~*Reflecting On the Past*~
The Jou Kido Saga /Part 1/

Joe tossed in his bed, his head buried in his pillow. He was having a dream. 
He was running, running from someone. He turned to see that some overhuge digimon was chasing him. Oh yah, just my luck, he thought bitterly as he ran as fast as his skinny legs could take him. I'm being chased by something as big as Ogremon.
Then he noticed that it wasn't Ogremon chasing him. Oh no, he thought panicky, who could it be> He turned around slowly, and yelped at who he saw. Apocalypmon was there, his ugly body with all the evil digidestined sticking out of him in which they defeated. His was smiling radically as a fanatic, and it was scaring him. 
"Come here, Old Reliable Joe!"
How did he know my name? Joe asked himself, quickening his pace. Suddenly, he felt himself slowing down. Oh no, he thought, his mind racing, my legs are slowing down! I knew I shouldn't have eaten that piece of chocolate cake after dinner last night! He turned around and saw that he was being covered with a strange dark.....goo. "Not me!!!!!" he shouted.
Apocalymon was now laughing radically. "Now you are not reliable to anyone! Hahaha!"
Joe was struggling with the goop as it made its way to his waist, and then his stomach, then his arms. He was struggling he was loose, but it was no use. It was quicker than he was. He needed to get out. No way he was gotta be eaten by.......goo. As it raced up to his neck, he yelled, "Gomamon!!!!!!"
He bolted up on his bed, covered in a cold sweat. It's just a dream, Joe, just a dream.
He went through his normal, world-like routine. But when he looked at the mirror, he didn't see him wearing his blue polo, but himself in the beige vest and tweed white shirt that he wore to the digital world. He had different glasses when he returned, but he saw himself wearing his huge, old ones. When he looked away and looked back at the mirror, he saw himself again.
I'm here now, not in the digital world.
He went downstairs where he found Jason cooking breakfast and was up bright and alert as always. As for Joe, he was always cranky in the morning, but particularly this morning, since he was freaked out looking at himself at the mirror and finding a complete stranger from the past in front of his eyes. 
"Good morning, Joe!" Jason greeted him brightly.
As always, Joe felt poisoned by his brother's radiant greeting. He grunted a hello and plopped onto his normal spot at the table.
Jason frowned; something was up. "Hey, you okay, Joe?"
"Who, me? Oh, just great." No it isn't; I just hope he dosen't know it....
"Joe....I know you better than that," Jason said calmly, putting down the spatula and looking at his brother cautiously. "I know something is up. Every since you returned from the digital world, you've been a bit distant...ever thought of meditation?"
"Jason....."
"Sorry. Got carried away. But I think you should go out and walk a bit more or something. Get some fresh in that dusty respiratory system of yours. You know how bad dust is for yout lungs." When Joe started protesting, Jason continued over his voice, "I think you should go by the ocean, it's really calm and relaxing there, and lotsa fresh air."
"But..."
"Look, I know that you miss your digi-pal of yours. I know you can't swim and gets freaked out by water, but I know you have a strong connection with the waters. you know it too. You can deny it all you want, but you can feel that connection to the waves." Jason shrugged. "It'll do you good. Dont worry bout Dad...leave him to me...."
"Okay," Joe said feebly, looking up at the air and sniffing. "Smoke."
Jason rolled his eyes. "You really need to clean out your lungs, Joe."
Joe looked at him as if he was insane, then looked behind him, jumped to his feet and pointed wildly, "Smoke!"
His brother turned around to see that whatever was in his frying pan was sizzling up in smoke. "Aaah! Get over here and help me put it out!!!!"

It was sorta hot down at the beach, but Joe didn't mind. He kicked the sand gently with his shoe, careful not to wake up some sleeping crab underneath. He looked out to the waters, the blueness of the tinted tides, the calmness of the sound of the waves. Jason was right, it was quite relaxing by the beach. 
By the waters. 
Strange as it sounded,  he was right. He felt connected to the waters somehow. It was a calming experience, yet a part of his still-logical and reality side thought of the troubing waters and how easily he could drown. He shook the thought away; he was stronger now. 
Suddenly, the dream reappeared again in his mind. He was running like mad, behind him Apocalymon was laughing his brains out. He was being covered by some gooey, itchy stuff and he was dreading to be released. He saw himself screaming out his digimon's name, realizing all the same that his digimon would never come. 
He shook his head; no revelence to the fact that he was by the sea. 
He then remembered a moment a long time ago; during the fight for the Earth when Myotismon was terrorizing the Earth he knew; TK and himself were drowning in the rough waves. He saw that Tk couldn't manage swimming by himself and he handed the poor kid a raft. Only to realize...he couldn't swim!
He chuckled at that memory. It had been as if it were years ago. 
It's been such a long time ago, he thought. I wonder what the others are doing now. He looked at the waves calmly. 
Then, something caught him. 
It crawled up from somewhere dark in the waves, and made its way up his legs quickly, and then his waist, and before he could actually look straight, the globby thing was covering his body. He squirmed, fighting the speed of the blop. He gritted his teeth, desperately trying to release himself from the captiveness of the glop. 
He then realized; it was from his dream!
No, no, no, this cannot be happening to me, he gritted through his teeth, his mind going through a seizure of panic. What am I going to do. He expected to turn and see Tai, Matt, Sora, or someone from the group to save him from the mess. He expected to see Gomamon running, and yelling, "Don't worry, Joe, I'll save you!"
He fought pain. He fought panic. He fought fear. 
What did I do to deserve this? he thought, as he struggled through his gloppy captive. I was a simple digidestined, with the crest of reliability, who fought side by side to defend the Earth from those ferocious evil digimon. I didn't do anything that bad, I swear. I'll even go and confess if you want me to, just don't make me die out here!
Oh, how he longed for a miracle here and now. 
Nothing happened. And the thingy was racing up him very quickly. 
He fought tears, realizing how his father harshly told him before, "Only wusses cry." Oh, how he needed to let go, how he needed to let all his anger and all his fustration out. He could feel the bottle of problems overflowing from the bottle, and he needed to empty it out before it could eat him away. 
No, no, no, he thought as the thing made its way up his chest, covering his arms and all. I will not allow myself to be made a prey out of this...thing. I am a Kido, and I won't let anyone down. I won't let my brother down, I won't let my father down, I won't let my friends down, and I will not let Gomamon down over this...
But will I let myself down?
The question came out of nowhere. Was he? Will he? He had, so many times before. So many times had he let himself fall, and made all the darkness and fustration bury itself inward. Oh, he was the good ol' reliable Joe, everyone can count on him. Everyone except the most important person; himself. 
No more. Enough was enough. This was where he would draw the line. 
Never again will he ever let himself down. Never again!
He saw an image of Gomamon, out at the shore, smiling and waving to him. "Joe! Joe!" he was yelling. "Don't ever forget who you are Joe! Don't ever forget me!"
I won't let you down. "Enough's enough!" he yelled. 
Suddenly, he felt the goop slide down his neck, down his navy blue shirt, down his khaki shorts and to the sand before melting away. Bewilderedly, he watched it melting away back to a dark portion of the waves. Then, he saw a crackle of electricity and it disappeared completely. Odd, it was as if it were...digital.  He turned out to the shores. Gomamon was not there anymore. 
"Thank you...my friend."

Joe came home to see Jason talking insesively to someone in a business suit sitting on the dining table. Joe adjusted his glasses to see that his father was home from his summer business trip to America. He looked like last time; tough-looking, dead serious with the deadly piercing eyes. 
There had been uncalm waters between him and his father for as long as he could remember. His father was the sergeant-type of a guy, gone cold ever since his mother went away. Before she went away, he used to be so lively, so humourous. Then...it died. He was the one who pushed Joe into consistent studying. 
He could feel the water waves. It was uncalmly. 
"Joe, I see you're home, " his father said. "I've been told of your little trip."
Joe blushed ten times his normal colour. uh-oh, he thought, he's gonna give me the long lecture about not going beyond where you're supposed to go. Already, he could see his father's eyes piercing through his dark ones, and he could see Jason trying to tiptoe his way out of the battle field. 
"Joe," his father said, "I want you to study. No more of this fun-time business. I will not have my son go around pretending to be hero and hurting himself. The examinations for that private school is coming up and I will not waste money on you failing, you got me?"
The waters began to shift dangerously. He clentched his fist before flexing it out. This was no time to blow up.  He swallowed his pride, as always, and said softly, "Yes, father."
This isn't over yet, he thought, feeling the waters settle. 
For now. 

~*End of Book 1*~