Ways to Say You Died
Firaga Productions
02/08/2012

Disclaimer: I own surprisingly little of this little story. Based off the song "50 Ways To Say Goodbye" by Train. Owned by Train. Using characters from Digimon Adventure 02, owned by Toei Animation. None of which are me. Disappointing, I know.

Author's Note: I've been gone for a while. Writer's block. Work. Life. Etc. And I'm not really back, either. Just some sudden inspiration from a wonderful, delightfully funny song. For the record, there's a bit of Kari bashing, but that's really just for humor. I love her, I really do. I love Davis too. Not together or anything, but I can see Davis doing this way before TK. Anyway. Enjoy.

||"That's cool, but if my friends ask
where you are, I'm gonna say...

"Davish?"

The boy in question grunted in response.

"Davish. You have to get out of bed. It's been 3 weeks."

Another grunt. The blue lizard digimon sighed loudly, then jumped onto the bed next to his partner.

"DAVISH. You have to leave this room. I'll throw you out the window if I have to!"
"Right, Demiveemon. Because you're strong enough to do something like that."
"Great! You've found your voice! Now maybe you can find your pants!"

Davis groaned loudly, and pushed his partner off the bed. He couldn't face it yet. He couldn't face his friends. His family. The outside world. It was too soon, the wound too fresh. And what if he ran into her? What if he was at a grocery store, the park, walking down the street, and he saw her?

What would his friends say when they saw him without her? She was always by his side, always. He was never without her. What would they say when they saw him, alone? Without his beautiful, hilarious, sweet, quiet, lovely...

'Stop it, Davis,' he told himself mentally. 'She's not yours anymore.'

Another grunt, and he turned over, laying on his back, arms behind his head. A strange scent made its way to his nose.

"Augh," he said, shuddering. "Demiveemon, what's that smell?"
"Er.." His partner, plugging his nose, shifted his feet sheepishly. "Well, um.. That's you."
"What?!"
"Well. You haven't showered in 3 weeks."

Davis sat up and ran a hand through his hair. 3 weeks worth of oils and sweat greeted his hand. "I need a shower.."

"You think?"
"No one asked for your sarcasm!"

Nevertheless, the dirty teenager stepped carefully out of bed for the first time in 3 weeks and made his way to the shower. He turned to the mirror as he waited for the water to heat up, and stared at his reflection in shock. He'd managed to grow a full on beard - thick, dark hairs tracing his jaw line, giving him an almost caveman appearance. He ran a hand through his hair again; the thick maroon hairs stood up and all faced different directions. He could see the shiny oils reflecting in the flourescent lighting of his bathroom. Davis shuddered - so this is what 3 weeks of mourning did to a guy. Not a pretty picture.

He stripped off his boxer shorts - now a dull brown-gray instead of their original white - and stepped into the shower. The hot water turned shades of brown and gray and black as the 3 week layers of grime and sweat made their way down the drain. He shampooed his hair three different times, lathered soap all over his body, and rinsed everything off. He finished his shower and shaved most of the caveman beard, leaving only the hairs on his chin and around his lips. He'd always wanted to grow a goatee, and this was his chance.

Davis put on clean clothes and stepped out to greet his partner, who sighed with relief.

"You're clean! Now, can we go get some food, Davish? I'm starving!"
"I.. I guess so.."

The shower had restored a small amount of confidence to the boy, although he was still worried about what would happen if he ran into her, or worse - their friends. However, he WAS starving.. And a bowl of fresh, hot ramen sounded so good..

The two found themselves sitting inside a noodle shop, slurping their first hot meal in days. Demiveemon looked up at his partner and smiled. He was starting to look like Davis again, and maybe soon, he'd start to act like it.

"Hey, Davis! I haven't seen you in a while, where have you been?"

Davis and his partner glanced to the door. The teenager gulped, then waved slowly and tenatively at his two friends standing before him.

Yolei and Cody each pulled up chairs next to him and began chatting excitedly. Demiveemon held a conversation willingly and easily, but his usually animated partner kept his eyes on his ramen, until Yolei's normal blunt manner of questioning forced him to look her in the eyes.

"Davis. What's wrong? Why are you so sad? And where's your girlfriend? Did you guys break up? WHAT'S GOING ON?!"
"I'll tell you, Yolei. Here's what happened... She and I.. Well.. She.. We.. Um.." Davis stammered. He took a breath, willed himself to speak, and opened his mouth. "She... She died. Went down in an airplane."

Demiveemon stared at his partner open-mouthed, and Davis silenced the blue digital lizard with a look that could kill.

"Oh man.. I'm so sorry, Davis.." Cody placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "That must be so hard to deal with.."
"Yeah.." Davis sniffed. "It is.."

Soon, the four went their separate ways, and Demiveemon found his chance to speak to his partner.

"Died?! Went down in an airplane?! Really?! Davish, what were you thinking!?"
"I just.. I couldn't tell them what really happened. It's too much to deal with. It's easier to say-"

"Davis!"

Davis turned around and shuddered. "Shit.. It's Ken..."

The genius caught up to the duo and smiled. "I haven't seen you in a while.. Where've you been? Where's your girl?"
"Um.. She.. She died." Davis sniffed for effect. "Yes, she died. She got fried getting suntanned. It was horrible, really. A terrible way to die. And I miss her. Terribly."

At least that last bit wasn't a lie.

"Wow.. Davis. I'm.. I'm so sorry."
"Yeah, I bet you are," Demiveemon muttered, glaring angrily at his partner.

The day continued like this.

Matt? Oh. She died. Fell in a cement mixer...full of quicksand!
Sora? She met a shark underwater.
Izzy? Fell, and no one caught her. Fell from shock when I returned everything I ever bought her..
Mimi? Oh, yeah, she was caught in a mudslide.
Joe? Eaten by a lion.
Got run over by a crappy purple Scion.
Dried up in the desert.
Drowned in her hot tub.

It was any lie he could possibly think of, whatever popped into his head. Demiveemon kept getting steadily more angry as the day went on, until finally, they ran into TK at the supermarket.

"Oh, hey TA," Davis said nonchalantly.
"Hey Davis, how are you?"
"Not good.."
"Oh? Why not? Is it because you two broke up so recently?"
"Broke up?" Davis grinned sheepisly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Where did you hear that?"
"Um-"
"Because that's not what happened. She died."
"Oh really?" TK crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "How?"
"Danced to death...at an East Side nightclub.. It was awful. I couldn't believe it."

"Couldn't believe what?"

Davis turned around and jumped. "Oh.. um.. Kari.. Hi?" He squeaked. "How... how are you?"

TK grinned at Davis and patted him on the shoulder. "So she died, huh?"

Davis' cheeks turned deep red and he looked down at his partner, who was rolling in laughter.

"So.. Davish.. Ready to go back to bed now?"

Help me, help me! I'm all out of lies..
...and ways to say you died.
- Train ||

Author's Note: Yeah. My ending kinda failed. Oh well. It's almost 1 am. I'm allowed to fail at my endings. Besides, I was amused writing this. Especially Demiveemon, rolling around laughing on the ground. Hehehe.