Hope itself is a species of happiness, and, perhaps, the chief happiness which this world affords; but, like all other pleasures immoderately enjoyed, the excesses of hope must be expiated by pain.
–Samuel Johnson

Chapter 8, Tsuyoshi.

Ty says that I shouldn't be so serious while writing the story, so you'll probably see some more sarcasm here and there from now on.

I should have mentioned before that when we went outside, it was pretty cold out. It was probably because of the mountains that the atmosphere was chilly. Within a few moments, I began to sniffle a lot.

As soon as Ty and I were in the forest, an immediate sense of grief and dread fell upon me. I could already feel my heartbeat gradually beating faster and faster until it felt like it was slamming itself against my chest. My body felt cold, my fingers began to feel numb, and the temperature around me dropped rapidly. It felt like some force was pulling down inside of me. That same feeling you get when you're about to get caught doing something you shouldn't be doing; not as a child, but as an adult.

My breathing became faster, and I think I might have held onto Ty's arm tighter than I was before. The feeling I got as soon as I took my first step into the forest. Fear. Nothing but some sort of fear. The canopies in the forest were so thick that hardly any light shone through. The trees were so close together that Ty and I took lefts and rights very often, but still moved straight. It was hard to see with all of the darkness, but when I looked at Ty, he looked like he could actually see everything around him.

"Can you–"

"Shh! Whisper!" Ty loudly whispers in frustration. The leafs above us began rustling, and I could almost make out shapes jumping away from us, like when you spook a flock of birds in the trees. The forest becomes so quiet that I can only hear our footsteps, my breathing, and the ringing of my own ears.

"What are we supposed to be doing?" I whisper quietly to Ty.

"We have to find any sort of suspicious or intriguing object or place that looks like a spot where the first template is." Ty says.

"What does it even look like?" I ask.

"It should be the size of your palm." Ty says. I spread out my left hand look at it just to get an idea. Overtime, my eyes adapted to the darkness, so I can actually see what's in front of me. The template seems a bit small when I compare it to the size of my palm. I would have expected bigger.

It seems really boring, but Ty and I were actually just fine doing nothing but walking around, not talking to each other. We both took up a lot of time. I usually spent the time just thinking about different things, like what Kotone said about my father crying over me. I don't know if he was really crying for me or not, but to be honest, I don't care. Hell, I would even stay here in the Digital world for the rest of my life if I wanted to.

Then again, there aren't any video games.

Or electronics of any kind.

Or mangas.

And. Well...
Maybe I should rethink that choice of staying in the Digital world.

I came up with a theory a while ago that the people who were born without the kind of technology we have today adapted to living without them, so they didn't get as bored as easily as most people might think. Since I'm so used to living with that technology, I'd probably go insane if I stayed in the Digital World. The city looks so boring, too.

Besides that, I actually like it here. Ty is the only friend I've ever had who's actually spoken to me, and hasn't avoided me because of my different likes and dislikes. The only problem I have with him is that I think he's too... cuddly. I hadn't known him for that long and he began leaning on me, saying I'm awesome when we were in the room with the prophecy . I understand he's meant to protect me and all, and that my DSD represents our eternal bondage together, but still, it just seems off.

Maybe friendship is a lot easier to find for other people. For normal people who actually have friends. People like Kotone. Even so, I would have expected Ty to be the kind of Digimon who salutes me every time I try to talk to him, and he calls me "Sir" instead of my name, or something. That includes every other Digimon, too. Perhaps going through what he went through can change a person as dramatically as he explained. He just became a whole new being.

Another thing, it's only been a few days here, and all I've learned is that I'm supposed to save over billions of lives of both humans and Digimon, including the worlds themselves from a giant, two headed beast who has the power to destroy every world in every year through time travel. Even though Ty explained we'll have to destroy the person who wants to revive him, how will we even do it? What if we can't find the person who revives him?

Stuff happens far too quickly here. I also wonder who the other three people are, and what Digimon they're partnered with. Speaking of that...

"Ty, who's Kotone supposed to be partnered with?" I ask.

"Elecmon, why do you ask?" Ty answers back to me.

"I only wondered." and that was the end of that conversation.

I still wonder how someone can be so happy. Maybe if they have friends like I wish I did, you could be a happier person. What I would have given if I had a pet dog when I was younger, though Tyrone would probably hoard it, knowing him. I wonder what he would be like if he were alive. I still remember finding out how he died when my parents gained the strength to tell me.

My father told me to come to the kitchen table, and so I did. He stared at this mark that was on the wood for a while, but I was patient, so I only stared at him. Not in the way that pisses him off, but in a normal way.

Tyrone, while being driven home, wasn't wearing his seat-belt, and during the Earthquake, the mother of Tyrone's friend quickly lost control of the car and hit a street-light pole at a very high speed. Tyrone's friend also wasn't wearing his seat belt, and he hit the passenger side, but on the upper back up to the head area, while my brother slammed head-first on the hard, plastic-like material that was the lower back part of the driver's seat.

Tyrone's friend was injured, but he healed eventually, and his mother was also safe, but Tyrone immediately began suffering from internal bleeding from his brain. He was slowly dying, and Tyrone's friend said he was making deep moaning sounds that sounded like a cow. Now, hearing that, I got outrageously pissed at Tyrone's friend, but today, I can see where he was coming from with that. He was only seven, after all.

Tyrone's friend's mom was able to dial 911 on her cell phone, and they got an ambulance right away. My dad couldn't tell me when he died because he started to get worked up about it at this point. When I asked him again at some point in the future, he broke down crying. He did tell me that doctors said he was calling and asking for me. Once I found this out, I just became colder than ever. I was a jerk to everyone for a long time. Today, I'm much better. I never cry when I think about Tyrone, but I wish I could, and I don't believe I grieved much for him.

I would love to tell Ty about the coincidence between him and my brother, but I'm just afraid of one thing. I don't believe Ty is like a reincarnation of my brother or something, that would be amazing if it were true, but I don't believe in reincarnation. I know they are two different people, but I guess I can sort of see him as a brother. Not brother as in Tyrone, but as another brother. He reminds me of Tyrone after all. I'm only afraid to tell Ty because I feel like he'll misunderstand, and think I only care about him because he reminds me of my younger brother, but that's not true. Perhaps it doesn't seem like a big deal, but to me, it is.

I wonder, if I were to have to come back home, and Ty came along with me, how would my parents react?

Well, first of all, my mom, knowing her, would probably toss something at him, and scream bloody murder, and my dad would probably start begging for the guy to not eat him. Just a guess, though. If I were to see him, I would probably react the same as my mom, only without the screaming or the throwing, just freaking out. That's the thing, though, how come I didn't react like that in the first place?

Oh, right. Ty didn't look viscous.

"Pitfall!" I hear raspy voice yell out, and Ty suddenly let's go of me and literally disappears before my eyes.

Suddenly, I fall hard on my butt as I lay in a deep pit with my knees standing close to my chest, and three gray Digimon jump out from above the trees, one of  them jumps out from next to me. They look like a mixture between rabbits and some sort of dog.

"Well, well, what is a savior doing out in the woods at a time like this?" The right one asks, watching me closely with red eyes.

"Maybe he was going out for a little walk away from the city!" The middle one exclaims in an excited tone, obviously happy that they've caught me.

"Ty! Ty! Where are you!?" I scream pleadingly. There's no way, I think to myself, there's no way Ty would leave me like this, would he? Maybe he was an evil virus after all. But then what about my DSD? Why would I get it if he were to betray me?

"Ty, Ty, help me, help me!" One of the Digimon mock me in a nasal tone, laughing hysterically with the rest after he says it.

"Help me, Ty, I'm a weak human that can't do anything right!" The others mock, laughing like maniacs– like it's the funniest joke in the world.

I must look like a total weakling right now. I stare at them with widened eyes in fear, then a plan comes to mind. If they plan to attack me, I can just attack them first, like, kick them in the face, or something, right?

Wrong.

"Electric Stun Bla–"

"M16 Assassin!" I hear Ty yell, as he reappears before my eyes like he did when he disappeared. He begins firing his M16 at the three gray Digimon. The one about to attack me was caught off guard, and he's shot by Ty's M16, but only dissipates into thousands of glowing yellow bits of... stuff. Data? Ty said Digimon are made of Data...

The other two only watch their friend supposedly die, I think, because I didn't see no egg appear, like Ty said would often happen if a Digimon dies. After a Digimon dies, their data forms into an egg, and the egg hatches into a Digimon's baby form.

"Uwaaaaaa! He killed him!" One of the two gray Digimon cry out.

"Run away! Hurry!" The other one yells, and they both run off on all four's, getting away before Ty can shoot them. He slides his M16 back to his backpack, and walks up to me, putting his hand out.

I smack his hand away, "What the hell was that for? I thought you ditched me and left me for dead!" I yell out.

Ty looked surprised after I hit him, "I hid from view so others can't see me. I did it so I could save you." Ty explains, crossing his arms.

"Well, next time, tell me when you're going to do that. I thought you left me!" I say again, more emotionally, "I thought you betrayed me, and you were just an evil virus after all like the rest of them! I thought I lost another friend like so many times before!"

Ty looks down at me, and I think I was making some sort of facial expression that made him feel pity for me, because he put his arms down, and his facial expression turned saddening, yet comforting. He sighs, "I'm sorry, but next time, expect me to do that again." he says, putting his right hand out in front of me. I hesitantly take it this time, and he begins pulling, but I'm stuck. I use my other hand to push, and I begin to loosen, then with a sudden jolt I'm on my feet again.

"What were those Digimon called anyway?" I ask.

"Gazimon. They're really bad rookie Digimon that pick on weaker ones," Ty explains to me, "we should keep going."

Ty puts his arm around mine, and we start walking again like we did before, as if nothing happened, then it crosses my mind...

"Ty," I sigh, "thank you. For saving me."

"You're welcome." he finally says.

Ty and I continue walking for a while after. At the same time, my anxiety continues creeping slowly. I can feel my heart beat faster, my breath get colder, my body getting colder. Goosebumps begin to form all around my arms and body, keeping hold of my body heat from escaping. I'm just about ready to jump to the sound of a stick snapping. I can tell I'm moving my head around a lot, and faster. I'm more afraid and more cautious of everything than ever.

My mind is beginning to play tricks on me. Sometimes I hear someone's voice softly call out "Tsuyoshi..." in a comforting tone. It's quiet enough to make me wonder if it's just my paranoia, but loud enough to let me know I definitely heard it. I'm just about ready to hear a scream in my head. I look behind me often, hoping to not see anything. My eyes feel like they're straining, and my breathing is shaky.

"Alex," Ty finally asks, stopping, and giving me a questionable look, "are you okay?"

I look around me, as if I'm looking for something, and I answer honestly, "No. No, I do not think I'm okay."

Ty gives me a concerning look for a few seconds, almost as if wondering if I've kept my sanity, "You now what?" he says, "I think we'll stop here for today and rest. I'll keep watch for a while. It's getting dark out anyway."

He was right. Looking at whatever light could come through, the rays peeking out were fading as night began to slowly come through it's way. I opened up my sleeping bag as soon as he said it, and began laying it down on the floor while Ty left, but not very far, to pick up large sticks to use as firewood. After a while, he came back with an armful and dumped them all next to me. He took out two rocks he must have found, each the size of his hand, and began to scrape them together like those survivalists on TV. He's able to get a few small sparks going, but other than that, it looked like the stones may not work. It was getting colder, too, and quickly.

Eventually, after a while, a large spark ignited the tiny pieces of wood, now lit on fire. Ty bent his head and started blowing gently on the pile of wood, trying to make the fire grow, and it does. I'm so cold from both the atmosphere and goosebumps that I don't feel any heat a first, but then some feeling of warmth slowly consumes the front of me.

"Get some rest," Ty says, "I'll wake you up soon."

I get in my sleeping bag right away. The hard ground makes it difficult to get in a comfortable position, so I'm left squirming a lot, and making a lot of noise until I finally get in the most comfortable position I can get into.

Without knowing it, I fall asleep.

•••

The rain pounding heavily on my window calms me.

Everyone is asleep except for me. As always, I'm reading late at night again, keeping up with a really good book that I'm thoroughly enjoying. My older brother below me snores, but because of the pounding rain, his snores can be heard only a little bit.

Occasionally there are flashes of lightning and rumbling beneath us, but it doesn't bother me. Not a lot of things bother met, though. I usually don't care, and I just like to be kept alone. My name is Takeshi Joshuya. I'm fifteen years old, and have blond hair, gray eyes, yeah. Just talking about those boring appearance features I should probably tell you about.

So I'm just laying on the top of the bunk bed me and my older brother share. I'm the youngest of three other brothers and no sisters. The one who's sleeping below me is Isao. He's sixteen years old, and will be seventeen soon. My two other brothers are Sadao, and Yuudai. Sadao was born a few minutes before Isao, and Yuudai is eighteen years old.

All four of us don't know our parents very well. Our mom, Hanako, and our dad, Ryota, both gave birth to all of us, but they have been traveling around the world since before Yuudai was born. They still travel around the world today. I don't even know them, hardly. We usually stay at my aunt and stupid uncle's house in Bunkyo, Japan. My uncle is such a fool to me, and my brothers are such idiots. I can't stand being at home, so I'm usually somewhere quiet, reading a book.

That's all I want is to be somewhere quiet and relaxing. Not in a loud, bustling city. It's surprising, the amount of quiet places you can find in this filthy, noisy city. Everywhere I look there is probably some apple with insects crawling all over it. Disgusting.

You can call me a clean freak. I am obsessed when it comes to organizing things, and putting all of my books in alphabetical order on a shelf, or something else. My family keeps saying I have OCD, but I don't, I know I don't. I'm not saying it because I don't want to believe it, but because it's not true. I just like to stay clean and quiet, but for some reason it seems clean and quiet cannot coexist in this world.

My Aunt and Uncle live in a small home in Bunkyo. I've lived with them ever since I was born, but I, including my brothers, often go to our grandma's, too, on both sides of the family. My parents are always going somewhere new. They've been to so many countries, even Antarctica, but when they go to the same country, it's a different city. They're almost always going off somewhere, and if they aren't, we get to see them. I have no idea how they get their money.

It's been raining a lot, recently. Sometimes a storm lasts for a whole 24 hours, but it does pass often. I've also heard it's unknown as to why there is so much rain. Some people have gone to the theory that those open-sky phenomenons in Toshima and Shinjuku have something to do with it. So far, with each phenomenon, one person has gone missing. Two in total are gone now, the foreign, and the girl.

Every eye-witness stated the same story, and what they saw, but no video footage was released. There were so many witnesses asked that I could have counted them all as a hobby if I wanted to. I don't know what to believe, and I honestly don't care. I don't care if two people are missing, it's not my problem.

That's when the lightning flash came.

As soon as I saw it, I had to squint my eyes, because it was so bright. Then I remembered the eye-witness accounts saying "There was a huge, bright thunderbolt that shook the ground like a small earthquake."

And then came that earthquake, and the loud lightning strike that sounded like an explosion next to me. I immediately covered my ears, and I got fearful. Was it really happening? Here? I looked out my window and saw it. The same opening-sky effect exactly as explained from the eye-witness accounts. I couldn't see it well, only the green background since there was so much water on the window. It was all true, and happening right in front of me. Car alarms were heard outside, but again, I couldn't see much with all of the water.

The lights went off, but the entire room was still illuminated by the green background in the sky. "It's happening, ain't it?" Isao asks, standing behind me. I look back, and I nod.

"Go and get the others, I'll just stay here." Isao orders me.

"Right." I say, and I walk out of my room, my hands already stuffed in my empty pockets. I open the bedroom door, and walk into the dark, narrow hallway, and take a left. I can already hear my aunt and uncle walking around upstairs, wondering what's going on. I take right at the end of the hallway, and notice a light peeking from an open door ahead of me.

Uncle's office. It has his computer, his desk, his papers, and a lot of other things. I approach the room, and open the door, taking a peek inside. None of us are allowed in the office room, but I'm curious about what's going on right now, so it shouldn't hurt to rebel against uncle's stupid rules.

The computer is somehow turned on when the power all around Bunkyo went off. I sit on the chair in front of the computer, which is black, but then some gray text shows up.

"Press ENTER to start the computer normally." it reads.

I probably shouldn't, but I press on the "ENTER" key once I find it.

The screen of the computer glows white, and shines the entire room brighter than the sun. "Agh! What the hell!" I close my eyes, which helps a little bit, but the light seems so massive that it goes through my fingers.

Then without me knowing it, my body is transported into the computer.

_{© Digimon owned by Akiyoshi Hongo, Toei Animation, and Bandai
© Digimon Saviors is owned by Shadowolf159.}