NOTE: Whew! This took me a while to write, but I must say that I'm rather pleased with it. ^_^ Well, for the most part. XD

Chapter 4. A Challenge Worse than Dragon Slaying

Two weeks had passed since Tai and Matt became "honicarry" members of the kingdom, and Queen Mimi was not pleased at the moment. She had been waiting for her two new friends for a zillion hours now and they had not shown up yet. This wasn't exactly the first time they had done something like this to her. They'd promise to show up somewhere at this time to play…and then they'd always turn up later than they said. It annoyed Mimi…but at least they'd always show up. Mimi sighed and slid down the slide by herself and started her search for the two boys. She immediately found T.K. and Kari, their younger siblings, playing in the sand box area. She hopped over there on one foot and joined the younger ones.

"Hi T.K. and Kari!" she chirped. "Have you seen them?"

"Who?" Kari asked.

"I mean your brothers, Matt and Tai," she explained. "They said they'd be here after school and it's been like…a gazillion hours after school now and they're not here."

"Mommy told me Tai had to stay after school for a little bit," Kari said.

"And Matt had to finish his homework before he could come out and play, but Mommy said he'd be out soon," T.K. added. Mimi placed her index finger and thumb on her chin and started to pace thoughtfully. "What are you doing Mimi?"

"This is what my daddy does when he's trying to think," she explained to the two younger ones. "Have you seen that they've been acting funny?" The two nodded.

"Yeah," Kari pouted. "Tai is acting really funny. He has this funny smile on his face after he comes from playing with Matt. It takes him a while to know that me or Mommy or Daddy were talking to him. One time Daddy asked him what was he thinking about all the time and Tai just smiled funny and didn't say anything!"

"That's nothing!" T.K. spoke. "Matt sometimes doesn't really notice me sometimes, even more once he comes back from playing with Tai! He spends a lot of time with his harmonica and is a lot more quiet. At night, he moves a lot, like he can't sleep or something."

"Hmm…" Mimi tapped her finger to her chin. "Maybe they're sick?"

"Oh no!" the younger children gasped.

"Yes, that must be it."

"I accidentally coughed on Tai yesterday," Kari sadly admitted. "Did I get him sick?"

"I don't know…" Mimi suddenly had a thought. "You two say that they've been acting really weird at home and I see that they're acting weird when they come and play with me here."

"Ok," Kari said, trying to understand where she was getting at.

"And it's not just like they're trying to be silly…they just can't help it. They like being around each other…a lot."

"What's going on?" T.K. asked.

"I don't get it," Kari said.

"It's ok guys," Mimi patted his head. "I'm sure that they don't know what's going on either."

"I want to know what's going on with my brother!" T.K. exclaimed. "I want to know why he's ignoring me!"

"And why Tai keeps smiling all the time!" Kari added.

"And why he's always singing to himself!"

"And why he keeps changing his clothes a lot!"

"And why he's always sighing real happy like!"

"And why he's always daydreaming!"

"And why he's—"

"OK! OK!" Mimi shouted over their complaints. "You guys are giving me a headache with all your questions…"

"…What's a headache?" T.K. asked.

"I don't know, but mommy says I give her one a lot," Mimi shrugged. "Now, I'm going to tell you guys why your brothers are acting all weird. Luckily for you, the queen knows all things and happens to be an expert at this." The two younger siblings waited anxiously. Mimi smiled happily. "Tai and Matt have been bitten by the love bug!"

"OH NO!" The two children gasped, and then started to cry. Mimi stared at them dumbfounded.

"Why are you crying?" She asked over their crying.

"I don't want Matt to be bitten by a bug!" T.K. sobbed.

"Does that mean Tai is going to be really sick?" Kari wailed her question out. They started to cry even harder. Mimi looked around nervously, trying to look for some sort of help. Unfortunately, she found none and so she had to calm the upset children by herself.

"I didn't mean that they actually got bit by a bug!" she called out. They immediately calmed their crying and looked at her.

"Really?" Kari sniffed.

"Yep," Mimi nodded. "What I meant was that…Well…Tai and Matt are…Um…" She put her forefinger and her thumb on her chin once again. "This is a little harder than I thought." The young queen started pacing again, and then stopped once she had a somewhat decent explanation.

"Well, basically what I'm trying to say is that they really really really like each other."

"Huh?" the two questioned in unison. Mimi sighed.

"Yeah…they like each other…You know when your mommy and daddy get together and start being all huggy and kissy and that stuff? That basically means they're in a really strong like with each other, which is the same thing as saying they've been bit by the love bug."

"Ew!" T.K. stuck his tongue out. "Does that mean they're going to be kissing each other in front of us all the time?"

"I don't know…ask them!" Mimi shrugged.

"Do they really like each other, Mimi?" Kari asked hopefully. Mimi thought for a moment.

"I'm not sure," she admitted. Then more mischievously, she added, "But I know one way to find out!" T.K. and Kari watched as the queen of the playground ran away. They quickly abandoned their sand cakes, and followed her over to the knight now approaching the borders of the kingdom. Tai had a very surprised look at the sight of Mimi and the two younger children running towards him.

"Where are you guys running to?" He asked as they stopped in front of him, except for Kari who gave him a big hug.

"Is it true brother?" Kari asked.

"Are you guys going to be kissing all the time?" T.K. asked.

"Does this mean you're going to get married?"

"Kissing is gross!"

"Sir Tai," Mimi panted in her most queen like voice she could muster, after all she had been running. "I have a very important question to ask you, and you must answer with complete honesty. Do you hear me?"

"Of course I can hear you," Tai cocked his head to one side. "Otherwise, I'd have no ears or something."

"Sir Tai," Mimi started. She tried to control her excitement she was feeling, because she still had to act like a queen. But finally, she couldn't take it any longer. "Do you like Matt?" From the look on Tai's face, the answer was very clear. He went from complete shock, to embarrassment. His face turned beet red and he avoided Mimi's eyes.

"N-No!" Tai spat out. Then he thought for a moment. "Maybe…" Then the famous goofy smile Kari had spoken of earlier appeared on his face. "A little bit…" Kari grinned up at Mimi while T.K. continued to stare at Tai, unsure of his exact answer. Mimi started to hop around in excitement.

"I KNEW IT!" she cheered. "I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT!" She quickly composed herself. "You should tell him."

"Why?" Tai asked.

"Because I say so!"

"You're not the boss of me!"

"Yes I am! I'm the queen!"

"Not right now. You're just Mimi." Mimi thought about this for a moment, then she got another idea.

"Well then, Sir Tai, I now have a great task for you to complete." Tai grinned. He loved the task Queen Mimi gave him to complete.

"What is it?" Tai asked eagerly. "Fight off an ogre? Save a burning village?" Mimi shook her head.

"Your task shall be…" Again, Mimi waited a bit to control her excitement, and also hold out the suspension. "You have to go to Prince Matt and tell him you like him!"

"Oooh!" The two younger children said together.

"What!" Tai gasped. His face returned to the lovely shade of red he wore earlier. "I-I can't do that!"

"Why not?" Mimi asked. "You're the knight after all. You're supposed to do things like this."

"B-because…Matt's not even here yet!"

"Well tell him when he gets here silly!"

"This isn't fair Mimi..."

"How come you don't want to tell him?"

"Because…" The young brunette lowered his head. "What if…he doesn't like me back?"

"Don't worry Tai," Kari said to her brother. "We're sure he likes you." Tai still wasn't so sure.

"Look! Here comes Matt now!" T.K. yipped happily. Tai panicked as he saw the young blonde walking over to them.

"Come on Tai," Mimi grinned. "What's the worst that can happen?"

"I think I'm going to throw up…" Tai groaned. Mimi made a face of disgust and started running away. The two younger siblings seemed to have understood her silent message and followed her. "Hey! Where are you guys going?"

"This is only for the brave knight!" Mimi quietly said as she hid behind the jungle gym. Tai opened his mouth to protest, but closed it when Matt finally came up to him.

"Hey," he greeted. "Where did they go?"

"Um…" Tai tried to come up with a good excuse. "T-they're playing hide-and-seek! Yeah, and we're it!"

"Oh ok! Should we start looking for them then?"

"Um…" Matt started to wander off to look for them but Tai caught his hand. "Actually…I need to tell you something." The young blonde had a surprised look on his face but then it turned into curiosity.

"Ok, what?" he asked. Tai looked around and then led his friend to a more private area of the playground: under the slide.

Tai sat down on the sand and patted the area next to him. Matt gave him a curious look, but then sat. They stayed like that for a moment, in silence.

"Matt," Tai started. "There's…something I want to tell you." The young blonde waited as his friend tried to figure out how to fulfill his "quest." At some point, Matt had slipped his own hand into Tai's. That made Tai's heart feel very happy and then his fears didn't even seem to matter anymore. "You really are my best friend Matt. You're really fun to play with and you're really nice too. I just want to say that…" The brave knight looked into the prince's deep blue eyes.

"I really like you Matt," he smiled. Matt's eyes widened and he turned a deep shade of red. Tai suddenly felt his nervousness return and he too blushed. He gently slipped his hand out of the other boy's hands and waited. The blonde lowered his eyes and mumbled something. Tai tilted his head. "What?"

"I said, 'I really like you too,'" Matt muttered again, a little louder. "You were my first real friend and I'm happy that you were. You're really brave and playing with you is one of the best things of the day." Matt looked up at his friend, worry in his eyes. "Is…this ok?"

"I think so!" Tai grinned and scooted closer to his worried prince. "Why would it not be ok?"

"Because…I like you and you're a boy…and you like me and I'm a boy," Matt pointed out. "Boys aren't supposed to like other boys…they're supposed to like girls…Even if they do have cooties." Tai hadn't thought of that before…and it suddenly made sense in his mind why Matt was worried about this. They sat quietly for a moment.

"I don't know if its ok that we like each other…even if we are boys," Tai admitted. "But…I do know that I like you…a lot."

"How do you know?" Matt asked.

"Because I feel really happy with you," Tai smiled. He took his friend's hand once again and placed it over his own heart. "Especially right here." Matt blinked a moment, then smiled up at his friend.

"I guess you're right Tai," Matt sighed. He then took the darker boy's hand and placed it on his chest. "Because I feel the same way." They smiled at each other. Before either boy had realized what was happening, they felt their lips press against one another's. They blinked in confusion, but smiled.

"HURRAY!" Tai and Matt jumped and turned to look at Mimi and their younger siblings jumping up and down with joy. Mimi came up to them and gave them a hug.

"You did it!" she cheered. She pulled back and grinned at them. "Now you two should get married!"

"Married?" they both echoed in unison.

"T.K.! You help Tai get ready! Kari! You help Matt!" the queen ordered.

"Shouldn't T.K. help me since I'm his brother?" Matt asked.

"Who's the queen here?"

"Sorry."

"Alright! So, at four 'o clock, I'll call you guys back here so that I can marry you guys! Ok? Go!" Tai pouted and looked at Matt. The blonde shrugged and followed the brunette's little sister over to one side of the playground. Tai smiled at him and then followed the small blonde to the opposite side of the playground.

This was probably one of the hardest tasks he had to do for Queen Mimi…but it was definitely worth it.

Listened to "The Little Mermaid" Broadway for the first part with Mimi ("She's In Love") and "Spamalot" for the second part with Tai ("Find Your Grail"). Yep...Music is my fountain of inspiration. :D

Hope this all made sense. Please review or leave me a comment on what you liked and what you think I could do better on! I thrive on comments, especially since life has been rather cooky...like how I have an early morning class tomorrow...balls... ^_^

Until next time!