Hello my beautiful readers.

I'm so sorry that I haven't updated before, but I've been so busy. Anyway, I want to thank all of you who reviewed the previous chapter – it really warms the heart that my work is getting appreciated. Much love to you all of you!

BUT... I'm evil aren't I, about the climax scene I had written. So therefore, I really hope you'll enjoy the new chapter. ;)

Oh, and remember to give me your feedback like always, because they mean the world to me.

Anyway, enjoy the reading. ^^

Declaimer: I do not own Digimon.

Chapter 12

The matter between Sora and Matt was not settled for days. Neither did it go unnoticed by the people around them. A few days later, Toshiko Takenouchi, had noticed something different with her daughter. She had seen differences with her behavior and the fact that she always locked herself inside her own room.

One evening, when they were busy eating dinner, she caught her daughter's expression and decided that this was the best time to ask her daughter if she was okay. "Sora, is something wrong?"

However there was no response from her as she was too occupied with her own thoughts. "Sora?" There was no response.

"Sora!"

"Huh?" as she came out from her reverie and looked up to meet her mother's ruby colored eyes. "Sora I asked you something."

She tucked a loose hair away from her eyes. "Sorry mom, I must have not heard."

Toshiko placed her cutlery down, "Honey, are you feeling alright?"

She gave a half smile to her mother. "Yeah of course I'm fine mom, don't worry." With that she stood up and went to the sink where she rinsed the plate and place it in the dishwasher. In the meantime her mother collected all the plates from the table and placed them near the sink. Sora began to place them in the dishwasher.

"So tell me how is Matt doing? I haven't heard anything about him from you lately." His name made her almost stand still in her position. She however composed herself and continued with the kitchen work. "I don't know. I haven't seen him for a while."

The elder Takenouchi noticed her sudden change in body language and the fact that she almost tensed up by hearing his name. She already got the picture that it had something to do with Matt. "Well, you should see him, no?" she paused slightly before continuing. "I kind of approve of him. He seems to be a good man, and the fact that you two have spent so much time together lately and …"

She closed the dishwasher and stood silently and listened to what her mother had to say. She then turned on the tap of the kitchen sink and washed her hands. "Uhm.. I think I'm going up to my room to rest a bit." She closed the tap and dried her hands with a kitchen towel and made her way towards her bedroom, leaving her mother behind.

She went inside her room where she threw herself on the soft bed as she exhaled loudly. Her gaze was fixed on the ceiling above her where she lost herself in her thoughts once again.

A few minutes later her mother knocked on the door of her bedroom and when she didn't hear any response she decided to come inside to see if everything was as it should be.

She saw her daughter lying on the bed so she came forward and sat down beside her. "Are you sure you're okay, honey?"

Sora sat up into a sitting position and leaned over the bedside. "I'm fine..." Her mother gave her a look telling her that she didn't believe her. Sora sighed. "I'm just... confused about something."

"About Matt?" Sora didn't respond and simply looked down at the bed sheets in front of her.

The elder Takenouchi reached out for her daughter's hand and spoke gently. "Sora you shouldn't be confused. Follow whatever your heart tells you to do. Now I don't know what happened between you and Matt but I know that something has happened."

Sora was about to speak but her mother cut in. "I am your mother, I will know these things. Whatever conflict has come up I am sure that you will try to sort it out – and I'm sure it will be sorted out. Just remember to follow your heart, Sora." She gave Sora a genuine smile and placed a small kiss on her forehead before she stood up from the bed. However on her way out, her eyes fell on a certain decorative piano Matt had brought to her daughter on one of the top shelves. She touched it gently before leaving the room.

Sora's eyes followed her mother's gaze and had her eyes became fixed on the piano as well. This made her go into some heavy thoughts.

They both had similar problems throughout their childhood. Both had family issues to take care of and had a hard time making their crests glow.

But nevertheless he had always been there for her from the very beginning in the Digital World where she needed help in the Dark Cave to saving her from falling Control Spires years ago. She let her mind take her back to the incident when she was stuck at the Cave of Darkness.

Matt and Joe saw Sora sitting on the ground after finding her in a dark cave. The blonde haired friend tried to move her but without any luck. "Sora what's the matter with you, get up."

Sora looked up at her two friends. "Joe, you're really here, I can't believe it. And Matt's with you."

Matt knelt beside her and gave a genuine smile. "Just relax; everything is going to be okay now."

"I'm afraid not. I haven't been trying hard enough." Matt knew what she was going through. He had been at the exact same position as her – The same darkness he went through a couple of moments ago. "You have to realize how strong your negative feelings are. They produce a powerful destructive energy. Sora it's the darkness in your heart that has created the cave in the first place. Don't you get it?"

Joe looked in amazement at Matt. "Really Matt? Is that the truth? Is that why you told TK not to be scared?"

He didn't respond to Joe as he had his eyes fixed on Sora. He needed to get her out from the darkness. "Sora, listen to me, there's only one way to make this cave disappear – you've got to reach deep in your heart and erase all the negative feelings."

"I don't know if I can? What should I do?" her voice seemed afraid and confused.

"You have to find the answer of that question on your own." His voice seemed gentle and understanding. "Sora this isn't the kind of thing you do just because you have to. If you're going to do it then it has to be because you want to."

"You mean I don't have to do it if I don't want to?"

"Right, it will only work if you want to do it."

"… It's working Matt, I think we're finally getting through to her."

Soon enough the light surrounded her body and she had overcome the darkness. She got a hold of their hands as they brought her back to her old self. She smiled. Her eyes were now back to her natural color. They were no longer dark and full of emptiness. "I get it now. You were right, Matt. How did you know?"

"I kind of went through the same thing myself." He pulled her back on her feet.

She came out from her flashback and noticed that the incident had a special place in her life. He was the only one who brought her back into the light and away from the darkness.

She lay awake on the bed and thought about the situation life had brought her in.

"Because I was in love with you, alright – That's why I left. I didn't know what I was going to do when I wasn't the one loving you."

Something snapped into her mind as she remembered that night when he had confessed his feelings.

Why didn't she see this coming? How could she? How could he love someone like her? Someone so ordinary like her? She had always managed to ask the same question ever since the bar incident happened. How could he love her? She wasn't anything special like most other girls – far from it.

She exhaled loudly and placed a hand on her forehead as she lay flat on her back and looked up into the ceiling above her. Familiar events crept into the back of her mind.

"How long will you be gone for?"
"I'm not quite sure. I haven't decided yet, maybe months or even years."

"It's good to be back home and don't worry I'm planning on staying for good now."
"That's good. I'm sure the others are going to be happy to know that."
He kept a long gaze on her. "And you? Are you happy about it?"
She looked at him with a surprised expression on her face by the choice of his words. "Of course we're happy that you're back, we all are."
"I didn't ask about the others, Sor."

"I guess the piano has an effect on me."
"Is it the piano or the pianist?"

"Are these your sketches? These are really good. I didn't know you could draw so well."

"It's all, my fault. If I hadn't told you to go out, none of this would ever have happened."
"Hey, it's not your fault, alright. I'll even do it again if I have to. No one should talk to you like the guy did. No one!"

"I would never forgive myself if something happened to you…"
"But nothing happened, right? I'm here in front of you and I'm fine. You're not getting rid of me that easy, Sor. I'm always going to be here with you no matter what."

"Who's asking, is it the astronaut or the fisherman?"
He held out a hand. "The friend." He said ever so softly which caused Sora to notice something different in his eyes. Something she hadn't noticed before.

"Why?"
"Because you're beautiful Sor. Inside and out. I don't think I could stop myself from falling in love with you – I don't want to stop. What I feel for you is so much more than just words and I won't take this back – not this time"

Why couldn't she see the small hints he had thrown at her way? Nevertheless she had to admit that she enjoyed her time with Matt. The truth was she couldn't be happier that he finally chose to come back. He managed to make her feel special at times which no one else could. But how come she couldn't tell him all that?

By this time she had almost spent 2 hours of thinking about the whole situation. Who was she trying to kid? She already knew the answers, but what held her back from letting someone into her life? Was she afraid of something? Maybe?

"So how is Matt? Is he messy?"

"You've been to his house more times than we have."

"Oh come on it's pretty obvious that you're fallen for him."

"I kind of approve of him. I met him a couple of weeks ago and oh my, he had turned out to be such a young man. I still remember when he was just a teenage boy. How time just flies by you don't even realize it, anyway. He's quite a handsome man, Sora, I'm sure you agree?"

Mimi was right. The girls had been right. Her mom had been right. Everyone had been right – but her.

"Follow your heart, Sora."

She closed her eyes in an attempt to clear her head from the heavy thoughts. God, she fell for him – Fell for the good-looking blond with those deep blue eyes. She loved him! She. Loved. Him – Loved. What do you do when you love someone? You tell the person how you feel. You express your feelings. You tell. Tell him. Tell him, Sora!

"'Cause you stole my eyes and I've never looked back." At this point everything made sense in her mind.

This caused the auburn girl to message her temple by the thoughts. If you had feelings toward someone, you tell him. Finally she knew what she had to do. She knew what she really felt.

She quickly glanced at the watch beside her bed and read. '3:20 am.' She stood up and decided to take off toward Matt's house despite the fact that it was the middle of the night. On her way out she only managed to take her jacket and her cell phone with her. Once she was out she quickly realized that she had forgotten her car keys and couldn't go back inside the house so she decided to take a cab to Matt's house.

'Damn him, for making me forget things – making me, forget the whole world'. She thought to herself while she tried to get a cab in the empty streets. She finally managed to catch a cab which drove her to his place. She was nervous but at the same time afraid as well. What would he say to her turning up on his doorstep in the middle of the night? Was he even home at this point? What if he wasn't at home at all? She really prayed that he was so she could get a chance to talk to him – Tell him her real feelings.

"Unless you don't feel the same way."

She closed her eyes when she felt herself getting emotional when she thought about those 7 words that came out from him that night. Why did she wait so long to express her feelings? She knew that she had hurt him by not responding to him when it was needed. Even at this point she still remembered that she had seen something different in his eyes – as it they had turned into a darker shade of blue?

A single tear ran down her cheek but she quickly wiped it away.

"Miss we're here."

She looked up and nodded her thank you where she paid him and climbed out from the cab. Her eyes fell on the house where Matt lived in. All the lights were turned off and concluded that he just like others was asleep.

She walked up to the front door she bit her lip in pure nervousness and the fact that she could feel her heart beat faster in her chest. 'Maybe it was a mistake coming here? What if he doesn't want to her see her? Hated her for what she had done?' She composed herself and rang the bell. She waited patiently for him to open the door, but she couldn't as it was too hard for her. This caused her vision in front of her started to blur slightly.

However 5 minutes later Matt who was wearing a white T-shirt and loose grey sweatpants opened the door. He was surprised when he noticed who stood at his front door in the middle of the night. The first thing, which ran through his mind, was if something had happened to her. "Sora? What are you doing here? Did something happen? Are you okay?"

Despite what she had done he still cared about her. Her expression started to change where all of her emotions were starting to come through. "I feel the same way…" she said with a shaking voice.

He stood with a confused and concerned expression on his face. "What?"

She looked into his deep blue eyes and remembered that night at the bar. "I feel the same way about you, Matt."

A couple of tears ran down her delicate face even though she tried to hold them back. "The truth is that I'm in love with you. I never thought that it would be real but it is..." she paused a bit "And I understand that you may not feel the same way after all that I did."

He understood what this all was about and looked at her with a soft look on his face. "You can't just throw someone out of your heart that fast. It took me 5 years to stop thinking about you and it never worked – not for one bit!"

She looked up into his eyes. "I honestly never thought that you could love someone so… ordinary like me." She looked down at the ground as a tear hit the ground. Suddenly she felt a hand cupping her cheek and made her look back at him.

"Of course I could. You're so much more than you think." He wiped away her tears with his thump and whispered. "I never stopped loving you Sor. It was always you."

She looked into his eyes and they realized how close they were. They slowly leaned as their forehead touched against each other. He wore a small smirk on his lips.

They stood like that at the door for some time. He playfully looked around. "So uhm.. you're going to leave right? Because I was actually busy sleeping so.."

A quite laugh escaped her lips as she hit him lightly on his shoulder. "Ishida!"

He laughed and wrapped his arm around her bringing her closer into his embrace. "God how much I wanted to do this."

She couldn't help but blush at his words. She somehow still couldn't believe that she was standing here with him like this despite what had happened. "I love you Matt."

"I love you too Sor."

They let go of each other and moved into the living room. "Why don't you stay over tonight? I've got plenty of space."

She was about to decline but when she saw his expression she smiled and nodded. "I guess I can stay over for tonight."

"Good, you can take my bed and I'll take the guestroom." He went inside to get a T-shirt she could sleep in and returned back and handed her a large black T-shirt. She smiled and got inside his room to change. Once she had changed she made her way to the bedroom and got inside the covers.

But before she lay down she took her cell phone and sent a text to her mother telling her that she was at Matt's place.

Matt was walking past her room but stopped to see if she needed anything. He knocked at the door and opened it slightly when he heard her response and walked toward her. "Hey, just wanted to see if you needed anything."

She smiled at his direction and shook her head. "No thanks Matt. I've got everything I need." He nodded and was about to leave but was however stopped by something holding his hand. She looked up into his eyes and bit her lip as something was on her mind from the very first moment she arrived. "I've hurt you earlier," she said in a faint whisper. "I could see it in your eyes."

He sat down at the bed. "My eyes?"

She nodded. "They had turned into a darker shade of blue and… I knew I had hurt you."

He sat on the bed while he studied her words. There was a long silence between them before the blond decided to speak. "You know, these two weeks has been the hardest for me – not seeing you so regularly, not hearing your voice, and not feeling you. It was hard, but it's all over now, because you're here with me. That's all that matters – matters for me."

She was touched by his words. He smiled and leaned forward where he placed a kiss on her forehead. "Goodnight Sora."

"Goodnight." He turned off the lights and left her so she could sleep. He made his way toward the other room so he could get some sleep.

That night had been something special for them both. Both fell asleep knowing that they had taken the right choice by admitting their long time feelings for each other. The night was indeed special for them both, because there was an old saying that said; "All love that has not friendship for its base is like a mansion built upon the sand."

And it was true.

The next morning:

Matt woke up early the next morning where he stood up from the sofa and went toward Sora's room where she slept. He slowly opened the door and saw her asleep so he closed the door again and let her sleep. He then decided to take a quick shower and head out to shop for groceries.

After taking a quick shower and dressing into grey pants and a light blue shirt he decided to head out. He wrote a small note to Sora before he left the house.

After some time Sora woke up when she felt the sunlight hit her face. She furrowed her eyes and opened them as she took a small glance around her surroundings. She quickly remembered whose bedroom she was in as the events of last night came rushing in her mind. She sat up into a sitting position and noticed a small white note lying beside her phone on the bedside table. She took and read it silently.

"Good morning, Sor. Hope you slept well. I just went out to get a couple of things for breakfast. I left a towel in the bathroom if you want to take a shower in the meantime – Matt."

A smile escaped her lips as she remembered why she was here, a sudden memory crept into her mind – the confrontation – the feelings – everything. She decided to get up and take a quick shower.

In the meantime Matt had arrived from grocery shopping. He placed the bags on the kitchen counter and could hear the shower running from the bathroom and concluded that she was up so he decided to make some pancakes and coffee for them both.

Within a half an hour she came inside the kitchen wearing the same cloths from last night with her hair wet. She came forward when she saw him making pancakes. He caught her walking toward him where he smiled at her direction. "Good morning! Breakfast is ready in a bit."

She smiled shyly. "Good morning," she looked at the breakfast he was making. "It smells nice."

He poured some coffee in two mugs and handed one to her. Soon enough they were seated in the living room where they were enjoying the breakfast and some small talk between them.

Sora took a small glance at Matt who was busy eating. She couldn't help but wonder what would happen between them now? Were they friends or something more than that?

She bit her lip. "So uhm… What chapter are we at? Where does this bring us?"

He looked up where he met her gaze and already knew what she was talking about. "I meant what I said last night, Sor – Even what I said a couple of weeks ago. I want you to know that I don't regret what happened because that's the truth – You're really the only one for me Sor and I mean it"

They simply looked at each other. "I meant what I said too." A thought came through her mind. "But what do we tell the others?"

"We'll tell them when we feel we're ready, but first of all." A smirk appeared on his face. "I want to take the opportunity to ask you if I could take you out on a date and have dinner with you?"

She really didn't expect to hear him ask her out on a date, let alone that fast, but she was however happy by the thought. "I'd like that." A smile ran across his features.

When they had finished eating Sora began to get ready so she could head home to herself. She grabbed her purse and jacket from Matt's room and walked back into the living room where she faced Matt.

"I should get going"

He reached out for the keys that were on the shelves in living room. "Don't worry, I'll drive you."

"You really don't have to, I can take a cab."

"You already know that I'm not letting you take the cab when there's a car right outside. Come on." He led her toward the hallway to the front door where they headed to Matt's car.

While they were driving to Sora's place Matt couldn't stop teasing her about the fact that she didn't bring her own car last night. "So how come you didn't take your own car?"

"I uh.. forgot." as she answered him and tried to avoid his gaze.

He changed the gear of his car and raised an eyebrow. "You forgot? How can you forget a 4 wheeled car?"

"I just did, okay! I wasn't thinking straight and the only thing that was on my mind that time was a person with blonde hair and blue eyes"

"Please tell me you weren't thinking about TK!"

She slapped him on his arm. "I meant you"

"So what you're saying is that I basically made you forget the whole world? Hmm, is that it?" A smirk was slowly forming on his lips and she knew what he was up to and chose to look at him.

"Please don't flatter yourself, Ishida."

They arrived a few moments later where he parked the car outside her apartment. He turned to face her. "I guess this is your stop."

"I guess it is."

"Hey listen are you free tomorrow night?"

She looked at him with a different look on her face. "Do I want to be free?" now it was her time to tease him.

"I don't know? Maybe we could go out on a date?"

"I have to think about that." She smirked at him and got out from his car. She walked up to the front door but before she could get inside she turned around and gave him one last smile before going inside. He laughed lightly and drove away with a certain smile on his face.

The next day:

Both Sora and Matt were busy getting ready for their date together in the evening. He was supposed to pick Sora up from her house at 7 pm. Sora was trying different kind of outfits for the evening and didn't know what to wear. She glanced at the watch and knew that she better hurry to get ready.

Meanwhile Matt had just finished making a call where he reserved a table at a restaurant for them later on the evening. After an hour he was dressed into a white slim shirt with black trousers and a dark grey blazer on top. He decided to head toward Sora's place to pick her up.

He arrived at her place and knocked at the front door of her apartment and a moment later it was opened by Sora.

His eyes rested on the woman in front of him and noticed how beautiful she looked. The auburn haired girl was wearing a peach colored dress with a crochet lace at the neckline. There was a soft ribbon belt at the waistline with a small bow, which made the dress look elegant. On top of that she wore a light grey colored blazer.

"Wow, you look beautiful and who would have thought that we would match?" He pointed at the common color they were wearing. She couldn't help but laugh, "You don't look bad yourself." She walked out of the house with her white handbag resting on her arm. She locked the door behind her and walked to Matt's car.

They drove through the semi busy street where Sora took a look at him. "Where are we going?"

He smiled at her and reached out to change the gear. "You'll see." They reached the place within 20 minutes and got out from the car. In front of them was a huge building where Matt had managed to book a table for them both.

They had spent 2 hours at the restaurant enjoying each other's company and the light atmosphere around them. However after they had eaten they decided to take a small walk at the beach before they officially ended the date.

They drove toward the beach area and parked near the road. They got out from the car and walked to the beach so they could get a closer look at the water. While they were walking a silent laugh escaped Sora's delicate lips as a small memory crossed her mind. He caught her smiling. "What?"

"I just remember the last time we were here and what actually happened."

"Oh yeah how could I forget? The whole I-will-take-revenge-on-you thing."

"Hey it was still not my fault, it was your own, you could just strike back but you never chose to do that."

"Yeah whatever." This caused a small silence between the two of them as they took a glance at the beautiful scenery. They stopped on the middle of the beach and leaned a bit forward on the large stones that were right in front of them. She looked at the side and caught Matt's gaze.

"Wow, this is actually happening" as a small part of her couldn't believe that she was on a date with Matt. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her from behind. "Well, Sor you better believe it" and suddenly he reached up and started to tickle her sides out of nowhere.

This caused Sora to burst into giggles and started squirming trying to get away from him. "Oh my god, stop!"

"Remember the old saying Sora? 'A ninja only strikes when you least expect it' well, here I am." he teased her as he held her in one place.

"Please Matt." she kept laughing.

"Nope not happening."

He could hear her laughing and trying to get away from his grip but it wasn't time to let go just yet. After a couple of minutes he decided to stop. "Alright I'll stop now." He did as he told and removed his arm around her waist. She took a couple of breaths and looked at him while he merely raised his hands up in the air as if it wasn't his fault.

He chuckled lightly and carefully wrapped his arms around Sora's waist and brought her closer to himself.

After some time a soft voice spoke up between them. "It's beautiful isn't it?" he saw what she was referring to and had his eyes fixed on her while answering. "Yeah.. yeah it's beautiful." She turned to the side where she caught him starring at her, which caused her to look down at the ground in pure shyness.

He placed a hand under her chin and made her look up into his deep blue eyes. He brushed a fallen strand out from her face and lightly tucked it behind her ear. "You're unique." he gently whispered where she kept looking into his deep blue eyes.

With that they decided to head home. Within half an hour they both stood facing each other outside Sora's apartment. She smiled shyly. "I really had a great time today, Matt"

"Me too, Sor. I'm glad that you enjoyed yourself."

She took a glance back toward the building she lived in. "Uhm, do you want to come inside for a bit?"

"Sure." They both walked to the apartment door where she unlocked the front door and came inside. They walked further down the hallway and into the living room where they noticed that the light was on. Sora saw her mother sitting in the living room watching TV. "Hey mom, you're still awake?"

The elder Takenouchi answered her daughter. "Yes, I thought why not wait for you to get home?" She stood up from the couch where her eyes fell on the young blonde as she smiled at him. "Ah and you brought Matt along with you?" She took a small glance at her daughter "I can see you're not confused anymore, honey." However Matt stood a bit confused by their conversation but however he turned his attention on the elder woman. "It's nice to see you again, Mrs. T."

"You too Matt, well I shouldn't disturb you both on your date, so I'll just be in my room if you need me." She was about to walk out from the living room but stopped by the hallway where she took one last glance at both of them. "Oh and Matt I'm sure that I don't have to say this but, take good care of Sora."

He nodded "Don't worry Mrs. T, I will." She smiled one last time before she left.

They were now both left standing in the living room. The blonde took a small glance at her and then looked down at his watch. "Well I should probably get going. It's late you should get some rest as well." He smiled at her where she walked him down the hallway toward the front door.

She bit her lip in pure nervousness, as it was time to say bye to him. Mimi always said that the ending of a date is very important and especially the way you chose to end it, as you have to leave a special impression on your partner.

He turned around and faced her with a smile on his lips. He leaned forward and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Goodnight Sor." He was about to turn around but stopped him doing so by placing a hand on his arm where their eyes met.

She chose to say goodbye the way she wanted to.

She gently tiptoed and leaned in where she captured him into a soft kiss. He was surprised by her sudden action but nevertheless he reached out to cup her cheek and kissed her back.

They broke apart a few minutes later where their foreheads were resting against each other. She opened her eyes where she met his soft colored ones. They couldn't help but smile and feel happy and satisfied. "Goodnight Matt."

He walked outside toward his car where he drove off to his house.

To be continued.

Thank you so much for reading and please, remember to leave a review. ^_^