Into the Darkness

Chatay

Couples - Takouji, Kouichi/Izumi, Kensuke

Rating - PG-13

AN: Finally things are gonna speed up some, I'm actually pretty excited to get this chapter out. I'm also loving "Night Train" so if you're a Takouji fan definately check that one out. I'm estimating another 3-5 chapters left in this fiction depending on where the plot bunnies tend to take me. Who knows, I'm so entirely fickle. Well Enjoy.

Disclaimer : Don't own Digimon or Characters, I do own the plot.

Matters of a Kaleidoscope Heart

Takuya blinked slowly as he rose to a standing position.

"What do we have here, Lime?"

"Oh my! I do believe it is a human! Imagine that, Kiwi!"

"A human! Oh! Oh! The Mistress will be so pleased! A human here, I just can't believe it, Lime!"

Takuya's eyes widened at the unfamilar voices and odd conversation reaching his ears. He turned slowly to find himself face to face with some creatures of sorts. They honestly were more of a dirty floating cottonball. Of course the cottonballs had eyes and mouth. Their ears resembled that of a cat's and low stringy tail much like a lions followed as well. The creatures couldn't of been more than a foot tall, yet they had wings up to a good three feet that could easily envelop their whole body.

"Who are you? What are you?" Takuya asked, throughly confused.

The cottonballs floated up and down happily, "We're Nightlemon!"

Takuya nodded as he digested this information. He then took the time to notice his surroundings. It wasn't a very pretty one. For as far as the eye could see was a mass graveyard. Rotting corpses and skeletons littered the ground, every few feet there was what resembled a decaying gravemarker. Oddly enough there was no odor drifting from the bodies, only a deep dark mist in the eternal night.

"Where are we? Is the digital world?"

The Nightlemon looked at one another and shrugged. Which mind you was a odd sight if it was a sight at all, to see a foot tall cottonball shrug.

"We are home. We do not know if home has any other name," they replied in unison.

Takuya scratched his head, "Well is there anyone else around here?"

The Nightlemon bounced up and down happily once more.

"Mistress lives here too!" yelled Kiwi.

"Mistress can help you! She knows home's name!" yelled Lime.

Takuya shrugged, "Well lead the way then."

The Nightlemon began flying towards the dusty horizon. Takuya sighed as he began to follow them. His better judgement led him to believe that someone who lived in a graveyard was more likely to be an enemy than an ally. However there really wasn't many other options at the moment.

As they headed on their way, Takuya took the time to observe some of the surroundings. Along with the usual nastiness of a graveyard there was also a random flower here or there, not to mention it would seem that the skeletons were not just of Japan or even of this time era.

"Are you coming?"

"Yes! Yes! Come see mistress!"

Takuya's eyes widened as he turned to face the Nightlemon and found himself in front of... Well something that could only be described by one word. Paradise. The grass was green as could be, with tons of small violed entwined into the small blades. A small temple stood in front of him. Takuya turned back to see there was a clear distinct marking of stones that divided the areas.

"Welcome human, to my oasis of sorts," said a new voice.

A tall slender woman stoodat the top of the hill. She had sea foam eyes, and long black hair that nearly reached her knees. She was adorned in a simple white dress, with small gold bracelets on her wrists. In her hand, she held a gold staff that was nearly as tall as her.

"It has been a very long time since a human has come to this land, which is quite obvious by the oh so lovely scenary outside. Oh, forgive me I have been living with these Nightlemon to long. My name is Kyoko, I am the keeper of this small temple."

"Kanbara, Takuya and honestly I have no idea how I came to this place to begin with. I thought I was sleeping, as odd as that sounds," Takuya coughed nervously.

"Well that would make sense, because that would be the only way to reach this place," Kyoko stated.

"Huh?"

"It's really quite simple. This world existsin a limbo of sorts. Only those who can find a similarity with this world can reach it. Very few have ever truly been here, those who have were destroyed by the monsters outside this temple. The only reason you were able to reach this temple because you are merely here spiritually, not physically. Otherwise, you would of met the same fate as those before you," she replied.

Takuya nodded in a slow understandment, "Well, how do I get out of here?"

"You will in your own time. I do not know why you were brought to this world. When you find that out, you will return to your world."

Takuya sighed, he was really getting sick of every world pulling him one way or another.

"I really don't have much luck do I?" Takuya stated, slightly annoyed.

Kyoko raised an eyebrow, "You do realise I'm not psychic. I have no idea what you are talking about Kanbara, Takuya."

Takuya blinked at Kyoko's sudden break in formal talk, "Over the past three weeks, I have been erased from existence in my own world, drug into the digital world half human, been barbecued by blue lightening, and now I've been pulled into some spirtual dream world. I am really not doing good on the 'normal' reality scale."

Kyoko motioned for him to follow him inside, "I haven't been to the digital world in a great many years."

"You've been there? I didn't think humans were able to go there unless they were choosen," stated Takuya.

"Now whoever said I was human, or that it was your digital world I was talking about?" Kyoko asked.

Takuya sighed slightly as he observed the apparently plain temple, "Can we make this easy and instead of me asking what you mean, you can can just elaborate. I'm really sick of riddles, my life's full of them."

"Well aren't you just a ray of sunshine. Now I think the answer would be quite apparent. I am not a human, as I have already said humans can not reside in this world. As for what I am, I have no desire to answer that particular question. Now for the digital world part, that should be obvious as well. If this world exists in a limbo, what is to say that other worlds do not exist? Why can there not be more than one digital world? I thought it would be quite obvious with the apperance of the two boys from Odaiba."

Takuya nodded and then stopped abruptly, "How do you know about Daisuke and Ken?"

Kyoko shrugged as if the question held no matter to her at all, "I know many a thing. I simply do not sit in this temple and stare at the walls. I had thought you were a bright boy, you do the math."

"If you know about the fact that I exist in a different digital world than you, and you know about Daisuke and Ken, then you've been watching us."

"Why I do believe the boy has it figured out! Isn't that just lovely Kiwi and Lime?" Kyoko asked sarcastically.

The two nightlemon bounched, "Lovely! Lovely!"

Takuya rose to stand and suddenly found his body pulled back to the chair. He went to stand again and found he couldn't.

"What have you done?" he asked.

'Well at least I can speak,' he added as an afterthought.

Kyoko's calm features took on somewhat of a more sinster look as she stood and crossed the room, so that she stood directly in front of Takuya.

"Why do you ask such obvious questions my little kuya? I stopped you from being able to move."

'Kuya..' Takuya thought absently, his mind dawning slightly on a realization.

Suddenly his mind stopped all thoughts as Kyoko's hand began to travel up his neck. Each touch felt like a needle stabbing into his skin. Kyoko smiled wickedly as her fingertips trailed along the line of his jaw, up to his chin, and rested on his lips. Takuya's mind screamed as he brought her face towards his...

"Takuya!"

Takuya's eyes shot open, and he found himself face to face with Kouji's jawdropping blue grey eyes.

"You okay?" Kouji asked quietly.

Takuya slowly rose to a sitting position to face the boy before him.

"Yeah, just a bad dream. No big deal, what happened?"

"Mmm... well after you felt the need to get yourself barbecued. We sat inside the cave, learned that Daisuke was the one that barbecued you, and Ken can go through walls. The storm's cleared up, and everyone else is out gathering supplies for breakfast," Kouji replied.

Takuya frowned playfully at Kouji's barbecue comments, "Hey, its not like I did it on purpose."

Kouji batted his blue eyes in a mock jesture, "For some reason I think you just didn't want to help start the fire this time."

Takuya threw his arms up in the air in a similar jesture, "Oh yes, I wanted to avoid the possibility of starting the fire so much, that I felt the need to be one with electricity."

Kouji laughed and then found himself covering his mouth with a yawn.

Takuya blinked his eyes curiously, "Didn't you sleep?"

Kouji's cheeks turned an interesting shade of pink. They turned even pinker when Takuya cocked his head to the side in a super cute curious manner.

"Kouji! Give us a hand will ya?" yelled Junpei from the entrance of the cave.

Kouji stood and hurried outside to the cave just as Kouichi was just coming in.

"Feeling better?"

Takuya nodded, "Yeah, sleep does wonders. Kouji didn't get any sleep did he?"

Kouichi plopped down next to Takuya, "He was still up when I fell asleep and woke up. So I'm assuming not, he spent most of the night watching over you."

Takuya nodded slightly suprised, 'Why would Kouji stay up all night with me? He couldn't? Nah... he's just being a good friend.'

Kouichi smiled as it was apparent Takuya was in his own world, "Well if your feeling up to it, breakfast is almost ready. I'm sure everyone will be glad to see your alright."

Takuya slowly rose to his feet and followed Kouichi to the entrance of the cave. The digital world being, well the digital world, of course showed no signs thata storm had just gone through. The sun was shining, there wasn't a cloud in the sky, and the birds were chirping like the first day of spring.

"Takuya!"

"Takuya onii-chan!"

Takuya smiled as Izumi and Tomoki ran up to greet him.

"I'm so glad your alright, we were so worried about you. You wouldn't wake up for any of us, even Kouji, " stated Izumi.

Takuya grinned, "Yeah I'm a heavy sleeper."

"More like comatose," snorted Junpei.

Takuya followed Izumi and Tomoki over to the fire. Kouichi was slowly coming out of the cave, Daisuke and Ken were talking softly near the edge of the trees. Kouji, however, was no where in sight.

"Hey, where's Kouji?" Takuya asked.

"Hmmm, I think he went to get some water. Tomoki, why don't you go see if he needs help," stated Izumi.

"No, I'll go," stated Takuya as he stood and headed into the trees.

Takuya sighed as he headed followed the path towards the stream. He really didn't know why he volunteered to go. He could just as easily be sitting at the fire with everyone else, discussing what happened, or tell them about his dream. But, noooo he had to go and decide that maybe he could say something. Maybe he could finally tell Kouji he was in love with him.

'When did it become love?' Takuya thought mildly.

Two days ago he couldn't even admit that he might even remotely like Kouji asmore than a friend, and now he was in love with him? It didn't work like that did it? Love is something serious, something that takes months to happen right? It doesn't happen overnight, nah it isn't possible.

Then why was he on his way to tell a certain midnight haired boy he loved him?

'Maybe because it has been months?' he thought curiously confused.

It wasn't like he was in love witha complete stranger at least. He had known Kouji for quite some time now. So maybe he had been in love with Kouji for quite some time now. It was possible right? To fall in love with your best friend? Sure it was.

"It's completely reasonable, makes total sense," Takuya stated.

"What is completely reasonable and makes total sense?" asked a seriously amused voice.

Takuya could literally feel his brain jump out of his skull and run back to the campfire, leaving his body standing there absently. It was Kouji, oh god. It's one thing to have a conversation in your mind, but to have it now? Kouji was supposed to be at the stream, how dare he not give Takuya's mind the extra five minutes to prep. Oh wait, Takuya's mind ran away.

"Umm.. water?" Takuya stated stupidly.

"I suppose water can be completely reasonable, however I don't know if it really makes total sense. However for some reason I have the feeling its more of your body talking than your brain at the moment," Kouji replied.

Now it was Takuya's turn for his cheek's to turn an interesting shade of pink.

"Well since it seems your brain has left you, I suppose your body won't mind if I drag it to the stream for you to wash some of Izumi's blush off your cheeks," Kouji laughed.

Takuya's cheeks were blazing, here he had come to tell Kouji he just might be in love with him, and Kouji was embarassing him to no end. Well, it's Kouji so I suppose it's allowed after all.

Kouji's own heart was going a million beats a minute as Takuya followed him to the stream. Unlike Takuya, he had no problems identifying what he felt for the brunette. However the problem he had was voicing them. How do you tell your best friend your in love with them? Never mind that, how do you tell your guy best friend that you're in love with them. There is so many things that can go wrong there.

Takuya could laugh at him and tell him to stop joking, or worse, he could say he hated Kouji and never wanted to see him again. Of course there was the off and mind you way off chance Takuya could like him back, but that would never happen. Nothing that lucky ever happened for him.

"Uhh.. Kouji unless your intending on walking into the stream, we're here," stated Takuya quietly.

Kouji coughed nervously as he motioned for Takuya to sit, " Takuya, I need to talk to you."

Takuya's own heart sped up a good few beats or so. Last time, he heard that phrase his mother had told him his goldfish had died. And not just died like caput died, no Shinya had cooked him on the stove, died.

"I've come to some conclusions over the past couple weeks," Kouji started out.

'Oh no, he's noticed that I'm in love with him. Now he's going to tell me how he could never love and how he never wants to talk to me again,' Takuya thought.

"And I think.."

Takuya closed his eyes, 'Oh I really don't want this to happen.'

"I think that I love you,"

'Here it comes, oh this is the end.'

"And not love you as a friend, I think I love you," Kouji continued.

'I really, really, really don't want this to... wait a minute. What?'

"I understand if you don't want to talk to me anymore," Kouji stated as he rose to his feet.

Kouji sighed in defeat as he started to walk away when he suddenly found himself glomped from behind and back first on the ground, with a slightly heavy brunette on top of him.

"Takuya?" Kouji asked confused.

Kouji suddenly found himself unable to answer any more questions as Takuya's lips found his own.

"I love you too," replied Takuya as he once again sought out Kouji's lips.

AN - Wow, this chapter totally ended up way different than I thought it would. Not to mention the plot bunnies have come and given me a visit. They have told me of their travels, and I must tell you I feel the need to share their stories. So if all goes well, this fiction is going to be a good couple more than three chapters left. squeals in author happiness Well I hope that satisfies my fellow Takouji lovers out there since I delivered a pure Kensuke last chapter.

Next Chapter -"Title Unknown"