It started out a lovely day and Motomiya Daisuke stood with his face towards the sun, eyes closed, just feeling the beauty of it. It was summer so he was out of his final year of high school, fully graduated, and to every-bodies surprise he was going to university to study business management come fall. He was in the Digital World now taking full advantage of his vacation before he went to get a job and start saving up a nest-egg for his university days which were soon to be reality. Days like this made him happier than anything, and with the Digital World open to everyone now, and not just the Destined children, he could share this beauty with anybody. Today, however, he came alone.
For the last half a decade he had been obsessing over the relationship between Takaishi Takeru and his idol Yagami Taichi's younger sister Hikari. It was childish, and obnoxious, and he was now positive that it was not worth his time to obsess. Even though they were all friends, even still, their taste had differed and they had almost splintered away from each other in opposite directions. Daisuke's direction was the reason everyone had been so surprised when he announced he was going for a Business Management course. He hadn't gone the way of the prep, as Hikari-chan and Takeru-chan had, but rather almost the exact opposite. His face was full of metal, and his body covered in ink work; different symbols that meant something to him. He was looking very much the North American Punk Rocker, which was accented by his part-German and part-American background. He was, of course, only one third Japanese, unlike everyone he knew and was close with. With the exception of Wallace who was American and who, unfortunately, he did not get to see nearly often enough for his own liking.
That was why he was out today in the Digital World. He would loaf around and hope to stumble upon Wallace and if after a while he was still not there Daisuke would send him a message with his D-Terminal. Either way he was going to get in touch with the other man. It was strange, now, to think of himself and his friends as adults. Almost like he wasn't ready, and time flow had been so fast that he just got swept up in the current. Of course even in the current Daisuke was always in as much control of his own life as possible. He disliked being told what to do and how to do it. He would finish his business course and he would be his own boss; it was the simplest course of action to keep him in control of his own life. And of course he would minor in whatever he saw fit, which was a bonus.
He sat in the sun in his baggy cammo shorts and ripped fishnet tank-top soaking up the sunlight and just relaxing. Final exams were amazingly hectic and he didn't even bother with any of the graduation parties or the big dance at the end. He accepted his diploma and spent a quite night alone in the Digital World with a couple of small bottles of sake, one of Vodka, and the company of V-mon. He didn't need the pressures of being the only one not "dressed up nice" at the dance, and honestly? The idea of a school dance had never appealed to him. He found they caused him more trouble than anything and he didn't like to walk right into trouble anymore. Daisuke assumed that meant he had matured quite a bit, but it really didn't matter as long as he was still in control of his own life.
His thoughts were disturbed by a beeping coming from his back pocket. His D-Terminal was going off and it startled him. Once he realized what it was he pulled it out and took a look at why it had beeped. There was a picture of Wallace standing in some shady tree's that looked like they were in the Digital World. There was a text message attached that was somewhat cryptic but ultimately lead to Daisuke standing up and turning around. He scanned the treeline wondering what Wallace could be talking about when another text message came through which simply said "see you soon."
Excitement crashed into Daisuke like a wave into rocks and he scanned the entire surrounding area while texting back to find out where Wallace was. He missed his friend dearly and couldn't wait to give him a great big hug. He'd honestly never felt closer to any of his friends than he did Wallace and yet they barely saw each other. Their styles and personalities had run a similar course - Wallace was looking just as punk as Daisuke was, with ripped jeans and a plaid shirt. His pants were covered in patches for American Punk and Metal bands and Wallace had his eyebrows pierced along with an industrial in his left ear and a stud in his left nostril and a CBR in each lobe. Daisuke knew all the bands that his friend had patches for.
Thinking for a moment of his friend Daisuke began to walk down a worn-out little path that lead in the opposite direction from which he had come. He held the D-Terminal in his hand and was absently clutching it tight and loosening his grip. It had been over a year since the last time he and Wallace had a chance to just hang out and talk. He moved along the path through the trees almost silently. His ability for the element of surprise had greatly improved over the years which was why he felt comfortable without Vmon at his side - normally the little blue dragon creature would be right there with him but today he was feeling better on his own. Besides, with the peace the Digital World had been washed in holding strong no one was really ever attacked. All problems were generally small and between small villages of Digimon rather than a larger scale. The Piccolomon and the Gazimon had been having some skirmishes, but the Piccolomon seemed more than able to hold off the Gazimon's advances and skirmishes were generally brief.
His D-Terminal beeped at him again and he practically tore it open to find Wallace's text message waiting for him.
On my way to a small village called Salamander. Remember it?
Salamander sounded familiar and Daisuke kept walking while he was thinking on where he knew it from. He tried desperately to remember where it was and for about ten minutes nothing came to mind, no landmarks or anything.
"Salamander... Salamander... Who was in charge of Salamander?" He wondered out loud, rubbing his eyes. It clicked in when he saw a little flash of red zoom by next to him. An image of Sakuyamon in priestess garb flashed in his mind and he stopped dead in his tracks. Of course! Why hadn't he remembered Salamander? He and Wallace had rescued them once before when the village had been threatened by a renegade group of Goblimon and Pico Devimon. They had been about fifteen at the time so it was about four years ago.
After the realization dawned on him he also realized that he had started walking down the same path they had taken to come across the besieged village in the first place. He shuddered involuntarily as he recognized the familiar surroundings in which he and Wallace had become truly close. Saving that village together had bonded them; it should be no surprise that it be where they reunite now, in adulthood and in the looming shadow of success or failure that lay ahead of them at this summers end. He started walking again and sent Wallace a message back telling him he would be there shortly. He was as excited now as he had been when their adventures with Digimon had taken them to the United States to rescue the older Destined Children from Wallace's renegade second Digimon.
He slipped the D-Terminal back into his back pocket and continued on his course, looking around to make sure he didn't miss the unobtrusive turn-off in the path that would take him to Salamander. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He was more than ready to see his best friend again, he just needed to calm down and be his usual, happy-go-lucky self. Though he was sure Wallace must be feeling the same excitement which he felt now. He wondered briefly if Wallace had brought his Terriermon and Lopmon with him. After their adventure in the U.S. together Lopmon had reincarnated into an egg, and when that egg hatched Wallace had a chance to start over with him and do things right. This meant that the same creature they had once defeated now was a member of their team. Though technically he always was, he was just infected by some kind of virus before.
Either way Daisuke hadn't seen either Digimon in the picture, so he would have to wait and see what transpired. Of course, it didn't matter. If they were there he could just call V-mon with the D-Terminal and it wouldn't matter at all. He saw the turn ahead, a scratched tree and a squat bush growing pretty much exactly one foot from it. The path turned off, but looked less like a path and much more like one of those little turn-offs that go nowhere and make you backtrack. Daisuke laughed thinking of that because he couldn't explain in words alone how many times he had gone down a path like that and walked right into a dead end. It made him laugh more to think of what a goofy kid he had been.
About ten minutes down the little, mostly-hidden path and he could see a few of the grass-roofed huts that made up Salamander. Somewhere past those huts, he thought, Wallace was waiting for him. Or, at least, he hoped Wallace got here before him. It would make the reunion much more satisfying on Daisuke's part. Walking past those first two huts was a little disappointing because there wasn't even a Digimon there to greet him as would have been right. Further and further into the huts - Daisuke thought to himself about how this village had grown since the last time he had been there - and still no Wallace. He closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh; there seemed to be no one here at all, which was strange. He hoped, for a split second, that noting was wrong here and he wouldn't have to be a hero again. Then the moment passed and he began to explore and look for signs of life.
For a moment he almost felt like this was a ghost town, everything was still here but there wasn't a single living soul in sight. It both confused and excited him and he stared around thinking of what could have happened to everyone. It took him a moment to clue in and actually knock on a door, but there was no reply. He heard a scuffling sound coming from behind him and turned but again there was nothing there but huts. Things were getting eerie and Daisuke started to walk more slowly and silently, taking deliberate steps and making less noise than a mouse would.
While he was stalking around like a ninja he was unaware of the equally unobtrusive footfalls coming down the same path as he had. The blond walked in on quite a sight, seeing his friend practically tip-toeing his way around an empty village. He put a hand on his forehead and rubbed down his face trying not to laugh at the sight before him. Daisuke looked spooked and while Wallace could understand an empty village being a little weird he couldn't understand why Daisuke looked like he'd seen a ghost.
Carefully, like a thief in the night Wallace made his way up behind his mutt friend, and when he was close enough he jumped onto his back and clung like a face-hugger. Daisuke let out a cry of surprise and they both toppled backwards. Wallace laughed and Daisuke squirmed for a few moments before he recognized the plaid-clad arms of his friend around him. He started to laugh too and punched backward, hitting Wallace in the leg.
"You jerk." Daisuke said as his blond friend released him. He stood up. "What did you do that for?"
"I couldn't resist, Dais. It was too much temptation." Wallace's smiling face was a beautiful sight, especially after stumbling upon a deserted Salamander village. "You were creeping around like a regular burglar, and I seized the moment."
In reality Daisuke knew exactly why Wallace had done what he did. They were always doing things like that to each other whenever the opportunity arose. It was hilarious and it helped clear whatever tension may be present, depending on the situation.
"Yeah." Daisuke said, dusting himself off. "You're still a jerk... Do you know where everyone went? There used to be all kinds of Digimon here, but no one is around now."
"I just got here," Wallace stated, looking around. "The first thing I saw was you skulking about. But I'm sure someone is here, it can't be totally deserted."
"That's what I was thinking." Replied the auburn haired boy eying the village suspiciously. "Saku was a priestess, maybe they've gone off on some holy thing?"
"You know what? That sounds believable." Wallace smiled and patted Daisuke's shoulder. "We should wait and see if anyone comes back."
"Oh, I see." Daisuke said. He also noticed that Wallace had neither of his Digimon partners with him. It seemed they had both had the same idea today, only Wallace had contacted him before he'd given up on solitude. "No Digimon today?"
"Oh, haha." Wallace rubbed the back of his head and his eyes shut as he laughed. Daisuke loved seeing Wallace laugh. Happy friends were good friends, and Wallace was the best. "No, I let them go off and do their own thing. I can call them any time, so its no big deal."
"Yeah." It was interesting; the more Daisuke spent time with Wallace the closer he felt to him and the more time he wanted to spend with him. "What'll we do until then, though? What if they aren't coming back for a few days?"
"Then we come back every day until we find someone here." Wallace replied. "I mean, this is either a holy thing, or a problem. If they aren't here within a week, we start kicking ass and asking questions."
Daisuke almost laughed out loud at that and had quite the time of it not doubling over. Kicking ass and asking questions... It wasn't the right term, but he assumed Wallace was just making it his own. "You rock that good, Wally-baby."
"Shut up, Dais-chan." Wallace said, sticking out his tongue. He punched Daisuke in the arm and started walking deeper into the village, looking to see if he could find traces of anybody at all. The village looked like it hadn't been deserted for very long. Saku probably did have them out on some ritual or something, and if so they would have to be back soon. It only stood to reason, then, that they couldn't be too far away. "This village still looks lived in."
Daisuke stared around and moved forward with Wallace, wanting to stick together in case something popped out on them. Creeping along behind the blond he saw exactly what he was talking about. There were still footprints and a fire was still smoldering in the center of all the huts like someone had been cooking there. "It looks like a camper was here, maybe." He speculated. "The villagers wouldn't have left a smoldering fire-pit, they've had poured water all on it."
Wallace stared down at the fire-pit and did, in fact, see the lack of care taken in putting it out. It looked more a human mistake than anything. Looking around to make sure there was no one else there but Daisuke, Wallace peed on the smoldering mass of ashes and cinders, wetting it and preventing it from starting back up and spreading to the village. "Its easy as that, unless you're a girl." Wallace said, zipping back up. "So unless a complete idiot was here, well, you know what? It could have been some ignorant American kid. A lot of them wouldn't know real fire safety to save their own lives." He shook his head. He should not be able to say something like that about his own people, but, well, damn it... They weren't his people, they were just from the same country. Daisuke, Digimon, the other Destined's... Those were his people!
"Oh, well... Yeah, I can see that. In certain circumstances. Some rich boy who ran away because of this or that... Spoiled rotten, and attempting to live off the land in a completely different world..." In reality it did make perfect sense though he didn't want to believe that someone was running around leaving fires technically still burning. Fires in the real world were bad enough but to have to try and put out a fire in the Digital World? He shuddered. "I hope it... Well, actually, I hope that is the case, because that is a lot easier to deal with than if something were to have drove off Salamander so fast they left a fire smoldering!"
Wallace looked around, scanning the immediate area. Which way would someone have come or gone from, with the fire still in a dangerous state, without being seen? "You're right." He said, but that was all. Beginning to walk about, he was searching for clues, for evidences to support the theory. Over the years of being alone Wallace had developed certain skills. He was very insightful, he payed close attention to little details, and he noticed things that blew Daisuke's mind. Right now Daisuke just stood back and watched as Wallace worked his magic and searched for what he needed to find.
After about fifteen minutes of him wandering around the village and Daisuke wondering what the hell he was looking for, he was able to spot at least something. "Ah! Here we are! It was a kid, look." He pointed down into a corner and Daisuke moved to take a look at what was so conclusive. As he peered down into the little crevice he saw the wrapper of an American chocolate bar and a piece of a sticky bun covered in the sandy dirt of the area. He stood there, staring.
"So there is a human running around leaving fires still kind of going, and littering American trash in our Digital World." The words came out bitter, almost acidic, though he didn't mean for them to sound as such. "Sorry, Wallace, I didn't mean..."
"No, I agree with the sentiment." The blond interjected, cutting him off. He stared down at the trash almost sorrowfully and then he turned and walked away. Daisuke stared after him, remembering the last time he had stalked off like that. He let out a heavy sigh and followed behind him a few paces. Wallace had this bad habit of walking away and being alone instead of saying what was wrong and getting it off his chest. The auburn-haired man followed him the first time and he'd followed him every other time since. He did not feel it was healthy to bottle things up and feel alone when there are people around who care and want to help. He'd done that himself and it never made him feel better to be alone.
"Wallace." He said, but the blond kept walking silently. "Wallace, what is the matter?" Still no reply, but he knew better than to give up on his friend. "Look, Wallace... If something is bothering you, you need to let me know. Was it my tone of voice?"
"No, Dais, it wasn't your tone of voice. I feel exactly the same way." The blond kept walking and Daisuke kept following. "Its just... Its the fact that I..." He sighed and leaned against a hut. "I have to go back to the most arrogant, pompous, war-loving nation in the real world, where all I have is my mother. I have no friends there; no one is on the same level as me... Its brutal."
"Wallace..." Daisuke looked downwards for a moment stifling his own tears and his posture dropped. His best friend felt this way and he hadn't even known it until now. There were so many things he could have done, so many things he could have said, but he hadn't. On the spur of the moment he regained his posture, looked directly at Wallace and opened his mouth. "If you really want to, you know, you can come and live with me. I will be getting my own place very soon, and there's always room for one more, you know?"
The blond stared into Daisuke's brown eyes, his own blue ones large pools of blackness in his shock. He ran a hand through his longish hair and blinked. Daisuke could have laughed, if the situation wasn't so serious. His friends demeanor had gone almost comical. "Do you really mean that?" Were the only words Wallace was able to summon.
"Of course I do!" Daisuke replied. "You need to have more people who care about you than just your mother... I mean, a mother's love knows no bounds, but you need to be somewhere that you fit in, and with us, the Destined children, you always have a place."
Tears stung Wallace's eyes as he searched for the words to thank Daisuke, but no matter what he wanted to say, he couldn't choke it out. When he finally had given up on mere words he resorted simply to throwing his arms around Daisuke. The gesture said more than he would have been able to articulate anyhow and his friend was more than happy to return the hug. "Thank you." Wallace whispered still holding him tightly. "It really means a lot to me."
There was a rustle to the side of them in the treeline. The two men pulled apart, but held hands as they prepared to confront who- or whatever came out. As they stood there, the rustle continued and they looked to each other longways for a moment. They were prepared for anything.
What popped out of the treeline was no danger to them, but that it came flying up to hug Daisuke tight around the arm was a shock. The force was enough that their hands separated. It was speaking so fast that they were barely able to make anything out, but they knew who and what it was.
"Koemon," Daisuke said. "Would you kindly release my arm and slow down your speech? Please?" The little monkey-like creature released its grip and landed on the ground. It wasn't very tall, but that was alright.
Wallace and Daisuke crouched down to listen to the little creature as it explained where everyone was. Sakuyamon had indeed taken them out on a spiritual ritual; they were praying for a miracle to bring those two back to the village. Salamander was being harassed by American children with no Digimon partners, and the inhabitants of the village had failed at driving them off. Sakuyamon was still out, though they were migrating back. He had gotten ahead of everyone because he was excited (they'd always assumed from his deeper voice that it was a he, despite it still being a little high-pitched), and he wanted to see if it had worked. He had faith that they would be able to summon the Destined's who had saved them before. The heroes of Miracles and Fate.
"That explains the garbage, and the still-smoldering fire." Daisuke said, looking around. "That also explains the emptiness."
"And it explains why I was drawn here, of all the places we could have met."
"And why I randomly began walking down a path that lead pretty much right to here, before I knew where you were going."
"Great." Wallace stood up and stretched. "So, we know whats going on now. How do we deal with it?"
"Well, we'll need to call our partners, no?" Daisuke and Wallace were talking both to each other and to themselves, a habit they had formed over the years of meeting in the Digital World. Daisuke was thinking what Wallace was saying while Wallace did the reverse. Daisuke continued his thought. "If we want to deal with punk-ass kids, we treat them like punk-ass kids. Leave Salamander alone, or you'll have your ass handed to you by someone who's high-level and not afraid to do something."
"Of course." The blond started to pace around, looking from hut to hut while Daisuke called V-mon. Wallace pulled out his own D-Terminal and called on Terrriermon and Lopmon, still pacing. "And if they give us a hard time, we can always call for back-up. Hehe."
Daisuke smiled at his friend, and then Koemon took them to his hut, and they planned for Sakuyamon's arrival.