DISCLAIMER: I don't own Digimon or any of its characters. I just like to torture them. Please don't sue.
Authoress's Notes: This is the sequel to my first Mimoe. That one took place just after season one. This takes place (at least the first part) the summer before 02, which started on the first day of school. So all the kids look like they do in 02, but the new 02 kids aren't in there right at the start. They are at the end.
Mimi was excited to the depths of her soul. She'd just had her longtime dream come true. Her parents had informed her that they were moving to America! ~New York City! This is the thrill of a lifetime! Wait until I tell Sora and Joe!~ They knew she'd wanted to go, and now she was going! ~I'll become a fashion diva! Everyone will admire me!~
Her fantasy was interrupted by her phone ringing. "Moshi, moshi, Tachikawa desu, Mimi's line."
"Mimi! What's up?" Sora asked.
"Sora! Oh, Sora, I just got the most exciting news! Dad's getting transferred...to NEW YORK CITY!"
They screamed excitedly, in unison.
"Oh, Mimi, it's just what you always wanted!"
"I know! Isn't it exciting?!"
"Yeah!...Hey, Mimi, when are you going? How much longer will we have together?"
"Oh." Mimi had not thought of that. She would be seeing a lot less of Sora, and...Joe! Oh, great, she was going to have to make up to him, big time. "We're leaving in two weeks."
"So you can get there in time to go to school, right?" Sora asked.
"Right." Mimi looked out her window at the huge August moon. "Can we talk tomorrow, Sora? I need to call Joe and set up a date so I can tell him."
"Sure, Mimi," Sora said, sympathetically. "I'll meet you at the mall at ten."
"Great! See you there!" Mimi got off the phone and dialed up Joe.
"Moshi, moshi, Kido desu."
"Hello, Jim? Can I speak to Joe, please?"
"Sure, just a minute." Mimi heard what he said even thought he put his hand over the phone. "Hey, JOOOOO-OOOOOE! It's your GIRRRRRLLLLLFRIEEEEENNNNND!!!"
Joe was quickly on the phone, shooing his brother out of the room. "Hey, what's up?"
Mimi smiled at him, even though he couldn't see it. "Joe-kun, we need to talk."
"So let's talk, then," he said.
"I mean, *really* talk. *In person.* Can we go out tomorrow night? It's Saturday, so you shouldn't have anything planned--"
"I'm free. What's so important?"
"I'd rather wait, and tell you there."
"Well, okay. I'll be counting the minutes."
She laughed. "Okay."
She and Sora had a heart-to-heart the next day over new outfits and accessories, and burgers from the food court. They decided that it shouldn't affect their friendship, they'd just be on the phone and e-mail and instant messaging a lot more.
That night, however, Mimi was a lot more nervous. She and Joe were really close, but she was sure that a long-distance relationship would really put a strain on them.
"Joe," she began, after they'd ordered. "I have some good news and some bad news."
"What is it, Mimichan?" he asked, reaching across the table and taking her hand. "You can tell me."
She sighed deeply. "The good news is, I'm finally going to New York City. The bad news is, it's permanent."
"What?" Joe frowned. "What are you saying?"
"Daddy got transferred, Joe-kun. We're leaving in two weeks. We're going to live in New York City."
Joe frowned. "But, Mimi, when will we see each other, talk to each other?"
"Oh, Joe, I don't know. Sora and I talked and we're still going to call and e-mail and still be best friends, but...you and me...I don't know." Mimi started crying quietly. "I just don't know."
"Mimichan, we'll still call and talk and all that. But that's not what I'll miss." He was referring to kisses and embraces and caresses and holding her hand.
"I know. But there's nothing we can do."
"I guess not."
During her last two weeks in Tokyo, Mimi let her mother pack her stuff for her while she went around hanging out with her friends. Not her school clique, who would soon find another popularity queen, but her real friends, the DigiDestined. She crammed in as many dates with Joe as she could in the short time, but she knew it would never be enough. She didn't want to go, she wanted to stay forever, in his loving arms, and to land's end with what the rest of the world thought. But she didn't dare back out now--she had wanted to go to New York City for as long as she could remember, and if she suddenly changed her mind her parents would throw a fit.
Sora threw her a surprise going-away party, with only the DigiDestined invited. Mimi said goodbye to most of them then. The next day, she stood waiting at the airport in Joe's arms. Sora would have been there, but she'd had "things to do". Mimi suspected it involved a lot of crying and holding herself back so that she could spend the last minutes with Joe alone.
"Mimichan, I'm going to miss you."
"Oh, Joe, I'll miss you, too." Mimi cuddled her face into his shoulder and cried unashamedly.
"Mimichan, Mimi, we'll talk, we'll write. We won't lose touch."
"I--I know--but--Joe-kun--it won't be the same!"
"Gate 237 now boarding!" the intercom announced.
"Mimi!" Mrs. Tachikawa called. "Hurry up, honey, that's our flight!"
Joe bent down and kissed Mimi passionately, letting his every drop of feeling enter her. "I love you, Mimichan..."
Mimi blinked. "I--I love you, too, Joe. Goodbye!" Mimi turned and ran to join her parents. She turned back, and as her mother took her hand and began dragging her to the plane, she yelled for the entire airport to hear, "I LOVE YOU, JOE-KUN!!"
"GOODBYE, MIMICHAN! I LOVE YOU TOO!"
Joe drove home in his car. He'd finally saved up a lot of money and traded the rattletrap station wagon he'd driven for a used--but sleek and stylish--teal-green convertible.
Gomamon popped up out of his medical bag in the backseat and crawled up to sit next to him. For once, Goma was silent. Joe wasn't sure whether he was so depressed that he was rubbing off on his Digimon, or if Goma could actually tell that he wasn't up for one of their playful arguments. Instead, the seal-like digimon curled up against him and fell asleep, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
Joe had thought that his going off to college at the start of the school year would put the distance between him and Mimi, but at least that way he was closer to home and could see her on weekends and holidays. Now he'd practically never see her in person. Maybe she'd come and stay a month with Sora during the summer. But this--this was awful. He loved her, not with the teenage first love he'd had for her when they'd started dating, but he was honestly beginning to think of her in marriage terms. Now he might never be able to tell her.
Mimi got settled in her seat, Palmon in the seat next to her, sleeping comfortably. She pulled out her D-terminal.
The little palmtop computers were the latest rage in Tokyo. They had Internet, e-mail, and instant messaging, as well as being able to store files. Since she was going away, she'd bought one for each of the DigiDestined to make it easier to keep in touch.
She opened hers and started it. "Oooh! Sora's on!"
She instant-messaged back and forth with Sora for a little while, but Sora had to get off, and what Mimi really wanted was to talk to Joe, who wasn't on. Mimi decided it couldn't hurt for her to follow Palmon's example and catch a few Z's to help cope with the jet lag.
Mimi quickly settled into her new home, new routine, new school. She found herself quickly among the popular group. Rather than trying to conform to New York's style, she wore what she knew was popular in Japan and became a trendsetter. She made a few friends in the popular clique, but she didn't really get close to anyone. She was still in touch with Sora and Joe, and her other DigiDestined friends.
Until, of course, the one day she got in an argument with Palmon.
Mimi was cutting through Central Park on her way home. Palmon was complaining about the cramped space of Mimi's bookbag and saying she should get a larger one, and Mimi was saying that she'd spent a fortune on the designer pink bag. Then Palmon began complaining about how that had never bothered her before, and began wriggling around and got her head out of the bag so Mimi could hear her better. Mimi had set the bag down and knelt next to it to reprimand Palmon for letting herself be seen in public like that.
"Excuse me?" a voice said.
Mimi looked up.
There stood a boy her own age that she'd seen around school, in a few of her classes. He was a little taller than her and had longish, corkscrew-curly blond hair. He was staring at Palmon.
~He's kind of cute.~ Mimi blushed, partly from Palmon's antics and partly from her own thoughts of the boy. "See, Palmon?" she murmured. Then, louder so the boy could hear, "Yes? Did you want something?" ~He's going to ask what Palmon is and spread it around school that the new girl has an alien friend. My life is over...~
She noted how deep his voice was as he spoke again. "My name is Michael, and this may sound like a strange question, but is your little friend there a digimon?"
~WHAT?!!?~ Mimi's jaw dropped. "Why, yes, this is Palmon...but how could you know that she's a--"
Michael set his own backpack on the ground and knelt next to it. He unzipped it, and out crawled a basketball-sized green creature with red stripes and a red fin down its back. Its overall shape reminded Mimi of her Otamamon friends. "This is my friend, Betamon."
Mimi gawked.
"I saw you having conversations with your backpack all the time, and then today when--Palmon--popped out, I just had to know. I wanted to know that I wasn't the only one."
"No...no, you're not...there's seven more of us DigiDestined back where I come from..."
"Seven?! Wow...We're called DigiDestined, huh? That's cool. Say, what did you say your name was?"
"I'm Tachi--" Mimi caught herself. ~Given name first, then family name. Silly Americans.~ "My name is Mimi, Mimi Tachikawa."
"Mimi Tah-chee-kaw-a. That's an interesting name."
"Thank you."
"Well, Mimi, I think the least I could do--if you have the time--is take you out for a milkshake and we could exchange stories."
Mimi nodded. "I'd like that. I'm just as curious to hear your story as you must be to hear mine."
It turned out that Michael had become a DigiDestined at the same time Mimi and her friends had. He had faced Gorillamon in New York with Betamon while the kids were fighting Myotismon in Tokyo.
It surprised Mimi to know that there were other kids. She wondered if maybe there were even more kids around the world. But she didn't have long to think about it before Michael walked her home.
"I had a great time, Mimi. It's so wonderful to know I'm not alone in being DigiDestined."
"I had a good time, too, Michael. I'll see you in school tomorrow?"
"Yeah. See you." He flashed her a smile as he left.
~He's so cute...and nice, too...and DigiDestined.~ Mimi was so distracted as she walked to her room, she could barely hear her D-terminal beeping. When it finally dawned on her what the sound was, she found Sora quite impatient.
They instant-messaged. Sora told Mimi that the "new DigiDestined", Davis, Cody, and Yolei--and, more recently, Ken-- wanted to meet her. "They've met the rest of us. Can you fly to Tokyo sometime soon?" Sora had typed.
~I want to meet them, too. Ever since Sora told me about these new kids I've wanted to see what they're like.~ "Remember school?" Mimi typed back. "It may be Christmas before I'm free. :-("
"^.^** Well, come Christmas, can you come stay a week with me?????"
"I get out of school for two weeks. I can spend one with you and one here with my family."
"Sounds like a plan--hey, Joe's on, I'll let you go."
"OK. Bai bai!"
Mimi then got an e-mail from Joe. "Mimichan? Are you there? I want to call, on the phone."
He always e-mailed to check. She e-mailed him back. "Ready and waiting!"
In a few minutes her phone rang. "Moshi, moshi, Mimi here!"
"Mimichan...love...it's been a while since we've talked."
"Joe-kun...ohh...yes, it has..."
"And there's been a reason. I've been thinking."
~What? Has he found another girl? Could he really--~ "What's the matter, Joe-kun?" she asked, unable to keep the concern out of her voice.
"It's about us. I've decided that this whole long-distance relationship isn't fair to you. I'm nineteen, so I don't mind waiting for you. But, Mimichan, you're only seventeen. You should be out dating, having a good time."
"If I want a good time, I just call up some of my girlfriends. I don't miss guys and dating in general, I miss *you*."
"Mimichan, this is hard for me. Don't make it harder. I think there are only two fair ways to do this, and one I can't do right now. If you were a bit older, my age, I would ask you to marry me and the whole matter would be settled. But now, now you should be free. I'm sure there are guys in New York you'd like to go out with. I know you haven't, Mimichan, I trust you, but this has got to be hard on you. I want you to be happy. I'm going to wait for you, Mimichan. There is no other girl that could make me happy. But in the meantime, I want you to feel free to date other guys. I want you to quit calling me your boyfriend and have some fun while you're young enough to enjoy it. In two or three years, when you're old enough to promise yourself, I'll ask you to. And if you've found someone else that makes you happier, then I'm out of luck."
"You're dumping me?"
"No, I'm releasing you."
"But, Joe-kun, I'm happy. I love you. There are no other guys." ~Is that true, Mimi? Just a few minutes ago you were all eyes for Michael.~
"Mimichan--Mimi. Mimi, I can't hold you down like this. You have to fly and be free. We'll still talk if you want, but I'll keep my true feelings to myself."
"No! Joe-kun! I--"
He hung up.
Mimi hung up her phone and sank to the floor, tears cascading like a fountain. "But, Joe-kun...I love you with all my heart." ~I may not be old enough in your eyes, but if you did ask me to marry you I'd gladly say yes and keep myself for you, no matter how long I have to wait. Until I'm nineteen, until I'm twenty-one, until you finish med school, until we're both old and gray...~ She let her tears fall and ignored the instant-message beep from her D-terminal. No one could help her, not even Sora.
Mimi said nothing to her school friends. None of them knew she'd had a boyfriend. Michael had found out that day, but she hadn't talked to him about Joe in detail. She talked with Michael almost exclusively from that point on. She saw the popular crowd in a different light, and she didn't want to deal with those emotionless, giggling ditzes. She knew she could be like that at times, too, but she had feeling underneath. She stood up for what she believed in. She wondered if any of those girls believed in anything.
Michael was more than glad to shower her with attention. She told him that Joe had "released" her, but she didn't say that his doing so made her feel more imprisoned than keeping herself for him had.
At first, Michael continued to be just a friend, but after a few weeks, when Mimi was returning to her more cheerful self, he asked her for a date.
"Michael," she said, "I don't care what he says. I'm not dating anyone else. I think when he realizes that I won't go on dates even when I'm free to do it, it will snap him back to the reality that I love him, and be a greater expression of my love than anything else I could have done."
Michael nodded. "Well, couldn't we just go out as friends?"
Mimi bit her lip. She knew she shouldn't. She knew better. But it sounded so tempting. ~He's DigiDestined, after all. There's no reason we can't hang out as friends.~
"There's a movie opening Saturday..."
Mimi nodded. "All right. Saturday afternoon, then?"
"Saturday afternoon," he smiled.
It caught her off guard again. ~THAT WAS THE STUPIDEST THING YOU'VE EVER DONE, TACHIKAWA MIMI!~ she screamed inwardly. ~YOU'RE GOING TO KILL YOURSELF IN THE MORNING!~
The next day was Friday, and she didn't get to talk to Michael. On Saturday, he picked her up at the appointed hour.
They saw a movie, and then Michael took her for pizza.
When he took her home, they stood right outside the apartment door.
"I had a good time, Michael. Thanks for taking me."
"I had a really good time, too, Mimi. I'm glad I finally got to take you."
~Oh maaaaan, here it comes...~ she thought.
He put a hand on her shoulder and pulled her close to kiss her.
She tried to jerk back, she really did, but he put his hands around her waist and she couldn't. The kiss got deeper and less relenting until finally Mimi gave in. ~May as well let him have his one kiss and get it out of his system.~ She kissed back, just a little. ~This isn't like Joe's kisses. Joe is better at this. Or maybe it's just because Michael is a different guy.~
Michael took her tiny amount of encouragement the wrong way and the kiss became even deeper. They leaned against the wall. Mimi was glad her parents weren't home. They went on until finally they had to break for air.
"Michael."
"Yes, Mimi?"
"Don't you *ever* do that again." Mimi grasped his arms and pushed them off of herself and went into the apartment. He tried to follow but she slammed the door in his face and locked it.
Immediately, she called Sora on her telephone.
"Moshi, mo--"
"Oh, forget it, Sora, I need to talk."
"Mimi! What's the matter?"
"Didn't Joe tell any of you guys what he did?"
"Nooooo..."
"Well, he broke up with me. He dumped me for me."
"What? Mimi? I feel like I should be saying, 'No way, he didn't!', but I'm not sure I understand."
"He decided that I should be free to date other guys, even though he's waiting for me."
"Just now?" Sora asked indignantly.
"No, actually, a few weeks ago. I figured he'd tell you."
"Oh, Mimi, I'm so sorry. Why didn't you call me then?"
"Because you couldn't have helped. But I need a listening ear now."
"Talk it out of your system, girl."
"One of the things I'm best at," Mimi said. "Look, I vowed to myself that even though I was free to do it, I wasn't going to date any guys. There's no one but Joe, Sora. He is my world. I love him. Well, I have this friend at school. His name's Michael. I told him about what Joe had done, and as soon as he sees I'm starting to be happy again in spite of what Joe did, he asks for a date. I told him no. Then he asks if we can go out as friends. I agreed, and everything was fine until just now, when he dropped me off. He forced a kiss on me."
"What?!"
"He put his arms around me and I couldn't get away, and he kissed me. I tried to resist at first, but then I figure if he gets it out of his system he might stop bugging me. So then he really kisses me. When he finally stopped, I got out of his arms and into this apartment as fast as I could."
"Oh, Mimi. Good for you. Do you think maybe he wants--"
"What? No! As persistent as he is I don't think he wants *that* from me. And *that* is one thing only Joe gets. After I get a ring and a ceremony."
Sora giggled. "So you think he's just too stubborn for his own good?"
"Yeah."
Sora sighed. "Well, this explains why Joe's been so depressed these past few weeks. I'll try to talk some sense into him. And, Mimi, don't worry. This has nothing to do with another girl."
Mimi bristled. "Did I say--"
"No, but you *thought*! I haven't been your best friend for nine years for nothing!"
Mimi laughed. "Fine. Thanks, Sora."
"You're welcome."
"Bye," Mimi said.
"Bye."
The next Monday at school, Michael apologized. "I'm sorry, Mimi. I shouldn't have kissed you like that when you didn't want it. This Joe fellow must mean an awful lot to you, and besides, if we started dating it would ruin a beautiful friendship. I...wouldn't want to lose contact with my only fellow DigiDestined."
Mimi accepted the apology and forgave him. "I know it must have been awfully lonely for you these four years before you knew about the rest of us."
"Well, think, I thought the fate of two entire worlds rested solely on my shoulders. I'm glad to have that weight lifted, or made lighter, at least."
Mimi shook her head, not able to even imagine such a feeling.
The few months passed quickly. Mimi tried to be herself for the sake of her few friends, and avoided guys altogether, except her "just" friend Michael. Finally, December rolled around. Plans were finalized, and she was off to spend a week with Sora.
Sora met her alone at the airport. She'd hoped Joe would have come for old time's sake at least.
"Mimi!"
"Sora!"
The two girls met in a giant hug.
"Did you have a nice trip?"
"Flying sucks," Mimi said, wrinkling her nose. "This one stewardess wore this *nasty* perfume...but anyway, where is everyone? I'd braced myself for the welcoming committee."
"We'll meet up with them later, come on, Mom is waiting in the car. Let's get your bags and hurry."
Mimi had restrained herself and managed to get everything she'd need for the week into two suitcases. "Just be thankful I didn't let Mom pack," Mimi said as Sora groaned at the weight.
Soon enough, they walked into Sora's apartment.
"SURPRISE!"
Mimi gasped. All her old DigiDestined friends were there. Sora, of course, and Kari, T.K., Matt, Izzy, Tai...and Joe.
She ran to Joe first and threw herself into his arms, almost forgetting for a moment that he had broken up with her. "I missed you so much!"
There wasn't much he could do but hug her back, stiffly. "We all missed you, Mimi."
She noticed the "chan" that had disappeared, but she didn't make a fuss over it. She promised herself she'd get at least one date with him during this week. ~Oh, Joe-kun. You don't get it, do you?~
Instead, she got into the groove of the party and had a good time for her friends' sake.
Afterward, Joe was the first to leave. ~He probably finds it too hard to be around me. JOOOOOE-KUUUUN!~
When everyone was gone and she and Sora were in their pajamas, and their two Digimon asleep, they laid in Sora's bed and talked about everything. "You didn't have to throw me another party," Mimi said.
"Yes I did! I'm sorry I couldn't get anything through Joe's head in time for him to give you a hello kiss."
"It's okay, Sora. I know more than anyone else how stubborn he can be."
"Still..." Sora said, feeling bad.
"Don't worry over it. In fact, I order you to change the subject."
Sora laughed. "So, how's everything in America?"
"Actually, remember I told you about that guy, Michael?"
"Yeah. Is he still on your case?"
"No. He apologized and he's my only real friend. What I wanted to tell you about him, is that I never told you he's DigiDestined."
"He's what?"
"I know, you could have knocked me over with a feather when I found out. He saw me with Palmon and asked if she was a digimon, and when I said she was he opened his backpack and showed me his digimon, Betamon."
"Betamon?"
"Think Otamamon, about this big--" --Mimi spread her hands-- "and with green-and-red stripes. And a red fin down his back."
"Wow." Sora shook her head.
"He has one of the old Digivices, like ours. He was fighting Gorillamon in New York City the exact same time we were dealing with Myotismon. He thought he was the only DigiDestined until he met me and I told him about our group in Japan. He didn't even know what we were called."
"Wow. I'll have to meet him sometime."
"Next time I come to visit I'll see what I can do about bringing him."
"Yeah. Just wait until we tell the others!"
"I know!" Mimi squealed.
They finally went to sleep around two o'clock and they found it tough the next morning.
"What's the plan for today?" Mimi asked, yawning widely.
"Nothing, really," Sora said. "I thought you might want to meet the new DigiDestined, but then I thought maybe you'd want to call Joe and go from there."
"I want to go on at least one date with him while I'm here, but I don't know what he'll do. Let's meet the new kids today. I'll call him tonight."
"All right," Sora said. "I'll call Kari and have her round up everyone at school."
"Okay!"
Sora and Mimi beat the new group to the school.
"They're coming," Sora said. "I can hear Yolei and Davis's banter from all the way down the hall."
Mimi laughed. A few minutes later she was introduced to the new DigiDestined team. She knew Kari and T.K., of course, but then there was the new leader, Davis Motomiya, who looked and acted a lot like Tai, Cody Hida, a quiet, younger boy, Yolei Inoue, a tall girl that Mimi immediately clicked with, and Ken Ichijouji, who Mimi thought was standoffish. Later Sora explained all the stuff about his having been the Digimon Emporer, and Mimi understood his reluctance.
After the introductions, the group went out for pizza--Mimi's treat.
That night, Mimi called Joe.
"Moshi, moshi, Kido desu."
"Jim? Is Joe there?"
"JOOOOO-OOOOOE! It's your GIRRRRRLLLLLFRIEEEEENNNNND!!!"
Mimi grinned. ~Just like old times.~
"Sorry about that, Mimi..." Joe said. "He still thinks that you're--"
"Why can't I be, Joe-kun?"
"I explained it to you, Mimi..."
"*Joe.* I have gone on *one* date since that happened. It was a strictly friends date. He tried to kiss me and I pushed him away. He knew very well that I had you. He apologized and said that I must care an awful lot about you. We're friends now. And he was right. I *do* care about you. If you want, I can give you his phone number and you can call him right now, on me, and ask him how miserable I was when you broke up with me."
"Mimi, it just isn't right."
"What isn't right is I have yet to get a hello kiss from you. All I ever wanted I found in you. Joe-kun, when Michael tried to kiss me, I couldn't help but feel what it was like. And you know what? It didn't affect me. It was just a kiss. Just my mouth and his touching. With you, something happens. My breath catches and I can't think and nothing is important to me but you. Joe, you have to believe me, I'm miserable not being tied down to you."
"Mimi, I can't. It wouldn't be right. I wouldn't feel right."
"Joe-kun, let's go on a date. You take me out once and just see how right it feels. I know that when I hugged you yesterday, up until you hugged me so stiffly like I was a stranger, it felt...so...*right*."
"Fine. When do you want to go, Mimi?"
"Anytime."
"You're leaving Saturday morning?"
"Yes."
"Then...how's Thursday night?"
"Perfect! I'll see you then, if not before."
"Bye."
"Bye!" Mimi hung up. "My work here is done," she told Sora. "If things go as planned, I'll have done everything I wanted while I'm in Tokyo."
The next day Mimi, Sora, Kari, and Yolei went on a shopping spree, again Mimi's treat.
"I can afford it. I'll never use all this money for myself," she reminded her friends. By the end of the day, Yolei looked up to Mimi practically like an older sister. The all-girl foursome spent much of the week together. On Wednesday, the old group and the new group all got together for a game of soccer. Of course, both teams were short members (soccer teams are supposed to have nine players), but no one minded. Mimi, Sora, Tai, T.K., Ken and Davis ended up beating Kari, Yolei, Izzy, Cody, Joe and Matt.
Izzy did a strange thing and asked all the old group to give him their Digivices. He said he was trying something out and needed all of them, as well as one of the new models, a D-3. Kari gave him hers.
When Thursday night rolled around, Mimi was almost as nervous as the first time Joe had taken her on a date. That had been after he'd admitted his feelings for her at the school's Spring Dance.
She played with her hair. She wasn't sure how he'd like the outfit she'd chosen--the one she'd been wearing at that dance.
"Mimi, Joe's car just pulled up outside!" Sora called from the living room.
Mimi came out into the living room and went out the door, not wanting Sora's parents to catch them and give the whole "Drive safely, be careful, be back by ten" speech. She sat on the balcony, watching him come from the street to the building, and then sat watching the sunset.
"Mimi?" she heard him ask.
She turned to face him. "Joe-kun!" She jumped down off the railing and into his arms. "I've missed you *so* *much*!"
"Mimi, don't get carried away."
"That's Mimichan to you."
"Mimi--Mimichan. It's been so long since I've called you that I've almost forgotten the sound of it."
"I never did," Mimi said in a whisper.
Joe was silent. They walked, arm-in-arm, down to his car. He opened her door for her, got in, and they were off.
He took her to see a movie; but it didn't interest her. She watched him instead.
~He still cares, I know he does. He's just too stubborn to admit it.~
Joe was thinking his own set of thoughts. ~She's serious. She really wants me to go back to the way things were. But I can't. I could never ask her to wait for me. She needs to be out there, have a chance to see that there are other guys out there. She's too young to make a decision like this. So no matter how much I want to, I can't let her know that I'm miserable, too.~
When the mushy end of the movie came, Mimi put her hand over Joe's. He pulled away from her touch.
"Joe-kun..."
"No, Mimi."
At dinner Joe was as stiff as ever. He ate in silence, no matter how Mimi tried to persuade him to talk.
"Joe-kun, don't you still care? What happened? Is there--is there someone else?"
"Huh? No! There's no one else but you--" Joe stopped himself short. ~I *KNEW* that I'd end up blurting that sooner or later!~
"You still care!" Mimi cried excitedly. She threw her arms around him, but he pushed her away. "Joe-kun? You *do* still care about me, don't you?"
"Yes, Mimi. I care. I care enough to not let this happen. This long-distance relationship will never work. Come on, let's go home." He led her to the car and they drove home in silence, he being in too much inner turmoil to talk, and her too angry at him for not opening his heart to her like he once had.
She got out of the car and marched up to Sora's apartment with a stiff upper lip. She got into her pajamas and fell into bed without a word. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she burst into tears. "Joe-kuuuuunnnnn..."
The next day Mimi slept late. Sora finally woke her because she was bored being alone.
"What is it, Sora? Go away."
"I went to bed early, and so I want to know what happened last night."
Mimi sat up. Her eyes were still red from crying the night before. "He--he cares--but he won't let himself show it."
"Oh. He's still being stubborn?"
"Yeeeee-eeees!" Mimi started crying again.
"Well, that jerk. We have got to knock some sense into him."
"How?" Mimi asked between sobs.
Sora didn't answer.
Around noon, they got a call from Izzy. Both girls stood by the phone and Sora held the phone where they could both hear.
"Sora! Mimi! Everyone's coming to my place for a meeting. The new kids too. Can you be here by one?"
Sora glanced at the clock. "I think so, Izzy. We'll be there."
"All right. See you then. I have some more phone calls to make."
"Bye!" Mimi and Sora chorused.
"I wonder what it's about," Mimi wondered aloud as Sora hung up the phone.
"I bet it has something to do with our Digivices," Sora said.
"Oh yeah," Mimi said. She'd almost forgotten that Izzy had them.
The two hurried to get changed into nicer clothes, and then ran to get there on time.
They were the last ones to arrive. The meeting was going on in Izzy's room. "Now that you two have arrived, I can go on. First off, these are my Christmas presents to all of the old group." Izzy handed a small package wrapped in paper covered with holly berries to all the older kids. "Matt, Joe, Tai, Sora, and Mimi. Open them!"
The kids did so with curiosity, only to find their Digivices.
Davis gave Izzy a strange look. "Some present. You borrow their digivices and then make a big deal out of giving them back."
Izzy chuckled. "The present is in the fact that I modified them, speaking of which, here's your D-3 back, Kari." Izzy handed the pink Digivice back to its owner.
"What did you do to them, Izzy?" Tai asked.
"Observe," Izzy said. He took his own digivice and turned toward his laptop, which was booted and running. He held his digivice toward the monitor. "DigiPort open!"
Sure enough, it worked, even though it was an old-model Digivice.
Everyone stared in amazement.
"So our present is that we now have the ability to go back and forth to the DigiWorld whenever we want?" Matt asked. "Now *that* is a cool present!"
Mimi started crying.
Sora put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Mimi, Mimi, what's wrong?"
"Wrong? Who said anything was wrong?" She walked over and into Joe's arms. "We can see each other anytime now," she said.
He hugged her tightly, and kissed the top of her head. "I know...I know..."
"Joe-kun?" she asked, looking up into his face.
"Mimichan..." he said quietly.
She stood on her tiptoes and he leaned down and kissed her.
"Oh, how *romantic*!" Yolei gushed.
"That's disgusting..." Davis said.
Kari came up from behind him and put a hand on his shoulder. "I don't know, Davis. I think I'll have to side with Yolei on this one," she said, tauntingly.
Davis sweatdropped. "Well, then again..."
Everyone laughed.
Davis looked down at Veemon.
Veemon looked up at Davis. "You don't need to ask me. Yes, you did it again."
The next day, Joe was there to say goodbye at the airport. Again, Sora had stayed away to give them their space, especially now that they'd just re-found each other.
He cradled her in his arms. "I'll miss you, Mimichan..."
"We'll be seeing each other every day," Mimi said.
"Yeah. But I can still miss you in between."
"You better!" she said, playfully bopping him on the arm.
"You don't have to tell me twice." He pulled her a bit closer.
She looked up into his deep, intelligent eyes.
They both moved at the same time and kissed.
~I was right, Michael's kiss was nothing compared to this!~
~I've missed this so bad...and now I'll get it every day! This is the best thing that ever happened to me!~
"Gate 135 now boarding!"
Mimi jerked back. She paused to catch her breath. "That's my flight..."
"Well, go on. Don't be late. Meet me for picnic lunch in the DigiWorld tomorrow? I'll bring the food..."
"You bet! See ya tomorrow, Joe-kun!"
Mimi ran off to catch her plane, and Joe just stood with a finger on his lips where they'd kissed.
"I LOVE YOU, MIMICHAN!"
A/N: I didn't find out until the other day that D-Terminals came from the DigiWorld. For the sake of the story, the older kids all got theirs from Mimi and the new kids got theirs from the DigiWorld.
Mmm, if I get a few reviews on this I'll post my other Mimoe. Lots more tension in that one. Teenage angst. Of late, I seem to be an expert on that...it really, really, really, sucks.
Authoress's Notes: This is the sequel to my first Mimoe. That one took place just after season one. This takes place (at least the first part) the summer before 02, which started on the first day of school. So all the kids look like they do in 02, but the new 02 kids aren't in there right at the start. They are at the end.
Mimi was excited to the depths of her soul. She'd just had her longtime dream come true. Her parents had informed her that they were moving to America! ~New York City! This is the thrill of a lifetime! Wait until I tell Sora and Joe!~ They knew she'd wanted to go, and now she was going! ~I'll become a fashion diva! Everyone will admire me!~
Her fantasy was interrupted by her phone ringing. "Moshi, moshi, Tachikawa desu, Mimi's line."
"Mimi! What's up?" Sora asked.
"Sora! Oh, Sora, I just got the most exciting news! Dad's getting transferred...to NEW YORK CITY!"
They screamed excitedly, in unison.
"Oh, Mimi, it's just what you always wanted!"
"I know! Isn't it exciting?!"
"Yeah!...Hey, Mimi, when are you going? How much longer will we have together?"
"Oh." Mimi had not thought of that. She would be seeing a lot less of Sora, and...Joe! Oh, great, she was going to have to make up to him, big time. "We're leaving in two weeks."
"So you can get there in time to go to school, right?" Sora asked.
"Right." Mimi looked out her window at the huge August moon. "Can we talk tomorrow, Sora? I need to call Joe and set up a date so I can tell him."
"Sure, Mimi," Sora said, sympathetically. "I'll meet you at the mall at ten."
"Great! See you there!" Mimi got off the phone and dialed up Joe.
"Moshi, moshi, Kido desu."
"Hello, Jim? Can I speak to Joe, please?"
"Sure, just a minute." Mimi heard what he said even thought he put his hand over the phone. "Hey, JOOOOO-OOOOOE! It's your GIRRRRRLLLLLFRIEEEEENNNNND!!!"
Joe was quickly on the phone, shooing his brother out of the room. "Hey, what's up?"
Mimi smiled at him, even though he couldn't see it. "Joe-kun, we need to talk."
"So let's talk, then," he said.
"I mean, *really* talk. *In person.* Can we go out tomorrow night? It's Saturday, so you shouldn't have anything planned--"
"I'm free. What's so important?"
"I'd rather wait, and tell you there."
"Well, okay. I'll be counting the minutes."
She laughed. "Okay."
She and Sora had a heart-to-heart the next day over new outfits and accessories, and burgers from the food court. They decided that it shouldn't affect their friendship, they'd just be on the phone and e-mail and instant messaging a lot more.
That night, however, Mimi was a lot more nervous. She and Joe were really close, but she was sure that a long-distance relationship would really put a strain on them.
"Joe," she began, after they'd ordered. "I have some good news and some bad news."
"What is it, Mimichan?" he asked, reaching across the table and taking her hand. "You can tell me."
She sighed deeply. "The good news is, I'm finally going to New York City. The bad news is, it's permanent."
"What?" Joe frowned. "What are you saying?"
"Daddy got transferred, Joe-kun. We're leaving in two weeks. We're going to live in New York City."
Joe frowned. "But, Mimi, when will we see each other, talk to each other?"
"Oh, Joe, I don't know. Sora and I talked and we're still going to call and e-mail and still be best friends, but...you and me...I don't know." Mimi started crying quietly. "I just don't know."
"Mimichan, we'll still call and talk and all that. But that's not what I'll miss." He was referring to kisses and embraces and caresses and holding her hand.
"I know. But there's nothing we can do."
"I guess not."
During her last two weeks in Tokyo, Mimi let her mother pack her stuff for her while she went around hanging out with her friends. Not her school clique, who would soon find another popularity queen, but her real friends, the DigiDestined. She crammed in as many dates with Joe as she could in the short time, but she knew it would never be enough. She didn't want to go, she wanted to stay forever, in his loving arms, and to land's end with what the rest of the world thought. But she didn't dare back out now--she had wanted to go to New York City for as long as she could remember, and if she suddenly changed her mind her parents would throw a fit.
Sora threw her a surprise going-away party, with only the DigiDestined invited. Mimi said goodbye to most of them then. The next day, she stood waiting at the airport in Joe's arms. Sora would have been there, but she'd had "things to do". Mimi suspected it involved a lot of crying and holding herself back so that she could spend the last minutes with Joe alone.
"Mimichan, I'm going to miss you."
"Oh, Joe, I'll miss you, too." Mimi cuddled her face into his shoulder and cried unashamedly.
"Mimichan, Mimi, we'll talk, we'll write. We won't lose touch."
"I--I know--but--Joe-kun--it won't be the same!"
"Gate 237 now boarding!" the intercom announced.
"Mimi!" Mrs. Tachikawa called. "Hurry up, honey, that's our flight!"
Joe bent down and kissed Mimi passionately, letting his every drop of feeling enter her. "I love you, Mimichan..."
Mimi blinked. "I--I love you, too, Joe. Goodbye!" Mimi turned and ran to join her parents. She turned back, and as her mother took her hand and began dragging her to the plane, she yelled for the entire airport to hear, "I LOVE YOU, JOE-KUN!!"
"GOODBYE, MIMICHAN! I LOVE YOU TOO!"
Joe drove home in his car. He'd finally saved up a lot of money and traded the rattletrap station wagon he'd driven for a used--but sleek and stylish--teal-green convertible.
Gomamon popped up out of his medical bag in the backseat and crawled up to sit next to him. For once, Goma was silent. Joe wasn't sure whether he was so depressed that he was rubbing off on his Digimon, or if Goma could actually tell that he wasn't up for one of their playful arguments. Instead, the seal-like digimon curled up against him and fell asleep, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
Joe had thought that his going off to college at the start of the school year would put the distance between him and Mimi, but at least that way he was closer to home and could see her on weekends and holidays. Now he'd practically never see her in person. Maybe she'd come and stay a month with Sora during the summer. But this--this was awful. He loved her, not with the teenage first love he'd had for her when they'd started dating, but he was honestly beginning to think of her in marriage terms. Now he might never be able to tell her.
Mimi got settled in her seat, Palmon in the seat next to her, sleeping comfortably. She pulled out her D-terminal.
The little palmtop computers were the latest rage in Tokyo. They had Internet, e-mail, and instant messaging, as well as being able to store files. Since she was going away, she'd bought one for each of the DigiDestined to make it easier to keep in touch.
She opened hers and started it. "Oooh! Sora's on!"
She instant-messaged back and forth with Sora for a little while, but Sora had to get off, and what Mimi really wanted was to talk to Joe, who wasn't on. Mimi decided it couldn't hurt for her to follow Palmon's example and catch a few Z's to help cope with the jet lag.
Mimi quickly settled into her new home, new routine, new school. She found herself quickly among the popular group. Rather than trying to conform to New York's style, she wore what she knew was popular in Japan and became a trendsetter. She made a few friends in the popular clique, but she didn't really get close to anyone. She was still in touch with Sora and Joe, and her other DigiDestined friends.
Until, of course, the one day she got in an argument with Palmon.
Mimi was cutting through Central Park on her way home. Palmon was complaining about the cramped space of Mimi's bookbag and saying she should get a larger one, and Mimi was saying that she'd spent a fortune on the designer pink bag. Then Palmon began complaining about how that had never bothered her before, and began wriggling around and got her head out of the bag so Mimi could hear her better. Mimi had set the bag down and knelt next to it to reprimand Palmon for letting herself be seen in public like that.
"Excuse me?" a voice said.
Mimi looked up.
There stood a boy her own age that she'd seen around school, in a few of her classes. He was a little taller than her and had longish, corkscrew-curly blond hair. He was staring at Palmon.
~He's kind of cute.~ Mimi blushed, partly from Palmon's antics and partly from her own thoughts of the boy. "See, Palmon?" she murmured. Then, louder so the boy could hear, "Yes? Did you want something?" ~He's going to ask what Palmon is and spread it around school that the new girl has an alien friend. My life is over...~
She noted how deep his voice was as he spoke again. "My name is Michael, and this may sound like a strange question, but is your little friend there a digimon?"
~WHAT?!!?~ Mimi's jaw dropped. "Why, yes, this is Palmon...but how could you know that she's a--"
Michael set his own backpack on the ground and knelt next to it. He unzipped it, and out crawled a basketball-sized green creature with red stripes and a red fin down its back. Its overall shape reminded Mimi of her Otamamon friends. "This is my friend, Betamon."
Mimi gawked.
"I saw you having conversations with your backpack all the time, and then today when--Palmon--popped out, I just had to know. I wanted to know that I wasn't the only one."
"No...no, you're not...there's seven more of us DigiDestined back where I come from..."
"Seven?! Wow...We're called DigiDestined, huh? That's cool. Say, what did you say your name was?"
"I'm Tachi--" Mimi caught herself. ~Given name first, then family name. Silly Americans.~ "My name is Mimi, Mimi Tachikawa."
"Mimi Tah-chee-kaw-a. That's an interesting name."
"Thank you."
"Well, Mimi, I think the least I could do--if you have the time--is take you out for a milkshake and we could exchange stories."
Mimi nodded. "I'd like that. I'm just as curious to hear your story as you must be to hear mine."
It turned out that Michael had become a DigiDestined at the same time Mimi and her friends had. He had faced Gorillamon in New York with Betamon while the kids were fighting Myotismon in Tokyo.
It surprised Mimi to know that there were other kids. She wondered if maybe there were even more kids around the world. But she didn't have long to think about it before Michael walked her home.
"I had a great time, Mimi. It's so wonderful to know I'm not alone in being DigiDestined."
"I had a good time, too, Michael. I'll see you in school tomorrow?"
"Yeah. See you." He flashed her a smile as he left.
~He's so cute...and nice, too...and DigiDestined.~ Mimi was so distracted as she walked to her room, she could barely hear her D-terminal beeping. When it finally dawned on her what the sound was, she found Sora quite impatient.
They instant-messaged. Sora told Mimi that the "new DigiDestined", Davis, Cody, and Yolei--and, more recently, Ken-- wanted to meet her. "They've met the rest of us. Can you fly to Tokyo sometime soon?" Sora had typed.
~I want to meet them, too. Ever since Sora told me about these new kids I've wanted to see what they're like.~ "Remember school?" Mimi typed back. "It may be Christmas before I'm free. :-("
"^.^** Well, come Christmas, can you come stay a week with me?????"
"I get out of school for two weeks. I can spend one with you and one here with my family."
"Sounds like a plan--hey, Joe's on, I'll let you go."
"OK. Bai bai!"
Mimi then got an e-mail from Joe. "Mimichan? Are you there? I want to call, on the phone."
He always e-mailed to check. She e-mailed him back. "Ready and waiting!"
In a few minutes her phone rang. "Moshi, moshi, Mimi here!"
"Mimichan...love...it's been a while since we've talked."
"Joe-kun...ohh...yes, it has..."
"And there's been a reason. I've been thinking."
~What? Has he found another girl? Could he really--~ "What's the matter, Joe-kun?" she asked, unable to keep the concern out of her voice.
"It's about us. I've decided that this whole long-distance relationship isn't fair to you. I'm nineteen, so I don't mind waiting for you. But, Mimichan, you're only seventeen. You should be out dating, having a good time."
"If I want a good time, I just call up some of my girlfriends. I don't miss guys and dating in general, I miss *you*."
"Mimichan, this is hard for me. Don't make it harder. I think there are only two fair ways to do this, and one I can't do right now. If you were a bit older, my age, I would ask you to marry me and the whole matter would be settled. But now, now you should be free. I'm sure there are guys in New York you'd like to go out with. I know you haven't, Mimichan, I trust you, but this has got to be hard on you. I want you to be happy. I'm going to wait for you, Mimichan. There is no other girl that could make me happy. But in the meantime, I want you to feel free to date other guys. I want you to quit calling me your boyfriend and have some fun while you're young enough to enjoy it. In two or three years, when you're old enough to promise yourself, I'll ask you to. And if you've found someone else that makes you happier, then I'm out of luck."
"You're dumping me?"
"No, I'm releasing you."
"But, Joe-kun, I'm happy. I love you. There are no other guys." ~Is that true, Mimi? Just a few minutes ago you were all eyes for Michael.~
"Mimichan--Mimi. Mimi, I can't hold you down like this. You have to fly and be free. We'll still talk if you want, but I'll keep my true feelings to myself."
"No! Joe-kun! I--"
He hung up.
Mimi hung up her phone and sank to the floor, tears cascading like a fountain. "But, Joe-kun...I love you with all my heart." ~I may not be old enough in your eyes, but if you did ask me to marry you I'd gladly say yes and keep myself for you, no matter how long I have to wait. Until I'm nineteen, until I'm twenty-one, until you finish med school, until we're both old and gray...~ She let her tears fall and ignored the instant-message beep from her D-terminal. No one could help her, not even Sora.
Mimi said nothing to her school friends. None of them knew she'd had a boyfriend. Michael had found out that day, but she hadn't talked to him about Joe in detail. She talked with Michael almost exclusively from that point on. She saw the popular crowd in a different light, and she didn't want to deal with those emotionless, giggling ditzes. She knew she could be like that at times, too, but she had feeling underneath. She stood up for what she believed in. She wondered if any of those girls believed in anything.
Michael was more than glad to shower her with attention. She told him that Joe had "released" her, but she didn't say that his doing so made her feel more imprisoned than keeping herself for him had.
At first, Michael continued to be just a friend, but after a few weeks, when Mimi was returning to her more cheerful self, he asked her for a date.
"Michael," she said, "I don't care what he says. I'm not dating anyone else. I think when he realizes that I won't go on dates even when I'm free to do it, it will snap him back to the reality that I love him, and be a greater expression of my love than anything else I could have done."
Michael nodded. "Well, couldn't we just go out as friends?"
Mimi bit her lip. She knew she shouldn't. She knew better. But it sounded so tempting. ~He's DigiDestined, after all. There's no reason we can't hang out as friends.~
"There's a movie opening Saturday..."
Mimi nodded. "All right. Saturday afternoon, then?"
"Saturday afternoon," he smiled.
It caught her off guard again. ~THAT WAS THE STUPIDEST THING YOU'VE EVER DONE, TACHIKAWA MIMI!~ she screamed inwardly. ~YOU'RE GOING TO KILL YOURSELF IN THE MORNING!~
The next day was Friday, and she didn't get to talk to Michael. On Saturday, he picked her up at the appointed hour.
They saw a movie, and then Michael took her for pizza.
When he took her home, they stood right outside the apartment door.
"I had a good time, Michael. Thanks for taking me."
"I had a really good time, too, Mimi. I'm glad I finally got to take you."
~Oh maaaaan, here it comes...~ she thought.
He put a hand on her shoulder and pulled her close to kiss her.
She tried to jerk back, she really did, but he put his hands around her waist and she couldn't. The kiss got deeper and less relenting until finally Mimi gave in. ~May as well let him have his one kiss and get it out of his system.~ She kissed back, just a little. ~This isn't like Joe's kisses. Joe is better at this. Or maybe it's just because Michael is a different guy.~
Michael took her tiny amount of encouragement the wrong way and the kiss became even deeper. They leaned against the wall. Mimi was glad her parents weren't home. They went on until finally they had to break for air.
"Michael."
"Yes, Mimi?"
"Don't you *ever* do that again." Mimi grasped his arms and pushed them off of herself and went into the apartment. He tried to follow but she slammed the door in his face and locked it.
Immediately, she called Sora on her telephone.
"Moshi, mo--"
"Oh, forget it, Sora, I need to talk."
"Mimi! What's the matter?"
"Didn't Joe tell any of you guys what he did?"
"Nooooo..."
"Well, he broke up with me. He dumped me for me."
"What? Mimi? I feel like I should be saying, 'No way, he didn't!', but I'm not sure I understand."
"He decided that I should be free to date other guys, even though he's waiting for me."
"Just now?" Sora asked indignantly.
"No, actually, a few weeks ago. I figured he'd tell you."
"Oh, Mimi, I'm so sorry. Why didn't you call me then?"
"Because you couldn't have helped. But I need a listening ear now."
"Talk it out of your system, girl."
"One of the things I'm best at," Mimi said. "Look, I vowed to myself that even though I was free to do it, I wasn't going to date any guys. There's no one but Joe, Sora. He is my world. I love him. Well, I have this friend at school. His name's Michael. I told him about what Joe had done, and as soon as he sees I'm starting to be happy again in spite of what Joe did, he asks for a date. I told him no. Then he asks if we can go out as friends. I agreed, and everything was fine until just now, when he dropped me off. He forced a kiss on me."
"What?!"
"He put his arms around me and I couldn't get away, and he kissed me. I tried to resist at first, but then I figure if he gets it out of his system he might stop bugging me. So then he really kisses me. When he finally stopped, I got out of his arms and into this apartment as fast as I could."
"Oh, Mimi. Good for you. Do you think maybe he wants--"
"What? No! As persistent as he is I don't think he wants *that* from me. And *that* is one thing only Joe gets. After I get a ring and a ceremony."
Sora giggled. "So you think he's just too stubborn for his own good?"
"Yeah."
Sora sighed. "Well, this explains why Joe's been so depressed these past few weeks. I'll try to talk some sense into him. And, Mimi, don't worry. This has nothing to do with another girl."
Mimi bristled. "Did I say--"
"No, but you *thought*! I haven't been your best friend for nine years for nothing!"
Mimi laughed. "Fine. Thanks, Sora."
"You're welcome."
"Bye," Mimi said.
"Bye."
The next Monday at school, Michael apologized. "I'm sorry, Mimi. I shouldn't have kissed you like that when you didn't want it. This Joe fellow must mean an awful lot to you, and besides, if we started dating it would ruin a beautiful friendship. I...wouldn't want to lose contact with my only fellow DigiDestined."
Mimi accepted the apology and forgave him. "I know it must have been awfully lonely for you these four years before you knew about the rest of us."
"Well, think, I thought the fate of two entire worlds rested solely on my shoulders. I'm glad to have that weight lifted, or made lighter, at least."
Mimi shook her head, not able to even imagine such a feeling.
The few months passed quickly. Mimi tried to be herself for the sake of her few friends, and avoided guys altogether, except her "just" friend Michael. Finally, December rolled around. Plans were finalized, and she was off to spend a week with Sora.
Sora met her alone at the airport. She'd hoped Joe would have come for old time's sake at least.
"Mimi!"
"Sora!"
The two girls met in a giant hug.
"Did you have a nice trip?"
"Flying sucks," Mimi said, wrinkling her nose. "This one stewardess wore this *nasty* perfume...but anyway, where is everyone? I'd braced myself for the welcoming committee."
"We'll meet up with them later, come on, Mom is waiting in the car. Let's get your bags and hurry."
Mimi had restrained herself and managed to get everything she'd need for the week into two suitcases. "Just be thankful I didn't let Mom pack," Mimi said as Sora groaned at the weight.
Soon enough, they walked into Sora's apartment.
"SURPRISE!"
Mimi gasped. All her old DigiDestined friends were there. Sora, of course, and Kari, T.K., Matt, Izzy, Tai...and Joe.
She ran to Joe first and threw herself into his arms, almost forgetting for a moment that he had broken up with her. "I missed you so much!"
There wasn't much he could do but hug her back, stiffly. "We all missed you, Mimi."
She noticed the "chan" that had disappeared, but she didn't make a fuss over it. She promised herself she'd get at least one date with him during this week. ~Oh, Joe-kun. You don't get it, do you?~
Instead, she got into the groove of the party and had a good time for her friends' sake.
Afterward, Joe was the first to leave. ~He probably finds it too hard to be around me. JOOOOOE-KUUUUN!~
When everyone was gone and she and Sora were in their pajamas, and their two Digimon asleep, they laid in Sora's bed and talked about everything. "You didn't have to throw me another party," Mimi said.
"Yes I did! I'm sorry I couldn't get anything through Joe's head in time for him to give you a hello kiss."
"It's okay, Sora. I know more than anyone else how stubborn he can be."
"Still..." Sora said, feeling bad.
"Don't worry over it. In fact, I order you to change the subject."
Sora laughed. "So, how's everything in America?"
"Actually, remember I told you about that guy, Michael?"
"Yeah. Is he still on your case?"
"No. He apologized and he's my only real friend. What I wanted to tell you about him, is that I never told you he's DigiDestined."
"He's what?"
"I know, you could have knocked me over with a feather when I found out. He saw me with Palmon and asked if she was a digimon, and when I said she was he opened his backpack and showed me his digimon, Betamon."
"Betamon?"
"Think Otamamon, about this big--" --Mimi spread her hands-- "and with green-and-red stripes. And a red fin down his back."
"Wow." Sora shook her head.
"He has one of the old Digivices, like ours. He was fighting Gorillamon in New York City the exact same time we were dealing with Myotismon. He thought he was the only DigiDestined until he met me and I told him about our group in Japan. He didn't even know what we were called."
"Wow. I'll have to meet him sometime."
"Next time I come to visit I'll see what I can do about bringing him."
"Yeah. Just wait until we tell the others!"
"I know!" Mimi squealed.
They finally went to sleep around two o'clock and they found it tough the next morning.
"What's the plan for today?" Mimi asked, yawning widely.
"Nothing, really," Sora said. "I thought you might want to meet the new DigiDestined, but then I thought maybe you'd want to call Joe and go from there."
"I want to go on at least one date with him while I'm here, but I don't know what he'll do. Let's meet the new kids today. I'll call him tonight."
"All right," Sora said. "I'll call Kari and have her round up everyone at school."
"Okay!"
Sora and Mimi beat the new group to the school.
"They're coming," Sora said. "I can hear Yolei and Davis's banter from all the way down the hall."
Mimi laughed. A few minutes later she was introduced to the new DigiDestined team. She knew Kari and T.K., of course, but then there was the new leader, Davis Motomiya, who looked and acted a lot like Tai, Cody Hida, a quiet, younger boy, Yolei Inoue, a tall girl that Mimi immediately clicked with, and Ken Ichijouji, who Mimi thought was standoffish. Later Sora explained all the stuff about his having been the Digimon Emporer, and Mimi understood his reluctance.
After the introductions, the group went out for pizza--Mimi's treat.
That night, Mimi called Joe.
"Moshi, moshi, Kido desu."
"Jim? Is Joe there?"
"JOOOOO-OOOOOE! It's your GIRRRRRLLLLLFRIEEEEENNNNND!!!"
Mimi grinned. ~Just like old times.~
"Sorry about that, Mimi..." Joe said. "He still thinks that you're--"
"Why can't I be, Joe-kun?"
"I explained it to you, Mimi..."
"*Joe.* I have gone on *one* date since that happened. It was a strictly friends date. He tried to kiss me and I pushed him away. He knew very well that I had you. He apologized and said that I must care an awful lot about you. We're friends now. And he was right. I *do* care about you. If you want, I can give you his phone number and you can call him right now, on me, and ask him how miserable I was when you broke up with me."
"Mimi, it just isn't right."
"What isn't right is I have yet to get a hello kiss from you. All I ever wanted I found in you. Joe-kun, when Michael tried to kiss me, I couldn't help but feel what it was like. And you know what? It didn't affect me. It was just a kiss. Just my mouth and his touching. With you, something happens. My breath catches and I can't think and nothing is important to me but you. Joe, you have to believe me, I'm miserable not being tied down to you."
"Mimi, I can't. It wouldn't be right. I wouldn't feel right."
"Joe-kun, let's go on a date. You take me out once and just see how right it feels. I know that when I hugged you yesterday, up until you hugged me so stiffly like I was a stranger, it felt...so...*right*."
"Fine. When do you want to go, Mimi?"
"Anytime."
"You're leaving Saturday morning?"
"Yes."
"Then...how's Thursday night?"
"Perfect! I'll see you then, if not before."
"Bye."
"Bye!" Mimi hung up. "My work here is done," she told Sora. "If things go as planned, I'll have done everything I wanted while I'm in Tokyo."
The next day Mimi, Sora, Kari, and Yolei went on a shopping spree, again Mimi's treat.
"I can afford it. I'll never use all this money for myself," she reminded her friends. By the end of the day, Yolei looked up to Mimi practically like an older sister. The all-girl foursome spent much of the week together. On Wednesday, the old group and the new group all got together for a game of soccer. Of course, both teams were short members (soccer teams are supposed to have nine players), but no one minded. Mimi, Sora, Tai, T.K., Ken and Davis ended up beating Kari, Yolei, Izzy, Cody, Joe and Matt.
Izzy did a strange thing and asked all the old group to give him their Digivices. He said he was trying something out and needed all of them, as well as one of the new models, a D-3. Kari gave him hers.
When Thursday night rolled around, Mimi was almost as nervous as the first time Joe had taken her on a date. That had been after he'd admitted his feelings for her at the school's Spring Dance.
She played with her hair. She wasn't sure how he'd like the outfit she'd chosen--the one she'd been wearing at that dance.
"Mimi, Joe's car just pulled up outside!" Sora called from the living room.
Mimi came out into the living room and went out the door, not wanting Sora's parents to catch them and give the whole "Drive safely, be careful, be back by ten" speech. She sat on the balcony, watching him come from the street to the building, and then sat watching the sunset.
"Mimi?" she heard him ask.
She turned to face him. "Joe-kun!" She jumped down off the railing and into his arms. "I've missed you *so* *much*!"
"Mimi, don't get carried away."
"That's Mimichan to you."
"Mimi--Mimichan. It's been so long since I've called you that I've almost forgotten the sound of it."
"I never did," Mimi said in a whisper.
Joe was silent. They walked, arm-in-arm, down to his car. He opened her door for her, got in, and they were off.
He took her to see a movie; but it didn't interest her. She watched him instead.
~He still cares, I know he does. He's just too stubborn to admit it.~
Joe was thinking his own set of thoughts. ~She's serious. She really wants me to go back to the way things were. But I can't. I could never ask her to wait for me. She needs to be out there, have a chance to see that there are other guys out there. She's too young to make a decision like this. So no matter how much I want to, I can't let her know that I'm miserable, too.~
When the mushy end of the movie came, Mimi put her hand over Joe's. He pulled away from her touch.
"Joe-kun..."
"No, Mimi."
At dinner Joe was as stiff as ever. He ate in silence, no matter how Mimi tried to persuade him to talk.
"Joe-kun, don't you still care? What happened? Is there--is there someone else?"
"Huh? No! There's no one else but you--" Joe stopped himself short. ~I *KNEW* that I'd end up blurting that sooner or later!~
"You still care!" Mimi cried excitedly. She threw her arms around him, but he pushed her away. "Joe-kun? You *do* still care about me, don't you?"
"Yes, Mimi. I care. I care enough to not let this happen. This long-distance relationship will never work. Come on, let's go home." He led her to the car and they drove home in silence, he being in too much inner turmoil to talk, and her too angry at him for not opening his heart to her like he once had.
She got out of the car and marched up to Sora's apartment with a stiff upper lip. She got into her pajamas and fell into bed without a word. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she burst into tears. "Joe-kuuuuunnnnn..."
The next day Mimi slept late. Sora finally woke her because she was bored being alone.
"What is it, Sora? Go away."
"I went to bed early, and so I want to know what happened last night."
Mimi sat up. Her eyes were still red from crying the night before. "He--he cares--but he won't let himself show it."
"Oh. He's still being stubborn?"
"Yeeeee-eeees!" Mimi started crying again.
"Well, that jerk. We have got to knock some sense into him."
"How?" Mimi asked between sobs.
Sora didn't answer.
Around noon, they got a call from Izzy. Both girls stood by the phone and Sora held the phone where they could both hear.
"Sora! Mimi! Everyone's coming to my place for a meeting. The new kids too. Can you be here by one?"
Sora glanced at the clock. "I think so, Izzy. We'll be there."
"All right. See you then. I have some more phone calls to make."
"Bye!" Mimi and Sora chorused.
"I wonder what it's about," Mimi wondered aloud as Sora hung up the phone.
"I bet it has something to do with our Digivices," Sora said.
"Oh yeah," Mimi said. She'd almost forgotten that Izzy had them.
The two hurried to get changed into nicer clothes, and then ran to get there on time.
They were the last ones to arrive. The meeting was going on in Izzy's room. "Now that you two have arrived, I can go on. First off, these are my Christmas presents to all of the old group." Izzy handed a small package wrapped in paper covered with holly berries to all the older kids. "Matt, Joe, Tai, Sora, and Mimi. Open them!"
The kids did so with curiosity, only to find their Digivices.
Davis gave Izzy a strange look. "Some present. You borrow their digivices and then make a big deal out of giving them back."
Izzy chuckled. "The present is in the fact that I modified them, speaking of which, here's your D-3 back, Kari." Izzy handed the pink Digivice back to its owner.
"What did you do to them, Izzy?" Tai asked.
"Observe," Izzy said. He took his own digivice and turned toward his laptop, which was booted and running. He held his digivice toward the monitor. "DigiPort open!"
Sure enough, it worked, even though it was an old-model Digivice.
Everyone stared in amazement.
"So our present is that we now have the ability to go back and forth to the DigiWorld whenever we want?" Matt asked. "Now *that* is a cool present!"
Mimi started crying.
Sora put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Mimi, Mimi, what's wrong?"
"Wrong? Who said anything was wrong?" She walked over and into Joe's arms. "We can see each other anytime now," she said.
He hugged her tightly, and kissed the top of her head. "I know...I know..."
"Joe-kun?" she asked, looking up into his face.
"Mimichan..." he said quietly.
She stood on her tiptoes and he leaned down and kissed her.
"Oh, how *romantic*!" Yolei gushed.
"That's disgusting..." Davis said.
Kari came up from behind him and put a hand on his shoulder. "I don't know, Davis. I think I'll have to side with Yolei on this one," she said, tauntingly.
Davis sweatdropped. "Well, then again..."
Everyone laughed.
Davis looked down at Veemon.
Veemon looked up at Davis. "You don't need to ask me. Yes, you did it again."
The next day, Joe was there to say goodbye at the airport. Again, Sora had stayed away to give them their space, especially now that they'd just re-found each other.
He cradled her in his arms. "I'll miss you, Mimichan..."
"We'll be seeing each other every day," Mimi said.
"Yeah. But I can still miss you in between."
"You better!" she said, playfully bopping him on the arm.
"You don't have to tell me twice." He pulled her a bit closer.
She looked up into his deep, intelligent eyes.
They both moved at the same time and kissed.
~I was right, Michael's kiss was nothing compared to this!~
~I've missed this so bad...and now I'll get it every day! This is the best thing that ever happened to me!~
"Gate 135 now boarding!"
Mimi jerked back. She paused to catch her breath. "That's my flight..."
"Well, go on. Don't be late. Meet me for picnic lunch in the DigiWorld tomorrow? I'll bring the food..."
"You bet! See ya tomorrow, Joe-kun!"
Mimi ran off to catch her plane, and Joe just stood with a finger on his lips where they'd kissed.
"I LOVE YOU, MIMICHAN!"
A/N: I didn't find out until the other day that D-Terminals came from the DigiWorld. For the sake of the story, the older kids all got theirs from Mimi and the new kids got theirs from the DigiWorld.
Mmm, if I get a few reviews on this I'll post my other Mimoe. Lots more tension in that one. Teenage angst. Of late, I seem to be an expert on that...it really, really, really, sucks.