Oh, my God! It was too big to put in one file! shock I can't believe
it...I so sorry! I probably won't happen again. Probably. I get carried
away! Please forgive me. Hee hee...*blushes* Please, by all means,
continue.
~**~
That was it. This was the Digital World. The place that had suddenly
and irreversibly changed the lives of eight young children. Tai looked
around. Sora rubbed her head and offered Kari and Mimi a hand up. Joe
was sitting up, head in his hands, depressed that he had once again
been hurled into a battle of titanic proportions that would determine
the fate of at least one world, which was what an invitation to the
Digiworld ultimately meant. Izzy had pulled out his laptop and was
typing furiously, attempting to dissect, clarify, classify, and file
their current situation. A blond mass fell from a tree, divulging
T.K.'s location. Five years of absence had trained Tai, and he forgot
to look for Matt.
"What are we doing here?" T.K. asked, standing up and rubbing his head,
which had broken his fall. Izzy opened his mouth, but Joe cut him off,
flapping one of his hands at the computer genius.
"No, no. Let me guess. We've been sucked into the Digital World, you
don't know how. We're here for a reason, you don't know what. If we're
patient, and extremely lucky, Gennai will e-mail you, hopefully BEFORE
we get attacked, but that's not very likely. Also, we have to find our
Digimon, assuming lots and lots of time hasn't passed here and they're
still ALIVE. Is that it? Does that about cover it?" The Digidestined
stared at Joe, who bushed and explained. "Izzy helped me with a
critical thinking assignment last year. It took months and months.
Also, isn't that what always happens when we come here?" One by one,
the other six nodded. T.K. blinked and looked around.
"Hey." He started. "Where's Matt?" Tai blinked and hit his open palm
with a fist.
"That's what I forgot. Matt. I'm so used to him not being here..."
"Never mind that." Mimi said irritably. "Just, where is he? He couldn't
be far from here, we all landed in about the same place. Let's look."
Just as they were about to start, there was a crashing sound from some
bushed a small distance from the destined. Joe moaned.
"I knew it. I KNEW we'd be attacked by some evil something before we
found our Digimon! I just KNEW it!"
"Same old Joe!" Came a cheerful, mocking voice from the bushes. Joe
looked up.
"I know that voice."
"Well! I would hope so!" Out from the bushes popped a white, seal-like
thing. It grinned as Joe stared, mouth agape. Joe's eyes welled
comically with tears.
"Gomamon!" He yelled, rushing over the small creature and falling to
his knees in front of it, sweeping it in a giant hug. "I'm so glad to
see you! You have no idea! I thought for sure that you were an evil
Digimon, bent on destroying me! Wah! I'm so happy to see you!" Gomamon
laughed and playfully attempted to push Joe away.
"Of course you are, Joe! Where would you be without me?"
"Defenseless and utterly alone."
"Exactly! Oh, and, by the way, the others are here, too!" There were
shouts of joy and surprise as the other Digimon revealed themselves.
"Agumon!" Tai cried, ecstatic, as he ran over to his Digimon. He
greeted his long-lost friend and looked around as the others embraced
and reunited with their Digimon. "There's Gatomon. And Palmon! Wow.
Biyomon, Tentomon, and Patamon. Everyone's here! But, wait, where's
Gabumon? And Matt?" There was a soft rustling and the Digidestined and
their Digimon turned to find Gabumon standing over a disheveled mass,
staring with concerned tenderness at Matt's unconscious form. Tai put
out a hand and stopped T.K. as he rushed to help Matt. He shook his
head slowly, silently telling T.K. to just watch. Gabumon gazed at Matt
for a few more moments, as if to etch the image in his memory, or else
deciding how best to revive the teenager. He reached down and grasped
Matt's right wrist, pulling him slowly into a sitting position. As he
pulled, he spoke to Matt with gentle kindness.
"Come on, Matt. The others are starting to worry. It's time to wake
up." Moaning, Matt propped himself up with his left arm and opened his
eyes slowly. He stared at Gabumon for several moments before closing
his eyes and smiling slightly. As he stood, he stroked Gabumon once and
murmured,
"I cannot tell you how good it is to see you, Gabumon." The Digimon
returned Matt's smile and stood by his side, facing the others. "So."
Matt continued. "Long time no see, guys." Tai stared at him, attempting
to grasp the meaning of the tall blonde's words.
"Long time...no see? That's it? That's all you have to say?" Matt
shrugged, his face expressionless. "What does THAT mean? Do you know
what we all went through when you disappeared? What T.K. went through?
Do you even CARE? You didn't even say 'goodbye'. We haven't heard
anything from you. Not a word! Not a word in all this time. And now
all you can do is shrug and say 'long time no see?' That's not good
enough, Matt! What HAPPENED to you? Tell us; we deserve to know!" Matt
sighed again and looked around the clearing they had landed in. It
wasn't a large clearing, but there was lots of wood. He glanced up at
the sky briefly before looking back at Tai. The words he spoke when he
finally did where not at all what the others were hoping for.
"It'll be dark soon. Are we going to make a fire?" The others stared at
him. The Digimon were confused. What was going on? Matt had
disappeared? They looked at their Destined, unvoiced questions hanging
in the air. All save Gabumon, who stood, faithfully and unquestioning,
by Matt's side. Finally, the blonde shrugged and turned away from the
disbelieving stares of his fellow Destined and went to collect
firewood, Gabumon following him slowly. His movement shattered the
stillness and the others numbly followed his lead, collecting firewood
in a trance born of pure shock. Matt had just fluffed Tai off. In fact,
he had fluffed them ALL off. Why didn't he just tell them why? T.K.,
who was gathering wool mutely, suddenly gasped and straightened,
smiling.
"I know why he didn't tell us, Patamon!" The small Digimon turned to
regard his Destined.
"Didn't tell you what, T.K.?"
"Where's he's been."
"Who?"
"Matt."
"Oh. He's been somewhere?" T.K. sighed.
"Yes, Patamon." He replied patiently. "Shortly after we all went back
home last time, Matt vanished. Our Dad got a new job, but he wouldn't
tell me or my mom where. But even before that, Matt never answered the
phone and he was always too busy to see any of us. The only time I saw
him was when he took the long way home and walked by my school, and
that only happened once or twice. Then one day, we all went over to
his house to figure out what we did and what the matter was and...he
was gone. We asked all around, but no one would tell us anything. My
dad's old boss and the moving guys knew where he was, but the moving
guys wouldn't tell us and my dad's boss wouldn't see us. We were all
really worried. We looked all over town for almost a year, but he
didn't live in city limits anymore. It's been like that for five years
now. Today is the first time any of us have seen him. And he won't say
where he's been."
"Oh. That's really weird, you know, because Gabumon's been missing,
too."
"What?!"
"Yea. It happened about a year and a half after you guys left. Did you
know it's been five years for us, too? Anyway, we all stayed together
after you left, and after a while Gabumon started acting strangely. He
was really tired and distracted. Then suddenly, one day, he was gone.
We looked for him, too, but couldn't find him." T.K. stared at the
ground.
"How odd. Maybe we should tell Tai and them. At the very least Izzy.
He could probably figure it out." T.K. looked up and smiled brightly
at Patamon. "Anyway, I figured out why Matt wouldn't tell us about
where he's been!"
"Really? What do you think, T.K.?"
"It's just like he said: it'll be getting dark soon. He wanted us to be
ready for it. That's like him, to worry for other people. I'm right,
aren't I, Patamon? Aren't I?" Patamon smiled, for T.K.'s sake. He
didn't really believe what the blonde was saying, but he didn't want to
destroy the boy's hopes.
"Sure, T.K.! I'm sure that's what it was!" T.K. smiled.
"Right! And tonight, Matt will tell us all about what he's been doing
these past five years, and every one will stop thinking he left for no
reason."
"Yea! It'll be that way with the Digimon, too!" T.K. blinked at
Patamon.
"The other Digimon...think Gabumon left them? Just like the others
think Matt abandoned us?" Patamon nodded his head slowly, his eyes
downcast.
"When we woke up one morning and found him gone, we couldn't believe it.
He would never just leave us. But...we were wrong. We looked
everywhere. We couldn't find him. In fact, that's what we were doing
here today. Looking for Gabumon. It's just a coincidence that you were
all here. This is the first time we've seen him. You don't just leave
the people you love behind, T.K., you don't." T.K. shook his head.
"I don't know where he's been, Patamon, and I don't know why. I might
never know those things. But I do know two very important things: he
loves me and he's back. That is all that matters. Everything else is
just details." Patamon sighed in defeat, not agreeing with but unable
to change T.K.'s mind, and slowly flew after the boy as he walked back
to where Matt was building a fire. T.K. was the last one back and the
others were all gathered, watching Matt arrange the firewood. There was
a definite method to his madness and each piece of wood was being
deliberately positioned. After a few more minutes, Matt stood up and
backed away from his creation. It took Agumon a moment to collect
himself, but after that he shot out a 'Pepper Breath' and the fire was
going. Matt, silently declaring that the first part of his chore was
done, sat down next to the growing fire and pulled his long legs up
against his chest, encircling them with his arms. The others blinked
at each other, and turned as one to gather food. The soft voice that
followed them was surprising to hear.
"Gabumon says there's only about half an hour's worth of daylight left.
Be sure you hurry or I won't be able to cook what you bring back." They
turned to stare at Matt, who didn't look as though he had just said
anything. Then, very slowly, they turned and left, going in two's.
After the collection of odd herbs, fruits, and fishes that could almost
pass as a meal was finished, the eight Chosen and their Digimon sat
around the fire, absorbing the heat and light in the dark of the
Digital World. The air was thick and tense with unasked questions, but
no one knew how to ask them. The one around which all the questions
circled was utterly silent, chin resting on the knees he had pulled up
to his chest, staring at the fire, face expressionless. Gabumon offered
only slightly more than his partner, shifting his gaze every once and a
while to study the silent blonde next to him. Silence was obviously
something Matt was very use to and he seemed willing to sit forever,
never making a sound. The others, however, were a very different
matter. Mimi was the first to break.
"I can't take it anymore!" She cried, almost hysterical. "Somebody SAY
something!" Joe looked at her and pushed his glasses up the bridge of
his nose, even though he didn't need to.
"You've already said something, Mimi. Do we still have to?"
"Oh, stop it, Joe! You know what she means! Don't be mean." Tai
snapped, defending Mimi.
"Don't bellow at Joe, Tai. He was merely attempting to clarify-" Sora
sighed, cutting Izzy off.
"It's too late for that. Keep it simple, Izzy."
"I was just undertaking the arduous task of-"
"Please, Izzy. Not right now." Izzy looked at Kari and sighed.
"I was simply-"
"You guys have all had a really rough day." The soft voice once again
surprised the Digidestined into silence. It was pleasantly silken in
its softness and strangely different than five years ago. Seven sets
of human ears strained to listen as it continued. "I'm sure you're all
tired. Why don't you go to sleep? I'll take first watch, if you want."
The others had a feeling that if they refused, Matt wouldn't argue; yet
they did not contend. What he said made sense. Slowly, the others moved
away from the fire with their sleeping Digital companions and settled
down on the grass. Soon only Matt and T.K. were left. T.K. studied Matt
as the older boy continued on in his reverie. Finally he stood,
addressing Matt softly as he left.
"I want to take next watch. Will you wake me?" Taking Matt's silence as
acceptance, T.K. picked up the sleeping Patamon and went to find a
place close enough to be aware of Matt, and far enough away to be
inconspicuous. ^If you're planning to leave,^ he thought grimly,
^I'll know it. But, please, Matt.^ He looked over where the lone
figure that was his brother sat, silhouetted by the fire, Gabumon
faithfully by his side. ^Don't run.^
A few hours later, T.K. was woken by somebody gently shaking him.
"Please, Mom. Just five more minutes. I'll still make last bell..." The
shaking continued, neither impatient nor kind, but persistent. T.K. sat
up groggily and remembered where he was in a flash of reason. Gabumon
was walking away, task accomplished. Confused, T.K. looked around for
Matt. Matt was lying down on a patch of soft, wild grass, separated
from the group. T.K. sighed as Gabumon joined Matt.
"Oh, Matt." T.K. whispered to himself as he sat by the fire, accepting
sentry duty. "Why did you send Gabumon? Couldn't you have woken me
yourself? What happened to you? Why are you so distant, Brother? Won't
you let me help you?" T.K. pulled his knees up to his chest, wrapped
his arms around them, and buried his head in his arms. In this fashion,
he passed his watch.
It was not until the next morning that the other Digidestined noticed
the huge difference in Matt. Tai was announcing the new battle plan.
"Ok, everyone! It's time to decide what to do now that we're here.
Because we haven't gotten any news from Gennai-" Izzy shook his head,
confirming what Tai said- "we're gonna go find him. Or, at least,
that's what I think we should do." Matt, who was leaning against a
tree with his arms folded across his chest, Gabumon at his side, spoke
in his soft, pleasant sounding voice again.
"So, Tai, what you're suggesting we do is wander around this forest in
the off chance that Gennai is near by." Tai blinked.
"Well, yea." He fell back on old habits and got angry. "Why, do you
have any better ideas?" Matt shrugged and looked back at the ground,
impartial. Tai sighed angrily. "Is that all you do now? Make little
comments and then shrug?" Matt fixed Tai with his most unnerving,
dispassionate stare...and shrugged. Tai was furious. "What is your
PROBLEM, Matt? Why are you acting so...off? Tell me what's the matter,
because, frankly, your 'holier-than-thou' attitude is starting to bug
me!" Matt looked down at the ground and said nothing for a while. When
he finally did speak, his soft voice was lowered to the degree that
only Izzy, who stood closest to him, heard all of what he said.
" 'In sooth, I know not why I am so sad. It wearies me, you say it
wearies you; but how I caught it, found it, or came by it, what stuff
'tis made of, whereof it is born, I am to learn; such a want-wit
sadness makes of me that I gave much ado to know myself.' " Izzy's
eyes widened in recognition. Tai blinked at Matt.
"What? Was that some kind of apology? I couldn't hear you." Matt shook
his head slowly, neither confirming nor denying. "Well, then, what is
it? Are you like this because of the past? Did something happen to you?
You never did answer me before. What happened?" At first Matt refused
to even acknowledge the question, but as the others chorused their
desire to know, he looked up at Tai, even though he addressed them all.
"Do we have to do this? Can't we just move on and let the past stay the
past?"
"No! I want to know what you've been doing the past five years. All of
us do. You left us, Yamato. Without as much as a goodbye for you own
brother. We deserve to know why." Matt sighed, knowing that if he
didn't speak now, they would imagine the worst. Gabumon, sensing his
resolved reluctance, moved closer.
"Fine." He announced in his soft voice, "I'll tell you...what I can.
When we got back from the Digital World, everything was fine for a
while. Then things started going back to the way they used to be. Or at
least, they tried to. My dad and mom tried to keep T.K. and I apart
again, but I wouldn't let them. I started picking you up from school,
T.K., remember? You didn't know why, but it was because I had to. If I
didn't pick you up, I'd never see you. Eventually, though, Dad figured
out. He didn't like the person I'd become. The Digiworld made me
stronger, more independent. I didn't listen to my dad the way I used to
and I was making my own decisions. I kept my curfew and I didn't get
into as many fights, but my dad still didn't like it. He thought I was,
how did he put it?, 'still a child, and too young to know what was best
for me.' So he grounded me. From everything. Phone, going outside, TV,
radio. I mean, everything. All I could do was my homework or read a
book. I was under house arrest because I was 'growing up to quickly
and not learning my life lessons well.' But I didn't let it bother me.
I was still seeing you guys at school, even though we never got enough
time for me to explain things. That didn't matter, either, because he
said I wasn't supposed to talk to you guys. I ignored that and he knew
it, so he proclaimed out and out war: he got another job. Out in the
country. Far, far away from all the little Digidestined that were
warping his son into, God forbid, an adult." The acid in Matt's gentle
voice was unmistakable. He continued glaring at the ground as he spoke.
"He had the phones removed from the house, or I would have called. I
tried to write before we left, but all my letters were intercepted. He
didn't let me say 'goodbye' or explain, so I hated him. When we got to
our new house, my home was here so I won't call it that, he was very
optimistic. No Digidestined to make me grow up. No T.K. to help me
figure out what the word 'responsibility' meant. I had no friends. I
had no life. Everyone I used to talk to was permanently gone. We had a
really old house and he wouldn't install a phone cord. It was awful.
It didn't take him long to figure out I was mad. I wouldn't talk to
him. At all. I maintained absolute silence for maybe a little over a
year. My curfew was seven thirty, and I stayed out. Never past that,
though. That would give him something, and I didn't want to give him
anything. I was a ghost, floating around the house only during dinner.
I never ate breakfast and lunch was at school or taken with me early
morning when I left. There was a forest behind the house, believe it
or not, and after school I'd go there and stay there till seven thirty.
I refused to make friends as part of my protest, so I stayed out there
by myself. It was a little lonely sometimes, but all my friends were
gone, and if he wanted me to have fun, all he had to do was bring me
home. I figured out where I got my stubbornness that year. It was a
complete stand off. Me refusing to speak or make any kind of friendship
with anybody. Him refusing to take me home. Then we moved again, even
further out into the country. It didn't matter to me, though. I still
hated him. I never went in the house, you know, even when it rained.
Eventually, I caught...I guess you'd call it a cold. My dad made me
stay in the house, and eventually he explained that he wanted me to be
happy, and enjoy my youth. Because before I knew it, it would be gone,
and I'd regret that I'd let you guys make me grow up too fast. I
basically told him that you weren't the ones making me grow up. I was.
After that, we kind of had a truce, and when I was over my...cold, we
moved back. It was an apology to me. He knew that I had been right.
The night we met back up was my first night back. I was so shocked to
see you guys..." That was the condensed and edited version. The only
one who knew what had truly stopped the 'Ishida vs. Ishida' war was
Gabumon, and he would never tell. Eventually the others realized Matt
was finished with his story. They all looked at each other, then at
Matt, who was looking at Gabumon. Tai cleared his throat.
"Thank you for telling us that, Matt. We really appreciate it." Matt
met Tai's eyes again and shrugged. Tai sighed, defeated, and turned to
the others. "So?" He asked in a tiredly patient voice. "Are we going to
go find Gennai or what?" The others chorused agreement and Tai regained
his optimism and led the group into the forest. When Matt and Gabumon
were the only ones left, the boy glanced down at his Digimon and they
shared a look. Gabumon didn't like the fact that Matt was hiding the
better portion of the last five years of his life from the others and
Matt knew it. The pelt baring Digimon believed that the others had a
right to know what had happened, if only so that they could be more
alert in case the problem reoccurred. But Matt _couldn't_ tell them.
They would never understand. They would walk slower, treat him like an
invalid, constantly ask him if he was 'all right'. Never fully believe
him when he said yes. Worst of all, they would pity him. Poor, weak
Matt, who can't even take care of himself. Can we _help_ you at all,
Poor Matt? No. No matter what the cost, no. He would never be weak and
_helpless_ again. And the Digidestined would never know his great
secret. Gabumon didn't agree.
~**~
Well? What did you think? Strange, huh? Wahh-hahahahaha! I is such a
mean person! Oh, um...I had some people ask if I would make Matt fall
in love with this person or that person, if I was going to insert
someone for him, but...I, um...really suck at romance. Maybe eventually
I'll write something like that, but I'm afraid someone won't like who
I set him up with and flame me, so I'm not gonna do that right now.
Maybe eventually, but not now. This story has no romance. At all. I'm
sorry! It just doesn't work with the plot line. Which is veeery
out-there. Wahahahaha! Ha ha ha! Ha ha...ha...ok...buh-bye! REVIEW!!!
ALOHA!!!
it...I so sorry! I probably won't happen again. Probably. I get carried
away! Please forgive me. Hee hee...*blushes* Please, by all means,
continue.
~**~
That was it. This was the Digital World. The place that had suddenly
and irreversibly changed the lives of eight young children. Tai looked
around. Sora rubbed her head and offered Kari and Mimi a hand up. Joe
was sitting up, head in his hands, depressed that he had once again
been hurled into a battle of titanic proportions that would determine
the fate of at least one world, which was what an invitation to the
Digiworld ultimately meant. Izzy had pulled out his laptop and was
typing furiously, attempting to dissect, clarify, classify, and file
their current situation. A blond mass fell from a tree, divulging
T.K.'s location. Five years of absence had trained Tai, and he forgot
to look for Matt.
"What are we doing here?" T.K. asked, standing up and rubbing his head,
which had broken his fall. Izzy opened his mouth, but Joe cut him off,
flapping one of his hands at the computer genius.
"No, no. Let me guess. We've been sucked into the Digital World, you
don't know how. We're here for a reason, you don't know what. If we're
patient, and extremely lucky, Gennai will e-mail you, hopefully BEFORE
we get attacked, but that's not very likely. Also, we have to find our
Digimon, assuming lots and lots of time hasn't passed here and they're
still ALIVE. Is that it? Does that about cover it?" The Digidestined
stared at Joe, who bushed and explained. "Izzy helped me with a
critical thinking assignment last year. It took months and months.
Also, isn't that what always happens when we come here?" One by one,
the other six nodded. T.K. blinked and looked around.
"Hey." He started. "Where's Matt?" Tai blinked and hit his open palm
with a fist.
"That's what I forgot. Matt. I'm so used to him not being here..."
"Never mind that." Mimi said irritably. "Just, where is he? He couldn't
be far from here, we all landed in about the same place. Let's look."
Just as they were about to start, there was a crashing sound from some
bushed a small distance from the destined. Joe moaned.
"I knew it. I KNEW we'd be attacked by some evil something before we
found our Digimon! I just KNEW it!"
"Same old Joe!" Came a cheerful, mocking voice from the bushes. Joe
looked up.
"I know that voice."
"Well! I would hope so!" Out from the bushes popped a white, seal-like
thing. It grinned as Joe stared, mouth agape. Joe's eyes welled
comically with tears.
"Gomamon!" He yelled, rushing over the small creature and falling to
his knees in front of it, sweeping it in a giant hug. "I'm so glad to
see you! You have no idea! I thought for sure that you were an evil
Digimon, bent on destroying me! Wah! I'm so happy to see you!" Gomamon
laughed and playfully attempted to push Joe away.
"Of course you are, Joe! Where would you be without me?"
"Defenseless and utterly alone."
"Exactly! Oh, and, by the way, the others are here, too!" There were
shouts of joy and surprise as the other Digimon revealed themselves.
"Agumon!" Tai cried, ecstatic, as he ran over to his Digimon. He
greeted his long-lost friend and looked around as the others embraced
and reunited with their Digimon. "There's Gatomon. And Palmon! Wow.
Biyomon, Tentomon, and Patamon. Everyone's here! But, wait, where's
Gabumon? And Matt?" There was a soft rustling and the Digidestined and
their Digimon turned to find Gabumon standing over a disheveled mass,
staring with concerned tenderness at Matt's unconscious form. Tai put
out a hand and stopped T.K. as he rushed to help Matt. He shook his
head slowly, silently telling T.K. to just watch. Gabumon gazed at Matt
for a few more moments, as if to etch the image in his memory, or else
deciding how best to revive the teenager. He reached down and grasped
Matt's right wrist, pulling him slowly into a sitting position. As he
pulled, he spoke to Matt with gentle kindness.
"Come on, Matt. The others are starting to worry. It's time to wake
up." Moaning, Matt propped himself up with his left arm and opened his
eyes slowly. He stared at Gabumon for several moments before closing
his eyes and smiling slightly. As he stood, he stroked Gabumon once and
murmured,
"I cannot tell you how good it is to see you, Gabumon." The Digimon
returned Matt's smile and stood by his side, facing the others. "So."
Matt continued. "Long time no see, guys." Tai stared at him, attempting
to grasp the meaning of the tall blonde's words.
"Long time...no see? That's it? That's all you have to say?" Matt
shrugged, his face expressionless. "What does THAT mean? Do you know
what we all went through when you disappeared? What T.K. went through?
Do you even CARE? You didn't even say 'goodbye'. We haven't heard
anything from you. Not a word! Not a word in all this time. And now
all you can do is shrug and say 'long time no see?' That's not good
enough, Matt! What HAPPENED to you? Tell us; we deserve to know!" Matt
sighed again and looked around the clearing they had landed in. It
wasn't a large clearing, but there was lots of wood. He glanced up at
the sky briefly before looking back at Tai. The words he spoke when he
finally did where not at all what the others were hoping for.
"It'll be dark soon. Are we going to make a fire?" The others stared at
him. The Digimon were confused. What was going on? Matt had
disappeared? They looked at their Destined, unvoiced questions hanging
in the air. All save Gabumon, who stood, faithfully and unquestioning,
by Matt's side. Finally, the blonde shrugged and turned away from the
disbelieving stares of his fellow Destined and went to collect
firewood, Gabumon following him slowly. His movement shattered the
stillness and the others numbly followed his lead, collecting firewood
in a trance born of pure shock. Matt had just fluffed Tai off. In fact,
he had fluffed them ALL off. Why didn't he just tell them why? T.K.,
who was gathering wool mutely, suddenly gasped and straightened,
smiling.
"I know why he didn't tell us, Patamon!" The small Digimon turned to
regard his Destined.
"Didn't tell you what, T.K.?"
"Where's he's been."
"Who?"
"Matt."
"Oh. He's been somewhere?" T.K. sighed.
"Yes, Patamon." He replied patiently. "Shortly after we all went back
home last time, Matt vanished. Our Dad got a new job, but he wouldn't
tell me or my mom where. But even before that, Matt never answered the
phone and he was always too busy to see any of us. The only time I saw
him was when he took the long way home and walked by my school, and
that only happened once or twice. Then one day, we all went over to
his house to figure out what we did and what the matter was and...he
was gone. We asked all around, but no one would tell us anything. My
dad's old boss and the moving guys knew where he was, but the moving
guys wouldn't tell us and my dad's boss wouldn't see us. We were all
really worried. We looked all over town for almost a year, but he
didn't live in city limits anymore. It's been like that for five years
now. Today is the first time any of us have seen him. And he won't say
where he's been."
"Oh. That's really weird, you know, because Gabumon's been missing,
too."
"What?!"
"Yea. It happened about a year and a half after you guys left. Did you
know it's been five years for us, too? Anyway, we all stayed together
after you left, and after a while Gabumon started acting strangely. He
was really tired and distracted. Then suddenly, one day, he was gone.
We looked for him, too, but couldn't find him." T.K. stared at the
ground.
"How odd. Maybe we should tell Tai and them. At the very least Izzy.
He could probably figure it out." T.K. looked up and smiled brightly
at Patamon. "Anyway, I figured out why Matt wouldn't tell us about
where he's been!"
"Really? What do you think, T.K.?"
"It's just like he said: it'll be getting dark soon. He wanted us to be
ready for it. That's like him, to worry for other people. I'm right,
aren't I, Patamon? Aren't I?" Patamon smiled, for T.K.'s sake. He
didn't really believe what the blonde was saying, but he didn't want to
destroy the boy's hopes.
"Sure, T.K.! I'm sure that's what it was!" T.K. smiled.
"Right! And tonight, Matt will tell us all about what he's been doing
these past five years, and every one will stop thinking he left for no
reason."
"Yea! It'll be that way with the Digimon, too!" T.K. blinked at
Patamon.
"The other Digimon...think Gabumon left them? Just like the others
think Matt abandoned us?" Patamon nodded his head slowly, his eyes
downcast.
"When we woke up one morning and found him gone, we couldn't believe it.
He would never just leave us. But...we were wrong. We looked
everywhere. We couldn't find him. In fact, that's what we were doing
here today. Looking for Gabumon. It's just a coincidence that you were
all here. This is the first time we've seen him. You don't just leave
the people you love behind, T.K., you don't." T.K. shook his head.
"I don't know where he's been, Patamon, and I don't know why. I might
never know those things. But I do know two very important things: he
loves me and he's back. That is all that matters. Everything else is
just details." Patamon sighed in defeat, not agreeing with but unable
to change T.K.'s mind, and slowly flew after the boy as he walked back
to where Matt was building a fire. T.K. was the last one back and the
others were all gathered, watching Matt arrange the firewood. There was
a definite method to his madness and each piece of wood was being
deliberately positioned. After a few more minutes, Matt stood up and
backed away from his creation. It took Agumon a moment to collect
himself, but after that he shot out a 'Pepper Breath' and the fire was
going. Matt, silently declaring that the first part of his chore was
done, sat down next to the growing fire and pulled his long legs up
against his chest, encircling them with his arms. The others blinked
at each other, and turned as one to gather food. The soft voice that
followed them was surprising to hear.
"Gabumon says there's only about half an hour's worth of daylight left.
Be sure you hurry or I won't be able to cook what you bring back." They
turned to stare at Matt, who didn't look as though he had just said
anything. Then, very slowly, they turned and left, going in two's.
After the collection of odd herbs, fruits, and fishes that could almost
pass as a meal was finished, the eight Chosen and their Digimon sat
around the fire, absorbing the heat and light in the dark of the
Digital World. The air was thick and tense with unasked questions, but
no one knew how to ask them. The one around which all the questions
circled was utterly silent, chin resting on the knees he had pulled up
to his chest, staring at the fire, face expressionless. Gabumon offered
only slightly more than his partner, shifting his gaze every once and a
while to study the silent blonde next to him. Silence was obviously
something Matt was very use to and he seemed willing to sit forever,
never making a sound. The others, however, were a very different
matter. Mimi was the first to break.
"I can't take it anymore!" She cried, almost hysterical. "Somebody SAY
something!" Joe looked at her and pushed his glasses up the bridge of
his nose, even though he didn't need to.
"You've already said something, Mimi. Do we still have to?"
"Oh, stop it, Joe! You know what she means! Don't be mean." Tai
snapped, defending Mimi.
"Don't bellow at Joe, Tai. He was merely attempting to clarify-" Sora
sighed, cutting Izzy off.
"It's too late for that. Keep it simple, Izzy."
"I was just undertaking the arduous task of-"
"Please, Izzy. Not right now." Izzy looked at Kari and sighed.
"I was simply-"
"You guys have all had a really rough day." The soft voice once again
surprised the Digidestined into silence. It was pleasantly silken in
its softness and strangely different than five years ago. Seven sets
of human ears strained to listen as it continued. "I'm sure you're all
tired. Why don't you go to sleep? I'll take first watch, if you want."
The others had a feeling that if they refused, Matt wouldn't argue; yet
they did not contend. What he said made sense. Slowly, the others moved
away from the fire with their sleeping Digital companions and settled
down on the grass. Soon only Matt and T.K. were left. T.K. studied Matt
as the older boy continued on in his reverie. Finally he stood,
addressing Matt softly as he left.
"I want to take next watch. Will you wake me?" Taking Matt's silence as
acceptance, T.K. picked up the sleeping Patamon and went to find a
place close enough to be aware of Matt, and far enough away to be
inconspicuous. ^If you're planning to leave,^ he thought grimly,
^I'll know it. But, please, Matt.^ He looked over where the lone
figure that was his brother sat, silhouetted by the fire, Gabumon
faithfully by his side. ^Don't run.^
A few hours later, T.K. was woken by somebody gently shaking him.
"Please, Mom. Just five more minutes. I'll still make last bell..." The
shaking continued, neither impatient nor kind, but persistent. T.K. sat
up groggily and remembered where he was in a flash of reason. Gabumon
was walking away, task accomplished. Confused, T.K. looked around for
Matt. Matt was lying down on a patch of soft, wild grass, separated
from the group. T.K. sighed as Gabumon joined Matt.
"Oh, Matt." T.K. whispered to himself as he sat by the fire, accepting
sentry duty. "Why did you send Gabumon? Couldn't you have woken me
yourself? What happened to you? Why are you so distant, Brother? Won't
you let me help you?" T.K. pulled his knees up to his chest, wrapped
his arms around them, and buried his head in his arms. In this fashion,
he passed his watch.
It was not until the next morning that the other Digidestined noticed
the huge difference in Matt. Tai was announcing the new battle plan.
"Ok, everyone! It's time to decide what to do now that we're here.
Because we haven't gotten any news from Gennai-" Izzy shook his head,
confirming what Tai said- "we're gonna go find him. Or, at least,
that's what I think we should do." Matt, who was leaning against a
tree with his arms folded across his chest, Gabumon at his side, spoke
in his soft, pleasant sounding voice again.
"So, Tai, what you're suggesting we do is wander around this forest in
the off chance that Gennai is near by." Tai blinked.
"Well, yea." He fell back on old habits and got angry. "Why, do you
have any better ideas?" Matt shrugged and looked back at the ground,
impartial. Tai sighed angrily. "Is that all you do now? Make little
comments and then shrug?" Matt fixed Tai with his most unnerving,
dispassionate stare...and shrugged. Tai was furious. "What is your
PROBLEM, Matt? Why are you acting so...off? Tell me what's the matter,
because, frankly, your 'holier-than-thou' attitude is starting to bug
me!" Matt looked down at the ground and said nothing for a while. When
he finally did speak, his soft voice was lowered to the degree that
only Izzy, who stood closest to him, heard all of what he said.
" 'In sooth, I know not why I am so sad. It wearies me, you say it
wearies you; but how I caught it, found it, or came by it, what stuff
'tis made of, whereof it is born, I am to learn; such a want-wit
sadness makes of me that I gave much ado to know myself.' " Izzy's
eyes widened in recognition. Tai blinked at Matt.
"What? Was that some kind of apology? I couldn't hear you." Matt shook
his head slowly, neither confirming nor denying. "Well, then, what is
it? Are you like this because of the past? Did something happen to you?
You never did answer me before. What happened?" At first Matt refused
to even acknowledge the question, but as the others chorused their
desire to know, he looked up at Tai, even though he addressed them all.
"Do we have to do this? Can't we just move on and let the past stay the
past?"
"No! I want to know what you've been doing the past five years. All of
us do. You left us, Yamato. Without as much as a goodbye for you own
brother. We deserve to know why." Matt sighed, knowing that if he
didn't speak now, they would imagine the worst. Gabumon, sensing his
resolved reluctance, moved closer.
"Fine." He announced in his soft voice, "I'll tell you...what I can.
When we got back from the Digital World, everything was fine for a
while. Then things started going back to the way they used to be. Or at
least, they tried to. My dad and mom tried to keep T.K. and I apart
again, but I wouldn't let them. I started picking you up from school,
T.K., remember? You didn't know why, but it was because I had to. If I
didn't pick you up, I'd never see you. Eventually, though, Dad figured
out. He didn't like the person I'd become. The Digiworld made me
stronger, more independent. I didn't listen to my dad the way I used to
and I was making my own decisions. I kept my curfew and I didn't get
into as many fights, but my dad still didn't like it. He thought I was,
how did he put it?, 'still a child, and too young to know what was best
for me.' So he grounded me. From everything. Phone, going outside, TV,
radio. I mean, everything. All I could do was my homework or read a
book. I was under house arrest because I was 'growing up to quickly
and not learning my life lessons well.' But I didn't let it bother me.
I was still seeing you guys at school, even though we never got enough
time for me to explain things. That didn't matter, either, because he
said I wasn't supposed to talk to you guys. I ignored that and he knew
it, so he proclaimed out and out war: he got another job. Out in the
country. Far, far away from all the little Digidestined that were
warping his son into, God forbid, an adult." The acid in Matt's gentle
voice was unmistakable. He continued glaring at the ground as he spoke.
"He had the phones removed from the house, or I would have called. I
tried to write before we left, but all my letters were intercepted. He
didn't let me say 'goodbye' or explain, so I hated him. When we got to
our new house, my home was here so I won't call it that, he was very
optimistic. No Digidestined to make me grow up. No T.K. to help me
figure out what the word 'responsibility' meant. I had no friends. I
had no life. Everyone I used to talk to was permanently gone. We had a
really old house and he wouldn't install a phone cord. It was awful.
It didn't take him long to figure out I was mad. I wouldn't talk to
him. At all. I maintained absolute silence for maybe a little over a
year. My curfew was seven thirty, and I stayed out. Never past that,
though. That would give him something, and I didn't want to give him
anything. I was a ghost, floating around the house only during dinner.
I never ate breakfast and lunch was at school or taken with me early
morning when I left. There was a forest behind the house, believe it
or not, and after school I'd go there and stay there till seven thirty.
I refused to make friends as part of my protest, so I stayed out there
by myself. It was a little lonely sometimes, but all my friends were
gone, and if he wanted me to have fun, all he had to do was bring me
home. I figured out where I got my stubbornness that year. It was a
complete stand off. Me refusing to speak or make any kind of friendship
with anybody. Him refusing to take me home. Then we moved again, even
further out into the country. It didn't matter to me, though. I still
hated him. I never went in the house, you know, even when it rained.
Eventually, I caught...I guess you'd call it a cold. My dad made me
stay in the house, and eventually he explained that he wanted me to be
happy, and enjoy my youth. Because before I knew it, it would be gone,
and I'd regret that I'd let you guys make me grow up too fast. I
basically told him that you weren't the ones making me grow up. I was.
After that, we kind of had a truce, and when I was over my...cold, we
moved back. It was an apology to me. He knew that I had been right.
The night we met back up was my first night back. I was so shocked to
see you guys..." That was the condensed and edited version. The only
one who knew what had truly stopped the 'Ishida vs. Ishida' war was
Gabumon, and he would never tell. Eventually the others realized Matt
was finished with his story. They all looked at each other, then at
Matt, who was looking at Gabumon. Tai cleared his throat.
"Thank you for telling us that, Matt. We really appreciate it." Matt
met Tai's eyes again and shrugged. Tai sighed, defeated, and turned to
the others. "So?" He asked in a tiredly patient voice. "Are we going to
go find Gennai or what?" The others chorused agreement and Tai regained
his optimism and led the group into the forest. When Matt and Gabumon
were the only ones left, the boy glanced down at his Digimon and they
shared a look. Gabumon didn't like the fact that Matt was hiding the
better portion of the last five years of his life from the others and
Matt knew it. The pelt baring Digimon believed that the others had a
right to know what had happened, if only so that they could be more
alert in case the problem reoccurred. But Matt _couldn't_ tell them.
They would never understand. They would walk slower, treat him like an
invalid, constantly ask him if he was 'all right'. Never fully believe
him when he said yes. Worst of all, they would pity him. Poor, weak
Matt, who can't even take care of himself. Can we _help_ you at all,
Poor Matt? No. No matter what the cost, no. He would never be weak and
_helpless_ again. And the Digidestined would never know his great
secret. Gabumon didn't agree.
~**~
Well? What did you think? Strange, huh? Wahh-hahahahaha! I is such a
mean person! Oh, um...I had some people ask if I would make Matt fall
in love with this person or that person, if I was going to insert
someone for him, but...I, um...really suck at romance. Maybe eventually
I'll write something like that, but I'm afraid someone won't like who
I set him up with and flame me, so I'm not gonna do that right now.
Maybe eventually, but not now. This story has no romance. At all. I'm
sorry! It just doesn't work with the plot line. Which is veeery
out-there. Wahahahaha! Ha ha ha! Ha ha...ha...ok...buh-bye! REVIEW!!!
ALOHA!!!