A/N: This is a songfic to one of my favourite songs, "Black Balloon", by the Goo-Goo Dolls. I was listening to it and it hit me that I should write a fic about it. Also, let it be known that "black balloon" is slang for drugs, wither crack cocaine or heroin, I can't remember which though. I'm making it heroin in this story, so if that's not correct, I'm sorry. Also, this is a Takari. This is my first fic I've posted on FFN, but I've reviewed several stories, so please review mine! Thanks and I hope you like this!
Disclaimers: I don't own Digimon. Think about it! If Digimon was mine, would I be writing fanfictions? No. Tai and Yamato would be an item if I owned Digimon.
Black Balloon
Takeru watched, troubled, as he peered around the corner of the hallway. She was fumbling with something in her bag. She raised one hand to the opposite arm's elbow and all of a sudden her body slumped forward a little, the muscles in her all relaxed. He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, wondering if he could have the strength to keep this up- where he was the responsible one and Kari was allowed to be a child, someone he always had to look out for. Takeru called her name and she turned, and came over. She tripped and he caught her as she fell, gracelessly, into his arms. She looked up at him with a dreamy expression and asked him how he was. He shook his head at her, knowing that no matter what he told her, she would keep on doing this to herself. There was nothing he could do anymore and so, gently, he forced her to look him in the eyes and he said, softly, "Kari…I can't do this anymore. You're taking all of our money and spending it on this…I can't do this anymore. I'm sorry. Goodbye, Kari," and with that he turned away, brushing at his eyes. Kari stared after him, dreamy-eyed, until the effects of the drug wore off and reality hit home, hard. She crumpled to the sidewalk and hid her face in her hands, ashamed of herself, her addiction, and her life. She cried for a long while before she could regain her composure and walk home.
Baby's black balloon makes her fly,
Almost fell into that hole in your life,
You're not thinking 'bout tomorrow,
Coz you were the same as me,
But on your knees.
He knew that this wasn't really fair to her, because he had been in the same position as her once. But that was in college. They were both nearly thirty now, and if she didn't settle down, she was going to live a very lonely and a very meaningless life, wondering where she went wrong. He knew that she would be the only one who didn't see when her life had gone down the drain.
But Kari had begged, pleaded, for another chance. She had so many times, and Takeru always gave it to her. He thought she could change, but when she kept blowing their money away for her addiction, he knew that she wouldn't, or couldn't, drop the habit. And so he had dropped her.
A thousand other voices could never reach you,
How could I have been the one,
I saw the world spin beneath you,
And scatter like ice from the spoon,
That was your world.
He fought with himself on the walk home. "Why did you drop her like that? You know you love her," one voice would say, and another would reply hotly, "Everyone else has tried to stop her, there's no way you could've. You shouldn't even have tried!" And so he made his way home with his split conscience.
But that night he lay awake and thought about his last image of Kari- prone on the ground, horrified at herself and at him, fighting the tears that would, inevitably, come, and he swore that he saw her world fall apart below her knees. And he turned over, until his face was in his pillow, and he cried, wishing, and thinking, and eventually dreaming, about what he could have done, should have done, but can't do…
Coming down, the world turned over,
Angels fall without you there,
Time goes on as you get colder,
Are you someone's prayer?
Takeru strolled down the busy avenue and turned a corner, watching the children race past him. A small blond-haired child catches his eye and he leans down to talk to her.
"Hi, honey, are you lost?" the big brown eyes stared at him vacantly and Takeru is reminded of Kari. He turned away from the toddler and continued to walk, disturbed. He hadn't gone very far, when he felt a small tug on his trouser leg.
"Hey, Mister, will you help me with something?" it was the small child he had just talked to.
"Sure, honey, what is it?"
"What's this?" she showed him an empty hypodermic needle, and Takeru felt himself go cold. The child's eyes held none of the fire that Kari's had when she was this age, but the sadness of one who has seen too much that they haven't wanted to see. He picked her up.
"Do you have a family?" the girl shook her head. "A name?"
"Takara," she said dully, and Takeru's breath caught in his throat. He dropped the little girl off at the police station, and asked to use their bathroom. When he got inside, he calmly walked up to the toilet, pitched his head down into the fiberglass bowl, and vomited the contents of his stomach into it. He washed his mouth out with water from the faucet and went back to his apartment, trying not to look out the window at the apartment complex he passed, and thought about how much he missed Kari.
You know the lies that others told you,
And the love you never knew,
What are those things they never showed you,
That swallowed the light from the sun,
Inside your world, hey hey,
Takeru called up his brother and asked to talk to Taichi. He told him the whole story, his voice shaking, and Taichi told him to come over as soon as he could. When Takeru reached the apartment where his brother and Taichi lived, Taichi handed him a shoebox, painted brown, and told him to go home, he'd feel better in the morning. Takeru took it, though skeptical.
He locked the door and dumped the contents of the box out onto his bed. Inside were pictures and captions, each one of Kari in different stages of her life. He cried a lot and understood more, and that night he slept peacefully, without fitful dreams.
Coming down, the world turned over,
Angels fall without you there,
Time goes on and you get colder,
Always someone's there.
Takeru steeled himself; he stood outside her door with a bunch of daffodils- Kari's favourite flower. He also held a small box in his hand. He rang her bell again.
A burly man answered the door. "Yeah," he grunted.
Takeru swallowed. "Uh, is Yagami Hikari in?"
"No, kid, don't you watch the news? She got busted trying to break into some guy named Takashi Takeru's house last night. She was yellin' and cryin' for him. She said that she had quit. She's down at the county jail if ya wanna see her. But it's only family and friends. Ya family, kiddo?"
"Uh, yeah. Yeah I am," he said, his heart sinking.
"Yeah, how so?"
A voice came up behind him. "It's okay, Osamu. He's my friend."
"Takenouchi-san-"
"Osamu."
The man raised his eyebrows. "Whatever lady." He turned and left. Takeru turned and saw Sora, pushing the same small blond girl in front of her.
"I think you've met Takara." Takeru blinked in amazement. "Yeah, but Sora, what-"
"Nothing, come on," Sora grabbed his hand and dragged him to her car.
And there's no time left for losing,
When you're standing before me.
Hikari flew into Takeru's open arms. "I wanted to tell you- I quit. I got a job. I wanna be with you. Takara needs you. She's-"
"I know." He was scared. What if it didn't work out, what if she became addicted, what if she got into more trouble?
"Are you two alright? You look strange," Sora queued. They nodded. "Yeah, I'll get going now, Mimi gives her regards." She left the building and Kari and Takeru walked slowly home. Takara clung onto her father's hand the whole time.
Coming down, the world turned over,
Angels fall without you there,
Time goes on and you get colder,
All because I'm
They stopped outside Kari's apartment. She shifted her feet nervously as Takara scampered inside. Kari looked up at Takeru suddenly. "Er- would you like to come in for a tea or something?"
"Yeah," he replied. "Yeah, I'd like that. That'd be nice, Kari."
She smiled her first real smile and he took her hand and led her inside. The door shut quietly behind them and the sun slipped behind the Tokyo tower, like it did every evening.
But somehow, tonight was a little different.
Coming down, the years turned over,
Angels fall without you there,
Time goes on now I lead you home and
All because of,
All because of,
All because you became to me.
The End