Yay!!!!!!!!!!! SORATO begins!!!!!!!!!!! Yes yes yes! *Does little dance of triumph*
OK, this is my first attempt at romance in a fic, but I feel really good after writing it - hopefully more to come - and there's also a hint of TAKARI here too - just an eensy bit...Just so you know...But yes, I will be developing my plotline also in further chapters! Hehe. This is quite a long one, but, read, people, read - I present to you...*Drumroll*....Chapter 4!! (takes bow and runs off laughing hysterically) Enjoy.
******Big hugs to /all/ my reviewers so far!!!!!!!!! ********
You're the people that encourage me to do this, I have you to thank for my creation.
/..../ means italics,
'....' Means thoughts,
"..." equals speech. Anywho, enough blabbering.
Disclaimer: Digidestined not my own - but boy, do I love 'em. Read now!
Chapter 4: Redemption
"Matt, it's your brother on the phone...Holy shit!" Jon exclaimed, as he pushed the door fully open, dropping the phone, forgotten, to the floor.
Frenzy looked up, irritated with the intrusion. This was getting stupid. She relinquished her hold on Matt and he staggered forward, catching himself on the table. He was breathing hard. Blood from his throat soaked the pale blue shirt he wore - still unbuttoned - staining it crimson.
Frenzy licked her lips, savouring the taste of the young man's blood. She had bitten deeper than she had intended, but she had not been sorry - Matt's exclamation of pain and the low moan that followed it gave her a thrill of power, as it did every time. Even better was the fact that he had tried to fight back. It made it so much more interesting.
It was a pity that his blood was tainted - she had tasted the oddity when she first sank her fangs into his throat. It would not do to use tainted blood - hell knew where /that/ would lead her.
"Matt! Who..." Jon tailed off, his eyes roving over the disturbing scene. Matt was white-faced; the pallid colour of his skin a sharp contrast with the bloody stains that covered his shirt.
Frenzy smirked. "It's been fun. Sorry I can't hang around."
'Brother...'she mused. 'Perhaps...it would make sense that any brother of Matt would have that same unnatural, not-quite-mortal energy that she had sensed in the young musician. She would cut her losses and make use of the information she had. Now, to find this brother...'
Matt watched in a dazed relief as Frenzy blew him a kiss, leapt straight up and swung promptly out of the little skylight with the agility of a monkey.
Blackness swum at the edge of his vision and he fought to stay conscious. Dimly he heard Jon's frantic questions. He did his best to answer them, nodding or shaking his head, still in shock after what had happened. No, he didn't know who that 'pyscho-freak' was. No, he wasn't all right. Yes, he would like it if Jon dropped him home. /No/, he did not need to go to the hospital.
There was no need to fuss, after all...There would be questions asked at the hospital - he didn't need any more bad publicity.
*****************************************
"Due to a little...backstage incident, we regret that only two of the Teenage Wolves will be available for signings..."
/That/ didn't go down too well with the crowd outside the concert hall, and they couldn't be blamed, really. They had waited hopefully for at least half an hour to get their stuff signed.
"However, we hope to see you all again in the biggest music store in town, at the release of the new single, "Can't Tell Me" in three days time!"
The band's manager, Don Carmichael, bit his lip as he switched the megaphone off amongst some cheers, but many more disgruntled boos from various factions of fans. A tide of talk erupted after he stepped back inside the foyer of the concert hall - speculations on what had happened to the remaining two members flew back and forth - especially the much-loved lead singer Matt Ishida - like wildfire.
Carmichael hoped this wouldn't hurt the band's popularity, but it couldn't be helped. He gave Dave and Paul a thumbs up as they made their way outside amongst roaring approval. Matt had looked in a bad way. Don wasn't too sure what had happened - neither Matt or Jon paused to fill him in...
**********************************************
TK put the phone down in frustration. What was going on? He had heard shouting, swearing...and then the phone had gone dead. So much for a brotherly reunion. He wrinkled his nose - smelt like burning...
"Oi, TK! Get down here and give us a hand, would ya?" Tai bellowed up the stairs.
"Coming," TK hollered back, sighing inwardly. 'Oh Matt, why can't I just speak to you, even for a moment?'
**********************************************
It was late. Sora flicked off the TV - she hadn't been paying attention to it anyway - and was about to go into her bedroom, change into her pyjamas and go to bed. Her watch told her it was already past eleven, and she had an early start in the morning.
She had just dumped the empty pizza box in the bin and washed up her plate and glass when she heard a distinct thump and a groan outside her apartment door.
'What the hell...?' Sora furrowed her brow, was going to ignore it, but then the curiosity got the better of her. Probably some drunk.
She looked out of the little spy-hole, but couldn't make out anything, so she boldly opened the door...and gasped in dismay.
"Matt! What happened to you?"
************************************************
"What's wrong?" Kari asked quietly as she drew her knees up to her chest. She looked at TK expectantly with her soft brown eyes, eyebrows drawn in a perplexed expression. They were watching a movie, what movie TK wasn't sure - he hadn't been paying much attention, though Tai had been, and had ordered them to hit the pause button while he answered the phone.
"Oh, nothing," TK tried to gloss over his distracted state of mind. 'Matt's in Odaiba right now! And I can't even speak to him!'
"Yeah right," Kari muttered, giving him a mock-glare. "You haven't been paying any attention to the film, and you were spaced out during dinner - you didn't even notice that the chicken was practically black!"
TK shrugged, tried to joke, to put her off. "It had a good...charcoal flavour."
"TK," Kari complained, feigning annoyance, "quit messing around. I know there's something wrong. Can't I help?"
"Well..." TK paused.
Kari waited patiently, just watching him.
'She's so beautiful, so trusting. I don't ever want her to be hurt...Woah, where'd that come from? Well, I know I like her, but...'
"TK!" Kari laughed softly, touched his hand lightly with her own. TK felt a shiver run through him. 'What is wrong with me? This is Kari! She's my best friend!'
"You've done it again - you're just staring into the distance!" Kari glanced at Tai, who was rounding up his phone conversation and making faces at her. She giggled and turned her attention back to TK. "Y'know, you don't have to tell me now if you don't want to. Tell you what, why don't we talk tomorrow - after school? Tai won't be around - he's got a soccer match."
"Un-pause!" Tai announced, grinning as he plopped down in the armchair once more. Kari gave TK a small smile and pressed play once more. The film resumed.
*******************************************
"Oh my god, Matt!" Sora knelt down beside the exhausted young man. His breath was coming in fast shallow gasps and he was deathly pale. Blood was still leaking from the gash on his throat.
Sora felt suddenly quite practical and in control. She had to get Matt up off the floor - certainly getting him up another flight of stairs to his own apartment in this state wasn't an option. That neck wound looked pretty serious...But no time for questions - Matt looked ready to pass out - 'not good', Sora thought.
"OK, Matt, I'm gonna get you into my room," Sora muttered, half to herself.
"Who's that?" Matt whispered, lifting his head painfully from the floor.
"Matt, its Sora. Don't worry."
"Sora? What...What're you doing here?"
Everything was fuzzy in Matt's mind. His head hurt, he felt dizzy and sick, and his neck ached dully. 'But Sora's here...What is she doing here?...I left her so long ago...'
Sora shook Matt gently, alarmed as his eyes rolled back in his head. 'Oh, great, now he's unconscious...What do I do! Panic began to rise within her. Get a grip, Sor',' she told herself firmly. Just get him inside...
'Easier said than done,' Sora thought as she finally draped Matt across her bed. She put her hands against the small of her back and shut her eyes momentarily. She had had to position Matt's limp arm round her neck, holding it with one hand while she staggered upright and dragged him, dead-weight, into her apartment, his head lolling lifelessly.
'Now I'd better see what I can do about that gash...'Sora planned, hurrying into the little kitchenette, running some warm water, and then carrying out a frantic search of the drawers to find the first aid kit that she knew was around someplace...
A groan from her bedroom brought her hurrying back to the young man's side, slopping water around, the first aid kit in the other hand.
'He /is/ remarkably handsome...' Sora found herself reflecting, and then gave herself a mental slap. 'But it sure does stir some old memories to see him again...'
She brushed Matt's blonde hair back from his face, then was shocked to find her hand lingering against his cheek. 'Get a GRIP, Sora!'
As if sensing her guilt, Matt's blue eyes shot open, full of shock and fear, as though awakening from a bad dream. "No, wait, I..."
He tailed off. His eyes located Sora and surprise registered on his features before the unreadable mask slipped into place again...Sora knew that expression. That had been Matt's defensive "look" that she had come to know well in the Digital World. Maybe he hadn't changed so much...
"Sora, what's going on? I...remember Jon dropping me off - but its all a little obscure from then on." Sora smiled hesitantly. "You collapsed outside my door, actually. I brought you in here."
Matt seemed to realise where he was. "Oh yeah...I thought the décor was a little different..." He tried a small smile, shrugged uncomfortably and sat up, rubbing the back of his head.
"Hey, hang on, you're not going anywhere 'til I sort that out," Sora said indicating the still-bleeding lesion.
"Oh, no, its OK," Matt dismissed it casually. "Really, I'm fine..."
"Look, I'm not taking no for an answer," Sora insisted, "now, let me see."
Sighing, Matt let her inspect the wound. He gave her a small smile. "Listen, I'm sorry for brushing you off the other day." He glanced at her from the corner of his eye and said softly, "I was just shocked to see you again, I guess."
"Me too," Sora admitted. "I often wondered how things were going, though."
Matt flinched as Sora gently pressed at his throat. "Sorry," she apologised. "Tell you what, why don't you take the shirt off and I could get to it easier - and its covered in blood anyway. I'll stick it in my machine if you want - it'll be clean by morning."
Matt looked askance at her. Sora looked back at him resolutely, hoping she wouldn't blush.
Finally Matt threw his hands up, half-glaring at her, then unbuttoned the shirt and slipped out of it. "Still stubborn as ever, I see," he muttered.
Sora chose to ignore that. She bit her lip when she glimpsed the telltale bruises marking Matt's arms. He stared at her, ice-blue eyes challenging her to say something.
"Go on then," Matt said softly, his voice sounding tight, controlled, as though he was trying to restrain any sign of emotion. "Act all horrified and reproving - I've seen it enough times - I don't care anymore."
Abruptly, Sora turned away, and said briskly, "I'll just put this in the wash, OK?"
She had to swipe an angry tear away as she swept out of her bedroom.
Matt's eyes had been cold, but she couldn't help but see beyond the façade to the agonised, unhappy soul she wanted so much to help...That thought surprised her briefly, but she knew it was true. Matt needed someone now - a friend. She didn't know what he'd been through or why he was so desperate, so terribly miserable that he'd turned to drugs, but she knew she had to help him.
"OK, let's clean you up," Sora announced, trying to sound relaxed and cheerful. She began to attend to the neck wound. Once the wound was cleaned and dressed she rocked back on her heels.
"Why are you doing this?" Matt asked brusquely, staring at her. He had pulled his knees up to his chest and was looking at her in a puzzled sort of way. "You don't owe me anything - in fact you should be mad at me for ignoring you, and yet...here you are." He shook his head and dropped his gaze.
"Matt, what's happened to you," Sora whispered. "What's made you so mistrustful - in that you can't even allow someone who was your friend to help you without suspecting that there's an ulterior motive...?"
"Hey, you don't have a clue what I've been through, so don't think you can stand there and tell me how to behave. I don't know what I'm even /doing/ here." He turned angrily away from her.
"Matt! Why don't you just tell me, huh? It's all very well you saying that, but if you won't even give me a chance to understand..." Sora tailed off - he was still disregarding her. "Oh, look, fine, if you wanna behave like that. Just let me clean that cut on your forehead and then you can get the hell out of my life the same way you did 2 years ago."
"What, you think I had a choice?" Matt spat swinging back to face her, his eyes smouldering. "You think I wanted to uproot from my home and go halfway around the world? God, Sora, how I wished I was back here with you all - but the fact was, I wasn't...and I had to live with that too."
"Well, why didn't you ever come back? It can't have been so hard to phone or write, or email or something! You ignored Tai - your best friend, and you refused to speak to your own brother - what am I supposed to think?"
He shocked her then, by pulling sharply away from her, throwing himself back on the bed, eyes squeezed shut, his breathing erratic. It sounded as though he was trying hard not to cry.
There was a moment of silence and Sora's anger began to cool. She felt a wave of sympathy as she saw two tears leak from the corners of Matt's eyes.
"Hey." She put a hand lightly on his bruised arm. "Hey, its all right. I'm sorry, OK?" She paused. "I guess I've still got a big mouth." She tried to get a smile from him.
Instead, he opened his eyes, glistening with tears, and regarded her solemnly.
"It was so hard cutting myself off, after my dad died, you know. I wanted to come back, but I'd turned into someone else, and I didn't want my old friends to see the person I'd become. The person who stayed out all night drinking and partying, sleeping around, the person who has to rely on drugs for some kind of release from this damn world." He paused, watching her, waiting for a reaction.
Sora didn't say anything, realising how hard this must be for Matt - he had never been good at opening up and baring his feelings. She hadn't known Matt's dad had died, hadn't know he's led that life - the "rock star life" they talked about in the music rags, she thought cynically.
"Oh yes, the famous Matt Ishida, rock star, pop idol, sex icon - but there's always a price right?" He said bitterly, as if reading her thoughts. "If I could go back and change it all, I would."
"There's no point in living in the past," Sora said softly. "I know, I've tried." She didn't elaborate. Matt didn't push her. He knew what it was like.
"But you can't keep doing that to yourself Matt - you can't live your whole life alone, and if you don't stop with the drugs..." She tailed off, felt a lump rise in her throat, but forced herself to continue. "If you don't stop, you'll end up killing yourself."
"And that would be a shame, wouldn't it." Matt muttered sardonically.
Sora felt that hot flame of anger light within her again. "How can you say that? What right have you to throw away your life?"
"It's my life," Matt replied harshly. He wasn't looking at her - his eyes were fixed on a point past her head.
"Look at me, Matt. Look at me." She waited until he turned his head resentfully.
"You think I don't know what it's been like for you - well, maybe I don't - but I do know that drugs will kill you. They killed my sister, and that's proof enough for me. I can't let you do the same thing. I just can't."
"Then don't hand around." Matt stated. "Forget this ever happened. I can so easily walk away again."
Suddenly Sora snapped. Without thinking, her hand flashed out, catching Matt soundly on the cheek. The crack echoed in the small room.
Matt barely reacted. Sora was breathing hard, trying to hold back the angry tears that threatened to spill over. "You can't..." She sobbed, staring at him with those depthless eyes. "I won't let you."
They both sat there in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.
The bedside lamp cast a soft glow on Matt's slightly tanned skin, the light caught in his eyes like reflected flames as he lifted his head slightly to look at her. His lips tightened slightly and he rested his head in his hands, dejected.
Sora felt as though someone had clenched their fist around her heart and was squeezing it unmercifully as she stared at him, his image swam in front of her as the tears slipped down her cheeks. The ugly red marks across his cheek - fingerprints - her fingerprints...She could feel herself begin to shake with uncontrollable sobs. He couldn't just walk away from her again...
Matt reached over and pulled the shaking teenager into an embrace, wrapping his arms around her slim, trembling frame, burying his face in her red hair.
"Sora," he whispered, his voice muffled. "Sora, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."
Sora could feel his heartbeat, and in that instant, she knew why she couldn't let drugs claim this young man.
/She loved him. /
She pulled away and gently placed her hand on his cheek, warm against her skin. "No, /I'm/ sorry. I guess it's none of my business."
"No-one's been as sweet to me for years as you have been tonight. I guess I'd kind of forgotten what it felt like to have someone actually care what went on in my life."
"Tai and TK would care if you'd only let them." Sora said softly.
"Perhaps..." Matt said.
"I know they..."
"Hush," Matt whispered, putting his fingers to her lips. "Tell me about your sister. I never knew you had a sister..."
"She died a long time ago. I was...oh, eight or so - she was 17. I remember, the only thing I could think of when they told me she was dead was how selfish she had been to make us all suffer like that, when she knew that what she was doing was wrong - mom was devastated, but I couldn't even cry...Of course, I didn't really understand, but I haven't been able to reconcile myself to believing that it wasn't her fault...And I hate myself for that."
Matt lay down on the bed, pulling Sora down with him, still entangled in his arms. He hugged her gently. "Maybe she /didn't/ know what she was doing."
Sora shook her head. "I think she knew. But I couldn't bear for it to happen to someone else I love..."
It took her a few seconds to register what she had said. It seemed to take Matt a few minutes to realise it too.
"What did you say..?" Matt said, voice catching in his throat. He looked shyly at her, and suddenly, the mask he had always kept up so carefully seemed to fall away and an innocent hope filtered through, dispelling all the frustration, all the pent-up resentment and leaving only the desperate need to be wanted lingering in those clear blue eyes...
Sora looked up at him boldly. "You heard me Ishida." She touched his cheek tentatively, the little voice within her heart begging him not to pull away. He shifted slightly and took her hand in his, his eyes unreadable.
"I told you I loved you."
She swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. "I loved you two years ago, though I'm not sure I realised it until you walked out of my life and I recognised what I was losing. You broke my heart. I spent these past years struggling to forget you, but I just couldn't stop thinking about you - where you were, what you were doing...And then, Bang - you waltz back into my life as though you've never been away. I felt as though I'd been punched in the stomach when you pretended not to recognise me."
"I said I was sorry," Matt replied quietly. "I meant it. I was stupid to do that...Perhaps I can make up for it?"
"Oh? And how do you plan to do that?" Sora teased, stirring, planning to get up and turn off the main room light - it was almost 1 in the morning, after all.
'So much for a good night's sleep,' she thought wryly. Matt's hand stopped her; he turned her face back to his, his fingers resting lightly on her chin. He sat up, guiding her with him, bringing the other hand up to rest against her cheek, then pulled her closer.
His lips met hers gently, and suddenly, in that instant, Sora knew that her feeling had been right. She did love Matt, and she couldn't bear for him to leave her. The years of anguish, of trying to get over her feelings for him were wiped away in that kiss...That one moment of absolute truth. /She loved Matt./
"How does that work for you?" Matt said, a smile spreading over his features, as he broke the kiss after what seemed a perfect eternity. "Am I sufficiently redeemed?"
"Hmmm." Sora replied a glint of laughter in her eyes as she leaned in once more, shifting her hands to wrap around his neck. "I think I need a little further convincing..."
A/N: heeeeeeeeeeeee! Wahey! Aren't they cute.....No? Ah well. I think so. Next chapter coming soon I hope - what will Frenzy do to get to TK, and will Matt realise what's at stake?
OK, this is my first attempt at romance in a fic, but I feel really good after writing it - hopefully more to come - and there's also a hint of TAKARI here too - just an eensy bit...Just so you know...But yes, I will be developing my plotline also in further chapters! Hehe. This is quite a long one, but, read, people, read - I present to you...*Drumroll*....Chapter 4!! (takes bow and runs off laughing hysterically) Enjoy.
******Big hugs to /all/ my reviewers so far!!!!!!!!! ********
You're the people that encourage me to do this, I have you to thank for my creation.
/..../ means italics,
'....' Means thoughts,
"..." equals speech. Anywho, enough blabbering.
Disclaimer: Digidestined not my own - but boy, do I love 'em. Read now!
Chapter 4: Redemption
"Matt, it's your brother on the phone...Holy shit!" Jon exclaimed, as he pushed the door fully open, dropping the phone, forgotten, to the floor.
Frenzy looked up, irritated with the intrusion. This was getting stupid. She relinquished her hold on Matt and he staggered forward, catching himself on the table. He was breathing hard. Blood from his throat soaked the pale blue shirt he wore - still unbuttoned - staining it crimson.
Frenzy licked her lips, savouring the taste of the young man's blood. She had bitten deeper than she had intended, but she had not been sorry - Matt's exclamation of pain and the low moan that followed it gave her a thrill of power, as it did every time. Even better was the fact that he had tried to fight back. It made it so much more interesting.
It was a pity that his blood was tainted - she had tasted the oddity when she first sank her fangs into his throat. It would not do to use tainted blood - hell knew where /that/ would lead her.
"Matt! Who..." Jon tailed off, his eyes roving over the disturbing scene. Matt was white-faced; the pallid colour of his skin a sharp contrast with the bloody stains that covered his shirt.
Frenzy smirked. "It's been fun. Sorry I can't hang around."
'Brother...'she mused. 'Perhaps...it would make sense that any brother of Matt would have that same unnatural, not-quite-mortal energy that she had sensed in the young musician. She would cut her losses and make use of the information she had. Now, to find this brother...'
Matt watched in a dazed relief as Frenzy blew him a kiss, leapt straight up and swung promptly out of the little skylight with the agility of a monkey.
Blackness swum at the edge of his vision and he fought to stay conscious. Dimly he heard Jon's frantic questions. He did his best to answer them, nodding or shaking his head, still in shock after what had happened. No, he didn't know who that 'pyscho-freak' was. No, he wasn't all right. Yes, he would like it if Jon dropped him home. /No/, he did not need to go to the hospital.
There was no need to fuss, after all...There would be questions asked at the hospital - he didn't need any more bad publicity.
*****************************************
"Due to a little...backstage incident, we regret that only two of the Teenage Wolves will be available for signings..."
/That/ didn't go down too well with the crowd outside the concert hall, and they couldn't be blamed, really. They had waited hopefully for at least half an hour to get their stuff signed.
"However, we hope to see you all again in the biggest music store in town, at the release of the new single, "Can't Tell Me" in three days time!"
The band's manager, Don Carmichael, bit his lip as he switched the megaphone off amongst some cheers, but many more disgruntled boos from various factions of fans. A tide of talk erupted after he stepped back inside the foyer of the concert hall - speculations on what had happened to the remaining two members flew back and forth - especially the much-loved lead singer Matt Ishida - like wildfire.
Carmichael hoped this wouldn't hurt the band's popularity, but it couldn't be helped. He gave Dave and Paul a thumbs up as they made their way outside amongst roaring approval. Matt had looked in a bad way. Don wasn't too sure what had happened - neither Matt or Jon paused to fill him in...
**********************************************
TK put the phone down in frustration. What was going on? He had heard shouting, swearing...and then the phone had gone dead. So much for a brotherly reunion. He wrinkled his nose - smelt like burning...
"Oi, TK! Get down here and give us a hand, would ya?" Tai bellowed up the stairs.
"Coming," TK hollered back, sighing inwardly. 'Oh Matt, why can't I just speak to you, even for a moment?'
**********************************************
It was late. Sora flicked off the TV - she hadn't been paying attention to it anyway - and was about to go into her bedroom, change into her pyjamas and go to bed. Her watch told her it was already past eleven, and she had an early start in the morning.
She had just dumped the empty pizza box in the bin and washed up her plate and glass when she heard a distinct thump and a groan outside her apartment door.
'What the hell...?' Sora furrowed her brow, was going to ignore it, but then the curiosity got the better of her. Probably some drunk.
She looked out of the little spy-hole, but couldn't make out anything, so she boldly opened the door...and gasped in dismay.
"Matt! What happened to you?"
************************************************
"What's wrong?" Kari asked quietly as she drew her knees up to her chest. She looked at TK expectantly with her soft brown eyes, eyebrows drawn in a perplexed expression. They were watching a movie, what movie TK wasn't sure - he hadn't been paying much attention, though Tai had been, and had ordered them to hit the pause button while he answered the phone.
"Oh, nothing," TK tried to gloss over his distracted state of mind. 'Matt's in Odaiba right now! And I can't even speak to him!'
"Yeah right," Kari muttered, giving him a mock-glare. "You haven't been paying any attention to the film, and you were spaced out during dinner - you didn't even notice that the chicken was practically black!"
TK shrugged, tried to joke, to put her off. "It had a good...charcoal flavour."
"TK," Kari complained, feigning annoyance, "quit messing around. I know there's something wrong. Can't I help?"
"Well..." TK paused.
Kari waited patiently, just watching him.
'She's so beautiful, so trusting. I don't ever want her to be hurt...Woah, where'd that come from? Well, I know I like her, but...'
"TK!" Kari laughed softly, touched his hand lightly with her own. TK felt a shiver run through him. 'What is wrong with me? This is Kari! She's my best friend!'
"You've done it again - you're just staring into the distance!" Kari glanced at Tai, who was rounding up his phone conversation and making faces at her. She giggled and turned her attention back to TK. "Y'know, you don't have to tell me now if you don't want to. Tell you what, why don't we talk tomorrow - after school? Tai won't be around - he's got a soccer match."
"Un-pause!" Tai announced, grinning as he plopped down in the armchair once more. Kari gave TK a small smile and pressed play once more. The film resumed.
*******************************************
"Oh my god, Matt!" Sora knelt down beside the exhausted young man. His breath was coming in fast shallow gasps and he was deathly pale. Blood was still leaking from the gash on his throat.
Sora felt suddenly quite practical and in control. She had to get Matt up off the floor - certainly getting him up another flight of stairs to his own apartment in this state wasn't an option. That neck wound looked pretty serious...But no time for questions - Matt looked ready to pass out - 'not good', Sora thought.
"OK, Matt, I'm gonna get you into my room," Sora muttered, half to herself.
"Who's that?" Matt whispered, lifting his head painfully from the floor.
"Matt, its Sora. Don't worry."
"Sora? What...What're you doing here?"
Everything was fuzzy in Matt's mind. His head hurt, he felt dizzy and sick, and his neck ached dully. 'But Sora's here...What is she doing here?...I left her so long ago...'
Sora shook Matt gently, alarmed as his eyes rolled back in his head. 'Oh, great, now he's unconscious...What do I do! Panic began to rise within her. Get a grip, Sor',' she told herself firmly. Just get him inside...
'Easier said than done,' Sora thought as she finally draped Matt across her bed. She put her hands against the small of her back and shut her eyes momentarily. She had had to position Matt's limp arm round her neck, holding it with one hand while she staggered upright and dragged him, dead-weight, into her apartment, his head lolling lifelessly.
'Now I'd better see what I can do about that gash...'Sora planned, hurrying into the little kitchenette, running some warm water, and then carrying out a frantic search of the drawers to find the first aid kit that she knew was around someplace...
A groan from her bedroom brought her hurrying back to the young man's side, slopping water around, the first aid kit in the other hand.
'He /is/ remarkably handsome...' Sora found herself reflecting, and then gave herself a mental slap. 'But it sure does stir some old memories to see him again...'
She brushed Matt's blonde hair back from his face, then was shocked to find her hand lingering against his cheek. 'Get a GRIP, Sora!'
As if sensing her guilt, Matt's blue eyes shot open, full of shock and fear, as though awakening from a bad dream. "No, wait, I..."
He tailed off. His eyes located Sora and surprise registered on his features before the unreadable mask slipped into place again...Sora knew that expression. That had been Matt's defensive "look" that she had come to know well in the Digital World. Maybe he hadn't changed so much...
"Sora, what's going on? I...remember Jon dropping me off - but its all a little obscure from then on." Sora smiled hesitantly. "You collapsed outside my door, actually. I brought you in here."
Matt seemed to realise where he was. "Oh yeah...I thought the décor was a little different..." He tried a small smile, shrugged uncomfortably and sat up, rubbing the back of his head.
"Hey, hang on, you're not going anywhere 'til I sort that out," Sora said indicating the still-bleeding lesion.
"Oh, no, its OK," Matt dismissed it casually. "Really, I'm fine..."
"Look, I'm not taking no for an answer," Sora insisted, "now, let me see."
Sighing, Matt let her inspect the wound. He gave her a small smile. "Listen, I'm sorry for brushing you off the other day." He glanced at her from the corner of his eye and said softly, "I was just shocked to see you again, I guess."
"Me too," Sora admitted. "I often wondered how things were going, though."
Matt flinched as Sora gently pressed at his throat. "Sorry," she apologised. "Tell you what, why don't you take the shirt off and I could get to it easier - and its covered in blood anyway. I'll stick it in my machine if you want - it'll be clean by morning."
Matt looked askance at her. Sora looked back at him resolutely, hoping she wouldn't blush.
Finally Matt threw his hands up, half-glaring at her, then unbuttoned the shirt and slipped out of it. "Still stubborn as ever, I see," he muttered.
Sora chose to ignore that. She bit her lip when she glimpsed the telltale bruises marking Matt's arms. He stared at her, ice-blue eyes challenging her to say something.
"Go on then," Matt said softly, his voice sounding tight, controlled, as though he was trying to restrain any sign of emotion. "Act all horrified and reproving - I've seen it enough times - I don't care anymore."
Abruptly, Sora turned away, and said briskly, "I'll just put this in the wash, OK?"
She had to swipe an angry tear away as she swept out of her bedroom.
Matt's eyes had been cold, but she couldn't help but see beyond the façade to the agonised, unhappy soul she wanted so much to help...That thought surprised her briefly, but she knew it was true. Matt needed someone now - a friend. She didn't know what he'd been through or why he was so desperate, so terribly miserable that he'd turned to drugs, but she knew she had to help him.
"OK, let's clean you up," Sora announced, trying to sound relaxed and cheerful. She began to attend to the neck wound. Once the wound was cleaned and dressed she rocked back on her heels.
"Why are you doing this?" Matt asked brusquely, staring at her. He had pulled his knees up to his chest and was looking at her in a puzzled sort of way. "You don't owe me anything - in fact you should be mad at me for ignoring you, and yet...here you are." He shook his head and dropped his gaze.
"Matt, what's happened to you," Sora whispered. "What's made you so mistrustful - in that you can't even allow someone who was your friend to help you without suspecting that there's an ulterior motive...?"
"Hey, you don't have a clue what I've been through, so don't think you can stand there and tell me how to behave. I don't know what I'm even /doing/ here." He turned angrily away from her.
"Matt! Why don't you just tell me, huh? It's all very well you saying that, but if you won't even give me a chance to understand..." Sora tailed off - he was still disregarding her. "Oh, look, fine, if you wanna behave like that. Just let me clean that cut on your forehead and then you can get the hell out of my life the same way you did 2 years ago."
"What, you think I had a choice?" Matt spat swinging back to face her, his eyes smouldering. "You think I wanted to uproot from my home and go halfway around the world? God, Sora, how I wished I was back here with you all - but the fact was, I wasn't...and I had to live with that too."
"Well, why didn't you ever come back? It can't have been so hard to phone or write, or email or something! You ignored Tai - your best friend, and you refused to speak to your own brother - what am I supposed to think?"
He shocked her then, by pulling sharply away from her, throwing himself back on the bed, eyes squeezed shut, his breathing erratic. It sounded as though he was trying hard not to cry.
There was a moment of silence and Sora's anger began to cool. She felt a wave of sympathy as she saw two tears leak from the corners of Matt's eyes.
"Hey." She put a hand lightly on his bruised arm. "Hey, its all right. I'm sorry, OK?" She paused. "I guess I've still got a big mouth." She tried to get a smile from him.
Instead, he opened his eyes, glistening with tears, and regarded her solemnly.
"It was so hard cutting myself off, after my dad died, you know. I wanted to come back, but I'd turned into someone else, and I didn't want my old friends to see the person I'd become. The person who stayed out all night drinking and partying, sleeping around, the person who has to rely on drugs for some kind of release from this damn world." He paused, watching her, waiting for a reaction.
Sora didn't say anything, realising how hard this must be for Matt - he had never been good at opening up and baring his feelings. She hadn't known Matt's dad had died, hadn't know he's led that life - the "rock star life" they talked about in the music rags, she thought cynically.
"Oh yes, the famous Matt Ishida, rock star, pop idol, sex icon - but there's always a price right?" He said bitterly, as if reading her thoughts. "If I could go back and change it all, I would."
"There's no point in living in the past," Sora said softly. "I know, I've tried." She didn't elaborate. Matt didn't push her. He knew what it was like.
"But you can't keep doing that to yourself Matt - you can't live your whole life alone, and if you don't stop with the drugs..." She tailed off, felt a lump rise in her throat, but forced herself to continue. "If you don't stop, you'll end up killing yourself."
"And that would be a shame, wouldn't it." Matt muttered sardonically.
Sora felt that hot flame of anger light within her again. "How can you say that? What right have you to throw away your life?"
"It's my life," Matt replied harshly. He wasn't looking at her - his eyes were fixed on a point past her head.
"Look at me, Matt. Look at me." She waited until he turned his head resentfully.
"You think I don't know what it's been like for you - well, maybe I don't - but I do know that drugs will kill you. They killed my sister, and that's proof enough for me. I can't let you do the same thing. I just can't."
"Then don't hand around." Matt stated. "Forget this ever happened. I can so easily walk away again."
Suddenly Sora snapped. Without thinking, her hand flashed out, catching Matt soundly on the cheek. The crack echoed in the small room.
Matt barely reacted. Sora was breathing hard, trying to hold back the angry tears that threatened to spill over. "You can't..." She sobbed, staring at him with those depthless eyes. "I won't let you."
They both sat there in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.
The bedside lamp cast a soft glow on Matt's slightly tanned skin, the light caught in his eyes like reflected flames as he lifted his head slightly to look at her. His lips tightened slightly and he rested his head in his hands, dejected.
Sora felt as though someone had clenched their fist around her heart and was squeezing it unmercifully as she stared at him, his image swam in front of her as the tears slipped down her cheeks. The ugly red marks across his cheek - fingerprints - her fingerprints...She could feel herself begin to shake with uncontrollable sobs. He couldn't just walk away from her again...
Matt reached over and pulled the shaking teenager into an embrace, wrapping his arms around her slim, trembling frame, burying his face in her red hair.
"Sora," he whispered, his voice muffled. "Sora, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."
Sora could feel his heartbeat, and in that instant, she knew why she couldn't let drugs claim this young man.
/She loved him. /
She pulled away and gently placed her hand on his cheek, warm against her skin. "No, /I'm/ sorry. I guess it's none of my business."
"No-one's been as sweet to me for years as you have been tonight. I guess I'd kind of forgotten what it felt like to have someone actually care what went on in my life."
"Tai and TK would care if you'd only let them." Sora said softly.
"Perhaps..." Matt said.
"I know they..."
"Hush," Matt whispered, putting his fingers to her lips. "Tell me about your sister. I never knew you had a sister..."
"She died a long time ago. I was...oh, eight or so - she was 17. I remember, the only thing I could think of when they told me she was dead was how selfish she had been to make us all suffer like that, when she knew that what she was doing was wrong - mom was devastated, but I couldn't even cry...Of course, I didn't really understand, but I haven't been able to reconcile myself to believing that it wasn't her fault...And I hate myself for that."
Matt lay down on the bed, pulling Sora down with him, still entangled in his arms. He hugged her gently. "Maybe she /didn't/ know what she was doing."
Sora shook her head. "I think she knew. But I couldn't bear for it to happen to someone else I love..."
It took her a few seconds to register what she had said. It seemed to take Matt a few minutes to realise it too.
"What did you say..?" Matt said, voice catching in his throat. He looked shyly at her, and suddenly, the mask he had always kept up so carefully seemed to fall away and an innocent hope filtered through, dispelling all the frustration, all the pent-up resentment and leaving only the desperate need to be wanted lingering in those clear blue eyes...
Sora looked up at him boldly. "You heard me Ishida." She touched his cheek tentatively, the little voice within her heart begging him not to pull away. He shifted slightly and took her hand in his, his eyes unreadable.
"I told you I loved you."
She swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. "I loved you two years ago, though I'm not sure I realised it until you walked out of my life and I recognised what I was losing. You broke my heart. I spent these past years struggling to forget you, but I just couldn't stop thinking about you - where you were, what you were doing...And then, Bang - you waltz back into my life as though you've never been away. I felt as though I'd been punched in the stomach when you pretended not to recognise me."
"I said I was sorry," Matt replied quietly. "I meant it. I was stupid to do that...Perhaps I can make up for it?"
"Oh? And how do you plan to do that?" Sora teased, stirring, planning to get up and turn off the main room light - it was almost 1 in the morning, after all.
'So much for a good night's sleep,' she thought wryly. Matt's hand stopped her; he turned her face back to his, his fingers resting lightly on her chin. He sat up, guiding her with him, bringing the other hand up to rest against her cheek, then pulled her closer.
His lips met hers gently, and suddenly, in that instant, Sora knew that her feeling had been right. She did love Matt, and she couldn't bear for him to leave her. The years of anguish, of trying to get over her feelings for him were wiped away in that kiss...That one moment of absolute truth. /She loved Matt./
"How does that work for you?" Matt said, a smile spreading over his features, as he broke the kiss after what seemed a perfect eternity. "Am I sufficiently redeemed?"
"Hmmm." Sora replied a glint of laughter in her eyes as she leaned in once more, shifting her hands to wrap around his neck. "I think I need a little further convincing..."
A/N: heeeeeeeeeeeee! Wahey! Aren't they cute.....No? Ah well. I think so. Next chapter coming soon I hope - what will Frenzy do to get to TK, and will Matt realise what's at stake?