I LOVE YOU, MIMI TACHIKAWA- EPILOGUE
By Venus163
Hello, everyone! This is the Epilogue to 'I Love You, Mimi Tachikawa'. Since several of you readers told me you wanted to know what happened to the whole gang, not just Mimi and Matt, well...here it is.
Yes, Joe and Izzy meet their soulmates. You were right, it is cruel to just leave them without dates. I will focus on each pair (Ex. Tai/Sora, Izzy/?, Joe/?) and describe their lives one year after the actual story.
The original story is a Mimato fic, though this epilogue will feature every one of the Digi-destined. The whole gang have fallen in love or are going to. It's rated PG, due to the plot.
Are you prepared for the ending?
I DO NOT OWN DIGIMON OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS AND I NEVER WILL. THEY BELONG TO AKIYOSHI HONGO, TOEI ANIMATION, TM, BANDAI, AND ANY OTHERS THAT I HAVE NEGLECTED TO MENTION. I HAVE WRITTEN THIS FOR PURE ENJOYMENT, NOT FOR MONEY!
ALSO, THE LAST NAMES OF IZZY AND JOE'S GIRLFRIENDS ARE NOT MINE, EITHER. THEY BELONG TO ALL THOSE PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO OWN SAILOR MOON, SUCH AS NAOKO TAKEUCHI, KODANSHA, BANDAI, DIC, AND ANY OTHERS THAT I HAVE FORGOT TO PUT.
The movie Matt and Mimi act in is made up by ME. So is the Story Line. (COPYRIGHT 2000) Now, if you want to use it, I suggest asking me for permission before I get so mad I decide to sic Metalgarurumon on you! Heh heh...well, anyhow, the plot and the movie are MINE!!
Now that I've gotten that disclaimer point across, on with the story!
I Love You, Mimi Tachikawa- Epilogue
By Venus163
EPILOGUE:
"Read pages 100-120 in your textbook. There WILL be a quiz on everything you have learned in this chapter tomorrow. Class dismissed."
Kari Kamiya allowed herself a small smile. The students would faint if they saw her smiling happily; to them she was a strict teacher who took next to no flak.
"Um, Ms. Kamiya?" One of her students, a studious girl, came up to her desk nervously.
"Yes, Sara?"
"How much is the quiz worth?"
"50 points, Sara."
"Thank you." Sara bowed politely before scurrying out of the room.
Kari laughed to herself before turning to the stack of papers waiting to be graded. She spent a couple hours carefully marking incorrect answers with a red pen before she decided that was enough work done for one day.
She looked at the clock. It was nearly 6:00. Gathering her things, she walked out of the school building.
Slowly she walked on the sidewalk, wondering why T.K. wanted to meet her in the park, at 'their' spot, a spot under a blossoming cherry tree that they met for dates.
Her eyes softened, thinking of T.K. Just yesterday he had proudly told her that he had not lost a patient yet. She knew he was a favorite of the children; he made sure they knew that he really wanted their pets to get better. 'I love being a vet!' he always said.
Nearing their spot, she saw with dismay that someone was already there. A picnic blanket lay spread out with a basket of food on it, but no one was in sight.
Suddenly a pair of warm hands covered her eyes. "Guess who."
She giggled. "T.K.!"
He pulled his hands away, grinning like a Cheshire cat. "Yup. And here's our dinner for today, Kari."
Kari sat down on the blanket but stared at him. "What's up?"
"What?" he asked, still grinning.
"Something's up," she said, wagging a finger in his direction. "You never smile like that unless something's up!"
He shrugged, but the grin never left his face. "After dinner. I promise."
Kari shrugged too, and started to eat her dinner. T.K. had made spaghetti and meatballs, and it wasn't that bad, considering T.K. had never liked to cook much.
It was when they were sitting together, his arm around her shoulders, both staring at the breathtaking sunset, when T.K. spoke.
"Will you keep this?"
Kari was about to ask what when she felt something cool and slightly heavy slip onto her ring finger. She looked down and gasped.
It was a diamond ring.
She looked up at T.K. to find him smiling tenderly at her. "Will you?" he asked pleadingly, love shining out of his soulful eyes. In his mind he begged, 'Please, Kari! I love you! Please say yes!'
Kari felt tears coming, but she ignored them. "Of course, T.K."
T.K. kissed her gently, the sun slowly vanishing into the horizon.
"Do you want a June wedding?" he asked casually, but Kari could see how serious he was.
"Yes. That sounds nice," she answered shyly. She held out the hand that wore her engagement ring and admired it.
"It's beautiful," she breathed.
T.K. smiled. "But not as beautiful as you." As she blushed, he leaned down and kissed her lovingly.
Izzy fidgeted nervously. He couldn't help it, even if T.K. had given him a few pointers, being engaged and all. Finally, he was going to meet his cyber girlfriend in a cafe. After three years of chatting to each other in intelligent conversations, he knew everything about her: her likes, dislikes, her dreams...only what she looked like. She had refused to send him a picture. He knew definitely that he loved Diana Mizuno (sorry, I'm running out of Japanese last names, so I borrowed some of the Sailor Moon character's! Don't sue me! I use two of them, Mizuno and Aino!)
'Whatever you look like, Diana, I will still love you,' he thought.
"Excuse me. Are you Izzy Izumi?" asked a soft feminine voice.
Izzy looked up. He found himself looking into a pair of the bluest eyes he had ever seen. They belonged to a petite girl. She had short black hair tucked behind her ears. He felt his mouth drop open, she was so beautiful.
She giggled. "I guess you are!"
Izzy shut his mouth and pulled out a seat for her. "And you are Diana Mizuno, right?"
She nodded. "Yes." She sat down and looked at him. "I feel as if we have known each other for years," she whispered.
Izzy nodded. "I know what you mean." He cleared his throat. "Would you like to go for a boat ride?"
Her eyes lit up. "Really?"
He smiled. "I remember you told me it's your fondest wish."
Her eyes filled with tears. "You...you remember?"
Izzy stood up and offered her his hand. "I remember everything you've ever told me. Or, wrote to me."
She smiled shyly and took his hand.
Thirty minutes later, Izzy stopped rowing in the middle of the lake. "So, do you like it?"
She nodded vigorously. "I love it!"
The word 'love' triggered something in Izzy. His eyes were glued to her face, watching her eyes. They were a doorway into her soul.
"What is it?" she asked, blushing.
Izzy flushed too. "Um, well...uh..."
"Please tell me," she asked quietly, her eyes pleading.
"Diana..."
"Di, please."
"Di, I love you." the words rushed out before Izzy could stop himself.
She paled. "What?"
'Fatal mistake, Izzy!' his mind screamed, but it was too late. The feelings that had been building up since they had met in a chatroom on the Internet spilled out.
"I love you, Di! I've loved you ever since we met on the Internet! I could sense your personality in everything you've ever wrote to me! I vowed that I would love you still, no matter what you looked like, and now that I know you're so beautiful, I'm more in love with you than ever!" He stopped, his eyes on the bottom of the boat. "I've ruined everything, haven't I?" he asked miserably.
"No, Izzy, not at all," her voice said, breaking.
At these words he looked up. "What?"
Di was flushed, but she was smiling. She placed a hand on his own. "I love you too, Izzy. I thought that it was one-sided, that you didn't love me, but now that I know you do, I'm...I'm so happy!"
Izzy finally felt...free. Happiness filled him, almost frightening him. He tenderly cradled Di's face and kissed her.
She kissed back, and Izzy felt whole.
Sora had rosy cheeks as she walked home from a visit to Joe. 'I knew it!' she thought blissfully. 'Is Tai going to be surprised or what?'
She reached into her soft green purse and took out her house key. After opening the door, she immediately went to the telephone.
'Please,' she thought as she dialed the familiar number.
"Taichi Kamiya, lawyer. How may I help you?" asked the voice she loved hearing in a business-like tone.
"Tai, honey?" she said, nearly bursting from happiness.
"Oh, is that you, Sora?" Tai said, the serious tone gone, replaced with an affectionate one.
"Of course, Tai!" she giggled. "Listen, I've got to tell you..."
"Sorry, Sora, but the judge is standing outside my door, a little mad at me. If I'm late to the courtroom he's going to have to send you my heart by mail, after he's killed me!"
Sora was a little disappointed, but she laughed all the same. "He can't do that! I already have your heart!"
Tai's voice was teasing on the other end. "Oh yeah, I forgot."
Sora blew him a kiss. "Good luck!" 'I love you,' she thought.
"I'll win with you behind me," he said sweetly. "Bye, love." 'I love you too,' he thought, reading her thoughts.
Tai listened until he heard the click of her phone going down before hanging up.
The phone rang again.
"Taichi Kami-" he began, but was immediately cut off.
"Guess what Tai?" came Izzy's excited voice.
"What?"
"I finally met Diana, and she's perfect! I told her I loved her and she said that she loved me too!"
Tai laughed. "About time!"
"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Izzy.
"That's great, Izzy!"
"I've got to go! We're going to go look at computers."
Tai made a gagging noise. "Figures," he said, but Izzy had already hung up.
"KAMIYA!" came the judge's voice from outside.
Remembering Sora's encouraging words, Tai stood up and walked to the door, strength and will renewed.
When he came home later to Sora, she had dinner already on the table.
"Hello, Mrs. Kamiya," he said, hugging her.
"Welcome, Mr. Lawyer," Sora answered, kissing him on the cheek. She lead him cheerfully into the dining room. "I fixed your favorite, fried chicken!" (I have no clue if this is true, I just guessed!!)
Sora managed to contain herself until dinner was all eaten. She kept smiling, still happy over her news.
Tai FINALLY noticed something. "What is it, Sora?" he asked.
"You won't believe what I found out!" She said, all bubbly.
"What?"
"Guess," Sora giggled.
"Um, your experiment at work proved your hypothesis correct and now you win the Nobel Prize or something?" tried Tai.
"No, that's not it. I'm still working on perfecting my cell experiment," Sora answered. Tai, being married to a biologist, had gotten to know scientific terms pretty well, though he still personally thought Science was his worst subject.
"Uh...Did one of your friends invite you to a party or something?"
"Nope! Come on, Tai!"
Tai tenderly looked at his happy wife. "Hmm...let's see. Cheeks are flushed, eyes are sparkling, ate a whole lot of dinner..."
Sora was about to retort when she thought against it. 'Well, that's what I'm supposed to do,' she thought.
Suddenly a wave of nausea hit her. Holding her hand up to her mouth, she ran to the bathroom and threw up in the toilet.
Tai worridly stood at the door. "Are you alright, love?"
Sora flushed the toilet. She rinsed her mouth and washed her face and hands. She deliberately took a long time in drying her face.
Tai stood impatiently. "Sora, what did I tell you about eating too much..."
He trailed off as Sora turned around. Instead of the sick look he expected to see on her face, her face wore that happy smile.
"What am I missing?" he asked curiously.
Sora laughed. "I'm supposed to eat a lot, Joe said so! I'm eating for two now!"
"You're eating for two? What does that..." Tai's eyes traveled from her sparkling eyes to her abdomen. "Are...are you..."
She was surprised she didn't burst from happiness. "I'm pregnant! Tai, you're going to be a father!"
"A father..." Tai fainted.
Sora giggled. "Oops."
Joe nearly collapsed. He'd pretended to be bright and cheerful when one of his patients had come in, but as soon as she had walked out he had lost his composure.
He'd almost made it without breaking down. He'd managed to not think of HER as he examined the patient and told her that she just had a complicated cold. But as soon as she'd left with a prescription, he'd broken down.
Joe stared at the picture of Mimi on his desk. 'I need to get over her,' he had thought countless times, yet he couldn't bring himself to put the picture away.
He disgustedly thought, 'Grow up, Joe! It's been almost a year already! You need to...'
"Dr. Kido?"
Joe looked up in surprise. "Huh?" One of the new nurses stood in the doorway. She was a blonde with an orange ribbon put into the customary bun of the nurses in this hospital. He had to admit that she was beautiful; her hazel eyes twinkled when she was happy, and dulled when she was sad or upset.
"I'm Maria Aino. I'm new here, I just started yesterday. I was wondering if there's anything I can do to help, because, I mean, I noticed you looked upset over something..."
Joe put the picture down. "I'm fine."
Maria glanced at the picture, then did a double-take. "That's THE Mimi Tachikawa, the singer! Is she your girlfriend or something?"
Joe painfully shook his head. "No."
Maria must have noticed that she had tread on dangerous ground. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean..."
"It's okay."
But the pretty blonde shook her head. "No, I truly am sorry," she said sincerely. "Let me buy you lunch to make it up to you, please?"
Joe nearly jumped at her voice. It had nearly as much genuine sincerity in it as Mimi's always had.
"No thanks..." he began.
"Please??" Maria's lips curled into a pretty pout.
Joe had to laugh. "All right."
Over the time he spent with her over the next couple months, Joe began to have feelings for her, feelings that he'd only felt for Mimi, yet it was...different from what he felt towards Mimi. But he still wasn't ready to completely let Mimi go...
Until now.
As soon as Sora left his office, happy about her baby, Joe had asked Maria to meet him outside.
They sat in a bench in the park, like they had done a lot. Joe had brought his picture of Mimi, leaving for the first time its special spot on his desk.
"I've known her since we were kids," he told Maria proudly.
Maria smiled, yet sadly. "Who is she to you?" she asked quietly. She knew that something that had happened between them was painful to Joe.
"She's...she's an old friend." Joe said softly. A distant look was in his eyes.
Maria was about to change the subject when Joe kept talking. "A year ago, I loved her. We were engaged, and happy. But I knew she never really loved me. She thought she did, but she didn't. She loved another, as you know from the papers, Yamato Ishida. We were childhood friends also, but we were never really close.
"So I let her go. That was the only thing I could do. And I never really got over it..."
"I'm sorry," the blonde murmured.
"...until now."
Maria looked up at him. "What?"
Joe smiled tenderly at her. "When you walked into my office three months ago, I was moping around for her. But you showed me that the past is the past, and I should focus on my future, or I could never be truly happy. And I realized some things."
"Yes?" asked Maria.
"I realized that I had never truly loved Mimi, at least in that way. I realized that I loved her as a close friend, a VERY close friend. But not in that way, never in that way. But to know that, I had to know something else..."
"What?"
"That I love you."
Maria flushed. "You do?"
Joe smiled and nodded. "You're the light in my dark tunnel, except that I'm out of that tunnel and in bright sunshine now."
She shyly took his hand. "I love you too."
Joe's smile nearly reached ear to ear. "I know." He leaned over and kissed her.
Mimi's picture was facedown on the bench.
Joe had finally let Mimi go.
Mimi smiled happily. "I'm so glad we're working on the same project!"
Matt gave her a kiss. "So am I."
Matt had managed to land a role in a romance movie called, 'The Hunters'. The LEAD role.
He had persuaded the director to get Mimi to sing the songs in it. Soon, Mimi was acting opposite him, the director having found out that she could act, and act well. Even Matt hadn't thought that Mimi had acting abilities. She continued to amaze him everyday.
But he was happy. He would have refused to kiss anyone else. And he had to admit, they made a marvelous pair.
The director pointed to a screen. "Look."
In that particular scene 'Brendan', the character Matt played, was confessing his love to 'Audrey' the girl Mimi acted as. In the background, one of Mimi's songs were playing.
After watching them kiss, the director stopped the tape and turned to the pair. "Great job!"
Matt nodded. "I liked it!"
Mimi smiled. "The song and the scene fit well together."
After talking and reading several reviews, Matt drove Mimi to their home in his car.
"Happy, love?" he asked as he lead her in.
She laughed. "You ask me that every time we come home!"
"Are you?"
"Of course I am!"
Matt sighed contentedly. "Then I am."
Mimi walked over to the answering machine. There were four messages. She pressed the 'play' button.
With a beep, the mechanical voice announced, "Message 1."
"Hey, Mimi! This is Rocky. I've been having trouble getting YOUR fans off my back. Only by telling them that your movie is coming to theaters in a month kept them from attacking me. Give me a call back, I've already heard someone talking about Academy Awards."
Mimi smiled. "You hear that, Matt?"
He came up behind her and put his arms around her. "Yup."
As Matt buried his face in her hair, Mimi listened to the next message.
"Message 2." Beep!
"Hey, Mrs. Ishida! And Mr. Ishida if you're in. It's Sora. Guess what? I'm going to have a baby! Joe told me, and you know you can trust him. Give me a call, 'kay? I've got to go. When I told Tai he fainted! He's lying on the couch right now, and he's going to be crazy when he wakes up! Bye!"
Matt laughed. "I've got to remember to tease Tai about that one!"
"Don't you dare!" Mimi warned.
Matt grinned. "If I know Tai, he won't mind. He's going to be too busy freaking about being a good father."
Mimi, laughing, listened to the third beep.
"Message 3."
"Matt, Mimi- This is Joe..."
Matt stiffened. Mimi's eyes widened.
"I just wanted to know if you'd meet me for lunch tomorrow at that cafe we always meet in? I want you to meet my girlfriend Maria, she's just great. Please call me and tell me if you'll come. See you."
Matt relaxed. "I think he's officially over you."
Mimi smiled. "I'm glad."
As Mimi strained to hear the next message, Matt silently thanked Joe. 'Thank you, Joe. You gave up so much just so Mimi could be happy, and in doing so you have made me the happiest man on Earth...or one of them.'
"Message 4."
"Hey Mimi! It's Kari. I'm real sorry I didn't get to call until this late, but T.K. and I are engaged! Isn't that great? Oh, and another thing. Izzy met Diana and the two are madly in love. Izzy's been screaming about her into our ears for a long time, so I'm just warning you...well, let's talk later, alright? Bye!"
"Go Izzy!" Matt said.
"Better call them back," Mimi murmured, trying to keep from laughing. "Are we going to have lunch with Joe tomorrow?" she asked, growing serious.
Matt nodded. "I don't see why not."
"Okay."
As Mimi went to call, Matt pulled a book off the bookshelf and took it to the couch. He opened it, the book a scrapbook of their history.
First, there was a newspaper clipping of them thirteen years ago as they fought evil Digimon. Matt smiled, remembering their adventures.
The next page held a clipping more recent, but still a year old. Matt grinned as he saw the picture, Mimi and a very wet younger version of himself hugging in an auditorium. He remembered how they had shared their first kiss, in public, before turning the page.
Also a clipping, this time it announced their engagement. The photograph showed him holding her from behind, arms around her waist, with her snuggled up against him.
The fourth one, his personal favorite, had a photo of them holding hands. "Famous Actor and Singer Unite" was the headline, telling of their marriage several months ago. Mimi was wearing a white wedding gown with pink lace. He was wearing a suit and looking very happy.
All of the clippings had made the front page.
The remaining pages were filled with pictures of them together and letters sent back and forth to each other.
Matt sighed as he examined each one.
Mimi came and sat down next to him. "Are you ever going to get tired of looking through that scrapbook?"
"No."
She smiled and laid her head on his shoulder. Soon she had fallen asleep.
Matt lovingly brushed her hair back from her face before putting the scrapbook into the corner. Other than that, there were just two more precious things...
He raised his eyes to the top of the bookshelf. The CD, Mimi's debut album, was carefully propped up. The words, 'To Matt with love from Mimi' shone on the cover.
Next to the CD, Mimi's Grammy statue sat, looking down at the whole room.
He held Mimi's hand and smiled. "I love you, Mimi Tachi...oops!" He cleared his throat gently and tried again. "I love you, Mimi Ishida."
Satisfied, he fell asleep.
Mimi smiled, having been awake the whole time. "And I love you, Yamato Ishida." She snuggled up to Matt and fell asleep for real.
~FINISH, FOR REAL!!~
So, what did you think? Izzy and Joe both fell in love, and everyone else is happy.
Please E-Mail me at crescent87@hotmail.com and give me your criticism.
My next fanfic is a romance between Sailor Moon's Amy and Zoicite (male!!), in a world without Sailor Senshi, though I doubt it'd be done anytime soon.
Thanx a lot! Your comments meant a lot to me, and I dedicate this epilogue to those of you out there who gave me inspiration!
~Venus163~
By Venus163
Hello, everyone! This is the Epilogue to 'I Love You, Mimi Tachikawa'. Since several of you readers told me you wanted to know what happened to the whole gang, not just Mimi and Matt, well...here it is.
Yes, Joe and Izzy meet their soulmates. You were right, it is cruel to just leave them without dates. I will focus on each pair (Ex. Tai/Sora, Izzy/?, Joe/?) and describe their lives one year after the actual story.
The original story is a Mimato fic, though this epilogue will feature every one of the Digi-destined. The whole gang have fallen in love or are going to. It's rated PG, due to the plot.
Are you prepared for the ending?
I DO NOT OWN DIGIMON OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS AND I NEVER WILL. THEY BELONG TO AKIYOSHI HONGO, TOEI ANIMATION, TM, BANDAI, AND ANY OTHERS THAT I HAVE NEGLECTED TO MENTION. I HAVE WRITTEN THIS FOR PURE ENJOYMENT, NOT FOR MONEY!
ALSO, THE LAST NAMES OF IZZY AND JOE'S GIRLFRIENDS ARE NOT MINE, EITHER. THEY BELONG TO ALL THOSE PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO OWN SAILOR MOON, SUCH AS NAOKO TAKEUCHI, KODANSHA, BANDAI, DIC, AND ANY OTHERS THAT I HAVE FORGOT TO PUT.
The movie Matt and Mimi act in is made up by ME. So is the Story Line. (COPYRIGHT 2000) Now, if you want to use it, I suggest asking me for permission before I get so mad I decide to sic Metalgarurumon on you! Heh heh...well, anyhow, the plot and the movie are MINE!!
Now that I've gotten that disclaimer point across, on with the story!
I Love You, Mimi Tachikawa- Epilogue
By Venus163
EPILOGUE:
"Read pages 100-120 in your textbook. There WILL be a quiz on everything you have learned in this chapter tomorrow. Class dismissed."
Kari Kamiya allowed herself a small smile. The students would faint if they saw her smiling happily; to them she was a strict teacher who took next to no flak.
"Um, Ms. Kamiya?" One of her students, a studious girl, came up to her desk nervously.
"Yes, Sara?"
"How much is the quiz worth?"
"50 points, Sara."
"Thank you." Sara bowed politely before scurrying out of the room.
Kari laughed to herself before turning to the stack of papers waiting to be graded. She spent a couple hours carefully marking incorrect answers with a red pen before she decided that was enough work done for one day.
She looked at the clock. It was nearly 6:00. Gathering her things, she walked out of the school building.
Slowly she walked on the sidewalk, wondering why T.K. wanted to meet her in the park, at 'their' spot, a spot under a blossoming cherry tree that they met for dates.
Her eyes softened, thinking of T.K. Just yesterday he had proudly told her that he had not lost a patient yet. She knew he was a favorite of the children; he made sure they knew that he really wanted their pets to get better. 'I love being a vet!' he always said.
Nearing their spot, she saw with dismay that someone was already there. A picnic blanket lay spread out with a basket of food on it, but no one was in sight.
Suddenly a pair of warm hands covered her eyes. "Guess who."
She giggled. "T.K.!"
He pulled his hands away, grinning like a Cheshire cat. "Yup. And here's our dinner for today, Kari."
Kari sat down on the blanket but stared at him. "What's up?"
"What?" he asked, still grinning.
"Something's up," she said, wagging a finger in his direction. "You never smile like that unless something's up!"
He shrugged, but the grin never left his face. "After dinner. I promise."
Kari shrugged too, and started to eat her dinner. T.K. had made spaghetti and meatballs, and it wasn't that bad, considering T.K. had never liked to cook much.
It was when they were sitting together, his arm around her shoulders, both staring at the breathtaking sunset, when T.K. spoke.
"Will you keep this?"
Kari was about to ask what when she felt something cool and slightly heavy slip onto her ring finger. She looked down and gasped.
It was a diamond ring.
She looked up at T.K. to find him smiling tenderly at her. "Will you?" he asked pleadingly, love shining out of his soulful eyes. In his mind he begged, 'Please, Kari! I love you! Please say yes!'
Kari felt tears coming, but she ignored them. "Of course, T.K."
T.K. kissed her gently, the sun slowly vanishing into the horizon.
"Do you want a June wedding?" he asked casually, but Kari could see how serious he was.
"Yes. That sounds nice," she answered shyly. She held out the hand that wore her engagement ring and admired it.
"It's beautiful," she breathed.
T.K. smiled. "But not as beautiful as you." As she blushed, he leaned down and kissed her lovingly.
Izzy fidgeted nervously. He couldn't help it, even if T.K. had given him a few pointers, being engaged and all. Finally, he was going to meet his cyber girlfriend in a cafe. After three years of chatting to each other in intelligent conversations, he knew everything about her: her likes, dislikes, her dreams...only what she looked like. She had refused to send him a picture. He knew definitely that he loved Diana Mizuno (sorry, I'm running out of Japanese last names, so I borrowed some of the Sailor Moon character's! Don't sue me! I use two of them, Mizuno and Aino!)
'Whatever you look like, Diana, I will still love you,' he thought.
"Excuse me. Are you Izzy Izumi?" asked a soft feminine voice.
Izzy looked up. He found himself looking into a pair of the bluest eyes he had ever seen. They belonged to a petite girl. She had short black hair tucked behind her ears. He felt his mouth drop open, she was so beautiful.
She giggled. "I guess you are!"
Izzy shut his mouth and pulled out a seat for her. "And you are Diana Mizuno, right?"
She nodded. "Yes." She sat down and looked at him. "I feel as if we have known each other for years," she whispered.
Izzy nodded. "I know what you mean." He cleared his throat. "Would you like to go for a boat ride?"
Her eyes lit up. "Really?"
He smiled. "I remember you told me it's your fondest wish."
Her eyes filled with tears. "You...you remember?"
Izzy stood up and offered her his hand. "I remember everything you've ever told me. Or, wrote to me."
She smiled shyly and took his hand.
Thirty minutes later, Izzy stopped rowing in the middle of the lake. "So, do you like it?"
She nodded vigorously. "I love it!"
The word 'love' triggered something in Izzy. His eyes were glued to her face, watching her eyes. They were a doorway into her soul.
"What is it?" she asked, blushing.
Izzy flushed too. "Um, well...uh..."
"Please tell me," she asked quietly, her eyes pleading.
"Diana..."
"Di, please."
"Di, I love you." the words rushed out before Izzy could stop himself.
She paled. "What?"
'Fatal mistake, Izzy!' his mind screamed, but it was too late. The feelings that had been building up since they had met in a chatroom on the Internet spilled out.
"I love you, Di! I've loved you ever since we met on the Internet! I could sense your personality in everything you've ever wrote to me! I vowed that I would love you still, no matter what you looked like, and now that I know you're so beautiful, I'm more in love with you than ever!" He stopped, his eyes on the bottom of the boat. "I've ruined everything, haven't I?" he asked miserably.
"No, Izzy, not at all," her voice said, breaking.
At these words he looked up. "What?"
Di was flushed, but she was smiling. She placed a hand on his own. "I love you too, Izzy. I thought that it was one-sided, that you didn't love me, but now that I know you do, I'm...I'm so happy!"
Izzy finally felt...free. Happiness filled him, almost frightening him. He tenderly cradled Di's face and kissed her.
She kissed back, and Izzy felt whole.
Sora had rosy cheeks as she walked home from a visit to Joe. 'I knew it!' she thought blissfully. 'Is Tai going to be surprised or what?'
She reached into her soft green purse and took out her house key. After opening the door, she immediately went to the telephone.
'Please,' she thought as she dialed the familiar number.
"Taichi Kamiya, lawyer. How may I help you?" asked the voice she loved hearing in a business-like tone.
"Tai, honey?" she said, nearly bursting from happiness.
"Oh, is that you, Sora?" Tai said, the serious tone gone, replaced with an affectionate one.
"Of course, Tai!" she giggled. "Listen, I've got to tell you..."
"Sorry, Sora, but the judge is standing outside my door, a little mad at me. If I'm late to the courtroom he's going to have to send you my heart by mail, after he's killed me!"
Sora was a little disappointed, but she laughed all the same. "He can't do that! I already have your heart!"
Tai's voice was teasing on the other end. "Oh yeah, I forgot."
Sora blew him a kiss. "Good luck!" 'I love you,' she thought.
"I'll win with you behind me," he said sweetly. "Bye, love." 'I love you too,' he thought, reading her thoughts.
Tai listened until he heard the click of her phone going down before hanging up.
The phone rang again.
"Taichi Kami-" he began, but was immediately cut off.
"Guess what Tai?" came Izzy's excited voice.
"What?"
"I finally met Diana, and she's perfect! I told her I loved her and she said that she loved me too!"
Tai laughed. "About time!"
"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Izzy.
"That's great, Izzy!"
"I've got to go! We're going to go look at computers."
Tai made a gagging noise. "Figures," he said, but Izzy had already hung up.
"KAMIYA!" came the judge's voice from outside.
Remembering Sora's encouraging words, Tai stood up and walked to the door, strength and will renewed.
When he came home later to Sora, she had dinner already on the table.
"Hello, Mrs. Kamiya," he said, hugging her.
"Welcome, Mr. Lawyer," Sora answered, kissing him on the cheek. She lead him cheerfully into the dining room. "I fixed your favorite, fried chicken!" (I have no clue if this is true, I just guessed!!)
Sora managed to contain herself until dinner was all eaten. She kept smiling, still happy over her news.
Tai FINALLY noticed something. "What is it, Sora?" he asked.
"You won't believe what I found out!" She said, all bubbly.
"What?"
"Guess," Sora giggled.
"Um, your experiment at work proved your hypothesis correct and now you win the Nobel Prize or something?" tried Tai.
"No, that's not it. I'm still working on perfecting my cell experiment," Sora answered. Tai, being married to a biologist, had gotten to know scientific terms pretty well, though he still personally thought Science was his worst subject.
"Uh...Did one of your friends invite you to a party or something?"
"Nope! Come on, Tai!"
Tai tenderly looked at his happy wife. "Hmm...let's see. Cheeks are flushed, eyes are sparkling, ate a whole lot of dinner..."
Sora was about to retort when she thought against it. 'Well, that's what I'm supposed to do,' she thought.
Suddenly a wave of nausea hit her. Holding her hand up to her mouth, she ran to the bathroom and threw up in the toilet.
Tai worridly stood at the door. "Are you alright, love?"
Sora flushed the toilet. She rinsed her mouth and washed her face and hands. She deliberately took a long time in drying her face.
Tai stood impatiently. "Sora, what did I tell you about eating too much..."
He trailed off as Sora turned around. Instead of the sick look he expected to see on her face, her face wore that happy smile.
"What am I missing?" he asked curiously.
Sora laughed. "I'm supposed to eat a lot, Joe said so! I'm eating for two now!"
"You're eating for two? What does that..." Tai's eyes traveled from her sparkling eyes to her abdomen. "Are...are you..."
She was surprised she didn't burst from happiness. "I'm pregnant! Tai, you're going to be a father!"
"A father..." Tai fainted.
Sora giggled. "Oops."
Joe nearly collapsed. He'd pretended to be bright and cheerful when one of his patients had come in, but as soon as she had walked out he had lost his composure.
He'd almost made it without breaking down. He'd managed to not think of HER as he examined the patient and told her that she just had a complicated cold. But as soon as she'd left with a prescription, he'd broken down.
Joe stared at the picture of Mimi on his desk. 'I need to get over her,' he had thought countless times, yet he couldn't bring himself to put the picture away.
He disgustedly thought, 'Grow up, Joe! It's been almost a year already! You need to...'
"Dr. Kido?"
Joe looked up in surprise. "Huh?" One of the new nurses stood in the doorway. She was a blonde with an orange ribbon put into the customary bun of the nurses in this hospital. He had to admit that she was beautiful; her hazel eyes twinkled when she was happy, and dulled when she was sad or upset.
"I'm Maria Aino. I'm new here, I just started yesterday. I was wondering if there's anything I can do to help, because, I mean, I noticed you looked upset over something..."
Joe put the picture down. "I'm fine."
Maria glanced at the picture, then did a double-take. "That's THE Mimi Tachikawa, the singer! Is she your girlfriend or something?"
Joe painfully shook his head. "No."
Maria must have noticed that she had tread on dangerous ground. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean..."
"It's okay."
But the pretty blonde shook her head. "No, I truly am sorry," she said sincerely. "Let me buy you lunch to make it up to you, please?"
Joe nearly jumped at her voice. It had nearly as much genuine sincerity in it as Mimi's always had.
"No thanks..." he began.
"Please??" Maria's lips curled into a pretty pout.
Joe had to laugh. "All right."
Over the time he spent with her over the next couple months, Joe began to have feelings for her, feelings that he'd only felt for Mimi, yet it was...different from what he felt towards Mimi. But he still wasn't ready to completely let Mimi go...
Until now.
As soon as Sora left his office, happy about her baby, Joe had asked Maria to meet him outside.
They sat in a bench in the park, like they had done a lot. Joe had brought his picture of Mimi, leaving for the first time its special spot on his desk.
"I've known her since we were kids," he told Maria proudly.
Maria smiled, yet sadly. "Who is she to you?" she asked quietly. She knew that something that had happened between them was painful to Joe.
"She's...she's an old friend." Joe said softly. A distant look was in his eyes.
Maria was about to change the subject when Joe kept talking. "A year ago, I loved her. We were engaged, and happy. But I knew she never really loved me. She thought she did, but she didn't. She loved another, as you know from the papers, Yamato Ishida. We were childhood friends also, but we were never really close.
"So I let her go. That was the only thing I could do. And I never really got over it..."
"I'm sorry," the blonde murmured.
"...until now."
Maria looked up at him. "What?"
Joe smiled tenderly at her. "When you walked into my office three months ago, I was moping around for her. But you showed me that the past is the past, and I should focus on my future, or I could never be truly happy. And I realized some things."
"Yes?" asked Maria.
"I realized that I had never truly loved Mimi, at least in that way. I realized that I loved her as a close friend, a VERY close friend. But not in that way, never in that way. But to know that, I had to know something else..."
"What?"
"That I love you."
Maria flushed. "You do?"
Joe smiled and nodded. "You're the light in my dark tunnel, except that I'm out of that tunnel and in bright sunshine now."
She shyly took his hand. "I love you too."
Joe's smile nearly reached ear to ear. "I know." He leaned over and kissed her.
Mimi's picture was facedown on the bench.
Joe had finally let Mimi go.
Mimi smiled happily. "I'm so glad we're working on the same project!"
Matt gave her a kiss. "So am I."
Matt had managed to land a role in a romance movie called, 'The Hunters'. The LEAD role.
He had persuaded the director to get Mimi to sing the songs in it. Soon, Mimi was acting opposite him, the director having found out that she could act, and act well. Even Matt hadn't thought that Mimi had acting abilities. She continued to amaze him everyday.
But he was happy. He would have refused to kiss anyone else. And he had to admit, they made a marvelous pair.
The director pointed to a screen. "Look."
In that particular scene 'Brendan', the character Matt played, was confessing his love to 'Audrey' the girl Mimi acted as. In the background, one of Mimi's songs were playing.
After watching them kiss, the director stopped the tape and turned to the pair. "Great job!"
Matt nodded. "I liked it!"
Mimi smiled. "The song and the scene fit well together."
After talking and reading several reviews, Matt drove Mimi to their home in his car.
"Happy, love?" he asked as he lead her in.
She laughed. "You ask me that every time we come home!"
"Are you?"
"Of course I am!"
Matt sighed contentedly. "Then I am."
Mimi walked over to the answering machine. There were four messages. She pressed the 'play' button.
With a beep, the mechanical voice announced, "Message 1."
"Hey, Mimi! This is Rocky. I've been having trouble getting YOUR fans off my back. Only by telling them that your movie is coming to theaters in a month kept them from attacking me. Give me a call back, I've already heard someone talking about Academy Awards."
Mimi smiled. "You hear that, Matt?"
He came up behind her and put his arms around her. "Yup."
As Matt buried his face in her hair, Mimi listened to the next message.
"Message 2." Beep!
"Hey, Mrs. Ishida! And Mr. Ishida if you're in. It's Sora. Guess what? I'm going to have a baby! Joe told me, and you know you can trust him. Give me a call, 'kay? I've got to go. When I told Tai he fainted! He's lying on the couch right now, and he's going to be crazy when he wakes up! Bye!"
Matt laughed. "I've got to remember to tease Tai about that one!"
"Don't you dare!" Mimi warned.
Matt grinned. "If I know Tai, he won't mind. He's going to be too busy freaking about being a good father."
Mimi, laughing, listened to the third beep.
"Message 3."
"Matt, Mimi- This is Joe..."
Matt stiffened. Mimi's eyes widened.
"I just wanted to know if you'd meet me for lunch tomorrow at that cafe we always meet in? I want you to meet my girlfriend Maria, she's just great. Please call me and tell me if you'll come. See you."
Matt relaxed. "I think he's officially over you."
Mimi smiled. "I'm glad."
As Mimi strained to hear the next message, Matt silently thanked Joe. 'Thank you, Joe. You gave up so much just so Mimi could be happy, and in doing so you have made me the happiest man on Earth...or one of them.'
"Message 4."
"Hey Mimi! It's Kari. I'm real sorry I didn't get to call until this late, but T.K. and I are engaged! Isn't that great? Oh, and another thing. Izzy met Diana and the two are madly in love. Izzy's been screaming about her into our ears for a long time, so I'm just warning you...well, let's talk later, alright? Bye!"
"Go Izzy!" Matt said.
"Better call them back," Mimi murmured, trying to keep from laughing. "Are we going to have lunch with Joe tomorrow?" she asked, growing serious.
Matt nodded. "I don't see why not."
"Okay."
As Mimi went to call, Matt pulled a book off the bookshelf and took it to the couch. He opened it, the book a scrapbook of their history.
First, there was a newspaper clipping of them thirteen years ago as they fought evil Digimon. Matt smiled, remembering their adventures.
The next page held a clipping more recent, but still a year old. Matt grinned as he saw the picture, Mimi and a very wet younger version of himself hugging in an auditorium. He remembered how they had shared their first kiss, in public, before turning the page.
Also a clipping, this time it announced their engagement. The photograph showed him holding her from behind, arms around her waist, with her snuggled up against him.
The fourth one, his personal favorite, had a photo of them holding hands. "Famous Actor and Singer Unite" was the headline, telling of their marriage several months ago. Mimi was wearing a white wedding gown with pink lace. He was wearing a suit and looking very happy.
All of the clippings had made the front page.
The remaining pages were filled with pictures of them together and letters sent back and forth to each other.
Matt sighed as he examined each one.
Mimi came and sat down next to him. "Are you ever going to get tired of looking through that scrapbook?"
"No."
She smiled and laid her head on his shoulder. Soon she had fallen asleep.
Matt lovingly brushed her hair back from her face before putting the scrapbook into the corner. Other than that, there were just two more precious things...
He raised his eyes to the top of the bookshelf. The CD, Mimi's debut album, was carefully propped up. The words, 'To Matt with love from Mimi' shone on the cover.
Next to the CD, Mimi's Grammy statue sat, looking down at the whole room.
He held Mimi's hand and smiled. "I love you, Mimi Tachi...oops!" He cleared his throat gently and tried again. "I love you, Mimi Ishida."
Satisfied, he fell asleep.
Mimi smiled, having been awake the whole time. "And I love you, Yamato Ishida." She snuggled up to Matt and fell asleep for real.
~FINISH, FOR REAL!!~
So, what did you think? Izzy and Joe both fell in love, and everyone else is happy.
Please E-Mail me at crescent87@hotmail.com and give me your criticism.
My next fanfic is a romance between Sailor Moon's Amy and Zoicite (male!!), in a world without Sailor Senshi, though I doubt it'd be done anytime soon.
Thanx a lot! Your comments meant a lot to me, and I dedicate this epilogue to those of you out there who gave me inspiration!
~Venus163~