My Father's Eyes
(Author's Note: This fic is based on the American dub.)

By The Infamous Boss Reo


Days had passed since he watched as TK rode in the transit back to his world. Every second he watched as his only true friend he ever knew tore through his heart, not knowing whether or not he would ever see him again. He wanted to cry right there as he rode off, but he told himself to be strong. He WOULD see him again.

Some day.

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Sailing down behind the sun,
Waiting for my prince to come.
Praying for the healing rain
To restore my soul again.
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Everyone had gone his or her separate ways, until only he was left. Everyone else had a place. Everyone else had a purpose, someone that needed them. But what did he have? He suddenly realized who it was.

Preparing for his trek, Patamon looked out from the peak of Infinity Mountain, where he first digivolved to save TK.
"It's only a flight away." He said quietly to himself, taking a deep breath using his wings to lift off from the edge of the cliff, towards the Primary Village.

"Fish, fish, and more fish." Elecmon said to himself, "Those babies never get any less hungry." He grunted as he strained to pull the large net of fish for feeding the young digimon of his village, "I wonder if those kids ever got home safely?" he wondered to himself, he momentarily dropped the load of fish as his thoughts went back to when he first met TK and Patamon.
"Patamon..." he thought, "...why the hell couldn't I have just told him?" the sound of soft crying in the distance brought Elecmon from out of his thoughts, and he returned to dragging the fish back to the village.

"Alright, little ones! I'm coming! No need to shout!" Elecmon called, still about a few feet from the entrance to the Primary Village. Suddenly he couldn't hear the babies crying anymore, Elecmon's ears perked up to hear the sound of someone's voice, gently soothing one of the crying babies and humming a low melody. Elecmon gulped as he instantly recognized the voice. Slowly, he came up behind the small winged digimon as he cradled the young baby in his arms, rocking it back to sleep.

"Hello, Patamon." Elecmon said, trying to hide the tone of nervousness in his voice, Patamon looked back at him and smiled, "Hi Elecmon! I hope you didn't mind. He was getting upset, so I..."
"Oh no, it's alright." The older digimon smiled, placing his arm around Patamon's shoulder, "I missed you." Patamon smiled back, "I missed being here."

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Just a toerag on the run.
How did I get here?
What have I done?
When will all my hopes arise?
How will I know him?
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That night, both Elecmon and Patamon sat by a large bonfire. A small Botamon was sleeping peacefully in Patamon's arms as he sung a soft lullaby to it. Elecmon shifted in his seating as he heard Patamon's song.
"That's a nice song." He said, "Where exactly did you hear it?" Patamon looked at him confused, "Hear it?" he asked, "Yeah. Did you get it from somewhere?" Patamon blushed slightly, "Well, to tell the truth..." he said, "I didn't really learn it from anywhere." Elecmon's ears twitched, "What do you mean?" he asked, "I don't know how to explain it...I guess I've sort of known it since I was born."
"It sounds very beautiful." Elecmon said, leaning against an old stump. Patamon just giggled lightly as he held the baby digimon in his arms.

As Elecmon drifted off to sleep, his memory wandered back to his earlier years.

He could see himself, sitting by a basket that held a small Poyomon. He looked at the little digimon with a sense of pride, gently humming a soft tune to it as it slept. He smiled as he watched the young child sleep, leaning down and kissing it softly on its head.
"Sleep well." he whispered, "I'm never going to abandon you.......my son." the little Poyomon happily sighed in its sleep while Elecmon rocked the cradle back and forth, continuing his song.

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When I look in my father's eyes.
My father's eyes.
When I look in my father's eyes.
My father's eyes.
*****************************************

A few days passed by, and for some reason, Elecmon wasn't very quick to spend any time around the nursery when Patamon was caring for the babies.
"Where could he be?" Patamon wondered, feeding one of the baby digimon, "I never thought him to just up and leave his work." he set the young baby back in it's cradle and took to the air, looking down upon the entire village, hoping to find his companion.
"Elecmon?" he called out, "Elecmon, where are you?" he could make out something at the stream where Elecmon usually fished, "That must be him." he thought, and he flew down closer.

Elecmon sat at the waters edge, his ears drooped and a look of sadness on his face. He looked at the many fish as they swam by him in the stream, then focusing his vision he could see himself in the reflection of the water. Once again, his memory drifted back to his younger days.

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Then the light begins to shine
And I hear those ancient lullabies.
And as I watch this seedling grow,
Feel my heart start to overflow.
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"But...why must you take him?" he asked with tears in his eyes. The hooded figures just stood over him, the small Poyomon in the arms of one of them.
"We have to, Elecmon." the hooded figure said regretfully, "He is to be one of the Digidestined someday."
"But..." the hooded figure placed a hand on Elecmon's shoulder, "Please don't be upset, old friend." the figure said, "I promise to you that he will be safe." Elecmon looked up at the figure, tears still welling up and running down his cheeks, "...but he's my son..." he said, nearly choking on his tears, "He...he can't possibly be able to handle this burden!" the digimon suddenly grabbed the figure by his robe.
"Please! Take me instead!" he begged, "I don't want my son to have to experience the pain and agony I know he'll have to go through! I'm begging you, Gennai!"

The young man looked back at Elecmon, "You have to understand..." he said, "...this is his destiny. As it was with you." Elecmon fell to his knees, "But...he...he'll be in so much danger! Please Gennai....just this once...if not for my sake, then for his." Gennai turned away from him, not wanting to face him.
"......I'm sorry, Elecmon." he said, then walked off with the other hooded figures along with the young Poyomon. Elecmon just sat there on his knees, his face to the ground as his tears flowed from his cheeks, wetting the soil underneath him. "My son...my only son..."

*****************************************
Where do I find the words to say?
How do I teach him?
What do we play?
*****************************************

"Elecmon?" he suddenly heard Patamon call out from behind him, snapping him out of his flashback again. His heart ached a little more as he heard his voice.
"What is it?" he asked quietly, Patamon landed softly and came up from behind him.
"Are you okay?" he asked, "I've noticed you've been acting a little funny lately since I came." Elecmon lowered his ears again.
"It's...it's nothing." He said, holding back his tears as he kept his face turned away from the young digimon.
"Is it because of me?" Patamon asked, "I'm sorry, Elecmon." he said, "I shouldn't have come here and taken over your job for you...I'll leave if you want."
"No!" Elecmon suddenly said, "No...please don't go." Patamon looked at him as he sighed, turning to face him.
"Patamon..." he moved a little closer to him, "Did you know that only you could ever digivolve to Angemon?"
"Well...sorta..." Patamon shrugged, "But what does that have to do with anything?" he asked, Elecmon placed his hand on the young digimon's shoulder.
"Patamon, the reason that only you can digivolve to Angemon is because you're a rare breed." The flying digimon looked at him confused, "Wh...what do you mean?" he asked nervously, Elecmon took a deep breath, "I mean you didn't just hatch from an everyday digiegg." He said, "...You were born from a parent."

Patamon's eyes widened.
"Y...you mean...I have a mother...and a father?" he asked, Elecmon shook his head.
"No..." he said, "No mother...not anymore." He looked deep into Patamon's eyes, "Patamon..." he said...

"...you're my son."

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Bit by bit, I've realized
That's when I need them,
That's when I need my father's eyes.
*****************************************

The young flying digimon stood there, shock completely overtaking him. Elecmon looked at him in his eyes still.
"I'm sorry, Patamon..." he said quietly, "...I'm sorry I couldn't tell you."
"Why?" he heard him ask, "Why?...why couldn't you tell me?" Patamon's eyes began to tear up, "Patamon, I..." Elecmon started, "Why didn't you tell me!?" the young digimon burst, falling to his knees before his father and starting to cry.

"Patamon, I COULDN'T tell you!" the elder digimon tried explaining, "The Dark Masters...Devimon...if any of them knew about it, the entire nursery would be in danger!"
"YOU COULD HAVE TOLD ME!" Patamon sobbed, "YOU LIED TO ME!"
"Patamon...it's not like that." Elecmon knelt down to his son.
"GET AWAY FROM ME!" the flying digimon suddenly shouted, pushing Elecmon away from him, "I trusted you..." he said, tears still running down his face, "...you could have told me. You could have just told me..."
"I wanted to tell you..." Elecmon moved towards him. All of a sudden, Patamon spread out his wings, taking to the air and flying off.
"PATAMON! WAIT!" he called out after him, but it was no use as his son flew off away from him.

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My father's eyes.
That's when I need my father's eyes.
My father's eyes.
*****************************************

"It wasn't supposed to be this way..." Elecmon said to himself, he lowered his head, looking down at the fish once again as they swam past him in the stream, "God dammit... it wasn't supposed to be like this..." a look of frustration and anger came across his face.
"IT WASN'T SUPPOSEDTO BE THIS WAY AT ALL!" he yelled, picking up a rock and throwing it into the stream, scaring the fish and making them break apart their swimming formation. Elecmon sat back down at the waters edge, placing his head in his hands, "Damn you, Gennai." He thought.

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Then the jagged edge appears
Through the distant clouds of tears.
I'm like a bridge that was washed away;
My foundations were made of clay.
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All alone to himself, Patamon sat down next to one of the cradles in the large field in the Primary Village, wiping a tear from his eye.
"This can't be true." he thought to himself, "He can't be my father! Digimon don't even have parents! We're created through information!"

"Yura?"

Patamon looked behind him to see a small Yuramon staring at him, its large eyes full of innocence and curiosity. Sighing, Patamon scooped up the little baby in his arms, "It's all too much." He said, looking down at the little baby, "Of all the digimon to be the son of...why is it him?" the small Yuramon looked back up at him, it's eyes twinkling in the sun.
"He cares for ALL the digimon as they grow up...so why am I his son?"

He looked out at the field of eggs and cradles, hearing the tiny baby starting to cry.
"Shhhh.....don't cry, little one." He said gently, rocking his arms back and forth. The baby's eyes closed slowly, "That's it..." Patamon said, "Close your eyes..." he started to hum the lullaby from the few nights before, suddenly remembering when Elecmon asked him the question.

"Wait a minute.." he thought, he gently placed the Yuramon back in its cradle, "Now I get it..." he looked back out over the field, "...now I understand."

"It was because I missed you." He heard Elecmon say from behind him, Patamon turned around to see him.

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As my soul slides down to die.
How could I lose him?
What did I try?
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"What do you mean?" the young digimon asked, Elecmon stood before him.
"Gennai and the other beings placed me in charge of here after they had taken you with them..." a soft breeze blew through the nursery, making the toys that hung from the trees move lightly in the wind, "They sensed how much losing you had caused me grief. They told me they couldn't give you back, that you were needed to be one of the Digidestined..." he sat himself down next to one of the cradles, as did Patamon, "...So Gennai came to me and asked me to become the keeper of this village."

The sound of gentle chimes filled the air of the Primary Village.
"You were given this place...because of me?" Patamon asked, his father nodded, "Before that, digimon were born from regular eggs, but a few of them were also born naturally, from a mother and a father. Once The Dark Masters appeared though, the cycle of life had been altered. And in order for digimon to give birth, it had to be done by this process." He gave a sigh and lowered his head, "When they came to take you away, I begged for them not to. I knew the dangers that would be set before you, and I didn't want you to go through what I knew was coming..." he looked back at his son, "...I didn't want you to have to go through what I did too."
"Y...you mean..."
"Yes. I was also a Digidestined digimon once. Long before your time." He looked down at the cradle beside him, "That's also when I met your mother."

"My mother?" Patamon asked, his father nodded.
"What was she like?" he asked, Elecmon looked up at the sky, watching the clouds as they passed overhead.
"...She was a female Gomamon." He said, "She was very kind and friendly, one of the most beautiful digimon I had ever seen." He placed his arm around Patamon, holding him close to him, "...She also loved you very much."

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Bit by bit, I've realized
That he was here with me;
I looked into my father's eyes.
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"What happened to her?" Patamon asked, Elecmon hung his head back down, taking in a deep sigh.
"She had gotten sick during the winter." He said, "I tried all I could, but she never got better from it." A tear dripped from his eye, splashing to the ground, "The last thing she ever said was that she was sorry...sorry for never being able to see you again...sorry for leaving me...for leaving you." He sniffled lightly, "But she did love you, no matter what."

Elecmon wiped away a few more tears; "You were the only thing she and I ever cared about, Patamon." A few more tears ran down his face, "...and I failed her when Gennai came and took you." Patamon looked at his father, then wrapped his arms around him, pressing his cheek against his fathers shoulder.
"No Dad..." he said, "...you didn't fail her. Or me."

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My father's eyes.
I looked into my father's eyes.
My father's eyes.
*****************************************

That night, both father and son sat with each other, along with the rest of the babies of the village, all sitting around the bonfire.
"So what happens now?" Patamon asked, his fathers arm placed around him, "I have no idea." Elecmon said, "I guess we just stay here and look after the babies." He looked at Patamon and smiled, "You'll be taking over this place some day, y'know." He chuckled, "That's just what you said before." Patamon said, giggling. The two of them continued sitting there, as well as a few of the young babies that drifted off to sleep. Elecmon smiled as his son fell asleep in his arms, bringing back his memories from when he was only the young Poyomon he remembered raising.
"I'll never leave you again, son." He said softly, still holding his arm around him. He looked back up at the starry sky, humming the lullaby that he had known for so many years as the night continued on.

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My father's eyes.
My father's eyes.
I looked into my father's eyes.
My father's eyes.
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The End.

'Sleep well, little child
let your dreams come to you,
let your wishes be granted
let them always come true.

Sleep well, little child
the sandmon comes now,
to take you to dreams
and never know how.

So sleep well, little child
you're held while you sleep,
I'll be there to comfort you
so never you weep.' ~ Elecmon's Lullaby