One-in-Two Secrets
Mismatched Circuits
… Ten Months After Event …
When people asked Yuuko why she didn't find out the gender of her baby she would say she wanted to be surprised. The few people in her social circle she kept socializing with blamed Susumu's death for making her not want to know as she didn't want to know if her baby was a girl instead of a boy. After the Sasumu and Yuuko appeared from the other world the reason for not wanting to find out was because she didn't want them to be right.
Despite the fact she didn't want them to be right she knew they were without having any tests done. Even before they appeared she suspected she was having a set of male twins. She wanted to not name the two children Ryo and Taichi like they said because she wanted the freedom to choose the names for the two children. Despite this fear she knew the names she and Sasumu would have picked were those exact same names.
Accepting meant admitting this other Yuuko was the same person as herself, but in reality she didn't want to accept the fact there was another her.
She also found she didn't want to give up one of the babies when the time came. The deal she decided to make though involves giving up one of the babies should their be twins, and the baby she would give up would be the youngest. Said child would also be clearly told the other woman wasn't his birth mother, and they would explain the separation as the two of them being divorced. Things should work out fine.
Things didn't seem that way when the time came.
Everything was honestly painful, and the anxiety she felt at being separated from one of her children grew. She also knew she didn't like the other Yuuko despite trying her hardest to do so. "She's just as upset at being separated from her children as I am," switched to "but they're 'my' children." She also thought constantly about how unfair the whole thing was as she was the one giving birth.
And then it was over. She got to hold both children in the hospital connected to the company, but when they went home they ended up only taking one child. That's when the numb depression set in. She got back to work instantly, and could hear Ryoichi speaking over her shoulder from the doorway of her room. "Aren't you going to spend time with Ryo."
This eventually led to him taking her into the company's assigned specialist. "I don't have a mental disorder."
"I'm not saying you do. You're wanting though to get back to work sooner then normal, so the company wants you to see the company therapist."
"Ryoichi... I know full well you had some say in that."
"I'll watch Ryo while you go in and talk to the specialist."
Yuuko's fingers drummed on the car door not liking the situation. She also didn't like speaking with the company specialist. "I don't have a mental disorder."
"I'm not saying you do. I'm brought in though whenever a company member goes through a major loss to help with the grieving process. You lost your husband around ten months ago, and now you're dealing with the loss of one of your children. It's natural for a mother to grieve for said loss."
"Taichi's not dead. We've made arrangements for the boy's to see each other every so often."
"Yes. I'm talking about how it feels to you though. This isn't any different from a situation where a child is lost through death."
"Things are different. Taichi's not dead. May I please simply be allowed to go back to work?"
The specialist tapped their fingers against their clipboard. "I'm honestly not seeing why not. My other job though is to make sure families are adjusting to their situations."
"Don't you think the situation is hard to adjust to?" Yuuko let out a deep sigh. "I mean... the man I'm married to right now I don't consider to be my husband. We married so that Ryo... and Taichi for that matter would be taken care of until my husband got back."
"Still. It's my job to help with said adjustments."
"It sounds like the company is worried about my mental state more then anything. I can still do my job."
"As I said. This isn't about whether you can do your job or not, but we'll leave it at this for this meeting.
… Two Years, Nine Months After the Event ~ Parallel World …
"This place is bigger then mama and papa's."
One of Ryoichi's eyebrows went up as he looked at the younger of the twins. Tai let go of his hand and quickly ran into the room and spun around to see the entire room. Ryo though continued to hold onto his hand. The man looked down and saw the older twin's lip starting to tremble. "Ryo..."
"When's mama and daddy coming home?"
Ryoichi looked away from the child. Tai came running back into the room. "This place is big. Can we play hide and seek with the shoes?"
"No." The man took a deep breath, and let go of Ryo's hand. He turned and got down so he was at eye level with the older twin. "Has you're aunt Nami talked to you about this? About the fact your mom and dad aren't coming back?"
The twins stared at the man for a few minutes, and Ryoichi at first thought neither one of them understand. A sniffling sound suddenly came from Ryo as the man held his hands a few inches away from the boy's shoulders. The boy simply went and sat with his back turned. Tai on the other hand proceeded to pull a toy care from his bag, and began to push it in front of him. Neither child seemed happy, and both seemed happier with Nami.
The phone rang and Ryoichi hurried to pick it up. "Hello?"
"Please tell me the boy's are with you? That's why the apartment was locked, and they're not here."
"They're with me Nami." The man took a deep breath. "You're not drunk anymore are you? You don't remember our conversation."
"No. I'm not drunk anymore. I don't remember the conversation, but I have the feeling you took the boys away to get them from this situation."
"We talked about marriage..."
"Not going to happen."
"And me adopting the boys."
"That's likely best. I didn't even notice they were gone, and was to drunk to... well, even if I wasn't drunk this isn't the best place for them, nor is my teacher's sallary. Me being a teacher raising two children."
"You'll be sure to see them."
"I don't know..."
"Because they remind you of her?"
"No. I'm just not the nice person Yuuko was."
"She wasn't always a nice person either. She had a temper I recollect that neither one of us wanted to get on the wrong side of."
"They don't like me."
"I don't know." Ryoichi pulled his hands reciever over the phone. "Do you two like you're aunt Nami?"
"No. She's mean." Tai piped up.
"Yes. She looks like mama."
The man took a deep breath. "Well... you got one yes, and one no."
"The yes was likely from Ryo. I think he was hit hardest by sis's death. Truth be told I don't think little Taichi realizes they're gone for good. He's just picking up on the fact Ryo's upset. I think. The only way I can tell them apart is because sis never cut Taichi's hair. Take care of them for me."
"You take care too Nami."
… In the Present …
Every morning they would walk past the door to the room which remained shut from the outside world. Neither one of them could open the door ever since Ryo disappeared. There were no clues as to what happened. The police assumed there was a kidnapping, but no ransom came. Thus the questioning went in directions neither one wished to remember, and finally the company intervened. Twenty-four hours passed, then a few months, and then he was labeled as dead despite no body ever being found. There was of course no other place he could be.
Yuuko of course didn't like staying in the place any more then Ryoichi did. Despite the fact they were married on paper they never felt like a married couple, nor had they ever shared a room. She also ate a good deal of meals over at her sisters like she would be doing tonight. She also mentioned the fact she would be visiting Ryo's grave, and he asked if she wanted him to go with her. This was met with a silence.
He wasn't though expecting any form of visitor that night, so he was surprised to see Ryo's twin brother at his door. The boy's clothing was soaked, and the knee of his school uniform was torn. The stubbornness both of the boys were known for showed up when Tai insisted he didn't want to go home. "They aren't my parents."
Something told Ryoichi then that something was wrong as Tai shouldn't have any inkling that would lead to such a conclusion. The man of course didn't want to say anything, but then the boy brought out the creature he claimed was from the Digitial World – the place that Sasumu disappeared to those many nights ago. He found himself waving for the boy to come into the house with the Digimon.
The man folded his arms and looked the boy over one more time as Tai gave him a rather stubborn look. He then turned around and headed to the stairs causing Tai to call out to him. "I've not forgotten the fact you're here for answers. That doesn't change the fact you're soaking wet, and need some dry clothes to change into. You should also take a warm yourself up by taking a shower or a bath."
The man stopped outside of the door to the room which remained shut. He shook his head and muttered to himself. "It's been three years. Ryo's clothes won't fit him."
He instead grabbed a pair of sweats and oversized shirt. He returned down stares to see Tai glaring off to the side while his fingers tapped on the counter. The boy was obviously irritated at not getting his answer right away. "Are you hungry?"
The fourteen year old's head twisted around and a frown creased Tai's mouth. "I'm not here for a social visit."
"We can talk while we eat. Go take a shower." The man watched as Tai grabbed the clothes, and then heard the bathroom door slam shut. He then turned his attention to the Digimon staring at him. "I guess I have to feed you as well?"
"That would be nice."