"Well, I can't say yes yet. I mean we haven't even talked about it." Davis
spluttered and for once unsure of himself, something that Izzy had never
seen in his life.
The smirk on the computer genius' face grew, almost rivaling that of Ken in his heyday. Shaking his head clear of all thoughts, he proceeded to think of a Christmas present for Joe firstly and this time it had to be something that his other half wanted, NOT him.
With this thought, Izzy walked up to where Tai, Davis and Sora were arguing over who would win the next World Cup soccer tournament. Shrugging his shoulders and letting out a heavy sigh, all he kept thinking was, 'We're going to have to keep this year good for Matt. Oh boy, this is going to be one hell of a Christmas!"
Thursday, 22nd December
That morning Matt groaned as he rolled out of bed again, his side was still sore and though he hated to admit it, it was getting much worse. He just prayed that it wouldn't get so bad that he wasn't able to sing at the Christmas Eve concert that the Teenage Wolves were putting on, they had already sold out all the tickets. If they didn't perform then all of those poor kids wouldn't get that money. Matt smiled as he put on a black jumper and navy slacks and remembered the weak struggle that the others put up to donating the proceeds of the concert to the Deaf Association of Japan, actually, there was none at all from the band members. it was just their manager as he wouldn't get any money from it as well. Sam had been all for the idea as he suffered from a permanent hearing loss in one of his ears although he knew that he was lucky that he got away with just that. If the growth hadn't been detected when it did then he could be completely deaf in that ear, or worse, he could be dead at the moment.
It was then that Matt realized that everyone had a sad story to tell, it just seemed that he had a bigger share than everybody else. The sound of hacking coming from his father's bathroom awoke Matt from his thoughts and got up off his bed from putting his socks on and shuffled his way out of his room to see if he could help. His dad's attacks seemed to be getting more and more frequent and their severity was increasing as well. At least Jim had been able to prescribe some strong pain killers to ease the pain for his dad as he was coming to the end of his term. It had been Matt's prayer for the past month that his father would hold out until after Christmas, just so that he could see both of his sons grow up after all, T.K was going to be 17 in 3 days time. No one could really think of him as the little boy who wandered around the Digiworld at 8 years of age. But now Matt was facing his own battle and he knew that he wasn't winning this one, just like he didn't win the battle against Cherrymon and the dark demons in his own head that first time they were all in the Digiworld. He quickly squeezed his eyes tightly shut as he remembered the feelings of loneliness that consumed him, eventually enveloping him in the 'Cave of Despair' as he and Sora ended up calling it.
"Matt could you get me a cuppa?" he heard his father's weak voice calling from the lounge room.
He ran a hand over his forehead before answering, "Sure Dad, be right there." And walked out into the kitchen. He sighed when he saw that his dad had spilled the sugar all over the bench and was now in the process of wiping it up. Taking the sponge from his father's hands, Matt wheeled him in front of the T.V. and put his brakes on.
"You stay here and watch. I will fix the mess and get your cuppa." He told his father, who looked at him indignantly before picking up the remote control and flicked through the channels. Matt high tailed it out of the lounge before he got annoyed, channel-flicking was his pet hate. Now he knew where T.K. had gotten the bad habit. Matt sighed heavily as he waited for the kettle to boil and cleaned up the spilt sugar on the bench. Grabbing the mug that already had the tea bag in it, Matt put two heaped teaspoons of sugar into it as the whistle on the kettle blew. He quickly poured the water into the cup, drained the tea bag and took it out to his father, who had seemed content in just watching an episode of Fraiser at the moment.
"Thanks Matt." He said as he took the mug from his son's hands and blew the steam away. Matt silently sat down in the armchair over from his father and watched as the older man took a sip.
"Ah, just the way I like it. Straight with sugar." A smile appeared on his lips as he said this, Matt returning it with a ghost of his famous smile.
"O.K. What's up Matt? You've been moping around the house for the past 3 days. What happened? You and Tai get into another fistfight or did he propose to Sora? 'Coz those are the only two things I can think of that would make you this way."
Matt looked at his father out of the corner of his eye as his face was directed towards the window, obviously not amused by his observation. Sighing heavily, Matt pushed himself out of the chair and moved towards the door.
"Matt?" came the halting voice from behind him. The young man stopped in his tracks, still facing the door.
"Joe told me. Just take care of yourself; I don't want to attend my son's funeral before my own. Have you told T.K. and everyone else yet?"
"I can't tell T.K. dad, not 3 days before his birthday. And don't worry, I'm not going anywhere for a while." Matt replied before putting his shoes on and walked out the door.
Stuffing his hands into his pockets, his head hanging, Matt walked out of his apartment into the cold winter's air. Breathing out steam, he zipped up his jacket and pulled the collar up around his throat. It really was unusually cold this winter, Matt wondering if it was fate telling him that there was going to be really bad news soon. 'Too late for that thought.' He thought bitterly. He was so close to death that he could feel the Grim Reaper breathing down his neck, he knew that his father wasn't far behind, he had kissed his best friend's girl who he was also in love with and she was still with him. Nothing could make this month any worse, or so he was thinking.
Matt walked down the street, just looking at the scenes infront of him. People walking around, ragged from the pace that Christmas time always brought with it. Family's enjoying each other's company over a hot drink, the kids pulling their parents along to the toy store to choose which presents they wanted from Santa, which would appear underneath their Christmas tree on the 25th. Friends walking in groups, joking around without a thought of what might happen next, no care of what the consequences of their actions could be.
That was what Matt missed. His friends were probably out together, enjoying themselves, shopping for their loved ones. He and his dad didn't even have a Christmas tree this year, Matt wasn't even expecting his father to have lived this long and so hadn't felt like celebrating if that had been the case. Besides, none of the Christmas' after his and T.K.'s parents had split up had been a reason to celebrate. Matt could still remember the smell of his mum's famous roast lamb with vegetables, even though lamb was so expensive in Japan, every year without fail she walked out of the kitchen carrying the huge roast to the dining table. T.K. was still playing with his present from Santa, their dad laughing as he told him to put it away and to eat his tea. His mum would make them say Grace before they tucked into the delicious meal, a smile formed on Matt's lips as he remembered wondering what they had to give thanks for. now he knew. It was for everything, the good and the bad, every experience that happened to make you the person who you were today.
Without his parent's divorce, he would not have gone to the school camp to be with T.K. and they wouldn't have gone to the Digiworld. He would not have met Gabumon, learned how to let people in to see the real Matt Ishida, would not have realised that T.K. was his own person as well and to let him grow up and make mistakes for himself. And he wouldn't have met Sora. It was as simple as that. Matt was woken from his reverie as he ran into someone who was carrying a number of packages.
"I'm sorry." He said as he bent down to help pick up a package and the lift the person up.
"Thanks Matt. I wasn't expecting you to be in town." Replied the cheerful voice of the once Digimon Emperor, Ken Ichijouji. Matt's eyes went wide as he realised who it was that he had run into and smiled at the young man. Ken's face fell slightly as he looked at Matt.
"What?" Matt asked, curious at the boy's face.
"You're faking that smile Matt. Care to tell me why?" he asked in his calm, friendly voice. Matt shook his head slightly before turning to continue walking when he heard Ken's voice call out,
"I could use some help wrapping these presents Matt, plus it would get us out of the cold and you can tell me what's bugging you then. How 'bout it?"
Matt considered the offer for a moment before a genuine smile graced his features and nodded, knowing that Ken was more like him than anyone else,
"Sure Ken. That'd be great. Can I help you carry something?"
Ken offloaded a small carry bag to Matt and the two walked towards the subway and to Ken's apartment.
Opening the door, Ken shouted,
"Hey mum, I'm home!" and soon Mrs. Ichijouji's head popped out from the kitchen.
"Hey honey, I've got lunch just about read. oh hello Matt! It's nice to see you again, are you going to be joining us for lunch?"
Matt smiled politely at the woman as he replied, "It's nice to see you again as well Mrs. Ichijouji and I wouldn't mind staying for lunch if you can spare a place."
"The way mum cooks, there's enough for a whole herd of Agumon." Ken quipped and was rewarded by Matt laughing. Ken's mum just shook her head and said,
"Of course there's enough. I'll just set another place and lunch should be ready in about 20 minutes."
Ken nodded and motioned for Matt to follow him into his bedroom. Placing the presents on his desk, Ken set about pulling out cards, wrapping paper and the other necessities for wrapping presents. Matt sat on Ken's chair as he watched the genius set about work.
"So care to tell me what's going on?" came the sudden question, Matt leaning back on the chair.
"I'm dying." He stated and watched with slight humour at the reaction of Ken infront of him. Wide eyed, Ken picked up the scissors that he had dropped at Matt's statement and asked,
"Excuse me?"
"Yeah, when we were fighting Diablomon, I kinda charged ahead and fought him by myself and got cut or something. He infected me with a Digi virus and Jim can't find a cure." Replied Matt, somewhat too calm for the situation. He could see Ken's face grow sad as he shook his head,
"It's not fair. You are one of the rocks that keep the 14 of us together, without you." he drifted off before coming back with the one statement that crushed Matt to his very core, "I'll bet T.K. isn't taking this well. He's always looked up to you Matt."
Nervously running a hand through his hair, Matt sighed and said the inevitable,
"I still haven't told T.K. yet Ken."
Ken let his head fall back and sighed heavily, shaking his head,
"You've got to tell him Matt, imagine how he would feel if he knew that you had told me first."
"Actually, Joe and Izzy know as well. Joe was the one who told T.K. that I would be alright. he also says that Sora knows as well." Matt answered him, running a hand through his hair again. He could think of a million other places he would rather be in comparison to getting a lecture from his friend who was 2 years younger than he. Ken looked up at his friend and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder,
"You should come clean with everyone Matt, before there isn't time to." Instantly, Matt shrugged Ken's hand off and walked over to the balcony, unshed tears threatening to fall,
"I can't Ken. I won't be responsible for ruining everyone's Christmas!"
"You aren't ruining anyone's Christmas Matt, if anything telling everyone will make it a better one 'coz we'll know to make it special." Ken replied after standing up, looking at Matt's back.
"Why does it have to be special? Shouldn't every Christmas be special, regardless of what might or might not happen in the following days?" came the snapped reply and the soft bong of Matt's head falling to the glass. Ken sighed in resignation, knowing that what his 'mentor' had just said was correct,
"You're right Matt. It should be special. Look, I know that whatever I say you'll just find a way to turn it around and make it work for you. What I will say is that I have never forgotten what you did for me those 5 years ago and I'm not going to let you go through this alone. Not now, not in a weeks time when you may be in a 6x3 box buried 6 feet underground. As long as I'm around, no one will ever forget the name Matt Ishida."
With that said, Ken exited his room and went to clean up for lunch. Matt turned slowly to look at where the holder of the crest of kindness had just been. His eyes softened as he recalled Ken's words. he had almost forgotten about what happened 5 years ago, just after the whole Owikawa incident.
'I didn't think it was that much of a deal to him.' Matt thought as he sighed heavily and walked out of the bedroom and washed up. Entering the Ichijouji kitchen, Matt saw that Ken was already seated along with his mother. Slipping into the seat over from Ken his nose caught hold of the aroma of the food before him,
"This smells delicious Mrs. Ichijouji."
"Thanks Matt. It's not often I get to cook for Ken's friends anymore, well everyone apart from Yolei." The aging lady replied and pushed a small box covered in Christmas wrapping paper towards him, "It's just a small present from me and Ken's father. Nothing too special, I'm just sorry we weren't able to give it to you 5 years ago."
Matt's wide eyes looked from the box to the person whom it was from, carefully unwrapping the paper after receiving consent to do so. Removing the lid, it revealed a very small box frame with a golden pick and the very first issued ticket to the Teenage Wolves concert. New Year's Day. Matt smiled at Mrs. Ichijouji and bowed slightly,
"Thank you very much, I'll treasure it forever."
"Good." She nodded and handed the rice to Matt and the sushi to Ken, "Let's dig in then."
And soon the kitchen was filled with the sounds of chatter and laughter, while Mr. Ishida was busy spending his final days with his younger son.
Deep blue eyes scanned the scene around them, the snow was now lightly falling onto his hair and on the bridge of his nose, but Matt didn't care as he breathed out heavily and laid back onto the tree that held so many memories for him. It was where he had first met Sora all those years ago, when he first arrived in Odaiba.
He had decided to take a walk before school started and sat himself down under this very tree and deliberating whether to actually go to school that day or not when a football came flying through the air and landed smack bang on the side of his head. He felt like yelling at the idiot who kicked it but the words died on his tongue when he saw a young girl with fiery red hair running over to the ball. Rubbing his head, he picked it up and tossed it to her, which surprised her, and she stopped as she caught it.
"Are you alright?" she asked, seemingly genuinely concerned, "I'm sorry, my friend Tai has a bit of a strong foot but it's way off target."
Matt shook his head as he smiled slightly, despite the pounding in his head that was causing him a headache.
"Nah, I'm fine." He said before turning to look at the clouds again. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that Sora's mouth was open as if to say something but was cut off by another extremely loud voice, which he now knew as Tai, yelling at her to come back and play.
"Bye, I might see you around." Was the last thing she said before running off to join Tai again.
'Nothing has changed since that day.' Matt thought bitterly as he blew breath onto his cold hands, 'She still runs back to him.'
He then remembered the day that she had asked to meet him under this tree that fateful day 4 years ago. The day that she announced that Tai had asked her to the prom.
Matt had been out for a jog when she called him on his mobile phone so he figured he'd swing by the tree and take a breather while he waited. The reason he had been out jogging was to try and clear his thoughts, mainly whether or not to ask her to the prom himself. As he watched her walk over the crescent of the small hill that the tree was situated on, the sunlight shining behind her, Matt knew that what he felt was infact deeper than any conventional love and gathered up his courage to ask her. She seemed slightly nervous as she approached him, rubbing her crossed arms with her hands even though it was nearing the beginning of summer and the air was warm.
'Yes!' Matt had thought, 'Maybe she wants to ask me first.'
"Hey Sora." He said as he stood up to greet her.
"Hi Matt." She replied, still looking down at the ground. Matt stared at her for a few seconds before starting to speak,
"Sora."
"Matt."
Sora blushed slightly as they realized they had spoken at the same time. Matt chuckled before indicating that she could continue, "You go first."
"Um. O.K. I don't really know how to say this, especially to you Matt." she trailed off before she felt Matt's hand gently rest on her shoulder, Matt had caught a glimpse of her eyes before she looked down again and his stomach suddenly dropped to his shoes. Taking a deep breath as he prepared himself for the worse and the words that could shatter his world forever,
"I'm your friend Sora. You can tell me anything."
Matt jumped slightly as he felt Sora's arms latch themselves around his waist, her head resting on his chest.
"Tai asked me to go to the prom with him Matt and I said yes. But I need to know that you're happy for me."
As Matt looked into her eyes again and saw her happiness shining through, lighting up the small area around them as the sunlight slowly receded he knew that he couldn't say anything. That could destroy her and their friendship, which Matt knew he needed more than anything else.
Swallowing hard, he bit down on the inside of his lip to keep his unshed tears from falling down his cheek as he replied,
"Of course I'm happy for you Sora. You're my best friend."
"Thanks Matt." She said as she let go of him and gave him a peck on the cheek. Finally he could escape this torture, he thought.
"Well, I've got to get back home and I've still got 2 miles to run. So see ya round Sora." He rushed out before turning and started running quickly. It wasn't until he was out of the park that he let the tears that he had been desperately holding back fall, making a small river down his face.
Thinking the only way to get rid of the pain he felt, Matt started running the last 2 miles he had to do faster than he ever had before until he collapsed from exhaustion just outside the door to their apartment. Matt also recalled the nightmare he had trying to explain his absence from school for the next two days to everyone when he got back.
Trying to think of a quick excuse, he stuttered that he had run through a sprinkler in the park and caught a bad cold afterwards. However from the looks that he saw in Mimi's, Joe's and Izzy's eyes, he knew that they figured he was lying.
He had also been under this very tree 5 years ago when Ken needed his help. Fingering the small present that the Ichijouji's had given him, Matt recalled what had happened that day.
He had been relaxing under the tree after the band had their first ever gig, along with all the other mess that had been associated with those 3 hectic days. The World Tour had drained them all emotionally as well as physically although it had been a good experience to try and get to know Ken Ichijouji better.
During the time that they had been waiting for an opening in the Mexico police's security, Ken had confided that the reason he suspected everything was happening to him was due to something that happened to him when he was in the Digiworld for the first time. He still couldn't figure out what it was but ever since that day he had slowly turned into the Digimon Emperor. Matt, in turn, had smiled at him, told him not to worry as none of the digidestined were going to let anything happen to him now and gave him his favourite gold pick saying that he wanted it back and that he would have to come after Ken if anything went wrong.
Suddenly, Matt was awoken from under his tree by the sound of his Digivice beeping. His eyes went wide as he saw the message that Gabumon had written and ran off towards T.K.'s house which was now closer than his and asked his little brother to open the Digiport. Soon both found themselves in the Digiworld that was much darker than either could remember.
"This doesn't look good." Muttered T.K. with Patamon nodding his head. Matt grabbed his brother's shoulder and pulled him in the direction that his Digivice was leading him towards Gabumon and Ken.
"I don't see anything Matt. Are you sure they're here?" asked Patamon in his small voice when the blip on Matt's screen was exactly where they were.
"I'm sure of it." Matt replied as he continued to look around. He suddenly noticed the daylight reflecting off of something that was lying on the ground. Walking over to it, Matt picked it up and clasped it in his hand. It was his gold pick. Which meant that Ken had to be here somewhere.
"Keep looking T.K. they've got to be around here somewhere." He said to his younger brother and the two kept looking until Patamon found a cave in the rocks near them and lead to a cavern underneath.
Both were startled when they saw Gabumon locked in a cage over from them and Ken sprawled out on a makeshift operating table, Arukenimon and Mummymon as well as another dark figure all surrounding him, instruments in their hands.
"We've got to get that Dark Spore out of his body before it dies." Said the figure, who's back was facing them. T.K. made a move to attempt a rescue of Ken before Matt grabbed him arm and shook his head. Tapping his watch, he held up 5 fingers, signaling he wanted to wait for 5 minutes before doing anything. Nodding, T.K. knelt back down and waited impatiently, he knew that these 3 were going to do something to harm Ken and he didn't want to wait until it was too late.
"Hurry up Arukenimon!" the figure snapped, "If the Dark Spore dies, we won't have the opportunity to implant it into more unsuspecting children. Too bad this one had a strong enough will to render it useless."
Matt nodded his head towards T.K. and motioned for Patamon to Digivolve to Angemon. Giving his brother the O.K. sign before he crept over to where Gabumon was being kept, T.K. signaled to Patamon and soon the bright light of the Digivolution engulfed the whole cavern, allowing Matt time to get Gabumon out of his confines.
"Who the hell disturbs us?" the figure demanded, turning around to face Angemon. T.K. gasped as he saw that it was Owikawa, the man that his mother had been telling the DD's about.
"I do." Announced Angemon as he released a 'Hand of Faith' at Arukenimon and hit Mummymon with his stick, knocking both Digimon into the back of the cavern.
"Gabumon, Digivolve!" yelled Matt as his Digimon ran forward and digivolved into Garurumon.
"Let's get Ken out of here!" he announced as he ran to the table and picked up the unconscious boy and ran out of the cave, T.K. and the two digimon following them.
"Get on my back everyone and we'll go home." Garurumon said before stopping to allow everyone on.
"Wait a second Garuru, stop by Gennai's place first." Matt instructed him. Soon all 5 were at the now young master's house.
"What can I do for you Matt? T.K.?" he asked as he stepped out of his house.
"Do you know anything about the Dark Spores?" asked Matt as he and T.K. pulled Ken off of Garurumon's back. Gennai's eyes went wide as he rushed over to them,
"They are the bane of my existence and a threat to Digidestined all over the world. Why?"
"Ken's the one who's the holder at the moment. Owikawa was just trying to take it out of him to infect more kids." T.K. explained to Gennai as the master motioned for them to move him into the house.
"Is there a way you can remove it so that this Owikawa guy can't get it?" Matt asked, to which Gennai rubbed his chin before pulling down one of the many books off of his bookshelf.
"Yes there is. Hopefully it's already dead though or I might have a bit of trouble keeping it away from Owikawa." Gennai replied as he spread his hands over Ken's neck. In a few seconds, Gennai's hands started to glow as did Ken's neck and soon a small, black, shriveled up bud emerged in Gennai's hands.
"He should be fine now and it looks as though the spore is dead, thank God." Gennai informed them, allowing the two brothers to pick Ken up. At the movement, Ken's eyes opened and groggily took in his surroundings.
"Where am I?" he asked as he saw Matt on one side and T.K. on the other.
"At Gennai's place Ken. Don't worry, we're taking you home now." T.K. said as they lead him out into the garden where a T.V. set was located.
"Take care Gabu. I'll see you soon." Matt said before T.K. held out his Digivice and the three were transported back to T.K.'s room.
"What happened? All I remember is walking down the street and there was this pain in the back of my head and. I don't remember anything after that." Ken explained, as he sat down on T.K.'s chair.
"Owikawa, this guy who had something to do with the Heighten View Terrace incident 6 years ago, somehow took you to the Digiworld and was trying to remove something called a Dark Spore." The younger brother told him, Matt taking over the story,
"So we rescued you and took you to Gennai's. He removed the spore so we shouldn't have to worry about it anymore." He said and then removed something from his pocket, placing it in Ken's hand, "I do believe that you dropped this."
Opening his hand, Ken saw that it was Matt's gold guitar pick. He smiled as he closed his fingers back over it and nodded his head,
"Thank you Matt. It's good to know that there is at least one Digidestined that has accepted me."
"Two if you include me Ken." T.K. interjected, holding out his hand. Ken looked at it for a moment before he took it in his own and shook it,
"And you as well T.K. From now on, I will try my best to protect the Digimon instead of hurting them."
"Oh, by the way. I forgot to tell you guys. The band's got it's first concert on in two days, so I'd like you two to be the first people I officially hand out free tickets to." Both boys chuckled slightly at his joke as Matt took two tickets out and handed one each to the two infront of him. He handed another one to Ken when T.K. went out to get his jacket,
"Why don't you take this one and give it Yolei yourself? I'm sure she'd like it if you asked her." Matt whispered to him, a smirk on his face as Ken's went bright red.
"Th. Tha. Thanks Matt." He stuttered as he pocketed the tickets and walked to the door as the three walked back towards Ken's apartment. The next day had been a shock for them all, MaloMyotismon emerging from Owikawa's body and threatening to destroy both worlds. Thankfully the young Digidestined were able to defeat him and peace and order were restored to both worlds.
Matt looked around him to find that the sun had gone down and the last few people who were still at the park were now making their way out and to their nice, warm homes. Sighing, Matt decided to stay out for a bit longer to see what stars would come out before going off to find his band mates and see if they wanted to go to a nightclub or something, but a groan escaped his lips as his injured side reminded him that it was still there and should be careful if he wanted to live until Christmas.
He watched, amazed as the steam poured out of his mouth and reverted his attention back up to the sky, thinking about all the dreams that he had. It was amazing to believe that Matt had managed to obtain his Private Pilot's Licence and was in the middle of his Commercial training when his dad fell ill again, so he had decided to quit. His aim had always been to fly and had been considering joining the Japanese Air Force after his dad passed away until he himself had been injured. Maybe even go past the atmosphere and out into space, now that would be an adventure!
A pair of warm hands suddenly covering his eyes startled Matt into hitting his head against the trunk of the tree. Immediately, the hands left his face and the face of their owner came into view.
"What are you still doing out here at this time of night Matt? And it's bloody cold too." Said the voice that was familiar to him as his own and he chuckled quietly at her cursing. It was not often that you heard Miss Sora Takenouchi swear.
"Good evening to you too." He replied, placing an arm around her shoulder as she sat down, as he had done a million times before. He heard Sora sigh as she put her head on his shoulder and carefully wrap her arms around his middle.
"You still haven't answered my question."
Matt's gaze moved heavenward and a small smile crept onto his face, "Just looking at the stars. I've been here most of the day, just thinking."
Sora looked up at his face, a small smile of her own appearing, "You always did that a lot. Care to tell me what it's about?"
"Not just yet." Matt replied as he rested his head on the bark of the tree behind them. Sora just nodded her head and moved closer to Matt, the wind starting to chill her to the bone.
"I wonder what it's like up there." Came Matt's voice, cutting through the silence like a knife.
"Up where?" she asked nervously, wondering if this was his way of telling her he was dying.
"In space. It would be awesome to be able to fly the shuttles and visit other planets." He muttered into the collar of his jacket but the young woman next to him could hear his words as clear as day.
"I have no idea, and I would be presumptuous to try and guess." She told him, just glad that he was talking to her.
"I'd really like to find out one day." He said finally, wrapping his other arm around her shivering body, "You wanna get out of here?" Sora nodded as she stood up and helped him to stand as well before dusting her clothes off,
"Sure, let's head to somewhere with hot food and a nice warm cocoa." Matt looked at her,
"What? You mean you want to go to my place yet again?" he complained jokingly. A soft laugh escaped from Sora's lips as she playfully hit him on the upside of his head,
"No silly. My mum would kill me if I spent yet another night at your place, so we're headed to mine."
A slightly nervous look appeared on her friend's face as he asked, "Are you sure she won't kill me?"
"You really are a goose sometimes you know that?"
Matt grinned as he placed his arm back over Sora's shoulder, "Yep, but you guys wouldn't have me any other way."
"No. None of us would." Sora told him as they walked together towards her and her mother's apartment.
'And neither would I.'
The smirk on the computer genius' face grew, almost rivaling that of Ken in his heyday. Shaking his head clear of all thoughts, he proceeded to think of a Christmas present for Joe firstly and this time it had to be something that his other half wanted, NOT him.
With this thought, Izzy walked up to where Tai, Davis and Sora were arguing over who would win the next World Cup soccer tournament. Shrugging his shoulders and letting out a heavy sigh, all he kept thinking was, 'We're going to have to keep this year good for Matt. Oh boy, this is going to be one hell of a Christmas!"
Thursday, 22nd December
That morning Matt groaned as he rolled out of bed again, his side was still sore and though he hated to admit it, it was getting much worse. He just prayed that it wouldn't get so bad that he wasn't able to sing at the Christmas Eve concert that the Teenage Wolves were putting on, they had already sold out all the tickets. If they didn't perform then all of those poor kids wouldn't get that money. Matt smiled as he put on a black jumper and navy slacks and remembered the weak struggle that the others put up to donating the proceeds of the concert to the Deaf Association of Japan, actually, there was none at all from the band members. it was just their manager as he wouldn't get any money from it as well. Sam had been all for the idea as he suffered from a permanent hearing loss in one of his ears although he knew that he was lucky that he got away with just that. If the growth hadn't been detected when it did then he could be completely deaf in that ear, or worse, he could be dead at the moment.
It was then that Matt realized that everyone had a sad story to tell, it just seemed that he had a bigger share than everybody else. The sound of hacking coming from his father's bathroom awoke Matt from his thoughts and got up off his bed from putting his socks on and shuffled his way out of his room to see if he could help. His dad's attacks seemed to be getting more and more frequent and their severity was increasing as well. At least Jim had been able to prescribe some strong pain killers to ease the pain for his dad as he was coming to the end of his term. It had been Matt's prayer for the past month that his father would hold out until after Christmas, just so that he could see both of his sons grow up after all, T.K was going to be 17 in 3 days time. No one could really think of him as the little boy who wandered around the Digiworld at 8 years of age. But now Matt was facing his own battle and he knew that he wasn't winning this one, just like he didn't win the battle against Cherrymon and the dark demons in his own head that first time they were all in the Digiworld. He quickly squeezed his eyes tightly shut as he remembered the feelings of loneliness that consumed him, eventually enveloping him in the 'Cave of Despair' as he and Sora ended up calling it.
"Matt could you get me a cuppa?" he heard his father's weak voice calling from the lounge room.
He ran a hand over his forehead before answering, "Sure Dad, be right there." And walked out into the kitchen. He sighed when he saw that his dad had spilled the sugar all over the bench and was now in the process of wiping it up. Taking the sponge from his father's hands, Matt wheeled him in front of the T.V. and put his brakes on.
"You stay here and watch. I will fix the mess and get your cuppa." He told his father, who looked at him indignantly before picking up the remote control and flicked through the channels. Matt high tailed it out of the lounge before he got annoyed, channel-flicking was his pet hate. Now he knew where T.K. had gotten the bad habit. Matt sighed heavily as he waited for the kettle to boil and cleaned up the spilt sugar on the bench. Grabbing the mug that already had the tea bag in it, Matt put two heaped teaspoons of sugar into it as the whistle on the kettle blew. He quickly poured the water into the cup, drained the tea bag and took it out to his father, who had seemed content in just watching an episode of Fraiser at the moment.
"Thanks Matt." He said as he took the mug from his son's hands and blew the steam away. Matt silently sat down in the armchair over from his father and watched as the older man took a sip.
"Ah, just the way I like it. Straight with sugar." A smile appeared on his lips as he said this, Matt returning it with a ghost of his famous smile.
"O.K. What's up Matt? You've been moping around the house for the past 3 days. What happened? You and Tai get into another fistfight or did he propose to Sora? 'Coz those are the only two things I can think of that would make you this way."
Matt looked at his father out of the corner of his eye as his face was directed towards the window, obviously not amused by his observation. Sighing heavily, Matt pushed himself out of the chair and moved towards the door.
"Matt?" came the halting voice from behind him. The young man stopped in his tracks, still facing the door.
"Joe told me. Just take care of yourself; I don't want to attend my son's funeral before my own. Have you told T.K. and everyone else yet?"
"I can't tell T.K. dad, not 3 days before his birthday. And don't worry, I'm not going anywhere for a while." Matt replied before putting his shoes on and walked out the door.
Stuffing his hands into his pockets, his head hanging, Matt walked out of his apartment into the cold winter's air. Breathing out steam, he zipped up his jacket and pulled the collar up around his throat. It really was unusually cold this winter, Matt wondering if it was fate telling him that there was going to be really bad news soon. 'Too late for that thought.' He thought bitterly. He was so close to death that he could feel the Grim Reaper breathing down his neck, he knew that his father wasn't far behind, he had kissed his best friend's girl who he was also in love with and she was still with him. Nothing could make this month any worse, or so he was thinking.
Matt walked down the street, just looking at the scenes infront of him. People walking around, ragged from the pace that Christmas time always brought with it. Family's enjoying each other's company over a hot drink, the kids pulling their parents along to the toy store to choose which presents they wanted from Santa, which would appear underneath their Christmas tree on the 25th. Friends walking in groups, joking around without a thought of what might happen next, no care of what the consequences of their actions could be.
That was what Matt missed. His friends were probably out together, enjoying themselves, shopping for their loved ones. He and his dad didn't even have a Christmas tree this year, Matt wasn't even expecting his father to have lived this long and so hadn't felt like celebrating if that had been the case. Besides, none of the Christmas' after his and T.K.'s parents had split up had been a reason to celebrate. Matt could still remember the smell of his mum's famous roast lamb with vegetables, even though lamb was so expensive in Japan, every year without fail she walked out of the kitchen carrying the huge roast to the dining table. T.K. was still playing with his present from Santa, their dad laughing as he told him to put it away and to eat his tea. His mum would make them say Grace before they tucked into the delicious meal, a smile formed on Matt's lips as he remembered wondering what they had to give thanks for. now he knew. It was for everything, the good and the bad, every experience that happened to make you the person who you were today.
Without his parent's divorce, he would not have gone to the school camp to be with T.K. and they wouldn't have gone to the Digiworld. He would not have met Gabumon, learned how to let people in to see the real Matt Ishida, would not have realised that T.K. was his own person as well and to let him grow up and make mistakes for himself. And he wouldn't have met Sora. It was as simple as that. Matt was woken from his reverie as he ran into someone who was carrying a number of packages.
"I'm sorry." He said as he bent down to help pick up a package and the lift the person up.
"Thanks Matt. I wasn't expecting you to be in town." Replied the cheerful voice of the once Digimon Emperor, Ken Ichijouji. Matt's eyes went wide as he realised who it was that he had run into and smiled at the young man. Ken's face fell slightly as he looked at Matt.
"What?" Matt asked, curious at the boy's face.
"You're faking that smile Matt. Care to tell me why?" he asked in his calm, friendly voice. Matt shook his head slightly before turning to continue walking when he heard Ken's voice call out,
"I could use some help wrapping these presents Matt, plus it would get us out of the cold and you can tell me what's bugging you then. How 'bout it?"
Matt considered the offer for a moment before a genuine smile graced his features and nodded, knowing that Ken was more like him than anyone else,
"Sure Ken. That'd be great. Can I help you carry something?"
Ken offloaded a small carry bag to Matt and the two walked towards the subway and to Ken's apartment.
Opening the door, Ken shouted,
"Hey mum, I'm home!" and soon Mrs. Ichijouji's head popped out from the kitchen.
"Hey honey, I've got lunch just about read. oh hello Matt! It's nice to see you again, are you going to be joining us for lunch?"
Matt smiled politely at the woman as he replied, "It's nice to see you again as well Mrs. Ichijouji and I wouldn't mind staying for lunch if you can spare a place."
"The way mum cooks, there's enough for a whole herd of Agumon." Ken quipped and was rewarded by Matt laughing. Ken's mum just shook her head and said,
"Of course there's enough. I'll just set another place and lunch should be ready in about 20 minutes."
Ken nodded and motioned for Matt to follow him into his bedroom. Placing the presents on his desk, Ken set about pulling out cards, wrapping paper and the other necessities for wrapping presents. Matt sat on Ken's chair as he watched the genius set about work.
"So care to tell me what's going on?" came the sudden question, Matt leaning back on the chair.
"I'm dying." He stated and watched with slight humour at the reaction of Ken infront of him. Wide eyed, Ken picked up the scissors that he had dropped at Matt's statement and asked,
"Excuse me?"
"Yeah, when we were fighting Diablomon, I kinda charged ahead and fought him by myself and got cut or something. He infected me with a Digi virus and Jim can't find a cure." Replied Matt, somewhat too calm for the situation. He could see Ken's face grow sad as he shook his head,
"It's not fair. You are one of the rocks that keep the 14 of us together, without you." he drifted off before coming back with the one statement that crushed Matt to his very core, "I'll bet T.K. isn't taking this well. He's always looked up to you Matt."
Nervously running a hand through his hair, Matt sighed and said the inevitable,
"I still haven't told T.K. yet Ken."
Ken let his head fall back and sighed heavily, shaking his head,
"You've got to tell him Matt, imagine how he would feel if he knew that you had told me first."
"Actually, Joe and Izzy know as well. Joe was the one who told T.K. that I would be alright. he also says that Sora knows as well." Matt answered him, running a hand through his hair again. He could think of a million other places he would rather be in comparison to getting a lecture from his friend who was 2 years younger than he. Ken looked up at his friend and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder,
"You should come clean with everyone Matt, before there isn't time to." Instantly, Matt shrugged Ken's hand off and walked over to the balcony, unshed tears threatening to fall,
"I can't Ken. I won't be responsible for ruining everyone's Christmas!"
"You aren't ruining anyone's Christmas Matt, if anything telling everyone will make it a better one 'coz we'll know to make it special." Ken replied after standing up, looking at Matt's back.
"Why does it have to be special? Shouldn't every Christmas be special, regardless of what might or might not happen in the following days?" came the snapped reply and the soft bong of Matt's head falling to the glass. Ken sighed in resignation, knowing that what his 'mentor' had just said was correct,
"You're right Matt. It should be special. Look, I know that whatever I say you'll just find a way to turn it around and make it work for you. What I will say is that I have never forgotten what you did for me those 5 years ago and I'm not going to let you go through this alone. Not now, not in a weeks time when you may be in a 6x3 box buried 6 feet underground. As long as I'm around, no one will ever forget the name Matt Ishida."
With that said, Ken exited his room and went to clean up for lunch. Matt turned slowly to look at where the holder of the crest of kindness had just been. His eyes softened as he recalled Ken's words. he had almost forgotten about what happened 5 years ago, just after the whole Owikawa incident.
'I didn't think it was that much of a deal to him.' Matt thought as he sighed heavily and walked out of the bedroom and washed up. Entering the Ichijouji kitchen, Matt saw that Ken was already seated along with his mother. Slipping into the seat over from Ken his nose caught hold of the aroma of the food before him,
"This smells delicious Mrs. Ichijouji."
"Thanks Matt. It's not often I get to cook for Ken's friends anymore, well everyone apart from Yolei." The aging lady replied and pushed a small box covered in Christmas wrapping paper towards him, "It's just a small present from me and Ken's father. Nothing too special, I'm just sorry we weren't able to give it to you 5 years ago."
Matt's wide eyes looked from the box to the person whom it was from, carefully unwrapping the paper after receiving consent to do so. Removing the lid, it revealed a very small box frame with a golden pick and the very first issued ticket to the Teenage Wolves concert. New Year's Day. Matt smiled at Mrs. Ichijouji and bowed slightly,
"Thank you very much, I'll treasure it forever."
"Good." She nodded and handed the rice to Matt and the sushi to Ken, "Let's dig in then."
And soon the kitchen was filled with the sounds of chatter and laughter, while Mr. Ishida was busy spending his final days with his younger son.
Deep blue eyes scanned the scene around them, the snow was now lightly falling onto his hair and on the bridge of his nose, but Matt didn't care as he breathed out heavily and laid back onto the tree that held so many memories for him. It was where he had first met Sora all those years ago, when he first arrived in Odaiba.
He had decided to take a walk before school started and sat himself down under this very tree and deliberating whether to actually go to school that day or not when a football came flying through the air and landed smack bang on the side of his head. He felt like yelling at the idiot who kicked it but the words died on his tongue when he saw a young girl with fiery red hair running over to the ball. Rubbing his head, he picked it up and tossed it to her, which surprised her, and she stopped as she caught it.
"Are you alright?" she asked, seemingly genuinely concerned, "I'm sorry, my friend Tai has a bit of a strong foot but it's way off target."
Matt shook his head as he smiled slightly, despite the pounding in his head that was causing him a headache.
"Nah, I'm fine." He said before turning to look at the clouds again. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that Sora's mouth was open as if to say something but was cut off by another extremely loud voice, which he now knew as Tai, yelling at her to come back and play.
"Bye, I might see you around." Was the last thing she said before running off to join Tai again.
'Nothing has changed since that day.' Matt thought bitterly as he blew breath onto his cold hands, 'She still runs back to him.'
He then remembered the day that she had asked to meet him under this tree that fateful day 4 years ago. The day that she announced that Tai had asked her to the prom.
Matt had been out for a jog when she called him on his mobile phone so he figured he'd swing by the tree and take a breather while he waited. The reason he had been out jogging was to try and clear his thoughts, mainly whether or not to ask her to the prom himself. As he watched her walk over the crescent of the small hill that the tree was situated on, the sunlight shining behind her, Matt knew that what he felt was infact deeper than any conventional love and gathered up his courage to ask her. She seemed slightly nervous as she approached him, rubbing her crossed arms with her hands even though it was nearing the beginning of summer and the air was warm.
'Yes!' Matt had thought, 'Maybe she wants to ask me first.'
"Hey Sora." He said as he stood up to greet her.
"Hi Matt." She replied, still looking down at the ground. Matt stared at her for a few seconds before starting to speak,
"Sora."
"Matt."
Sora blushed slightly as they realized they had spoken at the same time. Matt chuckled before indicating that she could continue, "You go first."
"Um. O.K. I don't really know how to say this, especially to you Matt." she trailed off before she felt Matt's hand gently rest on her shoulder, Matt had caught a glimpse of her eyes before she looked down again and his stomach suddenly dropped to his shoes. Taking a deep breath as he prepared himself for the worse and the words that could shatter his world forever,
"I'm your friend Sora. You can tell me anything."
Matt jumped slightly as he felt Sora's arms latch themselves around his waist, her head resting on his chest.
"Tai asked me to go to the prom with him Matt and I said yes. But I need to know that you're happy for me."
As Matt looked into her eyes again and saw her happiness shining through, lighting up the small area around them as the sunlight slowly receded he knew that he couldn't say anything. That could destroy her and their friendship, which Matt knew he needed more than anything else.
Swallowing hard, he bit down on the inside of his lip to keep his unshed tears from falling down his cheek as he replied,
"Of course I'm happy for you Sora. You're my best friend."
"Thanks Matt." She said as she let go of him and gave him a peck on the cheek. Finally he could escape this torture, he thought.
"Well, I've got to get back home and I've still got 2 miles to run. So see ya round Sora." He rushed out before turning and started running quickly. It wasn't until he was out of the park that he let the tears that he had been desperately holding back fall, making a small river down his face.
Thinking the only way to get rid of the pain he felt, Matt started running the last 2 miles he had to do faster than he ever had before until he collapsed from exhaustion just outside the door to their apartment. Matt also recalled the nightmare he had trying to explain his absence from school for the next two days to everyone when he got back.
Trying to think of a quick excuse, he stuttered that he had run through a sprinkler in the park and caught a bad cold afterwards. However from the looks that he saw in Mimi's, Joe's and Izzy's eyes, he knew that they figured he was lying.
He had also been under this very tree 5 years ago when Ken needed his help. Fingering the small present that the Ichijouji's had given him, Matt recalled what had happened that day.
He had been relaxing under the tree after the band had their first ever gig, along with all the other mess that had been associated with those 3 hectic days. The World Tour had drained them all emotionally as well as physically although it had been a good experience to try and get to know Ken Ichijouji better.
During the time that they had been waiting for an opening in the Mexico police's security, Ken had confided that the reason he suspected everything was happening to him was due to something that happened to him when he was in the Digiworld for the first time. He still couldn't figure out what it was but ever since that day he had slowly turned into the Digimon Emperor. Matt, in turn, had smiled at him, told him not to worry as none of the digidestined were going to let anything happen to him now and gave him his favourite gold pick saying that he wanted it back and that he would have to come after Ken if anything went wrong.
Suddenly, Matt was awoken from under his tree by the sound of his Digivice beeping. His eyes went wide as he saw the message that Gabumon had written and ran off towards T.K.'s house which was now closer than his and asked his little brother to open the Digiport. Soon both found themselves in the Digiworld that was much darker than either could remember.
"This doesn't look good." Muttered T.K. with Patamon nodding his head. Matt grabbed his brother's shoulder and pulled him in the direction that his Digivice was leading him towards Gabumon and Ken.
"I don't see anything Matt. Are you sure they're here?" asked Patamon in his small voice when the blip on Matt's screen was exactly where they were.
"I'm sure of it." Matt replied as he continued to look around. He suddenly noticed the daylight reflecting off of something that was lying on the ground. Walking over to it, Matt picked it up and clasped it in his hand. It was his gold pick. Which meant that Ken had to be here somewhere.
"Keep looking T.K. they've got to be around here somewhere." He said to his younger brother and the two kept looking until Patamon found a cave in the rocks near them and lead to a cavern underneath.
Both were startled when they saw Gabumon locked in a cage over from them and Ken sprawled out on a makeshift operating table, Arukenimon and Mummymon as well as another dark figure all surrounding him, instruments in their hands.
"We've got to get that Dark Spore out of his body before it dies." Said the figure, who's back was facing them. T.K. made a move to attempt a rescue of Ken before Matt grabbed him arm and shook his head. Tapping his watch, he held up 5 fingers, signaling he wanted to wait for 5 minutes before doing anything. Nodding, T.K. knelt back down and waited impatiently, he knew that these 3 were going to do something to harm Ken and he didn't want to wait until it was too late.
"Hurry up Arukenimon!" the figure snapped, "If the Dark Spore dies, we won't have the opportunity to implant it into more unsuspecting children. Too bad this one had a strong enough will to render it useless."
Matt nodded his head towards T.K. and motioned for Patamon to Digivolve to Angemon. Giving his brother the O.K. sign before he crept over to where Gabumon was being kept, T.K. signaled to Patamon and soon the bright light of the Digivolution engulfed the whole cavern, allowing Matt time to get Gabumon out of his confines.
"Who the hell disturbs us?" the figure demanded, turning around to face Angemon. T.K. gasped as he saw that it was Owikawa, the man that his mother had been telling the DD's about.
"I do." Announced Angemon as he released a 'Hand of Faith' at Arukenimon and hit Mummymon with his stick, knocking both Digimon into the back of the cavern.
"Gabumon, Digivolve!" yelled Matt as his Digimon ran forward and digivolved into Garurumon.
"Let's get Ken out of here!" he announced as he ran to the table and picked up the unconscious boy and ran out of the cave, T.K. and the two digimon following them.
"Get on my back everyone and we'll go home." Garurumon said before stopping to allow everyone on.
"Wait a second Garuru, stop by Gennai's place first." Matt instructed him. Soon all 5 were at the now young master's house.
"What can I do for you Matt? T.K.?" he asked as he stepped out of his house.
"Do you know anything about the Dark Spores?" asked Matt as he and T.K. pulled Ken off of Garurumon's back. Gennai's eyes went wide as he rushed over to them,
"They are the bane of my existence and a threat to Digidestined all over the world. Why?"
"Ken's the one who's the holder at the moment. Owikawa was just trying to take it out of him to infect more kids." T.K. explained to Gennai as the master motioned for them to move him into the house.
"Is there a way you can remove it so that this Owikawa guy can't get it?" Matt asked, to which Gennai rubbed his chin before pulling down one of the many books off of his bookshelf.
"Yes there is. Hopefully it's already dead though or I might have a bit of trouble keeping it away from Owikawa." Gennai replied as he spread his hands over Ken's neck. In a few seconds, Gennai's hands started to glow as did Ken's neck and soon a small, black, shriveled up bud emerged in Gennai's hands.
"He should be fine now and it looks as though the spore is dead, thank God." Gennai informed them, allowing the two brothers to pick Ken up. At the movement, Ken's eyes opened and groggily took in his surroundings.
"Where am I?" he asked as he saw Matt on one side and T.K. on the other.
"At Gennai's place Ken. Don't worry, we're taking you home now." T.K. said as they lead him out into the garden where a T.V. set was located.
"Take care Gabu. I'll see you soon." Matt said before T.K. held out his Digivice and the three were transported back to T.K.'s room.
"What happened? All I remember is walking down the street and there was this pain in the back of my head and. I don't remember anything after that." Ken explained, as he sat down on T.K.'s chair.
"Owikawa, this guy who had something to do with the Heighten View Terrace incident 6 years ago, somehow took you to the Digiworld and was trying to remove something called a Dark Spore." The younger brother told him, Matt taking over the story,
"So we rescued you and took you to Gennai's. He removed the spore so we shouldn't have to worry about it anymore." He said and then removed something from his pocket, placing it in Ken's hand, "I do believe that you dropped this."
Opening his hand, Ken saw that it was Matt's gold guitar pick. He smiled as he closed his fingers back over it and nodded his head,
"Thank you Matt. It's good to know that there is at least one Digidestined that has accepted me."
"Two if you include me Ken." T.K. interjected, holding out his hand. Ken looked at it for a moment before he took it in his own and shook it,
"And you as well T.K. From now on, I will try my best to protect the Digimon instead of hurting them."
"Oh, by the way. I forgot to tell you guys. The band's got it's first concert on in two days, so I'd like you two to be the first people I officially hand out free tickets to." Both boys chuckled slightly at his joke as Matt took two tickets out and handed one each to the two infront of him. He handed another one to Ken when T.K. went out to get his jacket,
"Why don't you take this one and give it Yolei yourself? I'm sure she'd like it if you asked her." Matt whispered to him, a smirk on his face as Ken's went bright red.
"Th. Tha. Thanks Matt." He stuttered as he pocketed the tickets and walked to the door as the three walked back towards Ken's apartment. The next day had been a shock for them all, MaloMyotismon emerging from Owikawa's body and threatening to destroy both worlds. Thankfully the young Digidestined were able to defeat him and peace and order were restored to both worlds.
Matt looked around him to find that the sun had gone down and the last few people who were still at the park were now making their way out and to their nice, warm homes. Sighing, Matt decided to stay out for a bit longer to see what stars would come out before going off to find his band mates and see if they wanted to go to a nightclub or something, but a groan escaped his lips as his injured side reminded him that it was still there and should be careful if he wanted to live until Christmas.
He watched, amazed as the steam poured out of his mouth and reverted his attention back up to the sky, thinking about all the dreams that he had. It was amazing to believe that Matt had managed to obtain his Private Pilot's Licence and was in the middle of his Commercial training when his dad fell ill again, so he had decided to quit. His aim had always been to fly and had been considering joining the Japanese Air Force after his dad passed away until he himself had been injured. Maybe even go past the atmosphere and out into space, now that would be an adventure!
A pair of warm hands suddenly covering his eyes startled Matt into hitting his head against the trunk of the tree. Immediately, the hands left his face and the face of their owner came into view.
"What are you still doing out here at this time of night Matt? And it's bloody cold too." Said the voice that was familiar to him as his own and he chuckled quietly at her cursing. It was not often that you heard Miss Sora Takenouchi swear.
"Good evening to you too." He replied, placing an arm around her shoulder as she sat down, as he had done a million times before. He heard Sora sigh as she put her head on his shoulder and carefully wrap her arms around his middle.
"You still haven't answered my question."
Matt's gaze moved heavenward and a small smile crept onto his face, "Just looking at the stars. I've been here most of the day, just thinking."
Sora looked up at his face, a small smile of her own appearing, "You always did that a lot. Care to tell me what it's about?"
"Not just yet." Matt replied as he rested his head on the bark of the tree behind them. Sora just nodded her head and moved closer to Matt, the wind starting to chill her to the bone.
"I wonder what it's like up there." Came Matt's voice, cutting through the silence like a knife.
"Up where?" she asked nervously, wondering if this was his way of telling her he was dying.
"In space. It would be awesome to be able to fly the shuttles and visit other planets." He muttered into the collar of his jacket but the young woman next to him could hear his words as clear as day.
"I have no idea, and I would be presumptuous to try and guess." She told him, just glad that he was talking to her.
"I'd really like to find out one day." He said finally, wrapping his other arm around her shivering body, "You wanna get out of here?" Sora nodded as she stood up and helped him to stand as well before dusting her clothes off,
"Sure, let's head to somewhere with hot food and a nice warm cocoa." Matt looked at her,
"What? You mean you want to go to my place yet again?" he complained jokingly. A soft laugh escaped from Sora's lips as she playfully hit him on the upside of his head,
"No silly. My mum would kill me if I spent yet another night at your place, so we're headed to mine."
A slightly nervous look appeared on her friend's face as he asked, "Are you sure she won't kill me?"
"You really are a goose sometimes you know that?"
Matt grinned as he placed his arm back over Sora's shoulder, "Yep, but you guys wouldn't have me any other way."
"No. None of us would." Sora told him as they walked together towards her and her mother's apartment.
'And neither would I.'