Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ The Children Of Fate ❯ 4 ( Chapter 5 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: moose_of_doom 
Anime/Manga: Digimon Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Romance | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 08.01.2005 | Pages: 10 | Words: 3.3K | Visits: 240 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Digimon Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Romance | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 08.01.2005 | Pages: 10 | Words: 3.3K | Visits: 240 | Status: Completed
Chapter 4:
********
Davis sat across the table from his friend, a goofy grin plastered across his face.
“So, the times getting closer, huh?” Ken asked.
The former leader of the Digidestined nodded.
“The doctors reckon its less than a week now. Less than a week, Ken! I’m gonna be a daddy!”
Ken sat back, his beer in his hand, and contemplated his friend. He and Yolei had visited in the earlier stages of Kari’s pregnancy, and now that the birth of the pair’s children was approaching, they had returned to help around the place. Davis’s eyes seemed far away, as if he was looking into a future that only he could see.
“You really are happy about this, aren’t you?”
“Of course!”
“And not in the least bit worried?”
“Well…”
“Ah-hah! You ARE worried!”
“I didn’t say that!”
“You said enough, my friend, and enough is as good as a feast.”
Davis glared at the blue-haired man, and then grinned.
“Well… I am a little worried. All sorts of things keep going through my mind.”
“Such as?”
“Such as… where am I gonna find room for a baby. How am I gonna pay the bills… that sort of thing.”
Ken smirked.
“So, nice, ordinary, mundane things, then.”
“Damn straight.”
Whatever Ken might have said in reply was cut off by the sound of the buzzer at the front door. Out in the lounge, Kari started to get to her feet.
“You sit down.” Davis said.
“I can manage, honey.”
“If you’re calling me honey, you’re obviously not in the right frame of mind. Sit down, Kari.”
She glared at him, and sat down. Her swollen belly peeked out slightly from underneath the t-shirt she wore. Davis repressed the urge to go over to her, and turned back to the door.
“Jun?!?”
Davis’s shocked exclamation of surprise made Kari and Yolei twist around in their seats again, staring in astonishment at the door. Jun gazed at them all impassively.
“Davis, are you gonna let me in, or am I gonna have to beat you up again?”
“That only happened once!”
“Would you like a reprise?”
Davis weighed up the odds, and then moved aside to let his sister in.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
“That’s not very polite, Davis. Mom raised you better than that. Besides…” she indicated the bag she held. “…Did you think I was gonna let anyone else deliver my niece or nephew?”
“Please let it be a niece, I don’t think I could cope with a little Daisuke.” Kari muttered.
“I’m standing right here!” Davis said with a pained expression.
“And I’m sitting right here. Think about it from my perspective.”
“How does the patient feel today?” Jun cut in.
“Aside from the sensation of carrying a basketball filled with water in my stomach, the patient feels fine. How does the doctor feel?”
“The doctor also feels fine.” Jun laughed. “Is she kicking?”
“She is indeed.”
“Am I the only one noticing all the ‘she’s’ creeping into this dialogue?” Davis asked.
Veemon, who had been sitting on his favourite beanbag, nodded sagely
“I think they’ve decided for you. Give up while you can.”
“You haven’t.” Gatomon accused.
“That’s cos I can run faster than you.”
The brown-haired Digidestined glanced over his shoulder at Ken.
“I think we’re outnumbered. You want to have a kickaround on the beach?”
Ken looked at Jun, who was resting her ear on Kari’s stomach, a look of rapture on her face, whilst Yolei gazed at them with a similar expression.
“I think that would be a good idea.”
“I’m coming too!” Veemon said hastily.
The three headed for the front door, grabbing a football on the way.
=============================================================
Davis half-heartedly caught the ball on his chest, dropped it to his feet, and kicked it back to Ken with negligent skill. The other man headed it into the air, and allowed it to drop into the sand at his feet.
“You’re not really into this, are you?”
“My minds in other places.”
“Always has been. It’s never been in your head, that’s for sure.”
“Normally, I’d kick your ass for that, but I really can’t be bothered.”
“I’m so frightened. What’s wrong, then?”
He sighed.
“I don’t know. Everything’s so perfect, but… I don’t know.”
On the small grassy bank, unseen by the pair on the beach, Veemon once again sat next to the red-haired woman.
“He’s starting to realise.” The little Digimon said.
“I know. That is why his mind is creating ways to keep him here.”
“Children?”
“Yes. This is what he wants, so his mind is creating it. But part of his mind is starting to rebel.”
“Why?”
“There are parts of the human psyche that don’t function without the perception of misery. Courage, bravery – all of these only really come out when fighting back against suffering.”
“That makes sense, I suppose.”
“Of course it does. I said it, remember?”
They were interrupted by Yolei bursting out of the door.
“Davis! Get in here! It’s started!”
“Huh?”
“YOUR WIFE IS HAVING THEM!!!”
Davis ran for the door, but skidded to a halt.
“Them???”
“Oh, did I forget to mention? You’ve got twins on the way, Mr Motomiya.”
“OH SHIT!!!”
He ran through the door, and shut it behind him. Veemon looked up at the woman. A sad expression was on her face.
“He can’t stay here much longer, can he?”
“No. If he does, he’ll never leave.”
=============================================================
As soon as he got into the house, Davis headed straight for the bedroom door. Jun, however, stopped him.
“You cant, Davis.”
“Why?”
“You’re dirty! She needs to be kept as far away from germs as possible right now!”
“But I want to be with her!”
“You will, but not yet! Go boil some water!”
“Huh?”
“We need clean, disinfected Towels. MOVE!”
She turned and went back into the bedroom, closing the door behind her. Davis, his face pained, turned and went into the kitchen, setting a pan full of water on the stove.
He kept himself there, boiling the towels, passing them to Jun. Tears stung at his eyes, and he angrily wiped them away. He wanted to be by Kari’s side. He wanted to be there with her when their children entered the world!
He lost track of time, totally engrossed in both his anger at being excluded, and his joy at becoming a parent. In his reverie, he didn’t even notice the sun sink beneath the horizon and darkness sweep over the house. He stopped suddenly, when he heard a strange noise.
A stuttering cough broke the silence, followed by the healthy cry of a baby. He turned slowly, as Ken also looked up from where Jun had stationed him to prevent Davis getting through into the bedroom. She knew her brother well. Davis looked at his friend, and headed for the door.
“Davis, we have to wait.”
“Ken, if you try and stop me, you’re gonna end up with your head through this door, now MOVE.”
As it turned out, Ken didn’t have to. The door opened from the inside, and Jun looked out.
“C’mon in.” she whispered. “But keep your voices down.”
Ken stepped out of the way, and Davis moved into the bedroom. Kari, her hair muffed around her head like a brown nimbus, smiled tiredly at him. Jun stepped outside, closing the door, giving the pair the privacy they needed.
“Hey.” She said.
“Hey. How do you feel?”
“I feel fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure. Now come and see your daughters.”
“Daughters? Both of them?”
“Yup. Told you it was gonna be a she. Guess I work in doubles.”
“It would seem so.”
He crossed to her, and sat gently down on the bed next to her. He looked down at the two children nestled in her arms. One of the girls had pale brown hair almost a golden colour in the gentle light of the bedside lamp. The other had a darker hair colour, verging on black, at the opposite end of the spectrum to her sister.
“Do we have names for them yet?” he asked.
“What, do I have to do all the work here?” she asked, smiling.
He gazed at her beautiful face in the gentle light. She knew that he had wanted to name their children. Gently, he leaned across and kissed her.
“I would have been here…”
“I know. You don’t have to explain. Now name our kids, and let me get some sleep.”
He laughed, and she passed their babies to him. Looking down at the lighter haired one, he spoke quietly.
“Hinode.”
Then his gaze turned to the other child, who was gazing back at him with her dark eyes filled with a kind of gentle defiance.
“Gekkou.”
He looked up at his wife, who was smiling at him gently.
“You approve?”
“Of course.”
“I love you more than anything, Kari. I’ll never leave your side, I promise.”
He passed their children back, and headed for the door.
“Davis?”
“Yeah?”
“The days gonna come when I’ll hold you to that promise.”
He flashed her a smile, and stepped outside.
=============================================================
The soldiers were slumped unceremoniously in the Master’s house. They had no weapons, and were completely dependent on the people of the caves for any supplies that they received. All in all, Nick had decided that he thoroughly hated the situation.
“I didn’t think it was possible,” he commented to Jun “But this both sucks and blows.”
The young doctor turned round, and fixed him with a level gaze.
“overlooking the fact that that is physically impossible, Nick Pallet, I really don’t think there’s any call for that kind of remark, do you?”
Nick, a ciggarette dangling unlit from the corner of his mouth, told her in very broad terms, and at some length, what he thought of that. Jun took the tirade of curses with a blank face, and then promptly punched him in the nose when he was done. Nick reeled back in pain.
“Hey! What was that for?!?”
“Well, you were either getting overly hysterical, or you were severely pissing me off. Take your pick.”
He glared at her, seething with impotent rage for a minute, then burst out laughing.
“I was getting a bit wound up, wasn’t I?”
“I don’t blame you, but I haven’t had any coffee for almost two weeks now, and whatever the Master gives us to drink, it sure as hell don’t have caffeine in it.”
“Caffeine is very bad for you, Jun.” Dartha said from the door.
“I know that. Tell it to me first thing in the morning though.”
The master laughed, and grinned at them all.
“Come outside. Willis has come up with something interesting.”
The troopers obediently moved outside to where Willis was crouched over his laptop computer. Dartha walked over next to him.
“Show them what you just showed me.”
“Okay. You all know that the current incarnation of the digiworld is based on gateways made of computer data, right? Well, what if we could use that data to our advantage.”
“How?” Garret asked, his eyes fixed on the younger man.
“Well…”
Willis smirked, and tapped a few commands on his keyboard. A bright light shone a couple of paces away for a second, and then there was a brand new rifle and Kevlar armour vest lying on the paving stones of the underground village.
One of the troopers near the back whistled, as Garret went over and picked up the weapon. Nick turned to the Digidestined.
“How did you do that?” he demanded.
“I uploaded it.”
Willis’s smirk was so smug, that under other conditions Nick might have been tempted to shoot him. At this moment, however, it was all the soldier could do to keep himself from hugging the younger man.
“So you can create things using the data that makes up the gateways?” Jun asked.
“Yeah… but there are limitations.”
Davis’s sister’s eyes narrowed.
“Like what?”
“Well, I can’t create anything organic.”
Jun’s shoulders slumped.
“No coffee then… anything else?”
“I can’t create anything too big. If I do, it could have some… bad side effects.”
“Again, Like what?”
“Like making the digital collapse in upon itself.”
“Ouch.”
“That’s what I thought too. Not a good idea. I can also add to anything uploaded, or anything present. Terriermon?”
The big-eared Digimon floated down from his usual position on the roof with a look of extreme trepidation.
“Stand here please.”
Terriermon sighed.
“I’m gonna regret this…”
Willis tapped another command into his keyboard, and bright light shone around the Digimon’s shoulders. When it dimmed, armoured plating covered the upper half of Terriermon’s body.
“Cool!” The big-eared creature said.
“I thought so.” His partner replied.
“So you can make us all weapons then?” Nick asked.
“Yeah, all except swords. I don’t want to over-use the system, and there are already swords being made in the caves.”
“Well, this turns the tide a little. Thanks a lot, Willis.”
“Any time.”
=============================================================
Despite the fact that the village was situated at least a hundred feet underground, the cave had naturally adapted to its situation. Night came, if anytime, when the small plants that provided the cave with its light started to dim in their glowing luminescence.
It was in one of these nighttime cycles that a visitor arrived at the Master’s house. A young man, his hair bound in a loose ponytail at the back of his head, knocked upon the door, as the nine people inside were settling down to a very late meal. Dartha stood, and opened the door. He immediately recognised the man outside.
“Don’t you ever get tired of changing your appearance?”
“Not in the past thousand years or so.”
“I thought not. Welcome, Gennai. It’s been a long time.”
“Seems like two hundred years.”
“… It’s been two hundred years.”
“Really? How time flies.”
He stepped inside, and bowed formally to Dartha, and then to the group at the table.
“Hello, everybody. It’s been a while.”
Jun stood, and rushed over to him.
“Gennai!”
“Jun! You look as lovely as ever.”
For some reason, Jun wrapped her arms around the man, embracing him in a fierce hug. Gennai returned the embrace, until she finally let go.
“It didn’t go exactly to plan, did it?”
“Not really, no.”
“Don’t worry. Things will improve from hereon in.” he turned. “Oh, by the way, I found this down in the caves, I thought you might want it back.”
A second figure stepped in through the door, his face hidden in the recesses of his hooded cloak. The hilt of a longsword showed through the opening at the front of the garment, as the figure slowly reached up, and pulled back his hood.
The group sitting at the table gasped as they recognised the man before them, his shoulder length brown hair ruffled from the hood of his cloak.
“God bless all here.” Liam Dillon said in his rich Belfast accent. “Has anyone got anything to drink? I’m bloody dyin’ for a whiskey.”
=============================================================
********
Davis sat across the table from his friend, a goofy grin plastered across his face.
“So, the times getting closer, huh?” Ken asked.
The former leader of the Digidestined nodded.
“The doctors reckon its less than a week now. Less than a week, Ken! I’m gonna be a daddy!”
Ken sat back, his beer in his hand, and contemplated his friend. He and Yolei had visited in the earlier stages of Kari’s pregnancy, and now that the birth of the pair’s children was approaching, they had returned to help around the place. Davis’s eyes seemed far away, as if he was looking into a future that only he could see.
“You really are happy about this, aren’t you?”
“Of course!”
“And not in the least bit worried?”
“Well…”
“Ah-hah! You ARE worried!”
“I didn’t say that!”
“You said enough, my friend, and enough is as good as a feast.”
Davis glared at the blue-haired man, and then grinned.
“Well… I am a little worried. All sorts of things keep going through my mind.”
“Such as?”
“Such as… where am I gonna find room for a baby. How am I gonna pay the bills… that sort of thing.”
Ken smirked.
“So, nice, ordinary, mundane things, then.”
“Damn straight.”
Whatever Ken might have said in reply was cut off by the sound of the buzzer at the front door. Out in the lounge, Kari started to get to her feet.
“You sit down.” Davis said.
“I can manage, honey.”
“If you’re calling me honey, you’re obviously not in the right frame of mind. Sit down, Kari.”
She glared at him, and sat down. Her swollen belly peeked out slightly from underneath the t-shirt she wore. Davis repressed the urge to go over to her, and turned back to the door.
“Jun?!?”
Davis’s shocked exclamation of surprise made Kari and Yolei twist around in their seats again, staring in astonishment at the door. Jun gazed at them all impassively.
“Davis, are you gonna let me in, or am I gonna have to beat you up again?”
“That only happened once!”
“Would you like a reprise?”
Davis weighed up the odds, and then moved aside to let his sister in.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
“That’s not very polite, Davis. Mom raised you better than that. Besides…” she indicated the bag she held. “…Did you think I was gonna let anyone else deliver my niece or nephew?”
“Please let it be a niece, I don’t think I could cope with a little Daisuke.” Kari muttered.
“I’m standing right here!” Davis said with a pained expression.
“And I’m sitting right here. Think about it from my perspective.”
“How does the patient feel today?” Jun cut in.
“Aside from the sensation of carrying a basketball filled with water in my stomach, the patient feels fine. How does the doctor feel?”
“The doctor also feels fine.” Jun laughed. “Is she kicking?”
“She is indeed.”
“Am I the only one noticing all the ‘she’s’ creeping into this dialogue?” Davis asked.
Veemon, who had been sitting on his favourite beanbag, nodded sagely
“I think they’ve decided for you. Give up while you can.”
“You haven’t.” Gatomon accused.
“That’s cos I can run faster than you.”
The brown-haired Digidestined glanced over his shoulder at Ken.
“I think we’re outnumbered. You want to have a kickaround on the beach?”
Ken looked at Jun, who was resting her ear on Kari’s stomach, a look of rapture on her face, whilst Yolei gazed at them with a similar expression.
“I think that would be a good idea.”
“I’m coming too!” Veemon said hastily.
The three headed for the front door, grabbing a football on the way.
=============================================================
Davis half-heartedly caught the ball on his chest, dropped it to his feet, and kicked it back to Ken with negligent skill. The other man headed it into the air, and allowed it to drop into the sand at his feet.
“You’re not really into this, are you?”
“My minds in other places.”
“Always has been. It’s never been in your head, that’s for sure.”
“Normally, I’d kick your ass for that, but I really can’t be bothered.”
“I’m so frightened. What’s wrong, then?”
He sighed.
“I don’t know. Everything’s so perfect, but… I don’t know.”
On the small grassy bank, unseen by the pair on the beach, Veemon once again sat next to the red-haired woman.
“He’s starting to realise.” The little Digimon said.
“I know. That is why his mind is creating ways to keep him here.”
“Children?”
“Yes. This is what he wants, so his mind is creating it. But part of his mind is starting to rebel.”
“Why?”
“There are parts of the human psyche that don’t function without the perception of misery. Courage, bravery – all of these only really come out when fighting back against suffering.”
“That makes sense, I suppose.”
“Of course it does. I said it, remember?”
They were interrupted by Yolei bursting out of the door.
“Davis! Get in here! It’s started!”
“Huh?”
“YOUR WIFE IS HAVING THEM!!!”
Davis ran for the door, but skidded to a halt.
“Them???”
“Oh, did I forget to mention? You’ve got twins on the way, Mr Motomiya.”
“OH SHIT!!!”
He ran through the door, and shut it behind him. Veemon looked up at the woman. A sad expression was on her face.
“He can’t stay here much longer, can he?”
“No. If he does, he’ll never leave.”
=============================================================
As soon as he got into the house, Davis headed straight for the bedroom door. Jun, however, stopped him.
“You cant, Davis.”
“Why?”
“You’re dirty! She needs to be kept as far away from germs as possible right now!”
“But I want to be with her!”
“You will, but not yet! Go boil some water!”
“Huh?”
“We need clean, disinfected Towels. MOVE!”
She turned and went back into the bedroom, closing the door behind her. Davis, his face pained, turned and went into the kitchen, setting a pan full of water on the stove.
He kept himself there, boiling the towels, passing them to Jun. Tears stung at his eyes, and he angrily wiped them away. He wanted to be by Kari’s side. He wanted to be there with her when their children entered the world!
He lost track of time, totally engrossed in both his anger at being excluded, and his joy at becoming a parent. In his reverie, he didn’t even notice the sun sink beneath the horizon and darkness sweep over the house. He stopped suddenly, when he heard a strange noise.
A stuttering cough broke the silence, followed by the healthy cry of a baby. He turned slowly, as Ken also looked up from where Jun had stationed him to prevent Davis getting through into the bedroom. She knew her brother well. Davis looked at his friend, and headed for the door.
“Davis, we have to wait.”
“Ken, if you try and stop me, you’re gonna end up with your head through this door, now MOVE.”
As it turned out, Ken didn’t have to. The door opened from the inside, and Jun looked out.
“C’mon in.” she whispered. “But keep your voices down.”
Ken stepped out of the way, and Davis moved into the bedroom. Kari, her hair muffed around her head like a brown nimbus, smiled tiredly at him. Jun stepped outside, closing the door, giving the pair the privacy they needed.
“Hey.” She said.
“Hey. How do you feel?”
“I feel fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure. Now come and see your daughters.”
“Daughters? Both of them?”
“Yup. Told you it was gonna be a she. Guess I work in doubles.”
“It would seem so.”
He crossed to her, and sat gently down on the bed next to her. He looked down at the two children nestled in her arms. One of the girls had pale brown hair almost a golden colour in the gentle light of the bedside lamp. The other had a darker hair colour, verging on black, at the opposite end of the spectrum to her sister.
“Do we have names for them yet?” he asked.
“What, do I have to do all the work here?” she asked, smiling.
He gazed at her beautiful face in the gentle light. She knew that he had wanted to name their children. Gently, he leaned across and kissed her.
“I would have been here…”
“I know. You don’t have to explain. Now name our kids, and let me get some sleep.”
He laughed, and she passed their babies to him. Looking down at the lighter haired one, he spoke quietly.
“Hinode.”
Then his gaze turned to the other child, who was gazing back at him with her dark eyes filled with a kind of gentle defiance.
“Gekkou.”
He looked up at his wife, who was smiling at him gently.
“You approve?”
“Of course.”
“I love you more than anything, Kari. I’ll never leave your side, I promise.”
He passed their children back, and headed for the door.
“Davis?”
“Yeah?”
“The days gonna come when I’ll hold you to that promise.”
He flashed her a smile, and stepped outside.
=============================================================
The soldiers were slumped unceremoniously in the Master’s house. They had no weapons, and were completely dependent on the people of the caves for any supplies that they received. All in all, Nick had decided that he thoroughly hated the situation.
“I didn’t think it was possible,” he commented to Jun “But this both sucks and blows.”
The young doctor turned round, and fixed him with a level gaze.
“overlooking the fact that that is physically impossible, Nick Pallet, I really don’t think there’s any call for that kind of remark, do you?”
Nick, a ciggarette dangling unlit from the corner of his mouth, told her in very broad terms, and at some length, what he thought of that. Jun took the tirade of curses with a blank face, and then promptly punched him in the nose when he was done. Nick reeled back in pain.
“Hey! What was that for?!?”
“Well, you were either getting overly hysterical, or you were severely pissing me off. Take your pick.”
He glared at her, seething with impotent rage for a minute, then burst out laughing.
“I was getting a bit wound up, wasn’t I?”
“I don’t blame you, but I haven’t had any coffee for almost two weeks now, and whatever the Master gives us to drink, it sure as hell don’t have caffeine in it.”
“Caffeine is very bad for you, Jun.” Dartha said from the door.
“I know that. Tell it to me first thing in the morning though.”
The master laughed, and grinned at them all.
“Come outside. Willis has come up with something interesting.”
The troopers obediently moved outside to where Willis was crouched over his laptop computer. Dartha walked over next to him.
“Show them what you just showed me.”
“Okay. You all know that the current incarnation of the digiworld is based on gateways made of computer data, right? Well, what if we could use that data to our advantage.”
“How?” Garret asked, his eyes fixed on the younger man.
“Well…”
Willis smirked, and tapped a few commands on his keyboard. A bright light shone a couple of paces away for a second, and then there was a brand new rifle and Kevlar armour vest lying on the paving stones of the underground village.
One of the troopers near the back whistled, as Garret went over and picked up the weapon. Nick turned to the Digidestined.
“How did you do that?” he demanded.
“I uploaded it.”
Willis’s smirk was so smug, that under other conditions Nick might have been tempted to shoot him. At this moment, however, it was all the soldier could do to keep himself from hugging the younger man.
“So you can create things using the data that makes up the gateways?” Jun asked.
“Yeah… but there are limitations.”
Davis’s sister’s eyes narrowed.
“Like what?”
“Well, I can’t create anything organic.”
Jun’s shoulders slumped.
“No coffee then… anything else?”
“I can’t create anything too big. If I do, it could have some… bad side effects.”
“Again, Like what?”
“Like making the digital collapse in upon itself.”
“Ouch.”
“That’s what I thought too. Not a good idea. I can also add to anything uploaded, or anything present. Terriermon?”
The big-eared Digimon floated down from his usual position on the roof with a look of extreme trepidation.
“Stand here please.”
Terriermon sighed.
“I’m gonna regret this…”
Willis tapped another command into his keyboard, and bright light shone around the Digimon’s shoulders. When it dimmed, armoured plating covered the upper half of Terriermon’s body.
“Cool!” The big-eared creature said.
“I thought so.” His partner replied.
“So you can make us all weapons then?” Nick asked.
“Yeah, all except swords. I don’t want to over-use the system, and there are already swords being made in the caves.”
“Well, this turns the tide a little. Thanks a lot, Willis.”
“Any time.”
=============================================================
Despite the fact that the village was situated at least a hundred feet underground, the cave had naturally adapted to its situation. Night came, if anytime, when the small plants that provided the cave with its light started to dim in their glowing luminescence.
It was in one of these nighttime cycles that a visitor arrived at the Master’s house. A young man, his hair bound in a loose ponytail at the back of his head, knocked upon the door, as the nine people inside were settling down to a very late meal. Dartha stood, and opened the door. He immediately recognised the man outside.
“Don’t you ever get tired of changing your appearance?”
“Not in the past thousand years or so.”
“I thought not. Welcome, Gennai. It’s been a long time.”
“Seems like two hundred years.”
“… It’s been two hundred years.”
“Really? How time flies.”
He stepped inside, and bowed formally to Dartha, and then to the group at the table.
“Hello, everybody. It’s been a while.”
Jun stood, and rushed over to him.
“Gennai!”
“Jun! You look as lovely as ever.”
For some reason, Jun wrapped her arms around the man, embracing him in a fierce hug. Gennai returned the embrace, until she finally let go.
“It didn’t go exactly to plan, did it?”
“Not really, no.”
“Don’t worry. Things will improve from hereon in.” he turned. “Oh, by the way, I found this down in the caves, I thought you might want it back.”
A second figure stepped in through the door, his face hidden in the recesses of his hooded cloak. The hilt of a longsword showed through the opening at the front of the garment, as the figure slowly reached up, and pulled back his hood.
The group sitting at the table gasped as they recognised the man before them, his shoulder length brown hair ruffled from the hood of his cloak.
“God bless all here.” Liam Dillon said in his rich Belfast accent. “Has anyone got anything to drink? I’m bloody dyin’ for a whiskey.”
=============================================================