Chapter 33: Meeting My Old Friends Again

Narrated by Jim

I was walking up to the front door of the party that my old friend Koji was throwing for the people at town and mainly the original digidestined. Which was him, me and three other people. Zoe, Takuya and Tommy. It was a journey twenty one years ago, when I was only sixteen. We had been able to turn into actual digimon as our battle moves with two digimon helping us called Bokomon and Neemon. After saving the digital world from something called Cherubimon, Tommy adopted Bokomon and Neemon as his pets and started training under a digimon named Gallantmon and started using his last name of Gennai. Yes, Tommy is the Gennai you guys know. Takuya had gotten married to somebody he went to college with and they had a son and a daughter named Tai and Kari. Again, the ones from the group have been with for a while. Koji and Zoe at least at the time our adventures ended were dating and as far as I was concerned together still. I on the other hand have not settled down and have had several girl friends. The most recent of which is Beth, whom I have broken up with due to her cheating on me. Now with that intro out of the way and you most likely learning more of our previous adventures as my talks during the seven hours I will be talking about go through.

As I was going around a little earlier than that I had found one of them, Koji, just walking about as well. This made me interested as to what he was doing. I had barely talked to any of the other four members in a very long time. A couple years in fact. So I decided that a little hello wouldn't be too bad. "Hey Koji, how is everything going?" I asked him as Koji seemed to look like everything in his life had taken a one eighty as he saw me.

"J.P., you have been like totally away from all of us for the longest time. Some of us actually thought you had died. Oh my god, why have you been away for so long?"

I thought about it and I didn't really know why I was gone that whole time to be honest. "I am not sure. I think I should have stayed more but I just didn't. It's all my fault and I shouldn't have done it. I had a younger brother when everything ended but that doesn't matter. Takuya is a father now and he still hung out with you guys. I guess I was just scared to talk to you guys again."

"Confronting what you are afraid of is the best way to get over it. For the longest time I was really paranoid that I was going to get killed someday. I decided that I just needed to express my fears to somebody and look at me. I haven't died yet and I don't see it happening any time soon." Koji responded and I felt awful for not saying or doing anything over this.

"I shouldn't have done that. I should have at least told you what I was going to do if I left you guys. That way I can let you guys say good bye to me or something like that." I admitted my faults and Koji nodded as if to show that I was right there when he seemed to have remembered something that he was planning.

"J.P. I was actually going to be having a party. Now that you are here, I was wondering if perhaps you would like to help me set it up or if you can go to the party with me?" I thought about the offer for a second and decided that there was nothing wrong with it. I mean maybe I can see how the others are doing as well.

"Sure I will help you out. When is the party?" After I answered his question and asked my own Koji told me that the party was in two hours and that he just needed a tiny bit more preparing for it to get ready. We both got in his car and he started driving over to his house. During the drive we started talking about life.

"Remember the time when you became Lobomon for the first time? I remember being so jealous of your thing because I was the last one to get a spirit and I was thinking that I would never get one. Turns out it wasn't so true as everybody got one eventually. I just needed to be patient." I said and Koji seemed to sigh as if remembering the old days.

"How fast all these years pass. For the longest time I thought that I could never be this old. By day by day it kept getting closer and soon enough that became the reality. I really have become this age. I'm not that old honestly but still. I'm pretty sure most people feel that way when they are younger. They will never reach twenty. Then when they reach twenty they feel like they will never reach thirty and after they do they keep thinking every year won't really come until it does. But with every day I am living, I am one day closer to my end." Koji was saying and when he realized that he was all going into the deep and personal stuff he stopped. "But yeah I remember when I became Lobomon. I also remember the time I wasn't really with you guys because I wanted to be the lone ranger."

"I really miss those times. I really wish I can go back and redo at least some of the things. Such as the time I thought you were all against me when I was fighting my alternate darker self. I should have known how wrong I was but I was just blind to the things that kept me like this in the past that I didn't see the current moment. I think we can both agree on one thing. These adventures wildly changed us forever."

"They certainly did. I am really excited to see how the others are doing. I bet they will be so surprised when they see that I have found you. I just wish that one day when we grow up, people will grow to appreciate the adventures and hard ships that we had. Every step that we took was a test and I hope that everybody can see that someday. Or else our legacy, our work and all our bonding will be put to waste." Koji said and that made me feel inspired to try something new.

"Koji, what if we got together and gathered up our knowledge and thoughts on our adventures and compiled them all into one big story that tells it all? Everybody can see every single thing that we did and everybody can see what we had seen. Then someday somebody is bond to see it and read it and then it will give a new perspective on reality." I was saying so excited that there was a chance our stories and adventures can be relived. "It can be like us reliving the good old days."

Koji glanced at me for just a second. It seemed at first he was going to tell me this was a horrible idea and I was wrong to even think it. But the moment I saw his face I knew that he was in. "I think this is a great idea. If we all loved what had happened so much when looking back at it, why not tell it to people and that way they can live it in the words and we can live it in the memories as one big narrative. Then if we ever want to relive it again, we can just read the text and then it goes again."

It was then when we pulled up to Koji's house and we walked out of the car and walked on in. Soon after we walked in, I saw how great his house was. Not to say it was mansion worthy like Tommy's house, or Gennai as you know him. But it was still quite impressive and showed that Koji must have taken at least two or three hundred thousand dollars to make it like it was.

"Every time I get the chance I add something new to the house. I want to live in a place where I am proud of myself. Being the man I am I do wonder if anybody will ever feel like this is worth their time. To really look at and understand it all."

"I think it is worth it to be honest." I was saying as I saw the stairs and the tables that all looked very clean. The couches that looked like they were freshly bought. "How much more do you need to get ready on the party set up?"

"Just a few more things. Getting all the drinks out and the food mainly." Koji answered and he started to do just that. I decided to help along with that and with my help it went by pretty easily. After we had gotten that taken care of I sat down at one of his chairs.

"Koji, I really want to know. What do you have that I didn't?"

"What do you mean J.P.?"

"What did you have that I didn't that made Zoe love you more than she loved me? I thought she might had feelings for me but she ended up choosing you. And while I am happy that she is happy, I am wondering what I did wrong. Is it because I was fat? Because if that is so, then I am not anymore. I am a very different man and I hope she will see that." I was saying and Koji looked down as I said that.

"I really don't know what I did. It seemed like she had a thing for me and I was just the confused one at first. I think that is the difference. You liked her and you made it very obvious. If anything you made it too obvious. I hate to sound like a dick but maybe that was your down fall in the end. But I hope that you have met that girl of your dreams and that you are having kids with her and everything." Koji responded and I honestly felt more resolved when he said that. I really got it this time. It wasn't just because she hated me.

"I think J.P. it is that she liked both of us but she didn't know what to pick. The one who liked her more or the one that she liked more. I remember asking her one day and she told me that there are still days where she thinks she should picked you instead. Then there are days where she doesn't regret anything about it. Somedays I wonder if she did as well. I think the one thing we all agreed on was that she didn't really have a chance against Takuya or Tommy." Koji made me laugh so hard at the Takuya and Tommy part.

"Yeah about the girlfriends and children. I have probably dated like ten or so girls since our adventures. Each one of them made me very happy but each one ends in the worst way possible. One of my girlfriends did get pregnant but she broke up with me when she told me she had a miscarriage. However she seemed very distant about the details. When I think about it, I wonder if she was telling the truth about the miscarriage or if she was telling shit to me to get away with it. That was about ten years ago." I was saying and Koji put his hand up to his face in surprise. As if trying to think of a response here.

"If it was ten years ago, that would have made you about twenty six, twenty seven when it happened. How old was she?" I had to think about that question for a moment as I sort of forgotten how old she was compared to me.

"I can't remember how old she was. But I don't really know if that matters too much because once I'm twenty seven, she would still be more than old enough to have a child. I'm just more curious about where she might be now. I know where she lived at the time. But I have no idea if she is still there now." I answered and I had a sudden urge to check it out.

"How much longer until the party?" I asked and Koji seemed lost at that question for a second. Then he seemed to get the point of it.

"One hour? Are you seriously planning on going there?" Koji responded and I nodded as I stood up and took his car keys. I hoped he didn't mind me using his car and checking this out.

"I will be back before or just after the party starts don't worry." I said and left the house. I ran to the car and got in it right away then started speeding away to the house of my former girlfriend. She was twenty five minutes away from Koji's house. If I went there and came right back I would have ten minutes to spare. That meant if she was there then I can get ten minutes to talk to her about anything.

The whole time I was driving there I was thinking about a kid that she might of had. A daughter that had nice blonde hair and seems like she doesn't know what is going on. Perhaps a nice little hat to go along with it. Maybe a boy who had a baseball bat because he is in the team and just got out of the game. Possibly even having a few friends that get together and play some games. Whatever the case may be, there could be a man at their side along with the mother who does help out raising them and I don't really need to be there beyond just seeing them for that moment. I knew that no matter what, if I had a child with a future partner, I would stay at their side and not just leave them like this I might have done.

Right when I pulled up at the house I had gotten there right at the right time. My former girlfriend from was really there. So she hadn't moved away. I saw her moving to the second row in the car where the groceries/younger people go. At first I saw her taking groceries out. That was when I started to lose hope. Then I saw a young person coming out of the car. They looked to be about nine or so years old. Which would fit perfectly in the time line. I looked to see what type it was but I will let you decided in your head what the gender was.

Knowing that she was lying this whole time and that she really did have a child she was hiding from me, I got out of the car and composed myself. I had to be calm and collected with my approach. Regardless of how angry I was over her lying to me.

I walked across the street and spoke to my former girlfriend. "Hey, remember me?"

She looked at me for a second not getting it. Then she seemed to understand. "Oh my god." She said and looked down at the kid who glanced at us confused for a second. "I can explain..."

"Yes please do. Was I just a terrible person that couldn't do anything to make you feel okay with letting me stay around?" I had my voice raising for a second until my former girlfriend told me to stop yelling.

"What is it?" The kid asked us and my former girlfriend told them to get to the house to let us talk alone.

"That's not my biological child Jim!" She yelled and I stopped getting angry and seemed more surprised than anything. "I was telling the truth about the miscarriage. This is is actually just my friends. They are coming over for a visit and I just happened to drive the kid over."

I was close to tears at that moment. I didn't quite know what to say. I felt terrible for just about to go all guns blazing and accusing her of something that she never really did. I think I was the one with the problem now.

"Sorry I ever bothered you. I will be heading home now." I said and walked to my car as she yelled one last thing at me.

"I should be the one sorry. I got your hopes up and I never thought of what would happen if this ever happened. But please for my sake, please never come back. I already have a man in my life. They are helping me already. Some day you will get the chance to have your own kid that you can raise as a actual father. You just need to find them. Good luck." After she said that I smiled and went to the car. I used to be angry but during the actual ride back, I lost all anger. She was right. Some day I will find my own person and have my own kid with them. I can tell you right now that I have never talked to them again. I let them enjoy their own lives for the same reason they let me enjoy my own life.

After those twenty five minutes of driving back, I had arrived at the house. The party has started in the sense that people were there. But not in the sense that anything was happening. I got out of the car and when Koji found me he asked what happened and I just explained real quick what had happened. He didn't seemed to know what to say but I think that was why he did what he did next.

Koji started leading me around the house until we had reached a door. He knocked on it and a few seconds later a young boy who I would say was about eight years old opened the door. He had blonde hair, a small red coat and light blue shorts. He looked like something had just happened he needed to know about.

"Willis, this is one of my friends from several years ago. He just came by this house and I thought it would be nice to introduce you two." Koji said and he looked at me. "Willis is our son. He has already seen Tommy and Takuya but he never met you before."

"Hey friend of Dad. What are you doing here?" Willis asked and seemed a little shy to talk to me and was only doing it to not look rude.

"I just came by and decided to go to the party. What are you doing?"

"Oh nothing much. Just playing with some of my stuff." Willis answered and I nodded. I told him that if he didn't want to talk much about this any more than he can just go back to him room. After a couple seconds he did close the door again and after he did so I looked at Koji.

"Well we better see the others. I will be getting to the party." I told him and started heading down to the main room the party was taking place at. The first one I saw was Tommy. He was sitting in a chair as if he were thinking some big thing through. I sat down close to him.

"Haven't seen you in a while." I tried to start up a conversation and Tommy looked over to see me. He seemed surprised for just a split second but after the shock was over, he came back to his normal self.

"What have you been up to these past several years? I have just been doing more digital world stuff. Did you know that there is a invasion going on right now out there? There are eight people out there trying to fight it off. They are called the digidestined." Tommy surprised me when he told me that. I wasn't expecting anything like that to happen.

"Oh wow really? Do I know who any of these eight are?"

"I think you know at least one of them. Your brother Joe is out there trying to fight off monsters that are close to the water. I don't know if you knew that or not but I thought that you would like to know." Tommy said and I didn't even know what to say anymore. I mean I think there were hints at Joe doing this and he might have slipped the fact by mistake, but hearing it from Tommy made it true. I knew that none of it was just a rumor anymore.

"What am I supposed to do to help out in it?"

"I don't think there is anything. I think you are just supposed to sit this one out. This is their job and we are supposed to be mentors at best. We can't do the work for them. We might give them ideas but that is pretty much it. Maybe when you see him again, you can give him advice on how to hold his ground."

"I guess that this is pretty much all we can do. I may not like it but I feel you might be right here." I really was not a fan that idea but I had to accept it.

"Want to know something odd? One of those digidestined is actually somebody who is trying to learn the ways of the hero from me. He was originally going to have a master but that master eventually died. I decided to teach him and the one that taught me, Gallantmon, at first refused the offer. But I kind of forced them to do it. Boy let me tell you I was so surprised when I found out Gallantmon was actually a human." Tommy was saying and I asked him about the human thing.

"His name is Takato. He was a tamer as they called it all the way back from the ninety forties. He also taught me something else that is quite odd. A unintentional side affect to being a digidestined or person that helped save the digital world actually instantly increases the chance of having male offspring. In some ways, depending on who you are or what you have contributed to the group, you might be only able to produce male offspring. Nobody found out the cause to this or why it still is this way but that has been the case." Tommy said and I was thinking that out.

"So instead of like a fifty fifty chance either way it's more like sixty forty ratio?" I asked and Tommy seemed to think it out for a moment.

"In some cases that is the case. But take me for example. I have been in the digital worlds business for such a long time that the ratio for me is a hundred to zero. It is actually impossible for me to have a girl now. Or that person I am helping named T.K. I mentioned earlier. In his time in the digital world he has done so much to help out and since his biological father was a tamer, his chances of male to female offspring are also hundred to zero. He also can not produce female children. You are the only person I have told about this."

"So what are my chances exactly?" I was curious about this now since he mentioned it.

"The chances are actually done in fractions of eight. Starting at five eighths chance which you get the moment you become a digidestined. Takuya and Koichi fall into this group. This was why Takuya was able to have Kari just fine. Since there was a three in eight chance he could have a girl. There is also a three fourths chance. You fall into this group. The cause for this fraction is unknown but some assume that you have to have a rough family relationship or something for this. The next one if the seven out of eight chance. Koji and Zoe both fell into this group. If you either have the desire to have male children or went through a deep personal quest you are more likely to fall in this group. Since Koji had to change his life and Zoe has always stated she wanted a boy, they fell under here. Then there is the one hundred to zero chance that I mentioned earlier. All the tamers, T.K. and I fall under here. The reason the tamers fall in here were because of the fight they had with something called the DReaper several decades ago. It mixed their genetic make up so that they could only have male children. I spent hours researching this and you, Gallantmon and I are the only ones who know this." Tommy explained the ratios well enough for me to understand it.

"This is quite interesting. So if I have four children, I should expect only one of them to be a girl. I actually really like knowing that. That way I know what to expect." I wasn't kidding when I said that. I actually liked knowing what my chances were now.

"Since you and I are the only ones who don't have children, you and I are the only ones who really need to worry about this thing. Since all our other team members have settled down pretty well by now." Tommy said and that was where our conversation ended. Since I saw Takuya walking in.

"Talk to you later." I said and walked up to him. "Hey remember me? How are Tai and Kari doing?"

"J.P. you certainly have gotten a lot thinner. Didn't expect to see you here. As for you question, they seem fine from what I hope and see. Tai hasn't really been home much lately though so I can't be sure. Kari also going on about this really good looking high school student that came to our house and slept there for a little while. She says she's going to marry him even though he's like twice her age. I gave him my Christmas shirt from several years ago and sent him off. I didn't want to deal with her talking about him anymore. My wife is currently watching her and a girl who is a friend of Tai's named Sora is over now because her mother just recently died."

"Oh boy Takuya, every person thinks that they're going to marry a hot older person when they are young. I thought I was going to marry Claudia Cardinale when I was younger." I laughed over how silly I was when I was young.

"Wow I never would have thought that. I guess when you out it that way it is true. We all have that person who we think is their hero. We never marry them so I guess it won't be too bad if Kari thinks she is going to marry this Ken guy. I will just smile when she does marry her real husband. Or heck her future wife for all we know." Takuya responded and we walked to the kitchen.

"I wish I had kids. You seem so settled down. Full time father with a great wife and a nice house. I wish I can be like you. I can't ever keep the same girlfriend and I don't have any kids. But I'm pretty sure nobody thought you were going to be the first to be a parent. Almost by a long shot really."

"Yeah being a grown man can really change things up. But when you become a dad trust me it will be worth it. You will not regret a single second of being a parent. Although I thought it was just going to be Tai for a while. My wife and I were really not planning for Kari and she turned up. Although I doubt we would have a third child. I think both of us are just fine with the two we have."

I have grown to really respect you over the years. I mean I respect everybody else but you the most. Even more so than Zoe. You have done so much in these last couple decades that I want to have my children respect me like yours respect you. How do you feel about you wife?"

"At first we weren't planning on getting married or getting serious but when we had Tai all that changed. I never thought I was going to stick around long term with her but now that I am I don't regret any of it. Yes we may fight and argue, but all couples do. It's the natural thing as a couple."

Takuya and I got some of the wine from the fridge and we each gave each other a small shot. "Here's to being a legendary warrior!" I said and we both took our shot.

"I will be looking for Zoe now. Nice talk with you." I said and started looking for Zoe. It took about five minutes but soon enough I found her and when she found me she smiled so hard that it looked like I had fallen from the moon.

"J.P. I love you!" Zoe screamed but then she realized what she blurted out and started getting quieter about it. "Let's go outside so nobody would get in our way." We started walking outside so we can have our talk in private. Koji was looking at the two of us leave the house, then walked to his bathroom.

"Zoe. You still look as amazing as ever. Not that you ever didn't. I mean, oh I should stop even trying." I was saying and I felt like a idiot for saying this. Koji won her, and I didn't. I needed to stop.

"How has it been for you since our journey?" I asked, giving her my jacket. So she could be warmer under it. She smiled at him, and put her arm over his shoulder.

"Everything is going well. As you probably know I already have a great kid. What about you and college, are you doing it?" Zoe asked, and I nodded.

"I'm studying to become a lawyer. Ever since our journeys, I was inspired to become one." I was saying and we sat down on a bench and she put her head closer to mine.

"How has life been like for you J.P.? Aside from just that bit about lawyer."

"I have nothing figured out. Only what I want my job to be. Aside from that, I'm like rock bottom. But I'm making progress than I did back then. I know I told you this at least twenty times when we were on our travels with everybody else in the digital world, but you're beautiful. I only dated people just to get over you originally. But I can't get you out of my head. No matter how hard I try." I answered and felt like I was screwing up so bad.

"Well, we did become good friends at the end of our journeys. We all understood you enough. You were like somebody we could never get back. Please don't leave again. There is no need to leave us again J.P." Zoe said, as we looked at each other. Our faces getting closer.

"Why?" I asked, as our faces reached each other. She put her hands on my face, and I put my arms around her. I didn't even catch on to it at the moment, but we were kissing. It lasted about fifteen seconds before I let go first. She stared at me for a moment.

"Never leave us J.P. That is the whole point of us talking wasn't it? I don't even remember. What is going on?" She got up, and walked away. I thought on what I should do next and to do so I started to just walk around for a little while. Just to really find something that is right.

Along my way back to Koji's place, I was just thinking about all the stuff that was going on at the party and it also made me think of the things that had happened during our journeys once again. I felt terrible for kissing Zoe then even though it was just a one time thing. I hoped that if Koji did find out then he can forgive her at least.

Soon enough I reached the house and walked on inside. I noticed that the party was still going and I went back to it as if nothing had happened. After about another hour or two everybody started leaving and soon enough the only ones left were the main group from our time in the digital world.

"Hey everybody come here." I said and the other four came up to me out of interest. "I made this idea with Koji earlier. How about we sort of write down what happened during our adventures in the digital world. That way we can have reference to all the events and we can read it whenever we want. I think it is actually a good idea." I told everybody as all five or us looked at each other.

"This is a great idea. I always wanted to relive the adventures in the digital world in some way. I guess this can be how we do it." Takuya gave his approval and Zoe soon followed. Tommy also agreed to this as well. So all five of us sat down around a table and Koji got out a computer that he had and started a new document.

"Who wants to go first?" Koji asked and I suggested that I start. We all took turns and told some of the story one at a time. Each bringing up stuff that another forgot. Such as the fight with Grumblemon and the time we had that great Trailmon race or the hulu dancing. Koji wrote everything down and soon enough wrote it all out in a story format. It took several hours to do but the fun of it all actually was what kept us going. We didn't get tired. There was no reason to get tired. All in all it was about thirty thousand words and around seventy pages.

Everything was going well again for once. I felt like I was in the proper place at the proper time.