Author's Notes: This story is being based (And originally posted) in a LiveJournal community called 52 Flavours. Fifty-Two themes, one for every week of the year. I decided to put my bid in for Daisuke and Catherine. If you don't think you can handle the idea of the pairing, that's okay. Just, don't go flipping out over my fic. Go find something that you'll actually like to read. Note: Catherine was never given a last name in canon. However, I wanted her to have one in this story. Thus, "Bodine." Please, do not consider it canon. I just thought it sounded proper for her.
Theme 19: Another Grey Day in the Deep Blue World
Days were beginning to merge with each other, Daisuke realized. The more he looked around, the less interesting the life around him seemed to be. He was almost starting to miss the life threatening dangers saving the world brought him. At least it kept things entertaining. With nothing in danger the days dragged on, and became gray in their monotony. It was all horribly boring to him.
Not that he was still in his bitter depression. No, he was quickly shaking it off, as it dawned on him that all the brooding in the world wasn't going to change anything. Besides, he was stuck with the French girl as her host.
That wasn't in the original plans. Catherine was supposed to spend her time in Japan with Hikari, but the moment Floramon had entered the Yagami residence it became apparent that Mr. Yagami had a horrible allergy to the plant digimon. Daisuke didn't think anyone's face could blow up to such a size without exploding.
Naturally, where ever Floramon went so did Catherine, so new arrangements had to be made. And, since Miyako's siblings still remained home for college, while Jun did not, Daisuke found himself in the company of the blonde Chosen.
And even with the new change, days passed without incident. Catherine spent most of her time with Takeru, for obvious reasons, and Daisuke had no complaint. He wasn't quite sure he had anything in common with her anyway, and was loathe to repeat the deadly silence they had in between them the first time they'd met.
So, it was a surprise to have Catherine shyly knocking on his bedroom door one Sunday morning.
He was still in his pajamas, naturally. Daisuke's internal clock always set off its alarm at around noon. Anything earlier and there was no guarantee that he'd be in full functioning capacity.
Catherine, on the other hand, was not only dressed but looking rather perky. "Um, good morning, Die-skay," she said, her accent nicely destroying his name.
"Morning," he muttered, not quite understanding why she was there.
"Tah-kehroo was supposed to show me around Odaiba today." When he said nothing, she continued. "But he had to help his mother with something."
Daisuke wasn't following her. Didn't she know it was only ten in the morning? "Oh."
And that was all he said. Catherine obviously expected more, for she looked at him rather befuddled. Then there came that awkward silence between them that he hated so much. Why was she disturbing him? He could still be sleeping...
"Ah..." Catherine tilted her head, nervously twirling a golden lock of hair with her fingers. "Will you take me around, instead?"
He blinked, positive he had heard her wrong. "Eh?"
The nervous hair twirling continued. "Will you walk with me? I'd really like to see everything around here. It's so different from home! And I don't think Tah-kehroo will have any time anymore." The French girl frowned. "He seems to have less and less time by the day."
Daisuke scratched the back of his head, grimacing. "Well, I-"
"Please, Die-skay?" she pleaded, unleashing the most devastating puppy-dog look the boy had ever seen. So perfect in its patheticness was it, that he idly wondered if French children took a course on it in school.
Damn. He couldn't trump that. "Fine," he sighed.
"Thank you!" Catherine grinned, clapping her hands together at her little victory.
---
Walking around Odaiba with the French girl really wasn't so bad, Daisuke decided after a while. She seemed to be raptly listening to him prattle on about sights he'd point out, and he didn't really mind answering her questions about the oddities she saw. Though, he had been truly stumped as to how to explain the gothic lolita that had stopped them on the street, demanding to know how Catherine got her hair into its perfect ringlets. Some things were just beyond words. Still, the blonde handled it well, if a little warily.
Daisuke suggested that if she really wanted to see something, that they should go to Tokyo, or Kyoto. It would have to be a trip for another day, but Odaiba really wasn't the most cultural place if she wanted to get a taste of Japan. However, Catherine seemed quite happy with the little tour she was being given.
Honestly, he didn't even know why he had volunteered to take her to those places, anyway. Catherine was Takeru's guest, not his. He shouldn't be the one giving her a tour of anything. Though, it did get him out of the apartment for a little bit. A change of pace was rather nice, and she wasn't bad company.
All in all, the day hadn't become a disaster. There weren't anymore deadly silences between them, as he discovered that when Catherine was curious, she would ask questions until she was satisfied with the answer.
And it was this little quirk about her that stopped Catherine dead in her tracks while passing a convenience store. Realizing she was not following him anymore, Daisuke turned around. "Catherine?"
Blue eyes wide, the girl pointed in front of her. "Die-skay... The machine."
Daisuke looked over to the vending machine she was pointing at. "What about it?"
"It has beer," Catherine stated, her expression full of confusion.
He shrugged, not understanding. He'd learned previously that Catherine's tastes were too refined for beer. "And?"
She frowned, apparently thinking her Japanese wasn't fluent enough for him to comprehend what she was trying to say. She tried again. "The vending machine has beer. Beer."
Finally, it began to dawn on him what she was getting at. "That isn't normal for your country, is it?"
Catherine shook her head emphatically.
Grinning, he pointed behind him. "The store over there has a machine that sells figurines from different anime."
The blonde girl quirked a brow, incredulous. "Really?"
"Sure," Daisuke said, amused at her disbelief. "Vending machines sell all sorts of things. Magazines, cup noodles, toilet paper, omikuji..."
"...Toilet paper?" Catherine repeated, flatly. She frowned again. "Your country is very... different, Die-skay."
"You think?" he asked, this time him being the one in disbelief. "Seems like a fairly boring place to me."
"But everything is so bright here!" she exclaimed. "Everything flashes, or sings, or both. And people wear weird clothing and no one seems to think anything of it. People in business suits sing in bars, and don't get kicked out."
"Karaoke," he muttered. "You have it, too."
"And Japan has all this new technology I've never seen. I don't think I'll see your cell phone in France for another year. And all these different shows you can watch. There are all these beautiful temples you can go to. People can become 'idols,' if they want. And," she pointed to her left, "there's beer in the vending machines. Beer."
Daisuke found himself chuckling, despite himself. "And toilet paper."
"And toilet paper!" Catherine repeated, giggling.
"I suppose," he relented, "that this place is a little interesting. Sometimes."
"Yes! And you must finish showing me your very interesting hometown, Die-skay." And with that, she grabbed his hand and began pulling him along.
He realized that it was inappropriate for him to be holding her hand, for multiple reasons. She wasn't his girl. She was only a friend, and barely one at that. Still, Catherine didn't know that it was wrong, nor did he think she would care if he told her. And even if he thought of telling her, she had already restarted her endless barrage of questions.
He relented without a fight. At least the day seemed a little less grey, and a little more blue. He had forgotten how much he missed color.