AN: Alright, I'm deeply sorry it took me ages to update. Truth is, I just had my first-semester examination. It was my first major test in my new school and I simply couldn't screw it up. Indeed, I studied so hard that I hardly had time to update. It was a few weeks before I finally had the time to read your wonderful reviews and write again. I'm sorry that I can't reply to each individual review because I want to update as soon as I can, but I would like to thank all the reviewers and I hope you'll review this chapter as well. I also hope that you like this last chapter of Fallen. 

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, nor Evanescence haunting song "My Immortal".

FALLENFALLENFALLENFALLENFALLENFALLENFALLENFALLEN

"Tap, tap, tap, tap!" Kari's shoes made loud tapping noises as they hit the pavement. Although she had no idea where she was going, Kari kept running as though her life depended on it. All she knew was that she wanted to get away from T.K. and Cathrine. Suddenly, she heard a voice calling her, "Kari!" Even without turning, she knew who it was. That voice was all too familiar.

Slowing to a stop, she snapped, "Don't come after me!" For a moment, there was silence. "Are you jealous?" she could hear his smug voice. She could just imagine him smirking as though he found the situation amusing. She badly wanted to say yes, but her pride got the better of her and she lied through her teeth. Needless to say, T.K. knew that she was lying. After being her boyfriend for five years, he could read Kari like an open book.

"Liar, I know you are jealous," T.K. said in such a calm tone that it sounded out of place. "No, I'm not!" although Kari knew it was futile, she kept denying it vehemently. "Nah, I know that you must be jealous…so jealous," he said matter-of-factly in a singsong voice, which just made Kari so much angrier. Wheeling around in a fit of anger, she snapped, "Of course I'm…" However, before she could complete her sentence, T.K. had already captured her lips in a passionate kiss. The kiss had definitely shocked Kari so much that she simply gave into it and stopped talking.

Pulling back, T.K. whispered into Kari's ear, "Listen, she was just helping me pick a gift for you." It took Kari several moments for the message to sink in. When that happened, she turned red in embarrassment. "I wanted to give you a surprise, but it just backfired," he continued on. "Kari…" he trailed off. "T.K., please go on," Kari encouraged her boyfriend, wanting to know what he was about to say. "Today, I shall propose to you," he finally continued," shocking the hell out of her.

FALLENFALLENFALLENFALLENFALLENFALLENFALLENFALLEN

"We're home," Kari yelled out as she opened the door to the two-room apartment for Mimi. Right in front of them, a tall woman with curly brown hair and pink outfit stood menacingly, as though wanting to bite them. Beside her stood the woman she had called 'Mother' all her life. "Mimi, this is your mother," the woman she had always called 'Mother' finally spoke. In her shock, Mimi could not say anything at all. How? When? What? Where? These questions were rushing through her mind until she noticed that her real mother was glaring at her.

( Just to clarify some things up, Kari is Mimi's sister. I made a mistake of referring to her as her cousin in the earlier chapters. Full credit goes to coffeehigh for spotting that mistake. You're so observant, coffeehigh!)

"How are you mother?" she quickly masked her astonished expression with a radiant smile. For a moment, the woman just glared at her. Then, at the drop of a hat, she wrapped Mimi in her arms and burst into tears of joy. "Mimi," she choked between tears, "Finally, these five years have paid off. You've changed, honey," she surprised her with those kind words.

A few hours later, Mimi sat in her room, her mind crammed with all the new information she had just learned from her mother. Although she knew as a daughter, she should believe in her mother, she could not help but wondering if she had been telling her the truth about what had happened in the past. Everything had seemed so unbelievable, especially coming from a woman she had no existing memories of.

FALLEN Flashback FALLEN

"Trust me, Mimi," Mrs. Tachikawa (her real mother) started explaining "Your father and I didn't dump you!" Seeing the disbelieving look on her daughter's face, she quickly added, "You yourself asked to separate from the family." Tears started welling up in Mrs. Tachikawa's eyes, but she quickly wiped them away and went on with her story. "Initially, I objected, but you were such a tomboy back then, so I relented. To watch over you, I asked your sister and nanny to accompany you."

"I thought you would never change," she ranted on, "I never thought you would mature into such a graceful and soft-spoken young lady." A glimmer of pride was now dancing in her eyes, "When I heard of the accident, I panicked and even visited you once." The look of pride was now replaced with a heavy look of worry, "Two days, later, I heard about your illness." Here, she took out her handkerchief and blew her nose, "According to the family doctor, therapy will help you, and so I've decided to take you home. You must receive treatment from the best hospitals."

FALLEN End of Flashback FALLEN

"Tomorrow evening," Mimi muttered irritably. The news had made her blood go cold. She had no idea how she managed to go into her room and change her clothes. She was certain that she had excused herself from her mother like a proper lady to let the message sink in, for her strict mother had not criticized her manners, or lack thereof. However, her mind was weighed down by a more important question.

"So, I'm leaving," she thought to herself sadly, "but what would happen to Matt and Tai?" Then, she was also worrying about how she should tell Miyako and her other friends about her illness. Finally, in exasperation, she flung the pillow that she had been holding away. "Huh, I have no other choice," she finally made up her mind to do what she should have done long ago.

FALLEN 24-Hour Grocery Store FALLEN

When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears

"Matt, where are you? I'm closing the shop!" Mr. Kamiya called out as he looked for his employee, who was nowhere to be seen. Then, he noticed a strange smell in the air. Sniffing his nose about, he finally realized what it was. After trying to trace the source of the smell, he ended up standing in front of the large wooden door leading to his storeroom. When he opened it, who should he see but none other than Matt Ishida – puffing a cigarette? He was looking at a photograph neatly hidden in his wallet. He knew whose photograph it was, for Matt had often proudly shown it to him.

When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears

"Girl troubles?" he asked casually as he opened the door wider, "Need any confidant?" Looking lazily at him, Matt replied coldly, "Looks like it." Mr. Kamiya could not help but think how weird it was to see Matt in such a state over his girlfriend. He wanted to help him solve his problem, but knowing, Matt, he would probably try to shrug it off and tell him to mind his own business. So, he decided to ask probing questions and let Matt pour his hearts out to him, "Hmm…don't you usually go to Mimi's house at this hour?"

And I held your hand through all of these years

Sure enough, this question got Matt talking, "We're having a problem." Mr. Kamiya was about to comment on how normal it was for couples to have problems when Matt's next statement hit him, "I've decided to end our relationship." Gritting his teeth, he snatched a broom near him and lifted it to strike Matt. "You fool!" he hollered, bringing the broom down with as much force as he could muster, "Don't you know better than hurt a girl's feelings?"

But you still have

Matt could only watch in horror as he saw the broom coming closer and closer. He closed his eyes and waited for the blow that never came. Mr. Kamiya had missed and he knew it wasn't by accident. When Mr. Kamiya started walking off, he thought he would finally have some peace but was he mistaken. He heard Mr. Kamiya making a racket as he rummaged through the cardboard boxes stashed in one corner of the room. He finally found what he was looking for and went back to him.

All of me

He could only gasp in shock when he saw what Mr. Kamiya was carrying – his old guitar. A few years before, he had been in a band called 'Teenage Wolves' but he decided to quit after he started dating Mimi. He knew that he was walking away from the opportunity to make it big, but he wanted to be able to spend time with his girlfriend. Yet after all that he had done for her, Mimi had betrayed him.

You used to captivate me

"Think again about your actions, Matt," he bent down and handed the guitar over to him. When Mr. Kamiya started to head for the door, he called him back and thanked him. However, something else was still bothering him. "Sir," he started hesitantly, "if a girl has betrayed to you and then claims to be sorry…that's a lie, right?" Smiling at Matt, Mr. Kamiya took off his thick glasses, looking a whole lot younger without the dowdy eyewear. "So that's the problem," he went back and sat down next to Matt.

By your resonating light

Staring off into space, he said, "To me, betrayal is indeed hurtful, but love will soften the blow." After saying that, he was silent for a moment. Matt thought that he had nothing else to say, but he still had more, "Memories are like vegetables." Matt could not help but sweat-drop at this statement. "Keep the good ones and throw away the bad ones," Mr. Kamiya ignored the look on Matt's face. "Accept the present truth and go on with life, see what you can do with it," he got up and patted Matt's guitar, winking at Matt then, he was gone.

Now I'm bound by the life you left behind

FALLEN Meanwhile FALLEN

"No!" Sora's shrill cry of protest rang through the air. "You will not force me into marrying Joe and don that horrible dress!" she pointed at a white bridal dress that her mother had shown her. Sighing in exasperation, Mr. Takenouchi (pretend he's alive) said tiredly, "Sora, hold your tounge!" To Sora's shock, her mother sided with him, "Listen, honey, both families agreed on the engagement, so you can't back out of it!"

"But…but…but he and I have never clicked!" Sora was fighting a losing battle and she knew it, but she was desperate not to be married off to someone she did not love. "Don't jump to conclusions, Sora," Joe, who had been looking on, finally piped up, "I always felt that we were meant to be together." Sora tried to throw a smart retort at him, but he beat her to it, "Anyway, you can't cancel the engagement since the invitations have been sent out!"

"George! Bring her to her room!" Mr. Takenouchi quickly instructed the butler. "Yes, Sir," he obliged and took hold of Sora's arm, dragging her off to her room at the second floor. "How could you do this to me?" Sora cried in alarm, tears threatening to spill from her eyes at any moment, "You know I love someone else!" Too late, the door was already locked. Sora could only go to her bed and lie herself down, crying uncontrollably. Suddenly, she got a brainwave. " I can't let them do this to me," she thought desperately, "I'll call Mimi, she'd help me."

Nervously, she dialed the number to Tachikawa's residence. Thank goodness she knew her number since they were partners for a Science project, albeit reluctantly. "Oh, I really hope Mimi understands," she thought as she waited for someone to pick up the phone, "she's my only chance to tell Tai." Sora had made up her mind to tell Mimi everything before someone picked up the call. "Hello…"

FALLEN 3 pm the next day FALLEN

"Thank you so much for coming everyone," Mimi smiled at all her friends who had come to see her off. Most of them, Miyako especially, were weeping in great sadness. "Why didn't…didn't you tell us about your illness?" she asked emotionally in between tears, "Then, you're suddenly moving to Osaka." Touched by her friends' response, she could only smile in melancholy. It could very well be the last time they could see one another again and Mimi wanted to treasure it in her heart always. "Oh, you guys," she tried to make them feel better, "I'm only moving for treatment."

"She's leaving already," Tai thought to himself as he watched Mimi hugging her girl friends. As he watched them, he remembered what she had told him not three hours ago.

FALLEN Flashback FALLEN

"My mother has come to bring me home," Mimi told the shocked Tai. "I'm leaving tomorrow evening, but first, I want to apologize to everyone for keeping my illness a secret…I wanted to tell you something this afternoon, but I never got the chance…."

FALLEN End Flashback FALLEN

"Mimi!" Mimi turned around as she heard her name being called. A guy with the wildest mop of hair was looking at her. "Who's he?" she asked Miyako in confusion. Smiling at Mimi, she explained, "That's Tai. Go on, Mimi." That name rang a bell in Mimi's mind and she quickly went up to him. "There you go. Sora really hopes to see you there," she handed him the invitation to Sora's engagement party. Her mother, who was close friends with Mrs. Takenouchi, had received the invitation that afternoon. Taking the invitation card, he gave Mimi a hug and thanked her.

His behavior only made Mimi smile. "I'm…I'm so jealous," she was surprised at her own bluntness, "you have the chance to stop Sora's engagement." With fresh tears threatening to spill onto her cheeks, she continued, "As for me, Matt doesn't even know I'm leaving." That bit of information got Tai in a frenzy. "So, Matt didn't know?" he thought to himself. "Mimi, I'll call Matt. You just wait at Sora's!" he shouted at her as he started running towards Mr. Kamiya's shop, where he thought Matt would be.

FALLEN Mr. Kamiya's Shop FALLEN

"Matt, come here and do some work!" Mr. Kamiya yelled at Matt who was sitting at one corner of the shop, composing a new song with his guitar. "Yes, sir!" Matt shouted back, but he did not budge an inch from his spot. He had been up all night pouring his heart and soul into his composition. All his anger, frustration and anguish were expressed in that song. All of a sudden, he heard the sound of loud footsteps and the door to Mr. Kamiya's shop was wrenched open. Who should he see but Yagami Taichi, the one who had stolen his love.

Anger surged through him but before he could get up, Tai had punched him in the jaw – hard. "You are a fool, Matt Ishida!" he started hollering at him, "Why didn't you meet Mimi?" Those two sentences made him anger. Who was he to tell him who to meet and who not to meet? "It's none of your damn business!" he retorted, "Now, get out of my sight!" Tai was finding it hard to calm down and stop himself from giving Matt another punch. "It's none of my business, but this one Mimi's," he said through gritted teeth, "Mimi's leaving to Osaka this afternoon!"

The news of his ex-girlfriend leaving the town got him cold. He had no idea why he should feel that way. After all, he hated her, right? "She wanted to tell you, but Kari disallowed her," Tai continues, "She'll leave after Sora's party." This piece of information abhorred him greatly. "Mimi's leaving?" he thought in a state of panic, "But I haven't apologized." Before he could decide what he should do, Tai had run off. "She's now at Sora's party!" he looked back at Matt, "Mimi really wants to see you!" With that, he was gone, racing off to the party.

It took Matt only a moment to decide what he should do. Looking beseechingly at Mr. Kamiya, he asked his permission to leave. "Good luck!" Mr. Kamiya whispered as he raced off. "Youngsters nowadays," he shook his head and went about his business as though nothing out of ordinary had happened. "Dang it, why have I been so thoughtless towards Mimi?" Matt regretted his course of action towards his ex-girlfriend as he ran after Tai.

FALLEN Takenouchi's Residence FALLEN

"Oh no, Mimi. What should I do?" a frenzied Sora asked worriedly, "the party starts in three minutes!" Amused at Sora's panicky state, Mimi smiled and assured her that Tai would come to rescue her like Prince Charming from Sleeping Beauty. "Sora, the party's starting now," Joe called out to her soon-to-be fiancé. Angered instantly, she threw the first object she could lay her hands on towards him. "Shut up," she threatened, "or I'll kill you!" Mimi could only smile at Sora's antics. Unconsciously, she felt envious towards her because her ordeal would be over in a matter of minutes.

"Sora!" came a voice from behind. Immediately, Sora turned around and there was Tai! With a joyous cry, she ran towards him and he scooped her up in his arms. Whispers broke out among the guests, "Look, she's running towards someone else!" "Who's that guy?" "Why does she look so happy to see him?" and such. However, all these were insignificant to Mimi. Standing in front of him was a blonde-haired guy with a piercing stare whom she did not know. When he reached out to her, she instinctively backed away.

"It's me, Matt," the guy spoke. "Matt?" Mimi could hardly believe her ears but before she could think of anything to say, her mother interrupted their moment. "Hey!" Mrs. Tachikawa shouted, "Don't you dare touch my daughter without introducing yourself." It seemed for a moment or two that she would have a fit. "Arriving at a party without dressing neatly," she went on rambling, "making a spectacle of yourself!" Behind her, Mrs. Takenouchi was concerned about her own daughter, "Don't touch him, Sora!"

"Mother, Mrs. Tachikawa, they are…," Sora trailed off, quite unable to find the words that she wanted to say. Before she could continue with her sentence, Matt had finished it for her. "I'm Matt Ishida," he bravely stepped up, "and I'm here to see Mimi." Mrs. Tachikawa looked possibly livid, but Sora decided that she needed to end everything quickly. "And the other one is Tai, my boyfriend who's come to see me. Come, Tai, let's go!" With that, the two of them were gone, leaving Joe in the dust. "Mother, I'm sorry, I've got to go now," Mimi quickly said as Matt dragged her off. "What kind of teenagers are they?" Mrs. Tachikawa shook her head in disapproval.

FALLEN In the park FALLEN

"There's really no need for you to do that!" Mimi shouted at Matt. Now that she knew who he was, she wanted to show him how she really felt. Seeing that he had been silent all along, she decided to continue, "Why are you silent? What's your real purpose for dragging me here? Is it to…?" However she was silenced when Matt planted a gentle yet passionate kiss on her lips. As they parted, she blushed and looked at her shoes as though they were the most interesting things in the whole world.

"Listen, I don't want to hear another word from you," he said gently as he pushed up her chin so that her eyes would meet his "My only purpose is to stop you from leaving and if necessary, kidnap you." Mimi had no idea whether he was serious or not but before she could respond, he continued, "So don't think that I regretted what I had done. I'd do anything, just as long as you stay." For a moment, Mimi was speechless. For the first time, she had heard Matt pout his heart and soul to her.

Her silence worried Matt. He nervously awaited her response, not knowing whether she would be pleased or angered. To his great relief, she smiled lovingly at him. Cupping his face gently, he kissed his cheek and said fondly, "Silly, you needn't have said that." Then, she hugged her with all the passion in her tiny body. As he hugged her girlfriend back, Matt thought to himself, "Mimi, I promise to make you happy. Although we may be different, I don't care. Please stay with me, I'll guide you until you overcome your illness."

FALLEN Mimi's POV (This is the continuation from her thoughts in the Introduction FALLEN

So…that's the way things are. At last, I've found my own independence. I never thought Matt would stop me, but it's just the opposite. The power of love has given me the courage to make my own decisions and break away from my mother's deathly grip. I…will never leave this town. In other news, Sora's engagement was called off. Joe was sad for a while, but Sora felt sorry for him and tried to comfort him. As a result, they are now good friends, or at least, they behave civilly towards each other.

In a fit of exasperation, my mother went back to Osaka with father. For my treatment, mother has employed a specialist. My sister Kari married Dr. T.K. On their wedding day, he apologized for my sister's behavior that day (as if I would ever be displeased)! Matt and Tai try to start a friendship. Sora and I are even becoming fast friends. Matt is starting to understand why I accepted his love and he's been with me on every step of my road to recovery. I had wronged him, but I'm determined to rectify my mistakes in the past and of course…I bought Matt a small gift on White Day. (Matt gave Mimi a present on Valentine's day in Chapt. 1 so she's returning the favor.)

FALLEN End of Mimi's POV FALLEN

(Starting from now, Mimi's POV is in Italics.)

And…

"Matt, this is for you," Mimi handed him a small box during their date at a fancy restaurant. She looked on nervously as he opened the gift. She had always intended to give it to him after she bought it from the gift-shop (read Chapter 3), but never got the chance before. To her relief, Matt gasped in happiness when he saw what she had got him. "So, I take it, you're pleased?" she asked cheekily. As a response, Matt gave her a kiss. He could not believe that Mimi had been so thoughtful. Her present was a small guitar that looked exactly like his own, but underneath it, there was an autograph of his favorite rocker, Billie Joe Armstrong. (I know, I know! Let's just pretend Mimi went to a Green Day concert to get the autograph. Don't most teenage boys like Green Day?)

In a few years time…

As they were half-way through their meal, Mimi casually asked him why he had brought her to such an extravagant restaurant. Ever since they started dating again, Matt had re-formed his band, the Teenage Wolves (under her approval, of course). They were now an up and coming quartet in Japan. To her surprise, he looked flushed at the simple question and stayed silent. She knew that he was nervous but she could not figure out why he should be, after all, it was not their first date.

I'm ready to live as a normal girl…

Finally, after they finished their meal, he held her hand and cleared her throat nervously. Mimi just smiled at him, encouraging him to say what he needed to say. "Tachikawa Mimi," he stammered, "you've been the light of my life and I love you." Mimi smiled even more wildly and was about to say, "I love you to," but he stopped her. Then, to her immense shock, he got down on bended knees and took out a velvet box, making her heart nearly stop.

Reaching for happiness together with my beloved.

"Will….Will you marry me?" he proposed to her. "Oh my God," Mimi thought to herself. There were many things going through her mind and somehow, she could not get the words out. Finally, after a few painful seconds, she managed to answer. "Yamato Ishida, I love you and…yes, I'll marry you!"

Please pray for me, everyone!

The End

FALLENFALLENFALLENFALLENFALLENFALLENFALLENFALLEN

Well, how did you like it? Good? Bad? Cliché? Sappy? Please tell me what you think in your review, everyone. I really put a lot into this story and I hope you'll give me some comments and feedback so that I can improve my next stories. That is, if you want me to continue writing, of course! If you like this story, please press that review button. If you don't like this story…well, review anyway! See you in my next story. Till, then bye-bye!