Part 2
When we last left the kids they were just setting up camp and Maki was the new girl in the group.
After a filling dinner of fish and fruit the kids sat around the fire filling Maki in on the Digiworld and the conflict within. The Digimon were playing a game of tag while the kids spoke seriously to Maki.
"So this is what the Digiworld is?" Maki asked still a bit confused and not sure if she should fully believe what was being told to her.
"Yep." Said Tai, "But we still don't know everything about it, we learn more everyday that we are here."
"Yeah except you, Tai, not too much gets through your thick skull." Matt said with a smirk.
"Oh, shut up Matt, you can be such a jerk, Mr. I am too cool for everybody!" Tai retorted.
Matt stood up and glared at Tai as if challenging him to continue with the insults and the smart mouth. Tai also stood up and glared back at Matt to show that he held no fear of the boy. Sora quickly jumped between the two squabbling boys.
"Will you two just knock it off, you guys are being so childish!" Sora yelled.
Maki just sat there watching the show unfold and laughing to herself. God they act like brothers or something. Almost like they hate each other. She thought to herself.
Matt and Tai stopped and looked at Sora and then back to each other, they both nodded their heads sheepishly and sat down quietly not looking at the other. Tai then brought his attention back to Maki.
"So, Maki. Tell us about you. Do you know why you are here?" Tai asked.
Maki looked at Tai and then around to the others. "Um, well there is not much to tell about me and no, I have no idea why I am here."
Matt frowned for a minute and then decided to ask what was probably on all their minds, "so you said something about hell and jumping off a building? What was that all about?"
Maki bit her lower lip and looked around the group, all the kids watched her intently while waiting for an answer or explanation. She took a moment before answering to choose her words carefully.
"Uh, well. It must have been the fall here, I was confused." She finally said.
Matt just looked at her not believing her for a minute, she was hiding something and he would stop at nothing to find out what it was.
Maki sensed the intensity of Matt's eyes on her and looked over to meet them. She stared at him for a moment, feeling weak from him and quickly decided that she needed to escape this all too uncomfortable moment.
Maki quickly stood up and looked at the kids. "I need to take a walk, I'll be back." She said hastily as she turned around towards the woods.
"You can't go out alone, it's dark and you don't know what's out there!" Tai yelled.
Maki stopped for a moment and glanced back, "I'll be fine, I won't go far and I will be back soon, I promise." With that she turned back and walked into the thick forest leaving the others behind.
Matt stood up, "We can't just let her walk off like that."
Tai stood up as well and started towards the woods where Maki had disappeared only moments before. "I'll follow her and make sure she is ok."
"No" Matt said walking over to Tai, "I will, you stay here. I'll take Gabumon just incase."
Tai just nodded as Matt walked off into the woods after Maki.
Maki walked deep into the woods, she just wanted to get away from the others. Too many questions, she thought. I don't want to answer any more questions; I just want to go home, somewhere, just not here. She walked a bit further and found a nice tree that she decided would make a nice place to sit and think. She slid down the side of the tree and closed her eyes and tried to think of what she should do and how she would get out of this mess.
Not far away a pair of eyes came to rest of her figure sitting by a large looming tree. He watched her while trying to figure out what she was and why she was there with the rest of them. He thought for a moment about going up and talking to her, but then thought she might be angry if she realized that he had followed her into the forest. He decided to stay where he was for the moment, unless of course she needed help at that time he would make his presence known.
Another pair of eyes also watched the girl sitting by the tree, this time the eyes were much further away without fear of detection. He growled at the sight of the girl and pondered her presence in the Digiworld. He had felt confident that there were no other digidestined that would be coming into the Digiworld, but then if not, why was she here. He growled from deep within his stomach and quickly spun around, he need to know why she was here, he would have to consult his books on the prophecies to see if there was something he had over looked.
Maki opened her eyes, feeling as though someone or something was watching her. She scanned her eyes around the darkened forest trying to make something out but seeing nothing. She sat for a moment and listened, it was quiet, no sounds where there to be heard.
Matt watched as Maki looked around, he was sure that she sensed him there. He slowly backed up trying to be careful not to trip or step on anything to give away that he was there. Gabumon walked along with Matt trying to be quiet but was not as careful as his human friend stepping on a twig that snapped rather loudly in the hushed quiet that surrounded the forest. Matt looked down at Gabumon and growled softly and then looked at Maki who had stood up and was looking fearfully around to see where the noise had come from. Matt decided the best course of action was to play it cool.
"Who? Who's there? Show yourself!" Maki yelled trying to sound calm but failing. She looked around wide eyed, her heart felt as though it was pounding so hard it would just burst through her chest at any moment. She heard another noise like footsteps and she turned in that direction to see a tall figure walking towards her. At first she couldn't quite make it out, but the closer it came she saw who it was.
"Hey" Matt said, trying to sound cool. "Didn't realize you were here, just decided to take a walk."
"You scared the crap out of me!" Maki yelled, "What the hell, were you following me?"
"Hey calm down chicky." Matt said coolly, "As I said, I went out for a walk. Don't think you are special or anything, I certainly didn't think I would be running into you. God!"
Maki narrowed her eyes at the tall blonde headed boy. He just rubs me the wrong way, she thought. "Whatever!" She retorted and then kicked herself for not thinking of anything better to say. She squinted her eyes a bit more to show her anger and then walked off in a huff.
Matt quietly laughed to himself triumphantly. He always did love to get in a good jab. Gabumon who had witnessed the whole thing looked at Matt and began to tisk him. Matt looked down to his digimon friend.
"What?" He asked innocently.
"Matt, that wasn't very nice. She is new here and probably scared." Gabumon said softly.
"So? She is lying about something and I don't trust her. Why should I be nice to her?" Matt asked scowling down at his friend.
"Matt, because you were new here once as well. Look deep inside yourself, I am sure you will find some commonalities with her if you try." Gabumon stated in his wise old man voice.
"She and I have nothing in common!" Matt yelled rather loudly.
Gabumon just shook his head sadly. "It is not for me to point out what the two of you may share but for you to find it out for yourself," he said as he began to walk back to camp and away from Matt, who just continued to stand there thinking.
Matt slowly looked around at the dark forest and decided that he better head back to camp as well. Maki? What do she and I have in common? Nothing! She is lying about something...Maybe not lying, maybe just not being upfront. Oh what the hell am I thinking? She is hiding something, I know she is! He balled up his fists as he continued to walk, soon he heard the voices of his friends as he neared the campsite.
Tai and Sora looked up as Matt sat down by the fire deep in thought. Sora looked from Matt and then to Tai giving him a firm nudge and gesturing with her head for him to go and talk to Matt. Tai nodded to Sora and walked over to where Matt was sitting and took a seat next to him unnoticed. Sora stood up and walked to where the others were settling down for the night.
"Hey." Tai said as he began to draw pictures in the dirt with his finger.
Matt looked over to Tai and shook his head, "hey," he mumbled.
Tai looked up and over to Matt who still seemed to be in deep thought. "So what is up between you and Maki anyways?" He came right to the point.
"What do you mean?" Asked Matt, still not looking at Tai.
"You really don't seem to like her." Tai said still drawing with his finger in the dirt.
"And you do? Oh, and nice hearts." Matt said sarcastically looking down at Tai's drawing.
Tai looked up and blushed and looked in the direction of Sora, "uh, well?" he quickly erased his drawing and looked back at Matt seriously. "Look Matt, Maki is one of us. She seems nice and she is the only other human here in the Digiworld besides us. We should all stick together."
Matt glared at Tai, could he be any more gullible, he thought. "Look we don't know her and I don't happen to think that she is nice at all."
Tai sat there with his mouth open not sure what to say, this was the first time he had ever known Matt to prejudge someone like this.
"Fine." Tai said. "You have the right not to like her, but we are a group, a team and we have to work together and like it or not, Maki is now a part of that team. I suggest you get used to it and grow up." Tai stated plainly and before Matt had a chance to retort Tai got up and walked away from him leaving him only to his thoughts and now his anger.
The Next Morning..........
After a breakfast of berries and nuts the group lounged around the camp and tried to enjoy the next few days that Tai had given them of vacation. Of course if Mimi had had her way she would have made the group track around to find a resort but the small camp by the lake would have to do. Mimi was one of the first one from the group to make herself a comfortable spot in the grass near the water, perfect for tanning. Sora and Kari were soon to follow, but not before attempting to invite Maki, who would have no part of it. Maki just politely declined the invitation and offered a feeble excuse of a headache to save her from having to be social. Tai, Matt and T.K. all ran as fast as they could to the cool lake to enjoy some splashing around in the hot sun.
Joe declined going in as he felt sure that the lake probably possessed some bacteria or parasite that he was most likely allergic to.
Gommamon just scoffed at his human companion and wasted no time in making a mad dash for the water. Izzy on the other hand made no excuses for not enjoying that water or the sun by simply stating that he would rather not, research needed to be done.
With that all the digimon and all but three of the humans were playing, yelling, laughing and having an enjoyable and well-needed afternoon of fun and relaxation.
Maki sat off to the side, quietly watching the others enjoy themselves. This is all too familiar, she thought to herself, people that she was with having fun while she sat by and watched. In a way I guess it is my own fault, she thought sadly as she began to pick small flowers from the grassy floor from which she sat. Maki decided that for now being a bit mindless may prove to ease her feelings of sadness and quickly she began concentrating on picking the pretty white flowers that seemed to surround her.
Nearby Izzy looked up from his computer and watched her intently, his eyes gazed at her up and down. He then blushed as realized that he was staring and hoped that no one had seen him do that. He wondered about her, where she had come from, what she was doing here, was she a digidestined, why didn't she have a digimon if she was, if she wasn't then why was she here? He had so many questions that he wanted to ask, but she seemed so distant, closed off. A phrase suddenly popped into his mind, "Alone in her solitude." He looked back to her and watched her for another moment while she picked flowers, he nodded his head in agreement to the silent thought and then went back to his typing.
T.K. and Kari had begun a game of splash tag while Tai had gone off swimming leaving Matt standing alone in the water. He wondered for a moment what he should do, he looked over the girls, Sora and Mimi looked like they were sleeping in the sun. It would be interesting later to see if they resemble lobsters, he thought to himself as he laughed. He then looked past the sunbathing girls to Maki who was sitting on the grass in the shade picking flowers. For a moment he felt his anger melt as he watched her. She's not doing anything evil or twisted, she's just picking flowers, he thought. But still, she is hiding something, if for no other reason then that, I can't trust her. Huh. I am probably the only one out of the group who doesn't, but that's ok. I am the smart one after all. He laughed at that and then looked over to Izzy who was no longer typing away franticly on his computer, but rather he was staring at Maki! And he was blushing! Matt narrowed his eyes at Izzy for a moment, he could have sworn that Izzy was looking her up and down like someone eyeing hungrily a piece of meat. Matt quickly turned away, what did he care? He didn't like Maki, for that matter he couldn't stand the little twit. He knew she was hiding something and as soon as he found out he would prove it to the rest of the group.
Maki looked up for a moment and scanned around the area with her eyes, going from person to person until she came to Matt standing in the water with his back turned towards her, he was just standing there, not swimming or splashing, but just standing there. He was a weird one, she thought. She looked back down at the accumulated pile of flowers that she had collected and began weaving them together into a chain, something she used to do as a child. The only time she could remember being happy. A warm tear welled up in her eye and over flowed streaming down her face. Maki quickly wiped it away and looked around to make sure no one had seen that, when she was sure that everyone was too busy to have noticed she got up from where she was sitting and walked away from the group and back into the woods.
She found a place where she felt was far enough away from the others, but not far enough where she wouldn't be able to find her way back. She sat down drawing her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them and burying her face down and began to weep, quietly at first and then forcefully as the sobs racked her body. She didn't know what she wanted anymore, before she had come here the only thing she had wanted was to die; her pain had consumed her so fully. She had been such an outsider with her family and classmates. She had no friends really, though she had wanted friends, somehow she was never able to make them. No one understood her, no one even tried. But now, now she didn't know what she wanted. It seemed as though she may have been given a second chance to make friends but the pain that surrounded her soul continued to hold her back, not allowing her to open up and join in with the new kids that she had met. Kids that for the most part had welcomed her into their group. She continued to sob alone in the woods.
From far away an evil set of eyes came upon the girl once again, watching her as she sobbed, smiling to himself. "Hmmm, Maki, I know who are now." He laughed loudly "Pathetic girl, I may not have to worry about destroying you after all, you may do that for me." He closed the viewing window and turned around to his minion who cowered in his Master's presence. "Go! Keep watch and report back to me. I want to know everything she does." The minion bowed lowly, "Yes Master, as you wish." With that the minion scurried off and the evil figure stood alone in his dark room bellowing laughter.
Matt turned back around decided that he didn't feel like swimming anymore. He looked over to where Maki had been sitting and realized that she was gone. He looked around the rest of the camp but she was nowhere to be seen. He wadded out of the water and over to Izzy who was tapping away at the keys.
"Hey Izzy, did you see where Maki went?" Matt asked.
Izzy looked up from his typing, then over to where Maki had been sitting and back to Matt. "No, she was here a moment ago. Do you think we should have everyone go out and look for her?"
"Nah, I am sure she didn't go far." Matt said. "I'll go look for her, if I can't find her then we will have everyone else start looking too."
With that Matt turned from where Izzy sat and walked into the woods. He was almost sure that he knew where she would be. After a few minutes of walking Matt came upon where Maki sat, she was sitting in the fetal position and was sobbing hard. She didn't seem to notice that he was standing there watching her. Without thinking he went over to the crying girl and sat beside her wrapping his arm around her trying to comfort her. Maki didn't even look up but continued to sob even harder leaning into Matt and allowing him to hold her.
Matt sat there with Maki holding her tight in his arms until her sobs began to subside. He didn't know what to say to her or even for that matter why she was crying like that. But for some reason he felt bad for her and decided that this was not the time to bombard her questions.
Maki sniffled as she looked up into Matt's eyes, her face was stained with tears and cheeks were crimson red. Matt looked back her and forced a small comforting smile to the girl that up until a few moments ago he couldn't stand.
"Are you ok?" he asked sincerely.
"Yeah..no..I don't know." Maki said shaking her head.
Matt frowned at this. "Wanna talk about it?" he asked.
Maki stiffened up for a moment and then looked down to the ground. "You'll think I'm a freak or psycho or something." She said softly.
Matt shook his head, "no I won't, Maki, I promise. You can tell me."
She looked back at Matt and exhaled deeply. "You won't?"
"I won't, I promise." Matt said smiling softly.
Maki looked back down to the ground and frowned. "You asked me yesterday about what I meant when I said something about jumping off a building and hell...And I lied to you, I told you that the fall had confused me." She looked back to Matt to see his reaction.
Matt just nodded his head and continued to smile softly at her.
"Well," she continued. "I did jump off a building, I don't know how or why I ended up here, but I did actually jump."
"But why Maki?" Matt asked as he began to frown. He certainly had not expected this to be her big secret.
Maki began to sob again, "because it hurts and I just wanted to die, to end it." She said shakily through her sobs.
Matt was left utterly speechless, he tried to think of something to say but couldn't find the words. Instead he just held her tighter in his arms and began to stroke her hair.
Finally she was able to compose herself enough to speak. "So, you think I am psycho now, don't you?" She asked.
Matt let go and sat back from Maki and looked deep into her eyes, there he could see the pain that they held. He shook his head slowly, "No Maki, I don't. I just don't know what to say."
They sat there for a moment in uncomfortable silence, when Matt finally spoke up. "I'm sorry." He said.
Maki looked up obviously confused, "why?" she asked.
"Because, I was so mean to you. I wasn't fair to you." Matt said softly as he struggled to apologize, something he found very difficult to do.
"It's ok Matt, you don't know me and you don't owe me anything."
"That's not the point Maki, the point is that I was mean and that was really unfair of me to be like that to you when I didn't even know the first thing about you."
Maki just nodded her head slowly, "I guess." She said.
"Maybe...I mean if you don't hate me or anything like that, um...maybe we can be friends? I mean if that is ok with you." Matt stammered.
Maki looked up at Matt and smiled, her heart suddenly felt a bit lighter. "Really?" she asked.
Matt smiled at this, it was easier then he thought, being nice that is. "Yeah."
"I'd like that." Maki said as she pulled out her pendant and began playing with it with her fingers.
Matt smiled at her for a minute and then noticed the pendant she had. "Hey. What is that?" He asked pointing to her necklace.
Maki looked down at her pendant, she hadn't been unaware that she had taken it out. "Uh, it's just a necklace I found a couple of years ago. I liked it so I kept it."
"Can I see it for a sec?" he asked.
Maki slipped the necklace up over her head and handed it to Matt who examined it closely and then took out his own crest and looked at the two of them together. The only difference he could see was the symbol that was on each, other then that they were the same.
"Um, let's go back to camp, I wanna have Izzy take a look at this." He said standing up, holding his hand out to Maki.
Maki was a little confused by his reaction to her necklace, it was neither negative or positive, but she was intrigued to see if maybe someone would be able to tell her what her necklace meant, if anything. She took his hand as he helped her to her feet and they headed back to the camp.
Not to far off a small creature watched the two kids and ran off to report back to his Master the new developments.
When Maki and Matt returned to the camp all the kids were sitting by the fire talking and laughing. Tai looked up and was the first to spot the two returning.
"Hey!" He yelled to them. "We were starting to think we should send out search parties for the two of you."
Maki looked at Matt for a moment before they reached the others. "Please don't tell them what I said to you, ok?" she asked pleadingly.
Matt just nodded his head and gave her a reassuring smile.
Matt quickly went over to where Izzy was sitting and handed him the necklace. Izzy looked up at Matt and then back down to the necklace.
"What's this?" he asked Matt.
"It belongs to Maki." He stated pointing in the direction of the girl.
All of this kids gathered around Izzy and Matt to see the pendant. Then they turned and looked at Maki.
"Does this mean?" Joe started.
"that she is another digidestined?" Mimi finished.
Izzy just shook his head. "I don't know, I don't even know what this symbol means, but we will find out."
Before Izzy was able to start typing a light appeared infront of the kids. "maybe I can help." The familiar voice said.
"Gennai" all the kids but Maki said.
Maki just stood and stared at the figure in the light, she had never seen anything like this before and was unsure how to react to it.
"Welcome Maki." Gennai said looking in her direction.
"Uh...um hi" she said.
"Well kids," Gennai started. "Maki is not another digidestined although she does possess a crest, hers is the crest of magic and it is very special."
Tai scratched the back of his head, "well if she is not digidestined then what is she doing here?"
"Good question Tai." Gennai said. "Maki is here to help you fight the Dark Masters. One in particular, Pagnomon."
"Pagnomon," they all said in unison. "Who is that?" Tai asked.
"He is a magical digimon with powers that are far stronger then Myotismon. For a long time he was trapped in a sphere, placed there by Myotismon, but once Myotismon was destroyed, Pagnomon was released and is now here, back in the digiworld." Gennai said.
Maki stepped forward, "what does that have to do with me? I am not a digidestined, I have nothing to do with this." She said unsure if she really wanted to hear the answer.
"Ah but you do Maki." Gennai said. " You posses the crest of magic, it is very powerful and you, with the help of the others will be able to defeat this evil digimon."
"The crest of magic? Listen I don't know what you are talking about but this whole thing is wacked! I fall into this world and the next thing I know I am being told that I am like some kind of super hero or some crazy thing like that." Maki yelled.
The other kids just stared at Maki, but Gennai just smiled. "Maki I am not saying that you are a super hero, but you do posses powerful magic deep with in yourself and together with the digidestined you can defeat this evil digimon. Alone all of you are powerless."
He said point to all the kids. "But together your powers are great." He stopped for a minute and looked back to Maki, "This is a problem that concerns us all, for your world and this. The choice is yours, help fight or not."
Maki stood there facing the small Gennai, her head spun from all of the information that she had just received. But now she was being offered something she had wanted to be part of a team and to make a difference. Some how in the midst of danger this was exciting as well. Today was certainly turning out to be interesting after all.
Maki nodded her head and smiled, "Sure, why not? But first tell me about this magic stuff."
Gennai looked at Maki for a moment, "that is something you will have to find out on your own. It will come to you when the time is right." With that Gennai disappeared and all the kids sweatdropped.
"Geez, that was interesting and somewhat unhelpful." Tai said.
To be continued...
A/N~ Ok folks here is the second part, yes! I realize that I have left you hanging, but isn't that the point to get you to read part 3? I also would like to thank all the people that reviewed my first part or emailed me. Good or bad I found it helpful and I appreciate it. Keep it coming.
By the way I do realize that I tend to do some misspelling, please be forgiving. Thanks a bunch! And from now on when my stories seem too big I will start to break them up into parts, par from suggestion.
