A/N: Hey everyone!!! It's been a while since I posted up a story and well...I'm nervous! Lol. I mean, who wouldn't be nervous, right? Anywho, this is my brand new story that I'm working on. There's not much to say except that I hope that you enjoy it. The chapters will be posted whenever I finish it so there won't be any deadline. What I should mention is that everything that happened in Digimon 1 and 2 never happened. Mimi never went away and all the awesomeness with the Digimon never happened either. In my story, everyone is in college except for T.K, Kari, Davis, Yolie, Ken, and Cody and well...I'm not really sure of the ages. Lol I know sad, huh? Their ages should come up in the next chapter but until then, take a guess. Anyways, that's all for now! Hope you enjoy! R&R please!!!

Full Summary: "I'm sorry...I'm just not bulletproof." Sora has been living a double life. One that no one, besides her mother, could ever fathom. With the return of an old friend-and an old crush-comes a person from her past that had changed Sora's life forever. How could Sora protect her secrets-and keep her sanity-from everyone she loves when the shadows of the past are demanding to be known?

Disclaimer: I sadly do not own Digimon and if I did, Kari and T.K would be married and we would know who everyone got married with (Mimi would be married to Tai, of course lol)

Bulletproof

Chapter One

"It is important to fight, and fight again, and keep fighting, for only then can evil be kept at bay, though never quite eradicated." - Albus Dumbledore

She stood sniffling in the middle hallway, listening to the screams that came from her parent's room. She knew it was her fault that for their constant arguing. Tears threatened to make themselves known but she willed herself to keep them at bay. The yells increased in volume and she hastily ran into her room, slamming the door behind her. Resting her back against the door, she slowly let herself sink to the ground, closing her eyes tightly as her unshed tears threatened to cut off her air circulation. The sound of the heated argument was muffled by the closed door and she clamped her hands against her ears, trying to drown out the rest sounds.

When would it ever stop? When will they both realize that the problem was her? Of course her stepfather knew, claiming that the root of all their trouble was their daughter. It was on rare occasions did he admit to being somewhat related to her. But that was only when they were outdoors, where the façade of a perfect family was to be played. The unwanted tears escaped from behind her closed lids and made its way down her cheeks. He always regarded her with his cold eyes while her mother with her caring heart repeatedly told her that her husband was only mad at her mother, never at her. Her mother was a fool in trying to believe that but she was no fool. She knew that her stepfather hated her for an unfathomable reason. The argument became louder and more understandable as it continued out into the hallway. The young girl pressed her hands harder to her ears. "Make it stop," she murmured quietly, rocking herself in a cooing jester. "Just make it all stop."

Heavy footsteps made their way towards her room, followed closely with the sound of her mother's pleas, sent a cold shiver down her spine. Shooting up to her feet, the young girl turned to face the door while she took hasty steps away from what was coming on the other side.

The door slammed open, banging into the wall to reveal her stepfather. His eyes were dark and blazing with furry, turning her blood to solid ice. Swallowing hard, she took more steps away from the mad man that she wished at that precise moment would go away like a terrible nightmare. She became quiescent, unable to move in the face of evil.

"This is all your fault, child!" he bellowed, taking angry steps towards him.

She shook her head quickly, retreating from whatever punishment that he wanted to bestow on her. "N-no…I didn't mean too…I-I'm sorry…", she hurried to apologize to the crime she was unsure she was guilty for.

"This is absurd! Your problem is with me and not with our daughter!" her mother cried out as she pushed passed her angry husband to stand in between the child and her once beloved husband.

The man was beside himself with anger. Rage covered him like a second skin and spittle moistened his lips while he spoke. "She is the problem. Damn it! Why do you always protect this…this filth?"

The young girl flinched and her eyes filled with guilt and tears clouded her vision. Her mother remained where she stood as her stepfather stalked towards them with purposeful steps. A screech escaped from the young female as his large hand made contact with the side of her mother's face. The older woman fell to the floor, her hand flying to her red cheek in response while shock caused her eyes to widen. "Mama!" the girl yelled as she moved towards her fallen mother.

Her stepfather grabbed the back of her hair, yanking her towards him, causing her to moan in agony. "If you do not want to see your mother hurt again, you will do what I say."

"You're hurting me," she cried as she struggled against the strong grip in her hair.

"Shut up!" He yelled, tugging viciously on her hair.

Her mother sat up, her whole body trembling and tears of mixed emotions filled her eyes and stained her cheeks. "Don't do this! She's just a child! Don't do this!"

He silenced her with a stare that would have sent anybody running away in fear. "This will be her punishment for now on. You will have nothing to do with this, woman, do you understand?"He began walk out of the room, dragging his stepdaughter along with him. Her mother's pleas filled the hall as she rushed after the two. Before she was able to stop him, her husband slammed the door behind him, locking it in place. Throwing the little girl on the bed, he fixed her with his blazing hate filled eyes. Slowly, a new expression curved his mouth into a wicked smile. "You want to protect your mother? To make up for all the wrong you've done that put this family in the shambles that it's in?" he licked his lips and the young girl's eyes widen with realization. "Then you will do exactly as I say and do whatever I want you to do." He approached with infinite slowness, watching the fear cover his stepdaughter's small face and cause her timid body to tremble.

Sora shot up in her bed, silent screams filling her mind until she was afraid that she was actually screaming aloud. Her breathing came out in harsh gasps while her eyes glazed over with hunted memories of the past stared off to the adjacent wall. Shutting her eyes tight, she pushed her hands against her ears and rocked herself back and forth for comfort. The stentorian screams in her head never ceased and Sora lowered her head to her curled up knees, Unconsciously, Sora began to perseverate, repeating the same mantra she had since she was younger. "Make it go away. Just make it all go away," she whispered into the semidarkness of her room. As she rocked herself, listening to the fast rhythm of her heartbeat, the soft pitter patter of rain making contact on her bedroom patio helped rid her mind of her silent screaming.

How long has it been since the door to her past been open? She thought that she rid herself of those hunting memories, keeping them locked in the shadows of her mind where they could do the least damage. Sora moved her hands away from her ears and wrapped them around her bent legs while she watched the light rain sprinkle itself against her windows and sliding terrace door. She had nothing to worry about anymore. He wasn't going to come back. Not now, not ever. But, when her past crept up on her like a snake on the hunt, Sora felt as if he was silently watching her from the shadows, waiting for the perfect time to strike and seek his revenge on Sora and her mother.

She didn't know how long she sat in her bed, curled up into a tight ball, watching the rain change from a light drizzle to a heavy downpour. The sound of her alarm clock made her jump and Sora looked at the time blinking to the beat of the buzzing. Without a word, she turned off the alarm and stood, stretching out her muscles before leaving the safety of her bedroom. After attending to her needs in the restroom, she went back to her room to get dress. She dressed as comfortable as possible to accommodate today's weather and herself. Putting on loose khaki pants, a black short sleeve shirt, and pants, Sora left her room once again, walking down the hall to the kitchen at the same time, pulling her hair into a messy ponytail. She glanced at the clock, figuring that she had enough time to make herself breakfast before Mimi came to pick her up.

Time flew by and Sora found herself standing at the front gate of her building underneath her umbrella, holding her bag on her shoulder to keep it from getting wet as she waited for her friend to arrive. Her head was downcast, watching the hypnotizing patterns of water droplets hit the concrete floor, as she contemplated over how she would get through the day without people in her school seeing shadows in her eyes. How would she past for being one way when, inside, she was crying a vast ocean? Sora was slightly confident that she could carry on her usual charm when she's around familiar people and her friends. But, she knew, if a certain someone was still around, then he and only he would be able to see past her smiling face and right into her soul.

But he was long gone…wasn't he?

"Sora! Earth to Sora!"

Sora started and looked at the familiar black corvette parked in front of her. The window was rolled down just enough for Sora to look at Mimi who was obviously annoyed that Sora didn't hear her calls. Sora gave Mimi an apologetic smile before rushing to the passenger's side of the car and getting in.

"Sorry, Mimi, I was caught up in la-la land," Sora hastily told her friend when Mimi gave her a stern look, giving her a sheepish grin.

Mimi sighed dramatically and shook her head. "You've been having a lot of daydreams lately, Sora. Have you been getting enough sleep?" Mimi asked as she pulled away from Sora's building complex and drove down the road to their college.

Sora laughed and relaxed against her seat. "Of course I have but that won't stop me from having my reveries now would it?"

"No, of course not," Mimi chimed in before starting a new topic. The two talked animatedly about the past days and their high school years. Sora smiled and talked when it was most fitted for her to speak but once the topic turned to one of their friends, her heart seemed to have flipped upside down and get caught in an invisible tight grip. She looked out the tinted window and out into the rain as the world past by as Mimi drove. The last she saw him, they had been in a terrible argument, saying such despicable things, esurient to cause the other as much pain as possible. Sora sighed inwardly, regretting everything she said that day. He left the next day after their blowout and, to her humiliation, she broke down and sobbed uncontrollably in front of her friends at school the moment she heard the news. There was no way for her to tell him how sorry she was for everything she said. Was he sorry as well? Did he miss her just as much Sora missed him? Sora shook her head, trying to force herself away from the dreadful day and back to the present with Mimi talking loquaciously about today's cheerleading practice. She drove into a parking lot at Tokyo University and parked her car.

The rain stopped a few minutes before their arrival and the smell from the recent downpour greeted Sora who inhaled the clean scent. Gray clouds still covered the sky, blocking out the morning sun, giving everyone who was outdoors a clear warning that there was still more rain to come later on today. Both girls walked towards a building where the school's cafeteria awaited them. Sora waited until Mimi brought herself food before the two of them headed for a table, lucky to find one among the many students who crowded the lunch area. The moment they sat down at their table, one of their friends rushed up toward them, catching Sora's eyes first.

"Hey, Tai. I see that you made it here with enough time to spare," Sora greeted with a small smile at her bushy haired friend.

Tai gave them a lopsided grip and pulled a chair up to the table, turning it backwards before sitting on down. He rested his arms on the back of the seat and yawned. "Yeah, I actually thought that I was going to be late today. I pretty much just woke up and had to rush to get here."

Mimi shook her head but smiled. "Taichi, you are such a goof. You need to stop oversleeping."

"Aw, but Mimes, I wouldn't be me if I stopped oversleeping, now would I?" He winked at Mimi and gave her his famous lopsided smile causing Mimi to roll her eyes but not before both Sora and Tai can witness her cheeks becoming a bright pink. Tai's grin broadened, making his chocolate brown eyes twinkle with male amusement before turning his attention on Sora.

"Did you do the math homework, Sor?"

It was Sora's turn to roll her eyes. "Why didn't you do it yourself? You should've known it was due today," she responded.

Tai shrugged his shoulder in a casual motion. "Procrastination or just plan laziness really. Donno which one it was but those are the best reasons I can come up with at the moment."

"Well I think it was a mixture of both. You really are lazy and a procrastinator, especially when it comes down to math," Mimi chimed in when she finished her breakfast.

"Hey! Math is really hard, okay? I nearly pulled out my whole hair when I took that entrance exam," Tai retaliated.

Mimi laughed and turned her whole attention on her friend. "You say that for every subject you have problems with. Honestly, Taichi, if sports, mainly soccer, were a three to four hour class, you would probably have the highest score in the whole school."

"Excuse me, but, did you forget that I used to play soccer too? I would probably have a high rank as well," Sora said in defense, faking to take what Mimi said to heart by making her eyes wide and curving her mouth into what she hoped was an 'o' expression.

"Sorry, Sor, but you know Tai. His mind is either focused on when will he eat next, when is he going to be able to go back to sleep, and when is the next soccer game. There's no more room in that peanut-size brain of his," Mimi said matter-of-factly causing Sora to roar with laughter and Tai trying to defend himself. Outside, the rain began again as the trio talked and laugh from the cafeteria to their math class. They continued their lively confabulation until their professor came in and began the class. It was only the first week of college, causing the professors not to have their list of students and for the kids to write down their names on a piece of paper that was passed around the classroom. A few minutes into the lesson and Sora was already bored. She looked over at Mimi who pointed behind her. Sora arched her eyebrow and followed her friend's finger and noticed Tai who was already asleep on his desk. Sora and Mimi exchanged a grin and a quiet laugh before returning to their work. The door opened and closed but Sora paid no attention to the person who had walked in. The professor stopped writing on the board to attend to the visitor.

"Ah, Ishida, you're the transfer student that I was waiting for."

Sora's heart stopped beating and her body ceased all movement. At snail pace, she lifted her head and, for the first time since the person entered the room, she paid attention. Standing in front of the class was her old friend, Yamato "Matt" Ishida. She stared at him with unblinking eyes, unable to register that the guy standing in beside the teacher's desk, getting the syllabus from the professor, was really Matt. Out the corner of her eye, she saw Mimi nudging Tai, whispering to him about their new classmate.

"Oh my God, Taichi, wake up! Matt's back! He's really here!" Sora herd Mimi whisper to their sleeping friend frantically.

As if sensing a pair of eyes on him, he turned his head to face the class when the professor looked down at her desk. Their eyes meet and it was like the whole world disappeared beneath their feet, leaving Matt and Sora as the only occupants on earth. Sora couldn't look away even if she tried. Her heart leapt to her throat, cutting off her air passage until she felt as if she couldn't breathe. Slowly, Matt's eyes widen when he recognized Sora. Embarrassment incarnadine her face, turning it a bright red that she was sure was noticeable. She looked out the window, avoiding Matt's penetrating gaze and the look she was show she was receiving from both Mimi and Tai. He was back. After all these years, Matt was finally back in Japan. Where did he go for these past three years? Her mind was in a wreck, the door keeping all her worse days at bay threatened to creek open and it took Sora all her concentration to keep it closes. She didn't even notice that Matt took the seat farthest from Mimi, Tai, and herself. Nor did she notice when the class resumed its lesson and when the three hours were finally up. Without a word, Sora threw her books and pencils into her bag and rushed out of class.

The rest of the day seemed to have gone by with excruciating slowness for Sora, around every corner that she turned, she would run into Matt who was catching up with one or more of their friends, including two of Matt's old band mates. She avoided everyone, seeking solitude rather than being bombarded with topics centered on Matt. Sora left her last class of the day, sighing out a yawn as she did so. She walked sluggishly down the hall, much more exhausted than she had been when she woke up this morning.

"Ah, man, I need to start going back to the gym. I'm beat," she mumbled to herself, feeling as if she was dragging her legs with each step she took.

"Sora! I've been looking all over for you!"

She froze in the middle of the hall, her heart racing a mile a minute. She recognized Izzy's voice right away but was he alone? Was someone with him? If someone was with him, is that someone Matt? She remained motionless, afraid that Izzy was walking down the hall toward her with Matt. Taking a deep breath, Sora turned around. She sighed in relief when she saw that her red headed friend was alone.

"Izzy! Sorry that I didn't meet up with you like I promised. I was…preoccupied," she said apologetically when Izzy was in earshot.

"So I heard." He shook his head and smiled. "I understand why though. I heard that Matt's back in town. It's all over campus!"

Sora groaned and covered her face with one hand. "I still can't believe it. He's really back."

"Yup and I heard, from Mimi of course, that you have been hiding every chance you got."

"I wasn't hiding!" she quickly said in denial before looked away and hunching over slightly. "I was just…you know…hurrying off to class."

Izzy laughed at the outrageous lie. Every one of her friends knew that Sora had enough time between almost all her classes to not have to rush to class. It was obvious to everyone, even to Sora, what the real reason behind her weird antique was the return of Matt. Sora sighed and walked beside Izzy through the hallway.

"Why are you trying to avoid him, Sora?" Izzy asked.

"I don't know, Iz. I just didn't want things to be awkward between us, you know? We didn't have the best of farewells when he left and well…" she drifted off to silence, shrugging her shoulder as if what she was telling Izzy wasn't of great importance. How would she be able to face Matt after three years of not seeing him? She closed her eyes and the image of Matt staring at her in math class greeted her. He looked the same with his golden hair and sapphire eyes but…was it possible for someone to look like a Greek God? Sora groaned out loud, catching Izzy's attention. She looked at him and shook her head and gave him a brief smile, telling him without words that it was nothing when, deep down inside, she knew it was indeed something. They talked all the way to Izzy's next class where Sora dropped him off before walked down the halls of her college alone. With her head down, her mind traveled back to her nightmare. Sora stopped in her tracks, pinching the bridge of her nose as she tried to push away the thought. Unfortunately for her, the screams of the little girl entered her thoughts, growing in volume until Sora thought that she was going to scream in frustration. She ran out the school, dodging people along the way as she rushed to the gym area.

Her breath came out in harsh gasps but the screams never disappeared. She was glad that she was alone in the girl locker room and Sora stood in front of her locker, pressing her forehead against the cool locker door, her eyes closed shut and her hands pressed tightly against her ears. She was not going to remember. Not here at school where everyone would see. She stood there in silence as the minutes ticked by, willing the screams to go away. The screams began to dim until finally, she heard the silence of her own mind. Sora let her breath out in one long sigh of relief and opened her eyes half way, bringing her hands to her side. Will she ever escape? She thought that she did the moment he left their lives. Her therapist told her and her mother that Sora would suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and, to Sora's dislike, she did. She never trusted any man older or taller than she. She was claustrophobic and who knew what else she was afraid of. How Tai and the others never sense that there was something wrong with her was beyond Sora's comprehension. She thought that there were times that her true self was revealed, especially when she was around Matt. She swore that he was the only one to see into her tattered soul.

"I hate you, Ishida. I wished that I never met you. You are despicable and you don't deserve to walk this earth. Get out of my life and never ever come back!"

Tears blurred Sora's vision when she remembered their argument and the words she told Matt and vice versa. What was the cause of their fight in the first place? She didn't remember and she wondered if Matt did. Scrubbing her eyes, Sora changed into her tennis gear and went out to the tennis courts that were outside the building. She practiced alone, serving ball after ball over the net when the machine shot them out with blinding speed, all the while, she pushed all her negative thoughts back behind that door, locking it tight so she would not be hunted with them for the rest of the day.

The rain started again, damping her hair and clothes but still, Sora continued to play until the machine served the last ball over the net and towards her. She swung her racket and stopped, watching the ball bounce on the ground on the other side. She stood, breathing heavy and allowed the cooling rain to wash over her heated body. She went back to the locker room and grabbed her stuff, not bothering to change into her clothes. She pulled on her jacket and once outside, she ducked under her umbrella and walked down the streets in the direction of her building. She paused when she reached the corner of the fourth block that she walked and slapped her forehead, realizing that she was miles away from her home.

"Great, just great," she mumbled to herself, hitting her forehead repeatedly with her open palm. "Mimi left early and I have no way in getting home. Sora, you are so stupid!" She kicked at the sidewalk, mumbling angrily at herself.

"Sora, is something wrong?"

She froze in the act of hitting her forehead at the sound of that familiar voice. She turned around abruptly and saw Matt staring at her with a bemused look. Out of all the rotten luck! Sora did her best trying to avoid any contact with Matt but, like always, she was cursed with bad luck. She blinked rapidly and Matt tilted his head to the side, his bangs moving slightly, covering his beautiful eyes. Sora swallowed hard at the sudden lump in her throat. She shook her head and gave him a tentative smile.

"Nope, no problem at all. I was just heading home that's all…"she looked down the block again, before glancing down at the damp concrete floor.

"You do know that your house is miles from here right? You can't possibly walk that far," there was real concern in his voice causing Sora to look up at him again.

"There's no other way for me to go home. I have no money for the trains or buses and I will never hitchhike." The thought turned her blood cold and she shivered involuntarily.

Matt took a step towards her. "Want me to give you a ride home?"

Sora shook her head animatedly, taking a step away. She gave him a small smile. "I'll manage, Matt, but thanks for the offer." She turned around and walked away but not before hearing Matt's footsteps following her. She sighed softly. All she wanted to do was be alone but, obviously, she would never achieve that goal until she was safe in her room. She kept her face straight but her eyes roamed around, feeling eyes watching her as she walked.

"Your house is too far and my car is just around the block. I have to go your direction anyway since I'm going to visit T.K and my mom so I might as well drop you off," Matt persisted, finally walking beside her.

"Oh fine then. Like you're giving me much of a choice anyway," she mumbled the last part to herself as she followed Matt to a silver 2009 Aston Martin DBS. Sora stopped in her tracks and studied the car. Should she get in? If she did, she knew she wouldn't be able to escape from Matt, no matter how hard she would want to try. Her grip on her umbrella tightened and she looked at Matt. He arched his eyebrow, tilting his head to the side again. Her heart fluttered then pounded hard against her chest. Sora resisted the urge to place her hand over her heart and in return, gave Matt another small smile. She slid into the passenger side at the same time Matt did. She sat in silence, staring sightless out of the car window. They drove in an awkward silence, neither knowing what to say to the other after three years. Their past hung in the air, chocking Sora with its heaviness. What was there to say? She wasn't going to bring up their dreadful argument and she knew Matt felt the same way. She sighed inwardly, feeling ridiculous when there was no need for it. She knew Matt for years! They should've been able to strike up a conversation easy but it was just too damn difficult.

"You're shivering."

Sora jumped at the sound of his voice and glance his way. He didn't remove his gaze from the road but she knew that he was watching her from the corner of his eye. "Just cold," she replied softly. She wasn't just cold. She was freezing. The heat that Matt put on when he started the car wasn't able to reach her skin and warm her. She was feeling cold all the way to her bones. Sora shrugged her shoulders carelessly as if the topic didn't matter. "I was practicing when it started to rain. No big deal, really."

He stopped at a red light and Matt glanced her way. Sora felt as if her heart ceased and she inhaled sharply. The look in his eyes, raw with some type of emotion, took her breath away. His masculine scent filled her lungs and Sora thought that she would never get rid of it. They stared at each other, the sound of soft jazz played in the background and the air in the car seemed to sizzle with electricity. Sora was the first to pull her gaze away, returning to the scenery outside the window. The silence returned for the rest of the ride. Matt parked the car in front of Sora's building but neither one moved or even said a word.

With a sigh, Sora pushed a lock of hair behind her ear and shifted positions in her seat. "Thanks for the ride, Matt. I appreciated it."

"No problem, Sora."

Silence once again settled around them. She looked at him, not at all shocked to see him staring at her. She gave him a small smile before opening the door and holding her umbrella open for her. She turned to face Matt once more before looking down at her lap.

"I'm glad that you're back, Matt," she whispered so softly that she was unsure that Matt was able to hear. Not waiting for a response, Sora hastily jumped out the car, closing the door behind her, and rushed to her building complex.

A/N: Please Review! I would love to see what everyone has to say.