Frontier 02: Home Frontier – Chapter 10: Closet Confessions
madjack89: Yo yo yo, dogs. It's me, here to bring you the ever lovely F2HF! Now with almost 70% more romance! Woot!
Kouji: I still have one question that needs answering.
madjack89: And that would be?
Kouji: Was Takuya at the party store to get supplies for some hare-brained scheme?
Takuya: Um…no! Heh heh, of course not! Ha ha ha…
Kouji: …So what did you get?
Takuya: …Streamers.
Kouji: *sigh* I don't even want to know.
madjack89: Oh, by the way, Kouji, since Takuya got to answer reviews last time, you get to answer reviews this time, okay, go!
Kouji: What?
*break*
GoldenDragon326: But I…oh, whatever. Fine. Let's see…alright, first of all, I'M FREAKING JAPANESE! I don't care if it's the Fourth of July! (they are talking to me, Kouji) Hey, I thought I was answering these things! Grr…okay, to answer your question, a plot hole is basically like a random, unexplained occurrence in the plot of a story, show, etc. Kouichi randomly showed up at the end, so madjack89 made a little joke about it. That good enough for you? (do the face!) sigh…^.^ Happy? (yes!)
greywindfalcon: What, another one? Fine then, if it gets you off my back. reads Ha, nice! He is very, extremely oblivious. But you have made a point. I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to him or anything…and he's not the worst leader in the world…and he's a good friend…wait, why am I telling you this? God, these reviews are getting on my nerves…and I happen to know what happens in this chapter, and I assure you that Takuya won't be as mad as you think he'll be. That all? Okay, good.
*break*
madjack89: Thanks, Kouji!
Kouji: Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're lucky I'm so nice.
Takuya: Nice?
Kouji: *punches Takuya*
Takuya: Why does this keep happening to me?
madjack89: Sorry Taki. Okay, time for a super-special-awesome new chapter!
—
"Hurry up Taki. We're gonna be late!" Kouji beckoned to Takuya, who was lagging behind Kouichi and himself.
Takuya glared at Kouji and sneezed. "Well, it's not my fault that it's so damn cold! You know I hate cold weather! And since when were you allowed to call me Taki?" He sneezed again, shivering slightly.
"You let Kira call you Taki," Kouji retorted, smirking.
"That's different!" Takuya yelled. He had at least realized that Kira was mad at him and had been trying to be nicer to her. However, she was still being as cold to him as ever. He sneezed again, shivering more violently.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Kouichi asked, worried.
"I'll be fine once we reach the café," said Takuya, scrunching up his shoulders and trudging farther along the sidewalk.
Takuya and the others were going to meet Zoe and Shino at a café to celebrate Christmas Eve and they were already late. JP was going to be there as well, but he would be busy with Tomoyo, the crazy, controlling chick who seemed to be nuts about him. He couldn't really complain though, because she WAS treating him. But he had been in remorse all week about sending the wrong "signals" to Zoe. Daiki and Hotaru were visiting relatives, as was Tommy. Kira had refused to go if Takuya was going to be there.
Takuya shivered, stifling a sneeze. "Please tell me we're almost there," he moaned, getting sick of the freezing wind slamming against his face.
"Don't worry, we'll be there in a few more minutes," said Kouji, perfectly at ease in the frigid weather.
"C'mon, let's get a move on!" Kouichi took the lead, practically sprinting ahead of the other two. Kouji and Takuya stared at him, confused. Kouji had noticed Kouichi getting more and more tense as they continued toward the café. What's bothering him? he thought, worry creasing his forehead.
Kouichi closed his eyes for a second, trying to calm himself down. Why am I getting so worked up? So what if Shino and Zoe are there alone… Kouichi's hand clenched involuntarily. He sighed. I'm a mess.
—
"Here they come!" Tomoyo jumped down from her post atop a table near the window, running behind the counter.
"Alright, is everyone ready?" she asked.
"Roger," said Shino, leading Kira to a closet in the back of the café.
"Yup," replied JP, opening the closet door. "Okay Kira, get in and let the love commence!"
Kira glared at him, making him jump in fear. She smirked. "Yeah right. This is just gonna be another disappointment." She stepped into the closet and sat down. "Thanks for ruining my Christmas."
"You're welcome," replied Zoe, turning off the lights and ducking behind the counter with Tomoyo, JP, and Shino.
The door opened and Kouji, Kouichi, and Takuya stepped inside. Takuya and Kouichi looked around in confusion, while Kouji grabbed Takuya from behind. Takuya's eyes widened in shock as Kouji muffled his mouth with his arm.
"What…?" Kouichi watched Kouji in confusion. He, of course, had no trouble seeing in the dark, and now stared at Kouji, wondering if this was a Digimon attack or not.
Kouji dragged Takuya to the back of the cafe and then shoved him into a closet, closing and locking the door.
Takuya sat in the closet for a second, completely confused. He got up and knocked on the door, yelling, "Kouji! What the hell are you doing? Let me out!"
"Alright guys, come on out," said Kouji from outside the closet. "I can't really see where you are, so could you turn on the lights?"
The lights flicked on and Zoe and Tomoyo squealed, slapping high fives. "Kouji, that was awesome!" Zoe happily hugged Kouji while JP and Shino also got out from behind the counter.
Kouichi stood in the middle of the café, cocking his head in confusion. "Um, can someone please explain why locking Takuya in the closet is a good thing?"
JP blinked. "No one told Chief?" Everyone stared at each other, shaking their heads. JP sighed. "Well, sorry we left you out of the loop, Chief, but I'll explain. You see, since Christmas Eve is one of the most romantic nights of the year, we decided to speed things up with Takuya and Kira and make them spend tonight together, whether they want to or not. So we decided to go for locking them in a closet. Sorry we didn't tell you sooner."
"My aunt owns this café and agreed to let us do this," Tomoyo added, holding up a set of the café's keys.
"You mean Kira's in there?" Kouichi looked at the closet and smiled. "That could work."
"Wait a minute!" Takuya's voice came from inside the closet. "You mean that she's…" There was a shuffling sound, and then a desperate banging on the closet door. "Oh my God, let me out! I'm too young to be pummeled to a bloody pulp by a girl!"
"Technically she's a Yankee," said Kouji.
"I am not a Yankee, bandana head!" Kira's voice yelled from the closet.
"Don't worry; we'll come back at midnight to pick you up. Have fun!" Zoe said as everyone followed her out the door.
"Wait!" Takuya banged one last time and sank to the floor, clenching his fists. "Perfect, just perfect," he muttered to himself.
Kira stared at him and smirked. He is such a moron. She turned and walked to the back of the closet, sitting on a box near a heater the others had generously provided. She looked at him again and noticed that he was shivering. He really can't take the cold, can he?
"You know, there's a heater back here," she said, gesturing to the box beside her. Takuya flinched, staring at Kira warily. "Taki, I promise I won't do anything to you. You seem cold and miserable enough as it is."
Takuya considered for a moment then got up and joined Kira near the back of the closet, sitting on a box on the opposite side of the heater. He took off his winter gear and began rubbing his hands together over the heater. He glanced up at Kira and muttered a short "Thanks."
Kira's expression stayed cool, though she was beaming inside. "You're welcome."
—
"I am a genius!" Zoe skipped merrily along the sidewalk, grinning broadly. "This will, without a doubt, get those two together. I just know it!"
"Here are the keys, Zoe," said Tomoyo, handing Zoe the restaurant keys. "Just give them back to me in a few days. As for us…" She stared at JP with pleading eyes, puckering up her lips.
JP stepped back, using his arms as a barrier. "I said I'd help with the plan when I got to the café. I did NOT agree to go out on a romantic evening with her!"
"JP, you did agree to go to the café with her, so just humor her with a date, at least," said Zoe, also making pleading eyes.
JP sighed. "You have everyone on your side, don't you?" He grabbed Tomoyo's arm gruffly. "Alright, let's get this over with."
"Yes!" Tomoyo ran quick as a flash down the street, dragging JP along with her. "Merry Christmas!"
"Yeah, well, I've done my part, so I'm just gonna go now," said Kouji, turning to head for home. Zoe grabbed the back of his collar and pulled.
"Oh no, you don't. I'm not letting you be the only one to spend Christmas Eve alone," she said with authority.
Kouji wrenched his jacket from her grip. "I was alone before I met you guys. What would make tonight any different?"
They stared each other down for a few seconds. Then Kouji sighed. "Fine then. I get dragged into almost everything else…"
"So, where exactly are we going?" asked Shino, speaking for the first time.
Kouichi flinched slightly. Oh, I forgot. HE'LL be there too. Kouichi shook his head. Calm down. I just need to calm down, and I'll be fine.
"Kouichi! Aren't you coming to the park with us?" Kouichi looked up to see that everyone was already walking away and he was still standing there.
"Sorry. I'm coming," he said, catching up with the rest of them. He glanced at Zoe, watching the way her hair fluttered in the cold breeze. He put his head down to hide that he was blushing. Then he smiled. Merry Christmas, I guess!
—
Kira flipped out the book she had brought with her in order to pass the time while Takuya continued warming up his toes. There was silence, and then Takuya asked, "So, what are you reading?"
Kira flipped another page of her book, ignoring him. Takuya glanced down to see what it was. He noticed that it was a manga. "You like manga, too? That's cool." There was more silence. "Which series is it?"
Kira sighed, putting her book away. "You're not gonna let me have any peaceful reading time, are you?"
"Well, I thought maybe I could start a conversation. We'll be in here a while," he said, looking down at the floor.
Oh, why did he have to go and make the poor little puppy dog face? Kira smiled at him. It's that kind of thing that got me attracted to you in the first place, you little goggle-headed fool.
"Alright then, what do you want to talk about?" Kira asked Takuya. Takuya looked up, startled.
"Well, I don't know. Maybe, like, uh…what movies have you seen lately?" he asked.
"I don't see too many movies. I'm usually busy working at my aunt's shop. Someone's gotta earn a living, and it's not gonna be my dad anytime soon."
Takuya's eyes widened. This was more of an answer than he expected. "Your dad doesn't work? Wait, wait, that was really rude."
Kira smiled. "Well, similar to Kouji's little issue, my mother also died. But she's definitely dead. In fact, I was with her when she died." Kira paused, letting this sink in. "You see, when I was four, my mom was diagnosed with some disease. I don't remember what it was called, and my dad certainly won't tell me, so don't ask.
"She had to spend an entire year in the hospital and before I knew it, we were celebrating my fifth birthday in the hospital, right by my mother's bedside." Kira paused again, smiling to herself. "You should have seen how happy my mom looked when I brought my entire kindergarten class into her hospital room just to celebrate my birthday. I'll remember that birthday for the rest of my life."
She sighed. "But all good things end, I guess. Yeah sure, I was having a ball that day. All of my friends had left and Dad was going to get Mom a Twix. She loved Twix, but the nurses were all assholish and they wouldn't get her any and, well, basically put, I was the only one in there with Mom.
"I was just sitting in a chair, admiring my presents when this monitor by Mom started beeping and blinking and everything. I looked at Mom and saw that she was in some pretty intense pain, so I went over to press the little emergency button thingy. But Mom grabbed my arm to stop me. I looked up at her and, despite all the pain she was in, she had this look of peace on her face. Up to that point, I had been freaking out. But when I saw that look on my Mom's face, I started to feel calmer. What can I say? She was my Mom.
"Then she took hold of my hand and said 'I'm so proud of you. You are a bright, independent young girl. Never let anyone tell you anything different.' And then she laid her head back and…died." She whispered the last word, almost talking to herself at this point. Takuya looked at her, pity crossing his face.
She wouldn't want me to pity her, he thought, shaking his head. Kira held up her head again to continue. "To answer your question, my mom's death destroyed my dad. She had been the love of his life and after she was gone, he felt empty. He refused to go to work, so he was fired. He was too busy wallowing in sadness to even take care of me.
"So his sister, my aunt, took custody of me until he could get his act together. I stayed with her for two years. Then one day my dad showed up at the house and said he had gotten an apartment and a job. What he hadn't mentioned was that the apartment was a dump and his job was at a convenience store for minimum wage.
"We could barely afford anything, so I suggested to my aunt that she let me work at her store for money. She said I was too young for a job, but I felt bad just taking her money, so I started work. I still work there, and I get paid a hell of a lot more than Dad does, not to mention he's turned into a raving drunk, which doesn't help our situation."
Takuya looked at Kira, trying not to give away how bad he felt for her. Kira frowned, slightly put out. He wasn't going to try to hug her? Damn, so close.
"Hey, what's wrong?" asked Takuya, noticing her disappointment.
"It's nothing," she mumbled.
Takuya frowned. It's not nothing. Then he got up, walked over to Kira and sat down. Before she could react he put his arm securely around her shoulder, squeezing her arm. "I never told me how you felt about your mom's death," he whispered close to her ear. She shivered, not expecting this at all.
She looked at her hands, not knowing what to say. She pictured her mother's sweet, smiling face, how her hair had always been so messy in the morning, how her eyes had sparkled whenever she laughed, how pale her skin had been when she died…
Suddenly tears were running down her cheeks, dripping onto her lap. "Oh…" she exclaimed, surprised. She had told this story to tons of other people before, but she had never cried about it before. She never cried. But now, picturing her mother and all she missed about her, she felt an overwhelming urge to ball her eyes out.
Without thinking, she laid her head on Takuya's chest and began to sob, clutching his shoulder for support. Takuya wrapped his other arm around her, holding her tighter. He stroked her hair lightly, laying his head on hers.
Suddenly Takuya realized something. It had been eating at the back of his mind ever since the dance, but he just hadn't thought it was possible. Now, clutching Kira firmly in his arms, comforting her, he knew without a shadow of a doubt that it was true.
He was in love with Kira.
—
madjack89: Okay, I'll end it there. Crazy stuff, huh? Crazy stuff…oh, by the way, I have neglected to give you guys profiles on the other four legendary warrior kids (not to mention Tomoyo). So I'll make this a super chapter and give them to you right now!
Daiki (Dai) Kazuki: Legendary Warrior Spirit- Grumblemon
Age- 12
Hair- short, spiky, sandy brown
Eyes- light green
Birthday- July 9
Blood type- A
Hotaru Kazuki: Legendary Warrior Spirit- Mercurymon
Age- 13
Hair- longish, straight, blond
Eyes- light green
Birthday- January 15
Blood type- AB
Kira Ishiko: Legendary Warrior Spirit- Ranamon
Age- 12
Hair- straight, shoulder-length, black with red streaks
Eyes- dark green eyes (I have a thing for green eyes :))
Birthday- March 10
Blood type- AB
Shino Kosuke: Legendary Warrior Spirit- Arbormon
Age- 12
Hair- longish, dark brown
Eyes- light brown
Birthday- April 3
Blood type- O
Tomoyo (I'll give her a last name someday…): Age- 13
Hair- shoulder-length, curly dark brown
Eyes- light blue
Birthday- May 24
Blood type- A
madjack89: Well, there you have it! I'm sure you can guess what the next chapter will involve…any final thoughts, guys?
Takuya: Never trust an author.
Kouji: The grass is always greener on the other side.
JP: Don't count your chickens before they've hatched.
Kouichi: Um, check out Matsuda Coast to Coast by TeamDattebayo on to see one of madjack89's comment used in a comment special. And watch Death Note Abridged by TeamDattebayo.
madjack89: That was an advertisement, Kouichi.
Kouichi: Sorry.
madjack89: Alright, see you in chapter eleven (I can't believe it's already that long)!