The Thin Line Between Truth and Trust
-Chapter 7-
: -: -: -: -: -:
Takeru turned around in the corridor to the sounds of voices and rushing feet, and then looked up at Jyou, whose face had puzzlement and concern written on it as he went to speak to his colleagues. Takeru could hear their low voices but almost none of what was being said. Suddenly, Jyou's face paled as he turned and rushed down the corridor, the other doctors following him in a blur of white coats.
Takeru was a few steps behind the men as the door swung open, and there was Koushiro, pale against the sheets, and he seemed anxious, but had no words, and suddenly disappeared as a low monotonous beeping at first filled the room and Takeru's ears, growing louder and louder as more doctors rushed in. Their shouts were unclear as they had blended in with the background noise of the beeping, and Koushiro looked to Takeru with an almost beseeching gaze in his eyes before the lids slammed shut as he lost consciousness. "No," Takeru had cried out, breathlessly, but he didn't have time to move forward as he felt he was being tugged back; Jyou had his arm.
"We have to leave now," Jyou said, and there was an expression of pain in his face as Takeru looked up into it, "Somehow-he destabilized. They think it might have been a mistake in the prescription,"
And suddenly they were pressed out of the door, and running down the corridor to the women. Hikari was speaking, but her head turned at once towards them and her large russet eyes fixed upon them, and the question barely seemed to leave her lips when Mimi jumped up first clutching her hands to her chest. "Something's wrong, what is it?"
"Calm down a moment, we're not sure what's happening. But we're going to have an emergency meeting." Jyou spoke rapidly, almost rasping as he dabbed at his temples with an already damp hankie.
There were more footsteps loud in Takeru's ears and coming from behind him as he was suddenly aware of the starch whiteness of the place and yet it seemed unclean. And the steps came louder, accompanied by voices. "Doctor! Come in here, quickly!" And Jyou was gone, Takeru watched him disappear back into the room as he turned back to look at the women.
"It'll be all right, won't it, Angel?" Hikari had paled slightly, her voice wavering as she looked first at him and then her eyes hovered over to Mimi, who had slumped slightly on the wall.
"I don't know," Takeru closed his eyes for a moment, feeling enveloped in swirling voices and intensity. "It looked pretty bad. But his wounds weren't that bad, I don't understand it…"
"What do you mean?" Mimi gasped, as she was suddenly aware again, moving to clutch onto his arm, but only touched thin air as he pulled away and turned to go back down the corridor.
"Angel?" Hikari asked.
Takeru rushed now, almost as if he didn't hear them. Back to the room, the beeping, the voices shouting. "We're losing him." "What's going on?" "Keep trying." "Damn it! Try again." Then a long series of beeps followed, and Takeru heard Jyou mutter a word that he probably never would have said had all this not changed their lives. Knowing that there was not much else he could do by remaining there, he started to back out the room, when he heard Koushiro speak, or rather choke.
"Angel-please, I need to see him-news-important-"
Takeru pushed his way through; breathing heavily, on his face sweat gleamed under the bright lights. "What? What is it?"
Koushiro's breathing was very ragged. "Please. Leave us. There's nothing you can do for me. Please! I don't have that long."
Jyou motioned for the others to pull back. His dark eyes lingered on Koushiro as the other doctors spoke uncertainly to him. Takeru moved forwards quickly, leaning in and whispering.
"What is it?"
"He's not in this alone-He's going to be pulling out all the stops. Even with me gone-there is a spy-" his voice broke off as his breathing quickened. "It's the final test tonight, Angel. There isn't only one way-" he coughed, someone tried to rush over but Takeru wouldn't let himself be taken.
"Who is it, Izzy?" Takeru was filled with panic.
"Angel-it's--" Suddenly Koushiro's eyes moved from Takeru's face and his eyes looked for another as his broken whisper faded and he could barely mouth the name, and Takeru couldn't decipher it as the beeping started in again and he got pushed to the side.
"Go to the girls," Jyou said, guiding him out the door. "I'll be there soon."
"You have got to do something, Jyou." Takeru stumbled numbly, almost in a trance. "Koushiro knows, he knows something, Jyou!"
"Go, go to the girls."
"Something Jyou, you have to find out!" And he was shoved out of the room and looked at the backs of the doctors in their white coats gathering in the white room. "It can't be the end." Takeru stumbled backwards, then walking backwards, down the hall, his eyes wide open and then closed again as he moved a hand to wipe the sweat off his face, and his hand brushed against his golden hair. Hadn't he hardened himself against this sort of thing long before now? His mother's death, his brother's disappearance, he should be used to this. And what was the name? God Izzy, what were you trying to tell me?
And then it was over.
"Angel?" Hikari touched his arm, startling him.
"He knows something Kari. We've got to find out.." his voice broke off as Hikari nodded and stroked his hair with that solemn fawnlike expression which protected her innocence.
"We'll find out. It'll be that long enough. Izzy'll be safe. He has to be."
Takeru put his arm around her and let her rest her head on his shoulder, and he breathed in the cinnamon fumes.
A few moments later, footsteps came behind them, and Takeru, who was feeling slightly aroused by Hikari's aroma turned around to face the blue- haired doctor.
"There was something wrong with the iv- too much potassium, the morons. Not to mention he lost a lot of blood. The bullet had lodged deeply.." Jyou sighed, shaking his head. "I'll have to finish up some things here. We'll have to gather the rest of what we can. Someone has to get –Sora," His grim gaze met Takeru's, who nodded.
"What do you mean?" Mimi sputtered. "He can't be gone-he just can't be!"
"Kari, you take Mimi and head out. I'll get Sky and the other things." Hikari nodded, but Mimi shook her head.
"No, TK, I rather go with you, thanks."
Takeru sighed, but noting the distress in her voice nodded slowly. "Fine," He looked towards Hikari, who was staring at Jyou with her russet eyes wide with shock until she realized that Takeru was looking at her. "Kari, think you can handle the rest?" Their eyes met for a long moment.
"Of course, Angel. Jyou. Mimi." She said, nodding to the other two as she walked down the corridor and disappeared from their sight. Takeru sighed again as he watched after her, then glancing back at Jyou, who nodded, and turning back to Mimi slowly started walking down the halls.
They silently returned to Takeru's white mustang. The rain had definitely slowed down by now, and the sky was still dark. There was still some time, though the night was excruciatingly long. "The final test.." he whispered aloud to himself as he unlocked the doors. Mimi silently opened her door on the passenger side and slipped into the seat. He waited a few moments before turning the ignition, glanced over at Mimi, then back straight ahead, his hand absently reaching for the radio, then stopping short as he heard Mimi sigh next to him and he turned his head slightly to look at her again.
"It might be for the better, Mimi. Without that knowledge, not even Tai will be able to figure it out. I barely can myself." He looked away and began driving.
"You sound as if you mean to say his death is a good thing," Mimi's eyes flashed suddenly with a pulsating anger. "You all move past it as if nothing had happened. Was he not important to the whole operation?"
Takeru's eyes remained focused on the road, noticing how the rain had now tapered off completely. It's still cloudy. There's still time…to do what, I do not know. But to Mimi he said nothing, as he had so many things on his mind that some could not be explained even at this meeting.
"Tai meant to kill me, Takeru. What if he had? Do you really think that the situation would be any different?"
"I can't explain it now, Mimi." He remained focused, both of his hands on the wheel.
"Maybe you can, and you won't. You just might know something more than what you've been telling me. Your conversation with Izzy, running off to see Kari..what did she want, anyway, that couldn't be discussed when-"
"-Mimi-" Takeru interjected, attempting to interrupt her, but she was talking too rapidly and furiously to stop.
"-another 'meeting' was scheduled? And notice how opportune the moment was, for when you ran off to see her, Tai suddenly shows up? Seems pretty-"
"-Mimi-"
"-obvious to me, I was right, they ARE working together, and you're just too blind to notice it-I bet she just set that up, all along, she and Tai, and they're in it with someone else, though I can't figure out who-"
"Mimi!" Takeru pulled the car over to the side, and she stopped speaking, and in the same moment her furious disposition seemed to vanish as she was so wound up in her emotions that Takeru found that she had been crying, crying and angry at the same time, bitter and desolate, and couldn't figure out how to deal. How to deal with the void inside of her, the loss of someone she loved, and the old pain of someone dying when she was the intended target. He hadn't paid too much attention when they got the news, but now the event again played in his mind. It had been too fast, too sudden.
"Tai failed, Mimi. And as long as he fails, we win."
"No matter how much life is lost?" She managed to say through her tears as Takeru pulled her closer to him, or attempted to, as they were still inside the car. Being next to Mimi was more tempting than being next to Hikari. For as much as she tempted him, it seemed more of a necessity. But this was completely different. Mimi's head was buried into his arm, just below his shoulder, and he could only see the top of her head, her long honey-colored hair aching to be touched, or so he felt, almost absently smoothing it down in the back, feeling tempted and awkward, awkward and tempted at the same time, the last real conversation he held with Koushiro still fresh in his mind, before he left to come to Kari's aid. Takeru tilted Mimi's head upwards so he could look into her eyes, placing a finger to her lips.
"Shhh. Death is a part of life. Maybe there is a reason you've been escaping these times."
"But TK-"
"Shh," He said again, releasing her as she sat upright in the passengers seat. "It's all right to grieve, but we still must go on. We'll be late, and there's still so much to discuss."
"The truth?" She replied, digging into her bag for a tissue.
Takeru sighed, turning away from her as he started up the car again. "All of us have things we aren't permitted to say, even you, Mimi."
He was met by no response.
: -: -: -: -:
A figure was waiting on the corner, briefly illuminated by the lamplight, and there seemed to be a slight impatience in it's manner as it's head glanced at a watch on it's wrist, then at the sound of approaching steps, turned and walked down the street until reaching a dark alleyway, into which it turned and walked, stopping by some large crates property of the establishment they were on the side of, and spoke, in a low, indistinguishable voice. "You're late, Tai."
The said man had just stepped from the sidewalk into the unlit alley, one arm over his chest as his dark jacket was concealing a slight bulge. The rain had tapered off momentarily, though now and then lightening would make a quick twist overhead. His dark brown hair was matted and still somewhat wild and untamed, though a good deal shorter than it had been in his youth. His tanned face was still somewhat smooth, with only a slight hint of stubble, as well as the appearance of some slight scratches and bruises, and still overall rough looking in appearance, quite different from the carefree boy he once was. Taichi spoke deftly, his dark eyes finding the person who had spoken to him. "I made a quick stop on the way."
"You could have cost us the entire operation," The figure rasped, the voice almost calm and with concealed amusement. The person's face was somewhat obscured by the darkness, as Taichi's was as well, but Taichi knew full well to whom he was speaking. "Luckily for you, the situation has been- rectified. Your blunder resulted in Izumi's death, but he was not able to ID anyone for the blonde brat. They will open the way for us, and we will follow. We can proceed as planned, even without Izumi.."
Taichi unzipped his jacket and handed the once concealed object, now revealed to being a laptop, over to the person with a raised eyebrow, his voice with a gruff overtone. "And how is it, that you know of the situation before of my telling you?"
The voice laughed, almost offhandedly. "One of my spies informed me. It's in your hands. You have to open the portal first."
: -: -: -: -:
The sound of footsteps creaking up a dark stairwell is heard, along with the faint humming of a slight, cheerful tune, and the shadowy silhouette of a woman, who turned the handle of the door carefully.
"Anyone here?"
"Just me." A voice replied from the back of the room.
"And you arrived here quicker than I did. What a surprise! Why in the dark?" The figure moved to the center of the room and pulled on the chain. The bulb flickered and remained on, though the lighting was not much better. "Ah, I see!"
"Not to mention with all the power outages all over. It gets worse and worse in here," The other woman remarked, gazing around with distaste.
"Why Sky, you haven't gotten used to it yet?"
"Don't push it, Light. I have a lot on my mind."
Hikari raised an eyebrow, but Takeru and Mimi came breathlessly into the room before she could respond.
"The clouds are still there," Takeru said as soon as they were completely inside and he had walked towards the window. "The question is; what do we do now? Without Izzy, we're pretty much stuck, and who knows what Tai will do."
Mimi's eyes were slightly red rimmed as she eyed Hikari and Sora. "Have you two no grief?"
"Mimi…" Takeru nudged her and she was silent, crossing the room to go to the couch, moth ridden and dirty though it may have seemed. He looked towards the other two almost apologetically.
Sora rolled her eyes, but her attention was averted when she glanced out the small window to the sound of a car pulling up. "There's Doc now."
Mimi looked up, an eyebrow raised slightly. "Doc?"
Sora shrugged. "Doc, Sky, Light, Angel. Little names we all delved for one another."
A moment later, the blue-haired Doctor appeared in the doorway, his face slightly ashen, but his dark eyes snapping. "I'm here. Not late, am I?"
"Nope. We've only just got here ourselves." Takeru sighed. "I suppose we better gather round and explain all we know and what's been happening. Without Izzy…"
"Without Izzy it's all rather pointless, isn't it? Now nothing is in the way to stop Tai from getting what he wants. Anyone have a light?" Sora fumbled in her purse for a cigarette.
"I do, if you have one of those to spare," Jyou said, as everyone seemed to ignore her sarcasm, pulling a lighter out of his pocket. Takeru and Hikari began setting up the crates and Jyou produced a laptop from his bag. "It's not as good or high-tech as Izzy's, but hopefully we can put it to the same use."
"But I thought only Izzy could open the portal?" Mimi frowned. "Either he helps them, or dies. He's dead now. Sora has a point."
"He had the codes and his laptop then. If he had been dead and his information in safekeeping, we wouldn't be as worried as we are now. But we KNOW that Tai's got the goods. We have no choice in the matter. The night Matt disappeared there was a lightening storm. This time.. it's planets." Jyou ended his sentence on a thoughtful note, his eyes drifting towards the window as he, took a cigarette from Sora.
"Though lightening may pay a part in it.." Takeru mused.
Hikari sat down on a crate. "We don't have much time. That rip can happen at any moment. They might even have the clue by now. We have to open the gate first."
"Do we even have the means to do that?" Sora raised a heavily penciled eyebrow. "And I thought the point was to prevent it from being opened?"
"We want to get there first, Sora, as it seems inevitable to defer Tai at this point. Open it, then shut it, before he has a chance to do anything at all." Hikari said, shaking her head. "Honestly, have you not been paying attention at all?"
"Obviously I had more important things to worry about." Sora replied, taking a heavy drag of her cigarette before pulling up her own crate, groaning and sitting down.
"Perhaps…though there are bound to be other ways. After all, we aren't entirely sure what happened to Matt, either," Jyou continued in response to Sora's first question with a slight frown, and then turned away from the screen. "Before he died, Koushiro mentioned getting a crucial piece of information. Angel has a copy of it. Don't you think it's time?"
Everyone turned to face Takeru, who nodded grimly, though the hand that reached for his jacket pocket was hesitant, as Koushiro's last words were ringing through his ears once again. "And now the final test..there isn't much, though.."
"You got new information?" Hikari's eyes lit up suddenly. "How come you didn't mention this to me before?"
"It wasn't the right time, Kari," Takeru said, shaking his head. "And yet the information is very little. We can't do much with it. Izzy said that it was difficult to maintain the connection long enough."
"What did it say?" Jyou was typing, his face illuminated by the screen. Sora leaned over his shoulder.
Takeru sighed. "Not much we can use. Just speaks of the possibility that Matt could still be alive in the Digital World. And that perhaps he's not alone either. As for what he's been doing, or whether this whole process will even work at all, we don't know. As for the rest of the code…" He handed Jyou some of the papers.
Jyou adjusted his glasses and frowned as he flipped through them. Mimi finally snapped out of her trance on the couch and jumped forwards. "What?"
Sora rolled her eyes. "We know you're very sensitive and all, but we've got important things to discuss here."
"Matt could be alive. What's more important than that?" Mimi countered, glaring at Takeru, her eyes flashing with furor. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I couldn't, Mimi. I wasn't even sure if I should bring it up now."
Mimi sank backwards a little, her right hand clasped in a fist over her bosom. "Why?" She said weakly.
Takeru sighed. "We need to focus on the truth, Mimi. We can't focus on a probability unless we have utter proof. Otherwise we'll be manipulated like chess pieces, unless we are already."
"But there was a lightening storm just a while ago, no?" Sora asked, taking a drag of her cigarette and seeming very bored. "Could nothing have been done then?"
Jyou shook his head. "Since no one is sure exactly HOW Matt disappeared. Except Tai, perhaps, and he won't tell us anything.."
Mimi tilted her head to the side. "But you were close with Matt, were you not? If he could keep this entire operation secret to me, there must be more that you aren't telling us. What happened to you after Matt disappeared?"
Jyou didn't blink. "We all have things that we aren't permitted to say."
Mimi's eyes flashed. "Isn't honesty the point here? If we have information, why don't we share it?"
Sora rolled her eyes. "This is not a meeting about personal goals or spiritual bonding. Perhaps you've been gone too long to realize that we are not as we were all those years ago. We are here for one purpose, and that is to stop Tai from getting his hands on the digital world. Anything we do personally is our own business. And unless you don't have anything to say that you want us to hear, I advise you not to dig in things that you have no business of knowing. That goes for me, as well as Angel, Jyou, and Hikari."
Mimi opened her mouth and closed it again, lapsing into a hurt silence and falling back onto the couch, as Sora took a drag of her cigarette and glanced lazily off into a corner of the room. Takeru was gazing out the window; Hikari and Jyou were speaking in whispers.
"If you want an angel, you're getting me instead." Takeru glared at the faint reflection that the glass brought to him, looking so much like his brother and seeing him say those words again to the stormy sky, and he felt consumed with a heated anger of wanting to put his fist through it, and sending the shards flying down. The others seemed to ignore him, or not hear him. The meeting was disintegrating slowly, like they were. He had to pull them together. More and more it wasn't –their- mess, it was –his- mess.
"Did you say something, Angel?" Hikari asked quietly. Takeru turned around slowly.
"We're going to have to stay together on this. The brunt of everything rested mostly on Yamato and Koushiro. But they're not here now, and suddenly it's all on me. We're all going to have to be on the same page."
Suddenly an issuing sound of beeps came from the laptop. Jyou turned around, color draining from his face. "He's doing it now, Angel. Taichi's opening the portal."
-Chapter 7-
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Takeru turned around in the corridor to the sounds of voices and rushing feet, and then looked up at Jyou, whose face had puzzlement and concern written on it as he went to speak to his colleagues. Takeru could hear their low voices but almost none of what was being said. Suddenly, Jyou's face paled as he turned and rushed down the corridor, the other doctors following him in a blur of white coats.
Takeru was a few steps behind the men as the door swung open, and there was Koushiro, pale against the sheets, and he seemed anxious, but had no words, and suddenly disappeared as a low monotonous beeping at first filled the room and Takeru's ears, growing louder and louder as more doctors rushed in. Their shouts were unclear as they had blended in with the background noise of the beeping, and Koushiro looked to Takeru with an almost beseeching gaze in his eyes before the lids slammed shut as he lost consciousness. "No," Takeru had cried out, breathlessly, but he didn't have time to move forward as he felt he was being tugged back; Jyou had his arm.
"We have to leave now," Jyou said, and there was an expression of pain in his face as Takeru looked up into it, "Somehow-he destabilized. They think it might have been a mistake in the prescription,"
And suddenly they were pressed out of the door, and running down the corridor to the women. Hikari was speaking, but her head turned at once towards them and her large russet eyes fixed upon them, and the question barely seemed to leave her lips when Mimi jumped up first clutching her hands to her chest. "Something's wrong, what is it?"
"Calm down a moment, we're not sure what's happening. But we're going to have an emergency meeting." Jyou spoke rapidly, almost rasping as he dabbed at his temples with an already damp hankie.
There were more footsteps loud in Takeru's ears and coming from behind him as he was suddenly aware of the starch whiteness of the place and yet it seemed unclean. And the steps came louder, accompanied by voices. "Doctor! Come in here, quickly!" And Jyou was gone, Takeru watched him disappear back into the room as he turned back to look at the women.
"It'll be all right, won't it, Angel?" Hikari had paled slightly, her voice wavering as she looked first at him and then her eyes hovered over to Mimi, who had slumped slightly on the wall.
"I don't know," Takeru closed his eyes for a moment, feeling enveloped in swirling voices and intensity. "It looked pretty bad. But his wounds weren't that bad, I don't understand it…"
"What do you mean?" Mimi gasped, as she was suddenly aware again, moving to clutch onto his arm, but only touched thin air as he pulled away and turned to go back down the corridor.
"Angel?" Hikari asked.
Takeru rushed now, almost as if he didn't hear them. Back to the room, the beeping, the voices shouting. "We're losing him." "What's going on?" "Keep trying." "Damn it! Try again." Then a long series of beeps followed, and Takeru heard Jyou mutter a word that he probably never would have said had all this not changed their lives. Knowing that there was not much else he could do by remaining there, he started to back out the room, when he heard Koushiro speak, or rather choke.
"Angel-please, I need to see him-news-important-"
Takeru pushed his way through; breathing heavily, on his face sweat gleamed under the bright lights. "What? What is it?"
Koushiro's breathing was very ragged. "Please. Leave us. There's nothing you can do for me. Please! I don't have that long."
Jyou motioned for the others to pull back. His dark eyes lingered on Koushiro as the other doctors spoke uncertainly to him. Takeru moved forwards quickly, leaning in and whispering.
"What is it?"
"He's not in this alone-He's going to be pulling out all the stops. Even with me gone-there is a spy-" his voice broke off as his breathing quickened. "It's the final test tonight, Angel. There isn't only one way-" he coughed, someone tried to rush over but Takeru wouldn't let himself be taken.
"Who is it, Izzy?" Takeru was filled with panic.
"Angel-it's--" Suddenly Koushiro's eyes moved from Takeru's face and his eyes looked for another as his broken whisper faded and he could barely mouth the name, and Takeru couldn't decipher it as the beeping started in again and he got pushed to the side.
"Go to the girls," Jyou said, guiding him out the door. "I'll be there soon."
"You have got to do something, Jyou." Takeru stumbled numbly, almost in a trance. "Koushiro knows, he knows something, Jyou!"
"Go, go to the girls."
"Something Jyou, you have to find out!" And he was shoved out of the room and looked at the backs of the doctors in their white coats gathering in the white room. "It can't be the end." Takeru stumbled backwards, then walking backwards, down the hall, his eyes wide open and then closed again as he moved a hand to wipe the sweat off his face, and his hand brushed against his golden hair. Hadn't he hardened himself against this sort of thing long before now? His mother's death, his brother's disappearance, he should be used to this. And what was the name? God Izzy, what were you trying to tell me?
And then it was over.
"Angel?" Hikari touched his arm, startling him.
"He knows something Kari. We've got to find out.." his voice broke off as Hikari nodded and stroked his hair with that solemn fawnlike expression which protected her innocence.
"We'll find out. It'll be that long enough. Izzy'll be safe. He has to be."
Takeru put his arm around her and let her rest her head on his shoulder, and he breathed in the cinnamon fumes.
A few moments later, footsteps came behind them, and Takeru, who was feeling slightly aroused by Hikari's aroma turned around to face the blue- haired doctor.
"There was something wrong with the iv- too much potassium, the morons. Not to mention he lost a lot of blood. The bullet had lodged deeply.." Jyou sighed, shaking his head. "I'll have to finish up some things here. We'll have to gather the rest of what we can. Someone has to get –Sora," His grim gaze met Takeru's, who nodded.
"What do you mean?" Mimi sputtered. "He can't be gone-he just can't be!"
"Kari, you take Mimi and head out. I'll get Sky and the other things." Hikari nodded, but Mimi shook her head.
"No, TK, I rather go with you, thanks."
Takeru sighed, but noting the distress in her voice nodded slowly. "Fine," He looked towards Hikari, who was staring at Jyou with her russet eyes wide with shock until she realized that Takeru was looking at her. "Kari, think you can handle the rest?" Their eyes met for a long moment.
"Of course, Angel. Jyou. Mimi." She said, nodding to the other two as she walked down the corridor and disappeared from their sight. Takeru sighed again as he watched after her, then glancing back at Jyou, who nodded, and turning back to Mimi slowly started walking down the halls.
They silently returned to Takeru's white mustang. The rain had definitely slowed down by now, and the sky was still dark. There was still some time, though the night was excruciatingly long. "The final test.." he whispered aloud to himself as he unlocked the doors. Mimi silently opened her door on the passenger side and slipped into the seat. He waited a few moments before turning the ignition, glanced over at Mimi, then back straight ahead, his hand absently reaching for the radio, then stopping short as he heard Mimi sigh next to him and he turned his head slightly to look at her again.
"It might be for the better, Mimi. Without that knowledge, not even Tai will be able to figure it out. I barely can myself." He looked away and began driving.
"You sound as if you mean to say his death is a good thing," Mimi's eyes flashed suddenly with a pulsating anger. "You all move past it as if nothing had happened. Was he not important to the whole operation?"
Takeru's eyes remained focused on the road, noticing how the rain had now tapered off completely. It's still cloudy. There's still time…to do what, I do not know. But to Mimi he said nothing, as he had so many things on his mind that some could not be explained even at this meeting.
"Tai meant to kill me, Takeru. What if he had? Do you really think that the situation would be any different?"
"I can't explain it now, Mimi." He remained focused, both of his hands on the wheel.
"Maybe you can, and you won't. You just might know something more than what you've been telling me. Your conversation with Izzy, running off to see Kari..what did she want, anyway, that couldn't be discussed when-"
"-Mimi-" Takeru interjected, attempting to interrupt her, but she was talking too rapidly and furiously to stop.
"-another 'meeting' was scheduled? And notice how opportune the moment was, for when you ran off to see her, Tai suddenly shows up? Seems pretty-"
"-Mimi-"
"-obvious to me, I was right, they ARE working together, and you're just too blind to notice it-I bet she just set that up, all along, she and Tai, and they're in it with someone else, though I can't figure out who-"
"Mimi!" Takeru pulled the car over to the side, and she stopped speaking, and in the same moment her furious disposition seemed to vanish as she was so wound up in her emotions that Takeru found that she had been crying, crying and angry at the same time, bitter and desolate, and couldn't figure out how to deal. How to deal with the void inside of her, the loss of someone she loved, and the old pain of someone dying when she was the intended target. He hadn't paid too much attention when they got the news, but now the event again played in his mind. It had been too fast, too sudden.
"Tai failed, Mimi. And as long as he fails, we win."
"No matter how much life is lost?" She managed to say through her tears as Takeru pulled her closer to him, or attempted to, as they were still inside the car. Being next to Mimi was more tempting than being next to Hikari. For as much as she tempted him, it seemed more of a necessity. But this was completely different. Mimi's head was buried into his arm, just below his shoulder, and he could only see the top of her head, her long honey-colored hair aching to be touched, or so he felt, almost absently smoothing it down in the back, feeling tempted and awkward, awkward and tempted at the same time, the last real conversation he held with Koushiro still fresh in his mind, before he left to come to Kari's aid. Takeru tilted Mimi's head upwards so he could look into her eyes, placing a finger to her lips.
"Shhh. Death is a part of life. Maybe there is a reason you've been escaping these times."
"But TK-"
"Shh," He said again, releasing her as she sat upright in the passengers seat. "It's all right to grieve, but we still must go on. We'll be late, and there's still so much to discuss."
"The truth?" She replied, digging into her bag for a tissue.
Takeru sighed, turning away from her as he started up the car again. "All of us have things we aren't permitted to say, even you, Mimi."
He was met by no response.
: -: -: -: -:
A figure was waiting on the corner, briefly illuminated by the lamplight, and there seemed to be a slight impatience in it's manner as it's head glanced at a watch on it's wrist, then at the sound of approaching steps, turned and walked down the street until reaching a dark alleyway, into which it turned and walked, stopping by some large crates property of the establishment they were on the side of, and spoke, in a low, indistinguishable voice. "You're late, Tai."
The said man had just stepped from the sidewalk into the unlit alley, one arm over his chest as his dark jacket was concealing a slight bulge. The rain had tapered off momentarily, though now and then lightening would make a quick twist overhead. His dark brown hair was matted and still somewhat wild and untamed, though a good deal shorter than it had been in his youth. His tanned face was still somewhat smooth, with only a slight hint of stubble, as well as the appearance of some slight scratches and bruises, and still overall rough looking in appearance, quite different from the carefree boy he once was. Taichi spoke deftly, his dark eyes finding the person who had spoken to him. "I made a quick stop on the way."
"You could have cost us the entire operation," The figure rasped, the voice almost calm and with concealed amusement. The person's face was somewhat obscured by the darkness, as Taichi's was as well, but Taichi knew full well to whom he was speaking. "Luckily for you, the situation has been- rectified. Your blunder resulted in Izumi's death, but he was not able to ID anyone for the blonde brat. They will open the way for us, and we will follow. We can proceed as planned, even without Izumi.."
Taichi unzipped his jacket and handed the once concealed object, now revealed to being a laptop, over to the person with a raised eyebrow, his voice with a gruff overtone. "And how is it, that you know of the situation before of my telling you?"
The voice laughed, almost offhandedly. "One of my spies informed me. It's in your hands. You have to open the portal first."
: -: -: -: -:
The sound of footsteps creaking up a dark stairwell is heard, along with the faint humming of a slight, cheerful tune, and the shadowy silhouette of a woman, who turned the handle of the door carefully.
"Anyone here?"
"Just me." A voice replied from the back of the room.
"And you arrived here quicker than I did. What a surprise! Why in the dark?" The figure moved to the center of the room and pulled on the chain. The bulb flickered and remained on, though the lighting was not much better. "Ah, I see!"
"Not to mention with all the power outages all over. It gets worse and worse in here," The other woman remarked, gazing around with distaste.
"Why Sky, you haven't gotten used to it yet?"
"Don't push it, Light. I have a lot on my mind."
Hikari raised an eyebrow, but Takeru and Mimi came breathlessly into the room before she could respond.
"The clouds are still there," Takeru said as soon as they were completely inside and he had walked towards the window. "The question is; what do we do now? Without Izzy, we're pretty much stuck, and who knows what Tai will do."
Mimi's eyes were slightly red rimmed as she eyed Hikari and Sora. "Have you two no grief?"
"Mimi…" Takeru nudged her and she was silent, crossing the room to go to the couch, moth ridden and dirty though it may have seemed. He looked towards the other two almost apologetically.
Sora rolled her eyes, but her attention was averted when she glanced out the small window to the sound of a car pulling up. "There's Doc now."
Mimi looked up, an eyebrow raised slightly. "Doc?"
Sora shrugged. "Doc, Sky, Light, Angel. Little names we all delved for one another."
A moment later, the blue-haired Doctor appeared in the doorway, his face slightly ashen, but his dark eyes snapping. "I'm here. Not late, am I?"
"Nope. We've only just got here ourselves." Takeru sighed. "I suppose we better gather round and explain all we know and what's been happening. Without Izzy…"
"Without Izzy it's all rather pointless, isn't it? Now nothing is in the way to stop Tai from getting what he wants. Anyone have a light?" Sora fumbled in her purse for a cigarette.
"I do, if you have one of those to spare," Jyou said, as everyone seemed to ignore her sarcasm, pulling a lighter out of his pocket. Takeru and Hikari began setting up the crates and Jyou produced a laptop from his bag. "It's not as good or high-tech as Izzy's, but hopefully we can put it to the same use."
"But I thought only Izzy could open the portal?" Mimi frowned. "Either he helps them, or dies. He's dead now. Sora has a point."
"He had the codes and his laptop then. If he had been dead and his information in safekeeping, we wouldn't be as worried as we are now. But we KNOW that Tai's got the goods. We have no choice in the matter. The night Matt disappeared there was a lightening storm. This time.. it's planets." Jyou ended his sentence on a thoughtful note, his eyes drifting towards the window as he, took a cigarette from Sora.
"Though lightening may pay a part in it.." Takeru mused.
Hikari sat down on a crate. "We don't have much time. That rip can happen at any moment. They might even have the clue by now. We have to open the gate first."
"Do we even have the means to do that?" Sora raised a heavily penciled eyebrow. "And I thought the point was to prevent it from being opened?"
"We want to get there first, Sora, as it seems inevitable to defer Tai at this point. Open it, then shut it, before he has a chance to do anything at all." Hikari said, shaking her head. "Honestly, have you not been paying attention at all?"
"Obviously I had more important things to worry about." Sora replied, taking a heavy drag of her cigarette before pulling up her own crate, groaning and sitting down.
"Perhaps…though there are bound to be other ways. After all, we aren't entirely sure what happened to Matt, either," Jyou continued in response to Sora's first question with a slight frown, and then turned away from the screen. "Before he died, Koushiro mentioned getting a crucial piece of information. Angel has a copy of it. Don't you think it's time?"
Everyone turned to face Takeru, who nodded grimly, though the hand that reached for his jacket pocket was hesitant, as Koushiro's last words were ringing through his ears once again. "And now the final test..there isn't much, though.."
"You got new information?" Hikari's eyes lit up suddenly. "How come you didn't mention this to me before?"
"It wasn't the right time, Kari," Takeru said, shaking his head. "And yet the information is very little. We can't do much with it. Izzy said that it was difficult to maintain the connection long enough."
"What did it say?" Jyou was typing, his face illuminated by the screen. Sora leaned over his shoulder.
Takeru sighed. "Not much we can use. Just speaks of the possibility that Matt could still be alive in the Digital World. And that perhaps he's not alone either. As for what he's been doing, or whether this whole process will even work at all, we don't know. As for the rest of the code…" He handed Jyou some of the papers.
Jyou adjusted his glasses and frowned as he flipped through them. Mimi finally snapped out of her trance on the couch and jumped forwards. "What?"
Sora rolled her eyes. "We know you're very sensitive and all, but we've got important things to discuss here."
"Matt could be alive. What's more important than that?" Mimi countered, glaring at Takeru, her eyes flashing with furor. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I couldn't, Mimi. I wasn't even sure if I should bring it up now."
Mimi sank backwards a little, her right hand clasped in a fist over her bosom. "Why?" She said weakly.
Takeru sighed. "We need to focus on the truth, Mimi. We can't focus on a probability unless we have utter proof. Otherwise we'll be manipulated like chess pieces, unless we are already."
"But there was a lightening storm just a while ago, no?" Sora asked, taking a drag of her cigarette and seeming very bored. "Could nothing have been done then?"
Jyou shook his head. "Since no one is sure exactly HOW Matt disappeared. Except Tai, perhaps, and he won't tell us anything.."
Mimi tilted her head to the side. "But you were close with Matt, were you not? If he could keep this entire operation secret to me, there must be more that you aren't telling us. What happened to you after Matt disappeared?"
Jyou didn't blink. "We all have things that we aren't permitted to say."
Mimi's eyes flashed. "Isn't honesty the point here? If we have information, why don't we share it?"
Sora rolled her eyes. "This is not a meeting about personal goals or spiritual bonding. Perhaps you've been gone too long to realize that we are not as we were all those years ago. We are here for one purpose, and that is to stop Tai from getting his hands on the digital world. Anything we do personally is our own business. And unless you don't have anything to say that you want us to hear, I advise you not to dig in things that you have no business of knowing. That goes for me, as well as Angel, Jyou, and Hikari."
Mimi opened her mouth and closed it again, lapsing into a hurt silence and falling back onto the couch, as Sora took a drag of her cigarette and glanced lazily off into a corner of the room. Takeru was gazing out the window; Hikari and Jyou were speaking in whispers.
"If you want an angel, you're getting me instead." Takeru glared at the faint reflection that the glass brought to him, looking so much like his brother and seeing him say those words again to the stormy sky, and he felt consumed with a heated anger of wanting to put his fist through it, and sending the shards flying down. The others seemed to ignore him, or not hear him. The meeting was disintegrating slowly, like they were. He had to pull them together. More and more it wasn't –their- mess, it was –his- mess.
"Did you say something, Angel?" Hikari asked quietly. Takeru turned around slowly.
"We're going to have to stay together on this. The brunt of everything rested mostly on Yamato and Koushiro. But they're not here now, and suddenly it's all on me. We're all going to have to be on the same page."
Suddenly an issuing sound of beeps came from the laptop. Jyou turned around, color draining from his face. "He's doing it now, Angel. Taichi's opening the portal."