Disclaimer: nope, still don't own anything.
Well I'm back….you didn't know I had gone? Typical!!
Just want to say thank you to: Rieko Blade, AnnMaril123, Litanya and Gomababe for reviewing my last fic (Now we'll never know) and also Brian and Sarah for reading it, all your kind words meant a lot to me and I promise that I will continue with the story….as soon as I work out what happens next!
Don't you know that?
Still on your side…
Tai watched as Matt walked away in the opposite direction from them as they left school, he didn't walk with them anymore, it was sad and they didn't know why, but one day he just didn't wait. Matt was hardly talking to any of them anymore, not even to Tai- his supposed best friend. He was just becoming distant, hanging around with his band a lot more, barely talking to anyone at all; it was almost like he was going backwards, to the way he used to be, like he'd lost faith in friendship and his friends.
Tai was almost certain that was the case; he'd stopped believing that they truly were his friends and that they care about him. Tai was also pretty certain that it was his own fault; he'd made a small comment and something in Matt's eyes told him that he'd said something really bad, he wasn't sure what and Matt didn't say anything but in that moment everything changed. At first Matt had just become quieter, then he just walked away but didn't come back.
I'm still on your side…
Matt had lost his trust in the digidestined and had instead turned his trust to the only other thing that kept him going; his music, which also meant his band 'the wolves'.
You found a place where you belong
New friends who can do no wrong
That's what you believe…
Matt was dedicated to his music and the band, but Tai knew that not all of the others in the band felt that way. They were popular, famous, but Matt was the real talent behind the band…the others were just there for the ride. Matt also believed in 'the wolves' as hi friends, but they don't really know who Matt is; all they know is his music, not the person that he is inside.
But who's gonna be there when you fall
To build you up when you're feeling small
Give you love that you need…
The only people who really knew Matt were his friends, the digidestined, and some better than others knew that Matt was a lot more sensitive and fragile than he appears that he needs the support and care of his friends.
Who will? I will
When the whole world turns against you
Ain't no lie…
It takes a long time for Matt to trust someone, and because of his defensive psychological barriers it can all be shattered in a moment, as Tai had discovered. But no matter what, Tai still believed in Matt and their friendship.
Don't you know that?
I will stand up for you
No matter what you're going through
I'm still on your side
Anytime day or night
Don't care if it's wrong or right
I'm still on your side…
Tai believed deeply in his team and the friendships that they had forged against all the odds; and part of that belief was down to Matt. Through his constant arguing and contradictions, Matt had made Tai look at the strange mixture of kids that had been thrown together not just as his team, but as the people that they were becoming and also as his friends. The only problem was Matt.
You wanna run
You wanna break free
But what you want ain't what you need…
Matt was always rebellious but he mainly used it to hide from the world, breaking free, running and being alone sometimes seemed to be the only way he could handle everything, but that meant isolating himself, shutting himself away from his friends which let his mixed up emotions tear down his beliefs and turn him away from them.
Can't you see that I care?
Here-in lies the problem. Matt couldn't always see or believe that he was cared about deeply by so many people, his friends in particular. He was blind to it, blinded by his fear, doubt and loneliness; even though he had fought to get over it but it still sometimes surfaced, added to his already sensitive emotional state. His friendship with Matt, Tai knew was strong but it was sometimes difficult for both of them.
I know I'm hard on you sometimes
But when you're looking for the things you can't find…
It was true their friendship was never exactly easy, they had argued and fought a lot but that was before they knew each other and understood one another. They still argued occasionally, but what friends don't?
That wasn't it though. Tai knew that he could be pretty hard on people, sometimes purely out of frustration, and the person he was hardest on was Matt; because they were so close as friends it was easy to just take it out on Matt, pushing him too hard especially when Matt was just trying to be his friend. If only he could tell Matt that he didn't really mean to.
Don't you know who'll be there?
Who will? I will
When it's more than you can handle
Ain't no lie
Don't you know that?
I will stand up for you
No matter what you're going through
I'm still on your side
Anytime day or night
Don't care if it's wrong or right
I'm still on your side…
That's what true friendship is about: being there for someone when they need it, when they can't cope; to stand up for them no matter what, to believe in them, anytime, anywhere, for any reason, to be on their side ; to protect them, to listen, to understand, to care, to fight….. Tai realized now that there was a lot of courage in friendship…if only there was more friendship in courage.
I'll be there when you need me
I won't let you down
There's nothing I won't do
I'll be there
You know…
Friendship. Tai would be there for Matt, just like Matt was always there for him.
I will stand up for you
No matter what you're going through
I'm still on you side
Anytime day or night
Don't care if it's wrong or right
I'm still on your side…
As Tai approached Matt's door he reached into his bag and pulled out an envelope, he studied it again and hoped that Matt wouldn't just ignore it.
I'm still on your side…
I will still be around
When the others let you down
I'm still on your side
Pushing the envelope through the letter box, he sighed and turned to go home. As he walked away he glanced back one more time, then continued walking home.
I'm still on your side.
It was late when Matt got home, no-one was around as per usual, dad was still at work. Practice had been bad but Matt hadn't been in a great mood to begin with. He was lonely and depressed, ever since that thing with Tai; he missed his friends but no, he had to keep doing this, it was the best thing to do.
As he walked in he noticed an envelope with just his name on it, which was kinda strange; he picked it up, inside was a tape/ cassette. Curious he put the tape into his cd/tape player, and then sat down to listen as the song started…
I'm still on your side
You found a place where you belong
New friends who can do no wrong
That's what you believe
But who's gonna be there when you fall
Build you up when you're feeling small
Give you love that you need
Who will? I will
When the whole world turns against you
Ain't no lie don't you know that?
I will stand up for you
No matter what you're going through
I'm still on your side
Anytime day or night
Don't care if it's wrong or right
I'm still on your side
You wanna run, you wanna break free
But what you want ain't what you need
Can't you see that I care?
I know I'm hard on you sometimes
But when you're looking for the things you can't find
Don't you know who'll be there?
Who will? I will
When it's more than you can handle
Ain't no lie, don't you know that?
I will stand up for you
No matter what you're going through
I'm still on your side
Anytime day or night
Don't care if it's wrong or right
I'm still on your side
I'll be there
When you need me
I won't let you down
There's nothing I won't do
I'll be there don't you know
I will stand up for you
No matter what you're going through
I'm still on your side
Anytime day or night
Don't care if it's wrong or right
I'm still on your side
I will still be around
When the others let you down
I'm still on your side
I'm still on your side
I'm still on your side.
The song finished, there was nothing else on the tape. Matt recognized the track as being "still on your side" by BBMAK, a British group, but he didn't understand why anyone would send it to him. He looked in the envelope for a note or anything but there was nothing, then he noticed something written inside the cassette box itself. He read it aloud to himself "I mean it….Tai" Tai? Tai had sent this? Matt was surprised but somewhere inside he understood.
Tai was sat on the floor by his bed flicking through a magazine thinking about whether Matt would actually listen to the tape, and if he did, how would he react? Would he understand?
Suddenly his D-terminal beeped letting him know that he had a message. Tai reached across and picked it up. He opened the message.
It simply read "Thank you….Matt".
There you go, I'll be back soon, Cheers! Sparxxa