A/N: This is the first chapter of a multi-chapter story (my first multi-chapter story). It will be primarily from Takeru's POV, with other POVs popping up when the story warrants it.
Ships/romance are definitely possible in this story, probably likely. I'm pretty much open to any pairing (with one notable exception) so there's a distinct possibility that your favorite pairing could appear. Romance, if it does appear, will be just a complementary element to this story because I mainly want to focus on friendship and adventure, but hey your favorite couple could still show up so you should definitely read!
This fic has two primary inspirations: the brilliant story Adventure 03 by Allynca and the song "21 Guns" by Green Day. You really should read Allynca's story because it is better than anything I could hope to write. This story will however follow a much different path than Allynca's story, which just sorta served as inspiration for a jumping off point. The lyrics to the song "21 Guns" helped me really develop the themes I wanted to explore in this story so listening to it might put you in the right frame of mind to read it.
Please read and review, but most importantly enjoy!
Disclaimer: Do not own Digimon. Do not own any music or lyrics to Green Day songs.
Do you know what's worth fighting for?
When it's not worth dying for?
Does it take your breath away and you feel yourself suffocating?
Green Day- 21 Guns
Takeru looked at the calendar and let out a sad sigh as he went about preparing his clothes for basketball practice. He could not believe that it had been 5 years already. It was amazing to him how fast time marched on since that fateful day: August 1st, 2003. He hated that day more than any single thing he had in his entire life. He was practically fond of the powers of darkness compared to it. He tried not to think about that day as much as he possibly could, but it was always in vain. The memories of that day always come flooding back to him especially when he happened upon another one of the Chosen Children in his daily life. His mind often recalled the harsh words exchanged between the closest of friends, the tears shed due to the utter bleakness of what was happening, each of these things were like knives being thrust into his heart. He still could not understand how they could have so badly lost their way. They were always supposed to stay together, no matter what. They learned that lesson the hard way several times during their adventures. They were strongest when they were a unified front instead of disparate individuals. There was a reason they all had been chosen after all. They were meant to serve a higher purpose, but apparently that had been forgotten on that fateful day. August 1st, 2003 was the last day of the Chosen Children as a group, it was the day of the schism.
For years since that day Takeru had desperately tried to reunite the group, to mend the fences that been wrecked that day, but it was of no avail. He did not understand what was causing these people had such a strong bond and love for each other for so long to suddenly throw all that away. He did not understand what it was that caused them to spurn all his attempts to mend the nearly fatal wounds that had been opened in these deeply meaningful relationships. Simply put Takeru did not understand any of it. How was he the only one who could see and understand their bond should not be wrecked over stupid differences in opinion. Yes, it had been sad that they had not seen their partners since the victory over MaloMyotismon, but that was hardly a reason to split up and say such terrible hurtful things to each other. While they technically did not have a reason to be a group anymore, given that both worlds were at peace, in Takeru's mind that was hardly a reason to lose each other. Their world saving adventures had only been the catalyst for their friendship, not the reason for it. Their relationships went much deeper than that. They were far too important to try to abandon each other over differences of opinion in what happened to their partners and if they would ever get to see them again. It was so trivial to him. He wished that the others would listen to reason, instead of letting their pride blind them to the fact that they were only hurting each other and themselves by keeping this up.
If he were not so bothered and disturbed by his friends behavior towards each other he might have laughed at the irony of the situation. All of the enemies that had come up against the Chosen Children had never been been able to truly break up the group despite their best efforts, and yet the Chosen Children managed to accomplish that on their own. Their in-fighting and bitterness over being separated from their partners due to circumstances outside their control proved a far greater foe than any digimon had faced, and ultimately was one they failed to defeat. This deeply saddened him, but he knew that he was the last vestige of the Chosen Children. The only one who still believed that they should get back together whether or not the world depended on it. He knew that somewhere deep down in their hearts, buried beneath the pain and bitterness that had built up over the years that the rest of the chosen knew that it was true as well. It was only a matter of opening their eyes to the truth so they would longer harden their hearts. However, this was much easier said than done. He had learned this the hard way, through multiple slammed doors and abrupt hang ups, that the other Chosen were not too keen on the prospect of reuniting and burying the hatchet. They seemingly much preferred to hold on to the bitterness that had long ago consumed them and hidden their true feelings from themselves.
Takeru knew that if he could just get through to one of the other 11 Chosen that he would then be able to topple the rest like dominoes, but thus far all his attempts at doing this were an exercise in futility. He knew that some of them would be harder to persuade than others, but he never thought that the two Chosen he held closest to his heart would follow the others in denying him the chance to help heal them and open their eyes to how badly they were hurting themselves. The rejections by Yamato and Hikari had wounded him the most deeply. He had convinced himself that if anyone would listen to his message it would be those two, his best friend and his brother, he understood them better than anyone in the world and had always depended on them for strength through their adventures. So it was with these thoughts in mind that head approached them full of hope and thinking that he had a very strong chance at starting the reunification with the two of them, and when their rejection came it was as if someone had dumped a bucket of ice water directly on his heart. He felt so cold and lonely after those rejections, but something in his mind would not let him wallow in despair despite how dire the situation had become. He knew that his crest was more than tool to help Patamon digivolve to his higher levels. No, the crest meant that he was supposed to carry the burden of hope for the group. Just when everything seemed like it was at it's worst, when the darkness threatened to take away any notion that things would end up ok, it was his responsibility to make sure they did not lose hope and sink into despair. Therefore he soldiered on despite the rejections in the knowledge that if he did not do this then no would.
In the times between reflecting on the schism that had divided the Chosen and attempting to reunite the group, Takeru lived a pretty average life. When his responsibilities with the digital world had ended Takeru became more heavily involved in basketball, not as a life's passion, but rather he viewed it as an acceptable outlet to give himself a sense of team and camaraderie that he was sorely lacking since the breakup of the Chosen Children. Entering his senior year of high school he was a slightly above average student across the board, except when it came to literature where he was top of his class. For Takeru literature seemed like a natural refuge from the despair that always lurked on the margins of his mind. He felt as though he could immerse himself into these grand worlds constructed by brilliant writers and just escape for hours at a time. He had always found this practice cathartic as when he exited these literary worlds he felt renewed and armed with new ideas and perspectives on how he could find a way to bridge the gulf that had grown between the chosen. In the last year or so he had actually taken to writing his own works, whether they be poetry, short stories, or long pieces of fiction and he felt that this was also an effective coping mechanism. When despair over the lost friendships with the Chosen threatened to overwhelm him as he found that he could pour out his feelings on to the page and unburden himself. He in fact found that this was essential for him because he no longer had anyone he could talk to about these serious things, now that the group had split apart. He would often see his fellow Chosen in school and would feel the harsh pain in his heart when they would merely walk past him as if he were a stranger, and not a person they shared a bond with that only a very select few could ever begin to understand. He saw Hikari the most out of all the Chosen Children as they were in many of the same classes in school, but she like the rest did not speak to him or any of the other Chosen. It always pained to Takeru to be this way with her after they had had such a close relationship for so many years. They had a natural amicability towards each other as they just got along so easily it never was much of an effort to be around her or spend time with her. He thought that he maybe had romantic feelings towards her at one point before the schism, but he wasn't necessarily sure and knew that it did not matter anymore. All that he cared about was restoring things to the way they were, bringing the group back together. Romantic feelings or not he just missed his closest friend and confidant being in his life and he wanted more than anything to repair the seemingly indestructible friendship that had indeed been destroyed five years ago today.
In school and around town he would often hear girls chattering about the newest developments with The Teenage Wolves, his brother Yamato's band, which of course would lead to the painful reminder that he was estranged from his older brother who he had grown up idolizing. Of course he and Yamato had been estranged following their parent's divorce, but they still made every effort to see each other when they could so things were alright. Now, however, they were estranged by choice, which hurt much worse than any circumstantial separation ever could. He missed looking to his brother for cool headed wisdom when he was in times of crisis. He missed having that watchful older brother who always could understand exactly what was going on in his life and sought fiercely to protect him from the evils of the world. More than anything though he just missed having a brother. Ever since their parents divorce every minute he was able to spend with Yamato was precious to him beyond anything he owned, as just being around his brother made him feel content, happy, and safe. Being around Yamato just felt right to Takeru and now that they hadn't spoken in 5 years everything just felt so wrong. For all intents and purposes Takeru was now an only child and that just did not sit well with him. He needed his brother in his life and he suspected that Yamato somewhere deep in the recesses of his heart felt exactly the same way as him. The only issue was how to access that part of his heart and how to dispel the bitterness that clouded his mind. Yamato being the child of friendship should have been able to understand how wrong this schism amongst the chosen children was incredibly dumb and potentially dangerous to all of their well beings. Before the chosen children had come together they had all been incomplete in one way or another, but together they helped to make everyone in the group complete individuals helping to complement each other's strengths and compensate for their weaknesses. In Takeru's opinion Yamato should have known better and should have fought by his side in the struggle to keep the group together, but alas just like the rest of them Yamato was too proud and bitter to listen to reason and went his own way in life.
A beep from his watch indicating that it was now 11 A.M. broke Takeru out of his musings, as he realized he was running late for basketball practice. He hurriedly finished packing his change of clothes and rushed out the door to the Takaishi apartment in order to try to cover the 2 mile distance between his home and the school in an impossibly short 15 minutes that would ensure him of being on time for practice. Takeru took punctuality for basketball very seriously as he was due to be the captain of the team once the season started in the late fall so he did not want to set a bad precedent for his teammates by showing up late to practices, even if they were optional summer practices. Coach Tateyama was a very strict and demanding coach who expected much of his players, especially the captain as he saw that the captain set the tone for the whole team. Takeru definitely did not want to be on the man's bad side going into his senior year for he knew that Coach Tateyama could make his life a living hell, or at least slightly worse than it already was. Takeru relished any sort of activity with basketball team nowadays as they were the closest thing he had to friends in the aftermath of the schism amongst the chosen children. He knew that he desperately craved and needed this type of team activity to help supplement the dearth of time he got to spend with his fellow chosen given that none of them were speaking to him or each other. It was part of his system for keeping sane and free of despair during these very dark times for him.
With these thoughts in mind he started his 2 mile sprint to Odaiba High School with a smile on his face, which was a rarity since the schism, but he could not help but feel happy to be heading to the first basketball practice of the preseason. At least there he could pretend that things were back to normal again and that the fight between the chosen had never happened. It was a form of denial, yes, but sometimes that was exactly what the heart needed to keep from hardening, at least in Takeru's opinion that was true, he was not sure that many others would agree with his opinion though. As he ran Takeru began to regret not paying more attention to the time while he was lost in thought in the middle of his packing. This was a particularly hot and muggy August day in Odaiba and it was not making the run pleasant at all. He was already feeling his clothes stick to his sweaty body and his mop of blonde hair started to sag into his eyes, all this before he was to participate in an intense basketball practice for 2 hours, he wondered if his body would have any water left after the practice or if he would just shrivel up like a raisin in the sun. Takeru had to question whether or not he was a masochist for putting himself through this intense bodily torture all to be only slightly late to an optional summer practice. At least over the last 5 years he had stopped wearing his hats because wearing one in this situation might have caused his body to completely melt from the heat, and that was hardly an appealing option to him. Once the campus of Odaiba High came into view Takeru reached into his shorts pocket to check the time on his D3, which he still carried around religiously despite not truly having a reason to other than as a memento of his past adventures, and saw that it was 11:20 already, he was 5 minutes late, and he still had a half mile to go. Cursing under his breath Takeru gave a grunt as he picked up the pace for one last full long sprint to get to the school before he was any later for practice knowing full well that Coach Tateyama was going to make him run suicides for every minute he was late, so he was truly motivated to minimize that. Takeru finally reached the school 10 minutes late for practice dripping with sweat and gasping for breath, and proceeded to enter the gym and face whatever fate might befall him at practice, hoping that spontaneous combustion due to overheating was not a possibility.
3 hours later after a grueling practice complete with after practice suicides for being late to the practice without a legitimate excuse, Takeru emerged from the locker room in a new set of street clothes following his shower. He simultaneously felt exhausted and refreshed after the practice was over, but while to some it might be curious to him it was the status quo for this situation. He always found the grueling practices to be almost purifying in a way as they helped to keep his mind off the troubles that he was going through and he could reshape his entire world and existence to that court. He guessed it was that intense focus that led Coach Tateyama to name him captain at the end of his junior year, but he didn't like to dwell on things like that lest he let his ego grow too large. As he exited the school grounds Takeru's stomach began to growl and he started to mull over his options for food. Since his mother was busy working for the newspaper he was on his own for food, but that suited him just fine right now as he was not particularly in the mood for a wholesome home cooked meal after that practice. He decided that he would reward himself for that tough practice with some good old greasy fast food and he knew there was a great burger place on his route home so he decided that he would stop there. Amidst his daydreaming of double bacon cheese burgers with large fries on the side, Takeru could be quite the glutton sometimes, he failed to notice the brown haired man rapidly approaching him. As the man finally reached Takeru he clapped a hand on the blonde boy's shoulder and greeted him as if were an old friend, which in a way he was.
"Hello Takeru! Long time no see! What's it been like 6 years? Wow time flies when you're not saving the world eh?"
Takeru nearly jumped out of his skin after feeling the hand clap his shoulder out of nowhere and let out a strangled yelp as the sudden familiar greeting from the brown haired man he did not immediately recognize. He tried to speak, but could only babble unintelligibly as his mind was reeling from the shock and oddness of the situation.
"What? Gatomon got your tongue? I thought you'd happier to see me! Though I guess since I generally am not a bearer of good news it'd be understandable why you're not terribly enthused, but still no words for your old buddy. I'm hurt."
As Takeru examined the brown haired man the identity of this "stranger" finally clicked into place, the cream colored robes, the spiky brown hair with the short ponytail in back, the piercing blue eyes, the humor that was out of place for the situation. Of course it was him!
"Gennai?!"
Gennai beamed at Takeru's recognition of him before answering him with his one of a kind Gennai brand humor.
"Last time I checked that was me! Though it has been quite some time since I last checked maybe I should look into that. No matter there's far more important things we need to talk about Takeru so why don't we get down to business. No time to waste really."
Gennai's face hardened and turned more serious as he finished this last statement, finally showing the haunted look in his normally serene blue eyes. Takeru, however, was still to stunned to pick up on this as he was still reeling from the fact that Gennai was in the real world, standing right in front of him talking to him. It had been so long since he had seen him, in fact that was the last time had seen Patamon. His mind was racing trying to sort through all the possibilities that could explain Gennai's presence in the real world. He could only assume that it was not a social call, as that did not necessarily seem like Gennai's style. Besides if we were to visit anyone for social purposes it would obviously be Koushirou since they could truly go toe to toe in conversation. Takeru started to formulate a million questions for Gennai in his head and decided that now would be an opportune time to speak up again.
"B-but how? Why? What's going on?"
Gennai let out a long exasperated sigh as he waited for Takeru to fully recover from his shock and finish babbling before he could continue. After a few more minutes of half asked questions and other incoherent babbling from Takeru, Gennai put up a hand to quiet him so that he could deliver his vital message before time ran out.
"Please listen very carefully to what I have to say to you Child of Hope, it is crucial information and I only have the time to tell you once. The fate of two worlds depends on you and the rest of the Chosen Children doing exactly as I say. I am aware of the...shall we say issues that have arisen amongst you and the rest of the Chosen over the past few years, but now it is imperative that the group reunite and put aside their differences in order to confront this new threat that is unlike any that you have ever faced before. I will explain more once you have accomplished your task of reuniting the group, which is the imperative first step in this process."
Takeru started to feel insulted and indignant that Gennai could have stayed away for the last 5 years while their group had completely dissolved all the while knowing about it and doing nothing to step in. Furthermore, he was telling Takeru, the one who had been trying to get the group back together ever since that fateful day five years ago, that it was now imperative that they come back together. In Takeru's opinion Gennai was either highly arrogant or incredibly ignorant, possibly both. No matter what the case was though Takeru of all people did not need to be told that it was imperative for the twelve Chosen Children to reunite and repair those bridges that had been burned so long ago, he had know that from the get go, yet here he was being lectured on the importance of their reunification. He was going to give Gennai a piece of his mind whether he liked it or not.
"I understand that you are annoyed with me for having this information and not doing anything about it. However, after consulting with the sovereign we felt it would be best if we stayed out of the matter completely as it was something that while not ideal needed to be allowed to run its course."
Takeru recoiled at this statement losing all the venom and invective that he was about to spew at Gennai, as the man had seemingly read his mind and preemptively responded to what he was about to say. Gennai cleared his throat to get Takeru's attention once again before continuing on with his debriefing.
"As I previously stated once you reunite the Chosen Children you are all to go to the digital world immediately and meet me at my house, then and only then will I be able to explain the new threat to the digital world and yours that you and your fellow chosen will be dealing with. One at my house you will also be reunited with your partners who, it's safe to say, are eagerly anticipating your arrival so it would be in your best interest not to keep them waiting any longer. To answer your question about travel to the digital world, that I know you are about to ask, the gates to the digital world have been reopened and your digivices and D3s have been reactivated so you can travel as you normally would. Just beware though, once you arrive in the digital world you will find yourself unable to leave until your task has been completed, so be prepared for a long stay. My allotted time here in the real world is just about up and I need to return to the digital world. However, before I do I have been authorized by the Sovereigns to leave you with a parting gift that we all agree could prove instrumental in your efforts to reunify the Chosen Children. Lastly, before you ask the others must earn back what is theirs, while you have proven yourself worthy through this tumultuous period to take back that which is yours. Farewell for now Takeru I will see you soon in the digital world."
As he finished speaking Gennai produced a small black box from within his robes and gently handed it to Takeru before fading out of existence. Takeru stared blankly at the spot where Gennai had just been his mouth slightly agape in astonishment, while his mind raced to process all the information that he had just been given. "What kind of threat could be great enough that Gennai had to come to the real world in person to alert me?" Takeru shuddered at this thought fearing the worst for the fate of the digital world and all the friends they had made there over the years, hoping that no harm had befallen them. He then started to focus on Gennai's cryptic departing message as well as the mysterious gift he had given him. "What does he mean that I am worthy? What exactly am I taking back? I still have my D3 and he already said that Patamon will be meeting me in the digital world so it can't be him. What did he mean about the others needed to earn what is theirs? To the best of my knowledge everyone still has their digivices and D3s and he said they were also meeting their partners in the digital world. What kind of possession would they need to earn, that I'm already worthy of? None of this makes any sense." Frustrated with his musings not providing any more clarity to Gennai's cryptic words Takeru kicked a random pebble as hard as he could and let a loud frustrated sigh. "Maybe this gift he gave me will have the answers. He did seem to think it was pretty important and plus if it helps me bring my friends back together it has to be something pretty good." Quickly finding a nearby public bench to sit down on Takeru cautiously opened the black box. His eyes suddenly widened and he let out a soft gasp as he instantly recognized what was on the contents of the box. Just then Gennai's final cryptic statements became plain as day and Takeru knew exactly what he was talking about when he was talking about the others having to earn back what was theirs. The sight of this object just filled him with such warmth and joy that he had not felt for years. He could not believe that it was back. He felt as if a missing piece of his soul was restored as he stared at the golden object embedded in the box. For the first time in years he felt whole again and he now knew that he could take on the nigh impossible task of reuniting the digidestined. When he had this he felt as though anything was possible. The crest of hope had returned and he now knew everything would be ok again.
Please review, flame, anything all feedback is appreciated as it helps me to become a better writer. The story will not be this much of a downer the whole time, it's a cathartic story at the end of the day so there needs to be some pain on the front end in order to help boost the value of future triumphs. I'm not sure how often I'll update this as just this one chapter was very difficult to write, but it will be updated.
