Hooray for chapter nine, only one chapter away from ten! I've got the plot for the rest of the story all figured out, so there is going to be a total of 13 chapters. Each chapter will be a day of the week up until Saturday, when the dance is! So, sorry for the long not-update again. I was sick with a terrible flu most of the week.

Now, not only that, but I'm going to Florida for Spring Break with my neighbor/best friend and his family! Yay Disney World!

Chapter 8 Reviewer Thank-Yous:

izumi minamoto

MattxLuver

devilleader

MononokeKitsune

Luisa P.

Anyway, enjoy! (Even though my grammar sucks)

By the By: This isn't a happy chappy.

Disclaimer:

I do not own any of the characters in this story except for the unrecognizable characters and the plot line.

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Chapter 9: Expired Happiness

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"I just don't get it."

"What?"

"What's so funny about saying 'he, she, it' really fast? It doesn't make any sense."

Kouji sighed at his brother. Izumi just laughed and tightened her grip on Kouji's hand under the lunch table so no one could see.

"You two are sitting awfully close today," JP commented suspiciously. "Are you two perhaps hiding something from us?"

A light blush crept on Kouji's cheeks as Izumi flashed a smile at JP. "I didn't even notice how close we were sitting. Sorry if I made you uncomfortable, Kouji."

Izumi scooched over a few inches away and their hands broke apart. Kouji felt could all over, missing the warmth radiating from Izumi's body. He felt so... naked. Did that make him a nudist whenever Izumi wasn't near him? Scary thought. How those fan girls would maul him if that were to happen!

"So, Kouichi," Izumi broke the awkward silence. "Are you still coming over after school?"

"Yep!"

"For what?" Kouji asked rather irritably.

"We're working on a secret project," Kouichi explained to Kouji with a playful wink. "A costume for the Halloween Dance that no one is allowed to see until it's finished. And because Izumi sucks at sewing, I offered to help her with it."

'...Is is just me, or is Kouichi beginning to sound gayer by the second?' Kouji thought to himself. 'I mean, sewing? It's like queer eye for the straight gal! Why couldn't they make a show like... make out with the straight gal or something that I could partake in?'

Kouji fell silent as usual as the others talked about the latest movies, music, and gossip.

"So, seriously, what's so funny about it?" Kouichi continued.

"About what?" JP asked through a spoon full of... what the hell is it? A special rice puke mix?

"That 'he, she, it' thing!"

Andy, who sat next to Kouichi and JP, leaned over and whispered something in his ear, since he was the only one who knew enough english at the table to understand the joke. Kouichi's eyes grew wide as Andy whispered.

Andy leaned back in his seat as Kouichi laughed stupidly. "So that's why I was sent to the principal..."

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Kouji sat in his second to last hour of the day, absolutly and positively... depressed. He finally got the girl of his dreams, but couldn't show her off to anyone until Saturday. Was it really worth it? Was it worth waiting three more days out of the 'Hottie Twins' fanclubs constant mauling, love letters, and candies? Do they not realize that candies cause cavities, meaning bye-bye 'Hottie Twins' hot smile.

These girls, they are so damn stupid sometimes, lacking a common sense.

But Izumi... she was different. Not the candies and secret love notes kind of girl. She would keep her crush hidden deep within her soul, just like Kouji.

'But I was weak and it broke out,' He thought with a sigh, resting his elbows on the desk and then his head on his hand, partially drooling from boredom and carelessness. 'I suppose that's a good thing. But what if it didn't? Would I have ever have shown Izumi my true feelings for her?'

A ruler suddenly slammed down on his desk nearly hitting his hands. Kouji snapped from his daydreaming and looked up at his teacher, meeting cold eyes.

"Minamoto," The teacher who resembled the grinch sneered at him. "Daydreaming in my class is strictly prohibited."

Kouji remained careless, just listening to his ranting of why he shouldn't daydream in Mr. Grinch's class.

"So, tell me, Minamoto," Mr. Grinch sneered. "What is the name of a smiggle smink sneer?"

Kouji stared at his teacher lamely. "A smiggle smink sneer."

"Wrong, I made that up," Mr. Grinch smiled with glee. Insert a cool rhyme here. "What should your punishment be?"

"Steal my christmas..." Kouji said tiredly with a sigh as the class giggled quietly.

Mr. Grinch frowned upon this. "One hour of detention after school today, Minamoto."

"Fuck!" Kouji exclaimed aloud, having had plans to walk Izumi home after school.

Mr. Grinch scowled. "Make that two."

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After the two hours of detention, the sun was making its way slowly downward towards sunset. Not only was the sun sleepy, but Kouji as well who currently dragged his feet tiredly down the sidewalk to Izumi's house, his eyes slowly drooping shut from both the sun and his fatigue. He was hunched over with both hands in his pockets, eyes watching the concrete.

School was boring enough, but going through it while having to hold back all his pent up feelings for Izumi was just exhausting. He finally gets the girl, but he doesn't get the girl. Westerns suck.

'One day,' Kouji thought (or did he mumble?) to himself. 'We're gonna get married and have lots o' little babies. No... kids are pains in the asses. More like just one kid, maybe two. A boy and a girl. Twins. Yeah, twin babies with pretty blonde hair and... what color are my eyes?'

Kouji couldn't have cared less.

'Yep. Little boy named Tohru or Ryoto and a little girl named... uh... Sakura or something. Perfect happy hap family.'

The Digidestined had grown quite a bit since their adventures in the Digital World.

'Who the hell is bringing these topics to my head to make me reminisce?' Kouji wondered, brow furrowed as he frowned at the blinding sun. 'But that voice is right. We've actually matured a lot. I remember (episode 9) when Tommy was being controlled by that one Digimon and he tried to attack Izumi, but I managed to save her. Knight in shining armor, I suppose.

'Then there was that time (episode 10) when someone from the Digidestined finally began to understand me. Izumi had told me she understood why I wanted to be alone and she let me go without a fight. Then that one time (episode 16) when she hugged me... agh, I swear if I had been going through puberty at the time... Izumi freaked out once (episode 20) and literally clung to me. That would have been another 'oops' instance if it weren't for me being under developed at the time.

'And she even wore my jacket once! I haven't even washed it since. I just bought a new and exact replica of one so the other would stay in perfect condition. So many chances... thank god I was a child.'

Kouji pondered a moment. '...Why on Earth am I remembering all this stuff?'

For the evidence of the relationship for CloakedFox, of course!

All that reminiscing caused by the mysterious voice had seemed to make the tired walk to Izumi's home seem less long. Before Kouji towered Izumi's door. Kouji withdrew his right hand from his pocket and knocked the classic three times on the wooden door.

No answer.

He knocked four times and waited.

No answer.

He knocked three times and counted to thirty in his head.

No answer.

Kouji grew impatient and worried, deciding to just enter. Boyfriends were aloud to do that, right? Right.

The door was surprisingly unlocked. Kouji walked in, slamming the door behind him and not bothering to stay quiet and hidden. He was hoping to attract some sort of attention from it, anyway.

But there was still no answer.

A faint music came to his ears. A piano. A violin. An orchestra? It was played in a lucidly romantic style. Was Izumi mad at him for getting detention and not having the chance to tell her?

The music came from upstairs. As a curious wolf cub would do, Kouji followed the music, leading up the stairs, down the hall, and to Izumi's room. Or at least what he presumed was Izumi's room.

Faint voices came from the room. One was definetly Izumi's voice, but whos was the other? A male, no doubt. If it wasn't a guy, then that girl had a deep voice. But then who could it be? Who would Izumi cheat with on Kouji? Did JP finally get a chance? Or maybe Takuya went back on Kagura? Or even Andy?

Kouji quietly pressed his ear against the door. It didn't do much good.

The voices suddenly broke into a laughter and then it went quiet again. Kouji grew suspicious and while the music hit a particularly loud note, turned the handle, and creaked the door open enough for him to poke his head through enough to make his eyes widen in shock.

Everything became a blur of tears as Kouji rushed down the stairs and left the door to Izumi's room open. Izumi ran out, calling his name.

They were kissing. Not just a peck, but a deep kiss with tongues tangoing with one another.

'How could you do this to me,' Kouji thought in his mind as he ran to his house. 'I thought I could trust you not to steal Izumi from me, Kouichi!'

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Cliffhanger, yo.

Don't worry! It will all work out in the end. But I will say now, Kouji was not seeing things, they were in fact having a make-out session, Kouichi and Izumi were. No ifs, ans, or buts about it!

I'm hoping to get at least 7 reviews for this chapter. Seven! That's all I ask. So please, if you are reading this story, REVIEW! Every author loves reviews. It tickles them pink! Or possibly blue.

R&R! (please?)

-Yume