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 36: The Twins' Dreams

Kouji was running as fast as he could towards the park. He had promised Kimchi-chan that he would show up as soon as his kendo lesson was over. But before that, he dropped by a shop and bought another bagful of snacks, including rice balls. Today was the day that he and Kimchi would finally help their little sparrow, Tanpopo-chan fly again. The last few days playing with Kimchi had brightened Kouji's mood that even his father noticed it. When Kousei Minamoto asked his son why he was feeling so cheerful, Kouji's only reply was that he was playing with a new friend after school.

Almost there! Kouji thought as he turned a corner. With one arm, he was holding his kendo wooden sword in place and the other a bag of snacks. He expected Kimchi to be sitting on the bench playing with Tanpopo first since she's always the first one to get there. By the time Kouji arrived, she would smile at him and Tanpopo would give a few happy chirps.

To his horror, he found Kimchi crying as she furiously tried to fight back against the same bullies who picked on her two weeks ago. They were stomping on something and it was upsetting Kimchi as she tried desperately to stop them.

"Get it!" cried Kaito.

"I'm trying, but it keeps hopping away!" said Kyo.

"Break its wings again!"

"Stop it! Leave Tanpopo-chan alone!" Kimchi cried.

"Shove off, girl," Kaito sneered, pushing her back. Suddenly, one of them managed to grab the sparrow as it tries desperately to hop away. With its wing still bandaged, flying away was pointless.

"Kouji!" Kimchi cried, spotting her friend.

Kouji was furious as he ran over to them.

"Hey! Leave her alone!" Kouji cried, pulling out his wooden bokken sword and readied himself.

"Oh, look boys. It's the little hero. Here to save his princess and her stupid bird?" said the boy named Hiro. Before Kimchi could do anything, he quickly grabbed her by the hair and pull her up. She screamed and tried to kick him to free herself. Unfortunately, the other boy was expecting this as he grabbed her arms and held her in place.

"I said let her go!" Kouji cried, swinging his wooden bokken sword at the fourth kid.

"Why should we? We're having too much fun," the older boy sneered. "Did you think you two would get away after what you did last time?"

"Hell, no!" Kaito laughed.

"Besides, it's payback time. Get over here and bow to us!"

"And why should I?" Kouji spat defiantly.

Kimchi screamed when Hiro pulled her hair harder. Kyo laughed and held up the little ball of fluff in his hand. Using his fingers like a cage, he threatened to squeeze the little sparrow to death.

"Tanpopo-chan!" Kimchi cried as the tears in her eyes continued to pour out. "Stop! Don't hurt him!"

"Cowards!" Kouji growled. "You don't have any honor!"

"So you refuse to bow to us?" Kyo asked.

Kouji tightened his grip on his bokken sword and shook his head. Quickly, he turned around and struck at the shins of the other two, forcing them to let Kimchi go. Kouji quickly pulled her out of the way before they could grab her again.

"Dammit!" they swore.

"Kouji!" Kimchi cried, eyes still watery from the pain they inflicted on her.

"Are you alright?" Kouji asked.

She shook her head and pointed at Kyo. "He still has Tanpopo-chan!"

"You little brats!" Kyo screamed, holding the bird up high. "That's it, you asked for it!"

"No, stop!" Kouji cried. He ran towards him and aimed his bokken, but the older boy quickly ducked out of the way and the next thing they knew, he threw the bird onto the cement and stomped on it with his shoe. One moment, the bird was chirping in pain and was quiet the next.

"NO! Tanpopo-chan!" Kimchi cried.

"Why you…" Kouji growled as he charged forward. This time, Kyo was not able to dodge as Kouji quickly jabbed him.

When the others tried tried to jump in, Kouji quickly mixed it up with a few strike and blocks he recently learned from his sensei. It was déjà vu more or less as Kimchi started throwing several small rocks at the three older kids. Furious over the death of her little friend, she didn't stop throwing even when they decided that they have had enough. By the time they were gone for good, Kouji turned back to his friend. She carefully picked up the dead sparrow's body and wept.

"Tanpopo-chan…" she sobbed quietly.

"Kimchi, gomenasai," Kouji apologized. He felt useless. What was the point of learning kendo when he couldn't use it to defend his friends? Sure, he only started his lesson about a year ago when he was four, but he had hoped it was enough…but it wasn't. "I'm sorry. If only I was here faster…none of this would have happened."

"Why did they have to do it?" his friend cried. "Tanpopo never did anything to them and he was helpless."

"They're cowards," Kouji stated. "I hate people like them…always getting thrills out of other people's miseries."

Kouji walked over to Kimi and kneel down next to her. Tanpopo looked so sad with his body crushed and his wings both broken. The blood was getting on the Kishimoto girl's hands, but she didn't seem to care.

"Hey, c'mon," Kouji said in a soft voice. "We can't leave our little friend like this, can we? Let's give him a proper burial."

Kimchi nodded sadly and slowly they both got up. Kouji saw the empty box they had made as Tanpopo's home. It was grim to think that they're going to use it as his coffin as Kouji picked it up. He opened the box and Kimchi gently place the dead sparrow in the center. Together, they walked towards the playground and searched for the nicest place to bury their friend.

Kouji suddenly woke up with a cold sweat and out of breath. He quickly looked around his room and spotted Lobo who was jolted out of his sleep, staring at him with concern.

"Kouji, are you alright?" Lobo whispered, sounding as if he's in pain.

Kouji nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just another dream. What happened to you?"

Lobo chuckled and shook his head. "It's nothing much. You were kicking in your sleep and you've accidentally knocked me over the side of the bed."

"Yeah, sorry about that," Kouji replied. He motioned Lobo to come closer as he lied back against his pillow. Lobo decided to play it safe and settled down next to him but on the rug. As he lied down on his side, Kouji reached a hand out to scratch Lobo behind the ear. Looking up, he could see his twin sleeping in his own bed across the room. Kouji smiled to himself because his twin looked so cute when he sleeps, especially with Löwe using his hair as his personal cushion.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Lobo asked. "Your dream, that is."

"I have no idea what you're—" Kouji started, but Lobo cut him off with a smirk.

"Don't try to hide it. My eyes may be closed right now but I can sense that you were bothered by it."

Kouji sighed in defeat. "I failed her, Lobo. Kimchi was my first real friend and I failed her…"

"What do you mean? What did your dream show you?"

"The sparrow that we took care of…the one that Kimchi found…was discovered by the same kids who bullied her," Kouji said. Although the vision was only a dream, it had reawakened a part of his memory. "I was on my way to the park to play with her, but those bullies got there before me and they were tormenting our bird. Kimchi was hysterical…and…" Kouji trailed off, not sure if he wants to summarize the rest of what happened. "I…I tried to stop them, but one of them killed Tanpopo…he crushed the bird right in front of us."

Lobo shook his head in disappointment. He knew that some children are not always sweet and some can be even cruel. A few hundred years ago, he recalled passing by a group of village boys trying to have some fun by tossing a cat into a sack with an eel to see who would win. Apparently, some things haven't changed that much in the last few centuries as humans can be the cruelest of species on this world.

"I can't remember much after that but I think…" Kouji paused and closed his eyes so that he could try and remember. "…after we buried our sparrow…we didn't play with each other much, and I think Kimchi stopped coming."

"So you believe she didn't want to see you again because you've failed to protect her," Lobo finished. "Kouji, you can't blame yourself for that and I don't believe your first love would either."

"What if I see her again and she'll never forgive me?"

"It happened years ago," Lobo tried to reason with him. "I understand that you're nervous about meeting Kimchi, but from my own experience, I would advise you to try and build your relationship for the future. Don't worry yourself about fixing a past that is gone."

Kouji chuckled under his breath. "Your own experience, huh? Don't tell me that you were in love with someone else, too!"

Lobo scoffed, although a bit too quickly, causing Kouji to laughed under his breath. Kouichi stirred but he didn't wake up.

"Don't be ridiculous, my prince!" Lobo insisted. "I was referring to Löwe and me trying to change our future against Dusk."

"Dusk…" Kouji scowled. He had almost forgotten about that parasite…the one who possessed his brother's body and made his sweet nii-san commit all of those horrendous crimes…he was the one who tried to hurt Kimi in the park and Kouji was almost killed trying to save her… "That bastard…I wonder what he's doing now…"

"I've no doubt that he's still hunting," Lobo said. "Worse, he still has his eyes dead set on stealing the pieces of the Galis Star and repossessing Kouichi."

"Over my dead body," Kouji growled.

Suddenly, Kouichi moaned and stirred in his sleep, causing Löwe to fall from his head. The cat suddenly woke up and looked up at his master with tired eyes. Kouji quickly got out of his bed and went over to his twin's side. He gently brushed a strand of hair from his brother's face but the older twin didn't wake up.

"Nii-chan," he whispered quietly. "What's wrong? Wake up."

"I think he's having a nightmare," Lobo pointed out.

Kouji didn't feel reassured. His brother has told him about a few of his nightmares when he was still under Dusk's control. With the Vampire of the Red Moon still on the loose somewhere, he didn't want his brother to be in pain even at night.

"You don't think it's because of Dusk, do you?" Kouji asked.

Lobo shook his head, "No, Dusk was banished from him so he shouldn't have any more connection to him at night. Don't worry, Kouji, I think he's just having a regular nightmare."

Kouji didn't seem convinced at first but then his brother stopped moaning and relaxed his facial expression. Kouji leaned in to see him breathing calmly. He sighed in relief and smiled at his brother's sleeping face.

"You're alright, Nii-chan," Kouji whispered. He leaned in closer and sniffed his brother's hair before kissing it. There was a hint of the watermelon-scented shampoo he must have used a few hours earlier, making Kouji smiled. He usually doesn't show his most affectionate side of his personality, but Kouichi is his twin and he cared about him a lot.

"Let's go back to sleep," Lobo suggested. "You can resume your search for Kimchi-chan tomorrow."

"Yeah," Kouji nodded. Rather than going back into his bed, he lifted up his brother's blanket and crawled in next to him. He hasn't slept with his brother since their stay at the Clairebourne Manor and frankly, he missed the warmth of his brother's presence next to him at night.

Kouichi was dreaming alright, but his nightmares were anything but normal. Kouichi looked around and saw that he was standing in the back alley behind a restaurant. He knew it in his mind that this place belonged to the Orimoto family. Like before, the sky was dark and in front of him was a figure of a man lying face up with a horrified expression on his face. Kouichi knew that he was dead as another figure stood up, looking satisfied.

Kouichi gasped as he realized who the culprit was: it was Ken Ichijouji, the boy whom Dusk recently possessed in order to attack Kimi. If memory served correctly, the dead man in front of him must be Rinaldo-san, one of the Italian-Japanese employees working for Izumi's parents!

"No! Stop!"

It was not Kouichi's voice just now. Kouichi turned around, trying to find the source of the unknown voice. Before Kouichi could see anything, the scene in front of him shifted again and the next thing he knew, he was standing in the park. The scene before him was Dusk using a knife to reopen Kimi's injured arm in the park.

Kimi screamed which only seemed to satisfy Dusk even more.

Dusk laughed wickedly when the girl tried to cover her ears so that she can't listen to him. "That's right. You, Kimi Watsuki, or should I say…Princess Kimberly Anne Rowena Jane Clairebourne…you're deathly afraid of blood! Yes! You're hemophobic. It is your one main weak point and I hit it dead on!"

"Stop! Leave her alone!" cried the voice again.

Kouichi turned around and suddenly spotted a hazy image of a boy. Kouichi couldn't make out his face but he knew that he was also feeling helpless like himself.

The scene shifted again but this time, Kouichi was in the middle of the street. To his horror, Dusk was standing before a woman who seemed very familiar to him. He had only seen her once or twice before when he was visiting Tomoki's house, but he couldn't recall who she was exactly.

The woman was tied up with vines as Dusk pulled a knife from his coat. "You're the first meal that I had in years that really fought back," Dusk said coolly. "Although I am impressed with your resistance, I can't forgive you for giving me a hard time."

The woman didn't have enough time to scream before Dusk plunged the dagger into her chest.

"NO! PLEASE!" the other voice screamed in desperation.

Kouichi looked to his right and to his surprise, it was Ken Ichijouji! Kouichi felt confused…how is this happening? If Dusk is using Ken's body right now to attack these people in front of him, why is there another Ken Ichijouji watching, too?

"That's impossible," Kouichi muttered to himself. To his surprise, Ken heard him and glanced over at his direction.

The scene before them shifted and Dusk was gone, leaving the two boys alone in the darkness.

"W-who are you?!" Ken demanded.

"I…" Kouichi hesitated, unsure of what to say. But what can he say if he didn't know what was going on.

"Tell me who you are," Ken demanded, suddenly his tone got more threatening. "Why are you here? Are you the one who's making me commit all of these horrible things?!"

Kouichi raised his hands up in defense. "No…n-no…I'm not!"

"Then who are you?" Ken repeated, grabbing for the collar of Kouichi's pajama.

"I'm Kouichi Kimura and I don't know why you're in my dream," he pleaded.

Ken's eyes widen in shock. He let Kouichi go and stumbled back.

"Dream? This is a dream? That's not possible! This is my memory!"

Both boys seemed lost, unsure of what to do. Kouichi couldn't understand it himself. This was exactly what it felt like when he was still under Dusk's control. But he had already banished Dusk from his body so why is he still seeing all of these visions. And more importantly, why is Ken here?

"I…I'm afraid," Ken muttered, clutching his arms as if he was cold. "I did these things…I don't understand why…why did I hurt them?"

"It's not your fault," Kouichi reasoned. "You're not in control of your body or yourself."

"And how would you know?!" Ken glared at him, causing Kouichi to step back. "Unless you're the one who's making me do all of these horrible things!"

"I know because I was possessed, too," Kouichi insisted. "Before you, he got inside of me and made me kill people."

"W-what do you mean by he? You're saying that I'm being possessed by the same person who did the same thing to you?"

Kouichi nodded. "His name is Dusk and he has possessed you because he saw darkness in your heart. That's how he got to me…"

Ken looked down at his trembling hands, horrified by the revelation he had just heard.

"Is that why I can see you?" Ken asked hesitantly. "Is it because you and I are so twisted up on the inside that he could get to us?"

Kouichi shook his head sadly. "I'm not sure. After banishing Dusk from my mind, I don't understand why I am still seeing all of this in—"

"You're not under Dusk's control anymore?" Ken's eyes lit up as he interrupted the older twin. "You're free?"

Kouichi nodded but before he knew it, Ken grabbed him by the arm and shook him violently, his voice seemed desperate. "You have to help me! How can I be free from him?"

Suddenly, a deep laugh echoed all around them. Kouichi recognized it as Dusk's twisted laughter. It was the same laughter that brought chills to his heart when Kouichi confronted the vampire in his mind before. If Kouichi didn't know any better, he would have guessed that Dusk can hear their conversation and is laughing at their futile effort.

"Help me…please…" Ken whispered desperately, breaking down on his knees. "I don't want to be like this anymore…Help me…"

Kouichi didn't know what to do. He wanted to help Ken but he wasn't entirely sure if he himself could do anything. Suddenly, Ken glared up at Kouichi and made another grab for him. Kouichi didn't have time to jump back in defense.

"You know more, don't you?!" Ken declared furiously. "You know how to free me, don't you?"

"I…I…" Kouichi gasped, trying to free himself from Ken's desperate grip.

"HELP ME, PLEASE!" Ken screamed.

"Stop! Let go of me!" Kouichi cried, lifting up one leg to kick his assailant in the stomach. "Let go!"

Ken moaned and slowly got up, glaring at him with such hatred in his eyes.

"Why won't you help me?" Ken asked wearily. Kouichi had no answer for him.

"I don't know how!" Kouichi insisted, trying to back away from him. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry if I can't be kinder to you! I'm sorry—"

"I'm sorry," Kouichi continued to mutter quietly in his sleep. "Gomenasai…"

"Why are you sorry, Kouichi?" Löwe asked, patting his paw on the boy's cheek. "Kouichi, wake up. You're just having a nightmare."

At the sound of Löwe's voice, Kouichi slowly opened his eyes to see the face of a talking cat right in front of him. For a moment, Kouichi had forgotten that his cat is actually Sir Löwe, a Guardian Knight from one of his past lives, and he could talk.

Kouichi gasped and swung his hand at Löwe. He didn't hit Löwe as hard as he did the first time Löwe talked to him so instead of landing on the other side of the room, Löwe landed on Kouji's face. Déjà vu seemed to be playing a card this morning because Kouji naturally opened his eyes in surprise, only to see and feel a furry black ball covering his nose.

"Argh! Löwe, get off of me!" Kouji snapped, grabbing the cat with both of his arms.

"Kouji?" Kouichi stared at his twin. He didn't realize that Kouji was sleeping next to him until now. "What are you doing over here?"

"You had a nightmare around one in the morning, Nii-chan," Kouji replied. "I thought I'd sleep with you in case you needed to wake up."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Kouichi smiled. He looked down at Löwe who was still a bit dizzy after another flight. "Kouji, my cat…"

"Just talked, I know," Löwe replied. "You did the same thing a few days ago, remember?"

Kouichi blinked and blushed in embarrassment. How on earth could he have forgotten about their talking pets? He grabbed Löwe gently from his brother's arms and smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry, I guess I was still half asleep. I didn't mean to hit you, Löwe."

"All is well, Kouichi," Löwe said. "I am certain you did not mean it."

Kouichi smiled and brought Löwe closer to his face and like a cat, Löwe licked his nose affectionately.

"Kouichi, what was your dream just now?" Lobo asked.

Kouichi gave him a blank look. "What do you mean?"

"You were mumbling in your sleep," Löwe noted.

Kouichi paused for a moment. He didn't want to tell them about what he saw last night, but knowing his brother's stubbornness and their Guardian Knights' determination, the older twin knew that he couldn't keep a secret for long.

Kouichi sighed in defeat and began to tell them what he saw. By the time he finished, Lobo and Löwe gave each other a look of surprised and concern.

"I don't understand," Lobo reasoned. "We are certain that you have banished Dusk from your mind, yet how can you still be connected to him in your dreams?"

"That's the thing," Kouichi interrupted. "At first, I thought it was my dream, but then I keep hearing this voice and I realized it was that Ken Ichijouji boy. I think I was the one in his dream."

"You mean that boy that Dusk used to attack Kimi and kill all of those people?" Kouji growled. "Kouichi, none of this is making any sense!"

"Wait a minute," Löwe reasoned. "Kouichi, what did the real Ken Ichijouji asked of you in the dream? What did he sound like?"

Kouichi closed his eyes and try to remember. "I think he was afraid. Like me, his spirit has to watch his own body being controlled by Dusk. And when he realized that I was there, he demanded that I help him."

"And what did you do?" Löwe pressed.

"I didn't know what to do," Kouichi answered honestly. "I wanted to help him but I didn't know how and the next thing I knew, he became desperate and grabbed me. After that, I woke up."

Löwe and Lobo exchanged glances again as they pondered over what Kouichi told them. Concerned over his brother, Kouji leaned in to check over him.

"He attacked you?" Kouji growled.

"Don't worry, he didn't hurt me," Kouichi reassured him. "I'm sure he didn't mean it."

"I don't care," Kouji retorted angrily. "When Ken was under Dusk's control, he attacked Kimi and me in the park. And now you just told me that he made a grab at you in your dreams."

"Kouji, he was desperate," Kouichi insisted. "And it was only a dream. I'm not physically hurt so stop worrying."

"Kouichi, we believe that after what you've described to us, you were summoned," Lobo interrupted. Both twins turned their attentions back to their pets.

"What do you mean?" Kouichi asked, a little bit confused.

"Lobo and I think that Ken was the one who called out to you for help by connecting both of your dreams together," Löwe explained. His tail flickered back and forth, tickling Kouichi's right hand. "Because you were possessed by Dusk not so long ago, Ken was able to make a connection with you because he's a current host. He must not have known about being able to do it himself."

"But I couldn't help him," Kouichi replied sadly. "I was selfish to push him away. I should have shown him more kindness…"

"But nothing!" Kouji declared. Kouichi looked at him in shock. "Look, it's not your fault, Kouichi. You were not the one who forced Dusk inside of that Ken boy so it shouldn't be your responsibility to concern yourself over him."

"But if I don't help him, then who will?" Kouichi insisted sadly.

Löwe didn't want his boy master to feel so depressed. Kouichi is the current reincarnation of Prince James, and he possessed the same kind-hearted spirit and tends to worry about the burden of others around him. Löwe knew that it's best to avoid Ken Ichijouji as much as possible if they want to keep Dusk away from the older twin. However, he didn't wish to worry Kouichi any further.

"Kouichi, I know it's difficult, but we can't do anything for Ken Ichijouji at this point," Löwe said.

"But you said that your mission was to stop Dusk!" Kouichi pointed out. "Doesn't that count for something?"

Lobo nodded. "Yes, Löwe and I have to stop Dusk, but our sole mission is to protect the two of you and prevent Dusk from obtaining his real body."

"Do not worry, because Lady Gali and Lady Kaze will foil Dusk's plan," Löwe pointed out. "Knowing the two of them, they'll find a way to help Ken Ichijouji be free of Dusk's control as we speak. They have always done so in the past and I don't see any reason for them to stop now."

"But—" Kouichi started.

Lobo smiled at him gently. "Kouichi, if it makes you feel any better, I can contact Gali about the situation. If she has any plan to help Ken, will that put you at ease?"

The older twin seemed hesitant at first, but nodded.

"Well, then I'd better get going," Lobo said. He turned towards the door and standing on his hind legs, he used his front paws to turn the knob. It seemed comical but somehow Lobo managed to open the door on his own before disappearing downstairs.

"He'll be back in a few minutes," Löwe reassured them. "In the mean time, why don't you two get up? It's almost eight in the morning."

Both twins laughed as they got up and made their beds. Kouichi decided to take a shower as he rummaged through the drawer that he and Kouji shared. Placing Löwe on his shoulder, Kouichi headed towards the bathroom. By the time the two of them got back, looking all squeaky clean (Löwe was even puffier than usual due to the fact that Kouichi dried him too much with a towel), they saw Kouji sitting at his desk, the computer turned on.

"Kouji, what are you doing?" Kouichi asked, walking over to his twin. He looked at the computer screen, only to see two tabs: one was a Doodle Map showing direction from their father's home to a cemetery while the other tab is a website about that same cemetery itself.

"I'm trying to search the address for this place," Kouji noted. "That Kimie girl said that Kimchi will be here visiting her father's grave tomorrow. I have to be prepared."

"You're still determined about this, aren't you?" Kouichi asked. "Any more dreams about her last night?"

Kouji stopped typing for a bit and gave his brother a blank look. Knowing his twin, Kouichi knew better.

"Kouji? Did I say something wrong?"

Kouji shook his head sadly. "You didn't. Yes, I had another dream about her last night, but it wasn't pleasant. Those same kids who bullied her before came back, looking for payback. They killed the sparrow that she and I were both caring for. It broke Kimchi's heart and I think I failed her. If I see her again…after all of these years…" His sentence trailed off, but Kouichi could tell what his twin wanted to say.

"You're worried if she'll forgive you after all of this time," Kouichi nodded. He pulled another chair next to Kouji and sat down. "Kouji, I don't think it was your fault that those kids killed your bird. And it happened a long time ago, so you'll have nothing to worry about."

Kouji smirked. "You sound like Lobo."

"Well, maybe you should listen to the both of them since they agreed on something," Löwe noted.

Suddenly, Kouji's cell phone rang. Kouichi picked it up instead and saw that the caller was none other than Takuya on the screen.

"Hello?"

"Kouichi?" Takuya asked. "What are you doing on Kouji's phone?"

"Is that a crime?" Kouichi laughed.

"No, I just wanted to talk to him," said Takuya. "Not that I don't mind talking to you, too! It's just that...well, you know—"

Kouji rolled his eyes and grabbed his phone out of his brother's hand. "What do you want, goggle-head? I'm busy."

"Hey, chill, buddy! I'm just calling to say hi!"

"Takuya, we've been friends long enough for me to know that you want something, so spill!"

"Alright, alright! Geez!" Takuya laughed. "Well, I need you and Kouichi to meet me at the Orimotos' restaurant. We need to come up with a plan to get ourselves back on Izumi's parents' good side."

"You mean getting you back on their good list," Kouji pointed out.

"Hey, I'm not the only one who's currently banned," Takuya pointed out. "Look, Junpei and Tomoki are already here. And we called in Takashi and Masaki, too."

"What do they have to do with your plan?" Kouji asked, unsure of where this is going.

"Oh, it's not just them," Takuya continued. "We also called in Kyochi…and Kimi, your gorgeous-looking girlfr—"

"I'm hanging up."

"WAIT, WAIT, WAIT! Okay, okay! I won't call Kimi your girlfriend!" Takuya blurted.

"Why did you have to drag Kimi in?" Kouji asked.

"Hey, we promised that we'll treat her and the others as a part of our group now, remember?" Takuya pointed out. "Besides, Kimi might be able to come up with a plan to help us all get back in."

"Takuya, I don't think Kimi will appreciate it if you ask her to use her princess role to get us back in," Kouji rolled his eyes.

"Who said I was going to do that?! I was thinking charm," Takuya beamed. "C'mon buddy, we need you and Kouichi here, too! We gotta get Izumi out of her prison or else our summer plans are ruined! And we gotta do it before..."

If Kouji didn't know any better, he could have sworn that Takuya needed to get Izumi out so that she can help him with something. "Before what?"

"...the...camping trip!"

Kouji shook his head. Clearly, he was overt thinking this. "Takuya, I am busy with something so—"

"Oh, don't give me that crap! It's summer vacation! What could you possibly be busy with? I don't recall you having any kendo practices today."

I'm busy trying to look for Kimchi, you idiot! Kouji thought, but he'd rather not let Takuya and the others know about his first love. If Takuya finds out, he'll never live it down.

"Hey, we're in this together, remember?" Takuya reminded him. "If yesterday's event haven't convinced you then maybe this will!"

Kouji raised an eyebrow in confusion. Kouichi and Löwe exchanged glances, not sure where this conversation was going either.

"Kouji, I found a photo of you doing you-know-what in Kouichi's backpack a few weeks ago," Takuya said calmly. "I stole it from him so that I could make a personal copy."

"Wait, WHAT?!" Kouji screamed.

"Don't worry, I snuck the original back into Kouichi's bag before he knew it," Takuya reassured him. "But I still have a copy of it on my phone. So if you don't want someone like…oh, let's say Kimi, to see it, I suggest you get both of your asses here in half an hour."

Takuya smirked, knowing full well that Kouji had fallen into his trap. Although he couldn't see it, Takuya knew that the ponytail boy was gaping with his mouth opened in shock.

"Takuya, you rotten son of a—!" Kouji snapped. Kouichi and Löwe backed away, hoping to avoid his fury. "This is extortion!"

"No, this is haggling!" Takuya laughed playfully. "See you guys in a few minutes, buddy!"

"Takuya!" Kouji roared but the goggle-head had already turned his cell phone off.

What Takuya told him made Kouji think frantically. Which photo could he be talking about? Whatever it was, it could not be good. Suddenly, he remembered. A few weeks ago, his family was celebrating their step-mother's birthday and asked the twins for a favor. To make Satomi happy, Kouji agreed to put on the...holy, crap! NOT THAT PHOTO! If Kimi sees it…shoot, if ANYONE ELSE sees it, he's dead!

He sat up and quickly changed into his day clothes. At that moment, Lobo walked back in and one of Kouji's shirt landed on his head.

"Kouji, what's wrong?" Lobo asked.

"Can't explain it now," Kouji said, putting on a pair of jeans. Once he was done, he grabbed his brother by the wrist and pulled him along. "Let's go, Kouichi! We've got to get to Izumi's place before Takuya does anything else he'll regret and I swear I'll make him regret it!"

What started off as a somber morning turned into a bright and comical one as both twins quickly greeted their parents in the kitchen before rushing out the door.

Far away, Gali and Kaze laughed at the scene as both of them watched from their magic mirrors. Unknown to them, a third person was laughing as he made his way into the city of Tokyo, clad in red.

To be continued...

Author's Notes: Well, what kind of photo could Takuya be using to blackmail Kouji? Kouji thinks it one of his most embarrassing photo ever and if anyone sees it...oh, boy...

Dusk will be back again in the next chapter and don't worry, the third mysterious person will make his debut, too.