The Split
By Kathy L.
angel_lotus@hotmail.com
Disclaimer: Digimon and its characters belong to its respective owners and this story is not done for profit but just simple entertainment.
Author's Note: I'm taking the characters/situations from the Japanese version of the Digimon TV series, so Takeru and Yamato are full blood brothers, not half-brothers. Since there hasn't been a mention of when their parents got divorced (except it was some time after the Greymon incident 4 years ago) I'm going to make it happen 2 years ago, so Yamato is 9 and Takeru 5. Also, only their mother's first name was mentioned in the series (thanks Grace for that information) so I made up their father's. This is my first Digimon fan fiction, so it's not very good but I tried and I hope somebody will like it and thanks Lani-san for editing it for me. For those who don't know, “onii-chan” means “older brother” and “baka ne” can be translated as “you fool”.
"I need to talk with your mother for a few minutes, so just wait here in the entrance until I return. We can say our good-byes then, alright?" Yamato's father informs the down cast pre-teen before he leaves him alone to his thoughts.
'This sucks!' he thinks, in both anger and despair, 'I don't want to get all mushy in front of them, not with Takeru around. He worships me and I can't disappoint him, no matter how much I want to break down.' He turns his back to the rest of the apartment, to face the open door where the last of his personal belongs had passed through only minutes ago to be packed up in the back of the car.
"Onii-chan," Takeru says meekly, holding back tears.
The older boy turns around, shocked to face his younger brother so soon. 'I guess it figures he wouldn't have the patience to wait for Mom and Dad. I guess if I'm to remain strong for him, I better say good-bye now.' "Takeru, don't worry. We can still visit each other on occasion."
A sob escapes the young boy's throat as he diverts his attention the floor to avoid Yamato's gaze.
"Come on, Takeru, you promised Mom and Dad that you wouldn't cry," Yamato pleads.
"But it's too hard," he responds, as tears begin to stream down his face. He tries to quickly rub them away, but they keep coming anyway. His onii-chan and daddy are leaving him, and he still doesn’t understand why. The thought of 'Why couldn't Mommy and Daddy just make up, so they wouldn't have to live so far away from each other? Why?' runs through his mind for the umpteenth-hundredth time since his parents had told their boys the news of their divorce and the changes that would come with it. "It's not fair!" he wails as he begins to sob.
'Takeru, why couldn't you be strong this one time? I don't know what I'm supposed to say,' Yamato thinks as he watches his younger brother cry, ‘I want to comfort you, but I won't be able to leave you then. Mom, Dad, how could you have made such a mess?'
"Takeru we can't do anything about it so we just have to do what Mom and Dad tell us to."
At that Takeru begins to sob even louder, much to his brother's dismay.
'Baka ne, how could you be so dumb?' Yamato scolds himself as he flinches back at Takeru's response, 'I don't how to talk to you like this. Why didn't I listen to Dad and wait for him before I said my good-byes? He'd know what to say. But you need to do this alone, Yamato Ishida. If you don't, you'll never forgive yourself for being weak around Takeru. Come on, you can do this!"
With renewed confidence, Yamato slowly walks over to Takeru and carefully places his hands on the smaller boy's shoulders. Calmly, he tells him, "Takeru, please, there's just nothing that can be done. Dad and I have to leave, and you need to stay with Mom, or she'll have no one to be with."
"I know but...Onii-chan, I'll miss you!" Takeru sobs, throwing his arms around the taller boy's waist in a death grip.
"Takeru... I...," Yamato stutters, shocked and breathless until he finds his breath again. "I'm never going to leave you, Takeru!" he states hoping that his words will get through.
With questioning and still tear-filled eyes, Takeru looks up at his brother, "O-onii-chan?"
"As long as you still think of me, I'll still be with you, even if we're worlds apart instead of hours. I promise, no matter what, I'll be there for you whenever you need me, if you just remember me and everything we've done together."
Takeru's tears dry up as his brother's words sink in. Then, he happily replies, beaming, "Onii-chan, then I'll always be thinking of you!"
"And I'll think of you always, too, so you don't have to leave me, either."
"Yamato," the boys’ father breaks in, "It's time say good-bye.”
Flustered, Yamato looks up, red faced, to see his parents a few feet away, "H-how long have you two been there?"
"Daddy!" Takeru cries running over to his father's arms for a farewell hug and his good-byes.
With a warm smile, his mother embraces him in a gentle hug, whispering to the embarrassed boy, "It's alright, Yamato. I'm very proud of you, but you don't always have to be strong around us."
"I won't, when it's just you and Dad but…" he answers, hugging back ferociously, "for Takeru..."
"I understand," she tells him, stepping back to kiss him on the forehead, "Please get your father to let you visit us as much as possible. Oh, and I gave him my recipes to give you since he is such a bad cook. You'll have to start making your own meals, or live on fast-food, okay?"
"Thanks, Mom. I'm going miss you so much."
"And I'll miss you like you'll never know."
"Come on now, Yamato, it's time we left or we'll keep the movers waiting," Yamato's dad interjects, trying to pry Takeru from his shirt.
"That's right," the boys’ mother agrees helping her now ex-husband detach their youngest child from him. "Come on, sweetie, we can wave good-bye from the deck," she tells him calmly.
"Daddy, come back to visit soon," he pouts, finally letting go.
"Of course we will," Yamato answers, feeling a bit better about leaving. "I'll make sure we will. See ya later, squirt."
"Good-bye, Takeru. And, Natsuko, good luck."
"You too, Soushi. And, Yamato, please take care of your father, he needs it."
"I'm not that bad," Soushi mumbles, before giving his final wave goodbye, then turning to leave with his eldest son by his side.
Yamato turned back to watch the apartment building disappear as his father drove to their new apartment in the next district.
'Takeru, I know we won't see much of each other now, but I promise you that when the time comes, I'll protect you when Mom and Dad can't. I won't let you down, ever,' he thinks, before he settles back in his seat and hopes for that day to come soon.
The End
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