Author's Notes: Heh, you were all waiting for this, so here it is. I don't think it's all that great, but tell me what you think, okay?

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SORA:

            Soon after Tai and Mimi left, Matt practically tripped over his own feet to get out the front door. I wasn't surprised. He didn't want to be alone with his current ex-girlfriend any longer, and I didn't blame him. If I hadn't felt somewhat relieved and content, I probably would have killed him. And that, in a sense, was utterly perplexing. I didn't know how I felt about Matt anymore. I wasn't sure if I was mad at him, or if I wanted to cry about it. I didn't even know if I could ever look at him the same way as I did before, or if things would ever be normal between us.

            Funny thing is, everything had been perfectly normal until TODAY. It all happened so fast. To think that I had never stopped loving Tai, even when I told myself that I loved Matt, was strange and yet satisfying. At least now I wasn't in denial anymore. But would everything work out so easily? Could I really just start all over and try to create a closer relationship with Tai?

            The answers didn't come to me quickly like I wanted them to, so I figured I was just going to have to wait it out.

            Later on that evening, I was sitting by the window, just like I had been only the night before. Things looked a lot different for some reason, and I wasn't sure why. Maybe I was just imagining things. And then, the phone rang. I rolled my eyes, hoping it was neither Matt nor Mimi. I was in no mood to reconcile, if that's what you would call it.

            "Hello?" I said, my voice bitter.

            "Hey, Sora." That voice. I suddenly felt my knees go weak and I grabbed the cordless phone off the wall as I went to go sit down in my chair again.

            "Hi, Tai." Much more softly this time.

            "Is it okay if we… talk?"

            It took me a few minutes before I could process the question in my mind. I mumbled "yeah".

            "So… Today was… weird." He sounded so nervous, like he had practiced this over and over again by himself, but now that he was saying it to me, he had forgotten his lines. I mumbled "yeah" again, not sure what else to say.

            "I just want to apologize. It was all my fault. Please forgive me. If I had known things were going to change so quickly, I never would have-"

            "It's not your fault, Tai."

            "But I… But you and Matt were so happy…"

            I sighed. "I thought that too, but apparently not."

            Tai was quiet for a few moments. I wondered what he was thinking, and I wished that whatever he had to say, he would just say it already so I wouldn't have to sit through this tortured silence.

            "Sora?" he finally said. I felt myself lean forward in my chair unconsciously.

            "Yes?"

            "Do you… Would you… You still like me, right?" He sounded so hopeless. I smiled faintly.

            "Yes. And you like me, right?"

            I heard him cough apprehensively. "Yes, of course I do. I was just wondering…"

            "You want to start over."

            "Yeah, that's it! I mean…" I swear I could feel the heat of his blush through the phone. I tried not to laugh.

            "Yes, Tai. I want to start over too."

            "Okay. Great."

            Then we were both quiet for another minute or two. So was that it? We were starting over, but starting over with what? I bit my lip. Was this really the way to go though? Perhaps we were moving too fast… Maybe we needed more time to think about this. What if after just one day, he decided he didn't like me anymore? Or what if I decided I didn't like him any more? Was that possible? What if I-

            "Sora? If things change drastically between us, or if you feel like something needs to be different, you can tell me."

            I took a moment to mull over his statement. Before I could reply however, he continued.

            "I… I love you Sora. I don't want that closeness we have to just disappear because we're rushing into something…"

            He paused. It was sort of strange hearing him talk like this. I didn't think he could be so… considerate and understanding. Don't get me wrong, Tai's a nice guy and all, but he's not really that eloquent, and he usually rushed into things without thinking. I had assumed that included relationships, so I never thought I'd hear him say things like this. It brought another smile to my face, and this time I did answer.

            "What do you want, Tai?"

            "I want whatever you want, Sora."

            "All right then. Can you meet me tomorrow for lunch? We can talk more then."

            "Sure."

            "Oh, and Tai? If Matt calls and asks about us… Don't tell him right away, okay?"

            "Right."

            And all was right with the world.

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YAMATO:

            It's 9:30 at night, and I'm out taking a walk. It's too quiet at home.

From here on, I'm making a pact with myself… I am now single. And as far as I'm concerned, I'm going to stay that way. Forever. Love is just too complicated and it feels like I've been kicked where the sun doesn't shine far too many times…

And to think everything was fine the day before yesterday. When had everything gone so wrong? I wanted to blame myself, mostly because I felt like a complete moron for practically making out with Mimi RIGHT THERE in Sora's apartment. I mean, what kind of idiot would do that in his own girlfriend's home? No one with good sense would do that. I've been told many times that I don't have very much intelligence to begin with, so I guess that's just my own fault or something.

And yet, it's still bugging me. Because I liked it. I liked it. To know that Mimi felt that way about me still sends chills up my spine, and I wonder if she knew that I used to feel the same… Or if she knew that I never stopped feeling that way.

But oh well. Here I am, alone. Again. That's just the story of my life. Everyone knows it already, and they all say, 'Oh hey, there goes Yamato Ishida. You know, the guy with the reputation for being a cold and cruel bastard… That's him'. And it's true. It's all true. I can't say that I've ever really and truly cared for anyone except T.K., but if that was true, then what was this feeling I had for Sora? Was it a fluke? Just a phase?

I doubted that. I think it was more along the lines of friendship. A really close friendship. Hmph. Look how far that had gotten me.

So what do I do now? Where do I go from here? Maybe love just isn't for me.

I stopped at the corner on my street. I heard someone calling my name. I ignored it the first time, resumed walking, and then I heard it again. The voice sounded vaguely familiar, but I refused to let myself believe that she would-

"Matt! Geez, wait up! Do you know how hard it is to run in platform shoes?!"

I came to a dead halt and turned slowly, my hands stuffed in my pockets. "Sorry Mimi."

She stopped running as she came closer to me and tried catching her breath. Then she brushed her hair from her face and smiled at me happily. "What are you doing out here this late at night?"

"I should be asking you the same question." I said, raising an eyebrow. She just shrugged at me and looked down, and I immediately knew her reason.

"I called your house before… Tai gave me your number. But you weren't there. So I thought maybe you went out or something…"

I nodded, and I offered her my arm. "Wanna walk with me then? You might need protection or something…" She laughed and took it.

So we walked. I could feel her pressed up against me the whole time. I didn't know where we were going, but really I didn't care. All that mattered was that she was here with me, and I suddenly forgot everything I had been thinking about before. Weird how that always happens when she comes to mind.

"Today was weird, ne?" she said, glancing up at me. I shrugged and decided not to answer. She looked back down at the ground and sniffled a bit. "Matt, do you think that maybe… maybe…"

"Maybe what?" My voiced sounded strained.

"Maybe Tai and Sora were meant to be together all along? I mean… I remember a long time ago, when we were younger… We used to tease them all the time about liking each other, but we never thought…" she trailed off, and I looked at her expectantly. She still said nothing. I blinked and then looked away again. I wondered why things seemed so awkward between us at that moment.

"Matt?" she finally said.

"Hm?"

"Did you really like Sora?"

I swallowed hard. "Yeah, I did."

"A lot?"

"Yeah."

"But did you love her?"

I wasn't sure how to answer the question at first. It was just like before, but somehow I felt that if I gave the wrong answer, my whole life would be in shambles after this.

            "I think I did… Maybe not in the same way as I thought…"

            "Which means?"

            "You know what it means. Don't make me have to explain it." I said, feeling a little bit threatened. Was I on trial now?

            "You know… When I went to America the first time, I thought about you and everyone else a lot."

            I didn't respond. She was changing the subject, so I decided to keep my mouth shut. Mimi glanced at me for a second, and then began again.

            "It was sort of nice starting all over, and seeing new things. I made tons of new friends, and everything was going fine. But there was still something holding me back. Because I knew, deep down, that you guys would always be with me, no matter what, even if I was an ocean away."

            She stopped walking. I stopped too, and turned to face her completely as she looked up at me with glittering eyes.

            "When Tai called me and told me about you and Sora, I was really sort of angry at first. Angry that he hadn't done anything about you two, and angry that I wasn't there to do anything about it. I wasn't sure why I felt that way. All I've ever wanted for any of my friends was their happiness. I used to be so selfish… I still am, really. But when I thought of you two, it felt like there was something really wrong, and it had something to do with me not being there. And… I felt that I needed to see you again."

            I was thankful for the darkness surrounding us. I couldn't let her see me blushing at that.

"So that's why I came here. Tai and Sora were only part of the issue. Just knowing that I could see you again just made me so happy, and so that's why I had to come. I'm sure I probably ruined everything…" She laughed, tears beginning to roll down her cheeks. I reached my hand out to wipe them away, and she smiled up at me.

"But I want you to know that… You've always been on my mind, Matt. And… and… I…I…"

I cut her off with a kiss. I didn't need to hear the words. And right then, I knew I felt the same. Even if this didn't work out and even if things felt like they were moving too fast, and even if I was scared, I couldn't stop myself. She was here, and I was here, that was all that mattered. Everything could have melted away around us, and I wouldn't have noticed or even cared. The earlier vow I made to myself was immediately thrown out the proverbial window.

And all was right with the world.

~Owari~

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Notes: Hah, it's finally finished! WOO! I'm incredibly proud of myself, even though I found the ending sort of disappointing. I hope no one was too upset by it. I tend to end all my stories rather abruptly like that. ^_^;;; Oh well. Please review, and thanks for reading! *v-sign*