Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ When Worlds Collide ❯ Meetings ( Chapter 7 )

Disclaimer: Same as previous. I own nothing. If I did, would I be a poor, starving student who is seriously lacking the funds for manga and anime? Obviously not.

Author's Note: I wonder if anybody's still reading this? *crickets chirp* Okay...possibly not. *sweatdrops* It's been months...yes...but I'm sort of losing interest in Digimon (and this fic). Sometimes, though, I'd get the urge to write but not often...so...hence the long period between updates. However, since this is my first fanfic, and I'm too stubborn to discontinue this (if I did, I'd feel as if I failed somehow), I will keep on writing. Even if it takes me years. T_T

Much thanks to Moe who beta-ed.

Chapter Seven: Meetings

Yawning from jet lag and stretching out tired and cramped muscles, Jyou let out a sigh of relief. Back on land at last and none the worst for wear. If you didn't count the tension and stress Jyou had experienced once they went over the sea that is, and no doubt Adrianna wasn't going to let him off easy. He mentally prepared himself for the inevitable days of teasing but gave a small smile anyway. He didn't mind, really. Not like he wasn't used to it and he had to sheepishly admit, he deserved some of their ragging.

"Hey." A bump on his shoulder signalled Adrianna's awakening presence. "Argh...let's get up and go. I'm feeling like a zombie." She grimaced and stood unsteadily.

"Well, we do have a very nice hotel ahead of us. If we can make it without falling asleep on our tired, aching feet." Jyou wasn't in any better condition. Tired, with sore eyes and numb body parts, Jyou simply wanted nothing more than a nice hot shower and some stomach-rumble inducing food. Definitely the food, but shower first. He felt too sweaty and dirty for his liking, and knew Adrianna felt the same, except she would suffer several nights of extreme torture before admitting she did. It was the basis of her pride and who was he to spoil it for her?

They got off the plane in relatively one piece despite their weak pace and drunken bumping, though Jyou blamed that last one on Adrianna. He was walking perfectly okay, albeit slowly but Adrianna kept shuffling and twisting until she finally bumped into one thing or another. She squinted at the said object, either a person or a pole, and mumbled some form of apology. Jyou thought it was a very good thing that she was taking little steps because otherwise, the momentum at which she had hit that concrete pole would have concussed her, and then where would Jyou be? Carrying a semi-comatose body as well as all their luggage, of course. Jyou grimaced and thanked the powers that be.

It was with a mixture of relief and dread when they finally collected their luggage at the busy airport and hailed a taxi. On one tired, shaking hand, they had stopped walking and could finally lie down and relax. On the other tired, shaking hand, they had to sit -- after hours and hours of sitting on an airplane. Adrianna wasn't taking the time to ponder. She immediately set it upon herself to take up as much space as possible, sprawling all over the back seat and eventually over all of Jyou's area as well.

Jyou sighed.

Jyou was impressed. The sponsors apparently spared no expense when they decided to promote the field of medicine and science by organising a week of conferences and discussion groups to advertise and lure future students everywhere. Those who were lucky to be selected by their schools were allowed full membership, much like those who were already in the medical profession. It was a nice blend, and richly mixed so that experiences from the older generation could tell tales to the younger while their groups went through conference after conference, and eventually a tour to some newly acquired hospital additions in their vicinity. As well as that, all their living accommodations were seen to and provided for.

Jyou was immensely glad because he doubted that even with his slightly above average salary he could afford to stay for a week in this hotel. Not without worrying himself into the ground over how much he was spending anyway. Needless to say, the hotel was beautiful. Inexplicably full of splendour and luxury, and awe-inspiring in its glossy furnishing.

He was going to enjoy this week. Very, very much.

"This is perfect," Adrianna sighed contentedly from her bed, an empty tray next to her prone, but deeply breathing form. She had closed her tired eyes in exhaustion once she finished her meal, and the warm, clean feeling leftover from her long soak in the shower only served to lull her into sleep.

Jyou smiled and leaned back against his own pillows. He was as full and comfortable as he could ever be, and simply just wanted some rest. Which wouldn't be a very difficult thing, he concluded when he saw the silky white bed sheets and collapsed on top of the softest mattress he had ever the pleasure of lying on. And that was the point at which Adrianna ridiculed him for his creature comforts before turning around and doing the same thing to her own. Jyou just arched an eyebrow and repeated what she had told him, and received a face full of pillow for his effects. He supposed he didn't mind since Adrianna wanted the pillow back anyway, and after pretending to not hear her narrow-eyed commands for the first few moments, and receiving a threatening fist in the last, both of them went to sleep in a comfortable and good willed atmosphere.

Just as Jyou fell into an exhausted, deep sleep, he mentally reminded himself to call Sora at the very first opportunity.

Morning light had a habit of cleansing away the austere, gloomy atmosphere, and lending a sheen of warmth to even the most coldest of places. It brought in hope, and instilled an illusion of comfort and happiness, and the young, nameless man couldn't help but fall into its spell. He didn't want to of course. The circumstances dictating his situation was not what he would term 'hopeful', nor should he be, given his amnesia, but maybe in some past life, some past incarnation, too much hope had spilled over and now he was overwhelmed by its effects.

He couldn't even remember his own name, let alone any decent memory of his past, but the one thing that had stood out once he had transferred from the hospital and into this what-ever-it's-called institute, was his intrinsic, carefree attitude. It was like he was expecting everything to turn out okay; like he somehow knew it would turn out all right. It amused and exasperated him to no end, but he wasn't sure if he wanted it to go away. Everything just seemed so much better. And he knew for certain the staff members here approved of his positive outlook, even as they scolded him good-naturedly for complaining about the bland taste of his food.

Well, it was true, he thought with an inner childish pout, as he idly, but not quietly, waited for Ryou to show up with their breakfast and then begin the whole morning routine of eat, exercise and do nothing. I would kill for some greasy junk food. God knows I miss it. He sighed with great sadness and leaned back onto his pillows.

This place wasn't so bad. It wasn't exactly what he had pictured, but at least it was better than the hospital. The bed was neat and tidy and white, and the room might have been a bit bare, but the walls and furnishings were all painted in earthy rich brown, dark forest green and probably some mixture of the two. He even had his own desk and closet -- both of which were newly polished of course, and shone with a brown patterned gleam. Nearly everything was new, or so he had been told by the head of the institute, a middle aged, grey-haired man who didn't smile, but had looked at him with something akin to kindness. He had learnt soon enough that this institute (he couldn't remember the name, appropriately enough) had been newly established, and was built especially for patients like himself: those who needed shelter but was well past the need for urgent medical care. The demand for patients had increased, he was told, but the supply of hospital rooms and beds hadn't, leaving patients who had nowhere to turn to by themselves. This had been a growing concern for a while until the government finally took action to bring about a solution. He thought wryly that it was likely the act of a waning politician who wanted more votes to keep his seat, but kept this uncharacteristic sarcasm to himself. Truth to be told, he wasn't sure where it had come from either, and was moderately relieved when the topic changed to the mundane matters like the designation of his room and board.

"Yo," Ryou said cheerfully from the other side of the door, interrupting his thoughts. He then knocked redundantly, and entered the room.

"Yo, yourself," the brown-haired young man said as he sat up and made a face. "Don't tell me," he groaned. "More tasteless, inedible food."

Ryou snorted in amusement and just handed him the tray. "I'll have you know, these are perfectly edible and nutritious."

"You lie," he accused Ryou as he prodded at the cereal or porridge or what ever it was that he couldn't quite name. He supposed it was a good thing that it didn't twitch.

Ryou just grinned with twinkling brown eyes and said, "Oh, suck it up. It's not going to kill you."

"It might." He glared down at the suspicious bowl.

"Then I'll just drag your heavy carcass out of here and bury it," Ryou called out, as he left the room to make his rounds.

"Oh thanks so much," he muttered as he eyed his breakfast warily. He ended up eating it anyway but that didn't mean he couldn't complain. In fact, he had made it his daily goal to at least whinge once to no less than two staff members. Particularly Ryou and Shien, since one brought him his meals and the other cooked it.

After he finished the meal reluctantly (he still couldn't decide whether it was porridge or some type of warm cereal), he decided to get up and take the tray to the kitchen. It wasn't as if he was injured or anything, and he knew that out of most of their patients, he was probably the luckiest. He didn't know much -- practically everything -- about his past, but he did know he was brought in by some kid who had found him unconscious in the park. There were theories about being mugged or attacked, but for some reason, he felt they weren't right. Both options could easily explain away the absence of his wallet and ID, the concussion he arrived with, as well as the dislocated shoulder, the broken ribs, and several cuts and bruises, though the reason for his clothing style was still a mystery. He mused that he must have had some wacky style. Well, good for him then.

Walking out of his room and closing the door with a solid click, he carried the tray and the dirty bowl carefully. His attention was caught, however, at the commotion in the common room. He was instantly curious but didn't want to be caught holding the tray so he rushed to the kitchen, whinged to Shien -- "Man, you need to learn to cook. Couldn't you make burgers or something?" -- grinned impishly when Shien gave him the finger with laughing-glaring blue eyes and threatened to to gauge his eyes out with a large serving spoon, and rushed right back to his position several paces from the common room. He stood thoughtfully for a moment and contemplated the consequences of his impulsive actions, and then shrugged sheepishly before he walked right in. He'll do some damage control if he needed to -- right after he satisfied his curiosity.

There were talking. Lots of talking and laughing and just general enthusiastic chattering from a lot of strangers. The brown-haired young man had never bumped into them before; nor did they look like any patient of the institute either. Before he could puzzle out the pieces though, a blue panicked blur caught the edge of his vision and he turned to stare at the shocked bespectacled, blue-haired, blue-eyed, young man who was looking at him with an pallid, sickly expression. Before he could say anything, the man pointed at him and fainted. Scratching his head in confusion, he idly wondered if the man had a heart attack or something. Someone should get a doctor, he thought, and glanced around.

Sora sighed sadly, shivering within her grey coat even though the weather was far from cold. She was maybe a little amused, and a little sad at that. Taichi loved the summer, but didn't care much for the winter or rain. And he definitely wouldn't have wanted Sora or Satoshi to walk around in gloomy, frosty weather just to visit him, so he would have been glad to know that today was a lovely, warm day, with just the right amount of cool breeze to keep away the humidity. Sora squeezed the hand clasped within hers, and looked down at her son; who was looking around with fascinated brown eyes and walking enthusiastically by her side.

She smiled slightly, and this time, there was no sadness; just gentle affection and a bright outlook for the future.

"Are we there yet?" Satoshi asked, tilting up his tanned face and squinting from the glare of the sun.

"Nearly there," Sora said firmly.

It was a routine of a sort for them. Every time they visited Taichi, which was becoming less and less, Satoshi would always ask about their progress just before they reached Taichi's marked site, and Sora would always reply the same. Nevertheless, her son always asked and Sora would always answer, and then they would reach Taichi's grave and begin another routine: talking to Taichi about their lives thus far.

Sora started off with a melancholy, 'Hello, Tai' and ended with a 'Miss you always'. In between, was filled with a variety of things -- the exasperation and fondness with which she viewed her occupation as a coach (one of the best, or so her reputation stated), the annoyances and happiness in her daily life (she still didn't like doing laundry, but at least her cooking had improved and become edible), and last, but not least, Satoshi, their wonderful son. Sora was grateful, extremely grateful for Satoshi. There were times when thoughts of a life alone without Taichi, but also, without Satoshi filled her mind and made her shiver in ways that had nothing to do with the cold. These thoughts were quickly shut away behind a knocked door marked 'Do Not Enter', but still, they made an impression, and afterwards Sora would check on Satoshi, just to make sure he was there. She told Taichi this mentally though, not wanting Satoshi to view this visit as anything other than a venture to talk to his father, with whom he had never met.

Satoshi spoke with a child's enthusiasm and a child's delight. No more than five years old (time had passed quickly -- much quicker than Sora had realised), he was like one of those energiser bunnies. Always on the move, playing, running, walking -- at least until he fell into an exhausted sleep, and then Sora would carry him off to bed to tuck him in under soccer ball patterned covers.

He spoke about school, about the ickiness of homework (it sucks), of how he was going to learn how to ride a bike like the older kids (way cool), and most of all, how he just loved soccer. Gonna be just as good as you, daddy.

Sora smiled gently as Satoshi said his goodbyes. She sighed, and lightly tugged his hand. "Come on. I think it's time to go home."

"Okay, mama."

The walk back home took about fifteen minutes, nearly ten if Satoshi hadn't been distracted by the ice-cream stand ("But mama...ice-cream tastes better if you have it before lunch"), and once they reached their apartment on the eighth floor, Sora headed straight for the kitchen while Satoshi ran right to the lounge where the TV was.

Sora paused along the way as she caught the blinking red of her on her phone. A message then, she thought curiously, as she pressed a button. A familiar voice spoke, and her face lit up with a smile.

"Hi, Sora. It's me Jyou, but I'm sure you already knew that, what with my voice and all. Remember that seminar/conference I was telling you about? Well, guess what? I was selected to go! Great, isn't it? I'm having the time of my life here -- despite that dreadful plane ride -- but I digress. You wouldn't believe the hotel they have us in. I couldn't believe it myself. Oh, what am I doing, rambling on like this. I was just calling to see if maybe I could visit? Hope it's not too much of a hassle but it'll be great to see you and Satoshi. I guess that's pretty much it -- you have my number. My cell phone number that is. See you soon!"