Disclaimer: Digimon Adventure doesn't belong to me. This story takes place one year after the events of Digimon Adventure, several weeks after the whole Diablomon problem.
I want to thank Ismini for writing an e-mail asking if I was writing anything about Jou, since I've expressed that I like Joumi in my profile. I probably would have never gotten around to finishing this fic without Ismini's help.
Started: September 30, 2001
Finished: February 10, 2002
Revised: January 8, 2005
"Love Tactics"
"Why are you leaving?"
"You know what my parents are like; they can't stop worrying after the whole problem with Vamdemon. They're dead-set on us moving to America. Besides, it's really a beautiful place."
"Mimi…"
"… Oh, Jou, what do you want me to say? I can't help it, you know."
"But what about us?"
"There's still e-mail, Jou. We can all still keep in touch!"
"Mimi! Wait, Mimi!! … That's not what I meant…"
There were few times in his life that Jou Kido felt the need to be violent. Right now, sitting in his room and staring blankly at one white wall, his hands twitched with the need to be balled into fists and thrust angrily into the innocent, virgin wall. But then he would have to get up from his place on the edge of his bed, and he was far too tired to make the effort to stand.
Deep inside, Jou contemplated the thought that he may be a walking mass of complexes.
Thirteen years old. Was that old enough to fall in love? Staring at the wall with eyes the color of darkness, the young Keeper of Faith found himself unable to answer the silent question.
"Well, Kido," he muttered to himself breathlessly, "what do you have to say for yourself?"
The wall didn't answer.
"She's been a close friend of yours for more than a year now. You've fought, laughed, cried, and smiled together. You've even gotten up the nerve to have a crush on her. What's up with that?"
Despite the cross look Jou gave the wall, the whiteness didn't dare glare back.
"She'll be half a world away, and we'll drift apart. She'll find herself a nice group of friends over there, have fun in the cities, learn how to speak English … and I'll still be the gawky dork that can't do a blasted thing right."
Jou had long ago admitted to himself that he was a self-deprecating cynic.
x x x x x
Taichi Yagami yawned to himself as he sat back, looking at his former traveling companion through one lazily-opened eye. "Geez, Jou, I never thought I'd see you-- you know, act like a guy."
The older boy gave his friend a skewed look, adjusting his glasses slightly as he looked across the kitchen table of the Yagami residence. "What's that supposed to mean?"
A wan grin crossed Taichi's face as he tried to stutter through a reply. "Well-- er, how do I say this…? Sometimes, Jou, Sora acts more like a boy than you do."
Jou scowled. "Are you really anxious to give Sora more grounds on which to dislike you, Taichi? I'm sure she wouldn't like being called tomboyish now."
"Hey, she's my best friend; we kid about each other all the time," waved off the Keeper of Courage, his goggles around his neck instead of in his wild hair. "Anyway, this is about you, not me… Wow, so you like Mimi, huh? 'Sounds like a cliché, really -- nerdy guy likes popular girl, popular girl doesn't know, nerdy guy pines away when girl moves on and lives life brokenhearted."
Giving Taichi a flat look, Jou grasped the edge of the table and pushed himself to his feet. "I knew I should've gone to someone else."
Taichi sweatdropped and quickly followed after the blue-haired boy, pulling him back down to his seat. "Aw, c'mon Jou; I'm just joking." The twelve-year-old Chosen Child took up a more-serious face. "Really, I'm kinda happy you decided to come to me with your problem." He smiled wryly. "We've never really seen eye-to-eye."
Jou sighed and shrugged, tugging at his coat lapels to give his hands something to do. "Well, how many people could I really turn to? Takeru's too young, Koushiro's more clueless about girls than I am, and Yamato's busy with that band he's been putting together."
"Those guys are all weird," the younger Chosen commented absently. "Especially Yutaka. Really weird guy." When he noticed the look he was receiving from Jou again, Taichi steered himself back on-topic. "So, what is it you really need my help with? I mean, you really weren't just thinking about spilling the beans and not doing anything afterwards, right?"
The older boy flushed. "Well…" He twiddled his thumbs quietly, unable to stop fidgeting in his embarrassment. "I want to do something for her before she leaves."
Taichi exhaled in exasperation, boneless in his chair for several seconds. "Jou, she's leaving tomorrow. What can you do in less than twenty-four hours?"
After the Keeper of Courage's query, the two boys stared at each other for a long time. Taichi's brown eyes searched his older friend's eyes for a flicker of something -- anything -- to hint at what the other Chosen Child was thinking about.
"… That's where you come in, Taichi."
A groan escaped the younger boy's lips and he tumbled from his chair.
x x x x x
Jou looked back at the van behind him, seeing Yamato Ishida grin slightly and wave at him from the passenger's side of his father's van. Takeru Takaishi, Sora Takenouchi, and Hikari and Taichi Yagami had all decided to carpool to drive to Narita International Airport instead of taking separate cars. Jou, on the other hand, had gotten a ride from his older brothers. Shin was behind the wheel, Shuu trying to refold a map they had used to get out of Tokyo.
"You know, I'm surprised by how adamant you are about going all the way to Narita to see your friend off," remarked Shin as he drove.
"Yeah, well… We're all friends. Um, it'd be wrong to not say goodbye to her." Jou fidgeted nervously in the backseat, glancing away in an attempt to concentrate his thoughts elsewhere.
Shuu made an amused noise as he tried folding the map in thirds, and then again in fourths. "You're getting to that age where a girl's affection is a priceless thing, right Jou? Are you gonna kiss her before she leaves?"
The youngest of the three groaned and slumped in his seat, trying to disappear into the leather. "Kissing is too fast, Shuu… Why would I do that?!"
Shin snickered as he changed lanes, deciding to join in on the teasing. "You know he won't kiss her, Shuu… He's afraid he'll break into hives if he runs into her lipstick!"
Jou blushed hard at the joking jab, burying his face in his hands.
And people wonder why I am the way I am, he thought cynically to himself.
x x x x x
As the Chosen Children arrived at their destination and prepared to see off Mimi, Taichi searched the lots for Jou. The Keeper of Faith had been very anxious before departing from Odaiba, and Taichi had to check if he was still up to their little plan.
"Hey, what are you looking for, Taichi?"
Taichi spun on his heels at the voice, blinking rapidly at his best friend. He grinned nervously, like a child caught doing something he wasn't supposed to be doing. "Uh-- ah, nothing much, Sora…"
Sora crossed her arms and tapped a finger against her chin, smiling at her friend. "What are you hiding, Taichi?"
The Child of Courage made an indignant sound. "I'm just looking for Jou! Is that a crime, Sora?"
Rolling her eyes, Sora turned around to follow after Yamato and Koushiro. "Well, hurry up, then… Mimi's flight arrives in thirty minutes; we won't have long after to say goodbye."
He watched the red-haired Keeper of Love walk off, then sternly walked through the long car lot. It didn't take long for him to run into Jou -- quite literally. Groaning, Taichi lifted his head and glared at the blue-haired boy, who still lay sprawled on the concrete. "What was that for?"
Jou adjusted his askew glasses as he slowly made his way to his feet. "Sorry, Taichi, but my watch is ahead and I panicked…"
"How can you forget your watch is ahead when you're the one that set it that way?" sighed the wild-haired boy, brushing off his pants and getting to his feet as well. "Are you ready, Jou?"
The Chosen Child of Faith studiously looked away, biting his lower lip.
"Jou?" Taichi looked impatiently at his friend.
Shoulders slumped, black eyes met brown.
"Taichi, I'm not sure if I can do this anymore…"
x x x x x
Mimi Tachikawa hugged her best friend tightly for a moment, sniffling a bit as Sora hugged her back. "You're still not leaving for another twenty minutes, Mimi," sighed Koushiro, creating programs for his laptop that he had brought along; Hikari had scolded him for wanting to bring his laptop with him, but he had logically responded that another Diablomon crisis could always happened. Takeru had laughed when the Child of Light hushed, earning him a playful bop on the head from Yamato.
"You're so insensitive, Koushiro," chided Sora, grinning at the look she received from the other redhead.
The two girls untangled themselves at long last, the pink-clad Child of Purity moving to her other friends. She gave Hikari a hug and Takeru a kiss on the forehead, then embraced the quiet Yamato. The Child of Friendship hugged her back a bit uncertainly, relief flashing across his features as she let go and moved on to Koushiro. The Keeper of Knowledge dragged himself away from his laptop long enough to receive a hug from the other eleven-year-old, sweatdropping a bit when Mimi ruffled his tousled hair.
After taking a moment to rub her eyes, Mimi returned to the task of hugging the remaining two of her best friends. She walked up to Taichi, who was slumped in a chair with a frown on his face. Jou was nowhere to be seen. "Taichi? Taichi, where's Jou?" she queried, blinking down at the goggle-wearing boy.
"He wouldn't come," Taichi replied bluntly, straightening for a second before leaning his elbows onto his knees. "What a coward."
Mimi clasped her hands in front of her, frowning in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
"Well, he came to me yesterday asking for some help to sweep you off your feet, but he bailed at the last minute. Now he can't even get the courage up to see you off."
"Sweep me off my feet?" murmured the brunette. "Why would he--?"
"He cares about you, Mimi. He's just too much of a chicken to say anything!" sighed the Keeper of Courage. "What a failure!"
"Where did he go?" Mimi's eyes were already searching the airport. "Taichi, where did he go?"
"Last time I saw him, he was over by the vending machines, trying to drink his sorrows away." Taichi looked up at the younger girl questioningly. "Are you going to go after him? Your flight's coming in soon, Mimi…"
The girl didn't answer, instead running off in the direction of the closest set of vending machines. Taichi watched her leave, then kicked back and began whistling.
x x x x x
It didn't take Mimi long to spot Jou, sitting at a table near an airport café. He had several soda cans littering the table and had his face buried in his arms, looking quite sad indeed. The brunette slowly approached, rounding the table uncertainly and sliding into the second seat. She didn't speak for a long moment, hoping the boy across from her would acknowledge her.
He didn't.
"Jou?" Mimi shifted a little in her seat, biting her lip. "Jou, please don't do this to yourself… I don't want to see you get hurt because of this."
Jou lifted his head off of the table, allowing Mimi to see his face. The brunette was clearly startled by the smile on the teenager's face. "Do you mean that, Mimi?" he queried, his voice not filled with depression or anything similar to that.
Mimi simply gaped, sputtering in confusion as Jou's grin widened. "W-- wha--"
"I'm sorry, Mimi … I just don't usually get to surprise people," apologized the older boy, folding his hands in front of him. "I … wanted to talk to you alone before you left."
"… And you managed to get Taichi involved, of all people?" managed the brunette, blinking rapidly.
Jou sweatdropped a bit, then took the time to clear his throat. "Let's not talk about that right now," he began, trying to not look awkward as he gazed at Mimi. "Mimi, I wanted to let you know something before you left for America."
The Child of Purity cocked her head questioningly. "Yes?"
"I-- I'm really going to miss you." … Was that the right thing to say? I mean, I could've said something more charming, or more refined… Gah, I'm toast.
Mimi blushed and smiled. "That must have taken a lot of courage to say," she said quietly. "Thank you, Jou."
Red with embarrassment, the boy barely managed to bob his head in a nod. "Y-- you're welcome… I just couldn't let you leave without letting you know. I mean, it's not like you're going away permanently and I-- I…" C'mon, this is the clincher! Don't back down now!! "… I'd like you to go out with me sometime."
There was a long bout of silence from the girl, which was all Jou needed to hear to begin sputtering. Mimi stopped him before he could finish, waving him off with a giggle. "You could have asked me before, silly. I wouldn't have turned you away!"
Jou's shoulders slumped. "Does that mean that--?" … Well, why am I not surprised? Drat, drat, dra--
"Whenever I come back to Odaiba to visit, you'll be the first one I ring up."
--aaaa, yes, yes, YES!!
"R-- really?!"
Mimi smiled wider at the ecstatic look on the Child of Faith's face. "Really."
The next thing the pink-clad girl knew, the boy across from her had leapt from his seat and was right next to her, lifting her up with such ease that it shocked her for a moment. And then Jou was holding her close, hugging her as if he didn't have a single care in the entire world. After getting over her immediate surprise, Mimi hugged the tall boy back.
Some distance away from the touching scene, Taichi grinned to himself. "Good job, Jou… I couldn't have thought of a better plan myself."