A/N: I'm back?!
I'M BACK!
(At least for a few prompts)
Digimon is one of those franchises I always go back to. It helps that it's still producing media.
And every time I go back to it I remember the Frontier gang. They will always have a special place in my heart ❤️
So I always find myself wanting to write about them. Unfortunately, IRL is… difficult… but more on that in the end notes (for those who are interested)
I hope you enjoy the chapter!
Kouji was conflicted.
His brother didn't want their Dad to know that they had found each other yet.
On one hand he understood.
Kouichi was still trying to process everything that had happened, everything that he had felt and confronted about himself.
On the other…
Their Dad was just as much a victim of the court's decision as them and their Mother…
When Kouji had seen all the files and information their Grandmother had saved and collected, guilt ate away at him…
His dad didn't lie about his mother because he wanted to but because he had to.
Their Dad's grandparents were… very… old fashioned. In the worst way possible…
They made sure the court's decision to separate Kouji from his twin was enforced… viciously.
By cultural norms and standards the Kimura and Minamoto families were no longer related and were not to interact with each other anymore. The twins were no longer considered brothers.
By law they were strangers and even though their parents and grandmother Kimura fought against it… they lost and Kouji's great grandfather threatened to make the Kimura's life a living hell if Dad went against them.
And the rest of the Minamoto family was too scared to stand against them… (Another instance of society's dark side.)
By the time Dad's grandparents had passed away… the damage had been done.
His Dad had already lied about his Mother.
And there was no going back from that.
Kouji understood that, culturally, him and Kouichi shouldn't keep meeting up.
That there were going to be people who frowned upon them once they learned of their parents divorce.
But Kouji didn't care.
Times were changing.
Slowly but surely they were changing.
And Kouichi knew this as well.
But his reluctance to meet Dad wasn't because of what other people might think but because of what Kouichi, himself, had thought.
Kouichi knew all this from the start… but still let dark thoughts and retched emotions cloud his heart.
It was only for a moment but… in that moment he hated Dad… had felt betrayed by him…
And Kouichi felt so guilty about that…
When he met Dad and Mom, he wanted to meet them with a clear and brave heart.
Kouichi needed time to forgive himself first and so, had asked Kouji not to say anything.
So Kouji didn't.
He focused on repairing his relationship with his Mom and Dad, especially his Mom.
And by doing that, his eyes and head seemed to become more clear.
The pictures in his Dad's office and bedroom became strange to him.
Because… Why did his Dad have two pictures of Kouji?
In each room?
One from when he was seven years old, one from when he was five years old, and two from when he was one.
It wasn't uncommon for people to have family photos for decoration but normally they were spread apart…
But These two pictures were always next to each other…
Once Kouji realized this and gave the photos a proper look, he realized the one year old wasn't him.
It was Kouichi…
Kouji almost started crying right then and there.
His Dad… must have missed Kouichi so much…
Kouji simply didn't remember his Brother, they had been too young…
But his Dad?
His Dad remembered…
His Mother and Grandmother Kimura too…
Kouji really wanted to tell his Dad the truth. But he promised to keep Kouichi a secret…
There was only so much encouragement he could give his Nii-San before it became detrimental.
Kouji watched as his Dad dusted off his desk, pausing to carefully wipe the dust off Kouichi's photo.
A sad look settled in the man's eyes and, for the first time in his life, Kouji understood the pain behind them.
He hoped he wouldn't have to keep this secret long…
Because his Dad and Nii-san deserved to have the relationship denied to them.
Societal norms be damned.
A/N: Divorce in Japan is… not nice… I did a bit of research on it and, with all my knowledge/research of the Japanese culture, it paints a pretty sad picture.
I also now understand why Matt in Adventure had such a hard time bonding with T.K.
The court probably didn't allow them to meet up with each other after their parents divorced.
-why this prompt took so long.
In these past few years I was diagnosed with severe depression and anxiety. It's a fight to just… survive day by day and my ability to write comes and goes without warning as a result.
So, I'm currently of the mindset "write what you can, for what you can, when you can."
Which means I'll be jumping between fandoms at random. 💦