Disclaimer: First and last, "I do not own Digimon."
DP is the work of a talented Mimato artist CT05. I don't own the image either.
Italics: Character's thoughts

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Chapter 1: New Beginnings

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[Mimi]

The colors of the walls were the most beautiful shade of ivory you will ever find whereas the wooden floors were waxed so perfectly the reflection of the light became blinding. A young teenage girl stood in the center of the room and felt the gentle breeze grazing her docile face. She began to open her eyes to see two large ebony windows; thin layers of curtained sheets were gracefully wafted by the wind. It's such a romantic scene, she thought to herself in a trance. Closing her eyes again, she felt a small smile reaching the corners of her lips and silently began counting to three. 1… 2… 3… A boy—no a man now stood before her. He towered her thin frame but as if on cue, he bent down so that their lips touched. She was unable to distinguish a face due to the brightness of the room, but she was sure of thing, he was definitely handsome. He lowered his head deeper and their lips so close to her she could hear an erratic heart thumping. The girl closed her eyes in anticipation but was gradually pulling her head back on her own accord. Then unexpectedly, she swung her right hand and slapped his face… hard!

"Beep! Beep! Beep!"… "Beep! Beep! Beep!"

"Aah!" Mimi lifted herself from the bed and focused on her surrounding—her room. The lightly colored pink walls enclose her and she soon notices the window beside her bed is open. The window was open? That probably made me had that dream… thank goodness it was only a dream. How embarrassing to have slapped a guy I wanted to kiss. Mimi then grabbed her phone from the nightstand and noticed the time: 6:30. Of course it would be 6:30! You did set the alarm at that time because it's my… "FIRST DAY! First day of school and I'm just sitting here thinking about it."

She instantly got up from bed, grabbed her towel and headed to the bathroom. A nice warm shower will wake me up just fine!

"Morning Mimi!" A familiar voice called from downstairs. Dad's already awake? That's earlier than usual.

"Good morning Otou-san!" Mimi shouted back just right before entering the restroom.

...

Glancing at the time, Mimi noticed she still had 30 minutes remaining before she had to head to campus. She sat in her desk and looked straight at the mirror that hung on the wall. She blow-dried her damp hair and afterwards, applied light make up. The makeup she decided to use today was simple: just a blush to give her cheeks a rosy-red color and a salmon-pink lip balm. She felt it was best to not overdue makeup on the first day of school (or any day of school for that matter) because Mimi had to admit it, her natural face is a killer!

"Now what about that uniform?" She turned around and there it was—hanging on the wall just as she had hung it last night. "Dark green isn't really my shade of color, but I can't complain" She changed into the school's uniform which consisted of a vertically-ruffled dark green skirt, the same colored dark green long sleeve top with white collars and a blue ascot tied in front of the chest. Her flats were the same colored blue accompanied by white knee-high socks.

"Ugh," Mimi groaned to herself. She wasn't a fan of the school's uniform but she felt relief when she could do whatever she wanted with her hair. "Hmmm…" She pondered to herself. Mimi went to stand in front of the mirror again and observed her the options she could do with her waist-length honey brown hair. After a short debate, she decided to leave her hair fall naturally but with the ends of her hair curling slightly.

When she was satisfied with the way her hair bounced, she added a gold star hairpin holding back her left fringe while the right fringe framed her face. Mimi grabbed her brown leather satchel—filled with school necessities and other female products—before running down the stairs to see her father.

"Hey Meems, did you get plenty of sleep?" The older man asked from behind the newspapers he was reading.

"Perfectly," she replied taking a seat in front of him, "You cooked breakfast for us today!"

"Yeah, I figured that if you always cooked for me before I head off to work, then I'll do the same for your first day of Japanese school."

Mimi smiled gratefully before saying "Thanks daddy!" in a mouth full of rice and natto.

Her father looked from behind the newspapers and watched his daughter as she ate. "When did you want to head to school today?"

"7:30, I want to get to campus early so people won't see me and ask each other 'is that a new girl'," Mimi responded half serious, half jokingly.

"Alright, alright. You have 10 minutes left before we head off then."

"Okay," Mimi finished her breakfast and headed towards the sink, "So, after you drop me off, are you just going to head to work?"

"Yup, work starts at 8:00 am every day."

...

"There's the school, I see it," Mimi's dad enthusiastically stated as a matter of fact.

"Yup, I do too," She responded, though not as joyful as her father.

"Feeling the butterflies?"

"Yeah, I am." Mimi trailed off towards the end as she rubbed her stomach.

"Well, the Mimi that I know will only be troubled for a bit. She's a strong-willed female who is not afraid to express herself and her beliefs to others no matter what they might think. Plus, she's a very cute girl and her happiness is contagious."

Mimi light punched her dad on the shoulder, "Stop it daddy!" She felt reassured and less anxious after her father's encouragement. "It's just… Japan is so different from America. The people are so different here, the culture, there isn't much of diversity…"

"I know… and I apologize for having to move us while you are in high school. High schoolers can be so tough! With their 'oh ma gawd he's so kawaii' or their 'hey cutie, you wanna go to the movies' right?"

Mimi laughed at her dad's attempt to be young and hip, however like medicine, her anxiety diminished and she felt more like herself. The car stopped in front of the large building that had the inscription "Odaiba High School" on the gate's arc. Mimi turned to her dad, "Thanks daddy! I feel ready now."

"I'm always here for you Meems."

Mimi smiled and reached out to hug him. "Love you," she whispered into his ears.

"Daddy loves you more," he replied softly before changing into a serious tone, "Now remember Mimi, if you need anything or if anything happens, call me okay?"

"Yup, got it," Mimi stepped out of the car and waved to her dad and the car until it got out of sight. She turned around and faced the school and entered her first day of Japanese school

She walked through the large opened gates and noticed very few kids… not many students considering it's already 7:40. She had expected there would be more students to make the campus livelier but maybe she was wrong. She turned her attention to the school's walkway leading up to the building. It was well-taken care of and the trees, grass, and flowers look well maintained with water, sunlight, and most importantly LOVE! She also had noticed that the campus had two decently sized water fountains parallel from each other. They were large enough so that about ten students can sit on the circumference. Hmm, not a bad touch.

She stepped into the main office and quietly approached the front desk. There sitting was an elder woman who was carefully looking at documents with her oval-framed glasses.

"Hi excuse me…" Mimi scanned the desk for her name 'Yura Kenko', "Yura-san? I am Tachikawa Mimi, the new transferred student from America. I was told to come here for my schedule."

The woman named Yura looked up and inspected Mimi before her. She didn't respond or show any signs of emotions to indicate whether she was annoyed, pleased, or bothered by the young girl's presence. Yura then turned her direction towards a folder and handed it to Mimi. "Welcome to your new school honey. This is your folder that contains your schedule followed by important documents and dates. Please take a look at them. And if you have any questions, do not be afraid to ask." She smiled and Mimi could tell she was a very sweet person.

"Oh thank you very much Yura-san!" Mimi bowed, "But I do have one question. Why are there no students on campus yet?"

Kenko looked absolutely lost but lightly laughed at the young girl's foolishness, "Honey, the first bell doesn't ring till 8:30. You just came very early today. Most of the students don't come till 8:00 to 8:20."

Mimi blushed and felt completely stupid. Dummy! This isn't America! "Of course!" she laughed hysterically, "I just made a mistake today, but thank you for being so informative." Mimi bowed and moved towards the door.

Kenko smiled sweetly, "No problem honey, if you need anything else I'm here."

Mimi nodded in comprehension and walked towards the door. Before she was about to step out, Kenko called out to her, "Mimi-dear, if you need a place to go to during lunch, I will be here too if you would like company from an old woman."

Mimi turned around to face Kenko, her heart fluttering with glee, "Yura-san, you're too kind. I will definitely consider it." Mimi stepped out and cheerily went towards the direction of her locker which was written on her schedule. "Hmmm… on here it says my locker number is… A39." She turned to the map of the building and immediately felt a migraine coming, "This is so confusing to read." Mimi turned the paper around to understand it better, but she ultimately sighed in defeat.

Just as the brunette began walking down the hall she noticed a door propped open and stepping out was young boy, about the same height as her, with maroon-colored hair carrying a laptop between his left arm and his body.

"Um excuse…" Mimi called out to him and noticed his head turning to her direction, "I'm new to the school. Could you please explain this map to me and where I can find locker number A39?"

The boy looked at her and then the paper and finally introduced himself, "I am Izumi Koushiro." He bowed before grabbing the map in Mimi's hands, "Welcome to Odaiba High School. This map of our school is fairly simple to understand. The school was built with four floors and a basement as you can see under the first floor," he pointed it out on the map, "The first floor, which we are on, supports the main office, the nursery, the student's and teacher's lounge and finally, lockers A with numbers 1 to 200. The left side of the school contains the odd numbered lockers while the even digits are on the right. Since you're locker number is A39, it will be on this floor and that way." Koushiro pointed towards the direction behind Mimi and returned the map to her. "Additionally, homeroom classes for third, second and first years are located on the second, third and fourth floor respectively. The cafeteria is on the first floor where as the library is on the second floor. The school gymnasium and other sports related field are located behind the building."

"Thank you Izumi-san," Mimi bowed quickly but remembered to use her honorifics. She was about to head to her locker when he spoke.

"Uh, I noticed we are in the same grade, please address me casually: Koushiro-kun if you like."

Mimi felt a slight blush creep on her face. "Of course, I will try to remember next time."

...

Koushiro-kun is a very nice person, she thought to herself while heading down the rows of rooms and lockers. Maybe, I'll see him around lunch period. Ah! Here it is… locker number A39.Rotating the lock with the code given on her schedule, she opened the locker to reveal its empty inside. Not exactly sure what to put in there, she decided to keep it empty for the time-being and head to the third floor where her homeroom class was located.

Mimi climbed the stairs in annoyance, noticing how out of shape she was. Her frame was thin, but that wasn't due to exercise… more like a fast metabolism and a healthy diet. When reaching room 316, she slowly slid the door open to see a young male teacher quietly looking at his agenda—most likely his planner for the day.

"Akira-sensei?" she said his name as indicated on her schedule and waited for him to respond. He quickly noticed however, she felt that her voice may have disturbed his peaceful atmosphere.

"Oh, you startled me. I'm not use to students being here so early," he looked at his watch, "we still have 30 minutes before school begins, how can I assist you?"

The female brunette stepped into the room and bowed—an action she was still getting use to. "Greetings Akira-sensei, I am Tachikawa Mimi." She then gazed at his standing form and after being closer to him, he actually looked too young to be a high school teacher. His pale face seemed even whiter in contrast with his jet-black hair, which was wavy and carefully spiked. He wore grey slacks and a white dress shirt accompanied by a bright red tie.

"Tachikawa Mimi? You're the new student from America are you not?" He interrupted, appearing to be very interested in her background.

"Y-yes, I am. Please take good care of me sensei!" Mimi raised herself to him and saw that he was also lowering himself to a bow. She gave a puzzled look.

"Tachikawa Mimi, it's a pleasure of mine to be able to teach a foreigner such as yourself. Please treat me with kindness as well… this is my first year of high school teaching." He straightened up, "Tachikawa-san, do you have any urgent questions for your homeroom teacher?"

"Uh… do you enjoy being the homeroom counselor for this class?"

He smiled which Mimi couldn't help but notice how handsome he was, "Of course! The students are very well-mannered, compared to other classrooms, and listen very attentively to what I have to say. They understand it's my first year and have been very amiable to me even though I replaced their previous instructor who retired this year."

She felt her spirits rise upon hearing such positive reviews of her future classmates.

"Tachikawa-san, you do understand how Odaiba High School functions?"

"I believe so, but can you go over it with me just in case?"

"Indeed," He laughed merrily, "School begins instruction promptly at 8:30 every morning and you must be in this classroom by the first bell ring. If you do not, you will serve an excruciating punishment. There will be four classes before lunch, which is from 12:20 to 1:05 so please make sure to eat breakfast either at home or before school starts. After lunch, there will be three more classes before school ends at 4:35. May I see your schedule?"

She handed her schedule at his request and patiently waited for him to speak more.

"Well Tachikawa-san, just as expected, you are in Advance English." Mimi looked at him in confusion, "Advance English is only reserved to those who completed primary and intermediate English, but seeing as you are Japanese-American, I'm not surprised. After I deliver important messages during homeroom period, you will leave the classroom and head to room 210, which is on the second floor, and have English with Noriko-san. Basically, the school is set up so that students remain in their homeroom classes for the majority of the day while your instructors move from one room to the next. It's to prevent students from leaving campus early."

"Ah I understand Akira-sensei."

"Just note that you will not be in this classroom during your English period, your lunch and physical education time slot, and your elective course… which is on the fourth floor."

"Thank you Akira-sensei, I believe I understand everything now."

"Excellent! And it looks like school is about to being," Akira motioned towards the door which opened and the students started walking in. Mimi started feeling anxious again. Some of them gave her an interested look and she could tell they were wondering who she was—the new girl.

The brunette stood standing in the front of the class as the first bell rang. All their gazes were staring at her intently, and never had she felt so uncomfortable and figuratively naked for having to stand up there alone. Normally she enjoyed the attention but, that was in America where Mimi already knew others and they knew her.

"Everyone," Akira-sensei started, "Please welcome your new classmate to this school and to your homeroom—Tachikawa Mimi!" He clapped and the students followed. He then gestured the uncomfortable teen to introduce herself and she did just that—in an attempt to sit down as soon as possible.

Beginning with a bow, she then introduced herself, "Greetings everyone, my name is Tachikawa Mimi. I moved here from New York City in the United States a week ago. Please treat me well."

Her classmates applauded again while simultaneously she could hear shouts such as: "Bravo!" and "Speak in English!" and "She's a cute one". Mimi smiled at the last comment.

"Everyone quiet please," Akira-sensei stepped forward, "Tachikawa-san you can sit next to…" he looked around for an open seat, "Masuzumi-san. Masuzumi-san, please raise your hand."

"Here," a high-pitched girl responded. She was sitting a row from the window and Mimi had assumed that the empty desk next to the window was hers. The brunette immediately walked towards the girl, smiled when next to her, and sat down in the desk.

"I am Masuzumi Junko, please to meet you! Feel free to address me as Junko." She introduced herself, polite and proper yet shy.

Mimi smiled, "Please call me Mimi as well."

...

After Akira-sensei read notifications that he felt important, he bid farewell as the first official period of class was about to begin. "Mimi," he called, "I will walk you to Noriko-sensei."

She stood up and informed Junko she would be back in an hour, but as Mimi was exiting, soft whispers could be heard from other students: "Noriko-sensei? Isn't she Advance English" and another student responding "Yeah! Tachikawa-san must be very proficient in English". The proud girl mentally complimented herself and left the class with Akira-sensei. They walked down one flight of stairs and arrived at their destination. The room number was indeed 210 and nostalgia overwhelmed her all over. Just 35 minutes ago she was introducing herself in a sea of new faces and in a minute or two, she'll be doing it all over again.

"Wait here Tachikawa-san, I will get Noriko-sensei," he walked inside the classroom and fetched the English instructor. They returned for not even a minute and alongside him stood a beautiful platinum blonde teacher just as young as Akira-sensei. Why are the teachers so young? She had to ask herself.

The English instructor stared at her new student as if her gaze alone was enough to devour the young girl's poor soul, while Mimi looked at her awkwardly. The older woman finally expressed a soft smile, "Please to meet you Tachikawa-san, you may refer to me as Noriko-sensei. I will head inside and prepare the class for your arrival. Please introduce yourself when you reach my desk." She then turned to Akira-sensei, "Thank you Saburo for bringing her here. You can go now."

"Take care Fumi—uh, Noriko-san," Akira-san stumbled. She walked inside leaving Akira-sensei and Mimi alone. "Don't be afraid of Noriko-sensei. She may be strict, but she likes outspoken students who participate in class. Well, Tachikawa-san I will see you tomorrow then. Enjoy your first day at Odaiba High School." He bowed for a farewell and she followed accordingly. Akira-sensei then walked away as Mimi heard Noriko-sensei calling her name.

She walked into the classroom, towards the desk Noriko-sensei was standing. When the young brunette stood next to her, she received a small nod to which Mimi took the indication as a confirmation of introducing herself. Mimi complied and shifted her body so that she was now facing a new mass of unfamiliar students. This crowd before her felt more menacing than her homeroom classmate—which may have been the case since they were all more than likely to be older than her.

"Good morning, I am–" the nervous girl started in Japanese.

"Tachikawa-san, please introduce yourself in English," Noriko-sensei interrupted suddenly.

"Y-yes," she flushed, feeling very embarrassed, then proceeded to clear her throat and began speaking in English. "Good morning everyone, my name is Mimi Tachikawa. I recently moved to Odaiba from New York City not too long ago. Although I am not in this class's homeroom, please treat me well."

Mimi bowed and the classroom applauded her mini speech. "Very well said Tachikawa-san, your enunciation in English is indeed fluent. Please help those around you who may need your aid." Noriko-san stated from beside her. Mimi nodded while Noriko-sensei continued. "Now where should I seat you?" She examined the room and called out a name: "Ishida Yamato, please raise your hand."

The young teen carefully observed the classroom for a raised hand until one slowly erected upwards. She lowered her gaze to his face and noticed him staring at her as well. He was a very good-looking boy though his expression exuded discontent. His golden blond hair went just below his ears and his cerulean-blue eyes were deeply captivating. But there was something in his eyes that told a different story; he's cold and withdrawn… not a people-person. And if there was one thing Mimi did know, Ishida Yamato was a "bad boy"—one otou-san would tell her to avoid.

"Would you like to sit next to Ishida Yamato?" Noriko-sensei asked breaking the brunette's train of thought.

She didn't respond immediately, though she wanted to say "Is there another option", but opted against that and instead looked at him once more. This time when their eyes met, Mimi felt her heart tremble when he noticed she hesitated to answer. There was a very flash of twinkle in his eyes as he bore his gaze into hers. The blond boy sat there and smiled smugly, his eyes now suspiciously narrower. Does he… does he want me to sit next to him?

...

A/N: A new Mimato fanfic that I just started! It's a slow start, but I find it unnecessary to immediately put Mimi and Yamato together. Hopefully you enjoyed this small chapter and will anticipate its future updates. Thank you for reading, reviewing, subscribing or favoriting!

Next chapter: Mimi's experiences her first school day in Japan!