White Moon Princess: Thank you so much to Jaeda star, RK13, Hermione Granger 1598, and PrincessJaded for reviewing on chapter 1. I am going to fix a few kinks I saw from chapter 1 in this chapter and I may repost chapter 1 so that it looks better. Another big thanks needs to go out to my beta SilverDeathAngel. She's a great beta and I would recommend her to anyone who needs a beta for their stories. Just to let all of you know, this story was meant to be a one-shot, but I didn't feel a one-shot would do it justice. It's not going to be a horribly long story (only like 4 to 5 chapters). Anyway enough of my blabbering and on to chapter 2!
Chapter 2-Remembering
Matt ignored his band mates constant questions about Tammy on the way to the hotel. They wanted to know everything about her. That was especially true of Naoki, he seemed almost too curious.
Naoki, Haru, and Akio stumbled into bed and soon Matt could hear their snores coming from each of their respective rooms. But sleep was the last thing on his mind. I can't stop thinking about Tammy. She different from every girl I've run into. It's so weird…that kiss that we had…it's almost like we completely understood each other in that moment. I felt her pain and she seemed to feel mine. It's like we connected physically and emotionally in that moment. That's never happened to anyone else, not even with Sora.
Matt reached for his guitar and began to run his hand over it. His mind wandered, showing him moments in his life. He noticed all these moments were the darker moments in his life. His parent's divorce, his loneliness and anger in the years after the divorce, almost losing Takeru to Puppetmon, his conversation with Cherrymon and subsequent betrayal of the Digidestined. Then his mind played the experience in the cave of darkness. Lastly, he saw Sora's ultimate betrayal. Those moments when he'd entered the room and had seen the scene before him…played with perfect clarity. Every moment was burned permanently into his psyche. He remembered in horrifyingly perfect detail the rage that occurred afterward. His knuckles ached as he remembered every single punch that had rained down.
He leaned his head back against the couch, staring at the ceiling. Why the hell did my life have to go so wrong? My stupid parents had to get divorced and I had all the emotional trauma that came with that. And then everything else had to happen. At that moment he longed for nothing more than to drink himself into unconsciousness or…to have a smoke. But his mind instantly rejected the smoking idea. Mimi had beaten that idea out of his head long ago. He smirked as he remembered the day she had caught him smoking.
It was a school day and he'd decided not to go to school that day. He'd had a huge physical fight with his dad, but while had some bruising on his arms and other places, but his father had managed to miss his face. He walked down the street towards the school. Why the hell am I heading this way? I guess it's just habit. I won't go in through, I don't feel like going today. He knew eventually they would call his father and tell him that he had not gone to school, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He was too busy at his job anyway. And then after his job, he always went drinking with his co-workers or friends. So Matt was pretty sure that his father wouldn't give a damn if he didn't show up to school that day.
He smirked as he pulled a white pack out of his pocket. There's one thing the stupid old man doesn't know. I made off with his cigarettes. He's gonna be so damn mad when he gets home.
Soon he found an alley near the school and he took out a long and thin cigarette. He grabbed the lighter he'd taken along with the cigarettes out of his pocket and flicked it. The bright orange flame lit up and Matt put the cigarette in his mouth. Very slowly and tentatively, he lit the cigarette. He was about to inhale when suddenly there was a tapping of heels coming his way. He looked up and stared into the eyes of Mimi Tachikawa.
Her eyes were wide as saucers and her face had turned as pale as the cigarette he was about to smoke. He put the cigarette to his mouth again and started to inhale when Mimi's face exploded with anger. She reached out and swatted away the cigarette, causing it to fly onto the ground. She winced in pain and her right hand grabbed her left hand, which had swatted the cigarette away.
Oh my hell! She burned her own hand! Stupid girl!
He instantly grabbed her hand and pulled her to the nearest snow bank. He plunged her left hand into the snow bank while using his right hand to cover her mouth. If she screams, she'll alert the whole school. They'll think she's getting raped or something.
Her scream of pain was muffled and he held her in his arms until she stopped shaking. Then he pulled her hand out of the snow bank and examined it. Obviously it was burned and would probably need to be cleaned and then wrapped up.
Mimi's eyes stared into his. She looked so vulnerable in that moment. Why would she even care if I was having a smoke or not? Well I'll have to ask her later. She needs help now.
He quickly stood up, pulling her up with him. "We need to take care of that. My place isn't too far from here, so let's go and I'll get that cleaned out."
Mimi silently nodded and followed him down the street. He kept her left hand inside his cold hands, hoping it would dull the pain she was feeling. After unlocking the door to the apartment, he led her to the sink and turned on the cold water.
"Stay there and keep your hand under the water. Hopefully it helps until I can find the first aid kit." Matt said matter of factly.
After a few minutes of looking, he found the first aid kit and walked back into the kitchen. Mimi was looking absently at her hand, seeming to be somewhere else.
"Does it feel any better?"
She jumped at hearing his voice and turned to face him.
"Yes, thank you." She said quietly.
He gently took her hand and sat down at the kitchen table. Mimi followed suit and sat across from him. He began to work on getting the supplies to clean out the wound when he looked up at her.
"Mimi-san, why did you do that? Why do you give a damn if I was smoking a cigarette or not?"
Mimi looked down at her lap, "Well…I was worried when Yamato-sama didn't come to school. Especially when you promised Sora-chan that you would meet her during our break. Then I saw you walking down the street and I decided I had to go talk to you and see if you would come to school and see Sora-chan."
"Okay that makes sense, but why did you do something so stupid? I mean swatting the cigarette while it's still burning is a really stupid thing to do." Matt answered.
After he said that he noticed that she seemed to slouch down a little more in her seat. Her face was soon splashed with crimson and she leaned over slightly so that her blonde hair was covering her face.
"I didn't want Yamato-sama to do something so horrible to himself. Smoking is a horrible habit and it would make Sora-chan sad if she saw that."
"So it was all about what Sora-san would think of me?"
A moment passed before Mimi answered him. "No…that wasn't all. I had to stop you from doing something like that to yourself because you are my friend and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I saw a friend doing something like that and didn't try to stop them. Plus there's Gabumon to think about. Would he really want you to do that to yourself if he were here?"
Matt's mouth opened and closed in surprise. I can't believe she used the "what would Gabumon want you to do?" card. But it's true…he wouldn't want me to do something like that to myself.
"Honestly Yamato-sama…I think you're doing this…all the rebellion and other things as an escape and maybe to draw some attention. You see…I think that since your parents got divorced you've felt lonely and broken inside. You don't think your parents want you and so you didn't want to appear hurt by their divorce. But deep down, you felt rejected and abandoned. And now…at least to me…it seems that your father is really busy all the time. He never spends time with you and you haven't seen your mother since the day we left for the Digital World after defeating Myotismon. So it just seems to continue this cycle for you. You're still lonely and perhaps you feel like you have to act out to get your parents attention since that's the only way they will pay attention to you." Mimi explained.
Matt looked away from her gaze. What she said is pretty much true. How did she know so much when she hardly knows me? I didn't bear my soul to her at all. In fact, we hardly spoke during the whole time we were in the Digital World with the rest of the gang.
"You're just trying to escape the situation you're in Yamato-sama. And you think the only way out is to drown yourself in something like your father does. But it's okay to feel something Yamato-sama." She paused and touched his hand, "It's what makes us human."
Matt slowly met her gaze. "How do you know so much about me? You hardly even know me."
Mimi smiled at his question, "You're eyes say a lot about you. Just promise that you won't do something like that again. It'll make everyone you love sad if you do something like that to yourself and something happens to you."
He nodded and started to clean out Mimi's wound.
Matt slowly opened his eyes and focused on the darkened hotel room. She was completely right. I did all those things so that someone would notice me. So that someone would notice the pain I was in…
Suddenly his phone began to ring. He looked over at the screen to see who was calling him. He opened his phone carefully and put it to his ear.
"Hello?"
"Good evening…um I guess it's good morning in New York huh? Well good morning Onii-chan."
Matt smiled, "Yes it is Takeru. It's what…5 pm there?"
"Yes, Mom is just about finished with making dinner. And I'm guessing you just got back from a night of partying at the nightclubs there?"
"Of course! Would you expect anything less from me?" Matt joked.
Takeru sighed on the other side of the phone. "It makes me worry about you is what it does. I've heard those nightclubs are dangerous places. And I bet you were drinking too."
Matt nodded to himself, "Sorry Takeru. It's harder than it seems. Once you're there…it's hard not to drink. Plus this club I went to doesn't really care how old you are. They knew I was 18 and they gave me a beer without a second glance. I hope you'll ignore my bad example and listen to Mother. You can still be Mother's perfect little boy."
Takeru gritted his teeth, "I don't want to be like that. And you aren't such a horrible influence. Mom just says you're lost that's all."
While shifting on the couch, Matt shrugged his shoulders, "How are things with Hikari-san?"
Takeru's face broke out into a full grin when Matt mentioned her. "Things are going well. We went on our first date a couple days ago. Man, Mr. Yamiya is such a scary guy! You have no idea Onii-chan!"
This caused Matt to break out into a fit of chuckles. He remembered Taichi and Hikari's father very well. He really is scary, especially when the kid who is dating his daughter is the brother of the guy who beat the living tar out of his son.
"I'm sure he was Takeru, but don't pay too much attention to it. It should be about you and Hikari, not anyone else. If her parents don't like it, then they just need to deal with it. You two are practically spoken for each other since you were kids. There's really nothing that her parents can do to stop you two from loving each other."
Takeru smirked at his brother's comments, "Yeah it's been…interesting. Taichi-kun has been really helpful to us. He's stood up for me and Hikari tons of times."
Matt's hands clenched at the sound of Taichi's name. He hated that name more than anything in this world. But he forced himself to gain some control over himself as he continued the conversation with Takeru.
"I'm glad. Taichi-san knows where his duty lies and that's good that he's responsible enough to take care of it." He replied harshly.
Takeru took a deep breath in. Mentioning Taichi-kun's name…I knew that would send Onii-chan into orbit. How stupid of me…
"You know Onii-chan…you should forgive Taichi-kun for what he did. He's really sorry for the way it went down. And…for losing your friendship over it."
Matt snorted as his anger escalated, "Taichi-san doesn't regret anything! He's still fooling around isn't he?! He's not sorry that he did what he did! He's sad that I caught him that's what!"
Takeru jumped at his brother's outburst. "What about Sora-chan? Have you even talked to her at all?"
"Hell no! I sure as hell am not going to talk to her either! I haven't talked to anyone since I left. I really don't want to talk about what happened Takeru. And I especially don't want to talk to those two about it."
Takeru handed his plate to his mother and then walked into his bedroom. He shut the door behind him.
"I'm sorry things happened the way they did Onii-chan. I really wish there was some way I could make it better. But Taichi-kun and Sora-chan…I don't know…"
Matt gripped the edge of the coffee table in frustration, "It doesn't matter anyway. It's over. I'm not coming back to Japan for a very long time…if at all."
Takeru's breath stopped for a brief moment, "Really Onii-chan? You have to come home."
"Well Takeru you need to face the fact now that I might not. I can't stand it there anymore. Everything back there is just a reminder of what happened. And I can't stand to be constantly reminded. I need to get away from everything. That's why I agreed to this tour in the first place."
"Speaking of the tour…" Takeru started nervously, "I was wondering if I could go with you. At least on some of it. I know this is short notice, but Mom just agreed to it. She said I could come in a couple days and spend some time on the tour with you."
Matt was completely flabbergasted at this turn of events. Mother never wants me to be around Takeru. She thinks I'm a bad influence on him. So why did she agree to this?
"Well…I'm sure we can manage it. What day are you coming?"
"I want to see your concert so I'll be there by that day so I can see it live." Takeru answered excitedly.
Matt's anger dissipated and he smiled, "I'm glad you're coming Takeru. I'll talk to my manager first thing in the morning and get you a backstage pass and everything. We'll have to arrange some stuff, but I'm sure we can pull it off."
"That's awesome! I'm really excited to see America. Do you think we could see Mimi while we're there?"
Matt's smile faded as quickly as it had come, "Mimi-san is here in New York?"
"That's where she was last I heard from her. It's been a while though. She hasn't talked to anybody for a couple of years." Takeru answered.
"Well trust me little brother, this city is huge and it's really hard to find one person in this city. If she hasn't talked to any of you in a couple of years that probably means she doesn't want to."
"Whatever you say Onii-chan. Well I'll call you when I'm getting on my plane."
"Sounds great Takeru. I'm looking forward to it." Matt answered.
"Now get some sleep Onii-chan. You're going to need it." Takeru chided his older brother.
"Yes Mother." Matt replied sarcastically.
He hung up the phone and slowly made his way to the bedroom. He plopped onto his bed and was carried off into a deep sleep before his head had fully hit the pillow.
Mimi rolled over in her four poster bed. She could hear her phone ringing on the bedside table. Her eyes darted to the clock. It was just after noon. Man I slept a really long time. I haven't partied that hard in a long time.
She reached her hand out and grabbed her phone off the table. She slowly put it to her ear. "Hello?"
"Hey Tammy, did I wake you up?"
She smirked at hearing Matt's voice. He sounded just as tired as she did. He obviously didn't crash last night after he got home. I can't necessarily blame him. I didn't go straight to bed either. In fact, she'd stayed up for several hours after she'd got home. I couldn't stop thinking about Matt. I can't believe I got myself in to this. How am I ever going to explain who I really am to him?
"Sorta. I had a rough night last night. I had a lot on my mind."
"Me too. I didn't sleep as well as I wanted to. But that's what coffee is for. Well…do you want to go to dinner tonight? That should give you and me plenty of time to pull ourselves together."
Mimi smirked at his joke, "Yeah that would be great Matt. Is there somewhere you want to go in particular? Do you just want to meet at the restaurant or do you need my address?"
"Things are actually pretty tight today. My manager was flipping out when I told him I was going to dinner and that I wouldn't be going to this photo shoot he wanted me to do. So maybe we could meet at the restaurant." Matt answered.
She frowned at his explanation, "You know…I don't want to take you away from your work. And photo shoots are important, especially for publicity and all. Your band could use all the publicity it can get, so maybe we shouldn't go to dinner."
Matt shook his head and rolled his eyes, "Are you trying to get out of going out with me?"
"No, not at all. I'm just saying that you shouldn't put off the important stuff at work because of me. We don't need to do anything fancy. I don't mind just eating take-out with you. You don't have to take me to some fancy restaurant and spend tons of money on me." Mimi replied meekly.
This caused Matt to smile. Wow…most girls totally want to go to the fanciest restaurant in town and have the guy spend tons of money on them.
"That's really thoughtful Tammy. I know my manager would appreciate it…"
"Then you should do it. I can pick up some Chinese on the way just as long as you tell me where your shoot is at." Mimi cut in.
"Okay, I will do that. I'll find out from my manager and text the address to you. But are you sure that you're okay with just eating take-out? I feel like I'm…cheating you."
A grin spread over Mimi's face as she rolled over, "Matt…honestly I am there for you and I ultimately want what's best for you. All the fancy food means nothing to me. I just want to enjoy the Chinese food and talk. Just you and me…"
Matt sipped a cup of tea while looking over the skyline. I just wish I was there with her. I wonder what she looks like when she first wakes up. I want to be in bed next to her…holding her while she sleeps.
"All right sounds great. I'm looking forward to seeing you." He said carefully.
Mimi giggled while digging deeper into the covers. "I kinda wish you were here right now. I wonder what you look like when you get out of bed."
Matt couldn't help but laugh. It's funny how much we think alike. "You know that's exactly what I was thinking. I was wondering what you look like right now."
This comment caused her heart to stop. He's thinking about me too. I can't believe it. I never thought I'd hear him say he's thinking about me. It's like my dream is coming true…he wants me as much as I want him.
"Well we'll have to see what we can do about that. Right now you're working on promoting your concert in a couple of days and I need to go in and have my photographer take some more pictures for the Fashion Week. So…we'll have to meet later tonight." Mimi answered playfully.
Matt eyebrow raised in intrigue. Man this girl is definitely my kind of woman. She's okay with just eating Chinese and hanging out. Definitely low maintenance…
Mimi glanced over at the clock. He probably has an interview or something to do and I need to go get my hair dyed again. This is going to be interesting.
"Sorry, I'd love to talk more Matt, but I gotta get ready to go so that I can go to my stylist and get my hair done. My photographer wants it dyed another color. So I'll call you later and get the address okay?"
He frowned at having to let her go, but honestly he needed to go to an interview in an hour and he should have left five minutes ago.
"Alright, sounds great Tammy, can't wait to see you."
"Me either. See you tonight." Mimi answered.
"Bye Tammy."
"Bye Matt." She hung up and rolled out of bed to get ready for the day.
Mimi stepped out of the limo and looked at the warehouse where Matt and his band was getting their photo shoot done. She had just finished up her own shoot and had picked up lots of boxes of Chinese food for all the band members as well as her and Matt. She walked slowly up to the door and opened it.
She smirked at seeing all the band members in boxers. They were posing in front of the cameras and the photographer was calling directions to them in Japanese. She relished the sound of her native language as she put the Chinese food on a nearby table. She sat in a chair and watched as Matt posed for the camera. He seems so calm on the exterior. He's just his usual cool self, but underneath…I can feel that he's nervous. He doesn't like doing this kind of thing.
Soon the photographer finished and the band members slipped into jeans and t-shirts. Matt walked over and stood in front of Mimi.
"Wow is that you Tammy? I'm not used to you without pink hair."
Mimi smiled while twirling a lock of her newly dyed hair. He hasn't seen anything yet. This isn't even my natural color. I hope my photographer doesn't want to take pictures of me with my natural hair color or else Matt will totally figure out who I am.
"Yeah, do you like it? It's not my natural color, but it's better than pink."
Matt touched a lock of her soft, red hair. She leaned closer to him and her lips grazed his ear, "You looked really sexy in those boxers. You totally didn't look nervous at all even though you were."
His hand continued to run through her long locks. It's weird how she could tell I was nervous. It's that connection…just like the night at the club. "I'm glad you thought so. But me and the boys are staved."
Mimi giggled and pointed to the take-out boxes on the table, "I got a little of everything so just dig it."
Soon all the boys were eating Chinese food that was piled high on plates. Matt decided to take Mimi to a secluded corner where they could eat undisturbed. They talked and laughed over the jokes that Matt cracked. Mimi smirked as Matt fed her a piece of chicken from his plate.
The band mates settled in to talking about the latest soccer scores back at home and Matt shrugged his shoulders. Soccer was more of Sora and Tai's thing. He turned to look at Mimi.
"You haven't told me much about your family. Do you have brothers and sisters?" Matt asked.
Mimi shook her head, "No, I'm the only child. My parents live upstate in a big mansion. My dad's an executive of a company and my mother's been a stay at home mom since I was born. That's about it."
"Wow…sounds nice." Matt commented.
"What about you? I mean I think I remember something about your parents being divorced or something like that."
Matt looked off into the distance as he answered, "Yeah, they got divorced when I was young. My dad got custody of me and my mom got custody of my younger brother Takeru. I've lived with my dad in Tokyo ever since…sorta."
"Sorta?" Mimi asked curiously.
"Well…I legally got emancipated from him when I was 16. I've been living on my own since."
Mimi's eyebrows rose. That's a young age. He must have really hated his life at home in order to get legally emancipated.
"That's amazing that you could do that. I wish…I had that kind of freedom at that age."
"What do you mean?"
Mimi sighed. This is more than I ever wanted to tell him. I'm getting in too deep…
"Well actually my parents were really against me modeling. I was recruited when an agent found me at my junior high. My mom and dad…they were completely against it like I said…so I went behind their back and did it anyway. Eventually I did really well and my parents found out. We got in a big fight and basically I left. I moved in with my boyfriend at the time and I've never looked back. I haven't talked to them in a couple of years." Mimi explained.
Matt put his hand on her shoulder. "That really sucks Tammy. I would hate it if my parents did that to me, especially since you seemed so close to them. See I was never close to mine so it wasn't a big deal for me. My dad and I never got along and my mother was never around."
Mimi leaned her head against his shoulder, "I guess we've both had tragedy in our lives. Neither of us have parents who are involved in our lives."
He rubbed her back comfortingly and ran his other hand through her hair. She really understands. Her parents aren't around either, so both of us know the loneliness that comes with that.
"Well…I want you know this Tammy…I won't be like that. I completely support you modeling."
Mimi nodded her head, "Thanks that means a lot. My ex-boyfriend…he was supportive at first, but then he got so jealous…he was horrible."
Matt cringed as he thought of what she could possibly mean by that. "That's awful. That guy must have been a real ass."
"You have no idea. He was a total jack ass and then some. I'm glad I finally got up the courage and left him. I never want to be in that situation again. It was the most demeaning thing that's ever happened to me in my entire life."
Mimi buried her head into his shirt as the tears ran down her face. The memories of her ex-boyfriend rushed through her head like they had during their kiss at the club. Matt held her for just a moment and then tilted her chin upward so she was looking at him.
"I promise you…I will never be like that. I will treat you like the queen that you are. I will treasure you every single day." Matt whispered.
Before Mimi could respond to that, he leaned down and his lips locked onto hers. Powerful emotions rushed through her just like they had at the club. She was amazed at what she felt. She could feel how he felt about her. He's falling for me…just like I'm falling for him. We are two kindred spirits out there that just need comfort and love. He's hurting right now…but it's not like it was the night I met him. That raw pain has dulled. Could I possibly…be helping him heal?
Matt gently nibbled on her lip, wordlessly asking for her to allow him in. When she did finally allow him in, the feelings she felt intensified a thousand fold. She was drowning in him. And she liked it…
I could see myself being happy with him. Spending every day together…being together always. We could have a thousand moments just like this one.
He gently laid her on the couch nearby and his hands began to wander around her body. They kissed for several moments before breaking for a breath of air. Matt gently kissed the base of her throat.
"Matt…I…I don't know how to tell you this…but I think…I'm falling for you." Mimi said breathlessly.
He nodded, "I feel the same. You're so different from the other girls I've been with."
Mimi's heart skipped a beat as she kissed him once more. This kiss was longer and she felt a liquid fire inside her body ignite. She wanted him…more than anything else. But it's too soon. He doesn't even know who I really am. I've been deceiving him. I should tell him…before he gets in way too deep.
"Matt there's something…" she started.
He looked up and then his eyes lit up, "Oh yeah, I forgot to ask you…I have to go to charity benefit tomorrow night. I would really like it if you came with me. I don't want to this alone. I really…I can't be without you anymore." He paused unsure if he should open himself up like this, "I don't want to be without you anymore. You make me feel whole…and I haven't felt that in so long. Not since…"
"Not since Sora left you." Mimi whispered reverently.
"How did you know about that?"
Mimi shook her head, "It doesn't matter. All that matters…is that we care for each other. And I want to be with you. Nothing else matters now."
Matt nodded, "So will you come with me?"
She slowly nodded her head, "I'd love to go with you."
"So there was something you wanted to tell me?" He stated.
She shook her head once again, "No, it's nothing."
He shrugged his shoulders as he noticed the necklace she was wearing. He touched the charm that was at the end of the cord.
"Thanks for keeping it safe for me."
She unclasped the hook and handed it back to him. "Now you can have it back. You said it was precious to you."
Matt fastened it around his neck and then kissed her once more. This kiss was much shorter than their predecessors, but was just as meaningful. Akio, crept over and stood by the couch. Matt slowly broke away and looked up at him, "Ready to leave?"
Akio nodded. "We are. We just didn't want to interrupt."
Mimi giggled, "Your band mates are here to steal you away from me again."
Matt smirked as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "If you want…I thought maybe we could go ice skating at the Rockefeller Plaza tomorrow before we go to the charity benefit."
"I'd like that. Call me tomorrow and let me know when you want to go."
Mimi slowly moved out of Matt's embrace. He stood up and led her to the door. They kissed briefly before she walked out to meet her limo that was waiting for her.
