Reunion
Maria pointed a finger at them. “There’s another smile, and yes you were, to me at least.” Maria grabbed the last pair of bags and hung them on Ren whose arms could not be seen beneath the continuous row of plastic bag handles. “Those months while I was hiding you were crazy. I didn’t know what to do with you.” She walked towards the apartment building, continuing on with the story. Ren followed, arms still perpendicular with their load swinging and rustling with each step.
Maria went on. “Then other people started getting their Digimon, and things got crazy. All those battles we fought, people trying to take over the city, the whole world.” Maria was busy going up the stairs. She got quiet while Ren followed, hanging on until the story continued. “Well, you know the rest.”
Ren had never seen such a mournful gloss come over Maria, not even when they were Jared the human. Battles. I can’t imagine what we might’ve gone through. “Yes, I do.”
Back at the top of the stairs Maria opened the door and the pair came back inside. On instinct Ren brought his arms forward and let all the bags slide off onto the empty dining table. Maria began collecting the groceries to put them away. “I gotta ask, what made you think about that? You went through that stuff as much as I did.”
Ren thought of what to say next. Not having a single memory of what Maria described wasn’t helping. “I know. It’s just, I don’t think I ever considered what it was like for you. Or rather, I never thought to ask.”
“Aww.” Maria came over and gave her Digimon a hug. Her head came into their chest floof, almost disappearing completely. A heavenly warmth blossomed through Ren, and they hugged Maria back. “I’m happy you thought about me, but I’m OK. We all made out OK. You, me, and all the others.”
The others. I’ve gotta meet them too. Maria let go of them and resumed unloading the groceries. “Maybe we should check up on the others too, while we’re thinking about them.”
“Really? Like, everyone?”
Ren nodded. “Sure. Why not? Think of it like a reunion of sorts.”
Maria scoffed. “Hardly a reunion when you’re working with half of them.”
Ren cringed. “Oh, yeah. Duh.”
Maria chuckled. “But sure, that’s a good idea. I’ll call Dave up and maybe we can get something started.”
Written by TheGreatJaceyGee on 16 December 2025
The end (for now)