I don't like too much how I wrote this chapter, but transition chapters are a little hard. Still, it was fun writing the bonds between Joe and T.K. (a bond severely underused in fanfiction) as well as Davis and Ken, which isn't as underused. Enjoy and please leave me a shiny little review if you have a spare moment.
7. Trust in Each Other
The group had all slept over at Davis's place for the night, since Mimi was arriving around 10am in the morning – she had insisted no one come to pick her up because it would waste more time. Joe could understand that – it was like every minute they spent here was a time Gomamon was further in danger of being hurt. This was the reason he was up early in the morning, make himself a cup of chamomile tea.
It was like the Digimon Emperor all over again – except Ken actually regretted all that now. Even so, when he had gotten that distress call from his digimon partner, it had made him forget everything. His studies were important to him but if it weren't for Gomamon, he would have never found the courage to forge his own path.
"Joe, are you ok?" T.K.'s voice snapped him out of his thoughts, and he looked up to see the DigiDestined of Hope, still in his pyjamas, walking over to get himself some coffee. "Mimi's flight arrives at 10:05am, there's still 2 hours till then."
Joe sighed a little, turning back to his tea as he took a sip. "I can't sleep. I know Mimi's getting here as early as she can, but my head is spinning too much for me to sleep." He knew he would need the sleep, but he just couldn't. Had Gomamon slept at all since this all began? Had he eaten anything? Had he had anything to drink?
It was even harder to pour this liquid down his throat to be honest knowing his digital partner was suffering. Although he had managed to remain calm in front of Cody, scenarios were filling his head on what the digimon had been forced to go through just to survive. It wasn't like they had anyone for guidance if the digital world was in that bad of shape.
"I know how you feel, Joe," T.K. said softly. "If I didn't have Patamon with me right now, I'd feel even worse. If something ever happened to him again…" His face fell and he looked away.
Joe reached out, resting a hand on T.K.'s shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "We won't let anything happen to any of them. They've always protected us and right now, maybe…even trust between them may be shattered somewhat. Chibimon and Patamon seem okay but neither of them is really talking."
T.K. nodded. "I've been trying to talk to Patamon, but I don't want to push either. Especially since none of us know what comes next." He poured the black coffee in his cup and went to get the milk out. Joe had packed the chamomile tea himself, but he was surprised T.K. seemed to know where everything was as if it were his own house.
The younger DigiDestined despite leading their own lives were a lot closer knit than their group was. Davis made sure that everyone kept in touch, and they all hung out occasionally. Their group tried but it wasn't always the easiest and Tai had never been too proactive in arranging little get-togethers or hangs outs even virtually.
It was odd – outside of when there was a need for it, Tai never tried to gather them all together. Come to think of it, when was the last time the eight of them had gotten together to do something in a similar manner to the way the second-generation team did? He shook it off and tried to focus on what T.K. was saying.
"We don't know what comes next," Joe said, frowning, forehead creasing as he thought about this before his thoughts drifted to their first adventure. "But we didn't the first time either." He moved to sit down, T.K. soon joining him. He knew neither of them might be able to get to sleep but this was okay too. He couldn't sleep while he wasn't sure that Gomamon would have been able to or if he had even eaten anything. He wouldn't be able to get any rest until his partner was back with him, safe and sound.
Davis tossed and turned all night. Even though Chibimon was with him, sleeping just felt weird with everything they had heard. He did manage to get a few hours of sleep here and there, but he was woken up to the sounds of Chibimon screaming.
He shot up in his bed, to see Chibimon thrashing around as if something was attacking him. Was he having a nightmare? His eyes were tightly shut, and he was thrashing and screaming. Davis didn't think – well, he didn't think very often but the part of his brain that wanted to figure out what was going on shut off and the instinct to protect his friend surged forward.
"Chibimon!" He grabbed his friend, holding him close. "It's ok. It's ok, you're safe, I swear and whatever nightmare you're having, it's not real." He saw Ken watching him but didn't acknowledge his friend just yet, focused on Chibimon as he looked down to see his friend relax, slowly opening his eyes to look up at him.
"Davis?" Chibimon asked weakly. "It wasn't real? The Hollow didn't capture me? I don't want to be evil…we didn't digivolve to Imperialdramon to be evil. Please don't let him."
Davis hugged Chibimon even closer, his heart breaking at seeing his usual cheerful friend this shaken by whatever happened in the digital world. If it were up to him and the other digimon were safe, a part of him wanted to be selfish and not take his partner back to a world that had caused him so much pain.
But it was their job – as it had been when they first became DigiDestined to protect the digital world. And if he was honest, he could never live with himself if they just abandoned his best friend's home but like hell would he let this enemy ever capture his partner.
"I won't," Davis promised firmly. "I don't care what it takes, Chibimon. I'll protect you."
Chibimon did relax now, the fear disappearing from his eyes slightly as he cuddled a little closer to his partner.
"Davis, is everything ok?" Ken cut in then and Davis turned to his human best friend, shaking his head.
"No," Davis said simply. "But it will be? Did you wake up from Chibimon screaming?" Looking at his friend's face closely, he didn't think so, but he waited for the other to tell him.
Ken shook his head. "I couldn't sleep. I don't think I'd be free from the nightmares either tonight."
Davis still held onto Chibimon but moved to sit on the side of his friend's bed, looking at him seriously. "Ken, I know this situation…it sucks. But it's ok to be scared. I am too." If there was someone he could admit to that he was scared, it was his group of friends because he knew they would get it. Their group had only grown stronger over the years, and he couldn't imagine his life without any of them.
Ken smiled weakly. "I can tell."
Davis chuckled at that. "Can't get anything past you, huh?" He shook his head. "But it's ok to feel that way. We just can't let that fear stop us or push us back. The digital world needs us, and I need my best friend by my side for us to defeat this freak who thinks he can boss everyone around." He stretched out his legs but kept his gaze steadily focused on his friend.
"I wasn't much better," Ken reminded him.
Davis shrugged at that as if Ken had made a comment on what the weather was like outside. "Yeah, you weren't. You screwed up, you were defeated and learnt from your mistakes. Dude, you were willing to die to make amends and I had to slap you out of it."
That had been one of Ken's most ridiculous plans yet. Seriously, what could you do to make amends if you were dead? It might ease regret, but it wouldn't make up for anything – it would just hurt people more. The people that loved you did not deserve to go through that.
Ken flushed. "Yeah…I guess I was." He rubbed the back of his head before his expression firmed. "But you're right. You were back then, and you were now. Wormmon needs me now. I have to focus on what I can do for him."
Before Davis could respond to that, Chibimon spoke up.
"Wormmon will be happy to hear that, Ken," Chibimon said softly. "He was worried about the darkness coming for you."
Davis glanced over at Ken who genuinely smiled now.
"It might," Ken said softly. "But with a brother like Davis, I'll keep fighting too."
Davis grinned at that. "That's the spirit, Ken."
