CHAPTER 20
"Who's Leonard?" Koji asked.
"She is-was-the third Keeper." Lisa replied quietly. "A few months ago, she mysteriously left the Human World . . . we assumed she just had some simple business to tend to here, so we didn't think much about it." Lisa said in a choked voice. "So we waited for her to come back, but she didn't. We still didn't look into the matter. Then, that one fateful day came when we were contacted and told she had been captured and destroyed. We inherited her powers. Sao got mad."
"She's always mad at something . . . for some reason we seem to be the reason ever since we met her. What's she got against the world?" Takuya asked, crossing his arms in front of him.
"I know it may seem that way to you, but she has her reasons. It's not your fault. Even though she's often mad, she rarely acts on her anger. But this was different. Losing Leonard to that creep pushed her off the edge. That's when we followed her to the Digital World. You know what happened after that." Lisa said solemnly.
"Who destroyed Leonard?" Zoe asked.
"Pharaohmon. He's the new evil that we've got to destroy to return peace to both worlds." Lisa replied. She then looked up at the others, silent tears streaming down her face. "I just can't stand to loose her. She's my best friend."
"Oh Lisa . . ." Zoe breathed, sadness and sympathy weighing down her voice.
"She'll make it." Takuya said firmly.
"Takuya, have you even seen her? She's over half dead already. You've gotta admit, her chances are slim." Koji said.
"The one thing I've learned about her since I met her is that she never gives up. She's a fighter." Takuya said, reassuring Lisa with a smile.
"Come, let us get some rest-we'll need it." Wizardmon said.
"I'm going to sit up with Sao." Lisa said quietly, entering her friend's room.
"Later guys." Koji said quietly, following Wizardmon down the corridor.
Zoe watched the two go, then, when they had entered their rooms, she turned to Takuya a gave him a bittersweet smile.
Takuya's expression turned confused. "Z? What is it?"
Zoe meekly handed him his light brown hat containing his goggles and D-Tector. "Here."
Takuya took them with a grateful smile and placed the hat on his head backwards, then snapped the goggles on over it. He kept his D-Tector in his hand.
Zoe gave him another smile, hints of sadness still showing on her face.
"Zoe, what's wrong?"
Zoe shook her head. "It's nothing." She replied, taking her eyes off his face.
"Zoe, look at me." Takuya said softly.
Zoe shook her head, even though her mind was telling her to obey. What was wrong with obeying his request?
"Please."
Zoe sighed sadly and looked up, her eyes meeting his.
"Zoe, tell me what's wrong." Takuya said firmly, but kindly.
"It's just . . . never mind."
"What?"
"I was afraid I'd lose you." Zoe replied softly after a pause.
"Lose me? What're you talking about, Z?"
"You were so weak. We were having our doubts that you'd make it. You were on the brink of death for so long . . . it scared me." Zoe answered, tears welling in her eyes as she looked away from him again.
"Death?" Takuya asked, a perplexed tone in his voice. "How long . . . ?"
"Four days." Zoe replied, her voice barely above a whisper.
"That explains a lot." Takuya said. He looked at Zoe with a soft concern. "Hey Z, relax. I'm fine, see?" He said, putting his D-Tector in his pocket and wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulders.
Zoe nodded, tears still slowly falling down her face. She turned to face him and gave him a quick hug and a small peck on the cheek. "Thanks Takuya. But never scare me like that again, okay?"
"Deal Z. Night." Takuya said, giving her shoulders a small squeeze before heading back to his room.
The bright mid-morning beams of sunlight spilled through the window and into the room. The fire had long since died in the fireplace, with no fresh things to burn.
The sunlight fell on Takuya's face, the warmth causing him to wake gently. He sat up with a moan, then stifled a yawn as he looked around the brightly lit room.
Takuya stumbled out of his room, yawning, and slowly made his way to the room where the group had spoken the night before.
Koji, Zoe, Lisa, and Wizardmon were spread out and talking softly.
"Hey guys." Takuya greeted somewhat groggily.
"Hi Takuya." Zoe greeted with a smile that went unnoticed by the others.
Wizardmon suddenly stiffened. "Oh no."
"What is it, Wizardmon?" Zoe asked.
"Sao's energy aura just dropped down another level. If it gets any lower, there'll be no way she can live." Wizardmon explained, running towards the door to Sao's room.
The humans followed as quickly as they could.
Wizardmon stopped dead in his tracks halfway across the room and the Warriors fell, trying to avoid colliding with the Digimon.
"What's the deal?!" Takuya yelled somewhat angrily from the floor.
"We're too late." Wizardmon replied quietly.
The Warriors' expressions suddenly turned somber.
"What do you mean 'too late'?" Lisa asked forcefully.
"She's dead."
Lisa's expression turned to horrified disbelief and her face turned pale. "D-Dead?" She asked in a high, choked voice.
"Yes. I'm sorry we couldn't do more." Wizardmon replied quietly.
[a/n: I know this was an emotional chapter-specifically based on the relationship between the three Keepers. Now, think about it this way: How would you feel if you had lost two friends you had known forever (literally) and now you had to find a way to avenge them? Yeah, you get the picture. Sorry if you didn't like it, but I'll try and make it more 'normal' (well, at least MY version of normal! :P) next chapter. Please review.]
"Who's Leonard?" Koji asked.
"She is-was-the third Keeper." Lisa replied quietly. "A few months ago, she mysteriously left the Human World . . . we assumed she just had some simple business to tend to here, so we didn't think much about it." Lisa said in a choked voice. "So we waited for her to come back, but she didn't. We still didn't look into the matter. Then, that one fateful day came when we were contacted and told she had been captured and destroyed. We inherited her powers. Sao got mad."
"She's always mad at something . . . for some reason we seem to be the reason ever since we met her. What's she got against the world?" Takuya asked, crossing his arms in front of him.
"I know it may seem that way to you, but she has her reasons. It's not your fault. Even though she's often mad, she rarely acts on her anger. But this was different. Losing Leonard to that creep pushed her off the edge. That's when we followed her to the Digital World. You know what happened after that." Lisa said solemnly.
"Who destroyed Leonard?" Zoe asked.
"Pharaohmon. He's the new evil that we've got to destroy to return peace to both worlds." Lisa replied. She then looked up at the others, silent tears streaming down her face. "I just can't stand to loose her. She's my best friend."
"Oh Lisa . . ." Zoe breathed, sadness and sympathy weighing down her voice.
"She'll make it." Takuya said firmly.
"Takuya, have you even seen her? She's over half dead already. You've gotta admit, her chances are slim." Koji said.
"The one thing I've learned about her since I met her is that she never gives up. She's a fighter." Takuya said, reassuring Lisa with a smile.
"Come, let us get some rest-we'll need it." Wizardmon said.
"I'm going to sit up with Sao." Lisa said quietly, entering her friend's room.
"Later guys." Koji said quietly, following Wizardmon down the corridor.
Zoe watched the two go, then, when they had entered their rooms, she turned to Takuya a gave him a bittersweet smile.
Takuya's expression turned confused. "Z? What is it?"
Zoe meekly handed him his light brown hat containing his goggles and D-Tector. "Here."
Takuya took them with a grateful smile and placed the hat on his head backwards, then snapped the goggles on over it. He kept his D-Tector in his hand.
Zoe gave him another smile, hints of sadness still showing on her face.
"Zoe, what's wrong?"
Zoe shook her head. "It's nothing." She replied, taking her eyes off his face.
"Zoe, look at me." Takuya said softly.
Zoe shook her head, even though her mind was telling her to obey. What was wrong with obeying his request?
"Please."
Zoe sighed sadly and looked up, her eyes meeting his.
"Zoe, tell me what's wrong." Takuya said firmly, but kindly.
"It's just . . . never mind."
"What?"
"I was afraid I'd lose you." Zoe replied softly after a pause.
"Lose me? What're you talking about, Z?"
"You were so weak. We were having our doubts that you'd make it. You were on the brink of death for so long . . . it scared me." Zoe answered, tears welling in her eyes as she looked away from him again.
"Death?" Takuya asked, a perplexed tone in his voice. "How long . . . ?"
"Four days." Zoe replied, her voice barely above a whisper.
"That explains a lot." Takuya said. He looked at Zoe with a soft concern. "Hey Z, relax. I'm fine, see?" He said, putting his D-Tector in his pocket and wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulders.
Zoe nodded, tears still slowly falling down her face. She turned to face him and gave him a quick hug and a small peck on the cheek. "Thanks Takuya. But never scare me like that again, okay?"
"Deal Z. Night." Takuya said, giving her shoulders a small squeeze before heading back to his room.
The bright mid-morning beams of sunlight spilled through the window and into the room. The fire had long since died in the fireplace, with no fresh things to burn.
The sunlight fell on Takuya's face, the warmth causing him to wake gently. He sat up with a moan, then stifled a yawn as he looked around the brightly lit room.
Takuya stumbled out of his room, yawning, and slowly made his way to the room where the group had spoken the night before.
Koji, Zoe, Lisa, and Wizardmon were spread out and talking softly.
"Hey guys." Takuya greeted somewhat groggily.
"Hi Takuya." Zoe greeted with a smile that went unnoticed by the others.
Wizardmon suddenly stiffened. "Oh no."
"What is it, Wizardmon?" Zoe asked.
"Sao's energy aura just dropped down another level. If it gets any lower, there'll be no way she can live." Wizardmon explained, running towards the door to Sao's room.
The humans followed as quickly as they could.
Wizardmon stopped dead in his tracks halfway across the room and the Warriors fell, trying to avoid colliding with the Digimon.
"What's the deal?!" Takuya yelled somewhat angrily from the floor.
"We're too late." Wizardmon replied quietly.
The Warriors' expressions suddenly turned somber.
"What do you mean 'too late'?" Lisa asked forcefully.
"She's dead."
Lisa's expression turned to horrified disbelief and her face turned pale. "D-Dead?" She asked in a high, choked voice.
"Yes. I'm sorry we couldn't do more." Wizardmon replied quietly.
[a/n: I know this was an emotional chapter-specifically based on the relationship between the three Keepers. Now, think about it this way: How would you feel if you had lost two friends you had known forever (literally) and now you had to find a way to avenge them? Yeah, you get the picture. Sorry if you didn't like it, but I'll try and make it more 'normal' (well, at least MY version of normal! :P) next chapter. Please review.]