The Best That You Can Do (A Continuation of IWMY)

by Tachikawa Mimi

*CHAPTER 2 IS UP!!!* Joe has taken the next flight to America, after not seeing Mimi off with the others. How will Mimi take this? It's not as predictable as you'd think. Meanwhile, Yolei and Izzy continue to battle over who's REALLY right, and who's REAL

2. Wake Up, and She's Still With You

The Best That You Can Do
(A Continuation of Seishuun Dattene...)
Chapter Twelve

Good Lord, it's cold.

Joe Kido felt the icy water seep through the threading in his thin dress socks. The tiny, smooth rocks began to move against each other as he slowly began to tread down the shallow stream. He denied every temptation that came to just give up and go home. The chilly wind slowly blew, and shivers crept down his neck and arms.

He kept his eyes on the stream, scanning the bottom for any trace of irregularity in the pattern of stones. He sloppily rolled up his shirt's sleeves to his elbows. His coat was neatly folded at the bank of the stream, his shoes set next to it.

If outside, one could hear a quiet disturbance in the water's flow as Joe got on his hands and knees to feel around for the bracelet he impulsively threw in just moments earlier. The heat of his anger was gone-as well as any other heat, for that matter, the water was soaking his pants and was beginning to seep through to his skin. All he could feel now was regret.

It didn't matter if he was right or wrong anymore. He wasn't even sure why he was in this ridiculous position, soaking-and possibly ruining-an expensive designer suit to find a silly bracelet (which was also expensive, he had to add in this thoughts) for which he didn't know why he got it in the first place.

He wasn't being himself anymore. Since when did Joe Kido become spontaneous? Since when did he ever keep a secret? Since when did he ever want to be alone with anyone?

Joe held up the bottom of his silk tie, tipped in the stream water. He sighed, and thought out loud, "And since when did I become such a big spender?" He hopelessly dropped the tie, and went back to his search. He held his breath, and squeezed his eyes shut as he plunged his hands back into the water.

He could hear his teeth chattering over the splashes of water. He began to worry for Mimi's safety. The idea of her alone on the dangerous streets of New York City made his heart sink. An angry Mimi on the streets was even worse-her hot temper gave her a false sense of security, a feeling of invincibility.

The fact that he was the cause of this entire scenario strengthened his drive to find the bracelet. He crawled forward in the stream, his face flushed, but his breath forming clouds in front of him. He felt something catch on his middle right finger, and he froze. He acted fast, and made sure that he had a good hold of the chain. He pulled his closed fist out of the water, and smiled when he saw the bracelet hanging off of his fingers. With great care, he pulled his arms close to his chest, and clumsily got up from his groveling position. With lacking grace, he trudged out of the shallow water, and heard his footsteps squish beneath the pressure.

His teeth were now chattering loudly, and his entire body violently shook. Water dripped down his arms, lightly dampening his sleeves.

He stepped into his shoes and didn't release his hold on the bracelet as he carefully slipped his coat back on.

He ignored the stares given to him by the other diners as he re-entered the dining room. Some didn't even look up, and the waiters remained aloof and unwavering.

Joe approached his table, and saw the food already packing in styrofoam boxes, with the check resting discreetly next to it.

It appears that I'm not the first one to have a rough evening here...Joe found himself amused at the promptness of the service the Steel Drum had. He pulled out the cash to pay for the bill, and took the carry-out, which was put in plastic bags.

For some odd reason, the knowledge of that fact made Joe feel a little better.

Mimi Tachikawa sniffed, and tugged her shawl closer around her bare shoulders. Her nose was beginning to run after she dried the tears in her eyes, and she used the back of her hand to wipe it.

She ceased her angry pacing down the New York City sidewalks, and dug in her purse for a tissue. She usually hated using them, in fear of messing up her makeup.

But she was cold, and hungry...she didn't want to add sniffly to her list of offenses.

She pulled out a tissue, and blowed her nose. The streets were well-lit,and they were relatively empty in comparison to the usual crowds that filled them during the weekends.

She put her dirty tissue back in her purse, and continued walking.

What day is it...? I don't remember anymore. Mimi looked in the windows of the stores she passed. She noticed an antique clock reading 10:30. Wednesday? Well, almost Thursday, actually...She looked away from the clock, and began to walk again.

She went into a small deli, to get out of the cold. The smell of yeast invaded her nostrils, and she sat down on the stool at the bar.

"A little over-dressed for your usual sandwich run, don'tcha think?" an elderly man behind the bar set down a napkin to her right, and poured her a glass of water.

Mimi looked up, and cracked a smile. "M'taking a dinner detour."

The tender nodded with a silent understanding, and pulled out a menu for her to look at. "Well, it's not four-star, but the reuben here is mighty addictive."

Mimi looked at the one-sided menu. "I'll just have a roast turkey club, no mustard, light mayo, no pickle."

"Swiss or cheddar?"

"Havarti."

The tender whistled, raising his eyebrows. "Whatever you say, missy."

"And a cup of hot chocolate would be great." Mimi set the menu down, and pickedup her water.

"If you need anything else, let me know." the tender turned away from her to go make her order.

Wednesday...Mimi held her glass, and stared down into it. Joe had a test tomorrow...what was he thinking?

The hot chocolate was set below her nose, and her thoughts were interrupted. She looked up in a start.

"Sorry about that." the man turned back around. "Didn't mean to scare you."

Mimi shook her head. "My mind's somewhere else." She watched him make the sandwich. "What'st he fastest way to get to the Lincoln Heights apartment complex from here?"

"Take a cab to Prue and Main, then it's only a walk from there." the man set Mimi's sandwich in front of her, and stepped back. "I'll call a cab for you, it's hard getting one over here this late."

Mimi nodded, and picked up her sandwich. "I'd appreciate it. Thank you."

What would Joe do now? He wasn't as predictable as he used to be. She realized that Joe had a dangerously silent temper, but it seemed to have gotten hypersensitive lately.

And she didn't like it. Why should she have to walk on eggshells whenever around him? It's not her fault if he was in one of his moods.

But would he come back to the apartment? He didn't really have anywhere else to go. He'd have to come back.

She finished her sandwich a lot quicker than she thought. Conveniently, the cab was waiting for her outside.

After paying the tender, she gathered her things, and headed back to the apartment complex before the temperature dropped even further.

Her anger had been long-cooled by now. She sat in the courtyard at the apartment's entrance, and watched the locals stroll by at a relaxing pace found only in the late hours of a New York City day. She no longer noticed how cold she was. She was absorbed in her self-reflection. She was more scared, than anything. Not scared that Joe would do anything to her...but more of what he wouldn't do.

Mimi then began to wonder if Joe already got back. Perhaps he stayed for the meal? She began to feel sorry for him, leaving him there with two expensive meals...

Then a dreadful thought passed through her mind...what if he didn't come back? His place left tomorrow, what if he left for th airport after he ate?

She watched a taxi cab speed by the corner, splashing a puddle on a young woman and her date. She merely blinked as she watched them grab onto each other, taking in the shock of falling victim to a fairly-common New York incident. They looked to each other, and laughed.

I still don't envy you...Mimi thought to herself as she watched the companions walk past, unfazed. I know one day, I'll have lived a love story to trump all of the ones this world has to offer. She looked to her lap, and tears began to blur her vision. I've just gotta stop thinking of myself all the time...She rested her hand on the bench's seat, and felt something fall against it. Blinking her tears back, she turned to look at her hand, and saw the tiny white otter plush. It had fallen over to her hand, and was now face-down.

Mimi stared at it, her face blank. Her mind was like a broken television. It was fuzzy, and full of static.

Joe walked around the corner of the bench, and sat down next to her. He set one plastic bag down on the pavement, and put another on his lap.

Mimi looked up to him, her facial expression loose, and plain. Her mouth gaped open a bit as she watched Joe untie the bag on his lap.

There was silence between them as Joe set a styrofoam carton on her lap, and then pulled the plastic bag further down to pull out the other styrofoam carton. After setting it on his own lap, he dug further into the bag, and pulled out two plastic forks. He held one out to Mimi, and waiting for her to take it.

Hesitantly, she took the fork Joe offered, and looked down at the bright white carton on her lap.

Joe already had his carton open, and was about to scoop up a forkful of mango creme brulee. He looked up to Mimi, who still shamefully looked at her carton. He lightly tapped the top of her carton with his fork. "It's going to get cold."

Mimi kept her eyes lowered, and opened the carton to see her own serving of mango creme brulee.

"But, why...?" Mimi looked up to him. "Joe, you didn't have to do this."

Joe had his eyes fixed on his creme brulee, and was lightly picking at it with his fork. His mouth was a slight frown, and he put a large bite of the tart and custard into it. "Well..." With a full mouth, he looked up and watched the cars. With almost an obnoxious bluntness, he replied very lightly, "S'because I love you."

Mimi's eyes widened, and she jerked her head up. "Excuse me?"

Joe had to put some effort into swallowing his large bite, and he began to laugh. "C'mon Mimi, what's the big deal? You're acting all surprised or something."

Mimi took the otter, and fwapped Joe upside the head with it. "Don't use that phrase so lightly, you tease!"

Joe winced, and looked up from his dessert.

"Here I was waiting here for you to get home, regretting everything that happened, and now you've got to make me feel guilty and rub it all in!" Mimi glared down at the dessert.

Joe reached over, and innocently began to pick up Mimi's take-out carton. "You want me to take back the dessert?"

Mimi angrily blushed, and with both hands, yanked the carton out of Joe's grasp. "NO, I don't mean the dessert!"

The noises from the street then dominated their conversation. They both looked at their halfway-gone desserts.

"D'you want the rest of mine?" Joe asked, offering his carton.

"No, it's not that good." Mimi quietly replied.

Joe smiled, a bit relieved. "So I'm not the only one who thought so."

Mimi smiled back, and looked up. "Some places in New York are nothing but hype, y'know?"

"There's places like that everywhere." Joe closed his carton, and set it on the cement.

"Yeah. If we wanna have real good Cuban food, we should go down to Florida." Mimi set her fork down, and picked up the otter. "But we can't, `cause you're leaving tomorrow."

"Yup." Joe replied.

"Why?"

"Because I'll miss out on too much school." Joe rubbed his cold nose vacantly.

"No."

Joe looked to Mimi.

"I didn't mean just that." Mimi fiddled with the plush toy. "I mean...y'know..."

Joe rose his eyebrows. "I do?"

Mimi rolled her eyes, and shifted her position so that she was facing Joe on the bench. "Everything!"

"Oh, that clarifies things."

Mimi angrily blushed. Shaking the otter at him, she frowned. "This entire getting mad at me, then not showing up, then following me to America sha-ding that you pulled here. That, and you bought an Armani-look-alike suit to take me out to a swanky restaurant that--you've always been a stiff ol' tightwad!"

Joe blinked at this, and tried to sputter out an answer.

"I tell you what, you better not be gay or something, `cause if you are, I'm gonna beat the tar outta you for doing this to me, `cause just about all of the guys that I like wind up bein' gay or married or too old or something like that, so I always get the short end of it all. Now I know that you're not married, and you're certainly not too old to be any threat to my Daddy, but all of a sudden you're getting all frivolous and emotional, like a hair-dresser or something--"

"Mimi, look at me." Joe said in the middle of her babbling.

Mimi had a distraught look on her face, and she gave him a quick glance at his command, but quickly lowered her eyes back as she continued. "And if you are, I better be the first one you're telling, `cause I'll never forgive the others for letting me get this involved without telling me anything--"

Joe took his hands, and framed them around Mimi's cheeks. "Look at me." He again commanded, and forced her to lift her face up to him again.

Mimi had an embarassed blush on her face, and her lips and nose had gotten red in the cold.

Joe held her face tightly, and he looked her straight in the eye over the rim of his glasses. "Mimi."

Mimi nervously blinked in reply.

"You--are one of my best friends." Joe thoughtfully spoke. "I will never lead you astray. And I don't know how to explain the change you've noticed--only that it's you who caused it."

Mimi rested her hands over his, to keep them warm. "Really? I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be."

"But I don't want you to change for me."

Joe's hold on Mimi's face loosened, and his confident expression vanished into one of surprise.

"Did you think that's what this was? Some way to change you?" Mimi gently smiled, and shook her head. "Never did the idea of changing you cross my mind!"

Joe pulled back a bit, but Mimi still held his hands to her face. "But last week in the tea shoppe, you said you didn't envy my predictable lifestyle."

"But, Joe! I wouldn't want that for me! That doesn't mean I didn't like it for you!" Mimi laughed.

Joe scooted forward, closer to her again. "So you're saying you like me predictable."

"Not predictable! What you have is your reliability, Joe! That trait I admire so much is still so obvious in you!"

Joe had a look of puzzlement on his face, and he stood suddenly.

Mimi leaned forward on the bench, and watched Joe favor his weight on his right foot. He folded his arms, and lowered his head.

"Well, I don't know."

"Hmm?" Mimi straightened up, as though snapping to attention.

Joe turned around, a comedic look of perplexion in his eyes. His mouth was a huge frown, and he scratched the back of his head nervously.

Mimi watched him pass by the bench, and head toward the apartment's entrance. "W-wait!" She gathered up the cartons, bag, and plush otter before following after Joe.

They entered the complex together, and Mimi persisted, "Joe, is that it?"

"I'm too tired to figure all of this out tonight." Joe's eyes were beginning to drop as he pushed the elevator button.

Mimi studied Joe's face. The shadows beneath his eyes proved his fatigue. She held the otter in one hand, and the plastic bags in the other. She stared at the otter toy, and waited for the elevator to open. "Were you sleeping on the couch?"

"Yeah."

"New York hotels are expensive."

"I've been told."

The door opened to an empty elevator, and they both entered on opposite sides.

The door shut, and Joe hit the sixth floor button.

Mimi leaned on the wall of the elevator, and looked across to Joe. He slouched on the armrest, his hands back in his pockets. She squinted, and saw the uneven tint on the bottom of Joe's tie. Her eyes fell to his feet, and saw the stains on the hem of his pant legs.

Joe blinked, and stopped slouching when Mimi walked straight across the elevator car, stopping in front of him.

"What?" he asked as she studied him closer.

"You smell horrible." Mimi took Joe's tie, and smelled it. "What is that?"

The door to the elevator opened, and Joe shrugged away. "I gotta take a shower."

"You're telling me. Did they throw you in the fishtank or something?"

Joe snorted a quiet laugh as they walked down the hallway. He shook his head, to which Mimi whined, and tagged along by his side.

Joe looked to her, and snickered. "What are you, a puppy dog?"

Mimi giggled, and latched herself onto his arm. "Uhn! Uhn!" she grinned. "Does that make me cute?"

"Sure, puppies are cute." Joe stopped at the apartment door.

Mimi beamed proudly at that.

"But I don't see any eligable young men dating puppies, do you?" Joe gave Mimi a sideways smile.

"Joooooe!!" Mimi whined, opening the door. They both walked in to the dark apartment. "There you go picking on me again!"

They didn't turn on any of the lights, and they stood at the doorway to wait for their eyes to adjust to the darkness.

"Jill's probably asleep." Mimi whispered.

"I figured as much." Joe whispered back.

"Do you think you can quietly manage to get to the shower?" Mimi asked, blindly groping around in the darkness for a table, a lamp...any familiar object to guide her way through.

"Doubt it. It's darker than dark in here." Joe replied.

"..." Mimi paused. "Okay. Then just follow what I say."

"Sounds fine to me."

Mimi felt the sofa in front of her. "Okay. I just found the sofa. Walk forward a bit, and--" She gasped, and spun around when she felt Joe bump into her from behind. "Dummy! Wait until I stopped talking, first!"

"Sorry." Joe hissed.

Mimi slowly moved her right hand around to find Joe's arm. "Where are you...?" she blindly waved her hand around, until her hand brushed against the stiff white shirt Joe was wearing.

Joe quickly captured her hand with his at the moment they touched, and they both gasped at the contact. Mimi felt Joe press her hand against him.

"I'm here." he said. By feeling the vibration underneath her fingertips, Mimi assumed that her hand was resting against his chest.

Mimi hesitated. Joe's hand was sweaty over hers, and he gently squeezed her hand after a moment. She felt his heart softly beating as he held her open palm just over it. Slowly, Mimi stepped towards him, resting her weight on the hand he held. She heard his steady breathing as she tried to guess where his face was, exactly...

Joe noticed the added pressure. "Mimi?"

"Shh..." Mimi stood on her toes, and closed her eyes. She took in a breath, and relaxed her lips when she felt a sharp pain on her forehead.

"OW!" Joe yelped, and backed away suddenly.

Mimi opened her eyes, and grabbed her forehead.

"Mimi, what are you doing?!" Joe gasped, holding onto his nose. "Ow, my nose...!"

Mimi felt feverish. "S-sorry!" Mimi let go of her forehead, and regained her composure. "Where are you now?"

"Beats me." Joe replied. "Would turning on a lamp be all that harmful?"

"I've gotta find one first." Mimi felt around again. "There should be a coffee table nearby..."

Joe nervously took a step forward, carefully resting his hands on the wall. Takning another step forward, he spoke again.

"What were you doing?" he asked.

"What d'you mean?" Mimi asked, and then heard a sharp rapping noise close by.

"OW! Oh, MAN---!" Joe cried out, and then went back to a hush.

"Joe?!"

"I found the coffeetable." Joe choked out, obviously in pain.

Mimi followed Joe's voice, and rested a hand on the coffeetable as she approached it. "Are you okay?"

"Sure. I've still got one knee left."

Mimi smiled at his dryness, and shook her head. "You're so cute."

Even in the pitch black, Mimi could tell Joe was blushing.

"T-turn on the light already."

Mimi switched on the lamp, and she saw Joe on the opposite side of the table, holding his knee with one hand, his nose being held with the other.

Mimi tried to keep a straight face, but she had to turn away from Joe to hide a snicker.

Joe cynically glared across to Mimi, and straightened up, folding his arms.

Mimi turned back to look at him after her laughter died down, but she got one look at Joe's red nose, and started laguhing again. Pointing, she managed to say "You...your nose!"

"Shh!" Joe hissed, and Mimi suddenly remembered that the residents of the apartment were most likely aslepp. She covered her mouth, her eyes wide.

"Are you done?"

Mimi nodded, still covering her mouth.

"...." Joe quirked an eyebrow.

Mimi uncovered her mouth, her smirk gone. "Honest. No more laughing at your expense."

Joe began to slowly walk past Mimi to head towards the shower. Mimi reached up to Joe's shoulders from behind. Joe closed his eyes, and let his stiff shoulders relax as Mimi gently helped him slide off his jacket.

"What time does your plane leave?"

"Around one."

"So we can sleep in tomorrow?" Mimi asked.

"I suppose." Joe walked towards the bathroom, pulling off his tie.

Mimi folded Joe's jacket over her arm, following close behind. "Was there something you wanted to do?"

Joe stood in the bathroom doorway, and unbuttoned his sleeves. "No, actually, sleeping in doesn't sound too bad, if I can somehow manage it."

Mimi smirked at this. Even if he tried to sleep in, Joe always found himself awake before nine o' clock every morning. "Some people are born lucky, I guess."

"If you wanna call it luck." Joe shrugged, focusing on the buttons he was undoing on his shirt. He paused, and then slowly looked over his shoulder--if not a little suspiciously--to Mimi, who stood there with his jacket draped over her arm.

Mimi blinked.

"What, are you going to wash my back?" Joe teased, pulled his shirt out of his pants.

"Huh? O-oh!" Mimi gasped, and quickly tried to distract herself.

Joe turned back towards the bathroom, and continued to unbutton his shirt in front of the mirror. He balked in his footing, and hesitated to peer over his hsoulder again to look at Mimi. He saw the hallway empty, and discreetly stuck his head out the door--

Mimi's warm brown hair fell down over the arm of the living room sofa. Her feet dangled over the other side lazily.

He saw his briefcase leaning against the back of the sofa. He didn't make a sound as he walked over to get it. He succeeded in doing so, and knelt down to take the briefacase by its handle.

"Don't take forever in the shower, okay?" Mimi's voice quietly broke the silence.

As if qued, Joe's briefcase unlatched open, and its contents fell on the floor in a messy heap.

Mimi rolled onto her side to look at Joe.

Joe shamefully kept his eyes lowered, and bunched everything together.

"The darned thing broke..." Joe piled his clothes back into the briefcase.

"We can get one before you leave tomorrow." Mimi put her hands on the arm of the sofa.

"Yeah, that'll look great on Dad's credit card." he muttered.

Mimi's widened eyes gave away her shock. "You stole your Dad's credit card?!"

Joe angrily blushed. "No!! He gave me one!"

"Oooh...." Mimi nodded, and paused in thought. "Well," she rose her eyebrows. "You can borrow mine for the trip back."

Joe stopped trying to sort through his clothes, and cynically looked up to her. "I get the feeling it'll be overkill."

Mimi nervously smiled. "It probably is a bit big..."

Joe gave up on organizing his luggage, and took a t-shirt and shorts. He stood, and tiredly kicked the clothes and briefcase to the side. "I'll fix it in the morning."

"If it makes you happy." Mimi rolled back over on the sofa, and snuggled back into a comfy position.

Joe smiled at this. "Well, I'll have to entertain myself somehow while you're snoozing the morning away." He walked back into the bathroom, and shut the door behind him.

He started the shower, and took off his shirt completely. Throwing it in a heap on the floor, he undid his belt, and pulled it off. He set it on the counter, and emptied his pockets. He ran his fingers over the contents--some change, a hefty wad of American currency with a sleek gold clip over it,

--and the bracelet.

Joe picked it up. He had it with him the entire time. He had meant to put it away, in the back of his briefcase. He figured his chances were way past gone. But his assumptions were all blown to pieces with her characteristic readyness to accept him completely again, time after time, after being a target of all of his cynicism, all of his harshness and sharpness.

How could she be so forgiving?

The question sunk further into his thoughts as he finished undressing. He stepped into the shower, and felt his rigidness from the late hour melt down the drain with the hot water hitting him.

He sighed. "Joe, you think too much." He reached over, and shut off the water.

Once he was dressed and out of the bathroom, Mimi vacated the couch for Joe, and showered.

Joe turned on the television, and kept the volume low. He twirled the fragile gold chain around the fingers of his right hand, and rubbed the cold amethyst bead between his fingers to warm it up.

After twenty minutes of mindless surfing, Joe saw that Mimi had returned in flannel pajamas. She crawled onto the sofa, a fuzzy blanket under one of her arms.

Joe looked to her. Her wet hair fell over her shoulders and collarbone. Without her makeup, the shadows under her eyes stuck out vividly against her pale skin.

"You're going to get sick." Joe said.

Mimi looked to him. Her eyes traced him up and down critically. "You're going to get cold." She opened the blanket, and threw part of it over Joe's legs.

Joe took the corners of the blanket, and pulled it over his legs. "What're you doing back here?"

Mimi reached over, and took the remote from Joe. "Wanted to see what was on, that's all."

Joe silently sat back on the sofa, and waited for Mimi to settle on a channel.

"Do you expect to ever sleep tonight?"

"Of course. It's only eleven-fourty-five." MImi set the remote down in-between the two of them on the sofa.

Joe sighed, and watched the screen. His eyelids stung from exhaustion, and his ears began to filter out all of the noise from the television.

"You don't have to try to stay awake." Mimi propped her feet up on the table in front of the sofa, and moved her feet a bit.

"I'm trying to fall asleep." Joe replied.

Mimi reached over, and pulled off Joe's glasses. "It'd help if you'd take off your glasses, I think."

Joe flinched, and pulled away. "Warn me before you do that."

Mimi folded his glasses, and put them by her feet on the coffeetable. "Do I make you uncomfortable?"

"No, it's not that."

"That's good." Mimi began to lean against him lightly. "I'd feel pretty rotten if I did."

Joe shifted, and shook his head in disbelief. "How can you do this?"

"Do what?"

"This." Joe nodded. "Acting like--what happened tonight didn't happen."

Mimi's shoulder was against his arm. She looked up to him. "Well--you were sorry for what you did, so I forgave you." Mimi looked back to the screen. "For me--I believe forgiving is forgetting."

Joe looked at Mimi with a tight frown.

"If you don't believe me, I really don't mind." Mimi's wet hair was cold against Joe's arm.

"I believe you." Joe quietly replied.

Mimi closed her eyes. "That's good."

Joe dug beneath the blankets to get the remote control, and turned off the TV. The two sat in the darkness, and Mimi let out a yawn.

"Man, this week's been killer." she pulled the blankets tighter, and slouched down on the sofa.

"Shh." Joe scolded.

"Oh, you 'shh'!" Mimi scolded back in good humor.

"Go to sleep."

"You first."

"I will, then."

"Good."

"Fine"

"Fine."

Mimi had her entire body sprawled across the sofa by ten the next morning. Her feet had the blanket draped over them as they hung over the arm of the sofa.

She stirred awake the moment her left arm slid off of the sofa cushion. It hung a few inches from the carpeted floor, and she didn't take immediate notice to the bracelet dangling loosely around her wrist.

Joe was in the dining room, sitting at the table. He was fully dressed in a dark plum-colored button up shrit, and dark khaki pants. His socked feet were resting firmly on the tile floor, and he leaned over the table, intensely eyeing the buckle on his briefcase. He had a set of tiny screwdrivers spread out on the table.

Jill was sitting across the table in her pajamas, holdling a steaming cup of coffee to her face. She silently watched Joe's exact handiwork replacing the screw on the briefcase buckle.

"Didja learn that in med school?" Jill asked before taking a sip.

"Learn what?"

"Handiwork like that. You're so sure in your movement..." Jill watched Joe's long fingers swiftly twist the screwdriver.

"...I dunno. I guess." Joe replied, and set the screwdriver down. He picked up the briefcase, and tested it.

Jill eyed him. "Are you the same guy that was in those photo-stickers?"

Joe set the briefcase back down. "Wh--the puri-kura?" He glanced to the side as though to think back.

Mimi walked into the kitchen, and both Jill and Joe looked up to her. She walked over to the fridge, and pulled out a carton of milk.

Jill noticed the cozy smile on Mimi's face, and saw Joe shyly shrug over his tools in response to a lingering glance Mimi sent him. The American rose her eyebrows, and sipped her coffee.

Mimi sat at the table with a bowl and a box of Cheerios. "I'm assuming the two of you had breakfast this morning."

"Yup." Jill stood, and took a crutch. "And I need to go get dressed."

Mimi looked to Jill. "D'you need help?"

"Nah, I'll take my time. You'll be with me all week. You two gab for a bit before he has to go home." Jill called behind her as she headed to her bedroom.

Mimi turned back to Joe, and smiled warmly again. She rested her arms on the table, and put her left arm over her right, to show the bracelet on her wrist.

"I should've put two and two together." Mimi had a pleasant tone in her voice.

"But I'm too predictable for that." Joe smiled, still messing with his briefcase.

Mimi stirred her Cheerios. "D'you want me to wear this?"

Joe knew she meant the bracelet. "Well, isn't that what they're for?" He evaded the question by pretending to be absorbed in his briefcase.

Mimi furrowed her brow, and held up her wrist emphatically. "I mean, all the time."

Joe put away his screwdrivers, and set them in the briefcase. A silent moment passed.

Mimi was about to ask the question again, but waited a moment. She then opened her mouth to speak, but Joe cut her off.

"If you want to."

Mimi lowered her wrist. "I don't mind."

"Only if you want to."

"Do you want me to?"

Joe finally looked up from his briefcase. His dark eyes softly glistened with a quiet ray of hope form behind his glasses. As though confessing some abominable sin, he mumbled, "Yeah."

Mimi's furrowed brow and tight frown relaxed to a smile. With a pleasant blush, she lowered her face, and hovered over her cereal in a bashful shrug. She scooped up a spoonful of Cheerios, and ate a too-large bite. She pulled her eyes from her cereal and got eye-contact with Joe across the table, who appeared unaffected by the most recent exchange. But they both knew better.

"What should I say when I get back?" Joe broke their stare, and began to put his things into his briefcase.

"To who?" Mimi swallowed her bite.

"Everyone."

"Well, everyone including your Dad?"

Joe paused, and his eyes looked to the distance as he thought for a moment. "Except Dad."

Mimi nodded, and scooped up some more Cheerios. "Tell `em whatever you want. But leave out some of the details."

"But don't you want to wait until you come home?" Joe asked.

"Do you think they're going to give you any peace from the moment you step foot in Japan again?" Mimi answered (sorta).

Joe shut his briefcase, and it fastened with a quiet 'click'. He stood, and began to put away his different screwdrivers.

Mimi put another spoonful in her mouth, and watched Joe with her round hazel eyes.

Joe lifted his briefcase, and carried it at his side. He walked by Mimi as he passed by the kitchen table. He came to a halt when he felt a tug on the back of his shirt bunched into the palm of Mimi's hand. Her back was facing him, she was still turned towards the table.

"Joe." she quietly said.

Joe merely blinked in reply, a curious look on his face.

Mimi turned her face to the side, and she gazed down to the tile floor. "Joe, I wish I could've made this easier."

Joe turned around, and rested a hand on top of Mimi's soft, fine brown hair.

Mimi looked up to see Joe's encouraging smile.

"I don't." Joe brightly replied.

"Mimiiiiiii---!!!" Jill called from the sidewalk. "This taxi is waiting!!!"

"I know, I know!" Mimi backed out of the apartment, two huge shopping bags weighing down each side of her long frame. "Joe!" she barked over her shoulder. "The taxi's costing us, y'know! Hussle! Hussle!"

Joe grunted as he balanced his briefcase on his fingers, and another bag of American goodies for the troupe back home. "Couldn't these things wait until you got home Friday?"

Joe stumbled to the curbside, and dropped his belongings into the trunk.

"Care-ful!!!" Mimi scolded, leaning over the trunk to straighten out the bags. "Geez, let's not break everything."

"Get in, kids." Jill poked her head out of the taxi window.

Joe and Mimi exchanged glances as Mimi shut the trunk.

Mimi let herself in the back seat, and rested her purse between her feet on the taxi floor. Joe soon ducked into the cab, and shut the door behind him.

Mimi turned to Joe as he heaved a sigh of relief.

"...it'll be good to be home." he closed his eyes as the taxi pulled away from the curb.

Mimi stuck out her bottom lip. "Oh?"

Joe folded his arms over his chest, and leaned back on the leather seats. "Yeah. Familiarity is such a good thing."

Mimi leaned over, and studied Joe's face.

Joe opened his eyes, and suddenly backed up into the seat in a fit. "What?!"

Mimi blinked, her eyes wide. "Aren't I familiar?"

"Th-th..." Joe scooted away, and sat up. "That's not what I meant."

"What did you mean, then?"

"...." Joe adjusted his glasses, and looked out the window. "...nothing."

Mimi paused, and sat back again. "I'll be back home Friday."

"I know."

Mimi looked out the other window. "You do, huh..."

"You've only told me about five times this morning." Joe didn't look to Mimi, but gazed still out the window.

There was a grueling silence between the two of them.

Mimi looked down to her wrist again, and began to play with the amethyst bead on her bracelet.

"Don't break it."

Mimi grimaced, and grumbled below her breath. "M'gonna break it."

"What's that?"

Mimi turned to Joe. "I'm not gonna break it, for crying out loud...!"

Joe blinked, holding his arm in front of his face, as though to shield it. He had a nervous smile on his face, "S...sorry."

Mimi folded her arms, and huffed. "Geez. You think I'd go through all this to break the silly bracelet?"

"Is it really that silly? I thought it was nice." Joe leaned over Mimi's arm to get a good look at it again.

Mimi drew back her arm, and brought it close to her chest. "I didn't mean it like that."

Joe leaned back, and Mimi sighed. "The airport's not far from here."

Jill paid the taxi driver as Joe and Mimi pulled out the luggage going back to Japan.

"You need to carry this one on with you." Mimi pressed a flat bag against Joe's chest, and Joe began to pull the handles apart to look into it.

"Don't look at it!" Mimi snapped, and Joe quickly pulled it shut in a fuss. "You can't open that until you're back in Japan." Mimi tapped her chin with an index finger, and smiled.

Joe blinked, and looked down at it again. "Why don't you just wait and give it to me when you get back?"

"Do you want me to take it back?" Mimi reached for the bag, and Joe defensively stepped back, pulling the bag close.

"No, that's okay."

"No, if it's that much of a temptation...." Mimi teased.

Joe furrowed his brow, and frowned. "What on earth do you have in here?"

Mimi leaned back on her heels, and put her arms behind her back. "Nothing bad." She took Joe's arm, and pointed to the entrance. "They've got your bags. Let's go get an Icee."

Joe blinked, and noticed the breath forming clouds in front of his face. "In this weather?"

"Well, when's the next time you'll be in an American airport? You've got to try one!" Mimi tugged on his arm, and walked backwards into the airport.

The crowds were pretty diluted, seeing that it was weekday afternoon. Mimi looked behind to wave to Jill. "We're going to get an Icee! Want one?" she called.

Jill waved back to them, and shouted, "No! I'm going to head over to the gate and save you guys a seat!"

Mimi nodded, and turned back to Joe. "She needs to get off her foot anyway."

"Will she be all right, by herself?" Joe asked.

"Oh, easy. Jill's got savior-faire that I could only dream of." Mimi pulled her coat tighter, and pointed ahead of herself. "The food court's this way."

Mimi giggled to herself as Joe gasped in awe at the food court they entered.

"...you...you could LIVE in here!!!" Joe marvelled at the number of stations serving various lunches.

"The Icee machine is over here..." Mimi lightly touched Joe's arm, and nodded to a spot across the food court.

"...and this is in an AIRPORT?!" Joe gawked.

Mimi smiled, and bee-lined to the Icee station. She stood in line, and pulled out her wallet to get a few dollars out. "My favorite is the Coke Icee, but the blueberry is a must-have if you've never tried it..." She looked up from her wallet, and noticed Joe just barely pushing down the sides of the bag she handed him earlier. She lightly fwapped him, and he jumped.

She turned back to the register, and smiled at the tender. "I'd like to have a large blueberry Icee, please." she turned to Joe, "What about you?"

Joe shrugged. "What do you think?"

Mimi turned back, "He'll have a Coke Icee." She looked over her shoulder to Joe, "That way, if you don't want the rest of it, I can have it."

Joe and Mimi walked casually back to the gate Joe would be leaving at, pretty quiet, outside of the occasional slurping noise they made with their drinks.

"Hmm!" Joe made a quiet laugh which caused Mimi to look up to him.

Mimi's hazel eyes were round. "What?"

Joe pulled the straw away from his mouth, and smiled, "You look very happy with your Icee."

Mimi looked down to her rapidly emptying cup, and looked back up, her face beaming. "They're one of those little things in life that make everything..."

"...sweet." Joe nodded, and smiled back.

Mimi smiled, and nodded. Without saying anything, she went back to sipping on her blueberry Icee.

They came to their gate, and Mimi found a trashcan to throw away her empty Icee cup in. "Those are always great!" She rubbed her hands, "My hands are freeeeeezing!"

Joe put a hand in his pocket, and looked back to Mimi. "Your mouth is blue."

Mimi's eyes widened, and she brought a hand to her mouth. "You're kidding!"

Joe laughed a bit, and threw away his Icee. "Now your lips look freezing cold. You look dead or something."

Mimi pulled down her hand, and frowned at Joe. "You don't have to go that far!"

Joe laughed harder.

"Joooooooe!"

"Mimiiiii!"

They stood in line to board the plane, and Joe turned to face Mimi.

Mimi held her hands together, and looked at him. She waited for him to speak before doing anything.

Joe looked down at her, his eyes tired, a little puffy. Sleep-deprived, no doubt.

Mimi's mouth gaped open a bit, "...."

Joe kept a straight face, and rested a hand on Mimi's shoulder. "Mimi."

Mimi's eyebrows rose, a hopeful feeling seemed to inflate in her chest, suffocating her a bit, so that she couldn't speak.

Joe leaned forward a bit, and paused a few inches from her. He then moved an inch closer...

"...ph..phhffft!" Joe lowered his head, and began to laugh.

Mimi's face went comedically blank. "Wh..."

"...I...I'm sorry...it's too hard to have a serious goodbye...when you look like one of the Titanic victims!" Joe said between laughs.

Mimi's shoulders sagged. "Heh."

Joe straightened up, and inhaled. "Ah, that felt good!" He brushed his hands over his pant legs, and smiled confidently.

Mimi glared up at him. Why you...

"Don't worry, Mimi...jet-lag will take its revenge on me for you." Joe held up an index finger, and smiled.

Mimi felt that suffocation feeling deflate like an untied balloon.

"Tell Jill thanks for me. She was very hospitable." Joe took his hand off of Mimi's shoulder, and walked up to have his ticket taken.

"..." Mimi watched in silence as Joe just...left.

No big deal.

Not a word out of her.

Not even a...not a thing.

"J-JOE!!!" Mimi put her hands around her mouth, and shouted.

Joe, a good distance away from her, turned around.

"Open it after you've taken off!" Mimi leaned forward as she shouted with as much volume as she could.

Mimi felt her heart speed up again as she saw a smile creep across Joe's face, and he lifted his chin a bit to give her a quick nod. He turned around again, and sped up his walking, so as not to keep the people behind him waiting.

Mimi smiled, her chest proudly puffed in an almost triumphant stance. Jill hobbled next to Mimi, and spoke.

"He looks different from the puri-kuras."

"Doesn't he?" Mimi breathed quietly, and then turned around. "Let's go shopping."

Jill turned around on her crutches, and followed with good speed. "Shopping? But you bought your friends everything they asked for."

Mimi shook her head. She licked her lips, and pressed them together. "For me. For lipstick."

Jill stopped, and looked at her friend quizically.

Mimi stopped next to her, and nervously smiled. "Whaaaat?" She laughed. "Silllyyyyyy! Stop looking at me like that!"

"Honestly, Mimi..."

"Whaaaat? It's not like that!"

"Pink wiring."

"Right."

"...." Izzy bent over Cody's computer, and peered in. "And they stand for...which color, Yolei?"

Yolei blushed a bit, and closed her eyes. "...that is...I forgot if it was for red or yellow."

Joe watched the two of them silently communicate at the table of the Izumi apartment. Yolei timidly toyed with her fingers, and watched Izzy tinker with the wiring inside.

"...and you did this..."

"I'm sorry?" Yolei rose her eyebrows.

"Oh. I see." Izzy stood up, and pulled at his collar a bit. "This is one of those things that you did for no reason at all."

Joe snorted a laugh, and lightly kicked at the shopping bag sitting at his feet.

"Of course I had a reason for it!" Yolei flatly glared at her cyber-savvy associate. "I just don't feel like telling you."

"Oh, so you had a reason." Izzy put the computer tower's case back on, and slid it in place. "Just not a good one."

"And they say romance is dead." Joe snicked, and pulled the shopping bag up onto the table. "Okay. Put away the toys. I have a delivery to make."

Yolei and Izzy both glared to Joe over the tower of the computer.

"Romance is only dead because you killed it." Yolei's voice was icy cold.

"You shouldn't speak, Joe. You've had plenty of opportunities over the past two weeks, and you've done more than kill it." Izzy's tone was nearly identical to Yolei.

"He's tortured, killed, resurrected, and crucified it." Yolei took the tower, and put it on the floor.

Joe sat back, and pulled out their gifts from the shopping bag. "I dunno. I think I've done pretty well."

"You could've done better." Yolei folded her arms. "C'mooooon! All you could show for yourself is your silly otter and a pair of new cuff-links?!"

Joe blinked, taken aback, a little insulted. "I like the cuff-links."

"You were in New York City!!! Y'knooooow! 'An Affair to Remember'!"

"Never saw it."

"The Empire State Building!"

"Heights make me pass out."

"The busy streets! The hussle and bussle!"

"...the smog. The noise..."

Yolei stared across to Joe cynically, opening her gift from Mimi. "Someone wasn't breast-fed."

Izzy hunched over, suddenly cracking up.

Joe paused, silent. He looked to Izzy, who quickly calmed down his laughter. He turned back to Yolei, and said with a priceless deadpan, "Someone doesn't have breasts."

Yolei gawked, and Izzy gaffawed. She turned to Izzy, "Don't laugh! Stop laughing!"

Joe sat back in his seat, listened to the two go at it like two quarreling birds.

"I do SO have breasts!"

"Yes...yes, Yolei, you do."

"How the heck should YOU know?! You better not be looking!!!"

It was Thursday. January twenty-fifth. Joe looked to the clock on the Izumi kitchen wall. It wasn't even seven in the evening yet.

Joe stood, and pushed his chair in. "I have a few rounds to make, yet."

Yolei looked up from the being-strangled Izzy, her amber eyes wide. "Wha--? Wait! Isn't there more?"

Joe blinked, "More?"

"You know...more." Yolei shrugged inquisitively.

"...." Joe stared at the two of them blankly. "...more....to....?" He shook his head, obviously clueless as to what they were hinting at.

Both Izzy and Yolei sighed, and flatly stared at each other.

Yolei released her hold on her upper-classman, and put a hand on her hip. "No matter. I'll get it all from Mimi tomorrow, anyhow."

"Bu-but...get what out of Mimi?" Joe frowned hilariously.

"Everything!" Yolei grinned, and pushed Joe out of the apartment door. "Get some rest! We're gonna get to the airport early tomorrow!"

"All of us?"

"Well, nooo...some of us are busy." Yolei glared over her shoulder. She smiled up to Joe, and chirped, "Just those that love her the most, I guess!"

Joe cleared his throat, and looked away.

Yolei grinned wider, and pushed on Joe's cheek with an index finger. "That's m'boy...!"

Joe sighed as Yolei shut the Izumi apartment door behind her, and dug into the shopping bag he brought with him. He pulled out the toy otter, and held it in front of him. "I find myself talking to you again, don't I?" He lowered his head, and his glasses slid down the bridge of his nose. "Maybe I should give you name then, huh?" He closed his eyes, and stood outside the apartment door.

He paused, and opened his eyes again. The two black beaded eyes stared up at him expectantly.

"But you probably want Mimi to name you, don't you?" he smiled a bit, wanting to laugh at himself. He moved his index finger just behind the otter's plush head, to make it nod. "She'd probably name you something much cuter, anyway."

He shook his head, almost ashamed of himself. He put the otter in his coat pocket, and began to walk down the hallway. "You can ask her when she gets home tomorrow, right?" he muttered below his breath, optimistically looking forward.

She'll be happy to see you, I think.

Joe shrugged, a chastising smile dominating his features, "But you can't get your hopes up."

fin.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Iiiiiiiii!!!! OmiGOSH! I finished it! =O The series...is...OVAAHHHHH!!!! ::strikes a pose:: I've NEVER finished a series before! Never! ...unless you count Ageis. But that wasn't even really an ENDING. Because it had a second season! .

This is the end. Of course, I left the ending open for a sequel, if I feel like it. It would be a short one, of course...at least, shorter than this. It would be a one-shot. But now I can focus my efforts on "To Japan, With Love"...you guys DO want me to continue that one, right? I also have a 2027 Jyoumi ficcy that I started a while ago...and then I have "Kimi ga Omoide ni Naru Mae ni" that I've added to, but haven't finished yet, either! .

But it's late. It's almost 3 a.m. over here...do I really need to ASK you guys to review this for me? You know I want `em. Sock `em at me. ^^ I don't mind at aaaall.

Thanks to everyone who's stuck through this entire series. I dunno why, but I usually stay away from reading series. I guess I'm not one for commitment. ^^;;; You guys are too much. I love all of you! Please continue staying in touch! I love hearing from you all!

~Mimi-chan

As always, Reality Check has been updated! Please visit!