Disclaimer: I pity the fool who thinks I own Digimon or 'Everybody's Fool' by Evanescence. On with the story!
(Previously)
Swerving her head round, the nurse stared in shock at the sight. "Mimi!" she let out a strangled cry. For at that moment, Tachikawa Mimi was lying on the floor in a crumpled mess, dead to the world.
(End of previously)
Opening her eyes slowly, Mimi's gaze was met with piercingly blue eyes staring back at her. "Are you alright?" the blonde-haired doctor spoke concernedly. Looking at the doctor's nametag, she realized that he was T.K. "Thank goodness," the nurse from just now expressed her relief, "I'm sorry, I should have told you I'm Kari, your cousin." Turning her gaze from Mimi for a while, T.K. doctor told her to rest before he carried out some tests on her as he adjusted the lightings.
(Later)
"I don't know her," Kari said in frustration, rubbing her tired head. It was the seventh picture already and seeing all those unfamiliar faces had made her feel dizzy. "Come on, she's your favourite singer," the doctor urged her to continue. The girl in the picture had wavy, blond hair and was performing on stage with a guitar. "Avril Lavigne?" Mimi decided to take a stab in the dark "Good," he said, nodding in satisfaction. Then, he produced yet another picture. "Now, who's this?" he asked, showing Mimi the picture of a smiling girl. "Hm…" Mimi thought silently. She couldn't recognize the girl, yet she seemed vaguely familiar.
"Who could it be?" she asked herself desperately. Sensing that Mimi was having difficulty identifying the girl, the doctor spurred her on, "You know her like yourself," he hinted, "She just had an accident." However, the clues still were not enough for Mimi, thus the doctor decided to continue, "One month ago, she experienced a road accident in front of Fuji Street." Cold realization dawned on Mimi. That girl was…her!
(24-Hour Grocery Store)
"Mr. Kamiya, I'm done," Yamato panted as he put down the last carton of Pepsi. Mr. Kamiya, who was counting the day's earnings smiled at Yamato and told him he could go home. However, Yamato had barely stepped out of the store when Mr. Kamiya changed his mind. "By the way, Matt, don't you usually go out with your girlfriend today?" he asked, curious as ever. "Go out?" he wiped the perspiration that was starting to fall from his forehead. Those two words had rung a bell in his mind.
(Tachikawa Residence)
"Oh no, Mum is coming home late tonight," Mimi groaned as she lay in bed, feeling tired out. "Klok," she thought she heard a noise from the window. "Mimi, it's me, Matt," she heard his voice from outside, "Come out, please." Getting up from her bed, Mimi put on her slippers and opened the wooden door. There stood Matt, who was looking nervous. "I thought you were your sister since you usually pop your head out of the window," Matt laughed uncomfortably. "Today, my mum comes home late," Mimi explained, "Let's go in." Unbeknownst to the two of them, Tai was listening from the other side of the fence. "Huh, what a jerk," he thought crossly to himself, "He has ruined my plans!"
"Mimi, this is for you," Matt gave her his most charming smile, handing her a small, blue box. "May I open it?" she asked Matt, smiling back at him. Nodding his consent, Matt looked on nervously as Mimi opened his gift, wanting to see what her reactions were. "Wow, a teddy bear brooch!" she exclaimed in great delight, taking out the beautiful brooch. The teddy bear was wearing a gorgeous pink bridal-gown and a translucent veil of matching color covered its face. "That's a Valentine Day present from me," Matt explained.
"If only I had more money," Matt began to say wistfully, "I would have given you a better gift." Hearing Matt's tone, Mimi realized that Matt's words were indeed sincere. Sighing blissfully, Mimi took Matt's hands. "Don't worry," she gave him her million-dollar smile, "this is the best gift that I've ever received." Smiling back at her, Matt thought about how lucky he was. "I know that you are really understanding Mimi," he smiled to himself, "I don't know what I would have done with myself if you didn't pull through."
Looking up, Mimi caught Matt's stare. Instead of lowering her gaze down, she stared deep into Matt's eyes. For some strange reasons, she had never realized it before but she found that his eyes were such mesmerizing blue that she couldn't quite tear her gaze away from them. Slowly, their faces inched closer and closer. Mimi's heart was beating so quickly that she was worried it might explode. She could feel his warm breath on her check. He was close, so very close. However, before she could feel his lips on hers, she heard a loud, angry exclamation, "What are you two doing?"
Swerving their heads round, Mimi and Matt saw Kari standing in the doorway, her mouth hanging open and looking extremely shaken. (N/A: Those of you who haven't read the first chapter, Kari is Mimi's OLDER cousin, who lives with her, however weird it may sound.) Regaining her composure a split second later, she shouted in fury, "Lay your hand off her!" Turning to Mimi, she started reprimanding her, "You too, Kari, didn't I tell you not to see him anymore?"
Grabbing Mimi's hand roughly, she tore her away from Matt by force. "Get lost," she turned her attention to Matt, "Mimi doesn't want your presence here." This comment had really hurt Matt, but needless to say, he managed to keep his feelings to himself. Glaring coldly at Kari, he bit back, "Unfortunately, future sister-in-law, I don't think that Mimi feels that way and just now was the proof."
"That's enough," Mimi shouted at Matt, putting her hand over her mouth immediately, realizing what she had just said. Mimi's outburst had hurt Matt more than anything in his life. Unfortunately, Kari seemed ready to clear the matter once and for all instead of giving Matt any space to breathe. "Don't ever see Mimi again," she said in a voice quivering with anger, "I don't want Kari to have a relationship with someone without any future like you!" Matt's eyes continued to stare at Kari's, which angered her all the more. "Just for your information," Kari decided to bring out her trump card, "I would be more than happy if Mimi's disease made her forget you! Only you, Yamato Ishida."
Looking up in surprise, Matt wondered if the smirking Kari was lying. "Forget me?" he repeated in his mind over and over again. He had not the slightest inkling of what she was talking about. "That's enough," he abruptly felt a pair of arms tightly wrapped around his waist. Mimi, who was experiencing a huge turmoil inside her, hanged onto Matt as though her life depended on it. "I don't like you speaking like that, Kar!" she snapped back at her cousin for the first time in her life.
"Please," she begged, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to start rolling down her cheeks, "leave the two of us alone." Realizing that Mimi was not about to give in to her anytime soon, Kari sighed in defeat. "Fine, but only ten minutes," she relented, "but this is the last time. If you still see him, I shall send you to a boarding school in America." Satisfied that Mimi seemed to understand the message, Kari turned around and left the two of them in the living room.
"Please forgive me," Mimi pleaded with Matt, letting tears roll down her cheeks. Looking away, Matt was in two minds about the whole affair. He was at a loss of what to do. Should he forgive her or not? Sensing the seriousness of the situation, Mimi finally sobbed, "I purposely didn't tell you. I was afraid you would leave me." Mimi's heart grew cold; she couldn't believe what she was saying. What was she doing? She was telling a bare-faced lie to her boyfriend. Did she really think he was foolish enough to believe that? However, Matt's response surprised her.
"Stupid," he smiled at Mimi, much to her relief, "What's the use of having a relationship for a year if you hide your problems from me." Turning his head round to look at his girlfriend, Matt continued, "Now that I know of your situation, I will guide you all the way, Mims." Finally, Mimi's dam broke and her tears started rolling down her cheeks. Matt's words had touched her so much. Choking back the tears, she wrapped her arms around him in a bone-crunching hug. "Don't worry, Mims," he returned the hug.
"Ten minutes it's over," the moment was interrupted, "go home quickly." Turning his head round, Matt saw Kari standing over him, arms on her hips. Getting up, he gave Mimi one last peck on the cheek and walked away. "Ok, bye!" he waved to Mimi, "Dream of me tonight!" Smiling at him, Mimi 'blew' a kiss at him, which he pretended to catch. Finally, he was out of sight. "It's late, Mimi," Kari reminded her, "go to sleep!"
As she put on her pajamas, Mimi looked at the cute teddy bear she had received from Matt. Looking at it reminded her of him and what he had told her. "Although you suffer from that disease, I'll always love you, Mimi," his words echoed in her mind. "Matt," she thought to herself as she held the brooch close to her heart. "Matt…you shouldn't have been too kind to me," she thought to herself, "I've hidden too many lies from you. If only you knew that I had strung you along."
FALLEN The next day FALLEN
"Sora, let's go to the canteen," Riana said to her friend after they emerged from the library during recess. "Ok, let's go," Sora replied as she followed her friend. Suddenly, she heard a familiar voice, "Mimi, can I go to the library with you?" Looking around, she spotted Mimi talking cheerfully to Tai as the two entered the library. "What's wrong?" Riana asked. Putting her hand over her mouth, realization dawned on her. "So my guess was right, Tai fancied Mimi," she thought furiously, "Watch out, Mimi, you're going down!" (Once again, I'm sorry, guys, for making Sora so evil!)
FALLEN In the library Fallen
"Mimi, I still don't understand your strange disease," Tai poured his heart out onto her. "You are just joking, right?" he added as an afterthought. "I've been your neighbor since young," he continued on, completely unaware of the effect of his words, "so how could you get a disease so suddenly? To me, such a weird disease and a girl like you can't possibly go together." Unfortunately, Mimi took the comment as an insult. "I…didn't want you to think of me as a freak."
"You think I'm joking, don't you?" Mimi asked in an exhausted tone. "Actually, I didn't recognize you. Everyone in school is my friend, so, I didn't know it was you, Tai," she admitted. Not believing her one tiny bit, he asked, "So, how do you know my name?" With a smile, Mimi replied softly, "Just now, you said that you were my neighbor. My only neighbor who studies in this school is you, Tai." Caught off-guard, Tai was too astounded to reply, so, Mimi did it for him. "Tiring isn't it? I'm also fed up," she complained with slight irony in her voice.
"Please excuse me, I'm going back to class," she returned her book to the shelf, "I've got a headache from seeing so many people." Before Tai could call her back, Mimi had already stepped out of the library. "Oh gosh, don't tell me she was serious," Tai thought as he scratched his head, it finally dawned on him just how serious the situation was, "She wasn't like that before the accident."
Unbeknownst to Tai, Mimi was wiping the tears that were rolling down her cheeks. "So he thinks I'm a freak," she hurried her pace, eager to get back to class, "stupid Tai!" Suddenly, she stopped right at her tracks, looking around in panic. "Where's Matt?" she screamed in her heart, "I can't recognize his face in this crowd of people." Soon, her view started to get blurry. Her headache was acting up again. "No this can't be happening," Mimi put her hand on her painful head, "Matt, help me!"
FALLEN In the school field FALLEN
"Buk, buk, buk," the sporadic sound of punches landing on the poor boy was punctuated by his moans of pain. However, his attacker thought that he had heard someone call his name, thus he stopped for a while, earning a confused glance from his victim. "Why are you looking at me?" the 'attacker' snarled at his victim. "I'll give you one more punch…you want?" he asked unpleasantly. "No, no, no, please don't!" the victim begged, but to no avail, since he was sent flying through the air anyway. "Huh! Just like that, he lost," the attacker let out a snort, "what a wimp!"
"Matt!" the attacker heard his name being called out. Turning around, he saw one of his 'gang' members running towards him at 20 miles per hour. "Why, what's wrong?" Matt asked his friend concernedly. Unfortunately, his friend paid no heed to the question and wanted to know whom Matt had just punched. Grabbing his friend's sleeve, Matt demanded in irritation that he told him immediately what the problem was. Reluctantly, his friend started stammering, "It's Mimi…."
As Matt ran as fast as his legs could carry him to the school clinic, remembering his friends' words: "It' Mimi, she and Sora fought in class! Then Mimi suddenly fainted. Thankfully, Miyako had helped her. Now she's in the sick bay." Matt was worried sick about his girlfriend. Unconsciously, he blamed himself for what had happened. Knowing full well that Mimi was ill, he should have taken better care of her, instead of fighting with his gang.
"Mimi, are you alright?" Matt shouted in concern, banging the door open. Slowly, Mimi turned around, a puzzled expression on her face. "Who…are you?" she asked skeptically as she watched the panting Matt. "Phew…I'm glad you're alright," Matt said as he walked over to Mimi and patted her head lovingly, "it's me, Matt." "Matt?" Mimi repeated his name in her mind. "I'm sorry, I should have been there for you," he apologized as he gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Matt, it's really you," Mimi held Matt's hand that was caressing her face.
"Matt, I'm really scared," Mimi cried as she gave Matt an unexpected hug as she was about to lose it, "I was looking for you in the class, but she went up to me and slapped me!" Unable to calm down, she started shouting desperately, "What have I done to deserve this?" As Matt wrapped his arms around Mimi more tightly, he started to whisper softly into Mimi's ears, calming her down instantly. Then, she started to pour her heart out to him, "I've tried so hard to be good friends to everyone, but since getting this disease…" she trailed off, quite unable to continue.
It never was and never will be
With Matt's encouragement, Mimi finally continued, "I've been getting poor reception and everyone thinks I'm a freak." Hanging her head down in shame, Mimi admitted, "I don't want to be like this forever." Matt's next question, however, caught her off-guard. "Mimi," he asked, "was it Sora who attacked you?" Remembering the auburn-hair and
the furious brown eyes, Mimi nodded fearfully. "I didn't know it was her initially," she elaborated, "but after everyone shouted 'Sora', I knew."
You don't know how you've betrayed me
"She had always loathed me since Grade 1 (is this what they call it in Japan?)," Mimi gulped as she continued, "If Miyako hadn't stopped her, the teacher would have been involved." Clenching his fist in anger, Matt said menacingly, "This is all that dratted Tai's fault! If it wasn't for him, Sora wouldn't have done this." Mimi knew that the time to confess would come one day it had come. "No, I should have been blamed for that," she shook her head. "Because of me, Tai broke up with Sora. He harbored a crush on me and I returned the feeling," she admitted, curving a tiny, sad smile on the sides of her lips.
And somehow you've got everybody fooled
Turning serious once again, she finalized her statement, "In other words, I've betrayed you as I used to like Tai as more than a good friend." Hanging her head down in shame, Mimi awaited Matt's response. To say that Matt was shocked was an understatement. For a moment or two, an uncomfortable silence hanged in the air. The tension in the room was so thick that you could probably cut it with a butter knife. "What did you say?" he finally choked out, hoping that he had misheard Mimi. When she failed to respond, he knew that the truth had been revealed. "So…you've been lying to me all along?" Matt demanded. Not waiting for her response, he almost shouted, "I thought that idiot failed to capture your heart, but it's the exact opposite!"
And somehow you've got everybody fooled
"Yes, I've lied to you. This is my confession," Mimi replied shakily, almost drowning in tears, "you don't have to say anything." At the moment, Matt was so mad that he didn't even hear what Mimi had just said. "But…," his words were lost in his throat due to his extreme fury. "Despite that, he is my good friend," Mimi explained desperately, "he was only my past." Snorting in disgust, Matt snapped at Mimi for the first time, "Hmp, past? So, why did you accept me?"
You're not real and you can't save meTurning around, he opened the clinic's door and started to walk out. However, before he left the crying Mimi, he turned around and looked at her. He wanted her to feel so much pain, yet he couldn't bear to see her so…broken up inside. Unfortunately, he chose the former. "You know I've always hated untruths," he said, trying to rub as much salt as possible into the wound, "If you used me to get over him, surely you can forget me." Finally, he walked out of the door and said a cold, "Good bye!" After Matt had left, Mimi completely collapsed. She cried until her tears had run dry. Her heart was crushed and stamped on cruelly. He was gone and would never come back to her, she was sure of it.
Somehow now you're everybody's foolFALLENFALLENFALLENFALLENFALLENFALLENFALLLENFALLENFALLEN
Well, how was it? That was one angsty chapter, wasn't it? What will happen to Mimi? Will she ever make up with Matt or will she turn to Tai for comfort? Will Matt ever forgive Mimi? Wait a moment, what about Sora? Not to mention T.K. and Kari. So many questions…will they ever be answered? If so, how soon? Remember guys:
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By the way, here are the replies to those of you who have kindly reviewed the humble work of mine:
B-A-N-A-N-A-S: Thank you so much for being the first to review my story. I hope you enjoy this update.
JyouraKoumi: Well, I'm sorry about the coupling but I suppose everyone has very different views on the shipping. I am looking forward to reading some of your Jyoura and Koumi stories in the near future. Oh, before I forget, thank you for 'censoring' the vulgarities as some of the younger readers may read it. You are so considerate.
angxt.rokr: Thank you for reviewing, dude. I love your review! Well, I'll definitely keep going if I continue receiving reviews from the likes of you.
absolutgirl: I don't really understand what you mean but I appreciate it nonetheless. But I guess the story being interesting is a good thing, right? Was this update soon enough for you? I hope so, because I definitely rush through the chapter. Unfortunately, I have no beta tester, so I apologize if I have made any mistakes.
No Digimon was harmed in the process of writing this story.
Before I forget, please press the lovely button at the bottom left hand corner over there. I love reviews, but flames…will be used for cooking sausages for my breakfast. MUA HA HA HA HA HA! Bye guys, you rock my socks!