He is the first person she meets in kindergarten. The teacher has a seating chart, and five year old Mimi Tachikawa finds herself next to a boy with a wild mess of brown hair and bright eyes.
"Hi, my name's Taichi," he tells her with a wide grin. It's so infectious she feels her shyness slip away, and smiles at him in return.
"I'm Mimi."
"Want to play tag with us at recess, Mimi?"
She says yes, and meets Sora, Yamato, and Jyou later that day too.
Mimi's terrified.
Today's the day she's supposed to go to summer camp and, normally, she would be overjoyed. She's been going to the same summer camp for three years now; the same camp her friends go to. Usually, she takes the bus to camp with Sora.
But this year, her parents made a mistake when they bought her ticket, and she's taking the bus a day later than Sora, Yamato, Koushiro, and everybody else. Mimi knows. She's asked.
As her parents wait with her at the bus stop, with repeated assurances that it won't be so bad, that the ride to camp is a short one, and that she's eight years old now – she's a big girl, she can do this – Mimi just stands there, dreading the moment when the bus finally shows up.
A car pulls up right beside them, but Mimi's still so scared she doesn't really pay it any attention, her eyes fixed on the road ahead of her. It's only when she hears her name being called and feels a tap on her shoulder that she turns.
Only to be greeted with the sight of an ever-smiling Taichi Yagami, his tangled mess of hair held by a pair of goggles she's never seen him sporting.
"Taichi!" she exclaims, surprised. "What are you doing here?"
"I missed the bus yesterday," he explains sheepishly.
Mimi blinks. "Oh." And suddenly, cool, delicious relief washes over her body and a wide grin blossoms on her face. "So we're taking the bus together? I'm not taking it by myself?"
Taichi shoots her an inquiring look. "Um, no," he begins slowly. "Wait, you've never taken the bus by yourself before?"
Mimi flushes bright red, embarrassed at having let her secret slip. She's about to very vehemently deny, deny, deny the fact before Taichi stops her with the kindest, gentlest smile she's ever seen him wear. "I'm happy you're here. I've never taken the bus alone," he confesses, laughing, looking adorably bashful.
She feels her heart swell impossibly larger, and the beginnings of an emotion she can't name grow within its confines. It's warm, though, and not entirely unpleasant, and so Mimi lets it take root right there, in her heart, as she takes Taichi's hand in her own.
And with all the wisdom in her eight-year-old body, she tells him, "I'm happy we're taking our first bus ride alone together."
"Girls, you look so adorable!" Mrs. Tachikawa squeals in excitement. "Hold still – I'm getting the camera."
"Mom!" Mimi whines, sighing loudly "We have to go!" She pretends to be annoyed for a moment, but her excitement soon wins over.
Tonight is her first school dance. As a twelve-year-old girl who is just starting to look at boys as well, boys, this is an especially important milestone.
Beside her, Sora – ever the tomboy – tugs at her dress uncomfortably. "I feel stupid," she mumbles.
Mimi swats at her hand. "Stop that," she admonishes lightly. "And you shouldn't – you look really pretty."
Sora smiles a little. "Thanks."
And she really does, Mimi thinks – Sora is a vision in a strapless blue skater dress that ends just above her knees and a simple silver clip in her hair. Mimi's dress on the other hand is a bright pink, with a sweetheart neckline and a giant bow at the front. "Do you think we'll get asked to dance?"
Even as Sora scoffs, there's a light flush dusting her cheeks. "Oh who cares? We can dance together."
"You say that now, but wait until a cute boy asks you to dance," Mimi replies knowingly, just as her mother comes back with the camera, and snaps a couple pictures of the two best friends.
And sure enough, Mimi is right. Sora is dancing with a cute boy – Yamato, of all boys. He'd come up to her and, face flaming red, had asked her to dance in his own adorably awkward way. The dance is a slow one, and Mimi watches as Sora tucks her head in the crook of Yamato's shoulder.
Mimi, on the other hand, hasn't been asked to dance – not once. She's feeling pretty disheartened, especially when her favorite song comes on, and she's standing there, all by herself, trying very hard not to cry.
"Mimi, what's wrong?"
She sniffles, and wipes at her eyes, irritated with herself for shedding a couple of tears over a stupid dance, and looks up to find Taichi staring at her worriedly. "Oh, Taichi, nobody's asked me to dance," she says miserably. "And this is my favorite song."
Taichi's gaze softens. "Come on, Meems don't be upset," he cajoles. "I'll dance with you if you want."
Mimi jerks slightly in surprise, eyebrows furrowing as she looks at him. A part of Taichi can't help but think she looks adorable like that – before he inwardly shakes his head, startled by the direction of his thoughts – and concentrates on Mimi, who's still looking at him hesitantly.
"This isn't a pity dance, right?" she finally asks him, and Taichi can't help but laugh. Of course, Mimi would say that.
His eyes are sparkling with amusement as he offers her his hand. "No, Mimi, it's not a pity dance. I want to dance with you."
She still looks unsure. Taichi tilts his head in direction of the dance floor. "Come on. Before your song ends."
That seems to do the trick. She nods her head at him, "okay," and puts her hand in his, and lets him help her up.
They walk over to the dance floor and Mimi twines her hands around his neck and Taichi puts both of his on her waist as they begin to move in unison.
Mimi hides her smile in the corner of Taichi's shoulder as they dance to her favorite song. She can't help but think it's somehow fitting that she's sharing her first dance with him.
Taichi's the one that accompanies her to the airport the day that she leaves for New York.
Mimi decides to leave a couple of weeks after her parents do to spend more time with her friends. She's excited about the move – it is New York after all – but she's sad, and a little worried about the prospect of starting fresh all over again. Going to a new school, making new friends…
She's not sure she'll be able to do it.
"Thank for coming with me," Mimi says as they walk into the airport, Taichi dragging her small carry-on suitcase along. All of her stuff is already in New York, waiting for her.
"No problem Meems," he tells her. They stop at the gate, and Mimi clutches her passport tightly to her chest as she looks at him. She thinks she sees sadness in his expression, but it's so flitting that she's unsure. "Come back to visit soon, okay?"
Her smile is wobbly. "Of course. As soon as I can," she promises.
They stand together in silence for a while until her flight is called.
"That's me," she says, her voice brittle around the edges. She takes her suitcase from him.
"Have a safe flight," he says. Before Mimi realizes what is happening, Taichi has his arms wrapped around her in a fierce hug. "I'm really gonna miss you, Mimi," he mumbles in her shoulder.
She feels tears well up in her eyes and blinks them back quickly as she fists her hands in his shirt. "I'm really gonna miss you too, Tai."
It's been a year since Mimi's moved to New York, but she still finds time over the summer to come back to Odaiba and visit her friends. She usually stays with Sora, who, she finds out this particular summer, has started dating Yamato.
Sora. A boyfriend – at fourteen – who would've thought?
Mimi tells her as much, as they sit together with Hikari and Miyako in Sora's bedroom, even as Sora rolls her eyes at her exasperatedly, eventually relenting that okay, she too, probably wouldn't have pegged herself as the dating type two years ago.
"What about you, Mimi? Is there anybody in New York you like?" Miyako inquires curiously.
Mimi presses her lips together in an act of coyness, before she confesses, "There's this boy – his name's Michael. He's asked me out on a couple of dates."
"Mimi that's great! How's that been going?" Sora asks her.
"It's been going great; Michael's sweet, and he really likes me, " her voice trails off, as she begins to frown. "There is something weird about it, though."
The three girls' eyes are as round as saucers at they stare at her expectantly. "What? What's weird?" Hikari says.
"Well – Michael hasn't kissed me, yet," Mimi admits. She sits up a little straighter. "That's weird right? We've been going out for two weeks and all he's done is give me quick pecks on the mouth."
Sora stares at her. "So no actual kissing. You know with –"
"Tongue?" Miyako finishes for her, as Hikari turns scarlet.
Sora gives them an amused glance, before turning back to Mimi. "Yeah, tongue," she repeats.
"No," Mimi huffs, flopping dramatically on the bed, an arm over her eyes. "Not even an open-mouthed kiss. I mean is it me? Is something wrong with me?" she asks, sitting up again.
"Maybe he's just shy," Hikari offers kindly.
Miyako snorts. "Okay, Kari, no boy is that shy. Especially around a girl like Mimi – I mean look at her! – and you should know better anyway," she adds slyly. "I guarantee, you Daisuke wouldn't be shy if he had the opportunity –"
"Miyako!" Hikari exclaims in horror, as the other girls laugh. "Daisuke's not…he's not…"
"Oh come on Hikari, you have to know Daisuke likes you by now," Sora says.
Miyako nods vehemently. "I mean likes you, likes you – do you see the way he looks at her?" she sighs, putting a hand on her heart. "I wish somebody would look at me like that."
Hikari is so embarrassed she just hides her face between her hands. Mimi – who's highly amused by this turn of events – decides to take pity on the poor twelve-year-old. "Guys," she begins. "What about me, hmm? My problem? You know – the whole Michael not kissing me thing?"
Hikari shoots her a grateful look as the others ponder her predicament. "Well, maybe he just wants to see where it goes," Sora offers at last. "You have only been dating for two weeks after all, and now you're back here. Maybe he just wants to make sure you two are serious."
"That could be it," Miyako agrees. "Did you guys agree to be exclusive while you're here?"
Mimi's expression turns anxious. "Um, no," she says worriedly. "Is that a bad thing?"
The simultaneous sympathetic gazes she gets from her friends makes her groan. "Oh no, it is a bad thing, isn't it?"
"It's not so bad," Sora soothes, rubbing her back gently. "Come on, my party tonight will be a nice distraction."
"Who knows? Maybe there'll be a boy at the party willing to kiss you for real," Miyako adds.
That would be nice, Mimi thinks to herself absently, as they begin to get ready. Since she's never been properly kissed by a boy before.
"How would that even happen?" she asks.
Miyako's expression turns sly. "Oh, you'll see. I might have an idea in mind…"
The idea ends up being a crude game of dare dice – a pair of dice is rolled, with one dictating an action, while the other indicates who should perform the action – a standard middle school party game if there ever was one, besides the obvious spin the bottle or seven minutes in heaven that is.
The game's been pretty uneventful so far (Sora and Yamato kissed; Koushiro had to wear a dress – yes, one face of the dice does state, rather simply, 'you' – and Takeru made Daisuke eat a whole can of whipped cream) until Miyako rolls the pair of dice.
'French kiss for three minutes' one of the dice said. 'Two people of your choice' the other said. Miyako's smile is wicked. "Okay, you read the dice," she announces. "Mimi, Taichi – make out!"
Mimi's eyes grow wide and Taichi sputters in surprise. "What?" he yells.
Miyako crosses her arms, impervious. "You heard me. Now go into Sora's room and start kissing," she says, pointing towards the bedroom. "Shoo."
Mimi's blood is roaring so loudly in her ears she doesn't really hear much of anything else, except the faint sound of whistles and whoops the other guys make as she and Taichi are pushed – and then promptly locked – into Sora's room.
"And don't come out until you've stuck your tongue down each other's throats!" Miyako calls out sweetly.
Taichi groans, frustrated. "This is ridiculous! They can't expect me to make out with you!"
Mimi was just as equally against what was happening – until now, that is. She looks at Taichi, affronted. "So what, am I not good enough for you to make out with then?" she asks him bitingly.
He turns toward her, startled. "What? No! Mimi – that's not it at all!" he says. "You know that's not true."
His tone is so soft, so sincere, that Mimi loses a little of her momentum. She crosses her arms defensively, refusing to look at him. "Well what is it then?"
"Oh come on, this is…I mean…well…" Taichi blinks at her in astonishment, as if something in his mind has just clicked. "Wait," he begins again, slowly this time, "Mimi – do you want to kiss me?"
She feels her face heat up, and shuffles her feet. "Don't be ridiculous, Taichi," she snaps unconvincingly. "We're friends, that would be weird…"
The grin on his face is so wide and so arrogant that she wants to slap it right off. He slides right up to her confidently. "Mimi, if you wanted to kiss me all you had to do is ask," he whispers teasingly, leaning slightly so that they are at eye level. Mimi belatedly realizes how tall Taichi's gotten – just last summer, they were the same height.
She gulps at the sudden flutter in her heartbeat and realizes – with no small amount of mortification – that the warmth spreading through her entire body is desire.
There's always just been something about Taichi that she is helplessly drawn to – an undeniable quality about him that she has always found irresistible, even when she was younger. It's a disconcerting realization and, unable to deal with the intensity of her feelings, she looks down, avoiding his gaze. "What if I do?" she mumbles softly.
The silence between seems to stretch on forever as Mimi continues to pointedly look everywhere but at Taichi. Suddenly, she feels warm fingertips underneath her chin that raise her head up, and she comes face to face with deep brown eyes – now so dark that they look opaque.
Mimi's blood spikes with fire.
"Then ask," he replies, his voice equally soft.
She nods. "I want you to kiss me."
If possible, his eyes darken even further as he releases his hold on her chin and gently cups her face instead. Mimi watches, mesmerized, at the wave of emotions that plays on his face. There's a sudden tension between them – it's thick and heavy, electrifying really, and ever so palpable – but Mimi finds herself unable to look away.
Slowly, Taichi tilts her face upwards, and begins to lean in.
Mimi's heart stutters wildly in her chest as she holds her breath, and finally closes her eyes. There's a delicious, torturous second where nothing happens and Mimi is sure she's going to die of anticipation, when she feels it –the slow brush of Taichi's lips against hers.
It's tentative at first, unsure, but at the breathy sigh that escapes her Taichi grows bold and deepens the kiss. His hand leaves her face and wraps itself around her waist, as hers automatically winds itself around his neck and in his hair.
He takes her bottom lip between his teeth, and she feels the tip of his tongue skimming the edges of her mouth. So she opens it a little.
They must have been in Sora's room for a while because she faintly hears the sound of the lock turning. Startled, they spring apart simultaneously.
Miyako peeks her head inside, takes a long look at their flushed faces, Mimi's swollen lips, and Taichi's mussed up hair, and smirks.
"Oh you two made out, alright," she declares, and opens the door wider, revealing the smug faces of their friends.
After that party, something in their relationship shifts – deliciously charged tension is now a permanent fixture between them. They become more flirtatious with each other; there's a lot more touching, a lot more teasing.
Mimi goes back to New York, and starts dating Michael exclusively. They date for a while, and Mimi's happy. Her visits to Odaiba become a little less frequent, but she makes sure to stay in touch.
She's on Skype with Taichi a lot, talks constantly to Sora, Miyako, and Hikari, touches base pretty consistently with Yamato, Daisuke, and Takeru, hears from Jyou and Koushiro now and again. She makes sure to stay in the loop – unwilling and unable to let her friends forget her.
She finds out from Jyou himself when he makes the decision to become a doctor; listens to Koushiro rave about this Computer Science program at the University of Tokyo; hears about the new guy Ken from Daisuke, who instantly becomes his best friend, and talks Miyako through her little crush on Ken.
Sora tells her about the first time she has sex with Yamato.
It's happens about eight months into her own relationship with Michael, and so Mimi asks all of the standard questions – did it hurt? Was it good? Did they use protection? Sora answers them as best she can and the two giggle and talk about it for a while.
Finally, Sora asks her about Michael. "Would you ever have sex with him?"
Mimi thinks about it. It's come up a couple of times, but Michael's been really understanding and supportive. "I think when I'm ready I might," Mimi answers her honestly. "But I'm not ready yet."
She's ready on their one-year anniversary. It's exactly like Sora described – it pinches a little, but once she relaxes it's not so bad. Michael's really sweet the entire time and peppers her with kisses.
He's her first – but not her last.
They break up when Mimi tells him that she's moving back to Odaiba. It's mutual – they're only sixteen after all, and they concede that long-distance isn't worth the effort at their age, and that it probably won't work – but it still hurts. Mimi's pretty sure she's in love with Michael.
When she comes back, Taichi's dating an exchange student – her name is Catherine. She's smart and cute and really nice, but when Mimi calls him in tears about her breakup, he drops everything to be there for her.
Taichi comforts her through her first heartbreak.
Mimi's never been that big on drinking – beer tastes horrible and liquor just burns her throat – and so she's usually doesn't bother. But she makes an exception tonight because one, she's having wine, and that just might taste better, and two – and most importantly – she's doing it for Taichi.
They're sitting in his room in the dark, as Taichi morosely tells her about his breakup with Catherine.
"She cheated on me," he says, as Mimi feels her blood turns to ice.
"When?" she asks, her voice small, her throat heavy.
"Over winter break, when she went back to Paris," he replies, and Mimi feels her heart breaking at how emotionless he sounds. "She hooked up with her ex." He takes a huge mouthful of wine from the bottle before passing it back to her.
Mimi puts a hand on his arm and squeezes. "Taichi that's awful. I'm so sorry."
He laughs, but it's devoid of humor. "And you know what else? She actually had the nerve to try and convince me that it meant nothing because she told me it happened and that I should just get over it."
Her eyes widen and she almost chokes on the wine. "No she did not," Mimi gasps. "Are you serious? Did she really ask you to just get over it?"
Taichi shrugs. "Well, it's Catherine so you know, she said it nicer," he amends as he takes another swig of wine. "But that was the gist of it, yeah."
"I don't care how she said it! What was she thinking? As if cheating wasn't bad enough!" Mimi's fuming she's so angry. "And then to just brush it off because she was honest? That just makes her a little better than scum. Ugh – she makes me so angry!"
The wine's got her worked into such a frenzy she's shaking, so she misses the way Taichi's lips quirk up in a small smile. She doesn't miss the brush of his fingers at her temple, however, as he gently tucks a stray lock of honey-colored hair behind her ear. "God, I love that you stopped dyeing your hair pink," he murmurs.
Mimi blinks at the sudden change of subject, but she can't help the giant grin on her face. "I thought you liked it pink," she says, amused.
"I only liked it because you did," he retorts with humor. "I like it much better this way."
His hand is still wavering by the side of her face, she realizes, as he lightly caresses her cheek with the pad of his index finger. Over, and over, and over again – Mimi closes her eyes – it's an intoxicating pattern.
"I'm really glad you're here right now," he sighs, his breath ghosting over her lips. She opens her eyes and notices how closely their faces are to one another.
Mimi places her hand over the one still by her cheek and squeezes. "Taichi, of course I'd be here," she says with feeling, as she looks deep into his beautiful brown eyes. "I'd do anything for you, you know that."
She wonders if it's the wine that's lowered their inhibitions so much, but as she continues staring into his eyes, she feels that same, electrifying tension between them again, still alive and breathing. It's only then that Mimi fully understands the implications of Taichi's breakup with Catherine – for the first time since that party, they are both single and in the country at the same time.
And with the way Taichi's gaze is boring into her own, full of heat and purpose, she knows he's thinking the same thing too. He lets the now empty wine bottle drop carelessly to the floor as he places his hand on her thigh, the other one still cradling her cheek. Mimi holds her breath; she's so tightly wound up she's going to burst, but holds herself still. Tonight isn't about her – it's about Taichi, and she is determined not to overstep. This is his call to make.
"Mimi…" He trails his hand up her thigh until he finds her other one and picks it up. He brings it to his mouth, and she watches breathlessly as he places a tender kiss on it. "Will you stay with me tonight? My parents are out of town until Monday, and Hikari is at Miyako's."
Mimi smiles softly as she lifts their joined hands from her cheek and gives it a tighter squeeze. "Of course I'll stay, Tai," she says. "My parents think I'm spending the night at Sora's anyway."
His mouth lifts and – she's pleased to notice that it reaches his eyes this time – he gives her a quick kiss on the forehead. "Thanks Meems. Here – let me go get you a shirt."
Later, as they sleep together for the first time in his bed, Taichi's arm wrapped tightly around her and her head lying on his chest, Mimi lets herself be lulled by the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, and thinks about how this is the happiest she's been in a while.
They all decide to take a weeklong trip to the beach before school – and their senior year – starts.
It's the first trip of its kind Mimi's ever taken – she's outgrown summer camp years ago, and she's never gone on any extended vacation with just her friends – so she's pleasantly surprised her parents agree to it as easily as they do.
She supposes it doesn't hurt that they're staying at the Inoue's giant beach house, and that her parents and Miyako's get along really well.
"Anyone up for some volleyball?" Yamato asks, bouncing up a ball on his knees.
"Depends- you ready for me to kick your ass, Ishida?" Taichi says, standing up.
Yamato's grin is fierce. "We'll see about that, Yagami."
Mimi and Sora share a wry look with one another. "Should we step in and make sure they don't kill one another?" Mimi asks.
Sora shrugs. "I think they're fine. Competition is good for them and besides," she finishes, lying back down on her towel. "I'd rather tan."
Mimi puts her sunglasses back on. "Can't say no to that."
She vaguely hears Taichi call Daisuke's name. "How about a game?"
"Hell yeah! I'm on your team, right?"
"Of course!"
Yamato frowns; Daisuke's easily one of the most athletic people in their crew. Not one to be bested, he waves Ken over. "Wanna play?"
Ken nods. "For sure. You and me against those two?"
"Yup."
Ken smirks. "Alright. Shouldn't be too hard to beat them."
"Oh it's on, Ken!" Daisuke yells out good-naturedly. "Get ready to eat it!"
Mimi rolls her eyes. "God, I didn't know they had a competitive streak between them too."
"I think that's just how guys know they're best friends," Sora remarks amusedly.
Mimi raises an eyebrow. "By constantly trying to outdo each other?"
Sora laughs. "Pretty much."
The boys end up recruiting Takeru and Miyako (on Yamato's team) and Jyou and Hikari (on Taichi's team) to play, while Koushiro referees. Sora and Mimi are content just watching, for the most part.
Eventually, they also decide to join in on the fun. "Hey! We want to play too!" Sora exclaims.
Yamato grabs the ball, momentarily stopping the game. "Great! You can play on my team," he says, as Sora joins him on his side of the makeshift court, rising up to give him a brief kiss on the lips. "Mimi you can play on your boyfriend's team, too," he says, gesturing towards Taichi.
Mimi's glad she's been sitting out in the sun all day because no one notices her flush. "Very funny, Yamato," she says dryly. "But being a smartass isn't going to get you any closer to winning."
It doesn't, and Taichi's team ends up winning by a couple of points – though a rematch is agreed upon for the very next day.
That night, Mimi has trouble falling asleep in one of the precious few guestrooms in Miyako's beach house. She got one, along with Sora and Yamato, and Miyako herself, who's sharing hers with Hikari, while the other boys are all camping out in the expansive living room. She's thinking about what Yamato said, and doesn't know why it bothers her so much.
Annoyed, she leaves her bed in a huff, and walks downstairs to get herself a glass of water.
She's startled to find Taichi's still awake too.
"Mimi, what're you doing up?" he says, careful to keep his voice down.
"I was thirsty," she explains. "You?"
"Can't sleep." He watches as she opens the fridge to grab a water bottle. "Here, let me get that for you." He hands her a glass.
"Thanks."
They sit in companionable silence for a while, before Taichi speaks up. "So, Daisuke came up to me today," he begins. "Said he wanted to talk."
Mimi nods, wordlessly urging him on.
Taichi lets out a breathy laugh. "He said he wanted my permission. To ask Hikari out," he clarifies.
Mimi hides her smile behind the rim of her glass. "Sounds like Dai, alright," she replies. "How do you feel about it?"
"I don't like it, if that's what you're asking. Hikari is my little sister."
"Your teenaged little sister. Taichi, she's going to start dating sometime."
Taichi shakes his head. "I know, I know, and I appreciate Daisuke being so upfront with me about it. It's just weird, you know? I mean I've always known Dai's had a crush on Kari, but if you'd told me two years ago that this would happen…it's just weird to think about."
She touches his arm sympathetically. "Because it's Daisuke?"
He looks at her. "Because I think she might say yes."
Mimi sees the unspoken question in Taichi's eyes. "Hikari's feelings for Daisuke aren't…entirely platonic," she concedes. "But it's not so bad, is it?"
"No, definitely not. I love Daisuke; he's a good friend. She could definitely do a lot worse."
"Well, when you put it that way," Mimi says wryly. She rubs soothing circling into his back. "Seriously – it'll be okay. Daisuke loves her; he'll never even dream of hurting her."
Taichi's mouth lifts. "I know. Thanks, Meems."
She answers him with a smile of her own. "No problem."
Another silence stretches between the two of them, in which Mimi picks at her fingers nervously. "Taichi," she says finally. "About what Yamato said…"
"It's still bothering you, huh?" he asks her knowingly.
Mimi nods. "It's just – why would he say that?"
Taichi wraps an arm around her and tugs her close. "Yamato's a dumbass; don't pay any attention to what he says," he replies, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "He was just teasing because he knows how close we are. Don't think about it too much."
Mimi sighs, playing with the hem of his shirt. "I guess you're right," her voice trails and she looks up at him. "Stay with me tonight?"
Taichi's eyes are soft when he answers her. "Of course."
They both sleep way past everybody else, and don't so much as stir when a small crowd of their friends gathers in front of the room.
"Twenty bucks says they'll be dating by graduation," Yamato whispers.
Hikari glances at him. "No way; they're both so stubborn it'll take them longer than that to realize they so much as like each other." She smirks up at him. "You've got yourself a bet."
Daisuke asks Hikari out a couple of days before school starts. She says yes.
They start dating exclusively not long after that – they even do the whole double date thing a couple of months in with Miyako and Ken and occasionally with Sora and Yamato.
Mimi coaches Taichi through the troubles and tribulations of his little sister's first relationship.
Daisuke's especially grateful for her – Taichi's only threatened to kill him twice, and he's pretty sure the number would be a lot higher than that if she wasn't there.
Hikari affectionately tells him that he's probably right.
Graduation comes and goes and, pretty soon, they're all packing up to go to college.
Taichi and Yamato are going to the University of Tokyo, along with Koushiro, who graduated a year early. Jyou is going to the very prestigious Waseda University. Mimi and Sora both get into Keio University. All of them are in Tokyo, which is good – they'll be able to see a lot of one another.
Fall semester starts earlier at the University of Tokyo, so Taichi, Yamato, and Koushiro are gone before the rest of them.
It's weird, Mimi thinks, as she begins packing up her room for school. Odaiba isn't quite the same without them – without Taichi, she adds to herself privately – here.
Jyou leaves a couple of days after the boys, and her and Sora stop by his house to say goodbye.
"I'll see you guys there, alright? We'll all go out for drinks and catch up when you guys get to Tokyo," he promises.
"Sounds good," Sora agrees, as she gives him a hug. "Bye, Jyou."
"Safe trip," Mimi adds, giving him a hug as well.
It gets pretty lonely without the guys there, but Sora and Mimi make the best of it, and spend a lot of time with the younger crowd. Miyako and Hikari come and sleep over a lot.
Eventually, it's their time to leave as well. Mimi's parents had bought her a car as a graduation present, so they pack up their things in there. It's relatively small, and not overtly flashy, but it's hers, and she loves it.
They drive to Tokyo with the windows down and the music blaring.
When Mimi parks just outside of their dorm, her mouth drops in surprise when she gets out of the car.
Because there, in front of her, is Taichi with his impish grin and twinkling eyes just standing there, next to Yamato. "Well took you long enough to get here," he says by way of greeting.
"Taichi!" she says excitedly as she runs and jumps into his arms. "What are you doing here?"
"We're here to help you girls move in," Yamato explains, after giving Sora a quick kiss.
Mimi lets go of Taichi briefly to give Yamato a hug. "Guys, that's so sweet of you. Thank you."
"Yeah, of course. Koushiro and Jyou would be here too, but they're both in class right now," Taichi adds.
Sora eyes them both suspiciously. "Wait – are you guys skipping to help us?"
Yamato and Taichi glance at one another. "Well, it's not like we were gonna go anyways," Taichi finally says, shrugging unapologetically. "Besides, it's your first move in day. That is an important milestone. You shouldn't have to do all of the work."
"You guys!" Sora protests. "You can't just skip class! We're big girls – we can move ourselves in."
"And we know that. But we thought it'd be fun to surprise you," Yamato says, picking up two of the suitcases. "I promise I won't skip class again unless it's an emergency."
Sora mouth trembles. "It'll always be an emergency."
Yamato smirks, before he kisses her. "You said it not me."
As Mimi watches Taichi pick up a couple of her stuff too, she can't help but feel her heart warming. "Thanks," she said. "You didn't have to skip class for us."
"No," he agrees. "But I wanted to. I really missed you."
Mimi flushes pleasantly. "Me too. You have no idea."
Even though the spark between them never really goes away, Taichi and Mimi date a lot their freshmen year. Except, this time around, she hates all of his girlfriends, and he doesn't think any of her boyfriends are good enough for her.
It's weird, but neither of them can – or wants to – think about it very much. They've both convinced themselves that being friends with one another is good enough.
Eventually, they all decide to spend Christmas and New Years in Tokyo. The dorms close, but the University of Tokyo rents out a couple of college houses, and so they all decide to get one. There aren't a lot of rooms, the kitchen's a little run down, and the water pressure is off, but it's cheap and it's temporary. Besides, it's an experience.
Mimi's fresh off another breakup and she's just tired – like bone-deep, mind-numbingly exhausted. She doesn't want to date anymore. She tells as much to Sora.
"Maybe you're just done fighting," Sora says. "And you're not the only one."
"What do you mean? Who are you talking about?" she asks.
Sora doesn't answer. "Think about it," she replies. "He hasn't dated anybody in a while either." She discretely points towards Taichi and smiles secretly. "Don't you think that's weird?"
Mimi glances in Taichi's direction thoughtfully. He looks especially good tonight – the top three buttons of his crisp white shirt are undone, and his sleeves are rolled up – and he's laughing and joking around with Yamato, Jyou, and Koushiro, a beer in hand.
He catches her eye and winks at her, and she smiles.
"Maybe you're right," Mimi whispers thoughtfully.
It's New Years Eve. They all celebrate by having dinner, going out, and getting wasted; ringing in their first New Year as college students all together at a club in downtown Tokyo.
They call it a night around 2 am, and head back home.
Mimi decides to take a shower and, after brushing her teeth to get rid of any residual alcohol on her breath, she slips on her bathrobe and pads back to her room.
She notices the light is still on in Taichi's room.
Taking a deep breath and squaring her shoulders, she knocks on the door before coming in.
He's listening to music and playing around on his phone. Mimi notices that he's not wearing a shirt, and her heartbeat skips.
He sits up when he sees her. "What's up Mimi?" he says, taking off his ear buds. She notices that he's staring intently at her and she gulps, remembering that she's only wearing her bathrobe.
"Do you mind if I…" her voice trails as she gestures towards the bed, and Taichi automatically slides over, patting the empty space beside him.
"Is everything okay?" he asks when she sits down.
Mimi nods, chewing on her lip. She doesn't really know how to quite say what she wants to say. "I just…I just…" she struggles, and sighs. She looks at him. "I'm tired of fighting," she says simply.
Taichi blinks. "Fighting," he repeats, confused. "Mimi – what are you talking about?"
"It means that I am tired of fighting whatever it is that's between us," she says, turning towards him and looking him straight in the eye. "Taichi; I like you. I've liked you for a while now. And I don't know why I've waited this long, but I don't want to wait anymore and if you feel the same way, I would really like it if –"
He cuts her off with what is quite possibly the most intense, most passionate, most toe-curling kiss of her life – fireworks and all. She's flushed and a little breathless when they break apart, her eyes wide as she looks into his eyes, molten and dark with purpose. He's breathing hard.
She reaches for him again and pulls him into another kiss, one of her hands in his hair and the other lying flat on his naked chest. It's exactly like she remembers except they're older now, and it's more mature, less sloppy.
Taichi lays his forehead against her. "God, Mimi," he groans out. "I like you too – I like you a lot. I can't stop thinking about you. I miss you like crazy when you're not around and it used to drive me insane when I saw you with all those guys. I just; I never did anything because I didn't want to risk –"
"Our friendship?" she finishes.
He smiles slightly. "Yeah."
"And now?"
He stares at her steadily. "I don't want to risk this." And he moves towards her again, pulling her into another kiss.
She moans into his mouth as he maneuvers them on the bed so that he's on top of her, his hands moving down her bathrobe, past her breasts, to her sash. He unties it in one fluid motion and pulls it open. A choked groan escapes him as he takes her in. "You're perfect," he murmurs, watching as she shrugs out of the bathrobe and throws it carelessly on the ground. He dips his head to kiss her neck, a hand on her breast and the other sliding further and further up her thigh until he dips a finger inside of her.
Mimi whimpers and arches underneath his touch, nails lightly scratching at his back as she pulls him closer, her chest pressing tightly into his. "Does this mean I'm your girlfriend now?" she asks, her eyes shut, trying very hard not to moan too loudly.
He continues his ministrations, dipping another finger in. "Is that what you want it to mean?" he asks easily.
She opens her eyes, looking straight at him, and grabs his hand, stilling it. "Taichi."
He sighs and rolls his eyes, but there's a huge smile on his mouth. "You don't make anything easy, do you?" he remarks, amused. "Yes, Mimi. Of course I want you to be my girlfriend. Happy?"
Her smile is wicked. "Yes, actually," she replies saucily, reversing their positions so that she's on top of him. Her hands are on his chest as she kisses him, slowly moving her mouth to trail a series of butterfly kisses down his chest. She's rolling her lips in a deliberate and sensuous rhythm, creating a delicious friction that elicits strained gasps and moans from Taichi.
She stops when her mouth reaches the waistband of his sweats, her eyes peering up at him. There's an expression on his face she can't quite name, but it sends a shiver of anticipation down her spine.
Slowly, deliberately, she slides them off, and they end up in a growing pile of their clothing. Before Taichi can really process what is happening, Mimi bends her head and traces him with her mouth.
A garbled noise leaves his throat and his eyes grow opaque.
Not one to be bested, Taichi gently stills her after a moment (because yeah he might be competitive, but he's also human) and turns them back around so that he's lying on top of her again, his knee between her thighs. Her arms tighten around his shoulders when he lowers his head down to bestow her with a deep, open-mouthed kiss, before Taichi leans towards his nightstand and opens the drawer, retrieving a condom.
He fixes her with a stare when he's rolled it on. "Are you sure?" he asks her.
Mimi nods. "Yes."
They fall into each other gladly, and neither resurfaces for a while.
It took them long enough to get together, as each and every single one of their friends jokingly tell them once they find out. But they're all happy for them, and Taichi and Mimi are really happy together.
They're a little confused when Yamato hands a smug Hikari a twenty, but don't think about it too much. There a little too caught up with each other at the moment.
It feels like something's clicked – the world just finally makes sense to them now.
Summer comes, and Taichi's helping Mimi move her stuff out of her dorm room. They're heading to Odaiba later today with Yamato and Sora to meet up with the crew.
Mimi's busy putting the last of her clothes in a suitcase when she feels Taichi's strong arms wrap around her waist, and smiles when he drops a kiss on the crook of her neck. "Have I told you," he whispers languidly in between kisses. "How great you look today?"
Mimi turns around in his arms so that he starts kissing her mouth instead. "You might have mentioned it once or twice," she murmurs, her hands playing with his hair.
"Oh well good for me then," he says, amused, as he gives her one last kiss on the lips. He pulls away slightly to cup her face in his hands, his wonderful brown eyes soft and full of wonder.
She looks up at him curiously. "What?" she asks, even as she feels her heart rate speed up. She wonders if the butterflies in her stomach will ever go away when it comes to him, and hopes fervently they never do.
Taichi smiles, and it's wide and incredible and makes Mimi catch her breath. "I'm happy," he replies. "I don't think I've ever been this happy."
Mimi's so overcome with emotion she rises up on her tiptoes to kiss him again, and again, and again.
Certain things are worth waiting for; being here, wholly and unequivocally together is definitely one of those things.
Taichi agrees.
Author's Note: So this is first foray into the Digimon fandom – I hope you guys enjoyed it! Please drop in a review letting me know what you guys think. Much love!