Salad Days
Chapter One:
Reunion
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28th December 2014
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He begrudgingly pats her pink hair in acknowledgment . Ishida Yamato sighs out of relief once he lets her go from his embrace.
"I missed all of you guys so, so much," Tachikawa Mimi, teary-eyed, reaches Kido Jyou. "I was so scared I thought the plane could malfunction in any minute,"
Mimi shares the same embrace with everyone else.
"Mimi-chan, please, you know how I hate unplanned surprises," exclaims Jyou as he tries to mask his own happy tears. He also pats her hair after they break from each other's hold.
Next, Mimi turns to Koushiro. His small hands and thin frame did their best to give the most reassuring hug. "Did you have your stuff with you now?" Koushiro asks in deflection of uncomfortable sentimentality.
"Ahh.. yeah." Mimi mumbles, her eyes stray up and down as she notices that she and Koushiro are now at the same height. She squeezed him before she let go.
Then, Yagami Hikari. Mimi beams at how well she's grown—doesn't miss how she's grown curves into a young woman. She hugs her too, with the same nostalgia. ""It's okay, Mimi nee-san!"
Takaishi Takeru is now inches taller than herself—to Mimi, a cuter Yamato with enhanced charisma. He joins the embrace. "You're safe now, Mimi nee-san."
Yamato briefly rolls his eyes. He has foreseen this melodramatic arrival of her, with or without a storm. He looked through the glass windows of Narita Airport.
Well, NHK definitely did not expect this, he thinks. He could see the clouds move as if they were froth being stirred in the gloomy sky, pouring snow. He looked back at the pink-haired Mimi, all dressed up in the fashion of a true New Yorker, babbling about her "near-death" experience on board to the others, with tears liberally falling as his girlfriend Takenouchi Sora cradled her. He clenches his jaw.
"You can ask Sora how many times I nagged her if you're going to be okay," Yagami Taichi pulls her out of Sora's and into his. "We were terribly worried,"
"Thank you, Tai-kun.."
"We should get out of here first before the storm worsens," says Koushiro. He was scrolling through his smartphone. "It won't exit Japan until sixteen hours or so."
Without hesitation, they walked out of the terminal, with everyone taking a piece of Mimi's luggage. Falling behind, Mimi eyed the back of their figures, taking note of the slightest changes among her friends. Familiar faces, different people. Things have changed , she laments a bit. But they are good changes!
She likes how Jyou grew out his hair and how Koushiro still looked the same, only taller. Hikari and Takeru turned out to be attractive kids. Grown, but still childlike. Taichi. Mimi bites her lip. Physically attractive. His unkempt hair and lean figure are bonuses to his already undeniable charisma. And Sora—Sora's growing prettier and girlier the more Mimi looks at her. She wonders if that's the result of dating Yama — Hmm? Where is..? She stops her tracks to make a headcount.
"Did you forget something, Tachikawa?" came a voice behind her. Mimi looks over her shoulder. She smiles. Still cold. Still handsome. Maybe even more if the ice melts.
"I thought I lost you, Yamato-kun!"
She always was aware of his attractiveness. She'd recall how Takeru, Palmon, and the others would tease them both. She remembered an eleven-year-old Yamato, flushed in red, telling her not to misunderstand, and that they were only being paired up because they're "the most attractive in the group," whatever the hell that meant. She inwardly laughs. It was the only serious and more personal conversation they had, and the closest one to not being a series of banters that neither of them could truly enjoy—or getting under each other's skin. Sometimes the words hurt, even if, deep down, she'd know he didn't mean to.
She suddenly felt odd. He is still Yamato. Taller. Sharper. Still gorgeous.,But the changes made her feel estranged.
If there was anything that stayed the same, it was her relationship (or the lack thereof) with him. Even after America, they barely kept in touch. The only time they did talk was when she congratulated him and Sora, apart from birthdays and holiday greetings. A wave of sadness washes over her—perhaps she was of little value to the one supposedly bearing the Crest of Friendship. Maybe it's because we're truly different.
Yamato —he was a stranger to her, after all.
Meanwhile, Yamato stands in front of her, cheeks slightly, unusually rouge. This girl, he thought, annoyed. What did she mean she thought she lost me? She always says the weirdest of things.
"You are so blunt, Tachikawa." But he knew Mimi, the crest-bearer of Purity, was always like that. She was always straightforward, with a tongue of a sharpshooter. She says anything, does everything she wanted, and tells everyone how she felt—even if it was unsettling. She was simple to understand, he knew her even before she knew herself.
Mimi's doe-like eyes glared at him. He felt his cheeks warm again as her glare pierced him. She was frowning, quite upset, probably thinking why he's not as coddling as the others toward her, but he just couldn't take her seriously.
"Keep frowning and your pretty forehead will wrinkle," he pointed out. He often does this–masking his fascination with mockery.
Pretty. Mimi would often wonder whenever he uses words like that to her. Like it's the only thing he knows about her. Or the only thing he lets himself know about her.
"How very sweet of you," she replies sarcastically.
Before Yamato could answer Taichi called her out from the front.
"Mi-chan!" everyone else looked behind them. The sudden attention makes him more conscious, how he and Mimi were several yards behind them. Mimi skips her way to Taichi and Sora, latching her arms on theirs. Mimi looks back at Yamato, sticks her tongue out like a kid who got ahead of a playmate. His mouth twitches.
Still the same Tachikawa . Childlike, still blunt, pretty, wears her heart out on her sleeves. and he felt no less than guiltier when he caught Sora staring at him.
The ride back to Odaiba was anything but quiet. Mimi, Sora, and Yamato sat just behind Jyou and Koushiro. Hikari, Taichi and Takeru were behind them. Taichi was loudly munching from a bag of snacks that he found in Mimi's luggage.
"If you manage to open my red trolley you'll find something there for you, Takeru-chan," teased Mimi, her entire body facing the.
"But I can't open it Mi-chan," Takeru exclaims frustratingly as he shakes the lock. "Just tell me the code of this thing." Takeru cracked the knuckles of his left hand; he felt slightly dizzy from trying to decode Mimi's lock for thirty minutes now.
Mimi laughs.
"Buuuuut it's more fun! You'll love it, I'm sure!" She turned to Hikari. "I hope you liked it Hikari-chan," She bought her a camera and a couple of films at a novelty shop in Brooklyn, upon learning her interest in photography.
"Of course, I love it, nee-chan," Hikari happily held a vintage Hasselblad camera on her lap. "It looks exactly like from the catalog we were looking at!"
Yamato grunted as he mentally criticized the song playing in the car. Mimi insisted everyone (him, particularly) to listen to this band she likes. Without much of a choice, Jyou had connected her iPod to his car's stereo.
The band was foreign and so was their music. He did admit, it was rather appealing, but it was hard to catch some of the words despite his better-than-most-Japanese Engrish because of the vocalist's accent. I suppose this is what trendy Americans listen to lately? He ruminated. It wasn't that bad, and he gave Mimi the credit for having "decent" taste – by Yamato's standards anyway. He still preferred solid alternative or punk rock, Japanese or English – but if anything, the song somewhat suited his feelings and surroundings right now.
"Oh my God!" Takeru exclaimed. Apparently, Mimi's code was her birthday, only backwards.
Mimi smirked.
"I knew you'd like it!"
"Like it? More like love it!"
"Mimi, if there was such a thing as Santa Claus of the Year, or Christmas Angel of the Year, hands down you're my bet," remarked Taichi, who received a pair of limited edition cleats.
She likes spoiling everyone. The thought just came to Yamato passively. He looks over to see what it was about. "What is it, Takeru?"
"Look, aniki! Mimi 'nee-san got me a vintage set of calligraphy nibs and a notebook. The one with The Hobbit cover!" The set looked vintage (and expensive), all right, the nibs were all bronze and gold in color placed in a small antique chest; the notebook was a bit more than an ordinary pocket notebook—nutmeg in color. Mimi knew Takeru's fascination with novelty items. They'd usually chat about his plans and outlines on his "upcoming " epic novel over chat.
Yamato turns to Mimi and smiles at her wryly. "You know you can buy that for 30% off at a stationery shop in Shinjuku, right?" Mimi was about to give in to her instincts for retort 'til Taichi cuts in between them.
"Yamato, who twisted your panties?" mocked an amused Taichi. Yamato was about to say something, but then Takeru—
"It's okay, Mi-chan," he says, grateful. "I'd never buy something like this for myself even if I wanted to, hehe."
Mimi smiled. Satisfied that Takeru liked it, she proceeded to check her luggage for other gifts.
"Jyou-senpai, Kou-kun! Do you want to see what I have for yoooouuuuu~~" teased Mimi as she rummaged through her luggage over the car seat.
"That's lovely, Mimi-chan but I am driving—and you're so noisy, can you tone it down?" Jyou pleads exasperatedly. Mimi chuckled. She always knew that was his way of affection. She got Jyou the rare medical books he was searching for in all the bookstores and library databases in Japan. Thank God Jyou's English is excellent thoug h, thought Mimi Or else, he won't be able to understand anything.
" Buuuuut . It's good. It's reeeaaally good. What about you, Koushiro-kun?" She got Koushiro a smartwatch.
"She can be so imposing," complained Jyou to Koushiro.
"I'm not talking to you anymore, Kido! Koushiroooooo-kuuuuun what do you say?" she yelled back, already preparing to give him the gift.
"It's okay Mimi-chan, probably late.. I'm kind of busy, hehe," replied Koushiro, who was playing an RPG with phone.
"But you guuuuys….." She never kept quiet and continued to pry.
Yamato rolled his eyes. He nursed his head on the side as he looked outside. Tachikawa. Always the same Tachikawa.
Sora was fast asleep, leaning on his shoulder. Her eyelashes slightly fluttering, a warning that she might wake up anytime soon. Her breathing was rather heavy, though. She didn't get enough sleep after all. Yamato frowned as he recalled the events of yesterday evening.
Now sound in mind, Yamato realized that maybe they were both wrong. That, or both of them are right, which meant worse if it was the latter.
Yamato held her tighter. He won't—
"Yamato-kun!"
His line of thought was cut off, his deadpan eyes meeting Mimi's.
"Here you go!" the pink-haired held out a rather smaller box. Unsure, Yamato stared at it and looked at Mimi again.
"Oh come on, just take it already," she grunted. Yamato took it and stuttered his thanks. Though he's got no clue what Mimi got him, his instincts tell him it'll be something he'll be in awe of, just like everybody else—and he didn't want her to see him lose his cool. He stuffed the box inside his guitar case.
"And Yamato-kun, could you give this to Sora-chan when she wakes up?" said Mimi as she threw him a smaller white box.
Yamato shook the box, trying to figure out what's inside.
"Hey! Don't do that!" yelled Mimi. She got Sora a chain necklace from a jewelry shop on the Upper East Side.
"Make sure you give it to Sora-chan, okay?" Mimi snuggles up to the sleeping Sora, unconscious and clueless of everything.
Yamato just stared. The image felt rather peculiar. He realized he was never fond of seeing Sora and Mimi together.
"So, Mimi-chan," said Taichi, who was already eating up the rest of Mimi's snacks. "Which high school are you going to?"
"The same where you guys go, of course…" she says. "Why? You don't want me there?" she pouted.
"Nothing really. I guess we can all hang out just like we used to... Except for Jyou, of course."
"I'm quite free 'til Spring," said Jyou.
Mimi literally almost jumped from her seat, it made Yamato almost jump from his. His poor nerves.
"Yokatta ! Good timing! I won't be entering school 'til springtime,"
"We can meet up after school then," said Hikari. "But what are you going to do for the time being, Mi-chan?"
Oh yeah, they still have school.. thought Mimi. She felt a bit left out and alone, not knowing what she'd do next after the winter break. Now that Sora has Yamato too, she won't be able to spend much time with her.
"I don't know yet, but I'm sure Sora and Yamato will gladly accompany me."
Yamato flinched upon hearing his name.
"Naaaaah – don't, Mimi. I swear being a third wheeler with those two sucks," disagreed Taichi, who had several experiences being with the couple. Mimi sensed some bitterness, but maybe it was just her.
"It'd be nice if you'd get a girlfriend as well, Taichi." Yamato started.
Wrong move, Yamato, thought Jyou, Koushiro, Hikari, Takeru—even Mimi.
"Well I was supposed to have one, if you can recall."
Hikari nudged his brother by the elbow. Taichi let out a sigh.
"What the hell is this? This is very childish." said an angry and confused Yamato.
"Aniki." Warned Takeru.
What the hell , the older blond thought. And here he reckoned he and Taichi were over that. He turned away to watch the snow. Deep down, Yamato felt he couldn't really blame him.
The air grew dead, tense, and cold.
Well, this sure is awkward, Takeru thought. Already sensing the bidding danger, he broke in.
"Well, Hikari-chan and I aren't that busy, Mi-chan,"
Mimi fixated grins.
"Thank you. And because of that, I'll treat you both to places! I want to try out the new restaurants downtown." Mimi turned to her side to check up on her friend.
Thank God Sora's asleep, thought Mimi. She looked over to Sora's side—Yamato staring out of the window. She tried to check out Jyou and Koushiro in front. She peeked behind, Hikari and Takeru trying out the gifts she gave them; Taichi had his eyes shut, trying to fall asleep.
She bit her lip and looked out through the window, watching other vehicles pass through the pile of snow. The rest of the trip was quiet, with nothing else but the songs on her iPod.
Things have really changed.