(A/N: Tamers is over!!! WAHHHHHHHHHH!!!! *Goes off into corner and
cries*…okay, I'm better now! I'm thinking of writing an epilogue for it,
with the two semi-official couples (I can't complain! They made a lot of
sense!) I know it's been quite awhile since I last updated, and things are
gonna get slower, with final exams coming up and all. I'm going to try
writing the ending for this during the week, and just type it all up on
Saturday. Note that I say *try*… Anywho, again with the thank-ees:
EvilSnickie: (Quite the name, there!!) Hmm…will Grandma Makino die…that's a very good question…I never thought about that…*rubs chin in thought*
Archforge: Thank you!
Furor: Yup. Heart attack. This chap. should be good.
::Contemplations::
..::Part Five: Discussions with the Wise::..
As they reached Shinjuku Hospital, Ruki finally got Jenrya to co-operate with her.
'Maybe it's because I threatened to tell everyone his little death wish…' she thought as they entered the big double doors.
"Excuse me…ma'am…" Ruki started, out of breath. "My grandmother…Makino Shirubia…" (A/N: Reading that name again, I realize how much it truly sucks!!)
"You're Ruki Makino?" The nurse at the desk asked. Ruki nodded.
"And I take it that this is-"
"Lee Jenrya. The other one Ms. Makino wanted to see." Jen interrupted.
The nurse frowned, obviously picking up on Jen's sour mood. "I'll get the doctor to take you to her room."
- -[Dr. Kido to the front desk; Dr. Kido]- -
Several minutes later, a man with charcoal eyes and blue hair like Jen's arrived in a crisp white lab coat. "Hello, Mizu, is- oh, you must be Miss Makino." Dr. Kydo's gaze turned from the nurse to Ruki. "My name's Dr. Kido. Your grandmother-"
"Is she okay? Where is she? Can I see her?" Ruki asked desperately. She was sick of trying to be polite to all the adults in the hospital.
"Your grandmother is fine, she's resting upstairs, and yes, and of course you can see her." Dr. Kido chuckled. He looked to Jenrya.
"And I take it that you are Mr. Lee?"
Jenrya nodded.
"Are you alright? You really don't look so good."
"I'm just fine." Jenrya answered so quickly, it was evident to everyone listening he was lying.
"Alright, then. This way." Dr. Kido led the two down a hallway and up a floor. Another few hallways, and they stood outside a room marked '152- Makino'.
"Ruki, you may go in first. I want to speak with Mr. Lee for a minute, anyways." Ruki nodded and walked into the room, closing the door quietly behind her.
::Ruki's POV::
Ruki closed the door quietly behind her.
"…Grandma?"
"Ruki…"
Grandma!" Ruki rushed to the old woman and hugged her, careful not to cause her any harm. "I was so worried about you! When I got the call-"
"Sshh…It's okay Ruki…I'm just fine…I just need to rest for awhile, and then I'll be back home with you and your mother in no time." Grandmother Makino reassured her granddaughter. For awhile, they just stayed there, Ms. Makino comforting her granddaughter, who was, by now, crying freely into her grandmother's shirt.
"Now," Ms. Makino pushed Ruki away from her slightly. "Did you get to him in time?"
"Who?"
"I take it you did." The old woman answered her own question, nodding to the window. Dr. Kido was sitting in a chair next to Jenrya, and the two seemed to be having a conversation.
"Oh, yeah." Ruki sniffed and looked out at the two blue haired men. "But he's still…so distant."
"I wouldn't blame him." Ms. Makino replied simply.
"What?"
"You and the others have been quite ignorant towards him lately."
"What are you talking about, Grandma? We haven't done anything wrong!"
"Yes? Last weekend was his birthday, you know."
Ruki's eyes widened. "Oh, no…I completely forgot!" She turned to look at Jenrya again, before turning back to her grandmother. "I feel so bad!"
"You should. I met his mother in the market a couple days ago, and she told me how disappointed he was. No party, no friends, no best wishes, no nothing. He stayed at home with his family and Terriermon and Lopmon and watched old movies."
"Err…I feel so stupid…it was our fault…"
"No, dear, it wasn't all your fault. His mother mentioned that his strange behavior started after the whole D-Reaper incident. She said it might have been because he felt betrayed by his father for not telling him he knew that the Digimon would have to leave…though it didn't make sense, because his behavior continued after the Digimon were back here in the real world…"
"I just wish there was something I could do, grandma…"
The old woman sat in thought for a moment, then smiled. "Ruki, my purse should be in a chair over there." She motioned to a corner of the room. "In it, there's some money. Not much, but enough for two ice cream cones."
"Grandma…"
"Tomorrow you call up the rest of the group and tell them of the mistake you made. I'm sure if you have a belated party for him, it may make him forget his troubles for awhile."
"Thanks grandma." Ruki smiled.
"Now go get that boy in here! It's his turn to hear it from your old grandma!" Ms. Makino beamed. Ruki nodded and walked out of the room, just as Dr. Kido finished talking to Jenrya.
"Your turn, Lee-san." Ruki said quietly. Jenrya looked from Ruki to Dr. Kido, nodded, and entered the room.
::Jenrya's POV::
Ok. So maybe Dr. Kido had a point. That doesn't mean I have to listen to him.
~-~Flashback~-~
Ruki closed the door quietly and entered the room.
"Lee-san, why don't you have a seat?" Dr. Kido asked. Jenrya quietly sat down at the end of the row of chairs. Dr. Kido sat a few chairs to his left. "So, why don't you tell me a little about yourself?"
"What's there to say?" Jenrya answered bitterly. 'I'm just a boring kid with 'friends' who can't even remember my damn birthday and a one-way ticket outta this hellhole called Earth as soon as I get home.'
"You could start by telling me why you're acting like this."
"Acting like what?"
"Don't be stupid. You're being indifferent towards your friends. That's usually a sign that something's wrong."
"So what are you, a psychiatrist or something?"
"Pretty damn close, considering the bunch I hang around with." Dr. Kido sighed and slid down in his hard plastic chair. A minute of silence passed. "Can you keep a secret?"
"Yeah, I'm the most reliable damn guy you'll ever meet." Jenrya sarcastically remarked.
"Wanna bet?"
"What are you talking about?" Jenrya turned to face the older man.
Dr. Kido grinned. "Have you ever watched the T.V. show 'Digimon'?"
Jenrya's eyes widened. "What are you getting at? You're saying that the Digimon show is actually real?"
"Your Digimon is real, isn't it?"
"How did you know-?"
"Let's just say, I've had enough experience that I can pick out a Digidestined, or a Tamer, in your case, in any crowd."
"So you-"
"My friends were pretty, well, nasty to me, when we were younger. Not much younger than yourself. They'd take advantage of me and my honestly every chance they got. I never was a leader, so when the group split up, I got a chance to be the brave one. I could picture it so clearly-the girls would say "Oh, Jyou-kun, you're so brave!" and the guys would pat me on the back and say, "Way to go, Jyou!". Sadly enough, they only wanted me to think I was brave. But you know what?"
"Hmm?" Jenrya mumbled, not paying much attention to Dr. Kido's story. 'Could Dr. Kido actually be one of the Digidestined from the show?'
"I got over it. I knew they wanted to help me, so I got over it. Just like you should get over whatever it is you're mad at them at. Ruki in there, she's going through a hard time right now. Her grandmother's sick, and Ms. Makino certainly won't let her stay home alone, being the daughter of a model. Ms. Makino's heart was drastically weakened from that heart attack. Too much strenuous movement could and will cause another heart attack. One that she may not survive. Assuming her mother is like any other model out there, she's not going to have anyone there for her when she needs someone. Someone she can rely on."
"You mean…me?"
"No, I mean Santa Claus. Of course I mean you! If the crests hadn't been destroyed, I'm positive you would have received the crest of Reliability and Honesty."
"What are you getting at? You know about Digimon, and you keep talking about crests and DigiDestined and the crest of Reliability and Honesty…you- you're one of the original kids from the T.V. show!" Jenrya blurted out.
"Shhh!!! Not so loud!!" Dr. Kido shushed Jenrya. "We can't have people knowing about it!!"
"But, if the show's holder of Reliability and Honestly is named Kou Tanaka, how come your name's so-"
"Different?" Dr. Kido grinned. "We had to keep our privacy, so we came up with extremely common names for the characters. That way, they couldn't possibly be traced back to us."
The door opened, and Ruki stepped out. "Your turn, Lee-san." Ruki said quietly. Jenrya looked from Ruki to Dr. Kido, nodded, and entered the room.
~-~End Flashback~-~
"Lee-san, how are you?" Ms. Makino asked from the bed.
"I'm fine, thank you, Ms. Makino." Jenrya bowed.
"No need to be formal about it, Lee." Ms. Makino frowned. "Just call me Grandma Makino. Everyone does nowadays."
"Alright then. Why did you want to see me, anyways?" Jenrya raised an eyebrow.
"I assume Dr. Kido told you about my little heart condition?"
"Y-yeah. I'm really sorry 'bout that."
"No need to apologize. But I do. For Ruki's behavior, as with the others'."
"Really, that's okay. Dr. Kido talked to me. I'm learning to get over it." Jenrya smiled briefly.
"But that still doesn't mean you're over it *now*. In time, maybe, but now, you need a friend. A good friend. Maybe even someone better than that."
"Grandma Makino, my mom tried that with me already. I still don't think I'm ready for a girlfriend, if that's what you have in mind." Jenrya shook his head.
"Nothing like that, dear. It's just-oh, she'll hate me for saying this, but here it goes- Ruki likes you. More than a friend. At least, that's what I'm able to figure out."
Jenrya stared at the old woman in shock. "R-ruki? Likes me? Like that? You're joking, right?"
"She asked for the phone earlier this evening, and when she hung up, she told me she had to get to the park in a hurry, because one of her friends were in trouble. In the car, she told me a mixture of things. I eventually caught on that the one friend she was talking about was you. The way she ran on like that, and how she had called you, I caught on to that quickly."
"How did you know she called me?"
"My granddaughter would never call someone on the phone, even if her life depended on it. Yours did, though."
Jenrya stared at his shoes.
"Jenrya, you're strong. Mentally, physically, and emotionally. You can't let small setbacks like this make you think life's not worth living. Haven't you ever thought about what some people would go through without you around to calm them down and listen to them when they need a person to talk to?"
"By some people, you mean Ruki, right?"
"How'd you ever guess that?" Grandma Makino smiled. "Now, I have one little favor to ask you."
"Go ahead."
"Rumiko isn't going to be home until tomorrow morning at the earliest, and there's no chance in the world that Ruki's staying home by herself. She's the daughter of a model, and someone may want to kidnap her for ransom or something. I was wondering, then, Lee-san, could she stay at your apartment for the night? You are the closest one to our house, and she could walk home in the morning."
"Uh, I-uh-sure, why not." Jenrya stammered, turning slightly red. There was a knock at the door. Dr. Kido entered. Ruki was looking through the window; her violet eyes a mess of emotions. "Jenrya, it's time for you and Ruki to go now. Visiting hours are over, and Ms. Makino needs her rest."
"Okay." Jenrya nodded to Dr. Kido, then turned to Grandma Makino and smiled. "Goodnight, Grandma Makino."
"Goodnight, Lee-san." Ms. Makino beamed. "Good night to you too, Ruki!" She called to her granddaughter. Ruki waved and smiled a small smile.
::Minutes Later ::
"Goodbye, Lee-san, Miss Makino!" Dr. Kido waved from the front doors.
"Goodbye, Dr. Kido!" Ruki and Jenrya called back to him.
"Remember, Lee, what I told you, you can't tell anyone, alright?"
"Gotcha!" Jenrya gave him a thumbs-up sign.
Ruki grinned. "I take it you're in a better mood now."
Jenrya sighed. "Sort of, I guess."
Silence hovered between the two as they walked on in silence.
"So," Ruki said quietly, trying to make conversation. "What did Grandma talk to you about?"
(A/N: Wai!!!!!!!! I REALLY liked this chapter!! Sorry 'bout the cliffhanger, but I couldn't resist! One more chapter, then it's done!!! Maybe I'll continue, maybe I won't. I certainly have it set up for a continuation, though. :) I'll try to finish this up by the 27th! After that, you'll have to expect a looooooooong absence from me. Finals, dentist (one more visit and I get braces! No more retainer!!), and two weeks at the cabin, one back, then another week. Geez, I'm probably boring the h3ll out of yous right now, so I'll go.)
Ciao out!
-I.C.
EvilSnickie: (Quite the name, there!!) Hmm…will Grandma Makino die…that's a very good question…I never thought about that…*rubs chin in thought*
Archforge: Thank you!
Furor: Yup. Heart attack. This chap. should be good.
::Contemplations::
..::Part Five: Discussions with the Wise::..
As they reached Shinjuku Hospital, Ruki finally got Jenrya to co-operate with her.
'Maybe it's because I threatened to tell everyone his little death wish…' she thought as they entered the big double doors.
"Excuse me…ma'am…" Ruki started, out of breath. "My grandmother…Makino Shirubia…" (A/N: Reading that name again, I realize how much it truly sucks!!)
"You're Ruki Makino?" The nurse at the desk asked. Ruki nodded.
"And I take it that this is-"
"Lee Jenrya. The other one Ms. Makino wanted to see." Jen interrupted.
The nurse frowned, obviously picking up on Jen's sour mood. "I'll get the doctor to take you to her room."
- -[Dr. Kido to the front desk; Dr. Kido]- -
Several minutes later, a man with charcoal eyes and blue hair like Jen's arrived in a crisp white lab coat. "Hello, Mizu, is- oh, you must be Miss Makino." Dr. Kydo's gaze turned from the nurse to Ruki. "My name's Dr. Kido. Your grandmother-"
"Is she okay? Where is she? Can I see her?" Ruki asked desperately. She was sick of trying to be polite to all the adults in the hospital.
"Your grandmother is fine, she's resting upstairs, and yes, and of course you can see her." Dr. Kido chuckled. He looked to Jenrya.
"And I take it that you are Mr. Lee?"
Jenrya nodded.
"Are you alright? You really don't look so good."
"I'm just fine." Jenrya answered so quickly, it was evident to everyone listening he was lying.
"Alright, then. This way." Dr. Kido led the two down a hallway and up a floor. Another few hallways, and they stood outside a room marked '152- Makino'.
"Ruki, you may go in first. I want to speak with Mr. Lee for a minute, anyways." Ruki nodded and walked into the room, closing the door quietly behind her.
::Ruki's POV::
Ruki closed the door quietly behind her.
"…Grandma?"
"Ruki…"
Grandma!" Ruki rushed to the old woman and hugged her, careful not to cause her any harm. "I was so worried about you! When I got the call-"
"Sshh…It's okay Ruki…I'm just fine…I just need to rest for awhile, and then I'll be back home with you and your mother in no time." Grandmother Makino reassured her granddaughter. For awhile, they just stayed there, Ms. Makino comforting her granddaughter, who was, by now, crying freely into her grandmother's shirt.
"Now," Ms. Makino pushed Ruki away from her slightly. "Did you get to him in time?"
"Who?"
"I take it you did." The old woman answered her own question, nodding to the window. Dr. Kido was sitting in a chair next to Jenrya, and the two seemed to be having a conversation.
"Oh, yeah." Ruki sniffed and looked out at the two blue haired men. "But he's still…so distant."
"I wouldn't blame him." Ms. Makino replied simply.
"What?"
"You and the others have been quite ignorant towards him lately."
"What are you talking about, Grandma? We haven't done anything wrong!"
"Yes? Last weekend was his birthday, you know."
Ruki's eyes widened. "Oh, no…I completely forgot!" She turned to look at Jenrya again, before turning back to her grandmother. "I feel so bad!"
"You should. I met his mother in the market a couple days ago, and she told me how disappointed he was. No party, no friends, no best wishes, no nothing. He stayed at home with his family and Terriermon and Lopmon and watched old movies."
"Err…I feel so stupid…it was our fault…"
"No, dear, it wasn't all your fault. His mother mentioned that his strange behavior started after the whole D-Reaper incident. She said it might have been because he felt betrayed by his father for not telling him he knew that the Digimon would have to leave…though it didn't make sense, because his behavior continued after the Digimon were back here in the real world…"
"I just wish there was something I could do, grandma…"
The old woman sat in thought for a moment, then smiled. "Ruki, my purse should be in a chair over there." She motioned to a corner of the room. "In it, there's some money. Not much, but enough for two ice cream cones."
"Grandma…"
"Tomorrow you call up the rest of the group and tell them of the mistake you made. I'm sure if you have a belated party for him, it may make him forget his troubles for awhile."
"Thanks grandma." Ruki smiled.
"Now go get that boy in here! It's his turn to hear it from your old grandma!" Ms. Makino beamed. Ruki nodded and walked out of the room, just as Dr. Kido finished talking to Jenrya.
"Your turn, Lee-san." Ruki said quietly. Jenrya looked from Ruki to Dr. Kido, nodded, and entered the room.
::Jenrya's POV::
Ok. So maybe Dr. Kido had a point. That doesn't mean I have to listen to him.
~-~Flashback~-~
Ruki closed the door quietly and entered the room.
"Lee-san, why don't you have a seat?" Dr. Kido asked. Jenrya quietly sat down at the end of the row of chairs. Dr. Kido sat a few chairs to his left. "So, why don't you tell me a little about yourself?"
"What's there to say?" Jenrya answered bitterly. 'I'm just a boring kid with 'friends' who can't even remember my damn birthday and a one-way ticket outta this hellhole called Earth as soon as I get home.'
"You could start by telling me why you're acting like this."
"Acting like what?"
"Don't be stupid. You're being indifferent towards your friends. That's usually a sign that something's wrong."
"So what are you, a psychiatrist or something?"
"Pretty damn close, considering the bunch I hang around with." Dr. Kido sighed and slid down in his hard plastic chair. A minute of silence passed. "Can you keep a secret?"
"Yeah, I'm the most reliable damn guy you'll ever meet." Jenrya sarcastically remarked.
"Wanna bet?"
"What are you talking about?" Jenrya turned to face the older man.
Dr. Kido grinned. "Have you ever watched the T.V. show 'Digimon'?"
Jenrya's eyes widened. "What are you getting at? You're saying that the Digimon show is actually real?"
"Your Digimon is real, isn't it?"
"How did you know-?"
"Let's just say, I've had enough experience that I can pick out a Digidestined, or a Tamer, in your case, in any crowd."
"So you-"
"My friends were pretty, well, nasty to me, when we were younger. Not much younger than yourself. They'd take advantage of me and my honestly every chance they got. I never was a leader, so when the group split up, I got a chance to be the brave one. I could picture it so clearly-the girls would say "Oh, Jyou-kun, you're so brave!" and the guys would pat me on the back and say, "Way to go, Jyou!". Sadly enough, they only wanted me to think I was brave. But you know what?"
"Hmm?" Jenrya mumbled, not paying much attention to Dr. Kido's story. 'Could Dr. Kido actually be one of the Digidestined from the show?'
"I got over it. I knew they wanted to help me, so I got over it. Just like you should get over whatever it is you're mad at them at. Ruki in there, she's going through a hard time right now. Her grandmother's sick, and Ms. Makino certainly won't let her stay home alone, being the daughter of a model. Ms. Makino's heart was drastically weakened from that heart attack. Too much strenuous movement could and will cause another heart attack. One that she may not survive. Assuming her mother is like any other model out there, she's not going to have anyone there for her when she needs someone. Someone she can rely on."
"You mean…me?"
"No, I mean Santa Claus. Of course I mean you! If the crests hadn't been destroyed, I'm positive you would have received the crest of Reliability and Honesty."
"What are you getting at? You know about Digimon, and you keep talking about crests and DigiDestined and the crest of Reliability and Honesty…you- you're one of the original kids from the T.V. show!" Jenrya blurted out.
"Shhh!!! Not so loud!!" Dr. Kido shushed Jenrya. "We can't have people knowing about it!!"
"But, if the show's holder of Reliability and Honestly is named Kou Tanaka, how come your name's so-"
"Different?" Dr. Kido grinned. "We had to keep our privacy, so we came up with extremely common names for the characters. That way, they couldn't possibly be traced back to us."
The door opened, and Ruki stepped out. "Your turn, Lee-san." Ruki said quietly. Jenrya looked from Ruki to Dr. Kido, nodded, and entered the room.
~-~End Flashback~-~
"Lee-san, how are you?" Ms. Makino asked from the bed.
"I'm fine, thank you, Ms. Makino." Jenrya bowed.
"No need to be formal about it, Lee." Ms. Makino frowned. "Just call me Grandma Makino. Everyone does nowadays."
"Alright then. Why did you want to see me, anyways?" Jenrya raised an eyebrow.
"I assume Dr. Kido told you about my little heart condition?"
"Y-yeah. I'm really sorry 'bout that."
"No need to apologize. But I do. For Ruki's behavior, as with the others'."
"Really, that's okay. Dr. Kido talked to me. I'm learning to get over it." Jenrya smiled briefly.
"But that still doesn't mean you're over it *now*. In time, maybe, but now, you need a friend. A good friend. Maybe even someone better than that."
"Grandma Makino, my mom tried that with me already. I still don't think I'm ready for a girlfriend, if that's what you have in mind." Jenrya shook his head.
"Nothing like that, dear. It's just-oh, she'll hate me for saying this, but here it goes- Ruki likes you. More than a friend. At least, that's what I'm able to figure out."
Jenrya stared at the old woman in shock. "R-ruki? Likes me? Like that? You're joking, right?"
"She asked for the phone earlier this evening, and when she hung up, she told me she had to get to the park in a hurry, because one of her friends were in trouble. In the car, she told me a mixture of things. I eventually caught on that the one friend she was talking about was you. The way she ran on like that, and how she had called you, I caught on to that quickly."
"How did you know she called me?"
"My granddaughter would never call someone on the phone, even if her life depended on it. Yours did, though."
Jenrya stared at his shoes.
"Jenrya, you're strong. Mentally, physically, and emotionally. You can't let small setbacks like this make you think life's not worth living. Haven't you ever thought about what some people would go through without you around to calm them down and listen to them when they need a person to talk to?"
"By some people, you mean Ruki, right?"
"How'd you ever guess that?" Grandma Makino smiled. "Now, I have one little favor to ask you."
"Go ahead."
"Rumiko isn't going to be home until tomorrow morning at the earliest, and there's no chance in the world that Ruki's staying home by herself. She's the daughter of a model, and someone may want to kidnap her for ransom or something. I was wondering, then, Lee-san, could she stay at your apartment for the night? You are the closest one to our house, and she could walk home in the morning."
"Uh, I-uh-sure, why not." Jenrya stammered, turning slightly red. There was a knock at the door. Dr. Kido entered. Ruki was looking through the window; her violet eyes a mess of emotions. "Jenrya, it's time for you and Ruki to go now. Visiting hours are over, and Ms. Makino needs her rest."
"Okay." Jenrya nodded to Dr. Kido, then turned to Grandma Makino and smiled. "Goodnight, Grandma Makino."
"Goodnight, Lee-san." Ms. Makino beamed. "Good night to you too, Ruki!" She called to her granddaughter. Ruki waved and smiled a small smile.
::Minutes Later ::
"Goodbye, Lee-san, Miss Makino!" Dr. Kido waved from the front doors.
"Goodbye, Dr. Kido!" Ruki and Jenrya called back to him.
"Remember, Lee, what I told you, you can't tell anyone, alright?"
"Gotcha!" Jenrya gave him a thumbs-up sign.
Ruki grinned. "I take it you're in a better mood now."
Jenrya sighed. "Sort of, I guess."
Silence hovered between the two as they walked on in silence.
"So," Ruki said quietly, trying to make conversation. "What did Grandma talk to you about?"
(A/N: Wai!!!!!!!! I REALLY liked this chapter!! Sorry 'bout the cliffhanger, but I couldn't resist! One more chapter, then it's done!!! Maybe I'll continue, maybe I won't. I certainly have it set up for a continuation, though. :) I'll try to finish this up by the 27th! After that, you'll have to expect a looooooooong absence from me. Finals, dentist (one more visit and I get braces! No more retainer!!), and two weeks at the cabin, one back, then another week. Geez, I'm probably boring the h3ll out of yous right now, so I'll go.)
Ciao out!
-I.C.
