Disclaimers: Do you honestly think I own Digimon?! Because I don't! I don't make money off these fics either, just so you know.
Author Notes: The purpose of this fic is to bridge the gap between the series and the epilogue, so if you didn't like it, maybe I can help you warm up to the idea. Many thatks to aka Verigo for correcting the grammer of this chapter and the whole gang at the Addiction forum for their support!
Destination
"Air France flight number 271, Paris to Tokyo now landing."
"I can't believe Davis is finally coming back," Kari said in her excitement. "It's been so long since we've seen him."
"Yeah," TK agreed from her side. "I still can't believe he went for one of those study abroad programs in the first place."
It had been two semesters since Davis Motomiya departed on a collage sponsored enrollment in a French university. His friends had experienced a number of reactions to his departure, the first being shock at his choice to go--the young man did not know much more than two phrases in French. His best bet to get around would be his limited English, falling back on the gamble that most French citizens took English in school like Japanese children. The second response was respect for his determination; most people he knew, friends, family and the like had done their best to talk him out of the trip. The final response was simply to miss Davis for the ten months that he was gone.
Upon hearing of Davis's return from his older sister June, Kari and TK had decided to surprise their friend and met him at the airport. Davis had missed quite a bit while he was away and TK and Kari wanted to be the ones to bring him up to speed. They had no news of their own to share, though most of their mutual friends had done a lot in the almost-year since they last saw the Motomiya boy.
"There he is!" Kari shouted, pointing. "Davis!!" She waved her hands above her head to get his attention, not really caring that they were in a crowded airport.
A look of surprise registered on Davis's face. Then he broke out into a grin and half-jogged, half-walked to his friends with his carry-on luggage slung over his shoulder.
"Salut, mes amis," he greeted good-naturedly. Leaning over, Davis quickly kissed Kari on both cheeks. TK was about to protest, but didn't get the chance before Davis repeated the gesture on his cheeks. "Bises," Davis explained, "I've been doing that for the last ten months whenever I greet or say good-bye to a friend. Guess it's a habit. Comment-allez vous?"
"Huh?" TK looked rather cluelessly at Davis as he wiped his cheeks."
"How have you been?" Davis translated.
"Fine, same old, same old. For us anyway. How was France?"
"France est un tres bon pay!"
"I take it you learned some French," Kari said.
"Oui. La langue n'est pas facile," Davis said, nodding his head.
"Hey, did you say 'hi' to Catherine for Tai and me?" TK asked.
"Non, j'ai dit salut a la fille."
"Uh, okay."
As the trio chatted they made their way to the baggage claim so that Davis could pick up the rest of his suitcases.
"Did she remember me?" TK asked.
"Yeah," Davis said as he identified one of his bags. "When she visits, don't scare her like that again," Davis grabbed the suitcase by the handle and pulled it towards himself.
"Visits?" Kari echoed.
"We hit it off," Davis said. He quite nearly toppled over as his suitcase cleared the conveyor, but was able to catch himself. "She's coming to visit in a few weeks. Couldn't stand to be apart from me," he pronounced dramatically.
"Sure, Davis," TK said, rolling his eyes. "How'd you guys even talk to each other to make these 'plans?'"
"Using Japanese, French and English, it wasn't easy. Actually, I spent most of my free time in France with her. It was fun, a lot of what I can say she taught me. She taught me how to cook French cuisine, too."
"Cook?" Kari asked skeptically.
"Yeah, they're really big on cabbage over there. I dunno, I like rice or ramen better. We joked about opening our own restaurant a lot, too."
"You're serious?" TK asked with raised eyebrows.
"Totally. Her flight's in like three and half weeks. She's probably gonna spend the summer in Japan."
"What else did you do?" Kari asked. By this time the trio had recovered Davis's bags and were making their way to the bus station.
"Well, besides school and cooking we saw all the sights. Versailles, the Eiffel Tower, Normandy beach, stuff like that. We went rollerblading, too. They have this thing in France where they shut down all the streets so that only rollerbladers can use them all night. Really cool. So what have you guys been up to?"
"We haven't done anything interesting," Kari said, "unless you count school work, school work and more school work."
"Everyone else has been kind of busy, though. Matt was doing so well as a pilot that he was chosen for the space program. Can you believe it? My brother, an astronaut."
"Didn't see that one coming," Davis said.
"Tai's got a job as a UN representative. He says he's planning on being an ambassador someday."
Davis raised an eyebrow.
"Izzy's doing research on the Digital World," TK said.
"Nice to know some things stay the same."
"Joe's a doctor," Kari said.
"There is a returning sense of normality to my life. Normal for me, I mean."
"Ken's engaged--" TK was cut off by the sounds of Davis's luggage hitting the ground.
"Ex Mr. The-World-Is-Not-Good-Enough-For-Me is ENGAGED!?! That's like more than a total 180! I don't believe it!"
"To Yolei," Kari clarified.
Davis picked up his suitcases again.
"I believe it," he announced. Kari giggled and for once, Davis didn't blush.
"Sora and my bro are still acting like newly-weds, but that's normal since they haven't even reached their one year wedding anniversary yet," TK said. A pause. Confused that Kari didn't jump in, TK continued. "Mimi's last e-mail said she was working on a cooking show in America. She's the assistant or something. We have a few clips, but don't get American shows on TV. Maybe you should talk to her if you and Catherine are serious about that restaurant thing."
"We're not serious about that," Davis said, a blush now igniting his cheeks. "Jeez, I never shoulda mentioned it."
"And Cody's looking into going Pre-law," TK said slowly.
"What about you two?" Davis asked.
"I'm writing a novel," TK announced. "I tried a few different things in school, but just couldn't find anything that spoke to me."
"And writing 'speaks' to you?" Davis said around snickers.
"I have an artist's soul," TK said seriously, causing Davis to erupt in a fit of laughter.
"I'm going to be a teacher," Kari, who had now gotten over the shock of Davis being completely over her and the second shock of his apparent feelings for Catherine, said.
"That sounds like something you would do," Davis said once he had calmed down from laughing so hard at TK's soul.
"Guess that's everyone," TK mused, running through the conversation again in his mind.
"Not hardly!" Davis protested. "What have our digimon been up to?"
"Eating, sleeping and following us around, mostly," Kari said. "They are still seen as pets rather than people, so there aren't any job opportunities for them. That's one of the things Tai's looking to change as a diplomat."
"Has anyone visited Veemon? It sucks that he couldn't come to France with me."
"Wormmon or Gatomon go to see him in the Digital World everyday and they usually bring another of the digimon with them," Kari said brightly.
"That's good," Davis said. "I was afraid he'd get lonely or something."
"Hey, by the time we get to your place, he'll probably be there," TK explained. "Patamon and Gatomon are bringing him back to the Real World as we speak."
"Really? Guys, that's great! Man, I'm gonna get to see everyone!"
TK and Kari looked at each other and smiled. It was great to have Davis back.
Once at the bus station, the trio boarded. Davis yakked on and on about how great it was going to be to see Veemon again and how much he had missed everyone. When there was about ten minutes left of the ride, however, Davis quieted down and looked out the window as Tokyo blurred past him. He seemed almost lost.
They got off at the stop nearest to Davis's parents' apartment building. He had graduated from university in France a month earlier. At that time, his parents and June had come to see him and the plans that Davis would stay with his parents before he got a job and back on his feet in Japan had been made. It had also been then that Davis decided to stay in France another month to take care of a few loose ends and he made reservations for the flight he had just taken.
Davis walked slowly a few feet behind TK and Kari for the block they had to go by foot. The sights and sounds of his native land were unfamiliar to him after so long. When they arrived at the apartment building, the doorman greeted Davis, but he didn't respond. Still silent, he rode the elevator with TK and Kari, who glanced at each other with worried expressions.
Nearly forty-five minutes after initially greeting him at the airport, TK, Kari and Davis arrived at their destination. Methodically, Davis reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. Three keys together on a metal ring, Davis selected one, inserted it into the door labeled 'Motomiya' and twisted until he heard a click. He pulled the key out and deposited the set back into his pocket. He took hold of the doorknob, twisted it and opened the door, a dark, empty apartment greeting him.
The shouts of "SURPRISE!" that came from his friends and family jumping out from behind furniture and turning the lights on failed to have the intended effect. But Davis gasped and pretended they did, forcing himself to not search the familiar faces for the one he longed to see over any other. She wouldn't be there. She was in France.
He smiled as Veemon hugged him, letting a mixture of happy and sad tears land on the little dragon's shoulder as he squeezed back.
Davis surveyed the living room of the apartment; Tai was there, hair neat and trim; Matt was there, standing with an arm around Sora; Izzy was there, glancing every so often at the computer in the corner; Joe was there; Cody was there, smiling though only his eyes could tell one how truly happy the room's youngest occupant was; Ken was there, his arms wrapped around Yolei's waist; TK and Kari were there, holding hands and standing in the doorway behind him, unable to get in due to the blue and peach colored pile that was himself and Veemon; his parents were there, father proud of the scholar who studied abroad, mother trying to valiantly to save some hors' derves for the human guests; his sister was there, her eyes shining with tears at the sight of her brother, whom she'd only seen for three days in the past ten months, but was now home for good.
Davis smiled; he was home. But he couldn't ignore the pang he felt in his heart as he stood up and the two extra keys--one for Catherine's apartment, the other for her car--poked his leg.
"Davis," Tai said, making his way over to his former protegee, "it must be great being back in the Japan, huh?"
"Oui," Davis replied, half-heartedly.
"Ah, don't start talking French here!" Tai joked. "We don't have an international translator here."
"Je sais."
Tai blinked.
