Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Nature verses Nurture ❯ Gauging Kouhei ( Chapter 2 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Nature verses Nurture - ch2 - Gauging Kouhei

Season - It's dats-esk in that it borrows from ideas from that season, human x digimon fighting, and the family bonds between a human and digimon.

Disclaimer - I don't own digimon, don't claim too. The humans and a few of the digimons to be introduced in later chapters are original.

Speech in /slants/ are spoken in Japanese.

With a crash Kouhei tumbled to the floor yet again. Gatomon watched worriedly, her long tufted ears bent backward. She looked from her partner to Irish, who was sprawled out on the sofa watching the tussle. Hidden behind her hand was a slightly curved mouth. Feeling the small cat's eyes on her she glanced over in her direction. “Okay, okay cool down boys. You're worrying the cat.”

Kouhei stretched his legs out and sat on the floor. He closed his eyes and worked to calm his pulse and slow his breathing. Gatomon hurried to her partner. “Are you okay Kouhei?”

Devimon lazily cracked his knuckles and in his cool voice offered a response, “He's fine. All I did was toss him around a bit.”

“I wasn't asking you!” Gatomon shot back.

“It's okay Gatomon,” Kouhei said. “He was just redirecting my attacks and throwing me off. He wasn't trying to hurt me.” At her partner's reassurance the little digimon expression changed.

Dee took a few steps forward and stretched out his hand. Despite Kouhei words, Gatomon's ears Instinctively flattened at his approach. The tall lanky digimon smiled slightly at her reaction, a light of amusement in his eyes. “What a fierce little kitten you have as your partner. Here, take my hand. If my girl says she's going to train you then that makes me you my comrade.”

Kouhei reached out and took hold of two long fingers, Dee's hand was far too large for him to grasp like a normal humans. With the virus digimon's help the boy stood up. Even at his full height, the digimon still stood at least two feet taller.

“Nice show boys!” Irish said. “Well, kind of. At least one of you put on a good show,” she added with a smirk. With a hop she got to her feet. The low leather couch she had been lounging on sat against the back wall, opposite the entrance. A beautiful glossy grand piano sat angled in the left corner with it's top open, revealing the spruce wood within creating a stunning contrast against the black. To the right of the sofa was a set of stairs that led to Irish's loft bedroom. A industrial style railing ran up the length of the stairs and made up one wall of the room.

“What kind of training do you even have kid?” she asked as she walked over to her kitchen. Small but cozy, she had all the essentials with comfortable counter space and a bar top island.

Kou straightened out his clothes and followed in suit, taking a seat on one of the sleek barstools tucked underneath the black granite bar top. Gatomon bounded from the floor to the bar, sitting on the edge facing her partner. “I've trained in jujutsu for years. All through middle and high school.”

Irish reached into the fridge and took out a tray of ice. “Jujutsu?” she asked as she popped several cubes into a tall glass. “Isn't that all about uses an attackers force against them to throw and lock them?”

“Yes,” Gatomon responded, “but Kou is too stubborn for that. As you saw he likes to go at it full force, something that's counter to what he's been taught.”

Dee had since retreated back to his former position on the couch and to his book. “Yes, I had noticed that.” A hiss issued from the spotted cat in response to his snide remarks. The virus digimon chuckled at her defensiveness and went back to his book.

“Well,” Irish said as she filled up the glass with cold water, “As you found out that kind of technique doesn't work very well on digimon. I'm not gonna say there aren't some you can just go all out on, as you saw earlier, since most digimons are stronger, taller, and heavier than us humans.” She set the glass down in front of Kouhei and added, “So technically, if you actually fought the way you were trained you'd be in a good starting place.”

“Thanks,”Kou said and as he took long drink from the glass. “Now that you've seen were I'm at, how do you suggest we continue?”

Irish grinned. “Secret.”

Setting down his empty glass kou gave her a puzzle look. “Secret?”

“It's a secret. All I say is you're done for the night, and show up here at ten AM tomorrow, sharp. Oh and do me a favor, give me your number before you head out. ”

“When she says it's a secret,” Dee called from his position across the room, “she means she has no idea what she's doing.” Irish's grin disappeared and she burned a 'shut up if you know what's good for you' look at the digimon. “That's why she's sending you home already, needs time to plan out what she wants to do. But honestly, she'll probably just make it up as she goes along.”

“Thanks for that Dee.”

“What? I didn't say it wouldn't work, I'm just explaining that is how you operate.” At Irish's continued glare he flashed her a toothy grin, a jackassy 'you know you love me' smile.

Kouhei tried to suppressed a grin. “Ok Gatomon lets head back now. We told obaasan we'd be back in under and hour.” Standing up Kou gave a respectful bow, Gatomon followed en suit. Irish saw them to the door and waved goodbye as they went around a corner and disappeared.

With Gatomon resting on his shoulder, Kou made his way hasty through the town. More time then he thought had passed while with Irish. The warm afternoon had given way to a cool twilight that dyed the building and the townspeople hues of blues and purple. As the boy rushed by the restaurants and homes the smells of freshly cooked dinners drifted to his nose. On a small street, nestled between a bakery and a three story apartment complex, sat a small two level building. A large sign proclaimed it as Tajima Noodle House.

Kouhei walked in the entrance, waving a vague greeting to the to the Ojiisan behind the counter as he rushed straight up the stairs to the second level. Quickly and quietly the boy slipped off his shoes and put on his house slippers. Gatomon jumped to the floor and slowly closed the door to the stairs.

/”Kouhei, where have you been! You've worried an old woman!”/ Kouhei turned around at the sound of her voice. Obaasan had a round kind face and long grey hair she kept bundled up on the top of her head. Pleasant lines creased her face, earned from a life of happy time and smiling faces.

/”I'm sorry granny, something came up. You don't need to worry about me I am nineteen. I can take care of myself.”/ Kouhei patted obaasan consolingly no the shoulders and walked past her to the back room he rented from the elderly couple. /”I'm going to be out again tomorrow, early this time. I don't know how long I'll be gone.”/

Gatomon padded after Kou with the old lady shuffling after. /”Just because you're nineteen doesn't mean an old woman can't worry about you. Compared to me and the old man your years is just a drop in the bucket. Your noodles are cold, I'll heat them up for you.”/

As obaasan shuffled off again down the hallway Kouhei yawned and stretched out on his thin futon mattress. Gatomon jumped with a thud onto the center of the boy's chest, causing the boy to issue an 'ump!' in response. /”Do you think this is really a good idea kou?”/

He smiled and looked up at the beamed ceiling. /”I really don't know but it's not something I can just pass up on. Why are you so hesitant about this arrangement? Is it because her digimon just happens to be a Devimon?”/ Before she could answer he added, /”Before you respond, just ask youself. If her digimon was an Angemon or a Greymon or anything other than what it is, would you be so opposed?”/ The two then became silent and by the time obaasan had come back the two were asleep.

Closing notes : Sorry for the lack of updates this summer, originally I had wanted to hit it full force and get along on my story. Things don't always go as planned though and work, along with life in general, took a lot out of me. Anyways, here's another chapter for anyone interested, my semester starts August 30 but I'll try to keep at my writing. Please read and review, let me know what you think!

Obaasan - Japanese for grandma/old lady

Ojiisan- Japanese for grandpa/old man

The couple he rents a room from aren't really his relatives, he just calls them that as a casual title because they're so easy going and familiar with each other.