A/N: There we go. Tomoki's first chapter!
.
.
Wish Journeys 1.1
Three Brothers
Chapter 17/Tomoki
.
Tomoki knew something had changed, but he had no idea what. Takuya looked less despondent and more like…more like someone who now had a way to make things right, to get his happily ever after ending. And he hadn't been around much for the last few days. It was weird, considering he'd been at his brother's bedside for as long as he was allowed before. It wasn't a bad thing. It was just…different.
And then Takuya came back the next day along with a kid with an intra-cranial bleed…and that was a new word he got to learn. He was learning lots of new words after hanging around the hospital for the last couple of weeks. Takuya hadn't hung around while the doctors talked but he did. So he learnt that an intra-cranial bleed was bad news because brains were very fickle things and cranial meant something to do with the brain or the skull. And he also learnt there'd been a car accident. And he'd been lucky to avoid other general issues – things like broken bones and internal bleeding in other places and spinal issues.
And, for some reason, Takuya had asked him to visit.
Though it was hard to know what to talk about with someone you didn't know anything about.
So he talked about himself. It was easier. And the only thing he could do. Except reading the book he'd brought. But it was short. He read it aloud twice – once to this boy, once to Shinya.
.
He came back after lunch and Kouichi was awake. Sort of. By the time he found the doctor the other had fallen asleep, or unconscious, again.
He was awake in the evening though. When Tomoki peaked in before leaving. Holding what looked like a wizard's staff. And vanishing.
Tomoki panicked, so he did the most sensible thing he could think of. Grab the staff.
They left the ICU and appeared in the middle of…nowhere.
'Don't panic,' a voice said. 'Let them guide you.'
Them?
Tomoki looked down, and realised he wasn't floating like he'd originally thought at all. Rather, he was rolling about on pink and blue and yellow and green little fluff balls. And they really were cute. Though a tad uncomfortable.
And then he remembered the other boy. And his staff.
Neither of them were anywhere to be found.
.
He was deposited at the feet of a man in a cloak, and he helped him up. It was a young man. Kindly face too, though a little worn.
'Do you want to do the test?' he asked.
Test?
'Do you have a wish you'd do anything to fulfil?' the man asked instead, discarding the previous question.
Did he have a wish like that? He'd wanted to be stronger, yes. But to do anything sounded…scary.
'Perhaps not.' And the man smiled. 'Be careful in this world. Stay by a Chosen. They have weapons and can protect you. And hold on to that part of yourself that doesn't want to sacrifice certain things.'
And then the blobs were carrying him away again, dizzily fast, until he could see only black.
.
He was shaken awake. Kouichi was looking at him, perfectly fine and dressed strangely.
Tomoki rubbed his eyes. And voiced his confusion.
The other thought he was talking about the clothes. Which was part of it, honestly, but not the main part.
He also didn't know where he was or what was going on.
And that was something that was going to take a while to explain.
.
'This is a different world to the one we live in,' Kouichi began. 'It's made up mostly of creatures called digimon. Most of them can talk, and their looks vary quite dramatically. Some are friendly, others…not.'
Tomoki wondered as to the pause there, but he didn't question it. He wasn't sure he really wanted to know.
'There are spheres hidden around the world as well.' He showed his staff: there were four little gems embedded into the head. 'If we collect five of these, we get a wish granted. Or that's what we've been told.'
'We?' Tomoki asked.
'Chosen. Kids who went through the test and received a class: warrior or mage.' He blinked suddenly. 'You didn't?'
Now the question the man in the cloak had asked made sense. Tomoki shook his head. 'He offered, but then decided I didn't have a strong enough wish.'
Kouichi regarded him. 'Maybe…that's a good thing.' He sounded unsure.
Tomoki was unsure as well. It sounded like a dangerous place to be without weapons, and that was the price one paid for not having that strong a wish.
He could guess Takuya's wish if he was in this world, but he wondered what Kouichi's wish was.
When Kouichi frowned, he realised he'd said it out loud.
'I'm sorry,' he said immediately. 'I didn't mean –'
Kouichi shook his head. 'It's fine,' he said. 'It's just that…I don't really know now.'
Tomoki blinked.
'I did when I came here first,' Kouichi clarified. He stared at the four spheres he'd collected. 'Or I thought I did, anyway. But…'
'Things have changed?' Tomoki guessed. He could see Kouichi didn't really want to explain. Or think about it, by the looks of his expression.
Kouichi nodded, relieved. 'Things have changed.'
.
'What sphere are you missing?' Tomoki asked.
'Earth,' Kouichi said, after a pause.
'And Takuya-nii?'
It took Kouichi a little longer to answer. 'Last I saw him…water, wind and light or darkness.'
'Or?' Tomoki echoed.
Kouichi said nothing. It didn't matter anyway, Tomoki supposed. He wasn't collecting spheres. He didn't ask why the other had come, either. That was a confronting question. Not a matter of curiosity, but something else. A question that was too frightening to ask someone who was still a stranger.
'We should move from here,' Kouichi said eventually. 'Are you hungry?'
Tomoki was taken aback by the sudden question, but nodded. He was. And it was getting dark too. Past his usual dinnertime, he guessed. Though he hadn't noticed it then.
He followed after Kouichi who walked through the forest. At least he seemed to know where he was going.
.
They came to a tree with apples. They were a little too high for either of them to reach. 'Can you do magic?' Tomoki asked.
Kouichi nodded and pointed his staff at the apples. They fell slowly, as though caught in wind. Tomoki whipped off his hat to catch them in. He thought Kouichi looked a little amused too. First smile all day, anyway. Not that that was really saying much. Especially since he'd been unconscious for more than half of it. And it was a pretty tiny smile.
That little display of magic was really cool as well, though Tomoki was sure not to ask for any specifically. He could hear his brother's voice in his head, when they saw party tricks and things in the circus and he always wanted to see more. Yutaka's "magic isn't supposed to last" was probably a final resort to get Tomoki to stop complaining, but Tomoki took that particular bit of advice to heart.
So he just watched the manual way of making fire – and asked questions. Because Kouichi didn't seem to mind the questions at all. He explained things, though it sounded like he was thinking about something else again. It was a little sad, but Tomoki had no idea how to cheer the other up. He supposed Takuya did, if they'd been together at some point during the initial travels.
The meat apples were interesting. Looked like fruit but tasted like different bits of meat. They were yummy though, and there was plenty for the both of them. Though Kouichi didn't eat much. Tomoki rolled an apple to him and thought Kouichi ate that one only to be polite.
.
Tomoki was still wondering what they'd do afterwards as they lay on branches in a tree. Tomoki was also a little concerned with falling off, but Kouichi had tied his cloak to the lower branches and made a hammock which was more comfortable and safer too. He wasn't sleeping though. He'd climbed a little higher and was sitting there, staring at the stars.
Tomoki didn't know what to say, so he pretended to be asleep until he actually fell asleep.