Growing Up with You
First Meeting
Izumi Masami was sitting at his friend's dining room table, staring into space. He knew he ought to be paying more attention to his hosts, but his life had changed so much over the last two weeks, he hardly knew what was happening. The sound of clinking glasses snapped him out of his half daze, and his eyes focused on the Anami Eiji, a coworker who, despite his sometimes abrasive personality, had been his friend for a few years now.
"So, what's this I hear about you adopting a baby boy, Izumi-san?" Eiji asked. He held his empty glass out to his wife, who stood to fill it. Masami smiled and squeezed his wife's hand beneath the table. His happiness faded as he recalled the grisly circumstances that led to his good fortune.
"My distant relative and his wife died in a car crash recently," he said, staring into the clear liquid in his glass.
"I'm so sorry." Anami Umeko turned her large, dark eyes on him, her compassion pouring out. She had one of the most expressive faces he had ever seen.
"Thank you. I didn't know either of them that well, but they were good people, and very intelligent, as well. A doctor and a scientist." He rested his elbow on the table and rubbed his forehead, trying to banish the image of their closed caskets. "They had a beautiful baby boy at home with a sitter. Dark eyes, red hair. He had relatives that were more closely related to him, but they were too young or too old to feel comfortable raising a child. And when they heard about our... That we couldn't..." Masami glanced at his wife, whose eyes were misting over. She had longed for a child for years, but she was unable to conceive. He treaded carefully around the subject. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her by implying that she was at fault.
Umeko extended a pale hand to his wife, gently touching her arm with two fingers. "You'll be a wonderful mother. I'm sorry your child came to you under these circumstances, but I know he will be very happy." Izumi Yoshie blushed and managed a half smile. Masami felt a rush of warmth towards Umeko. She always knew how to cheer people up, especially his wife. Eiji sometimes rubbed him the wrong way, but it was worth it to know that his wife could always lean on Umeko. Sometimes people had emotional needs that had to be fulfilled by someone other than their partner, no matter how close the bond.
"So where is the boy, anyway?" Eiji glaced about the room, as though he would find him stashed away in a corner. Masami hid a smile behind his glass.
"At home with my sister," Yoshie said. "We wanted to explain the circumstances to you before you met him."
"What's his name? May we meet him?" Umeko's voice was all delighted excitement. Masami felt his heart lighten in response, especially when he noticed Yoshie's pleasure at the suggestion.
"His name is Koushiro," his wife said, almost reverently. They had only had him for a few days, but she already adored him, and so did he. He didn't have much experience with babies, but he noticed that Koushiro's eyes followed every stimulus around the room. It seemed unusual. Masami was convinced that the boy would turn out to be either unusually observant or curious, or perhaps both. He might need to be extra thorough about child-proofing the house.
"Unusual name," Eiji commented. "Izumi Koushiro?"
Masami felt his face tighten, and the sudden tenseness of Yoshie's hand in his signaled that she was angry, too. "He's our son now. He's only a few months old; he won't remember his birth parents."
"Izumi Koushiro is a lovely name." Umeko's face was coloring with embarrassment. It was an expression that Masami and his wife knew well after all the time the two couples had spent together. Noticing the strain in the room, Eiji cleared his throat and lifted his glass.
"A fine name. Here's to Izumi Koushiro! Kampai!" Masami shook off his annoyance and participated in the toast with everyone else.
"I'm sure he and Junichi will be great friends," Eiji said, shifting his body towards his son's room. Yoshie frowned and pushed her long hair over her shoulder.
"He's closer in age to Eimi-chan," she pointed out. "She was born in January. He was born in November the same year. Junichi-kun is a little over three now, yes?"
"Yes, he is. Time flies, doesn't it? He's at that age where he gets into everything and gives us all a hard time." She sighed, but the affection in her tone made it clear that she enjoyed her son no matter what phase he was in.
"Regardless," Eiji said, pausing to swallow the rest of his drink, "Junichi and Koushio-kun are both boys. I'm sure Koushio-kun will be following him around as soon as he's walking."
There was a sudden cry from Eimi's room, and Umeko rose from the table. Masami was glad for the distraction. Eiji's insistence that Koushiro would look up to his son irritated him, and he didn't want to show it. He watched Umeko leave the room and return with a fussing baby girl.
"There, there," Umeko whispered, rocking the child in her arms. Eimi giggled and reached a pudgy arm towards her mother's face. They had the same large, dark brown eyes. Yoshie stood and moved towards Umeko, smiling at the baby.
"Let's take her to meet Koushiro," she suggested. "I'm sure they'll be the best of friends."
"I would like that," Umeko said. "Dear, you wait here with Junichi, and I'll go down the hall and meet Koushiro-kun, then we'll switch, alright?" Her husband hardly managed to nod before the women were heading towards the door.
Masami leaned back in his chair, threading his fingers together. "I guess that settles that."
Author Comments for this Story
Disclaimer: As a general disclaimer for the entirety of this story, I do not own Digimon. This is a non-profit fan work.
This story takes place in Japan. The Japanese names for the characters are used. I am including a list of these names for those who may be unfamiliar with them.
Japanese/English Dub/Nicknames
Yagami Taichi/ Tai Kamiya
Ishida Yamato/ Matt Ishida/ Yama-honorific
Takenouchi Sora/ Sora Takenouchi
Izumi Koushiro/ Izzy Izumi/ Kou-honorific
Tachikawa Mimi/ Mimi Tachikawa
Kido Jou/ Joe Kido
Takaishi Takeru/ T.K. Takaishi
Yagami Hikari/ Kari Kamiya
Motomiya Daisuke/ Davis Motomiya/ Dai-honorific
Inoue Miyako/ Yolei Inoue/ Mi-honorific
Hida Iori/ Cody Hida
Ichijouji Ken/ Ken Ichijouji
Anami Eimi/ Amy Anami
This story will also use Japanese honorifics. Wikipedia has a good basic summary if you're unfamiliar with them. Please note that I don't speak Japanese and will certainly make some mistakes with my honorifics, please feel free to politely correct me if you know something I don't :)
Also note that I may include common aspects of Japanese culture. If anything confuses you, please consult a source such as wikipedia, or feel free to ask me.
Let me give you a quick note on how I handle the ages of the Digidestined. When I first watched Digimon Adventures, I had no clue how old the characters were. I was shocked to learn that most of them are about ten years old, and that Koushiro and Mimi are younger than the others. In my story, everyone is about twelve when they go to the Digiworld, except Jou, who is about fourteen, and Takeru, who is about eight. During the events of Digimon Adventures 2, everyone gains 3 years of age, with Minako being fourteen and Iori being eight.
Finally, please check my profile for updates on when the next chapter is coming. I provide that info for you there.