Hey, I'm here with another chapter. This is the first turning point of the fic, kinda, so now things are gonna start getting real interesting. Some questions are answered here, some are not, and some answers bring up new questions XP. This chapter's kinda short, I think, but it gets straight to the point.
Revision Notes: Combined a couple of chapters here, so this chapter is longer now and I think there's a random extra scene added in somewhere. Otherwise it's just the usual touch-ups.
Disclaimer: If I owned Digimon…well, for starters, if Digimon didn't exist beforehand, then I wouldn't be inspired by the TV show, which would mean it would ever exist at all...In short: no, I don't own Digimon.
Data Set 4: When the Dam Breaks
"Dammit, hope they find that thing soon."
Takuya jogged at a steady pace on the sidewalk, his warm brown eyes darting around him just in case a fireball suddenly shot out of nowhere. Their encounter with the rogue Agumon had taken place the day before, and Boarmon and Doggymon still hadn't found him yet. Though he held nothing against his Digimon friends, this fact continued to baffle him. I mean, how hard could it be to find a dinosaur? They weren't exactly native wildlife to these parts.
To the right of him was the street, a rather calm road that only had the occasional car or truck lazily gliding by. Just on the other side of the road was a string of comfy houses, one looking not so different than any of the others. The grasses were clipped neatly, as usual, and he saw no one outside, with the exception of a young blonde man with starling blue eyes that was studying a map of the area. But even the obviously foreign stranger was soon gone, disappearing around the corner of the street without so much as a glance in his direction.
This was a private, somewhat paranoid neighborhood he was in, and the absence of people casually walking down the sidewalk, or otherwise out taking advantage of this beautiful day, made him feel somewhat out of place. This area was too perfectly groomed, too robotic, and seemed more programmed than the Digital World itself.
Then again, since when did the Digital World seem programmed to him? Everything there was random, with no guidelines at all. Whatever guidelines that had been there were broken long before he and his friends came and left. It was the Digimon, and occasional glitch, that determined its fate, not a code.
And yet here was a place that seemed straight out of a programmer's plans, running just how it should, no exceptions. If he hadn't been sure it was the real world, he'd thought he was in some kind of virtual environment. How ironic, when data seems more real than matter.
To his left a vivid and tangled wood began only a few feet from the sidewalk. It was overflowing with trees of all kinds, and well as animal beings sheltered by its branches and leaves. He couldn't see the creatures, but he knew they were there. Sometimes he heard a twig snap, or a nameless bird suddenly burst out in lively song. Other times he heard insects chirping, or heard a croak from somewhere in the darkness that the forest had created to protect its inhabitants.
It was that darkness that obscured his view in the woods. He could only see so far into the palace of trees before the blackness abruptly cut off all sight. In that darkness were many living organisms, hiding from the strange noises produced by the man's world just beyond. Outsiders not welcome.
And what was he doing, caught between these polar opposites? Training, of course. Training for that big game coming up in a few days. Training, so that could face it head on. Training, so he wouldn't let his team down. Training, so that he could hear his family and friends cheering him on, letting them forget their problems for the duration of the game. Training, to shut his brain off for the time being, so that he didn't have to think, didn't have to remember.
He didn't care that his legs hurt from all the running. He'd been through worse; all the others had been through worse. He could handle it. He'd have it handle it; everyone was counting on him.
Suddenly Takuya heard a shattering sound. All around him, pieces of glass rained down around him, fragmenting further as they crashed into the oblivious cement. Amazingly, not one shard even dared to touch the boy with the purple baseball cap.
"Huh?"
Looking up, he saw he was right under a tall lamplight. The protective glass had been smashed, and the fluorescent bulb inside broken, but it glowed with a furious light, occasionally spitting out a few electric sparks up into the air in some random direction.
He cringed as he felt that power rush through him, again.
Why is it that the electronics know what's gonna happen before I do?
Clutching his stomach with one hand, he staggered into the woods, slipping away into its haven of shadows. He let himself sink down onto his knees to rest, so he could focus his strength on making it go away. Worried that someone might see the light that was beginning to emit from his body, he scooted behind a rather large tree so maybe he wouldn't be noticed.
Leave me alone, dammit!
The pulsing of the light that clung to him only became more defiant, becoming stronger and stronger, brighter and brighter. He was clutching both his sides now.
I just want to be myself...
The throbbing in his limbs paid no heed to him.
I don't want to...
A scream erupted from his lungs as a new wave of power ripped through him. The light stopped pulsing; instead it was becoming a constant cocoon around his body.
It took him only a few moments to realize it.
It wasn't going to stop this time.
The first thing he did was run. He ran towards the darkness of the forest, allowing it to swallow him. He didn't care where he was going, or what the others would think if he didn't show up for today's gathering at the park. Right then all he wanted to do was to go anyplace, anywhere without people, to get as far from them as he could.
Takuya didn't pay the slightest attention to where he was going, oblivious to all the branches and vines that were lashing out maliciously at him. He didn't taste the dryness in his throat, or smell the saltiness of his skin. His ears were deaf to the ripping sounds created by his tearing clothes. It was like a black veil had been pulled over him, blocking out all sensations from the outside world.
The next thing he became aware of was that a blurred emerald nebula was swaying erratically in his vision. It took him a few seconds to realize that he was on the ground, on his side, and that that emerald nebula hovering ominously above him
was the dark canopy of the forest. His mind embraced by a hot steam, he laid there quite a while, pondering just how he managed to get in these dark woods, and why he felt so tired.
A sharp sting shooting through his limbs reminded him.
Immediately he sat up, trying to fight the heated heaviness that was trying to hold him down. He somehow was able to sit up and lean back on a large tree nearby, so he didn't need to stress his aching muscles any more than he needed to. The ethereal weight put more pressure on him, pinning him to the ancient plant.
Why am I still fighting this, anyway? I'm in a secluded enough spot. I'm sure I'll be able to find my way over there once this is done and over with. Worst thing that'll happen is that they'll probably be some new urban legend floating around, about a monster that lives in those big, scary woods near 6th Street. It's not like I'd hurt anybody. Well, I hope not...
He watched the cloud of tree leaves shudder as a vagabond breeze drifted by. It did nothing to cool or move the wraithlike burden latched onto his arms and chest like a giant claw.
Guess I'll know soon enough...
He happened to look to the pool beside him. Man, he was a mess, with twigs sticking out of his hair and cuts all over his face and arms. His auburn eyes looked so tired.
…But wait, since when did he have auburn eyes?
Takuya! That was Takuya screaming!
Zoë had been trying to find her lost purse, tossed into the wilderness of the forest when she had slipped and fallen into the woods thanks to a bout of vertigo, when she heard it. It had taken her no time to recognize the pained voice, and even less time to rush into the heart of the woods.
Now here she was, trying to force back the ill-tempered hands of the trees to prevent them from slapping her in the face. Thanks to the unfriendliness of the woods, she was hacking her way through the forest at a far slower rate than she liked, occasionally calling out Takuya's name in hopes of a response to guide her. Where was he? He could be anywhere!
I bet that moron tried to attack that Agumon and got himself fried. Sure, being a soccer player makes him stronger than most people, but not that much stronger. Why's he always gotta play the hero and get himself hurt? Does he think that helps our egos any?
Furiously snapping branches out of the way, she marched through a thicket of tall weeds full of burrs.
Geez, that guy drives me nuts! Always have to go save his butt whenever his so-called 'Brilliant Plan' goes haywire on him. I swear, that guy just doesn't have a brain...
Now clear of the weeds and carrying quite a few unwanted souvenirs on her clothes, she charged up the steep hill of gray clay that awaited her. Her shoes, a casual pair of sneakers, were not the best for this job, however, and she often found herself face-to-face with the dirt.
Dammit...bet that Agumon's chasing him even now, trying to make him into a barbeque-flavored lunch. Stupid Takuya's probably running around in a panic, dodging fireballs. Or maybe not even that. Might already be hurt, or...
She shuddered at that last thought, and, not paying attention, found herself suddenly tumbling down the other side of that steep hill. The top of that glorified mole mound was rather small, and the ledge had been concealed by a collection of thick old trees. She had stepped over the boundary before she even realized what she had done. The involuntary plummet ended with a crash into a large pile of leaves that concealed a pit. In a few moments she surfaced the pool of tree discards, spitting out a few dried-up leaves.
As she pulled herself out of the pit full of leaves, she realized that this part of the woods was far darker than the parts she'd forced her way through earlier. Everywhere trees were looming over her, their mighty green leaves and extending branches blotting out almost all sunlight. In fact, it was a surprise that she could see anything at all.
That's when she realized that there was a source of faint golden light pouring out between the knotted trees to her left. She slinked through the ancient, twisted plant life that resided there to approach this glow. She hadn't put a single thought about it; it was the closest thing she had to a lead she'd had since this whole insanity started.
The blonde with lengthy hair now stuffed full of burrs, twigs, and dead leaves, found herself in a diminutive area, full of nothing but stubborn grass and willful weeds. The aged, gnarled trees surrounded the area, acting as guardians for this undisclosed spot. Their leaves still kept the sun outside, but this place had a fair amount of light in it.
Then she saw him. His purple shirt was in tatters, and his jeans full of thorns. That beloved baseball cap of his was the unwilling host of various burrs and leaf fragments. Those goggles of his now bore battle scars on their lenses, where rogue branches had slashed at them. His head was leaning forward, and his auburn eyes were possessed by a clouded look.
But the thing that really caught Zoë off guard was that he was cloaked in a golden light, making him seem almost saintly in appearance. It didn't light up the area very much, but the stark contrast he had with these heavily shaded surroundings was more than enough to isolate him in the darkness.
"...Takuya?"
It took the auburn-eyed boy a few moments to notice that he was no longer the only being in this isolated spot.
"Zoë?" he murmured, lifting his head up a little.
"Takuya! What's wrong with you?!" the blonde shouted, rushing over to him.
The brunette with the baseball cap gave her a somewhat dumbfounded look.
"Ain't it obvious?" he asked. "I'm digivolving."
"Huh?" Zoë responded, her emerald eyes widening.
It wasn't like the idea of him digivolving was preposterous; after all, they had all done it many times in the Digital World. If they weren't able to digivolve, then they would have never made it back to see the real world.
But...this was different. When they digivolved before, they were instantly wrapped in a cocoon of data and were transformed in a matter of seconds. Sure, there was some pain involved when being changed from human to Digimon, but nothing excruciating. It was more a suit of armor than an actual new body anyway. Here, though, not only was there no brief shift between DNA and data, but he was clearly suffering from it. And there was another issue involved.
"How could you being digivolving without your Spirit?!" she exclaimed.
"It's a long story..." Takuya answered, smirking slightly.
"...Takuya, you did something to yourself so you could fight that Agumon, didn't you?" the blonde growled.
"This has nothing to do with that stupid Agumon!" Takuya snapped, glaring at her. "I don't want to digivolve, dammit!"
"But...why don't you want to digivolve?" Zoë asked, taken aback by his sudden harshness. "You can just change back, right?"
The baseball-capped boy began quivering slightly.
"Zoë, this isn't like the Spirit evolutions," he began, almost in a whisper. "I have no idea what I'm gonna turn into. I dunno if it's gonna be good, bad or what. All that I'm sure of is that it won't be Agunimon or anything else I've digivolved into before."
"What makes you so sure that it's gonna be different?" the blonde asked.
"It's feels different than Spirit Evolution," Takuya replied. "And…like you said, I don't have the Spirit of Flame anymore, so it couldn't be that, right?"
"Well-"
"Besides," Takuya interrupted, trying to raise himself up but failing. "I don't think I'm gonna be able to change back."
"Huh?! What are you talking about?!" Zoë exclaimed. "Why wouldn't you be able to change back?!"
"Because..." began the auburn-eyed boy. "Well, you know how Bokomon and Neemon digivolved recently right? They can't just go back to being Bokomon and Neemon. Unless they get really exhausted, they won't go back to their previous forms, and even if they did revert to the Rookie forms, they'd turn back into Champions once they recovered their energy. I think...I know that this is that kind of evolution."
"But what makes you so sure?" the green-eyed girl questioned.
"That's not the point!" the brown-haired boy snapped. "The point is that once I digivolve, I won't be Takuya anymore!"
"Don't be stupid!" the blonde growled. "Even when you digivolved with the Spirit, you were still the Takuya I knew. The only difference was that you could toss around fireballs or swords or whatever."
The auburn-eyed child was silent for a few moments.
"...Let me rephrase that," he started again, his voice considerably lower than usual. "If I turned into a Digimon form and got stuck as a Digimon form, just how am I supposed to live here?"
"Well...uh..."
"I know you guys won't care," Takuya interrupted. "But somehow I think I'll have hard time convincing the school that I'm Takuya Kanbara if I look like a monster. You know what, forget school; I wouldn't miss it that much. But what about my parents, or my bro Shinya? What'd they think? I mean, at least this way I can still pretend."
"But Takuya, why didn't you tell us about this?!" Zoë exclaimed. "We're your friends, remember?"
"I couldn't lean on you guys," Takuya answered. "All of you have so many problems already, I mean with Kouichi's school issues, that car accident with Tommy's mom, JP's parents trying to find jobs, and your aunt being so sick. You don't need my problems right now."
"But Takuya-"
"Look, it's not that I can't count on you guys. It's just..." the purple-capped boy began. "Everyone's been under so much stress lately. Don't try to tell me that you're not. Compared to what you guys have been going through, this is nothing."
"Don't try to tell me that this is nothing!" Zoë yelled. "People do not just start glowing in the dark for no reason!"
"I've been the one cheering you guys up, so you can forget about your problems," Takuya continued, ignoring Zoë. There was a small smile on his face. "It makes me feel better too, seeing you guys smile. A friend isn't supposed to bury their friends in problems; a friend supports them so that they can get through those problems."
"Takuya..."
"I was such a weakling, before I went to the Digital World. That place showed me just how much of a burden I was on people, and it made me stronger. When I got back, I made sure to do everything perfectly, because I realized how many people were counting on me. My parents wanted me to do well in grades as well as in soccer, I needed to be a good role model for my brother, and of course the stronger and smarter I am, the more I could help you guys."
The blonde remained silent.
"So I can't break now...I can never break. Too many people are counting on me."
A sickening knot was tying itself in Zoë's stomach. Now that she looked back, how could she have not noticed it? There was so many times when Takuya's laugh seemed just a bit off, or when his smile wasn't quite as happy as it should've been. She had seen it coming, and yet she was so easily distracted from it because she was too busy laughing at one of Takuya's dumb jokes to investigate it further. Now she knew that those dumb jokes were created for the sole purpose of masking his suffering.
How many times had she leaned on him for moral support, whether she needed it or not? How many times had she seen his warm brown eyes seem so sorrowful? How many times had he been pushing himself far too hard, either by jogging well into the evening or studying until 12 o'clock almost every night?
Too many.
And more importantly, how long has this been going on?
"Takuya..." she began, placing her hand onto the goggle-bearer's shoulder. "You do realize that it's okay to ask for help when you need it, don't you?"
"Not it's not!" he snapped, pushing her hand away. "Look, there were plenty of times when I was in way over my head, when I thought I couldn't do it, but in the end I had faith in myself and did it anyway. This was my mistake, and I'll be the one to fix it!"
"What mistake?"
"Nothing!"
"Don't give me that!"
"I said nothing!" Takuya hissed. "It's nothing for you to be concerned about."
"Yes it is!"
"No it's not!"
"Just tell me!"
"No!"
"Why not?" Zoë asked, crossing her arms. "If you tell me what you screwed up on, then maybe we can find a way to stop you from digivolving!"
"It's not that simple..." the auburn-eyed child responded.
"Look, just tell me what happened," the green-eyed girl replied, her voice quieter. "Whatever it was, I'm sure it wasn't nearly as stupid as that plan you had when we were on the Digital World's moons."
"Define stupid," Takuya answered, smiling a little. "If you're talking dumb stupid, then yeah, that's the stupidest thing I've ever done."
Zoë groaned inwardly. Why was he still wearing that stupid smile?
Takuya began wincing.
"Takuya?" questioned the green-eyed girl.
"Sorry, I-I gotta get outta here," Takuya stated, somehow getting back on his feet.
Before Zoë could utter a word, the brunette had dashed ever deeper into the woods and out of sight.
"Takuya!" Zoë cried, also running into the thicker woods. "Wait!"
Well, there you go. Now you have some idea of what's going on with Takuya. There are still many things to explain, but that will all be in good time.
I will not be posting reviews here 'cause we got a nifty new reply thing to use for that. If you don't receive any reply from me, then either I'm being lazy about it, or there wasn't enough in your review to give a valid reply to.
Well, hoped you liked it.
Cya later!
