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Author's Note: Beginning of third arc.

Love Knows No Bounds
Bind 12: Revelation I

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"Takeru! Takeru!" Hikari's sweet and clear voice echoed out throughout the Digital World. "Takeru! Where are you? Please, answer me!" The young lady searched all around her, trying to find the blonde boy, her best friend, Takeru.

Hikari had been searching for Takeru for a long while now, and she still found no sign of the young man. The younger Yagami could feel her voice grow hoarse and raspy from yelling out for hours, calling for her other half of her heart. Even as she lost her voice, Hikari continued her search. She would not give up now—never again would Yagami Hikari give up on Takaishi Takeru. 'I have to find him. I have to find you, Takeru.'

"Takeru, where are you?" Hikari cried out sadly. The blowing wind carried her voice, any being able to hear her from miles away. She stood on a ledge that looked over the Digital World, hoping she could spot some sign of her friend. After all, the port had led her to this place, and Hikari knew that Takeru was not far from her location. 'Oh, Takeru, where are you? Please don't run from me. I need to see you. I need to hear your voice, feel your arms around me. I need to tell you—I need to tell you how I truly feel.'

She tried to remember Takeru's sweet, happy face, like the one he would have whenever the two of them played with each other as young children. Hikari tried to remember the Takeru who had gladly accompanied her to New York City; but no, Hikari could not remember that Takeru. She could not remember the Takeru from before—the only Takeru that Hikari's mind would remember was the sad, lonely young man she had seen at the Digimon Kaizer's base. 'Oh, Takeru,' Hikari sighed sadly.

Hikari spotted Primary Village down below the cliff, the village of baby Digimon resting peacefully in the middle of a bright, sweet-smelling flower field. Orange and yellow flower petals swirled around in the air as the warm, gentle breeze blew them away. 'This place, this world seemed so peaceful and bright, yet this world holds such a Darkness and turmoil.' Hikari quickly searched for Takeru, more desperate then ever. She saw no sign of the Chosen Child of Hope. However, her thoughts wandered while running past the flower field. 'I remember that field. Of all places, I wouldn't think that Takeru would want to come back here. Why would he come back here, the place where all the hurt began?'

'Um—So what is it that you wanted, Takeru?' Hikari asked innocently, looking around. She and Takeru were currently alone in the wild-flower field beside Primary Village. The field had the smell of sweet roses and daisies, the air crisp and fresh; and the area around them, Hikari noted privately to herself, seemed awkwardly quiet.

Takeru took a deep breath. He looked at Hikari with deep sincerity and kindness, a look Taichi possessed when he had something extremely important to say. Hikari realized that her friend had something of utmost importance to tell her that he did not want others to know, especially if Takeru had made her come all the way into this isolated area. 'What could be so important that Takeru would want no one but me to hear?'

'Hikari, I—I don't know how long I've—I don't know exactly for how long I've felt this way about you, but—'

Hikari felt fear strike her heart. A wave of sudden shock crawled down her spine. Takeru could not—He could not possibly be feeling like that for—it just was not like Takeru to—Hikari's mind whirled with confused thoughts. 'Please, don't say that Takeru—'

'What are you saying, Takeru?' Hikari asked.

Her voice seemed a little afraid. She was scared of what Takeru was going to say. And if it was what she thought, Hikari could not bear the thought of what her reply would be. 'Please, Takeru—please say anything but that; please say anything, anything at all.'

'Hikari, ever since I had gotten to know you when we were young, I've held this—I've had this feeling locked away in my heart. I've always felt this way about you, but I was too young to understand my feelings. Hikari, I—I don't know how to say this right, but—but I—Hikari, I—I love you."

Hikari, dumbstruck, stared at Takeru. He stared back at her, gentleness, sincerity, and kindness all in his eyes. 'No, Takeru! Why, Takeru—why did it have to be love?' Hikari licked her dry lips, trying to find the right words to say. She needed to say the right thing, or else everything she had ever shared with Takeru, their memories, their time, their love, would all disappear. 'Takeru—'

'I know that you might not feel the same. Hikari, I just had to tell you how I felt about you. I couldn't stand having my feelings locked away for you any longer!' Takeru cried out gently, his voice full of anxiety.

Hikari grew more and more nervous by the minute. How could she tell Takeru how SHE felt without hurting him? Could Takeru ever understand how she looked at him? 'I'm sorry, Takeru, that you've pained because of me. I'm even sorrier that your pain was all in vain.'

Hikari winced at the hurt look Takeru gave her. The sadness within his beautiful, tearful cerulean eyes killed her fragile heart. 'Damn you, Yagami Hikari! You said the exact words you weren't supposed to say! Now, it's gone! Everything you ever had with Takeru is now gone! It's all stained by your horrid words!' The two Children just stared at each other for a long moment, the only sounds made by either of them their blinking eyelashes.

After twenty more seconds of the awkward silence, Takeru finally broke it and spoke. "It's because of Daisuke, isn't it?" he asked sadly, looking away from her.

Hikari gasped, slightly horrified. Did Takeru really feel that way? Did he think that she loved Daisuke more than him? 'Oh, Takeru, if only you could understand,' she screamed in her head. 'Daisuke could never, never win over you in my heart.'

'Takeru, I—I never—'

'It's all right, Hikari. I can understand the reason why you would choose Daisuke instead of me.' Hikari bit her lip, frightened of how this conversation was going to end; in her heart, Hikari knew that it was not going to end well; one way or another, Hikari was going to lose Takeru. She had now destroyed one of the most important things in her life.

'Takeru, I'm sorry that you think like that. I'm sorry that you're hurt and all because I don't feel the same about you, but—but you have understand, Takeru, I don't like Daisuke more than—'

'No, you have nothing to apologize about. It's my fault.' Takeru whispered softly, his voice near emotionless. Both words and voice cut at Hikari like knives. She hated it so much to see Takeru, her Takeru like this.

'Takeru—'

'I have to go now. I'll call you later,' Takeru solemnly said, running off. Hikari tried to grab him, but she was too slow. Takeru's deer-speed like abilities gave him the advantage. Hikari cursed Takeru's legs and their power of speed.

'Takeru! Wait! Don't go!' Hikari yelled after him. But it was too late. Takeru was already gone. Hikari now stood alone in the field of fiery- looking, blooming flowers; she stood there alone—alone. 'I'm alone now. I'm alone.'

A tear rolled down Hikari's cheek as that thought processed through her mind. Hikari felt like the vilest person in world right then. 'I guess I'll just have to wait for his call,' Hikari sighed sadly as she left the flower field.

Takeru never called her.

She cried as she remembered the past. Hikari's mind felt so confused, and her heart was in turmoil. She had been lying to herself for the past few months, denying everything she knew was true; she had been denying the truth of how she felt for Takeru. Hikari had denied Takeru and the right to his heart. 'How could I have hurt him like that? I was supposed to be his friend, but instead, I turned away from him! I'm such an idiot!'

Hikari could feel the rage taking over her body, every muscle tensed and strained. Strength seemed to be leaving her, just like how Hikari had abandoned Takeru months ago. 'Why?' Hikari demanded from herself, 'Why did I do it? Why did I hurt Takeru?'

'Was it wrong to say how you truly felt?' a voice asked within Hikari's mind. Her heart went cold, her thought freezing at the horrid question. Hikari shut her eyes angrily, hot tears flying from her eyes.

"But that wasn't—that isn't how I feel about Takeru!" she yelled out in reply. Her voice echoed out into the open air, allowing Hikari to hear her reply over and over again. Tears now had begun to flow freely down Hikari's cheeks.

'Oh, but isn't it? Was there ever a time where you thought of him more than a friend? Admit, Hikari. You know that you were like Sora towards Taichi saw and felt nothing more but friendship. All you ever really saw him as was a friend.' Hikari clamped her hands over her ears. She did not want to listen to the horrid, evil little voice in her head any more.

Hikari wanted to block out the voice in her mind. And she would. With sheer will power, she would silence the doubting voice. "I love Takeru! I LOVE TAKAISHI TAKERU! I love Takeru, and I will find him and tell him the truth! I'M GOING TO FIND TAKERU!"

Chills began to tingle down her spine, an Evil feeling squirming its way into Yagami Hikari's heart. Something was terribly wrong; Hikari could feel it with her very being. Her whole body screamed that she should not be there at the moment. "I pity you, child. All in vain you have wasted your precious energy. You won't find him here, Child of Light. The Child of Hope is long gone," an icy, sinister voice chuckled. Hikari turned around, and saw someone she feared most; her face paled to a deadly white.

"Vamdemon!" The vampire monster smiled at the fear in the Child of Light's voice. It was a reward all to itself; there was nothing else in all of Reality that could please Vamdemon more.

"Well, it's comforting that you remember me, Little One. I am deeply touched by you, Keeper of Light," Vamdemon said, chuckling a little and taking mocking a bow. How he enjoyed invoking fear in the girl's heart.

"Don't be flattered!" Hikari snapped harshly, wiping away her tears to never allow Vamdemon see her cry. The last time he had, Hikari was crying over the loss of Wizardmon, and she was not going to show the vile, vampire Digimon anymore of her weaknesses. Hikari hated it when Vamdemon toyed with her like this, and she hated his laugh most of all. It was all just a cruel game Vamdemon played with his victims, and Hikari was NOT going to allow to be treated as such.

"Well, enough with this conversation. With no one around, and without your little fur-ball friend and the other Chosen Children, you're helpless. You, my pretty, are all mine!" Vamdemon lunged for Hikari, his dark midnight cape spreading out like deadly bat-wings. Hikari dodged the vampire Digimon's assault and began to run for dear life.

"Come back, my lovely one! Do you not wish to play with me?" Vamdemon taunted as he flew after Hikari. She ran, knowing that it would be very horrid if she were caught; Hell itself would be better than to be caught by Vamdemon. Hikari ran and ran with all her might until she made it to the edge of the Dark Forest.

Hikari halted right then and there. She did not take a step more or else she would have crossed into the forest. The Dark Forest did not exist back then when the Chosen Children had rescued File Island, but the Dark Forest was a seed of the Dark Masters. Only the Darkest and most vile of Digimon would dare enter there, and hardly any of those Digimon came back out again; a human, even if she were a Chosen Child, would not be able survive within the forest without her Digimon to help.

"Trapped like a mouse, are you, my pretty?" Vamdemon teased, brushing a cold hand past the young lady's cheek. Hikari, flinching, felt her blood freeze into solid ice at the Evil touch. Hikari glared back at him as she stepped away from his horrid, bloodstained hands.

"Now, it's time to take those powers of yours," the Evil Digimon cooed. Vamdemon grabbed Hikari's neck, and slowly began to squeeze the life out of her. Hikari felt her life slipping away, year by year, and all the agony that came with it. Vamdemon bared his fang teeth, barely able to resist the urge of sinking his teeth into soft, female human flesh.

"You can scream if you wish," Vamdemon cackled while readying to bite Hikari's neck. "No one will be able to hear you!" His cold, sinister laughter increased while his fangs neared her flesh. "HAHA! YOU ARE ALL MINE! MWAHA—" Suddenly, Vamdemon's grip on Hikari's throat was released. Hikari fell into a lifeless heap as the Ultimate Digimon dropped her to the ground.

"Hikari, run!"

A clear, bold, angelic voice yelled out at Hikari deep within her mind. "Run, Hikari! Run!"

"Takeru?" Hikari groaned, scarcely recognizing the sweet voice. "Takeru?"

"Hikari, run! Run away from here!" It took Hikari a minute to regain consciousness and her sight, and when she did, what she saw surprised her.

"Takeru!"

"Hikari, run! Run away from here and don't look back!" Takeru ordered, his blue eyes watching Vamdemon carefully. Takeru stood protectively in front of Hikari, with BlackTailmon standing in front of him. Hikari was dumbstruck at the sight of Takeru and was unable to move.

"Don't you dare try touching Hikari again, Vandemon!" Takeru warned. "If you do, I swear that you WILL regret it!" He glared angrily at the evil Digimon. Takeru could feel the deep hatred he had for Darkness swell, ready to burst from his soul. BlackTailmon, like her master, glared with an equal amount of fury at Vamdemon.

Vamdemon reared back at the glare from BlackTailmon. He seemed terrified of it; her bright, green eyes seeped into Vamdemon's mind like deadly poison. "Those eyes. You have those same eyes as—"

"Why did you come back to this World, Vamdemon? Why can't you find peace dead? Isn't it enough to have lived three times?" Takeru yelled out angrily. His blonde, now shining golden hair stood up in disarray, Takeru's blue eyes nesting a fiery light within the cerulean orbs. A smile began to spread across the vampire's mouth at the thought of the question.

Vamdemon laughed. "Ha! That is the question, isn't it? Why won't I stay dead? Was I restless or maybe I felt like that I had not completed my goal in life? Maybe I'm like you humans and want a second chance, or maybe it's my Digimon instincts? Well, I'll tell you, Chosen Child of Hope. I have a contract to keep with the Child of Courage, and I'm not going to rest until it is fulfilled. Until he completes his end of the bargain, I'm not going to keep mine."

"Taichi? What does Taichi have anything to do with this?" Takeru demanded. Vamdemon was really picking the wrong nerve with Takeru by bringing in his friends into their fight. 'That vile creature—He's always hiding behind others to win the fight for him. I forgot that cowardice was his specialty.'

"He has everything to do with this, Child of Hope. Everything," Vamdemon chuckled; but soon that chuckle turned into a quiet laugh, then a louder one, then louder, after that louder, and the laughter continued to grow louder until it reached the peak as an insane cackle. Hikari stepped back in fear, and Takeru grew more protective of the young lady. This was going to be a long, gruesome battle.

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