Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ By My Decision ❯ Fight and Flight ( Chapter 7 )

[Notes:

Shoulda known FFN would fuck me over and make the fic just about invisible if I tried to upload the last chapter…good thing I wasn't expecting reviews. XD Oh well! Anyway, this is a good old record, don't you think? I actually got another chapter in before the end of the month! Harkens back to October when I think I did the same thing between Chapters 1 and 2, no? Whee…well, this ain't no Chapter 5, but it beats the ass out of 6 any day. And I hinted towards more evil, yay! With happy Takato angst. But I bet this is dragging on an awful lot. Hopefully by the next chapter I can have something…actually happen. Maybe even have Takato and Jenrya actually up, and well, and…stuff.

Observations of what the hell's going on are welcome and encouraged. XD Since it's my desire to know how much this knavish story is poisoning your fragile little minds. Or if it's making you want to pull your hair out… that's cool too! Let me know so I can revel in that fact. Or if you think it's dull and you can SO see where it's going next and you think I'm a knave, well… tell me that too! Criticism can be proud, too. I have plenty of proud left over to be maimed by any of you! ^^

Hee… is it obvious enough that someone's probably gonna die by the end of this fic? Or maybe it was too early to announce that…XD OH WELL! Now you know! Now you can let THAT pick at your brain until it bleeds, and through all that excruciating pain… YOU CAN FREAKING ENJOY THIS!]

[POV - Takato]

Maybe it was that bad tofu I ate… but whatever happened, I could NOT remember where I was at this very moment, what happened, or what caused it to happen.

All I knew was… I was alone. I didn't have Juri… and I didn't have Jenrya.

Why did I need those two so much lately…? It was almost like I was becoming codependent on my friends all of a sudden. … Well, maybe not all of a sudden, since I always needed my friends with me to function. But lately Juri was always standing out… maybe, finally because it was starting to show, how much I was in love with her? It's just amazing how long it's been going on and she still hasn't made any sign indicating that she even knows I feel that way, much less herself having feelings on the matter.

If she doesn't want me, that's fine, I guess… I mean, I can't force her into things. I wouldn't really be a friend if I did that to her. Until I'm sure, I guess I'm trapped into my own void of affection for her…

I just wish I could just go up and tell her… but something was holding me back. I didn't know what just yet, but… something just simply held me by the leash, restraining me from doing what I've wanted to do for the past few years now. By now, whatever it was, it was getting pretty troublesome to be holding me back at a time like this… a time where anyone could just pick up Juri if I didn't get moving. And then I'd hate myself for the rest of my life because I never spoke up…

It was totally ridiculous. I shouldn't BE at this stage this late in the game. Most other people in my shoes would've been seriously dating her right now!! And nothing could stand in our way… but that's… it's not the case with me. I simply waited too long. Long enough to where something is in my way now. Why the hell am I so goddamn stupid?! Why did I just let myself be taken over by fear and paranoia?! Were my feelings for Juri just NOT that pure enough…? Just how pure do you have to get? Was there something wrong with me…?

Actually… I wouldn't be all that surprised if I had real problems. I think it would actually make more sense if I had some kind of personality or mental disorder… what kind of moron would be torturing himself like this otherwise? If only I could be sure just on what Juri would say to me… she's… she's such a wonderful person, and I'd be damned to ever hurt her or make her sad under any circumstance.

Even if it's just to tell her how I really felt…

… Being this uneasy just made me want to run into Jenrya's arms… and just… I don't know. Just recently I realized that I was always my calmest when I was with my best friend. I was rarely tense, always relaxed… I really felt like I could just tell him anything. He could tell me anything… and it wouldn't matter. There'd be no consequence… only reassurance. We were so good to each other… just like how best friends should be.

I guess, really… I could always tell Guilmon the very same things I tell Jenrya and it wouldn't make any more of a difference. Guilmon's loyal… more than loyal enough to never ever humiliate me on purpose. Still… Guilmon, after all this time still had that baby mentality about him. He was also still a Digimon… and despite how much bonding we've done with our Digimon over the years, understanding each other and BEING one another through the Biomerging… it was still kind of awkward to talk to them about things like love. Especially when you've got someone like Guilmon… maybe that's why I chose Jenrya to unload all my feelings to lately. Jen was more than just my emotional outlet. He really talked to me… and he tried to help me find solutions to my problems.

Jen… always seemed to regret it when there was a situation where he couldn't help me. I know well enough I felt like shit when I couldn't help him. Even when it comes to things like his siblings… something I have no experience with whatsoever. Because I'll always be an only child… but I'd never let that stop me from trying to make him feel better. I wanted Jenrya to smile when I'm around. Because now I knew that it'd just break my heart to see him feeling down…

I just wish I knew where he was now… so I could see him. So I could run into his arms… and he could hold me… let me know everything's all right…

Or maybe Juri could run into my arms… and I could protect her from anything… I could prove to her I was capable of being anything she would ever need. If I could only tell her how I felt…

I could tell Jenrya all about my love confession to her, sure… but Juri herself? Never.

Then again, I could tell Juri all about my concerns involving Jenrya, because I tend to worry about him a lot… but directly asking Jenrya about his problems was kind of another story.

At least Juri was genuinely concerned enough for Jen to try and help him in any way she can, though…

…. I was just so hoping they'd never, EVER hook up… that would really kill me.

And… and why WOULD they hook up, anyway?! Juri's known me a LOT longer than she's known Jenrya! And it's not like he was all over her when Juri was going through that Leomon-Loss period… it was all me working my ass off to make sure she was okay! I rescued her from the D-Reaper… a-and… Jenrya said he's not interested in her that way! So there… that's why she shouldn't be with Jen.

It's a two-way street! Jenrya befriended me way before he befriended Juri! If it weren't for me, he would've never met her! Besides, I think we relate better... Jen and I. We've shared more secrets to each other, and Juri was always more comfortable with giving her secrets to Ruki when she felt it necessary to share them. I'm the only Tamer who knows Jen inside out. As much as anyone could, anyway… why would he need her when he has me…? Just because she has a half-brother? I don't buy that… nothing should ever separate me from Jenrya. I think for some reason I just recently proved that I'm the only one who REALLY knows how to treat Jen the way he needs to be treated… and…

… I feel like… something isn't right. With what I just said… there's an obvious problem here. … Maybe it's because I don't really remember what happened before this. Possibly, but what could've happened that would make me feel so strongly about this…?

Why was I suddenly this adamant about not wanting Jen and Juri together, just for my sake? Wasn't I just being maybe, a bit too greedy?

It's not like they would get together or anything… it's gotta be mutual for that to happen. Jenrya wouldn't lie to me, and he told me he doesn't like her. He… he doesn't like… her like that… and she doesn't like him like that… there's no way she would… it just wouldn't make sense.

… Am I being redundant or what?

It's just… it's all I can THINK about, for some reason!! I was alone… I needed somebody, I needed Jen… I needed Juri… I need them both…

With me…

… And no one else.

W-why was I thinking these selfish thoughts…?

Where was I again?

Oh. Wait. … I'm unconscious!

[POV - Nobody]

Sadly enough, no one was there to witness the event they'd all been waiting all day for; the moment when Takato's weary, crimson eyes cracked open, making him conscious for the first time since the festival started. That's what they wanted… that reassurance telling them he'd be okay.

With a tiny, forced yawn, Takato sat up, noticing he was securely tucked in his bed. When the brief bout of blurriness in his vision subsided, Takato looked at his surroundings to find his mother, father, Guilmon, and Juri of all people completely passed out on Takato's floor.

However, Takato still wasn't retaining any memories of what had happened to him at the festival; he wasn't aware he had just narrowly escaped freezing to death in a lake. Therefore, the presence of his whole family-and Juri in his room was a big, startling surprise for him. Looking out at the window, Takato realized that it was remotely bright outside, perhaps late morning or so. His last memories were on some day in the late afternoon…

Automatically processing that through his mind, Takato could deduct on his own the conclusion that something out of the ordinary must've happened to him.

He wanted badly to just jump out of bed and announce to the world that he was okay and wanted to know what was going on… but the energy for Takato to do so just didn't exist like it used to. Takato felt an unusual fragility throughout himself, like something inside him was damaged… it was almost frightening for him to experience that at his age.

"Dei… jou…"

Takato cleared his throat a couple of times, finding that his vocal chords and voice in general were still in working order. For some reason, Takato had no urge to shout… only to speak loud enough to be audible by anyone in the room.

When he was comfortable enough to casually speak, he looked back down to his company below him and prepared to urge them all awake by calling out on them.

"Oi, Katou- GAH!!"

Takato's talking was halted. His eyes significantly widened, his pupils shrunk 2 whole sizes, and instantly, his right hand flew to his chest, where his heart lay. Grasping it with the utmost care, Takato hunched over, with the blurry vision taking over his sight once again. It was suddenly extremely difficult for him to breathe, and could now only do so in loud, choppy pants. With all this in play, it was impossible for Takato to even come close to speaking in real words. Every time he tried, he was at a sudden loss of breath and the word was cut off, never to be completed.

A severe, intense pain had taken over where Takato's heart was. The swelling torture was prioritizing over every single function of Takato's body, even the ones required immediately for his survival. Takato himself could barely imagine to himself what the pain could possibly; he was way too young and healthy to have a heart attack. Not to say he was in a top, fit condition… but he certainly had a good enough diet and enough exercise to make any heart attack excuse impossible.

Nonetheless, the pain was directly in his heart, and Takato could feel the immense burning inside of it. Oddly enough, the feeling was scarily similar to some feeling he experienced once before, not so long ago… but it wasn't anything Takato could immediately recall. And he certainly never went through exactly this much pain; it was more like an extreme version of some kind of overwhelming emotional feeling he had from doing… something…

Whatever it was he did… it wasn't coming to him. Especially not now.

It was becoming painful for him to even keep his eyes open, so with a painful cry, he shut them once more. But he'd never forget the last thing he saw… as he was looking down upon himself… his bare hands and arms… Takato noticed that they were looking a little redder than usual. It could've been easily set aside for the excuse that his body was just warmer than usual for staying under a bunch of blankets all night… had it not been for the fact that the subtle red hue was also showing through his clothes.

Thankfully, Takato's last cry was enough to stir the residents sleeping in his room. Just as Takehiro, Mie, Juri, and Guilmon came to from their slumber, they found Takato had evidently woken up… just in time to fall back down unconscious.

Even on a Monday morning, nothing was at rest in the Matsuda household.

[POV - Ruki]

It was really kind of hard getting back into the daily grind of school when two of my friends just about died… in result, I was having many a difficulty just paying attention today. Not that I was ever wild about paying attention in class anyway…

Honestly, I didn't know what I was so worried about. Late last night, I got a phone call from Jenrya's family, and they let me know that Jen had come out of his coma, and was doing fine now. So at least I didn't have to worry about him just dying on us all of a sudden. I still hadn't heard anything about Takato waking up, but I still had faith in him. I knew he wasn't the type of person to just die on us like that. Not without saying goodbye, at least…

That's the only Takato-related thing I felt like processing through my mind, now. I usually don't think about him and Jen this much for a month's time. And it wasn't doing me any good, anyway…

Willingly ignoring Nishizawa-sensei's next lesson, my eyes wandered to the window, and out of nowhere, that bastard Akiyama Ryo popped into my mind again.

I hate that so much! … Well, I don't hate him, of course. But he's ALWAYS popping up in my mind when I'm looking out the window! I could be thinking about how fucking free I could be from this oppressive private school of hell instead of him! Then again, he doesn't really live in Shinjuku, so half the time he's really far away from us. Maybe just seeing the sky reminds me how far away he really is sometimes…

He's a cocky jerk half the time, really… but he looked out for us a lot. And why shouldn't he? He's like four years older than we are. He'd better be good for that, at least. Maybe I'm just paranoid, though… because sometimes it's unsettling to acknowledge that he's a little distance away from us. If we're in trouble, we can't really rely on him to always come to our rescue. He visits us VERY often, way more than a casual visitor would… but still. There's always that 'What If?' possibility out there.

What if someone needed Ryo and he couldn't be there for them?

I knew that someone wouldn't be me. I've needed him enough for one lifetime. Times have changed, and I'm very self-sufficient, despite the fact that I have friends now. Friends can't change everything about me… and it's not like it's bad to be self-sufficient or anything. For females especially, it's actually a talent. Anyway, I've grown to know how to take care of my own personal matters on my own. When I really needed the help, I'd accept it… but under no circumstance would I let anyone try to butt into my business if I knew I didn't need their assistance.

Of course, there was a difference between my friends and Renamon… she was a lot more stubborn when it came to her wanting to help-and that was a good thing, I guess. It's a sign that she'll really never change on how she feels, or how protective she is of me. And for that, I have to thank her… where would I be in this world without her?

She really needs more credit, my Renamon… she's done a lot more for me than Ryo ever did. Then again, no one should expect Ryo to be there for them at their every command. It's not like it's his obligation to be our bitch until the end of time… I'm sure he's got a life of his own outside the Tamer business. I mean, he's well into his High School years now… and even back during our Digiworld encounters, he WAS fourteen. And there's a pretty thick barrier between the fourteen and ten-year olds. Our only real tie to him back then was the card game. Had it not been for that lingering similar interest, I never would've met Ryo. Neither would anyone else, most likely.

I guess what I'm trying to imply is that unlike some of us… Ryo's life sure as hell would not circulate around a damn card game. He's bound to have some high school buddies his age that he hangs around with, he probably indulges on the same High School shit everyone else does… you just never know with Ryo. He's not exactly open about his life outside of Digimon. There's no doubt it was a big part of his life and it still is, considering he still has Cyberdramon- err, Monodramon… or whatever… but still. He's in High School. Far away from the rest of us. He'd have to be a really fucking sad loser to not have a real life outside that.

Maybe that's why I never took so well to his come-ons. Because I knew damn well he was fourteen, I was ten, and he probably hits on girls his age WAY more than he did me, and I would've just been his pawn to play around with while he saved the world. Well… maybe he's not that evil. Maybe he just thought I was different because I was a card game champion, pretty much the only female at that, and for some crazy reason it amused him…

Oh, fuck it!

It doesn't matter to me either way now. My real main concern as of late has been… oddly…

Hirokazu.

Why? Because of Ryo. Why because of Ryo? Because Hirokazu's had a blatantly sickening hero-worship of Ryo since day one. I'm not one to want to witness it every time it happens, but I've seen enough as to where I'm drawing the conclusions that Hirokazu must REALLY be getting on Ryo's nerves. I mean, he never leaves him alone. Not even for a second! I'm really starting to think he's more in love with Ryo than he is with me! But he probably hits on me just in case that day comes when Ryo tells him to back off. There's just as much of an age gap between him and Ryo as there is with me and Ryo. Did Ryo really even swing that way? I mean, I can't tell… if he hits on me so much, he can't be totally homosexual, at the very least. But Hirokazu? I really don't know about him sometimes.

Apparently he's never grasped the concept of one having 'breathing room'. No wonder Kenta broke up with him.

Really, who does 'Kazu think he is? Just waltzing around, hanging off Ryo every chance he gets, totally kissing his ass… and for what? What exactly is he trying to prove?! It's not like it's macho or anything to be so helpless and clingy around some other guy. Then again, 'Kazu isn't a total girl like Takato and Jenrya have always been. He's just a bit more masculine… so maybe it wasn't his goal to look all tough in front of us. Maybe he did just have the hots for Akiyama. The only difference in his behavior around Ryo as opposed to me is that 'Kazu doesn't really try to be better than him at anything. With me, he's always trying to upstage me, telling me I'm not the best around because I'm a girl… and his fucking ego, oh my god. He can be really full of himself sometimes!

Half the time I wonder why he isn't the Goggle-Head of our bunch…

Oh well. It's kind of useless to act superior around Ryo anyway; everyone and their grandma knows he's the best at everything. An absolute Mister Perfect. To even act like you're better than Ryo in any aspect is an utter waste of time. And as braindead as 'Kazu tends to be, he's actually aware of this fact. That's why he focuses all his "I'm better than you!" propaganda on me, good ol' Second Place.

I'm pretty sure Takato was the former target of said propaganda in the past, but as time wore on, I could learn that Takato wasn't exactly concerned about being the best at anything. He was actually willing to admit that he sucked at certain things… leading being one of them! With that in mind, I'm sure for Hirokazu that it got pretty boring to use Takato for his own self-esteem stepping stone. So when I came along, the feared and dreaded Digimon Queen, it was just a whole new ground for Shiota to try and step all over. Sad thing being, there's nothing he's been my superior at yet… except for possibly being more social than I am. Otherwise, he's not above me or Ryo… and at this rate, he probably never will be.

So why am I concerned about it, and wasting so much of my time thinking about Hirokazu's loathable flaws? Because it all goes back into my mental Ryo rant… like I said, Ryo's not around all the time, and since he deserves a life just as much as the rest of us do, we shouldn't expect him to be around to cater our needs. Just by looking at Hirokazu, you can tell he's not a very deep thinker. I bet thoughts like these would never pass through his subconscious for the rest of his lifetime. Because of this… I think he's always going to be dependent on Ryo.

And that's not a good thing at all. Not in 'Kazu's, OR Ryo's case.

I don't know if Ryo would have the heart to just shove off 'Kazu, if he got too involved… I mean, Ryo's a cocky moron and all, more than half the time, at least… but he isn't an asshole. Save for hitting on me, he's actually been pretty good to us. And he was always very tolerant to whatever flaws we individually possessed. He dealt with my bitter sexist ways just like he dealt with Hirokazu's nonstop insanity. And you know, that just makes Ryo that much more perfect… but I really wish he wasn't sometimes. More than just sometimes, even.

He's gotta have flaws somewhere, you know? And I know he can't live with Hirokazu clinging to his body parts for much longer. What if his High School friends saw him like that? I think Ryo knows as well as I do that all that nonsense will have to stop soon. Why he isn't acting on this almost baffles me… almost. I just… know he doesn't want to hurt Hirokazu. Then again, I imagine it'd be kind of difficult to be willing to hurt the feelings of your biggest fan. And I know Hirokazu is pretty much his #1 Fan. Who else went off and copied his hairstyle, after all?

Well, I'll give Shiota one thing… he certainly knows how to be dedicated. But can't he put it to ANY good use? Besides… if Hirokazu gets over Ryo, what would happen then? What if he just clings to ME all the time?! God knows I've had it with all the crap he already does to me… putting up with any more would drive me even MORE insane!

… This is where the 'Out of Sight, Out of Mind' routine should be working for me. I wasted a perfectly good, boring, and useless lesson thinking about the Roosters.

Now the bell had gone off and school was over. I was left with one afternoon to reflect on these stupid thoughts… and I really didn't feel like doing that.

So, I was at my locker, getting things packed to take home with me. Chances are I'd be too lazy to do my homework at home today, with all what went on and all… but I figured it wouldn't hurt to at least try and bring it home so I'd have a chance to do it if I felt like it. Fat chance, but… yeah.

I turned to face the hallway after I was done… and what was facing me? One of many giant windows lining the wall of this particular hallway.

The window I was facing had Shiota's stupid face pressed against it!

Unfortunately, this startled me and he noticed that. Almost to the point where I fell backwards against my locker… but I wouldn't let myself klutz out in front of Rooster Boy like that. But one had to wonder… what the hell was he doing at a girls' private school?!

So I asked him.

Of course, I couldn't hear anything he said thanks to the piece of glass separating us, but his body language was legible enough for me to understand that he needed to see me outside about something. Normally, I wouldn't waste my time on the peon, but… these weren't normal times anymore. With Takato's own health still in question, I figured Hirokazu must be invading my school for some kind of good reason… so I nodded to him and made my way out of the building as fast as I could.

"… So that's what you look like in a skirt!"

… I take back anything good I ever said about him. I formed a fist, and was this close to smashing it over his stupid head, but then he suddenly pulled a defensive maneuver and stepped back, waving his hands in front of me.

"Nononono! That's just my opening comment-like thingy…! Makino, that's NOT why I came over here to see you!"

The beared-teeth frowning glare was still imprinted on my face. "Then what the hell do you want, Shiota?!"

Hirokazu just lowered his defense and sweatdropped. "I'm breaking rules by coming here, aren't I?"

"Trespassing on private property seems like an idea of yours," I bitterly replied. "But I guess it could be worse. You could've snuck into the building..."

"That was Plan A," Hirokazu admitted, scratching his head. "Then it occurred to me that I probably wouldn't find you while hiding in the bathrooms during the tail-end of school."

Upon this realization, I flashed a deadly glare to my little acquaintance. "You little pervert! In the BATHROOMS?!"

"I… was just in there for maybe a few minutes!" Hirokazu insisted, trying his best not to yell over me. "Then I figured maybe it'd be safer if I waited outside…! So here I am… I didn't even SEE any girls while I was in the bathroom… okay?"

"You're the biggest liar ever," I shot back, narrowing my eyes. "But whatever. What do you want?"

'Kazu sighed and looked off in the distance before mustering up the will to say everything. "… Me and the guys at school got a call earlier, and it was from the Matsudas…"

My eyes were no longer narrowed. They were pretty widened. "W… what happened…?"

"They think Takato finally woke up," Hirokazu reported, blatantly straying from the problem topic as long as he could. "But… he's not okay, Ruki. Something's wrong with him… the doctors don't have a clue of what it is, but he's in a lot of pain. No one has a clue of what's gonna happen next…"

I… couldn't really think of a reply yet…

"Juri was over there since early this morning, but now she went off somewhere and we don't know where or when she'll be back, Kenta's on his way to pick up Jenrya.." Hirokazu paused to look directly at me, but he wasn't at all meaning to be confrontational with the look. "You wouldn't happen to know where Ryo is, would you?"

Ugh. Ryo… I just rolled my eyes. "He's probably at his town, his school, living his life, Shiota. Look, we can't be bothering him every time something comes up… you know, his life doesn't revolve around us."

"But it's an emergency!" Hirokazu protested, almost looking serious about it. "Don't you think he'd care if Takato's having, like, a heart attack or something?!"

A heart attack?! "What the hell…? Are you that stupid?! Takato can't have a heart attack!"

"It's the closest thing the doctors are guessing to!" Hirokazu argued. "It probably isn't a heart attack, but that's what they said it looks like! In any case, it's serious and I think he deserves to know about it!"

"We'll see," I dismissed, looking to the sky. "Renamon!"

My partner was suddenly standing there with us, as if she'd always been since we grouped together. "Do you need a lift?"

I nodded to her. "If Takato's in trouble, we'd better be there for him as quickly as we can."

Renamon looked to Hirokazu for a moment before nodding back. "Alright. Your friend has a point, though. Ryo's a part of the team, and he deserves to know about this just as much as anyone else."

"But Renamon, he's…"

"Distance is no matter when it comes to friendship, Ruki," Renamon reminded. "Are you really willing to hide these things from him? What if he finds out?"

… This was all really starting to frustrate me. "All right! Fine! You can go tell him or something! Just get me and 'Kazu to Takato's house, please…"

Taking me in one arm and Hirokazu in the other, Renamon bounded off towards the bakery. She made sure to be careful with us… at least it was much more efficient than the average car ride.

Hirokazu looked to me, with that stupid bastard grin on his face that I always wanted to knock the teeth out of.

"Toldja so!" he taunted, raspberrying me. At that moment, I made a mental note to totally kick his fucking ass after this was all over.

[POV - Nobody]

"This is definitely a new case of something," Doctor Nagano commented, leaning slowly away from her patient. A puzzled look was spread over her face as she studied the symptoms of what looked to be a severely ill Matsuda Takato.

Takato, in the past few hours since he started experiencing the pain, had barely been conscious enough to speak to anyone. His eyes were constantly shut, and the soft, red hue was still present all over his body. Despite his parents' and Digimon partner's attempts to communicate with him, Takato could only reply with strangled cries as he slightly tossed and turned, trying to dull the pain in any way he could. It was simply painful just to watch him for this long.

"He won't die, will he?!" Mie blurted out, having no means of beating around the bush for such a thing.

"As far as I know, no," the doctor replied. "Then again, I can't be sure of what'll happen after this… stage of him passes. If it ever will pass."

"You can't honestly say he'll stay like this forever, can you?" Takehiro asked, by now in a mild state of panic.

Dr. Nagano shook her head, and despite the mood of her clients, she was remaining perfectly calm. "He wouldn't stay alive very long if that were the case. But in the last fifteen minutes, your son's been much less erratic… so it may mean this will pass soon. However, this could happen again at any time… I just wish I had more concrete information on what we're dealing with here."

Obviously not understanding the medical jargon the doctor had been giving since she arrived, Guilmon looked over to his partner, and blinked, both in confusion and concern. "Is Takatomon gonna be okay…?"

Dr. Nagano looked to Guilmon and nodded, but still had a bit of stiffness about her when she communicated with the Digimon. She was given the story of how Guilmon came to be, but nonetheless, despite understanding fully what went on back when the D-Reaper was around, it was still a little awkward for her to acknowledge the dinosaur. "Just give him plenty of rest." She looked to the parents. "You might want to give him some air, too. He's obviously completely thawed out since the night before, so you don't need to worry about making it a little cooler in here." She exhaled and waved a hand near her face, giving the Matsudas the impression that it was too warm for comfort in the room.

Takehiro nodded, and proceeded to obey the doctor's orders. Mie, however, wasn't about to leave her place. "So is that it…? You can't tell us what's wrong with him?"

"I really wish I could," Dr. Nagano said with a sigh. "But honestly, I don't believe any doctor right now could tell you what exactly is going on with your son. This is definitely something new…" Briefly, she looked to Guilmon. "Since you've told me about the story of the Digimon, though, I can't help but wonder that maybe Takato's symptoms were caused by, well… something he might've encountered with one of them. Or perhaps something in that 'Digiworld'?"

That thought had apparently not reached Mie yet. Quickly, she also looked to Guilmon, and if but for a brief moment, suspicion was on her face. But almost as quickly as it came… it faded.

"Guilmon would never do anything to hurt my son," Mie clarified, but almost seeming desperate to it. Almost as if she was really willing to consider that as the source of Takato's problems. "They're partners and they love and trust each other very much… but-"

"Note how I didn't say Guilmon directly," Dr. Nagano interrupted. "But from what you've been telling me, Mie, Takato's been in contact with more Digimon aside from his partner. And as for the Digiworld, who knows? If you didn't come along, you'd have no idea of what your son went through that could've been damaging to his health… the fact that your son's problem is unlike any illness or condition I've ever seen really supports this theory, you see."

"But why Takato?" Mie wondered aloud. "Why just him? Jenrya recovered just fine and he was in the same boat with Takato… if we don't know the problem, how can I possibly make Takato better…?"

Dr. Nagano shook her head, feeling utterly helpless for Mie. "I will admit, it seems suspicious that Takato's the only one of the eight children who've been in the Digiworld to actually suffer something… especially since it's been almost three years since they left."

"It's still just a theory, isn't it?" Mie asked. "What if it was just some regular Earth illness that was getting Takato? What do you think it would be then?"

Any hopeless feature on Dr. Nagano's face disappeared after that question. "Then… Mie, I would say that Takato's suffering some form of a heart failure, possibly a cancer, and would be pronounced terminally ill. If so, I couldn't imagine him living beyond the age of 20. … If even 18 or 19."

A serious look of dread overcame Mie's entire disposition. "So I'd better hope…"

"… That the Digiworld caused this," Dr. Nagano finished for her. "At least with that line of thought, you can still see your son living a full life."

Mie let that thought sink into her mind for a while, before looking to the doctor and trying her best to smile. "Well… Mai-chan, thanks for coming to check up on him."

To be referred by her first name, Dr. Nagano smiled without a problem and stood up. "Mie, don't ever hesitate to call me if you're in a medical emergency, okay? I know we've gone our separate ways since college, but… it was good to still see you again."

Mie stood up along with her longtime friend. "True… I never expected to see you again in a situation like this, but… I appreciate what you've done."

"Don't mention it," Dr. Nagano dismissed, once again looking to Takato. "However, I'm going to recommend that you schedule a check-up on Takato as soon as he's healthy enough to get out of the house. Just to make sure his physical constitution is still normal."

"I'll get on that right away," Mie promised. "I'll… call you back if anything new comes up."

Making her way out of the room, Dr. Nagano smiled again to Mie and nodded a final time. "I'd like that. I'll do anything I can to help you."

Takehiro was almost done in cooling off the room, so Mie quickly turned to him. "Honey, I'm going to show Mai out, can you keep an eye on Takato for me until I get back?"

"Hm? Oh, um… sure, dear."

Mie smiled and turned to Dr. Nagano. "Let me pack you some of my pastries before you go. I have to repay you somehow…"

The two women left, leaving just Takehiro and Guilmon in the room, along with Takato. As the doctor had said, he was finally somewhat calming down. The two were not as alert and panicked as they had been before. However, Guilmon was just as confused and unaware of things as ever.

"… I don't get it," Guilmon said suddenly. "Is Takato still gonna be okay?"

"For now, I think he will," Takehiro replied hopefully. "As long as he has us… I'm pretty optimistic about how he'll turn out."

Guilmon just grinned. "I'll never leave him."

"Thanks for the cinnamon rolls and banana bread," Dr. Nagano thanked as she proceeded to leave the bakery. "I'll be sure to have some for dessert tonight."

"See you later, Mai-chan," Mie called out as she saw her friend off. "I'll call you!"

The moment Dr. Nagano had set foot out of the store, she was suddenly crowded and nearly trampled by three children and a particular creature.

"Oh my…!" the doctor forced herself up against the wall as the group sped past her, straight into the bakery, where they all hastily greeted Mie before making their way upstairs. Mie was in just as much shock as Mai.

"… I was beginning to wonder when they'd show up." Mie commented, as both women stared on.

[POV - Ruki]

"What do you mean, 'No one knows where Jenrya is'?! He's been home all day!" Good LORD. What is WITH all these people running off?! Juri's absence was leaving me plenty furious already… but Jenrya? Where the hell could HE be?

"That's what his mom said to me!" Kenta shouted, trying to be louder than I was. "But we checked his bedroom and he wasn't there! We checked every freaking room of the apartment! We even asked Terriermon… no one knows, Makino!"

"That's stupid, why would he sneak out?!" Hirokazu shouted, also about as pissed as I was. "He's probably not even healthy enough for that! At least with Juri it's believable!"

"And Juri's been here all day!" I acknowledged, my tone of voice none-too pleasant at all. "What's with her and the disappearing act?!"

"Everyone, please calm down!" Mr. Matsuda suddenly cut in, clearly exasperated with us when we barely had an argument going. Must've been a tougher day for him than I thought… "You're not solving anything, nor helping Takato by all this senseless screaming. And I apologize for Juri… allegedly running off on you like this. The last time Mie and I saw of her, she said she was going out to pick up you all from school."

"Well, I doubt she got lost," I replied, annoyance factor raising high in my voice, and everyone knew it. And here I thought I couldn't be pissed at Juri for anything… "And I don't even want to think about what Lee's story might be."

"So what do you expect us to do about it?" Kenta inquired. "I mean, it's not like we can track them on radar or anything."

I huffed in frustration and turned to my Digimon. "Renamon, put that Ryo command on hold for a while. You think you can try and track down our runaway buddies?"

"With no leads to go by, I can't guarantee that I'll find either of them," Renamon forewarned, and she was pretty much the only one in the room who wasn't throwing a hissy fit about something. "But I will do my best."

"It's the best thing next to radar," Hirokazu said with a nod. "Scold them for us if you find them, okay?"

"Don't worry," I assured. "She'll find them. Good luck, Renamon."

Renamon stood straight. "I'll be back as soon as I can." And with that, she teleported… and was thusly gone.

Kenta didn't waste any time, and turned right to our reason for coming here. "So, lay it on us. What's up with Takato…?"

Takato himself wasn't looking so hot. Or cool might be a better word… his skin was the oddest shade of red… from his legs to his arms, and even his face. Hell… I think his HAIR was even starting to look as red as mine was! It was obvious that at some point he'd woken up… he knew we were here, and he was trying direly to talk to us, but wasn't really getting that far. He just looked like he'd been put on the torture rack. And was still there being tortured. … No clues came in mind as to what the hell happened. So I made sure to pay attention closely to Mr. Matsuda.

"Well, I think for a moment he was coming out of his coma," he explained. "Just this morning… but the rest of us were asleep at the time, because the first thing we saw after waking up was Takato falling back onto his bed, as if he'd been sitting up on his own just recently. Then this… odd light took over his body, and he's been in pain ever since, and something seems to be bothering his heart area… he's spent most of his time grasping at it."

"Sure doesn't sound like pneumonia to me," Hirokazu stated oh-so obviously. "Kenta, didn't your dad have some medical schooling?"

"Doesn't mean I know jack squat on illnesses," Kenta replied, rolling his eyes. "Didn't you call a doctor, Mr. Matsuda?"

"She just left," Mr. Matsuda said, pointing to the door as if that was supposed to clarify his point. "And apparently she doesn't know what's wrong with him either… but she did say that Takato seems to be recovering from it, so we're hoping he might be able to actually speak with us after this completely blows over."

"Somehow I doubt even he'll know what just happened to him," Kenta pessimistically commented. "But it'd be great if he actually woke up by tonight."

"If he recovers tonight, can he come to school tomorrow?" Hirokazu asked, and to this I just smacked my hand against my forehead. What a dumb question to ask at a time like this…

Mr. Matsuda apparently knew this too, because he took his sweet time replying to that. "… We'll see how he's feeling first, okay?"

"Wonder if Jenrya had anything useful to say before he ran off," I mumbled, realizing that Victim #2's been conscious for almost 12 hours now. And now he hightails it? It's almost a bit suspicious considering the circumstances we're dealing with now…

"We don't know," Mr. Matsuda said with a sigh. "They never really told us much after confirming that he woke up. …I hope Takato's not the next one to run away after he recovers."

"That's just messed up," Kenta remarked with a flinch. "What's with everyone doing the disappearing act?"

"Renamon will find them," I reassured, narrowing my eyes. "I'm sure they'll have a nice story for us when they come back."

Sometimes I hoped I was always as sure as I sounded…

Poor Takato. I kind of felt sorry for him. Juri and Jenrya were pretty much his best friends… and they're both not here for him in his time of need? What could POSSIBLY be a higher priority to them?!

[POV - Nobody]

"I… think I might be lost…" Juri said quietly, and nervously to herself as she continued walking down an endless dark alleyway for what seemed like the entire day. Was it even daytime? The whole sky was black, yet starless and moonless… it didn't seem like there were any clouds. But the general details of everything were beginning to deteriorate into nothing, the more Juri continued to walk. Almost as if she wasn't really in reality anymore, but like a cheap virtual game… like that shoddy Virtual Boy that only displayed two colors.

But this was even worse. It wasn't even black and red. It was black and white. The white being the outlines… the dark being the color of the spaces. For Juri, it was especially a very disorienting experience. But it didn't matter which way she walked; and being in an alleyway, there was only two ways she could walk, anyhow. Forward, backward… it didn't matter. No matter how long she went on in either direction, she was still in the same space.

"It's okay!" her faithful Puppet barked out. "Just follow the Yellow Brick Roooooad…"

Juri just frowned. "Great, I wonder when I'll find something that's actually yellow…"

"Don't underestimate the power of Colecovision!"

"The Colecovision had color," Juri corrected her Puppet. "The correct term would be, 'A Colecovision plugged into a 1940s television'. You think you're so smart."

"Ruff!" The Puppet yelped. "Shall I get one of my underlings to help us relocate the Yellow Brick Road? Of course, the Munchkins were always such liars… they tried to send us down to Hell by that road! I bet the Red Brick Road was an easier shortcut!"

"Shut up," Juri mumbled, halfway fed up with the whole ordeal. "Your underlings can't help you, and there aren't any Munchkins."

"Bark bark bark," The Puppet taunted. "Katou-san isn't usually this negative! Whatever happened to the slogan she adopted after the D-Reaper incident?"

This made Juri raise an eyebrow. "We Can Do Anything, if we do it together?" She asked, almost perplexed.

"That's riiiiight," The Puppet recalled almost longingly. "Nothing ever came good of believing the opposite."

"I hate to break this to you," Juri said crossly, narrowing her eyes and covering her Puppet's mouth. "But there is no We in this group, so what exactly can I do when I'm all alone?"

Only garbled, unintelligible words came from the Puppet's clenched together mouth.

Juri looked up in the bland sky in despair and heaved out a sigh. "Exactly. I'm beginning to doubt if I'll ever get out of here…" Almost forcibly, she removed The Puppet from her hand and left it on the ground, which was just as black and empty as the sky, of course. Folding her arms, she continued onward without it.

"You're a stupid girl to think you're alone in this place."

That was more than enough to make Juri turn completely around. "W-who's there?!"

Juri didn't like what she saw behind her. It was her eternally insane Puppet… floating in the air, all by itself. The maroon beaded eyes were glowing and looking more red than brown.

"Please don't continue your stupidity, thinking that this is a dream, Katou."

Gasping, Juri put a hand to her mouth, trying to cover how gaping wide open it was. "Y… you're alive…!"

"I'm glad you realize that. I hope you also realize that staying optimistic in a place like this is quite useless. There really is no escape. Metaphorically speaking, anyway."

Juri was just barely paying attention. "W… who are you?" She suddenly felt compelled to rest her arms and just let them hang… for some reason, she wasn't exactly expecting to defend herself in this confrontation, despite how much sense it would make if that were the case.

"That actually doesn't matter right now. What does matter is your stupid insistence on lying to yourself, as you've constantly kept assuring to yourself that 'Everything's gonna be okay' ever since you were rescued from that D-Reaper."

"You know the D-Reaper?" Juri breathed out, now just wondering like crazy who could be channeling through her Puppet.

"Who doesn't? Anyway, you were right the first time, Katou Juri. You're all alone, and while you remain that way, you're doomed to cope with this darkness all by your lonesome, and you'll never be able to escape it. You'll surely make it back into your 'real world' in some way or another, but I promise you, this place will on-and-off haunt you for the rest of your life."

Now she was paying attention… but that faith-destroying statement didn't make her feel any better. After all, it was insisting that she was doomed! But for what? It didn't seem this spiritual force would be willing to answer that just yet…

"Isn't there anyone else here? Someone who can… help me? Can't you help me?"

"I am clearly convinced that you're doomed, therefore I am of no use to you. However, there is a boy who's not far away from you now… someone on the same wavelength as you, just about. In mind and soul… he's your way out of the darkness, for now. When you join and reconcile, you'll have your moment of freedom."

Unsure but determined, Juri stepped toward her clearly possessed Puppet. "Well… who is he? I'll look for him! And I'll get out of this place, and you won't see me back again! I don't have the time… I've got a friend who needs me now!"

"Ah yes, that friend. Matsuda, isn't it? He's the reason why you're here now. Your abnormal amounts of worry and concern for him made you think of the worst case scenarios. All that negative energy brings you here, where nothing can ever be positive. And thus, you have nothing to worry about. All ends as the same here."

"I'm not going to blame Takato for being stuck in this stupid one-dimensional place!" Juri shouted out. "And I'm never coming back here ever again! Not if I can help it… just tell me who to look for and I'll be gone!"

It was normally very unlike Juri to be this bitter and demanding… all of a sudden she was feeling like Ruki. As a result, she was feeling bad about herself for not handling such things the right way… was it really her own faults that sent her here? The worse she felt, the more uncomfortable her surroundings became. Almost as if they were turning darker along with her general disposition and mood…

"Yes, your time's running out, isn't it? Time before you truly are trapped here forever… but it's good you're still so determined, even though you know as well as I do that you're doomed in the long run."

"I didn't say we agreed on anything," Juri hissed through her teeth. "Now tell me who to find."

"Oh well. You'll certainly fall harder than your equally doomed partner, that's for sure. … You'd know him as Lee."

Juri wasn't expecting that answer at all… "J-Jenrya-chan?!"

"He's around here somewhere, but he's been a lot more consenting to his doom than you have. And to think, he was brought here for the same reasons as yourself… but I suppose that's a useless observation, isn't it?"

But Juri had already left after The Puppet's earlier sentence. Leaving his last to go to waste... and thusly, Juri had left her possessed Puppet behind.

"Pity. Pity. Pity. Then again, I can't expect that girl to be exactly as consenting as the boy was. It's not like she was born inherently dark…"

The Puppet had fallen, the glowing eyes dimming to its normal maroon color. Never before had it looked so lifeless… dark, cloud-like energy seemed to be the only thing giving the Puppet such life. It seemed to be trying to form into a vaguely familiar human body, but it wasn't quite there yet…

Almost eagerly, it watched Juri run further into the dark, desolate world of mystery. Right up until she herself could no longer be seen.

"For your sake, Katou, you'd better hope if you are dragged down, it's by your own doing and not Lee's. After all, it won't do his conscience any good to know he's taken down a fellow Tamer… even if you are just a former Tamer."

His ending statement was completed with an utterly sadistic laughter, as he dispersed to where he belonged… in his soul.

[TBC!]