"Ohmigod! This would look GREAT on you!"
Takato grinned nervously; a small droplet of sweat ran down his cheek. Oh... why him? It wasn't like he ever deserved this...! Eyeing the outfit Angel-Chan was brandishing off in front of him, he held back a gag. This was so unfair...! Yet... it was sorta his own fault, eh? He, after all, was the one to agree with Angel's plans. Ignoring the suppressed chuckled off to his right-- Rika, no doubt-- the boy started: "Well, I don't think--"
Angela tutted and shoved the outfit into her friend's face. "Look at it!" she exclaimed, causing a few people to turn and look toward the small group. Their confused, weary stares tempted to burn a hole into the shrieking girl. Did it bother her? Heck, no! Teko needed to put a little more effort into her poor excuse for a wardrobe! I mean, what she was wearing now...! Jean overalls and a light blue t-shirt? "It would SO go with your eyes!"
Okay... she couldn't help it-- it was rather funny. Rika shoved her hands into her pockets and glanced away. Stupid people. Still, she couldn't help but peek at the scene laid out before her: the blond girl was ranting about the article of clothing in her hands (Rika shuddered and thanked God that the girl didn't pick out anything for her) while Teko tried to explain that she DIDN'T like the outfit. "Idiots...," muttered she, a small smirk tugging at her lips.
"Angel-Chan...!" he whined, stomping his foot weakly. That was it! He couldn't take it any more!!! No more mister... er, 'miss' nice guy! "I don't have that much money, and I really don't need any new clothes, darn it!" Oh, yeah... that was laying down the law, all right!
So that's how it was... huh? Deflated and somewhat disappointed, Angela spat, "Oh... fine." Sniffing to herself, the girl threw the article of clothing off to the side, caring not where it landed. If that's how Teko felt, then.... Wait a sec! A soft purple shirt caught her eye; she snatched it, turned, and giggled... somewhat evilly. "Hey... Sis!"
Unaware of her elder sister's plans, young Squirtle-girl groaned and cursed silently. How she hated shopping for clothes! That was one reason why she almost didn't go with them! Angel's call brought her back to the world of the living, and she muttered a few choice words. Geeze... what did she want? Upon looking at her sister... and what she held in her hands, fear flooded her. Cried she, "NO!"
"Kukuku!!!! Andria, sis, this would look PERFECT on you!"
The girl, with horror-stricken eyes, took a few steps back, watching as her sister advanced.... A deer caught in the deathly headlights of a car... that was how she felt. Breaking her gaze away from her zany sister, she found the strength to speed away. Squitle-girl shot out of the store and into the mall, stopping only when she came to the nearby Waldens Bookstore. Safe...!
...for now, at least.
School Day Blues
Part Six: A Night on the Town (Part Two)
The mall: hunting ground for shoppers; 'happy place' to those who have no life; hell for those who are nonsocial. There were stores galore! Need clothes? No prob! Looking for a video game? Right around the corner! Why, you need something for your pet? Look no further! Groceries? The store at the end will help you there! Gee-- want some useless thing that just looks cool? There's bound to be a store just for that!
Oh, forget about the stores. Now, the food court, on the other hand.... One can only drool...!
"So... now what?"
Takato gave Rika a dry laugh as he glanced around sluggishly. What to do...? Well, for one thing, he really wanted to go to the card store. Of course, Angel-Chan would be less than likely to follow... and he didn't want to be all alone with Rika. Darn... all that blond wanted to do was go clothing shopping! Groaning, he plopped onto a nearby bench as two of his companions (take a wild guess) squabbled over where to go next. Grumbled he, "Great...."
"Apparently," Rika drawled darkly, "no one listened to me...." When silence (well... aside from the incessant rants of the two sisters) continued, she decided to give in. Why was she there...? This was a total waste of time! There were so many other things she could do-- things of much more importance! Renamon needed some more training, as always; a digimon could have been running amuck somewhere nearby at that very moment (although she knew, deep down, that no such thing was taking place); or perhaps some other IMPORTANT thing...!
'It's not like I came here because I want to be... friends with that Teko girl...!'
A snort; Rika leaned back and shut her eyes. Like that would ever happen! ...but, in some small crevice in her mind, she knew that she was simply lying to herself. It just so happened that she was too stubborn to admit it.
"-- and THAT'S why!"
Bopping her younger sibling on the head quickly, Angel-Chan turned to grin widely at her shopping buddies. A new destination had finally been decided! "Are you two ready-- or do you wanna rest some more?" inquired she, adjusting her oval specks meekly. Perhaps... perhaps a run-in with Kazu would occur...? Ooh! How delightful! Giggles suppressed, the girl skipped off, not really caring if the others followed her anymore.
A sigh escaped her lips meekly before she shot a raspberry in her elder sister's direction. It just wasn't fair! Who cared if she was older...? The girl tossed a pleading look to her sister's friends; one chuckled weakly while the other rolled her eyes and groaned. Well... they were no help! Squirtle-girl let out a sob and toddled after Angel-Chan, hoping that she would be able to go anime and manga shopping later.
And so... the brave Takato set forth on a perilous journey, accompanied by only his wits due to a huge loss in pride. After all, how many guys dressed up as a girl and went shopping... for CLOTHES? He shuddered; just thinking of that made him sick to his stomach. Still, he had to keep telling himself that it was all for the sake of learning more about Rika. An insane giggle sounded off to his right, and he could practically hear the redhead's knuckles crack in irritation.
Something deep down told him that, alas, it would be a looong night.
"No way!" Angel-Chan's eyes light up with excitement. "They actually HAVE it!!"
Where were they...? Well, (surprise, surprise!) they found themselves right outside the entrance to the Kinokuniya bookstore. As in... NOT a clothing store! Takato stared at the girl in shock. She... she actually enjoyed manga?! Miracles never ceased! A grin popped onto his face as the small group entered the inviting store.
Squirtle-girl disappeared, muttering something about Yu-Gi-Oh! and Tokyo Mew-Mew; Angel-Chan could be seen swarming about the many volumes of Inuyasha... whilst glomping a certain, hanyou-like plushie she'd seen on a nearby stand. Takato sighed; his new friends' antics would certainly embarrass him to death one day.... Oh, well! Time to search! Now where were they...? A-HA! The boy grinned from ear to ear as he looked over the Naruto and Shaman King sections. New volumes for both of them!! He reached out to get a better look at the Naruto manga... and accidently bumped hands with a certain redhead. A faint blush painted his face as he drew away from the book. "S-sorry!" he squeaked. It was as if she'd snuck up on him or something! "You can look at it."
Keh.... Rika crossed her arms stubbornly and shoved her nose in the air. "It's not...," grumbled she, "like I LIKE that series...!" Nooo! It was just that she'd been reading it since it had first come out! Her deep violet eyes trailed over to the bookcase... then slid toward something else. Teko had seen it first, right? That gave her first dibs! A frown appeared on her annoyed face. "Aren't you gonna look at it?"
"I'm fine-- my money's low, anyway! You can have it."
A harsh snort flew from her nose. Why would someone try to be so kind to her? Everyone else treated her like crap-- and she returned their feelings tenfold! Still... this girl was different. Kind, yet meek... and her heart seemed almost pure. A certain person popped into her head; yeah... a goggle-headed person. True, the two were alike... but, of course, there were many differences! Mainly, gender! Attempting a grin (which she assumed resembled a smirk, due to the effect it had on the person next to her), Rika gently grasped the book; with a quick flick of her thumb, she skimmed the pages delicately. She looked up and offered:
"How's about we share it?"
No. Way! Did he actually do something right?! He'd done it-- Rika had shown him some kindness! Before the boy could hop onto cloud nine, he found the courage to nod vigorously and point out a few other 'interesting' books. So... she liked the same manga he did, eh? Small world! Finally, he was learning a little bit more about his crush.... Perhaps the whole 'dress-up-as-a-girl' plan WAS working...!
...or maybe he was getting a little ahead of himself.
Bo-ring!
The mall had absolutely nothing to offer her anymore! Sure, there were guys-- but most were either taken or hideously ugly. Clothing could be bought off the internet, so she didn't have to drag all of her money in town. Heck-- she could talk to her friends on AIM! So... why did she go?
Well, as rumor had it... the Demonic Princess was roaming the mall.
Kiyo cackled evilly as she studied the people walking around. If that were true... then she'd have a lot of blackmail on the girl! To either side of her bounced a hyper Bev and a giddy Hitomi. Thanks to Bev's constant gossip chain, the three of them were hoping to catch Rika in the process of doing something degrading-- you know, buying 'girlie' shirts, riding one of those quarter-kiddie rides, etc.
The thing was... Rika was so hard to find! The pink haired girl ranted for a few moment in hopes of letting out some steam; her counterparts begged her to calm down... but their attempts were futile. Ooh! The one day she felt like busting the Fireball just happened to be the day that she was being too uberly hard to find!! Why was the mall so crowded, anyway? Didn't these people have lives? Friday or not, there were better things to do than be a mall rat!
A red, spiky ponytail bobbed through the sea of chattering people; it headed toward the food court in a laid-back, uncaring speed that one could easily catch up to. Heh... so luck decided to shine before her for a little while, eh? Kiyo smirked and glanced over toward Hitomi and Bev. Baring her pearly whites, the girl crowed:
"It's time, girls!"
"Who's hungry?"
Andria jumped up and down, eyes gleaming at the sudden thought of food. Oh, glorious food, how she adored it so! Cereal-- Cherios-- was her absolute favorite, of course (although it was rather hard to find such a thing at the food court when it was, like, eight o'clock in the evening). Did she eat EVERYTHING? Well... no. She was a picky eater, actually, but ate a whole lot of what she liked! "Chinese! No, wait-- Wendys! Or--"
"Why not a knuckle sandwich?"
Giggles pervaded the area. The odd quartet ended their meeting and spun toward the interrupting voices. Who was it...? When Kiyo's long pink hair filled their view... Rika snarled, Angel-Chan laughed meekly, Takato (Teko, duh) glanced around nervously, and poor little Squirtle-girl just stared in confusion. Angel-Chan, ever the brave one, decided to break the uneasy silence:
"W-Why, Kiyo-Chan...! What brings you he--"
The spoiled brat snorted and shot a 'shut-the-heck-up-before-I-make-you-wish-you-were-dead' glare toward the blond haired girl. "Cut the crap," she spat. There now... with that little hurtle out of her way, she could easily address the redhead. Kiyo turned her attention toward said person and smiled a sickly sweet grin. "Why, Rika," she snidely remarked, "what brings YOU here?" Her two sidekicks clasped their hands over their mouths as they suppressed their laughter.
Hey! That wasn't right! Angela crossed her arms defiantly and let out an annoyed grunt. Kiyo had stolen her line!! Weren't there rules against that kind of thing?! ...but, then again, she wasn't a fighter; and she still wanted to get on the girl's good side. Sighing, the blond teetered off to the sidelines (dragging her 'loving' sister along with her) and glanced around thoughtfully. Where was Kazu...?
Rika bared her teeth angrily and pushed up the sleeves of her black coat. She had KNOWN the whole mall idea would bring about some kind of problem! She cursed silently. Why had she allowed the girl to talk her into coming? Trick or not-- the way the three she'd been walking around with were acting proved their innocence-- someone would pay. Oh, yes... someone would pay dearly. "Does it matter?" hissed she, rolling her eyes at the scene of pure stupidity before her. "It's not like I don't have a life, too, Ms. 'I'm SO Rich and Popular!'"
"R-Rika...!" Takato, mind slightly numb, had not been as smart as the sisters; he stood deep within the battlefield, watching as the two girls readied themselves for a fight. God... fighting was wrong! Even if it seemed to be the only way.... He moved next to his 'dream girl' and, in a whisper, asked, "Do you really plan on fighting?"
Violet orbs shot a questioning look toward the 'girl.' Of course she was going to fight-- Kiyo deserved to be punished! If Teko wasn't going to help, she should get out of the way! "There's no other alternative."
W-what? But there was always a different route to go! Muttered he, "Fighting doesn't solve everything...." Her stature collapsed slightly as Rika turned to stare at the boy, mouth gaped open slightly. Ooooh, crap! Why did she look so... so confused?! Suddenly, it dawned on him: he'd said something that only 'Takato' would say! Awww, man-- why'd he go and screw himself over like that?! Squeaking out a nervous chortle, he tried to correct his seemingly-fatal error: "Well... that is to say.... Um, what I meant w--"
"AH!! KAZU-KUN!!!"
All eyes turned to focus on the speaker. Low and behold... Angel-Chan had spotted her 'beloved' Kazu-- along with Kenta, Henry... and some other guy. Glasses glittering from either excitement or just the light, the blond ran up and pounced on said boy as though it were the most normal thing in the world. Despite the protests erupting from the visor-bearing lad, she hung on for dear life.
Snorting, Rika regained her composure and stormed toward the group. 'Fighting doesn't solve everything... huh?' She shook her head. One time-- she'd humor the brown haired girl JUST one time. When Kiyo shouted snide remarks and threats, the redhead glanced over her shoulder and sent a piercing glare toward the nuisances. "I don't feel like messing with maggots like you today...," was all that came from her mouth as she walked off.
So... no fighting? Phew! And here he thought that he was gonna have to step in and TRY to stop the fist fight. Heh... knowing how good of a fighter he was... he'd have probably gotten the worse end of the deal. Chuckling to himself, 'Teko' toddled off after his companions; the only question currently on his mind was... who, exactly, was that guy standing with the others?
"Kiyo-- she's getting away!" Bev spun on her heels, eyes wide. What about the blackmail-- the GOSSIP?! She needed something to spread around the school!
So... they knew some guys, eh? Interesting.... Cocking an eyebrow, the pink haired 'princess' smirked and stated, "Maybe... there's more to those losers than we first thought."
What...? Hitomi blinked and tilted her head to the side. "Meaning...?" she started, glancing back at the redhead's retreating form. Why didn't Kiyo follow them... or something?
Shaking her head, Kiyo turned and swaggered off. An idea was brewing deep within her mind. One that would surely do much more damage than a simple little fight.... Besides, brawls were becoming... rather boring.
Why did it have to be him?! Tears streaming down his tanned face, Kazu sent pleading looks toward his companions; they chortled menacingly and ignored his begs for freedom. Darn them! Next time, when they needed help, they'd better not turn to him! HE'D SHUN THEM ALL!
"If it isn't the Tweedle-Dumb brothers and company," murmured a narrow-eyed Rika, fighting to keep her twitching hands inside her coat pockets. If she were to take them out... those idiots would probably never see the light of a new day. Oh, yeah... her nerves were shot.
Kenta huffed, giving the redhead a much-needed dirty look. Why was she so mean?! And how could Takato actually LIKE her?! He glanced around slowly; and he noted the food-obsessive girl who'd stolen most of his sandwich the other day. A grin flashed onto his face. Sure, she was maybe one or two years younger... but she was cute. "Howdy!" The girl blinked... then asked-- rather loudly-- who he was....
The two groups grew silent for a moment.... It was an awkward, lingering silence that gave Takato the chance to study the new guy in the group. Black... seemed to be his 'thing.' Black hair, short and messy, was pushed back by a headband of the same color. His dark t-shirt portrayed his twisted sense of humor, one could suppose ('I'm never alone-- the voices in my head keep me company'); and his baggy jeans and tennis shoes were-- of course-- black. Who... was he? The boy-- with his over-the-top impersonation of a girl's voice-- decided to ask his question aloud.
Kazu, who had finally been released from Angel-Chan's death-like grip, jerked a finger toward the boy in black with a grin. "This, my friend, is DC-- don't ask me his real name, 'cause he doesn't pass it out. He's a Digimon freak who collects cards and even writes fanfiction!" Heck, yeah! Another person to do battle with! Although they'd just met the guy... Kazu wondered just how good of a deck he had-- not that it mattered, anyway. He was just trying to check out the competition.
The boy stared at Takato for a moment... before shifting the weight of his seemingly-heavy backpack onto his other shoulder. Winking, he proclaimed, "Well, then, lovely lady! Now that you know my name, it's only fair to give me yours!"
Epp...! Did he just...? The boy mechanically swerved his wigged head back and forth... hoping and praying that the new guy was talking to someone else. Nope... his gleeful eyes were trained onto 'Teko.' Dangit!! How on Earth could someone possibly think that he-- a boy merely DRESSED as a girl-- was cute?! 'Better comply... for now,' Takato told himself wearily. With a forced smile, the poor boy stammered out, "T-Teko...."
"Teko, huh?" DC practiced the name for a moment. He just had to get the feel for it, ya know? If the name sounded funny to his tongue, he'd more than likely create a nickname of some kind. Finally, "That's a really pretty name!" An annoyingly loud chortle burst out from behind him... as if it was in his backpack; ramming his elbow into his sack, he cracked a wavering smirk.
Holy crap! It... how could that have happened?! Kazu and Kenta stared in complete and utter shock, jaws nearly scrapping against the dirt-covered floor. The super-cool guy they'd met merely hours before... was taking a liking to Takato! The two sniggered silently. What a way to punish the poor, cross-dressing boy! Their brown haired friend shot them a warning glare; they merely shrugged. Hey, if Kazu was gonna get chased by a crazy girl, Takato could at LEAST put up with some romantic hints from some guy...!
Okay-- so maybe it was a little degrading....
"So... anyway, what are you guys doing here?" Henry asked, hoping to change the already-odd subject. If it wasn't one thing, it was another.... He was seriously beginning to have second thoughts about operation 'dress-Takato-up-as-a-girl-and-send-him-to-an-all-girl's-school.' ...don't ask-- it was Kazu's job to name it!
Sooo cute! Clasping her hands together, Angel-Chan leaned toward Kazu; she batted her eyes playfully. Had to send him hints! Who cared if he seemed scared... or annoyed... or both? "We," she softly whispered (mostly to Kazu), "were just shopping...!"
What?! "I thought we were gonna eat!" whined Squirtle-girl. No food? But... but they were planning on where to eat just before.... A growl escaped the girl's throat. Either she was allowed to eat, or she'd tell their mother!! Hehehe... those were the perks when you're the youngest!
Before anyone could answer-- then again... Rika looked more like she wanted to pound someone-- a glass roof shattered!
KRR-SHAAAKK!!!
Chaos ensued.
"What the...?" Angel-Chan watched on, oblivious of the fleeing shoppers, as a... a strange, dark creature hovered down from the sky! Oh, God... what was it?! It looked like.... Her face turned pale; and her glasses fell down her nose. Rasped she, "D-Demon...!" Seconds later... she fainted.
Instead of hitting the ground with a thunk... Kazu had instinctively rushed forward to catch her. Yes, he felt slightly obligated... but she'd never know that, right? Tossing his head to the right, he shouted, "It's a Devimon!"
Adrenaline pumped and surged through her veins. A digimon! Slight fear tugged at her heart, but she pushed it aside. Who cared if it was the de-evolution of IceDevimon... the one that almost.... Rika shook her head fervently and whipped out her D-Arc. "Let's go, Renamon," she murmured-- low enough for only her partner to hear. A sickingly thrilled grin pervaded upon her face... until she realized that Renamon had not appeared. Aghast, she glanced about: Brainiac was lacking his smart-mouthed partner... and no other tamer could be seen! 'Sh-shoot...,' she cursed silently, 'what do I do...?'
Takato squeezed the object in his pocket tightly, not that it would do him any good. First of all, Guilmon was at the park... probably sleeping or stuffing his face full of bread. Secondly... at the moment, he was Teko. If Rika were to see him fight with Guilmon... she'd know right away! Sweat ran down his back as helplessness engulfed him.
A smirk. With glowing red eyes, the Digimon declared, "Puny humans...! Darkness shall engulf your world!" There was a surge of energy, and some of the lights shattered. Squirtle-girl covered her head (while musing how cool real Digimon looked) with Kenta standing guard. "Allow the darkness to consume you...."
"No, thanks!"
DC took a daring step forward. No! Didn't he know how dangerous it was? Takato... well, I COULD type 'Teko,' ran over to the black-clad boy. "You can't fight that thing!" he insisted, playing the ever-impressive role of 'damsel in distress.' Sure, think what you may-- Takato was just a very kind-hearted person who didn't exactly like seeing people risk their lives when the odds were against them!
Suddenly... a head popped out of the boy's large, bulky sack. Low and behold, it was a BlackTerriermon! "Don't worry, girlie!" he quipped hyperly. With a quick flap of his enormously long ears, he landed on his partner's arm. "Moumentai! Right, DC?"
The boy ginned a toothy grin and yanked out his D-Arc. This sucker was about to pay... big time!
"Right!"
A/N: I'm BAAAAAACK! Hope you enjoyed this chappy-- it's slightly longer than the others, ya know! I'm still interested in ideas for later chapters! [chuckles] I especially liked the whole bathroom idea. Originally, I planned on ending this chapter with that, but I wanted to give it a little more of an action-y edge.
You guys remember Kiyo, Bev, and Hitomi... right? If not, go read the first chapter again! [sighs] Yes... DC has made an appearance!! Anyone else care to pop in? Just ask! (The idea for DC actually came to me one day... strange, eh?) My e-mail list is still growing! If you've changed your mail or want to be added, tell meeee! And expect an update for 'Fated' soon! I know, [gasp!] 'Fated' is ending?! The epilogue is about to be readable? ABOUT DARN TIME! Heh... don't hate me! So, I hope to get more things out more often, especially after graduation. Until the next chapter, minna!--Angel-Chan (See the little button-thing in the corner? Click it! Then, click the Review part! Leave me something really nice... and I'll update faster! -)