Series: Buds & Blossoms||Story Title: Flower of Life
Characters: Mimi, Hikari|Pairing: Mimi x Hikari/Hikari x Mimi
Chapters: 5-5||Words: 1,046||Total: 5,306
Genre: Drama, Romance||Rated: G
Prompt: Digimon Femslash Week, day #1, flowers
Notes: For the purpose of this story, this is set a few years after the defeat of BelialVamdemon and doesn't acknowledge anything that happened after that.
Summary: Hikari's life hangs in the balance and Mimi rushes to find the antidote, which grows in a territory ruled by the Queen of the Flowers. And Rosemon is not one to hand over her possessions lightly.
At first Mimi didn't recognize the pressure against her hand for what it was. She vaguely returned it, not certain if she wanted to wake up right now or not. Would waking up be a good thing? Would it be better than the dreams that filled her mind?
"Mimi..."
That voice…
Her eyes flashed open, sleep fleeing, replaced by full wakefulness, and a pair of clear, bright eyes looking at her.
Hikari wasn't exactly radiant with health, not like she'd been before this whole nasty mess got started, but she was awake and there wasn't that dreaded paleness anymore, and her hand remained strong and warm in Mimi's.
"You're all right," Mimi murmured. Everything was worth it in that moment. Nothing else mattered, just that Hikari was all right.
"I don't feel all right," Hikari replied, but it was with a hint of humor in her voice. "I'm hungry!"
"Yamato's working on something right now," Jou's voice floated over. "Don't worry, it won't be long."
A quick flick of her eyes told Mimi that Taichi still slept, or at least had his eyes closed, but he'd no more let go of Hikari's hand than Mimi herself had. She looked back to Hikari.
"Do you remember what happened?"
"A little of it. I wanted to look at those flowers, but they had thorns." She tried to move a hand, only discovering then that both of them were being held by someone else. She blinked a few times at that. "And then I was waking up here."
"They were poisoned," Mimi said, closing her eyes and shivering at the vivid memory of Hikari falling back, a long, sharp-pointed thorn buried in her arm. "I didn't know. I would've said something." She would say that as many times as she needed to, until she felt she didn't anymore.
"Hey." Hikari squeezed her hand again and Mimi looked at her. "It's all right. Everyone makes mistakes. I shouldn't have been poking at something in the Digital World I wasn't sure of, anyway."
Mimi wanted to hug her. How in any world could someone be this pure? It wasn't like her own Crest. Hikari was just… just Hikari.
She struggled to keep words from her lips that wanted to rise and fall and ask questions that were not at all ready to be asked, let alone answered. Seeing Tanemon sleeping gave her another course of conversation.
Well, somewhat. She'd have to be careful on what she said still.
"Lilymon's evolved again. She can become Bright Rosemon now." Mimi sketched out what had happened, choosing not to specify that the evolution happened because of what she'd said, how she'd bared her heart and risked it all. Hikari didn't need to know that. Maybe another day.
When Yamato brought over what he'd been cooking, he brought enough for two, nudging Taichi to wake him up at the same time.
"Come on, you need to get your own food. I don't have hands enough for everyone's dinner."
Mimi helped Hikari sit up and kept an eye on her as they started to eat. Yamato's cooking skills got better and better with time, especially where Digital World cuisine was concerned. She didn't know what to call what he'd served up tonight, other than delicious.
Thinking about food meant not thinking about what to say to Hikari. Mimi wanted to say something, but the words didn't feel right at all. Hikari was getting better, but now just wasn't the right time. She wasn't sure when it would be.
"So what started the evolution?" Hikari asked, a sort of professional curiosity in the tilt of her head. Mimi looked back at her in confusion. "You know, you must've done something. You don't have to tell me, though..."
Mimi's lips parted but nothing at all came out. This wasn't the right time, this wasn't the right place, Hikari wasn't well yet, and she wasn't going to put anything on her at all, let alone everything that she'd said to Rosemon!
Unfortunately, when part of one's essential character is to be true to one's self, it could be difficult to keep a few secrets.
"I told Rosemon how sorry I was for what happened to you," Mimi said, "and how much I wanted to save you, and if I had a chance… to...I don't know…"
Oh, but she knew very well, and she managed to clamp down on her lips, not out of a desire to lie, but just for Hikari's own sake, and for her own, timing was everything, and this was just wrong.
Hikari kept looking at her, confusion writ large upon her face, then she glanced toward Tailmon, who'd spent most of her time sitting next to her shoulder, ready to shred anyone who got too close with intent to harm. The look they shared wasn't one that Mimi could read, but Hikari must have, because she looked back at Mimi with determination in the set of her jaw.
"Once I'm on my feet again, I think I want some serious ice cream. I know this place not that far from the Ai Mart." For a moment silence hung in the air between them. "Would you like to go there with me?"
Mimi wasn't certain if this was an offer for a date or if Hikari just wanted to celebrate with her for saving her life or something else altogether. But Tanemon nudged her and once again her voice said what needed to be said.
"Sure!" She really did. This wasn't any sort of confession. This was what she wanted: a chance to get to know Hikari on another level, to work out what might be between them, and decide if they both wanted this.
Hikari's smile glowed as brilliant as the Light her Crest represented. "I guess I'd better get all the way well again soon, right?"
"Right!" Mimi started eating again, keeping a careful watch on Hikari, and trying to pretend that Sora and Miyako weren't looking at them and laughing in a gentle way that didn't get her upset. That wasn't easy, but looking at Hikari gave her something more to think about, and she wanted to think about Hikari more than anything else right now, Hikari, and the future that awaited them.
The End
Notes: And they all lived happily ever after! Or at least they will unless I get an idea for this timeline and decide to change that ;)
