Disclaimer- This is Kouichi speaking. Dragonsunlight (Kaea), does not own Digimon. If she did, I'd be dead. Meaning I'd suicide. I should, seeing the way she treats me in the story…
Grounded…The Miserable Meeting
"I don't know…but you can't blame him, really, can you?"
"It doesn't matter. He should have told us!"
"Oh, stop being stupid. You never wanted them to meet! Did you ever consider his feelings?"
"He has to understand that some things are best left untold!"
"Have you noticed him looking at that picture in his room? He stares at it endlessly. You saw, he put his mother in the frame behind. You can't blame him. And now that he knows her, do you really think it's right to pry them apart? He has every right to know her!"
"I'm not going on with this discussion," Kouji heard his father say abruptly as he lay awake the next morning. After all, with all that yelling right outside his room, who else but Takuya and Junpei could fall asleep?
Getting out of bed, Kouji rubbed his eyes. It would be another day of torture and slaving away with his brother laughing behind his back…
"KOUJI! You're grounded," his father yelled, throwing the door open.
Kouji's eyes widened. He'd preferred slaving away. "WHAT?" I am so lucky I have my cell phone under my pillow…
The door slammed shut and Kouji heard the adults argue some more.
Adults, Kouji thought, rolling his eyes. He was grounded. Kouji was grounded. He looked at his desk and saw the picture frame knocked astray. All this because of a picture? he wondered, picking up the frame and setting it right. My family isn't nuts. It's insane.
After both his parents left for work around seven, later than usual, Kouji snuck to the kitchen to get breakfast. After making some toast, horribly, too, one might add, Kouji put the toast on a plate, put the plate on the table, and ran to his room and picked up his cell phone. Quickly, he dialed Kouichi's number.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Kouichi…Dad grounded me."
Silence. Then, "Why?"
"Remember that picture of both of us and Mom? Well, I…uh…Dad saw it…"
Again, silence.
"I guess it was Dad, then," Kouji chuckled, guessing the reason for their parents' divorce.
Finally, Kouichi let out a sigh. "Alright. Tomorrow, then, if we get lucky. Oh-wait one sec. Someone's at the door."
Kouji waited impatiently as he heard Kouichi open the door.
Then…dead silence.
"KOUICHI, THE PERSON AT THE DOOR ISN'T A MURDERER, IS IT! Of course, if you died-no…wait…you are alive, right!" the younger twin asked, bouncing on his bed, the toast all forgotten.
"It's…nothing. Call me later," Kouichi said at last, his tone rigid and cold.
Confused, Kouji complied. "Later, then." Wonder what happened there…
Kouji spent eleven completely boring hours at home, aimlessly walking around, watching T.V., but of course, there was nothing interesting on, going on the computer and staring at it for a solid minute before calling Takuya. After talking to Takuya about a video game the goggle-headed boy couldn't beat for over an hour, he tried calling Kouichi again, but there was no answer.
After that, at precisely 6 P.M., his parents walked in, calm expressions on their faces.
"Am I ungrounded?" Kouji asked hopefully, realizing neither of them were bothering to talk.
Mr. Minamoto shook his head. "We're going out for dinner. We have…guests meeting us."
The bandana head shrugged. "Ok." Just another boring meeting I have to sit through. More like sleep through, his brain sang.
"And take off that bandana for at least once, please," his stepmother begged.
Quietly, Kouji disappeared into his room and came out wearing a plain black bandana instead. "Better?" I like blue better…
She nodded and went to change.
What the hell is so important that I gotta change bandanas! Kouji thought grumpily, sitting on the Kouichi with his arms folded until his father yelled, "KOUJI! CHANGE INTO YOUR SUIT!"
Life really wasn't being fair to him.
As soon as Kouji stepped out of the car, he knew something was definitely up. And it wasn't the scratchy stupid suit he was wearing.
I don't wanna move! No! Wait, what if I'm sent to boarding school! THEY WOULDN'T! he panicked, gulping as he followed his parents to the front of the fancy French restaurant he hated-abhorred, despised. Every time they came here, Kouji ended up starving due to the inedible food.
"You're in a suit too? And I thought I was going to be embarrassed alone," a familiar voice scoffed.
Kouji turned around with wide eyes, seeing Kouichi in a suit and their mother, smiling. "W-wait…no. Why are you two here!" he asked, alarmed.
"Hello, Kouji," Miss Kimura said with a crooked smile on her face. "I heard you got grounded…"
"For a stupid reason," Kouichi muttered under his breath. Aloud, he stated. "You're wearing a new bandana…"
The bandana boy nodded. As they walked into the restaurant, Mr. Minamoto ordered a table for five, and as they were being led to their tables, Kouji edged over to his brother and asked in a whisper, "What happened when you opened the door?"
"Him."
"Oh…" he murmured, taking a seat between his father and twin.
Kouichi flashed a look at his mother, who just closed her eyes and waited. "Want a candy bar?" he whispered to Kouji, holding out a bar of chocolate. "I hate restaurants…"
Gratefully, Kouji accepted it, hiding the candy under the table and carefully unwrapping it.
"Kouichi!"
Wincing, Kouichi looked around for a place to hide before jumping out of his seat. "I-I'm going to the bathroom!" he said quickly, dashing away.
Kouji snickered and looked up at the speaker, who was examining him. "Uh-What the? I was sure Kouichi was antisocial-especially when it came to girls…!"
"You're…Kouji, right?" the girl in front of him asked finally, standing straight and placing her hands on her hips.
He nodded, wondering exactly who she was. Oh well…she's cute. That's a plus…I hope. Wait…what was I thinking again?
"Oh well. Hi Miss Kimura!" she said, sitting in Kouichi's seat.
Miss Kimura smiled. "Hello, Kako. How are you doing? More over…what are you doing?"
"My big annoying brother works here. I'm volunteering," Kako replied, returning the smile. Jumping up when she saw Mr. and Mrs. Minamoto, she cleared her throat. "Erm, sorry for being so rude. I'm Kako. Er…so did you get menus or did they not get passed out…?"
"They didn't get passed out," Mr. Minamoto informed her. "Are you…Kouichi's girlfriend?"
Kako choked for a brief second. "G-Girlfriend? Uh…no…n-no…at least, not the last time I checked…we're just…really close friends? I dunno. Maybe…" she replied, shuffling away a bit.
Everyone but Miss Kimura stared.
"How can you not know!" Kouji finally asked, completely baffled.
"KAKO! WHERE ARE THE MENUS!" came a yell.
Laughing uneasily, Kako quickly said, "Ask Kouichi. Lemme get those menus, sorry," she apologized. Sighing, the girl headed to the back of the restaurant.
Seconds later, Kouichi came back, slumping into his seat with a sigh.
"Hey, Kouichi, was that your girlfriend?" Kouji asked teasingly with a grin.
With a growl, Kouichi snapped, "NO." After a pause, he shifted in his seat, turning red. "Uhm, er…no…"
CLUELESS, Kouji thought, slapping his forehead. "I thought you were Mr. Anti-social."
"SHE bugs ME," Kouichi retorted, folding his arms as he leaned back in his seat and looked away.
"BACK!" Kako sang, passing out menus to everyone and hitting Kouichi over the head with his menu before handing it to him. "Meanie. I pity you, Kouji, for being his twin. Really, he's so pathetic."
"Huh? Whaddya mean?" Kouji asked, making a face at the menu when he finally decided there was nothing edible on it.
Kako snorted, seeing Kouichi turn a deeper shade of red and try to cover his face. "He's perfectly smart, he even sings well. And then he just sulks away in a corner reading a vocab book and trying to be invisible. I swear! You two should switch attitudes or something…"
"NO WAY!" Kouichi yelled, glaring. "Kouji sings off-tune. And he can't even cook," Kouichi said, making a face as he edged away from the two. The perfect partners in crime...
"That is true...the cooking, I mean. Takuya's worse! I mean, during the burger competition in the Burgermon's village, I should have won with my awesome Rainbow Burger!"
Everyone stared at Kouji.
"Burger competition? When was this?" Mrs. Minamoto asked her husband.
"Shortly before Kouichi and I met," Kouji answered.
Kako stuck her tongue out. "Rainbow burger," she commented. "What an original name. I pity the Burgermon. They must've been horrified of you and Takuya."
Kouji glared and Mr. Minamoto wondered aloud, "What's a Burgermon?"
The three teens fell silent. While Kouichi kept his cool, Kouji and Kako began to cough violently.
Another waiter passed by their table, filling all their glasses with water and throwing a glare at Kako.
Miss Kimura looked at her sons. "Kouichi...Kouji..." she said gently, "what is a Burgermon?"
"It's the name of-uh...the people who host the burger competition my cousin made up," Kako said, laughing uneasily.
"Cousin?" Kouji repeated.
"Yes. Izumi's my cousin."
Kouji blinked, staring at Kako. She had long black hair and brown eyes instead of blond hair like Izumi. "I see no resemblance."
Kako muttered, offended, "We're quite distant." Aloud, she asked Mr. Minamoto, "Have you decided what to order?"
After ordering for himself and his wife, Mr. Minamoto added, "Add a drink with all that, for me."
"No," Miss Kimura interjected. "Don't teach those two to drink..." Her gaze lingered on the twins.
Kouichi sighed in relief while Kouji blinked and asked, "Did I miss something?"
"Yeah," Kouichi muttered so only Kouji could hear, "you left your brain in the Digital World."
"Ouch," Kako commented quietly. "Miss Kimura?"
"Truthfully, just reading the menu makes me lose my appetite," Miss Kimura confessed, an apologetic smile on her face.
Shrugging, Kako replied with a laugh, "I know what you mean. Want to try my ultra special chocolate surprise instead?"
Kouji raised his hand. "As long as Takuya didn't make it!" he declared.
"Don't be stupid. She said it was her ultra special whatseveritis. Well, chocolate sounds good," Kouichi said, closing his eyes.
"We'll take three, thanks, Kako," Miss Kimura laughed.
"Alright!" After writing the last of the orders down, Kako walked off.
"Yes! Chocolate!" Kouji breathed out loud in relief, throwing his arms in the air, then resting his forehead on the edge of the table.
Kouichi, on the other hand, kept quiet as he opened his eyes and stared at the plate in front of him rather menacingly.
"So, then, I guess we should start discussing why we're here," Mr. Minamoto said, clearing his throat and looking at his wife hesitantly.
She gave him an encouraging smile and patted his arm. "Go on, dear."
Miss Kimura stared at her glass of water before picking it up and sipping it calmly.
Kouji stared at his father, a questioning look on his face, while Kouichi stared right into his father's eyes with a piercing glare.
Clearing his throat a second time, Mr. Minamoto looked at his ex-wife, then Kouichi. Drawing a breath, he said, "I think it's best if we drop all contact again."
A/N-
Kouichi here. Kaea's nuts. This is what she said-
'CURSE THE DARN CLIFFHANGERS! THEY MUST DIE! .:stomps on cliff hangers...even though they're abstract and not concrete:.'
Anyway, Kaea's got a headache and her hands hurt from typing so much. Haha, serves her right for trying to make me suffer. Why can't she just torture Kouji! WHY DO I HAVE TO SUFFER! I'd curse, but that's not exactly my style, so please, review and tell me that you don't want me to be tortured. PLEASE! I'M BEGGING YOU-well...not really begging, but pleading. Oh, Kaea answered reviews below. I'll be answering the next batch. .:yawns:. Kaea's making spelling mistakes...lots of them. .:raises an eyebrow:. ACHEM...SOMEONE ought to use SPELL CHECK. .:cough:. Kaea…
REVIEWS-
Luisa Perez- Nice! Tell me when you post it!
Light's Blue Blossom- Er, thanks for the warning, but it doesn't say on the site…so, until it does, I think I'll take my chances and review to your reviews. .:grin:. But thanks anyway!
Mid-Moonlight- Awww…how pathetic. You idiot twins ought to stop fighting.
Kouichi replies that they don't fight.
Kouji mutters that he's just the smarter twin and Kouichi's jealous.
Kouichi lunges at Kouji.
I TOLD YOU NOT TO FIGHT. I'll be updating soon! Oh, there will be some romance. .:snickers:. Very unexpected romance.
…seriously, people, back to Kouichi, in case you didn't know. I mean, only three reviews? Well, Kaea doesn't care, but she's stupid. She made twenty errors, somewhere in there! You should have flamed…Don't tell her I said that.
Kouichi out. I need my sleep. Good thing my room isn't pink anymore...Review, please.