Me: Alright, it's time to move on!
TK: Finally…
Me: Hey, come on! I just came from the hospital. What do you want me to do!?
TK: …write while you had your surgery done?
Me: Very funny. Anyway, let's wait for our guest star of today!
TK: What the…
Izzy: I'm here! *crowd cheers* (N/A: For you to know, Izzy is my second favorite character. You guess who's first…)
TK: Izzy! Good to see ya! What are you doing here?
Izzy: Well, it seems I'll be an important character during this chapter…am I right, Daneel?
Me: Yeah…
Izzy: …wait a minute. I have the weird feeling this fanfic needs something.
TK: Now that you mention it…oh, I know! *starts typing*
DISCLAIMER: Ok, DaneelRush doesn't own Digimon (thank God!). He has just been to lazy (or too stupid) to write disclaimers in the previous chapters. So, don't waste your time and money, because you won't get any money from him, lawyers!
Me: …thanks.
CHAPTER 9
Real Knowledge
"Breakfast is ready!"
"Great! Thank you, Mina"
"You're welcome, sweetheart."
Takeru Takaishi walked to the dining room. The day was quiet and pleasant. Pretty different to the day before. You don't kill monsters and reveal your real self to other very often. TK sat down and began eating. But Mina tried to begin the conversation they had since the very moment he returned home, yesterday.
"So, they know."
"Izzy knows. And I think Cody knows, too."
"You owe me 20000 yens."
"I know."
"So, what about the others?"
"I don't think they know. The surprise of yesterday's…events didn't give them enough time to think about such possibilities. Anyway, I'm just thinking about today's classes. I'll probably have a very nice chat with Kazuo."
"You two seem to be very good friends."
"You could say that. Outside the battlefield, I mean. Now, let me eat, I don't wanna be late."
"Whatever."
As TK walked in the school, he noticed the faces on the other students. The main topic of conversation was, of course, the mysterious Digimon attacks in Odaiba the day before. "Odaiba is getting quite a reputation. That will reduce the land values a lot." Takeru thought as he listened to the other students.
"Can you believe it!?"
"It was so sudden."
"And I had already forgotten about them."
"I wonder what the government will do about this."
"But Digimon are good. We already know that."
"Yeah, I thought the ONU meeting concerning the Digimon was a total success."
"Then, who's responsible for this!?"
"Do you think terrorists are now training Digimon for their evil plans?"
Takeru laughed at the idea. He thought about all the phrases he had heard. He remembered the old times, when Digimons and humans were much separated. Now, most young kids have Digimon, but only the Digi-Destined can use them to fight or protect. "The name Digimon has degraded to the same level as dog, or cat. They have become pets. I liked it the old way." He remembered the ONU meeting. He was selected as the Japan representative, and carried the ideas of the whole group of Digi-Destined. Those were some of the hardest moments in his life. In that place, in that moment, he most needed a helping hand, to give him courage. He had needed…her. (N/A: Flashback alert!)
All the ONU representatives from around the world were looking at him, standing on the podium. 13-year-old Takeru looked at his mother. Her face, so filled with pride, just made the tension even worse. Takeru never thought he would make it. "Why didn't they choose someone older?" he thought for a second. But he already knew the answer. It was another of the government tricks. They would convince him to let them do everything they wanted with the Digital World. They didn't choose Kari because she seems so mature for her age. "My mission is to stop them." He thought. The delegates from the different nations and the Digi-Destined from the rest of the world were looking at him. Waiting for him. Probably his brother, his best friend, Kari, and her brother Taichi were looking at him from the TV screen. That idea just tightened the knot in his throat. But he talked.
"I'm…I'm just here to answer any questions you have. Even my fellow Digi-Destined have probably lots of questions. They look at me, and my friends from Japan, as the Original Digi-Destined. It's quite a name for a group of kids, and I think it doesn't suit us. We were chosen for reason we probably won't understand. Maybe it was just a mere coincidence, or some ´Historical Force´ prepared us for this, but I don't think…we don't think about the past. We had tried to open the gate to a new future, and my purpose here, is to show you the new path." Takeru stopped talking, and reviewed every word he said. "Sounds like something Jesus Christ would have said." He thought with a smile. Suddenly, a man stood up and spoke. He read the sign before him. "France". TK carefully heard the translation of what the man was saying.
"The words ´Digital World´…what do they mean?"
"Tough one…what would Izzy say…?" he thought. Almost immediately, he spoke. "Much more than the separate words put together, that's for sure." He answered, smiling. "I could describe the Digiworld, but that's nothing compared to seeing it. It's a world, completely different from everything you know. It's a totally separated world, but at the same time, it's reflection of our world, and our humanity. Our feelings, our philosophies, they also alter the course of this ever-changing world."
This time, the delegate from Germany made a pretty dumb question. "Are there any signs of humanity in this world?"
"The difference between your knowledge of the Digiworld's history and mine is not that wide, mister. The Digital World was originally created as a living database, made from the data in the computers, during the early years of Electronics. But, if we had barely lived 50 years since that time, the Digiworld has passed through millions of years of development, growth and evolution, such as ours. However, the chain of the Digiworld's evolution was not controlled by Darwin's theories, but by the data saved in the computers' memories. You can think of the Digiworld as a living organism. As a successful one, it can evolve and adapt to every new circumstance, and grow even more mature. Without humanity. At least, until now."
Finally, the time had come for the American's attack. He didn't know much about politics, but he couldn't give up.
"Then, who owns the Digiworld?" TK replied immediately.
"Who owns THIS world? This world doesn't have an owner, because it doesn't need one. This world was created for every living creature to appreciate it, and use it the right way. And that way, we would reach happiness. Too bad this world has become what we made it become…" he looked at his listeners. They were whispering and probably saying some weird things about him. But who cared? He continued. "The Digiworld belongs to their inhabitants, the Digimon. They have lived there for…who knows how much time, and that's the way it will be..." he crossed his arms and waited for another question. He smiled again. It was getting more interesting with each question, and each question was a new opportunity for the world to know what a single boy was able to do. He surprised when he saw his next interviewer. Michael, the American Digi-Destined.
"Well, then, what stops us from using the resources this Digital World offers? We need those resources, you know…" All the delegates agreed and nodded. "You traitor!" Takeru thought. But he kept his usual calmness, and answered.
"I already answered that question. We don't own the Digital World. And being humans doesn't give us any right to use it!" Everyone surprised when Takeru slammed his fist with the podium. He controlled his anger, and placed it in the right place: his words. "We have discovered a new place. A beautiful place. A place where Digimons and humans are free to share, and find happiness with each other. A place made not only from computer data, but with feelings, and dreams. The Digiworld is NOT our world, and the mere idea of making with it the same mistakes we made with this one is unthinkable! I'll try to make myself clear: the Digital World is not another tool for Capitalism!"
(N/A: End of flashback! Yay!)
The moment Takeru walked into the classroom, he felt a cold wind whirling around his face. He looked around. Kazuo was already there, and smiled when he saw TK. However, Takeru didn't answer. He walked to his desk, where Izumi, the telephone girl, was waiting for him, smiling. Takeru sighed. Even though He hadn't talked to that girl since the day they met, at the school entrance, she didn't seem to give up. He stopped before reaching his desk, because someone was talking to him.
"Good morning, Takeru." It was Kazuo.
"Good morning. How are you?"
"Just fine, thanks. How about you?"
"A little tired. I had a pretty messy Sunday." Kazuo laughed. "You bet!" Then, the two of them began laughing. Davis and Kari, who were listening to the conversation, couldn't understand the laughing, even if they understood Kazuo's words partially. Takeru stopped talking when Kazuo send him a telepathic message.
"So, you're tired, huh?"
"Of course not! That was a piece of cake!"
"You looked very troubled yesterday."
"I just had to catch the trick. It was pretty mean, you know? Protecting those creatures against any magic…"
"Sorry, but I had to. If you had been able to use magic, it would have been very easy."
"You got a point there. But, how did you do to block Digivolutions?"
"I'll put it this way: I turned Tokyo into one, big Control Spire."
"Oh…"
In that moment, the professor entered the classroom, and Takeru rushed to his desk. He gave a quick smile to Izumi, and paid attention to the teacher. Suddenly, he noticed that Kari was looking at him, but when he looked back, she quickly looked forward, avoiding his eyes. Takeru smiled a little bit, and then focused on the class.
During the lunch break, Takeru was sitting in the same place he had had lunch since the day he started going to school again. It was the same place where he had talked with Kari that day, and the same place he had had that little "fight" with Davis. But that was in the past. That day, Takeru just cared about his lunch, and he was eating with pleasure. "Whoa, Mina sure knows how to cook!" TK thought, and thanked God he hadn't to buy food from the cafeteria, as he had to do when he lived with his mother. But he made a terrible mistake. He thought about his past, and how much he missed his family, and his friends, the Digi-Destined. He missed his brother, and he missed Patamon. He missed the times when Davis never called him with his correct nickname, and the times, when Izzy delighted him with his endless conversations about science, and the world. He missed Joe's pessimistic way of looking at things, and he missed Mimi's never-ending cheerfulness. He missed the times when always kept an eye on him, fearing that he would ask Kari out, and Sora, who always distracted Tai so that Kari and himself could escape from him. Life was good when he was Takeru Takaishi. He never noticed it, and now it was too late. He had become Takeru Kirahashi, a sorcerer with a suicidal mission; he couldn't run away from it. When he opened his eyes, he was almost crying, but he controlled himself when he saw someone sitting next to him.
"I see you're very sad, my dear student."
"Shut up, Kazuo." Kazuo laughed, and looked at the sky.
"Sometimes you'd like to put an end to all this, right? You know, no one is pushing you to do this, Takeru. If you want to quit, just do it. I won't have to kill you, and you'll be able to live the life you want."
"Oh, stop saying such bullshit!" Takeru shouted. "Even if I resigned, I would never be able to live a normal life. I'd be the only responsible for the destruction of this world, and you know it."
"Ok, ok, calm down, my friend. Why don't we just change the subject?"
"Ok. What the hell happened yesterday!?"
"You saw it. A bunch of wild Digimon attacked the city."
"First of all, those weren't real Digimon. Second, I could feel your evil energy in that place."
"Oh, brilliant, Takeru. Was it so obvious that those weren't Digimons? I thought they looked identical to the real ones."
"Shut up. I just want to know why you did it."
"You already know that. It's part of your training. The training that you accepted to receive."
"Yes, but the destruction of buildings wasn't part of the deal."
"That's just an appetizer to what's going to happen once I kill you, my friend." Takeru shivered when he heard those words. "So he does have the intention of destroying the world…" Kazuo interrupted his thoughts.
"I guess I better leave. Someone's waiting for you." He said as he stood up. TK didn't understand what he meant, until he saw the four teenagers walking in his direction. Davis, Cody, Yolei and Kari. Takeru sighed, and waved goodbye.
"See you at the classroom, Kazuo." The four Digi-Destined were already in front of him. Kazuo walked away and laughed.
"Don't worry, Takeru! The next ones will come very soon." He shouted, before leaving the place. "The next ones…Digimon?" he thought. He faced at the two guys and the two girls, and cleared some space in the seat. Kari sat next to him, and Yolei also found a place in the white seat. Takeru began speaking.
"I…I guess you have lots of questions about yesterday's events…don't you?" The four of them nodded. "Lots of them…" Davis said. "In fact, we should have written them before coming." TK laughed. "Yeah, probably." He said. "So, can we start the interview? We'll have to go back to classes very soon. I just need you to believe me, no matter how senseless my answers may sound." The group nodded again. Yolei, who had a very serious look on her face, asked the first question.
"Who or what are you?" TK thought about the question for a while, and looked at Cody. Somehow, he felt as if the young boy already knew the answer to that question. He could have easily said: "He's Takeru Takaishi.", but for some reason, he didn't. TK changed his sight, he didn't want to face Cody's eyes, because they made him feel as a liar. "But, Am I not a liar?" he thought.
"I'm Takeru Kirahashi, you already know that."
"But, we saw you yesterday. You're not a human being!" Davis shouted.
"You're wrong, Davis. I am a human being. In fact, I'm more human than any of you. I have reached a higher level of evolution, and mastered the arts of magic and sorcery."
"Ma…magic?" Kari said softly.
"Yes, magic." TK continued. "And I'm not talking about rabbits in hats, or making people disappear. I'm talking about controlling the forces of the universe, and go beyond the law of nature, as those laws have never existed. I can't explain the correct way, as philosophy is not my greatest strength. You should ask Mina if you want to know more."
"Mina? You mean your cousin?" Yolei asked. TK noticed Davis was drooling, and he hit him with his left fist.
"Snap out of it, Davis. Yes, Mina is my cousin. She could explain it better than me."
"Ok." Kari said. "Now, why did you destroy those Digimon?"
"They were attacking the city." TK answered.
"But you shouldn't have killed them! They're intelligent beings, you know!?" Kari shouted. Takeru sighed.
"Those weren't Digimon."
"They looked like Digimon to me!" Davis complained. Takeru sighed again.
"Those weren't Digimon. They were magical creatures, shaped in the forms of Magnadramon and MegaSeadramon."
"Really? And then, who sent them?" Davis asked sarcastically. TK didn't know what to say. "Should I tell them the truth?" he thought. "But how can I explain them that Kazuo is possessed by Evil, the Ultimate force of Darkness…?"
"I…I can't tell you."
"Oh, come on!" Davis shouted. "Let's go, people. He's just talking nonsense. I bet he's just nuts." He said, and walked away. Yolei followed him. Kari stood up, and walked away, not before looking at Takeru one last time, and seeing his face, filled with sadness. Cody was the last to leave, and he said one last sentence."
"Izzy will be waiting for you, TK."
Takeru looked at the watch. 5:00 PM. He had rushed to the university as soon as he left the school. The problem was, he had no idea where to look for Izzy. He stayed at the main entrance of the complex for a while, thinking about what to do next. He looked at the multiple, unfamiliar faces in front of him. The university was a lot bigger than he thought. He could see a main building, and several buildings, one for each division, or at least that's what he thought. It was impossible to find someone in that place, and much less in the sea of people. He was standing on the main entrance, and he froze when he heard a familiar voice behind him.
"So, Kari, what are we doing here?"
Takeru looked back; just to find Hikari Kamiya and Davis Motomiya looking at him. "You hate me, right, God?" he thought, and sighed. Kari was already in front of him.
"Takeru, what a…weird surprise. What brings you here?" she asked, smiling. Davis was next to her, with an angry look.
"I could ask the same thing, Kari."
"I'm supposed to meet my brother here. We're going shopping tonight. Davis and Sora will come with us. You remember my brother and Sora, right?"
"Yes, I do. I met them yesterday. I don't forget people that quickly."
"So, what are you doing here?" Davis asked.
"Koushiro asked me to meet him today, but I have no idea where to find him." TK made sure not to use Koushiro's nickname. Then, he noticed that Kari wasn't paying attention. He then saw her brother, Taichi, and Sora walked in their direction.
"Davis, Kari, hello!" Sora shouted. Five seconds later, they were all together.
"Takeru, nice to see you!" Taichi said, as he shook hands with TK.
"Hello. How are you?"
"Fine, thank you. So, what brings you here?"
"I'm looking for Koushiro. Any idea where can I find him?"
"If you're looking for Izzy, you must go to the Computer Lab. He's always there." Sora said with a smile.
"Thank you, miss. I think I can go now."
"Please, call me Sora. And the computer lab is inside that building." She said, pointing with her right hand to a nearby building.
"Ok, thanks again. Goodbye, then." He bowed, and quickly left. Once Takeru was gone, Tai made the question.
"Did you talk with him about yesterday?"
"Yes, but he kept saying some bullshit about magic, and stuff like that." Davis answered.
"And what about the Digimons?" Sora asked this time.
"He said they weren't real Digimons." Kari replied. "But I don't know if we should believe him or not."
"I see." Tai said. "So, we're in the place as in the beginning of all this, right?" Everyone nodded.
"But, maybe we should talk with his cousin, as he said." Kari proposed.
"What makes you think that can help us? Besides, we don't know where he lives." Davis said.
"But we don't have any other clue. We have to get answers, before something worse happens." Kari complained.
"Whatever. Tonight, we're going shopping, so let's forget about all this and have fun." Tai said as he began walking. Everyone followed, as he was the only one who could ride a car.
The computer lab was a cold, dark place. Takeru noticed that there were few people in the big room. He counted them. Five, including Izzy, who was concentrated on the computer screen. Takeru walked to the next computer and sat down. He wondered how an outsider like him could get in the room so easily.
"I told them I was waiting for you." Izzy said, as if he had read Takeru's mind.
"Really? Cool…"
"I'm the one who takes care of this place. I come here and turn one the computers every morning, and I'm the one who closes the lab, at 7:00 PM. So, we shouldn't worry about privacy."
"Great." For the first time, Izzy looked at him. Takeru had always admired him. He never thought a person could be so brilliant, yet so interesting as Izzy. When he looked at his eyes, he met with the same look he had seen on Cody at the lunch break. Eyes that could see everything. Izzy made the first question.
"What's going on, TK?" Takeru sighed, and looked at the computer screen. He had nothing to do, so he accessed the Internet. He answered Izzy's question while the computer completed the process.
"I must ask you a favor."
"What?"
"The things I'm about to tell you must remain in this room."
"Can I tell Cody?" Takeru sighed.
"So he knows…I should have known…you too are just the same. Bearers of the Crest of Knowledge, who can see through everything. No wonder how you found out…"
"You still haven't answered my question, TK. What's going on? Why did you make us pass through all that?"
Takeru looked at the screen again. He decided to check his e-mail. Well, Takaishi Takeru's e-mail. Of course, after one year and four months, he had lots of advertising to read.
"´that´? I'm sorry, but I don't understand."
"Of course you don't, because you weren't there." TK looked at Izzy, who was trying to hide his anger. Takeru felt sorry for him, as he had realized what he was talking about.
"You have no idea of how I felt when Matt called me, and said that you had died. You weren't there to see the tears of everybody, and the sadness in their faces. You don't know how it feels to carry your coffin all the way to cemetery, and say goodbye to one of your closest friends. And now, you appear with a new identity, a new face, and talk to me as if nothing had happened!"
Takeru's heart was broken. He hadn't really thought about it. But now, he was thinking about it, and it hurt. He wondered about everybody, about how they felt when he didn't wake up that morning, after Matt's party. When he looked at Izzy's face, he found out that he was very important for them, as much as they were important to him. "All this time…I have been thinking just about myself. I never thought about…how much they missed me." But he also noticed that Izzy was making the same mistake.
"And…don't you think it hurts me, too? Don't you think I want to go home, hug my mother and tell her I'm alive and ok? Don't you think I want to get my older life, my peaceful life? Do you think I chose to become this, to become a fighter, and risk my life in every battle? Don't you think I'd prefer to play soccer with Tai, Sora, Davis and you at this moment? Don't you think I'd like to go to the Digital World with Patamon, and enjoy the beauties of that place!?" when he stopped, they were both in the verge of tears. They had already forgotten about their computers, and the web pages shown on the screens. They just looked at each other, and shared the other's sadness. But he had to say one last thing. Something he never thought he would say to anyone.
"Don't you…don't you think I would…I'd prefer to be watching the sunset at this moment, with Kari by my side, and tell her…how much I love her? Don't you think so, my dear friend?"
When TK looked again, he noticed everybody had left the computer lab. Only Izzy was there, listening to his words. They remained silent for several minutes, because none of them knew what to say next. TK looked at the watch. 5:35 PM. He didn't know when he lost all that time. Maybe, when you're terribly sad, time moves faster.
"I'm…I'm sorry, Takeru. I never thought…"
Koushiro's words were interrupted, when an alarm triggered, and a beep was heard from his waist. Izzy took something Takeru hadn't seen in a long time. A Digivice. Izzy checked it for a second, and talk.
"It's a message from Kari. She asks me to communicate with her as soon as possible." Now TK was worried, but he wanted to help.
"She's with Tai. I think he has a cell phone."
"Oh, right! I can call him!" Izzy said as he took his own cell phone as dialed a number. It only took a couple of seconds before Tai answered it.
"Hello, this is Tai."
"Tai? Hey. It's Izzy. I got Kari's message. What's going on?" Izzy and TK worried when Tai took more than 10 seconds to answer.
"We've got Digimon problems at the Shopping Center."
"What!?"
"Nefertimon and Raidramon are already fighting, and we called Yolei, Cody, Ken and Joe, but there's nothing we can do against two Megas."
"Two Megas!!! What's going on!?"
"It's hell in this place. We're trying to evacuate, but we need you here. And Takeru, too."
"I see. I'll be there in five minutes."
Izzy immediately turned off the computer and stood up.
"What's going on, Izzy?"
"You tell me, TK. Two mega Digimons are attacking the shopping center."
"What!?" Then, Kazuo's words echoed in his mind.
"Don't worry, Takeru! The next ones will come very soon."
"Kari and the others are in danger! I must go! Those Digimon are looking for me…"
"Don't worry. We'll be there in no time…" Izzy said as he made his way to the parking lot, where the car that would take them to a new battle was waiting.
This is the end! Don't worry, as TK, Izzy and myself will come back soon with the next episode! Remember, reviews and comments are gladly accepted. Any other comments and suggestions will be received at daneel_ff@hotmail.com See ya!
