Jou and Gomamon at the park.
"Jouu! I can't find it!" called Gomamon from the middle of the murky pond.
"It's in there! Trust me!" Jou called back from the bank.
Gomamon dove under the water and Jou sat on the bank. He pulled his knees to his chest and rested his chin on them with a sigh. Finding that position uncomfortable, he crossed his legs and leaned on one knee, then the other. It was a typically fiercely hot summer day, but the shade of the tree he was beneath and the bottle of cold tea kept him cool as he envied Gomamon's freedom to jump into a pond and swim. He did his best to ignore the couple snuggling and whispering sweet nothings to each other not-so-quietly on the other side of the tree.
Finally, Gomamon appeared at the bank with a small leather wallet in his mouth. He crawled up to Jou quite proudly and spit it out at Jou's feet.
"Found it!"
Jou scooped up the soggy accessory. "Thanks, Gomamon! I'd hug you but you're, you know."
"All wet?"
"Yeah."
"It's okay. You smell bad in this weather anyway."
Jou flatstared Gommon and overturned the wallet. He carefully removed several bills and laid them on his handkerchief, and a handful of coins joined them. He carefully removed his gift card to an Indian restaurant, which had one more stamp to go before he got a free entree and drink.
"I hope they still accept it," he muttered as he laid it on the handkerchief.
Gomamon shook himself dry and slicked back his mane. "If they don't, then maybe you can photoshop a new one!"
"I can't use photoshop." Jou patted the coins dry and put them in his pocket.
Gomamon shrugged. "Then I guess you're out of luck unless they remember you."
Jou smiled out of one corner of his mouth. "Fat chance of that happening, right?"
"I'm not so sure about that..." said the multicolored seal as his eyes rolled back thoughtfully.
"What do you mean?" said Jou as he pulled his credit card, train pass, driver's license, and hospital ID out and laid them on the handkerchief.
"You may not be pretty like Mimi, but you sure are goofy. Anyone could pick you out of a crowd at five hundred meters."
"You are really pushing the envelope right now, buddy!" said Jou in a mock-threatening tone. He tried to put on a menacing look, but his smile made it look more like he was about to sneeze.
"Well somebody's got to, and Shin's not here."
Jou shook the wallet hard at Gomamon, which made the Digimon squint as he was sprinkled with water. "I can't believe that dog jumped into the pond with my wallet," he said mournfully.
Gomamon sat down next to Jou. "I tried to stop him, but he was too fast. And besides, did you see all those teeth? I'm not getting anywhere near that."
Jou spread his wallet out and laid it on the handkerchief. "Are you getting soft? You used to fight Digimon with several mouths all the time."
Gomamon closed his eyes and "hmphed." "You say that when forty kilograms of slobber comes at you full-tilt. It's not like I'm gonna evolve to take on a poodle."
"That was a Great Dane," Jou corrected.
"Either way," Gomamon continued without changing his tone, "it's against my policy to change into Ikkakumon unless it shoots something besides slobber out of its mouth."
"You have a policy?" Jou asked as he laid back.
"Of course. Otherwise I wouldn't be such a gentlemon, would I?"
Jou covered his eyes with one arm. "Gentlemon don't threaten to get their partner's brothers to blackmail them if they don't take them to the park."
Gomamon jumped on Jou's stomach and Jou flinched as the air rushed out of him like an opened balloon. "That's because I haven't been much of anywhere ever since that thing at Mimi's apartme-"
Jou covered Gomamon's mouth. "If you mention that again I will throw you in the pond this time."
Gomamon shook Jou's hand loose from his mouth. "But you just did a few minutes ago."
"I was panicking."
"Obviously. If that's what you're like at work I worry about your patients."
"I thought I told you to hush," said Jou as he laid his head back.
Gomamon opened his mouth to make yet another smart remark, but the sigh that escaped from Jou's chest told him silence might be a better option.
He gave his partner exactly twenty-three seconds of silence before he started again. "Jou, when are you going to see Mimi again? I miss hanging out with Palmon."
"Pretty soon, I think. I'm still not sure about her letting you over to her place anytime soon."
Gomamon bounced on Jou's stomach, which compressed his innards uncomfortably and made him put his hands on Gomamon to keep him still.
"What if Palmon comes to visit us?"
"I dunno..."
"Please? I need some time with other people from the digital world, too!"
"I'll think about it."
"I heard that usually means no for you humans."
"Then I'll ask her."
"Serious?"
"Of course. And Iori-kun, too."
Gomamon tried to jump, though he was restrained by Jou's hands. "Yay! Thank you!" he squeaked.
"Anything else, or can I finally get some peace?" he asked.
"Can I ask one more question?" Gomamon asked.
"Sure," said Jou as he closed his eyes.
"Why did Rie die?"
Jou's eyes pinched a little as the words hit his ears. "I don't know."
Gomamon frowned. Jou's response filled the air, but not the spaces in his mind that needed answers. "Jou?"
"Yeah?"
"I'll never leave you, you know that?"
Jou opened his eyes and smiled through his sadness. He stroked Gomamon's mane. "I know. And I'll never leave you."
"It's in there! Trust me!" Jou called back from the bank.
Gomamon dove under the water and Jou sat on the bank. He pulled his knees to his chest and rested his chin on them with a sigh. Finding that position uncomfortable, he crossed his legs and leaned on one knee, then the other. It was a typically fiercely hot summer day, but the shade of the tree he was beneath and the bottle of cold tea kept him cool as he envied Gomamon's freedom to jump into a pond and swim. He did his best to ignore the couple snuggling and whispering sweet nothings to each other not-so-quietly on the other side of the tree.
Finally, Gomamon appeared at the bank with a small leather wallet in his mouth. He crawled up to Jou quite proudly and spit it out at Jou's feet.
"Found it!"
Jou scooped up the soggy accessory. "Thanks, Gomamon! I'd hug you but you're, you know."
"All wet?"
"Yeah."
"It's okay. You smell bad in this weather anyway."
Jou flatstared Gommon and overturned the wallet. He carefully removed several bills and laid them on his handkerchief, and a handful of coins joined them. He carefully removed his gift card to an Indian restaurant, which had one more stamp to go before he got a free entree and drink.
"I hope they still accept it," he muttered as he laid it on the handkerchief.
Gomamon shook himself dry and slicked back his mane. "If they don't, then maybe you can photoshop a new one!"
"I can't use photoshop." Jou patted the coins dry and put them in his pocket.
Gomamon shrugged. "Then I guess you're out of luck unless they remember you."
Jou smiled out of one corner of his mouth. "Fat chance of that happening, right?"
"I'm not so sure about that..." said the multicolored seal as his eyes rolled back thoughtfully.
"What do you mean?" said Jou as he pulled his credit card, train pass, driver's license, and hospital ID out and laid them on the handkerchief.
"You may not be pretty like Mimi, but you sure are goofy. Anyone could pick you out of a crowd at five hundred meters."
"You are really pushing the envelope right now, buddy!" said Jou in a mock-threatening tone. He tried to put on a menacing look, but his smile made it look more like he was about to sneeze.
"Well somebody's got to, and Shin's not here."
Jou shook the wallet hard at Gomamon, which made the Digimon squint as he was sprinkled with water. "I can't believe that dog jumped into the pond with my wallet," he said mournfully.
Gomamon sat down next to Jou. "I tried to stop him, but he was too fast. And besides, did you see all those teeth? I'm not getting anywhere near that."
Jou spread his wallet out and laid it on the handkerchief. "Are you getting soft? You used to fight Digimon with several mouths all the time."
Gomamon closed his eyes and "hmphed." "You say that when forty kilograms of slobber comes at you full-tilt. It's not like I'm gonna evolve to take on a poodle."
"That was a Great Dane," Jou corrected.
"Either way," Gomamon continued without changing his tone, "it's against my policy to change into Ikkakumon unless it shoots something besides slobber out of its mouth."
"You have a policy?" Jou asked as he laid back.
"Of course. Otherwise I wouldn't be such a gentlemon, would I?"
Jou covered his eyes with one arm. "Gentlemon don't threaten to get their partner's brothers to blackmail them if they don't take them to the park."
Gomamon jumped on Jou's stomach and Jou flinched as the air rushed out of him like an opened balloon. "That's because I haven't been much of anywhere ever since that thing at Mimi's apartme-"
Jou covered Gomamon's mouth. "If you mention that again I will throw you in the pond this time."
Gomamon shook Jou's hand loose from his mouth. "But you just did a few minutes ago."
"I was panicking."
"Obviously. If that's what you're like at work I worry about your patients."
"I thought I told you to hush," said Jou as he laid his head back.
Gomamon opened his mouth to make yet another smart remark, but the sigh that escaped from Jou's chest told him silence might be a better option.
He gave his partner exactly twenty-three seconds of silence before he started again. "Jou, when are you going to see Mimi again? I miss hanging out with Palmon."
"Pretty soon, I think. I'm still not sure about her letting you over to her place anytime soon."
Gomamon bounced on Jou's stomach, which compressed his innards uncomfortably and made him put his hands on Gomamon to keep him still.
"What if Palmon comes to visit us?"
"I dunno..."
"Please? I need some time with other people from the digital world, too!"
"I'll think about it."
"I heard that usually means no for you humans."
"Then I'll ask her."
"Serious?"
"Of course. And Iori-kun, too."
Gomamon tried to jump, though he was restrained by Jou's hands. "Yay! Thank you!" he squeaked.
"Anything else, or can I finally get some peace?" he asked.
"Can I ask one more question?" Gomamon asked.
"Sure," said Jou as he closed his eyes.
"Why did Rie die?"
Jou's eyes pinched a little as the words hit his ears. "I don't know."
Gomamon frowned. Jou's response filled the air, but not the spaces in his mind that needed answers. "Jou?"
"Yeah?"
"I'll never leave you, you know that?"
Jou opened his eyes and smiled through his sadness. He stroked Gomamon's mane. "I know. And I'll never leave you."