Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ How to Tell You ❯ A Broken Heart ( Chapter 6 )

"Did Takato leave," Juri asked, looking at his friends, Hirokazu and Kenta.

"No way! A real tamer never leaves his Digimon," Kenta said, looking down on the scene. "Takato rocks!"

"Hey, you looked pretty cool there, chunley," Hirokazu said, extending his hand to Takato.

"Yeah," Juri said, sighing as she looked at him. "And cute, too."

"What!?"

"Pu-lease," Hirokazu said, shoving Juri playfully.

"Takatomon." Megalo Growmon still stood over the children, looking at Takato. "You are worthy, Tamer."

"I think, I think I see that now," Takato said, tears forming in his eyes. He placed his arms wide on Megalo Growmon's chin, as close to a hug as he could manage.

"Thank you, for fighting by my side."

"But, I . . . I didn't do anything," Takato said, sobbing. "Except trust you. And, myself, I guess. It looks like we'll need a whole lot of peanut butter for this."

"So how are things," Ruki said, finding Takato outside of Guilmon's shelter. "Not too much damage, I hope."

Takato turned aside, trying to hide his tears. "I . . . I almost lost Guilmon today," he said, barely keeping his voice steady. "I don't know, if you know what that feels like. To lose someone you care about so much, or even just come close."

"Renamon," Ruki said, blinking. "When I attacked Harpymon the other night, all I could think of was that I couldn't bear to live without Renamon as my partner. I guess I thought you wouldn't have understood about it."

"Just then, I wouldn't have," Takato admitted, turning around. "Ruki, it's something I just realized tonight. I was feeling every hit Mihiramon made on Growmon. We had to work together to beat him, or we never would have had the strength. I almost wonder, what would have happened to me if Growmon had died."

"Don't think about that," Ruki said, putting her arms around him. "In fact, right now, it might be smart to try to avoid thinking about much of anything. Come on, I have something to show you."

"Hello Jenrya," Renamon said, appearing inside his room. "We need to talk."

"I know," Lee said, raising an eyebrow. "It's about Ruki and Takato, isn't it?"

"Mostly," Renamon admitted, shrugging slightly. "She wants me to keep it a secret, but I don't think I can. Sometimes, when you care about someone..."

"I understand," Lee said, crossing his arms. "She likes Takato, right? Does he know?"

"Yes, to both," Renamon said. "I expect you saw it as clearly as I did tonight. And, as much as I know this is wrong, it hurts me that they would be so close."

"What?" Lee was in shock at the words, trying to put them together. "Are you saying that you don't think they belong together?"

"No," Renamon said, gasping. "Just, I don't think everything is clear around them. Having each of them pulled aside by other interests would not be healthy for them."

"So you're trying to make sure they have a balance," Lee said, running one hand through his hair. "Except that isn't the way human relationships work. A perfect match will still find struggles because of an imperfect balance."

"I know," Renamon said, looking out the window. "I must go." And with no more than that, she vanished, a puff of smoke being left behind.

"I wonder where Takato went," Juri said, creeping around the bushes.

"He probably went to find more Digimon," the sock puppet on her hand responded, barking as it finished. "Boys are so silly."

"They sure are," Juri said, giggling as she turned to a rustling in the bush. She peeked through it and gasped, her eyes widening in shock. "He's just being silly," she said, running away. "Just playing a mean joke, right?"

"In your dreams girl," the puppet replied, before flying off of her hand. Its words echoed in her mind, forcing her to confront what she had seen.

"Did you hear something," Takato asked, turning around. "I could've sworn I heard someone. But, I don't think we were seen."

"It doesn't matter, does it?" Ruki smiled up at him. "After all, whoever it was proably wouldn't have recognized us anyway, right?"

"Yeah," Takato said, turning back. "I suppose so." He smiled faintly, and then turned completely back towards Ruki. "And even if they did, what we do is our business."

"Right," Ruki said, leaning in towards him. "It's our own business, Taka-chan." She pressed her lips to his, and they resumed the kiss that they'd been pursuing only moments before.

"How could he? Doesn't he know how I feel," Jurisaid, sobbing into her sock puppet. "I thought he knew that I liked him. But then he . . . he'd rather be with a Tamer girl than me, because she knows about Digimon. And look at me, I hardly even know three Digimon names."

She sat there, sobbing behind Guilmon's shelter, until her tears had run dry. "I should go, before he comes back. I wouldn't want to disappoint him again."

"Takato, were you crying behind here last night?"

"Why do you ask, Guilmon?"

"Because, someone was crying there," Guilmon said, straight to the point as usual. "But it didn't sound like you. It sounded like a girl."

"A girl?" Takato blinked as he put it all together. A gasp in the bushes, and then a girl crying back here. "I should have told her sooner," he muttered. "Guilmon, I have to get to school now. I'll be back this afternoon with more food, all right?"

"Okay. See you later Takato!"

"Hey Juri," Takato said, trying to sound cheery. "How are you today?"

"I'm just fine," she said, turning to face him.

"So, where's your sock puppet?"

"I don't need him," Juri said, looking up at her classmate. "I'm into Digimon now."

"Huh?"

"I'll be getting my cards next week," she said. "Kenta already said he'll teach me how to play."

"Oh," Takato said. "Juri, were you looking for me last night?"

"Look," she said, tears in her eyes. "If you'd rather be with that Tamer girl, then do it! But first," she jumped up and wrapped her arms around him. "You never gave me a chance, Takato. So, just one kiss." She didn't give him a chance to respond, as she pressed her lips to his, and led into the kiss. A moment later, a slap removed her from Takato, and looking up at Ruki.

"R- Ruki?" Takato seemed very nervous, and looked straight at her. "Look, Ruki, this isn't what it looks like. I didn't, I mean, we , I mean . . . Please, Ruki. She saw us last night."

"So you're trying to keep her quiet?"

"Ruki, please, she jumped on me, she didn't give me a chance to fight back."

"You're just like everyone else," Ruki said, striking Takato's cheek. "You say one thing, but mean another. Have fun with her, because you aren't seeing me again." Ruki stalked off, the anger almost visible. She wanted nothing to do with him, and was making it clear.

"Now do you see what you've done," Takato said, looking down at Juri. "Thanks a lot, Katou. Why don't you go ruin my partnership with Guilmon too!"

"I'm sorry," Juri said, watching him head into school. "It wasn't like I thought. I didn't feel anything." And she stayed on the ground, sobbing. She couldn't make Takato like her, and that realization was like a hole in her heart. But what hurt even more was that he didn't even like her as a friend anymore. "I'm so sorry, Takato. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Takato moped through class all day, waiting to make Ruki see what had happened. Suddenly, his life had more important things than Guilmon and Digimon, and he knew he would have to face them all. Especially when he saw Juri, still on the ground, unmoved all day.

Sometimes, love can really hurt. Sometimes, the pain affects more people than you would ever expect. And sometimes, realizing you've been after the wrong person, can almost kill you. But what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger, and a rebuilt bridge can often be more sturdy than the one before it. . .

~ To be continued? Such is my hope.