A/N: Reading like crazy as I try to stave off the cold. And writing a little. This is a filler chapter, to be honest, but fillers have to happen sometimes. I couldn't find a way around getting this content mixed in, because it's important for just general flow issues later.
In other news, I realized I've never actually explained the title of this crossover. "Deemed Again." To be honest, I didn't come up with the title until I posted the first chapter. In my mind, this was always known as the Digimon/Avatar crossover fic, and I literally save the chapter files under titles of 'DA *chapter number*'. So, when I got around to actually coming up with a real title, I decided I wanted to keep referring to it as DA, because that's what this is, in my mind. And...somehow, the words I inserted, "Deemed Again," makes a bit of sense. Kind of. It could work. You tell me.
And nobody really asked about it, I know, I just like putting random life stories up here. Gives me something to contemplate. Enjoy the actual chapter, and review if you feel so inclined!
"Well, um...hello, there...um...Min-"
"Mokumon."
"Mokumon. Yes. Er..." Zuko turned to the other occupants of the room downstairs, two girls. "What am I doing, exactly?"
The redhead smirked. "You're talking to him. Your Digimon wants interaction right now. This is literally his Baby form, so he has the mentality of a baby."
"So he'll get to the 'old man' form some day?" Mai asked, also smirking. She was enjoying this immensely, and she could tell Zuko didn't exactly appreciate the strangeness of the situation. Too bad. This was cute, in an insane way. His Digi-egg had hatched into Mokumon, a small, cloud-like creature, with a quaint little flame atop its head-if you could say that thing had a head-and two glowing orbs for eyes. Yes, insane, but cute. It appeared to be incapable of doing anything more than floating and drooling.
The redheaded girl laughed. "No. The forms aren't like that. The highest-that I know of, anyway-is Mega. And they can't stay at Mega for long...it takes too much energy."
"I'm...confused. Um...what does it do?" Zuko asked, a strange expression on his face, as though he were unsure if he enjoyed his new lap partner or if he were grossed out by the little ball of smoke.
"Do?" the girl asked, sounding just as confused. "Why would it do anything?"
Mai chuckled. "Sora, right? I think Zuko meant, what is it capable of?" Zuko nodded slowly.
"Well...it will Digivolve sometime, into who knows what...then you can ask him yourself."
"This thing talks?" Mai asked, an eyebrow raised. Yep. Definitely interesting.
Sora was looking around, sadly, almost. "They usually do. They can become your best friend, if you let them..."
Everyone else had long since abandoned the three of them. Iroh had offered the newcomers room and board up above the Jasmine Dragon, which, after a bit of argument between Tai and blue-haired Joe, they had graciously accepted. One by one, the others had returned upstairs to bed-it was late, after all. Zuko had remained sitting, imprisoned by the strange creature on top of him. Mai had remained to get some private time. And Sora had insisted that she wasn't tired just yet.
Mai didn't believe her. But there was no use causing an argument. Too much effort for too little gain.
There were footsteps from the stairs, and Iroh appeared, descending into view. "Nephew, I have had to change the rooms around a bit to fit everyone. Aang and Sokka are sharing a room, as are Katara and Toph. Mai, would you mind sharing with Suki? I never knew I would get this popular, to have a full house."
Mai shrugged in obligation. "Might as well."
"Thank you, Mr. Iroh," Sora said, a pleasant smile on her face. "We've never been this...welcome...after changing worlds."
Iroh shrugged off her gratitude. "It is my honor, child, to host such an assortment of guests. The Avatar, the Firelord, a Metalbender, two of the Water tribe, a Kyoshi warrior, the daughter of a prominent Fire Nation family, and eight strangers from a different world. The stories that we can share...!"
He motioned around the room, allowing many of the lights to dim to the barest trickle of flame. "Go up to bed when you are ready. Mai, this young lady is across the hall from your room, if you'd show her there later." Mai nodded politely, and watched as Zuko wished his uncle a good night. Iroh disappeared up the stairs once again, leaving the three alone.
"So...Motsu-"
"Mokumon," Sora corrected, leaving Mai to chuckle.
Sora wasn't quite sure what she was doing. She was tired, yes...even if, in her world, it was probably only mid-afternoon still, she was tired. She would blame world-jumping.
Zuko was trying to speak to the baby Digimon again. After it had hatched, the Digidestined had tried to figure out which type it was; Tai was convinced it had been a Yukimibotamon, even though TK, Kari, and Izzy had all quickly stated that they had never seen anything like this one before.
After a bit of chaos-in which Sokka, the Water Tribe member, had started to tease Zuko on his new 'cuddly' pet, and Zuko refused to touch it-Matt and Joe had pressured Izzy into looking into it. His laptop was on for a total of one minute, twenty-four seconds-Joe had aptly kept time.
They learned, not just that Zuko's partner was a Mokumon, but that Izzy only had 84% power left on his computer.
Sora would be worried, but the Mokumon looked frightened; so, when the rest of the Digidestined and habitants had gone upstairs to bed, Sora had sent TK and Kari up and had stayed behind to help ease the young Digimon's fears.
And so, here she was, forsaking bed and gentle sleep to make sure the baby was all right. Maybe she was just being motherly; but she would accept that.
Either way, she was glad she stayed behind. Zuko was hopeless with babies, it appeared. He hadn't touched it yet.
"It's not poisonous, you know," Sora said, offhandedly.
Zuko looked at her. "I know that."
"Then why don't you let it know that it's all right?"
"Why would I do that?" He asked, angrily. Some of the flames in the background burst higher, to Sora's surprise.
"Zuko?" Mai said, sounding a little irritated. She placed a hand on his arm. "Calm down. You're scaring it."
True enough, the baby had started to form little tears around its eyes. Sora was sure that wasn't a good thing-after all, it had a precarious tongue of flame atop its head. Water couldn't be good for it.
Zuko, too, noticed this. His expression quickly became more tranquil. "Sorry," he said quietly. "Um...it's okay, Mokumon. I...uh, I'm...here?"
Despite his statement becoming more of a question than anything else, his words seemed to have the desired effect. Mokumon let out a little sigh of comfort and cuddled deeper into his partner's arms. Zuko's face turned red.
Eventually, Mai stood up. "As...inspiring as this is, I'm going to bed now. Sora, come with me."
As Sora stood up, Zuko squirmed, a frightened expression on his face. "You're going to leave me here? Alone?"
"You'll have Mokumon," Sora said, slyly. "He'll protect you from the scary monsters." She was sure she saw a smile from Mai at that-this girl didn't show much emotion.
"But...can't I get up? Please?" Zuko protested.
The two girls looked at the Digimon. It had fallen asleep, a contented smile on its smoky face. "If you wake up that baby, Zuko..." Mai left the threat hanging. "Good night. See you in the morning."
With that, they walked up the stairs and away from the dark-haired boy.
Mai led the way up the stairs and into the stone hallway. Sora followed slowly, yawning from time to time. After a few seconds of silence, the redhead frowned.
"Mai?"
The girl in question grunted in response.
"What's...what happened to Zuko? Why does he..."
"Have the scar?" Mai finished quietly. Sora looked embarrassed; normally, Mai would be annoyed by such a blatant question, but it was late, and she still didn't feel it was worthwhile to get into a fight right then. "I'd wait for him to tell you. It's none of your business until then."
"Oh...okay," Sora muttered, blushing. They stopped in front of Sora's new room. "Thank you, Mai."
"Don't mention it." It was dark outside, and quiet; Bah Sing Se had finally decided to go to sleep. "One more thing..."
Mai moved with speed. One moment she had been standing several feet away from the Digidestined girl, the next she had her against the wall, a throwing knife cutting through an inch of baggy sweater and into the stone wall, holding her in place. Sora's eyes widened.
"You don't know me. You don't know us. Remember that," Mai whispered intensely. "Remember that I don't trust you. Iroh might think that you eight are some sort of saviors, but he's been wrong before. If you do anything...anything...that makes me doubt your intentions...my knives never miss."
With decided finality, she grabbed the end of the knife and pulled it out of the wall in one solid motion. "Good night," she said, more gently.
That wasn't an argument. She was too tired for an argument. That was merely an statement of facts.
Sora watched as Mai entered the room across the hallway. Her heart was beating fast, faster than it should have been, faster than it had when she had first been attacked by that Kuwagamon, all those years ago. That had been a scary monster, unfamiliar and almost unrealistic.
This threat was a girl about her own age, and a sharp-looking knife.
This world was less familiar and more scary than the Digiworld had ever been, and this was only the first night.
Sora took a deep breath, trying to calm herself; after a few minutes, she opened the door and walked into her new room.
There was one bed in the small room, along with several blankets and pillows lined up on the floor. One set was nicely made up; the other was in a disarray. Sora saw why: Mimi must have let Kari take the bed, only to join her after a few minutes of tossing and turning on the harder floor. At the moment, the older girl had her arms around the little brunette, and both were soundly sleeping.
Smiling, in spite of the terrifying event that had just taken place, Sora folded the wrinkled blankets in the darkness and put them atop the pillow. Then she stripped off her sweater-aware of the neat slice now present in one of the purple-and-red striped sleeves-and, glad she had worn a tank top underneath, she slid herself onto her makeshift bed.
The floor was cold, but that was welcoming after the day...no, night...of activity and observations.
Matt was the first to get up. He wasn't an early riser-he enjoyed sleep as much as any other teenage boy did. But he was...uncomfortable. TK had shared the bed with his brother, but it was far from big enough for the two, and TK liked to stretch out as he slept. Matt hadn't remembered that, but it might have been new. He saw his brother more often than before their first adventure, but they were still separated more than they were together.
But, what with TK taking up all of the bed and Joe murmuring in his sleep on the floor, Matt was far from comfortable. At times like this, in the past, he liked to walk around and be by himself-not that he minded if Gabumon joined him. But Gabumon wasn't here. Matt wasn't exactly sure where 'here' was.
Nevertheless, old habits die hard. In the dim light of morning, Matt quietly got out of the bed, making sure his brother was covered completely in the fleece blankets, tiptoed past Joe, and walked down the stairs of the tea shop.
A strange sight met his eyes. Zuko, the fire maker or whatever it was called, was sound asleep in the wooden chair, the Mokumon dreaming atop him. The boy's hands were resting on top of the cloud. If Tai or Sora were up, Matt would have made a remark about this being perfect blackmail material; as it were, he simply smirked and gave the two a wide berth as he left the tea shop.
The sun was barely visible above the trees and buildings; it was still too early for workers to be up and about. The blond walked down the stone pathway, his head turning slowly in every direction. Bah Sing Se was, apparently, a large city of the Earth Kingdom, which in turn was the largest of the four nations of this world.
What surprised Matt the most was that there were only four nations in this world. It made sense-one for each power, or bending, if that were what it was called. But, still...Earth was so diverse, so many different people. It had hundreds of religions and countries; Izzy or Joe probably knew the exact number, but they weren't there at the moment.
The world seemed so much smaller with only four countries. Sure, the Digiworld didn't actually have countries or divisions of that type...only continents or islands...but...still...
Trying to keep track of the different intersections and roads, Matt went exploring on his own.
"Katara...Katara. Wake up already," a voice was saying. Katara rolled over, clutching her pillow tightly to her chest. Sleep was a wonderful thing...
"Oh, come on, Sweatbender. Get up!" With a frown of resignation, she recognized the intruding voice as Toph's. "This is so messed up. You're supposed to force me awake, not the other way around. Come on, up! Don't make me Earthbend!"
The Waterbender moaned and opened her eyes. The room was barely lit. "Toph...isn't this a bit early for wake-up call?"
"Well, I can't actually tell, but I can't feel anyone moving around yet. I'd guess it's pretty early."
Katara groaned. "If no one's up, why are we?"
"Because, Lazypuss, I've got a plan."
Rubbing her eyes, Katara sat up and ran a hand through her long hair. Toph was standing a few feet away, her hair already in a bun. She, unexpectedly, looked ready for the day. "A plan for how to annoy me?"
"Nope, but that's a good suggestion. I'll remember that for next time." Toph smirked evilly. "My actual plan is much more clever."
"And it is?"
"We hatch our Digieggs."
She put it so simply, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Which, to Toph at the moment, it probably was. Katara had doubts, however, and she was sure she would have more if she weren't still exhausted from being woken up in the early morning. "And why would we do that?"
Toph pointed an arm at Katara's egg, sitting gently on her nightstand. "Imagine Sokka's expression if we went downstairs with two new Digi-whatsits. His jaw would hit the floor!"
"So you only want to irk my brother?"
"Hey, you have to admit, it's kind of fun." Katara gave the blind girl a small grin, then, remembering, she made a grunt of agreement. "I was going to have us spy on the newbies, but I didn't think you'd like that plan all that much."
"Correct."
"Anyway, one of them disappeared about thirty minutes ago. I think he's off exploring or something." Toph started walking toward where a blanket was resting on the ground, her residence of the night. On top of the wrinkled blanket was her own egg. "So, shall we crack some shells?"
The street finally started becoming alive, just as the sun was a little less than halfway above the house tops. It was about time for Matt to turn back. He had found a little bridge about ten minutes away from the tea shop and had spent his time watching the water flow. If the water formed into little balls around him at times, well, maybe he was a little curious. His water manipulation proved futile, anyway. He couldn't seem to do more than lift it several feet in the air, before it fell down with a horrible splash.
He missed his harmonica. He seemed to be missing a lot these days. Maybe he could try to get a new instrument here, in this city.
"Eh, early morning deals!" a man clad in green and white greeted him on his way back. The stranger looked curiously at his bright hair before shrugging and pointing at a cart behind him. "Strange hair. Anyway. Buy some fresh fruit and vegetables for the day's meals?"
"...no, thanks..." Matt refused quietly, a little disconcerted. Nobody was this direct in Japan. What if the man got angry? Could someone get angry for not buying their wares? However, the fresh-produce seller merely shrugged again and shooed him away.
More booths-and doors-opened as Matt walked. What could only be restaurants began emitting the delicious scent of fresh bread and tea; men and women cranked open windows and put out signs, displaying that day's specials. Peeking inside a few, Matt was surprised at how nice everything looked. There was no sign of that dank alley they had fallen in the day before.
"And where are you headed, young man?" asked an elderly lady, not unkindly, as she walked out of her lavish home.
Matt blinked. "Er...the...Lavender Dragon?" That was its name, he thought he remembered.
"The Lavender Dragon? I've never heard of such a store. Now, the Jasmine Dragon, that's a wonderful establishment...I go for tea there every morning, the owner is so polite, he noticed my new moccasins the day I got them..."
Ah. The Jasmine Dragon. Matt rolled his eyes and, muttering an apology that might have sounded a bit more like a mumbled stream of words, ran away from the woman and down the path.
Sora woke up to someone stepping on her.
Well, at least, he or she almost stepped on her. Before the foot could collide completely with her body, it rebounded, realizing what it was doing. Sora heard a small shriek and a plunk as that someone fell over.
Mimi was rubbing her side, looking at Sora apologetically. "Sorry. I didn't notice you there."
Sora yawned and nodded. "S'okay," she responded. She yawned wider. "What time is it?"
"Too early, but Joe ran in here and said that we were having breakfast downstairs, and to meet them as soon as possible." Mimi got back to her feet, looking with disdain at her green jacket strewn on the floor. "Do you think it'll be hot outside today?"
"How would I know?" Sora asked, still tired. She started to pull on her sweater; she stopped when her hand found the hole in the sleeve.
Maybe she should tell someone about that encounter with Mai. It was strange, and slightly freaky, and she should warn everyone to be on guard...
But, at the same time, she couldn't. Mai wasn't intentionally trying to scare her; okay, so she was, but not just to scare her for that alone. No, Mai was trying to protect her friends. It was like Matt had said last night: who would trust eight random kids that came from a different world? Sora would probably have done the same thing, if she were in Mai's position.
That was a lie, Sora thought with a frown. She didn't think she'd ever be able to pull a knife on someone, even if they were endangering herself or her friends. She'd never had to consider that before. Maybe...
The other thing-the thing that Sora had tried not to think about, that she was sure the others had tried not to think about-was that they weren't as close as they once were. She, Tai, and Matt hung out in class, and she used to email Mimi...but...but not in a while. What was the point, after all, of holding on to something that wasn't coming back?
The problem was that it had come back. After three years. And she had been threatened-they all had been threatened-and now Sora wasn't sure if it was right to tell those who had once been her friends what had happened.
"Sora? Are you coming?" Mimi asked innocently, holding the door to the hallway open. Sora slowly stood up, finished putting on her jacket, and followed Mimi down to the ground floor.
"Stop! Thief!"
"I didn't do anything!" Matt shouted back.
The accusing man, wearing a floppy chef's hat, pointed a finger at the blond. "Liar! I saw you take my cabbage! Give it back!"
"It fell; I put it back! I don't have a cabbage! Where would I hide a cabbage?" Matt questioned, but his response fell on empty ears. The man started shouting for guards.
Watching, Matt shook his head, his eyes wide, ignoring the stares of onlookers. He had passed by the cabbage merchant's cart twice, sure, but only because he realized halfway down the street that he had taken a wrong turn. And, sure, he had ran into the cart on the way back, but it wasn't his fault the ground had suddenly moved and he had tripped into it.
And, if one stupid measly cabbage had fallen and he had considerately put it back, it wasn't his fault that he was being accused of thievery.
Who would steal a cabbage, anyway?
Nevertheless, his protests were unheard, and before Matt had time to quietly walk away, two guards, wearing heavy-looking green uniforms, swiftly approached.
"He's a thief!" the merchant said loudly. "Off with his head!"
Matt balked. They didn't-cut off heads-for stealing...did they? The two guards came closer.
That was when Matt realized that he'd rather not lose his head, even if the merchant was just being overzealous. With a feint in the opposite direction that somehow fooled the two guards, Matt took off down an alleyway behind him. The sound of footsteps quickly filled the air after him. The alley connected into another busy street, and he dodged between people, animals, and goods as he tried to escape. People scattered, ducked, leaped; one person stood still in shock, and Matt ran into him, knocking him aside and using the change in direction to enter a new intersection.
And, in the middle of running, someone was calling for him, waving her hands at him to...to join her.
"Hurry!" the person gave a carrying whisper. "Under here!"
Without a pause, Matt ducked under his helper's own cart of merchandise-finely shaped rocks and jewelry. He tried to quell his panting.
"You, there," came a voice: one of the guards. "Did you see a boy run by?"
"There are tons of boys," the girl who had helped him said, in a flirting voice. "You'll have to be a bit more specific, I'm afraid."
Matt could practically see the guards turn to roll their eyes at each other. "He had on strange attire, and atrociously bright yellow hair."
"Yellow hair? Really? You're joking, right?" the girl laughed. The guards, mumbling to themselves, walked away.
A few moments later, a face leaned down next to where Matt was crouching. "The coast is clear, cutie."
"...thanks..." Matt slowly stood up. He couldn't believe his luck, that the two guards didn't see him duck under the cart. The number of people in the street must have helped him evade their view.
His savior, a girl about his age with brown hair in a ponytail, smiled slyly at him. "So, thief, are you?"
"Wh-what? No, I..."
"Relax," she said, reaching up and putting a finger on his mouth to silence him. He felt himself go red at the contact; this place was much too direct. "I know you tripped. I made you trip, after all."
"You...you Earth bent the ground!" Matt exclaimed, blushing even more.
The girl shrugged. "And? It got your attention, didn't it?"
Matt blinked. "My...attention? Why do you want...oh, um..."
"You, me, tonight, at the Fountain of Lights. You owe me for saving you from those guards, after all."
Matt tried to regain his composure. This was just another obsessed fan. Sure, she had nothing to be a fan over, but he was getting used to this reaction. "Technically, I wouldn't have been in trouble with the guards if you hadn't thrown me at the cabbage cart in the first place."
"We'll discuss the finer points of our first meeting tonight, okay?" the girl responded, smirking.
"No, thanks," Matt said simply, and, without waiting for her response-which probably would have made MetalSeadramon look tame-he took off running, trying to find a familiar street.
As Mai transcended the stairs, not entirely fully refreshed nor completely exhausted, she didn't know what to expect. There were a lot of people to cram into the tea shop, especially since it was open for its morning business. So when Iroh smiled and directed her through a door in the back of the kitchen, she wasn't too surprised to find a little picnic taking place in the Dragon's herb garden. There were several tables set up-he probably had refused to allow a rock table to be bent into the garden, for fear of the plants-on which were multiple pots of tea and breakfast cakes. Sokka and Tai were devouring a plate of the sweets, gulping down tea in between bites.
Mai meandered over to Zuko, who was standing under a green tree. The Mokumon, which Zuko was holding as if it were a baby, was snoring gently, its face devoid of expression. Zuko gave a half-smile.
"I didn't wake him," he said, looking with almost an affectionate gaze at the Digimon. "I actually fell asleep last night; when I woke up, Iroh sent me out here, so I moved slowly...and he's still asleep." He seemed astonished by this simple fact.
Maybe there was hope for him yet.
The Jasmine Dragon was crowded. Quite crowded. Matt balked at the sight of so many people, most of which were dressed in natural greens and browns and whites, entering the tea shop. After someone pushed past him, to which he offered a few choice words which were thankfully lost in the morning din of movement, he himself found his way into Iroh's shop.
The old man was directing customers and waiters, sniffing tea every few seconds, and never letting a wide grin leave his face. Actually, most people were smiling.
This place was too happy.
If his count was correct, while Matt had been returning, he had gotten five direct questions about his hair color, two about his 'outlandish' attire, and three (one from a woman with two children trailing behind her) offers to 'show him around the city;' he was pretty sure that they were offering a bit more than that, however. And that didn't include the crazy cabbage encounter and his would-be rescuer.
Matt almost missed Japan. At least in Odaiba he knew how to escape admiring mobs.
At last, Iroh spotted him, standing by the front doors. He motioned him over, then pointed toward the kitchens. "They're breakfasting outside. A little more privacy, I believe, is necessary."
The herb garden was pretty, full of plants Matt didn't recognize. Not that he often observed plants...that was something Sora, or even Mimi, would do. Not him. But Matt was still impressed. He slowly wandered over to sit next to Tai, who was eating contently.
"So, where were you?" the brunette asked, offering a piece of what might have been lemon cake. Matt refused. "Joe says you weren't there when he woke up, and he woke up really early."
Matt shrugged and poured himself a cup of tea. "I was exploring."
Tai gave him a funny look. "If you get lost here, I'm going to laugh."
"You might not laugh for a while, then."
Sora and Mimi joined them at the table, both looking tired but ready for the new day. The elder girl kept on glancing in the direction of a few of the denizens of this world, a boy and a girl about Matt“s age who were talking together. The boy was the one who's Digiegg had hatched the night before.
"Sora? Are you okay?" Matt asked, preparing to pour her and Mimi some tea. Sora jumped at the direct question.
"Oh. Um...yeah. I'm fine," she said quickly, looking around nervously. She offered him and Tai a grin. "Where's TK and Kari?"
Tai shook his head. "Inside. Katara-she's the Waterbender, I think-said she needed their help with something."
Matt looked toward the building. "And you left them alone?" he asked, slightly angry. They didn't know these people. What if something happened?
Tai rolled his eyes. "Relax. Izzy's with them. They promised they'd come down as soon as they were done with whatever it was they were doing."
"Why are we doing this?"
Katara stifled a groan; beside her, TK and Kari, the two youngest Digidestined, giggled. "This is how we hatch Digieggs. And you, for some unknown reason, wanted to hatch our Digieggs."
She and Toph had grabbed TK and Kari before they went downstairs; Katara had wanted to make sure that, whatever she and Toph did, they didn't hurt the eggs or the things inside. So she had wanted someone who had known about the eggs. Any of the Digidestined would do, but she had noticed TK smiling a lot the previous night, and he seemed to know a lot about the baby Digimon. Kari had come with him, and she had called Izzy to be ready for when they hatched.
Izzy, in turn, was sitting on the floor, watching with an amused, if slightly bored, expression. "Just keep rubbing them. They'll hatch eventually."
"Eventually? How soon will that be?" Toph asked. "My hand is going numb!"
Katara rolled her eyes. "You mesh metal together on a daily basis, Toph. I doubt your hand is going numb."
"This isn't metal! This isn't even rock!"
"Really? I had no idea," the Waterbender muttered.
"Maybe...maybe they aren't ready yet..." TK said, smiling as he looked at the egg. "You can't rush a baby..."
"Wait...finally! I think it's working!" Toph exclaimed. Katara, reinvigorated at her friend's stated success, started rubbing her egg faster.
And, one by one, both eggs hatched with a small popping sound.
Matt was surprised when TK and Kari and Izzy led the two girls down the stairs.
He wasn't surprised that they were coming outside; of course they would. Actually, if TK hadn't come outside soon, he might have gone after him. He trusted TK, and knew he would behave and that he didn't need his older brother to help him anymore, but...Matt still didn't like the feeling of this place.
Instead, he was surprised by the two little balls the teenage girls were holding. One was a pale white, the other a mustard yellow.
At the other table, the one the Bending group had gathered around, one of the boys-Sokka, from the Water Tribe-was staring with his mouth wide open. "Wha-but...but...when...Katara! When did this happen?" he asked, more stunned than angry.
Katara smirked and held up her small white cuddly ball. "A few moments ago. Why?"
"...but...we were going to...to wait and see if...if they were..."
"Dangerous?" Toph, holding the yellow Baby, asked sarcastically. "Oh, yeah, this is a real killer." It was crawling up her arm, leaving a hint of moisture wherever it touched. It looked kind of gross, but Matt wasn't about to admit that anytime soon.
"But...but..."
"Relax, Sokka. These three helped us," Katara said, pointing to the returning Digidestined, each of whom were smiling.
TK ran up to Matt and sat down on the other side of the table. "Katara's got a Puttimon," he was saying excitedly before taking a sip of tea.
"And Toph's got a Zurumon," Izzy continued.
"So, Sokka," Toph was saying, "is mine scary? Please say it's tough looking."
"Why don't you tell me?" Sokka asked, reaching out to touch the creature.
"Well, it feels sticky and squishy. Maybe it looks like slime!"
"...actually, it kind of does...bright yellow slime...you're a good little slime monster, yes you are..." Sokka started cooing to the Baby Digimon.
The Digidestined must have all looked slightly confused at this conversation about how the Zurumon looked, because Suki walked over to them and smiled. "We might have forgotten to mention a few things last night. First of all, Toph is blind."
Matt took a sip of the tea. "That's nice to know," he muttered. This world was getting stranger and stranger.
