*Okay, I'm ready to put out another chapter of this fic! Do you like it? I'm really hoping so, because feedback is few and far between here on ff.net for me, at least! Oh well, I don't write for reviews, I write because I love it. Reviews just make me better! Anyway, here's my next chapter! Thanks!*

Standing Alone

The Second Publishing

Mimi rose to the sound of the front door opening and a pair of feet stepping lightly into the apartment. She looked around her for a moment to regain her memory of where she was. Images of Matt's shivering form and his scribbled words in his leather book immediately brought back her memory from the previous night. She sat up as the door opened and Ms. Takaishi walked in softly, carrying a small bag with her. Mimi noticed it was her bag and assumed her mother had sent it with Ms. Takaishi for her.

"Good morning, Mimi. I'm sorry if I woke you, I was just bringing some things I picked up from your mother today on the way home from the hospital. I thought you could get cleaned up and then go visit Mattie. They took the tube out of his throat early this morning." Ms. Takaishi said, opening the curtains and letting the bright sunlight pour onto the young teen.

"Thank you. I'd really like to see Matt, actually. I'll be ready in an hour. Is TK going to come with us?" Mimi asked, searching through the bag and producing a towel and other shower necessities. Ms. Takaishi shook her head slowly and picked up some of Matt's clothes as she walked back toward the door.

"TK has a basketball game today and I told him I would be there. Besides, I thought you might want some one on one time with Matt." Ms. Takaishi replied, smiling sweetly as she left the room. Mimi blushed and took her things into the shower. The water felt so good on her skin, warming her to the core. She got out of the steamy chamber and wrapped her hair up in her burgundy towel and changed into her clothes for the day.

'I wonder if Matt's even awake. . . ' Mimi thought as she blew her hair dry, letting her hair cascade down past her shoulders. After she finished getting ready, Mimi gathered her things and left the house, thanking the Takaishi's for their hospitality. She walked to the bus station where she ran into Tai and Sora, who were also waiting on the bus.

"Hey Mimi, how have you been?" Sora asked, her eyes shining. Tai wrapped his arm around Sora's waist and smiled at Mimi also.

"I'm doing well, just heading to the hospital." Mimi replied, sitting down on the cold bench inside the waiting area.

"What's at the hospital?" Tai asked, sitting down and putting Sora on his lap gently. Mimi's thoughts moved to the boy in the hospital bed, tubes in his throat, needles in his arm.

"I'm going to see Matt. He is pretty sick." Mimi answered, shifting in her seat a little.

"Oh? That's too bad! We'd go with you, but my Aunt is having us over for dinner today, and I can't be late!" Sora said, leaning her head on Tai's. The bus pulled up to the stop, its brakes squeaking loudly. The three of them got on and rode toward the hospital, talking about various things as they rode.

"Tell Matt we hope he gets better, would you?" Sora called as Mimi stepped off the bus. Mimi smiled back at the couple and nodded, then turned and walked into the hospital and up to Matt's room. She turned the knob and quietly opened the door to see Matt sleeping soundly in his bed, blankets still piled up on him.

"Oh Matt. . . " Mimi said quietly as she sat down in a chair next to his bed, taking his hand in hers. She noticed it wasn't frozen and white anymore, but now a healthy color and warm. Matt turned his head a little toward Mimi, his eyes still closed as he slept.

'He's so sweet when he's sleeping. . . ' Mimi thought as she stroked Matt's forehead with her free hand. He was still burning with fever, though not as much as he had been the night before. The IV was still stuck in his arm, sending fluids into his system to prevent dehydration. Mimi's brown eyes followed the tubes to the needle, then to Matt's arm where it was inserted. She sighed and looked at Matt again, wondering why exactly he was as angry as he was.

"I wish I could get to you, Matt." Mimi said softly, leaning down and kissing Matt's check gently. She felt Matt squeeze her hand weakly, and leaned back to come face to face with two circles of ocean blue staring at her with exhaustion. Mimi smiled widely and touched Matt's face again, making him close his eyes happily.

"I feel terrible. I don't remember anything. . ." Matt said, his voice hoarse. He tried to sit up, but collapsed back onto the bed, fatigued.

"Try not to move. You need all the strength you can get right now." Mimi said, helping Matt sit up a little and putting pillows behind him to hold him up. She poured a glass of water and handed it to Matt, who took it in his shaky hand and drank it slowly.

"You were on my rooftop. I was checking on my flowers, and I found you out in the middle of that terrible storm last night." Mimi said, touching Matt's hand gently. Matt looked at her and smiled again.

"Everywhere I go, you end up being there too. I think it's a sign, don't you?" Matt said, trying to laugh but coughing. He began coughing very hard, and Mimi got out of her chair and held him in her arms, calming him down and stopping his coughing.

"I think so too, Matt." Mimi replied, slowly leaning over and very lightly touching her lips to his. The kiss was brief, and Mimi pulled away to see Matt looking up at her with wide blue eyes. He looked so innocent, so young.

"I didn't think that was coming. And I definitely didn't mind it one bit." Matt said, his voice low.

"You know you're even sexy when you're sick?" Mimi whispered into Matt's ear. She giggled as the blonde blushed and smiled.

"Well, you're sexy all the time too." Matt replied, whispering the words into Mimi's ear. She felt a tingle down her spine as he kissed her softly on the neck.

"Now you must know I liked that, but I want you to get as much rest as possible. We have a lot of time after you get better to be together." Mimi said, smiling down at Matt as he sighed and leaned his head against her collarbone. She felt his breathing slow down and knew he had fallen asleep, so Mimi ever so gently got out from behind Matt and laid him back down on his bed, smiling as he shifted to get comfortable.

'We've got all the time in the world, Matt.' Mimi thought as she settled into her chair and fell asleep.

A couple days went by, and Matt was recovering at a decent rate. He'd been discharged from the hospital and was at home recovering. Mimi brought his homework to him each day and helped him get it done and turned back in to his teachers. TK and Ms. Takaishi tried to help him with as much homework as possible after Mimi had to leave each night.

"Okay, Matt I don't know much French, but I'll do my best." Ms. Takaishi said, opening Matt's French book and thumbing through it. Matt watched his mother and felt the anger and resentment toward her slowly dissipate. He'd been feeling guilty for days about the way he had treated her, and it showed in his soulful eyes.

"Mom. . . . can I tell you something?" Matt asked, his voice still a bit hoarse from the illness. Ms. Takaishi looked up from the book, her blue eyes curious.

"I'm. . . .I'm sorry about all the terrible things I said to you Friday. I was just so mad at you. . . " Matt said, looking down at his covers.

"Why were you so angry at me? I thought you would be so happy. . . " Ms. Takaishi whispered, touching Matt's shoulder. He looked up at her with sad blue eyes with tears brimming in them.

"You picked me up in the middle of the week after nine years of nothing. No cards, phone calls. . . .nothing. You appeared one day and expected me to be all smiles and sunshine, and I couldn't do it. There hadn't been light in my life all that time. He said you didn't love me, that you didn't want me as much as TK. I guess that's why I resented you so much." Matt continued, tears now streaming down his young face. Ms. Takaishi took Matt into her arms and held him tightly, tears flowing down her face also.

"I would never say that. The courts made us keep no contact because of how bad the divorce was going. The judge said that when both of us could come to an agreement, we could see the child we didn't have in custody at the time. I was willing, but your father wanted you both, with no visitation for me. I couldn't lose you both forever, and no matter how I tried, he wouldn't let me have you both. It took me nine years to catch him hurting you, and that's how I got the ruling overturned, and brought you home with me. I'm so sorry you never knew what was happening!" Matt's mother cried, sobbing on her son's shoulder softly.

"I'm sorry I've been such a terror. I just didn't know what was happening inside me, inside my heart." Matt added. The two of them hugged for a moment, then parted. Matt smiled at his mother for the first time in nine years, and Ms. Takaishi squeezed his hand warmly. Someone knocked on the front door, and TK got up to answer it. On the other side of the door was a stranger that TK didn't know.

"Can I help you?" TK asked politely to the tall man with the sandy hair. He stared down at TK for a moment and then frowned.

"Don't you know who I am, TK?" the man asked, his eyes dark and angry. TK shook his head and the man pushed him aside and stalked into the apartment.

"Hey! You can't just walk into someone's apartment! Who are you?" Ms. Takaishi and Matt heard TK yell. Matt's mother jumped out of bed and ran out the door, leaving it open to Matt, who could see into the living room from his bed. He saw his father's form pace around the living room, and TK's terrified face. His blue eyes were wide and frightened, and he looked at Matt with confusion on his face. He could hear his mother talking to his father, and TK's eyes growing wider when he recognized his father for who he was.

"What do you want?" Ms. Takaishi asked, her eyes narrowed with anger. Mr. Ishida smiled slyly and pulled out a folder from his trench coat, shoving it into his ex wife's hands roughly.

"I got Matt back after I heard you hadn't cared for him properly. Imagine, two days home with you and he gets pneumonia? He's to come home with me immediately." Mr. Ishida snapped, glancing over at TK for a moment, his eyes cold and unfeeling. TK could see Matt's same angry personality in the man he just now found was his father. He looked into Matt's room again and stared at Matt, who looked miserably back at his brother with big blue eyes that were no longer clouded with rage, but clear.

"Matt can't be moved, the doctor's orders were firm." Ms. Takaishi spat back, shoving the order back into Mr. Ishida's hands. TK stood up and started for Matt's room, but was stopped by Mr. Ishida.

"You really should read those orders better, Nancy. It says that if Matt is too sick to be moved, then TK goes with me until Matt has recovered fully." Mr. Ishida said darkly, pulling TK to his side and smiling venomously. Ms. Takaishi snatched the order back and read it fully, her eyes tearing as she read about her son's future care.

"It's okay, Mom. I'll go with him." TK whispered quietly, looking up at his father with a frightened expression. Mr. Ishida gazed back down on his youngest son and smiled what seemed to be a genuine smile.

"That's a good boy. Now go pack your things." Mr. Ishida said, pointing TK toward the hallway that led to his room.

"No. . . .take me, please. Leave TK alone." Matt said, stumbling out from his doorway into the living room. He collapsed on the floor with exhaustion, sweat glistening on his feverish face. Mr. Ishida smirked as Ms. Takaishi ran to her son, picking him up and stabilizing him with her body. Matt leaned on his mother and glared at his father, who just mocked him by laughing. TK walked out with a small bag of things, his face pale and worried.

"No, TK. . . . " Matt whispered, trying to stop TK from walking out the door. TK turned and looked Matt in the eyes, piercing Matt's heart with a sad smile.

"I'll be alright, you just get better. I love you mom, Matt." TK said before being led out of the apartment by Mr. Ishida, who looked back with a satisfied smirk. The door closed, and Matt began to sob with his mother as she helped him back into his room and back into bed. The two of them cried for some time before Matt fell asleep, exhausted. All through the night Matt tossed and turned, haunted by his brother's sad eyes. His fever spiked up, and Ms. Takaishi called the doctor over to the apartment.

"He's getting through the pneumonia. His fever should break soon, and he will be back at his normal strength in about four days." The doctor said as he left the apartment. Ms. Takaishi went back to Matt's room, where he was sleeping soundly, his brow furrowed as he dreamed.

"Oh Matt. . .I wish so much for you. I wish you a good life with your father. I'm so sorry this has happened to you. I know your life hasn't been a bed of roses, but if I could I would lay down my life for you. Don't let him hurt you anymore, my baby boy. I love you, more than words could ever say." Ms. Takaishi whispered, tears springing from her eyes as she spoke. She looked down at Matt and moved a strand of blonde hair from his face and noticed he wasn't as hot anymore. His fever had broken.

*This is a good place to stop right now, so I will pick up again soon! Thanks!*