Brace yourself for a long intro. Okay.
First thing! Apologies!
~everyone who's been waiting for this next part. you're all fantastic for reading this in the first place. I don't deserve you! ^^
~Seiitsu-san. I know you're reading this, so in advance, don't kill me for loving Kouyako.
Now something I will not apologize for: this story is Jyoumi. I am a die-hard Jyoumi fan. I am saying this for any Kouyako fans who are coming across this for the first time. If you can't handle it, turn back now. (But give it a try, if you haven't! I'd like to try and persuade you a bit!)
Those in need of a heavy Jyoumi dose, visit Reality Check.
I own nothing. Digimon (and everything else, for that matter) belongs to God. --how's THAT for a disclaimer?
(Seishuun Dattene...)
Chapter Nine
Davis and Matt could barely breathe. Izzy and Cody both gave them chastizing looks, but they remained unaffected.
"Oh! Oh! My chest!" Davis had tears coming to the edge of his eyes.
"I can't breathe!" Matt leaned over the table at the juice bar, slapping a palm on its surface.
Joe had his glasses resting on top of his head, and his face buried in his hands. He sighed once, and Izzy gave him an encouraging pat on the shoulder. "Don't listen to them, Joe. It couldn't have been that bad."
"Tell me about it!" Davis grinned widely, and nudged Matt with his elbow. "I mean, c'mon...'I want to marry a Japanese man'...she's spelling it out, practically!"
Matt's laughter ceased. "Spelling out what?"
Joe lifted his hands off of his still-red face, and looked across the table.
"Duh! Am I the only one that sees it?!" Davis rose his voice (which grabbed the attention of nearby customers), "She was hitting on you! Majorly!"
"No she wasn't." Joe quickly spat out before Davis was even able to take a breath.
"I agree with Joe. Mimi just wouldn't do that." Matt folded his arms. "She may be an outgoing person, but she strongly believe in the guy making the first move."
Davis rose an eyebrow at Matt. "Oh?"
Matt made a nervous face, and backed away a bit from Davis. "What?"
Quietly, with the most serious tone possible, Davis continued. "You would know."
"Will you shut up already?!" Matt got Davis a headlock.
Joe groaned, and again buried his face in his hands. "I should've known better than to open my mouth!"
"Joe..." Cody was sitting next to him, and was silent during the majority of the conversation.
Joe lifted his head, and rested his glasses back on his nose to get a better look at the youngest member of the Digi-destined.
"I have a question for you, if you don't mind me asking." Cody remained cordial, even when in a relaxed setting.
"Go ahead." Joe blankly looked to Cody.
"Well, you don't have to answer it--" Cody looked to the table. "But through this entire conversation, there's something that I find unclear."
"And what's that?" Joe rested his arms on the table.
Cody looked up from the table. "How do you feel?"
Matt and Davis's struggled across the table ceased, and they both looked to Joe with wide eyes.
"About what?" Joe plainly asked.
Izzy slapped a hand on his forehead, and Matt and Davis nearly fell face-flat on the table.
Cody blushed a bit. "I mean, you're worrying so much about this...you and Mimi are friends, aren't you? I don't think she'llg et upset that easily."
Joe blinked again, and then turned away from Cody. Davis laughed, and leaned over the table, his arms folded. "Where have you been, Cody? Hasn't anyone ever told you about what it was like when they first became the Digi-destined?!" Davis's eyes were wide and eager.
Cody sat back, as though pushed away by Davis's imposing demeanor.
"Joe and Mimi were alone together for days while everyone else was out searching for a particular missing member--" Davis not-so-discreetly glanced to Matt, who glared straight back at him.
"Obviously this story was told from Tai's point-of-view." Matt mumbled below his breath.
"Think about it, Cody! A day and night alone with Mimi--doesn't it make sense that Joe would feel--OW!" Davis yelped a finish when Matt reached over and snaped his goggles. He rubbed his head, and looked over to Matt. "What's the big idea, Matt?!"
"Everything's hormones with you!" Matt's tone remained soft, but it still had a hint of agitation. "You don't have the foggiest idea what Joe's feeling, so leave him alone already."
Joe looked up to Matt, his hands clasped together on the table. "It's okay, Matt. Thanks."
Davis and Matt looked to Joe, and Izzy stirred the ice in his glass of tea. "Joe, you don't have to answer if you don't want to. It's nobody's business."
"No, I made it your business when I told you about all of this." Joe looked back down to his hands. "...I want to take care of her."
Izzy stopped stirring his tea, and looked to Joe.
Joe closed his eyes, and smiled. "There. I said it. Does that answer your question?"
Cody gazed up at Joe, a concerned frown tugging the sides of his mouth.
Davis and Matt looked across the table, both of their faces blank. After a moment of silence, their expressions changed to that of sympathy. Matt looked to the side, and Davis relaxed his shoulders. "Joe..."
Joe smiled, and laughed. He waved a hand in front of him. "What? It isn't your usual love confession or anything." He kept his smile, and looked down again. "I'm still a wimp, you guys. I wouldn't do anything like that with all the confusion between us right now."
"Well, don't expect them to make any more sence than what they do now."
The five boys all turned to the end of the table, and saw Tai in a slouch over his chair.
Matt rolled his eyes, and rested his chin on a fist. "Sound advice from the love doctor."
"What's the latest with Tai?" Joe asked, straightening up as all eyes were finally taken off of him.
"Sora hung up on him last night." Izzy rose his eyebrows, almost amused at seeing Tai so washed out for once. "The poor guy just wouldn't take no for an answer."
Tai lifted his head, making fists. "Since when did Sora start turning down a day of ice-skating in order to get three more extra-credit projects done?!"
Joe gently smiled. "It's nice to know I'm not the only one with problems."
"Joe, this isn't a problem, this is a good thing!" Izzy had an encouraging smile on his face. "You want to take care of Mimi--this just goes to show that she trusts you!"
Joe appreciated Izzy's vote of confidence. He was usually right. Joe just hoped that this wouldn't be the time that Izzy's winning streak would break.
At around seven-thirty that evening, the phone rang at the Kido's apartment.
Jim walked into Joe's room after quietly knocking. He held the portable phone in his hand, and held it in front of his little brother. "You've got a phone call."
Joe set his mechanical pencil down, and looked up from his notes. He pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose. "Who is it?"
Jim grinned, and handed him the phone. "I'll give you one guess!"
Joe gave his big brother an icy glare, and roughly snatched the phone.
Jim laughed on his way out. "Try to keep it G-rated, kiddos!"
"Shut UP, Jim!" Joe hollared at the doorway as Jim shut it behind him. He grumbled, and brought the phone to his ear. "Hello?"
"Joe, I think Jim forgot to push the mute button." Mimi sounded uneasy over the phone.
Joe sighed, and leaned back on his desk chair. "No, he's completely aware of it."
"Oh." Mimi paushed, and twisted the phone cord between her fingers. She quickly regained her composure. "Well, I was calling because Yolei got some tickets to Beat Takashi's new movie. I was wondering if you wanted to go with us."
"A movie?"
Mimi smiled. She could practically hear Joe blushing over the phone.
"Yeah. The moving pictures you watch?" Mimi teased. "Tomorrow afternoon. Around one. We'll meet Yolei there. The movie's at one-twenty."
"Uh! Sure!" Joe felt around his desk for his pencil. He knocked it off the edge clumsily, and bent over to pick it up. "At one, you said?"
"Yeah."
Joe jotted himself a note. "Sounds great!"
"Great!" Mimi replied, and began to blush at the silence. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow, then! Talk to you later?"
"Yeah! See you tomorrow!" Joe pulled the phone away from his face, and turned it off.
Mimi rested her phone on the receiver, and sat down on her bed. She smiled to Yolei across the room, sitting at her desk. "He's coming!" she gave a victory v.
"Perfect-o!" Yolei leaned forward on Mimi's desk chair, her glasses sliding down her nose. "We're all set, then!"
"We'll all meet there at one." Mimi smiled.
"Thank God for weekends!" Yolei cheered,and jumped off of Mimi's chair. She picked up her purse, and headed for the door. "I better head out, then! Gotta get rested up for the big day ahead!"
Mimi turned around on her bed. "I'll show you out."
"Don't bother, I know the way." Yolei called. "`Night!"
"G'night!" Mimi called back. "...thanks."
Mimi tugged at the tie of her leather jacket. The crowd of close bodies at the front of the movie theater didn't make it any warmer. She turned her wrist face up to look at her unusually-present watch, and observed that the time was ten minutes before one. She took a moment to applaud herself from arriving early for a change, and then shifted her focus back to her previous train of thought.
Who would arrive first? Not that it really mattered...
...did Joe mind being stuck with two girls for the afternoon? He didn't strike her as the type to do this sort of thing...
"Look who's early!" she heard a voice to the left of her, and she turned to see Joe in a black turtleneck and slacks.
She smiled, and put a hand on her hip. "Tell me about it! A bit eager for a Beat Takashi movie, aren't we?"
Joe tugged lightly on one of the sleeves of Mimi's jacket. "A little over-dressed, aren't we?"
"Tish-tosh!" Mimi folded her arms. "I merely wanted to show off my leather jacket to Yolei. Is that a crime?"
Joe pushed up his glasses, and then looked to his watch. "Well, I sure hope she plans on showing up soon. It's one o' clock exactly eighteen seconds ago."
"Picky, picky!" Mimi craned her neck to look over the crowds. "Give her some credit now and then! She's never that late!"
The two were silent as they watched both directions of the sidewalk. A few minutes passed. Their watched read one-oh-five.
"You're sure it was this theater." Joe started making a mental checklist of the possibilities of what went wrong.
"Yes, I'm sure!" Mimi sounded insulted by Joe's question.
"You're sure we have the right time." Joe replied.
"No. She probably meant one o' clock in the MORNING!" Mimi growled. "How stupid do you think I am?!"
"Well...how could she be running late?" Joe looked at his watch again. "It's one-ten. Thes how starts in ten minutes."
"I just SO don't get this!" Mimi threw her arms down in frustration. "She never mentioned anything happening today that would cause her to run late." She turned to Joe to see him giving her a cynical glare. "What?!" She sqwawked with a shocked face. "Don't look at me like that! She said one o' clock!"
"Take a moment to think, Mimi. This is Yolei." Joe folded his arms, and sheepisly looked away.
Mimi's face went blank, and she nervously leaned on one foot. She knew exactly what Joe was getting at. She could just picture the scheming glint in Yolei's eye..."You're saying she..." she abruptly ended the sentence as Joe looked to her with a sense of certainty.
They stared at eachother, and then shifted their weight opposite of eachother, avoiding eye-contact. Their shoulders were mere centimeters away from eachother, it wasn't like they could be ignored.
Yolei stood them up. On purpose, no doubt.
"I'll kill her." Mimi muttered below her breath, the blood rushing to her cheeks.
"D'you still want to see the movie?" Joe still faced opposite of her, so when Mimi looked over her shoulder at him, she couldn't see his face.
She blinked, and Joe looked over her shoulder, a light tint brushing his cheekbones. He hunched his shoulders a bit and rubbed the back of his head in a his typical manner. "We're here, we might as well."
Joe couldn't tell if Mimi's smile on her face was a foretelling of a hilarious fit of laughter, a gentle decline, or a flattered acceptance. "I thought you didn't like Beat Takashi's movies."
"I could do without some of the blood, but--" Joe cut himself off when he realized that he was straying from the subject. "You want to see the movie, don't you?"
"Sure I do, but if you don't want to see it, that's fine!" Mimi turned around completely to face Joe.
Joe turned around as well. "No Mimi, I want to see it with you!"
Mimi went silent, and studied Joe's expression for what seemed like the millionth time. His brow was furrowed, and his lips pulled to a thin line. She lowered her eyes, and smiled, almost embarrassed at the scene they seemed to be making. "Okay."
Joe's face completely relaxed. "Huh?"
Mimi looked up, still smiling. She opened her mouth, but Yolei's voice piped loud and clear:
"Let's get going!"
Mimi and Joe both looked in the voice's direction, and saw Yolei pacing towards them, Izzy being dragged close behind.
"So you're the reason Yolei's late." Mimi smiled to Izzy as they walked into the building.
"Don't blame me! She just showed up on my doorstep thirty minutes ago!" Izzy was wearing a dark brown turtleneck beneath a lightweight forest green sweater.
"Excuse me!" Yolei barged into the conversation. "I'm not the one who was tying up both phone lines with modem connections even when one of my systems already was running fine and dandy on a cable modem!"
"Well, forgive me for having parents whose computers have DSL connections." Izzy folded his arms and shot back at Yolei.
Yolei frowned, and looked over at the concession counters. "Ooh! Let's get some popcorn!"
Joe went pale. "Do we really need food?"
Yolei took Izzy by the arm, and gave Joe a critical look. "If you get any skinnier, you'll break in half."
Mimi laughed wildly at this,a nd in a manner quite similar to Yolei's, took Joe's arm. "Let's go find seats while they get the food."
Joe glared over his shoulder at Yolei as Mimi pulled him away. "That was a rude comment if I ever heard one."
"Since when did you become so vain?" Mimi smiled good-naturedly as they entered the darkened theater.
"I don't see how anyone could eat during a Beat Takashi movie." Joe followed Mimi to a row of seats, and they sat down.
"It's junk food. You always find a way." Mimi rested her purse on the seat next to her to save it for Yolei.
The conversation ended there. The theater began to fill up, vacant seats becoming scarce.
Mimi began to look around for Izzy and Yolei. "I hope those two hurry. The seats are going fast."
Joe sat back in his chair, and rested his hands in his lap.
"You didn't want butter, right?" Yolei bent over the back of Mimi's seat to hand her a bag of popcorn.
Mimi looked up, and saw the bag being held above her, blocking the view of Yolei's face. She took it. "Right."
Izzy and Yolei were in the row behind them. Both Joe and Mimi found this odd, but to save face, they said nothing.
Joe looked to his watch. "Any minute now..."
Mimi grinned, and leaned over towards him. "Last chance for the little boy's room, Joey-boy."
Joe blushed, and turned to Mimi. "Cut it out, Mimi."
Mimi giggled, and slid down in her seat. "You're acting like my Dad. Chill out, already." She folded her arms over her chest, and frowned. "It's as though you want to be somewhere else."
Joe could feel Izzy and Yolei watching them from behind. That's not terribly inaccurate...he thought.
The theater's lights dimmed off, and the theater went into a hush.
Mimi wasn't sure if Joe could make it through the previews. He jumped at least twice during the first one-for an epic samurai feature. Lots o' blood n' guts.
Mimi smiled to herself as she heard Yolei eagerly whisper behind her: "Oh, I've got to see that!"
The previews soon passed, and the feature started. Beat Takashi was an excellent comedian - Mimi saw Kikujiro before coming back to Japan. But he was famous for his action-packed gangster films, which were more often than not filled with blood baths and nerve-grating suspense.
"Maybe I should've invited Davis." Mimi grinned, and muttered to Joe mockingly.
"Yeah, that's just was he needs--an older woman to swoon over." Joe replied in a hush, his eyes on the screen.
"I'm not a woman! I'm sweet little Mimi!" Mimi giggled, and Yolei kicked Joe's seat.
"Keep it down! We're not even ten minutes into it!" Yolei hissed.
Joe and Mimi looked to eachother, each with their own scolding look. They concentrated on the movie from that point on.
At least until a midway point in the movie. The action had slowed down, and the focus was now on the woman playing opposite of Takashi. Mimi couldn't remember her named, she was a newcomer to the Japanese movie industry.
But it was starting to get tense between the two leads. Mimi dug into her bag of popcorn, which seemed to have no bottom to it. (What size did Yolei get her, a sumo wrestler portion?!) Joe hadn't made a single sound next to her, even when one of the gangster's blood began to drip over the table's edge in the office. That even made her queasy, and she's seen Beat Takashi films.
She felt Joe's hand rub against hers in the bag of popcorn as he reached for his first handful during the entire flic. Mimi's face suddenly grew hot, and she dropped all the popcorn that she had reached for.
Joe took his hand out of the bag, and slowly ate what he took a few kernels at a time.
Mimi held her breath, but the burning in her cheeks didn't go away. Instead, her head started to pound.
What did he do that for? Mimi glanced at Joe. He looked completely absorbed in the movie, intently chewing on his popcorn, his eyes wide and round, fixed on the movie screen.
Mimi glared down at her popcorn. This is no good...I'm supposed to be making him tense and nervous, and I'm the one spazzing out here! She nervously shifted in her seat feeling feverish. How unfair is that?!
Yolei stretched her neck out a bit to get a better look at the pair in front of her. She frowned, and folded her arms. "Those two are so slow!" she hissed.
Izzy blinked, his attention broken away from the movie. "Did you say something?"
"Yeah! Look at them!" Yolei held a hand out in front of her, aimed at Joe and Mimi. "My grandparents would've been making out by now."
Izzy hung his head, and massaged his forehead with one of her hands. "Would their friends be sitting behind them?" was the first thing that came out of his mouth. He straightened up, and pulled at the collar of his turtleneck. "W-what am I saying?!" he hissed, blushing in the dark theater.
Yolei had one of her determined looks on her face. "No, you're right."
"That's not what I meant!!" Izzy rose his voice, and people on every side of him hushed him. He held up his hands in apology, and Yolei nervously smiled.
Mimi and Joe turned around to look at their friends, and Izzy and Yolei returned with forced grins. Yolei made victory v's, and they held this pose until the older two turned back arond.
Izzy fell back in his seat, and Yolei exhaled a sigh of relief.
Izzy was already beginning to look frazzled, and he looked back to Yolei. "There's an ulterior motive to this outing, isn't there?"
"Shh! We're missing the movie." Yolei did her best to conceal her blush.
The remaining twenty minutes of the movie went well. Joe had managed to not get sick during the final battle scene, even with popcorn on his stomach.
Mimi was keeping a closer eye on Joe than she was on the movie. I just don't get this. I just don't get this...She reached into the depths of her popcorn bag, and found that it was empty. "...!" She looked into it, and indeed, only a few unpopped kernels remained. She looked at Joe again. I can't believe he ate as much as he did...!
Joe looked to her, and Mimi stiffened up. "Something wrong?" He whispered.
Mimi held up the bag of popcorn. "You ate it all!"
Joe blinked, the light from the movie screen bouncing off of his glasses.
Mimi blushed a bit more, and looked away from him. She had an aggrevated look on her face. Please-o-PLEASE make it be too dark for him to see my face...it must be so red.
"Are you feeling okay?" Joe asked in a hush.
Mimi forced a smile, and made a tough-girl fist. She turned to Joe, and held it up. "Peachy!" She whispered.
Joe put a hand on her forehead, and felt his own. "You look feverish."
Mimi turned away in a huff. "No, I'm mad that you ate all of my popcorn after making such a big production over not wanting any!"
"If you're still hungry, we can eat someplace with Izzy and Yolei after the movie." Joe casually replied.
Mimi folded her arms after Joe took his hand off of her forehead. Joe noticed.
"There's more to life than popcorn, Mimi." Joe said with a quirky smile.
The credits began to roll on the screen, and Mimi stood with her empty popcorn bag and purse. She threw her jacket over her arm, and began to scoot down the row of chairs. Joe stood, and put his arms in his jacket sleeves. He quickly followed Mimi, pushing up his glasses.
Izzy was the two leave with the crowds, and began to get up from his seat. Yolei took his arm,and urged him back down.
"Wait a sec, I wanna see the credits." Yolei continued watching the movie screen.
Izzy gave Yolei a blank stare, and sat back down in his seat.
Joe stood up straight outside the movie theater, and Mimi leaned back against the wall.
The line of people heading out of the theater began to break up, and Joe looked at his watch.
Mimi shifted her weight back on her heels, and then forward on the balls of her feet.
Joe felt the need to state the obvious. "They're not here."
Mimi intwined the fingers on both of her hands, and flexed them, falling back on her heels again. "Nope."
There was silence again, and Joe put his hands in his pockets. "I'll go in and get them."
"Wait a moment longer, okay?" Mimi looked to him. "For all we know, they might be on a date."
Joe sighed, and leaned against the wall. "All right. But five minutes, max."
"That's more than enough." Mimi replied.
The theater lit up, and Yolei stood to stretch. "Okay, I'm ready now!"
Izzy stood. "Do you think they're still waiting?"
"I hope not. C'mon." Yolei walked down the steps, Izzy following her close behind.
"You hope not?! What do you mean?!" Izzy tried to get in front of Yolei, but the aisle was too narrow to get past her. "You weren't planning on leaving them behind, were you?!"
Yolei turned around to grab Izzy by the wrist, and marched towards the rear exit. "That's a great idea, Izzy!!"
Izzy waved his free arm to keep his balance, and protested loudly as they walked into the winter sunshine.
"I wasn't suggesting that, Yolei!!" Izzy snapped at the girl one year his junior.
"Oops! Too late!" Yolei closed the exterior door behind her, and grinned.
Izzy reached for the door, and Yolei (very politely) moved out of his way. He shook the knob, only to find it locked. He looked over his shoulder to Yolei, who was giggling and waving.
"Okay, it's been five minutes." Joe checked his watch. "I'm sorry, but I really don't trust Yolei around Izzy without any supervision."
"You make her sound dangerous." Mimi hugged her arms tightly, and followed Joe into the theater.
Joe stopped once he entered the theater, and made one of his classic 12-year-old wails. "They're gone! They're not here!"
"What?!" Mimi rushed in front of Joe. "How could we have missed them?!"
"I dunno! Oh, man...what if they're lost?! What if they're kidnapped?!" Joe reached to his right belt loop for his cellular. "What if one of them got sick?!"
"What if they did this on purpose?" Mimi quietly said while holding her chin.
Joe pulled up the antenna on his phone, and then looked to Mimi.
Mimi looked to him, a questioning look in her eyes.
Joe looked back to his phone, and pushed down the antenna. Putting it back in its case, he turned on his heel, and began to walk out of the theater.
Mimi quickly trailed behind him, swinging her arms heavily to keep up with Joe's long strides. "Where are you going?"
"Home."
"Home?!" Mimi repeated. "You can't go home! The day's barely over!" She grabbed one of his elbows, causing him to stop. "C'mon! Let's go eat something! My treat!"
"But Izzy and Yolei are gone. There's no reason to." Joe bluntly said.
"No reason to? There's no reason to?!" Mimi's smile faded. "Don't say that! If you go home now, I'll never be able to repay you for the other night!"
Joe and Mimi were again outside the theater, nearing the back exits.
"C'mon, Joe! Don't make me start whining." Mimi threatened.
"Where would we go?" Joe asked.
"Where would you want to go?"
"To be honest, I'm not hungry." Joe muttered.
Mimi rose her eyebrows,and smiled. "All that popcorn, I bet."
Joe nervously smiled, and felxed an arm. "Stomach of steel!"
Mimi giggled, "Well, let's just shop around until you build up an appetite."
"If you want." Joe opened the door, and let Mimi pass through.
Mimi looked to him as the door shut behind them. "Is there someplace you'd rather be?"
"That's not it at all." Joe answered.
They began to walk down the sidewalk, and Joe continued. "I just don't want you to feel obligated, that's all."
Mimi folded her arms tightly over her chest to stay warm. She looked to Joe, and then ahead of her again. "What makes you think I don't want to be around you?"
"...I dunno..." Joe replied sheepishly. "Nevermind."
Mimi watched her breath form a cloud in front of her. She looked to Joe, with his thin black turtleneck, and flimsy windbreaker. She took a few small steps to the side as they continued forward on the sidewalk, and clung onto Joe's side gently, touching shoulders with him.
Joe didn't stop walking, but looked to Mimi. "What are you doing?"
"You look cold." Mimi kept leaning up against him.
Joe's face began to heat up a bit, and he just slightly moved his arm against Mimi's.
Without hesitation, Mimi wrapped both arms around his, and pulled herself closer.
Joe smiled, and laughed a bit. "I think you're trying to steal what little body heat I have left."
"Nonsense! What gives you that idea?" Mimi gasped, looking up to him with a look of shock.
Joe held up the index finger of his free hand, and rested it on the tip of Mimi's nose. "You look like Rudolph."
Mimi crossed her eyes, and quickly let go of Joe to cover her nose with both hands.
Joe laughed at this, and Mimi whined.
"That's not a nice thing to say!!" Mimi rose her fists.
Joe continued to laugh as they turned a corner.
"Stop laughing!" Mimi persisted.
"I'm trying!" Joe stopped for a moment, and took off his glasses to wipe them off. "I'm sorry,the face you made was just..too much."
Mimi looked down the street, and saw a vender selling hot cocoa and candied pecans just outside the park located a few miles from the Highton View Terrace apartment complex. She pointed in their direction, and tugged Joe's sleeve. "Look! Let's get some!"
It was at times like this that made Joe glad that Mimi had the attention span of a five-year-old. He watched her with a hidden smile as she eagerly purchased two cocoas and some pecans.
"Here you go!" Mimi handed Joe a small cup of cocoa, and began to walk towards the park entrance. "It's such a perfect winter day! I've been waiting so long for this weather!"
Joe watched the steam rise from his cup. "It looks like there are a lot of photographers who agree with you."
Mimi noticed the people out with their cameras. They were taking pictures of the vibrant winter flowers, since the sunlight bounced off of the colorful petals so perfectly.
"Let's go sit." Mimi said as they walked down the sidewalk.
"Where?" Joe asked, looking at Mimi.
Mimi looked around for a moment, and pointed at a huge oak tree to their right. "Over there."
Once they were situated against the trunk of the three, Mimi offered Joe some of the pecans.
"A few at a time. We don't need to re-live the popcorn incident." Mimi warned.
"Heaven forbid that tragedy be repeated." Joe took a few pecans, and ate them.
Mimi rested the bag in-between them, and corssed the ankles of her stretched-out legs.
Joe had one leg stretched out, and the other bent. He rested his back against the tree trunk, and held onto his cocoa to keep his hands warm.
They saw a young woman a few years older than Joe approaching them, and Mimi nudged Joe to point her out.
Joe sat up a bit straighter, and the woman stopped a few meters away from them.
"Oh, go back to the way you were!" the woman held up her camera, and knelt on the grass.
Joe blinked, and Mimi whispered to him with a smile.
"I think she wants to take a picture of us!" Mimi giggled.
Joe looked down at her, and returned the smile. "Big surprise there."
Mimi's smile vanished, and she blushed.
Joe turned to face the photographer, and pointed at her. "Smile for the camera!"
"Right." Mimi smiled, and waited for the flash to go off.
The photographer switched knees, and licked her lips. "Sir!"
Joe grew attentive. "Yes?"
"Put your arm around your girlfriend." she adjusted the zoom.
"Uh-" Mimi and Joe both opened their mouths to correct the woman, but they heard eachother about to speak, and looked to eachother with a inquiring look on each of their faces.
The photographer lowered her camera, and looked to them.
Joe hesitantly lifted his arm, and rested it carefully around Mimi's shoulders.
Mimi openly obliged, and rested her head against his chest, just below his collar bone. She listened to the muffled sound of Joe's quickening pulse, and smiled for the camera, not taking any notice to her own rapid heartbeat.
The shutter snapped, and the photographer stood. "Thank you for your patience."
"Thank you!" Mimi modestly returned, sitting up as the photographer stood.
Joe took his arm off of Mimi, and took a few more pecans. "That was odd."
"It was sweet!" Mimi chirped, sipping her cocoa. "How nice of that lady to take our picture!"
"Even if she does assume thing." Joe replied.
Mimi's heart sank. Such a downer. "It could've been worse."
I love hearing these...Joe braced himself for something completely obscure to come out of Mimi's mouth. Like "It could've been you and Matt." or something like that.
"She could've called me your little sister."
That was unexpectedly normal. Joe looked to her. "How would that be worse?"
"If I was your sister, I'd have much better things to do with my time than spend an entire Sunday afternoon with my big brother." Mimi dramaticaly continued. "That nice lady obviously sensed my wonderful sense of style, and eliminated that possibility right away!"
Joe sweatdropped. "The scariest part of that was--that it actually made sense."
Izzy spun around from the movie entrance outside, a look of extreme aggrevation on his face.
Yolei had her arms folded, adn she watched Izzy with disbelief. "I told you they won't let you back in without a ticket."
"You planned this entire thing!" Izzy held out his hands. He was flabbergasted, to say the least. "You had the nerve to pull something like this off!"
Yolei's wide eyes blinked behind her glasses frames. "You sound surprised."
Izzy held his head. "Id on't have the slightlest idea why, but yes! Yes! Even with your reputation, I am still baffled by this..this.."
"Scheme?" Yolei cheerfully finished for him.
"Yes!!" Izzy answered, and turned to her. "What does your mother feed you that you're compelled to meddle in everyone's personal lives?!"
Yolei made a face. She was apparently insulted by the last statement, but did her best to control her temper. She leaned towards Izzy,and lowered her voice to keep their conversation private.
"Joe's got a thing for Mimi, right?" Yolei's tone was serious.
Izzy stammered. "What makes you say that?!"
"Oh, quit it! Either he does or he doesn't!" Yolei persisted.
Izzy paused, and folded his arms. "This is absolutely none of our business, Yolei."
"I don't believe you. I think you know and you're refusing to tell." Yolei glared at Izzy. "Y'know, even the most outgoing people need a puch once in a while, just like the shy ones."
Izzy pulled out his phone card, and began to pace over to a pay phone. "I'm going to call Joe and tell him where we are." He picked up the receiver, and dialed the number to Joe's cellular.
"They can't be forced into a situation like this."
"So there is something you know!" Yolei grinned.
The phone rang, and Joe picked up. "Hello?"
"Joe! Where are you?" Izzy asked in all seriousness.
"In the park. You?"
Izzy was taken aback at how casual Joe sounded.
"Outside the theater. Yolei made us go a different way."
"I know." was Joe's reply. "Don't worry about it."
"Is everything okay?! I mean, I had nothing to do with it, I--"
"It's fine. Talk to you later, okay?"
The phone disconnected, and Izzy pulled away the receiver to look at it.
Yolei grinned wider. "I guess that answers my question!"
"Who was it, Joe?" Mimi asked.
Joe turned his phone off, and put it away. "Nothing that can't wait." He stood, and brushed off his pants. "Ready to go?"
Mimi had a blank expression on her face, and she stood. "Go where?"
"Well, you're the one paying. It's your call." Joe vacantly looked past the park's gates.
Mimi pushed her hair behind her shoulder, and followed Joe's gaze. A strip of stores were in the direction of the nearest exit, so there was bound to be someplace to eat along the way.
Mimi tugged Joe's sleeve, and pointed in that direction. "Let's go that way."
Yolei sighed, and propped her chin on both of her palms. Her strawberry milkshake was untouched in front of her, and the whipping cream was beginning to melt down the side of the glass.
She studied Izzy with a silent frown. He sat across from her at the soda shoppe's booth, and was already halfway done with his float. His eyebrows were sharply arched, and his eyes lowered to the table.
Yolei tried to break the tension. "You could at least smile."
Izzy remained oblivious to Yolei's mere existence. He flat-out ignored her.
Yolei leaned over the table, and tried again. "Or say something?!"
Izzy stirred his float with his straw, and still refused to even acknowledge her. He took another sip from his glass, and Yolei swore she saw a trace of a smirk on his lips. She furrowed her brow, and aggressively persisted in her insistance.
"At least stop blowing me off!!" Yolei's tone took on a familiar one of aggrevation.
At that, Izzy looked straight into her eyes with an icy-cold glare. He narrowed his eyes, and dropped his straw in the glass.
Yolei felt goosebumps on her arms, and she cowered in her seat. Yeesh...he's seriously p.o.-ed...She watched Izzy go back to his milkshake. There's got to be some way to break him out of this--pout.
Izzy looked up from his milkshake, and rose an eyebrow when he looked at Yolei again. his tone was still dry and irritated. "What are you doing?"
Yolei was holding her glasses about three centimeters off of her nose, magnifying her eyes at least three times.
"What do you mean?" Yolei asked, her humungous eyes blinking behind her lenses.
Izzy sighed. "Amusing yourself?"
"You mean you're not amused? This trick just kills Cody." Yolei still had her eyes magnifyed, not bothering to put her glasses back on her nose.
"I might've been amused if I was still in junior high." Izzy replied. "You mean to tell me that as intelligent as Cody is, you can entertain him with that?"
Yolei put her glasses back on her nose. "Why is that so hard to believe?" She folded her arms, and rested them on the table. "Sorry to disappoint you, but as much as you want to mold Cody after your image, he has a sense of humor."
"I have a sense of humor, Yolei. I just also have a sense of propriety." Izzy replied in a tone much calmer than Yolei's.
Yolei wrinkled her nose, and finally got around to starting on her milkshake. She kept an eye on Izzy, and held onto her straw. A few minutes passed,and she watched him finish his milkshake.
Izzy sat back in his seat, and folded his arms. He crossed his legs, and waited for Yolei to finish. He eyed the wall clock. It was almost four, at least an hour since their group had split. They weren't far from the park. It was very tempting to go there himself, to possibly prevent any more of Yolei's plan from becoming reality.
But the tone of Joe's voice on the phone made him wonder if he'd be bothering them more than helping...
Izzy looked around, trying to flag the waitress for their table. So what if he bother them?! It wasn't his choice to be stuck with Yolei Inoue, the queen of all things spaz!
"It was nearly approaching the midnight hour. Clara held up her oil lamp to see his deep black eyes--"
Izzy's head shot back up at Yolei's sudden words. His eyes were wide with shock, and his mouth hung open.
Yolei was leaning back in her chair, her eyes peeking over the top of the thick paperback she held with both hands. Her eyebrows were sharply arched, a smirk on her face.
Izzy sat up, his expression still one of complete fear. "Wh-what are you--"
"With deft and quick movements, the strong hands of the blacksmith seized her by the arms, leading them into a frantic embrace--!" Yolei's smirk remained as she continued reading from her worn romance novel, not breaking eye-contact with Izzy for a moment.
A deep red blush crawled up Izzy's neck, and his eyes grew wider as his face turned a shade similar to his hair.
Yolei rose her voice a bit louder, as though dictating an intense speech. "Tender lips parted, and he--"
"STOP IT!!!" Izzy's face grew redder still as he leaned over the table.
Yolei grinned, and she continued reading. "Clara's thoughts were a wild blur now..."
Izzy pulled away from Yolei, and dug into the back pocket of his slacks. He pulled out a tiny yellow and black book with his wallet, and opened it.
Yolei's voice began to blend in with Izzy's as he began to read out loud himself. She looked up from her book, and saw the cover of his book: "The Pocket Guide to Programming in C".
"What the heck is that?!" Yolei threw down her book on the table, and stood from her chair. She extended a condemning finger, and shook it violently. "How is that supposed to embarass me?!"
Izzy stopped reading, and looked up from his book. He smiled, and leaned back casually. "I know better than that. Nothing could possibly embarass you."
Yolei grumbled, and sat back down. She picked up her book, and dropped it back in her purse.
Izzy closed his book, and put it in his back pocket with a satisfied smile.
"You think you're so smart..." Yolei muttered sourly, folding her arms over her chest.
"Well, I haven't been told otherwise..." Izzy rose an eyebrow.
Yolei opened her mouth to argue, but was cut off when the waitress rested the invoice in front of Izzy.
Izzy looked at it, and slid it across the table after the waitress moved on to another group of customers.
Yolei gave Izzy another aggrevated look, and pulled out her wallet. "I'm beginning to regret bringing you along."
"That was my intent." Izzy replied quite bluntly.
Yolei silently looked back to Izzy, and rested the money on the invoice before standing.
Izzy's smirk vanished, and he stood as Yolei turned around and headed for the exit.
"Where are you going?" Izzy asked, his tone suddenly serious.
"Out of here." Yolei grumbled. "You're so smart, you should've figured that out."
Izzy followed Yolei, giving her a pointed look. "Do you not understand why what you did was wrong?"
Yolei and Izzy were on the sidewalk, and Yolei turned around to face her upperclassman. "It only would've been wrong if they didn't like eachother!"
"It makes no difference!" Izzy's fuse was growing short. Before he could grab Yolei's shoulders and shake her lifeless, he shoved his hands into his pockets, and trudged forward on the sidewalk.
Yolei folded her arms in a huff. "Well, don't expect me to give you any credit why my plan is a success!"
Izzy sighed, and looked up at the street signs. He stopped for a moment, and noticed the nearby landmarks.
Yolei stopped a few feet ahead of him, and turned around. "Now what?"
Izzy began walking without saying a word, and Yolei persisted behind him.
"Izzy?" Yolei craned her neck to look over his shoulder. "Izzy! Hey, come on! Cut out the silent treatment, already!"
The computer junkies bee-lined through the crowds on the sidewalk, dodging any pedestrians coming from the opposite direction.
What's he trying to pull here? Yolei began to feel a very slight strain on her legs as she walked as fast as she possibly could without breaking into a run.
They reached the back of an apartment complex, and in a peculiar urgency, Izzy began to climb the back stairwell.
Yolei stopped at the base of the stairs, her expression blank. This I cannot figure out...She began to climb up the stairs after him, not taking much notice to the dreary surroundings of the apartment complex's back alley.
Once they were inside the heated building, Yolei began to peel off her jacket. She observed the familiar hallways. "Why are we at my apartment?!"
The two stopped in front of the door to the Inoue apartment. Izzy rapped on the door loudly, and Yolei began to glare once again at Izzy as she heard her brother open the door.
"I get it already!" Yolei barged into the apartment before her brother could get out of the way.
Izzy smiled calmly as Yolei's brother gave both him and his sister a bewildered look.
"I don't need to be baby-sat!" Yolei slammed the door abruptly, to which Izzy flinched. He put a hand in his pocket, and turned around. "That went better than I thought it would."
"Ah~!" Mimi squealed. "Wouldja take a look at that, Joe?!"
Joe turned around to see Mimi crouched over, looking at a pile of UFO catcher dolls in a game. He made a hopeless sigh, and bent over next to Mimi.
Mimi tapped a finger on the glass pane of the game, pointing at a stuffed otter. "See it?"
Joe nodded. "The otter toy?"
"Mm-hmm! Isn't it precious?! It looks like Gomamon!" Mimi turned to look at Joe. "Don'tcha think?"
Joe turned to look at her as well. "Like Gomamon?"
Mimi nodded. "Yeah! It's so cute!"
Joe flatly stared at Mimi. "Not a thing like Gomamon."
Mimi giggled, and slapped Joe on the shoulder. "Be nice!"
Joe straightened up, and dug into his pockets for some change. "Well, no harm in giving it a shot."
Mimi gasped with delight, and straightened up. "Really?!"
Joe rested his hands over the buttons, and shrugged. "Sure."
Mimi squealed, and clapped her hands. "You're the best!!"
Joe kept his eyes on the mechanical claw, mainly to hide his ridiculous grin from Mimi.
"Ooh! Ooh! Almost have it!" Mimi leaned over Joe's shoulder eagerly.
Joe pushed the button to grab the toy, and the claw moved forward.
"Great! Great! You'll get it on the first try!" Mimi clutched onto Joe's shoulder with both hands.
The metal claw clamped onto the plush otter, and began to slide it off of the metal bar it hung on.
Mimi cheered. "Almost! Almost!"
Joe's eyes lit up. "This isn't nearly as tough as they make it out to be!"
As though on que, the clamp released, leaving the toy dangling at the end of the bar.
"Aww!" both of them stood back, and Joe pulled out some more change.
"One more shot!" Joe dropped the coins into the slot.
"You almost had it last time!" Mimi squeezed on Joe's shoulder.
His ears began to burn as he focused more on Mimi's expression in their reflection than on actually retrieving the toy.
"Ah! Joe!" Mimi released her hold on his shoulder, her smile gone. "You passed it!"
Joe blinked, his cheeks turning pink. "Oh! Oh, gee, where'd by brain go?"
Mimi gave him a pat on the shoulder, "It's okay, Joe. No big deal."
Joe sighed, his glasses sliding down the bridge of his nose. "How typical."
"Cheer up!" Mimi pulled her purse forward, and fished out her wallet. "You got us this far..." she dropped two coins into the machine, and crouched over the button pad.
Joe watched intently as Mimi held down one of the buttons to move the arm of the claw sideways.
The clamp was tight on the stuffed body of the otter, and it pulled the toy the rest of the way off.
Mimi smiled gleefully as the toy was dropped down the chute. She bent over to get it out, and handed it to Joe. "See?"
Joe's expression was blank as he took the plush from Mimi.
Mimi reached up, and adjusted Joe's glasses just so, all smiles. "We gotta rely on eachother every-so-often."
Joe watched Mimi turn back around, and continue down the sidewalk. Her leather jacket's collar was pulled up over her chin, and her bare hands peeked out from her shallow pockets. He started walking to catch up with Mimi, holding the toy in his left arm. "Mimi!"
Mimi stopped, and turned around laughing. "You're holding it so tight!"
Joe loosened his hold on the plushie, and looked down to it. "Am I?"
Mimi pulled her hands out of her pockets, and picked up the plush. "Uh-huh! I'm beginning to wonder if you were trying to win it for yourself all along!"
Joe smiled, and plucked the otter out of Mimi's hands. "Maybe I was."
Mimi gawked, playing along. She snatched it back, and held it in front of her face. She rose her voice an octave, and shook the otter around as she "spoke" for it. "But Mimi's the one that won me, so I belong to her!"
Joe held up an index finger, and shook it at the otter. "But Mimi gave you to me, so technically you're mine."
Mimi lowered the otter plush, and gave Joe a seriously perplexed look. She switched back to her normal voice. "Were you just talking back to it?"
Joe paused, and lowered his index finger.
Mimi smiled, and held up the otter plush again. "Joe's super-keen!" she squeaked in her otter-voice, and lifted it higher to press it against the unsuspecting Joe's lips.
Joe drew in a sharp breath, and backed away quickly, bringing the back on his hand to his mouth.
Mimi lowered the plush, and started laughing. "You're all red!"
Joe protested. "Wh-why would I be red?!"
Mimi held up the otter toy again, and pointed at him. "You're hopelessly blushing!"
"It must be the cold weather!" Joe dismissed her comment immediately, and did the first thing he could think of to draw the attention away from himself. "I'm getting hungry, aren't you?"
"Not really." Mimi peeped, her expression curious.
"You will be once your meal reaches the table. Ah! Over there! There's a restaurant!" Joe's sentences jumped a bit as he recovered.
"That's a soda shoppe." Mimi plainly replied.
"There must be something around here." Joe began to walk ahead, searching desperately for a place to go into.
Mimi held the otter toy, and pointed across the street. "How about Italian?"
Joe looked over, and saw a sign that read "Piccolo's Restaurante Italiano". (Author's Note: Yes, it's the same "Piccolo's" in The Unicorn Academy!) It was small, and bordered with twinkle lights. "Perfect."
Joe regretted his choice of words once they entered the tiny, intimate dining room. The setting was extremely casual, but that didn't take away from the white table-cloths and candle-lit atmosphere. The ceilings were low, and the installed speakers spouted Luciano Pavorotti softly.
"Now this is classy!" Mimi whispered to Joe.
They were led to a table in the corner of the room. The waiter pulled out the chair for Mimi, and she sat across from Joe, who was handed the wine list with a menu.
The teenagers couldn't help but smile to eachother as Joe set it aside.
"I guess that means we'll be taken seriously." Joe quietly said.
Mimi beamed as she opened the menu. Joe did the same as the view of her face was blocked.
"Are you allergic to squid?" Mimi asked from behind the menu.
Joe lowered the menu he held, and looked across to Mimi.
Mimi lowered hers. "What? I noticed that you gave me your ika nigiri sushi the other night, I was going to suggest that we share a fried calamari appetizer."
Joe blinked. "Oh."
Mimi took a breath. "Always on the defensive. Geez."
"That sounds great." Joe rested his menu over his breadplate. "You know so much about this sort of thing, Mimi."
Mimi smiled, and bashfully looked to the side. "I've got to fill this head of mine with something."
Joe smiled back. "I'm just going to let you order for me."
Mimi's eyes grew round. "I'm ordering for both of us? Gee, as if I didn't have enough trouble deciding..." She buried her face back in the menu.
"Could I start your evening with something to drink?" the waiter came to Joe's side with a small notepad.
Joe looked to Mimi, and back up to the waiter. "Two iced teas with lemon, please."
The waiter nodded, and left the table.
"Veal raffaello sounds mighty tasty..." Mimi said to Joe. "How does a lemon-butter garlic sauce sound to you?"
"I trust you." Joe rested an elbow on the table, and propped his chin up on his fist.
Mimi's eyes popped out from over the top rim of the menu. "You're not making this easy."
"Then get me something else." Joe replied.
Mimi closed her menu, and set it down in front of her. "Be specific."
"...chicken." Joe replied.
"Easy. Chicken de Piccolo. House recipe." Mimi snapped her fingers. "Caper and olive oil based sauce."
The waiter returned with their iced teas. "Do you need more time to make a decision?"
Joe straightened up. "I think we'll start off with your calamari fritti as an appetizer."
"Very good. Would you like to think some more on your entree choices?"
Joe looked to Mimi, who shook her head. "I'll be getting Chicken de Piccolo."
The waiter nodded. "On your pasta, did you want the marinara or butter-garlic sauce?"
Mimi mouthed "marinara" to Joe, and Joe nodded. "Marinara sauce, please."
Mimi gave a thumbs up, and the waiter turned to her just as she tucked her hands back in her lap.
"And the lady?" the waiter asked.
"Veal rafaello, please. Garlic-butter sauce on my pasta." Mimi said with a smile.
"Good choice." the waiter replied. "I'll get your order back in the kitchen, and have some bread out for you in a moment."
Joe and Mimi smiled to eachother as the waiter left.
"That was easy." Mimi said quietly.
Joe rested his chin back on his fist, and relaxed a bit. "This is nice."
The room was nearly empty, with the exception of an elderly couple a few feet away, enjoying a fine bottle of wine and a simple loaf of bread.
Mimi traced the top of her tea glass with a finger, the candlelight reflecting off of the ice cubes. "Sure is. I love dining."
"Did you do a lot in New York?" Joe asked.
"Sure. Not too frequently, it gets old." Mimi looked up. "I had to learn to cook some time, or I would've starved to death." Mimi got a look of nostalgia on her face. "There was a great little Italian place a few blocks from my high school that had dueling pianos."
"Dueling pianos?"
Mimi grinned, "Actually, it was at the night club next door. Jill and Michael always used to sneak us in the back to watch."
"Ah." Joe watched Mimi's expression change every other sentence, and smiled to himself. He enjoyed the quiet around him so he could listen to Mimi's stories of New York. He paid no mind to the bread basket set between them.
Mimi reached over and took a piece of bread, and rested it on her bread plate, not stopping her story to take a breath.
Mimi broke her piece of bread in half. "...I guess what I'm saying is, that American life is a little wilder than I'd like, but I'm glad I had a..." Mimi got eye-contact with Joe across the table, and then noticed that was intently listening. "...taste." She stucka bite of bread in her mouth, and stared back at him with a blank face.
There was another good moment of silence between then. Mimi swallowed her bite of bread, and looked down at his elbow on the table. She kicked him sharply in the ankle. "Sit up."
Joe snapped out of his gaze. "Sorry!" He reached over to get a piece of bread, and broke it in half.
The calamari was out in a very short time, and Mimi squeezed lemon juice over the pieces. "I guess we should go home after this?"
"Unless we want people to start saying things." Joe replied, putting a few pieces of calamari on his plate.
"They should know better." Mimi did the same. "I'm worried more about my parents."
"It is a school night." Joe nodded.
"Ugh. Don't remind me." Mimi groaned. "Those ridiculous exams are all the colleges look at, and I need to get my scores up."
"Well, let's enjoy tonight, I guess." Joe put some red sauce on his calamari. "This is nice."
"You said that already." Mimi smiled slightly.
"Did I?"
"Uh-huh."
Joe sipped his tea. "How else to describe tonight?"
"Relaxing." Mimi set down her fork, and drank some tea. "Peaceful."
Joe set his glass down.
Mimi shrugged. "A huge change from the hectic American life."
The waiter took up their empty plates.
"Welcome home." Joe gently said from across the table.
Mimi warmly smiled back, and sipped her tea again. "I'm home, I'm home."
The salads followed soon after the appetizer, and the entrees arrived soon after that.
"Psst!" Mimi whispered over the table. "Joe!"
Joe looked up from his chicken, and Mimi pointed at his dish.
"May I have a taste?"
Joe paused, giving Mimi a look of disbelief.
"Oh, stop with the face! This place isn't that fancy!" Mimi scolded.
Joe nervously smiled. "Yeep! Sorry!" he cut her a piece of his dish, and put it on his fork. "Here." he reached the fork across the table, and Mimi took it.
Mimi put it in her mouth, and handed Joe his fork as she tasted it. "Mmh..." she swallowed it. "It's good, but I like mine better." She cut off a piece of her veal, and gave it to Joe. "Try it."
Mimi sipped her tea as she watched Joe eat the veal she gave him. She set her glass down, and took the fork Joe passed back to her. "I could easily get used to this."
"To what?" Joe continued on his chicken.
"To these weekly meetings we wind up having." Mimi twirled a forkful of pasta on her spoon.
Joe rose an eyebrow. "So was today a conspiracy between you and Miss Inoue, then?"
Mimi straightened up. "Of course not! Yolei must've had something else in mind when she split us up!"
"Mm-hmm." Joe started on his pasta. "I have an idea."
There was a pause, and Joe then again spoke. "Poor Izzy."
"I hope he's not mean to her today." Mimi watched Joe, and frowned. "Slow down, we have all night."
"If he is, she brought it upon herself." Joe slowed down his eating. He set down his fork, and sat back. "She shouldn't have been so sneaky."
Mimi arched her eyebrows, looking insulted. "Now you sound as if you regret today altogether."
"No, that's not it at all." Joe rose his voice a bit. "I'm just speaking on behalf of Izzy."
"Let Izzy speak for himself. I want to know what you think." Mimi looked straight across to Joe.
"What I think?" Joe repeated, and Mimi nodded. He leaned over the table, and folded his hands quite diplomatically. "I think I agree with you, Mimi. I just wish today's dinner could've occured under better circumstances."
The waiter came to take Mimi's and Joe's plates, and Joe continued.
"And I've been-"
Mimi cut him off by holding up a hand. She smiled, and reached over to tap his hand lightly. "Don't tell me everything. Give me something to look forward to for next time."
"...." Joe looked down at both of their hands on the table. "What time is it?"
Mimi pulled her hand back. "Why?"
"I can't get you home too late, your parents might start disliking me." Joe tapped a few of his fingers on the table, and looked up to Mimi.
"Well, spending the night's a bad idea, but my parents have a pretty generous curfew." Mimi finished her tea, and dusted off her napkin a bit.
"It's not that, I need to make sure my papers are al together for class tomorrow." Joe looked at his watch. "I'm making a weak B in this one class, and that's the highest grade right now."
"Which class is it?" Mimi asked, notioning at the waiter to bring a dessert menu.
"Organic chemistry." Joe watched the waiter refill their tea glasses, and pussed up his glasses. "Not my favorite course, to be frank."
Mimi wrinkled her nose, and put two bags of Sweet-N'-Low in her tea. "I wouldn't think so. Is there such a person existing in this world that likes that sort of thing?"
"If there were, I think they were all thrown into the street and shot." Joe grinned.
The two laughed, and the waiter again approached the table as their laughter died down. "Might I tempt you with selections from our dessert menu?"
"Tempt us! Tempt us!" Mimi giggled as she took the dessert menu, and opened it.
"You're still hungry?" Joe asked in awe.
"You always save room for dessert." Mimi replied from behind her menu. She closed the menu, and handed it back to their waiter. "I'll have the dark chocolate raspberry torte."
"Sir? Anything for you?" the waiter asked.
"I'm fine, thank you." Joe waved his hand.
"Boooooring." Mimi chimed.
"Think of it as saving you a few dollars." Joe replied.
"Don't expect a taste!" Mimi teased.
"My heart breaketh." Joe smiled back.
When the dessert arrived, Mimi took one bite, and Joe laughed.
Mimi swallowed. "What?"
"Is it good?" Joe asked in an amused tone.
"...?" Mimi blankly stared back, cutting off another piece.
"Your eyes rolled back at the first bite." Joe closed his eyes and grinned. "Is it really that good?"
Mimi tasted another bite. "It's horrible, you wouldn't like it." She ran her fork through the cold raspberry puree.
"You really need to work on your sarcasm." Joe picked up a fork, and broke off a tiny bite.
"Ah! You sneak!" Mimi gasped, and Joe stuck the piece he stole in his mouth.
"There's no way you'll be able to eat all of that." Joe calmly said between bites.
Mimi pouted for a moment. He was probably right. Instead of wasting any time thinking of a reply, and letting Joe enjoy any more of her torte, she continued working on the dessert.
The sun had set by the time Joe and Mimi walked outside of Piccolo's. The street lights were lit, and the crowds had generally broken up.
Mimi zipped up her jacket, and tied the waist belt tightly.
"The temperature's really dropped." Joe said, sticking his hands in his pockets.
"You've got that right." Mimi began walking. "Yolei and Izzy are probably both home by now." She put her purse over her shoulder, and the plush otter fell out.
"Oh! Here you go!" Mimi picked the plush off of the sidewalk,and dusted it off. She turned to Joe, and handed it to him. "Your plushie!"
"You can keep it, Mimi. You're the one who wanted it." Joe began walking.
Mimi tagged along beside him like an eager puppy. "Yeah, but I won it, so I wanna give it to you!" She frowned, and stuck out her bottom lip. "Don't you want it?"
Joe hopelessly smiled, and took it. "Sure, sure."
Mimi stretched out her fingers in front of her, and sighed. "To home we go, huh?"
"`Fraid so." Joe sighed in return. "But we've got a ways to go, still."
"M'kay..." Mimi held her hands together, and walked beside Joe.
Joe watched Mimi next to him. After a few moments, she began to breathe into her cupped hands to warm them, and then rub them together.
"Don't you have deeper pockets in that jacket?" Joe asked.
"Nope."
"That's worthless!" Joe gawked. "What kind of jacket has pockets like that?!"
"A two-hundred-eighty dollar leather one!" Mimi shot back.
"Ridiculous." Joe scoffed, and stopped walking. He turned to Mimi, and held out his open palms. "Give me your hands."
Mimi paused, and relunctantly rested her hands on Joe's wide palms. He cupped his hands over hers, and brought them to his mouth. Mimi felt her chest tighten as he blew his warm breath into his cupped hands, heating up hers. He held both of her hands in his left hand, and with his right, he pulled off the scarf around his neck. He quickly wrapped her hands in it, and tucked the end away to keep it from falling apart.
"There." he simply said when finished, and put his hands back in his pockets.
Mimi looked at her bound-up hands, and followed Joe as they kept on walking. She felt uncomfortable by the silence betwen them, although she really didn't have much reason to be. She looked up at Joe, who was between her and the street. He was keeping his eyes straight ahead of them. The florescent lights reflected off of his lenses. She tried to think of a way to break the silence, but failed miserably.
She was ready to admit defeat when they approached her apartment complex. A song by Keiko Utoku played in the lobby, and Mimi commented on it as they entered the elevator.
"She's so talented!" Mimi beamed.
"Yup." Joe said simply, and extended a finger to push a button. "What floor?"
"Six." Mimi smiled, rested against the wall of the elevator.
Joe pushed six, and rested on the wall opposite Mimi.
Mimi began to unbind her hands from Joe's scarf, and had started straightening it out by the time they reached her floor.
"Thanks for dinner." Joe casually said as they walked down the hallway.
Mimi smiled, and laughed a bit. "I'll feed you anytime."
There was a pause, and Mimi felt awkward again.
She laughed a bit louder, realizing her wording. "You know what I mean!"
Joe began to laugh in return. "Sure!"
They grew quiet as they reached her door.
"It's only seven...won't you come in for a while?" Mimi held Joe's scarf in both hands, and looked up to him with pleading eyes.
"I have school stuff to get ready, I really can't." Joe half-heartedly declined.
"Oh..." Mimi faded off, and looked down at his scarf. "Well, then..." she stood on her toes, and reached her arms around Joe's neck.
Instintively Joe put his arms up to keep Mimi at a safe distance, and he held his breath as Mimi wrapped his scarf around his neck.
"...stay warm on your way back." Mimi lowered herself flat on her feet again, and looked at him vacantly, as though recalling something else she was going to say. She started to step towards him, and opened her mouth just barely to take a breath before speaking, but before she said anything, she pulled back, and closed her mouth. Hisitantly, she reache dup to Joe's scarf with both hands, and ran her fingers underneath it to straighten it. She then rested her flat palms on his chest before turning to the door, and grabbing the knob.
Joe gulped once, his cheeks turning a bit red from the intense moment. "Uh..."
Mimi looked up from the doorknob with a jerk of her head. "Hmm?"
Joe's breath caught in his throat. "Um...g'night."
Mimi nervously smiled, her cheeks turning pink themselves. "`Night." She opened the door, and walked inside, gently shutting the door behind her.
Joe looked down at the otter plush he was holding, and made a forlorn sigh. "How do I get home holding this thing?"
"Mimi, dear..." Mrs. Tachikawa met Mimi at the doorway, holding a piece of paper.
Mimi peeled off her jacket, and kicked off her shoes. "Mom?"
Mrs. Tachikawa had a soft look of concern on her face, and handed Mimi the paper she held.
Mimi took it, and headed into her bedroom. She stood next to her bed, and read it. Her mouth hung open as she read further. "...." She stepped back, adn sat on her mattress, setting the letter down next to her. She stared at her lap, and furrowed her brow. Her mother stood in the doorway, looking on her daughter with sincere worry.
Mimi brought a hand to her forehead, and supported her weight as she leaned back with the other.
"I've barely been here for a week."
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Prepare yourself! The next part is the climax! And boy, am I excited! Trust me, if you've been with me this far...I don't want to brag, but you will NOT want to miss part ten! (Kari, you know what I'm talking about! ^.-)
Please review, e-mail me, visit Reality Check...but reviews are especially welcome! They urge me to write more! Seriously!
One last plug! If you like my romances, please read my original series being published at www.originalanime.com. I'd love your feedback!
Mimi