Could You Read My Mind?

Author's Note: "Poems and songs are riddled with metaphors and similes—well, the good ones are." –English teacher. :crosses off list: Ah well, there goes my childhood dream of becoming a songwriter. And just when I got a good tune today too...

The script for the two episodes I put into this chapter were taken from a combination of FET's Fandub and Splash's Japanese translations. Just wanted to say that in case anyone decided to ask.

This would have to be a repost because I felt that the other one was somewhat...incomplete, I guess.

Disclaimer: Digimon and the characters do not belong to me. However, this story is mine to claim.

DigiFreak103, Yeah...well it's a better read for everyone when things flow together instead of just being all jumbled up thoughts. And thanks:)

Lavos, The Time Apocalypse, Uh...yes. What I meant to imply was Ryo's partner ..;; So at least we meant the same thing. To write Millenniumon's mind in general is going to be kind of difficult since I only know him through summaries of the WonderSwan Games—having not played the actual games myself—so I don't exactly know how he thinks...But I will try my best in later chapters.

Amethyst Blizzard, Wow...someone actually figured me out. I told ya'll that I was listening to the same song last chapter and the original line for Ryo's comeback was: "Then it appears as if I survived you.". I wanted to keep it that way, but I found out that they were talking in the third person so I had to change it. x) Well at least someone made the connection.

"I actually feel for the characters when you express them as you do - they just seem extremely real." O.o What the :rereads story ten times: Gah...why can't I find anything? Must the thing that makes me write like that be hidden! ;.; But no, I don't write like that. -.-

Chapter 4: A Little Rumour Goes A Long Way

Rumours, right? Seeing as how this information came from Jenrya, it was not likely. But when I'd first heard it from him my reaction had just been pure relief. I may have gotten over Leomon's death six months ago, but that did not mean that I was one to accept deaths easily. Ruki had become one of my best friends during that period—although we had only known each other for less than a year—and if she had actually fallen off...

I drowned away my surfacing shudder, doing my best to think of something else. Thank goodness Takato-kun(1) was with her at the time. I looked up from my position at the sink and saw that the boy had walked in, helping bring in the dishes I had volunteered to clean. Our eyes met for a moment and I had to smile. I didn't know whether or not my feelings had begun long before we became Tamers, but it had took the incident with the D-Reaper to open my eyes to the reality I had been too naïve to understand. Takato-kun had risked his life to save me, and his voice was the only one that had reached me.

"Katou-san! Beelzebumon is doing this for real! He's really trying to save you! I'm telling you the truth!"

I looked up despairingly at the sound of that familiar voice...It felt like I should be able to recognize it, but I couldn't amongst the foggy daze that was my mind. Yet the harder I tried to focus on this voice, the easier my thoughts came to me... "Ta..ka..to..kun?" Oddly enough, the strange words seemed to slowly lift the fog.

Suddenly, I heard a stream of steady punching and saw an Ultimate Digimon trying to beat his way into the sphere I was encased in. At my feet was Culumon, encouraging him on. "Damn it..." he kept repeating, his armoured fists swiping at the seemingly unbreakable barrier.

"Beel...zebu...mon..." the name felt heavy on my tongue but like the other word, it brought a dim memory to me. I thought back to what Takato-kun had said and then that was all I was able to say. "He came to...save...me?" The blanket that had bundled away my thoughts unwrapped and I blinked clear my eyes with surprise.

"Damn it!" I heard the Digimon roar. He pumped his shaking fist into the air, screaming his rage. "I-I need more power!"

I stood up as my own words sank in. "You're saving me, you're saving me Beelzebumon!" I gasped when I saw his pose, my eyes growing wider in shock. The reason why I was even stuck here came back to me when I saw my late partner's image replace the Ultimate's, his low, rough voice switching to the rich frequencies of the lion.

"Fist Of The Beast King!" Beelzebumon's fist glowed a bright orange and he threw the fireball my way; like my partner's attack, this attack was in the form of Leomon's face. His face shattered a hole into the sphere and I winced a bit at the light that flooded through, followed by a cool wind. Beelzebumon was holding onto the jagged edge of the hole, panting at the effort. At my feet, I dimly heard Culumon cheer.

A small grin broke onto Beelzebumon's face and he held out his clawed hand towards me. "Now hurry, come here." Sensing my hesitation, he asked me what was wrong before gasping when the edge started growing, trying to make the sphere a whole once more. "Hurry!"

I recoiled from him, feeling my tears begin again. The horrible event of that day came back to me and I was forced to relive the moment when Beelzebumon drove that very hand into Leomon, then mercilessly downloaded his data. 'No one can stop me! No one!' he'd cried that day, not allowing even the smallest hint of remorse as he met my eyes.

"Juri! Hurry, hurry up and go Culu!" the little Baby Digimon pushed hard against my foot, but his strength was limited and could not move it even an inch. "Juri!"

"What's wrong?" Beelzebumon repeated again; now the sphere had closed itself tightly around him and he could barely reach out toward me. "Hurry! Hurry Juri!" I could hear his evident panic as the sphere was seconds away from completing its goal. I knew I was the cause of his guilt and he wanted to be forgiven for what he had done, but he had killed my partner. Was that really forgivable? "What are you doing? Juri!"

"Leomon..." I whispered and watched the Ultimate's eyes widen, the reason behind my reluctance clear. He knew that I was not about to forgive him, not going to take his hand no matter how many times he called my name.

"KATOU-SAN!" I heard a voice cry out and that voice knocked me back to my senses, caused me to remember about our dispute with the D-Reaper.

I blinked away the tears and tried to look past this horrible Ultimate, to the Dukemon whom I knew was going to be there. "Takato-kun?" I whispered before the sphere swallowed me up once more.

From that moment, I knew that I didn't want to be saved by Beelzebumon but by Takato-kun. I don't know why he had been the only one to break my spell but I do know that I was grateful that he had fulfilled my wish. I heard Hirokazu say something outside and watched Takato-kun hurriedly rush out, almost forgetting to bow his head in respect—something he would almost always do. My smile grew wider and I quickly busied myself with the dishes. He could be that was sometimes—all old-fashioned and everything—but I couldn't blame him, I actually thought it cute.

"Juri! Juri!" A high voice echoed in my head. I wanted to continuing resting but I felt the comforting warmth of another human being and was compelled to open my eyes, to confirm that I was truly safe and not just dreaming.

"Katou-san! It's me!" His soft crimson eyes stared into mine with such relief that I was able to feel safe in his arms. I had never before seen such eyes and immediately concluded that I was dreaming. My mouth froze for a couple of seconds and saw that relief in his eyes begin to waver.

"Takato-kun?" I braved, sure that the dream was about to end.

The sound of his name solidified his smile and his joy was so contagious that I almost could feel it seeping into me. "It's me. I came and I'm here," he confirmed as Culumon looked on with his bright smile.

A slight smile formed on my own face, partially because of my exhaustion. "I'm happy. I really missed you."

"Me too."

I wanted to cry in relief. The nightmare was finally over and Takato-kun was by my side once more. Those two words alone forced me to wrap my arms around him and bury my face in his neck. I sensed his surprise but there was nothing I had to hide from him, least of all my feelings. He had been my knight in shining armour at my most desperate time.

I wondered if he had put away enough of his childish acts to feel what I felt. It was unlikely that he would change that drastically, but it was a small hope. I was suddenly aware that the living room had grown strangely silent and fleetingly wondered if we were out drinks or something, before scolding myself for thinking such a stupid thing. I saw Ruki pass my doorway and realized that it had been the birthday girl's departure that had silenced everyone.

Makino-san had picked up the microphone to try to get things back to normal and soon "My Tomorrow" had placed everyone back into casual talk. I looked around at my friends and saw that Takato-kun was staring down the hallway that Ruki had used, before proceeding to follow her out. He always put his friends before himself and would do anything to help a friend in need. Some may say that this characteristic was foolish, but I found it considerate of him.

I frowned. However, this time his action bothered me because it helped resurface Hirokazu's unlikely story. As I had not been at the playing field during Locomon's rampage Jen, Kenta, and Hirokazu helped summarize their experiences to me. Jen's recount had been about the very basics, pure fact. I knew that Kenta exaggerated the story a bit, especially during the part when they battled against Parasimon—I had trouble believing that MarineAngemon had defeated eight-tenths of them. But Hirokazu overstated the story even more than I could possibly imagine as his recount was based on pure opinion. He actually said that when Takato-kun had saved Ruki, he—

I closed my eyes and turned down the water a bit. How could I believe a pure Shiota story? I knew that he had made most of the story up so he could sound like he was greatly involved in it, so why did it bother me so? As Makino-san was still singing her song, I concentrated on the lyrics to avoid thinking about the boy's story.

My eyes fluttered open as Makino-san's last note echoed in the room, knowing that even in doing this I was not able to escape. For some reason the song reminded me of Takato-kun and as a result, leaded me to think about Hirokazu's crazy recount again. I briefly wondered why and thought back to the lyrics, comparing them to Guilmon's Tamer.

C'mon, start running now, to a place that's not on maps. Things to be afraid of, there are none. The eleven-year-old has always struck me as the adventurous type, especially with his love of Digimon. Open the unknown door to the other side of the world. Advance, advance, I'm not lost anymore. He had not been afraid when we were about to set off for the Digital World; he almost seemed apprehensive, thus further proving my adventurous view of him.

I suddenly heard the water beginning to rush again and was surprised to see Hata-san beside me, picking off where I left off. "These dishes aren't going to get washed themselves," she said teasingly.

I nodded my apology. "Sorry, I was busy thinking about something." Culumon floated in with some new dishes and placed them gently on the counter, panting his exhaustion. My smile flickered again and I patted his head softly, reaching over to readjust the small apron. The Baby let me and decided now to take a little break. I could tell that Hata-san was patiently waiting for me to continue so I did. "It's nothing really. I was just wondering about Takato-kun."

Hata-san responded with a knowing smile. "It's not a crime to like someone so you don't need to be so secretive." Pausing, she laughed. "That's what I tell keep on telling Ruki but she just won't listen."

I laughed along nervously, trying to hide the redness of my face. "I don't—"

The elder clicked her tongue with a shake of her head. "No, no. It's much too obvious so don't you dare try."

I sighed inwardly. Of course I couldn't fool Hata-san; after so many years on this earth, she's had the most experience with human beings and so could penetrate even the thickest mask with her wisdom. I conjured the most convincing smile I could muster and in an innocent voice I said, "Try what? It's really nothing. I was just wondering if he was tired or anything. You know, after what he did today." I silently cursed myself for being the one who brought the subject up. After all, the events today were the reason I was acting so down.

Hata-san sighed, her eyes telling me that she'd broken through my mask once more. "Juri, you shou—" She abruptly cut off to look behind her shoulder, her eyes widening in amusement. I hurriedly immersed myself in my work, scrubbing the plate so hard that it almost snapped in two.

Snapped in two—that was how I felt. I closed my eyes tightly to keep myself from choking on my tears. Takato-kun's action may have been nothing but it hurt me to even hear such things. Why did Hirokazu talk so much? Did he not know how I felt? Why did Takato have to be the one to save Ruki's life? Why was he even on that train? All selfish thoughts but I have been hurt enough in my lifetime; I couldn't stand losing Takato.

"Hata-san, I can take it from here," I heard him say in the voice that had this certain childish quality. I noticed that the quality had dimmed from the start of his Tamer career, but that was to be expected. Like I, he was growing up and so had to abandon all his childhood dreams; he had learned to take on the role of leadership and had a taste of how harsh life really was, something that would trigger a change in anyone.

"Thanks for the offer, Takato but I'm not one of those cranky grandmothers who complain about work. I do much of the chores as well," Hata-san answered with a smile in her voice.

"It's not that. I just want to help." I winced internally; why was I blaming him for helping my friend? It was a part of who he was so was I blaming him for being the boy I loved?

Hata-san resigned with a soft sigh and stepped away from the sink. "Have fun," she said before leaving the room completely. Through my confusion, I couldn't help a slight blush when Takato occupied the space beside me, a smile on his face. I tried to copy his action, failing terribly, and quickly delivered a plate to his gloved hands to divert my eyes.

I breathed in deeply as if by doing so could summon some courage. The eleven-year-old was right beside me now and I had to verify Hirokazu's words. "Is Ruki okay?"

He sighed before granting me an answer. "I don't know. I didn't get to ask her anything outside, but I hope she is. I feel like this is all my fault. If I hadn't told Hirokazu anything about what happened on the train, Ruki wouldn't have gotten upset. I mean, it is her birthday and everything and..." he trailed off, his blood red eyes falling to the ground. If he hadn't looked down he would have seen me gape at him, an indescribable fear breaking into my body. No, it can't be true...Hirokazu just can't be right!

Absent-mindedly, I closed off the running water and stumbled toward the table, practically throwing myself into the chair. Ridiculous thoughts flooded before my eyes, obscuring my sense of reason and destroying my arguments. Why—Takato—Ruki? I couldn't think properly and was slightly surprised when my vision blurred over with tears. Why—of all people—did Takato-kun have to be the one to break my heart?

From the corner of my eye, Takato-kun crossed and seated himself in the chair in front of me, a worried expression etched onto his face like stone. "Katou-san, are you okay?" he asked slowly and I almost wanted to bawl out loud. Why didn't he go and comfort Ruki? Why was he so obviously concerned about me? I couldn't stand it; I couldn't stand knowing that this boy was the one I'd lost.

"Takato! Just stop it!" I burst out and slammed my hands on the tabletop, standing up to emphasize my point. I didn't want to see him and broke out into a run, past the surprised faces staring at me. "I'm leaving!" I managed to choke out, breaking free from the four-walled living room.

The sky gave off a light purple glow as the sun was close to dying once again, my vision obscured by the rising darkness. I hesitated from a second to collect my surroundings, running towards the large red doors that signalled the exit. A set of pounding footsteps was audible and I knew at once that Takato-kun was trying to catch me. Why did he have to be so kind and caring? Why couldn't he just leave me alone?

His hand closed around my wrist tightly, stopping me in my run. "Katou-san," he panted. "Why are you acting this way? What did I do?"

What did he do? I felt a harsh laugh rising in my throat. I was right; although Takato had grown much this past year, he had not completely put aside his childish attitude. "Why are you here Takato? You don't think that you've hurt me enough?"

"Hurt?" he echoed as if he didn't understand the meaning of the word. "I wouldn't hurt you, Katou-san."

I turned to face him, seeing the genuine shock that crossed his features at my look. My eyes were probably red after all the crying I did and I was sure that my hair was a mess. His maroon eyes probed mine desperately for an answer and I immediately gave one to him. "It's too late Takato, you already did."

"I-I don't understand..."

"Stop it!" I repeated, allowing my tears to flow freely now. "I know that it's Ruki you like so you don't have to pretend anymore. I always thought that it was I but today you've proved me wrong."

"What? R-Ruki?" His eyes widened significantly and he hastily let go of my hand, shrinking back in pure disbelief. I saw it right then and instantly realized that Hirokazu had been lying all along. I had known it as well, but why had I tricked myself into believing his story?

"Oh my...I'm sorry Takato," I gasped, reaching my hand out for acceptance. He was just gaping at me with pure disbelief, shaking his head slightly. I'd hurt him and already I was asking for his forgiveness? It was not to be; this game was going to end in a draw.

I bit down on my lip and turned away from the boy, breaking into a sprint and scolding myself for thinking so much. It was ironic that before I had thought I lost Takato when in reality he was still within my grasp. I had loosened my grip and now both of us were hurt because of my foolishness. Why did I make such a big deal out of something so little? I had lost my mother, my partner, and now Matsuda Takato—was my life to always follow this path?

(1) This was actually how she addressed him during the last Japanese two episodes (I would know, I have them) and since this takes place after the D-Reaper incident...lol.

Author's Note: I was actually listening to Owaranai Monogatari (Never-Ending Story) as I wrote this; for those of you who don't know what that is, it is Jeri and Leomon's duet song. I didn't understand any of the lyrics, but the sound of the song itself was enough to touch me. )

No, I realize that it's not much of a change from yesterday but at least now it seems more..."fuller" I guess is the word. I had, originally, decided to end the story here but that wouldn't have been a very nice ending now would it? With that in mind, remember that updates will not be as frequent due to Writer's Block and schoolwork. X.x

Seems like I'm having a summary crisis for this story—practically because of the various POVs and my inability to summarize all of them in one constant summary. Ah well, 'til our next meeting.