seeing old friends -Jeri

[Ryo]

Ryo sighed quietly as he walked down the street Monodramon was on his back as he looked around. He was running late having slept in after the Golemon incident having been up till almost three in the morning by the time it was done and then two hours to get home. Yawning he played with his D arc which was resting in his pocket as he looked around. He had not been in the area for awhile now and had almost become lost when finding his way to the school. Taking a breath he calmed himself as he swallowed. He had no idea what the others were up to lately having lost most contact when he had gone home besides when he had gone home.

“I don’t know Monodramon maybe this is a mistake.” he said quietly his voice quiet as he looked ahead and then at the school. Even now he was ready to turn away “maybe we should leave” he said quietly. He looked at his partner curious as to what he would say. The two were close and he had always valued the dragons opion on things.

“Ryo I know you were shaken up last night but they need to know.” he said calmly he had talked Ryo into coming here. He had seen a change in Ryo since the last and it bothered him. He wanted him to talk to the others and maybe it would snap him out of it “come on” he said calmly his voice urging his tamer to keep going.

Staring at his partner he frowned and gave a nod he was right the others needed to know. Walking up the steps he had a few students eyes on him but most had seen the battle two years ago. He ignored them as he made his way up the steps and swallowed and sat down. Sooner or later one of the others would hopefully come out the door and he would get a chance to talk to one of them. He watched Monodramon calmly as the dragon Digimon was surrounded by kids asking questions a small smile coming to his face. That digimon had always liked being the center of attention and now he was getting it. Closing his eyes he put his head against the surface of the wall and rested there almost taking a nap.

[Kaze]

Jeri was in a world of her own, feeling the weight of her book bag as he hung upon both her shoulders while she descended the stairs of the school. But it wasn't just homework and books that were holding her down. Kazu had made her think about whether she had any right to keep secrets from her family, especially one that had almost got her killed. Though in truth, it wasn't the digimon fault or the D-Reaper for that matter. In all honesty, it was her own doing. She had been the one that couldn't handle her emotions. Even now, she still lacked complete control over them.

Though Jeri would say it was somewhat better than it had been...Or maybe she was lying to herself again? Sometimes it was hard to really tell when she was being honest or when she was in complete denial. There were even times when she couldn't really say what she was feeling at all. In the end, she went with the positive lie. That she was perfectly fine and capable of handling her feelings. Plus, if she did feel overwhelmed, she could talk to one of her friends or Gatomon.

"That was soo boring....What is the point of school? To put you to sleep? If you want to learn something, just read the book. It seems ten times more entertaining than the man that was talking it up for an hour.."

Jeri looked over her shoulder to see the feline pop her head from out of the bag, smiling slightly as she grinned back towards her. It had been a challenge at one time to keep the cat from moving about within her bag, now she seemed to have adjusted to the idea. After all, Jeri wasn't sure about letting her roam about on her own. Sadly, Gatomon had a way of finding trouble and Jeri was afraid of the results of such a special trait.

As the finally exited the building, the young girl noticed a small gathering of student not too far from them. Blinking in confusion, Jeri soon realized just what it was that they were looking at. It was a Monodramon, as well as a boy beside it. Of course, the boy was easier to recongnize than the digimon. It was Ryo. But what was he doing here?

[Ryo]

Ryo saw Jeri and stood and sighed quietly by now the kids were told it was a costume and he was just a kid. A chuckle came from his throat as he listened to the questions he would not step in unless needed. Monodramon was eating it up at the moment as long as a kid didn’t try and rip the top of the custom off he would be good he thought. He waited there as the time passed and stretched out as he hoped someone would come soon. Otherwise he would either fall asleep or go to Rika later he was not sure which one he preferred of the two though as he heard the door open and glanced up yes a tamer he thought and stretched out. Standing up he nodded at Monodramon who excused himself and walked away from the people that had been surrounding him. Walking over to Jeri he smiled “hey stranger” he said and smiled softly at her.

Jeri had been through a lot in the last war having had her partner killed and absorbed then being in the D reaper for to long he hoped she had been okay. He barely paused before he gave her a short hug “it is great to see you” he said and smiled at her. That was when he saw a Gatomon’s head sticking out and raised an eyebrow “is this cute one yours?” he asked and smiled at the Gatomon. She fit in the real world as she looked like almost any cat in the human world. He stayed near her as they could talk more easily with people around at least he hoped “have the others come back?” he asked her curious. So many he had seen in the last twenty four hours it was bothering him were they coming out of the woodwork suddenly and it bothered him “you would not believe what happened last night” he muttered to her and shook his head. He still trying to put things back together on what had happened and it was giving him a headache.

Hypnos having pulled guns on a human having been enough to bother him but the fact other things had started to stick as well. He closed his eyes and paused “Hypnos…they have some big issues going on” he muttered quietly “any of the others behind you?.” he asked her after a few moments. It would be easier if they could all talk but he didn’t mind being around Jeri she had a good personality and was a good friend to most of them. He had always wished that he had spent more time around her in the long run “want to go for a walk Jeri?” he offered to her with a kind smile. Some time together would not do them any harm or at least he hoped so. He could see that Takato had a crush on her and hopefully this would not upset his friend.

[Kaze]

Jeri was still trying to absorb the fact that Ryo was actually there. She hadn't seen much of him for the past two years. It just seemed so weird to see him physically. She smiled slightly as she hugged him back, shaking her head as he asked if she had seen the others. While she was in the same class as Takato, they didn't talk too much outside of school. It was strange, but it was mostly her fault since she was always rushing out the door.

While Ryo seemed to question Jeri, Gatomon looked towards her tamer and then back at the boy with a narrow-eyed gaze. It wasn't that she didn't trust him, but she didn't like the idea of being called cute. She was,after all, a digimon. That meant that her looks were only part of who she was, and she could easily scratch that pretty boy's face off within seconds.

"Hypnos? You mean their back? But I thought...."

She quickly silenced herself as she realized that much of her knowledge on Hypnos was based on what the others told her. She hadn't really met them personally. Though if Ryo seemed to think they were up to something, she would believe him. Nodding towards his idea of talking a walk, she glanced towards Gatomon and then began to proceed in walking beside the other tamer.

[Ryo]

Ryo could see the look Gatomon had given him and paused “I have seen some pretty awesome Gatomon in my time they are always the best fighters” he said and smiled lightly. He remembered Kari’s Gatomon who had been a interesting digimon even though he had rarely talked with that one. He sighed quietly his mind going back to the other times he had been in the digital world “how are you doing Jeri?” he asked her softly. He had heard of Leomon and what had happened to him in the last war. If anyone deserved a second chance it would have to be Jeri he thought and took a breath to calm his thoughts at the moment which were a bit troubled to say the least.

He sighed quietly and nodded quietly “yea they are back” he said and shook his head. Staring ahead he frowned deep in thought as he sighed quietly “I was out and met a Digimon named Golemon” he said after a few moments as he looked around making sure no one was around or at least so he hoped “within minutes a squad of black cars came and had us surrounded” he said quietly as he rested his hands in his pockets as he stared ahead “guns drawn on both of us they were there to eliminate him without a thought Monodramon was not there yet though” he said and closed his eyes “I was able to fake my way out by claiming I am his tamer…they would not hurt a tamer digimon thankfully” he said calmly. Closing his eyes he shook his head “I called a bluff on calling the news they said they would dismember me” he said and rolled his eyes as he took a breath. They had said way to much he thought as he fingered his D arc and stared at the ground “they control the news everything Jeri we are in over our heads here” he said quietly his voice cracking.

One thing had caught his thoughts though now as he frowned “I found a place in a forest that has a place where the Digimon are kept safe” he said calmly. He closed his eyes and shook his head “the odd thing was that the Digimon that protects it looks like a Kyubimon enough that I thought it was Rika’s at first don’t call her that though…Renee is her name” he said and shrugged. Watching her he sighed quietly “Hypnos is a lot more dangerous then what I have been told by the others and I don’t like what they are doing but Renee has said that no small amount would do the job anymore” he said and stared ahead. He was disturbed right now and it showed in his eyes “and honestly if they did not kill us it would be our family to keep us quiet Jeri” he said quietly. Something had changed in his voice as he stared ahead of himself. The thought had been nagging at him more and more though “maybe they have a point on controlling Digimon without a tamer… I don’t agree with all of it but still” he said calmly. The change in his voice was there he didn’t agree with a lot that they did but he understood that control was needed.

[Kaze]

It was a lot to take in, but Jeri did her best to listen and take in all of it. Ryo and Monodramon had been through much since the last time she saw them, since anyone had seen them. But this news about Hypnos was really disturbing. Could they really have that much control within Japan? If that was true, than what chance did Takato and the other have? What did any of them have?

"Wow..."

It wasn't the most impacting statment, but it was the only thing that could come to mind. Looking towards the ground for a moment ,she swiftly returned her gaze back to Ryo when he said that maybe Hypnos was right about controlling digimon. How could they be right? Especially when they were threatening to kill and hurt people? Didn't digimon have rights to live as well? While she understood that some just wanted to fight, she couldn't help but believe that if reasoned, they could be swayed from being...well..bad.

"But you said yourself that they would have killed Monodramon if he didn't have a tamer. Even digimon without Tamers aren't all bad...Their just...lost..."

Gatomon listened to this and mumbled under her breath as she rolled her eyes. Lost was far from how she would describe digimon without tamers. While she wouldn't say that all of them were out to kill, most wanted data. It was simply how they lived in the Digital world.

"Lost isn't the word I was thinking....More like most of them are hungry and nuts...

Jeri looked over her shoulder and sighed as the feline simply shrugged her shoulders before putting her head back down into the back pack.

[Ryo]

Ryo listened to the both of them as he walked he nodded quietly “some are…lost in a sense yes” he said calmly as he rested his hands at his sides and sighed “some like Gatomon pointed out though can be dangerous and have come close a few times against us” he said calmly. He wished he had other ideas at how to deal with this but right now he had a lost look to his eyes almost as he stretched his hands behind his head and cracked his knuckles. Their were times when he wondered if things had been worth all that had happened to him and the others with being tamers and everything that they had fought for. Glancing at Jeri he paused “we should talk with the others and see what they are thinking on the subject” he admitted. They were a team and maybe they could figure things out given time maybe they would grow in numbers. He sighed quietly “their was a digimon there that looked like Kyubimon but different colors in the forest at first I thought she was Renamon but…definitely not her” he said and shrugged at the thought.

Pressing his hand to his mouth he yawned and sighed “Renee the Kyubimon says the forest is safe to take other digimon but to make sure we do it sparingly so no one follows they have never had an attack there it seems” he said calmly. He hoped that would be a fact but they would not be able to save every Digimon they did not have the numbers that Hypnos seemed to have. Looking at Jeri he paused quietly “what do you think?” he asked her. Her thoughts mattered just as much as anyone else in the group as he glanced at her. He paused quietly “we never really had time to talk…I regret it Jeri” he admitted and sighed. His voice was calm and level as he watched her it when he had come around it had been short between the D reaper incident and then the two years afterwards…well it made things hard to see the others. He wanted to change that now and would do his best to fix that.

He sighed quietly and shook his head “my parents are worried sick that I will disappear again” he said calmly. He had done it way to many times and now they worried when he didn’t come home at night or call” he said and sighed quietly. When his father had seen Monodramon the reaction had been mixed to say the least. They were glad to see Ryo come out of a depressed shell but also Digimon had taken their son from them more then one time when he had come back now though he was not planning to go anywhere at least for awhile they had no reason to yet “how are your parents taking it Jeri?” he asked her softly his voice calm. He wondered how many other parents knew the digimon were back after the war a few years before he had almost not told his own about it. They had enough to worry about besides their son getting things started that were over his head…which always happened anyway.

[Kaze]

It just seemed like a lot was going through Ryo mind. It was hard for Jeri to really say what she was thinking before he shifted into another topic altogether. But then, perhaps that was how she was when she talked to people about her feelings, or at least to Gatomon. There were many things that she kept inside, she figured it was better that way. Some things could be shared, and there were things that couldn't really be explained. Though this wasn't about her, but rather about what Ryo was trying to figure out for himself. All she could really be is a listener and give some of her input. Even if it wasn't much.

"I don't know....But telling Takato and the others is a good idea. Especially if Hypnos is that dangerous now..."

As the subject shifted into what her parents thought, she looked down while closing her eyes. She wouldn't really know what they thought, she hadn't told them about the fact that there was a digimon living in her room. But she had been listen to her father's responses to the supposed rumors of digimon. From his comments, she was glad she was keeping it quiet. He hadn't forgotten what they had put her daughter through, and how the D-Reaper had almost destroyed Japan. Jeri would likely have to keep this secret for the rest of her life, if that was possible.

"I....haven't told them...."

[Ryo]

Ryo watched her and nodded it would be best to tell them about Hypnos and sighed quietly his mind elsewhere as he looked at the ground. They had to be there for each other and make it through all the hard ships that were to come. Closing his eyes he took a breath and watched the area around him. It was a somewhat surprising when he had come across digimon again “I will call and talk with Rika and see if we can set something up with the others” he said quietly. Though he had no idea what they could do but it would not hurt to brain storm some ideas. They had won the last time maybe they would have a larger fight on their hands now then they had before. A haunted look had come to his eyes as he shook his head and looked at Jeri she had changed a lot over the two years it seemed. In some ways they were good and others well it could be considered bad in others.

So she had not told her parents he thought and sighed thinking of offering his advice but decided to talk to her about it “Digimon have been rough on all of us Jeri but more so with you” he said gently. The d reaper had been enough to drive them all to their limit but Jeri had been alone for most of the time besides Calumon. Sighing he shook his head “how do they act about the Digimon?” he asked her calmly. Jeri had her reasons with things and he was curious on her. He had heard that her parents had not been there when they had gotten back from the digital world and then told her to come home alone which was cold. Resting his hands inside of his pockets he tilted his head to the side as he waited to see what she would say about things. She seemed to be one of the nicer ones that he had seen from tamers in a long time. Taking a breath he rested his hands inside of his pockets “any plans for the rest of the day?” he asked her softly.

[Kaze]

Hearing this, Jeri realized that she must have looked upset to cause such a statement to come out like that. Looking up towards Ryo, she smiled slightly to try and ward off any more negative assumptions. After all, there wasn't any need to have them worry about her. She was fine, at least in a sense. Sure, it hadn't really been the best experience for her, but that didn't mean she had the right to be a burden.

"Its fine...Like you said...We all had it pretty rough right?"

Laughing lightly, she then looked up towards the sky as Ryo asked how her parents acted when it came to hearing about digimon? Seemed like the topic was still the main focus of the conversation, whether she liked it or not.

"Like most people...It a mixture of feelings..."

At least that was true. Her step-mother didn't talk about them at all, and if the topic was brought up to her father, his comments wouldn't really be that uplifting. So it was a mixture. Each one of them had their own opinions, though one expressed them more than the other. So mixture was the accurate answer. Though when it came to the question of what she had planned for the rest of the day, Jeri found herself unable to find an answer.

"Um...I don't know...Probably head home and see I need to work today. If I don't, I might just go to the park. Why?"