A/n: So after 2.5 years I finally got over my Mimato block and wrote this. It's not as longer as some previous chapters, but it's something.

There is a song in the second half and to convey the feeling behind it I would recommend listening to the My Favourite Things cover from the Kids on The Slope (Sakamichi no Apollon) soundtrack.

I appreciate everyone who bothered to read, re-read this story during these past 2 years. I hope you enjoy this latest installment too.

EDIT(03-04-2021): In an attempt to edit some of the earlier chapters of this story I ended up deleting some chapters instead of replacing them and I am terribly sorry that this is just a repost of the 21st chapter and not something new.

-x-

"No."

"Yamato, you didn't even let me finish," Taichi whined and tried his best to send an emotional pout his best friend's way but he was too tired from his practice to pull it off successfully.

"I don't need to let you finish, I already know where this conversation is going and my answer is no." Yamato stood up from his position next to Taichi on the couch and headed to the kitchen to fetch a snack for his friend, who looked like if it wasn't for the couch supporting him, he would be one with the floor. It was rare for the brunet to show up to his house on a Saturday after practice, because he was usually tired and went straight home to sleep and even though Yamato didn't need to guess twice as to who made Taichi do this, he still decided to take mercy on him and feed him.

Taichi's face perked up as he saw Yamato pull out a pack of Yakisoba bread and Melon bread each, he watched with heightened expectations as the blond rummaged around his fridge and finally pulled out a bottle of Taichi's favourite drink, Calpis. It warmed his heart slightly, knowing that Yamato himself never ate Yakisoba bread or drank Calpis but always kept a stock of it in his house for Taichi. It also almost made the brunet reconsider his action plan, so he could let his best friend off lightly but then Sora's face flashed in his mind and he remembered that this was his punishment for eagerly accepting her mother's dinner invitation last week.

As soon as Yamato settled back next to him, Taichi immediately took the drink from his hand and gulped down the bottle in one go, the blond shot him his usual disgusted 'is your stomach a bottomless pit' look and carefully unwrapped his own Melon bread and took a small bite out of it, like any mannered human being would. With some of his energy back, Taichi decided there was no way out of this situation, either he was going to have to push Yamato into agreeing or he would have to go back to Sora and admit defeat. Since the latter was not an option under any circumstance, bullying Yamato was the only way out.

"Okay but for reasonability's sake, can you at least hear me out?" Playing with Yamato's rational side was something Taichi considered himself an expert in, after all this time.

"Sure." Yamato sighed, defeated.

"I think that it will be a wonderful opportunity for the four of us to go out together and enjoy each other's company and get to know each other better," Taichi recited the statement he had learned by heart over a phone call last night. And as he continued to speak, he realized that the words sounded way more convincing coming from Sora than him. He hoped that the blond who was busy rolling his eyes, wouldn't notice the flush now covering his face out of sheer embarrassment over speaking these words out loud.

"Sure, because running from evil Digimon who were trying to murder us as kids didn't present us with ample opportunities to get to know each other," Yamato dragged out the last bit as sarcastically as he could. Hearing Sora's words coming out of Taichi's mouth was a traumatic experience he was not yet used to.

"Since you've decided to bring up the Digital World," Taichi replied, confident that his rebuttal would work better than his girlfriend's sermon, "Let me paint a picture for you-"

Yamato covered his face with his hands in frustration, suppressing an urge to scream.

"The twelve of us are out for our usual Digi-destined get together at the amusement park, but the young ones decide to their own thing and set off in a different direction, leaving me, you, Sora, Koushiro, Mimi and Jou.

Now we know Jou isn't really an adrenaline junkie so he decides to sit it out at the food court and let us enjoy the rides. Suddenly, Koushiro gets an overseas video call for his business, leaving me, you, Sora and Mimi to go around by ourselves.

What Sora has suggested is nothing different from that." Taichi finished, a proud grin covering his face as he readied himself to gloat over his victory.

"Well, if Jou were to ever sit it out like you said, I'd never let him be alone and Koushiro would never take a call like that if he was out with us," Yamato fired back, only pausing to smirk before he added, "and as if you would ever let Hikari be around Daisuke and Takeru unsupervised."

Taichi sunk lower into the couch and groaned loudly, "Well Miyako has been appointed as Hikari's bodyguard in my absence, so that last bit is invalid." He muttered feebly, it dawned on him that Yamato was hell bent on not listening to him and he had no choice but to play dirty now.

"You know, I didn't want to bring this up Yamato, but Sora has already asked Mimi and she said yes. So now if we cancel, it'll look like you don't want to spend time with Mimi," as soon as Taichi finished, he knew that his best friend's stance had faltered. He locked eyes with the blond, and silence settled over the room as Yamato considered Taichi's statement.

Yamato contemplated, after peering into Taichi for over a full minute, that what his best friend had just stated was a lie designed to get him to cave. But just the thought of the slightest chance of it being the truth put him into a tight spot. Things between him and Mimi were going well especially since last weekend, when they ran into each other at the Karaoke place. Well, they hadn't really talked after that incident, because it was difficult for them to find time alone at school and they were both wary of making bold moves like suggesting to Sora that they want to eat lunch privately. So really it had only been a few hellos and good mornings and the occasional smiles here and there, but still Yamato was confident that their momentum had not been lost and if he were to have another chance run-in with Mimi, where it would just be the two of them, away from the rest of the world things would progress to great from well. Which is why, he decided to take a risk.

"You're bluffing. Sora knows I would never agree to this and she wouldn't risk Mimi's feelings like this." Yamato replied, keeping his fingers crossed behind his back in hopes that it would help make him right.

Taichi held his stare for another minute before he let out a frustrated scream and gave up, "Argh! Fine! Sora hasn't asked Mimi yet. She's supposed to tonight, after I convince you."

A wave of relief washed over Yamato and he settled comfortably into the couch, smirking mercilessly at his best friend, who was now squirming with frustration.

"Why are you so against this? You clearly had no problem going to a movie and karaoke date with her!" Taichi scowled at him, not yet ready to give up and face Sora's wrath.

Yamato immediately turned red from head to toe at the brunet's accusation, "That wasn't a date," he cried out, a little too squeakily for his own comfort, "me and Takeru ran into her and her parents at the theater. Her parents were there. And she just happened to be at the same karaoke place I decided to take shelter from the rain in…" and as he trailed off, he realized that it really did sound like too much of coincidence and didn't blame Taichi for eyeing him suspiciously.

"Whatever." Taichi got up and stretched his arms, clearly tired and done with the whole charade, "I'm gonna go home and catch a good nap and if Sora doesn't love me tomorrow, it will be your fault."

-x-

Yamato hadn't ever regretted not being in a school club right until this moment. He was used to waiting for Taichi and Sora to get done with their club activities in their classroom, he actually enjoyed the peaceful space he had created for himself there. With the sun slowly reclining in the background, chatter from the school grounds echoing in muffled tones and the absolute emptiness around the room, it was the perfect time and atmosphere to write his music in. Just the thought of this used to carry him through the most boring classes in the day, and yet today was very different, all because of Sora. Clearly she was still not over his refusal of the double-date to the amusement park, and all through the day she passed him disappointed scowls. Every time he spoke she would just 'hmpf' in the background. During lunch Yamato looked at Taichi for support, who just put his hands up and stated that he was no longer involved in this.

Yamato was sure that the moment their class emptied out, Sora would corner him. Arguing with Sora was a much more difficult task than with Taichi, and the blond was well aware that none of his arguments from the weekend would work against her. So the minute the bell signaling the end of classes for the day rang, Yamato dashed out of the classroom before Sora even had a chance to notice. He wasn't sure about where to hide but he lingered in the block where all the club rooms were located, because this was the one place Sora would not bother to look. He was hoping that she'd give up and leave before she was late for her Ikebana class.

As he continued to loiter, he noticed a signboard for 'Music Room', this was news to Yamato. Although he had never really wandered into this block, he was well aware that there were no music oriented clubs at their school. A bit curious to look inside, and also hoping for it to be empty so he could hide in peace and maybe actually make some progress on his new song, Yamato headed towards it. And when he opened the door, just as always, the last person he expected to see there was casually sitting on the floor under the window and reading a book.

"Mimi…" he exclaimed softly, more to affirm the reality to himself than to get her attention.

She didn't look up from the book in her lap, and once Yamato looked closely, he noticed she had earphones in. Now he had two options, he could just silently exit before she saw him or he could seize the moment and just make the best of his hiding from Sora expedition.

Mimi was sitting with her knees bent and legs pulled to one side, with the book resting on her lap. There was a budding smile on her face as her caramel eyes, gleaming with excitement moved across the pages. Her hair was tucked back carefully behind her ear on one side, but on the other it was falling across her face but she seemed too engrossed in whatever she was reading to care about it. Yamato wanted to immediately walk to her and push the falling strands away from her face and once that thought entered his head, his choice was made. He entered the room and shut the door behind him, loudly.

Mimi jumped slightly at the noise and looked up, cheeks turning slightly pink as their eyes met, she quickly pulled out her earphones and greeted him, "Yamato-kun, what are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here?" He instantly replied, curious about how she always managed to end up in places where he never expected to see her.

She closed the book and stood up straight, dusting off her skirt slightly before putting her free hand in the skirt pocket to pull out a key and dangle it in front of him, "A few months back I tried to start a musical literature club, but sadly it didn't gain much traction. The teacher just didn't bother to take the key back from me so I come here whenever I feel like it." She grinned, raising an eyebrow at him she asked again, "So what are you doing here, hiding from Sora-chan?"

"No! I'm not hiding from Sora," Yamato answered, a little too quickly and loudly which filled Mimi's face with amusement. He frantically scanned the room to find something that would help him in coming up with an excuse and his eyes landed on the old, dusty piano in the corner of the room, "I'm here to practice playing the piano…"He wasn't sure if he looked or sounded convincing enough but he definitely did not want to admit that he was running from Sora, because then he would have to admit why he was running from Sora.

"Oh!" The gleaming excitement was back in Mimi's eyes and the blond couldn't tell if this was because of how obvious his lie was. She brought the book she was holding close to her chest and cheerily added, "I'll leave you to it then!"

"No, don't leave!" Yamato blurted out, forgetting to think before speaking yet again, "I mean, I would like it if you stayed." He added quietly, a slight tinge of pink covering his cheeks as he did so.

"Okay!" Mimi beamed at him, the glint from her eyes was now visible on her whole face as she went and pulled a chair from the back of the room in the direction of the piano and settled herself on it, she went back to reading her book, with a giddier expression than before.

Yamato wanted to slap himself as he walked to the piano, lifted the cover and took the stool positioned near it, for falling for such a silly ruse like that. More than that, he couldn't believe he had told her he was here to practice the piano. He hadn't touched a piano for a very long time now, it's not that he didn't know how to play it or he was bad it, his memories associated with the instrument all revolved around his mother. She was the one who signed him up for piano classes when he was around six, they would walk to the class together every time, while his dad watched Takeru. She would stay and watch from the sidelines, always smiling and motivating him during the class, after going home they would practice together on her own piano, which Takeru informed to him she had sold right after the divorce. He always wondered why she did that, he wondered if the piano reminded her of him just as it reminded him of her, making it unbearable to look at. Even in the limited interactions that they had, he had never once mustered up the courage to ask her about it. And this is why to Yamato, the piano was nothing but a painful fragment of the past that he had avoided very cleverly till now, but seeing as Mimi made him trip and mess up in ways that he had never imagined, he should have seen this coming.

He passed a glance towards the brunette, who was quietly busy with her book and had so far not pointed out that Yamato had claimed he was here to practice the piano and yet more than fifteen minutes had passed and he was yet to start playing. He studied the keys carefully as he tried to remember the notes to at least one song that he could play decently in order to not embarrass himself in front of Mimi. After he cleared his head completely, he was able to remember a song. Putting all his concentration into the instrument in front of him, he played the first few notes, to his surprise they turned out well so he repeated them again only this time-

"Raindrops on roses

And whiskers on kittens,"

The blond stopped in his tracks and looked up at Mimi. She blinked back in confusion, "Why did you stop? Did I not sing it correctly?"

"No, you were perfect. I just didn't think you would know this song…"Yamato muttered in reply, still awestruck by how clear her voice had sounded in the room. It was different than when she had sung in the karaoke place where her voice was occasionally drowned by the loud pop music she had selected. No, right now, it was just Mimi's voice perfectly in tune with the piano and he just couldn't believe how beautiful it was.

"You really think that someone who wanted to start a musical literature club wouldn't know this song?" She chuckled in reply to his statement, "It's one of my favourites actually."

Yamato was still taken aback by the whole scene to respond. He just happened to run into her at the theatre, she just happened to be in the karaoke place at the same time, the only song he could play on the piano just happened to be one of her favourites. The universe couldn't make things any more obvious for him.

Taking a deep breath and clearing his head once again, he began to play.

"Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things"

Her voice crisply enveloped his whole surrounding and with each word she sang, he felt himself get pulled further into the song. He had started out thinking he only remembered the notes to the first verse but his fingers were already moving on to the next one on their own.

"Cream-colored ponies and crisp apple strudels
Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favorite things"

Yamato became increasingly confident as he continued to play but just for the sake of it, he decided to sneak a glance at Mimi. Her eyes were closed but a happy smile had taken over her entire face, she was hugging the book tightly to her chest and her whole body was swaying, completely in tune. Once he looked at her, he couldn't tear his eyes away from her. The way the light coming through the windows hit her face, the way her mouth opened a little bit wider when she sang the high notes, the way her hair formed a perfect frame around her face. He had known Mimi since they were children and yet he kept discovering new things about her every day.

"I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad"

Completely distracted by the sight in front of him, Yamato didn't realize that he made a mistake.

Mimi stopped singing abruptly and started laughing loudly.

"Yamato-kun, you missed a part! It goes 'when the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I'm feeling sad', and I ended up skipping it too!" She told him, her voice still filled with laughter.

"I did…?" Yamato was still slightly in trance, he looked away finally, from the brunette to his fingers that were still lingering on top of the keys and tried to recollect the part where he faltered. Mimi kept her book down on the floor and got up, dragging the chair with her to sit next to the blond behind the piano. Even with the chair being taller than the stool Yamato was sitting on, Mimi still had to look up to face him. When their eyes met, he noticed the mischief swirling in hers as she continued to smile warmly at him.

"Were you distracted by something?" She asked softly.

"Yeah. You." He decided to indulge her, and at his words she lowered her gaze slightly, her smile grew wider with coyness replacing the warmth in it.

"Well, isn't that flattering." Mimi reached out her hand towards his, hesitating for a second before she touched it, and then slowly entwined her fingers with his. Yamato felt an electric shock go up his entire body the minute their hands touched and he hoped that she couldn't hear his heart beating, because he was sure it was just ready to jump out of his chest any minute.

"I talked to Sora-chan, you know," she continued in that soft tone, turning their interlaced hands over and around, "I explained to her that we're not ready yet. We're not ready for things like double dates at the amusement park."

Just as having Mimi sit so close to him that he could smell her shampoo with every breath he took had sent his brain into a haywire mode, hearing her say those words suddenly washed over the erratic energy bubbling inside him with a sense of tranquility. He realized then how grateful he should be to whatever powers that worked to put Mimi next to him, but more than that he was grateful to Mimi. Without them ever having a discussion about it, not only did she understand what he wanted but she was able to explain it to other people too. Something Yamato knew would not come easy to him.

He hadn't understood the true meaning of the world overwhelmed until now.

"So you don't have to worry about avoiding her," Mimi said, chuckling slightly, "We can take things slow. At our own pace." She added, looking up to meet his eyes, smiling contently.

Yamato was at a loss of words, as he looked at her. He remembered thinking once, that she looked like a doll that would break at his touch, but now he was sure that he wanted to be the only one who was allowed to touch her.

He wanted to convey so many things to her in that moment, but he couldn't find his voice. Actions speak louder than words, his brain reminded him so Yamato did the only thing that made sense to him, he bent down and planted his lips on hers.

-x-

A/n: Reviews are always appreciated. Thank you for reading, and stay safe everyone!