Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me.
LOVE'S TRUE STRENGTH
Chapter Eight: Cleansing the Palate
Kari sat back on her bed and pet Getamon.
"I don't understand," Kari muttered. "All this time, Ken has been trying to get me to like him. Then, when I start being nice to him, he gets upset. What is up with Ken?"
"He doesn't really know how to trust," Getamon informed.
"How can I change that?" Kari asked.
"Just keep being nice to him and he'll realize that you really are nice," Getamon suggested.
"I'll try, Getamon," Kari breathed.
Kari got up and kicked the digimon keypad to open the door. She walked over to the viewing room, which was open, and walked in. The Digimon Emperor was sitting in his chair and staring up at his screen. Kari smiled when she saw that he was watching the tape of her.
"Ken?" she said quietly.
He pushed a button which made the screen go blank.
"What do you want?" The Emperor asked.
Kari said the first thing that came to her, "I was wondering if I could have a window in my room. I like to look at the stars."
The Digimon Emperor glanced over his shoulder, then said, "Fine."
Kari tried to think of something else to say, but nothing was coming to her. She just stood there idly, unsure what to do now. She saw on the screen that the Digimon Emperor was beginning to design a bay window. She smiled and turned to leave.
"What color do you want it?" The Digimon Emperor asked suddenly.
"What? My window?" Kari asked.
"No, your bathing suit," the Digimon Emperor said.
"My bathing suit?" Kari repeated.
"Unless you want to swim nude," the Digimon Emperor muttered, not looking at her.
"No," she smiled. "I like the color pink."
"Pink it is," the Digimon Emperor said.
Kari smiled again and left the room.
*****************
The Digimon Emperor stood in the hall with his arms folded and his foot tapping impatiently. He looked at his watch, then shouted, "Aren't you done, yet?"
"Almost," Kari called from inside her room.
"Don't you know how to put on a bathing suit?" The Digimon Emperor asked. "Because if you did, you'd be done by now."
"Hold your horses," Kari laughed wryly. "Just one more second."
"Seconds up," The Digimon Emperor muttered.
"You know," Kari began matter-of-factly, "you could have made something less plain. Flowers might have brightened it up a bit. And if you had made it come across the chest and tie at the side, that would have been cute."
"What do I look like, a clothing designer?" The Digimon Emperor scoffed.
"Oh, never mind," Kari laughed as the door to her room swished open and she came out into the hall.
The Digimon Emperor unfolded his arms instantly upon seeing her and almost stumbled backward. He had seen her long, curved legs before when he saw her in the nighty. But this was different. The light pink bathing suit was skin tight over her hips and chest. Rarely did she wear something that showed her figure so much. A regret for not having made it a two-piece briefly crossed his mind.
"Where's your bathing suit?" Kari asked as she passed and started down the hall.
The Digimon Emperor followed, watching the way her body moved when she walked. "I, uh, um...I don't swim."
Kari rolled her eyes, sure he would change him mind when they got to the water. She stopped suddenly. The Digimon Emperor stopped too and looked at her curiously.
"Well," she said, rasing her eyebrows as if to indicate something.
"What?" The Digimon Emperor asked, not sure what she was trying to say.
"You have to lead the way," Kari told him. "I don't know how to get from place to place in your base."
"Oh!" he exclaimed, feeling rather stupid.
He walked on ahead and lead the way to the exit. From there, the Digimon Emperor and Kari took a Cyclonemon to a remote swimming hole in the middle of a forest/jungle. The water was cool on the warm night. Kari jumped in instantly and began to swim around. The Digimon Emperor sat himself on a ledge over the pond and just sat there. He watched as Kari filled her lungs with air and floated on top of the water with her eyes closed. The graceful movements of her arms made her look like an angel. She looked so lovely in the gentle light sprinkling through the jungle canopy.
Kari looked up and saw the Digimon Emperor watching her. He looked away quickly, but it was too late. Kari had seen it. She smiled to herself and let her feet touch the soft muddy ground of the pond.
"Why don't you come in?" Kari asked.
The Digimon Emperor smirked, "I don't think so."
"Is the big, bad Digimon Emperor afraid of heights?" Kari teased.
"If I were, then would I create a flying base?" The Digimon Emperor scoffed, folding his arms smugly.
"Come on, Ken," Kari urged. "Live a little."
"I told you before that I don't swim," the Emperor reminded.
"Then why'd you bring me here?" Kari asked, bobbing up and down in the water.
"Because you wanted to swim," the Digimon Emperor shrugged.
"I bet you really want to swim," Kari said.
The Digimon Emperor raised an eyebrow.
"I bet you have a pare of swimming trunks underneath your suit," Kari went on. "You love to swim. You can't stop swimming. The only reason you're not swimming right now is because it'll undermine your rough tough emperor persona. Am I right?"
"No, you're wrong," the Digimon Emperor said adamantly.
Kari let out a breath of frustration, then she got an idea.
"Oh, yeah," Kari smiled. "You hate swimming. You know why?"
The Emperor sat back to listen to her new plan to get him in the water.
"Because you aren't any good at it," Kari insisted. "Sure, you're good in academics and soccer and chess...but you could never get the hang of swimming. So, you say you DON'T swim because you don't want everyone to see that you aren't perfect after all."
The Digimon Emperor started laughing hysterically, "You think I can't swim?"
Kari nodded, knowing that it had worked.
"You just wait there a second," the Digimon Emperor said, getting up and walking into the bushes.
Kari folded her arms and waited. Soon enough, the Digimon Emperor emerged from the bushes in nothing but black swim trunks. He swaggered up a cliff.
"You think I can't swim," the Digimon Emperor began. "Watch this!"
He jumped off the cliff into a perfect swan dive. When he came up out of the water, his hair was all straight and down like it was in the real world. He actually looked like Ken again. He shook his head.
"What do you think of that?" he asked, bragging.
"You did have swim trunks under your suit after all," Kari laughed.
Ken tried to keep a straight face, but his blush gave him away.
"So tell me, perfect boy," Kari began as she slowly swam backwards away from him, "why DON'T you swim?"
Ken shrugged, "No reason in pedicular."
"So, big, bad Digimon Emperor," Kari breathed, still swimming away, "now that you are in the water, what are you going to do next?"
Ken smirked, "You are something Kari Kimiya."
"How do you mean?" Kari asked, stopping her swimming and staring at him.
"Here you are captured by the scary Digimon Emperor," Ken explained, heading toward her. "Being held against your will in a evil base and all you want to do is make sandwiches and swim. Not long ago you were crying in your room. What changed?"
"I guess you just don't scare me anymore," Kari told him as he came nearer.
Ken stopped a half a yard away, looked her over, then asked, "Then why are you trembling?"
Kari felt this chill run up her arms. He was looking at her so intensely.
"It's cold," she told him, turning and swimming toward the shore
Ken lowered his eyes and followed. Had he done something wrong? He was always doing things wrong. What did it actually take to please Kari?
Kari walked up onto the bank and wrapped her towel around her waist. She then sat down and watched the sunlight reflections on the water. Ken sat next to her, not sure what to say now.
"See that," Kari said, pointing to the sun's reflection trailed across the water. "Isn't it beautiful?"
"I use to..." Ken trailed off.
Kari looked over at him, "You use to what?"
"Nah, it's stupid," Ken said, folding his arms.
"Come on, tell me," Kari urged.
"Well," Ken shrugged, "when I was a kid, I use to think that when the sun trailed across the water like that, it made a bridge, a solid one, and you could just walk across the lake."
Kari continued to watch him, hoping he'd say more.
"Once," Ken went on, "I did try to walk across the lake, sure it would hold and I could get to the other side. Naturally, it hadn't worked and I almost drowned in the process. My mother wouldn't let me near water for years after that."
Ken glanced over at Kari to see her reaction. Did she think he was weak? No. She just looked into his eyes and faintly smiled. It wasn't a mocking smile, but a tender, understanding smile. It had the hint of affection in it. Ken was sure he was imagining that, though.
"You know, " she began, "I like you better as just plain Ken."
"Just plain Ken," he repeated, looking away.
"I mean, as apposed to the Digimon Emperor," Kari explained.
Ken just shrugged his shoulders.
A/N: What do you think? Is it starting to get good? I think so. He he. Please review.
LOVE'S TRUE STRENGTH
Chapter Eight: Cleansing the Palate
Kari sat back on her bed and pet Getamon.
"I don't understand," Kari muttered. "All this time, Ken has been trying to get me to like him. Then, when I start being nice to him, he gets upset. What is up with Ken?"
"He doesn't really know how to trust," Getamon informed.
"How can I change that?" Kari asked.
"Just keep being nice to him and he'll realize that you really are nice," Getamon suggested.
"I'll try, Getamon," Kari breathed.
Kari got up and kicked the digimon keypad to open the door. She walked over to the viewing room, which was open, and walked in. The Digimon Emperor was sitting in his chair and staring up at his screen. Kari smiled when she saw that he was watching the tape of her.
"Ken?" she said quietly.
He pushed a button which made the screen go blank.
"What do you want?" The Emperor asked.
Kari said the first thing that came to her, "I was wondering if I could have a window in my room. I like to look at the stars."
The Digimon Emperor glanced over his shoulder, then said, "Fine."
Kari tried to think of something else to say, but nothing was coming to her. She just stood there idly, unsure what to do now. She saw on the screen that the Digimon Emperor was beginning to design a bay window. She smiled and turned to leave.
"What color do you want it?" The Digimon Emperor asked suddenly.
"What? My window?" Kari asked.
"No, your bathing suit," the Digimon Emperor said.
"My bathing suit?" Kari repeated.
"Unless you want to swim nude," the Digimon Emperor muttered, not looking at her.
"No," she smiled. "I like the color pink."
"Pink it is," the Digimon Emperor said.
Kari smiled again and left the room.
*****************
The Digimon Emperor stood in the hall with his arms folded and his foot tapping impatiently. He looked at his watch, then shouted, "Aren't you done, yet?"
"Almost," Kari called from inside her room.
"Don't you know how to put on a bathing suit?" The Digimon Emperor asked. "Because if you did, you'd be done by now."
"Hold your horses," Kari laughed wryly. "Just one more second."
"Seconds up," The Digimon Emperor muttered.
"You know," Kari began matter-of-factly, "you could have made something less plain. Flowers might have brightened it up a bit. And if you had made it come across the chest and tie at the side, that would have been cute."
"What do I look like, a clothing designer?" The Digimon Emperor scoffed.
"Oh, never mind," Kari laughed as the door to her room swished open and she came out into the hall.
The Digimon Emperor unfolded his arms instantly upon seeing her and almost stumbled backward. He had seen her long, curved legs before when he saw her in the nighty. But this was different. The light pink bathing suit was skin tight over her hips and chest. Rarely did she wear something that showed her figure so much. A regret for not having made it a two-piece briefly crossed his mind.
"Where's your bathing suit?" Kari asked as she passed and started down the hall.
The Digimon Emperor followed, watching the way her body moved when she walked. "I, uh, um...I don't swim."
Kari rolled her eyes, sure he would change him mind when they got to the water. She stopped suddenly. The Digimon Emperor stopped too and looked at her curiously.
"Well," she said, rasing her eyebrows as if to indicate something.
"What?" The Digimon Emperor asked, not sure what she was trying to say.
"You have to lead the way," Kari told him. "I don't know how to get from place to place in your base."
"Oh!" he exclaimed, feeling rather stupid.
He walked on ahead and lead the way to the exit. From there, the Digimon Emperor and Kari took a Cyclonemon to a remote swimming hole in the middle of a forest/jungle. The water was cool on the warm night. Kari jumped in instantly and began to swim around. The Digimon Emperor sat himself on a ledge over the pond and just sat there. He watched as Kari filled her lungs with air and floated on top of the water with her eyes closed. The graceful movements of her arms made her look like an angel. She looked so lovely in the gentle light sprinkling through the jungle canopy.
Kari looked up and saw the Digimon Emperor watching her. He looked away quickly, but it was too late. Kari had seen it. She smiled to herself and let her feet touch the soft muddy ground of the pond.
"Why don't you come in?" Kari asked.
The Digimon Emperor smirked, "I don't think so."
"Is the big, bad Digimon Emperor afraid of heights?" Kari teased.
"If I were, then would I create a flying base?" The Digimon Emperor scoffed, folding his arms smugly.
"Come on, Ken," Kari urged. "Live a little."
"I told you before that I don't swim," the Emperor reminded.
"Then why'd you bring me here?" Kari asked, bobbing up and down in the water.
"Because you wanted to swim," the Digimon Emperor shrugged.
"I bet you really want to swim," Kari said.
The Digimon Emperor raised an eyebrow.
"I bet you have a pare of swimming trunks underneath your suit," Kari went on. "You love to swim. You can't stop swimming. The only reason you're not swimming right now is because it'll undermine your rough tough emperor persona. Am I right?"
"No, you're wrong," the Digimon Emperor said adamantly.
Kari let out a breath of frustration, then she got an idea.
"Oh, yeah," Kari smiled. "You hate swimming. You know why?"
The Emperor sat back to listen to her new plan to get him in the water.
"Because you aren't any good at it," Kari insisted. "Sure, you're good in academics and soccer and chess...but you could never get the hang of swimming. So, you say you DON'T swim because you don't want everyone to see that you aren't perfect after all."
The Digimon Emperor started laughing hysterically, "You think I can't swim?"
Kari nodded, knowing that it had worked.
"You just wait there a second," the Digimon Emperor said, getting up and walking into the bushes.
Kari folded her arms and waited. Soon enough, the Digimon Emperor emerged from the bushes in nothing but black swim trunks. He swaggered up a cliff.
"You think I can't swim," the Digimon Emperor began. "Watch this!"
He jumped off the cliff into a perfect swan dive. When he came up out of the water, his hair was all straight and down like it was in the real world. He actually looked like Ken again. He shook his head.
"What do you think of that?" he asked, bragging.
"You did have swim trunks under your suit after all," Kari laughed.
Ken tried to keep a straight face, but his blush gave him away.
"So tell me, perfect boy," Kari began as she slowly swam backwards away from him, "why DON'T you swim?"
Ken shrugged, "No reason in pedicular."
"So, big, bad Digimon Emperor," Kari breathed, still swimming away, "now that you are in the water, what are you going to do next?"
Ken smirked, "You are something Kari Kimiya."
"How do you mean?" Kari asked, stopping her swimming and staring at him.
"Here you are captured by the scary Digimon Emperor," Ken explained, heading toward her. "Being held against your will in a evil base and all you want to do is make sandwiches and swim. Not long ago you were crying in your room. What changed?"
"I guess you just don't scare me anymore," Kari told him as he came nearer.
Ken stopped a half a yard away, looked her over, then asked, "Then why are you trembling?"
Kari felt this chill run up her arms. He was looking at her so intensely.
"It's cold," she told him, turning and swimming toward the shore
Ken lowered his eyes and followed. Had he done something wrong? He was always doing things wrong. What did it actually take to please Kari?
Kari walked up onto the bank and wrapped her towel around her waist. She then sat down and watched the sunlight reflections on the water. Ken sat next to her, not sure what to say now.
"See that," Kari said, pointing to the sun's reflection trailed across the water. "Isn't it beautiful?"
"I use to..." Ken trailed off.
Kari looked over at him, "You use to what?"
"Nah, it's stupid," Ken said, folding his arms.
"Come on, tell me," Kari urged.
"Well," Ken shrugged, "when I was a kid, I use to think that when the sun trailed across the water like that, it made a bridge, a solid one, and you could just walk across the lake."
Kari continued to watch him, hoping he'd say more.
"Once," Ken went on, "I did try to walk across the lake, sure it would hold and I could get to the other side. Naturally, it hadn't worked and I almost drowned in the process. My mother wouldn't let me near water for years after that."
Ken glanced over at Kari to see her reaction. Did she think he was weak? No. She just looked into his eyes and faintly smiled. It wasn't a mocking smile, but a tender, understanding smile. It had the hint of affection in it. Ken was sure he was imagining that, though.
"You know, " she began, "I like you better as just plain Ken."
"Just plain Ken," he repeated, looking away.
"I mean, as apposed to the Digimon Emperor," Kari explained.
Ken just shrugged his shoulders.
A/N: What do you think? Is it starting to get good? I think so. He he. Please review.