Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own digimon.

A/N: I admit, I can be such a romantic at times, and boy-oh-boy Chapter 5 was one of those times. And Chapter 4, Chapter 3, Chapter 2, Chapter 1... -;; Yet boy-oh-boy do I love this fanfic. I think this is my favorite out of all that I've written so far because I've used the best grammar that I ever have used in a fanfiction. I just hope I continue because summer deprived me of correct grammar and vocabulary so far T-T Continuing this fanfic is just what I need to keep my writing skills from dwindling. (Ack! I almost forgot how to spell "dwindling." That's how bad I've become!)

P.S. I know, I know -- It's finally up! It took long enough, right? XD Well… enjoy -

"Hey, Yamato, are you feeling alright?" It was after school and Yamato was extremely quiet, which Mimi finally noticed while he was walking her home. He simply shrugged, and it dawned on her that it must be so awkward that Taiichi was back, especially for her and especially for Yamato. "Does this have anything to do with Taiichi being back?"

Yamato shook his head and attempted to smile at his beloved. However, his smile was nothing more than a grimace. Turning that frown upside down was impossible at this point, since Mimi had mentioned Taiichi. Yamato had no clue what she could be thinking about, and that bothered him. Mimi stopped walking.

"You're lying."

Yamato stopped as well, and sighed. "We haven't seen the guy in ages. I know you, of all people, would want to, you know, hang out with him sometime. And I think you should." His mind continued where his words left off: "I need to know if you still love him." Mimi was nonetheless taken aback, even with his unfinished statement.

"I-I don't think I'm ready to." Yamato's eyes were firmly directed at Mimi's; her eyes were trying not to concede to his stare.

Mimi might not have been ready, but her reunion with Taiichi was inevitably scheduled later on, when Taiichi made a surprise visit to Mimi. Mimi doubted that he was any more ready than she was, however.

Mimi was in her room, under the covers just like that day years ago when Taiichi first walked out of her life. She just lay there thinking, oblivious to the fact that Taiichi was walking to her house at the time. She didn't dare tell her parents that he was back; they knew how much she loved him, and felt her pain throughout her prolonged ordeal, days and weeks after Taiichi left. She had no clue how they would react to her news. So, she lay there while her oblivious parents went about with their diurnal activities.

The door bell rang, startling the otherwise silence in Mimi's room. She heard her mother walk towards the door, in scurrying little steps, and Mimi only hoped it wasn't Yamato. Her expectations could not be any more wrong: she heard her mother open the door and expected her cheery voice greeting "Hello" to the visitor, however as soon as her mother opened the door, an awkward silence passed throughout the house, and each person outside Mimi's bedroom just stopped what they were doing. A shiver went up Mimi's spine as her mother finally spoke after a few seconds of more silence.

"Hello, Taiichi," she said stiffly, apparently unsure about whether or not she should be happy for her daughter, or instead hold cold indifference for the boy who broke her daughter's heart, unintentionally, of course. She never really hated Taiichi for leaving her daughter because she knew that it was beyond his powers to stay; he was just a child and could not force his parents to stay.

"He-hello, Mrs. Tachikawa." Taiichi's voice wavered in anxiety, saddened at the bitter welcome he received, but determined to make amends. His voice grew slightly stronger and slightly happier.

"H-how have you been? I haven't seen you in years, and you still look young as ever. I really missed this place."

Mrs. Tachikawa smiled slightly, warmed by the fact that Taiichi had not changed. She spoke in warmer words and embraced Taiichi as if he were her own child. "Oh, Taiichi. We missed you around here. When did you get back? Does Mimi know you're here? Mimi was absolutely devastated you know."

At the mention of Mimi, both Mrs. Tachikawa and Taiichi had felt a few degrees less happy. By the last sentence, Mrs. Tachikawa had released Taiichi, and spoke in what was almost a whisper. Mimi, however, could hear every word from inside her bedroom.

"Y-yeah. I could say the same for myself," Taiichi replied. In a quieter voice he added, "completely devastated."

Mimi heard this last part and had to choke back a sob. Silence had overwhelmed her room; she was now completely still, barely remembering to breathe, though when she did, her bed creaked a little beneath her. She had just realized how much she missed Taiichi, and how much she needed to see him. She slowly crept out of her bed, caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, and fixed herself up as well as she could, with the dim light. She was still dressed in the clothes she wore earlier that day, and as she slowly walked out the door, she blocked the sudden burst of light from her eyes.

Taiichi's head sprung up in shock, for Mrs. Tachikawa had offered him a seat on one of their sofas. He didn't know whether or not he should be relieved at the sight of Mimi, though he knew for a fact that he was truly happy by merely being near her.

"Hi, Taiichi."

The awkward silence that followed Mimi's not-so-grand entrance was finally broken. Taiichi, however, continued to scrutinize everything that was the epitome of Mimi: she wore her trademark salmon-pink dress, and her hair was down and not as messy as it could've been if she had just met with Taiichi as soon as she got out of bed. A small smile traced her lips after she had finished addressing the boy opposite her.

"H-hey there, Mimi." Taiichi warmly smiled back. Mrs. Tachikawa looked at either and realized what should happen.

"Well… you two need some catching up to do, huh? Taiichi, it was nice seeing you again. I'll leave you two alone now." Mrs. Tachikawa tried to smile happily, but her eyes showed the empathy she had felt for Mimi, which was returning from so long ago. She walked into the kitchen, leaving the two sitting opposite each other in opposing couches across a coffee table in the living room.

"Hey, do you want to go somewhere?" Mimi asked, breaking a second interim of silence. She was looking down at her hands on her lap, gaining composure and courage, though smiling to herself all the while she spoke. This caught Taiichi by surprise yet again.

"Um… sure. Where did you have in mind?"

"Come on." Mimi got up and hesitantly took Taiichi by the hand. She called out to her mother that she would be leaving with Taiichi, and her mother agreed to it. On the way to their destination, Mimi let go of his hand and instead wrapped her arm around his.

"Oh, I know where we're going now," Taiichi thought to himself as he and Mimi walked down the route he was rapidly recalling. It was not very long until they found themselves arm-in-arm in the exact same place in which they separated.