Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. That belongs to Toei Animation. If I owned it, Kouji would've been present and watching when Takuya faced ShadowSeraphimon. That could've been so great…
Warning: This fic contains yaoi/shounen-ai, which is the coupling of two males. If you do not like this kind of coupling or you hate the fact that this is a Takouji/Koukuya fic (the coupling between Takuya and Kouji and vice-versa) then you should probably hit that nifty "back" button and search for a fic that's best for you. Any flames shall be poked and prodded by use of a spork.
Synopsis: The Digital World calls upon the help of the Chosen children again, but this time, the battle is for much more than the fate of two worlds, as a life hangs in the balance. Will the darkness consume everything or will Kouji and Takuya have what it takes to survive? Will the shadows threaten to separate the two once and for all? Koukuya/Takouji fluff in later chapters… I really suck at writing summaries.
Summary: This chapter is a bit of a precursor for things to come. It serves as an introduction to all the characters of the story, and what they've been doing since returning to the Digital World. I decided to start out this way, because I didn't want to confuse readers later on with things that will be mentioned in this chapter. There will be lots of flashbacks, so look out, or they'll bonk you on the head.
Setting: This story takes place one year after the series. It starts out in Shibuya of the human world.
Written by: Sailor Epyon
Chapter 1: And So It Begins…
A warm breeze blew through Shibuya. It was strong enough to cause flower petals to dance in the wind, and yet gentle enough as to not disturb the people who were walking around in their dizzying lives. The breeze rustled softly, causing the majestic trees in the park to gently sway back and forth. The sun shone down brightly and falling leaves revealed that summer was soon coming to an end. Tiny green leaves gently fell into the lake, causing the water to ripple, as the leaves floated along the stream. It was such a nice day, in spite of the loud sounds of the city and the people who lived in it. Why was it that people could not stop to take the time to notice such things?
Kouji Minamoto sighed as he leaned against a tree in the park. It had been nearly a year since he and his friends returned from the Digital World. So much had changed in the past year. The twists and turns of life in such a short amount of time could possibly have driven a normal person into insanity. Kouji, however, was not a normal person; nor were his friends and newly found twin brother. They had all gone through so much together in the Digital World. They each had faced their own demons and defeated the ultimate evil, who stood in the form of Lucemon. They restored the Digital World to its beauty. Each of the digidestined had changed in some way or another, but none had changed as much as Kouji.
Kouji had just been reunited with his twin brother Kouichi, whom he never knew existed. Fate was cruel enough to nearly take him away from him again; but then again, wasn't it fate who also intervened? Kouichi's life was spared, much to the delight of Kouji and their friends. It had been a miracle that Kouji himself could not marvel. He was just happy to have his brother back, alive and well.
Things weren't particularly easy for Kouji after that fateful day in the hospital, however. He had so much vented anger toward his father, who had lied to him about his birth mother's alleged death and the fact that he had a twin brother. Kouji found that his stepmother had been kept in the dark the entire time as well. She nearly left his father after she'd found out the truth. She probably would have if it hadn't been for the simple fact that she still loved him and couldn't bring herself to leave. In time, she accepted the truth and even grew fond of her newly found stepson Kouichi. They got along so well as they were both similar: cheerful, polite, and easy-going. It was in this time that Kouji had begun to truly bond with his stepmother, and found that she really wasn't so bad after all. Kouji also began to bond with his birth mother, which was awkward for the both of them at first. After some time, however, they got to know each other and truly began to act like mother and son. Eventually, Kouji forgave his father, after an intervention from Kouichi, and things were beginning to look up for the Minamoto/Kimura families. Kouji and Kouichi made arrangements to stay at each other's houses on weekends, had daily phone conversations, and decided to attend the same school together. Things could've been perfect, had it not been for the fact that Kouji still felt a bit lonely.
Kouji let out another deep, heavy sigh. 'What's wrong with me?' He thought to himself.
Kouji reached into his pocket and grabbed his cell phone. He flipped it open and checked his messages…again. There was a message from his stepmother, asking him to run an errand, which he already had completed, and a message from Kouichi, asking Kouji if he'd like to meet up with the other digidestined children at a cafe. Kouji had declined, after learning that a certain digidestined would not be attending. Kouji sighed, wondering if the other children thought he was a jerk for ditching them. He honestly was not trying to be the old, antisocial Kouji. He loved spending time with his brother and friends, but he just felt the need to be alone. Kouji still enjoyed a little solitude every now and then and lately, he had not gotten so much of it since he'd returned from the Digital World.
Kouji could just picture Kouichi, Junpei, Izumi, and Tomoki sitting together at a table, laughing and having a great time. He thought about how they had all been so close during their adventures, but suddenly, everyone was drifting apart. Maybe it was because most of them attended different schools. They all had their own lives to live, after all. After returning to the Digital World, everyone had exchanged phone numbers at the hospital. At first, they all kept in touch and hung out at least twice a week. But soon, everyone began slowly drifting away, in search of their new lives. It wasn't as if they had all gone without talking to each other or anything. It was just that they weren't as close as they used to be. Perhaps it was because they had been used to seeing each other on a daily basis in the Digital World, and now, they were all lucky to hang out as a group for a few times a month. It was a bit depressing and Kouji decided to blame it on school.
Damn school always took up so much precious time. It also sucked that not everyone lived in the same school district. That made it even more difficult for the children to hang out. However, summer had arrived and they still hadn't had many opportunities to hang out as a group. Of course, when Kouji referred to hanging out with the group, he meant that everyone would be there and it discouraged him that everyone wasn't. Actually, what discouraged him was that a certain member of the group wasn't there, but should've been.
Ring. Kouji jumped out of his thoughts as his cell phone began to ring. Kouichi Kimura's name showed up on the ID.
"Hello, Kouichi." Kouji answered, not waiting for Kouichi to speak first.
"Hey otouto-chan," Kouichi's cheerful voice replied, "Are you sure you don't want to come and hang out with us for a while?"
"Yes, I'm sure," Kouji said quietly, "I hope you guys are having fun, though."
"We are," said Kouichi, "but it would be more fun if…"
"I know," Kouji answered, abruptly cutting Kouichi off, "See you later, brother."
"Goodbye." Kouichi simply said with a sigh.
Kouji hung up the phone and sighed. 'Besides,' He thought, 'He's not going to be there. Why should I go?'
Kouji really wasn't trying to be antisocial. He just liked to have a few moments to himself. He was also a little disappointed, because of the fact that the person he most wanted to see was also absent. Kouji thought of the sounds of laughter he overheard in the background during his conversation with Kouichi. Everyone sounded like they were having so much fun. He could hear Junpei making a remark about something, as Izumi and Tomoki laughed loudly at whatever he had said. Kouichi sounded as though he was holding back laughter, for the sake of the phone conversation. However, one voice was missing: the life of the party.
Kouji smirked at himself. 'If he had somehow shown up, I most likely would've shown up as well.'
Kouji's thoughts began to shift toward his friends again, as he imagined the lot of them gathered at the café. He began to think of how they had all changed since their adventure in the Digital World.
Kouji's thoughts wandered to Junpei Shibayama, child of thunder. Junpei had once been a selfish person, who always tried to buy friendship. He was now one of the most giving of friends. Junpei was the oldest of the group, but that didn't necessarily make him the most mature. Still, Junpei was a good guy to have as a friend. Kouji saw him a lot less often than the others. Junpei lived on the outskirts of Shibuya and attended school in a different district. It truthfully wouldn't have mattered if Junpei had attended the same school as Kouji, since he happened to be a grade ahead of him. Junpei had become quite popular with his classmates after returning to the human world. Not surprisingly, he wanted to spend more time with his friends, and so, he did. He was still into magical tricks and illusions, and performed often for his closest friends. He was actually quite good now, good enough for Kouji to stop calling it lame. As always, Junpei still had a humongous crush on Izumi, but he wasn't quite so obnoxious about it now. Junpei hung out with Izumi quite often, and kept in close, almost daily, contact with both she and Kouichi via phone.
Kouji's thoughts then wandered to Izumi Orimoto, child of wind. The blonde haired, green-eyed girl had changed quite a bit as well. She was now an open-minded person, who wanted to befriend everyone, and seldom whined about anything. After returning to the human world, Izumi became quite popular at her school. She, like Junpei, did not attend school with Kouji. Izumi attended an all-girls' school and seemed to enjoy it very much. She was surrounded by so many of her friends, after all. Izumi never acted stuck-up or snobby with her newfound popularity, which delighted the digidestined, who had grown to depend on Izumi's friendship. Kouji found that Izumi lived closest to him, of everyone in the digidestined. She lived in the same, "nice" neighborhood as he did, though 9 blocks away. This didn't exactly make the two any closer than they already were. It wasn't as if they hung out at each other's houses or anything because of this fact.
Izumi still seemed to lack romantic feelings for Junpei, but did seem to enjoy his company very much. Izumi tried to keep in close contact with every member of the digidestined, often arranging for get-togethers and frequent phone calls. She, Kouichi, and Junpei kept a pretty close friendship, as the two latter boys were the easiest to get hold of. Izumi also stayed in extremely close contact to another certain person, which made Kouji slightly wonder about the nature of that particular relationship.
Kouji shook his head. 'Nah, I shouldn't let things like that get to me.' He thought as his thoughts began to wander off again.
Kouji cleared his mind, as images of Kouichi Kimura, child of darkness, suddenly appeared in his head. Kouji smirked at the thought of his twin brother. He and Kouichi had been through so much together. As mentioned before, the two never knew each other existed before a year ago. They'd spent so much time getting to know each other after they'd gotten back from the Digital World, that it now seemed as though they had never been separated at all.
Kouichi, despite his element, was the very opposite of darkness itself. He was a very polite and cheerful person, who cared very much about his twin brother, family, and friends. He'd proven that by sacrificing himself in the Digital World and nearly dying in the process. Kouichi, unlike Kouji, revealed himself to be quite social. He had spent so much time worrying about his "condition" in the Digital World, that he was a bit distant, but after returning to the human world, everyone got to see the real Kouichi. Kouichi was easily amused and was very loyal. He, like Izumi, tried to arrange for get-togethers with the digidestined every now and then. As mentioned before, Kouichi seemed to have formed a special friendship with Izumi and Junpei, as the three of them always seemed to have the time to hang out together, despite attending different schools. Kouichi, unlike the others mentioned so far, attended the same school as Kouji. They'd both attended different schools in separate districts before this year, but decided to attend the same one this year, for obvious reasons. Kouichi also kept a close friendship with another person…
Kouji sighed as he shifted himself to different sitting position. He was still leaning against his beloved tree.
Kouji's mind drifted toward the youngest of the group, Tomoki Himi, child of ice. Tomoki was in the fourth grade now, but was almost as mature as the older children. Tomoki had once feared everything, and was very dependent on the others. Now, he was a pretty independent kid who seldom cried. Tomoki resumed his friendship with Katsuharu and the others when he returned to the Digital World. He found that it was great to talk to other kids his age that had also been in the Digital World, about his adventures, as most people would've thought that he was insane. Tomoki, of course, couldn't attend the same school as Kouji, as he was much too young. He did, however, attend an elementary school in the same district, which meant that they saw each other often. Tomoki had a great relationship with his older brother, Yutaka, now that he was no longer the spoiled little brat he once was. Although he was ecstatic about regaining a great relationship with his older brother, he still insisted on keeping his relationship with his surrogate older brother strong as well. In fact, it was Tomoki's surrogate older brother, and hero, who introduced him to his, now, best friend, Shinya Kanbara.
'Kanbara…' Kouji's thoughts practically shouted the name throughout his mind. His mind suddenly wandered to the person whose name he'd tried mentally avoiding all day.
"Takuya Kanbara…" Kouji said aloud, as images of the boy began to enter his mind.
Kouji's mind felt anxious, and yet, oddly at ease as he began to think of Takuya Kanbara, child of flame. What could be said about Takuya? Kouji owed him so much that words just couldn't sum up what he thought of the goggle-head. Like Kouji, Takuya had drastically changed since he'd returned from the Digital World. Before the digital experience, Takuya had been a stubborn, careless, hotheaded young man. He wasn't the kind of person that you could exactly depend on because of those facts. And now? Well, Takuya was still stubborn at times (but not unreasonably so), and could still be a bit hotheaded as well. However, Takuya revealed to be the most caring, dependable person that Kouji had ever met. Takuya's stubborn demeanor had evolved itself into something great. He turned his weakness into a much-needed strength as stubbornness evolved into determination. Takuya had become a pillar of strength for all of the digidestined in their darkest of hours, and this was especially true for Kouji.
'He's so full of good attributes these days.' Kouji thought as he smiled.
Kouji deeply admired Takuya's continuous optimism, although he didn't appreciate it at first. He was the kind of person who could always smile and be cheerful. Takuya could always make the best out of the worst situations, with his determination and optimism. With those traits, it wasn't hard for a person to believe in him. Takuya was a bit of a firecracker though. He wasn't the type to turn the other cheek. He could definitely take care of himself, and would gladly defend any one of his friends to the death. Takuya treasured his friends and family above all other things and merely wanted to protect them all as much as he could.
'Heh, perhaps we're not polar opposites after all.' Kouji smirked to himself. That sense of protection was a trait that both he and Takuya shared in common.
Takuya was leader of the Chosen children, something that Kouji had not accepted at first. It wasn't that he hated the fact that Takuya was leader, or that he was really jealous, for that matter, it was just that Takuya was a bit of a careless leader, not really thinking about the best interests of the others, or even his own. However, Takuya got himself on track and became the best thing that could've happened for the digidestined. That carelessness he had once possessed mysteriously disappeared; and Kouji was still puzzled as to how Takuya could've changed so much in such a short amount of time. He was grateful for whatever had happened to Takuya though, because it matured him and turned him into the bravest, most caring person that Kouji had ever met.
Takuya was also fiercely loyal and very trustworthy. Kouji found that he had misjudged him. When they'd first met, Kouji had thought that because Takuya was such a loud person, than he was probably a loud-mouthed person as well. He was wary of trusting anyone, and was especially wary of trusting a guy like Takuya with anything. Later on, as he got to know Takuya a little better, he decided to trust him and began to confide in him about his family ordeals. Now, Kouji trusted Takuya with his life. Both boys became the best of friends, and Takuya brought out the best in the once lonely Kouji. Kouji was good for Takuya too, as he kept Takuya's temper in check. Their best traits had rubbed off on each other. Kouji was content now and it had mostly been Takuya's doing. Takuya taught Kouji to trust and smile. He taught him to be happy. He taught Kouji to love. Takuya taught Kouji to fight for those he loved, particularly when Kouichi was Duskmon and Kouji refused to fight him. He remained by Kouji's side during the battle and ultimately helped him to purify his twin brother. Afterward, Kouji was afraid of trusting Kouichi and was unsure of what to think of having a newly found brother. Takuya helped him with that and became the bridge between the two.
'Geez, I owe him so much.' Kouji thought. 'I don't think I could ever repay him, except to always remain by his side.'
Kouji beamed. He was inwardly proud of having Takuya for a leader. Kouji remembered once telling Takuya that it was an honor, fighting by his side. It was true and Kouji missed those days. He didn't miss always looking over your shoulder, always fearing that some evil digimon might try and attack you. He missed always being by Takuya's side, no matter what.
Kouji remembered the day in the hospital, when the Chosen children returned from the Digital World. Flashback Everyone was so happy because Kouichi's life was spared. It was an emotional time for Kouji, who was overcome with having nearly lost his twin brother. For an hour or so, everyone sat around in the hospital room enjoying each other's company. Then, Takuya turned to go out the door.
"Well everyone, I'm afraid I'm late for a party." Takuya said in haste, "My mom is going to kill me for being so late."
"You're leaving so soon?" Kouichi asked.
Takuya nodded. "Yeah, but I'm really glad you're okay, Kouichi."
Kouichi gave a slight nod and reached into his pants pocket to reveal his cell phone.
"If you don't mind, I'd like to exchange phone numbers." Kouichi said with a smile.
"Oh sure," Takuya said as he returned the smile. Pretty soon, everyone had exchanged phone numbers.
Takuya grinned. "Take care of yourselves everyone." He said as he threw his hand up and walked out the door.
Kouji stood up and walked quickly out into the hall, after him.
"Hey Takuya!" Kouji called. Takuya turned around, surprised.
"What is it, Kouji?" He asked.
Kouji grabbed Takuya's hand and shook it. He flashed a genuine smile that Takuya had rarely seen.
"I just want to thank you, Takuya," He said as he smiled, "I want to thank you for everything. I mean it from the bottom of my heart."
"You don't have to thank me, Kouji," Takuya replied, returning the smile, "What are friends for?"
"What are best friends for." Kouji corrected him, "Because that is what I think of us."
Takuya's smile grew even wider. "I think so too," he said happily.
"So don't be a stranger, okay?" Kouji said, hoping to have the chance to hang out with Takuya now that they were in the human world.
"I won't." Takuya answered with a chuckle, before he turned and walked away. "We can call each other whenever we want."
Kouji nodded. "Take care of yourself, Takuya." He said, still smiling.
"Take care of yourself as well, Kouji." Takuya replied with a wave. Kouji watched him until he disappeared around the corner.
"I definitely plan on seeing you again very soon." Kouji said under his breath after Takuya had left. Now that Kouji actually had a best friend, he intended on making sure it stayed that way. Then, Kouji walked back into Kouichi's hospital room and joined in on some silly conversation that everyone was having. He didn't notice the look that Kouichi shot him. /Flashback
Kouji smiled to himself. "Best friends…" His voice trailed off. Kouji longed to see his best friend right now.
It wasn't as if Kouji and Takuya never saw each other again after that day. That couldn't have been further than the truth. It was just that lately, Takuya hadn't been around so much. He was always busy with something or another, just like today. When Takuya did have time for Kouji, they rarely got to spend it together…alone.
Kouji's memory rested on his first day of the new school year. Once again, Kouji had moved to a new school. This time was different, though. Kouji had wanted to switch schools, so that he and Kouichi could spend more time together. Kouichi had done the same, and both decided to attend school in the district that was the closest distance between their residences. Flashback Once both boys reached the schoolyard, Kouji could instantly tell that this was going to be an interesting school year. He didn't know the half of it. Kouji and Kouichi looked around them and noticed a crowd of kids, who appeared to be gathered around something or someone. Kouichi walked over to the crowd of seven or eight kids, curious of the commotion. Kouji, who wasn't really interested in what others were doing, sighed and followed him. They began to hear excited voices.
"How was your summer, Kanbara?" A boy in the crowd asked.
'Wait, did he just say Kanbara?' Kouji silently asked himself.
"Well, it was definitely interesting, to say the least." A familiar voice answered with a nervous chuckle.
"It's him." Kouji stated in a somewhat shocked voice.
Kouichi gasped. "Hey, that's Takuya! I didn't know he attended this school."
Takuya turned and looked at the twins. His face turned from exasperation to surprise to happiness.
"Kouji, Kouichi! I didn't know you were attending school here." Takuya shouted cheerfully as he pushed through the crowd, ignoring them.
"We didn't know you studied here either." Kouji replied with a smile. Yes, this was definitely going to be an interesting school year.
"Sure, I just live about eight blocks down." Takuya answered with a cheerful smile.
The school bell rang and all of the children scampered off to class. Kouji smiled blissfully. He now attended school with two of his favorite people: his brother and his best friend. Kouji knew that he wouldn't be lonely this year. /Flashback
It was great to attend school with Takuya. Kouji got to know him even better. He wasn't so shocked to find that Takuya was the most popular kid in school. He was the star player of the school's soccer team, and he was the friendliest person in class. He even had a fanclub, which consisted of fangirls (and some fanboys) who wanted Takuya's affections, although Kouji doubted that Takuya even noticed it. The Takuya Kanbara Fanclub annoyed the hell out of Kouji for some reason though.
Takuya could've sat with anyone he wanted during lunch, but he always insisted on eating with Kouichi and Kouji. Kouji noticed that everyone referred to Takuya by his last name, with the exception of a girl who shared the same floor as Takuya in his apartment building, Kouichi, and himself. Kouji had decided that perhaps Takuya was never so close to these people in the first place and wondered whether Takuya had been lonely in the years before, even with his popularity.
Kouichi enjoyed Takuya's company, as he was highly amusing, and expressed it more openly than Kouji did. In fact, Kouichi had become almost as close a friend to Takuya as Kouji was. Almost. In Takuya's mind, no one could ever take Kouji's place as his best friend. No one. Kouji was very grateful to this. Because they attended school together, Kouji had more of a reason to hang out with Takuya. They always worked together on school projects and he found that Takuya was actually a pretty good student (though not quite as good as he). They always hung out together after school as well. Of course, Kouichi was almost always with them, and Kouji enjoyed having his brother around… It was just that Kouji wished he had more time alone with his best friend.
Kouji and Takuya hardly ever got any time alone. The Chosen children frequently met up to hang out during the school year. Kouji took notice that Izumi especially enjoyed hanging around Takuya and it was during this time that Kouji had begun to take notice of his feelings. He was growing a bit jealous of Izumi and he had no clue as to why. Worse yet, Kouji felt a kind of inward rage toward Takuya's ridiculous fanclub, and he still had no reason why he did.
Kouji smirked as he stood up and dusted himself off, as the ground was beginning to annoy him. Then, he climbed up to the closest tree branch from the ground and made himself comfortable.
'You know exactly why you felt that way now, baka.' Kouji thought to himself. Then, he began to think of when he started to lose Takuya to time itself.
Flashback It had all started when Takuya had called everyone up and asked them to meet him at a nearby café, toward the end of the school year. Of course, everyone sweat-dropped when they arrived, noticing that Takuya himself was late for his own damn meeting.
"How very typical." Kouji sighed, sitting down, a little relieved that everyone had chosen to sit at one of the outside tables for a change.
"Well, he did have soccer practice today, right?" Kouichi asked.
"Yeah, Takky probably got held over or something." Junpei said with a shrug, "I hope he took a shower."
Izumi and Tomoki exchanged glances. Hopefully, they wouldn't have to wait for him for long. They didn't.
"Hey guys!" A breathless Takuya called as he ran up to the table that everyone was sitting at.
Kouji took notice that Takuya's hair was extremely damp and noticed a smell of fragrant shampoo as soon as Takuya sat down next to him. Kouji blushed.
"Just got out of the showers, huh?" Izumi asked with a smirk. Takuya nodded.
"So Takky, what's this all about?" Junpei asked, slightly impatiently. Takuya tried to gather his breath. He ran all the way from Shibuya Soccer Field in this intense heat, after two intense hours of soccer practice.
"Just try and catch your breath." Kouji said, noticing the exhausted look on Takuya's face. "We can all be patient."
Takuya nodded and took in a few, deep breaths before maintaining normal breathing.
"I have something I'd like to discuss with all of you," Takuya said, a bit nervously.
"What would that be?" Izumi asked as she smiled sweetly.
"Err, well, the reason I was late was because the coach held me over after practice." Takuya explained. He took a breath and began to speak some more. "Anyway, Coach Aono offered me the position as team captain."
"What! Oh my gosh! Takuya, that's wonderful!" Izumi squealed.
"Yeah, nii-chan, you'll be awesome," Tomoki said with a cheer.
"Wow, team captain… That's so cool, Takuya," Kouichi replied with a grin and he threw Takuya a 'thumbs up'.
Takuya blushed and looked down at the ground. His smile disappeared and was replaced by a look of worry. Kouji grew concerned.
"Well guys, I haven't exactly accepted the position yet." Takuya stated quietly as he glanced down at the ground.
"Well why not, Takky?" Junpei asked, "Being captain would be a great experience for you."
Takuya sighed quietly and continued staring at the ground. Kouji immediately took notice of the sigh.
"Takuya, what's going on?" Kouji asked with a concerned tone, "Do you not want the position?"
"It's not that," Takuya replied, as his voice grew a little louder, "I'm just not sure I'm good enough."
"What are you talking about?" Kouichi asked as a look of exasperation came over his face. "You're the greatest soccer player in the history of the school."
"Kouichi's right," Izumi declared with a nod, "Please stop being so modest, Takuya. It's not normal for you and I don't like it."
"Gee, thanks." Takuya muttered as his worried face turned into one of annoyance. "Am I really that arrogant? I was working so hard on trying to not be so cocky."
"You aren't that arrogant," Tomoki answered with a smile, "You're the greatest, nii-chan."
"Thanks, I guess." Takuya replied with a small grin. Then, Takuya blinked and returned to the subject at hand. "But guys, you didn't let me finish. What I meant was that I don't think I'm good enough to be the captain."
"Why would you think that you're not good enough to be captain?" Kouji asked, concerned for his best friend's sudden lack of self-confidence.
"Well, we all know that I'm not exactly the best at being the leader," Takuya answered in a new tone that Kouji and the others didn't recognize.
"I must've been excluded," Kouji stated rather loudly, "because I didn't know that."
Takuya blushed and for the first time, looked away from the ground and caught Kouji's eyes. "Be honest, Kouji. I was a horrible leader. I made horrible decisions and nearly got everyone killed. I nearly got you killed on more than one occasion."
Kouji blinked. "So you made a few mistakes," He said with a shrug, "Things happen. You overcame all of that. It was because of you that we were able to get so far, and how we managed to survive. Your determination and strength is what lead us all to depend on you. You were a great leader, Takuya. You still are."
Kouji blushed after he realized what he'd just said and shook it off. Takuya needed to hear it. He needed to hear that he wasn't the failure that he obviously thought he was.
Takuya blushed as well. "I just don't think I'm qualified for it," He replied as he began to stare at the ground again, "I don't want to let my team mates down."
Kouji sighed. He was growing irritated at Takuya's lack of confidence. It wasn't the Takuya he knew. He closed his eyes for a minute to gather his composure, not wanting to say anything in an insensitive tone, and opened them as he began to speak again.
"Takuya, if you really want that position, then I think you should go for it. Your team would be lucky to have you as their captain. You won't let them down. They'll benefit from having you to lead them. I believe in you and I know you'll do your best, no matter what you decide." Kouji said in a reassuring tone.
"Do you really think so?" Takuya asked as if he clung onto Kouji's opinion of him.
"Of course I do," Kouji responded with a smile.
Takuya began to grin, which made Kouji blush.
Kouichi smirked, taking notice that the group conversation had turned into a one-on-one session with Takuya and Kouji, as everyone else just looked on. The smiling and blushing was most certainly entertaining to Kouichi as well.
"Well, I think being captain would be pretty cool," Takuya chuckled sheepishly. "There are a few strategies that I've always wanted to try out during games."
"There's the Takuya that we know and love," Izumi laughed, somewhat bringing the group back into the conversation. "You'll make a great captain, Takuya. You'll lead your team to victory for sure."
"Yeah, you'll be great, Takky. Don't worry so much." Junpei said as he took a sip of his soda.
"You'll be the greatest captain ever!" Tomoki exclaimed.
"Yeah, I have no doubt that you'll be an awesome captain, just as you were an awesome leader." Kouichi replied in a reassuring tone.
Kouji just nodded in agreement with all of them. At this point, words weren't needed.
Takuya smiled. "Guys, you're the greatest friends a person could ask for," He said happily, "I'm so lucky to have all of you. Thank you."
"You're welcome," Everyone chimed in happily.
Kouji inwardly frowned. Takuya was already a busy person as it was, with being devoted to so many obligations such as his parents, Shinya, school, and soccer. Now that Takuya was going to become captain of the team, his busy schedule would most likely become more chaotic, leaving little time to spend with his friends…or Kouji. However, this was something that Takuya really wanted and it made him so happy. Kouji wanted his best friend to be happy more than anything else. His inward frown became an inward smile. If it made Takuya happy, then Kouji would be happy as well. /Flashback
Kouji let out a deep sigh. He was most definitely right about Takuya's lack of time that day. During the entire summer break; Takuya had become completely consumed with soccer. He led his team to victory after victory, and had recently gotten them into the regional championships. Because of having to organize everything from strategies to player positioning to practices, Takuya didn't have time for much else. With what little spare time he did have, Takuya spent with his family, who obviously missed Takuya as much as Kouji had. He honestly tried to organize his time a little better so that he could spend more of it with his friends, but it was so very hard to do.
"Takuya may as well be the damn coach," Kouji mumbled as he rolled his eyes. He certainly did more for his team than he should have.
Kouji watched Takuya at some of his games and seeing that fiery look of determination in his eyes brought back old memories. However, lately, Takuya had been playing at schools further out of Shibuya than Kouji could afford to take a train to see. The time he wanted to spend with his best friend was disrupted and that put Kouji in a bad mood.
Today, Takuya had an early practice, but no game. Kouji was hoping that because of this fact, Takuya would most likely have some free time on his hands. Kouji had known of Kouichi's plans of having the digidestined meet up at a café to catch up on things, and hoped that Takuya would actually be there for a change. Poor Kouji got his hopes up when he learned from Kouichi that Takuya was stuck running errands for his mother and most likely couldn't join them. This irritated him to no end. If Takuya wasn't going to make it, than neither was he. What was the point? Kouji loved all of his friends to death, but he really only wanted to see Takuya today. He felt incomplete when he wasn't with him. Kouji was feeling incomplete so much these days; and the loneliness was beginning to return as well.
'Heh, I almost wish that the school was back in session, because then at least I could still see him everyday.' Kouji contemplated with a bitter, inward laugh.
"Gah, why do I feel like this?" He asked himself aloud. Kouji paid no attention to the looks he was getting from a couple who passed by the tree that he had taken refuge in.
'Stupid Minamoto, you know exactly why you feel like this,' a voice proclaimed inside Kouji's head. He quietly smirked at himself. 'It's because Takuya Kanbara is more than just a friend.'
Kouji sighed. He had noticed even as far back as the Digital World adventure, that he felt something for Takuya. Back then; he wasn't sure what it was, though. He had never had a best friend or anyone remotely close to him before, and thought that may have been the case. All he knew was that he felt the strong urge to always protect Takuya, and not just because the goggle-head was so careless. It was way more than that. Kouji couldn't bare the thought of Takuya being in pain, or worse, dead. Granted, Kouji didn't want to see any of his friends get hurt, but he always felt the need to look out for Takuya. He developed another fixed emotion on his best friend when the two attended school together after the Digital adventure. Kouji felt the strong need to make sure that Takuya always smiled. He loved that smile, more than anything. With Takuya's warm and cheerful smile, Kouji always seemed to feel at ease and it made him want to smile as well. When Takuya was feeling down, even on something as petty as having too much homework, Kouji made it his obligation to cheer Takuya up in his own way. He was always there for him, no matter what, just as Takuya had been there for him in the Digital World.
Kouji also noticed something else a bit odd about his strange feelings toward Takuya: he found himself growing noticeably jealous every time Takuya's fan club swooned over him. It was worse when he'd hear from Kouichi that Takuya and Izumi were spending time together, even if they were both running errands for their families. Kouji became concerned about these strange emotions. Soon, he couldn't get Takuya out of his mind. No matter what Kouji did, he always thought of him. Kouji began to think about Takuya's cute looks and expressions. Takuya was adorable with those dark, brown eyes with a fiery glow of determination, that wild, brunette hair that did whatever it wanted, and his very tan complexion. Takuya had the most adorable, innocent-looking smile as well. Kouji was baffled at himself for thinking such things about his best friend. The last straw was when Takuya became captain of the soccer team at the beginning of summer break. Two months of summer had already passed and Kouji had barely spent time with his best friend at all. He felt lonely and incomplete. Kouji longed for Takuya's company; he missed him very much. Occasional meetings and phone calls weren't enough. He wanted Takuya to be near him all the time. In Kouji's loneliness, he was able to figure out his feelings. He had a crush on Takuya!
Kouji was surprised by his feelings for Takuya and feared rejection. Because of this, he sank into slight depression of having these feelings bottled up inside. Finally, Kouichi intervened and Kouji told his older twin brother about his feelings for Takuya in extreme confidence. If Kouji had thought he'd surprised himself with his feelings for Takuya, one should've seen the shock on his face after learning that Kouichi had already known about his feelings for the goggle-head.
"It's about time you finally admitted it," Kouichi had simply said with a chuckle.
Kouichi had explained about watching Kouji's expressions and behavior when Takuya was around, even as far back as the Digital World adventures. When Kouji asked his brother's opinion on the ordeal, Kouichi just gave another laugh and said it was "cute". Kouji remembered Kouichi asking what he was going to do about this little crush. Kouji had just given a shrug and said that it didn't matter right now. Takuya was his best friend first, and that a simple crush like this one would probably go away on its own. Kouichi had given a slight frown, but said nothing.
"I hope it is just a simple crush." Kouji sighed heavily, "This could lead to trouble and I don't want to lose my friendship with Takuya if he doesn't return these feelings. It means too much to me."
Kouji shook his head of these wandering thoughts. He lazily shifted positions on the tree branch and closed his eyes to take a short nap.
"It'd still be nice to see him though," Kouji yawned. He found that he was having difficulty drowning out the noisy people on the street across from the park. Damn, busy people…
"Hey watch it!" He heard a woman shout angrily from the busy street.
"Watch where you're walking, punk." A man said angrily, not two seconds after the latter complaint.
"How rude! Watch where you're going!" A young girl growled a few seconds after that.
Kouji opened his eyes and silently cursed. Stupid people! Couldn't they be quiet for ten minutes? He could hear various people complaining loudly on the street across from the park. Kouji, being high up in the tree, could see the street from where he was sitting. For some reason, Kouji felt oddly compelled to glance over at the commotion in the street. What he saw made a chill run down his spine. There on the street, was a goggle-headed brunette dressed in red. It was he.
A/N: After a long hiatus from posting fics, I'm back. Yay, I missed writing so much. I've been so horribly busy and I suffered from a nasty case of writer's block. I haven't posted anything in two years, so I'm interested to see how well I'll be able to cope with this "new" editing system they seem to have. It's amusing that I find myself posting yaoi, after I once said that I never would. My yaoi fics were never good enough to post, but I think this one might be okay. One thing's for sure; I plan to finish this story out. I'm going to stick with it till the end.
Ah, I love Takouji/Koukuya very much. It is my favorite of all Digimon pairings. Kouji and Takuya just have so much chemistry going, don't they? Plus, they're both so adorable. I must thank Angel Spirit for inspiring me with Different Journeys. That fic is truly great. Go read it, if you haven't already.
Chapter two will be up very, very soon. It is finished, but it currently being proofread. I try really hard to not make grammatical errors, so please bear with me. The story truly begins with that chapter.
Want to know something else? Class is evil. My first week back was so boring. Writing this chapter kept my sanity. Anyway, read and review, dearies.