LINGERING SPARKS

The flowers were the first thing he noticed. They were tropical, colourful, and strange-shaped, just like he remembered them. What place could have flowers like that other than the Digital World? He was deep in the forest, of course, so that would explain it. Someone should give these flowers names, he thought, or try to find if they were useful for medicine and... God, could he find any more pathetic excuses to get his mind off of what just happened?

He heard footsteps behind him and he turned around to face a girl with long, brown hair and beautiful eyes. She placed her hands on her hips when she spotted him, stopping just a few feet far from his position. "Now what was that for, hm?" Mimi said, and he couldn't help but notice the criticism in her voice. "That was the most stupid move ever from you, Joe Kido."

"Your boyfriend is the one acting stupid," he remarked.

"Is that so? 'My boyfriend' seems to have more manners than you, as it is."

"Alright, so that wasn't the smartest thing to do. Say sorry to your boyfriend for me."

"No, you are going to apologise to him face to face, since it was your fault." She considered that for a second. "Why would you go and do something like that in the first place? One could say you were jealous."

"And one could say he is possessive," he fought back.

"Why, do you disagree with what he said? That he cares about me more than anyone else?"

He crossed his arms. "He isn't one to judge that."

"Oh, and I suppose you are?"

"I never said that."

"You implied it. Same thing. Now, tell me the reason you hit him and I'll forget about it. If you are trying to protect me, then you don't have to. Michael, as possessive as he may be, would never hurt me."

He shook his head and looked away. "You don't understand."

"You're not letting me! Crest of Reliability my ass... How can you be reliable if you never tell me anything!" She didn't say so very loudly, but he could tell she was angry by her tone.

That wasn't what got him furious, though. She was acting as if he was to blame. One thing he admired about her was that she didn't try to hide her flaws, but given the situation, her selfishness had gone past its limits.

"I never tell you anything?!" His eyes were shooting flames as he turned around, and she looked stunned for a moment. She tried to gather the words to answer him.

"No, you-"

He cut her off by placing his arms on her shoulders and pulling her towards him. His hands were cold on her bare shoulders. She tried to pull away but he was holding her firmly.

"I never tell you anything?! I poured my heart out to you when we were separated from the group! I told you about my dreams, about my goals, about the future I wanted to build... things only you and Gomamon know! When I am near you, I am exposed like I've never been in my life... I blush, I stutter, and I find myself at a loss of words... And you, of all people, tell me I'm not sincere towards you?!"

Silence hovered for second. Then, Mimi spoke up:

"You're hurting me..."

Only then did Joe realise where his hands were. Embarassed at the scene he'd made out of this, he released her. He clenched his fists to calm himself, lowering his eyes as she rubbed her shoulders. They remained like that, neither of them daring to look at the other. When Mimi opened her mouth, the words came out as a light whisper instead of the clear statement she was going to make. "I still think you were overreacting by beating Michael up because of something he said."

For a moment she was sure she was going to get shouted at again, but instead, Joe turned around to leave.

"Fine, do it again! You can not stand it when you are wrong, huh?" she said, her voice higher now, challenging him.

"You don't understand."

"There we go again..." she sighed. "So I don't, Joe. Why don't you help me understand?"

What followed next was the last thing she was expecting from him as an answer. He started laughing. But it was the way he was laughing that hit her. So harsh, and sarcastic, and cold, and so un-Joe... The words that came out next were the same, causing her to shudder.

"I would have thought that I have offered you enough help all this time..." He was still not facing her. "But if you wish, I will try to help you understand." She thought she heard him sigh, but it could have just been the wind shifting through the trees. "Come here."

It took her a second to grasp the meaning of the phrase. She was not controlling the situation and that infuriated her. Tachikawa Mimi was used to having everyone wrapped around her little finger, and this could mean she was losing her touch. Still, she couldn't do anything but oblige.

The sound her small steps made was much louder in the open. She was looking at the ground, refusing to even glance at him. In a few seconds, she was standing next to him, waiting for him to make a move.

"You want me to help you understand," he repeated, more like an assurance to himself. Before she could even nod, he had her wrapped in his arms, her lips muffled by his own. Her eyes widened, and whatever protest she was attempting to make ended up as a low moan. This apparently encouraged him, because he pulled her closer, running his hands down her back. His tongue rolled against her own, his lips moving in an unheard rhythm with her own. She felt his erection pressing against her body, and it was then that she finally found the strength to react. He backed away from the force of the slap, rubbing his now red cheek.

He shoved his hands in his pockets, and lowered his face. Staring at the ground with an intesity that could burn a hole into it, his features were hidden by the night shadows. It was getting late... Mimi didn't move an inch from her position, casually glancing at everything but him now and then. After a few seconds she started towards the opposite direction.

Joe was a little late to react. She was out of sight when he did.

"...Sorry," he muttered. One word.

It was only him and the night sky now. The wind was changing direction again, but the only sound he could hear was the flowers giggling.

- - -

"Idiot!" He bumped his head on the innocent bathroom wall, mouthing the same word over and over. "Idiot, idiot, idiot! She's going to hate you now and there's nothing you can do about it. Why did you have to go and do that, anyway? Ruining a year-long friendship in a moment! All because of your damned hormones! Ever heard of self-control, you idiot?"

"Joe, you're talking to yourself again," Jim made it sound as if it was a perfectly natural thing to do. He picked up a toothbrush and proceeded to brush his teeth. "So, what did you do this time? School? Girl?"

"I wish..." he said, bumping his head on the wall one more time as an answer to himself. Jim raised an eyebrow at that. He then shrugged, and continued brushing his teeth.

When he had finished, he turned to Joe again. "Is she that important?"

"You can't imagine..."

Jim's expression was serious, considering Joe's answer for a moment, then answering: "If she really deserves to be as important as you say, she's going to understand."

Jim left the room after that, and Joe sank to his knees, his head still leaning on the wall. "Even I don't understand anymore..."

- - -

"Come on, Mimi..."

"Not if he doesn't apologise first."

"You are so stubborn! Even I have forgiven him for what he did."

"You have?"

Michael nodded, and grinned at her sheepishly. It looked like he was going to win the argument.

Mimi looked at him incredulously, repeating: "You have forgiven him for what he did?"

"Uh-huh..."

"That's it, we're breaking up."

Michael blinked. He made an attempt to laugh, then, finally coming to understand that she was serious... "Whaaaat?"

Mimi crossed her arms and turned to leave the room. "You never agree with me on anything anymore. It's over."

"B-but, Mimi..."

She slammed the door at his face. He held his head, rubbing the lump that had formed there. He was pretty sure she was going to come back in a few minutes, resuming her babbling as if nothing had happened. He was just going to stand there and wait, before it hit him. Mimi was right and she didn't know it. It was over.

The fact that they didn't agree on anything was only a part of it. They were flirting with other people in hopes of getting the other jealous. They tried to spend time together but found "excuses" to keep them from doing so. They tried keeping together a long ago ruined relationship. It was over.

He picked up the phone from the desk next to him and dialed a number. A few seconds passed before a sweet voice was heard from the other line. "Hello?" Even though Catherine had been living in Japan for the past seven years, a hint of a French accent was still apparent.

"Catherine, is that you? It's Michael."

"Michael!"

"I called to tell you, I broke up with Mimi just now."

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that..."

Mimi entered the room just then. She strode towards him, and grabbed him by the collar. "You just broke up with your girlfriend and instead of trying to think of a way to apologise to her, you call another girl?! You... you..." She slapped him across the face, then ran out of the room. The last words he heard from her before she shut the door behind her were "I never want to see you again!"

After he was sure she had left, he picked up the receiver once more. "So, how's Friday night? I know a really good restaurant close to my house... No, no, it's alright. She's going to get over it."

Mimi's flower perfume lingered in the room for only a few minutes after the phone call.

- - -

Joe was wandering in the thick forest, with no particular destination. He was probably going to return home after midnight, but that wasn't much of a problem in his family. Jim would be out with his girlfriend, his father would be signing papers and his mother would be cooking.

No one was going to give a damn about him.

Then why was he so worried about getting there late?

It was a feeling that came with the Crest of Reliability. It had recently become a burden rather than a responsibility. The need to please others, even if they were not going to thank you later on. Drowning in an abyss of lies to himself every day, reasuring himself that that was his purpose in life. The others always had the priority, he rarely ever thought about himself anymore.

So, when he did, the emotion overflowed him.

He shook his head. He had never thought about his reactions to certain situations before. The current theory rang true to his mind, though... and his heart. But the mere thought that his obsession with fulfilling his Crest's needs had caused something like yesterday's incident made him feel worse about it. He had come here to relax, anyway, not fill his mind with more questions.

He wasn't watching where he was going, and he ended up bumping into something. He fell on his back, letting out a yelp. A similar sound was heard very near him. It couldn't have been an echo. It wasn't the wind, or the night sounds. Before he could put the thoughts going through his head in an order, he got an answer.

"Oww... my head..."

His breath caught in his throat. God, what were the odds of this happening? There were situations that the concept of coincidency made sense, but this...

"Mimi?"

"J-Joe?"

She held up the lamp she was carrying, and the area lit up. He could now see her clearly. She must've come here in a hurry, because she had apparently got dressed hastily. She was only wearing pants and a shirt.

After a moment of quiet, they spoke simultaneously:

"What are you doing here?"

"Why did you bring a lamp?"

Mimi laughed, her voice like a bell ringing in the middle of the night. "You don't know me very well, do you? I wouldn't come to the Digital World and walk around in the dark! Who knows what kind of things are crawling on the ground?"

He smiled sheepishly. He was glad she was treating him as if nothing had happened. Mimi didn't hold grudges, he knew that much, but the fact that she wasn't -- or wasn't showing -- she was mad at him made him feel relieved. "Hey, I am probably allergic at these things and I didn't bring one."

She smiled at him. "Yeah, you're right. We're the couple from hell."

He smiled politely, although a knot had formed in his heart. "What did you come here for?"

"I asked you first." She grinned.

"I came here to... think." That would do for now. It was half-true, after all. "And you?"

She seemed slightly taken aback. "I... well..." She sighed. Better get over with it. "I was depressed over... an incident... and came here to relax."

He was curious as to what the said "incident" was, but he only nodded.

She didn't say anything after that. How naive of him to believe what happened between them would be forgotten... No such luck. He would have to do it sooner or later, and now was as good a time as any. He looked at her. Her eyes were downcast. "Mimi?" Her eyes met his, making him blush involuntarily. He turned his head away. "Sorry... about yesterday." Strike one. You are losing.

She made an attempt to smile, but it was clearly fake. "It's okay. I've already forgotten about it." The word "lie" was written all over it. Try harder, it screamed at her, and she closed her eyes. "I was just surprised... that's all."

He raised an eyebrow. "Surprised... wha--"

"I mean, you are always so predictable... A move like that was unexpected."

"P-predictable?"

She smiled. He couldn't tell whether it was bitter or meant to be sweet. "Yes... 'Ol' reliable', you know..."

"No I don't." She looked at him then, and he took a deep breath. He couldn't look away, not now... Not when you are winning. "What is it that makes me so predictable?" His expression was stiff and it made her feel uncomfortable.

She shrugged. "Maybe it's your Crest. Reliability... We trust you, and we know you will never do something that will make us think otherwise, so... that makes you predictable. Perhaps it's just your nature."

"I see..." He laughed bitterly. "I could say something about my 'predictability', but I don't want to cause any more trouble."

"Joe... you're acting weird. What is this all about?"

"I wish I knew..." He shook his head.

She took a deep breath. "Is it me?" He raised his eyes, surprised at the bluntness of the question. She tried again: "Is this about me?"

His stutters indicated that he was unprepared for the blow. "Yes... No... I mean... Oh, I don't know! It might be you, or me, or that damned Crest... Not that--"

She cut him off. "Your Crest? Why would your Crest make you act like that?"

A second passed without him speaking. She was afraid she had delved too deep into the subject, or that she had hit a sensitive spot, but then an answer came. "Because..." He closed his eyes. "Because it's difficult to think of the others all the time."

Mimi smiled. "Is that all?"

Joe opened his eyes and raised an eyebrow.

She quietly laughed at his confusion. "Joe, you don't need to try to be reliable! Why do you think you were given this Crest? Think of yourself as much as you want, no-one's going to complain to you about it." She slowly added: "Though it might take a bit getting used to."

Joe sighed and looked at the ground again. "It's my duty."

Mimi let out an exasperated sigh. "Duty? What is it, are you serving someone?"

Joe mock-laughed, sounding as in a better mood than he really was. "Just my Crest."

She grinned, wrapping her arms around his neck and cupping his cheek in a swift movement. He blushed. "Oh, you poor thing... I'll talk to your Crest and make sure you are excused of your 'duty', so you can go and have some fun."

"Stop it," he said stiffly.

"Stop what?"

He grasped her wrists and pushed her gently, putting some space between them. "I don't need your pity..."

"It's not my pity," she answered, irritated at his assumption. "It's a suggestion."

"Then I don't need your suggestions." He breathed, his voice raising slightly as he continued: "I can handle myself just fine."

"That didn't seem to be the case yesterday."

He opened his mouth to say something, but decided not to. After a second, he let go of her wrists, and said "I don't want to argue with you."

"That's because you know I'm right." She was still refusing to let him win.

"I can handle myself just fine," he repeated.

He was getting nervous, and Mimi decided this was the time to prove him wrong. She took a step towards him, closing the distance. Her arms wrapped around his neck almost immediately once more, and she leaned her head close to his, whispering in his ear: "No, you can't." And she kissed him.

His heart was beating wildly in his chest. He was trying to control himself, he really was, but it was too much to bear. His lips started moving with hers, and his palms came to rest on her back. Mimi pulled away from him then, having got her point across.

Joe just stood there, looking at her. "I'm sorry," he finally said. Strike two. You are still winning. Before she could understand what he was apologising for, he captured her lips again. She tried to pull away, but he was holding her tighter than ever. He pushed her against a nearby tree trunk for balance, caressing her body over the shirt. His lips moved from her mouth to her neck, as he nibbled and sucked on it. She moaned despite the situation, words unwilling to come out of her mouth.

'I'm sorry,' he thought to himself in a split second of hesitation. 'I'm sorry about shouting at you our second day at the Digital World. I'm sorry about the teasing that might have ever offended you. I'm sorry about hitting Michael, about kissing you, about thinking of you in the nights I felt lonely, about what I'm doing and what I'm about to do... You were right about me being unable to control it, and I have to know... if it is you that causes these reactions.'

His hands trembled as he slowly pulled her shirt off. She was not wearing a bra.

Mimi was caught off-guard. Not knowing if she should push him, or scream, or go along with it, she chose her only way out in situations that were not under her control. She cried. It started out as tears rolling down her cheeks, but it became more hysterical as his intentions became more evident.

He cupped her brests with his large palms, making her shiver at the touch. His thumbs traced a line around her nipples before he started rubbing them, careful not to hurt her but still determined to get over with this. She bit her lip as his tongue moved around them, arousing her more than she would want to admit. He sucked on them for another few seconds before moving lower, kissing every bit of her skin until he reached her pants.

It was then that she regained her strength. She screamed for help, only managing to mouth a word before he silenced her with a kiss. He pulled at her pants, never parting his lips from hers. She kicked and struggled, the last protest before all her power was drained. Her panties gave him no resistance, as they fell on the ground to accompany the rest of her clothes. He pulled off the rest of their garments, not saying anything all the while. Her weeping caused all her efforts to shout out to end up as coughs or groans, and she cried even harder when it happened.

He covered her body with his own when he finished undressing, still pushing her against the tree trunk. His cheek lightly touched hers as he moved his fingers to her cunt. He inserted a finger, testing the wetness, then another one when she moaned in pleasure. Three fingers were into her now, making her moans louder as well. He guided them deeper into her, taking her body's shivers and spasms as a positive hint. His middle finger brushed against her clitoris, making her gasp and cling to his shoulders from the wave of pleasure that rushed through her. He pulled them out when he felt she was lubricated enough, her moans steadily quieting.

He let her relax for a moment, feeling content only by listening to the frantic beating of her heart. She slowly regained her breath, and he bit his lip. Now for the hardest part...

He entered her, tentatively at first, looking away as her eyes widened. He pushed deeper into her, feeling guilty about the pleasure the feeling of her tight walls brought him. He hit her barrier then, thrusting harder into her as he broke it. She screamed, louder than all the previous times, making him wish he could stop the sound. He hated the way it reflected the pain she felt. The tears fell freely now, and she hugged him, desperate for something to hold onto. She let him go when she realised what she was doing, leaning her head against the trunk and crying harder. He buried his face in her hair, reassuring her with clumsy phrases and desperate kisses on her neck, which really did nothing to soothe her.

He only resumed his thrusts when she had calmed down a little, still reluctant to do anything that would cause her more pain. It had to be done, though, and so he pumped into her once more, holding her thighs as if to keep a grasp on reality. He picked up speed as he felt his climax near, sweating more and more as he went. Mimi still moaned in pain, sweating almost as much as he did. Pleasure became more evident for her as his strokes became faster, his in and out movements getting her body to move with his despite herself.

Joe kept his climax, hoping that she would come before him. Her walls squeezed his cock harder as she started moving with him, though, her warm flesh feeling like magic as it licked his skin. He wouldn't be able to hold it for much longer. Mimi did not feel much different. His large member was shoved deeper into her each time, pinning her to the trunk, leading her closer to heaven when he pushed in. Fulfillment was close, so close, and the pain had almost disappeared when she heard him grunt loudly. She thrashed in the fire that consumed her, his burning cum filling her and bringing her to levels of ecstacy she could never have anticipated. That was when her own climax reached release, and she screamed in her trance, unable to think. He held her there for a moment, still shaking and twitching from the orgasm, before she sank to her knees.

They were both breathing heavily, ground stained with blood and cum. Mimi passed out then, and he caught her in his arms before she hit the ground.

"I love you," he said. Strike three. You lost.