Taichi's POV
Another night, another adventure. But not the kind I was used to until a few months ago. It's Friday night, and I went with some of my college friends to the club. I was not even sure if they were my friends, I barely spoke to them outside of classes until that happened. But since that event, I kind of broke contact with the guys. Now, instead of playing hero, I focused on my studies and on living the life a 23 years old should live.
So here I am with a hot blond chick I met two hours wrapped around my neck while I paid for the drinks.
"Do you wanna come home with me" I muttered into her ear, right before playfully nibbling it. She agreed, and I promptly called a cab to take us both to my apartment. The second I closed the door, we went straight to business. She's the third girl I have brought home in less than two weeks and I knew the reputation I was getting, but I didn't even care. At least that way I could forget the emptiness around me for some hours. My phone started vibrating in my back pocket, but I decided to ignore it, something I never did until I lost him. I was on top of her and our clothes were already on the floor when it started ringing once again.
"Don't you have to pick up the phone?" The girl suggested. I sighed while mentally agreeing with her. But my first suspicion was right. Koshiro's name was the one on the screen.
Goddammit, how many more times do I have to tell him I've retired. There's nothing I can do anymore. I declined the call and got back into the business. My company for the time was on top of me, platting kisses on my neck and down my chest.
"Where did you get this one bad boy?" She teased me while calling attention to an old scar on my ribcage.
For God's sake. Here I am, trying to forget that part of my life and she has to notice one of the oldest scars I got. The one that brings me back to the first time I almost saw my partner turning into data.
"When I was eleven, I got into a fight with a clown and he almost won," I said, trying to joke while hiding my annoyance. She smiled and ignored my comment, thinking that I was making up a story. Before she got the chance to say or see anything else, I pinned her down and resumed what we were doing.
A few hours later I woke up, feeling someone caressing my, now short but still messy, hair. Not even my style survived my last battle. After the fight with Eosmon, I had to have my head stitched so I kind of used it as an excuse to cut my hair. I opened my eyes and looked at the beauty that spent the night with me. She blushed, ashamed because I caught her.
"I am sorry, Taichi, I should get ready." The young woman immediately stood up while trying to cover herself.
"It's ok, you can use the bathroom" I replied while looking down, trying to give her some privacy. The way she was stroking my hair was nice but brought back memories of another girl that used to do it uniquely. I don't even know when was the last time she did so or why she stopped. We never dated, so it's like we broke up or anything.
I picked up my cell phone from the floor, not being able to ignore it anymore. Ok, the guys were desperate to talk to me last night. What if any of them got hurt? I couldn't help but feel worried seeing the amount of missed calls and unopened text messages. I quickly opened the text from my sister.
Hikari: "Onii-shan, I know you are still hurting, but we needed you tonight. Things got ugly. We are ok now, but it was a hard night. Please talk at least to me when you can."
Well, she's ok, that's good. I must call her, to make sure she didn't get hurt. There were also 7 missing calls from Yamato and a single text message calling me an idiot. I have to admit that I admire his capacity to still get involved in all that stuff. He's suffering as much as I do, but he still hangs out with the others.
There was also a solitary text from Daisuke that got my attention.
Daisuke: "Taichi senpai, I messed up tonight. We can't do this without you. I am not the leader we need."
Neither am I Daisuke. And soon you won't be able to do anything either. There were many missed calls from Koshiro and a single message.
Koshiro: "Taichi, I am sorry to bother you. I already saw on your social media that you were busy last night, but we need to talk. Things are getting out of hand and we have to do something. There'll be a meeting in my office tomorrow afternoon. I'll be waiting for you. Take care"
He also lost Tentomon shortly after I lost Agumon and as far as I know, he's been working like a maniac, trying to bring them back. It's not like he's dealing with the situation in the best possible way, but as long as he doesn't mess up as Menoa did, I guess it's fine.
"Taichi, I think I'm leaving." The girl I slept with called me back from my reflection. She was pretty, with her blond hair, green eyes, and full lips. I believed that was the first time I was looking at her. She also seemed an interesting girl, and I enjoyed the previous night. For half a second, I thought about inviting her to have lunch with me. But I was done with dating. For months it's been only sex and them leaving in the morning or before, so I quickly dressed something before leading her to the door.
"I had fun last night." It's all I said before opening the door.
"Yeah, me too. You are awesome, seems like the rumors are true," She teased me. It seems like I reached the point where girls at college comment about my skills in bed. Different from the rumors about me being some kind of superhero who fought "monsters"... Not that before I was some kind of saint, but still…
To avoid more talking, I opened the door and was about to say my goodbyes when I realized there was a good-looking blonde guy outside my apartment.
"So that's why you didn't pick up your goddamn phone last night." Yamato accused me while looking at the girl. He seemed about to punch me.
"Are you Yamato Ishida?" The woman at my door exclaimed. I could see her cheeks turning red. "I didn't know you knew each other. I am Aimi by the way" She presented herself to him. "I was a fan of your band back in middle school." It hit me I didn't even recall her name.
"Nice to meet you, Aimi." He presented himself with that charming look of him. "Taichi has a second life that he likes to ignore sometimes." He teased. Aimi, feeling the tension in the air, said her last goodbyes and left.
"Are you here to hit me?" I asked Yamato right after he entered.
"At least you know you deserve it." He answered. He seemed a bit calmer, though. "Are you also aware that you can't keep partying and having sex with a different girl every night while ignoring the shit that is going on?"
"Shut up, Matt. You are the last person with legitimacy to criticize me." It was my time to get angry. Yamato had also been sleeping around since he and Sora broke up over two years ago. However, he ignored my comment and turned on the tv, choosing a news channel. What I saw was quite scary. An entire street in downtown Odaiba was destroyed. Some buildings were completely lost. There were ambulances and relief teams around. Certainly, people got hurt.
"Fuck. We spent the last years telling the younger one to be careful while fighting." I muttered, without exactly knowing what to feel. Something between anger, disappointment, guilt, and impotence.
"You were getting laid while they fought, so don't criticize." He warned me. I had to admit to myself that he was right. Instead of answering, I looked once again at the tv. It was showing images from last night's fight. I could recognize Angemon and Paildramon fighting against a…. Drimogemon and a Golemon.
"What went wrong? They are just Adults. Daisuke and the others should have sent them back to the Digital World with little trouble," I couldn't pretend anymore that I didn't care.
"I don't know exactly. Takeru told me they were much stronger than they were supposed to be. Hikari says there was some dark energy coming from them. They couldn't understand if something was controlling them, but they looked different." Yamato was thoughtful.
"Did any of them get hurt? What went wrong? Daisuke sent me a weird text." If only I still had Agumon with me, I could have helped them.
"Things got out of hand. They weren't able to take them back to the digital gate, so they had to choose.." Yamato made a pause and I immediately understood the issue. "They waited for Daisuke to decide but he hesitated and then he didn't want to and the Digimon kept destroying the city. Takeru understood what they had to do, but some of the younger ones were with Daisuke and they started arguing."
After all these years, they still hadn't understood that sometimes it's the only possible way? For God's sake, they aren't innocent kids anymore. While I was thinking about my successor's mistakes, a surprising video from the previous night appeared on television. It was Lillymon.
"Mimi showed up last minute and solved the issue. Palmon was already on countdown and with the digivolution lost all the time left." Yamato concluded, and I could see the sadness in his blue eyes. He knows, as well as me, what Mimi must be feeling.
"Is Mimi ok?" I asked, already knowing the answer. Joe had also lost Gomamon, so she was the last one of the older chosen to lose her partner. It seems like the young ones are all by themselves now.
"I went there with Koshiro to pick them up and see what was going on. Mimi went with him and Sora met them. So I guess she's being taken care of," Sora… I didn't even dare to ask her how she's doing...
"What about the others?" I wanted to know the full story.
"They went home. They are mad and angry. Takeru and Hikari are sleeping at my place and taking care of each other." He looked at me with a curious grin.
"Are you trying to imply that my sister is sleeping with your brother?" I confronted him, trying to control myself.
"They are grown-ups, man. You would have known it already if you hadn't shut down from your own sister." He was trying to provoke me.
"Are you back at accusing me, Yamato? In case you didn't notice, there's nothing that we could have done last night. So can I please start living a normal life, without having to leave in the middle of a lecture to fight some Digimon or without almost dying every other day?" I stood up and screamed at him. He did the same and grabbed me by my shirt.
"We are all suffering, dumbass. You're not the only one who lost a partner. There's not a single second that I don't miss Gabumon." He's finally allowing the pain to reach his eyes. "But I'm still trying to be there for others, help them and advise them, the best that I can. And we could use our leader to do the same." I knew Yamato almost as well as I knew myself, and I knew that he's trying to get a reaction from me, but it was useless.
"I can't exactly fight Digimon with my own hands, and I won't be making decisions regarding battles I can't be part of." Yet I couldn't help but scream at him too. And I finally felt his fist meeting my face. When I looked back at Yamato, it's clear that he's waiting for me to fight back, but I just took a deep breath.
"I am done fighting Matt. I won't be fighting you, or Digimons, or anything else. You and the others should stop too. Even the ones still with partners. Let the government deal with all this shit. You wanted advice from your leader, so here you have it." My best friend, if I still can call him that, looked at me as if I lost my mind. We stared at each other for what seemed like forever before he left my apartment with no more words. I directed my anger towards my furniture.
Yamato's POV
I can't believe.. that idiot. It's like we both switched personalities. I thought as I parked my motorbike outside of Koshiro's office. I was going to report to others the current state of our leader. Or should I say, former leader?
I entered the office and the first thing I saw was Mimi still sobbing in Sora's arms. She had always been a very sensitive girl, and the previous night's events broke her. It's a shame that it had to be Mimi ending that issue.
"Is Taichi alive?" Koshiro asked with sarcasm. He had enormous bags under his eyes. I knew that Tentomon was the one that prevented him from overworking in the last years. Without him, Koshiro is as lost as we all are.
"Very much alive. But says he's not interested in taking part in any of this. I don't know what got into his head." I couldn't explain to them something I didn't understand. "Maybe that concussion he got at the fight against Eosmon did some harm."
"He's been through a lot. Maybe he needs some time to himself." Sora tried to defend him. Perhaps she understands him better than I do. After all, she is still refusing to take part in battles too. She's always here to comfort us, but that's it.
"But we need him. I can't make plans without him. People died yesterday, and that happened because he wasn't there to decide and order Daisuke to do it." The redhead screamed. In all those years, I've never seen him this furious.
"It's hard to make decisions. I guess he just got sick of it." Mimi finally spoke with a very muffled voice. "Last night I had to decide all by myself. The others were just there, preventing each other from acting, and I had to do something. I had to decide to kill two digimons and burn the precious time I still had with Palmon. And it hurts like hell." She started crying again as soon as she finished her explanation, and Sore embraced her.
"It has to be you, Sora." I finally said, after getting tired of looking at the floor. She looked at me confused. "He still cares. There was a moment when he forgot he was supposed to not give a shit, and he asked for details. I couldn't make him admit it, but you'll." I smiled at her, trying to transmit some confidence.
"I can try." She agrees. I know she'll try to reach him differently than I did. And that's our only hope. "Tomorrow morning, I'll try to talk to him." I get it. Today is Mimi's day.
"Very well. I think we should go home now and relax. You too, Koshiro. Tomorrow we'll discuss everything together." I made the call. Sora and Mimi stood up, but not him.
"I will stay for a bit longer. I'm trying to contact Genai to understand what is going on." I'm getting worried about him too. He's losing it. The "kids" had lost it already, and they still have their partners. Mimi will need a while after yesterday. Sora seems fine but is still struggling. I don't even know how Joe is holding up. And I don't doubt that'll be the next one going downhill. We need you, Taichi.
Taichi's POV
I spent the rest of the previous day getting depressed and I didn't sleep very well either. It wasn't even 9 a.m when I got up and went for a run. It took me almost two hours to get tired and return home. I was planning on getting into the shower. Then I'll use the rest of the day to work on my thesis. Or maybe I'll just watch something on television. However, I realize my plans were going to waste the moment I saw a redhead female at the doorstep of my building.
Yamato must have sent her.
"Hello Taichi, I've been waiting for you." She smiled at me with that gentle smile of hers. I had to fight the urge to hug her.
"Hey, Sora. Nice to see you, but if you came here to convince me to join whatever Koshiro is planning, it's useless," I sounded unpleasant, but I didn't want to repeat the argument I had with Yamato.
"I told you and Yamato that I didn't want to join the fight against Eosmon, and both of you understood. I would be a hypocrite if I forced you into battle. I just want to talk and spend some time with my best friend." She explained to me as if that's the most obvious thing. That's why you are special, Sora.
"I'll just take a shower and then we can have lunch." I finally smiled at her. She hugged me, ignoring my sweaty shirt.
I didn't even know how, but we ended up eating take out at the park where we used to play when we were kids. Autumn was at its highest, there was a soft breezing agitating the falling leaves. We'd been talking about normal stuff, like college and sports. Sora was about to graduate in design and, at the same time, was following her mother's steps.
"You look weird with your hair short." She commented as she fondled it. I missed this feeling so much.
"I feel kind of naked, to be honest. It's like a part of me is missing." Am I still talking about my hair? A deep silence followed my sentence.
"I miss Byomon. Sometimes I think I already got over her absence, but then there are things from daily life that keep bringing back memories." I saw her eyes tearing up and folded her in my arms.
"I'm so sorry, Sora. I should have checked on you already." I was being honest. I've been so caught up in my own misery that I avoided talking to one of the most important people in my life.
"I know you're not ok either, Tai. You and Yamato lost your partners in a harder way than I did, and I know how I feel." She stared at me with her eyes full of compassion. "Hikari told me you are also avoiding her."
"It hurts to see her with Tailmon." I finally said it out loud. "It's like everything that's Digimon related breaks me again, and it's been difficult to put the pieces together. Sometimes I feel that this is all my fault. The day before the clock appeared, I joked with Yamato about taking Agumon to classes with me. I said I had my own life to live and then he was gone." I felt my eyes getting wet. For God's sake, I won't be crying in front of Sora. I spent all my tears the day Agumon vanished. However, I couldn't avoid it and started weeping. Sora ignored it and just held my hand.
"You don't have to do it alone. I mean, you have every right to live your life as you please, but I know you well enough to know it's not enough to heal your heart." She placed her hand on my chest. "We are still a team, we can help each other. Even without fighting"
"But there's nothing I can do to help the others if I can't fight" I muttered after a while. If she wasn't that close to me, she wouldn't have heard what I said. Of course, she is trying to get me involved again. However, I can't get mad at her the way I did with Yamato.
"You being there is enough to make the team work together. Koshiro needs to have you by his side to think clearly. Yamato feels the responsibility to lead when you're not there, but he hates it. Daisuke still has a lot to learn from you." I stood quietly as Sora enumerated the reasons for me to get involved. "Besides, there are new kids all over the world becoming digidestined. We have so much to teach them..."
"What about you, Sora? Do you also need me in the team?" I don't even know where this question comes from.
"Idiot. You've been there for me even before we knew digimons existed. Of course, I need you, not only in the team but in my life." I raised my head, and we glared at each other in the eyes for what seemed like hours. I couldn't help but also stare at her lips. She's right, I'm an idiot. Why the hell am I still thinking about kissing her after all these years? I gave up on us that Christmas… I mean, I know she and Yamato already broke up, but still.
I stood up before doing something that I might regret and she stared at me, confused. It will take all the courage I still have, but I'll try. Just to check on things.
"Let's go. We are already late to Koshiro's meeting." She grinned and wrapped her arms around my neck. I tried to keep my distance. "But don't get too enthusiastic. I'm not going to lead anyone into battle."
"Stupid Taichi," Sora answered. Her mode is lighter than in the morning. And mine's too.
Koushiro's POV
That are bad news. Terrible news to be more precise.
I was waiting for my friends to arrive at my office while reading for the hundredth time the e-mail Genai had sent me. He apologized for his absence since our last incident and explained what he had been up to.
I need to figure out a way to bring Tentomon and the others back. There's no way we can overcome what's most likely going to happen if I don't. That moment the first of my friends arrived and to my surprise I saw on my cameras that it was Mimi.
I granted her access and walked to my door to meet her. She immediately jumped into my arms and started sobbing. I tensed up at first and then patted her back with awkwardness. If she wanted comfort, she chose the wrong person to come to.
"I trust you, Koushiro. I know you'll bring our partners back." Mimi whispered between whimpers as if she knew what he had been thinking. However, I wasn't so sure about it. I wished I could tell Mimi that she was right, however, I'd been working on it for almost six months and with no progress being made. I had been neglecting myself and my job and still nothing. At least I made enough money with the last app I developed. I don't have to worry about it now.
"I'll keep trying Mimi, I promise." At least that I could do. She tightened her grip on my neck as her sobs subsided. For some reason, the temperature around me was rising.
"Are we interrupting something? If so, we can come back later." Yamato sarcastically commented as he arrived, followed by Takeru and Hikari that were hiding their smiles. I let go of Mimi, feeling my face burning. She didn't seem bothered by it and ran to Hikari's arms.
"I'm so sorry about the other night, Mimi." The younger girl apologized.
"It's ok, Hikari. At least I got to be useful." She didn't seem to be crying anymore.
"Palmon parted as an authentic hero." Tailmon, who was behind her partner, commented. Mimi smiled at her friend's Digimon, but tears were still threatening to fall.
"Did you hear anything from Sora?" I asked Yamato, trying to change the topic.
"Not yet, but I guess it's a good sign. He'll show up." My friend sounded confident.
"Taichi has to come, so he can force some sense into Daisuke's head," Takeru commented. The boy seemed angry at the thought of his friend. The last thing we need is for us to fight each other.
"If you have anything to say, say it to my face." An angry, deep voice commented from my doorway. Daisuke, Iori, Ken, and Miyako had just arrived.
"I don't have any problem doing so." Takeru walked to his leader. His fists closed and ready. "In case you aren't aware, three people lost their lives that night. Four are in hospital including a child." I could see the already depressed faces of the younger digidestined getting even heavier. They probably got even less sleep than I did.
"As far as I remember, you were also there, Takeru. What did you do to prevent it from happening?" Daisuke screamed as he grabbed the blonde by his collar. I exchanged a look with Yamato, trying to question him if we should interfere. He didn't know either.
"Hey guys, I didn't come here to see you fighting." That was Jyou, who just arrived and tried to call the boys to reason. However, they just ignored the young doctor and kept with their argument.
"I wanted to, as did Hikari, but our Digimon couldn't do it because we were in a Jogress digivolution." I noticed Miyaco lowering her gaze and the youngest member of our team trying to hide his trembling. Perhaps I should just send them all home and return to my programs.
"Great, blame the others like the coward you've always been" I couldn't say that I didn't predict Takeru punching him. It was a matter of seconds before those two were in the middle of my floor fighting like they were eleven again. Yamato was already trying to separate his brother from Daisuke. He was an apologist that sometimes things needed to be solved that way, but even he understood that there were more important things to treat at the moment. However, he had little success in his attempts and Takeru had already inadvertently elbowed him. I turned my eyes back to my computer. I have better things to do than watch this show.
"That's enough" A strong and assertive voice emerged. Thank God he's here. An hour ago I was in the mood to punch him myself if he showed up, but right now I want to hug him. When I looked back at the scene, our original leader had a tight grip on Daisuke and Yamato finally caught Takeru.
"Taichi-senpai, you're here." Daisuke stared at him as if he saw an apparition. He still had that immense respect towards him, as he did all those years ago. "I'm sorry...I..."
"You'll both sort your issues later. Without destroying Koushiro's precious office." That was more than a suggestion. He let Daisuke go and his successor sat down in a corner, looking no one in the eyes. Yamato also left Takeru to go, who took a seat on the opposite side, while fixing his clothes.
"Onii-chan" Hikari had already stood up and wrapped her arms around her brother's neck. He returned the hug as if hadn't seen her in years. They exchanged a couple of words that just the two of them could listen to as Sora watched with a smile. Of course, she convinced him. And of course, Yamato knew she would do it.
"Hey, guys. I'm sorry for my absence in the last couple of months. I was an asshole in ignoring some of you." I wasn't expecting this introduction, but it wasn't that surprising. He messes up but recognizes it. Typical Taichi. "There were things I needed to sort in my head and I could have handled it better, but here I am now. If you still want my help, of course." His eyes met Yamato's in the first place, who walked to his side.
"You're an idiot." He told his friend as he playfully punched him in the arm.
"I own you a punch, though" Taichi joked. They exchanged one of those smirks they saved for each other.
He then looked at me, and I also smiled. Couldn't help it, but also walked to his side and hugged him. I missed my friend and my leader.
"I'll be the one punching you if you decide to ignore my texts ever again," I warned him. That wasn't something they were used to listening to me saying. Taichi laughed after getting over the awe.
He then looked at Jyou, who just smiled and nodded. Mimi was the next one to meet his eyes and that time he was the one who walked to her side.
"Hey princess." He tried to tease her as he always did, as he squeezed her shoulders comfortingly.
"I understand what you did, Taichi." She replied to him. "You don't have to apologize." He warmly embraced her. Finally, he looked at the younger kids, but those avoided his gaze. They are ashamed… When did the situation get so tense within the group?
"We are all aware that we need you in the team Taichi." Takeru was the only one of them who dared to speak. "Without you, we aren't even a team." The brunette seemed surprised by those words.
"I'm flattered, Takeru, but I'm sure you'd survive without me." He answered as he scratched his head. I noticed Daisuke uncomfortably shifting in his corner. "But let's move on. We have more urgent issues to talk about right now." Everybody accepted his suggestion and the ones still standing accommodate themselves in their usual seats. Taichi walked to the seat right next to my desk, the one he always used. Now that I think about it, no one sat there during those months… The only difference from our usual disposition was Sora sat on the arm of his chair.
Taichi's POV
I had to admit that I was afraid to face them. Young me wouldn't have been worried about it, but I was. However, they forgave me, just like Sora predicted. It even seemed like they weren't that mad. But now it's time to discuss a couple of things.
"I already know what happened. You are all aware that we can't hold back when there are human lives in danger." I looked at the younger generation and couldn't avoid but scold them. They remained silent, except for Iori, who looked me in the eye.
"No offense, Taichi-senpai, but you weren't there, so it's unfair that you criticize our actions." That was a brave move from the younger kid, but it didn't get me angry or anything. Now that I think about it, in all those years he barely spoke directly to me.
"I've been in similar situations. Some were even more delicate." I responded, trying to sound as neutral as possible. They all understood my clear nod to the Meicoomon incident. None of them had the guts to say anything else. "There's nothing we can do right now, so it's useless to keep talking about it. Next time, I'm sure you won't hesitate." I looked at Daisuke and Takeru, feeling those two wouldn't get over that soon.
"It's not that easy." I heard Koushiro saying. He was right by my side, correcting my statements. "You are all aware that I've been in contact with those secret government agencies for the management of digital issues. They are really mad. In the past, I made a deal with them, with Sora's father's help, so they would allow us to deal with Digimons as long as we were effective and discreet." He explained. I could see his point since we kind of failed in meeting the criteria. "After what happened, they told me we had to step away. They want to call the army next time this happens."
"Do they think that calling the army will cause less destruction than the one we caused?" Yamato also intervened. I could sense the sarcasm in his voice.
"That's the argument I've been using to stop them from interfering. But there were deaths this time. It changes everything." We all looked at our own feet. In all those years fighting, we've never had to deal with the death of people who had nothing to do with the digital world.
"Are you sure that if they call the army it will do more harm than good?" Sora asked. Even if all of us knew the answer.
"A Mega Digimon, out of control, would easily destroy a big part of the Japanese army," Koshiro stated the obvious. It was indeed simple to imagine what Wargreymon would do to a bunch of airplanes and tanks if we wanted to. Wargreymon… I could use your help, buddy. Sora must have felt my body getting tense and placed a comforting hand on my shoulder.
"Can't the government stop those interferences that create random gates?" Jyou finally spoke. I guess he was verbalizing the denial that was also in my head.
"There's nothing they can do about it. I've also been trying to and without success. I guess there's an entire dimension of power behind the Digital World creation that goes beyond what we can understand'' Well… Listening to Koshiro admitting that there's something above his knowledge is surprising." However, I've been trying to convince Genai to talk with the four Guardians. I'm sure they can help us somehow. And I also improved my system of detecting interferences on the barrier between both worlds. We'll be able to acknowledge a Digimon appearance here the moment he steps in." Remarkable, but not enough to him. "Besides, the barrier is getting weaker day by day." He added.
"Do you have any idea why?" Ken spoke for the first time. The former emperor seemed distressed.
"I've talked to Genai, and he believes there are things corrupting it from either our world and the Digital world." Koushiro turned his eyes back to the computer, to the email I assumed Genai had sent him. "There are also weird things happening there, like entire villages of digimons disappearing and digimons acting violently out of nowhere."
"Again? Could it be another virus?" Miyako was also trying to take part in the conversation. She was holding Hawkmon like he was going to disappear every second. I bet that in her mind, she sees herself as the next one losing her partner.
"Some kind, yes." Koshiro explained, "Genai is going to meet us here in the next couple of days. I hope he has more information to share with us by then."
"But we can't wait. If bad things are happening in the digital world, we have to go there immediately." Daisuke interrupted. He stood up and walked to the computer, probably believing he was going to open a portal. I could tell by the look in his eyes that he was acting on impulse. This guy is so much like I used to be… But goddammit, he's 20. Time to stop acting this way over and over again.
"You are not going anywhere, Daisuke. "Yamato stopped him. "It's not a smart idea to fight without knowing who the real enemy is." The younger one looked at him pissed.
"As much as I hate to say this, Yamato is right." I supported him, before giving Daisuke a chance to answer. I was sure that Yamato wouldn't hesitate in hitting our pupil if he answered back, "Koshiro just said the barrier is getting weaker. We can't leave Odaiba unprotected and go to the digital world to fight an invisible enemy." Daisuke stared at me with disappointment and a couple of other emotions that I wasn't used to seeing in his eyes. He's fighting the urge to give a comeback.
"We could use some help, though. The six of us alone will have difficulties in controlling the invasions if they happen with more frequency." Someone said with vacillation. It was Wormmon. The little green Digimon was snuggled in his partner's arms. That was the first time one of them dared to talk.
"Takeru, how are the relationships with the other digidestined?" I asked him, knowing he was the one, together with Koshiro, responsible to keep in touch with the other chosen. He was sitting next to my sister, and they seemed suspiciously close.
"I've been in touch with people from all over the world. However, some of them started losing their partners too and others aren't interested in fighting. Others are still too young and we can't get them in our network," He reported. "Besides, they all lack experience. Most can't digivolve and the few who can don't go beyond the Adult stage. That's also true regarding the other digidestined from Japan.
"We need to explain to them the situation is going to get complicated and make a list of the ones who are willing to fight if needed. I'll talk with them." I decided. The situation wasn't easy, but there were things we still could do. We could even use the digital gates to go to the other side of the world. "We can organize teams and help them defeat threats and to get stronger. The ones who don't want to fight also need to be informed so they can at least protect themselves." All my team stared at me as I gave instructions. No one seemed to disagree. "This also applies to incidents here in Odaiba. Call the digidestined from the dark spores event." It's like nothing had changed in all those years. No, there's one thing that changed. I can't help them on the field.
"You are doing great," Sora muttered into my ear. The hair on the back of my neck bristled, and a shiver coursed down my spine. I also noticed my sister spotted the moment.
"Does anyone have something else to say?" I concluded. That was enough talking for one meeting.
"Can we eat, now?" Veemon questioned, making all of us laugh. That's something Agumon would have said too…
"Sure. The meeting is over for today. We'll meet again when we have more news" I ended it, as I usually did. Everyone stood up and started leaving. Daisuke, Iori, Ken, and Miyako excused themselves, saying they had classes to prepare. They are still ashamed…
"Do you want to have dinner somewhere?" I asked the older crew.
"Sorry, I've to go back to the hospital." Jyou apologized. I was already surprised that he went to the reunion. Since he started his work as a resident doctor, it became even harder to reach him.
"Sorry, onii-chan. I and Takeru have to study." I suspiciously looked at both of them, keeping my eyes on Takeru a little longer than necessary.
"Are you sure you are going to study?" I had to ask. The boy blushed and deviated his look. There is definitely something going on between them.
"We'll talk about it later," Hikari told me after she kissed me goodbye.
"Deal. Tell mom I'll pass by home this week." I informed her. It'd been a while since the last time I visited my parents. Hikari was also in college, studying to be a teacher, but unlike me, she stayed living with our parents. Takeru was also at college, studying literature and jumping around between his mother's, his father's, and Yamato's apartment. As for the others, Daisuke was taking cooking lessons, Miyako electrotechnical engineering, Ken was taking psychology lessons and Iori was studying to be a lawyer. Koshiro completed college in less time than expected and already had a company that developed software and applications and Mim had a bakery. The biggest plot twist in the group was Yamato deciding to graduate in Astrophysics. Or maybe that was me going to Business school.
"I and Mimi have a girls' night, sorry." Sora reminded me. She already had the other girl close to her. "We are going shopping."
"Sure. Have fun, then. See you tomorrow, Sora?" I questioned my redhead friend. We had already combined to play soccer after our classes. Previously I had teased her, implying that she wouldn't be able to kick a ball anymore, and she decided to prove me otherwise.
"Sure. We'll meet at the field." She smiled at me.
In a couple of minutes, I was alone with Koushiro and Yamato. The first one didn't seem very interested in stopping his work.
"Dude, let's go. You need to rest and eat. I'm sure you won't discover anything new today." He stared at me for a few seconds and as I was about to turn off his computer myself, he did it, took off his tie, and grabbed a jacket. Yamato grinned at me.
We headed to the restaurant we used to go to, and I immediately ordered some beers for the three of us. I opened one for Koushiro before giving him time to refuse.
"I don't recall saying that I wanted to drink." However, he was already taking it.
"You always say you don't want to, but we know you do." Yamato teased our friend. "Are you going to tell us what is going on between you and Mimi?" Koushiro's cheeks turned the same color as his hair.
"Wait… Did you two finally…" I was also surprised by what I apparently missed in the last couple of months.
"I don't know what you are talking about." He exclaimed exalted, losing his habitual formality. "She's sad and wanted a hug, that's all. And I don't have the availability right now to.." However, we both kept smirking at him.
"Right now? You never have, man. When was the last time you were with a girl?" I kept annoying him.
"I don't.. I'm not.." His face turned into an even brighter shade of red and he was struggling to find words. I guess understanding hit me and Yamato at the same time. How can we be so close and never have discussed those issues with him?
"You've never slept with anyone?" I probably shouldn't have asked this so directly, but I couldn't help myself.
"Unlike both of you, I don't see the point in having sex with half the girls who cross my path." He seemed less embarrassed. "What about you, Taichi? You and Sora seemed very intimate today." That was a bold move from him, but I deserved it. It was my time to blush at the implication.
"She was just supporting me. We're friends and that's it." I responded. I could feel Yamato's piercing eyes trying to read my mind. I also stared at him, trying to understand what he might be thinking. I knew he broke up with Sora right after we started college. There were no dramas or awkwardness within the group after that. According to them, they just fell out of love. But sure it would be awkward if I started dating my best friend's ex, who also happens to be my best friend. That's out of question.
Luckily our food arrived, and I turned the conversation back to Koushiro's love life. We spent the rest of the evening talking about those casual themes and avoiding the discussion of Digital world related topics.