(Chapter 7, anyone? I got four reviews to my last chapter; that
deserves some credit. Compared to the usual response of like, two. Yes, I
work on meager feedback and it makes me sad, but I also work on honest
feedback from my little crew that I know. In fact, one of them happened to
start talking to me through AIM on the name in my bio, just because he
liked my writing so much. People say this should have 300 reviews or
something, but it doesn't. Should we try spreading the word? I don't know.
The only thing clear to me is that for the few faithfuls still there, the
books shall progress unto completion in the year 2008. Yes, that's one hell
of a long time away, but for five full-length novels I think it's being
optimistic. Anyways, we're gonna get there 1 step at a time and the next
step is Chapter 7. We're presently stationed in the month of October, still
focusing on Ivan and Maddie [sorry Takari fans, but they do have a speaking
roll in this one]. Apologies for the time it takes me to produce, but I
have trouble writing in bits and pieces. I usually wait for one long piece
of time to come to me and then write my brains out. Okay, I've rambled on
for long enough. Smite me down to shut me up and get on with writing. Enjoy
the text and give me some feedback! It's ever so appreciated.)
The Ivani Chronicles : Book 2 - Reminiscence : Chapter 7 - Killing Me Too
The vacancy of the Altair-Ishara apartment became most obvious in the early afternoon. The light of the sun pored through the windows with its strongest rays at that time, bringing full light to the emptiness of the rooms. In the living room, a pair books lay closed with the tassels of bookmarks dangling from the top ends. Ivan's laptop, too, lay closed upon the coffee table, the black computer bringing a stark contrast to the otherwise pastel room. The couch, both armchairs, and the newly added toddler chair were all vacant in their near-reverent positioning around the table in the center of the room.
The kitchen counter was left unoccupied by anything but a tin of baby formula and a cutting board. The oaken chairs accompanying the dining table, along with a plastic high chair, opposite the counter stood ajar, facing the general direction of the main door. The only sound of the room came from the slow, monotone hum of the refrigerator.
In the bathroom, two robes and three towels hung dry on respective hooks, lining the right-hand wall. The bathroom counter against the left-hand wall was home to only a small ceramic mug holding three toothbrushes. The shower was concretely sealed to the far side of the bathroom, with the curtain drawn back to reveal no moisture within.
Finally, within the bedroom, one could almost feel the barrenness of the apartment. The sheets covering the bed and bassinet, both, were neatly folded and made as if by a hired hand. On the left-hand beside table stood a lamp and an alarm clock, faintly emitting the present time against the light piercing through the loosely drawn curtains. On the opposing side rested an identical lamp, likewise turned off, and a small, neatly piled stack of children's books.
Surprisingly enough, it was just after the residence of Maddie and Ivan felt the most vacant that it felt the most occupied and used. Presently, faint reverberations of speech came through the door of the Altair-Ishara residence, accompanied by the rough grinding of metal. A swift click followed, and preceded the wide swinging of the door to reveal Ivan, Maddie, and Ryan. Maddie walked over the threshold first, carrying Ryan and laughing with the baby boy. Ivan lingered outside of the apartment a moment longer, reaching over to the mailbox, regularly attended by a lobby secretary, and grabbing out the day's mail. He then jumped into the room after Maddie and Ryan, shaking his head and nudging the door closed with the heel of his foot.
"Thanks, Ryan," Ivan said slowly as he walked after his girlfriend and son into the kitchen.
"Dada, doodoo," Ryan chirped over Maddie's shoulder with a grin. Maddie giggled again as she set Ryan in his high chair. Then, tossing her backpack to the corner of the room, the girl brushed her long brown hair back and looked at the dejected expression on her boyfriend's face.
"Oh, cheer up," Maddie said authoritatively. "You taught me to laugh at the cracks people try to make about us, the least you can do is give your son a little encouragement as he learns the tactics of insult. It's a vital thing to know how to do."
Ivan sent his backpack gliding to join hers at the edge of the room. He took a few steps forward to the dining table and set down the small stack of letters while his eyes followed Maddie to the counter where she began fixing a bottle for Ryan. "I know, Maddie, I know," Ivan stated in his defense, "but it kinda hurts when your own son is the one making fun of you." Maddie shook her head as Ryan continued his string of words.
"Dada, doodoo!" The baby squealed, looking delightedly at his adoptive parents. Maddie smiled.
"You know he means nothing by it," Maddie soothed. "He loves you dearly just as he does me, regardless of what he babbles about when given the inspiration." Ivan nodded, walking over to Maddie.
"The question is," Ivan said suggestively as he wound his arms around Maddie's waist, "do you love me the same way when you make fun of me?" Maddie laughed despite herself, topping Ryan's bottle filled with liquid formula.
"I have two words to say to that," Maddie managed to say after composing herself. She then turned in Ivan's arms and clasped her hands behind his neck. "Dada, doodoo," she whispered with a sly smile on her face. Ivan laughed softly at her, shaking his head slightly.
"Forever insulted," Ivan whispered. Maddie pulled Ivan's lips to hers, kissing him with her heartfelt emotion. She held the brown-haired boy for only a minute before loosening her grip and letting Ivan stand once again.
"And forever loved," Maddie mirrored. Her eyes locked on Ivan's for a moment, confirming her words. Maddie let her body press against his, melting against him in his affectionate gaze. Maddie knew that the words she spoke had not been in any jest, but weighted fully by honest meaning. She did love the boy who held her so closely, and knew from the brimming emotion in Ivan's sapphire eyes that his heart felt the same for her.
"Dada, doodoo!" Ryan said with another childish cackle. Maddie dropped her eyes from Ivan's looking past him at her son. "Mommy, foofoo!" The child rhymed, waving his arms at the pair. Maddie smiled, dropping her hands onto Ivan's chest and gently shoving him backwards.
"Now out with you," Maddie commanded as she turned abruptly from the brown- haired boy. "I have to feed and change Ryan, so we need some time alone for our mother and son bonding to happen, understand?"
Ivan could only laugh as he nodded, stepping back from the adoptive mother. Ivan turned to the table, kissing Ryan's cheek and grabbing the pile of letters. "Be good to your mother," Ivan told Ryan, to which the baby nodded. Ivan then dashed back to Maddie's side, kissed her cheek, and ducked into the living room. Only the boy's great reflexes and agility saved him from being playfully smacked.
"Ivan!" Maddie moaned, staring at the ceiling in frustration. She grabbed the bottle from the table and turned to Ryan. As she sat down in the chair beside Ryan, Maddie continued, "One of these days I'm going to kill your father." Ryan continued to giggle at his own remarks.
"Dada doodoo!" Ryan repeated one last time. Maddie nodded to the boy.
"Exactly," Ryan's mother confirmed, tilting the bottle into Ryan's mouth. The girl then shook her head, staring at Ryan as his focus switched abruptly to the bottle in his mouth. Maddie smiled slightly, leaning her cheek against her hand, anchored by her elbow on the table. "Two boys in my life," she whispered to no one in particular, "And I don't know what I'd do without either of them."
Ivan slouched down on the couch, kicking off his shoes as he did so. The letters in his hand drew his attention, through which he eagerly sorted. The first letter was a bill, as was the second and the third. It wasn't until the fourth and last letter that Ivan found something of remote interest. Written in neat handwriting, rather than computerized text behind a plastic film covering, was his name and current address. Another thing that struck Ivan was that only his name was inscribed, as opposed to the other letters upon which Maddie's name also appeared. Ivan then glanced at the return address and felt his heart stop short.
"Raul and Elena Ishara," Ivan breathed, his eyes wide. "Carlsbad By The Sea in Carlsbad, California. How on Earth did they locate me?" Ivan read the return address a few more times before tearing open the letter with mixed apprehension and excitement. A long, hand written letter in the script Ivan clearly recognized to be his grandfather's greeted his eyes:
Dear Ivan,
The emotions that your grandmother and I feel at this moment are so mixed that it's of no use to try and explain them. We've thought for so long that we lost you to the terrors of California, or some other grave circumstance for which we grieved your disappearance. Neither of us ever believed that you would resurface in our lives, but miracles always seem to happen. When your account was accessed and thousands of dollars were drawn from it, I figured that it must have been some computer hacker that was accessing the files. However, as money was later sent to replenish the account, I grew increasingly more baffled. I finally started accessing the bank archives and found that there had been no security breach. Either someone had guessed your account name, or you had come back from the dead and decided to buy a few death day presents. Thanks to the help of the bank's customer service (Noting that this is the only time in my life that any customer service has actually served me) we were able to find that the account was being accessed from Japan. If you'll remember, I did a lot of overseas work there back in the 80's and while doing so I made a few connections. A mister Fenzi works in the apartment complex in which an apartment was rented within a week of the first major tapping of your bank account. He informed me that a current resident, one Ms. Takaishi, had put down a payment and given the residence to a tall young man with brown hair and blue eyes. From the physical description he gave, I was certain that it was you. I can only wonder how you made connections with Ms. Takaishi, but you must be sure to thank her for her assistance.
It's been a long time since we ever thought that we would be able to see you, Ivan, but now that we have that opportunity, we're desperate to take advantage of it. We know this must be sudden, but at our age, things that don't happen quickly may not come to light at all. We know your birthday will be soon, and we would be truly grateful if you would come back home and celebrate with us. Hopefully this letter can reach you with due time for you to make arrangements to leave your current residence and return the deed of the apartment to Ms. Takaishi. However, the postal service is never truly dependable. More importantly is your plane ticket. We opted to use the Internet service to get you a flight out here on the evening of Saturday, October 9th. It's a red-eye flight, and I'm sorry that we couldn't get you a better seat, but with the short notice there was little else we could do. You'll be landing at LAX in the early afternoon of October 10th, and we'll pick you up and bring you out for dinner to celebrate your return to us, and your 16th birthday. The flight leaves from Tokyo at 7:45 PM and lands at 1:50 PM. Your ticket is confirmed and needs only to be printed and brought with you to the airport on Saturday. We'll be waiting for you at LAX Ivan, and we can't wait to see you again. Once more, we apologize about the rush of events, but we've missed you so much, you must understand what it's like after you yourself were gone from us for three years. Your grandmother wishes you all the best and prays that these past years haven't made you too estranged from us. There's so much more we wish to tell you, but we will save that until we see you in person. Until Sunday, Ivan.
-With love and affection, Raul and Elena Ishara
P.S.: The online account at travelocity.com is the same as it was when you lived with us before. Our accounts are jointly linked such that you only need to access your account to retrieve the ticket.
Ivan read the letter through once, then a second time. His voice and arms failed him as the papers fluttered to the carpeted floor. Petrified, Ivan stared wide-eyed at where the paper had been held in his hand. Never in his thoughts had it occurred to him that he would go and reunite with his grandparents in the United States. Now that it finally came to him, he had no idea on how to react.
On one hand, Ivan felt the aching in his heart as his absence from his grandparents finally came back. It had been two and a half years since he ever seriously thought about seeing them, once his position as a dragoon settled in more thoroughly. The suppressed feeling so his leaving them finally came to the surface again, wrenching the boy with guilt for departing without warning. It had never been his intention, but he hadn't been given any warning. Now, with the ticket placed before him to go back and set things aright, It would be terribly cruel to reject his grandparents after all of the effort they went through to locate him. Ivan bent over and lifted the letter from the carpet to the small table.
Ivan checked over a few sentences and sighed. The major problem in Ivan's mind was the thought or permanency his grandparents had instated. A one-way ticket to California, a request to pack up and return the deed to Ms. Takaishi, and no concern given to his affairs in Japan. True his parents probably didn't know he wasn't living alone and he couldn't blame them, but to desert Maddie and Ryan so early in the school year would be horrendous. Even if Maddie and Ryan were both able to get separate seats on the plane, which he highly doubted as the flight took off tomorrow they would be leaving behind TK, Kari, and the rest of the Digidestend. Ivan felt his heart tearing. For one reason or another, he now had to decide between staying and disappointing his grandparents, or departing and leaving behind the girl he cared for most in the world. Slumping backwards, Ivan rested a hand against his forehead and closed his eyes.
Maddie padded softly into the room from the hallway to the bedroom. Having just lain Ryan down for his afternoon nap, Maddie saw Ivan sitting in a miserable hunch on the couch. "What's wrong, hun?" Maddie asked tenderly, quickly walking over and sitting down beside the boy. Resting her side against the back of the couch, Maddie curled one leg beneath her and dangled the other over the couch's edge. Her hand reached out and took hold of Ivan's, bringing from his forehead as she interlocked her fingers in his. "Talk to me," Maddie requested, looking at the boy. Her copper eyes shone in concern for her boyfriend.
Ivan's head slowly rose up, looking over at Maddie with a sad smile. He then grabbed the letter from his grandparents with his free hand and gave it to Maddie. The brown-haired girl took the letter, reading quickly in hopes of discovering the reason for Ivan's sadness. Maddie felt the blood run from her cheeks as she read, fear slowly wrapping about her shoulders. She swallowed hard when she read the postscript, declaring the finality of Ivan's grandparent's wishes. Maddie lowered the letter and stared at Ivan. "What are you going to do?" The girl asked quietly.
Ivan sighed, moving over to the girl and taking her body in his arms. Maddie curled up against him, her arms wrapping tightly around him. "I'm not sure," Ivan admitted softly into Maddie's ear. "I haven't seen my grandparents in well over three years, and I'm sure they've missed me more than I can imagine. I was the only other person in their lives when I left, and I don't think anyone else could have shown up." Ivan leaned back slightly, locking his eyes with hers while letting one of his hands brush softly through her hair. "But they're asking me to leave this place on a one-way ticket, and only one ticket on the flight. There's no discussion or argument I can make to them, the ticket's already been purchased and they're going to be expecting me there. That means that I can either disregard them and waste their money, which I'd hate to do to my own family, or I can go and leave you and Ryan here alone, which I couldn't ever live with doing." Ivan rested his forehead against Maddie's as he continued, "You two mean the world to me and I'd be damned if I were to forsake you like that. I love you too much to ever desert you like that." Despite Ivan's words, Maddie's eyes were slowly damning with her tears.
"There's no choice you can make, Ivan," Maddie resigned, "I won't let you turn on the family you love so much, and who's given you so much." Ivan shook his head.
"You and Ryan are my family now, Maddie, don't you see?" Ivan told the girl. Maddie could only let more tears fall down her cheeks. Ivan's arms embraced the girl tightly. Maddie returned the hug instantly, burying her head in Ivan's shoulder as she cried. "I have two families in my life, and I can't think of leaving either one. But knowing my grandparents, if I go back, they're going to keep me in a wrought-iron prison so that no low-life criminal of the streets steals me away. Going back would keep me there for a long time, at the least, and I know I can't stay for long. We have our duties in the Digital world to attend to after all. But me being gone for six months would be devastating enough for you and Ryan. Trying to raise a child and attend school and work alone isn't something I'd ever want to see happen." Ivan buried his head against his beloved's shoulder, her hair falling over his face. "I don't ever want to leave you, Maddie, and I don't want to leave Ryan. I love you both too much to ever go away."
Maddie regained her composure after a short time, nuzzling her head against Ivan's neck as she leaned back in his arms. "Ivan," she began in a whisper, "I know you love me and Ryan a lot, but in all honesty, I think you owe it to your grandparents to go back and be with them at least for a little while." Maddie's eyes caught on Ivan's, emphasizing the meaning in her words. "They love you and miss you, Ivan. As much as I love you and will miss you, I won't be greedy." Maddie closed her eyes for a brief moment, taking a deep breath. Then, looking back at Ivan once again. "I hate to say it, Ivan, but if you don't get on that plane tomorrow, I'm going to be disappointed in you along with your grandparents."
Ivan stared at the girl in disbelief. "You'd actually prefer that I leave?" he asked. Maddie bit her lower lip slightly and nodded.
"I love you to death, Ivan," Maddie assured the boy. "You're everything to me. You give me meaning to get up each morning, you can cheer me up when I'm down, you can make me laugh no matter what's going on, and you light up every moment of my life that I'm with you." Maddie paused to kiss Ivan briefly. As she leaned away, she continued, "That's how I know that you can't leave your grandparents hanging. I know you lit up their days just as you do mine, and now I can relate to what it would feel like to lose a son, or even a grandson." Maddie glanced over her shoulder in the direction of the bedroom. "I'd be heartbroken beyond comprehension if something were to happen to Ryan, and if I had a chance to get him back three years later, I'd do everything in my power to get him back. Your grandparents feel the same way about you, Ivan." Maddie pulled Ivan back into her arms, melting against him. She pressed her lips softly to his neck and sighed.
"I'm gonna miss you," Ivan managed to say. He pressed his head lovingly against her neck whilst his fingers brushed along her spine. "Especially since we'll have to miss celebrating my birthday as a couple together." Maddie nodded.
"I'll mail my present to you, okay?" She told Ivan, to which he consented. The room fell into darkness rather abruptly. Maddie looked over at the window, curious as to why the sunlight had dissipated in such haste. Upon looking at the sky, Maddie saw a wealth of clouds drifting lazily across the horizon, blanketing the sun's rays. Maddie watched the gray clouds consume the blue skies as she delicately caressed the back of Ivan's head with her hand and rubbed her cheek against his neck.
"Am I the only one being really devastated by being stolen from you?" Ivan asked in a depressed mumble. Maddie inhaled slowly, and then shook her head.
"No, my love, you're not the only one. Losing you kills me too. It's terrible to not be with you. But I know that there are some things that should come before how I feel." Maddie brushed her eyes with the back of her hand before tracing it down along Ivan's back. "But if you're taking off physically, do you think you could promise me that you won't abandon your love for me?"
"Oh, Maddie," Ivan whispered, his arms clinging desperately to the brown- haired girl, "Nothing will ever change how much you mean to me. You're an angel, Maddie, and one that has given me the honor of being loved by you. I promise you, Madelyn, that I will never renounce my love for you no matter where I must go. To you and you alone does my heart belong, and with you do I pray it shall forever reside." Ivan took a second to pause and let his words sin kin before finalizing his statement of faith to the girl in his arms, saying, "I love you, Madelyn Altair."
Maddie could feel her heart melting against Ivan's chest, yearning to keep the boy beside her forever. It hurt her greatly to think that she had already confirmed his departure from her life, at least for a short while. Maddie pushed Ivan down onto the couch, forcing him to lie down underneath her. She then resealed her arms about her boyfriend's back and nestled her head beneath his. " You're too good to me," Maddie whispered, holding the boy tightly as his arms massaged her back and ran through her hair. "It's going to be so lonely without you around to hold," Ivan nodded in understanding.
"Let's just make the most of the time we do have," Ivan suggested, tilting his head to kiss her hair. Maddie smiled, returning the kiss to Ivan's chin.
"I couldn't think of anything better," Maddie agreed, pressing her body firmly to Ivan's. Closing her eyes, Maddie felt the steady rhythm of Ivan's heart beating against her chest. She smiled to herself in the knowledge that Ivan had given that gift to her, and she knew she would always cherish it. One of her hands slipped free from around Ivan's back and rested against his chest. Her thumb and forefinger reached for her neck, taking hold of the small locket on its golden chain. That, too, had been Ivan's gift to her and in the moment, it brought to her a great solace.
Ivan watched Maddie as she fingered the necklace with a small, loving smile. One of his hands trailed from Maddie's back and took her hand, placing his fingers over hers. Maddie smiled at the sight before her eyes, kissing each of Ivan's fingers in turn. Maddie then let her eyes close, whispering, "I love you too, Ivan Ishara," before finally fading from consciousness.
Ivan watched As Maddie's hand continued to caress his hand very subtly. His eyes were then drawn by the sudden pattering of raindrops against the sliding glass door to the balcony. The clouds that Maddie had noticed earlier had proved to be rain clouds, releasing their burden down upon the apartment complex. The soothing beat of the rain and Maddie's faint massage was almost enough to make Ivan fall asleep in the dark atmosphere in the room. However, his own fear of losing the girl in his arms so soon kept his drowsiness at bay. His lips pressed against her forehead, unable to resist showing his emotions for Maddie even while she slept. His one hand continued to dance leisurely along her back, while the other held her hand on his chest. Ivan stared at where the letter had fallen, lying open on top of the laptop computer. He sighed, wishing that he could by some means simply bring Maddie and Ryan with him to California. But before he could pursue such an idea, Ivan stopped himself. He knew that doing so would only make him feel worse when he wasn't able to come up with a solution. Instead, Ivan's mind began working quickly on a way to bring him back into the arms of the girl he cared for so dearly as quickly as possible. Ideas of explaining to his grandparents that he had a life in Japan, a girlfriend and an adopted son, and a job to get done all passed through his mind. Then, he decided that if he couldn't reason with them about him returning to Japan, he would leave by force if necessary. After all, he figured, if they truly loved him as Maddie said they did then they would not impede Ivan's creation of his own family.
Ivan leaned back against the padded arm of the couch. "Let's just hope they care to hear me," He whispered to himself. His eyes drifted back down to watch the young girl in his arms. "Because there's not a chance in hell that I'm gonna let them keep me from you, even if they are my family. I just pray that they'll understand." Ivan watched Maddie's body slowly rise and fall with her breathing as he composed different speeches he could deliver to his grandparents. After half an hour, Ivan felt that he had a good outline on what to say, and heard a new noise rise up over the pattering of the rain. It was Ryan, crying out for company from his crib. Ivan smiled, rustling Maddie awake. "Come on, darling," he whispered to Maddie, "Ryan's getting up and I think it's about time for dinner." Maddie yawned and nodded.
"Alright," she managed to say as she sat up off of Ivan. Ivan rose up beside her, kissing her cheek softly. Maddie blushed slightly. "What was that for?" she asked.
"For being so incredible," Ivan responded as he kissed her again. Maddie groaned and shoved Ivan back down onto the couch.
"Not right now," Maddie said with a shake of her head. Ivan watched her in amusement.
"Later?" he said softly. Maddie looked back at Ivan, staring at his blue eyes for a minute. She then began laughing, and shook her head again.
"We'll see, Ivan," Maddie said with a grin. She turned down the hallway to go and retrieve Ryan. "We'll see."
Ivan jumped back to his feet, staring after the girl. He then shook his head. "I don't think I'll ever understand how I got to be so lucky as to have her in my life," He whispered to the wall. Then, with one last glance down the hallway as Ryan's cries softened and Maddie's melodic voice took over, Ivan sighed and strode over to the kitchen. His eyes fixed on the refrigerator door, glaring at the white metal. "Here's the deal," Ivan explained to the inanimate object, "I open you and you have something good that I can make for dinner tonight and nobody gets hurt. Got it? Good." The brown-haired boy then stepped forwards and grasped the refrigerator door handle. Then, briefly covering his eyes, Ivan yanked the door open and looked expectantly inside.
The following morning, Ivan's eyes blinked open under the pattering of constant raindrops hitting the windowpane. The boy groaned as he tried to cover his ears with his pillow. However, the pillow didn't cooperate. Ivan looked down curiously, wondering why the pillow was suddenly curved and white rather than the royal blue of the pillowcase then laughed softly to himself as realization dawned upon him. Turning his head to face in the other direction, Ivan rested his head back against Maddie's pajama top and contented himself with listening to her heartbeat.
Ivan's movement, however, caused Maddie to stir from her sleep. Her eyes fluttered open before gazing down at the boy on top of her. She let her head fall back with a laugh, her hands rising to massage his shoulders.
"Good Morning, my angel," Ivan whispered as he crawled up over Maddie's body, lying down beside her. Her head rolled to look at him and she smiled.
"The same to you, darling," Maddie replied as she adjusted herself to be closer to the brown-haired boy. Brushing her nose against his, she sighed and let her eyes close. "But I want to go back to last night again," she pouted. Ivan chuckled, hugging the girl tenderly.
"I'm sorry, darling," Ivan said, "But it's the only night I know I'll be able to give you for a while. Just try to remember it while I'm gone?" Maddie nodded.
"I won't ever forget it," She said, slipping her arms around his shoulders and brushing the soft fabric of his pajama shirt. Ivan smiled at the girl trying to squeeze in a few minutes of sleep. The boy tried to shift, but Maddie's arms tensed in contention. "Don't go," She whispered, "Not yet. At least let me have you in my arms for a little while longer." Ivan lay helplessly in Maddie's embrace. After thinking for a minute, he sighed and curled up against his girlfriend.
"Fine," Ivan resigned as he kissed the girl's neck. No sooner had he pressed his head back against Maddie's shoulder than a soft wailing pierced through the quiet room. Ivan rolled back, looking at Maddie. The brown- haired girl groaned, her eyes blinking open and looking helplessly at Ivan. "I can take care of him for the morning," Ivan assured the girl, "But after that, I got to pack and get a taxi."
Maddie closed her eyes and gradually sat herself up. "Too soon to loose you," she moaned as she slowly moved out of the bed. Standing up on the right-hand side of the bed, Maddie slipped on her slippers before going over to Ryan's side and lifting the baby from his crib. Seeing the look of anticipation and joy on Ryan's face invigorated Maddie as well. "Good Morning, my little baby," Maddie cooed to the child.
Ivan shook his head as he walked over to Maddie's side, his feet too now clad in slippers. "I guess you've got everything under control, then," Ivan said quietly over Maddie's shoulder. Maddie nodded.
"You go get ready for your big trip," Maddie told Ivan, "I'll go get some breakfast ready for the three of us, okay?" Ivan nodded, and then quickly padded down the hall to the bathroom. Maddie waited for the door to close and the sound of shower water to start running before she spoke again, rocking Ryan lightly in her arms, "Oh, what on earth are we gonna do without your father around here?" She asked, half to the child and half to herself. Ryan only stared as droplets of water splashed down on his sleeping garments.
"Don' cwy, Mommy," Ryan said happily up to his mother. Maddie looked at the child, smiling despite her tears.
"I'm sorry, Ryan," Maddie apologized, slowly walking down the hall to the kitchen, "I just can't help it. Your daddy means more to me than anyone could imagine, and now I've forced him away. I know sending him to see the rest of his family is the best thing for him, but what are we gonna do without him in this part of his family?" Ryan seemed to think for a minute then looked brightly up at Maddie.
"Let's go wiff Daddy!" Ryan exclaimed. Maddie smirked, setting Ryan down in his high chair.
"I wish we could, Ryan, I really do," Maddie replied as she went to the kitchen counter. The carton of eggs, milk, orange juice, salt, pepper, a frying pan, and a loaf of bread were all retrieved as she continued, "But I don't think it's possible. There's only one ticket for Daddy, and that's the only way that we could go with him. The plane's full, too. Daddy checked that last night, so there's nowhere for us to fit. We'll just have to wait for daddy to figure out some sort of way to get us together again once he sees his grandparents." Maddie sighed, looking down the hallway at the closed bathroom door. "This can't be any easier for him, either," She admitted sadly. "Not only does he loose us but he has to travel for who knows how many hours to get to California."
"Don' wowwy, mommy," Ryan said to Maddie, "Daddy's smawt, he'ww do good and den we go be wiff him." Maddie looked at Ryan, slightly shocked at the baby's optimism. She smiled then, walking over and hugging her son.
"You're right, Ryan," Maddie told the baby. "You're growing up so quickly. I don't know what I'd do without having you here to keep me company." Ryan only giggle, hugging Maddie back as best he could with his toddler arms and kicking his legs as he did so.
"Can we eat now, pwease?" Ryan asked Maddie, looking up at her. Maddie nodded.
"I'll get right on it, honey," Maddie confirmed before whisking around and making the day's morning meal.
Ivan smiled, leaning back from the bathroom door and continuing with his shower. It was amazing to think of how intelligent Ryan was. He wondered how old the child really was, since they had yet to get any proper birth records, and vaguely considered the child to only be a midget acting as a baby, when in fact he was far older than either Ivan or Maddie. It was only the fact that Ryan's main form of locomotion came in the form of crawling or quick, tottering steps that kept his age in perspective.
Ivan's mind again wandered to the imminent departure he had to make. Despite having to leave the love of his life and his son behind, he couldn't help being excited to see his grandparents after leaving them nearly four years prior. True, they could be a bit strict, but he could hardly blame them after they lost their only son to a car crash. And when he wasn't pushing the limitations of curfew or computer time, his grandparents had done their very best to keep him engaged and thinking. It was their continuation of Ivan's parents' legacy that he had to thank for all his abilities. In his heart, he knew that Azulongmon had only acted as a catalyst for him to realize his potential.
Ivan blinked as he remembered the Dragon-Digimon that he served. He wondered how the god was feeling about his and Maddie's desertion some six months ago. He bowed his head in a momentary lapse of apology. He had done the same thing to his grandparents when he was twelve, so he guessed he'd get a similar response from Azulongmon when he went back. He was grateful that at least this time he got a chance to say goodbye to Maddie, whom he was now to leave.
Ivan emerged from the shower still contemplating Azulongmon and his departure. For some reason, his mind had latched the two thoughts together. He shook his head at the humorous thought of flying to California on the Dragon god's back. Ivan threw on his robe and walked through the Hallway to his bedroom. He opened the top drawer of the dresser that was positioned opposite to Ryan's crib. As he looked for a shirt to replace the one from the previous night, Ivan's eyes noticed a small pale crystal resting on top of the bureau. The glinting of the crystal, despite the cloudy raining outside and the lack of illumination in the room, caught him by surprise. Ivan smiled as he picked up the jewel and the connected chain. He stared at the crest of hope, imbued in gold upon the pink crystalline surface.
"Maddie and I could both use a dose of that, right about now," Ivan confided as he stared at the amulet. The jewel, in turn, glowed slightly brighter in Ivan's palm. With the light, a warming sensation blanketed Ivan's hand. As he watched the light of the jewel, Ivan noticed a small orb bouncing slowly around within the confines of the immaculate crystal. Ivan blinked, and then smiled. "That's right," He whispered to himself as ideas quickly took root in his brain, "I could use you to get out to California. It may not bring Maddie and Ryan with me, but it'll save my grandparents a fortune on that plane ticket and I'll be able to have an escape plan. If I can fly, there's nothing they'll be able to do to stop me."
Ivan sighed at his last thought. "I'd hate to ever have to disobey them," Ivan admitted as he clasped the amulet about his neck, "But if they refuse to consent to my return to my life here and worse comes to worst, then I will be able to get free." Ivan then rifled quickly through his clothes, throwing out a shirt, pants, boxers, socks, and quickly changed from his robe into the chosen clothes. Then, with a quick dash to replace the robe and retrieve his pajamas from the bathroom and deposit them in the laundry bin, Ivan rushed out into the kitchen.
Maddie looked over from the oven, surprised, as Ivan streamed down the hallway in a flash of blue and beige. Arms quickly wove themselves around her waist and Maddie could only smile as Ivan's lips pressed lovingly at her neck and shoulder. "You seem chipper," Maddie said with a giggle. Ivan nodded as he slowly let Maddie go.
"I just remembered something," Ivan said as he held his amulet over Maddie's shoulder. Maddie looked and gasped. "If I use this to go to California," Ivan explained quickly as he filled two glasses with orange juice and set the table with forks and napkins from the drawers, "Then I can save my grandparents a huge amount of money and, if they won't let me leave with their blessings, then I can still come back here and rejoin you guys." Maddie stood over the frying pan full of eggs, speechless. It wasn't until after she silently filled three plates with eggs and placed them before herself, Ivan and Ryan that she found her voice.
"Well, it's good to know that we won't lose you permanently," Maddie said softly, "And I guess it's a good thing to save your grandparents money. But could you really just run away from them like that again?" Ivan shrugged as he sat down in his respective seat.
"I'd hate to have to do it," Ivan said truthfully, "but if it comes down to staying there or here, you're gonna win out." Maddie felt her feelings get only more jumbled, detesting further the possibility of Ivan's grandparents and Ivan being on bad terms. "Don't worry," Ivan said suddenly, as if reading Maddie's mind, "It's only a contingency plan. I'm going to do everything in my power to have my grandparents accept the new life I've made for us over here, because I love them and they're really all I have left. I think they'll let me come back, too." Maddie brightened, remembering the peaceful manner Ivan always used in arguments unless physically threatened. "It's just a question of how long they'll want me there," Ivan finished. He then began eating.
Ryan, in the meanwhile, had been vigorously digging into the soft eggs, one of the few solid foods he could eat. It was only after consultation with a doctor that Maddie would allow it, however, remembering the problems of children's digestion systems.
Maddie sighed as she, too, began to eat the food she had prepared. "Losing you for one night is bad enough," She said in reply, "And now all my plans for your special day are going to have to be put on hold." Ivan raised an eyebrow in question. Maddie smiled. "You're just gonna have to wait, Ivan," The brown-haired girl teased. "There's no way I'm gonna give you your birthday present early." Ivan whimpered, but Maddie only shook her head in response.
"Fine, Maddie," Ivan said as he took a drink of his orange juice. Ryan eyes the glass desirably. Ivan caught the baby's gaze and hit himself in the forehead. "I'm sorry Ryan," Ivan said quickly, jumping up from the table. "I got to remember to get you your drink too, don't I?"
"Yeah, daddy," Ryan said demandingly. Maddie laughed. Ivan sulked as he brought out a sippy cup for the child to use and filled it with water.
"You know, Ivan," Maddie said as the brown-haired boy sat back down across from her, "It's still gonna be lonely around here without you." Ivan nodded solemnly.
"That's why I'm going to come back as quickly as I can," Ivan assured the girl. Then, without any further discussion, Ivan downed the eggs and orange juice and began to clean his place. "I hate to rush," Ivan said quickly, "But I have to see if I can cancel my grandparents' ticket before it gets to be too late." Maddie nodded as Ivan strode out in the direction of the living room. Once he had gone from sight, she raised her napkin to dry her eyes.
Ivan sat down in an armchair with a purposeful motion, briskly cracking open and turning on his laptop computer. Ivan's impatience mounted as the screen slowly displayed the start-up process. His eyes caught the time on the clock and Ivan gasped. It was nearly noon. "Maddie," Ivan called, "Are you aware of the time?"
"Yes," Maddie-s voice replied from the kitchen, "The rain clouds outside got rid of our normal alarm clock." Ivan groaned as he stared at the laptop screen.
"Ivani's nowhere near as fast as an airplane for more than a few minutes," Ivan said to Maddie. "If I'm going to get over there by my Dragoon, I'm gonna have to leave in an hour or so."
Maddie, sitting in the other room, felt her heart skip a beat. Losing Ivan at the airport around 6 was one thing; they would have been able to have dinner together before he left. Now, she'd be lucky if she could so much as hug him good-bye with the preparations he would have to make.
The start-up screen finally flashed to the desktop and Ivan sighed in relief. His fingers rapidly hit the keys as he accessed the appropriate sites to get into the electronic ticket site. Logging into his personal account, Ivan found the ticket was indeed placed there for him, as his grandfather had said. Ivan looked around for a cancellation button, but instead found the following text:
Due to the nature of this Internet site, any purchases made cannot be refunded unless the proprietors are given a minimum of 48 hours' notice. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
Ivan dropped his head. His brilliant plan turned out to be not too effective after all. Standing up from the running computer, Ivan walked down the hallway. As he walked, he informed Maddie that the ticket could not be cancelled.
"Well, why not take the ticket and fly there?" Maddie advised, "It'll give you more time to get ready and less time in the air." Ivan slumped on the bed, staring around the dismal room as the sound of raindrops greeted his ears. Ivan then shook his head.
"I'd prefer I make their lives easier," Ivan stated. "Making them drive for a couple hours to LAX and back would be kinda cruel for them to have to do at such an old age. I think the alternative of me flying under my own steam is better." Maddie walked into the bedroom, having cleared the breakfast dishes, and held Ryan in her arms. Her eyes slowly cast down to the floor.
"So when are you leaving?" She asked slowly, rocking Ryan back and forth in her arms. Ivan shrugged, standing up and taking Ryan into his own arms.
"I don't have very much time," Ivan stated, "But I think I can be here for a little while if you want." Maddie brushed her hand along Ivan's neck, her eyes looking up into his. Ivan looked back at her, tilting his hand towards her touch. Maddie swallowed, then laced her other hand about the boy's neck.
"Give me fifteen minutes, Ivan," She begged of the boy, "And I'll wait for you for the next fifteen years." Ivan smiled at the girl, still wearing only her pajamas, and nodded slowly. She took Ryan back from Ivan and nestled him in his bassinet. "I'm gonna say goodbye to your daddy, Ryan," she explained to the child, "And then you can say goodbye and then we'll go play, okay?" Ryan nodded exuberantly, his attention quickly drawn by the bright, colorful objects suspended above his sleeping quarters, clearly visible despite the dark room. Maddie smiled at her son, then turned her attention back to Ivan. "Start the clock now," She said sweetly, bringing her lips up to meet his as Ivan's arms wrapped tightly about her waist.
Ivan gave Maddie the full fifteen minutes she requested, and the couple made sure to keep their connection for the duration. However, Maddie cursed the passage of time as her internal clock told her that she'd kept the boy too long. Reluctantly, Maddie slowly drew her lips away from Ivan's, brushing her lips across his once before dropping her head and her arms from the boy. Ivan slowly disengaged his arms from Maddie's waist, walking over to Ryan's bassinet and lifting the baby from his bed. Maddie never moved as Ivan said his goodbyes to their son, and kissed the boy's forehead. Ryan asked repeatedly that Ivan come back soon, and Ivan promised the child he would do everything he could. Concluding the brief conversation, Ivan rested Ryan back in his crib. Placing his hands very softly upon Maddie's shoulders, Ivan raised Maddie's downcast face with a finger beneath her chin. Maddie looked up at the boy, her eyes tearing and her lip quavering.
"I love you, my angel Madelyn," Ivan said evenly to the girl. Maddie swallowed hard and rubbed her eyes in a vain attempt to keep from crying.
"I love you, too, my Ivan," Maddie choked out. Ivan managed a sad smile in spite of his torn emotions. He nodded and took Maddie's hand in his own. With a single kiss to the back of her hand, he slowly lowered their hands back down.
"Until next time," Ivan said. Maddie forced her lips into a shaky smile as Ivan hugged her for an instant, then dashed from the room into the hallway. Maddie heard the echoing of the sliding door opening, the sound of down pouring rain, and the reverberation of the glass door closing. A brief flash of light filled the living room behind Maddie, but her eyes never looked. Over the sound of rain hitting the windows, Ivani's flight engines roared to life and quickly faded into the distance.
When she couldn't hear the sound of Ivan's presence any longer, Maddie's knees finally gave out and her crying grew from silent tears to mournful sobbing. The brown-haired girl wept against the foot of her bed, unable to bring herself to answer the concerned questions of her son from the bassinet beside her. Ivan had gone, and with his departure, so too had a piece of her heart and soul been taken away. She would not be able to celebrate Ivan's birthday with him, nor would he be able to go back to school with her on Monday. For the first time in six months, Maddie found herself subject to solitude and fear that only Jason had ever invoked upon her. Maddie's arms wrapped around her shoulders in a futile attempt to comfort herself. But only time proved to stay the girl's tears.
Time and, of course, the progressively more insistent cries of Ryan from his bassinet. Maddie rubbed her eyes, leaning back on her shins and feet. With a sigh of resignation, Maddie slowly rose to her feet. "Alright, Ryan," Maddie said flatly, "Let's go get at least one of us occupied with a game." Maddie carried Ryan out to the living room, the only sound coming from the incessant beating of the rain outside.
As Maddie set Ryan down on the floor of the living room, she looked around for a game to play with her son. She could tell that this day was going to drag on forever, but worked as best she could to distract herself. As she paced the room in search of a game, Maddie saw the computer screen of Ivan's laptop, still open and displaying his plane ticket. A minute later, Maddie did a double take before quickly sitting down in the chair in front of the computer.
"No way," Maddie said to the room as hope sprung forth in her heart. "If the ticket can't be cancelled, then maybe there's some way to switch the name." Maddie scanned the page furiously, looking for some sort of sign. She then saw her key. At the bottom of the page lay a small box of text:
If there is some mistake in the name printed on the ticket above, Click Here to rewrite the name at the surcharge of $10.00 American Currency.
Maddie crossed her fingers and clicked on the link. The screen then flashed to white, loading for a moment. The brown haired girl tapped her foot impatiently, staring at the loading bar as it crawled forward. Suddenly, the bar lurched to completion and a short text message greeted her eyes:
We're sorry. Your account log-on time has expired. Please log in again if you wish to perform any further alterations in your account. Click Here to go to the login page.
Maddie blinked. Then, with a slam of her fist on the arm of the chair, Maddie dropped her head. "How am I supposed to get it now?" She asked miserably. Not to be fully deterred, Maddie clicked to return to the Login screen. Two fields were displayed on the site's more characteristic background, one requesting an account name, the other requesting a password. The account name was already filled in the top field, as if remembered by the server, but the password line was blank. Maddie stared, trying to remember if Ivan had ever shared his online passwords with her before. But, as none came, she looked at the button below the field:
Forgot your password?
Maddie clicked the button, praying for luck that it would simply send the password to her. However, three more fields presented themselves to her. The first asked for the account name, which had been carried over by the courtesy of the server. The second asked for an E-mail site to which the password should be sent, into which Maddie typed her own address instead of Ivan's, which was placed there by default. The third, final field requested the answer to the account's secret question. Just above the third box, Maddie read the question Ivan had placed there:
The name of she, to whom I wish to propose.
Maddie took in a sharp breath, rereading the question. Her eyes then looked down, half out of embarrassment, as the tried to think of anyone else Ivan could be imposing. For all her memory, Maddie couldn't remember Ivan ever mentioning another girl in his life before the Digital World. Maddie looked back at the screen, then took a deep breath and tentatively typed in 'Madelyn Altair.' She then clicked the 'go' button and waited for the next screen to load. After a moment's passage, the screen sent Maddie's nerves both to relaxation and to their breaking point:
Thank you. Your password will be sent to the given E-mail address presently. Please allow for a couple minutes for the transaction to complete itself.
Maddie leaned back in the chair with a heavy sigh. She then looked over at Ryan, who had pulled out his collection of blocks from the cabinet underneath the television. "Hey, Ryan," Maddie asked of her son, "Would you mind sitting in my lap for a day if it let you get to see daddy tomorrow?" Ryan looked up at the mention of his father.
"Can we go see 'im?" Ryan asked with a sudden burst of excitement. Maddie nodded. Ryan squealed, "Let's go see daddy!" Maddie smiled lovingly at Ryan and again nodded.
"Then it's settled." She stated to herself as she opened her E-mail site and found Ivan's password waiting for her. "We'll take the ticket that has already been bought and use it to get over to LAX, and from there we'll take a taxi or something to Ivan's grandparents' house." Despite her age and maturity, Maddie too squealed along with her son. "We get to spend daddy's birthday with him," she said, half to Ryan and half to herself. Her eyes glanced up at the clock, informing her that the flight's departure was scheduled for seven hours from the present time.
Unable to contain her excitement, Maddie jumped from the chair and ran to the phone. Dialing quickly, she then pressed the phone to her ear and danced back to the computer. As she returned to the airline ticket's login screen, a click signaled the pick-up on the far end.
"Hey, TK, It's Maddie," She said into the receiver. "I could really use a hand from you if you could spare it. I've got to catch a plane flight out of Tokyo in seven hours and I have to pack Ryan and myself up so we don't miss it. Do you think you could run up here and give us a hand getting packed? Ivan already left under his own steam, Ivani. Oh, Kari's there too? Well, I'd hate to interrupt. Are you two sure? Thank you so much. I'll leave the door unlocked for you. And I have one more request, TK, if your mom's home. Yeah, we could use a lift into Tokyo. I know it's a long drive, but if she's able to, I'd be really grateful." Maddie paused for a long moment as TK left the phone to talk to his mother. As she waited, she grinned in her seat as her fingers altered the name on Ivan's ticket from 'Ivan Ishara' to 'Madelyn Altair.' She made a vow to herself to pay Ivan's grandparents back twice over when she met them. TK's voice suddenly sprang over the other end of the phone. "She can?" Maddie said, almost in disbelief. "That's incredible! Oh, I can't thank you three enough. You have no idea how much this means to me. Okay, I'll see you in a couple minutes. Thank you! Goodbye!" At that moment, Ivan's mobile printer commenced in producing her flight ticket.
Maddie turned off the phone and again found herself screaming for joy. Then, with a wary glance at the clock, she began to count out the time they would need. "We'll need two hours for an international flight in the terminal alone," Maddie said to herself as she ran about the house, turning on the lights, "and Tokyo's got to be at least two hours of driving from here. We can say it's three just to be safe, and with half an hour in there somewhere for food, I'd say we've got maybe ninety minutes before we have to leave." Maddie paused in the middle of her stride. "Wow," she breathed, "I'm gonna get to see that crazy guy I call my boyfriend in twenty-four hours." Maddie stared at the door for a minute, clicked the lock into its off position, and then charged down the hallway to her bedroom with a triumphant holler. "Woo Hoo!"
When Maddie catapulted into her room and quickly set about to changing into a bright red shirt and pants, she noticed that the heavy rapping to the rain had dropped down to a dainty patter, barely audible though the glass windows. Maddie grinned to herself, letting her spirits rise with the lifting clouds.
Maddie couldn't seem to stop bowing as she stood before the security scanner at the airport. Kari and TK looked helplessly at one another, then at Ms. Takaishi. Kari was finally the one to speak. "Relax, Kari," she assured her friend, "We only helped get you packed and drive you over here, and you know we were happy to help. Now you get on that plane and go tackle Ivan and don't ever let go of him, you understand?" Maddie giggled at Kari's comment and nodded.
"Hey, what about me?" TK asked dejectedly. Ms. Takaishi took a step back, detecting the ensuing events would not benefit from her standing behind her son and his girlfriend. Kari looked over at TK with a mischievous smile.
"Oh, don't you worry, TK," Maddie said knowingly. "That girl isn't gonna let you go no matter what you do." Kari nodded in agreement.
"That's damn right I'm not," Kari stated in reinforcement. Her arms quickly wound around TK's neck and hugged him tightly. TK smiled, kissing the girl's forehead before slipping his head past hers to her shoulder.
"Just so long as I don't have to let you go either," TK said hopefully. Kari shook her head with a laugh.
"Of course not, TK, darling," Kari whispered in the boy's ear. "But for right now, we're gonna wish Maddie the best on her long flight, okay?" TK nodded and disentangled his arms from Kari. Kari then jumped up and hugged Maddie, nearly making the elder girl drop the car seat holding Ryan in it. "Good luck in the states," Kari whispered to Maddie.
"Thanks," Maddie replied, hugging Kari back with her one free arm. TK then took his turn, followed by Ms. Takaishi.
"If you need me, be sure to call us before you leave so that we can pick you and Ivan up, okay?" Maddie looked up at the woman.
"Oh, Nancy, there's no way we could ask for any more of you," Maddie began quickly, shaking her head vigorously. But Ms. Takaishi only raised her hand in request of silence.
"Don't you worry about asking any more of me," the blond-haired woman stated. "I'm more than happy to help my son's friends any way I can, especially when I consider them to be friends of my own as well." Maddie looked up at the woman before her with wonder.
"Nancy, I don't know what to say," Maddie said slowly, with a faint smile on her lips. Her arms then hugged Ms. Takaishi tightly. "Thank you so much," she continued. "And I'll be sure to tell Ivan that you all wish him a happy birthday."
An announcement buzzed over the intercom at that moment, shouting out across the premises, "With the alleviation of the inclement weather, Tokyo's international flights have been adjusted from the prospected delays. Flight to 3978 Seattle, Washington, shall depart at 8:30, Flight 2358 to San Francisco, California will depart at 9:10, and Flight 1876 to Los Angeles, California shall depart at 7:45." The message continued, but no longer in a language Maddie understood. She snapped her fingers, remembering that she was in an international airport, so all messaged would be repeated in a variety of languages.
"Thanks, Madds," TK said gratefully, pulling Maddie's attention from the speaker system. Then the three gave Maddie one final wave. "Have fun!" The blond-haired boy yelled. Maddie smiled and waved in response before swinging around and walking into the line for the security booth.
As Maddie walked further forward, she started feeling around her body for any metallic objects. She grabbed her wallet from the back pocket of her blue jeans, along with her key ring from her front pocket. Then, reaching around her neck, Maddie used her free hand to release the clasps of her two necklaces. She realized that it looked a bit silly with so much draped around her neck, but she'd have been damned if she left Ivan's birthday present behind and likewise damned if Kilvaramon's Pendant was away from her. Placing the few metallic objects in a plastic bin, as well as her backpack and, after removing Ryan, the car seat, she put the bin on the conveyer belt and walked through the security gateway. On the far side, Maddie retrieved her bag, placed Ryan back in his car seat, slipped her wallet and keys back into her pockets, and clipped her necklaces back in place.
"Alright, Ryan," Maddie said enthusiastically, "We've got an hour before our plane leaves and all the chairs in the world to climb on. Ready for some excitement?" Ryan squealed in compliance, causing the brown-haired girl to giggle. "Let's go find our gate so that we can sit down and play, alright?"
"Yay!" Ryan cried jubilantly, "Pway!" Maddie shook her head with a grin on her face as she sought her gate number. She couldn't help but suspect Ryan was going to turn out to be a great poet when he grew up.
Ivan stared dismally at the gray water beneath him. In the deadened stillness of the night, nothing changed in the landscape; even the tropical islands that occasionally passed beneath him looked gray. Though his body felt devoid of gravity, having to hold his legs straight rather than assuming a more relaxing position brought back part of his reasoning for never engaging in long-distance flights in the past. Still, he had made his decision and wasn't about to turn around now. By the time he got back, the ticket would be invalid. He sighed, realizing that his parents had put the money to nothing in the end. He hoped that his arrival by Ivani would at least be enough to appease them. Perhaps he could even fake that he had taken a taxi from the airport.
Still, Ivan rationed, the flight had improved since his take-off. The calm voice of his onboard computer had given him the full details of his journey, including the length, which would land him at the Carlsbad By The Sea resort at 2:07 PM, October 10th, just minutes after when his normal flight would arrive in LAX. After embarking, the rain had subsided rather quickly and, at an altitude of a few thousand feet, very little came anywhere near Ivan's flight space. With a few command, Ivan had drowned out his depressed emotions with music from his extensive archives. Presently, however, fatigue was beginning to get to him.
"Computer," Ivan asked with a yawn, "What's the ETA?" Ivan waited for a moment as a low buzzing sound echoed from behind his neck where Ivan supposed the computer's mainframe resided.
"Estimated time until arrival: thirteen hours, thirty-five minutes," The computer's synthesized voice informed its pilot. Ivan sighed.
"And I have to stay conscious for that whole time?" Ivan asked, slightly worried.
"That would be advisable," The computer dictated, "Should you fall unconscious, the concentration supporting Ivani could break and cause it to revert without provocation. Such would leave you half a mile above the surface without any support."
"For fear of that," Ivan said as he swallowed nervously, "I still will stay awake with you. But have you got any ideas on how I can wake up? 'Cause thirteen hours with nothing but gray water and gray land and gray sky is really gonna get to me pretty soon."
"I could project memories onto the viewing lens if you like," the computer suggested, "If visual stimulus is what you request, I can also produce fictional events that you wish for me to place together. It may not be accurate or exactly as you wish, but I can try if you want me to." Ivan thought for a minute.
"Can you replay my last night for me?" Ivan asked, "It was a really special moment for Maddie and I, not so much because we did anything, but it was the first time in a long while that we expressed our feelings so openly."
"Certainly," The computer replied after a few seconds of buzzing. "Please provide me one moment to generate sprites and image layering." Ivan grinned, closing his eyes as he remembered the evening in exquisite detail. Opening his eyes, the brown-haired boy chanced to see a glinting object above him, flashing steadily in the same position. Ivan smirked to himself, half-thinking that he could be sitting on that plane and flying to LAX instead of flying in Ivani across the Pacific Ocean. "The loading is complete, Ivan," The computer suddenly chimed, breaking the boy's thoughts.
"Play it," Ivan said with a nod, "And be sure to insert track number. 237 was it?" a faint melody started to echo through the boy's ears and he shook his head in the affirmative once more. "That's the one," he let the computer know, "now please play the visual."
"Of course," Ivani replied courteously, at least by electronic standards. Ivan's vision suddenly fell into blackness, followed by a surprisingly close view of Maddie's face, smiling with her eyes half-open. Ivan smiled at the loving expression upon his girlfriend's face, getting as comfortable as he could within Ivani's confines to watch his memory on the screen.
It felt as though an eternity had passed in only a few hours as the sixteen- year-old girl stepped out of the gate and into the line for customs. Maddie shook her head, trying to focus on getting out of the accursed airport and into a taxi. Patting a pouch on her backpack, Maddie assured herself that Ivan's envelope was still with her. It had the address of where Ivan's grandparents were staying. Through it she knew she could get to them. After passing briskly through the customs office and carrying Ryan's car seat with both arms, Maddie set out through the security gates, looking around for a way to get to the baggage claim.
The day before, carrying Ryan had been an easy task, but now, after having sat awake in a plane for endless hours, coupled with the hideous jet lag of crossing the Pacific Maddie could barely keep her eyes open. As Maddie sat down on a bench to try and recuperate, a kind elderly gentleman beside her looked at her curiously. Maddie looked back and nearly shrieked. Maddie then shook her head, looking back at the man in awe.
"Is something wrong?" the man asked, looking at Maddie with concern. " I didn't mean to frighten you, I was just surprised to see someone sit down beside me who wasn't my grandson." Maddie looked up at the man apologetically.
"It's not that," Maddie said, trying to calm herself, "It's just that I never thought I'd see you here." The older man's brow furrowed in confusion.
"Have we met before?" the man asked slowly, eyeing the girl closely. Maddie shook her head, but reached down and unzipped a compartment of her bag.
"No, but I do think I know your grandson," Maddie said to the man as she rifled through her bag. Then, sitting back up, she handed the envelope that had arrived at her house some two days earlier to the man. "Does this look familiar?" she asked.
The man looked at the letter then jerked sharply up to face the girl. "How did you get this?" the man demanded, "and where is my son." Maddie raised her hand in peace, while extending the other hand down to let Ryan hold.
"Just relax and I'll explain everything to you," Maddie assured the man. "I'm just so surprised that you were here, Mister Ishara. I thought that I'd be taking a taxi to visit you, your wife, and Ivan." Mr. Ishara stared ever more pointedly at the girl.
"Could you please inform me as to what's going on?" He asked firmly, worry and confusion mixing in his tone. Maddie nodded.
"Don't worry, Mister Ishara," Maddie said, "My name is Madelyn Altair and I've been with your grandson for the past four years, now. He, two other children and myself were summoned away by a dying land in a parallel dimension, and although this is gonna sound like a big load of balderdash, I ask that you give me a chance." Maddie then reached behind her neck and unclasped the necklace she had received from Ivan the previous month. "Ivan gave this to me for my birthday last month, about five months after we became more than friends," She explained as she held the locket over to display the picture of herself and Ivan.
"This is," Mr. Ishara began, staring at the locket intently, "My grandson?" Maddie nodded. "Why didn't he come over here on the plane flight like we'd asked him? And how are you here instead of him?"
"Ivan decided to try and save you guys some money by flying over here in his special armor that he got from the world we were helping. He took off even though he couldn't cancel the ticket, and it dawned on me that I might be able to use it to get over here, too. I managed to get it to work, and I'm grievously sorry for taking his place here, but it's the only way that I could bring Ryan," She gestured to the car seat beside her.
"You two have a son," Mr. Ishara gasped, leaning back against the chair. "But today's only his sixteenth birthday! How could he have gotten involved so quickly?" Maddie shook her head quickly.
"No, it's not like that," Maddie said with a faint blush, "Ivan's never done anything like that. Ryan's our adopted son. When we came back from our service and ended up in Japan, we opted to stay there and I took up a job as a babysitter. One night I went to a really torn-apart place and the adult there was abusive to Ryan here. I'm a victim of abuse, myself, and I couldn't stand to see it happen again, so Ivan and I got legal support form Ms. Takaishi's connections and were able to get Ryan's father indicted on child abuse and domestic abuse charges, and custody was transferred to us after we passed the requirements of being able to provide a home for him." Maddie leaned down and unbuckled Ryan from his carrier, seating the child in her lap. "Ryan," she said softly to the baby, "This is your daddy Ivan's daddy's daddy. That means that he's your great granddaddy." Ryan squeaked as he waved at Mr. Ishara.
"Hewo, gwea gwandaddy!" Ryan said exuberantly, "Do you know whewe my daddy is?" Maddie sighed, shaking her head slightly at Ryan.
"I'm sorry," Maddie said apologetically as she drew Ryan's attention from Mr. Ishara to one of his stuffed animals, "But he's been missing Ivan just as much as I have, which is why we came out here after he left." Mr. Ishara stared at Maddie intently, thinking deeply as his brow furrowed in concentration.
"So you and my grandson disappeared to a parallel universe to help fight some kind of evil," Mr. Ishara said slowly, trying to put all the facts in place, "Whereupon my son acquired some sort of flying armor, which he used to fly across the Pacific Ocean to our hotel resort." Maddie nodded in agreement. "You and my grandson have also taken custody of this child you're holding, and have been living in Japan and working for the past six months. You somehow got in touch with Ms. Takaishi, who has helped you to get that apartment as well as custody of Ryan. The only evidence that you have is the letter that I mailed to my grandson, a small picture that could be him, though I can't be sure since I haven't seen him in so long, and a toddler that refers Ivan's name to his father's."
Maddie bowed her head guiltily. "Please, sir," The girl asked softly, "I know it's not much for you to go on, but I beg that you believe me. If your grandson and m boyfriend hasn't arrived at Carlsbad By The Sea when we get back, then you may do with me what you will, accuse me of taking his life or stealing his identity, whatever you like, and by it I shall abide." Maddie then returned to her bag, looking for some other sort of proof that she could offer to Ivan's grandfather. She then saw the plastic-bound book Ivan had also given her for her birthday.
"Oh," Maddie said as she noticed the book, "Here's one last thing I can show you," She pulled the book out and, gently brushing the front cover, handed it to the man beside her. "This is the book your grandson wrote about our last adventure in the parallel universe. It explains in rather accurate detail every major encounter that we had on the course between one settlement and the next, traversing some sixty miles on foot with two injured companions whom we were escorting. It was at the end of that excursion that Ivan and I finally came to realize how we felt about each other, as well as our companions, named TK and Kari. In fact, TK's mother is Ms. Takaishi, if that's of any solace to you, so it's through our newfound friend on that journey that we were fortunate enough to establish living accommodations."
Mr. Ishara flipped through the book's pages slowly, reading the passages. Maddie noticed that his creased eyes were wet. "This book was written by my grandson?" he asked in disbelief as he looked over the pages. Maddie nodded.
"And illustrated," She pointed out, indicating a pencil shading of herself and Ivan resting beneath a tree.
Mr. Ishara stared at the penciled drawing of the boy and girl, then at the locket in his hand, then at the envelope in his lap. His eyes eventually wandered up to Ryan, who stared back at him with excited anticipation, and Maddie, who waited as patiently as she could for a reply. "Well," Mr. Ishara managed at last, "If my son has cared enough about you to buy a locket this expensive, and to draw such an exquisite drawing of you two, then I guess I can't say anything against you knowing him. Even this kid agrees to the facts." The elderly man's head dropped. "My son's finally come back," he whispered, "and brought along with him a lovely girlfriend and a son." Maddie nodded, Sitting Ryan down in his car seat and hugging the man gently.
"How about we head back, now?" Maddie suggested after a moment, slowly packing her stuff away into her bag. "I can explain anything else you're curious about on the ride back, and we'll see if this is all a joke or if I'm right." Mr. Ishara nodded slowly, standing up and brushing his hair back.
"By the way," the man asked Maddie as she stood up with her stuff, "How did you recognize me so easily like that?" Maddie looked up at the man, who now stood beside her at his full height.
Maddie shrugged and said, "Ivan's the only one I've ever seen with those intent blue eyes, and from what I can see now, you've got the same height and build as him, too." Mr. Ishara nodded, dismissing the question.
"Do you have a bag you need to pick up?" the older man asked. Maddie nodded and started to walk in the direction of the baggage claim. Despite her fatigue, the success at discovering Ivan's grandfather just beyond the security gate brought her a renewed vigor that she took full advantage of, swiping her bag from the trail almost instantly as she had taken so much time beforehand. Mr. Ishara walked over and took the bag from Maddie, however, insisting that she had enough on her hands.
"Thanks," Maddie said. She then followed the man out of the building into the warm afternoon of Los Angeles. She glanced down at Ryan, who was looking distractedly at Maddie's shirtsleeve. When he noticed his mother was watching him, Ryan looked up expectantly. Maddie nodded to the child. "Just a couple hours more, Ryan," she assured the baby, and he chirped joyously in reply. Maddie smiled as she took a double step to keep pace with Ivan's grandfather.
Ivan nearly collapsed as he walked through the automatic doors at the Carlsbad By The Sea resort. With a yawn and a depressed stagger, Ivan shook his head and looked up at the secretary. "Excuse me," Ivan asked, hading over his school-provided identification card, "My name's Ivan Ishara, and I'm here to visit my grandparents, Raul and Elena Ishara." The secretary nodded curtly, then looked down at some papers on her side of the desk.
The secretary looked up after a moment and smiled, saying, "Welcome, Ivan. Your grandparents have been quite excited about seeing you again, after you've been missing for so long. Raul is out right now, but Elena is up in their room. They're in the penthouse suite on the third floor, Room number 328." She then reached down behind her desk and grabbed a single key. "They also rented out room number 221, on the second floor, under your name," she informed the boy, also handing a small pad and pen to him, "If you could just sign here."
Ivan did as he was asked and the secretary smiled kindly at him. "Once again, welcome to Carlsbad By The Sea," She told Ivan, "I'll leave it up to your grandparents to tell you about all the fun events we have around here, and feel free to come here if you have any questions. Ivan nodded in understanding, then walked down the hall with as little of a stagger as he could muster. Nearly collapsing into the elevator at the end of the hall, the brown-haired boy managed to reach up and press the '3' button on the control panel before flopping down on the floor.
Ivan rubbed his face as the elevator rose, trying desperately to wake himself up after his exhausting flight time. Ivani could only keep him busy for so long, and even with its distractions the fatigue of having to keeping a relatively firm position was bordering on unbearable. Nonetheless, Ivan knew it was only 2:30 in the afternoon, and he had his grandmother and, soon, his grandfather to greet. It took only a minute for the elevator doors to open again, leading down a luxuriously carpeted and deserted hallway. Ivan walked tentatively down the hall, watching the numbers as he passed them
"312, 314, 316," he counted to himself, feeling an aura of anticipation fill him. Ivan turned a corner as the numbers continued to rise. "322, 324, 326," before the next door, Ivan stopped. He stared at the door, adorned by little else than three golden numbers, '328.' With a deep breath, Ivan raised his hand and gently rapped on the heavy wooden door. A faint voice inside responded to Ivan's knock.
"Yes?" the feminine voice asked, "who is it?" Ivan felt his heartbeat racing as the voice of four years ago rang clearly through his ears again.
"It's me, grandma," Ivan said against the door, "It's Ivan." The door nearly broke from the speed at which it was opened. Standing before Ivan, some five and a half feet tall with short white hair and a complexion that defied her age, was Ivan's grandmother. "Hi, grandma," Ivan managed to choke out, smiling at his grandmother as tears pooled in his eyes.
"Ivan!" Mrs. Ishara screamed in amazement, dashing forward and embracing her grandson. She showered the boy in kisses, making Ivan laugh and squirm. "Oh, Ivan, you're okay! I can't believe it! I never believed your grandfather, but wait until he gets in here! Oh, Ivan, how are you? And where is your grandfather?" Ivan dropped his arms, pulling back from his grandmother.
"It's a bit of a long story, grandma," Ivan said, "but I tried to save you guys some money by coming over here on my own. See, I can kinda fly now, which doesn't make sense right now, but I'll be sure to explain everything to you later when grandpa's here to listen, too. Anyways, I couldn't cancel the ticket 'cause I didn't get the letter in time, but I hoped that I'd beat Grandpa before he left. I guess I didn't manage that either." Ivan sighed, brushing the back of his neck in nervousness. Mrs. Ishara simply shook her head.
"You've never ceased to amaze me," Mrs. Ishara said. She then took Ivan's hands in hers and pulled him into the room. "Don't be a stranger, now, honey," She told Ivan, "come in and make yourself at home. Are you hungry, or thirsty?" Ivan could feel his stomach growl in response. He nodded.
"I'm a bit hungry, yeah, but more than that, I'm really exhausted," Ivan admitted, flopping down on one of his grandparents' couches. "Flying all the way from Odaiba to Carlsbad on my own takes a long time and it's not something I can really sleep through."
"Oh, you poor thing," Mrs. Ishara said sadly. She walked quickly into the kitchen and returned an instant later bearing a glass of water. She handed it to the boy, saying, "Drink this and then go lie down on our bed. You might as well sleep until your grandfather gets back from Los Angeles. Then you can tell us all about what on earth happened to you." Ivan nodded in compliance.
"I'd be glad to, grandma," Ivan said as he drained the glass he then rose and embraced his grandmother again. "I've really missed you, grandma," he whispered before letting go and smiling at her. Mrs. Ishara smiled back just as warmly.
Mrs. Ishara replied, "We've missed you, too, Ivan, but we can save that for later." She pointed down the hallway to the bedroom. "Right now you had better go lie down and get some rest." Ivan hung his head.
"Yes, grandma," Ivan said sullenly. She smiled as Ivan slowly trudged down the corridor and, at length, collapsed onto the bed. Not caring that his shoes were still on, Ivan got as comfortable as he could without disturbing the neatly made bed. As he closed his eyes, Maddie's image floated once more through his mind and Ivan felt a pang of longing for the girl. "It stopped my heart just to be with you, Maddie," Ivan whispered into the fabric of the bed, "And it sure had been killing me since." However, his thoughts failed to develop much further as sleep overwhelmed his exhausted frame.
It was a few hours later when a gentle rustling awoke Ivan from his deep sleep. Looking around groggily, Ivan saw a baby carling up beside him with a wide smile on his face. Ivan squinted, trying to discern where such a child had come from. Last time he checked, only his grandmother, grandfather and other elderly people lived in the resort, not children. It wasn't until the child began speaking that Ivan's mind suddenly made the connection.
"Daddy!" Ryan said when he saw his father's eyes open narrowly. The baby's arms quickly reached around Ivan's neck holding him tightly. "Daddy, daddy, daddy!" Ivan wrapped an arm around the child.
"Ryan, my goodness, what are you doing here?" Ivan asked in incredulity.
"Mommy and I came wiff youw pwane tickie, so we coud come see you!" Ryan explained to Ivan. Then, after a moment's pause, he continued, "It was long. I sweepy." Ryan promptly closed his eyes and fell onto his back, breathing peacefully with one arm still dangling around Ivan's neck. Ivan smiled at the boy.
"He's not the only one who's tired," A voice said from above Ivan. The boy looked up and blinked his eyes a few times to make sure this wasn't some wonderful taunting dream. When no change came, Ivan could only smile. He extended his free hand up To Maddie, which she gladly took and lay down beside Ivan, keeping Ryan's sleeping form between her stomach and his.
Ivan raised his hand up and gently brushed the side of her face, smiling tiredly at the girl. "I won't even ask how, but simply state that you're incredible, Maddie," he breathed as he beheld the girl. Maddie grinned, defying the exhaustion of her trip.
"I do my best," she replied modestly, letting her hand stroke the back of Ivan's neck. "And after all, there was no way I was gonna let you down on your birthday after you came through for me so wonderfully." Ivan's smile broadened, gazing into her deep, sparkling brown eyes. Maddie held his sight with hers.
"There's no better gift I could ever ask for than to see you here," Ivan stated honestly. Maddie closed her eyes, trying to control her emotions that so desired to be released. "I love you, Maddie."
Maddie's eyes opened after a second, looking once again at Ivan's shining cerulean eyes. "I love you, too, Ivan," she murmured in answer. Resting her free hand atop his, she continued, "I missed you more these past twenty- four hours than I ever could have imagined." Ivan's lips gently brushed against hers, stalling her confession.
"I know, Maddie," He assured the girl in the same quiet tone. "It was killing me, too, the whole flight over here. But that's all over now, and we're gonna stay together from here on out."
"Promise?" Maddie asked. Her forehead rested against his, and she could feel his head bob up and down.
"Yes, my angel, I promise you that I will never again depart from your side." Maddie smiled, her emotions again urging to break free form her chest. However, in defiance of her heart, Maddie settled instead for kissing Ivan once, simply, with his hands stroking through her long hair and her hands caressing the skin of his neck.
"Now can I crawl into your arms and fall asleep in your embrace?" Maddie asked shyly of the boy as her lips slipped from his. Ivan nodded, letting his hands slide down to below her shoulders. However, Ryan's small form prohibited Maddie from getting too close to Ivan. "That's alright," she whispered, resting her head against Ivan's chest, "this is more than I could ever have asked for, and we have to remember that Ryan's a part of us, too." Again, Ivan nodded.
"Goodnight, my darling," Ivan whispered to the girl, nuzzling his nose into her long brown hair.
"Goodnight, my guardian," Maddie replied, "And happy birthday." Ivan's heart swelled at her words, holding the girl ever tighter in his arms.
"The best present I could ever get," Ivan said as Maddie' breathing quickly became even against his chest. He smiled into her hair, knowing the straits that she had endured to get to see him. As her words, "I love you, too, Ivan," replayed through his mind over and over again, Ivan's body slid back into blissful slumber, reunited once again with his darling angel.
Mrs. Ishara looked up at her husband. "What do you think?" she asked.
"What do you mean, Elena?" Mr. Ishara said in reply, drawing his gaze from the couple lying placidly on their bed. "What do you think?"
"I think that I've seen something like this before play out around us, some twenty years ago," Mrs. Ishara answered. She sighed, gazing kindly down the hallway once again. "He's turned out so much like his father," she said wistfully. Mr. Ishara nodded. Mrs. Ishara once again looked at him. "So what do you think Raul?"
The old man sighed, averting his gaze from his wife's eyes. "I've only just met the girl," Mr. Ishara said defensively, "And we haven't seen Ivan in four years."
"Isn't this enough?" Mrs. Ishara asked, straining for a straight answer. "You brought that girl home and in just a few short hours she's already calling us her grandparents. She's had a rough life, from what little you told me, and she's recovered with amazing strength. More than that, she loves our grandson with all of her heart, not to mention that child they've raised so well together." Mrs. Ishara paused, letting the words sink into her husband. "You never did give your blessing to our Alex and that wonderful girl that changed his life around. It's too late now to change what happened with him, I know, but are you going to give Ivan the same treatment? He's in love with this girl, just as Alex loved Rebecca with all of his heart." Mrs. Ishara looked back down the hall at the couple sprawled out on the bed. "She looks so much like Rebecca," the woman commented, dropping her gaze to the floor. Mr. Ishara's hands soon found their way around his wife's shoulders.
"You're right," Mr. Ishara admitted slowly, "And I've told you that you were right about Alex and Rebecca before. I won't make that same mistake again." Mrs. Ishara looked up, slightly surprised. Her husband only nodded as he continued, "If he feels the way you say he does, then they'll be able to have my blessing upon them, and the freedom to live their lives as they wish. I trust my grandson, and despite my own amazement, Maddie's proven to be far beyond capable of taking care of both Ivan and Ryan. If she's willing to take care of them, then let it be so." Mrs. Ishara laughed softly as she kissed her husband.
"Thank you, Raul," Mrs. Ishara said lovingly to the man beside her. Then, taking his hand in hers, she led Mr. Ishara to the kitchen segment on the far side of the living room to prepare dinner for their newly arrived guests.
(Lo and Behold! The power of one single day sick at home from school! It has spawned the entirety of these pages, the longest single segment I have ever written in my life. There are so many things I could scream out right now, but I'll refrain from such 'cause it's past midnight. Oh well, this was so worth it. A couple notes: I've run research on the locations I used and the timing schedule to the best of my ability in this one-day stint, so I hope it makes sense. If it doesn't, like the IDL does something weird that I forgot then I apologize and simply state that events occurred a day later or earlier before crossing the line. Carlsbad By The Sea is a real resort hotel, yes, and I've even been in that suite I named. It's a great place, the kind of retirement home that everyone should be able to have. Hats off to Travelocity.com for providing me a site I could use for my electronic ticket production, and although I think that my idea of a joint account is a little surreal, it can be done with banks so I figure that it should be plausible with any other such account. Otherwise, I hope you enjoyed this installment and that I didn't forget anything in my haste. Whether or not you liked it, let me know and why or why not via that little button. Thanks Muchly! Now for the composition of Chapter 8. Let's see if I can pull a crazy stunt like this one again!)
The Ivani Chronicles : Book 2 - Reminiscence : Chapter 7 - Killing Me Too
The vacancy of the Altair-Ishara apartment became most obvious in the early afternoon. The light of the sun pored through the windows with its strongest rays at that time, bringing full light to the emptiness of the rooms. In the living room, a pair books lay closed with the tassels of bookmarks dangling from the top ends. Ivan's laptop, too, lay closed upon the coffee table, the black computer bringing a stark contrast to the otherwise pastel room. The couch, both armchairs, and the newly added toddler chair were all vacant in their near-reverent positioning around the table in the center of the room.
The kitchen counter was left unoccupied by anything but a tin of baby formula and a cutting board. The oaken chairs accompanying the dining table, along with a plastic high chair, opposite the counter stood ajar, facing the general direction of the main door. The only sound of the room came from the slow, monotone hum of the refrigerator.
In the bathroom, two robes and three towels hung dry on respective hooks, lining the right-hand wall. The bathroom counter against the left-hand wall was home to only a small ceramic mug holding three toothbrushes. The shower was concretely sealed to the far side of the bathroom, with the curtain drawn back to reveal no moisture within.
Finally, within the bedroom, one could almost feel the barrenness of the apartment. The sheets covering the bed and bassinet, both, were neatly folded and made as if by a hired hand. On the left-hand beside table stood a lamp and an alarm clock, faintly emitting the present time against the light piercing through the loosely drawn curtains. On the opposing side rested an identical lamp, likewise turned off, and a small, neatly piled stack of children's books.
Surprisingly enough, it was just after the residence of Maddie and Ivan felt the most vacant that it felt the most occupied and used. Presently, faint reverberations of speech came through the door of the Altair-Ishara residence, accompanied by the rough grinding of metal. A swift click followed, and preceded the wide swinging of the door to reveal Ivan, Maddie, and Ryan. Maddie walked over the threshold first, carrying Ryan and laughing with the baby boy. Ivan lingered outside of the apartment a moment longer, reaching over to the mailbox, regularly attended by a lobby secretary, and grabbing out the day's mail. He then jumped into the room after Maddie and Ryan, shaking his head and nudging the door closed with the heel of his foot.
"Thanks, Ryan," Ivan said slowly as he walked after his girlfriend and son into the kitchen.
"Dada, doodoo," Ryan chirped over Maddie's shoulder with a grin. Maddie giggled again as she set Ryan in his high chair. Then, tossing her backpack to the corner of the room, the girl brushed her long brown hair back and looked at the dejected expression on her boyfriend's face.
"Oh, cheer up," Maddie said authoritatively. "You taught me to laugh at the cracks people try to make about us, the least you can do is give your son a little encouragement as he learns the tactics of insult. It's a vital thing to know how to do."
Ivan sent his backpack gliding to join hers at the edge of the room. He took a few steps forward to the dining table and set down the small stack of letters while his eyes followed Maddie to the counter where she began fixing a bottle for Ryan. "I know, Maddie, I know," Ivan stated in his defense, "but it kinda hurts when your own son is the one making fun of you." Maddie shook her head as Ryan continued his string of words.
"Dada, doodoo!" The baby squealed, looking delightedly at his adoptive parents. Maddie smiled.
"You know he means nothing by it," Maddie soothed. "He loves you dearly just as he does me, regardless of what he babbles about when given the inspiration." Ivan nodded, walking over to Maddie.
"The question is," Ivan said suggestively as he wound his arms around Maddie's waist, "do you love me the same way when you make fun of me?" Maddie laughed despite herself, topping Ryan's bottle filled with liquid formula.
"I have two words to say to that," Maddie managed to say after composing herself. She then turned in Ivan's arms and clasped her hands behind his neck. "Dada, doodoo," she whispered with a sly smile on her face. Ivan laughed softly at her, shaking his head slightly.
"Forever insulted," Ivan whispered. Maddie pulled Ivan's lips to hers, kissing him with her heartfelt emotion. She held the brown-haired boy for only a minute before loosening her grip and letting Ivan stand once again.
"And forever loved," Maddie mirrored. Her eyes locked on Ivan's for a moment, confirming her words. Maddie let her body press against his, melting against him in his affectionate gaze. Maddie knew that the words she spoke had not been in any jest, but weighted fully by honest meaning. She did love the boy who held her so closely, and knew from the brimming emotion in Ivan's sapphire eyes that his heart felt the same for her.
"Dada, doodoo!" Ryan said with another childish cackle. Maddie dropped her eyes from Ivan's looking past him at her son. "Mommy, foofoo!" The child rhymed, waving his arms at the pair. Maddie smiled, dropping her hands onto Ivan's chest and gently shoving him backwards.
"Now out with you," Maddie commanded as she turned abruptly from the brown- haired boy. "I have to feed and change Ryan, so we need some time alone for our mother and son bonding to happen, understand?"
Ivan could only laugh as he nodded, stepping back from the adoptive mother. Ivan turned to the table, kissing Ryan's cheek and grabbing the pile of letters. "Be good to your mother," Ivan told Ryan, to which the baby nodded. Ivan then dashed back to Maddie's side, kissed her cheek, and ducked into the living room. Only the boy's great reflexes and agility saved him from being playfully smacked.
"Ivan!" Maddie moaned, staring at the ceiling in frustration. She grabbed the bottle from the table and turned to Ryan. As she sat down in the chair beside Ryan, Maddie continued, "One of these days I'm going to kill your father." Ryan continued to giggle at his own remarks.
"Dada doodoo!" Ryan repeated one last time. Maddie nodded to the boy.
"Exactly," Ryan's mother confirmed, tilting the bottle into Ryan's mouth. The girl then shook her head, staring at Ryan as his focus switched abruptly to the bottle in his mouth. Maddie smiled slightly, leaning her cheek against her hand, anchored by her elbow on the table. "Two boys in my life," she whispered to no one in particular, "And I don't know what I'd do without either of them."
Ivan slouched down on the couch, kicking off his shoes as he did so. The letters in his hand drew his attention, through which he eagerly sorted. The first letter was a bill, as was the second and the third. It wasn't until the fourth and last letter that Ivan found something of remote interest. Written in neat handwriting, rather than computerized text behind a plastic film covering, was his name and current address. Another thing that struck Ivan was that only his name was inscribed, as opposed to the other letters upon which Maddie's name also appeared. Ivan then glanced at the return address and felt his heart stop short.
"Raul and Elena Ishara," Ivan breathed, his eyes wide. "Carlsbad By The Sea in Carlsbad, California. How on Earth did they locate me?" Ivan read the return address a few more times before tearing open the letter with mixed apprehension and excitement. A long, hand written letter in the script Ivan clearly recognized to be his grandfather's greeted his eyes:
Dear Ivan,
The emotions that your grandmother and I feel at this moment are so mixed that it's of no use to try and explain them. We've thought for so long that we lost you to the terrors of California, or some other grave circumstance for which we grieved your disappearance. Neither of us ever believed that you would resurface in our lives, but miracles always seem to happen. When your account was accessed and thousands of dollars were drawn from it, I figured that it must have been some computer hacker that was accessing the files. However, as money was later sent to replenish the account, I grew increasingly more baffled. I finally started accessing the bank archives and found that there had been no security breach. Either someone had guessed your account name, or you had come back from the dead and decided to buy a few death day presents. Thanks to the help of the bank's customer service (Noting that this is the only time in my life that any customer service has actually served me) we were able to find that the account was being accessed from Japan. If you'll remember, I did a lot of overseas work there back in the 80's and while doing so I made a few connections. A mister Fenzi works in the apartment complex in which an apartment was rented within a week of the first major tapping of your bank account. He informed me that a current resident, one Ms. Takaishi, had put down a payment and given the residence to a tall young man with brown hair and blue eyes. From the physical description he gave, I was certain that it was you. I can only wonder how you made connections with Ms. Takaishi, but you must be sure to thank her for her assistance.
It's been a long time since we ever thought that we would be able to see you, Ivan, but now that we have that opportunity, we're desperate to take advantage of it. We know this must be sudden, but at our age, things that don't happen quickly may not come to light at all. We know your birthday will be soon, and we would be truly grateful if you would come back home and celebrate with us. Hopefully this letter can reach you with due time for you to make arrangements to leave your current residence and return the deed of the apartment to Ms. Takaishi. However, the postal service is never truly dependable. More importantly is your plane ticket. We opted to use the Internet service to get you a flight out here on the evening of Saturday, October 9th. It's a red-eye flight, and I'm sorry that we couldn't get you a better seat, but with the short notice there was little else we could do. You'll be landing at LAX in the early afternoon of October 10th, and we'll pick you up and bring you out for dinner to celebrate your return to us, and your 16th birthday. The flight leaves from Tokyo at 7:45 PM and lands at 1:50 PM. Your ticket is confirmed and needs only to be printed and brought with you to the airport on Saturday. We'll be waiting for you at LAX Ivan, and we can't wait to see you again. Once more, we apologize about the rush of events, but we've missed you so much, you must understand what it's like after you yourself were gone from us for three years. Your grandmother wishes you all the best and prays that these past years haven't made you too estranged from us. There's so much more we wish to tell you, but we will save that until we see you in person. Until Sunday, Ivan.
-With love and affection, Raul and Elena Ishara
P.S.: The online account at travelocity.com is the same as it was when you lived with us before. Our accounts are jointly linked such that you only need to access your account to retrieve the ticket.
Ivan read the letter through once, then a second time. His voice and arms failed him as the papers fluttered to the carpeted floor. Petrified, Ivan stared wide-eyed at where the paper had been held in his hand. Never in his thoughts had it occurred to him that he would go and reunite with his grandparents in the United States. Now that it finally came to him, he had no idea on how to react.
On one hand, Ivan felt the aching in his heart as his absence from his grandparents finally came back. It had been two and a half years since he ever seriously thought about seeing them, once his position as a dragoon settled in more thoroughly. The suppressed feeling so his leaving them finally came to the surface again, wrenching the boy with guilt for departing without warning. It had never been his intention, but he hadn't been given any warning. Now, with the ticket placed before him to go back and set things aright, It would be terribly cruel to reject his grandparents after all of the effort they went through to locate him. Ivan bent over and lifted the letter from the carpet to the small table.
Ivan checked over a few sentences and sighed. The major problem in Ivan's mind was the thought or permanency his grandparents had instated. A one-way ticket to California, a request to pack up and return the deed to Ms. Takaishi, and no concern given to his affairs in Japan. True his parents probably didn't know he wasn't living alone and he couldn't blame them, but to desert Maddie and Ryan so early in the school year would be horrendous. Even if Maddie and Ryan were both able to get separate seats on the plane, which he highly doubted as the flight took off tomorrow they would be leaving behind TK, Kari, and the rest of the Digidestend. Ivan felt his heart tearing. For one reason or another, he now had to decide between staying and disappointing his grandparents, or departing and leaving behind the girl he cared for most in the world. Slumping backwards, Ivan rested a hand against his forehead and closed his eyes.
Maddie padded softly into the room from the hallway to the bedroom. Having just lain Ryan down for his afternoon nap, Maddie saw Ivan sitting in a miserable hunch on the couch. "What's wrong, hun?" Maddie asked tenderly, quickly walking over and sitting down beside the boy. Resting her side against the back of the couch, Maddie curled one leg beneath her and dangled the other over the couch's edge. Her hand reached out and took hold of Ivan's, bringing from his forehead as she interlocked her fingers in his. "Talk to me," Maddie requested, looking at the boy. Her copper eyes shone in concern for her boyfriend.
Ivan's head slowly rose up, looking over at Maddie with a sad smile. He then grabbed the letter from his grandparents with his free hand and gave it to Maddie. The brown-haired girl took the letter, reading quickly in hopes of discovering the reason for Ivan's sadness. Maddie felt the blood run from her cheeks as she read, fear slowly wrapping about her shoulders. She swallowed hard when she read the postscript, declaring the finality of Ivan's grandparent's wishes. Maddie lowered the letter and stared at Ivan. "What are you going to do?" The girl asked quietly.
Ivan sighed, moving over to the girl and taking her body in his arms. Maddie curled up against him, her arms wrapping tightly around him. "I'm not sure," Ivan admitted softly into Maddie's ear. "I haven't seen my grandparents in well over three years, and I'm sure they've missed me more than I can imagine. I was the only other person in their lives when I left, and I don't think anyone else could have shown up." Ivan leaned back slightly, locking his eyes with hers while letting one of his hands brush softly through her hair. "But they're asking me to leave this place on a one-way ticket, and only one ticket on the flight. There's no discussion or argument I can make to them, the ticket's already been purchased and they're going to be expecting me there. That means that I can either disregard them and waste their money, which I'd hate to do to my own family, or I can go and leave you and Ryan here alone, which I couldn't ever live with doing." Ivan rested his forehead against Maddie's as he continued, "You two mean the world to me and I'd be damned if I were to forsake you like that. I love you too much to ever desert you like that." Despite Ivan's words, Maddie's eyes were slowly damning with her tears.
"There's no choice you can make, Ivan," Maddie resigned, "I won't let you turn on the family you love so much, and who's given you so much." Ivan shook his head.
"You and Ryan are my family now, Maddie, don't you see?" Ivan told the girl. Maddie could only let more tears fall down her cheeks. Ivan's arms embraced the girl tightly. Maddie returned the hug instantly, burying her head in Ivan's shoulder as she cried. "I have two families in my life, and I can't think of leaving either one. But knowing my grandparents, if I go back, they're going to keep me in a wrought-iron prison so that no low-life criminal of the streets steals me away. Going back would keep me there for a long time, at the least, and I know I can't stay for long. We have our duties in the Digital world to attend to after all. But me being gone for six months would be devastating enough for you and Ryan. Trying to raise a child and attend school and work alone isn't something I'd ever want to see happen." Ivan buried his head against his beloved's shoulder, her hair falling over his face. "I don't ever want to leave you, Maddie, and I don't want to leave Ryan. I love you both too much to ever go away."
Maddie regained her composure after a short time, nuzzling her head against Ivan's neck as she leaned back in his arms. "Ivan," she began in a whisper, "I know you love me and Ryan a lot, but in all honesty, I think you owe it to your grandparents to go back and be with them at least for a little while." Maddie's eyes caught on Ivan's, emphasizing the meaning in her words. "They love you and miss you, Ivan. As much as I love you and will miss you, I won't be greedy." Maddie closed her eyes for a brief moment, taking a deep breath. Then, looking back at Ivan once again. "I hate to say it, Ivan, but if you don't get on that plane tomorrow, I'm going to be disappointed in you along with your grandparents."
Ivan stared at the girl in disbelief. "You'd actually prefer that I leave?" he asked. Maddie bit her lower lip slightly and nodded.
"I love you to death, Ivan," Maddie assured the boy. "You're everything to me. You give me meaning to get up each morning, you can cheer me up when I'm down, you can make me laugh no matter what's going on, and you light up every moment of my life that I'm with you." Maddie paused to kiss Ivan briefly. As she leaned away, she continued, "That's how I know that you can't leave your grandparents hanging. I know you lit up their days just as you do mine, and now I can relate to what it would feel like to lose a son, or even a grandson." Maddie glanced over her shoulder in the direction of the bedroom. "I'd be heartbroken beyond comprehension if something were to happen to Ryan, and if I had a chance to get him back three years later, I'd do everything in my power to get him back. Your grandparents feel the same way about you, Ivan." Maddie pulled Ivan back into her arms, melting against him. She pressed her lips softly to his neck and sighed.
"I'm gonna miss you," Ivan managed to say. He pressed his head lovingly against her neck whilst his fingers brushed along her spine. "Especially since we'll have to miss celebrating my birthday as a couple together." Maddie nodded.
"I'll mail my present to you, okay?" She told Ivan, to which he consented. The room fell into darkness rather abruptly. Maddie looked over at the window, curious as to why the sunlight had dissipated in such haste. Upon looking at the sky, Maddie saw a wealth of clouds drifting lazily across the horizon, blanketing the sun's rays. Maddie watched the gray clouds consume the blue skies as she delicately caressed the back of Ivan's head with her hand and rubbed her cheek against his neck.
"Am I the only one being really devastated by being stolen from you?" Ivan asked in a depressed mumble. Maddie inhaled slowly, and then shook her head.
"No, my love, you're not the only one. Losing you kills me too. It's terrible to not be with you. But I know that there are some things that should come before how I feel." Maddie brushed her eyes with the back of her hand before tracing it down along Ivan's back. "But if you're taking off physically, do you think you could promise me that you won't abandon your love for me?"
"Oh, Maddie," Ivan whispered, his arms clinging desperately to the brown- haired girl, "Nothing will ever change how much you mean to me. You're an angel, Maddie, and one that has given me the honor of being loved by you. I promise you, Madelyn, that I will never renounce my love for you no matter where I must go. To you and you alone does my heart belong, and with you do I pray it shall forever reside." Ivan took a second to pause and let his words sin kin before finalizing his statement of faith to the girl in his arms, saying, "I love you, Madelyn Altair."
Maddie could feel her heart melting against Ivan's chest, yearning to keep the boy beside her forever. It hurt her greatly to think that she had already confirmed his departure from her life, at least for a short while. Maddie pushed Ivan down onto the couch, forcing him to lie down underneath her. She then resealed her arms about her boyfriend's back and nestled her head beneath his. " You're too good to me," Maddie whispered, holding the boy tightly as his arms massaged her back and ran through her hair. "It's going to be so lonely without you around to hold," Ivan nodded in understanding.
"Let's just make the most of the time we do have," Ivan suggested, tilting his head to kiss her hair. Maddie smiled, returning the kiss to Ivan's chin.
"I couldn't think of anything better," Maddie agreed, pressing her body firmly to Ivan's. Closing her eyes, Maddie felt the steady rhythm of Ivan's heart beating against her chest. She smiled to herself in the knowledge that Ivan had given that gift to her, and she knew she would always cherish it. One of her hands slipped free from around Ivan's back and rested against his chest. Her thumb and forefinger reached for her neck, taking hold of the small locket on its golden chain. That, too, had been Ivan's gift to her and in the moment, it brought to her a great solace.
Ivan watched Maddie as she fingered the necklace with a small, loving smile. One of his hands trailed from Maddie's back and took her hand, placing his fingers over hers. Maddie smiled at the sight before her eyes, kissing each of Ivan's fingers in turn. Maddie then let her eyes close, whispering, "I love you too, Ivan Ishara," before finally fading from consciousness.
Ivan watched As Maddie's hand continued to caress his hand very subtly. His eyes were then drawn by the sudden pattering of raindrops against the sliding glass door to the balcony. The clouds that Maddie had noticed earlier had proved to be rain clouds, releasing their burden down upon the apartment complex. The soothing beat of the rain and Maddie's faint massage was almost enough to make Ivan fall asleep in the dark atmosphere in the room. However, his own fear of losing the girl in his arms so soon kept his drowsiness at bay. His lips pressed against her forehead, unable to resist showing his emotions for Maddie even while she slept. His one hand continued to dance leisurely along her back, while the other held her hand on his chest. Ivan stared at where the letter had fallen, lying open on top of the laptop computer. He sighed, wishing that he could by some means simply bring Maddie and Ryan with him to California. But before he could pursue such an idea, Ivan stopped himself. He knew that doing so would only make him feel worse when he wasn't able to come up with a solution. Instead, Ivan's mind began working quickly on a way to bring him back into the arms of the girl he cared for so dearly as quickly as possible. Ideas of explaining to his grandparents that he had a life in Japan, a girlfriend and an adopted son, and a job to get done all passed through his mind. Then, he decided that if he couldn't reason with them about him returning to Japan, he would leave by force if necessary. After all, he figured, if they truly loved him as Maddie said they did then they would not impede Ivan's creation of his own family.
Ivan leaned back against the padded arm of the couch. "Let's just hope they care to hear me," He whispered to himself. His eyes drifted back down to watch the young girl in his arms. "Because there's not a chance in hell that I'm gonna let them keep me from you, even if they are my family. I just pray that they'll understand." Ivan watched Maddie's body slowly rise and fall with her breathing as he composed different speeches he could deliver to his grandparents. After half an hour, Ivan felt that he had a good outline on what to say, and heard a new noise rise up over the pattering of the rain. It was Ryan, crying out for company from his crib. Ivan smiled, rustling Maddie awake. "Come on, darling," he whispered to Maddie, "Ryan's getting up and I think it's about time for dinner." Maddie yawned and nodded.
"Alright," she managed to say as she sat up off of Ivan. Ivan rose up beside her, kissing her cheek softly. Maddie blushed slightly. "What was that for?" she asked.
"For being so incredible," Ivan responded as he kissed her again. Maddie groaned and shoved Ivan back down onto the couch.
"Not right now," Maddie said with a shake of her head. Ivan watched her in amusement.
"Later?" he said softly. Maddie looked back at Ivan, staring at his blue eyes for a minute. She then began laughing, and shook her head again.
"We'll see, Ivan," Maddie said with a grin. She turned down the hallway to go and retrieve Ryan. "We'll see."
Ivan jumped back to his feet, staring after the girl. He then shook his head. "I don't think I'll ever understand how I got to be so lucky as to have her in my life," He whispered to the wall. Then, with one last glance down the hallway as Ryan's cries softened and Maddie's melodic voice took over, Ivan sighed and strode over to the kitchen. His eyes fixed on the refrigerator door, glaring at the white metal. "Here's the deal," Ivan explained to the inanimate object, "I open you and you have something good that I can make for dinner tonight and nobody gets hurt. Got it? Good." The brown-haired boy then stepped forwards and grasped the refrigerator door handle. Then, briefly covering his eyes, Ivan yanked the door open and looked expectantly inside.
The following morning, Ivan's eyes blinked open under the pattering of constant raindrops hitting the windowpane. The boy groaned as he tried to cover his ears with his pillow. However, the pillow didn't cooperate. Ivan looked down curiously, wondering why the pillow was suddenly curved and white rather than the royal blue of the pillowcase then laughed softly to himself as realization dawned upon him. Turning his head to face in the other direction, Ivan rested his head back against Maddie's pajama top and contented himself with listening to her heartbeat.
Ivan's movement, however, caused Maddie to stir from her sleep. Her eyes fluttered open before gazing down at the boy on top of her. She let her head fall back with a laugh, her hands rising to massage his shoulders.
"Good Morning, my angel," Ivan whispered as he crawled up over Maddie's body, lying down beside her. Her head rolled to look at him and she smiled.
"The same to you, darling," Maddie replied as she adjusted herself to be closer to the brown-haired boy. Brushing her nose against his, she sighed and let her eyes close. "But I want to go back to last night again," she pouted. Ivan chuckled, hugging the girl tenderly.
"I'm sorry, darling," Ivan said, "But it's the only night I know I'll be able to give you for a while. Just try to remember it while I'm gone?" Maddie nodded.
"I won't ever forget it," She said, slipping her arms around his shoulders and brushing the soft fabric of his pajama shirt. Ivan smiled at the girl trying to squeeze in a few minutes of sleep. The boy tried to shift, but Maddie's arms tensed in contention. "Don't go," She whispered, "Not yet. At least let me have you in my arms for a little while longer." Ivan lay helplessly in Maddie's embrace. After thinking for a minute, he sighed and curled up against his girlfriend.
"Fine," Ivan resigned as he kissed the girl's neck. No sooner had he pressed his head back against Maddie's shoulder than a soft wailing pierced through the quiet room. Ivan rolled back, looking at Maddie. The brown- haired girl groaned, her eyes blinking open and looking helplessly at Ivan. "I can take care of him for the morning," Ivan assured the girl, "But after that, I got to pack and get a taxi."
Maddie closed her eyes and gradually sat herself up. "Too soon to loose you," she moaned as she slowly moved out of the bed. Standing up on the right-hand side of the bed, Maddie slipped on her slippers before going over to Ryan's side and lifting the baby from his crib. Seeing the look of anticipation and joy on Ryan's face invigorated Maddie as well. "Good Morning, my little baby," Maddie cooed to the child.
Ivan shook his head as he walked over to Maddie's side, his feet too now clad in slippers. "I guess you've got everything under control, then," Ivan said quietly over Maddie's shoulder. Maddie nodded.
"You go get ready for your big trip," Maddie told Ivan, "I'll go get some breakfast ready for the three of us, okay?" Ivan nodded, and then quickly padded down the hall to the bathroom. Maddie waited for the door to close and the sound of shower water to start running before she spoke again, rocking Ryan lightly in her arms, "Oh, what on earth are we gonna do without your father around here?" She asked, half to the child and half to herself. Ryan only stared as droplets of water splashed down on his sleeping garments.
"Don' cwy, Mommy," Ryan said happily up to his mother. Maddie looked at the child, smiling despite her tears.
"I'm sorry, Ryan," Maddie apologized, slowly walking down the hall to the kitchen, "I just can't help it. Your daddy means more to me than anyone could imagine, and now I've forced him away. I know sending him to see the rest of his family is the best thing for him, but what are we gonna do without him in this part of his family?" Ryan seemed to think for a minute then looked brightly up at Maddie.
"Let's go wiff Daddy!" Ryan exclaimed. Maddie smirked, setting Ryan down in his high chair.
"I wish we could, Ryan, I really do," Maddie replied as she went to the kitchen counter. The carton of eggs, milk, orange juice, salt, pepper, a frying pan, and a loaf of bread were all retrieved as she continued, "But I don't think it's possible. There's only one ticket for Daddy, and that's the only way that we could go with him. The plane's full, too. Daddy checked that last night, so there's nowhere for us to fit. We'll just have to wait for daddy to figure out some sort of way to get us together again once he sees his grandparents." Maddie sighed, looking down the hallway at the closed bathroom door. "This can't be any easier for him, either," She admitted sadly. "Not only does he loose us but he has to travel for who knows how many hours to get to California."
"Don' wowwy, mommy," Ryan said to Maddie, "Daddy's smawt, he'ww do good and den we go be wiff him." Maddie looked at Ryan, slightly shocked at the baby's optimism. She smiled then, walking over and hugging her son.
"You're right, Ryan," Maddie told the baby. "You're growing up so quickly. I don't know what I'd do without having you here to keep me company." Ryan only giggle, hugging Maddie back as best he could with his toddler arms and kicking his legs as he did so.
"Can we eat now, pwease?" Ryan asked Maddie, looking up at her. Maddie nodded.
"I'll get right on it, honey," Maddie confirmed before whisking around and making the day's morning meal.
Ivan smiled, leaning back from the bathroom door and continuing with his shower. It was amazing to think of how intelligent Ryan was. He wondered how old the child really was, since they had yet to get any proper birth records, and vaguely considered the child to only be a midget acting as a baby, when in fact he was far older than either Ivan or Maddie. It was only the fact that Ryan's main form of locomotion came in the form of crawling or quick, tottering steps that kept his age in perspective.
Ivan's mind again wandered to the imminent departure he had to make. Despite having to leave the love of his life and his son behind, he couldn't help being excited to see his grandparents after leaving them nearly four years prior. True, they could be a bit strict, but he could hardly blame them after they lost their only son to a car crash. And when he wasn't pushing the limitations of curfew or computer time, his grandparents had done their very best to keep him engaged and thinking. It was their continuation of Ivan's parents' legacy that he had to thank for all his abilities. In his heart, he knew that Azulongmon had only acted as a catalyst for him to realize his potential.
Ivan blinked as he remembered the Dragon-Digimon that he served. He wondered how the god was feeling about his and Maddie's desertion some six months ago. He bowed his head in a momentary lapse of apology. He had done the same thing to his grandparents when he was twelve, so he guessed he'd get a similar response from Azulongmon when he went back. He was grateful that at least this time he got a chance to say goodbye to Maddie, whom he was now to leave.
Ivan emerged from the shower still contemplating Azulongmon and his departure. For some reason, his mind had latched the two thoughts together. He shook his head at the humorous thought of flying to California on the Dragon god's back. Ivan threw on his robe and walked through the Hallway to his bedroom. He opened the top drawer of the dresser that was positioned opposite to Ryan's crib. As he looked for a shirt to replace the one from the previous night, Ivan's eyes noticed a small pale crystal resting on top of the bureau. The glinting of the crystal, despite the cloudy raining outside and the lack of illumination in the room, caught him by surprise. Ivan smiled as he picked up the jewel and the connected chain. He stared at the crest of hope, imbued in gold upon the pink crystalline surface.
"Maddie and I could both use a dose of that, right about now," Ivan confided as he stared at the amulet. The jewel, in turn, glowed slightly brighter in Ivan's palm. With the light, a warming sensation blanketed Ivan's hand. As he watched the light of the jewel, Ivan noticed a small orb bouncing slowly around within the confines of the immaculate crystal. Ivan blinked, and then smiled. "That's right," He whispered to himself as ideas quickly took root in his brain, "I could use you to get out to California. It may not bring Maddie and Ryan with me, but it'll save my grandparents a fortune on that plane ticket and I'll be able to have an escape plan. If I can fly, there's nothing they'll be able to do to stop me."
Ivan sighed at his last thought. "I'd hate to ever have to disobey them," Ivan admitted as he clasped the amulet about his neck, "But if they refuse to consent to my return to my life here and worse comes to worst, then I will be able to get free." Ivan then rifled quickly through his clothes, throwing out a shirt, pants, boxers, socks, and quickly changed from his robe into the chosen clothes. Then, with a quick dash to replace the robe and retrieve his pajamas from the bathroom and deposit them in the laundry bin, Ivan rushed out into the kitchen.
Maddie looked over from the oven, surprised, as Ivan streamed down the hallway in a flash of blue and beige. Arms quickly wove themselves around her waist and Maddie could only smile as Ivan's lips pressed lovingly at her neck and shoulder. "You seem chipper," Maddie said with a giggle. Ivan nodded as he slowly let Maddie go.
"I just remembered something," Ivan said as he held his amulet over Maddie's shoulder. Maddie looked and gasped. "If I use this to go to California," Ivan explained quickly as he filled two glasses with orange juice and set the table with forks and napkins from the drawers, "Then I can save my grandparents a huge amount of money and, if they won't let me leave with their blessings, then I can still come back here and rejoin you guys." Maddie stood over the frying pan full of eggs, speechless. It wasn't until after she silently filled three plates with eggs and placed them before herself, Ivan and Ryan that she found her voice.
"Well, it's good to know that we won't lose you permanently," Maddie said softly, "And I guess it's a good thing to save your grandparents money. But could you really just run away from them like that again?" Ivan shrugged as he sat down in his respective seat.
"I'd hate to have to do it," Ivan said truthfully, "but if it comes down to staying there or here, you're gonna win out." Maddie felt her feelings get only more jumbled, detesting further the possibility of Ivan's grandparents and Ivan being on bad terms. "Don't worry," Ivan said suddenly, as if reading Maddie's mind, "It's only a contingency plan. I'm going to do everything in my power to have my grandparents accept the new life I've made for us over here, because I love them and they're really all I have left. I think they'll let me come back, too." Maddie brightened, remembering the peaceful manner Ivan always used in arguments unless physically threatened. "It's just a question of how long they'll want me there," Ivan finished. He then began eating.
Ryan, in the meanwhile, had been vigorously digging into the soft eggs, one of the few solid foods he could eat. It was only after consultation with a doctor that Maddie would allow it, however, remembering the problems of children's digestion systems.
Maddie sighed as she, too, began to eat the food she had prepared. "Losing you for one night is bad enough," She said in reply, "And now all my plans for your special day are going to have to be put on hold." Ivan raised an eyebrow in question. Maddie smiled. "You're just gonna have to wait, Ivan," The brown-haired girl teased. "There's no way I'm gonna give you your birthday present early." Ivan whimpered, but Maddie only shook her head in response.
"Fine, Maddie," Ivan said as he took a drink of his orange juice. Ryan eyes the glass desirably. Ivan caught the baby's gaze and hit himself in the forehead. "I'm sorry Ryan," Ivan said quickly, jumping up from the table. "I got to remember to get you your drink too, don't I?"
"Yeah, daddy," Ryan said demandingly. Maddie laughed. Ivan sulked as he brought out a sippy cup for the child to use and filled it with water.
"You know, Ivan," Maddie said as the brown-haired boy sat back down across from her, "It's still gonna be lonely around here without you." Ivan nodded solemnly.
"That's why I'm going to come back as quickly as I can," Ivan assured the girl. Then, without any further discussion, Ivan downed the eggs and orange juice and began to clean his place. "I hate to rush," Ivan said quickly, "But I have to see if I can cancel my grandparents' ticket before it gets to be too late." Maddie nodded as Ivan strode out in the direction of the living room. Once he had gone from sight, she raised her napkin to dry her eyes.
Ivan sat down in an armchair with a purposeful motion, briskly cracking open and turning on his laptop computer. Ivan's impatience mounted as the screen slowly displayed the start-up process. His eyes caught the time on the clock and Ivan gasped. It was nearly noon. "Maddie," Ivan called, "Are you aware of the time?"
"Yes," Maddie-s voice replied from the kitchen, "The rain clouds outside got rid of our normal alarm clock." Ivan groaned as he stared at the laptop screen.
"Ivani's nowhere near as fast as an airplane for more than a few minutes," Ivan said to Maddie. "If I'm going to get over there by my Dragoon, I'm gonna have to leave in an hour or so."
Maddie, sitting in the other room, felt her heart skip a beat. Losing Ivan at the airport around 6 was one thing; they would have been able to have dinner together before he left. Now, she'd be lucky if she could so much as hug him good-bye with the preparations he would have to make.
The start-up screen finally flashed to the desktop and Ivan sighed in relief. His fingers rapidly hit the keys as he accessed the appropriate sites to get into the electronic ticket site. Logging into his personal account, Ivan found the ticket was indeed placed there for him, as his grandfather had said. Ivan looked around for a cancellation button, but instead found the following text:
Due to the nature of this Internet site, any purchases made cannot be refunded unless the proprietors are given a minimum of 48 hours' notice. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
Ivan dropped his head. His brilliant plan turned out to be not too effective after all. Standing up from the running computer, Ivan walked down the hallway. As he walked, he informed Maddie that the ticket could not be cancelled.
"Well, why not take the ticket and fly there?" Maddie advised, "It'll give you more time to get ready and less time in the air." Ivan slumped on the bed, staring around the dismal room as the sound of raindrops greeted his ears. Ivan then shook his head.
"I'd prefer I make their lives easier," Ivan stated. "Making them drive for a couple hours to LAX and back would be kinda cruel for them to have to do at such an old age. I think the alternative of me flying under my own steam is better." Maddie walked into the bedroom, having cleared the breakfast dishes, and held Ryan in her arms. Her eyes slowly cast down to the floor.
"So when are you leaving?" She asked slowly, rocking Ryan back and forth in her arms. Ivan shrugged, standing up and taking Ryan into his own arms.
"I don't have very much time," Ivan stated, "But I think I can be here for a little while if you want." Maddie brushed her hand along Ivan's neck, her eyes looking up into his. Ivan looked back at her, tilting his hand towards her touch. Maddie swallowed, then laced her other hand about the boy's neck.
"Give me fifteen minutes, Ivan," She begged of the boy, "And I'll wait for you for the next fifteen years." Ivan smiled at the girl, still wearing only her pajamas, and nodded slowly. She took Ryan back from Ivan and nestled him in his bassinet. "I'm gonna say goodbye to your daddy, Ryan," she explained to the child, "And then you can say goodbye and then we'll go play, okay?" Ryan nodded exuberantly, his attention quickly drawn by the bright, colorful objects suspended above his sleeping quarters, clearly visible despite the dark room. Maddie smiled at her son, then turned her attention back to Ivan. "Start the clock now," She said sweetly, bringing her lips up to meet his as Ivan's arms wrapped tightly about her waist.
Ivan gave Maddie the full fifteen minutes she requested, and the couple made sure to keep their connection for the duration. However, Maddie cursed the passage of time as her internal clock told her that she'd kept the boy too long. Reluctantly, Maddie slowly drew her lips away from Ivan's, brushing her lips across his once before dropping her head and her arms from the boy. Ivan slowly disengaged his arms from Maddie's waist, walking over to Ryan's bassinet and lifting the baby from his bed. Maddie never moved as Ivan said his goodbyes to their son, and kissed the boy's forehead. Ryan asked repeatedly that Ivan come back soon, and Ivan promised the child he would do everything he could. Concluding the brief conversation, Ivan rested Ryan back in his crib. Placing his hands very softly upon Maddie's shoulders, Ivan raised Maddie's downcast face with a finger beneath her chin. Maddie looked up at the boy, her eyes tearing and her lip quavering.
"I love you, my angel Madelyn," Ivan said evenly to the girl. Maddie swallowed hard and rubbed her eyes in a vain attempt to keep from crying.
"I love you, too, my Ivan," Maddie choked out. Ivan managed a sad smile in spite of his torn emotions. He nodded and took Maddie's hand in his own. With a single kiss to the back of her hand, he slowly lowered their hands back down.
"Until next time," Ivan said. Maddie forced her lips into a shaky smile as Ivan hugged her for an instant, then dashed from the room into the hallway. Maddie heard the echoing of the sliding door opening, the sound of down pouring rain, and the reverberation of the glass door closing. A brief flash of light filled the living room behind Maddie, but her eyes never looked. Over the sound of rain hitting the windows, Ivani's flight engines roared to life and quickly faded into the distance.
When she couldn't hear the sound of Ivan's presence any longer, Maddie's knees finally gave out and her crying grew from silent tears to mournful sobbing. The brown-haired girl wept against the foot of her bed, unable to bring herself to answer the concerned questions of her son from the bassinet beside her. Ivan had gone, and with his departure, so too had a piece of her heart and soul been taken away. She would not be able to celebrate Ivan's birthday with him, nor would he be able to go back to school with her on Monday. For the first time in six months, Maddie found herself subject to solitude and fear that only Jason had ever invoked upon her. Maddie's arms wrapped around her shoulders in a futile attempt to comfort herself. But only time proved to stay the girl's tears.
Time and, of course, the progressively more insistent cries of Ryan from his bassinet. Maddie rubbed her eyes, leaning back on her shins and feet. With a sigh of resignation, Maddie slowly rose to her feet. "Alright, Ryan," Maddie said flatly, "Let's go get at least one of us occupied with a game." Maddie carried Ryan out to the living room, the only sound coming from the incessant beating of the rain outside.
As Maddie set Ryan down on the floor of the living room, she looked around for a game to play with her son. She could tell that this day was going to drag on forever, but worked as best she could to distract herself. As she paced the room in search of a game, Maddie saw the computer screen of Ivan's laptop, still open and displaying his plane ticket. A minute later, Maddie did a double take before quickly sitting down in the chair in front of the computer.
"No way," Maddie said to the room as hope sprung forth in her heart. "If the ticket can't be cancelled, then maybe there's some way to switch the name." Maddie scanned the page furiously, looking for some sort of sign. She then saw her key. At the bottom of the page lay a small box of text:
If there is some mistake in the name printed on the ticket above, Click Here to rewrite the name at the surcharge of $10.00 American Currency.
Maddie crossed her fingers and clicked on the link. The screen then flashed to white, loading for a moment. The brown haired girl tapped her foot impatiently, staring at the loading bar as it crawled forward. Suddenly, the bar lurched to completion and a short text message greeted her eyes:
We're sorry. Your account log-on time has expired. Please log in again if you wish to perform any further alterations in your account. Click Here to go to the login page.
Maddie blinked. Then, with a slam of her fist on the arm of the chair, Maddie dropped her head. "How am I supposed to get it now?" She asked miserably. Not to be fully deterred, Maddie clicked to return to the Login screen. Two fields were displayed on the site's more characteristic background, one requesting an account name, the other requesting a password. The account name was already filled in the top field, as if remembered by the server, but the password line was blank. Maddie stared, trying to remember if Ivan had ever shared his online passwords with her before. But, as none came, she looked at the button below the field:
Forgot your password?
Maddie clicked the button, praying for luck that it would simply send the password to her. However, three more fields presented themselves to her. The first asked for the account name, which had been carried over by the courtesy of the server. The second asked for an E-mail site to which the password should be sent, into which Maddie typed her own address instead of Ivan's, which was placed there by default. The third, final field requested the answer to the account's secret question. Just above the third box, Maddie read the question Ivan had placed there:
The name of she, to whom I wish to propose.
Maddie took in a sharp breath, rereading the question. Her eyes then looked down, half out of embarrassment, as the tried to think of anyone else Ivan could be imposing. For all her memory, Maddie couldn't remember Ivan ever mentioning another girl in his life before the Digital World. Maddie looked back at the screen, then took a deep breath and tentatively typed in 'Madelyn Altair.' She then clicked the 'go' button and waited for the next screen to load. After a moment's passage, the screen sent Maddie's nerves both to relaxation and to their breaking point:
Thank you. Your password will be sent to the given E-mail address presently. Please allow for a couple minutes for the transaction to complete itself.
Maddie leaned back in the chair with a heavy sigh. She then looked over at Ryan, who had pulled out his collection of blocks from the cabinet underneath the television. "Hey, Ryan," Maddie asked of her son, "Would you mind sitting in my lap for a day if it let you get to see daddy tomorrow?" Ryan looked up at the mention of his father.
"Can we go see 'im?" Ryan asked with a sudden burst of excitement. Maddie nodded. Ryan squealed, "Let's go see daddy!" Maddie smiled lovingly at Ryan and again nodded.
"Then it's settled." She stated to herself as she opened her E-mail site and found Ivan's password waiting for her. "We'll take the ticket that has already been bought and use it to get over to LAX, and from there we'll take a taxi or something to Ivan's grandparents' house." Despite her age and maturity, Maddie too squealed along with her son. "We get to spend daddy's birthday with him," she said, half to Ryan and half to herself. Her eyes glanced up at the clock, informing her that the flight's departure was scheduled for seven hours from the present time.
Unable to contain her excitement, Maddie jumped from the chair and ran to the phone. Dialing quickly, she then pressed the phone to her ear and danced back to the computer. As she returned to the airline ticket's login screen, a click signaled the pick-up on the far end.
"Hey, TK, It's Maddie," She said into the receiver. "I could really use a hand from you if you could spare it. I've got to catch a plane flight out of Tokyo in seven hours and I have to pack Ryan and myself up so we don't miss it. Do you think you could run up here and give us a hand getting packed? Ivan already left under his own steam, Ivani. Oh, Kari's there too? Well, I'd hate to interrupt. Are you two sure? Thank you so much. I'll leave the door unlocked for you. And I have one more request, TK, if your mom's home. Yeah, we could use a lift into Tokyo. I know it's a long drive, but if she's able to, I'd be really grateful." Maddie paused for a long moment as TK left the phone to talk to his mother. As she waited, she grinned in her seat as her fingers altered the name on Ivan's ticket from 'Ivan Ishara' to 'Madelyn Altair.' She made a vow to herself to pay Ivan's grandparents back twice over when she met them. TK's voice suddenly sprang over the other end of the phone. "She can?" Maddie said, almost in disbelief. "That's incredible! Oh, I can't thank you three enough. You have no idea how much this means to me. Okay, I'll see you in a couple minutes. Thank you! Goodbye!" At that moment, Ivan's mobile printer commenced in producing her flight ticket.
Maddie turned off the phone and again found herself screaming for joy. Then, with a wary glance at the clock, she began to count out the time they would need. "We'll need two hours for an international flight in the terminal alone," Maddie said to herself as she ran about the house, turning on the lights, "and Tokyo's got to be at least two hours of driving from here. We can say it's three just to be safe, and with half an hour in there somewhere for food, I'd say we've got maybe ninety minutes before we have to leave." Maddie paused in the middle of her stride. "Wow," she breathed, "I'm gonna get to see that crazy guy I call my boyfriend in twenty-four hours." Maddie stared at the door for a minute, clicked the lock into its off position, and then charged down the hallway to her bedroom with a triumphant holler. "Woo Hoo!"
When Maddie catapulted into her room and quickly set about to changing into a bright red shirt and pants, she noticed that the heavy rapping to the rain had dropped down to a dainty patter, barely audible though the glass windows. Maddie grinned to herself, letting her spirits rise with the lifting clouds.
Maddie couldn't seem to stop bowing as she stood before the security scanner at the airport. Kari and TK looked helplessly at one another, then at Ms. Takaishi. Kari was finally the one to speak. "Relax, Kari," she assured her friend, "We only helped get you packed and drive you over here, and you know we were happy to help. Now you get on that plane and go tackle Ivan and don't ever let go of him, you understand?" Maddie giggled at Kari's comment and nodded.
"Hey, what about me?" TK asked dejectedly. Ms. Takaishi took a step back, detecting the ensuing events would not benefit from her standing behind her son and his girlfriend. Kari looked over at TK with a mischievous smile.
"Oh, don't you worry, TK," Maddie said knowingly. "That girl isn't gonna let you go no matter what you do." Kari nodded in agreement.
"That's damn right I'm not," Kari stated in reinforcement. Her arms quickly wound around TK's neck and hugged him tightly. TK smiled, kissing the girl's forehead before slipping his head past hers to her shoulder.
"Just so long as I don't have to let you go either," TK said hopefully. Kari shook her head with a laugh.
"Of course not, TK, darling," Kari whispered in the boy's ear. "But for right now, we're gonna wish Maddie the best on her long flight, okay?" TK nodded and disentangled his arms from Kari. Kari then jumped up and hugged Maddie, nearly making the elder girl drop the car seat holding Ryan in it. "Good luck in the states," Kari whispered to Maddie.
"Thanks," Maddie replied, hugging Kari back with her one free arm. TK then took his turn, followed by Ms. Takaishi.
"If you need me, be sure to call us before you leave so that we can pick you and Ivan up, okay?" Maddie looked up at the woman.
"Oh, Nancy, there's no way we could ask for any more of you," Maddie began quickly, shaking her head vigorously. But Ms. Takaishi only raised her hand in request of silence.
"Don't you worry about asking any more of me," the blond-haired woman stated. "I'm more than happy to help my son's friends any way I can, especially when I consider them to be friends of my own as well." Maddie looked up at the woman before her with wonder.
"Nancy, I don't know what to say," Maddie said slowly, with a faint smile on her lips. Her arms then hugged Ms. Takaishi tightly. "Thank you so much," she continued. "And I'll be sure to tell Ivan that you all wish him a happy birthday."
An announcement buzzed over the intercom at that moment, shouting out across the premises, "With the alleviation of the inclement weather, Tokyo's international flights have been adjusted from the prospected delays. Flight to 3978 Seattle, Washington, shall depart at 8:30, Flight 2358 to San Francisco, California will depart at 9:10, and Flight 1876 to Los Angeles, California shall depart at 7:45." The message continued, but no longer in a language Maddie understood. She snapped her fingers, remembering that she was in an international airport, so all messaged would be repeated in a variety of languages.
"Thanks, Madds," TK said gratefully, pulling Maddie's attention from the speaker system. Then the three gave Maddie one final wave. "Have fun!" The blond-haired boy yelled. Maddie smiled and waved in response before swinging around and walking into the line for the security booth.
As Maddie walked further forward, she started feeling around her body for any metallic objects. She grabbed her wallet from the back pocket of her blue jeans, along with her key ring from her front pocket. Then, reaching around her neck, Maddie used her free hand to release the clasps of her two necklaces. She realized that it looked a bit silly with so much draped around her neck, but she'd have been damned if she left Ivan's birthday present behind and likewise damned if Kilvaramon's Pendant was away from her. Placing the few metallic objects in a plastic bin, as well as her backpack and, after removing Ryan, the car seat, she put the bin on the conveyer belt and walked through the security gateway. On the far side, Maddie retrieved her bag, placed Ryan back in his car seat, slipped her wallet and keys back into her pockets, and clipped her necklaces back in place.
"Alright, Ryan," Maddie said enthusiastically, "We've got an hour before our plane leaves and all the chairs in the world to climb on. Ready for some excitement?" Ryan squealed in compliance, causing the brown-haired girl to giggle. "Let's go find our gate so that we can sit down and play, alright?"
"Yay!" Ryan cried jubilantly, "Pway!" Maddie shook her head with a grin on her face as she sought her gate number. She couldn't help but suspect Ryan was going to turn out to be a great poet when he grew up.
Ivan stared dismally at the gray water beneath him. In the deadened stillness of the night, nothing changed in the landscape; even the tropical islands that occasionally passed beneath him looked gray. Though his body felt devoid of gravity, having to hold his legs straight rather than assuming a more relaxing position brought back part of his reasoning for never engaging in long-distance flights in the past. Still, he had made his decision and wasn't about to turn around now. By the time he got back, the ticket would be invalid. He sighed, realizing that his parents had put the money to nothing in the end. He hoped that his arrival by Ivani would at least be enough to appease them. Perhaps he could even fake that he had taken a taxi from the airport.
Still, Ivan rationed, the flight had improved since his take-off. The calm voice of his onboard computer had given him the full details of his journey, including the length, which would land him at the Carlsbad By The Sea resort at 2:07 PM, October 10th, just minutes after when his normal flight would arrive in LAX. After embarking, the rain had subsided rather quickly and, at an altitude of a few thousand feet, very little came anywhere near Ivan's flight space. With a few command, Ivan had drowned out his depressed emotions with music from his extensive archives. Presently, however, fatigue was beginning to get to him.
"Computer," Ivan asked with a yawn, "What's the ETA?" Ivan waited for a moment as a low buzzing sound echoed from behind his neck where Ivan supposed the computer's mainframe resided.
"Estimated time until arrival: thirteen hours, thirty-five minutes," The computer's synthesized voice informed its pilot. Ivan sighed.
"And I have to stay conscious for that whole time?" Ivan asked, slightly worried.
"That would be advisable," The computer dictated, "Should you fall unconscious, the concentration supporting Ivani could break and cause it to revert without provocation. Such would leave you half a mile above the surface without any support."
"For fear of that," Ivan said as he swallowed nervously, "I still will stay awake with you. But have you got any ideas on how I can wake up? 'Cause thirteen hours with nothing but gray water and gray land and gray sky is really gonna get to me pretty soon."
"I could project memories onto the viewing lens if you like," the computer suggested, "If visual stimulus is what you request, I can also produce fictional events that you wish for me to place together. It may not be accurate or exactly as you wish, but I can try if you want me to." Ivan thought for a minute.
"Can you replay my last night for me?" Ivan asked, "It was a really special moment for Maddie and I, not so much because we did anything, but it was the first time in a long while that we expressed our feelings so openly."
"Certainly," The computer replied after a few seconds of buzzing. "Please provide me one moment to generate sprites and image layering." Ivan grinned, closing his eyes as he remembered the evening in exquisite detail. Opening his eyes, the brown-haired boy chanced to see a glinting object above him, flashing steadily in the same position. Ivan smirked to himself, half-thinking that he could be sitting on that plane and flying to LAX instead of flying in Ivani across the Pacific Ocean. "The loading is complete, Ivan," The computer suddenly chimed, breaking the boy's thoughts.
"Play it," Ivan said with a nod, "And be sure to insert track number. 237 was it?" a faint melody started to echo through the boy's ears and he shook his head in the affirmative once more. "That's the one," he let the computer know, "now please play the visual."
"Of course," Ivani replied courteously, at least by electronic standards. Ivan's vision suddenly fell into blackness, followed by a surprisingly close view of Maddie's face, smiling with her eyes half-open. Ivan smiled at the loving expression upon his girlfriend's face, getting as comfortable as he could within Ivani's confines to watch his memory on the screen.
It felt as though an eternity had passed in only a few hours as the sixteen- year-old girl stepped out of the gate and into the line for customs. Maddie shook her head, trying to focus on getting out of the accursed airport and into a taxi. Patting a pouch on her backpack, Maddie assured herself that Ivan's envelope was still with her. It had the address of where Ivan's grandparents were staying. Through it she knew she could get to them. After passing briskly through the customs office and carrying Ryan's car seat with both arms, Maddie set out through the security gates, looking around for a way to get to the baggage claim.
The day before, carrying Ryan had been an easy task, but now, after having sat awake in a plane for endless hours, coupled with the hideous jet lag of crossing the Pacific Maddie could barely keep her eyes open. As Maddie sat down on a bench to try and recuperate, a kind elderly gentleman beside her looked at her curiously. Maddie looked back and nearly shrieked. Maddie then shook her head, looking back at the man in awe.
"Is something wrong?" the man asked, looking at Maddie with concern. " I didn't mean to frighten you, I was just surprised to see someone sit down beside me who wasn't my grandson." Maddie looked up at the man apologetically.
"It's not that," Maddie said, trying to calm herself, "It's just that I never thought I'd see you here." The older man's brow furrowed in confusion.
"Have we met before?" the man asked slowly, eyeing the girl closely. Maddie shook her head, but reached down and unzipped a compartment of her bag.
"No, but I do think I know your grandson," Maddie said to the man as she rifled through her bag. Then, sitting back up, she handed the envelope that had arrived at her house some two days earlier to the man. "Does this look familiar?" she asked.
The man looked at the letter then jerked sharply up to face the girl. "How did you get this?" the man demanded, "and where is my son." Maddie raised her hand in peace, while extending the other hand down to let Ryan hold.
"Just relax and I'll explain everything to you," Maddie assured the man. "I'm just so surprised that you were here, Mister Ishara. I thought that I'd be taking a taxi to visit you, your wife, and Ivan." Mr. Ishara stared ever more pointedly at the girl.
"Could you please inform me as to what's going on?" He asked firmly, worry and confusion mixing in his tone. Maddie nodded.
"Don't worry, Mister Ishara," Maddie said, "My name is Madelyn Altair and I've been with your grandson for the past four years, now. He, two other children and myself were summoned away by a dying land in a parallel dimension, and although this is gonna sound like a big load of balderdash, I ask that you give me a chance." Maddie then reached behind her neck and unclasped the necklace she had received from Ivan the previous month. "Ivan gave this to me for my birthday last month, about five months after we became more than friends," She explained as she held the locket over to display the picture of herself and Ivan.
"This is," Mr. Ishara began, staring at the locket intently, "My grandson?" Maddie nodded. "Why didn't he come over here on the plane flight like we'd asked him? And how are you here instead of him?"
"Ivan decided to try and save you guys some money by flying over here in his special armor that he got from the world we were helping. He took off even though he couldn't cancel the ticket, and it dawned on me that I might be able to use it to get over here, too. I managed to get it to work, and I'm grievously sorry for taking his place here, but it's the only way that I could bring Ryan," She gestured to the car seat beside her.
"You two have a son," Mr. Ishara gasped, leaning back against the chair. "But today's only his sixteenth birthday! How could he have gotten involved so quickly?" Maddie shook her head quickly.
"No, it's not like that," Maddie said with a faint blush, "Ivan's never done anything like that. Ryan's our adopted son. When we came back from our service and ended up in Japan, we opted to stay there and I took up a job as a babysitter. One night I went to a really torn-apart place and the adult there was abusive to Ryan here. I'm a victim of abuse, myself, and I couldn't stand to see it happen again, so Ivan and I got legal support form Ms. Takaishi's connections and were able to get Ryan's father indicted on child abuse and domestic abuse charges, and custody was transferred to us after we passed the requirements of being able to provide a home for him." Maddie leaned down and unbuckled Ryan from his carrier, seating the child in her lap. "Ryan," she said softly to the baby, "This is your daddy Ivan's daddy's daddy. That means that he's your great granddaddy." Ryan squeaked as he waved at Mr. Ishara.
"Hewo, gwea gwandaddy!" Ryan said exuberantly, "Do you know whewe my daddy is?" Maddie sighed, shaking her head slightly at Ryan.
"I'm sorry," Maddie said apologetically as she drew Ryan's attention from Mr. Ishara to one of his stuffed animals, "But he's been missing Ivan just as much as I have, which is why we came out here after he left." Mr. Ishara stared at Maddie intently, thinking deeply as his brow furrowed in concentration.
"So you and my grandson disappeared to a parallel universe to help fight some kind of evil," Mr. Ishara said slowly, trying to put all the facts in place, "Whereupon my son acquired some sort of flying armor, which he used to fly across the Pacific Ocean to our hotel resort." Maddie nodded in agreement. "You and my grandson have also taken custody of this child you're holding, and have been living in Japan and working for the past six months. You somehow got in touch with Ms. Takaishi, who has helped you to get that apartment as well as custody of Ryan. The only evidence that you have is the letter that I mailed to my grandson, a small picture that could be him, though I can't be sure since I haven't seen him in so long, and a toddler that refers Ivan's name to his father's."
Maddie bowed her head guiltily. "Please, sir," The girl asked softly, "I know it's not much for you to go on, but I beg that you believe me. If your grandson and m boyfriend hasn't arrived at Carlsbad By The Sea when we get back, then you may do with me what you will, accuse me of taking his life or stealing his identity, whatever you like, and by it I shall abide." Maddie then returned to her bag, looking for some other sort of proof that she could offer to Ivan's grandfather. She then saw the plastic-bound book Ivan had also given her for her birthday.
"Oh," Maddie said as she noticed the book, "Here's one last thing I can show you," She pulled the book out and, gently brushing the front cover, handed it to the man beside her. "This is the book your grandson wrote about our last adventure in the parallel universe. It explains in rather accurate detail every major encounter that we had on the course between one settlement and the next, traversing some sixty miles on foot with two injured companions whom we were escorting. It was at the end of that excursion that Ivan and I finally came to realize how we felt about each other, as well as our companions, named TK and Kari. In fact, TK's mother is Ms. Takaishi, if that's of any solace to you, so it's through our newfound friend on that journey that we were fortunate enough to establish living accommodations."
Mr. Ishara flipped through the book's pages slowly, reading the passages. Maddie noticed that his creased eyes were wet. "This book was written by my grandson?" he asked in disbelief as he looked over the pages. Maddie nodded.
"And illustrated," She pointed out, indicating a pencil shading of herself and Ivan resting beneath a tree.
Mr. Ishara stared at the penciled drawing of the boy and girl, then at the locket in his hand, then at the envelope in his lap. His eyes eventually wandered up to Ryan, who stared back at him with excited anticipation, and Maddie, who waited as patiently as she could for a reply. "Well," Mr. Ishara managed at last, "If my son has cared enough about you to buy a locket this expensive, and to draw such an exquisite drawing of you two, then I guess I can't say anything against you knowing him. Even this kid agrees to the facts." The elderly man's head dropped. "My son's finally come back," he whispered, "and brought along with him a lovely girlfriend and a son." Maddie nodded, Sitting Ryan down in his car seat and hugging the man gently.
"How about we head back, now?" Maddie suggested after a moment, slowly packing her stuff away into her bag. "I can explain anything else you're curious about on the ride back, and we'll see if this is all a joke or if I'm right." Mr. Ishara nodded slowly, standing up and brushing his hair back.
"By the way," the man asked Maddie as she stood up with her stuff, "How did you recognize me so easily like that?" Maddie looked up at the man, who now stood beside her at his full height.
Maddie shrugged and said, "Ivan's the only one I've ever seen with those intent blue eyes, and from what I can see now, you've got the same height and build as him, too." Mr. Ishara nodded, dismissing the question.
"Do you have a bag you need to pick up?" the older man asked. Maddie nodded and started to walk in the direction of the baggage claim. Despite her fatigue, the success at discovering Ivan's grandfather just beyond the security gate brought her a renewed vigor that she took full advantage of, swiping her bag from the trail almost instantly as she had taken so much time beforehand. Mr. Ishara walked over and took the bag from Maddie, however, insisting that she had enough on her hands.
"Thanks," Maddie said. She then followed the man out of the building into the warm afternoon of Los Angeles. She glanced down at Ryan, who was looking distractedly at Maddie's shirtsleeve. When he noticed his mother was watching him, Ryan looked up expectantly. Maddie nodded to the child. "Just a couple hours more, Ryan," she assured the baby, and he chirped joyously in reply. Maddie smiled as she took a double step to keep pace with Ivan's grandfather.
Ivan nearly collapsed as he walked through the automatic doors at the Carlsbad By The Sea resort. With a yawn and a depressed stagger, Ivan shook his head and looked up at the secretary. "Excuse me," Ivan asked, hading over his school-provided identification card, "My name's Ivan Ishara, and I'm here to visit my grandparents, Raul and Elena Ishara." The secretary nodded curtly, then looked down at some papers on her side of the desk.
The secretary looked up after a moment and smiled, saying, "Welcome, Ivan. Your grandparents have been quite excited about seeing you again, after you've been missing for so long. Raul is out right now, but Elena is up in their room. They're in the penthouse suite on the third floor, Room number 328." She then reached down behind her desk and grabbed a single key. "They also rented out room number 221, on the second floor, under your name," she informed the boy, also handing a small pad and pen to him, "If you could just sign here."
Ivan did as he was asked and the secretary smiled kindly at him. "Once again, welcome to Carlsbad By The Sea," She told Ivan, "I'll leave it up to your grandparents to tell you about all the fun events we have around here, and feel free to come here if you have any questions. Ivan nodded in understanding, then walked down the hall with as little of a stagger as he could muster. Nearly collapsing into the elevator at the end of the hall, the brown-haired boy managed to reach up and press the '3' button on the control panel before flopping down on the floor.
Ivan rubbed his face as the elevator rose, trying desperately to wake himself up after his exhausting flight time. Ivani could only keep him busy for so long, and even with its distractions the fatigue of having to keeping a relatively firm position was bordering on unbearable. Nonetheless, Ivan knew it was only 2:30 in the afternoon, and he had his grandmother and, soon, his grandfather to greet. It took only a minute for the elevator doors to open again, leading down a luxuriously carpeted and deserted hallway. Ivan walked tentatively down the hall, watching the numbers as he passed them
"312, 314, 316," he counted to himself, feeling an aura of anticipation fill him. Ivan turned a corner as the numbers continued to rise. "322, 324, 326," before the next door, Ivan stopped. He stared at the door, adorned by little else than three golden numbers, '328.' With a deep breath, Ivan raised his hand and gently rapped on the heavy wooden door. A faint voice inside responded to Ivan's knock.
"Yes?" the feminine voice asked, "who is it?" Ivan felt his heartbeat racing as the voice of four years ago rang clearly through his ears again.
"It's me, grandma," Ivan said against the door, "It's Ivan." The door nearly broke from the speed at which it was opened. Standing before Ivan, some five and a half feet tall with short white hair and a complexion that defied her age, was Ivan's grandmother. "Hi, grandma," Ivan managed to choke out, smiling at his grandmother as tears pooled in his eyes.
"Ivan!" Mrs. Ishara screamed in amazement, dashing forward and embracing her grandson. She showered the boy in kisses, making Ivan laugh and squirm. "Oh, Ivan, you're okay! I can't believe it! I never believed your grandfather, but wait until he gets in here! Oh, Ivan, how are you? And where is your grandfather?" Ivan dropped his arms, pulling back from his grandmother.
"It's a bit of a long story, grandma," Ivan said, "but I tried to save you guys some money by coming over here on my own. See, I can kinda fly now, which doesn't make sense right now, but I'll be sure to explain everything to you later when grandpa's here to listen, too. Anyways, I couldn't cancel the ticket 'cause I didn't get the letter in time, but I hoped that I'd beat Grandpa before he left. I guess I didn't manage that either." Ivan sighed, brushing the back of his neck in nervousness. Mrs. Ishara simply shook her head.
"You've never ceased to amaze me," Mrs. Ishara said. She then took Ivan's hands in hers and pulled him into the room. "Don't be a stranger, now, honey," She told Ivan, "come in and make yourself at home. Are you hungry, or thirsty?" Ivan could feel his stomach growl in response. He nodded.
"I'm a bit hungry, yeah, but more than that, I'm really exhausted," Ivan admitted, flopping down on one of his grandparents' couches. "Flying all the way from Odaiba to Carlsbad on my own takes a long time and it's not something I can really sleep through."
"Oh, you poor thing," Mrs. Ishara said sadly. She walked quickly into the kitchen and returned an instant later bearing a glass of water. She handed it to the boy, saying, "Drink this and then go lie down on our bed. You might as well sleep until your grandfather gets back from Los Angeles. Then you can tell us all about what on earth happened to you." Ivan nodded in compliance.
"I'd be glad to, grandma," Ivan said as he drained the glass he then rose and embraced his grandmother again. "I've really missed you, grandma," he whispered before letting go and smiling at her. Mrs. Ishara smiled back just as warmly.
Mrs. Ishara replied, "We've missed you, too, Ivan, but we can save that for later." She pointed down the hallway to the bedroom. "Right now you had better go lie down and get some rest." Ivan hung his head.
"Yes, grandma," Ivan said sullenly. She smiled as Ivan slowly trudged down the corridor and, at length, collapsed onto the bed. Not caring that his shoes were still on, Ivan got as comfortable as he could without disturbing the neatly made bed. As he closed his eyes, Maddie's image floated once more through his mind and Ivan felt a pang of longing for the girl. "It stopped my heart just to be with you, Maddie," Ivan whispered into the fabric of the bed, "And it sure had been killing me since." However, his thoughts failed to develop much further as sleep overwhelmed his exhausted frame.
It was a few hours later when a gentle rustling awoke Ivan from his deep sleep. Looking around groggily, Ivan saw a baby carling up beside him with a wide smile on his face. Ivan squinted, trying to discern where such a child had come from. Last time he checked, only his grandmother, grandfather and other elderly people lived in the resort, not children. It wasn't until the child began speaking that Ivan's mind suddenly made the connection.
"Daddy!" Ryan said when he saw his father's eyes open narrowly. The baby's arms quickly reached around Ivan's neck holding him tightly. "Daddy, daddy, daddy!" Ivan wrapped an arm around the child.
"Ryan, my goodness, what are you doing here?" Ivan asked in incredulity.
"Mommy and I came wiff youw pwane tickie, so we coud come see you!" Ryan explained to Ivan. Then, after a moment's pause, he continued, "It was long. I sweepy." Ryan promptly closed his eyes and fell onto his back, breathing peacefully with one arm still dangling around Ivan's neck. Ivan smiled at the boy.
"He's not the only one who's tired," A voice said from above Ivan. The boy looked up and blinked his eyes a few times to make sure this wasn't some wonderful taunting dream. When no change came, Ivan could only smile. He extended his free hand up To Maddie, which she gladly took and lay down beside Ivan, keeping Ryan's sleeping form between her stomach and his.
Ivan raised his hand up and gently brushed the side of her face, smiling tiredly at the girl. "I won't even ask how, but simply state that you're incredible, Maddie," he breathed as he beheld the girl. Maddie grinned, defying the exhaustion of her trip.
"I do my best," she replied modestly, letting her hand stroke the back of Ivan's neck. "And after all, there was no way I was gonna let you down on your birthday after you came through for me so wonderfully." Ivan's smile broadened, gazing into her deep, sparkling brown eyes. Maddie held his sight with hers.
"There's no better gift I could ever ask for than to see you here," Ivan stated honestly. Maddie closed her eyes, trying to control her emotions that so desired to be released. "I love you, Maddie."
Maddie's eyes opened after a second, looking once again at Ivan's shining cerulean eyes. "I love you, too, Ivan," she murmured in answer. Resting her free hand atop his, she continued, "I missed you more these past twenty- four hours than I ever could have imagined." Ivan's lips gently brushed against hers, stalling her confession.
"I know, Maddie," He assured the girl in the same quiet tone. "It was killing me, too, the whole flight over here. But that's all over now, and we're gonna stay together from here on out."
"Promise?" Maddie asked. Her forehead rested against his, and she could feel his head bob up and down.
"Yes, my angel, I promise you that I will never again depart from your side." Maddie smiled, her emotions again urging to break free form her chest. However, in defiance of her heart, Maddie settled instead for kissing Ivan once, simply, with his hands stroking through her long hair and her hands caressing the skin of his neck.
"Now can I crawl into your arms and fall asleep in your embrace?" Maddie asked shyly of the boy as her lips slipped from his. Ivan nodded, letting his hands slide down to below her shoulders. However, Ryan's small form prohibited Maddie from getting too close to Ivan. "That's alright," she whispered, resting her head against Ivan's chest, "this is more than I could ever have asked for, and we have to remember that Ryan's a part of us, too." Again, Ivan nodded.
"Goodnight, my darling," Ivan whispered to the girl, nuzzling his nose into her long brown hair.
"Goodnight, my guardian," Maddie replied, "And happy birthday." Ivan's heart swelled at her words, holding the girl ever tighter in his arms.
"The best present I could ever get," Ivan said as Maddie' breathing quickly became even against his chest. He smiled into her hair, knowing the straits that she had endured to get to see him. As her words, "I love you, too, Ivan," replayed through his mind over and over again, Ivan's body slid back into blissful slumber, reunited once again with his darling angel.
Mrs. Ishara looked up at her husband. "What do you think?" she asked.
"What do you mean, Elena?" Mr. Ishara said in reply, drawing his gaze from the couple lying placidly on their bed. "What do you think?"
"I think that I've seen something like this before play out around us, some twenty years ago," Mrs. Ishara answered. She sighed, gazing kindly down the hallway once again. "He's turned out so much like his father," she said wistfully. Mr. Ishara nodded. Mrs. Ishara once again looked at him. "So what do you think Raul?"
The old man sighed, averting his gaze from his wife's eyes. "I've only just met the girl," Mr. Ishara said defensively, "And we haven't seen Ivan in four years."
"Isn't this enough?" Mrs. Ishara asked, straining for a straight answer. "You brought that girl home and in just a few short hours she's already calling us her grandparents. She's had a rough life, from what little you told me, and she's recovered with amazing strength. More than that, she loves our grandson with all of her heart, not to mention that child they've raised so well together." Mrs. Ishara paused, letting the words sink into her husband. "You never did give your blessing to our Alex and that wonderful girl that changed his life around. It's too late now to change what happened with him, I know, but are you going to give Ivan the same treatment? He's in love with this girl, just as Alex loved Rebecca with all of his heart." Mrs. Ishara looked back down the hall at the couple sprawled out on the bed. "She looks so much like Rebecca," the woman commented, dropping her gaze to the floor. Mr. Ishara's hands soon found their way around his wife's shoulders.
"You're right," Mr. Ishara admitted slowly, "And I've told you that you were right about Alex and Rebecca before. I won't make that same mistake again." Mrs. Ishara looked up, slightly surprised. Her husband only nodded as he continued, "If he feels the way you say he does, then they'll be able to have my blessing upon them, and the freedom to live their lives as they wish. I trust my grandson, and despite my own amazement, Maddie's proven to be far beyond capable of taking care of both Ivan and Ryan. If she's willing to take care of them, then let it be so." Mrs. Ishara laughed softly as she kissed her husband.
"Thank you, Raul," Mrs. Ishara said lovingly to the man beside her. Then, taking his hand in hers, she led Mr. Ishara to the kitchen segment on the far side of the living room to prepare dinner for their newly arrived guests.
(Lo and Behold! The power of one single day sick at home from school! It has spawned the entirety of these pages, the longest single segment I have ever written in my life. There are so many things I could scream out right now, but I'll refrain from such 'cause it's past midnight. Oh well, this was so worth it. A couple notes: I've run research on the locations I used and the timing schedule to the best of my ability in this one-day stint, so I hope it makes sense. If it doesn't, like the IDL does something weird that I forgot then I apologize and simply state that events occurred a day later or earlier before crossing the line. Carlsbad By The Sea is a real resort hotel, yes, and I've even been in that suite I named. It's a great place, the kind of retirement home that everyone should be able to have. Hats off to Travelocity.com for providing me a site I could use for my electronic ticket production, and although I think that my idea of a joint account is a little surreal, it can be done with banks so I figure that it should be plausible with any other such account. Otherwise, I hope you enjoyed this installment and that I didn't forget anything in my haste. Whether or not you liked it, let me know and why or why not via that little button. Thanks Muchly! Now for the composition of Chapter 8. Let's see if I can pull a crazy stunt like this one again!)
