Mirai No Kodomo
VIII: Radar (Matsuda Jianliang)
"He still remembers me...? I-I mean, I couldn't forget him, but...Well, would he want to remember us...?" The young man following me adjusts a pair of glasses. He's wearing a light coat over a dark purple turtleneck, jeans and some high end leather shoes (Xiaochun pointed out that last item – I don't know fashion). Behind him is Xiaochun, she insisted on being here for this...
...She did find him, after all. But I think she's hoping we can squeeze in a chat with Lopmon. I told her we'd schedule one in a few days.
The young man is a little nervous but Xiaochun is practically dancing around him...She's always excited when it comes to talking to Digimon. I think she even "ditched" work to come down here today: She's wearing a red Chinese-style dress, hairpiece and jewelry. She told me she plays up her heritage a little at work, she's an interior designer with an expertise in feng shui. The "clients love the Chinese-thing" when she talks about Feng Shui and Chinese design.
...I know nothing about feng shui beyond the fact it's spelled with the Hanzi for "wind" and "water." ...I don't know why. It. Just. Is.
"We've spoken to him a few times and...He asks about you and Ai a lot, Makoto. Pretty much every time. We're sorry we lost track of you," I say, leading Makoto down the hall...I can't believe we found him! Or, actually, Xiaochun found him!
Really, I couldn't believe the phone call I got from Xiaochun last night. "Jianliang, come to my place! Now! Remember Impmon's Tamers?"
"Yeah, Ai and Makoto...Um...Gods, what were their last names...?"
...We really did a bad job with their file over at Hypnos. I-I saw it last week, we still haven't updated their ages! According Hypnos' records, I'm being followed by a very tall five year old! Yamaki-san wasn't kidding when he said 'Ai and Makoto's file is our greatest embarrassment.'
"Koaku."
"Koaku? You sure? How do you know?"
"'Cause Makoto just told me!"
"...Come again?"
...Apparently, Makoto and Xiaochun have been working for the same design company for more than a year now. Xiaochun made a passing reference to Digimon and Makoto said, "Would you believe me if I told you I once had a Digimon?"
I'm sure Xiaochun would find that to be very believable.
"I-I just can't believe I'm going to get to speak to him again..." Makoto says with a disbelieving laugh, shaking his head. "I-I mean...When I called Ai last night, she...She thought I lost my mind and made it all up! She still doesn't believe me!"
"We'll get you a copy of your conversation to send her," I say as we approach the lab. "Remember, this is technically a top secret program and console, Digimon Tamers simply have special access...Officially, this lab doesn't exist." Hypnos - We're Japan's answer to Area 51...And I like to think we also have a cooler name.
Hirokazu agrees but won't stop bugging me for alien autopsy footage. That's the next floor up, Hirokazu! I don't have clearance!
Makoto looks around the hall and looks into a few offices. "...No offense, but... This non-existent lab needs some real work...Design-wise, I mean...I'd go insane here!" Ha ha ha! This I find harder to believe than the fact we located Makoto...
Ha ha ha! W-Wow...Even Takato and Kenta were shocked when I told them this detail...I-I still have trouble believing it!
"Gods, tell me about it, Mako-chan..." Xiaochun rolls her eyes. "First time I came here, I spoke to Lopmon...Second time I came here, I spoke to Lopmon and hang curtains while getting some accent lighting going... And that was barely the start of what I wanted to do over all! Really, Jianliang, I'm fighting a very strong urge to get a sledge hammer and just start from scratch! Brick by brick!" She turns to Makoto with a grin, saying, "I did get to do somework, though..."
"Oh, like that there...?" Makoto motions into an office with an open door. "One of yours, Shiu-chan...? I see what you did with the health and fortune corner in there... Very nice!"
"That's Yamaki-san's office, one of my first jobs! And my only Top-Secret Government Interior Design Contract." ...It's true, we had to treat Xiaochun redesigning Yamaki-san's office with the same level of secrecy we give anything at Hypnos...
...Department policy, not because we're worried about spies or the general public finding out the perfect way to feng shui an office by having a fountain by the door in Yamaki-san's south-facing work sector. ...Or something...I-I don't know, that's Xiaochun's department!
...And Makoto's, too...
...Re-Really, I-I can't believe this! I shouldn't find it so funny, but...This was so unexpected! Gods, seriously? Makoto? ...For real?
"It's wonderful, Shiu-chan! Especially for what you had to work with!" Makoto clasps his hands together, smiling. "Please tell me they want you to do more and you need an assistant...Please?"
"I'll bug Yamaki-san for you, Mako-chan," Xiaochun laughs.
Makoto gives my sister a hug, laughing, "I love you, Shiu-chan! Thank you!" Xiaochun hugs back with a laugh.
We continue down the hall, Xiaochun passes a black and white painting of a landscape with a potted plant on either side and a coffee maker between them on a cheap cabinet. "Wait..." She says, stopping and staring at the set up for a moment. Makoto has a similar look of horror on his face, he looks to the long window side of the hall, mostly to the white hanging blinds, then going a few steps down and examing another painting on the wall...
...Something wrong...? We...We're HYPNOS! We have bigger things to worry about than decorating the office!
...Though, I admit, that's...a really ugly painting...
Xiaochun lets out a quiet sigh, turning to me. "...Like I said, SLEDGE. HAMMER."
"I was thinking we could also use a flame thrower," Makoto trails off. "Or a wrecking ball!"
"...Mako-chan, this is where my brother works, you know," Xiaochun says, outraged and frowning. Makoto backs away, cautiously. "I get dibs on the flame thrower!" She says with a laugh, Makoto joins in.
I hold back a laugh. Makoto...I-I'm sorry, Makoto, it's just...shocking!
I remember him when he was a little kid, he was the youngest Tamer! He's a few years younger than Xiaochun and...
...Well, the fact he's in interior design, his clothing and mannerisms...I can't believe Makoto's gay. Really...Combined with Takato, Kenta, myself and (for all intents and purposes) Hirokazu...
...Is homosexuality some sort of, I dunno, requirement for Digimon Taming? I-I haven't said anything yet but...Makoto's Kenta-level obvious! No! He's...beyond Kenta-level! I never thought it was possible!
I obviously can't complain, I just find it...Well, funny and..."Interesting," I guess. I didn't tell Yamaki-san, though, I wanted to "surprise" him...
We approach the lab. "This is it, Yamaki-san is waiting."
"Thanks, Jen-san," Makoto bows his head. "Shiuchon's told me so much about you, by the way. It's an honor to meet you...Again. It's been so long, we don't really remember anyone from back then." Yeah, we...we only saw Ai and Makoto, maybe, twice during D-Reaper and...After that, they more or less vanished. They were too young to really "hang out" with us, after all.
"Oh, what did she say about me...?" I glance to Xiaochun, she just gives me this 'nothing good' smirk. Ha ha ha!
"Mostly about how good you are with computers and...She says you have two sons, too! You really just had your second?" Makoto asks.
I nod. "We adopted our second, Liangji, not too long ago. Our first, however, is Takato's biological son."
"Takato-san's son? I-Is Takato-san okay? Nothing's happened to him, right?" Makoto gives me a worried expression. "I-I mean...Why are you taking care of his son...?"
"...Huh?" I give Makoto a blank stare. ...Why wouldn't I be taking care of Takato's son...?
I look to Xiaochun, she's holding back a laugh. She steps up to Makoto. "Oh, um, Mako-chan, I...I guess I forgot to, um, mention something about Jianliang...Sorry, it's common knowledge among the others, it slipped my mind that you wouldn't know..." Xiaochun steps up to Makoto with a laugh. "Jianliang and Takato are married. Three years. I-In fact, Jianliang isn't 'Jianliang Li' anymore, he's 'Jianliang Matsuda,' like Takato!" She looks to me, saying, "I-I told him 'my brother has two sons,' not...Who he's married to!" She laughs.
Makoto looks...incredibly surprised, more than most when they find out. "O-oh! I-I had no idea! S-Sorry for the dumb question, Jen-san...I mean, if he's Takato's son and you're...Well, duh, I-I should have thought of that...I mean, why else would you-W-Wait, with his son...Um, who's...?" Makoto trails off.
"Takehiro, our first's, mother is Juri Katou, she volunteered and a clinic 'made things possible,'" I explain. ...Xiaochun, how could you not tell him...? Then again, it is common knowledge among the Tamers and our friends these days. "Our second, Liangji, his Mother...couldn't raise him, so our older sister, Jialing, set things up so that Takato and I could adopt him."
"I still can't believe she didn't tell me 'til after the adoption," Xiaochun says. Ha ha ha, we didn't even tell our parents...Takato's parents were thrilled, Mr. Matsuda was amazed by the fact Takato and Takehiro are both learning Chinese for me. And, soon, for Liangji, too... My parents were just as impressed, too. And they love their new grandson, my Dad and Lianjie celebrated the same way they did when they heard about Takehiro...
And, speaking of Takehiro and Chinese...He's picking it up quite well. He can say his brother's name and almost has his relatives' names down...My Dad and Lianjie spent some of our visits coaching him and Takato, too.
I insisted Takato be there if Lianjie was going to be alone with Takehiro. I don't trust my brother enough to not teach my three year old son how to say "I want my damned chocolate milk, jackass" or how to pick up a hooker in Mandarin Chinese...
...And, now that I think about it, I suspect the next time Takato says something "romantic" to me in Mandarin, he'll be asking me "What do you charge if I want you to...?"
Makoto nods, smiling wide. "Congratulations! I'm so glad, Jen-san. What's it like to be a Dad?"
"Amazing," I reply. "Takato takes parenting to a new level, though...He's thrilled to have kids. I-I admit, I never...I never thought it would happen, you know?" I say with a laugh. "I can't describe how happy we are. I just can't."
"You two sound very lucky, Jen-san! I'm so happy for you two!" Makoto bows, smiling. I motion for him to enter the lab. Yamaki-san is at the console, waiting.
"Welcome, Makoto," Yamaki-san says. "Please, approach the microphone. I'll start the tracking program and, hopefully, we'll locate your partner. If it fails, we will try again tomorrow. We won't give up, especially given how bad I feel that we lost contact with you and Ai."
"Thank you, Yamaki-san...Ai told me, if this works, she's going to fly down to Shinjuku on the next plane out," Makoto says. "I really can't thank you enough for this...I-I'm amazed he even remembers me, it's been so long. Thank you, both of you, so much." He bows low to both of us.
"Don't be so formal...And a Digimon and a Tamer can never forget each other," I say. Though, Lopmon had a lot of trouble believing he was really talking to Xiaochun. Then Xiaochun said she was in interior design, 'like what I used to do with my doll houses, make them look pretty on the inside – Remember when we played house with Terriermon as the baby?' Then he knew he was talking to Xiaochun!
Makoto steps up to the microphone, Yamaki-san loads the software. I watch the status screen...
...Tracking...
...Tracking...
...Target acquired!
"...You may speak." Yamaki-san says.
"...Impmon?" Makoto speaks into the microphone.
We hear Beelzebumon through the speakers. "Huh? ...Who is this?" Beelzebumon sounds a little confused.
"Er...Wh-Who is this? I-Impmon, what...What happened to your voice...?"
"I-I'm Beelzebumon...Wa-Wait...Ma-Mako-chan? Is that you?"
"Ye-Yeah! I-I met...someone whose brother...He works at Hypnos and...They lost track of Ai and I, Impmon, sorry...I-I swear, we didn't forget you! We never could!"
"Is...Is Ai there?"
"Ai's not here yet...But she'll be in Shinjuku as soon as she hears this really worked! I-I can't believe I'm talking to you again!"
"H-How have you been? Sti-Still have that puppy?" ...Er...Beelzebumon after so many years...
Makoto scratches the back of his head. "Uh... We...We've had a few dogs since him but...R-Right now, I have a...a couple iguanas at home, Daisuke and Ken. And Ai's a vet, she takes care of sick animals! She's really good! She took care of Ken when he hurt his tail, fixed him right up!"
"Ha, that's...That's Ai...Remember when she'd take care of you when you were sick?"
"...By making me guzzle a gallon of orange juice and a quart of milk chaser...The carpet'll never forget, that's for sure..." Makoto rolls his eyes, letting out a sickened moan. Ha ha ha! Gods, that sounds almost like having Xiaochun for a big sister...Poor Makoto...
"What do you do, Mako?"
"Er...I-I...I'm um...Promise not to laugh?" Makoto says, quietly. ...Makoto, trust me, Digimon have no concept of homosexuality or 'gay jobs' like interior design. Really, he won't judge you.
"Promise!"
"I-I'm an...interior designer. I...sort of, um, decorate for a living."
"I bet you're the best damned interior designer out there, Mako-chan! You make everything look freakin' amazing!" Beelzebumon shouts. Xiaochun, Yamaki-san and I try our hardest not to laugh at that. Even Makoto has trouble holding back. "You drew a lot back then...Do you, um, decorate with those or anything? They were really good!"
"N-No, I'm not an artist...I'm more into feng shui and functional indoor-outdoor layouts," Makoto says. "I-I graduated design school a couple years ago and...Well, the company I work for is how I ended up finding out about Hypnos and that I could talk to you again... Ha ha ha, it's a funny story, kinda..."
"What happened?"
"I-I was on a date with someone I met there, one of my co-workers," Makoto begins. ...Oh, he's seeing someone? I'm glad to hear that, he looked a little...too surprised when he found out about Takato and I. He looked like he was a little nervous about the subject, I took it as a sign he's...not all that open about it. I-I understand Makoto, trust me.Though, in his line of work...I mean, who would judge? "The subject of Digimon came up on our last date and I said, 'Would you believe me if I told you I had a Digimon once?' She said, 'Mine was a Lopmon.' My girlfriend is a Tamer, too!" ...Wait, his...what? He has a...? He's not...?
...She said—SHE SAID HER DIGIMON WAS A LOPMON?
I turn to my sister, Xiaochun's already trying to sneak out of the lab. "...Xiaochun...? ...Did...Did I hear him right...?"
"...You thought he was gay, didn't you?" Xiaochun turns back to me with a smirk. She steps back up to me and pokes me in the chest with her index finger. "Admit it, Jianliang..." I hear Yamaki-san behind me, trying to hold back a laugh...Which says a lot about how funny he thinks this is.
Er...Xiaochun, he's in interior design...! A-And, just...look at him! I'm amazed the fire alarm hasn't gone off yet!
"...In my defense, I'm close friends with Kenta Kitagawa." I look to Makoto, he's still talking to Beelzebumon. "You're dating Makoto? How long? Why didn't you tell us?"
"It was our third date," Xiaochun replies. "I wasn't hiding it, really! It's only been a couple weeks."
"I-I see..." I nod. "And...Things are going well, right...?"
"Jianliang, are you going to turn into one of those overprotective big brothers now?"
"Of course not. Now, let's allow Makoto finish his conversation with Beelzebumon so that I may then kill him for touching my little sister," I reply, crossing my arms.
"...Jianliang..." Xiaochun rolls her eyes. "C'mon, I expect this from Lianjie, not you."
"Lianjie did the same for me."
"...He did? ...For you?"
I nod. "He told me that when he found my Ai to Kirai saves and figured out I was with Takato, he swore that he would beat the crap out of Takato if he ever did anything to 'hurt' me or make me cry," I say. "I told him that was impossible." Thankfully, Lianjie agreed to that. I'm amazed by the level of support we have from him sometimes. I was expecting things to be so different between us after I came out...They are different but in a good way, I think we're closer as brothers because of all he's done for Takato and I. I appreciate it all so much.
I still can't believe Lianjie knew about Takato and I for so long and never even hinted at it. I told him he was the world's greatest brother, just for that fact. I know that, at the time, I would have fallen apart if he asked me about it. I had enough trouble coming out on my own terms...
...Though, I find it weird that neither of my sisters so much as suspected something was going on between Takato and I.
Makoto spends a few more minutes talking to Beelzebumon before we have to end things. Beelzebumon got a little teary-eyed near the end, judging by how he sounded...
...Makoto did, too. We've all cried talking to our partners again. "It's a natural reaction," Yamaki-san says, often as he tries to subtly wipe his eyes.
Yamaki-san saves the recording while I take Xiaochun and Makoto out to lunch. I take them a small ramen shop near Hypnos, we sit down to a pot of tea.
Makoto's been a little nervous since, well, since he (probably) heard me find out about his girlfriend's identity. Xiaochun, of course, is her usual self and kept him distracted with interior design talk as we drove...
...My company car does not need to be feng shui-ed! Can you even decorate a car? She...had to have been joking...! If not, my sister and her boyfriend have a problem!
"...So, you two are going out...?" I say, looking to the couple sitting across from me.
"So-Sorry, Shiu-chan, I thought you told him..." Makoto says, bowing his head to me.
"It's okay, Mako-chan. He thought you were gay, by the way..." Xiaochun says with a smirk.
"Er...Xi-Xiaochun...!" I'm a little embarrassed about assuming that...
Makoto laughs, "Ha ha ha! It's okay, I...I'm used to it, trust me, I'm used to it...A-Actually, sorry if my reaction to finding about you and Takato-san was a little weird...I'm so used to be around 'gay' straight guys that...Well, when I saw you..." ...Huh?
"Wa-Wait...So, you knew I was gay, but...Because I was gay, that meant...I was straight?" I ask.
"...Pretty much," Makoto shrugs. "It makes sense if you work in design." ...Xiaochun, I want your new boyfriend to pee in a cup. Now. Yamaki-san should still have some of those drug testing kits in the supply room...
"Jianliang, relax, please, Mako-chan's really nice," Xiaochun smiles, holding onto Makoto's arm. "Really."
"...Okay, you two have my support," I nod. "Sorry, Makoto, but..." I reach for my tea cup, trailing off as I take a sip.
Makoto nods. "I-I know, you want to protect Shiu-chan. I'm the same way with Ai and her girlfriends."
I choke on the tea I'm drinking, it sprays out of my mouth. I cough for a few seconds, shouting, "WH-WHAT?"
Makoto smirks. "...Sorry, Jen-san, I couldn't resist." Xiaochun is doing her best to hide her laughter.
"...He's perfect for you, Xiaochun," I mutter, dabbing tea off my suit with a napkin.
Amazing...My sister and Makoto...I'm happy if she's happy.
Though, one thing...
...If he doesn't know about Kenta, I have to know what Makoto's 'inside-out-gaydar' says about him...
Ori's Notes:
...Who really thought I was gonna make Makoto gay? Be honest! Did you really think I'd do it?
Okay, I admit, his...interpretation in this chapter is mostly done as a gag. It was sort of hard to resist, actually...
One of the things that bugged me about the original draft is the way that only Jen and Takato were mentioned as being married\having kids and all that...I mean, everyone else was sort of written off as "single for life" or just left up to the reader...This version, I'm getting a little more creative. This is probably it, though, since I don't want to do the following:
-Original Character x Tamer (I just don't feel comfortable writing original character x canon character romances unless I absolutely have to)
-REALLY weird pairings (ie: Juri x Lianjie or Kai x Ai – Xiaochun x Makoto is pushing it for me on this front, they have about the same age difference and Ruki and Ryou).
Regarding Ai and Makoto's last name: To my knowledge, they don't have an official last name so I went with "Koaku," which means "Little Evil." No, really, that's a real surname. I picked it since, well, they're Impmon's Tamers.
And one final Digimon Taming note, if you noticed and found it weird that Lopmon is referred to as "he" in this chapter: In the original version, Lopmon is a male, the dub switched his gender for whatever reason. I've heard it was because it wasn't confirmed he was male until after they started translating\recording (The confirmation: Xiaochun is teaching him Non-Archaic Japanese and has him use a masculine form of "I"), so it was too late to change it. I don't know how true this is beyond the part about Xiaochun, Lopmon and Non-Archaic Japanese.
Lopmon's dialogue is super formal and a much older dialect. I think the best English equivalent would be either borderline Shakespearean English or the PSP translation of Final Fantasy Tactics.
Anyway...We're nearing the end of the "baby" chapters. Hope you don't mind that they were a lot longer than they were back in the original draft this time around.
Taiki's Notes:
Xiaochun and Makoto? Even when he does a straight pairing, Ori can't stick to something too normal, now, can he?
I think it's an interesting concept and, as Ori said, the age difference between the two characters is about the same as Ruki and Ryou. I am a little surprised there aren't too many "future" fics involving this as a possibility on the site, actually.
-Taiki Matsuki