Author's Note: Here's what I have promised, chapter six.

Salad Days

Chapter Six
Ode to Innocence

Taichi watched the two become intimate. Hikari had never told him anything about going out with Takeru, and Taichi didn't really want to know anything about it either, but it's been everyone's forecast that they'd start dating sooner or later. Mimi had warned him beforehand, they'd definitely get together and told him that he should give his blessing to them in advance. Apparently, it didn't take him that long to realize they were right.

On front of him he could see Takeru and Hikari's own little world unfold – and he wasn't welcomed. He felt his stomach flip when his little sister grabbed the arm of the golden-haired boy and leaned on it. Takeru then put an arm around her shoulder. He wondered if they're already going out. He was sure Hikari would tell him, or at least Yamato would have mentioned it. He felt more awkward as they started to stare at each other, with their faces just a few inches away.

Don't they know I'm just behind them? He thought, annoyed. Since when did his little sister start to get so interested with boys? And why was she behaving so peculiarly, out of character, unHikari-like? And Takeru, who used to be much smaller than his sister – why was he being so macho all of the sudden?

He took out his phone to distract himself. He sighed upon seeing his unread messages. Is the Lord testing me? he thought.

"Yamato didn't tell me he was going with you guys."
"I got sick so we kind of ended our date early. I didn't know he was going to meet everyone."
"I'm kind of scared that we're not really okay."

He didn't know what to reply, since he received the messages more than three hours ago. 'We're not really okay', she says.. who's 'we'? He returned his phone inside his coat. He already made up his mind. Whatever that was happening to Sora and Yamato, he'd stay out of it for good.

It's past ten in the evening, and he took Mimi to Town Ongaku Club, the music bar he told her about, with very much of her insistence. He didn't know who were playing, but they were covering a lot of YUI's songs.

Mimi had forgotten to continue her tale, obviously too keen about the place, asking random strangers beside them. Town Ongaku Club is a small underground music bar in an alley of Shinjuku. The place was dimly-lit in orange, except for the small stage area for the performers. The walls were decorated with random posters. Mimi remembered how bars looked like in New York, and she started comparing the cleanliness. This one was definitely cleaner.

At least she liked it, thought Yamato. Hopefully it won't be too obvious they're under-aged. He wasn't worried about himself though. Mimi, without a doubt, looks sixteen and she might just give that away. Maybe I should introduce her to Manager Makoto..

"This is amazing, Yamato-kun!" exclaimed Mimi. "I haven't heard any indie Japanese music for a long time,"

"Yeah.." he replied, worrying people might notice she's a newbie. He ordered rice wine for the two of them.

"Yamato-kun, do you know what band is playing right now?" she asked, watching the performers.

"I don't, I think they're new here," he replied, watching her instead. She was enjoying herself, and it was such a sight to see. "Tachikawa,"

"Hmm.. Yamato-kun?" her attention still divided.

"You were saying something earlier,"

"What? What was it?"

He rolled his eyes, she had forgotten. "Ex-boyfriend."

She turned to him, wide-eyed. "Oh, yeah! Right,"

"So..?"

"So.."

He watched her find her words. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," he said, trying to make her at ease.

"No! It's okay, hehe. Ahh. I didn't tell anyone because I know a lot of you will disagree," she replied.

"Well that's interesting. Shouldn't Sora be the one to know these things?"

"Yeah, but.. I think if she finds out whom I have been – was – dating, she'd be worried as hell, you know.." she said.

"Who was he anyway?" Mimi took her phone from her purse, gave it to him. He saw a picture of a pale and skinny guy with platinum blonde hair and brown eyes – disgusted that his eyes were so typically Asian – and beside him was a younger Mimi. The Mimi that had chestnut hair, the Mimi he knew. What could she have seen in this guy? He asked himself, already judging his very distracting tattoo of a little sailor girl. He returned her phone to her palm. Whether it was out of his logic or his unaccounted jealousy, one thing was for sure – he didn't like him.

"Yoshio. He's Japanese and he's a musician," she said, avoiding his gaze.

Yamato stared at her; unsurprised, yet confused why Sora would disagree of Mimi dating a musician. He was one, after all. The bigger issue for him was that he couldn't see how she ever got attracted to him. "So what's wrong with dating a musician?"

Apparently she wasn't done yet. "He was a druggie,"

He blinked several times, checking his senses, did he hear her right? He shook his head and glared at her.

"That's such a bad joke, Tachikawa," he snapped, checking her face for any hint of playfulness. They were gazing each other, eye-to-eye. And in her eyes he saw his defeat; he hated it that she was so easy to read.

The waitress came over to serve their wine.

Mimi saw how abruptly he took his glass and drank it. He wasn't facing her anymore, but he remained expressionless. She started to play with her hair out of nervousness. "Oh, see, now you know why I didn't go around telling everyone. I would have wanted to boast how passionately in love I was with him, if I could,"

She glanced at him, waiting for a reply. When Yamato remained mute, she cleared her throat to continue. "We started dating when I was fourteen. I broke up with him more than a year ago," Still, he uttered not a single word, his eyes focused on the stage. She looked at the black-cladded band, then back at him.

She felt as if she was shrinking. Her back slouched, head bowing. She played with her wine. "I tried some of it, too," why are you not saying anything, Yamato? Was he judging her already?

"Though it wasn't habitual like he did, I still had them occasionally.. and there were other things," she added. She was bowing so low, her hair covered her face. "That and other things. We got caught, eventually. Can you imagine that, getting caught in a shady storage room downtown..? He was four years older, so.." she didn't continue further, realizing he was already out of words.

He felt like she was firing bullets through his head mercilessly. He took another gulp from his wine. Mimi was done telling her story, and she already had finished her drink, too.

The band started to play. The drums, as if it followed the rhythm of his heartbeat. He didn't know how else his day could get any more complex than it already was, especially after having to deal with Sora and Taichi earlier.

He turned his head to face her upon hearing her sob. She probably reckons he's disgusted at her. I just don't know what to say.. Heck, he didn't even know what to feel; much more can't make himself believe it. He didn't even deserve to hear this from her. Not something as deep as this one. And maybe if he had a choice, he wouldn't have agreed to hear her out in the first place. It was as if a part of him had corrupted. He felt his heart twist.

"I feel so dirty, Yamato," she murmured, in between her tears. He reached out his hand to hold hers across the table. She looked up at him, surprised at his gesture. Her lips curved upward.

God, she had already gotten used to it, and it was so painful that he wanted to wipe off that perfectly plastered fake smile on her face. And the next thing that he did was something he didn't know why, only, he followed his impulse to stand up from his seat, take her with him, out of the bar. Without wasting any more time, he embraced her, and she welcomed it without hesitation. She cried even more.

The snowfall was heavier, but he couldn't feel any of the cold. The night in the city was very much alive and loud. He breathed deeply, wishing he could have said something more comforting.

"Were you that lonely, Mimi?"

"I think your brother is watching us, Kari-chan," Takeru was very much aware of Taichi's prying and everyone trying to pair him up with Hikari. He and Hikari would go along with their persistence. But life's not like in the movies, he thought, thinking all of those stereotypes and clichés he found in Western romantic comedies and shoujo manga characters. But that didn't mean he wasn't allowed to hope.

"I know he is," she replied, pressing her head further on his shoulder. She liked teasing her brother. She liked making Takeru follow her frolicking even more.

"He probably thinks we're an item or something,"

The brunette snorted. "Heh. Like that will happen,"

"Oh Kari-chan.. You think I'm so in to you.." he teased, masking the hurt he felt. Sometimes, he just couldn't understand her. His big brother Yamato said she was doing the push-and-pull, and a lot of girls like playing that game. Even the girls he knew agreed onto that. But Hikari wasn't as cautious as Sora or as clever as Mimi for Hikari to tiptoe her way around him. She certainly won't even bother.

She rolled her eyes. She didn't like it when Takeru becomes sarcastic all of the sudden. Having to hear the older teens among their group made her aware of the mechanics of modern love – and real love, as Sora says.

She likes Takeru, yes, but as for the part whether she wants to become his lover, was completely 50-50. Besides, despite their already-years-long hobby of riding along with everyone's teasing, she didn't like the pressure. She couldn't really tell if it was real or just for show to him.

Takeru breathed, anticipating to say something – "Anyway, aren't you excited Mizuhara Kiko's going to star in a live-action movie soon? She's really such an ideal," Hikari just smiled. And this is one of my 'why not's', she thought. Takeru always has an 'ideal' for everything; she wasn't sure if he'd really accept her as a whole. Ahh.. I shouldn't rush about these things though, she thought, trying to cloud her mind with something else.

After a few stations, they got off and exited the gate. Hikari and Taichi bid goodbye to Takeru, who lived at the other end of the district.

The two Yagamis walked on their way home, as it was just a few blocks away.

"Hikari," called out Taichi, who was slowly pressing buttons on his phone.

"Yes, onii-chan?"

"Are you and Takeru a couple now?"

"No, onii-chan."

"'No, onii-chan' my face, you two were so.. I've never even experienced that sort of skinship before!" he exclaimed, glaring at the girl. "You two are an item and I'm going to tell dad," He put his phone back in his coat.

The little sister giggled. Oh, how I wish you were right.

It wasn't until when Yamato reached his bed that he got to check his phone. Several messages from Sora, each one from Taichi, Mimi, and Koushiro.

Apparently Sora had found out that he had joined the group after their date. He sensed anger from her messages, but didn't bother to reply anymore, not wanting to intensify the night further. It was already 11 anyway. Koushiro asked him what's going on between him and Mimi. Ahh. I'll just reply tomorrow, he thought. Mimi had thanked him for staying with her earlier and taking her home.

Yamato sighed, remembering the revelation earlier. Long gone was the Mimi that cuddled Palmon on her lap and spoiled her with things insider her little brown bag. She had grown up, just as he did. He always believed that no matter how much she would change the color of her hair or her style, she would remain the pink-cladded girl with a cowboy hat. I guess it's inevitable.

Mimi. Tachikawa Mimi, the one who carried Purity, their Mimi, his Mimi, how could have she gotten into such a thing? Sure, he and Taichi had their own experiments with the bad stuff, and his first shag wasn't Sora either, but hey, he's Ishida Yamato.

Tachikawa, you idiot. The Mimi he knew would have never even dared to cross that line – hell – she wouldn't even dare to try. It couldn't be. They were never close back then, but he knew her too well. Who was this son-of-a-bitch Yoshio guy anyway, and how dare he? How did she meet him, and what did she see in him? How could he even.. how fucking dare he? His mind started to imagine sorts of trickery that Yoshio guy did.

Was he angry at her? Yes, angry that she wasn't careful, as if the classic Mimi Tachikawa was pulling off a Lolita-esque move that attracts dirty old men with a single bat of her eyelashes. Of course, he knew it wasn't really her fault. But he would have wanted to tell those words, that this is what she gets for not being able to protect herself. Now knowing that fact, he reckoned she probably only went back here in Japan to find her 'purity' again, with the evident self-deprecation she showed earlier. But maybe it was his none of his business – everyone goes through their own stupid shit after all, and even the seemingly perfect and carefree Mimi Tachikawa has her own shit to get together.

But what would a fourteen-year-old Mimi know better? Her parents, her friends in America, that Michael or Cat, did anyone know, at all? Wasn't this Sora's job, or Jyou's? Even Taichi could do something about it. They could have stopped her. But Yamato, unbeknownst, had already taken the blame for not being there for her.

God, why does today have to be like this.. All Yamato knew was that he'll be staying up all night, thinking how things could have gone better, if he was a better friend to her before. I would have been there for her.

And he was ready to face the sleepless night, until he reads the last message in his phone. It was from Taichi:

"Hey. What do you think of me asking Mimi out?"