Finally making it up the hill with no problems, Mimi stood there panting. "Finally did it." she beamed.
"Great. Now let's get going. Here take my hand." He instructed.
Mimi grabbed his hand, and once again was yanked through the walls made of shrubs.
"Matt! Maybe we shouldn't run. We're just going to wear ourselves out before we really get started." called Mimi.
Sighing, Matt came to a sudden stop causing Mimi to run right into him and knock them over. "Ow!" cried Mimi as she lay on top of him.
"You know? We really need to stop getting this close to each other." Matt smiled looking behind his shoulder to Mimi.
Mimi returned the smile and began to get off him when she heard his name being called.
"Matt?" asked Tai.
"What in the world is going on here!" cried Sora getting off her horse rushing to Mimi.
"Nothings going on Sora. We just tripped, nothing more." explained Mimi while Sora helped her up.
"And you just happened to fall on each other?" challenged Tai.
"Yes Tai." Replied Matt coolly.
"Let's just forget what we saw and be getting back to the castle." Tai said.
"I didn't know you were calling the shots." Matt scowled.
Reaching the castle in about a half hour, Taichi escorted an irritated Mimi and a very disappointed Sora back to their room; while Tai and Matt went on with their own business concerning war plans; much to Matt and Mimi's dismay.
"Yamato! I can't have you running off whenever you want, and doing god knows what with that girl!" scolded Tai.
"Ooh, your using my real name. You must be really mad." Matt joked.
"Yes! Your right! I am mad. No wait I'm furious!"
"Oh please. You sound just like my father."
"Good. At least one of us does."
Matt glared at him. "Are you forgetting who's in charge here? I just happen to have a lot more power than you do."
"Well then why don't you use it to help your kingdom instead of frolicking in the daisies with some unworthy women!" yelled Tai.
"Taichi you better shut up."
"No you! You need to be preparing for battle! You need to get you head out of the damn clouds!" Tai cried pushing Matt.
"You better watch it!" retorted Matt as he pushed Tai back.
"Or what? You said we we're best friends. You said I could just be my self around you. And that's exactly what I'm doing, unlike you. You are defiantly not yourself. I mean, the Matt I know wouldn't waist his time on some Altearian girl. Matt, do you understand what you're doing? You're falling in love with the enemy! She isn't anything to love! I'm surprised you haven't killed her off already!"
"Damn it. Shut up!" yelled Matt, taking a swing at Tai.
Tai fell backwards clearly stunned. He sat there holding his aching jaw. Looking up at his best friend with disappointment and remorse.
"It's nice to know whose side you're on…"
In Mimi's room she was receiving the same lecture.
"Sora, I already know what you're going to say. So save your breath."
"Do you? Do you honestly know what I'm going to say right now?"
"Yes! Yes I do!"
"No. I don't think you really have a clue."
Mimi stared at her angrily. "Sora, would you please just leave me alone right now!"
"No! I will not leave you alone until you know that you are hurting your people, friends, father, and mostly yourself."
Mimi groaned in irritation. "Sora please, just give it a rest. I know what I'm doing."
"Mimi. Your falling in love with him! I just know it! I see the way you look at him, I hear the way you talk around him, the way you defend him. Mimi you can not love him! You shouldn't even like him! Do you remember what you have to do? Your supposed to kill him."
"I know! I know! Stop telling me!" cried Mimi angrily.
"You need to hear this! It's for your own good. Mimi you're my best friend and I'm worried about you. And why do I have this feeling that you don't want to go back home?"
"If you are my ''best friend'' then start acting like it!"
"Why don't you start acting like the princess and just kill him when you are both alone. That is your destiny."
"I don't want to kill him!"
Sora stared at her disgustedly. "Who are you? You've turned on us all. I don't even know you anymore."
"Yeah well, you turned on me."
Sora laughed a little. "Mimi you are so dense right now. I wonder what your father would think of your behavior right now. I wonder what your mother would think."
Mimi's head snapped up at the word mother. "Don't you dare bring here up!"
"I think we should Mimi. Do you think she's looking down on you proud right now? Most likely not. Do you remember how she died? Who killed her?"
"Oh shut up! Just shut up!" screamed Mimi covering her ears.
"Mimi. Matt's father killed her. He took her away from you." Sora said walking over to Mimi.
"I told you to shut up!" Mimi cried slapping Sora.
"I hate you! I hate you for bringing her up! Of course I remember! I remember it just like it was yesterday, how could you talk about her like that to me! And yes you are right. She is dead. And as far as I'm concerned so are you." Mimi cried running out of the room.
Sora looked after Mimi holding her stinging cheek. 'Maybe I did cross the line… but she needs to wake up from this nightmare… Mimi I'm sorry. But I too feel we shouldn't be friends anymore…'
Running down the hall she ran into someone. Looking up, she met his warm inviting blue eyes.
"Matt!" cried Mimi hugging him.
"Mimi, what's wrong?"
Mimi shook her head, not wanting to respond.
"Come on, let's go outside." He said leading her to the gardens.
Reaching the gardens, Mimi had stopped her crying and was now staring blankly out into the direction of her kingdom.
"Now. Telling me why you were crying?"
"It's Sora. She doesn't approve of me being near you, talking to you, well anything thing that has to do with you." She said staring into his eyes.
"Well. That's the same thing with Tai and me."
Mimi looked down, "What do you really think of me?"
"Well… I think your beautiful, sweet, fun, and… exciting."
Mimi smiled at him. It wasn't really what she was going for but… "What are your feelings towards me?"
Matt cleared his throat; clearly nervous. "Um… I don't hate you…" he smiled sheepishly.
Mimi sighed, "Well that's good to know. Any other feelings?"
"What's with these kinds of questions anyway?"
Mimi looked down a little hurt. 'It's hopeless. He doesn't love me. Who am I kidding? Sora was right, I can't believe I actually hoped he would love me. After all he's the … enemy.'
"What's wrong now?" he asked.
"It's nothing." She replied walking away from him.
"Mimi?" he called going after her. "Please tell me what's going on?"
"It's just that Sora thinks I'm falling in love with you." She laughed as if it were a joke.
"Taichi thinks the same thing."
"He thinks you love me too?" Mimi faked laughed.
"Yeah, Funny right?" Matt joined in the laughing.
Mimi stopped and turned around pressing her lips together, trying to keep the tears from falling.
"Mimi?"
"Hmm?"
"You and I both know that to each other, we're just thought of as the enemy. But as the days went by I've come to realized that I no longer think of you personally as the enemy. I think of you as just a normal person." Matt explained.
"Well that's good to know. I feel the same way."
Matt nodded, "I just want you to hear my feelings, and you don't have to say anything."
"Mimi You're not like other girls. It could be because you're Altearian, but I don't think that's why." He said hoping she would turn around and look at him. "But somehow it's different with us. You see Mimi; I've never had such strong feeling for a woman as I do for you."
Mimi stood there surprised as a small blush arose onto her face.
"Except… there is one problem. I feel as if I can not love you as an ordinary woman."
Mimi looked down closing her eyes. How her heart ached right now.
"You and I come from different worlds. You're a girl that Taichi kidnapped, and the girl I need to send back home, along with her sister."
"Oh I know that. You didn't need to tell me. I knew how you felt, it not as if… as if I hoped you would love me. I never thought that." Mimi said silently. "We've said it all right? I'm going." She added walking away.
"Mimi. I'm just getting started."
Mimi stopped and listened to what he had to say.
"I know that there is no way to stop this war from happening with your people and mine. But if I make it out alive… if I'm still standing in one piece by the time the war ends, would you come live with me?... Would you marry me?"
Hearing his words she nearly collapsed. She laughed a little as a tear escaped from her eyes. Turning around she ran to him and jumped into his arms.
Looking into his eyes she smiled. "Yes."
Matt grinned and leaned in and kissed her lightly. Mimi smiling kissed him back.
Stopping to get a breath of air, they touched foreheads smiling.
"What are we going to do about what the others will say?" Mimi asked.
"Let's not worry about what they say. No matter what we'll be together."
Mimi smiled and closed her eyes "No matter what?"
"No matter what." Matt assured.
Just then scenes came flooding back into Mimi's mind about their earlier conversations.
'What if he wants to kill me when he finds out I'm the princess? What would I do then? But he loves me, he said no matter what we'll be together.' She thought.
"Mimi are you alright? You seem side tracked."
"Oh no. I'm fine."
"Good."
"Let's go for a walk. Do you want to?" asked Mimi
"Yeah." He said taking a hold of her hand.
Don't forget to review :) And if the next few chapters are pretty bad then I'm sorry. I'm trying to finish the whole story before I go on vacation.
leni-cherry and Dream Ablaze- Thanks for your positive reviewing!
White Moon Princess- I've been meaning to add Kari to the story but I always forgot, so let's just pretend she never happened just for the story. And Mimi does talk about how her mother died, she just doesn't tell it to Matt. (Because if she did, it would have been too obvious that she was the princess).