Digimon Diary: Friendship Side
A/N: This is a companion piece meant to be read alongside Angel-Weasel Woman's "Digimon Diary: Reliable Side" and follows our headcanon, but can be read without following either. This fanfiction will draw from the anime (dub and sub), the Digimon Memorial Albums, the first two volumes of the official novelization, and possibly some events from the PSP game "Digimon Adventure". This version is a retelling of Digimon Adventure from Yamato's point of view. This fiction does assume you have seen the entirety of season one / Adventure and possibly Our War Game. Perhaps one day, I'll make a few bonus chapters to cover Zero Two as well, since the "present" takes place after the epilogue.
I am also struggling with how to incooperate episodes like 4, which have some relevant scenes but nothing signifigant... it mostly ends up being summary. So there may be a delay after that episode is posted. Any feedback/reviews are much appreciated!
Warnings: Mature subjects will be handled in this fic, but it won't be the main focus. There will be yaoi in later chapters as well. So don't read if you can't stomach them.
Pairings: Jyoumato (Yamato x Jyou), Taishirou (Taichi x Koushiro), one-sided Sorato (Sora x Yamato), and Takari (Takeru x Hikari) with hints of Sorami (Sora x Mimi), Mimato (Mimi x Yamato), Yamakeru (Yamato x Takeru) and of course, Taito (Taichi x Yamato). Most of the latter depends how much you wanna read into things. Please don't let any of these disuade you from reading, however! :)
Episode 0: Family
I had been staring over at my calendar since the early morning, with occasional glances at my bedside clock to see how many hours had passed. Finally, the time came for me to wake and leave the tiny apartment I shared with his Dad, to leave for Summer Camp. It wasn't that I didn't want to go. I just didn't want Takeru to go.
Takeru Takaishi is my little brother. He lives with our mother, Natsuko Takaishi, in Sanjaya, across the bay from where I live with our father, Hiroaki Ishida. Our parents divorced about three years ago. I won't go into the details, but it ended with us choosing who we wanted to go with. Takeru was only four, so he was still pretty latched onto Mom. You'll understand eventually, but I went with my father and it's been a tossing ship at sea since then.
Don't get my wrong, I love living with my Dad. He's a great guy- when he's around, since his job at the TV Station keeps him busy most of the time. I'm pretty independent, unlike Takeru, so this works well for me. I'll sit around and play games, practice my harmonica, or tinker with the broken things around the house. Luckily, my Dad is a pretty handy guy and passed down his knowledge to me. So if you have a broken sink or something, I'm the guy. I actually can't wait for a car, so I can take it apart, too.
But I'm getting really way off track. I didn't want Takeru to go, because he would end up ruining my Summer vacation- that short time between July twenty-first and August thirty-first that I could just lounge around and not have to worry about grades.
Dad was home this particular morning, but he would soon be leaving for work, so I had to go to my mother's to pick up Takeru. This wasn't easy. In the past three years for visitation, Takeru had always come here and Dad had always picked him up. Effectively, I hadn't spoken to my mother in three years. When my little brother was around, he was usually annoying me, breaking my things- like my v-pet. I spent how many allowances saving up for that thing? Whatever.
"Yamato, I'm sorry I can't go this time," Dad said from the small section of dining table he had cleared away and claimed as his "work desk". My father had this look, where he always seemed tired or worn down. The way his bangs frayed to one side and his clothes never stayed straight. Still, he was a lot more optimistic than I was and he said I was more like my Mom in this regard. In fact, Mom had just recently started seeing a psychiatrist after my Dad spent two years trying to convince her. For depression. I felt like it was my fault, but I wasn't going to let myself feel guilt over her.
"Whatever, it's fine," I replied. "I won't be there long anyway, since we're all meeting up at the school by nine."
"...I know how you feel," my Dad told me, trying to make his own guilt go away. He walked over to where I was slipping on my brown boots by the door and squeezed my shoulder. I glanced up at that worn face for a moment before turning away, making some kind of awkward noise in the wake of whatever he was going to say next. "Just promise me that you'll take care of Takeru. He looks up to you, depends on you. Protect him, please."
"I'm not going to just throw him to the wolves, Dad," I chuckled, but he was squeezing my shoulder tighter. If there was one thing we had in common, because really, physically and emotionally, we were nothing alike, it was that we both loved Takeru and would take bullets for him. Unfortunetly, we also weren't very good at being human shields, either. "I'll take care of him."
"Thank you," he told me and finally let me out of the house. I almost turned to lock the door behind me instinctively, but Dad would take care of it. I put my keys back in my pocket alongside my wallet and my harmonica.
I had to hop the subway to the harbor, catch the waterbus across, and then it would be a brisk walk to the apartment complex my Mom lived in, which was like an entire 'nother world compared to the all male, two person shithole building Dad and I stayed in. It wasn't just nicer, but larger, and something about the place always made me feel intimidated. I guess because I felt like I didn't deserve it. At the time, I couldn't tell you why, but now...
I never visited Mom, even on special occasions. When I arrived, she didn't hesitate to remind me. When I first got there and gave a knock on the door, I noticed the dead roses in the flowerbox near the door- something she had always tended to dearly. "You don't even visit for the holidays..." she whispered, looking back behind her to see if Takeru was on his way, then turning back to me. I couldn't look her in the eyes, so I stared into the decay and the remains that were brown-black thorns and vines in dry, gray soil. "If you won't do it for me... do it for Takeru."
I shrugged. There was no way in Hell I would be here in the first place if it wasn't for him, but I wasn't going to even consider staying. I wasn't even sure Dad would let me.
"Yamato," she insisted. I finally gave her a quick glance, noting one hand holding the other near her chest tenderly. I couldn't tell you what she was wearing, but I saw that her cheekbones were showing, enlightened by the dark circles under her eyes. Eyes I couldn't look into, because they reminded me too much of myself.
Finally, Takeru had hauled himself to the door like a rattling truck carrying junk, toting a backpack full of un-necessities. He was wearing this silly green hat that had a blue plastic part in the center- something Dad had gotten through a promotion at work. I told him the kids would poke fun at him, but damn that kid's optimism. Kinda like Dad.
I hadn't seen the boy in a month and his bangs were growing long now. He had long sleeves and shorts on- a weird combination, but he was at that age where he wanted to express himself, so I kept my mouth shut. Besides, Mom would say if anything looked amiss. She leaned down and started to kiss Takeru on the cheek. I turned away quickly, as if it were something I shouldn't see, as if avoiding a rubbernecking a wreck on the highway.
Takeru hugged her in return, "Bye Mom! Thanks again for letting me go to camp with my big brother!"
"Sure," she said with a honest smile, "Yamato... have fun, too."
Yeah, whatever. I grabbed my little brother's hand and lead him down the stairs before I puked in the flowerbox.
"Aren't you excited?" Takeru said between breaths as I pulled him down flights of stairs.
I didn't reply. I was too focused on keeping my promise to Dad. To protect Takeru. Protect my little brother. I could get a head start by getting him as far away from this place as possible.