This is a thanksgiving special…I hope you guys like it. I must also point out that I'm not that well versed in Japanese culture, so some of this information could be false. Sorry about that. Also, Jou is Joe's real Japanese name. I'm aware that some people spell it Jyou. Football is Soccer while American Football is football…I hope you enjoy this, and please review!
Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.
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It was a cold, windy day, but no one could tell. Since all of the Chosen sat inside, the harsh wind that blew against the trees and the walls of the building went unnoticed.
In America, it was the evening of Wednesday. The day before Thanksgiving.
Due to the time difference, however, it was well into Thanksgiving Day, and dinner time in Japan.
And that was why the Chosen had assembled at the Yagami's. To celebrate, to remember, and to feast.
Spread across the living room floor, everyone sat. Each cross-legged person formed a part of the circle, sitting behind an empty plate. The pale blue blanket that was extended across the floor held the food Hikari had ordered. The room was a little cramped, but the children were able to snuggle inside, also decreasing the need for air conditioning.
Taichi, at the head of the circle, leaned against a brown sofa. The piece of furniture had been moved by himself and Yamato in order to allow everyone to fit. The latter sat next to his best friend, his blonde hair covering his blue eyes.
Yamato had his hands intertwined in his girlfriend, Sora's. The two were leaning against each other, and had smiles on their faces. Yamato had been on tour with his band for quite a while, so the two, and the entire group, were glad that he was able to make it.
Sora had been busy with the Tennis Championships. She had made it all the way to the finals of the tournament, but training and practices clouded her schedule, making it hard to see anyone at all.
Sora sat beside Mimi. The girl had flown in from New York on break, in order to spend time with her friends. Mimi also found that American malls were a lot more expensive than Japanese ones, so she made it a point to buy everything she could in Japan itself.
Beside Mimi sat Hikari. The hostess was in her last year of elementary school, so she was preparing hard to keep her grades up. Hikari tried to make time to spend with the others, but found that often she had too many things scheduled.
On the other side of Hikari sat Miyako. Miyako had recently started middle school with the elder group, leading to an increase of homework and stress. However hard she tried, it was very rare she could find a spare moment.
Miyako sat next to her boyfriend Ken. Ken was still in elementary school, but he tried very hard to visit Miyako at the middle school. However, with him living a distance away from the others, it was extremely difficult.
Sitting next to Ken was Daisuke. Daisuke was still pursuing Football, but his interest in the sport was waning. Instead, he put his efforts into current events and business, expanding his knowledge in those fields. He hoped to own his own noodle cart someday.
Residing next to Daisuke was Takeru. Takeru and Daisuke, along with Ken, had become very close. The three would rarely be seen out of each other's company. However, with everything else life offered them, they found it difficult to be able to spend anytime at all with their friends. Takeru, who was still interested in Basketball and continued to play on the school's team, was also aspiring to become a writer. He could often be found in his writing classroom, trying to improve his skills.
Takeru sat next to Iori. The third grader could rarely accompany his elder friends, since his own friends took up most of his time. However, between finishing homework and attending Kendo, Iori would be sure to call up one of the elder Chosen.
Iori sat beside Jou. Of course, Jou was always busy. Trying to follow his dream at becoming a doctor, he was always either doing school work or volunteering at a local hospital to gain experience. His busy schedule, however, always had room for the others.
On the other side of Jou sat Koushiro. Koushiro was still in love with his pineapple laptop, and was still unable to part with it. However, on this one special occasion, he had stowed it safely under his pillow, reasoning that since he lived so close, he would be able to run to it if anything went wrong. Fortunately, it was unusual that something be wrong, since Koushiro always kept tabs on the Digital World and was in consent communication with Gennai. He also knew where everyone's Digimon was, just in case. Koushiro sat next to the host, completing their little circle.
No one spoke, leaving a hovering silence that filled the room. It was a comfortable silence, one that left everyone in a sense of peace. They didn't want to break it. They wanted to stay like that forever, allowing them to escape their lives.
But they all knew that they would have to return to their chaotic lifestyles eventually, forcing them to deal with social and educational problems.
However, the Chosen had decided to make the most out of the holiday. Yamato had immediately contacted Taichi, convincing him to send word out for everyone to gather at the Yagami's.
And so there they were. Each of them staring at their individual plate, occasionally glancing at the others beside them. The food that sat there was long past cold.
Finally, Daisuke decided to speak.
"Koushiro, what are you thankful for?"
Koushiro, startled by the sudden question, answered slowly.
"Well, I think I'm thankful for the fact that we all are decently educated. We know our basic math and know how to carry a civilized conversation. And that's good, since there are many who don't have that chance. Why do you ask?" A hush lingered in the room, as Daisuke bite his lip.
"Just wondering, that's all." He tilted his head. "What about you, Jou?"
Jou started. "Me?" When Daisuke nodded, he continued. "I guess I'm thankful that we know our responsibilities. We know to help others, and to care for those who we can't. That's really important." Mimi nodded, and Daisuke shifted in his seat, grinning.
"And you, Iori?"
Iori, who was expecting the question, answered in a serious tone.
"I'm thankful for Wisdom. We all know when to use the knowledge we have gained. We also know to use our assets and abilities for good." Sora smiled, and squeezed Yamato's hand.
Takeru smiled, looking up.
"I'm thankful for our faith. We know that we can never give up, and that just gives us more strength. It helped us in the Digital World, and it helps us in our daily lives. There will always be hope." There was a slight chuckle emitted at the last comment.
Daisuke shook his head, grinning.
"I'm thankful for food." When the entire circle groaned, Daisuke hastily tried to explain. "No, no, not that way. I'm grateful that we have food to sustain us and to give us something that'll give us stability in our lives. I mean we always have to eat food." Ken smiled as he nodded towards his friend.
"I'm thankful that we care. We have the ability to genuinely care for others and to wonder what might happen to them in the future. Without that, we wouldn't have been able to save the world. It's not something a normal person has."
"We aren't normal people, now are we?" Taichi pointed out.
"No, we really aren't." Takeru agreed, shaking his head.
"I'm thankful for support," Miyako stated, looking down. "We should be grateful that we have each other to help us when we need help. And we have each other when we need someone to talk to and lend us advice. Plus we have our family."
Hikari sighed, running her fingers through her loose hair. "I'm thankful for the peace. After fighting so many battles for so long, it's amazing that we can sit down and have calmness. We have so much more time to spend doing something else, like hanging out with friends," she indicated the group, "or with our family." Hikari glanced at Taichi, who grinned back. Mimi bit her lip, trying to fight back tears.
"I'm thankful that we can be honest. We can almost always be certain that we are telling the truth, and we always keep our promises." Hikari gave Mimi a quick hug, wiping away the tears that had filled her eyes. Sora choked on hers.
"I'm thankful for our love ones." Sora squeezed Yamato's hand once more. "We have our family who we can trust and can count on."
"We also have our friends, each other," Yamato added. "And that's what I'm thankful for. That we have friends that we can confidently say are going to ruin our lives, but we don't care anyway." Taichi chuckled.
"I'm grateful and thankful for the fact that we can do what we do. Without bravery, we couldn't have faced the countless villains and evil Digimon we did. And we wouldn't have had the courage to speak our minds to the people who really care. Like our special group."
"Our very, very special group," Daisuke corrected. All the Chosen grinned and laughed, despite the tears that had formed in everyone's eyes.
That's how it always would be.
"Now that Dai's question has been answered, I think we can appropriately dive in."
Jou was going to ask what Taichi's definition of appropriately was, but soon found out by the sight in front of him.
For Taichi, along with several others, like Yamato and Daisuke, had reached for the food, not bothering to split it up first.
But then again, they had eaten together so much, that by now, they probably knew how much exactly everyone ate.
Mimi, however, had something else on her mind.
"Daisuke, why did you ask Koushiro what's he thankful for?" Daisuke, whose mouth was full, quickly chewed and swallowed.
"I remember seeing this parade on Wallace's television when I visited him. Everyone was also eating with all their family and friends, watching American Football on TV, and just having fun." He looked at Mimi when he added, "And that's what we were doing. So I decided to add in the last tradition that they do every year. Tell what you're thankful for." Mimi chuckled.
"The name fits properly since the holiday's called Thanksgiving. It was first celebrated back when America was first founded." Sora smirked.
"You know more about American history than Japanese."
"Hey, that isn't true! I have an equally amount of knowledge on both topics."
"Meaning you know nothing about either of them." Mimi scowled, but soon was laughing with the others. Daisuke raised his eyebrows.
"Aren't I supposed to be the one getting teased by Miyako?" The laughter increased, and Daisuke joined in due to the pure irony of it.
"Now that that's settled, let's finish eating." Nodding and laughing in agreement, they dove right back in.
Minutes, or hours, later, the plates were cleared and the food replaced. Now, a large bowl sat in the center, filled with yellow pudding. However, this 'pudding' was coated in tiny blue and pink dots.
No one dared to touch it. They just stared.
Finally, brave Yamato stuck a spoon to it. It didn't move. At all. Takeru gulped.
"You know what else I'm thankful for?" Jou said, not daring to remove his eyes from the bowl. Everyone turned to look at him. "I'm thankful that my mom cooks a lot better than Mrs. Yagami."
They laughed, even Taichi and Hikari.
And they were grateful for it.
They were grateful for each other.
They were grateful for having family.
They were grateful for having time to spend.
And most of all, they were thankful they were alive to enjoy it.
And so, it truly was a Thankful Thanksgiving.