Chapter 12: The west wind
Sora and Jyou had sat back in their chairs across from each other. Gomamon and Piyomon went, each, to the side of their respective partner. Tamaki grabbed a napkin from a drawer and silently cleaned the juice and the pieces of the broken cup from the table. The heavy atmosphere brought the adult bad memories.
"This kind of thing used to happen all the time in my group." Tamaki commented. "And it only got worse."
Jyou disliked what the man had said. It reminded him of his past pessimism, which he was determined to leave behind.
"Koushiro-kun and Takeru-kun only had a discussion. Our group isn't going to fall apart just because of it," He said, calmly.
Sora blinked in surprise. Was Jyou really being positive and not freaking out, for once? She examined the boy's posture with attention. He's so tranquil. What happened to him?
Tamaki stared at the children with pity. Then, he put the broken pieces of the cup in a nearby trash can and slowly walked to the entrance of the kitchen. Getting there, he stopped, without turning around to face the others.
"I used to be optimistic too… well, real Tamaki used to be like that. But optimism did not stop those things from happening. I can't stop you from leaving but I beg you…" Tamaki clenched his trembling fists. "I beg you to discuss this carefully before making a decision."
"Tamaki-san, do you know of a way to send us home?" Sora asked.
"To be completely honest, I don't have the knowledge to open a portal to the human world yet. But I could search for a way and you could stay here while I do that. You'll be safe here." Tamaki had a pleading tone.
"But do you know someone who has that knowledge?" Sora insisted.
"Kanda-kun most likely has it. He has at his disposal all the files of the Academy, after all. But he wouldn't help you unless you acted according to his plans." The man spoke in a disgusted tone. "However," he said in a more neutral voice, "I believe that Otae-chan must've found a way. She could figure out anything on her own and I'm sure she would want to open a gate for you. Sadly, her current location is unknown."
"Then, in the end, it's a choice between staying here and hoping for you to find a way to send us home or seeking for Kanda-san's help, which would lead us to fight more digimon." Sora concluded.
"It's not just that. There's also the risk of the digimon invading our world and the innocent deaths occurring because of, from what I understood, Devimon's allies." Jyou pointed out.
"None of those things is your responsibility!" Tamaki stated, turning around. A spark was visible in his eyes. "Everything that was done to us… our present existence… it was all so we could protect the Digital World! I can't allow little children like you to do our job!"
"But Kanda-san said that you can't use the-" Jyou was about to contest.
"We'll find a way!" Tamaki asserted. "Don't you understand? We were literally fabricated so no other children would have to suffer the same way we did! If you still have to fight than all that happened to us will have been for nothing!"
The perplexed looks on the faces of the children and the digimon made Tamaki self aware. He looked down and quickly left the kitchen.
"What kind of horrible things happened to the original chosen children?" Gomamon questioned, startled.
"Do you mean besides one of them dying and the other four being cloned?" Piyomon had an uncharacteristically sarcastic tone that made Sora raise an eyebrow.
"He's not telling us the whole story." Jyou commented in low voice.
"What do you think, Jyou-sempai?" Sora asked.
"About what?" Jyou was confused.
"Do you think we should stay in this base?"
Sora's second question made Jyou quiet. He leaned back on his chair and took a breath before replying in a serious voice:
"What do you think we should do, Sora-kun?"
The girl paled.
"This is not fair, I asked first." She became defensive.
"I didn't mean that as a provocation, sorry." Jyou apologized. "What I meant was that I'm not sure about what to do. The cautious decision would be to stay here, where it's safe. But I don't want to hide in here while there are digimon and people who we could help. Besides…" The older child gave her a sober glance. "I no longer wish to decide things on my own and behave as if I'm right just because of my age. I want to listen to what all of you have to say and then form an opinion."
Jyou noticed how Sora straightened her posture and slightly opened her mouth and eyes.
"I bet I surprised you," the sixth grader smirked nervously.
"What happened to the person who was so willing to make hard choices to protect the majority of the group?" Sora wondered in low voice.
The boy glanced down for a second; then he immediately looked up and set his eyes on her again.
"My decisions until now have been wrong." He admitted. "I've been so concerned about being responsible for you all that I didn't see how my anxiety was leading me to make terrible choices. The truth is that I'm not fit to be in charge. Unlike you."
"What does that mean?" Sora inquired almost inaudibly as fear emerged from the deepest corners of her being. What is he saying?
"Sora-kun, you've been a better leader than me all this time." Jyou told her, with a smile. "All the decisions you've made turned out to be beneficial for the group; all the times you took charge, you inspired the others and made them feel safe. Koushiro-kun wouldn't even be alive now if you hadn't disobeyed me in the factory! You are the person keeping us together and giving us courage. You are the most trustworthy member of this group!"
Sora stared at Jyou, stunned. The girl was horrified at how wrongly the other perceived her. But it was not only him. Mimi, Takeru, Koushiro, Piyomon… all of them had demonstrated at some point unfounded admiration for her. All of them had seen virtues in Sora that the fifth grader knew to be illusory. But Jyou had been the one to confront her; he had been the only person not to be fooled by her forced kindness. Even if he had hurt her feelings and touched on subjects that she was not willing to discuss, Sora was secretly glad that someone was able to see her flaws.
But now, even Jyou was being deceived by Sora's façade. She wanted to cry, to scream, to beat sense into him in order to make the older boy see the broken person she was inside. But she would never be able to do any of that.
Her silence made the boy afraid that he had upset her. What is wrong? Am I forgetting something? Oh! Of course!
"I also would like to apologize for arguing with you that day, when we were picking up wood." He spoke with shame. "I didn't mean to-"
"You all had been through a very dire situation; Sora understands that you were not in your right state of mind." Gomamon interrupted, attempting to diminish Jyou's guilt.
"Let him apologize." Piyomon scolded the other digimon. "That's what you're supposed to do when you make mistakes."
"I was pretty mean to you on that occasion as well, Jyou-sempai." Sora muttered, looking at the table. The other human had interpreted that as Sora accepting his apology.
"Then, we're good now, right?" He asked, to which the girl nodded. Her lack of enthusiasm still concerned him.
"Sora-kun, what else should I apologize for?" Jyou questioned, worried. "You're still upset."
The girl looked up. The sixth grader's anxious expression made her feel worse. She could just say that she never intended to lead, that everything she did was motivated by her desperate need to comfort the others, somehow. Sora could not stand to see children scared and hopeless. It hit too close home. However, that did not make her a leader. She could just tell the truth: I don't want to be a leader. Nevertheless, she knew it was too late. Jyou was already counting on her, like everybody else, in spite of all the tragedies that she could not stop. The least she could do was to stop him from worrying. Nobody should worry about her.
"I'm not upset, Jyou-sempai!" She stated with the brightest smile she could forge, while hiding her hands under the table. Nobody needed to see them trembling.
The sixth grader was not convinced. There she is, hiding her true feelings again. Why does Sora-kun do that? Jyou wanted to confront her but remembered how that had resulted in him hurting her feelings in the past and did not wish to do the same again. Everybody was already too emotionally wounded; he should not contribute more to that state.
"Jyou!" Gomamon called, suddenly, attracting everybody's attention. The white digimon glanced at Sora for a couple of seconds, analyzing her. He believed that he had recognized that behavior and, because of that, he thought he knew how to make the human girl feel better without having to expose her state of mind. "It's not fair to let Sora decide everything on her own. You should take responsibility as well!"
"That's right." Piyomon agreed. "It's a decision that affects you all. You should make it together."
"I wasn't trying to throw all the responsibility on her, where did you get that from?" Jyou was offended by those accusations. "I think Sora-kun already acts as our leader and is very good at it but that doesn't mean I want to overwhelm her! On the contrary, I want to help as much as possible! Nobody should bear so much weight on their shoulders."
The girl genuinely smiled after hearing that. She should not have suspected his motivations. Jyou was not the kind of person who would ditch his responsibilities to someone else. Yet, the power of his words made her shiver. The sixth grader meant every word he had uttered, while he openly acknowledged what terrified him and apologized for his mistakes. And now he looked like a completely different person from the whiny boy she had believed him to be once. Was that empowerment related to Jyou's sincerity?
"Say, Jyou-sempai," the girl had a hesitant voice, "did you mean it when you called me insincere back then?"
Jyou gulped. For a couple of seconds, he considered lying to make the girl feel better but quickly shut the idea down. It would be disrespectful to do that and he believed that, despite the truth being hard to hear, Sora was strong enough to take it.
"I do think you are an insincere person." Jyou confirmed. "That's, in fact, one of the aspects of your personality that bothers me the most."
Sora looked down, ashamed, while Piyomon gave Jyou an enraged look. Gomamon, on the other hand, waited for the conclusion of the boy's line of thought that he rightfully knew was to come.
"However," Jyou continued, "I have several character flaws that bother you and the others. But I learned that I also have good aspects that are admirable." The boy smiled softly, remembering the conversation that he had with Mimi the night before Gomamon evolved. "Even if I'm imperfect and make lots of mistakes, I want to improve… I want to believe that I can do better if I have faith in myself and not forget the good that already exists in me. I believe you should do the same, Sora-kun. For starters, everybody already has faith in you."
Sora's eyes got very humid and she resisted the impulse to turn around to hide her tears. The girl rubbed her eyes lightly with her left hand before any drop escaped them. Sora could not find any word to say back to Jyou. She was not even sure how his speech was affecting her. One small part of Sora wanted to believe in that and follow the boy's advice; she even dared to want to believe that she was worthy of that kind of trust. However, her dominant side would not allow that.
"We should discuss with the others about what to do next." Sora said, after a long moment of silence. "I want to listen to what everybody has to say."
"Yes." Jyou agreed. He was under the impression that his attempt to help made Sora even sadder. That made the boy frustrated at himself. Is there nothing I can do for Sora-kun?
Meanwhile, Mimi, Koushiro and Palmon believed they had gotten lost in the corridors, which had many intersections. The girl watched the other child, silently. Koushiro was keeping his hands in his shorts' pockets and had a scared expression on his face. Mimi wanted him to talk to her, to cry, to do anything that would help him somehow. She hated to feel useless and everything in her soul shouted that she had to confront him until Koushiro opened up. She knew that he would not get better unless he did that. Nevertheless, the boy's panic attack was too fresh in her memory and Mimi was sure that her aggressive approach had caused that. She did not want to risk making him suffer again.
Eventually, Tamaki found them while on his way to somewhere else. When he saw the kids and the digimon, the man sighed.
"Sorry, I forgot to tell you, the structure of this base is always changing. I made it that way so I would never get bored." He explained, embarrassed. "I can tell all the corridors of this place apart, though, so I could take you anywhere you want. Would you like to return to the kitchen?"
"Actually, I'd like to talk to Takeru-kun. I need to apologize to him." Koushiro spoke in low voice.
"That's a good thing." Mimi commented, hoping that Koushiro was slowly going back to his normal self.
Tamaki guided them until the door of the room where Takeru was, telling the kids and the girl's partner about what had happened after they left the kitchen. The boy paled when he heard that Tentomon had flown away, distressed, but did not say anything about it. That lack of response made the other fourth grader more concerned. When they arrived in their destination, Tamaki took a piece of paper and a pen from one of his pants' pockets and drew a map for the boy. When the adult was about to leave, Mimi asked if she and Palmon could go with him, so Koushiro could talk to Takeru privately. Tamaki seemed to be indecisive but ended up agreeing. Alone, in front of the closed door, Koushiro wondered about what he should say.
"Takeru-kun, it's me, Koushiro." He began, uncertain. "I came here to apologize for the way I acted. I was irrational and insensitive… I shouldn't have talked to you like that considering…"
No, this isn't good enough, Koushiro thought. I completely disrespected Takeru-kun's feelings after he had lost his partner… when he was in his most vulnerable…
Against his will, the boy remembered how Tentomon had acted earlier that day.
"I was disturbed because of something else and took my frustration out on you." The boy admitted. "I thought that your pain wasn't as great as mine… that your problems weren't as serious as mine. But that's not how it works, is it? In the end, what matters is how things affect you and not what those things are."
Koushiro braced himself, closing his eyes for a second.
"I told you that you didn't know what loss was because you could still see those you lost but… to tell you the truth…" Koushiro hesitated. However, he knew that he owed Takeru better than a simple apology. "I barely remember the people I lost and I can't tell for sure whether the memories I have of them are real or not. We didn't get to actually know each other… I can't even say that I loved them."
The fourth grader felt his eyes getting warm and wetter and rubbed them with his right hand. No sound came from the other side of the door. Was Takeru really in there?
"What I meant to say was that you actually loved those who are not with you anymore… and you saw one of them dying. Even if Patamon comes back, it doesn't change how his death affected you. I'm… I'm not going to bother you anymore, sorry." The child said in an apologetic tone, ready to leave.
To his surprise, the door in his front was abruptly opened. At the other side, Takeru stared at him, still holding the knob. He studied Koushiro attentively. The other boy did not know how to read the expression on the face of the second grader. Is he angry or sad?
"Before coming to this world, I had never behaved like that." Takeru spoke, suddenly. "I hated when people fought and yelled at each other. Yet, I've done those things too many times in the last few days."
Takeru saw the astonished look the fourth grader gave him and continued to talk:
"My Mom always says that I'm level-headed for my age. Probably because I started reading some difficult books I found in the house. I was just trying to distract myself from the silence but at some point I started believing in that, I guess." Takeru looked down. "I think that's how my arrogance was born."
"I don't think you are arrogant, Takeru-kun." Koushiro told him.
"I think only my way is the right way…" Takeru's lips trembled. "I get mad when people disagree with me. But I wasn't aware of this side of myself before. I never considered that I would be this kind of person."
Takeru waited for Koushiro's response but none came. He looked up and saw the other boy staring at him, silently. His eyebrows were contracted and his eyes were half closed. The second grader turned around and returned to the nest of blankets and pillows he had prepared for Patamon's digitama. He sat in front of the egg and caressed it gently, with the open door at his back. Soon, Koushiro sat next to him on the fluffy floor.
"Why did you tell me that?" The red haired child asked, confused.
"I don't know." Takeru replied, without taking his eyes off the digitama. "You told me some heavy stuff… then, when I went to make amends, those things got out."
Takeru felt that Koushiro was examining him. A couple of minutes later, the fourth grader spoke again:
"I believe that was the first time I argued with anyone." He commented in low voice. "I've had dissenting opinions before but I had never gotten emotional like that. I also had never willingly tried to hurt someone else's feelings."
"I must've pushed you really bad." Takeru's guilt was increasing.
"It wasn't about you." Koushiro stated. "I shouldn't have confronted you like that."
"No." Takeru disagreed. "I said horrid things… and treated Tamaki-san and Mimi-san badly… after I calmed down I realized that."
Koushiro stayed silent. Takeru turned his head in the other boy's direction and saw how pale the fourth grader was.
"Anger is a scary thing." The second grader added. "It's like there's something else controlling you…"
Takeru noticed Koushiro trembling, subtly. The younger boy's eyes widened when he understood the reason for that.
"Sorry." The blond child apologized. "I didn't want to make you remember about Homeostasis."
Koushiro gulped, lowering his head.
"Did I scare you back then?" The fourth grader inquired, ashamed. "When Homeostasis was using my body?"
"Not as much as it must've scared you." Takeru replied. "Were you conscious all the time?"
Koushiro nodded.
"If that had happened to me..." Takeru started.
"I was the only one who could've fallen for that trick." Koushiro declared, darkly, getting up slowly.
"Why do you say that?" The younger child could not understand what the other meant.
Koushiro thought about his answer for a few seconds.
"Because you all are stronger than me." He muttered. "If you excuse me, I think I'll head back to the kitchen now. I've barely eaten anything."
"Would you mind if I went with you?" Takeru asked, for Koushiro's surprise.
"If you don't mind." The red haired boy said, smiling.
Takeru stood up, glancing at the enveloped digitama, wondering if his friend was sleeping in there.
"Why don't you bring him along?" The older child questioned.
Takeru's sight became blurry and he shuddered.
"I can't bear it yet." He replied.
At the same time the two boys were talking to each other, Mimi and Palmon had followed Tamaki to a dark room where there was only a computer on a desk and a chair at its front.
"This is my control room; it's where I come to manage the base." Tamaki explained, turning the large computer on and sitting down. "I'll set the automatic rebuild off."
Mimi watched the screen over the man's shoulder, without uttering any word.
"I wonder where Tentomon is now." Palmon said, trying to peek at the computer as well. She too was concerned and intrigued by the situation between the bug digimon and Koushiro.
"I can search for him." Tamaki offered, quickly typing. A simplified map of the base appeared; Mimi thought that it resembled a labyrinth. Eleven little lights were visible at it.
"This one is alone, it must be Tentomon. He's in the south, four turns to the right." Tamaki told them.
"Mimi, could I go after him?" Palmon asked.
"Yes, of course. We can meet in the kitchen later." Mimi agreed. Tamaki quickly drew a map in a piece of paper and gave it to Palmon. After the digimon had left, the girl observed Tamaki working on the computer. The tattoo on his hand caught her attention.
"What is that tattoo, Tamaki-san?"
Tamaki stopped moving. After a minute, he answered:
"The crest of Purity. At least its drawing." His voice was grave.
"Does that mean that you have a pure heart, Tamaki-san?" Mimi asked, interested.
"Real Tamaki had, for a while." He replied.
"What happened to the original children?" The girl questioned, frowning. "Did they go home? Did they…?"
Tamaki turned around in his chair and looked into her eyes with intensity.
"What do you think is the worst thing that could happen to you?" He inquired, seriously.
"Death." Mimi replied, soberly, after giving it some thought.
"You're so innocent." Tamaki smiled with sadness. "Do you think that if you survive and go home, you'll get to live the rest of your lives happily?"
Mimi did not have an answer for that and glanced down. The man continued:
"Do you think you've already been through a lot? The true horrors of this world haven't truly begun. You must save yourselves while you still can. While your souls still have some light."
"I want to go home." Mimi confessed. "But I know that the others will want to stay. I can't imagine any of them willing to abandon this world in peril… they're not selfish…" The girl murmured, feeling guilty for her own desire to return to her world. "I've decided that I'll only leave this place if they are with me. It's not like I don't want to help the digimon. It's not like I don't want to protect my family… I just…"
She missed her family and her friends. She missed her life, with its comfort and fun. She missed not fearing for her safety and the well being of herself and a group. Whenever she saw the hopelessness in their faces, Mimi felt her heart being crushed. She wanted everybody, including herself, to be able to smile genuinely and not to be afraid anymore. That wish became stronger after she witnessed her usually quiet and well-behaved classmate in that much pain.
"I've been there before." Tamaki murmured. "My group had this exact same dilemma once… and we decided to stay and fight. I wish I could go back in time and change that. I wish I could've convinced my friends to go home and leave everything behind us."
"Isn't there a way to help the digimon and our world without having to hurt anyone?" Mimi asked. "Is violence really the only way?"
"Violence and hatred only create more violence and hatred." Tamaki affirmed. "If we had understood that before, many deaths could have been avoided. The moment you start to believe that you are absolutely right and that those who disagree with you are evil and must be punished is the moment when your soul dies. That's when you lose yourself in the spiral of despair… and you can never escape it."
Mimi refused to accept that reality.
"I can't let that happen to us. I can't let our lives be destroyed like that." She roared.
"In that case, you should stay here."
"I don't want to hide while others fight for my sake!"
"This is not your fight." Tamaki assured the girl. "You're not responsible for whatever happens to this world or the human world."
Mimi trembled. It would be so easy to believe in that. Not long ago, she would have accepted that reasoning gladly. But she knew that she could not revert to those days. To close her eyes and pretend that there was nothing wrong was impossible. The group was going to stay in the Digital World and she would stay with them. Running away was not an option, neither was it to give up on hope.
"I'll find another path." Mimi promised. "I'll find a way where everybody can be safe and happy again and we'll never be trapped in that spiral of despair… so we can go home with no regrets."
"You're a dreamer, Mimi-chan." Tamaki's voice became soft and a little smile appeared on his lips. "I used to be like you."
"You can be like that again, Tamaki-san!" She exclaimed, hopeful. The man stood up and messed with her hair, fondly. I wish I could, he thought.
"I'm with your bags and original clothes. They'll be ready for tomorrow if you decide to go." He spoke with resignation.
"You don't want us to go, isn't that right?" Mimi inquired. "Are you not going to try to stop us?"
Tamaki frowned before replying:
"I want to protect you lot. But I can't bring myself to do something as horrible as taking away your agency. There's nothing worse you can do to another human being."
"You're really kind, Tamaki-san." Mimi expressed her appreciation for the other, unaware that those words broke his heart. The adult buried his melancholy and tried to show her a happy face.
"Thank you, Mimi-chan."
Meanwhile, Tentomon was hidden among sheets inside a closet in a storage room.
"Tentomon, where are you?" Palmon asked, outside the closet. "I know that you're here."
The bug digimon waited for her to go away. However, it did not take long for the plant digimon to open the closet and expose him. Tentomon flew to her side, defeated.
"I don't want to talk-" He had a pleading tone.
"This isn't about you." Palmon cut him off. "Koushiro needs your help."
"He's going to be okay." Tentomon muttered, trembling.
"Mimi held him by the hand and he started to scream." Palmon informed him, which made Tentomon face her. "He fell to the ground and said that he didn't want to die. He was so scared, Tentomon."
The bug digimon looked away, lifting his arms and putting them on his head, nervously. A couple of tears formed in his eyes.
"You can help Koushiro, Tentomon." Palmon tried to calm him down. "Be there for him. Talk to him. Your partner is not well."
"This is beyond my power! I can't do anything!"
"Are you giving up on him?" Palmon had a reproving voice. "Don't you care about-"
"Of course I care about him!" Tentomon shouted. "You just don't understand! None of you understands!"
"I can only understand if you explain!"
That reply took Tentomon aback. That was what he had told his friend in the factory to pressure him to tell the truth. It had all begun like that, and then Tentomon was convincing Koushiro to let Homeostasis enter his mind and almost got him killed. Even when he evolved, he could not stop Andromon. After that, Koushiro fell from the mountain and almost died. Then, he had left the boy alone and Koushiro had jumped into a well. It did not matter what actions or omissions the digimon took, he was not capable of helping his friend. And it was becoming clear what Koushiro's end would be, due to the digimon's incompetence. Tentomon could not handle that reality; the only way to maintain his sanity was to lie to himself. Koushiro-han is going to be okay... he has to.
"Koushiro is feeling better now, I guess. He went to apologize to Takeru." Palmon added, regretting her earlier rudeness.
"Really?" Tentomon sounded a bit relieved.
"When did you become so complicated?" Palmon sighed, pulling the ladybug by the arm. "Come on."
"I don't want to go." Tentomon protested. His voice, however, lacked conviction.
"Yes, you do." Palmon contested. "After all, you want to see for yourself that he's better, right?"
Tentomon did not reply, allowing himself to be dragged by the other. Palmon took him to the kitchen, where everybody (minus Tamaki) was reunited. Tentomon glanced at Koushiro sitting next to Takeru. His partner looked away. The pair joined the other digimon, who were having a private discussion at the back of the kitchen, next to the counter. Piyomon looked at Tentomon with annoyance and it was up to Gomamon to fill in him and Palmon about what had been discussed. The children had debated the choices they had and now was the time of their decision. Palmon asked why the digimon were not deciding along with them. Piyomon told her that their role was to support their partners no matter what they chose and that they should do what they believed was best for themselves.
"I want to look for the crests and to help to protect the Digital World." Takeru said. "You saw what Devimon did. Angemon sacrificed himself to put an end to his cruelty; I can't dishonor my friend's memory by running away."
The other children exchanged a few glances.
"I believe that's what we should do." Koushiro agreed, receiving a thankful look from Takeru. "We have unfinished business here. And there are things that I want to understand before going home..."
Tentomon gazed at his partner. The other digimon wondered if there was a hidden meaning behind the boy's words that only Tentomon understood.
"We don't have many chances of going home if we stay in this base." Sora murmured. "We would just hide ourselves and run from our responsibilities. That wouldn't help anyone."
"You've already decided." Mimi said, with a resigned smile. "I imagined it would be like this."
"Mimi-chan…" Sora felt guilty.
"It's okay; I want to stay with you." The younger girl tried to sound supportive. "I know that we can all go home later and that this doesn't have to be the end for us."
"I also think we should leave this base." Jyou declared. "I'm done with having to make hard decisions. I don't want to, ever again, try to convince myself that sacrifices are inevitable. I want to save everybody... you guys, the digimon, our world…"
Koushiro and Takeru looked at the boy across from them and between Sora and Mimi with surprise. Soon, the blond child gave Jyou an approving smile. Koushiro gazed at the older boy with admiration. Jyou noticed that and wanted to properly talk to Koushiro about the events of the factory. However, the sixth grader knew that he should wait until the two of them were alone.
The children decided that they would leave by the morning. After eating, they headed to the bedroom where Takeru had left Patamon's digitama. There, the youngest child glanced at the egg with sadness. Mimi noticed that and decided that she had to do something to ease the child's misery.
"You haven't taken a bath yet, right?" She asked Takeru.
"No." The boy replied.
"You should hurry and take one; we don't know when we'll be able to do that again. Besides, the bathtubs here are fantastic, you'll hate yourself if you pass on the opportunity of swimming in one." She said, cheerfully.
"Mimi-kun, you shouldn't swim in the bathtub." Jyou advised.
"Don't listen to him! Swimming in the bathtub is awesome!" Gomamon defied his partner, which provoked some giggles from the others. Takeru was surprised by the laugh that escaped his mouth. That was a good feeling.
"Don't forget to take Patamon with you." The girl added. "It will be his only chance as well."
Takeru stared at her for a couple of seconds, and then he nodded. Gently, the boy uncovered the digitama and picked it up, afraid of harming it in any way. He could still hear Angemon's voice in his mind. And so could he remember his discussions with his friend.
I was not the partner you deserved, Takeru reflected, feeling something heavy pulling him down. I don't know if you'll remember me or not. Maybe it would be better if you didn't. That way, you wouldn't have to know how self centered I was… how I didn't understand your feelings… how I just watched you die, unable to do anything. But I promise you that I'll be better from now on. I'll become strong and I'll make you stronger too. Nobody will be able to hurt you ever again, Patamon.
A crack appeared on the egg's shell, startling everybody. Soon, a small white baby digimon broke free from it. The creature smiled largely at Takeru, jumping on his hands.
"It's Poyomon." Piyomon told the boy.
"Hello, Poyomon." Takeru greeted, beginning to cry. "I knew that you were going to meet me… we're going to be great friends!"
The tears streamed down his face. His friend had returned and the human swore that he would never lose him again. He would do everything to protect his partner from all the harm and sadness. He would make sure to bring him joy and peace. Ten minutes later, the boy took the digimon to take a bath with him, where they played in the water and with the bubbles. Even if Poyomon had forgotten about him, Takeru promised himself that he would give the digimon plenty of happy memories that would stay with him forever.
The blond child, after the bath, put on the clothes that had replaced his own on the bathroom's bench (an orange shirt and brown shorts). His backpack was gone from the bench as well. Then, he went back to the bedroom with Poyomon and they slept among the others. The small child could swear that, at some point during the night, he had heard someone humming. In the morning, each child found their clothes and their bags and backpacks (which had been gone along with their clothes during their baths) on the fluffy floor of the bedroom. Each of them went to a bathroom to put them on, returning soon. After that, they had breakfast with Tamaki. Once again, the man tried to dissuade them from leaving, with no success. Finished the meal, they headed to the sliding door.
"Homura-chan lives in Aurora Town." Tamaki told them. "I'm sure that she'll find you. She's not bad but can be a little scary sometimes. Also, I've put food and other things in your bags; they should last for a while."
"That's why it's so heavy." Jyou commented, glancing at his bag.
"Thank you for everything, Tamaki-san." Mimi showed her gratitude.
"Honestly, thank you." Sora added. "If there's anything we can do to pay back-"
"There is." Tamaki interrupted. He looked at their faces with sorrow. Yet, he dared to have hope. "Survive everything this World throws at you. Don't turn against one other because one other is all you have. Be patient with one another and yourselves and never stop being kind. Please, don't become cynical or bitter. Don't nurture hatred in your hearts… don't forget who you are and what makes you happy."
Silently, the children took those words to their hearts. Mimi, especially, vowed to honor them.
Takeru opened the door and the five children and digimon entered a sunlit square, feeling the west wind caressing their faces.
Tamaki closed the door and retreated to the control room. He dematerialized the base and selected his play list in the computer. The adult cried alone, listening to his favorite song.
Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Thank you all for the reviews. Imagine is a song by John Lennon. The next update will probably be only in May, when the action restarts.