Sure I own Digimon. ::scoots back in her chair, to let the camera look on her window seat. You see UFO catcher dolls galore:: I own a Palmon, Gomamon, Gatomon, Patamon, Biyomon....they're easy to come by!
(Seishuun Dettane)
Chapter Four
Both Tai and Sora's faces went blank at Mimi's answer. Before anyone could enquire further, their drinks came.
"Ah!" Mimi quickly reached for her tea, and grabbed a straw.
Joe rose an eyebrow. "Perhaps she couldn't bear being away from some decent Japanese restaurants." He closed his eyes, and slowly sipped his oolong tea. His eyes jolted open, and his hands stumbled. "Owowow!" He quickly set the cup down, cupping his hands over the top.
Mimi giggled, and pointed at Joe. "Serves you right." She teased good-naturedly.
Joe blinked, and subtly lifted his eyes off of his teacup across the table to Mimi. "."
Mimi propped up her chin on her fists, and looked content. "It won't do any good to guess, you'll just have to wait until I'm ready to spill it."
Sora blinked. "O"
Mimi giggled again. "For now, I want to enjoy the suspense, the mystery of it all."
"The mystery may have to be cut short today." Tai rose his wrist to point at his watch. "I have a game in an hour."
Mimi sat up, and frowned. "Oh?" She sounded obviously disappointed.
Sora smiled at Joe. "No offense, Joe, but I'll be leaving with him. Loving support and all that."
Joe was sipping his tea. He looked up and nodded slightly without setting the cup down.
"Still have that soccer thing going, Tai?" Mimi asked.
"That 'soccer thing' is what's getting him into college." Joe gently set his cup down on its saucer.
"Yup! My Senior year is gonna be a piece o' cake!" Tai gave the group a thumbs up.
Sora and Matt sighed, distraught.
"Yeah, while the rest of us have to study and retake entrance exams." Sora stirred her soda with a straw.
"Try juggling a music career with it." Matt added.
"At least you guys are past all of those entrance exams." Izzy chimed in. "The teachers get scaryI could've sworn my History teacher was going to eat me for lunch last week."
T.K. nervously shifted in his seat. "You guys are making me wish I was back in middle school"
Joe chuckled to himself. "I promise, you'll all survive it. Just keep looking ahead of you."
"Easy for you to say, Joe, you have your entire life already mapped out." Matt set down his empty glass of previously existing orange soda.
Joe circled the rim of his tea cup with his right index finger. "I do not." He took the handle of his teacup, and lifted it. "And even if I did, is that so wrong?"
"We just envy you, Joe. Don't worry about it." Sora waved a hand dismissively.
"I certainly don't!" Mimi spoke up, and looked at Joe with a concerned frown. "Don't you ever get bored, knowing almost exactly what's going to happen to you every morning when you wake up?"
Joe smiled, and shrugged. "I don't think it works that way."
Mimi paused, and looked back to the others.
"Hey, squirt, can I have the rest of your soda?" Matt picked up T.K.'s soda.
"Will you quit calling me that?! I'm fifteen!" T.K. pulled the soda back.
Matt gave T.K. one of those threatening 'big-brother looks', and muttered below his breath. "Who paid for your drink?"
T.K. grumbled, and slid the cup over to Matt. "Just wait `til I get a job"
"Great! Then you can pay me back for all those times you mooched money off of me!" Matt teased.
"I'd quit while ahead, T.K." Tai grinned, and pulled the rim of T.K.'s hat over his eyes.
T.K. pulled his hat back, straightening the rim.
Tai smiled, and stood up. Sora took a quick final slurp from her soda, and stood next to him. "WE better start heading over to the fields."
Sora bowed a bit towards Matt, and clapped her hands together. "Say, Mattwould you mind picking up the tab for us this time?" She flashed her most sincere smile.
Matt sighed, "Again?"
Tai took Sora's arm, and walked out from the booth. "It's justI can't be late!"
Matt nodded, sweatdropping. "Uh-huh."
"Hey! How's this--" Tai put a hand on Matt's shoulder, and looked past him to T.K. "Hey, T.K., Kari's gonna be there, would you keep her company?"
T.K. rubbed the back of his head. "But won't Davis be there?"
Sora replied with a laugh. "He's gotta play on the field sometime."
T.K. stood, and waved to those staying behind. "I'll catch you later then, guys! See ya."
Joe waved back, and Mimi called, "Have fun!"
Matt watched the three leave, and turned back to the three remaining.
Mimi blinked, and took note of who se was left withIzzy the brainiac, Matt the introvert, and Joe the geek. "Whoo, boy, this will be a lively conversation." She rose her eyebrows, and propped her chin up on a fist.
"When does Yolei take over your position, Izzy?" Joe asked as he set down his empty tea cup.
Izzy looked away from Mimi, and turned to Joe. "Oh. Next semester."
"President of the Computer Club. Wow." Mimi sipped the last of her iced tea. "Yolei's so smart"
"Smarter than what she lets on, really." Izzy folded his arms. "At first glance, she doesn't strike you as a genius."
"Hmm." Joe smiled at that. "Doesn't that remind you of someone?"
"I know who that was aimed at, Joe Kido!" Mimi shot a look across the table. "If you think I've forgotten about the wisecrack you made about bleaching my hair, you're sorely mistaken!"
"Would someone please separate these two?" Matt groaned.
Izzy nervously looked to Matt, "Are you kidding me? They're dangerous like this!"
Joe waved a hand at Mimi, leaning over his tea. "It was a joke, a joke!!"
Mimi stuck out her bottom lip. "Why are you teasing me?"
Joe made an exasperated sigh, and leaned on his elbows, holding his head. "I'd hoped that you had grown out of that face by now!"
"Why grow out of it if it still works?" Mimi replied, making a sincere face of worry to psyche Joe out.
Joe groaned, and covered his eyes. "No! I refuse to be manipulated by you again!" He fell back on his seat, and closed his eyes, arms folded.
Mimi grinned, and leaned further over the table. "C'mon Joe! There's still gotta be a trace of that dweeby twelve-year-old somewhere!" She used one of her feet to nudge his ankle lightly.
Izzy yeeped, and scooted a good foot away from Joe, his face red. Joe opened his eyes to look at Izzy.
"Oops! Wrong foot!" Mimi stuck out her tongue, and giggled. "But c'mon! I'm back in Japan! Can't one of you take me to a karaoke room or something?" Mimi gave Joe a pathetic look. "They had no karaoke rooms in America!"
Joe looked to Izzy and Matt, who just stared straight back at him. He sighed, and looked back to Mimi. "If you help with clean-up after this thing is over, we'll take you for a karaoke date."
Mimi's eyes began to gleam. "Really?!"
"Excuse me, Joe! Shouldn't you check with us?!" Matt stood up from his chair to lean over the table."
Joe nervously smiled to Matt. "Why would you have a problem with singing?"
Matt's face went blank. "Ah. True"
"I really didn't have karaoke in my plans today, Joe" Izzy timidly held up a hand.
Mimi immediately grabbed it, and leaned over the table. "Please Izzy!!" she gave him gleaming eyes.
Izzy's face went a little red, and his eyes widened. "Uh-well, if you think"
Matt and Joe both glared at Mimi with their arms folded.
"That's playing dirty" Matt muttered.
Joe nodded, and leaned forward to intrude between Izzy and Mimi. He smiled again. "Clean-up, Mimi. Clean-up."
Mimi dropped Izzy's hand, and leaned back. "Right now?"
Joe pointed to a clock on the wall. "If you want to do karaoke tonight."
Izzy rubbed his hand as Mimi stood with a whine.
Joe stood, and politely escorted Mimi towards the exit of the tea shoppe, quietly suggesting: "The grimace isn't very becoming, Mimi."
"You don't see me trying to impress anyone." Mimi replied just as quietly.
Matt blinked, and suddenly stood again. "Th-they left for me to pay their way, too!"
Izzy smiled, "If it makes you feel any better, I'll pay mine."
Matt sighed. "One more wouldn't hurt, but thanks anyway, Izzy." Matt pulled out his wallet.
"Y'know" Izzy had a serious tone in his voice. "It's not too late for us to back out of this karaoke thing."
Matt looked up from counting out a tip. "What, and let them have a date or something?"
Izzy blinked, a bit taken aback by the nature of the question. "It's nothing like that."
Matt slid the payment to the middle of the table, and stood. "Then what's your problem? Mimi's not a bad singer, Joe can't be any worse than Tai, and we've been locked in places much smaller than a karaoke room with those two without losing our minds."
Izzy laughed, still sounding a bit unsure. "You've brought up some good points."
"Sure I have." Matt smiled at Izzy. "B'sides, Mimi asked you so nicely, it'd be rude for you to back out now."
Izzy let out a forlorn sigh. "Why do I have the feeling I'm going to humiliate myself?"
"Because that's the entire point of karaoke rooms?" Matt gave Izzy a hearty slap on the back, "Lighten up already, you're sounding like a classic worrywart."
Joe sneezed, dropping a stack of papers.
Mimi craned her neck over the box she was carrying to look at Joe. "Lemme guess-allergies?"
Joe knelt down on the floor to shuffle up the papers. "Ha-ha."
Mimi set down the box on a nearby table, and knelt down next to Joe to help with the papers. "You're gonna sing at karaoke, right?"
Joe snorted a laugh. "Are you kidding me?"
Mimi stacked all the papers together, and tapped the edges a few times. "I'm serious! It wouldn't be fair! I'll make you pay if you're expecting some sort of performance."
Joe took the papers from Mimi, and put them under his arm as he stood. "How about this--" he offered Mimi a hand to help her up.
Mimi took his hand, not giving it a second thought. Joe continued after she stood.
"If you don't force me to sing tonight, I'll buy your dinner."
Mimi's eyes widened. "For real?"
"Sure." Joe lightly said, releasing Mimi's hand to hold the papers together.
Mimi rubbed her fingers together on the hand that took Joe's hand. She heard rapid footsteps coming toward them, and turned to see a young man-probably a year younger than her-stop in front of Joe.
"You're still here, sir?" the young man appeared surprised to see Joe.
Joe began to blush as Mimi giggled at hearing Joe being referred to in such a stuffy manner.
"Is there something you need, Austin?" Joe rose an eyebrow at the giggling Mimi at his side.
"You don't need to be here, sir! I've got cleanup all taken care of!" Austin looked at Joe with round eyes.
"Wha-you do?" Joe's glasses seemed to be sliding down the bridge of his nose, but his hands were full with papers at the moment, so-
Austin smiled, and took the papers from Joe. "Really, I have it under control, sir. Go on and enjoy your weekend."
"" Joe pushed up his glasses as his hands were freed up.
Mimi grinned, her laughter calming down. "You heard the boy, Joe! Let's hit the road!"
Austin smiled to Joe. "Everything's fine, sir. We're almost done anyway."
Joe hesitantly looked to Mimi, then back to Austin. "You sure?"
Austin smiled in reply, and Mimi tugged at Joe's arm.
"Enough stalling already! Matt and Izzy are waiting, y'know!" Mimi put all of her weight on Joe's arm.
Joe gave Mimi a sideways glace, and sweatdropped. "You're hurting my arm."
Mimi grinned, and let it go. "At least you're still speaking. That's a sign of improvement."
Joe put his hands in his pockets, and began to walk. "Let's go, then."
"Yes, sir!" Mimi lowered her voice an octave, and saluted before catching up to him.
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Here's something to look forward to in the next chapter: Matt, Izzy, Joe, and Mimi singing karaoke! How could you dream of missing it?! Once again, I'd appreciate all r&r. See? I'm not -too- obvious with my romantic preferences...
Mimi