Last Edited: 17.12.o5

Written: 14.o8.o5

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, but by now…you should know that I do own this story. Please don't steal these ideas because they are precious to me, for I have put my own saying and feeling to every word I write in this chapter…and some of the events in these stories are based on (some part) of my life. © Flipstahhz

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Do You Still Think of Me?

PART ONE – Fragments of memories

Chapter Six

By Flipstahhz

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Towards end of 2006

The typical loud chattering of the teenagers filled the overly crowded school cafeteria. Amongst the pools of pupils, a pair of females sat in a table in the corner at the far end where it 'supposedly' was less crowded. The two nibbled on their food rather quietly than usual.

Out of the pair, there sat a girl with sleek flared auburn hair. In contrast her friend had long wavy chestnut locks that was half held back with a lilac clip. Two other males were lacking from their small clique. It had been like this for the past weeks…none of them ever had time to sit together during lunchtime considering the school kept bombarding them with practice exams, in preparation for the real ones. Currently it was Yamato and Tai who were using their lunchtime for last minute studying in the library.

Sora Takenouchi proceeded in hungrily chewing down her sandwich, though her eyes were focused in darting in numerous directions with a glazed look. Mimi Tachikawa seemed fed up with the lonely silence and finally decided to muster up a conversation with her.

"You still daydream. Don't you?" She knew her friend too well.

" I guess so," as soon as Sora had stepped back to reality, she responded. " …just thinking that we're going to leave this place. It's happened so fast. I'm just thinking of the memories we all shared here…"

" You're always thinking of the past. You dwell to the past because you're scared of facing the present," Mimi stated, replying a bit icily. There were many differences between the best friends. And this one was yet another exception. Sora always thought of the past. Mimi always had her mind in the present.

" I've always been like that," she protested.

" Not really. You weren't like this when we were much younger," Mimi shrugged. " Even with Yamato..."

Sora blinked. " What do you mean, Meems?"

" Oh, come on Sora! I'm not an idiot to not notice the way you stare at him," she glared. She was beginning to have enough with what Sora was doing to herself. She wasn't going to let her interfere with what she had wanted to tell her for the so many years that went by. " I'm your best friend! You may have fooled me about your mother's death, last time…but I'd have to be completely blind to not know that you have feelings for him!"

Sora hadn't seen this furious side of Mimi for a long time, especially when Mimi's anger was pointing straight at her. She could never hide anything from Mimi…she'd find it either one way or another…or she probably would have known her secrets all along…

Mimi continued to lecture, " I don't know what's up with you! But you've gotta confess to him soon, cause he's taking darn long…and so are you! If he doesn't have feelings for you, which I doubt, he would tell you and you'd get over him…thinking of him everyday will get you no where! At least you'll have no regrets and know whether he loves you or not."

It all made complete sense, but Sora wasn't going to give in that easily. All she could do was deny…

" But…" she paused. " I need to find myself first. I don't want to get into something really reckless when I don't even know –"

" Stop abiding the rules, and take a risk for once! Stop staying on the safe side, you'll get nowhere, I'm telling you! I seriously have never met anyone so stubborn in my life!" Mimi declared in annoyance.

" It's like back in primary school! I thought you would have learnt by now…of how you made the mistake by not telling him your true feelings. And now…now you're about to cause yourself all this grief all over again…and you'll break even more…" Mimi whispered, tears flooding her vision. She was trying her best to talk sense into her struggling friend. " Mistakes. You make mistakes to learn from them, not to do them again. I won't let you. Not this time…I know you've been through enough. I won't let you go through this all over again."

Sora stared at Mimi, realizing that she had caused grief to her friend as well. She thought it was only her that was carrying the burden; she didn't realize that what she was doing affecting other special people to her as well.

" I'm sorry…"

" Don't say it unless you mean it," Mimi snapped, gaining back her strong firm composure.

" I do…I seriously didn't mean to make you cry. Cry over something hopeless…"

" There you again! Thinking lowly of yourself. I'm literally tired with you being such a bitch," Mimi spat, but realized that Sora had been struck by her words. At least something hit home, but she felt guilty for insulting her companion. " I didn't mean- "

"No, I deserved that. I deserved it that time," it was Sora's turn to cut Mimi off.

The two stayed silent a bit, suddenly realizing that the bell had already rang and people were heading for their classes. The once crowded cafeteria had become empty. And it was only them that remained in the solitary surrounding of left over trash of scattered cling wrap and fruit juice boxes either on the floor or tables.

" You really love him…that bad? " her voice seemed as if it echoed in the empty space.

" I'd be dreaming if he actually loved me back."

" You can make dreams a reality," Mimi replied optimistically. " You just have to work hard on it, then you'll surely achieve your goal."

" Dreams and reality?" Sora gave a quirky smile. " You're just like him…"

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Graduation Assembly (still 2006)

"I'm glad I got into my course," Taichi grinned as he leaned back onto the hard seat. " I see no use in being in this assembly when my future is all planned out for me."

"Cocky."

"Shut up, Matty-boy," Tai jeered. " You still haven't told me what you're going to do…"

" Well," Yamato started. " I wanted to become a music composer. But I needed a higher score for music. So I guess I'm a bit disappointed. I'm still fine with it all considering there are other music occupations out there."

" That's true. But you'd better think of one soon," his friend warned him. " Before they're all taken, that is."

"Yes, I know. How bout Mimi, did she get what she wanted?"

" She hasn't told me yet," Tai frowned. " But I'm sure she got a high score for her exams. Talking about high scores….Sora? Damn!"

" Haha," Yamato laughed, knowing what he was going to say next.

" High score! She got dux! Damn…what a smart ass," Tai said rather enviously. " Even better for her….you're going to confess! She'll be so overjoyed that a smile will be plastered on her face for eternity!"

" What makes you think that?" Yamato questioned. " That I'll confess to her?"

" I thought," he raised an eyebrow. " That you were saving up this final opportunity for her…but I guess I was wrong…"

He ran his fingers down his blond hair, " Hmm. She's not ready."

" And that mean…?"

" How can I when she hasn't even found herself yet. She's changed from the last time…she's still different," he sighed. " I want what's the best for her. And confessing to her, right now, is out of the question. Especially when she's so vulnerable at the moment. If she can't tell the difference between following her dreams and reality…then I don't think she'd want me."

Tai knew, that no matter what he was going to say to convince him that he was wrong about Sora, Matt would have a stern reason against it. It was thickly drawn out.

" But you're not going to give up on her?"

" No," Yamato said. " No way. I've waited this long, and I know I can wait longer…"

Tai's gaze stared at his friend for a moment, amazed and admired by his strong will…the strong will that he hadn't realized out of all the years knowing him, he had finally took account to. But it took one long enough to fully break…

" Yap yap yap yap," Yamato grumbled tediously staring at the person they had been talking over the whole time.

" …it's been an honor having all you students at our school. You've all matured and will soon to be facing the adult business world."

A couple of students groaned at the remark.

A balding man on the stage gave the typical 'end of school year speech' addressed to the whole school, but mainly towards the graduates of 2oo6. As he read the words his twinkling eyes danced towards each student with pride of watching each of them grow. He gave a tiny smirk when he saw two older teenage boys at the back of the hall, still engaged in a private conversation.

He scratched his head. " And I see Mr. Kamiya and Mr. Ishida are still chattering at the back. But unfortunately, I can't offer them another detention."

The two boys felt their classmates stare at them and begin to snigger. They laughed.

" We'll miss you too, Mr. Landon!" Tai exclaimed loudly to their old history teacher. " We love you!"

"Damn straight!" Yamato added with a smirk.

" Guess some things never change," the aging man chuckled.

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Graduation Party Night

" Slow down, Tai!" Mimi demanded in a frightened tone, from the back seat of the convertible car.

The four were driving into the night. Stars glimmered vibrantly against the painted ebony sky. The strong chilly blistery breeze hit them at all directions as they sped around the curbs of Odaiba, heading to where the celebration was situated. Tonight would be the time of their lives…

Yamato leaned back against the familiar leather interior as he felt the wind rush through his golden hair, reflected from the moonlight. He sighed in relief. It was all over.

He felt free…

Free from exams. Free from stress. From the looks of things, they had nearly arrived at their venue for the evening. He glanced at the side mirror to see Sora looking rather uncomfortable, seeing her fidgeting with her fingers. It then struck him that this was probably one of her first times to be in a party…with no adults. She didn't know what to expect…Sora was a virgin to the scene.

He understood now. She was going to be faced with drunks, alcohol, being picked up and loud trashing music that could bust your eardrums. He recalled that she never rocked up to teenage parties, until now. He was pretty sure that Mimi influenced her to come along since they had all graduated high school. Suddenly, he felt the urge not to want to reveal her to this side… To him, she was still innocent…

He had to keep an eye on her. He knew that he'd end up being left and taking care of her cause he could picture Taichi and Mimi hitching off somewhere by themselves. He felt uneasy and unsure. Hell, this was the first time he had felt unsure…especially when it came to partying. The last time he remembered he went out and partied was back in year ten since he had considered that he would focus on studying in his senior years. And now his senior years were over. Of course he had to party!

He wouldn't drink. Well…perhaps he wasn't going to let himself get drunk, maybe just a bit tipsy will do him some good. He smirked, another memory triggering in his mind. His brother, Takeru – TK, was always sticking to good morals and had once told him that 'you didn't need alcohol to get high'. But he didn't want to get high…no…if he wanted to get high, he'd go on x or something like that. Though, this wasn't the case. All he wanted to do was to celebrate finally finishing schooling.

The vehicle came to a halt, and immediately the foursome jumped out of it. As they reached the front porch of the house, a younger boy jogged towards them.

" Taichi, Yamato….heeyyy!"

Tai stared at the almost-identical-hair-to-himself newcomer with a toothy grin. " Hey Daisuke, why are you here?"

" This is my house. Jun's in charge of the party since our parents are overseas," Daisuke Motomiya put on a face. " She sort of kicked me out…so I'm just going to hangout at your brother's – TK's - house, till tomorrow."

" I see, say hi to Teeks for me," Yamato said.

" Sure."

After exchanging goodbyes, Daisuke departed from the small group. Mimi, Tai, Matt and Sora entered the Motomiya household and instantly had to squeeze their way through the overflowing tons of people. Within seconds the four had become a two.

Yamato muttered a curse under his breath as he realized that he was stuck with Sora. He didn't intend to be with her this early in the night, he suspected that Mimi would be the one to help her settle in the heated atmosphere. But then again, they were separated due to the limit in space in the house…so he couldn't really blame anyone. Perhaps it was simply the fact that he didn't want to face Sora just as yet…

"…your name?"

" It's Sora," she replied over the booming speakers.

Yamato frowned. Right under his nose, he hadn't noticed the stoned looking guy trying to pick Sora up. She was too naïve that she didn't even realize what this guy was attempting to do.

He sickly eyed as the man let his arm rest around her shoulder and leaned closely to her. He could see her flushed cheeks becoming three shades darker and could see her jaw tighten rigidly.

" So…do you want to go upstairs," he whispered roughly into her ear. He chuckled as he could feel her body quivering a bit. " That's hot…you're shaking…"

This time, Yamato decided it was best if he intruded. He let the man's body meet his hard fists a couple of times, then sent him blows in the face. This was Matt's reality, and how to deal with it. He had learnt a while back what to do in situations such as these…

But Yamato didn't understand why he didn't step to assist Sora out earlier…did he intentionally want Sora to get hurt as a punishment because she was taking to long to figure herself out?

He was angry…he was angry that his mind could lead to such corruptness. He let his anger and guilt fly through more punches that he laid onto the guy, until his arm was held back.

" Yamato! Stop!" she yelled in panic.

He blinked. His arm trembling still, as he placed it down. He felt her grip let go of him. He stared down at her, piercing eyes filled with strife and he could see that she was scrunching up her hands so hard that her fingers almost turned white. She was staring at him in a different light. He could sense it…almost taste it in his lips.

Sora was scared of him…

He couldn't stand to see her stare at him like this. He felt dirty standing next to her…he didn't deserve her. He knew he did something wrong…but if he hadn't done it…that man would have had hurt her. Yet Sora gazed at him as if it were he who did the mistake. He didn't want to face her sorrowful eyes. Somehow he had failed her expectations.

He turned around and walked away from her.

Yamato walked through the gaps of the crowded house, seeing nothing but blurred faces. He suddenly saw someone that he knew.

" Kent!" he called to one of his old band members.

" What's up, Matt? Haven't seen you for a while!"

" Yeah," he mumbled and spotted the full plastic cup of alcohol in his friend's hand.

" Mind if I drink that…?"

" Sure. I'll fetch myself more," Kent said care freely and handed the cup to Yamato. " In fact, I might as well get some now. Be right back, man."

The blond headed boy watched Kent disappear into another room of the overcrowded Motomiya house. He stared glumly at the liquid, and didn't seem to care when he noticed that something in the drink started to fizz. He swigged it all down within seconds and felt the cold liquid slither down his throat. It was strong stuff…

Out of the blue, he thought he was delirious as he saw Sora walk towards him.

He gave a lopsided grin.

After he had been an ass, why did she follow him?!

An hour went by, he wasn't sure what he was doing. He had been walking around rather dizzily speaking to many of his classmates, wishing them all the best for the future as he'd swig down one drink after another. The whole time, he could feel Sora at his side trailing behind him. For once, he didn't want her to be there. He didn't want her to see this idiotic side of him…he wanted her to leave after what a fool he had been earlier.

He vision was becoming blurry. He knew the alcohol was finally kicking in. Inwardly he was jeering himself on. He was just about to fetch Tai and Mimi to go home, knowing that was what Sora had wanted ever since arriving at the party.

" S-Sora! Let's go now!" he could feel his voice slurring coarsely. Without hesitation he let his arm fall around her waist as they walked towards another crowded room of the Motomiya residence.

" You've drank too much," she commented seriously. He could feel her body shift uncertainly.

Yamato was just about to deny it when he felt his body droop more onto her for support. He leaned towards her ear and whispered in a husky tone, " I don't care, at least I'm holding you…"

Her body stiffened, eyes widening. His hand was slowly sliding down her waist…

What was he doing?

To her surprise she watched him drop onto the floor and begin to vomit. She shook her head to herself. It seemed like he was her responsibility for now. She scooped his arm and tried to drag him up the staircase towards one of the bedrooms. Luckily, Kent had met them on the way and offered a hand of assistance in getting his friend into the closest empty bedroom.

Soccer posters painted over the textured wallpaper as male clothing scattered messily on the floorboards. They chucked the rather limp body onto the mattress. From his appearance, it seemed as if he was going to become unconscious at any moment. They could see that he was breathing rapidly as beads of sweat drenched his golden locks of hair.

" What happened to him?" Kent queried in worry. "He's the type of drunk that blabbers the truth…He usually doesn't get drunk this bad…"

" I'm not so sure…" she let her right arm overlap her slim figure. Her face was pale.

Yamato somehow managed to slur out," I'm f-f-ine."

" Fool," Kent shook his head at the boy who was currently sprawling in the bed. " Get some rest, dick –"

" I think…s-someone s-spiked t-the dri-nk you ga-ave me," Yamato muttered through his dry throat. He tilted his head on Daisuke's pillow, shutting his eyes. " I feel like sh-shit."

" Shit…That was supposedly meant for me. Damn, sorry…ahh…I need to get help, I'll get Jun and see what we can do to help y-"

" We need to call an ambulance," Sora exclaimed in nervousness. " Who in hell knows what drug could have been slipped in the drink! It's dangerous. He needs a checkup asap!"

" Hell no!" Kent glared. " If we do that, they'll arrest Jun or something. She's not even eighteen yet! She can't get caught hosting a party when she's underage and her parents are miles away."

"Then what can we do!"

" Sit tight…I'll get some help…just look after him. Maybe strip his shirt off, he's heating up," Kent ordered and out of urgency, ran out of the room seeking for help.

Letting an unsteady sigh escape her lips she did as she was told and slipped Yamato's shirt over his head, revealing his naked skin. She shuddered at the red patches over his body. She was supposed to be a nurse, and she didn't know what the hell to do to save him. She exhaustedly sat at the foot end of the bed, thinking only about how helpless she felt. Sora didn't know whether he was unconscious or not. Her gaze lifted from Yamato's sickly body to the new person who had entered the room.

"Fuck!" the new figure yelled. She punched on of the walls." What the hell am I supposed to now? Crap –"

" Jun, calm down!" Kent screamed back, appearing behind her.

" You don't understand if I get caugh-."

" Who gives a fuck if you get caught!" Sora swore. She rarely swore… " It's Yamato! What's going to happen to Yamato?"

" Stay overnight," Jun said. " I know it's risky, but we can't go to the hospital just yet. He doesn't seem that bad."

" Doesn't seem? Are you insane?"

" I'm fine," a voice popped into the conversation.

This time, Yamato's voice sounded more like himself and was strong, not slurring.

Kent went to his friend's side and felt his forehead, " You seem to be cooling down…maybe you're all right…I'll get some icepacks."

It seemed as if the panic atmosphere had evaporated into thin air. But apparently for Sora, it was a different thing.

" There is no way in hell that he's leaving! He's not in the state…he needs to be in bed –."

" Fine. Then he can sleep in Daisuke's bed till the morning," Jun said simply.

" I'll stay and look after him…"

" Sora, I'm alright," he said stubbornly. " It was just a little phase that went quickly. I'll be fine."

" Yamato, I don't care. I'm staying here to make sure you won't be getting out of bed and to watch you make a full darn recovery!" her eyes pierced down at his lying figure.

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It was approximately one thirty in the morning. She blinked. She had slept on her watch when she was supposed to be taking care of Yamato. Even worse, she had found out that she had been sleeping right next to his bare chest. Sora gulped uncomfortably realizing that their heads were centimeters apart.

His azure eyes opened wide.

Startled, she almost rolled off the bed. She hadn't expected that he'd be awake. He chuckled. But there was something in the chuckle that made her realize that he wasn't his usual sane self. This wasn't the Yamato she knew. She knew that whatever had been slipped in his drink, was still affecting him. The auburn headed teenage girl sat up.

" Hey Sorr," he chuckled. He shifted into a sitting position behind her. He swiftly let his arms wrap around her body in a warm embrace. He still reeked of bitter alcohol.

She shivered. She loved him. Her heart seemed to be overwhelmed by how long she'd wanted to be in his arms. Sora felt a false sense of security, she didn't want him to let go. Now I certainly know that I can and never will get over him…

She was off guard. She didn't know how to react, what to do. She didn't know whether this was the drunk Yamato, or the normal one. She didn't know the difference. Who would when Yamato was an unpredictable person, always hiding his emotions…just like herself…

" Matt…" she whispered. She wanted to cry. She wanted him to stop playing with her heart. She had finally accepted that they weren't meant to be together, but why was he making it much harder?

" I want to stay like this. Holding you forever," he said wistfully. " You don't know how much I love you…"

The words that Kent spoke earlier struck her.

He's the type of drunk that blabbers the truth…

" Stop lying," she whimpered hopelessly. " How could someone like you…love…me?"

" Because," he said, arms still resting on her tense body. " I always have…"

She unlocked the embrace and lyed on the side of Daisuke's small bed. Aware of the warm tears rolling down her face, as the moonlight sparkled onto their bodies from the window.

Why couldn't Yamato just leave her alone?

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He got up with a start. He felt a bit light headed and scurried out of bed when he realized that he had gotten drunk. He yawned and stared at the bed he had slept on. He almost jumped in shock when he saw her snoozing there.

In suspicion he cursed when he realized that his top was off.

What had he done! Had he…

No…he couldn't have. He couldn't have been that drunk that he slept with Sora. Then why…

Why were Sora's clothing mingled with Daisuke's dirty ones, on the ground?

A wave of guilt plunged into his stomach. He couldn't have been that drunk and lustful to do such a thing. He couldn't see himself hurting Sora…

This was his fault. And he didn't know what to make of it…

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