Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon… Or Kouji… If I did, then I would've kept Kouji for myself. Man. I can't even BELIEVE I'm writing this! TT
Oh, and I don't own Butterfly by Smile.dk either.
Author's Notes:
OKAY. I'm learning from my mistakes… so I'm putting the Author's Notes FIRST before the story. I'm sure a lot of people would prefer to get straight to the story, but you know what? Since I put the Author's Notes at the BOTTOM of the page, no one seems to read them!
To be honest, I don't support Kouji/Izumi too much, but they do make a cute couple and it IS canon, or at least there is some sort of feeling/respect between them. This was a spur of the moment thing, because I listened to the song "Butterfly" by Smile.dk for the first time in a long time and a connection just appeared between the song and Kouji and Izumi.
Maybe this isn't my best fanfiction, but please at least appreciate that I did some research for this fic. After doing a bit of digging about Frontier after it ended, I learned that Minamoto is an honorable surname in Japan. Well, not really honorable, but it does date back to ancient times of the samurai… So, that should be notable at least. I always wanted to have Kouji coming across a hunk of Minamoto armor… see what he thinks of it… Anyways. Here you go, my Kouzumi fanfic. And there are extras and more Authors notes at the bottom of the page.
Butterfly
Izumi Orimoto felt like a normal schoolgirl on their class trip to the Tokyo National Museum. It was just another normal day with normal commuters and normal events. The same cramped city provided bus with her class, the same usual childishness accompanying her friends.
Takuya sat in front of her on the city bus, playing on his Gameboy SP. Kouji sat next to Takuya, looking like he was asleep, leaning back comfortably in the bus seat. He would occasionally open his left eye to get a look at what Takuya was doing in the game. Behind them, and to Izumi's right, was Kouji's twin brother, Kouichi. He was quieter than his brother (since Kouji was teasing Takuya that the boy wasn't going to win the game) with his nose in a book. How he didn't get a headache while the bus was moving, Izumi couldn't answer. She had taken the seat to the left of Kouichi, by the window, where she could get a good look outside, even though it was mainly just buildings and cars.
One could never have guessed that they had been part of a war in an alternate world. It was closing in on the anniversary of being taken to the Digital World one year ago. Time seemed to move by as quickly as the buildings moving past the windows of the bus.
"You're doing it wrong!"
Izumi's mind was pulled out of her thoughts as she saw Kouji move in the seat in front of her and to her right. He reached for Takuya's game.
"Kouuujiiii." Takuya whined.
"Don't blame me if you lose then." Kouji sat back and crossed his arms over his chest.
Izumi smiled. It wasn't too long before Takuya was whining about losing his game and Kouji was saying "I told you so". The argument was cut short when the bus rolled to a halt near a large park. The door hissed as it opened and the children piled off, wanting to get out of the stuffy bus. Izumi stood up and Kouichi let her go ahead of her. Some of the more zealous children in the back pushed to get off, Kouichi getting shoved into her… and Izumi in turn got shoved into Kouji.
"Gomen." Kouichi said quietly and stood up. He helped Izumi stand up straight by taking her hand.
"Arigatou Kouichi-kun." She nodded her thanks to Kouichi and turned to the long haired mirror in front of her. "Gomen, Kouji-kun."
Kouji slightly turned his head so he could see her in the corner of his eye. He seemed to freeze a bit, before getting his courage to speak.
"Daijoubu ka?" He said, almost as quiet as his brother.
"Hai." Izumi said.
Kouichi knew full well that Izumi was blushing, but have sworn he saw a bit of a blush appear on his brother's cheek as well. The line moved and there was a gap in front of Kouji and Takuya. Kouichi cleared his throat a bit and Kouji turned and walked as calmly as he could off the bus, though Kouichi knew better. Izumi followed, Kouichi behind her.
The air was cool and crisp, and the sun beamed down on them brightly. The snow had long gone, but the trees of Ueno Park were still barren. The class was gathering around the base of a statue of a man and his dog. Izumi looked up and saw it was no ordinary man on his everyday dog walking. On his sash was tied a sword in sheath.
"Who can tell me who this man is?" The teacher addressed the class.
There were mumblings of the class, the children unsure. Some were about to read the name engraved in the plaque at the base of the statue. One actually shouted out, "hitokiri battousai!" when they saw the katana tied to the waist. To Izumi's left, Kouji snorted.
"It's Takamori Saigo. The Last Samurai." Kouji said under his breath. Damn kids need to stop watching anime so much.
Izumi glanced at Kouji, wondering how he knew of it. She could understand his brother knowing it before everyone else since he always had his nose stuck in a book and must have a storage of knowledge in his head. In fact, Kouichi was still reading his book, half listening to the teacher's lecture on Takamori Saigo. Kouji didn't seem like one to know too much about Japan's history, not saying that he slacked off in his studies. It was just their first field trip ever to the Tokyo National Museum. Wasn't it?
The class passed through the park of barren trees and bushes. A five story pagoda towered on their left, but that was not the desired destination. The class was brought to a building that was designed in the eastern "Emperor's Crown Style" compared to the more modern buildings around it. A small pond was laid out in front of the building, reflecting the cloudy sky above. The class walked around the pond and entered the front doors to begin their tour of the museum.
Through the guided tour of the museum, Kouji remained uninterested. Kouichi had finally shut his book and started to pay attention to the lessons. The energetic Takuya kept straying from the group, wanting to run around and look at the interesting items, if it wasn't for their teacher yelling for him to contain himself every ten seconds or so. The building was large and filled to the brim with archeological finds, preserving the art and history of Asia… especially Japan.
The moment Kouji disappeared, Izumi felt her heart stop. They had been meandering through the museum, half paying attention. She became alert suddenly, feeling the absence of her friend, wondering where he had gone. Turned out he wasn't too far away. Kouji was where the group had last been, staring at an item behind the glass. Izumi went over to see what had caught his attention. It was the torso to some armor from ancient times. The red of the armor had long since paled, and the flowery cloth was not tan, but more of a brown… almost as though blood had dried on it, though that was to be expected from its age. Izumi wondered why such an old hunk of armor was so interesting.
Ay, iyaiyai,
Ay, iyaiyai
A-a-a iyaiyai,
Where's my samurai?
The tag at the bottom of the armor was written with a familiar last name. Minamoto.
I've been searching for a man
All across Japan
Just to find, to find my samurai
"Minamoto Yoshitsune." Kouji said, his eyes never leaving the armor. "He's the one who started the whole, 'slash the leaves up as they fall' fad." Though he said it like that, one could still tell that he had a high respect for his ancestor. "Otousan used to bring me here all the time… Go on about our family heritage. I was pretty much brought up in this museum, learning all the old ways. Honor. Tradition." He sighed a bit, staring longingly at the armor. "I have such a great ancestry…"
Izumi blinked. "You? What about your brother?"
Kouji's shoulders slacked and he stared hard at the armor, hands clenching into fists, almost like he hated it. "Otousan doesn't recognize niisan as a Minamoto. After all, he did divorce okaasan… He didn't see them fit to carry on the bloodline… Even when we were children. That's why he chose me. To pass the name on." He closed his eyes. "I don't even know if I really live up to it…"
Someone who is strong
But still a little shy
Yes I need, I need my samurai
"You do." Izumi said quietly.
Kouji turned to look at his lavender dressed female peer, a slight tinge of pink gracing his cheeks.
Ay, ay, ay,
I'm your little butterfly
Izumi warmly smiled at him.
"We should get back to our class." Kouji suggested, seeing that the group was about to turn around a corner and lose them.
Izumi nodded and the two rejoined the group, continuing the tour.
Green, black and blue,
Make the colours in the sky
Ay, ay, ay, I'm your little butterfly
Green, black and blue,
Make the colours in the sky
"I wonder how they're doing." Izumi sat down beside Kouji in the grass of Ueno park during their lunch break.
"Who?" Kouji asked, pausing before he took a bite of his onigiri.
I've been searching in the woods
And high upon the hills
Just to find, to find my samurai
"The Digimon. Bokomon. Neemon. Gotsumon. The Spirits." Izumi said. "It's almost been a year."
Kouji stared down at the rice ball in his hand. "Yeah."
Someone who won't regret
To keep me in his net
Yes I need, I need my samurai
"Do you remember when I was being attacked by Woodmon?" Izumi asked, trying to strike up a conversation since Kouichi was eating his bentou quietly, reading his book, and Takuya was too engrossed in his videogame again, not even bothering to eat his own bentou.
Ay, ay, ay,
I'm your little butterfly
Green, black and blue,
Kouji nodded. "Yeah, it was when you first got your spirit… I had to come in and save you."
Make the colours in the sky
Ay, ay, ay, I'm your little butterfly
Green, black and blue,
Make the colours in the sky
"And that one time Tomoki got brainwashed by Bakumon?"
"Yeah, I saved you there too."
"With a stick. And he was a Digimon! Did you really think you could protect me?"
"Yes."
Ay, iyaiyai,
Ay, iyaiyai
A-a-a iyaiyai,
Where's my samurai?
"And you saved your own brother from the darkness… You helped save the Digital World… And most importantly, you reunited your family."
Kouji chuckled softly and took a bite out of his onigiri, tasting the sweet plum center. "I must've fought in enough battles and saved enough Digimon to almost equal to my ancestors…"
"You certainly lived up to your name, and I'm sure you made them proud." She took out her lavender cloth wrapped bentou from her bag.
Silence passed between them for a good long time, the only sound coming from the beeps and sound effects from Takuya's game. In the corner of Kouji's eye, he saw her shiver in a cool breeze. He peeled off his trademark blue jacket and put it on her shoulders. She smiled softly, remembering how he had done the same on their way to Akiba Market. Izumi then thanked him in a compliment that included that time and all the past times he had saved or helped her.
"You were my samurai."
Ay, iyaiyai,
Ay, iyaiyai
A-a-a iyaiyai,
Where's my samurai?
Kouji blushed a bit, and turned his head somewhat to awkwardly stare in another direction. He laid down in the cool grass and stared up at the barren trees… noticing how there was one early cherry blossom and a black spotted lavender butterfly alighted on its petals. A smile graced his lips, deciding to thank her for understanding in the only way he could admit to.
"And you were my butterfly."
More Author's notes:
This thing is rated K!! I didn't even put in, "I love you."!! So don't be running around squealing that they just professed their love to each other!! Good grief!! And there's barely any real plot, it's just a fluff fic! If you want a PLOT… Go grab a book from the library or go read my other Digimon fanfiction! Geez! Really!
Addressing Anonymous (since you don't have an account)… whoever… I'll just call you Anon? Okay? Okay. Because it wouldn't be a K rated story if I said something else.
Kouji/Kouichi factor… Solved with my update. Should I make an entire story about Kouichi and their father? Or Kouji and Kouichi's thoughts on the armor? This was meant for Kouji's contemplation alone, not Kouichi. If I decide to actually make this a huge thing, then I will include Kouichi's thoughts, but this was supposed to center Kouji and Izumi. Not Kouichi. Kouichi's just spectating and reading his book.
As for saving each others lives… Let's note that the fanfiction is rated K. I want general audiences to understand, even the little kids. If someone saved your life, it really means something. At least it means the person cares more about someone else than themselves.
Again… I NEVER SAID HE LOVED HER. And of course the Digital World "loves" them. Love doesn't mean SMOOCHSMOOCHKISS.
…
Oh. And a lesson in criticism. This is VERY important. If you're going to criticize something… MAKE IT WELL ROUNDED!! No rants going on about how it could've been better. No! If you want hark on about some errors, at least break it to the person gently. Give ONE good point and ONE bad point. Don't just be spreading around the bad portions of the writing!
Oy… Thanks for reading… I guess… At least appreciate that I brought up about Kouji's ancestry. This fic took me about 2 hours the other night to write since it was a quick one shot thing… At least I put time into it. And I had to do a load of research. So without further ado, extras.
Extras:
Links on my tripod page really… Don't worry, all the links that I compiled are safe educational links. I just hate having to use Tripod for things cuz they have too many popups… and that it's hard to put any links in the fanfiction if there are extras… These are the links that I used to actually reference to in my story. Just remove the spaces.
http:// ryuunomizu. tripod. com/ ButterflyExtras.html