10.
The Whole Truth Part 2
(The courage to face it)
"Guys!"
"Tommy!
Are you okay?" asked JP.
"I'm fine... What
happened?" He stared at Kouji as he passed by. "You look
like you're back from a funeral. Is something wrong?"
asked the youngest member of the group.
"Not
something. Everything." muttered Zoe.
"What are you
talking about?" Tommy looked rather amazed.
"We just
found out that this Elfmon is actually Yoma's spirit form."
said Kouichi.
"No way!"
"You said it."
nodded Takuya.
The kids were in a large cell, which, like the rest
of the castle, had white walls and ornaments on the walls.
For
hours now they were all silent. Finally, JP spoke.
"We have
to find a way to get out of here." He looked through the cell
bars.
"But how? She took our D-tectors!" Said Takuya
"that nasty piece of plant..." he muttered.
"She
was right." Said Zoe
"we did act like we didn't care about her. It's our own
fault. "
"How can you say that! She's the one who
never agreed with us!"
"No, you're wrong" said
Tommy. "We were the ones who never listened to her."
"Yeah,
and what now? We're gonna sit here and do nothing?" greeted
Takuya from behind teeth.
"I'm
going to talk to her." said Kouji and stood up.
"Oh,
look! He finally decided to open his mouth! And what exactly are you
going to tell her?"
"That, Takuya, is none of your
business." Kouji was still staring straight forward.
"Of
course it is! We're a team, remember?"
The boy just passed
by him and shouted:
"hey! You!" the two guarding Flymon
turned to him.
"what do you want, kid?"
"I wanna
speak to Elfmon! Now!"
"er... Lady Elfmon?"
"what
is it, Gotsumon?"
"this kid, Kouji, says he wanted to
talk to you."
"interesting. Well, bring him
here."
"erm..."
"leave us."
"Yes,
Lady Elfmon." The Gotsumon bowed and went out, closing the heavy
door.
"What is it that you wanted to talk to me about?"
asked the
diigmon, turning into
her old self, Yoma.
"When are you going to release us?"
asked Kouji.
"Whenever I decide."
"Why do you
even keep us here?"
"I have my reasons." She
answered, still with her back to Kouji.
"Listen, Yoma..."
he stopped talking for a second. "I won't pretend that I much
care about…
all that. I came here to
tell you something…
else. " His voice
started to shake.
"I thought so."
"will you look
at me?" Suddenly Kouji seemed to have lost all his
confidence.
The girl sighed and turned around. Here eyes were cold
and furious.
"What is it?"
"I... I wanted to
tell you... now I understand that I should've mentioned something
before... but anyway. I wanted to tell you... that... well... I'm
sorry for the way I acted towards you."
He started.
The girl
sneered.
"A little late for that, don't you think?"
"let me finish. The thing is that, well... I... I don't
hate you, Yoma. I... was just... a little jealous. You never seemed
to notice me. I would never be mad at my brother, but sometimes... I
was getting a little angry that everything you asked, you asked him.
Or the others. You never talked to me unless I told you something
first… and
that's why… well I was just trying to get your attention I
guess."
She said
nothing.
"and... There was something I realized after you...
after you went away. And I can't help it that..." Kouji took a
deep breath "I
think… I fell in love with you."
'Love'. That word made Yoma freeze. Her eyes opened wide. Suddenly everything that Elfmon ever told her - 'they don't care about you! They never did!' - got mixed with that word. She felt the same way she felt when she woke up in the hospital 7 years ago - dizzy, with blurred images floating through her head, not being able to connect either of them.
She finally found her voice. It was cold and angry, just like
her eyes.
"You've been mean, you've been cross, you've been
cold, but this, Kouji Minamoto..." her breathing became shallow.
Her fists closed tightly. She was starting to lose it again.
"This
is what MADE YOU CROSS THE RED LINE!" Yoma turned around and
before Kouji could realize it, he was thrown against the wall by an
energy blast. He shook his head and looked up, trying to catch his
breath.
"What are you so angry about?" He asked.
"I'll
tell you what I'm so angry about!" Yoma shouted back. "did
you seriously think that by telling me that you'll make me come to
your side again? Well, you were wrong!" She started throwing
energy blasts without actually aiming at anything.
"That was
not why I told you! I told you because this may be the only
opportunity I have!"
"and you want me to believe you!"
Kouji thought he saw tears in her eyes. 'that's
not... possible... is it?'
he thought.
"I... Yoma..."
"shut up!"
she shouted again. "just shut up, Kouji!"
Carefully,
he stood up.
'let me take care of this' Said a voice in Yoma's head.
'no.' She responded.'I won't let you take control. This is my problem.'
"guards!"
Two
Guardramon came in.
"lead him back to the cell." she
turned back into Elfmon.
"yes,
Lady. Move it, kid!"
"and when you get back, Kouji...
tell Takuya that he'll finally get what he wanted - a fight."
she said and grinned.
"c'mon! Where is he!" Takuya
hit the wall with his fist.
"calm down. I'm sure he's
ok." Zoe approached and put a hand on his shoulder. Takuya
looked at her and smiled.
"yeah, you're probably right."
JP
was staring outside with an empty expression and Tommy was circling
the room nervously.
"he... "started suddenly Kouichi,
who was sitting on the ground. "he's... something's wrong."
he finished.
The feeling was strange... Kouji wasn't hurt, but
there was something about him... his feelings perhaps... he's
worried about something.
"he's not hurt, is he?" asked
Tommy.
Before the boy could answer, JP said:
"hey, look!
Kouji's back!"
The all turned towards the cell's door.
"get
in, kid!" the Guardramon pushed him. Kouji didn't say
anything. He just went in and stood in the middle of the room,
without making any eye contact with anyone.
"well?" said
Takuya.
"what 'well'?" responded Kouji, still staring at
his feet.
"did you ask her when she's gonna let us
go?"
"yes."
"and...?"
the boy with goggles made a step forward.
"She
didn't tell me."
"did you ask what she wants with
us?"
"yes."
"well?"
"Takuya,
leave me alone.
She said she's gonna fight us."
Kouji hissed.
Then furiously passed by and leaned
on the wall next to his
brother. Kouichi looked at him for a second, then said:
"that's
not all, right?"
"the rest doesn't concern you! not
you, not anybody!" suddenly shouted the boy
with the bandanna.
"okay,
calm down. we just wanna help." JP put his arms up in a
protective pose.
"yeah, well, I'd perfure you
wouldn't."
Takuya grabbed the forwards of his jacket and
pushed him against the wall.
"listen, buddy, I dunno what
happened there, but appearently what you said made her angry enough
to attack you!"
"how do you even know she attacked
me!"
"don't be stupid, Kouji, you have scratches all
over your face! that's even a bigger reason to knock her out!"
"stop
it, you two." Kouichi stood up.
"don't tell me to to
stop it!" shouted Takuya "we're worried, and he hisses at
us! we're supposed to be a team! and that means we're friends! which
means we help each other!"
"alright then! how would you
react if I said..." started Kouji "...if I said that I told
her how I feel!That
I told her… I… I mean how I feel despite the way I had acted so
far!"
a
complete silence fell. Takuya slowly let go of his freind and looked
down at his feet. he knew exactly what was passing through
everybody's mind.
"I didn't... I had no idea.
I mean… I thought so at first, but…"
he finally muttered.
"yeah, well..." hissed Kouji. "now
leave me alone."
"right."
they all turned around. Kouji sat again. the only one who didn't
move was Kouichi.
'no...
this can't be... right? he... can't... have feelings towards her...
what am I going to do now!'
TO BE CONTINUED...