xerothermic

by Aiko Isari

Little Kei hears things talk all of the time. One day, a bubble pops and says something very strange. Thankfully, Uncles Ken and Takeru are on the case. And so is he because he's going to help. Little Kei may have bit off more than he could chew though. An In Prayer story.

11. 11

11.

Kei realizes, a few moments too late, that people do not always want you to save them or tell them what's right. They often want to be left alone to be sad and unhappy. Occasionally they want to be heard too, but it's not very often.

They wouldn't want to be heard by a small child like himself, which is fair. But that didn't mean he couldn't and wouldn't try.

But they had left the Lucemon behind now, and he wasn't coming back. Because of Falcor's rage that would need to considered, scolded, called out upon because that was a way but not the way. At least it had worked now but still. According to his mothers, he was suffering enough as it was.

Kei reaches the cracked parking lot, panting now because he is tired from whatever he did before and because nana is a very fast walker. But she doesn't slow for him. Sometimes she does these things where she forgets he is small because he does things that are simply so big.

That or she's focused. These things also happen when she is focused.

So he follows behind. Falcor leaps after, taking three at a time. Kei's stomach grumbles and he shushes it.

And yet nana hears. She always hears.

"Don't worry," she says. "I convinced your mom to make your favorite tonight after grounding you for the next month."

Kei made a face for a moment. That meant no wandering at night for a month with Falcor. No Digital World games with the others.

But that doesn't matter. That is minor. "I'll have a new friend though," he says. "And he won't be ready to play either."

Noriko rolls her eyes. "Squirt."

But nana understands. She's even a little proud.