What Are Friends For?
By Jacko the Great
"Humph! Humans, they're wasting their time!" Labramon mumbled, "Always making friends, playing games. Since when did playing get you anything?"
Labramon sat on a billboard high above the sidewalk of a small city. Labramon is a creamy white dog Digimon with pink floppy ears and tail. She was looking down on the many people strolling down the street.
"Sight-seeing again I see." A voice said from behind. Labramon quickly turned around to see a Gazimon peering beside him. Labramon and Gazimon had been good friends a while back, but ever since Gazimon had become a partner to a human, they have grown apart. It seems that obeying his tamer is just too important than keeping old friends.
"What's the matter?" Labramon remarked with disgust, "Master ran out of things to tell you to do?"
"You know it's not like that" Gazimon answered as he sat beside Labramon. A moment of silence loomed over the two.
"Remember how we used to sit up here, and make fun of all those people down there?" Labramon asked, breaking the silence.
"Yeah! I remember that time when a human tripped and dropped all of his things" Gazimon said as he laughed out loud, "Those were good times!"
"I noticed that you used past tense." Labramon said. Gazimon paused.
"I see you're still mad at me."
"You used to be so independent, so much fun until that 'Tamer' came along." Labramon said the word, tamer, as if it tasted bad in her mouth, "It ruined everything."
"It has a name! And it's Christopher." Gazimon interrupted, "And IT gives me food, makes me stronger, and gives me a house to live in! Do you how long it was been since I've slept out in the cold!"
"Oh, I see! Now, you're too good to hang out with a low-life like me!" Labramon said, "Why did you have to change?"
"You just don't understand how one thing, just one thing someone says or does can totally change your whole out look on things!" Gazimon explained. Labramon got up and started to walk away, but turned around.
"Just gaining friends won't make you stronger! Fending for yourself that's what makes you stronger!" Labramon shouted before walking away.
"Someday she'll understand. Someday." Gazimon whispered as she walked away.
"What are friends for?" Labramon thought to herself as she leaped from rooftop to rooftop. She let the thought linger in her head for a while. Before she was able to mummer any more, something odd caught her eye. Floating before Labramon was a hollow sphere. A breeze began to blow and the sphere rode it away nimbly with the greatest of ease. Labramon followed it and leaned for a closer look. Multicolored streaks swirled about to reflect Labramon's face back at her. The strange object rest on the brim of Labramon's nose and popped. A clear liquid splashed and stung her eyes.
"It attacked me!" Labramon exclaimed to herself. She rubbed her eyes, when she opened them; there were more of the floating spheres. The wind blew and they came closer.
"Reinforcements!" Labramon growled as she leaped to attack the spheres. She bit one and it popped, leaving a bad taste in her mouth. She attacked the others, and they all popped. Labramon jumped down from the roof and found more of the clear spheres. In a fit of slashing fury, Labramon attacked all of them, and killed them. When Labramon was done, she stood with her muscles tense waiting for the next attack. Labramon heard some giggling from behind her. She turned around and found a small human girl holding a bottle.
The young human was no taller than Labramon. She had curly blond hair in pigtails and brown eyes. She wore a green plaid jumper with a yellow shirt. She giggled, and took a plastic stick with a hole in it out of the bottle. Some liquid dripped from it. The human blew into the hole, and another floating sphere came out of it. It floated towards Labramon and popped in her face. The girl giggled again as Labramon shook her head in confusion. When Labramon opened her eyes, the girl ran off. Labramon began to walk away, but something stopped her.
A strange curiosity came over Labramon. Labramon, for some reason, felt the need to follow the child. She couldn't explain why. She had never seen the kid before, and still, she felt drawn towards her. She quickly dismissed the emotion as mere curiosity and was on her way.
That night, Gazimon peered from the shadows of a dark alley.
"Good," Gazimon muttered, "No one is around." Hastily, for someone might see him, Gazimon ran across the street to an old apartment building. He went over to the side and started to climb up the fire escape, as it was Christopher's rule. Christopher has many rules. When Gazimon first met Christopher, he only gave one rule.
"You can go you if you like, just don't get killed!" Christopher would say.
"Don't worry." Gazimon would reply, "I'm very good at not getting killed!"
But ever since Christopher's father died, Christopher and his mom ran into some hard times. He and his family used to live in a nice apartment, with big comfy beds and everything. After the accident, their family couldn't pay the rent, so they had to move out. Now they live in this shabby place with the rusty fire escape that Gazimon is climbing right now. When he got to the fifth floor, he stopped and looked in the smudgy window. When Gazimon saw that it was just Christopher he tapped the window three times to be let in.
"You're late." Christopher said as he opened the window, "You were supposed to be home before dark, when mom isn't home."
"I know, I know!" Gazimon replied, "But, I couldn't cross the street because of the rush hour traffic."
When Christopher said nothing, Gazimon joked, "If I didn't wait, I'd be really late!". But Christopher just looked at him sternly.
"What'd I do now?" Gazimon asked.
"Shh!" Christopher said with his finger to his lip. Gazimon listened; he heard a door slam fallowed by some foot steps.
"Is that you ma?" Christopher called out through the thin walls.
"Yea, I have a tuff day at work." Christopher's mother called back, "Do you have any objections to pizza for dinner?"
"No ma!"
"Should I hide in the closet or under the bed this time?" Gazimon whispered.
"No, I'll lock the door this time. You don't have to hide." Christopher replied as he walked towards the door, "Just don't make any noise."
"Ok." Gazimon said quietly.
"After ma goes to bed I'll sneak some leftovers for you." Christopher said. He opened the door and closed it behind it. Gazimon sighed when he heard the door click and lock.
The next morning, Labramon woke up from her slumber in a tree, near the woods. She could not find something to eat the night before, so she was very, very hungry. She looked at the branches around her, but could find no delicious fruit to eat. Labramon jumped down from the tree to search for some food. Her stomach ached from hunger, and her eyes were tired and heavy, but she had to find some food. She wandered for a while, and came across a house.
"Funny," Labramon thought, "I don't remember there being a house where before." She leaped onto the back porch, sniffed some pine cones, and decided that they were not good to eat. Just then she heard a door ease shut behind her. Labramon turned quickly and found a plate, with some fried chicken, and a cup of milk beside it. She ran up to it and ate it gratefully. The chicken was cold and very slippery, but it was good. The milk was cold as well, and soothed her dry throat. She was licking the grease from her fingers when she heard some giggling behind her. She looked for the source of the sound, and found it behind a thin metal door. Labramon stood up and leaned on the door, putting her nose up on the cool glass of the screen door. Gazing into her own reflection being fogged by her own breath, Labramon tried to see past her refection. And past her refection, she saw the girl she met the other day.
"This must be where she lives." Labramon said to herself. Labramon back up from the door, so the girl could open it. As the girl stepped out, she looked at Labramon with her bright eyes. The human approached Labramon and began to scratch her ear. On other circumstances, she wouldn't have let the girl touch her, but her touch felt good.
"Good puppy." The girl said was she back up and held the door open. She wanted for Labramon to come inside. Labramon had a choice to make, turn, and run away from the girl, or stay, and come inside with her. She didn't know this girl; the human might try to hurt her. Labramon never trusted humans before, so why start now? On the other hand, she was so small, and harmless; what harm could she possibly do to her. And she gave Labramon food to eat. Labramon looked up at the cloudy sky, and decided that, if the human wanted to hurt her, she would have done it earlier. So Labramon followed the girl inside the house, hoping that she won't soon regret her choice.
Gazimon and Christopher woke up the next morning and got dress. They had a lot of things to do. Christopher left through the door, while Gazimon climbed down the fire escape and met him outside the building. The first thing on their 'to-do' list was to go and get the groceries for the week, or at least get as much as they can afford. When they got to the super market, Gazimon hid in an ally beside the store and watched Christopher through the window above the cash register. Gazimon enjoyed watching Christopher do things like this. Even though, to him, they are quite dull, to Gazimon, they were exciting and new. If it weren't for Christopher, Gazimon probably wouldn't know that people would do these things. But this time, Gazimon saw something different; Christopher went to the back to the store, keeping his hands in his pockets. He looked around him nervously. When the man at the cash register was looking away, Christopher took a package from the shelf and stuck it into his pockets. Then he walked quickly to the door, not stopping to pay for it. When the alarm went off to tell the shop keeper that something wasn't paid for, the man called after Christopher but he just ran faster. Not waiting for Gazimon, Christopher ran down the street, with the man not far behind him, and turned at the corner. When the shop keeper stopped and turned and went back to store; Gazimon ran after Christopher. Gazimon found Christopher leaning on the building.
"Christopher?" Gazimon said "What happened in there?"
"Nothing" Christopher answered as he started to walk away.
"Weren't you supposed to pay for the food?" Gazimon asked, running after him, "Not run away with it."
"I said that nothing happened!" Christopher yelled.
"You told me not to steal because it's wrong and I could get in trouble!" Gazimon replied, "How come it's bad for me to steal, but when you do it, its fine?"
"Gazimon, I'm the tamer in this team!" Christopher yelled, "The tamer tells the Digimon what to do, not the other way around!"
"I was just asking a question." Gazimon said quietly, "Why did you steal it when you know it's wrong?"
"Because we have no money!" Christopher answered as he stopped walking, "It's hard enough to get by between me and mom. But in case you haven't noticed, it's not just me and mom. I also have to feed you! Mom is eventually gonna wonder where all the food is going!"
"That still doesn't mean you steal stuff." Gazimon replied.
"I told you before! I'm the tamer! I'm supposed to teach you what's what!" Christopher yelled. He paused, "If you don't want me to steal anymore; then just leave!"
Gazimon's heart just sank. Christopher turned and started walking again.
"Fine, Fine," Gazimon called out with tears welling in his eyes, "I will leave!"
Labramon fell into a hazy slumber while she was in the human's room. And in that slumber, Labramon had a dream. Labramon was in a field at spring time. The breeze carried the sweet smell of flower blossoms in full bloom. The butterflies fluttered their wings to the beat of the wind and glided on invisible silk strings. Despite the serene surroundings, Labramon still felt ill at ease. She closed her eyes and breathed a heavy sigh. She slowly opened her eyes and found herself on the edge of a tranquil lake. As the sun began to set the lake showed a remarkable display of bright, yet soft colors. Streaks of pinks, purples and blues swirled around as if they were being stirred by a wand. It reminded Labramon of the floating spheres, or bubbles, as the girl called it, that Labramon saw the other day. Labramon glanced into the swirling colors and saw her face staring back at her. But some how, she knew that there was something beyond her reflection. Labramon closed her eyes and cleared her mind and opened them again. She saw herself in the colored water, but this time, she saw something beside her. She glanced closer but still couldn't see what it was. Labramon felt a hand on her ear. She turned and glanced to her side, and she saw the girl beside her.
"Good puppy." The girl said as she scratched Labramon's ear. A warm glow grew between the two. It grew brighter, and the girl hugged Labramon and Labramon sighed happily.
Labramon opened her eyes and found that the dream had ended and she was back in the young human's bedroom. The two of them had a fun day playing games, and know the sun was setting and the windows were dimming their golden glow. She glanced at the bed, and saw the human sleeping silently. She had managed to knock her covers off. Labramon pulled the covers back onto the girl and noticed something in the girl's hand. A small white and beige device has being clasped in the young girl's hand. Labramon turned and tip-toed out off the room and the girl murmured "Good puppy" once more.
Labramon walked quietly to the screen door and went out side. She glanced at the amber sky and breathed in the crisp, cool air.
"Is there room for one more?" it was Gazimon's voice. Labramon turned and looked up to the roof and saw Gazimon standing on the roof of the house. He stood with his back to the sun. And the glow of the setting sun being blocked by his shadow gave him an eerie, over powerful look. But something was wrong with him. He was no longer friendly, and light hearted. Labramon could tell by his voice, the way he carried himself. He was different.
"Where have you been?" Labramon asked, for lack of a better thing to say.
"I now know what you knew all along." Gazimon answered in a cold voice.
"I guess you can say the same about me too." Labramon said, "What happened? You're heart has become cold."
"I learned the truth."
"You've gotten in an argument with your tamer haven't you?" Labramon asked.
"How do you know?" Gazimon asked.
"We've been friends long enough for us to know when there's something wrong." Labramon answered simply.
"Friends, what are friends for?" Gazimon asked as he turned his head in disgust.
"I, I don't know" Labramon stuttered as she tried to find the right words, "I guess, they fill your spirit. They fill you like music."
The End
By Jacko the Great
"Humph! Humans, they're wasting their time!" Labramon mumbled, "Always making friends, playing games. Since when did playing get you anything?"
Labramon sat on a billboard high above the sidewalk of a small city. Labramon is a creamy white dog Digimon with pink floppy ears and tail. She was looking down on the many people strolling down the street.
"Sight-seeing again I see." A voice said from behind. Labramon quickly turned around to see a Gazimon peering beside him. Labramon and Gazimon had been good friends a while back, but ever since Gazimon had become a partner to a human, they have grown apart. It seems that obeying his tamer is just too important than keeping old friends.
"What's the matter?" Labramon remarked with disgust, "Master ran out of things to tell you to do?"
"You know it's not like that" Gazimon answered as he sat beside Labramon. A moment of silence loomed over the two.
"Remember how we used to sit up here, and make fun of all those people down there?" Labramon asked, breaking the silence.
"Yeah! I remember that time when a human tripped and dropped all of his things" Gazimon said as he laughed out loud, "Those were good times!"
"I noticed that you used past tense." Labramon said. Gazimon paused.
"I see you're still mad at me."
"You used to be so independent, so much fun until that 'Tamer' came along." Labramon said the word, tamer, as if it tasted bad in her mouth, "It ruined everything."
"It has a name! And it's Christopher." Gazimon interrupted, "And IT gives me food, makes me stronger, and gives me a house to live in! Do you how long it was been since I've slept out in the cold!"
"Oh, I see! Now, you're too good to hang out with a low-life like me!" Labramon said, "Why did you have to change?"
"You just don't understand how one thing, just one thing someone says or does can totally change your whole out look on things!" Gazimon explained. Labramon got up and started to walk away, but turned around.
"Just gaining friends won't make you stronger! Fending for yourself that's what makes you stronger!" Labramon shouted before walking away.
"Someday she'll understand. Someday." Gazimon whispered as she walked away.
"What are friends for?" Labramon thought to herself as she leaped from rooftop to rooftop. She let the thought linger in her head for a while. Before she was able to mummer any more, something odd caught her eye. Floating before Labramon was a hollow sphere. A breeze began to blow and the sphere rode it away nimbly with the greatest of ease. Labramon followed it and leaned for a closer look. Multicolored streaks swirled about to reflect Labramon's face back at her. The strange object rest on the brim of Labramon's nose and popped. A clear liquid splashed and stung her eyes.
"It attacked me!" Labramon exclaimed to herself. She rubbed her eyes, when she opened them; there were more of the floating spheres. The wind blew and they came closer.
"Reinforcements!" Labramon growled as she leaped to attack the spheres. She bit one and it popped, leaving a bad taste in her mouth. She attacked the others, and they all popped. Labramon jumped down from the roof and found more of the clear spheres. In a fit of slashing fury, Labramon attacked all of them, and killed them. When Labramon was done, she stood with her muscles tense waiting for the next attack. Labramon heard some giggling from behind her. She turned around and found a small human girl holding a bottle.
The young human was no taller than Labramon. She had curly blond hair in pigtails and brown eyes. She wore a green plaid jumper with a yellow shirt. She giggled, and took a plastic stick with a hole in it out of the bottle. Some liquid dripped from it. The human blew into the hole, and another floating sphere came out of it. It floated towards Labramon and popped in her face. The girl giggled again as Labramon shook her head in confusion. When Labramon opened her eyes, the girl ran off. Labramon began to walk away, but something stopped her.
A strange curiosity came over Labramon. Labramon, for some reason, felt the need to follow the child. She couldn't explain why. She had never seen the kid before, and still, she felt drawn towards her. She quickly dismissed the emotion as mere curiosity and was on her way.
That night, Gazimon peered from the shadows of a dark alley.
"Good," Gazimon muttered, "No one is around." Hastily, for someone might see him, Gazimon ran across the street to an old apartment building. He went over to the side and started to climb up the fire escape, as it was Christopher's rule. Christopher has many rules. When Gazimon first met Christopher, he only gave one rule.
"You can go you if you like, just don't get killed!" Christopher would say.
"Don't worry." Gazimon would reply, "I'm very good at not getting killed!"
But ever since Christopher's father died, Christopher and his mom ran into some hard times. He and his family used to live in a nice apartment, with big comfy beds and everything. After the accident, their family couldn't pay the rent, so they had to move out. Now they live in this shabby place with the rusty fire escape that Gazimon is climbing right now. When he got to the fifth floor, he stopped and looked in the smudgy window. When Gazimon saw that it was just Christopher he tapped the window three times to be let in.
"You're late." Christopher said as he opened the window, "You were supposed to be home before dark, when mom isn't home."
"I know, I know!" Gazimon replied, "But, I couldn't cross the street because of the rush hour traffic."
When Christopher said nothing, Gazimon joked, "If I didn't wait, I'd be really late!". But Christopher just looked at him sternly.
"What'd I do now?" Gazimon asked.
"Shh!" Christopher said with his finger to his lip. Gazimon listened; he heard a door slam fallowed by some foot steps.
"Is that you ma?" Christopher called out through the thin walls.
"Yea, I have a tuff day at work." Christopher's mother called back, "Do you have any objections to pizza for dinner?"
"No ma!"
"Should I hide in the closet or under the bed this time?" Gazimon whispered.
"No, I'll lock the door this time. You don't have to hide." Christopher replied as he walked towards the door, "Just don't make any noise."
"Ok." Gazimon said quietly.
"After ma goes to bed I'll sneak some leftovers for you." Christopher said. He opened the door and closed it behind it. Gazimon sighed when he heard the door click and lock.
The next morning, Labramon woke up from her slumber in a tree, near the woods. She could not find something to eat the night before, so she was very, very hungry. She looked at the branches around her, but could find no delicious fruit to eat. Labramon jumped down from the tree to search for some food. Her stomach ached from hunger, and her eyes were tired and heavy, but she had to find some food. She wandered for a while, and came across a house.
"Funny," Labramon thought, "I don't remember there being a house where before." She leaped onto the back porch, sniffed some pine cones, and decided that they were not good to eat. Just then she heard a door ease shut behind her. Labramon turned quickly and found a plate, with some fried chicken, and a cup of milk beside it. She ran up to it and ate it gratefully. The chicken was cold and very slippery, but it was good. The milk was cold as well, and soothed her dry throat. She was licking the grease from her fingers when she heard some giggling behind her. She looked for the source of the sound, and found it behind a thin metal door. Labramon stood up and leaned on the door, putting her nose up on the cool glass of the screen door. Gazing into her own reflection being fogged by her own breath, Labramon tried to see past her refection. And past her refection, she saw the girl she met the other day.
"This must be where she lives." Labramon said to herself. Labramon back up from the door, so the girl could open it. As the girl stepped out, she looked at Labramon with her bright eyes. The human approached Labramon and began to scratch her ear. On other circumstances, she wouldn't have let the girl touch her, but her touch felt good.
"Good puppy." The girl said was she back up and held the door open. She wanted for Labramon to come inside. Labramon had a choice to make, turn, and run away from the girl, or stay, and come inside with her. She didn't know this girl; the human might try to hurt her. Labramon never trusted humans before, so why start now? On the other hand, she was so small, and harmless; what harm could she possibly do to her. And she gave Labramon food to eat. Labramon looked up at the cloudy sky, and decided that, if the human wanted to hurt her, she would have done it earlier. So Labramon followed the girl inside the house, hoping that she won't soon regret her choice.
Gazimon and Christopher woke up the next morning and got dress. They had a lot of things to do. Christopher left through the door, while Gazimon climbed down the fire escape and met him outside the building. The first thing on their 'to-do' list was to go and get the groceries for the week, or at least get as much as they can afford. When they got to the super market, Gazimon hid in an ally beside the store and watched Christopher through the window above the cash register. Gazimon enjoyed watching Christopher do things like this. Even though, to him, they are quite dull, to Gazimon, they were exciting and new. If it weren't for Christopher, Gazimon probably wouldn't know that people would do these things. But this time, Gazimon saw something different; Christopher went to the back to the store, keeping his hands in his pockets. He looked around him nervously. When the man at the cash register was looking away, Christopher took a package from the shelf and stuck it into his pockets. Then he walked quickly to the door, not stopping to pay for it. When the alarm went off to tell the shop keeper that something wasn't paid for, the man called after Christopher but he just ran faster. Not waiting for Gazimon, Christopher ran down the street, with the man not far behind him, and turned at the corner. When the shop keeper stopped and turned and went back to store; Gazimon ran after Christopher. Gazimon found Christopher leaning on the building.
"Christopher?" Gazimon said "What happened in there?"
"Nothing" Christopher answered as he started to walk away.
"Weren't you supposed to pay for the food?" Gazimon asked, running after him, "Not run away with it."
"I said that nothing happened!" Christopher yelled.
"You told me not to steal because it's wrong and I could get in trouble!" Gazimon replied, "How come it's bad for me to steal, but when you do it, its fine?"
"Gazimon, I'm the tamer in this team!" Christopher yelled, "The tamer tells the Digimon what to do, not the other way around!"
"I was just asking a question." Gazimon said quietly, "Why did you steal it when you know it's wrong?"
"Because we have no money!" Christopher answered as he stopped walking, "It's hard enough to get by between me and mom. But in case you haven't noticed, it's not just me and mom. I also have to feed you! Mom is eventually gonna wonder where all the food is going!"
"That still doesn't mean you steal stuff." Gazimon replied.
"I told you before! I'm the tamer! I'm supposed to teach you what's what!" Christopher yelled. He paused, "If you don't want me to steal anymore; then just leave!"
Gazimon's heart just sank. Christopher turned and started walking again.
"Fine, Fine," Gazimon called out with tears welling in his eyes, "I will leave!"
Labramon fell into a hazy slumber while she was in the human's room. And in that slumber, Labramon had a dream. Labramon was in a field at spring time. The breeze carried the sweet smell of flower blossoms in full bloom. The butterflies fluttered their wings to the beat of the wind and glided on invisible silk strings. Despite the serene surroundings, Labramon still felt ill at ease. She closed her eyes and breathed a heavy sigh. She slowly opened her eyes and found herself on the edge of a tranquil lake. As the sun began to set the lake showed a remarkable display of bright, yet soft colors. Streaks of pinks, purples and blues swirled around as if they were being stirred by a wand. It reminded Labramon of the floating spheres, or bubbles, as the girl called it, that Labramon saw the other day. Labramon glanced into the swirling colors and saw her face staring back at her. But some how, she knew that there was something beyond her reflection. Labramon closed her eyes and cleared her mind and opened them again. She saw herself in the colored water, but this time, she saw something beside her. She glanced closer but still couldn't see what it was. Labramon felt a hand on her ear. She turned and glanced to her side, and she saw the girl beside her.
"Good puppy." The girl said as she scratched Labramon's ear. A warm glow grew between the two. It grew brighter, and the girl hugged Labramon and Labramon sighed happily.
Labramon opened her eyes and found that the dream had ended and she was back in the young human's bedroom. The two of them had a fun day playing games, and know the sun was setting and the windows were dimming their golden glow. She glanced at the bed, and saw the human sleeping silently. She had managed to knock her covers off. Labramon pulled the covers back onto the girl and noticed something in the girl's hand. A small white and beige device has being clasped in the young girl's hand. Labramon turned and tip-toed out off the room and the girl murmured "Good puppy" once more.
Labramon walked quietly to the screen door and went out side. She glanced at the amber sky and breathed in the crisp, cool air.
"Is there room for one more?" it was Gazimon's voice. Labramon turned and looked up to the roof and saw Gazimon standing on the roof of the house. He stood with his back to the sun. And the glow of the setting sun being blocked by his shadow gave him an eerie, over powerful look. But something was wrong with him. He was no longer friendly, and light hearted. Labramon could tell by his voice, the way he carried himself. He was different.
"Where have you been?" Labramon asked, for lack of a better thing to say.
"I now know what you knew all along." Gazimon answered in a cold voice.
"I guess you can say the same about me too." Labramon said, "What happened? You're heart has become cold."
"I learned the truth."
"You've gotten in an argument with your tamer haven't you?" Labramon asked.
"How do you know?" Gazimon asked.
"We've been friends long enough for us to know when there's something wrong." Labramon answered simply.
"Friends, what are friends for?" Gazimon asked as he turned his head in disgust.
"I, I don't know" Labramon stuttered as she tried to find the right words, "I guess, they fill your spirit. They fill you like music."
The End