One Day At A Time: Chapter Three
Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. I never plan to, really. I'm happy with taping the episodes, listening to the CDs, role-playing yaoi occasionally, and wishing that I could get my hands on the Japanese series with subtitles. Oh well.
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! (Again. Copied and pasted.)
I've personally been having lousy days, so that might reflect on my writing – whether it's a bit less organized or have more angst. Hope you don't mind too much. But if you absolutely hate it, tell me and I'll rewrite it. (Can't promise I will, but I'll do what I can to make it better.) And... the plot is developing more in this chapter (maybe not)... so it's hopefully a little longer. Yup... Ja. – Rebecca Lyn/Daisuke Anarie
"Ugh..."
Takato's eyes flittered open, immediately blinded by the bright light overhead, and he pressed one hand against his forehead. He squinted against the offending light and turned his head to one side, finally just closing his eyes again. He tried to relax in the soft mattress underneath him, but the memories of his 'dream' came back like a flood, jerking him into a wary state. "Where...?"
"You're in the nurse's station, Takato-kun. So don't worry."
He furrowed his brows, concentrating on the voice and whom it belonged to. It was soft and feminine, so familiar. 'Juri... It's Juri.' After a few more minutes, he forced his eyes open, this time bearing the onslaught of light. He nodded slowly, the motion strained, and he attempted sitting up. He nearly didn't make it, but two hands caught him deftly, one hand supporting his back while the other grasped his arm.
Feeling a bit dazed – and maybe a little nauseous – Takato willed himself to look around without getting dizzy. 'Head hurts...'
Juri was sitting next to him on the bed, staring at him with worried eyes. "Are you alright?"
Figures. Count on a girl to ask something like that.
Takato forced a small nod in reply, silently pleading his eyes to stay focused as he regained – or tried to regain – his composure. He sighed, having to ignore the slight throbbing inside his temples, and eventually asked, "What happened?"
There was a pause of silence before Juri started to explain. "You collapsed right in front of the steps leading to the school..."
-"Takato-kun!" Juri exclaimed, pushing past a few people to get to the goggle head. She kneeled down beside him and tried to shake him.
Takato didn't move.
She looked around frantically; everyone seemed too preoccupied with their own business to notice, save for herself, Hirokazu, and Kenta. They formed a tight ring around the fallen boy to prevent anyone from treading over him, but that shield broke when Hirokazu and Kenta darted off to find a teacher and the school nurse to help.
Juri felt helpless as she turned Takato onto his back, trying to be as careful as she could. She wasn't the strongest person physically, but there was no way she'd let one of her best friends remain sprawled out, face down, on the ground. She cradled Takato's head in one arm, watching as his eyebrows twitched a little in his unconscious state.
She hoped the other two would hurry. Even she was being stepped on and she wasn't the one on the ground!
She nearly jumped out of her skin when a hand fell onto her shoulder, although the touch was rather light. Turning her head, she saw a boy beside her, looking just about as worried as she was.
"Here," he said calmly, holding out his arms. "Let me help you."
Juri stared into his gray eyes, searching for any little thing that would give him away as suspicious. She found nothing and nodded, a bit reluctant, though, to hand Takato over to some stranger, no matter how truly concerned he looked.
The blue-haired boy offered a small, encouraging smile before moving closer and gently scooping Takato into his arms. Juri watched in awe as he stood up with ease, seeming unfazed by the extra weight he was bearing. When she caught his gaze, she quickly got up as well.
"You'll have to show me to the nurse's station... I haven't a clue where it is," he said, almost sheepishly.
Juri nodded once more and looked ahead of them. The mob of students was thinning considerably now, to her relief, so they probably wouldn't have to worry too much of getting into the building... Making it through the halls would be another matter. They'd be able to manage it, though.
A part of her thought about waiting for Kenta or Hirokazu, but knowing the staff at the school, it'd take another ten minutes or so to get their attention. The teachers were almost just as bad as the students. With that in mind, she headed into the building, prepared to push anyone out of the way so they could reach the nurse's station faster.
As they entered the building, the blare of chattering, lockers slamming, and footsteps assaulted their eardrums. It was a wonder that Takato didn't wake up because of the earsplitting noise. A few people took the time to glance over at them, but not for long as they went back to their business, whether that was getting books, walking to class, flirting with a handsome jock, or just talking idly to a friend (whichever was most important to that person).
"Oi!"
Juri came to an abrupt stop, nearly causing the boy to ram into her. She spun around on her heel, giving the boy a quick apologetic smile, then looked around until she spotted Hirokazu. "You made it," she said, inwardly relieved.
The spiky-haired teen nodded absently before bursting into a report. "The nurse is with another student, so she couldn't come right away to help, but her office is open and we can go on in."
"Ariga-"
She was cut off when Hirokazu cast the other boy a wary look and asked, "Who's this?"
Juri shook her head. "Let's get Takato to the nurse first, and then he can introduce himself to us all." She looked at the blunette and got a slight nod of the head in return; that was all she needed before she returned on her way, Hirokazu now following behind them as well.
The trip to the nurse's station was otherwise quick and uneventful. They were able to get Takato on one of the small beds set up in the back of the room, waiting for the nurse to come.-
"... She still hasn't gotten here yet and we shooed Hirokazu away just a few minutes ago," Juri ended quietly. She offered him a brief smile of sympathy. "But now that you're awake, I think you'll be fine."
Takato nodded dumbly as his eyes wandered on their on accord to the hand on his arm. His eyebrows knitted together in confusion, seeing that the skin was much too dark for the hand to belong to Juri. Following the arm that was attached to the hand, he looked up to see a nearly emotionless face with gray eyes. He immediately recognized him as the teenager that his book was thrown at. "You... so you're the one who carried me here?" he asked shyly, intimidated by the stranger's too calm look.
The other nodded, not saying a word, but smiling ever so slightly.
Juri's eyes widened and turned to the stranger, too. "Oh, that's right! Who are you, by the way?"
His voice sent shivers down Takato's spine as he spoke slowly, "Just call me Lee."
"Are you new here?" Juri questioned, tilting her head in mild interest.
"Yes." However, before she could reply, he let go of Takato and stood up, looking a bit disturbed. "I'd like to stay and talk, but I need to get by schedule from the office so I can go to class."
Juri blinked in surprise and Takato watched him closely, not fully convinced, as he walked hastily out of the nurse's station.
Once out, Lee Jenrya allowed himself to shiver. He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes, lowering his head and pressing a palm against his forehead.
"Something about them... is off," he murmured to himself. "Especially 'Takato-kun.'"
-Author's Note: This has been sitting around for such a long time and I'm finally now finishing it. I'm sorry for the delay, but I hope you're satisfied with what I have! The going is still slow, but the plot twist should be just a few chapters away.