Kurai Kibo: Dark Hope Part Six: Chimeramon Still Haunts by: Yuki Tenshi

Takaishi Takeru was walking down the street, another, taller, boy leaning on him. The other was the missing genius, Ichijouji Ken. Ken looked worn- out. But, after all he had been through, that was an understatement. The indigo boy held a little green and brown "doll" in his arms. A little orange thing flitted through the trees above the two boys.

"You sure you're okay, Ken-chan?" The blonde asked the indigo. Ken nodded, trying to stand straighter. "Ken-chan, quit it! You'll tire yourself faster that way! I can hold your weight." Takeru hissed in the taller boy's ear.

Both were caught off guard when two pairs of hands pulled them apart. Ken looked up to find himself being supported by a young police woman. Takeru was struggling against the restraining arms of an older male police officer.

Ken turned to the woman, unconsciously squeezing the thing he held in his arms. "Let me go. Then tell your friend over there to let Takeru-san go too." He demanded of the woman.

"Gomen nasai, Ichijouji-kun. We can't. Your friend may know somethings about your disappearance, unless you'll tell us where you've been." She watched the indigo boy.

Ken looked over at Takeru, who had calmed down some. *What am I going to do? I can't tell them where I've been, but I don't want Takeru-chan in trouble. Maybe Takeru-chan will have an idea...* Ken looked up at the woman. "Can I talk to Takeru-san?"

The woman sighed and sent a questioning look over to the man holding Takeru. The man nodded, appearantly Takeru had the same idea. The woman helped Ken over to the the other two. "Talk." The man said.

Ken glared at him. "I meant alone." He growled, his eyes narrowing.

The man let go of Takeru, watching the boy. "Fine. But we'll be watching." Ken nodded and the woman let go of him. The two adults walked a short distance away as Ken worked to steady himself on Takeru.

"Are you okay, Ken-chan?" Takeru asked, worry lines creasing his face.

"I'm fine." Ken grumbled, but didn't let go of Takeru's shoulder.

"Ken-chan!" Minomon screeched as Ken fainted.

:~*~:

Takeru was scratching Patamon's head, Minomon sat next to him, when the Ichijoujis came in. "Takeru-san! It's been a long time. How is Ken-chan, do you know?" Ken's father asked of the boy sitting before him.

Takeru looked up, tears in his eyes. "Not good. They can't tell what's wrong with him. They think his disappearance might have something to do with it. I disagree, of course." The boy looked down as Takaishi Natsuko, his mother, walked in with his father and brother.

"Takeru-chan! Are you okay? Hikari-san said you were talking Ken-san home. Is that true?" Natsuko asked.

"Hai. I was taking him home. Everything was going just fine when those two desided I had something to do with Ken-san's disappearance." Takeru glared at the two police officers. "Then the doctor wouldn't let Minomon-san stay with Ken-san." Takeru looked down, patting Minomon on the head.

"Ototo, I'm sure everything will turn out fine." Ishida Yamato, Takeru's older brother, said, sitting down next to Takeru.

Takeru looked up at him. "It's not going to be okay, oniisan! This wasn't supposed to happen! Ken-san was supposed to be okay when he got back." Takeru said, letting Yamato hug him as he cryed onto his shoulder.

The doctor came in. "We still don't know the cause, but he's doing better." He said.

"Is he awake?" Ken's mother asked.

"I'm afraid not. You may all come into his room if you like." The doctor said, smiling as the whole gang stood up and followed him.

:~*~:

Takeru had refused to go down for food with the others. He insisted on sitting next to Ken the whole time. Minomon had curled up next to the boy on the bed. Patamon had taken his favorite seat, the top of Takeru's hat. A small sign, the sign of Hope, shimmered on Takeru's forehead. It wasn't as bright as his old crest, but it was there. When Patamon had pointed it out, he'd explained it as 'dark hope.' The Digimon already knew that Takeru and Ken loved each other, but Takeru still had to explain what it meant.

*Did Chimeramon's attack hit him? A Digimon's attack is very dangerous for a human.* Takeru asked himself. He looked at Minomon. "Minomon-san, did you see if Chimeramon's attack hit Ken-chan?"

"If it did, I didn't see. Why?"

"A Digimon's attack can do a lot of damage to a human. Sometimes more than to a Digimon. I need to see if any of the others noticed." Takeru took out his D-terminal and typed furiously on it.

A series of beeps and more typing went on, as Takeru talked to his friends about when Chimeramon's attack 'almost' hit the ex-Kaiser. Takeru looked up, shaking his head. "No one saw, or it didn't?" Minomon asked.

"No one saw, at least not that I know. I couldn't get to Daisuke-san." Takeru looked thoughtful for a few seconds, then he stood up, setting Patamon on the bed. "I'm going to go call the Motomiya house, see if I can reach him that way."

:~*~:

Daisuke was half asleep when his sister opened the door and roughly woke him up. "Your friend Takeru-san is on the phone for you." She said and left.

*Wonder if there's news about Ken-san or something.* Daisuke thought as he walked over to the phone. "Moshi-moshi."

"Hey, Daisuke-san. Did you see if Chimeramon's attack hit Ken-chan at all? You were the closest to him."

"Err... It's too late for this Takeru-san. Why do you ask?"

"A Digimon's attack can do more damage to a human than to a Digimon, usually. If Chimeramon's attack hit Ken-chan, and we know about it, we may be able to find a cure."

"I-I-I... I think one might have glanced off him. But I'm not sure. I can't recall exactally. Gomen nasai."

"It's okay. Thanks for trying. Now, go back to sleep, you sound tired."

"Wait, Takeru-san."

"Hai."

"You and Ken-san are in love, aren't you?"

"Wha? How-how did you kn-know?"

"A guess. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Oyasuminasai, Takeru-san." Daisuke hung up the phone and went back to bed.

:~*~:

Takeru walked back into the room looking dazed. "What's wrong?" Patamon asked, flying over to rest on Takeru's head.

Takeru sat in his chair. "I talked to Daisuke-san. He said Ken-chan might have been hit, not entirely, just some, but he wasn't sure. Also, he knows Ken-chan and I are in love."

"How did he figure that out?" Minomon asked.

Takeru shrugged. "He said 'a guess.' I'm not sure. He did say he won't tell anyone, but I think I need a real talk with Daisuke-san." Takeru sighed as he heard the others in the hall.

Natsuko placed a tray of food in Takeru's lap. "You have to eat sometime."

"Ototo, what's wrong?" Yamato asked.

"We may know what caused Ken-san's illness, but to tell anyone anything about it, I have to bring the Digital World into the conversation."

"Nai! Please tell me you aren't still involved with that place, Takeru- chan!" Nasuko cried.

Yamato shook his head. "What happened there that may have cause this then?"

"We think Ken-san may have been hit when Chimeramon attacked him. Daisuke was the only one who was close enough to see, and he's not sure, but the attack may have glanced off him."

"Chikusho!" Yamato swore. The Ichijoujis watched the two boys. "He's not sure though?"

"Nai. It is something we'll have to take into consideration, though. I hate it when we aren't sure!" Takeru replied.

"Excuse me, but what it the Digital World?" Ken's father asked.

Takeru looked over at Minomon. Minomon looked up at the two adults. "It's where I came from. I'm Ken-chan's Digimon. Nice to meet you!"

"Wha-what?!"

"The Digital World is in a different dimention. Few people can reach it. It's where Ken-san has been hiding." Takeru explained.

"And you didn't tell us about this place?" Ken's mother said.

"You'll have to understand, we couldn't. You wouldn't have been able to go there and bring him back, so it would have done no good. Even Takeru-chan, who was the only one Ken-san trusted at the time, couldn't get him to change his mind." Yamato explained as Takeru patted Minomon on the head.

"Is there a way to cure him?"

"We don't know. If Chimeramon was still around, we may have found a way, but he's gone." Yamato said.

"That's it!" Takeru cried. He pulled out his D-3. "Is there a computer near here?"

"There's one in Ken-chan's bag." Minomon said.

"Good. Come on Minomon, I'm going to need your help." Takeru said as he got the computer.

"Where are you going?" Natsuko asked.

"Ken-chan will have kept a file on Chimeramon in his base. If I can get to those files, I may be able to find a cure." Takeru said, opening the laptop.

"I'm coming with you!" Yamato called, getting out his Digivice.

Takeru nodded and the two got before the computer, holding out there Digivices. "Digi Port Open!" Takeru called. There was a flash of light and the two boys were gone. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~

Hum... Wonder what will happen next. ^_~