Chapter 11: I Have None but One Regret


Mimi woke up with the sound of the doorbell. She slowly pushed herself up from the bed and rubbed her eyes. Her migraine has finally settled and her strength started coming back. The now warm, wet washcloth plopped on her hand from her head. Her fingers rubbed the soft ridges of the cloth as she suddenly remembered that she was in the care of her roommate. She looked around to find any signs if Yamato was still in the room.

She looked at alarm clock then her study chair next to her. Yamato's English textbook laid on top of the chair's cushion. She sighed. "He must've left for work already." Mimi's thoughts were interrupted again when the doorbell rang again. She pulled the covers off and slipped on her house slippers and dragged her feet to the front door.

Mimi was amazed by how a nap cured her symptoms. The room did not spin as it used to this morning. Her feet did not feel as heavy as she walked. She did not feel as warm as she had felt when she first got home. Who knew that a little shut eye could do so much?

She didn't bother to think about looking through the peep hole of the door. Her hands automatically reached for the locks and began to unlock the door. When she opened it, she was greeted by a fellow brunette.

"How are you feeling?" Taichi asked giving a small smile.

Mimi smiled a bit as she leaned on the door frame with her arms crossed. She tried to mask a cough that erupted from her mouth swiftly moving her head to the side. Before she brought her attention back to Taichi, she tucked in a loose strand of hair or two behind her ear and smiled.

"Better." Mimi summed up her feelings in one word. "I think rest was what I needed most. I still feel a little hot though."

"I see." Taichi looked around for a couple of seconds before coming up with the courage to ask. "May I come in?" When Taichi saw Mimi's mouth opened with no audible words came out, he quickly added, "I-I mean, I have stuff for Yamato." Taichi waved the bunch of little shopping paper bags. On the other hand, he brought up a bouquet of flowers wrapped in a clear wrap and his school bag. "They're from a group of girls from school. I don't know who they are, but it would be a waste to throw them out without him even knowing they exist. He left school and didn't come back. I figured he came here."

"Oh, o-of course," Mimi stuttered seeing a collection of colorful little paper bags with handles on one hand. She opened the door wider and stepped aside allowing Taichi to come in.

"I bumped into Izumi-kun when I left school." Taichi added. "He gave me a couple of books for you, saying that you have a Mathematics test on Monday and, since you're sick, you should be able study."

Mimi rolled her eyes. 'Thanks, Koushiro-kun.'

After Taichi took off his shoes, he walked into the living room and placed all of the bags on the couch next to Yamato and Mimi's school bags. He looked around awkwardly as if he has never seen the inside of the apartment before. Mimi noted the look in his eye, the say-something-before-it-gets-awkward look.

"So…" he started when he saw Mimi following him in. He leaned his rear on the back of the couch. "Do you know when Yamato is supposed to be back?"

"He said he was going to work." Mimi said softly rubbing one arm. Her eyes trailed to the DVD player under the TV that displayed the time. "It's close to dinner, so I am guessing he's going to be home soon."

Taichi nodded as the look in his eye spoke his thoughts once again. He started playing with his hands before he realized the items he was holding."Oh! These are not from the girls."

Taichi raised the bouquet comprising of yellow Peruvian lilies, white daises and yellow button pompoms. "It's for me—wait! I wasn't supposed to say that!" Taichi laughed shaking his head. "These are for you." He extended the small bouquet to Mimi who accepted it gingerly.

For a while, the only sounds that echoed throughout the room were the crackling noises from the plastic cellophane. "The lady at the florist shop said they're supposed to convey a 'get well' message." Taichi looked away and rubbed the bottom of his nose with his index finger, appearing a little satisfied with himself.

Mimi smiled, holding the small bundle in her grasp. "They're lovely."

Tachi's eyes found Mimi's hand wrapped around a white bandage. "What happened to your hand?" He stood upright taking Mimi's bandaged hand into his.

"Oh!" Mimi, caught by surprised, took a step back and remembered her hand. She slowly opened and closed her fist, testing out the condition of her hand. "I spilled hot tea on my hand. It's nothing serious."

"So you're okay?" He pegged on.

"Mmm-hmm." She giggled before sticking her tongue out. "You know me. My clumsiness is one of my bad traits—"

"—it's not!" Taichi jumped in. "It's actually one of the cute things about you." He coughed, using his fist to block the sudden redness in his face. As Tacihi's eyes wandered to another part of the room, Mimi could tell he tried to bring himself together. He looked distracted, almost like he had another thought taking over his mind. All theories vanished as he took hold of her better hand. "I-I want to tell you something important that I didn't have a chance to tell you yesterday."

Mimi's mind suddenly clicked. This was an moment that she hoped would happen once in her life, especially by Taichi: the confession, the courage to take a relationship further than friendship. She had seen movies and television dramas depicting this event. The girl would get flustered while the guy tries to keep his ground. This is the part where girls' hearts melt. This is the part where happily ever after starts. This is the moment!

Yet…why was it not as magical as she had hoped for? As special? As romantic?

She then noticed something that she had never caught her attention before: his hands. It was soft, despite possessing an athletic roughness to it, warm, pleasant, but it didn't have the magical, special, romantic feeling that she'd thought there would be. Not like…

"Tadaima!"

The front door opened and out a familiar voice came. Unknowingly, Mimi immediately pulled her hand away from Taichi and looked down. "A-ano…" Mimi stuttered, suddenly perplexed by her own actions. Her thoughts were scattered and it did not seem like it was going to piece back together any time soon. "Thank you… for the flowers I mean." She awkwardly brought a couple of loose strands of her hair behind her ear while avoiding Taichi's gaze.

Before Taichi could reply, the sound of Yamato closing the apartment door while the plastic bag of what Mimi assumed where groceries rustling in his grasp rang to her ears.

"Mimi," He called out her name while focusing solely on putting on his house slippers. "Dinner will be ready in a while. I'm making okayu (1) and other stuff tonight. I invited Taichi tonight. He's also bringing a guest. It might be his sister, but, just in case, make sure you don't look hideous you look like now." He laughed.

Yamato walked into the living and caught sight of his best friend. Mimi didn't realize how his facial expression suddenly fell. Taichi's presence must've taken him by surprise. "Hey, Taichi. I thought I told you to stop by later."

"Yo," Taichi responded as his eyes blinked repeatedly. "I know but…I came to check up on Mimi… and to drop off some things." Taichi motioned to the paper shopping bags on the couch.

"She's fine." Yamato replied not even bothering to look at Mimi. "I have it under control." He commented, sounding a tad more irritated by the second.

"Kay," Taichi said scratched the back of his head. "I should get going now." Taichi excused himself and headed towards the front door. He hurriedly slipped on his shoes. "I'll see you later." Taichi closed the door leaving Yamato and Mimi alone.

After a moment of silence, Yamato and Mimi's gazes met. She felt Yamato's stare belittling her. His cerulean eyes glowered, expressing his anger with a hint of sadness. That was when Mimi felt a tiny pang in her stomach for reasons unknown. She quickly averted her flat mate's stare and walked to the kitchen to fetch something to put the flowers in. She frowned slightly when she heard Yamato's feet following her.

"What was Taichi doing here?" He asked stopping just after the kitchen's doorway.

'Don't look at him. Don't look at him'

"As he said," Mimi opened the cupboards, "He dropped off things that belong to you." Mimi reached for a pitcher and turned towards the sink.

"And checking up on you?" Yamato questioned stepping rather close.

Mimi gulped. She knew by now, by the tone of his voice, that he was agitated. If she wanted to avoid another full-out argument, she should keep her mouth shut. She turned the valve, causing the water to stop, and placed the flowers in the pitcher. She walked around him and headed towards her room. "You didn't answer my question, woman." He added as he followed in hot pursuit.

But it's not like her to keep things quiet…

"You were not asking. You were interrogating!" Mimi yelled followed by a cough. "I already told you he came here to drop off things." Mimi placed the flowers near her bed stand.

Yamato stood at the girl's doorway. "Then what is this 'checking up on you' shit?"

Mimi turned and seethed. "He just gave me flowers." She explained rather loudly. "What's wrong with giving me flowers?"

"He's a guy, Mimi." Yamato roared pointing to the closed front door, fuming.

"So what?" Mimi's temper flared. "What does that make you then, huh? A girl?"

Yamato retaliated with a dark look in his eyes. "You know what I meant, Mimi."

"No, I don't, Yamato." Mimi shook her head, putting her hands on her hips, obviously defying him.

"Taichi's a guy, a male, a man. You were alone with a man, Mimi!" Yamato roared making the necessary gentures. "Anything could have happened. You—"

"What about you?" Mimi retorted, interrupting Yamato mid-sentence. When Yamato did not reply for five seconds, Mimi continued. "You… you are a guy too, right? Why do I have to be careful around Taichi, but not you? You said so yourself. He's a nice guy."

Yamato opened his mouth, but closed it right away. He obviously had to rethink his response. "…I will keep you safe." Yamato swallowed hard, "Taichi… he's a good guy, but I cannot—never mind." Yamato turned around waving his arms around, signifying his inevitable surrender.

"Finish your sentence!" Mimi commanded.

"I'm going to make dinner." Yamato slammed the bedroom door shut.

Mimi's pride beamed brighter than usual. He was obviously making her look like a fool. Sick or not, the last thing Tachikawa Mimi wants –ever—is to be made a fool. She roared, "He was watching out for me! He wasn't the asshole who left me to go to work!"

"For your information, I went to get groceries!" Yamato yelled. "It would be irresponsible of me to leave your sick ass here alone!"

Mimi felt her blood explode past its boiling point. She was angry and had nothing else to respond with. "Why does it feel like I'm talking to the wall every time I have to speak to you?" Mimi coughed loud enough for Yamato to hear.

"Well, maybe you are talking to the wall seeing that the door is closed and I'm not in the room." Yamato yelled through the door.

Mimi roared her frustrations out, then groveled to her bed and sat on it. She crossed her legs over each other, yanked her pillow, and punched it. "Stupid Yamato… stupid, stupid, stupid!" She landed a punch each time, finishing her actions by screaming into the pillow.

With her annoyance still floating around her head, she pulled up her blanket over her head. She breathed hard through her nostrils as her anger began to flow out. After moments of deep breathing, Mimi felt her adrenaline cool down.

Mimi stared down at her pillow and pouted her lips. She thought of what she had said to him. She felt worse when she thought of how Yamato left school to take care of her. 'I shouldn't have said things like that.' Mimi smoothed out the wrinkles she made on her pillow. 'Mou, he must be mad at me now. The last thing I want is for him to be mad right now.' After a few more strokes, Mimi stopped.

She observed the neatly wrapped bandage on her hand and remembered the times Yamato had taken her hands into his. Though the situations were not romantic; it was there, the feeling, that feeling.

Mimi's eyes suddenly opened wide. "Eh?" She asked herself by moving her head up. 'Why am I even… No! Taichi is the one that matters. Does that mean—?' The mere idea made her eyes even wider.

The brunette slammed her head into the pillow and pulled the blanket over her head. She screamed into the pillow again, creating a muffled sound. When all the air was out, Mimi collapsed forward making a soft thud noise on the bed. "Dammit." She cursed.


Mimi opened her bedroom door. It had been nearly an hour since they last spoke, and quite frankly, it gave her time to think. There was something she needed to sort out, and thankfully, she was able to think it through.

She came out of her room and walked down the hallway. She peered through the window dividing the dining room area and the kitchen. Yamato, dressed in his apron and bandana, had his back towards Mimi as it seemed all his attention was fixated on the food.

"Guu-do Ah-ta-nuu-n! Hah wa yuu?" Yamato said to no one in particular as he continued to stir the pot. Mimi watched him move the small textbook closer to his face as he tried to read the letters on the page. "I—" He paused. One hand lowered the ladle while the other scratched his head for a few seconds before grunting in frustration. "This is stupid. Why do we have to learn English in school?"

"Is it almost ready?" Mimi politely asked causing Yamato to jerk in shock.

He lowered the book and turned. "When did the beast step out of her room?" Yamato asked, moving away from the stove. "I was hoping you would be asleep till tomorrow morning." He scoffed moving towards the fridge. "You were so hot headed that I thought you were gonna float all the way up to the sky."

"Fat chance." Mimi smirked seeing the tableware on the counter of the window. She took the bowls and set them around the table.

Silence still engulfed the room as Mimi placed each table setting around the table. She knew she had to make the first move, but was obviously too proud to say it.

She took a deep breath. "Yamato?"

"Hmm?" He responded, still keeping his attention towards the pot on the stove.

She took a deep breath again. "I—" She gulped. Why was this so hard, "—I'm sorry. You were taking care of me, and I yelled at you."

When her eyes met with Yamato's, she suddenly felt an embarrassed blush roam to her cheeks. Immediately, Mimi looked down, hiding and sheltering whatever pride she had left. She heard Yamato's chuckle and then looked up. She was able to see the small smile on his face before he turned back to the stove.

'I guess all is forgiven, I guess.' "So… what were you practicing?" She asked, attempting to make small talk.

Yamato froze momentarily, and then continued to open the fridge. "Practicing?" He bent down looking for some ingredients for the soup.

"I'm not stupid. You were practicing English, right?" Mimi answered. "Hah wa yuu?" She imitated followed by a light chuckle. "You sound like the elementary school kids."

"I have no idea what are you talking about." Yamato took out his chopping board, settling it on the table near the kitchen window. After he chopped the scallions to pieces, he looked up to see Mimi staring at him with her don't-be-shy-and-just-tell-me face. He said plainly with a small flush in his cheeks, "Stop it."

"You were practicing English." Mimi's smile beamed as Yamato walked away from the girl. "Why are you being so cold?" Mimi asked with her arms crossed and leaning on the window frame. "There's nothing wrong with that."

"You're going to have okayu and only okayu."

"Okayu?" Mimi whined. "Why do I have to eat only that? I see a lot of delicious dishes for me to feast on!" Mimi winked.

"You're sick. You do not have a sense of taste. It would be a waste for you to eat anything else." Yamato continued to stir the soup.

With puffed cheeks, Mimi made her way towards the kitchen. Yamato took a bowl and poured a portion of the soup into it. With his attention on the soup and the toppings, Mimi snatched the book on the counter.

Yamato's surprised reaction was plastered on his face as Mimi flipped through the book. She obviously had chosen the perfect timing since his hands were preoccupied and had no time to react properly. "Give me back my textbook. I have a test on Monday!" Yamato glared.

"So you were studying. What's wrong with that?" Mimi asked flipping through pages. She gazed at Yamato who looked away shamefully. "Don't tell me you're terrible at the English language."

"I can write well." Yamato looked towards another direction. "I am just terrible at reading the words and definitions." His nostrils flared in annoyance. "Why does this world have to use English anyway?"

Mimi made a crooked smile. She swayed as if she was leading towards a conclusion. "I'm actually very good at English."

Yamato raised a brow. "Are you?"

"Yeah," Mimi skimmed through the book, twirling to the other side of the window. "Granted, there are still words I'm not familiar with, but generally, I am really good."

Yamato shook his head. He continued pouring soup into with another bowl after he placed the last one on a tray. "I'm a grade higher than you. My level is higher too. I don't think you can—"

"This is Jenny. She is an athlete. She plays basketball with her teammates. She is very good because she practices every day. Because she and her team are champions, Jenny is very popular." Mimi read the short passage. When she finished, she closed the book and cocked her head. "Not bad, ne?" She ended with a wink.

Yamato glared at the brunette before picking up the tray of bowls. He walked to the dining room and placed the tray down on the side of the table. He sighed, turning to the brunette. "What does 'champions' mean?"

Mimi smiled and approached Yamato and showed him the passage. For the next several minutes, Mimi had explained most of the material that was expected on his test as he prepared the dishes for dinner.

Mimi found it rare that there was something that she was able to help him instead of the other way around. It made her feel… well, appreciated.

Yamato squinted at the new word that Mimi pointed to before putting a set of chopsticks in front of a chair's placement. "Eh-me-die-ah-teh-ree."

"Immediately." Mimi corrected pointing to the word. "You should take it part by part. Emme-dee-at-ly."

"Emme-die-ah-teh-ree."

"The d-i-a-t-e-l-y in this word is pronounce dee-at-ly, not die-ah-teh-ree. The a and t are pronounced together, at. And it's ee—EEE!"

"Then why on this word, diagonally, the d-i-a is pronounced die-ah?"

"English is a funny language. That's all." Mimi shrugged.

"Who invented this god forsaken language?" Yamato snarled causing Mimi to laugh. Yamato glanced at the time and stood up. "Taichi should be here soon. I should take the rice out." He stood up from his seat in the dining room table and walked to the kitchen.

"I'll put your book in your room, okay?" Yamato waved his hand allowing Mimi to continue whatever she intended on doing. She took the textbook and walked towards his room.

On the way there, she became distracted by the sight of the colored paper bag still on the couch. Mimi peeked to see if Yamato had been watching. She thanked God that he was working on dinner. In one quick sly move, she took one bag with her as she disappeared into the hallway. She opened the bag and saw a small note inside. Folded in its pastel pink, Mimi felt the note's temptation.

After looking to see if Yamato was still occupied with dinner, Mimi took the note out and read silently.

To Ishida-senpai,

I know that you do not know who I am and I am fine with that. You are a very cool and smart upper classman. I know you may not return my feelings because you are going out with Tachikawa-san, but I hope this makes your day. Happy Birthday.

-heart- Himura Yukari

Class 2-A

Mimi wrinkled her face. Is this even right? "Is today his birthday?" Mimi asked herself. She looked at the note's date.

'Shit.' She was his roommate, maybe one of the closest people he has in the whole school, and someone from his fan club knew his birthday and she didn't?

When she heard Yamato close the rice cooker, she shoved the note back in the bag and casually walked back into the room. She managed to carefully put the bag back in its place before slipping into the dining room again.

After placed the last bowl on the table, Yamato squinted his eyes and focused on Mimi's hand. "Why are you still holding my textbook?" He asked. "I thought you were putting that away for me."

"Eh?" Mimi's eyes went wide as she looked down on her hand. Shit. "I-I wanted to surprise test you." Mimi waved her hands about, trying to be cool about the matter. She opened the book and began flipping through pages.

"Excuse me?"

"Ah-ah-ah-ah!" Mimi waved her index finger. "English only please." Mimi cleared her throat but a cough suddenly came out.

"Mou…!" Yamato groaned rolling his eyes.

"Good afternoon. How are you?" Mimi started.

Yamato sighed. "I ahm fine. And yuu?"

"I am thirsty. What can I drink?"

Yamato paused. "Water?"

"English, Yamato. English!" Mimi exclaimed.

Yamato groaned. He closed his eyes shut, hoping that memory would meet him halfway. "Wah-ta? Yuu rike wah-tah?" Yamato tried his best to say it as clearly as he could.

"Yes, that would be nice. Thank you." Mimi smiled as Yamato moved to the glass on the table.

"Seriously, Mimi," Yamato handed the girl the glass before scratching the side of his head. "I don't know how you could memorize this."

The doorbell rang. Mimi looked at the door, then Yamato. "I will open the door."

"Cut this English shit." Yamato scoffed taking some of the dishes in the kitchen. "We have guests over."

Mimi shook her head and opened the door without looking through the peephole. Instead of seeing the goofy brunette or the charming younger sister, she was greeted by a blonde with wide blue eyes. He stood still with a torn piece of paper between his thumb and index finger. By the looks of this young boy, he was equally surprised by Mimi's appearance.

Mimi examined his face. What notably surprised her were his eyes. She could see the confusion in them and yet, his face showed no indication of any emotion. The green colors on his shirt reminded her of…

That is when Mimi realized where she had seen him before. "You…" She started, failing to find the words she needed to say.

"You're that girl in the concert, correct? I'm sorry. I must have the wrong address." The boy lowered his gaze to the written piece of paper. "I'm looking for Ishida Yamato. Would you happen to know where he lives?"

"Yo, Mi-chin, invite them in. Dinner is going to get cold!" Yamato yelled.

Mimi swallowed hard. This boy was not Taichi, and couldn't pass for Hikari. He did look lost though. He appeared to be walking around the area for a while by the flushed checks due the increasing cold air from the night's air. Despite being fruitless in his search, he was polite enough not to look behind Mimi and pry into her business.

"I apologize." The young boy bowed. "I did not mean to disturb you. Good night."

"Mi-chan, let them in." Yamato sighed in annoyance, thinking that Mimi was keeping their guests at the front door. He walked to the front door to greet his guests, but froze seeing someone he had not expected. He stepped in front of Mimi, taking her position near the door. He pushed her a pit further back, signifying that he wished to have some privacy with this kid. When his vision was fixated at the sight of the younger man standing in their doorway, Yamato blinked. The boy stiffened at the sight of Yamato. The boy took a small step back, almost as if he regretted even ringing the doorbell. "How did you find me?" Yamato exhaled.

The boy shook. He appeared more nervous than anything. "It took a while, but I was able to find you." The boy replied looking down. "I…" He started before summing up the courage to speak. He looked up and said, "I wanted to wish you a happy birthday."

A burst of air escaped from Yamato's nostrils. "Do they know you're here?"

"Yes." The boy nodded. After a moment, he looked down and shook his head. "Not exactly here. They know I'm in the area, but they think I'm at a friend's house nearby."

Yamato sighed, opening the door wider. "Come in. At least eat before you go home." He said in a monotone.

"Excuse me." The boy said politely as he removed his sneakers at the genkan. He advanced into the apartment taking a quick look around. "You have a nice place." He commented when his stare landed on Yamato.

"I try to keep it clean." Yamato said with a smirk following the new guest. "Sit," Yamato motioned to the dining room table, "I'll set you a place."

Mimi blinked staying her place at the front door, wondering what had just happened. About an hour ago, Yamato had given her a lecture about having male visitors, but he lets this one—this unknown visitor—into their home. And now he's making a place on the table for this guy? She cocked her head to the side and chose to dismiss any theories that began to form in her mind.

Rule number one: if it seems like a personal matter, it's best not to butt in.

As she began to close behind her, there was a light tap on the door. Mimi popped her head to the side and smiled a warm greeting. "Taichi! Sora! Hikari!"

"Hallo!" Hikari cheered.

"Konbanwa," Sora bowed politely as Taichi saluted.

"Come in." Mimi opened the door allowing the new guests to arrive.

"Konbanwa, Yamato—Takeru?" Sora exclaimed seeing the boy sitting in in the dining room.

Takeru turned around and stood up from the chair. He stood up boldly after Sora asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Sora-chan!" Takeru exclaimed standing up acknowledging the redhead's presence.

"Takeru-kun! How are you?" Taichi laughed crossing his arms behind his head. "Looking sharp as always," Taichi playfully ruffled the younger boy's head through his Gilligan hat.

Mimi ran into the room neglecting close the front door. She stood next to Hikari who politely stayed next to the living room couch. "Taichi, how do you know this boy?"

"How do you not know him?" Taichi asked looking at Mimi then lightly punched Takeru's shoulder. "This is Yamato's younger brother, Takeru."

"Younger brother?" Mimi asked wide eyes staring at the older brunette then to the younger blonde.

"And who is she, Taichi-san?" Takeru asked formally, looking at Mimi.

"Oh, you don't know?" Taichi asked not noticing the warning facial expressions Yamato was creating through the kitchen window. Yamato waved his arms around, trying to catch the star athlete's attention. He crossed his forearms to represent an x and held it up high enough to cover his face. "This is Tachikawa Mimi, your brother's roommate." Taichi ended with a smile.

There was an odd silence in the room as an awkward tension filled the air. Yamato sighed and placed a palm on his forehead and shook his head, obviously embarrassed by the sudden truth.

Takeru blinked several times. Takeru casted glances at Sora, who averted Takeru's stare. He swiftly turned towards Mimi. "You're living in this apartment with my brother?" He asked Mimi, who responded with a face just as dumbfounded.

"Well, don't say it like it's a good thing." Mimi pouted putting her hands on her hips.

"Excuse us." Yamato interrupted looping his arms around Mimi and Taichi's arms, pulling the two aside.

Yamato closed his eyes while Mimi and Taichi blinked theirs wondering why Yamato had to pulled them over. Yamato swayed back and forth deciding on how to handle their predicament. "Let me share something with you both: no one in my family knows that I am living here. Heck, they don't even know about my predicament with Mimi."

"How can you not tell your family that you're living with Mimi?" Taichi asked scratching his head. "It's not the type of news you'd have to keep secret forever—"

"It isn't news you share at a dinner table either!" Yamato's eyes flared open.

Mimi's vision lowered. She could understand Yamato's request to keep their situation quiet from his parents, but his brother too? Mimi is an only child, and never had the wondrous experience of having a sibling. Yet, through her manga and drama storylines, she could tell that it was a deeper and more personal bond than a parent-child bond. So why would he hide that too?

"And why did you bring Sora here?" Yamato continued as Mimi mused herself with her thoughts.

"Oh, heh," Taichi scratched the back of his neck. "I saw her wondering around and I invited her. I could've told you, but it'd ruin the surprise." Taichi released a nervous chuckle. Seeing the glare in Yamato's eyes spoke otherwise, "Not that you have enough surprises already."

Yamato sighed. "You really know how to fuck up my day, don't you?"

"You haven't been honest too!" Mimi stomped, finally relating her thoughts with what was happening. "Don't blame it on him!"

"What? What the hell, I blame you too!" Yamato's glare moved to his roommate. Mimi stiffened at the cold stare.

"Wha-what did I do this time?" Mimi lightly placed a hand over her chest.

"Why didn't you tell me that he was at the door?"

"And I'm supposed to know who he is? You should've told me that he was your brother. Heck, you should've told me you had a brother." Mimi poked Yamato's chest. Mimi faced Taichi, "And you knew too?"

Taichi nervously chuckled again, "Well, the idea never really crossed my mind."

Yamato massaged his head. He looked up and noticed the open door of their apartment. He cursed silently as he walked towards the door. When his hand held the handle, he cursed again. "Goddammit." He hissed to Mimi and Taichi. "He's going to have to go home after this. What if he tells my parents where I live or worse that I'm rooming with a girl?"

"I'm still hung up as to why doesn't anyone tell me anything?" She asked ending with a sneeze.

"Excuse me." All heads turned towards the open front door.

Ignoring the questionable stares, Miyako slowly entered the apartment. She made a small innocent smile as she slipped off her flats and hopped into the living room. "I was worried about you, Mimi-chan. How are you feeling? I wanted to check up…" Miyako turned on her heels and gazed at the other guests. She turned back to Mimi and asked with doe-like eyes, "…is there a party?"

"Mmm… sort of." Mimi mumbled as her eyes averted.

"And no one invited me?" Miyako asked in shook. She quickly twirled. "Hello!" Miyako greeted with her arms open wide. "Great party!"

"Miyako," Mimi stood next to her best friend with her arms crossed over her chest, "what are you doing here?" She finally asked in a tone as loud as a whisper.

"I came in because I saw the door open, Mimi! I came to visit you! I'm hoping you're feeling better." Miyako's attention strayed from Mimi to the younger blonde.

"My, my, hello." Miyako smiled grabbing the boy's hand and shook it violently. Not meaning to be rude, Takeru followed the handshake, despite the increasing amount of awkwardness he sensed.

"Mimi-chan," Miyako asked over her shoulder without breaking her stare, "Who is guy anyway?

"Him?" Mimi confirmed the boy, oblivious to the same warning signs that Yamato was creating. "This is Yamato's brother—" When Mimi caught sight of Yamato slapping his palm on his forehead, Mimi had to ask, "What?"

Miyako's action slowly came to a halt as her eyes grew wider and her mouth shrunk almost to the size of a dot. "—Oh my! You're Takeru? The Takeru? You're Yamato's brother, aren't you?" Miyako released her hands and spread out her fingers and wailed.

Yamato nudged Mimi, who covered her face in embarrassment. "And this is why we don't tell you anything." He motioned to Miyako as she started to smile brightly.

Mimi puffed her cheeks. Before Mimi could argue back, Yamato glared at her. "Go to your room." He commanded gesturing with his eyes. "I will escort her out."

"Yama—"

"Go." Yamato glared. This time, his finger pointed down the not-so-long corridor. "If you spend any more time here, half of the school will show up."

"Miyako, I told you to hold the elevator," Koushiro's voice rang. "Hey, Mimi, you left the door open." Koushiro halted seeing stares come his way. "Was this a bad time?"

The two roommates blinked several times. "I'm going to my room." Mimi mumbled under her breath without looking at the blond next to her.

"Oh, you better." Yamato spoke immediately, making his way towards the front door.


Mimi sat on her bed with her legs under her covers, twiddling with the object in her hands. The pads of her fingertips finally skimmed over the envelope's rough paper surface. She bit a small piece of her bottom lip then brought her knees up. As one arm wrapped around her knees to secure it, the other moved up to make the tip of the envelope lightly tap her bottom lip.

To give or not to give… that is the question. Mimi contemplated, taking another moment to gaze at the envelope. If he wanted me to know, he would've said something, right? Mimi kept playing with the pale blue envelope till a knock was heard.

Immediately, Yamato opened the door. As a nervous reaction, Mimi quickly tried to hide the envelope under the blanket. The pesky folded paper decided to jump out of her hands and decided to play a game of tag. Thankfully, Mimi won after two tries and stuffed the parchment on the side of the bed opposite of the door's entrance.

Yamato lifted his brow. "It's late. Hungry?"

"Y-yeah." Mimi laughed dryly, giving Yamato more reason to be suspicious.

He walked forward and sat on the chair next to her bed. He lowered the bowl down onto her night stand. "Everyone left already. Were you able to sleep a little?" He asked bringing a hand to touch her forehead. Mimi's flushed face lowered. "You're fever is not as bad as before." He commented comparing her temperature with his own.

"I-I didn't." Mimi shook her head, hoping for him to end his small examination. "Sleep, I mean. I tried though."

"Hmm," Yamato made small nod. He ended the test and moved toward the soup he brought for Mimi.

As he was mixing the okayu together, Mimi stared at Yamato's face. He looked tired and stressed. The light in his eyes seemed faded, like all the energy that was in it earlier is gone. She lowered her head. When she was finally able to summon enough courage, she asked, "So why didn't you tell me?"

"I told you that Taichi was coming—" Yamato's nose flared, getting ready for another heated argument.

"Not him." Mimi responded curtly. Yamato met her gaze with the corner of his eye. "You know," She started, "about your birthday." She whispered, embarrassed that she was bringing up the topic.

Yamato heavily sighed. He released the spoon and laid his hands on his thighs. He tilted his head towards Mimi and sighed, "So who told you?"

Mimi left a pang of guilt wash over her. She knew that rubbing her nose in other's business was wrong, but she couldn't help it. She was downright curious. She brought her legs up and her toes started curling over each other. Mimi looked down and wrapped her arms around her legs.

Yamato observed her actions. "Mimi…" He said in a low voice trying to get his roommate to say something.

Mimi scrunched her face together. Oh, the guilt. "Okay, okay." Mimi whined. She buried her head in her arms and legs and mumbled.

"What did you do?"

"I first found out by reading your birthday card." Mimi repeating with her head still hung in shame. "I know it's your privacy, but I was so curious about all. Then I overheard you talking to your brother and—"

"Which card are you talking about? You didn't read that one, did you?" Yamato asked raising a brow, over exaggerating the situation.

One of Mimi's eyes peeped through her loose strands falling out of her messy bun. "Was there something I was not supposed to read?"

"No," Yamato replied plainly with a small smile. "Your guilt just amuses me."

Mimi heavily sighed. She slid her legs down and fixed her posture again. She stared blankly into Yamato's eyes. He looked guilty about not telling her.

'I guess we're even today…'

"Now that that's out of the way, do you mind honestly answering a question of mine?" Mimi asked shyly.

The mere thought intrigued Yamato. "Shoot." He blinked.

"Why didn't you just tell me it's your birthday?" Mimi asked honestly. She didn't know why she asked. It could've been a personal matter, and she was poking him to explain. When Yamato replied with multiple blinks, for some odd reason, she felt embarrassed, flustered. Damn curiosity! She lowered her gazed again and twiddled her thumbs. "I mean, it's a big deal. Everyone celebrates their—"

"—it's not usually done in my house." Yamato said which his own gaze lowered to his meshed hands. "It's not a special holiday or anything like that. It's just the day that one is born."

"And how is that not special?" Mimi questioned staring at Yamato's head as it sprang up to counter her stare. "In my family, we celebrate birthdays. We get a small cake, a gift, and sometimes we go out for dinner." Mimi slowly brought her right hand over to her heart. Her vision graced over to her palm as she felt her heart make a beat or two. "Birthdays… they are specials because they remind us of something important." She looked up to meet Yamato's blue eyes again. "That you are alive and with me here—!"

Mimi choked, not meaning to rant—or saying anything mortifying—to her roommate. She just wanted to be honest.

The brunette lowered her reddened cheeks. "Never mind," she mumbled, fidgeting again.

Yamato chuckled lightly. "I'm sorry."

With all the distractions going in her head, she failed to notice Yamato's keen observance to the pastel envelope creeping its way toward his area of vision. "What's this?" He reached over and grabbed the envelope and began to flip open the top flap.

"N-No, wait!" Mimi said nervously. Yamato immediately stood up and power walked to the furthest corner of the room and pulled out the folded parchment from the envelope's throat. In the midst of her embarrassment, Mimi gulped loudly and tried to refrain from crying due to her lack of courage to give it to him personally rather than having him snatching it away from her.

Yamato,

We've been forced to live with each over for about four months and it has been torture. You were the only person to bring forth havoc into my life. From being harassed by underclassmen to possibly ruining my chances of having a relationship, I never had a chance to say something that you deserve: thank you.

Despite that null, sarcastic, dark void in your chest—that you call a heart—you are sensible, caring, and reliable. And I will admit, that null, sarcastic, dark void could be—yes, could be—a good heart.

There will be more challenges and bumps on the road of life as we continue living in this apartment together, but I am certain that you will succeed because you're that amazing. Happy Birthday, Yamato.

Mimi

Ps. (2) You have given me nothing but bad luck, and I am sure that I have given you some in return. Therefore, I am giving this to you. Do not lose it. I know where you live, asshole.

Yamato was about to ask about the last paragraph, when he noticed a strange stuffing in the envelope. He pulled it out by its strings and noticed something familiar. It was the omamori that Mimi had lent him yesterday. He licked his lips with an amused expression in his face and fisted the charm grasping the small green fabric. His eyes peered at Mimi who already hid her face behind her hands in embarrassment.

He sat on the chair next to her bed again. He lightly growled. "Mimi, put your hands down." The girl violently shook her head. Yamato repeated Mimi's name once more. She eventually complied, lowering her hands as the revealing a tint of pink on her face glowed brighter by the second.

Yamato placed his free hand on her forehead, pushing back her bangs from her face as she turned to look at him. He made a cheeky smile. He raised his other hand making the small charm to dangle in the air. "I like it. Thank you."

Mimi nodded slightly, concealing the happiness that erupted form her heart.

"Your fever is getting better." He removed his hand and faced towards the rice porridge he made. "I guess after a good night's rest and eating a healthy dinner, you'll get better by tomorrow morning. Come on, open wide." He brought the spoonful out and hovered it near her face.

Mimi's eyes narrowed. "I can feed myself."

"Just comply for once," Yamato snarled, "for my birthday, at least."

Mimi made a small smile.

She gave in.

She opened her mouth wide as Yamato flew the spoon into her mouth. After making a small chomp sound, Mimi's lips swept up the contents of the spoon. "That's a good girl." Yamato praised Mimi as if she was his pet. He also ruffled the top of her head causing strands to fall out of her bun.

Strangely enough, Mimi didn't glare or made a curt reply. She smiled. She smiled and laughed, trying to keep the bits of rice and chicken from slipping past her lips.

With her left wrist cover her mouth, Mimi playfully hit Yamato with her right hand, as he responded with his own fits of laughter.

A light ring that came from outside echoed through the walls. After swallowing her bite, Mimi looked at Yamato and said, "I guess it's close to midnight."

'It's the eleventh hour, Mimi.'

"Yeah, I guess it is." Yamato smirked, distracting his eyes by mixing the okayu with the spoon. "My day is gonna end in less than a minute." Yamato nodded slowly before looking up at Mimi. "Glad to spend it with you."

'Now's a good time to say it!'

Mimi's heart thumped frantically. It was scary, but very pleasing. It was like a quick adrenaline rush, but it wasn't like she needed to jump. It felt like she needed to act now. She smiled warmly. "Happy Birthday, Yamato."

In return, he smiled back. "Arigatou."

It was now midnight. His birthday was now over. Mimi felt this jubilant aura swipe across her body as Yamato smiled and continued to feed her okayu. As the new day began, Mimi came to realize she wished she had enough courage to end the letter the way, she felt, was meant to be.

Pss. I think I like you.


(1) Japanese rice porridge
(2) Post-script: it's more like an afterthought after you complete your letter, which normally does not fit with your letter. Pss stands for an afterthought after the initial afterthought.

Hehe, that just put me in a giggly mood (smiles). So here it is! The moment that we all were waiting for (somewhat for some): the big realization that the feelings exists! There were many different ideas of how the scene was supposed to be done. It wasn't exactly how I planned it, but its close enough. And, to be honest, I like the way this came out.

It's cute, ne?

Back when this was in its early stages, I promised myself that when Mimi does come into acceptance of her feelings towards Yamato, it would be at least one-third way of the story. I haven't decided if this should be the one-third of the story or half…

Either way, the story is slowly coming along.

I know there's information (somewhere in the world wide web) that Yamato's birthday is in April. I am not sure if this is official information, so I up and decided to make my own.

So what's going to happen, now that Mimi has come to terms with her feelings? Tell me! It might inspire some future events. -hint hint-
If there are any errors, please let me know too!

Till next time…!