a/n: So, this is a tad bit late. I apologize for the delay, but this chapter is told from Sora's point of view, and I've never written a story through her eyes, so it was really difficult for me. Also, this story will not include any pairings. Everything is completely platonic. Thank you for reading! Enjoy!


"To give up all the hope of feeling weightless; it's the only other way for us to breathe." — Refuge from the Wreckage, It's Alive


Ch 07 || Walls Carefully Constructed

Sora's grip on the pair of crutches in her hands was so strong that her knuckles were turning white. She watched wordlessly as Ishida-san—Yamato's father—helped ease the keeper of Friendship into the front seat of his van, and was almost deaf to her friend's words when he argued that he didn't need help.

His father, of course, ignored that comment. Placed a somewhat annoyed Tsunomon in Yamato's lap. Didn't pay attention to the complaints that the digimon wouldn't have made if he were Gabumon.

"Sora?"

"Hmm? Oh, right." She blushed lightly as she placed the crutches in Yamato's outstretched arms, careful not to harm the bruise on the blond's arm that had been caused by the IV. It wasn't nearly as noticeable the one by his eyebrow—nor was did it look like it was bothering him as much as his ankle seemed to be—but she still felt the need to be cautious.

Once Yamato was situated seemingly as comfortable as he could be, Ishida-san turned toward the group of teenagers surrounding his vehicle. "Were you guys wanting to head back with us?"

"Yeah," Taichi answered, and Sora nodded soundlessly. Ishida-san nodded as well and gestured for them to get in the vehicle.

Taichi slid behind her to open the other backseat door of the van, urging her to climb in. She did not miss the glance Taichi spared his sister, who stood completely still next to a glassy-eyed Takeru. Sora frowned in concern when neither of the two younger teens returned their gazes. "Are you two coming?"

Takeru blinked at her. His face was pale, almost grey. The angry bruise below his eye only made it stand out even more. He glanced at Yamato for a fraction of a second before his gaze swam to his mother, whose webbed eyes were locked solely on her oldest son.

"I'll, um. I think I'm just going to head home with Mom," he murmured after a moment, hands in his pockets.

Yamato looked hurt, for a brief second. His eyes glistened with a pain that Sora recognized instantly, but it was gone before anyone else seemed to notice, and he said, "Are you sure, Teek?"

Takeru nodded, not meeting his eyes. "Y-yeah."

"Don't you have to work?" Yamato asked their mother.

Takaishi-san shook her head slowly, swallowing, and hesitated before she admitted, "I... I called in on my way to the hospital."

There was a bit of an awkward pause. It threaded itself through the van and into the lot that Takaishi-san, Hikari, Takeru, and their digimon occupied; made the air sort of uncomfortable. Sora wasn't sure what to say or how to break the tension.

Eventually, Ishida-san cleared his throat. "If that's what you want, son, I won't stop you. You should put some ice on that bruise, though. But I think we should get you home so we can elevate that foot of yours."

The second part was directed toward Yamato, who nodded distractedly and gave a clipped, "Sure."

"I'll go with Takeru," Hikari said suddenly. "If that's ok with you, of course," she added hastily when Takaishi-san looked at her in surprise.

"It's no trouble, dear, as long as your mother knows where you are," Takaishi-san replied with a tearful smile. She looked at Sora, who offered a quick smile; and then at Taichi, who nodded to her and Hikari in approval. Then she glanced at Yamato one last time. "Your father is right, Yamato. You need to prop up that ankle. The doctor said you should rest, too."

"Ok, Mom," he muttered, shifting. Sora could no longer see his expression, but his voice was quiet. The kind of quiet that meant something was on his mind.

As Ishida-san turned the key and the vehicle roared to life, Taichi climbed into the seat neighboring Sora's. Takaishi-san waved at them as the door closed, her eyes still considerably red. Sora decided to smile, more genuinely this time, as Yamato shut his door as well.

They peeled out of the hospital parking lot slowly, and the ride back to Yamato's apartment was quiet. Sora kept her gaze on the window, watched the world swim by as they turned onto the street.

"Have you two eaten? Should I pick something up?" Ishida-san asked suddenly, looking at Taichi and Sora through the rearview mirror as they stopped at a light.

Sora glanced at Taichi, who shrugged and then said, "Hikari and I ate before Takeru called."

"I've eaten, too," the keeper of Love answered. "Thank you, though."

Hiroaki's eyes strayed to Yamato for a brief second before he glanced back at the road. "And you?"

Yamato hesitated. "Takeru and I ate a few hours ago." He paused, and Sora caught the grimace that flitted across his face. "I think."

Taichi raised his eyebrows. "You don't remember?"

The bearer of Friendship sighed, rubbing his temple. "Not really."

Ishida-san eased his foot onto the gas when the light turned green. "Did you tell the doctor that?"

"No," he muttered with a shrug.

"And why not?"

"Because Tsunomon doesn't, either." Yamato gestured to the quiet, possibly sleeping orange digimon in his lap. "So I'm not sure if it's because I hit my head."

Sora and Taichi shared a knowing glance, and she knew instantly by the look in her friend's eyes that it was something they were going to talk about later. She felt something rise within her—a familiar dread that started somewhere in her stomach—and she swallowed, wishing that Piyomon was with her.

Ishida-san released a low whistle. "I'm going to drop you three—well, four—off at the apartment, ok? I have to pick up Yamato's medicine at the pharmacy."

Yamato looked at him in confusion. "Why can't you do that now?"

"Because I'd feel much better knowing you're sitting at home resting instead of being cramped in this car," his father said.

At some point, they had turned onto the street that Yamato and his father's apartment was located. He slowed down and turned into the small parking lot, pulling up as close as he could to the lobby before he switched gears into park and said, "Do you need me to go up with you, son?"

"It's a sprained ankle, Dad. I'll be ok," Yamato assured, putting on a flippant smile. Sora watched as the blond's father hesitated, creases of worry forming on his forehead.

"Don't worry," Taichi said suddenly, unbuckling his seatbelt. "We'll make sure he gets there in one piece."

"And we'll make sure he actually sits down and rests," Sora added.

The two teens climbed out of the van before Yamato even had a chance to unbuckle. Taichi opened the blond's door, and Sora took it to herself to carry Tsunomon since Yamato's arms would be occupied by his crutches.

Taichi took the crutches long enough for Yamato to situate himself so he could get out of the van as painlessly as possible. Then the keepers of Courage and Love helped steady him as Yamato stood shakily. Sora didn't miss the way he winced.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Ishida-san asked, looking ready to get out of the van.

"It's... I'm ok," the seventeen-year-old said after a moment. "I'm ok, Dad. Go to the pharmacy."

"We've got it from here," Sora assured, giving the older man a warm smile.

"If... if you're sure," he said hesitantly. "I've got my phone on me. Call me if you need me, alright?"

"Ok, Dad," Yamato said, exasperated. The crutches clicked on the ground as he moved away from the car so Ishida-san could pull forward again to leave the lot, and added, "We'll see you in a little bit."

"Alright. Be careful. And prop that foot up," he added when Yamato clicked away.

Sora heard the engine rev again, but the three teens—and a still somewhat sleepy Tsunomon—were already making it toward the lobby.

The journey up to Yamato's apartment was quiet. They moved slowly toward the elevator—("These things make me nervous," said Tsunomon)—and waited somewhat patiently for it to bring them to the desired floor.

Once it beeped, they slipped through the doors as they parted, and Yamato said, "You were right by the way, Taichi."

"About what?"

"Takeru and Hikari have been acting strangely," he answered as they neared his apartment door.

Sora blinked and then raised her brows. "What are you talking about?"

"They've been shutting me out since the younger kids went to the digital world about two weeks ago," Taichi explained.

"You mean after we got that message from Gennai?"

Taichi nodded, although his eyes remained fixed on Yamato. "Did he say anything to you?"

"No," the blond replied with a heavy sigh. He struggled to retrieve his apartment key from his pocket, and when he tried to insert it into the lock, he winced in pain.

"I got it," Sora murmured, taking the key from him and slipping it into the lock easily. It clicked when she turned it, and she didn't hesitate to open the door for her friend. He muttered a quiet thank you, and she followed Yamato in. Taichi shut the door behind them.

"I'm... he may have told me something," Yamato said eventually, turning to face them. "I don't know, though. I remember talking to Mom about it, but... I don't remember what it is. That's the frustrating part. And..."

He paused, shifting on his crutches. Sora placed a hand on his back. "You should sit down."

Yamato shook his head. "You should have seen his face when I woke up. I... I don't know why, but he looked so afraid. Lost, almost. And... damn it, I can't remember why."

"Sora's right. Sit down, and we'll talk about it," Taichi prompted, sounding uncharacteristically solemn. "We promised your dad that you'd rest."

"Taichi, you don't—"

"You promised," Tsunomon interrupted, frowning at the blond.

Yamato looked absolutely torn for several heartbeats, but he sighed eventually and allowed Taichi and Sora to guide him to his bedroom. Sora did her best to help her friend become comfortable and placed Tsunomon onto the mattress, and she couldn't help but feel as though the story she was about to hear from her friends was one that would soon cause more trouble.

She didn't like that feeling.


Hikari sifted through the freezer in search of a cold pack to ease the swelling on her friend's face. "Are you sure you have one in here?"

"Somewhere," Takeru answered vaguely, which wasn't much help. "It doesn't really matter. I'll be ok."

"Your mother told me to put ice on your face while she was out. Do you have any frozen peas or something?" She dug deeper, not bothered by the cold, and let out a triumphant cry when she spotted what she was looking for. "There it is."

She walked over to where Takeru was seated on a stool by the kitchen counter. Patamon—who would normally sit atop his head—was perched on his lap; but he pushed himself into the air once Hikari neared the two of them. Tailmon was curled up on the counter despite Natsuko's request to stay off of it.

Hikari scrunched her nose in annoyance when Takeru moved away from her, and she sighed. "I can't help you if you don't hold still."

"I'm sorry," he said instantly, wincing. "It just... that hurt more than it should have."

She frowned at him. "I think you should have been looked at, too."

"It would have been a waste of time. There's nothing wrong with me."

"That bruise says otherwise," Tailmon argued.

"It's really swollen, Takeru," Patamon added.

"If it makes you feel better, they checked my vitals. The nurse said everything looked ok." Takeru winced again when Hikari gently pressed the icepack on his cheek a second time and tried once more to scoot out of her reach. Hikari, however, was not going to let him off so easily, and rested a hand on his shoulder, forcing the blond to face her.

"Stop moving," she ordered.

"It's cold."

"Of course it's cold, dummy. It's ice."

He rolled his eyes at her in a familiar way that made her smile. His lips twitched as well but he didn't fully return the gesture, and it was then that she noticed that his lips weren't the shade they were supposed to be. Not quite blue, but almost there.

Her smile faltered. Gently, she abandoned his shoulder in favor of his hand, which was resting on the kitchen counter, and was relieved when he didn't pull away. "We can go find a blanket if you're really that cold."

"No, that's ok," he assured, but the goosebumps on his arms and the quiver of his lips told her the opposite.

"Stay put," Tailmon said suddenly and leaped off of the kitchen counter before either of them could speak. Patamon promptly followed her, and the two digimon disappeared into Takeru's bedroom without another word.

Takeru followed them with his eyes, looking confused. Hikari took this as an opportunity to place the ice on his bruise again because Patamon had been right—it was swelling, and this was the only way she knew how to slow it down. This time, though, he didn't flinch; instead, he simply stared at his bedroom door.

"I think Nii-san is mad at me," the bearer of Hope whispered suddenly, breaking the silence without looking at her.

The brunette blinked. "Why do you think that?"

"You saw the look on his face when I told him I was coming back here instead of with him and Dad. He was upset."

"He's worried," she corrected. "Aren't you? He did sprain his ankle."

"Of course I am. It's just..." He stopped, biting his lip.

She studied him. Couldn't ignore the rings under his eyes, or the paleness of his skin. The bearer of Light felt her heart fall into her stomach, wondering why he looked so troubled. Uncertain. Haunted.

She tightened her grip on his hand. "Hey, are you ok?"

"What? Oh, yeah. Sorry," he said quietly. But he still wouldn't look at her, and that made her insides churn uneasily. Made her frown again.

Before she could say anything, there was a soft thud. Tailmon entered the room again on all fours, carrying a blanket in her mouth. Well, more like she was dragging it—it was probably six times her size, at least.

Still, it was cute. Poor Patamon was struggling to keep up and almost tripped over the end of the blanket when the kitten digimon came to a halt.

"Was that really necessary?" Takeru asked flatly when Hikari set the ice pack on the counter and knelt down to take the blanket from her partner.

"Absolutely," the bearer of Light told him. "Aren't you the one that's cold?"

"I'll be alright," he assured, but Hikari was already securing it around his shoulders. After a moment, he seemed to learn that there was no use arguing; instead, he just rolled his eyes, and Hikari huffed in mock anger.

"Would you just let me help you?"

"I'm fine," the blond said, sounding a little exasperated. "I appreciate it, Hika, but... it's not as bad as it looks, honest. I'm more worried about Nii-san."

She paused as he said the words, mulling them over. His exhausted appearance screamed that he wasn't fine, that he was tired and needed more than a few hours of sleep.

She bit her lip, picking up the ice pack again and gently pressing it below his eye. "How did you guys get hurt?"

"I told you, it was the storm—"

"That's not what I meant," she interrupted. "Did you... did you see anything out of the ordinary before that? Or after it stopped?"

Takeru was quiet for a long, long time. So long that it didn't seem he would answer, and she instantly wondered if there was something that he was hiding from her. If there was something that he didn't want to share.

Her mind filled with images from over two weeks ago. They appeared out of nowhere; reminded her of the worry she held for him that never truly faded since that day in the forest.

Wait a minute.

"Why did you call yesterday?"

He started abruptly, looking at her in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

She frowned and proceeded to fish her phone out of her back pocket. He raised his brows, but she didn't care as she scrolled through her recent calls.

"There," she said after a moment, finding his name at the top and pointing to it. The call had been placed yesterday at 6:23 p.m. "You called, but I wasn't in the room. I tried to call you back, but it went to voicemail."

His eyes widened suddenly and once again he didn't answer right away. He stared at her screen wordlessly but didn't seem to know what to say, and Hikari felt her stomach twist again.

When he remained silent, Patamon flew into the space between the two teens and looked Takeru dead in the eye. "Do you want me to tell her?"

Takeru shook his head slowly, and Hikari tilted her head. "Tell me what?"

"Nothing," the blond said instantly. Coldly. He stood abruptly with so much force that it almost knocked the stool over, and as the fleece blanket slipped off his shoulders, he said, "You should go, Hikari."

She blinked, taken aback. "What? Why?"

"Because," he said, sudden anger slipping into his voice. "I don't know, I just..."

He stopped again. There was a long, long pause as he took a deep breath, and it was quick and shaky. She could see his shoulders move as he inhaled, and felt her eyes widen when he exhaled. Inhaled. Exhaled. One more time, and before she knew it, he was hyperventilating.

"Takeru..." Patamon started, but he didn't seem to know what to say.

"Because I want to be alone," he whispered quietly after several moments of silence. "I... I need to be alone, ok?"

"Why would you want that?" Tailmon asked, her voice soft. "Nobody really likes to be alone, Takeru."

The kitten digimon neared him but he still kept his back turned, eyes skillfully avoiding them. Hikari took a step forward and then stopped, unable to find the words. Her heart was suddenly pounding in her chest, and she didn't know why or how to make it stop.

"It was my fault," he admitted tearfully, fingers curling into fists at his sides. "It was my fault Nii-san got hurt. They were after me."

Hikari felt her heart start to break into pieces. His voice... he sounded so afraid. And she wanted to know why. Needed to know how to soothe away her best friend's fears.

"Who... who are they?" Tailmon inquired.

He didn't answer; instead, she heard a sniffle. Saw his shoulders trembling once again.

Then. Then instinct kicked in. Without really telling her legs to do so, Hikari walked toward him. Extended a hand and placed it on his shoulder, forcing him to face her. She didn't hesitate to wrap her arms around him.

Immediately, he turned into a statue: breath hitching, body stiffening, webbed eyes widening. Like he hadn't been expecting it. Hikari tightened her grip anyway, pressing her cheek against his chest.

"I... I don't know why you're hiding from me," she said, feeling her eyes grow hot and wet with tears. "I don't know what happened. You don't have to tell me, but I am here for you, Takeru. I always will be, no matter what."

She felt rather than saw him take another cleansing breath, and slowly, slowly, his body relaxed. She felt his hands slide around her waist, carefully. Hesitantly. As though he would break if he moved too fast. But he leaned into the embrace, his whole body shivering, and the bearer of Light couldn't tell if it was just because he was cold.

"I'm scared, Hika," he murmured, so quietly that the words almost didn't reach her ears.

"It's ok to be afraid," she assured instantly because it was true, and she desperately wanted him to understand that.

Tailmon pressed herself against the blond's leg the way a cat would to its owner. "You're never alone."

"Never," Patamon repeated, perching himself on the blond's shoulder.

So please, Hikari thought, squeezing her eyes shut to once again block the pressure of tears; don't push us away.