Disclaimer: I don't own digimon.
Chapter Four: Broken Dreams
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The days came and went. One eventful day at Matt's concert, several things happened. Sora and Matt officially became an item, and Mimi finally dumped Paul. Now, five months later, Sora and her friends were finishing up their final year of high school.
The "gang" had basically fallen apart. They didn't hang out like they used to. Things had definitely changed in the past few months. Mimi and Sora didn't hang out much anymore. Actually, they barely even spoke…which definitely bothered Sora. So, with about a week of school left, Sora confronted Mimi about it.
"Mimi? Can I talk to you?" she asked after school. Mimi just looked at her, and nodded. They walked outside, and sat on the steps. Nobody else was around.
"What do you need?" Mimi asked in a distant voice.
"I want to know what's going on with you, Meems. You've been so distant lately. You don't hang out with us anymore. I see you in the halls, and you don't even look at me. We used to be best friends, and it's like I don't even know you anymore. I hate that."
"Oh. I didn't realize you felt like that," Mimi said. Sora couldn't believe it…Mimi sounded so cold and uncaring.
"Well I do. Meems, high school is over in less than a week. I don't want it to end up that we just go our separate ways. I want us to be close like we used to." Sora watched as Mimi's expression didn't change. She still had that cold look in her eyes.
"I…I don't think that can happen. Not anymore, at least." Sora's face fell as Mimi spoke. She couldn't believe it. Just a few months ago, they were pretty much inseparable. Now, they were practically strangers.
"What? Why not?" Sora demanded.
"Because," Mimi said, tears in her eyes, "things aren't the same. I see you with him and it just kills me."
"What?" Sora whispered. What is Mimi talking about? Who's 'him'…who could that possibly be? Oh… "Do you mean Matt?" Mimi shut her eyes, and nodded.
"Who else? I see you with him, and my heart just breaks. Did you know that I liked him? Did you know, or did you only care about yourself?" she demanded.
"Mimi, what the hell are you talking about? Of course I care about you, but I had no idea that—"
"—Oh would you quit lying! You just don't want me to be happy! I had a great thing going with Paul, and you ruined that. It's because of you that we broke up, and it's because of you that I'm alone," Mimi shrieked.
"Oh, you're right. I'm so, so sorry that I didn't just leave you in an abusive relationship!" Sora screamed back.
"It wasn't abusive! He didn't mean to do it…it was my fault, the first time."
"Exactly: the first time. What about all the other times, Meems? What about the time after cheerleading practice when I found you in the change room?"
"That was because you made him angry Sora! It may have been my fault the first time, but it was your fault after that, Sora. It was all your fault, and don't you dare say it wasn't!" Mimi turned around and ran away from Sora. Sora just stood there, shocked. She knew that Mimi wasn't being logical. It wasn't Sora's fault, and it wasn't Mimi's fault. It was Paul's fault, and no one else's. She wanted to run after her, to scream at her 'how dare you pin this all on me', but she couldn't. She had to accept that no matter what, Mimi would never be her best friend again.
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"It was horrible. My best friend, well, ex-best friend, hates me!" Sora sobbed into Matt's shoulder than evening.
"She doesn't hate you, Sora. She's just angry. She'll come around," he said trying to comfort her. She had told him everything about her encounter with Mimi, and Matt was pretty surprised. He had no idea Mimi had still felt that way about him. He said still because he had known that she liked him, but that was quite a while ago.
In fact, he never told Sora, but he and Mimi had dated briefly in the tenth grade, two years ago. They had kept it from their friends because they weren't sure if it was going to last, and they didn't want things to change. When it didn't work out, Matt was disappointed, but assumed it was for the best. Ever since, he still had feelings for Mimi, but he didn't really think anything of it. But now…no, he thought, I'm with Sora, and I'm happy. I love her and—wait, I love her? Do I love her? Yeah, I do love her.
"Sora?"
"Yeah," she said, her head still buried in her shoulder.
"I love you," he said. She pulled away, and looked in his eyes.
"I love you, too."
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That was fifteen years ago, and things haven't really changed much. Sora and Matt had gotten married, and they had two kids: a boy and a girl.
Sora and Matt hadn't talked to the rest of the "gang" in about…fifteen years. In fact, the last time Mimi and Sora spoke was the day they had gotten into that huge fight outside the school. The last time they talked to Tai was a couple months after graduation. Tai had gone to a different college than them, so they e-mailed each other back and forth to stay in touch. Eventually, the e-mails just stopped coming.
Sora was perfectly content with her life. She loved her kids very much, but she always felt that something was missing. She knew what that 'something' was, too. She had many questions that she needed answers to, so she had decided to go to a psychic.
"You've had a good life, but you are still confused about many things," the psychic had told her. Sora nodded, urging her to keep going. "You're saddened, because you have lost someone you care deeply for."
"Yes, yes I have. I've lost several people that I loved," Sora explained.
"No, that isn't what I mean. You've lost one person in particular. One person who holds the key to your happiness. You're afraid that you can never be happy again, unless you are with this person," the psychic told her.
"How did you know? What else can you tell me? Anything?" Sora asked, bewildered.
"Your struggles are not over. In fact, you're about to face the biggest one of your life. Be strong; be ready. Several lives depend on what happens next."
"What do you mean 'what happens next'? Whose lives depend on it? What does that mean?" Sora demanded.
"Go now, I've said all I can say. Just remember: With happiness, comes sacrifice. With actions come consequences. With change, comes responsibility." Sora opened her mouth to protest, but stopped. She nodded, and got up.
"Thank you," she whispered as she walked to the door. She stopped, and turned back to the woman. "Everything will be alright, won't it?" The woman just shook her head.
"I can only see the future, not the past."
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Sora got to bed rather late that night. When she got home, she received some horrible news from Matt. While she was at the psychic's, Tai had called their house. Apparently, Mimi had been missing for a week, and her body had just turned up. Out of the three of them, Sora took the news the hardest. She couldn't believe that her best friend, the girl she grew up with, had been murdered. Not only that, but she was a mother, too. She had a son…he was only six. She was living in America, and had a husband. She had an entire family…that's so unfair, Sora thought as she cried into Matt's shoulder. She went to her bedroom, and shut the door. She didn't want her children to see her like that: she was a mess. She sobbed into her pillow as Matt made some calls. She cried for what must have been three hours. Exhausted, she couldn't cry anymore. She got in her bed, not even changing into her pajamas, and waited for sleep to come. But it just wouldn't.
'I can only see the future, not the past'What does that mean? Sora thought as she lay in bed. Although she was incredibly tired, she couldn't fall asleep. Her mind was running overtime, and she was at its mercy. She kept thinking about the psychic, about her life, about Mimi.
'Your struggles are not over. In fact, you're about to face the biggest one of your life'Did the psychic know about Mimi, and how she had…Sora stopped. She couldn't bring herself to think about how Mimi had been killed. She still hadn't accepted the truth…maybe she never would.
'Be strong; be ready. Several lives depend on what happens next'
What was going to happen next? Several lives depend on it, what can that mean? Sora was now even more confused than she was when she left the psychic's. She tossed the conversation around in her head, back and forth, back and forth. She couldn't make sense of any of it.
Finally, at around three in the morning, she drifted off to sleep.
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"Sora…Sora…" she could hear a voice calling. She knew the voice…but she couldn't think of whom it belonged to. She looked around, and saw that she was floating. Everything was black…she had to be dreaming. She could see a faint object in the distance getting closer and closer. As it got closer, the calling got louder. Finally, the object was right in front of her. Sora could see that it wasn't an object at all. It was an older version of Mimi.
"Mimi?" Sora choked. The figure nodded.
"Hello, Sora," Mimi said, smiling slightly.
"What are you doing here? You…you're dead," she whispered. Mimi's face became very serious.
"I know. Sora, you have to help me." Sora just looked at her, confused.
"Help you? How can I help you? You're dead!"
"That's true. But it doesn't have to happen that way." Sora saw a faint gleam of hope in Mimi's eyes.
"What? What do you mean 'it doesn't have to happen that way'? What other way is there?" None of this was making any sense to her.
"I can't tell you that."
"Oh." Sora didn't really know what to say. There were so many things she wanted to ask Mimi, but she couldn't seem to ask them. Finally, she gave in. "Mimi…how did you die? Who…who killed you?" Mimi looked Sora in the eye, a distant and sad look on her face.
"My husband. He was an abuser, just like Paul was. I was too weak to get out of it, Sora. So many times, I wanted to get help, but I just couldn't. That was what eventually cost me my life."
"I'm so sorry. Why didn't you contact me? I could have helped you!" Sora said, tears in her eyes.
"I'm contacting you now. You have to save me, Sora. Please, save me."
"Save you? Mimi, I'm sorry but I can't save you. It isn't humanly possible!"
"Just know this: I'm counting on you, Sora. I need you, and I believe in you."
"What? Why me? Why not Matt, or Tai, or anyone else?" Sora couldn't understand it. It was only a dream, but it was more than that. This wasn't Sora's subconscious conjuring up Mimi, Mimi had reached out to her from beyond the grave.
"Because, you're the only one that can do it. You have the gift, Sora. Use it."
"What are you talking about? I don't have a gift, Mimi, I don't!" Mimi's figure began moving away from her.
"You do, Sora. Use it. Save me, save us all," she pleaded. Sora shook her head.
"No! Come back, Mimi! Come back!" But it was too late, and Mimi was too far away. She could just hear Mimi's final plea.
"Save me, Sora. Go back to the past. Use your gift. Only you can do it. Go back to the past. Use your gift. Only you can help me now. Go back to the past. Go back to the past. I need you. Help me, Sora. It doesn't have to happen this way…" Mimi's words echoed over and over in Sora's head.
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