Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Okay, after this chapter there will be two more, (three at the most) and then the story will be finished. Yes, there is an end after all!

My Best Friend's Girlfriend

Chapter 33: Opposites Attract

Matt Ishida

Matt had barely left the music room when he spotted Mimi pushing her way through the crowd towards him. The look on her face made him frown, and he quickly hurried over to her side. "Mimi, what's wrong?"

Mimi grabbed his arm to steady herself and gave him a rather nervous smile. "Hey, Matt. I thought I might find you here. Can we talk for a few minutes? It's...um...really important."

Matt took a deep breath and managed a weak nod. His heart started to pound with anticipation, but somehow he was able to keep his expression neutral, and after a moment of awkward silence he motioned her back towards the music room. "Come on. There's no way we're going to get a decent amount of privacy if we try to talk right here in the hallway. I'm guessing you don't want anyone to overhear us, right?"

"Um...yes," Mimi mumbled, her cheeks turning the same colour as her hair.

They started back towards the music room in silence, and Matt jumped when he felt Mimi take his hand. He glanced down at her in surprise, but she lowered her long eyelashes to the ground and refused to look at him. Instead she squeezed his fingers, and he blinked in astonishment when he realized he was smiling. Thankfully Mimi was still gazing at the floor and he was able to rearrange his facial features before she had a chance to witness the happy look on his face.

Maybe Tai's right. I...I think I might be falling in love with Mimi after all. Strange. She's so different from me, but I'm glad because I don't think I could stand being in any type of a relationship with someone who acts the same way I do. I guess that's why I'm best friends with Tai. We're complete opposites, but we understand each other perfectly, and hopefully Mimi and I will be able to come to the same kind of understanding, as well. Yeah right. Mimi's never going to fall in love with me. I'm not her type. She prefers to date guys who are a lot less serious than I am. Every single guy she's ever dated has been really outgoing, including that idiot Natsume...

"Matt, are you okay?"

Matt jerked his head up and blushed when he realized Mimi was watching him. "Yeah, I'm fine, but we'd better hurry up before the bell rings."

They entered the music room, and Matt quickly led her over to the small stage where he had been talking to Tai only a few minutes ago. They sat down next to each other in silence, and he flinched at the tension crackling between them. "Um...what did you want to talk to me about?"

Mimi slowly turned towards him, and he gasped at the look of sorrow in her cinnamon eyes. He could not remember ever seeing her look so helpless before, and the sad smile on her pretty face created a lump in his throat. It was almost as if she was expecting to be disappointed and had resigned herself to her fate without even attempting to put up a fight. Usually she was laughing, gossiping, and generally complaining about something to anyone who would listen, but so far she had barely said two words to him, and her silence was making him nervous. What had happened to the smiling carefree Mimi they all knew and loved?

What in the Digiworld has happened to the Mimi I love...

His own thoughts startled him so much he immediately let go of Mimi's hand, which he had not realized he was still holding, and gazed uncertainly at his feet. Did he really love Mimi as much as Tai thought he did? He glanced at the rosy-haired Digidestined out of the corners of his eyes, and a small smile slipped across his face. She was beautiful, but for the first time in his life he realized that was the least important thing about her. She had won over a lot of guys just by fluttering her eyelashes at them, but he had never been impressed by her flirty antics. Thay had amused him, but he had never let himself get caught up in her complex game of romance. Unlike some guys, it took a lot more than a flirtatious smile to win him over, which was why the faces of his female fans were nothing but a blur in his mind. With the exception of Jun, he could not recall any one particular girl who had stuck out in his mind. They were all the same, and he had a feeling most of them would not want to hang around with him if they had a chance to get to know what he was really like.

Mimi was the complete opposite. She stood out, and it was not just because she was beautiful. She had stuck by his side for five years even though he had not often spent a lot of time with her and given her the attention he should have been giving one of his closest friends. It was strange, but the more he thought about her, the more he realized exactly what it was about her that had captured his attention. She was definitely not the most level-headed Digidestined, but despite her sometimes selfish remarks, she had a big heart and she gave it willingly to anyone and everyone around her. That was what had captured his attention. Her heart.

Why didn't I see it before?

He had almost forgotten about the conversations he used to have over the phone with the rosy-haired Digidestined when she had lived in New York, but all of a sudden her words started to come back to him. She had been supportive of his love for Sora right from the start and had encouraged him to try his luck with her best friend. Her sympathy and understanding had been important to him because, at the time, he had been unable to talk to Tai about his feelings for Sora, not because he had known Tai was in love with his ex-girlfriend, but because even then he had had a feeling his best friend would not be very happy with him if he tried to have a relationship with the Child of Love...

The truth was right in front of my face the whole time. If only I had bothered to take a few moments to listen to my heart...

He had always been aware of the fact that Mimi had the Crest of Sincerity, but he had not really known what it meant until they had started speaking to each other from across the Atlantic Ocean. How could he have forgotten? Her honesty was one of the things he admired most about her, and it was the very thing that had caused him to take notice of her.

Did he love her?

All of a sudden he knew the answer to his own question. He did love her, more than he could have ever thought possible. Somehow he had fallen for her during their long, intimate conversations, but he had been to busy chasing Sora to notice. How could he have been so stupid? How could he have failed to listen to what his heart was trying to tell him? More importantly, how could he have been in love with two girls at once?

I really did love Sora back then, but somehow I'd started to develop feelings for Mimi, too. No wonder Tai thought I was such a horrible person. Then again, I wasn't the only one who had fallen in love with two people. Sora had, too. Well, I can't change the past, but I can change the future. Only...what if I'm too late? What if she's already fallen in love with someone else? Yolei said Mimi was chasing after her new love interest earlier, and I thought that was just an excuse to cover up the fact that Mimi knew Tai's secret, but what if I'm wrong? What if there really is some guy out there whom she's fallen in love with?

Mimi was the one who had listened to all of his fears about Sora, and he was thankful for her support. He had had no idea Tai was in love with Sora, back then, but for some reason he had still felt uneasy about mentioning his feelings to his best friend. Now he knew why. Even then a small part of him had recognized the chemistry between Tai and Sora, but he had ignored it, and now he was paying big time for his mistake.

I bet Mimi really does have a new love interest, and I can guarantee it's probably not me. There's no way she's ever going to want to put up with my attitude and all my faults, especially since they seem to outnumber my virtues. How could I have ever thought for one moment she would ever fall in love with me? Well, at least I know Tai will never hold my actions against me, despite the fact that I sprung my relationship with Sora on him at the last moment.

It was a comforting thought, but unfortunately it did not really help very much.

"Actually, there are a few things I want to talk to you about," Mimi mumbled, twisting her hands together in what was obviously a nervous gesture.

Matt felt a strong urge to reach out and run his fingers through her rosy-coloured hair, but he contented himself with giving her a reassuring smile instead. "Really?"

Mimi hesitated and slowly nodded. "Sora told me she's in love with Tai."

"I figured she would."

"Yes, and she also told me you guys broke up. I...um...I'm glad you finally know the truth. I was worried about you, you know."

"You were?"

Matt stared at his female friend in surprise, and she smiled back at him.

"Of course. Sora told me you know about her feelings for Tai, and I know you know Tai's in love with her. Why else would I have mentioned his secret to you? I know you're not in love with my best friend anymore, but I thought you might still be upset about breaking up with her."

Matt gently wrapped an arm around her shoulders and jumped when she suddenly snuggled against his side. He could feel the warmth of her body soaking through his shirt, and the smell of her perfume made him feel slightly dizzy. She smelled like roses.

"It's still fresh in my mind, but I'll live. Besides, Tai's happy, and that's all I care about."

"Where is Tai anyway?" Mimi asked, glancing around the room as if she expected him to suddenly appear out of thin air.

Matt rested his cheek against her rosy-coloured hair and shrugged. "I don't know. He's wherever Sora is, I guess."

"What?"

Matt raised his golden eyebrows at her reaction and smiled slightly. "You said it yourself, you and I both know Tai's in love with Sora and Sora's in love with Tai, so I told Tai to go talk to Sora."

"You mean...Tai's gone to tell Sora he's in love with her?" Mimi gasped, her cinnamon eyes growing wide with shock.

"Yeah, I thought I'd help things along a bit. Um...why are you looking at me like that?"

Mimi's whole face had brightened, and he frowned as she started to giggle. "Matt, I just told Sora to tell Tai she's in love with him! She's on her way to talk to him right now!"

Matt started to laugh and before he could stop himself he pulled his female friend into a tight hug. He fully expected her to squirm away from him, but instead she slipped her arms around his neck and rested her cheek against his shoulder. The look of surprise on her pretty face made his heart skip a beat, and after a brief hesitation he buried his face in her pale pink hair.

"Oh, Matt, I'm so happy for them. They're finally going to be together!"

Matt nodded in agreement and suppressed a small sigh of relief. At least she doesn't look like she's half dead anymore.

Apparently Tai's and Sora's new-found happiness had rejuvenated her because her cinnamon eyes were beginning to sparkle with excitement and fierce hope. It was almost as if she had decided not to give up on whatever was causing her to act so strange after all.

"I know exactly how you feel, Mimi. They're going to be great together, and it's all thanks to us!"

"Hey, that's what best friends are for! Sora and Tai owe us big time!" Mimi giggled.

Her tone was light, but something about the look in her eyes made him feel as if her laughter had been forced.

He placed his hand against the soft, smooth skin of her cheek and felt a bolt of electricity race up his arm. The touch of her skin made his fingers tingle, and it took all of his self-control not to lean down and kiss her directly on the lips.

"Not anymore, they don't," he whispered softly in her ear. "In fact, If you think about it long enough, they've already given us everything we need."

Mimi's face turned a brilliant shade of red, and she let out a soft gasp. "What do you mean?"

Interesting. I thought Mimi would be used to this kind of thing by now. She can't be in love with me...can she? Yeah right. Tai's the lucky one, not me. Obviously she's in love with someone. I can tell by the look on her face, and Tai did say something about her having a secret, but who could it be? If he's anything like Natsume...

"Aren't you going to ask me about my friendship with Tai?" he said calmly, neatly avoiding her question.

Mimi squirmed out from under his arm and managed a weak smile. "Sora told me she was pretty sure you guys weren't going to stop being friends. She was right...wasn't she?"

"Isn't it obvious? Mimi, Tai and I are never going to stop being friends no mater what happens between us. Why do you think I want him to date Sora? I understand now why he lied to me, and he understands my feelings, too. We decided our friendship was more important than anything else, and in the end that's what saved us both and gave Tai a chance to be happy. I feel like I've done something really important, and it's...it's a good feeling."

"I know what you mean," Mimi said quietly, a soft smile slipping across her face.

Matt quickly told her about what had happened with Izzy, Willis, and Joe, and his impersonation of Izzy sent her into fits of laughter. He finished off with a detailed explanation of what had happened between Tai and himself, and the two of them sat in thoughtful silence long after he had run out of things to say.

"Who would have thought Izzy would be the one to save the day?" Mimi said finally, looking amused. "He's not exactly romantically inclined, if you know what I mean."

Matt rolled his eyes and snorted loudly. "He'll change his tune once he gets to be our age. It's only a matter of time before he wakes up and realizes how fascinating the female half of the race can be!"

"Oh, I'm fascinating, am I?" Mimi giggled, fluttering her eyelashes at him.

"More so than some, I assure you."

"What about Jun?"

Matt winced and gave her a dirty look. "Oh, she captures my attention. I'll give you that."

Mimi let out a sigh of relief and slowly nodded. "Well, that answers one of my questions anyway."

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing," Mimi mumbled, sounding embarrassed.

She looked like she wanted to say more, but Matt took her hand in his and the words died in her throat. "Mimi, do you remember all those conversations we used to have over the phone when you were in New York?"

He felt Mimi's hand begin to tremble, and she gazed at him with tears in her eyes. "Yes, I remember."

"I don't think I ever got a chance to thank you for all your support. I know Tai, Sora, and I haven't had an easy time of it for a while now, but things have turned out great, and it's all thanks to you. None of this would have happened if you hadn't convinced me to try my luck with Sora. I had to date her, Mimi. I wouldn't be this happy now if I hadn't, and neither would Tai. Sometimes things happen for a reason, and my relationship with Sora was one of those things that needed to happen in order for all of us to fully appreciate what we might have missed. Does that make sense to you?"

"Yes, I think it does," Mimi said quietly, almost to herself. She stared at him for a moment, and he froze when she suddenly placed her hand against his cheek. Her fingers were warm, and the look in her eyes caused a shiver to race down his spine. "Matt..."

"Mimi, Tai told me you have a secret, and he also told me he knows what it is. I'm guessing you told Sora, too, didn't you. Listen, I know I haven't always been as close to you as some of our other friends, but...do you think you could tell me your secret, too?"

"Matt, I..."

Matt gently placed his finger over her lips, and she quickly snapped her mouth shut. They gazed at each other for a long moment, and after several minutes of painful silence he pulled her into his arms and held her tightly against his chest. "Please, Mimi?" he whispered into her rosy-coloured hair. "I need to know. What is it you're so afraid to tell me?"