Smoke

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or 'Smoke' by Natalie Imbruglia.

A/n: This is from Sora's POV. Thank you to all the people, who've reviewed my other stuff, I really, really appreciate it. ^_^

"I'm Jun Motimiya, reporting for channel 62 news. An escaped prisoner is dead, and his daughter, who was his victim, is in Odiba Hospital. She is in critical condition with a large knife wound, burns, and smoke inhalation…"

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*10 years into the past*

My lullaby, hung out to dry

What's up with that?

It's over.

*crash*

I heard another vase break against the front of my door as I sit, knees to my chest, concealing myself inside my temporary shelter. My location was in a dark corner on my bed within my secluded room in the Hellhole I have to call a home. He's doing it again. No, still. Him. My Father. Ever since I can remember, he would come home, drunker than ever, and he would beat, swear, and throw things at Mama and me. I'm only eight and I have felt as if I had lived 50 lifetimes Why me? Why can't we just be a normal family?

"Where the h*** do you think you're going, you f***in' whore?!" I heard him yell at Mama.

"Sora! Sora!" Mama yelled. "Go to Tai's and call the police!" I ran out of my room as fast as my legs would take me, for I knew that running to our neighbors apartment could, and more than likely, would, be the determining factor to weather Mama and I saw tomorrow. Before I got to the door, he grabbed my arm, tackled me to the ground, and started to hit me. I could hear the police outside of the door, yelling for him to come out, and he looked up. He got off me, and went out the fire escape. Mama ran out and got paramedics for me, they started to pick me up and I blacked out…

Where are you, Dad?

Mum's lookin' sad,

What's up with that?

It's dark in here.

I woke to the beeping of the machine that I was hooked up to. Mama was at my side, tears in her eyes. 'Mama.' I asked faintly.

"Shhhh, don't talk." She said as she turned her head to see the doctor walk in. "How's her condition?" Mama asked.

"Well, it's not good. All of her ribs are bruised and two are cracked, she won't be able to leave the hospital any time soon. Count your blessings, Mrs. Takenouchi, if your neighbors hadn't called, Sora would have died." The doctor replied.

Trying to take my mind off of the night before, I turned on the news.

"… A man who beat his daughter and wife last night, and escaped, is in custody. After evading arrest, police captured the suspect in the forest. Police suspicions were proven incorrect when a blood test was preformed and results came back negative, showing that no alcohol or drugs were involved. The trial will be held later on this week." The reporter concluded. I gasped. He wasn't drunk? All of my worst fears emerged as I remembered what he had said to me before he had gone out of the fire escape, and I started to sob. 'If you live, I'm gonna come back and finish what I started tonight.' His words echoed through my head. I'm going to die, and he's going to be the one who crushes my life.

Why, bleeding is breathing?

You're hiding underneath the smoke in the room,

Try, bleeding is believing

I used to.

A few days later the trial was held. I couldn't go because of my injuries, but I was able to watch the trial on the TV in my room, with the help of a private cable line.

"Mr. Takenouchi, you are hear by sentenced to 25 years in prison, with no parole." The judge announced.

'Thank God.' I thought

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*10 years later*

"… Of course! Yeah, that's fine." I said as I sat down with the phone and started to flip through the channels, and stopped on the news. "Yeah, 8:00, right? Okay, I'll…"
"Tonight, police are on the lookout for this man who escaped from prison last night. Inmate number 6768, last name Takenouchi was in prison for child and spouse abuse." The reporter concluded as a picture of him appeared on the screen.

"Sora?" asked Mimi over the phone, which knocked me back into a reality I wished, now, existed without me.

My mouth is dry,

Forgot how to cry,

What's up with that?

"…Be there."

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"Ha, I'll find you wherever you are. I'm going to find you and finish what I started, just like I said, you little b****. He vowed under his breath as he ripped a photo of his daughter in half.

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"Bye Mama!" I said as I headed out the door to Mimi's party at a hall that they had rented. I decided to walk, for it was such a nice night. As I walked by the park, a gentle breeze passed by me and it felt like someone, or something was following me. I turned around and there he was, running at me. I started to run, but he came up and hit me in the jaw, catching me off guard, and knocking me to the ground.

You're hurting me.

He was about to hit me again, but I kicked him in the stomach, got up and ran to the hall as fast as I could. The painful memories of his beatings forced their way back to me.

I'm running fast,

Can't hide the past,

What's up with that?

You're pushing me.

I reached the hall at about ten to eight, and Mimi was greeting people at the door.

"Hey, Sora. Is something wrong?"

"*gasp*…my dad, he's… *pant*… trying to kill me!" I said as I turned around, looking for him. Empty. I walked cautiously into the hall and tried to enjoy myself. Five minutes after I arrived, Mimi ran out of the kitchen with smoke coming out from behind her.

"Everyone get out! There's a fire!" She yelled. Everyone got out of the building, and I was scared to death. He could be out here.

"Is everyone out?" I asked. Before anyone could answer me, I faintly heard a voice from inside the smoking building.

"Help…*cough*… I'm trapped…" they said.

"Mimi, someone's in there! I'm goin' back in!" I yelled as I ran back into the building.

"What? Sora, stop!" Mimi screamed at me, but I guess I didn't hear…

As I stepped into the building, the smoke burned my eyes as I squinted into it. The longer I stood, the longer it felt like something wasn't right…

"Hello, Sora." I heard a low voice come from behind me, I turned around and saw him. "Aren't you glad to see me?" he asked.

"Shove it, you f***in' bastard." I replied coldly.

"How dare you talk to your father like that, you little whore!" He said. As his body slowly disappeared into the more smoke that entered the room, I noticed that he was carrying a knife in his left hand.

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Why, bleeding is breathing?

You're hiding underneath the smoke in the room,

Try, bleeding is believing,

I used to, used to…

"Hello? Odiba Police? Yes. The hall I was holding a party in caught fire. One of my friends went back into look for someone, but everyone's out! Her father escaped from prison, and I think he's going to kill her!" Mimi practically screamed at the dispatcher.

"We'll send units out right away."

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Why, bleeding is breathing?

You're hiding underneath the smoke in the room,

Try, bleeding is believing

I saw you crawling on the floor.

I ran through the smoke, trying to escape my father, and tripped over something, A tape recorder.

"You bastard! You set me up!" I yelled into the smoke. I then saw a figure crawling on the floor toward me… it was him, the knife reflected the flames that surrounded us. He lunged at me, grabbed my left leg and pulled me to the ground.

"Instead of completing my mission quickly, I think I'll make up for lost years." He snickered as he placed the knife at the cuff of my shorts and cut a large gash in my leg, all the way down to my ankle. I screamed in agony as blood started to gush from my wound, as I heard, and felt, the tip of the knife graze my bones. I kicked he square in the face with my foot and attempted to crawl down the hallway that had my freedom from this Hell. A window. Smoke built up and he lost sight of me. I got to the entrance of the hallway, when a wall of flames burst about 5 feet in front of me, and I felt the heat of the fire on my face. I guess he didn't see me. But I saw him, crawling to his freedom, the back door.

Why, bleeding is breathing,

You're hiding underneath the smoke in the room,

Try, bleeding is believing,

I saw you crawling to the door.

I attempted to stand and run through the wall of flames to the window. Gathering up my strength, I clutched my wound and let out a small yelp as I ran through the firewall, getting several burns in the process. The blood ran down my leg like a tiny stream. The pain was becoming unbearable for me to stand. I started to pick up speed when a voice came from behind me, followed by footsteps.

"Not leavin' so soon are you?"

Outside, police were waiting around the hall, waiting for when the building collapsed, or when the survivors, if any, came out…

As I reached the window, I jumped up and crashed through it. I landed on the ground, rolling about 3 feet from the window. "Shoot…*cough*…now… He's coming to…kill me." I choked out as 4 officers stationed themselves in front of the window.

"You, b****!" I heard him yell as he came out of the window, brandishing the knife stained with my blood. The police fired. Three bullets hitting him in the chest, and the last hit him in the middle of his forehead. If that hadn't killed him, the next thing that happened…must have. The bullets hit him when he was half way through the shattered window. He fell, impaling his heart on a shard of glass that just conveniently placed itself there. The tip of the glass was red with his blood as it stuck out of his back. A crimson stream of blood ran down the side of the hall's outside wall.

Why, bleeding is breathing,

You're hiding underneath the smoke in the room

Try, bleeding is believing,

I saw you falling on the floor.

"Call an ambulance!" Mimi yelled at the police as she ran to my side. "Hold on, Sora. Paramedics are on their way."

About three minutes later I heard the blare of the sirens and saw the flashing lights of the ambulance. Paramedics rushed to my side as I blacked out…

*beep, beep*

I awoke to the sound of the machine I was all too familiar with. I tried to move, but the IV's prevented any vast movements. I was able to move my head, even with the oxygen tube up my nose, though. My leg felt like it was asleep, and out of instinct, I moved it. Big mistake. A horrendous pain shot through my body. Looking down, I gasped. The sight I saw, made me want to throw up. About 200 stitches were in my burned and bruised leg. Noticing that I was alone, I began to ask myself questions I asked many years ago. Why me? Am I lucky to be alive? Was being born into this world a curse brought upon myself?

Those are questions that I may never find the answers to.

~Fin~

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