Ken: *hurriedly* DigimonDragonLady does not own digimon. She doesn't take any credit whatsoever for the show or its respective characters.
Dragon Lady: That's right.
Ken: *explodes* Finally! A story! Its been eons since the last one!!! I was beginning to think you'd lost interest.
Dragon Lady: *appears shocked* Lost interest? Never!!
Ken: Good. 'Cause that means I can keep my job.
Dragon Lady: *thinks* It has been an incredibly long time hasn't it? ^^;;
Ken: I'll say! Like…two months!
Dragon Lady: Well…I have plenty of stories…its just kind of pointless when you have no where to post them. If I could only get FanFiction.net to work for me I would be the happiest authoress in the world. *sighs*
Ken: Well anyway…new story…so we'll let you get reading.
Dragon Lady: This story is based loosely (very loosely mind you, as I could not find the book for reference) on the Shakespearian play Much Ado About Nothing.
Ken: So Dragon Lady doesn't own Shakespeare's works either.
Dragon Lady: Very, very AU. Strange story really, but I just felt like writing it. Okay and it's Kensuke. Well…I mean no duh right? ^^;; Enjoy!
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Bridging The Gap
By: DigimonDragonLady
"This is going to be the most fun…" A boy turned with his arms full of suitcases and packs to look back at his friends.
"This year is gonna be the best ever, just you wait and see…" Another boy continued his walk forward, his thoughts clearly on the adventure filled summer he was about to have and not really on where he was going.
Two figures collided with one another, sending suitcases and packs tumbling to the ground along with themselves. They both scrambled instantly to their feet, each ready to apologize immediately to the person whom they'd run into when they looked at each other and blinked; simultaneously both faces hardened into equal expressions of dislike.
"Motomiya," one growled dangerously.
"Ichijouji," the second boy snarled in return.
Their friends stood behind them and groaned when they saw what had just occurred. The two began a sort of glaring contest. Oh it was happening already. It wasn't even a full hour into their summer vacation and they were at each other's throats already! The two groups themselves were friends, and in some cases siblings, and had no quarrel with the others, but this fighting between Ken Ichijouji and Daisuke Motomiya ensued every year.
"I should have known only you could be so clumsy Motomiya," the first boy, who was tall with chin length indigo hair and shocking violet eyes sniffed in contempt.
"Of course it would be difficult for you not to bump into me when you're walking backwards Ken," the second one, shorter with spiky burgundy hair and soft brown eyes answered waspishly.
"Some people are so pathetic!"
"Oh, don't be so hard on yourself Ichijouji."
"Ken!"
"Daisuke!"
The boys friends called out simultaneously. They gave each other despairing looks while they attempted to calm their friends. "Come on Ken, lets go find our cabins," urged Hikari Yagami.
"Why don't we just go sign in now Daisuke?" suggested Takeru Takashi.
There was a tense moment while the two rivals eyed each other and then turned away in a huff. "You're not worth my precious time Motomiya," Ken said airily.
"You think too highly of yourself Kenny-boy."
They gathered their strewn belongings, childishly avoiding making eye contact with the other, and allowed themselves to be pulled away by their friends.
* * *
"Oh for crying out loud!!"
"Of all the luck!"
Ken Ichijouji and Daisuke Motomiya faced each other once more that day in disgust. "Don't tell me we're sharing a cabin too!" Daisuke wailed.
"Why do these things always happen to me?" Ken growled in frustration.
"Why do these things always happen to you?" Daisuke echoed in disbelief. "Why do they always happen to me you mean!"
Takeru just looked around at the others in despair. 'Why me?' he wondered.
"I knew I should have gone to summer school," Jyou muttered under his breath as he watched Daisuke and Ken at it yet again.
"Is there a problem campers?" the cabins counselor bounded over in a hurry. He looked to happy, like he wanted to make sure everything in this supposedly peaceful atmosphere would stay that way. Takeru sighed; a new counselor, well he'd learn about Daisuke and Ken quickly enough. Probably the hard way too, no one ever bothered to explain it anymore. He thought the camp board would have known better than to put Dais and Ken in the same cabin anyway, after all they'd been coming here for years and every year their conflict escalated, but some people just never learned.
Daisuke and Ken glared at the counselor, glared back at each other, and then stormed pointedly to opposite sides of the cabin to make up their bunks. The counselor gave Takeru and the others a confused, helplessly lost look, and they just shrugged.
"Don't mind Ken and Daisuke," Koushiro offered.
"They're always like this," Takeru agreed with a sigh. He just hated to think about what would happen later if this counselor decided to have a "get to know your fellow camper" activity like some had in previous years. For some reason, it just never turned out well…
* * *
Hikari sighed and deposited herself under the shade of an enormous oak tree to catch a little rest and relaxation, at the same time Miyako plopped herself down on the other side. Hikari scooted around to sit next to her.
"What's wrong with you?" they asked together.
There was a brief pause as each gestured for the other to speak and then waited.
"Its Daisuke."
"Its Ken." They answered at the same time.
"You too?" Hikari moaned.
"They're impossible," Miyako groaned in agreement.
"You know its only been three days!"
"Is that all? Feels like eternity."
"I know." More silence, and then Hikari spoke up again. "They played soccer against each other today…"
"Yeah? How'd that turn out?"
"…"
"That bad huh? What happened?"
"The game ended in a tie."
"What's so bad about that? At least we won't have to hear bickering over who "really should have won"."
"Both are now convinced that the other somehow cheated…"
"Oh no!!"
* * *
The girls sat in their cabins, exhausted after a hard day. It wasn't the activities that were difficult. The canoe race should have been fun, and the archery was always great, the strenuous part of these teenagers lives was keeping Daisuke and Ken from each other's throats. No matter what they did together they turned everything into a competition!
Hikari was attempting to read quietly, and Sora and Mimi were engaged in a card game of some sort. Miyako was sitting there, saying nothing and staring blankly into space while supposedly watching the card game.
"This has to stop!" Miyako declared suddenly. "This is supposed to be my vacation dammit!" Apparently she has been thinking very hard about the Daisuke/Ken situation. "I just don't think I can take much more of this!"
"I agree!" Mimi nodded, putting down her cards. "Summer's supposed to be fun!"
"I wish there was something we could do…" Hikari murmured thoughtfully, dragging herself out of her book.
'I don't think there's anything we can do to keep those two from fighting," Sora sighed regretfully.
"There just has to be!" Mimi wailed. "Miyako's right, I can't stand much more! Can't we just sit them down and force them to like each other?!!"
"How 'bout locking them in a cabin together for a couple hours while we go off and have some fun and then seeing if they've killed each other off and saved us the trouble once we get back?" Miyako suggested darkly.
Hikari glanced down at her book and giggled as an idea came into her head. "Can you imagine Ken and Daisuke liking each other? How about loving each other?" She started laughing so hard that tears came to her eyes as she began to dreg up a plan.
"I don't get it…" Sora frowned.
Hikari sat up. "Its like this book of mine," she brandished it at them. "Well…actually it's a Shakespearean play, Much Ado About Nothing. What if we can somehow convince them that the other loved them without letting them know it was a set up?"
"Are you out of your mind?" Miyako asked. "They absolutely hate each other remember? Can't stand the sight of one another. They'd never believe it, not in a million years. Not in two million years!"
"I'm not sure Hikari's that far off base," Sora mused thoughtfully. "There might be some kind of deep hidden attraction in all that macho male competitiveness of theirs."
"You mean like, "you always hurt the ones you love"?" Miyako asked snickering. "Sounds like something Daisuke would take literally."
"Its worth a try isn't it?" Hikari asked hopefully.
"Anything that gets me two minutes of relaxation is worth a try!" Mimi agreed.
"You can count me in," Miyako shrugged.
"Ditto for me," Sora smiled. "It'll be interesting to see how this turns out."
"Then we're agreed," Hikari nodded finally. "Ken and Dai had just better watch out, because Operation Kensuke starts first thing tomorrow!"
* * *
They were in the middle of lunch when the girls finally got a chance to corner the guys without Ken and Daisuke around, to try and rope them into their little plan. "You want us to do what?!!" Taichi exploded. The people eating around the rather large group gave them a few funny looks and Taichi was immediately shushed by the four girls. "You want us to do what?" he hissed in softer voice.
"Its just a little plan we came up with Taichi…" Hikari wheedled. "There's no real harm in it…"
"Hikari, quite frankly, I think you've lost it," Jyou said.
"That's crazy, not to mention extremely desperate," Koushiro agreed.
"We are desperate Koushiro!" Mimi wailed.
"What if Ken and Daisuke ever found out?" Iori asked reasonably, tactfully ignoring Mimi's outburst.
"They'd both agree on chopping us up into little pieces!" Yamato clung to Taichi's arm.
"Oh come on you guys! Show a little backbone won't ya?" Miyako exclaimed. "I don't think I've ever seen a bigger bunch of sissies in my life!" She smiled as they bristled at that. "Besides, Hikari's pretty sure it'll work out. But us girls don't really need your help. We can pull this off on our own you know."
"If you're scared it probably wouldn't be wise to have you help anyway," Sora said, catching Miyako's lead.
"You know what? You're right Sora. I'm sorry boys, I never really thought about how you'd feel about this. That was pretty mean of me. We'll just go ahead with this ourselves, don't you even worry about it again!" Hikari said in a sickeningly sweet tone.
All four of them made as if to rise, but Takeru stopped them. "Hold on just a second! I definitely want to be in on this! I never said I wouldn't help!"
The guys looked around at each other and Yamato sighed and dropped Taichi's arm. "Well now we never said that we wouldn't help," Taichi protested. "That wasn't a no, we were just…pointing out the negatives."
"So you're in?" Five reluctant nods and one enthusiastic one from Takeru. "Good. Now here's what we're gonna do…"
* * *
Daisuke drifted about leisurely in the cool water. It sure did feel good to go for a swim on a hot summer day. He stopped lazing when he heard a group of people approaching the lake. He could just make out Takeru's voice.
"You're joking! Hikari told you what?!"
They were coming closer and closer, and…arguing? Daisuke frowned. No…not arguing, more like gossiping. It figured. He swam closer to some water reeds to listen in where he wouldn't be seen, he didn't even know why he was interested, but something told him that they didn't really want him to hear what they were about to discuss.
"No I'm not kidding, Hikari said it was true!" Miyako's voice insisted. Daisuke snorted softly, trust Miyako to be at the center of all gossip and rumors.
"But I thought Ken hated Daisuke," Yamato protested. Daisuke perked up immediately.
'Something about me?' he wondered. 'It's a good thing they don't know I'm here after all, or I definitely wouldn't be hearing whatever this is.'
"Well according to Hikari that's not entirely true!" Miyako responded. "She said that sometimes he talks in his sleep…or at least that's what Jyou told her," Miyako giggled.
"Who would have thought?" Taichi laughed. "Ken? In love with Daisuke?!"
"Shouldn't someone tell Daisuke?" Takeru asked.
"Are you kidding?!"
"No way!"
A chorus of voices rang out at once in answer to Takeru's question, all vehemently opposed to the suggestion. "You know how Daisuke is Takeru!" Miyako wailed. "It'd only be another excuse for him to make fun of Ken!"
"He'd probably use it against him forever," Yamato agreed.
"And just think about how that would make Ken feel," Iori chimed in. "To have you love mocked…Nothing could hurt as much as that, flat our rejection of the worst kind."
"If Daisuke ever did such a thing to Ken I should have to hurt him if he didn't kill himself first!" Miyako declared, then she grew calm once more. "Speaking of Daisuke…where is he? It'll be time for dinner soon; I thought you said he was down here at the lake Iori."
"I guess I was mistaken Miya. Maybe he's back at the cabin now. We should go check."
Daisuke simply floated where he was in shock as his friends left. Had he just heard right? Did they say Ken loved him?! "Why would I ever make fun of Ken for such a thing as love? Why if I didn't love him back I would be criminal! The worst kind of villain! And Ken should have no shame! Ooops…speak of the devil…here he comes now."
"Daisuke you moron!" Ken stood on the lake shore and snarled at him. "Get out of that water and come to lunch! Everyone's looking for you."
Daisuke immediately struggled out of the lake. "Thanks for coming to find me Ken," he smiled and uttered the first genuinely sincere words since arriving. "You shouldn't have come all the way out here just for me."
Ken glared at him suspiciously, as if he wasn't sure exactly what to make of him. "Don't flatter yourself Motomiya," he muttered sourly, settling on insults. "I was coming this way anyway or I wouldn't have bothered with you."
After two or three more uncharitable comments Ken left, and Daisuke simply stood watching him go. He wondered how he could possibly have missed seeing that Ken really loved him before! How easily the boy seemed to hide his affection behind masks of hatred and cold, hard words.
"Motomiya are you coming or not?!!"
Ken snapped Daisuke out of his daze and he raced off happily after him.
Takeru and Hikari met each other's eyes as Daisuke practically came skipping into the cafeteria on Ken's heels. The latter was looking very displeased at this new turn of events and the new shadow that seemed to have adopted him. Miyako was resisting the urge to burst into gales of laughter at the sight. "That was almost too easy!" She giggled softly.
"Phase One of Operation Kensuke has been successfully completed," Takeru smiled.
"On to Phase Two," Hikari snickered.
* * *
Ken sighed in contentment as he wandered across the camp fields from his cabin to find his favorite spot for star gazing. It was such a nice night for it too, not too hot, with the crickets chirping softly…
As he drew closer to the tree he loved to lay in he heard voices. He frowned. Someone was in his spot? He moved forward curiously and saw Hikari sitting there talking with Takeru. Ken concealed himself behind a conveniently placed bush to prevent them from realizing his presence. He didn't want to disturb them, they seemed so peaceful in each others company, it would be a shame to interrupt them.
And he didn't mind giving up his tree to Hikari for one evening, there would be plenty of other nights for star gazing, she was just such a wonderfully kind person, and a sweeter girl you could never find. He'd always thought Hikari had a thing for Takashi too.
He was about to turn around and head back to the cabin, even though that would mean facing Daisuke…who was acting very peculiar, when he heard his name mentioned. Strange. Now that made him curious. Why would Takeru and Hikari be talking about him? Without really meaning to ease drop he crept closer to them behind the large bush to listen.
"I just feel terrible about it," Takeru was saying. "I've never seen him this way before!"
"Sounds like Daisuke's got it bad," Hikari commented sympathetically.
"He does! He's completely stuck on him, and it just keeps getting worse!"
"Poor Daisuke. Who would have thought he was capable of truly loving Ken, when in all outward appearances he hates him."
Ken's heart seemed to have stopped beating at that point. "I don't know Hikari…" Takeru replied sadly. "It just…it seems like he's falling apart inside! If he doesn't snap out of this state soon Ken's gonna start to get suspicious."
"Don't you think Ken should know?!"
"Hikari, Daisuke's terrified to tell him! Just think about how he'd react! Daisuke doesn't want to hear his rejection, he means too much to him."
"Poor Daisuke," Hikari repeated. "I wish there were some way that I could give him hope for Ken returning his feelings…but I can't. I'd just hate to see him hurt…he really is a dear, and such a wonderfully good friend. In fact there's only one other person who means more to me than he does."
Ken was tempted to make a gagging noise at the sap in that particular statement as he watched Takeru and Hikari touch foreheads and sit there gazing into each others eyes. He had to remind himself that technically he was spying so that he would avoid giving himself away.
Then it really hit him. Love? Did Takeru really mean to say that Daisuke was in love? With him?! It was impossible! …Wasn't it?
He seemed to be rooted to his present spot. A heard of wild buffalo couldn't have moved him. His thoughts were only of Daisuke. Was this why he had been acting so strangely towards him? He was trying to be nice? Because he was in love? Was it really possible? It wasn't some horribly twisted joke? But Takeru and Hikari had been so serious…and Hikari was one of the best friends he had; she would never intentionally hurt him right?
Takeru was afraid to let him know because he was afraid to let Daisuke be hurt. As if he would ever hurt Daisuke! Ken felt a sudden surge of giddiness. 'Daisuke loves me? He loves me. Daisuke Motomiya loves me!!' He stumbled backwards from the bush and back to the cabin in this new lightheaded state he was in.
"Love on Daisuke," his voice was so low it was difficult for himself to tell that he had actually spoken aloud, let alone another person.
Hikari and Takeru were straining to hear something in the night. "You think Ken caught all that?" Hikari asked quietly when she was positive the boy was gone.
"Pretty sure," Takeru affirmed.
"We've done it I think…" Hikari said slowly.
"Now the rest is up to Ken and Daisuke."
* * *
Daisuke and Ken managed to skillfully avoid each other for two full days, and even though it was nice and peaceful without their constant fighting, the kids were sorry to think that their plan had flopped after all.
"Damn," Miyako sighed. "All that work for nothing."
"And I was so sure it would work to," Hikari echoed her friends sigh.
"Maybe they're just afraid to talk to each other," Iori offered.
"But they know…well they think they know anyway, that the other likes them! So that can't be it…"
"They're embarrassed?" Mimi asked.
"Maybe…" Sora agreed doubtfully. "But Daisuke just doesn't strike me as the type of person who would be embarrassed about his feelings…I'm surprised he didn't jump the gun and ruin the plan by asking Ken about it before we had time to do the second set up!"
"That would have been messy…" Koushiro shuddered at the mere thought of what would have occurred then.
"Do we know how Ken really feels about it?" Yamato asked pointedly. "Both parties do have to be interested for the relationship to work."
"Not really no…" Hikari answered reluctantly.
"Lets face it Ken's never been very good at expressing his emotions," Jyou commented. "Well…except for anger, frustration and all that's related to them…"
"But Daisuke excels at expressing himself!" Even Taichi was frustrated at their failure, and he hadn't really wanted anything to do with Hikari's plan in the first place. "What's wrong with those two?!" he growled.
"Well…" Takeru shrugged. "We tried."
* * *
Daisuke was resting down by the lake on a soft grassy bank, enjoying the twilight hours and fading sunset. The crickets had started up their nightly serenade, along with the bull frogs chorus, and somewhere from deep in the wooded area he heard an owl. He knew it would soon be time to return to the cabin…before they sent someone out looking for him.
He was suddenly aware of another presence nearby. He sat up and looked behind him to see Ken standing nearby. "Hey," he greeted him softly.
"Hi," Ken returned. He looked at Daisuke. "Mind if I sit?" he gestured to the ground.
Daisuke grinned. "Nah. Of course not," he patted the ground beside him. "Come on Kenny-boy, pull up some grass and rest awhile."
"Ha ha," Ken said humorlessly, but Daisuke had managed to get a small smile out of him.
"Something on your mind?" Daisuke asked knowledgeably as Ken stared silently out over the lake waters.
"No. I mean yes. I mean. I don't know…maybe…" Ken stammered.
"There's only one right answer to that question there Ken," Daisuke chuckled in amusement.
"Yes then," Ken answered.
"What is it then?" There was more silence. "Hellooo! Earth to Ken, come in Ken," Daisuke waved a hand in front of his face.
Ken blinked and drew back. "You," he blurted out suddenly, and then blushed so deeply that it was apparent even in the sun's fading glow.
"Me?" Daisuke asked laughing. "Is that all?"
Ken looked at him in confusion. Daisuke leaned over, bridging the gap between them. "Ai shiteru Ken. I love you too," he whispered, before pressing their lips together.
Ken's eyes grew wide in shock, but he soon relaxed and melted into the kiss; surrendering himself completely to Daisuke's warmth and throwing his arms around his neck, bringing their bodies even closer together.
* * *
Miyako was laying on her bed, gazing out the window at the coming night sky when she suddenly blinked. "Well I'll be damned," she whispered softly, hardly daring to believe her eyes. "Miracles will never cease!"
She bolted upright into a sitting position, still staring out the window and called, "Hikari! Sora! Mimi! You have got to see this!"
At Miyako's frantic urging the other three girls all clustered around her on her bed, following her gaze out the window. "Well what'd ya know!" Mimi grinned.
"Doesn't that just beat all," Sora laughed.
All four pairs of eyes followed the figures of Daisuke Motomiya and Ken Ichijouji as they crossed the fields to their own cabin. They were holding hands and cuddling cutely.
"I knew we could do it," Hikari smiled triumphantly and patted her book affectionately. "I knew it all along."
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Ken: *slowly* …Well…
Dragon Lady: -_-;; What do you mean 'well'?!
Ken: I mean well…you're back to writing pointless fluff again.
Dragon Lady: *sighs* Don't remind me.
Ken: How did it feel to have a real plot in your last few stories?
Dragon Lady: …Okay you know what? You can be quiet now Ken.
Ken: *shrugs* Just asking.
Dragon Lady: *grumbles* I know its fluff…but I kinda liked it, or I wouldn't have bothered myself to write it.
Ken: I didn't say I didn't like it. I just said its back to fluff again.
