Author's Note: Welcome! I'm starlightment, but you can call me Star, and I'll be your author for this Digimon fanfic! :) I won't bore you with a long-winded explanation of how this story came to be, but the short end of it is that I have an obsession with Digimon and AU fanfiction. Therefore, I give you 'About Us'! It's a multi-chapter Digimon AU that chronicles the Chosen Children's lives as they navigate through their college years. Relationships, newfound adulthood, drama, laughter, friendship... Everything that makes up a good coming-of-age tale! So, without further ado...
About Us
A Digimon Fanfiction
January 8th, 2016
"Hi, you've reached Sora. Sorry I can't take your call right now, but leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks!"
BEEP.
"Hi, you've reached Sora. Sorry I can't take your call right now, but leave a message and I'll —"
BEEP.
"Hi, you've reached Sora. Sorry I can't —"
BEEP.
"Hi, you —"
BEEP.
"Hey… Sora. It's me. Matt. Uh… I tried calling yesterday, but I got your voicemail. Again. I also tried calling on Wednesday. And Tuesday. And Monday. But I guess you've been pretty busy this week. Or you're just ignoring my calls, which makes more sense, but… I dunno. I just… I miss you.
"God, I didn't mean for that to sound so pathetic and creepy. Just… scratch that last part. Or something.
"You know what? Just scratch this entire message. It's almost midnight and you're probably sick of my calls by now. I'll just… hang up now…
"Wait… Dammit. No. I miss you, Sora. What even happened to us? How'd we get here? Everything was fine and then it just… wasn't. I know I made mistakes, but you know what? So did you. We always used to be able to fix our mistakes together. Remember that? A couple. A team. But I guess we've been forgetting a lot of things lately, right? I just want you to know that… I'm not over it. I'm not over you, Sora. I don't think I'll ever be. I wanna go back to the way we were. The old us. The good us. The us that doesn't keep secrets and give up on each other. I just want you to let me love you again.
"… Uh, anyway. Sorry about… that. I'd actually be surprised if you're still listening to this message. But if you are… The reason I called tonight is because I'm outside. Outside your apartment, I mean. Yeah. I drove here. I probably should've given you a heads up. Or at least waited until morning. But I guess I haven't been thinking straight lately.
"So I don't wanna put on any pressure or anything, but it's pretty cold out here… Freezing, actually. I forgot my coat at home, which would really come in handy right about now, but… You probably don't care, do you? Right. Why would you? It's not like you were expecting me tonight.
"Sora… I know you're awake. I can see the light on in your room from outside your window. At least I think that's your window. If not, then I've been stalking Mimi for ten whole minutes now.
"If you're still listening to this, then… I guess, in my mind, I imagined you letting me stay the night. I could sleep on the couch if it makes you feel better. The floor, even. Or I could just pitch a tent and freeze to death out here. Your choice.
"… I'm out here, Sora. I'm out here waiting in the cold and I love you. I'll wait all weekend if I have to…
"… Because I'm not going anywhere."
August 1st, 2015
Unbelievable. Simply un-freaking-believable.
Mimi drummed her impeccably polished nails against the tabletop with disdain as she watched yet another group of air-headed students walk right by her beautifully decorated display without so much as a passing glance. With narrowed eyes, she grabbed the blank clipboard in front of her and leapt to her feet. She did not spend twenty-five dollars on poster board and FabuDazzle glitter glue just to be ignored all afternoon.
"Ahem! Attention, fellow students!" Mimi called out in her grandest theatrical voice, causing quite a few heads to turn, prompting her to add, "Well, only the talented ones."
There was a silent, but collective groan from her audience.
"Come sign up for Mimi's Musical Revue Extravaganza! I need dancers, instrument players, and anyone who can carry a tune to perform backup for the show's star — me!" She waved the clipboard in the air and the sparkly pink pen that goes with it. "Don't miss out on the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to perform in the school's biggest musical event of the year —"
It was clear that everyone had already tuned her out as the throngs of students continued to buzz with excitement — at every booth except her own. The student activity fair was officially in full swing, but Mimi's audition sheet had only garnered sign-ups from a scrawny girl wearing neon leggings and a chemistry club weirdo who desperately needed to pluck his unibrow.
Tossing the miserable excuse for a sign-up sheet back onto the table, Mimi plopped herself down into her chair and pouted. It was completely inconceivable how she hadn't received even a flicker of interest from anyone who even remotely reached her standards — especially when she was having such a good hair day. In high school, Mimi could've snapped her fingers and instantly had the entire student body eagerly lined up before lunch time.
But, as she quickly learned within the first few years, college was not like high school.
Her new instructors didn't favor her. Her fellow performing arts majors didn't bow down to her. In high school, the lead roles in all the productions were a given, but Mimi wasn't used to having real competition from hopeful performers who were equally as ruthless — and talented — as she was. She was a little fish in a big pond now, but secretly craved the safety of high school's shallow kiddie pool where she wasn't just another pretty ingenue with a gorgeous voice and Rockette-worthy legs.
And so Mimi took the old adage of 'when life gives you lemons' to heart. Mimi's Musical Revue Extravaganza was going to be the sweetest, most delicious lemonade this university had ever tasted — a performance where she was guaranteed to showcase her immense talent. A performance where she could claim the spotlight that was so rightfully hers.
But first she needed people to sign up. A star is only half as good without proper back-up. As her forehead met the tabletop, Mimi began planning her emergency measures. She knew she could count on her fellow sorority sister, Yolei, to handle all the technical responsibilities of the show. She might even be able to coerce her best friend and roommate, Sora, into stage managing. TK, Izzy, Kari, and the others might even pitch in if she begged hard enough, but not only were they — sadly — of similar social caliber to herself, it still left a gaping hole in the 'leading man' department. Mimi's first instinct was to ask Matt, but his band's rising popularity across campus would surely outshine her unfortunate anonymity. So not happening.
She needed someone with just enough social clout to attract an audience without stealing her thunder. She needed someone handsome. She needed someone popular. She needed someone to come along and catch her before she falls.
"Uh, Mimi?"
However, she really wasn't expecting her saving grace to come in the form of Tai Kamiya.
The girl's head shot up just in time to notice that familiar mop of messy brown hair looming over her table. He looked particularly disheveled in his soccer uniform, an athletic bag hanging off one shoulder, but Mimi's eyes still lit up like a holiday display.
She may never understand how someone like Tai had managed to climb higher up on the collegiate social ladder than she had. Apparently one of the few similarities between college and high school was that playing for the school's soccer team was revered as a god-like honor, which clearly explained how Tai had rounded up his supposed popularity, but it did not explain Mimi's tragic fall-from-grace. Still, her voluminous brunette head quickly started concocting a plan and if that meant playing nice with some hair-brained jocks, then so be it.
"Tai!" Mimi squealed with delight just as a crowd of students walked by. "So glad you stopped by!"
The passersby began to whisper and murmur curiously to one another, but Tai just raised an eyebrow under Mimi's beaming grin. It was strange, he thought, seeing her out of her natural habitat — strutting down a hallway with a nonfat soy latte in hand as the crowds of underclassmen parted for her like the Red Sea. Given the fact that the pair could hardly make it through an entire conversation without bickering, the last thing Tai had expected was for Mimi Tachikawa to greet him — with a smile, nonetheless.
Mimi maintained her facade — quite impressively, Tai had to admit — until the crowd of onlookers had passed. Only then was Tai able to detect the tightness behind her seemingly genuine grin.
"Oh, thank god," Mimi groaned, shoving the clipboard into Tai's hands. "Quick — sign your name and pretend to look interested."
Tai was dumbfounded by the unexpected request and just stared quizzically at the girl. "Um… hello to you, too?"
"Are you dumb and deaf?" She impatiently tapped the clipboard with a sharply manicured nail. "Sign."
"Hold on a sec," Tai demanded as he dropped the sign-up sheet onto the table, much to Mimi's aggravation. "I was just walking back from soccer practice. I didn't come by here just so I could sign up for… whatever it is you're trying to do. Manipulating the whole school into thinking you're some kind of queen, probably."
The jock took a step back to get a good look at the flamboyant and sparkly display in front of him. The upright poster board read proudly, 'Mimi's Musical Revue Extravaganza!', and was littered with star stickers and glamorous pictures from the girl's glory days as their high school's resident leading lady. All Tai could do was wince.
"That's cute, but I don't need to do any manipulating," Mimi smirked haughtily as she gave her hair a good fluff. "It's obvious that I'm already royalty."
"Yeah, a royal pain in everybody's ass," Tai retorted. "You know, there's probably a reason why you have to force people to sign up."
She huffed an indignant breath at the boy's apparent scorn, but — in true Mimi fashion — didn't allow it to deter her confidence. "Mimi's Musical Revue Extravaganza is going to be the talk of the campus once it gets on its feet. I can already imagine interviews with the school paper, certificates of appreciation from the Dean — no, wait — a statue erected in my honor! I'm giving people the chance to share the stage with me, so if intimidation is this so-called 'reason' you're talking about, then yes. I couldn't agree more."
Shaking his head of bushy hair, Tai sighed. "Guess some people never change… See you around, princess. Or better yet, not."
As Tai turned his back to leave, all Mimi could see was her last chance for collegiate stardom slipping through the cracks of her fingers. Ending her day at the activity fair without a single notable signature would mean failure — a word that had no place in the girl's vocabulary. She pursed her glossy pink lips and splayed her palms on the tabletop.
"You know, Tai, I think that Sora would be happy to participate in my show if I asked her," Mimi's mouth lifted up into a victorious smile as she watched Tai's retreating back freeze in place. "After all, I am her best friend. And we tell each other everything —"
Tai spun around and marched back over to the table. He stood mere inches from Mimi's wicked grin, arms crossed in a silent challenge. "What do you want, Mimi?"
"A semi-competent performance partner."
"And what makes you think that I'm the guy for the job?"
"For some reason you have juice at this school — which continues to confuse me, but whatever," she waved a dismissive hand in the air. "It's simple. You sign up, I get my leading man, and just enough street credit to put my show on the map."
Tai narrowed his eyes harshly. "Wait a sec — but what do I get out of this?"
"Oh, don't act like you don't know," Mimi planted her hands on her well-defined hips with a hard eye roll. "In case your hair is actually absorbing away at your memory, we've known each other for a while now. I know a few things about you, Tai Kamiya. Things that you might prefer to be kept a secret —"
"Alright, I'm done here," Tai threw his hands up in defeat and frantically tucked away the vestiges of anxiety he felt toward the girl's words. "Good luck with your little show, but I'm out."
Mimi's composure snapped before Tai could even attempt to turn around again. She surged forward to grab the boy's wrist with desperation and surprising strength, lowering her voice to a frightening octave. "Take one more step, hair-for-brains, and I tell everyone that you're hardcore crushing on your best friend's girlfriend."
Tai, who often prided himself on his unflinching courage, was rendered speechless by Mimi's intense glare.
"I might not be the queen I was in high school anymore, but I still know how to spread a good rumor," and with that, Mimi's expression instantly melted into one of pure innocence as she released her hold on Tai's wrist. She batted her long lashes and smoothed out the bottom of her pink skirt before demurely taking a seat in her chair. "The decision is yours."
Tai was right — some people never change. And Mimi's uncanny ability to get her way through any merciless means necessary was certainly living proof of that. The jock's mouth went dry at the mere thought of word getting out about his hidden feelings for Sora. He'd kept the truth to himself — for good reason — since their early high school days and he could only imagine the kind of terrible (and inevitable) backlash he'd have to face from Matt.
She may be lacking a moral conscience at times, but Mimi certainly had a knack for picking up on subtle romantic affections. And Tai had no trouble believing that this little pink terror would make good on her threat if he chose to defy her. His friendship with Matt — and Sora — meant too much for him to let it crumble in the face of one of Mimi's petty schemes.
Tai hated that she was right. He hated that she had won.
"Fine. Okay? Fine. Sign me up," he reached for the pen and scribbled his name aggressively onto the clipboard. "But just don't let anyone see, got it?"
Mimi squealed at an ungodly pitch — forcing Tai to cover his ears — and clapped her hands together in celebration. That one sloppy signature was a beacon of hope for her show and her tarnished popularity. She could feel a crown atop her brunette head already.
"Rehearsals start Monday at seven, sharp. Don't be late!"
August 13th, 2015
It was becoming increasingly clear that Kari Kamiya desperately needed to invest in a day planner. Or a beeper. Or anything to keep her twenty-minute power naps in the darkroom from creeping up to the hour mark and ruining her schedule.
Because who had time to get a proper amount of sleep when there was homework to do? Photo shoots to attend? Portfolios to compile? She had to take it where she could get it.
A lack of sleep, however, was the least of Kari's concerns. She would happily give up a week's worth of rest if it meant she could make time to start taking her own pictures again. It seemed ironic that she came to college to do just that, but has yet to spend any time developing photos that she's passionate about. Instead, she busied herself with sprinting from class to class, studio to studio, photo shoot to photo shoot. Overcommitment, apparently, was Kari's fatal flaw. But the soft-spoken and outrageously generous photographer just couldn't bring herself to say no to a request from a fellow student to help her with her lighting technique. Or a theatre major looking for updated head shots. Or the editor-in-chief of the school paper begging for her help after their resident photographer unexpectedly quit a few days prior.
It warmed her heart to do good, but she often found herself missing those quiet afternoons holed up in her high school's photography classroom with nothing but her Nikon and a fresh roll of film to keep her company.
Kari was even beginning to question her ability to capture anything good. In high school, her friends served as her muses — their lively spirits and contagious energy made the creative juices in Kari's head flow freely through her veins. And as depressing as it was to admit, she had yet to find something — or someone — equally as inspiring now that they all had their own scattered schedules to attend to.
Those disheartening thoughts haunted Kari's mind as she skidded down the pristine marble hallway of the performing arts building, clutching a thick manilla folder of printed photos to her chest. She had agreed to step in for the school paper's missing photographer and capture some shots of the dance team's first rehearsal of the semester — which was supposed to start fifteen minutes ago. If the dance instructors were anything like her photography instructors, then tardiness was treated as the greatest offense to the artistic process.
As she scolded herself quietly under her breath, Kari took a sharp turn around the corner and collided right into something solid. The blow sent her tumbling backwards, collapsing in a heap on the floor with stray photos flying into the air. Then there was the telltale splat of something wet and scolding hot spilling atop the mess.
"No!" She hissed, scrambling to collect the coffee-drenched photos into a haphazard pile. "Oh, no!"
The poor bystander who had unfortunately gotten caught up in Kari's hustle dropped down beside her and attempted to gather another pile of photos. "Oh god, I'm so sorry! Here, let me help —"
Their hands brushed together as they reached for the same photo and, immediately, their frazzled gazes locked in a moment of bewildered clarity.
"Hey — Kari!"
None other than TK Takaishi was beaming at her, youthful and charming as ever.
Kari blanched. She quickly searched her brain for something devastatingly smart, witty, and subtly searing to say in reply — because that's exactly what everyone wants to say to an ex-boyfriend — but words were seemingly too much of a challenge to muster in that moment of utter shock.
"What are you doing here?" She decided to ask, lowering her voice to a whisper as if the vacant hallway wasn't already private enough.
If TK was baffled by her question, then he didn't let it show. There was a brief flicker of confusion that flashed through his impossibly blue eyes — a reaction that was only detectable by someone who had spent years getting to know every nuance of those cerulean orbs — but then he simply smiled, like he always did.
"I go to school here, remember? We both do," TK chuckled as he collected more damp photos into his growing pile, and another imperceptible glimpse of disappointment crossed his face. "Easy to forget since this is the first time we've bumped into each other. Literally."
"Yeah, I've just been… really busy," Kari explained vaguely, inwardly grimacing at the platitude of her own words.
True, Kari's college schedule didn't accommodate very many social activities, but that wasn't the only reason behind her reluctance to reach out to TK. In fact, it had very little to do with time and everything to do with the rocky termination of their past relationship. The fear of crossing paths with him at some point on their mid-sized campus was something that occasionally plagued Kari's thoughts. It was easy to ignore his existence over the summer when he'd spent a majority of his months in France with his grandparents, but, deep down, she knew that this awkward reunion was inevitable — especially when they continued to share so many mutual friends.
Still, that didn't prevent her from cursing every higher deity she could think of that today — clumsy, frazzled, and utterly unprepared — was the day it had happened.
"I'm really sorry about your pictures," he apologized.
"It's okay."
"I guess I forgot to grab a lid for my coffee before running over here."
"I noticed."
TK sighed. Kari avoided eye contact. Then they both recalled the days when they could talk each other's ears off.
Luckily — but not for Kari, of course — TK was never the type to let a little hardship deter his optimism. He neatly straightened out the pile of pictures in his hand and offered them to Kari, but not before stealing a glance.
"Hey, are these for the school paper?" He wondered as he identified a few familiar faces of fellow students smiling back at him from Kari's photos. "Are you the new photographer?"
Kari nodded, snatching the pictures from TK's hand and scrambling to her feet. "Um, yes. I was just on my way to the dance team rehearsal to take a few shots. Actually, I'm running late so I should —"
"Wait, I'm headed there, too!"
The pictures nearly slipped out of Kari's hands all over again, but she fumbled just in time to keep the pile in her grasp.
Her spastic reaction was enough to elicit a hurried explanation from TK. "You're looking at the paper's head reporter. And I'm covering the team's interview."
Of course.
"Oh," Kari breathed, although she felt as if her lungs would run out of air at any moment. "What a coincidence."
"C'mon, let's go face the wrath of Madame Corvino together," TK stood and took his place beside Kari. "Fair warning — she's a great dance teacher, but a tiny piece of my soul dies every time she glares at me."
Funny he should mention dying souls, Kari thought as she became hyper-aware of their close proximity. It suddenly dawned on her that it'd been nearly three months since she'd smelled his comforting scent, gazed into his crystalline eyes, or felt the familiar warmth flood through her body under his gentle smile.
Three long and — admittedly — agonizing months.
Kari feared that the only thing that would blossom from her tongue was something involuntarily embarrassing should she choose to open her mouth, so the tiny brunette just nodded before silently making her way down the hallway with TK by her side.
He cast a sideways glance at the chaotic stack of photos still clutched to Kari's chest. "Want me to carry your —"
"No, thank you."
TK bit down on his bottom lip to suppress his amusement and, for some strange reason, it made her blood boil.
It suddenly seemed that purchasing a day planner was the least of Kari's concerns, after all.
Author's Note: Why yes, there are tons of unanswered questions surrounding this first chapter - thanks for noticing! But seriously, all will be revealed as we journey further into the story. What happened to Sora and Matt that prompted him to leave that voicemail? Is Tai actually going to go through with Mimi's showcase? And how did Kari and TK go from World's Cutest Couple to awkward exes? You shall see... And yes, there will be some time jumping in this fic. Just pay attention to the dates and you'll be fine. :)
And Mimi was totally a hardcore drama club aficionado/super-star in high school. It's my headcanon and you can't convince me otherwise.