CHAPTER II

Mimi Tachikawa

People, I'm flattered. I never expected this story getting all that attention from you... and I'm happy. . . and because of that, I'm putting this chapter up. Hope you like it.

Enjoy!

Water… water was all he could feel… There was water falling on his head… with every step he gave. There was water on the floor as his steps tried to keep on a constant rhythm. There was water coming out of his eyes… tears that flowed down his cheeks, hiding behind the large rain droplets hitting his face. He, Yamato Ishida, was crying… something he hadn't done in 7 years. All the pain inside his heart was overflowing right now, right here…because… because of her...

….Mimi Tachikawa, the only woman he loved… the only woman who broke his heart.

It was cruel how life suddenly turned its back on him. This was the fourth time she made him cry… cry like a hopeless teenager in love without getting any love in return... She was the only one who had this impact on him. No more than 5 words were needed to send him down on his knees, feeling all the misery in the world… And he cried…cried, cried, cried, just because of her…

…Mimi Tachikawa, the woman who dumped him 7 years ago… after he proposed…

His throat was constricted, as if it was tied in a knot. His legs felt like jelly with every step he gave. No direction was on his head… he just needed to get away from his office… from his desk… from the picture laying on it…

Remembering the pictures made him feel sick. All the bright and happy colours twisted inside his head as his blurry eyes only saw darkness ahead. At this exact moment, his life, path and mind were sombre; being those colours, the only light he saw. The yellow, lemon green and pink irregular lines on the picture flowed back and forth, tricking and manipulating his mind. The glitter… those tiny particles that shone in his hands didn't go away… they were stuck, not wanting to leave; even after he washed his hands four times.

Mimi Tachikawa was once again, the mind behind it all. She could think in all what hurt him, put it up together in an artistic way and send it in a parcel with a big red bow. And worst… he knew that she had put her heart on it, making it look as good and colourful as it could possibly be…

Sighing heavily, he turned right and sat on a bus stop bench. Leaning elbows on knees, his hands went up and down his face and hair several times before they came to a stop under his chin.

The three different drawings almost led him to hospital… From a minute were everything was calm and peaceful, a parcel arrived, leaving him hanging high on his nerves.

She knew that today was his birthday and wanted to surprise him. This was by far, the birthday that held more surprises… Three different colours… three different pictures… three different girls… three different stories…

…And one same woman behind it all... Mimi Tachikawa, the mother of his girls…

The first picture in which he laid eyes upon was Marie's. …The girl he once rocked in his arms, while her mother was desperately trying to find around the mall, was now writing and drawing. He remembered it like yesterday… when Mimi placed her as top priority in her list, even if she had to sacrifice all the love she felt for him…

The picture… the picture showed all the happiness in which she lived. There was a green landscape, many flowers and a big house with two floors. All of that was drawn green, being the flowers red. On a corner was a pink bunny… or that was what he thought it was… Drawn with orange crayon, was a stuffed bear and with sky blue, there were some waves showing that she liked the ocean.

Moving on with the next picture, he read some big messy letters saying "EiKA." Now this… this girl was his daughter… he loved Marie too but this was different. She was his biological daughter and a connection was made between him and the picture.

The first thing he saw was a huge cone of ice cream. Next to it was, with big letters, "ToYs R uS" and some "Zzz". Other drawings inside the square showed him what she didn't like. Under red crosses, he saw a book, "SchooL", a carrot and a dress…

The third girl's picture also made his heart sunk. It was Ami's, and again, he felt that connection with her. Her picture was a 100 per cent different from the other two.

While he thought Eika was more like him, Ami possessed all of her mother's virtues… With neat handwriting she wrote "Ami" and drew and coloured herself with a microphone and some musical notes around. Next to it was a teddy bear, some strawberries and cherries, a colouring book and some ribbons…

Looking up into the darkened night sky, his hand came to his cheek and slapped it… twice… He wanted to erase that recent memory… and there was no other way to get his mind off it. Standing up as his hand stretched to stop a cab, he got on the back seat, not caring if it got wet. He told the man the address where he wanted to go and then relaxed against the fake leathered seat.

Feeling that the pain had gone, his mind instantly changed channel, but now, it stopped on the pink paper… the pink note that broke his heart into million shards…

The first two lines were understandable… he knew he had two… three daughters, and there wasn't a need to remind him about that… their shadow followed him everywhere he went… In his mind, he kept a record on their ages... being both around six and Marie possibly round seven.

Every time he walked through the park, a school, a toy shop, a baby store, reminded him of his girls… including the mother. There was no possible way to forget her...

…Mimi Tachikawa had done a pin wide hole on his heart; and from there, made her way inside, until conquering it…

And now… it was impossible to take her from the place she owned. Her memory… her perfume… the smell of her hair… the taste of her lips… the tenderness of her kiss… the love in her eyes… all of that was inside his heart, holding him back from loving again…

Though his eyes had cleared by now, he couldn't see anything through the window. A downpour was falling heavily, blocking everything from his sight.

Sighing, he remembered the last line of the paper… "Asking Santa for a dad…"

Those 5 words broke him apart. It was obvious she hadn't told them about their father or who he was… and it made him sad… Mimi was denying him as the legitimate father of the girls…

Paying the man as the car came to its last stop; he quickly got off and hurried to the building in front. It was his home… the only place where he could be himself without hiding behind a mask…

He pressed the elevator's button and waited. His hands searched through the pockets of his pants for the key but it wasn't there. Frowning, he took them into his coat and instead, found the photo...

He walked into the elevator and pressed the sixteenth floor button. Leaning on the cold mirror, he took the picture out and looked at it…

There were his girls… Ami, Eika and Marie… asking Santa to bring him home for Christmas…

When he first saw the picture; his breathing stopped. It was the first time in 7 years since he saw them… and they were waiting for him… They wanted to be with him as much as he wanted to be with them… and with the mother…

…. Mimi Tachikawa, the same one who tore their paths apart…

Smiling weakly as an old couple went inside, he focused his stare back on the picture.

Those girls… those two girls… they were a beautiful mixture between Mimi and him. Their hair and eyes were like his; while the noses and smiles were from her…

He wondered… wondered if she ever remembered him when seeing the little girls. He remembered them almost daily, when seeing something… but Mimi… she was always facing his blue eyes and blond hair…

"Does she see me behind their eyes?"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"No… she would've come back to me… and she hasn't…"

Mimi would've and should've felt all his sorrow multiplied by 10… by 100000… but it didn't seem like it…

He told her… he told her once, he loved her… and that would've been enough to make her return… but she didn't… she never came… and she's never going to come…

…Mimi Tachikawa… she'll never be his again…

Stepping out of the elevator, he waved goodbye to the couple and left. He searched once again for the key and found it in the inside pocket of his coat.

Lifting the picture, he glanced at it once last time before putting it back in his pocket. There was something he hadn't seen… something in the background… someone standing in the background…

"Mimi" he whispered softly as his back leaned on the door and his body slowly made its way to the floor.

He hadn't seen her there… He hadn't seen her standing there…. He hadn't seen her since she left… and there she was…

…Mimi Tachiwaka, the woman who owned his heart…

He could see that Mimi was the same… smiling cheerfully at the scene. Her hair was up, nicely done. Her eyes… he knew they were there, but he couldn't clearly see her face. She had a black skirt that went some 10 cms above her knees and a matching black blazer with a baby pink top under. She kept her usual fashion style, mixing colours and all, but now, she didn't look like a girl anymore…she looked like a woman…she was a woman… a beautiful woman.

There was one other thing that caught his attention… she had lost all the weight she must've gained with Ami and Eika.

And her chest… "They're bigger" he thought, as a slight smile was formed. "Probably she's 90-60-90…"

Pushing the thought away, he unlocked the door and turned the knob to enter, though his eyes were still on the photo. Closing the door behind, he leaned on it, as his free hand slowly went up the wall, searching for the light switch. Sighing heavily, he pressed it, and heard a loud "SURPRISE!!" before actually seeing the people standing in front of his eyes.

"Mommy, Mommy! Can we go to Erin's birthday?!"

"Yes mommy! Please, please, please!"

"Mommy we'll behave!! We'll eat all the food!! Just say yes!!"

The three girls yelled at the same time making Mimi's head spin faster and faster with every yell. This was perhaps, the first time they woke up with such enviable energy.

"Girls…"

"Mommy, don't say no…"

"We'll be good… I promise…"

"This is the last time we'll ask for something…"

"Girls… I can't go with you… I'm sorry but you can't go…"

"But mom!"

"You can't do this to us!"

"We want to go!"

"Girls… I understand that you want to go, but-"

"No you don't!"

"You never let us do anything!"

"You don't care about us!"

"That's not true" she answered patiently… she was loosing it… slowly, but loosing it.

"Then why can't we go?"

"Mommy just say yes and we'll do whatever you want!"

"If you love us as much as you say, you'll let us go!"

This was it. She lost it… An itching sensation came through her hand as she hit the table hard, making her coffee and their milks spill from the cups.

"Enough!" she said with a threatening loud voice making the three girls sit up straight. Looking at each other, they whispered softly, "Plan c".

"Oh no, no, no. If you start crying, I swear to God you're not going anywhere"

"But mom!!!" they yelled at the same time

"Enough I said. If you want to cry, cry; but you're not going. If you stay quiet and eat your breakfast, I'll think about it"

The three of them pouted and looked at her from the corner of their eyes before putting a spoonful of cereal into their mouths.

"I'm not hungry anymore"

"Me neither"

"I don't wanna eat"

Breathing in deeply, she placed her elbows on the table and leaned her chin on her hands. "Fine…" she answered trying to get all the heavenly patience into her body. "Go… and get ready. I'm leaving in 10 minutes… with… or without you."

The girls stood up and went whispering into their rooms.

"I wish dad was here… he would've said yes…"

"And he would've taken us to Erin's b.day himself…"

"And he wouldn't have scolded us…"

After hearing those comments, she picked up the phone and dialled her father's number. "If they just knew how overprotective he was…"

"Dad?"

"Mimi! What a nice surprise. How's everything going this morning?"

"Mmm… not so well… awful…"

"Can I ask why?"

"Nope… but… you invited them to Erin's birthday?"

"I told them that next week was Erin's birthday…"

"Dad, they want to go and I'm covered with work…"

"Mimi, I can take them… I was going there anyways with Anne"

"You sure you can handle the three…"

"I can, but… we're planning to stay there for a week…"

"Dad, they can't miss school!"

"Mimi, honey, look at them. They're six! If they're gone for a week, the only thing they'll miss is that 2+3 is 5!"

"Dad, please"

"Think 'bout it, you can use the week to go shopping alone… to get your hair done… to-"

"Ok dad, I got the picture…"

"So what do you say? I bet the manicurist is already waiting for you"

"Dad… ok, I'll let them, but this is the last time you're interceding in their favour ok?"

"Ok"

Looking into the kitchen's door, she saw the three girls standing there. "We're ready" whispered Ami looking down at the floor. The three of them were with their heads hanging low, not wanting to face their mother.

"I have to go; I'll call you later, bye"

Mimi left the phone in its place and focused her attention on the three girls standing before her.

"Sit down" she ordered, making the girls walk to places they were before. "I've made my decision"

"We're not going, are we?" asked Eika

"Well... I'm sorry but mommy can't take you-"

"See I told you!" yelled Marie

"Mai, honey, be quiet. I still haven't finished"

"Sorry" she whispered

"Girls…you're going with grand pa"

"Really?!" they asked at the same time as their eyes shone like stars

"Yep and you'll be there with him, Anne and Erin for a week"

"Mommy you're the best!" They shouted as their lips met her cheeks and their arms met her neck and waist.

"Oh, I know that already" she answered smiling and kissing them on their foreheads, "but now, you have to finish your breakfast"

"Ok!" they yelled with their mouths full of cereals.

"What?... what are you all doing here?" he asked at the crowd in front of his eyes.

"Well, in case you haven't noticed, it's a birthday party" answered Tai, "A boring one, but a birthday party after all"

"Why the hell didn't you tell me before?!" he exclaimed with one hand wiping his eyes while the other took the photo to his back pocket.

" Matty! Happy Birthday! Did you like my surprise? It was my idea to do you a little birthday party" said Rina circling him while enrolling a streamer around his neck and showering him with glittery stuff…

"Oh…thanks"

"Matt, look at you… You're all wet!"

"I know mom"

"Matty? … What's this?"

"What thing?"

"This thing" she answered as she took the photo from his pocket.

His face went pale while hers started getting red of anger. She had the photo in her hands… the only possession he had of his daughters…

"You… you… YOU'RE STILL SEEING HER!" she shouted making everyone turn around to see them.

"No Rina, I'm not seeing her. Now, give me the picture back"

"Liar!"

"Rina please, give it back"

"You know what, here it is!" she yelled before slamming the door behind.

He was frozen… rooted to the spot. He couldn't move… his body weight was too heavy to move. His eyes… his eyes were glued on the ground. His mind… his mind rewinded the last 10 seconds and played it over and over again… in slow motion…

His heart tightened at the scene in front of his eyes. Slowly, zapping out of it, his mind still replayed Rina's movements in the back…

With four moves, he saw as his photo was torn… first into halves… then into quarters… and finally into octaves…

The pieces slowly fell from her hands into the wooden floor... hitting it hard…before the wind from the door, blew them away…

Ok, ok, some explanations.

1) Yes, Rina's back. I'll explain why later in other chapters.

2) Japan and the US have some 12 or 13 hours of difference so... that's why it's night for him and morning for them

3) Anne is a woman that Mimi's dad met when living in Canada. Erin is her grand daughter (who lives in Canada) and friend of the trio. They're going there for her b.day and that's why they're taking a week.

4) I think it's clear but I'll do it anyway. Rina tore Matt's picture apart before leaving.

Now people, I hope you review and tell how you feel about it so far.

I'll post next chap when I get at least 10 reviews... I don't like asking for reviews but it's the only way I can ensure that you like my work and want me to continue with it ... S

Thnxz