It feels so nice to write and just trust my instincts while writing. Trusting that I love these characters enough that it will shine through. This story is not perfect by any means, but I am enjoying telling it and I am inspired to tell it, despite my moments of self-doubt and nervousness. That said, I am open to any constructive criticism, and you will see me take that in future upcoming chapters.
6. The Heart That Lies Within
T.K. knew something was wrong – Matt was quiet, not meeting his eyes even when he had explained what was happening. He kept clutching his jacket tighter around himself, looking around. Something was wrong and he paused as Patamon climbed onto his head, so he could reach out and touch his brother's shoulder.
"Matt," T.K. said gently and he jumped as his brother flinched from the touch, eyes widening a little before he relaxed. Ok, this was weird, what had happened? He shook his head. He had to be careful – this was the most vulnerable he had ever seen his brother. Normally, he kept that part shut away from him as if it did not even exist.
So, he couldn't scare his brother – not now.
"Matt, did you hear what I said?" T.K. asked gently. Yeah, he could focus on that. He knew something was wrong, but he also knew Matt. Pushing would just force him to put a mask in place, like he always did.
Matt nodded. "Gabumon's in danger and Gennai was a coward who wanted to save himself."
Well, at least Matt had been listening even though his outer appearance could have fooled him.
"Matt," T.K. said softly, unable to help but stay quiet completely because that was not him. "I'm not eight years old anymore…you can talk to me as well."
Matt's expression softened a little at that and he actually gave a weak smile. He reached out as if making to tousle his hair but hesitated and pulled back at the last second. He stayed quiet for a moment before looking away.
"One of the band members is giving me a bit of a hard time," Matt said quietly. "I've worked really hard to make this work and I don't want it to all be for nothing so I'm a little distracted, sorry."
T.K. peered at his brother, noticing his brother pale as he said these words, so he knew it was at least somewhat the truth. It was a start, at least.
"If you need anything, you know Tai will punch anyone out for you even now, right?" T.K. said, trying to cheer his brother up. "And even Sora can have a few words with them if you need it. We're all here for you." He could punch anyone out for his brother too, but he knew if it was something Matt found threatening, he would not even let the other close.
Matt wasn't as overprotective as he had been in the first adventure but that protective side did come out in certain situations still. He just hoped his protective side never came at a cost to him again. He didn't know a whole lot about the Dark Cave incident, only that Matt was hurting at the time, and he had played some part in that too.
Matt chuckled a little. "Yeah, I know. But right now, we need to focus on Gabumon and the others, right? We may be stuck in the digital world for a little while…we're not sure how long, so I can deal with what's going on when I get back anyway."
"Ok," T.K. agreed easily. "And Matt?"
"Yeah?" Matt said softly.
"Thanks for trusting me with that," T.K. said softly, smiling a bit. It took Matt a lot to open up, especially to him but the fact that he had opened up even this much, showed how much being with Sora was helping him. It wasn't common for girls to ask guys out – especially here in Japan because of the traditional roots but Sora hadn't cared about any of that.
She had chosen Matt to be hers, not just for a moment but for a lifetime and she had told him this. Matt had never been the most open about his emotions but T.K. knew he had loved Sora for a while, never saying anything because he always thought she preferred Tai. He had felt bad for Tai at being rejected but he was beginning to learn love didn't rely on these things. Kari had rejected both him and Davis when they were younger after all, and she still was not dating anyone at the moment. Love may be beautiful, but it never came with a warning.
"I'll always trust you," Matt said softly. "Sora…taught me not to hide things from the people I love and even though that's a little hard sometimes, I'm trying to be better."
T.K. chuckled and smiled warmly. "I can tell. She's a good influence on you, Oniichan." He rarely called his brother that anymore, but it was worth it to see him blush at two things.
"Oh, shut up," Matt mumbled. "Let's just head over to Davis's, ok?"
T.K. laughed causing a scowl to fill his brother's face and he welcomed the break in tension as he pulled Patamon back into his arms. "Ok, let's go."
Sora fiddled with her bracelet that Matt had given her as she arrived in front of Davis's house just as Tai and Kari got there as well. She bit her lower lip, not sure what to say, wanting to ask Kari for more details but restrained herself because the girl might not know any more than what Yolei had told her over the phone.
"Sora, are you ok?" Tai asked softly.
Sora shook her head. "I still can't believe it, Tai. Why would Gennai do something like this? To us of all people? The digimon were living here peacefully – why did he have to tear them away?"
Tai and Kari exchanged a glance as if talking silently between one another before Kari looked away for a moment.
"I'll head inside, let Davis know you guys are both here," Kari said softly. She pulled out a spare key, opening the door and heading inside. Why she had the spare key, Sora didn't know.
She did know that Davis tended to trust his friends with things most people wouldn't, but she didn't know giving them spare keys was one of them. Once Kari had gone, Tai spoke up.
"Gennai became a coward," Tai said simply. "But we forgot our responsibility too. Protecting the digital world and our world is our duty, not Gennai's. You can't trust anyone in the digital world, no matter how nice they seem. Remember Pagumon and Datamon?"
Sora grimaced at the memory. "How could I forget?" They had both appeared nice and helpful but in the end, they had betrayed them. She had never put Gennai in the same position as them, but Tai did have a point.
Gennai was still from the digital world. He may not be a digimon but the world prioritised survival of oneself before putting others before them. That was what Gennai had done. He had put himself first. He had put his survival before the survival of their digimon partners. Because they were the DigiDestined. They were supposed to put the world first, but no one ever put them first.
The more she thought about it; it was disgusting in a way. They were expected to be selfless but not get that in return. Why were they and their partners risking their lives, only to be thrown into the fire when it really mattered for them? It was wrong but right now, this was about Biyomon. She would do whatever it took to save her.
Sora exhaled through her nose, trying to stay calm. It wasn't easy – her digimon partner loved everyone so deeply that she didn't deserve this in return. She knew Matt probably felt just as hurt and furious as she felt now. She could tell Tai felt the same, but he was controlling his emotions for the sake of what they had to do. This mission wasn't going to be easy – they only had each other and their partners to trust this time, but they didn't have a choice right now.
"Let's go," she said quietly, turning to follow Kari inside as she had left the door open for them.
