Alright. I'm back from work and my hands aren't cramped anymore. Hooray.
Just before I started typing this I was going through and re-reading a few
of my other, shorter works. One of them, 'Let Go', I couldn't stop
reading. It's a dark piece, one that involves cutting, and I couldn't
really believe I wrote it. I read it about five times, each time thinking
back further and further to my mindset when I wrote it. It's hard for me
to believe that I was that down. When I wrote it, Koushirou's feelings
mirrored my own. Right now I'm just about as happy as I could be. The
dichotomy inside myself is scary. I know that this little blurb really has
no meaning, but I just wanted to mention it. If you'd be so kind, check it
out if you can handle the theme it contains. It's certainly not for the
faint of heart.
One funny little thing before I start. I found out at work that the Pistons traded Jerry Stackhouse. Does that figure or what? I go through the trouble of putting him in my story and he gets traded. Humph. Figures. Now on with the much more cheerful story, A Redhead's Wish..
Iori and Koushirou finally got out of the store. If it weren't for Iori's training in kendo and the accompanying meditation it is likely that he would have snapped and broken the old lady into about thirty pieces. He was just too excited to stand still while the poor store clerk had to call the old hag's bank to verify the funds. Koushirou kept himself amused by listening to Iori quietly fume as well as the instrumental versions of Christmas carols that were being piped in over the loudspeakers.
"I thought that we would never get out of there, Koushirou," Iori said as he tightened the grip of the bag that contained his prize.
"Tell me about it. I think that all stores should have two lines. One for people who have an ounce of sense and the other for the morons. I thought you were going to beat her for a minute, Iori."
"I wanted to. I wanted to pay for this so that nothing could take TK's gift away from me. I kept envisioning a power outage or some type of horrible event that wouldn't allow me to buy it."
"Well, we have it now, so don't blow a gear."
"I'm fine, really. I was just steamed, that's all."
"Alright, then let's get a move on. We still have to find a store that will have what I want to get Tai." They made their way past the store and back into the crowds of shoppers. They walked past a few stores in silence before Koushirou broke it.
"Can I ask you a question, Iori?" He asked.
"Of course Koushirou, ask away."
"This has been bouncing around in my head for a while now." Koushirou sounded a little uncomfortable and Iori turned to look at him while walking. "How do you plan on telling your mum and grandfather that you're gay?"
Iori had no quick answer for that question. "Honestly Koushirou, I've given it a lot of thought and I've yet to discover an idea that I think will work well. I don't think I can just walk up to my mum and tell her. I'm too afraid that she might say something awful about me or disown me. My grandfather might be even worse. He is so old fashioned about a lot of things."
"That is about the same things I'm worried about. I can be 99.9 percent sure that my parents will be okay with it, but there is that small percentage chance that they might go through the roof. I don't know if I can take that risk."
Iori nodded in agreement and continued in his low voice. "I want to tell them so bad because it feels that I'm lying to them. It hurts me to know that, but at the same time I'm scared to death."
"It's at times like this that I envy Tai to no end, Iori. He could walk up to anyone and tell them anything and not think twice about it. Courage. I'd trade all my Knowledge for that ability, even for just one day."
"I know. TK is so self-confident. I feel so great when I'm around him, but if he's not there I go back to my normal self."
"Maybe you should have him there when you do it then, Iori."
"I don't know, Koushirou. What if I can't do it and then he thinks I'm a coward?" Iori looked into Koushirou's eyes when he said that and Koushirou would swear that he saw a little bit of mistiness forming around the edges. After putting aside the same fear, Koushirou answered him.
"He'd never do that, Iori. You know that, deep inside. He loves you the way you are. If you are a coward, which you're not, by the way, then he loves the cowardly Iori."
"You think so?" Iori asked, shocked, as if the idea had never crossed his mind.
"I *know* so," Koushirou told him and put an arm around his shoulders and gave him a quick walking hug. Iori looked like he might shed a tear or two when they met eyes. Koushirou instantly saw how TK was head over heals for him. "Come on. I want an Icee. My treat." Koushirou lead the two of them over to a small shop and got them each an Icee, Iori a grape and himself a black cherry. There were a few empty tables in the shop so Koushirou sat down at one and Iori joined him.
"Thanks, Koushirou. This is good."
"No problem, Iori. I was dying for one."
"So," Iori started, then paused for a few seconds, "did you mean what you said a few minutes ago?"
"About TK? Of course I did. True love is unconditional, Iori. No matter what, your mate will be at your side, thick or thin." Iori looked as if he was having a hard time comprehending that. "Iori, I would feel no different about Tai tomorrow if he were suddenly paralyzed forever. I'd love him as long as I could. To the end." Iori took a big pull on his straw and looked deep in thought. Koushirou gave him a minute before going on.
"TK feels the same way about you, Iori, I know he does." Iori smiled back, letting a little river of grape dribble down his chin.
"You're right, aren't you?" He asked Koushirou.
"Of course. I've known him for awhile now. Don't worry about it." Iori was about to open his mouth and tell Koushirou thanks when a voice broke the nice moment, yelling first Koushirou's, then Iori's name from across the aisle outside the store.
"Koushirou!! Iori!!" The voice screamed. The two boys turned their heads, already knowing who it was before their eyes confirmed it. A blur was making its way toward them at about mach 4. The blur skidding to a halt before they could take a second breath, nearly taking their table out when it hit a bit of water.
"I thought it was you two!" Daisuke yelled as he regained his balance.
"Hey Daisuke, how are you doing?" Koushirou asked.
"Well, I've been looking around for Kari now for about an hour. I've been in all the girly stores and everything, but I've not seen her."
"There's a reason for that, Daisuke," Iori told him. "She came down with the flu yesterday, so she's likely at home in bed."
"Oh man, I heard her and Sora talking about coming here today and I was *so* hoping I'd be able to *accidentally* bump into her. That sucks."
"Sorry, Daisuke," Koushirou told him.
"Oh well. Now I guess I can stop by and see how she's doing, maybe earn a few brownie points while I'm there. Anyway, what are you two doing here? You're not exactly the mall-rat types."
"We've come to do a little Christmas shopping actually," Iori told him.
"Oh really? What'd you get me, Iori?"
"The same thing I got you last year, Daisuke." Daisuke looked puzzled for a minute before he said anything.
"Hey, you didn't get me anything last year!" Daisuke said, mildly insulted.
"Correct as usual," Koushirou told him.
"Well, did you get me something, Koushirou?" Daisuke asked earnestly.
"Um, no."
"Man. No one loves me. Who did you get a gift for then?"
"I got a present for TK," Iori told him.
"TK? What? Alright, whatever. Did we draw names or something?" Daisuke asked Iori.
"No, I just got him something."
"Man, alright. Just remember there's only 14 shopping days left until Christmas you two," Daisuke said as he started to walk off.
"Where are you going?" Koushirou asked him.
"To Kari's house, where else?"
"I should have known," Koushirou said. "You might want to take a breath mask. I think her mum has it too."
"Ah, I'll be alright. See you two around." Daisuke started off.
"Bye," the two of them answered in unison.
"I don't think that boy is all there," Koushirou said to Iori once Daisuke was out of earshot.
"I agree completely," Iori said as he made it to the bottom of his Icee and made the 'slurppp' noise.
"Shall we go on?" Koushirou queried. Iori nodded and they left the small shop and back out into the flood of humanity.
Meanwhile, back across the mall, a few minutes before the Icee affair, Tai and TK had just left the store with Koushirou's present. They headed nowhere in particular since they were still trying to figure out exactly what to get Iori.
"Any ideas yet, TK?" Tai asked as he stuck the receipt in his jeans pocket.
"Not a one. It has to be something different, I know that much."
"Yeah, different is one way to describe it. We should have asked for a few ideas before we split up, you know?"
"I know. I was just thinking the same thing. I don't have the slightest clue as to what to get him. All I know is that is has to be *something*, not a gift card or anything like that."
"So, let's play the same game we played with me a little while ago. What does he like?"
"It's sort of hard to say, you know? I've spent most of my waking and non-school time with him recently and this is about as hard as it could be. Um, he likes being with me, I know that doesn't help."
"No, not unless you plan on wrapping yourself up and.No, I'm not even going to finish that thought," Tai said and shook his finger.
"That's not a bad idea," TK said and smiled at Tai. "I'm kidding, Tai. Sheesh. I don't think it's anywhere near that time yet."
"What else?"
"He always gets a little excited when he sees those knife shows on tv for the samurai swords and things like that. I'd love to get him one of those, but they are quite pricey."
"But you could put it on *stretch pay* and get a one of a kind wakizashi with 'A Dragon On The Blade' and a matching stand."
"I see you've seen the show, too, huh?"
"Oh yeah. I have. Sometimes Koushirou falls asleep on me and I can't reach the remote so I'm stuck watching QVC while he dreams away."
[[[A/N: I HATE THAT SHOW!!!!]]]
"I feel your pain, Tai. I really do. I'd like to stick that sword in him sometimes.but anyway, oh! Music! He loves music!"
"Seriously?"
"Yes! I don't know how didn't think of it before. We've been sitting in my room just listening to music for hours before. He gets totally lost in the music."
"Well then I think we just found the perfect gift then."
"No, a cd isn't quite right. It's close, but no cigar."
"Maybe your brother will play a show for him?"
"No, he can't stand my brother and his band, not that I can blame him. Hmmm.You're a genius, Tai!"
"Well, I've never been called that before," Tai said as he rubbed a hand back through his mop of hair in an I'm-cool-as-hell gesture.
"Well, genius might not be the correct word, but you gave me an idea."
"Are you going to tell me or not, Mr. Buzz-kill?"
"A concert. It's perfect."
"Cool. Who?"
"Iori's favorite band is without a doubt is Hootie, and they are touring."
"Hootie? Are you kidding me? Hootie?"
"Oh yeah. Whenever we listen to music, they are one band he always requests me to play."
"Uh huh."
"I'm serious, Tai. I've even got a folder on my computer named 'Iori's Hootie Songs'. He's downloaded more than a few."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go.Wait a sec, is that Sora over there?"
"Where?"
"Over there, by the phones."
"Yeah, it is. I wonder what she's doing here?"
"Let's find out," Tai said as they started over to Sora who seemed to be window shopping rather hard.
"Sora?" TK said to the form the thought was Sora.
"Huh?" she said as she turned around, confirming it was her.
"What are you doing here? Are you hiding?" Tai asked.
"I'm shopping, and yes, I'm hiding."
"From who?" TK asked her, ready to throw a beatdown if need be.
"From Daisuke. He just passed a few seconds ago. If he saw me he'd not leave me alone."
"Why would he do that?"
"I think he overheard kari and I talking about coming here, before she got ill anyway. If he saw me, he'd not quit asking about her and I don't want to deal with that today."
"Good thing, Sora. I'm sure he wouldn't."
"Yeah, now that he's past, I can make it out of here."
TK noticed the three bags she had against the phones. "So, done a little shopping, huh?"
"Only a little," Sora said.
"A little?" Tai said and shook his head.
"Alright, more than a little. They're not all for me, of course."
"Sure. Sure they're not," TK said and started to laugh.
"They're not!" She said. "I'd show you what they all are, but I need to stop by Kari's and see how she's doing. I'll catch you all later."
"See ya, Sora," they told her as she made her way toward the exit.
"Alright, let's get to The Wall and get Iori's present," TK said and they started off. [[[The Wall is my favorite music store, even though there are ZERO in Louisville..]]]
They weaved and dodged their way to the store, thankful that they made it in one piece. The crowd seemed to be getting heavier as the day wore on. TK went right to the section and picked up a cd. 'Scattered, Smothered, and Covered', the title read.
"Isn't that something you get on your hash browns at Waffle House?" Tai asked.
"Maybe. I don't know, Tai. It's a great album though. Now all I need is a pair of tickets." Thankfully, The Wall had a Ticketmaster computer so it was just a matter of pushing a few buttons.
TK handed the man the necessary money and took his cd and envelop of tickets and they left. "That wasn't as bad as I thought it might be," he said as they walked out.
"Yeah, I was almost expecting you to call his mum and see what she said he might want."
"That was my last resort. I was hoping I wouldn't have to do that. It turned out in the end, right?"
"Yep. Shall we head on to the food court now?" Tai asked as his stomach rumbled.
"Sounds good. It's almost time anyway." TK looked at his watch and couldn't believe that so much time had passed. The mall is a time warp, apparently. They strolled slowly to the food court and waited by Burger King.
Koushirou and Iori finally found a store that sold the sort of thing that Koushirou wanted, a soccer supply store. There were jerseys galore adorning the walls. Koushirou started looking for the right one and quickly saw the bright orange of the Dutch team hanging in one corner.
"Right there, Iori, our trek is over," he said as he pointed to the shirt.
"Great. It does look neat, Koushirou. I'm sure he'll love it."
"You're right, he will. He looks so good in orange, too." Koushirou reached on his tip toes and pulled the shirt from the wall and they headed over to the counter to check out. In no time, compared to the other store anyway, they were out.
"To the food court?" Koushirou asked after checking his watch.
"Yes, it's almost time," Iori told him and they made their way along.
Finally!! I hope that no one's mad that I pulled the music card out for Iori. Nothing else seemed to fit. I was at a loss, so I put on some Hootie, my favorite band of all time (seen them thrice, waiting eagerly for their next album..). The idea of a concert hit me while I was listening to a bunch of live tracks. Then it was a toss up for Iori's band to be either them or Dave Matthews. Hootie won out and the rest is history.
I had to put Daisuke in here, he just screamed to be included. Sorry for all you daiken/kensuke fans out there- I don't like that pairing at all. In fact, Ken will probably make as many appearances in my Digimon fics as Dean does in my Harry Potter stories (that's never, by the way). I'm not a big fan of Joe or Mimi either for that matter. Gomamon is okay, just not Joe. Palmon..um, no.
What you can look forward to in the coming chapters: coming out, Christmas, daikari (maybe), a Christmas party (okay, ken can come to that.) and someone's parents are hella not cool about their son's choice of lifestyle. Any guesses as to who it might be? It's obviously not Kou- chan, cuz Mara is so awesome and Luke so oblivious, so that leaves three others. Place your bets in a review..thanks ahead of time.
energy
One funny little thing before I start. I found out at work that the Pistons traded Jerry Stackhouse. Does that figure or what? I go through the trouble of putting him in my story and he gets traded. Humph. Figures. Now on with the much more cheerful story, A Redhead's Wish..
Iori and Koushirou finally got out of the store. If it weren't for Iori's training in kendo and the accompanying meditation it is likely that he would have snapped and broken the old lady into about thirty pieces. He was just too excited to stand still while the poor store clerk had to call the old hag's bank to verify the funds. Koushirou kept himself amused by listening to Iori quietly fume as well as the instrumental versions of Christmas carols that were being piped in over the loudspeakers.
"I thought that we would never get out of there, Koushirou," Iori said as he tightened the grip of the bag that contained his prize.
"Tell me about it. I think that all stores should have two lines. One for people who have an ounce of sense and the other for the morons. I thought you were going to beat her for a minute, Iori."
"I wanted to. I wanted to pay for this so that nothing could take TK's gift away from me. I kept envisioning a power outage or some type of horrible event that wouldn't allow me to buy it."
"Well, we have it now, so don't blow a gear."
"I'm fine, really. I was just steamed, that's all."
"Alright, then let's get a move on. We still have to find a store that will have what I want to get Tai." They made their way past the store and back into the crowds of shoppers. They walked past a few stores in silence before Koushirou broke it.
"Can I ask you a question, Iori?" He asked.
"Of course Koushirou, ask away."
"This has been bouncing around in my head for a while now." Koushirou sounded a little uncomfortable and Iori turned to look at him while walking. "How do you plan on telling your mum and grandfather that you're gay?"
Iori had no quick answer for that question. "Honestly Koushirou, I've given it a lot of thought and I've yet to discover an idea that I think will work well. I don't think I can just walk up to my mum and tell her. I'm too afraid that she might say something awful about me or disown me. My grandfather might be even worse. He is so old fashioned about a lot of things."
"That is about the same things I'm worried about. I can be 99.9 percent sure that my parents will be okay with it, but there is that small percentage chance that they might go through the roof. I don't know if I can take that risk."
Iori nodded in agreement and continued in his low voice. "I want to tell them so bad because it feels that I'm lying to them. It hurts me to know that, but at the same time I'm scared to death."
"It's at times like this that I envy Tai to no end, Iori. He could walk up to anyone and tell them anything and not think twice about it. Courage. I'd trade all my Knowledge for that ability, even for just one day."
"I know. TK is so self-confident. I feel so great when I'm around him, but if he's not there I go back to my normal self."
"Maybe you should have him there when you do it then, Iori."
"I don't know, Koushirou. What if I can't do it and then he thinks I'm a coward?" Iori looked into Koushirou's eyes when he said that and Koushirou would swear that he saw a little bit of mistiness forming around the edges. After putting aside the same fear, Koushirou answered him.
"He'd never do that, Iori. You know that, deep inside. He loves you the way you are. If you are a coward, which you're not, by the way, then he loves the cowardly Iori."
"You think so?" Iori asked, shocked, as if the idea had never crossed his mind.
"I *know* so," Koushirou told him and put an arm around his shoulders and gave him a quick walking hug. Iori looked like he might shed a tear or two when they met eyes. Koushirou instantly saw how TK was head over heals for him. "Come on. I want an Icee. My treat." Koushirou lead the two of them over to a small shop and got them each an Icee, Iori a grape and himself a black cherry. There were a few empty tables in the shop so Koushirou sat down at one and Iori joined him.
"Thanks, Koushirou. This is good."
"No problem, Iori. I was dying for one."
"So," Iori started, then paused for a few seconds, "did you mean what you said a few minutes ago?"
"About TK? Of course I did. True love is unconditional, Iori. No matter what, your mate will be at your side, thick or thin." Iori looked as if he was having a hard time comprehending that. "Iori, I would feel no different about Tai tomorrow if he were suddenly paralyzed forever. I'd love him as long as I could. To the end." Iori took a big pull on his straw and looked deep in thought. Koushirou gave him a minute before going on.
"TK feels the same way about you, Iori, I know he does." Iori smiled back, letting a little river of grape dribble down his chin.
"You're right, aren't you?" He asked Koushirou.
"Of course. I've known him for awhile now. Don't worry about it." Iori was about to open his mouth and tell Koushirou thanks when a voice broke the nice moment, yelling first Koushirou's, then Iori's name from across the aisle outside the store.
"Koushirou!! Iori!!" The voice screamed. The two boys turned their heads, already knowing who it was before their eyes confirmed it. A blur was making its way toward them at about mach 4. The blur skidding to a halt before they could take a second breath, nearly taking their table out when it hit a bit of water.
"I thought it was you two!" Daisuke yelled as he regained his balance.
"Hey Daisuke, how are you doing?" Koushirou asked.
"Well, I've been looking around for Kari now for about an hour. I've been in all the girly stores and everything, but I've not seen her."
"There's a reason for that, Daisuke," Iori told him. "She came down with the flu yesterday, so she's likely at home in bed."
"Oh man, I heard her and Sora talking about coming here today and I was *so* hoping I'd be able to *accidentally* bump into her. That sucks."
"Sorry, Daisuke," Koushirou told him.
"Oh well. Now I guess I can stop by and see how she's doing, maybe earn a few brownie points while I'm there. Anyway, what are you two doing here? You're not exactly the mall-rat types."
"We've come to do a little Christmas shopping actually," Iori told him.
"Oh really? What'd you get me, Iori?"
"The same thing I got you last year, Daisuke." Daisuke looked puzzled for a minute before he said anything.
"Hey, you didn't get me anything last year!" Daisuke said, mildly insulted.
"Correct as usual," Koushirou told him.
"Well, did you get me something, Koushirou?" Daisuke asked earnestly.
"Um, no."
"Man. No one loves me. Who did you get a gift for then?"
"I got a present for TK," Iori told him.
"TK? What? Alright, whatever. Did we draw names or something?" Daisuke asked Iori.
"No, I just got him something."
"Man, alright. Just remember there's only 14 shopping days left until Christmas you two," Daisuke said as he started to walk off.
"Where are you going?" Koushirou asked him.
"To Kari's house, where else?"
"I should have known," Koushirou said. "You might want to take a breath mask. I think her mum has it too."
"Ah, I'll be alright. See you two around." Daisuke started off.
"Bye," the two of them answered in unison.
"I don't think that boy is all there," Koushirou said to Iori once Daisuke was out of earshot.
"I agree completely," Iori said as he made it to the bottom of his Icee and made the 'slurppp' noise.
"Shall we go on?" Koushirou queried. Iori nodded and they left the small shop and back out into the flood of humanity.
Meanwhile, back across the mall, a few minutes before the Icee affair, Tai and TK had just left the store with Koushirou's present. They headed nowhere in particular since they were still trying to figure out exactly what to get Iori.
"Any ideas yet, TK?" Tai asked as he stuck the receipt in his jeans pocket.
"Not a one. It has to be something different, I know that much."
"Yeah, different is one way to describe it. We should have asked for a few ideas before we split up, you know?"
"I know. I was just thinking the same thing. I don't have the slightest clue as to what to get him. All I know is that is has to be *something*, not a gift card or anything like that."
"So, let's play the same game we played with me a little while ago. What does he like?"
"It's sort of hard to say, you know? I've spent most of my waking and non-school time with him recently and this is about as hard as it could be. Um, he likes being with me, I know that doesn't help."
"No, not unless you plan on wrapping yourself up and.No, I'm not even going to finish that thought," Tai said and shook his finger.
"That's not a bad idea," TK said and smiled at Tai. "I'm kidding, Tai. Sheesh. I don't think it's anywhere near that time yet."
"What else?"
"He always gets a little excited when he sees those knife shows on tv for the samurai swords and things like that. I'd love to get him one of those, but they are quite pricey."
"But you could put it on *stretch pay* and get a one of a kind wakizashi with 'A Dragon On The Blade' and a matching stand."
"I see you've seen the show, too, huh?"
"Oh yeah. I have. Sometimes Koushirou falls asleep on me and I can't reach the remote so I'm stuck watching QVC while he dreams away."
[[[A/N: I HATE THAT SHOW!!!!]]]
"I feel your pain, Tai. I really do. I'd like to stick that sword in him sometimes.but anyway, oh! Music! He loves music!"
"Seriously?"
"Yes! I don't know how didn't think of it before. We've been sitting in my room just listening to music for hours before. He gets totally lost in the music."
"Well then I think we just found the perfect gift then."
"No, a cd isn't quite right. It's close, but no cigar."
"Maybe your brother will play a show for him?"
"No, he can't stand my brother and his band, not that I can blame him. Hmmm.You're a genius, Tai!"
"Well, I've never been called that before," Tai said as he rubbed a hand back through his mop of hair in an I'm-cool-as-hell gesture.
"Well, genius might not be the correct word, but you gave me an idea."
"Are you going to tell me or not, Mr. Buzz-kill?"
"A concert. It's perfect."
"Cool. Who?"
"Iori's favorite band is without a doubt is Hootie, and they are touring."
"Hootie? Are you kidding me? Hootie?"
"Oh yeah. Whenever we listen to music, they are one band he always requests me to play."
"Uh huh."
"I'm serious, Tai. I've even got a folder on my computer named 'Iori's Hootie Songs'. He's downloaded more than a few."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go.Wait a sec, is that Sora over there?"
"Where?"
"Over there, by the phones."
"Yeah, it is. I wonder what she's doing here?"
"Let's find out," Tai said as they started over to Sora who seemed to be window shopping rather hard.
"Sora?" TK said to the form the thought was Sora.
"Huh?" she said as she turned around, confirming it was her.
"What are you doing here? Are you hiding?" Tai asked.
"I'm shopping, and yes, I'm hiding."
"From who?" TK asked her, ready to throw a beatdown if need be.
"From Daisuke. He just passed a few seconds ago. If he saw me he'd not leave me alone."
"Why would he do that?"
"I think he overheard kari and I talking about coming here, before she got ill anyway. If he saw me, he'd not quit asking about her and I don't want to deal with that today."
"Good thing, Sora. I'm sure he wouldn't."
"Yeah, now that he's past, I can make it out of here."
TK noticed the three bags she had against the phones. "So, done a little shopping, huh?"
"Only a little," Sora said.
"A little?" Tai said and shook his head.
"Alright, more than a little. They're not all for me, of course."
"Sure. Sure they're not," TK said and started to laugh.
"They're not!" She said. "I'd show you what they all are, but I need to stop by Kari's and see how she's doing. I'll catch you all later."
"See ya, Sora," they told her as she made her way toward the exit.
"Alright, let's get to The Wall and get Iori's present," TK said and they started off. [[[The Wall is my favorite music store, even though there are ZERO in Louisville..]]]
They weaved and dodged their way to the store, thankful that they made it in one piece. The crowd seemed to be getting heavier as the day wore on. TK went right to the section and picked up a cd. 'Scattered, Smothered, and Covered', the title read.
"Isn't that something you get on your hash browns at Waffle House?" Tai asked.
"Maybe. I don't know, Tai. It's a great album though. Now all I need is a pair of tickets." Thankfully, The Wall had a Ticketmaster computer so it was just a matter of pushing a few buttons.
TK handed the man the necessary money and took his cd and envelop of tickets and they left. "That wasn't as bad as I thought it might be," he said as they walked out.
"Yeah, I was almost expecting you to call his mum and see what she said he might want."
"That was my last resort. I was hoping I wouldn't have to do that. It turned out in the end, right?"
"Yep. Shall we head on to the food court now?" Tai asked as his stomach rumbled.
"Sounds good. It's almost time anyway." TK looked at his watch and couldn't believe that so much time had passed. The mall is a time warp, apparently. They strolled slowly to the food court and waited by Burger King.
Koushirou and Iori finally found a store that sold the sort of thing that Koushirou wanted, a soccer supply store. There were jerseys galore adorning the walls. Koushirou started looking for the right one and quickly saw the bright orange of the Dutch team hanging in one corner.
"Right there, Iori, our trek is over," he said as he pointed to the shirt.
"Great. It does look neat, Koushirou. I'm sure he'll love it."
"You're right, he will. He looks so good in orange, too." Koushirou reached on his tip toes and pulled the shirt from the wall and they headed over to the counter to check out. In no time, compared to the other store anyway, they were out.
"To the food court?" Koushirou asked after checking his watch.
"Yes, it's almost time," Iori told him and they made their way along.
Finally!! I hope that no one's mad that I pulled the music card out for Iori. Nothing else seemed to fit. I was at a loss, so I put on some Hootie, my favorite band of all time (seen them thrice, waiting eagerly for their next album..). The idea of a concert hit me while I was listening to a bunch of live tracks. Then it was a toss up for Iori's band to be either them or Dave Matthews. Hootie won out and the rest is history.
I had to put Daisuke in here, he just screamed to be included. Sorry for all you daiken/kensuke fans out there- I don't like that pairing at all. In fact, Ken will probably make as many appearances in my Digimon fics as Dean does in my Harry Potter stories (that's never, by the way). I'm not a big fan of Joe or Mimi either for that matter. Gomamon is okay, just not Joe. Palmon..um, no.
What you can look forward to in the coming chapters: coming out, Christmas, daikari (maybe), a Christmas party (okay, ken can come to that.) and someone's parents are hella not cool about their son's choice of lifestyle. Any guesses as to who it might be? It's obviously not Kou- chan, cuz Mara is so awesome and Luke so oblivious, so that leaves three others. Place your bets in a review..thanks ahead of time.
energy