One Day At A Time: Chapter Two
Disclaimer: Nope, I still don't own Digimon. But I'm working on getting some more CDs. Heheh. –runs off to listen to Mirai for the, what, thousandth time?– No, no... I'm not obsessed! Really!
Wow... I just noticed... The italics worked! Woohoo! So happy! –sings and dances–
Author's Note/Warning: This is Tamers AU with lots of TakatoxJenrya shounen-ai (possibly yaoi in the future) fluff. Don't like it, don't read it. It's that simple. Also, I have not seen all of the Tamers season, and only the English version for that matter. The information I have is from websites and... some is just made up. AU, people, it is AU! Furthermore, encouraging reviews would be greatly appreciated, while flames will just injure my already crumbling self-esteem. Be nice to me, please. I'm not even sure if I'll continue this... It just came up as an idea so... If you want me to continue, please let me know! The rating will most likely go up as the story progresses. So, with that said... Read and enjoy! – Rebecca Lyn (Did you realize I just copied and pasted that? Heh. Go me.)
Also... If it sounds a bit OOC, I apologize before hand. I'm sorry. Sometimes I just look deeper than the outer appearance of personalities and explore how someone might really feel underneath that smiley, happy face. Oh, the possibilities! I'm trying my best to stay in character, though... so... Hang with me here. I'm doing the best I can right now! And... one last thing, I promise, and then I'll shut up. This chapter has a few touchy points in it. It just goes over how I feel the world is like, putting it into the view of a character. Oh well... – Again, Rebecca Lyn/Daisuke Anarie
Matsuda Takato scowled slightly as he made a beeline towards his small pack of friends. He hadn't been pleased at all when Hirokazu threw his math book across the school courtyard. He knew Hirokazu didn't really care about the 'welfare' of school property, but he could've at least thrown someone else's math book that wouldn't mind. And at another student, too! The nerve of him! ... But, hey, that was Shiota Hirokazu for ya.
Another student... Takato frowned in reflection. He didn't recall ever seeing that student before. He wasn't always paying attention to the activity around him, though, so maybe that's why. Then again, he could've been a new student. He looked foreign to Japan, truth is told.
He shuddered as he remembered the cool, composed gleam in the other person's eyes. He seemed so calm and at ease, although he knew it was just a cover-up... a mask to hide the scared, nervous, unsure child that had no clue what he was supposed to do... He was just shooting in the dark here, though.
He wasn't fooled that easily. He might seem dense at times, but he really wasn't... He was just behind a mask, too.
Acceptance was an issue with young teens. Takato had a big issue with it, actually, as much as he didn't want to admit it. He wanted so much to just fit in, to feel like he belonged. But the things a person had to do to reach that goal... That boy didn't seem to mind if he fit in or not. He might've been nervous, but he didn't seem to mind, Takato noted silently. Then again, he could be completely wrong. He might have felt out of place anyways and just didn't show it in an obvious way. Was he an outcast, maybe? Or just a loner? Maybe he just doesn't care, end of story... He's his own person. That possibility intrigued him greatly. It was uncommon to see someone who wanted to be different. The world was full of copycats and wannabes and stereotypes. Most people just wanted to be liked... They'd do anything... stuff they didn't want to do...
He wasn't quite sure if he was one of those people or not. Sometimes he'd do weird, unusual things just to prove himself, but he did try his best to just be himself. He hoped he wasn't, because he saw a lot of examples, most taken to a much higher, more intense and desperate degree. Sex, drugs, alcohol, violence...
Okay, so maybe he was one of those people. But he was like them quietly. He didn't take action most of the time. He had never gotten involved with anything other than a few violent incidents, mainly to just prove himself capable of... of what? That, there, just showed how stupid it all was. They really had no idea why they did this stuff! They threw themselves into danger for what? Was it really worth it if someone got hurt?
The world was just crazy, an exploding madhouse. And the kids in the world were the same.
Most of them, anyways, Takato reminded himself.
He shook his head as he saw Hirokazu wave at him, grinning like a maniac. Must be really proud of himself for that, he thought with an exasperated sigh.
Beside Hirokazu was Kitagawa Kenta. Not too far away was Katou Juri, the girl he was supposedly crushing on since he was nine, if he remembered correctly. Sadly enough, it was another mask. But he did find it hilarious when Hirokazu and Kenta believed that it was real. He guessed he was a good actor when he wanted to be one. Even Juri fell for it.
Maybe he shouldn't be playing with other people's minds like that... But how was it possible to tell your friends that are as straight as an arrow, that you prefer males to females without being teased or beaten up? I'll deal with that issue later...
When he arrived at the stone bench that his friends were gathered around, Takato gave Hirokazu a well-deserved glare. "You know... throwing my math book around is bad enough, but did it dawn on you that it nearly hit someone?" he asked, sounding seriously miffed.
Hirokazu shrugged, putting on his best innocent smile. "Why would I ever do something that terrible?" Even Kenta glared at him this time. "What? You said it nearly hit someone, not that it did."
Juri shook her head as she walked over to them. "Hirokazu-kun... when will you ever grow up? You're a young adult now, you should have matured since third grade," she scolded, although it was more of a joke than anything else. She shook her head one last time, averting her attention to Takato. "Someone was nearly hit? Who?"
This time it was Takato's turn to shrug. "I didn't recognize him... maybe a new student. I'm not sure. But –"
He didn't get the chance to finish when Hirokazu piped up, earning him an irritated look. "How much longer till the bell rings?" The other three blinked and he quickly explained, holding up his hands in front of his face, "I'm getting sick of all the noise..."
Takato sniggered softly before commenting, "At first I thought you were eager to get to class. I should've known better, though, hmm? Although you're excuse sounded a bit weak..." he trailed off, letting his statement hang in the air. He gave a sudden small yelp when Hirokazu punched his arm playfully. "Hey! That wasn't nice."
Hirokazu pouted, eyes narrowed slightly. "You were teasing me! That wasn't nice, either. No one messes with a Shiota and gets away with it." He paused to shake his head before continuing. "Anyways, the time, please?"
Kenta looked down at his wristwatch briefly, and then over at Hirokazu. "Four minutes. But you can wait that long, can't you?" He shrugged when he received a glare.
Takato watched them for that moment, smiling slightly. He didn't want to say it aloud, but those two did act like they were closer... than friends. They would fight like cats and dogs, but make up in the end so quickly that it'd make your head spin. He thought it was a little odd... Could 'Kazu and Kenta really be an item? Or were they just really close friends? Honestly, he should've known that by now... they were his best friends, for crying out loud! ... Okay, he had been a bit preoccupied lately with schoolwork and these freaky dreams he'd been having.
What, you say? Freaky dreams? Well, you see –
The bell rang a few minutes later and every student – every single student – pushed their way towards the building entrance, shoving and stepping on each other. It was so out of order and it got even louder... was that possible? Kids could be surprising, so yes, it was possible.
Takato clapped his hand over his mouth to stifle a large yawn as he trudged along in the wave of bodies. It was odd how he got tired all of a sudden, with no apparent reason at all. It was just the beginning of the day and he was already exhausted. His vision wavered slightly, his focus failing him, and he stumbled over his own feet, warm reddish-brown eyes clouding over. He vaguely heard Juri cry out in surprise. There was the gut-churning sensation of falling, and he faintly saw the ground coming closer to his face, but he didn't feel the pain of impact. All his emotions and senses had gone numb.
Everything was white now, but it slowly shifted into new scenery. He was standing in a vast meadow of flowers. Green, red, yellow, pink, and white everywhere. Above him were a cloudless azure sky and a sun that shone brightly, although not bright enough to irritate someone's eyes. Off in the distance, he could see a range of tall trees of brown and green... and orange and sky blue... wait... What?! His thoughts exactly.
His legs started to move on their own, but he didn't resist. He walked through the grass, which grew a bit taller than he thought it would. A small breeze tickled his cheeks and teased his hair, and he inhaled deeply, enjoying the fresh smell of nature. With a content sigh, he turned his head to get a better view of his surroundings. Everything looked the same, though, except...
He blinked several times and stopped walking, pivoting on his heel to take a closer look. Not too far away were a group of six people, just now trying to get off the ground and brushing at their clothing. A chill shot down his spine as he slowly moved towards them, his legs guiding him once more.
One of those people was easier to see than the rest, mainly because they had red hair – it appeared more orange than red, though – up in a high ponytail. Takato blinked again. That looked awfully like Ruki, an out-of-school friend of his. She was a hot-tempered tomboy with an attitude, to put things simply. But she was a great friend. She was the only one he had told that he was attracted to males, not females. Strangely enough, she had just nodded her head, smirking slightly, and said, "That's what I thought."
Another person seemed familiar, too; dark hair and glasses, kind of short. Like Kenta... he thought.
He froze in spot when he was close enough, shocked at the sight. Those two people were indeed Ruki and Kenta. He quickly looked around at the others; Hirokazu was helping Juri up and... uh... The new kid? Why's he here? he thought, baffled. Well, whatever his name was, he was already up on his feet and looking around with wide, curious eyes.
What he saw next surprised him even more. The Takato he saw before him was adjusting the goggles on his head as he stood up, frowning.
The real Takato shuddered as everything in his head turned fuzzy. He felt his legs give out on him and he fell back onto his rear, although he didn't feel anything when he hit the ground. Dizzy, Takato closed his eyes, barely aware of the soft voice calling out his name as he drifted off into oblivion.
Author's Note (Again): Well... there's a plot...? Yeah, I know, this chapter was a bit slow and boring. I suffered through it as much as you did. The next few chapters will be like that, too, I think. So... just be patient, I guess. Sorry. I'll try better!