and Tai knew it. Luckily for Matt, Sora knew it too, and she quickly came to his rescue, by directing Tai's attention to her instead.

"Tai. Aren't you going to introduce us to your um… friend? " She said with sarcastic sweetness.

"Hey Sora. It's nice to see you too." Tai said, neglecting to answer Sora's question, but flashing his most charming smile. Sora didn't bat an eyelid.

"Well?" she said flatly. Tai shifted uneasily.

"Everyone, this is Erika Kitase. My new girlfriend." Tai finally answered with a wary glance in Sora's direction at the word 'girlfriend'. Matt noticed Sora's grip tighten on the stick she still held, and was immediately on his guard to restrain her if necessary. It wasn't like Sora to be violent, but then Matt wasn't a naturally violent person either. Tai just seemed to do that to you.

"I see," Sora said, the sweetness returning to her voice "Tai, do you really think that it was wise to bring a stranger into the Digital World?"

"She's not a stranger and besides, I explained everything to her."

"Oh you did?"

"Yup. Hey Sora, that was a pretty strong swing I saw back there," Tai stated, obviously trying to change the subject "Great aim too. Maybe you should go out for the softball team next season."

"Thanks Tai, but I think I'll stick to soccer."

"Are you sure? It's just that that was such a great hit."

"You think so? Would you like to see it again? " Sora said pleasantly, looking pointedly at the mass of brown hair that covered Tai's head.

"I…"

"So, Tai," Erika spoke up for the first time, obviously sensing the danger her boyfriend's head was in. "Aren't you going to introduce me properly." she said, looking straight at Matt.

"What? Oh, yeah. Um Erika, this is Sora, Matt, Joe, TK, Izzy and C…oh right, they ran off. Well, the two who aren't here right now are Izzy and Cass." Erika nodded, looking not at all interested. She did manage a smile, though.

"Hey everyone."

A chorus of greetings answered her. Even Sora returned the smile. It was Tai she was mad at. Erika seemed nice enough, and it wasn't her fault that Tai had dragged her here. And besides, she had no idea that there was anything between Tai and Sora (not that there officially was, but that wasn't the point). She probably hadn't known until now that anyone called Sora even existed. But she had no reason not to be angry with Tai.

"Tai, could I have a private word with you please," Sora's gaze then fell on Matt, and with the vague understanding that she was likely to do something she would regret without someone to restrain her, said "You too Matt."

Matt was about to protest, not wanting to get involved, but noticing that the stick was still firmly in Sora's grasp, thought better of it. And reluctantly followed Sora and Tai to one side, and behind a large, conveniently positioned rock.

"Tai! What were you thinking?! You can't bring someone new to the Digital World! It's just not safe! She doesn't know anything about this world, or how dangerous it is!" Sora began heatedly.

"Sure she does. I told her everything I know…"

"Exactly. She knows nothing."

"Sora! Erika's a big girl, she can take care of herself."

"I really don't think this is a good idea…"

"Just coz you're jealous! " Tai knew that that was a mistake the second it was out of his mouth. Matt saw Sora's body tense, saw the hand holding the stick tremble and immediately leapt forward to save the day. He caught the stick as Sora swung it back and tugged it from her grasp. Undeterred by this handicap however, Sora proceeded to deliver a stinging slap to Tai's face, before Matt could stop her. She spun angrily and walked back to camp without another word.

Matt was about to follow her, when he caught site of Tai, sitting on the floor, open-mouthed, with one hand pressed to his cheek. Matt looked towards the camp, then groaned and offered a hand to Tai. Tai accepted the gesture and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet.

"You okay?" Matt asked offhandedly. Tai nodded solemnly.

"Man, I've never seen Sora like that before."

"Me neither. It's kinda scary isn't it?"

"I'll say. Kinda painful too."

"Well you did bring it on yourself."

"What's that supposed to mean? "

"Oh come on Tai! You never tell a girl that she's jealous! That's just asking for a slap."

"Oh yeah, and since when are you such an expert on girl behaviour?"

"Since always."

Tai looked angry for a second, then realised he was fighting a losing battle and dropped his head. Matt and Sora were both right. He was such an idiot. He wasn't even sure why he'd brought Erika. And now Sora wasn't speaking to him, and he was going to have a lovely big bruise on his cheek to show to the world how stupid he'd been. Then he took Matt by surprise by burying his face in his hands with a groan of anguish.

"She's right. I'm such an idiot." Tai's muffled voice came through his hands.

"Oh, hey, it's okay." Matt said in a desperate attempt to comfort the other boy. He wouldn't know what to do if Tai were to start crying. He wasn't good at dealing with that sort of thing. " It's not that bad," He said, patting Tai's shoulder awkwardly "Girls just get really emotional sometimes. See this? "Matt lifted his fridge with one hand to reveal a tiny scar on his left temple. Tai looked up from his hands. "I got that when I broke up with my last girlfriend. You'd never think that when turned against you, your own house keys could make such a dangerous weapon."

Despite his current situation, Tai managed to laugh.

"Hey, it's not funny! I had to have stitches."

"Sorry. It's just that…" Tai trailed off to suppress another laugh.

"Anyway," Matt said, glaring at Tai " my point is that everyone goes through this. That's just what girls are like. You gotta learn to deal with it. You wait. Sora'll be fine in the morning."

"You sure?"

"Trust me."

"Okay. Thanks. Hey Matt, you're pretty good at this – you should be one of those radio shrinks! And now on line 3, we have…"

"Yeah whatever." Was Matt's reply as they walked back to the camp.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The remainder of that day went surprisingly smoothly, all things considered. When Tai and Matt returned to the group, it was to find that Izzy and Cass were back, along with the Digimon, who had been gathering food during the whole spider incident. Therefore, they knew nothing of it, and probably never would, as no one brought it up. Possibly because nobody wanted to provoke a fight between Tai and Matt, or possibly because nobody wanted to aggravate Sora further. She had retrieved the stick from where Matt had left it, behind the rock, and had continued to carry it around, glaring menacingly at Tai, until Joe had confiscated it. In the absence of a suitable weapon, Sora seemed to have created a fragile truce between Tai and herself, which the rest of the group was reluctant to break. Everybody was in high spirits that evening, and it seemed that Matt had been right in thinking that the whole event would blow over.

However, later that night Matt awoke to someone shaking him and urgently whispering his name. As he tried to gather his thoughts, his sleep-muddled brain registered vague annoyance at having his dreams disturbed. Then again, considering the fact that they were filled with Cassandra it was probably for the best that they had been interrupted.

He rolled onto his back and forced open his bleary eyes, to come face to face with,

"Sora? What the…"

"Shhh! Get up."

"What? Why?" Matt mumbled groggily.

"Just get up."

"Why?"

"Coz I need to talk with you."

"Now?"

"Yes." Sora stated firmly.

"But…I…" Matt stopped as he noticed that the stick was back in Sora's hand. "Where the hell do you keep finding that thing!"

"Shhh!!! You'll wake everyone up!" Sora hissed frantically. "Matt, please…" she begged, trying a different approach and fixing him with a shockingly TK-like stare. Matt groaned reluctantly, but climbed unsteadily to his feet, and forced his aching legs to move, following as Sora led him from the clearing.

They walked in silence, until they were a good distance away from the campsite, where they could talk safely without fear of being heard.

"Well?" Matt asked testily - still annoyed at having been woken in the middle of the night - as Sora turned to face him.

"It's about Erika." Sora said "And Tai." She then added as an afterthought.

"What about them?" Sora was silent for a moment, before saying,

"Matt?"

"Hmm?"

"What do you think of her? Erika, I mean…"

For the second time that day, Matt's brain seemed to freeze.

"Well, I…um…she seems…nice." Matt finished uncertainly. Sora pursed her lips and nodded stiffly, before looking away with a sigh. When she finally spoke, her voice was low and hesitant, as if she were afraid that someone was listening in on the conversation.

"I dunno. I just don't trust her."

Matt raised a questioning eyebrow, waiting for Sora to explain.

"I mean, doesn't she seem kinda weird to you? "

"Weird how?"

"Well there just seems to be more to her than meets the eye, y'know what I mean?"

"Er…no, actually."

Sora sighed in exasperation as she then struggled to find a way to put her thoughts into words.

"I…I think she knows more about the Digital world than she lets on. I mean she doesn't seem at all surprised by any of it. She didn't bat an eyelid when Izzy came back with the Digimon, but when I first saw Yokomon; it completely freaked me out. And then there was that cold look she gave us when she first arrived…"

"You noticed it too? " Matt interrupted.

"Yeah. What was that about? "

"I don't know. I've been wondering that myself." Said Matt, smiling at the deadly serious expression on Sora's face. "What? You think she's an evil Digimon in disguise, or something?"

"Is that so far-fetched? " Sora retorted indignantly.

"You just don't like her coz she's with Tai." He said, taking the chance that she had already released her anger at this statement on Tai. He doubted that she would hit him anyways. She never had before and it wasn't like she hadn't had the opportunity to that day. "That's not true! " Sora said, but Matt got the feeling that she was talking more to herself than to him.

"C'mon. Let's go back to camp." Matt said in a pacifying tone. He had no desire to provoke an argument so early in the morning when he was too groggy to think of witty retorts. Sora glared at him for a moment before her face relaxed and she nodded.

"Let's go back separately, though. If someone's woken up, you know exactly what they'll think if we come trotting happily back to camp together at some un-godly hour." She said. Matt nodded his agreement and Sora turned to walk towards camp.

"Wait", Matt said to her retreating back, "So you go and I'm supposed to sit out here alone for ages and then come back at a convenient time?"

"That's about right. Goodnight." Sora said cheerfully, blowing him a friendly kiss and walking away.

"I liked her better before she grew up." Matt muttered to no one in particular. He toyed with the idea of running after her, making enough noise to wake everyone up, then accidentally letting slip that their meeting had not been entirely innocent, just to piss Sora off. But then he thought of Erika and sat down in defeat.

He lay back on the ground, folding his arms behind his head. He gazed up at the starry sky above and let his thoughts run away with him.

What Sora had said about Erika was true. She did seem a little too calm about her whole situation. Maybe his sarcastic remark hadn't been so far-fetched after all. But Erika was so nice… so perfect. But then why did she have such a strange effect on him? And why did he feel so weird when she caught his gaze? It was like he knew her. And it wasn't just as if they'd simply past each other on the street. No, it was stronger than that. But he couldn't quite put his finger on it. It was as if he knew her from a dream.

He shifted his position slightly. And then there was Sora. He felt so bad for her. How could Tai be so oblivious to her feelings? They had never really been particularly close, Matt and Sora, but when they had returned to the real world for the final time, Tai had changed. And as Sora grew apart from Tai, she had turned to Matt. And now, she was one of his closest friends (Izzy being another). Matt had never pictured Tai as a player, but then he had never really pictured himself being so stable, either. He had always figured that he'd become a teenage delinquent, a suicidal druggie, or even an alcoholic like his father. But it hadn't worked out like that. In fact, sometimes he thought he had become more like Sora than Sora was now, if that made any sense. And he wasn't sure if he liked it. Had he changed for the better, or for the worse?

Matt felt his eyelids drooping as the jumbled thoughts coursed through his mind. How could everyone change so much in such a short time? And how could those changes have brought Matt so much closer to his friends? Maybe they hadn't changed at all; perhaps it was just him…

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Matt's eyes flew open as he jerked up; listening hard for the sound that had caused him to wake so suddenly. It had been a sound so quiet that he wondered if he had imagined it. An eerie child-like laugh that sent a cold chill through Matt's body. He strained his ears to catch it, wanting to confirm that he had really heard something, but at the same time hoping that he would never again have to hear such a disturbing sound. It brought a sinking feeling to his stomach that seemed strangely familiar.

The night air around him was electric with whispers and it was impossible to distinguish one misty sound from the next. Trying to shake the disconcerting feeling that he was bring watched, Matt stood up slowly and turned in the direction he believed the campsite to be in. By now, the moon had disappeared and it was so dark that the boy could barely see a foot in front of him. Cursing himself for falling asleep, he left the safety of the clearing and forced himself to move froward, through the shadowy undergrowth.

He had not gone far when he sensed, more than felt something moving smoothly along beside him. He stood frozen; eyes fixed on the dark leaves of the bush to his left. The plant was only as high as his knee, so the thing wasn't very big, but he was terrified despite this. He had learnt that here in the Digiworld that size wasn't everything. You only had to look at Gatomon to see that.

His heart was thudding so hard that he was afraid that it could be heard by whatever was out there. He listened fearfully, but not a sound broke the immense silence that surrounded him. Thoroughly shaken, he pushed on, and was not really surprised to find that something continued to follow him.

He tried desperately to ignore the urge to run that was rising in him. He knew that if you ran from a wild animal, it would attack. He guessed the same applied to wild unfriendly Digimon.

He forced himself to walk slowly, one foot in front of the other. At the same time he tried to calm his rapid breathing – a dead give-away that he was afraid. Damn Sora….

Just as he had regained control of himself and, more to the point, his thoughts, he heard it again. At first it was to his left, then he heard it move across behind him and suddenly it was to his right, slightly ahead of him. Shit. It's trying to block my route back to camp. Should he turn back? Or should he keep heading in the right direction and walk straight into whatever was following him? If I turn around, then it will just follow me anyway, and I'll be walking away from the only place where I'll be protected… His brain worked logically. Maybe being friends with Izzy for so long had meant that it had started to rub off on him. …And if I keep going, then with luck I can still make it. But I'll be leading whatever it is straight to my friends… As this thought formed itself in his mind, the familiar light blue glow of his crest began to radiate from beneath his shirt. A feeling of great comfort washed over him.

If he could see, then he could fight.

He pulled the tag from beneath his shirt and held it out towards the shadowy bushes. The light intensified without the fabric to hide it, illuminating Matt's surroundings. He heard a savage hiss of anger, which couldn't have been more different to the haunting laughter he had heard just moments ago. A frantic scrabbling in the bushes indicated that whatever was there was making a desperate attempt to escape. And then he knew suddenly that it was gone. Because he could no longer feel the cold presence that he hadn't even noticed was there until it disappeared.

Not wanting another similar experience, he took a deep breath and began to run as the light started to fade from his crest.

Matt reached the camp in less than two minutes and bent over gasping for breath after his sudden sprint. As he straightened up, clutching at the stitch that was beginning to form in his side another dim light caught his eye. For a brief moment, he thought that it was yet another evil Digimon, but then he recognised the pallid glow of Izzy's laptop. He let out his breath and walked towards his friend, taking care not to make any noise that might wake the others.

But as he got closer, he realised that it wasn't Izzy. In fact, it wasn't any of his friends. It was her. He hesitated, before placing a hand on her shoulder. He felt her body tense, then suddenly relax before he drew his hand back. She typed a lighting quick command and whatever had been on the screen disappeared as the computer instantly shut down. She slowly pushed the screen down to meet the keyboard before turning around.

The calm mask that was plastered across her face seemed to crack slightly as she met the blue eyes before her.

"Oh, it's you." Erika said in a strange voice that made it difficult for Matt to determine whether she was pleased to see him, or angry that it was him.

"Yeah. What are you doing up?" He asked in what he hoped was an off-handed way.

"I could ask the same of you."

"Yeah, but I got there first, so spill."

She smiled slightly before saying, "I was just doing a bit of research about the Digiworld. Y'know, to see what I'm getting myself in to." Matt noticed that she took time to phrase it carefully. As if she was trying not to lie to him, but at the same time not tell the truth.

"So you hacked into Izzy's computer?" He said, feeling a brief stab of anger towards her, for not respecting his friend's privacy.

"Well…yeah."

"You say that as though there's nothing wrong with it…"

"Well there's not."

"Say's who?"

"Me." He hated the way she was speaking so calmly and matter-of-factly.

"Whatever. Just don't do it again."

"Ooh, is that an order?" She said in a playful tone that made him even angrier.

"Look. Izzy won't let anyone touch that thing. He won't even let me touch it, he would be really upset if he found out that you'd been messin' with it."

"Oh? And doesn't it bother you that he doesn't trust you?" She said, reminding him of the child therapist his parents had sent him to once. And only once. They had learnt after the first time.

Matt thought for a moment then said, "No. Not really. I won't let anyone touch my harmonica, so I don't see why - "

"I'm sorry, your what?" She interrupted.

"My harmonica…" Matt repeated, pulling the instrument from his pocket. He held it for her to see and she drew went suddenly quiet. She looked back up at him and smiled somewhat sadly.

"I'm sorry Matt. I won't do it again." She said sincerely.

"Oh…er…thanks." Matt said, slightly taken aback by her sudden change of mind.

She stared at him for a moment before she turned to leave.

"Goodnight." She called softly over her shoulder as she walked towards Tai.

Matt watched in silence as she lay down beside the sleeping boy and closed her eyes without another word or glance in Matt's direction. He stood, confused, for a moment before laying down himself. He took a spot close to the fire, with TK on one side and Joe on the other. And, despite how tired he was, it was a long time before he fell asleep.

(A/N: From here, it gets REALLY confusing, coz I decided to switch between third and first person. I dunno why. I just felt like it. ^_^)

*Front page news, July 12^th 1995*

A horrific accident in downtown Odaiiba yesterday, claimed the lives of six people and injured over twenty. What until early this morning had been called 'a tragic accident' is now revealed to be slightly more. The accident was caused when a stolen Mercedes Benz accelerated through a red light and along Carlton Avenue at an estimated speed of eighty-five mph. The car sped through a group of pedestrians, before colliding with a Nissan Primera on the main road. The engine of the Mercedes exploded on impact, killing its driver, and the two occupants of the Primera, Musashi Sakaguchi, 24 and Yusuka Nojima, 26.

Police Chief, Ken Nomura, announced at a press conference this morning that the accident could well have been a suicide attempt. "We believe that the driver of the vehicle (identified as Takeshi Ikumori, 32) intended to take his own life yesterday evening. It is a terrible tragedy that he had to take other innocent people with him. Our heart felt condolences go out to the relatives of the deceased." A statement that speaks the thoughts of the whole city. Further investigation moved police to suspect that the engine of the Mercedes had been tampered with. This is what caused the explosion responsible for most of the injuries. Ikumori was obviously going for a dramatic send-off. He most definitely achieved that yesterday. It will be a long time before some people forget his name.

The remaining three deceased (all pedestrians) have been identified as Mamoru Narita (22), Akira Kando (16) and Hiromi Tachikawa (36). Memorial service will be held in the city park, tomorrow at 3:00pm, where a statue is being erected in commemoration. (Story continued on page4)

*FLASHBACK*

"Look, an elephant!" He said, pointing up at the sky.

The girl who lay next to him smacked his arm playfully "No, silly! That's a pussy cat."

"What with a trunk?"

She giggled. "That's it's tail!"

The soft, bristly grass tickled her bare arms as she looked up at the pink-tinted sky. A cool breeze soothed her hot cheeks, enticing her with the smell of summer. But her attention was fixed solely on the big, fluffy clouds that drifted lazily above them, high-lighted by the rays of the dying sun.

"Hmm…are you sure we're looking at the same thing?" He said, after studying the sky for a few moments.

"Well that doesn't look like any elephant I ever saw."

"Not a real elephant. A pink elephant."

"Like in Dumbo? They give me the creeps." She said with a slight shudder

"I know. You wouldn't let go of my hand, remember?" He turned his head to the side to look at her.

"You were holding mine just as tight!" she retorted with as much indignance as a nine-year-old could muster.

"Yeah, but only so you wouldn't be scared." He said, blue eyes shining with laughter.

The girl smiled, then pushed herself up on her elbows. She turned to look over her shoulder to see the pinkish glow of the streetlights that were just turning on.

"Ohhh…" She moaned unhappily, "I gotta go home. Mommy won't let me stay out… "

"…After the streetlights come on. I know." He finished her sentence for her, as he did so often. He always seemed to know exactly what she would say before she said it.

She grinned as she picked herself up from the ground. The setting sun had turned a soft orange, bathing the whole park in a warm golden glow. She could see her apartment block on the other side of the dark iron railings that surrounded the park. You could see lots of neat stuff from their spot on the grassy little hill. They would spend hours just watching the people walking past on the street, making up names and lives to go with each new face. She heard him as he got to his feet and came to stand next to her. They stood in silence for a moment, just looking at the sky. Neither of them wanted to cross the road on the other side of those railings, because then they would have to go to their separate apartments, and they wouldn't be able to see each other again until later the next day. In other words, an eternity. Quite suddenly she turned to her friend and asked

"Do you want to stay over? You can call your mom from my house." He looked pleased by the invitation, but remembered his manners before blurting out a reply.

"Are you sure your mom wouldn't mind?" He asked

"Are you kidding?! She loves you! I think she likes you better than she likes me!" The girl answered jokingly.

"Well that's coz I'm so great!" He laughed

"So, is that a yes?"

The boy nodded in reply and the two both took a step down the hill then stopped and looked at one another. Communicating without words they both grinned, then simultaneously threw themselves on the ground and began to roll sideways down the hill as they had so often done. Laughing hysterically and not once stopping to consider all the scoldings about grass stains that would inevitably follow. All they needed, all they cared about, was this moment and each other…

* END FLASHBACK *

Five years later the same girl awoke suddenly, haunted by her own memories. She remembered that night so clearly. That had been the last happy night they'd ever spent together…the night before her world fell apart.

She couldn't even remember how the fight had started now, she guessed that she must have blocked it out. She didn't want to remember the details. But she could remember enough. Not the words, maybe, but all the emotions were there.

He had been yelling the most horrible things…but what she had said was far worse. Once she got started, she just couldn't seem to stop herself. Six years of turmoil that she had kept bottled up since her father's disappearance suddenly came bursting uncontrollably out of her.

"I HATE YOU! I hate you so much! And I never want to see you again! EVER!"

Of course she'd yelled other things, but nothing that had affected him so much as those three words. 'I hate you'. Pretty harsh words for a kid to hear from their best friend. Especially when that friend was the only person they'd ever trusted. The only person that had ever made them feel truly loved. And she would never forget the look on his face. It made tears spring to her eyes just remembering, even now, five years later. What troubled her the most about it, was knowing that she'd done that to him. She'd caused that look.

That was when his eyes had first darkened. That was when she knew she'd lost him. But at the time she hadn't cared. Hadn't cared how much she'd hurt him. Hadn't cared how much pain and anguish she would cause them both. If only she hadn't lost control, made him run away. If only she'd stopped him, apologised, then maybe he would never have made it back to his apartment that night. If only he'd stayed…

She sat up, breathing rapidly, tears beginning to gather at the corners of her eyes. She blinked hard, to clear her vision, in doing so causing the tears to leak out and tumble over her cheeks. Suddenly she knew she had to leave. She had to go…go somewhere. She just had to get away from all these people, all these memories. She silently got to her feet and started into the shadowy forest not stopping to look back. Not wanting to see him. Because it hurt too badly.

* FLASHBACK *

He wasn't crying. After what had just happened, you'd think he would be, but he wasn't. His cheeks were flushed, his head was pounding, and his fists were clenched…but his eyes were dry. And those dry eyes were now fixed on the glowing number display above the elevator door. He watched numbly as it counted down the floors. 7…6…5…4. The elevator stopped with a jolt and the doors slid apart.

The boy stepped over the threshold and proceeded to stamp down the corridor, the rough blue carpet muffling the sound of his angry footsteps. He clutched the key tightly in his hand, feeling the metal grooves biting into his skin. He had never been able to keep a cool head in a fight, but before he had left, he had thought to take the copy of his own door key that always hung by the Tachikawa's apartment door.

When he reached his apartment however, he stopped dead, as did the thoughts swirling around his brain. The smooth white door was slightly open and the familiar soft lights shone through into the dim hallway. But that was wrong. His parents weren't at home. They had left TK at his grandma's house and had gone out for a romantic dinner. So who was in the apartment? The key fell from Matt's hand before he could stop it, but thankfully it only caused a dull, barely audible thud. The boy flattened himself against the wall beside the door, breathing heavily and debating what to do.

Just when he was about to turn around, get in the elevator and go back to the place he had just left, he heard a door open inside the apartment. Listening hard and shuffling closer to the front door, he heard the rapid click of high-heeled shoes on the linoleum kitchen floor. Then he heard a soft deep voice that he recognised as his father's, although he couldn't make out the words.

" No, I will not calm down! I will NOT!" His mother cried in a tear-choked voice, that sounded so similar to the last female voice he had heard. His father said something indistinguishable to which his mother answered " Fuck the boys! You take care of them for a change! I don't CARE anymore! I'm leaving…" she trailed off into sobs. He heard his father's soothing voice once again and it sounded like "Come on now, you don't really mean that. You're just upset", but his mother wasn't having any of it. "No! Don't touch me! I HATE you!"

The words rang in his ears. 'I hate you…' Tears welled up in his eyes and he stumbled backwards in disbelief. He knew how much those words hurt. He knew the emotional pain that must have been washing over his father. And suddenly he felt alone. Alone and scared like the child that he was, but always pretended not to be.

And then he was running. Running down the corridor, running down the stairs and through the revolving doors, running out into the street. Tears streamed down his face and his lungs were bursting, but he didn't stop. He ran three blocks before he hit a red 'don't walk' sign and was forced to pause, gasping for breath. His eyes flitted back and forth as he watched the cars rocket past, flashes of light and blurs of colour. He heard the familiar beeping of the sign changing green and stepped out into the road, surrounded by a small, bustling crowd of people.

Then he felt someone grab his arm and he would have turned around in alarm, if somebody else hadn't screamed at exactly the same moment. He turned instead to his right, and his eyes were met by a blinding white glare. What probably took in actuality less than three seconds seemed to happen in slow motion. Everything was so clear. He saw a few dark forms dive out of the way, either of their own accord or someone else's. His brain registered that he should attempt to do the same, but he seemed to have lost control of his legs. He felt the hand on his arm tug sharply, pulling him out of the way. But not fast enough. He didn't really feel the impact. He guessed that it was the shock, blocking out any thoughts of pain. He didn't feel anything really, until a split-second later when he was sprawled on the road. All of a sudden, all his senses seemed to spring to life, in a way they never had before. The first thing that came to him (even before the pain) was a sequence of awful noises. The squeal of tyres, the screech of crumpling metal and the unmistakable boom of a small explosion, interlaced with shouts of pain and horror.

As the initial noises died, he felt white hot pain flood every inch of his body. He cried out in agony, squeezing his eyes shut in an attempt to block out the unbearable pain. Then, almost straight away, his eyes sprang open again as the pain momentarily disappeared. His vision was clouded, but he could make out the figures of people milling around frantically. He could see a band of gold across everything, which he soon worked out was a lock of his own hair. Strangely enough what he remembered seeing most clearly were the trays of fruit outside the small grocer's on the street corner. It suddenly seemed so fascinating. As if he were seeing things for the first time. Lights surrounded him. The harsh white of the streetlight above, the soft red of the neon sign bearing the name of the grocer's and the flickering blue that was accompanied by the wail of a siren.

The concrete of the road was rough, but warm beneath his cheek. His head ached dully and the smell of smoke was beginning to tickle his nose. He realised that he could taste blood, but it didn't worry him in the slightest. In fact, the familiarity of it was almost comforting. And at the same time as he felt all these things, he registered that the hand still gripped his arm. But that the grip was looser and stiffer somehow. Worry for the person who had tried to help him conquered all his other thoughts, and he lifted his head and tried to turn.

The pain returned immediately, and his face contorted as his head dropped back to the concrete, which no longer felt so warm and pleasant. All around him were heart-wrenching sounds. Sobs of anguish, cries and moans of pain. But above them all, he could hear a young girl crying for her mother, her voice racked by tears. And then he felt someone gripping his shoulders shaking him gently, and all the while calling his name over and over. The same tearful voice that had called to a mother. He felt warm wet drops on his face that he somehow knew were tears, but not his own. There had been too many tears that night. He tried to force his eyes open, to show her that he was all right. He ached to stop those tears from falling. But despite his determination, the pain was taking over now. Controlling his mind, which told him repeatedly to sleep, to forget anything and everything. To let go. And he had no means of fighting his own mind. I'm okay. He thought to her, as darkness engulfed him. Don't cry over me. I'm okay. It will all be okay…

He felt himself floating, felt all traces of pain ebbing away to be replaced by blissful numbness. He was so tired. Some tiny, distant voice was telling him that he had to focus on staying awake, and that all would be lost if he drifted away. He knew that he had to try and fight, but it was so much easier just to let himself drown in the comforting darkness that tugged at his soul. The darkness that now seemed to be a palpable entity, pulling him away, instructing him to let go of life.

Then he seemed to suddenly snap to his senses, and in his mind it became a physical battle. Like a tug-of-war. He could feel the silky smoothness of life slipping fluidly through his fingers as he tried desperately to cling to the last fragile strands. All the while the darkness was constantly beckoning, drawing him further back, mocking his futile attempts to fight it off. Raw terror clutched at his heart as an eerie child-like laugh reached his ears. What started as a soft giggle, quickly became raucous maniacal laughter. He felt icy cold fingers grip his arm and tug sharply, the same way in which someone had tried to save him such a short time ago. Someone who was now probably dead. Despite everything, he felt a stab of anger at himself. How could he even contemplate giving up? He had to beat this. Someone hadn't wanted him to die, someone had tried to stop it, and had lost their own life. He owed it to that person to keep fighting. And what about the soul who had cried for him? What about his brother?

Driven by a sudden new determination, his fist clenched, trapping the elusive thread beneath his fingers. A feeling of immense triumph washed over him, as the terrible laughter stopped abruptly.

*END FLASHBACK *

(A/N: This bit is still part of this sequence, but I can't include it in the flashback, since it didn't really happen)

But the feeling soon faded as the hand that gripped his arm began to burn with a white-hot heat. He cried out, his grip on the thread loosening involuntarily. There was a final high-pitched cackle of glee and he felt himself pulled backwards, not realising until a split-second too late that the thread was running out of his hand. He fell helplessly backwards into the cold darkness, the evil laughter itself seeming to engulf him…

"No!" I jerked up suddenly, my heart pounding and my breathing deep and urgent.

"Huh?" A confused voice answered my cry. I could feel my whole body trembling as I swallowed huge gulps of air and gripped my head in clammy palms in an attempt to block out the laughter that still rang in my ears. "Hey, are you okay?" My eyes flicked with irrational speed towards the sound of the voice, and I felt my breathing slow slightly as I met a familiar face. Get a hold of yourself, it was just a dream! But another part of me argued; No, it was not just a dream, and you know it! "Okay, you're scaring me. Are you all right? Why aren't you answering?" The concern in Tai's voice moved me to answer.

"I'm fine." I managed to choke out.

"You sure don't look fine." Tai said putting his head to one side and leaning forward to peer dubiously at my face.

"I said I'm fine, okay. Would you just back off?" I snapped suddenly, surprising both Tai and myself.

"Sorry for caring." Tai muttered angrily as he stepped back, and made to leave the campsite.

"Where are you going?" I said to Tai's retreating back, as I got to my feet and noticed that the rest of the group were still sleeping. Tai didn't bother to turn around.

"Away from you." Came the sulky reply. Just like Tai. Mr. Maturity as always. I jogged a few paces to fall into step beside him.

"Seriously, Tai. Where are you going at…", I paused to check my watch and blinked at the tiny metal hand that indicated the hour. "Five o' clock?! What the hell were you doing waking me up at five in the morning?" My still-groggy brain failing to pick up on the tiny flaw in that question.

"I didn't. You woke yourself up." Tai said smiling slightly at my temporary incompetence.

"Oh. Right. I'm sorry…I'm just really tired. And I'm not a morning person at the best of times." I rambled dragging my fingers over my tired eyes. "You know, I only had…three hours sleep last night." I said pausing, while my poor sleep-deprived brain struggled with the simple arithmetic.

"Oh, I get it. Didn't get your beauty sleep, huh?" I shot him a death glare, but he was so used to them by now that it had no effect. He kicked at a pebble on the dusty track, sending it shooting into the surrounding foliage, before fixing his eyes on the path ahead of him. I glanced at the trembling leaves where the stone had landed, memories of the past night coming back to me. Trying to banish the unsettling thoughts that suddenly invaded my mind, I concentrated on walking. We walked in comfortable silence for a few minutes, before I realised that I still I had no idea where we were going.

"So, where exactly ARE we going?" I asked Tai, voicing my thoughts.

"Well I dunno where you're going, but I'm looking for Erika."

"Lost her already, Tai?" I said grinning as I pictured Sora's face when she found out.

"I did not lose her! She went off by herself." He replied indignantly.

"You don't sound particularly worried about her." I stated, in reference to how remarkably calm he seemed. If I were him, no doubt I would have had the whole group up and searching frantically for her for hours already.

"That's coz I'm not. She likes to be on her own. It's not like she's never done it before."

"What? Run off." He sighed and looked down at the path in front of him.

"Yeah, she's always standing me up and disappearing for days on end with no explanation."

"Why are you going out with her, then?" I asked, confused. That didn't sound like the Tai I knew. Normally he would have dumped her so fast she wouldn't have known what hit her. He turned to look at me.

"I know this is gonna sound weird, but it's kinda nice to be in an unstable relationship for a change. It makes it more exciting. I get so bored with most of the girls I date. I hate that kind of secure relationship. But with Erika, it's like a challenge or something. Trying to hold on to her. You never know quite where you are with her and she's so spontaneous. And she has a worse rep than I do!" He said it as if it were an admirable trait. "I always feel like I should be mad at her when she stands me up and stuff, but she has this smile that just makes you forget that she ever did anything wrong, and then she kisses you and…what?" He broke off obviously noticing the look I was giving him. I'd never heard Tai talk about a girl like this. Normally he couldn't even remember his girlfriends' names.

"Sounds like she's got you wrapped around her little finger."

"No way! I'm so in charge of this relationship." He said, not sounding convinced himself.

"Please! You're totally smitten! You'd jump off a cliff if she said the word."

"Yeah? Well…well…why are you following me anyways?" Tai snapped, changing the subject when he couldn't think of a suitable argument. "I don't need your help to find her, you know!" He stopped walking and turned to face me, his face twisted in an angry scowl.

"Yeah, whatever. You don't have a clue." I said folding my arms across my chest, an automatic gesture for me in an argument.

"What do you mean by that?!"

"Oh I'm sorry Tai, did I confuse you again? You don't have a clue where to start looking!"

"Oh, and you do?!"

"As a matter of fact I do!" Truthfully, I had no idea where she could be. But I was betting that Tai wouldn't twig. Unfortunately for me, he did.

"Alright, fine, you find her then." He challenged, calling my bluff. He spun on his heel and started back towards the camp. "And if anything happens to her, I'll kill you!" He yelled over his shoulder.

"Damn." I cursed aloud as I watched Tai walk away. Now I had to find her. How the hell was I supposed to know where she was? I only met the girl yesterday. But I couldn't let Tai win. As pathetic as it sounds, it was a matter of pride. It always had been, and it always will be, between him and me.

Trying to focus on the task at hand, I thought about how Tai had said that Erika liked to spend time alone. Where do I go when I want to be alone? The answer came to me immediately. Water. There was something amazingly calming about the sound of running water. The way the reflections melted softly into one another, and the way the sunlight sparkled on its surface. It moved the mind to deep, introspective thoughts. That's where she'd be. I hope…

Ten minutes and a lot of cursing later, I managed to fight my way through the curtain of spindly tree branches and saw the river before me. I had come here with Joe the first day we had arrived, when Sora had ordered us to search for water. I scanned the area, smiling triumphantly as I caught sight of a figure kneeling on the bank a short distance to my left. Take that Tai…

She was leaning over and staring at the clear rippling water, apparently deep in thought.

*FLASHBACK* ~Mimi (age nine)~

Cher had always been my mommy's favourite singer. The record player in her room was constantly playing her songs. My mom always listened to records. She told me that she liked to cling to the past, and that old songs always sounded better on a traditional record player. It was what I had been brought up listening to, and so that was what I sang, as I sat by his bedside. I ached for my mother to be beside me, to sing with me. Then she could be Sonny and I would be Cher, just like always. But she was in the O.R., or so her doctor had told me, but I didn't really understand what the term meant.

What I did know was that my friend needed me now, and although I could do nothing to help my mother, I could still be here for him.

I held his limp hand in my own and sang any song I could remember, always watching his face intently, as if the sound of my voice alone could bring him back. But he didn't wake. His face was so pale, and his hand so cold that I would have thought that he was dead, had it not been for the continual bleep of the heart monitor.

I heard the door behind me click open, and I turned in my seat to see a doctor enter. My mother's doctor.

"Miss Tachikawa…" he began, but I interrupted him.

"Mimi." I stated, looking him straight in the eye. His eyes were big and blue and beautiful. Just like Matt's…

I turned back to his comatose body and I heard the doctor close the door behind him and pull up a chair next to mine. He sat down and looked at his hands for a moment, before turning to me. He was quite young, younger than my mommy. He had messy dark hair that clashed comically with his serious face.

"Mimi…" he began again. "My name is Doctor Chiba. I'm your mommy's doctor." He said carefully.

I didn't have to look at him to guess what he had come to tell me. I could tell by his voice.

"I know who you are." I said, fixing my eyes on Matt's face and struggling to hold back tears. He touched my shoulder with a gentle hand, and I turned to look at him, surprised to see that his eyes were misty. I squeezed Matt's hand harder, wishing with all my heart that he would wake up and squeeze back, just like he always did, whenever I was upset. There were a few moments of silence in which Dr. Chiba glanced at my hand gripping Matt's, and then back at my face. He didn't say a word, but he didn't need to. His eyes told me everything. I squeezed my own blue eyes shut, feeling tears leaks out between my eyelashes.

"I'm so sorry." He whispered, and he sounded so sincere that it only made me cry harder. He put his arms around me and let me sob into his shoulder, making soothing noises and rubbing my back gently, just like my father always had, until he disappeared. The thought of my father leaving brought on a sudden realisation. I was an orphan. I had nobody. I was utterly and profoundly alone. And just when I thought that I couldn't cry any harder…I couldn't. I was suddenly filled with an immense melancholy weariness that left me feeling nothing but icy numbness. I welcomed the feeling, however. It made everything seem so surreal, as if it wasn't really happening. That was the first time I ever felt it. Dr. Chiba drew away and studied my face for a moment. Then sighed and got to his feet.

"Your aunt's waiting for you outside." He told me as he started towards the door. Auntie Lou, my last living relative. I thought in amazement. My father's sister. The only other Tachikawa besides myself.

My mind still shadowed by the blissful darkness, I stood and took a step towards the door, but stopped when I realised that I still had hold of Matt's hand. The numb feeling disappeared in an instant, as I suddenly knew that it would be a long time before I saw him again. If I ever did see him again.

"I'll give you a minute. And don't worry about your friend, his condition is stable. He's gonna pull through." Dr. Chiba said kindly, as if he sensed what I was feeling. I nodded slightly and sat back down. But just as I heard the door start to close, my head whipped back round.

"Thankyou." I blurted out. Dr. Chiba gave me a puzzled look and I continued. "For trying to help my mom. And for not letting Matt leave me too." I spoke in a half whisper. The man looked as though he might cry, but instead he just nodded silently, then said softly, "You're welcome." Before leaving the room and closing the door quietly.

I closed my eyes and swallowed the lump in my throat before looking back at my friend. When I opened my eyes, the sight of his sleeping face brought fresh tears.

"Oh, Matt I'm so sorry…" I whispered, biting my lip so hard that I tasted blood. I sat in silence for a moment longer before I stood up and gently laid his arm across his stomach. I turned to leave, but hesitated, drawing a shaky breath. I reached into my pocket, and pulled out an object wrapped in a square of deep blue silk, faded and frayed at the edges. I laid the object on the nightstand, before leaning over and kissing the forehead of my sleeping friend. My mother always used to kiss me on the forehead, so it seemed like an appropriate gesture. I turned and walked quickly to the door, afraid that if I caught sight of his seemingly lifeless form again, I would never be able to leave.

I turned the handle, and the door swung noiselessly open. "Goodbye." I whispered tearfully, as I walked through, desperately wishing that he could have heard me say it.

*END FLASHBACK*

~Matt~

Tai was gonna hate me! I'd won…again! Oh yeah! Once again, we prove that I'm the best and he's nothing!

I was so wrapped up in jubilant celebratory thoughts that I failed to notice that Erika was not just deep in thought. Every so often a tear would fall from her eyes, roll down her cheek and tumble down into the water. Soft ripples emanated with each tiny splash. Me, being the unobservant idiot that I am, I walked up behind her with a cheerful "Hey!"

I immediately wished that I hadn't for she whirled around in shock and I found myself staring down the barrel of a gun. "What the fuck?!" Sorry, it slipped. I normally try not to curse too much unless I'm on my own, what with TK and everything, it's one of my few good habits. But it's kinda hard to control your mouth when someone's got a gun cocked to your head. She made a noise of disgust in her throat as if I were the last person she wanted to see. She slowly lowered the gun, but continued to look at me as though I was a cockroach that she was dying to step on. It made me feel uncomfortable to say the least.

"What the hell is that?!" I asked, gesturing towards the gun in her hand.

"What does it look like? A rubber chicken?" She spat sarcastically. Oh man, if looks could kill…

I was about to reply with equal venom, when she squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her fingers to her temple, as if she had a sudden headache. I stopped, confused, as her eyes flew open and look of surprise flashed across her face. She looked at the gun still held in her hand and then back up at me. She blinked a few times as if she was struggling to work something out. Then, with a sigh of defeat she turned back to the lake, laying the gun on the grass beside her and staring down at her hands as if I didn't exist. I stood for a moment, contemplating what to do. I eventually decided that I had to take her back to the camp with me no matter how strange she was acting and sat down, a little distance apart from her.

We sat in silence for a couple of minutes before Erika stood up and moved to sit beside me.

"I'm sorry about…that." She said in an attempt to break the uncomfortable silence. "Don't worry, it wouldn't have hurt you anyway. I only ever keep it loaded with tranquillisers. The real ammo's in my bag if I need it. You never can be too careful, right?"

"Mmm." That must not have been the response she was hoping for, because she tried again.

"I could teach you to shoot if you like."

"I already know how."

"Oh. Well I could help you get better." She said pleasantly, and for some reason I didn't take it as an insult, although I normally would have done. I turned to face her.

"Yeah, I'd like that." She smiled, and looked out over the river, apparently satisfied with me speaking civilly to her. There was another long moment of silence as we both stared off into space, lost in our own thoughts.

"You don't remember, do you?" She blurted out suddenly, turning once again to look at me.

"What?" I asked intelligently, meeting her gaze.

"I can't believe you don't remember!" She said incredulously, giving me the disconcerting feeling that I had forgotten yet another damn anniversary.

"Remember what?"

"Me!" She said heatedly, glaring angrily at me. Wow, these quicksilver mood changes were confusing.

"Remember you? I only met you yesterday, what are you talking about?" She looked on the verge of tears again now, her fists clenched at her sides.

"I can't believe this…" She muttered softly, looking away. Then without warning she jerked backwards, grabbing the back of my shirt and pulling me down with her so that we were both lying on our backs.

"What…" I began but she put a finger to her lips.

"Shh." She said sternly, her eyes searching the sky before fixing on a point to my left. "Look. There, see it? It's an eagle." I scanned the air for a flying bird, but saw nothing. I was thinking how ironic it was that the first girl Tai had ever truly been in love with was completely and utterly insane, when I saw what she meant. A huge fluffy white cloud that hovered in the sky above formed the wobbly shape of an eagle with spread wings. I turned to look at her suspiciously. What exactly was the point to all this? I opened my mouth to speak, but she beat me to it, still staring up at the sky.

"Well, look at that. You were right. It was an elephant." My eyes flicked back to the sky and I followed her gaze to another cloud. I thought about that one for a moment. I remembered that day so well. It had been a beautiful day…that had led to the worst night of my life. I remembered the next morning, my parents telling me about the divorce. Telling me that I was moving, changing schools, being separated from my little brother. And my best friend, the only person I'd ever trusted, hadn't been there to help me through it. She was gone and I never got to say goodbye. Or tell her that I was sorry.

I sat upright suddenly, anger starting to bubble up inside me, glaring at my own clenched fists. Was this supposed to be some sort of joke? Because if it was, then it wasn't funny. She must have picked up on my emotions, because she sat up cautiously and watched me with concerned eyes. "It's me, Matt. Mimi." My head jerked round and I stared at her in disbelief. It felt as though the whole world had suddenly stopped moving. All around it was completely still and silent, with the exception of the river. It was as if every living creature had stopped to watch the impressive little drama that we were putting on. Her eyes were begging me to accept the truth, praying for the reaction she wanted. She looked so nervous, so desperate. I opened my mouth a couple of times, but couldn't seem to find anything to say. Those were definitely her eyes. How could I have missed it before?

"Mimi?" I choked out eventually. "Mimi…as in Mimi, Mimi? Mimi Tachikawa…My Mimi?"

"Your Mimi." She whispered, her eyes dancing just as they always used to. We stared at each other for an agonisingly long time, before she held out one hand, palm down, watching me expectantly. It felt suddenly as if a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I know that sounds so cliché, but it was the best way to describe the feeling. I felt deliriously happy, as though sunlight was hitting my face for the first time, after years of trudging through a blinding blizzard. As if I were a kid again.

I smiled at her and placed my hand on top of hers. She grinned back at me with an almost grateful look, and put her other hand on top of mine. I put my other hand on top of that, and she moved her bottom hand to the top of the pile. I followed suit, and we continued, our hands getting higher and our movements getting faster until we were both stretching our arms way up over our heads. When Mimi could reach no higher, she jumped to her feet with a giggle and smashed her hand triumphantly on top of mine. Not willing to let her win (it's that damn pride thing again), I got to my feet and we continued until we were both on tiptoe and Mimi could reach no further. Me being taller, my hand was on top.

"Ha! I win again! Nothing's changed!" I crowed happily. Mimi wrinkled up her nose in annoyance, then met my eyes and grinned wickedly.

"Oh, yeah?" She asked and pushed me hard in the chest in a lightning-quick movement. I didn't have time to react as I toppled backwards, landing with a huge splash in the river. She was amazingly strong…for a girl. I coughed and shook my sopping hair out of my eyes, while she doubled over with laughter on the bank, coming dangerously close to falling in herself. The water would have only come up to my knee had I been standing, but in my current position, it came nearly to my shoulders. I sat and pouted childishly until she regained control of herself. Still grinning from ear to ear she extended a helping hand.

"I'm sorry," she gasped, "but I just couldn't resist." I reached out and grabbed her hand, smiling innocently as I pulled as hard as I could. With a shriek, she fell off the bank, sending a shower of spray into the air. She came up spluttering.

"Neither could I." I smiled.

"Why you little…" she didn't finish the thought, but instead splashed me full in the face. I squeezed my eyes shut and splashed her back. We progressed from there and were soon engaged in a vicious water fight, laughing hysterically as we both practically drowned ourselves. It was as if we'd never been apart, all the years between us suddenly disappeared without a trace.

Having both simultaneously admitted defeat, as neither of us would allow the other to win, we dragged ourselves out of the river and staggered back to camp, having to half-support each other because of how hard we were laughing.

~Tai~

"I can't believe you lost your girlfriend after one day in the Digi-World!"

"Shut up, Sora!"

"I can't believe you lost my brother."

"For the last time TK, I didn't do anything to your brother…"

"Or so you say."

"Kari, you're supposed to be on my side!"

"Ahh! It's another spider!"

"No, Cass, that's another ROCK."

"How the hell can you mistake a rock for a spider?"

"Well it might have been a spider-shaped rock…"

"Ugh. I hate spiders."

"We know TK. You said that after the last rock incident, remember?"

"Leave him alone Tai!"

"I'm not doing anything to him!"

"Well, if you ask me, Tai's just mad coz Erika's run off with Matt. I don't blame her really…"

"She did not run off with Matt, and nobody did ask you!"

"I'll say whatever I want whether you ask for it or not Tai Kamiya!"

"You go girl!"

"TK, I don't think Matt would want you saying stuff like that…"

Thus went the incredibly gripping conversation that we had while we waited for Matt to return. I was toying with the idea of going to find the both of them. No doubt Matt had done something stupid and now they both needed rescuing. I don't know what his problem is. Can we say 'freak'? It's like he deliberately tries to piss me off. On second thought, he probably does.

"So…tell me again why Matt is looking for your girlfriend instead of you. I think I missed something there." Joe's voice brought me back to the conversation.

"For the last time, it's to prove that I'm right and he's wrong." I said shortly.

"May I ask…how?" I groaned in exasperation but before I could answer a noise made us all look round. A soft rustling in the bushes to the right. I got slowly to my feet, eyes fixed on the trembling foliage. I felt Sora at my side as I stepped cautiously forwards, and I could hear the others standing up behind us, their respective Digimon at their sides. Adrenaline was pulsing through my veins as I steeled myself for our first fight in two years. One hand gripped my crest, which glowed softly, ready to induce Agumon's digi-volve.

I was within a few feet of the bushes, when the rustling stopped abruptly. We all continued to stare nervously at the spot and for a moment I thought that we were in the clear. Then something burst through the trees in a blast of noise. TK and Kari both cried out simultaneously, but were drowned out by Mimi's scream. Typically, Joe stumbled backwards and fell over. Izzy and Sora didn't do anything dramatic, trust them. I heard Sora's gasp of surprise and I guess Izzy must have reacted similarly, but he was too far away for me to tell. I on the other hand jumped straight in without bothering to think. I really need to work on that.
"Agumon!" It's an instinctive reaction now.

"Pepper Breath!" The Digimon was caught off guard however, and wasn't quite ready for my command. The fireball shot off to one side and only succeeded in setting light to a poor defenceless shrub. It was only when I heard Gomamon's laughter that I bothered to actually look at our 'attacker', or make that 'attackers'.

"We got 'em!"

"Yeah, Baby!"

Matt and Erika, both soaked from head to toe, slapped a high five then collapsed on each other, overcome by laughter.

"You should have seen your face!" Matt gasped pointing a shaking finger at me. This only made Cassandra laugh harder. I glanced around in bewilderment at the rest of the group who were all looking fearfully at the insane duo. I waited patiently until they had regained control of themselves before I said anything.

"I think I speak for everyone by saying…what the hell?!"

"Oh Tai, you're not going to believe this!" Erika cried letting go of Matt to rush forward to grab my arm happily.

"Why are you all wet?" I said angry that Matt had won. One glance at his exultant face brought fresh thoughts to my brain. "What did he do to you?" I asked glaring suspiciously at him over Erika's shoulder. I know that I can't really talk, what with my rep, but Matt isn't exactly known for being a saint.

"What are you talking about Tai? He'd never do anything to me! Would you Yama?" She said looking back at Matt who smiled innocently at her. Yama? I didn't believe that for a second. Erika had obviously forgotten whatever she was going to tell me. Well I'd like to think that she'd forgotten, but I think it was more a case of her being distracted by Matt, who winked at her and earned a death glare from me. I drew in a breath, ready to wipe that stupid smirk off his face, as he walked forwards to meet us. I opened my mouth but was stopped by TK's frightened voice.

"Matt?" He asked shakily.

"Oh! Hey TK!" He said looking pointedly at Erika.

"No way! Is that little TK?" she asked incredulously. Matt nodded somewhat proudly. "But he's so big!" Poor TK glanced from his brother to Erika in confusion.

"TK, this is Mimi!" Matt cried, as if this should mean something to his brother. An amazed smile immediately replaced the confused look as he stared at Erika.

"Mimi?" He asked hopefully.

"The one and only!" She laughed rushing forward to hug the younger boy. Who threw his arms enthusiastically around her neck, grinning joyfully.

"Hey, you hug TK, but you push me in a river! Yeah, that's fair!" Matt called with mock jealously.

"Oh I'm sorry!" Erika, or should I say 'Mimi', said with an apologetic grin as she threw herself into Matt's waiting arms.

There was nothing fake about my jealousy. "Hey, hey!" I cried angrily, grabbing my girlfriend's arm and pulling her away. I decided that Matt and I would be having a little 'chat' later that day.

"Okay, I'm confused." Joe stated, and Cass nodded in agreement.

"Oh, right! You don't know! Sorry, you all must think we're crazy." Mimi said looking around the group and pulling her arm from my grip.

"You see, Matt and me have been best friends for like…" she paused for a second to send a questioning look in Matt's direction, who shrugged in response.

"…Forever." They both said in unison.

"But we haven't seen each other for five years." Matt said, sounding as though the memory that sentence triggered was hardly a pleasant one.

"Ohhh," Cass sighed, "and now you two are reunited after all that time! It's just like a movie!"

"It's a small world isn't it?" Izzy spoke up.

"It sure is," Sora smiled, "I hate to spoil the moment, but I'm absolutely starving, and since I cooked yesterday, I think it's your turn today, Matt."

"Okay. You wanna help?" He asked Mimi.

"Sure! Just as long as it isn't eggs!" She said and the two collapsed again at the private joke. TK joined in too this time.

"It's alive!" he cried, making them all laugh harder. Glancing at the others I saw that they were all smiling too, but personally, I didn't see anything funny.

~Mimi~

It crept up on me before I had a chance to react. He's getting better at it now. It's much subtler. Manipulating my thoughts, until I turn myself towards the darkness and accept it willingly, instead of resisting with every ounce of strength I possess. I'm beginning to wonder if I really don't enjoy it. There's something so sadistically satisfying about letting the darkness take me, and then being able to control it. It gives me a feeling of such overwhelming power and dominance. And energy. It's as though I've been hooked up to a battery and cold electricity is pulsing through my veins in the place of blood. It's as though I'm a different being altogether (which, I suppose I am in a way), and none of the trials of everyday life mean anything. It's escapist, I know, but I don't care.

And it feels so natural now, I'm beginning to feel strange when I'm myself instead of when I'm…I suppose 'possessed' is the best way to describe it. But I have more control than if I were simply possessed. It's more of a…an amalgamation. Yes, I think that sums it up. But when I'm myself I feel so vulnerable, and so detached. It feels like a part of me is missing. I've become so connected to the darkness, that I feel myself slipping into it whenever I'm angry or depressed, without him having to do anything. No encouragement, no manipulation, just my own free will. And I seem to get angry and depressed a lot more frequently now. The darkness has tattooed my heart, and there's nothing I can do to rid myself of it.

It's as though I'm addicted to some dark and incredibly deadly drug. That describes it exactly. A drug addiction. The perfect metaphor. Coming back time and time again, even though I know that each time I do, it could mean my death. And as with a drug addiction, I suffer from relapses and withdrawal symptoms.

Now, I feel the silky, ice cold fingers running up and down my arms. Sending shivers of anticipation up my spine. I close my eyes, feeling the misty darkness wrap around me, and I hear his voice in my head. The familiar mesmerising voice, filled with elemental music.

"Good evening," he drawls and I feel myself shiver in response, "you are doing well. And I am most pleased with your progress, but I have a request to make."

"Anything." I whisper aloud.

"I want you to temporarily resign from our current focus."

"But why? I'm so tantalisingly close!" I argue, but with my mind this time, not my voice.

"I know, but he can wait. He, as an individual, is not important at this point in time."

"But I thought…"

"It is however, essential that we harness all the energy before Friday. I had not anticipated the gateway forming with such speed."

"Friday? But that's five days! There's no way that I can gain control of all eight by Friday."

"Not alone you can't."

"What are you saying?"

"We are going to get you an accomplice, my dear. You will be connected to him, as we are, but I am the only one who will be able to break the link. You will be able to think as one entity, share feelings, thoughts, emotions. You will even have access to each other's subconscious minds. Alone you are strong, but together you will be unstoppable. Practically invincible. And because I know that you care deeply for the soul in question, it will please you to know that this will eliminate any chance of him being hurt." He continues with an enthusiasm that I have never before heard in his voice. "He is perfect, Mimi! The right heart, soul and mind. So similar to your own! And you already share a primitive link as such. You know that he would never betray you, and he will be so easy to break! Once you are connected, he won't be able to resist, I know that you will guide him in the right direction."

"Who?" I ask, although I already know. It needs to be made official by my master's voice. I feel my eyes moving of their own accord, a strange yet pleasantly enigmatic experience. The lids fluttering slowly open, the pupils focusing on the sleeping form of the person in question. I feel an evil grin twist my lips, and my eyes (now back under my own control) narrow in satisfaction.

"A match made in hell." His voice whispers to me and in my mind I laugh at the joke that isn't even funny.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Erm…yeah. That's the first part. Please review. I know it was corny and confusing, but the plot gets better, trust me. Although I think it'll end up being R. Suggestions? Comments? I know you prolly don't want Mimi to be evil, but the story doesn't work otherwise. And there will be proper romance in the next part, honest!