Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon

A/N: The last chapter has been the longest I've ever written! Who's ready for a little Koumi?


Chapter 7

"Makoto…" Mom called that next morning. "Makoto, wake up."

My eyes opened with my sight on Tanemon. She was sleeping peacefully next to me. It was too bad I had to wake her up, but I had school today. The good part was that it was a Friday and the last day of school. That's nice. But getting up wasn't nice. I had a bad head ache and a sore throat. Just great. The last thing I needed was a cold.

Especially on a day like today.

Mom nearly busted the door down, looking tired but at the same time very alert. "Makoto, get up."

"I'm up." I told her, barely moving a muscle.

"I need you to pack your things." She told me, picking up some of my things and putting them in suitcases.

"But I have to get ready for school."

"You're not going to school. You're going to pack up and do what I say, okay?"

"We're packing?" Tanemon asked. "Are we moving to the grandparents' house?"

"Yes, we are." Mom answered. "So get up and get packing, please."

"But Mom…" I couldn't finish my sentence because I heard something I only heard once in a nightmare: Mom crying. She was facing away from me and her shoulders were shaking. "Are you okay, Mom?"

"Your father hurt me pretty badly, but I'll be fine." She wiped her tears and sat down next to me. "I know you love your father but some things happen… Anyway, I just want to let you know that you're not coming back."

I gasped. The air nearly choked me as my stomach flopped. What happened between my parents? What's going to happen to us? "Never?" I asked in disbelief. Mom only shook her head. Dad must've done something horrible. I knew that it wasn't my place to intervene. I guess I'll have to go along with whatever Mom has planned. I slowly got out of bed. "Okay. I'll pack."

"Thank you." She gave me a great big Mom hug. When she let go, her smile faded into a look of concern. "Do you want to live with Grandma and Grandpa?"

I sighed. She's going to find out the truth sooner or later. "To be honest, I really don't. I mean, living there for a little while is okay, but I don't want to stay there forever."

She nodded. "Okay. I'll think of something. But you have to remember that I'm trying."

"I know." This time I gave her a hug. "Don't worry so much, Mom."

"You're right." She sighed before getting up. "Get packed. We'll just go to a motel or something for a while until I could afford something else."

"Okay." I hated whenever Mom was upset. I know anyone would be if their mom was upset, but my mom was different. She usually smiled all of the time. She's a cheery person unless she was complaining about something or just cranky. That's how Mom is! But when she's upset, it's a different story. There's a haunting tone to her expression and it will just stay there like some serious B.O. on a skunk. It was the haunted look in her face that would just kill you on the inside.

Once she left the room, I began packing. I guess today was going to be the first day to a new life. Dad must've done something terrible, so there's nothing left to do but leave.

"Makoto, you don't look so good." Tanemon said as I started coughing. "Are you okay?"

"It's just a cold." I coughed. "I'll be fine."

"No, it's not that." I dropped the shirt I was holding and paid full attention to what Tanemon had to say. What was she getting at? "It's your heart."

"What about my heart?"

"It seems to be broken."

I sighed, picking up my Digimon. "I guess I'm kind of upset. I mean, Dad does a lot of stuff, but he's never upset Mom to a point where she said that she's never coming back. I know that every time we leave to the grandparents', she doesn't say that we'll never come back. I guess…I am heartbroken."

"Don't be sad, Makoto. At least you have me." Tanemon smiled at me. It was nice and sincere and warm-welcoming. That was what I needed at the moment.

"Thank you, Tanemon." I gave her a huge hug. "You sure know how to make a guy happy."

"Come on. Let's pack up and leave him. Your dad deserves to be alone after what he's done to your mom."

I nodded before coughing again. By the end of today, I'm going to be exhausted!

Pack! Pack! Pack!

"Here's your new home for the next week!" Mom cheered as she opened the door to this run down motel. It was kind of…bad. It smelt kind of moldy, the lighting was dim, and the wall paper was stained with something I didn't want to know. Of course, I was saddened. This is the worst birthday surprise ever. No doubt about that! "I know it's not so good, but this is all I can afford right now until I get my next paycheck." She said this as she stepped inside the room and placed a suitcase on the bed. Suddenly and much to Mom's dislike, a roach crawled from underneath the covers and into the bathroom. She screamed at first and wrapped her arms around herself, but then she was fine. "It's going to be okay. Don't worry."

I nodded. "If you say so, Mom…"

"Makoto, I'm trying. This isn't easy for me either, you know." She took a deep breath. "Well, at least we can say that this is an adventure!"

"If you say so, Mom…"

I crawled into bed and shut my eyes as Tanemon climbed on top of my head. "I think he's just tired." She told Mom.

"You're probably right." Mom responded. "Sleep tight, Makoto."

But I didn't. I was kind of worried about Mom. Ever since we packed our things into Mom's van, she's been covering up her heartache with a fake smile. Anyone else would think it was real, but I didn't. The way she lifted those suitcases and tossed them in the trunk was something I would never forget. She didn't know I was there, but I still heard her mumbling about how Dad something something and Jen something something. I don't know who Jen is, but she must have something to do with something.

Every time I asked for answers, she would always say the same thing. "Don't worry about it."

"Mom…" I finally said in the middle of the night.

"What is it?" She asked full of concern. "Did you have a nightmare?"

"No." I turned over and scavenged the darkness for the lamp. When I found it, I turned it on (with much struggle might I add) to see Mom's face. "What happened between you and Dad?"

"Don't worry…"

"Mom," I pressed, "I want the truth."

She looked at me with intensity. I could tell that she was trying to decide whether or not to tell me. She knew I was ready. I just want her to just tell me already! "Makoto, you're getting to be a big kid. I'll just tell you that your dad was seeing someone else."

"What do you mean seeing someone else? Seeing someone else do what?"

"No," she laughed then got serious, "I mean that he's dating another woman."

"Oh." I only said. "Are you going to get a divorce?"

"No."

"But, Mom, Dad is cheating on you. Don't you think…"

"Makoto," she interrupted, "I'm not going to get a divorce because we weren't married."

"You weren't?" She shook her head. "Why not?"

She shifted her position and got a little more comfortable facing me. "Well," she said after a pause of thought, "you know how the guy will always get down to one knee, present a pretty ring, and say 'Will you marry me'?" I nodded. "Well, your dad never did that."

"Why not?"

She sighed. "I don't know."

I could tell she was upset by the way she turned onto her back and looked at the…stained ceiling. "Don't worry, Mom." I told her. "At least you have me."

She snapped her head towards me and saw the seriousness written on my face. Still, she didn't believe what she just heard. "Really?"

"Yes. I wouldn't want you to go off alone."

She gave me the first real smile I've seen all day. It was so nice. Just what I needed. "Thank you, son. That's what I really needed to hear."

I didn't know it was my cold or my sympathy talking, but something possessed me to get out of bed and take Tanemon with me. I stepped onto the cold somewhat mushy carpet and stopped at Mom's bed. She was confused when I lifted up the covers and crawled inside, snuggling into Mom's arms. That's when I felt something warm on the top of my head: a kiss. Just like her, comfort is what I needed, and the best way to get it is through a mother's kiss.

Snore! Snore! Snore!

Different POV! Different POV! Different POV!

Snore! Snore! Snore!

I woke up that next morning feeling pretty guilty. I know I shouldn't but I'm the one who nearly dragged Makoto here. The first thing I could do to was get on the internet and search for cheap apartments nearby. As I did this, Makoto woke up with a terrible cough. The last thing I needed was for him to choke to death! "Are you okay?" I asked him.

"Yeah, it's just a cold. I'll be fine." He said as he shifted a little in the covers, revealing his face. It was slightly discolored (just a little bit), his eyes were reddened (just a little), and sweat was glistening (you could barely notice). This only made me feel more guilt. I dragged my only son to a horrible motel when he was sick. Way to go, Mimi.

"Don't worry, Makoto. I'm going to run to the store and get you some medicine." I dug around in my suitcase for some clean clothes. I didn't put them in the drawers (or anywhere for that matter) because they were probably full of creepy crawlers and little furry friends. That's the last thing I needed. When I grabbed some, I headed for the shower. The worst part came when the water wouldn't come on. What kind of Motel is this? As a little girl, I would've cried, but I'm an adult now. I can't cry because of a little mishap like this, especially not in front of my son. Therefore, I sucked it up and got changed. "I'll be back!" I called before leaving.

I felt safe when I was actually at the store. There, I was alone. That is, I was the only one I knew. I was calling Sora as I went down the aisles. Unfortunately, she didn't answer my first seven calls. Before I tried another call, someone caught my attention. "Mimi?"

I turned around. "Izzy! Hi!" I greeted with a hug. "How are you?"

"I'm just fine. How are you?"

"Fine." I lied. I know that it's insincere of me to lie, but I didn't want him to worry about my problems. Unfortunately, he knew that. We used to date back when we were teenagers, so now he knows what I'm thinking before I said anything.

"Are you sure?"

I shook my head. "No. I left Norio yesterday."

"Oh, Mimi…" He was speechless. I could tell as his face just fell like a sack of potatoes. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Don't be. It was only a matter of time anyway." The image of Norio and a mystery woman that I've never seen made me feel horrible. I felt like I was used. I didn't mean anything to him anymore. With Izzy standing there, made it pure instinct. I started bawling right in front of him. Back when we used to date, I could cry in front of him and Izzy would always take me in and wrap his arms around me. Then he did. It felt so warm and welcoming. I could just stay in his arms forever, but I remembered my son at that awful motel.

"Don't worry, Mimi. I'm always here for you. Just give me a call, okay?"

I nodded, wiping tears from my eyes. "Thank you, Izzy." I said. "I have to go." Sheepishly, I fled.

"Okay. Bye." He said after me.

But as he was walking the opposite direction away from me, I couldn't help but to watch him. I didn't remember what happened between us at this point. Why did we break up all of those years back?

Maybe it was the grief of a lost boyfriend talking, but I was thinking of him all the way to the motel. We used to be together all of the time. The last time I remembered kissing him was at the entrance to his college dorm building. That's where he and Tai shared dorm rooms. Why was it the last time again? Oh right. We broke up because of the long distance relationship. It didn't work then. He was just too busy and I was a million miles away.

As I fumbled around for my room key, I continued thinking of the time where I fantasized about being Mrs. Mimi Izumi. That's probably not going to happen now that he has a beautiful wife and a beautiful daughter. "Makoto, I'm back!" I called as soon as I got in.

"Mom, I'm here!" He called back. Him and Tanemon must've been having fun, I thought after hearing all of the giggles. I also noticed that he was fully dressed. "We were just watching a little TV."

"That's nice." I said pretty blankly. "Come here. Let me give you some medicine."

"Okay."

I poured the right amount into the tiny cup it came with and watched him gulp it down. "You won't believe who I saw at the store."

"Who?"

"Izzy. Do you remember him?"

He nodded. "That's the guy you used to date, right?"

"Right. How'd you know?"

"You told me." He sat down on his bed. "Look at what we found!"

I walked over to him and my laptop that was in his lap. "You're going to like it!" Tanemon cheered.

I looked closer to the screen which had a list of cheap apartments for rent. It was also in my budget, too! "Wow, good job Makoto!" I gave him a huge hug.

"It was Tanemon's idea."

I looked over at Tanemon who was on Makoto's head and smiling. "Thank you both." I told them.

"And this one is very close by!" Makoto pointed to one that was actually pretty cheap and was kind of cute. Then again, it's just a picture. What if we go over there and…? What difference would it make? It's better than here!

"It is close! You can stay at the same school!" I gave him another hug. "Makoto, you and Tanemon did a very good thing!"

"Tell us something we don't know, Mom." Makoto laughed. "So when can we get out of here?"

"It kind of depends." I grabbed my purse. "Let's go over there and see."

"Yay!" Tanemon cheered.

Drive! Drive! Drive!

When I got to the place, I was honestly ready to turn back around. It was quiet. Too quiet. I've never been in a quieter place. I held Makoto close to me and Tanemon stayed on his head as we walked up to the tall information building thing. "Hello?" I called when we got there. No one was behind the desk at the time. Makoto tried ringing the table bell but it wouldn't work. "I'm here to rent an apartment!" I tried calling again.

"One minute!" Someone—a lady?—called back. Suddenly, there were a few rummaging sounds and then a loud crash. "Stupid box!" She yelled.

I looked down at Makoto who only looked at me without moving his head of course.

Then, the lady came out of a room that was on our right. She had short, messy grey hair and was as skinny as a toothpick. Her face was covered in a small amount of wrinkles so I guessed that she just turned fifty or something. "How can I help you?" She asked with a raspy voice before she coughed a loud, hacking cough. It was the kind smokers do.

"Yes," I continued, "I saw on the internet that you have some rooms available."

She only looked at me for a minute and looked at Makoto or Tanemon. Then she looked back at me and said "How many bedrooms do you want?"

"One." I answered before she hacked again.

"Let me check on my computer." She turned around and walked away. Honestly, this woman was making me uncomfortable. I think Makoto noticed when I kept on squeezing him closer to me.

"Wow, look at that!" Tanemon cheered. "It has a cool pool!"

"That is cool!" Makoto cheered. Their laughter came to a complete stop when the lady came back.

"You're in luck." She said. "We do have one." She stepped around the desk and towards us. "Follow me." The lady started walking along a few steps before I followed her.

As we walked passed a few buildings, I noticed that there were a lot of kids running around. They were all poorly clothed and pretty skinny. One lady was there with the kids, but she was pretty large herself and poorly clothed as well. A little further from there, a fight was going on against two teenage guys and no one was watching or trying to stop them. Of course I was a little frazzled, but I knew it was going to be worth getting out of that motel where we heard police sirens all of the time.

"You'll be in building seventeen. I'm Stacie Gordon, your landlord. I'll take care of you if you need anything." She went up a few steps. "You'll be in 601." She pointed to the numbers on the door. "Remember that number." Then she took out some keys. When the door opened, a musty smell exploded out, making me wince. "The owner was a slob. The smell should go away once all of his stuff is gone." She stepped inside. Again, I hesitated before following.

"Do we get to meet the owner?" I asked, hoping she would say no.

Stacie only cackled. "The owner?" She laughed. "The owner's dead!"

"Did he die here?" Makoto asked.

"Oh, heavens, no. No one dies here. We're too classy!" What a lie! "The owner died in a car crash three blocks away."

I raised an eyebrow and looked around. It was kind of…bland. In fact, this place wouldn't look so bad if I just put a few things on the wall. "What do you think, Makoto?"

He shrugged. "It's better than the motel."

"How soon can we move in?"

Stacie looked around. "Judging by all of the stuff he has, I'd say you'll be ready to go by…what day is it?"

"Saturday." I told her.

"Then, it should be ready by next Friday." She smiled.

"That's nice!" I smiled at Makoto who was still looking around. "We'll be back then with our things."

"Good! Let's go back to my office and talk business!"


So that's chapter 7! Review and tell me what you think! Don't worry. This isn't the end of it! More to come later!