Wow! You've hung in with me this far?! -You- deserve to own Digimon! Unfortunately, it's not mine, so I can't give it to ya. Sorry.
(Seishuun Dettane)
Chapter Three
Mimi began to shove her way through the masses of people, looking for Joe. "Where could he have gotten to this quickly?!"
In the sea of guests, Mimi spotted another familiar face. "Izzy!" she cried out, and grabbed his shoulder.
Izzy stopped once she touched him, and they let the crowds begin to pass them by.
"Quick, let's get out of the flow of the crowd!" Mimi led Izzy to a quieter area of the auditorium.
"Mimi, you're here too?" Izzy asked as Mimi caught her breath.
"I'm so happy to see you!" Mimi hugged him gleefully. "You've gotten so big!"
Izzy sweatdropped. "Gee, you're acting like my Aunt."
"You're much better company than that stuck-up-stick-in-the-mud Joe!" Mimi bluntly remarked.
"Y'know" Izzy sweatdropped as Joe (speak of the devil!) walked up beside him.
"Ah! Made it out of the crowds, I see!" Joe said. "Where are the others?"
"They're at the tea shoppe still, they have to get T.K." Izzy replied.
"They're all here, and you didn't tell me?!" Mimi angrily fwapped Joe in the arm.
"Ow!" Joe winced, and grabbed his arm.
"What, were you just planning to leave me behind?" Mimi snapped at Joe.
"No! I just found Izzy myself!" Joe replied (more like 'whined').
Izzy sweatdropped. ""
"and just when were you planning on telling me?!" Mimi whined back.
"How am I supposed to know?!" Joe nervously smiled.
"Excu--"
"How considerate of you to think of me." Mimi turned on her heel, and folded her arms with a "hmph!".
"Oh, great" Joe sighed, and massaged his temples.
Izzy blinked, and pointed to Mimi as he looked at Joe. "Did you invite her?"
"Of course not!" Mimi answered for Joe haughtily.
Izzy looked to Mimi, who was still pouting. "." He looked back to Joe, "How'd you find her?"
"He was talking to my hat." Mimi once again answered as Joe was just opening his mouth.
Izzy gave them both a blank stare. "I won't even go there."
Joe adjusted his glasses, his eyebrow twitching irritably. "Mimi, d'you mind letting me get a word in?"
Mimi turned around, and wrapped her arms around one of Izzy's. "Izzy-dear is the one who's gotten taller, Joe."
Izzy blinked cluelessly. "Huh?"
Joe clenched his teeth, and pushed up his glasses by the bridge.
Izzy could quite easily tell that Joe was getting testy. "Wh-what's eating you, Joe?!" He whimpered.
"S'funny how when you say it, it's making conversation," Joe rose his voice, blushing, "But when I say it, I'm getting fresh?!"
Izzy yeeped, and cowered behind Mimi. Joe just regressed a good six years
Mimi smiled in reply. "Right!"
"Mimi, please don't taunt him" Izzy whimpered from behind her.
"Don't worry, I'm done!" Mimi smiled to Izzy. "Were we going to find the others?"
"Actually, we were going to find the others." Joe put a hand on Izzy's shoulder.
Mimi clenched her teeth as Joe pulled Izzy away from her. Joe could see the anger on Mimi's lovely face, and he sighed in defeat. "Are you coming?"
Mimi scoffed. "Well, not when you ask like that!"
Both boys sweatdropped. Izzy flatly shifted his gaze from Mimi to Joe. "What did you do to her?"
Joe glanced back at him with an annoyed look. "I spoke to her."
Izzy nervously smiled. "My, we're bitter."
Joe sighed again. "Mimi, please."
"Please what?" Mimi rose an eyebrow.
Brat. Joe's eyebrow twitched again. "Please accompany us."
"Okee." Mimi smiled warmly, and linked one arm with Izzy's, and the other with Joe's. "Being this trendy builds up a thirst! How about that tea?"
"They'll be thrilled to see you two." Izzy said. "We always see each other in school, but you two attending different schools--"
"-makes us a novelty, right, Joe?" Mimi smiled up tot Joe. Her smile faded. "Huh?"
Izzy blinked, and looked on the other side of Mimi. Joe's brow was furrowed as he looked straight ahead. His face was completely red, and a glare on his glasses blocked his eyes.
"Oh" Mimi noticed his stiff and rigid disposition. "Still not used to it, I guess"
Izzy smiled, sweatdropping. "Still the traditionalist."
Sora was the first to spot the three, and she stood from the booth with a hand raised.
The three guys-Matt, T.K, and Tai-all turned around to see the three, and their eyes all lit up.
Sora ran out from the booth, and Mimi released both boy's arms as she ran to Sora. Both girls started to cry as they hugged.
Joe was still red as a beet, and Matt held his chin as the four guys circled around him.
"Is he having an allergic reaction?" T.K. blinked.
"Hmm" Matt rose an eyebrow, and looked to Tai.
Tai laughed. "Right! Joe would be allergic to girls!"
"Oh!!" T.K. smiled, and the four laughed as Joe snapped out of his embarrassed stupor.
"I am not allergic!" Joe snapped. The boys winced.
"He recovered!" Tai grinned, and folded his arms.
"Matt, T.K., Tai." Joe nodded, "It's good to see you. It looks like everyone's doing well."
"Keep the respirators handy, Doc. It looks like the girls'll hyperventilate if they keep this up." Tai turned to the girls, who were still hugging each other, crying.
"Omigosh! You've grown up!" Sora said between cries.
"Omigosh, you noticed!" Mimi pulled away. "Is school okay?"
"Almost over, thank goodness." Tai answered.
"Tai!" Mimi's eyes widened, and her face lit up. Suddenly her face went plain. "You still haven't changed you hair?"
Matt laughed. Tai glared, and the rest sweatdropped.
"I mean, c'mon. Even Joe changed his look" Mimi pointed to Joe with round eyes.
Joe hung his head, once again insulted.
Sora noticed Joe's reaction, and nervously sweatdropped. "Even Joe, huh"
Izzy took Joe by the shoulders, and led him to the booth. "I'm thirsty."
"Yeah! Let's order already!" Mimi pumped a fist in the air.
Sora nervously smiled to Tai, Matt, and T.K., who each gave her uneasy looks in return.
Mimi scooted into the booth's seat opposite of Joe, and Sora slid in next to her, Tai sitting next to her. T.K. slid in next to Izzy, and Matt pulled up a chair to the end of the table.
"Wow! And here I thought this was going to be some dull charity work Mom was dragging me along on." Mimi opened her menu, and buried her nose into it.
Sora smiled, and leaned on her menu. "Right?! I remember last year's being a real snooze, but we had each other for company. So it turned out okay."
"These things aren't meant to be parties, Sora." Joe opened his menu, and let it lay flat on the table.
"I know, but still" Sora looked to Joe, and sweatdropped. "You know it's nothing personal."
"I know." Joe sighed, and glanced at the menu half-heartedly. "This isn't really my idea of educational, either."
Mimi lowered her menu, and widened her eyes with a childlike curiosity. "Why would Joe take it personally?"
"Hel-lo, Mimi! Joe's co-administrator for this entire function!" Matt rested an elbow on the table.
"Well, ex-cuse me for being on the other side of the globe!" Mimi shot back, and turned to the others. "How long have you guys been going to things like this?"
"Well, we did last year'snot too often, really." Sora looked to her left at Tai, who nodded.
"It beats going to a movie." Tai leaned forward on the table.
As the others continued the conversation, Tai sighed, and gave Sora one of his impatient frowns. "Are we ever gonna order?" He whispered to her.
Sora smiled at this, but was watching Mimi's facial expression change every five seconds. "Well, I don't see a waitress over here, why don't you flag one down?" She then glanced to him with a sideways smile, and rose an eyebrow.
Tai furrowed his brow, and frowned. "But Matt's closer"
"Oh, if it bugs you that much, I'll do it, for goodness' sake!" Sora sounded almost flabbergasted by Tai's complaint.
"No, it doesn't bug me" Tai replied, and nervously shifted as Sora gave him an expectant 'look'. He sighed, and waved a hand in the air to flag a waitress.
"Oh, thanks Tai! I was about to ask!" Mimi smiled across the table.
A waitress came over with a notepad and pen. "Sorry about that, what can I get ya today?"
"An orange soda, please." T.K. ordered first.
Izzy's eyes studied the menu. "the guava-banana-strawberry slush for me"
"A cup of oolong, I think." Joe shut his menu.
Mimi pointed to herself and smiled. "Can I have a huge glass of iced green tea?"
The waitress nodded. "Sure thing" She looked to Sora.
Sora nervously smiled. "Just a Coke for me."
"Ditto." Tai chimed in after Sora.
The waitress jotted down all of the orders, and looked to Matt. "And?"
Matt had his eyes lowered, staring at the table.
The waitress politely spoke again. "Your order, sir?" She began to get nervous when Matt still refused to reply.
"Matt." Tai rose his voice, and Matt blinked to attention.
"Wha--?" Matt gasped, sitting back in his chair.
The other six all looked to him with worried faces.
"Give your order, Matt" T.K. said, a bit of worry in his voice.
Matt had a blank look on his face as he studied the faces of his friends. "oh!" He glanced at the menu. "Orange soda."
The waitress took their menus, and left the get their orders. Matt immediately cracked a rare sheepish smile. "Sorry. I thought I had something."
They all blinked in reply. Izzy, Joe, and Mimi all went "Huh?"
Matt sighed, and rested his forehead on the table with a moan. "I'm so stuuuuuck!"
"Oh! The band?" Mimi's eyes were like saucers when she saw Matt behaving so desperately.
"Sounds like it." Joe rested an arm on the table.
"Matt's having one of his dry spells." T.K. nervously smiled. "He gets really pathetic sometimes, as you can see."
Mimi sympathetically nodded.
Matt degradingly put a hand on his brother's head, and pushed down. "Don't' call me pathetic, squirt."
"Owowow!" T.K. rose his voice, wincing.
Mimi looked to Tai. "How's Kari?"
"Annoying, as usual." Tai replied, raising his eyebrows. "You know how Freshman girls are."
"Hush." Sora scolded. "Kari's doing fine, she's working for the school paper this year as a photographer."
"How exciting!" Mimi clapped her hands together. "Wow! Everyone's growing up!"
"Mimi, how long have you been back in Japan?" T.K. asked.
Mimi's face went blank, and she sat back in her seat. "About a month, I guess" she smiled, and laughed a bit. "Mom and Dad never cease to amaze me, they've already thrown their first house-warming party."
The group all looked at Mimi, and she felt obligated to continue.
"It was my idea to come back to Japan." Mimi stated simply. "But my parents" she smirked a bit. "they live such frivolous lives, they jumped at the chance!"
"It was your idea?!" Tai leaned past Sora to get a better look at Mimi.
"But why? I thought you loved New York!" Sora's expression was identical to her boyfriend's.
Mimi giggled at this, and then winked in reply. "That's my secret!"
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Mimi no himitsu wa...nani? Well, I can't promise you'll find out in the next chapter! But you will find out eventually! Reading these aren't too tough on you, are they? Anyway, one more part until I take a break. Please read and review!
Mimi