The crowd was pushing at me from all sides, screaming, breathing down my neck, scratching, yelling like the insane teenyboppers they were. Frightened and somewhat angry, I pushed forward, holding the tag around my neck up to the burly security guard at the backstage door.
"Hey!" I bawled over the noise of the crowd. "Do you know who I am, buddy? Tachikawa!! That's right, Ishida's friend!! I have all access passes, and you're not getting paid for sitting around here!! I want in, now!!"
The guard facefaulted and escorted me through the door. I chuckled at the thought of what my daddy would have done if he had heard that outburst from me. I wasn't usually like that. But with all those insane girls breathing down my neck...sheesh.
"Thankyou," I said with a smile to the security guard. "Have fun out there."
"Yes, Miss Mimi," he rumbled, then walked back out with a sigh. I grinned, and walked down the long, dark corridor that lead to my boyfriend's dressing room. The heels of my new shoes clicked on the ground; I made a face at the thought of them, all scratched and messed up moving through that crowd of...of...hyperactive children. I bent down to inspect the toes of them when someone almost bumped into me. I let out a tiny shriek--who knew who it could be in this madhouse!
"Woah, woah, easy there, Miss Tachikawa!" the voice, deep and lustrous, said. I looked up, and was very happy to see Akira, the drummer for Teen-age Wolves, smiling down at me. "Did I scare you?"
"A little," I admitted.
"My apologies," he said. "Hey, Yamato's offstage out back in the garden waiting for you."
"Oooh!" I said, a grin spreading from ear to ear. "Okays!! See ya later, Akira!!"
"Catcha, Miss Tachikawa," he said, grinning and saluting me.
I skipped down the long hall and stopped just outside the exit. Hesitating, I lifted my hand and pushed the door open.
The door swung open, and revealed the back garden of Tokyo Stadium. I gasped...it was nothing spectacular, especially for Tokyo, but in the middle of it, Yamato Ishida stood. His eyes widened when he saw me. He was just as breathtakingly beautiful as he was last year...his hair was longer and he was taller, but apart from that, he was exactly the same.
"Yamato," I said softly, blushing slightly.
"Mimi...oh!" he breathed. He walked towards me as if in disbelief and touched the red ribbon in my hair. "You...you didn't...!"
I broke into a huge smile.
"I did."
Last year, 2003. Summer.
"You're WHAT?!" I exploded, tears beginning to form in my eyes. "Touring?! For how long?! When?!"
Yamato sighed as he sank into the park bench while we were taking a walk in the afternoon warmth of Odaiba Central Park. "For about a year or so. It's a promo tour...I'll be going everywhere. And I leave tomorrow. Mimi, I'm sorry..."
"Well..." I said, trying to regain my composure. "It's okay. We can still ICQ each other, and talk on the phone...can't we...?" I broke off and stared at his face, panic rising in my chest. "Yamato?"
"Mimi..." he began, and I noticed the sob in his voice. "Mimi, this whole thing...it's not going to work. We can't..."
I felt my legs almost buckle. No...
"Yama...are you..."
"Mimi...I want to break up."
My heart stopped beating. My eyes filled with tears, and I started shaking.
"No...tell me this is a joke...please..." My voice was trembling, and tears spilled down my cheeks. "Why....?"
He sighed. "I'm sorry...but Mimi, this whole thing isn't going to work. I'm going to be touring, running around...I'll have no time to be a proper boyfriend to you and be a musician...plus there's school, and your modelling--"
"You can't be serious!" I cried, hiccuping, trying to swallow the knot in my throat. "We--we've done well so far! We're doing okay! We can make it!"
"No, Mimi..." he said, and I saw the tears shining in his eyes. "This is just ridiculous. I refuse to tie you down like this."
"Tie me down?!" I nearly screamed. "No!! I want to be tied down!! I want to be tied to you...!!"
Yamato kissed my forehead and embraced my shaking form, rocking me back and forth. "No, Mimi...can you imagine what it's going to be like for you? While all the other girls are laughing and going out, you're waiting for me in the stage wings. You're waiting for me while I'm touring the world. I won't do this to you, Mimi. I refuse to. So...I want to say goodbye--"
"No!!" I yelled, sobbing like a baby, wrenching myself out of his embrace. "No, Yamato, no!! I can't...I just...oh..."
I turned and ran away from him, not wanting to watch the sunset colours play over his beautiful, sad face...for the last time.
*
"Mimi sweetie...Mimi?"
I had locked myself in my room, and was very busy crying my eyes out into my pillow. I recognised Mom's voice on the other side of the door, and just sniffled more.
"Go away," I hiccuped. I didn't feel like talking. To anyone.
"Mimi, please...I'm worried about you," her voice sounded so worried that I got up, still sniffling, and unlocked the door. Mom took one look at me and hugged me tightly. I burst into tears again and cried on her shoulder.
"Mimi, what's wrong? Please tell me," she said as she stroked my hair comfortingly. I sat down on my bed, hiccuping, trying to regain control of myself.
"Yamato...Yamato...wants us to break up!!" I cried, balling my hands into fists.
"Oh, Mimi. Why?" Mom said, sitting down next to me and hugging me.
"I don't know," I sobbed. "He said something about him tying me down 'cause he's a musician...and that it just wouldn't work out in the end..." I broke off, pressing my fingers to my eyelids, trying to stop the flowing tears.
Mom rubbed my back comfortingly and whispered. "Would you like to hear a story, honey?"
"A...a story? Now? But Mom--"
"Shhh," she said, placing her finger on my lips. "I'll tell you this story, and it might make you feel better."
"Okay..."
"When I first met your father, I was 16 or so...perhaps a bit older than you. He was nineteen, a dazzling young man with a beautiful smile. I almost fell in love with him instantly, and...well, let me be girlish for a moment and say he felt the same way with me, hmm?" She giggled, and I couldn't help but smile.
"He was attending college, studying to be a lawyer, as he is now. I was still in high school, and absolutely had my heart set on being a chef. He was tidy, I was messy. I was emotional, he wasn't as much. But we fell in love, and started dating.
"One night, we went out to a restraunt, our first real grown up date. We had some disgusting dish that we both pretended to love, and at the end of it, I suggested that we read each other's palms and see what the future had in store for each other. He agreed, and went first. I took his palm, and said I could see him in front of a jury, giving a powerful and moving speech. Then he took my hand, and he said he could see me cooking thousands of delicious dishes for a prestigous restraunt. It was then he looked up at me, kissed my cheek, and said that he wanted to break up."
I gasped. "Why? Why on earth?"
Mom smiled at me gently. "Because our futures didn't match, sweetie. And your father seemed to think that the painless way to go about it was to break it off right there and then."
"Oh no!" I sniffled, feeling the tears start to burn in my eyes again. "What did you do? Did you cry?"
"Yes! Yes, I did. Then I took one of the little packets of sugar from the table without a word, slid it into my pocket, and walked away.
"For a long time I kept that sugar packet in the pocket of whatever I happened to be wearing, as a memory of your father. The first, and only man I ever loved. Silly, wasn't it? Then one day, I was working as a waitress part time in a Shibuya cafe, while studying at university, and a man with such an amazing aura walked in. I was completely spellbound by him. I was so busy trying to remember who on earth he was, and why I liked him so much, when he ordered coffee with sugar, I accidently poured the packet of sugar in my pocket into it! I just about burst into tears on the spot.
"The man saw how distressed I was, and asked me if I was okay, and if there was anything he could do to help. I looked up, and then I recognized him."
"It was Daddy!" I cried, clasping my hands together. "It was, wasn't it?"
Mom laughed. "Yes, it was your daddy. And I smiled at him and gave him his coffee, saying, "No, I'm fine. Here's your coffee, Toshio"...and six months later, we were married."
I smiled. "Destiny..."
"I guess you could say that. Feel better now, sweetie?"
I nodded. "A little...but Mom, what does that have to do with Yama and me?"
My mom patted my shoulder. "You'll see."
*
That night, after much sneaking about, I decided to visit the Digital World and hang out with Palmon for a while. I was still feeling pretty upset, and I knew my Digital friend would be able to help me.
And she did help me. Well, if you consider picking flowers and looking for Yukimibotamon to feed helping. And I guess it did help, in a way. It took my mind off things, that's for sure.
As we walked down by a small river, Palmon flopped down on the ground.
"Mimi, let's rest for a while, I'm tiiiired."
I had to admit, I was pretty worn out too, so I slipped my shoes off, sitting on the riverbank and paddling my feet in the water as Palmon threw some of the flowers into the river, watching them drift away slowly in the sparkling moonlight.
"That's a way of telling fortunes here in the Digital World," Palmon remarked as the petals danced over a small patch of rapids. "And those flowers say that tomorrow is gonna be a good day."
Tomorrow Yamato is leaving, I thought sadly. Out of the country and out of my life...
"Really," I said, with a small smile, glad that the dim light didn't show my face too much.
"Yup," Palmon said, casting some more flowers afloat.
"We do fortunes differently in the real world," I said, thinking back to my Mom's story. "We look at each other's hands and see what's there."
"Oooh," said Palmon, intrigued. "What do you see in mine?" She held her hand up.
I giggled. "A lot of dirt."
"Mimiiiiii..."
"Okay, okay..." I took Palmon's hand in mine, and squinted at it. "I see you, and lots and lots of flowers, and you're smiling and happy, with a little Tanemon by your side."
Palmon squealed. "Let me read yours!!"
"Okay," I grinned, and held my hand out to her. She looked at it critically.
"I see you, living a happy life, and with Yamato forever and always!" She looked up at me with big, innocent green eyes.
I stared down at her for a few moments, then smiled, and hugged her tightly.
"Mimi?" she choked.
"Thankyou, Palmon," was all I said.
*
It was raining as I stepped out of the cab and into Tokyo International Airport. I had to catch Yamato before he left. There was no ifs, ands, or buts about it.
I burst through the automatic doors and hissed as I glanced at my watch. We'd gotten caught in traffic at the Kobe turnoff, so I was late...but hopefully not too late.
I passed through the metal detectors without a problem, and raced up the escalator two steps at a time. I glanced down at the sheet in my hand...QANTAS Flight 085, departing for Sydney, Australia, Gate 4...I looked up and down the long walkway, and spotted Gate 4, racing towards it as if possesed.
I skidded to a stop, scanning the people milling around the Gate. And then I saw him, a flash of that sunshine blonde hair, those eyes...
"Yamato!!" I cried, running to him. He turned around.
"Mimi!" he said, as I approached. "Mimi...this doesn't change anything...I still think..."
"It's okay," I said softly, even though a hard knot was forming in my throat and the tears were beginning to sting my eyes. "I just...just had to say..."
"Goodbye..." Yamato whispered, leaning forward and kissing my lips gently. I closed my eyes and felt the tears start to stream down my cheeks, warm trails of liquid sadness. Yamato pulled back, swallowing. "Mimi...I'll never forget you..."
"I'll never forget you," I whispered, hiccupping. This was wrong, so, so wrong. A breakup shouldn't be so bittersweet. It shouldn't be like this...so why on earth was I going through this?
I see you, living a happy life, with Yamato forever and always!
Yamato clenched his fist, crushing his boarding pass and flight information, which were bundled together with a deep red ribbon. "Mimi..."
"Yamato...I'll stand alone for the whole time you're gone, you know," I whispered, putting my hand in his and my resting my forehead on his. "I love you...and just in case you stand alone, I'll stand alone too, the whole--"
"QANTAS flight Zero-Eight-Five, Tokyo to Sydney non-stop is boarding now at Gate 4."
I glanced up in horror at the PA system speaker, as if that would change the terrible announcement.
"Not yet!" I cried, as the line for the plane began moving, and Yamato also moved away from me. I tripped over as our hands were torn apart unwillingly, falling on my face. I winced, and as I hastily crawled to my feet, I saw something on the ground. The red ribbon that had been around Yamato's boarding pass. I grasped it recklessly and started running as the line moved faster.
"Yamato! No, wait!" I cried, tears flowing freely down my face. "Yamato!!"
"Mimi!!" I heard him cry, and then the crowd swallowed him up, and the flight attendants closed the doors to the passage connecting the building to the aeroplane.
I stood in the middle of the airport, tears streaming down my face, trembling, clutching the red ribbon in my hand. The last memory I had of Yamato Ishida, the love of my life...
My eyes widened as my mother's story came back to me.
"The packet of sugar...the last..."
I burst into tears, holding the red ribbon up to my cheek. I didn't care who was watching anymore.
"I promise, you, Yamato," I sobbed quietly as I clutched at the ribbon. "I promise you, should you stand alone, I'll also be alone. If anyone hurts you, I'll stand in your name. I'll never let you go, never ever...this ribbon promises that."
I took a deep breath, then opened my eyes, a wavery smile touching my lips. I felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off my chest.
"I promise," I said softly, and tied the ribbon in my hair. And outside, in the pouring rain, the 747 jumbo sped off the runway and lifted into the skies.
2004, present time...
"I did. I wore this ribbon for the entire time you were gone..." I smiled softly.
Yamato was shaking, but his eyes were joyful...oh, those eyes, just like I remembered them...sparkling pools of sapphire that shone in the sunlight.
"You...you..."
"I stood alone," I said, nodding.
"Oh, Mimi," he breathed, taking my hands in his. "You didn't have to..."
"I wanted to, Yamato...I...I love you, you know."
He laughed out loud and picked me up by the waist, swinging me upwards. I giggled and squealed, smiling when he set me down.
I dimpled. "So, we're back together?"
Yamato leaned forward and kissed me gently.
"C'mon, Mimi," he said, smiling. "Were we ever apart?"
"Never," I said, throwing my arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. "We never ever stood alone."
"Hmm, even when we had to go to the bathroom? 'Cause I would have liked some privacy then..." he joked, a twinkle in his eye.
"Yama!!" I cried, punching him playfully. "You are utterly hopeless! I thought you might have come back a little more mature, but no!"
He grinned. "Guess not. Hey, princess, can I walk you home?"
Just like old times, I thought, my heart soaring.
"No."
He looked shocked. "Er...'no'?"
I jumped onto his back, giggling. "You can piggyback me home!!"
"Aw, Mimi--"
At that moment, a gush of summer wind passed us, ruffling my hair and sweeping the red ribbon out of it. It was carried high on the wind, twisting and turning like an autumn leaf.
"Mimi, your ribbon..." Yamato said, pointing.
I smiled, watching it play on the breeze.
"It's okay. I don't need it anymore."
~THE END~