Summary: The frontiers lost contact four years ago, meeting each other four years later. Relationship changes as they realize the changes that have happened in each other during those four years. Takuya becomes more and more distance from them. Izumi struggles to deal with the feelings all three boys have for her. Junpei tries to lose some body weight. Kouichi has a hard time paying his rent, while Kouji deals with both his feeling for his brother and Izumi. Just what will happen in this part of their lives?
Disclaimer: I do not own digimon frontier. I'm only saying this once, so please remember, I do NOT own digimon.
"Life is full of ups and downs, sometimes you're walking on a steady path, but sometimes you're climbing a rocky mountain. No one knows when these ups and downs come, but the least you can do is to go through these ups and downs. Then, when you turn around to look behind you, you'll realize it is all just a part of life"
--
Chapter 1: Memories Remembered
"Ding, ding, ding…" The old grandfather's clock downstairs rang twelve times, stating that it was another day. I reached for the calendar on my table and ripped off a page.
I threw the paper into the nearby rubbish bin and looked down at the remaining calendar that was still in my hands.
"October 21." I whispered the date. This day meant that 4 years had passed, 4 years since we've last met, 4 years since we've left the digital world.
I put down the calendar, taking instead a photo frame that showed four boys and a girl in it. I stared at the photo within, trying hard to remember back all that happened four years ago. Some memories were lost, but others remain clear, as if it just happened yesterday.
A small smile crawled on to my face. We had taken this photo four years ago, right in front of the hospital door. Onii-chan had been allowed to leave the hospital that day and-I forgot who-pulled us all together to take a photo.
It was the kind of camera that printed the photo immediately, so we each took one and left, not knowing that we won't see each other from that day on. I don't remember what happened, but we all lost contact with each other. Someone had written my name, KOUJI, in large capital letters on the photo, but I can't even remember who it was.
Life back here from the digital world was good, but it's nothing compared to there. I closed my eyes, a certain face appearing in my mind. Will I ever see her again?
I opened my eyes. A drop of water-or perhaps a teardrop? -was splashed on the surface of the photo, right on the only girl in the photo.
--
I turned once again in my bed. Bad dreams had haunted me starting from the second I fell asleep, and that kept me awake till now. Maybe it's because today is the day?
I decided I wouldn't try to sleep anymore, so I sat up and hugged my pillow. Tiredness made me close my eyes, but at the same moment my eyes went open at the image that appeared in my brain.
I snatched up my handphone that was on the table beside me and called the first number that came to my mind: Kouji's. I waited for quite a while before someone answered my call.
"Kouichi, what is it?" His voice sounded like he just woke up.
"Um…" How should I start?
"It's two in the morning, Kouichi." Two? I looked at the clock on the wall. Maybe I shouldn't have called at all.
"I has-um-bad dreams about-about the digiworld." Might as well do what I wanted to do in the first place.
"Onii-san." I winced at the pity in his voice, yet happy at the same time. Even if we were twin brothers, he never liked to call me 'brother'.
"Nii-san, is-is it because today is the day?" Kouji continued when I didn't reply him.
"I think so." Four years already and I still can't forget. The dreams haunted me only on this day.
"That means you haven't forgot, Kouichi, of what we went through in the digiworld. Two hours ago I was up too, watching that photo we got." He didn't need to explain which photo, we both knew clearly that he meant the one and only photo.
With the phone still next to my ear, I walked over to my diary and found the old photo that was clipped inside. "I've got the photo in my hands now, Kouji."
"The only thing that can remind us of-of them." Kouji sounded sad.
"You can go back to bed, Kouji, I think I can sleep now." I doubt that, but he doesn't need to stay awake just because of my bad dreams."
"You sure?"
"Yup. Good night." I lied down on my bed and putted the photo right beside my pillow. Help me keep away those dreams, guys.
"Goodnight, onii-san."
I slept peacefully a few minutes later. Thank you guys, thank you.
--
"Happy birthday, Shinya." I whispered as I touched the forehead of my little brother. He was still asleep, so I putted his present next to his pillow and left. He might throw it away right after he wakes up, but at least he knows I gave him a present.
I had more important things to do now, compared to this. Locking my room door, I grabbed the plastic bag that was on my table and climbed out of the window.
Outside my window was a small balcony that was only big enough for one person. I sat down on the cold floor, feeling the coldness reach my bottom. I pulled my jacket tighter and my goggles down to cover my eyes.
I reached into the plastic bag I bought with me, and pulled out a fire lighter and a box of cigarette. Normally I don't smoke, but just for today I want to feel the bitter feeling of the tobacco tar.
I exhaled a large amount of white gas. It fogged up my goggles, but didn't care. I took out the only remaining thing in the plastic bag and allowed the plastic bag to fly away.
I stared at the photo in my hands. The four years ago 'me' looked so pure and naïve. I once thought that bravery could fight anything, but throughout out these years, I've realized that that is just not enough. The world outside is just too big, and you'll never know what is waiting for you around the corner.
I fingered every face in the photo, stopping at the only girl in the middle. Where have they gone? How are they?
I had stopped hoping that I would meet them again ages ago. All I have now is the memories we had together.
Just above the date in the photo wrote my name: 'Takuya'
--
"Ringgggggggggggggg""BRRRRRRGGGggggggg""TingTingTingTing.."
Three different alarm clocks went off at the same time, making such a loud noise that even people three blocks away could hear.
"Damn clock!" I threw one of them at the wall, stopping it from sounding, and well, functioning anymore.
I searched the bedside table for the other two, but all I felt my fingers touch was a piece of paper.
What is this? I didn't even bother to look at what it was. I was about to crumple it when-"OH MY GOD!"
I jumped out of bed, smoothing out the piece of paper that turned out to be a photo with a book on my desk. Shutting off the other two alarm clocks, I thanked god for not letting me ruin the photo.
"4 years" I said to myself. I kissed every face on the photo, except for myself, that is. "I miss you all. Thank you for being the first best friends I ever had."
I glanced at the only girl in the photo. I added a few more kisses on her. Wish I knew where she went. The twins, Kouji and Kouichi still made contact with me, but the others just disappeared.
"Son, its time you woke- oh, I see you're up." My father appeared at the door of my room. He must have heard the alarm clocks.
"Since you're up early, go jogging will ya? You really need to go on a diet. And you'll need the exercise." Dad referred to my huge body size. Who's he to talk? He's fatter than I am by-I don't know-10kg?
"I don't need a diet." I protested. "Look, I'm 1kg slimmer than I was 4years ago."
I showed him the photo, where above the date was my name: 'Junpei', and beside it in a bracket, wrote the numbers 65kg.
--
The houses seemed like toys, the cars like matchboxes, and the people were like ants from up here. Beside me, my mum was sleeping. She's been sleeping quite a lot since she found out she was pregnant. To think that my 37-year-old mum is going to give birth to a baby 14 years younger than I do, that shocks me.
Because she's pregnant, our whole family finally decided to go back to Japan. Grandma practically screamed for us to go back when she knew mum was pregnant. We should have told her when mum was pregnant for like 7 or 8 months.
Grandma always wanted a grandson; I think she's praying everyday for the baby to be a boy. Mum totally refused to come back and let grandma force her drink all those medicine. She said she had enough when she was pregnant with me. I don't know how dad talked her into it.
At least I'm happy, while mum is totally not. She'd rather live in her own native country, France. But I belong to Japan, and I know it.
I cried when we had to leave Japan four years ago, right after I came back from the digital world. Paris just wasn't the same after that. But now, I'm back.
Drooling back into sleep, I heard another passenger ask the flight attendance what was the time and date in Japan, and she answered,"21 October, 8:00am, sir."
"Shit." I said, out loud, shocking the old woman that sit behind me. How could I have forgotten that time changed in different countries!
I searched my bag frankly, finding at last a photo. I hugged it near my heart before looking at it. I talked to each one of it, just as if I was talking face to face with them.
The fat boy at the very left of the photo was Junpei. I hope his fat body isn't still like that after all these years. Next to him was Tomoki, the small boy that was just ten years old when we took the picture.
I was kneeling in the middle, with my fingers in a 'V' pose. Behind me stood Takuya, his goggles reflecting the sunlight. Then, next to him were the twins. Kouichi looked tried in the photo, maybe because he just came out of the hospital. He was still wearing the white clothes that belonged to the hospital.
At last, the blue long hair boy that looked identical to his twin stood beside me. His hair was tied in a ponytail and a bandanna covered half of it. He had an arm over Kouichi's shoulders. "Kouji." I heard myself whispering.
I remembered how I had pulled all of us together for a photo, and wrote each of their names for them on it. On mine, I had signed my name as well: 'Izumi'.
Arthor Note : This is actually my first story. I'd appriciate it if you can review and tell me what you think about it. I have a lot of things planned for this story, and I really hope I can finish it. I'm not really hoping for a very popular story with hundreds of reviews... I just hope I can really write out something, and finish it. Thank you for taking your time to read it (Bowing).