Digimon Adventure~Summer Camp (Book 1)

What Lurks in the Dark

As he looked into her determined eyes for the first time he saw a light shining in them, a light that made the orchid and lemon hues in her eyes shine that much brighter. Slowly the corners of the boy's lips turn upward and for the first time, a smile appears on his own face. Seeing the boy smile the girl giggled and pressed her forehead to his, his blonde locks tickling her cheeks, her rosy hair entangling with his. Suddenly, the door to the room flung open with such force it hit the wall with a loud crash. A group of people wearing doctors' coats take hold of the boy and drag him away, the girl attempts to reach for him only to be jabbed in the side with an electric baton and forced in the opposite direction.

"So excited to see me, you've been shocked into silence?" The doctor's cheerful voice snapped Arashi from her memories. "What..." the girl's voice seemed to cut out and she froze for a moment before continuing, "is that doing here?" "Oh, you mean this place?" Dr. Nishimura questioned, glancing at the building behind him. It was a drab and broken building, turned sinister by the lack of light, or perhaps it seemed worse in Arashi's mind than it truly was. "What else would I mean?" Arashi sneered as Dr. Nishimura sighed. "Must you always be so hostile? It was here when I got here, how should I know?" Dr. Nishimura stepped forward while reaching for something in his coat pocket, at the same time Meicrackmon growled and stood in front of Arashi protectively. Bang! The crack of a gun firing rang through the air.

Behind Arashi, a disfigured creature let out a blood-curdling screech and fell to the ground with a sickening thud. "Come now, we have much to talk about and I'd rather take my chances with tetanus than whatever that was." Dr. Nishimura said, pocketing the gun in his lab coat and motioning for Arashi to follow him into the building. Arashi glanced at the creature behind her before turning to Meicrackmon and giving a slight nod as the feline dedigivolved. "Arashi?" Meicoomon questioned as Arashi chuckled slightly. "As much as I hate doctors, he had a point. I'd rather be stuck with Dr. Nishimura for protection than leave you at the mercy of those things." Arashi replied, picking Meicoomon up and holding her tightly to her chest. Giving Meicoomon her best smile, Arashi followed Dr. Nishimura into the dilapidated building.

"Now, into the exam room if you would. You avoided me before, but you can't escape now." There was a lilt in the doctor's tone as he opened the door to some sort of medical examination room. Arashi immediately froze upon entering because in the center of the room was a large metal table with leather straps. "Go on, it's not my intention to restrain you as long as you don't bite like last time. You know as well as I that this isn't my facility." Dr. Nishimura nudged Arashi towards the table as her grip on Meicoomon tightened with every step. "Now, let's begin. Two days ago, in Earth time, the memories of your past were returned by the Agency. Yes or no?" "Yes." "Do you believe there to be any issue in these memories?" "...."

"I'll repeat, do you believe there to be any issues with your memory?" Dr. Nishimura had picked up a clipboard from a bag on one of the counters, presumably his which had been brought from Earth. "...Maybe," Arashi stated after a moment. "Explain." "I... can't remember why I hate this place. I can't remember ever being here. I just hate it. I can barely remember anything from before I moved away from Highton View Terrace four years ago." Arashi explained. "And what about your name?" Dr. Nishimura asked as Arashi froze. "My... name?" She repeated, opening and closing her mouth in an attempt to answer. Usually, there was a feeling inside her chest or something resting on the tip of her tongue that would just come rolling out when she was asked questions about her past.

Once she said it, she'd either remember it or the person who asked would be satisfied and drop the topic. That wasn't the case this time, there was nothing, only this feeling of emptiness, and emptiness that grew with each passing day. "I'm waiting." "I-I don't remember my name," Arashi confessed. "Do you remember anything about your parents? Your life before you were adopted by Kyoko and Ellen?" Dr. Nishimura continued with the questions and Arashi answered truthfully. Her birth parents? She had been under the assumption Kyoko and Ellen adopted her when she was a baby. Her original home? Again not a single clue. How did she end up being adopted? Triple nope. Her original trip to the Digital World? Bits and pieces but mainly a gut-wrenching feeling that it was her fault whenever something went wrong.