**Hey, thanks again for all the support! I'm really excited about writing this one, I think it might be good. It's definitely going to be Sorato, so rest assured, I wouldn't have anything come between my favorite couple. . . . yet! We'll see what the next chapters bring. Keep reviewing, I love readin' 'em!**

Moving On
~*~Ice Angel~*~
Chapter 2: Together At Last
Matt walked into his apartment building and flopped onto the couch in his living room heavily. He had just told his best friend that he liked her, and to him, things didn't seem to be reciprocated. Sora didn't really seem to be happy about Matt's confession, which scared him immensely.
"What if she thinks of me as only a friend? I must have sounded like such a loser!" Matt scolded himself aloud. Matt's father walked in as Matt spoke to himself.
"Who thinks you're a loser?" Matt's dad asked. Matt whirled around and faced his father, his face red as he realized what his father might have heard. He never talked much about girls with his dad, and whenever the topic came up, there'd be an awkward silence that followed. Matt shrugged and turned around again as Mr. Ishida sat down in a chair next to the couch.
"It's nothing. . . " Matt replied, avoiding the subject like it was the plague. He hated how he and his dad couldn't talk about women, how they couldn't really talk about anything. The two of them had nothing really in common between them, which made living together rough, but tolerable.
"I know it's about something. Is it a girl, Matt?" Mr. Ishida prompted, trying to be helpful to his son. Matt blushed madly and looked at his dad.
"Yeah, it is." Matt replied, expecting another period of uncomfortable quiet that always ensued after anything dealing with women was brought up.
"Care to talk about it, son?" Mr. Ishida offered. Matt's eyes opened wide as he looked at his father in shock. Richard Ishida, Mr. I-Know-Nothing-About-Women, asking Matt to devulge in his secret proclamation of love for a girl? It was almost too much for Matt's mind to register.
"S-sure, dad. I didn't think you liked to talk much about women." Matt stammered, still slightly shocked. Matt's dad waved his hand for Matt to continue, and Matt took a breath.
"Well, you see, I told someone I liked them tonight. Not just anyone, my best friend Sora. I don't know if she feels the same or not, because I had to leave before I got the chance to get a reaction from her. I don't know what she thinks, really. I got this weird look from her, almost like she didn't believe me. What should I do?" Matt explained. Mr. Ishida nodded carefully, taking in all the information.
"Well, Matt, I would go back over there and get it straightened out. That or call her, I don't know. There's nothing you can do if she doesn't like you in a more than friendly way." Mr. Ishida replied, scratching his head as he spoke. Matt sighed and got up to leave.
"I'll be right back, dad. I have to face this one way or another, right?" Matt joked nervously. Mr. Ishida nodded, and closed the door behind his son.
"Good luck, Matt." Mr. Ishida said to himself.
Sora was laying on her bed, her ear to the phone as she chatted with her friend Mimi Tachikawa in America. She rolled onto her stomach and twirled her strawberry hair in her fingers as she relayed her day to Mimi.
"So Matt told me something interesting today." Sora mentioned nonchalantly.
"What did he tell you?" Mimi asked. She was still the same Mimi Sora remembered as a child. She was still a gossip, and was still obsessed with pink, which was evident just by looking at her bright pink hair. Sora smiled absently as she recalled what Matt had told her about his feelings for her.
"He told me he liked me as more than a friend tonight." Sora answered. She silently counted to three, then pulled the phone away from her ear as Mimi shreiked ecstatically.
"Oh my gosh that's great! That is great, isn't it??" Mimi squealed happily.
"Yeah it's good, but how do I tell Matt I like him too?" Sora returned. The line was quiet for a moment, then Mimi spoke.
"I'm sorry, but it sounded like you said you didn't tell him how you felt. Must be a bad connection." Mimi suggested. Sora laughed out loud.
"I would have, but my mom came in and told Matt his dad called and he had to leave, so I couldn't. So what should I say? You were always better with this kind of thing than I was." Sora asked.
"I would tell him the first chance you have. Well, my friend, it's late here in the U.S. and I have school tomorrow. Let me know how it goes." Mimi responded.
"I will. Talk to you later Mimi." Sora stated as she hung up the phone. Mrs. Takenouchi walked into Sora's room after knocking.
"Someone's here to see you." Sora's mom said, smiling. Sora looked at her clock and looked back at her mother curiously.
"Who'd be here at ten o'clock at night?" Sora asked herself. She walked past her beaming mother into the living room of her apartment to find Matt sitting in a chair facing the other way. Sora's heart leapt as he turned and smiled an irresistable yet nervous smile at her.
"Hey Sora. I just came over to talk to you." Matt said as Sora seated herself next to Matt.
"What's up?" Sora asked, though she was completely aware of what was going on. It took all of Sora's self discipline to not kiss him right there. Instead she looked cooly at Matt, who swallowed and began hesitantly.
"Well, I kinda told you something today about me liking you, and I. . . . well. . . . I wanted to know. . . . ." Matt stammered. Sora smiled and took his hand in hers gently, her eyes locking with Matt's.
"I do. I like you too, Matt." Sora said quietly. Matt smiled and let out a breath he'd been holding for a few seconds.
"Why couldn't I tell you sooner?" Matt asked Sora, who had moved closer to him and was holding both his hands in hers.
"I don't know. Let's not worry about it, huh? There's only one thing I want right now, and I have it right here with me." Sora replied. Matt moved closer to Sora, their lips growing closer every second. They finally connected in a sweet kiss both had wanted for some time. When they parted after a few blissful seconds, Matt smiled and gazed into Sora's eyes lovingly.
"So are we official?" Matt asked softly. Sora nodded and kissed Matt again, this time becoming more frenzied. After what seemed like an eternity, the need for oxygen spilt the couple apart.
"I have to go. I'll call you tomorrow, okay?" Matt said. He smiled and got up and followed Sora to the door.
"Good night, Yama." Sora sighed as Matt left her apartment. She closed the door and leaned against it contently.
Matt walked into his apartment and woke his father, who was sleeping on the couch with the newspaper. Mr. Ishida looked around in a sleepy daze, then noticed Matt standing beside him.
"So, how did it go, Mattie?" Mr. Ishida asked wearily. Matt grinned from ear to ear and sat down.
"I'm a boyfriend!" Matt cried happily.