I'm really pleased with this story. So please be good with reviewing it.
Also, I've realised that in my previous stories, I've never done a disclaimer. Not that I imagine that any of you are stupid enough to actually believe I own Digimon, but here it goes: I do not own Digimon, Digimon is the property of err... Toei I think.
Anyway, read, enjoy and review.
'Hey! You guys!'
Kazu came running up to Henry and Takato followed eventually by Kenta.
'What is it Kazu?' asked Henry nonchalantly, not bothering to take his attention off Guilmon and Terriermon. The Digimon were playing in the park as him and Takato rested against a tree. Guardromon and MarineAngemon soon joined the other two Digimon as Kazu explained why he was here.
'You are not gonna believe what I found last night!' Kazu stated with a barely hidden sense of glee.
'You've finally realised you're gay and you've decided to come out?'
'Haha, Henry,' said Kazu sarcastically, 'Now come on, only Rika makes gay jokes about me.'
'You really think that, huh?' asked Takato sarcastically.
'Yeah, a…, hey shut up!'
As the others laughed at Kazu, he remembered why he'd come to see them in the first place.
'Now that I mention it however, Rika is just the gal I've come to talk about,' he said smirking.
'What are you talking about Kazu?' asked Henr,y still not really paying attention.
'Rika… list…boys…' Kenta managed to get out, still out of breath from the run to the park.
'What?' inquired a confused Takato.
'Do you know how we all went to Rika's last night to hang out?' asked Kazu. As Takato and Henry nodded he continued, 'Well, me and Kenta happened to sneak into Rika's bedroom when she wasn't looking…'
'At this point, I'd like to point out it wasn't my idea,' interrupted Kenta.
'Anyway,' said Kazu, 'After searching around for a bit, we found this.'
Kazu handed Henry and Takato a piece of folded A4 paper held in place by a paperclip. On one side of the paper was written a note that Henry read out.
'The Tamer Boys?' he questioned.
'Yes!' exclaimed Kazu, 'Clearly what is written on this piece of paper is vital information to us men.'
'I don't know guys,' said Takato, 'Whatever this is, it's clearly private to Rika. Can't we just leave it?'
'Don't be such a party pooper Takato,' said Kazu, 'Let's just read it and say what it says.'
Kazu snatched the paper back from Henry and pulled off the paperclip. The four guys (even Takato despite him thinking it was an invasion of Rika's privacy) stood around as Kazu opened the paper and read what was written in large letters at the top of the piece of paper.
'The Male Tamers, and the order I would do them in,' read Henry out loud.
The four guys stood their in silence contemplating what was in front of them before predictably, Kazu started been inappropriate.
'Wahoo, the hot redhead is thinking of us in a sexual way!' he yelled.
'Kazu…' said Henry in a serious tone.
'What?' he asked, 'It's always a good sign when girls think of me, err… us in this way.'
'I can't quite believe Rika would write anything like this,' said Henry.
'Of course she would!' said Kazu smirking, 'As I keep saying, all women, even the uptight ones, are in fact sex mad. It's all to do with the hormones.'
As the others rolled their eyes, Kazu continued, 'Come on, lets stop chatting about it and read… Yes! I'm first on the list!'
'Err… Kazu?' Takato interrupted as Kazu started celebrating.
'Yeah?' he asked smiling profusely.
'I think the list is in reverse order,' responded Takato, 'There's a number 5 next to your name.'
Kazu's face dropped and he muttered an 'aw crap' before Henry said, 'Hey look, she's written something next to your name.'
'Well,' said Kazu annoyed, 'Don't keep me hanging!'
On the piece of paper was written:
5) Kazu - Pros: I suppose he's at least mildly athletic.
Cons: He's Kazu. I mean come on! I can do way better than that! Plus he's probably gay since he drools over Akiyama so much.
As Henry recited these words, the other Tamer's burst out laughing as Kazu turned red from embarrassment.
'Screw you guys!' he shouted, 'At least I'm athletic.'
'Mildly athletic you mean,' giggled Kenta.
'Shut up, I bet your not much further up the list!'
Kazu was right, the next entry read:
4) Kenta - Pros: Quite smart. At least he's not Kazu…
Cons: …he is Kenta however. Is too much like Kazu. Also probably gay.
'At least I'm not last,' said Kenta, putting a brave face on things.
'Is there anyone she doesn't think is gay?' questioned Takato.
'Keep going,' said a rejuvenated Kazu, glad that he wasn't the only one getting insulted, 'This is only getting better and better.'
'Well, onto number 3,' stated Henry, not realising that number 3 was:
3) Henry - Pros: Smart, nice, attractive.
Cons: Too good a friend, would ruin our friendship if it didn't turn out. Also, I'm sure he's got a thing for Jeri.
Henry went red in the face as he read this bit, especially as Kazu and Kenta burst out laughing.
'Oooh, smart, nice and attractive Henry,' joked Kazu.
'Hang on,' interjected Takato, 'She thinks you have a thing for Jeri?'
'Well that's clearly ludicrous,' said Henry. But his face gave him away as he turned redder than even Kazu had managed.
'Dude, seriously?' asked Kenta.
'Err… well… you see… just keep reading the damn list!'
The others looked at each other and silently agreed to leave the subject of Henry and Jeri for a later date.
'Who's next?' asked Kazu.
2) Ryo - Pros: Really hot figure. Probably great in the bedroom. Also it's certain he likes me.
Cons: Annoying, brash, full of himself, thinks he's better at the Digimon card game than me, has swarms of fan girls, would probably cheat on me with one of those fan girls, he's never around anyway and above all he's just infuriating! I'd end up killing him within days!
'Wow, poor Ryo,' said Kenta.
'Poor Ryo?' said Kazu, 'He's got all those things against him and he still bet you!'
'Need I remind you "Number 5", that both him and even me bet you?' said Kenta which promptly shut Kazu up.
'Hang on a moment,' said Henry, 'I'd have thought Ryo would have been number 1 on the list for sure.'
'And if Ryo isn't number 1,' continued Kenta, 'That only leaves…'
The guy that it left had come to this conclusion as soon as he read that Ryo was number 2 on the list. Currently he was surpassing both Henry and Kazu's embarrassment and had gone past turning red in the face and into an odd shade of purple.
'Erm, Takato?' asked Henry.
'Err… yeah?' he stuttered.
'Do you want to read your entry?'
Takato managed to nod slightly and the four boys stared down at the piece of paper to the final entry.
1) Takato - Pros: I don't know what it is about Takato. He's so cute, and sweet, and just… I really like him but I'm such a bitch to him, he'd probably never be interested in me anyway.
Cons: I'll get back to you tomorrow on that one. I'll see if goggle head does anything tonight that pisses me off.
'Holy shit Takato,' muttered Kazu.
'Wow,' was all Kenta could manage.
'She… she couldn't even think of any cons for you dude,' Kazu pointed out.
'Hmm,' thought Henry out loud, 'She says she'll get back to it tomorrow.'
'When did you say you stole this Kazu?' asked Kenta.
'Yesterday,' Kazu informed him. The penny then slowly dropped for all of them. 'Crap, we are so screwed.'
'Okay, here's the situation,' said Henry, 'At some point, Rika is going to realise this list has gone missing. And Rika is smart enough to realise that it's us, specifically Kazu, that took it.'
'God dammit Kazu! You've damned us for all eternity! We're all dead!' shouted Kenta.
'She's gonna beat the living shit out of us isn't she?' asked Kazu.
'No she isn't, but I am.'
Out of nowhere, Kazu felt a furry paw wrap round his neck and he was lifted up into the air. Standing in front of him, having just appeared out of nowhere, was Renamon.
'Hand over the list,' she said calmly but with a thinly disguised threatening overtone.
'G-Give her the paper,' choked Kazu.
Kenta held out the paper at arms length to Renamon's free paw, been cautious so that she didn't grab him too. Renamon snatched it out of his hand and threw Kazu onto the floor.
'Good,' she said.
As she turned to leave, Takato caught her attention.
'Hey Renamon?' he asked tentatively.
She stopped and turned to look at him, 'Yes?'
'Err…' stuttered Takato, 'I-Is Rika mad?'
'Do you really need me to answer that question?' she responded.
'Err, okay then, answer me this; how mad is she?'
'Do you remember that time Kazu walked in on her changing?'
'How could I forget?' said Kazu proudly, 'First time I ever saw boobs up close.'
Kazu shut up as Renamon shot him a killer look.
'She's that upset huh?' asked Takato.
'No,' replied Renamon, 'She's about ten times worse.'
'Crap, we're screwed,' stated Kenta.
Renamon left, leaving the four boys standing around agitated.
'I don't know about you guys,' said Kazu, 'But I'm not waiting around to get killed by Rika. I'm gonna go hide myself better than Anne Frank. Good luck surviving out here.'
Kazu turned and left, dragging Guardromon behind him.
'Does someone want to go tell him how inappropriate that comparison was?' suggested Henry.
'I'll go,' sighed Kenta. 'If only to go hide with him.'
Kenta and MarineAngemon left leaving Henry and Takato standing together awkwardly.
'You okay Takato?' asked Henry, breaking the awkward silence.
'She… She likes me?' questioned Takato, mainly to himself than to Henry.
'Guess so,' answered Henry anyway. 'Listen, I promised my dad I'd give him a hand with a couple of things. I'll see you tomorrow.'
Takato barely acknowledged Henry taking Terriermon and leaving as he was too lost in his own thoughts.
'Takatomon?'
Guilmon broke him out of his trance. 'Are you okay?' he asked, completely oblivious to what had occurred.
'Erm, yeah, I'm okay boy. Nothing to worry about.'
His response seemed to placate his naïve Digimon. Takato walked Guilmon back to the hut that he still used for his home before starting off home himself. He barely paid attention to where he was going as his mind was in overdrive.
She likes me? he thought. I'm cute… and sweet? Wow, I did really not see this one coming. I mean, she really… actually… properly… likes me. D-Do I like her back?
Takato could not answer that question fully. He needed to find out. Which is why, twenty minutes later, he found himself knocking on the front door of Rika's house. Thankfully, Rika didn't answer the door, as she probably wouldn't have let him in. Instead, Takato found himself face to face with her mother.
'Oh, hello Mrs Nonaka, is Rika in?'
'Yes, she's been locked up in her room all day. I think she's annoyed at something.'
'Erm, yeah that's kind of why I'm here. Can I come in?'
Rika's mum led Takato to Rika's room and knocked on the door.
'Rika? Your friend Takato is here to see you,' she said.
Rika did not respond, so her mum shrugged and indicated that Takato could go in.
'Rika, you in here?' he said cautiously as he peeked round the door.
'What do you want goggle head?' asked a flat emotionless voice.
Takato turned and saw Rika sitting in the corner hugging her knees.
'A-Are you okay?' he stuttered.
'What do you think?' she replied coldly.
It was then that Takato noticed something he'd never seen before.
'Rika? Have you… have you been crying?' he asked.
'Just fuck off Takato!' she said angrily. She stood up and walked towards the far wall keeping her face hidden from Takato's view. Takato was clueless as how to respond. If he left now, Rika would be upset for a very long time and he definitely didn't want that to happen. She might not even want to be the other Tamer's friend after this episode.
'Rika, I'm sorry if it makes you feel any better?' he said, 'Not that I stole the list, but I shouldn't have read it at all when Kazu presented it. I should have thought about you're privacy first and foremost.'
Rika sighed, 'You're too damn nice for your own good Takato.'
'Yeah I know,' chuckled Takato, glad that Rika seemed to be calming down. She is cute when she's angry though… Woah! Where did that thought come from?
'I'm not that annoyed,' said Rika turning to face Takato, 'It's just… embarrassing for me.'
'Oh come on Rika, you're a teenager. It's not like I've never thought of nearly every girl like that,' said Takato before he could stop himself. Rika raised an eyebrow at him as he turned red in the face.
'Err, I mean, I could easily make a list of girls and uh…'
Takato didn't know where he was going with that train of thought but Rika took full advantage of it. She grabbed a piece of paper and pen from her desk and thrust them into his hands.
'Then do it,' she said, 'Make a list of the Tamer girls.'
'B-But that's just you and Jeri!' stuttered Takato.
'Well yeah,' said Rika, 'Unless you're a big enough pervert to like pre-pubescent girls?'
'No, no, I'll just do it with two,' laughed Takato nervously as he sat at the desk to write.
Holy crap! he thought, What on earth am I supposed to write down for the pros and cons?
Takato decided not to bother to number the two of them and first wrote:
Jeri - Pros: I suppose she's nice, cute, funny, intelligent.
Cons: She's been a bit distant since the whole d-reaper thing. Plus it seems Henry has the hots for her.
Takato looked up at Rika who was simply staring at the piece of paper he was writing on with no facial expression whatsoever.
Well, here goes nothing.
Rika - Pros:
Except that was as far as Takato got. He froze as he realised he had absolutely no idea what to write about Rika.
What is good about her? I mean, lots of things obviously but how the hell do I break them down into a list?
However, a voice deep down in Takato's mind told him he didn't need to. And so he wrote:
Rika - Pros: Everything about her.
Cons: Nothing, it's Rika.
Takato stood back up and handed the piece of paper to Rika.
'Here you go,' he said, not knowing what her reaction would be.
Rika read through the list several times before frowning and shoving back in into Takato's hands.
'You forgot to number it goggle head!'
Takato hurriedly wrote down a 1 next to Rika's name and a 2 next to Jeri's before Rika snatched it back off him. She read it through again several times, before slowly lowering it.
'Do you really mean that Takato?' she said quietly as she stared at the ground.
'Yeah Rika,' he said softly, 'You're really special to me.'
Rika looked up and their eyes met for the first time since Takato had come round. She realised he was standing very close to her. When they both talked about this moment later, they'd never quite be able to decide who leant in first but seconds later their lips met. It was only brief but for them it felt truly amazing.
After there lips parted, Rika grabbed her list and crossed out something and wrote down something new. She then handed it to Takato who read what she'd written.
1) Takato - Pros: Everything.
Cons: Nothing, it's Takato.
Takato looked back up at Rika and saw she was blushing. He grabbed her chin and pulled her into a more passionate kiss than before. At this moment, both Tamers were thinking exactly the same thing.
I may actually have to thank Kazu for this…
This story came from me and my friends who last year sometime all decided to write a list of the top ten celebrities we'd most like to be with. As I was involved however, I had to do both a top ten male and female list (I'm bisexual if anyone didn't know (which would be nearly all of you)) and I honestly really struggled. At least Rika had a fair few fit guys to choose from and I will say, she made the right choice. Maybe not so much as how attractive they are, but I feel that Takato is certaintly going to be the nicest to have as a boyfriend.