#I orginally planned on having a prologue but that went out the window

[rdmfavcpls]

Date - Chapter 3 - Picinic

Story: Date

Category: Digimon

Pairing: Ami/Arata past Arata/Marippe

Rating: T

Summary: Nokia likes to imagine herself as a matchmaker, thanks to some well-time words, she got Yuuko and Fei together. They were easy. She didn’t have to worry about herself because Yasu was her boyfriend, Sakura finally got with Ryota. Yuugo was more focused on his therapy, so that just leaves Ami and Arata. Her toughest assignment.

Author’s Note: This story is dedicated to the fanfiction user Samrit for being the amazing reviewer on fanfiction for my Ami and Arata stories. I hope this matches up to your expectations.

Disclaimer: I do not owe any rights to the franchise.

Date - Chapter 1 - http://rdmfavcpls.tumblr.com/post/165453977177/date-chapter-1

Date -Chapter 2 - http://rdmfavcpls.tumblr.com/post/165664175752/date-chapter-2-double-date

~~Story Begins~~

Chapter 2 - Picinic

“Okay, so we are all good for a picnic!” Nokia exclaimed as the group of five friends plus partners met at Kamishiro Enterprise.

“We took a vote,” Arata commented dryly. “The only one who didn’t vote was Ami and that’s because she was distracted. We all said yes.”

“Great! Than let’s have a picnic at the beach. This way we can cool off from the heat.”

“Sounds good, but who will bring what?” Fei asked.

“See, I already have it all planned. Yuuko will bring the main course, Yuugo will bring the sides, Arata will bring the blanket and umbrella, Yasu and I will bring two different types of drinks, Fei will bring the coolers and ice, and Ami can bring that delicious raspberry cheesecake.”

“Nokia, you call all of my food delicious,” Ami said.

“Have you tasted your food?” Yasu asked. “It’s like a sneak peak of paradise.”

Arata crosses his arms with that statement wondering as to how and when Yasu had Ami’s home cooked meal. Not that he was jealous or anything, just curious. He will not disagree with Yasu’s statement about how good Ami’s cooking is.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had Ami’s home cooking before,” Yuuko said.

“Than you are missing out,” Nokia said. “Just wait until you try the cheesecake.” She than sighed. “Whoever marries Ami is going to be one lucky person, getting to eat Ami’s home cooked meals everyday.”

“It’s just a simple recipe,” Ami said. “Nothing special. Anyone can make it.”

“Are we okay with the assignments?” Nokia asked everyone.

“Yeah,” they agreed.

“Good, then we’ll see each other tomorrow afternoon,” Nokia said happily.

Ami looked at Arata after they sighed out of EDEN in Shibuya, “Well?”

“Well what?” Arata asked back.

“Marippe hasn’t called you in four days, that’s a record,” Ami explained.

“No, she’s called me, begged me to return to her, and upon me truly stating that we are over, she got mad. She’s mad about you blocking her number. You’re welcome.”

“I should have known that you was the reason she quit calling me,” Ami said with a smile. “I didn’t think you would have hacked into my digivice to do it.” Her smile turned into a small frown, her blue eyes showing worry. “So, you are being serious with this break-up?”

“Any person can go for so long with an on - and - off again relationship that Mari and I had,” Arata said. “I’ve reached my limit.”

“I just hate that two years of your life was wasted like that,” Ami said gently. Arata smirked at her, “What?”

“You care more about my life than I do,” Arata said. “In fact, you are possibly the mother of the group.”

“How is that possible?” Ami asked. “I’m the youngest.”

“You care more about your friends lives instead of your own, plus you always give out advice.”

“What’s wrong with that?” Ami questioned sharpy.

“Nothing is wrong with it, it just seems like you lived many lifetimes,” Arata explained. “What has gotten into you?”

“Nothing, it’s just, I guess I’m just anxious over the trip. Something just doesn’t feel right. I have never felt like this before.”

“Already feeling homesick?” Arata teased.

“Maybe,” Ami said with a smile. “However, I think it’s because I’m more worried about you.”

“Why are you worried about me?”

“When was the last time you lived alone?”

“Three years ago, a year before I moved in with Mari, why?” Just like that, he realized why she’s worried about him living by himself. “I’ll be fine, no need to worry,” Arata said rolling his eyes. “But, thanks.”

“Hmm?”

“For worrying about me, not many people do,” Arata said.

“Hehe, guess it’s the ‘mother’ in me,” Ami chuckled.

The next afternoon, at the picnic, Yuuko was eating the cheesecake Ami brought.

“This is so good!” Yuuko said drooling even though she had her own cheesecake while everyone had slices of another cheesecake.

“I know, right?” Nokia said giggling. “Please don’t ever open a restaurant Ami. I’ll be dead broke.”

Fei looked at Arata, “Rumor goin’ ‘round EDEN is that you an’ tha’ country gurl broke up.”

“Arata had a girlfriend?” Yuugo asked surprised.

“Yes, had. However, I had expected that question from Nokia,” Arata replied.

“I’m just mad that she wasn’t approved by us,” Nokia stated. “If you ever get back with her, she must be approved by all of us.”

“Any girlfriend to be exact,” Yuuko stated.

“I was dating her before we all met,” Arata deadpanned but the message was clear to those who remembered. He was dating her before they got reunited and had their memories return.

“Incoming,” Ami said seeing a volleyball heading towards them.

“Wah?” Nokia said turning to see what Ami was talking about before Yasu reached up and caught the volleyball. “My hero!”

“Not this again,” Fei said standing up. “Before you two lover birds get lost in your own world, I’m going to swim.” She grabbed her girlfriend and Yuugo. “C’mon you two.”

“But my cheesecake!” Yuuko said as she got dragged away from her half-eaten cheesecake.

“Oho, I am coming to,” Nokia said as she got up and ran after them, her boyfriend following like a dog to its owner.

“You aren’t going to join them?” Arata asked towards Ami who, unlike the others, was the only one wearing her regular clothing instead of a swimming outfit.

“Haha,” Ami said sarcastically as she rolled her eyes, “I am NOT putting on two bottles of sunscreen. Thank you very much.”

“Isn’t that a bit excessive?” Arata asked, watching Ami pick up their garbage, and put it in a bag to make it easier to throw away when they leave.

“Not for me,” Ami responded tying the first bag up. “Five bottles of sunscreen won’t work. The only time I like going to the beach is when it is cold or cool. I wanted to know where the picnic was going to be at before we voted. I was not distracted.”

“Aren’t you over exaggerating?”

“Maybe, maybe not,” Ami said. “I don’t plan on letting you find out. You can go out and play in the water and sand.”

“What are you going to be doing?”

“Stay under the shade, possibly take a nap,” Ami said with a shrug.

“That’s boring,” Arata said poking her arm.

“Excuse me for not wanting to enjoy the sun’s heat rays,” Ami said rolling her eyes. “No, I am not worried about getting skin cancer.”

“Than, what’s the problem?” Arata pressed.

“Hey!” Yasu yelled getting their attention. “We need one more for an even chicken battle.”

“Arata will join,” Ami said with a smile. She looked at the frowning teen. “Go, cool down. I’m fine here.”

Arata grumbled as he got up and made his way to the ocean’s inviting waters as Ami watched from the shore.

Her friends were on their third round when a beach goer went up to Ami, “Aiba? Is that you?” Ami turned her head and looked as one of her upper classmen stand next to her. “It is! I thought I’ll never see you at the beach again! I mean, considering that last time I saw you at the beach was for a school trip. You was forced to join in the beach events and the next day you was as red as your hair.”

“Yeah, well, my friends wanted to go to the beach and have a picnic,” Ami said looking away with a blush from embarrassment. “Are you enjoying your summer Hino?”

“Huh?” Fei asked looking at the shore, on top of Nokia’s shoulders, “Who's that?”

They looked over and saw a man talking animatedly with Ami, causing her to laugh, a hand covering her mouth. They couldn’t hear what he was saying, but Ami pushed his leg slightly shaking her head as he said something to her.

“I think they are schoolmates,” Nokia said. “I think his name is Hino. Ami had to tutor him after school or he had to give Ami tutoring lesson. Either that or since Ami is a goddess when it comes to researching things, he asked her to do some researching for the debate team.”

“I thought she wasn’t in any clubs,” Yuugo said.

“She’s not, but according to Sakura, Ami is an unofficial member of the debate team and science team,” Nokia said. “Again, Ami is a goddess when it comes to research.”

Arata watched as the man spoke something to her causing her to think before she explained something and pointed at him, causing Arata to raise an eyebrow. She than handed him her digivice allowing him to program or type something in her digivice. When he was done, he handed back the digivice. He bent down and  gave what seemed like a kiss on her cheek before he jogged away.

Arata had to mentally take breaths, he was confused over why he was jealous...AGAIN. Was it because he felt a weird need to protect her, or is it because she’s too soft-hearted and willing to help others. He had Yuugo on his shoulders so he looked at the two teams, “Hey, this will be my last round!”

He noticed something in Nokia eyes, a not so hidden smile on her face. He was going to ask what her deal is when Yasu on top of Yuuko’s shoulders started to attack Fei and Nokia.

Arata got out of the water after Yuugo and him won their third and final round and made his way towards the blanket. “Got tired?” Ami asked.

“Mhm,” Arata hummed sitting down next to her. “Beating the other teams was easy since there was no dating partners involved.”

“How was Yuuko able to hold Yasu up?” Ami questioned.

“Fei egged her on,” Arata commented. “So, you had some company and pointing to me, why?”

“An upper classmen of mine actually has a case for me in which I’ll need your help with.”

“Oh?” Arata asked

“There’s a problem with his EDEN account, he keeps getting a private forum with the password, but no one ever appears. He has tried to message the person back, but no response,” Ami explained. “Does Nokia realize she’s going to be sunburnt?”

“Knowing her, no,” Arata answered as they looked at their friends in the water. “I think the only ones who aren’t going to get burnt is Fei and Yasu. So, we will be working a case together like old times?”

“Yep. Oh, Marippe has been calling you.”

“I’ll deal with her later,” Arata spoke realizing something. He no longer felt the emotional pain, he didn’t feel like his heart was shattering upon hearing her name, and now that he thinks about it, it has been a while since he felt that. It’s been close to four months of not having that pain.

He looks over at Ami who is still watching their friends. He knows that it is thanks to her caring, worrying, always having his back, and being there with an open door for him, that he was able to heal. Her blue eyes looked over at him and she tilted her head, confusion and worry shining in her eyes.

“Is something wrong?” she asked.

“No, nothing, why?”

“Just wondering,” she said. “You’ve been quiet.”

“I’m fine, just trying to get inside Nokia’s head,” Arata said with a gentle smile before turning his focus back on their friends. He could feel Ami gaze on him and the guilt of lying to her started to weigh on his mind, but then she moved her gaze.

“I know you are lying,” Ami said softly, “but I am here for you for whenever you need to talk. I appreciate you caring about how I feel, but lying to me only makes me worry more about you.”

“Sorry,” Arata said. “It’s just that I’m still figuring it out myself.”

Ami let out a small giggle, “Well, if you need to me, I can be your sound board. Something for you to bounce ideas off of.”

“I’ll keep it in mind,” Arata said.

It wouldn’t be fair for Arata to start dating Ami, it wouldn’t be fair to her actually. He can tell she thinks he is still going to get back with Mari. The whole entire time that he was having problems in his failing relationship, he accidentally put Ami in the middle of it all. She might think he’s using her as a rebound relationship to get back at Mari. Arata looked back over at her quickly before going back to their friends. He thinks for now that he can handle staying close to her a friend, until he’s sure he’s completely healed and over a broken two year relationship.