Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Chocolate Mint ❯ One-Shot
[ P - Pre-Teen ]
By: deathbyanime 
Juri's upset, but Ruki is there for her.
Anime/Manga: Digimon Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Angst | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 03.29.2003 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.3K | Visits: 525 | Status: Completed
Juri's upset, but Ruki is there for her.
Anime/Manga: Digimon Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Angst | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 03.29.2003 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.3K | Visits: 525 | Status: Completed
Disclaimer: Do you see this actually happening in the show? No? Well, then it's clear I don't own Digimon.
A/N: Shoujo ai. That's a female/female relationship, so if that's not your thing, leave now. If you even try to flame, I'll probably die laughing.
***
Juri Katou hurried down the street, tears of frustration welling up in her eyes. She wasn't going to cry, not over this. It was stupid, and they were all jerks, and dammit, she was crying.
She picked up speed, just thinking to outrun her troubles, until she was running as fast as she was able. She didn't even see the other person until they'd collided, and both had been sent staggering back.
An annoyed voice assailed her ears. "Hey idiot, watch where you're going." And then "Oh - Juri."
Ruki.
"I'm sorry, Ruki." She brushed one hand across her face, trying to obliterate her tears. "I wasn't watching - well, you've already said that."
And Ruki, who'd gotten so tall and graceful sometime in the past few years, was watching her in the strange, considering sort of way she always did now. "You ok, Juri?"
She nodded, and managed a ghost of her usual smile. "It's nothing. I barely tripped, so I'm perfectly fine.
Ruki shook her head, and was talking almost before Juri was finished. "That's not what I mean." _And you know it_ hung in the air, unspoken.
"What's wrong?"
"Why would anything be wrong? You're out late yourself."
Ruki gave her a pained look. "Juri, please. Sometimes Mom's perkiness threatens to overwhelm me, so I'm out here a lot. And you're never here. Give me some credit."
"All right." Juri was silent for a time, pulling her thoughts into some kind of order. Ruki understood this without it being said, and fell in step with her as she wandered the dark streets.
"I was working at our bar tonight," she began slowly, choosing her words with care. "Technically, I'm not supposed to, but sometimes my parents need the extra help."
They'd come to the old playground. Ruki led the way to the cheerful animal dome they'd played in as children, and with one smooth motion pulled herself onto the top. Juri scrambled up the curves, and finally made it with Ruki's help.
"Thanks," she breathed, and sat down. "Like I said, I was working the bar tonight, and. Never mind. Gods, this is so stupid! Forget I said anything."
She stood quickly, a bit unsteady. Ruki reached up and caught her arm. "If its bothering you this much, its not stupid, its important." She tugged, perhaps a bit harder than necessary, and Juri flopped down, something considerably closer to Ruki this time. "Now tell me."
"Some drunk pinched me as I went by." It was said in such a low voice Ruki nearly missed it, which would have suited Juri fine.
"Pinched you?" Ruki's voice had an odd note to it.
"Yeah. Um, on my butt." She flushed. "And I know I'm too sensitive about this, dad's told me so before, but I just hate it. I hate having stupid drunks hitting on me. I dropped the glasses I was carrying, and he laughed, and so did dad and everyone else, and the only one who even looked like she cared was my stepmom, and she'll never say anything, I know it."
It finally came out in a rush, and by the end her tears were back, and this time she couldn't even pretend not to cry.
"Juri..." Ruki had that strange gentle voice she rarely used, and most often around Juri. "Guys are jerks, all right? No matter what your father says, that drunk had no right to do that to you. It's not funny at all, it's just wrong. You're so much better than any of those creeps. Don't let them get to you, because in a few years you'll be gone to college and won't have to worry about them again."
As Ruki spoke, her voice had become passionate and sincere, and Juri's
tears stopped as she found herself staring at the other girl. Perhaps Ruki realized how much she'd revealed, because in a voice of oddly strangled cheerfulness she advised "Next time one of them tries it, slap him."
Juri grinned, a real smile this time.
"Or tell me, and I'll kick his ass for you."
Juri giggled, and spontaneously hugged the other girl. "Oh Ruki, thank you." Ruki went very still, but when Juri let go, she didn't move away. Juri had ran from the bar in just her thin waitress uniform and could feel Ruki's warmth. It was a strange feeling, but enjoyable.
They sat in silence for a few moments.
"Did you really mean what you said earlier?"
When Ruki replied, her voice was slightly unsteady, and Juri could smell a sort of chocolate mint on her breath. "Of course. Men suck. I tolerate Lee and Takato and the others, but aside from them I can't stand guys. Mom keeps waiting for me to go boy crazy, like she was at my age, but I don't think that's going to happen." This was said with an attempt at a casual air, which failed miserably.
_Now who was deliberately misunderstanding the question._ "Not that, what you said about me. About being better than the creeps."
"Yes, I meant it." Ruki was completely unreadable as she said this.
"Well, I wish I was more like you."
"No, you don't."
"Yes, I do! If I were more like you, I really would slap a guy when he tried that. I wouldn't just run away and cry. I'm so *pathetic*."
"Don't change, Juri." Ruki was suddenly fierce. "If you were like me, you'd be just another cold, cynical person. How you are now, you're someone special. The reason jerks like the guy in the bar hurt you is because you still expect most people to be basically good." Ruki stopped, horrified at letting so much of her feelings show.
"That's... really how you see me?" Ruki nodded. "I've never thought someone would describe me like that. A silly, naive little girl, maybe."
"You're not," Ruki said, but didn't elaborate. She seemed more than a bit embarrassed.
The silence returned, and Juri was thinking about Ruki's chocolate mint breath. And Ruki's body heat felt *good*, and not just because of the chilly night, and Juri was wondering if there was anyway for her to move closer without being obvious.
Ruki was shifting next to her, gathering herself to do something. Juri felt a pang; this night had been amazing, and it couldn't just end.
In a moment that stretched on forever and was over in an instant, Ruki brushed her lips across Juri's cheek. Then she slid off the dome and landed neatly on her feet. "I'll see you tomorow, Juri. Go home and get some sleep."
She vanished into the night, leaving Juri with conflicting new emotions, a faint scent of chocolate mint, and a feeling that all was right in the world.
***
Notes:
These are at the end, instead of their usual location at the beginning, so as not to spoil the fic.
I'm aware the show refers to Juri's restaurant, but you get a glimpse of it in one episode, and it looks like a bar. I would know, my childhood was somewhat abnormal. And a bar is no place for children, and drunks are not fun people to be around.
This can probably be blamed on the episode in which the Tamers get back to the real world. Possessed!Juri is in recluse/shock mode.
Someone's given her a blanket, but Ruki gives her a coat as well. At that moment, it looked as if Ruki was going to kiss her, and I came very close to melting into a puddle of giggly fangirl.
And finally: think dark chocolate. Dark, bittersweet chocolate.
A/N: Shoujo ai. That's a female/female relationship, so if that's not your thing, leave now. If you even try to flame, I'll probably die laughing.
***
Juri Katou hurried down the street, tears of frustration welling up in her eyes. She wasn't going to cry, not over this. It was stupid, and they were all jerks, and dammit, she was crying.
She picked up speed, just thinking to outrun her troubles, until she was running as fast as she was able. She didn't even see the other person until they'd collided, and both had been sent staggering back.
An annoyed voice assailed her ears. "Hey idiot, watch where you're going." And then "Oh - Juri."
Ruki.
"I'm sorry, Ruki." She brushed one hand across her face, trying to obliterate her tears. "I wasn't watching - well, you've already said that."
And Ruki, who'd gotten so tall and graceful sometime in the past few years, was watching her in the strange, considering sort of way she always did now. "You ok, Juri?"
She nodded, and managed a ghost of her usual smile. "It's nothing. I barely tripped, so I'm perfectly fine.
Ruki shook her head, and was talking almost before Juri was finished. "That's not what I mean." _And you know it_ hung in the air, unspoken.
"What's wrong?"
"Why would anything be wrong? You're out late yourself."
Ruki gave her a pained look. "Juri, please. Sometimes Mom's perkiness threatens to overwhelm me, so I'm out here a lot. And you're never here. Give me some credit."
"All right." Juri was silent for a time, pulling her thoughts into some kind of order. Ruki understood this without it being said, and fell in step with her as she wandered the dark streets.
"I was working at our bar tonight," she began slowly, choosing her words with care. "Technically, I'm not supposed to, but sometimes my parents need the extra help."
They'd come to the old playground. Ruki led the way to the cheerful animal dome they'd played in as children, and with one smooth motion pulled herself onto the top. Juri scrambled up the curves, and finally made it with Ruki's help.
"Thanks," she breathed, and sat down. "Like I said, I was working the bar tonight, and. Never mind. Gods, this is so stupid! Forget I said anything."
She stood quickly, a bit unsteady. Ruki reached up and caught her arm. "If its bothering you this much, its not stupid, its important." She tugged, perhaps a bit harder than necessary, and Juri flopped down, something considerably closer to Ruki this time. "Now tell me."
"Some drunk pinched me as I went by." It was said in such a low voice Ruki nearly missed it, which would have suited Juri fine.
"Pinched you?" Ruki's voice had an odd note to it.
"Yeah. Um, on my butt." She flushed. "And I know I'm too sensitive about this, dad's told me so before, but I just hate it. I hate having stupid drunks hitting on me. I dropped the glasses I was carrying, and he laughed, and so did dad and everyone else, and the only one who even looked like she cared was my stepmom, and she'll never say anything, I know it."
It finally came out in a rush, and by the end her tears were back, and this time she couldn't even pretend not to cry.
"Juri..." Ruki had that strange gentle voice she rarely used, and most often around Juri. "Guys are jerks, all right? No matter what your father says, that drunk had no right to do that to you. It's not funny at all, it's just wrong. You're so much better than any of those creeps. Don't let them get to you, because in a few years you'll be gone to college and won't have to worry about them again."
As Ruki spoke, her voice had become passionate and sincere, and Juri's
tears stopped as she found herself staring at the other girl. Perhaps Ruki realized how much she'd revealed, because in a voice of oddly strangled cheerfulness she advised "Next time one of them tries it, slap him."
Juri grinned, a real smile this time.
"Or tell me, and I'll kick his ass for you."
Juri giggled, and spontaneously hugged the other girl. "Oh Ruki, thank you." Ruki went very still, but when Juri let go, she didn't move away. Juri had ran from the bar in just her thin waitress uniform and could feel Ruki's warmth. It was a strange feeling, but enjoyable.
They sat in silence for a few moments.
"Did you really mean what you said earlier?"
When Ruki replied, her voice was slightly unsteady, and Juri could smell a sort of chocolate mint on her breath. "Of course. Men suck. I tolerate Lee and Takato and the others, but aside from them I can't stand guys. Mom keeps waiting for me to go boy crazy, like she was at my age, but I don't think that's going to happen." This was said with an attempt at a casual air, which failed miserably.
_Now who was deliberately misunderstanding the question._ "Not that, what you said about me. About being better than the creeps."
"Yes, I meant it." Ruki was completely unreadable as she said this.
"Well, I wish I was more like you."
"No, you don't."
"Yes, I do! If I were more like you, I really would slap a guy when he tried that. I wouldn't just run away and cry. I'm so *pathetic*."
"Don't change, Juri." Ruki was suddenly fierce. "If you were like me, you'd be just another cold, cynical person. How you are now, you're someone special. The reason jerks like the guy in the bar hurt you is because you still expect most people to be basically good." Ruki stopped, horrified at letting so much of her feelings show.
"That's... really how you see me?" Ruki nodded. "I've never thought someone would describe me like that. A silly, naive little girl, maybe."
"You're not," Ruki said, but didn't elaborate. She seemed more than a bit embarrassed.
The silence returned, and Juri was thinking about Ruki's chocolate mint breath. And Ruki's body heat felt *good*, and not just because of the chilly night, and Juri was wondering if there was anyway for her to move closer without being obvious.
Ruki was shifting next to her, gathering herself to do something. Juri felt a pang; this night had been amazing, and it couldn't just end.
In a moment that stretched on forever and was over in an instant, Ruki brushed her lips across Juri's cheek. Then she slid off the dome and landed neatly on her feet. "I'll see you tomorow, Juri. Go home and get some sleep."
She vanished into the night, leaving Juri with conflicting new emotions, a faint scent of chocolate mint, and a feeling that all was right in the world.
***
Notes:
These are at the end, instead of their usual location at the beginning, so as not to spoil the fic.
I'm aware the show refers to Juri's restaurant, but you get a glimpse of it in one episode, and it looks like a bar. I would know, my childhood was somewhat abnormal. And a bar is no place for children, and drunks are not fun people to be around.
This can probably be blamed on the episode in which the Tamers get back to the real world. Possessed!Juri is in recluse/shock mode.
Someone's given her a blanket, but Ruki gives her a coat as well. At that moment, it looked as if Ruki was going to kiss her, and I came very close to melting into a puddle of giggly fangirl.
And finally: think dark chocolate. Dark, bittersweet chocolate.