Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ A Lesson in Life ❯ The New Kid ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

A Lesson in Life


Takato Matsuki is the ‘new kid’ at West Shinjuku High School. Immediately, he is both shunned from the ‘cool’ crowd, but befriended by the ‘outcasts’. Unfortunately, he falls in love with Rika Nonaka, who, as time goes on, grows to like and eventually love him back. (PLEASE R&R!)

Author’s Note: This story just came to me when I was getting ready for bed, and I decided that I had to write it down and post it.

This story does not involve Digimon, unless it mentions the TV show or card game and various things like that. However, it does mention the Tamers. And, I might want to warn you, there is character death involved, not to mention attempts at suicide, abusing, teen pregnancies, and other things like that.

The main characters, like Takato, Henry, Rika, Alice, etc, are all 16. Ryo is 17, and Suzie, Ai, Mako, and their friends are 13 (I know Suzie is 7 years younger than Henry in the dubbed series, but I’m just making her 3 years younger so the story can work out as I had planned).

Hmm. Well, I can’t think of anything else to say, but I hope you enjoy the story! And please, if it’s no trouble, review! I’d enjoy that. Thanks!

***


Chapter 1: The New Kid



“Well, here it is. West Shinjuku High.”

A young boy around sixteen glanced curiously around his new surroundings, before making his way over to the steel fence that led to the football field. He grasped the handle tightly before pushing the gate open, revealing a huge area crowded with students from ages fourteen to seventeen. Takato Matsuki sighed and began walking along the football field. It was his first day at West Shinjuku High School. His parents had just moved to West Shinjuku from Odaiba, so that they could start and run their very own bakery.

That meant that Takato had to leave his friends, teachers, and memories behind. He had grown up in Odaiba and had gotten used to everything and everyone around him, and now, just when he was one of the happiest teenagers in the world, his parents decided that they wanted to open their own bakery in another city, and drag him with them. Frowning, Takato lazily kicked a nearby pebble, and watched it roll along the lush, green grass of the field.

“Get him! Yeah, that’s it, Ryo! Pound that computer freak into dust!” A loud, booming voice jeered, causing Takato to lift his gaze from the ground and glance around.

That’s when he noticed a large number of students crowding around something. A conflict, no doubt, but Takato had to be sure. He knew it was wrong to get involved, but curiosity got the better of him, and he soon found himself pushing past some students so that he could get a better look at what was happening.

That’s when he noticed that there were two boys in the center. The first boy looked at least a year older than Takato, and had spiky brown hair and blue eyes. The second boy had slightly messy blue hair, tanned skin, and gray eyes. While the first boy, who Takato assumed was Ryo, threw punches at the second boy, the second boy refused to fight back. He only blocked the older boy’s attacks with his arms.

“Oh, Henry,” a soft voice beside Takato sighed.

Takato glanced beside him and found a girl around his age standing there. She had extremely fair skin, light blue eyes, and long blonde hair that was pulled into high pigtails. She wore a black t-shirt that had some band’s logo written on it, and a pair of black jeans, topped off with black skater shoes.

Glancing around, Takato noticed that absolutely no one was trying to defend the younger boy.

What’s wrong with these people? That poor kid’s getting the crap beaten out of him, and they’re not doing anything to stop it! He thought angrily, Well, if they won’t do anything about it, I will.

Just as the older boy was about to deliver a hard kick to the younger boy when he was down on the ground, Takato roughly shoved him out of the way, causing the older boy to stagger sideways and nearly lose his balance.

“What the hell is wrong with you people?” asked Takato, “How can you just stand around and watch this?”

“Who the fuck are you?” asked the older boy.

“That’s none of your concern, now is it?” sneered Takato.

“It will be!” growled the older boy, as he threw his fist in Takato’s direction.

Takato sighed and caught the boy’s fist before it connected with his jaw.

“Didn’t your mother ever teach you that violence is not the answer?” asked Takato, releasing the boy’s fist and taking a step back, “I mean, if you’re pissed off at the world, just talk about it with someone you trust instead of taking your anger out on people who probably haven’t done anything to you in the first place.” Takato paused before continuing, “Of course, I’m not sure whether this kid did anything to you or not, but I don’t think a fistfight is going to solve an issue.”

“What are you? Some kind of tree-hugging hippie?” sneered the older boy.

“No,” replied Takato, “I just couldn’t stand the fact that you’re beating the crap out of someone, and no one is trying to stop it. Someone had to eventually, and I came to the conclusion that that someone had to be me.”

“Well, you just got yourself involved in something you didn’t want to, hippie!” threatened the boy, as he caught Takato off guard and punched him in the stomach.

Takato stumbled back, clutching his stomach, only to find himself being lifted off the ground. He glanced up and noticed that the older boy had grasped the front of his shirt and he now dangled at least a centimeter of the ground.

This is new. Takato thought.

“RYO!” A feminine voice echoed, while students immediately stepped aside to reveal a girl around Takato’s age.

She was the most beautiful thing Takato had ever laid his eyes on. She had reddish brown hair that was pulled back into a ninja-styled ponytail, fair skin, and violet colored eyes. She wore a white t-shirt with turquoise sleeves and a dark blue-purple heart on the front, and a pair of dark blue jeans, topped off with a spiky brown belt, and spiky red and gray shoes.

Wow. She’s gorgeous. Takato thought.

“Ryo! Let him go!” The girl demanded.

“Rika, stay out of this!” the boy retorted.

“He’s not worth it, Ryo! For God’s sake, you don’t even know him! Just let him go!”

The boy released his hold on Takato’s shirt, causing him to fall to his knees on the ground, rubbing his neck. He glanced up and noticed students leaving the area, while the boy, Ryo, wrapped his arm around the girl he had called Rika, and led her towards the school doors. Takato sighed and stood up, turning around to face the boy with blue hair.

“Need any help?” Takato offered, extending his hand towards the boy.

The boy eyed his hand for a few seconds before grasping it tightly with his own, and allowing Takato to pull him to his feet.

“Thanks,” said the boy, “No one’s ever done that before.”

“Done what?” asked Takato.

“Stand up to Ryo Akiyama.” Another voice replied.

The blonde girl that Takato had been standing beside before he intervened wrapped her arms around the blue-haired boy and kissed him softly on the cheek, before turning to face Takato.

“Uh, hi?” greeted Takato.

“I’m Alice McCoy,” the girl introduced, “And this is my boyfriend, Henry Wong.”

“Cool, I’m Takato Matsuki. I’m new here.” replied Takato.

“We kind of guessed that,” the boy, Henry, chuckled, “I mean, you sure don’t look familiar or anything.” He grinned, “And besides, if you were an everyday student here, you wouldn’t have stood up to Ryo.”

“Why is everyone afraid of him? He’s just a big jerk who finds it entertaining to see people in pain.” said Takato, “I’ve faced bigger and meaner kids than that guy.”

“Yeah, well,” Henry trailed off, “He’s tough. He’s got a whole army of students to back him up on this one.”

“What about that girl?” asked Takato, “Who was that?”

“That girl was Ryo’s girlfriend, Rika Nonaka.” replied Henry, “They’ve been going out since eighth grade.”

“Oh,” said Takato.

“You think she’s cute, don’t you?” guessed Alice, “Well, I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but Ryo is one of those boyfriends who doesn’t let any boy talk to Rika, except for his friends, and the girls of West Shinjuku High. So you won’t get a chance to ever speak to her.”

“What kind of girl would want a boyfriend like that?” asked Takato.

“Who knows?” shrugged Henry, “Rika is one of the most popular girls in school, and Ryo’s the most popular guy. Naturally they would’ve found each other.”

“Have you ever spoken to her?” asked Takato.

“A few times,” replied Henry, “She hangs out with my sister, Suzie, even though Suzie’s three years younger than us, but Suzie looks up to Rika, so when she’s over, that’s the only time I ever get to talk to her.”

“I hope that’s the only thing you do, Henry Wong.” teased Alice, playfully punching him in the shoulder.

Henry grinned.

“Don’t worry, Alice,” he assured her.

The three jumped in shock when the bell rang.

“Uh, time for class,” said Alice, “I’ll see you later, Henry.”

She kissed him quickly on the lips before dashing off to her first class.

“Which class do you have first?” asked Henry.

“Uh, well, my homeroom is room 101, but my next class is Geography.” replied Takato.

“Same here,” laughed Henry, “I’ll show you, come on.”

Takato grinned and followed him inside.

***

“Oh! You must be the new student that Mr. Gibbons was talking about!”

Takato forced a weak smile and stared at his new homeroom teacher. She was a woman in her late twenties or early thirties, and had shoulder-length brown hair and brown eyes.

“Uh, yeah,” he replied.

“Welcome to West Shinjuku High. I’m your homeroom teacher, Ms. Takihiro.” She introduced.

“I’m Takato Matsuki.”

“Well, nice to meet you, Takato.” said Ms. Takihiro, “Now, where to put you,”

She trailed off and observed the classroom, looking for an empty desk. Her eyes lit up when she noticed an empty desk beside one of her best students - Jeri Katou.

“Takato, there’s an empty seat beside Jeri.” She said, while the girl, Jeri, rose her hand to indicate who she was.

Takato noticed that she had auburn hair that she wore in a half ponytail on it’s side, and light brown eyes. She wore a green t-shirt with a yellow jacket over it, and a pair of dark blue jeans.

He nodded and made his way over to the empty desk, plopping himself down in the seat, and glancing around his surroundings.

That’s when he realized he was also sitting beside the gorgeous Rika Nonaka. He felt his heart do a summersault, and couldn’t stop the faint blush that reached his cheeks.

Takato glanced around the classroom and realized that Ryo wasn’t there. He sighed in relief.

“Hi,” he greeted, “I’m -”

“Don’t talk to me.” Rika snapped.

The tone of her voice made it seem like she was either angry or offended, but Takato also noticed that there was worry dripping from it, and he couldn’t help but notice her eyes darting around the classroom, as if someone was watching her every move.

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Takato turned and found Jeri grinning at him.

“I’m Jeri.” She introduced.

“Hi,” replied Takato, “I’m Takato.”

Jeri smiled brightly in response. Clearly she was the optimistic kind of person.

Takato smiled back before glancing over at Rika, who was writing something down in her notebook.

He sighed.

***

“So, how do you like West Shinjuku High so far?” asked Jeri, as she and Takato, accompanied by Henry and Alice, made their way home after school.

“It’s alright,” replied Takato, “Although I wish that I could’ve gotten to know Rika.”
“She’s pretty, isn’t she?” agreed Jeri, “I wish I was as pretty as her. But, her Mother’s a model, so it’s no wonder where she gets the beauty from.”

“Her Mother’s a model?” repeated Takato.

Jeri nodded.

“That’s her Mother, right there.” She said, pointing to a picture on the cover of the magazine she was holding, “The famous, Rumiko Nonaka.”

Takato gazed at the cover. The woman on the cover had wavy blonde hair, and fair skin. She wore a peach colored sunhat, and a beautiful matching dress. She didn’t really resemble Rika in any way until Takato noticed her eyes - the same violet eyes that Rika had.

“Wow,” he said.

“I know, huh?” giggled Jeri, “Uh - oh, umm.”

She paused and stopped dead in her tracks. Takato looked up and noticed that Ryo and Rika were heading in their direction, accompanied by two other boys who Takato recognized from his homeroom class. A boy with light brown hair, wearing a visor, and another boy with sea green hair and glasses.

“Hi!” greeted Takato.

Rika opened her mouth to respond, but Ryo dragged her away. The visor boy smirked and followed, while the boy with glasses smiled weakly and waved politely, before following closely behind.

“Who were the other two?” asked Takato.

“The boy with the visor is Kazu Shioda,” replied Jeri, “And the boy with glasses is Kazu’s best friend, Kenta Kitagawa. Kazu is a real jerk when he’s around Ryo, but he has his sweet moments. Kenta is one of the sweetest guy’s I’ve ever met in my life - he gave me a Valentine last year - and the only reason he hangs around Ryo is because he and Kazu have been best friends since first grade, and he doesn’t want to just ruin it.”

“I see,” said Takato.

“That jerk,” muttered Henry.

“What?” asked Jeri.

“Oh, nothing,” replied Henry, “Forget I said anything.”

Alice gazed at her boyfriend for a few seconds, before glancing up.

“Oh, well, here’s my house. I’ll see you guys later.” She kissed Henry on the cheek before racing inside the house.

“Bye!”

Takato waved goodbye, before he, Henry, and Jeri continued their way towards his own home.

***


Princess_Randi: How’s THAT for a first chapter?!

Rika: I hated it.

Princess_Randi: NO ONE ASKED YOU!

Rika: You made me Ryo’s girlfriend! I wouldn’t date that jackass if he was the last damn Tamer on Earth!

Princess_Randi: Then who would you date?

Rika: My heart belongs to MY Goggle -------- hey! Whoa! Nearly caught me there! You thought you were SO smart, didn’t you?

Henry: *Giggle* She was gonna say Takato! Rika loves Takato!

Rika: I DO NOT!

Henry: Yes you do --- don’t deny it. You know you love him!

Rika: *Pulls out a crowbar* I dare you to say that one more time, Braniac!

Henry: *Clears throat* RIKA LOVES TAKATO!

Takato: *Walks through door* Huh?

Henry: *Runs past Takato and Princess_Randi, while Rika chases him around with crowbar* RIKA LOVES YOU! SHE WANTS TO MARRY YOU AND HAVE YOUR CHILDREN!

Takato: Uh ----

Princess_Randi: He seems out of character. I think Terriermon has rubbed off on him.

Takato: You think that too?

Princess_Randi: Yep.
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