"'But I don't want to go among mad people,' Alice remarked.
'Oh, you can't help that,' said the Cat. 'We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad.'
'How do you know I'm mad?' said Alice.
'You must be," said the Cat. 'or you wouldn't have come here.'"
Review Replies:
Vigatus: I think you'll be happy with this chapter. More Tai, more Izzy and Mimi...just not together yet.
Rileyyy: THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH in updating your stores. I just have to do a review. Chicken and Stupid are turning out wonderful. Thanks for the review.
Crimson Blademaster: Thanks for your review! I hope you like the new side of Tai. I'm thinking with this story that this could be the reason he goes into detective work later on in life...
JyouraKoumi: Izzy's part is getting there. Remeber, I only have ever done Matt and Sora fics. This is new to me. I think I know how I'm going to contect them together. Bare with me kay?
Soramon: I'm glade you are over being angry now. I'm starting to be okay with Izzy and Mimi together.
"Call me later?" I kissed Matt again.
"Hmmm," Matt nestled his lips against my neck.
"Hurry up would you!" Mimi called from her pink Volkswagen bug.
I sighed, pulling Matt away. "You better go or your band will be looking for you."
"Yeah," He kissed the top of my head, then my cheek then my mouth.
"Sor!" Mimi yelled again.
"Remember…"kiss, "Call," kiss, "Me!" a last, one quick kiss before running down the stairs. I waved at my boyfriend as he stood on the steps, his guitar slung over his shoulder looking so handsome.
"You don't know how lucky you are to have me as your friend," Mimi chattered away, "Most people would have been disgusted by your display of affection and rode on with out you. Lucky for you, I think you two are so adorable."
"Yeah," I said dreamily, still feeling Matt's lips against the base of my neck.
"You don't mind coming along, do you?"
"Hmmm?"
"To Izzy's house? I have some problems I have to solve for school. Maybe he could help you with your work too. Did you bring your books?"
"Oh," I glanced in the backseat, "Yeah. I thought we were going to your house to study."
"I doubt you were even listening to me with your tongue in Matt's mouth,'' Mimi rolled her doe eyes at me. "I told you that I had to go to Izzy's house for an hour or two for some major studying!"
"Fine," I sighed, looking at the window. We went a few miles with out saying anything; Mimi would sing a long to the radio soft as I watched the scenery pass me by through the window. "Hey Mim?" I finally glance over at her.
"Yeah?"
"Why can't you just let Izzy know you are interested?"
"Sor, we've been through this before." Mimi glanced over at me. "He is going to need someone who will understand what he is talking about! I have to keep interrupting him, asking him what a word he used even means! I…I feel stupid around him."
"We all feel stupid around him. Well Ken and Joe can keep up….even Matt can keep up."
"Which surprises me every day!" Mimi added. "Sorry but I never took Matt as the brainy type."
"No problem, I didn't either but back to Izz. He doesn't think of any of us being less then he is. He's a genius but he would never think himself better then his friends."
"I'm not so sure." Mimi tapped her steering wheel, "I mean when we are in a group he talks but when it's just us two, he says one or two words and that's it. Well until I run into the next problem. If he is even on the computer, no one else even exists!"
"He's shy, Mim. You have to be a little more open with him."
"I'm not so sure he is interested in me, Sor." She tapped the steering wheel with a long, perfectly filed nail. "Let's just drop it okay?"
"Whatever," I gave her a shrug.
"Don't do that!" She hissed at me, "That is so Mattish!"
"Sorry!" I couldn't help grin.
When we finally arrived at Izzy's house, he was there at the door as though he was watching for us.
"Sor," He gave me a brief hug, "I didn't realise you were coming over also."
"Last minute invite," I glanced over at Mimi, "You don't mind, do you?"
"No." He shook his red head, "Of course not. A visit from you is always welcome, you know that. Come in. Mother had put some snacks on the table in case you get hungry. At first I didn't think it was a good idea, Mimi hardly eats anything but now…"
"Are you saying I'm a pig?" I slapped him in the arm.
"Not you," Izzy blushed, rubbing his arm before he walked up the stairs towards his room. "I'm saying that he's a pig."
There, on Izzy's bed, sat the pig flipping through some of Izzy's computer magazines.
"Tai!" I pounced on the bed beside him, giving him a huge hug. "Oh, what happen there?" I poked at a large bruise on his arm.
"OW!" Tai gave me the dirtiest look he could make while rubbing his arm. His efforts were in vain. With those brown eyes of his, there was no way he could give a death glare. "I was coaching a few kids when they mistook me for a ball." Tai tried to find some time durning the week to teach kiddie soccer to a bunch of four to six year olds. He is the bravest boy I know…
"How did that happen? The ball is on the ground; your arm is up here!"
"I had to get down to their level to talk to them. I had the soccer ball in my hand when a kid thought he was being smart by kicking out of my grip. I, on the other head wanted to kick in his head!"
"Poor Tai," I kissed his cheek.
"I don't feel so bad. I notice that Matt had an injury also. I think a crazed fan tried to strangle him …WAIT, no that markon his neck is a hickey!" Another Tai glare.
"We aren't doing anything else." I lowered my eyes, "Besides how many girls have you…"
"And I don't want to know if you are!" Tai continued to flip through the magazine, he is so brotherly towards me. It's great really. "And what I do is completely different from what you should do!"
"Boy you are a grouchy pants tonight."
"I got kicked in the arm by a five year old; I have every damn right to be!"
"I love you…"
"I love you too, Sor." Tai gave into one of his sheepish grins.
"That was so very cute and all but I need to pass!" Mimi held up her books.
"If you want, we have rented movies and you can help yourselves to the food." Izzy told us.
"Aw, you two want to be alone!" Tai gave a toothy grin; I slammed my elbow in his ribs.
"OUT!" Mimi pointed to the door. "And try to keep your friend under control Sor!"
"He's your friend too!" I reminded her. "I have homework to do also, can't I…"
"Actually I find that keeping you two in different rooms, you tend to study better." Izzy straighten his desktop up, making it all pretty for Mimi to use while I have to use the kitchen table, where the food is my temptation. This is so unfair! "I'll get Mimi started then I'll help you. I can go back and forth like that. That way you to can do your assignments with out an hour discussion about your tv shows."
"What about me?" Tai asked.
"You are beyond my capablities." Izzy blinked at him.
"B…but I came baring a gift!" Tai searched his pockets until he found what looked to be a plastic bag.
"Err…very nice. Thank you." Izzy took it from him and threw it in his trashcan beside the desk.
"NOOO!" Tai retrieved the baggy. "It's hair!"
"GROSS!" Mimi squealed.
"From what?" Izzy asked. "And why do you have it!"
"From my girlfriend," Tai smiled loving at the baggy.
"I wasn't aware you had a girlfriend." I wrapped my arm around his wide shoulders. "Who is she?"
"And why did you take her hair?" Mimi asked, wrinkling up her nose.
"Well…I'm not sure what her name is yet." Tai scratched the back of his neck.
"Tai, what do you mean?" I asked carefully.
"Well I was at the mall when I was lucky enough to spot her…"
"Not this again!" Mimi sat on the bed.
"I saw her again, the girl. My only love!" Tai glared at Mimi. "I yelled stop but she didn't listen. I was on the other side of the strip. She took the stairs to the bottom floor and I reached over the rail to grasp her shoulder but I pulled some of her hair instead."
"Isn't that stalking?" I asked.
"She has the softest hair I ever felt…"
"You pulled her hair out," Mimi eyed him, "Yeah that's going to get you a date!"
"I…well I didn't mean too!" Tai hissed at the blonde. "She called me a bastard and kept walking; rubbing her beautiful hair….you should hear her voice. So soft. Harsh but soft."
"Wow, you two are on to pet names already." I giggled.
"It's not funny," Tai, growled, "I'm serious!"
"And that is what frightens me even more!" Mimi rubbed her arms.
"How does this hair make her your girlfriend and what are you going to do with it?" Izzy asked.
"I'm in love with her so naturally she has to be my girlfriend," Tai rolled his eyes. "She just needs to realise who I am and what I mean to her."
"You pulled her hair out and she called you a bastard. I think she already knows what you mean to her." I couldn't help myself.
"Any hoot," Tai frowned, "I'm giving it to you." He handed it over to Izzy.
"I don't want it. I mean what if she ends up dead and I have her hair strains in my apartment?" Izzy backed away, shaking his head and hold his hands upright in front of him.
"Don't say such a horrible thing!" Tai's eyes grew large, "We are going to grow old together. I already planned out the next fifty years of our lives!"
"Sora, Tai's scaring me…" Mimi took a few steps away from our friend.
"Me too," I shook my head.
"Um..okay." Izzy sighed. "What are you going to do with the hair? Besides giving it to me for some odd reason."
"Well….you can find people from hair strains. Something like DNA, so I thought…"
"No Tai. I told you before I do not have the equipment, I don't have the knowledge. I have nothing to trace a person down!"
"That was with finger prints. This here is hair, from her head."
"Yes and the fact that you are hugging it scares the hell out of me!" Izzy shook his head. "I'm sorry Tai. I can't track her down like that." He looked over at me for a moment then sighed before looking back at Tai, "I wasn't going to mention this and I don't think I should since you have gone beyond the steps of sanity and into the world of madness but I have a friend…"
"Who knows her!"
"No. I have a friend who has a friend whose father…"
"Knows of her?"
"No, let me finish! This person works in the security room of the mall. He happens…"
"Is he the big fat security officer who kicked Tk and Davis out of the toy store?" Tai smacked his head. "Of course I should have asked Davis and TK to help! They know the security guy first hand!"
"Tai…" Izzy snapped his finger in front of Tai's face. "First off, I doubt that officer would help if you mention TK and Davis' names. Secondly, that's not the person I am referring to. This person works with the cameras. He might help us get a good visual on this girl. The only thing I am worried about is if he thinks it is safe for us to do so. I mean with you insanity level increasing at a rapid incline."
"I'm not crazy," Tai held up a hand, "No matter what you, my friends may think, I'm not. I am in love. I knew it the moment her eyes meant mine… Just let me live in this life of illusion instead of a life of dispare!"
"Quote from the Simpsons?" Izzy asked and Tai grinned.
"You exchanged glances for what, three seconds?" I asked.
"That's what is so amazing about our relationship, it only took three seconds!" Tai smiled.
"What relationship!" I asked.
"Well he did pull the girl's hair out. He is in love with her. If anything I'd say that they have a love-hate relationship going on." Mimi giggled.