I have been so excited about this next part! I have been dying to bring Jim into the picture. But anyway, I do not own Digimon, but I do own this story. I would be flattered if someone attempted to copy it...but heck, if they tried to replace Joe with Matt or Izzy or something...just don't let that happen. It wouldn't be pretty.
(Seishuun Dattene...)
Chapter Eight
"Dr. Kawamura, we have a call-in on 3rd and Main coming in in five minutes." a nurse handed a middle-aged doctor a file clipped on a metal clipbaord.
Jim Kido looked over Dr. Kawamura's shoulder, reading the details of the incoming patient. He took no heed to his little adolescent brother craning his neck to see what it said.
"It it an emergency, Jim?" Joe pushed up his large glasses, and looked up to his brother, now fulfilling his internship in an E.R..
Jim nodded. He wanted to tell his brother to go into the waiting room to clean tables, but it would go against their father's wishes. He wanted Joe there--to build experience, to gain a stomach for high-pressure, life-threatening situations,, to teach him not to clam up in intense moments.
Jim looked to Dr. Kawamura. "Had your coffee this evening?"
"Have you had yours? I'm grading you with this one." Dr. Kawamura smiled, and put a hand on Jim's shoulder.
Jim smiled back. "Already?"
"I have confidence in you, Kido."
Joe saw Jim's eyes light up, and Jim grinned. "Yes, sir!"
"Here they come!" a nurse called down the hallway at the elevator.
"C'mon, Joe!" Jim called, and began to run down the hallway with Dr. Kawamura.
"Right!" Joe trailed by Jim at every chance he got. He looked on the stretcher and saw an unconcious body with a breathing mask.
"Okay, what happened?" Jim asked one of the perimedics.
"Motorcycle accident. Thirty-one year old male, type O blood. No helmet or protection at time of collision." the medic answered. "He was unconcious on site."
"Okay, let's get some type O blood over here for a transfusion." Jim ordered, and took one of the handles of the stretcher. "One-two-three--lift!!"
Joe stood back as the staff of the E.R. moved the patient onto an operating table. He saw Dr. Kawamura in a corner, taking down notes on his big brother's performance.
Jim's back faced him, but he heard him barking orders left and right. His big brother was saving someone's life. All in a day's work, huh?
"Dammit!"
Joe's solumn admiration ceased as the hands of the doctors and nurses sped up. Their words now came in sporatic floods of medical jargon he hadn't learned yet in his first year of Junior High. His eyes grew round as he strained to see what the panic was about, and why it hadn't stopped.
Jim's voice was high and worried. "It won't stop!" He jerked his head around to shout a command. "Joe! Give me the clamp on the cart!"
Joe stood there, his legs frozen.
"THe clamp! Joe!" Jim shouted, his hands holding down a ruptured artery.
Joe spun to face the cart, and fumbled into it. Following a violent crash and clatter of metal tools, Joe hit the floor with scalpals and miscellanious other instruments.
Dr. Kawamura rushed to Jim's side, and began to take over the procedure. Jim stood there, watching with his bloody arms limp at his side.
Joe pushed himself up, his glasses frames snapped in half at the bridge. One side of the frames hung by his ear, the other side hanging on by a mere thread.
He saw his brother's sagging form standing behind the focused nurses and doctors. He squinted, his eyes stinging. He wiped his eyes, not sure if the moisture on his fingers was blood from a gash on his brow, or tears of shame.
"Clear!" he heard Dr. Kawamura voice over the solid beep of the pulse monitor.
Nurses began to peel off their gloves, their faces crestfallen.
"Time of death, 19:07." Dr. Kawamura pulled off his gloves. "Idiot. Should've worn a helmet."
Joe sat on the cold tile floor as the majority of the doctors dispursed. He held onto his broken glasses, and didn't even try to focus on his brother's face. He'd rather die than see his disappointment.
I was right there. I couldn't do anything, and that person died when I was right there! I let that man and my brother down...Joe immersed his hands in the dishwater at the kitchen sink.
Mimi was curled up on his sofa. Her back faced him as he caught a glimpse of her from over the bar in front of him, separating the kitchen from the living room. He had made themselves a simple breakfast of poached eggs and toasted english muffins, but things always tasted better when someone else prepares them. Especially when that someone was female.
He ran a sponge over one of the plates, wiping off any of the leftover yolk. He had offered to do dishes, and let Mimi sleep in a little. He wondered what excuse Mimi would come up with for her parents when she got home.
He rinsed off the last of the dishes, and set them on a roack to dry. Drying his hands, he walked into the living room, and neatened the magazines on the table. He wiped off the tiny puddles formed by melted ice, and picked up the washrag from the floor.
...marry a Japanese man? That's not unusual. Not at all. Still...was it reason enough to move back on a whim? Maybe there was some bad experience with some guy in America..
Joe walked back into the kitchen. It wasn't really his business. Like he said, Mimi wasn't a kid anymore. He didn't have to watch out for her anymore.
Even if he didn't have to be, he still wanted Mimi to consider him "good, reliable Joe". That wasn't too much to ask. Mimi's childish ways were a constant he could rely on, something familiar that would always be there. Even though she was growing up, she still wanted to be taken care of.
Mimi itched the back of one of her legs with her opposite foot. She went still again, and then turned on her other side, her groggy eyes just barely open. "I can't sleep."
"Then that's your body trying to tell you that you don't need anymore sleep." Joe replied from the kitchen.
Mimi stood, and rubbed her mid-back a bit. "I think that's my body telling me that you need to invest in a new sofa." She walked into the kitchen, and stood next to Joe by the sink.
Joe kept his eyes on the counter he was wiping off, and cracked a small, amused smirk.
Mimi leaned forward to get a better glimpse of Joe's expression. "Ah-! I saw that smile! I'm right! I'm right, and you know it!"
"No one sleeps on it anyway." Joe gave Mimi an acknowledging sideways glance.
"Well, I would hope not!" Mimi scoffed, looking back to the sofa. She rested her hands on the edge of the sink. "You did all the dishes, you sweetie!"
Joe didn't look up. "It wasn't that much."
Mimi put a hand on Joe's shoulder, and pointed to the counter. "You missed a spot."
Joe swept the sponge over the surface. "Better?"
Mimi nodded, "Mmh!" She looked to him. "How's your nose today?"
Joe turned around to face Mimi, setting down the sponge. "The swelling has gone down, Doctor Tachikawa."
"Instead, a yucky bruise showed up." Mimi held her chin, and puckered her lips in a thoughtful manner.
Joe rolled his eyes, and shifted his weight. "Well, nothing we can do about that."
Mimi was, needless to say, shocked that Joe had the boldness to take her hand.
"Your finger looks like it never was hit in the first place." Joe fumbled with her left hand, a bit of color going to his cheeks.
Mimi rose her eyebrows. "Wrong hand."
Joe drew away both of his hands, and stepped back. "Oh."
Mimi giggled, and with her good hand, grabbed one of Joe's hands, and rested her injured hand in his palm. "It happens to the best of us."
Joe stared at her for a moment, and then adjusted his glasses as he held Mim's hand closer to examine it. "Yeah, well..."
Mimi stood silently as Joe looked at her finger. "It doesn't hurt anymore."
"Then it was probably just jammed, we treated it correctly. "Joe let go of Mimi's hand, and turned around to tidy up the last few loose ends in the kitchen.
Mimi clasped her hands together, and pranced next to Joe, leaning over his shoulder. "Dr. Joe Kido makes another perfect diagnosis!"
Joe quietly smirked. "Cut that out."
Mimi got a cloth out of a drawer, and began to tdry off the reamining water on the dishes. "What, am I embarassing you?"
"A bit, yeah." Joe took the dish Mimi dried, and put it away ina cabinet.
Mimi dried another dish, and handed it to Joe. "I'll stop complimenting you then, since you hate it so much."
Joe took the dish Mimi finished, and shook it at her. "I never said that."
"Make up your mind!" Mimi giggled, and lightly fwapped Joe with the towel.
Joe laughed back, and grabbed an end of the towel. "Mind you manners!"
Mimi tugged back at the towel, and giggled more furiously. "I am minding my manners!"
Joe let go of the towel, and took another dish out of the sink. "This is the first time in a while that the apartment's been completely clean."
"They call `em 'bachelor pads' for a reason." Mimi dried off a glass. Usually families with a husband and wife around have an easier time keeping things balanced."
Joe silently picked up the glass, and put it away. "It's been a while since I've seen this...an organized home."
Mimi lowered her eyes to look at the silverware she dried. "It feels like a family again, huh?"
"Yeah. Sort of."
Mimi smiled and blushed a bit, but the hair framing her face hid it well. "I think it does. It's a nice feeling."
Joe looked to Mimi, whose face was hidden by her long brown tresses.
"You know, I was actually refusing to grow up for a while...I mean...all the way up to last night." Mimi rested the forks on the counter to have Joe put them away. "You said last night that I'm not a kid anymore...I didn't believe you at first..."
Joe slowly picked up the forks.
"...mostly because I didn't want to." Mimi laughed a bit. "What's the saying? 'Savoring the final morsels of your youth'?"
Joe shook his head. "I wouldn't know..."
"Either way--you meant what you said?" Mimi ran her towel over the frying skillet she poached the eggs in.
Joe reached over to the skillet's handle, and took a hold of the handle just next to where Mimi's hand was. "Hey."
Mimi hesitantly turned her head to Joe, but kept it thoughtfully lowered. The two paused, and they heard the air-conditioning kick in. Joe didn't let go of the handle, but simply stood there, looking at Mimi, wiating for her to speak.
Mimi's lowered eyes were fixed to the side, and she stared at Joe's feet on the tiled floor.
"Look at me, Mimi." Joe leaned forward a bit.
Mimi paused, and slowly lifted her chin to get eye-contact with him. With her free hand, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
Joe gave Mimi an encouraging smile. "Hey, when have I ever lied to you?"
Mimi's hazel eyes darted to the side. "I dunno..." she muttered.
"Exactly." Joe led Mimi's hand to set the skillet down on the counter.
Mimi and Joe both looked at the skillet, their hands both clutching on the black handle.
Mimi smiled, shrugging. "But we're all family, right?"
"Hmm?" Joe let go of the handle, and Mimi continued as she put it away.
"The whole of us." Mimi knelt beneatht he oven, to put away the skillet. "We're family."
Joe lightly scratched his chin in thought. "In a way...I guess."
Mimi smiled. "Good." She stood,and walked up to Joe. Standing on her toes, she unbuttoned the top button of his collar. "I used to envy you and T.K., y'know. I always wanted a big brother to take care of me and protect me."
Joe re-buttoned his shirt stiffly, and Mimi shook her head, and unbuttoned her collar again.
"You're not at work, it needs to be unbuttoned." Mimi straightened Joe's collar, and stepped back.
Joe ran a finger beneath the folds of his collar.
"Not that it matters, it's all wrinkled anyway." Mimi giggled.
"Well, I slept in it." Joe began to pull out the tails of the shirt. "I really should change."
Mimi hopped with each step on the cold tile kitchen floor. "Well, don't let me stop you, you kinky thing!"
Joe smirked a laugh, and began to unbutton his shirt. "Well, since I'm on a winning streak, I'll start up my shower!"
Mimi stepped onto the carpet, and tugged on one of his sleeves. "At least see me to the door."
Joe followed Mimi to the doorway, unbuttoning the last of his buttons. They stood in the tile doorway, and Mimi slipped on her sandals.
"There was someplace I was going with that conversation a moment ago, what was it?" Mimi put her purse over her shoulder.
Joe watched Mimi's expression as she searched her thoughts. Her brow furrowed, her lips puckered, and she tapped her foot as she folded her arms in a deep moment of thought. Joe couldn't help but be curious as to the point Mimi ws trying to make, if any.
"Ah!" Mimi's eyes got bright and sharp. "I remember! I just wanted to thank you!"
"...wha--thank me?" Joe blinked.
"Mmh!" Mimi nodded. "For being my big brother that I wanted! YOu granted one of my biggest wishes...to be protected by someone."
Joe looked to the side at the wall clock bashfully. "It wasn't a big deal...I mean, you're welcome, I guess."
"And Joe, I'm glad it was you."
Joe looked back to Mimi, who smiled up at him with devout admiration.
"Really glad."
Joe shoved his hands into his pockets, and looked to his feet.
Mimi held onto his forearms as she slipped on her shoes. "Thanks for letting me stay."
"Thanks for making breakfast." Joe helped Mimi keep her balance.
"Anytime." Mimi looked up to Joe, her hazel eyes wide. "You'll call me?"
"Call you?" Joe repeated.
"Sure. Why not?" Mimi replied with a smile. "I've got to use that money you didn't let me spend on something!"
"I don't understand, but..." Joe faded off, "...I'll call you, then."
Mimi tapped the toe of one of her sandals, "Great!"
The silence came on them again. They held eachother's arms, and looked at eachother with the same familiar fondness so nostalgic of seven years ago. The clock chimed eleven, and they turned to look at the clock, their grips on eachother's arms tightening.
"Eleven o' clock." Joe said in a hush.
"Yeah." Mimi whispered, and they turned to face eachother again. Their faces began to burn, and their pulse began to echo in their ears.
Mimi bit her bottom lip, but quickly relaxed them as Joe's dark eyes slowly studied her face. She left her mouth just barely agape, and took a very small step towards her companion.
Joe felt his face blush even redder as he bent over closer to Mimi. He wasn't sure what he was going to take the liberty of doing, or what exactly Mimi would allow of him. But his eyelids grew heavier, and Mimi was so close, almost too close to just do nothing.
"Hey, the door's unlocked!"
Mimi and Joe bolted away from eachother in a startled frenzy. Joe grabbed his chest, his heart wanting to race out of his ribcage.
Mimi's face was a deep red, and she clasped her hands together coyly, her face lowered completely.
Jim stuck his head first through the doorway. "That's dangerous, Joe."
Joe's chest quickly rose and fell, and his wide eyes darted to Jim.
Jim opened the door further, and stepped inside. "What's wrong, Joe?" He turned to see Mimi on the other side of the room, whose face was also a bright red. He turned back to his brother. "...."
Mimi shuffled her feet. "Uhm..."
Both Joe and Jim looked to Mimi with round eyes, looking nearly identical.
Mimi blushed deeper, and gave a quick bow. "Thanks for having me over. I'll show myself out." She bee-lined to the door, and put her hand on the handle. She looked over her shoulder, and smiled to them both. "Later, Joe." She opened the door, and closed it behind her.
The brothers stood there for a moment, and Jim then tossed his briefcase on the sofa. "Gee, I leave for a week, and a girl spends the night. Your father is gonna kill me, Joe."
"It's not like that!" Joe pushed his glasses up.
Jim plopped himself on the sofa, and turned around. He draped his arms over the back of the sofa, and pointed at his brother. "Then what are you doing half-dressed?"
Joe pulled his open shirt shut, backing int othe wall. "No way! You're wrong!"
Jim laughed. "A regular Don Juan!"
Joe turned around, and swept a shaky hand through his hair. "You're wrong!" He clutched his head, and leaned back. "Ah~~!! What was I DOING?!"
"D'you want me to answer that, or...?"
Joe dashed into the bathroom, and slammed the door behind him.
Jim turned back around on the couch, and adjusted his glasses. He jumped when he heard his little brother's desperate wail from the bathroom.
Joe plunged his head under the running tap in his bathtub. The cold water ran down his neck, and his face began to cool. He just put himself in the worst possible position...how was he supposed to face Mimi after that?! He banged his head against the porcelain of the tub, and whined out loud. "What have I done?!"
Mimi watched the floors count down as she waited for the elevator to reach the ground floor. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and held her breath every so often, wishing that she would stop blushing. She enjoyed her evening, but wasn't really sure of what to make of it.
As she walked home, she had plenty of time to replay the scenes of last night in her head. Nothing that Joe did struck her as being suspicious of anything. Besides, more than once she suspected someone of liking her, and more than once was she proven wrong before she had an opportunity to act on her suspicions. It was fortunate of her that she hesitated before acting, but it was still a humiliating (not to mention humbling) experience.
...but she wasn't suspecting Joe of being attracted to her. She knew better. This was Joe. Not that he was too good for her, but he struck her as the type to be too strung up in the more productive aspects of young adulthood. Love and marriage didn't seem to be very high on his priority list.
Besides...Mimi resentfully thought. Joe's too much of a wimp to consider pursuing a girl.
Mimi entered her family's apartment casually. "Home."
Mrs. Tachikawa was folding laundry on the sofa,and Mr. Tachikawa was reading a magzine in an easy chair.
"Where were you last night, dear?" Mrs. Tachikawa didn't look up from her clothes.
"Just went out with my friends."
"Oh, that's nice!" Mrs. Tachikawa chirped pleasantly, focusing more on her laundry than on her conversation. "All night?"
"No, not all night..." Mimi walked past the sofa, and went into the kitchen to get a soda. She opened it, and began to walk towards her bedroom. "I spent the night at Joe's." She casually sipped on her soda.
Mr. Tachikawa automatically pulled his magazine down.
Mrs. Tachikawa gave another spacy reply. "Oh, that's nice! What'd you do?"
Mimi then realized by her mother's tone of voice that she wasn't listening to a word she was saying. So, quite innocently, she counted off on her fingers. "Oh...watched some TV, played some board games, talked, showered together..."
"Oh, that's nice!" was her mother's default reply, and Mr. Tachikawa shot up from his chair at that.
"Dear!!" Mr. Tachikawa began to get red in the face.
"I'm kidding, Dad! Honest!" Mimi winked, and sipped on her soda.
Mr.Tachikawa gave his daughter a deadly serious look. "Don't tease your father like that, I'll wind up in the hospital."
"So sorry." Mimi called as she entered her room. She shut the door behind her, and sat on the edge of her bed. Reaching over to her bedside table, she turned on her lamp, and looked outside. The skies were slowly turning gray, clouds blocking any traces of the sun. "...looks like a cold front is coming in..."
Kari exhaled,and watched her breath form a tiny cloud in front of her. She smiled at this, and turned to Yolei. "It came fast, didn't it?"
Yolei wrinkled her nose, and tugged her coat tighter. "It could've waited a bit longer, if you ask me."
Kari giggled, and pointed at a window. "Wanna go inside? I bet it's warmer in there."
Yolei's cheeks and nose were nipped by the cold, and were turning rosy. "I like the sound of that."
Yolei's glasses began to fog up as they entered the bakery. She took them off, and used her scarf to wipe the lenses. "It's freezing outside, but it's practically a sauna in here!"
Kari walked up to the glass case to look at the baked goodies just out of the oven. "I wonder if I should get something for Tai."
Yolei knelt down to look at the bottom shelf. "I don't see why it'd hurt."
"But I wouldn't know what to get." Kari pointed to a tray of chocolate eclairs. "Maybe one of those?"
"Kari, since when was Tai a picky eater?" Yolei slipped her glasses back on, and suddenly got dewey-eyed. "Oh! Strawberry tarts! My fave!!"
Kari flatly stared at Yolei. "I thought chocolate brownies were your favorite."
Yolei nervouly laughed. "They're two separate things!"
Kari stood up. "Well, one thing's for sure--hot cocoa's a definite order!"
"Perfect-o!" Yolei looked up to Kari. "I'm gonna get a strawberry tart, what about you?"
Kari paused. "Just something for Tai, I'm not hungry."
Yolei sighed. "I guess someone has to keep an eye on our weight." she stood, and turned to the dining room. "Forget it, I'll start feeling guilty if I'm eating alone."
Kari nervously smiled. "If it makes you feel any better, I had lots of ice cream this past weekend."
Yolei hung her head, and trudged over to a table. "It's not the same. I bet for every ounce of ice cream you had, I had a package of twinkies."
Kari took the cups of cocoa she ordered, and took a seat at a table across from Yolei. She set the cups in the middle of the table, and sat back. "You shouldn't worry so much about that."
"Easy for you to say." Yolei scoffed, and took one of the cups.
Kari sipped on her cocoa, and gazed past Yolei's shoulder. She straightened up. "Hey, Yolei--"
"Hmm?" Yolei kept her cup by her lips, and looked to Kari, who silently pointed behind Yolei. Yolei turned around to see what Kari was pointing at, and her cup tilted, spilling her cup's contents on her lap.
Kari covered her face with her hands as Yolei shot up from her seat, screaming a yelp of surprise.
"Napkins! Napkins!" Yolei began to pull out white paper napkins from the dispenser on their table, and pressed them on her jeans. She looked across to Kari. "What is it?"
Kari kept one hand over her eyes, and used the free hand to point again.
Yolei turned around, still blotting her pants with her napkins. She spun back to face Kari, and mouthed, "Mimi!"
Kari rested both arms on the table, and nodded. "And she's by herself."
"That's unusual for Miss Social Butterfly..." Yolei looked over her shoulder again, and Kari kicked her from under the table.
"Don't stare!" Kari hissed.
Yolei threw the crumpled up napikins on the table, and pushed her chair in. "Something's not right, Mimi would never be alone by choice."
"Yolei, it's not any of our business!" Kari protested.
"If Mimi's at all like me, she wouldn't want to be alone if something was bugging her." Yolei picked up her purse, and rose her eyebrows. "But come to think of it, you don't know what it's like to be ignored."
Kari watched Yolei walk over to Mimi's table, and shortly followed thereafter.
Mimi held her hands around her cup of apple cider, the steam rising to her chin. She lifted her head as the two girls approached her. She immediately plastered on a smile, and her eyes lit up. "What, are you stalking me now?"
"Oh, that's funny!" Yolei sarcastically replied as she sat across from Mimi.
Kari pulled up a chair, and sat next to Yolei. "What's up, Mimi?"
"Just enjoyed a cup of cider!" Mimi stirred the contents with a cinnamon stick, and sucked on it once through. "You?"
"Well, we were having some cocoa, but..." Yolei nervously smiled. "Accidents happen..."
Mimi smiled back. "Want another one?"
Yolei leaned back. "Nah. I think I've had it. Obviously it spilled because I didn't need the calories."
"Like any of us do!" Mimi grinned back.
"Mimi, are you waiting for someone?" Kari asked. "We couldn't help but notice that you're by yourself."
Mimi looked to Kari. "Well, I got this letter--"
Yolei and Kari both gasped. "A letter?!"
"From who?!" Yolei gawked.
"I don't know! It just said to meet him here at 4:15." Mimi replied.
Kari got excited. "That's only ten minutes from now!"
"Lemme see the note! Maybe I'll recognize the handwriting!" Yolei eagerly reached over the table.
"Okay!" Mimi bent over to grab her purse, and suddenly paused. "Oh, wait..."
"What?!" Kari and Yolei asked.
Mimi sat back up. "I made that all up! I forgot!" she stuck out her tongue.
Kari and Yolei collapsed onto the table.
Kari lifted her head, and massaged her temples. "That's a mean joke!"
Yolei rested her chin on the table pathetically, "I was beginning to hope that he was gaining some courage..."
Mimi's smile faded. "What?"
Kari looked to Yolei. "Who?"
Yolei sat up. "No one."
Mimi's eyes got dewey, blushing a bit. She smiled, and clapped her hands together. "Yolei! You doll! Have you been playing matchmaker with me?!"
Kari gasped. "Wha-?! No fair! I wanna play, too!"
Yolei began to sink in her seat. "Not really, I just thought..."
"You thought what?!" Kari asked, gripping onto the edge of the table.
Yolei nervously looked to the eager Kari and Mimi. "I was just thinking that maybe Joe--"
"JOE?!" Kari interrupted Yolei, and shook the table a bit. Mimi held onto her cup of cider, and looked at Yolei.
"You're kidding! What gives you that idea?" Mimi stirred her cinnamon stick in her cider some more. This oughta be good.
"Well, you and Joe showed up at the store the other night, and he did pay for everything." Yolei held up an index finger.
Mimi sat back, and continued to stir her cider. She closed her eyes, and frowned a bit. "Joe's just like that. He's got this sense of duty as an upper classman to baby me just because I'm one of the youngest members of the group. Obviously it hasn't worn off."
"Oh..." Yolei's eyes were wide. "So you're like...brother and sister?"
"Sort of." Mimi opened her eyes, and looked outside the store's window to watch people walking by. She recalled the grip Joe had on her arms during the night at his apartment. "We even fight like it, sometimes."
"I don't think so, Mimi." Kari leaned her elbows on the table, and propped up her chin on her fists. "I remember my brother always listening to the others talk..."
Yolei and Mimi both looked to Kari with wide eyes.
"I'm not speaking for him, but Joe was sweet on you."
Yolei's glasses glared over, and her voice lowered an octave. "I knew it."
"Please, Kari. That was seven years ago." Mimi smiled, and turned back to the two younger girls. "Give me a little credit, I've known Joe long enough to tell."
"Really?" Kari skeptically looked at Mimi.
"Sure! I mean, come on..." Mimi leaned over her cider. "Joe? Psh! Ha!" Mimi waved hand in front of her face.
"I dunno, did you see how he was looking at you at the convenience store?" Yolei's eyes were like saucers.
Mimi sat back, and nervously smiled. "L-looking at me how?"
"Really syrupy sweet!" Yolei leaned towards Kari, and her eyes softened to an expression that could only be found in a shoujo anime. "Like out of Marmalade Boy or something!"
Kari squealed, trying not to giggle. "Yolei, stop looking at me like that, you're scaring me!"
Yolei's voice deepened and softened. "And his face was so relaxed, so intranced..."
Mimi rose an eyebrow, and watched the two girls play it up. "Uh-huh."
"That does it, I'm convinced!" Yolei made a fist. "Joe's got it bad for you!"
"One look. So what? It was late, he might've been dozing off." Mimi argued.
"In the convenience store? Get real." Yolei replied. "That place is cold enough to hand meat from the ceiling."
Mimi silently looked at her cup of cider, staring at her reflection. All she could see was what was in her mind's eye--the scene of them at Joe's door, holding onto eachother's arms. "There was the time..."
"What time?!" Kari blinked.
"...." Mimi paused, "His apartment, we--" she looked up, and gulped as she saw two eager girls leaning over the table, hanging onto her every word.
"Uh-huh?" Yolei nodded.
"We just...looked at eachother." Mimi quietly peeped.
"Did he try to kiss you?" Yolei bluntly asked.
"Yolei!!" Kari hissed.
"No way!" Mimi shot up, her face suddenly shocked. It quickly softened. "Or maybe he...I don't know...! I don't remember!!"
"Mm-hmm." both of the younger girls said in unison.
All three of the girls were silent. Mimi looked back to her cider. She picked up her cinnamon stick, and watched the cider drip off of it.
Kari and Yolei jumped as Mimi started laughing loudly, almost triumphantly.
Mimi threw one arm over the back of her chair as she leaned back casually. She held the cinnamon stick between her index and middle fingers, in the same manner as a cigarette. She quietly laughed to herself. "So my sweet Joe has the hots for me...hmm-hmm-hmm!"
Kari and Yolei sunk back into their seats.
"You want to be like her?" Kari muttered.
"...she's scaring me..." Yolei whimpered.
Mimi laughed to herself. "Poor Joe! how could he handle himself so well?!"
"...we shouldn't have encouraged her." Kari whispered to Yolei, who nodded in agreement.
"Just watch! I'll break that Mister Mellow act in no time at all!"
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Whoa! I finished it?! Omigosh! I actually finished chapter eight! I thought I would NEVER finish it!!! ;.; Now what? ...now I have to think of a way to begin the next part!
Please, if you like this story even just a little bit, recommend it to your friends! ;.; I really would like to have some more opinions!
And Lunatic Mimi-san...where the heck are you? I haven't seen you around at all! E-mail me!
I have three other Mimous in the works right now, and I'm planning to post up the next part of "To Japan With Love" very very soon. (It's finished, it just needs to be typed up.) I also have two other stories that I started...and I'm stuck on...;.; Oh well! r & r please!
Mimi