A Tamer's Story: I'll Never Leave You
Chapter 5: Time flies By
Once at the hospital Juri was scared. Scared of pain...
After being in labor for about twelve hours, Juri gave birth to a eight pound three ounce baby girl. She had big brown eyes, and a tuft of brown hair on her head.
"She's beautiful, just like her mother." Takato said giving Juri a kiss, as she held their daughter.
"But she needs a name." Interrupted a nurse who'd come into the room.
"How about Rei?" Juri asked Takato.
"Rei." Takato said out loud testing the name out. "Hmm. I like it."
The baby only yawned.
"And I think she does too. Her name is Rei."
It was a few months later that Juri and Takato were married at a private ceremony, involving Takato's parents, Juri's step-mother, Satsuki, her brother, Masahiko and other relatives. Gigo had refused to come or even see his granddaughter. It was after the ceremony that Takato and Juri were surprised with their wedding gift.
"We all went in on your wedding gift. Come with us!" Mei said happily as she held Rei.
"Okay." Takato said looking at Juri, who took her daughter.
They were led to down the street to a building.
"It's number 17 on floor four." Said Satsuki as she handed Takato a set of keys.
The newlyweds looked at each other curiously, then proceeded to the appointed place. Takato unlocked the door and entered. Inside was an average apartment, full of furniture.
"A wedding party?" Juri asked when the parents and her brother came in.
"Something like that. This apartment and everything in it is yours." Takehiro said with a smile.
"And we paid for the first six months' rent." Mei said.
"Do you like it?" Masahiko asked his sister.
"Yes." Juri answered with a whisper.
"We can't accept this." Takato said. "This is too generous."
"Well it's yours. We've already moved all your stuff in while you were getting ready this morning." Satsuki said.
"Thanks." Takato smiled.
Time had passed and Takato and Juri adapted to being parents. Rei was now two years old and running all over the apartment.
"Takato would you run to the store and get some potatoes for dinner and this stuff on the list?" Juri asked drying her hands on a towel as she entered the living room where he was playing with Rei.
Takato looked up from the stuffed blocks the two of them were playing with. Juri smiled.
"Sure. Do you wanna come with daddy to the store, Rei?" Takato asked his little girl, who nodded happily.
"You don't have to take her if you don't want to." Juri said as Takato started putting Rei's shoes on for her.
"But I want to. Besides we have to pick something pretty out for mommy's birthday next month don't we?"
Takato said putting Rei's coat on her.
"Pretty! Pretty!" She sang.
"Alright. Just don't take a long time. I need those potatoes." Juri laughed and handed Takato a list.
"Okay. Come on Rei-Rei." Takato said grabbing the little girl, which resulted in a chorus of giggles.
At the store Takato was trying to find an item on the list from a wall of groceries. While he was busy someone else entered the aisle. The man, who'd just started down the aisle, pulled an item from the shelf and then turned and looked at the other end of the aisle, which was where Takato and Rei were. The man walked toward the cart and Takato.
A squeal escaped the two-year-old's mouth as the man smiled and waved at her. Takato looked over at his daughter.
"Hi." She said and waved back as only a child would.
"What is it?" He asked the little girl who had lost interest and reached toward the wall of groceries. Takato then looked in the opposite direction toward the man.
"I thought it was you, Takato." The man said.
"Ryo! I thought you were in college quite a distance from here." Takato smiled.
"Spring break. So who's the cutie?" Ryo said walking closer to the cart.
"Her name's Rei. Isn't she the cutest two-year-old you've ever seen?" Takato said with a smile as he unbuckled Rei from the cart and lifted her into his arms.
"Beautiful. Who's is she? A cousin's?"
"No. She's mine, and Juri's." Takato said untangling her hand from his hair.
Ryo shifted his weight and blinked in surprise.
"I wasn't expecting that." Ryo said with a bit of a laugh. "So I guess you and Juri would be too busy to spend some time just sitting around and talking with some old friends then."
"Well I guess I could talk Juri into having my mom watch her-"
"Why not bring her along? I don't see how much trouble one little girl can get into. We were thinking Wednesday afternoon."
"We?"
"Me and Ruki, and the rest of our old gang."
"Well it has been about three years since we've last seen them." Takato said. "Sure, why not."
"Great! Wednesday night, four o'clock at Guilmon's Hutch." Ryo said using their term for the old building in the park where Guilmon used to live."
"Sure. We'll see you then." Takato said as Ryo walked away.
Takato was still watching Ryo walk away when Rei, who'd apparently grabbed something from off the shelf, dropped what she had in her hand and it hit Takato's foot.
"That's what I was looking for. Good job, Rei-Rei." Takato said looking down at the jar.
He placed Rei back in the cart and grabbed the jar from the floor.
"Good Rei! Good Rei!" She echoed.
Takato laughed a little and pushed the cart down the aisle to get the potatoes.
It was Wednesday afternoon, and Takato had talked Juri into coming. As they walked toward the appointed place they could hear voices.
"Hey Takato! Juri!" Ryo called from the top of the stairs.
"Hey Ryo." Takato said hauling the stroller as Juri carried Rei.
"Sorry we're late. Rei decided to make it difficult on us" Juri apologized.
"It's alright. Need a hand Takato?" Ryo asked
"No. I've got it. Thanks anyways." Takato said finally reaching the top of the steps and putting the stroller down.
"Aww! Look at the baby! What's her name?" Fifteen-year-old Shiuchon cooed seeing Rei.
"It's Rei."
Takato looked around and noticed everyone staring back at them. Well, everyone except Shiuchon who was playing with Rei.
"This is the first time we've attempted to get together in almost two years." Jenrya said.
"What? You guys stopped getting together?" Takato said in disbelief.
"Yeah. Shortly after you and Juri stopped coming, everyone stopped coming." Ruki said walking forward.
"Why did you guys stop coming?" Shiuchon asked.
"Rei was one reason, and something Hirokazu said was the other, but I don't remember what it was anymore." Takato said scratching his head to recall what it was.
"She's yours?! I thought you guys were just babysitting or something." Hirokazu said in shock.
"That surprised me too a couple days ago too." Ryo laughed.
They talked through the early evening about things that had been happening and whatever else was going on in their lives currently.
Everyone was getting ready to go home when Kenta spoke up.
"We should do this more often." He said.
"Classes start up again on Monday, and Ruki and I will have to head back before then. Hey! Ruki's birthday is on Friday. Why don't we get together again then." Ryo said with a smile.
"That would be great!" Juri said.
So it was that on Friday they got together and celebrated Ruki's birthday, which turned out to be a lot like Wednesday. On Saturday they bid Ryo and Ruki a good journey as they left to head back to college.
It was the night after Ruki and Ryo had left town for college again. Juri was lying in bed with her eyes closed as Takato was getting ready for bed himself.
"Juri." Takato said sitting down on the bed.
"What is it?" Juri asked sitting up.
"Have you ever regretted defying your father when he was pressuring you to get an abortion."
"No. Not for a second. Why? Do you wish I did?"
"It's not that. I love Rei, and you of course. I'm just wondering if you regret not speaking to him since he found out."
"I've tried talking to him several times. In fact, my step-mom tried to get him to talk to me, but every time he would hear my voice over the phone he'd hang up. And every time I went over there I'd see him peeking out the window and then refusing to answer the door. I gave up trying just before Rei was born."
"I think you should try again."
"No. If he doesn't want to ever see his own granddaughter that's his problem, not mine."
"Juri! I've never heard you speak that way about anyone before!" Takato said in shock.
"Well how else am I supposed to talk about him? He disowned me, remember?" Juri said getting louder with each word. "I'm sorry. There's no reason I should have. I guess I could always try talking to him again."
"It's okay. We all get angry some times. Good night, Juri".
"Good night Takato." Juri said turning off the lamp by the bedside.
It wasn't until a fateful day at the park about two years later that Juri finally got the chance to talk to her father. It was an overcast day and had been threatening to rain all day with a misty sprinkle. It was late afternoon when the rain burst from the swollen gray clouds with little warning. Juri had brought four-year-old Rei there maybe twenty minutes before it started pouring.
Juri sat down on a nearby bench and was talking to another mother while Rei played in the sand of the play area with another little girl making a castle. It was just before the rain started that the two girls had given up on the castle and, along with a little boy who joined them, started chasing each other around.
It was then that the rain started pouring. The rain was so heavy that it was hard to see much with the eye-stinging rain. Juri ran to a nearby wall-less covered area, assuming Rei would as well. But what Juri didn't know was that only seconds before the rain had started Rei had gone to the restroom which was only twenty feet away from where she was, but barely visible through the rain.
Rei had just walked out of the girls' restroom when it started. She stood under the overhang watching the rain fall when someone else came out of the guy's restroom.
"Wow! It really is pouring. Oh! Hi there. Where's your mother?" The man asked her as he crouched down to her eyelevel.
Rei grabbed the hem of her skirt and looked down as she answered.
"I don't know." She said shyly
"What's your name? Mine is Gigo." He said.
"Rei." She said being a bit less shy, "I'm this many." She said holding up four fingers.
"Wow! That's a lot." He said with a smile.
"I'm going to have a little brother soon." She said with a laugh and a smile.
"Really?" He said.
It was at about that moment that the rain became more gentle and slowed.
"Rei! Oh, there you are!" Juri called running to restrooms after seeing her talking to a man there when the rain slowed.
"Juri?" He asked in surprise and stood up.
"Dad! What are you doing here?"
"I felt like taking a nice long walk in the park."
"Can I go play now, mommy?" Rei asked tugging on her mom's pants
"No. We'll be going home shortly." Juri said.
"So she's--"
"Yes. Your granddaughter."
"I'm sorry I was shutting you out for so long." Gigo apologized. "She mentioned that she's going to have a little brother."
"Yes, but not for four and a half more months."
"That's wonderful."
"Thanks dad. Would you like to have dinner at our house tonight? Or if that doesn't work, tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow would be lovely."
Juri smiled.
"Come now, Rei. Daddy's probably got dinner ready at home. Say good bye to your grandpa Katou."
"Bye, bye, grampa Katou." Rei said.
"Good girl. Bye dad. Come on over around between five and six tomorrow. Tell Satsuki and Masahiko to come too."
"I will. See you later, Juri."
With that they parted ways until the next day. About four months later Juri gave birth to a son, just in time for Christmas. Takato and Juri named him Kyogou, or Kyo for short.
The End
That's the end everyone! I'm sorry about the lateness of putting this chapter up. I was bogged down with work and studying for semester finals in college...plus a little bit of laziness. The next installment of this series will be up soon. It revolves around Ryo and Rika about approximately the same timeframe.
Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed this story. And for those of you who've been reading and not reviewing this whole time, then review! How am I supposed to know if you guys like it if you don't review.