Longing (Izzy Izumi x OC)

Chapter 3

The following day after school, Rita grabbed all of her things before turning to Mimi. "Thanks for agreeing to look after Mikumon today, I'll bring everyone home a treat!" Rita stated with a smile. "No worries, have fun shopping with Izzy. I'm still a little surprised he asked you for help instead of me, but you get along well with him so I guess that makes sense." Mimi considered. "Y-yeah... I'll see you later then!" Rita waved, she had of course kept the secret why Izzy needed her help, but oddly enough Mimi didn't pry too much into why. Rita couldn't help but wonder if Mimi already knew about Izzy's crush. "See you later!" Mimi waved back before taking off herself. Rita walked over to Izzy who was just packing up his laptop. "Ready to go?" Rita smiled as she stood over him, startling him a little. "Uh yeah!" Izzy stood up before joining Rita in leaving their classroom. He couldn't help but notice that them leaving together caught some attention. Rita may have not been as outgoing as Mimi but she seemed to be popular among the guys. "Is something wrong?" Rita asked due to Izzy's silence. "N-no nothing, sorry..." Izzy responded suddenly. "You can tell me, I told you before that you are easy to read." Rita chuckled, catching Izzy by surprise. It was true that his face was rather expressive, her eyes showed that she wasn't going to back down until he told her. "It's just... I noticed that while walking out we've attracted some attention." "I see, I wonder why..." Rita pondered, a smile grew on Izzy's face. Rita seemed to be a little dense when it came to herself, it was rather amusing.

Arriving at Aqua city the two first made their way to the map. "So did you have any idea where you wanted to start?" Rita questioned as she turned to look at Izzy. "Er not really," Izzy responded. "You don't have any favourite clothing stores?" Rita asked, a little surprised since most people had at least a few places they would normally go to. "N-no..." Izzy blushed, his behaviour seeming rather odd for such a simple question. "Why is that?" Rita continued to pry as her eyes intensely fixated on Izzy's. "It's because... beforehand my mother was the one who bought all of my clothes." Izzy admitted, Rita tried to stifle her laugh, only to make Izzy even more red and embarrassed. "Sorry I didn't mean to laugh, it's nothing to be ashamed of, actually it's rather cute!" Rita quickly came to his defence; she really did find it cute. "Right..." Izzy continued to blush, that was now the second time she had called him cute. That was not something he was used to hearing from girls his age. "Well why don't we just walk around and go in whatever looks good," Rita suggested. "Yeah that sounds good," Izzy quickly responded, still trying to cover how nervous he was. Rita smiled back before starting to walk again, Izzy followed behind her, already noticing that a few sets of eyes had fallen on her. It wasn't a surprise, she was extremely pretty and even if she was more reserved then Mimi was, there was still something that attracted people to her as well. Walking through the mall, Rita pointed out a few stores, as well as stopped to see a few things that had caught her eye. She appeared to be rather fond of Japanese fashion, opposite of Mimi who seemed to prefer the latest New York trend. Keeping up with her pace, Izzy continued to notice eyes on the two of them, often leading to some whispers spoken amongst those who had looked their way before. The thought that TK had mentioned before couldn't help but pop back up in his mind. When others looked at them, did it appear as though the two of them were on a date? Izzy's heart started to speed up again, and it didn't help when Rita suddenly jumped in front of him, looking up at him with her beautiful smile. "What's wrong? I found a great store to start in!" Rita asked, and before he had a chance to answer, she had taken his hand, pulling him along her speedy movements.

The fact that his hand was being held rather tightly by Rita couldn't go by unnoticed. He knew he must have been bright red; however, this was the first time he was in a situation like this. The feeling of warmth surrounding his hand was comforting, yet at the same time sent his stomach a flutter. Was it just because a beautiful girl had taken his hand happily, on purpose? Would he feel this sensation with anyone else? He wasn't sure, he liked Mimi after all, yet he wouldn't disregard the possibility of him having a bit of a crush on Rita as well. Things were so much simpler when he wasn't being controlled by his hormones. "Hey Izzy, are you sure you're okay?" Rita looked concerned, it was highly likely he had completely zoned out. "I'm fine, sorry!" He panicked, waving his hands in front of him, noticing the cold air hitting his fingers more so than normal, since Rita had let go of his hand when they arrived at the store she had mentioned. "Hmm... okay, well I think this is a good store to start in. Looking around it appears to be good quality and the prices are amazing! I really have noticed how the cost of clothing here is much more reasonable then back home. I seriously love Japan!" She grinned, sending a jolt through Izzy's body. "Is it really expensive in North America?" Izzy wondered, changing his mind from emotions to knowledge seemed to help him calm down. "Yeah it's crazy, plus things here are much cuter! I think you should just look around and try on whatever you like, if you want my opinion just ask okay?" Rita was very kind, he still wasn't exactly sure why she would be going out of her way like this for him, although he appreciated the help and rather enjoyed her company.

His eyes glanced around, looking at all of the different styles, he wasn't exactly sure where to begin. "So what do you think would look good?" Izzy's eyes turned back to Rita who was watching with amusement. He looked like a kitten going outside for the first time, curious but hesitant. "Listen, I'm a big believer of people being themselves, don't worry so much about what others will think as long as you like it and feel comfortable wearing it. I promise that if you look ridiculous that I will tell you!" Rita spoke honestly, Izzy was a little relieved at her words. He was still very self aware in the present moment; Rita was watching him carefully and even though her words held some comfort, he didn't want to embarrass himself. It had been quite some time and Izzy had yet to choose anything to try on. "Do you need any help?" Izzy felt his face flush just from hearing the young woman's voice, this had been the problem when he tried before. He just stood there, unable to say anything when Rita stepped in front of him. "Thanks, we should be okay for now, just trying to find out what appeals to him!" Rita stated, taking all the pressure off of him. "Okay, let me know if you need anything!" The sales clerk responded. "Will do," Rita smiled warmly before turning to look back at Izzy with a slightly exasperated face. "Thanks..." Izzy continued to blush. "Don't worry so much, no one is judging you, and I promise that if somehow you manage to draw attention I will steal it away by doing something embarrassing." Rita chuckled, Izzy was taken back by her consideration of his feelings. He knew she wasn't one who liked eyes on her either, yet she would go that far for him. "Rita... I uh..." he began to speak, however her eyes which were fixed on his sparkled, so much he became a little distracted. She just smiled before turning to one of the tables. "Let me help pick out a few things I think would suit you, just let me know your size, I still have no idea how they work here... shoes are the worst, I mean how can they have so many different conversions for the same size? I wish they would just do a universal one now!" Rita ranted, bringing a small smile to Izzy's face. He knew she was trying to make him feel more at ease, although no matter what she said or did, it wasn't likely that his heart was going to stop pounding.

Izzy felt drained, online shopping was so much easier. Rita had chosen quite a lot of things he liked, she seemed to understand his tastes and didn't push his comfort zone at all. "You did well today!" Rita chuckled, taking notice on how tired Izzy looked. "Yeah well I couldn't have done it without you, I really do appreciate you taking the time to help me." Izzy responded, feeling a bit guilty that she had to watch him try on clothes for hours. "Think nothing of it, I had a lot of fun." Rita stated to Izzy's complete shock. "How exactly was that fun for you?" Izzy questioned, his eyebrows showing his obvious confusion. "I enjoy spending time with you is all, you are rather interesting, not to mention amusing, since your face is so easy to read." Rita proclaimed, turning Izzy's face a bright shade of red. Rita really found him cute, especially when he was blushing, which happened rather often. "I-I see..." Izzy couldn't look her in the eyes, he just gripped his bag tightly while her words continued to repeat in his head. She enjoyed spending time with him? He had never heard that one before, especially from a girl. He had always offended people in the past since he would burry himself in his computer and wasn't exactly known for being much fun. However, he knew she wasn't lying, the way she looked at him was warm, it sort of reminded him of the way his mother would look at him. "Ah those are so cute!" Rita's excited tone caught his attention, looking up to see they had stopped in front of an ice cream store. "Seriously! This company is from North America and Japan still does it better! Ours don't look all cute like that..." Rita's facial expression took a 180 as she went from excitement to pouting. Izzy chucked, surprising Rita. "W-what?" she blushed, wondering if she said something stupid. "You are rather interesting yourself," Izzy smiled, turning Rita's cheeks bright red. "A-ah I see... thanks," she responded as she fiddled with her hair. Izzy thought her reaction was incredibly cute, like him she got embarrassed rather easy. "Let me get you one, it's the least I can do to thank you for today!" Izzy stated, his gentle smile made Rita's heart pound even faster. "I suppose I can let you do that," Rita smiled back.

After the two of them chose their flavours, Rita looked at her ice cream with bright, lit up eyes. "I can tell you are fond of ice cream by the way you look at it," Izzy pointed out. "Really? Am I that obvious?" Rita questioned, a little embarrassed that she was just fawning over food. Not as though that was something unusual for her. Izzy just nodded, although a smirk was present on his face. "Heh... my dad did tell me once I look the happiest when I am eating something I love... still not sure to take that as a positive or a negative." Rita pondered aloud. "I think it's a good thing, to feel so happy over something so simple, I'd say it means you enjoy the little things in life." Izzy stated, his words made Rita feel all warm and fuzzy. "True!" She smiled back as the two of them continued to walk. Further into their ice cream, both their ears happened to catch the mutters of a few guys who were rather close. "Probably a pity date," one snickered. "I bet it's her way of thanking him for doing her homework." Another laughed, "yeah I mean she is hot, did you see the size of her rack?" Izzy felt a bit disheartened, it's not like he was surprised by those random teen's thoughts. Rita on the other hand was furious, not about their inappropriate comments involving her figure, but what they said about Izzy. Those bastards had no idea how amazing he was; how perfect he was in her eyes. There was no doubt Izzy's feelings were hurt and that was something she couldn't forgive. "Don't freak out," Rita whispered as she slowly brought her face towards his. Her hand grazed past his cheek, bringing her lips to the cheek closer to her. Izzy froze completely when he felt her tongue brush up against his flushed skin. Pulling back Rita smiled, "you had some ice cream there, anyway darling we should go find a nice and quiet romantic spot!" Rita cooed, her fingers intertwining with Izzy's as she pulled him along playfully. Her eyes quickly getting a glance at the teen boys' stunned faces. They will think twice before saying anything like that again.

Izzy was still in shock as Rita continued to pull him along, her fingers intertwined with his. There was still not enough time for him to process what happened, even when they had left the mall and the cool outside air hit his face. When Rita finally stopped she had let go of his hand and her cheeks were almost as red as his. "Sorry about that... I just can't stand idiots like them, maybe I went a little far... but I think they learned their lesson!" Rita fidgeted, even if she was the one who came up with that little charade, her heart was racing none the less. Izzy looked as though he was about to explode, again looking so cute Rita had no chance of calming herself down. "N-no it's fine, I mean thanks for that-er I mean not that, but for... ah... t-thanks..." Izzy stammered, feeling like a complete idiot. Rita smiled softly, her eyes were gentle and tried to hide the mass amount of emotions that were running through her. There was no longer any doubt in her mind, no other way to explain why her chest felt tight and why her stomach fluttered every time he looked at her. Rita liked Izzy, much more then she originally thought. In fact she had already fallen pretty hard for him, but being as close to him as she just was made it clear that she wanted to be with him, to know everything about him. This genius who liked Rita's cousin, someone she also loved... this was going to be a problem, a huge mess. Still, she didn't want to lose him as a friend, she wanted him to be happy, to do all she could for him. As hard as it was on her, she knew what was best, to hide those feelings as much as possible, at least for now.

When Rita got home, Mimi instantly greeted her along with Mikumon and Palmon. "So how did shopping go?" Mimi asked, wondering if there was possibly something more going on. "Oh it went rather well, we found him some things after some hesitating on his part." Rita hummed, dropping her bags on her bed. "Is that so? Well what did you bring us?" Mimi grinned, Rita smiled before pulling out a bunch of different treats. "Look at them all!" Mikumon's eyes lit up, she too looked happiest when she was eating something she loved, and she loved sweets! "Wow you bought so much! I haven't had some of these in forever!" Mimi chimed. "Can we eat them?" Palmon questioned, ready to pounce. "Of course, help yourselves! I wanted to try a bunch of these and Izzy gave me some suggestions, he really pushed the oolong tea." Rita smiled as she watched the Digimon and Mimi tear into the packages. "Oh that's no surprise, he loves that stuff!" Mimi laughed. Rita felt her chest tighten, of course Mimi would know a lot about him, after all they have known each other since they were kids. Still, the feeling of jealousy was there, it made her feel sick. These two people were precious to her, she cared for them both so much it hurt. If they were both happy then that is what mattered, Rita would keep her promise, she would help Izzy anyway she could.

Izzy flopped down on his bed, his heart was still racing like crazy over what had happened earlier. He understood her actions, but his feelings weren't as rational as he was. He barely knew Rita, in fact he didn't really know anything about her, her past, her family, hobbies, only a few small details. Could he really be developing feelings for her this fast? He liked Mimi, he had known her for a long time now and was comfortable around her for the most part. However, he knew Mimi, they had been through so much together, even as different as they were she accepted him for what he was. She had qualities that he admired, confidence, honesty, the fact her mood could affect those around her. What about Rita? It felt right having her by his side, she made his heart race and yet he felt content. Was that love or friendship? He shouldn't be overthinking it so much right now. She knew he had feelings for Mimi and she already had become a good friend, he didn't want to risk her thinking he is fickle or desperate. Still, his hand that was intertwined with hers continued to burn, it felt as hot as it did when they had made that connection. He was hopeless when it came to understanding others' feelings or hell even his own, yet there was still a part of him that wondered if her actions meant more. Touching the cheek she had licked, his face flared red once again. She could read him easy, there was no doubt this was going to be a mess. "Izzy you have been in a daze since you have got back, I can tell something good happened!" Tentomon stated, returning Izzy to reality. "Er it's not exactly like that, I mean it went well but I..." Izzy stammered as Tentomon shook his head. "I suppose I will just have to ask Rita next time I see her," Tentomon added, Izzy's face grew darker. "Don't bother her about that, anyway let's get something to eat!" Izzy quickly changed the subject. Tentomon knew him too well for him not to notice, something indeed did happen.