Day 1 - Patamon: Patamon And Me
I woke up all of a sudden once again. I just had another dream with Patamon. I have lost account of how many times that has happened since we came back from the Digital World. And I always had trouble going back to sleep afterwards; most of the time I didn't and it was no different this time. So, I just sat up, embraced my knees and cried silently.

I hated living far from everyone. I hated living far from Yamato. I couldn't help but wonder how he was coping with being away from Gabumon, if he missed him as much as I missed Patamon and if he still kept in touch with the rest of us. I really really wanted to talk to my brother.

The sound of my mom's voice echoed in my ears and I lifted my head up. I couldn't tell how much time went by or if I had fallen asleep, but that's what it looked like.
"Takeru?" She called my name again and I jumped out of my bed, walking to the door and unlocking it. She opened it right away, turning on the lights right away. "You should open your window. The sun is shining bright outside already."
"I bet it is."
"Don't you want to go outside?" She asked unsure and sat on my bed, placing her hands over her thighs nervously. "Your friends from the building came inviting you to play with them, did you hear the bell?"
"No, not really. Either way, I don't feel like going down and play soccer. I just wish I could see Patamon again."
"I know you do, sweetheart, and if I knew a way to make you two meet again, I would do it. But unfortunately I don't. I'm sorry. I know how much he means to you and you mean just as much to him. You had a strong bond since the beginning and it's not easy to let it go. But wherever he is, I know he's thinking of you and wants you to be happy."
"I know." I dried the tears that were falling silently from my eyes. "I promised him I wouldn't cry and that I would believe we were going to meet again soon."
"So you should hold on into that." She said firmly and I looked at her, surprised. "If you believe in it with all your strength, it will come true. Isn't it what you did back in the Digital World?"
"It is." I nodded, looking down at my shirt. There was a reason why my crest was Hope. "You know what? You're right. This isn't the end for me and Patamon. We're going to meet again. I know he believes it and so should I."
"That's the spirit!" My mom grinned and leaned a little forward, grabbing my hands within hers. "That's my son! Now how about we go out and eat some ice-cream? We can also go for a walk if you want to."
"I'd love to." I smiled widely at her, but quickly turned serious. "But there's something else I want to do."
"Alright, what is it?"
"I want to go to Odaiba."
"But Takeru, school starts on Monday."
"I know, but I need to go there. I need to see Yamato and dad. And the others. Please, mom." I begged when after noticing she wasn't going to give in.
"Just this weekend, right?"
"Yes."
"Okay, we can go to Odaiba." My face lit up in happiness when she grinned at me. "You can see your brother."
"Thank you." I ran to her and hugged her tight.

.

"I can't believe how fast this afternoon went by." Patamon said in a sad tone as we both watched the sunset.
"It really did." I swallowed hard, not at all wanting to go home. "But I'll come back tomorrow."
"Promise?"
"Of course." I grinned at him. "It seems like we'll have another mission here. We will have to fight evil forces again."
"I'm ready to fight by your side again!" He exclaimed and landed on my chest, looking at me. "Are you?"
"Absolutely!" I became serious. "But I don't think we can do much at this moment. For some reason you can't evolve."
"If only we knew why."
"We need to find out what is the deal with this guy who calls himself Digimon Kaiser."
"Takeru, we need to go." Sora yelled from afar. "It's getting late."
"I'm coming." I held Patamon in my arms and stood up, running towards the rest of the group.

I absolutely hated the way we land back on Earth. There isn't enough time to get away from the computer after you cross the screen, so we end up in a pile of bodies. Somehow I ended up underneath everyone, I felt like I was ran over by a truck or something. So I felt really happy and relieved when Koushiro asked them to get out of him.
"Takeru!" Patamon came flying into my arms.
"Patamon, what are you doing here?" I held him tight and blinked, trying to understand what had happened.
"I don't know, I was just dragged down with you."
"Tailmon is also here."
"Could it be because they are part of the new generation?" Koushiro contemplated. "That would explain why Tentomon and Piyomon didn't come with us."
"Finally!" Taichi appeared at the door from the Computer Club. "It's getting late, we should go home."
We all started walking out of school and began to head to our houses.

"Mom, I'm home." I announced as soon as I closed the door of our apartment.
"Takeru, I was worried about you." My mom appeared in the hall. "Did something happen?"
"No, I was at the Digital World."
"What?"
"The portal is open again. And look, Patamon is here."
"Patamon is here?"
"Hello, Mrs. Takaishi." He flew from my head and landed in my arms. "It's nice to see you again."
"It's nice to see you too, Patamon." She smiled kindly. "I hope you like lamen. Dinner is almost ready."
"Lamen?" He repeated excitedly and I could feel his stomach growling. "I love it! In fact, I'm very hungry right now."
"Why don't you go take a shower? Dinner will be served by the time you finish."
"Alright. Let's go, Patamon."

.

I didn't think it was possible to feel such a strong pain in the heart. Not a physical pain, but an emotional one. Knowing I tried everything I could to stop Patamon from infecting the others in vain and having to see all of our Digimon get rebooted was a lot to take in. It was tough.

I haven't been able to face any of the rest of us since then. How could I? The infection was spread because of Patamon. They were probably still angry or upset at me for not being honest. Maybe both. But I was desperate, I didn't know what to do. And now none of them will remember us and it's all my fault.

I haven't left my house since the reboot happened, and from what I've heard, the others were also struggling to move on with their lives. I haven't exactly talked to them, but I still checked on them my way.

I was about to start lunch when I heard some gentle knocks on the door. I knew they didn't belong to Yamato because he has the keys. But honestly, it wasn't that hard to guess who it was at all.
"Hikari? What are you doing here?"
"I came to check on you. Is this a bad time?"
"No, no, absolutely not." I stepped aside to give her some space. "Please, come in."
"Thank you." She smiled at me and then sat down to take off her shoes and put on a pair of extra slippers we always keep by the door for situations like this. "So how are you?"
"I'm good, I guess." I shrugged. Honestly, there's no way we all could be good again. "What about you?"
"I'm the same as you, I think." She stood up and I felt very bad seeing her sad face and knowing I was the responsible for it. "It isn't your fault, by the way."
"What?" I raised my eyebrows, completely taken by surprise.
"I know you're blaming yourself and I want you to know no one blames you."
"They should." I said bitterly and walked to the window in my living room, looking outside. "None of this would have happened if I had been honest in the first place."
"Is that what you think?"
"Isn't it what you think?"
"No." She said firmly, though she was smiling. "Because I know you were in a difficult position and didn't know what to do. I don't think I would have said anything either if I were in your shoes. Voicing it out loud would make things more… real."
"Yeah." I said simply, refusing to make eye contact with her.
"So believe me when I say we don't blame you or are angry or upset at you. We still love and care about you."
"Hikari." I finally had the courage to look at her and a smile instantly appeared on my lips. "Thank you."
"You don't have to thank me." She gave me another smile. "All I said is true though. We do love you."
"I know. Still, I'm sorry."
"We know. So how about we go for an ice-cream? The weather is really amazing outside today."
"Ice-cream?"
"That's right. There's this great place nearby and you can have as many toppings as you want. You wouldn't believe it." Hikari approached me and placed her hand on my shoulder. "I'm sure we all will meet again very soon."
I couldn't help but smile again. "Me too."

.

"I have never seen so many people in the same place." Patamon stated surprised as he looked around the whole bookstore.
"I suppose everyone wants to know all about what we went through in the Digital World." I looked down at him. "But honestly, I'm surprised too. I didn't think people would be interested in it."
"Well, more people are getting Digimon partners each year, so that can be why."
"Maybe." I looked up and saw Kimi coming in our direction. "Hey!"
"Hi." She gave me the brightest smile I have ever seen on her lips and we kissed hello. "Wow, this place is crowded. I had no idea you've known so many people."
"I don't. Most of them are here just for the curiosity about the story."
"It makes sense."
"Takeru, who's she? And why did you kiss her?"
"Oh, right. I forgot I haven't introduced you two yet. Patamon, this is Kimi Shincai, my girlfriend. Kimi, this is Patamon, my best friend since I was eight."
"So you're the famous Patamon." She placed her hands on her knees and bent down a little to be at his eye level. "Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too." Patamon grinned and then looked up at me. "She seems nice."
"She is. I already can tell you two will get along really well."
"I've heard so much about you. I couldn't wait to meet you."
"He talked about me to you?"
"You have no idea how much! That's pretty much all he talks about it. I think I know all the stories on the book already."
"That's accurate." I couldn't help but laugh.
"Are you excited about the release of your novel?"
"I am, but also nervous. The entire country is going to know about our adventures."
"Soon the whole planet as well. I know it sounds scary, but it's a great way to start off your writing career. You'll already be fmous when you publish your first novel."
"That's true. But I still wasn't expecting something like this."
"Well, you deserve it. I've read some of your creations and you're incredibly talented at it. You should get recognized by it."
"You're out of this world, you know that?"
"So they say." She laughed. "Nah, I'm just stating the truth."
"Would you mind staying with him while I sign some books?"
"Absolutely not." Kimi looked down at my partner. "Would you?"
"Not at all." He shook his head and then flew in her direction, landing on the top of her head.
"Oh."
"That's his favorite place." I said, feeling grateful and happy they became friends so fast. But then again, I always thought it was just a matter of time for that. "He genuinely likes you."
"It's a mutual feeling." Kimi looked up at him, smiling. "Patamon, would you like to go eat some ice-cream before the book signing starts?"
"Ice-cream?" He landed on her arms, staring into her eyes.
"That's right. It's on me."
Even if I wasn't looking at my partner, I knew his blue eyes were sparkling and I was proven right when he turned to me. "Can I?"
"Of course! Go ahead."
"Can I have a chocolate one?"
"Absolutely. Let's go."

.

"Takeru, you should come see this." Patamon flew towards me a few minutes after I had stood up and headed to the kitchen.
"What's going on? Is Kenichi okay?"
"He is, but he escaped from the fenced area." He said in an alarmed tone. "He's going to crawl all over the apartment. You should get him before he hurts himself."
"It's alright. Me and Kimi made sure not to leave any corners on our furniture visible in anticipation for this moment."
"But his clothes are going to get all dirty."
"Don't worry, Patamon." I assured him. "That's why we have washing machines. The most important thing is to let Kenichi experience things and grow up the best way he can."
"So you'll just let him do that?"
"That's right. It will only last a few months, until he starts walking. But you can keep an eye on him while I make lunch. Kimi should be home soon."
"Okay."

I cleaned Kenichi's mouth after he eat all his food and gave him a small bottle of orange juice as I put him back at the fence area for a while until I finished cleaning the kitchen. I saw Patamon landing inside it and immediately starting playing with him. Kimi arrived not too later.
"Hey."
"Hey! You're back."
"Finally. I really need to sit down, I can barely feel my feet."
"Too much walking?"
"Yeah. I forgot how much I dislike window-shopping." She sat on a stool near the counter. "How are things going over here? Did Kenichi give you much trouble?"
"No, he's a very nice child." I dried my hands on a cloth. "But he did learn how to get out of the fence area. In fact, he's doing it again right now."
"What?" She turned towards the living room just in time to see it. "That's smart."
"Patamon was worried about him crawling all around."
"Was he? I'm not surprised."
I watched her kneel down and pick our son up before sitting back on the stool.
"Hello, sweetie. Did you eat well?"
"He ate a whole meal. He was very hungry."
"I can imagine. Soon it's going to be time for shower." She turned to Patamon. "Would you like to help me giving him a bath, Patamon?"
"Can I?" His face beamed in happiness as he landed on the top of her head.
"Of course! I'm sure he will love it to have you assisting me."
"Then I want to."
"Don't you think you two are getting along a little too well?" I said in playful smile.
"Look at that." Kimi looked up at him. "He's jealous because you like me better."
"I'm not jealous." I defended myself.
"Sure you aren't."
"I'm just kidding. I think it's great that you have such a good relationship since the start."
"Me too." She smiled at me and then looked down at our son. "Looks like someone is going to need a shower right now. Let's go, Patamon. You can come along too. I know you want to."
"Now you remember me."
"Silly." She couldn't help but laugh and linked her arm with mine.