Tweedle Dumb, and Tweedle Dumber
"We were supposed to turn left!"
"No. The map said that we go right."
"But the directions he gave us said to go left!"
"Do you have to question every decision I make?"
"Since you always make the wrong one, it's a good thing that I do!"
"…"
"Pull the van over!"
"Why?"
"So I can beat your as to a bloody pulp, that's why!"
"Shut the hell up! Open your mouth again, and you can walk!"
"You wouldn't dare!"
"Watch me."
Takeru and Ken looked at each other in amusement, listening to their captors arguing in the front of the van. It had started with periodic rebukes between both men, and then progressed into slaps on the arm and name-calling. Ken was rather impressed with their vocabulary when it came to insults.
"I hope that they don't continue like this the whole trip." Takeru sighed, rubbing his temple. "I don't think that my sanity could survive this for more than a couple of hours."
"TK, we've only been in here for two." Ken pointed out logically, pushing a button on his watch so that the face glowed, and they could see the time.
"That's two hours too long, if you ask me. This whole thing is ridiculous."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because we have two of the dumbest kidnappers on the face of the planet, who not only kidnapped us in broad daylight in front of your home, on a public street, but drive a very distinct van, argue continuously, and allowed us to keep a form of communication with the outside world."
"And your point would be?" Ken smiled slightly. "So they're not the brightest of the bunch. It doesn't mean that this isn't well-thought out, or that they don't have some clue about what they're doing."
"No, it only means that any plan of theirs is bound to fail. With the way they talk, Dai and the gang will be able to rescue us in no time."
"Let's hope."
"You don't have faith in our friends?"
"Of course I trust them. They'll be here to rescue us in no time. Daisuke would never let something like this stand in his way of beating me at soccer." He laughed lightly, and Takeru watched as his eyes crinkled and his lips curled. It had been a long time since he'd seen Ken laugh, and it was, he decided, a beautiful thing.
"Here." Ken held out his hand, palm up. The blonde took the small object and eyed it wearily. "It's a blinking body light. It flashes red and green. In case we find a way to escape tonight, or tomorrow before the others get here, we can find each other in the dark. Let it blink green three times, and then turn it off. Then you move far enough away to see my light, or one of the kidnappers if they see it too."
"That way you're not a sitting duck, and we can regroup, and run away together."
"Right."
"Where did you get these?" Takeru turned the front part of the little cylinder, and watched as it started flashing. He turned it off quickly, watching the two in the front to make sure that they hadn't seen it.
"Daisuke gave them to me as a gift last year. We were talking about starting high school, and I said that I'd probably be lost in the crowd. He gave me these so that I would always stand out. We have a whole code associated with them."
"Sounds neat." Takeru hooked it onto the brim of his hat, smiling when Ken placed the matching light on the lapel of his jacket. "Maybe you could teach it to me someday."
"Maybe." The violet gaze that met his was warm and sincere. Takeru gazed back at him, getting lost in the depth of his eyes. They smiled softly at each other in the shadows. They were thrown off the bench suddenly when the van squealed to a stop, and swerved to the side of the road.
"I told you that that was our turn!"
"Did not! You said that it was up ahead farther."
Takeru crawled to wear Ken was sprawled against the door, holding his head. "Are you okay?"
The genius sat up, using the hand not held to his head to support himf. "I'm fine. Just hit my head." The blonde moved an arm around his shoulder, and helped him to his feet, then led him back to the bench seat.
"Is he alright?" The driver turned to ask. He didn't sound overly concerned. The first one, the one with the ball cap, moved out of his chair, and started toward them. Takeru defensively sat between Ken and them, glaring as the first approached.
"He's fine, no thanks to you and your friend. He's not bleeding, and he's coherent." Takeru wasn't aware that he was holding Ken protectively to his side. The guy went to reach out, but the blonde slapped his hand away. "He's fine, so back off."
"Ah. Hey, Bern, the blonde is guarding his little friend. I don't think that he likes me." Blue eyes simply glared at him, daring him to try to touch either of them again. "Let's turn around and get going. It's starting to get dark out."
"Okay. Watch the map a little closer this time, would ya?" The van started back up, and they braced themselves as it turned around. They turned sharply to the left, and then sped up, moving into the twilight at a fast clip.
Ken had wrapped his arm around Takeru's waist, trying to find a comfortable place for it between the wall and the blonde's body. Takeru was still glaring at their kidnappers and muttering under his breath about stupid people. Since he wasn't paying attention to the pale genius, Ken took the opportunity to snuggle against his side, letting his head rest on Takeru's shoulder.
In moments, he was asleep. It was a while longer before Takeru remembered where he was, and looked down at the boy sleeping against him. With a smile, he scooted backwards a little so that Ken could recline more. Then he touched his cheek gently with one hand, reaching for the D-terminal with his other.
______________
"What's that?" Daisuke pulled his D-terminal from his pocket.
"It's a message. I need a flashlight!" There was mumbling as everyone moved around, searching for the object in question. With ten people packed into a car made for six, it was a wonder that they'd managed to shut the doors. Tai, Matt, and Sora were in the front seat. Jyou, Mimi, Hikari, and Miyako were jammed into the backseat. Daisuke, Koushiro, and Iori were sprawled in the back end, praying that they managed to survive Tai's driving.
It had taken them an hour to get around, because Tai had had to fill the gas tank of the car, then go around and pick up everyone at their homes. Matt had urged him a couple of times to leave with out them so that they could get going, but Daisuke and Koushiro had been the last to be picked up, and it was Daisuke's terminal that they sent directions to. "Here."
Koushiro held the flashlight that was passed back, and read over Daisuke's shoulder. "Take the highway out, until junction 39, then head north. Follow that until you pass two stop signs, then a four-way, and then turn left at the T in the road right after that."
"How long have they been on the road?" Jyou asked. If the kidnappers didn't stop soon, they wouldn't find them for at least a day.
"They've been driving for a little over an hour, now. It took us way too long to assemble, and get ready. Plus, Takeru thinks that the guy is speeding."
"It's from TK?" Mimi looked back. "I thought that it was Ken's D-terminal."
"It is. Takeru doesn't say that anything's happened. Maybe they're taking turns." Daisuke looked up at his friends, his expression worried. Koushiro leaned over and whispered his assurance into his ear. "They're fine. Both of them." With a warm smile, the older redhead wrapped his arms around Dai, holding him in his arms as they rode in the dark. Neither said anything more.
Tai looked across Sora at Matt, scanning his face quickly before returning his attention to the road. The blonde looked slightly relieved that his brother had contacted them again, but his face was mostly covered by a blank expression. The musician was playing it cool, trying to keep his emotions in control. Tai sighed, knowing that it would take a lot more than saving Takeru to erase that look.
_________
Takeru woke Ken up shortly before midnight, handed him the D-terminal, told him to send them directions when they turned, and asked him to wake him up by three. In the darkness, they couldn't see each other, so Ken's blush at waking up in Takeru's lap was well hidden, as was the disappointment on Takeru's face when the genius jumped away from him.
"Don't forget to wake me up, either."
"Do you want to use me as a pillow?" Ken offered quietly, reaching to touch Takeru's shoulder in the dark. In answer, the blonde laid down, resting his head on Ken's left leg. The passenger in the front had already fallen asleep, and the radio was playing softly. Ken rested his hand gently on Takeru's head, curling his fingers lightly in his hair. They stayed like that until Takeru fell asleep, and beyond.
___________
"Will they ever stop?" Mimi yawned, stretching her arms out, barely missing hitting Jyou in the head. "It's three in the morning, and they're still going?"
"That's what Ken said." Daisuke yawned, too, curling up in a sitting position. The message had just come through a moment ago, jarring him away, and alerting Matt and Mimi with the sound. The others were still asleep, even Tai who had switched driving responsibility with Matt.
"What else did he say?" Matt tried at him in the rearview mirror, but settled on the vague outline of his body in the back window.
"He said that they're both fine, and he thinks that they're about ready to stop. Of course, that's what he said one, too. But who's counting? There are three more turns, and they stopped for food, and the bathroom twice."
"Yeah. That means that we're still a stop more than them, and another ten minutes behind them."
"I'm sorry. If I had had to go the first time we stopped, I would have gone." Daisuke yawned tiredly. He'd stayed up most of the night, talking to Matt, and waiting for the next message to come through.
The blonde waved his hand, hiding his own yawn behind it. "That's okay. I think we made up for it."
Mimi glared at him. "I should hope so. Going eighty miles an hour for an hour. I think I've gained a wrinkle."
"What's up?" Tai stretched groggily, eyes half closed. "Have they beeped us again? Are we lost yet?"
"Ken gave us more directions, and they still haven't stopped permanently." Daisuke moved closer to the back seat, careful of the sleeping forms of Koushiro and Iori.
"On the plus side, we're less than an hour behind them." Mimi reached below her seat for a bottle of water, and twisted the cap off.
"Hand me one, please?" Tai reached back, and took the one she handed him. She tossed one to Daisuke also. "How did we manage to gain so much time?"
Matt coughed and ignored the question. "I hope they stop soon. I'm tired of being in this car already."
Tai looked at him, his eyes widening in amused realization. "Ishida Yamato, you were speeding!" The blonde blushed, but didn't comment. "I can't believe it. After all the times you've hassled me over the way I drive, you're tempting the police to pull us over."
"He was only going twenty-five miles an hour over the speed limit." Mimi supplied helpfully, leaning her hands on the front seats.
"Thank you, Meems."
"I'll remember this, Matt. Just you wait."
"Are you two bickering already?" Tai looked over the seat at his sister and grinned. "You guys should really learn to get along one of these days."
"But there's no fun in that, Kari. Why would we want to get along with one another when it's so much fun to be constantly heckling one another?" She rolled her eyes.
"I guess that I just don't understand. There are times that you're so in sync with each other that it seems like you're reading each others' minds, and at other times, you guys appear ready to strangle each other."
"That's just how things are with me, Kari." Tai smiled at his best friend, then looked back at his sister to finish his point. "Some days, you can't live with me, and others you can't live without me."
"And normally, it's the first kind of day that finds you hanging around." Sora chuckled sleepily at her own joke. "You guys are loud enough to wake the dead."
"Jyou's still asleep." Mimi pointed out.
Hikari looked at the purple-haired girl that was using her as a pillow. "So is Miyako."
"Koushiro and Iori won't be waking up anytime soon." Daisuke input, leaning his back against the back seat so that he could see the cars behind them.
Nobody spoke for a moment, listening to the wheels on the pavement. Mimi broke the silence. "I have a plan."
Sora looked back at her. "What?" Everyone that was awake, except Matt, who was driving, turned to gaze at her.
"I think that we find out where they are when they stop, then wait for dark. When they can't see how many of us there really are, I'll walk up to the door, and do some kind of delivery speech, while the rest of you sneak into the house and find Ken and Takeru."
"That sounds good." Hikari nodded, but she was frowning. "Won't they get suspicious when you have nothing to deliver?"
Mimi thought about it, then shrugged helplessly. From the back, Daisuke was looking at her speculatively. "You can pretend that you're lost. Or you can say that you're car broke down, and ask one of them to help you find it."
"That's a good idea, Dai." Tai hooked his arm over the back of the seat, and turned his body sideways. "That way, you can get one of them out of the house, if not both."
"You mean, you expect me to walk up to this house without anyone else around?" Her russet colored eyes were wide at the thought.
"Of course not, Meems." Matt was the one to reassure her, moving the rearview mirror so that he could see her. "A couple of the others will walk with you. Too many people going into the house could be a bad thing. We don't know if someone else will show up."
"That's a good point, Matt." Sora smiled at him sweetly, her eyes crinkling. He smiled back, and then turned his attention back to the road.
"Hey, Daisuke. When did they stop for breakfast?" The redhead swiveled around.
"About an hour and a half ago. Why?"
"Because isn't that the placed that Ken described?" The blonde waved his hand at a roadside cafe. The others turned to look.
"That sounds about right. That means that we're even closer than we thought. I wish that I could let Ken know."
"He knows that we're on our way, Dai." Hikari put her hand up, and ran it gently through his hair. "He knows that we'll rescue him."
"I know. I just wish that we were a little closer." He sighed, and then grinned, tilting his head back to turn his eyes to the roof. "We'll get to them. No problem. We are the digi-destined, the world's best team of heroes."
"These guys don't know who they're messing with." Matt's hands tightened on the steering wheel, a reaction that only Tai caught. "But they will soon enough."
The others laughed, caught up in the certainty that all would soon be righted. Only Taichi, Daisuke, and Matt seemed to harbor any reservations. Tai stared a moment longer at Matt, and then turned to look out the darkened window. Daisuke laid down next to Koushiro, and curled into his side, smiling slightly.
____________
Takeru jerked awake as the van slowed down, the tires crunching over dirt and gravel. He sat up slowly, smiling at Ken slightly as he did so. "What have I missed?"
"We're stopping." They whispered back and forth, turning wary glances towards the two in the front. It was five in the morning, and they'd been kidnapped for twelve hours. "I think this is it.
"Good. Send a-"
"Okay, boys. Time to get out and stretch your legs." The one in the baseball cap opened his door and hopped out, moving to open the sliding door. "Let's move, you two."
They did so, walking around him as they got out of the vehicle. With his hand in his pocket, Ken hit the send button without sending a message, hoping his friends would know what it meant. He couldn't afford to have his D-terminal taken by them. No doubt they'd break it, and move on again.
"What's the holdup?" The driver came around, taking his jacket off in the afternoon sun. He waved his gun at Takeru and Ken, and then pointed at the house they had stopped at. "Go on in." They looked at each other, and then did as told. The first one went ahead of them and opened the door.
"Down the hall." They kept going, glancing around at their new surroundings. The house was old, but sturdy. The floor squeaked under foot, and there were water spots along the ceiling and walls. The furniture was old, and overused, the stuffing coming out of one of the chairs. "Turn left."
They turned left when they entered the yellow kitchen, blinking in the reflection of the sun off the light colored walls. They stopped at a door, and looked back at their kidnappers. "Open the door, and go down to the basement. The light is at the bottom."
Takeru rolled his eyes, then pulled the door open. He led the way downstairs, smiling when he felt Ken put his hand on his shoulder so that they wouldn't lose each other in the dark. At the bottom, he waited for further instructions, and felt Ken step down beside him.
"The light switch should be to your right. It's a string that hangs by the wall." The blonde reached out, and felt along the wall, shuddering when something crawled over his skin. The light blinked on suddenly, and he turned to see Ken smiling at him gently.
The door slammed, and they looked at the top of the stairs. They were alone. "I guess this is it." The genius moved away, taking in the dank smell, and dirt walls. "Not much of a basement, if you ask me."
"It's probably never been used." It was empty, except for whatever insects and rodents lived in it. The stairs and the light was it. There were no windows, or a real floor. Takeru sat down on the third step, stretching his legs out in front of him.
Ken sat beside him hesitantly, pulling out his terminal as he did so. "At least I can tell the guys that we finally stopped."
"That should make them happy. Tell them we're trapped in some half-baked basement, and that the house is purple."
Ken looked at him. "The house isn't purple. It's lavender."
"No. This house is only a few shades from your eyes, and your eyes are violet. There's no way this place is lavender."
Ken's laughter echoed through the basement as blue hair swished with the shake of his head. "There is almost no way for me to argue that. But it's still lavender."
The blonde grinned. "Whatever. Just send the message."
"Sore loser." Ken typed into the little keypad, then hit send. He yawned and closed his eyes.
"Tired?" He nodded, and then stiffened when Takeru's arm wrapped around his shoulder. "Go ahead and sleep. Who knows when they're likely to move us again."
"Thank you." He settled in stiffly, uncertain. Takeru rubbed his arm in soothing circles, leaning back against the handrail.
"Relax. We'll both sleep." The blonde settled back, turning them both as he did so that Ken's back rested against his chest. He drew his right leg up, resting his arm on it, and letting his left hand fall to his left leg.
Ken crossed his arms on his chest, and leaned back, turning his head to the left in a more comfortable position. In the dim light, knowing that they couldn't see each others faces in the position they were in, they each smiled.
