Mimi watched as the tree lined street of apartment buildings started to pass by slower and slower,

until they completely stopped. She reached for the door and gently pulled on the handle, easing

herself out of the car.

Before walking away, she lifted her hand in a goodbye wave to the driver, then turned. "See you

later, Matt," she called over her shoulder. Matt smiled and returned the wave before driving off.

Mimi turned her attention to the apartment building, which she stood before. As she looked up to

one of the higher stories; the floor on which she lived, she could just see the spiky brown head that

showed above the balcony where her boyfriend, Tai, sat in one of her deck chairs.

With a smile on her face, she hurried up a set of stairs on the outside of the building, down a little

walkway that led past different balconies and up to her own, swinging open the door that led her

onto it. She noticed that Tai held a small, folded piece of paper in one of his hands.

Mimi smiled at her boyfriend, and pulled a key out of her purse, inserting it into the lock on the

sliding glass door, turning it and stepping into her apartment. Tai followed her in, and reached over

and flipped the light switch on, flooding the room with light.

"Here," Matt held out his hand and Mimi once again saw the piece of paper that he held.

Mimi smiled again and gave him a quick kiss, gently pressing her lips against his. She then accepted

it. Tai was forever giving her romantic poetry that he had composed himself.

She gently unfolded the paper and read the words, which were written in a bright red ink, silently to

herself.

"Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

Soon Matt will be dead,

And so will you."

As the meaning of the words slowly sank into her mind, Mimi’s face went white.

"What’s wrong? Don’t you like it? What happened?" Tai demanded, concern in his eyes.

"What’s wrong? What’s wrong?" As she spoke, Mimi’s voice rose until it was really high pitched.

All the while, thoughts were racing through her mind. He wouldn’t do that! She tried to tell herself.

It’s a mistake! It’s a joke! As she managed to calm herself, her face slowly returned to its normal

color, and her voice lowered until it was no longer high and squeaky.

"Nothing," Mimi whispered.

"Here," Tai held out a neatly wrapped-in-pink box that he pulled from behind his back. "I hope you

like it!"

Mimi tried to smile but wasn’t too successful as she gently peeled the wrapping off and peeked

under the lid. Upon seeing nothing, at first, she removed the top completely and stared down at its

contents.

Upon catching a glimpse of what sat…or rather what crawled in the box, she let out a terrified

scream. Crawling around the bottom of the box, was a large, hairy tarantula.

"Mimi! What is it!?" Tai demanded. He had not yet seen the contents of the box that he had handed

to his girlfriend.

"That’s it!" Mimi flung the box that held the tarantula aside, and it flew through the open

sliding-glass-door, flying over the railing of the balcony and plunging to the ground three stories

below.

"That’s what’s wrong!" she screamed at him. She held up the note so that he could read the words

on the piece of paper that Mimi held clenched in her hands.

Tai looked shocked. "B…But that’s not…that’s not the note and present that I was going to give to

you!"

Mimi shot him a cold and disbelieving look. "Oh, yeah. I believe you." The sarcasm was evident in

her voice. She then drew back her hand, and, with all the strength she could muster, slapped him

across the face. Without a backward glance, she ran towards the door. "Be sure to lock the door

when you leave," she hissed, slamming the door behind her. Tai just stared after her as she left.

And, no one saw the shadow; tall with short hair, grinning maliciously.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

TK gently stroked Kari’s hair as she rested her head upon his shoulder. As she did so, Kari saw a

car pull up and Mimi step out of it, seeing this from a window.

TK also saw it, and let out a small sight. He and Kari had been spending a quiet afternoon together.

With Mimi there, however, TK knew that it would no longer be quiet. After all: Mimi and Matt

would probably start talking away.

"Matt! Mimi’s here!" TK finally called out to his older brother.

Matt stuck his head out of his bedroom door. "Oh. I heard the car…I had hoped that it was

Sora…" he let his voice trail off and a slightly disappointed look crossed onto his face. Even though

he and Mimi were good friends; in fact, all of the Digidestined had become really good friends after

their adventure. Matt and Sora had also been dating for awhile, as had Mimi and Tai.

Just then, there was a knock on the door, and Matt moved forward to let Mimi in.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

"And then I came here!" Mimi finished up. She looked up at Matt, as if looking for an answer, then

turned her gaze back down to her hands that writhed in her lap.

Matt got up and began to pace around the room, his face grim. "But why would Tai do that? Maybe

we don’t know him as well as we thought we did!"

"Hey, Matt!" TK poked his head out of the next room. "Sora’s here!" He then ducked back through

the door.

Sure enough, just then, there was a knock on the door, and Matt hurried forward once again, this

time to let his girlfriend in.

"Hey, Mimi," Sora sounded a little surprised to see her best friend.

"Here!" she turned to Matt and handed him a note.

Matt quickly unfolded it and quickly scanned the words that had been written onto it. He looked up.

"Um…Sora, I’m sorry…but I don’t have time to talk…I have to leave…"

"Okay…" Sora glanced at him quizzically. "What about Mimi?"

Matt groped around for an answer. "I’m going to…drive her hone…"

"That’s funny, since her car seems to be here…"

"Um…her car broke down?" Matt groped for yet another answer.

"Why don’t I just give her a ride home? It’ll save you the trouble!" Sora suggested.

"Um…it’s okay." Matt replied.

So, with a confused glance behind her at Matt and Mimi, Sora left.

"TK! Kari! You have to leave now!" Matt exclaimed, shoving them out of his apartment.

"We’re going! We’re going!" Was the answer that he got from his younger brother as Matt shoved

TK and Kari out of his apartment.

"They always have to be here…" Matt grumbled.

"Um…would you mind…explaining?" Mimi asked.

"Well…here!" Matt shoved the note into her hands.

As Mimi unfolded the paper, a feeling almost like deja vu swept over her. She impatiently pushed it

away, and read the words of the note. As soon as she had done so, she knew why she had felt déjà

vu.

"Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

Soon Mimi will be dead,

And so will you."

As Mimi read aloud, Matt once again began pacing back and forth.

"Someone wants us dead!" Mimi exclaimed in a shaking voice.

Matt just nodded; and, as he looked at her, he suddenly felt that if anyone or anything wanted to hurt

Mimi, that he wanted to protect her. He impatiently tried to push this thought out of his mind, and it

soon faded away.

"Wait a minute!" Mimi suddenly jumped up, pulling the note that she had received out from her purse

and comparing it to the one that Matt had received, while Matt watched over her shoulder. "The

writing isn’t the same…it’s close…and one thing I know for sure…neither of these is either Tai or

Sora’s writing!" She turned around to face Matt and their eyes met. "That means that I wrongly

accused Tai!" Mimi agonized.

"Maybe someone is using them…! Maybe someone switched that note," Matt pointed at the note

that Mimi had received, "with the one that Tai meant to give you! And the same thing with the gift

and my note."

Mimi nervously ran her hands through her hair. "Matt, we have to find out what’s going on!" she

finally whispered.

"I’ll call Sora and Tai," Matt offered.

"No!" Mimi cried. Matt looked at her strangely, and Mimi thought hard for a moment. For some

strange reason, she wanted to spend some time alone with Matt…without her boyfriend there. She

finally came up with an answer. "I mean…whoever wants to kill us is using them, remember?"

"Oh, yeah. You’re right." Matt agreed. "What about Izzy and Joe?"

"Joe’s in Canada, training to become a doctor, and Izzy is in Europe doing research," Mimi ticked

off on her fingers. "Maybe TK and Kari…" she suggested. After all…TK and Kari wouldn’t be able

to keep their eyes off each other. She didn’t know why she wanted to be alone with Matt…she just

did.

"Maybe we should just take care of this on our own," Matt disagreed. "I don’t want TK to get hurt,"

he added protectively. Mimi just nodded her assessment.

And as Mimi left, a shadow; this one, with a shorter profile and longer hair than the one before,

grinned maliciously, just as the other one had done.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

~*~Mimi~*~

She married when she was twenty,

She thought she was ready,

Now she’s not so sure.

She thought that she’d done some living,

Now she’s just wondering

What she’s living for.

Now she’s feeling like there’s something more.

Mimi glanced around her apartment, staring down at a picture of Matt that she held in her hands.

She had dug it out of a box of pictures of her friends that she had kept.

He looks kind of cute…the thought ran through her mind almost before she could think it. She

mentally shook her head, but the thought would not leave. You are dating Tai! She tried to reason

with herself. This didn’t make her feel any better. If anything, it just made the guilt that she felt even

bigger.

She pictured him how he had looked this morning when she had showed up at his door. But before

her memory could form the picture of him, she banished it from her mind. What she couldn’t banish

from her mind, however, was a nagging feeling in the back of her mind.

You do not like Matt! She once again tried to reason with herself. But that nagging feeling would not

leave.

Is there life out there,

So much she hasn’t done,

Is there life beyond,

Her family and her home,

She’s done what she should,

Should she do what she dares,

She doesn’t want to leave,

She’s just wondering,

Is there life out there.

To tell the truth…she had been feeling this for many months, every time she had seen Matt. But

every time, she had managed to shake the thought out of her mind. Every time but today.

At that moment, and overwhelming urge to hold him, even though he was not with her at the

moment, swept over and through her body. No! You will not cheat on Tai! You love Tai! Don’t

you?

But that urge would not go away.

She’s always lived for tomorrow,

She’s never learned how to live for today,

Oh, she’s dying to try something foolish,

Do something crazy,

Or just get away

Something for herself for a change,

Against her will, she imagined how it would feel to be held in Matt’s arms…to kiss him…

She shook her head angrily. Why were these disloyal thoughts running through her

head? She shouldn’t even be thinking of Matt! She was sure that Tai didn’t daydream

about girls other than her behind her back!

Is there life out there,

So much she hasn’t done,

Is there life beyond,

Her family and her home,

She’s done what she should,

Should she do what she dares,

She doesn’t want to leave,

She’s just wondering,

Is there life out there.

Do I dare…No! I’ll stay loyal to Tai! I will not even think about Matt, let alone even ask if he

feels the same!

There’s a place in the sun that she’s never been,

Where life is fair and time is a friend,

Would she do it the same as she did back then,

Oh she looks out her window and she wonders again,

"Tai is obviously not what I want anymore," Mimi whispered to the image on the picture, speaking to

it almost as if it were real. Her fingers traced over the spiky blond hair, over the big blue eyes, over

every inch of the face, wishing that it were really him. Obviously, she no longer felt much more for

Tai other than friendship. Oh, of course, there was still a flicker of doubt in her mind, but, should she

want to, she could vanquish that small flame. She could have what she wanted…but was it what she

really wanted? Or did she already have what she wanted?

Is there life out there,

So much she hasn’t done,

Is there life beyond,

Her family and her home,

She’s done what she should,

Should she do what she dares,

She doesn’t want to leave,

She’s just wondering

Is there life out there.

She gently set the picture down. With a sigh, she realized that she no longer knew what she wanted.

Tai…his loyalty and his love, or Matt, his rebelliousness, but yet, tender heart. She still felt a small

flicker of loyalty, for Tai. But yet…with every hour, every moment, even every second that passed,

she just wanted to be with Matt even more. This just made her feel horrible, though, to think about

doing that to Tai. But to forget Matt, and stay with Tai…that just might be denying her the happiness

that she so badly wanted. Didn’t everybody deserve happiness? Didn’t she deserve happiness?

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Mimi glanced impatiently around the almost deserted park, then down at her watch. It was ten after

eleven in the morning.

The sun glared intensely down on the green grass and everything else around, especially on Mimi’s

bare head. A slight breeze blew through the leaves on the surrounding trees and ruffled her hair. She

stood up and impatiently walked around, back and forth, in front of a bench before sitting back

down. Matt had been supposed to meet her at eleven, but had not yet shown up.

"Sorry I’m late, Mimi. Sora showed up just as I was about to leave."

At the sound of Matt’s voice, Mimi jumped to her feet, startled, and felt a rush of different emotions,

all crowding into her heart and mind at the same time; fighting over which would dominate.

"Oh! Well…luckily, I didn’t have any trouble with Tai. We haven’t even spoken a word to each

other since yesterday." Mimi replied after recovering from her slight shock.

Mimi and Matt had agreed to meet at the park to further decide what to do.

"Come on. Let’s go for a walk," Matt suggested. Mimi looked at him, her question of "Why?" clearly

written in her eyes. Matt just pointed, and Mimi followed the direction of his pointed finger with her

eyes. Tai was standing a little ways away, staring absent mindedly into a bed of flowers. He didn’t

seem to notice Mimi or Matt.

Mimi nodded and turned abruptly onto a side path, Matt following her. The path eventually led to

downtown.

"So what are we going to do? Who do we suspect?" Mimi mused. "We don’t even know who might

have done it!" she finished dejectedly.

"Well…we probably know the person…or at least, the person must…" Matt looked up and his

voice immediately stopped. "Mimi!" His voice was full of horror.

"What!? What is it?" Mimi also looked up. The sight that met her eyes told her why Matt’s voice had

been full of horror. A pile of heavy bricks teetered upon a half-finished, two-story building. A split

second later, gravity took it’s toll and the bricks plunged down towards the ground, aiming straight

for Mimi’s head!

What happened next seemed to be a blur. Someone who was watching screamed aloud, cars

passing by immediately stopped, causing several of them to crash into the curb of the sidewalk. Matt

threw himself against Mimi, roughly pushing her to the ground and out of harm’s way.

As Matt stared into Mimi’s eyes, seeing her safe, he had never felt so relieved.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

"No. No! NO!" Kari thrashed around, her arms flailing. Her eyes flew open and she sat straight up,

sweat pouring down her face, her heart beating hard, and her breath coming out in gasps.

As the realization that it was only a dream dawned upon her, she fell back against the arm of the

couch. She had just had the most terrible dream…

And then, something on her right arm caught her attention. It was a long, deep cut. Blood oozed out

of it.

"Oh, dear God…!" Kari murmured. She quickly looked at her left arm. There was a similar mark on

it. Twisting around, she glanced at her hip. There was already a large, purple bruise growing on it.

She gently lifted a hand up to her head, not being able to believe it. At her touch, her head throbbed.

Ignoring the pain that coursed all through her body, she jumped up. "Oh my God!" she whispered.

Without a backward glance, she ran from the house, heading towards where TK lived.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

"Don’t you see? It happened like in my dream! I dreamed that we were in battle…and I saw these

exact marks…" Kari thrust her arms towards TK so that he could see what she meant. "…And that

bruise on my hip. Besides…I remember that in my dream, I got knocked out. I think. And now, my

head hurts whenever I touch it!"

TK just stared at her, incredulous. "Are you sure you didn’t accidentally…like…do something to

yourself in your sleep?"

"I’m sure! TK, my dreams came true." Kari’s voice was dull.

TK quickly crossed over to her and slipped his arms around her waist. "Kari…maybe that’s just a

little bit unreasonable? How could your dreams come true? They were just…dreams!" he soothed.

Kari nodded her head against his chest. She tried to believe him…but it wasn’t really working. She

wanted to believe him, but she couldn’t. "Then what happened?" she whispered, looking up into his

eyes.

He shook his head. "I don’t know. I really don’t know."

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Joe sighed and hurriedly walked through the airport. He had decided that it was time for a break,

and so, he had caught the next flight from Canada back to Japan. He hadn’t told anyone that he was

coming home, as he was hoping to surprise his family.

As he walked, he noticed two people watching him; saw one of them point at him, and then saw

them both hurry after him. He quickly stepped up his pace.

"Mr. Joe Kido?" The first to catch up to him was a girl. She had long hair and was slightly shorter

than her companion, a tall man.

"Yeah, that’s me," Joe replied, slightly nervous.

"Come with us. Your brother has been in an accident," the man announced.

"Who are you?" Joe demanded.

The man pulled a wallet from his pocket, opened it, and flashed it at Joe. Joe got a quick glance of a

police identification card. The man took one of his arms, and the girl took his other arm, both of

them leading him in the same direction; out of the airport and into a dark blue sedan.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

"Oh, hey, Tai," Sora said in surprise as a tall guy with messy brown hair brushed past her.

Tai turned slightly. "Hey, Sora. What’s up?" he stopped walking.

"Nothing, really. Hey, have you seen Joe? I know he was in Canada…but his brother was trying to

get a hold of him. His family hasn’t heard anything from in a couple of weeks, and Jim says that Joe

usually calls him every few days…"

"Strange…" Tai muttered. "Well, I have to leave. I’m on my way to Mimi’s place." Tai turned again

and started to walk away.

"Oh, Tai! Has Mimi been acting strangely, lately? ‘Cause I know that Matt has!"

Tai glanced back over his shoulder. "Now that you mention it, yes. I’m really sorry, but I have to get

going. I’ll see you later!" and with that he hurried on.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Kari let out a sigh and finally stood up, grabbing her camera off the table and letting it dangle from

her hand. "I’d better get going, TK. It’s getting late." She looked around the room, slightly nervous,

as if expecting to see someone from a dream jump out at her at any moment. Nothing happened, so

she started towards the door.

TK also stood up. "Here. I’ll walk you home," he offered, handing Kari her jacket.

Kari accepted the jacket and smiled at him.

~*~Kari~*~

I don’t need a lot of things,

I can get by with nothing,

Of all the blessings life can bring,

I’ve always needed something.

But I’ve got all I need,

When it comes to loving you,

You’re my only reason,

You’re my only truth,

He’s so sweet, Kari thought as she walked out the door, TK right behind her. He’s always trying

to protect me. She looked back over her shoulder as TK walked beside her, checking to make

sure that nothing was behind her. She could see nothing…nothing except for their shadows reflected

by the street lamps.

I need you like water,

Like breath, like rain,

I need you like mercy

From heaven’s gate,

There’s a freedom in your arms,

That carries me through,

I need you.

I don’t know what I’d do without him, she cast a glance at her boyfriend. TK smiled at her and

slipped his arm around her waist. Kari gently rested her head upon her shoulder, and they walked in

silence for several moments. Kari felt completely safe…totally opposite of how she had felt earlier

that day.

You’re the hope that moves me

To courage again,

You’re the love that rescues me

When the cold winds rage,

And it’s so amazing,

‘Cause that’s just how you are,

And I can’t turn back now,

‘Cause you’ve brought me to far,

He’s really almost everything that I need…he helps me with everything. He gives me hope

when I have none…God knows that he has lots of it…he gives me love and courage…even

though I usually have enough courage, and even though they aren’t his crest symbols…

I need you like water,

Like breath, like rain,

I need you like mercy

From heaven’s gate,

There’s a freedom in your arms,

That carries me through,

I need you.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Izzy let out a sigh as he reached for yet another book off the library shelf. He was in Europe doing

research, and he was almost ready to go back to his apartment.

He quickly flipped through the book, and, upon not finding what he was looking for, quickly shelved

the book.

As he turned to walk towards the library door, though, a book on the shelf caught his attention, and

he gently pulled it towards him, staring at the title.

"Digi-Destined—A fateful destiny," he read aloud. He quickly opened it and looked at the

publication date.

"First publication in 2065," he read aloud. His face went white. "Dear God!" he murmured. "No! It’s

impossible! It’s only 2007!" he quickly flipped to the table of contents. Each of the names of him and

the other Digidestined were listed. He quickly flipped to his name.

"Koushiro Izumi—death: 2007. Koushiro Izumi was killed in a fatal car accident, a death very similar

to his birth parents…"

There was more written there…but Izzy snapped the book shut and hurried to check it out. The

others had to see this…this….this book from the future…this book that said that this was the year

they all died. He was catching the next flight to Japan.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

"So? Why did you call?" Mimi asked as she through herself down onto his couch, pushing her hair

out of her eyes.

Matt looked up. Why had he called her? Just to see her? To hear her voice? No. He couldn’t say

that to her. "Um…I thought that we could try to sort things out…?" he offered his answer.

Mimi nodded. Stupid, Mimi, stupid! Of course that’s his reason! He obviously doesn’t feel the

same way, okay? So I guess that answers my question of Tai or Matt.

Matt stood up from where he sat on the chair across from Mimi and slowly walked towards her,

sitting down next to her. Mimi looked up at him almost expectantly.

With Matt sitting so close to her, thoughts and emotions from the last couple of days came rushing

back at her. That urge to hold him…to just stare into those blue eyes…to feel him leaning towards

her…to feel his lips meet hers…

She suddenly realized that while these thoughts had been running around her mind, that she had been

leaning closer to Matt. She instinctively pulled slightly away, embarrassed. What must Matt think of

her, now?

Matt hadn’t really seemed to notice, however, as he was just staring into her eyes. Mimi stared

back, and, before she knew it, she was once again leaning toward him, her eyes closing slightly.

As their lips gently touched, Mimi felt Matt’s arms slip around her waist, holding her tightly, and,

though she didn’t even mean to move her arms, she knew that they were soon around his neck.

As she realized what she was doing…kissing her best friends boyfriend, she pulled away from him.

Matt looked searchingly into her eyes.

At his stare, Mimi could no longer help herself…she leaned towards him again, and their lips met a

second time. This time, Mimi didn’t try to hold herself back, and their kisses became more intense

and hungry.

Mimi felt a fleeting moment of guilt…again. She should leave…but Matt’s kisses were making her

legs turn to jelly…she knew that she wouldn’t be able to walk a step if her life depended on it.

Besides…didn’t she deserve to be happy?

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Mimi sighed happily as she through herself down on her bed. She was so happy…she really wished

that she didn’t have to do this to Tai…

Her thoughts stopped suddenly as she saw a piece of paper on the table next to her bed. That’s

strange. It wasn’t there when I left! She reached over to pick it up and quickly read the words

aloud.

"And now we do decide to leave,

The notes alone, ‘cause we believe,

Things like that are not enough,

That it’s time to move to other stuff."

She quickly jumped up and reached for the phone, dialing Matt’s number as quickly as she could.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

~*^*~

"It’s over!" Matt said, incredulous. "It must have just been a joke!"

Mimi nodded her head in agreement. "Someone was just trying to play a joke. But what about those

bricks? They could have killed me!"

Matt thought for a moment. "That could just have been an accident…a coincidence," he suggested.

Mimi nodded again. But she still felt nervous. Almost…like she was being watched…

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

"Hey, Mimi!" Tai exclaimed happily, as she opened the door.

Mimi tried to smile, but it was hard, and she feared that it came out wobbly and false. "Hey," she

responded.

Tai moved forward and gave her a quick hug. Mimi immediately tensed up, though Tai did not

notice.

Mimi looked up at Tai’s face, as he smiled down at her. That’s it! I can’t do it! I can’t hurt him

like that! I’ll have to tell Matt…

When Tai left, half an hour later, Mimi reached for the phone. "Hello? Matt? It’s me, Mimi. I’m

sorry, Matt…I can’t…I can’t…" Mimi didn’t know if she could get the words out of her mouth.

"…I can’t see you anymore. I…I’m sorry. Earlier today… I didn’t mean to do that. You know I

love Tai…" She couldn’t stand it anymore. All the lies…She quickly hung up the phone, and buried

her face in her hands, letting them be washed with her tears.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

(2 weeks later)

Mimi tossed back and forth in her bed, her face beaded with perspiration. "Matt…" she murmured.

Her eyes flew open. She just couldn’t stand it anymore! Without a backward glance, she ran from

the room, jumped into her car, and sped towards Matt’s apartment.

Ten minutes later, she was standing before his door, praying and hoping that he would be

home…that he would even talk to her. A couple of seconds later, the door swung slowly open, and

Matt stood in the doorway.

His eyes opened wide upon seeing her standing there. But then, his eye clouded over with anger.

"Matt…please…I need to talk to you…" she literally begged.

Without a word, he stepped aside to let her into his apartment.

"Matt…I’m sorry…" Mimi began.

Matt interrupted her. "What if I said that sorry isn’t good enough?"

At his words, Mimi turned to leave, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

As she reached for the door knob, Matt stopped her. "Why?"

Though he didn’t say anything else, Mimi knew exactly what he meant. She took a deep breath and

began. "When…when I first realized how I felt about you, I tried to deny it. I tried to deny it,

because of Tai. I didn’t feel that I could do that to him. So even though it didn’t make me happy, I

stayed with Tai. I realize now that that was wrong," she shot him an almost pleading glance. "It was

wrong because I don’t love Tai." She looked at him right in the eye. "I love you."

Matt didn’t say anything. Should I trust her? Is she telling the truth? Or is she just going to

break my heart again? But as he stared into her eyes, he knew the answer to those questions.

Moving forward, he slipped his arms around her waist, gently kissing her.

~*~Matt~*~

I can’t sleep at all,

I’m making late night calls

Just to talk to you and hear your voice again,

That flower shop on main,

Knows me by my first name,

And how I want the card to read,

And where I want the roses sent,

Oh, God, I love her so much! Matt thought. He felt guilt because it would mean telling Sora that

they were over…but for months, he hadn’t felt a thing except for friendship for Sora.

I’m not saying I’m in love,

I’d admit it if I was,

I’m just saying I believe,

You’re beginning to get to me,

The way I need you all the time,

The way you hold this heart of mine,

I think it’s time that I can see,

You’re beginning to get to me.

I don’t really know how long I’ve loved her…I just know that I do. She completely holds my

heart in her hands. She has the power to crush it into a million pieces…I just hope that’s not

what she decides to do.

I got your picture up,

On the dash of my new truck,

So I can have you with me,

Every road I’m on,

Baby if what I feel,

Is just the tip of what I will,

I can only guess what I’ll be like

When I’m completely gone.

Matt looked down at Mimi’s brown head, which lay against his chest. He removed one hand from

her waist and gently stroked her head. Mimi looked up and smiled at him.

I’m not saying I’m in love,

I’d admit it if I was,

I’m just saying I believe,

You’re beginning to get to me,

The way I need you all the time,

The way you hold this heart of mine,

I think it’s time that I can see,

You’re beginning to get to me.

I hope you don’t hurt me, Mimi, ‘cause I’m going to try to never hurt you.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Joe stared ahead, staring into blackness. What did these people want with him? Why did they want

him here? What had he done to them? Why him? His mind was whirling with questions, and he

almost didn’t realize that his two kidnappers were speaking in the next room. He realized that if he

listened hard and concentrated, that he was able to make out what they were saying.

"We have to kill him!" one voice hissed. Upon hearing this, even though he could not see himself, Joe

knew that his face had drained of color.

"Why? No one will find him here!" The other voice argued. Joe prayed that the first speaker would

listen to this.

"Because if he gets free, we’ll be caught! Do you really want to take that chance?"

Joe heard his other captor sigh. "We’ll kill him later. Not now. Day after tomorrow."

As Joe heard these words, his mind wandered back to his home. His family. His friends. And the girl

that he loved…Sora. He had always loved her…and for a while, she had loved him. Until she

started dating Matt. He had been heartbroken when she had broken up with him.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

"Mimi?" Mimi turned to face Tai. The look on his face expressed the adoration that he felt for her.

She watched as he dug into his pocket and knelt down before her.

Oh, dear God, NO! Mimi thought desperately. She knew what was coming. And she didn’t know

how she would explain…she recognized that look on his face…it was the same look that had been

on Matt’s face a few days ago…when he had asked her to marry him.

"Mimi? Will you marry me?" Tai looked deeply into her eyes.

Mimi had known that this was what he would say, but it took several seconds for the actual words

to register. No. No, no, NO! Why must this happen? This thought was accompanied with many

others. She could picture the hurt on Tai’s face if she refused; the anger when he learned that it was

because she was already engaged to his best friend; Matt. But at the same time, she could picture

the hurt on Matt’s face did she break of their engagement, and the anger once he realized that it was

to marry his best friend; Tai. What could she do? It had been wrong not to tell Tai about her and

Matt…

I can’t! I can’t marry Tai! But if I can’t marry Tai, then I can’t and won’t marry Matt. Mimi

thought determinedly. I can’t stay. I can’t stay here, while Tai might sort out my hesitation and

figure out what it is.

Tai still looked up at her expectantly.

Turning, Mimi ran. She couldn’t stay. Inwardly, she was crying so hard that she could barely place

one foot before the other in dragging steps.

"Mimi! Mimi, wait!" Tai called frantically after her. "Mimi, what’s wrong?"

Mimi didn’t answer, just kept running. She knew that she should talk…talk with Tai…Talk with

Matt…Even talk with Sora…since she had previously been dating Matt. But she just couldn’t bring

herself to speak with any of them. And so, while her whole inner being was screaming at her to

return and talk with the others that were involved in this whole complicated…so very complicated

ordeal, she kept running. Running…not only from Tai…but from the knowledge that for so long she

had been cheating on him. Running…from the knowledge that he would soon find out. Running…

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Mimi sighed and dipped her hand into the cool lake. It was so beautiful here…with the rocky,

secluded beach, and the lake that sparkled wherever the sun touched it. It was the perfect place to

try to sort everything out, as she looked out at the setting sun; as the rays of light gently touched the

surface of the water and made the sky a blazing scene of orange, red, pink, and blue, where the

setting of the sun had not yet touched the sky. The bottoms of the clouds looked as if painted with

color.

Finally, she turned to leave. But the water seemed to draw her towards it. Gently, she rolled up the

legs of her jeans and waded out into the water, until it was knee high. The water was cool to her

touch. Out in the water, she had a better view of the lake. She stood beside a large rock that

protruded from the water. It seemed the perfect place to rest, so she pulled herself up onto the top.

Here, there was an even better view. She threw herself down on the almost flat surface and began to

catch her breath from the climb. Finally, she started to leave.

What Mimi didn’t see was the shadow that grinned maliciously from the shore as it watched her

silhouetted figure.

But as she gently slowly began to lower herself back into the water, what hadn’t been anticipated

happened. Mimi’s feet slipped, and she dangled in the air, frantically grasping at a smaller rock that

rested upon the top of the larger one.

She hung there for several seconds, which seemed to her to be forever. Then, gravity took its toll,

and Mimi tumbled head over heels to land in the cool water, the rock which she had grasped

plunging down along with her.

As she landed in the water, the rock finally landed, landing right on her left ankle, crushing onto it and

pinning it down. As it impacted, an intense wave of pain washed over her, and her head smashed

into the large rock that she now leaned against, sending even more waves of pain through her body.

She managed to lift her head just enough to look around. From where she was sitting, she was able

to see the shadowed figure that stared at her before beginning to walk slowly away. As he turned,

Mimi was able to catch a blurry glance of his face.

It’s him! She realized with fear. It’s him. Him, who has been making my life miserable. And him

who is now trying to kill me. And, as fate would have it, not only was she able to see from where

she sat, she would be able to see whoever looked for her here…while no one would be able to see

her because the large rock blocked the view. That’s if anyone looks for me here…

And then, Mimi lost consciousness, letting her body fall limply against the rock that propped her up,

and deeper into the cool water.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

"All right, Ishida! I want answers!" Tai yelled as he slammed the door that he had just walked

through into the wall next to it.

Matt looked up, surprised. Tai had just unexpectedly barged into his apartment. "What do you

mean?" he demanded. "Think you could have knocked first?" he looked pointedly at the door that

was wide open, revealing the setting sun.

"You should know! I propose to Mimi, and she runs in the other direction! What did you say to her?

I know you must have had a part in it! I want answers!"

Matt’s head shot up. A confused look crossed his face. Anger quickly replaced that. "You proposed

to her?" his voice was shaking.

"Yeah! What’s wrong with that? Now, I want to know why she ran in the other direction!"

"Oh, God! She didn’t tell you?" An incredulous look crossed Matt’s face.

"Didn’t tell me what?"

"We’re engaged." Matt replied flatly. "Mimi agreed to marry me a few days ago."

"What!?" Tai screeched. He rushed at Matt. "How dare you. How dare you! Proposing to my

girlfriend!"

Matt just laughed. "You didn’t know that, either? Mimi and I have been going out for months!"

Tai fell limply onto a chair, as the realization that Mimi had been cheating on him sunk in.

At that moment, a stricken look crossed onto Matt’s face, and his skin went pale. "No," he

whispered, and took off out of the still wide-open front door of his apartment. Running as fast as he

could…

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

~*~Tai~*~

I still remember the night we met,

You said you loved my smile

But your love for me was like a summer breeze,

Oh, it lasted for a while,

I could hold on a little tighter I know,

But when you love someone,

You got to let em go, so,

I can’t believe it, Tai thought. All this time, I’ve been madly in love with her, and the whole

time, she’s been in love with Matt. In love with my best friend! Cheating on me!

I’m gonna smile

‘Cause I wanna make you happy,

Laugh, so you can’t see me cry,

I’m gonna let you go in style,

And even if it kills me,

I’m gonna smile.

Tai formed a mental picture of Mimi from the last time that he had seen her. She had looked so

beautiful…he would never have guessed that at the same time, she had been going out with Matt;

had been engaged to Matt! His heart ached as he pictured her long brown hair, her big, beautiful

eyes, her perfect face.

Kiss me once for the good times, baby,

Kiss me twice for goodbye,

You can’t help how you don’t feel,

And it doesn’t matter why,

Give me a chance to bow out gracefully,

‘Cause that’s how I want you to remember me,

He then thought of Matt, and his hands balled up into fists in anger. What right did he have to take

her away from me? He had no right! Mimi and I were happy until he came along! I feel like

killing him! He was always jealous of me, so he just felt that he had to take away the one

person who means the whole world to me! As more and more thoughts rolled through his mind,

the anger within him just kept building.

I’m gonna smile

‘Cause I wanna make you happy,

Laugh, so you can’t see me cry,

I’m gonna let you go in style,

And even if it kills me,

I’m gonna smile.

He shook his head. I guess I just never made her happy enough. Despite how much I tried to

show her how much I love her, I guess she never really realized. Or maybe she did. He

wondered for a very quick moment if maybe Mimi would ever want him back. He quickly rid this

thought from his mind. He highly doubted it.

I’m gonna smile,

So you can find the courage,

Laugh, so you won’t see me hurting,

I’m gonna let you go in style,

And even if it kills me,

I’m gonna smile.

I’ll never let her know how much this has hurt me.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Tai took a deep breath, and ran after Matt. "What!? What have you done to her?" he demanded.

"Not me! Not me! Someone…just come on! Mimi’s in trouble! I just know it!" Matt cried. He felt

as if his heart was breaking. How could he have been so stupid? His mind wandered back to the last

note that both him and Mimi had received.

"And now we do decide to leave,

The notes alone, ‘cause we believe,

Things like that are not enough,

That it’s time to move to other stuff."

That’s what it had said. I can’t believe I missed it! They’re going to try to kill her! And though he

did not know who "They" were, his whole being was filled with terror. He could loose Mimi so soon

after he got her.

"Woah! Matt! What’s wrong?" TK demanded as Matt nearly ran into him and Kari.

"They’re going to kill Mimi!" Matt rasped.

"They? They who?" Kari questioned.

"I don’t know! But they are!" At this, TK and Kari fell into step behind Matt and Tai.

"Look! There’s Izzy!" Kari pointed, lifting her right hand in a wave.

Izzy waved back, and ran to catch up with them. "You guys! I have something really important!" as

they ran, he quickly explained what had happened.

"You see? They’re trying to kill her! Matt repeated.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Mimi wearily lifted her head. She was so cold…so tired…so weak…

As her head lowered, her eyes caught two…no, three! Moving shadows. Two of them walked up

right, dragging the third one behind them. With in seconds, they were within her view; no longer just

shadows, but actual people. A tall man, and a shorter girl with long hair dragged a startlingly familiar

figure behind them. It was Joe! They were dragging Joe along with them!

The three of them were soon standing on the rocky beach, the man and the girl sneering at her

helplessness. The man began to walk slowly towards her, splashing through the cold water to reach

her. He pulled out a hand gun and pointed it at her!

"NO!!!!!!!!" At that moment, a familiar voice rang through the open air in a horrified scream. Matt!

And the others were with him! Mimi raised her head and stared at him, hope beginning to register in

her mind.

As she watched, both Matt and Tai jumped into the water, trying to reach her in time. Matt’s scream

had blown the man off balance, and the gun lowered just a split second before he fired. The bullet

missed her head, and soared through her shoulder.

Mimi dropped further down into the water and new waves of rain ran through her pain racked body.

Bright red blood seeped through the wound. But at least she was alive.

Sora through herself at the girl who held Joe captive. His captor stumbled and let go of her grip on

Joe’s arms. The girl managed to regain her balance, however, and swung at Sora, knocking her

down.

TK threw himself at the girl, knocking her to the ground. He looked up to find his girlfriend helping

Sora up. As he saw Kari doing her best to help Sora, another wave of love for his girlfriend washed

through him.

~*~TK~*~

All I am, all I’ll be, everything in this world,

All that I’ll ever need, is in your eyes, shining at me,

When you smile I can feel all my passion unfolding,

Your hand brushes mine, and a thousand sensations,

Seduce me ‘cause I

TK smiled inwardly. Kari was always trying her best to help others. That was one of the reasons that

he loved her so much.

I do, cherish you, for the rest of my lif