This is from Matt's POV.
**************************************************************************** **
"Matt! Get up, you're gonna be late!"
My head shot up and I glanced at the alarm clock. 7:30! Kuso, I'm going to be late again!
I jumped out of bed and showered, dressed, and did my hair in record time. I skipped breakfast and yelled, "Bye dad!" running down the hallway of the apartment building, rushing into the elevator, then pressing the "GROUND FLOOR" button about twenty times before the door actually shut.
I stepped into my classroom just as the bell rang. I walked over to my seat beside Sora and mumbled, "Wheeew, that was close," as I sat down and the teacher did the attendance. Sora giggled. "What's so funny?" I demanded.
She fought to keep a straight face. "Looks like your immaculate hair isn't so immaculate today, huh, 'Mato?"
Growling, I got a comb out of my back pocket and fixed my hair with the help of my reflection in the window. Satisfied, I sunk low into my chair and dropped my head against my arms on my desk.
"Couldn't sleep again?"
"Yeah," nodding my head in my arms, closing my eyes.
Sora sighed. "Matt, you know I'm concerned about you. You said you would try - "
". . . to forget about what happened and get on with my life, I know, Sora," I finished for her. "But you of all people should know that it's not that simple," I said, peeking out from my small enclosed dark space.
She sighed a second time and looked out the window at the soccer field. "Yeah, I know, I did know him practically all my life after all." She tore her eyes away from the field and regarded me sternly. "But, you're not like this, Matt. You're slipping and you know it. Your grades are falling, you never sleep anymore, and you spend a lot of time brooding. You don't even visit TK as often as you used to. C'mon, Matt, you gotta snap out of it!"
I looked up to check if the teacher was busy. She was. So I sat up and looked Sora in the eye.
"You don't have to live with the guilt of leaving him there. None of you guys saw him, but I did. I even went to try to stop the trolley, but it wouldn't. I saw him being dragged away, but I didn't jump off like I wanted to. I was too damn selfish to go home. Dammit, Sora, I miss him so much!" Tears welled up in my eyes, but I blinked them back. I couldn't cry. Not now, not where everyone could see me.
"I know," she whispered, taking my hand. "We all do. And we all know that you, especially, are suffering. He was your best friend, wasn't he?" I nodded. "I understand, Matt. But Tai wouldn't want you to act like this."
Sighing, I knew she was right, and I said so. "I know you're right . . . Okay I'll try harder, I promise."
Looking satisfied, Sora gave my squeeze one final squeeze before twisting back around and focusing at the lesson that had just begun.
Meanwhile, I shifted my attention to what Sora was staring at before: the soccer field. Suddenly I had a vision. I remembered once when I was bored in class and there was a gym class going on outside. People materialized on the field in only my eyes and I watched as the ball got passed back and forth between players. A guy with huge, bouncy brunette hair suddenly cut in front of the player who had the ball and started dribbling it to the other side of the field, made a shot, and scored.
I smiled to myself. The player was, of course, Tai. Of course, I didn't know him back then, but now that I remember this particular memory I realized that I saw him a lot; whether it be passing him in the halls, playing soccer in the hallways during break, passing him when in the hallways we're both dashing to get to class, or talking with Sora at lunch hour . . . but then again I didn't know Sora back then either.
If it wasn't for Tai, I probably would be just as anti-social as I was before. In the digital world, we made many revelations together and different experiences brought out different secrets, worries, or problems that we had in our lives. You know how you're supposed to learn to accept it when someone leaves your life, and how it's supposed to grow easier after time? Well, it seems that I'm missing him more then ever. Me and Tai were such good friends. I imagined that we would go through our first year of high school together, but here I am at the end of my first year, alone.
Tai's gone. I wouldn't be surprised if he was still alive. But I try not to think of it that way. Just that he's . . . gone.
Soon the bell rang and I went to my next class. Then the next one. Lunch. Then two more classes. Band rehearsal. Walked home alone. It's dark out, and I enter my empty apartment, finding a note on my fridge from my dad saying he's on a business trip, he'll be back next Monday, and that there's money on the fridge. Like I hadn't already seen it. I'm tall enough.
Sighing, I sauntered through my dark apartment and to my room, where I collapsed onto my bed and closed my eyes. Immediately, tears formed under them and spilled out down my cheeks. This was my alone time. This was where I could cry, sob, wail like a baby from the guilt and the grief and to pray to God that He'd bring my Taichi back to me somehow. Yes, my Taichi. I just recently accepted that I was gay, and my thoughts were always on Tai, so many jumbled-up feeling arose. Maybe I was confusing close friendship with love and lust, maybe I really do love him. I don't know. All I know is that I need my Taichi right here with me right this moment or I might explode on the inside.
Through my tears and loud sobs and gasps, I didn't notice the computer turning on. By itself. I only raised my head from where it was buried deep into my pillow when it started to buzz loudly. As I searched for the source of the sound that interrupted my 'getting-rid-of-my-grief' ritual, I noticed the computer screen starting to glow a bright red. I sat there, mesmerized. Then, the crest of love appears, spinning slowly on the screen. The crest of love? But that's Sora's crest. What is it doing on my computer?
I went over to the computer and tried turning it off, just in case it was some bizarre screensaver Sora put on it last time she was over and I went to the bathroom. Nothing. I shook the mouse. Again, nothing. But the buzzing noise was getting louder and the light glowing brighter.
Then I noticed that the crest of love was spinning a lot faster than it was before. As I watched, it spun faster and faster, and the light grew brighter and brighter, so bright that I had to squint and shield my eyes with my hands.
Then suddenly, the entire room filled with light and I was surrounded by a huge sparkling mass of red. I felt a slight tugging at around my stomach area, and I was unexpectedly somehow flung forward. My mind was reeling, and my stomach was lurching. Wait a minute . . .
This was just like . . .
. . . going to the digital world?
As if to clarify that statement, all of the sudden I fell a few feet to a ground and the glowing red light grew dimmer, and I saw that I was, indeed in the digital world. On File Island, to be exact. There was the forest, and there were the ancient ruins. But what was I doing here? Am I being called back for some reason? If so, where are the others? Or is it just me?
I decided to go to the ruins and maybe, if I could find Centauromon, he may be able to explain this.
But then I saw something that made me stop in my tracks. I felt my eyes widen, and my jaw fell, scraping the ground. I blinked, rubbed my eyes, then blinked again.
No way.
**************************************************************************** *
Ooohh . . . what's gonna hap-pen? ^_^ dun dun dun. I'm gonna take a break with this fic. I know, it's only on the second chapter, but my science teacher will pulverize me if I don't get back on track. I might update my other current fic, called A New Life. I just wrote this to get you started though. Please review! Thx!
**************************************************************************** **
"Matt! Get up, you're gonna be late!"
My head shot up and I glanced at the alarm clock. 7:30! Kuso, I'm going to be late again!
I jumped out of bed and showered, dressed, and did my hair in record time. I skipped breakfast and yelled, "Bye dad!" running down the hallway of the apartment building, rushing into the elevator, then pressing the "GROUND FLOOR" button about twenty times before the door actually shut.
I stepped into my classroom just as the bell rang. I walked over to my seat beside Sora and mumbled, "Wheeew, that was close," as I sat down and the teacher did the attendance. Sora giggled. "What's so funny?" I demanded.
She fought to keep a straight face. "Looks like your immaculate hair isn't so immaculate today, huh, 'Mato?"
Growling, I got a comb out of my back pocket and fixed my hair with the help of my reflection in the window. Satisfied, I sunk low into my chair and dropped my head against my arms on my desk.
"Couldn't sleep again?"
"Yeah," nodding my head in my arms, closing my eyes.
Sora sighed. "Matt, you know I'm concerned about you. You said you would try - "
". . . to forget about what happened and get on with my life, I know, Sora," I finished for her. "But you of all people should know that it's not that simple," I said, peeking out from my small enclosed dark space.
She sighed a second time and looked out the window at the soccer field. "Yeah, I know, I did know him practically all my life after all." She tore her eyes away from the field and regarded me sternly. "But, you're not like this, Matt. You're slipping and you know it. Your grades are falling, you never sleep anymore, and you spend a lot of time brooding. You don't even visit TK as often as you used to. C'mon, Matt, you gotta snap out of it!"
I looked up to check if the teacher was busy. She was. So I sat up and looked Sora in the eye.
"You don't have to live with the guilt of leaving him there. None of you guys saw him, but I did. I even went to try to stop the trolley, but it wouldn't. I saw him being dragged away, but I didn't jump off like I wanted to. I was too damn selfish to go home. Dammit, Sora, I miss him so much!" Tears welled up in my eyes, but I blinked them back. I couldn't cry. Not now, not where everyone could see me.
"I know," she whispered, taking my hand. "We all do. And we all know that you, especially, are suffering. He was your best friend, wasn't he?" I nodded. "I understand, Matt. But Tai wouldn't want you to act like this."
Sighing, I knew she was right, and I said so. "I know you're right . . . Okay I'll try harder, I promise."
Looking satisfied, Sora gave my squeeze one final squeeze before twisting back around and focusing at the lesson that had just begun.
Meanwhile, I shifted my attention to what Sora was staring at before: the soccer field. Suddenly I had a vision. I remembered once when I was bored in class and there was a gym class going on outside. People materialized on the field in only my eyes and I watched as the ball got passed back and forth between players. A guy with huge, bouncy brunette hair suddenly cut in front of the player who had the ball and started dribbling it to the other side of the field, made a shot, and scored.
I smiled to myself. The player was, of course, Tai. Of course, I didn't know him back then, but now that I remember this particular memory I realized that I saw him a lot; whether it be passing him in the halls, playing soccer in the hallways during break, passing him when in the hallways we're both dashing to get to class, or talking with Sora at lunch hour . . . but then again I didn't know Sora back then either.
If it wasn't for Tai, I probably would be just as anti-social as I was before. In the digital world, we made many revelations together and different experiences brought out different secrets, worries, or problems that we had in our lives. You know how you're supposed to learn to accept it when someone leaves your life, and how it's supposed to grow easier after time? Well, it seems that I'm missing him more then ever. Me and Tai were such good friends. I imagined that we would go through our first year of high school together, but here I am at the end of my first year, alone.
Tai's gone. I wouldn't be surprised if he was still alive. But I try not to think of it that way. Just that he's . . . gone.
Soon the bell rang and I went to my next class. Then the next one. Lunch. Then two more classes. Band rehearsal. Walked home alone. It's dark out, and I enter my empty apartment, finding a note on my fridge from my dad saying he's on a business trip, he'll be back next Monday, and that there's money on the fridge. Like I hadn't already seen it. I'm tall enough.
Sighing, I sauntered through my dark apartment and to my room, where I collapsed onto my bed and closed my eyes. Immediately, tears formed under them and spilled out down my cheeks. This was my alone time. This was where I could cry, sob, wail like a baby from the guilt and the grief and to pray to God that He'd bring my Taichi back to me somehow. Yes, my Taichi. I just recently accepted that I was gay, and my thoughts were always on Tai, so many jumbled-up feeling arose. Maybe I was confusing close friendship with love and lust, maybe I really do love him. I don't know. All I know is that I need my Taichi right here with me right this moment or I might explode on the inside.
Through my tears and loud sobs and gasps, I didn't notice the computer turning on. By itself. I only raised my head from where it was buried deep into my pillow when it started to buzz loudly. As I searched for the source of the sound that interrupted my 'getting-rid-of-my-grief' ritual, I noticed the computer screen starting to glow a bright red. I sat there, mesmerized. Then, the crest of love appears, spinning slowly on the screen. The crest of love? But that's Sora's crest. What is it doing on my computer?
I went over to the computer and tried turning it off, just in case it was some bizarre screensaver Sora put on it last time she was over and I went to the bathroom. Nothing. I shook the mouse. Again, nothing. But the buzzing noise was getting louder and the light glowing brighter.
Then I noticed that the crest of love was spinning a lot faster than it was before. As I watched, it spun faster and faster, and the light grew brighter and brighter, so bright that I had to squint and shield my eyes with my hands.
Then suddenly, the entire room filled with light and I was surrounded by a huge sparkling mass of red. I felt a slight tugging at around my stomach area, and I was unexpectedly somehow flung forward. My mind was reeling, and my stomach was lurching. Wait a minute . . .
This was just like . . .
. . . going to the digital world?
As if to clarify that statement, all of the sudden I fell a few feet to a ground and the glowing red light grew dimmer, and I saw that I was, indeed in the digital world. On File Island, to be exact. There was the forest, and there were the ancient ruins. But what was I doing here? Am I being called back for some reason? If so, where are the others? Or is it just me?
I decided to go to the ruins and maybe, if I could find Centauromon, he may be able to explain this.
But then I saw something that made me stop in my tracks. I felt my eyes widen, and my jaw fell, scraping the ground. I blinked, rubbed my eyes, then blinked again.
No way.
**************************************************************************** *
Ooohh . . . what's gonna hap-pen? ^_^ dun dun dun. I'm gonna take a break with this fic. I know, it's only on the second chapter, but my science teacher will pulverize me if I don't get back on track. I might update my other current fic, called A New Life. I just wrote this to get you started though. Please review! Thx!