Author's note: I dedicate this fanfic to the memory of Diana, the Princess of Wales. A lady who I know has touched may lives, both in her life and in her afterlife.
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Heart's Folding
Matt Ishida couldn't wipe the huge smile off his face as he looked at the baby in his arms. He was a father, he had a son. Materu Joumichi Ishida. Matt chuckled slightly when he remembered the hassle that they had had when choosing names, everyone wanted to be a namesake. They had eventually decided to wait and see if the child was a boy or a girl, then name it, so they had. And still a fight had broken out, until Matt had said the name out loud. In that split second, with his son in his hands, everyone stopped and clapped. They had accepted the new digidestined. That's what he was really, he was a digidestined. A child born out of two crests, the most compatible of them all. Friendship and Love.
Matt looked at his wife, Sora, as she dozed off to a peaceful sleep. Deciding that it might be best if he and Materu left her in quiet, be walked out of the room and down the hall to where his brother and the rest of his friends were waiting. T.K was the first to see them, jumped up and walked up to them. Matt could see that he was beaming at the thought of being an uncle, just like he was about being a father. Life was perfect for Matt and he knew it. His music career had taken off like a space shuttle, he had married the woman he loved since they were all in the digiworld together, Sora had managed to become the number one female tennis player in the world after Martina Hingis had occupied that place for the last 10 years and Japan's favourite star before she had fallen pregnant and now they were going to be one big happy family. But nothing ever stays perfect forever, does it?
Matt awoke from his daydream to see Materu in T.K's arms with Kari hugging him and allowing the baby to play with her fingers, Tai was drinking a soda he'd got from a machine down the hall, not to mention the phone number of a girl who was also getting one, Joe was recovering from delivering Materu with Mimi in his lap and rocking their 6 month old in her arms and Izzy was busy typing away on his new laptop telling the digimon the great news.
"Matt, Gabumon and Biyomon want to speak to you." Izzy said as he looked up and handed his laptop over.
">Matt, how is your son?" Matt saw written on the screen
"He's fine, we've decided to name him Materu Joumichi." Matt wrote back.
">How's Sora?" That one was definitely from Bi.
"She's doing fine, she's a bit tired that's all." Matt noticed a nurse come and whisper something into Joe's ear, to which he nodded, kissed Mimi and after glancing at Matt ran off down the corridor.
">That's great. When are you going to bring the new digidestined to meet us?" Gabumon asked.
"Probably when he and Sora get out of hospital." Matt replied as a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach emerged. Something was wrong with Sora, he knew it. Almost throwing the computer back at Izzy, Matt yelled to T.K to hold Materu as he sprinted down the corridor in the direction the Joe had taken before.
Matt came skidding to a halt when he saw Joe and a number of nurses bent over Sora, his eyes darted over to the heart monitor that they had attached to her. It was flat. Matt's face fell as did his heart at the prospect of the one whom he loved more than anything, even his own life. Silent tears fell down Matt's face as he prayed that she would make it, that she would be at least able to see her son interact with her digimon, her best friend in the whole world. Matt's brain numbed when he saw Joe shake his head, tell one of the nurses something, then smashed his fist into the wall with a tremendous force and again and again until he saw Matt standing outside, his face blank and staring at his wife, his love, his soul mate.
"I'm so sorry Matt." Joe said as tears flowed down his cheeks, "I should have done more."
Matt snapped out of his trance and faced Joe,
"No Joe. You did all that you could do. You were there when we needed you and you couldn't help it if it was Sora's time to go."
Joe hugged Matt as a sign of his gratefulness and to say that he would always be there for him, no matter what. Matt returned the hug and watched silently as Joe walked off in the direction of their friends, both wondering how and dreading to break the sad news to them.
As Joe turned the corner, Matt felt alone again. Just as he had done in that cave in the digiworld, and this time Gabumon wasn't there with him. At that moment, Matt felt his heart break into thousands of millions of pieces and he let out a scream. The scream of a man being tortured internally.
"Fuck you!" he yelled out looking up to the ceiling, "Fuck it all!"
He fell to his knees, his body wracked with heartbroken sobs and a river of tears streamed down his face. Matt barely noticed when T.K and the rest ran up to him, T.K kneeling by his brother's side, Kari and Mimi on the other. Tai, Izzy and Joe just stood there, realizing that one of them was gone. They were no longer the whole digidestined. There was one missing now and nothing could bring Sora back.
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Matt sat quietly during the whole ceremony, engulfed in a trance. Many people had turned up for the funeral of Sora Takenouchi Ishida, family and friends, colleagues of both Sora and Matt's and outside the whole town of Odiaba was wanting their chance to farewell their heroine, their friend. Tai gently nudged Matt after Sora's mother had finished speaking, her emotions overpowering her ability to form sentences anymore and was being lead down by Matt's parents. T.K, who was holding Materu gave his brother a nod, before Matt stood up and went to the piano that he had requested be there so he could give his own farewell to his soul mate, his Sora.
"Good bye my rose, may you ever grow in our hearts
You were the grace that placed yourself where lives were torn apart
You called out to our hearts and you whispered to those in pain
Now you belong to heaven and the stars spell out your name
And it seems to me you lived you life like a candle in the wind
Never fading with the sunset when the rain set in
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Matt remembered the many times when he joined Sora on visits when she went around to all the orphanages where young children, as they once were, grew up with no parents, no one to love them. It felt good to spend time with them, even if it was just a few minutes, and show them that there was hope at the end of the tunnel.
Then there was always the times in the early days when Matt wasn't sure if he was going to achieve what he wanted and make it to 'The Show'. That insecurity always placed a strain on their relationship, but even when Matt was ready to call it quits, claiming that she deserved better than him, she continued to stay by his side, determined to show him that he was the one she really wanted and that he wasn't alone.
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And your footsteps will always echo in our newborn's blessed ears
Your candles burned out long before your legend ever will.
Loveliness we've lost
These empty days without your smile
This torch we'll always carry for our nation's golden child
And even though we've tried, the truth brings us to tears
All our words could not express the joy you brought us through the years
And it seems to me you lived you life like a candle in the wind
Never fading with the sunset when the rain set in
And your footsteps will always echo in our newborn's blessed ears
Your candles burned out long before your legend ever will
Good bye my rose, may you ever grow in our hearts
You were the grace that placed yourself where lives were torn apart
Good bye my rose from a country lost without your soul
Who miss the wings of your compassion more than you'll ever know
And it seems to me you lived your life like a candle in the wind
Never fading with the sunset when the rain set in
And your footsteps will always echo in our newborn's blessed ears
Your candles burned out long before your legend ever will
Your footsteps will always echo in our newborn's blessed ears
Your candles burned out long before your legend ever will"
Tears fell down Matt's face as he tried to keep his voice flat during the last part of the song, only just succeeding. He breathed a shuddering breath as he composed himself for what he was about to say.
"I love you Sora, more than life itself and I know that we will be together one day. But not before I raise our son and teach him about his mother, who was more beautiful and caring than any angel on earth. Good bye my sweet."
