Chapter 4: An Unexpected Brotherhood

*BANG* *BANG* *BANG*

I'm so sorry. This is like a year late, and I feel terrible. The "bangs" earlier were me hitting my head against the wall. I feel so guilty. Things came up and stuff and… yeah. Don't even get me started on my other stories. *sighs* Also, I changed chapter three. Some plot points were modified. I hope you enjoy the long, long, long awaited 4th chapter. Hopefully, I'll be able to update again, but finals are coming up quickly. Also, I've decided to instead reply to reviews via PM. The ones I received last chapter will be done as such. This chapter is kind of short.

"..talking.." - Speaking out loud

Thinking - thinking or reading from analyzer

'Texting' - text message

"Digimon" - evolution or important words

"Attack" - attack move

Talk - Human Spirit communicating

Talk - Beast spirit communicating

Disclaimer: I didn't own it before, you think I do now?

Chapter 4: An Unexpected Brotherhood

"YUU!"

A blonde-haired blur of pink proceeded to glomp poor Yuu as soon as he was in sight. Her two companions responded with a sigh of exasperation or a slight shake of the head. The two that arrived with Yuu could only give their own signs of amusement. Taiki chuckled lightly, while Tagiru fell to the ground grasping his stomach.

"Yuu… Yuu is… being… crushed…" Tagiru gasped between laughs. Yuu, on the other hand, wasn't amused.

"Airu! Get the heck off of me, darn it!" The diva could only pout as she clung tighter to her 'subordinate.'

"But Yuu~! We haven't talked in, like, forever! What if another person snatched you up as their subordinate? *GASP* IT'S A GIRL, ISN'T IT?!" Airu could only continue to babble on about this 'mystery girl' that 'dared to steal her Yuu.'

"Taiki, it's good to see you again," Ryoma began, ignoring the ranting Airu and suffocating Yuu. Tagiru and Taiki sidestepped the near murder attempt, slipping into the same booth as Ren and Ryouma. Ryouma was the one to begin the talk after Yuu and Airu finally joined them.

"Sorry we couldn't meet anywhere more secluded, but I thought that we should talk as soon as possible," Ryouma started. "Ren, Airu, and I got into a battle with a digimon called BurningGreymon."

"Yeah!" Ren cut in. "It was ridiculously powerful! My Xros loader said it was a hybrid level, but I don't know what that means in terms of ranking. But his strength spoke of at least an ultimate, if not higher."

"It wasn't worth my time, otherwise we would have caught it," Airu sniffed. "But Ryouma wanted it, so we chased the beast anyway." Taiki took a moment to take all of it in. The trio filled him in on the battle details, but there wasn't much to report.

"It seemed like it wanted to flee the scene quickly. Usually, rampaging digimon cause a big mess and destroy everything in sight. This dragon barely did any damage at all, other than attacking our digimon. But even then, it was after I ordered Astamon to attack," Ryouma finished. By now, they had all settled into the small restaurant they were currently occupying. Tagiru had wasted no time in ordering a large feast for himself.

Takuya was not amused.

He watched nervously as the group of hunters left the restaurant. He had come looking for a part time job because he had no money, but he didn't expect to narrowly avoid an encounter with the boy he met on the rooftop.

"Hey, kid, we aren't fond of loitering goofs like you." Takuya was startled out of his thoughts by a gruff old man. "If you aren't a customer, then kindly move your carcass out of my diner."

"Actually, sir, I was looking to take the job," Takuya said politely, holding up the 'Help Wanted' sign he had found on the door. Even the gogglehead knew that he should be respectful to the man he wanted to hire him. The owner glared at him suspiciously before jerking his chin to the side, signalling to follow.

"Can you cook?" the owner inquired when they had reached to back kitchen.

"No, sir."

"You do know this is a restaurant, right brat?"

"I do."

"If you're pulling a prank, I'm not afraid of nailing you with my waffle-maker," the man threatened.

"I was hoping I could wash dishes or something for food… sir," Takuya explained, awkwardly adding the last part for formality's sake.

The old man sighed heavily before making his way to a small bin that was filled with aprons. The cloth made a soft thud as it smacked into Takuya's face.

"Take that and wash down the empty tables. When you're done, the tableware from the lunch rush is slowly rotting by the sink."

Of all the times to get his first job, Takuya never expected it would be in a foreign world.

A couple hours later, Takuya had finally conquered the possibly toxic mountain of dishes and utensils. The old man, Takeda, had then ordered his new slave to take the decomposing scraps from the bins and throw them in the dumpster out back.

Barely escaping rabid rodents and insects of questionable distinction, Takuya had completed his dangerous quest. When he came back inside, Takeda was conversing with another boy.

The stranger looked a year or two younger, tawny hair and green eyes were the most prominent features. The two of them occasionally gestured towards the cash register.

When Takeda finally noticed Takuya standing there, he called him over.

"This brat is my new worker. You'll probably be seeing him more often. Unless he gets fired, of course," Takeda introduced Takuya to the other boy before waving a hand in the stranger's general direction. "And this is my star chef for Takoyaki Tuesdays."

"Hideaki Mashimo. Nice to meet you," Hideaki greeted, holding his hand out. Takuya grinned, before shaking his hand heartily.

"Takuya Kanbara."

"Great, now that you're best buds, I need you to fix this darn register! It's been beepin' and honkin' like my wife! While she consumes just as much money, last I checked, she wasn't a digital machine!" Takeda raged.

"Calm down, Mr. Takeda. I'm pretty good with gadgets, so let me take a look at it," Hideaki offered, moving towards the register.

"I know you offered to, but I don't want to bother you, young'un. I can just get a repairman, or even buy a new one."

"I insist," Hideaki persuaded. Takuya was merely a spectator during the entire exchange. Finally, after much persistence on Hideaki's part, Takeda agreed to let him fix it, but on the condition that the boy would be payed for his service.

"Oi, brat! Go put all the chairs up on the tables and mop down the floors. After that, you can help Hideaki. Then you're free to go," Takeda commanded. The goggle boy sighed before getting back to work.

After everything was finally done, Takuya took a second to stretch his muscles. Sure he'd been training since after his first adventure, but nothing could have prepared him for the slave driving demon, Mr. Takeda. He went back to the storeroom to help Hideaki.

"Hey, Hideaki! Need any-"

… but he was utterly surprised upon his arrival.

"... help?" Takuya awkwardly finished. The other only smiled before shaking his head negative.

"Don't worry, I just finished up. You can go ahead and head out, if you'd like." Takuya gaped at the mess in the room. Claw marks could be seen on the ground, and small scorched areas littered the walls and ceiling. Hideaki, on the other hand, looked completely unruffled towards the disaster around him.

"Wha…?"

"I'll clean up, rest assured."

"That isn't the issue here!" Takuya sighed again. He'd been doing that a lot since starting to work at the diner. Leaving the other alone for a bit, Takuya went back to the supply closet. He returned moments later, cleaning supplies in tow. He set to work with the mop first.

"H-hey! You don't have to do that!" Hideaki spluttered, genuinely shocked at the goggle boy's actions.

"My job is to clean. Can't cook, so I might as well make myself useful," Takuya supplied with a shrug. He stopped mopping for a second to walk over to the small cart of cleaning gear. There was a small *floof* sound as a cloth collided with Hideaki's face. "But I ain't doing this alone."

Hideaki smiled before getting to work on the walls. Takuya continued on the floor. When the time came, the two collaborated using the ladder to clean the ceiling. Certain gashes refused to leave, but overall, the job was a success. Takuya asked no questions, mostly because he knew that he wouldn't want someone interrogating him if he were in Hideaki's shoes. Things did seem suspicious, however…

"Thank you so much, Taku!" Takuya blinked in surprise.

"Taku?" he clarified uncertainly.

"Yep!" Hideaki cheerily answered. "I'll be calling you 'Taku' from now on! After all, two syllables is much easier than three."

"W-what?! But your name has three syllables too!"

"Fine, call me 'Aki', then."

"Huh?"

"It's only fair. Now we're even with two syllables each."

"..."

Now Takuya understood how Koji felt when dealing with him. But surely he wasn't as hyper as this?

The two boys left the storeroom, both intended to take their leave of the diner for the day. That was, until they heard it.

Grrrrr…

"Heh… heh," Takuya laughed awkwardly. "I guess I forgot to eat…"

"Oi! Brat, Hideaki, you done yet?" the same gruff voice that had been ordering him all day called.

"Yessir! Good as new!" Hideaki mock saluted. Takeda came out of the kitchen area to check on the register. Everything began working smoothly. The old man grinned toothily.

"Fine, just fine," Takeda praised. "Hideaki, my boy, you really are such a great young man."

He entered a few buttons before the cash tray popped out. He pulled out some bills to pay him with.

"And, brat?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Go in the kitchen. Make sure to clean up when you're done. Hideaki, can you lock up after? You go to the kitchen too." Hideaki nodded, while Takuya could only stand there in confusion.

"What? You got rocks in your socks? Get moving!" the old man barked. Both Takuya and Hideaki made their way into the kitchen after waving their boss goodnight. The smell already assaulted Takuya's nose.

"I-is that…?" Takuya trailed off, eyes and mouth gaping wide.

"Mr. Takeda's famous miso and rice. A real treat," Hideaki sighed happily. Takuya had barely said thanks before tearing into the dish with the gusto of a starved animal.

This is my first meal since I came here! Takuya thought happily. Unless you count that half-eaten hotdog an old lady threw at me because she thought I was some teenage thug…

Hideaki dig into his meal as well, but at a slower pace. Good thing, too, especially when Takuya began to choke.

"Woah, Taku! Slow down! The food isn't going to disappear!" Hideaki sweat dropped. He took a look at his friend's bowl. "Well, on second thought…"

When he finally swallowed the lump of food that had clogged his esophagus, Takuya let out a hearty sigh of contentment.

"Definitely worth all that work."

After they both had finished, the two left the restaurant together. Hideaki made well on his word and locked the place up, while Takuya abruptly remembered that he still needed to find a place to sleep.

"Hey, Aki? Do you know of any buildings with open fire escapes?" he asked. Hideaki raised an eyebrow.

"Open fire escapes? What, you looking to jump? That isn't funny."

"No!" the brunette defended. "I'm not jumping, I just needed to, uh, look for something. Roofs are good vantage points, ya know?" Takuya chuckles nervously.

"Lying isn't good for the soul."

…

"Eh?"

"I said," Hideaki elaborated, "lying isn't good for the soul. It doesn't bode well for friendships either."

Speechless, Takuya remained silent as he let Hideaki continue.

"Taku, we just forged a new bond over miso and rice. Are you trying to break such a sturdy thing that was strengthened with our combined elbow grease? We are now brothers for life, and as such, I know that you're lying to me right now," he explained, a slight frown marred his features. "Tell me the truth."

"Well…" Takuya trailed off, looking off to the side. He tried avoiding the subject as much as possible. Hideaki sighed.

"If you can't tell me the truth, then the least you can do is not lie. I prefer silence over betrayal." Hideaki began to walk away, hands in pockets.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Takuya let out an agitated breath. He didn't know what to think about this brotherhood being sprung on him, but he didn't delude himself with the thought of making it through this adventure alone. Jogging to catch up with Hideaki, he kept pace with the other boy.

"...Do you have a place I could stay for the night? Just temporarily."

Hideaki smiled slightly.

"I've got a futon at my house."

And without any further questions, they both set out into the night. Neither gave voice to obvious inquiries, both settling for a quiet, peaceful night.

To be continued…