Day 2 - Adoption/Family: Embracing My Past
Koushiro happily opened the door of his apartment to Sora. Yamato, Takeru and Taichi were already there eating some snacks and drinking oolong tea.
"Looks like I'm the last one to arrive." She said as she looked at the three boys in his living room.
"So what did you call us here for?"
"There's something I want to tell you." Koushiro sat down on a chair and handed Takeru a picture.
"Who are they?" He looked up after staring at it. "These aren't your parents."
"They are."
"What?"
"This is something I've been holding in for a few years. And lately I've been feeling the need to share it."
"Did you get to know them?" Sora asked while looking at the photo. "They were a very beautiful couple. I can see you look a lot like your father."
"My mother says the same thing."
"I'm sorry you didn't get to spend time with your biological parents, Koushiro."
"It's okay, really." He gave them a reassuring smile. "I'm actually very blessed to have such lovingly and amazing parents."
"I'm sure they feel the same way about you." She smiled and then gave the picture to Taichi. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but what happened to them?"
"They died in a car accident when I was only a few years old. My biological father was my father's cousin. My parents had lost a child when they adopted me."
"Wow…" Yamato pressed his hands together between his knees. "I had no idea."
"I was never comfortable telling this story until now."
"I'm glad you are now, though." Sora smiled warmly. "I'm sure that must have been difficult for you."
"It has. There's another reason why I told you this, however."
"What reason?"
"My mother told me where they are buried and I want to go see them. I want to know if you all would like to go with me."
"Of course!" The girl was the first one to reply, and in an excited way.
"You can count on me too." Takeru quickly echoed his future sister-in-law.
"Me too."
"Let's do it."
"Thank you so much, guys. I was afraid you wouldn't agree with it or try to convince me not to do it."
"We would never do that."
"I think it's great that you want to visit your biological parents' graves. I have no doubt your parents will be very proud of and happy for you."
"Thank you, Sora." Koushiro said with a smile. "I think so too. Oh and by the way, we're gonna have to take a small trip for that, since it's in another city. Is that okay with you?"
"It's absolutely fine." Taichi replied, looking at the other three people. "I'm always up for a road trip."
"Great. It's not that far, so we can go and come back tomorrow. And I want to thank you for doing this with me."
"You don't have to thank us, Koushiro. We're flattered you turned to us for such an important moment of your life."

.

"Where the hell is Taichi?" Yamato complained when Sora ended the call for the millionth time after getting the voice mail. "We should have left a long time ago."
"I'm sure he has a good reason for being so late." Her tone was calm, but he could tell she was annoyed as well.
"I'm thinking we should just stop at his apartment and pick him up from there."
"Hey, guys!" Taichi ran to them as soon as he got out of his car. "I'm sorry for being a late. Something came up last minute."
"You overslept, didn't you?" Koushiro rolled his eyes.
"No, I…"
"Of course he did."
"Alright, I'm sorry." He gave in, defeated. "I'm not used to waking up early on weekends."
"Taichi, didn't we agree we'd be going in only one car?" Sora asked.
"We did."
"Then why are you with your car? Yamato and I are taking turns in his."
"Damn it, I forgot. We'll have to make a small detour."
"Like we weren't late enough already."
"I wasn't thinking. I was so desperate to get here as soon as I could I just took the fastest way. And since when you let your girlfriend drive your car?"
"Why wouldn't I? She's a great driver."
"Thank you, Yamato." She smiled. "But we should really go. We have quite a trip ahead."
"Yeah, let's go."

"Does anyone want some water?" Sora looked over her shoulder towards the backseat towards the three boys.
"I'm good, thanks."
"I have some snacks too, in case you feel hungry."
"Do you usually bring food on road trips?" Taichi asked with curiosity. "I don't remember you taking it on school trips."
"A few times I did. Most of times it wasn't necessary. But we're going to spend the whole day out today, so we're bound to get hungry or thirsty at some point. I figure it wouldn't hurt to bring it with me, just in case."
"Well, I think it's great that she thinks about these things."
"You got very lucky."
"That's true, I did." Yamato looked at Sora and smiled briefly before returning his attention to the road ahead. "But not for this reason."
"Koushiro, does your parents know you decided to visit your biological parents' graves?"
"They do." Koushiro nodded. "In fact, they wanted to come along, but I said this is something I need to do alone. My mother was obviously not happy with it, but she understood."
"She's such a sweet woman."
"She really is. I'm sure she will call me at some point today to see how things are going."
"She's just acting like a mom. She cares about you so much. I think it's cute." The girl smiled.

.

When the group arrived, it was almost lunch time so they decided to eat something before going to the graveyard.
"It says here that we're not too far from the graveyard." Koushiro said while searching on his laptop.
"You brought your laptop with you?"
"Of course." He looked over it. "How else could I find out where it was?"
"You could have researched before."
"Taichi, stop picking on him and let him do whatever he wants." Sora interfered. "I don't think you would have enjoyed it with the same thing happened to you."
"I was just commenting." Taichi folded his arms over his chest. "It's not a big deal."
"Anyway…" She ignored him. "I think we picked up the best place to eat then."
"Koushiro, are you sure you want to do this?" Tentomon asked beside him with a concerned tone. "I mean, are you ready for it?"
"I'm not sure." He admitted. "But I still want to go through with it. I feel like I have to do this."
"We'll be here to support you." Sora placed her hand on his shoulder and smiled at him. "But if you want to change your mind, it's okay too."
"Thank you, Sora." Koushiro smiled. "Having your support right now means a lot to me."
"Of course. You can count on me for everything."
"I'm happy to know that." He turned to Tentomon after grabbing the menu. "Do you want to eat something?"
"You should never ask that for a Digimon." His partner rubbed his stomach. "We're always hungry."
"Of course." The young boy couldn't help but laugh. "Sometimes I forget that. But you can order anything you want."
"Can I really?"
"Absolutely. Just don't get too carried away. I'm still an intern at work."
"Alright."
"I'm just glad Agumon didn't come along. I'm saving a lot of money today."
"Are you sure you're not going to eat for him?"
"Shut up, Yamato. Just so you know, I've been working out a lot lately. So you're not the only one who is in shape anymore."
"Oh God, here we ago again."
"I'm amazed at how you can pull up with them for so many years, Sora." Takeru said.
"You've been working out?"
"That's right. I decided to be healthier."
"I ask myself the same question, Takeru."
"That's because she loves me." Yamato replied and quickly turned to Taichi again. "Tell me more about it."
"You two really managed to turn something that was about Koushiro towards you guys."
"You're still surprised over that?"
"I'd think it would be easier by now, but it really isn't."
"That's alright, Sora. Some things never change, no matter how many years go by."
"Exactly. You two should stop bickering each other and make your orders, so we can leave soon."
"Okay." They said together and looked down at their own menus.

.

It was cloudy when the group arrived at the graveyard. Koushiro intently paid attention to their path as they drove, to make sure he wouldn't miss the spot his biological parents were buried.
"Any luck over there?" He asked Takeru, who was in the other side of the backseat.
"Not so far. It shouldn't be far though."
"You couldn't find anything when you researched?"
"I could, but I think we can ask around just to be safe."
"I found it." Sora announced and Yamato parked the car near the area she had pointed.
They all jumped out of the car and Koushiro and Tentomon began to get away from the group.
"We'll be right here if you need."
"Take your time." The girl said with a smile. "This is your moment."
"Thank you." He bowed down to her slightly and then turned to face the large area in front of him. "This is it."
"You got this." Tentomon reached for his hand and grabbed it. "I'll be here with you the whole time."
"That means a lot to me." Koushiro gave his partner a soft smile. "Let's go."

The duo stopped quite a few meters from where the others were standing. Koushiro took a deep breath and Tentomon squeezed his hand tight.
"Do you want to go back?"
"No." He replied firmly; his gaze still on the graves in front of him. "I just need to absorb the fact I'm here."
"Okay."
He sat down on the grass and crossed his legs. He slowly traced the tombstones and swallowed hard. He didn't think he'd be this emotional, but a part of him was six feet under right there. Koushiro wasn't exactly sure of what he was feeling at that moment. He was grateful for being alive, but at the same time he was sad because he never got a chance to meet his biological parents and spend time with them. All he knew was that he was just as smart as his father.
"Hi, mom. Hi, dad. It's me, Koushiro." He brought his hand to his thigh. "I'm sorry for not coming here sooner. I just wasn't brave enough."
"They understand you. You're here now."
Koushiro couldn't help but smile at Tentomon's attempt to make him feel better. "Thank you. I'm about to start college. I'm taking Computer Technology, though I have to admit I know pretty much everything they'll teach there. It will still be useful to me though. This is my Digimon partner, Tentomon."
"Hello." He bowed them respectfully towards the tombstones.
"We've been partners for about eight years now, when I was taken away to a world called Digital World with six other children. Four of them are waiting for me in the car. Anyway, this might sound a little strange, but it's one of the most amazing experiences I've had in my life. They are my best friends. I wish you could see them in person."
Tentomon turned his head when Sora called him softly and in a low tone. She was carrying a small bouquet of flowers that she threw him, whispering for him to give it to Koushiro, so he could leave it near the tombstones. He held in within his hands while he returned his focus to his partner.
"I wish you were still here. There are so much things I wanted to show you."
"They are here, Koushiro. Even if you can't see them, but they are."
"You're right." Koushiro looked down at the flowers in his hands. "What's this?"
"Oh, Sora just threw it to me and told me to give it to you."
He couldn't help but smile, thinking how thoughtful his friend was, and grabbed the small bouquet. "I believe she wanted me to give it to them."
He placed the flowers on the grass and stared down at them for a few minutes, completely quiet. Tentomon silently and slowly walked away, allowing his partner to have some moments alone with their biological parents. The man ran his fingers through the tombstones once again before getting up and walking away.

"Are you okay?" Sora asked with concern when Koushiro joined the group again.
"I'm fine." He gave her a warm smile. "Thank you for the bouquet, by the way."
"You're welcome." She smiled back. "It wasn't a proper one, though."
"It was perfect. I'm sure they will appreciate it."
"We still have some time before we have to go back to Odaiba, so if you want to do something here."
"No, I'm all done. We can go now."
"Great."
"Koushiro." Tentomon spoke and he looked at him. "I'm hungry."
"Now that you mentioned it, I'm hungry too."
"When are you not hungry, Taichi?"
"Shut up! It's been hours since we ate."
"You have a black hole instead of a stomach."
"Sora, this is what is awaiting for you in the near future. You still have time to change your mind."
"Hey!" Yamato protested. "That won't ever happen."
"I think I'll take my chances, Takeru." Sora smiled, watching her boyfriend and best friend friendly bicker each other. "By the way, I'm a little hungry too."
"We can stop by the same restaurant we ate earlier."
"Talk about changing your mind."
"Shut up."
They all burst into laughter for some minutes. Koushiro looked over his shoulder towards his parents' graves and couldn't help but feel grateful. Grateful for Tentomon. Grateful for his friends, who stood by his side in such an important moment of his life. And mostly, grateful for both his families and his journey so far.
"Koushiro?"
He shook his head and turned to Tentomon. "Sorry, I was distracted for a moment."
"I don't mean to ruin your moment, but I'm really hungry. So can we go now?"
"Of course." Koushiro began to walk to the car and picked his partner up before he got in.
"What are you doing?"
"I just feel like carrying you." He smiled before he sat on the backseat and closed the door.