"Thank you so much. I'll return it to you right away!"

Mimi held the top side of the ladder while Tai held the other side and together, they walked out of Mimi's neighbor's garage. They had tried every attempt to get inside Mimi's house but had only managed to fail every single time. It was very frustrating for Mimi to say the least but she had done well to keep herself calm. She had thought about throwing some heavy rock and breaking into her own house but before that happened, Tai had suggested that they borrow a ladder from someone. If they were lucky, perhaps one of the windows up stairs was not locked unlike the ones on the ground floor.

Tai and Mimi passed by their mothers without a word and set the ladder below a random window. Both of their mothers were sitting on the door steps where it wasn't covered by the snow and they were talking very quietly as if they were afraid to speak up. Tai's mom and Mimi's mom seemed to be getting along just fine although they could tell that there was some sort of tension between them that would probably take a lot time to get rid of. They were trying to advoid the topic of Mimi's dad by asking each other how they had been for the last couple of months. Talking about him brought pain to both of them since they had loved him so much and Mimi's mom still carried the inner scar from when she found out that Mimi's dad had been cheating on her with her friend.

"I won't hold any responsibilities if you fall," said Mimi as Tai began to climb up the ladder. She would have gone up the ladder herself if she wasn't wearing a skirt or afraid of heights.

"Don't worry, I wont fall," said Tai, smiling down at Mimi but his smile was soon washed away as if a tidal wave had swept through his face when he suddenly started wobbling while flailing his arms in the air. He looked like he was about to fall which caused Mimi gasped. If that were to happen, there was a chance that he might get hurt and it would be all her fault. She would never forgive herself if such thing were to happen.

Noticing the worry in her eyes, Tai stopped wobbling as if he had the world's most perfect balance. His smile returned to his face. "Just kidding."

Mimi did not find anything funny about it. She had thought he was really going to get himself hurt and after what happened to her dad... "Tai, you idiot! I thought you really were going to fall! Don't scare me like that!" said Mimi and she gathered some snow into her hands to make it as round as she could. She threw it at Tai who laughed before ducking his head. "Don't you ever do that again."

"Alright. I won't." Tai gave a reassuring smile and climbed up the last few steps until he was able to reach the window. He wasn't exactly able to tell which room it was with the white curtain covering his view but he didn't bother to think it about much. The most important thing was that he could see the lock and to his relief, it was unlocked. He looked down at Mimi who had a hopeful look in her eyes before he tried to pull the window open. It didn't budge. Why it didn't open, he didn't know but he kept trying any ways. It would be a pain to go through every single window up stairs and not to mention that it was freezing cold outside. If he was cold, he guessed that it was even colder for Mimi since she wasn't wearing proper winter clothing. He was worried she might catch a cold if they had to stay outside for too long.

Grabbing firmly on the edges of the window, he pulled it as hard as he could and to his surprise, it opened. He didn't have to look down to know that Mimi was probably jumping up and down from the thumping sounds he was hearing. Opening the window further, Tai walked through it while making sure he wouldn't slip. The room was slightly dark but there was enough light going through the curtain for him to tell that he was in a bathroom. There was a stack of newspapers against the wall, towels were laying everywhere and there a basket full of clothes that needed to be washed. He could remember Mimi once telling him that her dad was a very unorganized and even a messy person so he guessed this was his bathroom.

Tai took his shoes off ran out the bathroom before making sure to close the window. His shoes were wet from stepping on the snow outside and it would definitely leave a messy stain on the carpet if he wasn't careful. Mimi had enough things to worry about besides him messing up the carpet.

He was directly faced with a rush of cold wind as if he was its main meal right after he had opened the front door to let Mimi in. Her mom was still talking with his mom but when they both noticed that the door had been opened, Tai saw them standing from the ground with their conversation ceased. He turned to Mimi to tell her that he would be going but instead, Mimi had walked up to him and gave him a hug. This action caused him to be stunned but his arms circled around her back without even thinking properly. It was just a friendly hug so there shouldn't be any need for him to hesitate. No, there shouldn'tbe.

"Thank you." Mimi was very thankful. She was thankful for him staying with her, for letting her stay at his house, and for everything he had done. She couldn't even imagine where she would be right now if it wasn't for him.

They parted soon after they heard Tai's mom calling him. He wanted to stay for a little long with reasons he did not know but left any ways because he knew she probably needed some time to talk to her mom. He would just put away the ladder himself which he didn't mind at all.

It was snowing again. Out of all the days to snow, it just had to snow on the day that her dad's funeral was being held. Thankfully, the snow had started to come down after the funeral was almost over but because of that, few people had looked anxious to leave as soon as possible which some thought was impolite and disrespectful. It had been three days since her dad had died and in those days, Mimi and her mom had shed a lot of tears. It went for the same for Tai's mom and although she always seemed to have a smile on her face, Tai had heard her cry many times during the night. He knew she was crying only during the night when she thought he and Kari were asleep but he wished his mom wouldn't do that. He wanted her to cry when she wanted to and not smile when she didn't want to.

Mimi's mom had come to the funeral as well and some of the relatives from Mimi's dad's side had given her a questioning look. They couldn't understand what she was doing here which was quite understandable because she herself couldn't understand either. Tom had moved on and was even planning to marry Laura so why had she come? There was nothing left between them except for their child so what was her real reason for coming?

As Mimi bowed to her grandparents in respect as they were about to leave, she had caught Tai looking at her direction. After her grandparents left, she turned to look at him to see why he was staring at her but he was talking to his mom. It was true that Tai didn't know much about Mimi's dad or even met him very much but he came with his mom and Kari which Mimi was grateful for. Just knowing that he was near her gave her a comfort that no one else could give her. It was a strange feeling but she welcomed it.

When most of the people have left, Mimi's mom walked up to Mimi after standing off in the side for a long time. She felt a bit out of place so she had been trying to stand away from everyone. She knew most of the people here and used to be even close to some of them like Tom's sisters but she didn't want to make them feel uncomfortable.

Mimi's mom gently placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder and bit the corner of her lips as she wondered if right now would be a good time to ask her what she had been wanting to ask the whole day. Her boss wanted her to start working again in four days so she has no choice but to leave in three days. Maybe four but she needed to get there the day before so she can organize some things. She needed to know what Mimi was going to do from now on as soon as possible.

Mimi adverted her gaze from Tai with her face reddening slightly when she felt someone's hand on her shoulder. She hasn't realized that she had been staring at him. "Hey mom."

"Hey Mimi. Can we talk for a while?" Mimi nodded her head and her mom gave a weak smile. "I'm really sorry but I have to leave in three days and I was wondering... if you would like to come with me. The process may take a while but I can have you attend school there. You don't have to of course. This is just a suggestion because I don't want you to be alone here. If you want to stay here though, you can stay with my sister. She had already agreed on it."

There was a moment of silence before Mimi finally spoke. "I... don't know."

"It's alright. You don't have to answer now. Just any time before tomorrow will be fine."

"Hello!"

Her voice was carried out the house with something similar to hopefulness but there was no reply. Of course there wouldn't be anyone replying back to her in an empty house but she just had to try it any ways. She couldn't help but hope that her dad would come running down the stairs with a warm smile and greet her. It was stupid really but at the moment, she was willing to do or think about anything that would make her feel like everything was like the way they were before. If she had to jump off of a tall building to bring back her dad and her once happy family, she would do it. As long as everything would go back to the way they were a year ago, she was willing to do anything.

Mimi locked the door of her house and walked over to a mirror to dust the snow off of her hair. It was snowing very hard now but from what she heard on the radio while being driven back here from the funeral, the snow would stop sometime very soon. It didn't really matter to her since snow did nothing but to make her feel even colder than she already was right now.

The floor creaked as Mimi walked away from the mirror and toward the stairs. She dragged herself up to the very last step and instead of going to her room, she went into the one on the opposite side. Her dad's room. She wanted to stay there for a while and surround herself with her dad's belongings and perhaps come up with a decision as to what she was going to do. She hasn't answered her mom when she asked her if she wanted to go with her or stay here. She didn't know how she was supposed to answer or what would be the right thing to do. She certainly didn't want to leave because this place was her home. All of her friends were here and they meant everything to her. How is she suppose to choose?

"Are you going somewhere, grandma?"

Tai and his family watched as his grandmother started to put her coats and gloves on. She had her purse by her side in which she soon started to look through until she grabbed an envelope out. She handed it Kari who accepted with a confused look.

"I'm going home now and my Christmas present for all three of you is inside that envelope."

Kari's immediate reaction to her grandmother's words was to look at a calendar. She had not realized that tomorrow was Christmas with all the things that had been going on in her life. She doubted her mom had known either.

"You're leaving? Now?" said Tai in surprise. His family had came back from the funeral not too long ago so he thought his grandmother would stay for a while.

"Yes. I think I've caused enough trouble here."

Kari eyes brighten as her lips curved upward for a smile. If she was leaving now... "So is that mean you're not going to take me with you? I can stay here?"

There was a brief silence as everyone eagerly waited for her responds. "Yes."

For the first time in days, Mrs. Hinamori let out a real smile and gave her mother a hug. "Thank you so much. Here, let me carry your bag. I'll walk with you and grab a taxi for you," said Mrs. Hinamori and she quickly ran into her room before coming out with her coat on.

"I'll go too," said Kari and she handed the envelope to Tai before putting on her coat as well. She was smiling and looked very happy, something that Tai had missed seeing. It was good to see everyone happy again.

Tai said his good-bye to his grandmother and closed the door after everyone left. With an exhausted sigh, he slumped down on the sofa and wondered what was inside the envelope. There's no harm in taking a peak, is there? Whatever was inside was also his too so he carefully ripped the side open. What he saw inside surprised him. There was money inside. A lot of money. His mom probably won't have to worry about the apartment fees for at least four months. His mom is definitely not going to be happy about this... She doesn't like asking for help from anyone and she would probably think that his grandmother gave her the money because she didn't think his mom could handle things on her own.

A quiet knock came from the door that he was barely able to hear and Tai quickly stuffed the envelope between the cushions. He guessed that it must be his grandmother who came back to get something that she forgot about.

"Did you forget something, grandma?" said Tai as he opened the door.

"Grand...ma?"

"Mimi! I thought you were... never mind. Come in."

The bewildered look that she had for being called grandma faded away and she went inside. She wasn't sure why she was here of all the places she could have went but she had felt the need to talk to someone and he had been the first person to come into her mind. She had been debating with herself for almost an hour as to if she should leave with her mom and decided it would be best if she asked someone for their opinion. If she were to leave, she wanted to go without having any regrets.

As Mimi sat down on the sofa, she couldn't help but feel a bit nervous about being here all alone with Tai. She had bumped into his grandmother, mom and Kari while getting off the elevator so she knew he was the only one at home. It didn't bother her or anything since Tai was her friend and all but her heart seemed to be beating faster with Tai so close to her. She knew it wasn't right for her heart to feel such way but she couldn't help it.

"So... What's up? Is everything all right?" said Tai, sitting across from Mimi.

"Everything's fine. I just need your help on something. You don't mind, do you?"

"No, not at all. What do you need help on?"

Mimi smiled a little, feeling herself relax a bit. "Well you see, my mom is leaving in three days and she wanted to know if I wanted to come with her or not. I'm not sure what I should do."

The shocked look on his face was something Mimi did not miss and when he noticed her eyes on him, he forced himself to look calm. Why did she come to him for something like this? What was he suppose to say? He knew deciding whether to go with her mom or not was probably difficult for her because he could remember how hard it had been on her when she had to move to America few years ago. She had cried so much at the air port and although she had made many friends in New York and gotten used to her surroundings, she had been so happy when her dad's job had been transferred back to Japan. He could still remember the night when she had called him to tell him that she would be coming back. She had been so thrilled which made him wonder if she missed living here that much.

Tai didn't want her to be sad once she got to Europe but on the other side, she wouldn't be happy here without her mom. She had been so upset when her mom had suddenly left couple of months ago after getting divorced with her dad. She had skipped about a week of school and during that time, she didn't want anyone coming over to her house. He didn't want her to be that unhappy again although this time, she would know where her mom would be staying.

"My mom didn't say this but I think she wanted to me go with her. Besides my aunt, I'm really her only family."

Tai saw Mimi smile as she talked about her mom and he realized something. She probably needed her mom more than anyone else now with her dad gone. "You should go," said Tai and he avoided meeting his eyes with Mimi's confused ones. Even if he wouldn't be happy without having her near and even if he might not be able to see her again for however long... He wanted what's best for her. "I mean, you want to be with your mom, don't you?"

"I guess..."

As Tai watched Mimi think silently to herself, he knew what her decision was going to be. His mind was screaming at him to tell her to stay but could he really do that? Could he really be that selfish to say such a thing?

"I think it would be best... if I leave here," said Mimi after a long silence. Tai was right. She wanted to be with her mom.

Her words brought forth a pain that was different from any other that he had ever felt. He had been sad when Mimi had told him that she would move to America but that had been all he had felt. He had wanted her to stay of course but not as much as right now.

There was no point in denying any more. His feelings for the girl in front of him were different than how he had felt for her months ago. He didn't like her just as a friend. Things were different now. He didn't want her to go and he wanted to tell her that. He wanted to be a little selfish for this one time. If she still wanted to go after that, he would let things be.

"Well than, I'll guess I'll go home and call my mom to tell her. Thanks for your help."

Tai walked over to Mimi who was getting up from the sofa and to her surprise, she was pulled into a tight embrace. This action caused her heart to speed up and she felt her face heating up without really knowing why. When she had given him a hug few days ago after he helped her get into her house, she had done it to thank him but what was this suppose to be for? All she knew was that she liked being in his arms and she wanted to stay that way forever whether it would be wrong or not.

"Mimi, don't--"

"Tai! We're home!"

Tai and Mimi immediately parted and without a second thought, Mimi bolted out of the apartment after giving a short greeting to Kari and Mrs. Hinamori, her cheeks tinted in red. Her heart was still pounding heavily and even though she didn't get to hear what Tai was about to say to her, she just wanted to be alone and make herself understand just why her heart won't stop beating so fast.

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A/N: The next chapter or the chapter after that is probably going to be the last chapter. Everyone's reviews are always greatly appreciated and I hope this chapter wasn't as bad as I think it was. I'm going to work on the next chapter now so I can hopefully get it out as soon as possible without taking over a month.