Author's Note: Stupid... frickin... WRITERS BLOCK.
Well.. I.. kinda broke it while I stayed up all night watching nothing but recorded episodes of Digimon 02 and Digimon Tamers..
Did you all really ever notice how much TALLER Henry is than everyone else? I mean he's almost taller than Ryo... Ryo just cheats with the spiked hair.
It'll be a crappy chapter... *whimpers at arch* I need a new chapter from you, please? Pretty please? Pretty pretty pretty please?
-----
The evening sky seemed even more magical than it did in Japan. There the sky was full of black shadows of tall skyscrapers and thick buildings, but here the only thing standing in between Jeri and the sunset was the giant oak tree and the outline of a tall boy with his back slumped against it.
The orange color splashed across his figure, and hers for that matter, but the sun somehow caught his eyes. Jeri couldn't put her finger on it, but his eyes seemed deeper somehow-- or maybe they were just reflecting the light. Whatever it was, she was caught up in them, unable to pull away, even with many yards seperating them.
Takato reached forward and took hold of a rough rope that hung from one of the sturdy branches above, and put his foot on the base of the tire that was attatched to the bottom of the rope. With a quick push his worn cotton shirt flew to his sides, the sudden gust of wind flying into him blowing his hair back also. The swing fell backwards again, and his open shirt pressed firmly against his back. Jeri watched in awe, then realised his gaze had fallen onto her also, and he skidded to a stop, smiling at her.
She returned his smile and took a few steps forward, then quickened her pace into a sort of run until she was at his side.
"A tire swing? I haven't seen one of these since I was a small child." she said rather curiously, running her hand over the dirt-covered top of the tire.
"Dad put it up when we first came o'r here." Takato tugged sharply on the rope, looking up at the leaves of the tree rustling with the quick motion.
Jeri followed his gaze for a second, then took the rope in both her hands and boosted herself up onto the swing. "Are you going to push me or what?"
Takato looked at her quickly, and a childish grin crossed his face. He grabbed the bottom of the swing with both hands and took a few steps backwards quickly, causing Jeri to almost lose her balance. She let off a slight shriek and grasped the rope tighter, preparing for him to let go of the swing, but instead he ran forward and with a quick jump, was on the other side of the swing, looking right into her eyes.
"Like that?" he said as innocently as he possibly could, and a giggle escaped Jeri's lips.
"Yes. Like that."
The swing turned around in a circle slowly from the force Takato had put onto it from jumping on, and soon Jeri's back was facing the current of wind, causing her long brown hair to hit Takato's face.
Back and forth they went, and time seemed to slip away without a trace, much like the sun did on the horizon, and before either knew the lights had flipped on inside the farmhouse, and Mrs. Matsuki was standing in the pale white light coming out of the kitchen, calling out to the two to come and eat dinner.
Takato dug his heel into the ground to stop the swing, and Jeri stepped off calmly, never taking her eyes off the boy.
Takato started walking forward, the girl right at his side, arms wrapped around one of his.
"I want to stay here forever." Jeri whispered almost to herself, leaning against the boy almost a entire foot taller than she was. Takato looked down at her with eyebrows raised.
"Ya wouldn't like it once ya had to work, ya know."
"I could be with you, couldn't I?"
"Yeah..."
Jeri smiled and placed her head against his shoulder. "Then the working wouldn't matter to me."
Takato pulled his arm out from her grasp and slipped it around her waist. "But it's gonna be impossible for ya to stay."
The bright white light of the kitchen now hit their faces as they walked only yards away from it now.
Jeri let off a deep sigh and squinted her eyes from the sudden bright light. "Yeah, I guess you're right."
Takato stepped up onto the old rickety porch and opened the screen door, ushering Jeri in before walking in himself. She stepped through the door, and he immediatly stepped only inches behind her, talking in a low voice so his mother just on the other side of the room couldn't overhear.
"I'm gonna find a way somehow. Just ya wait'n see."
-----
"She's doing porno shoots? You sure?"
"Would I be talking to you if I wasn't sure?"
Ryo's sharp blue eyes fixed upon the crystal gray of Henry, then he abruptly looked away, digging his hands into the pockets of his tight jeans.
"Knowing her this long-- I never would've seen it coming."
Henry folded his arms over his chest and leaned back into the black leather couch that sat in the middle of the Akiyama livingroom. "She turned down my proposal also."
Ryo froze in the middle of taking a drink of his soda, swallowed hard, and slowly lowered the can down onto the table. "Proposal as in idea, or proposal as in 'Rika will you marry me'?"
"Proposal as in 'Rika will you marry me'." Henry stated simply in a monotone voice. Just the thought that the love of Henry's life rejected him like that created a depression far worse than anything Ryo had seen before. He almost felt bad for the moron that took his woman.
Ryo took a deep breath, then returned to the subject at hand.
"I didn't think she'd try and screw up her own life like this. She must have a pretty good reason to."
Henry was silent, hands now falling into his lap where he clutched them together tightly, leaning forward.
Ryo eyed him for a minute. This was really bugging him, wasn't it? Well he had a good enough reason to be bugged, but still. Henry never got depressed.
"You have any idea why she would go and do th--"
Henry's head lifted and his usual calm vanished. "If I did do you think I'd be here talking to YOU!?"
Ryo held up his hands in a defensive motion. "Sorry, sorry..."
A few moment of awkward silence followed, and Henry lifted his eyes from the floor once more.
"Do.... you think you can talk to her?"
Another confused look crossed Ryo's face, and he seemed to be even more shocked than he was when he first heard the news. "Me? You're the boyfriend."
Henry's eyes fixed themselves upon Ryo, unwavering in any sort of way.
Ryo sighed, and tossed his head back a bit to get the rest of the soda in the can. He lowered the sodacan down, and with a loud crunch, crushed it in his fist. "Alright, Wong." he said almost angrily, then chucked the can in the large chrome trashcan across the room. "I'll see what I can do."
Henry's eyes suddenly shown a quick flash of joy, and Ryo groaned. "But don't keep your hopes up."
"I haven't gotten through to her since our digital world experience." the blue-eyed boy explained, and stood. "Where is she?"
"She's got a regular photo shoot down on Leafway." Henry motioned with his thumb behind him, towards the highway only a few blocks away.
Ryo scooped up his sportsjacket that lay on the back of one of the chairs, and slipped it over his arms.
He still didn't understand quite why Henry came to him for help with this. This *was* the guy who he had attempted to beat up a few years back, and would've too if Rika hadn't stopped the fight so quickly. Sure, he had a bloody lip and had been sprawled across the ground at the time, but he could've made a comeback... yeah he could've.
But-- this was Rika they were talking about, and she could get hurt if she got mixed up in this business... he had to help in any way he could.
---
The local country station played softly on the small radio clock, the sound of a twanging guitar meeting Jeri when her senses became suddenly alert. She had fallen fast asleep on the hand-made quilt that was thrown across the guest bed to the sound of the radio mixed with the abrupt rain storm that had begun when she and Takato had come in for dinner. The rain still poured against her window, and a sharp bolt of lightning tore through the sky, startling her a moment. She heard the horses outside whinnying in protest of the weather, and stood, fixing the soft white nightgown before walking to the window across the room to look out. Once reaching it, she gave a sharp gasp, and flung the window open, about falling out it in order to get the attention of the boy out on the roof.
"TAKATO MATSUKI WHAT ON EARTH DO YOU THINK YOU'R--" her final words were cut short by the roar of the thunder, and he looked over at her, hair hanging in his eyes and sticking there due to the heavy rain falling onto him. Lightning tore across the sky again and lit his face up enough to let her read his emotions. He had clearly gotten out there through his own bedroom window, which was pitch black, much like the look in his eyes at the moment. He looked emotionally beaten, like he had been warring hard in his mind about something, and came to the fateful conclusion only seconds before. Now he looked sad to see her, as if she was a burden on him.
Her heart suddenly sank in her chest, all memories of the afternoon before fading with that one look, and tears immediatly sprung to her eyes. Her voice cracked when she first called out, but she didn't care, she just wanted him now.
"Takato.. come in here before you catch your death."
He continued to sit there, giving her the exact same look, and it finally broke her spirit, and her eyes allowed the tears to flow down her cheeks, and she leaned out further, now letting the rain-filled wind catch her hair and a bit of the sleeves of her nightgown. The thin white fabric clung to her arms and chilled her skin.
"Takato.. please." she called out again, and he finally turned his head away from her, looking out onto the dark soaken fields behind the house.
Thunder filled the air again, muffling the sound of the window being thrown open even more, and within moments a sharp pain was brought to Takato's attention, and he immediatly spun around, hand grasping his other arm, and his cold brown eyes meeting those of Jeri.
The dark look seemed to quickly suck out of his eyes when she grabbed the exact same arm she had sunk her nails into a moment before, only softer this time. She pulled her hand back with a gasp. His skin was ice cold, and she immediatly put a hand to his cheek to get the exact feel there as well.
"Takato.. please.."
The thunder rolled across the sky again, and suddenly it was evident to Takato of what Jeri was wearing when she steadied herself into standing and started pulling on his arm. Despite that practicly every feminine feature of her body was being emphasized by the nightgown clinging to her skin, and most the dress was now slightly transparent, she still persisted, not even bothered by it.
Finally with a sigh, he allowed her to help him up, and pull him back towards the window. The warm air of the house greeted both their chilled figures when they climbed back in through the window of the guest room, and Jeri abruptly shut the window behind her.
She didn't turn to address him, just kept her hands on the frame of the window, and turned her head just enough to let him know she was talking to him.
"What on earth were you thinking?" she said in a scolding tone, let out a slow breath, then turned around completly and stepped towards him.
His eyes fell to the floor for a few different reasons, but mostly due to the intensity of her eyes that he had tried to focus all his hormone-driven attention onto before.
She sighed softly, and lifted his chin once she stood right before him, and placed a warm kiss onto his cold lips. He stared at her a moment before she smiled and ran her fingers through his soaken brown hair.
"You know I can't stay mad at you." she spoke in broken english, but it caused a lively grin to pop onto his face, and immediately his arms were around her waist, pulling her close against his shivering body.
Jeri gasped quietly at the sudden movement he made, but quickly calmed her muscles down and put a finger to his lips when he opened his mouth to say something.
"Takato.. no need to explain to me."
His eyes grew a quizzical look in them, but a playful smile crossed his face when her finger was removed. "A'ight Jeri... a'ight."
"But for right now.." her hands immediatly fell down to the buttons of his soaken blue plaid shirt, and one by one she unbuttoned them, speaking softer with each one that fell open. "you need to get this off you before you catch a cold."
Before her hands even made the last button, Takato's hand had fixed itself onto her chin and time stood still, and just as quick as it did, it sped so fast that Jeri's head spun. She didn't remember at all what had happened within those thirty seconds after the touch of his lips reached hers, but when her mind had finally registered the feeling flooding her body, she found herself in Takato's arms. Both stared at each other a moment as Takato held her to his body tightly, and the rain water still in Jeri's hair dripped down onto his face. The quilt on the bed was now soaked by his shirt being pressed against it, but neither seemed to care. Neither noticed the cold skin, or the soaken clothing, just what they saw in each other's eyes at the moment. A mixture of passion, love, excitement, and fear.
"Wow." Takato whispered, his warm breath rushing over Jeri's face.
"Yeah.. wow." she whispered back.
Well.. I.. kinda broke it while I stayed up all night watching nothing but recorded episodes of Digimon 02 and Digimon Tamers..
Did you all really ever notice how much TALLER Henry is than everyone else? I mean he's almost taller than Ryo... Ryo just cheats with the spiked hair.
It'll be a crappy chapter... *whimpers at arch* I need a new chapter from you, please? Pretty please? Pretty pretty pretty please?
-----
The evening sky seemed even more magical than it did in Japan. There the sky was full of black shadows of tall skyscrapers and thick buildings, but here the only thing standing in between Jeri and the sunset was the giant oak tree and the outline of a tall boy with his back slumped against it.
The orange color splashed across his figure, and hers for that matter, but the sun somehow caught his eyes. Jeri couldn't put her finger on it, but his eyes seemed deeper somehow-- or maybe they were just reflecting the light. Whatever it was, she was caught up in them, unable to pull away, even with many yards seperating them.
Takato reached forward and took hold of a rough rope that hung from one of the sturdy branches above, and put his foot on the base of the tire that was attatched to the bottom of the rope. With a quick push his worn cotton shirt flew to his sides, the sudden gust of wind flying into him blowing his hair back also. The swing fell backwards again, and his open shirt pressed firmly against his back. Jeri watched in awe, then realised his gaze had fallen onto her also, and he skidded to a stop, smiling at her.
She returned his smile and took a few steps forward, then quickened her pace into a sort of run until she was at his side.
"A tire swing? I haven't seen one of these since I was a small child." she said rather curiously, running her hand over the dirt-covered top of the tire.
"Dad put it up when we first came o'r here." Takato tugged sharply on the rope, looking up at the leaves of the tree rustling with the quick motion.
Jeri followed his gaze for a second, then took the rope in both her hands and boosted herself up onto the swing. "Are you going to push me or what?"
Takato looked at her quickly, and a childish grin crossed his face. He grabbed the bottom of the swing with both hands and took a few steps backwards quickly, causing Jeri to almost lose her balance. She let off a slight shriek and grasped the rope tighter, preparing for him to let go of the swing, but instead he ran forward and with a quick jump, was on the other side of the swing, looking right into her eyes.
"Like that?" he said as innocently as he possibly could, and a giggle escaped Jeri's lips.
"Yes. Like that."
The swing turned around in a circle slowly from the force Takato had put onto it from jumping on, and soon Jeri's back was facing the current of wind, causing her long brown hair to hit Takato's face.
Back and forth they went, and time seemed to slip away without a trace, much like the sun did on the horizon, and before either knew the lights had flipped on inside the farmhouse, and Mrs. Matsuki was standing in the pale white light coming out of the kitchen, calling out to the two to come and eat dinner.
Takato dug his heel into the ground to stop the swing, and Jeri stepped off calmly, never taking her eyes off the boy.
Takato started walking forward, the girl right at his side, arms wrapped around one of his.
"I want to stay here forever." Jeri whispered almost to herself, leaning against the boy almost a entire foot taller than she was. Takato looked down at her with eyebrows raised.
"Ya wouldn't like it once ya had to work, ya know."
"I could be with you, couldn't I?"
"Yeah..."
Jeri smiled and placed her head against his shoulder. "Then the working wouldn't matter to me."
Takato pulled his arm out from her grasp and slipped it around her waist. "But it's gonna be impossible for ya to stay."
The bright white light of the kitchen now hit their faces as they walked only yards away from it now.
Jeri let off a deep sigh and squinted her eyes from the sudden bright light. "Yeah, I guess you're right."
Takato stepped up onto the old rickety porch and opened the screen door, ushering Jeri in before walking in himself. She stepped through the door, and he immediatly stepped only inches behind her, talking in a low voice so his mother just on the other side of the room couldn't overhear.
"I'm gonna find a way somehow. Just ya wait'n see."
-----
"She's doing porno shoots? You sure?"
"Would I be talking to you if I wasn't sure?"
Ryo's sharp blue eyes fixed upon the crystal gray of Henry, then he abruptly looked away, digging his hands into the pockets of his tight jeans.
"Knowing her this long-- I never would've seen it coming."
Henry folded his arms over his chest and leaned back into the black leather couch that sat in the middle of the Akiyama livingroom. "She turned down my proposal also."
Ryo froze in the middle of taking a drink of his soda, swallowed hard, and slowly lowered the can down onto the table. "Proposal as in idea, or proposal as in 'Rika will you marry me'?"
"Proposal as in 'Rika will you marry me'." Henry stated simply in a monotone voice. Just the thought that the love of Henry's life rejected him like that created a depression far worse than anything Ryo had seen before. He almost felt bad for the moron that took his woman.
Ryo took a deep breath, then returned to the subject at hand.
"I didn't think she'd try and screw up her own life like this. She must have a pretty good reason to."
Henry was silent, hands now falling into his lap where he clutched them together tightly, leaning forward.
Ryo eyed him for a minute. This was really bugging him, wasn't it? Well he had a good enough reason to be bugged, but still. Henry never got depressed.
"You have any idea why she would go and do th--"
Henry's head lifted and his usual calm vanished. "If I did do you think I'd be here talking to YOU!?"
Ryo held up his hands in a defensive motion. "Sorry, sorry..."
A few moment of awkward silence followed, and Henry lifted his eyes from the floor once more.
"Do.... you think you can talk to her?"
Another confused look crossed Ryo's face, and he seemed to be even more shocked than he was when he first heard the news. "Me? You're the boyfriend."
Henry's eyes fixed themselves upon Ryo, unwavering in any sort of way.
Ryo sighed, and tossed his head back a bit to get the rest of the soda in the can. He lowered the sodacan down, and with a loud crunch, crushed it in his fist. "Alright, Wong." he said almost angrily, then chucked the can in the large chrome trashcan across the room. "I'll see what I can do."
Henry's eyes suddenly shown a quick flash of joy, and Ryo groaned. "But don't keep your hopes up."
"I haven't gotten through to her since our digital world experience." the blue-eyed boy explained, and stood. "Where is she?"
"She's got a regular photo shoot down on Leafway." Henry motioned with his thumb behind him, towards the highway only a few blocks away.
Ryo scooped up his sportsjacket that lay on the back of one of the chairs, and slipped it over his arms.
He still didn't understand quite why Henry came to him for help with this. This *was* the guy who he had attempted to beat up a few years back, and would've too if Rika hadn't stopped the fight so quickly. Sure, he had a bloody lip and had been sprawled across the ground at the time, but he could've made a comeback... yeah he could've.
But-- this was Rika they were talking about, and she could get hurt if she got mixed up in this business... he had to help in any way he could.
---
The local country station played softly on the small radio clock, the sound of a twanging guitar meeting Jeri when her senses became suddenly alert. She had fallen fast asleep on the hand-made quilt that was thrown across the guest bed to the sound of the radio mixed with the abrupt rain storm that had begun when she and Takato had come in for dinner. The rain still poured against her window, and a sharp bolt of lightning tore through the sky, startling her a moment. She heard the horses outside whinnying in protest of the weather, and stood, fixing the soft white nightgown before walking to the window across the room to look out. Once reaching it, she gave a sharp gasp, and flung the window open, about falling out it in order to get the attention of the boy out on the roof.
"TAKATO MATSUKI WHAT ON EARTH DO YOU THINK YOU'R--" her final words were cut short by the roar of the thunder, and he looked over at her, hair hanging in his eyes and sticking there due to the heavy rain falling onto him. Lightning tore across the sky again and lit his face up enough to let her read his emotions. He had clearly gotten out there through his own bedroom window, which was pitch black, much like the look in his eyes at the moment. He looked emotionally beaten, like he had been warring hard in his mind about something, and came to the fateful conclusion only seconds before. Now he looked sad to see her, as if she was a burden on him.
Her heart suddenly sank in her chest, all memories of the afternoon before fading with that one look, and tears immediatly sprung to her eyes. Her voice cracked when she first called out, but she didn't care, she just wanted him now.
"Takato.. come in here before you catch your death."
He continued to sit there, giving her the exact same look, and it finally broke her spirit, and her eyes allowed the tears to flow down her cheeks, and she leaned out further, now letting the rain-filled wind catch her hair and a bit of the sleeves of her nightgown. The thin white fabric clung to her arms and chilled her skin.
"Takato.. please." she called out again, and he finally turned his head away from her, looking out onto the dark soaken fields behind the house.
Thunder filled the air again, muffling the sound of the window being thrown open even more, and within moments a sharp pain was brought to Takato's attention, and he immediatly spun around, hand grasping his other arm, and his cold brown eyes meeting those of Jeri.
The dark look seemed to quickly suck out of his eyes when she grabbed the exact same arm she had sunk her nails into a moment before, only softer this time. She pulled her hand back with a gasp. His skin was ice cold, and she immediatly put a hand to his cheek to get the exact feel there as well.
"Takato.. please.."
The thunder rolled across the sky again, and suddenly it was evident to Takato of what Jeri was wearing when she steadied herself into standing and started pulling on his arm. Despite that practicly every feminine feature of her body was being emphasized by the nightgown clinging to her skin, and most the dress was now slightly transparent, she still persisted, not even bothered by it.
Finally with a sigh, he allowed her to help him up, and pull him back towards the window. The warm air of the house greeted both their chilled figures when they climbed back in through the window of the guest room, and Jeri abruptly shut the window behind her.
She didn't turn to address him, just kept her hands on the frame of the window, and turned her head just enough to let him know she was talking to him.
"What on earth were you thinking?" she said in a scolding tone, let out a slow breath, then turned around completly and stepped towards him.
His eyes fell to the floor for a few different reasons, but mostly due to the intensity of her eyes that he had tried to focus all his hormone-driven attention onto before.
She sighed softly, and lifted his chin once she stood right before him, and placed a warm kiss onto his cold lips. He stared at her a moment before she smiled and ran her fingers through his soaken brown hair.
"You know I can't stay mad at you." she spoke in broken english, but it caused a lively grin to pop onto his face, and immediately his arms were around her waist, pulling her close against his shivering body.
Jeri gasped quietly at the sudden movement he made, but quickly calmed her muscles down and put a finger to his lips when he opened his mouth to say something.
"Takato.. no need to explain to me."
His eyes grew a quizzical look in them, but a playful smile crossed his face when her finger was removed. "A'ight Jeri... a'ight."
"But for right now.." her hands immediatly fell down to the buttons of his soaken blue plaid shirt, and one by one she unbuttoned them, speaking softer with each one that fell open. "you need to get this off you before you catch a cold."
Before her hands even made the last button, Takato's hand had fixed itself onto her chin and time stood still, and just as quick as it did, it sped so fast that Jeri's head spun. She didn't remember at all what had happened within those thirty seconds after the touch of his lips reached hers, but when her mind had finally registered the feeling flooding her body, she found herself in Takato's arms. Both stared at each other a moment as Takato held her to his body tightly, and the rain water still in Jeri's hair dripped down onto his face. The quilt on the bed was now soaked by his shirt being pressed against it, but neither seemed to care. Neither noticed the cold skin, or the soaken clothing, just what they saw in each other's eyes at the moment. A mixture of passion, love, excitement, and fear.
"Wow." Takato whispered, his warm breath rushing over Jeri's face.
"Yeah.. wow." she whispered back.