AN- You guys are so undeniably adorable! So many reviews! You guys keep me in a constant state of bliss...

I would like to apologize if any part of this chapter seems weird. Finals are in full swing...and if you are in college, you understand. If you aren't, you will someday. Or maybe not. Maybe you won't go to college. Anyway, in summary, I am tired and stressed, so my mind might not be working right, so any mistakes are mistakes and any odd things are the work of my fried brain...

Enjoy!

Getting Help

Tai was leading Mimi to his apartment, since it was close by, when a thought struck him.

"How did you know where I lived?" he asked, realizing he never told her, and she had somehow known in the note she wrote him.

"I got an informant," she replied.

"What?"

"Well, there's this guy who works for my father, and he used to be part of the CIA in the US, so I just called him up and he gave me everything I wanted to know really fast."

Tai blanched. He had thought that she got a student to tell her, not an ex-CIA agent. "What else does this guy do for you?"

"Just don't get on my bad side," she said, and gave him a small smile. She had said it so seriously, though, that Tai wasn't quite sure if he believed she was joking.

Tai opened the door to his house, calling out to his mother that he was home and brought a friend. She walked around the corner, wiping her hands on a towel, and smiled at them.

"Welcome! It's so nice to have a new friend of Tai's here!" his mom said.

"Thank you, Mrs. Yagami, but the pleasure is certainly all mine. Your home is so beautiful," Mimi said. She smiled and looked at her with adorable, innocent eyes.

Tai gawked. The stoic girl had suddenly disappeared and Mimi was now acting the role of the perfect child to a tee. He would have believed it was her natural personality if he hadn't been around the unemotional Mimi for two days, and if he hadn't known the real Mimi so well. He could tell it was forced, but he doubted anyone else would be able to.

Tai mother blushed at the compliment and led Mimi into the house. "What was your name, dear?"

"Mimi Tachikawa, ma'am. I'm go to the same high school as Tai. I've been having some problems with Math, so Tai has agreed to help me. I don't know what I would have done without his offer..." Mimi trailed off, looking at Tai with admiration shining in her eyes.

His mom sighed in delight and stared at Tai proudly, completely forgetting that Tai had almost failed his last math exam, and that he would be the last person to give someone else help.

Mimi and his mother continued to chat happily, leaving Tai to stand alone in the middle of the room. Kari suddenly appeared next to him, watching them. "Tachikawa lays it on perfectly, doesn't she? She got Mom to forget that you can't do math. I'm really impressed."

Tai nodded. "You can just call her Mimi from now on," he added.

Kari looked perplexed, but didn't comment.

After Tai finally dragged Mimi away from his mother, the two of them went into his room. Kari had left, mentioning something about Davis. Mimi sat on a chair in his room, Tai sitting on top of his desk.

He noticed she was back to her reserved self again. He couldn't even fathom how Mimi had turned out this way. He had assumed that without the digital world, she would be spoiled and loud and ... well, the way she was before, and partly during, the digital world. But now she was so quiet and drawn in...it was confusing.

She cleared her throat. "If I am going to help, I need to know the reason why you want these specific people."

Tai snorted. "You would think I'm crazy."

"Try me," she stated, "You would be surprised at how well I can tell whether people are lying or not."

Tai sized her up. He laughed, not believing he was going to this. There was no way she was going to believe his story.

"Well, if you insist. It started when I went to summer camp when I was eleven..."

Tai went over every detail, told her about the group's bonds and how each of his friends had grown. He explained the attack by Mirimon and what he needed to do, and fell silent, waiting for her reaction.

She had been quiet for the entire story, her face never changing from its stoic stance. Now that he had finished, an hour later, he was apprehensive of her silence.

She finally moved, standing up suddenly and walking across the room. "It was all true, wasn't it?" She said quietly, her back to him.

"Yes," Tai replied, trying to push all of the earnestness he could into his tone.

"We were all really close friends. Inseparable, right?"

"Well, to a point. But yes, I think we would, and have on occasion, put our lives at risk for anyone in the group."

"Was I-did I...smile a lot?"

Tai frowned. "When we were younger, you complained and frowned a bit, but as you got older, I don't think you ever stopped smiling. It wasn't because you wanted everyone to believe you were happy, either. You really were happy, all the time. You saw the best in everyone, and it made you so cheerful..."

Mimi nodded, and picked up a marker from his desk. She walked up to his marker board and drew something.

When she turned around, Tai saw trust shining in her eyes, complete belief in his story. He looked behind her to the board, where she had drew a thick, blue line between her and Tai.

"I have a plan," she explained, looking determined.

"Why can't you come do this with me again?" Tai asked, the next day at school. They were hiding in a secluded corner at school, where Mimi insisted they meet.

"They can't know that I am going to be part of this assignment," she explained, writing something in a notebook.

"But I already told them," Tai retorted.

"You told them that Mimi was going to be part of it, not Tachikawa. Trust me, none of them even suspect you meant me. Except Hikari. But we told her not to tell anyone."

"But why can't they know its you?"

Mimi sighed, impatience showing on her face. "Because if word gets out that I'm going to be at your meeting, my fan club will show up."

"You have a fan-club?" Tai asked, shocked.

"Who do you think was calling out to me outside that one day?"

"The whole school."

"Well, there are a few individuals who run a club that like to follow me around. I think it might ruin the meeting if they crashed it. They aren't my fan-club either, they are 'Tachikawa-sama's fan-club.'" She glanced at her watch and gasped. "I'm late, I need to go now!"

"Wait! I need some pointers!" Tai said, grabbing her arm.

She patted him on the shoulder. "Just do like we planned. Koushirou and Miyako, talk about the computer club. Sora and her mother about her job. Yamato and the extra cash," she recited, ticking them off on her fingers. She ripped the piece of paper from her notebook and folded it, handing it to Tai. "Do NOT read it, but use it when you need to."

"When will that be?"

"You'll know," she whispered, and pushed him out from their hiding space, where he promptly ran into his sister and their group of friends. When he turned around, Mimi had disappeared.

"Where did you come from?" Sora asked, surprised.

"I was, uh, tying my shoe and accidentally stood up too fast and ran into you guys," Tai lied, but everyone just nodded. He continued, "So, I have something to tell you guys before you make your decisions on the sociology project. I've arranged it so that we can pay everyone who participates. So, Koushirou, you could use the money you earn to help the computer club get that new program they want. And if you could get Miyako to do it too..." Tai trailed off, letting him make his own conclusion.

Koushirou nodded, looking excited. "And Ken too! Yeah, I'll do it. I'll even go talk Miyako into it," he exclaimed, and after Tai handed him a piece of paper with the time and place of the meeting, Koushirou left, waving to his friends as he took off down the hallway.

Tai turned to Sora, ready to convince her, but she spoke first. "I suppose that since I will be paid too, that I can use that to make up for the money I would have earned at the flower shop?"

"Yeah," Tai responded, grinning at her.

"I don't know, my mom is so strict..." Sora mumbled bitterly.

"Well, I'll come to your place after school and talk to your mom with you. I really want you to be there, Sora," he added, grabbing her shoulder gently and looking hopefully into her eyes.

A slight blush rose up in her cheeks, and she nodded. "Okay, after school."

Tai nodded happily and handed the time and place to Sora and Davis and then waved goodbye.

"Where are you going?" Sora asked.

"Some place really scary."

"I'm not in the mood to kick your ass today," Yamato stated, blowing a puff of smoke into Tai's face.

Tai coughed, waving a hand in front of his face to clear the air. "I'm not here to fight. It's about the sociology-"

"Hell no. I told you that already," Yamato cut him off, and then took another puff of his cigarette. A few students shot him dirty looks as they walked into the building, and a lot looked at Tai strangely, wondering what he was doing with Yamato.

"But this time I'm offering money for-"

"I don't want your damn money. Don't you know that you can't buy your friends, moron?" Yamato cut in again. He flicked his cigarette stub to the ground and crushed it with his foot. He started walking away.

Tai yelled out, "Wait!" and reached in his pocket, drawing out the note from Mimi. If he didn't use it now, when would he?

Yamato stopped and grabbed the paper from him. "Shit, you are persistent..." he mumbled, opening it. Tai could tell that he was trying to keep a straight face, but he saw shock register in Matt's eyes as he scanned the letter. He folded it, and tucked it into his pocket.

"I get the money?" he asked grudgingly.

"Yeah. Takeru, Iori and Miyako will be there too..."

"Yeah, yeah. And whoever wrote this...they'll be there?" he asked in a uncaring voice, but Tai could tell it was fake.

"Yes. Here's the time and place," Tai said, offering him another slip of paper, which Yamato snatched and stalked off.

Tai smiled, realizing suddenly that everyone was going to agree. He relaxed, realizing that asking for help had been one of the best moves ever. Now he just had to figure out what the hell she had put in that note...

"Tai, you don't need to go through all of this trouble to get me to come. You could just find another person..."

Tai waved off Sora's objection as they walked to the flower shop. "I need you there. Don't try and back out on me again."

"I don't want to, it just my mom..."

Tai told her not to worry and changed the subject, and they talked happily about soccer till they got to the shop.

Tai greeted Sora's mom happily, and she smiled nicely at Tai. He explained the situation to her as Sora stood by, looking at the ground. When he was done, she lifted her head and faced her mother.

"Can I go?"

Her mother considered Sora and then nodded. "Yes, you may. Taichi made a very good argument."

Sora looked shocked that her mother had agreed, but quickly thanked her mother and then pulled Tai out of the store, both of them waving good bye. Sora threw her arms around Tai. "That was amazing!"

Tai hugged her back, trying to ignore the familiar feel of his heart pounding as she pulled him closer. When she released him, he handed her the info card.

"I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Yeah, you will," Sora smiled, and gave a tiny wave as she stepped back into the shop.

Tai left, trying to repress the feelings about Sora that were trying to invade his mind.

It didn't work.

On Thursday night, at 7:00 at night, ten people sat in a rounded booth at an arcade in Tokyo, facing down Taichi Yagami. Tai sighed, wishing that Mimi would come soon so they could start. Everyone looked apprehensive of each other, not sure how to start conversation. Yamato, especially, was being uncooperative, glaring at kids and smoking.

One woman with a kid in tow passed him and scolded, "You shouldn't do that around children! Don't you know they can kill you?"

Yamato responded with his favorite finger, and the lady stormed off. He turned to find the rest of the table frowning in disapproval.

"What?" he barked.

"They all know that smoking can kill you. You really shouldn't," a soft female voice said, plucking the cigarette from his fingers. Everyone, Yamato included, gaped at Mimi as she stood in front of the table, snuffing his cigarette out in the ash tray in front of Matt. Tai stood up next to Mimi.

"You all know Mimi Tachikawa, right?" he asked, and everyone nodded, still surprised that the most popular girl in school was there. Mimi pulled something out of her messenger bag and plopped it on the table.

The bag she had placed there fell open, revealing a ridiculous amount of game tokens.

Davis spoke first. "That could last me a week straight of playing games here!"

Tai nodded. "Yep. Now who's ready to play?"

AN-Mwahahahaha! My next chapter is my favorite! I am saying that, and I haven't even started writing it, but I got it planned out, and trust me, you don't want to miss it. Can anyone say DDR?

Yeah, so there is a lot of Mimi, but I'll explain that later. I am sticking to my word, and it is a Taiora. Sora pops up a lot more later. And kudos to everyone who got the Izzy thing right! I give each of you 10 points! Save them up, and you can get free prizes, like...Air! and Water! Just for you guys...

Thanks to my reviewers!-

mirai3k- I look forward to reading your fics! I honored to have inspired you! Thanks for reviewing!

EllaJ.W

digimon-Taiora

kawaii-leena- Hey, thanks for all the reviews on the other stories too!

Kari Minamoto -Hmm, so many things to address. First, I think I'll take that as a compliment. Yeah, I like my Matt this way too. No, no one has gone to the digital world in this world. But you make a good point, that Tai only wished they hadn't gone. But having other people go would be all to confusing, so I'm just going to say no one has gone.

Vigatus- Yeah, rebel Matt is mean, isn't he? Their parents split before the digital world, so they are still separated in this world.

Kawaii Kitsune Cub

Sari Kamiya01- Mika Takaishi01- There's two of you?

Marie Darkholme

Lord of swords and waffles- Yeah, some people mentioned Mimi seeming different. I explain how she got this way later in the story.

Miranda

Anubis24

BenignUser- I love your reviews! Izzy is still living with his adoptive parents. And thank you so much for saying that about how I write Mimi! She's my favorite character, despite how much I have been writing about Tai recently, so she usually has major roles in my fics. I'm glad you like her. No, Tai isn't making Mimi seduce Yamato... ;)

Fruitloop Trooper

irish vampire- Yeah, Mimi really is lonely, despite how many people claim to like her. Kudos for being the first to get the Izzy thing right!

KoumiLoccness- You know that I ain't a Koumi hater, homie! I only got love for em.