5:00 PM
Izzy strode into the hotel lobby, taking a deep breath as he entered. He wore a gray trench coat
over a black suit coat and pants, with a white shirt and a rust-colored necktie. His black leather
shoes clicked on the floor as he made his way around, looking for Mimi. He greeted the
attendants as usual as he walked around. He wandered for a few minutes with no sign of Mimi.
He then took a seat near the bar, figuring he'd just have to wait for her. Out of the corner of his
eye, he saw someone sitting at the bar turn towards him. He lifted his gaze and looked over in
that direction.
Mimi stood up from the bar stool she'd been sitting on and made her way over to him slowly. Her
hair was worn up in a bun of sorts with an ornate silver headpiece holding the hair in place along
with a couple of black chopsticks. The headpiece almost looked like a tiara, though it was both
functional and fashionable. Her dress was dark blue, and fit her every curve perfectly. It was slit
up her left side up most of her thigh. Dark blue heels finished her outfit, and her makeup was
light, but perfect. Izzy was quickly to his feet and bowed deeply to her. Mimi smiled and bowed
slightly in return.
"You look spectacular tonight, Mimi." Izzy said, his breath almost taken away at the sight of her.
"Thank you, Kou-chan. You look particularly handsome this evening as well." Mimi replied. She
stepped up beside him, slipping her arm through his. "Shall we?"
"By all means."
The two headed for the elevator, where a man stood inside ready to take them where they
wanted to go. Mimi smiled as she hugged Izzy's arm a little closer. The night had just begun.
6:30 PM
The two were seated next to a window, and the view of Odaiba with the sun setting in the
background was breathtaking. They had both enjoyed dinner, but were now more entranced with
each other and the view than anything else.
"So much has happened in the past two months, hasn't it?" Mimi said, looking at Izzy from across
their small table. "Two months ago I would never have thought I'd be with anyone other than
Michael, and now here I am. Having dinner with someone who is twice the man and more than
he ever was."
"You give me way too much credit, Mimi-chan. I've only ever wanted to be nice to you and help
you past your rough spot." Izzy told her.
"And yet it's become so much more than that, hasn't it Kou-chan? I mean, we certainly had fun
online talking, sharing music and stories, playing games, but we also shared personal things and
feelings. That's when I started feeling closer to you."
"I have to admit, back then I kinda dreamt of something like this happening but I dismissed it as
nothing more than that: a dream. I may have started out just being a friend to you, but I wanted
to be more I guess."
"And you became more. When I asked you out online, I thought maybe it'd just be a passing
fancy and we'd both get past it. But I haven't...we haven't. You've been noting but nice to me,
and we've shared so much...I feel like I can say anything to you, and you'd be there to help me
out."
"I am here for you, and always will be Mimi."
"And then this past week...all the little passion plays we've had...I discovered what love really
feels like, and it's made me want to have that feeling every day of my life."
"I feel the same. And I know now, too, that the only way I'll ever feel like that is with you in my
life."
Mimi smiled at Izzy again as he finished her thought for her, word for word.
"I can't say it enough. I love you, Mimi. And I think I always will." Izzy said, reaching across the
table for her hand.
"And I will always love you too, Koushiro...my Kou-chan." Mimi said, taking his hand in hers.
Some music struck up from the band just then, and several couples migrated to the dance floor
for a dance. Izzy and Mimi did likewise, getting several comments from others around them
about how nice it was to see young people in love.
8:00 PM
Izzy stood in the hotel room, looking around. He had no idea hotel rooms could be that big, let
alone that Mimi would have one to herself like this. As he looked around, he heard Mimi close
the door behind them, turning the deadbolt and locking the door. She did likewise with the door
that connected her room to her parents' room.
"A small precaution." she said, smiling at him.
"Only small?" Izzy asked.
"I know my folks well. We have an afternoon flight home, so they'll stay out extra late tonight, get
pretty well drunk and sleep late tomorrow so they won't be jet lagged too badly." Mimi told him as
she turned the lights down low. She then walked over to Izzy, stepping out of her shoes as she
did. She draped her arms over his shoulders, pulling him closer to her. "Kou-chan, I've been
looking forward to this all week..."
"All week?"
"I'll explain later." Mimi said as she reached behind her, beginning to pull on the zipper on her
dress. "No more words, no more play, no more games..."
She pushed Izzy's coat off of his shoulders as she kissed him, feeling her dress beginning to slip
off. She whispered one last thing to him before she finally gave in to her desires.
"Just love me..."
7:30 AM
Izzy felt something move next to him, and he rolled his head to one side a bit, his eyes opening
slowly. After reading the time from the clock, he took a moment to get his bearings. Darkness
still more or less permeated the room, though a few stray rays of sunshine were beginning to filter
in. He looked down to his right and noticed the source of the earlier movement still moving a bit.
Mimi pulled herself a bit closer to him as she adjusted her position in bed. Izzy let the memories
of the prior night filter into his mind. It had started out simply enough, but had gotten rather wild
by the end. He'd bought a 3-pack from Yolei's store, and they'd gone through all three in one
night. He hoped it hadn't been too much for either of them, but then again, neither of them knew
when they'd have a second opportunity like this. He strained his ears for a moment and could
faintly make out the sound of someone snoring on the other side of the wall. Mimi had her
parents figured out dead on. Izzy just hoped they'd be asleep long enough for them to make
things look like nothing had happened.
Mimi stirred a bit more, finally lifting her head up and opening her eyes. It took her a moment to
focus, though she certainly enjoyed what she saw before her. Izzy smiled back at her, stroking
her hair gently. She slid up his side a bit more and kissed him quickly, then hugged him closely.
She loved the feeling of their nude bodies so close together.
"Good morning, Kou-chan. Sleep well?" she asked pleasantly.
"Absolutely. You?"
"Oh yes...I'm a little sore this morning, but it's certainly a small price to pay for what all we did last
night."
"Yeah. That was certainly...well, I'm at a loss to describe it."
"Eye-opening is what I'll say. You certainly became a very proficient lover very quickly, Kou-
chan."
"As did you, Mimi-chan. Believe me. I suppose we'd better get up and moving."
"No rush. My parents won't be up for another hour or so. Let's just...stay like this a little longer."
"Okay, Mimi-chan. Anything for you."
Izzy continued to stroke her hair as they enjoyed the simple pleasure of being together, knowing
that now their time was truly running out.
3:00 PM
Mimi's parents had consented for her to stay behind for a mew moments to say goodbye to her
friends, and in particular to Izzy who they knew was special to her now. She thanked her parents
and returned to Izzy, who was doing his best to comfort her as she sobbed into his shoulder.
"I wish I didn't have to go back..." she said between sobs.
"Me either, but you've got to Mimi." Izzy said, a bit gloomily. "I know that e-mails and chat rooms
aren't the same as being together, or at least I understand that a lot better now than I ever did
before..."
"It'll have to do for now, I guess." Mimi said, as she started to regain her composure.
"I'm going to start saving my money up, so maybe I can come to America and visit you next time."
Izzy told her. "It might take a while, but I don't care what I have to do to be together with you
again, Mimi."
"Who knows? Maybe I can help you get the money together somehow." Mimi said, brightening
up a bit.
"We'll see. Think you can wait for me?"
"To be with you again... I'd wait forever."
"You won't have to, I promise."
Mimi stood up, drying her eyes a bit. Izzy helped her with a handkerchief he'd brought along,
knowing it would be needed. The two embraced and kissed again, as if they'd never see each
other again. After they separated, Mimi took her bag from Izzy and managed the best smile she
could for him.
"See you online, Kou-chan." she said with a wink. Izzy's face turned a little red, though he smiled
and nodded in return. Mimi turned and jogged a bit to catch up with her parents at the gate, and
then disappeared down the jet way, her tears beginning to fall again. Izzy turned and began to
walk back towards the rest of the group, who were quick to surround him and offer their
encouragements. Izzy thanked them, and they began to head down to the train station that would
take them back to the city again.
"I just have one question." Matt said, stepping alongside Izzy. Izzy looked up at Matt quizzically.
"Where did 'Kou-chan' come from?"
"That's ah, um...well, er..." Izzy said, his face turning very red now. "It's um...a private matter."
"A private matter? What's that supposed to..." Matt began to say. A sudden revelation he had
answered his question for him. "You're kidding. Right?"
Izzy remained silent, biting his lip as he walked.
"You... and her...??"
Izzy glanced over at Matt a couple times quickly, and gave a very small nod to him, his face now
beet red. Matt put his arm around Izzy, patting him on the back soundly. He leaned in close to
Izzy's left ear.
"Welcome to the club, my man. We'll have to talk sometime." he whispered with a chuckle. A
sudden tugging sensation and pain gripped Matt from his left as Sora pulled him back from Izzy.
"Leave him alone, Matt, I know what you're talking about." Sora told him plainly.
"What? What's the big deal?" Davis asked innocently.
"Davis, you truly, honestly can't be that clueless..." Kari said, looking over at him.
"Yes he can, this is Davis after all." Cody said, snickering.
"Come on, I'm serious! What's the big deal??" Davis asked again, getting frustrated. TK just
sighed and shook his head.
"Look, I'll talk to you about it later okay, Davis? Though you really should talk to your folks about
it." TK told him. Davis just gave a frustrated grumble and kept walking along, trying to figure out
what all the secrecy was about. Tai and Yuki stepped over alongside Izzy to check on him.
"You going to be okay, Izzy?" Tai asked.
"I don't know, Tai. Already I wish I could just run back and jump on that plane with her." Izzy said,
his expression a bit dark now.
"You two must really have it bad for each other." Yuki noted.
"I love her, Yuki. And she loves me back. Doesn't get much more serious than that, you know?"
Izzy told her.
"Well we're all here for you if you need support or someone to talk to, Izzy." Tai told him.
"I really appreciate it and all, guys, but I guess I just need a little time to myself. If none of you
mind, I'll catch a separate train to get back home. I have some thinking I need to do." Izzy told
them all.
"That's fine, Izzy. We'll respect your space." Tai told him before anyone else could object. "See
you tomorrow at school, right?"
"Yeah, right. Thanks Tai." Izzy said. He then split off from the rest of the group and headed over
to a train sitting at a different platform, his expression no less dark than when he was with them.
'One week...it went by so fast, and now my life is changed forever. I have someone who loves
me now, who I love in return. And now I can't be with them because they live on the other side of
the goddamn planet. This hurts...a lot. I sure hope it isn't some kind of cruel joke that someone
up there is playing on me. If it is, I'm certainly not getting the punch line.' Izzy thought to himself.
Idly, he figured Mimi must be thinking the same thing herself. He shook his head as he felt a tear
trail down his face, watching she sky where he knew Mimi's plane now was. The strains of Matt's
song played through his mind again as he rode home, their true meaning only now really sinking
in.
~o/
I'll find my way through night and day
I just can't stay
Here in heaven
/o~
*************************************************************
"Dear, are you sure about this?"
"If I wasn't sure before, I am now honey. Believe me."
"You're going to need to tell her, then. Everything that is."
"I know. I just hope she was able to have fun on that trip. God knows I sure didn't."
"Well, you never intended for that to be a real 'vacation' for yourself now did you?"
"No, I suppose I didn't. She certainly has been up in her room a long time. Is everything okay?"
"You'd best let me talk to her, dear. I have a feeling this is a ladies' matter."
"I understand. I'm going to make a couple of phone calls and finalize things then."
"Okay."
"You do support me on this, right honey?"
"On this and all things, dear. I love you, after all."
"I love you too."
***************************************************************
Mimi heard the knocks at her door, but couldn't even so much as move to acknowledge them.
She sat almost frozen in front of her computer, the screen blank as it wasn't turned on. Her eyes
were swollen and red, tears dried on her face. She couldn't do it anymore. It wasn't the same. It
would never be the same as being with him, with Izzy. But now she didn't know when, if indeed
she would ever, see him again. She closed her eyes as she sobbed again a little. If it were ever
truly going to work out, it would take a minor...no, make that a major miracle.
"Mimi, dear, I'm coming in." her mother said, opening the door. She saw the look on her
daughter's face and it confirmed all of her suspicions. She closed the door behind her and
moved over towards her daughter, picking up the box of tissues that sat on her nightstand. "A bit
lovesick, dear?"
Mimi managed to look over at her mother and nod, not wanting to hide anything anymore. Her
mother pulled a tissue from the box and dabbed at her face a bit, wiping away the tears.
"You don't know this, but I went though a similar experience with your father." her mother told her.
Mimi looked at her mother, blinking a little as she listened to the story. "When we were in college,
your father still lived in Hiroshima and I lived in Nagano. Two opposite sides of the country.
When we were first falling in love, it hurt so badly to be apart that at times it was unbearable. Our
only link was the letters we wrote each other almost every day. We went through so much
postage, it wasn't even funny. But it all worked out in the end."
"Mom, that's all well and good...but this isn't that simple!" Mimi said, her voice crackling with
emotion. She tried to clear her throat a bit before she continued. "He's not just across the
country, he's on the other side of the world! And...and..."
"And nothing matches the feeling you have when you're with him, does it?" her mother said,
finishing Mimi's sentence for her.
"No, nothing does. Mom, what am I going to do?"
"Well, I suggest you dry those eyes and wash your face a bit, and then come downstairs for
dinner. You must be famished by now." her mother said as she helped her daughter to her feet.
"Oh, by the way, one other thing I wanted to tell you about."
Mimi looked at her mother, wondering what it could be about now. Her mother wasn't exactly the
type to keep secrets from her.
"Your father and I may have a rather big announcement for you here in about a month or two.
He's made me promise not to say anything about it to you until things are all in place, but when
the time comes, we'll tell you."
'An announcement? What on Earth could they be hiding from me? Why don't I like this? Oh
Kou-chan, I wish you were here...'
****************************************************************
Homecoming. Of all the times of the year to be alone, this was one of the worst. The dance was
a month away, and Izzy didn't know what to do, or even if he wanted to do anything for that
matter.
"Izzy, how you've been acting isn't healthy. You ought to come to the dance, if not with someone
then at least alone. We can all hang and have fun together." tai said, trying to lift his spirits.
"No thanks, Tai..." Izzy said quietly as he picked at his lunch some more.
"Izzy, you've got us all worried sick. You have to get past this, none of us knows if or when Mimi
will be back in Japan." Sora told him. "Can't you cheer up a little?"
"Maybe. No. I-I just don't know anymore, Sora. Nothing makes sense to me anymore."
"Izzy..."
"Guys, I just...I can't take this right now."
Izzy grabbed his backpack and left the cafeteria, his lunch untouched. The remaining four around
the table fell silent at his departure.
"I can't imagine what he's going through right now." Yuki said as she reached for Tai's hand,
squeezing it firmly. "I don't know what I'd do if I were so far away from the person I loved."
"None of us do, Yuki, and for that matter none of us has any kind of frame of reference for this
kind of thing either." Matt added with a sigh. "The only thing we can do is hope he gets past this
on his own somehow."
The day dragged on for Izzy, and after school that day he found himself wandering by Yolei's
family's store yet again. He headed in and started looking around, though he had nothing he
wanted to buy right now. On hearing the customer bell, Yolei emerged from the back and took
her position at the register.
"Irasshaimase...Izzy! I haven't seen you around here for a little while." Yolei said, stepping out
from behind the counter.
"Hi Yolei." Izzy said, his tone of voice betraying his depression.
"Sounds to me like you came her to shop for some help, not a toothbrush." Yolei said, folding her
arms as she leaned against the counter.
"Homecoming is coming up, and I've got no idea what to do."
"Ooo...tough one. Don't know if I can help you out there, Izzy. Sorry."
"Yeah, I know. I'm grasping at straws at this point. Thanks anyway, Yolei. See ya."
"Okay, Izzy. Gee, too bad there's no way you could see Mimi over the Internet you know?"
"Yeah, that's too..."
Yolei's words were like a ray of clear light into Izzy's mind. He quickly processed all of what she
said, and it dawned on him.
"There is a way...! There IS a way!" he said, beginning to rave a bit. He paced back and forth as
his mind raced to make the configurations he'd need. He ran over and hugged Yolei tightly.
"Yolei! I'd kiss you, but then Ken would kill me! This is great! You're pure genius!"
"Ack! Izzy...can't...breathe..." Yolei gasped as he squeezed her. Izzy set her down after that.
"Sorry! I have to go! I have plans to make!" he told her as he ran out of the store. Yolei just
shook her head, wondering what in the world he could be planning this time.
Izzy almost took the door off its hinges as he got home. He was in luck today, his father was
home early. Izzy set his stuff down and approached his father, trying not to look like a madman.
"Dad, I need to talk to you. I want to ask about getting an advance in my allowance. A major
advance..."
************************************************************
USAflowrgrl: Do you think this will work, Kou-chan?
MasterIzE: It has to, Mimi-chan. Just follow the instructions I e-mailed you word for word.
USAflowrgrl: I don't know. I've never been really technically inclined, and this looks awfully
complicated.
MasterIzE: You can do it, love. I know you can. I'm signing off for now to put things together on
my end.
USAflowrgrl: Okay. Good luck, my love!
Izzy powered his computer down after signing off and set to his task. Six thousand miles away,
Mimi did likewise as she pulled her computer apart. Both of them worked feverishly, installing
and then configuring parts that Izzy had bought with every bit of money he'd been able to scrap
together. He'd express mailed the parts to Mimi, and had gone over instructions and
configurations with her for the past couple of days until they had everything down. After about an
hour's worth of work, Izzy had his computer back online again, a couple of new programs running
and two new pieces of hardware sitting around him: a small video camera mounted on his
monitor, and a microphone by his mouse. He sat watching his screen, biting his lip nervously.
"C'mom, Mimi, you can do this..." he said quietly. After several long, tense minutes, a picture
sprung up inside of the program he had running. He could tell it was live, because the camera
was constantly refreshing its view. Mimi's head poked up from under her desk as she looked at
her screen.
"Is it working?" she said loud enough for her microphone to pick up. The sound came through a
little distorted, but nonetheless audible.
"Can you hear me?" Izzy said into his microphone.
"Kou-chan?" Mimi said as she sat in her chair again.
"It's been a while, Mimi-chan. How're you doing?"
"As well as can be expected, I guess. I can't believe it, I can actually see and hear you!"
"The miracle of modern telecommunications."
"How much did all of this cost you?"
"Believe me, Mimi, I'd have spent even more if it meant being able to just see and hear you
again."
"You're so sweet. This is a lot better than a chatroom, you know. Wish we'd thought of this
sooner."
"Yeah, well I've been a bit mopey and dull since you left."
"About the same here, really. Hey, you should get everyone else over to see this so we can all
say hi."
"Maybe another time, right now I'm feeling greedy."
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah, I just want you all to myself."
"Same here, Kou-chan. Same here." Mimi said as she touched her screen a little, wishing even
more now that she could be with him. "So, how go plans for Homecoming?"
"I'm not going. I can't bring myself to do it without you, Mimi-chan."
"You should go, Kou-chan. Neither of us can keep ourselves bottled up like this forever, no
matter how much it pains us to be apart."
"Believe me, being able to see and hear you again...that's a homecoming for me and then some."
"I know. I feel the same."
"So how's your family doing?"
"Okay, though mom and dad sure are being secretive these days."
"Oh?"
"Mom told me that they're going to have some kind of announcement in a month or so. I've got
no idea what it is, though, and they won't drop any clues for me either."
"Do you think it's serious?"
"Could be. It's starting to make me nervous, Kou-chan."
"It'll be okay, I'm sure it will. So, that's America, eh? Doesn't look so much different from Japan."
"Oh believe me, it's different."
"Tell me more."
The two continued to talk away for hours over their new connection. It still wasn't the same as
being together, but it was as close as they could get.
Izzy strode into the hotel lobby, taking a deep breath as he entered. He wore a gray trench coat
over a black suit coat and pants, with a white shirt and a rust-colored necktie. His black leather
shoes clicked on the floor as he made his way around, looking for Mimi. He greeted the
attendants as usual as he walked around. He wandered for a few minutes with no sign of Mimi.
He then took a seat near the bar, figuring he'd just have to wait for her. Out of the corner of his
eye, he saw someone sitting at the bar turn towards him. He lifted his gaze and looked over in
that direction.
Mimi stood up from the bar stool she'd been sitting on and made her way over to him slowly. Her
hair was worn up in a bun of sorts with an ornate silver headpiece holding the hair in place along
with a couple of black chopsticks. The headpiece almost looked like a tiara, though it was both
functional and fashionable. Her dress was dark blue, and fit her every curve perfectly. It was slit
up her left side up most of her thigh. Dark blue heels finished her outfit, and her makeup was
light, but perfect. Izzy was quickly to his feet and bowed deeply to her. Mimi smiled and bowed
slightly in return.
"You look spectacular tonight, Mimi." Izzy said, his breath almost taken away at the sight of her.
"Thank you, Kou-chan. You look particularly handsome this evening as well." Mimi replied. She
stepped up beside him, slipping her arm through his. "Shall we?"
"By all means."
The two headed for the elevator, where a man stood inside ready to take them where they
wanted to go. Mimi smiled as she hugged Izzy's arm a little closer. The night had just begun.
6:30 PM
The two were seated next to a window, and the view of Odaiba with the sun setting in the
background was breathtaking. They had both enjoyed dinner, but were now more entranced with
each other and the view than anything else.
"So much has happened in the past two months, hasn't it?" Mimi said, looking at Izzy from across
their small table. "Two months ago I would never have thought I'd be with anyone other than
Michael, and now here I am. Having dinner with someone who is twice the man and more than
he ever was."
"You give me way too much credit, Mimi-chan. I've only ever wanted to be nice to you and help
you past your rough spot." Izzy told her.
"And yet it's become so much more than that, hasn't it Kou-chan? I mean, we certainly had fun
online talking, sharing music and stories, playing games, but we also shared personal things and
feelings. That's when I started feeling closer to you."
"I have to admit, back then I kinda dreamt of something like this happening but I dismissed it as
nothing more than that: a dream. I may have started out just being a friend to you, but I wanted
to be more I guess."
"And you became more. When I asked you out online, I thought maybe it'd just be a passing
fancy and we'd both get past it. But I haven't...we haven't. You've been noting but nice to me,
and we've shared so much...I feel like I can say anything to you, and you'd be there to help me
out."
"I am here for you, and always will be Mimi."
"And then this past week...all the little passion plays we've had...I discovered what love really
feels like, and it's made me want to have that feeling every day of my life."
"I feel the same. And I know now, too, that the only way I'll ever feel like that is with you in my
life."
Mimi smiled at Izzy again as he finished her thought for her, word for word.
"I can't say it enough. I love you, Mimi. And I think I always will." Izzy said, reaching across the
table for her hand.
"And I will always love you too, Koushiro...my Kou-chan." Mimi said, taking his hand in hers.
Some music struck up from the band just then, and several couples migrated to the dance floor
for a dance. Izzy and Mimi did likewise, getting several comments from others around them
about how nice it was to see young people in love.
8:00 PM
Izzy stood in the hotel room, looking around. He had no idea hotel rooms could be that big, let
alone that Mimi would have one to herself like this. As he looked around, he heard Mimi close
the door behind them, turning the deadbolt and locking the door. She did likewise with the door
that connected her room to her parents' room.
"A small precaution." she said, smiling at him.
"Only small?" Izzy asked.
"I know my folks well. We have an afternoon flight home, so they'll stay out extra late tonight, get
pretty well drunk and sleep late tomorrow so they won't be jet lagged too badly." Mimi told him as
she turned the lights down low. She then walked over to Izzy, stepping out of her shoes as she
did. She draped her arms over his shoulders, pulling him closer to her. "Kou-chan, I've been
looking forward to this all week..."
"All week?"
"I'll explain later." Mimi said as she reached behind her, beginning to pull on the zipper on her
dress. "No more words, no more play, no more games..."
She pushed Izzy's coat off of his shoulders as she kissed him, feeling her dress beginning to slip
off. She whispered one last thing to him before she finally gave in to her desires.
"Just love me..."
7:30 AM
Izzy felt something move next to him, and he rolled his head to one side a bit, his eyes opening
slowly. After reading the time from the clock, he took a moment to get his bearings. Darkness
still more or less permeated the room, though a few stray rays of sunshine were beginning to filter
in. He looked down to his right and noticed the source of the earlier movement still moving a bit.
Mimi pulled herself a bit closer to him as she adjusted her position in bed. Izzy let the memories
of the prior night filter into his mind. It had started out simply enough, but had gotten rather wild
by the end. He'd bought a 3-pack from Yolei's store, and they'd gone through all three in one
night. He hoped it hadn't been too much for either of them, but then again, neither of them knew
when they'd have a second opportunity like this. He strained his ears for a moment and could
faintly make out the sound of someone snoring on the other side of the wall. Mimi had her
parents figured out dead on. Izzy just hoped they'd be asleep long enough for them to make
things look like nothing had happened.
Mimi stirred a bit more, finally lifting her head up and opening her eyes. It took her a moment to
focus, though she certainly enjoyed what she saw before her. Izzy smiled back at her, stroking
her hair gently. She slid up his side a bit more and kissed him quickly, then hugged him closely.
She loved the feeling of their nude bodies so close together.
"Good morning, Kou-chan. Sleep well?" she asked pleasantly.
"Absolutely. You?"
"Oh yes...I'm a little sore this morning, but it's certainly a small price to pay for what all we did last
night."
"Yeah. That was certainly...well, I'm at a loss to describe it."
"Eye-opening is what I'll say. You certainly became a very proficient lover very quickly, Kou-
chan."
"As did you, Mimi-chan. Believe me. I suppose we'd better get up and moving."
"No rush. My parents won't be up for another hour or so. Let's just...stay like this a little longer."
"Okay, Mimi-chan. Anything for you."
Izzy continued to stroke her hair as they enjoyed the simple pleasure of being together, knowing
that now their time was truly running out.
3:00 PM
Mimi's parents had consented for her to stay behind for a mew moments to say goodbye to her
friends, and in particular to Izzy who they knew was special to her now. She thanked her parents
and returned to Izzy, who was doing his best to comfort her as she sobbed into his shoulder.
"I wish I didn't have to go back..." she said between sobs.
"Me either, but you've got to Mimi." Izzy said, a bit gloomily. "I know that e-mails and chat rooms
aren't the same as being together, or at least I understand that a lot better now than I ever did
before..."
"It'll have to do for now, I guess." Mimi said, as she started to regain her composure.
"I'm going to start saving my money up, so maybe I can come to America and visit you next time."
Izzy told her. "It might take a while, but I don't care what I have to do to be together with you
again, Mimi."
"Who knows? Maybe I can help you get the money together somehow." Mimi said, brightening
up a bit.
"We'll see. Think you can wait for me?"
"To be with you again... I'd wait forever."
"You won't have to, I promise."
Mimi stood up, drying her eyes a bit. Izzy helped her with a handkerchief he'd brought along,
knowing it would be needed. The two embraced and kissed again, as if they'd never see each
other again. After they separated, Mimi took her bag from Izzy and managed the best smile she
could for him.
"See you online, Kou-chan." she said with a wink. Izzy's face turned a little red, though he smiled
and nodded in return. Mimi turned and jogged a bit to catch up with her parents at the gate, and
then disappeared down the jet way, her tears beginning to fall again. Izzy turned and began to
walk back towards the rest of the group, who were quick to surround him and offer their
encouragements. Izzy thanked them, and they began to head down to the train station that would
take them back to the city again.
"I just have one question." Matt said, stepping alongside Izzy. Izzy looked up at Matt quizzically.
"Where did 'Kou-chan' come from?"
"That's ah, um...well, er..." Izzy said, his face turning very red now. "It's um...a private matter."
"A private matter? What's that supposed to..." Matt began to say. A sudden revelation he had
answered his question for him. "You're kidding. Right?"
Izzy remained silent, biting his lip as he walked.
"You... and her...??"
Izzy glanced over at Matt a couple times quickly, and gave a very small nod to him, his face now
beet red. Matt put his arm around Izzy, patting him on the back soundly. He leaned in close to
Izzy's left ear.
"Welcome to the club, my man. We'll have to talk sometime." he whispered with a chuckle. A
sudden tugging sensation and pain gripped Matt from his left as Sora pulled him back from Izzy.
"Leave him alone, Matt, I know what you're talking about." Sora told him plainly.
"What? What's the big deal?" Davis asked innocently.
"Davis, you truly, honestly can't be that clueless..." Kari said, looking over at him.
"Yes he can, this is Davis after all." Cody said, snickering.
"Come on, I'm serious! What's the big deal??" Davis asked again, getting frustrated. TK just
sighed and shook his head.
"Look, I'll talk to you about it later okay, Davis? Though you really should talk to your folks about
it." TK told him. Davis just gave a frustrated grumble and kept walking along, trying to figure out
what all the secrecy was about. Tai and Yuki stepped over alongside Izzy to check on him.
"You going to be okay, Izzy?" Tai asked.
"I don't know, Tai. Already I wish I could just run back and jump on that plane with her." Izzy said,
his expression a bit dark now.
"You two must really have it bad for each other." Yuki noted.
"I love her, Yuki. And she loves me back. Doesn't get much more serious than that, you know?"
Izzy told her.
"Well we're all here for you if you need support or someone to talk to, Izzy." Tai told him.
"I really appreciate it and all, guys, but I guess I just need a little time to myself. If none of you
mind, I'll catch a separate train to get back home. I have some thinking I need to do." Izzy told
them all.
"That's fine, Izzy. We'll respect your space." Tai told him before anyone else could object. "See
you tomorrow at school, right?"
"Yeah, right. Thanks Tai." Izzy said. He then split off from the rest of the group and headed over
to a train sitting at a different platform, his expression no less dark than when he was with them.
'One week...it went by so fast, and now my life is changed forever. I have someone who loves
me now, who I love in return. And now I can't be with them because they live on the other side of
the goddamn planet. This hurts...a lot. I sure hope it isn't some kind of cruel joke that someone
up there is playing on me. If it is, I'm certainly not getting the punch line.' Izzy thought to himself.
Idly, he figured Mimi must be thinking the same thing herself. He shook his head as he felt a tear
trail down his face, watching she sky where he knew Mimi's plane now was. The strains of Matt's
song played through his mind again as he rode home, their true meaning only now really sinking
in.
~o/
I'll find my way through night and day
I just can't stay
Here in heaven
/o~
*************************************************************
"Dear, are you sure about this?"
"If I wasn't sure before, I am now honey. Believe me."
"You're going to need to tell her, then. Everything that is."
"I know. I just hope she was able to have fun on that trip. God knows I sure didn't."
"Well, you never intended for that to be a real 'vacation' for yourself now did you?"
"No, I suppose I didn't. She certainly has been up in her room a long time. Is everything okay?"
"You'd best let me talk to her, dear. I have a feeling this is a ladies' matter."
"I understand. I'm going to make a couple of phone calls and finalize things then."
"Okay."
"You do support me on this, right honey?"
"On this and all things, dear. I love you, after all."
"I love you too."
***************************************************************
Mimi heard the knocks at her door, but couldn't even so much as move to acknowledge them.
She sat almost frozen in front of her computer, the screen blank as it wasn't turned on. Her eyes
were swollen and red, tears dried on her face. She couldn't do it anymore. It wasn't the same. It
would never be the same as being with him, with Izzy. But now she didn't know when, if indeed
she would ever, see him again. She closed her eyes as she sobbed again a little. If it were ever
truly going to work out, it would take a minor...no, make that a major miracle.
"Mimi, dear, I'm coming in." her mother said, opening the door. She saw the look on her
daughter's face and it confirmed all of her suspicions. She closed the door behind her and
moved over towards her daughter, picking up the box of tissues that sat on her nightstand. "A bit
lovesick, dear?"
Mimi managed to look over at her mother and nod, not wanting to hide anything anymore. Her
mother pulled a tissue from the box and dabbed at her face a bit, wiping away the tears.
"You don't know this, but I went though a similar experience with your father." her mother told her.
Mimi looked at her mother, blinking a little as she listened to the story. "When we were in college,
your father still lived in Hiroshima and I lived in Nagano. Two opposite sides of the country.
When we were first falling in love, it hurt so badly to be apart that at times it was unbearable. Our
only link was the letters we wrote each other almost every day. We went through so much
postage, it wasn't even funny. But it all worked out in the end."
"Mom, that's all well and good...but this isn't that simple!" Mimi said, her voice crackling with
emotion. She tried to clear her throat a bit before she continued. "He's not just across the
country, he's on the other side of the world! And...and..."
"And nothing matches the feeling you have when you're with him, does it?" her mother said,
finishing Mimi's sentence for her.
"No, nothing does. Mom, what am I going to do?"
"Well, I suggest you dry those eyes and wash your face a bit, and then come downstairs for
dinner. You must be famished by now." her mother said as she helped her daughter to her feet.
"Oh, by the way, one other thing I wanted to tell you about."
Mimi looked at her mother, wondering what it could be about now. Her mother wasn't exactly the
type to keep secrets from her.
"Your father and I may have a rather big announcement for you here in about a month or two.
He's made me promise not to say anything about it to you until things are all in place, but when
the time comes, we'll tell you."
'An announcement? What on Earth could they be hiding from me? Why don't I like this? Oh
Kou-chan, I wish you were here...'
****************************************************************
Homecoming. Of all the times of the year to be alone, this was one of the worst. The dance was
a month away, and Izzy didn't know what to do, or even if he wanted to do anything for that
matter.
"Izzy, how you've been acting isn't healthy. You ought to come to the dance, if not with someone
then at least alone. We can all hang and have fun together." tai said, trying to lift his spirits.
"No thanks, Tai..." Izzy said quietly as he picked at his lunch some more.
"Izzy, you've got us all worried sick. You have to get past this, none of us knows if or when Mimi
will be back in Japan." Sora told him. "Can't you cheer up a little?"
"Maybe. No. I-I just don't know anymore, Sora. Nothing makes sense to me anymore."
"Izzy..."
"Guys, I just...I can't take this right now."
Izzy grabbed his backpack and left the cafeteria, his lunch untouched. The remaining four around
the table fell silent at his departure.
"I can't imagine what he's going through right now." Yuki said as she reached for Tai's hand,
squeezing it firmly. "I don't know what I'd do if I were so far away from the person I loved."
"None of us do, Yuki, and for that matter none of us has any kind of frame of reference for this
kind of thing either." Matt added with a sigh. "The only thing we can do is hope he gets past this
on his own somehow."
The day dragged on for Izzy, and after school that day he found himself wandering by Yolei's
family's store yet again. He headed in and started looking around, though he had nothing he
wanted to buy right now. On hearing the customer bell, Yolei emerged from the back and took
her position at the register.
"Irasshaimase...Izzy! I haven't seen you around here for a little while." Yolei said, stepping out
from behind the counter.
"Hi Yolei." Izzy said, his tone of voice betraying his depression.
"Sounds to me like you came her to shop for some help, not a toothbrush." Yolei said, folding her
arms as she leaned against the counter.
"Homecoming is coming up, and I've got no idea what to do."
"Ooo...tough one. Don't know if I can help you out there, Izzy. Sorry."
"Yeah, I know. I'm grasping at straws at this point. Thanks anyway, Yolei. See ya."
"Okay, Izzy. Gee, too bad there's no way you could see Mimi over the Internet you know?"
"Yeah, that's too..."
Yolei's words were like a ray of clear light into Izzy's mind. He quickly processed all of what she
said, and it dawned on him.
"There is a way...! There IS a way!" he said, beginning to rave a bit. He paced back and forth as
his mind raced to make the configurations he'd need. He ran over and hugged Yolei tightly.
"Yolei! I'd kiss you, but then Ken would kill me! This is great! You're pure genius!"
"Ack! Izzy...can't...breathe..." Yolei gasped as he squeezed her. Izzy set her down after that.
"Sorry! I have to go! I have plans to make!" he told her as he ran out of the store. Yolei just
shook her head, wondering what in the world he could be planning this time.
Izzy almost took the door off its hinges as he got home. He was in luck today, his father was
home early. Izzy set his stuff down and approached his father, trying not to look like a madman.
"Dad, I need to talk to you. I want to ask about getting an advance in my allowance. A major
advance..."
************************************************************
USAflowrgrl: Do you think this will work, Kou-chan?
MasterIzE: It has to, Mimi-chan. Just follow the instructions I e-mailed you word for word.
USAflowrgrl: I don't know. I've never been really technically inclined, and this looks awfully
complicated.
MasterIzE: You can do it, love. I know you can. I'm signing off for now to put things together on
my end.
USAflowrgrl: Okay. Good luck, my love!
Izzy powered his computer down after signing off and set to his task. Six thousand miles away,
Mimi did likewise as she pulled her computer apart. Both of them worked feverishly, installing
and then configuring parts that Izzy had bought with every bit of money he'd been able to scrap
together. He'd express mailed the parts to Mimi, and had gone over instructions and
configurations with her for the past couple of days until they had everything down. After about an
hour's worth of work, Izzy had his computer back online again, a couple of new programs running
and two new pieces of hardware sitting around him: a small video camera mounted on his
monitor, and a microphone by his mouse. He sat watching his screen, biting his lip nervously.
"C'mom, Mimi, you can do this..." he said quietly. After several long, tense minutes, a picture
sprung up inside of the program he had running. He could tell it was live, because the camera
was constantly refreshing its view. Mimi's head poked up from under her desk as she looked at
her screen.
"Is it working?" she said loud enough for her microphone to pick up. The sound came through a
little distorted, but nonetheless audible.
"Can you hear me?" Izzy said into his microphone.
"Kou-chan?" Mimi said as she sat in her chair again.
"It's been a while, Mimi-chan. How're you doing?"
"As well as can be expected, I guess. I can't believe it, I can actually see and hear you!"
"The miracle of modern telecommunications."
"How much did all of this cost you?"
"Believe me, Mimi, I'd have spent even more if it meant being able to just see and hear you
again."
"You're so sweet. This is a lot better than a chatroom, you know. Wish we'd thought of this
sooner."
"Yeah, well I've been a bit mopey and dull since you left."
"About the same here, really. Hey, you should get everyone else over to see this so we can all
say hi."
"Maybe another time, right now I'm feeling greedy."
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah, I just want you all to myself."
"Same here, Kou-chan. Same here." Mimi said as she touched her screen a little, wishing even
more now that she could be with him. "So, how go plans for Homecoming?"
"I'm not going. I can't bring myself to do it without you, Mimi-chan."
"You should go, Kou-chan. Neither of us can keep ourselves bottled up like this forever, no
matter how much it pains us to be apart."
"Believe me, being able to see and hear you again...that's a homecoming for me and then some."
"I know. I feel the same."
"So how's your family doing?"
"Okay, though mom and dad sure are being secretive these days."
"Oh?"
"Mom told me that they're going to have some kind of announcement in a month or so. I've got
no idea what it is, though, and they won't drop any clues for me either."
"Do you think it's serious?"
"Could be. It's starting to make me nervous, Kou-chan."
"It'll be okay, I'm sure it will. So, that's America, eh? Doesn't look so much different from Japan."
"Oh believe me, it's different."
"Tell me more."
The two continued to talk away for hours over their new connection. It still wasn't the same as
being together, but it was as close as they could get.