Kiriska: Now I prove that Joe is not a jerk! ^_^

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The Homicidal Maniac

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Chapter Twenty-Seven: Losses Bind Us Together

Joe

It had been a long day. School, then going straight to visit the university, and not getting back home til around 10 at night. And I hadn't been feeling so great either. I felt bad, not hanging with my old friends when they needed me, especially now, with Takeru dead and Yamato gone. But it, I don't know, I guess I figured if I didn't hang out with them I wouldn't become another victim of all those bastards that are giving them trouble. Selfish yeah. But I don't know if I'm strong enough to stand up to those bullies like they have. Tai, Izzy, Sora, Mimi, they were all strong, they probably didn't need me anyway.

What could I do to help them? I'd probably attract more jerks to them. No, said my inner voice, your just happy to have no trouble. You don't have anything to worry about, you were never very close to Matt so they never went after you. So why get yourself involved? They're my friends...It's been years, you don't have that much in common anymore. I argued with myself, I'm so pathetic. Why had I grown apart from my friends? We were a team, the Digidestined. Everyone else had stuck together, stayed close friends, why had I grown away?

Was it because I was the eldest of them? That's stupid, TK had been the youngest yet he had no problem sticking with the group. That's because his brother was close friends with them, another voice said. So many voices in my head. Am I the only one who argues with myself like this? Surely no one else has all these doubts? Tai, no, he's always so straightforward. Sora, Izzy, always speaking your mind and never doubting yourselves. And even Mimi is better than me, complaining all the time, but that's still speaking your mind. Why couldn't be like them?

I'm supposed to be the Keeper of the Crest of Reliability. Yet, I'm not reliable at all. Didn't something once say, long ago back in the Digiworld... the crest we had been paired with was the trait we held strongest at the time? And if that trait ever diminishes our digimon shall become currupt? If that was true...Gomamon must be long gone....no, he couldn't have currupted...I can..still be reliable...I reached my apartment, it's about 10 pm. The trick-or-treaters are gone, and no one was home anyway.

I had been visiting the univeristy, seeing how things were there, watching my brother work. Sometimes I really hated becoming a doctor, preparing took away so much of my life. I was dead tired and ready to shower and sleep. The apartment is silent, exactly as it was this morning. The neon red letters on the phone stand out against the blackness. 1 New Message. Absently I pressed play. "Joe? This is Sora, can you please call Izzy's when you get home? Then come over? He said he had something to tell us.Please come, it'd be nice to have the old group together..." Click.

I looked at the clock again, 10:12, should I call? It was pretty late, and they were probably all home now. My consciences toyed with me. Go ahead and call, Joe, one says, you should see what's up. Nah, go to bed, Joe, said the other, who cares what they want? I was tired, but I was also curious. I picked up the phone and dialed Izzy's number. It rang once. Twice. Three times. Four. Five. Six. Seven. What's up? Aren't they home? Eight. Nine. I clicked the phone off.

They could be asleep, I reasoned. But it was a Friday, his parents at least must be up. Maybe they went out? I decided to call Sora's. It rang once. Twice. Three times. What was going on? Four times. Five. Six. I hung up. Now I was worried. If Sora wasn't at Izzy's, she should be home. Someone had to be home... I dialed the Kamiya's number. Busy signal. I breathed a short sigh of relief, at least someone was home. I waited five minutes. Wondering what was going on, then called again. It rang nine times and no one picked up.

That means whoever was home finished their call and left the house within those five minutes. What the hell was going on? One more person to try and call. Mimi. Please me home. I dialed her number and waited. Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring. I slammed the phone down in fusteration. What was going on here?!?!? Why wasn't anyone home? I started to pace. Something was wrong, I could feel it. Just go to bed, Joe...the dark conscience whined. I ignored him, and gathered the information in my head.

It is Halloween Night. None of my friends, or their families were at home. Izzy had called everyone to his house earlier today. Takeru was murdered three weeks ago. Matt was sent away two weeks ago. The murderer of TK still hadn't been found as far as I knew. Was all this even connected? For all I knew, Yamato could have killed his brother! My lack of facts was getting to me. I knew Matt would have never killed TK, it was impossible. I mentally slapped myself for even thinking that.

Then what was going on? I felt helpless. What if they had all been killed? What if my neglectance had been their downfall? What if it was all my fault? What if..the what ifs filled my head. Don't think like that, Joe,..I commanded myself, you have no reason to be worried, you don't even know if they're in trouble. It could all be a weird coincidence. You have no reason to panic...

I called Koushirou's again. No answer. Sora's. No answer. Tai & Kari's. No answer. Mimi's. No answer. Where was everyone? The clock now read 10:34. It didn't make any sense. They were supposed to be HOME! Why weren't they home!? I paced the kitchen for another 10 minutes, trying to make my brain work, but it was too tired and I didn't accomplish anything. I was about to give up when the phone rang.

Who was calling? Sora? Izzy? Tai? Mimi? Jim? My parents?!?! I snatched the phone up, my heart was thudding abnormally. "Hello?" I gripped the phone, impatiently awaiting an answer. "Joe?" a quivering voice asked. Sora!? "Sora? Is that you? Where are you? I called all--" "Joe! Mimi's DEAD!" I froze mid-breath. I didn't hear what I just heard. Mimi isn't dead. It's all some cruel Halloween joke to freak me out. They all plotted this, they all decided they weren't going to answer the phone. It was all some kind of sick joke. Right?

"What?" I managed weakly. My legs felt like jelly, my arms were stiff, my head hurt. "Mimi is dead!" Sora cried again, the awful words rang and echoed in my hears. "And Tai is badly injured, please come to the hospital..." She broke off in sobs and hang up. It was true wasn't it...Sora was that good of an actor...it was true...Two of the Digidestined are dead now....why? This couldn't be happening...but you thought that when Taichi called you about TK, a voice told me sadly, you thought it wasn't true, when they told you the Keeper of Hope was dead. But he is. And now Mimi is gone too.

I scribbled a note, fling on a coat and run out the door, almost forgetting to lock the door. I wasn't going to run away from them anymore. I wasn't going to neglect my age-old friends. They needed me, they needed my support, I couldn't be selfish anymore. They needed me, and I needed them. It was true TK wasn't as close to me, whether it was because of his age of just because. But Mimi was a close friend. It was like when TK died, someone shoved a knife in my side. And now, they pushed it in deeper. I dashed down the street, the hospital was at least a good 2 miles from my apartment, but I had plenty of fuel.

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Kiriska: I wish I could make my chapters longer, but I don't wanna have more than one POV per chapter. x_x Next POV: Sora. I'm trying to let them take turns here. -_-"""

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