SILENT SORROW: SCARS OF HAPPINESS

Chapter 1

Chains of Destiny

It wasn't everyday, and it wasn't just for any reason that all of the "Original" Digi-Destined reunited. Huge events generally took place during such reunions. Last time they had met, they had received the shock of discovering that Takeru Takaishi was still alive. Even if they hadn't shared as much time as they had wanted too, being able to look at him one more time had been relieving. Not much, though.

But Mimi Tachikawa slapped herself mentally when her trail of thought rested on Takeru. She, as well as everybody else, had been a fool by expecting TK to be the same cheerful and reliable young boy (Mimi had added 'cute' to the description at the age of 15. Unfortunately, Takeru left during that time period.). Of course, time and circumstances changed people, and Takeru was no exception, especially considering that he had spent all of his puberty and the years after that in the Digital World (pretty much every quadrant, and Infinity……but there's no way Mimi could have known that). When they had found him, a few days before, in Gennai's residence, he was anything but cheerful. He had a deep look, very serious, and he seemed to lack social skills, which Mimi found quite understandable. He was still very cute, though.

Who am I kidding!? He is yummy!!!

But anyway, what is it that made the Digi-Destined reunite once again in the Digital World?

Every time they met, it was because one of them had prepared a reunion, to reminiscence and talk of those fantastic years, and of course, to catch up on what they had been doing recently.

For the first (and probably last) time ever, Koushiro Izumi had been the meeting's director.

It's not that he was against such meetings, or didn't enjoy them. Koushiro had been much more outgoing with the years. After all, he would have never scored with Katherine by being good old Izzy, the Computer Wizard (even if the fact that he was filthy rich could have helped a little…). And speaking of such, Izzy hadn't wasted time announcing that things with the blonde French beauty hadn't worked. After Davis' question of "how come?" the redhead had simply replied "Didn't have time for each other."

When desired, Izzy could be a man of few words.

Once that had been settled, Koushiro had immediately switched to business mode, engaging the topic of the true reason for their meeting. Matt had been the first to ask, of course. Izzy had replied with a joke, asking the blonde Ishida if he had an important appointment of something. Everyone knew that Matt's job with aeronautics wasn't much time-consuming, even if they were preparing the Mission to Mars, in which Matt would be part of. Or at least those were the rumors. What everyone knew, too, was that even with such a loose schedule, Matt spent quite a lot of time outside the house he shared with his wife.

Everyone preferred to leave it at that. Especially Sora.

Eventually, Izzy's answer to Matt question was as simple as the answer to Davis' question.

"Gennai summoned us."

However, it had been more than enough. After MaloMyotismon, Gennai had NEVER summoned them. Every time the Digital World suffered any inconvenience (generally a wild Digimon losing control or a Virus wanting to play badass or minor things like that), Gennai simply contacted Koushiro, who usually had no problem dealing with the problem at hand. And in the very few cases that Koushiro had trouble solving the inconvenience, the aid of one or two more Digi-Destined was more than enough.

Gennai had never needed to summon the whole group in fourteen years. And Mimi didn't want to be summoned anymore. But it had happened. And Mimi didn't like it at all.

The baby growing in her womb didn't seem to like it, either, and made sure to show it with a pretty good kick.

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Why today……?

Davis groaned silently as they followed Koushiro along the long road that would take them to Gennai's house. Davis knew the path by memory, they had walked him dozens of times before. He didn't remember being this silent ever before, though.

He was in the very middle of the group. Right behind Ken and Yolei, and in front of Kari. Being behind the Ichijoujis, he had (forcefully) watched the couple for quite a while now. And he had reached a very important conclusion.

He envied Ken Ichijouji.

Not because of Yolei, of course. Davis found the mere idea to be……well, weird (A/N: My apologies to Daiyako fans!). It was because Ken looked……fulfilled.

Davis had accomplished his dream, of course. His group of restaurants and franchises had made him rich. Then, he helped Mimi with her culinary studies, and that made him a millionaire. Who'd have thought that Mimi's sweets would be THAT good!?

But he still was single.

Not that he didn't like being single. Of course not, as God knew he had enjoyed his bachelor days. However, Davis was getting kind of tired. The moment when ONE is not enough had reached him, and he desperately needed company. Permanent female company. Damn biological clock.

He had made smart moves with his money. He had spent it wisely, and saved it wisely. He knew that he would live a perfectly comfortable retirement in a pair of decades. He was sure of it. God bless Izzy and his stock advises. He now needed someone to share that retirement with. He wanted to experience what Ken and Yolei experienced. He wanted someone to welcome him when he arrived home after a hard day's work. Well, there was always the maid, but she wouldn't pin him against the wall to kiss him passionately. Heck, even Cody was already engaged! Now it was he, Izzy and Joe left (and Takeru).

But why was he so afraid of staying single? He was still relatively young, and he was one of Japan's most desired bachelors. Did it have something to do with Gennai's sudden call? The idea was annoying him, even more than listening to his sister's singing.

Maybe there was a new enemy.

Maybe this one was tough.

Maybe they'd have to fight again.

Fourteen years ago, he would have recklessly leaded his friends to battle, no matter how uncertain things looked.

What the hell happened to him during these fourteen years?

Suddenly he didn't feel so courageous anymore.

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Cody Hida hadn't said a word. His mind hadn't worked too much, either. He was certain of what Gennai was going to tell them, and he was certain of how he would reply.

No.

He would not fight again.

Cody Hida was not going to fight.

Cody Hida didn't give a damn about whoever the new enemy was, or how tough it might be, or how necessary they were. The only thing is his mind was the woman who had stolen his heart and the fact that in three weeks from this day, they would be happily married.

He at least deserved that, right? He had the right to refuse. It wasn't as easy as fourteen years before: get Digi-Egg, get Digimon, fight the evil guys and save the world. Unlike fourteen years ago, Cody considered the idea that he might die, and make Yui a widow even before getting married. He had changed.

But there was something that hadn't changed. Fourteen years ago he wasn't a boy of risks. Now he was not a man of risks.

For a second, he wondered if that was what made boys adults: fear of death. He immediately rejected the idea. He had been afraid of dying during his childhood adventures, he was sure of that. Then, why hadn't he doubted then? He remembered he was against killing Digimon, but, besides that, he had never desired to stop fighting. What had changed?

Was it that he was now engaged, and happily looking forward to the world of marriage? Was it that he was furthering his law studies, and slowly climbing his way to being known as a good lawyer?

What was it?

Maybe he shouldn't have even showed up at all………

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Hikari Kamiya didn't feel very good. It was almost as if the idea of going to Gennai's place was being rejected by her body. Every step seemed to be a challenge, and she was starting to sweat.

The baby she carried in her arms seemed to weight a ton.

Why had she brought him in the first place? Maybe it was because she wanted to believe that everything was okay, that Gennai just wanted to talk for a while, maybe accompanied by a cup of tea or two. Maybe they'd get to see Takeru again!

Who am I kidding………

Her only relief was that she could tell that everybody was going through the same dilemma. At least, everyone but Izzy. The redhead seemed to be the only one who walked to Gennai's with haste and determination. He wasn't leading the group for no reason. He had always leaded the group after MaloMyotismon, and he was the Digi-Destined who had kept a closer relationship with the Digital World during these past fourteen years.

As weird as it sounded, Koushiro Izumi was the new leader of the Digi-Destined. He might be the last.

She hadn't thought of her Digi-Destined years in quite a while. She was too busy with the task of being a single mother……a divorced mother. But she hadn't given up. She would never give up. She now knew that she'd always have her friends to help her, and she knew that she could be strong. She had to be strong, for her child.

Another thing she'd have to thank Takeru for, she guessed.

But it was then when she realized that she hadn't truly matured until very recently. Even after she finished school and college, even after she got married and had a child, she still liked to be pampered, even if it was just a little bit. She had always hated when her brother overprotected her, and now it was what she missed the most from him. She had always preferred to wrap herself with Takeru's arms rather than buying a frickin' jacket. She never got to apologize to her brother for not realizing that he was the best brother in the world. She never apologized to Takeru for toying with his feelings. Maybe if she had……things would have been much better.

But, she guessed, she wasted her time blaming herself. Past couldn't be changed……no matter how much she wanted to.

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Joe Kido wasn't a man of bravery. How he managed to handle some of bloodiest surgeries he had done, he didn't know. How he managed to survive the Digital World fourteen years before, hell, he still asked himself that. How he managed to find the guts to ask Jun Motomiya on a date (even if she never heard him), he'd sure like to know.

It was kind of nice to know that, for once, the others were getting to experience what it felt to be Joe Kido.

Oh, yes, he could tell. His degree included some basic psychology, after all. He could tell that they doubted, even the mighty former leader, Davis Motomiya, doubted.

And you know what felt even better?

That he, Joe Kido, didn't doubt. He was up to the challenge.

Incredibly enough, he was satisfied with what he had accomplished. He was looking forward to be a Digi-Destined one more time. He missed the action as much as everyone else. The difference was that, as adults, the others felt that they shouldn't be put through those experiences again. Joe, on the other side, thought that, as adults, they had to face the new responsibility.

He looked at the person in front of him. Koushiro Izumi, leader of the Digi-Destined. Joe was thankful that Izzy shared his thoughts. They both knew why Gennai had called them and only them. Yeah, there were millions of kids with Digimon in the world now, but in an authentic battle situation, only the former Digi-Destined had the necessary battle experience. It was something that Joe didn't like from the peaceful future he had helped create. Digimon had become barely more than simple pets.

Looking at Koushiro and his determined expression, Joe couldn't help but think about Taichi and Takeru. He wondered where Takeru was right now. Obviously, Matt's brother had preferred the life of a wanderer in the Digital World. He didn't blame Takeru for it, though. Sure, it might not have been for the correct reasons, but Takeru was a mature boy, and he didn't seem to regret his choice.

As for Tai………sometimes he still expected the brown-haired Kamiya to show up one of these days. He and the extraterrestrial life form Tai called his 'hair'. Really, that thing had to be a living thing to challenge gravity the way it did.

He made a mental note to discuss these thoughts with Gomamon sometime later.

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To say that Matt Ishida was annoyed was an understatement. To be completely honest, he was truly pissed off.

Why the hell had Koushiro called them for so early in the morning? By doing that, he had ruined a perfectly calm day when he was supposed to do absolutely nothing. Maybe watching a soccer match on TV while his lovely wife made the house chores. After lunch, she'd join him for some movies and maybe they'd order dinner, if Sora wasn't in the mood for cooking. One of those days when he never got off the couch.

But no! Izzy had to wake them up with a phone to order (yes, order, because the way he had spoken didn't suggest a request!) them to meet with the others at his house ASAP.

Matt sighed and looked at his wife, who walked next to him. Why didn't she seem to share his discontent? Maybe it was because of the chance to get out of the house. Matt made a mental note to go out with his wife to places other than the market.

He knew the Digimon were already waiting for them at Gennai's. The Digital Guardian had summoned them a few days before. And now he had requested the Digi-Destined. It was obvious that something bad had happened. And it seemed to be something Izzy, Digi-Destined extraordinaire, couldn't handle by himself.

Matt sighed again. It was probably a bunch of rampaging Digimon. They'd deal with them immediately, and hopefully be back home for dinner. Oh, and they were definitely ordering.

***********************************************************************

Koushiro was, indeed, as strong as everybody else saw him at the moment. Fourteen yeas ago, he would already be panting and huffing from the long walk. He hadn't been long into adulthood when he realized he was throwing his body to the trash can. It was even worse during his college years, when he practically LIVED in front of the computer screen, writing line after line of programming code in the language he was requested to. He only abandoned his seat to take the eventual and much necessary shower once a day. He ate on that chair, he slept on that chair. Heck, if he had had a girlfriend in that moment he'd have made love to her on that damn chair. He still thanked Toudai –Tokyo U- for the excellent education he received there, but he still cursed for the one hell of a backache he got there.

And that was pretty much the reason he began working out. Buying one of those exercising machines wasn't much of a problem, as money began filling his pocket as soon as he got his first job. Oh yes, God gives blessings to those who work hard and prove their worth. And, thankfully, Koushiro was still a very modest man. He never forgot to give half of his monthly salary to his parents. And, thankfully, he still hadn't lost the ability to think quickly and with great intelligence. His ability to predict the stock movements made the Ichijoujis an economically stable family and made Davis Motomiya a millionaire.

However, that didn't change the fact that he was a very busy man. How he found time to work full-time as chief designer and programmer for Pineapple Communications, Inc., being the Digi-Destined's very own financial advisor and being the leader of every project and expedition concerning the Digital World without having a mental breakdown was still a mystery. Gennai couldn't be more thankful, though.

Oh, but he would be. Koushiro would be a savior and leader in a moment of Digi-Destined history when the Digi-Destined needed a savior and leader the most.

And, as a good leader, the redhead was very worried about his friends. He had expected their reactions, of course. Years of studying robotics and the conditioned decisions that governs electronic minds had given him an edge in the comprehension of the complexities of human mind. To say in English, he was good as predicting others' actions and reactions.

He was expecting Cody's reluctance, that's for sure. And he understood completely. After all, the young lawyer was getting married. Matt seemed to be kind of mad, but Izzy had realized quite a bit ago that Matt wasn't so giddy about Digimon stuff anymore. Koushiro himself was a little pissed off, too, but for completely different reasons.

Yolei and Kari had brought their children. Well, technically, Mimi had, too, but it wasn't like she could do something about that, being pregnant and everything.

Izzy wondered if Yolei and Kari grasped the whole concept of what they were doing at Gennai's that day. They weren't on a picnic, for God's sake! They were in a potentially dangerous situation, and those two girls had dared bring their babies. What the hell was Ken thinking, anyway?

Izzy sighed. He'd let Gennai be the one to scold them. Or maybe Takeru…… Koushiro thought with a slight grin. Now that would be interesting.

He could feel the tall presence of Joe right behind him. He was glad Joe had understood the meaning of today's meeting. He was even gladder that Joe had brought his reliable first-aid kit, just like the first time they went to the Digital World, nineteen years before. And he definitely thanked God that Joe had finally learned how to use it. They might have some good uses for a doctor in the next days……hopefully not, but……sometimes being a little pessimistic is a good thing.

Little did Izzy know that Joe would be using his first-aid kit in approximately five or ten minutes.

However, the one who worried Koushiro the most was, of course, Mimi. He had already decided that the first thing he'd do when he arrived to Gennai's place would be to ask for permission to allow Mimi to return to the Real World. She was in no condition to fight, anyway. And she hadn't been much of a fighter in the beginning.

What Izzy didn't know was that the Thread of Destiny would conspire to keep Mimi Tachikawa in the Digital World at any cost. After all, of the group of ten Digi-Destined and two…no, three babies, Mimi, and, of course, the being growing in her womb were the most important of all.

Why is that? That is because, of course, that child and her mother would be a very decisive factor in the future of a certain Takato Matsuki.

But, as usual, I'm going waaaaay too far in the future. Like a decade, actually.

*******************************************************************

And so, they arrived to Gennai's lake. As expected, Gennai had already made the waters to separate, revealing the stairway that would take to his house's entrance. What they didn't expect was the person waiting for them at the top of the stairs.

"We meet again, Digi-Destined."

"Takeru!"

"Yes, Hikari, that's how I was named by my parents."

The Kamiya girl was the first to step forward to hug Takeru, who replied by moving one step forwards, in an obvious indication that he, wanted no hugs. An interesting detail was that he was wearing no shirt, only a pair of baggy blue jeans. Mimi resisted the urge to switch to 'flirting mode'. Hikari stopped halfway, with a forlorn look on her pretty face……and a baby wailing in her arms. Takeru easily noticed, but his next comment had nothing to do with the boy's cries.

"What is he doing here?" Takeru asked with a cold voice which made Hikari cringe.

"Where else do you expect him to be? I'm his mother." The woman answered, almost afraid of the reaction her words might cause.

Takeru simply shook his head. "This is no place for him."

Then, he looked at the others. "Why did you allow it!?"

Then, he noticed Yolei's baby, who had joined Kari's child's. "Oh, I see."

Takeru faced Yolei, Ken, and the Kari, with the coldest look they had ever seen on the blonde's face. "I will hold no responsibility for those children's deaths. Understood?"

Yolei let go a loud gasp and the others moved a step forward in a protective manner. The others, but Izzy, who stayed in the back with an 'I told you', look on his face. Davis was the first to complain about Takeru's actions.

"Damn, TJ, are you insane!?"

Takeru drilled a hole on Davis' head with his glare. "If those two stay in this world, I assure you that they will die, as well as their parents. And if you call me……that, again, I break your jaw so hard that you'll have to swim to the bottom of the lake for the pieces."

Davis retreated one step. Takeru looked at the others, with a look which said 'Anyone else?' When he realized that he had won, he proceeded to move on with the expected procedures.

"Gennai is waiting as we waste our time with your foolishness. Please follow me."

He turned his back to them and began his way down the stairs.

Mimi was the first to gasp this time.

Takeru's back was literally charred.

Nobody said anything, of course. They were in the dilemma of hurrying to help his obviously hurt partner or hate him for the way he was treating them. Koushiro, being the only one who wasn't in such a dilemma, hurried to walk next to the Emerald Tamer.

"Are you okay, Takeru?"

Takeru chuckled……and winced. "Do I look okay?"

"I…guess not. But for someone who must be in a lot of pain, you're handling it quite well. I admire you."

"Gee, I'm flattered. Wanna switch places?"

Both guys laughed together. The others remained silent. "Takeru, what the hell's going on?"

"Be patient, Koushiro. Patience is wisdom. Besides, we don't want to leave Gennai out of the conversation."

Koushiro nodded.

"How's Catherine?"

"We're over."

"Mm-hmm……"

"Now what's that supposed to mean, Takeru?"

"I just said 'Mm-hmm'."

They continued walking. "How's Mimi's pregnancy going?"

"She's doing well. She still has no idea who the father is, though." Izzy replied.

"I have a hunch of who might be." Takeru said with a neutral look.

"Really? Who?"

"I'd rather……not discuss that……yet."

They joined the other Digi-Destined in silence for the rest of the way down. While the two men were in the front, Hikari and Mimi were in the back of the group, watching with worried eyes the trail of blood Takeru's back created.

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Just as expected, their Digimon were in the house. The adults didn't get much of a welcoming, though.

The ten Digimon seemed to be too busy gathered in a circle around something. After watching Takeru's back, it wasn't tough to understand the motive of the Digimon's concern. Takeru's words did the rest.

"Do you understand now? We're not going to a fucking walk in the park. This is not a goddamned picnic."

If Takeru's back had suffered the wrath of Daemon's "Flame Inferno", Patamon was a total wreck. Little eruptions of fading data flooded out of his body every few seconds, sending the little Data-type in a shivering fit. That, and the fact that he seemed to be fading in and out of existence was enough to force some tears out of the most sensitive Digi-Destined, namely Kari and Yolei.

"What the hell happened to you two!?" Matt demanded to know while the other Digi-Destined joined their Digimon around the agonizing Patamon.

Takeru shrugged and sighed sadly. "We didn't escape fast enough this time. Our luck had to run out one day."

Finally, Gennai showed up from behind a door and walked in front of Takeru.

"Now everything depends on him, Takeru."

Takeru nodded and smiled. "Yeah, I guess. He'll live, anyway. The little guy is tough. Besides, he always says he can't die before he sees a Chibi-Takeru running on a park with a little dog."

Gennai and Matt chuckled. "That doesn't seem to be very likely to happen anytime soon, huh?" Gennai said.

"No, I guess not. Not until all this stuff is over, at least."

Silence, only interrupted by Patamon's heart-breaking groans. Gennai sighed. "He's that powerful, huh?"

"He definitely didn't waste his time these last fourteen years, that I can tell you."

"Who?" Matt asked.

"A nightmare I would have expected not to live again." Takeru said with a sigh. "The only Evil Digimon we weren't capable of destroying."

Who else but Ken to be the first to realize what Takeru was talking about? He looked up at the blonde Tamer, fear evident on his eyes.

"Oh, dear lord, no………"

Takeru nodded. "Yes. Deamon's back."

**********************************************************************

Takeru, Gennai and the Digi-Destined only settled down to talk when Patamon seemed to reach a more stable level. Just like Takeru had said, the little guy was not giving up just yet. At the moment he seemed to be resting, his face was peaceful, but everyone knew of the internal struggle against deletion Patamon was facing. It hurt to know there was nothing else they could do for him.

So, they had gathered at the living room, all of them finding a place in the limited amount of seats and the sofa. Those who weren't as lucky had a lot of floor space to choose from. Mimi had one of the large comfy chairs, of course. Matt, Sora, Yolei and Kari took possession of the couch, while Gennai, Izzy and Takeru took the remaining seats. Cody, Davis and Joe stood calmly behind Yolei, Kari and Sora, respectively. Gennai was the first to speak.

"So, Daemon has focused his efforts on the Southern Quadrant, right?"

Takeru nodded. "Indeed. He is after the powers of the Vessel of God, so it's obvious that he had to go to the human realm connected to the Southern Quadrant."

"How are the Tamers fairing?"

"Wait a second there!" Davis interrupted. "We're not just going to stand here listening and not having the slightest idea like last time! What is that Tamer stuff?"

Both Takeru and Gennai sighed. "He has a point, though." Gennai stated.

"For once……" Takeru added with a smile. "Okay, Davis. Let's see……you do remember that there are four Mega Digimon which guard the four quadrants of the Digital World……right?"

"Huh?"

Takeru groaned. "Yolei……please?"

Yolei handed her baby to Ken, proudly stood up……and smacked the back of Davis' head.

"Hey! What was that for?"

"For being an idiot, of course." Yolei stated as she sat back down and retrieved her child from Ken's arms. Takeru proceeded to explain for Davis and anyone else who didn't remember.

"Azulongmon, the Holy Dragon; Zhuquiaomon, the holy red sparrow; Ebonwumon, the two-headed turtle; and Baihumon, the white tiger are the guardians of the east, south, west and north, respectively. Each of the quadrants is ruled by one of them and blessed by two partner crests. Each of the quadrants is connected to a different human realm, sort of like parallel dimensions. Are you with me?"

Everyone nodded, even Davis. Kari raised her hand slowly. "I do remember Azulongmon and his words."

Takeru nodded. "Then you remember that we exist in the Eastern Quadrant, blessed by the Crests of Hope and Light, which protect and give life to the Digital World. Light cannot exist without Hope to protect it, and without a Light to protect, Hope would have no purpose, hence it wouldn't exist. That's why Hope and Light are partner crests."

Everyone nodded. Takeru caressed the smooth surface of his Omnivice to calm the fuming Pauline. The last thing Takeru needed was to be zapped by a jealous Digivice.

"The thing is, Daemon is currently at the human realm connected to the Southern Quadrant, Zhuquiaomon's. In that world, our childhood adventures are the plot of a very famous anime of the twentieth century's late nineties."

A massive "WHAT!?" followed.

"You mean we're nothing but anime characters!?" Sora asked, utterly terrified. Takeru chuckled in response.

"Oh, of course not. There's a whole catalog of merchandising: the soundtracks, the posters, the action figures, the trading cards, a clothes line for kids, you know that kind of stuff. The point is, every world is completely different from the others. It shouldn't be a surprise, anyway. But we're not here to talk about that, as much as Koushiro here would prefer if I went on with my rambling."

Koushiro pouted and blushed. The others laughed. Gennai looked at Takeru and understood the blonde's intentions. These might be their last happy moments for quite a while.

"Anyway, in that world, the existence of real Digimon was known since several decades ago. However, it just became of public knowledge until recently, when primitive computer software from the early years of computer science, known as D-Reaper, acquired a formidable level of artificial intelligence and threatened to delete the entire Southern Quadrant and the rest of the Digital World. Of course, you weren't informed of such events, as I considered you were too busy being adults and stuff to concern about such a petty matter."

Everyone glared at Takeru……but Izzy, who was deep in thought. "D-Reaper……"

"Yes, Koushiro, D-Reaper. From what I could recall from your Toudai records, you and some of your college friends made a prototype code of the same name. I was told it caused some ruckus in the computer labs." Takeru said with a smile.

Koushiro chuckled……and frowned. "And how come you know of that!?"

Takeru changed his grin to a more sinister smirk. "I might not keep in touch, but I know everything. I know things about everyone of you I bet not even the others know."

Mimi could feel Takeru's gaze on her, even if she was too busy looking away to make sure. Oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God!!!

"The point is, it was right about that time, almost a year ago, when the Tamers appeared in public, too. A group of eight children, each with a Digimon partner, were the ones who destroyed D-Reaper, with a great sacrifice from their part."

Everyone nodded again. Of course, Takeru knew there was much to say about the Tamers. He also knew that the others were probably picturing Takato and his friends as another group of Digi-Destined. Takeru almost considered that an insult. The Tamers were more than that……much more. After all, one of them had a Mega Digimon as his partner, and five others could change to Mega at their free will. Kazu and Suzie could already evolve their partners to Ultimate, and it was a matter of time before they learned the ways of bio-merging. Besides, their skills with the modify cards, their greater experience at battle strategizing and the simple fact that their leader was the new advent of God were other things the Digi-Destined lacked.

Takeru sighed. The more he thought about it, the more grim things seemed to get. But, as long as Daemon didn't decide to pay a personal visit to the Easter Quadrant, they'd live.

It would be Gennai the one to interrupt the meeting.

"I think this is a perfect time for us to have a little snack. Besides, I think you'd like to have Joe take a look at those wounds, Takeru."

Takeru eyed Gennai with an odd look. "I……guess."

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However, Gennai resumed the conversation while the Digi-Destined ate and Joe attended Takeru's wounds. The blue-haired doctor had to give credit to his former Digi-Destined colleague for not complaining at all while he was being healed.

"So……how are the Tamers faring?" Gennai asked again.

"To make it simple, we were flattened on the ground, smacked on our sorry rears and tossed aside. Daemon's unbelievably tough. The fact that he has the entire army of the Dark Ocean under his command doesn't help things, either."

"I see……so, what happened to Matsuki?"

"Fortunately, he managed to escape to the Digital World before Daemon could get his hands on him. However, it's a matter of time before Daemon sends his troops after him."

Gennai took a sip of his tea. "…that's good. Is he alone?"

"No. Rika Nonaka and her Digimon are with him."

"Hmm………how much time do you give him?"

"At his current pace………five days, and I'm being optimistic."

"I see."

"What are you two talking about? What's so important about this Matsuki guy?" Matt asked.

"Remember last time we met here?" Takeru asked the Digi-Destined, who nodded in response.

"Last time we were also talking about Takato Matsuki. That boy is the leader of the Digimon Tamers, and Daemon's main objective."

"Why is Daemon after him?" Ken asked. "Don't tell me he……?"

"No, Ken, he does not have a Dark Spore. The truth is, Takato Matsuki is an artificially created human being designed especially for the purpose of containing the essence of God for his next advent."

Silence.

"Well, it's good to know you still have some sense of humor……as weird as it might be." Cody said, and everyone nodded in agreement. Takeru looked at Gennai with a smile.

"Hehe, they think I'm joking. But I guess I can't blame them. They don't know I never joke outside of a battlefield."

"Well, you have to admit Takato's story is kind of bizarre. I'd find it hard to believe, too, if I wasn't one of Takato's designers."

"I guess……I just have an open mind." Takeru replied with a silly smile. "But we shouldn't worry about that, anyway. Takato's death will not only put a stop to Daemon's plan, but it will be a painful blow to him. Then, we'll strike. I saw that the Tamers managed to tire him out a little. We can defeat him at his current power level, but it will take a lot of effort. Meanwhile, we should worry about Daemon's troops invading this quadrant. And pray Daemon doesn't visit."

"What are our odds against Daemon, Takeru?" Gennai asked. Takeru gave him an odd look.

"Odds? There are no odds, Gennai. We don't stand a ghost of a chance against him. You don't get it, do you? The Tamers lost against that damned Demon Lord, and at this point the Tamers' power is dozens of times greater than the Digi-Destined's!"

Of course, those comments wouldn't just be accepted by the Digi-Destined.

"Hey, we could take Daemon last time, we can do it again!" Davis complained. Takeru snorted in response.

"Oh, come on, Davis, stop with the lame jokes. When was the last time you……ANY of you, has fought a Digimon?"

Silence.

"Most of you hadn't been in a battle since MaloMyotismon, and Koushiro here is the only one who has agreed to do constant watching of the Digital World, so his Tentomon is the strongest Digimon you have right now. And you know as well as I do than MegaKabuterimon doesn't stand a chance against a Mega Digimon like Daemon."

Davis wouldn't give up so easily. "But we still have…"

"Imperialdramon?" Takeru finished Davis' sentence. "Imperialdramon is weak; in the case you STILL can form that Digimon. I have no use for weak Digimon."

"Weak!?" Matt shouted in response. "He's the strongest Digimon in the Digital World!"

"Fourteen years ago, brother!" Takeru shouted in response. "Time has passed, and Imperialdramon wouldn't stand a chance with all of its weaknesses. Any of the Tamers' Digimon could take on Fighter Mode easily. Jeri and Rika would have no problems, being Data-types. Henry has a much greater raw power and Ryo would use his great speed as an advantage. And please, oh, please, don't get me started with Takato. Even with the disadvantage of being a Virus, he has proven to be much stronger than most Vaccines. And I think Paladin Mode is out of the question, right?"

Once again, silence. Takeru noticed that Joe had finished with his wounds, so he got up and walked to the main entrance.

"At this point, I could take out Fighter Mode. He wouldn't be a problem for either Seraphimon or SlashAngemon. However, we'll have to do with what we have, and pray Daemon underestimates your power."

Gennai and Koushiro kept their eyes on the now closed door, while the others finished eating and started talking.

"Aaargh! I can't believe his nerve!" Davis muttered. "He's making fun of us, Veemon!"

Veemon wisely chose not to make any comments on that, and kept watching over the sleeping Patamon.

"But, Davis, you have to admit we haven't fought in quite a while." Ken commented. "Things are not the same as fourteen years ago."

"We can't become children again." Cody said wisely. "You can't expect us to perform the feats we managed to pull out last time."

*********************************************************************

Takeru took a deep breath of the Digital World's clean air as he slowly paced through the grassy areas that surrounded Gennai's residence. His back still hurt a lot, but he guessed Patamon's pain was even worse.

……Takeru?

Yes?

I……think you…well………

You think I was a little too harsh on them, huh?

Well……yes.

Yeah, I think so too. I guess I'm kind of moody right now.

Takeru sat down under the leaves of a tall oak. He needed to relax, but he couldn't lean his back against the tree's trunk.

Damn……well, I guess it's all this. I feel that it doesn't matter what I do, I can't change anything! I wonder why I even bother.

Well, for those lives you can save, right?

Yeah, but I still feel that, even if we win, the price will be just too much. Takato is going to die and I know Rika's going to be devastated after this. The Tamers and the Digi-Destined might survive, but I'm sure this will change them, probably for worse.

You're blaming yourself for things you can't control.

And that's precisely the problem! I feel so useless……

Takeru, you're anything but useless! You've done so much, and there are so many other things you still can do, but you can't everything! There's a limit to what you can accomplish. It's part of being human, I guess. It's the same with me. As a machine, I know I'm restricted to a certain limit, regardless of how advanced my programming is. And I'm happy doing what I can do to help, as little as my contribution might be.

Happy………are you capable of feeling happiness?

Of course, Takeru. When I do certain actions, I experience certain…improvement in my functioning. My circuits work faster and make decisions with greater ease, and my protocols get less conflictive. Besides, my mental image feels……lighter and I can't stop from doing the action described as 'to smile'. Hence, I associate this reaction to the feeling of happiness, something which is in my programming, too.

I see……I had no idea you could describe it so well, actually.

But, Takeru, really, there's no reason for you to be angry at yourself. I know the Tamers appreciated your help. And you helped Takato when he most needed a helping hand. And now, you can protect the Digi-Destined, for the sake of past times.

I……I guess. Thank you, Pauline.

You're welcome.

It's still frustrating, though.

I know………

Takeru just stood up and walked his way back to the house.

*************************************************************************

As soon as Takeru entered the house again, Davis spoke.

"Well, at last you decided to apologize."

Takeru shrugged. "Apologize? For what?"

Davis growled, which made Takeru's smirk to grow wider.

"Look, Davish, this is the way things are going to be from now on. First, nobody is allowed to leave this house without my authorization, and that includes you, Gennai."

Gennai nodded, while the others looked at the blonde Tamer in shock. Takeru, unaffected by the looks, continued.

"Second, only Yolei and Hikari will be allowed to return to Odaiba, for a two-hour interval, in which they'll make suitable arrangements for their children, as I won't allow you to keep them in here. Yolei will be escorted by Ken and Hikari by Koushiro, who will make sure to have everything ready before the two-hour interval is over."

The Digi-Destined stared at Yolei and Kari, who were looking at Takeru in disbelief.

"Taichi is not leaving my side, TK!" Kari said, embracing her baby in a protective hold. Takeru's eyes narrowed.

"Guess what? I don't give a damn about your opinion. The baby's not staying, period. Third, you shall address me by, and only by my full name, Takeru."

Takeru ignored the glare Cody, Matt and Davis shot him.

"And fourth. From now on, you will listen to me and only me, and you shall do EXACTLY as I say. In other words, you may think of me as your new God. You will follow my orders without complain and with utmost haste. Any questions?"

"Who do you think you are!? You are not my brother!"

Matt's words hit Takeru like a ton of bricks, but he hid pretty well.

"Precisely. Now I'm your immediate superior, and as such, I expect nothing but your absolute obedience. Ladies and gentlemen, this is war, and we are soldiers. Hence, we must act as such. You, Digi-Destined, lack power, skill, strategy and discipline. However, I'm supposed to make you win against Daemon's forces. Honestly, I think you're asking for a miracle. However, believe it or not, I believe there's hidden power within some of you. Powers you ignore you have. Powers granted by God itself. I guess this is my chance to find out if I'm right or wrong."

Takeru walked to another of the room's exits. "Gennai, prepare appropriate rooming for the group. They'll be staying here for a while. I'm rest for a while, and then, I'll have a private interview with each one of you. There are matters that must be discussed individually. Mr. and Mrs. Ichijouji will be the first."

Takeru finally exited the room. He knew a lot would be said once he left, and he certainly knew some of them were pissed. He smiled at the thought, and he felt even better when he knew that what he had said to Kari was indeed very true.

He didn't give a damn about what they might say.

************************************************************************

Ten minutes later, Takeru was asleep in one of the house's many bedrooms. However, saying that he was asleep would be a mistake. His body was the one which rested, but his mind was working as intensively as usual. Well……not really.

"So, Pauline, when did you learn to do this-whoa…….that feels good……….."

Pauline smiled happily when Takeru expressed his approval of her giving him a backrub.

"Well, you certainly seemed to need it, and I'm programmed to assist my Master in anything he might need, not just for battling purposes. You created me this way, Takeru."

"Yeah, whatever…………"

"You weren't paying attention, were you?"

Pauline didn't mind the lack of an answer, as it meant that she was doing things the right way, and it always made her happy to know that. After all, making Takeru feel satisfied was her purpose, the reason of her existence.

Takeru Takaishi was everything to her.

They had been together for like five years, and her memory banks couldn't recall a single day she hadn't enjoyed. She could still remember the day she was 'born'. Of course, the first thing she saw was his face. His gentle smiling face. And, of course, they became friends immediately.

As Takeru had told her many times in the past, she had been designed to be a perfect match for him, so that there wouldn't be any conflicts during her operation. So, they were naturally friendly towards each other. Any other reaction would have been product of a system error. They had arguments every once in a while, like any pair of normal friends, but they were as close as their creator-machine could let them.

She didn't precisely remember when she realized that a 'Tamer-Omnivice' wasn't enough for her. Not even 'Friend-Friend' seemed to be satisfactory for her anymore. It had taken a while, but she knew exactly when she had identified her feelings as what humans described as 'love'.

It had been after one of their arguments. Every time she considered it again, she understood that it had been entirely her fault. Most of their arguments were her fault, actually. They were consequences of her lack of ability to fully grasp human feelings. And, that day, she had asked Takeru what she meant for him. It was an innocent question, product of her artificial sense of curiosity, but, when Takeru had refused to answer, she felt angry.

And, after all the yelling, cursing and threatening, Takeru settled down under a tree and fell silent. The minutes after his sitting down were the most terrifying of her existence. She feared Takeru would deactivate her, maybe even delete the Artificial Intelligence protocols, or just shutting down the Omnivice. Takeru had programmed to be as human as possible, and that included fear of death.

But then, Takeru had spoken. She remembered each of his words, of course. She'd never forget them, of course.

"Pauline, I can tell you're afraid. Afraid that I might actually materialize my threats…………Pauline, I'd never dare to hurt you. You're so very valuable to me; it would hurt me to lose you. You are my creation, yet I don't think of you as a daughter. You are my friend. The only non-Digimon friend I've had in these lonely years. I regret not having been smart enough to create you earlier……you'd have helped me so much………gosh, I'm doing it again……"

Then, she had asked what he meant, of course.

"……I've been so selfish, Pauline. Every time I say you're my friend, but truth is I've only thought about myself. I expect you to be my friend unconditionally, as I always say, I made you that way. I take you for granted, Pauline, and I'm deeply sorry for it. Honestly. You are a part of me, and my mind is an open book to you. I can't hide anything from you, and I have no intention to. You know everything about me, and I have related to you in a way I've never done with another human being. You're my partner, friend and confident. How could I not like you, then? How could I not care for you? Pauline, besides Patamon, you mean EVERYTHING to me. Everything."

And then, he touched her. In the material plane, the Digital World, Takeru's fingers slowly trailed the Digivice's metallic surface. In the metaphysical world, Takeru's fingers slowly trailed the soft skin of her left cheek. And everything that was 'Pauline' went haywire. For the first time, she processed an unbelievable amount of information, as an indescribable feeling overwhelmed her. She couldn't identify it at the moment, as she was too distressed by the sudden rush of electricity that flooded through her, so pleasant it was almost painful.

Sometime later, when she finally had the chance to calmly process the experience, she realized she had had the artificial equivalent of an orgasm.

From that moment, she multiplied her efforts to please her Tamer, maybe in her need to experience that feeling again. At the same time, Takeru was true to his words, and their relationship grew even better. He treated her as a true friend, and he spent whole days with her. He became an intermediary, and that allowed Pauline to communicate with Patamon for the first time ever. And Takeru made her happy, unbelievably happy. Every time he said 'thank you' or 'good job, Pauline', she felt as if her whole existence was worth those simple words.

But with the happiness, came the sadness, the grief and the envy. And that's why she preferred to give Takeru a backrub. That way he couldn't see her cry.

As a machine, she couldn't give her everything she had wanted to. The first time she had told him that she loved him; Takeru had taken it as a joke. He could accept that she could have feelings similar to a human's, but he still considered Pauline incapable of love, the most complex and yet the most simple of human emotions. The absolute irony of human existence. But she had insisted, of course, and she now knew that her feelings were more than a glitch in her programming. It was not something she had been born with. Takeru hadn't made a mistake and created her to be 'too friendly' or something. Her feelings for Takeru Takaishi had evolved with time, from unconditional friendship to undeniable love. So, she wanted to love him, to give herself to him. But there was a slight problem.

She didn't have a body. She wasn't a human being. And she hated herself for that.

There wasn't a day in which she didn't think 'what if……?', considering what she'd do with Takeru if she had a real body. It is right then when Hentai-Pauline takes over and fantasized some scenes that promptly make her blush through several shades of crimson. But then, she discards the thoughts away as silly fantasies, only to torture herself again the next day with the same fictitious scenes in which Takeru held her in his arms and made amazing things to her.

Meanwhile, Takeru remained oblivious to his friend's inner turmoil. Lost in the trivial bliss of Pauline's hands massaging his back, he only noticed there was something wrong when he 'felt' something liquid caressing his shoulder for a second.

"Pauline?"

He was completely certain that there was something wrong when Pauline didn't answer. He turned around to face her, to notice how Pauline averted her face from his gaze. However, Takeru insisted and, using his right hand, he pulled her chin so that she would face him. She shivered at his touch, and he gasped at the tears which fell down her face. He knew Pauline was capable of feeling, but he had never seen her being……well, sad.

"What……what's wrong?"

Defeated by her sorrow, Pauline slumped down and let herself fall in Takeru's arms, holding him tightly, afraid of letting go, and sobbing uncontrollably.

"It hurts so much………to be so human………without being one…………"

"What……what do you mean?" Takeru asked softly, honestly confused by Pauline's words.

"I always wondered……how is it that humans could live…….enduring all these feelings every day…………then I found the answer."

Pauline looked up at Takeru's cerulean eyes, and the blonde Tamer felt his heart break at the sight. He had made Pauline to be a blonde like him, with blue eyes, too, just a little darker. Her skin was pale, white like milk, and soft like snow. Takeru found himself thinking that such a lovely face shouldn't have tears that tainted her cuteness.

"It's the human body, Takeru. Humans have their bodies, and they can use their bodies to release themselves and their feelings………they can use their bodies to express what they feel………to satisfy their needs………and to make their dreams come true…………"

She buried her face in his chest and sobbed loudly.

"………but I don't have that………and you have no idea how much it hurts…………it hurts, Takeru, it really hurts, and it's killing me!"

And in Takeru's eyes, it certainly seemed like so. She looked to be in quite a bit of pain. Her eyes called out to him, pleading him to save her from the permanent torture of her love for him.

"……I want to be with you…………I want to love you……………"

But not even those words were enough for Pauline anymore, so she found herself saying things she would have never imagined herself saying when she was born.

"………I want so many things………I want to be a human, so that I can be your wife……………"

And Takeru froze. It was too much………it was too painful……for the two of them. He had had his suspicions, but in that moment, he was definitely sure that his mistake when making a perfect partner for him was precisely making her perfect. It was an unbearable burden……for the two of them.

"………I want to be yours, Takeru…………I want to make love to you, to be the mother of your children………but I'm just being silly………"

Incredibly enough, Takeru found himself wishing all that, too.

"Oh, God, Pauline, I had no idea………" he said as he strengthened his hold on her. It was the closest they could get. Pauline's tears had already left a considerably large mark on Takeru's green coat and Pauline's white sundress. Given how wet Pauline's clothes were, Takeru would have easily had a nice look at the girl's nicely developed breasts. Of course, the blonde Tamer had much more important matters in his mind at the moment.

"……I'm just a silly machine with lots of silly fantasies………but it's still so painful……painful and unfair! WE'RE MEANT FOR EACH OTHER, DAMMIT!!! I LOVE YOU!!!!!"

Takeru reminded himself that Pauline was the one and only person who had said those three words to him. And then he noticed that he had addressed Pauline as a 'person'.

"When I saw how Rika's mother looked at you……it hurt………when I noticed how Hikari seemed so happy to see you again, even after what she did to you………it hurt so much…………and even Tachikawa was checking you out, I noticed! And I got jealous……and I can't help it………I love you, Takeru, I love you so much………"

There. Those three words again. It got worse every time she said them. Takeru found himself thinking that life was unfair only because man made it unfair. If Pauline was so miserable, it was only because of it. He never felt so much like scum before.

Once again, his cerulean eyes met hers, and in a simple instant, every feeling they had for each other was transmitted. Pauline had poured her 'heart' to him. It was just fair that he was completely honest to her.

"………Pauline?"

"Y-yes, Takeru?" She said between sobs.

"………I want to kiss you."

********************************************************************

********************************************************************

End of chapter 1………

Author's Notes: And this is how the first of Silent Sorrow's concluding stories begins, as weird as that sounds. Not much action here, though. After the past chapter's event, I wanted to rest from action-packed scenes for a chapter or two. Yep, I guess there won't be much fighting next chapter, either. Besides, I really want to show just how are the Digi-Destined doing after fourteen years, to let you know that things in the real world aren't as happy as during that scary five-minute epilogue at the end of Digimon 02. So, next chapter has lots and lots of dialogue.

As for Takeru and Pauline, well………it's not like you're witnessing something new. Impossible relationships have been the topic of innumerable animes, which I have always found quite enjoyable, regardless of how bizarre they might be. At this moment several titles come to my minds. Anime series like Onegai Teacher, which explores the fairly usual teacher-student relationship with quite a unique touch, or "Oh, my Goddess!", for example. I could even mention Evangelion, which is an expert in relationships. One of the reasons I love that anime (expect me to make several songfics with Evangelion music during what's left of Silent Sorrow!). And I can't forget Chobits, of course! Human-Machine romance at its best.

Sorry for taking so long with the new chapter, really. However, I have a very good reason this time. I am proud to announce that the final chapter of Silent Sorrow has already been written. And, considering the importance of that particular chapter, I shall allow the comments of a beta-reader once it is 100% complete. So, those people who have been faithful readers of the Tamers Forever series and think they have what it takes to be a beta-reader, please contact me.

Once again, thanks for reading and reviewing. See ya soon! In the next chapter, Takeru interviews the Digi-Destined one by one, forcing them to confront their fears and accept their truths, as painful as they might be. Just what happened to the Digi-Destined in the past fourteen years, with the utmost detail, in the next episode of Scars of Happiness: Of Passions and Sins.

Daneel Rush (daneel_ff@hotmail.com)