Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon.
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A Lion Of Trouble
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Kako found herself resting her head on Kouichi's shoulder. Surprised, she sat up, looking around in silent shock. After she finally calmed down, Kako realized the boys were all asleep. She looked at Takuya and Kouji. The goggle head was muttering something every few seconds, and Kouji kept rolling around.
A small sigh was emitted from Kouichi. Turning to him, Kako frowned. He seems to be thinking a lot, the girl realized, standing up and gazing down at him for a better look. His head turned to the side and Kako let out a giggle, leaning forward slightly. "What happened to you, Kouichi?" she whispered softly.
She stepped back as he leaned forward, knowing very well he was now awake. Smiling, she took a seat beside him and murmured, "Nice try, but it won't work."
"A boy can dream, right?" Kouichi replied.
Hesitantly, Kako looked at him from the corner of her eye. "Are you...Kouichi now?"
The reply didn't surprise her. "I always was," he murmured, leaning towards her.
Kako rolled her eyes. "School's almost out."
"Yep. Wait-I need to ask you something," Kouichi suddenly muttered, slapping his forehead. "Right..." He drew a breath and asked, "Listen, you know how our Dad gave us tickets for Hawaii, right? Kouji's going, but I'm not. Well, I don't want to waste the ticket, so would you do me a favor and go for me?"
Silence met his question.
Kouichi suddenly became worried. For one, Kako's eyes were wide open, staring at nothing in particular. Another thing was that he wasn't sure if she was breathing or not. "Kako...?" called out the boy, a hand waving in front of her face.
Finally snapping out of her trance, Kako shook her head. "I..." She began to stutter, "H-Hawaii, I, see, I'm not sure...I...well, because Hideki, and then there's that, but also th-" Falling silent as Kouichi's finger touched her lips, Kako shut her eyes.
"Please?" he asked softly.
Opening her eyes, Kako pushed his hand away. "You're the same. I don't get this. You don't make sense anymore, Kouichi."
"Just answer my question," he begged.
Kako looked to the bed where Takuya and Kouji lay, coincidentally punching each other although they weren't looking at each other. "I'd be going with Kouji?" It was more of a statement than a question, but she needed to be sure. She turned back to see Kouichi nod. A sigh escaped her and she stood up. Forcing a small smile, Kako murmured, "I'll...see if I can."
Relief flooded Kouichi as he stood up and kissed her quickly. "Thank you," he whispered. He turned his head as Kouji grumbled and rolled off the bed, then sat down back in his chair. One task down, a lot more to go.
A smirk returned to Kouichi's face as Kouji stood up, rubbing his pounding head. "Uh...what time is it?" the younger twin mumbled, staring up at the clock.
Kako answered quickly after noticing the look on Kouichi's face, "Yeah, we've got ten minutes." I see he really hasn't changed...
Kouichi cut in from there: "Cool. Say...Kouji, what are you doing after school?"
"Me? Uh..." Kouji looked at the ceiling and dropped both hands to his sides. "I'm going to the arcade with Junpei," he replied somewhat slowly.
What pocket did I put it in...? Oh, here! Kouichi withdrew the blue and yellow D-Tector and tossed it to the unsuspecting bandana boy. "Give that to him for me, will you?" he asked. Yet he didn't forget to add an 'or else' tone. After all, no one said he couldn't have fun while doing what he was supposed to. Two down and...how many more to go? Oh, there's that Hideki and the stone in the sword. Not to mention explain to Mom. Oh, fun.
Kouji barely caught the airborne item. Luckily, it bounced on Takuya's stomach after much fumbling, then landed harmlessly on the bed.
Takuya groaned. His hands flew to his stomach. As he sat up, he mumbled, "I'm killing whoever did that..."
"Um, sorry, I'd like the room blood-free," Erika replied, walking in. She placed her hands on her hips. "The bell's going to ring," she told them, "and I suggest you go back to class now. For one, Kako doesn't have her things, and you two..." the school nurse turned to Takuya and Kouji as she said this.
"Us two?" the goggle boy repeated.
Erika smiled, more of a smirk than a smile in actuality. "You two need to figure out what your homework is," she finished.
As soon as the soon departed, Kako felt a feeling that caused the bottom of her stomach bubble. Swallowing, she looked at Kouichi and found him smirking. Not good, the girl decided, frowning in a disapproving manner. He must have seen her face, because Kouichi burst out laughing. Kako blushed and looked away.
"Come on, I'm not going to do anything!" Kouichi laughed, standing up. It was several more seconds before his laughter died down. "You should get your stuff, you know," he commented. "Kako?" She heard his footsteps close the space in between them. "Kako, stop ignoring me," murmured Kouichi in a low voice.
It was her turn to burst out laughing. Kako turned around, pointing at Kouichi. "You're so stupid sometimes!" the girl cackled, pushing her way past him.
Kouichi stood at the doorway, feeling incredibly incensed. I'm stupid? He let out an angry sigh and glared at her retreating form. "I'm stupid," he muttered aloud. "I'm stupid?" A small smile formed. Stupid, eh? We'll see, he decided. I'll get her back at the zoo.
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"So...what are you doing, Takuya?" Kouji asked innocently.
Takuya frowned at Kouji. "Getting my bag, what does it look like?" the goggle boy snapped, picking up his backpack.
The other boy coughed. Clearing his throat, Kouji clarified his question: "What are you doing after school?"
At once, Takuya winced. He looked around before he replied, "Izumi's dragging me to the zoo to see that lion..." Kouji swallowed a laugh as the boy shivered. "She says it'll be...educational. Come on, when has seeing a lion been educational? You have to help me, Kouji!" panicked Takuya, placing both hands on Kouji's shoulders and shaking the bandana boy vigorously to emphasize his point.
Kouji shook his head from the dizziness Takuya had inflicted upon him. In a smooth movement, he brushed off the other boy's hands and took two steps back. Drawing a breath, Kouji questioned, "What's Tomoki doing?" Please tell me...please, tell me...
The bandana boy's mind did a victory dance as Takuya answered, "Today's Katsuharu and Teppei's last day in town. They wanted to see the lion, too." Before Kouji's mind could do another victory dance, Takuya frowned. "Don't tell me, Kouji...don't spy on them!" he snapped, eyes narrowing into a glare.
A mere smile appeared in reply to that. Casually, Kouji stared at the D-Tector he held and declared, "Spy? Me? Never! Besides, good ol' Junpei and I are going to the arcade to settle our disputes from your house after the last mission." He pocketed the D-Tector.
"Mission?"
"Yeah." When he saw Takuya's confused look, Kouji sighed and snapped, "Spying on Kouichi!"
"EXACTLY! See, you are going to do it again!"
"I am not!"
"Well, whatever. I can't really stop you. Izumi's going to be feeding me to the lions with what I'm going to go through. I won't be able to keep a straight head." A sigh escaped Takuya while they walked out of the classroom. "You know," he commented, "if I'm lucky, I'll miss her on the way out!" Now grinning, Takuya turned to Kouji.
Before he could open his mouth, however, Kouji interrupted and asked, "Is going out with Izumi so bad?" Although before the two had started going out again, Kouji could understand why Takuya would fear Izumi. He could understand a little fear now, but the way Takuya was acting made him wonder. "What, did Ranamon possess her?" he joked.
Takuya shook his head. "It's Shinya that's the problem. She's forcing me to bring him along, too," moaned the goggle boy, hands flying to his head. "I have a headache just thinking about it!"
"Uh, Takuya?"
"Yeah?" Takuya turned to face Kouji.
Kouji winced and pointed behind him. "Have fun..."
Takuya's eyes widened. Damn it all, he thought. "H-hi Izumi," the goggle boy laughed, waving to the girl nervously.
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If there was one thing Kako was reminded of while staring at the Kouichi in front of her now, it was Duskmon.
The thought made her shiver.
It was at the twins' messed up birthday party where Duskmon had given his last order. Last serious order. That being known, he had told her that she now owed him one favor. One, and that was all. As to what it was, Kako had no idea, and she didn't want to find out. But looking into Kouichi's eyes, all she could see was herself being ruined.
"Do you just want to go straight there?"
Kako snapped out of her thoughts, blinking blankly at Kouichi. "Huh?"
Kouichi tore his gaze away from the space ahead of him and shifted it to look at Kako. Slowly, he repeated, "Do...you...want...to...go...straight...there?"
"Sure..." came the unenthusiastic reply. Feeling slightly awkward, Kako became preoccupied with the ground beside her. She quickened her pace as well and commented absentmindedly, "Izumi said she's dragging Takuya and Shinya to the zoo, too..." Hey, that's a cool rock. Kako stopped and picked up the rock. "...and I hear Tomoki's going there with Katsuharu and Teppei. Their last day here, apparently." A sigh escaped Kako as she examined the rock. "A real pity," murmured the girl. She threw the rock back, and turned to Kouichi at the sound of a thud. Kako was just in time to see the rock bounce off of Kouichi's head onto the street. Oops...
Slowly, Kouichi placed a hand on the spot on his head where the rock hit, wincing slightly. When Kako stepped forward, he stopped her and shut his eyes. Nice, Kouichi. Be nice, he told himself, drawing several long breaths. He opened his eyes and muttered, "Why don't we hurry up?" Kako nodded and turned away, embarrassed. He felt slightly guilty, but said nothing. Instead, Kouichi stepped up to her. "Come on, you don't want to miss the lion, do you?" he murmured.
Kako was silent. "Kouichi?" she whispered in a hesitant voice.
"Yeah?"
A smile appeared on her face and Kako shook her head. Turning to Kouichi, she replied, "Nothing! Come on, hurry up!" The girl grabbed his hand and yanked it impatiently. "If I don't get to see the lion, I'll make sure Hideki tortures you!"
What would Kouichi do? Uh-TORTURE? That's my department, he thought, groaning aloud. When Kako burst out laughing, he pulled her back towards him and whispered, "What's so funny?" She squeaked and fell silent, causing him to laugh in turn. Kouichi released her, and Kako turned on him angrily.
"Y-you..." she growled, clenching her fists by her sides. "You better start running..."
Kouichi took her advice, but not before swiftly placing a kiss on her lips. The laughter bubbled through him (for once not forced) as Kako raced after him, swearing to painfully torture him when she got her hands on him. I wonder, Kouichi thought with a smile, how it must feel to go through this every day...
He knew he definitely wouldn't mind.
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"Wow, I haven't been to the zoo in ages!" Kako laughed, spinning around. She stopped and turned to Kouichi, who gingerly rubbed his bruised arm. A smirk appeared out of nowhere. "Told you I'd get you."
However, Kouichi was too preoccupied with his arm to hear her. Is it bleeding? Don't tell me it's bleeding. What if I have hemophilia? No! Must...stop...being...worried! But if I push all the worry out of me, will there be something other than Duskmon and Lowemon? Ahhh...this stinks, he thought, sniffing. No! Don't cry just be-
"Kouichi!"
Kouichi looked up at the sound of his name, tears brimming in his eyes. "Y-yeah?" he sniffed.
The girl in front of him looked upon him with horrified eyes. "Do...not tell me you're crying because I hit you," she murmured.
"I think I ought to explain now...he wanted me to..." Another sniff. "See, the reason Duskmon exists is because Kouichi-"
"You are Kouichi, aren't you?" Kako's voice was rising by the second.
A groan escaped Kouichi's mouth. "Just listen," he snapped. Drawing a breath, he continued, "The reason Duskmon exists is because Kouichi can't accept himself. He pushed aside his anger and faults so he could make life easier at home. So I was created and it's my fault he's susceptible to Duskmon's possessing. If he accepted me, he'd be a lot more normal."
This caused Kako to frown. "Kouichi is normal, thank you!" she snapped.
The two got caught up in a glare contest. A second later, Kako took a step back with widening eyes. A shallow breath preceded her accusation, "So all this time you, the fake, have been kissing me?" Almost immediately she reverted back to a glare.
Kouichi could only blink in confusion. "Fake?" he repeated. He frowned and corrected her, "I'm not a fake! I'm Kouichi, too!"
"I'm so confused..." Kako plopped down on a nearby bench. "When will this be over?" she groaned.
With a sigh, Kouichi sat down beside her. They were quiet for a moment, both in deep thought. Finally, Kouichi stood up. "We should hurry up and look around. I must say, Kouichi has no idea how to get a girl on a date, but at least I can correct that," he murmured, offering Kako a hand. When she accepted it, he smirked. "See? I'm still Kouichi."
Kako responded with a sweet smile before she yanked him forward. She stood up and triumphantly placed her hands on her hips. "That," murmured Kako, "is definitely something Kouichi would have fallen for. So, I guess you're right! You are Kouichi!" She burst out laughing, turning around and dashing away quickly.
Kouichi picked himself up off the bench and turned to the direction Kako had run off in. I'd trade with him any second, now. But I wouldn't trade with him, either. I wonder, he thought. Is this how he feels? If there was one thing he was learning, it was that his previously dominant side still had his faults.
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"Lion!" Shinya sang. "In the jungle, the miiiiiighty jungle! THE LION! THE LION!"
Takuya twitched, glaring daggers at his younger brother who hopped ahead of both Takuya and Izumi, singing nonsense. He gritted his teeth angrily. "One of these days," he muttered.
Unfortunately, Izumi had heard. There was no way she could understand why Takuya was so annoyed, save the fact that Shinya was horribly off tune and the lyrics were butchered. But even that gave no reason for him to be so irked. I wonder if he needs time alone? She sighed and looked away. "Takuya," murmured Izumi, "He's just a little boy..."
"He's not little!" Takuya screamed. The surprise on Izumi's face snapped him back to his senses. Shutting his mouth, Takuya turned away and folded his arms. "Can we get this over with?" he snapped quietly.
Izumi sighed. She would just have to accept the fact that he wouldn't change. Silence dominated the two, save Shinya's singing (which subsided when he passed by the elephants) and the chatter of other visitors. Takuya suddenly sighed, a hand flying to his forehead, while the other dug itself in his pocket. Startled, Izumi turned to him. Her voice was soft as she whispered, "Takuya?" He didn't answer all at once. After waiting a while, Izumi was about to repeat herself when he dropped the hand on his forehead to his side.
Takuya turned to her, eyes soft. "Izumi, I just can't get him," he murmured. He looked helpless in her eyes; she sensed worry and fear in his eyes as they met her own. "Kouji just won't give up. He's at the arcade with Junpei, but I just know..." The boy trailed off and shifted his gaze to his brother. "Shinya! Get down from there!" He ran over to the tree Shinya had climbed up and began to yell at his brother.
"Izumi!"
Turning around, Izumi found the familiar faces of Tomoki, Katsuharu and Teppei staring back at her. A small smile lit up her face as she waved to them.
Tomoki eagerly ran forward. "Guess who I saw?" he whispered excitedly.
"Tomoki, come on, we asked you not to run," Teppei groaned, trying to catch his breath.
The other boy grinned. Smiling, Katsuharu ruffled Tomoki's hair. "Ah, the joys of youth," the older boy declared.
"Katsuharu, Teppei." Izumi greeted the two other boys with a small nod. "So who did you see, Tomoki?" she asked.
The grin on Tomoki's face worried Izumi slightly, but she chose to ignore it. It seemed perfectly innocent. In a loud voice, Tomoki yelled, "Kouji and Junpei are here! And on secret business, too! They even said so!" The color on Izumi's face drained and Tomoki's face fell.
An angry Takuya rushed over to them like a bull. "Where. Is. He?"
It didn't take any more words for Tomoki to point out the direction he had seen Kouji in. Takuya stormed off in the direction Tomoki had showed him, leaving Shinya to wander over to an ashen-faced Izumi and the three confused boys. "Where's Takuya going?" the young Kanbara wondered aloud.
Katsuharu shrugged. Tomoki looked guilty, and Izumi still hadn't gotten over her shock. It was only when Teppei finally looked up that things became clear and confusing at the same time. "Hey," the boy said, adjusting his glasses. "Isn't that a digimon?"
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Kouji had honestly wanted to stay at the arcade. He loved playing the games there, as repetitive as they got. His skill could only improve against Junpei.
But he wanted to know what was wrong with Kouichi. No, he didn't want to know. Kouji had to know. After all, as Kouichi as stated many times before, they were brothers. And if Kouichi was in trouble, he wanted to help.
It hadn't taken long for Kouji to persuade Junpei to go to the zoo with him. As it turned out, Junpei had planned to go anyway. Then Kouji had made his plans and Junpei (reluctantly) agreed. This time was different. Junpei was more than happy to agree to go to the zoo.
"See, I had to see the lion for a project I have to do. And today was the only day I could see it! Kouji, you're a real lifesaver," exclaimed Junpei happily, taking out a notebook and pen.
Kouji displayed false enthusiasm. "Yeah...I've always wanted to see that lion!" he replied. A laugh followed shortly afterward. Who the hell cares about a lion? Where's Kouichi?
When they saw Tomoki, Kouji panicked right away. Instead of saying he was here for Junpei's project, his tongue slipped and instead he said, "It's secret business, between me and Junpei! So just go away!" And saying that, he had dragged Junpei off as far away as possible.
Now, Kouji and Junpei were staring up at the monkey's cage, trying to spot any. What Kouji was really trying to do was distract himself from the mistake he had made. Possibly look innocent if Takuya found him-that was the goal he wanted to reach. Yes, if Takuya came around, all he would do was laugh and say, 'We were going to the arcade, but Junpei had homework. So why not help him, right?' Of course he'd have to make sure Junpei wasn't in the vicinity to say that Kouji had brought up going to the zoo first.
He had expected correctly. It took several minute for Takuya to storm by and recognize the regular blue bandana with brown stripes on his head. Knew I should have changed my bandana, he thought dismally, turning around with a fake smile as Takuya screamed his name. "Hey!" he laughed. "What's up, Takuya?"
Takuya had a murderous glint in his eyes. Stomping (literally) towards Kouji, the goggle boy barked, "Don't 'What's up, Takuya' me! What the hell do you think you're doing here?" Steam practically floated out his ears.
Kouji gulped and looked at Junpei, who was watching a monkey he had just found hidden among a tree. Now's the time to use that great plan, Kouji, thought the boy, shooting Junpei a look before dragging Takuya a few feet away. He lowered a voice into a whisper, "See, Junpei had homework, and he needed to see the lion for that. And, really! He made these plans before I asked him if he wanted to come to the arcade. So I felt bad and said it was okay." Kouji held his breath as he waited for Takuya's response, praying his lie had worked.
But the goggle boy's murderous glare only intensified. "DO NOT LIE TO ME, KOUJI MINAMOTO! STOP TRYING TO STALK YOUR BROTHER!" screamed Takuya, hands shooting out to strangle Kouji.
Letting out a yelp, Kouji ducked Takuya's hands and began racing around a nearby bench, stopping when Takuya was across from him. Takuya started towards his right, and Kouji ran to his left, still circling the bench. When they were across from each other again, Takuya emitted a low growl before jumping up on the bench and leaping off, aiming to land on Kouji.
He very nearly did. Kouji ended up grabbing the person behind him and pushing them forward to protect himself.
It was only then he realized exactly who that person was. Although he was thankful it wasn't Kouichi, he might have preferred it to be Kouichi. Swallowing as Takuya groaned and stood up, rubbing his head, Kouji edged away from the fallen person.
Takuya noticed who lay on the ground and shot Kouji a glare. A loud snort escaped the goggle boy. "Way to go," he snapped in an accusing voice. "I never knew you had it in you to murder Hideki."
"I didn't!" insisted Kouji. He glared furiously at the goggle boy. "If you hadn't tried to kill me, you wouldn't have jumped on Hideki, and he wouldn't be dead!"
Takuya raised his voice slightly as he countered, "Oh, sure, blame it on me. All I did was warn you that you shouldn't come here! AND YOU CAME HERE, IDIOT! It's your fault!" To emphasize this last sentence, Takuya raised his foot up and stomped it down in front of him. Unfortunately, that was where Hideki was.
A yelp flew out of Hideki's mouth as he rolled onto his stomach and pushed himself up. "Where's that stupid digimon?" he muttered. One hand was on his forehead, rubbing it to relieve himself of the pain of the fall. "And who the hell pushed me down?"
Kouji and Takuya exchanged wide-eyed looks before pointing to one another. "It's your fault!" they screamed at each other.
"Hey Takuya, what are you doing here?" Takuya and Kouji turned to find Junpei in a cheerful mood, notebook in hand. "Man, those monkeys were great!" he laughed.
Looking sour, Kouji turned to Takuya and said casually, "Yeah, your cousins seem to be amusing Junpei, Takuya. Why don't you go JOIN THEM?"
The murderous look returned. Takuya smoothly walked up to Hideki. "Oh, well it seems your partner in crime is right here. Why don't you go JOIN HIM?" Takuya barked.
"That was lame!"
"Quite fitting towards a lame as-"
"SHUT UP, BOTH OF YOU!" thundered Hideki. Silent shock shut Kouji and Takuya up. They turned to Hideki. "Now," Hideki muttered, "two things; where's that damn Piximon and where are the twerp and Kako?" He sat down on the bench, grumbling.
Kouji and Takuya walked (more like ran) over to Hideki, both glaring.
"Who's Piximon?" Takuya snapped.
The bandana boy pushed him out of the way. "You're looking for Kako and Kouichi too?" he asked dubiously.
"WHO IS PIXIMON?" screamed Takuya, commencing a shoulder fight with Kouji.
"Who said my name?" exclaimed the pink digimon, flying over and landing on the bench beside Hideki. "Hideki, who are they?" Piximon inquired, pointing to Junpei and Takuya with his staff.
Hideki looked at the three boys in front of him. Pointing to a clueless Junpei, he told the digimon, "Junpei." He then turned to the two boys who were shouldering each other. "You know twerp two already. The goggle head is Takuya," said Hideki, leaning back and lacing his fingers behind his head.
Piximon studied the boys for a while before he floated up. "I saw Kako and her boyfriend!" he told the young man eagerly.
A small smile appeared on Hideki's face. "Did you, now?"
The answer came quickly, "Yup, yup! And I saw your friends, too!" As he said the last few words, he turned to Takuya and Kouji who both lay on the floor, panting.
"Oh...right," Takuya mumbled, rising to his feet. "Izumi's here..." He let out a small sigh and looked at the ground.
Kouji glared at Takuya. "I'm remembering the penguin suit Monday," he declared.
Takuya let out a small sigh. "Whatever," mumbled the goggle boy.
Realization hit Kouji. Slowly, the bandana boy broke into a grin. "Ahh...this is about Shinya, isn't it?" When Takuya turned away and grumbled, Kouji burst out laughing.
"So more of your friends are here," Hideki mused, scratching his head thoughtfully. There must be something I can do. He grinned. "When are they coming over here, Piximon?"
Piximon absentmindedly shifted his staff over to his other hand. "About...now!" he replied firmly.
His guess was correct. "Takuya!" Izumi yelled, running over with Shinya, Tomoki, Katsuharu and Teppei behind her. She stopped at the bench, a small frown on her face as she faced the goggle boy. Her gaze then darted to Kouji and Hideki. Furiously, she placed her hands on her hips. "Why can't you two leave Kouichi and Kako alone?" she demanded.
Hideki ignored her question. "So, this is what I propose. As I currently don't trust Kouichi's state of mind at the moment, we'll split up into groups of two to look for them!" he told them all. "And this is how I propose we do it! Izumi, you go with Piximon. Takuya, with your brother, Tomoki, you go with...uh...him!" At this point, Hideki pointed to Katsuharu, who nodded. "Great. Junpei, you go with the guy next to who Tomoki's going with-"
"TEPPEI," everyone else yelled.
Sheepishly, Hideki laughed, "Right, right...and that leaves-err...me to go with the second twerp. Our goal will be to find Kouichi and Kako and make sure they don't do anything inappropriate!"
Izumi's gaze hardened. "HIDEKI," she snapped.
"What?" whined Hideki. "Kouichi could do something!"
"SO LET'S GET MOVING!" Kouji yelled, pushing everyone off in the direction they should go. When everyone left, he turned to Hideki. "Get up, old man. We're losing time!" he snapped.
Hideki forced a smile. "Oh, one of these days...I'll take that bandana on your head and suffocate you with it," he growled.
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Takuya stared at Shinya. The younger boy pressed his hands against a birdcage, trying to spot the birds. If Junpei had thought it hard to spot monkeys, it was even harder to find the birds.
"Takuya, can you see any here? I can't find one!" the boy complained, tugging on his older brother's sleeve.
Takuya remained silent and kept walking. Shinya tugged on his sleeve again, harder. "Takuya!" his younger brother now yelled.
He was about to yank again when Takuya brushed him off. Shinya stumbled back, utterly confused. A furious gaze formed and he snapped, "FINE! I'm going this way!"
The other boy did his best to pay no heed, but found it impossible. Damn older brother instincts, he thought to himself miserably, slowly changing his course to turn right, as Shinya had. Takuya maintained a few feet of distance, making sure to change his pace with Shinya's.
Shinya noticed this and began to slow down considerably, barely taking one step for an entire minute. Much to his annoyance, Takuya stood there watching him. Angrily, the young boy turned around. "Stop following me!" yelled Shinya, breaking into a run.
With a sigh, Takuya lightly jogged after his brother, following him over the fence. Idiot, he thought. If we get caught I'm making sure he can't play videogames for a month. He stopped when Shinya did, at an open door. Another sigh was emitted from the goggle boy. "Shinya!" he yelled.
The younger boy was furious. He flung the door open and screamed, "Go away!" The next thing Takuya knew, Shinya disappeared into the dark room.
Takuya kicked the ground in front of him and swore aloud as he followed his brother. That stupid, stupid kid, he thought angrily. When I get my hands on him...
It was more like if he got his hands on him.
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Kako sighed and leaned against Kouichi. She was utterly tired. "How long have we been waiting?" she groaned.
Kouichi shrugged, his eyes glued to the cage for any sign of the lion. He yawned and stretched his hands in the air, letting them fall around Kako. She looked up to glare at him and he chuckled. "If you're that tired," he whispered, "we could just go home."
"Shush," the girl snapped. "I intend to see the lion, got it?"
"SHINYA GET BACK HERE, NOW!"
Kako and Kouichi looked around, trying to locate the speaker of the voice.
A loud wail answered, "No! I'm telling Mom!" Shinya came into view.
Eyes widened and jaws dropped. Kako covered her mouth, trying not to scream. The boy beside her silently cursed under his breath. Aloud, Kouichi cleared his throat and yelled, "Takuya. Shinya!"
Takuya had grabbed his brother by the collar. He stood on a sandy ledge, a few feet above the ground. "Yeah?" he asked, switching his gaze to look at Kouichi. Suddenly, he frowned and asked, "H-hey...Kouichi, why is there..." Takuya trailed off and dropped his brother down. "Don't tell me," he whispered in a barely audible voice.
Kouichi slipped his eyes shut. "Takuya," he murmured. The boy completely ignored the voices of the startled crowd behind him. "Takuya," he repeated, "you're in the cage."
Groaning, Takuya fell to the floor on his knees, hanging his head. He shot a weak look at Shinya, who stared at him angrily. A sigh escaped the goggle boy as he asked in an exasperated voice, "Were you planning to make us the lion's lunch?" Shinya folded his arms across his chest angrily and didn't answer
"Well you are now!" Kako declared, pointing to behind them. "Takuya, the lion's coming in!" There was a small hint of fear in her voice. Slowly, she hid behind Kouichi, slightly peeking from behind his shoulder.
Takuya stood up, eyes wide. He turned around just in time to catch a male lion staring at him. Slowly, Takuya pulled Shinya up to his feet. The goggle boy drew a breath and murmured, "If we ever live, Shinya, no videogames for a year."
A squeak escaped Shinya as the lion stepped forward. "Who cares about that?" he whispered. "HEEEEEEEEEEELP!"
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A/N-
I'm...not exactly happy with the chapter. Let's just say while sick, I seem to get an immense case of writer's block, and not even playing videogames seems to be interesting. So there was a great lack of interest in writing this, and it was forced a lot. But I promised a chapter Monday, and I wanted to finish the lion part, but it's about seventeen pages on word. For once, I have not posted a short chapter after a long time of not posting.
Furthermore, I'm sorry, but I won't be updating until probably...next Monday or even next Thursday. I'm falling behind a lot, and I'm sure other people don't have time to read all I post (as I post so fast). Think of it as a catch up for you and a catch up for me! But I promise chapter eleven will be up before or on next Thursday.
Thank you for the reviews, all of you. Unfortunately, I'm out of time and can't list you all down. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
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