Butterflies

Two figures walked side by side through the cloudless, winter afternoon. The rest of their school mates were already inside their warm homes, them being the people farthest from the highschool.

Underneath their bulky winter jackets, the forest green of the Odaiba Junior High uniform peeked through. Their animated conversation however added to their warmth as the feminine one of the pair proceeded to hit the young man with the unruly hair playfully on the arm, whereas his untameable mane might've been the cause of their great height difference.

"That's silly, Yagami-san! Butterflies don't fly south for the Winter!

"Yes, they do! Monarch butterflies migrate to Mexico from Canada, in the fall."

Mimi squinted her bright caramel eyes at him, as if trying to judge if he was making it all up or not. Giving up with an exhausted sigh, she turned to the newly-appointed professor, giving him a glare though her smile betrayed her.

"And since when do you know so much about butterflies, Taichi?"

Taichi Yagami stopped walking and gave the amused girl a withering look.

"Hey! I do listen to my biology class sometimes."

Rolling her eyes, Mimi Tachikawa resumed walking, shifting around the weight of the school bag on her shoulder. The young man followed beside her, his tall athletic form slouching once again as he shifted the position of his school bag also.

"You sure you don't want me to carry your book bag, Meems?"

Her slender form shook with giggles as she glanced at him from the corner of her eyes.

"Yes, Taichi. I'm just fine. You, however, look like you're about to fall over."

The brunette gave a sheepish smile as he suddenly found the pavement quite interesting.

"Yeah, well, the teachers think that my school work could use more attention."

Mimi surpressed a giggle and instead a sympathetic 'aww' rose out of her.

"Spending too much time on the soccer field?"

She heard him mutter something about 'evil teachers' under his breath and the giggle bubbled from her mouth and turned to a refreshing burst of laughter, Taichi's own laughter joining hers.

After a few seconds, the joyful moment passed and they continued to walk in satisfied awareness of the others presence.

As they turned the corner, Mimi suddenly broke the silence, lightly clearing her throat.

"Yagami-san..."

Taichi glanced down at his close friend. Her high-octaved voice seeming hushed, he was drawn to look at her, noticing the troubled look on her pretty feautures.

"Mm?"

"How do you feel about Sora-chan & Yamato-san?"

The question surprised him and he stopped walking, trying to collect his scattered thoughts and mentally chiding himself for being so obvious.

"Uh... what do you mean?"

Mimi turned her petite body to face him, an indignant look on her face.

"Really, Taichi, everybody knows how you feel--"

"Felt."

His voice seemed harsh. A small scowl appeared on his still-boyish face.

Mimi's voice softened, a look of understanding passing between them.

"Felt about Sora-chan. I'm just curious... no, I'm concerned, as your friend, about how you feel."

Taichi looked at the concrete sidewalk again, a small sigh escaping him. He looked so forlorn, staring at the ground and his hands in his pocket, the girl was overcome with guilt that she brought up the touchy subject at all.

"Oh! Gomen nasai, Yagami-san, I didn't mean to make you feel bad."

Taichi looked up again, just in time to see Mimi come forward and wrap her arms around his neck, forcing him to lean down, into a comforting hug. It suddenly occured to him how much taller he was than the freshman though they were only one year apart.

"I- It's okay Mimi-chan."

They parted and Mimi gave him a grateful smile. He returned it and they continued to walk in silence, as they crossed the street to the next block, getting closer and closer to Mimi's home. This time, Taichi broke the silence.

"I was... sad. I don't know, I always thought that... that Sora had felt the same way about me, I mean, it was, I just..."

Another sigh.

Mimi stopped walking and clutched Taichi's sleeve as she stared at the ground.

"Oh Taichi, I know it hurts, though I can't say I know how it feels like. This must be hard on you. I myself thought that there was something between you and Sora-chan but... I guess, when I moved to America, I wasn't as informed as I used to be. And things changed..."

She looked up at him, her eyes full of sincerity.

"But you're a wonderful person. And anyone lucky enough to know you would say so too. Even Sora-chan. You'll find someone who will care for you endlessly for who you are. You deserve that much after all. You're one of the most caring people I know."

Mimi gave him a loving smile and suddenly, all the heartache he felt about the girl who broke his heart and the tears of frustration that escaped him as he kicked ball after ball furiously into the empty goalpost melted away. A new hope grew in his heart, albeit small but all things start out that way. By the time he found the voice to thank her, Mimi had already walked ahead, and was only two houses to her house.

Taichi ran to her, calling out her name to stop. Turning sharply, a bright smile on her face and her long chestnut locks bouncing around her pretty face, she called out,

"Hurry up, slowpoke!"

He grinned, catching her arm to stop himself but keeping his arm entwined with hers as they continued to walk though their pace had slowed down, seeing the familiar brick house only a few feet away.

"Have I ever thanked you for coming back to Japan?"

The bemused girl giggled but suddenly grew thoughtful, though her eyes shone with mirth.

"Well, Taichi, you've welcomed me back but I must say, I don't think I've ever been thanked for returning home..."

Loosening from her arm as they stopped at her gate, he turned to face her and bowed in a graceful manner, not a hint of sarcasm in his tone and said,

"Then thank you, Tachikawa-san, for returning to Japan."

The small gesture of gratification touched her deeply and her face reflected it. Also bowing to him, she said in a shy voice,

"My pleasure, Yagami-san."

Then she did something that made all his feelings of rejection and anger disappear much faster.

On tiptoes, with one hand holding onto the bar of the gate and the other clinging to his arm, she gave him a peck, her lips almost just grazing his cheek. Then she opened the gate and scampered inside and towards the brick house, giving him a bright smile before entering her home.

Taichi gave a small wave to her disappearing form. Giving a shudder, he blamed the crisp, winter air for the sudden color in his cheeks as he continued his walk home, a smile forming on his lips.

A/N: Here's my first fanfic =) It's a Taichi x Mimi friendship fic but it can be more if you want. This takes place after the last battle, and after Christmas too, I tried to make it fit in with the timeline and the clips showed in the final episode. It's a one-shot but I hope to get some new projects soon.

-Chrissy