Day 4: Fairy tale

Digimon does not belong to me, and neither does Beauty and the Beast.

Chapter 4: When You Wish Upon a Star

Mimi had planned this date for weeks. As confident as she was, she couldn't help but feel nervous. Jyou didn't always react well to her ideas.

He was a sweetheart and a teddy bear and his kisses were like brownies. Mimi thanked her lucky stars that he was her boyfriend. But he was also so tall, so respectable, so grown up. He was already in college!

As much as she cared about him—and as much as Mimi knew that she shouldn't feel embarrassed around Jyou of all people—it was intimidating. Now that she was his girlfriend, she worried more often about looking immature.

Palmon found Mimi's new attempts at "mature" behavior irritating. She lost her temper when she saw that Mimi was hiding her old Disney princess VHS tapes and replacing them with Akira Kurosawa classics, as if Mimi was suddenly an expert in 1950s drama films. "You can't change your personality for some boy!" Palmon objected, in her infinite wisdom.

Thank goodness for Palmon. That snapped Mimi back to her senses. She decided to try another tactic; she would plan a date that was both extremely classy and true to herself.

Her punctual boyfriend arrived exactly on schedule. He knocked on her apartment door at precisely 7:30pm. Mimi opened the door and smiled teasingly. "Hi Jyou. You look wonderful!"

"Thanks..." He really did look wonderful. He wore a gray cashmere sweater and his hair was slicked back. But his eyes widened like saucers and his jaw dropped to the floor when he saw his date. "Mimi!"

Mimi was wearing an enormous green and white ball gown that tapered at the waist and ballooned at the hips. The hem of her dress was decorated with an elaborate design of lacy pink flowers. And placed on top of her perfectly braided updo was a tiara.

Mimi grinned and leaned against the door frame. "What do you think?"

"I think…" Jyou giggled and adjusted his glasses. "You objectively look incredible, Mimi. But now I feel woefully underdressed."

"Nonsense." Mimi grabbed his hand and pulled him inside. Her large skirt bounced slightly as she walked.

"What on earth are we doing, Mimi? A costume party?" Jyou was completely bewildered. Then Mimi took him into her bedroom, and he paled. "Mimi?"

Mimi walked past her bed to her vanity, where her laptop was open towards them. She held her digivice to the screen and opened the Digital Gate. The portal glowed enticingly, and Mimi reached out for Jyou's hand again, smiling brightly.

"I uh…" Jyou cleared his throat. "You have to tell me what we're doing in there, Mimi. You know I'm allergic to danger."

"It's nothing dangerous. We'll be with friends," Mimi reassured him. "We're going on a fairy tale date!"

Something clicked in Jyou's brain, and he understood. He took Mimi's hand.

…

Jyou and Mimi sat on opposite sides of a dining table under a crystal chandelier. After performing a rousing musical number on stage, the castle's Gekomon and Otamomon served the couple a five-course meal of elegant Japanese cuisine. Mimi clapped her hands in delight and cheered. Jyou politely followed suit, though he looked flabbergasted.

"Here you are, sir!" The frog-like Gekomon jumped on top of the table and Jyou instinctively flinched. But the digimon was only giving him a plate of Chirashi Sushi.

"Th-thank you, sir!" Jyou stammered and started eating. "Mmmmm. Wow. This is amazing."

"You're welcome!" The Gekomon bowed and hopped off the table.

Jyou stared at his girlfriend. "This is maybe the fanciest place I've ever eaten in."

Mimi's eyes sparkled. That was exactly what she had wanted to hear. "Me too!"

"Is it a bit too much to ask from them?" Jyou asked awkwardly.

Mimi shook her head confidently. "Not at all! We're their friends."

"I haven't been here in years…"

"I have." Mimi leaned forward. "They know I'm not a princess. I don't want to be their princess. But they still think I'm a star! And I still think they're wonderful."

"A star? You mean you keep coming here to sing for them?"

"Sometimes. They like singing too, like you just saw. I've brought them songs from our world too. Some K-Pop, some Broadway musicals. They're interested in learning about human culture… Mostly I just like spending time with them. They're good people."

"I see… That's really thoughtful of you to keep visiting them."

"They do keep me grounded," the former princess stated. "But they're super generous and fun too! They were the ones who made me this beautiful dress. And they've taught me a little about cooking, since they're clearly such good cooks, and they LOVE my cooking."

Jyou couldn't help but laugh.

"It's a useful skill!" Mimi continued. "I'm used to relying on Mama. But I'll have to cook for myself when I move out."

Jyou blinked rapidly, nervously. But he shook his worries from his head and continued asking Mimi about the frog kingdom.

When dessert was finished, Jyou stood up and walked to Mimi's seat. "Have the Gekomon taught you how to dance?"

Mimi shook her head and whispered, "They're not very graceful."

Jyou cleared his throat. "May I have this dance?"

The girl's eyes widened. She turned to the Gekomon and Otamamon servers, and they immediately ran onto the stage and grabbed musical instruments, ready to play. Mimi grabbed Jyou's hand and responded, "Yes!"

"Great! Er, play a waltz! Please," Jyou requested. The digimon musicians pondered and started playing an unfamiliar tune. It must have been a song written by digimon, not humans. But it was still a waltz, and so Jyou placed his hand on Mimi's waist and glided away from the table.

Mimi gasped. "I didn't know you could dance?!" Mimi had taken Jyou to school dances before. He always had two left feet.

"Well… You know I'm an old fashioned guy. I can't even keep track of what songs are currently popular. I can't do anything modern…" He twirled her. "But I've taken ballroom dancing classes for fun."

"Really?" Mimi was thrilled. All her nerves about taking Jyou on this date faded away. She hadn't expected him to react so well! He really did have a romantic side!

For his part, Jyou was enjoying himself immensely. Mimi was always the one who was impressing him and bringing joy into his life. He was eager to return the favor. Although there was a nagging voice in the back of his head, distracting him from enjoying himself completely…

The couple danced and danced to the digimon's music until Jyou got tired. (Mimi was not tired.) Then the young woman led the man outside to a balcony, where they could both get fresh air and some privacy at last. It was a full moon night and the sky was blanketed in stars.

"You sure timed this date night just right," Jyou commented, admiring the beautiful view.

"You bet I did—AAHH!" Mimi gasped and ran to the edge of the balcony, pointing at the sky. Jyou saw the falling star just in time.

"You timed this date night exactly right!" Jyou continued.

"I did!" Mimi delighted in taking the credit. "A wishing star! Make a wish!"

"Okay. You too," Jyou responded.

He watched Mimi close her eyes and smile serenely. She had the most beautiful smile… Finally she opened her eyes again. "Done!" she proclaimed, and looked at him expectantly.

"I made my wish too," he said. "What was yours?"

"I wished that I could be a star too!" Mimi answered excitedly.

"Really!"

"Yes! I-I really want to be a star on TV! Someday!" The faintest blush crossed her cheeks. "You don't think I'm being selfish for wishing that, do you? You probably wished for the cure to some disease or something."

"Not at all," Jyou responded kindly. "I think that's a wonderful wish. Not many people are willing to chase after a dream like that. I'm certainly not… but I know you are. Everyone in this castle knows that you are."

Mimi's heart swelled with pride and love. "What was your wish, Jyou?"

He shook his head. "It's embarrassing…"

"What?! I told you MINE!"

He chuckled. "I wished that your wish would come true."

"Jyou!" Mimi laughed and threw her arms around him. "You wonderful person!" After a night of dancing, her dress was a tad messier and her hairdo had started to come undone. Jyou gently stroked the loose strands of hair out of her face.

"Thank you Mimi…" He loved looking into her eyes. She was going to be a star. He was sure of it. As soon as Mimi moved out, she was going to be miraculous.

It was a lie. He hadn't wished for Mimi to fulfill her dreams. He had wished for things to remain exactly the same.

An impossible wish. One that he knew in his heart was wrong. Mimi couldn't stay like this forever. She was going to graduate high school soon and live her own life. She was going to become a star on television. He knew she could do it. He had total faith in her.

Where would Jyou fit in the life of a star? Predictable, boring, old-fashioned Jyou…

If Mimi was going to shine that bright, he might have to let her go.

But for now, he held her tight, and he kissed her. He knew that she had worked hard to make this the perfect date. He wanted her to know that it had been the most romantic night of his life. And he wanted her to know that he appreciated the time they spent together.