A Fragile Heart is the Easiest to Break

I would have written a new Sorato much sooner, but I was hit with a bad case of writer's block, and no amount of Dayquil was going to save me. So, after much whining and complaining, I ended up writing this. Shameful plug à read "If You" by chichamunkyhead for it is the epitome of the word Sorato. Now, for my little project…

Why can't I sleep? I just keep replaying that one moment in my mind over and over again. Is it my guilty conscious telling me it's wrong to be dating his best friend? But it wasn't my idea. And we're not even really dating. Besides, he's the one that broke up with me. I wish I could just go to sleep and forget all this.

Sora groaned and rolled over, tossing and turning in the bed. Satiny sheets twisted around her bare ankles and spare pillows flopped onto the floor. At one point, she almost picked up the phone. Mimi would be awake by now; maybe she should call and talk to her. Then again, Mimi had no idea what it felt like to have her heart brutally wrenched from her, only to be told later by someone she had overlooked her whole life, all fifteen years of it, that she was loved from afar all along. Sora slipped her hand under the mattress and pulled a small picture out from underneath it. Smiling, she stared at the picture of all her friends from the Digital World, and ran her finger on one image.

Maybe I can talk to Biyomon about all this. She might understand.

Daylight wouldn't come soon enough, and Sora hoped her turmoil would melt away with the rising sun.

~*~

The phone rang early that morning. Sora had been stirring her bowl of soggy breakfast cereal mess absentmindedly, her mother at work and school out for a long weekend. She jumped and scrambled to grab the receiver.

"Takenouchi residence, this is Sora."

"I hope I didn't wake you up!"

"Mimi, hi. No, I was awake. What's up?"

"Oh, nothing. Just wanted to see how the lovebirds were making out, hee hee."

"That isn't funny, Mimi. We're not really in love, at least, I don't think we are. Ooh, would you just mind your own business about this? If you want the gossip, ask Yolei!"

"Wow, sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. Something bothering you, Sora?"

"Every time I think about, you know, him, I keep seeing the breakup scene. What if I'm making a mistake, Mimi? What if I shouldn't be dating him?"

"Sora, do you hear what you're saying? You're having second thoughts about dating the most popular guy in all of two worlds! I don't know one girl who doesn't have his picture plastered to her locker, and I live a whole continent away! You have to be the luckiest girl alive, Sora Takenouchi, so don't tell me you're having second thoughts!"

"Just out of curiosity, Mimi, do you have his picture in your locker?"

"Well, um, heheh, um, yeah…but it's not as big as the one of Joe!"

Sora giggled and leaned back in her chair. "So you think I'm doing the right thing?"

"God, Sora, of course you are! He cares about you more than anything, and I know how you feel about him…"

"All right, all right, no more blackmailing. I'll get over the whole dumped deal and maybe the two of us can, you know, do something."

"That's the spirit. Hey Sora…"

"Yeah?"

"I'll bet you a shopping spree on 5^th Avenue he gets your Crest of Love to glow."

"Cut that out, Mimi! That's not funny!"

"I'm serious. Tai never got it to glow for him, did he?"

"Well, no, but…"

"So if he can get it to glow, then that should prove how worthy he is of you."

"Mimi…we'll discuss this later. I've got to get going, I wanted to go jogging before it got too crazy outside."

"Kay. See ya, Sora."

"Bye Mimi."

Sora glared at the phone in annoyance as she replaced the receiver on the cradle.

"I'll bet you he gets your Crest of Love to glow." Humph. What a joke. She knows perfectly well Biyomon is the only one who can do that. But still…what if he did make it glow? I know I don't have the actual crest anymore, but it'll still glow anyways.

She sighed loudly and changed into running pants, sneakers and a tank top, not really caring how low the mercury was in the thermometer.

I hope I don't run into him. I wouldn't know what to say. I don't want to sound like a total idiot, but I don't want to be so quiet I could pass for another Cody.

~*~

The cool breeze struck Sora's face as she ran through the city, thinking of nothing but her cross-trainers hitting the pavement. Her ginger hair flew out behind her, her whole body in perfect rhythm, that is, until…

"Sora!"

Her body numbed, her mind went blank, her heart beating rapidly, her breath short. Coming down the stairs outside one of the apartment buildings, taking them two at a time was a tall young man. He ran his fingers through chin length blonde hair and grinned foolishly at her.

"Morning, Sora."

"Hi, Matt," she returned, her chest heaving.

Me and my big mouth. I just had to think it; I just had to say, "I hope I don't run into him." Well, I got what I deserved.

"Are you all right? Do you want me to grab you a glass of water?" he asked, his sapphire eyes full of concern.

"Nah, I'll live. Thanks, though."

He's so perfect. Such the gentleman.

"It's so ironic I ran into you," Matt said, stuffing his hands into his pockets as usual. "I was just thinking about calling."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Hey, what are you doing next Saturday?"

"Nothing…why?"

Matt blushed, the rosy glow accenting his features. "Well…would you like to go to a wedding with me?"

Sora stared at him blankly. "Beg your pardon?"

"My dad and I were invited to my second aunt Rei's wedding and I'd feel kind of awkward going if I didn't know anyone there so I thought I'd ask you since you, well, you and I are sort of, you know, and my dad thought it was all right if I brought a date but I wouldn't call it a date, so…"

This was a side of Matt Sora had never seen before. He had started blushing harder, and was about as self-conscious around her as Joe was when he first started dating Mimi.

"I'd love to join you."

"Jeez, I don't know what to say. Thanks, Sora."

She smiled at him and actually hugged the young man.

"Anytime, Matt."

He gently put his arms around her and hugged back. "The wedding's at one, and it's about a three hour drive, so I'll have Dad swing by your place around nine-ish. Is that going to be too early?"

"I'll just have to set my alarm, that's all. So, if you're not calling it a date, what would you call it?"

Matt grinned. "I call it 'Being with Sora.'"

I can't believe I was being so paranoid about him. He's such a kind person, and he really does like me for who I am, and not because I'm pretty, or popular, or whatever it is guys look for in girls.

They were still clasped in their warm embrace when someone decided to interrupt. Her auburn hair was wild, as though she had stuck her finger in a socket as a young child and her tresses had stayed that way. She was dressed in the most lurid of colors, and today she had enough makeup plastered to her face to paint the Great Wall.

"Hi Matt!" she called in her high-pitched whine. She stopped and acknowledged the fact that the object of her affections had his arms around another girl. "Oh. Who have we here?"

"Hello Jun, interesting to see you here. I thought your apartment was halfway across the district," Matt replied, a little ice frosting the edge of his voice as his grip tightened around Sora protectively.

"You didn't answer my question, Matt. Who. Is. She?" Jun accented the words so clearly they could have passed as bullets being fired from a rifle.

"This is Sora, my girlfriend, and I demand that you treat her respectively."

Jun was altogether flustered, and Sora was slightly embarrassed that Matt of all people had to fight her fights for her. But Jun wouldn't give in so quickly.

"I don't know what you see in her, Matt. She's awfully common, a plain nobody. She isn't even all that pretty. You could have far better girls, you know. Like me."

Fire and brimstone danced in his eyes, fury spurring his blood to course hotly in his veins. He kept his voice low, his breath even, but the way he spoke could have caused the heavens themselves to tremble.

"How dare you. How dare you speak about her like that. You have no right to say such things, Jun Motomiya. I love her. So I don't care if she's common, or plain, because she's certainly pretty in my eyes and dammit, she's everything to me!"

Jun plainly stood there, opening and closing her mouth like some fat goggle-eyed goldfish, gaping at the young man and the girl he held in his arms. Sora stared up at him, pale, frightened, and confused.

"You…you l-love me?" she whispered.

Matt kissed the top of her head and smiled at her, murmuring, "I suppose this is one of those moments the Crest of Friendship does me little good. But friends or lovers, I'll always care about you very much, so don't ever think you aren't loved."

Tears threatened in both girls' eyes. Jun walked away, disheartened and mumbling to herself. Sora broke free of Matt's arms and ran down the street, her legs moving as though she were borne on wind. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks, blurring her vision with a watery film. Matt stood on the sidewalk, alone, hurt, and bewildered.

He loves me? God, I'm not ready to be loved. I wanted to take this one day at a time, I can't handle this. It's all too soon. I just wanted things to move at my own pace. Dammit, it's Tai all over again.

~*~

She fell to her knees in front of the computer, sobbing hysterically. Hurriedly fumbling with the hard drive and the desk drawers, she booted up the computer and wrenched her digivice from safekeeping. Sora managed to choke out the words to unlock the gate, and collapsed on the other side, clutching at the ground in the Digital World.

"Sora? Sora!" Biyomon's voice was heavy with concern as the small pink birdlike creature dropped down beside her. "Sora, what's wrong? Sora?"

"H-he s-said h-he l-loved me!" she howled between sobs. Biyomon wrapped her wings around the child she guarded.

"Who said he loved you?"

"M-Matt."

Biyomon's eyebrows arched (well, if she had eyebrows). "Matt said he loved you? Why is that a bad thing? I thought you two liked each other."

"I…I d-don't want a relationship like this. I…d-don't want to go so fast. It's like dating Tai all over again, and I'm a-afraid of getting d-d-dumped again!"

"Shhh. Tell me everything that happened, and make it quick, I thought I heard Gomamon and Joe not too far from here."

Sora spilled her heart to her companion, telling her every feeling of pain and guilt and fear that she had been feeling since the moment Tai had said "I only want to be friends" to what had just transpired. When she was finished, her eyes red and her cheeks stiff with dried tears, Biyomon said to her, "So you've been afraid of falling in love with Matt because, one, he's Tai's best friend and, two, you don't want to get dumped again because it hurt so much? Sora, you shouldn't be afraid to fall in love with someone, especially not Matt! I know getting dumped must have hurt a lot, and it's going to take some time to get over it, but there's someone out there who cares deeply for you and he doesn't want to see you getting so overworked. I'm sure if you talk to Matt he'll understand completely. Oh, listen to me, lecturing like Gabumon. Next thing you know I'll get an obsession for ice cream and harmonica music."

Sora laughed and hugged her digimon. "Thank you, Biyomon. I needed that."

"Don't worry about it. Come on, we have a lot of catching up to do, and I'd rather not do it with Joe and Gomamon around. It would be too weird, like that time we were on that part of File Island with the Bakemon and Joe did that funky chant with…"

"With my hat. I remember."

Biyomon's right. I can't be afraid of getting hurt any more. I can't hide away from the world forever. I should apologize to Matt, I think I really hurt his feelings back there and I really didn't want to hurt him.

~*~

Several days passed, and Sora still hadn't spoken to Matt. She did her own thing, he did his, and neither paid much attention to the other. Finally, Thursday afternoon, Sora got tired of the silence and picked up the phone.

"This has gone on long enough," she said aloud to herself, quickly dialing.

"Ishida residence, Yamato speaking."

"Matt? It's me."

"Oh, hi Sora."

She took a deep breath before continuing. "Listen, Matt, about the other day…"

"I shouldn't have been so up front about my feelings," he blurted out.

"What? No, no, that's not what I was going to say!"

"It wasn't?"

"No. What I wanted to say was," Sora found herself shaking as she said this, "I'm sorry for running off after you said that. You don't deserve to be treated like that, especially after saying what you said."

"Thanks. I can understand what you were feeling, though. A fragile heart is the easiest to break, and yours was just getting on the mend. Hmm, sounds like song lyrics. I'll have to remember that."

"And Matt?"

"Yeah?"

"We're still on for Saturday, right? I mean, Mimi sent me a dress from New York and everything, so…"

"Of course we're still on."

They chatted casually for a while, acting more like the good friends they were than the potential lovers, until Matt had to break up the conversation, claiming his band members were threatening to break down his door.

"So I'll see you Saturday, then."

"Yeah. See ya."

He really does love me. And this time around, I think I love him too.

~*~

Saturday came sooner than anyone, especially Sora, had expected. But sure enough, her alarm was jangling, heralding the arrival of that fated day.

I don't know if I'm nervous because I'm going to be around complete strangers, or if it's because I'm spending an entire day with Matt.

She dug into her closet and pulled out the dress Mimi sent her, freshly pressed and neatly hung up. Sora smiled, knowing that it had to have killed her friend to buy a dress that wasn't pink. In fact, it was a sky blue with a full skirt that hit about knee-length, and short, loose sleeves. It was plain, but quite pretty.

Kind of like me. At least, according to Matt's opinion.

Sora took great pains to make sure everything about her was a little above ordinary, down to the last detail. She had a ten-minute battle with her nylons and took at least half an hour to pick out the "perfect" color of eye shadow, things she never worried about before but fretted over now.

Probably to make a good impression.

She was just about finished, just adjusting her barrettes for the thirtieth time, when the doorbell chimed, causing her to jump.

"Mom! I'm leaving! I'll be back by curfew!" she called, scampering for the door. Matt stood there, leaning against the doorframe, dressed in conservative black, and smiling.

"Hey. Whoa, you look…"

"Like a girl?" Sora supplied, taking his outstretched hand.

"That too, but I was thinking more along the lines of breathtaking."

"Matt…" she said, blushing.

"Well, it's true!" he protested.

~*~

Sora smiled at Matt and leaned closer towards him on her little metal folding chair. The wedding ceremony was being held outside, in a small garden district three hours outside of Tokyo. The sky overhead was faultless, not a single cloud marring the brilliant blue. Sora glanced around the rows of people, then gently nudged Matt in the shoulder.

"None of these people look like you," she whispered.

"That's because this is my dad's side of the family. My mom's side is French."

"French?"

"And you guys wonder why T.K. and I are blonde."

"Well, French or no French you're still the same old Matt Ishida I know and…"

"And what, Sora?"

"…And this is the best part of the wedding so shut up because I want to watch it!"

That was too close, Sora. You almost said it. You have to wait for the right moment to tell him. Now isn't the right moment.

~*~

A little while later, during the reception, also outdoors, Matt and Sora had left the wedding guests milling around the punch bowl to talk quietly on their own. They wandered around the gardens quietly, glancing at each other every so often. At one point she looked up at him and nodded ever so slightly, almost giving him permission to put an arm around her, twining it around her waist. They paused and sat on a small stone bench underneath the rosy shade of a large cherry blossom tree, the fragrant petals showering down on them with the slightest breeze.

"It's almost magical," Sora murmured, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Mmm. Thanks for being here with me."

"Of course, Matt."

Matt gently stroked her cheek with a free hand, smiling warmly at her.

Don't stop, Matt. It's too perfect for you to stop. Please, keep going and let me spill my heart to you, Sora thought as she snuggled close.

"Maybe we should head…" Sora put a finger to his lips, cutting him off.

"Sora, what…"

"Shhh." She rested a free hand on his neck and stared deep into his eyes. "I haven't been very honest with myself, or with you. I'm sorry. I've been so afraid of getting hurt I didn't realize what it was doing to me, what it was doing to us. I say this now, with all my conviction. I love you, Matt."

And let me prove to you, to the world, my feelings are true this time. She leaned in and kissed him, fully and honestly. Passion soared in her heart, in his soul, their bodies intertwining, their lips moving in breathless motions. Cherry blossoms fell from the branches overhead, clinging to their hair and clothes. Matt tumbled from the bench, Sora in his arms, lying in the soft grass. She pinned him to the ground, running her fingers through his hair.

What if we get caught? What if his father finds us like this? What if…no…no more what ifs, just let me stay here in his arms forever.

They broke the kiss gently, only stopping for need of air. Matt's arms wrapped tight around her body, caressing it gently. Sora smiled at him, blushing ever so slightly.

~*~

Mr. Ishida glanced around the crowd, a glass of champagne poised at his lips.

A/N: Sorry to interrupt, but does anyone know if this guy has a name? I mean, Matt's mom is Nancy Takaishi, but his father is…well, a nameless drunk.

He watched in silence as his eldest son caused the teenage girl at his side to shriek with laughter as he spun her on the dance floor. The other girls present, cousins and relations, looked on enviously.

Matt's finally learned to open his heart.

Their laughter rang across the open air, the sky flushed with color as the sun sank below the horizon.

"Matt! Sora! Time to pack it in, we've got a long ride ahead of us!"

They sheepishly trudged towards the car, still picking flower petals out of their hair, their cheeks bright with color.

"I had a really great time today, Matt," Sora whispered in the darkness as the hum of the highway lulled them towards sound sleep.

"Yeah, I did too. It would have sucked if you hadn't come."

She leaned over and kissed his cheek gently, then closed her eyes and leaned back on the seatbelt.

"Sora…" came the whisper moments later. She glanced over at Matt, who was gesturing at her ribcage, where her heart would be. It glowed a dull red, the outline of a heart-shaped symbol faintly gleaming through the bodice of her dress.

"My Crest of Love. You…you made it glow."

And now I can truly say I am loved…and that Mimi won. Of all the things…She sighed and fell asleep, the last image her eyes focused on was Matt asleep beside her. A fragile heart is the easiest to break and mine is once again whole, ready to welcome you with open arms.

~*~

And, as we say in the business, they lived happily ever after, the end. Now go review and I'll go find more official Sorato pictures…which won't be too hard. ~ Lia.