Disclaimer – I don't own Digimon Frontier.
Summary – AU. At the end, the children's D-Tector's couldn't save Kouichi from dying. Mentions of Kouizumi, slight Kouzumi.
Rating – T/PG13. Nothing too bad here.
Genres – Drama/angst/a little Family/Friendship bonding kind of thing… :)
.oOOo.
Author's Note – I originally posted this story in early 2007, but deleted it. I can't remember why – all I remember from this was hating it. So, I looked through it, fixed some things and reposted it. I hope you enjoy!
Also, this was originally the first part of a trilogy. I combined them all into one story, obviously.
Seriously, when I read over this again, I was amazed at how bad it was. My writing has improved since I wrote this. Although I've drifted into other fandoms – particularly Angel the TV series – I figured that I'd post this anyway, if just for those people who originally read it to see the changes I've made.
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ORIGINAL Author's Note – Okay… I don't even know where this idea came from! I'm not even depressed! Kouichi's my favorite character, how could I do that to him?
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Digimon Frontier: An Alternate Ending
"We're too late!"
Kouji's almost hysterical cry was heard all throughout the hospital.
Five children, ages ranging from eight to thirteen, ran down the halls of the hospital where one Kouichi Kimura resided. Their hearts were filled with fear for the one that they each called a friend. Possibly, for one Kouji Minamoto, this fear was intensified. Kouichi wasn't just Kouji's friend… no, he was also his twin brother. That fact made this whole situation a thousand times worse.
'We can't be too late!' Kouji thought as they ran toward his brother's hospital room. 'We just can't!'
They rounded the corner, and ran into the room. They saw Kouichi, on a hospital bed, hooked up to machines that were monitoring his heart rate. Currently, the machines were letting out steady beeps, but the overall fear in everyone's heart's was that those machines would let out that horrible long beep that told everyone that Kouichi was dead…
'I won't let it happen!' everyone thought.
Takuya stepped forward. "Is our friend alright?" he asked a doctor.
"He's not doing so well…" the doctor replied grimly.
"What do you mean!? Isn't their anything else you can do?" Kouji demanded angrily.
"I'm sorry, Son, but there's nothing more we can do…" the doctor replied to Kouji's exclaimation.
Kouji stepped into the room fully. He saw his Mother. She was near Kouichi's bed, but she had looked up when she heard Kouji talking with the doctor.
"Kouji?" she asked.
"Mom!" he cried.
He had an impulse to run to her, to wrap her in his arms, to comfort her and tell her that everything would be alright, but he resisted the temptation.
'Not until Kouichi's with us again…' he thought with determination.
He noticed that the others, even Takuya, were struggling to hold back tears. Little Tommy was having the most trouble with this. Zoe was letting tears fall freely, and JP was trying to be strong for everyone else. Kouji realized that he could let his true emotions come to the surface. He could cry, or laugh, or what ever he wanted too. They were his friends, and they would stick with him, no matter what he did.
He swallowed his pride and let the tears fall.
"Oh, Kouji…" Zoe said, wrapping her arms around him in a comforting hug.
She was trying to show Kouji that she could help him in what ever he was struggling with, even if she was struggling with the exact same thing.
Suddenly, the machines let out a long beep. Kouichi had flatlined
"NO!" Kouji cried, running to Kouichi's bed. "He can't die! He can't!"
"Son, you have to move." The same doctor that had been talking to Kouji earlier commanded. "We have to try to revive him."
Kouji didn't want to move. That was his brother lying there, for God's sake! Fear was starting to engulf him, making it hard to breathe. His world was slowly crumbling away from him…
Other doctors and nurses scurried into the room, bringing out the diffibulator.
"Clear!" One doctor shouted as they placed the pads on Kouichi's chest. Everyone – even the children – moved back as the electric shock went through Kouichi's nonresponsive body.
Kouji's D-Tector suddenly let out a bright light. It was trying to call to Kouichi, but it wasn't working. Kouichi was dying!
Beside him, his mother let out a sob.
"My little one…" she murmured. "My little one…"
Kouji finally gave into the impulse and gently hugged his mother. She needed his support, even if he wasn't in the best condition to give it.
Behind him, he heard Tommy and the others start to cry. Zoe had come up on Kouji's other side, and was staring at Kouichi as if she had just lost her best friend.
'She probably did...' Kouji thought, watching the expression on her face change.
"Kouichi…" she whispered. "I loved you…"
Kouji took a step back. 'What?' he thought. 'She loved him?'
Jealousy welled up in his heart. Why did she love Kouichi? Why not him?
'Am I not good enough?' he wondered. 'Is that why she loved Kouichi?'
"Kouji?" Zoe asked.
"What?" Kouji demanded.
He was shocked at the coldness in his voice.
"Kouji…" Zoe whispered. "I loved Kouichi, but I love you, too…"
Kouji took another step back. 'What?' he wondered again. 'She loves me now…?'
He didn't understand it. How could she love him now?
The others made their way slowly toward Kouichi's bed.
Takuya came beside Zoe, JP beside Takuya, and Tommy beside JP. They were offering their condolences, even though they were as hurt as Kouji was.
"Guys…" Kouji managed to get out. "Thanks for all you've done…"
If it weren't for the others, Kouji would have done something rash. He knew it deep down inside.
Zoe and Kouji slowly came closer, until their lips were touching in a kiss.
"I love you, Kouji…" Zoe murmured into Kouji's chest.
"I love you, too…" Kouji replied.
They came into an embrace, letting all of their emotions come out in one more kiss.
Takuya had liked Zoe for a while, but if she was happy with Kouji, then that was fine with him.
'As long as you're happy…' he thought, giving one last glance at the couple before backing up.
He was hurt, but he should let Kouji grieve.
'It would be the right thing to do…' he thought.
JP was the next one to leave, coming to stand beside Takuya, offering his support to the brunette.
Tommy joined JP, trying to stop the silent tears that came from his eyes.
'I have to be strong!' he thought. 'But, Kouichi…'
JP put a hand on Tommy's shoulder, trying to calm him. "Don't cry…" he started to say, then he wanted to beat his head off the nearest wall.
'What am I saying?' he thought. 'He has to cry… if he didn't, it would be like he didn't care…'
"I mean, cry…" he muttered.
'I'm really not good at this…' he thought. 'Why can't I say something that would actually help?'
Takuya joined JP in trying to calm Tommy down. "C'mon, Tommy… It's okay… We'll get through this, I promise…" he assured the younger boy.
He suddenly noticed Kouichi's Mom standing near his bed, silently weeping.
"Ms. Kimura?" he said before he could stop himself.
Ms. Kimura turned to him.
"I'm really sorry…" he said. "Kouichi was our friend, but he was your son…"
"Oh, thank you…" Ms. Kimura whispered, trying to collect herself for the sake of the children.
"Yeah…" Takuya muttered, unsure of what else he could say.
'Why can't I say things right!?' he thought angrily.
Tommy sniffed, then he tried to help JP and Takuya with their tears. Since he was so young, it was hard for him to imagine two older boys crying, but this was different. This was over a dear friend's death, and Tommy understood that. He didn't have to like it one bit, though.
"I'm sorry…" he said. "I didn't mean to cry like that… it's just…" He wasn't sure how to explain that he understood.
"Don't worry about it…" JP said, patting Tommy on the head. "It was no problem."
"Yeah," Takuya said.
'Come on, Takuya!' he thought. 'Tommy's trying to help you!' He was momentarily reminded that if this had happened before his adventure in the Digital World, that he would have made fun of Tommy. He pushed that thought out of his mind. This wasn't the time to be thinking like that.
Kouji and Zoe joined Takuya and the others, and soon Ms. Kimura was standing with them as well.
"Come on. I'll buy us all something to eat, even if we don't want too." Takuya offered.
He knew that no one really wanted to eat, but it was the fact that they came with him that meant the most to him.
.oOOo.
One year later…
.oOOo.
One year. It had been one year since this all started. For Kouji Minamoto, it hadn't been the best year of his life. Sure, he had a girlfriend, Zoe Orimoto, but he had lost his twin brother at the same time.
His mother had had a hard time moving on. At one point he had thought that she was thinking of committing suicide. Kouichi had, quite literally, been the world to her. Kouji had had Izumi and the others to lean on, but Tomoko Kimura had no one.
His father, Kousei, had been affected as well. Kouji had thought that his father wouldn't care. He had, up until the day that Kouichi died, kept his existence from Kouji. Against his better judgment, Kouji had told his father everything. He told him about the entire trip to the Digital World, including the fact that he knew that he had a twin brother.
Needless to say, Kousei had taken it a lot better than Kouji thought he would. He had taken it all in stride, once commenting that he had planned to tell Kouji about Kouichi when he was older and could handle it better. Kouji had smiled, telling Kousei that he had grown up a lot more than he would ever know, and that he had the best friends that a twelve year old boy could ask for.
He wasn't twelve anymore. He was thirteen. A teenager. He had been anticipating this day for the past year, the one year anniversary of the Digital World's adventure. He was still beating himself up about the death of Kouichi, he should have gotten to the hospital faster. He might've been able to save him if he had.
He pushed these dreams and memories out of his head, coming up to the Shabuya train station. He bought a ticket, if only to go down the familiar elevator and to his friends.
"Kouji!"
Kouji whirled around, seeing the goggleheaded Takuya Kanbara running up to him. He was smiling from ear to ear, closely followed by JP Shibayama and Tommy Himi. The only one missing was…
"Kouji!" Zoe Orimoto came running up to him, gently pushing her way through Takuya and the others.
She greeted him with a kiss on the lips, smiling when they pulled apart. JP made a face. "Ug…" he said to Takuya. "They've been at that for a year now. Can't they give it a break?"
"Be easy on them, JP." Takuya said, glancing at the older boy in apprehension. "You know as well as I do that they both need this…"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" JP said, giving Kouji and Zoe a glare.
Takuya sighed. "JP, just give it a rest! Stop pining after Zoe! She's taken by Kouji, she's been taken for a year now!"
"I know," JP said, his glare softening. "It just gets to me sometimes, you know?"
"Yeah." Takuya muttered.
Tommy finally spoke up. "So what're we going to do?"
"I don't know yet, Tommy. We all have to decide together." Takuya explained to the youngest member of their group.
Tommy nodded, glancing at Kouji and Zoe. "When are they going to be done?" he asked, a blush coming to his face at the sight of two of his closest friends kissing in public.
"I know how to make them stop…" Takuya said quietly. He whispered his plan so that only Tommy could hear. "We just leave them here, and when they finally notice, we'll have decided what we're going to do, and they won't have any say in it!" Takuya explained proudly, all the wile with a huge smile on his face.
Tommy nodded eagerly, taking one final glance in Kouji and Zoe's direction.
Takuya, Tommy, and an unwilling JP made their way slowly out of the train station.
.oOOo.
"I wanted to watch them!" JP complained loudly.
"JP!" Takuya said, glaring at his friend. "How many times do I have to tell you? Stop changing your mind!"
JP blushed, looking away from Takuya in embarrassment. "Sorry, Tacky!" He said, looking back at Takuya just long enough to say that, before the blush returned in full force.
Tommy had begun to snicker quietly.
"Shut up, Tommy!" JP said angrily. "It's not funny!"
"Yeah, it is!" Tommy retorted, laughing even harder.
Takuya sighed again.
.oOOo.
"Kouji?" Zoe asked, as they pulled apart once again.
"Yeah?" Kouji replied, still a little dazed from the kissing.
"Where did everyone go?" she asked, looking around for the third time for their missing friends.
"I dunno," Kouji said, joining Zoe in her search for their friends.
"They left us!" Zoe said angrily.
Kouji backed up. An angry Zoe was never a good thing…
"Calm down, Zoe!" Kouji said hurriedly.
"Calm down? Calm down?" Zoe demanded, her eyes literally flashing.
Cringing, Kouji took several more steps away from his girlfriend. "Yeah, could you try to calm down?" he finally got out, looking imploringly at Zoe.
Zoe nodded stiffly. "Fine! You win! Let's actually go look for them!" she said, grabbing Kouji's hand and leading him out of the train station.
.oOOo.
Ten minutes later, Zoe and Kouji found themselves with their cell phones out, calling Takuya and JP.
"Hello?" Takuya's voice answered his cell phone.
"Where the heck are you?" Kouji demanded angrily.
"Hi, Kouji! We were wondering when you would call!" Takuya said happily.
Kouji sighed angrily. "Takuya! I repeat, where the heck are you?"
"We're at that new restaurant!" came the reply from Takuya.
"I want to kill you!" Kouji shouted angrily.
Takuya laughed. "I'd like to see you try!" he taunted.
Kouji hung up his cell phone in annoyance.
"Kouji? Are you there? Kouji?"
.oOOo.
They all met up at the new Berger King, Kouji glaring furiously at Takuya.
"You made it!" Takuya shouted, running over.
"Get off me!" Kouji cried out in pain as Takuya collided with him.
They sat down, all of them sobering up.
"I miss him." Kouji stated, looking glumly at the tabletop in front of him.
"Me too." Takuya replied, patting Kouji on the shoulder.
"Me three." Zoe said, giving Kouji's hand a squeeze.
"Me four." Tommy piped up, giving Kouji a reassuring smile.
"Me five." JP said, also giving Kouji a reassuring smile.
"Remember the good times?" Takuya asked the group.
Several heads were nodded.
"Let's never forget any of this." Takuya said.
"Yeah!" the rest of them agreed.
.oOOo.
Nine years later…
.oOOo.
It had felt like such a long time since he had seen them… When was it? Only ten years ago that he had died? Kouichi Kimura didn't quite remember, but he was pretty sure. The dead didn't grow like the living, after all.
In reality, he was still that twelve year old boy that he had come to Heaven as. While his twin, Kouji Minamoto, grew and his friendship's were strengthened, Kouichi felt like he was being grately left behind…
Any time that these depressing thoughts entered his mind, he always looked at his mother. He had seen the pain that he had put her through after his death, and he felt verry guilty. Despite his grandmother's reassurances that it wasn't his fault, he often wondered if that were true. If things had ended differently… Would he be laughing and smiling with his younger brother? Would he have a wunderfull girlfriend too?
Zoe Orimoto. He had been watching over all of them, but he had been watching out for his brother and his girlfriend more than the others. Who could blame him for being concerned over them a little more?
Kouichi couldn't see Zoe ever intentionally hurting Kouji. It just wasn't imaginable. She loved Kouji so much… It really was amazing. Kouichi found himself wishing, not for the first time, that he was alive again. He missed everyone so much… It really was a miracle that he had stood for this long without the comfort of his twin brother. He had only known Kouji for those few weeks in the Digital World, but it felt like he had known him for so much longer…
He sighed, watching Takuya come out of his house and cross the street to go over to see Kouji. Their friendship in particular had been strengthened the most. Before, Kouji had practically hated Takuya. Kouichi knew this, and he was still amazed that they could become closer for it. Somehow, they had overcome even Kouji's hatred.
Takuya reached his destination, ringing the doorbell as he got to the top of the steps leading up to Kouji and Zoe's little house.
The door was opened by a slightly flustered Zoe, who quickly smiled when she saw who was at the door.
"Takuya!" she said, giving him a short hug before leading him into the house.
Takuya followed her in, closing the door behind him. They made their way to the living room where they both found seats on the couch.
"Kouji! Takuya's here!" Zoe called out to Kouji, offering Takuya another smile. "He's been distracted lately," she explained. "I don't know why, though."
Takuya nodded. He didn't know what to say to this.
He was saved from answering Zoe's unasked question by Kouji walking into the room.
"Hi, Tacky!" he said, giving Takuya's hand a shake.
"Hi, Kouji!" Takuya said back, smiling also.
He had just stopped by because he hadn't seen them in over a week. He was having trouble finding a good job. He just couldn't decide what he wanted to do! He wanted to do so many things!
Kouichi continued to watch intently as they went into discussion about less important things.
He knew in his heart that they would all be fine. He just needed to make sure. They would always have someone watching over them. He would make sure of that.
.oOOo.
THE END