Disclaimer: I dun own Digimon or Digimon World 2! I dun own "Annabel Lee" or "The Poetic Principle" or "The Bells"! They were written by Edgar Allan Poe! I dun own "Melodies", which was written by Thomas Moore! I own Jen! I own Galemon! Haffa nice day and dun sue me!
Jenashu: HIYA PEOPLE!
Yama: Calm down!
Jenashu: Sorry, I just ate a huuuge sugar cookie! ...*urp*...I, um, shouldn't have done that, either... I feel a little sick....
Yama: *sweatdrop*
Jenashu: Anyway, I'm listening to some great sound clips from Digimon right now... I love all of them, especially ones that feature Izzy (CUTE!!) and Yama (funny!!!). If you know any sites that have them or if you have any that you'd like to share, please e-mail me and send 'em! CheckMateCat117@AOL.com! Just make sure to write Digimon Clips or Fanfiction.net in the subject bar, or I'll delete the e-mail (I never trust strange e-mails...)
Yama: Umm, Jen? You are writing a fanfic here, right?
Jen: Oh, yeah. Oh, I wrote a poem for this chap! Tell me what you think! Unfortunately, I don't know how to post stuff without stripping it of its formatting, so I can't write the stanzas with the proper spacing, and I can't use italics and whatnot... Ah well. The play I'm in is coming along! It'll be over soon, and I'll write more often! But until then, live with it!
Yama: Just like Jen lived with only getting two reviews for her last chapter *snicker*
Jen: ... ... ... ... *depression*...*urp*...I feel so baaaaaaaad! And sick! Ugh! *runs off*
Yama: *silence* Umm? Uh...riiight. Uh, I guess I'm supposed to start the fic? Whatever. Enjoy (why do you people like this stuff?)
Jen: *fluuuuuuuush* I heard that!
****************************************************************************
Marked Man
"It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of Annabel Lee..."
Jen loved English class. Foreign languages had always been easy for her to grasp. However, English was very confusing-many Americans, she had heard, spoke English all of their lives but still managed to slaughter it constantly. Understandably, then, many of the Japanese students detested English class, and they spoke the language shakily. According to their enthusiastic teacher, the best and most effective way to polish one's speaking skills was to recite poetry. And so Jen's fellow classmates took turns standing at the front of the class to stutter and fumble through American poems.
So far the only person who had demonstrated perfect English poetry reading was Tera. She was an American, but she had moved into the home of her Japanese Aunt (apparently one of her parent's siblings had married a Japanese person-or maybe someone had been adopted into the family-Jen didn't know all of the details.) However, as Izzy continued his recital of Edgar Allan Poe's "Annabel Lee", it became clear that he wasn't going to be outdone by anyone. He was perfect-he was ALWAYS perfect (or so thought his peers in annoyance.) Although many people regarded Izzy's genius jealously when it was displayed before them, there was at least one person who was enjoying his recital without feeling bitterly that she had been cheated at birth.
That certain someone desired simply to hear Izzy read the poem, and she did not secretly wish that he would make a mistake-just a little mistake, just once!-to prove that he was capable of error. Of course, no one really disliked Izzy; he was so polite and kind, after all. But they, being human, were very much jealous of his unparalleled skills involving everything academic. At any rate, Mr. Izumi was at least receiving someone's full, ungrudging attention. And was it just that someone's imagination, or was Izzy giving her a goodly amount of attention in return? Imagination, she decided. But perhaps....
"I was a child and she was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea:
But we loved with a love that was more than love
I and my Annabel Lee
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
Coveted her and me...."
Izzy continued telling the tale that Poe had so expertly woven. Annabel was chilled by icy winds, and she became very ill. Her relatives took her away from her cold home and her love in an attempt to nurse her health, but she was not saved. She passed away....
"But our love it was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than we-
Of many far wiser than we-"
Several people snorted here. Who could be 'far wiser' than Izzy? The irony was completely missed by Izzy's admirer, however; she was positively sure that he was looking at her now. In fact, he seemed to be shutting out everything but her, including his classmates, his attentive teacher, and her grade book. Somehow, the teenage girl thought-or perhaps hoped-that his next words were meant for her.
"And neither the angels in heaven above
Nor the demons down under the sea,
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee...."
Izzy's coal-colored eyes met Jen's dark chocolate ones. She was determined not to blush or turn away, and she stared-almost dully-back at him for a moment. After all, she wasn't quite sure what to make of the situation. It took a few seconds for her mind to comprehend Izzy's behavior, but when she reached a conclusion of what it might mean, she felt a sudden urge to jump up and squeal in a very (if you'll excuse the expression) girlish way. She somehow managed to resist the temptation, and she settled on smiling shyly at the redhead. He seemed satisfied with her reaction. His eyes slipped away from hers as the world around him returned.
A thousand thoughts sped through Jen's stunned mind at light speed. Oooooh! Does he like me? Don't get excited, now-you'll be crushed if it turns out to be a coincidence. Coincidence my butt-he wouldn't have looked at me for so long unless he meant something. Something? Something could be anything! I wish I knew what he was thinking! I'd be so happy if he wanted to be with me... Siiiigh. I can imagine it...
"Jenashu Hino." ...right now. He'd be all flushed and embarrassed-I know he can be shy. "Miss Hino!" Trying to express his feelings during an assignment is pretty clever. That's so-OW!!
Tai had prodded Jen sharply in the back of the head, causing her train of thought to abruptly fall from its rails and explode into a fiery mess. She whirled in her seat to face him with a glowering look on her face-he had destroyed her moment of bliss. Her cousin seemed surprised at her angry expression-he had expected her to look annoyed at worst. He was the one lucky person that she never hesitated to scold when he needed it, but she never yelled at him. Indeed, she seemed to have an unlimited supply of patience. Tai pointed to the front of the room, wondering what he had done to deserve the furious look that he had received.
Jen turned again to face the front of the room. Her teacher looked just as bewildered as Tai felt, causing Jen's anger at being disturbed to morph into anxiousness. Had she said or done something strange without knowing it? Jen stomach lurched at the thought.
"I wanted you to recite your poem," the English teacher informed Jen. "Didn't you hear me call you?" Jen shook her head nervously. "Are you alright?"
"I-I think so, ma'am. I'm sorry, I'll say my lines." Jen stood up shakily.
"Say her lines?" Matt whispered as he leaned to his left to get Tai's attention. "Where does she think she is? A play rehearsal?"
"Shh." Tai was in no mood to talk at the moment. He was worried about his cousin's strange behavior. He watched her make her way to the front of the classroom. She fished a note out of her skirt pocket and unfolded it. The paper looked ruffled an old as if it had been in its hiding place for a long time. What's she doing? Tai wondered. We were supposed to memorize our poems.
Jen didn't even bother to reveal the poem's author or name before she began to read it:
"How often have I wished-I've tried-
To snuff my heart's first flare.
In vain I turn to walk away,
Yet I return, because I care,
To my first love's side
To be at my first love's side.
"Oh, to be at my first love's side
Is to feel so bright, so warm.
My pulse will pound, my head will spin,
My dreams will live again, reborn-
Yet I want to hide.
I love you so, yet I hide.
"I wish I knew what he would say
If I revealed my heart.
I'm so afraid to be denied,
And so eager to make a start.
Will I know some day?
I must wait for my sweet day.
He may not know I care, but I
Will stay forever by his side."
Silence followed her last word. Jen glanced at her classmates and blinked in confusion. Why does everyone looked so surprised? she asked herself.
"That was-um-nice, but you were supposed to memorize your poem. And who wrote that? You never told us."
Jen looked from her teacher to her paper. Suddenly she realized what she had done, and her face turned red with embarrassment. "I-I... I wrote that for I-extra credit. I thought I heard you say that we could write our own poem for extra points. I'm sorry if I misunderstood you and wasted everyone's time. I'll recite a proper poem now, ma'am." She fumbled with the folds her tattered paper before shoving back into the safety of her pocket.
"I found this poem in "The Poetic Principle", which is an essay concerning the poems of Poe's time." Jen had impressively managed to regain her calm, and she was starting her assignment as if she hadn't just made an embarrassing error. "Poe wrote the essay, but the poem that I'm reciting-"Melodies"-is by Thomas Moore. Actually, this may only be part of the poem. I memorized what was in Poe's essay.
"Come, rest in this bosom, my own stricken deer,
Though the herd have fled from thee, thy home is still here;
Here still is the smile that no cloud can o'ercast,
And a heart and a hand all thy own till the last.
"Oh! what was love made for, if 'tis not the same
Through joy and through torment, through glory and shame?
I know not, I ask not, if guilt's in that heart,
But I know that I love thee, whatever thou art.
"Thou hast call'd me thy Angel in moments of bliss.
And thy Angel I'll be, 'mid the horrors of this,-
Through the furnace, unshrinking, thy steps to pursue,
And shield thee, and save thee,-or perish there too!"
The teacher clasped a hand over her heart. "Beautiful," she decided. Her manner instantly changed from dreamy to official. "I'm afraid that I can't recall saying anything about extra credit. You did a fine job with Moore's poem, though. Don't worry about it. Just pay attention." Jen nodded and scurried to her seat. However, as she listened to Tai slaughter Poe's "The Bells" with his heavy Japanese accent and poor memory ("...the bers, bers, bers, bers, bers, bers, bers, bers, bers, bers-" "That's a few bells too many, Mr. Yagami...") she found that her attention was slipping back to her newly-cherished moment....
*****
As soon as the bell (ber?) that signaled the end of English class sounded, Jen lifted the top of her desk, extracted her lunch, and rushed out of the classroom. She flopped down under the tree that was the farthest away from the school building. She wasn't upset about what she had done; she simply wanted to think about the class without being bothered. After all, she could already hear Matt's teasing voice saying "Extra credit? That's a laugh! What have you got in English right now? A 98%? Poor you! You need to scrounge for those points, alright!"
The weather was very unusual for fall. The breeze was calm and gentle, the sun was warm, and the air was crisp. The atmosphere did much to facilitate Jen's meditations. After a few minutes of quiet reflection, Jen felt astounded. She realized that she had read her own poem for a reason, just as Izzy had chosen "Annabel Lee" for a specific purpose (or so she hoped.) Even if her mind didn't know about it, her heart must have been in control the whole time. After all, she reflected, I'm not dumb enough to do something like that without a reason...I hope.
What was the purpose of Jen's poem? It was meant for Izzy, and she had tried to give it to him a million times. She had struggled with the paper in the genkan. She had attempted to leave it in Quest's glove compartment. Once she nearly slipped it in his desk. What hadn't she tried? And why did she even bother with the darn thing in the first place?
The answer to the latter question was simple. Izzy was Jen's partner. If it had been anyone else, Jen thought in frustration, I would have walked up to him and told him how I feel. But Izzy's my partner, and for the sake of our team, I can't do that. There's a good possibility that he'd feel awkward around me if I told him how I feel and he didn't return my feelings. That would have a terrible effect on our team. We might even disband.... I don't want that at all! I'd never see Mantis anymore, and I wouldn't be around Izzy as much....
Despite all of the risks, Jen just couldn't take hiding her feelings anymore after a certain point. She hated having to be satisfied with smiling and saying hello to him whenever they met when she really wanted to give him a big hug. She couldn't stand simply patting his shoulder and trying to comfort him when he was hurt with sweet (but restricted) words. She wanted to embrace him tenderly, tell him she loved him, and see him smile because of it. Jen leaned back against the tree, closed her eyes, and sighed loudly.
"Don't we look depressed."
Jen's body jerked; she gasped, and her eyes flew open. Garu Sayoe was towering over her, and the sun was glistening in his fine blonde hair. He squatted by her side. "What's up with you? I heard you, uh, made a bit of a fool of yourself in English class. That's not what you're moping over, is it?"
"I'm not moping over anything." Jen regained her composure as quickly as she could. "You know I'm jumpy. Please don't scare me like that." She stared at her friend for a moment. "How did you know about English? It's been, what-six minutes since the class ended?"
"Yeah, well, Mimi Tachikawa's in your class."
"Ah. Point made." Garu eased out of his squatting position and sat down next to Jen. He stared at her in a nearly critical way, as if he was evaluating Jen's looks. It made Jen feel a bit nervous. She wondered what he was looking for and hoped that he wasn't judging her appearance. Doing that now, after all these years, seemed strange, but the minds of males work in mysterious ways.
"W-why are you staring at me?" she finally asked after a few long seconds. Garu smiled boyishly.
"Is that a crime?" he questioned in reply.
"Looking is fine. Staring is usually considered rude." Garu started snickering, and soon he was laughing loudly. Jen understood what was funny about her comment. Garu was hot, and he knew it-everyone knew it, it was very hard to miss. He was a French boy (his family had moved from France to Britain to Japan, back to France, and back to Japan again because of his father's job) with fine blond hair that framed his face in gentle waves. His pale blue eyes sparkled, and he was built soundly. Girls stared at him openly wherever he went, which, according to Jen's comment, made them all rude. Jen waited for his laughter to subside. "Are you quite finished?"
Garu grinned at her. "Yes, I think I am." His serious demeanor returned; he was very quiet and reserved around most people. "Didn't you ask me a question? Oh, why was I staring at you." His serious manner darkened into graveness, and for a moment he was silent. "No reason. Where are your friends?"
Jen wasn't at all satisfied with his answer, but she wouldn't press the issue. "I, umm, didn't want to be teased."
"Your friends shouldn't tease you." Garu was staring at his sandwich almost bitterly.
"Why not? You do." Jen blinked at him. "Something wrong?" Her friend didn't reply. He was looking straight ahead. Jen's friends had found her, and they were advancing on her hideout. Matt sped up his pace so he could get there first, and soon he was sitting down by Jen's side with a big grin on his face.
"Extra credit, Jen? Hah! That's rich! Poor thing, you've gotta pull up that 97%, huh?" he teased as he nudged her. Jen couldn't stop herself from smiling as the others sat themselves around her.
"Hi Garu," Tai said. He sat down next to Matt. "Why'd ya bolt after class, Jen? And what's up with running off to farthest reaches of the grounds? We had trouble finding you."
"Maybe she didn't want to put up with Matt," Tera observed. She got settled beside Tai. Matt snorted in annoyance at her comment.
"I liked the poem you wrote," Mimi told Jen. "It was so sweet and romantic!" She caught sight of Garu and giggled. "Hi!" Garu gazed inexpressibly at her.
Jen sighed. "Thanks, Meems."
"Were you spacing out during yesterday's class or what?" Sora asked. "You're not sick, are you?" She frowned in concern.
"Nah, she was just being her normal, ditzy self," Matt decided through a mouthful of food. Garu glared icily at him. Soon he turned his cold eyes to Izzy, who completed the circle as he sat down. The redhead happened to look up and catch his unpleasant stare. He frowned at him; they were rivals in tournaments, just as Matt and Jen were. However, those two had managed to get over that, and they were pretty good friends (although one had to look beyond Matt's love of tormenting Jen to realize it.) Garu had, for some reason, decided to treat Izzy like a rival at all times, not just during tournaments. Izzy couldn't do much but bear it, especially because Garu was such good friends with Jen.
Izzy turned away from the blonde heartthrob and tried to silently catch Jen's attention. She was really too busy warding off Tai and Matt as they picked on her to notice him, though. Izzy sighed silently in his heart as he dug into his lunch. He wondered if Jen had gotten anything out of English class.... And what about that poem of hers? Of course, there was the distinct possibility that Jen had just made a ditzy mistake, but....
*******
"Finally!" Jen exclaimed as she pulled on her outdoor shoes in the genkan. "Home! Friday! Festival! Yukata!"
"Takoyaki," Tai groaned. He had been assigned the lovely job of serving octopus. Jen patted his head sympathetically.
"My poor cousin," she commented as she stood up. She watched Tai pull a pair of muddy cleats out of his locker. "Soccer practice today, huh?"
"Yeah." Tai struggled with a knot in the shoestrings. Jen stared at him for a moment, amused by the huge amount of difficulty that his shoes were giving him. After a minute or so, she realized that she couldn't stand around all day.
"I've gotta get going! I've got a lot to think about!" Tai rolled his eyes at his cousin. She ignored the gesture and reached over to touch a lock of his crazy hair. "Poof!" she said happily while she ran her fingers through his bushy doo. The Tamer exited the genkan with an energetic bounce fueling her steps. Tai stared after her, shaking his head slowly.
"Yeah, kind of weird, huh?" Tai jumped as Matt's voice sounded behind him. He whirled around to see the blondy standing behind him. "What is she, hair fetish?"
"Got me," replied the Yagami boy. "She just likes hair a lot." Matt snorted.
"Yeah, that's what I meant by 'hair fetish'." He looked down at his friend, who was pulling on his shoes on the floor. "Your whole family is either dumb or really weird. 'Cept maybe your cute kid sister-Ow! Hey, man!"
Tai had chucked a mud-ridden cleat at Matt's face. He was shocked to see blood dripping down his cheeks. The soccer player jumped to his feet.
"Matt! Oh hell, I'm sorry-I didn't mean to throw it hard-C'mon, I'll take you to the nurse. I'm so sorry! Oh, man...." Tai grasped Matt's arm in an attempt to guide him to the health room. The blonde shoved him away and stalked wordlessly out of the genkan.
*********
About ten minutes later, Matt was sitting in the health room with a big bandage on his cheek. Tai was sitting anxiously next to him. He knew that Matt would knock his block off as soon as they were off of school property. Even though the slur against his family still stung in his mind, Tai would take his beating when it came. "I'm sorry," he repeated.
For a moment Matt did not acknowledge him. After a pause he turned to face his apologetic friend. "Nah, forget it."
Tai stared at him. Was this some kind of trick?
"I had no right to insult your family. I went too far." The image of TK, his younger brother, flashed through his mind. He knew that he wouldn't let anyone, not even Tai, get away with insulting him. "If I were you, I would have chucked a shoe at me, too." A grin found its way across Matt's injured face. "Just do me a favor and throw a regular shoe next time."
***********
Izzy watched his fellow Guard Tamers lazily as they rushed around to make last-minute preparations. The fund-raising festival would begin in about ten minutes. The redhead would have offered to help the stragglers, but he knew that if he broke their anxious trains of thought or threw them off of their frenzied grooves he'd have his head bitten off. At any rate, he did have one thing to worry about, despite the fact that he had set up his station already. Jen was nowhere to be seen.
And so the procrastinators slaved away in the fading light of the sun. Soon the last feeble rays of orange and red would give way to the heavy darkness of night. Here, however, in the calm setting of Digital City's park, the blackness would not rule. Of course, the calmness of the place had long since disappeared, owing to the hectic festivities of the extraordinary occasion. But at any rate, here the night was welcome and met with a fantastic array of lights.
People were quickly erecting canopy structures that would shelter their stations. The girls fussed and whined about getting their yukatas dirty, and the boys were having trouble with the sleeves of their obis. Izzy watched them from his station and found himself dozing off in his chair. He was nearly asleep when someone clamped their hands against his shoulders. The redhead jumped from his seat.
"Whoops!" Jen released him with a grin. "Don't have a heart attack now!" Izzy sighed with relief and looked up at her. His planned comment died on his lips.
Jen looked expectantly at him while he stared. She tilted her head in a way that said, "Yes?" Izzy struggled to get something out besides, "U-uh...."
"So!" a loud voice called. Izzy spun around in his seat to identify the intruder. "That's what you had to think about, Jen!" The visitor was Tai. He was wearing a blue obi with an apron covering it. His arms were laden with boxes, but he set them down before walking under Izzy's canopy.
Tai stood in front of Jen and looked her over. She had curled her long hair. The strands at the front that normally hung around her face at different lengths were pulled back into two small braids that intertwined at the back of her head. The curls cascaded from beneath those crowning braids like an auburn waterfall. Her yukata was light purple, and lime-colored leaves were embroidered onto it. With a grin Tai fingered a curl and have it gentle tug. "Poof." Jen smiled at him.
"You flatter me, Tai," she said. "You look great, too, especially with that sexy apron on." Tai grinned.
"You'd better believe it," he replied. He glanced at the boxes that he was carrying and sighed. "Look, I've gotta go. Octopus pieces are calling me. Have fun, kids." He lifted his burden again and walked off.
"Kids?" Jen asked. "I'm older than him." She shrugged at Izzy as she tried to hide her disappointment. No one had commented on the laborious project that was her appearance. She was suddenly bitten by a lack of self-confidence. In an attempt to win it back, she decided to bait Izzy by telling him that he looked cute in his orange obi. Before she could, however, another Tamer interrupted her. This time it was Garu. He was wearing an obi that was the same blue-green color of the sea.
"Well look at you," he said. "How long did that take you?" Like Tai, he walked up to Jen to touch a curled lock. However, he didn't playfully tug at it; he gently ran his fingers through the curly mass. "You remind me of the paintings of Roman goddesses."
Jen blushed. She was used to compliments on her voice, artwork, and her grades, but no one ever complimented her on her looks. "Y-you don't mean it." You can't mean it, she thought. People only say I look nice on special occasions. Admittedly, Jen had left her house feeling that she looked rather attractive, but she was really delighted with her curls.
Garu frowned. "Of course I mean it. I don't flatter people." He looked really annoyed, so Jen hastened to make amends.
"Well...thank you." She crossed her arms over her chest and feigned annoyance. "You, of course, always look great." Garu allowed himself a smile, and Izzy turned away from them.
"I always hate to desert a good-looking girl, but my fellow Black Swords won't want me getting too friendly with a Gold Hawk at an official Guard Tamer event, and I've got work to do. Have fun."
"Oh, I will. It'll be great! You enjoy yourself too, Garu." Another grin found its way across his face.
"We're getting relieved half-way through the festival, you know. Would you like to go around with me?" he asked. Izzy listened intently as he tried to look busy and inattentive.
Jen hesitated. "Well, um," she started uncomfortably. "I was hoping...well, I want to be available...in case, umm, someone asks me.... Sorry, Garu-san..."
A grave look passed Garu's handsome face. His gaze traveled past Jen's shoulder to Izzy, who had gone noticeably weak with relief. The blonde's penetrating blue gaze returned to Jen. "Alright," he said simply. He couldn't decide whether to ask her to find him if the person that she had in mind didn't ask her to the festival. He didn't want to be her second choice, but he also didn't want to miss the chance to spend his free time with her. Garu decided to figure it out later as he turned to walk off. Jen stared after him with a worried and downcast look on her face.
"What's up with you?" a funny voice demanded. Jen knew it was Mantis right away. She ignored his question and asked one of her own.
"Where were you?"
"Just scoping out the booths. Do you need me?" Here Izzy spoke up.
"We're prepared, Mantis. You're free to continue exploring." Mantis nodded and flew off.
"What do you mean?" Jen asked. She walked back to Izzy's chair. "You set everything up without me?" Izzy nodded. "Oh, I'm so sorry! You had to do it all? That stinks! You were working while I was just getting ready?"
Izzy smiled up at her. "That was work unto itself, I'm sure." He too reached up to touch Jen's hair. He searched his mind for the right words to compliment her with, but she beat him to it.
"You look cute in your obi." She smiled playfully. "Of course, it kind of clashes with your hair-" here she paused to tenderly touch his red tresses-"but I still like it. Very cute!"
Izzy tried to smile back. Cute? She had told Garu that he always looks great, and she tells him that he looks cute? He wanted her to think he was handsome. Izzy heard himself saying, "Garu was right, you know." Garu again? He's even interfering with my subconscious now. Wonderful. "You really do look like a goddess." Well, I suppose that could have come out worse, but it certainly wasn't original.
The redhead recognized the shy smile that she gave him. It was the same one that she had bestowed upon him when he read "Annabel Lee". The memory brought Izzy some confidence. "Listen, Jen-"
"Excuse me, can you please help us?" The Tamers turned away from each other to face a mother. She was shepherding three timid-looking young boys. Jen smiled at them. They're so cute! she thought.
"Sorry, ma'am. We didn't realize that it was time to start." Jen picked up three small bowls and three little hand-held nets from a basket on the ground. She distributed them out to the kids. "Here you are! If you need any help, just ask. Good luck!"
While the mother handed Izzy her fee for the game, the children walked over to a square makeshift pond. Handsome little goldfish were swimming around inside. The oldest and most experienced child tried to catch one first. He held out the bowl and watched a fish with cat-like patience. Suddenly he dipped the net into the water and attempted to push the fish into his bowl. It squirmed out of the net at the last second.
"Ooooh," Jen said, feeling sorry for him. "Too bad. It was really close!"
The second child also tried and failed. The youngest kid looked up at Jen with big, round eyes. "Will you help me?" Jen's lips curved into a warm smile.
"Of course." She kneeled by his side and gently grasped both of his hands. "Which one do you want?" He pointed to a big, spotted one. "Okay. We have to wait for it to come." They waited motionlessly as the target inched closer and closer. "Now!" Jen whispered. She darted the net into the water and plopped the fish triumphantly into the bowl.
"Alright, guy!" she cheered. "That fishy didn't stand a chance against you!" The boy beamed at her. "Now go to the redhead," Jen added, pausing to look up at the same redhead with a grin, "and he'll put your fish in a bag so it'll be safe." The boy obeyed her and marched up to Izzy like an honored hero. Soon he was walking away with his fish in a water-filled bag, his older brothers looking sulky.
Jen turned back to Izzy, smiling widely. "This'll be a fun night." She returned the bowls and the nets to their basket. "Oh, weren't you saying something when they showed up?" Izzy fidgeted a little, looking uncomfortable.
"Well, yes. I, um-"
"Finally! THERE you are!" Izzy bowed his head in defeat as a fourth party came to interrupt him. This time it was Matt. He wore a moss-green obi and a big bandage on his face.
"What happened to you, Matt?" Jen asked anxiously. He shrugged in reply.
"It's nothing." Jen opened her mouth to argue, but Matt cut her off. "Well, there is one problem. I'm not going on stage with my face looking like this."
"That's right," Izzy realized. "You were supposed to do a quick act with your band."
"Exactly. And I'm not doing it now."
"Oh Matt, you're so impossible," Jen sighed. "You made a commitment and you have to see it through."
"You sound like my mother," Matt scolded. "And I am seeing it through. Sort of. I want you to take my place." Jen blinked at him. "Look, I know you can sing. Just sing something-anything-when they announce me, okay?"
"You've got to be kidding me." Jen rubbed at her throbbing temples.
"C'mon, you owe me one, kid!"
"I'm older than you. I swear! And since when do I owe you anything?"
"Well-" Matt paused to think about that. "My birthday's very soon," he said hopefully. Jen sighed again and threw her hands up.
"Fine, I'll do it." Matt thwacked her back gratefully.
"Thanks a lot, Jen. You saved my ass." He started retreating before Jen could change her mind.
"I'd rather kick it," she muttered as another customer walked up.
*********
A while later Jen realized that she had to get going to fulfill her promise to her rival. "Izzy, I'll have to leave this to you. I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault," he replied. "Go ahead. Good luck."
"Thanks, Iz." Jen jogged towards the park's parking lot to find Quest. She needed to get a CD out of the glove compartment to sing to. The loud sounds of the festival died down as she tried to make her way through the dark. Suddenly she stopped. She had heard something.
Dark red claws emerging from the shadows...glistening teeth, dripping with saliva...bloodshot eyes that carried a mad gleam.... A Devidramon was lurking menacingly in the darkness.
Jen jumped to the left, narrowly avoiding the Digimon's Crimson Claw technique. Its force still managed to knock her to the ground. After a moment, she shakily got to her feet and glared darkly at her attacker. "Are you trying to get my new yukata dirty?" she demanded in a hard voice. Her hand flew into her pocket to withdraw her digivice. In a flash of light, Puru emerged from it. The Ultimate Digimon made easy work of the Champion.
"What was that all about?" Puru asked. "I thought this was a festival."
"Yes," Jen replied, staring into the darkness. "Someone thinks I know too much."
*********
"I want to go home."
"But you're done singing, and we've been relieved. You can enjoy the festival now."
"No, please. I just want to go home!"
"Why?" Izzy asked. He placed a hand on Jen's forehead. "Don't you feel well?"
"No, not really. I think I may be coming down with something."
"You don't feel warm." That much was true, but Izzy had noticed that Jen had been shivering involuntarily ever since she got back from singing. "Is something wrong? Are you cold?"
"I'm just...I'm going home." Jen had been scared stiff ever since she realized that the Blood Knights had her marked.
"Alright. Do you want me to take you?" Izzy asked.
"You can't. Someone needs to take Quest home."
"It's dark. We can turn on the navigation system and have Revien take Quest to your home. No one will notice."
Jen paused. "Well... I don't want to trouble you. You go ahead and enjoy the festival. Quest will get me home safely, don't worry."
"You won't be covered from the cold air," Izzy pointed out. He desperately wanted to drive Jen home because he knew that something was wrong. "I don't want you to get sick. You seem to be starting a cold, and it could get worse."
Although Jen knew that she'd feel much safer with Izzy, something held her back from accepting his kind offer. For once, she'd be completely alone with him. No classmates, no fellow Tamers, no Digimon. Just the two of them. That was the most appealing and terrifying thought in the world.
"I'll be fine. Just enjoy yourself. I'll see you soon."
Izzy's heart sank. "Jen, I wish you'd let me escort you." Jen stared at her shoes and Izzy sighed internally. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow, then."
"Tomorrow? What's tomorrow?"
"Tai asked us to come over, remember?" Jen nodded as that fact came back to her. Izzy took another stab at gaining Jen's company. "Do you want me to pick you up? You don't live very far from Tai, so it's no trouble." Jen didn't want to argue anymore, so she caved in.
"Alright. Thank you." Izzy smiled at her, causing Jen's heart to miss a beat. She muttered good-bye before walking cautiously to Quest.
********
By the next day, Jen's emotions were extremely jumbled by the fear that haunted her soul. If the Blood Knights wanted her dead, she didn't have long to live. Stop that, she thought angrily. You've got really tough Digimon watching over you. Don't you have confidence in them?
A knock at the door caught Jen's attention. "Bye Mom," she called. "I'm going to Tai's." She swung the door open and tried to smile at Izzy, who was waiting for her.
"Good morning," he said as he led the way to his car. He opened Jen's door for her.
"Why do guys do that? I'm perfectly capable of opening my own door," Jen pointed out. Izzy blinked at her.
"It's polite," he replied. Jen smiled at him as convincingly as she could.
"Don't trouble yourself with the door thing. I've got it under control." She sat herself down and closed her door.
"You can be very unusual," Izzy informed her as he settled down in the driver's seat. He started the car and pulled out of the driveway. At the first stop sign he turned to her. "What's wrong?" he demanded gently.
So that's why he was so desperate to drive me home, Jen realized with disappointment. For some reason she didn't want to tell Izzy, but when she took a look at his worried face she found herself revealing the whole story to him. He shook his head in disbelief.
"How could they possibly know that you're on to them?" he asked in bewilderment. Jen stared at her hands.
"I don't know," she whispered, "but I'm so scared, Izzy." The redhead pulled over and turned to look at her. He could tell that her insides were squirming and shaking, but she was holding her discomfort in check. You should feel free to cry, Izzy thought. I wish I could allow you to cry on my shoulder. But what can I do for you? Simply tell you that it will be alright? I'd do anything to bear this difficulty for you....
"You'll be fine," Izzy assured her. "The Digimon won't let you suffer. You can be sure that they'll protect you to the last." Jen nodded slowly. A moment later, Izzy started the car up again.
**********
"So why exactly did you ask us to come over, Tai?" Izzy wondered as he sat in Tai's room. Matt was beside him and Tai was lounging on his bed.
"You know, just to hang out." Tai sat up straight.
"What about Jen?" Matt asked. Tai grinned.
"So she'd make us some cookies." Izzy slapped his forehead.
"Actually, Izzy, there is some business that we have to attend to," Tai pointed out. He shared a demonic look with Matt. Izzy found himself gulping worriedly.
"We happen to know something juicy about out favorite little redhead," Matt casually said. Izzy raised his eyebrows as he wondered what he had done that would fit under the category of 'juicy'.
Matt didn't wait for him to ask questions. He retained his calm nonchalance as he continued his little speech. "I happened to notice," he claimed as he carelessly fixed his famous hair, "that our own little Izzy has his eyes on a very big prize."
His words had the effect that he had hoped for. The color of Izzy's face drained away, but his cheeks were pink. He looked like a blushing porcelain doll without the beauty that they possessed. As a matter of fact, Tai summed Izzy's expression up when he said, "Don't puke now, Iz."
How? Izzy's mind screamed. I haven't told a soul. I can't believe-
Izzy's thoughts were interrupted when Matt continued his lecture. "Now, Mimi's the hottest girl of the grade-except for Sora, of course." Here Matt paused to look pleased with himself. "You can imagine our surprise when we found out that our little Izzy here has the hots for her!"
Izzy blinked as his surprise gave way to confusion and finally relief. His tense body loosened up and he exhaled loudly. "I don't have a crush on Mimi," he informed Matt and Tai as the color crept back into his face. Matt cringed and grasped at his heart.
"Izzy!" he cried. "I'm hurt! I'm shocked!"
"We didn't think you'd lie to your friends, man!" Tai added. His acting skills weren't as good as Matt's; he couldn't stop grinning.
The poor genius stared at the two of them in disbelief. "But I meant it," he explained numbly. He lifted his hand to his brow to rub at the hideous headache that was forming there. Matt's only response was to squeeze at his heart harder. Tai, however, caught Izzy round the neck with his left arm and put the knuckles of his right hand against his head.
"Tell us the truth," he teased, "or I'll rub the skin off your skull!" The brunette demonstrated his point by giving Izzy a noogie. The painful pangs that were caused by his headache intensified as Tai's knuckles dug into his scalp.
Izzy knew that the only way to escape his tormentors was to tell them that he had affections for Mimi. He sighed at his fate, but such was life, as he was well aware. Why is nothing fair? he asked himself bitterly as he resigned himself to the situation.
********
Jen hummed merrily as she carried a tray. She had made cookies and lemonade for the boys. Baking always improved her mood, and Izzy's reassurance had helped, too. She paused in the hallway before a sliding door and frowned. She thought she heard Izzy making loud, discomforted sounds.
Someone's gonna get it, she thought darkly as she slid the door open slightly. Tai, Matt, and Izzy had their backs to her, and her cousin was giving her partner a noogie. Izzy was squirming uncomfortably as the other boys picked on him. Jen was about to start scolding Tai when Izzy's own shout cut her off.
"Fine, you win-I like Mimi!"
The boys didn't notice Jen as she silently shut the door. She could hear Matt and Tai laughing and talking ("See, that wasn't so hard!" "Yeah, man. Good luck-hah! You'll need it!") as she stared at the door. She felt nothing but shock as she stood there, frozen stiff. Slowly numbness replaces the shock, and Jen realized that she was able to stand no longer. She sunk to the floor and placed the tray beside her.
It was all coincidence, Jen thought painfully. Her already jumbled emotions boiled over, and she felt tears stinging at her eyes. She knew it would take a while to walk home, but she'd do it. She knew it was dangerous because of the Blood Knights, but she'd do it anyway. She didn't want anyone to see her crying, but she couldn't stay there any longer. With a stifled sniff, Jen got to her feet and left Tai's house.
****************************************************************************
Jenashu: Another long one. Sorry it took so long, everyone. I've really gotta do my homework-R&R!!!!!!!
Yama: See ya, people.
Jenashu: I love the play, but I can't wait for it to be over. I can write more when it is! So look forward to that! Ohh, the next chapter is really sad, so be prepared. Later!
Jenashu: HIYA PEOPLE!
Yama: Calm down!
Jenashu: Sorry, I just ate a huuuge sugar cookie! ...*urp*...I, um, shouldn't have done that, either... I feel a little sick....
Yama: *sweatdrop*
Jenashu: Anyway, I'm listening to some great sound clips from Digimon right now... I love all of them, especially ones that feature Izzy (CUTE!!) and Yama (funny!!!). If you know any sites that have them or if you have any that you'd like to share, please e-mail me and send 'em! CheckMateCat117@AOL.com! Just make sure to write Digimon Clips or Fanfiction.net in the subject bar, or I'll delete the e-mail (I never trust strange e-mails...)
Yama: Umm, Jen? You are writing a fanfic here, right?
Jen: Oh, yeah. Oh, I wrote a poem for this chap! Tell me what you think! Unfortunately, I don't know how to post stuff without stripping it of its formatting, so I can't write the stanzas with the proper spacing, and I can't use italics and whatnot... Ah well. The play I'm in is coming along! It'll be over soon, and I'll write more often! But until then, live with it!
Yama: Just like Jen lived with only getting two reviews for her last chapter *snicker*
Jen: ... ... ... ... *depression*...*urp*...I feel so baaaaaaaad! And sick! Ugh! *runs off*
Yama: *silence* Umm? Uh...riiight. Uh, I guess I'm supposed to start the fic? Whatever. Enjoy (why do you people like this stuff?)
Jen: *fluuuuuuuush* I heard that!
****************************************************************************
Marked Man
"It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of Annabel Lee..."
Jen loved English class. Foreign languages had always been easy for her to grasp. However, English was very confusing-many Americans, she had heard, spoke English all of their lives but still managed to slaughter it constantly. Understandably, then, many of the Japanese students detested English class, and they spoke the language shakily. According to their enthusiastic teacher, the best and most effective way to polish one's speaking skills was to recite poetry. And so Jen's fellow classmates took turns standing at the front of the class to stutter and fumble through American poems.
So far the only person who had demonstrated perfect English poetry reading was Tera. She was an American, but she had moved into the home of her Japanese Aunt (apparently one of her parent's siblings had married a Japanese person-or maybe someone had been adopted into the family-Jen didn't know all of the details.) However, as Izzy continued his recital of Edgar Allan Poe's "Annabel Lee", it became clear that he wasn't going to be outdone by anyone. He was perfect-he was ALWAYS perfect (or so thought his peers in annoyance.) Although many people regarded Izzy's genius jealously when it was displayed before them, there was at least one person who was enjoying his recital without feeling bitterly that she had been cheated at birth.
That certain someone desired simply to hear Izzy read the poem, and she did not secretly wish that he would make a mistake-just a little mistake, just once!-to prove that he was capable of error. Of course, no one really disliked Izzy; he was so polite and kind, after all. But they, being human, were very much jealous of his unparalleled skills involving everything academic. At any rate, Mr. Izumi was at least receiving someone's full, ungrudging attention. And was it just that someone's imagination, or was Izzy giving her a goodly amount of attention in return? Imagination, she decided. But perhaps....
"I was a child and she was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea:
But we loved with a love that was more than love
I and my Annabel Lee
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
Coveted her and me...."
Izzy continued telling the tale that Poe had so expertly woven. Annabel was chilled by icy winds, and she became very ill. Her relatives took her away from her cold home and her love in an attempt to nurse her health, but she was not saved. She passed away....
"But our love it was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than we-
Of many far wiser than we-"
Several people snorted here. Who could be 'far wiser' than Izzy? The irony was completely missed by Izzy's admirer, however; she was positively sure that he was looking at her now. In fact, he seemed to be shutting out everything but her, including his classmates, his attentive teacher, and her grade book. Somehow, the teenage girl thought-or perhaps hoped-that his next words were meant for her.
"And neither the angels in heaven above
Nor the demons down under the sea,
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee...."
Izzy's coal-colored eyes met Jen's dark chocolate ones. She was determined not to blush or turn away, and she stared-almost dully-back at him for a moment. After all, she wasn't quite sure what to make of the situation. It took a few seconds for her mind to comprehend Izzy's behavior, but when she reached a conclusion of what it might mean, she felt a sudden urge to jump up and squeal in a very (if you'll excuse the expression) girlish way. She somehow managed to resist the temptation, and she settled on smiling shyly at the redhead. He seemed satisfied with her reaction. His eyes slipped away from hers as the world around him returned.
A thousand thoughts sped through Jen's stunned mind at light speed. Oooooh! Does he like me? Don't get excited, now-you'll be crushed if it turns out to be a coincidence. Coincidence my butt-he wouldn't have looked at me for so long unless he meant something. Something? Something could be anything! I wish I knew what he was thinking! I'd be so happy if he wanted to be with me... Siiiigh. I can imagine it...
"Jenashu Hino." ...right now. He'd be all flushed and embarrassed-I know he can be shy. "Miss Hino!" Trying to express his feelings during an assignment is pretty clever. That's so-OW!!
Tai had prodded Jen sharply in the back of the head, causing her train of thought to abruptly fall from its rails and explode into a fiery mess. She whirled in her seat to face him with a glowering look on her face-he had destroyed her moment of bliss. Her cousin seemed surprised at her angry expression-he had expected her to look annoyed at worst. He was the one lucky person that she never hesitated to scold when he needed it, but she never yelled at him. Indeed, she seemed to have an unlimited supply of patience. Tai pointed to the front of the room, wondering what he had done to deserve the furious look that he had received.
Jen turned again to face the front of the room. Her teacher looked just as bewildered as Tai felt, causing Jen's anger at being disturbed to morph into anxiousness. Had she said or done something strange without knowing it? Jen stomach lurched at the thought.
"I wanted you to recite your poem," the English teacher informed Jen. "Didn't you hear me call you?" Jen shook her head nervously. "Are you alright?"
"I-I think so, ma'am. I'm sorry, I'll say my lines." Jen stood up shakily.
"Say her lines?" Matt whispered as he leaned to his left to get Tai's attention. "Where does she think she is? A play rehearsal?"
"Shh." Tai was in no mood to talk at the moment. He was worried about his cousin's strange behavior. He watched her make her way to the front of the classroom. She fished a note out of her skirt pocket and unfolded it. The paper looked ruffled an old as if it had been in its hiding place for a long time. What's she doing? Tai wondered. We were supposed to memorize our poems.
Jen didn't even bother to reveal the poem's author or name before she began to read it:
"How often have I wished-I've tried-
To snuff my heart's first flare.
In vain I turn to walk away,
Yet I return, because I care,
To my first love's side
To be at my first love's side.
"Oh, to be at my first love's side
Is to feel so bright, so warm.
My pulse will pound, my head will spin,
My dreams will live again, reborn-
Yet I want to hide.
I love you so, yet I hide.
"I wish I knew what he would say
If I revealed my heart.
I'm so afraid to be denied,
And so eager to make a start.
Will I know some day?
I must wait for my sweet day.
He may not know I care, but I
Will stay forever by his side."
Silence followed her last word. Jen glanced at her classmates and blinked in confusion. Why does everyone looked so surprised? she asked herself.
"That was-um-nice, but you were supposed to memorize your poem. And who wrote that? You never told us."
Jen looked from her teacher to her paper. Suddenly she realized what she had done, and her face turned red with embarrassment. "I-I... I wrote that for I-extra credit. I thought I heard you say that we could write our own poem for extra points. I'm sorry if I misunderstood you and wasted everyone's time. I'll recite a proper poem now, ma'am." She fumbled with the folds her tattered paper before shoving back into the safety of her pocket.
"I found this poem in "The Poetic Principle", which is an essay concerning the poems of Poe's time." Jen had impressively managed to regain her calm, and she was starting her assignment as if she hadn't just made an embarrassing error. "Poe wrote the essay, but the poem that I'm reciting-"Melodies"-is by Thomas Moore. Actually, this may only be part of the poem. I memorized what was in Poe's essay.
"Come, rest in this bosom, my own stricken deer,
Though the herd have fled from thee, thy home is still here;
Here still is the smile that no cloud can o'ercast,
And a heart and a hand all thy own till the last.
"Oh! what was love made for, if 'tis not the same
Through joy and through torment, through glory and shame?
I know not, I ask not, if guilt's in that heart,
But I know that I love thee, whatever thou art.
"Thou hast call'd me thy Angel in moments of bliss.
And thy Angel I'll be, 'mid the horrors of this,-
Through the furnace, unshrinking, thy steps to pursue,
And shield thee, and save thee,-or perish there too!"
The teacher clasped a hand over her heart. "Beautiful," she decided. Her manner instantly changed from dreamy to official. "I'm afraid that I can't recall saying anything about extra credit. You did a fine job with Moore's poem, though. Don't worry about it. Just pay attention." Jen nodded and scurried to her seat. However, as she listened to Tai slaughter Poe's "The Bells" with his heavy Japanese accent and poor memory ("...the bers, bers, bers, bers, bers, bers, bers, bers, bers, bers-" "That's a few bells too many, Mr. Yagami...") she found that her attention was slipping back to her newly-cherished moment....
*****
As soon as the bell (ber?) that signaled the end of English class sounded, Jen lifted the top of her desk, extracted her lunch, and rushed out of the classroom. She flopped down under the tree that was the farthest away from the school building. She wasn't upset about what she had done; she simply wanted to think about the class without being bothered. After all, she could already hear Matt's teasing voice saying "Extra credit? That's a laugh! What have you got in English right now? A 98%? Poor you! You need to scrounge for those points, alright!"
The weather was very unusual for fall. The breeze was calm and gentle, the sun was warm, and the air was crisp. The atmosphere did much to facilitate Jen's meditations. After a few minutes of quiet reflection, Jen felt astounded. She realized that she had read her own poem for a reason, just as Izzy had chosen "Annabel Lee" for a specific purpose (or so she hoped.) Even if her mind didn't know about it, her heart must have been in control the whole time. After all, she reflected, I'm not dumb enough to do something like that without a reason...I hope.
What was the purpose of Jen's poem? It was meant for Izzy, and she had tried to give it to him a million times. She had struggled with the paper in the genkan. She had attempted to leave it in Quest's glove compartment. Once she nearly slipped it in his desk. What hadn't she tried? And why did she even bother with the darn thing in the first place?
The answer to the latter question was simple. Izzy was Jen's partner. If it had been anyone else, Jen thought in frustration, I would have walked up to him and told him how I feel. But Izzy's my partner, and for the sake of our team, I can't do that. There's a good possibility that he'd feel awkward around me if I told him how I feel and he didn't return my feelings. That would have a terrible effect on our team. We might even disband.... I don't want that at all! I'd never see Mantis anymore, and I wouldn't be around Izzy as much....
Despite all of the risks, Jen just couldn't take hiding her feelings anymore after a certain point. She hated having to be satisfied with smiling and saying hello to him whenever they met when she really wanted to give him a big hug. She couldn't stand simply patting his shoulder and trying to comfort him when he was hurt with sweet (but restricted) words. She wanted to embrace him tenderly, tell him she loved him, and see him smile because of it. Jen leaned back against the tree, closed her eyes, and sighed loudly.
"Don't we look depressed."
Jen's body jerked; she gasped, and her eyes flew open. Garu Sayoe was towering over her, and the sun was glistening in his fine blonde hair. He squatted by her side. "What's up with you? I heard you, uh, made a bit of a fool of yourself in English class. That's not what you're moping over, is it?"
"I'm not moping over anything." Jen regained her composure as quickly as she could. "You know I'm jumpy. Please don't scare me like that." She stared at her friend for a moment. "How did you know about English? It's been, what-six minutes since the class ended?"
"Yeah, well, Mimi Tachikawa's in your class."
"Ah. Point made." Garu eased out of his squatting position and sat down next to Jen. He stared at her in a nearly critical way, as if he was evaluating Jen's looks. It made Jen feel a bit nervous. She wondered what he was looking for and hoped that he wasn't judging her appearance. Doing that now, after all these years, seemed strange, but the minds of males work in mysterious ways.
"W-why are you staring at me?" she finally asked after a few long seconds. Garu smiled boyishly.
"Is that a crime?" he questioned in reply.
"Looking is fine. Staring is usually considered rude." Garu started snickering, and soon he was laughing loudly. Jen understood what was funny about her comment. Garu was hot, and he knew it-everyone knew it, it was very hard to miss. He was a French boy (his family had moved from France to Britain to Japan, back to France, and back to Japan again because of his father's job) with fine blond hair that framed his face in gentle waves. His pale blue eyes sparkled, and he was built soundly. Girls stared at him openly wherever he went, which, according to Jen's comment, made them all rude. Jen waited for his laughter to subside. "Are you quite finished?"
Garu grinned at her. "Yes, I think I am." His serious demeanor returned; he was very quiet and reserved around most people. "Didn't you ask me a question? Oh, why was I staring at you." His serious manner darkened into graveness, and for a moment he was silent. "No reason. Where are your friends?"
Jen wasn't at all satisfied with his answer, but she wouldn't press the issue. "I, umm, didn't want to be teased."
"Your friends shouldn't tease you." Garu was staring at his sandwich almost bitterly.
"Why not? You do." Jen blinked at him. "Something wrong?" Her friend didn't reply. He was looking straight ahead. Jen's friends had found her, and they were advancing on her hideout. Matt sped up his pace so he could get there first, and soon he was sitting down by Jen's side with a big grin on his face.
"Extra credit, Jen? Hah! That's rich! Poor thing, you've gotta pull up that 97%, huh?" he teased as he nudged her. Jen couldn't stop herself from smiling as the others sat themselves around her.
"Hi Garu," Tai said. He sat down next to Matt. "Why'd ya bolt after class, Jen? And what's up with running off to farthest reaches of the grounds? We had trouble finding you."
"Maybe she didn't want to put up with Matt," Tera observed. She got settled beside Tai. Matt snorted in annoyance at her comment.
"I liked the poem you wrote," Mimi told Jen. "It was so sweet and romantic!" She caught sight of Garu and giggled. "Hi!" Garu gazed inexpressibly at her.
Jen sighed. "Thanks, Meems."
"Were you spacing out during yesterday's class or what?" Sora asked. "You're not sick, are you?" She frowned in concern.
"Nah, she was just being her normal, ditzy self," Matt decided through a mouthful of food. Garu glared icily at him. Soon he turned his cold eyes to Izzy, who completed the circle as he sat down. The redhead happened to look up and catch his unpleasant stare. He frowned at him; they were rivals in tournaments, just as Matt and Jen were. However, those two had managed to get over that, and they were pretty good friends (although one had to look beyond Matt's love of tormenting Jen to realize it.) Garu had, for some reason, decided to treat Izzy like a rival at all times, not just during tournaments. Izzy couldn't do much but bear it, especially because Garu was such good friends with Jen.
Izzy turned away from the blonde heartthrob and tried to silently catch Jen's attention. She was really too busy warding off Tai and Matt as they picked on her to notice him, though. Izzy sighed silently in his heart as he dug into his lunch. He wondered if Jen had gotten anything out of English class.... And what about that poem of hers? Of course, there was the distinct possibility that Jen had just made a ditzy mistake, but....
*******
"Finally!" Jen exclaimed as she pulled on her outdoor shoes in the genkan. "Home! Friday! Festival! Yukata!"
"Takoyaki," Tai groaned. He had been assigned the lovely job of serving octopus. Jen patted his head sympathetically.
"My poor cousin," she commented as she stood up. She watched Tai pull a pair of muddy cleats out of his locker. "Soccer practice today, huh?"
"Yeah." Tai struggled with a knot in the shoestrings. Jen stared at him for a moment, amused by the huge amount of difficulty that his shoes were giving him. After a minute or so, she realized that she couldn't stand around all day.
"I've gotta get going! I've got a lot to think about!" Tai rolled his eyes at his cousin. She ignored the gesture and reached over to touch a lock of his crazy hair. "Poof!" she said happily while she ran her fingers through his bushy doo. The Tamer exited the genkan with an energetic bounce fueling her steps. Tai stared after her, shaking his head slowly.
"Yeah, kind of weird, huh?" Tai jumped as Matt's voice sounded behind him. He whirled around to see the blondy standing behind him. "What is she, hair fetish?"
"Got me," replied the Yagami boy. "She just likes hair a lot." Matt snorted.
"Yeah, that's what I meant by 'hair fetish'." He looked down at his friend, who was pulling on his shoes on the floor. "Your whole family is either dumb or really weird. 'Cept maybe your cute kid sister-Ow! Hey, man!"
Tai had chucked a mud-ridden cleat at Matt's face. He was shocked to see blood dripping down his cheeks. The soccer player jumped to his feet.
"Matt! Oh hell, I'm sorry-I didn't mean to throw it hard-C'mon, I'll take you to the nurse. I'm so sorry! Oh, man...." Tai grasped Matt's arm in an attempt to guide him to the health room. The blonde shoved him away and stalked wordlessly out of the genkan.
*********
About ten minutes later, Matt was sitting in the health room with a big bandage on his cheek. Tai was sitting anxiously next to him. He knew that Matt would knock his block off as soon as they were off of school property. Even though the slur against his family still stung in his mind, Tai would take his beating when it came. "I'm sorry," he repeated.
For a moment Matt did not acknowledge him. After a pause he turned to face his apologetic friend. "Nah, forget it."
Tai stared at him. Was this some kind of trick?
"I had no right to insult your family. I went too far." The image of TK, his younger brother, flashed through his mind. He knew that he wouldn't let anyone, not even Tai, get away with insulting him. "If I were you, I would have chucked a shoe at me, too." A grin found its way across Matt's injured face. "Just do me a favor and throw a regular shoe next time."
***********
Izzy watched his fellow Guard Tamers lazily as they rushed around to make last-minute preparations. The fund-raising festival would begin in about ten minutes. The redhead would have offered to help the stragglers, but he knew that if he broke their anxious trains of thought or threw them off of their frenzied grooves he'd have his head bitten off. At any rate, he did have one thing to worry about, despite the fact that he had set up his station already. Jen was nowhere to be seen.
And so the procrastinators slaved away in the fading light of the sun. Soon the last feeble rays of orange and red would give way to the heavy darkness of night. Here, however, in the calm setting of Digital City's park, the blackness would not rule. Of course, the calmness of the place had long since disappeared, owing to the hectic festivities of the extraordinary occasion. But at any rate, here the night was welcome and met with a fantastic array of lights.
People were quickly erecting canopy structures that would shelter their stations. The girls fussed and whined about getting their yukatas dirty, and the boys were having trouble with the sleeves of their obis. Izzy watched them from his station and found himself dozing off in his chair. He was nearly asleep when someone clamped their hands against his shoulders. The redhead jumped from his seat.
"Whoops!" Jen released him with a grin. "Don't have a heart attack now!" Izzy sighed with relief and looked up at her. His planned comment died on his lips.
Jen looked expectantly at him while he stared. She tilted her head in a way that said, "Yes?" Izzy struggled to get something out besides, "U-uh...."
"So!" a loud voice called. Izzy spun around in his seat to identify the intruder. "That's what you had to think about, Jen!" The visitor was Tai. He was wearing a blue obi with an apron covering it. His arms were laden with boxes, but he set them down before walking under Izzy's canopy.
Tai stood in front of Jen and looked her over. She had curled her long hair. The strands at the front that normally hung around her face at different lengths were pulled back into two small braids that intertwined at the back of her head. The curls cascaded from beneath those crowning braids like an auburn waterfall. Her yukata was light purple, and lime-colored leaves were embroidered onto it. With a grin Tai fingered a curl and have it gentle tug. "Poof." Jen smiled at him.
"You flatter me, Tai," she said. "You look great, too, especially with that sexy apron on." Tai grinned.
"You'd better believe it," he replied. He glanced at the boxes that he was carrying and sighed. "Look, I've gotta go. Octopus pieces are calling me. Have fun, kids." He lifted his burden again and walked off.
"Kids?" Jen asked. "I'm older than him." She shrugged at Izzy as she tried to hide her disappointment. No one had commented on the laborious project that was her appearance. She was suddenly bitten by a lack of self-confidence. In an attempt to win it back, she decided to bait Izzy by telling him that he looked cute in his orange obi. Before she could, however, another Tamer interrupted her. This time it was Garu. He was wearing an obi that was the same blue-green color of the sea.
"Well look at you," he said. "How long did that take you?" Like Tai, he walked up to Jen to touch a curled lock. However, he didn't playfully tug at it; he gently ran his fingers through the curly mass. "You remind me of the paintings of Roman goddesses."
Jen blushed. She was used to compliments on her voice, artwork, and her grades, but no one ever complimented her on her looks. "Y-you don't mean it." You can't mean it, she thought. People only say I look nice on special occasions. Admittedly, Jen had left her house feeling that she looked rather attractive, but she was really delighted with her curls.
Garu frowned. "Of course I mean it. I don't flatter people." He looked really annoyed, so Jen hastened to make amends.
"Well...thank you." She crossed her arms over her chest and feigned annoyance. "You, of course, always look great." Garu allowed himself a smile, and Izzy turned away from them.
"I always hate to desert a good-looking girl, but my fellow Black Swords won't want me getting too friendly with a Gold Hawk at an official Guard Tamer event, and I've got work to do. Have fun."
"Oh, I will. It'll be great! You enjoy yourself too, Garu." Another grin found its way across his face.
"We're getting relieved half-way through the festival, you know. Would you like to go around with me?" he asked. Izzy listened intently as he tried to look busy and inattentive.
Jen hesitated. "Well, um," she started uncomfortably. "I was hoping...well, I want to be available...in case, umm, someone asks me.... Sorry, Garu-san..."
A grave look passed Garu's handsome face. His gaze traveled past Jen's shoulder to Izzy, who had gone noticeably weak with relief. The blonde's penetrating blue gaze returned to Jen. "Alright," he said simply. He couldn't decide whether to ask her to find him if the person that she had in mind didn't ask her to the festival. He didn't want to be her second choice, but he also didn't want to miss the chance to spend his free time with her. Garu decided to figure it out later as he turned to walk off. Jen stared after him with a worried and downcast look on her face.
"What's up with you?" a funny voice demanded. Jen knew it was Mantis right away. She ignored his question and asked one of her own.
"Where were you?"
"Just scoping out the booths. Do you need me?" Here Izzy spoke up.
"We're prepared, Mantis. You're free to continue exploring." Mantis nodded and flew off.
"What do you mean?" Jen asked. She walked back to Izzy's chair. "You set everything up without me?" Izzy nodded. "Oh, I'm so sorry! You had to do it all? That stinks! You were working while I was just getting ready?"
Izzy smiled up at her. "That was work unto itself, I'm sure." He too reached up to touch Jen's hair. He searched his mind for the right words to compliment her with, but she beat him to it.
"You look cute in your obi." She smiled playfully. "Of course, it kind of clashes with your hair-" here she paused to tenderly touch his red tresses-"but I still like it. Very cute!"
Izzy tried to smile back. Cute? She had told Garu that he always looks great, and she tells him that he looks cute? He wanted her to think he was handsome. Izzy heard himself saying, "Garu was right, you know." Garu again? He's even interfering with my subconscious now. Wonderful. "You really do look like a goddess." Well, I suppose that could have come out worse, but it certainly wasn't original.
The redhead recognized the shy smile that she gave him. It was the same one that she had bestowed upon him when he read "Annabel Lee". The memory brought Izzy some confidence. "Listen, Jen-"
"Excuse me, can you please help us?" The Tamers turned away from each other to face a mother. She was shepherding three timid-looking young boys. Jen smiled at them. They're so cute! she thought.
"Sorry, ma'am. We didn't realize that it was time to start." Jen picked up three small bowls and three little hand-held nets from a basket on the ground. She distributed them out to the kids. "Here you are! If you need any help, just ask. Good luck!"
While the mother handed Izzy her fee for the game, the children walked over to a square makeshift pond. Handsome little goldfish were swimming around inside. The oldest and most experienced child tried to catch one first. He held out the bowl and watched a fish with cat-like patience. Suddenly he dipped the net into the water and attempted to push the fish into his bowl. It squirmed out of the net at the last second.
"Ooooh," Jen said, feeling sorry for him. "Too bad. It was really close!"
The second child also tried and failed. The youngest kid looked up at Jen with big, round eyes. "Will you help me?" Jen's lips curved into a warm smile.
"Of course." She kneeled by his side and gently grasped both of his hands. "Which one do you want?" He pointed to a big, spotted one. "Okay. We have to wait for it to come." They waited motionlessly as the target inched closer and closer. "Now!" Jen whispered. She darted the net into the water and plopped the fish triumphantly into the bowl.
"Alright, guy!" she cheered. "That fishy didn't stand a chance against you!" The boy beamed at her. "Now go to the redhead," Jen added, pausing to look up at the same redhead with a grin, "and he'll put your fish in a bag so it'll be safe." The boy obeyed her and marched up to Izzy like an honored hero. Soon he was walking away with his fish in a water-filled bag, his older brothers looking sulky.
Jen turned back to Izzy, smiling widely. "This'll be a fun night." She returned the bowls and the nets to their basket. "Oh, weren't you saying something when they showed up?" Izzy fidgeted a little, looking uncomfortable.
"Well, yes. I, um-"
"Finally! THERE you are!" Izzy bowed his head in defeat as a fourth party came to interrupt him. This time it was Matt. He wore a moss-green obi and a big bandage on his face.
"What happened to you, Matt?" Jen asked anxiously. He shrugged in reply.
"It's nothing." Jen opened her mouth to argue, but Matt cut her off. "Well, there is one problem. I'm not going on stage with my face looking like this."
"That's right," Izzy realized. "You were supposed to do a quick act with your band."
"Exactly. And I'm not doing it now."
"Oh Matt, you're so impossible," Jen sighed. "You made a commitment and you have to see it through."
"You sound like my mother," Matt scolded. "And I am seeing it through. Sort of. I want you to take my place." Jen blinked at him. "Look, I know you can sing. Just sing something-anything-when they announce me, okay?"
"You've got to be kidding me." Jen rubbed at her throbbing temples.
"C'mon, you owe me one, kid!"
"I'm older than you. I swear! And since when do I owe you anything?"
"Well-" Matt paused to think about that. "My birthday's very soon," he said hopefully. Jen sighed again and threw her hands up.
"Fine, I'll do it." Matt thwacked her back gratefully.
"Thanks a lot, Jen. You saved my ass." He started retreating before Jen could change her mind.
"I'd rather kick it," she muttered as another customer walked up.
*********
A while later Jen realized that she had to get going to fulfill her promise to her rival. "Izzy, I'll have to leave this to you. I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault," he replied. "Go ahead. Good luck."
"Thanks, Iz." Jen jogged towards the park's parking lot to find Quest. She needed to get a CD out of the glove compartment to sing to. The loud sounds of the festival died down as she tried to make her way through the dark. Suddenly she stopped. She had heard something.
Dark red claws emerging from the shadows...glistening teeth, dripping with saliva...bloodshot eyes that carried a mad gleam.... A Devidramon was lurking menacingly in the darkness.
Jen jumped to the left, narrowly avoiding the Digimon's Crimson Claw technique. Its force still managed to knock her to the ground. After a moment, she shakily got to her feet and glared darkly at her attacker. "Are you trying to get my new yukata dirty?" she demanded in a hard voice. Her hand flew into her pocket to withdraw her digivice. In a flash of light, Puru emerged from it. The Ultimate Digimon made easy work of the Champion.
"What was that all about?" Puru asked. "I thought this was a festival."
"Yes," Jen replied, staring into the darkness. "Someone thinks I know too much."
*********
"I want to go home."
"But you're done singing, and we've been relieved. You can enjoy the festival now."
"No, please. I just want to go home!"
"Why?" Izzy asked. He placed a hand on Jen's forehead. "Don't you feel well?"
"No, not really. I think I may be coming down with something."
"You don't feel warm." That much was true, but Izzy had noticed that Jen had been shivering involuntarily ever since she got back from singing. "Is something wrong? Are you cold?"
"I'm just...I'm going home." Jen had been scared stiff ever since she realized that the Blood Knights had her marked.
"Alright. Do you want me to take you?" Izzy asked.
"You can't. Someone needs to take Quest home."
"It's dark. We can turn on the navigation system and have Revien take Quest to your home. No one will notice."
Jen paused. "Well... I don't want to trouble you. You go ahead and enjoy the festival. Quest will get me home safely, don't worry."
"You won't be covered from the cold air," Izzy pointed out. He desperately wanted to drive Jen home because he knew that something was wrong. "I don't want you to get sick. You seem to be starting a cold, and it could get worse."
Although Jen knew that she'd feel much safer with Izzy, something held her back from accepting his kind offer. For once, she'd be completely alone with him. No classmates, no fellow Tamers, no Digimon. Just the two of them. That was the most appealing and terrifying thought in the world.
"I'll be fine. Just enjoy yourself. I'll see you soon."
Izzy's heart sank. "Jen, I wish you'd let me escort you." Jen stared at her shoes and Izzy sighed internally. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow, then."
"Tomorrow? What's tomorrow?"
"Tai asked us to come over, remember?" Jen nodded as that fact came back to her. Izzy took another stab at gaining Jen's company. "Do you want me to pick you up? You don't live very far from Tai, so it's no trouble." Jen didn't want to argue anymore, so she caved in.
"Alright. Thank you." Izzy smiled at her, causing Jen's heart to miss a beat. She muttered good-bye before walking cautiously to Quest.
********
By the next day, Jen's emotions were extremely jumbled by the fear that haunted her soul. If the Blood Knights wanted her dead, she didn't have long to live. Stop that, she thought angrily. You've got really tough Digimon watching over you. Don't you have confidence in them?
A knock at the door caught Jen's attention. "Bye Mom," she called. "I'm going to Tai's." She swung the door open and tried to smile at Izzy, who was waiting for her.
"Good morning," he said as he led the way to his car. He opened Jen's door for her.
"Why do guys do that? I'm perfectly capable of opening my own door," Jen pointed out. Izzy blinked at her.
"It's polite," he replied. Jen smiled at him as convincingly as she could.
"Don't trouble yourself with the door thing. I've got it under control." She sat herself down and closed her door.
"You can be very unusual," Izzy informed her as he settled down in the driver's seat. He started the car and pulled out of the driveway. At the first stop sign he turned to her. "What's wrong?" he demanded gently.
So that's why he was so desperate to drive me home, Jen realized with disappointment. For some reason she didn't want to tell Izzy, but when she took a look at his worried face she found herself revealing the whole story to him. He shook his head in disbelief.
"How could they possibly know that you're on to them?" he asked in bewilderment. Jen stared at her hands.
"I don't know," she whispered, "but I'm so scared, Izzy." The redhead pulled over and turned to look at her. He could tell that her insides were squirming and shaking, but she was holding her discomfort in check. You should feel free to cry, Izzy thought. I wish I could allow you to cry on my shoulder. But what can I do for you? Simply tell you that it will be alright? I'd do anything to bear this difficulty for you....
"You'll be fine," Izzy assured her. "The Digimon won't let you suffer. You can be sure that they'll protect you to the last." Jen nodded slowly. A moment later, Izzy started the car up again.
**********
"So why exactly did you ask us to come over, Tai?" Izzy wondered as he sat in Tai's room. Matt was beside him and Tai was lounging on his bed.
"You know, just to hang out." Tai sat up straight.
"What about Jen?" Matt asked. Tai grinned.
"So she'd make us some cookies." Izzy slapped his forehead.
"Actually, Izzy, there is some business that we have to attend to," Tai pointed out. He shared a demonic look with Matt. Izzy found himself gulping worriedly.
"We happen to know something juicy about out favorite little redhead," Matt casually said. Izzy raised his eyebrows as he wondered what he had done that would fit under the category of 'juicy'.
Matt didn't wait for him to ask questions. He retained his calm nonchalance as he continued his little speech. "I happened to notice," he claimed as he carelessly fixed his famous hair, "that our own little Izzy has his eyes on a very big prize."
His words had the effect that he had hoped for. The color of Izzy's face drained away, but his cheeks were pink. He looked like a blushing porcelain doll without the beauty that they possessed. As a matter of fact, Tai summed Izzy's expression up when he said, "Don't puke now, Iz."
How? Izzy's mind screamed. I haven't told a soul. I can't believe-
Izzy's thoughts were interrupted when Matt continued his lecture. "Now, Mimi's the hottest girl of the grade-except for Sora, of course." Here Matt paused to look pleased with himself. "You can imagine our surprise when we found out that our little Izzy here has the hots for her!"
Izzy blinked as his surprise gave way to confusion and finally relief. His tense body loosened up and he exhaled loudly. "I don't have a crush on Mimi," he informed Matt and Tai as the color crept back into his face. Matt cringed and grasped at his heart.
"Izzy!" he cried. "I'm hurt! I'm shocked!"
"We didn't think you'd lie to your friends, man!" Tai added. His acting skills weren't as good as Matt's; he couldn't stop grinning.
The poor genius stared at the two of them in disbelief. "But I meant it," he explained numbly. He lifted his hand to his brow to rub at the hideous headache that was forming there. Matt's only response was to squeeze at his heart harder. Tai, however, caught Izzy round the neck with his left arm and put the knuckles of his right hand against his head.
"Tell us the truth," he teased, "or I'll rub the skin off your skull!" The brunette demonstrated his point by giving Izzy a noogie. The painful pangs that were caused by his headache intensified as Tai's knuckles dug into his scalp.
Izzy knew that the only way to escape his tormentors was to tell them that he had affections for Mimi. He sighed at his fate, but such was life, as he was well aware. Why is nothing fair? he asked himself bitterly as he resigned himself to the situation.
********
Jen hummed merrily as she carried a tray. She had made cookies and lemonade for the boys. Baking always improved her mood, and Izzy's reassurance had helped, too. She paused in the hallway before a sliding door and frowned. She thought she heard Izzy making loud, discomforted sounds.
Someone's gonna get it, she thought darkly as she slid the door open slightly. Tai, Matt, and Izzy had their backs to her, and her cousin was giving her partner a noogie. Izzy was squirming uncomfortably as the other boys picked on him. Jen was about to start scolding Tai when Izzy's own shout cut her off.
"Fine, you win-I like Mimi!"
The boys didn't notice Jen as she silently shut the door. She could hear Matt and Tai laughing and talking ("See, that wasn't so hard!" "Yeah, man. Good luck-hah! You'll need it!") as she stared at the door. She felt nothing but shock as she stood there, frozen stiff. Slowly numbness replaces the shock, and Jen realized that she was able to stand no longer. She sunk to the floor and placed the tray beside her.
It was all coincidence, Jen thought painfully. Her already jumbled emotions boiled over, and she felt tears stinging at her eyes. She knew it would take a while to walk home, but she'd do it. She knew it was dangerous because of the Blood Knights, but she'd do it anyway. She didn't want anyone to see her crying, but she couldn't stay there any longer. With a stifled sniff, Jen got to her feet and left Tai's house.
****************************************************************************
Jenashu: Another long one. Sorry it took so long, everyone. I've really gotta do my homework-R&R!!!!!!!
Yama: See ya, people.
Jenashu: I love the play, but I can't wait for it to be over. I can write more when it is! So look forward to that! Ohh, the next chapter is really sad, so be prepared. Later!