Chapter 1: Forever Friends
"Itsuki-chan! Itsuki-chan!"
It was a beautiful day for recess, and the kids at Tachi-Yama-Cho Elementary were going to make the most of it. A young girl was running through the yard, looking for her friend.
"Itsuki-chan! Where are you?!"
"Over here, Atsuko!" A cobalt haired girl waved her friend over; her sleeve, which was way too long for her arm, flapped in the wind. She was sitting under a tree with her other friends, playing the latest verion of the Digimon Battle card game, unaware of the previous generation's history with it. At the moment she was cleaning house. "Atsuko-chan, what's wrong?" she asked. She got up and patted out the dirt from her clothes.
"It's Makoto-kun."
"Again?! He'll never learn. How does he expect to make friends?" she sighed. Makoto Matsuda was the school's bully. Itsuki was his only childhood friend and the only reason why his parents never heard about his behaviour. Itsuki was the only one in school who could stand up to him and difuse any Makoto-related situation.
"It's my Leomon doll," Atsuko cried. "He won't give it back unless I give him my lunch."
Itsuki let out another exasperated sigh and told her friend, "I'll be right back."
Makoto wasn't exactly the most popular kid. During recess he usually played by himself in the back of the gym building, his Batcave. Whenever he did leave that area, it was to pick on someone, however he knew that Itsuki wouldn't be too far behind, and she'd somehow convince him to do the nicer thing. Itsuki was the closest thing to a friend that he had.
Makoto and Itsuki have known each other since they were babies. Their parents had been friends for years and often kept in touch. When they visited each other, they'd bring the kids together so that they'd play. As the kids old enough for school, it was soon discovered that Makoto didn't have the social skills necessary to survive in the harsh jungle that was kindergarten. Even up to sixth grade Itsuki was the only person he had really known, but she was too busy for him.
She managed to make her own friends. Makoto was left on his own. He found out that the only way to get her attention was to mess around with one of her friends, and today he chose Atsuko and her Leomon. Right now he was sitting, leaning against the gym building wall, throwing pebbles at Leomon. If his mother knew about this, she'd have a coniption fit.
Itsuki would be coming anytime soon. the wait wouldn't be long because she soon arrived at the corner.
"Why do you keep doing this, Mako-chan?" She had always called him that. She walked over and picked up the doll, but that did not stop Makoto from throwing pebbles in the same direction.
"What _am_ I doing?" he arrogantly responded, apathy laced in his voice. "And quit calling me that!" He now proceded to throw the rocks at Itsuki.
"Stop that," she berated as she slapped the pebbles from his hands. "If you forgot your lunch again, you should've told me. You know I would've given you half!"
"I didn't forget anything! I just felt like doing what I want!"
She sat next to him with Leomon in her arms. "Mako-chan, I still don't see why we keep meeting like this. It's the same thing every day! Haven't you ever tried to be nice to all the other kids? It might be less lonely than scaring them away. It also keeps you outta trouble."
"Who said I was lonely?! Go away, Itsuki, no one invited you here!"
"Hey, all I'm doing is just getting Atsudo's doll back!" She got up and ran to leave. "You don't have to be so rude."
"Itsuki, wait!" Makoto called and ran after her.
Once she reached the black-top, she turned around and faced him. "What now, Mako-chan?!"
The clomp of Makoto's boots slowed as he grew more and more aware of the increasing number of onlookers. Sternfaced, he stood in front of her. Any other child would cower to their knees, but Itsuki stood firm and rather peeved. Unlike the others, she was not intimidated by his mean countenance or his height. Afterall, she had punched him before and would not hesitate to do it again.
They glared at each other for a couple of minutes. The rest of the children slowly gathered to silently form a ring around them, waiting for what they knew was an impending, all-out brawl.
"...That's...MY LEOMON!" screamed Makoto, grabbing the doll.
"No, it isn't! It's Atsuko-chan's, and I'm gonna give it back to her!" She held onto its head and tugged it back.
The crowd of kids clamoured and rooted for a victor. They chanted and hissed while the two of them spun around, trying to gain control of the Leomon. Finally the tension was too great for either of them, and they fell down.
"Yes! Now I can give Atsu..." Itsuki stopped mid-sentence and gasped. The only thing left in ther hand was the doll's head. "Oh no! Atsuko's toy..." she whimpered.
Just then Atsuko pushed her way through the crowd and saw Itsuki holding Leomon's head by the hair.
"Aaaaah!" she shrieked. "Itsuki, what'd you do?!" She dived for what was left of her favorite toy, hugged it to her chest and cried.
"Atsuko-chan, it was an accident. I didn't mean..." She reached for her friend, but Atsuko turned away from her.
Makoto looked on with a smirk. He sat there on the other side of the ring with the doll's body sitting on his lap.
One of the teachers finally responded to all the ruckus. She made it through the sea of kids and found three of her students on the ground. "What is the meaning of this?!" she demanded, thus silencing the entire school yard.
The voice of one of the younger boys called out, "They ripped Shiota-kun's doll, Yagami-sensei!"
"Who's they?" Ms. Yagami glared at Makoto, and his cocky smirk flew off his face.
"Lee-kun and Matsuda-kun!" answered the same boy.
Yagami turned her head towards Itsuki. "Itsuki! I would have never expected such behaviour from you. I'm ashamed."
"But...but...!" she desperately tried.
"Both of you!" Yagami ordered. "You are sitting out for the rest of recess."
'That's not so bad,' thought Makoto.
"And!"
'D'oh.'
"I will be seeing you two after school as well. You'll be writing essays on why it is important to respect others' property. Now go inside."
The rest of the kids giggled after hearing the verdict and continued to have their fun. Itsuki and Makoto headed for their classroom. Istuki's silent indignance was beginning to bother Makoto. When they reached the classroom door, he blocked the way and asked, "It-chan, I-" but she shoved him away and marched into the classroom.
She stayed as far away from him as she possibly could. She stayed mad through lunch and throughout the rest of classes, and after failing to negotiate a way out she remained angry throughout detention.
Makoto was frustrated with the entire ordeal. The blaring silence made him uncomfortable. He had never made her this angry before. In fact Itsuki was almost never mad at anyone, even him.
He began to think that he had possibly gone too far this one time. The trouble he caused had never lead to detention. He realized that Itsuki was the one who kept him from getting punished. Without her impetutous peace-keeping abilities he would be very familiar with coming home late and having to make excuses. He decided that he needed to apologize for stepping over the line.
Once the teacher released them, Itsuki bolted to the school's front gate, but Makoto way rushing along right behind her.
"It-chan, wait, I wanna say-"
She turned around. "You wanna say _what_, Mako-chan? I'm not mad at the fact that you embarrassed me in front of the school, and I can fix the fact that Atsuko hates me," she took a deep breath, "but Daddy has been gone all month because of the Digi-world Merger Research Conference, and he's coming home today for a visit...A VISIT, MAKO-CHAN! He's gonna leave at 5:00, and thanks to you and your stubborn antics, I've only got less than an hour left to be with him!"
He was stunned. Never had Itsuki been so vicious in scolding him.
"And once he goes back to work, it'll be another month before I get to see him! Y'know what Daddy and me were gonna do?! He was gonna take me ice skating, and I was gonna show him how good I was getting at learning the jumps! Now we can't do that!"
The tears forming at the corners of her eyes hurt Makoto even more than the way she was yelling at him. He couldn't believe that he was making her cry. He never meant to make her cry. She was the only person that he never wanted to hurt.
"Don't you think you've done enough damage for today?!"
He didn't answer.
"So tell me, what is it? Why are you stopping me now?!"
"I, um, just," he hesitated, "wanted to say that...I'm sorry, It-chan, okay?" He was scared to look her in the eye, but he managed to see the infuriated expression on her face.
"...Is that ALL?! Well, I think it's a bit late for apologiest. Honestly I don't think you can say anything that'll make me forgive you."
"B-but I..."
"Shut up!" she screamed. "I don't wanna be your friend anymore! You're so stupid! I hate Mako-chan!" Then she dashed away.
He stood there flabbergasted until, "She...was my...friend. Oh." He ran after her. He didn't want his only friend to hate him so much. Makoto needed her forgiveness so that they could start over, be like real friends.
"My friend," he whispered to himself, searching for her. He knew that she'd try to take the shortest route possible in order to see her father.
Lee Jenrya was Head-in-Chief of the Digi-world Merger Research Team (DMRT). They were trying to find a safe way of briging the Human World to the Digital World without causing catastrophic rips that would allow dangerous digimon or human to wreak havoc in either world. They were developing designated ports and registration system for digimon and their partners. Even though both worlds established solid bonds 15 years back, it was still relatively dangerous and/or difficult to travel either way. Jenrya's diplomacy and his relationships with the digimon were integral to the project, so he did not see his wife Ruki or their daughter Itsuki often. This is why the visits meant so much to her.
Makoto knew that Istuki would have to cut through the park in order to get to her house, so he motored to the park gate and ran down the paths as quickly as he was able.
"Help!" someone yelled. "Help! I'm gonna fall in! Help me!"
It was Itsuki. Makoto followed the sound of her cries. When he found her, it looked like she was dangling from a cliff that should've never been there. She was slipping into a hole that glowed with white light.
"Mako-chan!"
"Hold on, It-chan." He rushed to pull her up. "I gotcha!"
He grabbed onto her wrists, desperately trying to pull her to safety, but he was unsuccessful. The hole soon grew to consume the both of them, and they fell in without knowing what was to become of them.
Stay tuned.
"Itsuki-chan! Itsuki-chan!"
It was a beautiful day for recess, and the kids at Tachi-Yama-Cho Elementary were going to make the most of it. A young girl was running through the yard, looking for her friend.
"Itsuki-chan! Where are you?!"
"Over here, Atsuko!" A cobalt haired girl waved her friend over; her sleeve, which was way too long for her arm, flapped in the wind. She was sitting under a tree with her other friends, playing the latest verion of the Digimon Battle card game, unaware of the previous generation's history with it. At the moment she was cleaning house. "Atsuko-chan, what's wrong?" she asked. She got up and patted out the dirt from her clothes.
"It's Makoto-kun."
"Again?! He'll never learn. How does he expect to make friends?" she sighed. Makoto Matsuda was the school's bully. Itsuki was his only childhood friend and the only reason why his parents never heard about his behaviour. Itsuki was the only one in school who could stand up to him and difuse any Makoto-related situation.
"It's my Leomon doll," Atsuko cried. "He won't give it back unless I give him my lunch."
Itsuki let out another exasperated sigh and told her friend, "I'll be right back."
Makoto wasn't exactly the most popular kid. During recess he usually played by himself in the back of the gym building, his Batcave. Whenever he did leave that area, it was to pick on someone, however he knew that Itsuki wouldn't be too far behind, and she'd somehow convince him to do the nicer thing. Itsuki was the closest thing to a friend that he had.
Makoto and Itsuki have known each other since they were babies. Their parents had been friends for years and often kept in touch. When they visited each other, they'd bring the kids together so that they'd play. As the kids old enough for school, it was soon discovered that Makoto didn't have the social skills necessary to survive in the harsh jungle that was kindergarten. Even up to sixth grade Itsuki was the only person he had really known, but she was too busy for him.
She managed to make her own friends. Makoto was left on his own. He found out that the only way to get her attention was to mess around with one of her friends, and today he chose Atsuko and her Leomon. Right now he was sitting, leaning against the gym building wall, throwing pebbles at Leomon. If his mother knew about this, she'd have a coniption fit.
Itsuki would be coming anytime soon. the wait wouldn't be long because she soon arrived at the corner.
"Why do you keep doing this, Mako-chan?" She had always called him that. She walked over and picked up the doll, but that did not stop Makoto from throwing pebbles in the same direction.
"What _am_ I doing?" he arrogantly responded, apathy laced in his voice. "And quit calling me that!" He now proceded to throw the rocks at Itsuki.
"Stop that," she berated as she slapped the pebbles from his hands. "If you forgot your lunch again, you should've told me. You know I would've given you half!"
"I didn't forget anything! I just felt like doing what I want!"
She sat next to him with Leomon in her arms. "Mako-chan, I still don't see why we keep meeting like this. It's the same thing every day! Haven't you ever tried to be nice to all the other kids? It might be less lonely than scaring them away. It also keeps you outta trouble."
"Who said I was lonely?! Go away, Itsuki, no one invited you here!"
"Hey, all I'm doing is just getting Atsudo's doll back!" She got up and ran to leave. "You don't have to be so rude."
"Itsuki, wait!" Makoto called and ran after her.
Once she reached the black-top, she turned around and faced him. "What now, Mako-chan?!"
The clomp of Makoto's boots slowed as he grew more and more aware of the increasing number of onlookers. Sternfaced, he stood in front of her. Any other child would cower to their knees, but Itsuki stood firm and rather peeved. Unlike the others, she was not intimidated by his mean countenance or his height. Afterall, she had punched him before and would not hesitate to do it again.
They glared at each other for a couple of minutes. The rest of the children slowly gathered to silently form a ring around them, waiting for what they knew was an impending, all-out brawl.
"...That's...MY LEOMON!" screamed Makoto, grabbing the doll.
"No, it isn't! It's Atsuko-chan's, and I'm gonna give it back to her!" She held onto its head and tugged it back.
The crowd of kids clamoured and rooted for a victor. They chanted and hissed while the two of them spun around, trying to gain control of the Leomon. Finally the tension was too great for either of them, and they fell down.
"Yes! Now I can give Atsu..." Itsuki stopped mid-sentence and gasped. The only thing left in ther hand was the doll's head. "Oh no! Atsuko's toy..." she whimpered.
Just then Atsuko pushed her way through the crowd and saw Itsuki holding Leomon's head by the hair.
"Aaaaah!" she shrieked. "Itsuki, what'd you do?!" She dived for what was left of her favorite toy, hugged it to her chest and cried.
"Atsuko-chan, it was an accident. I didn't mean..." She reached for her friend, but Atsuko turned away from her.
Makoto looked on with a smirk. He sat there on the other side of the ring with the doll's body sitting on his lap.
One of the teachers finally responded to all the ruckus. She made it through the sea of kids and found three of her students on the ground. "What is the meaning of this?!" she demanded, thus silencing the entire school yard.
The voice of one of the younger boys called out, "They ripped Shiota-kun's doll, Yagami-sensei!"
"Who's they?" Ms. Yagami glared at Makoto, and his cocky smirk flew off his face.
"Lee-kun and Matsuda-kun!" answered the same boy.
Yagami turned her head towards Itsuki. "Itsuki! I would have never expected such behaviour from you. I'm ashamed."
"But...but...!" she desperately tried.
"Both of you!" Yagami ordered. "You are sitting out for the rest of recess."
'That's not so bad,' thought Makoto.
"And!"
'D'oh.'
"I will be seeing you two after school as well. You'll be writing essays on why it is important to respect others' property. Now go inside."
The rest of the kids giggled after hearing the verdict and continued to have their fun. Itsuki and Makoto headed for their classroom. Istuki's silent indignance was beginning to bother Makoto. When they reached the classroom door, he blocked the way and asked, "It-chan, I-" but she shoved him away and marched into the classroom.
She stayed as far away from him as she possibly could. She stayed mad through lunch and throughout the rest of classes, and after failing to negotiate a way out she remained angry throughout detention.
Makoto was frustrated with the entire ordeal. The blaring silence made him uncomfortable. He had never made her this angry before. In fact Itsuki was almost never mad at anyone, even him.
He began to think that he had possibly gone too far this one time. The trouble he caused had never lead to detention. He realized that Itsuki was the one who kept him from getting punished. Without her impetutous peace-keeping abilities he would be very familiar with coming home late and having to make excuses. He decided that he needed to apologize for stepping over the line.
Once the teacher released them, Itsuki bolted to the school's front gate, but Makoto way rushing along right behind her.
"It-chan, wait, I wanna say-"
She turned around. "You wanna say _what_, Mako-chan? I'm not mad at the fact that you embarrassed me in front of the school, and I can fix the fact that Atsuko hates me," she took a deep breath, "but Daddy has been gone all month because of the Digi-world Merger Research Conference, and he's coming home today for a visit...A VISIT, MAKO-CHAN! He's gonna leave at 5:00, and thanks to you and your stubborn antics, I've only got less than an hour left to be with him!"
He was stunned. Never had Itsuki been so vicious in scolding him.
"And once he goes back to work, it'll be another month before I get to see him! Y'know what Daddy and me were gonna do?! He was gonna take me ice skating, and I was gonna show him how good I was getting at learning the jumps! Now we can't do that!"
The tears forming at the corners of her eyes hurt Makoto even more than the way she was yelling at him. He couldn't believe that he was making her cry. He never meant to make her cry. She was the only person that he never wanted to hurt.
"Don't you think you've done enough damage for today?!"
He didn't answer.
"So tell me, what is it? Why are you stopping me now?!"
"I, um, just," he hesitated, "wanted to say that...I'm sorry, It-chan, okay?" He was scared to look her in the eye, but he managed to see the infuriated expression on her face.
"...Is that ALL?! Well, I think it's a bit late for apologiest. Honestly I don't think you can say anything that'll make me forgive you."
"B-but I..."
"Shut up!" she screamed. "I don't wanna be your friend anymore! You're so stupid! I hate Mako-chan!" Then she dashed away.
He stood there flabbergasted until, "She...was my...friend. Oh." He ran after her. He didn't want his only friend to hate him so much. Makoto needed her forgiveness so that they could start over, be like real friends.
"My friend," he whispered to himself, searching for her. He knew that she'd try to take the shortest route possible in order to see her father.
Lee Jenrya was Head-in-Chief of the Digi-world Merger Research Team (DMRT). They were trying to find a safe way of briging the Human World to the Digital World without causing catastrophic rips that would allow dangerous digimon or human to wreak havoc in either world. They were developing designated ports and registration system for digimon and their partners. Even though both worlds established solid bonds 15 years back, it was still relatively dangerous and/or difficult to travel either way. Jenrya's diplomacy and his relationships with the digimon were integral to the project, so he did not see his wife Ruki or their daughter Itsuki often. This is why the visits meant so much to her.
Makoto knew that Istuki would have to cut through the park in order to get to her house, so he motored to the park gate and ran down the paths as quickly as he was able.
"Help!" someone yelled. "Help! I'm gonna fall in! Help me!"
It was Itsuki. Makoto followed the sound of her cries. When he found her, it looked like she was dangling from a cliff that should've never been there. She was slipping into a hole that glowed with white light.
"Mako-chan!"
"Hold on, It-chan." He rushed to pull her up. "I gotcha!"
He grabbed onto her wrists, desperately trying to pull her to safety, but he was unsuccessful. The hole soon grew to consume the both of them, and they fell in without knowing what was to become of them.
Stay tuned.