Adventure: Unto the Third Generation
Chapter 01: A Reunion of Seven
The moment I open the door, it all feels wrong. Filling the room are faces I know, people I'm close to, and most of them look back at me as though I were a stranger. Some of them I haven't seen in years. Others I see almost every week. After all the things we'd gone through, these people should be my family.
That isn't the real problem though. The real problem is that I am met with five faces where there should be seven.
Someone steps forward and takes my hand. "Takeru, thank you for coming."
Kairi is one of the kindest people I have ever met. I've seen her at her fiercest, fighting for her life or even the entire world's, yet never have those shades of sympathy left her eyes. Even clouded by tears as they are now, her eyes contain that same sympathetic look. Having lost what she has in such a short time, how can she still look on as though my comfort is her main concern?
I clasp her hand in my own and meet her look with what I hope is solemn kindness. "Of course, Kairi. I wouldn't miss it. I'm so sorry for your loss."
"...This loss belongs to all of us." She turns and walks back into the room.
A man with short blond hair and crutches pats me on the back wordlessly. That's my brother, Matt. Being a part of the normal world has made him… stranger, if anything. Don't get me wrong, he's still a great guy, the best in my opinion, but the real world has never seemed to fit him. I don't mean real as opposed to digital. I mean the real world as in the adult world of grown-up responsibilities, where one is trying to pay the bills instead of save the world.
At first, my brother tried to take his band to a professional level, but it quickly became apparent that they were not what the discerning public desired. After that, he tried to get by on his scant fame my books allowed him, appearing on several talk shows and participating in at least one reality show. That didn't last forever though, and soon he got roped into a number of weird programs involving the Digital World. One of these involved space travel, and suffice it to say he just isn't the same.
Across the room is Sora. She's talking to Kairi in hushed tones. About what, I don't know. As always she appears to be entirely composed, but her bloodshot eyes tell a different story. I hadn't expected her to deal with this as well as she has. Sora cared deeply for Tai. Don't get me wrong, I know that she loves my brother, but death has a tendency to remind us of the people we once were.
I can understand that. Standing in this room, I feel like a child again, surrounded by older and more experienced people who are nonetheless in over their heads.
This isn't a viewing. It isn't a funeral either. For those, I'm sure Tai's wife and child would be present, not to mention all of our partners. What this is is a meeting for the remain seven young kids who, thirty years ago, got stuck living in a digital world. This is a chance for us to come together one more time, and accept that the two friends and heroes who lead us through so many times of strife are gone. This ragtag group of hardened adults were the first real family I had.
And now that family is falling apart.
A tall man with glasses walks up to me and nods. His face seems ill suited for smiling. A type of grave seriousness rests in his eyes, and it appears to me that this is a permanent condition rather than one evoked by by the circumstances. His hair is greying and the cup in his hand is full of coffee. He looks like he could use a few days sleep.
"It's good to see you, Joe."
"And you, Takeru. How's the family?"
"Uh, the family's good. Shaiwase has been working pretty hard. Kin is doing pretty well in school. What about your's?"
Joe takes a sip of his coffee, then scoffs. "Fine, I guess. Who knows?"
His response catches me off guard and I have no idea what to say. Thankfully, I am saved from this awkward conversation as a pair of lithe arms encircled me and their owner emits a soft squeal.
"T.K! Omigosh I'm so glad to see you! It has been so long, are you doing okay? (Aside from the obvious of course…)"
I laugh awkwardly, and Joe takes the opportunity to wander away.
"I'm well, thank you Mimi. It's been awhile since anyone called me T.K."
The woman in pink backs off and looks at me bashfully. "Oh, I'm sorry. Do you prefer Takeru now?"
"No no, it's fine. You can call me whatever you want. How's life in New York, and the show?"
Her eyes light up. "New York really is lovely. You just become a part of the place, you know? Mark loves it there too. As for the show, honestly we've had better ratings, but it doesn't matter right now. I actually took the next few weeks off to visit Odaiba with, you know, everything going on…"
I nodded. "Right right, that makes sense. Sorry your show isn't doing so well. I try to tune in when I can. This Mark… Would he be a husband, or a new boyfriend perhaps?"
"T.K., you're horrible! I can't believe you forgot my son's name! Besides, things like that just aren't… "me" anymore."
"Oh jeez, my bad! It really has been too long and his name tripped me up. Pinky promise I'll remember next time?"
"See that you do." She says, in mock exasperation. "I'd never forget about little Kin."
"Well, he isn't so little now," I said. "Kid's in middle school, you know."
She has yet to respond when the door opens, and a man I can barely recognize walks through. The wrinkled suit he wears is a far cry from the more laid-back attire I have grown accustomed to himin, and the stubble on his face is equally unfamiliar. The only two things that clue me into his identity are the messy red hair on his head and the Digimon at his side.
Tentomon, at least, seems unaffected by the wheels of time.
For a moment everyone stops, then Kairi approaches.
"Izzy," she says. "You came."
He looks at her for a moment, as if processing. "...Yes. I heard about Tai and Agumon. I deeply regret their passing."
Kairi smiles weakly. "Yes well, I'm sure they'd both be glad you came… Although," she gives Tentomon an apologetic glance. "Maybe you missed the part about how we weren't bringing Digimon to this informal gathering? No offense, we just wanted to keep this part… simple."
Tentomon does not comment or even seem to acknowledge Kairi's presence.
"I'm sorry. I did receive the complete message." says Izzy. "These day though I tend not to leave Tentomon on his own. He accompanies me everywhere."
I can see Kairi consider questioning this, and then decide against it. "Well, that's fine then. It's good to see both of you." She went back into the room and everyone returns to their previous behavior.
Except me.
"I'm sorry Mimi, could you excuse me for a minute? I'd like to speak with Izzy."
"Of course," she says. "We'll have more chances to talk later."
I approach Izzy. Since speaking with Kairi, he has merely walked a few feet into the room and then just stopped, standing there. He isn't even looking for someone to speak with. He's just waiting to see who will approach him first.
"It has been a long time, Koushiro." I say.
The man acknowledges me with a look and nodded. "Quite. Unfortunately work has kept me busy."
"Work? Is that where you've been?"
"Yes." he says simply. "I've been involved in a number of digital engineering projects."
"Of course you have. You always had a knack for things like that, back in the day. How's the family?"
He doesn't look away. He meets my gaze without the slightest emotional reaction. "I understand that they are fine, Takeru. Mai is now in middle school."
"Really?" I say, allowing a slight degree of venom to enter my voice. "How is she liking it?"
"...You know I don't know that."
I turn away, unable to face him. "Yeah, I do. So you still haven't contacted them."
"That is correct."
I shake my head and walked off. "I don't know why you're here."
Koushiro watches me walk.
"He appears displeased," twitters Tentomon. "Is it something we have done?"
"Something I did, Tentomon. Nothing for you to worry about."
"As you say, Koushiro."
Looking around, Izzy finds that Matt, Sora and Mimi also don't want to meet his gaze. This will be a rather lengthy trip…
Not many people own cars anymore.
It's too be expected really. Now that access to the Digital World is widespread and well over eighty percent of the population can open a DigiPort, there isn't much motivation to buy an expensive vehicle that requires refueling with increasingly depleted fossil fuels. Many scientists are even advocating the complete destruction of conventional transportation in order to preserve the environment. In some ways, it is a sad day to be a motor enthusiast.
On the other hand, an overall lack of cars has led to less expensive vehicles, lowered gas prices, less traffic to compete with and less strict vehicular regulations. When you think about it that way, it becomes hard for a car enthusiast to complain.
My wife and friends tell me all the time how much money I'm wasting. "You even having a flying Digimon!" they say. "What good could a car possibly do you?" I guess they'll just never understand the thrill I get driving around in my old college car, how freeing it is to be moving over fifty-miles-per-hour under my own (albeit artificial) power. It really is their loss.
As one of the few Digidestined who still owns a "clunker," I volunteer for the glamorous job of transporting Matt, Sora and Kairi back to their homes. Kairi claims shotgun while the couple sit in the back.
"All together, I'd say things went well," says Sora. "Or as well as they could be under the circumstances. We got everyone back together. I can't believe we managed that much."
"Yeah," grumbles Matt. "The whole crew came back together. And it was one too many if you ask me."
The uncomfortable silence lasts less than a minute.
"Matt.." starts Sora. "I'm not saying you're entirely wrong, but everyone in that room fought alongside us against Myotismon, the Dark Masters, Apocalymon… It would be wrong if we didn't get everyone together to bury the first of us. The past has to mean something."
"We've seen just how much the past matters to that bastard. How exactly did he receive this email and not all the other we've been sending the last four years? And I didn't see him shed a single tear in there. He probably just came out of obligation, or because being "Digidestined" is the only way he can care about people at all. Or maybe he cares more about Tai than he does his own daughter."
"Please just stop, Matt." says Kairi. "This is hard enough as it is. Let's just all get along for the next couple days."
I can see in my mirror as Matt opens his mouth to reply, then tactfully closes it. Sora also looked like she wants to say something, but likewise restrains herself.
When we reach their home, I help Matt out of the car. Normally I would've come in to say hi to my niece and nephew, but under the circumstances it seemed like the parents need some space.
"Do you really think things went well?" I ask Kairi on our way back to her home.
She thinks for a moment. "I want to say yes, but I'm not sure how they possible could. Tai is dead. We haven't been the Digidestined for a long time, maybe we've even lost touch, but he was still our leader, the one holding us all together. Maybe now it's all going to fall apart…" She sighs. "Or maybe it all fell apart a long time ago and now we'll just get a chance to realize it."
I smiled thinly and shook my head. "What do you mean we haven't been the Digidestined? Of course we are; what else could we be? This whole world is new and different, and here because of what we did as children. In our case, twice. You can't just put that behind you.
"If we can stop MaloMyotismon, what hope do the changing powers of time have?"
The Digidestined of Light laughed. "In other words, you have Hope?"
"As long as we stick together I always will." The smile fades softly. "But then, I kind of agree with Matt too. Koushiro shouldn't have come."
"...He's Izzy, Takeru."
"Not anymore. I don't think I can forgive him. I'm not sure we should."
"He came back," she said. "Who knows, maybe this will be a chance for him to reconnect with Haruka and Mai?"
"He hasn't yet. He probably won't. Tai was always the courageous one. Izzy was just curious."
The key card slides neatly through the reader, undoing the electronic lock. There is a beep and Izzy pushes the door open.
The third-rate motel room is as he had left it. The sheet lays in a heap on the floor, the curtains are drawn and his dirty clothes from the previous day are on the bathroom floor.
"I guess the maid service doesn't clean up until check out." Izzey says to Tentomon. The insectoid Digimon stares blankly at TV, which has not yet been switched on.
Izzy sighs and flicks it on with a remote. A nature documentary is playing. Something about termites in Africa. Tentomon makes a noise his partner interpreted as interest.
Izzy reaches under his bed and pulled out a suitcase which he had none-too-discreetly hidden. Inside is a very familiar laptop.
He and that laptop have been through quite a lot. It seems like so long ago he had elected to bring it to summer camp, despite his parents' protest. It has accompanied him to other worlds, and assisted in saving them. Without this laptop, his world would mostly likely not exist.
Well, parts of the laptop anyway. While the exterior has remained unchanged, many of internal components had been replaced as the man's work became more complex. The face of the computer seems familiar and worn, but really it was completely new device. Things around Izumi Koushiro tend to get that treatment.
The man gives his partner a look. "I hope you're having fun my friend. It's back to work for me."
Hitting a button on his computer, a diagram comes up. It appears to be for a flash drive, but the reality is much more complex. It is a puzzle, thus far unsolved.
Izzy wouldn't have it any other way.
I stopped at Kairi's house after dropping off Sora and my brother, so by the time I get home it's gotten dark.
My son Kin, always the good and hardworking student, is already in bed, as is his doubtlessly exhausted mother. I deeply enjoy my work as an author and overall it has done my family well financially speaking. That being said, I do on occasion hit a creative dry spell, at which point carrying our finances falls upon Shaiwase's shoulders. I feel pretty bad about it, but without a college degree I can't get a real job that pays a decent amount. Flipping burgers wouldn't amount to much compared to what Shaiwase makes, so I just try my best to get back into writing form. She's a very understanding woman, but I can see how tired all this makes her. It is a great source of motivation for me.
But right now, back from the reunion, writing is the last thing on my mind.
I step into the door and head for the kitchen. Try as I might to break the stereotype of writers using abundant amounts of alcohol to cope with the unfair world we live in, situations like this seem to call for it. It's exactly what I keep a case of cold ones stored away for. Hopefully when I'm done, I'll be able to think about something besides Tai and Agumon's faces as they died.
Or beating the crap out of Izzy.
I'm mid-chug when someone on the kitchen table asks "Is everyone okay, Takeru?" It's Patamon, dutifully waiting up for me like always. When he heard about our little get together, he was adamant about attending. It was a real disappointment when Kairi said he couldn't come. If it were up to me all of the partners would have been invited, but I understand her logic in that having six or seven Digimon as powerful as ours would raise a few eyebrows. (Now that everyone has Digimon, any that can digivolve to Champion or higher are considered pretty major flight risks, and naturally most countries have some people looking out for them, especially Japan.)
The funeral of course, will be interesting for these same reasons.
"It was fine, Patamon. Or as good as you'd expect."
"Izzy was there," he said, matter-of-factly.
I gave him a sideways look. "Who told you that?"
"No one, I can just… feel them, our friends among the chosen, I guess. He and Tentomon entered the city today. This was the only reason I could think of for them to be here."
I thought that one over for a moment. "You can feel him, Patamon? To what degree?"
"I haven't explored it that much. I can just tell when the other get close by, once they're within a few miles"
"I see. I might need your help with something, Patamon."
The room is dark and dreary. The wallpaper is peeling. The only window is severely cracked, creating an unpleasant draft. The room's owner is neither surprised nor disturbed by any of these things. Having not worked any actual job in years now, the cash he has is scant and what there is isn't going towards worthless amenities. He hasn't paid a single bill. If anyone knew he was still here, it's quite likely he'd have been evicted long ago.
The man in question is tall and pale. His hairline is retracting and he has teeth missing here and there. The coat on his back is in bad shape, as any article of clothing would be if worn for months on end.
In the wake of the Digital World's introduction to human society, a new type of people emerged. These individuals immersed themselves as fully as possible in the world of Digimon. Man, woman or child, they abandoned their previous identities and went off to have their own personal adventure.
Some of these people were like pioneers, leading the charge of mankind's habitation of this new frontier. Others were delusional and dangerous vagrants, fighting and causing trouble in their seeking of escapism and attempts to keep the Digital World a realm of anarchy.
Ultimately though, the story ended poorly for most of them, especially the latter group. Those who weren't arrested either got bored and returned to civilian life or died. The few who clung to such a chaotic lifestyle soon found it to be unsustainable and had to throw in with more powerful entities who offered shelter, food and protection.
But then there were the few who lucked into a partner so powerful, they could live such a life forever. A life of adventure, and danger. They had to abide by no one's rules, because no one could make them do anything. Those who overtly displayed their power of course were harshly reminded that there is always a bigger fish. Either the forces of man or the forces of the Digital World would rise up and swallow them, eliminating their infection. The smart ones laid low, and planned. Setting a specific goal to enact, and getting by until then.
Hiraku is one such person.
Laid open on the squatters lap is a newspaper. As usual, it's flipped open to the obituaries. Many names are displayed there, but only one truly matters.
The vagrant smiles.
"Master, one of them has fallen. You have your opportunity."
Something roughly the size of a human head flutters from the ceiling and lands on its partner's shoulder. Its golden eyes glow.
The rookie cackles with a voice too deep for its diminutive form. "Very good, Hiraku. It's seem the head has fallen off the snake at last. This time, they will be mine.
"I'm coming, Angemon."