Disclaimers: I don't own Digimon Frontier. This is just a fanfiction.
Rated T for mild languages, fighting scenes, mild sensuality scenes, and bloody-violence
Bloody Nightmares
Chapter 35: The Kimi Code Part IV
"Takuya, what do you have to say for yourself?" Izumi asked. She was clearly getting annoyed again. "This is the third time that we lost her today. And now thanks to you, we're lost, too!"
"How was this part my fault?" Takuya asked. "I was just following Masaki's direction!"
"Yeah, and are we any closer to finding Kimi? How about the bearer of the Galis Star?" Izumi pouted. "We were so close to finding out who the latter is and getting Kimi to listen to us until you had to chase her out of the building!"
"Hey, don't but the blame on me, because you were next to me earlier, too!" Takuya pointed out. "Man, where the hell could Kimi be?"
Suddenly, Takuya stepped on something with a crunch with his shoes. Takuya looked down and carefully picked up a broken iPhone.
"Great! Just great!" Takuya snapped. "Now how the hell are we going to find her?"
"Don't tell me that she figured out that Masaki bugged her phone!" Izumi complained.
"Of course she did! Why else ruined a perfectly good cell phone?" Takuya snapped. "Urgh, rich kids. Always throwing things away as if they can afford it."
"I'm more worried about Kyochi finding out," Izumi added. "What if he kicks us out and doesn't want anything to do with us again?"
There it was again. Every time Izumi mentioned Kyochi or starts to pay more attention to him, it irks Takuya.
"Okay, I've had it!" Takuya bellowed, throwing Kimi's broken iPhone onto the ground. "Why is Kyochi more important to you?"
Izumi gave him a confused look. "What are you talking about, Takuya? Kyochi's just a really good friend who's taking care of Ami—"
"Don't give me the same excuse again," Takuya roared frantically like an idiot. "It's more than that, isn't it? Ever since we met him, you had your eyes on him a lot lately!"
Izumi opened her mouth in astonishment. Sure, she liked Kyochi and his handsomeness and kindness were great features, but this is getting too stupid, even for Takuya. Izumi angrily placed both her hands on her hips, "I can't believe you're jealous! This is ridiculous!"
"Jealous? Me?" Takuya balked. "Well excuse me if I don't have a PhD already, but if you haven't noticed yet, I'm the one who's here helping you, not him!"
"Takuya, you're overacting!" Izumi yelled. "Honestly, you're such a child! Sometime I wonder why I like you so much—"
"Wait, what?" Takuya blinked. Izumi gulped and realized what went out of her mouth. Before she could apologize and try to take it back, a voice spoke up from behind her.
"Oh, how sentimental."
Takuya and Izumi turned around and saw an older man, most likely in his early twenties, stepping out from behind a corner. He was wearing leather jackets with ripped jeans like those American bad boys on TV. Sure enough, he wasn't alone.
"We would hate to interrupt such a lovely moment between you two, but I afraid that we have some businesses to take care of. Right boys?"
The others sneered and laughed, causing Izumi to back up towards Takuya.
"Bringing your date this late at places like this? Pretty freakin' stupid," said another guy.
"Now let's see what's in the bag," another one said, grabbing for Izumi's bag.
"Hey!" Izumi screamed. "Let go!"
The older man kicked her off and she stumbled back against Takuya. They looked up to see six more gang members snickering. Takuya wanted to get up and kick these losers, but decided against it when he noticed them flicking out their guns and knives.
"Hello, what are these?" said the guy who grabbed Izumi's bag. He pulled out the four silver and gold bracelets that Kaze gave them. "Jackpot, boys! Real gold and sterling silver!"
"No! You can't have them!" Izumi cried. Fearing for their lives, Takuya pulled her down and shook his head.
"Don't! It'll just make things worse!" He warned.
"But…we can't let them take those!" Izumi pleaded.
"You know what, boss? I think we should have some extra fun tonight, don't you think?" Said the guy holding the bracelets. The grin on his face was getting annoying and Takuya wished that he had his soccer ball right now so that he can use it to whip that ugly grin off his face.
The leader grinned wickedly as he eyed Izumi. "Let's."
"Hey! Let go!" Izumi cried, kicking her assailant. This definitely pissed Takuya off even more as he got up.
"What the fuck are you doing to her?!" he demanded. "Let her go, or else!"
The seven gang members that were mugging them laughed. "Or else what, you little punk?"
Takuya didn't have to answer that when suddenly one of them was thrown to the ground as a new figure jumped in. Takuya recognized him from the café earlier, an older boy with brown hair with a tough attitude.
"Or else you'll say hello to my two fists!" Masaru grinned.
"Who the hell are you?" one of them demanded.
"The name's Masaru Daimon-sama, the great ultimate fighter, and I am here to challenge you thugs!" Masaru beamed, punching his fists together.
Wow, this guy is such a loudmouth, Izumi thought.
"You wanna piece of us, punk?" one of them challenged, flicking his knife but Masaru didn't flinched which irritated them even more. "Let's get him!"
"Bring it on, bastards! I can take you all!" Masaru cried as he dodged a knife from one guy and ducked in time to punch him in the gut.
Takuya pulled Izumi out of the area quickly towards a corner.
Needles to say, Masaru was doing a pretty good job holding out on his own even if the odds of seven against one isn't fair. Takuya and Izumi watched on in amazement as Masaru knocked the guy who grabbed Izumi's bag unconscious. He dropped the four silver and gold bracelets and Izumi quickly grabbed them.
That was when their luck changed because there was an eighth guy hiding in the shadows waiting for the right moment to strike. Masaru was too busy facing the first seven that he didn't bother considering a head count in the first place. Needless to say, the new gang quietly snuck up on Masaru and hit him hard on the head with a steel pipe.
Izumi gasped and Takuya gulped nervously when the gang members turned their attention back at them. Oh, shit! Takuya swore silently to himself.
"Takuya," Izumi whispered. "I'm scared. What do we do now?"
Takuya had no answer for her. He looked over at Masaru who's lying unconscious on the ground next to them. Their savior was knocked out by pure bad luck and now the two of them are screwed. Takuya could try defending Izumi by fighting back himself, but when one of them came to, the odds of fighting eight of them wasn't pleasant.
"Now, where were we?" said the one who was previously knocked out by Masaru. He grinned wickedly at Izumi and she gasped at his creepy smile. Without any warning, he hit her across the face, forcing her to stumbled back into Takuya. Pointing at her and Takuya, he said, "Grab them!"
"The only thing you're going to grab is the wall!" said a familiar voice. The next thing any of them knew, two of them were suddenly pinned to the wall.
"What the hell?" they cried. They looked down to see that their sleeves have been pinned against the wall by…shiny daggers?
Before the other gang members could react, Kouji jumped out from behind them and used a wooden pole he found in the trash to knock them off their feet. Next to him was Kimi. She was holding a few knives between her fingers…and they both didn't look too happy as they looked on at the other six gang members.
Kouichi took his chance to go over to Takuya and Izumi with Löwe by his side. "Are you guys alright?"
"Not really? How did you guys find us?" Izumi replied.
"It wasn't that hard," Kouichi smiled.
"Enough of this!" one of the gang member roared. He pulled out a gun and aimed it at the five teenagers. "Give us the bracelet and the money and no one will get hurt."
"Give them nothing!" Kimi ordered, not taking her eyes off of her opponents. "But I want something from you instead: an apology!"
The gang members gave each other looks of confusion before she continued. "It's one thing to attack a guy but it's rude to hit a lady. Now you're going to apologize to her," she pointed at Izumi, "or there will be more problems for you."
"Can you believe this crazy chick?" said the gang member. The look on his face and the others wasn't amusing. "I'm not going to repeat myself. Give us the bracelets and the money!"
"Kimi, he's got a gun!" Takuya whispered. "Someone's going to get hurt!"
"Well maybe I want someone to get hurt!" Kimi replied.
Kouji nodded and gave a whistle. Suddenly, Lobo jumped out and sank his fangs into the guy's arm. He screamed in surprise and Kimi took her chance to throw a dagger, knocking the weapon on of his hand. The gun slide over to Kouichi and without thinking, the older twin made a grab for it.
Kouji, with his skill in kendo, easily knocked the guys with knives to their feet while Kimi took care of the last guy with the gun. Apparently, her reflexes were faster as another dagger knocked the gun out of his hand before Kouji quickly came in to knock him off his feet. Izumi suddenly noticed that one of her bracelets was glowing again. Like what happened in the café, the bracelet emitted a thin beam of light that only she and Takuya could see and it went for…Kimi?! Takuya and Izumi gave each other a surprised look.
I can't believe it! It makes sense! The Galis Star is inside Kimi. No wonder she's good with knives.
Lobo was growling at the leader but before he could kick the dog away, he found Kouichi pointing the gun at his face nervously.
"D-don't!" the older twin warned. "Stay down!"
The gang member laughed, although a bit nervously himself. "You don't have the guts to do it, kid."
Suddenly, Kouichi's eyes darken seriously as he brought the gun closer. The older man smirked, still thinking that Kouichi wouldn't do it. The next thing he knew, there was a bang and a bullet flew past his right ear. Startled, he touched his ear, fearing that it was taken off and was a bit relieved to see that it was still there. However, the sound of gunshot so closed to him was still ringing loudly in his head.
"You have no idea what I am capable of!" Kouichi warned, the tone of his voice sounded dark and serious. He was scaring his opponents as well as Takuya and Izumi who were both in ear shot.
The gang leader looked up to realize that it was a losing battle. He nodded to the others to give them the signal and they quickly ran over to release two of their comrades from the wall. He was about to bolt himself when Kimi and Kouji suddenly blocked his way. He tried to push past them but Kouji quick grabbed one of his wrists and twisted it at an angle, causing him to cry in pain.
"Well?" Kimi demanded, pointing to Izumi.
"I…I'm sorry?" he said hesitantly.
"Look at her and say it!" Kimi replied and Kouji twisted his arm a little bit more.
"Okay, okay!" he cried. Turning over to Izumi, he painfully took in a deep breath and said, "I'm sorry!"
Izumi didn't know what to say so she just nodded nervously.
"Apologies accepted," Kimi smiled.
Kouji smirked and released him. "If I see your faces around my friends again, you're going to answer to me!" Looking over at his brother, he said, "Nii-san, are you alright?"
Kouichi looked down at the gun in his hand and quickly whipped his finger prints off of it before throwing it into the pile of trash behind them. He sighed and nodded. "Y-yeah…I'll be fine. I was just scared…for all of us."
"I never you could be that serious, Kouichi," Takuya noted. "For a moment there, it was like you were being possessed by someone dead serious."
Kouichi's eyes widen in fear for Takuya's statement was a bit too close to the truth. He didn't want to admit it but even with Dusk gone from his body, the dark feelings that the vampire imposed on him was still lingering. He could have easily shot that person in the face! Thinking about it made Kouichi tremble. Seeing how uncomfortable her friend was, Izumi decided to change the subject.
"I can't believe you came back, Kimi-chan," Izumi said. "I thought you didn't even like us, but you made that jerk apologize to me. I didn't think you would care."
"Yeah, you've been avoiding us all day," Takuya noted. "What made you come back?"
Kimi looked down at her boots and shrugged. "I guess I can't stand by and let those imbeciles take any advantages of you. It wasn't a fair fight and I find it dishonorable of them to do so."
"You sound like Kouji here," Takuya laughed giving his friend a slap on the back before turning to Lobo and pat him on the head. "You're a good dog, aren't you? Chasing those guys and showing them who's boss!"
"Leave Lobo alone, Takuya," Kouji warned.
"Let me ask you two something…" Kimi said. "Why didn't you give up the chase earlier? If you had, you wouldn't have run into those men."
"Well, let's just say that Izumi and I are kinda stubborn," Takuya grinned. "Same thing with these guys here," he nodded towards the twins and their pets. "What can I say? We're a willful bunch. When we're determined to make something right, we'll do it."
"Even if it'll get us killed?" Kouji smirked.
"I wouldn't go that far…" Takuya laughed. "Look, it's not like we wanted to get mugged in the first place!"
Kimi walked up to Takuya and Izumi and scrutinized them carefully. "You two were willing to go that far just to prove something to me? Why?"
"Because you're our friend," Izumi gave her a genuine smile, "Regardless of what you might think of us before, we don't hold anything against you. Things were confusing yesterday, but deep down, we don't really care if you're a princess."
"You were probably right about one thing, though," Takuya grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "Had we known that you're a princess from the beginning, we probably would have treated you a little bit differently…but not by much!"
"Thank you, Takuya! I'll take it from here," Izumi cleared her throat before Takuya could say something stupid. "Listen, we were all just caught up in the moment yesterday and things were said and we didn't really mean some of it. You're Kyochi's sister and he's our friend, too. Also we really do enjoy having you around. Hey, I wouldn't mind if you pin Takuya down with your knives again since he deserves it."
"Hey!"
"Listen, I know it's not much but…if you'll give us a chance, we'll promise not to treat you any differently than anyone else. If you stay with us, you can always be just Kimi Watsuki…"
"Or be the annoying Princess of Lusteria that you already are," Takuya teased. "Choose your poison!"
Izumi glared at him. "We are trying to have a moment here, Takuya! Why do you always have to ruin it?!" Izumi snapped, whacking him on the head. "Honestly!"
An eyebrow on Kimi's face arched up in a confused manner. Suddenly, to everyone's surprised even her own, Kimi laughed. She had never seen this aggressive side of Izumi and frankly, she thought it was cute of her to attack Takuya like that as if they were a couple.
"I haven't seen you laugh like that since the day we met," Kouji grinned.
Kimi blushed at this comment and nodded. "Excuse me. I just…I'm sorry, too. Kouji was right. I don't really think that you guys are manipulative. I supposed I was just afraid and I was looking to blame you for something you didn't do. I'm sorry."
"Hey, it's okay," Izumi smiled. "We all make mistakes," glancing at Takuya, Izumi whispered to Kimi in a low voice, "like that one time when Takuya brought his skateboard inside my restaurant! Our poor waiter was taken out of work for several weeks."
"Hey, I heard that! Stop bringing it up! I said I was sorry! Geez! You're never going to let that go, are you?"
The twins and the girls laughed, much to Takuya's annoyance.
Izumi smiled before continuing, "So what do you say? Would you like to be our friend?"
Friends… Kimi thought to herself. The concept was almost too foreign to her, despite that she already got along well with her twin as well as Takashi and Masaki. And she was starting to take a liking to Kouji and Kouichi. Could she really open up and accept more like these guys? Looking over at Kouji he nodded to her with encouragement. Kimi smiled to herself and nodded.
"Sì, possiamo essere amici." Kimi replied in Italian.
Izumi beamed and gave her a tight hug. "Oh, grazie! You'll won't regret it!"
"Well, I have no idea what you just said, but I'm glad to finally have you back on board again, Your Royal Highness," Takuya said.
Kimi rolled her eyes and carefully pry herself away from Izumi and smiled. "There is one condition: Just call me Kimi."
"Fine, we get it," Takuya shrugged. "No calling you Princess Kimberly, no calling you Your Royal Highness, or Your Grace and blah blah blah."
"Don't worry, you'll get used to him," Izumi winked. Suddenly, she noticed Masaru lying on the ground.
"What do we do about him?" Kimi asked, glancing at Masaru's body.
The others looked back at Masaru and Takuya decided to poke up with his shoe. "Hey, buddy? Are you dead yet?"
"Takuya, stop it!" Izumi said.
"Is he alright?" Kouichi asked. His brother went over to examine him and shrugged. Lobo and Löwe followed him from behind.
"He's just out cold," Kouji replied after Lobo gave him a sniff. "He'll be fine once he wakes up."
"We can't leave him here alone, can we?" Kouichi asked. Löwe meowed in agreement as he sat on top of Masaru's head. The scene looked very funny that Izumi and Kimi giggled a bit.
"Wait, this boy is Yoshino-san's friend," Kimi said, suddenly noticing his face. "I remember seeing him before in the audience."
"Well, there's an idea. We could drag him back to the café," Takuya suggested. He rolled up his sleeves and nodded to the twins. "C'mon, you guys. Help me drag this monkey back to the café. I'm sure his friends would just looooove to see him."
Sure enough, Yoshino and Tohma were glad to see that Masaru were alright, but they were pretty pissed off when Takuya told them what happened. Masaru was coming to and was getting one of his friends' lectures on being reckless in a fight.
"I don't know what's the big deal is," Masaru said. "C'mon, I could have taken them all on with ease."
"Really, then explain your bleeding head!" Yoshino snapped.
Masaru winced and turned around to glare at his friend who was looking over his injury. "Ouch! Watch it, Tohma!"
"I wouldn't have to if you hadn't gone out there," Tohma objected. He purposely placed the ice bag against his friend's skull forcefully, causing the older teen to yelp in pain. Suddenly, Tohma noticed Kimi smirking from the corner of his eyes. For a moment, he recognized her as Yoshino's temporary singer from earlier, but after scrutinizing her face, he realized that she's from a European noble family like him. He walked over to her, leaving Yoshino to bandage up the rest of Masuru's injured head.
At first, Kimi didn't recognized Tohma, but the way he smiled at her as he bowed respectfully made Kimi realized who this boy is: Tohma H. Norstein, the son of Franz Norstein the Austrian aristocrat. The Norstein noble family were almost royal themselves, and being such they had mingled with the Clairebourne family for decades. Tohma's grandmother was best friend with Lord James' mother and Kimi absolutely hated them both with a passion. Tohma, on the other hand...she wasn't sure since they only met just once back in Austria a few years ago. She didn't think she would find him here in Japan. At first, she expected that he'll reveal to Masaru and Yoshino who she is, but instead he said nothing and gave her an envelope.
"What's this?" Kimi asked.
"Yoshino and Suzuki-san called it a bonus for your immaculate performance earlier," Tohma replied as Kimi took the envelope. "Consider it a gift."
"I…" Kimi started, looking down at the envelope. She didn't know what to say. She had never been paid in money before. The concept of money transaction was still new to her, but what's more puzzling to Kimi was the fact that this Tohma boy knew who she is and yet didn't even bother to acknowledge her as Princess of Lusteria. Perhaps he's not like his father or his grandmother after all. She decided to do the same.
"I thank you," she replied bowing to Yoshino and her friends. "But I'm afraid my friends and I have imposed on you enough as it is."
"Wait, Kimi-chan," Yoshino got up. "It's you who we should thank. If you hadn't shown up tonight, this place would have gotten a few bad reviews. Suzuki-san and I are very grateful for your help…and if you want, you could always come back for more—"
"No…I…this was a one-time deal only," Kimi interrupted. "It has been an honor performing with you."
"Will we see you again?" Yoshino asked.
Kimi looked over at her new friends and shook her head. "Perhaps not for a long time."
Once they left the café, Takuya and Izumi had to call the others to tell them that they found Kimi and that "Operation: Save My Sweetheart" was a success (Seriously, Takashi is still using that name, but Takuya and Izumi still considered it Operation: Kimi Code.) They told Junpei and the others to end their search and meet up again another day. Masaki contacted Kyochi who left the hospital earlier to tell him that his twin sister was safe and sound. Naturally, the older twin freaked out when he realized that his sister ran away from home and was searching for her frantically. By the time he got there, Kyochi was out of breath but that didn't stop him from giving his sister a tight embrace, much to her embarrassment.
"Nii-san, stop! You're crushing me! I'm fine," she protested.
"Fine, so long as you're alright…hey, I don't remember Mom buying you these clothes. What have you been doing today?"
Kimi shrugged and smiled. "Oh, nothing much."
Kyochi blinked. His sister rarely smiles and rarely responds without any irritation. Something must have happened that lifted her mood. He walked over to Takuya and Izumi and nodded his head.
"Arigato-gozaimasu. Thanks for finding my sister. You saved her," he said.
Izumi shook her head. "Actually, your sister was the only who saved us from those…bullies."
Takuya nodded. "You should thank Kouji and Kouichi as well because they're the ones who actually got her to open up and listen to us."
Kyochi seemed surprise and looked back to see the identical twins standing by themselves while petting Lobo and Löwe. He noticed Kouji was holding something in his hand as he walked over to them.
"What's that you got there, Kouji?" Kyochi asked.
At the mention of this, Kouji quickly stuff the photo back into his pocket and waved the conversation off. "Nothing," Kouji said. "It's not that important."
"It must be since you're being defensive about it," Kyochi noted. "Are you alright? You seemed distracted. Is someone on your mind?"
Kouji snapped his head at him, glaring. Damn, why does he have to be so intuitive?
"It's nothing, so just drop it, okay?" he insisted.
"Kouji…" his twin chided.
"Okay, um…look, I just wanted to say thank you," Kyochi said. "Kimi seemed a bit more open than usual tonight. You must have said something that finally got to her."
Kouji shrugged. "You didn't have to thank us. She needed to hear it anyway."
"Yes I do," Kyochi replied. "I needed someone to get through to Kimi and I was right in choosing you guys."
"Hey, I always pay my debts," Kouji said. Looking over at his brother and their Guardian Knights, he gestured for them to follow him home. "I'll see you guys later."
"Wait, wouldn't you like to come over for some tea?" Kyochi offered.
Kouji shook his head. Inside his pocket, he gripped his photo and the note Kimie game him tightly. "Thanks for the offer, but I have something to take care of."
Hearing this, Kimi couldn't help but feel disappointed. She wanted to thank Kouji for getting through her stubbornness.
"Okay, I gotta get back, you guys," Izumi said. "I left Rosalina to deal with my parents for too long. I'll probably see you guys tomorrow or something."
"Wait, I'll come with you, Izumi!" Takuya said, running off after her. Before they left, Takuya walked over to Kouji and slapped him on the back. "You know, you and Kimi really make a great team."
"Excuse me?" Kouji demanded. "I told you she's not my girlfriend."
"Oh, c'mon, Kouji! You two were fighting against those goons back there as if you knew each others' moves. Who knows? One minute you're fighting together and the next you'll be going out together."
"Your teasing is starting to annoy me," Kouji warned. It was a good thing that they were out of earshot from Kimi and her brother or else this conversation would have been embarrassing. "Why don't you go and mind your own business by getting Izumi's parents to like you again."
"Oh, that? Relax!" Takuya reassured him with a grin. "They can't resist my charm for long. Sooner or later, they'll have to let me and you guys back into Izumi's restaurant."
"At this rate, I think the only thing that will make Izumi's parents change their minds about you is if something insane happen and they'll have no one to rely on but you," Kouji snapped. "Now leave me alone, will you?"
"Hey, chill buddy!" Takuya raised his voice defensively. "Look, all I'm saying is that if you don't make a move on her, someone else might and you might not like it, buddy."
Kouji's eyes widen in shock but before he could retort, Takuya grinned and said, "I better help Izumi sneak back home. See ya later."
"Kouji?" Kouichi asked, eyeing his brother carefully. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Kouji insisted.
"You don't look alright," said Kimi from behind him. He didn't hear her walking over.
"I thought I told you to stop sneaking up on people!" Kouji snapped at her.
"Well, it's not my fault that you weren't paying attention to your surroundings!" Kimi said.
Kouji sighed in frustration and gripped the address paper in his pocket again. "I'm sorry. Look, I just…have a lot on my mind today. I have to go…I'll probably see you around. By the way…you look nice in that outfit."
The last part made Kimi blushed because she was wearing the clothes that Ruki gave her earlier that day at the fashion studio.
"But…" Kimi said, but her brother stopped her.
"Leave him alone, Kimi," he said. "I have a feeling that he's trying to look for something."
Kimi turned to face her brother. "How do you know?"
Kyochi shrugged. "I'm not sure, but it feels like it started yesterday morning before you and he left the mansion. Did something happen?"
Kimi looked down on her boots and began to think…yesterday was when Kouji and Kouichi took her out of Clairebourne Manor to meet the others for the first time. When she asked him how she looked in her city clothes, all Kouji said to her was that she looked good. The way he complimented her made her feel disappointed because it feels like he was purposely trying to avoid telling her something...something that he's saving for someone else other than her.
Wait, why do I suddenly care what he thinks of me? Kimi thought. The answer didn't come any sooner as her twin ushered her to follow him home.
"Izumi, finally!" Rosalina cried once Izumi crawled back into her room through the window on the third floor. She and Takuya had to climb up the fire escape as quietly as they could for fear that one of the cooks would come out, thinking that it's a cat only to find them trying to sneak back in.
Needless to say, Rosalina looked frantic and worried by the time Izumi got back.
"You were supposed to be here about two hours ago!" Rosalina cried. "What happened?"
Izumi glanced at Takuya and gulped. They couldn't tell her that about two hours ago they were being mugged by a bunch of gangsters, could they? If Romano and Teresa found out, they would most certainly lock Izumi up in the freezer. Another reason for them to blame Takuya for getting their daughter into trouble.
"We…got lost, sorry. I'll tell you about it later," Izumi said.
"Well, for your sake I hope so because I've been shucking scallops and gutting fish all day!" Rosalina said.
"I guess that explains why this room smells like something just died in here," Takuya teased. Both girls glared at him, forcing him to shut up.
"I know I stink and I desperately need a shower!"
Suddenly a knock came and Takuya quickly duck out of sight before Romano came in. Izumi glared at her father before folding her arms and turning around, making him think that she's still furious at him…which she still is, by the way.
"Girls, I heard shouting. What's the matter?" Romano asked.
"Nothing, Zio Romano," Rosalina reassured him. "Stavo parlando con mio cugino. Non c'è nulla di sbagliato, Zio!"
"Whatever you say, Rosalina," Romano sigh. Turning to his daughter, he said, "Izumi, you're filthy. If you've decided to make a mess of yourself during kitchen duty, then don't expect the waitresses to clean up your mess like this morning!"
Izumi pretended to go over to her drawing to pick out some new clothes before going over to the bathroom and slamming the door. Romano rolled his eyes at the rebellious tantrum and left.
"Is the coast clear?" Takuya asked in a low voice.
"Yeah, my uncle's gone, you can come out of the wardrobe now," Rosalina smiled.
Takuya breathed a sigh of relief as he composed himself. Suddenly, they both hear the shower turning on so Rosalina decided to pass the time by asking Takuya a few questions.
"So, you and Izumi found what you were looking for?" Rosalina asked.
"Um, more or less," Takuya shrugged.
"Right, so what was this mission of yours that was so important that I had to disguise myself as Izumi all day and shucking scallops?" Rosalina asked. Walking over to the bed, she opened her suitcase and started to unpack.
"Um...let's just say that we have to find this friend who was lost and confused," Takuya began.
"So...this friend of yours needed help finding herself?" Rosalina asked. "Why did it have to be you guys? Was she really that important that Izumi had to sneak out of here?"
"Well...yeah, I mean...I guess it's not just her, but she has a twin brother and they both have these two other friends that we are now stuck with and, you know, we like to think of each other as if they're family rather than just friends even if they do annoy the hell out of us and—"
"Rallenta! Non riesco a capire Giapponese chebene!"
"Wait what?"
"I said slow down because I cannot understand Japanese THAT good!" Rosalina laughed. "You very funny, you know that? I can see why my cousin likes you so much."
Takuya blushed at the mention of this. "Um…well, let's just say that we're always determined to put things right and to help our friends out."
"Because you all like famiglia, no?"
"Um…yeah, you could say that," Takuya nodded. The Italian word for "family" sounded familiar to his ears since he heard Izumi used it a lot in her conversation. "Okay…I better get going before my dad freaks out, too. Being a cop and all, he does that."
"Wait, you're leaving already?" Izumi said, coming out of the bathroom looking all squeaky clean in her bathrobe.
"I'll leave you two alone," Rosalina chirped before diving into the bathroom herself. "Oh, and play nice, you two."
The last part of her comment made Takuya and Izumi blushed furiously.
"Ignore her," Izumi said. "She's just teasing."
"Well, she's nice, I guess," Takuya nodded.
"She's my favorite cousin and she wants to be a fashion model in Milan," Izumi added.
"Well, good for her, then. She must be really talented," Takuya grinned. Suddenly, the world "talent" reminded him of something. Izumi looked at him and was thinking the same time.
"Takuya, you don't think Kimi's one of the bearers of the Galis Star pieces, do you?" Izumi asked, taking out the gold and silver bracelet that glowed before. "I mean it was pointing at her, right?"
"Right," Takuya nodded seriously. "I guess having the Galis Star would explain why Kimi's so good with knives…and probably singing as well since it was activated when she was on stage, right?" They paused for a moment. "So how do we tell her about the Galis Star?"
"We can't! She'll freak out and thinks that we're crazy!" Izumi insisted. "We finally got her on our side and the last thing we need is to turn her away from us again with a story about a vampire."
"So any ideas on what to do?" Takuya asked.
"Well…I could pretend that it's a present for her instead," Izumi suggested. "That might work much better than your idea."
"Hey, not all of my ideas are that horrible!" Takuya insisted.
Izumi laughed. "You're right…just most of them are."
Suddenly, Izumi sighed sadly before looking up at Takuya. "Takuya, I am still unsure about convincing my parents. If we're going to find the other three bearers then I need to get out of here as soon as possible."
"Hey, no sweat," Takuya said nervously. He suddenly remembered what Kouji said to him earlier, about having something so big happening to the Orimoto family that Izumi's parents would have no choice but to trust Takuya. Takuya shook his head furiously, trying to get it out of his mind. Izumi looked at him, puzzled before he could compose himself again.
"Takuya, are you alright?" she asked.
Takuya carefully climbed out of the back window and placed his foot on the fire-escape. "Like I said, no sweat, Izumi-chan. Don't worry, we were pretty successful today, weren't we?"
Izumi blinked.
"Hey, listen…at first, we didn't know how we would convince Kimi and make her listen, but we did it in the end right? You shouldn't worry too much about your overprotective parents, Izumi. If we could convince someone like Kimi to give us a chance, I am sure that we can convince your parents to give me a chance, too."
Izumi can't help but smile when Takuya said this. "Well, when you put it that way…you're right, Takuya."
"Of course, I'm right!" Takuya laughed. "After all, who could resist my daring and sporty charm?"
"Okay, good night, Soccer Star-sama," Izumi giggled. "I'll text you later on Rosalina's iPhone."
"Yeah, see ya," Takuya said as he carefully and quietly climbed down and made his way home before curfew.
"Kouji! Kouichi!" Satomi cried after hearing the front door open. "There you boys are. Where were you today?"
"Out, Satomi," Kouji shrugged as he sat down to take off his shoes. "Where's Dad?"
"He's out doing some paperwork at the office to help invest his new client," Satomi explained. "Kouji, the Duke's butler called today."
"Harrison-san?" Kouichi asked.
"Yes," their step-mother nodded. "Boys, what happened to you all yesterday? They said that it was a small earthquake and somehow you kids were stuck in it!"
Satomi quickly ran over to her two step-sons and stared to fuss over them like a worried mother hen. She and Kousei didn't know about it the day before because they had to stay at the Clairebourne an extra night for her husband's business deal. By the time Satomi returned home, there was already a message on the recorder, explaining to her about the earthquake.
"Satomi, stop!" Kouji insisted. "We're okay, we're not hurt. You see?"
"But what about Kimi-hime?" Satomi asked, worriedly. "Harrison said that she was hurt in the earthquake," Turning to look at Lobo and Löwe, their step-mother noticed the bandages around their stomach. "And what happened to your pets? Did they get hurt as well?"
"Satomi, please stop!" Kouji insisted, although perhaps his tone was a bit too harsh. Kouji sighed and shook his head. "Look, you don't have to worry about us. Lobo and Löwe will recover in no time. We took them to a vet earlier and she healed them."
Of course he meant Gali but he wasn't going to mention that she's magical or the fact that their Guardian Knights can actually talk.
"What about the princess? What happened to her?" Satomi pressed.
"She…Kimi-san just stumbled and fell and she got stuck," Kouichi explained. "Kouji got her out in time before things got worse."
"Oh, Kouji, Harrison was right about you," Satomi smiled in relief. She gave him a tight hug which surprised him. "My, we have a little hero in the family."
"I'm no hero, Satomi," Kouji said. "Besides she's staying with her brother so Dad doesn't have to worry about losing his business deal if that's what you're thinking."
"Kouji, I don't blame you for what you're father's doing," Satomi reasoned. "But I am glad that you've put your safety away for someone else. I thought you didn't like Kimi."
"I…I don't!" Kouji insisted. "Look, I promise I'll be nice to her. I don't care if Takuya and the others invited her into our group, she's not my girlfriend!"
"Kouji, I never said that she was," Satomi frowned. "What's gotten into you?"
"Just…just leave me alone," Kouji sighed, running upstairs toward his room with Lobo right behind him. The door slammed loudly, causing the ceiling light bulbs downstairs to shake.
Satomi looked at Kouichi worriedly. "Kouichi-kun, what's wrong with your brother? It's not like him to be that defensive since…" the sentence stopped, as Satomi remembered the time when Kouji still considered her an outsider.
"It's…complicated," Kouichi said, looking down at Löwe sitting snugly in his arms.
"Complicated?" Satomi asked. "On what?"
"I…I can't tell you," Kouichi shook his head sadly, not wanting to betray his brother's secret. For some reason, he knew that Kouji doesn't want their friends or their parents to know about Kimchi.
Satomi looked at him sadly. She knew that he and his brothers are close and although she's not their biological mother, Satomi wished that they would be a little bit more opened to her. True, Kouji had started calling her "mother", but he still calls her "Satomi" whenever Kouichi's around. Satomi knew that Kouji was doing it to spare Kouichi's feelings about Tomoko Kimura, their birth mother.
"Well, alright," Satomi said sadly. "Perhaps you should talk to your brother." Bending down, she stroke Löwe behind the ear, causing him to purr. "I made dinner. How about some udon? I even bought extra milk for your cat."
Kouichi looked down at Löwe and could tell that his cat was starving.
"That sounds great," he replied and Löwe meowed in agreement.
"Kouji? Are you awake?" Kouichi asked, coming into their room quietly. He brought in a tray of food for Kouji and Lobo to eat.
Kouji was lying on his bed with Lobo by his side. With one hand, he was scratching Lobo behind the ears and with the other hand he was holding his photo and the piece of paper that Kimie gave to him earlier. He didn't bother to acknowledge his brother as Kouichi placed the tray of food on the table. The older twin picked up a dog bowl of food and placed it on the floor. Famished, Lobo abandoned Kouji's side for the moment to eat. Kouji didn't seemed to notice.
"He's still thinking about his first love?" Löwe whispered.
"He can't stop looking at the photo and the paper," Lobo nodded as he spoke between mouthfuls.
Kouichi sigh and sat down next to his brother. "Well…some performances today, weren't they, Kouji?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Nii-chan," Kouji replied. Obviously he's still in a bad mood.
"Kouji, you talked back to Kishimoto-sensei and he threw you across the room," Kouichi pointed out. "You snapped at Kimi and our step-mom earlier. Kouji, I think you're getting a little bit obsessed with finding Kimchi-chan that you're—"
"That I'm what, huh?" Kouji snapped, sitting up quickly. Lobo and Löwe looked up at their masters, cautious of hearing another argument. Kouichi turned his head away, refusing to look at his brother. "What were you going to say?"
"You're starting to push other people away," Kouichi pointed out. "You probably hadn't notice it yourself, but you're distancing yourself from everyone around you…like before we met…"
Kouji frowned in concern, unsure of what to say. He couldn't deny it because in some ways, his twin was right. "Nii-chan…I didn't mean to…"
"It's okay, Kouji," Kouichi smiled sadly. "It wasn't all bad… you said something to Kimi and convinced her to listen to Takuya and Izumi earlier."
"Kouichi, I can't help it," Kouji shook his head. "I can't get Kimchi out of my mind. For one moment today, I thought I lost all traces of finding her. But now, I know that there is a slim chance of meeting her again…for the first time in years. Kouichi, I don't know what I am going to do when I meet her!"
"Is that why you were pushing us away?" Kouichi asked. "You were nervous and afraid, weren't you?"
Kouji was about to say something, but couldn't. Once again, his brother was right on the mark.
"You're probably right," Kouji sighed, putting the photo and the address down on his nightstand. "Earlier, I intentionally told Kimi that she looks nice in that outfit, I wasn't telling her the entire truth."
"You still can't say something better?" Lobo asked. "I thought you were going to practice on someone like Kimi."
"If I tell Kimi what I really think, she'll probably think that I really like her or something," Kouji cried in frustration. He leaned back against his bed and pressed a pillow over his face, muffling his voice. "Kimi isn't Kimchi and I already have my heart set on someone else."
"So being around Kimi is starting to make you feel confuse," Löwe noted. "Kouji, you can't avoid her forever, especially now that she's a part of your group."
"Well, hopefully my feelings will be clearer once I see Kimchi face-to-face again in two days," Kouji sighed. "Anyway, all of this thinking is making me hungry."
"Then you'd better eat now or your udon is going to absorb more than half of the broth if you leave it there for too long," Kouichi smiled. "And Kouji?"
"Yeah?" Kouji glanced at his twin.
"If you want, the three of us can come with you to the cemetery in two days," his twin offered, nodding to Lobo and Löwe.
"I…" Kouji was about to protest. He wanted to go alone, but he couldn't deny the fact that meeting Kimchi and finding out who she really is and what's her real name was making him nervous.
Kouichi continued to give his brother his sweet and friendly smile. "Don't pretend to hide it. I know that you're nervous, Kouji, so Lobo, Löwe, and I will go with you whether you like it or not. And besides, I want to meet this girl and see if she's worthy enough for my twin."
"So territorial," Kouji smirked.
"Like you," Kouichi nodded.
"Alright, fine," Kouji shrugged. "I dragged you guys in this with me in the first place, I might as well let you tag along until the end."
Far away on Odaiba, the man-made island, a traffic was on the rise. Oddly enough, the Rainbow Bridge that's connecting Odaiba to the heart of Tokyo was full, a bit strange at this hour. But that didn't stopped people from honking their cars.
"Hey, come on!" a driver in a blue Toyota screamed. "Move your ass! I gotta get home in half an hour!"
"Hey, hurry up and move it!" cried the driver in the car behind him. "What the hell is going on?"
"How should I know? The guy in the black Honda in front of us hasn't moved for a while!"
"What the hell? Is he asleep or something!"
The two drivers got out of their call and got closer to the black Honda. Both of them and the drivers behind them were minding their own business. As they were about to get on the bridge, the black Honda in front of them was there and it didn't move since.
"Hey, buddy!" said the first driver. "Wake up! This is no time to be sleeping at the wheel!"
"C'mon, buddy, you're causing a whole mess right now!" said the second driver. Turning to the other man, he said, "Hey, look, his window is half open. Try to shake him."
The first driver nodded as he stuck his arm and pressed it against the third driver's chest. "Hey, wake up, man! I told you this is no time to be sleepin—"
Suddenly, the dark silhouette of the driver in front of him slumped forward, his head hitting the wheel and the horn blew loudly.
"What the hell?!" the second driver screamed. "What's wrong with him?"
The first driver shown a flashlight through the window and what he saw made him recoil back and screamed.
"What? What's wrong?"
"Call the police! This guy's dead!"
"What?" The second driver asked and looked through the window himself. Sure enough, the driver was dead, but the most shocking part was his throat was slashed opened, causing blood to drip out onto his chest. The expression on his face was that of pure terror, as if what he saw before his death was still etched into his dead eyes.
"How did this happened?" the two drivers asked.
A sudden crunching sound popped under their feet. They looked down to see shattered glasses from the ten nearest lamps on the bridge wires around them. Had they looked up at that moment, they would have spotted a figure standing on top of one of the Rainbow Bridge's tower, smirking at them.
Ken Ichijouji, or more specifically, Dusk who's using the boy, smiled as his licked the last drop of blood on a blade he's been using.
"Another meal well done," he said to himself. "Soon I'll be coming back for you, Kouichi, my dear boy. But for now, this Ken will do."
To be continued...
Author's Note:
Yeah, Masaru is strong in Digimon Savers, but c'mon, he's got to lose at least one battle. So how does he lose? When he jumps into a fight recklessly and without bothering to count how many thugs he's up against.
Sì, possiamo essere amici - Yes, we can be friends.
Grazie - Thank you.
Stavo parlando con mio cugino. Non c'è nulla di sbagliato, Zio - I was just talking to my cousin. There is nothing wrong, Uncle.
Rallenta! Non riesco a capire Giapponese chebene! - Slow down! I cannot understand Japanese that well!
Next chapter might take a bit longer...