Title: Connect the Dots
Author: xChocolat
Date Published: 06.19.11
Disclaimer: Digimon and its characters and plot belong to TOEI.
Summary: What will it take for Tai Kamiya to finally understand her?
Mimi Tachikawa was an enigma; one that Taichi Kamiya knew he'd never solve.
Mimi was delicate. Tai learned the hard way to never take her out for nature walks, or just walks in general.
It was a night like any other in the Digiworld.
Tai and Agumon took the first shift, making themselves cozy by the fire as the rest of the group settled in the cave for some shuteye. As always, Agumon fell asleep within the first half hour, leaving Tai to his own devices to stay alert and awake.
Tai yawned and rubbed his eyes hard. This was going to be one long shift.
"Don't fall asleep Tai."
"Ah!" Tai was startled by his guest of the night. He turned to find Mimi, at the mouth of the cave. "Mimi! Don't you need your beauty sleep or something?"
"I can't sleep in complete darkness," she whined softly. Mimi slowly made her way towards Tai. She looked down at the seat beside him on the log. "Is it alright if I stay here a while?"
Tai shrugged and shifted over to make more room for her. Not his most preferred company, but company was company and he needed someone to help him fight the sleep that was clouding his eyes.
The two sat in a stiff silence until Mimi shot up from her seat. Tai, who was already getting drowsy again, was rattled awake once more.
"And what is it now Mimi?" grumbled Tai, stretching his arms as he got up with her.
"Tai, let's go for a walk," replied Mimi, looking down the path.
Mimi wants to walk? What's gotten into the girl? Tai was bewildered. But a walk didn't sound too bad. He could check out the surroundings a bit more. They wouldn't go too far. "Alright Mimi."
Her next move surprised him even more. She smiled at him. Tai was taken aback but shook it off and started walking into the forest with her.
They filled the silence with idle chatter, often bringing up some of their past adventures.
"Stepping in Numemon's sludge was worse than stepping in dog poo during a soccer game!" exclaimed Tai with a hint of anger in his voice as he remembered his encounter with that foul stench. His shoe was caked with that pink sludge and it took him hours to get it off.
Mimi burst into a fit of giggles. "Did that really hap- oh!" Mimi tripped over a tree root and was bracing herself for impact when she felt a hand at the small of her back pushing her gently to her feet.
"Mimi you okay?"
She nodded slowly and tried to walk. "Ow!" She flinched as she shifted her weight to her good foot. "I-I think I twisted it…Oh…! This place is terrible! A girl can't even take a walk without a stupid tree getting in her way!"
Tai rolled his eyes at her prissy rant. "Think you can walk on it?" He asked as he knelt down to take a look at her injured ankle.
"I can try…" Mimi tried to take another step but Tai stopped her.
"Don't push it. Here." Tai turned his back to her and crouched down a little.
"Huh? Tai, you're in my way!" griped Mimi.
Tai fought against the urge to roll his eyes again. "Get on genius. I'll give you a ride back so hop on." Mimi carefully wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he grabbed onto her legs, lifting her with ease. "Hang on tight okay?"
"Okay." Mimi relaxed after sensing that Tai wasn't about to drop her in the middle of nowhere. Resting her head on her hand, she murmured, "Thanks Tai," before drifting off to a light sleep.
Inwardly, Tai sighed. Taking Mimi on a walk was hard work. "Well, let's hope there won't be a next time. Once we get back to the camp, I'll take a closer look at it okay?" He heard no reply. "Okay?"
Tai turned his head a little and found Mimi sleeping peacefully on his shoulder. His facial features softened. Her cinnamon brown hair actually carried the scent of cinnamon with a hint of vanilla.
Flustered by his observation, Tai shook his head and picked up the pace.
Mimi was hazardous. If Tai Kamiya ever had to die of a heart attack, it'd be because of her.
"Tai, Tai, Tai!"
Tai looked up from his locker and saw Mimi bounding down the hallway at lightning speed towards him.
"M-Mimi?"
Tai!" She would've crashed into him had he not held out his arms in anticipation and stopped her just in the nick of time.
"Mimi, where's the fire?"
Mimi brushed his little joke off and continued chattering. "You said you'd shop with me today!"
"Sorry Meems, but I have practice after school today." Besides, I'm not stupid enough to promise something like that.
She pouted and batted her eyelashes while looking up at him. "Oh please please pretty please Tai? You said you would!"
"No! Not everyone has the same amount of time you do Mimi!" Tai could not afford to miss practice with city finals creeping up on them.
"…" Mimi's bright smile was extinguished and the disappointment in her eyes smoldered. "Oh…okay then. Sorry to bother you." She turned and walked back the way she came from, the energy she had just a few seconds ago lost.
Tai watched her go and heaved a heavy sigh. "She just doesn't get it," he mumbled to himself. He slammed his locker shut to find Sora on the other side of it. "Hey Sora," he greeted casually.
But Sora frowned. "Tai, did you forget what today was?"
"Huh?" He cocked his head in complete confusion.
Sora sighed and took his phone. With a few taps and strokes, she opened up the memo for today's date.
Tai took it back in his hand and read it out loud. "Meem's 16th birthday. Surprise party at Sora's. Distract her with shopping." Tai's eyes widened. "Whaaaaat!" He looked back at Sora frantically. "It's today?"
Sora nodded once.
"Dammit!" Tai bolted off in the direction where Mimi went to find her.
Sora shouted after him, "Make sure you bring her back by six!"
Tai passed by the soccer field and found his coach. He fed him some lame excuse on why he had to miss practice for the day and before the coach could utter a word of disapproval, Tai had dashed off once more.
Now where could Mimi possibly be? Then a random memory jogged his brain and following his gut feeling, he made a turn to the left, just before the school entrance. The path here led to a side of the school that fewer students visited because it was narrow without much to see. Tai continued until he reached a lone tree. His eyes scanned the trunk and then looked up to the lowest branches. Sure enough, he caught sight of that cinnamon brown hair that belonged to his target.
He called out to her. "Hey Meems, whatcha doing up there?"
Mimi looked down then looked away before replying. "What's it to you Taichi?"
Tai grimaced but quickly recovered. "You can't shop in a tree."
"You said you couldn't go." The brunette refused to look at Tai and crossed her arms across her chest.
"Aw Meems, I already told coach I wouldn't make it. So what say you and I go on that shopping trip like I promised?" Tai looked up at her with pleading eyes, his hands clapped together, for forgiveness.
"Hmm…" Mimi tapped her fingers on her arm, eyes squeezed shut in order to contemplate Tai's proposition. "Okay! Let's go!" Suddenly she leaped down from the branch.
"W-wait! Watch out Mimi!" Tai reached his arms out while stumbling to position himself to catch Mimi. "Oof."
Her arms wrapped around his neck as she clung onto him and his arms flew around her waist, keeping her from impact with the ground. "Stupid girl," muttered Tai. He hoisted her up so that her arms were comfortably resting around his shoulders and firmly wrapped his arm around the backs of her knees.
"Whee! How fun!" she cheered as Tai started walking to the school parking lot with her in tow.
"That was not fun Mimi. Don't do that ever again."
"But, but…" Tai glowered at her. "Aww…fine." The girl's shoulders slumped and Tai could literally feel her pouting against his shoulder.
Tai sighed and spun her a little, getting her to squeal softly by his ear. "Come on Mimi, we'll go have some fun within the safe confines of the mall." He reached his car, opened the door for the passenger's seat, and set her in.
She turned to him and flashed her million watt smile. "Thanks Tai!"
Shocked by her abrupt mood change, Tai flushed a bit and murmured, "Anything for you Meems."
"Anything?" Her head tilted and she looked at him sweetly with her big hazel eyes.
Tai gulped, either from her really cute look at the moment, or fear for what that statement boded for him. It was probably the latter. "A-anything."
Mimi's lips curled into a dangerous smile. "Good."
And boy did Tai Kamiya want to eat his words, digest them, and then dispel them down the toilet, never to be seen again.
Once they were at the mall, Mimi Tachikawa had successfully run through all the stores on the first two floors, and there were still three more.
"Tai!" Mimi whirled around and shot him a huge smile. "Hurry up! Hurry up!"
"Argh! Hold on Mimi!" Tai could've sworn he was carrying more than three times his weight in bags and it started to slow him down to a snail's pace. He managed to catch a glimpse of his watch. It's time.
Remembering what Sora had said, Tai quickly conjured up his second lie. "Hey Meems, I have to go now. Both my parents are busy tonight so Kari's waiting on me for dinner."
"Eh?" Mimi stopped in her tracks and looked down at her shoes. "Then I guess I should head home too."
Tai tried to reassure her with a smile. "Come on, I'll take you back."
Mimi glared at him playfully. "You wouldn't have left me here alone anyways!"
Tai chuckled as he walked towards the exit. "Who knows?"
Mimi puffed up her cheeks. "Hey!"
Tai laughed and when he reached his car, he plopped all her bags into the trunk of his car.
"It's. Not. Closing!" He struggled to get the trunk to close, putting all his weight into it. He let go once he heard a clunk and dusted himself off. She needs to go on a shopping diet…
And together they drove off. Mimi's forehead was pressed against the window as she watched the sun set over their city. Tai zoomed past the street to Mimi's house.
"Hey Tai?" Looking at him, Mimi tugged on his sleeve. "I think you just missed the turn."
"Oh I did? Well, we'll get there," answered Tai, without looking at her.
At the stop light, he reached his left hand down to his pocket. His fingers skimmed over its edges, smiling a little as he did. Glad I picked this up when she wasn't looking.
When the light turned green, Tai made a right and pulled up into the driveway for the apartment complex. "Alright, out you go."
"But Tai, this is Sora's place."
Tai got out, went around the car to open her door and took her wrist. "It'll be real quick. I need to get something from Sora." I hope I'm not too suspicious…
Mimi nodded and got out of her seat.
Tai gave her a quick smile and dragged her behind him. The elevator ride to Sora's floor was silent aside from the tapping from Tai's fingers as he texted somebody. Mimi stared at his phone, wondering who he was texting, and how urgent it could possibly be.
"Ding!" They got out and headed down the walkway to Sora's apartment number.
Tai rang the doorbell once; and then a bit more furiously.
Mimi shuffled her feet. "Tai, you'll break her door-"
The door flung open.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIMI!" Both generations of Digidestined were gathered behind the couches and they all popped out to congratulate her.
Mimi's jaw dropped. "Wh-what's all of this?"
Sora came from behind the door and gave Mimi a hug. "Your surprise party. Happy sweet sixteen Mimi!"
Mimi pursed her lips as tears gathered at the corners of her eyes. "Thank you Sora…! Thanks everyone!"
"Now let's get the party started!" Matt shouted from inside. Everyone laughed and scrambled around to get the music up and food out.
"HEY! WATCH THE CHINA! MY MOM WILL KILL ME!" Sora released Mimi and ran back inside after Davis.
Mimi giggled warmly at the scene before her. Then Mimi felt something slither around her neck, heard a click, and something light but hard hit below her collarbone. She looked down and saw a tiny pink crystal shaped like a heart. "Wh-?"
"Happy birthday Meems," Tai whispered softly by her ear. He moved back and cleared his throat nervously. "Kari and Sora gave me some ideas on what you'd like and this was the best I could come up with. Err…" Tai's face grew hot as a dark red color spread across his cheeks.
Mimi fiddled with the pendant and before Tai could say anything else in his defense, she snuck a small kiss on his cheek.
"Thank you Tai." And she smiled at him once more before running inside.
Mimi was unpredictable. And that wraps it up in a nutshell.
"WHOOHOO! YOU DA MAN TAI!"
The referee blew his whistle hard and the game board buzzed the final score.
The announcer called out enthusiastically, "And the title of City Champs goes to…ODAIBA HIGH!"
His teammates swarmed around him, patting him on the back or ruffling his hair. "WE DID IT GUYS!" Tai shouted. They all whooped and hollered in joy and triumph, lifting Tai up off his feet. Tai laughed, thoroughly enjoying being tossed into the air by his comrades.
Their coach came up to them with pride radiating from his whole being. "Kamiya, you just made school history with that goal! Pizza later for everyone! On me!"
"YEAH COACH!" Setting Tai back on his feet, his teammates flocked to their coach to give him their thanks and lifting him up as well despite his protests.
"Tai!"
Tai turned at the silky voice and found Mimi in her cheerleading outfit, her soft cinnamon curls cascading past her shoulders, framing her petite body.
"Meems?"
She stepped closer to him and motioned for him to lean in. Tai obeyed and lowered his head down so she could speak.
"Congratulations on your last game in high school."
Tai turned so that his eyes were level with hers, and beamed at her. "Thanks Mimi."
With that, Mimi yanked him down by his jersey and pressed her lips against his.
Registering the divine sensation against his lips, he brought his hand up to her cheek and kissed back passionately.
Suddenly, Mimi pulled back, her lips still lingering next to his. Tai almost shuddered at his abrupt loss. "Mi-"
Mimi stopped the words at the tip of his tongue when her lips brushed gently against his as she whispered, "Meet me on Odaiba beach at nine." And then she slipped away, leaving Tai to stare at her back in disbelief as she sauntered off the field.
Tai swallowed the lump in his throat and felt an all too familiar wave of red rise to his cheeks.
Mimi Tachikawa was an enigma; one that Taichi Kamiya was willing to spend the rest of his life figuring out.
A/N: I'm still flushed from that last scene. How embarrassing! I wanted to try my hand at a Tai and Mimi fic. I felt like their relationship really had to be fostered and so this project turned out longer than any of my other ones. Well, I hope that you enjoyed it and please leave a review if you'd like.