Chapter 1: Izumi Orimoto and the real world
Disclaimer: Why would I own an Anime show? Stop pestering me with the lawsuit stuff.
LunaOpAznG3: I feel very happy 'cause this is my third and newest story. The plot is not your everyday typical one so I hope you enjoy reading this story. I tried to make the summary interesting but some how my fics never get a lot of reviews. Well, I have a decent amount but everyone else has like 80-150 reviews sometimes. I'm jealous. ^ ^;
I should just appreciate my feedback though, right?
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(Izumi's P.O.V.)
"So, we have the history project to do, right?" Takuya asked.
I watched him carefully, making note of each long stride my friend took and the way he seemed to not care where his feet took him. Staring at the clouds made him unobservant of his surroundings.
"What a laidback attitude. I've always wished I could be so carefree like that," I thought on our way home from school. Depressing thoughts threatened to overcome me these days.
"Yeah… Not to mention the chemistry and geography test we gotta study for." Junpei answered.
With his book bag swinging back and forth, Junpei seemed to mirror Takuya's carefree outlook on life. Of course, he was not as carefree. Why? Well, when you walk into a lamp post, you know you should pay more attention to the things around you.
Junpei had dodged the wooden pole swiftly as Takuya crashed his big head into it.
We finally let out huge bursts of giggles. I held on to Kouichi and Tomoki to keep from falling to the ground.
Through my eyes, I saw Takuya rubbing his head and growling, obviously annoyed.
"What're you laughing at, huh? That hurt!" he yelled at us. We still expressed our amusement after the incident every now and then, even Kouji whose stern mannerisms often hide his childish side.
Noticing our continuous laughter, Takuya yelled, "Shut up already! Just wait till I get you all back tomorrow!"
"Okay. Give us your best shot, Tacky." Junpei replied. Immediately, Takuya lightly elbowed him in the side.
"Hey, what did you do that for? Lighten up a bit, will you?" he said.
I sighed out loud. "I wish I could lighten up. We got so much homework I can't help but be stressed out." I chimed in.
Everyone nodded in agreement, ignoring the argument between Junpei and Takuya. We all had our pockets stuffed with to-do lists and homework assignments.
"I feel sorry for you all. I am homework free! Yippeee!" Tomoki rubbed in.
We all looked at him with jealous eyes. "Hey, just wait till next year, little buddy." I told him while patting his hair. After all this time, he finally got rid of his hat last year.
A few minutes later, we waved good-bye to him. "Well, there's my house. See you tomorrow guys!" Tomoki ran to his front door and slammed it shut behind him. His mom waited for him inside.
"That lucky little kid." Kouichi said. He started to yawn. "Come on, let's get going. I'm tired."
Kouji looked at him with worry. "Didn't you sleep last night?" he asked.
"Of course." he replied, trying to shake it off. He hated to get Kouji all worked up but sometimes it was inevitable. Kouichi did have a good little brother. It felt weird to think that. Seeing Kouji care about someone made me see how much the Digital World had done for him. Before, he had no intentions of concerning himself with anyone else.
I lowered my gaze to the ground. My feet took me forward one small inch at a time. I compared my steps to Takuya's again. God, I wanted to be careless for a day. Or if that wasn't possible, at least have someone else to worry about my problems.
Junpei departed soon after Tomoki. His house was always busy and fun to hang out in, but it lacked the peaceful calmness that Kouichi's house had. Soon after, the blue-haired boy left too.
Kouji waved good-bye to his bigger brother and continued to walk with Takuya and me. We kept on walking until we reached the subway station.
My ears were met with the comforting sound of the rails being grinded by stream-lined trains. This was how I ended every school day.
We bought our tickets from the booth. Takuya and Kouji boarded one train and I went on another. Before we left the station to go on our separate ways, I waved to them through the window of my seat.
They waved back through their window. We kept on waving until the trains started moving and we were too far away to see each other's hands, our silhouettes fading slowly away. This was tradition and we did it everyday after school.
I leaned back and rested my head against the leather seat. Only an old couple and another boy sat in this part of the train. On some days, there would be no place to sit down, on others, the awkward silence between two or three people drove me insane. I don't even try to make conversation when that happens. I'm always tired going home.
The train stopped at another station filled with people. I got off quickly and weaved my way around mothers and their kids, businessmen, and other people my age. My house was one block away, on the very verge of white and simple, it screamed minimalist. Perhaps that was true. My parents never have time to decorate. They're even too busy to spend time with me.
I don't really hate them for that, well at least not anymore. I realized after we got back from the Digital world that they have to do their jobs or else we would not be living in such a nice place. Besides, my friends always were welcome to keep me company.
I was happily humming some made-up tune while putting my book bag away, figuring that I needed to rest before doing homework. I went up to my room. My diary waited for me on my small bed.
The book was rather old. Its tattered pages were leftovers from days I cried because I was so aggravated my emotions came through in tears instead of screams. In fact, those pages were from just a week ago. It's true that life had indeed been a little frustrating for a while now, especially since starting my junior year in high school. My life was becoming more stressful as the days passed. I started to write with tense fingers.
Dear Diary,
I am quite happy right now at this very minute, but you know that's not how I feel lately. I feel so stressed. The weight of a world has been on me before and another one feels like it is too. I don't know why I can't handle everything that's being thrown at me. Usually, I can stick through things but I am slowly unraveling. I can't think clearly anymore and my mind won't allow me to work on the things I have to, like my homework. I'm overwhelmed. Maybe I should take a break and then go back to this hectic life. I just want to be free. I never thought I'd feel this way. I've always thought that I could take on anything. Guess not…
For some reason I continued writing down my thoughts for a long time. I poured my heart and soul into that entry. I felt much better afterward. It was like all the excess stuff had drained right out of me. I closed the diary and placed it on my dresser, next to my scrapbook.
"Now for homework!" I said. By being enthusiastic, I thought it would make it easier to deal with everything. I didn't know if I could last through another day like that one, but I promised myself along time ago to keep living. It was the best I could do.
End of Chapter 1
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LunaOpAznG3: So how was that? I decided to edit this chapter because it wasn't what I call a good introduction. Anyway, the next chapter may seem a bit more depressing than this one, but I plan to brighten the mood soon. Review please! Thanx!