*So sorry for the delay, I have been working, and then my computer refused to bring up ff.net's site, so I couldn't do anything with it for so long! Anyway, here I have another chapter for you, I hope you all enjoy it! Send out a review if you do. Send out one if you don't too!*

Standing Alone

The Second Publishing

Pelted by the torrents of rain that were still cascading from the heavens, the figure ran to Matt's shivering form, falling to their knees beside him and shucking the raincoat. Mimi was revealed to the elements as she covered the drenched form of Matt with her raincoat, then tried to pick him up but wasn't strong enough to budge him. She looked down at Matt, who was still sleeping, and decided he'd passed out.

"Matt. . . .Matt wake up! Oh God, Matt please wake up!" Mimi coaxed, rubbing Matt's frigid hand in hers, trying to warm him as much as she could. The door to the rooftop opened again, and Mimi's mother stepped out in another raincoat.

"Mimi! God who is that?" Mimi's mother cried, rushing over to aid her daughter. Mimi looked at her mother, her hair drenched and clinging to her soaked face.

"Help me get him into the apartment, he's a friend of mine." Mimi called over the sound of thunder. The two of them hoisted Matt onto their shoulders and dragged him down a flight of stairs to their apartment and laid him on the couch. Mimi covered the youth in blankets as her mother dialed the hospital.

"Yes, this is Ms. Tachikawa, and I would like an ambulance at 64 C in the apartment building on Shoots road. He's been on the roof for some time it seems, and he's burning up with fever. He's barely breathing. . . yes I'll be waiting outside. Thank you." Ms. Tachikawa said into the telephone before hanging up and grabbing her raincoat and rushing out the door after checking on the boy and Mimi once more. Mimi quickly changed into dry clothes and went back to Matt, who was shaking violently on the couch. Mimi touched Matt's pale forehead and felt his hot skin. His eyes were shut tight, and he was trembling so hard the couch was shaking also.

"Matt. . . open your eyes, Matt. It's Mimi, and I'm scared." Mimi whispered touching Matt's face. Matt shivered more, and his eyes opened slightly. Mimi touched his hand under the blanket and smiled warmly down at Matt, who smiled back very weakly and passed out a second time. Mimi bent down and kissed Matt's trembling lips, then hugged herself to him, trying to warm him more. Two paramedics burst into the room moments later and checked Matt over, then loaded him onto a stretcher and departed the small apartment.

"Is he going to be alright?" Mimi called down the hall toward one of the doctors. He turned around and nodded before helping his partner move the stretcher into the elevator.

"I'm going to the Takaishi's. Matt's mother needs to know what's going on. I'll be home as soon as I find out if he'll be alright." Mimi said to her mother.

"Alright Mimi, please dress warm. It's a freezer out there, and I don't want you to be sick like your friend." Ms. Tachikawa said, reaching for Mimi's scarf and putting it around her bundled daughter's neck.

"Thanks for the help, Momma." Mimi said before walking out the door toward the elevators. She pressed the button and was soon at the ground floor looking out at the terrible storm.

'Matt and TK live a good half hour walk from here.' Mimi thought to herself as she hailed a cab and took off toward the Takaishi home.

"Mimi. . . what can I do for you? Matt's not here, if you were wondering. . . he left about three hours ago, and hasn't come home yet." TK said as he let Mimi into the apartment. The brunettes spotted Ms. Takaishi sitting by the kitchen window, looking out onto the city somberly. She could tell Matt's mother was beating herself up over her son's disappearance.

"Ms. Takaishi, the reason I'm here is because I know where Matt is." Mimi stated, making the other two people in the apartment turn their attention to her.

"Do you know where Mattie is? Is he safe?" Ms. Takaishi asked, worry written on her pale face. Her blue eyes pleaded with Mimi, praying for some kind of good news.

"I found him on my rooftop. He's at the hospital now." Mimi said quietly. Ms. Takaishi gasped and ran for her coat, TK following suit.

"Is he alright? Did he . . . . did he hurt himself, Mimi?" TK asked as the three of them sped down the steps toward Ms. Takaishi's car and got in hastily. Ms. Takaishi shifted into drive and spun out into the wet streets.

"He didn't hurt himself, but he was shaking so much, and he was so warm. I think he might be very sick." Mimi said, watching Matt's mother's expression turn more guilt ridden as they drove. Ms. Takaishi parked in the hospital lot and the trio walked quickly into the tall brick building.

"I'm looking for Matt Ishida. He's my son, and I heard he was here." Ms. Takaishi asked nervously. A nearby doctor overheard her request and approached her.

"I just saw a patient by that name. He's over this way, in the emergency room. He'll be admitted tonight for observation I'm afraid." The tall doctor said, introducing himself to the group as Doctor Lyn.

"What's wrong with him?" TK asked, his eyes big and frightened. Mimi put her hand on TK's shoulder, and TK leaned on her, looking over at her.

"Well, he's got a light case of Hypothermia, which you can expect from someone going out in a cold rain in nothing more than a t-shirt and jeans. He's also showing signs of Pneumonia which is why we're admitting him. He's having some breathing problems. We'll be keeping him for a couple days until he stabilizes. I guess a girl found him on the roof and called medics. It's a good thing, because I would have to say he'd have frozen to death if he were exposed all night." Doctor Lyn explained, turning a corner and opening a door, leading Ms. Takaishi, TK, and Mimi inside to where Matt lay in a hospital bed, a breathing tube inserted into his mouth and taped securely to his face.

"Oh God, Mattie. . . ." Ms. Takaishi cried, taking her son's pale white hand in hers and crying softly. TK turned to Mimi and shook his head.

"You found him, didn't you? Thank you. . . . my mother would have been destroyed if not for you." TK whispered, joining his mother beside Matt's side. Mimi took another look at Matt lying in bed, blankets piled up on top of his body, an IV stuck into his arm. He looked so helpless as he slept soundly, nothing like he was earlier that day. His hair was matted down to his head and was messy. His skin almost blended in with the white linens on his bed. Mimi turned to leave, but TK caught her arm before she could quietly exit the room.

"Don't go. This is where you should be. Here with Matt. I know you like him, and I honestly think he likes you too. You saved his life, Mimi and we're grateful." TK said, motioning to his mother, who was nodding gratefully, her eyes thankful.

"It's so lucky you two found each other. He found his way to your home, and you found your way to his whereabouts." Ms. Takaishi said, touching Matt's feverish face. Matt shifted slightly, and his mother sighed, watching him quietly.

"I think I'm going to spend the night here with Matt. Mimi, would you mind taking TK home and staying with him? You may drive my car if you'd like." Ms. Takaishi asked, standing. Mimi nodded looked at TK, who shrugged his shoulders.

"We can take the bus, Ms. Takaishi. I can't drive a car yet." Mimi answered. Ms. Takaishi handed bus fare to TK, who hugged his mother before leaving the room. Mimi walked up to Ms. Takaishi and hugged her also.

"I'm so glad you found my baby." She whispered to Mimi, who smiled.

"I am too." Mimi replied, walking out after TK.

"You can sleep in Matt's room, I suppose. And there are some clothes in there too if you need them. Thanks for staying with me. I'm thirteen years old and my mom still thinks I need a sitter." TK joked as he opened the door and let Mimi into the apartment. She walked into Matt's room and found a pair of gray pants and a black shirt with a picture of Metallica on it. She looked at herself in the mirror and laughed lightly. She left Matt's room and walked down the hall to TK's to say goodnight, then went back to her room for the night, settling down in Matt's bed. Before turning out the light, Mimi noticed a small leather bound book on the floor.

"What's this. . . ?" Mimi wondered aloud as she picked up the small book and held it in her hands. She opened it, revealing song lyrics and random writings about things going on in Matt's life. She turned the pages, reading every song. Every song was dark and distressing, talking about abuse and suicide. She turned to the last page where a small passage was written. Tears formed in her eyes as she read about Matt's first day of school, and how it had been like 'treading through Hell'.

"Why is he so tortured about everything?" Mimi asked herself as she read on.

'The only thing good about this day in ANY way was the girl I met. Her name's Mimi, and she's gorgeous. I want so badly to get to know her but I can't focus on anything other than this fury eating my insides. It's like acid. . . I can't make it go away for some stupid reason.' Mimi read the words to herself, feeling a pang of happiness over Matt's attraction to her, but at the same time she felt so much sadness well up inside her as she realized Matt's life had been so bad for so long.

'She walks in my mind // Everywhere I turn // There she is again // A memory of her face // Image of her smile // Engraved in my head // She would never want me too // I feel like I'm runnin' in place. . . ' Mimi read the beginning of the song Matt was writing about her and felt hot tears run over her cheeks and spill onto the paper, smearing the ink. She closed the book and put it back on the floor as she had originally found it. Mimi turned over and pulled the covers over her and felt sleep take her over slowly.

*This looks like a good place to stop for now. Sorry if this part is silly or makes no sense to you, I just thought it would be good to put in. Review this for me please, so I can make it better as I go! And if you know how this thing is going to end (if you read the first publishing, it's a really sketchy rendition of what this is turning out to be), review this and see if you have a better idea of what's going to happen for an ending!*