So, lately it feels as though my writing skills are below par. I feel like they're no longer as good as they used to be, and I want to improve them again. This chapter's short because, while I liked where it was going, I felt like I wasn't doing it justice. I would like for you guys to read it, and leave me your opinions and criticism. I want very much to improve, and I would greatly appreciate your help. Thank you :)
Takuya splashes cold water on his face, slapping his cheeks as he does so. You idiot! Going soft like that, and telling her all about your parents. Now she's just gonna give you those damn looks of pity like everyone else! Stupid! STUPID!
"Arg!" With an aggravated grunt, he slams his fist down on the sink. He squeezes his eyes shut, clenching his teeth. Come on, keep calm. Don't let it out.
He takes several deep breaths to steady himself. He looks up at his reflection in the mirror. The shadows under his eyes prove his lack of sleep. He rubs his face some more with cold water, hoping to make himself look less tired.
After wiping his face dry with the inside of his shirt, Takuya exits the Boys' bathroom and walks toward his first class.
As he walks through the door, he stops, surprised to find two people there before him. Hikari sits in her desk, with Ruki sitting on the wooden surface. The two girls chatting away like common friends. His eyes fall on the petite brunette, a slight twinge of nervousness pierces his stomach, but he's quick to steel the nerve. Who cares what she thinks? Not like her opinion means anything to me. He struts over toward his two friends.
Hikari spots him first. "Morning, Takuya."
"Hm." he nods, but otherwise just stands there.
Her smile fades. "You alright?"
He glares at her harshly. "I'm fine."
Hikari blinks. What's the matter with him? Could it be yesterday?
"Chill out, Takuya." Ruki says. "It's too early for you to be grumpy."
He snaps his head in her direction. "I'll act however I want."
Ruki is taken aback. Whoa. I mean sure Takuya is usually irritated, but he's not usually a flat out jerk.
"You alright, buddy?" Kouji asks, placing a hand on Takuya's back. He flinches away from Kouji's touch, causing the other boy to look at him strange. "You sure you're-"
"I'm fine!" He snaps. He starts to back up, "Just leave me alone." Takuya turns and makes his way out of the class.
"What's his problem?" Ruki wonders aloud.
Hikari stares at the door. "I think its me." she whispers, unaware of voicing her thoughts. Ruki and the twins look at her, waiting for her to continue, but instead she gets up and follows the angry boy.
When she enters the hallway, she catches a glimpse of him as he rounds a corner. Hikari jogs down the hallway, hoping to catch him before he disappears. As she rounds the corner, she almost collides with Takuya's hardened face.
"Whoa!" She gasps, backing up slightly.
"Why're you following me?" he demands.
"I, uh," she stammers.
"Spit it out!" he snarls. Pathetic. Cowering like a kicked puppy, yet the rest of the time she doesn't even flinch. A sudden anger welled up within him. How could she be weak and afraid one minute, but loud and outgoing the next? What kinda game is she playing?
"What's the matter with you?" She asks.
"Are you deaf? I said I'm fine." He clenches his fists, controlling his seething anger. He starts to turn away again.
Hikari reaches out and grabs a hold of his arm. "I'm not stupid, Takuya. I know there's something-"
"Don't touch me!" Takuya roars, swinging his arm out of her grasp. Unfortunately, Hikari, surprised by Takuya's loud voice, held tighter onto his arm. Instead of simply withdrawing his arm from her, he pulled her with it. The unexpected extra weight threw his balance off, and his arm went astray. Hikari yelps as her side slams into the nearby lockers.
Takuya freezes, watching Hikari slide down until her knees hit the floor. She places a hand on her shoulder, gritting her teeth.
All the anger abruptly vaporizes, and all he feels remain is shame and horror.
"I..." It comes out cracked and inaudible. He swallows and tries again. "I..."
At that moment, an alarm goes off throughout the school. A voice crackles out through the intercom. "Attention! Attention! The school will now be entering a lock down. This is not a drill. I repeat: not a drill! All students stay inside a classroom, and all teachers lock your doors. We are under a lock down."
Takuya looks at the intercom. Lock down for what?
"Hey!" He looks over and sees a teacher gesturing for him and Hikari. "Inside! Now!" He turns back to Hikari, but she's already moved past him and toward the open classroom. He stares at her retreating figure, guilt shadowing over him once more. "I said get inside!" The teacher snaps urgently. Takuya power walks into the room, and sees Hikari has taken a seat in the back. As the teacher locks the door, he contemplates whether or not to sit next to her.
Why does it matter? She knows you're not a nice guy. He scowls. What's wrong with you? You don't hurt people, well, ones who don't deserve it. And you especially don't hit girls. And definitely not the one who's only ever been nice to you. Takuya takes a deep breath, and walks over to Hikari. As he nears the desk he opens his mouth, but she cuts him off.
"It's okay." He blinks, shocked. Hikari smiles. "I should've respected your personal space. I'm sorry."
He stands there, stupefied. She's apologizing to me? He leans over, putting his hands on the desk. She moves back as he stares her dead in the eye. "Do not take that, Hikari. I don't wanna hear you apologize to me, ever." Her eyes widen, and she opens her mouth, but Takuya doesn't give her the chance. "I was, no, I am an ass. No one should bring harm to a lady." His eyes travel downwards, finding the bright red marking on her upper arm. He gently takes her arm, and brushes the red area with his thumb.
Hikari's cheeks tint a faint pink. "T-Takuya..." The slight contact sends a shock down her arm and into her finger tips.
"...It appears as if two strange creatures are in the midst of a rampage throughout the city."
The pair's attention is directed to the front screen. The teacher had gone to his computer and set up the news channel on the projector screen.
"Just a little while ago did a small area in the west side of town succumb to a sudden explosion." The screen displays a replay of the accident. The camera is shaky, and a teenage boy stands in front of it. His face is red as he laughs at the camera. "Okay. Okay. Now watch-" A loud BOOM goes off behind them, as thick, black smoke pours into the sky. "Holy shit!" The voice behind the camera screams. The camera points toward the ground as a pair of feet start running. The screen goes black.
"Our news helicopters have zoomed in and found the cause of the explosion, but the reality of the situation is too unbelievable."
The camera zooms in on two small figures; one red and the other white. It zooms in again. The red figure appears to be a small dinosaur creatures with black markings over it's body. The white creature appears to be a cat with purple-tipped ears.
Takuya and Hikari both gasp, whispering, "Gatomon..."
Back in homeroom, Ruki and the twins stare at the screen with similar expressions. "Oh, shit."
Meanwhile, in another classroom, Takato and Jen are starting at the screen with wide eyes.
"Whoa," Jen whispers, captivated by the sight. "What are those things?"
Takato, however, looks on in horror. Fear settles in his stomach. "Guilmon..."
"Lightning Paw!" Gatomon shouts, landing a punch on Guilmon's face.
The dinosaur stumbles back. He snarls, glaring at Gatomon. "Pyro Sphere!" Gatomon avoids the fireball, letting it crash into a street light. The light bursts into flames and falls onto the concrete.
"Leave me alone!" Gatomon cries, running away.
Guilmon gives chase. He closes in on Gatomon. "Rock Breaker!" She moves just as his arm comes down, slicing a small car in half. The man who had just been about to get in the car runs off screaming. "Get back here!" Guilmon roars.
"Over my dead body!" Gatomon yells over her shoulder.
"Pyro Sphere!"
Hikari watches in horror as the attack demolishes a small building; a shop that was probably open. She thinks of the people that were most likely inside. "They're destroying the city! Someone's gonna get hurt, or killed!"
Takuya looks at her, then back at the television. There has to be something we can do. We can't just sit here and let the digimon destroy the city! He furrows his brow, trying to conjure up a solution. He glances at the teacher, who's focused on the screen and the events being displayed. If we're quiet, just maybe... He nudges Hikari with his arm, and when she looks at him he quickly places a finger to his lips. Takuya turns and walks over to one of the desks in the back of the room, and casually takes a seat. He gestures for Hikari to take a seat next to him, she quickly does so.
"Okay." Takuya whispers. "So we're gonna sneak out."
"What?" Hikari whispers loudly, but after being shushed once more, she adds, quieter. "What're you talking about?"
"We're just gonna slip out the door, he's not even paying attention." Takuya points toward the teacher. "So we'll slip put the door, and head out one of the exits. We find the window to Nakamori's class and help Ruki and the twins slip out. Then we go find Gatomon and try and stop this fight."
Hikari thinks it over; it sounds like a good plan in theory. "How do you know you'll be able to pull it off?"
"Let's just say stealth is a specialty." Takuya mumbles. For a split second, he's back in the bathroom, quietly observing his parent's murderers without them realizing he was nearby. He violently shakes his head. His anger flares up again. He looks at Hikari, his eyes shifting to the red on her arm, then back to her eyes. His heart starts speeding up as a thought comes to him, and he's forced to look away from her. He releases a breath, and looks back at her. "You go first, I'll make sure he doesn't look up."
Hikari nods. "Okay. I'm trusting you."
Takuya clenches his fists. "Just hurry."
Hikari quietly stand up from her seat, making sure to keep her eyes on the teacher, and tip-toes toward the door. A bead of sweat rolls down her temple, her heart hammers against her chest. She's next to the door now, the teacher is still focused on the screen.
"Pyro Sphere!" Another fireball destroys a fire hydrant, the water explodes and forms a small geyser on the corner of main street. A roar of people screaming and running is heard in the background.
Come on, Hikari. You could be out there putting an end to it! She takes a deep breath, steeling her nerves. She places and hand on the door knob, and slowly starts to turn it. The door opens with a small click, inaudible over the sound of the chaos on the screen. Hikari squeezes her small frame through the door, trying to open it as little as possible. Her eyes are on the teacher the whole time.
After what seems like an excruciating long time, Hikari's out the door and moves out into the hallway. She puts her hands on her knees, taking deep breaths to calm her nerves.
In only a few seconds, Takuya emerges as well.
"Could you be any slower?" he asks, raising an eyebrow at her.
"Are you kidding?" she looks at him. "Do you have any idea how nerve-racking that was?"
Takuya rolls his eyes. "We don't have a lot of time. We need to go get Ruki and the twins." She nods, and the two race back to their homeroom.
At the same time, after conducting an escape of his own, Takato ran out the entrance of the school. "Don't worry, boy! I'm coming!"
"Damnit, hurry up, Kouichi." Ruki mutters, waiting outside the door for their friend to meet them. Kouji and Ruki and taken no time in leaving the classroom, most likely because of their troublemaker-like natures. However, Kouichi didn't possess the same skills.
"He's probably just nervous." Hikari says, defending him. As she says this, she narrows her eyes at Takuya.
"That's dandy and all," Ruki says. "but we don't really have a lot of time." As if to prove her point, a muffled *boom* was heard in the distance.
Takuya lifts his head. "They must be getting closer. We need to hurry." As if on cue, Kouichi appears from the door.
"Sorry," he says sheepishly. "I was really nervous."
"Don't worry." Hikari pats his shoulder.
"If you two are done." Kouji says, snapping the two back to the issue at hand.
"They seem to be getting closer." Ruki explains, looking out the window and seeing the smoke. "We should hurry, and try to stop them before they get here."
"But there are probably cops and news cameras all over that area." Hikari says, "How are we supposed to get Gatomon without being seen?"
"We'll figure out later, let's just get there first."
As Takuya and the others exit out of one of the back doors, one lone student exits out the entrance, and begins running toward the chaos.
Gatomon runs, having given up fighting back long ago, and instead decided to use her energy trying to escape. She has a slight advantage; she's must faster than the other digimon, and can climb to higher places. However, it evens out as Guilmon has a long-range attack, and apparently no regard for destroying things.
In hindsight; she begrudgingly admits that the human had a point. If she'd remained indoors she wouldn't be in the situation she was now. And napping for six hours seemed a hell of a lot better than running non-stop.
She snaps out of her thoughts in time to bring her run to a halt, stopping just mere inches from a large wooden pole. She looks back and sees Guilmon still pursuing her, and catching up awfully quick.
Gatomon jumps onto the pole and starts climbing it. When she gets to the top, she gazes back at Guilmon, who looks no bigger than an insect from how high she is.
"This is definitely higher than any tree I've climbed." she comments, looking out into the distance and over the tops of several trees.
"Rock Breaker!" Guilmon cuts the pole from the bottom, and watches as it slowly starts to fall over.
"Ahhh!" Gatomon cries, leaping from the falling pole. She braces herself for the impact with the ground, and when she lands, her front paw bends at an angle, and a sickening crunch reaches her hears. Her vision flashes white and a searing pain runs through her paw. Gatomon screeches in pain, but gets up on two feet to keep running.
Guilmon, knowing he's weakened, and therefore slowed, his target, chases her down with all his speed. He easily catches up to Gatomon. "Pyro Sphere!" The attack makes a direct hit, and Gatomon is set flying. When she lands, she doesn't move.
Guilmon slowly approaches her, anticipating any quick movements.
A soft whirling noise catches his attention, and he looks to the sky. A helicopter is lowering closer to him. He growls, feeling threatened by the unfamiliar flying "monster". "Pyro-"
"Stop! Guilmon!"
"Takatomon?" Guilmon forgets about the helicopter and looks toward the direction of the voice.
Takato is peeking out from an alley, trying to avoid detection from the helicopter. "Guilmon, what's the matter with you?"
"I found the digimon, Takatomon." he replies, innocently. Takato's stomach churns; Guilmon didn't realize all the damage and harm he caused, all he knew was that he caught the unfamiliar and possibly dangerous digimon like Takato said he needed to.
Takato almost cracks a smile, but it disappears as soon as the wailing of sirens rings in his ears. "Guilmon! You have to get out of here."
"But the digimon-"
"Take it with you! Just go back to the park, and make sure no one follows you, okay?" Guilmon nods, scooping Gatomon up in his claws. "I'll meet you there, boy!" Takato ducks back into the alley and runs off, trusting that Guilmon would listen to him.
Takuya and the others arrive on the scene shortly after. Both digimon are nowhere to be found.
"It sounds quiet now." Kouichi observes, "Maybe they stopped fighting?"
"But why?" Hikari asks. "What if something happened to Gatomon?"
"Maybe she escaped?" Kouji offers.
Ruki lets out a low whistle, observing the scene around her. "Man, they trashed this place!"
Takuya frowns at the damage, and can't help but think about the rest of the city, and the amount of people that possibly got hurt. He scratches his head, annoyed with the whole situation. He turns toward Hikari to complain, but stops when he sees that look on her face. I don't understand why she's so concerned for Gatomon. You'd think that Gatomon would be a reminder of the worst part of her life. He sighs. I guess that's just how she is. All of a sudden, her head snaps up to look at him, and he jerks his head in the other direction. Why'd I do that? Now she's gonna think I was staring at her for a completely different reason. He's drawn from his thoughts when his eyes catch something in the distance. A pair of red and blue lights that kept getting closer.
"We need to get out of here, now." He says. The four look in his direction and instantly see the police cars behind him. Takuya and the twins instantly make a break for it. Ruki follows after, dragging Hikari by the wrist.
"Where are we going?" Hikari asks.
"Anywhere but here!"
"But we need to find Gatomon!"
"We can't exactly find her if we're stuck behind bars!" Ruki shouts back.
"Let's head to the park." Kouichi suggests, leading them down a different street. "There's a ledge over there that gives you an overlook of the city, we'll look for them there."
Takato comes to a halt across the street from the park, clutching his side. "Oh, man..." he speaks between breaths. "If only...my PE teacher...could see me now." He takes one deep breath. "Whoo! I think I might've beaten my mile time. But I'll be nutmeg if I take running seriously in school. Guilmon keeps me running around as it is." With a groan, he crosses the street and enters the park.
Please be here Guilmon! Oh, please be here, please be here! Takato runs faster with each repeat, and therefore couldn't slow down in time when something suddenly appeared in front of him.
He vaguely hears "Watch out!" before colliding with something, or rather, someone. Both bodies tumble to the ground.
Takato rubs his head, and after rubbing away some of the pain, he glances up to apologize. However, his mouth becomes glued shut after he recognizes the red-head in front of him.
Ruki glares at him. "Watch where you're going, Goggle-head."
"I- uh-...well, I-..um."
"Takato-kun?" Hikari asks, surprised to see him. "What are you doing here?" Shouldn't he be back in the school?
Takato stands up, and offers his hand to Ruki, who shrugs it off and stand on her own. Takato looks to Hikari when she addresses him. "Oh, well, I -uh-" He finds it harder to come up with a lie with all the eyes staring at him. His face slowly starts to turn red. Takato scratches the back of his head and chuckles awkwardly. "Well it's actually...a really funny story... uh, you see-"
"Takatomon!" Takato freezes, unable to move or say anything. All he can process is the human sized red dinosaur running up to him like a happy dog. "I found you, Takatomon!"
Takuya and the group immediately back away, all except Hikari who notices the white cat in Guilmon's arms. "Gatomon!"
"Hikari get back!" Ruki pulls the girl back with her and the boys.
"Hm?" Guilmon looks over at the humans cowering away from him. "Are they your friends, Takatomon?" The only thing that comes from Takato is a string of babbles.
"Takato!" Jenrya appears from around the bushes. "Where are you- Whoa!" he exclaims, recognizing the monster from the news. "Wha-what's it doing here? Takato! What are you doing with that thing?"
"I...ahhhh, um.. Well... it-.."