The sweltering heat of summer was still in the air, a reminder of the past two months as well as the coming year. You know… a lot happened last year; a lot has been going on since the summer of 1999. We've all have matured and have faced terrible things together as a team. We've met our Digimon and we've saved the world…we've become heroes. It's just that we've all been through so much together, a sign of true friendship really. Even though summer's supposed to be a vacation it felt more like, I don't know, it felt more stressful than anything. Not in the regular sense of the word-just more like not being around the people who understand you the most for two whole months is stressful.
Or maybe I'm just being over dramatic? I mean look at my older brother and most of the originals from the summer of 1999. From that first adventure-I mean I was there, yet there was no residual sadness or longing when everybody split up. Sure we didn't all just blink out of each others lives more or less everybody went on a different path. While all of us were still connected at the end of those individual paths-it's not the same. I mean, I think, I know that our bonds are stronger. Despite everything, those six months stranded in the Digital World on the first adventure-it's as if the second adventure we were all just, just closer.
It's weird and it's hard to understand, actually. But, summer break is over and the coming year is beginning. Everybody's coming back together too even Ken's transferred over here in this high school. The air around all of us is ecstatic and enthusiastic as we all talk about our experiences this passed summer and what we were hoping for this year. Sadly though, Cody was still in his last year of middle school, so he wasn't here. As well as my best friend Kari and my other best friend the reincarnated Tai or more known as Davis Motomiya.
"Where are they?" I mumbled slightly as I bit into the sandwich I had. Everybody looked around for a moment, noticing their strange absent.
"Kari usually doesn't like being late and making people wait." Yolei commented off handedly. "She would hate herself if she did….," well that held some bearing.
"T.S it's good too see you!" Davis called over suddenly as both he and Kari emerged from the crowd of students. He still never purposely got my name right… well it's in a more joking manner.
"I see you haven't lost you charm…," I say laughingly.
We all began to chat lightly for a few minutes. But, something was off-I was expecting more of a warm atmosphere. I mean I'm not saying everything was dark and moody, it just wasn't right. Especially Kari, I mean although she looked mostly the same sans the longer hair and the high school uniform-she was different. Her eyes were red and kinda of baggy, like she'd been crying, not only that her smiles were less frequent. Even Davis was slightly different kind of on edge and tired looking. Did these too just have an argument?
"Davis where've you been?" I heard Tai say as he suddenly approached the table, behind him was Matt and Sora. Tai playfully grabbed Davis and started giving him the nuggie of a life time. "The soccer team's missed you!"
Whoa, no soccer team? Alright, something up for Davis not to go to soccer practice devoutly. As well as for Kari to be so sad; I can tell everybody else has noticed it too, because Yolei perks up.
"Yeah, Davis all summer long you only talked to Ken." She said everybody was catching on now and giving Davis weird looks. Davis chuckled slightly and began rubbing the back of his head.
"Well, it's a funny story," Kari wasn't looking at Davis or anyone for that matter. Ken had suddenly become incredibly stoic. Everybody's curiosity was increased ten fold.
"Come on we're a team-tell us." Matt prodded and I suddenly had a weird feeling in my chest.
"Haha… well I just kinda….," Davis didn't look at anybody or anything. He was just staring at a vast space of nothingness. "I realized I am extremely obnoxious and I didn't think you guys didn't want to be bothered with me. And it must be stressful for you guys to be around me-especially since the whole final battle. So, I tried to change myself but I can't…cause you know I'm me. So, I decided to save you guys the trouble of hearing from me so you know you guys wouldn't be bothered with me. And I didn't contact anybody."
T.K could only sit there after that-his mind completely blank. For him the second team had become a second family. He'd believed their bonds were stronger than the first team and he devoutly believed it. But, for the leader to have felt that way? It was almost implausible. It was actually scary and it made him rethink everything. His entire belief system had just shut down and needed to be rebooted.
Tai's voice got stuck in his throat. He wanted to say something, say something a good mentor would say. He wanted to pat Davis on the head laugh it all off-tell him that was nothing but Davis just over thinking thing. He wanted to say they were his true friends and could never feel that way. But, honestly… he was just too shocked to say anything at that moment. He felt bad and he felt guilty that he let his protégé feel this was for two whole months. Davis looked up to Tai and at that moment Tai truly felt like he let him down.
Yolei couldn't say anything, couldn't do anything. She just sat there in the same seat for what felt like forever. Her mind began to down memory lane. All the times she'd off handedly told Davis he was a nuisance or let make of Davis. She felt like she let down herself as well as her friend. If anything she wanted to cry at that moment. As shocking as that would be, because for a whole year Davis had been everyone's hero and she treated him like shit.
Matt frowned hard, scowled more than anything. In a way he'd understood Davis slightly as they both held the Crest of Friendship. Ironically, that crest fell in the hands of people with the least friends. In a way Matt was also Davis' mentor almost as much as Tai. Matt felt as if he could've went about things differently toward Davis. Maybe even, tell Davis about his own experiences. Instead, he'd been more indifferent than anything and just totally forgot about Davis.
Sora managed to put a hand over her mouth and began rethinking last year. She never had any 'true' conversations with Davis. Much like Matt she was totally indifferent toward Davis. She only considered Davis as that kid who followed Tai around since he was six. But, she had noticed certain things-certain thing he would do. How distant he was toward everybody else in a sense. She had the slight suspicion but she never acted on it-ever.
"Aw, I'm just messing with you guys." At that moment Davis let out an uneasy laughter, humorless in a sense. But, out of the corner of my eye I could see Ken tightening his fists and looking away sourly. Nobody said or even attempted to laugh-they just stared at Davis the whole time.
"Come on guys I said it was jo-," Davis tried to reason as Kari stood suddenly.
"Excuse me," she said walking off, more or less running. Tai motioned for me to go and follow her. To which I did, but in my head I was really only thinking about Davis.
Kari was leaning against a tree sobbing slightly. I walked up to her intent on consoling her.
"T.K…," Kari said through a sob. "Davis wasn't lying or joking…nothing he was telling the complete truth. I let him down…," she burst into heavy sobs. I pulled her into a hug slightly and rubbed her back.
"I know…I just…we just…," there was nothing I could say or do. I guess we all have something to work on as a team. Well, thank god Cody wasn't here. But, I guess all teams have their problems even our team. But, I'm determined, I think we all have a great potential as a team. And we all just need to realize it.
A/N Originally Firefly of Love's idea wrote this to point out some stuff and ended up posting it. Thank Firefly for the idea