The Thin Line Between Truth and Trust
- Chapter 2 -
A day had passed and a night had fallen since Mimi's close encounter, and she was still curled up on the floor; the power had gone off, and so had the television and the light. She hadn't slept well for over a year, since Matt's disappearance, and yet, in that dank hellhole, she felt safe for the first time in an eternity. She moved in her sleep, uttering a soft moan, and fell deeper into sleep.
The ladder made a creaking noise as he carefully climbed up it once again; the trap door opened softly, and a small speck of light emerged from it, a candle; Takeru followed closely behind. He wiped the sweat off his brow as he climbed into the abandoned room; it was late, and the time of the meeting was drawing near.
"Mimi?" He called. She wasn't where he had last seen her.
He walked over to the smaller room, hoping that Mimi was still there; he sighed in relief when he saw her sleeping figure in the candlelight. He walked over to her and knelt beside her, setting the candle down. She looked so peaceful as she lay there, hopefully in a dreamless sleep, which wouldn't be too disturbing to wake up from. And he knew he had to wake her, even though he didn't want to disturb her.
The yellow light reflected off her honey-colored hair, the strands dancing in the flickering candlelight. He longed to reach out and touch her hair, to breathe its fragrance and hold her close to him; he always had. Only, his brother loved her, but was too macho to say it, so Takeru had to leave her alone; to see her every day at school, watch how she and Matt developed their friendship, her beautiful eyes brightening with joy whenever he told a joke. She was so happy then; they all were.
"Mimi…" he said softly, and he, giving in to the temptation, stretched his hand out and touched carefully the soft tendrils of her hair, stroking it softly, and she didn't seem fazed by it. She was alone now, and he was the one who was there, to watch over her.
She began to moan in her sleep, as if she were in pain, or perhaps having a nightmare. "Please don't leave me…"
"I love you, Mimi," he whispered to his audience: his sleeping love and a burning flame. "I could never tell you; why didn't I?" He sighed sadly, and felt an ache in his heart. "Because I was afraid. I could survive on the meager hope that perhaps you could love me, if nothing more than the fact that I resemble Matt." Her skin looked so soft in the candlelight, her lips so tender; he longed to kiss them, he yearned to have her as his, to have her and hold her, till fate do them part.
He shook his head in frustration with himself. "Takeru, you're kidding yourself. How could you even think that she could love you? You came here to wake her up and take her to the meeting, and that's all you're going to do." Carefully Takeru lifted her up, so that he was cradling her in his arms. His eyes fell on her once more; "They should call you Angel," and before he could think he was leaning in to kiss her.
Mimi's eyes fluttered open softly, and she found herself staring into the most familiar, cooling blueness: "Matt? You've come back for me…" she whispered.
Takeru was startled. 'Idiot!' he scolded himself mentally. 'She could never want you. It's always about him.'
But then he realized that she was still somewhat dreaming. Mimi was still swimming in the sea of his blue eyes, until hers slowly came into focus, and she realized her mistake. "Takeru... I'm... I'm sorry…" She said slowly.
"It's okay, Mimi. I'm just glad you're awake now." Carefully he set her back on her feet. "We should be going now, or else we'll be late."
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Sora rolled up the windows in her car as she sped on the freeway; "Perhaps going ninety isn't such a good idea," she muttered to herself. She then looked at the clock. "Screw it, I'm late as it is." She reached over and turned on the radio. A smile spread over her face as she heard the opening chords to a great song; she sang along, as off-key as she was.
"It's my life! And it's now or never! Hey, I ain't gonna live forever! I just wanna live while I'm alive! It's my life! My heart is like an open highway! Like Frankie said I did it my way! I just wanna live while I'm alive! 'Cause it's my LIFE!"
As the song ended, she began flipping through stations, hoping to find another good song. She stopped when something on the radio caught her ear.
".. so be looking up at the sky in just a few days. It'll be a sight to see... Excuse me... Ladies and Gentlemen, I've just received breaking news; it seems that the Japanese National Police have made another crack in the case concerning the Heroin Madam. They have found that it is someone... in Odaiba! Please be on the lookout for any suspicious activity you may see. If you hear anything, please be sure to contact the police station. They are offering 10,000,000 yen for the divulgence of her..."
"Shit," she whispered - half in awe, half in panic -, as she reached over and flicked off the radio. "That's a lot of money." She slammed on the gas and sped off.
: -: -: -: -: -:
Koushiro looked at his watch and whispered, "Shoot... I'm going to be late." He stared at the screen, watching the disk process in what seemed to take an eternity. "Come on..." he whispered. "Come ONNN..." He really needed to complain to his boss about getting a faster modem; they were STILL on dialup. He swung his feet like an impatient five-year-old, his eyes flashing at the clock every two seconds.
Finally, the computer finished uploading and spat out the disk. He snatched it up, not even bothering to properly shut down his computer; instead, he flicked it off, snagged his laptop, and sprinted for the door, slamming it shut behind him.
Koushiro exploded out of the building like a kid on the last day of school, running at breakneck speeds to his car. He spotted his boss, skidded to a stop, and walked nonchalantly by. "Hello, sir." The gruff and not-so-personable Mr. Takagawa nodded back at him with a slight smile. As soon as his boss's back was to him, Koushiro began running again, finally making it to his black SUV; he dove in, thought naught of the radio, and sped out of the parking lot.
He smiled, feeling quite like the white rabbit. "I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date! No time to stay! No, no! Goodbye! I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!"
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Joe sat on a dusty box next to a dingy couch; he refused to sit on the couch, fearing what he may find still living in it. He tapped the sides of the box in the beat to a song that was stuck in his head. "Boom boom boom boom.. I want you in my room.."
A voice giggled. "Is that an invitation?"
Joe jumped up, startled; he squinted into the dim corner where the door was. "Kari?"
Kari walked in, with a soft smile on her face. "Hey, Joe. Your head is so easy to mess with sometimes."
Joe sat back down on his box, using his foot to slide one over to Kari. "Yea well, with the situation as it is, I'm a bit jumpy."
Kari smiled, saying with a tone that hinted heavily of teasing, "You? Jumpy? Nah..."
"So, you know where Angel is?"
She walked over to the box, taking a seat; "Nope, but I heard he found somebody else to join the fight."
Joe raised his eyebrow, "Oh really? A newbie? Well, this should get interesting."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning there's too many as it is. What with Koushiro, Sora, Angel, and us one other may complicate things. You remember what happened before?"
Kari nodded ascent, a small sigh escaping her tempting lips, crimson colored. "How could I forget? Angel was devastated; I still think he's bitter about it, driving him to fight all the harder."
Joe looked out the window, his eyes scanning the area around them. "They say that you should beware of those who have lost everything; they have nothing left to lose."
"He hasn't lost everything. Angel will always have hope, even when nobody else can."
"Too true." Joe chewed on his tongue, deep in thought. He didn't have time to speak again, because somebody else came through the door.
"Hey guys. I'm not late, am I?"
"Hey, Sora," Kari smiled at the crimson-haired woman. "Nope, nothing's happened. Koushiro and Angel still have yet to arrive."
Sora walked over to them and watched as Joe slid another box over for her. "Thanks," she muttered, taking the seat; her face read of distraught, and she dug into her pockets, taking out some smokes.
"What's up, Sora?"
She sighed, placing a cigarette in her mouth. "I don't know if you've heard; do you listen to the radio a lot, Joe?" He shook his head. "Figured you wouldn't." She fumbled with her lighter, trying to get it to ignite. Finally it does, and she lights her cigarette. Taking a deep breath of smoke, she removes it and continues speaking. "Anyway, they're catching up to me."
Kari's eyes went wide. "He didn't..."
Sora looked up at her sharply. "You think he wouldn't? You know Tai better than any of us. Or at least we thought you did." Her last words seemed to sting, as Kari hung her head. "Kari... I'm sorry. It's just that this whole situation has me frustrated. First we lose Tai, then Matt disappears, and God knows what *he's* got planned next, and now with this police thing..." She took a long drag from her cigarette.
Kari nodded, "I understand. I think this has us all on edge." She looked down at her watch. "Where are Koushiro and Angel? They should be here any--" She got cut off, hearing two cars pull up at the same time.
Sora's stomach fell. "Two cars? There's never two of us at the same time. We made sure of that. How are there two cars?" Her voice became drenched with panic. "How are there two cars?"
"Relax," Joe said. "I'm sure it's nothing. And even if it is, what could they prove?"
Her fears were soon assuaged as they saw Koushiro, Mimi, and Takeru enter the room. "Hey, Koushiro. Hey, Angel. Glad you two could make it," Kari said coyly. "Who's the newbie?"
Takeru moved out of the way, "All of you remember Mimi, right?"
Koushiro sighed inwardly, thinking 'How could anybody forget?'
Sora choked on her smoke, trying to get a deep breath in. "You brought HER into this?! Are you an idiot or something, Angel?!"
Takeru shook his head. "I didn't bring her into this; Tai did."
"That bastard," Koushiro breathed.
"At any rate, she's been in this almost as long as I have, but Matt did everything to keep us apart and out of it."
"Yea, and we all know how *that* worked out," Sora muttered bitterly. Everyone shot a look at her, and she shrank. "Sorry..."
"Sora, I heard what happened." Takeru's voice went from concerned to stern, "You've really got to stop that business."
"But how will I survive? You think a stupid little flower shop that my mother gave me will keep me in clothes forever?"
"No, but buying masses of poppyseeds won't go unnoticed. Especially with the police's eye on Odaiba."
"Damn him," she grumbled, taking another drag.
"Um, guys?" Mimi interjected. "I don't want to be in this any more than you want me in this, okay? But I'm here, so deal with it."
Everybody was shocked. She was certainly different - VERY different. They remembered Mimi as being soft and gentle; true, she could be strong about her opinions at rare occasions, but nothing this hard-faced and determined. They all simply nodded.
"Um... Angel?" Kari asked. "What's our status?"
Takeru motioned for Mimi and Koushiro to follow him; Koushiro took his laptop out and began booting it up. Joe set up four more boxes, one for each newcomer, and one for the laptop. Koushiro set the laptop down and took a seat, sliding his disk in. They watched as he loaded it.
"Okay, guys, you remember that text we got from the digiworld two weeks ago?" Koushiro asked. Everyone nodded in acknowledgement, except for Mimi, who still wasn't updated on the events. "All right, well, I haven't been able to crack much. It seems that as our world's system of computers has become more complex, with new languages and new forms of encryption, this message is just a garble of code. But I've been able to get some of it." He began typing, seemingly immersed in the program.
Joe, Kari, Takeru and Mimi crowded around the machine, and all were silent for a moment, while Sora pulled the cigarette away from her mouth, with an air of disdain seemingly floating in the smoke. "Yea, so what'd you find?"
Koushiro pulled his face up for a brief moment. "You know the planetary alignment coming up? Supposedly that has the power to open the digiworld once more. And when I say open, I don't mean a tiny hole in the sky, or even rips in space. I mean, you could be walking on earth one moment, and the digiworld the next."
Takeru stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Tai may be smart, but he's not that smart. How could he have figured that one out?"
Koushiro shook his head. "I have no clue. However, we're lucky in that we know he can't open the portal."
"How do we know that?" Mimi asked.
"Well, duh," Sora replied irritatedly, the dryness dripping off her tounge. "He's after Koushiro here. Without him, Tai can't get that portal open."
"So the name of the game is keepaway, huh?" Kari asked.
"Exactly," Takeru replied.
"So I guess all we have to do is keep Koushiro safe for the next few days and we're in the clear," Joe said, smiling.
"Not necessarily," Takeru replied. "You see, the planetary alignment makes it possible to create a massive tear that will combine both realities and yet keep them eerily distinct. That'll make things easy for Tai to take control of."
"Have we even figured out why he's doing this yet?" Kari asked. Takeru shook his head.
Joe shrugged, saying in a ponderous tone, "Power? I mean, he's had a pretty dull life."
Sora blew a smoke ring. "Yea, but what would make him want to do this? He's always been a really nice guy..." She trailed off, looking down at the floor.
"We all know it's hard for you, Sora," Takeru consoled. "It's hard for all of us. I trusted him like he was my brother."
"Yea, well, at least he *wasn't* your brother," Kari noted, quite bitterly. Takeru reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him, a weak smile on her face. "Thanks, Angel."
He smiled back. "Anytime." His face returned to the monitor. "But back to the point guys. Despite the fact that he won't be able to create such a drastic tear doesn't mean he can't do it at all."
"That's right," Koushiro added. "That's what Matt was trying to stop."
"Is that how he disappeared?" Mimi asked after a short pause, hurt lingering in her voice.
"How, we don't know," Joe answered. "But that was when we last saw him."
Mimi paused, lost in thought. "Maybe... maybe he went to the digiworld..."
Koushiro shook his head. "That's impossible."
Joe scratched his head. "Is it? I mean, what if it did work, and Tai got his connection, but Matt's the one who got through?"
"You may have a point there," Kari said.
Takeru's voice bitterly sliced their words. "We shouldn't be grasping at straws, people. Matt's gone, and we have to move on. So drop it." That silenced them. "Good."
They all looked around at each other, the moment feeling a bit awkward. Sora looked down at her watch. "Geez, look at the time! I've gotta get going!"
Takeru looked down at the time. "Yea, I suppose it's time we broke. All our cars out there for too long may draw some attention. Sora, you first, then Joe, then Kari, then Koushiro, and Mimi and I will be last off."
"Thanks! Bye, guys!" Sora stamped out her cigarette and headed for the door.
Mimi huffed as she watched Sora run off, "You'd think someone with a habit like that would be nicer when smoking."
A few minutes later, Joe left, and was followed shortly by Hikari. Takeru was working on making it look like nobody had been in the building at all, leaving Mimi and Koushiro to talk. "You know, Mimi, you look really different from the last time I saw you. I'm not talking in the food court, but five years ago."
"Yea... that was basically the last time I saw any of you, except for Tai."
"Speaking of which, how did he dupe you into this."
"You know I have a fashion company, right? Well, we had a rocky start, and he said he'd help me with sales. Well, he did, but little did I know that he was using my worldwide mailing abilities to smuggle."
"Smuggle what?"
She sighed. "Sometimes it was drugs, sometimes it was rare objects, but mostly, it was electronic equipment."
"Equipment?" His interest became piqued. "When was this?"
Mimi thought back. "About three.. no.. four years ago, I'd say."
He whistled softly under his breath. "He started REALLY early."
Takeru walked over to them. "Sorry to break this up guys, but I suggest you get home, Koushiro, it's getting late."
He eased himself up off the ground, looking out the window; the sky was thick with clouds, about to storm. "I suppose you're right. Bye, Mimi, Angel. I'll be seeing you when I do."
"Bye Koushiro," Takeru replied. "And watch your back."
Mimi watched him leave; as soon as Koushiro was out the door, she looked up at Takeru. He slowly sat down next to her. "So," she began, "how is everybody else in this mess?"
"Well," Takeru sighed, "Sora and Kari both just trusted somebody they loved. Sora fights because she's got nothing left to lose. Once her heroin trade goes out, she'll be lost. At least she'll get her kicks in while she can."
"And Kari?"
Takeru shrugged. "She's the child of light, why else?"
Mimi nodded. "Good point. And I've gathered that Izzy has no choice in his role."
"Nope. It's either he fights back, helps Tai, or dies. Not much of a choice."
"I guess not...But what about Joe? He has no reason... None that I can see, at any rate."
"I've never really questioned Joe. Matt always trusted him, and it seems he's been a part of this for as long as I can remember. He knows more about this than anyone, except maybe Matt."
"Then how'd you become leader?"
"Luck? Joe disappeared awhile back, about two months after Matt, but he came back; in his absence, I took charge. I guess it followed."
"Takeru? One more question, and I'll quit pestering you, okay?"
He smiled, "You could never pester me."
Mimi blushed. "That's sweet. You're so much like your brother, it's frightening," she smiled. "But I wonder where your name came from. Why does everybody call you 'Angel'?"
"It started about a year ago. I should have died that night, but I didn't."
"What happened?"
"Tai was trying to kill me. He attacked Kari as well. I don't remember much, but he had a gun, and was aiming for me. He pulled the trigger, but..."
Mimi was waiting. "But...?"
He smiled at her. "But it's really time we got going."
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A/N: Well, not like there's a huge reader base for this story, but thank you SOOO much to those of you who are reading. At any rate, getting two authors together to write a story is hard work…especially when one must bear that burden alone -.-