Izumi gnawed at the quick of her thumbnail as she watched Koichi, her insides little more than an ocean of unpleasant emotion. The dark twin was at Dorian's computer, bare chest hunched over the keyboard, eyes scanning the screen. He didn't work on it so much as… commune with it. Text moved just past the glass, new files coming up as others disappeared, but not once did Koichi's fingers touch the keyboard or mouse. Not once did he interface with it like a regular human being; even when they'd walked in the thing had just turned on, apparently all by itself. Which was a foolish thought, because she knew it was just responding to Koichi's raw will. But it made her feel better to think of the computer as more of an agent, offering assistance through some kind of magic, rather than face the truth that her friend was now completely beyond her.
Not to be confused with no longer needing her. She and Takuya had to employ a rather thick blanket at a great deal of coordination to get Kouichi up to the computer to begin with, and these new abilities clearly came at a price. His light sensitivity meant he couldn't go outside at all and whatever he was doing had spiked his metabolism. About once an hour he needed to eat, but because he'd struck them with whatever psychic power he now commanded when they'd tried further conversation, it was on them to notice when that was. They were free to leave, to just leave him to his fate, and yet they weren't. Whatever they'd done and whatever he did in retaliation, Koichi needed them. So she and Takuya took it in shifts, one cooking or on a water/food run, the other watching for any additional shaking and sweating. The three had been at this for hours and it was Izumi's turn.
"Hey," Takuya greeted as gently as he could, coming up behind Izumi with a rustle of grocery bags. She jumped anyway, almost falling out of her chair as she turned to identify the intruder. Her gaze softened upon recognition, but little else about her demeanor changed. Takuya hadn't seen her this upset since their final days in the Digital World. The despair in her aura physically hurt him, bringing a frown to his face as he set the bags on the table.
"How's he doing?"
"The same." She paused for a moment, considering, her face tight in thought. Then, nodding to herself, she got up and moved to joint Takuya in the kitchen, glancing back as she closed the door to Dorian's back room. Koichi didn't react to her departure, his eyes remaining fixed on the computer monitor, glowing deceptively as they reflected the nearly negligible light. He was not to be disturbed, that much was clear. Izumi approached Takuya, reaching across her chest to grasp one arm, hugging herself.
"He still hasn't said anything."
"And…" Takuya murmured, pulling various food packages from his haul and placing them in a line on the tabletop. "How are you?"
"I'm fine." She didn't even try to make it sound convincing. Absently, she looked out the window, perhaps longing for the sun, perhaps avoiding further discussion. Takuya's hand rested on a bowl of dehydrated noodles, teeth raking across his lower lip. Silence hung between them.
"I'm sorry," he said after a long moment, swallowing the lump of emotion that accompanied the words. "I wish I could take it all back."
"You were worried about Shinya-"
"That doesn't make it right." He straightened and turned, fierce brown eyes seeking hers, willing her to understand the extent of his remorse. "Yeah, Shinya was in trouble and now he's safe; I'm not sorry about that. What I'm sorry for… is how far it went… and what I did to make that happen."
"Takuya now isn't the time for this."
"Then when? I betrayed us, Zumi, and I can't claim Shinya as an excuse for that. I helped Dorian do whatever it was he wanted to Koichi, I held our friend down and let some psycho hack into his brain. If it wasn't for me Koji would still be here and Koichi would still be Koichi and we would all still be a team!"
"Keep your voice down," she hissed, stepping closer to him and casting a glance back at the door. For a moment she closed her eyes and frowned, sighing heavily. When she finally did look at him, her jade eyes were unreadable. "Takuya, I'm not the one you should apologize to, and if the truth be told, you're not the only one that needs to be sorry. I was there too, remember?"
"You? You're not the one who gave Koichi spiked water or strapped him into that chair."
"And yet my hands are as dirty as yours. I watched you do it. I knew there was something wrong with that water and I knew better than to use that chair, but I let you do it anyway. I didn't try to stop you- hell, I didn't even say anything! So you don't get to take all the responsibility for this, you hear me? And you don't need my forgiveness."
"Izumi..." Takuya moved in closer, gently taking her shoulders and looking into her face. "Maybe we can share the blame, you, me, Dorian, and Tache. But you have enough crap to deal with without believing that you somehow "let" me do anything. I'm a big kid; I make my own bad decisions."
She smiled softly, her whole expression warming. He hadn't alleviated her guilt, and he wasn't going to, but the thought and effort he was putting into it made her feel… loved. Sighing, she leaned forward, pressing her lips to his. Her intention was for the gesture to be sweet and brief, a simple peck of affection. But the moment their skin came into contact something powerful lit up inside her as she felt the release she'd needed for so long press against her restraint… and break through.
Izumi molded her body into his, her hands wrapping around his back and pulling him closer. Takuya responded, his fingers knotting in her hair as he tilted her head back, deepening their kiss. For a moment, the universe collapsed into a single point of burning contact. There was no Tache, no Dorian, no missing Koji. Just two people sharing the only thing that mattered. Then Izumi felt her fingers slip under Takuya's shirt, gliding along his warm skin, and he pulled away.
"I'm sorry," she said instantly, stepping away and blushing in shame. "I don't know-"
"It's fine," Takuya cut her off, reaching out and taking back one of her hands. He gave her his most light-hearted, happy smile in weeks, catching her jade eyes. "I'm not saying no forever, just not right now, okay?"
"Okay," she repeated, nodding and smiling back at him. She really wanted the release of being lost in Takuya's embrace, badly if she was being honest with herself. But objectively speaking, this was not a good time. More importantly, if he wasn't comfortable right now, that was enough of a reason to wait. "Not right now."
Takuya opened his mouth, maybe to add something or change the subject entirely, but his words were drowned out by a startlingly loud bang. Followed by a scream and a crash. The two sprang apart, tripping over each other as they rushed to the back door. Izumi cursed as she gripped the handle, berating herself for leaving Koichi alone. She'd known better. Now whatever tragedy waited past the wood and iron wires, it was her fault. The smell of salt and rot hit them in a wave, forcing the pair to pause and adjust to the nausea rolling inside them. Koichi stood next to the computer, blank expression illuminated by the screen light, a bead of blood glistening in his right ear as he stared at the source of the smell.
She stared back, snarling. Her black hair hung limp and uneven to her shoulders, dripping, her dark skin shimmering with salt water. A wet T-shirt stuck to her, bunched and twisted as if she'd been thrashing not moments before, and her jeans were ripped practically to tatters. Water pooled around her bare feet and the more they looked, the more feral she appeared. Black eyes glinted in the half-light, focusing intently on the Chosen of Darkness as she hunched her back, preparing for something.
"Qu'est-ce que c'est?" Her voice was low and gravelly, her neck snapping loudly as she jerked it to one side. "Dîtes-moi! Vous me gonflez! Qui êtes-vous?"
"Koichi… what is this," Takuya asked, conflicted about how low he should be keeping his voice.
"Someone from the Digital World. Or perhaps the Ocean," he answered dryly, his dark gaze fixed unblinking on the stranger. There was a pause where the two stared, each sizing the other up. "She knows something about Dorian and his deal with Tache."
"La Tache? Et Dorian? Merde." She sighed heavily, straightening but not relaxing. "Vous êtes lui, oui? Choisi d'Obscurité Kimura Koichi."
"You know me." Koichi tilted his head, giving her what could've been an appraising look, though it was difficult to tell. His expression didn't change in the slightest.
"Do you think…" Izumi started, narrowing her eyes and licking her lips. Tentative to make any assertions. "Do you think this is Ysault or Bahar?"
The girl shot her a sideways glance before returning her attention to Koichi. For a second the only thing that moved was the water dripping from her form, rhythmically splashing into the puddle at her feet. Muscles visibly bunched beneath her skin, her body going taught as if in preparation to bolt.
"Merde, que dites-vous? Mon nom est Bahar. Je vais vous montrer mon Digivice. Ne pas paniquer."
She held up one hand, then slowly moved it towards her back pocket. But it never got there. Her already tense body went rigid, her eyes widening as a low, choking sound rumbled in her chest. Snarling, she threw Koichi a dirty look and tried to push past it, but the force held firm. The dark twin blinked at her, advancing, his own breath slow and regular. A droplet of blood reached capacity and slid over her upper lip, staining her teeth red-yellow. His face remained perfectly blank as his fingers curled around her throat.
"Koichi! You're hurting her!"
"Don't try and stop me. I need to know what she knows."
"Not like this man. This isn't you, it's Tache! You have to fight it! For Koji's sake!"
"Koji's not here," he said mildly, never removing his gaze from the dark girl. "And you are in no position to judge; we all know what you're willing to do for your brother. Are you ready to see what I'll do for mine?"
Another drip fell from Bahar's nose, rolling down the trail left by the last one onto her lips. She rolled them together, then ran her tongue over the smear, relaxing into Koichi's grip. He could feel her pressing back against his thoughts, not resisting, but guiding, directing him towards a memory that felt sharp and bitter. Strength leached from his fingers, his black eyes meeting hers, suspicious and curious. In the Digital World Koji had railed against him, as had Dorian, but Bahar just stood there. Like she wanted him to find whatever he sought. Like she had nothing to hide. Her hands moved up to his face, cupping around his bleeding ears and drawing him closer, until his bangs brushed her forehead. Together, their eyes closed as they let the thought take shape.