New Years Resolutions
By the Empress of the Eclipse
Disclaimer - I don't own Digimon.
Okay, this was inspired after I first watched "Our Digital World" (A Million Points of Light) This first time viewing happened to be in Japanese (courtesy of my lovely friend Herongale!), where it helpfully tells you the date of the episode in the Digimon Time-Line (nice of them!). For anyone who doesn't know, the final episode of Season 2 Digimon happens on New Years Eve. So I was wondering, what would their new years resolutions be for that year? It's pretty short and a sort of mixture of sappy and serious - or maybe it's just sappy. Anyway, I hope it's okay!
The eleven Japanese Digidestined were sprawled out all over Kari's room. Outside, they could hear their parents and siblings talking anxiously about everything they'd recently witnessed, but none of the Digidestined could summon up enough energy to care what their parents thought of what was happening at that moment.
Ken Ichijouji was slumped beside the desk, head resting against the drawers. He was too wired up to sleep or even relax and was staring blankly at the wall. Daisuke Motomiya - Davis - was slumped against him. Having expended so much energy and courage in their final battle, he was now completely exhausted and half-dozing against Ken's shoulder. Takeru Takaishi - TK - was sitting backwards on the desk chair, his head resting on his folded arms. Ken couldn't decide if he was asleep or awake, but he suspected awake. Iori Hida was sitting on TK's other side, green eyes still full of misery and shock after seeing Oikawa die. Sora Takenouchi and Yamato Ishida - Matt - were leaning against each other and propped against the other wall, Taichi Yagami - Tai - sitting a little way away from them, his arm round his sister Hikari - Kari- who was in turn holding Yolei Inoue's hand. Koushiro Izumi - Izzy - was sitting beside the door, staring at his folded arms. Joe Kido was lying on Kari's bed, his eyes glued on the ceiling. None of them had spoken since they got back, each lost in their own thoughts. Ken didn't know about the others but all he could do was replay the nights events over and over. Running into that strange fragmented world...watching MaloMyotismon explode from Oikawa's body...seeing the Digimon Kaiser's destruction, then realising that he was lost in his own dreams...then the final fight - and the beautiful butterflies that had flown over every inch of the Digital World.
Ken felt Davis shift a little on his shoulder and instinctively moved so his friend wouldn't fall. He looked at Davis's face, at the little cleft in his forehead as the boy worried in his sleep. Smiling slightly, Ken reached up and brushed a strand of hair out of Davis's face. His friends eyes flickered open and met Ken's. Ken could see the pain and exhaustion set deep inside Davis and knew that Davis - if he'd really been asleep - had been dreaming about the events that Ken had just finished replaying.
"Hey," Sora said softly, interrupting his thoughts "It's after midnight. It's the new year."
There was another silence as everyone took this in. The most incredible year of their lives - over. So many things had happened. How could it all have crammed itself into less than a year?
Briefly, the memories of the night were eclipsed by the thousand memories of the year and everything that had happened.
"Anyone got any new years resolutions?" Tai asked tiredly.
"I was going to promise to stop eating chocolate," Yolei said.
"Are you still?" Kari asked.
"No," Yolei said "As soon as the shops are open, I'm going to go out and buy tons of chocolate and eat the lot."
There were a few exhausted giggles.
"I promised years ago never to make any new years resolutions," Joe said "I never keep them."
"Then lets all think of some that we will keep," Sora suggested "I think we should. It's not just any New Year."
There was another silence but it was a more comfortable one as everyone once again thought back over the events of the year and tried to think of something they could swear to that they would never break. Davis sat up, not moving very far away from Ken, just sitting beside him, his brow furrowed further as he considered his own resolution.
"I'm going to really work at becoming a doctor," Joe spoke up "I know I was working at it before - but now I'm really going to try, harder than ever before. I want...I want to help people. I never want to see people - or Digimon - die in front of me ever again. I'm going to make a difference."
He bit his lip, mind full of the memories - mainly of that night where he'd seen Oikawa die from where he'd been standing and known he was incapable of doing anything - but also of the feeling of hope he'd gained as the butterflies had flown across the sky - hope that things really could be changed on Earth.
"I'm going to spend more time with my family," Sora said "Not just with my mother - with my father too. Family is more important than I'd ever realised. Without our families, we're truly lost."
She thought briefly of Ken, driven to becoming the Digimon Kaiser because of his family, of Iori's father and Oikawa forbidden to do their experiments with the Digital World by Iori's grandfather - but then she let the memories go and bought the happier ones to mind - the way all their parents had stuck by them when they'd discovered what they were doing and the way they'd all offered their children strength for the coming battle.
"I promise to always remember that even in the darkest times, we can always trust our family to come through for us," Izzy said quietly "My parents never let me down once they found out I was a Digidestined - and I promise that if I ever have children, that's how I'll be."
Sora smiled, knowing he was remembering some of the same things she was. Izzy caught her eye and smiled back, before sinking away in his tide of memories.
"I'm never going to forget the powers of love and sincerity," Yolei said quietly "And how much difference they can make to the world - and to me."
She thought of her Digimentals and how each of them had activated. She thought of Ken and her changing feelings towards him as he'd gone from being an idol, to being evil, to slowly becoming a friend. She thought of how she and Kari had DNA-Digivolved together, and how her other friends had bonded in the same way. She thought of a good many things, and smiled.
"I promise never to let myself despair," Kari spoke up "The Dark Ocean will never be able to pull me back to it again because I'm stronger than that now. And I'm always going to remember that."
Her mind was also on the DNA-Digivolving, and how her friendship with Yolei had saved her from giving in to the darkness sucking at her soul. It also lingered on the way TK had helped her from giving in the first time. She smiled over at him, then at Yolei, the horrors of the night banished by her own light.
"I'm never going to allow the powers of darkness to over-power me again either," Ken said, his voice soft but full of determination "I'll never let guilt over-power me again either. I'm in control of my own actions - and I'll never be as cruel as I was when I was the Digimon Kaiser again. So I guess I'm resolving...resolving to always just be Ken. Just to be myself."
He looked at the floor then, remembering the long ago promise to Wormmon. He'd broken it then - but he'd never break it again.
"I resolve never to forget that where there's darkness, there'll always be light," TK said "And that even when it's like there's no hope, there always will be - if you look hard enough."
He was remembering Azulongmon's words, as well as the many conversations he'd either had or listened to, many of which had featured around this point - as well as the question as to whether people could really change from darkness, to the light.
"I resolve to always stay true to my dreams," Matt said "Because without our dreams and hopes, we're just empty shells."
He was remembering how the power of dreams had defeated MaloMyotismon and lit up the sky with a million points of golden light. Dreams were stronger than any of the crests of Digimentals that any of them bore. There was more power in a solid hope than a thousand certainties.
"I'm always going to remember that no one is beyond hope," Iori said, his voice choked "That even when they seem like there's nothing in them but evil and hatred and cruelty - they can always change."
He wiped his eyes which were streaming tears again and everyone knew he was thinking of not just Ken, but BlackWarGreymon and Oikawa.
"I promise to always have faith in my friends," Tai said "Because true friends will never let you down, even when you know that they have to make hard decisions."
Ken thought he saw Tai glance at Sora and Matt momentarily after he said that, but then Tai was looking at Davis, who was the only person who hadn't yet spoken.
"I'll always remember that my friends are the most important things in my life," Davis said quietly "And I promise to never stop being friends with any of you. I'll never forget anything that happened this - last year. None of it."
He held out one of his hands and after a moment, everyone moved over and extended on of their own hands, pressing it against Davis's outstretched one. For a moment, they stayed like that, their promises ringing in their ears, along with the sounds of a million memories. Then, strength drawn from the bonds that they had formed over the year, they separated and went out to face their families.
The End.
A/N. Oh all right, maybe it was just sappy! Sorry, I tried!
By the Empress of the Eclipse
Disclaimer - I don't own Digimon.
Okay, this was inspired after I first watched "Our Digital World" (A Million Points of Light) This first time viewing happened to be in Japanese (courtesy of my lovely friend Herongale!), where it helpfully tells you the date of the episode in the Digimon Time-Line (nice of them!). For anyone who doesn't know, the final episode of Season 2 Digimon happens on New Years Eve. So I was wondering, what would their new years resolutions be for that year? It's pretty short and a sort of mixture of sappy and serious - or maybe it's just sappy. Anyway, I hope it's okay!
The eleven Japanese Digidestined were sprawled out all over Kari's room. Outside, they could hear their parents and siblings talking anxiously about everything they'd recently witnessed, but none of the Digidestined could summon up enough energy to care what their parents thought of what was happening at that moment.
Ken Ichijouji was slumped beside the desk, head resting against the drawers. He was too wired up to sleep or even relax and was staring blankly at the wall. Daisuke Motomiya - Davis - was slumped against him. Having expended so much energy and courage in their final battle, he was now completely exhausted and half-dozing against Ken's shoulder. Takeru Takaishi - TK - was sitting backwards on the desk chair, his head resting on his folded arms. Ken couldn't decide if he was asleep or awake, but he suspected awake. Iori Hida was sitting on TK's other side, green eyes still full of misery and shock after seeing Oikawa die. Sora Takenouchi and Yamato Ishida - Matt - were leaning against each other and propped against the other wall, Taichi Yagami - Tai - sitting a little way away from them, his arm round his sister Hikari - Kari- who was in turn holding Yolei Inoue's hand. Koushiro Izumi - Izzy - was sitting beside the door, staring at his folded arms. Joe Kido was lying on Kari's bed, his eyes glued on the ceiling. None of them had spoken since they got back, each lost in their own thoughts. Ken didn't know about the others but all he could do was replay the nights events over and over. Running into that strange fragmented world...watching MaloMyotismon explode from Oikawa's body...seeing the Digimon Kaiser's destruction, then realising that he was lost in his own dreams...then the final fight - and the beautiful butterflies that had flown over every inch of the Digital World.
Ken felt Davis shift a little on his shoulder and instinctively moved so his friend wouldn't fall. He looked at Davis's face, at the little cleft in his forehead as the boy worried in his sleep. Smiling slightly, Ken reached up and brushed a strand of hair out of Davis's face. His friends eyes flickered open and met Ken's. Ken could see the pain and exhaustion set deep inside Davis and knew that Davis - if he'd really been asleep - had been dreaming about the events that Ken had just finished replaying.
"Hey," Sora said softly, interrupting his thoughts "It's after midnight. It's the new year."
There was another silence as everyone took this in. The most incredible year of their lives - over. So many things had happened. How could it all have crammed itself into less than a year?
Briefly, the memories of the night were eclipsed by the thousand memories of the year and everything that had happened.
"Anyone got any new years resolutions?" Tai asked tiredly.
"I was going to promise to stop eating chocolate," Yolei said.
"Are you still?" Kari asked.
"No," Yolei said "As soon as the shops are open, I'm going to go out and buy tons of chocolate and eat the lot."
There were a few exhausted giggles.
"I promised years ago never to make any new years resolutions," Joe said "I never keep them."
"Then lets all think of some that we will keep," Sora suggested "I think we should. It's not just any New Year."
There was another silence but it was a more comfortable one as everyone once again thought back over the events of the year and tried to think of something they could swear to that they would never break. Davis sat up, not moving very far away from Ken, just sitting beside him, his brow furrowed further as he considered his own resolution.
"I'm going to really work at becoming a doctor," Joe spoke up "I know I was working at it before - but now I'm really going to try, harder than ever before. I want...I want to help people. I never want to see people - or Digimon - die in front of me ever again. I'm going to make a difference."
He bit his lip, mind full of the memories - mainly of that night where he'd seen Oikawa die from where he'd been standing and known he was incapable of doing anything - but also of the feeling of hope he'd gained as the butterflies had flown across the sky - hope that things really could be changed on Earth.
"I'm going to spend more time with my family," Sora said "Not just with my mother - with my father too. Family is more important than I'd ever realised. Without our families, we're truly lost."
She thought briefly of Ken, driven to becoming the Digimon Kaiser because of his family, of Iori's father and Oikawa forbidden to do their experiments with the Digital World by Iori's grandfather - but then she let the memories go and bought the happier ones to mind - the way all their parents had stuck by them when they'd discovered what they were doing and the way they'd all offered their children strength for the coming battle.
"I promise to always remember that even in the darkest times, we can always trust our family to come through for us," Izzy said quietly "My parents never let me down once they found out I was a Digidestined - and I promise that if I ever have children, that's how I'll be."
Sora smiled, knowing he was remembering some of the same things she was. Izzy caught her eye and smiled back, before sinking away in his tide of memories.
"I'm never going to forget the powers of love and sincerity," Yolei said quietly "And how much difference they can make to the world - and to me."
She thought of her Digimentals and how each of them had activated. She thought of Ken and her changing feelings towards him as he'd gone from being an idol, to being evil, to slowly becoming a friend. She thought of how she and Kari had DNA-Digivolved together, and how her other friends had bonded in the same way. She thought of a good many things, and smiled.
"I promise never to let myself despair," Kari spoke up "The Dark Ocean will never be able to pull me back to it again because I'm stronger than that now. And I'm always going to remember that."
Her mind was also on the DNA-Digivolving, and how her friendship with Yolei had saved her from giving in to the darkness sucking at her soul. It also lingered on the way TK had helped her from giving in the first time. She smiled over at him, then at Yolei, the horrors of the night banished by her own light.
"I'm never going to allow the powers of darkness to over-power me again either," Ken said, his voice soft but full of determination "I'll never let guilt over-power me again either. I'm in control of my own actions - and I'll never be as cruel as I was when I was the Digimon Kaiser again. So I guess I'm resolving...resolving to always just be Ken. Just to be myself."
He looked at the floor then, remembering the long ago promise to Wormmon. He'd broken it then - but he'd never break it again.
"I resolve never to forget that where there's darkness, there'll always be light," TK said "And that even when it's like there's no hope, there always will be - if you look hard enough."
He was remembering Azulongmon's words, as well as the many conversations he'd either had or listened to, many of which had featured around this point - as well as the question as to whether people could really change from darkness, to the light.
"I resolve to always stay true to my dreams," Matt said "Because without our dreams and hopes, we're just empty shells."
He was remembering how the power of dreams had defeated MaloMyotismon and lit up the sky with a million points of golden light. Dreams were stronger than any of the crests of Digimentals that any of them bore. There was more power in a solid hope than a thousand certainties.
"I'm always going to remember that no one is beyond hope," Iori said, his voice choked "That even when they seem like there's nothing in them but evil and hatred and cruelty - they can always change."
He wiped his eyes which were streaming tears again and everyone knew he was thinking of not just Ken, but BlackWarGreymon and Oikawa.
"I promise to always have faith in my friends," Tai said "Because true friends will never let you down, even when you know that they have to make hard decisions."
Ken thought he saw Tai glance at Sora and Matt momentarily after he said that, but then Tai was looking at Davis, who was the only person who hadn't yet spoken.
"I'll always remember that my friends are the most important things in my life," Davis said quietly "And I promise to never stop being friends with any of you. I'll never forget anything that happened this - last year. None of it."
He held out one of his hands and after a moment, everyone moved over and extended on of their own hands, pressing it against Davis's outstretched one. For a moment, they stayed like that, their promises ringing in their ears, along with the sounds of a million memories. Then, strength drawn from the bonds that they had formed over the year, they separated and went out to face their families.
The End.
A/N. Oh all right, maybe it was just sappy! Sorry, I tried!