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Your voice.
At night, Izumi's residence.
A red head boy woke up in the middle of night, feeling he was thirsty. He desired to get a glass of water in the kitchen. He opened the bedroom's door and walked out. Not trying to wake his parents, he walked quietly as he could in the dark. Luckily it was not too dark because of the moonlight.
He touched his neck. It felt hot inside.
'Am I being sick?' he thought 'At least I still can walk by myself. I should get some drinks and then go back to sleep. I hope it will be better when I get up next morning'
He drank a warm glass of water, put the glass in the kitchen sink and went to his bedroom, not seriously thinking about it.
In the morning, all family Izumi members already got up and prepared themselves to get ready. Mrs.Izumi was cooking breakfast behind the counter in the kitchen, Mr.Izumi was sitting at a chair in the dining room, reading a newspaper 2-3 pages while Koushirou got in. Mrs.Izumi smiled to him sweetly. Koushirou yawned a little. His throat still felt hot, but he believed he was not sick at all.
"Good morning, Koushirou" Mrs.Izumi said cheerfully and turned around to lift a tray with three plants of breakfast, eggs bacons and breads. She was going to get a jar of milk and glasses.
"Nice slept, son?" Mr.Izumi asked with a little grin on his face. He couldn't see Koushirou yawning so often.
The red head boy nodded in answer. Yeah...he had slept pretty well, but little tried. He didn't know what's wrong with his throat. However it got better than last night though.
"Want some milk, Kou-kun?"
"Yes, thank you mum."
The Izumi blinked, mistrustfully where that voice came from. Both Mr. and Mrs.Izumi looked at their child who covered his mouth with his two hands, looked surprised.
*****
At Odaiba junior high school.
Taichi walked down the floor to Koushirou's classroom. He had been looking for the Koushirou boy since the morning, but couldn't find him at all. He waited until the bell rang, told that it was time to have class, so Taichi thought he would go get Koushirou in the break time.
"Hey!"
"Yagami-senpai. What do you want?" a boy in class replied. He called Taichi senpai because he was a member of school's soccer club. He was a classmate of Koushirou as well.
"I've come to see Koushirou. I want to talk to him and ask about the computer program he told me yesterday. Could you call him for me?" standing at the front door, Taichi answered.
"Sure...Hey! Izumi. There's a vis.......ho...." the boy turned back to see that Koushirou wasn't there at his desk as always. "Where's he?" he asked himself.
"Isn't he in class?" Taichi asked, wondering.
"No...but I will tell he that you're looking for him when he's back. Would it be ok?"
"Yeah, it would. Thanks for help" Taichi said, walked back to his class. He might come again next break.
But, then......
The second time.--- the boy said "I've told him already. I think he goes to see you, doesn't he?"
The third time.--- another boy with glasses told him "I think he goes to toilet."
And forth ---said two girls "Oh.. He's so quiet today. He said nothing, yet."
[You can image that all Taichi did was standstill with puzzled eyes.]
Lunch time....
"I don't know what's wrong with him, guys. But he seems to hide himself. His classmate also said that he acted as if he was not in class 'cause they didn't hear him saying any word. This is not actually him at all. " Taichi explained to Yamato and Sora while they were having lunch in a big lunch box Sora cooked.
"Are you telling that Koushirou's trying to hide away?" Yamato asked, picking a rice ball up and bit.
"Sort of."
"Ohhh...come on, Tai. Why did he have to?"
"I don't have any idea. I will go ask him." Taichi rose at once, licked his finger, ready to go.
"I hope you could, Tai." Soar spoke insinuatingly.
"What do you mean hope I could." Taichi turned to her, confused.
"Because Mr.Takahashi is coming after you and asking for your report paper."
Finished Sora, a voice "YAGAMI" went loudly to everyone's ears and Taichi perspired concurrently. Mr.Takahashi was on straightway to Taichi and nipped the brown hair boy's left ear, smiling with angry face. "I told you that you have to see me at noon. Didn't you hear that?" was the last sentence from Mr.Takahashi's month and "ya...yeah.. Hey! That hurts, man. Be gent." from Taichi's before he was dragged out of room.
"Don't worry, Tai. We will go to see Koushirou instead of you." said Yamato with a grin as he and Sora watched their teacher dragged their digi-leader soratingly along the sideways until they had gone out of sight.
"What do you think about this, Yamato?" Sora asked as they were walking downstairs to the second floor.
"About Koushirou? Hamm don't know as well." said Yamato, scratching his head and thinking.
"Aha...he's there" Sora pointed out at the red head that's running slowly in front of them.
"Koushirou!" then he stopped, turned to see who called him. When he realized who it was, he looked strange with a smirk. At least he didn't run away from the two and stood there waiting for them coming closer.
"Taichi has been looking for you, but you're always out. What's up, Kou?" Sora inquired and Koushirou only nodded and smirked.
"You should go see him or he will get mad, Kou" Yamato giggled and he nodded again. They talked and talked [but it seemed like there was only Sora who talked and Yamato just put a few words and Koushirou nodded all the time.] until the bell rang for next class. They raised hand in goodbye to each other. Sora yelled "Hey! Kou-kun. See you at computer room. I think Tai will be there, too."
The two went back to see Taichi sitting and looked horrible.
"That old man wants me to send the future information as soon as I can. But really, I haven't made up my mind...no I have, but not desired to send it yet...." Taichi mumbled tiredly.
"You looked tired, Tai"
"yeah....I had a little fight with Mr.Takahashi about time to return the page. Don't worry. What 'bout Kou?"
"We met him at the middle of the second floor. He will go to computer room after class. You can get him there." They could converse till that 'cause the English teacher came in and Yamato and Sora had to go back to their class.
*****
The three met after the time was over for today. They had a little talk all the way to Odaiba School, their old school. They heard the voices of Miyako and Daisuke discussing something along the way and the laughs from Takeru, Iori and Hikari. When Daisuke saw those three, he almost ran to them joyfully, both glad to see them and to slip away from Miyako. Taichi and Daisuke talked about the soccer match Daisuke played today with the collage once Taichi beat them up. Until they arrived and Daisuke extended his hand to open the computer room's door.
"They said that they could remember you and wanted a chance to ask for a return match, Tai. That was great. They are one of the best team, but you could overcome them..."
"I was just lucky that time."
"Yes, but you're great, too. You know. They had won every single time till you knocked them down.... " Disuke was so excited, never stopped mentioning.
"ok..ok.. Never mind. Just get inside, Dai" Taichi shoved Daisuke hard, so the others could go inside.
"Where's Koushirou?" said Sora immediately, seeing no one was in the room.
"Didn't he come with you?" Hikari asked.
"No...What's wrong? He promised to meet us. He should be here by now..." Yamato questioned, wondering.
"Maybe he's not come, yet." Takeru looked at the computer, turned it on. The digidestined went to the digital world and helped the digimon build the town little by little. Ken was there already 'cause he used his own computer from his home. After they came back, they waited for the red head computer genius for a while.
But he didn't come.
*****
Three days passed. No-one of digidestined had seen Koushirou since Sora and Yamato. Koushirou's classmates said he early left school and class and talked nothing but only nodded and smiled dryly. When his friends asked if something was wrong, he waved the hand to reject. That nearly drove Taichi crazy and turned mad if Yamato and Sora didn't clam him down.
"He should come and meet us today. It's quiet long enough. Jyou will also come, too. He will see us at the digital world. He said he wanted to see Gomamon." Sora said.
"It's truly long. But I still have no idea why he wanted to hide from us." Yamato replied.
"Let's hope we'll meet him today or I will...." Taichi mumbled.
They stepped in the computer room. No sight of the red head boy but the digidestined.
"Everyone! Look at this." Iori pointed at the blackboard. There was a massage written on.
Hey guys I know you have been looking for me, but I have a lot of work to do. Sorry for not helping. I think Miyako can fill in me if something's wrong and you guys can do well as always. There's no serious problem coming yet.
Got to go, koushirou. See you later.
They blinked, finished reading.
"Know what? I think we have something to do now and I've decided how to make it work." the scary voice fell off Taichi's month and he had a dark aura around him. Everybody knew that they shouldn't argue with the wild brown hair former leader if they didn't want to have a nightmare.
After a long walk in silent and in hurry, they almost ran to follow Taichi, now they were standing in front of the Izumi's residence. The bell door rang and a woman opened the door, welcomed them.
"Hello Mrs.Izumi. Is Koushirou home?" It was Yamato who asked, Daisuke and Takeru had to push Taichi back heavily as if they led him go, he would do what you couldn't believe. Sora, Miyako and Hikari quickly sent a mail to Joe and Ken, asking for help. Iori watched the situation as he didn't know what to do.
"Hello kids. He's out to shopping for me. I think he's nearly back. Would you like to wait inside?"
Like a thunder hewed in day. The digidestined looked at Taichi in panic. They didn't know they should be glad or fear to hear that Koushirou was not home. Daisuke and Takeru locked Taichi arms harder.
"Yes, thank you Mrs.Izumi. We would love to..." The footstep came closer and grew louder. Everyone turned to see as the red head appeared in vision.
It was a completely dead silence moment. All digidestined stared at Koushirou, standing, holding a bag in hand. The poor Koushirou boy looked back with wild eyes, first at Iroi who stood nearest to him, then at Hikari Sora and Miyako with D-3, then to Yamato and his mother in front of the door, then back to Daisuke and Takeru held Taichi in full arms and the last at Taichi....he sweated.
As he knew what would happen next. Thought of what he had been doing, suddenly the red head slipped the bag and started running away.
"After him!" Taichi shouted. Daisuke and Miyako speedy followed Taichi [thinking it's gonna be fun.] Though they thought they had to save Koushirou from Taichi, they still wanted to know why Koushirou had acted peculiarly. Hikari and Sora apologized to Mrs.Izumi and hurried after them.
"Stop right there, Koushirou." The red head didn't waste time to turn around. He comprehended that he was followed. He ran and ran as fast as he had energy to, barely realized that he shoved both Ken and Jyou out of his way. They looked at Koushirou, surprised. Taichi passed them, and Daisuke and Miyako also did. Takeru and Iori came. They didn't understand what's going on, so they joined the group.
"What's up?"
"Just stop Koushirou-san from running away and stop Taichi-san from killing him!"
explained Iori. They all gasped for breath for a while like they ran a mini marathon.
Koushirou went to a park, passed the fountain and searched for where he could hide. Taichi chased him only a foot away.
"Got you!"
"Ahhh...."
Both Taichi and Koushirou fell off and rolled into a grass plot, but Taichi never slipped a finger, surely he used his palm to cover the ran away boy's head if it could be hit by whatever. Koushirou struggled to escape, but knowing that Taichi was stronger than him, so he stopped trying.
"What happened, Kou? Why have you hidden yourself from us?" Taichi grabbed Koushirou's shirt, tried to meet the red head eyes. Koushirou didn't look back, attempted to loose Taichi's fingers, but all he could was adhered the elder boy's wrist.
"Come on, Kou. Say something." No reply. The brown hair boy bowed the head. He tried again to make the younger boy speak.
"Do you hate me?" Taichi asked in lower voice. Koushirou promptly looked up the same time as the others digidestined arrived at the place.
"NO! I never hate you." {"No! I never heat you."}
They all stopped abruptly and blinked in shock. Koushirou hastened to cover his month in hands, looked both nervous and shy.
"Kou...Koushirou?" he blushed.
"All right. You win. Let's go to my place first. Ok?" {"All right. You win. Let's go to my place first. Ok?"} The owner of the strange voice arose in ashamed and began to walk. The digidestined stared at him, at each other then followed him at once.
*****
"There's nothing, kids. But this kid thought it was really ridiculous and detestable it sounds, so he just wanted to wait until it sounds normal again." The Izumi mother fondled her child's head while she explained to her son's friends.
"Nothing's wrong with his voice?" Daisuke doubted.
"No. He just has a cracked voice. He's growing up." She giggled.
"MOM!"
"What? It's right, isn't it?" Koushirou's face now was red as his hair. They conversed about this for a while. Girls thought it was interesting.
"Dad told me that it's so nature that a boy one day will get a cracked voice. I still can remember when Tai's voice changed. It was so funny." Hikari narrated.
"Anyway, I , Yamato and Jyou already elapsed and Koushirou is in. Just wait to your turn, guys." They looked at Daisuke, Takeru, Ken and little Iori.
"I hope that my turn won't come too fast." Daisuke said.
"That means you're still a kid, Dai!" Jyou interrupted. Taichi and Yamato grinned at the goggle boy.
Everybody laughed.
*****
Next day in the morning, on the way to school. The red head had no secret to hide anymore, absent mindedly walked as usual. He was contented that he didn't have to hide his voice. Now that his friends knew and understood him well. He instantly was clasped affectionately around his neck in familiar embrace.
"Morning, Kou." greeted the brown hair Taichi boy with a bright smile.
"Good morning, Tai." {"Good morning, Tai"} The embraced boy smiled back. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?" {"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"}
"Because it's such a long time I hadn't heard you talking. Now I'm really glad." Taichi beamed.
"Don't you think it sounds like a monster or something like that?" {"Don't you think it sounds like a monster or something like that?"}
"Yeah. Hey! Don't be upset. Come on, Kou. I don't care what it sounds like or what everyone else would think about it. I would rather talk to you more."
"Why?" {"Why?"}
"It's your voice, Kou. I love it, the voice I like to talk to." Taichi grinned, hang an arm around the smaller friend.
Then again, the red head felt like his blood in his whole body hurtled to his face, he blushed.
"Thanks." {"Thanks."} he mumbled and smiled wilder. He was happy that he got a smile from his best friend who seemed to be happier that himself.
They talked to each other all the way.
