It started raining half an hour later, but no one seemed to care, or even notice. The music was playing, everyone was either dancing or singing along, or snacking on the many refreshments. Akira was having a good time. She got to see her friends again. That was the best thing that could happen to her today. Not even the rain could spoil this night, this precious night. She was wrong. Dead wrong.
Just then, Matt grabbed the microphone and started singing. Everyone cheered him on, and started dancing to the beat. It was an up-beat song, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. The song stopped, and Matt took a bow to the wild applause coming from his friends. "Good job, Matt!"
"Man, it's been a while since you last sang! Sure have the old touch!"
"Sing s'more!"
"Keep going!"
But Matt refused. He wanted to dance as much as sing. Especially with Sora. So, when the next slow song came on, they both went out onto the floor and danced. Yolei grabbed Ken's arm, and dragged him onto the dance floor. Shouri walked over to Akira. "Do, do you wanna dance?" he stuttered. "Sure, but just as friends, right?" A look of relief came over his face. "I was hoping you'd take it that way." So they walked arm-in-arm to the floor and started dancing. TK and Davis were of course fighting to try and get Kari to dance with him, and attempting to prevent the other from getting to her. When the song ended, TK and Davis were still going at it and Tai and Matt had to hold them back, or there would've been some contact in a few minutes. The girls just giggled, and Kari blushed to no end. A few more songs came and went, and then it was time for the "couples competition." Of course, no one besides Mimi had known about it, and it took them a few minutes to grasp what she was saying. "Oh, a dance contest?"
"Do I have to?"
"Oh, c'mon Ken! It'll be fun!"
"No, Yolei, I don't think-"
"Nonsense! We'll win with you. We're an all-star team!"
And once again, Ken was dragged onto the dance floor. Mimi's eyes followed them until they were in position. "Ok, anyone else?" Matt and Sora walked to the floor. TK and Davis went at it again. "Kari, will you dance with-"
"Hey, move it, TO!"
"You mean that after 5 years, you still can't get my name right? It's TK, not TO, or TP, or TY, or whatever else you've said. And Kari's going with me! Right, Kari?"
"Uh..."
"No, Kari's going with me!"
Kari had had enough. "Ok, that's it! I'm not going with either of you!" Both boys stared at her in shock. "But Kari.."
"But you can't..." But she could. And she did.
Izzy seemed a little nervous as he walked slowly towards Akira. "Hi Izzy," she said politely. "Oh, uh, hi Akira." He blushed. "Um, do you wanna... That is, would you like to...? Oh darn it. Uh, do you want to... to dance with me? In the competition?" Akira stared at him. That little voice showed up again. Go on, do it, it said. You know you want to. She took his hand. "I'd love to." This is great! Oh, Izzy, you don't know how long I've waited for this moment... nothing could ruin it! But, as I said before, she was wrong.
No sooner had they started dancing that Tai began his usual teasing. "Ooh, what have we here? Hmm... Is that...? Yes! It is Akira! And who's that with... Why, it's Izzy! Imagine that! Akira and Izzy!" Of course, that got everyone's attention. Soon, all eyes were on the two of them. They tried to ignore it, but it didn't seem to be working. "Akira and Izzy-"
"Sitting in a tree!"
"K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"
"First comes love,"
"Then comes-"
"Alright, already! Enough!" It was Rick, coming to their aid. Everyone stopped and looked at him. "Well, would you like it?" Izzy shot a grateful look at him. "No prob. Keep on dancing. It's fun just to watch you." That unnerved them a bit, but they took his advice and kept on. The song ended, and surprisingly enough, Ken and Yolei won. "I told you we'd win! You know what this means?"
"What?"
"That you and I were destined for each other!"
"Oh no..." Ken obviously didn't like it one bit. Then, Tai started with the teasing again. "Hey, did anyone else notice that Izzy left his laptop at home today? Hey, Izzy too pre-occupied with something else? Or... someone?" Everyone laughed. He and Akira blushed, which clashed with her dress, as she was wearing blue. This time, Rick didn't come to the rescue. He had gone off somewhere else. "And Akira, what are you trying to do, flash us? That dress is so short, you couldn't hide a cat under it!" Everyone laughed some more. Akira blushed harder, but Izzy seemed to be getting ticked. It really wasn't that short. It came to the tops of her knees, at least. "You know, you two make a good couple; you're both a couple of air-heads!" Izzy was fuming now. "That's it! I've made my decision!" He yelled, and ran into the kitchen to use the phone. Akira ran after him, with a murderous glance at Tai as she left the room. "Izzy, what are you-" She stopped short. Izzy was carrying on a conversation with someone already. "Yes," he said. "Yes, I'll be down in a few hours... I'll grab a taxi to the airport... Yes, my stuff is already packed... Ok, red Camaro... got it. Ok, I'm on my way." He hung up and ran right into Akira. "Izzy, where are you going?" He sighed. "I got a job offer the other day, from a software company in San Diego, California. I've decided to take it."
"What?! You're moving there? But, but you can't! Izzy, don't-"
"Don't try to stop me." With that, he brushed past her and grabbed his coat. Yuuki walked through the door with Rallimon at her side. She was wearing a black dress, and it matched her dark hair and tanned complexion. "Hi Izzy! What'd I miss?"
"The fact that I'm moving to San Diego, that's what."
"What?"
"Never mind." He walked past her to the door.
"Hey, where are you- going?" He had already left, and Akira came rushing past her. "Hey, Akira, what's going-"
"No time. Talk later." She ran out the door after Izzy. "Ok, I'm confused here..." She shrugged, and walked into the dining room.
Izzy was slowly walking down the walk; his coat pulled over his head to keep him from getting too wet. Akira ran up to him. "Izzy, please, don't go." He stopped, then turned around to face her. "Akira, I've already made my decision. I can't go back. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't." She was crying now. "Then let me go with you. Don't leave me." It was hard to tell which drops were tears, and which was rain. She had forgotten to take an umbrella or a coat, and was soaking wet. He pulled her close, so she was some what shielded from the rain. "Izzy," she continued. "Izzy, don't go. Please. I love you." She kissed him on the cheek. "Don't go, Izzy. Stay here. With me." She clung to him with all her strength, but he pushed her away. "Maybe," he said solemnly, "I'll write you from San Diego." He turned away from her and walked to the end of the walkway. He hailed a taxi, and got in. "The Holiday Inn, please," he told the driver. And the taxi sped away. Akira stood, watching the yellow cab get farther and farther away, until it was a mere speck in on the street. It turned, and was finally out of sight. "Good- bye, Izzy... My love..."
Just then, Matt grabbed the microphone and started singing. Everyone cheered him on, and started dancing to the beat. It was an up-beat song, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. The song stopped, and Matt took a bow to the wild applause coming from his friends. "Good job, Matt!"
"Man, it's been a while since you last sang! Sure have the old touch!"
"Sing s'more!"
"Keep going!"
But Matt refused. He wanted to dance as much as sing. Especially with Sora. So, when the next slow song came on, they both went out onto the floor and danced. Yolei grabbed Ken's arm, and dragged him onto the dance floor. Shouri walked over to Akira. "Do, do you wanna dance?" he stuttered. "Sure, but just as friends, right?" A look of relief came over his face. "I was hoping you'd take it that way." So they walked arm-in-arm to the floor and started dancing. TK and Davis were of course fighting to try and get Kari to dance with him, and attempting to prevent the other from getting to her. When the song ended, TK and Davis were still going at it and Tai and Matt had to hold them back, or there would've been some contact in a few minutes. The girls just giggled, and Kari blushed to no end. A few more songs came and went, and then it was time for the "couples competition." Of course, no one besides Mimi had known about it, and it took them a few minutes to grasp what she was saying. "Oh, a dance contest?"
"Do I have to?"
"Oh, c'mon Ken! It'll be fun!"
"No, Yolei, I don't think-"
"Nonsense! We'll win with you. We're an all-star team!"
And once again, Ken was dragged onto the dance floor. Mimi's eyes followed them until they were in position. "Ok, anyone else?" Matt and Sora walked to the floor. TK and Davis went at it again. "Kari, will you dance with-"
"Hey, move it, TO!"
"You mean that after 5 years, you still can't get my name right? It's TK, not TO, or TP, or TY, or whatever else you've said. And Kari's going with me! Right, Kari?"
"Uh..."
"No, Kari's going with me!"
Kari had had enough. "Ok, that's it! I'm not going with either of you!" Both boys stared at her in shock. "But Kari.."
"But you can't..." But she could. And she did.
Izzy seemed a little nervous as he walked slowly towards Akira. "Hi Izzy," she said politely. "Oh, uh, hi Akira." He blushed. "Um, do you wanna... That is, would you like to...? Oh darn it. Uh, do you want to... to dance with me? In the competition?" Akira stared at him. That little voice showed up again. Go on, do it, it said. You know you want to. She took his hand. "I'd love to." This is great! Oh, Izzy, you don't know how long I've waited for this moment... nothing could ruin it! But, as I said before, she was wrong.
No sooner had they started dancing that Tai began his usual teasing. "Ooh, what have we here? Hmm... Is that...? Yes! It is Akira! And who's that with... Why, it's Izzy! Imagine that! Akira and Izzy!" Of course, that got everyone's attention. Soon, all eyes were on the two of them. They tried to ignore it, but it didn't seem to be working. "Akira and Izzy-"
"Sitting in a tree!"
"K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"
"First comes love,"
"Then comes-"
"Alright, already! Enough!" It was Rick, coming to their aid. Everyone stopped and looked at him. "Well, would you like it?" Izzy shot a grateful look at him. "No prob. Keep on dancing. It's fun just to watch you." That unnerved them a bit, but they took his advice and kept on. The song ended, and surprisingly enough, Ken and Yolei won. "I told you we'd win! You know what this means?"
"What?"
"That you and I were destined for each other!"
"Oh no..." Ken obviously didn't like it one bit. Then, Tai started with the teasing again. "Hey, did anyone else notice that Izzy left his laptop at home today? Hey, Izzy too pre-occupied with something else? Or... someone?" Everyone laughed. He and Akira blushed, which clashed with her dress, as she was wearing blue. This time, Rick didn't come to the rescue. He had gone off somewhere else. "And Akira, what are you trying to do, flash us? That dress is so short, you couldn't hide a cat under it!" Everyone laughed some more. Akira blushed harder, but Izzy seemed to be getting ticked. It really wasn't that short. It came to the tops of her knees, at least. "You know, you two make a good couple; you're both a couple of air-heads!" Izzy was fuming now. "That's it! I've made my decision!" He yelled, and ran into the kitchen to use the phone. Akira ran after him, with a murderous glance at Tai as she left the room. "Izzy, what are you-" She stopped short. Izzy was carrying on a conversation with someone already. "Yes," he said. "Yes, I'll be down in a few hours... I'll grab a taxi to the airport... Yes, my stuff is already packed... Ok, red Camaro... got it. Ok, I'm on my way." He hung up and ran right into Akira. "Izzy, where are you going?" He sighed. "I got a job offer the other day, from a software company in San Diego, California. I've decided to take it."
"What?! You're moving there? But, but you can't! Izzy, don't-"
"Don't try to stop me." With that, he brushed past her and grabbed his coat. Yuuki walked through the door with Rallimon at her side. She was wearing a black dress, and it matched her dark hair and tanned complexion. "Hi Izzy! What'd I miss?"
"The fact that I'm moving to San Diego, that's what."
"What?"
"Never mind." He walked past her to the door.
"Hey, where are you- going?" He had already left, and Akira came rushing past her. "Hey, Akira, what's going-"
"No time. Talk later." She ran out the door after Izzy. "Ok, I'm confused here..." She shrugged, and walked into the dining room.
Izzy was slowly walking down the walk; his coat pulled over his head to keep him from getting too wet. Akira ran up to him. "Izzy, please, don't go." He stopped, then turned around to face her. "Akira, I've already made my decision. I can't go back. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't." She was crying now. "Then let me go with you. Don't leave me." It was hard to tell which drops were tears, and which was rain. She had forgotten to take an umbrella or a coat, and was soaking wet. He pulled her close, so she was some what shielded from the rain. "Izzy," she continued. "Izzy, don't go. Please. I love you." She kissed him on the cheek. "Don't go, Izzy. Stay here. With me." She clung to him with all her strength, but he pushed her away. "Maybe," he said solemnly, "I'll write you from San Diego." He turned away from her and walked to the end of the walkway. He hailed a taxi, and got in. "The Holiday Inn, please," he told the driver. And the taxi sped away. Akira stood, watching the yellow cab get farther and farther away, until it was a mere speck in on the street. It turned, and was finally out of sight. "Good- bye, Izzy... My love..."