A/n: 05/18/09

HEY!

I took a while right? Yeah, I've been waiting on my beta who has mysterious disappeared. I think he's busy, let's hope. If not... I have a back up... I think. But Hayleywilliams did help out with the ideas.

Thanks for all the reviews! You are great!
Replies -
Michi - Thank you, babe. I'm glad you enjoy my crazy mind!
LoveCherrySnow - I was sad too. I cried a little. Especially when I read what everyone thought of my little fic. Thank you. I hope you can enjoy this one too.
AnimeLightPrincess - Mimi's kid is Sayuri! :D Thanks.
~~inori - I hope that meant you liked it! :)
Jamy - Oh! I missed you! I got scared that you weren't reading! But alas, you're back! Yay! Thanks for the review!

Summary: Five years isn't very long. But when secrets and lies play a part... bonds are tested and friends find that bad habits never die. Sequel to Hot Girls and Fast Cars. AUish.

Disclaimer: PrincessJaded does not own Digimon.

Chapter 3
Simple Kind of Life

Now all the simple things are simply
Too complicated for my life
How'd I get so faithful to my freedom?
A selfish kind of life
When all I ever wanted was the simple things
A simple kind of life

Mimi flipped a pancake before going to the refrigerator to take out a carton of milk. She poured some in a Sippy cup and placed it on the table before her waiting daughter.

Matt stumbled out of his bedroom and took a seat next to the little girl. Sayuri patted his arm in a sympathetic manner and smiled. "I'm sorry for waking you up, Uncle Matt. I won't do it ever again. 'Kay?"

Despite Matt's lack of sleep and typical early morning grouchiness, the little girl's smile and squeaky, high-pitched voice brushed away all traces of his foul mood.

Matt's life had changed considerably since he left Japan. When he'd first moved to New York, he lived in the housing provided by Revolutionary Riot. It was cramped and stuffy, with far too many "fresh new talents" under one roof.

Apparently, the label was just starting up, and it was looking for breakout artists to give them the edge they were looking for. They'd recruited twenty guys, including himself, who were in bands like him, all from different countries. The label had plucked out the ones they'd seen as the moneymakers and shipped them in.

They claimed to like his music but forced him to record cheesy pop hits and remixed versions of previous songs. Matt in particular remembered recording Leavin' by Jessie McCartney, only for the label to tell him that they couldn't use it because they hadn't cleared the property rights.

Revolutionary Riot was a joke. Matt only lasted with them for two months before he quit. There was a messy spat involving lawyers but with the help of his father's best friend, Susumu Kamiya, he was freed of the contract.

His mother had tried to convince him to come home, but by then, due to his father's other best friend, Keisuke Tachikawa, he'd already moved into a loft in Manhattan with Mimi, and had started taking some classes at NYU.

It was after one very stressful year that he signed to a competent label and started recording his own songs.

Mimi placed a mug of freshly made coffee on the counter for him and he took it greedily. "You're a God-send, Meems."

"Tell me something I don't know."

"Conceited. So where've you been for the past few days?" he asked as she served him a plate of scrambled eggs. "I called here and no one answered. I got back last night and you weren't here either."

"Yeah… well, I was with Ryo."

"Ryo? I thought he was in California," Matt commented, now shoveling the eggs into his mouth. "You used too much salt, by the way."

She glared him and he smiled. "We broke up."

Matt choked on his food and Sayuri patted his back. "Uncle Matt!" she chided. "You're supposed to chew and then swallow, silly."

Mimi bit her lip to hold back her giggles and Matt rolled his eyes.

It was incredible how much this little person reflected her parentage. She was blunt and jovial to the point where, even if she were to offend you, you'd probably smile because she was just that adorable.

Mimi took in the view of her little family. Her daughter was now four, and there wasn't a day that went by when Mimi wasn't amazed at how much she'd grown or how unbelievable she was. Sayuri was the unexpected gift Mimi never felt she deserved. Meanwhile, Matt was the friend she couldn't live without. He was the father figure her daughter needed.

"Momma!" Sayuri's voice cut though Mimi's reverie, and she looked down at her daughter. "The machine! It's blinking! Like this!" She made a fist and relaxed her fingers rapidly, mimicking the flashing number on the telephone.

Mimi followed her daughter's pointing finger to the answering machine. She pressed the play button and heard her own voice greet the caller and then… Sora? She was unexpectedly ecstatic and sounding way too much like Mimi.

When Sora came to the point of her call, Mimi gasped, and Matt dropped his fork; it clattered loudly against the glass plate. They exchanged a bewildered look and stared at the machine like it was psychotic.

"The pancake's burning!" Sayuri yelled, but neither of the adults in the room paid attention.

"I'm on vacation for the next three months, thank the Lord. So when are we going?" Matt asked Mimi over his coffee cup.

She was cutting up Sayuri's heart-shaped pancakes into little pieces. Mimi looked up at him and sighed. "Soon, because obviously, I don't really have much of a choice. I guess I could avoid him…"

"No, you really can't. He'll probably be at the wedding too." Matt took in Mimi's scowl and laughed. "Mimi, some secrets can't be kept forever."

"Sayuri, go get my cell phone off my bed so we can call Auntie Sora back." The tiny girl happily obeyed her mother's wishes and ran off. Mimi turned on Matt, butter knife poised to kill. "Can we not talk about that?"

"It's enviable. That's all I'm saying," Matt added.

Mimi groaned. As much as she didn't want to deal with this, she had to… for Sora.

Sayuri came back soon and Mimi instructed her to go play, but the four-year-old pouted in retaliation. Mimi wasn't going to fall for it; she merely pointed in the direction of the living room while she picked out a number in her iPhone and called her best friend.

Sayuri turned her sad eyes and pouty lips to her godfather. He inwardly groaned and handed her a candy without Mimi seeing. With the sweet hidden from her mother's view, Sayuri skipped away to watch Yo Gabba Gabba.

"'lo?"

"Rise and shine, Bridezilla!"

"Mimi?"

"No, Peyton Sawyer, it's Brooke Davis. Yes, it's Mimi. Oh, and Matt's here too."

"Hey guys," Sora mumbled through her sleep. "I take it you got the message."

"Uh huh. So… how big is the ring?" Mimi demanded.

Matt shook his and finished his breakfast while the two girls gossiped away. No matter how old they got, he doubted they'd ever change. Not that he really wanted them to, he loved them both just the way they were. He just wished that things were different.

While Mimi and Sora sorted through the details of when Mimi, her daughter, and Matt would be arriving, the former Prom Queen kept her trained eyes on the best friend sitting before her. He was unusually quiet. Not that Matt was talkative to begin with; it was just that he hadn't even looked up at her. It was as if he was intentionally trying not to hear the conversation without actually leaving the room.

And there was a slight glint of sadness in his eyes when he looked up at her briefly.

Mimi understood his pain.

Perhaps she was the only one who really did.

She lived it every day, in the form of emails from Yuuko Kamiya.

TK grinned at the guy in the seat beside him. Ken's fingers were digging into the armrests and he was slightly turning green.

"Hey bro, you alright?" TK questioned warily.

Ken gave a stiff nod, but refused to give a verbal answer. When TK had practically begged him to journey back home with him, Ken hadn't really figured the distance. He'd assumed it'd be a quick ten-mile train ride, nothing too far. Nothing involving being airborne.

But as it turned out, he was sadly mistaken. They went to school in northern Japan, in the Aomori prefecture. Odaiba was a good distance away, almost completely across the country.

Though to Ken, it made sense; TK never particularly indulged in his home life, and neither did Ken. Perhaps that was why they'd both chosen to roam so far from home to go to school without actually leaving the country, like many did.

Another thing that made sense to Ken was that TK avoided talking about his ex: Kari. He'd spoken of her on occasion, but those conversations were rare, and almost always involved alcohol consumption. Ken had learned that Kari was only a few months older than TK and that the duo had been best friends since they were eight. When they turned thirteen they realized that the feelings they'd shared had grown. And by the time they were both fifteen, they'd become each other's first time and first love.

Ken reflected on that. He'd never had any real commitments through his younger teen years, and his relationships were limited to his family – in particular, his only living relative. His mother, who was once kind and gentle, was now in a mental institute because she went insane after his father and brother were killed. Ken didn't want to reflect on that painful memory.

Three years ago, his life was forever scarred… all because his father decided to take a family vacation in England.

"Ken!" TK shook him hard and stared at him with worried eyes. "We're here."

"I honestly didn't know," Davis defended as he and Kari drove to Odaiba.

"Okay, no one has you on trial about it. Would you calm down already, you're giving me a headache."

A look of hurt and anger crossed Davis' face. She'd been moody lately, easily annoyed and bitchy. He didn't like her when she was like this. He preferred the easygoing, lovable, and considerate Kari who'd never tell him that he got on her nerves, even if it were otherwise.

Kari reclined in her seat and pulled the hood of her sweater over her face. She was growing increasingly perturbed by his presence, his touch, even his voice. But she couldn't understand why; though she did notice that it had escalated after Sora's phone call. It was like everything he did bugged her.

She did feel bad since she knew he wasn't intentionally making himself a nuisance; that's just who he was. She'd accepted it and even adored it at times.

"I'm taking a nap; wake me up when we're at my parents'," Kari announced, slouching deep into the seat of Davis' car.

"Okay. I love you," Davis reminded, hoping it would ease her crabbiness.

Her only response was, "Uh huh."

"Hey Dad," Joe acknowledge his father as the two men walked past one another.

They were at work and Joe was already regretting getting out of bed. Flu season had decided to hit early and people were coming in complaining of fevers and nausea. As much as he wanted to, Joe denied himself the joy of telling them that they were making him nauseous.

"Son," Tadao Kido greeted his youngest son. "How is Jun doing with school?"

"She's doing well. Almost done with this semester, but she's taking the summer courses as well."

"That's good. And her daughter?"

Joe suppressed a growl and forced a smile on his lips as a patient walked by. "Our daughter is doing fine, thank you."

"Well, that's nice." Tadao nodded. "I have patients. Yours is in room five."

Joe watched his father walk away, crestfallen. It didn't matter how much he did, it didn't matter how much he cared or how much he wished, his father had seen him as nothing but a disappointment since his senior year, and Joe felt that it would never change. He didn't graduate top of his class in high school, and he missed the top spot again when he graduated college. So far he was running a close second in final month of med-training.

But most of all, it was his father's disposition when speaking of Joe's daughter that upset him. It made his blood boil and it hurt him incredibly.

Joe's foul mood worsened when he stepped into room five. He looked up from his notes and forced a smile on his lips. "Hello, Taro. And how are you doing today?"

The little boy who sat on the examination table, happily kicking his feet against the metal, slightly denting it, threw a box of plastic gloves at Joe. He laughed when Joe didn't move and was hit.

His mother glared at the young doctor and said nothing her to unmannered son.

"Open the door, Tai!"

The pounding and the yelling of the man standing outside Tai's apartment didn't rouse the young lawyer from the comforts of his king-sized bed or the luxury of a soundproof bedroom.

Not until the door to his bedroom was thrown open and his thick blankets were ripped off his body did Tai acknowledge the presence of a foreign entity in his home.

He rolled over and felt his forehead crease and eyebrows furrow as the curtains were drawn back.

"I don't know who the fuck you are, but you have one minute to get your ass out of my apartment before I break your neck."

"Really?"

"Oh God, really? Are you fucking serious? You drove all the way over here?" Tai questioned, tucking his head into three pillows. He was hoping that if he didn't see, she wouldn't actually be there.

"I'll do it, I swear I will."

"Go home!" Tai groaned.

He heard retreating footsteps and sighed in relief; maybe she had gone home. Suddenly his body arched and he hissed as ice-cold water rolled down his back.

"Tai, get your ass out of bed right now!"

Tai sat up angrily and attempted to stare down his best friend. "Sora, how the fuck did you get in here?"

Sora, dressed in a dark wash True Religion jeans, a white top from her label, and Fendi heels, walked over to the window and leaned against the sill. "Whit, charm, and utter brilliance."

Tai grumbled something Sora didn't quite hear and ran his hand over his face. He looked down at the sheet pooled around his waist and laughed. "I get it; you wanted to see me naked." Sora's playful smile died and she glared at him. "It is. You bribed the manager to give you the spare just so you could see me naked. Sora, babe, I love you, but that's not gonna happen."

"Shut up, Tai!" Sora spat. She walked to the door but turned to meet his gaze before she left. "For your information, I was in town to pick up some things for the wedding and I wanted to have lunch with my best friend, something that we've been too busy to do lately. You didn't answer the door and I was worried. Izzy told me what you've been doing! Forgive me for caring. Oh, and here's a heads-up; she's on her way here already. She'll be here tonight at ten."

With that said Sora walked to the first door and slammed it shut on her way out.

Tai pulled himself out of bed and into the shower. He let the water run cold as he mulled over his thoughts. He'd had his fifth sleepless night in a row. He'd barely gotten any rest. The sun was already coming up when he finally forced his eyes to close.

It was work; it was his father; it was his acquaintances. He hadn't taken on any new friends. He didn't really trust anyone anymore. The truth was, he was a bitter mess. He occupied himself with women, but just for a good time. They meant nothing. He wouldn't let them mean anything.

The last time that happened, the heart he broke was too precious. But not only that. His own heart had suffered. And he doubted that it ever healed.

Mimi was coming home tonight.

That meant so much.

He could tell her. He could simply tell her that he was wrong.

But there was that voice in the back of his head that nagged at him. What the hell would he do if she'd moved on? In his search for her, he found nothing about her social life, nothing about her romantic life… Mimi could be married or in a serious relationship for all he knew.

No, he refused to accept that. Even if she were, she was involved with someone, that would never be good enough for her.

And then, as if he'd known it all along, he knew how he'd find out everything that had plagued him…

Matt.

Title: Simple Kind of Life - No Doubt

Questions!!! Mostly just... what do you think!?

Beta'd by PY687. (5/20/09)

Thank yous: SugarSpiral, my-little star, guavawolf, Hayleywilliams, alienstarship, Hood Star, SparkleMe-x, ThatsWhatSheSaid07, Pied Piper, LoneWolfVampire13, aprilsdiamond, Jaeda star, Pranksta-4-lyf, Michi, Cara Miro, kouhaixsempai, LoveCherrySnow, AnimeLightPrincess, Aster Selene, ~~inori, Jamy, Gizmo Bunny, :), Lilamedusa, and Orpheus Telos.

Thank you, I love you. Review!
Diane