Disclaimer: Digimon Frontier, the characters, events, locations, and places do not belong to me. They belong to Toei Animation and if they did belong to me, would I be writing this story now? The only things I own is the plot, events, and any made up characters I just made up at the moment.
A/N: The first chapter focuses on Takuya/Izumi, FYI. Each chapter will contain a possible choice of Izumi's love and the final one will be the one she admits her feelings for. **Edited a few words and changed Kouichi's surname.
Chapter One: First Approach
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Orimoto Izumi, a 10-year-old blonde who lived in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, was independent, hyper, a fifth grader, strong, and she usually spoke from what is from her mind but she had longed for more friends ever since she came back from Italy for two years. She stood on the beige sand of the beach; the wind blew her long blonde hair that reached to the midst of her back, her purple vest, purple mid-skirt and the white and bluish purple striped shirt (that barely covered her stomach). She had taken off the purple vinyl hat from her head and clutched tightly with both hands, shaped in a fist.
She was teary-eyed, unwilling to allow herself to cry. Her dad just received a letter from an American company that they wanted him over there and he wanted his family to come along. Izumi resisted but her mother kept dragging her into it. She even ran out of the house because of the decision her parents made for her. She made so many friends and now she had to leave them again. It wasn't even a year when she met them.
Kanbara Takuya, Minamoto Kouji, Shibayama Junpei, Himi Tomoki, and all those Digimon we'd met in the Digital World. Izumi thought dejectedly. She bit her lip to fight off the tears and clutched the vinyl hat even tighter, tight enough to rip it into millions of pieces. She stared down at the beige sand and kicked at the sand in rage. "My parents have no right to say I have to go with them," Izumi muttered angrily.
"To where?" A masculine but familiar voice asked.
Startled, Izumi turned around and saw the dark purple-haired goggle boy stood a few inches behind her. He wore the dark yellow goggles on his head, a yellow shirt with a symbol in the centre, underneath a red unbuttoned jacket, dark teal pants that cut off a few inches past his calf, and the orange and red sneakers. The sneakers were orange on the back, red in the middle, where the shoelaces were, and orange at the toes area. His hands were in his pockets while the wind blew against his clothing.
"Oh, Takuya-kun," Izumi said. She returned to her gaze at the dull beige sand.
"Oh?" Takuya asked with his head cocked to the right side. "C'mon, Izumi-chan, we're friends now and you can tell me what's wrong." He nudged Izumi at her side lightly. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Izumi replied softly. "Really, nothing."
"I know there's something wrong. You're not wearing that purple hat."
"So whenever I don't wear the purple hat, something's wrong? Maybe I'll just never wear the hat ever again!" Izumi shouted suddenly. She threw the hat on the sand with rage, not on purpose for being angry with Takuya's worrying.
"…Izumi-chan."
Izumi then realised she overreacted. "I'm so sorry." She stared down for a longer time and then faced the goggle boy, into his dark brown eyes. They seemed to glimmer with hope, light, and warmth. Something she was unable to have. She turned around, toward the sea, and looked ahead at nothing. She searched through the darkness, for the warmth and light that she saw in Takuya, found nothing, and gave up, her legs collapsed under her and she fell on the sand on her knees.
Takuya looked down sympathetically. "Izumi-chan…" He began but couldn't finish. He wanted to tell her how he felt about her even if she probably like Kouji, he wanted to hold her, to protect her, to dry her tears away, to just…be there for her. "What's wrong? Can't you tell me?"
"I…don't want you to get involve in my own problems. It's too complicated," Izumi whispered softly.
Takuya felt a pang of envy hit him. Like someone took his heart out, stuck it in the freezer, took it out when it was frozen and stomp on it ruthlessly. He reached out to Izumi, to pat her on the back, but he found himself just standing there like an idiot with his hand outstretch. I'm so stupid. Why can't I just tell her? I'm such a chicken. I don't even know why I have the Spirit of Flame, Takuya thought. He felt like darkness surrounded him and every shadow lurked in every corner of the beach, not the same darkness as that of Kimura Kouichi, the human form of Duskmon.
"Takuya… It's that…my dad received a letter or rather, an invitation to do work in America… And my mom insists, no, she decides for me to go to America with them. I didn't want to but they don't listen. I've made so many friends, in the real world and the Digital World… I just don't…can't leave," Izumi explained, still on her knees on the sand.
Takuya felt the darkness lifted a few pounds and pulled his arm back into his pocket. "Oh," Takuya said idiotically. "Well… I understand. Did you tell the others?"
"No. That's what I'm afraid to. I don't want to tell the others… Not that I don't like them but… I'll just cry."
Takuya bent down to Izumi's level, put a hand on her shoulder, and turned her over so that he was facing her. He reached out his other hand and wiped her tears away. "Izumi-chan, I'm sure the others will understand your departure. It's not your fault and you've helped significantly in defeating the evil hybrids," Takuya assured consolingly. "Don't blame it on yourself. It isn't your fault. It's your parents' fault. I know the others would be terribly sad when you leave."
Izumi looked up from the dark tan sand and into Takuya's dark brown eyes, his glimmering eyes. "Takuya-kun… Thanks," she whispered. Izumi leaned forward and planted a light kiss on his cheek, then rose up and walked back to her home, her purple vinyl hat in her hands. She whistled a familiar tune while she walked back home while Takuya stood there with his face red and the wind blowing at his clothes.
"Izumi-chan… Ai shiteru itsumo."