Digimon does not belong to me.
YES!!!!!! Ladies and Gents, I present you with the sequel of Nothing But Ashes: How It Came To Be!!!!!!
Oog, so many of you asked me to write one, I just got finished! This was somehwere number six on my list of stories to write...out of 20. I'm NOT exaggerating!
This is the middle section, so yes, it is shorter than my Nothing But Ashes, and the last chapter (I'll get it done...sometime...) Just You and Me. But it explains a very lot. It helps Joe get over Mimi and helps him find a way to get her back...which is what he's going to do in the 3rd chapter!
One last thing, praise me and...I forgot who it was, but I've finally learned how to spell Ishida and Mimi's last name (hey, I copied it down, but my desk is so cluttered I can't find it now...don't worry, good thing it was a review)...*sigh* I'm such an idiot...oh, well, please read this and review...I thought it was nice, at least the first half was, the second was more about helping Mimi.
How it Came to Be
"Joe?" Jim asked after the funeral, the funeral Joe couldn't believe had happened. Sure, everyone had to die sometime; he had never expected it so soon. And if you knew what it felt like to have a loved one die, you can certainly relate to Joe, who felt his life had ended along with hers.
"Yeah?" Joe asked, peering out the window. There was a big lump swelling in his throat. He started out the window at the barren farmland.
"You knew it was coming." Jim said.
"No I didn't." Joe said.
"Yes you did." Jim said. "You didn't know it in a sense, but yes, you knew it, and so you wanted her to stay."
"Who wouldn't have wanted her to stay?" Joe asked, his eyes welling with tears. Jim shrugged and focused on driving to car. "I can't believe Matt didn't seem sad at all."
"Some people." Jim began. "Like to hide their inner feelings, because their grief is too great to express in any way." Jim looked at Joe. "Cheer up Joe."
I can't cheer up. Who could cheer up after this? Joe asked. Aloud he said, "Drive the car."
In reality, Joe was remembering all the little moments they had, recently and a few years back. How he used to call her when he was only eight years old. The memories, instead of bringing happiness, brought fresh and painful tears. Why DID she have to go?
"What are you doing?" Jim asked. Joe's fists were clenched. "Joe, you know you can't get her back. There's no way. And besides, there's no one who you can blame for this, this."
"Plane Crash." Joe said bitterly.
"Yes." Jim said softly. "Hey, I AM sorry."
"I know." Joe blew his nose with a Kleenex. "It's just such a shock."
"I totally understand." Jim said. Joe sighed.
No you don't. You can never understand me and the pain I will have gone through by the end of tomorrow. You can never see why this meant so much to me. Joe hugged his knees close to him. They were bitterly cold. It was as if all the life had gone out of him, as they have of her.
"Why did Mimi have to go?" He asked suddenly.
"Joe, there is no why to some things." Jim said.
"I thought there was always a why." Joe said. His eyes traveled back to the tissue in his hand, and he ripped it in half. Total silence filled the car.
"She meant so much to me." Joe said. Jim stopped the car in the middle of the road. Joe looked up.
"What's wrong?" He asked suddenly.
"Listen Joe, I know you are blaming yourself, and there is no reason for it." Jim said. "What's gone is gone, and you can't replace it. When we get home, let me show you something a wise person once told another." Jim started the car again, seemingly unaware of all the car horns that had pursued them.
I feel so alone, so vulnerable, so unprotected. All the joys of life are gone, filled with an everlasting gloominess.
The phone rang at precisely ten to five, and Joe reached it first.
"Hello?" Joe's nose was red, and he had sat in his bedroom for the last few hours, puzzling over questions.
"Hi, Joe?" A voice said. "This is Matt. Can I come over for a couple of minutes?"
"Sure, why?" Joe asked.
"I'm, well, I just wanna talk about Mimi." Matt said, sniffing. "Is this a bad time to call?"
"No." Joe said. "Come on over."
There was a silence and nothing seemed right. Remembering the scene in the cemetery, Joe wondered why birds never chirped there.
"It was better when Mimi was in New York." Joe said to himself. "She was still alive."
"Joe, think of how her parents must miss her." Jim said, coming into the room. Joe thought of it, and didn't say more.
"Matt is coming over." He said, walking out of the room. "That's all."
Jim shook his head sadly. When would Joe ever learn? When would he understand? There have been worse deaths for uglier purposes. But, Jim reasoned, give it time. Maybe Matt's coming over was a good step after all.
When Matt arrived, Jim immediately saw the signs and made himself scarce. He didn't want to interfere. He started to search for that line about losing someone in one of his books.
Matt and Joe went to Joe's room.
"Joe?" Matt asked, talking out several papers. "I found out how Mimi died." He started to read:
"Flight One Oh Five crashed into the mountainside several minutes after takeoff because it was being hijacked. Authorities are sill investigating. So far, nine people have been found dead and eleven are still currently missing." Matt looked up. There were tears in his eyes, although none leaked out.
"Hijacked." Joe repeated. "For what, money?" Matt flipped through the papers.
"What a gruesome world we live in." He said. "It's not always as peaceful as we think. It doesn't say, but for what other purpose? There are a list of the dead, wounded, and missing."
"I wish." Joe said bitterly. "That I could go there again, and be given the chance to change things."
"But you can't." Matt said, putting the papers away. "Mimi is gone." Matt's eyes seemed to look far away. "Sometimes I wonder, how our ray of sunshine could suddenly disappear like that, behind the clouds, and never return again. Surely there has to be a way."
"Surely." Joe repeated sadly.
"You do know she was not meant to die." Matt said. "But I'm not sure who was." There was a slight pause.
"I could've done something." Joe said, wiping his eyes on the corner of his bed sheet. "I could've made her stay. If only I had tried harder, if only."
"No one knows the future." Matt said. "You are probably thinking that she'd be off better in New York." Joe looked down.
"We gave her three days of blissful happiness as a farewell gift, and five years of life to it's fullest, and in return, she has given us the most happiest times we've ever had." Joe said quietly. "But, if only she had stayed longer. This wasn't how it was meant to be."
"No."
"Not at all."
There was another silence, only to be broken by two people, hurt and crying.
Jim entered the room.
"Why don't you think of everything happily? "He asked. "She's gone, so why can't you think of the lovely memories with happiness, not longing ness, not with eyes searching for something never to come back."
"She SHOULD come back." Joe said. Jim nodded.
"She should." He flipped open the big book he was carrying. "Listen to this. This is what a girl called Rene said to a guy named Vash after a great tragedy. I think this will come in usefully:
"It isn't your fault." Rene said quietly. "It isn't anybody's fault. What's happened has happened, and you can't blame it on anyone. Being superheroes and helping others to thrive for the good does take many consequences, and risks, you know, and it's not always pretty business. But put up with it Vash, and get over it. It's already over. We can't keep looking back and blaming ourselves, we have to look forward to help her and plan ahead instead of looking back for impossible answers. Vash, do you understand? It's no use blaming yourself."
You see?"
There was a silence.
"But she didn't die, did she?" Matt asked. "It says for them to plan ahead."
"No, but look at it this way." Jim said. "What's gone is gone and what's done is done and there's nothing left to do, but to look forward. Do you think that Mimi left you behind to weep and be miserable because of her? No. She wanted you to be happy."
Another silence.
"I see." Matt said quietly. "If you'll excuse me (he got up) I think I'm gonna leave." He left the room, and seconds later, the front door closed.
"Since when did my older brother become so wise?" Joe asked Jim, tears in his eyes, but this time it was tears of happiness. Jim smiled.
"Since I noticed you were so sad and depressed." Jim said. "Come, dinner's ready."
Joe smiled weakly. Yes, what's gone IS gone, and what's done can never be changed again. There IS no use in regretting it; there is nothing to change. Joe picked up the picture frame by his bed.
Mimi, I will always love you. Joe sighed and walked into the dining room.
"You miss her greatly, don't you?" Jim asked, setting the table and bringing out the food.
Joe nodded. What else could he do?
It was, well, late at night, and there was nothing much to do. Joe closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep.
Mimi seemed to appear in front of him.
"At four o'clock in the morning, I want you to wake up and talk to the Angels of Fate." She said gently, smiling down at him. She had wings, was an angel, and she was in a bubble. Now that he thought of it, so was he. He reached out for her, but suddenly, she was gone, the bubble popped, and he woke up.
The clock was it was 3:49 in the morning. Joe shivered. What a weird dream. Yet, he couldn't sleep. He had to wait until four. What was going to happen to him? He hid under the covers, shivering like a coward. Suddenly, something reached out and lifted the covers.
"Ah!" Joe's mouth was quickly covered. Three angels stood in front of him. One had blond hair, one had red, and one had blue.
"We are the angels of Fate." The blond one said. Her hair was cropped short and she wore glasses. "We have come to determine something."
"Don't be afraid of us." The blue haired one said. "Just listen to Hikaru." The blond one, obviously Hikaru, smiled. Hikari, or Kari, Tai Kamiya's little sister popped into his head. But no, they looked nothing alike.
"What do you want?" Joe asked quietly, afraid Jim would wake up.
"We have come to make a deal with you." Hikaru said.
"What type of deal?" Joe asked slowly, afraid that he was being lured into a trap. But Mimi had sent them here, and they all had wings, exactly like hers.
"Mimi is with us now." Hikaru said. "Would you care to switch places with her?"
"What do you mean?" Joe asked, scared.
"Hikaru." The red haired one protested. Actually, her hair was more pink than red. "That's not very fair, and I think we're scaring him. Besides, how would we explain fate if he just disappeared and she appeared in his place? What would his brother say?"
"Good point." Hikaru said. "Very good point." The other two looked at Hikaru expectantly.
"Okay." Hikaru said. "I'll make you a deal."
"Yes?" Joe asked painfully, hoping this one wasn't as bad as the last, which he had finally understood.
"If you complete three tasks for me, you shall be able to visit Mimi as often as you like." Hikaru said.
"Really?" Joe asked, eagerly.
"Hikaru!" The two other girls yelled.
"Getting him to do your chores!" The pink hair one said.
"No, Reine, its not that." Hikaru said.
"Well then, what would the three tasks be?" The blue haired one asked, scratching her head. Joe noted that her hair was a very light shade of blue and that it was very long.
"I don't know yet." Hikaru said. "I'll think and consider it."
At this time, Joe didn't know what came over him. He knelt on the ground beside Hikaru and pleaded,
"Oh, I don't care what I have to do, just let me see Mimi!" He cried.
"Very well." Hikaru snapped her fingers and suddenly Joe found himself in the bubble again, with the three girls behind him.
Mimi was lying some few feet in front of him, her eyes closed, just drifting. Joe reached out to touch her.
"You can't touch her." Hikaru said. "Or she'll just shrivel away and disappear." Mimi didn't have that bubble around her anymore.
"Time is becoming scare." The blue haired one said. "Hikaru?"
"Okay." Hikaru said. "Task number one. You must journey up to through the high mountains on File Island in the Digital World and find a green jewel."
Reine and Jade (the blue haired one) listened, intruded.
"Number two." Hikaru said, not moving. Her lips weren't moving at all, nor her body, yet Joe, Reine, and Jade could hear her speaking out to them. Joe didn't think she was breathing at all. "Venture into the north from where you found the green jewel. When you reach the area where the pink jewel, or gem is, you will sense it, because the green jewel will go off."
"Go off?" Joe asked. To his surprise, he was not moving at all either. It must have been the bubble.
"Yes, it will shine brightly. There closer you get, the more times it will flash. The gems shouldn't be that hard to spot." Hikaru said.
"Can you tell me what shade they are and how big?" Joe asked.
"They're as big as your palm and it's a limish-yellowish green. The pink is the faded color of Mimi's hat." Hikaru said. Joe nodded. He knew the color of Mimi's hat quite well.
"The last thing." Hikaru said. "Go to primary village. When you enter it, you will smell food. You will reach a pot where the temptation of food is too great to eat. Don't eat it unless you want to never see Mimi again. Put the two jewels in the broth, which in a huge caldron, and then go back to the breeding grounds to look for this egg." Hikaru held up a picture of a Digi-egg and handed it to Joe. "Let no one know of your adventures and receive no help, or Mimi will not be successful in returning back."
Joe shivered. This was all too serious for him.
"No one?" He asked quietly.
"No one." Hikaru replied. "After you have found the egg, but it in the broth with the jewels. By now the broth will look green and pink, since the jewels have long melted and you no longer want to eat it. Put the egg in it, all the way. You must do this in the order I tell it too you, Joe." Hikaru's words seemed to melt in his minds. They bore a hole that made him remember.
"You will see an old friend at Primary Village. Go tell him about Mimi's death only. Listen to his pity. Help him grieve. Tell him nothing of your plans to get her back. Tell him nothing about why you are here. Make excuses." Hikaru said. "Talk to him until he says he must leave. Then return to the broth, pick it up (you'd be surprised by how light it is) and take it to the nearby lake. Dump the whole broth towards the middle of the lake as much as you can. Camp at the lake overnight. And tomorrow morning, when you wake up, you will see a miracle done before you." Hikaru gave him a smile.
"How will I ever thank you?" Joe asked.
"There is no need." Jade said. "We are the Angels of Fate."
"Hikaru, thank Hikaru." Muttered Reine. Joe thanked her. Hikaru and Jade left.
"Jou." Reine said quietly. "Be careful. One false mistake can jeopardize this whole thing and Mimi would be gone forever."
"I understand that." Joe said quietly. He smiled. No one had called him by his first name in the longest time.
"Repeat the directions to me." Reine commanded. Joe did. Reine seemed to be the youngest of them all. She was not as bossy as Hikaru and looked up to her. Her hair was tied in a messy braid in the back. Joe repeated the directions.
"You remember well." Reine said. Joe shrugged, his mind someplace else. "Repeat what you have remembered to yourself, every night, when you wake up, and when you have nothing else to do. Jade said the time is becoming scarce. Go as soon as you can. It will take many days to go and find what you need, but remember, the three Angels of Fate will cover for you and watch over you. Do not muddle the signs, do not tell anyone, and do not ask for help. You will be on your own."
"Reine." Joe said. "Could you please tell me what I will find afterwards?" Reine looked away. "Please?"
"All I can say is this: Be careful of monsters. The jewels and eggs are the only ways to revive people who were not meant to die, and are Digidestinds. Mimi will come back to you, and everyone will be able to see her and very happy, if only you don't do anything wrong."
"I'll try not to." Joe said. Reine gave him a stern look. "Look, but, okay, I promise I won't."
"We want her back ask much as you do." Reine said softly. "God Bless You, Jou." The voice was getting softer. Joe turned to look, and to his amazement, Reine was a couple of hundred feet away, blowing gently with all her might, trying not to over blow. He hadn't even noticed he was moving. No wonder the air had gotten so chilly all of a sudden.
There came a bright light, and the next second, he hit rock bottom.
"Ow." Joe said. He was sitting on the side of his bed. Did he fall off? What happened? He rubbed his eyes. It was 4:15. What had just happened? He remembered three angels. What were the names again?
Joe climbed back into the covers again, snuggled his head against the pillow, and tried to get to sleep. Suddenly, a bolt of pain shot through his brain, like his ear was being pulled sharply. He had a vision of a read haired girl pulling his ear and saying, "Joe, don't you want your Mimi back?"
"It's not possible." Joe said. "What's gone is gone and what's done is done." Joe mumbled. He heard distantly,
"Oh, Jade, what are we going to do? I should've warned him he would have forgotten." Another voice filled his head:
"Remember the signs Jou, remember the signs."
"What signs?" Joe asked. "What signs?"
"Repeat them." The voice from the redheaded girl was saying. "C'mon, Jou, we can rely on you!"
"Go to the mountains to find a green jewel." Joe said instinctively. He continued.
"Yes, yes, yes!" The voice urged him. "Jade, he's remembering!"
"I can't believe it!" Jade said.
"Reine, is that you?" Joe asked.
"Oh, he remembers me!" Reine cried. Joe looked around his dark room. Everything seemed so blue, so forlorn. The moonlight crept into the windows and made the walls look blue.
"Where are you?" Joe asked.
"In your mind, silly!" Reine said.
"Oh." Joe repeated the signs once more. "I've never been good at computers, but let me try getting to the Digital World." Reine smiled, or at least Joe thought she smiled. He could feel a ray of sunshine beaming on him.
"Have a good night's sleep." Reine said. "For tomorrow's journey."
Joe said nothing. He had already settled down in his bed, and was fast asleep.
"Hey Joe." Matt said the next day at school, in the hallway.
"Hey Matt." They didn't speak once about Mimi that day. Sometimes Reine would be in Joe's mind, sometimes she wouldn't, and she would often bring Jade, who kept them updated about time. Hikaru seemed to think her mission was already done, and didn't bother to come.
Joe would have rather told somebody, so that it gave him more help, comfort, and confidence, but he knew it was wrong and Mimi would never come back that way. Reine kept him company, urging him to do the right thing every time she came, so that it almost became annoying. She made him memorize the signs all the time, even in the halls, which made him look dumb.
"I hope you don't make me fail all my quizzes." Joe said, tapping away at the computer.
"I can't really say anything about me, but Jade is a real brain and Hikaru is smart." Reine said, watching Joe tap at the school computer after school.
"Okay." Joe wondered how they entered his brain. He shrugged. "The Digi Port is open."
"I can't follow you there." Reine said sadly. "Good luck Jou." Jou nodded, and held up his old Digivice.
"Good luck to you too."
YES!!!!!! Ladies and Gents, I present you with the sequel of Nothing But Ashes: How It Came To Be!!!!!!
Oog, so many of you asked me to write one, I just got finished! This was somehwere number six on my list of stories to write...out of 20. I'm NOT exaggerating!
This is the middle section, so yes, it is shorter than my Nothing But Ashes, and the last chapter (I'll get it done...sometime...) Just You and Me. But it explains a very lot. It helps Joe get over Mimi and helps him find a way to get her back...which is what he's going to do in the 3rd chapter!
One last thing, praise me and...I forgot who it was, but I've finally learned how to spell Ishida and Mimi's last name (hey, I copied it down, but my desk is so cluttered I can't find it now...don't worry, good thing it was a review)...*sigh* I'm such an idiot...oh, well, please read this and review...I thought it was nice, at least the first half was, the second was more about helping Mimi.
How it Came to Be
"Joe?" Jim asked after the funeral, the funeral Joe couldn't believe had happened. Sure, everyone had to die sometime; he had never expected it so soon. And if you knew what it felt like to have a loved one die, you can certainly relate to Joe, who felt his life had ended along with hers.
"Yeah?" Joe asked, peering out the window. There was a big lump swelling in his throat. He started out the window at the barren farmland.
"You knew it was coming." Jim said.
"No I didn't." Joe said.
"Yes you did." Jim said. "You didn't know it in a sense, but yes, you knew it, and so you wanted her to stay."
"Who wouldn't have wanted her to stay?" Joe asked, his eyes welling with tears. Jim shrugged and focused on driving to car. "I can't believe Matt didn't seem sad at all."
"Some people." Jim began. "Like to hide their inner feelings, because their grief is too great to express in any way." Jim looked at Joe. "Cheer up Joe."
I can't cheer up. Who could cheer up after this? Joe asked. Aloud he said, "Drive the car."
In reality, Joe was remembering all the little moments they had, recently and a few years back. How he used to call her when he was only eight years old. The memories, instead of bringing happiness, brought fresh and painful tears. Why DID she have to go?
"What are you doing?" Jim asked. Joe's fists were clenched. "Joe, you know you can't get her back. There's no way. And besides, there's no one who you can blame for this, this."
"Plane Crash." Joe said bitterly.
"Yes." Jim said softly. "Hey, I AM sorry."
"I know." Joe blew his nose with a Kleenex. "It's just such a shock."
"I totally understand." Jim said. Joe sighed.
No you don't. You can never understand me and the pain I will have gone through by the end of tomorrow. You can never see why this meant so much to me. Joe hugged his knees close to him. They were bitterly cold. It was as if all the life had gone out of him, as they have of her.
"Why did Mimi have to go?" He asked suddenly.
"Joe, there is no why to some things." Jim said.
"I thought there was always a why." Joe said. His eyes traveled back to the tissue in his hand, and he ripped it in half. Total silence filled the car.
"She meant so much to me." Joe said. Jim stopped the car in the middle of the road. Joe looked up.
"What's wrong?" He asked suddenly.
"Listen Joe, I know you are blaming yourself, and there is no reason for it." Jim said. "What's gone is gone, and you can't replace it. When we get home, let me show you something a wise person once told another." Jim started the car again, seemingly unaware of all the car horns that had pursued them.
I feel so alone, so vulnerable, so unprotected. All the joys of life are gone, filled with an everlasting gloominess.
The phone rang at precisely ten to five, and Joe reached it first.
"Hello?" Joe's nose was red, and he had sat in his bedroom for the last few hours, puzzling over questions.
"Hi, Joe?" A voice said. "This is Matt. Can I come over for a couple of minutes?"
"Sure, why?" Joe asked.
"I'm, well, I just wanna talk about Mimi." Matt said, sniffing. "Is this a bad time to call?"
"No." Joe said. "Come on over."
There was a silence and nothing seemed right. Remembering the scene in the cemetery, Joe wondered why birds never chirped there.
"It was better when Mimi was in New York." Joe said to himself. "She was still alive."
"Joe, think of how her parents must miss her." Jim said, coming into the room. Joe thought of it, and didn't say more.
"Matt is coming over." He said, walking out of the room. "That's all."
Jim shook his head sadly. When would Joe ever learn? When would he understand? There have been worse deaths for uglier purposes. But, Jim reasoned, give it time. Maybe Matt's coming over was a good step after all.
When Matt arrived, Jim immediately saw the signs and made himself scarce. He didn't want to interfere. He started to search for that line about losing someone in one of his books.
Matt and Joe went to Joe's room.
"Joe?" Matt asked, talking out several papers. "I found out how Mimi died." He started to read:
"Flight One Oh Five crashed into the mountainside several minutes after takeoff because it was being hijacked. Authorities are sill investigating. So far, nine people have been found dead and eleven are still currently missing." Matt looked up. There were tears in his eyes, although none leaked out.
"Hijacked." Joe repeated. "For what, money?" Matt flipped through the papers.
"What a gruesome world we live in." He said. "It's not always as peaceful as we think. It doesn't say, but for what other purpose? There are a list of the dead, wounded, and missing."
"I wish." Joe said bitterly. "That I could go there again, and be given the chance to change things."
"But you can't." Matt said, putting the papers away. "Mimi is gone." Matt's eyes seemed to look far away. "Sometimes I wonder, how our ray of sunshine could suddenly disappear like that, behind the clouds, and never return again. Surely there has to be a way."
"Surely." Joe repeated sadly.
"You do know she was not meant to die." Matt said. "But I'm not sure who was." There was a slight pause.
"I could've done something." Joe said, wiping his eyes on the corner of his bed sheet. "I could've made her stay. If only I had tried harder, if only."
"No one knows the future." Matt said. "You are probably thinking that she'd be off better in New York." Joe looked down.
"We gave her three days of blissful happiness as a farewell gift, and five years of life to it's fullest, and in return, she has given us the most happiest times we've ever had." Joe said quietly. "But, if only she had stayed longer. This wasn't how it was meant to be."
"No."
"Not at all."
There was another silence, only to be broken by two people, hurt and crying.
Jim entered the room.
"Why don't you think of everything happily? "He asked. "She's gone, so why can't you think of the lovely memories with happiness, not longing ness, not with eyes searching for something never to come back."
"She SHOULD come back." Joe said. Jim nodded.
"She should." He flipped open the big book he was carrying. "Listen to this. This is what a girl called Rene said to a guy named Vash after a great tragedy. I think this will come in usefully:
"It isn't your fault." Rene said quietly. "It isn't anybody's fault. What's happened has happened, and you can't blame it on anyone. Being superheroes and helping others to thrive for the good does take many consequences, and risks, you know, and it's not always pretty business. But put up with it Vash, and get over it. It's already over. We can't keep looking back and blaming ourselves, we have to look forward to help her and plan ahead instead of looking back for impossible answers. Vash, do you understand? It's no use blaming yourself."
You see?"
There was a silence.
"But she didn't die, did she?" Matt asked. "It says for them to plan ahead."
"No, but look at it this way." Jim said. "What's gone is gone and what's done is done and there's nothing left to do, but to look forward. Do you think that Mimi left you behind to weep and be miserable because of her? No. She wanted you to be happy."
Another silence.
"I see." Matt said quietly. "If you'll excuse me (he got up) I think I'm gonna leave." He left the room, and seconds later, the front door closed.
"Since when did my older brother become so wise?" Joe asked Jim, tears in his eyes, but this time it was tears of happiness. Jim smiled.
"Since I noticed you were so sad and depressed." Jim said. "Come, dinner's ready."
Joe smiled weakly. Yes, what's gone IS gone, and what's done can never be changed again. There IS no use in regretting it; there is nothing to change. Joe picked up the picture frame by his bed.
Mimi, I will always love you. Joe sighed and walked into the dining room.
"You miss her greatly, don't you?" Jim asked, setting the table and bringing out the food.
Joe nodded. What else could he do?
It was, well, late at night, and there was nothing much to do. Joe closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep.
Mimi seemed to appear in front of him.
"At four o'clock in the morning, I want you to wake up and talk to the Angels of Fate." She said gently, smiling down at him. She had wings, was an angel, and she was in a bubble. Now that he thought of it, so was he. He reached out for her, but suddenly, she was gone, the bubble popped, and he woke up.
The clock was it was 3:49 in the morning. Joe shivered. What a weird dream. Yet, he couldn't sleep. He had to wait until four. What was going to happen to him? He hid under the covers, shivering like a coward. Suddenly, something reached out and lifted the covers.
"Ah!" Joe's mouth was quickly covered. Three angels stood in front of him. One had blond hair, one had red, and one had blue.
"We are the angels of Fate." The blond one said. Her hair was cropped short and she wore glasses. "We have come to determine something."
"Don't be afraid of us." The blue haired one said. "Just listen to Hikaru." The blond one, obviously Hikaru, smiled. Hikari, or Kari, Tai Kamiya's little sister popped into his head. But no, they looked nothing alike.
"What do you want?" Joe asked quietly, afraid Jim would wake up.
"We have come to make a deal with you." Hikaru said.
"What type of deal?" Joe asked slowly, afraid that he was being lured into a trap. But Mimi had sent them here, and they all had wings, exactly like hers.
"Mimi is with us now." Hikaru said. "Would you care to switch places with her?"
"What do you mean?" Joe asked, scared.
"Hikaru." The red haired one protested. Actually, her hair was more pink than red. "That's not very fair, and I think we're scaring him. Besides, how would we explain fate if he just disappeared and she appeared in his place? What would his brother say?"
"Good point." Hikaru said. "Very good point." The other two looked at Hikaru expectantly.
"Okay." Hikaru said. "I'll make you a deal."
"Yes?" Joe asked painfully, hoping this one wasn't as bad as the last, which he had finally understood.
"If you complete three tasks for me, you shall be able to visit Mimi as often as you like." Hikaru said.
"Really?" Joe asked, eagerly.
"Hikaru!" The two other girls yelled.
"Getting him to do your chores!" The pink hair one said.
"No, Reine, its not that." Hikaru said.
"Well then, what would the three tasks be?" The blue haired one asked, scratching her head. Joe noted that her hair was a very light shade of blue and that it was very long.
"I don't know yet." Hikaru said. "I'll think and consider it."
At this time, Joe didn't know what came over him. He knelt on the ground beside Hikaru and pleaded,
"Oh, I don't care what I have to do, just let me see Mimi!" He cried.
"Very well." Hikaru snapped her fingers and suddenly Joe found himself in the bubble again, with the three girls behind him.
Mimi was lying some few feet in front of him, her eyes closed, just drifting. Joe reached out to touch her.
"You can't touch her." Hikaru said. "Or she'll just shrivel away and disappear." Mimi didn't have that bubble around her anymore.
"Time is becoming scare." The blue haired one said. "Hikaru?"
"Okay." Hikaru said. "Task number one. You must journey up to through the high mountains on File Island in the Digital World and find a green jewel."
Reine and Jade (the blue haired one) listened, intruded.
"Number two." Hikaru said, not moving. Her lips weren't moving at all, nor her body, yet Joe, Reine, and Jade could hear her speaking out to them. Joe didn't think she was breathing at all. "Venture into the north from where you found the green jewel. When you reach the area where the pink jewel, or gem is, you will sense it, because the green jewel will go off."
"Go off?" Joe asked. To his surprise, he was not moving at all either. It must have been the bubble.
"Yes, it will shine brightly. There closer you get, the more times it will flash. The gems shouldn't be that hard to spot." Hikaru said.
"Can you tell me what shade they are and how big?" Joe asked.
"They're as big as your palm and it's a limish-yellowish green. The pink is the faded color of Mimi's hat." Hikaru said. Joe nodded. He knew the color of Mimi's hat quite well.
"The last thing." Hikaru said. "Go to primary village. When you enter it, you will smell food. You will reach a pot where the temptation of food is too great to eat. Don't eat it unless you want to never see Mimi again. Put the two jewels in the broth, which in a huge caldron, and then go back to the breeding grounds to look for this egg." Hikaru held up a picture of a Digi-egg and handed it to Joe. "Let no one know of your adventures and receive no help, or Mimi will not be successful in returning back."
Joe shivered. This was all too serious for him.
"No one?" He asked quietly.
"No one." Hikaru replied. "After you have found the egg, but it in the broth with the jewels. By now the broth will look green and pink, since the jewels have long melted and you no longer want to eat it. Put the egg in it, all the way. You must do this in the order I tell it too you, Joe." Hikaru's words seemed to melt in his minds. They bore a hole that made him remember.
"You will see an old friend at Primary Village. Go tell him about Mimi's death only. Listen to his pity. Help him grieve. Tell him nothing of your plans to get her back. Tell him nothing about why you are here. Make excuses." Hikaru said. "Talk to him until he says he must leave. Then return to the broth, pick it up (you'd be surprised by how light it is) and take it to the nearby lake. Dump the whole broth towards the middle of the lake as much as you can. Camp at the lake overnight. And tomorrow morning, when you wake up, you will see a miracle done before you." Hikaru gave him a smile.
"How will I ever thank you?" Joe asked.
"There is no need." Jade said. "We are the Angels of Fate."
"Hikaru, thank Hikaru." Muttered Reine. Joe thanked her. Hikaru and Jade left.
"Jou." Reine said quietly. "Be careful. One false mistake can jeopardize this whole thing and Mimi would be gone forever."
"I understand that." Joe said quietly. He smiled. No one had called him by his first name in the longest time.
"Repeat the directions to me." Reine commanded. Joe did. Reine seemed to be the youngest of them all. She was not as bossy as Hikaru and looked up to her. Her hair was tied in a messy braid in the back. Joe repeated the directions.
"You remember well." Reine said. Joe shrugged, his mind someplace else. "Repeat what you have remembered to yourself, every night, when you wake up, and when you have nothing else to do. Jade said the time is becoming scarce. Go as soon as you can. It will take many days to go and find what you need, but remember, the three Angels of Fate will cover for you and watch over you. Do not muddle the signs, do not tell anyone, and do not ask for help. You will be on your own."
"Reine." Joe said. "Could you please tell me what I will find afterwards?" Reine looked away. "Please?"
"All I can say is this: Be careful of monsters. The jewels and eggs are the only ways to revive people who were not meant to die, and are Digidestinds. Mimi will come back to you, and everyone will be able to see her and very happy, if only you don't do anything wrong."
"I'll try not to." Joe said. Reine gave him a stern look. "Look, but, okay, I promise I won't."
"We want her back ask much as you do." Reine said softly. "God Bless You, Jou." The voice was getting softer. Joe turned to look, and to his amazement, Reine was a couple of hundred feet away, blowing gently with all her might, trying not to over blow. He hadn't even noticed he was moving. No wonder the air had gotten so chilly all of a sudden.
There came a bright light, and the next second, he hit rock bottom.
"Ow." Joe said. He was sitting on the side of his bed. Did he fall off? What happened? He rubbed his eyes. It was 4:15. What had just happened? He remembered three angels. What were the names again?
Joe climbed back into the covers again, snuggled his head against the pillow, and tried to get to sleep. Suddenly, a bolt of pain shot through his brain, like his ear was being pulled sharply. He had a vision of a read haired girl pulling his ear and saying, "Joe, don't you want your Mimi back?"
"It's not possible." Joe said. "What's gone is gone and what's done is done." Joe mumbled. He heard distantly,
"Oh, Jade, what are we going to do? I should've warned him he would have forgotten." Another voice filled his head:
"Remember the signs Jou, remember the signs."
"What signs?" Joe asked. "What signs?"
"Repeat them." The voice from the redheaded girl was saying. "C'mon, Jou, we can rely on you!"
"Go to the mountains to find a green jewel." Joe said instinctively. He continued.
"Yes, yes, yes!" The voice urged him. "Jade, he's remembering!"
"I can't believe it!" Jade said.
"Reine, is that you?" Joe asked.
"Oh, he remembers me!" Reine cried. Joe looked around his dark room. Everything seemed so blue, so forlorn. The moonlight crept into the windows and made the walls look blue.
"Where are you?" Joe asked.
"In your mind, silly!" Reine said.
"Oh." Joe repeated the signs once more. "I've never been good at computers, but let me try getting to the Digital World." Reine smiled, or at least Joe thought she smiled. He could feel a ray of sunshine beaming on him.
"Have a good night's sleep." Reine said. "For tomorrow's journey."
Joe said nothing. He had already settled down in his bed, and was fast asleep.
"Hey Joe." Matt said the next day at school, in the hallway.
"Hey Matt." They didn't speak once about Mimi that day. Sometimes Reine would be in Joe's mind, sometimes she wouldn't, and she would often bring Jade, who kept them updated about time. Hikaru seemed to think her mission was already done, and didn't bother to come.
Joe would have rather told somebody, so that it gave him more help, comfort, and confidence, but he knew it was wrong and Mimi would never come back that way. Reine kept him company, urging him to do the right thing every time she came, so that it almost became annoying. She made him memorize the signs all the time, even in the halls, which made him look dumb.
"I hope you don't make me fail all my quizzes." Joe said, tapping away at the computer.
"I can't really say anything about me, but Jade is a real brain and Hikaru is smart." Reine said, watching Joe tap at the school computer after school.
"Okay." Joe wondered how they entered his brain. He shrugged. "The Digi Port is open."
"I can't follow you there." Reine said sadly. "Good luck Jou." Jou nodded, and held up his old Digivice.
"Good luck to you too."