Sincerity's path

Authors note: none Chapter six: Plays and donuts!

Left early, Mimi

Yamato yawned as he picked up the leafleted note, his hand rubbing through the tangled mass of dirty blonde hair above his head. He looked to the clock to the far side of the kitchen wall. It was still to early for the school to have opened any of the classrooms.

Damn. Had he gone to far in what he said? She looked sincere in her apology last night. And again he hadn't let her finish her sentence last night. He cringed, deep within thought.

From the living room the two mischiefs's appeared around the corner and into the kitchen. Their heads bobbing around the corner, one above the other.

Oohh.. A love letter. Taichi's grin widened deviously. Rubbing his hands together Daisuke crept quietly into the kitchen following Taichi's lead. Carefully remaining silent, Taichi placed the kitchen footstool a step behind Yamato, to deep in thought to hear much of anything.

Scrunching together to both stand upon the Childs footstool, they leaned forward.

"Two words!" Daisuke's words roared into Yamato's ear, "Some love letter Taichi!" He hollered again. Yamato's heart leapt halfway through his chest, his body giving a similar reaction from surprise "We've been jipped!" Taichi roared in unison, snatching the paper from Yamato's hands

His eyes read through the two small words neatly written and centered upon the small note pad. "Doctor Motomiya, it seems we have a serious problem here." Daisuke managed in an English accent, throwing his head up high.

Taichi raised his voice in an English competition. "Yes, Dr. I've seen this problem all to often. Its quite disturbing." He stepped from the footstool, holding his hand in all knowing fashion to pace around in a circular motion about the kitchen

"The Diagnostic Dr.? Is it serious! Oh!" Daisuke batted his eyelashes furiously. Racing forward he held his clasped hands close to his heart. "Whatever shall we do!" With his final touch, Daisuke placed his hand to his forehead, and feigned in fainting. "What's the diagnostic Dr.?"

"Love." Taichi quailed, shaking his head from side to side.

"And the cure doctor? The cure?" Daisuke placed his hand upon Taichi's shoulder, still batting his eyelashes and wiping away invisible tears. Taichi turned his head away from him sharply, keeping his eyes downcast. "I'm afraid there is none." Daisuke turned away from his acting, and returned to his normal voice, with his usual clueless expression. "Give her a box of chocolates."

"You dough head." Taichi's hand flew unseeing behind him, and slugged him across the back of his head. Daisuke turned and growled, shoving him in the arm. Taichi returned by swinging his arm around his neck, pinning Daisuke in the headlock he had pulled on Mimi a day earlier. "You don't give her chocolate."

From his seat on the sidelines, Yamato blinked twice. A sweet drop forming in comical embarrassment. The two having completely forgotten about him to continue their death match down the hall.

How much do you think the zoo would take for them?

He dressed hurriedly and set off down the street after her. De ja vu. Now where did this look familiar from? Oh, wait. Just last night! The sarcasm stung in his voice. Was he angry? No. but was she? He huffed around the corner and past the city's newscast building his father worked for. How early had she left? If she'd just headed off, he'd be able to catch up with her. Scratch that. He'd said the same thing the night before, when she only had a two-minute gain on him. That girl had a set of legs on her. (who wouldn't after spending a summer being chased by crazed creatures in the digital world?)

Yamato reached the school without so much of a trace of her; even the courtyard was empty at this hour. The working class hadn't even gotten up yet, and he expected to find anyone inside a school building they weren't expected to be in until eight? However, it did leave him with a smaller search of uncrowned hallways, and knowing the strawberry blonde, she'd be either one of two places.

Mimi's stomach rumbled. The fact that she hadn't grabbed anything to eat before she left this morning rumbled angrily within her stomach. Anything, including Daisuke's strange pudding contraption sounded good right about now. She shifted around in the booths seat, rummaging through her backpack for her wallet.

Ah hah! Her eyes sparkled finding it among the many books. Eh! The glitter faded from her eyes and her stomach cried angrily once again. Flipping the slender black wallet over, she shook. Nothing.

No! Her head fell down against the table in a sigh. No food. No food for Breakfast. No food till lunch. No money. No money equals no lunch. No lunch! She cried. No food until school out. No food for eight hours. Eh! "This is really my day!" she mumbled down against the table. Well, the outcome from leaving early and so far only advantage: having finished the essay due in Japanese History. The odds stacked against the many disadvantage. All of which seemed to revolve around food. Even with it still being this early, she wouldn't have time to head back home and grab anything. Even if she waited till lunch, she doubted Yamato would want to talk to her. Let alone share his lunch.

You're only adding to everything. Why don't you just shut up? She growled to herself, her stomach responding with another long drawn out complaint for food. Grr, right back at ya buddy.

Staring down at the textbook, she folding the paper into the binding and closed the cover down upon it. Placing her head into her arms.

"Your about as easy to find as a cow in central Tokyo." A voice heaved in front of her, startling her. "Yamato," Her body froze and eyes widened within her arms. Slowly lifting up her head, she looked to his face, keeping her eyes gaze low to the table.

He set down a can of apple juice and pack of small donuts from the school vending machine down on the table. His hands against his knees as he bent down to control his breathing.

Mimi eyed the donuts, keeping her arms folded in her lap, as if that somehow willed the hunger growling's to stop. "I really didn't mean to make you worry. I just didn't want you to be angry with me - " Yamato sighed, and inhaled with relief. She wasn't angry. "Angry? You thought I was angry with you when you left the studio?" A laugh bellowed from him, startling her to look at him in confusion. "If anything last night was comical. I've never seen Rick so afraid of anything in all my life!" His voice died down, and his face because calmer and apologetic." I shouldn't have yelled last night. I'm sorry. Its just- I don't think I've ever been so worried before. Promise me next time you'll wait for me?"

Mimi smiled and nodded sincerely, her eyes filling with small jewel tears. Wandering eyes nodded back to the donuts.

Yamato looked down at her, questioning the textbook before her. "Why'd you leave so early?" "Oh," She paused, lifting the palm of her hand to wipe away-unwanted tears, "I didn't get a chance to finish my Japanese History."

"You don't think your teacher will notice the indent in the book do you?" Yamato asked, flipping the book over onto his back and running his hand over the large circular indent in the middle.

Rick has one hard head, Yamato grinned. Mimi smiled comically in embarrassment.

"Are you.." Yamato searched for the words he wondered to continue with, trying carefully not to bring up anything that might quickly cause anger.

"No. But you might want to stay away from his locker today." Yamato laughed uncertainly, picturing what awaited Rick in his locker.

"Then you're alright?"

"Yes." Mimi kept her attention away from the donuts that stood before her, tauntingly. As if seeing this, Yamato's hands ran to the donuts, placing them farther before her. "Oh. I thought you might be hungry. It didn't look like you grabbed anything to eat. And you didn't grab your money from the counter this morning." He pushed the donuts forward, and listened to Mimi's soft cry as she fell forward, head first against the table.

"Eh!" Yamato gasped, flinching to recoil from her sudden action.

"I thought I was going to die!"