I want to thank everyone who's read, left kudos and/or commented in this story. I hope you enjoyed this story.

Chapter 15: The End
Mimi felt like her heart was going to going to come out of her chest, because of how fast it was beating. The day her clothing line was going to be release had finally arrived and she couldn't be happier. Well, the only thing she wished she could change was not messing everything up with Jou.
"Mimi, are you ready?" A very pregnant Sora walked into the backstage a few minutes before the fashion show. "You'll be the first to go in."
"How do I look?"
"You look stunning, this outfit is so you."
"Of course, it was approved by me."
"That is true." She couldn't help but laugh and Mimi joined her.
"I'm nervous, Sora. I've done this many times, but I feel like this is my first. I panic just thinking there's going to be an audience out there."
"I can imagine, but you're only getting in again in the end. I'm sure you'll do fine."
"Are there many people outside?"
"A lot. The press is here; they couldn't miss this opportunity to cover the great return of Mimi Tachikawa to the runways."
"When you put it like that, it's really embarrassing."
"Don't tell me you don't miss your old model days."
"Sometimes I do. But like I said, I wanted to try new things."
"I think it's great. Come on, it's…" Sora stopped talking suddenly and placed her palm on the wall beside her.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. She kicked very hard and hit my ribs."
"Ouch, that must have hurt."
"You wouldn't believe it. I feel awful for saying this, but I can't wait until she's born."
"Not too long to go now."
"I'm counting the days, trust me." She rubbed her belly gently and checked her watch. "Okay, it's time. Ready?"
"No, but let's go."

Sora could hear some of the crowd cheering when Mimi appeared and couldn't help but smile. Then she took a brief look around the backstage and noticed there was an outfit still on a hanger.
"Why is this outfit here?"
"We're down one model."
"What?! How come no one told me earlier? I could have asked for another one."
"She was here, but she had food poisoning."
"Oh my God!" She covered her mouth with her hands. "Is she okay?"
"I think so."
"Okay, I need to get a new model very fast, but who?"

Hikari was sitting in the front row clapping at Mimi modeling when Sora approached her quietly.
"Ms. Takenouchi, do you need something?"
"Yes, can you come with me?"
"Is something wrong?"
"I need a favor. You're my last chance."
"Okay." She stood up and followed her boss backstage.

"Ms. Takenouchi, I don't think I can do this." Panic was evident in Hikari's voice when Sora told her what she was supposed to do.
"Of course you can. It's just one time, I promise."
"I've never modeled before. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do."
"You just do what Mimi did a few minutes ago. I would do it myself, but it's impossible for me as you can see."
"I also don't have any make-up on."
"I can work on that."
"Just one time, right?"
"That's right."
"Okay, I can do that."
"Yes, thank you so much! I'll put you at the end of the line, so I have more time to work on you."
"Alright. I'll put these on and then you can do my make-up."
"Great."

When Hikari came back about five minutes later, Mimi was already backstage cheering every time the audience clapped for each outfit from her clothing line.
"People love it! Do you hear that, Sora?"
"Yes, I do." Sora replied with a grin and quickly returned her attention to Hikari. "And we're done. You look amazing!"
"Really?" She looked at herself in the mirror and could barely hold her smile. "I really do."
"Are you ready, Hikari? It's almost your time."
"I think so. I'm a little nervous though."
"It's very normal. I'd get nervous every time I did it too."
"And what did you do about it?"
"I put on a brave face and went for it. It's not always easy, but you get used to it."
"You know what? You're right. I can do this."
"That's the spirit!"

Takeru couldn't stop looking at the backstage area, waiting for Hikari to come back and confused with her taking so long. "This is so strange."
"What is it?"
"Hikari hasn't come back yet. I'm getting worried."
"Don't be." Yamato assured him and squeezed his shoulder lightly. "She might have to replace someone in the last minute."
"Maybe."
"You seem to be really invested in this relationship."
"She's pretty great."
"I guess so. We didn't really talk, but she's a dedicate intern."
"She is." Takeru took a deep breath and pressed his hands together. "I need to confess you something."
"Okay, what is it?"
"I showed Sora some of her drawings and asked her to give Hikari a chance to show her talent."
"What did she say?"
"She said they were great and that she will talk to Hikari."
"I hope everything works out for her."
"Me too."
"You can relax now. There she is." Yamato pointed to the center of the runway and Takeru looked towards it right away.
"She's going to model!" He exclaimed excitedly.
"You didn't know about this?"
"No, I didn't. I'm guessing neither did she."
"Maybe they were down a model and Sora asked her to replace her."
"I think that's what happened too." He grabbed his phone and accessed his camera. "This is a lifetime moment."

Hikari took a deep breath when she walked backstage again. She didn't think it was bad at all and she had done a good job. Sora came to her after a couple of minutes.
"That was amazing! You did a wonderful job."
"You really think so?"
"Absolutely! Everyone loved it. What did you think of the experience?"
"I loved it. It wasn't that bad, I really think I can do this."
"It's great to know that. So, I want to make a proposition to you. Two, actually."
"Alright." Hikari felt her heart starting to beat faster.
"The first is if you want to join our cast of models. It's totally okay if you don't want to, but I hope you at least think about it."
"Okay. I promise I'll think about it."
"Great. The second one is... I've seen some of your sketches."
"What?!" She asked alarmed. "But I never showed them to any… Oh, Takeru showed you, didn't he?"
"He thinks you're very talented and I agree with him completely. So I'd like to know if you want to design some of your creations for us."
"You want me to design some of my creations?"
"That's right. You deserve a chance to show your talent. It would be a pity to let it go to waste. You don't have to answer me right now. You can take your time making your decision and then let me know."
"This is too much to take in."
"I bet it is. Don't feel pressured though. It's completely fine if you don't want to do it."
"Thank you."

"Can we come in?" Yamato's head popped into the backstage.
"Of course!" Sora turned around and grinned at them. "Please, come in."
"That was an amazing show. All the clothes were beautiful. Everyone loved it." Yamato approached her. "Congratulations."
"Thank you."
"You were amazing!" Takeru approached Hikari and hugged her tight. "I'm so proud of you!"
"Thanks."
"It's so cute that you're together. You make a beautiful couple."
"We really do." Takeru grinned.
"It's so crazy, if you think about it. We met by accident when we bumped into each other on the sidewalk."
"It's like a love story from a movie or a book."
"Maybe that will be the main story of my next book."
"Please no, that would be too embarrassing."
"How about we go somewhere and celebrate?"
"That's a great idea. I'm in."

.

A couple of days later, Mimi was making her way to the airport. She decided to visit her parents in Tokyo, since it had been a long time since she did and she didn't have time last time she went there. She was finally in a good place. Focusing on her fashion line really helped her get her mind out of all the drama involving Jou and Koushiro. A song she really enjoyed started playing on the radio and she turned it up, singing at the top of her lungs. She took her eyes away from the road for a split second, but it was enough for her to hit the car ahead.
"Oh dammit!" She stopped her car and quickly got out to see how damaged they were. She only heard someone from the other car walking in her direction and started apologizing without even looking at them first. She was completely taken by surprise when she did. "Jou?!"
"Mimi? What are you doing here?"
"I was driving to the airport, actually. I'm going to spend a few days in Japan. I haven't seen my parents in a long time."
"Oh I see. That's a good thing. I bet they miss you so much."
"They do. My mother cries every time I call her."
"It doesn't surprise me at all." Jou couldn't help but laugh.
"What about you though? What are you doing here?"
"I was on my way to a hospital. I got a job here."
"That's great, Jou!" Mimi exclaimed excitedly and almost hugged him, but pulled back the next second. "I'm very happy for you. You worked so hard for this, you deserve it."
"Thank you." He said sincerely. "At first I didn't think I was going to get a job in any of the places I applied to. I was about to give up and return to Japan when they called me saying I got it."
"That's wonderful! When are you going to start?"
"Next week. I still need to solve a few things."
"Oh I see."
"Well, you can leave this on me." Jou gestured to the car crush in front of them. "I don't want you to be late for your flight."
"Absolutely not. This crash happened because I was distracted, so it's only fair I pay for it."
"Wow."
"What? What happened?" Mimi asked alarmed. "Do I have something on my face? On my teeth?" She tried cleaning it with her tongue.
"No, no. You seem great."
"Thank you." She smiled warmly. "You do too. So do we agree I should pay for the damages?"
"Normally I would object it, but alright."
"Great." She lifted her hand and noticed she was still wearing her wedding ring. So she took it off and handed to him. "So I believe this belongs to you."
"Yeah." Jou said unsure, surprised by her sudden action. But he grabbed his ring anyway. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." She glanced to her right and then back at him. "Well, I should go now. Send me the repair receipt and I'll take care of it."
"Okay, I will do it. Have a good and safe flight home."
"Thanks. Good luck on your first day at the hospital."
"Thank you."
"See you around." She turned to get into her car again.
"Mimi, wait."
"Huh?" She looked over her shoulder. "Is something wrong?"
"No, I was just wondering if you were short on time for your flight."
"Oh." She blinked a few times and then looked at the time on her phone. "My flight is in a few hours only. I was going to wait at the airport, actually. Why?"
"I was hoping we could talk."
"You want to talk to me?" Mimi pointed to herself, visibly surprised. "I thought you were still angry at me. Not that I blame you, you have every right to be. But I didn't see you at the fashion show a few days ago, so I thought…"
"I was there." He cut her off and she was even more surprised.
"You were? But I didn't see you. Maybe I was too excited about the whole thing. Some other people also said they were there and I completely missed them." She shook her head, smiling. "Anyway… we can talk, of course."
"Great. I heard about this great place nearby. Do you want to go?"
"Sure. But what about your car?"
"Oh, I'm just going to leave it at the repair shop." He looked towards it.
"Alright, I guess. I can go with you and then we'll go to this place you just talked about."
"Sounds perfect to me."
"So you were at the fashion show, huh? What did you think of it?"
"It was amazing. All the clothes were amazing. Sora did a wonderful job."
"Yes, she did! She's so talented! I just wish you went to talk to me afterwards. I'd love to see you then."
"It wasn't really the right moment."
"I get it. It's okay." She assured him. "So we'll meet at the repair shop?"
"That's right."
"Let's go then."

Mimi didn't want to get her hopes high, but she wasn't that excited to go visit her parents anymore. But she pushed herself to do it, telling herself it would be good for her.
"Thanks for coming to the airport with me." She said as they both got out of her car. She opened the trunk of it and Jou helped her take her luggage out. "I had just accepted the fact I was going to have to leave it at the parking lot."
"You're welcome. I'll take it to the repair shop when my car is fixed."
"Great, thank you." She put her hair behind her ear. "So I guess this is it."
"I guess so. Have a safe flight."
"Thank you. Have a good first day at work." Mimi grabbed the handles of her luggage and motioned to head inside the airport. "See you when I get back."
"Of course." Jou smiled and instinctively held her arm. "Wait!"
"Huh?" She looked over her shoulder and was immediately surprised by a kiss from him.