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Author's Notes: Less editing will now be done, since later chapters are more recent and closer to my liking. However, revision with names, spelling, punctuation, and grammar will continue.

Love Knows No Bounds
Bind 8: Reconfiguration

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A trembling form laid on her bed crying out her broken heart. Her body, mind, and soul aching with so much pain, the shattered girl had no idea how much more she could take. Her cheek still stung from where Takeru had slapped her; the pain would haunt her to her grave. Over and over again, repeatedly in her thoughts Hikari saw Takeru's hand rushing towards her face. The loud, angry sound on impact echoed through her deaf ears.

And for all the pain, she deserved every bit of it. For what she did, Hikari deserved all the sadness she felt now. 'I can't believe it—Takeru's gone, and he's never coming back! It's my fault!' Hikari cried bitterly. 'I should have never hurt him, my best friend.'

Leaning against the doorposts of the darkened room, Taichi helplessly watched Hikari mourn. The dark sky rumbled and growled with a looming storm; the heavens lamented in its own way. But the room emitted greater darkness with the gloom and sadness that surrounded the grieving Child of Light. The older Yagami had never seen his little sister so depressed. Yet never had Hikari's best friend died a tragic death. A feeling of regret washed over Taichi's mind, remembering what he had done after Takeru had struck Hikari. Taichi scowled at the memory.

BAM!

'Takeru, I never thought you would ever—' Taichi's voice trailed off, the young man breathless from fury and despair. How dare Takeru strike Taichi's little sister? But the old leader's heart held regret as well. Taichi mourned that Takeru had succumbed to the Darkness. 'Takeru, I'm so sorry.'

If anyone had asked Taichi months before if he thought that Takaishi Takeru would strike his little sister, Yagami would have laughed and called the person insane. Takeru turning on Hikari was as likely him taking over the Digital World; however, the blonde boy had proven otherwise, thus the feelings of discord between Takaishi and younger Yagami. Taichi never imagined that Fate would give Takeru a cruel destiny.

'It was so obvious. It had been so obvious from the start.' So why did Taichi not notice? Why had he not seen the problem from the beginning? If only had he have done the right thing before all of this. 'How could I have been so blind? It was my fault that Takeru had become like this, and now—he's gone. He's gone forever, and it's my fault.'

The phone rang, stirring the mahogany-haired lad from his thoughts. Taichi sighed as he left his watching post and turned to answer the phone. "Hello? Yagami residence," he answered indifferently, his voice almost emotionless.

"Taichi, it's me, Yamato," the caller responded. For a moment, he had almost remained silent, shocked by the dead tone his friend used. He knew Takeru's death weighed heavily on Taichi's heart, as much as it did on everyone else; but even the others did not possess such a lifeless voice.

"Oh, Yamato," Taichi greeted, his mood slightly lightening, "Where are you calling from?" Hearing Yamato's voice somehow comforted Taichi, reminding him the present was not the end. Life could and would continue. "Did you make back home safely?"

Ignoring his friend's questions, Yamato blurted, "Taichi, you won't believe what I found."

"What?" Taichi listened closely, curious by his best friend's sudden behavior. Yamato's voice was rushed and fast-paced, as if he were very excited about something. What had happened from Yamato's trip to the Digital World to the Real World?

"Takeru's alive! He's asleep, in his bed, in his house! Mother found him here, fast asleep, just a few minutes ago!" Yamato exclaimed in one breath. He could barely contain his excitement and did not care if Taichi though him childish. His brother was alive—His younger brother was still alive!

"WHAT?"

The phone trembling in his hands, Taichi stared at the wall in a daze. He could not believe what he had heard. If Takeru still lived, then the young man had somehow escaped the base without the others noticing. Without doubt, Taichi celebrated Takeru's survival; however, suspicion wormed its away into his heart. Frowning, the Child of Courage pondered the possibilities. 'Was there a portal in the Kaiser's base? Is that how he survived?' A darker thought cast its shadow over Yagami's thoughts. 'Or maybe something else had helped Takeru escape.'

Without taking a break or noticing his friend's sudden silence, Yamato quickly explained the situation and how his mother had found Takeru sleeping in his room. After a few quick assurances and agreements, Taichi said, "Don't worry, Yamato. Hikari and I will be there in a few minutes." He quickly hung up the phone and went to his mourning sister.

"Hikari!" Taichi muttered, shaking his sister gently. The young lady did not stir; she only continued weeping into her bed for her lost friend. Taichi scowled at her and unresponsiveness. His brown eyes glared at his little sister, wondering for how long she would stay depressed and unwilling, how long she wander dangerously in darkness. Taichi would not have a sister like this—he knew that he did not have a sister like this.

"Hikari! Stop crying!" he yelled angrily and annoyed, his hair now going all disarray, even if it already shot in every direction. Curling into a tighter ball, Hikari felt hurt with her brother's sharp words. She had thought he would understand her sorrow. "Look, I'm sorry for yelling at you, but hurry up and get up!"

The young lady made no motion to move, which earned a glare from her older brother. "Fine! You can stay here and cry all day while I go see Takeru," Taichi shouted, stomping out of the bedroom. In a second, Hikari's gaze locked onto her brother's form.

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Hikari gasped for air beside her brother, both out of breath and soaking wet. They had run all the way from their home to Takeru's. On the way there, the storm clouds had finally let loose their wrath and tears, which only made Hikari more desperate to see Takeru. The stormy clouds reminded Hikari of Takeru's eyes, his eyes when she had last seen him: full of chaos. 'I hope that I can speak to him and apologize,' Hikari thought, biting her lip anxiously. 'I need to apologize to Takeru.'

"Where is he?" Taichi finally heaved with his hands on his knees.

"He's in his room. Follow me," Yamato motioned, readily leading his friends into the apartment. As the three Chosen Children entered Takeru's room, they gaped. Ishida could not believe his eyes. "Takeru, he's—gone. But—but he was here! I swear it!" Yamato yelled, scanning his brother's room in a panic.

Right then, a flashing light caught Hikari's eye. Takeru's monitor blinked while various programs ran, and Hikari recognized one of them. Beside the computer rested Takaishi's white bucket hat. "Yamato, he was here, and I know where he went," Hikari said, bringing out her digivice from her pocket and walking towards Takeru's desk.

'I'm going to find him, see him again,' the brunette girl reassured herself. She stared at the monitor with strong resolve. 'I'm going to find Takeru and make things right.'

She raised her device in front of the monitor and firmly shouted, "Digital port open!" Before Yamato or Taichi could stop her, Hikari entered the Digital World, the dimensional port closing and locking immediately after her.

-

"Where am I?" Takeru wondered, walking mindlessly but steadily towards an unknown destination. He treaded onward with no memory or care, as if life no longer mattered. Why was he here? Why had the Digital World called for him when he had betrayed it? Why did it call him when he no longer possessed his Chosen trait? What purpose did he have left?

"We've arrived at Primary Village, Lord," BlackTailmon informed, strolling loyally by Takeru's side. "Remember? You left Primary Village untouched since you believed it neutral territory."

Tears came to Takeru's azure eyes at the mention of the village. "P-primary Village?" He stopped a moment and gazed at his surroundings. "You mean where all the Digimon are reborn?" the young man asked with a little hope in his shaky voice. BlackTailmon nodded tentatively in reply. Slowly but surely, Takeru recognized all the bright colors and sounds of newborn Digimon.

'Patamon.'

"Ha! Patamon!" The blonde lad jumped up excitedly, new life lighting his gloomy face. He smiled at his dark companion. "He's got to be here! He's just got to be!" Takeru ran as fast as he could into the Village, BlackTailmon right at his heels.

"Patamon! Patamon!" Takeru called out. "Patamon!" He desperately searched and searched for the egg he had seen when he was eight years old, hoping beyond hope he would see it. He had to find it. 'Patamon's egg, it has to be here!' Five years had passed since he had last seen Patamon's egg, but Takeru remembered well enough what it looked like. The image of it was as vivid as ever within his mind. "White and yellow stripes—It has to be here. Where is it?"

Takeru looked through all the eggs around him, and he did find white and yellow striped eggs, by the tons. But they were not Patamon's egg, his Patamon's. "I can't find it! I can't find Patamon's egg!" he cried miserably, falling to his knees. BlackTailmon snuggled Takeru beneath his chin, trying to offer him whatever comfort she could give.

"Lord Takeru, please don't cry. It makes me sad when I see you cry."

"I can't help it! It's my fault! Patamon's gone forever, and it's all because of me!" Takeru sobbed into his hands. His blue eyes were filled with tears of remorse, loneliness, anger, and darkness.

"You bet it is!" a small voice added.

"Who said that?" Takeru asked, tears still in his eyes while he looked up.

"It's your fault that Patamon's gone!" Takaishi turned around and spotted the small stone cradles that held the baby Digimon. Seeing the infant monsters, Takeru then realized that the baby Digimon spoke to him.

Another baby Digimon spoke up after the first. "And you're supposed to be protecting us!" it snapped coldly.

"Look at you!" yet another piped with a harsh glare. "You're evil! Some Chosen Child you are!"

"You've become something that you're supposed to be fighting against. What kind of Keeper of Hope are you?" another baby sneered. "We don't want a Digimon killer as a protector for our World."

Seeing the truth in their verbal attacks, Takeru began to weep once more, mourning for the loss of his Digimon partner and his incompetence as a Chosen Child. 'They're right, they're all right,' he cried in his mind. His face was in his hands, tears forming puddles in his palms. 'I surrendered the Digital World to Darkness—I let everyone, Patamon down. I let everyone down: Patamon, Hikari, Yamato—the others. I am evil.'

Before another Digimon could attack Takeru, BlackTailmon intervened, growling and glaring at the babies. "That's it! If any of you say another bad thing about or to Lord Takeru, you're going to get it! And I don't care if you were hatched just three seconds ago!" BlackTailmon angrily threatened while flexing her sharp claws.

"Why are you standing up for him? You aren't even his Digimon partner!" another little one yelled.

"That doesn't mean that I can't stand up for him! Lord Takeru is my friend, and I'm not going to let anyone harm or harass him! In fact, I'm going to—" The dark feline monster was going to say more but was silenced by Takeru's hand on her head.

"That's enough, BlackTailmon. Let's just go," Takeru muttered despondently, slowly rising to his feet. "We don't want to cause any more trouble." He and BlackTailmon walked out of the Village and wandered into the woods, right on the outskirts of Primary Village. The forest the two had wandered into was dark and damp, the trees icily glaring at the two intruders; the feeling of it sent chills up BlackTailmon's spine. She did not receive a benevolent sensation from the forest, yet Takeru seemed somewhat at home here.

'The cold—it feels so nice,' he thought while shuffling through the woods. 'It's like reaching the shade after being in the sun too long—being exposed to the light too long.' A relieved sigh escaped Takeru's lips, which received a worried look from BlackTailmon. Darkness seemed to be emitting from him, as if he were beacon for it.

"Lord Takeru, are you all right?" BlackTailmon inquired apprehensively, sincere compassion in her voice. The touch of her paw on his arm awoke Takeru from his mindless reverie.

"No, I'm not all right, BlackTailmon. I'm all alone." His quiet remark caught the Digimon by surprise. "I'm all alone. No one cares about me."

"That's not true!" the ebony cat yowled, butting her head against the human in protest. "Someone does care about you. I care about you, Lord Takeru." Takeru smiled a small smile at the little Digimon and petted her thankfully.

"I think you and Patamon were the only ones who truly cared for me." BlackTailmon looked sadly at Takeru, her blue eyes softening at the sight of the blonde human. She knew that his words could not be true. At the base BlackTailmon had seen love and care come from the other Children to Takeru, especially from one certain person.

"But what about that girl at the base?" Takeru frowned, knowing of which girl BlackTailmon spoke. The young lady's image had haunted Takeru for so many years, always coming to him in his dreams; and yet now her enlightening spirit threw a dark shadow over Takeru's mind.