Thank you again for the wonderful reviews. Keep 'em coming guys! Anyways, I'm proud to say that this chapter is longer than the last one...lolz. You'll be expecting more of those short chapters later on, but don't worry, it's mostly about Michael.

Kikyotheevilmaiden – thank you for all your support and for the wonderful reviews you've given me. I'm not ableto reply to your reviews via FFN or e-mail, so I thought why not include my thanks here, in my story just like the old days when FFN didn't have those reply URL's yet. Thanks a lot! Lolz

Chapter 4:

Matt sent Ken to sniff Mimi's trail at its last known point, but the shortcut information lay in this black whole Matt had sworn he'd never come back to.

The line of houses forming the backbone of Odaiba appeared through the rain-drenched windshield of his Corvette. How could so little change in thirteen years?

The Tachikawa mansion still faced south, overlooking the river. Posh homes still cropped up in the small upper village.

As Matt passed over the last hill, he let out a breath he wasn't aware he held. Orange construction barricades closed off the old bridge and redirected traffic through downtown. Shit! He wanted to avoid going through the center of town.

At least the rain poured down hard. He didn't really want to see his old hometown and all the bitter memories that it brought. The plan was to talk to his best friend and childhood friend, Sora, get a lead on Mimi and get out of this hellhole as fast as possible. Take it in like a reporter, Matt. Notice, don't feel.

To his left, he can barely see his old high school. There he was voted most likely to fail and end up in jail. The positive one was that he was voted most likely to become a rock star. What a joke! It was all in the past. He could stand up straight and be proud of who he was and what he's become. He was good enough for anyone…including Mimi.

Yeah, right. Her father wouldn't agree so easily.

Now that he was here, he wasn't quite sure what to do. The last time he talked to Sora, she screamed at him to never call her again and slammed down the phone. All of his calls after that were screened through a voicemail, and she didn't return any of them. But then again, Sora can be a little bit stubborn sometimes…and bossy. She made up her own rules and sometimes, those rules get her in trouble. Last time he heard she'd gotten a P.I. license. He couldn't imagine that business was booming for her here.

Rain drummed impatiently on the top of his Corvette, reminding him of his mother's long nails clicking against the cracked kitchen table. Are you just going to sit there? Her shrill voice taunted. For heaven's sake, Yamato, grow up. Do you want to end up like your father?

Don't know. That might be a good idea. At least he's got a job, unlike you.

The imagined smack of his mother's slap stung his cheek. He turned off the ignition and quickly ran across the street to his friend's house. For a second his hand hovered above the glossy red paint, the he knocked.

He heard several small barks. "Quiet, Bugsy!"

Sora…but not quite Sora. Something was off in her voice. "Sora, its Matt, open up."

The silence on the other side of the door was so deep it seemed to suck the breath right out of his lungs. "Sora, please."

"Go away."

"I need to talk to you."

"Yeah, well you're a decade too late."

"Open the door, Sora."

"I can't." the broken tone of her voice tore him apart. What on earth happened to her? Why does she hate him so much? He was the one who had been all but driven out of town. What could she possible hold against him?

Something slid down the other side of the door. "You left me, Matt. You left me with her." Her voice, low on the other side of the door, hardened. "You left me."

Matt swore silently and slid down the front side of the door. They sat back to back with the door between them. "I couldn't take you with me, you know that."

"You left me, Matt."

Rain splashed his face and soaked his suit and shoes. "You liked it here. Remember my mom always took your side whenever we're in an argument? You and Mimi, a lot of people liked you both. Queen of this and Princess of that. Sora Takenouchi and Mimi Tachikawa was everybody's friend. Why would you want to leave?"

"Things change."

Hands draped over his knees, he closed his eyes and leaned his head against the hard wood. "Talk to me."

"It doesn't matter. You should leave now."

He thought he heard tears in her voice. What the hell was he supposed to do with that when she wouldn't talk? "This isn't about me, Sora. It's about Mimi."

"Mimi's safe wherever she is."

"No she isn't. Someone within WSP is selling her out. If I don't find her, she could die!"

There was silence.

"She's already lost so much," Matt added. Mimi was a woman of her world. She belonged here in the same way he never had. Losing her father, her life, her world, he couldn't imagine how she survived it all. "She doesn't deserve to die for a mistake her father made."

"Mr. Tachikawa died to protect her."

"What makes you say that?" That information wasn't discussed in their meeting.

"I'm not going to betray her."

"It's not betrayal when you're helping her."

"She's safe."

Why is she being so stubborn? It wasn't her life she was playing with; it was Mimi's. But he swallowed his anger and talked to his friend as if logic would make a difference. "People on the run tend to go back to people they know. Did she come to you for help?"

"She's safe."

"Did you know that someone tried to kill her in the past three weeks? That three bodyguards died trying to protect her? That right now Michael Sheer is negotiating with lawyers and that is Mimi chooses not to testify at the trial, he could end up out on the streets again?"

"Like you said, she lost so much already. Maybe she feels she has nothing more to loose."

"What about her life, Sora? Isn't that important?"

"What's the point if she always has to live in fear? Maybe she's tired of running, Matt. Did you ever think of that?"

Nothing he could say would change her mind. "I care about, Mimi. You know that, right? I have to find her before Michael's men does. In your heart you know that too. Now where is she?"

But Sora didn't answer. He only heard her move up and away from the door. He stood up and pounded on the door. He turned the doorknob, but it won't give. "Sora, you have to help me. Please, Sora. I don't care if you hate me forever, but you have to think about Mimi. She's in danger, Sora."

Sora's footsteps padded away. He wasn't stupid, he got the hint. As always in this town, he was on his own. He turned around and walked back to his car. His presence here caused Sora grief, and whatever he represented to her was a threat. Too bad she couldn't even think of her friend. He needed to find Mimi to help her stay alive. Couldn't Sora see that?

He yanked the car door open and fumbled in his soaked pocket for his keys. With one last look at the house, he turned on the ignition.

As the engine growled to life, a smile formed his lips. He reached into the glove compartment for an old rag her always kept there to wipe fog off the windshield and wiped his sunglasses.

"Mimi's safe wherever she is." "She's safe." Matt suddenly realized where he could possibly find Mimi. Maybe Sora hated him, but she did care about Mimi.

AN: Where do you think is Mimi now? Will Matt find her? And why does Sora hate him so much? Stay tuned!

Don't forget to review! lolz