Flashbacks are both italic and bold.
Chapter 3 : Hope's Tale
Beelzemon was sitting on the sofa. He didn't feel like watching TV. He had changed so much in the last couple of years that he was frightened, though he would never admit it.
"I should send her ta live with a nice human family. Shouldn't she be among her own kind?But I wanna do this. I wanna protect her and take care of her."
He sighed.
"Besides, If I dare ta suggest a human family, she'll feel betrayed. She'll think I want ta give up on her like so many people did. Not that her parents asked ta be murdered, but I can tell a lotta people gave up on her. I saw it in her eyes, how betrayed and lonely she feels. I know what It's like, being all alone in da world. That happened ta me a long time ago and I don't want that fer her. Da difference is, I was all alone because I asked fer it. I brought that on me because I acted like a total jerk. But I have many friends now and I know I can help her."
He shuddered.
"I was dangerous, still are, but I've changed. A living being, Digimon or human who feel betrayed and lonely can become extremely dangerous, outta control. There's so much rage inside of her. I can't let things escalate. She needs ta know that someone care about her, she needs friends. But how am I supposed ta tell her that I care about her? I'm not the mushy type."
An ironic laugh escaped him.
"Really? I held da child in my arms and comforted her. Isn't that supposed ta be mushy stuff? I can't believe I've changed that much. Sometimes, I wonder If I'm still me. And If I'm not, then who da hell am I? I'm not supposed ta be da "existential crisis" type either. Life is so complicated. Da life of most Digimon is quite simple. A Digimon fight other Digimon, defeat them and load their data in order ta become stronger. Survival of the fittest.
"I will keep loading data 'til no one can stop me. No one!! No ooooone!!!"
He shuddered again.
"But I found out the hard way there was more ta life than just fighting. That child… Why do I care about her? I barely even know her.
He shook his head.
"That doesn't make any sense. But then again, is there anything in life that does make sense?"
He made his way back to the room, rewet the washcloth and replaced it. He gently stroked her hair off her face.
- Everything is gonna be all right.
He sat down and waited for her to wake up. When she did, she blinked and moaned.
"I had the strangest dream ever. A Digimon saved me. What was that about? Maybe I bumped my head or something. Wait a minute! A ceiling?"
- That's not the hideout.
- Hideout?
She snapped her eyes shut.
"That wasn't a dream."
She looked at him.
- My hideout is a cave.
He seemed shocked.
- You were living in a cave?
She nodded.
- You don't have a lot of options when you don't have a home. That's where I hide the food I steal.
He narrowed his eyes.
- Not anymore.
"Living in a cave and starving most of da time. Her clothes are tattered and worn out. A homeless child no one cared about. Sometimes, humans can be so selfish."
- Did I say something wrong?
He snapped out of his thoughts.
- What? No, ya didn't say anything wrong.
She shook her head.
- It's just… You look so angry.
He looked her straight in the eyes.
- Yer not da cause of my anger, Hope. People's selfishness is.
She looked at him with a bitter smile.
- You've noticed that too, huh?
He silently cursed himself.
"Don't make her feel more depressed than she already is."
- Come on, I'm gonna make something ta eat.
They sat at the kitchen table and he watched her eat. He took a bite of food and looked at her.
- Can ya tell me who murdered yer parents?
The spoon clanged against the bowl and fell on the table. Tears appeared in her eyes. Guilt washed over him and he felt something else too, pain.
"I can't bear ta see her like this. Seeing her unhappy hurts like hell. My heart bleeds fer her. I will do everything in my power ta make her healthy and happy again. She look as heartbroken as Jeri was when I… No, don't go there."
- Look, I'm very sorry for what happened ta ya. I know how difficult this is fer you, but I need ta know more. Whoever did this will pay. They deserve ta pay fer what they did ta yer mom and dad, don't ya think?
She sighed.
- I don't remember much.
He looked at her with a kind smile on his face.
- What do ya remember? Tell me and free yourself from this nightmare, Hope. You'll feel much better after that.
She picked up her spoon.
- You want to hear the whole story?
He nodded.
- Of course I do.
She took a deep breath and started.
- My name is Hope Johnson, I'm eleven years old. I was born in the United States of America so I'm American. When I went to school, It didn't went well. I didn't make any friends. The other kids made fun of me. They called me names such as "weirdo" and "freak".
Unshed tears appeared in her eyes. Beelzemon clenched his fists.
"They're da freaks. Why can't they just give her a rest? Had I been there I would have scared da hell outta them ta teach them a lesson."
- Go on, toots. I'm listening ta ya.
He nodded, looking at her with a reassuring smile.
- Two years ago, my mother was to give birth to her second child, a boy. I was going to have a brother, but she lost the baby.
He mustered a lot of energy to stop his hands from shaking.
"Did she ever had a single moment of happiness in her life?"
- I went back to school, but I couldn't take the mockery and rejection anymore. One of the boys from school went as far as to say my unborn baby brother didn't want to live because he had a freak for a sister. He said it was my fault my brother died.
He looked her straight in the eyes.
- That's nonsense. It wasn't yer fault. Things like that happen, you had nothing ta do with it. That brat said that 'cause he enjoyed causing ya pain.
She sighed.
- I couldn't take it anymore, so I ran away, but the police brought me back home. My parents were worried sick about me. When I told them how the other kids treated me, they switched me to another school. But It didn't change anything. For the other kids, I was nothing but a freak. Then my mother met that Japanese woman, Natsuki. They became good friends. She spoke English and taught us Japanese for free. The more she talked about Japan, the more my parents wanted to go and live there. About four months ago, we moved to Japan. My dad got a new job and my mom stayed home to take care of me. Then last week, I came back from school. I saw someone or something run away, but I couldn't see what it was. I found my parents in the house, lying dead on the floor, in a pool of their own blood. I was devastated and terrified. To most people, I was a freak. I panicked and thought about what the police would think If they found out I was there when my parents were killed, so I ran away. I lived in that cave for five days, stealing food and hiding. Then, I was attacked by that evil Digimon and you saved me. You know the rest.
She hunged her head.
- So, ya don't know who murdered yer parents?
She shook her head, the tears freely flowing down her cheeks.
- It could've been one of those evil Digimon for what I know. I'm sure they don't need a reason to kill people.
- Could be.
She wiped her tears away and gave him a weak smile.
- I never told anyone about this because nobody ever listened to what I had to say. I just can't believe I told you everything.
He smiled.
- I did and I'm glad ya told me.
She sagged against the table.
- I am so exhausted.
He looked at her pale face.
- Of course you are, yer sick. Da lack of food and everything ya've been through in da last couple of days didn't help. Maybe ya should get some rest.
She shook her head and licked her parched lips. She was so thirsty.
- Here, drink this.
He gave her a glass of water and she gulped down the fresh water with a sigh of contentment.
- Much better. Thank you.
He refilled her glass and handed it to her.
They spended most of the afternoon talking and then talked some more in the evening.
- Are there many other Digimon in the Human World?
He nodded.
- I guess so. Most of them have human partners. If there are tamers here, in Japan, I imagine they're all over da world, which means lots of Digimon in this world.
She gave him a puzzled look.
- Now that D-Reaper is gone, they're not needed anymore, are they? Don't they want to go home?
He shooked his head.
- There's more ta tamers and Digimon than D-Reaper. They were chosen ta fight Evil in da Digital World. There's more ta Evil than D-Reaper. Tamers and Digimon will always be needed. And home is what ya make it and where ya make it, toots. I wouldn't mind going ta da Digital World ta help tamers and save lives, but I wouldn't want ta live there.
She seemed surprised.
- Why not? You were born there, weren't you?
He smiled.
- I was, but as I said, home is what ya make it and where ya make it. Home is where ya feel home.
She looked confused.
- But don't you need to absorb data to retain your Mega form?
He suddenly looked uneasy.
- …
She silently cursed herself.
- I'm sorry I didn't mean to pry, Beelzemon.
He shook his head.
- It's alright. Just know this, ta load a Digimon's data is ta completely destroy him or her. That Digimon can't ever be reborn in da form of a digiegg, can't ever come back.
She nodded.
- So, If an evil Digimon is killed and his data aren't loaded and he's reborn in the form of a digiegg, is there the slightest chance…
- That he might change? Data can be corrupted and corrupted data can be purified, so It's always a possibility.
She shivered.
- Now, I'm completely exhausted.
He stared at her with concern.
- Ya really should get some sleep.
She nodded.
He tucked her in, wished her good night and left the room. He would watch some TV and go to sleep too. He was reaching for the remote when he heard a loud scream from inside the room.
- Hope!!!