This is the first chapter with the flashback. In order for you to understand it better, I decided to write Matt & Mimi's age on all the flashbacks. By the way, thanks for the reviews!

Kuruta – thanks! Keep R&R! riven – yeah, I was doubtful at first, but the kissing scene is nothing compared to what's gonna happen in the next couple of chapters. (wink!) PnkSaKuRaSyAoRaNS2 – okay, if you're sure about it, then I guess I better start working on your scenes. It'll be up soon, okay. Thanks again! You're the best! Mimato-4eva – I've just read your Mimato fic & I think it's really good. Update soon!

Chapter Three: I'm Beginning to See You

Flashback

End of summer - 15 years ago (Matt 14, Mimi 13)

"Friends don't kiss."

"Ever?"

Mimi thought for a moment, her long legs tucked beneath her on the large sofa. It was the last night of summer holidays & in the morning their two families would part again for another year. To celebrate the evening they had a huge barbecue by the beach near the Tachikawa mansion. While the adults drank wine & chatted, the two kids sat themselves in front of the TV in the family room.

"Never."

Matt studied her profile carefully. "What about when they say goodbye or wish each other a happy birthday?"

"That's different, those are friendly kisses."

"And the difference would be...?" He wondered just what the extent of her knowledge could be at age thirteen.

Mimi avoided looking directly at him. Instead she kept her gaze focused on the television screen as she watched the source of their debate. They had been watching When Harry Met Sally.

Out of the corner of his eye he had seen Mimi blush during the cafe scene when Meg Ryan demonstrated her talent for faking it. He was impressed at himself by not laughing at her reaction. After all, he wasn't that much more experienced than she was. Kissing in the darkness of a cinema or the back seat of a friend's car on Saturday nights hardly made for a sex-life to brag about.

"You know." She blushed again.

"Yes, I do know." He smiled teasingly. "I'm just curious to see if you do."

Mimi knew she should never have allowed this particular debate to begin. They didn't talk about stuff like this, & she was so embarrassed she wanted to have the sofa open up & swallow her. "Well, let's just say I know the difference."

"So, go on, then."

"Fine." By the time she spun around to face him he already realized that he sparked her temper. It was her best defense in times of difficulty. And, boy, did she have a temper. "You want to ruin out last night by being dumb & teasing me, then that's just fine. I don't really know & you know I don't really know. I've never been kissed by a boy before. Not THAT way. Satisfied now? But I know there should be a difference."

Matt reached out & touched her arm. "I wasn't trying to be mean. I was just wondering what you'd say."

"Well, now you know." She pulled her arm away from him & leaned back, her mouth pouting slightly. "And how am I ever supposed to find out if I look like this? Boys don't kiss girls who look like me. They kiss pretty girls."

"I thought you said boys were stupid?"

A frown creased her forehead. "They are, but I guess it would be nice to have one even slightly interested in me."

Matt smiled his lop-sided smile as she glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "Tachikawa, I'll make you a deal."

Turning her head towards him, she raised an eyebrow. "What kind of deal?"

"Well…" he leaned towards her, his voice low. "If you haven't found out what it's like to be kissed by the time you're eighteen, I'LL kiss you."

Her eyes widened. "You?"

"Yes, me."

Mimi stared. "Kiss me?'

"Yes," he nodded. "I'll kiss you on your eighteenth birthday."

She continued staring at him, as if suddenly seeing a side of him she never noticed before. Then she laughed & laughed, until tears fell from her eyes. "Not in this lifetime."

End of Flashback

"I heard a rumor today in the market."

Mimi didn't lift her head as her friend & soon-to-be neighbor perched herself against the counter in front of her. Mimi had opened a new clothes boutique downtown with Sora not long after coming home. She used one side of the store to display & sell mounted copies of her work, the one she truly love. Designing.

They spent the morning selling various accessories & clothes to a dozen people. So it was the first opportunity for them to talk since the weekend's barbecue. Mimi knew only too well what rumor Sora was referring to. "Really?"

"Uh-huh."

"Well, they do say the market is the place to get rumors."

Sora waved her hand underneath Mimi's nose until she looked at her. "You very well know what rumor I'm talking about & don't you dare tell me you don't."

"Come on, Sora, we both know how active kids' imaginations can be." She tried her best to look sincere as she smiled at one of her closest friends. As she looked at Sora's caring eyes she also remembered the crush she had on Matt when they were teenagers. But Sora was a married woman now, & happily pregnant.

Her friend smiled smugly. "I don't think I mentioned any kids."

Mimi blushed a fiery red. "Sora, I'd really rather not talk about this."

"Oh, no, you don't. I wouldn't miss this for the world." She made herself comfortable leaning on the counter. "Tell Sora all about it & don't you dare skip any details."

As she looked at her friend, Mimi knew she couldn't tell her the truth. Sora had never understood the challenges & bets she and Matt aimed at each other over the years. Sora was a happily…no, blissfully married woman who loved her husband, Tai, & wanted the rest of the world to be in love as they were. How could she Mimi tell her about the bet? It would be easier to tell her the version of the truth that she wanted to hear, and then she & Matt could just 'split up' as they planned in three months' time.

"What do you want to know?"

Sora hit her on the shoulder. "Aw, come on, Mimi. Did Matt kiss you at the barbecue or not?"

At least that wasn't a lie. "Yes, he did." She blushed again.

"And?"

"And what?"

Sora sighed dramatically. "How was it? After all this time, why did he kiss you now? What's going on? Because you know I've always wondered what it was with you two."

Mimi's eyes widened. She stared incredulously at her friend. "You have? How come you never said anything? I mean, you of all people have always known that I only see Matt as a friend, so what on earth made you think…?"

"Mimi, its Yamato Ishida we're talking about here. I could never understand why you can't see what's absolutely clear to everyone else in this place. The man is gorgeous."

"You think Matt is gorgeous? Are you nuts? I've called him many things in my time, but gorgeous was never one of them." Mimi laughed. "He's just Matt."

Sora's eyebrows rose until they disappeared under her fringe. "When was the last time you looked at him?" She grinned widely. "Don't include last Saturday night."

"That's not fair, Sora. I look at him." She felt Sora's eyes follow her as she moved away from the counter to rearrange the clothes on the opposite wall.

"Really? Then you must know what color his eyes are?"

"That's stupid. I know that…they're blue."

"Blue?"

Mimi's hands paused as she thought, & then she smiled as she gained a mental image. "Yes, blue…you know, like ocean blue."

"My goodness, Miss Tachikawa, I had no idea you cared."

Mimi froze as Matt's voice sounded close to her ear. She didn't hear him enter the shop. She turned to look him, finding his eyes glittering in a 'gotcha' kind of way.

She stared as he turned to wink at Sora. "Hi, Sora, how are you?" Then looking back into Mimi's eyes, he added, "Please continue, I could stand a few more compliments."

"You jerk, how long have you been here?" She set her hands on his chest to push him out of her way. Instead he stood his ground & placed his hands over hers to hold them against him. She could feel his heart beat, was far too aware of his warmth, & was desperately tempted to kick him in the groin. "Get out of my way!"

"Not 'till you agree to come swimming this evening. It's nice & warm outside. I thought we could eat over by the shore at the beach."

She glared straight into his ocean blue eyes, following their daze as they went back to Sora's grinning face. "Don't you think she should come & swim with me on a lovely night like this, Sora?"

Sora positively glowed back at him. "Definitely, Matt."

"See?" He looked back at her & immediately found himself looking at her mouth. A memory suddenly hit him & he frowned slightly. "Sora agrees."

Mimi noticed where he was looking & without thinking, moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue. This bet was nearly too easy. "Okay, you win. I'll go."

Momentarily distracted by what she did with her tongue, Matt had to take a second to focus on what she just said. "Okay, uh, I'll see you later."

Mimi smiled at his expression. "Okay."

"Right."

Matt looked at Mimi, & Mimi looked right back. They were staring at each other for a while when Sora coughed & the world rocked back into place.

"All right," Matt grinned, released her hands & swung on his heel to leave the shop. "Bye, ladies."

Sora watched him leave & then turned to Mimi, fanning her face with one hand. "Is it just me or did it just get really hot in here?"

Spending the entire morning avoiding questions from the ever so curious Sora, Mimi decided to escape the shop at lunchtime. She bought a sandwich & a carton of juice from the café across the shop & then headed out into the warm June sunshine to sit by the park near the harbor.

Putting her sunglasses on, she took a moment to soak in the atmosphere before opening her juice & eating her sandwich. With hourly boat tours from Odaiba's man harbor, tourists & locals were wandering around in an assortment of holiday clothing. It didn't take long for her to pick Matt out of the crowd. He was easy to spot being such a tall person.

Gorgeous was never a word she would have used to describe Matt. Orlando Bloom, yes, but Yamato Ishida? Nope. Not that she thought he was ugly. She frowned behind her sunglasses. So, what was he?

In her experience as a crowd-watcher she glanced around to see if she could find any good-looking men to compare him with. She found a red-haired American, obviously a tourist from the way he dressed, who flirted with her in the shop earlier & then looked at them both.

The American was quite tall…probably six feet…but slim, which was typical in taller men. Matt, on the other hand, was six foot three & well built.

The American's hair was copper, short & curly, while Matt's hair was blonde, straight & glossy. Biting into her sandwich, Mimi thought that was slightly attractive.

The American had an open smiling face, with hazel eyes that teased when he flirted with Mimi at the shop. Matt's face could be lots of different things depending on his mood. But most of all, regardless of his straight, even features & strong chin, he had an honest face. Mimi had always liked the fact that she could read just about every emotion from Matt's face.

A soft smile touched her moth as she watched him run across the harbor to give a small girl the stuffed bear she just dropped. The little girl smiled & then giggled as he spoke to her, & Mimi didn't have to see his face to know what it would be like. He always had that gentle look in his eyes when he teased her the first year they met. Without effort, he had a way of making a person smile no matter how old they are.

That was the one thing she would never deny about Matt. He was a really nice guy. Mimi smiled more when she thought about how much he hated being told Mr. Nice Guy, but he was. Her eyes followed him until he walked out of her sight, his body moving in long strides that spoke of a silent confidence in his own strength. Then, her gaze falling onto the water, Mimi finished her lunch.

Sora was right. She had never really thought about it, but Sora was right. Matt was…no, IS a gorgeous man. More than that, he was a nice, caring, gorgeous man. Shame, really, because he isn't Mimi type. She'd never been attracted to someone like him in her entire life. It was a good thing because if she was attracted to him, then she might have gotten hurt in this latest game of theirs.

AN: The next chapter will be the swimming scene. Don't forget to review!