Author's Note:
* EDIT: 2/21/13 *
Yep, I'm already posting the first real chapter! Guess I was impatient to get started, lol XD
Okay, so this chapter is basically here to explain what the main three Tamers, plus Jeri, have been doing and feeling since the season ended. Oh, and a little something extra, which is why I included Jeri. Don't worry, ALL of the Tamers will have a role, along with the soon to be mentioned DigiDestined, you'll just have to wait and see when. ;) I apologize if any of it seems kinda rushed... *Sweatdrops* Eheh, well, I still think it's a good start, what about you? ^^
Oh, and by the way, thanks so much to everyone who submitted an OC! Not to mention left a review~! :D The yet to be chosen ones (Ooooooo... chosen ones... lol) will appear around chapter 4, just so you guys know. But, I'll notify who I've so far accepted before then. :)
Anyways, on with the story! Oh, and R n' R guys! =D
"The nightmare finally ended. Still seems strange a misguided program could cause so much damage, believing it was doing the right thing. Maybe we have more in common with the D-Reaper then we would like to believe... but today, we won by coming together, which makes me believe there's hope for us... all of us."
—Yamaki, half a year ago
Tamers Universe, aftermath of D-Reaper; Shinjuku
"Destiny…"
'…Destiny?'
"It is yours. They sent me."
'They? Wait, why? Why did they send you?'
"I carry a message. A long forgotten prophecy."
'Message? Prophecy? What… who are you?'
"…You know of me child, that, at least, I can assure. Now, listen carefully. I am only able to provide part of it."
'Part of what? I don't understand. Why are you telling me this?'
"Shh, my Lion's Heart…. The prophecy goes:
An evil returns
With allies anew.
And Destined of old
Returned to fight once more, no longer few.
/
Five Quadrants
Unite under a single banner.
Knight and Angel and Demon,
Side-by-side, since not forever.
/
Species of old…
Connected lands,
Brought together under… demand.
As darkness engulfs the land…
Combine strengths
In order… was stolen unplanned.
/
Whatever it takes.
But…
What… truly…
With… plot
…Betrayal near…
/
…Seeds of fear…
/
Perished…
…As they seem.
Hope and Light…
Tonight.
/
Corrupted…Haz…
…Kaiser…
/
Th…in… light…
…Key…
…Con..quen..ce…
..Ze…ro..."
The voice turned to static as the girl it was talking to gasped, 'Wait! Come back! I don't understand… Wait!'
"Fin… Digi..Des…tined… And y… wil…."
'Find the DigiDestined? But how? No, don't go-!'
"Jeri, wake up. Jeri… Jeri!"
Jeri gasped, jolting bolt upright, thus causing the speaker to step back in surprise. "No!"
"Jeri!?" The voice cried, revealing the source to be a charming young woman. "Jeri, what's wrong?"
"O-oh, Momma, it's only you…" Jeri sighed in realization after a moment, relaxing. The woman in front of her, whose worry lines were already prominent, wasn't actually her mother, just her stepmother. She had started calling her 'mom' after the D-Reaper incident, much to the woman's pleasure.
The lady's lips pursed, concerned despite this. "Jeri… what's wrong?" She repeated.
"N-nothing. Just a bad dream," the girl forced a smile, gently pushing the covers of her bed off of her while brushing back her tangled brunette hair.
Jeri Katou, our younger speaker, was wearing a cute, cheery yellow nightgown with bright green flowers scattered across it, which she instinctively pressed down upon while sitting upon the edge of her bed. She brushed the hair out of her eyes again, bangs falling right back into place as she reached over to her bedside table, grabbing a puppet of some kind. Eyes that matched her hair closed, forming upside-down 'U's as the girl smiled.
The lady smiled a bit weakly back in reply, "If you're sure..."
"Of course, woof, woof!" The puppet replied instead, causing them both to laugh.
"Okay, okay," The lady tittered, smiling, "You would tell me if anything was wrong, right?"
"Yip!"
"Alright. Well, it's Saturday and since you slept in so late, I thought you might want to see your friends. I packed you some snacks…" She winked, and the girl's eyes lit up.
"Oh, thank you Momma!" Young Jeri threw her arms around the woman, earning another surprised smile.
Jumping out of bed, Jeri dashed to her closet, throwing open and searching it. She passed her old short green dress and classic, bright yellow shirt, looking for something special. She went in deeper, peering in, looking, searching, and then, "Woof, found it!"
She grinned, laughing as she emerged, holding up a grass green, button down, knee high dress. It had a pure white skirt with a yellow border that overlapped the green slip underneath, giving it the appearance of a cute apron.
Ushering her stepmother out of the room, the teen quickly changed. Upon her reemerging, Shizue, Jeri's stepmother, let out a gasp of surprise and awe at the girl's appearance.
A long, red bow was tied around her waist, right where the white slip started. She wore a white shirt with purple edges underneath the dress, the only clue being a white and purple trim past her short, puffy sleeves. She also had a little pin on her shirt with one large red triangle in the middle, surrounded by three smaller black ones. The zero unit, or in Jeri's point of view, her old friend Calumon's marking. At the same time, Jeri's hair was done up in a one-sided ponytail—as always.
Jeri twirled around to let her stepmother see, "What do you think?"
Shizue clapped her hands, "Absolutely beautiful, darling!" And she meant it.
"Thank you!" Jeri stopped spinning, delighted, though a little dizzy as she nearly jumped for joy. Giving her stepmother a quick peck on the cheek, she dashed downstairs, after regaining her bearings of course, and darted inside the small restaurant her family owns.
"Hi dad, bye dad!" She cried, snatching the basket full of goodies her stepmother promised, leaving just as quickly.
Mr. Katou sighed, chuckling as he quickly replied, "Be safe!"
"Err, excuse me, Mister Katou, but w'o was that alluring young lady?" Jeri's father turned towards his accented costumer, explaining that the eager girl was his daughter as he wiped down the table with a small smile; one he would have once never shown. The man, wearing a simple tan jacket along with a black shirt and matching jeans, oddly enough displayed one of his own. "I see…" He stood, "I must bid yoo adieu, monsieur, for it seems I now 'ave... 'ow do yoo say... business to attend to elsewhere; I mustn't be late!" With that, the man left, baffling Jeri's father.
Mr. Katou shook his head, "People these days… he didn't even order anything!"
Jeri Katou tore down the street, beaming brightly at any and every one she saw, surprising a few that knew her with how cheerful she was, after everything that had happened to the girl, no less.
Panting, she arrived at the park, jogging into a secluded area. Setting the basket down, she smiled, than blinked. "Oh!" With a clap to her forehead, the girl dug into her red backpack for the new phone her dad had gotten her. Happily taking it out, she called the first person on her list.
A pause and a yawn before, "Oh, hey Jeri…" A drowsy, male voice answered from the other end, which Jeri immediately recognized.
Jeri pursed her lips. "Takato! It's noon!" She giggled as the boy apologized. "Actually, I just got up myself." A thunk was heard from the other end, likely from Takato, but the girl pressed on, "…And I was hoping you and the others could come over for a picnic! I really wanted to see you all, and my step-mom packed us lunch! Please, could you come, oh please?"
Takato, back at his house in the bakery his parents owned, laughed uneasily at his friend's eagerness, but smiled back a reply none-the-less. "Sounds great! Actually, there was something I wanted to tell you guys myself. Hey, do you have the others' phone numbers? I, um, lost them…" He chuckled, and Jeri could practically see him blushing faintly as he rubbed the back of his head with that nervous smile of his.
"Yip!" Jeri giggled, "'Course I do! All except the twins, Ai and Makoto, and… oh… Henry's. He doesn't pick up his phone anymore when I call…" She looked down, expression saddening.
The young Gogglehead stiffened, sensing the swift change in her attitude even though he couldn't see her. "Yah, I know… I'll get him to come, don't worry." He forced a grin.
"Oh, thank you!" Jeri cheered, smiling again. She hung up up after saying goodbye, proceeding to call the rest of the Tamers with a blissful smile, excellently hiding the deeply engraved pain underneath as she had for years.
Tamers Universe; Matsuki Bakery, Takato's Room
Takato stared at the phone in his hand silently. He hadn't heard Jeri that happy in months. Actually, he hadn't really spoken to her since the D-Reaper incident at all, except for when they all met up, too shy to see her in private. And after his confession on the train meant for Jeri, but had been accidentally given to the Jeri Agent…
He shook his head. No point in thinking that way, it would just get him upset again.
The boy looked up, "Half a year since the D-Reaper and there's been no sign of them coming back…" Takato was referring to the Digimon of course, an echo of his last moments with them reverberating in his mind.
Flashback
"...It's finally over." Rika smiled, arms crossed as she stood beside Takato, the first to break the silence. "We did it!"
"Takato, I'm glad we're home." Guilmon added, looking at his partner happily.
Takato smiled back, gladly replying. "Yah. It's good to be back..." He looked up, turning to stare into Jeri's eyes with an even warmer smile. "...with the people you care about most." Suddenly, Jeri gasped, eyes widening and mouth curving in surprise. Takato turned, "Huh?"
"Impmon!" She cried. Indeed, the little imp was leaning against a nearby tree, arms folded behind his head and eyes closed. He had two, young human children standing next to him, obviously both confused and awed by the sight before them.
"Impmon! It's good to see you." A certain, bipedal fox warmly greeted and he looked up, opening his eyes.
"Y-yah, well uh..." He paused, swallowing. "I just wanted you guys to meet my Tamers. Ai and Mako." He surprisingly smiled, green eyes shining with the reflected light of the portal behind the gathered group.
Takato noticed the girl, Ai, was wearing a bright pink sweater, pig tails, a yellow backpack, and... a purple and white D-Power. It hung from her neck like a necklace. Takato smiled, reminded of when he first got his D-Power and hung it around his neck in the same way during his search for Guilmon.
...Guilmon...
"Well, hello there!" Renamon smiled, straightening. Rika followed her lead, smiling kindly as well.
Impmon stood, lowering his arms and taking a few steps towards the group. "Um, Jeri, I..."
"Impmon!"
He stopped, obviously nervous. "Um..."
"I'm so glad you're alright!" The brunette continued with her apology, "You have to believe me, I never wanted anyone to get hurt!"
Impmon fidgeted with one of his gloves, staring at the girl with mixed emotions before looking down. "Jeri, will you-uh, um..." He quickly went on. "What I mean is," He paused, looking up at her, voice cracking. "...Could you ever forgive me?"
Takato looked back, not overly surprised to see forgiving Jeri smile and nod. "'Course."
"Whad'ya mean lose?!"
"They have to return to the Digital Plane or they'll disappear forever—like the D-Reaper! They were never meant for this world."
"But Guilmon's meant to be with me! He's a part of me, I promised him we'd always be together—I promised!" Takato, now in tears, cried out in desperation.
Henry's father had just told them the Digimon had to leave, but no one wanted to believe it.
"No…. Th-this can't be...! I won't let it happen!" Rika sobbed behind him, and for once Takato could understand why.
A pace away from Takato, Henry spoke up. "…You knew, didn't you?" He asked, expression hardening into a glare as he yelled, "You knew this would happen when you scanned Terriermon!"
"I had no other choice. The fate of the world was at stake. I couldn't let everything and everyone we love be destroyed, Henry...!" His father countered with a frown, looking up at the last sentence from staring guiltily at his shoes. All he recieved was a glare.
"...Henwy!"
"Huh?" Henry blinked, looking down, "Terrier...mon?"
A huge smile lit up the little blob's, Gummymon's, face. "Moumantai!"
"Oh Terriermon, no!" His Tamer gasped as his partner was jerked from his arms.
"Renamon stay! You can fight this, can't you?!" Takato barely noticed as Rika gasped, clutching frantically at the small, yellow fox in her arms.
"Rika. I'll know we'll see each other again one day." Her partner replied, choking back tears of her own.
"No Renamon! Please, I love you!"
"Guilmon...!" Takato looked on, broken, as his partner slowly floated out of reach.
"We'll play again soon, won't we? Ta-ka-to?"
The boy forced a smile, tears streaming down his cheeks, glittering in the light. "Yah… yah..." Finally Guilmon's de-digivolved form was wrenched from Takato's open arms. "Oh," the boy gasped, watching his somehow smiling partner.
One by one, the Digimon floated away with their partner's calling their names.
- Guardromon, who's spunky Tamer called out, "Guardromon, I love you man!"
- - MarineAngemon, who's partner desperately reached out for him like so many of the gathered.
- - - Cyberdramon, who's partner didn't seem as concerned, waving goodbye with a knowing smile.
- - - - Impmon, who's twin partners bid him farewell with surprising grace.
- - - - - Calumon, who Jeri cried out to, saying, "Thank you Calumon!"
- - - - - - Lopmon, who's partner sobbed as the brown creature drifted out of sight.
- - - - - - - Terriermon, who yelled his catchphrase to his distraught partner. "Moumantai Henry!"
- - - - - - - - Renamon, who gave a last piece of advice. "Stay strong Rika!"
- - - - - - - - - And Guilmon, who continued with what he had been saying. "Remember Takato, you promised! You pro-mised! Takattooooooo...!"
"Henwy...! Where'd they all go? W-where's Lowpmon? I want my Lowpmon and Tewwiermon back! I don't want them to goow!" A young girl sobbed into Henry's side as he comfortingly placed his arm around her—Suzie.
Takato, though, barely noticed, her voice a blur in the background as his arms hung limply by his sides. Another blur commented, but Takato didn't catch it at the time.
"Henry." The boy turned back, not bothering to hide his tears while the man struggled with his own. "…I know it hurts now son, but in time... i-it'll get better, you'll see." With a vacant expression and dull, unseeing eyes, Henry slowly shook his head, unable to help the cruel smile that appeared. It wouldn't get better. The man gasped, tears now flowing. "Oh! Henry, I-! I'm sorry…" He collapsed to the ground, the full weight of what he just did to his son reaching him. "I'm so sorry!"
After that, the group stood in silence, staring off into the portal, all with their own thoughts, but all with the same basic pattern—goodbye, partner.
"I promise Guilmon. Just you wait. We'll be together again soon."
End of Flashback
The currently goggle-less boy's grip tightened on the phone and he nodded, grinning in contrast to a few months ago. Standing up now, he turned towards the lamp where his old Goggles sloppily hung. They were going to play with them again, their friends. That was what he promised his best friend—a carefree, red raptor—half a year ago.
"…At least, until yesterday,"
...And finally, he could keep his promise.
Takato set his phone down and smiled that classic Goggleheaded smile, but with his hair still un-brushed and night clothes sloppily thrown on, he wasn't exactly an impressive sight to see. But, hey, that was Takato for you.
"TAKATO! It's Saturday, you know its rush-hour time!" The boy's mother suddenly yelled, throwing open the door from behind, successfully ruining the moment. "What have you been doing? Sleeping all day?!"
"G-Gah! Mom! Can't a guy have some privacy?!" Takato yelped, jumping and nearly tripping over his chair, quickly setting down the phone.
His mother noticed and she shook her head, raising an accusing finger, "What have you done this time, Takato?"
Takato rubbed the back of his head, laughing; his mother, as always, getting straight to the point. "I didn't do anything! I was actually, uh, invited to go to the park with some of my friends. You know, the Tamers."
Takato's brash mother paused, thinking a moment. With a sigh, she reluctantly smiled. The boy needed to spend more time with his friends anyway. "You want to go?" He nodded vigorously. "Oh, alright," she sighed again, but upon seeing his expression, quickly added, "But be back home no later than 7, understand? Remember, no running across the street! And make sure your shoe lasses are tied before playing any games, not to mention watch where you're going! Oh, and-"
"I get it mom!" Takato interrupted, holding his hands up with an exasperated, yet amused expression. "I'll be careful!"
He laughed and she relaxed. "I'll hold you to that. Now, go on. You don't want to be late!"
"Yah!" He grinned, about to jog past her, then seemingly remembering something. He turned, quickly grabbing something from his lamp, and then dashed off.
Mie, Takato's outspoken mother, shook her head, crossing her arms as he tripped down the stairs, yelling 'goodbye' to her husband. "Oh, Takato."
She shook her again, than turned slightly and smiled, realizing what he had gone back for. She never thought she would be happy to see him wear those dusty old things again, but after everything that had happened, it was comforting to see him returning to normal.
Needless to say, Takato had yet again taken up the duty of the goggles.
Tamers Universe, Shopping District
Rika scowled as her mother, Rumiko, forced her to model yet another of her silly dresses. This one was of rosy pink in color and had a bright yellow bow tied around the waist. "Simple, but adorable!" He mother had cooed when she first showed the girl.
Unlike her, Rika couldn't care less.
Rika Nonaka did have to admit; however, (she did a little twirl in front of the mirror for her mother, hating every second of it) that Rumiko was getting better at understanding her daughter, but occasionally there was this one dress that she just "had to see" on the girl.
Rika frowned at Rumiko as she applauded, holding up another dress; a sea green one with sparkling sapphires sown on at the neck, sleeves, and hem. At least it wasnt the teddy bear one...
Rika quickly stepped down from the pedestal she had been displayed on like a dressup doll on. "You said this was the last one!"
Her mother smiled, "Oh, but Rika, isn't this darling? It looks so beautiful, and if I add my sun hat to it…"
"No!" Rika interjected stubbornly, scowling again before she could somehow persuade her daughter into trying on another stupid dress.
Her mother sighed, realizing it was futile, for once. "Oh, alright… I think I'll take one for myself though!" She gigged, beaming as she rushed off to go buy it, talking the whole way out about what it would go best with.
When her mother was gone, Rika sat down with a huff, pulling on the dress. "How did she even get me to agree to this…?"
"She agreed to let you see your friends today after darling Jeri called. By the way... how is she doing?" Seiko, Rika's grandmother, calmly stated and asked from her seat, despite the question being rhetorical. Rumiko had naturally persuaded her to come along as well.
Rika frowned, than sighed, smiling. "She's doing a lot better, Grandma. Actually, she seemed really happy," Rika shrugged, "beats me why."
Seiko smiled back, ignoring her last comment. "That's good to hear."
Rika nodded, than sighed again, looking up. "How much longer?" She asked.
Seiko exhaled knowingly back, no more eager than her granddaughter to stay. She had been working on a crossword puzzle when Rumiko practically dragged her out the door. "Knowing your mother? A few more hours." Rika groaned. "But, I can try and sneak us out... if you want." The elderly lady winked with a partly devious smile.
Rika's eyes widened, certainly not expecting that response as she turned to stare at her grandmother, "Really!?"
"Yes." Seiko smiled regularly again; Rumiko wouldn't mind. Besides, she would likely be too caught up in shopping to even notice their absence.
Rika grinned, jumping to her feat, "Thanks Grandma, you're the best!"
Seiko chuckled, "No need to thank me. Though, you may wish to change out of that outfit before we leave."
Rika's eyes instantly widened as she dashed back into the changing room. "Th-thanks! Ugh, I almost went out in public like this!" Seiko chuckled at her granddaughter, leaning back to wait.
When Rika returned, she was wearing her classic outfit of dark blue jeans, bright red shoes, and matching armbands along with the full heart shirt her mother had gotten her. Her hair was also done up in a spiky pony tail, as always. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" She demanded, causing Seiko to laugh.
"Oh Rika, still as impatient as ever," She smiled, making her way out with Rika beside her, smiling as well.
Tamers Universe; The Wong Apartment, Henry's Room
Henry, in the middle of his pitch black room with curtains drawn, stood before the only light source, a lone lamp perched upon his desk. He slowly lowered his arm into a ray of light, staring at the device that was revealed within his hand. There was no light coming from it like before, but then again, nor was there static.
This device… it is known as a digivice, or D-Power… and is the only link Henry had left to Terriermon, his Digimon partner, and his best friend.
The electronic device that sat in the palm of his hand was a smooth, pure white, supposedly plastic oval with a rectangular base branching out from the bottom and a slot likely meant to swipe something through it on the side. In the middle of the oval was a dull blue screen with a black background. A green circle surrounded the screen with a trivial, dimmed, red light set on the bottom left-hand corner. Below the circle, on the rectangular base, a feature similar to a white touch pad jutted out with a single green button, equal in color to the ring mentioned before, on either side. Finally, an emerald strap hung from the device, a convenient little clip attached to the end.
Right now, it was absolutely useless—a piece of junk. A paperweight. A cruel reminder.
And Henry hated it.
Henry's features hardened as he set the device down onto the table, turning around and rubbing at one of his stinging eyes, glaring into the darkness of his room that so clearly reflected the turmoil in both his mind and heart. He dearly missed his partner and knew it wasn't really his father's fault when the man sent him and the other Digimon away. He had to make a decision, after all, and that was the best one. The boy's head told him his father did the right thing, but his heart… his heart hated the man with all of its might. There had to have been another way… there just had to!
Henry sighed out loud. He'd gone over the facts many times already in his head and had long concluded that there was no other way, no matter how much he missed them and how hard he hoped. There was no DigiGnome around this time to grant a happily ever after.
The Digimon had been destined to go back from the start… they weren't meant for this world. But the boy couldn't help but still despise it.
There was a knock on the door and he closed his eyes, exhaling. "…Come in."
The door squeaked as it was slowly opened, revealing one of Henry's sisters—Jaarin. "Henry… lunch is ready. Did you want to join us?"
Henry paused before opening his eyes. "…No thank you. Tell mother and… father I'm not hungry."
"But…"
"No." Henry sternly repeated, turning back towards his desk and hunching over. His sister hesitated, concerned, but she closed the door and went to notify their parents regardless. Henry had been like this for months... and it worried the whole family—especially his father.
A few minutes of sullen silence passed by without pause after she had left, when his phone abruptly rang. Henry didn't even check the callerID, ignoring it until the phone hung up.
The scarred youth closed his eyes, forbidding any further tears from spilling this day, uttering a name his family knew well.
"…Terriermon…"
Author's Note (2):
Abrupt ending, I know, but I think it's kinda suspenseful~ ^^ Sorry about that, but hey, what can ya do?
So, whatcha think a' Jeri's new dress? :D I didn't make it up, someone on DeviantART did. Drew it too. Don't worry, the person gave me full rights to use his/her idea and as soon as I find the link again, I'll post it. Please favorite it as well if you like this story~! :)
*EDIT* Found the link! art/Juri-chan-50028660
So, any idea who the French speaking man is? I changed it, but I still don't really expect you to know. Regardless, take a guess. To help, it's an old "friend" who I altered slightly... I think an accent fits him, lol. *Grins* Oh, and if anyone figures him out, do tell! :3 Kudos to wisdom-jewel for the idea! :D
I apologize about Rika's mildly rushed section, though I did just try to fix it up. I wasn't sure what to put for her and I wanted to get this chapter over and done with so I could move on to the Destined.
Oh, and I altered the sibling so that her name was mentioned. Yep, Jaarin! I feel as though I should give his siblings at least some credit too, don't you? By the way, what do you think of Henry's section? To dark?
Lastly, I added the flashback. So... Thoughts? :3 If you already replied, I would appreciate a PM.
Oh, and did I portray them all correctly? That includes their parents... just want to know what you guys think. ^^ Anyways, this concludes the first real chapter, and so, 'till next time! XD
- / - / -
Next Time...
'Now Mr. Kamiya, what do you have to say for yourself?'
'Uh... oops?'
'..How I could have possibly forgotten!?'
'I know love when I see it! Next thing you know, you two will be going on dates!'
'It seems the game has only just begun...'