Dore Dake Nakeba? (How Long Do I Have To Cry?)

~A/N~ I had a lot of trouble thinking of a name for this story, just like usual, so I
got the name from the song I was listening to at the time, The Rayearth opening , since
that was the line that was sung when I started listening, it's the name I stuck with.
This is sort of a huge web of tangled love. Mimato/Michi/Sorato/Taiora. I personally
adore Mimato but want to give every coupling a chance so I have included michi.
(Sorry to all those michi haters but I have more than enough mimatos to make up.)
Besides, what kind of love story would this be without a triangle? Oh and for those
who don't already know, I have a slight problem with Sora that becomes more and
more evident as this story goes on. She is a main character although she becomes
closer to a secondary character as this goes on. I also used Savage Garden's Crash and
Burn in here, around page 24 or so. As I am writing this I still have no idea how long
this is going to be. I keep trying to end it but I put a new twist that has to be worked
out. I'm sorry if I have any errors in the lyrics to Crash and Burn. I was writing them
down while listening to Hold Me so I might have a few mistakes. Okay
Tai/Sora/Matt are 17, Jyou is 18, Mimi (and Izzy if I find a way to fit him in) is 16.

Taichi Yagami sighed as he watched the soccer game unravel before him. They
were losing. Big time.
From the sidelines, Mimi Tachikawa cheered him on, her pink uniform
standing out among the rest of the green and white uniforms that the other
cheerleaders wore.
Sora Takenouchi sighed and lowered her head, completely depressed. If she
was still on the team, they would be winning. When she and Tai worked together,
their team always won. But ever since she found out that her mother thought badly
of her tomboyish nature, she agreed to turn over a new leaf. She took up flower
arranging at her mother's store, and started to dress more like a girl. She stopped
wearing her helmet and even started to wear barrettes and occasionally going
shopping with Mimi, which was a big task. Mimi would usually make it a two-day
task, causing Sora to sleep over at Mimi's and listen to her drool over Yamato Ishida
(Matt to everyone else) all night.
Not that Sora blamed her. Matt was the lead singer in a popular band and was
the most sought-after guy in all of Odaiba. Mimi made sure all of the girls knew that
he was hers, and if any girl attempted to get close to him, Mimi would flip her lid and
the girl would back off, her hopes shattered. Sora laughed as she thought of what
happened to poor Jun Motomiya.
Mimi really let loose on both Jun and Matt when she found them together in a
local café. Matt tried to come up with an excuse, as Mimi put it, on why he was there,
but Jun just laughed. Mimi then proceeded to dump her ice cream sundae on top of
Jun and Matt, then walked out of the café. Since then, Mimi had not uttered one word
to Matt.
But Mimi wasn't the only one who was possessive. Matt would threaten to
beat up any guy who so much as complimented Mimi. When her friend, Michael,
came from the United States of America to visit Mimi shortly before the Jun incident,
Matt had to be literally chained up. He was so green with jealousy, Mimi even tried to
keep Michael away from Matt. But the funny thing was, Matt and Mimi couldn't tell
each other how they felt. They went out and were officially together, but neither one
could gather up enough courage to say they loved each other. Sora shook her head,
happy that her love life wasn't AS complicated as theirs, rather simple compared to
that. She had always had feelings for Tai, but she couldn't possibly ruin their
friendship by telling him.
Sure, she had been tempted to many times, but she always stopped herself. She
always had a suspicion that Tai liked Mimi, because whenever they were in the
Digiworld, he was constantly teasing her and complaining about her to the others, the
obvious sign of love. 'And the things he didn't tell us' Sora thought to herself
She stood up to watch the game. There was only 20 seconds left, and Tai had
control. She saw Mimi from the corner of her eye, cheering her dumb pink-haired
brains out. Sure, she didn't mind Mimi, but she thought that maybe she overplayed
the whole poor little rich girl act. Despite it all, Mimi was a nice girl.
She saw Matt and T.K. Takaishi, Matt's little brother, walking towards her.
"Hey Matt! T.K.! Over here!" She shouted, waving her arms. Matt saw her first and
they walked over and sat with her.
"Hey Sora! How are we doing?" asked Matt, stealing her drink.
Sora looked at him with one eyebrow raised. "We're losing. Miserably. Sure,
you can have some of my drink, Matt. Thanks for asking. I really appreciate it," she
said sarcastically.
Matt looked up at her and smiled brightly. "No problem! Anytime. I am the
master of manners, right T.K.?" T.K. rolled his eyes and mumbled something about
breakfast and burping loudly.
Matt looked out and saw Tai with control of the field. He also stood up with
T.K. and started to cheer. They saw Tai score another point, and the buzzer went off.
The other team had won.
Tai threw fit, and started to yell at his team for being too lazy and not listening
to him.
Mimi ran out onto the field and hugged Tai. "Great game Tai! Winning isn't
everything, and you certainly showed that today!"
Tai playfully pushed her away and then dumped his water bottle on top of
her head. She screamed.
"TAI!!! I'm going to get you for that!" She began to run after him and Tai
sprinted off of the field, laughing like a maniac.
Matt and Sora gave each other knowing looks, understanding what the other
was feeling.
"I hate to be the one to say this, Matt, but..." Sora began.
"I know. I see it. There is definately something between those two." Matt slung
his arm over Sora's shoulder and sighed. "C'mon, let's go tell Tai it was a good game,
and try to keep our cool"
Sora raised an eyebrow at Matt "Maybe you need to watch yourself, but I'm an
expert at it."
T.K. looked at them both, then looked around for his girlfriend, Kari Yagami,
Tai's little sister. "See you guys later, I'm going to find Kari, Daisuke and Iori. Are we
going to the dance club tonight?" he asked impatiently.
Sora looked at Matt and shrugged. "Yeah, I guess we are. Meet us there
around 8:00 tonight, ok?"
T.K. grinned and ran off to where Kari was standing waiting for him.
As Sora walked with Matt, she gazed over at him, looking at his profile. He
had grown up so much over the 6 years she had known him. She looked at his face,
the one that so many girls worshipped. Sure, he was really good looking, maybe even
better than she knew, but he was a friend, and a friend he would stay.
Mimi caught sight of Matt and Sora coming towards her and groaned. Matt
was so out of her books currently. She had caught him two weeks ago at a café with
some airhead named Jun. But she had showed them. She smiled at the memory of
them both dripping in their chocolate ice cream sundaes. Sure, she wanted to talk to
Matt, but not while she was still angry.
'And look at Sora, all over Matt, when she was supposedly in love with Tai.'
She thought as she sighed, and looked at her now wet cheerleading outfit. She caught
Matt stifle a laugh when he got an up-close look at her. Mimi glared dangerously at
him, then turned to face Tai.
Sora raised an eyebrow at Matt and they both snickered at Mimi's damp
clothes and flat hair.
Tai looked over at Sora and smiled half-heartedly. He then caught them both
laughing at Mimi. He gave them a dirty look "Well she looks better wet than you ever
looked dry, Sora"
That wiped the smile off of her face. Sora looked down at the ground then up
at Matt. "Maybe I should go. I'll see ya tonight Matt." With that, she put her bookbag
on her back and walked away.
Tai looked at her retreating figure guiltily.
"Tai, that was very mean. I think you should apologize as soon as possible."
scolded Mimi, crossing her arms and shivering a little.
Matt took off his coat and put it on her shoulders. "Here Mimi, you look cold."
Mimi shot him a dirty look and took the coat off. "Maybe Jun is colder than
me. Why don't you go give your coat to her?" She walked off, shivering and
mumbling things. Tai and Matt looked at one another.
"Hey Tai, that wasn't too bad of a game. But you need to score big points with
Sora after that comment. It was a little uncalled for. Then again, I guess we're in the
same boat. Mimi is still pretty mad at me for the thing with Jun. She doesn't get the
fact that it was a favour for Daisuke."
Tai looked at Matt and sighed. "Matt, Mimi is a great girl. She'll forgive you in
time, if not tonight. Are you coming?" he asked. Matt nodded and asked Tai if he was
going.
"Come on! When do I ever pass up a chance to party?" Tai asked, as Matt
nodded in agreement.
"True enough. You can also apologize to Sora while you're at it."
"She's going to be there?"
"Yeah, she's going over to Mimi's house to get ready." He laughed, as Tai
grimaced and looked at Matt helplessly. Matt laughed at him and the two left to get
ready for the night.

Mimi ran up behind Sora and jumped on her back. "Oh Sora! I love you! Please
say you'll forget about that big loser, Tai and marry ME!" she shouted.
Sora laughed loudly and fell over. Mimi stood up and helped Sora to her feet.
"Just so you know, Tai looked absolutely miserable after you left like that. I yelled at
him for being such a jerk too!" she said proudly.
Sora smiled lightly and they walked into Mimi's house and up to her room.
"Just put your stuff down in here. We have the house to ourselves tonight since
my parents don't come back from their business trip until tomorrow afternoon. Girl
time all night!" Mimi exclaimed throwing a fist into the air enthusiastically.
Sora sighed at the thought causing Mimi to glare at her. Then she quickly
smiled and pulled Sora over to her closet. "It's time to find something for you to wear
tonight!"
"Mimi, I refuse to wear anything that's pink." Sora said stubbornly.
"Well that narrows it down to almost nothing!" Mimi smiled. "Wait! I picked
something up for you when I was shopping in New York. I was saving it to give to
you for Christmas, but this is as good a time as any!"
Mimi walked into the recesses of her closet, searching throught the numerous
shelves and hangers of clothing. Finally, she pulled out a Bloomingdale's shopping
bag. She threw it over to Sora, who opened it quickly.
"Oh Mimi! This is awesome! Oh my gosh!" she shouted, pulling out the outfit.
It was a black halter top, with sparkles all over it, and a pair of black pants to match.
Mimi rummaged in the closet some more before deciding on a pink, strapless
shirt with the word "Princess" on it in rhinestones. To match, a pair of tight, white
pants and white platform sandals finished off the outfit. "Mimi, that looks awesome
on you!" shouted Sora as she walked into the bathroom where she was going to
change.
When she came out, Mimi couldn't believe how much she didn't look like
herself.. She sat down patiently as Mimi did her makeup and hair.
When they were finished, Sora looked in the mirror and gasped. 'Is this really
me? Am I really this pretty?' she silently asked herself. Mimi saw the look of shock
on her face and smiled. "Sora, you'll knock Tai's socks off!" she said laughingly.
"He'll..." The doorbell rang interrupting Mimi. With a sigh, she ran downstairs to
answer it.
It was a man with a large bouquet of flowers and a box of chocolates. Mimi
sighed again and signed for them, then took them upstairs. Sora raised an eyebrow at
Mimi.
"Sora, I have gotten these every day of the week since I got back from New
York, and that's been almost 6 months. I know it's not Matt, because when I
mentioned it, he lost it and threatened every guy in our school." Mimi laughed, then
got a dreamy look on her face. "He's so nice to me usually. But when I saw him at the
cafe with Jun, it felt like my heart had been broken in two." she confessed.
Sora smiled sympathetically at her friend. "I know how you feel. I never really
told you this, but I am really jealous of you. I mean, it is very obvious that Tai likes
you. And I like him so much. But I get so jealous when I see you around him. I just
keep thinking about how much you liked him in the Digiworld." She admitted,
looking down in shame.
Mimi smiled and shook her head. "Hey, don't worry about it. Sometimes I get
jealous of you when you and Matt hang out because you're such close friends and
all." Mimi confessed. They looked at each other and laughed.
"Hey Mimi, what time should we be there?" asked Sora, looking at the clock.
Mimi shrugged. "I guess around 9 o'clock" she suggested.
"Well, let's go out for dinner then. Two beauty queens like us shouldn't be kept
inside." Said Sora, opening the door and walking out. "Besides, I know how you cook
and would rather not spend the evening in the emergency room!"
"That is not nice! Um, Sora?" shouted Mimi from her room.
Sora turned around and looked back. "Yeah?" Mimi laughed and held up a
pair of shoes. "Forgetting something? You can't wear running shoes with that outfit!"
Sora laughed sheepishly and ran upstairs. She quickly pulled on the black
platforms and the two girls ran out the door.

Meanwhile, Matt was getting ready with Tai at his house. Matt was wearing a
black shirt that was unbuttoned at the top and a pair of black pants. Tai was wearing
a blue polo shirt and a pair of khakis. Matt was trying to tell Tai to tell Sora how he
felt. Tai was chickening out.
"Well, no matter what, I think you should tell her. I know for a fact that she wont
reject you, Taichi." Matt said.
Tai ran a brush through his hair and sighed as it got stuck. "But what if it isn't
Sora I like? I mean, she's changed a lot." he said nervously to Matt as he untangled
the brush then fiddled with the collar on his shirt.
"So has Mimi, but I still haven't given up on her," said Matt, fixing his hair,not
catching what Tai was really saying.. The two guys looked at one another and then at
the clock. It was 8:15.
Tai sighed at Matt's oblivious reaction to what he just said as Matt grabbed the
car keys and the two guys left.


Kari, T.K., Daisuke, Matt, and Tai all sat inside of the club, waiting for Mimi
and Sora to show up. Miyako had come before Mimi and Sora, and was sitting on
Davis's lap and talking to everyone.
At about 9:15, there was a stir of men running to the door. Tai and Matt and
the rest of the group turned to look at what the ruckus was about.
"Oh my god...."
"That isn't...." Mumbled Matt and Tai together as Mimi and Sora walked in,
laughing at one another. It was obvious that the two girls had had one or two things
to drink before showing up, but not enough to make them look dumb.
Matt stared at Mimi, and Tai had his jaw on the floor at the sight of Sora.
Together, the four of them had a couple of beers as they talked noisily. At Tai's
insistance, Mimi and him both ordered a drink called a Black Russian and had a race
to see who could finish theirs first, with Mimi surprisingly emerging as the victor.
A loud, fast paced song was heard. Matt started to walk towards Mimi but
she walked straight past him and looked at Tai expectantly. "Hey there Tai,
wanna dance?" she asked, offering a hand. Tai smiled evilly and walked onto the
dance floor with Mimi.
Sora walked over and stood at the bar with the astounded Matt. They both
ordered another beer and sighed as they watched the dance floor.
Mimi and Tai were getting down on the dance floor, their bodies moving in
synch with the music beat, grinding together. The lights were flashing and music was
pumping.
Sora was miserable and feeling the alcohol. She looked over at Matt and
nodded towards the dance floor. Matt put his drink down and pulled her on the
dance floor with him. She looked over to where Mimi and Tai were dancing. They
were staring at one another, dancing fast, their bodies rubbing against the others.
Mimi looked at Tai in a totally different light. He was an excellent dancer, and
matched her pace with his own. She could see the desire flashing in his eyes, reflecting
back in her own. She could feel all of those feelings that she had buried from the
Digiworld resurfacing. She danced against him and could feel his arms circle around
her body and move downwards. Her entire body was tingling, feeling his arms
tighten, pulling her even closer. She knew she shouldn't be doing this, but she didn't
care. She slowly slid her hands over his muscular chest, and up around his neck.
She and Tai slowly made their way to a darker corner of the club. She could
feel his lips on her neck and before she knew it, she was kissing him. Not just any kiss,
a lusty, passion-filled one that left them both gasping for breath when they parted.
"Hey Mimi, do you need a ride home?" He asked huskily, grinning at her and
winking. Mimi winked back and they slowly walked out of the club.
Matt and Sora saw everything. Sora collapsed in a fit of tears on Matt. Matt
had his fists clenched and he was shaking with anger. The two told Kari to tell the
others that they went home.
"Sora, do you wanna come to my house for the night?" asked Matt, wiping her
tears away. Sora just nodded, sniffling back her tears. Kari smiled weakly at Sora,
trying to comfort her, feeling guilty because her dumb brother was the cause of it, for
she too saw Mimi and Tai in the corner.
Matt put his arm around Sora and they left to go to his house.

Meanwhile, at Mimi's house, Tai and Mimi had ran inside immediately, up to
Mimi's room. Tai had slammed the door and tackled Mimi on the bed, kissing her
hungrily, slipping his tongue inside of her mouth. Mimi immediately responded, and
slid her arms around his neck. Tai slid his hands up from her waist and over her
breasts. Mimi made a shuddering movement and sat up, pulling Tai up with her. She
pulled off his shirt, exposing his well-formed chest. She pushed him down on the bed,
and left a trail of kisses down his chest. Tai made a soft moaning sound, and pulled
Mimi's shirt off.
The two looked at one another, then threw away all of their cautions, letting
their instincts take over.

"Sora, it's ok, please don't cry. Sshhh! it's ok." Matt tried to comfort the girl as
much as he could. But she was inconsolable.
"No Matt, no it's not ok. I thought that maybe Mimi was my best friend and
that she respected you. But I was wrong. And Tai, I thought that he cared about me.
He's always been like a brother, and more, to me. And to see him carry on like that
tonight. Matt, I can't ever look at him the same way again!" shouted Sora, burying her
face in Matt's shoulder. Matt put his arms around the hysterical girl and tried not to
cry himself.
Sora was like a sister to him. He'd always told her everything. And to see her
like this, was devastating. Not to mention the way that Mimi had betrayed him. They
had always had an unspoken commitment to each other, but Mimi broke that tonight.
Poor Sora. She was such a beautiful young girl, who had everything going for
her. And Tai couldn't see that. No, he couldn't because he was so drunk. Matt shook
his head in disgust.
And so was Mimi because of Tai's stupid idea of a bet. He didn't even want to
think about what they could be doing under the influence of that much alcohol. Tai
was an idiot to have done that to Mimi.
He looked at Sora, and held her close to him, wiping her tears away.
Sora looked up at him, and then smiled. "Thanks Matt, I really appreciate this.
You're the best friend that anyone could ever have. It's too bad the Mimi is such a fool
not to see how wonderful you are. She really is blind. Matt, if you weren't so
dedicated to her, I would've been chasing you down for a while now." Sora covered
her mouth and blushed.
Sure, she had always harbored feelings for Matt, but she never thought that
she would tell him. Maybe it was the alcohol, she didn't know.
Matt smiled at her and shook his head lightly, not believing a word she said.
"Here's a shirt for you to sleep in. Get some sleep ok? You'll feel much better in the
morning." He threw a baggy T-shirt at her and then changed into his boxers and
climbed into bed. Sora changed and then fell asleep next to him.

The car pulled into the driveway slowly, Mimi's father was shocked to see that
Mimi had left her pink car outside of the garage. "I suppose I should move it for her."

The sound of a car's engine pulling into the driveway slowly caused Mimi gain
consciousness, only to make her wish she had stayed asleep as the pain of a horrible
headache hit her, followed by a dull ache down below.
With a groan, she closed her eyes and snuggled back under the covers to get
some more sleep. She stretched her arms out under the blankets only to hit a bare
chest. Looking down, Mimi saw she wasn't wearing any pajama's either.
Mimi's mind began to race a mile a minute, trying to remember what had
happened the night before. Had she picked someone up at that dance club and slept
with him? How could she have done something like that?
Nervously, she grabbed for the blanket covering the man's face and pulled it
down. It was Tai! Memories flashed before her eyes, blurred and jumbled but bit by bit
she could piece together part of the night.
"Mimi! We're home!" her mother's voice carried up the stairs. "Maybe I should
go check on her?"
"Good idea, honey!"
Mimi cursed to herself then began to shake Tai awake. He opened his eyes
groggily, then sat up startled to see Mimi sitting beside him, naked.
"Get under the bed!" she whispered, pushing him off.
"Wha...?" His exclamation was cut off as the door swung open. Quickly he
darted under the bed as Mimi dove under her covers.
"Good morning, Mom. Why are you home so early?"
"We caught the red eye back. We just couldn't bear to think of you here in this
big, old house all by yourself. You must be starving. I am going out to buy some
groceries and when I come back I will make you a big breakfast." Mimi's mother
smiled then turned to go back downstairs, only to stop and turn back towards Mimi.
"Weren't you going to have Sora spend the night?"
Mimi grimaced. "Uh... yeah mom, I was going to but... something came up and
she ended up going home."
"Oh, okay, honey" Mimi's mom replied chipperly as she walked out of the
room. Mimi got up and closed the door, making sure the latch was locked.
Mimi sighed heavily as she leaned against the door. "You can come out now,
Tai."
With a load groan, Tai's head peered out from under the bed, followed slowly
by the rest of his body. "I have the worst hangover right now!" He exclaimed as he
threw himself back on Mimi's bed.
Mimi shook her head and lay back on the bed, again sighing deeply. "DO you
remember anything from last night? A moment of silence past, causing Mimi to believe
Tai had gone back to sleep. Frustrated she turned her back to him and closed her eyes,
as tears began to fall.
"Bits and pieces. If you mean between us... yes." Tai's voice broke the silence.
Startled, Mimi turned back towards him. "WE certainly made a mess of things,
didn't we?" Mimi smiled satirically. "It's funny really. I have been dreaming of this
moment since I met you at summer camp, yet now that it's finally happened, I just feel
so..."
"Empty?" Tai offered
"Exactly!" Mimi leaned her head against Tai's shoulder. "I mean this is
supposed to be an act of love, not passion caused by a drunken stupor. It wasn't the
way I wanted to lose my virginity."
Tai started a bit by that statement and lay there in silence for several long
minutes before adding. "But maybe it was an act of a love that was still unrealized."
He waited for Mimi to reply, but heard nothing but her shallow breathing.
Glancing down at her, he saw she had fallen asleep on his chest. With a slight smile,
he pulled the blankets up over her and wrapped his arms around her protectively.

Mimi awoke to the smell of breakfast cooking, a soothing warmth covering her.
With a contented sigh, she stretched out her arms, her hands running over Tai's
muscular chest. She opened her eyes. Tai was still here. She tried to sit up but found
Tai's arms encircling her.
Anger hit her. What if her mother had walked into her room and seen them
like this? After a few seconds, she regained control. Her mother couldn't have caught
them, she had locked the door. Unwrapping Tai's arms, she got up to get dressed,
pulling on a pair of dark jeans and a pink sweater. Walking around the room, she
began to pick up the various clothing articles that had been left strewn on the ground,
sorting hers from Tai's, folding them all neatly.
"I didn't know you were such a neat freak'" Tai's low voice murmured from
on the bed.
Mimi jumped and looked over at him, "How long have you been awake?"
"Since you woke up," he admitted with a smile. "Breakfast smells wonderful. I
don't suppose I could get some, could I?"
Mimi handed Tai his clothes. "I suppose I can tell my mom that you came over
after she left to buy groceries. She would believe that. And then we came up here to
listen to music." she concluded as she turned on her C.D. player. Deep Blue Soul
began to play, the song that they had danced to last night. Memories flashed in Mimi's
eyes and she quickly changed the song to the softer melody of Fly Me To The Moon.
"We can't tell anybody about this, Tai. Especially Matt and Sora. As far as they
know, we kissed then realized we were wrong so you drove me home. Last night
never happened and everything will go back to the way it was."
Tai felt his heart ache at her tone. Maybe it was better this way, that he would
be able to tell her he loved her without the memory of the drunken night to tarnish
their feelings.

Sora opened her eyes to see Matt drooling on her shoulder in his sleep. With a
sigh, she climbed out of bed and padded to the bathroom, quickly murmuring a good
morning to Mr. Ishida as he left for work. Exhausted, she removed the nightshirt and
climbed into the shower, hoping that the hot water would wash away her troubles.
Thoughts of Mimi and Tai kissing ran through her head. And what had
happened after they had left? Had they gone to Tai's or Mimi's house? OR maybe she
had it all wrong. Perhaps Mimi was running out of the dance club because Tai kissed
her and Tai had just followed.
Sora threw her head against the wall of the shower, wincing at the pain. She
didn't want to believe that either of them had hurt her like that. She stood back up
and turned off the water, opening up the shower door to see Matt standing there.
They both screamed in surprise and Matt, seeing the murderous glint in Sora's eyes
took off, followed closely by Sora. (now wrapped in a towel) IN the living room, she
tackled him down to the ground and hit him. "Yamato Ishida, you PERV! What did
you think you were doing in the bathroom?"
Matt cowered under Sora's blows. "I forgot you stayed over night. I thought
that was all a dream. I needed a shower before band rehearsal and didn't realize that
you were in there."
Sora eyed him suspiciously, then stood up and walked away to the bedroom.
"I'll forgive you this time, Ishida, but if it ever happens again, you're a dead man!"
Matt smiled and ran into the bathroom for his shower.
Sora opened up Matt's drawers looking for something that she could put on
until she got home. After much routing she found a pair of drawstring cargoes and a
plain T-shirt to wear. Leaving a note on the table about her whereabouts, she left to
pick her stuff up from Mimi's.

Mimi led Tai downstairs to the kitchen, where her mom was making breakfast.
"Mom, would it be all right if Tai joined us for breakfast?"
Mimi's mom looked back at Tai and Mimi then smiled "of course dear, just
grab an extra plate and fork from the cupboards." Mimi set up the extra setting and
sat down at the table beside Tai. Mimi's mother entered the dining room with the
breakfast she had cooked.
"You certainly are an early riser, Tai, to be over here this early in the morning.
When did you get here?
Tai coughed nervously. "Shortly after you left. I came over to listen to music
with Mimi and study for the test we have tomorrow morning." he stated quickly in a
monotone voice.
Mimi's eyes widened with surprise. "We have a test? I completely forgot! I'll
fail for sure!"
Tai laughed. "Just like you 'failed' all those other tests, right? Come on Mimi.
You may act like a ditz but you couldn't fail if you wanted to."
Mimi sighed with a smile. "Too bad you don't follow the same trend, eh
Taichi?"
Tai glared at Mimi. "I have a lot of other distractions in my life."
Mimi laughed. "Sure, sure." she shook her head. "Come on, you big lout, help
me bring these dishes into the kitchen." Grabbing her plate and utensils, she placed
them on the kitchen counter.
As she left the kitchen, the doorbell rang. "I'll get it!" she called out to her
parents.
She opened the door to see Sora standing there. "Hey Sora. How are you this
morning?"
Sora smiled half-heartedly. "Tired and heart broken."
Mimi winced at that comment. "Look, Sora. Last night was not you thought it
was. Tai and I did kiss but that was only because of the alcohol. WE both realized that
it was wrong after we did it and then we went home."
Sora's face brightened. "Really? I was thinking all sorts of crazy thoughts."
Mimi smiled. "Come on. We've already had this talk. My feelings for Tai were
buried in the Digiworld. Why don't you come upstairs to get your stuff?"
Sora followed Mimi obediently into her room to retrieve her bag. Sitting on
Mimi's still unmade bed, she waited for Mimi to find her sneakers in her closet.
Glancing around the room, she noticed that Tai's shoes were thrown at opposite sides
of the room.
Suddenly the door burst open and Tai walked in. "Who was at the door,
Mimi?" He jumped as he saw Sora sitting on the bed, fighting back tears as she
saw that Tai was wearing the same clothes as yesterday night.
Mimi ran out of the closet, stopping suddenly as Sora turned around to look at
her, her eyes glaring. "I can't believe you could do such a thing to me. Not only did
you sleep with the guy that I love, but you lied to me about it too! 'WE both realized
that the kiss was wrong'" she said repeating Mimi's earlier comment then adding
while imitating Mimi's high voice. "'And we realized that instead we should screw
each other!' I hate you so much, Mimi Tachikawa. I hope you burn in Hell! I don't
want to see or hear you ever again!
Mimi stood there in shock, hardly believing what Sora was saying. Sora turned
away from Mimi and walked over to Tai.
"And as for you, you disgusting pervert, I can't believe I wasted my time
pining over you. You are a immature, irresponsible lowlife, a measly cretin!" Sora
shook her head and began to walk a way. "I can't even begin to express the way I feel
about you two. Consider our friendship dead. As far as I am concerned, you might as
well be dead yourselves."
With that final statement, Sora walked out of the room, slamming the door, as
Mimi collapsed to the floor, crying hysterically. Tai walked over and put his arm
around her, only to be pushed away.
"Get away from me, Tai!" Mimi yelled. "I don't need your sympathy right
now. Don't you understand anything? It's all your fault that Sora hates me right now!
Did you hear what she said to me? Do you have any idea how much that hurts? How
much it tore at my soul?"
Tai shrugged his shoulders. "She called me a few names too, but it doesn't hurt
me."
Mimi looked at Tai in astonishment. "Being called a pervert is not an insult for
you, more like a description. She told me to burn in Hell! She denounced our
friendship and then tore to pieces. She didn't just insult me, she desecrated me."
"Mimi, I'm sorry. I didn't know that your friendship with Sora went that deep.
I..."
Mimi shook her head and spoke in a cool, flat tone. "I think it's time for you to
go now. I'll see you tomorrow at school." She opened the door and handed Tai his
shoes, ignoring the expression of hurt on his face. With a heavy sigh, she closed the
door behind him, leaning against it as she fell to the ground in tears.

Sora ran from Mimi's house back to Matt's, the tears streaming down her face.
Her throat ached from the tears, and awful images of the two of them flashed through
her mind. She ran into Matt's apartment, not bothering to knock. Matt sat up in
surprise in the chair where he was watching television. Seeing Sora's tearful face, he
got up to comfort her.
"What happened?" he asked, concerned.
"I went over to Mimi's for my stuff, and she told me that the kiss was just a
mistake and that Tai drove her home and I believed her, and then when I went to get
my stuff from her room, I saw Tai's shoes and then Tai walked into the room in the
same clothes that he was wearing yesterday and Mimi had lied because she did sleep
with Tai and then tried to cover it up and then I yelled at her and she didn't even
change her expression at all because she didn't care and I got really angry and
stormed out and..."
Matt reached out and pressed a finger to Sora's lips to silent her rambling
thoughts. "Calm down, Sora. It will be all right. I'm here for you. Forget Mimi and
Tai. They obviously don't know what they are missing with out you as a friend."
Sora looked up to meet Matt's eyes with a smile. "Thank you."

Mimi walked slowly through the halls of the school to her locker. This was the
last place she wanted to be right now. The thought of facing Sora, Matt and Tai was
too much to bare.
As she approached her locker, she noticed a pink envelope taped to it. With a
sigh, she removed it. Another letter from her secret admirer no doubt. Carefully, she
began to open the envelope, only to be interrupted by a hand on her shoulder. As she
turned to face the hand's owner, she vehemently hoped that it wasn't Tai, Matt or
Sora.
Her prayer's were answered. "Hey, Mimi. How are you today? asked Jyou
with a smile.
Mimi smiled back. "Not so great. I've had the weekend from Hell."
"Sora had been telling a version of the story around the school.
Mimi's face turned pale. "What is Sora saying about me?"
"Don't worry, Mimi. I know it can't be the truth. She says you slept with Tai,
but I know you would never do a thing like that. I know you better then that."
Mimi laughed weakly. "You're right, Jyou. Sora and I just got into a little fight
and she is obviously taking it badly."
Jyou laughed. "Somehow I thought it was that way. Well I better head to class.
I'll see you later!"
Mimi leaned against her locker. SO know the whole school knew about this
weekend. Life couldn't get much worse.

Tai walked down the hall, trying to ignore the glares he was being given by
complete strangers. He walked into the locker room, opening his locker to get his gym
clothes out.. A hand slapped him on the back.
"Way to go, Tai!" Yusuke, a friend and fellow member of the Odaiba Senior
Secondary soccer team said with a wide grin.
Tai turned around, confused. "What?"
"Heard you were a little busy on the weekend."
Tai mind raced. What was Yusuke talking about?
Masaharu, another soccer player, walked over to join them. "But really, Tai.
Isn't the star soccer player and head cheerleader a little cliché?"
Tai smiled. "I didn't plan things to happen that way, but you know, no one
can resist the Taichi charm!"
Yusuke laughed, "Come on, Tai. You don't expect us to believe that do you?"
"Well, I might have been aided by a lovely little "Russian friend" if you know
what I mean. We had a little drinking contest before hand that I only pretended to
participate in."
The small group laughed and clapped Tai on the back a few more times, before
their celebration was interrupted by the violent slamming of a locker. The crowd
parted to allow a rather upset Matt through.
Stopping close to Tai, he punched him in the face, before sneering. "Ya, way to
go, buddy." Matt vehemently spit out the last word then turned and left for the gym.
Tai staggered back a bit, holding his face, as reality descended on him. He had
really made a mess of things.

Mimi sat under the tree of the nearby park-ette, crying. The day had gotten
worse, despite her previous belief that it couldn't. IN chemistry, Sora had conveniently
dropped a piece of flaming potassium onto the art project that Mimi was supposed to
hand in, in the next class. Then at cheerleading practice, two of Sora's friends had
raided her locker, taking her uniform and hiding it in the showers. When she had
gone to find it, they turned the shower on, soaking her and the uniform. Then, during
a lift, they threw her into a mud puddle. In the afternoon, people constantly harassed
her, calling her names and making indecent proposals. In her art class, when she
turned down one guy's offer to bed her, she was rewarded with a container of
turpentine dumped on her head, burning her eyes and bleaching her pink hair in
uneven streaks. She had run from class at that point, leaving the school entirely, but
was unwilling to go home in this state.
So here she was, covered in dirt and grass stains, with a horrible hair colour
and running makeup. "What would people think?" she murmured with a smile.
"That no matter what, you are still beautiful." a low voice murmured from
behind her.
Mimi sighed. "Hello, Tai." she replied in an even, crisp tone. "How was your
day?"
"Obviously not even half as bad as yours was. What happened?"
Mimi eyes began to water. "Why is it that when a guy sleeps with a girl, he's a
hero but the girl is a slut?"
Tai put his arm around Mimi, pulling her head against his chest. "I honestly
don't know. I suppose it's just our mentality... or maybe it has something to do with
the fact that girls carry a greater responsibility with it."
"It's just not fair. Why did Sora have to do this to me?"
Tai hushed Mimi, stroking her hair, not knowing the answer to her question.
"Tai?"
"Hmm?"
"I'm sorry I was so mean to you yesterday. I was just really upset about the
whole Sora thing. I never should have taken it out on you."
"Don't worry. I understand.
"You put up with so much for me, no one else would. Even Matt would yell or
walk away when ever I got into those 'spoiled rotten moods' but you have always
been there for me and...well thank you. It means so much to me and I..."
Mimi's words were broken off as Tai kissed her lips. Tearing herself away, she
smacked Tai across the face. "How could you? After everything I have gone through!
Obviously your moment in the spotlight went to your head, Mr. Hero, and you've
come looking for seconds, is that right? I take back everything I said about you!"
She stood up and ran away leaving Tai on the ground. "Way to go, buddy." he
muttered to himself. It was just like him to find the worst possible moment to express
himself. Kicking the tree, he walked out of the park-ette towards his apartment. He'd
have to do something to make things right.
Matt walked briskly to his locker as the last bell rang. He had seen Mimi run by his
chemistry classroom's door in tears, and wanted to know what had happened to her.
'Surely the rumor couldn't have caused her that much pain.' he thought to
himself.
"Hey Matt, how are you?" Sora asked, walking up to him with a grin on her
face.
"Do you know what happened to Mimi? She was in your art class last period,
wasn't she?"
Sora's grin widened. "Oh, you should have been there, Matt. It was classic!"
she exclaimed drawing out the a in classic for added effect. "First, Yuushite-sama had
a fit when Mimi had to tell her that potassium burned her project. She was so close to
tears, imagine, little Miss Perfect, having to hand a project in late! Then, Chen, the
quarterback suggested that him and Mimi should get together and have a little 'fun.'
she continued, saying the last sentence with an obscene gesture.
"That's what made her so upset? She didn't say yes, did she?"
"Nope, but when she said that, Chen poured a bottle of paint thinner over her
head. I imagine that would have hurt a little wouldn't it?" she asked laughing.
"Don't you think this is going a little far? I wasn't even Mimi's fault in the first
place. Tai was the one who set her up, yet he isn't being punished. Mimi is the one
who has to deal with all the crap!"
Sora's eyes narrowed dangerously. "So you're siding with the slut?"
Matt sighed, getting angry. "Sora, you are seeing this from a biased point of
view. If anyone should be made to pay, it has to be Tai. I know that your pathetic
obsession with him makes it hard for you to understand that he is more then capable
of messing up, a skill he displays all too much."
Sora shook her head in disgust. "You are unbelievable. I guess the whore got to
you too. Well. It's nice to know who my real friends are." with that statement she
turned around and stomped away.
Matt watched her walk away and shook his head. Why was she being so pig-
headed? Glancing at his watch, he grimaced. He was late for band rehearsal. They
had a concert tomorrow at lunch in the auditorium and wanted to practice the new
song Matt had just completed.

Mimi walked through the gateway to her house, hoping her parents weren't
home yet to see her smeared make up and ruined hair. In her hand, she carried hair
dye from the local drug store, since she was too embarrassed to let her personal hair
stylist see what had happened.
She quickly opened the front door and slipped off her shoes. As she took her
slippers from the closet she breathed a sigh of relief that her parents had not returned
home.
"Of course they aren't home yet, it's only 3:30."
She ran up to her bedroom and locked the door, throwing off her school
uniform and putting on a pair of black shorts and a black tank top so she wouldn't
ruin any of her pink clothes. She took the box of honey brown dye out of the bag and
quickly followed the instructions on how to apply.
With her hair covered in a bathing cap, she sat down on the bed. "Leave in for
30 minutes then rinse out." she read off the box then lay back closing her eyes.
She woke to the smell of dinner cooking. Horrified, she saw that it was quarter
after 5. Quickly she ran to the bathroom to remove the hair dye, noticing right away
that it was much darker than it should have been, even after leaving it in for too long.
Grabbing the colouring bottle, she glanced at the label. "Natural Black?" she muttered.
The box was labeled honey brown. Someone must have switched the bottles.
Fuming, she finished rinsing her hair and towel dried it. Her skin was already
considered to pale with her honey coloured locks. With the black, she looked like she
was dead. She grimaced and with the black clothing she looked positively gothic.
Mimi forced herself to smile. "Oh well I can always get it redone tomorrow.
Just one day. It won't be that bad."
Changing into a loose pink sundress, she went downstairs to take a walk.
"Is that you Mimi?" Her mother's voice came calling from the kitchen.
"Yes. I'm just going for a quick walk.."
"Wait, I need to talk to you for a moment." Something in her mother's voice
began to make Mimi worry.
"Sure, what is it?"
Her mother walked out of the kitchen and into the front hall where Mimi was
waiting. "I was at the supermarket today and I heard a very interesting story...about 5
or 6 times actually. IT seems that someone, or rather many someones, think that you
had..." her mother paused, looking for the word as Mimi's face paled, "intimate
relations with a guy Saturday night. Oh and I heard the same story at the post office
and at the hair salon too. I, of course, dismissed it as merely a hurtful rumour. But
then, when I got home, Ria, our cleaning lady called me into the laundry room. It
appears that there was drops of blood on your sheets, and not only that but a clear,
hardened substance otherwise known as semen. Now I ask myself, how could my
daughter have semen on her sheets unless the rumors were true. Did you sleep with a
boy, Mimi?"
Mimi lowered her head, "Yes."
Mimi's mother (~*~ lets call her Muchi from here on in because I am getting
tired of writing Mimi's mother. Besides I think the name suits her...~*~) sighed,
pursing her lips together. "Was it that Ishida boy you are going out with? Did he force
you to do it?"
Mimi shook her head. "I broke up with Matt a couple of weeks ago."
Muchi looked surprised. "I didn't know that. Well if it wasn't Matt who was
it?" She paused for a second as a thought popped into her head (~*~ a miracle! ~*~)
"It was that boy who was over here Sunday morning, Taichi, wasn't it?"
Mimi nodded silently. "I didn't mean to do it, Mom. I wasn't right in my head
at the time. I got caught up in the moment," she lied. She wasn't about to tell her mom
that she had been drunk. "And he didn't force me to do it either. It was a mutual
decision." Or at least as much as it could be with two drunk people, she thought to
herself
Muchi sighed, sitting down on a chair. "I see. Well did you, you know, use
protection?"
Mimi smiled. "Of course, Mom. I'm not an idiot."
"Okay, I won't tell your father about this yet. You can go now."
Mimi closed the door behind her, before slumping against the wall. She hadn't
used any protection. She was drunk, it wasn't like she could have thought about stuff
like that. Tears rushed down her face. How could she have been so dense? The night
just kept coming back to haunt her, it seemed.

Tai was walking to Mimi's, after stopping at the florist for a bouquet of pink
lilies. Behind him, he heard the sound of footsteps approaching. With a sigh, he
slowed down to let his follower catch up.
"Hey Tai," Yusuke greeted, clapping a hand on Tai's shoulder. Masaharu
joined at Tai's other side.
"Hey Suke, Masa. What are you doing in this area?" It was a strange thing for
them to be in the ritzy area of Odaiba, since they lived in the apartments by Tai.
"We might ask the same of you," murmured Masa.
"Especially with such a beautiful bouquet of flowers," added Suke. "Pink ones,
at that! You wouldn't be trying to apologize to a certain pink haired girl, would you?"
Tai thought quickly before deciding to play stupid. "I don't know what you are
talking about."
Yusuke smiled evilly. "We saw your little exchange in the park. You really
made her angry, with just that one kiss."
"I'd say that 'Taichi charm' backfired." Masaharu added. "Or maybe it was a
one time thing. You know, lots of girls are like that. Sleep with you once, making you
desire them all that much more, and just refuse you from then on in. A sort of Chinese
water torture.
Tai clenched his fist and sent it flying into Masaharu's nose. "Mimi is not that
kind of girl! She was just upset over what happened today at school and took her
anger out on me. I won't stand for any friend of mine saying anything demeaning
about her to my face or else they will have an appointment with my fist!" Tai spun
around and walked away from his two friends, Yusuke mopping up the blood from
Masaharu's nose.

Mimi was just turning around the corner after her walk to the corner store,
when she saw Tai going up to her door. With a frustrated sigh, she began to walk up
the street, stopping just outside her front gate, but close enough to hear any
conversation. She couldn't let Tai see her new hair, even if it was almost entirely
hidden by the large pink hat that she was wearing.
"Hello, Mrs. Tachikawa," he said politely. "Is Mimi home?"
Mrs. Tachikawa looked at him thoughtfully, causing Tai to sweat a little. Did
she have suspicions about Mimi and him? Surely someone must have brought it up to
her. Tai mentally shook his head. This was Mimi's mother he was talking about. She
couldn't put peanut butter and jelly together.
Sure enough, Mrs. Tachikawa broke out into a smile, "I'm sorry, Tai. Mimi just
stepped out for a moment. I'll tell her you stopped by though."
Tai nodded absent-mindedly as rustling in the branches outside the gate
caught his attention. "Thank you, Mrs. Tachikawa," he said quickly as he walked
away from the door. "You don't have to hide from me, Mimi. If you really didn't want
to talk to me that badly, you could have just said it."
Mimi stepped out, "Tai, it wasn't that, it's..."
"Save me the excuses, please. I can take a hint. I'm not as stupid as you think."
Mimi reached her hand out towards Tai, trying to stop him from leaving. "Tai,
wait..."
Tai glared at her, "Isn't that what I have been doing for all these years? And
where has it gotten me? Just forget it, Mimi." He began to walk away but turned back
after a few feet. "These were for you," he stated as he threw them to her feet and
quickly walked around the corner.
Kneeling down, Mimi gingerly picked up the bouquet, as tears began to spill
down her cheeks. Standing up, she scolded herself. Wasn't she supposed to be mad at
Tai? 'I am mad at him,' she thought to herself. 'Then why am I so upset now?' another
voice asked in the back of her mind.

Mimi entered her math class, only to be subjected to the deadly glares of Sora
and her followers. Raising her chin high, she walked over to her seat beside Tai and
sat down, leaving her large pink sun hat on.
Mr. Buaisoo entered the room, gazing at Mimi and her hat. "Mrs. Tachikawa,"
he said in his snotty, monotone voice, "Just because you may be a Tachikawa, it does
not mean you can ignore the rules of this establishment. Please remove your hat now."
Mimi gazed in horror at the teacher, pleading silently with him to let her keep
it on.
"I said remove your hat now!"
Mimi sighed dejectedly and removed the hat, letting her long hair tumble
down her back. Gasps were heard through out the classroom, followed by loud
laughter from Sora. Mimi buried her head in her hands. It wouldn't have been so bad
if it wasn't for the fact, that there were also streaks and spots of dark brown scattered
through out her hair.
Tai leaned close to Mimi, "Don't worry. It doesn't look that bad."
Mimi looked at Tai and smiled weakly. "This was why I didn't want to talk to
you last night. I didn't want you to see this. I wasn't being rude, I really wanted to
talk to you."
"About?" Tai inquired, smiling broadly.
"You know," Mimi stated, not wanting to say it aloud in the middle of class.
Tai smile grew larger. "No I don't know. Why don't you tell me?"
Mimi narrowed her eyes. "Never mind," she said coldly, before turning back to
her math assignment.
Tai slumped in his chair, regretting pushing Mimi so far. 'Why must I always act
so stupid?'

The morning passed by quickly for Mimi after Math class. Her music teacher
had let her keep her hat on as it inspired creativity, so she didn't have to worry about
teasing. When the lunch bell rang, she found herself being pushed through the halls
by a large crowd heading for the auditorium. Mimi furrowed her brow, puzzled.
What could be attracting so many people? Matt's concert, she thought. She had
completely forgotten about it. She debated leaving but shook her head. Even if Matt
hated her, that was no reason for her to pass up an opportunity to listen to music.
Pushing through the entrance, she grabbed a front row seat. The auditorium
filled quickly and Matt's band came out on stage. They started the show with a bunch
of their older songs, receiving thunderous applause and screams from the audience.
Up on stage, Matt watched Mimi as he sang. She seemed really distracted
through out the show, although she came to long enough to clap politely at the end of
each song. 'This must be really hard on her,' he thought to himself. 'It's so hard on me.'
Each song brought back memories of when they had been together, and he knew that
was what Mimi was thinking about too.
With a smile, he grabbed the mike again. "I want to dedicate the next song to a
very important girl in my life. Even though we've had some problems, I'll always be
there for you Mimi."


~~~ When you feel all alone
And the world has turned it's back on you
Give me a moment please
To tame your wild, wild heart
I know you feel like the walls are closing in on you
It's hard to find relief and people can be so cold
When darkness is upon your door and you feel like you can't take anymore

Let me be the one you call
If you jump I'll break your fall
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night
If you need to fall apart
I can mend a broken heart
If you need to crash then crash and burn
You're not alone

When you feel all alone
And a loyal friend is hard to find
You're caught in a one-way street
With the monsters in your head
When hopes and dreams are far away and
You feel like you can't face the day

Let me be the one you call
If you jump I'll break your fall
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night
If you need to fall apart
I can mend a broken heart
If you need to crash then crash and burn
You're not alone

Because there has always been heartache and pain
and when it's over you'll breathe again
You'll breathe again

When you feel all alone
And the world has turned it's back on you
Give me a moment please
To tame your wild, wild heart

Let me be the one you call
If you jump I'll break your fall
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night
If you need to fall apart
I can mend a broken heart
If you need to crash then crash and burn
You're not alone ~~~

As the last notes of the song faded, the applause nearly drowned out the
school bell. With a final wave to the audience, Matt began to walk behind the stage's
curtains, glancing quickly in Mimi's direction. She was watching him closely, a smile
lighting up her face as tears fell upon her cheeks. Smiling to himself, he placed his
guitar into its case and grabbed his bookbag for his afternoon classes.
A pair of warm hands covered her eyes, "Guess who?" a familiar voice
murmured in her ear.
"That's a tough one, let me think. Could it be.... Yamachan?" she said with a
smile. The hands moved away from her eyes.
"Got me." he smiled as Mimi turned to face him.
"I have to say that song you sang for me today was really sweet. I'm glad to
have you as a friend again."
"Well about that," he paused and held Mimi's hands in his own. "Could you
give me another chance? That Jun thing was not my fault. It was a favour for Davis
and my brother. I love you more than anything and would never hurt you
intentionally."
Mimi smiled, tears welling in her eyes. "That is so sweet, Matt. Of course I'll
give you another chance."
Matt leaned over and kissed her gently. "Are you doing anything tonight?"
Mimi shook her head. "Why don't you come over for dinner. It'll be just the two of us.
Then maybe we can go see a movie."
"That would be great." The bell for last period rang.
"Come over to my house for 6, then." Matt called as he walked down the hall
to his next class.

"Mimi! Wait up!" Tai yelled down the hall. Turning her head only marginally,
she moved towards the side of the hall. Tai also shared her study period right now.
"Hi Tai. I have to go to the library, are you coming?"
Tai hesitated for a moment. "Uh... sure. So Mimi, you said you wanted to talk
earlier?"
Mimi sighed. "Yes. I really overreacted yesterday and I'm sorry. I was just
having a really bad day. I hope we can still be friends."
Tai smiled sadly. Friends. "Don't worry. There are no hard feelings." That's not
what I thought she was going to say, he thought. I realized I do love you, Tai and I want
to be with you forever.
"Tai? I thought you were going to the library with me."
Tai snapped back to reality to see that he had continued walking down the hall
rather than turn into the entrance of the library. Turning around, he smiled sheepishly
at the confused Mimi standing in front of the library's door. "Sorry, I guess my mind is
elsewhere today."
Mimi smiled, "Worried about the soccer semi-finals next week? I am. My squad
is using a new program but three of the girls haven't bothered to show up for practice
all week. I don't know what I am going to do."
"Don't worry, Mimi. You will be fine."
"Thanks, Tai."
Silence followed as Mimi got out her school work and Tai watched her.
"Mimi?" Tai said finally, breaking the silence.
"Yes?"
"I was wondering if you weren't doing anything tonight, maybe you'd like to
see a movie with me."
Mimi looked up at Tai. "I'd love to," Tai's face lit up, "but I'm going out with
Yamachan tonight."
Tai's face fell, "When did you two get back together?"
"This afternoon. He sang a song that he wrote for me which was just the
sweetest thing. After the concert, he came up to me and apologized, then he kissed
me."
Tai was silent for a moment. He had heard from his friends that Matt had
dedicated a song to Mimi, but he hadn't thought they would have gotten back
together. "I see. Well, congratulations for both of you. Um... I know I said I would
stay, but I just remembered that Coach asked me to stop by during study period to
work out some strategies."
Mimi watched him leave, sadly. "Somehow, I don't think I should have told
him about Matt." she whispered.


Mimi stood at the door of Matt's apartment. Nervously, she straightened her
dress and knocked. Almost immediately, Matt answered the door, dressed in a green
button up shirt and tight black pants.
"Wow, you look amazing, Meems."
Mimi smiled , "So do you."
Matt led her into the house, guiding her to the table. He pulled out the chair for
her, gesturing for her to sit. "I'll be right out with the meal."
Mimi watched him walk away, then turned towards the table. It was set up so
beautifully, the only light provided by tall white candles.
"I hope this will be okay," Matt stated as he walked back into the room
carrying two plates. "I didn't have time to go shopping after school."
He placed a plate of fetticini alfredo in front of her and then sat down.
"Oh Matt, this is wonderful. I love Italian food."
Matt smiled, "I know."
"I feel so guilty. You are just so wonderful even after everything I've done. You
even tried to take the blame for our break-up even though it was completely my fault.
I was the one who wouldn't let you explain, I was the one to push you away, I was
the one who got drunk, I was the one who slept with your best friend and yet you
still..." Mimi started crying. "I've hurt you so much, and yet you are still by my side.
I've made so many mistakes. I never wanted my first time to be when I was drunk,
with someone I didn't love. I wanted it to be special and romantic, with candles and
flowers and with you."
Matt walked over to Mimi and wrapped his arms around her. "It's okay, Mimi.
You underestimate yourself completely. It's as much my fault as yours. And you had
nothing to do with the drinking. It was Tai who pushed you into it. I love you Mimi
and that's enough. I'll always be there for you." Gingerly, he kissed her, before
pressing into the kiss. Slowly, he led her to the bedroom. "Do you want to do
this right? he whispered into her ear as he opened the door, revealing a candlelit
room. His only answer was a kiss, before he was pulled over to the bed.


Masaharu and Yusuke walked into the locker room. "Hey Tai." they greeted
with smiles on their faces. Tai grimaced. Those two smiling was not a good sign.
"What do you guys want?" Tai asked half-heartedly.
"Just wondering if you have seen Mimi today." Masaharu said, his grin
widening.
"Or you could just ask if he's seen Matt since their lips have been locked since
they arrived at school, Masa." Yusuke corrected him, smirking.
Tai stared at them, clenching his jaw, "I had heard they had gotten back
together, if that's what you're asking."
Masaharu sat beside Tai and put his arm around his shoulder. "What's the
matter, Taichi? Lost your girl two days after sleeping with her... I'm ashamed. And
you call yourself a man!"
"Shut up Masa! Stop sticking your head into matters you have no knowledge
about!"
Masaharu ignored Tai's outburst and turned to Yusuke, "Well obviously not as
big a man as Matt. At least he was able to keep the girl after he slept with her."
Tai gazed in horror at his two laughing friends. "She slept with him?"
"Or so the rumour goes. Of course, I could be wrong."
"Who told you that crap?" Tai demanded, standing up abruptly.
"Sora did..."
Tai stormed out of the locker room. Yusuke turned to Masaharu.
"Maybe we went a little to far." he stated finally.
Masaharu rubbed his bruised and swollen nose with a vengeful gaze. "I don't
think we went far enough."

Sora sat in her class, grinning like the cheshire cat. Mimi might have gotten
Matt back again, but she would get her just deserts eventually, starting with this
rumour about Matt and Mimi sleeping together. Sora knew that they would never do
something like that, but Mimi would begin to think that Matt started the rumour.
"The first step in my plan," she murmured to herself.
The door flew open and Tai ran in. "I need to speak to Sora right now." he
demanded.
Calmly, Sora stood up and walked out of the class behind Tai.
"Can I help you Tai?" she asked nicely.
"Who told you about Matt and Mimi sleeping together?"
"No one. I made it up. You don't actually think they would have slept together
do you? You saw how upset Mimi was about sleeping with you, I seriously doubt she
would have done it again three days later." Sora smiled. "But with the way they came
to school today, all lovey-dovey and hanging off each other, you would think that
they had."
Tai looked at Sora in disbelief. "You are a twisted person, Sora. What ever
happened to that kind hearted girl you were in the Digiworld?"
Sora glared at Tai. "She left when her best friend slept with the person she had
been in love with since she was 5." Shaking her head, she turned around and walked
back into the class.
Tai stared after her. Sora had liked him?


Mimi opened her locker and threw her books in angrily. She had completely
forgotten about her chemistry test this morning. She forced herself to take a deep
breath. Even if she failed that test, she would still have her A due to the one
replacement test mark the teacher gave at the end of the year.
Warm arms circled around her waist, as lips began to kiss her neck. Stifling a
giggle, she melted into his arms. "Matt, I don't think this is an appropriate place."
Slowly she turned around, and pressed her lips to his. "Another time."
Matt grinned, "So are you doing anything tonight?"
Mimi stared at him. "You horny little boy!" she exclaimed and turned around
to her locker again.
Matt leaned up against her and began nibbling on her ear as he murmured,
"So was that a no then?"
Mimi laughed, "Yes."
"Can you come right after school?"
"I'll be counting down the minutes." Slowly she kissed Matt, then pulled away.
"As much as I'd like to stay like this, I have to finish my art project that Sora
destroyed. I'll meet you out front as soon as the bell rings, okay?"
Matt sighed. "I suppose. But you can't leave without giving me a good-bye
kiss."
With a smirk Mimi agreed, breaking it off quickly. "Just to make sure you hurry
after school."

Matt stood on the front steps, waiting for Mimi. The bell had rang ten minutes
ago but she still hadn't come outside. Suddenly a flash of pink caught his attention
and he saw Mimi's still black hair rush past him.
"Mimi," he called out but she didn't turn around. Quickly, he ran to catch up
to her, a large grin on his face. "Hey, Mims. Did you forget about our plans this
afternoon?"
Mimi whirled around, glaring at Matt. "Suddenly, I'm not so up for it." She
began to walk away, but Matt pulled her back.
"What's the matter, Mimi?" he asked concerned.
"As if you don't know. Why would you tell everyone about last night? To
prove you are as big a man as Tai? Is that what I am to you? Just another thing to
prove you're better than Tai?"
"Mimi, I swear I didn't tell anybody about us. I didn't even hear about that
until now. I swear. I didn't start the rumour. I care about you, more than you can
imagine. I would never hurt you like that." Mimi searched his eyes for a trace of
deception. With a faint smile, she sighed. "I may be crazy, but I believe you."
"Why don't we get some ice cream, then I'll walk you home?"
Mimi smiled, "That sounds wonderful, as long as I can have my favorite."
"Strawberry it is, then."
Mimi beamed. He still knew her favorite ice cream flavour too. taking his hand
in hers, they walked down the street to the gelateria. (~A/N~ An Italian ice cream
store....Yum…I love ice cream)
As they walked through the door, Mimi felt a light tap on her shoulder.
Turning around, she saw Sora standing there. "I need to talk to you, Mimi," she stated
simply before leading Mimi towards a booth.
Mimi looked shocked. "I'll be right back Matt. Can you order?"
"Sure"
With a sigh, she turned back to Sora. "Is there a problem?" A lump came to
her throat as she remembered to cold dismissal of their friendship.
"I want to apologize for the way I acted. I lost it and realized that I should
have been more understanding. It really wasn't your fault, you were under the
influence of alcohol and the only reason you lied was to spare my feelings. I would
have done the same thing if I was in your shoes. Please forgive me."
Mimi studied Sora's face. "Of course I'll forgive you. I missed having a best
friend. I really could have used you the last few days."
"Speaking of the last few days, you know that rumour about you and Matt?"
"Yeah, what about it? Matt assured me that he didn't start it but I don't know
if I believe him. I mean, he was the only person who knew that we…"
"Tai started it." Sora interrupted.
Mimi stared in shock at Sora. "But why would he do something like that?"
"He told me he was jealous of you and Matt. He really likes you and couldn't
stand to see you with Matt instead of him." Sora smiled sadly. "I bet he thought that
after you slept with him, you would realize that you loved him not Matt. Instead you
ended up getting together with Matt."
Mimi frowned. "I just can't believe Tai would do something like that." Mimi
heard footsteps behind her. "Let's not talk about this here anymore. Maybe you can
come over later."
Sora watched as amtt walked up behind Mimi, and very diliberately let a drop
of ice cream fall on her shoulder. Sora braced herself for Mimi to explode, closing her
eyes, but it never came. Cautiously, he opened one eye a crack, to see Matt lick the ice
cream of her shoulder and proceed kissing her up her neck. Mimi giggled at this,
then pushed him playfully away.
"Not here, Matt!" She said before kssing him. "We'll have plenty of time later."
Sora furrowed her brow. She had never known Matt to act this way around
Mimi, especially in public. 'Matt assured me that he didn't start it but I don't know if I
believe him. I mean, he was the only person who knew that we...' Mimi's words echoed in
her head. 'the only person who knew ....' Sora gasped in shock. They had slept together.
Mimi's head snapped up to look at Sora. "Is everything okay, Sora?"
Sora smiled. "Of course! I just remembered that I was supposed to study for
my French test tonight but I forgot my binder at school."
Mimi smiled. You can use my notes, We can study together when we get to my
house."
Sora forced a smile. "Sure that would be great." Mentally she shuddered at
the thought of spending so much time together with the slut. "Are we going to go
right now?"
Mimi nodded. "Just let me finish my ice cream first."
Matt frowned slightly. "I guess that means you're not coming over to my house
then?"
"I told you I didn't feel up to it. My opinion hasn't changed." Mimi's voice took
on a steely edge. She smiled quickly, giving him a kiss, "I'll call you tonight after Sora
leaves. Shall we head out Sora?"
Sora smiled then nodded, groaning in her mind. Mentally, she shook her head.
She had always known that Mimi was popular with the guys. Tai had liked her
when they were children and knew Sora knoew that. Mimi just didn't realize how
many people adored her.
"Sora, you're doing that thinking face again!" Mimi said with a smile as Sora
made the face even worse. Sora's thinking face consisted of one eye shut, one side of
her lip curled up, her nose wrinkled and her tongue hanging half out of her mouth.
The both of them started laughing.
"You don't know how good it feels to be able to laugh with you again." Mimi
said as she clutched her sides. Sora laughed again.
"Yeah next thing I know, you'll be trying to dress me again. Creating a 'stylish'
sora as you say."
Mimi smiled mischeviously. "It would be better than that orange shirt with
pink hair ties that you are wearing today."
Sor grimaced. "You know that I only wore them for you, Mimi."
Mimi shook her head. "You're a geek Sora. A big giant geek." Both girls began
to laugh again as they continued on their way.