Episode 1: Summertime Blues

As it was, there was nothing my father could do about summer camp. Mom had used a credit card we didn't know she even had to pay in full for a week of "outdoor adventures and fun!" as the brochure put it. My father had pleaded and screamed and everything in between, but short of me being on my deathbed in the hospital (which I'm surprised he didn't try and put me there) I was required to show. However, and he was incredibly proud of himself for this, he'd managed to secure me a position as a group leader. At least this way I "wouldn't be wasting a week of my life on ridiculous nonsense" and could even put it on my middle school applications. I couldn't believe it – me in charge of a group of kids my age. I couldn't even keep myself in order, how was I supposed to keep track of a bunch of children? I guess I could always use the lessons learned at home.

Somehow, I doubted that hitting the others when they spoke out of line would make such a good impression on the camp staff.

I was sitting in the kitchen, emergency bag supplied by the camp emptied out on the table, checking off the list to make sure everything was there, when Shin walked by, yawning. I was never too sure where he went when he came home from school. To be honest, though, I never really paid too much attention to anyone in my family. My father was always either at work, or holed up in his bedroom, on-call from the hospital. Mom was either manic and flying up the walls, or depressed and not wanting to move from her spot on the floor by her bedroom door, or she was stuffed full of medication and staring blankly at the wall from the couch like she was now. And Shuu was off gallivanting somewhere around Kyoto with some college professor and any time he tried to call home, my father would throw the phone against the wall and I would end up with new bruises.

"What's that?" Shin asked, wiping the sleep from his eyes.

"It's my summer camp to-do list. I have to get everything ready before the bus gets here in," I checked my watch, "fifteen minutes."

"Huh." Shin grabbed the pamphlet from my hands. I tried to grab it back, but he used his big brother powers to hold it too high over my head for me to reach. "I didn't know your school was hosting a summer camp."

"My what?" I used his momentary yawn to jump up and grab the papers. That was a bad idea. I wheezed suddenly as my asthma grabbed me by the lungs. My inhaler was in my pocket though, as a stroke of genius this morning had hit me – maybe my life-saving medicine should be, I don't know, close at hand? The mist was bitter in my mouth, but I accepted it along with everything else my life threw at me. There was nothing I could do about any of it, anyway.

"The summer camp – it's being hosted by Odaiba Elementary." Shin pointed to the subtext at the bottom of the brochure. I hadn't even bothered to look at it. "That's were you go. Isn't it?" He obviously didn't pay attention to our family either.

"I guess I just never noticed." I shrugged. "It's not like I ever had time to talk about any of this with anyone. I just go where I'm told to."

Shin gave me a weird look, like he was going to say something but a belch was waiting for him to open his mouth. I didn't want to deal with whatever noises were going to come out of him, so I just stood and gathered my things. "I need to make sure this stuff works, and then I have to be outside for the bus. So just... move aside, Shin. Please?"

It was odd. Normally he tried to do the "brother" thing and mess with me, but today he just put his hands up in surrender and walked away. He must have heard Mom's tantrum last night. Either way, he was leaving me alone to get my effects in order, and just in time too. I was able to throw everything back in the bag and run to the corner just as the bus pulled around. There was a short kid boarding with me, his mop of bright red hair sticking out like a sore thumb despite him being small enough to disappear into the small crowd. I watched him for a moment as he pulled the satchel on his back around to his lap, checking its contents. A yellow Pineapple brand laptop, a giant hunk of metal that looked more like a murder weapon than a cell phone, various cords and cables, and a headset like what telemarketers wore. What a weird kid, I thought. He must be going to some computer camp. It was probably a lot nicer than where I was going – out in the wilderness with bugs and bears and junk like that. I shuddered at the thought of all that... nature I would have to endure this week and sat heavily back in my seat. The bag in my lap was lumpy and heavy and the strain of wearing it around my shoulder was sure to agitate my bruising something fierce. Not to mention the myriad of lower back and shoulder problems I was sure to gain.

The bus bumped along, going far past the elementary school and out into the mountains. I glanced at the pamphlet, trying to find something to do as we crept slowly out further and further from civilization. Mikami Canyon was where the camp was being held. Camp directors: Mr. Fujiyama and Mrs. Toriyumi. Available to grades four through six. A week-long outdoor experience, geared toward fostering a sense of responsibility for each other and for nature.

Great. Screaming brats and bug bites. This was going to be much more fun than taking an entrance exam and making sure Mom didn't have a seizure from her medication. I wanted to sigh and pout out the window, but that kid with all the electronic equipment still hadn't exited the bus and I thought I saw a flash of the same brochure in his pocket that I had. If he was going to the same camp as me, I couldn't let him see me be unreliable. Especially if he was in my group – how would I ever earn the respect I needed to lead if he knew I was pouting about going to some secluded serial killer camp in the middle of nowhere.

The bus ride had just tipped over from boring to unbearable when we came to a shuddering halt. The driver opened the door and stood, watching as we filed out onto the campgrounds. The late summer air was unseasonably chilly, and for one I was glad my father made me wear this dumb-looking Ivy League sweater vest. At least I was slightly warmer than I would have been, and hopefully it would keep the chill from triggering my asthma.

The small redheaded boy exited the bus quietly, looking around like he wanted to be anywhere but here. 'I know how you feel, buddy,' I thought. Unlike me, however, he noticed two kids he must have known and hurried over to stand next to them awkwardly. An auburn haired girl, more brownish than the short kid's hair, was laughing at her brunette friend. She was cute, I guess, in a really tomboyish way. I mean, it's not like I really looked at girls too much, despite the occasional teasing from Shin when he was awake. Her friend, however, wasn't bad to look at, despite the mass of hair that must have weighed more than a small dog. He had a brightness in his eyes and even from all the way over here I could feel his warm personality shining out.

I blushed and turned away. I couldn't spend all my time checking out guys – I had to report to Mr. Fujiyama. And besides, it would be terrible if word got to my father about my, ah, preferences. It's not like he has a problem with gay people – I can't count the number of times he's had the hospital director and his husband over for dinner – it's just that he would have a problem with me being gay. He's spent my whole life planning every detail of my future, including already booking my wedding chapel and even telling the nurses in the maternity ward what day my wife would come in during labor. He's even begun telling his coworkers about my eventual son, who he'd named Shou, after himself of course.

I shook the thoughts of boys and sons and my father from my head, grabbing the strap of the emergency supply bag tight and heading toward the cabins. I needed to check in and get my group leader armband.

"Mr. Fujiyama?" I called when I got to the cabin. He was sitting at a table, talking to a tall woman. She must have been Mrs. Toriyumi. He looked over at me, confused at first, but then he saw the bag around my shoulder.

"Ah, you must be Joe Kido." He stood and walked over to shake my hand. "I had an interesting conversation with your father." Oh great. What did he say about me now? Probably to keep an eye on me in case I try and wander into a patch of poison ivy. There was a ringing and Mrs. Toriyumi pulled out a clunky cell phone, speaking into it with hushed whispers. Mr. Fujiyama just smiled and led me to the table where he handed me a clip board. "Just fill this out and we'll get your group in order."

I didn't have a place to sit, let alone take my bag off, so I stood awkwardly next to him and filled out all the appropriate boxes with my chicken scratch. Hopefully these pages would never reach my father's eyes so he would never have the change to berate me for my handwriting. Mr. Fujiyama was starting to look bored, as Mrs. Toriyumi was still talking on the phone, looking at me every so often. Its was an odd feeling, knowing I was being talked about but unable to hear what exactly was being said.

I finished the paperwork at the same time that Mrs. Toriyumi snapped shut her phone. I was handing the clipboard back to Mr. Fujiyama (who was trying to balance a pencil on his nose) when she spoke to me.

"That was your father, Joe." She didn't look happy, and I could figure why. My father never really spoke to women as equals, especially if they had a high position. Something about them not being able to handle a man's workload. It sounded like a bunch of crap, but I couldn't say anything about it. Not to him. "He wants you to call every morning to ensure you're taking you responsibilities seriously."

Great. Now I looked like a two-year-old who couldn't handle life on my own. Good thing I wouldn't have any control of it anyway.

I tried to fight back a blush and bowed to her. "I'll do my best to prevent any inconveniences."

Mrs. Toriyumi gave me an odd look, her lips twisted. She probably thought I was a trouble maker now. Great, now I'd have to work twice as hard to stay on her good side. But Mr. Fujiyama came to my rescue, patting me on the back and tucking his nose-pencil behind his ear. He quickly pinned a blue "Leader" band around my sleeve and nodded to himself.

"Everything looks in order here." He rifled through the pages, pulling one out and handing it to me. "This is your group you're in charge of. Normally, we reserve this position for our graduated students who have come back and want to enjoy our presence again." I had no idea if he was joking or not. "But since Mr. Kido was so insistent, we agreed." God, if my father knew anyone had just called him mister... It made me shudder to think about it. "Our faith is in you."

Oh, God, I'm going to let everyone down so fast.

That was all I could think as I was pushed out into the campsite. I could hear Mr. Fujiyama laughing and saying something to Mrs. Toriyumi as he closed the door behind me. I swallowed hard, trying not to look like I was completely out of place, and instead turned my attention to the paper I'd been given.

Kido Group.

Leader: Joe Kido

Members:

Emergency Supplies: Mimi Tachikawa

Chef: Michelle Migawa

Cleaning: Kiki Sujina

Laundry: Penelope Garza

Great. I'm going to be surrounded by girls all week. Hopefully one of them would be that tomboy from earlier, so I wouldn't have to listen to just fashion and jewelry and boys, or whatever it was girls talk about with each other. Though, boys wouldn't be that bad of a subject to talk about...

"Oh, Taako!" I heard a peal of shrill laughter and I winced. Hopefully my group wouldn't be that... high-pitched. "That's terrible! Don't you think so, Mimi?"

Mimi? I checked my list. She's the one who's supposed to be carrying this bag! I looked over at the gaggle of girls standing near the buses. The one who stood out immediately was a girl, almost my height, dolled up all in pink with a huge pink ten gallon hat hanging around her neck. She looked like she was ready for fashion week, not summer camp. She was smiling distantly as her friends talked to her, pointing at the other campers. One in particular was pointing at the redheaded boy from earlier, and laughing. It lifted my heart a little to see her not laugh at him, only for it to drop when I heard her shill voice ask, "What about him?" I bet dogs could hear her from miles around.

She was pointing at someone across the grounds, but I didn't want to get distracted. I was the leader of her group, and she was in charge of this heavy bag. So I set my face in what I hoped was an "I'm the leader, you have to listen to me" expression and walked over to her.

"Miss. Tachikawa?"

She looked at me with large honey-gold eyes. If I'd been attracted to girls, I'm sure I would have melted. "Yes?" She fluttered her eyes at me. "Can I help you?"

"Miss. Tachikawa, you are in charge of the Emergency Supplies for our group, and I'm here to give you the bag."

She looked at me as I took the strap from around my shoulder and handed it to her. She was already carrying a large bag, and I felt a small twinge of guilt at making her carry two satchels.

"That looks heavy. I don't want to." And with that, she turned to her friends and began walking away.

I stopped feeling guilty after that. Instead, I tried not to huff too loudly and attempted to follow after her. A group of kids of various ages suddenly galumphed between us, though, and I quickly lost sight of her, thought the sound of her voice carried over on a sudden blast of freezing air. I shivered, pulling the bag back over my shoulder. I really should look around and try and find my group's cabin, or at least try and find my other girls.

Of course, I managed to get lost. The almighty Joe, wanderer of foreign lands because he took a wrong turn! The skies overhead were darkening and despite this morning's summer heat, I could feel snowflakes beginning to drift down and swirl around my ankles. I'd managed to wander up a hill, only to find nothing but a small shrine and wilderness. Great, now I was going to be eaten by a bear with some spirit laughing at me from beyond.

Actually, I could hear laughter. Perfect! I was already dead! I opened my mouth to scream, only for a chill of snow to fly into my mouth and freeze my throat.

A wheeze and a puff of medicine later, I walked through the sudden inch of snow on the ground and stumbled into the shrine, hoping to at least keep warm until I could figure out how to get back to the campsite.

"I can't believe it's freaking snowing," I grumbled as I entered, taking the bag from my shoulder and throwing it on the ground. My back was killing me, and I could already feel my shoulder giving out.

"You have wonderful legs, Sora," I heard and I finally looked up. My breath caught in my chest, and I knew I was blushing when I realized I wasn't alone in the shrine. Mimi was chatting animatedly (at least on her end) with the auburn haired girl from earlier, and the redheaded boy was huddled in the corner, looking as agitated as a wet cat. But what really made my face flush was the beautiful blonde boy hovering over a small child just beside me. His blue eyes were like solid ice as he looked at me and my mind screamed, Say something! Anything! But I couldn't make my stupid tongue move. He blinked and then turned back to the child, encouraging him by pointing at something on his game system.

There goes my chance at ever talking to cute boys. I suck at being gay.

I took that frustration at myself and turned it to the pink-clad girl. "Mimi, we should head back to our group. I'm in charge of you all and you'll get me in trouble hiding out up here to do God knows what." She puffed her cheeks out like an irritated mouse. But I wasn't going to be swayed by cute faces. Well, at least not a girl's cute face. "Now, will you please cover some of your responsibility and take this bag-"

"Hey, Iz!" I recognized the voice from somewhere, but I couldn't quite place it. "Come check this out!"

There was finally a spark of brightness in the redheaded boy's eyes, though he quickly looked down, securing away his laptop and politely passing by me to emerge into the stilled snowstorm. The sunlight almost blinded me when the door to the shrine opened, and I yelped as the small child shoved by me to run outside. My back throbbed, and I bit my lip to keep from crying out, instead rubbing near my bruises as nonchalantly as I could. The beautiful blonde looked at me momentarily before following the child and I could only imagine what he was thinking.

"He looks like an old man, hunched over like that. I hope he doesn't infect me with his oldness."

Yeah, I'm sure that's right. There's no way he could think about me the way I was suddenly thinking about him.

The girls followed at an easy pace, Mimi completely ignoring me as I grabbed the bag one more time. Hopefully, once we got back to the cabins, she would wise up and take her share of the responsibilities.

"It's pretty," I heard one of the kids say as I shielded my eyes from the sun reflecting off the snow. When I blinked through the glare on my glasses, I finally noticed our whole group.

The two blondes. One older and who's every mild glance at me made my heart flutter, and one younger who looked far too happy to be playing in some freak summertime snow piles.

The girls. Mimi, who refused to acknowledge me, much less the bag I was carrying for her, and the tomboy who would look much cuter if she was an actual boy.

The computer kid with all his electronic equipment tucked back into it's satchel on his back, standing next to the cute boy with the huge hair I'd seen earlier.

The only thing I could think upon seeing this group for the first time was, I hope none of them tell Mr. Fujiyama I let them wander off into the wilderness unsupervised. Because, obviously, what else was there to think about them. It's not like I knew what would come next.

Even as the sky turned green, all I could think about was how I could convince all of them to come back to the campsite with me when I wasn't even too sure where it was from here. The only thing that managed to grab my attention by the throat was when a blinding light from the sky suddenly buried itself at me feet. I'll admit it. I screamed like a little girl. At least, I screamed louder than Mimi.

Then again, who wouldn't scream when they thought God Himself was shooting light at them?

"What in the world was that?" I heard the girl who wasn't Mimi ask. She was looking at a hole in the snow by her feet and I noticed that there was one by all of us.

"Look... were those meteors?" Mimi said.

The two cute boys had already reached into the ground, pulling out strange metallic devices. The girls exchanged glances, but they, too, grabbed whatever machines they were, brushing off the snow and inspecting them. I spared a look to the redhead, but he merely blinked at me as thought I was beneath him, and took his machine.

Well, these kids could melt their hands off, or whatever it is that space metal does to humans, but there was no way I was going to dig in the ground and pull out whatever had fallen to the ground. No way. Not at all.

I almost had a heart attack and died when a bright glow emerged from the hole in front of me and a device, all my own, began floating up, settling into my palm all on its own.

My mouth was agape and I was going to yell, scream, anything about this weird magic machine when the ground began to tremble. I could feel asthma grip the bottom of my lungs in fear as the sky suddenly glowed and split apart. I felt darkness take over and I prayed, Just let this all be a dream. Let me wake up at home with my crazy mom and terrible family. Please?

When I opened my eyes, there was a funny feeling in my chest. It felt like I was still suffering an asthma attack, except I could still breathe. Not well, of course, but more like I was waiting on my inhaler to kick in, which was weird. I hadn't used my medicine yet – I'd been blacked out.

Wait.

What just happened?

I sat up too quickly and held me head as my vision spun. I remembered a wall of water, like a tsunami pouring over me, and then... Nothing.

I adjusted my glasses (thank God they hadn't been scratched up, as my emergency pair was a few years old and everything still had a haze to it) and looked around. The chill and the snow of the campgrounds was gone, and I was surrounded by what looked like rainforest and heat. The emergency supply bag was next to me, it's contents semi-spilled out on the ground. If any dirt got into those food rations and ruined them, the camp leaders were going to be outraged. I tried to stand, but my back was in complete agony from the beating and the falling and the heavy bag. It was enough to make me curse outloud.

"Damnit." That felt nice. I couldn't curse at home since either my father would backhand me and tell me I "wasn't man enough" to use those words or Mom would start crying at how foul her "baby's language was". Well, neither was here and, as far as I could tell, I was alone. "Damnit, damnit!"

I don't know whether it was the cursing or just the not moving, but I was finally able to drag myself to my feet and gather the spilled supplies. I inspected each heat sealed ration, brushing off the dirt and surprising lack of ants and placing them back in the bag. That strange metal thing that had fallen from the sky was nearby too and, with a moment's hesitation, I clipped it onto my bag. The heat was uncomfortable in my sweater and I made a face. It was warm enough back in the snow, why did it have to get so hot all of a sudden?

There was a sudden sound, like the humming of a hornet's nest and I looked around. The bag was once again heavy on my shoulder, and I gripped the strap tight. The ground vibrated, rattling me to my chest and reminding my suddenly of my inhaler. I still hadn't used it and I was breathing fairly well. It was the oddest feeling. I wondered if this was what it was like to be a normal kid.

"Joe?"

An unfamiliar voice called out my name. It was nasally, like whoever it was had a cold or a broken nose. Maybe it was another group leader? Great! Now I could get back to the actual campgrounds instead of whatever weirdo forest this was.

Hold on.

What about those other kids? I needed to find them or else I would get in trouble! Other camper! Stay away from me for a while!

"Joe! It's you!"

Aw man, he knows me from somewhere. This won't end well. I swallowed hard and looked around. (Maybe he didn't know I was with the other kids. I could just pretend I'd never seen them before… Right?)

"Hello?" I called. "Who is that?"

"It's me!" That didn't help at all. I barely paid attention to the other kids at my school.

I bit my lip and frowned, crossing my arms. I still couldn't find the other camper. I could hear the rustling of leaves and all of a sudden there was a rotten-fish smell overpowering my senses. It reminded me of the time when I was really little and Mom was still well enough to drive. She took me to the beach where the seaweed had piled up and in the sun it had started to rot, drawing out all the crabs and seagulls, and the stench had made me puke in the car. Mom had laughed at me and told me it was all right, but when we got home, my father had almost broken my arm.

I could still feel the twinge of pain when a rubbery touch on my cheek drew me back to the present. Out of the corner of my eye I could see a blurry gray-brown thing just kind of... floating next to me. I turned my head and looked straight into a row of sharp needle-like teeth and wide blue eyes.

"Joe!" The teeth gnashed out my name with another breath of sun-baked seaweed and I felt faint. Like the time Shin had fallen and knocked his head against the dining room table, spewing blood all over the floor. I felt a shudder crawl up my spine and my vision began to sparkle as I knew I was about to pass out again.

"Joe, you're finally here!"

In my tunnel vision I could finally see what it was that was talking to me. It was like some kind of seahorse and seal had a mutant fish-baby that could fly. It was grinning and I knew it was going to eat me. So I did the only thing I could.

"Ahhh!"

I turned and tore out of the clearing, screaming my head off. I could feel my asthma creeping up on me, but, for some reason, it refused to take hold. Which was well enough for me – I didn't need to fall over wheezing while being chased.

"Joe! Wait for me!"

I glanced over my shoulder and saw it flying after me.

"No!" I screamed. "It's impossible!It's just too... unrealistic!"

"Why are you running away?" it laughed. An evil, maniacal thing. It was a demon to it's core!

I tore through the trees and all the terrible monster did was giggle and zoom after me. The bag was banging roughly against my back, but even the pain of my bruises couldn't stop me.

"Please, I'm begging you!" I sobbed and my voice broke. "Go away! Just leave me alone!"

My foot caught in a hole or on a root or some other horror movie cliché, and I fell flat on my face. The seal monster flapped its flippers (or wings or whatever they were) and landed on my shoulders, and it was the oddest thing. The tightness in my lungs that would have otherwise led to a full-on wheezing fit suddenly lifted, and I breathed better for the first time in my life than I ever had before. The sudden lightness in my chest was enough to make me look up and finally focus on my surroundings.

Standing there, looking at me like I was a giant doofus, were those kids from summer camp, each with their own oddly shaped monster. At least, most of them were there. They were standing around talking to each other, looking calm as anything, as though it were an everyday occurrence to be whisked from a summer snowfield to a jungle populated by monsters.

And there he was. That beautiful blonde. He looked at me once and then turned to the cute brunette. I must have looked so pathetic for him to not spare me a second glance. Wait. Why was I thinking of cute boys when I was going to be attacked any moment by some crazy mutant?!

"Where's that girl?" I heard him ask. The monster nuzzled my neck, probably looking for an artery to pierce, and I couldn't help myself.

"Nevermind that, what are these things?!"

The creatures beamed, their eyes sparkling. Was it malice I saw in there? Or something else? "We're Digimon: Digital Monsters!"

That didn't do anything to ease my fears. It was right there in what they called themselves: monsters. Monsters! Oh, God, they can talk.

"What is happening?" I almost sobbed. "I don't even know who you guys are!"

I was screaming at the other kids, but the creatures had their own thoughts and they quickly presented themselves.

Koromon, a pink soccer ball. He was bouncing eagerly around the cute boy who introduced himself as Tai.

Yokomon, a flower bulb creature who was nuzzling the tomboy named Sora.

Motimon, who looked like jelly brought to life and acted like the redheaded Izzy was the most interesting person in the world.

Tokomon, a white hamster with teeth like a great white shark who was playing pat-a-cake with the youngest, TK.

Tsunomon, a blushing fuzzy ball with a wicked horn behing held by the beautiful Matt.

And finally, Bukamon who hung around my neck and acted like every last thing was a game.

"Mimi," Sora said suddenly. I'd almost forgotten about her. "Mimi is missing."

"She's in my grade," Izzy chimed in softly. "But I haven't seen her, to answer your question."

"Somebody help!" It was that same dog-whistle voice from the camp grounds. The others looked concerned and I'll admit I pouted. Sure, when I ran around screaming for help, I was a nuisance, but if it was a girl calling for help? We have to save her!

To be fair, we did need to save her.

The others took off into the woods and, not wanting to be left alone, I followed. I tried to tell myself it was because I needed to look out for them, but I knew it was because I was a huge coward who would probably fall off a cliff without supervision. Not like they needed to know that...

We found Mimi running toward us, followed by a green sproutling with legs that she would later call Tanemon. Tai tried to calm her down, telling he with an easy going smile, "It's ok!"

Then, that buzzing sound, the terrible bass like the cars that zoomed by in the dead of night outside my window, and the trees behind us were torn asunder as a red stag beetle, bigger than an American car, burst forth. It gave a growling scream and its pincers snapped angrily.

So that's what she was so scared of. Not Tanemon. It was getting hard to feel more terror now than the previous moments. Now, I was just kind of feeling numb. Without a thought, we turned and ran, stumbling over ourselves and our Digimon, crashing through the forest until we emerged to the jutting edge of a cliff.

"We're going to die!" I moaned at noone in particular. Bukamon, having ridden me the whole way, gave a growl. It was a scarey noise, and it took me a moment to realize it wasn't directed at me.

"No-mon threatens my Tamer," he hissed, flapping his flippers. What was a Tamer? He took to the air, rising off my shoulders and I was almost bowled over as the faint feeling of asthma from before gripped my lungs with a ferocity I'd never felt before. I tried to take as deep a breath as I could, but I was already getting dizzy. I'd still never had the chance to use my medicine...

The first Digimon to attack was Koromon, but Bukamon and the others weren't too far behind. Streams of pink bubbles bounced off the beetle monster, making it step back momentarily. But with a swipe of his pincers, all our tiny creatures were flung to the ground and the sound of it brought back a flash of my father's fist connecting with my chest. I knew that pain well and I felt it deep in my heart.

"Bukamon!" I crawled over to my new buddy, reaching out to gingerly touch his rubbery side. The tightness in my lungs eased momentarily, but the ache in my chest worsened, as though I could share his pain. "Are you... ok?"

"I am now... that you're with me."

I thought I heard a shrill noise, like a wounded bird singing, and a bright light filled the sky. Rainbow colored beams engulfed each of our Digimon and I heard them screaming in exaltation. There was a surge of warmth and I felt adrenalin pump through my veins, blasting away my asthma faster than any inhaler ever could.

"Bukamon Digivole to... Gomamon!"

The light cleared away and where my gray fish monster once was stood an adorably fluffy white seal with purple spots and a bright orange mohawk. The others had transformed as well, from useless looking, mostly round balls of fur to tough looking lizards and bugs and birds. They attacked with renewed strength, my little Bukamon (Gomamon, now?) even using his own small body to trip the giant bug so the others could call upon whatever magic they used to control oddly-colored flames. The red beetle stumbled and fell back, destroying a brush of trees, and our little monsters, tired and beat up but grinning like they ruled the world, ran back to us.

Bukamon, looking unsteady on suddenly huge paws with long black claws, tripped over himself and came to a stumbling stop in front of me. He looked up with sparkling emerald eyes and I knew, that warmth in my soul could never come from anyone or anything else.

"Joe," he said, grinning. It was adorable, he still had that stuffed-nose voice despite his growth. "Is this too unrealistic?"

"I've never seen anything like it before in my life," I admitted, adjusting my glasses. "I don't even want to know if this is real or a dream."

He wiggled his long white tail and I just about died from how cute it was. It was even cuter than Tai!

But our joy was cut short as that all-too-familiar growling reverberated the ground and the beetle arose from the trees like some horrific zombie movie. Bukamon bristled, his mohawk bristling into orange needles. The other Digimon stood ready to attack again, but the beetle just screamed and dug its pincers into the ground.

Shit! The ledge!

The cliff beneath us trembled and I grabbed Bukamon tight. He turned an eye toward me and his expression softened into a small smile. "Don't worry, Joe. I won't let anything hurt you ever again."

Even as the ground under our feet collapsed, dropping us into the sky, I've never felt safer than I did with my little Digimon looking at me. I could feel the wind whipping at my hair and tugging at my shorts and as we fell, I glanced to the others. Matt had turned his terrified eyes to me, and for a moment I was lost in them.

"Don't worry, Matt," I found myself saying. He blinked, and I wasn't sure if he could hear me. I nodded to Bukamon and he made a face, a grimace that could have passed for a smile and that was enough to make my heart flutter.