DigiMon 03

Prolog: Goodbye

< flashback>

~~ Matt ~~

< I woke up to the sound of coughing. Opening my eyes and sitting up I saw my wife Raina bent over double coughing furiously. "Raina? You going to be all right?"

"Yeah, just a cough." She smiled for my benefit, but I didn’t buy it. She had been sick for nearly two weeks, with no sign of getting better.

"Raina." I said worriedly.

"I’ll be fine. If it gets worse I’ll see a doctor."

"Okay, but I’m calling in sick today." I stated firmly. Now she had the worried look.

"You didn’t catch it did you?" She said laying back down.

"No but I’m staying home and making sure you stay in bed." I went into the bathroom and got the thermometer. I then went back to our room and handed it to her. "You know the drill." Raina tossed an angry look my way.

"Yes, Mother." She said jokingly. After a few minutes I took it from her. I blinked in surprise. 103 degrees, way over normal. "I’ll go make you breakfast." I said trying to hide my concern. When I left our room I picked up the phone. "Hello? Hi Joe, Listen I need you come over and take a look at Raina."

He promised to come over after he finished work. After hanging up the phone I heard the sound of crying coming from the nursery. Walking to the crib I picked up my daughter, Kitana. "Hey there, hungry?" I made her a bottle and gave it to her. After breakfast and a diaper change, she still was crying. "What’s wrong?" I asked her. Then I had an idea, sitting down in the rocking chair and picking up the book I began to read. " ‘Please Miss,’ said the Shaggy Man, ‘can you tell me the way to Butterfield?’ Dorothy looked him over. Yes he was Shaggy all right; but there was a twinkle in his eye that seemed pleasant…" I read to her the first few chapters, but as soon as I stopped she began crying. This time no matter what I did, she wouldn’t stop for longer than a few minutes. I looked at her lying in her crib; tired out from too much crying. "Why do I have the feeling you know something I don’t?"

~~

It wasn’t the reunion we had in mind; a funereal. It was the day after really, but still a funeral just the same. She had died two weeks after Joe had come over to examine her. He told me to get her to a hospital, because he had no idea what was wrong with her, but it looked serious. The doctors at the hospital said that Raina had died on pneumonia, but Joe honestly didn’t think so, he said that she had a bunch of symptoms that didn’t match up. I told Joe that he was the one I believed, but he still had a guilty look in his face whenever I looked at him. The eight remaining Digi-Destined stood in front of the grave of their fallen comrade. Most cried softly, as I laid a plaque with Raina’s name and crest in front of the grave-marker. Raina Minzumo-Ishida: The Crest of Honor. After saying a few words and laying down some flowers, we all left.>

" Dad? Well how do I look?" Kitana stood in front of me, 15 now, about to leave for summer camp. I half-smiled and twirled my finger around. She sighed, but did as told and turned around so I could see her entire outfit. ‘You look like a blue-eyed version of your Mother.’ Was my first thought. But I didn’t know what she would say to that. So I decided on. "Perfect. Sweetly sporty." Which was true. Kitana was wearing a purple T-shirt, denim shorts, and a denim baseball cap. The top half of her black hair was pulled into a ponytail, which was pulled through the hole in the back. She also had on blue, purple, and white sneakers and a backpack as well.

Kitana smiled and preened a bit. "Do you think so?"

"Yes, defiantly. Do you need a ride to the school?" The bus heading to the summer camp left from the school, it wasn’t that far but still…

"No. Hibiki, Eiji and I are walking together. The others are meeting us there." She responded. Hibiki and Eiji were Ellis and Izzy’s sons. The others were the rest of the kids belonging to the Digi-Destined. They didn’t know a thing about the Digi-World, but they all knew one another because their parents hanged out constantly. There was Ryo and Kakeru: Sora and Tai’s kids, Hime and Reika; Joe and Mimi’s, and last Mai and Motoki; my niece and nephew; TK and Kari’s kids. "Bye Dad." Kitana gave me a hug and kiss and picked up her suitcase. She looked back at me before walking out the door. "Dad, you don’t have to look so worried. It’s just summer camp, what could possibly happen? See you in a month."

She blew me one last kiss and then left locking the door behind her. As soon as she was gone I muttered "You don’t want to know."

~~Kitana~~

Wanting to save time I opted for the stairs. My Dad and I lived in an apartment building like Uncle Tai had lived in when he was younger. I lived on the third floor; Hibiki and Eiji lived on the second. Hibiki and I got along very well. He had reddish-brown hair and blue eyes, usually in a T-shirt and jeans he was an easy going kind of a guy. Eiji had the same hair, but the dark eyes of his father. But to be perfectly honest: he could have been a carbon copy of his father. He always was sitting at the computer. He was amazingly smart, and loved puzzles, Eiji was probably as clever as his hero, Sherlock Holmes was. Sometimes though, he could be so involved in what he was doing that he wouldn’t hear you even if you screamed in his ear. Hibiki on the other hand was a brilliant artist, music and drawing. He was defiantly a dreamer; always with a faraway look in his deep blue eyes, pity he always closed them when he played his ocarina. Each of us had an ocarina and harmonica, Hibiki liked his ocarina better, and I preferred my harmonica. I now stood in front of his apartment. I knocked on the door.

~~Izzy~~

I got up to answer the door. When I opened it I saw Matt’s daughter Kitana. I smiled at her, "Here to pick them up?"

"Yeah, are they ready?" She asked. I raised my eyebrows meaningfully in response. "Figures, but I am a bit early."

"Hibiki said he can’t find his harmonica, and enlisted Eiji to help look for it. Come in, Ellis made some pancakes for breakfast. Do you want one?" Ellis was my wife. I had met her three days after my 21^st birthday. The other Digi- Destined had taken me out to a bar called The Hideout (A.N. Yes: The Hideout is a real bar. No: I’ve never been there.) to mark the occasion. T.K. and Kari were the only ones who didn’t go. I still remember the look on Matt’s face when T.K said he and Kari would have no trouble keeping themselves busy that night. Talk about shocked expressions! Of course Tai wasn’t much better off. Actually, they went to a movie and then had dinner but Matt and Tai were the only ones who didn’t know that, still don’t. (Serves them right for thinking that way.) Anyway, Ellis was the featured singer that night. She was singing, and our eyes met… it was just magic. As soon as she fished her set, she walked off the stage and we began to talk, then we began to date, then we got married, then well, you know. Hibiki gets his artistic talents from her. Ellis has sky blue hair and eyes, and the most charming smile I have ever seen. I never have told her about the Digital world, as far as she knows the rest of Digi-Destined and I have just been really good friends since we were young. And that we all went to the same collage. We all majored in different things, but still, same school. Some of the stuff we did, I sometimes wonder ‘What were we thinking?’ But it was fun.

"No thanks, Dad and I already had breakfast." Then we heard a voice coming from the boys’ room.

"I found it!" A few seconds later Hibiki walked out of the bedroom harmonica in hand, a self-satisfied look on his face. "Oh, hi Kitzy." Hibiki said when he saw Kitana. "When did you get here?"

"A few seconds ago. You ready now?" Hibiki nodded, Eiji came out of their room. They both said goodbye to their Mom, and me and started walking out the door. That’s when I saw it.

"Eiji, why are you taking your laptop?" I asked.

"I wanted to play around with some new puzzle programs I got for it. Why?"

I sighed, this was not good. "Eiji, you are going to summer camp to have fun with your friends, not play around with your computer." I didn’t want Eiji to act the same as I did when I was younger, always tapping away at the computer, oblivious to the outside world. I wanted him to get out there, have fun, make friends! "I hate to say this, but you can’t take your laptop with you, it might get stolen."

"I guess your right…" Eiji said reluctantly, not looking at all happy.

Hibiki smiled and threw his arm around his younger brother’s neck. "Don’t worry dad I’ll make sure he has so much fun he won’t even miss his laptop!! Right Kitzy?" Kitana nodded.

"Yep, he’ll be so tired by the time we’re done with him, he won’t have the energy to dream when he sleeps!" I laughed at her determined expression. They walked out once more saying goodbye.

"See you guys when you get back in a month!" I shouted as the door closed.

~~ Kitana ~~

We were waiting for the bus to arrive. Hibiki and Eiji went to put our bags in the pile to be loaded onto the cargo bus. I kept a look out for the rest of our group. I thought I saw Uncle T.K.’s car for a second but before I could be sure someone stepped into my line of view. He was taller, older, and from the look of him, probably hung-over. "Hey there gorgeous. You got someone to ride the bus with?" If this guy thinks he’s gonna ride with me he must be drunk!

"Yes I do, now if you’ll excuse me." I tried to head over to where I thought I saw Uncle TK’s car, but the jerk grabbed my arm. "Hey, let go!" I pulled my arm away but he tightened his grip. ‘Okay, he won’t let go, then he deserves what he’s gonna get!’ See this was the first time I was going to summer camp. For some reason none of our parents never let us go before. So we wouldn’t go out of our minds with boredom, we all signed up for different Martial Arts classes over the summers. I had a second-degree black belt in Judo, along with Hibiki. Eiji and the twins took Karate, the others Tae Kwon Doe. I was about to give the guy the black eye of his life when I heard Hibiki step in. Gee, doesn’t he know that chivalry is dead?

"Hey, the Lady said let go." Hibiki stood not to far from us with Eiji right next to him.

"Oh yeah," replied Drunk Guy (that was what I had named him in my mind). "What if I won’t"

"I’ll have to make you." ‘Hibiki, Hibiki, Hibiki,’ I thought, ‘Couldn’t you come up with a better line than that?’

"Oh, I wouldn’t even bother asking." Kakeru quipped as he moved to stand by Eiji. He had a calm look to him, unlike his brother. To bad guys it was unnerving, to my friends, normal.

"Is it too late for me to get in on this?" Hime stepped into the ring. Normally the brown-haired girl with glasses wouldn’t look that intimidating, but she had her duffel bag at her side. The black one with the words, Martial Arts printed on the sides in white. The patch sewn on the strap indicated her black belt level. Drunk Guy wasn’t paying attention to me so I twisted out of his grip and moved to stand by my friends.

I smirked. "Six against four, think you’re gonna have to give up." I remarked. After the guys walked away I turned to my friends. Reika, Hime’s little sister, joined us. "You guys have the best timing in the world."

"Don’t mention it." Kakeru said. Now I know I said Hibiki was laid back, well I was wrong. Hibiki is casual, Kakeru is laid back. Silently strong, quiet, and observant he seems cold to everyone who doesn’t know him. Ryo his twin brother, is the exact opposite, he’s brave and daring, sometimes foolishly so. Hime is a very reasonable girl a lot like her father, Joe. She thinks things through before she acts. Reika is light hearted. She always looks at things in that glass-half-full kind of way. She’s very sweet, she’s also one of the two youngest members of our little group. Reika and my little cousin Motoki are both 10. Mai is 13, Eiji is 14, and the rest of us are 15.

"So who are we waiting for?" Ryo said, that was his little saying, ‘What are we waiting for?’ usually followed by ‘Let’s go!’

~~ TK~~

I had just parked and gotten out of the car when I saw Kitana’s little encounter. I was just about to step in but Hibiki and Eiji got there first. Then I stood to see what would happen. I was kinda proud of the way the kids handled the situation. Scaring the guys off without a fight. Also the way they all protected each other reminded me of the way the Digi-Destined and I used to be like when we were younger. I smiled and walked up to them. "You should be more careful Kitana" I told my niece. She blushed.

"I will, and don’t worry, I got my friends to help me with anything I can’t handle on my own." She smiled. "Hey, Mai, Motoki, where’s Aunt Kari?" she said when she saw her younger cousins.

"I’m right here." Said Kari. "How are you guys?" she asked the group. They all said they were fine.

It was time for the kids to leave, after saying goodbye to my kids Mai and Motoki, Kari and I stayed until the kids got on the bus and it left. Then we got in the car to drive home. For most of the ride Kari was quiet, she stared out the window not saying a word a worried look on her face." Penny for your thoughts?" I asked.

"I don’t think you want them." She sighed. "I have a bad feeling. I don’t even know what about, just this sense that something bad is going to happen.

"It’s probably nothing, you’re just worried about the kids being at summer camp." I replied.

"Maybe." She whispered, still looking upset.

"Look, the Balance is, well, balanced, our Digivices have been quiet and our Crests haven’t given off any more than a faint glow. Things have so far indicated that everything in the Digital World and ours are fine." When I reached the next red light I gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek. "Cheer up, things will be all right, if something bad does happen we’ll see it through. And if we have to fight, we’ll fight." Kari looked at me and smiled, then she returned my kiss with one of her own. Only hers was on my lips and a whole lot deeper than mine had been, not that I’m complaining. I was in heaven, then I heard someone honking at us. "Oops green light." I muttered as I began driving again. Kari laughed, and didn’t stop smiling for the rest of the ride home.

~~ Tai ~~

Okay, after the kids left I immediately noticed how much quieter it was. Sora was cleaning up after breakfast, and I had nothing to do. I glanced at the clock. The bus would’ve already left. I hope they have fun. I got up and walked out onto the balcony of our apartment. Things have been quiet as far as the Digi-World was concerned. I occasionally E-Mailed Geni or Agumon when I had the time, and from their replies we knew that things were fine in the Digi-World. So I wasn’t really too worried about the kids. It actually was kinda nice with them gone. It was…quiet. Okay, I’ll admit it; it was too quiet. A whole month before they got home, I think I’ll go insane from the lack of activity. Just then Sora walked out to join me. We looked at each other. I was the first one to say something. "It’s too quiet around here."

"Yeah it is." She nodded and as she did, a mecivious smile spread on her face. One spread itself across my face as I realized what she was thinking.

"We have to fix that." I remarked

"Yeah we do. Got any ideas?" She replied.

"A few."

"Me too," Sora turned and left the balcony. As I walked off the balcony all my fears about going insane from lack of activity were gone.

~~~ End of Prolog ~~

A.N.: Hope you guys liked it, a bit depressing at first, but it perked up. The next part will be out shortly. It takes place one month later when all the kids get home, and find themselves dragged into a fight they were never supposed to take part in. And you won’t believe how. It will also be kinda depressing but not too much. Now, if you didn’t notice, you can tell a lot about me by the names I picked for all my characters. I picked the names from some of my favorite animes and video games. If you can tell me where I got all the names, I’ll…. Umm... I’ll do something for ya. Don’t know what. But I’ll do something.

Also, I need ideas for Crests. I’m three short! That’s one third of the new team! Not good! Help! E-mail your ideas to me, they are desperately needed! My address is at the top of the fic. Have fun til next time!

Alita.^_^