Objects in the Rearview Mirror, a digimon fanfic

Objects in the Rearview Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Digimon or any of the characters in this fic, and I don't own the song – it's a Meat Loaf song, the title of this fic being taken from the title of the song Objects in the Rearview Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are. Some of the words have been changed to fit in with the fic, and I think probably if you try to sing it there will be a coupla extra syllables in there which will make it difficult, but whatever lol. I also cut the last couple of verses, as they totally didn't fit. I hope you enjoy it – I wrote it on the spur of the moment when I was listening to the song, so I hope it's OK it's set sometime in Season 2, probably after Ken has just been defeated. Plus, in my interpretations, I like to include families for digimon… go figure, it just seems good – you'll understand when you read the fic. OK, on with the show! Oh, and I know the 'best friend Wizzy' thing is cheesy, but it fitted so well… if you guys review and think it's really bad though, I may rewrite it – just let me know! I tell you what is weird – I wrote the bit about sports cars before I even heard 'the soul is just a car'. Freaky or what?

It was late Autumn in the digital world. What little leaves were still left on the trees were brilliant oranges, reds and yellows, and there was a carpet of leaves laid over the floor around every deciduous tree.

Gatomon's drooping tail trailed among them, and her feet made a soft crunching noise as she walked. Stopping, she perched on the edge of a chunk of brown stone and looked across at the landscape she had come to visit.

Myotismon's castle was a wreck. The cliff had collapsed when the digidestined had travelled through the gate to the human world. She didn't know where the gate had gone – it had simply disappeared. It would probably be back the next time someone's destiny needed fulfilling.

The huge blocks of cliff that had fallen were on the bottom, and were littered with lumps of the stone the castle had been made of. That was all there was to be seen, though – an area this profitable had likely been looted by now.

Gatomon didn't know why she had come back here. All she did know was, she had nowhere else to go. The digidestined digimon had made their minds up that they would return to the digital world and split up for a little while, so they could visit friends, family, places – do all the things they had had to give up while they saved the world again. Gatomon had gone along with this cheerfully, but after the others had left she had let the act drop, and simply didn't know what to do with herself. Her family were long gone, as far as she knew. The only friends she had left were the digidestined, and all she had ever done before she had become one of them was… lived here. She was at a loss.

She felt deep sadness as she thought of friends. The digidestined were all lovely, and didn't care about her past, but there was only one digimon that had ever truly understood her. Not even Kari understood her, not really.

The skies were pure

And the fields were green

The sun was brighter than it's ever been

When I grew up with my best friend Wizzy

We were close as any brothers that you ever knew

She couldn't help smiling at the irony that, even without the child of light, even with all the darkness of Myotismon, the sun had still been the brightestwhen she had been there… been with Wizardmon.

And it was always summer

And the future called

We were ready for adventures and we wanted them all

There was so much left to dream

And so much time to make it real

They had been pretty excited about going to the human world – just between the two of them, naturally. They looked upon it as an adventure. What actually happened never even crossed their minds. They dreamed of things they had heard about in legends – things like skyscrapers, and machines called sports cars. The only car they had ever seen was Myotismon's creepy old hearse, and they joked between themselves that it was high time he got himself a 'Ferrari' neither of them liked to admit they weren't completely sure what one was. They talked about what they were going to do there, and Gatomon shook her head and said there was no chance they'd get time to do it all. Wizardmon laughed, and told her that they had all the time in the world, and if they did miss anything, they had all the time in the world to go back again.

If only that had been true.

But I can still recall

The sting of all the tears when he was gone

Every tear that had fallen from her eyes that day was stuck firmly into the rain gutters of her memory. She still remembered them running down her cheeks, the salty taste as they fell onto her lips, the sting as they flowed over open wounds from Myotismon's red lightning. But the emotional sting, the feeling of the tears burning her heart like acid, was far more painful and long-lasting.

They said he crashed and burned

I know I've never learned

Why any boy should die so young

We were racing

We were soldiers of fortune

We got in trouble but we sure got around

And there are times I think I see him peeling out of the dark

I think he's right behind me now

And he's gaining ground

She often wondered if he would ever come back. After all, digimon got reconfigured – so he should, too. But he died in the human world, and Gatomon had no idea if that meant there were special rules. He might never come back. And despite her great self-control, a tear rolled down her face at that, which she hurriedly wiped away on the back of her glove.

Sometimes she thought she saw him. A shadow in the dark, or a movement out of the corner of her eye, and she would turn joyfully. But of course, it never was him. Still, there was something… if Gatomon had heard anyone else saying this, she would have scorned them. Indeed, she scorned herself. But she couldn't help the feeling of hope that was inside her… it was like he was coming, getting closer and closer… she forced the thought away. He was dead. Dead. She made herself repeat this in her mind until she nearly broke down in tears, but she had to do it. She couldn't allow herself to hope for something which would never happen, even if it broke her heart.

But it was long ago

And it was far away

Oh God it seems so very far

It was so long ago, there was no chance of him coming back now. She had even seen his ghost… wasn't that proof enough?

And if life is just a highway

Then the soul is just a car

She chuckled softly, remembering their discussion about cars. They had eventually drifted onto other topics, but not before Wizardmon had proclaimed, "Life is a highway, and we're speeding along it!" They had been giggly and silly in their excitement. There was a heavy feeling on Gatomon's chest now. They had been speeding along a highway all right. They had been going too fast. And they had crashed and burned.

And objects in the rearview mirror may appear closer than they are

Objects in the rearview mirror may appear closer than they are

She remembered once, a long long time ago, before she worked for Myotismon, before she searched for Kari, when she had a family… she was talking to her father. He was a mysterious digimon, and he had looked so pensive that Gatomon had to ask him, "What's wrong, Daddy?" She had not been very old, and had not understood his reply. "Ah, nothing… objects in the rearview mirror may appear closer than they are."

Yeah

And when the sun descended

And the night arose

I heard ole Myo cursing everyone he knows

He was dangerous and drunk

And defeated and corroded

By failure and envy and hate

There were endless winters

And the dreams would freeze

Nowhere to hide

And no leaves on the trees

And his ice blue eyes were blank

As he hit me again and again and again

I know I still believe

He'd never let me leave

I had to run away alone

Though that wasn't fully true. She had had Wizardmon.

So many threats and fears

So many wasted years

Before my life became my own

And though the nightmare should be over

Some of the terrors are still intact

I'll hear that ugly coarse and violent voice

And then he grabs me from behind

And then he pulls me back

She still had nightmares about her old life, still remembered the pain she went through. In a way, she was still afraid, afraid of him coming back for her. It was almost as if he had pulled her back into his world again – for here she was, back at the place which had been 'home' for so many years. She could still hear his voice in her mind sometimes – it was full of threat and malice. Myotismon had the smooth, soothing voice possessed by all his kind – here she shuddered briefly – but his anger came through in her mind, and the words that were spoken felt ugly and coarse, even though he had rarely been anything but poetic and eloquent. She could still feel his gloved hand at the scruff of her neck, throwing her down and striking her…

But it was long ago

And it was far away

Oh God it seems so very far

She knew it had been a long time ago now, but like with Wizardmon, it was like he wasn't totally gone… almost as if he were coming back. That was ridiculous, and she knew it, but still…

And if life is just a highway

Then the soul is just a car

And objects in the rearview mirror may appear closer than they are

Than they are

But it was long ago

And it was far away

Oh God it seems so very far

And objects in the rearview mirror may appear closer than they are

Objects in the rearview mirror may appear closer than they are

And objects in the rearview mirror may appear closer than they are

Objects in the rearview mirror may appear closer than they are

Gatomon finally understood what her father meant. Her past was so far away, but it seemed so very close… objects in the rearview mirror may appear closer than they are. Bad pasts must run in the family, she thought bitterly. Getting up, she stalked off into the forest, her father's words drifting in eddying circles though her mind.

Objects in the rearview mirror may appear closer than they are.