Aww!
They're mad at each other!
That's so sad.
But every relationship needs rocky moments...
MAKE THIS RIGHT, PLZ.

*is proud of the next chapter, even though she realized that baking and cooking are NOT the same thing about halfway through writing it, and had a slight panic attack*

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Optimism is key.” Ken ranted to his empty room. “If only they’d see it my way for once. We’re never going to get anywhere if all they do is whine and pout after every single experiment.” he sighed, exasperated, and concluded, “I’m going to have to bring in the big guns…”

Wormmon entered the genius’s lair at that point, bringing with him the remains of Ken’s supper, of which he had not finished eating due to intense amounts of stress placed upon his fragile shoulders from this whole situation with TK and Kari.

Ken nearly scoffed at the sight of the well-prepared food. He didn’t have time to eat—he had a relationship to fix. He needed a miracle, not the lukewarm remnants of a delicious meal his mother had cooked. As he glared at Wormmon, who was trying to spoon-feed him the meal, Ken suddenly came up with a brilliant plan that he knew would solve everything.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pushing Kari and TK through the recreational building, Ken smiled happily as they passed by the swimming pool and the tennis courts, all the way to a small classroom at the back of the edifice. There, people--namely couples--were gathering for some kind of event, and Ken seemed intent on getting Kari and TK in there.

“Here we are, guys.” he announced, giving them a supportive shove into the room.

“Where exactly is here, Ken?” TK asked sceptically, raising a suspicious eyebrow.

“You’ll see… now, there are a few rules for this experiment. Number one: If anything goes badly, and someone gets set on fire accidentally, it is not my fault and you cannot blame me. Number two: If this goes wonderfully, I get all credit, and you will not oppose to any other experiments I may come up with in the future. And, number three: Don’t forget your aprons.”

Ken threw two bright pink aprons at Kari and TK before sidling off.

Kari peeked around, trying to figure out why on earth Ken had brought them here, when TK tapped her shoulder and stared pointedly at the blackboard that clearly read: Cooking for Couples.

Kari paled as she glanced down at the aprons, which had a more significant meaning now. TK took one of the aprons, and unfolded it, revealing the writing inside that said in sparkly letters, ‘TEAM AWESOME.’

Kari gagged and TK chuckled, saying, “I bet Wormmon was the one who came up with that slogan.” His girlfriend nodded sagely and TK sighed, shrugging. “We’d better put these on—it looks like the class is about to start.”

The two digidestined found a nice niche in the back of the class, where they were relatively hidden from everyone else. There, they aided each other in tying the loose strings up of their neon-pink aprons of joy. As soon as that was done, a bubbly, enthusiastic young woman bounded to the front of the room, evidently taking on the role of the teacher in this setting.

“Okay, folks. Today is going to be a special day because today is Couples’ Cooking Day!! Yay!!”

A few of the more enthusiastic students cheered half-heartedly, but that did not faze her.

“Alright, now, I hope all of you know at least the basics of cooking, because we are on a tight schedule and we need to zip through this lesson very quickly! So, first, everyone get out their mixing bowls and measuring cups, because today we’re going to make brownies. Mmm…”

TK and Kari looked at each other helplessly as all the other couples started pulling out the required baking equipment. Neither of them had any reliable cooking and/or baking experience. Kari’s mother wasn’t exactly a role model for gourmet dishes, and Matt had refused to share his cooking knowledge with TK whatsoever, saying that he could never reveal his secrets to such an amateur.

“I… guess we’d better get started?” TK offered questioningly.

“I suppose.” Kari mumbled, peeking through the cupboards and drawers to find what she needed. TK stood behind her, peering over her shoulder, not sure what to do.

Kari suggested to the lost boy, “Uh, why don’t you start measuring out the ingredients?” TK obliged instinctively, doing whatever he could to please her. “You know, you don’t always have to do everything I say…”

TK frowned, confused. “I thought girls liked it when boys do whatever they tell them to.”

“I’m not most girls, TK.” Kari reminded him, giggling. She bumped him playfully with her hip, and he smiled, stealing the mixing bowl from her hands. “If that’s the case then, I get to stir, and you get to measure stuff.”

Kari laughed and told him, grinning, “That’s okay… that just means that I can justifiably blame you for screwing up the recipe.”

TK frowned once more, and reverted back to their former positions. Kari laughed once more at his comical actions, and they continued to follow the instructions for the recipe.

Not much later, they were ready to insert their creation into the oven—dubbed the ‘Oven of Love’ by their instructor, of course—and although it didn’t look as refined as any of the other brownie batter mixes made by the other couples in the room, TK and Kari were very proud of their concoction, and no matter how badly it turned out, they were going to cherish it. Cherish it, not eat it obviously, because they weren’t exactly sure if it was entirely edible. Food poisoning didn’t appear out of nowhere—they were smart enough to know that.

The vivacious instructor paid them a visit just as TK surfaced from the wafting hot waves emanating from the open oven door. He slammed said door shut and aimed a boyish smile at the lady who was checking up on their progress.

“How’s everything going here, you two?” TK and Kari mumbled some vague answers in hopes of placating her enough to get her to leave before she discovered the cooking disabilities both of them possessed. “Oh, aren’t the two of you adorable!” She squealed happily, and Kari took a tiny step back in alarm. TK put his hand on her wrist in comfort, and her lips quirked up at the corners. The lady turned to the elderly couple working beside them for reassurance of her observation and then she turned back to them, saying, “You know, I just get so excited whenever I see a young couple in my class. Cooking is one of the most valuable skills couples need—otherwise how are they going to eat?” She giggled at her own joke, and the frightened children nodded along, not wanting to anger the psychotic lady. “I mean, if a couple can’t even cook, how are they supposed to work together when it comes to anything else? They’d just be destined to fall apart!”

She walked off, laughing, but Kari and TK weren’t smiling or nodding this time. Kari’s mouth was set in an angry line, and TK cracked his knuckles threateningly. Immediately, they set to making sure the brownies weren’t burning, because, dammit, they were going to make the best brownies ever. And they’d show that over-zealous, pompous teacher that they could work together, and that cooking didn’t matter one bit.

By the end of the hour, their creation was sitting on the counter, cooling off a bit, and TK and Kari were stared at it proudly with their chests puffed out and smiles plastered to their faces in self-admiration. Together, they each grabbed a fork and scooped out a chunk of the brownie invention, shovelling it into their mouths proudly.

TK was the first to spit it out. Kari was a bit more determined to enjoy the foul-tasting mixture, but she soon followed his ingenious example.

“We’re doomed.” Kari said gloomily.

TK chuckled, “Well, at least we know one thing will never change.” Kari bumped him once again, smiling at his dismal logic, and he pulled her into the first hug they had shared in weeks. Things were beginning to look up…


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

... or are they...

*smiles* Guess you'll just have to wait and find out XD

...CLIFFHANGER!

If this isn't right...
Imma...
IMMA...
IM MA!

Yeah.

Just... try not to shoot me, okay?

-----------------

When Ken heard the good news, he celebrated accordingly with Wormmon, watching feel-good movies until the early morning hours when his eyelids could no longer find the willpower to keep themselves uplifted. He simply couldn’t shake the ever-present feeling of euphoria that accompanied his success. Finally, he had done something right to get TK and Kari on the road to recovery. All throughout the week, his smile wouldn’t fade as he observed his subjects laugh and chat during every spare moment they had. His heart glowed every time they recounted their baking fiasco to anyone who would listen. Eventually, Ken recorded their tale, enabling him to listen to it over and over again before falling into a peaceful slumber.

He wasn’t sure where to go from this point—they seemed to be repairing broken bridges without his help, but as it turned out, he was still needed desperately.

Davis came running to him at the end of Friday’s school day, his goggles nearly flying off his head in his haste.

“Ken!” he cried out. “Ken, they need your help!”

“What do you mean? And who's they?” Ken asked, intrigued as he observed Davis panting inelegantly.

“TK and Kari are having a HUGE fight right now, and Yolei told me to come get you ASAP.”

An intense feeling of dread welled up in Ken’s instinctive guts as he rushed after Davis to the scene of the crime. They pushed past countless members of the student body, aptly named the ‘Oh-My-God-Squad’, who were observing the growing argument between Kari and TK on the sidelines.

“Yeah?” TK yelled at Kari. “Is that so? Well, your hair looks funny with that barrette in it!”

The insults were flying back and forth between the two furiously, like lions clashing over a kill. Kari may have been the sweetest piece of pie in the bakery, but she had a mean side, and she certainly wasn’t going to lie down like a good girl and let TK get away with making fun of her hair.

“YOUR HAT IS OLD AND SHITTY, TK!!”

The collective group gasped appreciatively, and Ken scowled. This wasn’t part of his plan.

TK looked hurt, but he did not let that affect his goal. His hand fisted and he yelled, “You’re needy, and you whine all the time! You get mad at me for no reason, and then you pretend like nothing happened! You’re a HORRIBLE girlfriend!”

Kari’s eyes flared up, feeling wounded by his cutting remarks and she whispered menacingly, “At least I don’t push away everyone I love.”

TK blanched chillingly and Kari stomped off, Yolei trailing along behind her, alarmed. Ken wasn’t sure what the last comment had meant, but obviously TK had gotten the message, because he was now a frightening shade of pale white. Ken and Davis steered him into the boys’ washroom for a chat.

“What the hell was that all about?” Ken demanded angrily. “Things were going so well! I turn around for five seconds, and the two of you are bickering and arguing like little children!”

Davis slipped out of the room silently to do crowd control, leaving an enraged Ken with a shell-shocked TK.

“I’m not really sure what happened, Ken.” TK admitted morosely. “We were getting along fine, and then she disagreed with something I said and then I countered back, and before I knew it she was telling me that she hated the way I always put my arm around her, and that my hat is shitty…” TK lifted his head, his eyes swimming with unshed tears. “And then she goes and throws that back in my face.”

Ken, still curious, asked gently what that was.

“I’ve just… I haven’t been getting along with my mother lately, particularly ever since that Talk, and now that Matt’s been away on tour I haven’t seen him in a while, and whenever I do talk to him I always end up making things awkward or he ends up being mad at me… it’s been hard lately, and I just can’t believe that Kari would say that to me! There is NO WAY I’m talking to her until she apologizes for this.”

Ken nodded wisely, but refrained from saying anything further. It was rather bitchy of Kari to slap that in TK’s face but on the other hand, he had called her a horrible girlfriend. This dilemma was sure to take some time to sort out, and Ken hoped Yolei was making some headway with Kari.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“What happened, Kari?” Yolei asked soothingly, rubbing the upset girl’s back in circles. Kari wailed miserably and Yolei made some more shushing noises in hopes to calm her friend.

“He said… h-he said… He said I’m needy!!” Kari cried, wiping her nose with the sleeve of her sweater.

“I know, sweetie, I know. Maybe you should go talk to him. I’m sure it’ll make you feel better.”

The offer did nothing to sway Kari.

“Are you crazy? There is NO WAY I’m talking to that jerk until he apologizes! And even then I might not forgive him! He called me whiny, Yolei, whiny! I am not whiny!”

“But still…”

“No buts, Yolei.” Kari said, exasperated, “He brought this on himself. He can deal with the consequences.”

The girl’s puffy eyes and red nose made her look incredibly vulnerable. Yolei pulled her best friend into a fierce hug and promised sincerely that they would do whatever it took to fix this.

And Kari trusted her.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Ken, sweetie, if you don’t shut up about TK and Kari for five seconds, I’m going to shove a bag of frozen peas down your pants… with a jackhammer.”

Ken froze instinctively and reverted back into ‘Good Boyfriend Mode’ so as to not displease his temperamental girlfriend. “Sorry, Yolei, I just don’t know what to do anymore. They started to reconnect, but then that happened, and all my extravagant plans got foiled. I’m miserable.” Ken stated, pouting.

Yolei, despite wanting to help, couldn’t stand another minute of her boyfriend endlessly discussing how they were going to clean up the mess their friends had created. It was time to settle this once and for all. Ken’s attention span should be used on her right now, not solving their friends' love lives.

“Buff up, Ken. You can still fix this. I have faith in you, and so do TK and Kari. They came to you, asking for help, and now you have an obligation to fulfill that promise. They don’t know what to do either—but maybe if we show them how to interact like a happy couple, then maybe they’ll learn something, and they’ll be able to begin solving this by themselves again.”

“… Are you suggesting a double date?” Ken asked, eyes narrowed.

“If the shoe fits…” Yolei hinted.

“I can’t do that!” Ken protested. “These are my clients, Yolei. I can’t be seen socializing with them in public!”

“Stop your whining, Ken Ichijoji. It’s a brilliant plan. They’ll see us, a perfect, happy couple, which will then prompt them to follow our great example.”

“But, Yolei, we’re not a perfect couple. Half the time, I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about.”

“Yes, but you pretend to listen, which is the important part.”

Yolei seemed to think that concluded the conversation, leaving Ken in a position he did not particularly want to be in. Knowing Yolei’s stubbornness, he would undoubtedly end up going on this double date with TK and Kari. He just didn’t, and didn’t want to know how the night would end.

When he broached the delicate subject tentatively with TK and Kari, who still weren’t speaking to each other, they adamantly refused to do anything together until the other apologized. Ken pleaded and begged them to just go along with it. Eventually, they submitted to his will grudgingly.

Ken could merely wish optimistically that this venture wouldn’t make things markedly worse than they already were.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Uh oh...

XD

Ra--ra--raaaah!
*happy singing*

- strokes gun -
You survived... this time...



Haha, I actually enjoyed this one.

*removes self from hiding place, and takes off armor*

Okay, good XD

Thanks!

... guess I should update this...

---------------------

“Ice skating?” Kari asked incredulously. A disturbing smile planted itself on Ken’s face as he nodded, elegantly sweeping past her to fetch his own pair of skates. “But…” Kari protested, “I haven’t been skating in years! I’ll be absolutely horrible at it!”

Yolei giggled at Kari’s ridiculous remark and replied, “You’ll do fine, Kari. Besides, you’ll have TK there to help you out, right?”

Kari scoffed angrily, still having not forgiven the young man for his rudeness and uncalled-for statements. “If he’s going to be there, then forget it. I’m not coming.”

“But you have to!” Yolei whined. “It’s not a double date unless there are four people, you know. I can’t believe you haven’t forgiven him yet. He feels terrible about what he said and you feel guilty about what you said too, so I don’t see what's holding you back from apologising.”

“Pride. Anger. Hormones.” Ken offered graciously, tying up his laces.

Before Kari could strangle Ken for his unneeded observations, TK walked in—skates already on—trying to balance himself on the edge of the blades. Kari scoffed at his pathetic attempts and he glared at her menacingly, as if daring her to say something about it. She brushed past him, onto the ice and he huffed, irritated by his girlfriend’s childish behaviour.

“She’ll get over it eventually,” Yolei assured him, following her best friend onto the ice rink.

Ken clapped him on the back and they made their way out as well. The rink was nearly full with laughing children and parents skating around joyfully. A group of beginners were holding on to the edge of the boards for dear life, fear covering their faces. TK noted sourly that that would probably be him in about five minutes’ time.

Kari and Yolei were already making their way across the iced floor, chatting and giggling contentedly while Ken waited for TK to approach their destination. The ice shone under the florescent lighting and TK gulped nervously. He hadn’t ever skated in his life. This was a totally new experience, and it was rather frightening. The way the skates kept wobbling - no matter how hard he tried to keep them straight and the way his ankles were locked in there firmly. Not to mention how he had barely any circulation in his feet now that the laces were wrenched tight. All in all, if he had a choice after this, skating would not be one of his top things to do for fun.

Stepping out for the first time onto the rink, TK clung helplessly to the sides, Ken chuckling beside him and doing figure eights while gliding along with ease.

“I’m pathetic,” TK mumbled miserably. “I should just go home now and be a loser for the rest of my life.”

Ken chortled and shook his head. “If that’s what you want, then by all means, be a loser for the rest of your life… but if you want to join the big kids, then suck it up and let’s go catch up with our ladies.”

TK’s hand was snatched abruptly by Ken’s as he dragged his resisting friend over to where Kari and Yolei were skating. The inexperienced boy trembled even more as they came near—there was nothing to hold on to in the middle of the rink, and Ken was going too fast for TK to keep up. He tipped over backwards, but leaned forward quickly to counteract the movement, only to fall flat on his face the second he did. Kari snorted with laughter while Yolei and Ken lifted him back up, asking if he was alright.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” TK muttered, brushing himself off. He refused to look at Kari, who was still sniggering with a hand covering her mouth in a vague attempt to be discreet.

“Does anyone want something to eat?” Yolei asked hesitantly. “I can go get some nachos or whatever.”

Ken smiled at her and told her to go on ahead—they’d catch up in a minute.

He sighed, turning to his patients, “I know you guys are arguing and that neither of you will apologise until the other has, but this has got to stop. We’re here to have fun, not to snipe at each other and laugh at each other… if you can’t be civil, then we’ll leave.” He felt like a mother, scolding her children when they misbehaved.

Kari looked away innocently, as if none of this was her fault, while TK huffed irately to show his disapproval for their entire excursion. The two of them could not seem to get along, but Ken was almost done caring about that. They weren’t willing to even try to co-operate and he felt like he was talking to a wall. They didn’t listen to what he said and they were so obtuse, it was ridiculous.

A young kid skated by them, waving his arms about wildly to try and not fall down. One of his flailing limbs came and smacked TK in the face, adding to his deflated ego and injured visage.

“Ow!” he exclaimed fiercely. The kid yelled out an apology while still trying in vain to remain upright.

Kari snickered maliciously and TK turned on her, annoyed by her unrelenting teasing.

“What is so funny?” he demanded crossly.

“Nothing…” she replied vaguely.

TK scowled and took a step forward, intending on getting the truth out of his girlfriend. Unfortunately, he still was not accustomed to the feel of the ice, and tripped over his own feet, taking Kari down with him. She let out a cry of shock and pushed him off of her body, asking what the hell that was all about.

“I’m sorry, okay? It was an accident!”

No one had gotten hurt, thankfully, but they continued to bicker with each other endlessly. Kari gave TK a small shove, which he returned, yelling at her for doing it to him. She grew furious and advanced towards him, but he was all set for her. His fist bunched up at his side and his face turned near-murderous. Ken decided it was time to intervene just as Kari shouted at her boyfriend, and TK lunged forward.

Later on, no one could quite decide on how it happened exactly, but hours after the incident, there was still blood spattered across the icy rink.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

... ahahahahaha?

Who's blood?
Tell meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

- gets gun -
I still have Matilda...


but it was still a pretty good chapter.