The end:
Matt groaned when he opened his eyes. His head was aching badly and his arm was even worse. He couldn't even feel his ankle - he wondered if that was a bad thing. His vision was blurry but he heard someone call his name and he could just make out a dark shape leaning over him and asking him if he was alright. He knew that voice. Tai. He blinked blearily and tried to move but Tai's hand pressed down on his shoulder gently.
"No, stay still, you're badly injured." He said kindly.
"TK?" Matt whispered painfully. He could almost focus in on Tai's face and he blinked once more to ensure that it stayed that way. There...everything came into focus and he glanced around the room. There was a bed next to him and on it he saw his brother's still form. He gasped and tried to sit up, but once more Tai pushed him down.
"He's alright, just asleep. The hospital staff wanted to make sure he got some rest. They're keeping him here for observation then he's free to go. You too, your injuries aren't as bad as they could have been and you're allowed to go home tomorrow. The press is all over the hospital though, so your dad had to call the police and request that someone stay outside the door to keep people from coming in. You can't open the curtains either, they've been trying to take photos of you from the window."
"What happened?" Matt asked.
"An orderly found you and TK passed out at the bottom of that staircase, they called for help and when they got to you both they found out that you both had breathed in a large amount of cloroform. Which, if you didn't know, is fatal if you inhale to much of it. Anyway, you both were thrown into the ICU and TK went into surgery this morning."
"Surgery?" Matt asked in confusion. "What happened?" Tai sighed an walked over to the other bed before sliding up the younger teen's T- shirt. The rock star felt his temper raise as he saw that the scarring was gone. It looks like someone took advantage of his silence.
"He's going to be pissed when he wakes up." The blonde deduced before closing his eyes and counting to ten. Tai nodded and moved back to his friend's side.
"Why don't you tell me what happened?" Matt met his friend's eyes and sighed. He motioned for help sitting up and Tai pressed the button to make the bed angle upwards. Getting in a more comfertable position he explained the events that took place over the past few days. He talked about how TK was getting a feeling that something was wrong, how Miragemon had been responsible for everything that happened recently - including the carcrash, the fight in the cafeteria, and throwing Matt down the stairs after kidnapping TK. Tai sat quietly through it all, and listened carefully. He didn't interupt at anytime and when the digidestined of Friendship was finished he ran a hand through his hair. "Is my mom really dead?" Matt asked quietly before glancing away from his friend.
Tai looked at his hands in silence, he couldn't look Matt in the eyes. The singer looked up at the cieling and felt tears coming to his eyes. He coudldn't accept that. He wouldn't be able to accept that. Nancy and him had been getting better recently. Not by much, but they did talk more then they had after the divorce. They talked more frequently after she had told Harumi off. Now he'd never truly rectify that relationship with her. It hurt. He wanted to roll on his side and cry, but every part of his body protested that with a passion.
The door opened to his room and he tried to blink back the tears. When he looked up, he gasped. His father and his mother both stood there with Kari. Nancy had a bandaid on her forehead but that was all. She was fine. He forced himself to fully sit up and didn't bother trying to stop the long streams of tears that were pouring down his face as he looked at his mother. Miragemon lied. Harumi hadn't killed her.
"Mattie..." She whispered and for the first time his heart soared, she hadn't called him that since he was a baby. Not after the divorce especially. She had refused to call him that. That was her son's name. Never his. She lifted her arms and ran to his side, her arms wrapping around his body and holding him close to her chest as she cried and cried. She couldn't stop and with every passing second she cried harder. Even the onlookers had difficulty hiding their tears. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" She wailed as she hugged him closer then ever before.
Matt didn't care though, he just wanted to melt into his mother's arms and never leave. He wanted to live with her again, wanted to come home after school and see her there with his father and brother. He wanted to know she'd always be there for him. Then he remembered. She came to the hospital. She didn't have to. She'd called TK, asked him if he was in the accident. He wasn't...but she still came.
She came with his father. They were together. They had to have been together before they got the call. Hiroaki wouldn't have called her if they weren't together.
She was worried about him. She had thought he was going to die and she'd come. She really did love him. She loved him, and he couldn't stop crying at that revelation. His mother loved him. She loved him more then just a bastard of his father's. He was her child and she accepted that.
"Your father...your father and I..." She was sobbing heavily and she pulled back so she could place a kiss on his forehead, his cheeks, she was uncontrollable now and no one tried to stop her. "We're going to make this work." She said as she rubbed his face with her thumbs as she cupped it lovingly. "We're going to get back together. Alright?"
His heart soared and he felt like getting hit by a car was the best thing that could ever have happened to him.
"Okay mom." He said tearfully. Finally things were getting better. Finally things were looking up.
TWELVE MONTHS LATER
TK was sitting on his bed in excitement. Matt was coming back from his tour and he he yipped in delight. He had been bouncing off walls waiting to see his brother come back. Their parents had gotten married only four months after they'd been let out of the hospital and he had been able to walk just fine at the wedding.
Their injuries were all healed and they were both doing well. The only thing that had been a dark spot in their year was a final visit by Harumi.
She had knocked on the door when him and Matt were home alone. Matt went to the door and opened it with a laugh. Sora was supposed to come over with Kari and the four of them were going to go on a double date. Everything had been going extremely well lately and the brothers were thrilled with the amount of time they'd been able to spend with each other.
"Mattie?" Instantly the door slammed shut and Matt walked over to where TK was sitting. He sat down and picked up his hand in the card game they were playing. He easily ignored the knocking that was occuring at the door and TK didn't press it.
Only when Harumi went around their new house and knocked on the back glass doors that peered in on the brothers did Matt do anything. He stood up and went to the phone, easily dialing the police. He said a few words and explained the situation. Then he went and opened the door and let Harumi inside.
"I want to talk to you." She looked at TK and blanched before looking back at Matt. She couldn't understand how either brother could stand being near each other after what "TK" commissioned her to do.
"I don't want to talk to you." He replied easily enough. TK moved from where he was lieing on the ground to his knees.
"Please I want to be your mother. Let me take you home with me, please!" Matt's eyes glared at her fully.
"I have a mother, and you will never be her." Her hand shot out and she attempted to pull him into a hug, but Matt grabbed it and slammed it against the nearest table, he ignored the snapping sound of bone breaking and the scream she let out because of it.
"You are not my mother!" At that moment the there was a knock at the door and TK rushed to get it. He let the police come in and they arrested the woman for violating the terms of her restraining order. She screamed and cried and tried to get at Matt, but nothing worked. He simply wished the officers a good day and went back to his card game.
"I'm your mother! I'm your mother Mattie!" But nothing mattered. Both siblings knew who she was to them. Absolutely nothing.
And life was finally good again.
As for TK? He never thought about darkness or evil things for the rest of his life. He even thanked his parents for getting rid of it for him. Afterall, why would he need a symbol of hopelessness on him, if his every being was that of Hope?
Windstar: I hoped you liked this. This is the end, It's been a long haul but this story finally hit my dream. 100+ reviews. I'd like to take the time to thank every single one of my reviewers. I love hearing from you and the more I write and hear your reactions the more I understand how an audiance would feel in that sort of situation.
This story was mainly about getting hope back, my hope, and my dreams, are closely tied into the fanfiction universe. In the future I have been training and studying to become an actress with a degree in writing and directing. I want to make stories like these where fans can truly get in depth and enjoy their characters.
I know this story wasn't perfect - spelling and gramatical errors did exist. However your kind words and motivation truly were the limelight of this story. I hope that sometime in the future you'll read other fics that I've written (if you so desire to) but right now I'd like you all to truly follow /your/ dreams. Each and every one of you has a hope or aspiration and /I/ truly hope that you can make those dreams come alive.
Thanks again to everyone and I hope you have a great new year!
Signed, Arin Maximus