"Courting Miss Mimi"
Story Written by Freedom Fighter
Table of Contents
P Prologue
1 In Love with the New Girl - Michael's POV
2 More Than Just Friends? - Matt's POV
3 The Argument - Izzy's POV
4 The Perfect Girl - Joe's POV
5 Sisterly Love - Yolei's POV
6 The Day Everyone Fell in Love with Me - Mimi's POV
Part 4 - The Perfect Girl
(As told by Joe, in his point of view)
Joe and Mimi, sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G.
Now wait just a minute here! Since when does Fox have the audacity to promote Joe and
Mimi as a couple?
Sure, Joe stayed behind with Mimi after she said that she wouldn't fight anymore.
Maybe Joe comforted her. Maybe those are perfect reasons why there are fans who do
support the couple.
I still don't like it.
But something tells me that Joe has more on his mind then worrying about whether or not
someone will beat him up because he wears glasses.
On with the story, before I have to say ahem...
Shoot...
Disclaimer: Digimon doesn't belong to me, and it never will. And despite rumors, Joe is
not leaving the series to become the newest doctor on 'ER.' Wherever you heard them,
just forget about it. It's not true. Joe can't be a doctor anyway yet because he's still
taking classes to become one. But then again, there have been exceptions...
***
July 14th, 5:30 p.m., Kido Residence
Geese, why do always have to have so much homework? Who would have even thought
that a freshman in high school will be stuffed up to the gills with work? Sigh... I wonder
how long it's going to be until dinner's ready. At least that'll give me a short break.
That reminds me... I'd better get ready. Mimi's arriving at the airport tonight from New
York.
It's been awhile since we've been together. I think that we've had our moments in the
past. Especially when we separated from the rest of the group while we were fighting the
Dark Masters. Those days were some of the most enjoyable of my life. Given the
circumstances, of course.
[Flashback - Three years ago]
In a time when our best chance for survival was to stick together as one cohesive group,
we were split into three groups. Matt, torn between good and evil through what I thought
was his own misunderstanding of his own crest, the crest of friendship, had gone off on
his own. Mimi, who was sick and tired of fighting, wanted to stay behind and not be any
part of the fight. I decided to stay with her, in order to keep her safe from any wild
Digimon. Tai, Kari, Sora, Izzy, and TK all stayed together and continued on towards
Puppetmon's house, in hopes of defeating him.
Our first and only night alone with our own Digimon, we had walked a very small
distance from where we had split up with the others. Both Palmon and Gomamon were
reluctant to split up, but they couldn't bear to be apart from their Digidestined partners,
namely, Mimi and I.
Anyway, we were attempting to find a place to stay the night. It had to be somewhere
where we would be safe from outside attack. Actually, Gomamon and I were doing
much of the searching ourselves. Mimi was still crying over everything that had
happened over the past few days. Palmon was trying to console her, but to no avail. I
don't blame Mimi for crying, though. If I wasn't the oldest one in the bunch, I'd
probably chicken out as well. I wasn't exactly comfortable with battling the Dark
Masters, much less be able to defeat them.
We've lost several Digimon over the past few days. It's been so frustrating to be right
there with them, yet be unable to protect them from a single deadly strike. I mean, we
have two Digimon who can warp digivolve, while the others can digivolve to ultimate.
Other than Angemon, of course. Still, that wasn't enough to beat the Dark Masters!
We've succeeded in taking down Metal Seadramon, but even that battle wasn't easy.
And we lost Whamon in the process too. Then Puppetmon comes along. He starts
treating us like puppets, technically speaking. He could've very well killed TK when he
kidnapped him. And then I bet he's responsible for Matt's confusing nature right now, as
well as his decision to try and take down Tai and War Greymon. Who knows what he
could do next?
That's why I decided to stay with Mimi. I didn't want anything happening to her. Who
knows what sick and twisted ideas he had in store if he got his hands on her? Better yet,
I'd rather not think about that. Still, I had to do something. I may not be the smartest,
the strongest, or the most impulsive, but I had to help her anyway. I guess that's why I
have the crest of reliability. Personally, I think that's a good trait for me to have right
now. I'm sure Mimi would agree with me. She needs someone who would watch over
her, no matter what his capabilities are. I might even consider Mimi to be one of the
weaker links in our Digidestined chain, which stresses the utmost importance of keeping
her safe.
But somehow, I feel that that's not the only reason I decided to tag along with her.
There's this strange feeling that's coming over me. A warm and fuzzy feeling of sorts.
Could it be the fact that I'm with Mimi? I mean, she is cute and bubbly. What am I
saying? She'll never go out with a guy like me. She's probably more interested in guys
that are just like Matt. I can imagine what would happen if I asked her to be my
girlfriend...
Mimi was sitting up against a tree, reading a book, when I walk over to her nervously.
"Hi, Mimi," I say, shakily.
"Oh. Hello Joe," she responds calmly.
"Listen, I have to ask you something."
"What is it, Joe?"
"Well, I was wondering... would you like to be my girlfriend?"
"Huh?" she asked curiously. "Your girlfriend?"
"Yes. From the first time I laid eyes on you, I've been in love. You know, we've been
friends for several years now and I think it's time we took our relationship to the next
level. You agree, right?"
Mimi smiles and then laughs wholeheartedly. My jaw drops in disbelief.
"You're kidding, right?" she responds, with a smirk on her face.
"Kidding?" I said slowly, nervously feeling my chance of getting her slipping away.
"You're nice and all Joe, but I don't want to ruin our perfect friendship."
"NOOOOOOOOO!" I yelled, as I felt myself falling into oblivion.
Yeah, that settles it. Don't even think about asking Mimi out. She won't be interested.
Anyway, I had finally found a small pit that had been dug out underneath a giant tree.
There was also a hole in the base of the tree, enough to fit all four of us without any
problem. I decided that this was the perfect place to set up camp. I informed Mimi and
Palmon of our find as Gomamon started to check the hole for bugs and other such things.
"C'mon Mimi, I found a place to stay the night."
Mimi sniffles as she wipes the last few tears from her face. "I bet it doesn't have a bed,
right?"
"Unfortunately not. But we'll at least have shelter from the elements."
"It's better than nothing, Mimi," Palmon said, speaking up.
"If you say so, Palmon," Mimi responded. "It's got to be better than having nothing at
all."
In a matter of minutes, Gomamon completes his inspection of the hole. He comes out of
the hole to report on his findings.
"Everything's ship-shape Joe!" Gomamon responded cheerfully. "They're aren't any
bugs within an eighth-mile radius."
"I guess you can't get any better than that," I reply.
I usher Mimi into the hole. Amazingly enough, she doesn't seemed to be complaining
about it at all. I know that won't last long, though. She'll complain eventually.
Sure enough, the moment she stepped into the hole of the tree, she started speaking her
mind.
"It's too cramped in here! There's no way I'm sleeping on the ground, either."
"But Mimi, I just said there were no beds."
"Yeah, but you didn't tell me our accommodations were this bad!"
"Oh, it's not so bad Mimi," Gomamon added.
"I agree," Palmon said in agreement. "It's nice to be among the trees again."
Mimi gave up, seeing that she wasn't going to win this argument. She sets her bag down
on the ground and then sits down on top of it. She then lies her back against the inside of
the tree. I put the medical bag down next to her and then head out, with Gomamon next
to me.
"Joe? Where are you going?"
"Gomamon and I are off to find some firewood, as well as some food."
"Can I help?" Mimi pleaded.
"You've been through enough already today, Mimi. I think you should rest."
"But Joe..."
"Palmon will be here to keep you company. I'm sure she won't let anything happen to
you, either."
Palmon stands up straight and salutes Joe. "Don't worry! I won't let anything happen to
Mimi."
"Thanks," I reply. "See you two in a bit. Come on, Gomamon."
"I'm coming, I'm coming. Say, do you think we can avoid fishing?"
"Why?"
"I think they're catching onto me. We'd be wasting our time."
I laugh. "Okay, we'll see what we can find."
I prayed that nothing would happen to Mimi and Palmon while we were gone. In the
meantime, I tried not to think about it as we started gathering firewood. It didn't seem
like that was going to be too bad.
And then I realized that we had one problem. How were we going to get all of this wood
back to the campsite? Man, I should've brought the bag so at least we'd have something
to carry it in. But then, I'd probably collapse carrying the whole thing. Oh brother.
It would be about an hour before Gomamon and I return to our campsite. I was carrying
a bunch of firewood in between my arms. Along the way, we had found an old wicker
basket. Using a piece of twine I conveniently found on the ground, I tied it to
Gomamon's back. We then found some berries and mushrooms that looked to be edible
and put them in the basket. Needless to say, Mimi and Palmon were happy to see us
again.
"Oh, you're back!" Mimi exclaimed, running up to me. "And you brought food!"
"Not to mention firewood!" Palmon added.
"There wasn't much of a selection," I began, "but at least we have something."
"I still have a full bottle of water in my bag. We should use that to drink."
"Okay, but I think we should ration it. No telling when we'll get another decent bite to
eat."
Mimi sighs. "I miss being home. At least there I'd always have enough to eat."
"Don't worry, Mimi," I said, reassuring her, "we'll get through this."
With that, I set the firewood down a few feet away from the hole. I then go over to
Gomamon and untie the basket from his back.
"Palmon, could you do me a favor?" I asked her.
"Sure."
"Go into the medical bag and go get the box of matches I brought from home."
Palmon nods and leaves Mimi unattended as she jumps down into the hole and towards
the tree. She returns about a minute later, with the matchbox in her branches.
"Here ya go."
"Thanks, Palmon."
I proceeded to light the firewood. It only takes two tries before the fire gets going.
Instantly, Mimi pounces on the chance to get warm by running over and taking a seat
right in front of the fire. I jump back in surprise as she extends her arms towards the fire.
"Sorry 'bout that, Joe. I'm just trying to stay warm, that's all."
"Well," I replied, fixing my glasses, "warn me the next time you pounce at a fire, ok?"
Mimi flashed a smile at me before turning back to the basking glow of the fire. I placed
the basket of berries and mushrooms next to her on the ground. I then began to take the
mushrooms out of the basket. Gomamon decided to help me, while Palmon takes a seat
next to Mimi. I didn't mind, since Mimi had been in distress all day. It wasn't right to
make her work. Palmon neither, 'cause she was watching Mimi most of the time.
As Gomamon and I continued our work, I decided to pull out one of the berries from the
basket. Without thinking, I stuffed it into my mouth. Mimi probably wasn't thinking
either, because when she saw me do that, she immediately got up and smacked me in the
face, forcing me to spit the torn up berry to the ground... as well as send my glasses
flying.
"Ow!" I yelled, rubbing the place where Mimi had hit me with my left hand. "What was
that for?"
"Are you insane?" Mimi retaliated. "What would have happened to you if that berry was
poisonous?"
I continued to talk as Gomamon retrieved my glasses. "Well, one of us would have
eventually had to try one anyway. There was no way around it."
"Couldn't we have put it to a vote?"
"Thanks Gomamon," I said, turning towards my Digimon as he handed back my glasses,
which didn't seem damaged at all. I then turned back towards Mimi and responded, "I
would've never forgiven myself if those berries really were poisonous and you had eaten
one of them."
"Really? You were willing to die for me?"
I sweatdropped. "Not necessarily die... just doing whatever it takes to keep you safe."
Mimi was rather stunned by my response. She looked at me with unblinking eyes. I
looked back at her with that very same expression. It seemed like we stayed that way for
several hours. Only when our Digimon brought us to did we realize what we had been
doing. We both blushed and turn away from each other simultaneously.
"Why were you two staring at each other?" Gomamon pried.
"Did you see anything interesting, Mimi?" Palmon asked.
"Oh," I quickly replied, "I thought I heard something. Right Mimi?"
"Huh?" Mimi responded. "Oh yeah, right. We have to be on the lookout for the Dark
Masters, remember?"
"You know," Gomamon said, "you two are both terrible liars."
We looked nervously at Gomamon, then at each other, and then back at Gomamon.
"Come on! I can tell when something's up. And something's up. So what's up?"
Both us sat still, not knowing how to respond. Finally, Mimi speaks up.
"I think we'd better start cooking those mushrooms before they get stale."
"Good idea," I said, quickly agreeing. I went back to separating the mushrooms from the
berries, while Mimi found a few sticks nearby that we could use. I immediately took
three mushrooms, put them on one of the sticks, one at a time, until all three were on.
Mimi took the mushroom-ka-bob and began to hold it over the fire. Soon enough,
Palmon, Gomamon, and myself had done the same. While I was doing so, I think
Gomamon and Palmon were still thinking about prying into why we are staring at each
other, but I think their stomachs were talking louder than their mouths right now.
We would spend the next hour or so frying mushroom and gobbling down berries, all the
while conversing about what had been going on in the Digiworld.
"I'm just so afraid to fight, you know?" Mimi said. I confidently nod in agreement. "I'm
afraid that one day that one of the Digimon that gets deleted by a Dark Master is one of
yours." She then glances at Palmon. "I'm even afraid that it might be you, Palmon."
"We're Digimon, Mimi. We can defend ourselves from attacks."
"But for how long, Palmon? We've already seen Chuumon, Sukamon, and Whamon get
deleted, and for all we know, Piximon may be as well. I don't think we'll ever be able to
stand up to the power of the Dark Masters."
"Don't say that!" I say defiantly, getting up from my seat on the ground. "Look Mimi, I
known we've been through a lot. Several digi-years ago, we didn't even know what a
Digimon was, let alone the powers they had. But we've grown with them. As they've
digivolved to their next level, we as the Digidestined have also evolved. We've matured
in ways that probably would have taken us years to do similarly in the real world. We've
had to adapt to our surroundings, figure out how to survive in a foreign world, and deal
with being away from our families for so long."
"Joe, can you stop babbling and please get to the point?" Mimi interrupted, already tired
of my rambling.
"The point is, Mimi, is that we've gotten out of tough situations before. We've defeated
Devimon, Etemon, and Myotismon, three of the most evil Digimon that you could ever
meet. With each new villain, we were put to the test, whether it be finding our crests or
finding the key to getting our Digimon to digivolve. There is a way we can beat the Dark
Masters. We will find it. The only question is when and where."
Mimi raised her hand. "I'd like the when and where to be here and now, thank you very
much."
"I'm amazed!" exclaimed Gomamon. "I didn't know you were the type of person who
could give inspirational speeches."
I laughed. "It's funny how you know what a speech is, yet you don't even know the days
of the week!"
"Oh yeah, I'm a real comedian," replied Gomamon sarcastically. This caused Mimi and
Palmon to also break out in laughter. Heck, even Gomamon began laughing at his own
joke. That's how it was for two or three minutes... we were basically just laughing our
guts out. Which I thought was good. We have been under a lot of stress lately and I
think that this was a cool, if unintentional, way to relax for once. Besides, we need to be
focused if we are to defeat the Dark Masters.
But first, let's worry about getting back with the others.
After we finished our dinner, which seemed to be more of a snack than a three course
meal, we decided to go to sleep. After such an emotional day, sleep was probably the
best way to get the whole thing off our minds.
We all cuddled up inside the tree trunk. We only had one blanket, so I gave it to Mimi
and Palmon to share. They didn't object to that, so they comfortable snuggled
themselves in. After putting my glasses in the medical bag, I sat down right against the
inside of the tree. Gomamon jumped into my lap and stayed there as he fell asleep. I
decided that I would be fine sleeping and sitting up against the inside of the trunk at the
same time. After all, we've got to watch out for each other. And that's what I did. For
hours, I just watched Mimi sleep peacefully under her blanket. Palmon had her vines
wrapped around Mimi, while Mimi had her arms wrapped around Palmon. They weren't
having any problems keeping warm, as I could see the smiles plastered across their faces.
Meanwhile, I was shivering cold. I grabbed my arms with my hands and rubbed them
over and over to try and keep warm, but to no avail. I looked down and saw that
Gomamon was also cold. Not wanting for him to catch a cold, I quickly slid him under
the blanket, next to Palmon, without waking either of them. I then just sat there,
continuing to rub my arms in an effort to keep from getting a cold myself. I know my
mind was telling me several times to get under the blanket because Mimi wouldn't mind.
But I couldn't do that too her. Besides, with Gomamon now in there with them, there
wouldn't be enough blanket for all four of us if I got in there as well.
I'm not exactly how cold it got that night, but it was obviously cold enough that my teeth
began to chatter. In fact, they chattered loud enough to wake Mimi from her peaceful
slumber. Which consequently woke up Palmon, who was still attached to Mimi. Of
course, I didn't know that they were awake because my eyes were closed as I struggled to
get even a wink of sleep. Before I knew it, I felt her tapping me on the shoulder.
"Joe?"
I open my eyes and look up. Mimi was kneeling down on the ground, just to my right.
Her pink hat was on the ground, next to her bag, which means that I had a full
unrestricted view of her face. Her bright, brown eyes shined like the stars above, as I
easily spotted them in the darkness. Her nose wasn't bad either. Not that people
complement how nice your nose is, but I guess it would be good to note it. Then came
her lips. Not old enough to wear lipstick, I was able to see the natural curve of her smile
without any problems. Her hair was somewhat ruffled up, which was expected because
of how she was lying down, face up.
"Joe, are you still awake?" she spoke silently to me.
"Yes. Why are you up?" I replied.
"Well," she began, smiling again, "I couldn't sleep with your teeth chattering and all."
"Oh, I see."
"Would you like to come under the blanket with me?"
At that moment, I blushed. Heck, I might have even fainted, except the fact that I felt
like I was so cold I thought none of my body parts would be able to move. Nervously, I
managed to nod yes.
Mimi slowly guided me over to her side, as I tried to awaken my legs, which had been the
only part of my body to fall asleep. She slid back in to her slot, while I took the outside,
facing right out of the trunk. I didn't care really... as long as I was warm, that was all that
mattered to me.
I laid there for a few minutes. I glanced over to my right and saw Gomamon over on the
far side smiling. He must having a good dream, I bet. Palmon and Mimi were back to
the position they had earlier: with their arms/vines locked across each other's bodies. I
wish Gomamon would've given me a similar form of companionship, but I wasn't
willing to get out of bed and move over to his side and force him to do so. That's not
like me anyway. I sighed and turned away from Mimi and back towards the outside of
the tree.
After a few minutes, I could feel myself beginning to drift off. But before that could
happen, I felt an arm drape itself across my body. I opened my eyes and saw that Mimi,
still with that smile of hers on her face, had now turned towards my back and in the
process, had placed her right arm on top of my right arm, and across my chest. I was
literally sweating beads. Never, in my wildest dreams, did I ever imagine that I would be
this close to the girl I admired so much. I began to feel even warmer as Mimi seemed to
inch ever closer to me with each passing second. Before I knew it, her face was pressed
to the back of my head. I could hear and feel her breathing down my neck. It was a
feeling that sent shivers down my spine.
To return the favor, I moved my hands over her right hand, the one that was draped over
me, and clasped them over her. I could hear Mimi sigh in her sleep. That was a good
sign. I probably sighed right then and there too, but I don't remember. All I remember is
falling asleep with Mimi and I as close as one can be without worry of anything 'adult'
happening.
But after that caring night, I woke up the next morning to find Mimi back to her old self
again. You know, complaining that she needs a break from walking every ten minutes,
the usual. Of course, that happened to be the day that we came across Ogremon, injured
after nearly getting clobbered by a meteor of some sort.
We didn't really hit it off for the rest of our time together, but I remember that one
distinct moment when Gomamon told me to admit that Mimi was charming. Which of
course, I wanted to, but I didn't want Mimi to know what I thought of her, but then I
wasn't even sure if I thought she was charming, but then I totally confused myself.
The rest, they say, is history. We eventually all got back together and defeated the Dark
Masters and Apocalymon. The Digiworld was safe and we returned home, with a price.
The portal to the Digiworld was closed forever. We thought we were never going to see
our Digimon again.
Of course, that changed about a month ago, but you get the idea.
[End flashback]
"Joe!" called his brother Jim from downstairs, "Time to eat!"
"Okay Jim! Be right down!"
Oh, that sucks. I spent the last half hour daydreaming! Now I'm no farther along with
my homework. Man, that means I'm going to be up all night.
But right now, who cares? I'd better go eat so that I don't miss Mimi's arrival.
Speaking of who cares, let me tell you something. You know, I'm not even expecting
Mimi to come up to me and give me a hug. But you never know... stranger things have
happened. But I know better not to expect anything. That's how you set yourself up for
failure.
"Joe!" Jim yelled again.
I'd better go. Dinner awaits! And then, Mimi awaits! My perfect girl awaits.
To be continued...
Copyright Date: 9/15/01
Story Written by Freedom Fighter
Table of Contents
P Prologue
1 In Love with the New Girl - Michael's POV
2 More Than Just Friends? - Matt's POV
3 The Argument - Izzy's POV
4 The Perfect Girl - Joe's POV
5 Sisterly Love - Yolei's POV
6 The Day Everyone Fell in Love with Me - Mimi's POV
Part 4 - The Perfect Girl
(As told by Joe, in his point of view)
Joe and Mimi, sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G.
Now wait just a minute here! Since when does Fox have the audacity to promote Joe and
Mimi as a couple?
Sure, Joe stayed behind with Mimi after she said that she wouldn't fight anymore.
Maybe Joe comforted her. Maybe those are perfect reasons why there are fans who do
support the couple.
I still don't like it.
But something tells me that Joe has more on his mind then worrying about whether or not
someone will beat him up because he wears glasses.
On with the story, before I have to say ahem...
Shoot...
Disclaimer: Digimon doesn't belong to me, and it never will. And despite rumors, Joe is
not leaving the series to become the newest doctor on 'ER.' Wherever you heard them,
just forget about it. It's not true. Joe can't be a doctor anyway yet because he's still
taking classes to become one. But then again, there have been exceptions...
***
July 14th, 5:30 p.m., Kido Residence
Geese, why do always have to have so much homework? Who would have even thought
that a freshman in high school will be stuffed up to the gills with work? Sigh... I wonder
how long it's going to be until dinner's ready. At least that'll give me a short break.
That reminds me... I'd better get ready. Mimi's arriving at the airport tonight from New
York.
It's been awhile since we've been together. I think that we've had our moments in the
past. Especially when we separated from the rest of the group while we were fighting the
Dark Masters. Those days were some of the most enjoyable of my life. Given the
circumstances, of course.
[Flashback - Three years ago]
In a time when our best chance for survival was to stick together as one cohesive group,
we were split into three groups. Matt, torn between good and evil through what I thought
was his own misunderstanding of his own crest, the crest of friendship, had gone off on
his own. Mimi, who was sick and tired of fighting, wanted to stay behind and not be any
part of the fight. I decided to stay with her, in order to keep her safe from any wild
Digimon. Tai, Kari, Sora, Izzy, and TK all stayed together and continued on towards
Puppetmon's house, in hopes of defeating him.
Our first and only night alone with our own Digimon, we had walked a very small
distance from where we had split up with the others. Both Palmon and Gomamon were
reluctant to split up, but they couldn't bear to be apart from their Digidestined partners,
namely, Mimi and I.
Anyway, we were attempting to find a place to stay the night. It had to be somewhere
where we would be safe from outside attack. Actually, Gomamon and I were doing
much of the searching ourselves. Mimi was still crying over everything that had
happened over the past few days. Palmon was trying to console her, but to no avail. I
don't blame Mimi for crying, though. If I wasn't the oldest one in the bunch, I'd
probably chicken out as well. I wasn't exactly comfortable with battling the Dark
Masters, much less be able to defeat them.
We've lost several Digimon over the past few days. It's been so frustrating to be right
there with them, yet be unable to protect them from a single deadly strike. I mean, we
have two Digimon who can warp digivolve, while the others can digivolve to ultimate.
Other than Angemon, of course. Still, that wasn't enough to beat the Dark Masters!
We've succeeded in taking down Metal Seadramon, but even that battle wasn't easy.
And we lost Whamon in the process too. Then Puppetmon comes along. He starts
treating us like puppets, technically speaking. He could've very well killed TK when he
kidnapped him. And then I bet he's responsible for Matt's confusing nature right now, as
well as his decision to try and take down Tai and War Greymon. Who knows what he
could do next?
That's why I decided to stay with Mimi. I didn't want anything happening to her. Who
knows what sick and twisted ideas he had in store if he got his hands on her? Better yet,
I'd rather not think about that. Still, I had to do something. I may not be the smartest,
the strongest, or the most impulsive, but I had to help her anyway. I guess that's why I
have the crest of reliability. Personally, I think that's a good trait for me to have right
now. I'm sure Mimi would agree with me. She needs someone who would watch over
her, no matter what his capabilities are. I might even consider Mimi to be one of the
weaker links in our Digidestined chain, which stresses the utmost importance of keeping
her safe.
But somehow, I feel that that's not the only reason I decided to tag along with her.
There's this strange feeling that's coming over me. A warm and fuzzy feeling of sorts.
Could it be the fact that I'm with Mimi? I mean, she is cute and bubbly. What am I
saying? She'll never go out with a guy like me. She's probably more interested in guys
that are just like Matt. I can imagine what would happen if I asked her to be my
girlfriend...
Mimi was sitting up against a tree, reading a book, when I walk over to her nervously.
"Hi, Mimi," I say, shakily.
"Oh. Hello Joe," she responds calmly.
"Listen, I have to ask you something."
"What is it, Joe?"
"Well, I was wondering... would you like to be my girlfriend?"
"Huh?" she asked curiously. "Your girlfriend?"
"Yes. From the first time I laid eyes on you, I've been in love. You know, we've been
friends for several years now and I think it's time we took our relationship to the next
level. You agree, right?"
Mimi smiles and then laughs wholeheartedly. My jaw drops in disbelief.
"You're kidding, right?" she responds, with a smirk on her face.
"Kidding?" I said slowly, nervously feeling my chance of getting her slipping away.
"You're nice and all Joe, but I don't want to ruin our perfect friendship."
"NOOOOOOOOO!" I yelled, as I felt myself falling into oblivion.
Yeah, that settles it. Don't even think about asking Mimi out. She won't be interested.
Anyway, I had finally found a small pit that had been dug out underneath a giant tree.
There was also a hole in the base of the tree, enough to fit all four of us without any
problem. I decided that this was the perfect place to set up camp. I informed Mimi and
Palmon of our find as Gomamon started to check the hole for bugs and other such things.
"C'mon Mimi, I found a place to stay the night."
Mimi sniffles as she wipes the last few tears from her face. "I bet it doesn't have a bed,
right?"
"Unfortunately not. But we'll at least have shelter from the elements."
"It's better than nothing, Mimi," Palmon said, speaking up.
"If you say so, Palmon," Mimi responded. "It's got to be better than having nothing at
all."
In a matter of minutes, Gomamon completes his inspection of the hole. He comes out of
the hole to report on his findings.
"Everything's ship-shape Joe!" Gomamon responded cheerfully. "They're aren't any
bugs within an eighth-mile radius."
"I guess you can't get any better than that," I reply.
I usher Mimi into the hole. Amazingly enough, she doesn't seemed to be complaining
about it at all. I know that won't last long, though. She'll complain eventually.
Sure enough, the moment she stepped into the hole of the tree, she started speaking her
mind.
"It's too cramped in here! There's no way I'm sleeping on the ground, either."
"But Mimi, I just said there were no beds."
"Yeah, but you didn't tell me our accommodations were this bad!"
"Oh, it's not so bad Mimi," Gomamon added.
"I agree," Palmon said in agreement. "It's nice to be among the trees again."
Mimi gave up, seeing that she wasn't going to win this argument. She sets her bag down
on the ground and then sits down on top of it. She then lies her back against the inside of
the tree. I put the medical bag down next to her and then head out, with Gomamon next
to me.
"Joe? Where are you going?"
"Gomamon and I are off to find some firewood, as well as some food."
"Can I help?" Mimi pleaded.
"You've been through enough already today, Mimi. I think you should rest."
"But Joe..."
"Palmon will be here to keep you company. I'm sure she won't let anything happen to
you, either."
Palmon stands up straight and salutes Joe. "Don't worry! I won't let anything happen to
Mimi."
"Thanks," I reply. "See you two in a bit. Come on, Gomamon."
"I'm coming, I'm coming. Say, do you think we can avoid fishing?"
"Why?"
"I think they're catching onto me. We'd be wasting our time."
I laugh. "Okay, we'll see what we can find."
I prayed that nothing would happen to Mimi and Palmon while we were gone. In the
meantime, I tried not to think about it as we started gathering firewood. It didn't seem
like that was going to be too bad.
And then I realized that we had one problem. How were we going to get all of this wood
back to the campsite? Man, I should've brought the bag so at least we'd have something
to carry it in. But then, I'd probably collapse carrying the whole thing. Oh brother.
It would be about an hour before Gomamon and I return to our campsite. I was carrying
a bunch of firewood in between my arms. Along the way, we had found an old wicker
basket. Using a piece of twine I conveniently found on the ground, I tied it to
Gomamon's back. We then found some berries and mushrooms that looked to be edible
and put them in the basket. Needless to say, Mimi and Palmon were happy to see us
again.
"Oh, you're back!" Mimi exclaimed, running up to me. "And you brought food!"
"Not to mention firewood!" Palmon added.
"There wasn't much of a selection," I began, "but at least we have something."
"I still have a full bottle of water in my bag. We should use that to drink."
"Okay, but I think we should ration it. No telling when we'll get another decent bite to
eat."
Mimi sighs. "I miss being home. At least there I'd always have enough to eat."
"Don't worry, Mimi," I said, reassuring her, "we'll get through this."
With that, I set the firewood down a few feet away from the hole. I then go over to
Gomamon and untie the basket from his back.
"Palmon, could you do me a favor?" I asked her.
"Sure."
"Go into the medical bag and go get the box of matches I brought from home."
Palmon nods and leaves Mimi unattended as she jumps down into the hole and towards
the tree. She returns about a minute later, with the matchbox in her branches.
"Here ya go."
"Thanks, Palmon."
I proceeded to light the firewood. It only takes two tries before the fire gets going.
Instantly, Mimi pounces on the chance to get warm by running over and taking a seat
right in front of the fire. I jump back in surprise as she extends her arms towards the fire.
"Sorry 'bout that, Joe. I'm just trying to stay warm, that's all."
"Well," I replied, fixing my glasses, "warn me the next time you pounce at a fire, ok?"
Mimi flashed a smile at me before turning back to the basking glow of the fire. I placed
the basket of berries and mushrooms next to her on the ground. I then began to take the
mushrooms out of the basket. Gomamon decided to help me, while Palmon takes a seat
next to Mimi. I didn't mind, since Mimi had been in distress all day. It wasn't right to
make her work. Palmon neither, 'cause she was watching Mimi most of the time.
As Gomamon and I continued our work, I decided to pull out one of the berries from the
basket. Without thinking, I stuffed it into my mouth. Mimi probably wasn't thinking
either, because when she saw me do that, she immediately got up and smacked me in the
face, forcing me to spit the torn up berry to the ground... as well as send my glasses
flying.
"Ow!" I yelled, rubbing the place where Mimi had hit me with my left hand. "What was
that for?"
"Are you insane?" Mimi retaliated. "What would have happened to you if that berry was
poisonous?"
I continued to talk as Gomamon retrieved my glasses. "Well, one of us would have
eventually had to try one anyway. There was no way around it."
"Couldn't we have put it to a vote?"
"Thanks Gomamon," I said, turning towards my Digimon as he handed back my glasses,
which didn't seem damaged at all. I then turned back towards Mimi and responded, "I
would've never forgiven myself if those berries really were poisonous and you had eaten
one of them."
"Really? You were willing to die for me?"
I sweatdropped. "Not necessarily die... just doing whatever it takes to keep you safe."
Mimi was rather stunned by my response. She looked at me with unblinking eyes. I
looked back at her with that very same expression. It seemed like we stayed that way for
several hours. Only when our Digimon brought us to did we realize what we had been
doing. We both blushed and turn away from each other simultaneously.
"Why were you two staring at each other?" Gomamon pried.
"Did you see anything interesting, Mimi?" Palmon asked.
"Oh," I quickly replied, "I thought I heard something. Right Mimi?"
"Huh?" Mimi responded. "Oh yeah, right. We have to be on the lookout for the Dark
Masters, remember?"
"You know," Gomamon said, "you two are both terrible liars."
We looked nervously at Gomamon, then at each other, and then back at Gomamon.
"Come on! I can tell when something's up. And something's up. So what's up?"
Both us sat still, not knowing how to respond. Finally, Mimi speaks up.
"I think we'd better start cooking those mushrooms before they get stale."
"Good idea," I said, quickly agreeing. I went back to separating the mushrooms from the
berries, while Mimi found a few sticks nearby that we could use. I immediately took
three mushrooms, put them on one of the sticks, one at a time, until all three were on.
Mimi took the mushroom-ka-bob and began to hold it over the fire. Soon enough,
Palmon, Gomamon, and myself had done the same. While I was doing so, I think
Gomamon and Palmon were still thinking about prying into why we are staring at each
other, but I think their stomachs were talking louder than their mouths right now.
We would spend the next hour or so frying mushroom and gobbling down berries, all the
while conversing about what had been going on in the Digiworld.
"I'm just so afraid to fight, you know?" Mimi said. I confidently nod in agreement. "I'm
afraid that one day that one of the Digimon that gets deleted by a Dark Master is one of
yours." She then glances at Palmon. "I'm even afraid that it might be you, Palmon."
"We're Digimon, Mimi. We can defend ourselves from attacks."
"But for how long, Palmon? We've already seen Chuumon, Sukamon, and Whamon get
deleted, and for all we know, Piximon may be as well. I don't think we'll ever be able to
stand up to the power of the Dark Masters."
"Don't say that!" I say defiantly, getting up from my seat on the ground. "Look Mimi, I
known we've been through a lot. Several digi-years ago, we didn't even know what a
Digimon was, let alone the powers they had. But we've grown with them. As they've
digivolved to their next level, we as the Digidestined have also evolved. We've matured
in ways that probably would have taken us years to do similarly in the real world. We've
had to adapt to our surroundings, figure out how to survive in a foreign world, and deal
with being away from our families for so long."
"Joe, can you stop babbling and please get to the point?" Mimi interrupted, already tired
of my rambling.
"The point is, Mimi, is that we've gotten out of tough situations before. We've defeated
Devimon, Etemon, and Myotismon, three of the most evil Digimon that you could ever
meet. With each new villain, we were put to the test, whether it be finding our crests or
finding the key to getting our Digimon to digivolve. There is a way we can beat the Dark
Masters. We will find it. The only question is when and where."
Mimi raised her hand. "I'd like the when and where to be here and now, thank you very
much."
"I'm amazed!" exclaimed Gomamon. "I didn't know you were the type of person who
could give inspirational speeches."
I laughed. "It's funny how you know what a speech is, yet you don't even know the days
of the week!"
"Oh yeah, I'm a real comedian," replied Gomamon sarcastically. This caused Mimi and
Palmon to also break out in laughter. Heck, even Gomamon began laughing at his own
joke. That's how it was for two or three minutes... we were basically just laughing our
guts out. Which I thought was good. We have been under a lot of stress lately and I
think that this was a cool, if unintentional, way to relax for once. Besides, we need to be
focused if we are to defeat the Dark Masters.
But first, let's worry about getting back with the others.
After we finished our dinner, which seemed to be more of a snack than a three course
meal, we decided to go to sleep. After such an emotional day, sleep was probably the
best way to get the whole thing off our minds.
We all cuddled up inside the tree trunk. We only had one blanket, so I gave it to Mimi
and Palmon to share. They didn't object to that, so they comfortable snuggled
themselves in. After putting my glasses in the medical bag, I sat down right against the
inside of the tree. Gomamon jumped into my lap and stayed there as he fell asleep. I
decided that I would be fine sleeping and sitting up against the inside of the trunk at the
same time. After all, we've got to watch out for each other. And that's what I did. For
hours, I just watched Mimi sleep peacefully under her blanket. Palmon had her vines
wrapped around Mimi, while Mimi had her arms wrapped around Palmon. They weren't
having any problems keeping warm, as I could see the smiles plastered across their faces.
Meanwhile, I was shivering cold. I grabbed my arms with my hands and rubbed them
over and over to try and keep warm, but to no avail. I looked down and saw that
Gomamon was also cold. Not wanting for him to catch a cold, I quickly slid him under
the blanket, next to Palmon, without waking either of them. I then just sat there,
continuing to rub my arms in an effort to keep from getting a cold myself. I know my
mind was telling me several times to get under the blanket because Mimi wouldn't mind.
But I couldn't do that too her. Besides, with Gomamon now in there with them, there
wouldn't be enough blanket for all four of us if I got in there as well.
I'm not exactly how cold it got that night, but it was obviously cold enough that my teeth
began to chatter. In fact, they chattered loud enough to wake Mimi from her peaceful
slumber. Which consequently woke up Palmon, who was still attached to Mimi. Of
course, I didn't know that they were awake because my eyes were closed as I struggled to
get even a wink of sleep. Before I knew it, I felt her tapping me on the shoulder.
"Joe?"
I open my eyes and look up. Mimi was kneeling down on the ground, just to my right.
Her pink hat was on the ground, next to her bag, which means that I had a full
unrestricted view of her face. Her bright, brown eyes shined like the stars above, as I
easily spotted them in the darkness. Her nose wasn't bad either. Not that people
complement how nice your nose is, but I guess it would be good to note it. Then came
her lips. Not old enough to wear lipstick, I was able to see the natural curve of her smile
without any problems. Her hair was somewhat ruffled up, which was expected because
of how she was lying down, face up.
"Joe, are you still awake?" she spoke silently to me.
"Yes. Why are you up?" I replied.
"Well," she began, smiling again, "I couldn't sleep with your teeth chattering and all."
"Oh, I see."
"Would you like to come under the blanket with me?"
At that moment, I blushed. Heck, I might have even fainted, except the fact that I felt
like I was so cold I thought none of my body parts would be able to move. Nervously, I
managed to nod yes.
Mimi slowly guided me over to her side, as I tried to awaken my legs, which had been the
only part of my body to fall asleep. She slid back in to her slot, while I took the outside,
facing right out of the trunk. I didn't care really... as long as I was warm, that was all that
mattered to me.
I laid there for a few minutes. I glanced over to my right and saw Gomamon over on the
far side smiling. He must having a good dream, I bet. Palmon and Mimi were back to
the position they had earlier: with their arms/vines locked across each other's bodies. I
wish Gomamon would've given me a similar form of companionship, but I wasn't
willing to get out of bed and move over to his side and force him to do so. That's not
like me anyway. I sighed and turned away from Mimi and back towards the outside of
the tree.
After a few minutes, I could feel myself beginning to drift off. But before that could
happen, I felt an arm drape itself across my body. I opened my eyes and saw that Mimi,
still with that smile of hers on her face, had now turned towards my back and in the
process, had placed her right arm on top of my right arm, and across my chest. I was
literally sweating beads. Never, in my wildest dreams, did I ever imagine that I would be
this close to the girl I admired so much. I began to feel even warmer as Mimi seemed to
inch ever closer to me with each passing second. Before I knew it, her face was pressed
to the back of my head. I could hear and feel her breathing down my neck. It was a
feeling that sent shivers down my spine.
To return the favor, I moved my hands over her right hand, the one that was draped over
me, and clasped them over her. I could hear Mimi sigh in her sleep. That was a good
sign. I probably sighed right then and there too, but I don't remember. All I remember is
falling asleep with Mimi and I as close as one can be without worry of anything 'adult'
happening.
But after that caring night, I woke up the next morning to find Mimi back to her old self
again. You know, complaining that she needs a break from walking every ten minutes,
the usual. Of course, that happened to be the day that we came across Ogremon, injured
after nearly getting clobbered by a meteor of some sort.
We didn't really hit it off for the rest of our time together, but I remember that one
distinct moment when Gomamon told me to admit that Mimi was charming. Which of
course, I wanted to, but I didn't want Mimi to know what I thought of her, but then I
wasn't even sure if I thought she was charming, but then I totally confused myself.
The rest, they say, is history. We eventually all got back together and defeated the Dark
Masters and Apocalymon. The Digiworld was safe and we returned home, with a price.
The portal to the Digiworld was closed forever. We thought we were never going to see
our Digimon again.
Of course, that changed about a month ago, but you get the idea.
[End flashback]
"Joe!" called his brother Jim from downstairs, "Time to eat!"
"Okay Jim! Be right down!"
Oh, that sucks. I spent the last half hour daydreaming! Now I'm no farther along with
my homework. Man, that means I'm going to be up all night.
But right now, who cares? I'd better go eat so that I don't miss Mimi's arrival.
Speaking of who cares, let me tell you something. You know, I'm not even expecting
Mimi to come up to me and give me a hug. But you never know... stranger things have
happened. But I know better not to expect anything. That's how you set yourself up for
failure.
"Joe!" Jim yelled again.
I'd better go. Dinner awaits! And then, Mimi awaits! My perfect girl awaits.
To be continued...
Copyright Date: 9/15/01