Fragments of Me

A/N: I am just so thankful for all of your overwhelming support and praise for my story. I'm really excited that so many of you are getting so intrigued by it! I hope this chapter is to your liking!!

-Kess

P.S. Still no sign of the wicked spider of doom.

Skeletons in My Closet

"Thank you so much for doing this TK," Mimi said to the young blond. TK was blushing with all his might. He was not used to seeing Mimi dressed like that. She wore a black corset that pushed everything way up. A sinfully short skirt and a loose fitting belt hung from her bony hips. She wore black, high heeled, knee high boots and a black leather newsboy hat.

Mimi has always been a sister to him. Even when they were younger and trapped in the Digital World, it was Mimi who would do whatever she could to keep TK cheerful. Mimi had had faith in him when everyone else discounted him because of his size and age. He should not be having these types of reactions to his sister figure!

Mimi was hot; there was no getting around that. Her full lips were covered with a sensual red lipstick and her eyes looked smoky. She could have easily passed as a fairy... a very naughty fairy, that is. While TK's mind was trying to distract itself, his body was... happy... to focus on her.

"It's no problem. I'm glad I can help. Why don't we get started?" TK sent up a prayer of thanks when Mimi agreed and took her place against the blood-red backdrop. "I think we'll just start with you just doing whatever you're comfortable with. Sound good?" Mimi nodded, and TK immersed himself in the job.

Mimi flexed and posed in front of the camera. She completely forgot who was behind the camera; she just let her body do all the work. She felt sexy, powerful, and totally in control. This was her world. Nothing could touch her here. She pouted her lips, thrust her hips, and displayed her chest. All that mattered was to keep this high going. Shift. Flash. Pose; hold. Flash.

TK saw nothing in front of him but the shot. All he focused on was the best picture he could, showing his subject at its best. All that mattered was satisfying the urge to find the sweetest angle, the perfect view. It wasn't long before his role of film was spent.

"Okay, Mimi. I need to put new film in the camera. Do you want to go and change?" TK said straightening up and flashing Mimi a smile.

"Sure. I'll be right back," Mimi said. She slipped into the dressing room. It wasn't really a dressing room so much as a tall cubicle with a curtain. There was barely enough room to change.

Just as she had stepped out of her boots and unhooked her corset, she heard her cell phone ring. Damn. I left my phone in my jacket pocket. "TK?" Mimi called. "Could you see who that is calling me?"

"Yeah, sure," came the answer. "It's Matt. You want me to answer?"

"Yeah, tell him I'll be just a minute!" Mimi heard TK answer her phone and start chatting with his brother. She quickly tugged on her next outfit, the classic farm girl getup, and ran out to join TK.

"Okay. I'll send them to you. Oh, here she is. Bye," TK said hurriedly as Mimi was already taking the phone from him, eager to talk to Matt.

"Hello?" Mimi asked.

"Hey, Mimi. How's the shoot going?" Mimi couldn't believe how relieved she was to hear his voice again. It seemed like it had been years since they had talked. In reality, it had only been two days.

"It's going great. TK is really great. How are you?" Her voice was anxious. She wanted to hear that he was doing well, eating right, and coming home sooner than expected.

"I'm fine. Don't worry, I'm still healthy, and yes, I'm eating well," Matt said before she could ask. "The music video could be going better though."

Two out of three isn't so bad... "Why? What's happened?" Matt smiled at her concerned tone.

"Nothing huge. The band and the director are having some 'artistic differences'. They're not getting on at all. I'm stuck in the middle of a total war zone. I think I'm going crazy."

"You'll still be coming home next Wednesday though, right?" Ever since the flowers had arrived, Mimi had been hoping Matt would return before Michael showed up. She wasn't scared of Michael, but she was scared that Michael might actually succeed in his mission without Matt around to keep her grounded. She had always been a bit of a pushover...

"I doubt it, sweetie. I wish I was, but I don't think we'll be done by then. Are you doing okay by yourself?"

"Yeah. I'm fine." Mimi stepped a bit further away from TK. "I guess... I guess I just miss having you around."

Matt couldn't help himself. He grinned widely as he said, "Well, I can't really say the same. I'm surrounded by so many difficult people over here it's almost like I never left you!"

"Ishida, that was not nice." Mimi giggled anyway. "Listen, TK's ready for me, so I gotta go."

"Okay, Mimi. Take care. If you need anything call me or go to Sora."

"Alright. Hey Matt?"

"Yeah?"

"Call again, okay?"

Matt chuckled lightly. "I will. I promise. Bye Mimi." He gently put the phone down. Kami, how he missed her. All day long he had found himself distracted by thoughts of her. He had asked TK to send him a copy of Mimi's proofs. If he could show them to the band, he might be able to get her a job. They were looking for a model for the cover of their album.

Matt sighed and lay his forehead in his hands, elbows propped up on the desk in front of him. Mere seconds later, another shout of "Ishida-kun!" rang out. With a groan, he rose to the call of duty.

Meanwhile, back in Japan, Mimi and TK continued the photo shoot. She was having a good time. She had loved her cooking show, but she had really begun to miss being a regular model. It was fun getting to dress up and play pretend. It was all too easy to picture (no pun intended) Matt standing just over TK's shoulder. All she had to do was seduce him, and if this was all pretend, then she could pretend to be wicked.

Eventually, she and TK stopped to get some lunch. They had a nice talk about TK's schooling; he asked if he could use some of the day's work for a project. She said yes, of course. Mimi teased him about his relationship with Kari; he took it well. Apparently he was used to it. With Tai and Matt around, she wasn't surprised.

As they finished their lunch TK said, "I think all we have left to do are the head-shots. Then we can call it a day."

"Awesome. You're the best, TK. Hey, will you watch my stuff while I run to the little girls' room? Thanks!" Mimi said and skipped off to the bathroom.

When she had finished and ran back to the table, she saw TK scowling down at her phone, which lay on the table. "You okay?" she asked. Something was wrong; she could see it in his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Your phone went off while you were gone."

"Naturally." Mimi rolled her eyes.

"It was an American, I think. He thought I was Matt. Or at least, I guess that's who he thought I was. He kept calling me 'Ishida'," TK said, his expression still troubled.

Mimi sat down limply. Her face paled. "What did he want?"

"I'm not sure. My English isn't the best, but he mentioned Japan. I think he said he was coming here? Or maybe that he's already here? I don't know. He sounded really angry and put off though," TK explained.

"Really?" She had no idea what else to say.

"Mimi, are you in some kind of trouble?"

"No. I'm not in any trouble. Just a jilted ex." Mimi's mind raced. She so did not want to deal with this right now. "TK, I think I ate something funky. My stomach's feeling really yucky. Do you think we could do the head-shots another day?" Mimi was already gathering her things.

"Sure. That's fine, but are you okay? Do you need to go to the hospital?" The young man stood and reached out to her. She smiled at his concern.

"I'll be fine. I'll call you later, okay?" Mimi called out over her shoulder.

Later that night, Matt lounged in his hotel room. It had been a long, long day. He had had enough of punked out boy bands and video directors. It was almost enough to make him swear off the music business all together. Or at least strangle the whole lot of them.

At the sound of his cell phone going off, again, Matt snapped. He was determined to throw it out the damned window. With any luck, he'd avoid any car windows. As he unplugged the phone charger with a jerk, he saw that it was TK calling.

Oh, that was different then...

"Hey, TK. What's up?" Matt said after flipping his phone open.

"Not much. Developing some of Mimi's proofs," his brother replied.

"Oh yeah? How they looking?"

"Really good. She's a natural. These are going to blow your socks off, Matt."

"She looks that hot, huh?"

TK chuckled. "O-oh yeah! I have to admit, I had some trouble concentrating on the job at hand..."

"Then she must be hotter than I thought, if she had you uncomfortable. There's just no mistaking natural talent."

"That's a new word for 'sex appeal' if I ever heard one."

Matt laughed. They chatted some more about TK's photos, and then Matt vented about the catastrophe that was his day. At a lull in conversation, TK spoke up nervously.

"Hey, um... the reason I called is that Mimi got a call today."

"Oh, was it another modeling agency wanting her to come in for an interview? Our phone's been ringing off the hook for the past week..."

"No, that's not it." TK quickly spouted off the story. "She had gone to the bathroom, and her phone started ringing. I figured that since I answered her phone when you called, she wouldn't mind if I picked it up again. Anyway, it was this American guy looking for Mimi..."

Matt scoffed. "That's probably Michael, her ex."

"Yeah, that's what she said, but Matt, he thought I was you. He was really angry sounding. He said something about coming to Japan..."

"He what?" Matt shouted. If Michael was coming to Japan, he must want Mimi back. Why else would he come halfway around the world?

"I just thought I should tell you since he sounded so angry at you. All I did was answer the phone and tell him she was in the bathroom. Then he went off on me... you... whomever. Anyway, I just thought you should know," TK finished.

"Thanks. You did the right thing. I'll talk to you later, okay?" Matt hung up the phone looking grim. His instincts told him to get back to Japan A.S.A.P. Unfortunately he still had a job to do; one that wasn't going to get done at all if he left.

What could he do about it even if he did return home? It was Mimi's decision. And, as much as he hated it, he had no claim to the honey-haired beauty. If she wanted to go back with the sleazy scumbag, she could do so without even telling him. A few hugs and a couple kissed didn't give him any right to her. He was just a friend to her. He wasn't her boyfriend. He wasn't her lover.

Mimi had never confided in him about her relationship with the blond American. Maybe she wasn't over him; he certainly wasn't over her. No, Matt would have to wait for Mimi to come to him about this. He couldn't force her into anything.

He prayed that Mimi would at least wait until he got home again. He might have a shot at getting her to open up that way. And if she did, he just might have a shot at keeping her. After all, they had kissed. She did say she missed him, and she was eager for him to come home...

Matt picked up his cell phone with renewed vitality. He had some very stern talking to do to some very self-inflated stubborn people. This video was getting filmed, and he was going home... on time.

A/N: Thank you again for all of your reviews. Please do it again! I literally jump up and down and flip out when I get them. They make me feel loved. Lol. Thank you and I can't wait to read what you have to say!!

-Kess