Veggie Soup #22: Rainy Days
By Carter Tachikawa
(A Yakari, at last! This is my first time writing a Yakari so please be nice. I know so many of you have asked for this couple and I apologize for how slow my fanfics have come along. My computer died on me the day I got out of school so...yeah, I did a lot of thinking of ideas instead. This isn't a songfic however. Um...disclaimer. I don't own Digimon. And I don't own the little bit of Celine Dion's new song "A New Day Has Come". Hey, I have nothing. I'm still taking requests for new couples or an old one I've already used. Let's begin
Oh yeah, one more thing. A "~" in the beginning and end of a sentence means that the person thought it, not said it out loud. And Kenji, an original character, is NOT Ken Ichijouji! )
* * *
"Won't you listen to me, at least?"
"Kari, I gave you my love. I gave you everything you wanted! How could you do something like this to me?"
"You're not letting me talk! Trust me, I have no interest in Hideo!"
"What about what happened in the theater only seconds ago?"
"Kenji, listen to me for minute! He only gave me a hug! A *friendly* hug, I might add."
"Didn't seem friendly to me."
Kari Kamiya bit her lower lip. She could taste the salty blood resting underneath. She had been dating Kenji for ten months but she had a problem with his jealousy. Her friends warned her to be careful around him but she'd ignored the words. Now she wished she had paid a little attention to what they said. She and Kenji had a date tonight but everything seemed to be spiraling downwards ever since Hideo, a guy from Kari's class, had run into her. He gave her a hug. which she gladly accepted. Kenji, on the other hand, didn't like the sight of his girlfriend hugging this man. So the two of them had spent fifteen minutes arguing about that hug and Kari hadn't been allowed to say a single word.
~Typical Kenji~ She thought. ~He makes a big deal out of everything~
"I can't take it anymore, Kari." Kenji threw his hands into the air. "I just can't take it."
~Neither can I~ Kari said to herself. But as jealous as Kenji could get, she tried to calm him down. She still loved him.
"Hideo is just a friend of mine, Kenji. We have nothing going on between us."
"He hugged you, Kari!" Clearly, Kenji wasn't going to hear her side of the story. That was another thing about him that she hated. Everyone had to listen to him. All eyes had to be on Kenji. He was right, everything else was wrong. Personally, Kari thought he was too egotistical but never told him that.
"What else could I do, Kenji? I can't help it if Hideo wanted to hug me."
"You could have resisted." Kenji pointed out.
~But I didn't.~ Kari thought. ~It already happened, Kenji. Build a bridge and get over it.~
Of course, Kenji didn't get over anything. But he did come up with a solution right then and there.
"I can't take it anymore, Kari." He said once again. "We're through."
For a few minutes, Kari couldn't believe she heard him say that. But the cold glare that Kenji was giving her said that he was indeed serious. He wanted to break up with her! Half of Kari's heart seemed to slip out of her chest and slide down to the ground, covered with sticky soda and popcorn kernels. She didn't know what to say then.
"Break up? You wanna break up with me?"
"You heard me. We're through." Kenji folded his arms across his chest. "Anytime we go on a date, you are always distracted by something else. It's not going to work out with us. I see it now. It couldn't work out. You clearly are more interested in other guys."
~That's not true.~ Kari thought angrily. Then she added. ~Not completely anyway.~
When she and Kenji went out on their first date, they went to a Teenage Wolves concert. The older brother of TK Takaishi, one of her good friends, was the lead singer and bass player of the band. His name was Matt Ishida and, as much as she hated to admit it, she thought he was really cute. In addition to being drop-dead gorgeous and talented, Matt was also one of the Digidestined like her, a child bought from the real world and into a digital one. She felt comfortable around him. He reminded her of Tai, her older brother. But there was something inside him that drew Kari closer. He was more than looks, intelligence, and kindness. She liked him a lot. Kenji knew it and she could bet that he hated it too.
"I'm sorry." Kenji now said. "Goodbye, Kari."
Then he walked out of the movie theater, not even taking a glance back at the young girl. Kari just stared at his back, wondering whether this was a good thing or a bad thing. Kenji had been the first guy she'd ever gone steady with. Her entire family liked him. He was polite and smart, acting cool at the right moments. But he never showed them his jealousy and his pride. Kari knew if they saw that, they'd hate him in an instant.
"Kenji." She murmured. For a moment, she was glued to the sticky theater floor. Then, forgetting all of her ex-boyfriend's bad qualities, she began to run after him. "Kenji! Wait!"
She hadn't anticipated the rain that night however. Unfortunately, she didn't have an umbrella and it was pouring. She stood under the awning for another second and then ran out into the rain. She didn't pay attention to the cars in the road or the other people. She had to get to Kenji, one way or another.
"Kenji, don't leave me!" She screamed. "Please! I'm sorry! Kenji!"
The raindrops drenched her light brown head but she kept going ahead. She couldn't see Kenji in the wet mess but she wanted him. She wanted to be with him, jealous jerk or not. This was not the way she wanted to end their relationship. She was so engrossed in trying to find Kenji, she didn't notice the car headlights coming towards her. When she did, she froze in place and screamed.
~Oh my God, I'm gonna die!~ She thought, throwing her hands in front of her face. ~I don't stand a chance of surviving this!~
The car stopped only an inch in front of her but Kari didn't do a thing. The headlights were still focused on her, making it appear as if Kari were a deer who got in the middle of the road. The driver stepped out and came towards her.
"Kari? Kari, is that you?"
Slowly, Kari pulled the hands down from her face. She knew that voice. "Matt?"
"Yeah, it's me. What are you doing in the rain?" He asked, approaching her. Kari looked up at him. He held out one hand, as if he though she would grab it and follow him. His cerulean eyes gazed into her darker ones, asking her all sorts of silent questions. She gazed at the wet street, a small stream made of rainwater ran down the road, making it difficult for all drivers to move around.
"I was trying to find my boyfriend." She explained. A lump grew in her throat. "Well, he's not my boyfriend anymore. We broke up."
"Sorry to hear that. Did he leave you or did you leave him?"
"He left me." A tear trickled down her already wet cheek. Matt led her to the car and placed a towel he found in the back on the passenger seat. Kari got in, happy to be out of the rain. Patting herself dry with the parts of the towel, she began to relax. She also felt scared. She was in a car with Matt! She was in a car with her brother's best friend! A weird feeling was starting to slip over her like a veil. She watched as the rain came down harder and Matt got in. Like her, he was soaked but he didn't seem to mind. Kari watched as he pulled out of the movie theater and towards the road to home. His blond hair was dripping with water, which made him look cute. Kari scolded herself for thinking that and turned away to look at the falling rain.
"I'll get you home in no time." Matt told her. "I can't believe that he'd ditch you like that."
"That's the type of guy Kenji is." Kari blushed. "If you make him mad, you don't deserve to go home with him. It doesn't matter how bad the weather is. He'll leave you."
Matt made a face. "Nice guy."
Kari shook her head. "No, he wasn't nice. But I did love him."
"Are you sure about that? After he ditched you?"
Kari thought about that for a while. "I guess I did love him. I mean, even though he got jealous when T K and I went to the movies last weekend. We're friends but he just didn't see it. Then there was that time when Izzy gave me a present for my birthday last January and the two of us argued for three hours. Let's what else...oh yeah! Cody gave me flowers on that day I got sick and Kenji hated it. Anytime Davis said 'hi' to me and Kenji saw it, he'd give another crazy lecture. Joe bought me a drink and he went overboard again. And I think...I think he hates you, Tai, and Ken as well. Especially you."
"What's his problem? Tai's your brother! And you're allowed to see your friends. I mean, we're the Digidestined. We're all friends here. No one should come between us." Matt said firmly. Kari knew he was mad because he was turning red. She giggled because she loved the way all that red color spread across his face.
Matt heard her and he was puzzled.
"What's so funny?" He asked.
"Sorry. I just thought of something. It's nothing." Kari admitted. She wasn't going to let him know that she thought he was cute when he got angry. To get away from all that, she went back to complaining. Looking at the darkness outside but catching her own reflection in the car window, she continued.
"Kenji seemed to be my type. He supported my decision to be a teacher and everything. He got along with my parents and Tai. On the outside, he was so friendly and sweet. I had no clue that he could be so envious of guys that said 'hi' to me or carried my books to class. I never knew he was so...so..."
"Shallow? Narrow-minded?"
"Narrow-minded. That sounds like Kenji." Kari nodded. "Plus he never gave me a chance to explain those incidents! He was quick to make assumptions! If I looked at a guy, that meant I was in love with him. If I talked to a guy, that meant I was in love with him. It's ridiculous!"
"I couldn't have said that any better. Frankly, I'm glad he broke up with you."
Kari gasped and her eyes widened. "You...you are? Why?"
By now, they had made it to Kari's home. The lights on the top floors told her that her parents and Tai were probably awake, worrying about her. Matt cut off the engine and looked at her with those deep blue eyes of his. Kari felt her 'cool as a cucumber' image slowly shed and she bit her tongue (but not too hard). He put his hands on her shoulders and squeezed them.
"You were wrong. That guy wasn't your type. Anyone who gets jealous of your friends doesn't deserve to have a nice girl like you. If he really loved you, he'd trust you."
Kari sat in her chair but didn't breathe a word. She understood everything Matt was saying. Kenji *wasn't* her type at all. She had been so blinded by everything else that she never saw it. But now she did. And as the rain was stopping, so was the *love* she had for Kenji. He was a jealous freak. He was egotistical and narrow. Not at all like her friends. Not like Matt...
"I guess you're right." She whispered, putting one hand on her mouth. Matt pulled it off.
"Believe me, the others would say the same thing." He leaned closer. "You shouldn't be wasting time on guys like that, Kari. I know that if you look hard enough you'll find someone who respects and your friends."
Kari came even closer, unaware of what would happen. "I think I have."
She closed her eyes and felt something soft press against her lips. He was kissing her! Her stomach felt light and her heart was beating fast. Taking his hands off her shoulders, she wrapped them around her waist. She threw her own arms around him. And she never wanted to stop kissing.
Matt was the one to break it off. He ran a finger across his mouth. "Wow!"
"Ditto." Kari agreed. She liked him more now. "Can we do it again?"
"You...you liked it?"
"Oh yeah! At least, you kiss girls. Kenji..."
"Don't talk about him anymore!" Matt held up a hand and they both laughed. At this point, the rain had stopped and the wind blew gently. Kari rolled down her car window to let some of it in. She couldn't believe her good luck tonight!
"I must confess that I *really* liked you when I first saw you." She admitted. "Of course, I was only eight. I didn't know much about love. But you were really different. I mean, the other guys were nice. You were special. I didn't know what it was that I liked about, only that I liked you."
"You did?"
"I did. But I dismissed the feeling. It was just a crush. Then I went to see you and your band on my first date with Kenji. I think that's about the time I stopped loving him...and started loving you." Kari smiled. "That's when I wished you loved me."
"Who says I don't?" Matt kissed her on the cheek. He turned the ignition key a little so that the radio would come on. "Are you ready to face the music at home?"
"Not yet. One more kiss. Please."
They kissed again and Kari knew she was over Kenji already. Matt trusted her and she trusted him. This new relationship would work out. To think if Kenji hadn't left her in the rain and Matt hadn't found her...
~Thank God for rainy days~ She thought as she kissed him again. On the radio, she heard the uplifting new Celine Dion song and listened to the lyrics.
"Let the rain come down and wash away my tears
Let it fill my soul and drown my fears
Let it shatter the walls for a new sun
A new day has...come"
Kari smiled inside. Thank God for rainy days.
By Carter Tachikawa
(A Yakari, at last! This is my first time writing a Yakari so please be nice. I know so many of you have asked for this couple and I apologize for how slow my fanfics have come along. My computer died on me the day I got out of school so...yeah, I did a lot of thinking of ideas instead. This isn't a songfic however. Um...disclaimer. I don't own Digimon. And I don't own the little bit of Celine Dion's new song "A New Day Has Come". Hey, I have nothing. I'm still taking requests for new couples or an old one I've already used. Let's begin
Oh yeah, one more thing. A "~" in the beginning and end of a sentence means that the person thought it, not said it out loud. And Kenji, an original character, is NOT Ken Ichijouji! )
* * *
"Won't you listen to me, at least?"
"Kari, I gave you my love. I gave you everything you wanted! How could you do something like this to me?"
"You're not letting me talk! Trust me, I have no interest in Hideo!"
"What about what happened in the theater only seconds ago?"
"Kenji, listen to me for minute! He only gave me a hug! A *friendly* hug, I might add."
"Didn't seem friendly to me."
Kari Kamiya bit her lower lip. She could taste the salty blood resting underneath. She had been dating Kenji for ten months but she had a problem with his jealousy. Her friends warned her to be careful around him but she'd ignored the words. Now she wished she had paid a little attention to what they said. She and Kenji had a date tonight but everything seemed to be spiraling downwards ever since Hideo, a guy from Kari's class, had run into her. He gave her a hug. which she gladly accepted. Kenji, on the other hand, didn't like the sight of his girlfriend hugging this man. So the two of them had spent fifteen minutes arguing about that hug and Kari hadn't been allowed to say a single word.
~Typical Kenji~ She thought. ~He makes a big deal out of everything~
"I can't take it anymore, Kari." Kenji threw his hands into the air. "I just can't take it."
~Neither can I~ Kari said to herself. But as jealous as Kenji could get, she tried to calm him down. She still loved him.
"Hideo is just a friend of mine, Kenji. We have nothing going on between us."
"He hugged you, Kari!" Clearly, Kenji wasn't going to hear her side of the story. That was another thing about him that she hated. Everyone had to listen to him. All eyes had to be on Kenji. He was right, everything else was wrong. Personally, Kari thought he was too egotistical but never told him that.
"What else could I do, Kenji? I can't help it if Hideo wanted to hug me."
"You could have resisted." Kenji pointed out.
~But I didn't.~ Kari thought. ~It already happened, Kenji. Build a bridge and get over it.~
Of course, Kenji didn't get over anything. But he did come up with a solution right then and there.
"I can't take it anymore, Kari." He said once again. "We're through."
For a few minutes, Kari couldn't believe she heard him say that. But the cold glare that Kenji was giving her said that he was indeed serious. He wanted to break up with her! Half of Kari's heart seemed to slip out of her chest and slide down to the ground, covered with sticky soda and popcorn kernels. She didn't know what to say then.
"Break up? You wanna break up with me?"
"You heard me. We're through." Kenji folded his arms across his chest. "Anytime we go on a date, you are always distracted by something else. It's not going to work out with us. I see it now. It couldn't work out. You clearly are more interested in other guys."
~That's not true.~ Kari thought angrily. Then she added. ~Not completely anyway.~
When she and Kenji went out on their first date, they went to a Teenage Wolves concert. The older brother of TK Takaishi, one of her good friends, was the lead singer and bass player of the band. His name was Matt Ishida and, as much as she hated to admit it, she thought he was really cute. In addition to being drop-dead gorgeous and talented, Matt was also one of the Digidestined like her, a child bought from the real world and into a digital one. She felt comfortable around him. He reminded her of Tai, her older brother. But there was something inside him that drew Kari closer. He was more than looks, intelligence, and kindness. She liked him a lot. Kenji knew it and she could bet that he hated it too.
"I'm sorry." Kenji now said. "Goodbye, Kari."
Then he walked out of the movie theater, not even taking a glance back at the young girl. Kari just stared at his back, wondering whether this was a good thing or a bad thing. Kenji had been the first guy she'd ever gone steady with. Her entire family liked him. He was polite and smart, acting cool at the right moments. But he never showed them his jealousy and his pride. Kari knew if they saw that, they'd hate him in an instant.
"Kenji." She murmured. For a moment, she was glued to the sticky theater floor. Then, forgetting all of her ex-boyfriend's bad qualities, she began to run after him. "Kenji! Wait!"
She hadn't anticipated the rain that night however. Unfortunately, she didn't have an umbrella and it was pouring. She stood under the awning for another second and then ran out into the rain. She didn't pay attention to the cars in the road or the other people. She had to get to Kenji, one way or another.
"Kenji, don't leave me!" She screamed. "Please! I'm sorry! Kenji!"
The raindrops drenched her light brown head but she kept going ahead. She couldn't see Kenji in the wet mess but she wanted him. She wanted to be with him, jealous jerk or not. This was not the way she wanted to end their relationship. She was so engrossed in trying to find Kenji, she didn't notice the car headlights coming towards her. When she did, she froze in place and screamed.
~Oh my God, I'm gonna die!~ She thought, throwing her hands in front of her face. ~I don't stand a chance of surviving this!~
The car stopped only an inch in front of her but Kari didn't do a thing. The headlights were still focused on her, making it appear as if Kari were a deer who got in the middle of the road. The driver stepped out and came towards her.
"Kari? Kari, is that you?"
Slowly, Kari pulled the hands down from her face. She knew that voice. "Matt?"
"Yeah, it's me. What are you doing in the rain?" He asked, approaching her. Kari looked up at him. He held out one hand, as if he though she would grab it and follow him. His cerulean eyes gazed into her darker ones, asking her all sorts of silent questions. She gazed at the wet street, a small stream made of rainwater ran down the road, making it difficult for all drivers to move around.
"I was trying to find my boyfriend." She explained. A lump grew in her throat. "Well, he's not my boyfriend anymore. We broke up."
"Sorry to hear that. Did he leave you or did you leave him?"
"He left me." A tear trickled down her already wet cheek. Matt led her to the car and placed a towel he found in the back on the passenger seat. Kari got in, happy to be out of the rain. Patting herself dry with the parts of the towel, she began to relax. She also felt scared. She was in a car with Matt! She was in a car with her brother's best friend! A weird feeling was starting to slip over her like a veil. She watched as the rain came down harder and Matt got in. Like her, he was soaked but he didn't seem to mind. Kari watched as he pulled out of the movie theater and towards the road to home. His blond hair was dripping with water, which made him look cute. Kari scolded herself for thinking that and turned away to look at the falling rain.
"I'll get you home in no time." Matt told her. "I can't believe that he'd ditch you like that."
"That's the type of guy Kenji is." Kari blushed. "If you make him mad, you don't deserve to go home with him. It doesn't matter how bad the weather is. He'll leave you."
Matt made a face. "Nice guy."
Kari shook her head. "No, he wasn't nice. But I did love him."
"Are you sure about that? After he ditched you?"
Kari thought about that for a while. "I guess I did love him. I mean, even though he got jealous when T K and I went to the movies last weekend. We're friends but he just didn't see it. Then there was that time when Izzy gave me a present for my birthday last January and the two of us argued for three hours. Let's what else...oh yeah! Cody gave me flowers on that day I got sick and Kenji hated it. Anytime Davis said 'hi' to me and Kenji saw it, he'd give another crazy lecture. Joe bought me a drink and he went overboard again. And I think...I think he hates you, Tai, and Ken as well. Especially you."
"What's his problem? Tai's your brother! And you're allowed to see your friends. I mean, we're the Digidestined. We're all friends here. No one should come between us." Matt said firmly. Kari knew he was mad because he was turning red. She giggled because she loved the way all that red color spread across his face.
Matt heard her and he was puzzled.
"What's so funny?" He asked.
"Sorry. I just thought of something. It's nothing." Kari admitted. She wasn't going to let him know that she thought he was cute when he got angry. To get away from all that, she went back to complaining. Looking at the darkness outside but catching her own reflection in the car window, she continued.
"Kenji seemed to be my type. He supported my decision to be a teacher and everything. He got along with my parents and Tai. On the outside, he was so friendly and sweet. I had no clue that he could be so envious of guys that said 'hi' to me or carried my books to class. I never knew he was so...so..."
"Shallow? Narrow-minded?"
"Narrow-minded. That sounds like Kenji." Kari nodded. "Plus he never gave me a chance to explain those incidents! He was quick to make assumptions! If I looked at a guy, that meant I was in love with him. If I talked to a guy, that meant I was in love with him. It's ridiculous!"
"I couldn't have said that any better. Frankly, I'm glad he broke up with you."
Kari gasped and her eyes widened. "You...you are? Why?"
By now, they had made it to Kari's home. The lights on the top floors told her that her parents and Tai were probably awake, worrying about her. Matt cut off the engine and looked at her with those deep blue eyes of his. Kari felt her 'cool as a cucumber' image slowly shed and she bit her tongue (but not too hard). He put his hands on her shoulders and squeezed them.
"You were wrong. That guy wasn't your type. Anyone who gets jealous of your friends doesn't deserve to have a nice girl like you. If he really loved you, he'd trust you."
Kari sat in her chair but didn't breathe a word. She understood everything Matt was saying. Kenji *wasn't* her type at all. She had been so blinded by everything else that she never saw it. But now she did. And as the rain was stopping, so was the *love* she had for Kenji. He was a jealous freak. He was egotistical and narrow. Not at all like her friends. Not like Matt...
"I guess you're right." She whispered, putting one hand on her mouth. Matt pulled it off.
"Believe me, the others would say the same thing." He leaned closer. "You shouldn't be wasting time on guys like that, Kari. I know that if you look hard enough you'll find someone who respects and your friends."
Kari came even closer, unaware of what would happen. "I think I have."
She closed her eyes and felt something soft press against her lips. He was kissing her! Her stomach felt light and her heart was beating fast. Taking his hands off her shoulders, she wrapped them around her waist. She threw her own arms around him. And she never wanted to stop kissing.
Matt was the one to break it off. He ran a finger across his mouth. "Wow!"
"Ditto." Kari agreed. She liked him more now. "Can we do it again?"
"You...you liked it?"
"Oh yeah! At least, you kiss girls. Kenji..."
"Don't talk about him anymore!" Matt held up a hand and they both laughed. At this point, the rain had stopped and the wind blew gently. Kari rolled down her car window to let some of it in. She couldn't believe her good luck tonight!
"I must confess that I *really* liked you when I first saw you." She admitted. "Of course, I was only eight. I didn't know much about love. But you were really different. I mean, the other guys were nice. You were special. I didn't know what it was that I liked about, only that I liked you."
"You did?"
"I did. But I dismissed the feeling. It was just a crush. Then I went to see you and your band on my first date with Kenji. I think that's about the time I stopped loving him...and started loving you." Kari smiled. "That's when I wished you loved me."
"Who says I don't?" Matt kissed her on the cheek. He turned the ignition key a little so that the radio would come on. "Are you ready to face the music at home?"
"Not yet. One more kiss. Please."
They kissed again and Kari knew she was over Kenji already. Matt trusted her and she trusted him. This new relationship would work out. To think if Kenji hadn't left her in the rain and Matt hadn't found her...
~Thank God for rainy days~ She thought as she kissed him again. On the radio, she heard the uplifting new Celine Dion song and listened to the lyrics.
"Let the rain come down and wash away my tears
Let it fill my soul and drown my fears
Let it shatter the walls for a new sun
A new day has...come"
Kari smiled inside. Thank God for rainy days.