Hi all! Sorry if this chapter seems long, but trust me.. It'll be worth it! Hope you guys are enjoying it as much as I am!

The Keeper of Worlds - I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter! I know you're going to like this one even more. You'll see why...

Aquamarine6996 - Oh, you do? ;) Well, you'll have to wait and see if you were right! :D Your idea was great so thank you! You're going to be even happier with what happens on this chapter!

Guest1 - Haha! I LOVE that you express yourself! If I made you hate Hiraki, then I am doing my job. So, keep it up! :D And no worries... I update as soon as I am able to! :D

So... enjoy this next chapter! It's a good one.


CHAPTER 9: No Air

TAKUYA'S POV:

"Ok guys" I said. "It's 8:30 and I want to be there early to pick up Zoe. I'll head over and come back in a while. Just start getting everything ready."

I headed towards the door and was surprised at what I saw.

In the doorway, there was a blonde girl. She froze and looked as she were about to knock on the door.

"Zoe?" I asked.

"Oh, hey Takuya" she said.

"I was just on my way to meet you."

"Yeah, I hope you don't mind I came over. I couldn't sleep last night, so I just woke up early and went to take a walk. Before I knew it, I was here. I hope it's not too early."

"No, no! Please," I stepped out of the way and signaled her to enter the room. "Come in. Z, you remember the guys from the hospital…"

"Hi", she said softly. "Nice meeting you… er… well… you know what I mean."

They laughed to break the tension and make her comfortable. They approached one on one to her and shook her hand, introducing themselves.

I started pointing out each of them. "Well, this one here is the emo head of the group."

Kouji rolled his eyes and extended his hand to Zoe. "Kouji"

"That one is his twin brother, Kouichi."

"Nice to see you, Z", said Kouichi. He then turned his gaze towards Kouji. "I don't know how we're even related by the way."

Kouji rolled his eyes and smirked. "Yeah, I'm clearly the most attractive one."

"You wish, dear brother."

Zoe smiled and giggled.

"This girl here is Kouichi's girlfriend", I continued.

"Jasmine. Call me Jas, if you want."

"Nice to meet or see you again, Jas" said Zoe, smiling.

"That one there is Kouji's girlfriend."

Rika's eyed widened and Kouji turned crimson. "Shut up, Takuya!" She then turned to Zoe. "I'm Rika. And I am NOT his girlfriend."

"Right…" everyone said in unison, except Kouji.

Zoe laughed. "Pleasure."

"This one here is the youngest member of our gang, Tommy."

"Hi, Z! Nice seeing you again."

"And the fatty over here is JP. The girl next to him is his girlfriend, Miki."

"Hey!" said JP. He then turned to Zoe and bowed. "Junpei, at your service. Just call me JP. If you're hungry, you come to me."

"But I'm the cook over here" added Miki.

"And I'm the eater" said JP.

Zoe laughed and shook their hands.

"It's so nice to meet you all… again."

They all smiled at her, giving her a reassuring look.

"Don't worry about it", said Kouichi. "We're here to help. Don't feel bad for anything, ok?"

Zoe nodded and we followed the gang as they made their way to the couch.

"Thank you guys for helping me with this. I don't want to be a burden."

"Nonsense", I replied. "This is what we're here for."

Zoe smiled at me. I could still tell she was worried though.

"So," she said, "how is this going to work? I'll listen to you guys talk about me?"

"Actually," said Rika, "we were thinking to show you a few things rather than tell you. We want you to be able to recall everything by yourself."

"Of course," interrupted Jasmine, "if you think you want to know more about anything we show you, or have any concerns or questions, feel free to do it. We'll just give you as less details as possible so you can try and put the puzzle together yourself."

"O-Ok…", she mumbled.

Zoe seemed even more nervous by the second. I took a seat next to her and took her hand into mine. Our fingers were intertwined and I could feel the electricity between us starting to flow. I lifter her chin up and gazed into her beautiful green eyes. "You don't have to succeed, Z. You just need to try."

I gave her a reassuring smile and she blushed and nodded.

"So, Z", sad Tommy. "Here are a few photo albums of all the years we've known each other. They are labeled by year so you can start from the beginning, when you were 13."


ZOE'S POV:

I took the first album Tommy had given me. He seemed like such a sweet kid. Anyways, the album was purple and has the words "The DigiDestined" in silver letters.

"What does DigiDestined mean?" I asked.

They all exchanged weird glances among each other.

"That's just how we called our gang", said Takuya, who was sitting right next to me. This boy always made me feel so nervous and happy. What is that?

"Oh, ok."

I opened the album and saw a picture of some of the people here in front of what it seems to be Shibuya Station. From left to right, it was JP, Tommy, me, Takuya, Kouji and Kouichi. We seemed to be very happy. Even Kouji was smiling. They all seemed so much younger than they are now.

"Wait, a minute…", I said, realizing something.

"Yes?" Takuya's eyes were filled with hope and a smile.

"I-I… I remember this outfit. The beanie hat was a gift from my mom. I remember the cropped shirt, the purple skirt, vest, socks and even my sneakers. I was definitely wearing this on the day I was supposed to meet Tami."

"Really?" asked a confused JP.

"I-I think so."

They all exchanged glances again. Takuya took my hand again and gave me one of those gorgeous smiles of his.

"That's good, Z. Now you know that was also the first time we all met. Because this picture was our first picture taken as a group."

I looked at it carefully.

"But... how can we be so happy if we had just met?"

There were some weird glances around… again. Am I saying something wrong?

"We had just spent the whole day together and became really close after that day" said Kouji.

"Oh, ok" I said. Then I noticed, the girls weren't on the picture. "Where's Miki, Jasmine and Rika?"

"We met them way after", said Kouichi. "Jasmine and I met in high school, and we started dating shortly after."

"That's when you and I became friends", added Jasmine.

"I met you in biology class", said Rika.

"Ugh", I shrugged. "I hate Biology."

She laughed. "I know. You and I were lab partners and you almost fainted when we had to dissect the frog."

"Sounds like something I would do."

We all laughed together. They're all really nice. I don't understand what Hiraki was saying about them.

"And I came along last year", said Miki. "I was helping my mom with a few recipes in our family bakery, and JP had ordered basically half of that."

JP blushed. "Yeah, I started talking to her while she was baking and we connected. Then, I asked her out."

Miki laughed. "It took you 5 months to ask me out."

"But I did it eventually", he responded with a smirk. They laughed and shared a quick kiss.

"Awww…" I said. "Well, you guys seem like a very cute couple."

"Thanks", the said in unison.

I turned my attention back to the photo. "So, how did I meet the rest of you guys? Why did we all become such good friends?"

There was a pause. They all looked strangely at each other and seemed to become tense. They all seemed to be nervous of answering the question. Why is that?

"Well," started Takuya, "we all met at the station. Let's just say, we all received a text message to follow our destiny, and brought us there."

He has got to be kidding me…. "Who sent the message?"

Takuya looked nervous. "It was… it was just a prank message. Anyways, we all believed it and we just followed it. We then realized we all received the same message and started talking about it. Next thing you know, we had become friends. A friendship that has lasted for years."

He seemed to be unsure about some of the details, which seemed strange. But I still trusted every word he said. I couldn't help but feel some sort of connection with this boy. One that made me feel safe and happy.

I smiled at him and nodded. "Oh, ok."

I flipped the pages to find more pictures of our group together. There were birthday parties, picnics, soccer games, and pictures at the mall, at school, camping and some just hanging out at different houses. Miki, Rika and Jasmine started appearing as I went through the albums carefully. There was a picture of us, moving in together that said "First day as roomies!". I guess we were all roommates then. There was also another picture of the guys that said the same thing. I guess they were too. There were pictures of me at the hospital, with Rika. I was helping a little kid. It read "Zoe's first patient". I smiled at the thought. That is actually pretty cool.

I flipped more pages and stopped at a picture that caught my eye. We were all hanging out at the beach. Kouji and Kouichi were on a canoe in the back, with matching blue and purple bathing suits. They were clearly caught arguing about something by the camera. Rika and Jasmine were tanning and smiling at the camera. JP, Tommy and Miki were building a sand castle and were also smiling at the camera. And then, there was Takuya and I on the back. He was carrying me bridal style by the shore and I had my arms wrapped around him. It seemed as if we weren't clearly aware that the camera was about to take the picture. He was kissing my forehead and both of our eyes were closed. I couldn't help but blush at the image.

"Oh yes," said Takuya, as if he read my mind. His cheeks were red. "Do you remember this?"

I shook my head. "Not really."

"That was this last summer. We had all gone to the beach for the day and a jellyfish stung you. None of the guys had noticed, but I tried helping you out of the water. You told me you could barely walk because it hurt so badly. I decided to carry you out but you kept screaming in pain." His faced now turned crimson. "I kissed your forehead and told you everything was going to be ok… You seemed to relax and forget about the pain after that."

I could feel my cheeks going from pink to crimson. I knew he was a good guy. I still don't see what Hiraki was saying about him. I could feel they were all really nice, but I had a feeling that Takuya was special. Even when I had no clue who he was, or remember how he came into my life, he always made me feel better. He didn't have to do much. With only one of those smiles, or just a glance, he would make everything bad go away. That jellyfish sting must have hurt like hell, and yet, I look so peaceful in his arms. Besides, he has been here for me since the accident. He has supported me along the way and has had infinite patience with me. I think he's done more than Hiraki. Not that I'm comparing them. I love Hiraki. But this boy is just… so captivating.

"Thank you for that", I said, still not being able to remove the pinkness of my cheeks.

Takuya smiled and shook his head. "Don't mention it."

We spent most of the afternoon going through different albums, articles in the paper about me (mostly for volunteer work I had made), letters and hand-made gifts I had given them, and so much more. The guys answered any questions I had about the stories. They all seemed great, but none of them brought me any memories back. Suddenly, I noticed then that Kouichi had a box of DVDs in his hand. I noticed one in particular that read 'Takuya and Zoe at Karaoke Fire'.

"What is this?" I asked, as I held the DVD.

"Oh you're going to love this", said Kouichi. "We went to this karaoke bar and you and Takuya performed that night. You guys were unbelievable."

He put the DVD in the DVD player and clicked play. I could see myself getting on stage with Takuya. I was jumping excited, but Takuya was blushing shyly. The rest of the guys were sitting in the tables in front and cheering our names.

Then, the music started.

**** Playing: NO AIR by JORDAN SPARKS & CHRIS BROWN ****

[ZOE]
If I should die before I wake,
It's cause you took my breath away.
Losing you is like living in a world with no air. Oh…

[TAKUYA]
I'm here alone didn't wanna leave.
My heart won't move, it's incomplete.
Wish there was a way that I could make you understand.

I smiled. I can't believe I had the nerve to go and sing in front of so many people. Even worst, I was excited about it. I was dancing and pouring my heart out as I sang. So did Takuya. He was shyer at first, but as soon as he started singing, he became a rock star. His voice was amazing.

[ZOE]
But how do you expect me
To live alone with just me?
Cause my world revolves around you it's so hard for me to breathe.

[BOTH]
Tell me, how I'm supposed to breathe with no air?
Can't live, can't breathe with no air.
It's how I feel whenever you ain't there.
There's no air, no air.
Got me out here in the water so deep.
Tell me, how you gone breathe without me?
If you ain't here I just can't breathe.
There's no air, no air.

I noticed Takuya's smile. He was watching the scene intensely. Our voices sure sounded amazing together. We also never took our eyes off each other. It was almost like as if we were singing the song to each other. I guess we were truly very close.

[TAKUYA]
I walked, I ran, I jumped, I flew
Right off the ground to float to you.
There's no gravity to hold me down for real.

[ZOE]
But somehow I'm still alive inside.
You took my breath, but I survived.
I don't know how, but I don't even care.

[BOTH]
So how do you expect me
To live alone with just me?
Cause my world revolves around you it's so hard for me to breathe.

[BOTH x 2]
Tell me, how I'm supposed to breathe with no air?
Can't live, can't breathe with no air.
It's how I feel whenever you ain't there.
There's no air, no air.
Got me out here in the water so deep.
Tell me, how you gone breathe without me?
If you ain't here I just can't breathe.
There's no air, no air.

As we finished the song, the entire room came up to their feet and started clapping and cheering. Takuya and I smiled at each other and then finished with a big embrace.

"Wow!" I said. I couldn't hide my smile any longer. "That was… That was amazing!"

Takuya chuckled. "Yeah, I had a blast that time."

"You guys rocked it", added Kouji. "I was impressed that goggle head could hold his notes so well."

"Shut up, Kouji", answered Takuya while snickering. "It was really more Zoe who stole the show anyways."

I blushed. "No, you did an amazing job. I just never thought I would have the nerve to sing on stage like that."

"You can thank Takuya for that", said Miki. "We didn't know you could sing. Taki heard you one time in your room and convinced you to start performing. After a while, you liked it."

I smiled and turned to Takuya. "Thanks."

Takuya started blushing again. "Anytime. It would have been a shame if the world would've missed out on your voice."

We smiled and gazed into each other's eyes. I started to feel nervous and turned away. Just then, I noticed a sketch in one of the boxes. There was a beautiful fairy-like woman. She had long, lavender hair with a visor that covered her eyes. She was wearing some sort of lavender bikini, with straps that connected the outfit with her knee-high boots. Her wings were spread open behind her. She was beautiful.

"Who's this?", I asked as I took the sketch into my hands to examine it more closely.

They all exchanged glances and smiled.

"That's Kazemon," said JP, "the Legendary Spirit of Wind."

"Spirit of Wind?" I noticed that she had the same symbol as my necklace in her white gloves. I took out my necklace from under my shirt and examined both symbols. "It's the same symbol as the necklace you gave me, Takuya."

He smiled and nodded.

"Exactly" he said, as he sat straight. "Legend has it that there were 10 legendary warriors in total, each with its own element. These were: wood, earth, water, steel, ice, thunder, light, darkness, flame and wind. Together, they made the Legendary Warriors, who protected the world from evil forces. Kazemon was one of them. She was by far the smartest of them all. Without her, the other warriors would've perished. She was kind, intelligent and strong. That's why I told you she reminded me of you."

I couldn't help but blush. Takuya was too kind. "Thanks, but she's too beautiful."

"That too", he replied with a grin.

"I can't help but feel that I've seen her before."

They all sat silent and waited for me to keep going.

"But that's impossible, she's just fiction."

They all let out a disappointed sigh. Was I supposed to recognize her?

"I guess you're right", said Jasmine.


After a while, I looked at the time and it was getting very late. "Guys, I better get going. It's getting really late."

"Let me walk you home", said Takuya, standing up from his seat.

"No, that's ok. You guy have done enough for me." I turned to the rest of them and hugged each and every one of them. "I really appreciate it. Sorry I couldn't remember anything."

"Hey, don't even worry about that!" said JP. "You tried!"

They all waved goodbye and I let myself out of the apartment. I walked down the hall, and I heard footsteps coming towards me.

"Zoe, wait!"

I turned around and saw Takuya. "Takuya? Is something wrong."

"No, no. Nothing like that. I was just wondering, can we see each other again? Maybe tomorrow?"

"Are you sure?" I asked, tilting my face down. "I feel bad not remembering. I don't want to be a burden on you."

I felt Takuya's hand lift my chin softly and getting closer.

"Z, you would never be a burden for me. I want to help you because I want to see you happy. I don't care how long it takes. I will continue helping you until…" He stopped and chuckled. "Well, until I am left with 'no air'."

I laughed, realizing he was making a reference to the song we sang in the video. "Thanks, Taki. In that case, I'll see you tomorrow."

He smiled. "Same time? In the waterfront?"

"Sounds good. Bye!"

"Bye!"

"Oh… and Taki?"

"Yes?"

"Maybe, Kazemon can help you if you ever feel like you lack some air."

He laughed and smiled. "She always does. Trust me."

I smiled and headed out. Why does he make me feel this way?


So, Zoe hasn't made much progress. Or has she? Do you think Kazemon sparked something in her? Did you guys like the song and Takumi moments? Will Zoe ever remember her past? What does Takuya plan to do next? Stay tuned for more and REVIEW to let me know what you think! :D