Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, or Friends.

Chapter Two: That Fateful Day: Sora and Matt's Story
……………………………………………………………

"Hey everyone," Sora said as she walked into Odaiba High the next morning, at 10am. Mimi, Matt, Izzy and Joe were already there, for their exams. Sora was so relieved that the day had finally come: This was her final exam, meaning she was completely finished after it. The rest of their exams had been taken previously, throughout the week.

"Hey," the rest of them said in unison.

"So when are all of your exams?" Sora asked, sitting down beside Mimi on a bench.

"Mimi and mine's at 11:30, but we came here early to get some studying in," Izzy explained.

"Mine is at 10:30," Matt reported.

"And mine's at 11:00," Joe said His hands were shaking, and he looked, overall, incredibly nervous. "What about you?"

"Mine's at 10:30, with Matt," Sora said. She looked around, and noticed one of them was missing. "Has anyone seen Tai? He has his exam at the same time as us, and he isn't even here yet!" she exclaimed. Everyone scanned the area, shrugging and shaking his or her heads. As if on cue, Tai rushed through the doors of the school and ran over to them.

"Hey guys," he said, yawning. Everyone, with the exception of Joe, greeted him warmly. Joe and Tai exchanged uncomfortable glance. Standing up from the bench, Joe grabbed his books.

"I'm going to go hit the library, anybody want to come?" he offered. Izzy and Mimi agreed, waved goodbye to the group and they left.

"Looks like someone's still upset about last night," Matt said coolly. Tai rolled his eyes at Matt's obviousness.

"No shit," Tai said.

"Maybe you should apologize to him," Sora suggested. "You know, be the bigger person?"

"Why should I? Joe's undoubtedly the more mature one of us, so if he's acting this way, then it should be expected that I would too. Besides, right now I have more important things to deal with, like passing this exam," Tai shrugged.

"MIMI!" A voice yelled from behind Sora and her friends. She spun around to see Davis, who was chasing after Mimi like a dog chased the mailman. Her head moved in the direction that Mimi was in, and saw the girl looking rather distressed. "Mimi, you're back!" Davis exclaimed happily.

Mimi had a brief but uncomfortable conversation with him as Sora, Tai and Matt joked about it.

"Maybe we should go help her," Matt suggested, but he didn't move. He, like Tai and Sora, thought it was hysterical how Davis hounded Mimi constantly.

"Or," Tai suggested, "We could just let it happen."

"I wish we had popcorn," Sora commented. The two boys chuckled and they all looked on.

"Uh, yeah. Well, it was nice talking to you," Mimi said quickly as she tried to move toward the library.

Davis grabbed her arm, trying to keep her in the conversation. The sudden movement caused something to fall out of his jacket. The three of them couldn't see what it was, because they were too far away. Whatever it was, Davis didn't want Mimi to see it. He quickly picked it up and ran into the other direction, without even saying goodbye. Mimi sighed in relief, and continued to the library where Izzy and Joe were waiting for her.

The bell rang, and second period started. Tons of high school students piled out of their classes and rushed around, chatting and laughing. Matt spotted his brother and Kari, and they wandered over.

"Hey," Kari said when they got close enough. T.K. smiled and waved at them. "When are your exams?"

"We all have a 10:30," Sora told them. The warning bell went off.

"We better go," T.K. said. He looked at Kari, who nodded. "Good luck you guys."

"Yeah, good luck. And Tai, you'd better pass, or mom will kill you," Kari laughed. Tai rolled his eyes.

"Kari, don't you have class to get to?" he asked.

"I'm going, I'm going." The two teens left, leaving them to themselves. By this time, it was 10:15.

"We should probably get going, too," Matt suggested. The three of them climbed the stairs to the second level, where their classrooms were. Sora and Matt exchanged 'good luck' with Tai, and split off to get to their exam room, which was in the opposite direction of his.

They walked into their class, and looked around. They were sort of early; only about five other students were there so far.

"Here we go," Sora said. They took their seats beside one another, and got out their pens. The teacher wasn't there yet, so they chatted for a bit until he came in. By the time he did, all the students had arrived as well. They all moved their desks apart.

"You have 90 minutes to complete the exam. You must stay at least a full hour, but after that you can leave anytime you want. If you're caught cheating, it will result in an immediate zero. Are there any questions?" the teacher asked. Nobody raised their hands, or even yelled anything out. "Okay then, you may begin. No talking."

'Good luck,' Sora and Matt mouthed to each other.

……………………………………………………………

Well, I think that went well…Sora said to herself as she put down her pen, 80 minutes later. Only about half the students around her were finished. She looked beside her, and saw that Matt was just finishing up as well. She decided to just wait the ten minutes until the exam was over, instead of just leaving now and maybe disturbing someone. She glanced back at Matt, she felt so bad for him…he was really crazy about Mimi but she wasn't so sure about her feelings for him. They were both definitely in line to get hurt, and that sucked.

What would happen if they broke up? Yolei had faded away from the group, until she was eventually forgotten altogether. Would that happen to Mimi? Or Matt? No, it wouldn't happen to either of them. Matt was Tai's best friend, and Mimi was hers. There's no way they would let their best friends get cut out of the group…so what would happen, really? Would it just be really uncomfortable for a while until they learned to deal with it, like on Friends when it happened between Ross and Rachel? No, that was a TV show, and this is real life…things wouldn't be the same and there might not be a happy ending.

Matt put his pen down and half-smiled at Sora. People around her starting handing their papers in, and leaving; time was up. Sora started chewing her lip, something she did when she was nervous, and continued thinking about Mimi and Matt's potentially doomed relationship.

The only thing that helped to comfort Sora was the knowledge that it would never happen to her and Tai. They were both crazy about each other, and knew where the other stood on practically everything. The night before, after her conversation with Mimi, Sora was felt slightly uneasy, wondering whether she and Tai could make it, if Mimi and Matt couldn't. She didn't know what she'd do if she ever lost him, but she knew now that she needn't worry. They had almost lost each other once, and it would never happen again; Sora wouldn't let it. Yes, they would get their happy ending, no matter what happened to everyone else.

BANG

Sora, as well as several other students in their room, jumped as a loud bang echoed through the school. Everyone looked around, confused. Sora could feel the panic rising in her as she looked at Matt, and saw the expression on his face. He knew exactly what had happened, and Sora soon realized it as well. She clutched her purse and stood up, just like everyone else in the room. An ear-piercing scream could be heard as the teacher stood up, and looked around the room worriedly. Before he could instruct anyone on what to do, they all tore out of the door.

BANG

Another loud bang could be heard through the hallway as Sora and Matt hesitantly ran through the classroom door and entered the danger zone. Looking in all directions quickly, Sora decided the coast was clear and ran, Matt following close behind. They stopped to catch their breath, and hid behind a set of lockers.

BANG

There was yet another bang, and they were able to pinpoint the area of the school it was coming from. It was clear that the noise was coming from the main floor; probably just under the spot they were standing in now.

Sora's mind raced, not able to fully accept what was happening. She knew, logically, what was happening. The sounds she had heard weren't from stupid kids having fun during their last week; it wasn't from a weight dropping on the floor from the workout area, or even from a bully throwing his prey into the lockers. No, the sounds were that of a bullet, as they sped out a gun…and maybe even connected with a person's body. The school was surprisingly quiet; nothing like what Sora had imagined it would be like. Whenever she imagined a scenario such as the one she was in, she could always hear screams and loud noise as everyone safely fled from the school.

It occurred to her that not everyone would get it out of this school.

But everything was quiet, and still. Almost peaceful and serene, if you thought about it, but it was anything but. Everyone was just focusing on staying quiet, and hopefully they wouldn't be targeted. They were all hoping, every time a shot rung out, that it hit another poor soul instead of them or a loved one. It was horrible, but true. Sora found herself thinking the same thing as she heard another shot.

But that was nothing like this; this was quiet…maybe even dead quiet Sora thought with a cringe. She shook her head, trying to get rid of the negative thoughts. No, nobody is going to die. This is just a stupid practical joke that some seniors are pulling. Just like last year, when Tai practically dedicated himself to pulling the best prank ever…except he never went this far.

But wait, if Tai of all people wouldn't go that far, then who would? No, this is definitely a serious matter; nobody is stupid enough to pull a prank like this. They would get expelled! With only five days left, that's totally worthless, which means that…Sora shivered, realizing this was real. She jumped as she heard yet another shot which was followed by a scream.

Sora knew, without a doubt, it had hit someone. She didn't know who it was, but she prayed to God that they would be okay. She said another silent pray, hoping that everyone got out safe, though she knew it wasn't possible after so many shots. Matt grabbed her hand, and they ran in the direction opposite from the scream. Run. That was all Sora could think.

"I hope Mimi's safe," she heard Matt say to himself as they ran. He stopped, and turned back. Sora knew what he was thinking: He was going to play hero, and try to find Mimi. In all this craziness, he would never succeed. Instead, he would probably just get himself shot.

"She'll be fine," she screamed as she pulled him along.

"How do you know that? What if that was her that just screamed? I have to go back!" he protesting, fighting against her.

"Matt, are you crazy? You're going to get yourself killed! Besides, Mimi was on the main floor she's already outside, I promise you. She was in the library, which is on the other end of the school, remember?" Sora could feel tears well up in her eyes but she blinked them away. She couldn't show any fear if she wanted Matt to believe her. He nodded, and they kept running. Run, run, run, run. The words echoed in Sora's mind over and over as she ran for her life, literally.

A chill went up her spine because she knew the truth: Mimi wasn't in the library. Her exam had already started. She was probably only few classrooms away from them right now. She prayed Matt hadn't realized it, and he hadn't. As much as she wanted to turn around and find her best friend, she couldn't risk her own life. She just had to believe that Mimi would be safe, and that they would all make it out alive.

BANG

Sora and Matt skidded to a halt as a shot rung out near them: There was another shooter, and he was dangerously close to them. Sora turned around, and saw him come out of a classroom. He was holding a handgun, and was wearing a black ski mask. He was dressed in all black, and was now shooting at anyone he could hit. They, along with numerous others, started running for the stairs. Sora heard another shot, and saw the girl beside her fall. She stopped to help her, and Matt pulled her along.

"You can't help her now. You just have to get out alive, just focus on that, okay?" he said as they ran. Sora nodded, and picked up the pace. They reached the stairs, and pushed the door open. Some students were running back up the stairs, bumping into them. What are they doing? Sora thought. She stood on her toes, trying to see over the crowd of scared and confused teens. There was another shooter, and he was coming up the stairwell. Sora started to panic even more, when she realized they were all cornered. There was a shooter behind her, and now one in front of her. Every second felt like a hundred years as Sora struggled to comprehend what was happening.

She was about to just give up when she saw the shooter disappear from sight. Someone had knocked him to the ground, and was now wrestling the gun out of his hands. The other shooter, thankfully, hadn't noticed yet. The boy managed to get the gun from him, and ran with it. Everyone followed him, trampling the now-defenseless predator. They didn't even think to do anything but run; they were all in shock and running on pure adrenaline, and nothing else.

Sora and Matt reached the main floor, and ran into the hallway. They could see the exit, but it would be tricky to get out. There was a fourth shooter, and they were positioned right near the door. The two friends pressed themselves tight against the lockers, and tried to slip unnoticed to the exit. The main floor was madness; people were running everywhere, and it was definitely louder than the second floor had been. Ever few seconds it seemed there was a gunshot going off, followed by a round of terrified, bloodcurdling screams.

Sora felt her foot hit something hard, and her ankle twisted sharply. She stumbled, but didn't fall. She didn't want to look down and discover what she had bumped into, but she had to. Looking down, she met the cold, dead eyes of a young girl. She knew the girl, her name was Stacy, and she had been a year younger than Sora. She could feel herself gag as she saw the pool of blood that Stacy lay in. Blood…God there was so much blood. She had a bullet wound on her chest, the bullet probably passing right through her heart. Matt pushed her on, not even looking down. He knew what he'd find, but he didn't care. All that he cared about right now was getting out alive. He would mourn for the dead students when he got out, and knew that everyone he loved was safe.

He looked up, and thought he saw T.K. He stood on his toes, and pushed through the crowd trying to reach him. Sora followed close behind, as they came closer to the exit. Shots rang out and students were dropping like flies. The kid Matt was tailed turned around, and it wasn't T.K. Matt turned back around, and couldn't find Sora anymore. He started to panic when he realized she could have been hit. He would never forgive himself if she had gotten shot because of him. Forget what he'd do to himself, Tai would kill him. He loved Sora more than anything, and he would just die if he lost her. Kind of like how Matt felt about Mimi.

He stopped running, and just focused on searching for his friend. He scanned every fleeing person, searching for auburn hair. He felt someone grab his shirt, and pull him into the direction of the exit. He glanced at the person, realizing it was Sora, and sighed in relief. He gave into her pull, and moved closer to the exit. It was now dead silent, and the only sound was that of terrified staff and students pushing and shoving their way to the door.

A single gunshot could be heard over the chaos, it had an eerie sound; shots were being heard left and right, but this one seemed louder than the rest. This one had meaning. Sora disregarded it, and continued her pursuit of the exit. She didn't know at the time, but that shot had hit Tai.

The shooter had moved and was no longer guarding the door. They tore out of the building, not looking back.

……………………………………………………………

They ran outside, and Sora gasped for air. She sucked in the fresh air but didn't stop running. She could see police cars pulling into the parking lot and swarm the building. Sora and Matt finally stopped running, and gasped for breath. They stood in the front outside the school, their ears ringing from the gunshots and loud shrieks. Sora was shaking all over as she scanned the area looking for her friends.

"Sora! Matt! Over here!" Sora spotted Izzy, about 20 yards away, yelling to them. They rushed over, weaving in and out of the people, until they reached them. Izzy was standing with Mimi and Joe, both of them looking rattled. They all exchanged hugs of relieve and nervousness as they looked around for their other friends.

Sora noticed that Mimi looked especially concerned about something and seemed pretty removed from the conversation. Something was on her mind, but Sora didn't ask her what it was. Maybe Mimi had witnessed something completely horrifying in the school. Sora hoped that wasn't the case.

"What time is it?" Joe asked. Matt glanced at his watch and answered.

"12:13." Sora gasped in shock at the answer. Her exam had ended seconds before the first gunshot, and that was at noon. It had only taken thirteen minutes to get out of the school? Not even, since they had been standing around for a bit. God, it had felt like a lifetime to her but in reality it wasn't long at all. Mimi must have thought the same thing, judging by the look on her face.

"Hey, you guys! Thank God you're all okay," Sora heard a male voice say from behind her. She whirled around, praying it was Tai, but found only a stranger talking to his friends a few inches away. She was growing more worried by the second. She looked around for more of their friends. Where was Tai?

A tear slid down Sora's cheek as the shock started to wear off: People had died in there. It wasn't a sick, twisted, cruel joke…it was real. Was Tai one of those people? What about T.K. and Kari? Would they all make it out alive, or would it just be Sora and the four friends that stood before her?

She shut her eyes, and the images of the day flashed in her mind. They would be burned in her memory for the rest of her life, and there was nothing she would do about it. She opened her eyes, wondering if she would ever be able to close her eyes again.

Ten minutes later, Mimi was still shaking fiercely. Matt wrapped his arms around her protectively, and Sora felt a pang of jealousy. She wished with all her heart that Tai was there to do that with her, but he wasn't. She still didn't know where he was. The five friends started to walk around the area, looking for the rest of their group. They walked by an ambulance, and saw T.K. sitting down, holding a visibly shaken Kari in his arms. Matt ran over, and the others followed closely behind. Kari moved away from T.K. so his brother could spend some time with him.

Matt hugged his brother tightly as Kari glanced at Sora, who shook her head. She knew what Kari was wondering. She wanted to know where her big brother was, but Sora didn't have an answer. Kari's face fell, but there was still a flicker of hope in her eyes. Sora pulled her into a hug, her eyes shut tightly. The images were still flashing in her mind. She could see Matt's face after the first shot; the shooter emerging from a classroom with his gun and ski mask; the students running beside her, falling to the ground; Stacy's cold eyes peering into her own as Sora resisted the urge to vomit. The blood, the bodies…so many innocent lives had been taken. And for what?

"Oh my God, what the hell happened?" Matt screamed, causing Sora to jump. She spun around, letting go of Kari, and saw what Matt was talking about. T.K. had a bandage over his left shoulder, and blood all down his arm. His shirt was strewn over the back of his chair, blood all over it, but it didn't look like it most of it was his.

Sora walked closer to see what happened but stumbled. She hadn't paid any attention to it before, with everything that was going on, but it was clear now that she had hurt her ankle; sprained it, maybe. She winced in pain, and tried not to put too much pressure on it. She would go to one of the paramedics after she found out what happened to T.K. and the rest of their friends.

"It was nothing…" T.K. stammered.

"Nothing? It doesn't look like nothing, T.K. You got shot, didn't you? Didn't you?" Matt asked, his voice demanding an answer. Slowly, T.K. nodded. Matt turned to Kari, his eyes searching hers for an answer.

"I don't know," she said quietly. "I don't know what happened…I wasn't with him. We don't have the same third period. He was on the second floor, and I was on the first, I got out before him." Everyone looked expectantly at T.K., waiting for an explanation.

……………………………………………………………