Act 1: Beating Heart

Segment 4: Breakup

Chapter 4-1: This Paper That Binds

Shunpei's pocket vibrated. "A call? From Hideaki? Unusual." He picked it up.

Aki looked over curiously. Takaharu and Izumi were still unpacking from their short vacation in Nagoya. "What is he calling about?"

"The Tamers?" Shunpei spoke into his phone. "Yes, Takaharu is here. He's fine. No, not Izumi." Shunpei blinked and looked back at his wife. He covered the microphone. "It's about the things Rei showed us. Takaharu told us about it yesterday, too. There was another one." Aki nodded. So the Koyamas found out. She hoped they took it well enough.

"The alien things? Yes, Takaharu couldn't stop talking about them for a few days. He said it haunted his sleep, so we took an impromptu vacation to help him clear his head." There was a pause. "I see. That's unfortunate. Perhaps they'll understand if you tell them that he's not always available any more next year. Mmhm. We learned it from the Nagatomo family, yes. The Tokuda and Shimizu family know as well." Another pause. "Takaharu? He tries, but nothing comes of it. Yuuka? Yuuka cares a lot about her friends, so Takaharu tells me. Yes, he tells me a lot!" Shunpei laughed heartily. "Why? I think he enjoys it. It's easier when you've told someone else about it. I know Ryuta's much more introverted, but that doesn't mean he's going to want to keep everything bottled inside forever. He tells somebody, I'm sure."

There was another lengthy pause. Takaharu poked his head out of the doorway as Shunpei snickered. "Perhaps they are! You know teenagers at that age. They start thinking about these things. Even earlier, to be honest." Shunpei glanced over at Takaharu and waved, then mouthed "Koyama Hideaki." Takaharu mouthed back an "oh" and returned to his room. "Hideaki, you shouldn't worry too much. There are much worse choices out there than Yuuka. She's a very responsible and independent lady. I've met her and her family a few times, as well!"

Another pause. Shunpei frowned at something. "Yes, her family runs a shop and a bakery, but her father is an economics professor. They're well-learned." Shunpei raised his eyebrow. Aki stared back. "Of course romance can be distracting, but I've met both Ryuta and Yuuka. They're mature people. They know how to set their own timelines and limits." He grimaced and shook his head. Aki seemed to acknowledge what was happening. She figured the Koyama parents were overly worried about their son again.

"Takaharu, are we overbearing?" Aki asked. She was getting a bit insecure about this.

"No, why?" he replied. "Maybe I used to think that, but not anymore."

"Oh, good."

Takaharu stared at his mother. "Did you really ask me to check if you were being a good parent?"

"I've been talking with the Koyamas lately, so… I felt I had to check."

Takaharu blinked. So even they had noticed. "You're doing fine, mom."

Shunpei's phone call seemed to be wrapping up. "Takaharu? He's staying here for university. He wanted to do veterinary studies. Of course he misses Toronto, we all do! Of course! My phone is always accessible. Bye!" He hung up and shook his head. "Goodness, they're anxious people."

"So they confirmed it," Kanae murmured. Ryuta had gone upstairs with Amedramon and Haru. Hideaki nodded. "What is going on with this planet?" she wondered, sipping a mug of tea.

Hideaki sipped his own coffee. "Whatever it is, it seems we were the last ones to find out." He set his mug back down and scratched his chin, not that there was much there. It hardly grew. "That's unfortunate. And expected, I guess."

Above, Haru chased after Amedramon. Ryuta watched intently. He had slept poorly after last night, and combined with the events of the day and his still-sore shoulder, he had no intent on participating. Amedramon zipped past on all fours, then spun around and stopped. "Haru!"

"Ahhh!" She shrieked happily and ran after it. "I'm gonna get you!"

"Nope!" Amedramon galloped away and wiggled between two planters.

"Hey, not fair! You're so small!"

Amedramon hopped up onto a fan and opened its wings. The air was not too hot, unlike in summer, when the air conditioning turned the blown air more hot than the surrounding air itself. "So much better." It fanned its wings.

"Amedramon, you know I can't get up there!" Haru complained. It was too tall for her to jump up and climb on, and Ryuta watched her carefully as she approached the vent. He wasn't about to let her climb up on it. She hopped and clawed her fingers at the edge. Still too short. "Ah, I'm done," she sighed. She returned to the bench where Ryuta was sitting. Amedramon hopped down from the vent and followed her. Haru popped open a juice box with a straw while Amedramon rested its head in Ryuta's lap, tongue stuck out while he scratched its scales.

"Haru, about last night…" Ryuta started.

Haru sniffed. "It scared me."

"I'm sorry."

She looked up at her elder brother. "They're not going to send Amedramon away, right?"

"Not a chance." He smiled.

"Good!"

"Though I have to admit, I didn't help the situation."

"Ryuta, you stood up for yourself," Haru replied. Ryuta snorted. She was so naïve and so ready to come to his defence. He was going to miss this.

"I did, but… not well."

"But Dad was going to kick Amedramon out! I would be mad too!" Haru frowned.

He held a laugh. Maybe he had rubbed off too much on her. "Being angry is fine, but you can't let it take control. I should tell myself that more often," Ryuta admitted. "I… I should make sure the parents are happier before I leave."

Haru hugged him aggressively. "I'm going to miss you," she complained.

"I will too." Amedramon yawned. "You did a lot of running, you two." He checked his watch. "And it's dinner time. Amedramon, Haru, let's go."

Amedramon slunked off his legs and jogged to the stairwell door. Haru slurped loudly as she finished off her juice box and went over to grab the door first. "Do you think Amedramon can eat with us now?"

"I hope so." Up until this point, it had been forced to stay in his room, because his parents had seen it as a wild animal the whole time. Maybe things would change now.

By the time they reached the apartment, Kanae was finishing up with a plate of vegetables. "Ryuta, table."

"Sure." He went and grabbed four plates and bowls.

"Only four?" his mom asked. He looked up at her. She was sincere about it.

"I thought Hideaki didn't want Amedramon at the table."

She pulled a mildly annoyed face. "I've been trying to convince him for a while. It seemed so sad all on its own." Ryuta blinked. "Don't bother telling him, just do it. If he says no, I'll deal with him." Just then, his father came through the door as well. Ryuta shrugged and grabbed a fifth set of dishware and chopsticks, then laid it out at the table.

Amedramon was just about tall enough when it sat up on its hind legs to reach the table, though not quite. It could probably reach if it stood up and leaned on the table. Ryuta moved a footstool over to the short end of the table next to his chair. Hideaki walked past Amedramon, who stared up at him with its violet eyes. He flashed it a smile and itched its chin before continuing to hang up his jacket and put his bag away. It followed him the dinner table as Ryuta and Kanae were setting it.

There was no complaint from him this time when it poked its head up and grabbed the pair of chopsticks.

Hawkmon watched intently as Asuka flitted around her room. She was clearly dressing up for something, but it wasn't sure what. "Asuka? What's happening today?"

She bounced up and down. "Hawkmon, how do you not remember this?" It blinked at her, then looked around as it racked its mind for something. "It's March 29!"

"Oh! Oh, Asuka! I forgot, I'm so sorry!"

"Yeaaah, Hawkmon, the paper signing is today!" She checked her hair. "Ah, my agent is coming in three minutes. We gotta go!" She might have been a final-day signing, but she didn't care. She was aware her agent had been doing his best to secure her a longer contract, and it had taken a lot of convincing. In the end, she wasn't even signed to the club in Tokyo, but out to Chiba. It hardly mattered. Rei jumped back as Asuka burst out of the bedroom. "Whoop, sorry Rei!" she quickly apologized as she and Hawkmon hurried over to the foyer. Too bad Bunzo wasn't here for this.

"Asuka, stay calm, okay?" reminded Sora.

"I'm trying my best," she laughed. She slipped on her shoes. "Hawkmon!"

"Let's go!" It excitedly rushed into her phone. It wished it would be out and about to see this for real, but just hearing the conversation was going to be a lot, it expected.

Her agent had pulled up just before. "Asuka, excited?"

"Absolutely! Ah, I'm so nervous, too," she admitted as she slipped into the sedan. Her agent got into the driver's seat, and they pulled away.

"Sorry we couldn't get this done before literally the last day," her agent apologized. "I know you wanted a contract longer than two years."

"Yeah, yeah, we've been over this before," she said, passing it off. "I'm just happy it's finally going to be done, oh my gosh." She stared out the passenger window and shook her head. "From high school straight to professional soccer."

Her agent grinned. "Not many kids can do that," he agreed. "You're talented, and lucky." He turned and pulled onto the expressway and ramped up to speed. "Any thoughts on Chiba?"

She shook her head. "I'm just happy to be signed, finally."

Her agent stared intently as he passed some trucks doing a morning delivery. "I thought you had some friends in America. I'm surprised you turned that option down."

"Well… America was kind of big."

"Intimidated?"

"Yeah, and my elder sister wants to go abroad too, and I felt a bit bad about it if I were to go abroad as well."

He nodded. "I understand. It's not easy to leave family behind. Heh, that's why I stayed, too!" Asuka breathed heavily. The reality of her new life was setting in. "Try not to pass out, Asuka," he joked. "It's another forty minutes just to get there."

The car ride went by incredibly slowly, or at least it seemed so. By the end of it, Asuka was paying little attention to the large shops going by on the boulevard. A building came into her view, on the drivers' side of the car. It was Fukuda Denshi Field. In her head, she was already seeing the lights and the pitch, feeling the breeze from the ocean as she bombed up and down the wing.

She sighed. A little voice in her head told her it would be a while before that opportunity would come up. After all, she was just out of high school. There were sure to be people ahead of her in line for the position. She would have to work hard to impress despite her status on the U-20 side. Her daydreaming took her all the way to the club and its training pitch. The sedan pulled into the parking lot. As soon as the car stopped, she hopped out.

"Hey now, give me a moment to get all these papers in line." A whistle went off nearby, followed by a few shouts and some clapping. The women's squad wasn't complete yet, so they weren't there, but the men were. One of them, finished with a round of drills, spotted her and gave her a grin and a thumbs up. He knew. She waved back.

"Asuka, are you ready?" her agent asked. One of the manager's assistants was already waiting for them at the door.

"O-of course!" she beamed.

The six Tamers had crammed into the bakery again. Asuka huffed and slapped down a stack of papers. "Tada!" She high-fived Takaharu and Kazuhiko. Both of them were avid soccer fans. The other three were casual watchers of J-League and international events, but they leaned in too. They'd never seen a professional contract before.

Hawkmon hugged Asuka. "I knew you could do it!" It flipped through the pages. "But this is a lot of material. Is it really necessary?"

"Yeah, Hawkmon, contracts are pretty complicated." She stared at it. "I have to admit, I don't even understand the whole thing."

"W-w-what?! And you just signed it without understanding it?"

Asuka snorted and giggled. "No, silly, my agent did that for me! That's what he's for!"

"I-I see." It did not seem convinced as to the validity of this arrangement, but Asuka had said such was the world of professional sports.

Takaharu took a swig from a bottle of soda. "So I guess you're moving out to Chiba? It's not exactly convenient if you have to wake up at six in the morning."

Asuka nodded. "They're helping me find a place. I'll probably end up rooming with some of my teammates." She took a drink of water herself. "Hey, Takaharu, you never told us where you where going. Wouldn't classes start next week?"

"Oh! Oops! Right, I forgot to tell you all, I got a letter some time ago from Nihon University." Asuka looked at him quizzically. "It's not that far, it's in Kanagawa."

"Nicely done! That's a decent school, honestly. Though that is kind of far, Takaharu," replied Yuuka. "Don't they have a campus closer by?"

"Not for veterinary studies, they don't."

Yuuka sighed and looked down at the floor. "So even before three of us fly off to the rest of the world, we're already splitting up."

Takaharu leaned forward. "Cheer up. We can always text each other!"

"It's not the same," she retorted. "Plus, it means the Digimon won't be seeing each other either."

"Yuuka," replied Falcomon, "it's just the way life is for you all. I mean, Hawkmon and I already haven't seen our friends for months. We just learn to live with the separation." She didn't seem convinced. "Besides, we can always try to meet as often as we can!"

Yuuka didn't react. "You should listen to your Partner, Yuuka," added Satsuki. "I know Kazuhiko, Ryuta, and I will all be awake at the wrong hours for the rest of you, but what's a little distance in time and space? Right, Gabumon?" Gabumon nodded.

"I guess." The room fell silent after that. It was starting to set in, for all twelve of them. "I'm just worried-"

"When are you not?" replied Satsuki.

"Satsuki! I'm just worried about what might happen if your Digimon get spotted in public."

Kazuhiko and Takaharu glanced at each other. "Then we just make it known to the whole world. Bow down to the Sumida Tamers!" Kazuhiko flexed. Satsuki snorted. There wasn't much there, but at least he was starting to try. She was pretty sure even Yuuka had more arm strength than he did.

"Let's not do that," Ryuta muttered. He had been impressively quiet the whole time.

"Whoa, dragon boy is here!" Takaharu sarcastically responded. Ryuta rolled his eyes. Takaharu leaned in. "So, Ryuta, you still have a BC ID card, right?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Are you going to try to finish your driver's license, then?"

Ryuta was about to take a sip of tea. He hadn't thought about it previously. "I don't know. If I do, it might not be a general license."

"Oh?"

He smirked. "I've wanted to get a motorcyclist's license for a while, to be honest, but I couldn't. Not here, anyway."

"No place to put the bike?" Ryuta shook his head. "Oh, your parents." He nodded. "Right."

The bottle returned to the table. "They refused to pay for any of the costs, so I figured it would make more sense to do it over there. At least they don't have to see it."

Takaharu looked over at Amedramon, who had put its paws up on Ryuta's chair and was resting its chin on his head. "Amedramon, are you excited to go?"

"Heck yeah I am!" Ryuta reached up and scratched its snout. Its tongue rolled out.

"Hey, Kazu?" asked Takaharu. "You better be bringing back something from London. And Satsuki and Ryuta, too." He rubbed his hands. "You know how it works, guys."

"What am I supposed to get, Takaharu?" asked Ryuta. "I can't exactly bring over a Nanaimo bar."

"I'm sure you'll think of something, dragon boy." Takaharu glanced at his phone. He needed to get home earlier to pack up. The entrance festivities were going to be in a few days and he needed to prepare to leave. "Right, I have to go. I've got a lot of packing to do." Kazuhiko got up and hugged Takaharu, followed by Asuka and Satsuki, then Yuuka, and finally Ryuta.

Lomamon was also bidding its goodbyes to the other Digimon. It wrapped Gabumon in a tight hug. "Gabumon, I'm going to miss you!"

"Aww, me too, Lomamon."

Lomamon hugged Monodramon next, then Amedramon, Hawkmon, and Falcomon. Falcomon then asked, "So what are you going to do while Takaharu is in university?"

It shrugged. "I don't know, but whatever he's going to do, I'm sure it's interesting. I'll help him study!"

Falcomon sighed. So even still, they were out of ideas as to what to do with themselves. This world still was not made for them.

Brian swallowed. His throat was dry, but no water would soothe it. The spring term was coming around in just a few days, and while his contract would keep him around for a few terms longer, he had no confidence that the Dean wasn't going to shred it right then and there.

The door was open already when he approached. The professor exhaled before the open doorway and bowed. Despite having lived in Japan for quite some time, he still wasn't used to it. He hoped that it might show just how seriously he was taking it.

"Professor Mackenzie, please, sit." The dean was an old man nearing his sixties. Before Brian could say anything in his defence, the dean continued, "I've already heard and seen the evidence sent over the weekend. I'm aware that the backup failed, and the police reported an unfortunate chemical spill there." He folded his hands on the desk in front of him. "Brian, this is a very difficult situation."

Brian understood the tone of that. "I do regret all that happened. Even with the precautions we could take with the budget we had. It was a lot of time and effort lost."

The dean nodded. "I've been fielding complaints from your colleagues. Truthfully, I've been trying to give you as much of a shield as I can. I can't say at all that you or any of your students were at fault."

Brian flinched a bit. He wasn't expecting it. "Thank you, sir."

"You're a talented man, I know, and very passionate. Your service to the university is always appreciated." He stopped to take a sip of water himself. It seemed even the dean was nervous. "Although, I must admit that not everyone agrees with me. There were a few of your peers in this faculty who were calling for your head. I denied all of those requests, but Brian, I hope you understand that I'm not in a position where renewing your contract is a reasonable step to take."

Brian's shoulders fell. At least he would be able to see out the rest of his time here, but it was unlikely he would be able to field such a strong graduate group again. "And the lab?"

"I've decided to let the graduate students decide for themselves if they want to continue working with you or not. You'll find out their decisions soon enough. It's their choice to make." The dean enunciated every bit of that last sentence.

Brian nodded. "Of course, it always is."

"You are welcome to look for new students, but we will be warning them that they will need to find new mentors after your departure." The dean tapped his fingers on the desk a few times. "Personally, Brian, I wish it wasn't like this. I didn't want to have to have this conversation at all. It's hard. It's personally hard. I know you love it here, and so does your daughter." Brian took notice of a faint and sad smile. "I wish you the best of luck." The dean pushed back from his office desk. The conversation was over.

Brian stood up and bowed again. "Thank you. I'll pick up the pieces as best I can."

"And Brian?" The dean looked at the documents again and shook his head. "Don't tell anyone that I've encouraged you to look into these corruptions in private."

"Sir, I may not have enough time for that."

"Whatever time you have, please try to look into them yourself." He pointed at his screen. "An unfortunate chemical spill directly on your servers and nobody else's, that so perfectly happened to format the databases? I don't believe a single word of it."

Brian nodded. He was of the same mind regarding the police statement. "I understand. I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you, Brian." The dean returned to his laptop. Brian hurried away. It hadn't gone as badly as he had thought it might, but he was going to be out of the country at the end of his term. After all, he didn't hold citizenship. It unsettled him to relieve himself of his American passport. He returned to his office and folded his arms on the table, then laid his head down on it. The term hadn't even started yet and he was worn out. The ticking clock on the wall reminded him of the seconds going by until he would be forced to leave.

Brian sat up after a while and popped open his laptop and got back to work. He wasn't even sure now that Makoto would be applying to join his research group, if he could even call it a research group anymore. He glanced up at a printed photo of himself and his daughter, smiling near the peak of Mount Fuji. This was the only country she had known so far in her life. A knot formed in his gut. The smiles taunted him. He hated that he was the reason she would be uprooted from her friends.

• • • • • • •

Dragon Boy

Are you leaving today?
09:56

Yep, all packed up
Leaving in a few hours
09:56

Hopefully that really was the end of it then
09:57

wwww
Dude, chill
It's been literally, like, less than a week
09:57

I know, I'm just concerned.
It should have been the last one, but…
09:58

Hey, four people managed both of them just fine
You can go on without me ww
09:59

I suppose
Do you have somewhere nearby your new place to get maple syrup?
10:00

I dunno
I hope I do
If not, Lomamon will have to settle for candies for now
10:01

Does it mind?
10:01

Lomamon doesn't
I do wwwww
10:02

heh
10:02

It's just not the same without it, y'know
10:02

Yeah, I know
10:03

• • • • • • •

"Takaharu, I'm going to miss you," Izumi sighed as she hugged her brother. "And Lomamon, too. It's going to be quiet in the apartment now."

"Eh, it was mostly Lomamon," Takaharu replied.

"Rude!" came the complaint from his phone. "Maybe I should stay behind with Izumi."

"And her tight grip too, huh?"

Takaharu could tell Lomamon's fur was standing on end. "N-n-never mind! I'm all set for adventure!"

Izumi put her hands on her hips. "Hey, I don't squeeze that hard!"

Takaharu snickered. "Izumi," he replied, "even Tailmon complains sometimes."

"Well she's just kind of old and doesn't enjoy being moved around!" She rolled her eyes. "I can't believe we're discussing this today."

Shunpei gave his son a bear hug as well. "Son, it's going to be six whole years. Study hard! I know you can do it."

"Yeah, dad, I'll do my best."

Aki was the last one. "No fooling around with your card games on campus, okay?"

"Mom! I'm not that much of a goof-off," he complained. An announcement went over the PA system. An overhead train information screen displayed that the train would be leaving in several minutes. "I guess I better board and get settled in soon." He turned with his rolling luggage and waved. His family waved back and watched as he turned into the train's aisle. He looked around. There were a lot of young faces, probably about his age or so. He was far from alone on this journey, even if none of these students were going to the same place as he was.

A train crew member came by to check his ticket, which he presented. His family walked past. He waved to them one more time, and they waved back as the train doors closed and it rolled forward. He looked around. The seat next to him was empty. Whether the seat had never been booked, the passenger was temporarily away, or they had missed their train, it didn't matter. "Psst, Lomamon, be real careful, but you can hop out. And shoosh."

Lomamon materialized in his lap and looked around. "Hey, this is like being in a Trailmon!"

"Really?! The Digital World has trains too?" he whispered.

"Yeah, Takaharu. You said you wanted to go one day?"

"I still do."

"We should take one then! See some of the sights, like the black sand cliffs or the floating islands like the place Hawkmon and Falcomon came from," Lomamon suggested.

"Sounds like a plan!"