Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Songhai Diaries ❯ How the devil went down for diner ( Chapter 2 )

Warning and disclaimer: The diaries world is Lord Archive's. I do not own it, as much as I might wish I did. I only play in the sandbox. All rights to Digimon belongs to Toei, Saban and a bunch of other companies. This chapter is rated PG-13 for icky, but not graphic humor.

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Chapter 2: The devil went down for diner
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As Naba moved away from them, Wormmon tapped lightly on his forehead.

"Hey Naba, who's Fatima? Your girlfriend?"

The boy laughed out loud and shook his head, immediately crying out in pain. The digimon had latched to his hair to avoid being thrown to the ground.

"Hey, watch out!" he protested.

"Eh, sorry Wormmon. It's just so funny you would say that. I mean, she's twice my age. And besides, she's my teacher," the boy explained, flushing.

"Really? What does she teaches?"

"Maths, reading, French, these things. It's not much, but it'll help me get some money and go back to my village."

"Why don't you live in your village?" Wormmon inquired

Naba sighed.

"It's a long story."

They walked back into the settlement. Naba went up to the portal and pointed his D-3 toward it. He hesitated a second.

"Here comes nothing..."

They vanished in a flash of light.

Ife and Enitan discussed what to do next.

"I need to go home. It will take most of the afternoon to prepare supper for six. And I still have to beat all the carpets," Ife said.

Enitan looked at her quizzically.

"Your mother found the cat," she explained.

The boy looked away, uneasy.

"I'll help you, Ife," Palmon said encouragingly.

"Thank you. That's so sweet," the girl smiled back at the digimon warmly.

They had reached the portal too. Ife looked back at Gabumon, who stayed behind them.

"What are you doing? You're coming too!" she called to him.

"Really?" Gabumon looked up.

The digimon ran up to them.

"Uh?" Enitan was slightly taken aback, but Ife glared at him. "Oh, yeah, of course."

Ife held out her D-3 and activated the portal. Enitan felt himself being tugged away, then they were all unceremoniously dropped in a mangled heap on the floor of his room. His foot was wet. Again. Then it was shoved away and Palmon retched.

"Eww! Whatever you walked in was not hygienic!" the plant digimon complained. "And Gabumon, get your paw away from there!"

The boy tried to apologize, but another foot was shoved down his own mouth. He bit down and Gabumon yowled in pain from under Ife's pagne. The girl blushed deeply as the lizard shook himself free of the garment.

"Is that...normal?" the girl asked.

Enitan made sure he was back in his normal clothes. Gabumon massaged his hurt foot.

"Dunno," the boy said, "hope it's not."

He found the digimental on the ground, the blade firmly stuck in the wooden floor. He groaned.

"Mother is going to fret all over again."

Ife discreetly exited the room with Palmon in trail, leaving him alone with Gabumon and an awkward silence. As Enitan's eyes glanced over his desk, he noticed his pile of CDs had decreased in size. He shuffled through it and found out that most of his music and over half his game CDs had vanished. His face contorted with anger and turned a deep shade of purple.

"Naba!" the boy yelled, startling Gabumon. "Oh I'm going to kill that sneaky little piece of rag!"

The noble kid grumbled to himself while he and Gabumon tied a rope to the poles on each side of the small yard enclosed by the walls extending from his house.

"I though Ife said your mother asked her to do it," Gabumon said as they hung over the two heavy carpets that laid on the floor of the living room and the entrance hall.

"It was my fault. I don't want her to get in more trouble because she didn't get the time to do it," Enitan explained.

That and I badly need to hit something, he though by himself, I am so going to flail that Naba when I get a hold of him!

He handed a broom to his partner and pointed at the carpets on each side.

"It isn't very complicated: you just beat it until it stops twitching, and then until it stops coughing up dust or hairs, and then some if you feel like it," he explained jokingly.

He demonstrated with a few vigorous hits. After a couple of minutes the two were sweating and nearly blind from the falling dirt, but they kept beating at the heavy fabrics. Gabumon tried to get a better angle to hit at a lower corner. However, doing so caused his broom to hit Enitan in the side of the head. The boy was momentarily confused from the shock, but eventually realized he could not have hit himself with his own broom.

One of the first rule of outside work is to systematically check for forgotten gardening tools before walking into an area. It happened so that Enitan, unused to such work, wasn't aware of this rule. He turned around, prepared to yell at the distracted Gabumon, but the digimon happened to take a step back and walk on a rake at the same time. The handle of the tool shot up, but didn't quite reach the classic vertical position that would have ended with a nice smack on the back of the digimon's head because Enitan happened to stand over it, and blocked it with an unfortunately sensitive part of his anatomy.

The digimon noticed he had walked on something and looked around when he heard aloud squeal to see his partner clutching at the pained area. He immediately went to assist the boy.

"Are you okay? Oh gods, I'm so sorry!"

Enitan fell to his knees, his hands still covering his crotch. He groaned, his eyes crossed under the pain and his jaw tensed.

" Walai... I'm giving you a head start," he managed to squeak out.

Gabumon backed away slowly under the attempted glare. Not looking where he stepped was a huge mistake as he suddenly felt something clutch tightly around his foot. Looking down he saw that he had walked into a wooden bucket. He raised his foot and the container followed suit. The digimon sweatdropped. He tried to pull it off with his hands, but the claws of his already larger than normal foot had dug into the wood and would not allow it. He started to jump around, alternatively attempting to pull it off with both hands or shake it off, all without success.

When Enitan's injured organs finally allowed his brain cells to analyze a signal other than pain, he saw his partner jumping around and sighed heavily. The boy approached the creature in order to help him but the distracted jumping lizard landed straight on his foot, sending the kid into a one-legged jig of his own. Gabumon did not even notice it, busy as he was dealing with his own foot- related predicament.

Enitan's own path lead him back between the suspended carpets... and on the rake. Since he was jumping on a single foot, Enitan put much more sudden weight on the long-handled tool. Unfortunately, he also happened to land in a way that prevented it to lever up, and thus a much stronger pain shot in his so far intact foot. With a loud yelp, the boy tried to clutch at both feet at the same time. The ill-fated attempt expectedly ended up with him toppling over straight into one of the heavy carpet, causing the rope to break and the fabric to fall all over him.

As Enitan was suddenly surrounded with what could have otherwise been cozy darkness, Gabumon had gotten an idea and was charging a fiery attack to haul at the offending container.

"Petit fire!"

The ball of blue fire struck the bucket, ignited it, but failed to actually destroy it. This left Gabumon with a rather acute problem: he now had a flaming object attached to his foot. Panicking, he ran around in circles for a few laps before the raising heat started to affect him through his thick reptilian skin. Then he stopped and shook his leg more frantically than ever.

A few seconds of this extremely vigorous shaking finally managed to dislodge the now weakened wood object. Gabumon watched the flaming projectile sail through the air with satisfaction. However, it seems that fate had it in for the lizard that day because he saw with horror that the course of the Identified Flaming Object obviously involved colliding with the figure trapped in the folds of a fallen carpet.

With a loud crack, the bucket shattered into multiple blazing pieces as it struck Enitan straight in the forehead. Gabumon ran up to the boy as he fell over. The lizard grabbed his partner by the lone foot sticking out of the pile and dragged him toward the door as the boy groggily protested. He sat up with a mix of anger and confusion on his face, opened a foggy eye and pointed at something behind Gabumon before losing consciousness for the second time that day, leaving the digimon utterly confused until he looked back and saw that the blazing wooden pieces had landed on the fuzzy carpet, setting it on fire.

"Oh! "Damn damn damndamnDAMN!!!"" he exclaimed as he rushed to smother the flames.

Palmon glanced through the door just as Gabumon dragged Enitan's unconscious body by. She rolled her eyes and tapped Ife on the shoulder. Ife looked at the boy and saw the obvious lump on his forehead.

"Enitan!" she turned to Gabumon "What happened to him?"

The digimon shifted uneasily.

"Well... To be honest I'm not too sure myself."

Ife sweatdropped and grabbed Enitan's legs to help carrying him up to his room.

"Well, uh, I'll go finish the carpets, 'kay?" Gabumon then excused himself.

"The carpets?" Ife wondered, looking as the digimon exited the room, then back at the unconscious Enitan. "Oh, Enitan... Looks like it's not your week."

She shook her head and got up to get more ice from the kitchen.

Enitan stared down at the charred section of carpet in the middle of the living room. His eyes shifted from the burnt fabric to the digimon, then back to the carpet. The most ravaged part even allowed to see the floor under it.

"Do I want to know?" he asked.

"Err... likely not," Gabumon answered, looking at his feet.

Enitan sighed and smiled weakly.

"Then don't tell me okay?"

Gabumon looked relieved and Enitan was forced to admit he might be better not knowing what happened. He dreaded the moment his parents would come home. His shoulder was still hurting a bit, even though it was much better off now. However, he could hardly hide the purplish lump on his forehead. And now this.

"Mother is so going to fret," the boy stated.

"Can't we hide it or something?" Gabumon asked, wringing his pelt between his hands.

"Yeah right, let's just move the furniture around. That's going to be conspicuous, won't it? And please stop doing that, you're going to put dirt all over..." Enitan trailed away as an idea shoved its way to the front end of his mind.

He looked up at the digimon with a smirk. Gabumon noticed the look on his face and took a step back.

"What? What's going on?"

"Well, I think I've just got an idea," Enitan explained, still smirking, " but first, you need to wash up."

"Uh?" Gabumon stared at him with a look of utter confusion.

"Let's be honest: we both are pretty filthy..." the boy continued.

"Why do you heat water to wash up?" the digimon asked curiously.

Enitan sweatdropped. There was already quite a lot he had had to explain, and he would not add plumbing to the list.

"You might be used to cold water, but I am not," he just said.

The boy staggered around, carrying a large jar full of scalding-hot water. Gabumon tried his best to stay out of his way as they approached the sanitized space of the bathroom. The digimon pushed the door open and stood in amazement at the sight. White and almond porcelain was everywhere. Behind another, decorated door was some sort of seat that seemed to be fixed to the marble tiling on the floor. The light entering through a small window shone across every surface that Ife could make to glimmer. Enitan's voice eventually disturbed the peaceful atmosphere Gabumon sensed in the room.

"Gabumon, let me in! I swear that thing's hotter than a burning savannah!"

Gabumon apologized and stood aside, allowing his partner to walk in and pour the water in a bathtub that looked as vast as a small lake to the lizard.

"I've never seen something that big. The biggest jars Dinohumon makes are only about my size," the digimon said, awed.

"Well, this one is made of porcelain, not clay, and it was cast rather than molded by hand," Enitan commented.

He turned on the tap, allowing water to flow in until the bath was three- quarters full. He then turned to his partner.

"Well, hop in and start scrubbing! I'll be back in a minute."

With these words he walked out, leaving the slightly confused digimon in front of the intimidating pool of hot water. Gabumon tried to climb over the edge, but couldn't get a good hold on the smooth and wet surface to haul himself. He looked around until he found weird cylinders he piled up so he could actually get in the bath. He tested the water with a finger and found it to be hot, but not so much as to hurt. Gabumon slid into the fuming liquid that easily reached to his chest. It soaked into his pelt, which floated at the surface like a large blue seaweed. The digimon let out a contented sigh; the hot water did feel very nice to his overworked muscles. When Enitan came back, he found the digimon trying to rub the grime that caked his leg, and failing abysmally at it.

"Damn! Why won't you go away?" the digimon cursed aloud.

"Well, maybe if you tried using soap..." Enitan pointed out.

Gabumon jumped up in surprise, splashing some water on the boy as the latter bent over to collect the toilet paper rolls. Enitan straightened up to smile at his partner, who could only give him a blank stare.

"Soap? What's that?" Gabumon asked naively.

Enitan fell over, sending the toilet paper rolling everywhere.

"Well, it helps to clean up things..." the boy tried to explain, "like that."

He handed a random bar to the lizard to illustrate his point. The digimon took it, looked it over and bit a chunk out of it.

"Tasty," he commented.

"Hey!" Enitan snatched it away, "that's my mother's special herbal soap! She's going to kill someone when she sees that!" After a pause, he chuckled softly."But it is kind of tasty."

Gabumon grinned mischievously as Enitan handed him a different bar.

"How would you know that?"

Enitan blushed and looked away, stammering.

"Do I want to know?" the digimon pushed.

"Just rub the soap on your skin. It should wash the dirt away," Enitan instructed, smiling.

He pulled a washboard and plunged it into the bath. Gabumon started to enthusiastically rub the soap on his members and chest, rapidly producing a thin layer of soap bubbles on the water's surface. Enitan grabbed the pelt so he could slide it over the digimon's horn, catching the lizard's attention.

"What are you doing?"

"Well," Enitan said, looking at the washboard, uncertain of how to use it, "for my idea to work, it needs to be shiny clean."

As he spoke, Enitan started to tentatively rub the piece of fur over the brass ridges. Gabumon started to guess where this was aimed, and he didn't like it at all.

"Oh no! You're not covering that up with my pelt!" the digimon exclaimed, grabbing the cloth.

Enitan, however, would not give up so easily. He latched onto his own handful of fur and started to pull back.

"Walai, Gabumon! It's kinda your fault after all!" Enitan groaned.

"Walai this!"

In response, Gabumon put his feet against the side of the bath and used his legs to pull back more forcefully. He was left speechless at the results: Enitan's feet skidded on the wet floor and the boy fell over in the bath. Water splashed everywhere. Pain shot through Enitan's left knee when it scraped on the harsh surface of the washboard. He emerged sputtering, his hair and clothes matted. Gabumon clutched his pelt to his chest defensively.

"Look what you've done!" Enitan yelled.

"Well, it's your fault! It was your idea!" the horned lizard yelled back.

Gabumon then noticed the brown colour spreading across the water. The circle spread from Enitan. The boy glowered at him with crossed arms and pointed at his dark boubou.

"It's earth-based tincture. It runs in water," the boy stated.

When Gabumon raised his pelt out of the water, it had taken a brownish tint over its normal blue hues. The digimon sweatdropped. Then the door opened.

"Ah... Your father..." Ife's phrase trailed off out of surprise.

Ife stared in disbelief at the disaster that now was the bathroom, speechless. Dirty water laid everywhere on the floor and walls, soaking up scattered rolls of costly toilet paper. A bottle of shampoo had fallen off the bath and spilled its content across the tiles. Enitan's figure overlooked the wreck from the bath. He had all his clothes on and the intricate black motives were rapidly being ruined as the tinctures ran off. The boy's right hand pointedly rubbed his forehead, while his left one was holding something underwater. She could see no trace of Gabumon until she noticed the bubbles bursting at the surface.

"On the phone," she finally completed her sentence.

Enitan kept rubbing his forehead without looking at her.

"Tell him I'm taking a bath and take the message, will you?"

"Nahamu," she moved to close the door, but Enitan called her.

"Oh and..." Enitan began.

"Yes?"

"Please heat up more water," the boy deadpanned.

"It's too late. I can't go to class now," Naba sighed.

He glanced at a group of children and teens attending a French class. The school was set up in a closed yard near Bamako's main market. The only furniture consisted of a large blackboard where the teacher wrote the lesson. The students traced their answer in the dirt of the ground. The scene was set up under the shadow of a small tree.

"Is that your Fatima?" Wormmon asked.

Naba nodded. The teacher covered her hair with the strict head scarf of traditional Islam. Her otherwise good natured face seemed to always be just a moment away from a scowl. Wormmon understood why the boy would not want to anger her.

"So, what do we do now?" he asked his partner.

"We get some cash," Naba answered begrudgingly.

He held up the substantial stack of CD he had taken in Enitan's room and looked them over. The boy would require careful threading with on their next encounter, but it was worth it. He could live a few weeks on the money he would get out of these. And get new clothes. His eyes trailed to down the tattered jeans that was his only piece clothing since he had ran away from the brickyard.

"You want to sell these?"

Naba's eyes widened.

"Of course not! Heck, Enitan would skin me alive!" the boy protested.

They walked along the streets, the populace surprisingly indifferent to the large caterpillar. Larger dried spiders were routinely sold in shadier areas of Bamako, so a talking insect this size wasn't such a stretch of imagination in superstitious West Africa. Naba pointed to an electronic shop with displays bright and shiny enough to make you forget about the actual state of the equipment.

"The owner is specialized in pirated CDs," the boy explained "He'll pay me well for those."

Naba started to juggle with one of the CD box.

"The best part is that I know at least two other shops in the city where I can get money for them too. It's all about knowing what to do with what you take, you see?"

"Doesn't sound very moral to me," Wormmon stated.

He felt sorry that his partner had to resort to such antics to survive. Naba's tone turned angry.

"If there's one thing I have actually learned around here, it's that few things are moral anyway. The least of which is to twist the lives of others," the chosen child said without thinking.

Wormmon's head hung low and Naba realized what he'd just said. He shoved the CDs back in a bag, scooped his partner and held him up to look him in the eyes.

"I'm sorry, I really didn't mean it that way," the boy apologized, " I'm glad I met you, to have someone I know will always be by my side. I've been betrayed too much already."

Wormmon looked up at his partner with a bright smile.

"I'll never leave your side, I can promise that," the digimon cheered.

The boy placed his partner on his shoulder and entered the shop with his head held high.

Enitan and Gabumon eventually managed to clean themselves. On his way back to his room, he interrupted Ife's setting up of the dinner table.

"So, what did my father want?"

Ife looked up from placing bowls over the plates and stared blankly for the second it took her to remember.

"He said he got sent on a field assignment in Sikasso, so he won't be here for the next few days. Your mother tagged along to see her sister. He's glad that you came back and that you're alright," she recounted.

Enitan shook his head in disbelief at his parent's carelessness, although he did feel relieved. That would make matters easier for a few days. At least he would have enough time to buy a replacement carpet.

"Oh, and he asked that we take care of the Donsos," Ife added.

Enitan was walking out of the room, but whirled on the spot with a horrified look on his face.

"Are you serious?" he yelled.

Moussa and Koti Donso were the next door neighbours of the Konate family. Enitan could hardly bear the presence of the shallow and stupid couple. He gave an angry sigh.

"When are they supposed to arrive?"

As a cosmic answer, someone rang the door bell. Enitan's hand came up to rub his nose bridge and he ran up to his room to get appropriate clothes. Ife turned to Palmon and Gabumon.

"You two, you go to my room, behind the kitchen," she ordered "And Gabumon?"

"Yes?" the digimon answered with an uncertain tone.

"Your pelt, please," she held her hand out.

Gabumon sweatdropped.

"Aww, no!" he protested.

"It's all we can do under such short notice! Quick!" the girl pleaded.

The doorbell rang a second time, becoming insistent. The digimon reluctantly slipped it over his head and handed it over to the girl with a grumble.

"Thanks, now go!" she ushered them.

Ife ran to answer the door, throwing the pelt to a bewildered Enitan just as he came down the stairs. The boy stared at her questioningly, put she pointed up the mezzanine toward the living room. The boy nodded and went back to set up the makeshift cover.

"I can't believe this is happening! They're using my pelt as a decoration, for Qinglongmon's sake!" Gabumon complained.

Palmon hushed him down.

"Will you calm down? They're going to hear you!"

Koti could have sworn she had heard something in the kitchen, but the two children were obviously alone in the house and surprised by the visit. She looked down contemptuously at the slow servant girl. How could Bodi do that to them? She'd have to make sure he got a word about it. Meanwhile, the boy tried to excuse his parents. A large lump on his forehead and blood stain at his knee demonstrated he probably had gotten into a street fight. Bodi should really keep that boy on a shorter leash, she thought.

"My father offers his deepest apologies for being unable to be here tonight. He sends his regards and regrets for his superior not allowing any delay," Enitan said, showing them the way to the living room.

"Besides," Palmon continued, "you need to assume your responsibilities. You burnt that carpet, your pelt covers it."

That remark only got Gabumon annoyed. He began pacing back and forth.

"Again with your 'responsibility' speech. Will you cut it already?" he snapped back.

"No I won't," Palmon retorted. "Admit it: you are rather accident-prone. You couldn't even keep watch without messing things up, and in case you haven't noticed already, it didn't exactly improve your first impression."

Gabumon muttered something under his breath. Palmon sighed in return and put a leafy hand on his shoulder.

"Listen, you need to be a bit more careful from now on. You risk putting your partner at risk, and if he gets hurt, you'll never forgive yourself," she explained.

"I know I didn't," she added in a whisper.

Enitan could see both adults' eyes going to the blue fur spread on the ground as soon as they entered the living room, but they remained politely silent, conventions stronger than their curiosity.

"What will you have?" Enitan asked. "Tea? Bissap? Mil beer?"

Moussa shook his hand and declined politely.

"I will take dobleni, if you have any, please," his wife answered sarcastically.

Enitan nodded twice at Ife, allowing her to walk out of the room. The girl rolled her eyes at Koti's request. Bissap, dobleni, all the same. How rude.

A buzzing sound came from the window. Palmon froze completely. She looked up to see a surprisingly large bee hovering next to the curtain. Gabumon could not contain a snicker.

"That's gotta be the smallest Flymon I've ever seen. Don't tell me you're afraid of it?" he taunted her.

"You wouldn't want to know," the plant hissed back between gritted teeth.

Palmon shivered uncontrollably as the humongous striped insect flew in and began circling around the small closed room. The panicked digimon jumped from the bed, threw open the curtain and blindly ran out of the room. Ife was just walking out of the kitchen with two large glasses on a silver-plated tray. The digimon collided with her, sending the tray and glasses of sweet liquid tumbling to the ground in a loud crashing sound.

Enitan attempted to salvage the situation as the two visitors stood up to go see what was happening.

"Walai! I'm sure it's nothing. Ife is not quite used to our kitchen yet," he said reassuringly.

"Strange," Koti retorted, "your mother would not stop praising that little girl."

Enitan rubbed the back of his head, sweat trickling down his neck.

"Eh." Come on Ife!

"What's going on with you?" Ife whispered to the panicked digimon.

Her partner stared at something behind her back, eyes wide in fear. Ife glanced over her own shoulder and an Attila of a bee stared back at her. Ife stood there, petrified, until it moved and forced Palmon to shriek and run to the bathroom down the hall. The flower digimon scrambled in the devastated room and slammed the door behind her. Ife still goggled at the closed door when she heard angry footsteps coming from upstairs. She rushed back into the kitchen, shoved Gabumon behind the curtain to her room and grabbed her arm as if in pain.

Against all conventions, Koti shoved Enitan aside.

"I might as well get my glass myself!" she said angrily.

She sighed loudly and rolled her eyes when she noticed the fallen tray and glasses. Unfortunately, said rolling of her eyes prevented the woman to notice where she was walking. Something under her foot crunched loudly. Koti froze in place, uncertain as to whether she should check up what she had just squished.

"I'm sorry for the delay, Mrs Donso," Ife said, averting the woman's eye, "I was just coming with the dobleni when this monster of a bee," she nodded toward the woman's foot, "flew in and stung me. I didn't know it could attract bees."

The woman's anger and shoulders dropped. She stood there perplexed as to how to save her image. Ife came to her rescue, mentally cursing the gods who had to be laughing at her by now.

"If you leave your sandal here, I'll clean it for you if you want."

Koti nodded without a word and walked back to the living room barefooted. In her back, Ife sighed with relief.

Moussa could not help it. He kept glancing at the stripped blue pelt laid on the floor. Enitan had obviously noticed his insisting glances, but would not initiate the discussion. The man wondered why.

"It's a fascinating piece you have there," he said.

"Ah, err," Enitan hesitated. "Yes, my father bought it in some village near Djenne."

"Really?" the man stared more intently at it, eyebrows raised. "Impressive. I don't think it's a fake. I'll want to have a word with him about it."

Enitan grew more nervous. He looked even more nervous as Koti when she walked back into the room, staring into nothing.

"What happened, my beloved?" her husband asked.

"Nothing, it was nothing," the woman answered.

Gabumon knocked at the bathroom's door. He could hear Palmon panting on the other side.

"You can come out now!"

"Are you sure?" came her muffled answer.

Gabumon looked over his shoulder to where Ife was trying to clean the horrible stain left by the squashed body of the insect.

"Pretty sure," he confirmed.

"Dinner is served, if you will," Ife invited Enitan and the couple to the dining room.

Gabumon's stomach grumbled loudly for the umpteenth time.

"Aw man! I'm so hungry!" he moaned.

"Will you just hush up!" Palmon scowled him.

"But I'm hungryyyyyy!" the lizard stressed his point.

"All right, I'll get you something to munch on until we can eat properly," the plant caved in.

She went back into the kitchen, wary not to make any sound. There was a plate on the counter with several balls of brown paste. She took one and threw it to the lizard through the open curtain.

"There! Happy now?"

Gabumon snorted at the food's smell.

"You sure that's edible?" he asked.

Palmon shrugged. She didn't have a very developed sense of smell herself.

"Must be. Ife used some in the sauce."

Gabumon looked over the ball, took a tentative bite and swallowed immediately, like it burned his mouth.

"How is it?" Palmon asked.

The digimon's eyes rolled and he retched noisily, his yellow skin turning an odd olive colour. Palmon's eyes widened. She grabbed a small pan on the stove and went back in front of him.

"You're not going to...?"

Gabumon gagged more loudly, looking at her with panic in his eyes. He reached over, grabbed the pan and threw up in it. Palmon looked away in disgust.

"Eww..."

Small talk punctuated the dinner. After a while, Koti could not contain herself anymore.

"Isn't there a sauce or something to go with this?" she asked loudly.

Ife stood up from her chair in a corner of the room.

"Nahamu, my apologies. I left it on the stove so it'd be hot when served and forgot about it," she explained.

"Then go get it!" the woman snapped back, taking no notice of her husband and Enitan's shaking heads.

"Nahamu. I will be right back."

After a few more retches, Gabumon's stomach calmed down. Palmon took the pan from him.

"Are you feeling better now?" she asked.

"Yeah." he answered.

The lizard wiped his lips and flopped on his back.

"Not hungry anymore?" Palmon joked.

Gabumon's head raised and he shot her a nasty glare.

"Okay, okay, I get it! Sorry!" she apologized insincerely.

She dropped the pot back on the stove. As she returned to Ife's room and closed the curtain behind her, the human girl quickly walked in and took the same pan before returning to the dining room.

"My little girl, this got to be the foulest-tasting sauce I've ever eaten chicken with!" Koti said, "And the worst-looking too."

Ife couldn't comprehend what happened. The sauce had a perfectly smooth texture and balanced taste last time she had tried it. Now she could hardly describe what it looked like, let alone smelled. Moussa tried to calm his wife down.

"There, there, my dear, it's not that bad a sauce," he insisted, taking a large sauce-covered bite and swallowing.

Koti glared daggers at her husband until his stomach gurgled. Mr Donso looked down at his abdomen. When he looked back up, his face had turned greenish. The tall nobleman retched.

"Sorry, gotta go..." he managed to mutter before he scrambled out of the room.

"But the bathroom..." Enitan whispered.

"I haven't had the time to clean it yet!" Ife confirmed.

Mrs Donso looked at the two children with renewed anger. What were they babbling about in front of her? She was about to speak, but a sudden yell, followed by a loud crash interrupted her. The voice of her husband was unmistakable. Enitan and Ife palmed their foreheads.

Enitan leaned against the door after finally greeting the Donsos away. He looked up at Ife. The girl looked worried beyond all belief.

"Well, at least they're not coming back anytime soon," the boy joked.

Ife moaned.

"But damn," Enitan said as they walked into the kitchen, "I have to agree, what was up with that sauce?"

"I don't know!" Ife protested. "It was there, perfectly good and all, and then when I brought it in the dining room..."

"What are you talking about?" a voice interrupted.

The kids looked around and saw Palmon and Gabumon coming out from the girl's bedroom. The female digimon noticed the missing pan.

"You mean there was sauce in that? Oh... I think I messed up big time..."

She explained what had happened. Ife's eyes widened when the digimon told her about giving the ball to Gabumon. Enitan cringed.

"That's dried soumbala! It's a very strong condiment!" Ife exclaimed.

Gabumon burped.

"You really use that to flavour food around here?" he asked.

"Well, I don't personally like it either if you want to know," the girl said.

She took a large plate of rice and chicken, and set it on the table in the middle of the room.

"So, who's hungry?"

The two digimon gobbled the food down at a surprising rate. Ife could barely keep a portion for herself. Enitan snickered at the sight of his partner licking the bowl clean.

"Is there any more?" the lizard asked.

His hunger had been but sharpened by his earlier bout of sickness. Ife looked down the digimon's frame questioningly.

"I think he just ate his own weight," Enitan commented.

Ife shrugged and set another bowl of rice for the digimon. She was used to make it in excess for later use anyway. Gabumon immediately started shovelling it in his mouth.

"Gabumon's an endless pit when it comes to food," Palmon said.

She used one of her extensible fingers to slap the lizard on the back of the hand.

"What happened to your manners?" the plant scolded him.

The digimon stopped eating for a second and thanked Ife profusely. Palmon took advantage of this moment of inattention to grab the rest of the food for herself. Enitan and Ife sweatdropped.

Notes:

As usual, explicative notes are available on my personalwebsite

As it might be obvious here, I decided against structured/pre-planned chapter for Songhai diaries, partly because it just cramps my writing. So this fiction will be cut around 6000 words per chapter (mostly) regardless of where that puts the cut.

This particular chapter involves mostly character development, and Songhai Diaries characters will spend nearly as much time dealing with real-life related problems as with the Digital World.

Naba will get more spotlight in later chapters, don't worry too much about that.

Much thanks to go around here for Archive, Drakys and JJriddler. I couldn't do it without all ofyou!