I feel I got a little too carried away in this chapter, but the ideas just kept coming, and I was liking them and wanted to put them in as early as possible with the other ideas I already had planned. But my biggest worry, as always, are the characters, mainly the DigiDestined.
Enjoy!
Chapter Three: Playing Catch Up
Walking through the dark corridors, Gatomon kept her sharp eyes fixated before her as she passed Digimon, many of whom shrunk back to give her room. Having never made it an option to memorize every new recruit or veteran servant, her reputation in the castle made it easier for her to tell from a glance those who were afraid of her, and those who would return her sneer. Respect was hard to come by to begin with, although she had not once cared about others' opinions just as long as Myotismon was pleased.
"Hey, who's the beauty?"
"Don't look at her if you want to live."
Sniffing, she ignored the huddled Gazimon and Vegiemon (whoever spoke first must have been new), and hopped down the stairs. The mess hall was still filling up with henchmen consisting of those either sneaked away or got off from duty for supper, and the smell accompanying them was unappealing, but far from ill-inducing. At the entranceway, Gatomon cast her stare about, studying whatever slop it was for that night. It wasn't looking any different from last night's, she noted.
Strolling through the tables, knowing she was turning heads, she crossed an aisle for one near a wall. Leaning on an elbow, she ignored the glares its occupants were giving her. "How's it taste?" she asked the one Numemon, nodding at his tray.
"Like always: shit." He still gobbled it down, though the slug was looking purple around the eyes.
"Why should you care?" a Gizamon grunted, giving her a cautious look. "You never eat here anymore. Not since that wizard pansy joined, anyway."
She shot over a leer, her fur slightly bristled. "You don't have to be rude about it," she hissed.
"What's so rude about telling the truth?"
"I'll feed you to the DarkTyrannomon the next time you mouth off to me." Sneering, she marched away, taking care to smack the Digimon with her tail.
"You bitch!"
Gatomon only huffed, straightening her stance and swinging her long appendage about. Chortles were making their rounds as she passed by, and through the clamor, she heard, "Do it, I dare you."
A mischievous (or stupid, it was hard to tell) Bakemon then pinched her backside, and she immediately spun on her heels. "LIGHTNING PAW!" she yowled, landing a punch to his face and throwing him past her direction. The table nearly snapped from the landing, the plates and food flying much to the vexation of the Digimon. In response to the scene and their expletive shouts, the room briefly grew alive with louder laughter and whistles, even though she silenced those nearby with a look and growl.
Once the feline left the mess hall, she slipped for an outside exit to fume. Without consideration for what any of the higher-ups or Myotismon was going to think for destroying property, she kicked at the wall hard enough to push bricks in. "Pigs! All of them!" she snarled.
"That's not very lady-mon-like of you."
She swerved her glare over, ears flattened against her cranium. "Can it, Wizardmon! They piss me off is all!"
The Wizard Digimon stepped up to her, slowly shaking his head. "You shouldn't have to put up with all that harassment."
Gritting her teeth, Gatomon kicked the wall again. It had been scarcely half a year since his arrival, and it was like he was too naïve to catch on. "I'm used to it. I can take care of myself."
"I know, but I worry about you, Gatomon."
With one more punch for a good chip, she walked toward the grounds, Wizardmon following suit. "Don't be, it's the norm around here. Do you know of the names they call you?"
He let out a scoff of acknowledgement, a response she imagined came with a roll of the eyes. "I know of them. Is that what this is all about?"
It was half-true, though Gatomon didn't want to talk about the harassing again. "It's because you don't act like them," she muttered. "Even DemiDevimon will make a comment about me every now and then, and he hates my guts."
"How do we know he's not the real pansy?"
She paused in her tracks to think on it. Glancing up at her friend knowingly, she raised her brows. "Hmm. That's a good point."
Wizardmon gave his trademark gentle smile, hitting his quota for the day. As tired as he looked at times, with exception of the night he joined, she couldn't think of a day he had passed on it. "You tell me not to worry about you, and yet here you worry about me."
Her whiskers twitched when she wrinkled her nose, turning her head to avoid his gaze. "'S none of your business..." she mumbled, trying to fight back her chagrin.
He knelt down to lay his hand on her head, and slowly but surely, he stroked her ear. It was a gesture that never failed to relax her as she leaned against him. "...not out here," was her quiet sigh. "We'll be seen."
"I say let them, unless you worry it'll affect your reputation."
Lifting her eyes, she noticed how close he had gotten, at how the shade of his hat fell upon her with a single tilt of the head. At this angle, Gatomon could just about see the corners of his mouth peeking out as a visible stitched beam. And peering closer, it appeared his emerald irises had a glow to them beneath his straw-colored bangs—
"OH MY GOD!"
An abrupt scream broke into her dream, and Gatomon quickly sat up, blearily staring over to find Yuuko pressed up against a wall, a broom clutched in hand. Wizardmon was sitting across staring at her in confusion, a book in his lap. "HOW DID YOU GET IN MY DAUGHTER'S ROOM?!"
Now awake, she jumped onto the floor and stepped in between them just as Kari got up. "Mrs. Kamiya, wait! He's just a friend!"
She didn't look convinced. "Thi-Th-This man's a friend?!"
"Ah, Mom, it's okay! He's with Gatomon!" The girl climbed off over the railing to go up to her frightened mother. "He's a Digimon."
"There's more of them, you say?!"
Wizardmon stood and took off his hat for a formal bow. "I apologize for the intrusion. I mean your daughter no harm."
Yuuko's skepticism made it clear she was having a hard time piecing things together. Upon shooting the two anxious glances where both of them nodded, her daughter coaxed her into lowering the broom. "Well... if Kari says it's okay... Pardon me." Deeply inhaling, she hurried out of the room.
Gatomon let out a breath she had been holding, then turned to her friend. "How'd you get in?" she hissed, brows furrowed. "No, how long have you been here?"
Fixing his hat, Wizardmon replied, "About a half-hour."
Kari sighed as well, giving them a defeated look. "Sorry, guys. Forgot to mention Mom sometimes sweeps the balcony in the mornings when she waters the plants."
Tai suddenly barged into the room, his school uniform disheveled. "Kari, I heard Mom scream! Are you okay?" he panted out.
"We're fine. But now we'll have to clear things up with her." With a nervous laugh, she gestured to the mage.
The young man looked over. "Oh, hey, I was wondering where you were. Were you in Kari's room all night?"
"No, I arrived a little while ago."
"Alright, since I'm up now, I need to change." After shooing her brother away, she moved for the glass door, noticing the secured lock. "Wizardmon, how did you come in?"
"Don't bother, Kari, he's just going to say 'magic'." Biting back a yawn, feline scratched at an ear until she did a double-take to what Wizardmon was holding. Eyes widening, she swiped it from his loose grip to quickly toss it inside the desk drawer.
"Gatomon, what is it?" her partner asked.
"Do not scold her, I was in the wrong to look at it." Gatomon frowned at his defense.
Kari pursed her lips upon noticing the notebook wasn't in its place. "Okay..." Unlocking it, she held it open for Wizardmon to step out, though she blinked when her Digimon left with him. Shrugging in neutrality, she closed it and fixed the curtains.
Gatomon hopped onto the veranda wall to look out at the bay, shivering in the gentle breeze. She slowly breathed in attempt to clear her mind, finding herself relieved yesterday's memories were strong. Even on that positive note, she still didn't want to look at him when she muttered, "How much did you read?"
His response sounded remorseful. "I only managed to translate the first page before Mrs. Kamiya came in."
She tried to recall the first dream she had Kari write down, knowing she had a few dreams from that time. After a few moments, flashes of herself frightfully clinging to an amused Wizardmon in mid-flight came to mind, the remembrance inducing a small smirk. "I'm sorry about that, I get kind of secretive about dreams. I forgot that we share memories."
To her surprise, he chuckled. "I imagine it's better now, but you have always had a rocky memory." When she turned to him, the all-knowing gleam in his eye gave her slight heartache from her acting up. "I understand why you wanted to write them down."
Dropping her gaze, she half-heartedly shrugged. "They just bothered me that much, is all..."
It was true, though she couldn't bring herself to admit it went deeper than that. Despite the oddity of them suddenly manifesting themselves so many years later, the nostalgia was enough for her to look forward to remembering more. She had never completely forgotten her time spent with Wizardmon all those years ago, but the details weren't strong until recently. From what she had heard about dreams, if they weren't archived memories or a way for the brain to amuse itself during the night, they were of desires.
So what was it about the memories she desired? Was it a way to tell her to write them down so she wouldn't forget like he said? As much as she didn't want to remember her time at Myotismon's castle, it was true he had been her only light of hope in that digital hell. If he hadn't been there, her misery would've been through the roof if she never gave in to the darkness. Forgetting her worst memories of her life would mean forgetting how she found happiness.
"I noticed what I read wasn't from your perspective."
Gatomon blinked up at him. "What do you mean by that?"
He leaned up against the wall, briefly tapping his temple. "Memories are unique in that they differ from person to person," he explained. "Even if the two were in the exact same place at the same time, you are going to get two different perspectives based on thought and emotion. There's also the chance one of the two, if not both, may end up twisting the experience to be something it never was."
"So what are you getting at? They're still my memories, right?"
He briefly nodded. "You were there, after all. However, you say these are your memories, but you're looking at it through a different perspective. Reading that memory word-for-word was like I was the one reliving it."
As it sank in, Gatomon started to shake enough she had to sit and grip the edge of the wall. Her brows furrowed as she thought back to the dream—the memory—attempting to draw connections from how it manifested and why. Why that particular memory of her first flight with Wizardmon? She didn't have that much fun by the end of it, although she remembered he had a blast. What had led up to that moment was more-or-less random even with her throw-away line of wondering what it was like to "sit and ride on a cloud". DemiDevimon and his goons took a good month to get their mockery of the incident out of their systems, and the flights (once her shock had worn off) since were done in secret, and were more pleasant.
"So I'm curious, Gatomon." She hesitated to look at him when he stepped next to her, and bowed in as he lowered his voice. "How did you know exactly what I was feeling at that particular moment?"
It helped he wasn't demanding, but she couldn't bring herself to answer. They remained quiet, gazes intently locked blue-on-green where she found herself unable to look away. It was like she was caught under a spell and the only way it could break was if she spoke.
No, that was an unfair assumption. Wizardmon would never manipulate her in such a way, so for all she knew, her pride was getting the best of her, or she was just stuck on an answer. How legit was the question, she wondered. Did he really expect her to have an answer, or was it just an observation? She couldn't seem to read his expression to know how to break the silence.
Within that moment, he closed space to brush foreheads, and an unintentional gasp escaped her as she tensed. Her eyes scrunched shut as her lips pressed in a thin line, holding in a breath. It was a reaction she immediately began to regret, but not knowing why.
"Your fever's breaking," he announced in the same tone, although she could hear the hint of a smile.
Gatomon finally turned her head, growing flustered. "R-Really?"
He pulled away. "And you said you were sick all week. Fascinating..."
The door opened before she could say anything else. "You guys in the mood for breakfast?"
At the word, the feline's stomach growled, and she immediately jumped down. She was inwardly grateful for the interruption, now gaining an excuse to recover her composure. "Only if Tai's making it today," she joked, her way of hiding her humiliation.
Kari caught it, and laughed as she led them in.
Even after all of the clearing up, Yuuko still reeled during breakfast, hardly eating as Wizardmon gave his story. Tai and Kari found themselves impressed at how easily he swayed her, while Gatomon let the moment wash over her, knowing every word he spoke by heart. She allowed her mind to wander at the table, going anywhere from minutes ago on the balcony, to thinking about how worried the other Digimon were the past week, to wondering where Miko was.
"Okay... it's starting to make sense now," Mrs. Kamiya hesitantly sighed a few moments after the magician finished. Her head kept bobbing as she processed it all, looking between her children and the Digimon, lips a thin line. "Oh-kay, then. I..." She half-shrugged, half-threw her hands up. "I guess I owe you an apology, Mr. Wizard. Mon, mon, Wizardmon."
Tai ended up snorting in his rice. "Good work, Wizardmon. You got my mom to rap."
Wizardmon took the joke compliment a little too literal. "That's not a good sign, is it?"
"No, you're fine," Kari stepped in before her brother could say another word. "It's just been a while since Mom was last this... accepting."
"That's not true!" Yuuko blurted out, laying a hand on her chest. "I welcomed Gatomon and Agyuumon with open arms."
"Agumon."
"My bad. See, he doesn't come around much, but as much as he's endearing, he eats more than my son does," she then calmly blabbed to the magician, who just politely sat there as he watched the poor woman look like she had a slight mental lapse. "And it's great and all, the more the merrier to eat my recipes, but I don't have enough room to make a banquet to keep that dino-belly of his full. And my husband's not happy to have him around anyway because then it means he gets less—"
"Mom, calm down," her eldest said, having gotten up to clasp her shoulders. "And thanks for the food, but Kari and I got to get going." He gave an aside gesture toward the door, the signal Kari and Gatomon immediately jumped on.
"Thanks for the food!" they quickly said in unison, and made their way to the exit.
"Oh, Gatomon, you're coming?" Kari noted as she threw her bag over her shoulders. "Feeling better?"
The feline nodded. "I don't want the others to keep worrying."
The girl smiled, glancing over at Wizardmon when he approached. "Well, unfortunately I can't fit the both of you into my bag. We're meeting at the park later this afternoon, you can join us there."
"Kari, do you have a lunch?" her mother spoke up, still sounding out of it.
Perking up, she slipped around into the kitchen. Rolling her shoulders back and tail stiffening, Gatomon glanced up at her friend, visibly amused. "Thanks for not bringing up the whole 'death and rebirth' part," she whispered out, rocking on her heels. "Made it more believable."
He sheepishly fiddled with his staff. "I'm currently reciting over how I'm to explain the hypnotism when it wears off," he muttered. "Let's hope she doesn't talk to the neighbors today."
"...eh?"
"Alright, you two, Tai says we can go on ahead," Kari announced, skipping back into place to put her shoes on. "See you, Mom!"
"Have a good day, all."
Gatomon shot Wizardmon a blank look as they left, moving to all fours at her partner's side. The "tsuku-tsuku" of cicadas accompanied them into the city, helping further accentuate the warm breeze and lazy clouds. With exception of a few small children turning their heads as they passed, people walked by like every other day. The ambience confused the feline more than it did to relax her.
"Has September always been this... normal?" she slowly asked, swiveling her ears about each time they passed a tree.
"It has been all week." Kari then deeply frowned. "I knew you were leaving the apartment..."
Ashamed, Gatomon hopped onto a wall to scamper ahead to the far corner. Whipping her tail about, she glanced over to the television station, fur steadily rising as she intently focused her attention on the observatory. She couldn't put her claw on it, but somehow looking at it made her uneasy for the first in a long time. Her eyes narrowed, she turned back to her friends as they approached.
"Hey, Kari, can you not tell the others about Wizardmon?" she requested, her voice low.
The girl tilted her gaze to the wizard, brows raised. "If that's alright with him." Gatomon noticed from her current angle he barely reached her chest, his pointed hat making up for the difference. And suddenly she began to realize just how short in stature he was, something she had believed was normal as Myotismon was freakishly tall himself.
Such a thought didn't seem to bother him as he made eye-contact. "If you feel it'll disturb everyone's studies, I agree."
The feline gave him a double-take once she took in what he said. "That's your biggest concern?"
Kari smiled at the two, lifting a finger to her lips. "Okay then, I won't tell. And speaking of, we'll have to part here. T.K. and the others should be here soon."
After a quick glimpse behind, Gatomon said, "Just tell them I'm feeling better, so I'll be at the park."
Her partner nodded in agreement. "Sure. Stay out of trouble, you two."
A mischievous glint shone in Wizardmon's eye when he looked over. "Well, at least one of us will."
Flustered, she snapped, "Hey, what're you implying?!"
Kari giggled, and with a wave, ran off around the corner. Gatomon watched her disappear into the crowd, even sweeping a look over in the off-chance she would spot the boy or Patamon. Turning back to her friend, she let out a calm breath.
"We should get away from the crowds," she suggested, sticking to the wall as they walked back the way they came.
"Good plan. I saw a pathway we can take."
She decided to bound ahead to maintain a short distance from him, mainly in attempt to draw less attention to themselves—not that it helped as passing people still stole glances. Normally she wasn't bothered by it, yet she couldn't help thinking about Wizardmon. Both times she looked at him, he didn't show any noticeable signs he was growing awkward, and she didn't want to bring it up to him. It was jumping to conclusions, of course, but she wasn't sure how used to crowds he was.
"About this morning," she carefully alluded to breakfast, "I don't blame you for the hypnotism. Mrs. Kamiya really hasn't... taken a liken to us that well."
"It's not permanent," he reminded her. "It'll wear off soon, though by then, there won't be a need for me to return to the apartment."
Gatomon then blinked. "Where did you sleep last night, by the way?"
"I didn't." She didn't like that he smiled when he answered. "I roamed Odaiba as I said."
Even though she shouldn't have been surprised, it still rubbed her the wrong way just how calmly and openly he said it. It wasn't anything new of him be so engrossed into studying he forgot to sleep, a habit she had always known him to have, and traveling was the same way. She still recalled memories of him returning to the castle from successful reconnaissance or recruiting missions days ahead of schedule (one of few reasons why it was Myotismon had kept him around), and then always wondered how he had energy to work or even go out again. While she hadn't thought of it the first time, it became recurring enough and she eventually regularly escorted him, which was how she discovered it and disapproved of it.
Regardless of how little her opinion changed, the image of him flying around the district brought her some content. "I guess after being dead, sleep's the last thing you want. It must be pretty... um..." Slowing, she raised a paw to her mouth and averted her eyes, realizing what she was saying.
"Unnecessary? Odd? Frightening?"
Shivering at how nonchalant the response was, she timidly shot her gaze back to him. "...I wasn't going to say any of that..."
"I know." His assurance didn't make her feel better. "It's a little jarring, but it's not drastic."
Frowning, she stood on two feet to look down on him. Her lieutenant years may have passed, but it was like second nature to be enforcing whenever she wanted to make herself clear. "Please promise you will tonight," she obliged. "I don't want you collapsing on us."
He gave a deep nod that looked like a bow. "I shall once I find a place to sleep."
While still shaking off the odd feeling, she mentally face-palmed. "Oh, crap, I forgot about that..."
He smiled. "To be frank, I have plans on returning to the Digital World, but if you want me to stay another night, I will do so."
Flexing her claws and tilting her head to the side, she sat back on her haunches. "Do what you want."
A line of small schoolchildren then rounded a corner ahead of them. At the sight of Wizardmon, they suddenly let out cheers and squeals, and scampered over to crowd him. Gatomon poised to swipe in warning as a child pushed nearer in, but they ignored her.
"A magician, magician!" was their repeated chant, arms thrown in the air.
A woman assumed to be their caretaker jogged up to them. "Children, come away and leave him be!" she scolded.
To the feline's surprise, he just raised a hand. "No need to worry. It's part of my duty to entertain."
"Can you pull a rabbit out of your hat?" a rosy boy blurted out.
Something sparked to life in Wizardmon's eyes at the request. "I can do better than a rabbit." Taking off his hat, he flipped it about to show it was empty, then reached inside.
Before Gatomon could yelp, she felt herself being pulled backward by her scruff into brief darkness, only to pop out dazed, centimeters away from the wide-eyed stares of the children. One reached out to jab his finger into her cheek, and she flailed about in the magician's hold with a yell. Then she was lightly flipped up, and he swept his hat over her as though to catch her, and instead found herself comically landing directly behind the caretaker as the children cheered.
"May I have a volunteer from the crowd?" he announced, and hands shot up. The cat glared over at him, though he dismissed her with a subtle gesture with his fingers to hide. "You, young lady. This way, please."
With a huff, Gatomon hopped back onto the wall in time to watch a young girl with pigtails peeking out from under her helmet step forward, cheeks puffed in excitement. "What is your name, miss?"
"Ami Yoshizawa."
Wizardmon then placed his hat over her, smiling at the giggles when it slipped over her eyes. "Leave it be," he commanded when she moved to fix the hat. He gently tapped his staff on the skull, and the red eyes rolled around. The feline felt a chill run up her spine at the sight, bringing her to crouch and hook her claws into the bricks. "Now, Ami, I want you to think about your favorite toy," he instructed soothingly. "Don't say it out loud. Just imagine it in your mind's eye, and focus on it."
The child appeared to be holding her breath, and her figure was tensing. Her classmates leaned in with quiet gasps as Wizardmon watched intently, the wooden sun not once removed from where it hovered over her. His fingers began to slowly draw out shapes as it started to glow, catching the attention of the students.
"Are you ready, Ami?" he asked, voice still soft, laying his free hand on the skull. "Don't move your head, just tell me."
"Ready!" she squeaked out, looking like she was struggling to be still.
At the very moment the eyes froze, Gatomon flinched from a flash, and he whipped the hat off for a teddy bear to drop onto her head amidst tiny sparks. The girl caught it and let out a surprised yell, hopping in place as she hugged it. "It's my bear! Look, look, this is it!"
The children let out collective gasps and astonished murmurs, a couple of the girls expressing their recognition of the toy with a unified "No way!", and an added, "But it's at home!" Even the caretaker was impressed, her hands pressed to her chest.
Ami held up the stuffed bear to turn it every which way, her eyes wide and sparkling. "So cool..." Gaping up at Wizardmon, she breathed out, "How'd you know?"
Putting his hat back on, he gave a wink. "I didn't. It was all you."
Although she was in awe herself, Gatomon couldn't help shooting him an accusatory look.
Snapping out of it, the woman then clapped twice for attention. "Alright, children, that was a nice performance, but we need to get going." When they started to complain, her tone sharpened. "We're running late as it is. Thank the nice man, and let's go."
After the groans passed, they shouted out a "Thank you, sir!" (though a couple of boys said "Mr. Wizard" instead) and walked off, clamoring about the magic trick. The caretaker gave a brief bow as she followed to herd the children in line, just barely missing the young girl who swerved around and scurried her way back. Shifting her bear in place to rummage through her knapsack, she pulled out a small coin purse and from it a 100 yen coin, which she held out without a word.
Wizardmon hesitated to take it, at first glancing over to Gatomon as though she held an answer. Ami followed his gaze and gave her a bright smile, revealing she was missing a tooth, then took his hand to push it into his palm and hurried off. Once she blended in, the two Digimon stared at it as he flipped it about, his face lightening up.
"Such a sweet gesture," he mused.
"At least she gave you something," Gatomon said, scratching at an ear.
"I didn't expect to get anything." Shrugging, but still smiling, he tucked it inside his vest for safe-keeping.
A quiet "hmm" in her throat, she turned to resume their walk. "I think you're a little too easy-going, Wizardmon. You didn't have to do that."
"True, but I didn't want to be rude."
Suddenly, the cat found herself being yanked back again, and a second later she came eye-to-eye with Wizardmon. A flush on her face, she shoved herself out of his hold with a growl, immediately separating space between them. "What the hell, Wizardmon?!" she finally choked out, wanting to throttle him.
She hated he found it amusing enough to laugh at as he put his hat back on. "I apologize, Gatomon. It was too good of an opportunity to pass up."
Gatomon shook her head vigorously. "No! You ask me first before you force me to be your assistant!"
"Well, at least you aren't objected to it." He stepped up to pet her between the ears.
She swiped his hand away and returned to the wall, her tail ring clinking. "Another thing, Wizardmon."
His hand dropped as he straightened. "Something wrong?"
Out of uncertainty, she carefully started off with, "About the petting and stuff—" and then her voice caught. Clearing her throat didn't make it better, and she was quickly losing her words.
He appeared to have understood, his gaze softened as he solemnly bowed his head to obscure his face. "I see. I'm sorry, Gatomon, I didn't know you felt that way."
Deep down, she could feel guilt get into a confrontation with her pride. She didn't know how to approach the situation, in how to explain herself to get the misconception cleared up. "No, I liked it when we were friends—I mean, we are friends, but..." After stumbling over her words, she let out an exhale to start again. "It's been six years. Things are different now, and it's kinda weird... and awkward. I just..." She couldn't bring herself to finish her thoughts; already she began to wish he could read her mind.
Luckily, Wizardmon was quick to catch on. "I understand. I won't lay a hand on you again if that's what you want."
"It doesn't mean I don't like it, Wizardmon," she amended, picking at the wall. "I want us to get used to each other again."
"I agree."
They stared at each other for a long moment until Gatomon dropped her gaze. Passers-by continued to send quick glances their way, some out of confusion, others in annoyance because Wizardmon was in the middle of the sidewalk. Once he pressed himself up against the wall, she steadily continued on, but kept him in her peripheral vision.
"So... I guess I'll only walk on the same side you hold your staff?" she muttered, almost as a suggestion.
He willingly switched hands. "I'll try not to bop you with it."
Gatomon snorted on a laugh.
They spent their day walking around to take in sights and sounds of a bustling city, in no hurry to get to a destination if they had one in mind. Wizardmon had offered to fly further out if Gatomon was up for it, but the spur-of-the-moment suggestion made her hesitate. In its place, however, he was occasionally stopped by passing children or tourists who mistook him for a street performer, yet he obliged each time whether he got money or not. He never did the same trick twice, a feat that impressed the feline as she oversaw them. Not once did he ask her to be an assistant, which made her both relieved and regretful depending on what he did.
As much as she enjoyed watching him perform, she couldn't help but feel odd about how calm he was. She recalled the day they had arrived with Myotismon and his army to the real world, and were ordered to scatter out and find the eighth child. Many of them had relied on stealth to get around, while a few like Wizardmon managed to blend into the crowd. She had never known what he did, though as she eyed him the entire day, it gave her a good guess.
"I didn't get to check last night, but I'd like to make a quick stop someplace."
Tongue sticking out, Gatomon diverted her attention from the store window she was using to groom while they had a break. "Is it far?"
"No, it's just a quick flight there."
Her face fell as she rolled her eyes. "Yeah, you're just making excuses to go out flying again."
He shrugged. "Believe what you want, then." The Wizard Digimon threw his arm around her and shot up into the air, which startled a nearby couple.
Gatomon could have snapped at him for laying a hand on her, but upon looking down at the speeding landscape, she didn't feel like dropping even with her soft landings. Slightly pouting, she held tight before closing her eyes and taking in deep breaths. Despite all those years of flying both with Wizardmon and as Angewomon, she still wasn't used to the exhilaration.
He noticed very quickly. "I'm sorry for not letting you prepare yourself."
She shook her head. "It's not your fault," she muttered, peering out of one eye. "So where are we going?"
He pointed with his staff toward the approaching Rainbow Bridge. "On the battery island."
A shock of remembrance brought her to attention, suddenly not liking where it was going. "Why there?" she gasped.
"Just out of curiosity."
She pinched her brows in slight irritation. She should've learned by now to not ask simple questions.
Within the minute, they landed in a clearing enclosed with trees. Gatomon immediately pulled away with a small shudder, glancing around suspiciously. "It's daytime, but it still gives me the creeps."
Wizardmon thought differently. "I see the humans haven't done much to this place."
"Is that seriously the first thing you think about every time you see something you remember?"
He raised a brow at her tone. "Is there a problem?"
She tensed in place to rub an arm. "Well... no..." Her voice was barely above a whisper.
He searched her face for a quiet moment before shrugging and walking off, tapping the blunt end of his staff along the grass. "It's just fascinating, is all."
With a slight sneer, she plodded after him. "You and your fascination with 'fascinating' can go be fascinated elsewhere," she grouched. "I don't want to stay here any longer than we have to."
"Relax, Gatomon. There is no one nor nothing here anymore."
The cat sniffed. "I know that..."
Reaching a thick patch, a dull "thunk" sounded. Looking like he had made the discovery of a lifetime, Wizardmon felt around and pulled on a rusted door, throwing his weight into it to open up a staircase. Gatomon's fur bristled from a sudden chill, backing away and fighting back a sneeze.
He tilted his head as he briefly stretched. "If you're not comfortable coming in, you can stand guard," he simply stated before entering, hovering over the steps. His staff began to softly illuminate as he descended into the shadows.
She made a noise halfway between hissing and whimpering, then quickly leapt down the stairs to his side. "Just very quick, and then we leave," she snarled once she stepped up her pacing, eyes sharpened.
It was deathly quiet underground, the only other sounds echoing off the stone were her footsteps and breaths. Down at the bottom floor were the gates, the padlock and key rested aside, untouched for all these years. Her breath hitched at the sight, suspecting what was beyond the bars.
Wizardmon took a few moments longer to notice, and a brief chuckle escaped him as he landed. "Has it really been six years?"
She grumbled under her breath, "We're done, let's go."
He kept going, holding the wand further out. "By the gods, it's still there." He then laughed, and jogged for the gates to push them open. "So he never returned here after that night."
Gatomon trembled at the glint of brass and black iron inside the chamber, and hesitantly approached the coffin. Wizardmon still examined it in interest, lightly rapping his knuckles on the lid and sides and looking gleeful. Although she was still uneasy about the hide-out, she found herself in awe at the discovery.
"I don't believe it," she rasped out, frowning deeply at the bat insignia.
The mage then paused at the head to grasp the lid.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
He looked at her in surprise as her ricocheted voice faded. Frozen in place, she kept darting her wide eyes between him and the coffin, her fur spiked out. "Gatomon, what has you so spooked?"
"Y... Y-You don't know what's in there!" she choked out, pointing shakily at it.
He dropped his hands from the coffin. "It sounded empty. I honestly doubt anything got into it."
"You don't know that! And what are you going to do, anyway?!" While she was usually more open to Wizardmon, she hoped the light wasn't as bright on her when she felt tears prick at her eyes.
His expression fell to that of worry. "Why are you so concerned about this?" he softly asked. "Myotismon is long gone, as you said. There is nothing here to fear. It is better us rummaging through his belongings than someone else who doesn't know what they're getting into."
She couldn't deny he had a point. It didn't make her feel any better, but it started to lay to rest some of her creeping anxieties. Unable to put together a coherent sentence, Gatomon yielded, though her wavering irises still shone. Stepping around for the other side, she laid her claws on the lid and gave a small, but curt nod. They slid it off together, and she quickly turned away with shut eyes.
Wizardmon gave a tsk. "Such a shame."
Flicking an ear, the cat looked over to find the velvet layer was paved over with dust and cobwebs, complete with seams coming loose. She lightly coughed when he reached down to brush some of it off. Somehow, she half-expected something to start crawling out of the holes from the disturbance.
"Well, that's that," he sighed out, patting down his gloves. "Nothing to salvage here."
Gatomon sat back on her heels. "That's the reason you came down here?"
"You never know, Gatomon," he said with a shrug. "Myotismon always felt inclined to collect things, and keep them for himself."
She had forgotten about that. "What were you expecting, a personal computer?"
Wizardmon laughed. "Jewelry, perhaps."
"Like from all those women he drained?" she recalled, raising a claw.
At the thought, ran his hands along the edges and poked and prodded about. "Nothing."
The tiny Champion took notice of his expression as he straightened up. "You look so disappointed."
He didn't look like he disagreed when he blinked down at her. "Do I?"
She wryly smiled. "Now that the excitement of breaking into an ex-boss' old hide-out has worn off, yeah, pretty much."
"You look better yourself. It's like you sucked out all of my energy."
"Like a vampire?"
He wagged a finger at her, a gleam in his eye. "How long did you sit on that joke for?"
"Many moons."
They burst out laughing, Wizardmon clapping her on the back. Still smirking, Gatomon smacked him upside the head with the pillow, though immediately regretted it when the cloud of dust puffed into her face. Through the coughs, he felt along to reach inside, and let out a sudden "Ah ha!" He pulled out, much to their surprise, the fake tag and crest, which glinted warmly in the light.
"Hey, how'd that get in there?" the feline gasped, standing on tip-toe for a better look.
He got a burst of remembrance, eyes lighting up. "Oh, this is the one I replaced for the real crest."
She almost did a double-take. "Why'd you do that?"
"More-or-less as a ruse." Letting the necklace hang from his fingers, the sorcerer explained, "If we hadn't been caught, we could've gotten away with it, or at least for a little while."
"Because he would've known it was fake the moment he saw it?" she guessed, lightly touching her claw to the cover.
"Exactly." He dropped it into her awaiting paw. "There's a difference in power, and the real crest had a stronger release of energy."
"Whoa..." Taking a closer look, she noticed the crest had a slight pulse to it, a sign it was still active. "I didn't know that. I mean, all I knew was it would just react to Kari if it ever neared her, but that was it."
Her heart grew heavy the longer she stared at the pink symbol. Even after six years, the thought of how close she had come to killing Kari still haunted her. Her hunches were rarely ever wrong, and even rarer was her hesitating in acting out on said-hunches. She always dreaded that "what if", unsure how things would've been different if this-or-that occurred, as she was not the type who romanticized the idea of alternate worlds. Fate had always been kind to Kari, it seemed.
Not wanting to think on it any longer, she suddenly puffed out her chest and began to strut around. "What are you two doing in here?" she boasted in as deep a voice as she could manage. For good measure, she swept an arm before her like she threw a cape around herself. "Snooping as usual, I see."
Wizardmon played along, bowing in place to hide a smile. "It's nothing, Lord Myotismon. We were just on cleaning duty."
"I ordered you to find the Eighth Child, not to play house! Now get out. I need to make myself prim and proper for the slaughtering of innocents." She then mimed applying lipstick and smoothing back hair.
He seemed taken aback. "Good heavens, Gatomon, that's dark."
"You know that's what he would say," she said in her normal voice.
"Not necessarily." The Wizard Digimon then stood straight himself and lazily held out an imaginary glass that he swirled about. "The night may be young, but this blood isn't. Fetch me the Eighth Child while he's still fresh, and I shall live for twice the moons."
Gatomon was snickering more at the voice than the mocking. "You got too direct there."
"I'm doing the best impression I can."
"You have the drawling right, you just have to be classy and play it serious as you talk about staining your lips with the blood of an innocent child." Her voice had deepened again at the end.
He only shook his head in amazement. "How in the world, Gatomon?"
She was pleased she still got it. "You're just not being darkly sadistic and stuff."
Wizardmon just shrugged, chuckling under his breath. "Mimicking Myotismon was always your forte, after all."
"Now that I think about it, you think he got off to slasher films?" she then blurted out, tucking the tag and crest into a glove.
"Oh-kay, Gatomon, we need to get going." He replaced the lid and waved her off toward the exit.
"Come on, I'm just getting warmed up, which not even Myotismon could do."
He rolled his eyes, shaking his head.
It was the late afternoon before the small group of six were all together at the park with their Digimon, sitting under the tree with their schoolbooks open and studying—those who made the effort to, anyway. The Digimon weren't interested and were lazing or running around with the soccer ball, now all in their Rookie forms. Davis had a hard time concentrating, constantly glancing back-and-forth enough times to make his friends dizzy watching him.
"Why don't you just go home if you're going to get distracted," Yolei stated matter-of-factly when he turned around for the umpteenth time.
"I'm sorry, but whose soccer ball are they kicking around out there?" he retorted, more of an excuse than an actual reason.
"I have one on hand if you need to go," Ken said without looking up from his homework.
After a small pout in the prodigy's direction, he threw his hands behind his head. "No, thanks, I don't mind that they're using it."
"I bet you wouldn't say that if I made the offer," T.K. grinned, brows raised.
"Yeah, right, you're more into basketball."
"It was only rhetorical."
"But it's not like they couldn't use the basketball," Cody gave his insight, throwing back the soccer ball when it rolled up to him. Beside him, Armadillomon flipped over to doze off.
Kari slightly shook her head when her D-Terminal beeped. Taking a peek, she announced, "Tai's on his way over. He had to wait for Izzy."
"I'm surprised Izzy's managed to keep himself available all this time," Yolei sighed out, her eyes fixated on Ken's handwriting. "Wonder how he does it."
"Only six years, and he's still hard to crack," the blonde boy chuckled, elbowing Kari knowingly. Davis' sharp stare was ignored. "I wouldn't be surprised if he goes overseas and still manages to be where we need him."
Cody looked over after watching Veemon accidentally headbutt the ball into Hawkmon's face. "By the way, Kari, how's Gatomon doing?"
The brunette beamed. "She's fine now, thanks for asking. She promised she'd be here, but she's sure taking her sweet time."
"Must be taking a nap," Davis guessed, his attention returned to the Digimon. "I'm glad she's feeling better, but I don't blame her for not coming."
With glasses gleaming, the lavender-haired girl snatched up his notebook to flip through, neither of the DigiDestined stopping her. Kari only let out a quiet sigh, her smile now lop-sided. "She doesn't like the idea of us worrying over her, but she might've only had the strength to see me off if that's the case."
Only T.K. noticed there was slight fluctuation in her voice, though he didn't bring it to attention.
Suddenly, the D-3s were set off, their combined screeches causing the children to fumble (Davis fell over instead) to turn them off—except Kari's, which she remembered she had left at home. The Digimon paused in their game or perked up to search the area, gathering around in protective stances.
"A Digimon's here!" Ken exclaimed, jumping to his feet.
Yolei checked the screen, spotting a flashing dot by their location. "It's on top of us!"
They all glanced up at the sky, sweeping the buildings and treetops. Quickly ascending, Hawkmon spotted a shape first before Patamon, and pointed out, "It's coming in from the north-west!"
Kari couldn't help but grin, and she backed away from the tree for a wave. "Over here, guys!"
The other DigiDestined watched as two figures approached, one of them returning the gesture. T.K.'s jaw dropped as he hurried to his friend's side, looking at her like she had gone mad. "It can't be!" he stammered, running a hand through his hair. "Kari, you knew?!"
She giggled. "Since yesterday. I wanted it to be a surprise."
"What're you talking about?" Davis butted in, though he watched as the Digimon landed, and Gatomon slipped out of its hold.
Patamon let out a happy gasp and bolted down to hover above them. "Long time no see, Wizardmon!" he greeted.
The mage tipped his hat, turning to the other Digimon as they ran up in near-awe. "You look familiar!" Veemon said, a crooked smile on his face.
"I could say the same to you," he replied back, giving a nod. "The name's Wizardmon. You must be the Digimon of the new DigiDestined."
The addressed children began to crowd around in interest, though Ken remained near the back as Wormmon crawled onto his shoulder. Cody was the first to speak out, blinking repeatedly. "Is this the same Wizardmon we saw that time?"
"He was the ghost who spoke to us!" Yolei recalled, pushing her glasses up her nose. "So he was reborn?"
T.K. carefully stepped forward, keeping Kari in his reach. Glancing between Wizardmon and Gatomon, he breathed out, "It's really you?"
"You look well, Takeru."
The girl patted his arm in assurance, then faced the group. "Sorry I didn't tell you guys. I didn't think you'd believe me."
Gatomon seemed the most surprised by her words, but held her tongue. She moved a few steps to the other Digimon to give them smiles of her own, mutely letting them know she was fine. Veemon was the only one still entranced by Wizardmon's presence to notice, she had expected it as such.
Davis couldn't stay silent another second, and stood up straight. "So you're Wizardmon? I'm Davis, Kari's boyfriend!"
"He is not," Kari immediately amended, smiling.
He was crushed. "I'm working on it..."
"I remember seeing you there," Wizardmon said, expression unchanged as he swept his gaze along. "You have all grown up to be fine young people." He paused on Ken, who slightly winced when they made eye-contact. His irises then gleamed knowingly. "And you must be Ken Ichijouji."
He became blustered, though was unable to turn away. "Yes, I am."
The Digimon's gaze softened in relief. "I'm glad you were saved from the darkness."
Ken's hand clenched into a fist at his side. "Who told you that?" he whispered.
Gatomon lightly smacked her tail on her friend's shoulder, brows furrowed. "Wizardmon, what are you doing?"
He shrugged her off, then bowed his head. "I apologize if it bothers you to bring up the past. Myotismon's psychological torture leaves that effect."
Glancing over at Wormmon, the young man slowly shook his head. "...no, it's fine. I'm just shocked you know, is all."
"It was Wizardmon who gave us the clue to save you," Kari explained. "If it hadn't been for him, it could've taken us longer to help."
Davis looked like he was going to say something, then decided to drop it when Tai and Izzy called out to them. The two jogged up until the smaller boy nearly halted in place. "It can't be!" he panted out, blinking in disbelief. "Is that who I think it is?"
"That's what we were all saying," T.K. laughed.
Tai clapped his friend on the shoulder. "He's why I brought you over, Iz. I thought we'd have a reunion."
Wizardmon gave a nod, a gesture that brought a toothy smile to Izzy's face. It was an expression the DigiDestined were familiar with in that he had drawn to a conclusion. "Oh, I see! So you're the one Gennai called me about last night."
Everyone stared in slight surprise. "Gennai did?" Kari echoed.
"He contacted me saying there was an unauthorized crossing between worlds yesterday afternoon, and he had tracked it down to the Kamiya house, but couldn't get through to them." The children all tensed in place during the statement. "I thought nothing of it because I figured it was Gatomon or Agumon doing something with the Digi-Port. However, they're authorized to go back-and-forth."
The feline's ears drooped in embarrassment. "Oh... I forgot all about that..." She glanced up in apology.
"It's okay, Gatomon." Izzy smiled down at her. "Now that we know the Digimon in question is one we know, we shouldn't have to worry. That doesn't mean we should let our guard down, though. Since it's on our mind right now, let's go ahead and register Wizardmon so he can pass through without getting into trouble." He unattached his laptop to boot it up, which elicited a few rolls of the eyes in the group.
"Hey, hold on, how'd he get through in the first place?" Ken questioned, Cody and Yolei nodding in tandem.
"Gatomon said she took his data with her," Tai said.
Kari was taken aback, realizing she had never asked about it. "Like a merging? Did she use my D-3?"
Gatomon and Wizardmon awkwardly looked at each other. "Sort of..." she muttered, giving a slight shrug. "Sorry for causing trouble..." Her partner crouched to pet her between the ears, bringing her to loosen up.
"Well, at least we were able to solve this mystery quickly and without any problems." Izzy paused in his typing to hook in his digivice to load, his lips pursed. "But how odd that Gennai was unable to identify Wizardmon..."
"What do you mean, Izzy?" T.K. interjected, tilting his head.
"Apparently data was missing, and he couldn't fill in the blanks."
"That's odd."
The two Champion Digimon gave each other wary glances.
Tai then clapped his hands with a grin. "Well, now that we got that out of the way, how about a celebration for Wizardmon's return?"
"That's very kind of you," Wizardmon said, a chuckle on the tip of his tongue, "but I will have to say 'no' to that."
"It can be a small one, nothing big. It's not like we're announcing you to the entire world."
He still waved a hand in refusal. "I'm good, thank you."
Kari smiled. "I agree, Tai. Just having him here with us is good enough as it is."
"I second it," Davis stepped in, absentmindedly rolling his soccer ball under his foot. "Hey, Wizardmon, know how to play soccer?" At the word, his Digimon's eyes gleamed and he jigged in place.
He only took a single, questioning glance at the ball before responding, "I wouldn't mind spectating."
The boy let out a laugh, and started juggling with his knees. "Watch and learn! I'm not called 'Footloose Davis' for nothing!"
"Oh, he has a 'foot loose', alright," Ken called him out through a smirk.
"Them's fighting words!"
As the two began to butt heads, Wizardmon stole a glance at Gatomon, brows raised in slight bemusement. She shook her head as she sighed, but couldn't help a smile. "Welcome to the team, Wizardmon."
Miko was waiting at the doorstep when they returned home that evening, though the sight of Gatomon and Wizardmon made her jumpy until Kari managed to coax her in. Silence and a darkening apartment met their greetings, a sign Yuuko wasn't home. Without hesitation after kicking off his shoes, Tai slumped over the couch with a groan.
"I knew I should've done homework waiting on Izzy," he lamented.
"Or you could've done the next best thing and did your homework instead of playing soccer," Kari corrected, dropping her backpack inside her room before picking up the phone for messages. "I'll never understand boys and their obsession with sports."
"It's not an obsession, it's a passion. Get it right."
The Digimon chose to hover near the entranceway, unsure of but unwilling to give their own insights to the conversation. Glancing around, Gatomon spotted a hand-written note on the dining table just as her partner asked, "Tai, did Mom leave a note anywhere?"
"Why?"
"It looks like Dad had called. I think she's gone to meet him."
He lifted himself up with a sigh, rubbing his neck. "That soon, huh? Well, guess I gotta get to cooking."
"I'd like to do it tonight."
Everyone turned to look at Wizardmon in surprise, Gatomon more-so. Even though it was much like of him to say, she couldn't tell why he had spoken up about it. "Gee, thanks for the offer, Wizardmon, but you're a guest," Tai politely declined, despite his smile.
He took off his hat in a respectful gesture. "I insist as a way to thank you for letting me stay the night."
"You didn't sleep inside last night?" Kari inquired in worry. "Why didn't you say something?"
Gatomon piped up, "I told you, Kari, that Wizardmon was out for the night."
Wizardmon gave an indifferent shrug. "I honestly prefer the outdoors anyway."
Smoothing back his hair, Tai said, "I'll give you my bed tonight, then. I'm going to be studying anyway, so it'd be easier to get a midnight snack from the front room."
"Knowing you, Tai," his sister beamed, "it's going to be more snacking and less studying."
The tiny Champion let out a relieved sigh, her smile lop-sided. "Thank you, Tai."
As he walked by into the kitchen, he reached down to ruffle her fur, much to her chagrin. "Not a problem. Now, what should we have tonight..."
Handing her his hat, Wizardmon followed. "I still insist on fixing supper."
The boy turned to look at him, slightly amused. "Stubborn, aren't ya?"
He just smiled over at his friend. "Learned from the best."
Gatomon flushed, lightly flicking the hat rim.
"Is there anything specific you had in mind?" he then queried, returning to Tai.
He pursed his lips in thought, though he looked more like he was straining for an answer. "Uh... Kari, how about you?"
"It wasn't my turn tonight," she said, at a loss as well.
Wizardmon seemed to have expected the answer, taking off his gloves to tuck them inside his vest. "Well then, if you'll direct me to your ingredients, I'll whip something up."
Giving in, Tai showed the Digimon around the small kitchen. Gatomon joined Kari on the couch just when she picked up the remote, setting aside the hat on the arm. Her ears twitching, she nudged the girl.
"Kari, are you sure it's okay for him to make it?" she asked in a hushed tone.
"I think it's sweet of him to offer it." Her brows rose. "Why? Should we be worried?"
The feline dropped her gaze to the skull for a moment before swerving the hat to face it away. "Erm, no, not that I'm aware of. I mean, the few times I ate his cooking, I thought it was good. But then again, we were living at Myotismon's castle." She couldn't emphasize it enough; it had always been tough transitioning between the two qualities every time she had left.
Despite not knowing the details, Kari loosened up. "If all else fails, we can always heat up something. As long as the kitchen doesn't go up in flames." They giggled to themselves, though Gatomon was a bit more hesitant.
"Hey, I heard that!" Tai called out, popping his head up over the counter where the fridge was. "That was the one time, Kari!"
She waved a hand at him nonchalantly, shaking her head in mirth and turning her attention to the television. The evening news was going on about the stock market, something that Gatomon couldn't make heads or tails of even as she listened and watched the screen. Money and economics was not something that crossed her mind often enough to care.
As she flexed a paw, the object inside her glove made itself known. "Oh, Kari."
She looked down just as the feline pulled out the glowing necklace, catching Wizardmon and Tai's attentions when she let out a shocked gasp. "My tag and crest! Oh, Gatomon!" She threw her arms around her, rubbing their cheeks together.
Squirming a bit in her hold, she shook her head. "No, it's one of the fakes Myotismon made."
Kari's eyes then widened, getting up from her seat. "Is Myotismon here?!"
Tai stood at attention. "Impossible! His soul's completely destroyed!"
Wizardmon gave an immediate response, returning to the stove he was setting up. "We went into his old hide-out this afternoon, and discovered it in his coffin."
The DigiDestined relaxed, Tai letting out a nervous laugh. "Oh yeah, he had one, didn't he—the hide-out, I mean. We never found it."
"It's under one of the battery islands."
He smacked his forehead. "I never would have guessed that as a kid."
Gatomon patted her partner's hands, giving her a smile. "It may not be real, but think of it as a memento."
Kari nodded in agreement, pulling her in for another hug as the crest dimmed to dormancy.
Wizardmon was soon left on his own, although Tai still supervised off to the side ready to jump in if needed. Gatomon looked over from the couch every now and then to observe, a little surprised he was doing it all by hand. While she could recall him fixing meals over an open fire during missions, not once had she ever seen him in a kitchen environment. She had it in her mind what he did outside was simple enough he didn't have to resort to magic; then again, she had only stepped in the kitchen at Myotismon's castle once and had refused to return, so he might've gone in on his own time.
Nearly an hour had passed, though their parents still had of yet to walk in when he was finished. The three drooled over it, with Tai and Kari impressed at the display. "I hadn't really paid attention, you made doria?" the young man asked, pointing to the main dish.
Wizardmon nodded in humility while still looking pleased with himself. "I hope Mrs. Kamiya doesn't mind I used the seafood ingredients."
"No, she'll totally understand when she sees this." As though afraid he would ruin its appearance, Tai took care in serving it.
With a chorus of "Thanks for the food!", they all except Wizardmon had their first bite, and their eyes lit in elation.
"It's like reliving a childhood memory!" Kari gushed.
"It's like magic, but by hand!" Tai choked on his tears. "Oh man, Agumon's missing out!"
"I... I don't know what to say," Gatomon breathed out, a smile spreading on her lips.
The mage turned a slight shade of pink. "Thank you. It was my first time trying out the recipe."
"First what?!" the DigiDestined cried out. Even the feline couldn't believe what she heard.
He nearly stumbled on his words. "I've had it a few times in the Digital World, but I never made it for myself."
Still in shock, Tai ate a few more bites. "Man, you're something else, Wizardmon!"
The Digimon dropped his gaze, an act that caught Gatomon's attention first before the other two. She could see his shyness falling over his eyes like a shadow, an emotion she hadn't seen in him in a long time. It was a jarring one-eighty compared to how he was the rest of the day, only hitting her when she watched him gently poke at his plate.
"Are you going to join us, Wizardmon?" Kari asked, leaning closer in worry.
He struggled to maintain eye-contact. "Er... I don't mind."
"Wizardmon..." Gatomon shot the pair a stern look. "Can you promise not to stare?"
The siblings were visibly confused and anxious, but gave their word. "Sure..."
Turning back to her friend, the cat gave an encouraging nod once their visions crossed. Gingerly, Wizardmon loosened his cowl, still finding it easier to keep his eyes down. The sight of his stitched mouth in a straight line brought Gatomon to pat his hand in comfort.
Kari and Tai gave each other a quick, saddened glimpse, unsure how to respond. "Uh... thanks for making dinner, Wizardmon," she said to break the awkward silence. "You seriously didn't have to."
He slightly flinched at her voice, but made sure to look over before nodding. "Ah... I know, but I wanted to show my appreciation..." Still averting his gaze, he began to eat, only to laugh to himself. "Alas, wasn't even close to imitating the taste from those years ago."
Finally finding his voice, Tai praised him again, "It's still delicious, so please don't beat yourself up over it."
Wizardmon flushed and clasped Gatomon's paw, but his lips curled.
"You have a lovely smile," Kari noted, glancing between the two.
"Thank you for your kind words."
Gatomon could just about see the walls he was building up crumble.
Yuuko didn't return with her husband, Susumu, for another hour, in which by then Tai had been preparing the couch and coffee table for himself while Kari assisted Gatomon and Wizardmon with the dishes. He took to the new visitor well, to no one's surprise but the mage's, until he ate his share of the dinner and made his wife jealous, much to everyone's then-rekindled astonishment as she went on a tirade similar to that morning's. Realizing her hypnotism hadn't yet worn off, Wizardmon had to step in and clear things up, something Gatomon felt didn't help in swaying her opinions.
Kari was able to laugh it off once she readied herself for bed. "Poor Wizardmon. I hope that didn't rattle him too badly."
"He'll be okay. He's still getting used to... life again." The feline couldn't tell if she had used poor choice of words.
The girl didn't seem to notice. "I think Mom will come around eventually, especially since he's not staying with us."
"Are we still talking about Wizardmon or your father there?"
"Oh, God..." Shaking her head with a giggle, Kari checked her alarm clock and D-Terminal one last time. "Gatomon, you've known him for years. Has he always been like this?"
"Good question." As her gloves were on the desk, she pawed absentmindedly at her cheek, staring off in thought. "I feel like this is who he really is deep down, as he had to put up a front when he was working for Myotismon. He only ever opened up some whenever he was away from the castle and everyone else, but it wasn't like he had a different personality or whatnot."
Her partner "hmm"ed in interest, shutting off the light before climbing in. "So he's kind of like you?"
Gatomon blinked. "You mean in the way we act?"
"Well, you two don't have the same personality at all. I'm talking about your actions and how you determine how to go about your day performing said-actions." Kari smiled as she stretched her arms above her head. "And like you both have your own way of thinking, but you're still on the same wave-length."
"Sounds like you and T.K.," the feline smirked, half-joking.
She still laughed. "Almost! But I'm like that with just about everyone I can get along with."
"I fail to see how you and Davis are on the same wave-length."
"You know what I mean!" Kari then sighed, holding up the tag and crest. "I dunno. I guess I'll just always remember Wizardmon as someone who was determined to bring you and I together, even though it ended up with him dying."
Looking away from the necklace for the closed blinds, Gatomon nervously kneaded the blanket. "Let's just say you only got a taste of who he really is," she muttered. "Give him time, I think you'll like him."
"Now do you mean Wizardmon or Davis there?"
Scoffing to humor her, the Champion curled up where she sat, pushing her back into the girl's side. "By the way, is it still wrong of me to come visit like normal now that Wizardmon's back?"
"I think that's something you should discuss with him, though I don't think he'd mind. He just can't stay like you can."
"Right, I got that..." Resting her chin on her paws, Gatomon mumbled a "'Night," purring quietly when Kari scratched her behind the ears in reply.
Although the girl managed to sleep in peace, the Digimon found herself drifting in and out of consciousness at random intervals, unable to will or force herself to stay asleep. It confounded her how she could sleep fine when she was ill, but the moment she got better, her mind refused rest. It had nothing to do with Tai snoring beyond the door, or of the day's events replaying both its good and bad moments. She could even argue Wizardmon being on her mind wasn't the case either.
Peering at the clock, Gatomon was displeased to find it was only after midnight. With a huff, she rolled out of bed and left the room for the kitchen, staring blankly at a slouched over Tai the few minutes she was there. Taking in the empty wrappers of the snacks he had consumed, she shook her head.
"College is gonna be hell for him," she mumbled to herself, sipping on milk.
And the longer she stared, the more she grew annoyed that he could sleep fine despite being in such an uncomfortable-looking position.
Trudging back to Kari's room, her ears twitched from muffled sounds in Tai's room. Deciding to peek in, she carefully opened the door enough to slip inside, eyes on Wizardmon who was seated across at the desk, engrossed into whatever he was reading. In addition to moonlight, an orb hovered overhead, gently illuminating the desk and its contents.
She quietly and slowly huffed, stepping into range where he could see her. "Wizardmon, what're you still doing up?" she whispered, not trying to sound demanding.
He sheepishly smiled behind his cowl, his gaze transitioning from the far-away look he just had. "I'm sorry, Gatomon. I saw these books and couldn't help myself."
She passed a glance at the bookshelf, and scowled. "You promised you would sleep tonight."
"And I will." He closed the book (which she recognized to be one of Tai's schoolbooks he wasn't using) and rubbed his neck. "Translating is tedious enough to put me to sleep."
Her face fell. "That's not what I meant."
They stared at each other as the stack of books made their way back in their places. His eyes, while gentle, had a teasing look to them, and she could just imagine him asking her, "What are you still doing up?" in the same tone. Just thinking about it made her shift her weight about.
Choosing to break eye-contact, Gatomon turned her attention to the night sky. "I forgot to ask, but how'd you like your sight-seeing?"
Wizardmon mulled on his thoughts as he got out of the chair to put things back where they were. "It was nostalgic, but it took a bit to get used to the city's renovation." He lightly hummed in place of a sigh. "It still feels like yesterday I walked those streets in search of the then-unknown eighth child."
She had to agree. "That must've been a good wake-up call."
He chuckled, snuffing out the orb. "You could say that."
Gatomon eyed him curiously as he unclasped the cloak and his vest to hang them on the bedpost where his hat was on-looking. The skull seemed like it glinted at her, a sensation she couldn't shake off. "Hey, where are you planning on going once you return to the Digital World?" she asked.
As he sat on the bed to undo his boots, he just shrugged. "I have no plans. I just miss traveling."
She wasn't surprised that was his response. "Just so you know, Wizardmon, it's not the same Digital World."
"That's why I'm looking forward to it."
It had been a long time since he had last "looked forward" to something, she realized, and it was during a time she took it for granted. Wizardmon, at least when he was a soldier, wasn't one to get excited about most things, and if he was, he had kept it to himself. What she saw reflected in his irises and smile wasn't something she could recall from memory, but it felt nostalgic.
Softly, almost to herself, she giggled out, "You haven't changed a bit, Wizardmon."
"Is that good or bad?"
"No, I'm just... relieved, is all."
The gloves were the last clothing article to be removed, and she couldn't help staring at his pale skin. It was rare she ever got to see his hands, they looked normal that she could tell. She started to raise a paw toward him, but paused at the sight of her scars. Why she hesitated, even she didn't know. He knew of her inflictions better than Kari did in the past few years, where she had seen them but knew not the stories behind them.
"Is something wrong?"
She shook her head, meeting his gaze. "It's getting late. I don't want you collapsing out in the middle of nowhere tomorrow."
"You make a valid argument."
Just as he was getting into the covers, Gatomon noticed the clock on the desk, and inwardly cringed. "Tai forgot about his alarm clock," she pointed it out. "It goes off anywhere from six-thirty to seven, and it's... kind of loud."
He took a look at it before smiling. "Thanks for the warning, Gatomon."
She ended up scanning his figure, taking in his coveralls. "You're not going to be hot tonight, are you?" she inquired, gesturing to it.
Wizardmon pinched loose fabric as though to show it was baggy. "I'll be alright."
"Tai snores, by the way." She didn't have a reason for why she blurted it out.
The gleam in his eye was a sign he was humoring her. "I can hear that."
"And Miko will scratch at the door sometimes, just ignore her," she quickly added, almost as a mutter.
"I thought you wanted me to sleep tonight."
"Ah..." Gatomon felt fur prickle on the back of her neck and heat rise to her cheeks. "S-Sorry. I just... well, um..." She hung her head in regret as she rubbed her paws, ears drooped and lips pursed.
The movement was brief when he moved to lay his hand on her. She snapped her eyes up in time to back away, knowing exactly what his intentions were, but didn't feel like wanting his touch that moment. He apologetically dropped it on his lap in understanding.
"Please don't worry yourself over me," he assured her with a smile. "I'm not going anywhere."
She slowly nodded, a faint glower on her face before it faded. "I know, Wizardmon... I just can't help it."
"If you want to keep me company, Gatomon, you may."
It was meant to be a joke, it was clear as day in his voice. Somehow, it resulted in the feline freezing in place as a chill ran up her spine, and her face burned. She felt like she went into a spiral, unable to keep herself stable as she stiffly backed away and flailed her arms about before her. "N-N-No, it's not like that! I stayed long enough!"
Swiftly side-stepping to the door on tip-toe, she roughly pulled it open without meaning to, nearly closing it shut before she stopped to lock eyes. She grew meek under his gaze as she struggled to calm down, letting her gaze drift about as she took in a small breath. "'Night, Wizardmon."
He bowed his head. "Good night, Gatomon."
A tiny smile on her face, she left him for the night, hesitantly releasing the knob to walk away.
Alone with his thoughts, Wizardmon attempted to turn in and regain the need for sleep, but found himself growing uncomfortable. It wasn't pressure against his head from a lumpy pillow, nor the feel of pins on his back from the mattress, all sensations he was glad were finally out of his life, even if only temporary. There was nothing in the air that suggested a slow suffocation or an unwelcome visitor ready to pounce on him, although it still felt like he wasn't the only one in the room. If it was him being uncomfortable in his skin, he knew he'd get used to it eventually, but it had to be deeper than that.
Figuring it could be heat, he started to unzip his suit, and a lump he hadn't felt since his resurrection suddenly fell into his lap. Frowning, he reached inside to pull out a worn cloth bag, and nearly dropped it, his face blanching. Anything that could've counted towards him being tired were immediately chased out of the metaphorical window as he shakily pulled out what was inside.
"How could I completely forget about this?" he wheezed out, unable to tear his eyes from it.
Wizardmon knew the Book was taunting him as it silently welcomed him back into its pages.