Hi everyone!!!! My second chapter! It's a bit longer than the last one - I guess Ch.1 should really have been a 'prologue'...Hey, I still got a long way to go, my imagination's running away with this story. (I hope my creativity stays with me long enough to finish the fic! Don't let me down now, right-side of the brain! Or is the left....Anyway, sorry, I digress once more.)
Just to reassure you all, TK and Kari will be appearing more in the following chapters, and Mimi will also have a cameo role...Well, she will as soon as she gets her butt out'a New York!
Hope you guyz all enjoy, and thank you to my reviewers:
Ying-Fa, Kari Ishikawa, GG, rose, White Lily (this girl writes a great fic - check her out) Sora's twin and Crest of Empathy (big thanx for being my first reviewer! :) )
Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon! If I did, Season 2 AND 3 would've seen a lot more of the original digidestined...The original is always best. Stick with the good things! C'mon people!!! Ahem. Ladies and gentlemen, please give a round of applause...I proudly present to you all...The Second Chapter. (collapses)
Chapter 2 : An Unpleasant Surprise
Matt left early the next morning. Really early. He had set his alarm for 6.30 in the hope that he would have actually dragged himself out of bed by 7. God, how he hated mornings!!!
The band were scheduled for a whole-day practice before their concert that night, and since he was their lead singer and guitarist, he couldn't miss it. The previous night, when he had been unable to sleep and was watching reruns on late-night TV, he had considered going downstairs to talk to Sora, perhaps even to apologise for his treatment of her, but had quickly thrown away that idea when he realised he had nothing to say to her. What could he say, anyway?
It was still raining as the good-looking blonde hurried down the grey streets; perhaps a reflection on his mood, Matt thought dryly. Odaiba hadn't changed much in the two years he had been away touring with the band...
*****************************************************************************
Sora had been indecisive yesterday, but today, she told herself, she would investigate further. She threw open the curtains and was gratified to see that the sun was out and shining fiercely. That's more like it! Its nearly June, after all!
She wasn't just going to sit around down here and wonder why Matt hadn't recognised her, or if he had, why he was so avidly ignoring her. She was going to go and find out for herself.
Glancing at her watch, Sora saw that it was 9.30. That gave her some time before she met up with Tai and Joe - the two had a rare day off, and she and Izzy had promised to be there, so that they could all spend the day together.
Surely Matt would be awake by now? She almost laughed out loud as she remembered how touchy he had been in the mornings in the Digital World, but she sobered quickly, recalling Matt's reaction to her yesterday.
The Digital World had been a long time ago. A whole lifetime away. For some reason, Sora felt nervous as she knocked on Matt's door. She knew he had the apartment above hers - she had talked to Phil when she had got back from the coffee shop, wet and miserable, and still hungry. She hadn't had the daring to go straight up there and then, but now she was resolute.
"Matt?" She asked tentatively, when, after a couple of minutes, he hadn't opened the door. "Are you there?"
Leaning on the handle, she found that the door was unlocked. Feeling slightly guilty, Sora stepped inside. "Matt?" She tried again, running a hand nervously through her red hair. "You here?"
There was no reply. Sora shrugged, and was about to leave when she caught a glimpse of something, glinting silver in the sunlight...
*****************************************************************************
"Kari?" Tai bellowed up the stairs.
When there was no response, he rolled his eyes and hollered, louder this time, "TK! KARI!"
"Gees, Tai," Kari muttered, as she met his eyes over the banister. "What is going on? Could you shout any louder?!"
Tai grinned. "I could, but since I've got your attention, I guess it's not necessary...I'm going down town to meet Sora, Joe and Izzy, OK?"
A blonde, tousled head appeared next to Kari's. "Have fun Tai. See ya later!"
"Ciao TK, Kari. Be good!"
Tai smirked as the two protested loudly over that last comment, and slammed the door.
*****************************************************************************
Sora felt as though someone had kicked her in the stomach. She sat down, hard, on the sofa and stared at the used syringe that lay under the coffee table. She realised she was breathing hard, trying not to cry, and closed her eyes for a minute, trying desperately to think. The glint of Matt's familiar harmonica had drawn her to the table, and for a moment she had just stared at the little instrument, not quite being able to bring herself to touch something that had meant so much to Matt - it brought back so many memories. Then something else had caught her attention as the sun hit it...but she had never expected this. Surely there had to be another explanation.
"Oh, god...Matt..." She let her breath out in a rush and buried her head in her hands.
It was a few minutes before Sora got up, a little shakily. Gritting her teeth, she headed into the bedroom. The knot of guilt that had made its home within her ever since she had stepped into Matt's apartment clenched, but she stolidly ignored it. She had to know.
Please don't let it be true...Oh please, don't let it be true! That was all Sora could think as she frantically pawed through Matt's drawers. She repeated it over and over in her head, like a mantra. She realised she was crying and furiously brushed the tears away as they blurred her vision, spilling down her cheeks. She didn't cry - she never cried! She mustn't cry!
But what she found next shattered that resolution, and she began to sob breathlessly, big gasping sobs that made her shake uncontrollably. The stash of drugs in Matt's bottom drawer confirmed her worst fears. The young man she had known as a boy was a drug addict. And had been for some time, if the stash was anything to go by. Sora was suddenly disgusted, and threw the drawer closed, hurling herself away
from the offensive substances that had apparently possessed her once-friend. She sat down heavily on the bed, and attempted to recover her composure. And then she saw the photos. There was a whole row of them along the dresser, and Sora felt herself inexplicably drawn to them. Photos told a lot about a person, she had found.
Sniffing, Sora brushed the sleeve of her shirt across her face and got to her feet, picking up the nearest picture frame. A small smile crept onto her features as she saw her friends' faces grinning out at her. They were all there - Mimi, Joe, TK, Tai, Kari and herself...She remembered Matt taking the picture, that night that they had said goodbye (or as Tai had firmly corrected them...Its not goodbye, you guys - its just a temporary farewell, a sort of..."see you soon"...OK?) She set it down and picked up the next one - this one displayed the image of two blonde boys, one with his arm around the other. The two had such similar smiles that Sora knew it could only be Matt and his little brother TK...perhaps 10 years ago, from the look of it. There were more...a teenage Matt with his dad outside a posh-looking apartment with the sun gleaming on its walls, TK and his mother, a family group photo, a young Tai and Kari, both sticking their tongues out at the camera...and finally, Matt with an electric guitar strapped over one shoulder and a mic in one hand with three other guys that Sora didn't know. A similar picture on a glossy magazine cover made Sora raise her eyebrows in astonishment.
TEENAGE WOLVES STORM AMERICA!! The tagline screamed. GET THE GOSSIP WITH HOT LEAD SINGER, MATT ISHIDA - EXCLUSIVE INSIDE!
A post-it note was stuck casually on the cover and Sora scanned it interestedly.
Hey Matt, check out the reviews! Looks like it all paid off! ~Dave
P.S. Great interview - way to knock 'em dead, mate!!
"Well, Matt, you sure have been busy..." The red haired girl murmured as she leafed through the magazine. She was quite astounded by the pictures in the "10 page special on the hottest band around" - Matt looked stunning, really gorgeous. She could see why he had been described as 'hot' on the front cover. She hadn't got a good look at him yesterday...
She suddenly felt herself blushing. She never acted like this - that was a Mimi-style thought. At that realisation, Sora became conscious of how much she missed her ditzy, yet ultimately sincere and caring friend...I wonder why I never realised Matt was part of a band before...A world-famous one at that! How dopey am I?
She had almost forgotten about the stash, but as she put the magazine carefully back where she had got it from - she didn't want Matt to be suspicious - her throat tightened once more as she remembered. "Living the rock-star life now, I suppose." Sora muttered. "With all the fame and the fans...and the drugs of course. Oh Matt...If only you knew..."
A beep from Sora's watch made her jump, and her thoughts scattered. "Oh...sh...sugar," Sora exclaimed, correcting herself automatically, despite the fact that there was no-one to hear her...Her mom had always hated swearing. It was almost 10.30. Tai and the others would skin her alive - she was already half an hour late!
*****************************************************************************
"I'm gonna skin her alive if she doesn't hurry up." Tai Kamiya announced in mock-threatening tones. He leant back in his chair and waved casually at the waitress who rolled her eyes and walked the other way.
"She'll be here soon Tai." Izzy assured him calmly.
"It's not like Sora to be late though," Joe reminded them. "I hope nothing's wrong."
"Oh, stop being paranoid Joe," Tai mumbled as he yawned hugely. "She's probably doing her hair..."
"I heard that, Tai!" Sora exclaimed loudly as she grabbed his shoulders from behind.
"Yow! Sora, don't do that! You just took at least 5 years off my life-span!"
"Yeah, whatever Tai. Hi everyone!" Sora grinned at Izzy and Joe, who smiled knowingly back at her as Tai recovered his composure somewhat.
"So what are we doing today?" Sora asked as they left the cafe, with Tai shooting evil glares at the impertinent waitress.
"I thought we could go check out that new movie," Tai began, while Izzy piped up, "there's a new exhibition on at the museum..." and Joe exclaimed, "I heard they were holding a tasting test at the new 'Ice-cream Dream' parlour..."
Sora threw up her hands. "Woah guys. Hold it. Tell you what, we'll head for the museum..."
"What?" Tai interrupted loudly.
Sora raised her eyebrows at him and continued speaking. "As I was saying...We'll go to the museum, head for the cinema and then get ice-creams after. Sound good? We've got a whole day ahead of us!"
"Yeah, and we would'a had even longer if you hadn't taken so long doing your hair!" Tai smirked and dodged expertly as Sora aimed a slap at him.
*****************************************************************************
"Hey, wow, check this sword out!" Tai exclaimed.
"That's a proper sword," Sora agreed. She peered at it through the glass of its display case. "Look at all those little markings...What are they, letters? Hieroglyphs or something?"
"It says it's at least 1500 years old," Izzy proclaimed. "Reckoned to be from the East, and people believed it had magical, otherworldly properties."
"The genius speaks again!" Tai groaned.
"It doesn't take a genius to read a card, Tai," Izzy pointed out with a grin.
"OK, come on, you guys! The film starts in half an hour, and I wanna get good seats!" Tai grabbed Sora's and Izzy's arms and hauled them into the next room, where Joe was examining a selection of bejewelled daggers.
"C'mon Joe, gotta go!" Tai ordered.
"Quiet please!" An attendant announced crossly, glaring at Tai.
"Sheesh..." Tai muttered as they left the museum. "Its not like it's a library or anything! People seem to be going out of their way to pick on me today."
"Must be your irresistible charm, Tai!" Sora giggled.
The banter continued on the way to the cinema, and Sora almost forgot her unpleasant surprise earlier that morning...
A/N: OK, I'm gonna leave it there...Not cliffhanger-y I know, but there should be plenty of those coming up. That's as soon as I get round to writing them! Matt's concert next, I do believe, and an entrance of a mysterious stranger!!! And how will Matt react when Sora tries to help?
Hey, I have a good feeling about this fic. I hope you all feel a little of that good vibe too. Well, anyway, read and review please! Love to y'all,
**~~Cara Jade~~**
??
Just to reassure you all, TK and Kari will be appearing more in the following chapters, and Mimi will also have a cameo role...Well, she will as soon as she gets her butt out'a New York!
Hope you guyz all enjoy, and thank you to my reviewers:
Ying-Fa, Kari Ishikawa, GG, rose, White Lily (this girl writes a great fic - check her out) Sora's twin and Crest of Empathy (big thanx for being my first reviewer! :) )
Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon! If I did, Season 2 AND 3 would've seen a lot more of the original digidestined...The original is always best. Stick with the good things! C'mon people!!! Ahem. Ladies and gentlemen, please give a round of applause...I proudly present to you all...The Second Chapter. (collapses)
Chapter 2 : An Unpleasant Surprise
Matt left early the next morning. Really early. He had set his alarm for 6.30 in the hope that he would have actually dragged himself out of bed by 7. God, how he hated mornings!!!
The band were scheduled for a whole-day practice before their concert that night, and since he was their lead singer and guitarist, he couldn't miss it. The previous night, when he had been unable to sleep and was watching reruns on late-night TV, he had considered going downstairs to talk to Sora, perhaps even to apologise for his treatment of her, but had quickly thrown away that idea when he realised he had nothing to say to her. What could he say, anyway?
It was still raining as the good-looking blonde hurried down the grey streets; perhaps a reflection on his mood, Matt thought dryly. Odaiba hadn't changed much in the two years he had been away touring with the band...
*****************************************************************************
Sora had been indecisive yesterday, but today, she told herself, she would investigate further. She threw open the curtains and was gratified to see that the sun was out and shining fiercely. That's more like it! Its nearly June, after all!
She wasn't just going to sit around down here and wonder why Matt hadn't recognised her, or if he had, why he was so avidly ignoring her. She was going to go and find out for herself.
Glancing at her watch, Sora saw that it was 9.30. That gave her some time before she met up with Tai and Joe - the two had a rare day off, and she and Izzy had promised to be there, so that they could all spend the day together.
Surely Matt would be awake by now? She almost laughed out loud as she remembered how touchy he had been in the mornings in the Digital World, but she sobered quickly, recalling Matt's reaction to her yesterday.
The Digital World had been a long time ago. A whole lifetime away. For some reason, Sora felt nervous as she knocked on Matt's door. She knew he had the apartment above hers - she had talked to Phil when she had got back from the coffee shop, wet and miserable, and still hungry. She hadn't had the daring to go straight up there and then, but now she was resolute.
"Matt?" She asked tentatively, when, after a couple of minutes, he hadn't opened the door. "Are you there?"
Leaning on the handle, she found that the door was unlocked. Feeling slightly guilty, Sora stepped inside. "Matt?" She tried again, running a hand nervously through her red hair. "You here?"
There was no reply. Sora shrugged, and was about to leave when she caught a glimpse of something, glinting silver in the sunlight...
*****************************************************************************
"Kari?" Tai bellowed up the stairs.
When there was no response, he rolled his eyes and hollered, louder this time, "TK! KARI!"
"Gees, Tai," Kari muttered, as she met his eyes over the banister. "What is going on? Could you shout any louder?!"
Tai grinned. "I could, but since I've got your attention, I guess it's not necessary...I'm going down town to meet Sora, Joe and Izzy, OK?"
A blonde, tousled head appeared next to Kari's. "Have fun Tai. See ya later!"
"Ciao TK, Kari. Be good!"
Tai smirked as the two protested loudly over that last comment, and slammed the door.
*****************************************************************************
Sora felt as though someone had kicked her in the stomach. She sat down, hard, on the sofa and stared at the used syringe that lay under the coffee table. She realised she was breathing hard, trying not to cry, and closed her eyes for a minute, trying desperately to think. The glint of Matt's familiar harmonica had drawn her to the table, and for a moment she had just stared at the little instrument, not quite being able to bring herself to touch something that had meant so much to Matt - it brought back so many memories. Then something else had caught her attention as the sun hit it...but she had never expected this. Surely there had to be another explanation.
"Oh, god...Matt..." She let her breath out in a rush and buried her head in her hands.
It was a few minutes before Sora got up, a little shakily. Gritting her teeth, she headed into the bedroom. The knot of guilt that had made its home within her ever since she had stepped into Matt's apartment clenched, but she stolidly ignored it. She had to know.
Please don't let it be true...Oh please, don't let it be true! That was all Sora could think as she frantically pawed through Matt's drawers. She repeated it over and over in her head, like a mantra. She realised she was crying and furiously brushed the tears away as they blurred her vision, spilling down her cheeks. She didn't cry - she never cried! She mustn't cry!
But what she found next shattered that resolution, and she began to sob breathlessly, big gasping sobs that made her shake uncontrollably. The stash of drugs in Matt's bottom drawer confirmed her worst fears. The young man she had known as a boy was a drug addict. And had been for some time, if the stash was anything to go by. Sora was suddenly disgusted, and threw the drawer closed, hurling herself away
from the offensive substances that had apparently possessed her once-friend. She sat down heavily on the bed, and attempted to recover her composure. And then she saw the photos. There was a whole row of them along the dresser, and Sora felt herself inexplicably drawn to them. Photos told a lot about a person, she had found.
Sniffing, Sora brushed the sleeve of her shirt across her face and got to her feet, picking up the nearest picture frame. A small smile crept onto her features as she saw her friends' faces grinning out at her. They were all there - Mimi, Joe, TK, Tai, Kari and herself...She remembered Matt taking the picture, that night that they had said goodbye (or as Tai had firmly corrected them...Its not goodbye, you guys - its just a temporary farewell, a sort of..."see you soon"...OK?) She set it down and picked up the next one - this one displayed the image of two blonde boys, one with his arm around the other. The two had such similar smiles that Sora knew it could only be Matt and his little brother TK...perhaps 10 years ago, from the look of it. There were more...a teenage Matt with his dad outside a posh-looking apartment with the sun gleaming on its walls, TK and his mother, a family group photo, a young Tai and Kari, both sticking their tongues out at the camera...and finally, Matt with an electric guitar strapped over one shoulder and a mic in one hand with three other guys that Sora didn't know. A similar picture on a glossy magazine cover made Sora raise her eyebrows in astonishment.
TEENAGE WOLVES STORM AMERICA!! The tagline screamed. GET THE GOSSIP WITH HOT LEAD SINGER, MATT ISHIDA - EXCLUSIVE INSIDE!
A post-it note was stuck casually on the cover and Sora scanned it interestedly.
Hey Matt, check out the reviews! Looks like it all paid off! ~Dave
P.S. Great interview - way to knock 'em dead, mate!!
"Well, Matt, you sure have been busy..." The red haired girl murmured as she leafed through the magazine. She was quite astounded by the pictures in the "10 page special on the hottest band around" - Matt looked stunning, really gorgeous. She could see why he had been described as 'hot' on the front cover. She hadn't got a good look at him yesterday...
She suddenly felt herself blushing. She never acted like this - that was a Mimi-style thought. At that realisation, Sora became conscious of how much she missed her ditzy, yet ultimately sincere and caring friend...I wonder why I never realised Matt was part of a band before...A world-famous one at that! How dopey am I?
She had almost forgotten about the stash, but as she put the magazine carefully back where she had got it from - she didn't want Matt to be suspicious - her throat tightened once more as she remembered. "Living the rock-star life now, I suppose." Sora muttered. "With all the fame and the fans...and the drugs of course. Oh Matt...If only you knew..."
A beep from Sora's watch made her jump, and her thoughts scattered. "Oh...sh...sugar," Sora exclaimed, correcting herself automatically, despite the fact that there was no-one to hear her...Her mom had always hated swearing. It was almost 10.30. Tai and the others would skin her alive - she was already half an hour late!
*****************************************************************************
"I'm gonna skin her alive if she doesn't hurry up." Tai Kamiya announced in mock-threatening tones. He leant back in his chair and waved casually at the waitress who rolled her eyes and walked the other way.
"She'll be here soon Tai." Izzy assured him calmly.
"It's not like Sora to be late though," Joe reminded them. "I hope nothing's wrong."
"Oh, stop being paranoid Joe," Tai mumbled as he yawned hugely. "She's probably doing her hair..."
"I heard that, Tai!" Sora exclaimed loudly as she grabbed his shoulders from behind.
"Yow! Sora, don't do that! You just took at least 5 years off my life-span!"
"Yeah, whatever Tai. Hi everyone!" Sora grinned at Izzy and Joe, who smiled knowingly back at her as Tai recovered his composure somewhat.
"So what are we doing today?" Sora asked as they left the cafe, with Tai shooting evil glares at the impertinent waitress.
"I thought we could go check out that new movie," Tai began, while Izzy piped up, "there's a new exhibition on at the museum..." and Joe exclaimed, "I heard they were holding a tasting test at the new 'Ice-cream Dream' parlour..."
Sora threw up her hands. "Woah guys. Hold it. Tell you what, we'll head for the museum..."
"What?" Tai interrupted loudly.
Sora raised her eyebrows at him and continued speaking. "As I was saying...We'll go to the museum, head for the cinema and then get ice-creams after. Sound good? We've got a whole day ahead of us!"
"Yeah, and we would'a had even longer if you hadn't taken so long doing your hair!" Tai smirked and dodged expertly as Sora aimed a slap at him.
*****************************************************************************
"Hey, wow, check this sword out!" Tai exclaimed.
"That's a proper sword," Sora agreed. She peered at it through the glass of its display case. "Look at all those little markings...What are they, letters? Hieroglyphs or something?"
"It says it's at least 1500 years old," Izzy proclaimed. "Reckoned to be from the East, and people believed it had magical, otherworldly properties."
"The genius speaks again!" Tai groaned.
"It doesn't take a genius to read a card, Tai," Izzy pointed out with a grin.
"OK, come on, you guys! The film starts in half an hour, and I wanna get good seats!" Tai grabbed Sora's and Izzy's arms and hauled them into the next room, where Joe was examining a selection of bejewelled daggers.
"C'mon Joe, gotta go!" Tai ordered.
"Quiet please!" An attendant announced crossly, glaring at Tai.
"Sheesh..." Tai muttered as they left the museum. "Its not like it's a library or anything! People seem to be going out of their way to pick on me today."
"Must be your irresistible charm, Tai!" Sora giggled.
The banter continued on the way to the cinema, and Sora almost forgot her unpleasant surprise earlier that morning...
A/N: OK, I'm gonna leave it there...Not cliffhanger-y I know, but there should be plenty of those coming up. That's as soon as I get round to writing them! Matt's concert next, I do believe, and an entrance of a mysterious stranger!!! And how will Matt react when Sora tries to help?
Hey, I have a good feeling about this fic. I hope you all feel a little of that good vibe too. Well, anyway, read and review please! Love to y'all,
**~~Cara Jade~~**
??