The Firelight Prophecies
Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. That belongs to Toei Animation. If I owned it, Kouji would've been present and watching when Takuya faced ShadowSeraphimon. That could've been so great… I also don't own Evangelion or Gundam…. Don't get the wrong idea though…this isn't a crossover. You'll see…
Warning: This fic contains yaoi/shounen-ai, which is the coupling of two males. If you do not like this kind of coupling or you hate the fact that this is a Takouji/Koukuya fic (the coupling between Takuya and Kouji and vice-versa) then you should probably hit that nifty "back" button and search for a fic that's best for you. Any flames shall be poked and prodded by use of a spork.
Synopsis: The Digital World calls upon the help of the Chosen children again, but this time, the battle is for much more than the fate of two worlds, as a life hangs in the balance. Will the darkness consume everything or will Kouji and Takuya have what it takes to survive? Will the shadows threaten to separate the two once and for all? Koukuya/Takouji fluff in later chapters… I really suck at writing summaries.
Setting: This story takes place one year after the series.
Written by: Sailor Epyon
Everyone else stared at the view and agreed, murmuring words of awe and wonder. Even Kouji let down his guard long enough to agree. Takuya's gaze, however, fell upon the valley below the mountains. The sun's rays fell on the mountains, forgetting about the tiny valley below. Takuya saw the huge shadow that cast down into the valley. Other valleys that stood at the foot of the mountains were refused sunlight as well. He stared at the dark horizon that no one else seemed to notice.
"Shadows…" Takuya whispered quietly, as he suddenly felt uneasy. No one else seemed to hear him.
Chapter 3: A Simple Crush
"Geez, this trailmon seems to be taking its sweet time in getting us to wherever we need to be." Junpei complained as he looked out the window behind him.
"The trailmon seems to be going pretty fast, though. I'm sure we'll arrive at our destination soon." Kouichi replied with a hopeful smile. Izumi and Tomoki both nodded in agreement.
It had been three hours since the chosen children arrived in the Digital World. Everyone was starting to grow tired and restless, not to mention hungry. It was obvious that the trailmon wasn't going to stop for anyone, and it was also painfully obvious that the trailmon wasn't going to bother to explain anything to the poor children either. All that any one of them could do was be patient and unfortunately, patience was not a virtue with this group. Fortunately though, Kouichi excelled at playing the role of peacekeeper, trying his best to keep his friends occupied. So far, his efforts had succeeded. Kouichi decided to once again switch the subject.
"So, what is the greatest mecha anime of all time?" Kouichi asked.
"Evangelion, of course," Junpei answered without hesitation.
"Gundam Wing!" Izumi chimed in, in an almost fangirlish tone.
"I'm not sure. I like so many," Tomoki pouted.
Kouichi smiled. 'That should keep them preoccupied for a little while.' He thought to himself, before joining in on the conversation. Little did Kouichi know; his skills of diplomacy would fail him this time.
The four digidestined began excitedly explaining their reasons for choosing their answers, while debating topics that were worthy of fangirls and fanboys everywhere. They were taking little notice of the two boys sitting away from them.
Kouji was also preoccupied with something at the moment; he was watching the goggle-head beside him. Takuya had been oddly quiet for quite a while, and didn't bother to join in on the many conversations that had taken place in the last few hours at all. He only spoke when he was spoken to, and seemed to sigh quite a bit. Kouji was growing worried again, because Takuya wasn't being himself at all. It was both unnerving and unnatural for him to be so quiet, and Kouji didn't like it. Takuya also seemed to wear a troubled expression, which worried him even more. Before he realized it, Kouji lightly touched Takuya's shoulder with his hand. To his surprise, Takuya didn't seem to notice. Kouji looked into Takuya's eyes to find that he was staring into space.
"Takuya?" He whispered. There was no answer.
"Earth to Takuya?" He said a little more loudly. Takuya was still silent.
'Oh no, what if he's unresponsive again?' Kouji thought in a panic to himself as chills ran down his spine. He never wanted to see Takuya in that condition again and the thought of it scared him. Kouji shook the thought out of his head and took action. He shook Takuya a bit roughly, causing the brunette to flinch and gaze into those beautiful blue eyes.
"Kouji?" Takuya asked, in a somewhat surprised tone.
Kouji let out a sigh of relief. "Sorry for shaking you, but I thought I'd lost you again," he explained, before blushing.
Takuya smiled. "It's okay," he replied. "I was only thinking this time, I swear."
"Lost in thought, huh?" Kouji asked.
Takuya nodded. "Sorry for scaring you like that," He smiled, "Maybe I'd be better off if I didn't think about anything at all." He gave out a small chuckle at that last part, which caused Kouji to chuckle too.
"Yeah, who knows what goes on in that thick head of yours," Kouji joked as he glanced at his best friend to see if he took offense. He didn't.
"Yeah really," Takuya smiled gently before growing quiet again.
'Thank goodness he wasn't in that horrible trance again,' Kouji thought to himself. 'I must admit though, I'm going to turn into a complete spazz if I'm not careful. I'm sick with worry because of this little crush of mine. Still though, something is bothering him.'
Kouji once again turned his attention on Takuya, who seemed to be watching the others as they happily conversed.
"Takuya, what's on your mind?" Kouji asked, breaking Takuya's gaze on the other children. The brunette turned and faced him, meeting his chocolate orbs with his own blue ones. Kouji looked deeply into Takuya's eyes. For a moment, both boys simply stared into each other's eyes, before Takuya blinked, causing Kouji to blink as well.
"You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to," Kouji quickly added, "But maybe you'd feel better if you did. We're best friends after all, and if something's troubling you, then maybe I could be of some help."
Takuya smiled genuinely, and that bright smile caused Kouji to blush. Oh, how he loved that smile. It was one of the many things that made Takuya so adorable in his eyes.
"You're right," Takuya answered, "You're my best friend and I trust you more than anyone else."
Kouji's blush deepened, but he mentally shrugged the blush off and nodded at Takuya's compliment, as he waited for him to continue.
"It's not that I'm exactly troubled though. I'm more confused then anything else. I want to know what happened to me back there. It's not like I was simply lost in thought. I don't have a recollection of anything that happened within the duration of the time that I was catatonic or whatever. I have blanks in my memory, and I don't understand why or how it happened." Takuya explained, in a somewhat frustrated tone.
"I understand what you're saying," Kouji replied in a reassuring tone, "You have every right to be confused. Someone or something is obviously messing with your mind, so, of course you want answers." Kouji looked straight into Takuya's eyes as he continued, "But you don't have to feel this way alone. I'm here for you. I promised that I would help you find those answers, and I never go back on my promises. You and I will figure this out together and everything will be okay, so please don't worry."
Takuya blushed at the determination in Kouji's words. "Thank you for saying that," the goggle-head replied gently.
Kouji nodded, "I meant every single word of it," he answered candidly.
Takuya looked down at his feet. "I think I am troubled by something though," he added.
"What is it?" Kouji asked.
"I just have this really bad feeling about something. I've felt uneasy for the last few hours." Takuya explained as he narrowed his eyes. "Maybe I'm worrying too much. I don't know."
Kouji was slightly startled by Takuya's words. "Well, we definitely need to be cautious. Who knows what to really expect, though. The Digital World doesn't appear to be in turmoil, but looks can be very deceiving." Kouji explained with a sigh.
Takuya sighed as well, "I agree with you. We need to be on our guard at all times, at least until we figure out what's going on."
Kouji smirked, "You agree with me? That's becoming a habit for you, isn't it?"
Takuya poked Kouji's side, causing the raven-haired boy to blush once again, "Yeah, well, I could say the same about you." Takuya allowed another bright smile to come across his face, as he said that.
'There's that smile again.' Kouji thought to himself, 'I could go crazy just thinking about that beautiful smile. Seeing it makes me want to smile too.'
"I'm glad to see that you've cheered up, Takuya," Kouji spoke, "Just try not to worry so much about everything. We'll figure everything out. We've gotten ourselves out of bad situations before, and we'll certainly do it again."
"Okay," Takuya responded as his smile widened, "I'm glad I talked to you about this. I don't feel so worried anymore."
"What are best friends for anyway?" Kouji replied with a shrug.
Takuya then relaxed in his seat, not realizing how tense he actually was before now. He yawned and glanced over at the rest of the group, who had been arguing for over twenty minutes.
"Ya know," Takuya declared in a loud voice, "I don't think you can honestly pick one mecha anime to be the greatest of them all. There are so many good ones, between Eva and the many Gundam series as a whole. Let's not forget, Gundam and Eva aren't the only mecha anime out there either."
Takuya caught the attention of the Junpei, Izumi, Kouichi, and Tomoki when he said that. The four of them stopped arguing and nodded, agreeing with him. Takuya smiled and shot everyone a "V" sign for victory. Izumi smiled, Junpei and Kouichi sweat-dropped, and Tomoki gave Takuya a "thumbs up" sign. Kouji smiled inwardly at the group, before turning his attention fully on Takuya once again.
'He seems to have cheered up,' Kouji thought to himself as he glanced at the goggle-head next to him. 'I'm glad. I don't like it when he's troubled. I want to see that adorable smile of his.' Kouji stared at the brunette with contentment, as he began to think of that lovely smile and those fiery orbs of chocolate that Takuya had for eyes.
Takuya then looked over at Kouji and caught his eyes in his own, causing the dark-haired boy to blush. Kouji quickly turned away; a bit embarrassed that Takuya had caught him staring at him. Takuya gave Kouji a confused look and began to stare down at the floor. Kouichi watched the display with much amusement.
'Poor otouto-chan… His face stays quite red these days,' Kouichi thought to himself as he fought off the urge to laugh.
Kouji found his eyes wandering. They were trying to focus on anything and everything that wasn't his best friend and crush. He didn't want to take the chance of being caught by Takuya again. His eyes fell upon his twin brother, who seemed to be ready to burst out laughing at any moment for some weird reason.
'I don't want to know,' Kouji shuddered, as his gaze, then, fell upon Tomoki.
The youngest digidestined had taken out his D-Tector and was looking at it with a determined expression on his face. The child of ice looked as though he was ready to take on the world, which caused the child of light to smirk. Kouji then glanced over at Junpei, whose annoyed expression had softened. Kouji raised a brow as tiny hearts appeared in the oldest digidestined's eyes. He then realized that Junpei was staring at Izumi.
Kouji found himself shuddering once again. 'I really don't want to know.' He thought.
He turned his gaze over to Izumi and noticed that she was smiling. Curious as to who are what she was smiling at, he followed her gaze to the figure sitting next to him: Takuya. Kouji twitched almost immediately. It hadn't been the first time that he'd caught her staring at Takuya like that.
'Why is she always staring at him with that smile?' Kouji silently asked himself, 'She always smiles at him like that. It's annoying.'
Before Kouji realized it, he found himself staring at Takuya once again. No matter how hard Kouji had tried, he could not tear his eyes away from Takuya. It was impossible to do, and truthfully, Kouji didn't want to. Takuya, however, didn't seem to take notice of the fact that he was a bit of a spectacle to several members of his group. He had turned his gaze from the floor to the window behind him.
Takuya stared out the window for a few minutes, before taking notice that something was coming into view directly ahead. Takuya squinted his eyes to try and see what was up ahead. A village came into view, as well as the strong smell of smoke. Takuya's eyes widened.
"That place…" Takuya's voice trailed off, capturing everyone's attention. Everyone rushed to the windows at once and glanced outward.
"I know that place!" Takuya exclaimed. The trailmon entered the village and quickly made its way to the station, before slowing to a sudden halt.
"Welcome to the Village of Flames," the trailmon said happily, as he dumped the passengers onto the ground.
Everyone got up slowly, with the exception of Takuya, who had gotten up almost directly after falling onto the hard ground. He took a glance around, and then turned to face the trailmon who'd gotten them to this place.
"Why did you bring us here?" Takuya asked.
Everyone else crowded behind their leader, with the exception of Kouji, who stood next to Takuya, waiting for answers.
"It was my job," the trailmon answered in a somewhat bored voice, before taking off.
"Hey wait!" Takuya called, "Who sent us here? Please tell us!"
"Sorry kid, but you're on your own," the trailmon answered. "My job was to bring you here. That's all." The trailmon, then gained speed and left the chosen children in a cloud of steam and dust.
Takuya let out a humongous sigh. "Some help he was, that jerk," he declared as he kicked at his own feet.
"Everything is happening, just like before…" Izumi allowed her voice to trail.
"You're right," Junpei answered with a sigh. "That trailmon didn't give us any answers the first time we came either."
Tomoki glanced down at his own shoes and sighed. "We first arrived at this very village last time too," he replied before taking a quick glance back at Kouji and Kouichi and added, "Well, most of us, anyway."
Izumi let out a sigh. "I guess history is somewhat repeating itself. The only exceptions are that Kouji took the same train we did this time, the fact that Kouichi is here with us and is in both body and spirit, and the fact that Takuya wasn't exactly himself earlier."
"Yeah well, with any luck, our reasons for being here will become apparent soon as well, just like last time," Junpei added.
"Yeah, luck…" Takuya's voice trailed as he glanced down at his own shadow. He stared at it for several seconds, thinking back to the feeling he'd felt earlier on the trailmon.
Why did he have such a feeling of dread? What did it mean? Obviously, something was wrong with the Digital World, or else the digidestined wouldn't have been summoned there. But this feeling…was different. It wasn't the fear that some maniacal bastard was controlling the Digital World, like last time. It wasn't the fear that they'd have to fight powerful enemies again. This fear was different. It made Takuya unusually uneasy. He let out a quick sigh, which instantly brought Kouji to his attention.
"What's wrong?" Kouji asked as he looked into Takuya's eyes, searching for clues of distress.
Takuya shook the thoughts out of his mind and smiled.
"It's nothing," Takuya answered a little too cheerfully. He looked over at Kouji, who obviously wasn't buying it.
"Takuya…" Kouji started, but Takuya cut him off.
"Thinking is something that I really shouldn't do. That's all." Takuya answered a bit more casually, this time.
Kouji was about to retort when Kouichi suddenly spoke up.
"So, what should we do now?" He asked.
Everyone then turned and looked at Takuya, as if he held the answers.
"W-what?" Takuya asked, a bit nervous that everyone was staring at him so intently.
"You heard him; what should we do?" Izumi asked with a sweet grin. Kouji instantly felt himself twitch again.
"Why are you asking me?" Takuya asked, a bit nervously.
"Because you're the leader," Tomoki answered.
Takuya began to look around at his surroundings again. "I can't believe you actually want me as your leader again." He replied, "But I do think that we should take a look around the village, and try to find some food while we're at it."
Takuya's stomach grumbled loudly and everyone began to snicker.
"I'm hungry too. Excellent idea, Takky." Junpei nearly applauded.
Everyone agreed and began to walk off the station platform. Kouji, however, quietly stared at the back of Takuya's head, as he walked with them. Only Kouji had caught notice of what Takuya had just said.
'Why wouldn't he believe that we would want him as our leader? It's like he doubts himself again, just like the time when he asked our opinions of him as soccer captain. Why would he doubt himself, though?' Kouji thought to himself.
A warm breeze caressed the chosen children as they made their way into the Village of Flames. The entire place appeared to be deserted. There were no digimon in sight, and that worried the digidestined. The thick scent of smoke lingered around the village, as smoke and steam rose from the giant smokestacks that were located throughout various sites of the township. Flames were dancing inside the various furnaces that accompanied the smokestacks. The village itself remained unchanged from the last time, with the exception of the emptiness that seemed to accompany it. The village held an eerie silence to it, and Kouji was growing more and more suspicious with each passing minute. Judging from the expression on Takuya's face, he could instantly tell that his best friend was feeling exactly the same way.
"Hello? Is anyone here?" Takuya called out, hoping that inhabitants of the village may happen to hear him and decide to show themselves. The village remained silent.
"This place is like a ghost town," Junpei commented.
"I wonder where everyone is?" Kouichi asked.
"I don't like this," Kouji answered in that suspicious tone he was famous for.
"Maybe something bad happened here," Izumi murmured in a slightly nervous manner.
Takuya continued walking to the center of the village, gazing at the sight around him. "Perhaps something has happened," he thought aloud, "But I don't see signs of a struggle. Everything is intact, as far as I can tell. I doubt very much that a battle took place here."
Everyone stared at Takuya in awe, impressed with Takuya's revelation, and the fact that their leader was using his head. Kouji would've been expected to be so observant, but Takuya? Kouji felt himself smile inwardly, proud of the obvious changes of maturity that his best friend seemed to acquire.
"Hey, Takuya onii-chan?" Tomoki asked, snapping everyone out of their thoughts.
"Yes, Tomoki otouto-chan?" Takuya asked as he turned to the younger boy.
"There's a shop over there." Tomoki pointed, "Maybe we should check it out?"
Takuya ruffled the little kid's hat and smiled. "That's a good idea. Maybe we can find out something in there."
Tomoki smiled in contentment, happy to receive praise from the person he most looked up to. The digidestined headed toward what seemed to be the only shop in the village. Takuya slowly opened the door, slightly surprised that the door was, in fact, open.
"Watch your backs," Kouji warned everyone. "The door may not be locked, but who knows what's waiting for us inside."
Everyone entered the shop, expecting anything and everything. The shop seemed vacant, however, with the exception of the items it contained.
"Hello?" Takuya asked, "Is anyone in here?"
The shop offered no reply. Takuya sighed and took a look around, whilst everyone else followed, with the exception of Kouji, who remained at his best friend's side.
Takuya gasped. "This shop is filled with…"
"Candy!" Junpei happily exclaimed. "This place is getting better by the minute."
It was true. Every shelf within the shop was filled with candies and sweets of sorts. Junpei was in heaven.
Takuya's stomach rumbled loudly. "I'm so hungry," He pouted.
Junpei put his arm on Takuya's shoulder, agreeing.
"So am I," the oldest digidestined said as he drooled at the sight of pocky on one of the shelves.
Both boys sighed in unison as their stomachs hungrily growled. Junpei suddenly got an idea.
"Hey, what if we took some? I mean, it's not like anyone's here or anything." Junpei proclaimed, as his hunger pangs were starting to get the best of him.
Kouji shook his head. "That would be like stealing," He answered, in a lecturing tone.
"Look, we don't have money or food," Junpei tried to reason, "All of these delicious treats are right here, practically begging us to take them. This village appears to be abandoned. I doubt anyone will miss what we take."
Kouji opened his mouth to retort when Junpei quickly cut him off in an attempt to continue.
"Besides," Junpei spoke with a slightly irritated tone, "We have to eat to survive. We may not come across food again for days. I don't like to think of this as stealing, but merely surviving. I think the owners of this shop would understand. After all, we did restore peace to their world. They'd probably be happy, knowing that they helped the legendary warriors."
With that, everyone began to think hard about all of this. Everyone's stomachs were growling, even Kouji's. They'd been stuck on that trailmon for such a long time.
"Junpei has a point," Takuya replied. His eyes looked as though he was in deep concentration, trying to decide what was best.
"Are you actually considering what he said?" Kouji asked in disbelief.
"I am," Takuya answered, "I don't like the idea of taking things without asking, but guys, we need to eat soon before we pass out. We're hours away from the forest, so we can't exactly run off to find meat apples."
"Then, it's settled," Junpei said rather excitedly, "I've got dibs on the pocky!"
"Wait, Junpei," Takuya called, causing the child of thunder to stop in his tracks, "We should at least write a letter to the shopkeepers, telling them who we are and why we're taking their items without paying for them. After that, we need to write up an inventory of everything we've taken. We need to take only what we need, as to not burden the owners of this shop. This isn't an all-you-can-eat buffet. We also should promise to pay the owners back somehow. Maybe they'll understand…"
Everyone nodded at their leader's suggestion, including Kouji, though reluctantly. It was obvious that Takuya disliked the idea just as much as he did. With that, everyone proceeded to taking enough candy to at least fill their stomachs. It wasn't very nutritious, but hey, it was edible.
Kouji sighed. He never was a fan of sweets. Candy was okay, but he liked things of a more nutritional value. He saw an aisle devoted to dried fruits and raised a brow.
'This will have to do,' He thought to himself.
Takuya found some paper and a pen. He began to write a letter to the shopkeepers when he found a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see that the owner of the hand was none other than a smiling Izumi.
"You'd better let me write that," She teased, "You write chicken scratch. We do want the letter to be legible, right?"
Takuya handed the pen to Izumi and frowned, "My handwriting's not that bad," he pouted, "but I guess you might be right." He then, smiled a bit sheepishly.
Izumi returned the smile and got right to work. Kouji noticed the little exchange from afar and twitched again.
"Is my little brother jealous?" Kouichi teased, causing Kouji to jump.
Kouji turned to face his older twin brother and glared.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Kouji grumbled.
"Oh, but I think you do," Kouichi answered with a huge grin, obviously used to his little brother's glares after spending a year with him.
Kouichi pointed at Izumi, whom was happily jotting down a letter to the shopkeeper, and Takuya, whom was standing over her shoulder, telling her what to write.
"So what?" Kouji asked, somewhat irritably, and then added, "Izumi is Takuya's friend too. If she wants to help him with something, then fine."
"You're trying so hard to convince yourself of that, aren't you?" Kouichi replied in a whisper.
"What's your point?" Kouji asked quietly, while glancing back at Izumi and Takuya.
"My point is that you need to be more honest with your feelings, otouto-chan." Kouichi answered in a whisper, "Why don't you tell him how you feel?"
"Please don't start, onii-chan," Kouji whispered with a sigh. "I've heard this at least two hundred times, by now."
"Sorry little brother, but you'll continue to hear this until something clicks in that stubborn head of yours." Kouichi answered him, proving to be quite persistent himself.
"What do you expect me to say to him?" Kouji asked; keeping his voice below a whisper for fear that the goggle-head nearby might hear him.
" 'Hey Takuya, let's talk. I really like you a lot.' I think that would be a good beginning." Kouichi spoke in a suggestive tone. Kouji frowned.
"It's not that simple," Kouji whispered as he glanced back at Takuya, who was still helping Izumi, "It's not like I can just do that."
"Don't you think he deserves to know? Don't you think that you deserve happiness?" Kouichi asked.
"Kouichi, I can't tell him." Kouji answered dejectedly, "I will not ruin what I already have with him. I won't throw away our friendship over a stupid crush that I'll likely get over soon."
"A stupid crush, is it?" Kouichi smirked, "What makes you think that this stupid crush will rip your friendship apart?"
Kouji sighed in frustration as he began to nibble on some dried fruit, "Because things would change. I can handle the fact that Takuya may not return my feelings. I don't, however, think I can handle it if things got awkward and our friendship fell apart."
Kouichi nodded and waited for his brother to take a breath and continue.
"Takuya's friendship means way too much to me," Kouji explained. "He's my best friend and I don't ever want that to change. If I confess to him, then he might freak out. If I lose his friendship, I don't know what I'll do."
"Kouji, I think you're worrying far too much," Kouichi replied with a sigh. "I'm pretty sure that Takuya's not a homophobe. That one guy on his soccer team is gay and Takuya seems to be okay with that. I don't think Takuya would allow something like this to come between the two of you. He wouldn't kick you to the curb. Your friendship means a lot to him as well."
"I'm not saying that Takuya might have a problem with my gender preference," Kouji answered, "I'm saying that things might get awkward between us if he doesn't feel the same way. Things would never be the same again. Things would grow awkward and we'd most likely grow apart. I don't want to be separated from him. If he rejected my love, it would hurt…but if he rejected my friendship because of all this, it would kill me. Our friendship means everything to me."
"But what if Takuya returns your feelings?" Kouichi asked. Kouji eyes narrowed in deep thought.
"That will never happen," Kouji sighed as he shook his head. "Besides, this is just a simple crush. It isn't worth causing an uproar. I can deal with this. Our friendship is enough to subdue me. As long as I always remain by his side…"
"Okay, but let's just say that someone else confesses their feelings for him. What if he ends up with someone else? Will friendship be enough for you then?" Kouichi asked as he frowned, "Can you stand the thought of Takuya being with someone else while you watch from the sidelines?"
Kouji's eyes widened. He obviously never considered this. He suddenly glared toward Izumi's direction.
"You'd regret it for the rest of your life," Kouichi spoke, "Someone else would have him by their side instead. I don't want to see you regretting your actions, otouto-chan, because I know you'll hate yourself for it. I want you to be happy, little brother. Besides, think of Takuya's happiness. Who's to say that he wouldn't be happy with you…"
"Onii-chan," Kouji answered, "This is just a simple crush, as I keep mentioning. It'll go away, and everything will return to normalcy. I won't risk our friendship over this. I'll get over it."
"Whatever you say," Kouichi sighed quietly, as Kouji headed out the door leading to outside.
Kouji sighed. 'Could Takuya really be happy with me?' He thought to himself. He, then, shook his head. 'That's impossible. No way can he possibly harbor feelings for me. Besides, Takuya's friendship is enough to sustain me. This is just a simple crush.'
Kouji calmly leaned against a pole that stood across from the candy shop. He stared up at the smoke-filled sky. He glanced over at one of the many furnaces and noticed the flames dancing around through a large glass window. Flames…Fire…
"Fire," Kouji heard himself say before he mentally bashed himself for his wandering thoughts, as that smiling child of flames appeared in his mind. He could not get that goggle-head out of his mind for the life of him.
'Being in the Village of Flames doesn't help matters.' He smirked to himself in slight amusement.
Kouji closed his eyes as he continued to lean against the pole. A few minutes later, he heard a door shut behind him. Someone had obviously come out of the candy shop. He heard pairs of footsteps.
"I didn't know they sold pocky in the Digital World," came Tomoki's voice.
"Yeah, neither did I." Came another voice, sounding a bit amused.
Kouji's eyes jolted open. It was his voice. He glanced over to see Tomoki and Takuya, standing in front of the candy shop. He watched the two boys, especially the object of his affections, closely.
"So, is Izumi finished with the letter?" Tomoki asked.
"No, she's trying to take inventory with Junpei. Knowing those two, that may take a while." Takuya sighed.
Tomoki gave the older brunette a worried smile. "You seem a bit tired, onii-chan." Tomoki said.
Takuya grinned back at the young boy. "I'm okay, don't worry," he said.
Tomoki dug into his pockets and handed Takuya a piece of candy. "You were so caught up in that letter, that you forgot all about taking some for yourself."
"Were you watching me?" Takuya asked, a bit bemused.
Tomoki laughed, heartily. "I have to look after you, onii-chan, especially since Shinya-kun isn't here to do so." The child of ice explained, a bit sheepishly.
"Geez, I thought I was the big brother here," Takuya answered with a laugh as Tomoki grinned widely.
Takuya ruffled the boy's hair and smiled as he took the candy. Kouji smiled warmly at the scene. Takuya and Tomoki really were like siblings. Seeing those two warmed his heart these days.
'Then again, just seeing Takuya's smile warms my heart these days,' Kouji mentally corrected himself. He then watched as Takuya slid the dark pinkish piece of strawberry candy into his mouth.
Kouji found himself unable to turn away from Takuya once again. He silently hoped that he wouldn't be caught this time. He began to take in the boy's appearance. That's when he noticed…
'Takuya isn't wearing his hat,' Kouji noted to himself.
Kouji always admired Takuya's features, but now that he was without the hat, he looked positively breathtaking. Kouji hadn't seen Takuya hatless very many times, save for when the boy was playing soccer or swimming. Takuya's dark brown hair was absolutely radiant, as wavy, curly, wild wisps of it seemed to glow in the sunlight. His hair was so untamed and wild, and yet, it suited him. It would've been considered messy on anyone else, but on Takuya, it made him even more adorable, in Kouji's eyes. Takuya's wild hair matched his personality right down to the last strand. Takuya's goggles, which had been resting on his head for the better part of the day, had somehow slid down from his head, and were now hanging loosely around his succulent little neck.
There was also that tan…that gorgeous tan that made Takuya look as though his skin was glowing in the sunlight. His somewhat muscular, yet sleek, slender figure was also a plus in Kouji's eyes. His entire body seemed so huggable. That's when Kouji noticed just how much Takuya had grown over the past year. He had grown taller, although he was still about half an inch shorter than Kouji himself. Kouji had grown over the past year too, after all. Still though, Takuya was a little taller than Izumi now, and was no longer subjected to her teasing of his short height.
The most captivating thing about Takuya was his eyes. They were the most unique shade of brown that Kouji had ever seen. They were a dark, chocolate color, tinged with a shade of red, making them appear a bit bright as well. Dark…bright…Takuya's eyes contradicted logic, just as the owner of those remarkable eyes did. Kouji loved how tiny flames seemed to dance in those eyes when Takuya was determined…or even when the light hit them at just the right angle. Kouji could stare at those captivatingly haunting eyes forever, for he felt that Takuya's eyes were the very key to his soul, and Kouji knew the boy's soul well.
Kouji blushed as he watched his crush laugh with Tomoki, before it stifled off into a smile.
Gods, that smile, it could make anyone melt. Takuya's smile was so warm and inviting. It provided comfort in times of trouble and need. It provided warmth when one felt so cold. It provided company when one felt lonely. It provided security when one felt uneasy. And that heart-felt laugh? It had a similar affect, except his laughter sounded like a wonderful harmony. Kouji could never get enough of his simple crush.
Kouji's eyes fell upon Takuya's lips. They were small, yet plump…usually a light pink color, though tinted a bright red at the moment, due to the candy inside the boy's mouth. They weren't a messy kind of sticky red, which young children often got from eating candy and allowing it to leave the traces of their lips. They were simply tinted a nice, neat shade of red. Those lips…they looked so incredibly kissable, at the moment.
'I wonder what he would taste like?' Kouji thought as he continued to stare at Takuya's pretty lips. 'I'll bet his kisses are like heaven. Maybe he tastes like chocolate…though at the moment, he probably tastes like strawberries. Either way, Takuya would taste very sweet.' Kouji blushed as he imagined himself being showered with sweet, strawberry kisses.
It was such a pleasant thought, but was sadly interrupted when Kouji felt a hand resting on his shoulder. He turned to find Kouichi with a huge smirk on his face.
"Just a simple crush, hmm?" Kouichi teased as Kouji felt his cheeks burn.
"Please don't start," Kouji groaned quietly. "You've lectured me enough for one day."
"I won't lecture," Kouichi answered in a teasing smile that resembled that of a cheshire cat.
Kouji sighed, wondering what his dear twin might say to him this time. He heard Kouichi draw in a breath, preparing to speak.
"However, dear brother, I think I feel obligated to say that if you keep staring at Takuya so intently, then you may develop x-ray vision." Kouichi whispered into his younger twin's ear, before bursting into a small fit of laughter.
Kouji quickly tore his gaze away from Takuya and turned bright red. He then scowled at the child of darkness.
"I'm glad to see you're amused," Kouji snapped. "I think I feel obligated to say that you sound like a laughing hyena."
"Insult all you like, otouto-chan," Kouichi sniggered, "It doesn't change a single thing."
Kouji glared at the ever-smiling Kouichi and was about to retort when he suddenly heard footsteps behind him. The child of light turned and was met by a pair of reddish-brown eyes…his eyes.
"Hey, guys, I didn't see you over here," Takuya greeted the twins with a smile.
Kouji stiffened and quickly composed himself as Kouichi smiled back, nodding at the boy's greeting.
"Were you two actually arguing a few moments ago?" Takuya asked, a bit concerned.
"Not really," Kouichi grinned, "You know how brothers are, especially little brothers."
Kouji nudged Kouichi in the ribs at that comment. 'I'm only three minutes younger than he is.' Kouji silently complained.
"Do I ever," Takuya chuckled, "I was wondering when the two of you would break into an argument of sorts. I was beginning to wonder whether or not you were brothers at all. Shinya and I argue a lot too…although not as much as we used to."
Kouichi laughed and glanced at his younger twin, taking notice that Kouji was still glaring at him. He decided to switch the subject, and promptly did so.
"Takuya, how are you feeling?" Kouichi asked, "I'm a little concerned for you, after everything that you've gone through today."
The glare from Kouji's face instantly vanished as he anxiously awaited Takuya's answer.
"Oh, I'm fine," Takuya answered with a grin, "There's no need for concern. I don't feel strange or anything. I don't feel as though I'm going to pass out or fall into a trance at any given moment."
"Is that how you felt right before it happened?" Kouichi asked.
"Actually no, I didn't have a warning or anything. It just happened. I didn't even know it took place until I woke up on the trailmon." Takuya answered, with a sigh. He had already explained this before, but with overprotective friends like Kouji and Kouichi, redundancy was obviously a necessity when it came to his health. He decided to turn the tables.
"So, how are you, Kouichi?" Takuya asked.
"Huh? Me?" Kouichi countered, in a surprised tone.
Kouji eyed Takuya suspiciously, taking note at how he seemed to enjoy switching the subject in conversations at times.
"Yes, you," Takuya smirked, "This is your first time being in the Digital World in your actual body. You should definitely have data this time." Takuya paused, and then asked, "Do you feel any differently from the last time at all?"
Kouji raised his brow in interest. "That's a good question," The child of light replied, revealing his interest in his brother's feelings and thoughts.
Kouichi narrowed his eyes in deep thought, and then, smiled. "I don't suppose I feel any differently, other than having the knowledge of how I actually got here this time." Kouichi answered. "Besides," he added before sweat-dropping, "if you'll remember, I didn't exactly know that I was a spirit last time until the Royal Knights told me."
Kouji and Takuya both sweat-dropped at this, as well. "At least we know you're safe this time," both said at the same time. They then stopped, realizing what they'd done and blushed.
Kouichi smirked at the sight before him, then noticed Tomoki happily eating pocky in the corner where Takuya had left him.
"Hey Tomoki, is that strawberry pocky?" Kouichi asked.
"Yup, and it tastes as good as the pocky in the human world," Tomoki smiled, "Do you want some?"
"Sure," Kouichi beamed, "I'll never turn down pocky."
"That's a good philosophy to have," Takuya chuckled, not noticing the smile Kouji donned at his cute remark.
Tomoki happily handed the older twin some pocky before offering some to Kouji.
"No thanks," Kouji shook his head. Tomoki stared at him in disbelief.
"What?" Kouji asked, wondering what could alarm the boy so.
"You turned down pocky!" Tomoki exclaimed, in shock.
Kouji looked at the child of ice weirdly, as Takuya and Kouichi both sweat-dropped.
"Kouji doesn't like sweets very much," Takuya explained in his best friend's defense. "It's rare to catch him eating them."
Tomoki nodded his head in slight understanding. Kouji, however, beamed at the fact that Takuya knew him so well.
"Actually," Kouichi commented, "My brother is quite fond of chocolate." He was grinning evilly all the while.
Kouji suddenly let out a cough and glared at Kouichi, knowing exactly where he was getting at. Takuya's eyes widened, however.
"Really?" Takuya asked in awestruck, somewhat disappointed at himself for not knowing this bit of knowledge about his best friend, "I'll have to go get you some. I saw Junpei pocketing all kinds of chocolate." Takuya quickly ran back into the shop, leaving an amused Kouichi, an impressed Tomoki, and an exasperated Kouji behind.
Kouichi glanced over at his younger twin, noting that he'd made Kouji glare so many times today. The latest glare was an especially venomous one, and so he decided to behave himself and keep his distance for the rest of the hour.
"Hey Tomoki, let's go eat pocky over there," Kouichi pointed at the corner opposite of the one they were just in.
"Sure thing," Tomoki grinned as the two boys quickly made their way over to the corner.
'Maybe I went too far this time,' Kouichi nervously thought to himself.
Honestly, Kouichi hadn't meant to tease his brother so much about his simple crush. However, after spending a year having to watch the two dance around each other's feelings, with all the cautious flirting, stolen glances, and blushing, particularly on Kouji's behalf, it was getting a bit tiresome. Besides, Kouji was drifting into unhappiness because of this crush of his. He longed for Takuya so much at times that it was nearly unbearable and Kouichi witnessed it all. Kouji wished for his affections to be returned, but was too afraid to tell Takuya for fear of rejection. He feared that his best friend would no longer want to be near him. Kouji's greatest fear was that the person who rescued him from the loneliness would be the one to send him back to that existence. He longed to tell Takuya about his true feelings, but refused to do so. When Kouji was away from Takuya, it hurt. When Kouji was with Takuya, sometimes that hurt too. It was difficult being in love with your best friend; being so close and yet so far away. It was tearing the child of light up inside, and Kouichi knew it. He knew that Takuya was much more than just a simple crush to his brother. Kouichi only wanted happiness for his brother. Someone needed to take the initiative. If Takuya could just get the hint…
Kouichi once again sighed in thinking of his brother's predicament. Takuya could make Kouji the happiest guy in the world and vice-versa. The child of darkness only wanted what was best for both his brother and his closest friend.
The loud sound of the door closing broke the eerie silence that had taken place outside the candy shop. Takuya ran over to Kouji with some chocolate pocky in his hand.
"I had to practically beg Junpei for this," Takuya smiled as he handed the sweet piece of heaven over to Kouji.
"You really didn't have to!" Kouji exclaimed.
"Stop being modest and eat up," Takuya smiled as he shoved the pocky into Kouji's mouth.
Kouji blushed madly as he ate the pocky. Takuya continued to grin widely, as if he'd accomplished some great feat. Kouichi watched the scene with much interest and amusement.
'I admit, they're still cute to watch,' Kouichi nearly laughed aloud.
The adorable scene was cut short when Junpei and Izumi made their way outdoors.
"We finished the letter!" Izumi shouted happily.
"Excellent work, Izumi," Takuya commended her. Izumi beamed at this and Kouji found himself twitching again.
"Okay Takky, what's next on the agenda?" Junpei asked, satisfied with his hoards of sweet treats.
"Maybe we should continue to explore this town," Takuya suggested. "Maybe we've missed something. It doesn't make sense that the Village of Flames is so deserted with no evidence, as to where everyone is."
"That sounds like a plan," Kouichi answered, "Perhaps we've overlooked something."
Takuya nodded. "I was thinking that maybe we should each split up into groups," he implied. "We could cover more ground this way."
Everyone nodded in agreement, as Takuya continued. "If anyone finds anything, then we can contact each other with the D-Tectors. We can all meet back here in an hour or so, if nothing is found. Does that sound good to you guys?"
"Yup," everyone chimed in unison.
Takuya turned to walk toward the northern part of town. "I think I'll go this way," he smiled.
"Wait for me," Izumi called as she started to follow the brunette. Kouji watched all of this happen before his eyes.
'Can you stand the thought of Takuya being with someone else while you watch from the sidelines?' Kouichi's words echoed through Kouji's mind from earlier.
Kouji suddenly stepped forward and grabbed Takuya's arm. Takuya turned and faced the bandana-clad boy with surprise written all over his face, as Izumi's eyes also widened in shock.
"Um…"
Kouji struggled to find the words as Takuya stared at him in shock and Izumi eyed him suspiciously.
"Uh…. I was thinking, maybe it would be best if I went with Takuya instead." Kouji spoke as he somehow managed to find the calmness that he needed in order to speak. "Takuya and I were always a team before. If anything should happen, it'd be best if we faced it together."
Takuya flashed Kouji a small smile as Izumi looked at Kouji weirdly. Kouichi decided to intervene.
"Hey Izumi, let's go this way," the older twin suggested as he pointed to the western part of town.
Izumi shot Kouichi a confused look. The child of darkness decided to cover his tracks.
"I've been meaning to ask you about that lasagna recipe anyway. While we're searching, you can tell me all about it." Kouichi lamely tried to explain himself. Izumi sighed and gave a weak smile.
"Okay," she simply said as she followed him. No one noticed the eyebrow she raised toward Kouji's direction as she walked away.
Kouichi was impressed with Kouji's sudden move. 'Way to go, little brother,' He thought happily as he dragged a confused Izumi along with him.
As Takuya and Kouji walked in one direction, and Izumi and Kouichi walked in another, Junpei and Tomoki began to walk to the southern part of the town.
"Somehow, I didn't think I'd be paired with Izumi," Junpei sighed. "There's just way too much drama going on in this little group."
"You're telling me," Tomoki added as the two continued south.
Meanwhile…
Kouji and Takuya walked alongside each other in silence. Takuya was taking in observation of everything around them, searching for clues in hopes of finding answers of the missing digimons' whereabouts. Kouji, however, was lost in his own thoughts.
'These feelings are really starting to get me into trouble.' The child of light thought to himself, 'I can't believe that I actually took Takuya away from Izumi like that. I mean, I do have a crush on him, but still…she's his friend too. Hell, she's my friend. What kind of a friend am I? She has a right to be close to him, right? This is getting way out of hand. Still though, I can't help but be jealous, no matter how ridiculous it may be. It's not like I can control it, no matter how hard I try.'
Kouji repositioned his slipping bandana, not noticing that Takuya was glancing at him as he did so. The dark-haired boy returned to his thoughts.
'Can you stand the thought of Takuya being with someone else while you watch from the sidelines?' Kouichi's words once again echoed loudly through Kouji's confused mind.
'I guess I'd be lying if I said I didn't mind,' Kouji mentally answered. 'Is it so wrong of me to want him for myself? Does that make me a selfish person? Maybe this is more than a simple crush after all.'
Kouji turned his gaze over to Takuya, drinking in the boy's appearance once more. Takuya looked so determined and serious as he continued to search around for clues that Kouji couldn't help but smile. Takuya's expressions were too adorable. He continued to stare at the boy walking next to him. Suddenly, Takuya broke his concentration of their surroundings and looked over at Kouji, managing to capture his eyes in his own. The dark-haired boy felt his cheeks burning deep crimson. He knew he had been caught again.
A/N: I'm sorry that it took so long for me to write this one. I've been busy with classes and work. Biology wants me dead, I tell ya. I didn't really like this chapter at all. I love writing angst, and this chapter was far from that. For a while, I had some difficulty writing this one. The other two chapters practically wrote themselves, so I actually had to do some thinking for this one. As you've just found out (if you read this), this chapter served as the "hinty-blushy" chapter. Come on, you knew it was coming. I know you guys want to find out what's going on with Takuya, but I promise that I will get to that soon. I'm not cruel enough to leave plot-holes lying around. This chapter is about as far away from the plot (and as light-hearted) as it's going to get. I did enjoy writing the little hints though. I hope I didn't scare you guys away with the candy shop idea…it's one of my muses, unfortunately. I wanted the wonderful pocky to make a guest appearance, lol. One could say I'm obsessed, but then, who isn't these days? Pocky is a wonderful, wonderful thing.
Before Izumi-fans stab me, I'm not an Izumi flamer, I swear! I actually like her character. Just keep reading and you'll see… I don't hate a single member of the digidestined in this season, which is odd for me.
I hope I'm not making Kouji seem too ooc (you know, with all the smiling and everything). If I am, I apologize, but this does take place after the series and he admitted in the very last episode, that he was happy now, no longer feeling the need to be angry. The only thing that bothers him now is the fact that he can't admit his feelings to Takuya for fear of losing their wonderful friendship. I mean seriously, wouldn't you be afraid of telling your best friend (regardless of gender) your feelings for them? Because trust me, if it doesn't work out, then you really can lose them…trust me, I know.
I made Kouichi a bit mischievous, but it's only because he cares. Besides, Kouji and Kouichi are brothers and have spent a year getting to know each other better, so naturally, they're probably going to argue a little. They still get along way better than I do with my brothers. I'd love to have Kouichi for a brother, instead of the three evil ones I have.
hands all of the reviewers some pocky I hope you guys like chocolate as much as Kouji apparently does, lol. Thanks so much for reading this, everyone. Your reviews really encourage me to keep this up. I hope you guys don't hate me too much for dragging everything out…or for those lovely cliffhangers that I love to write so much. Keep reading and writing, you guys! I'll try to not make my next author's note into a novel.
KellyQ: Thank you! Takouji does rock, doesn't it? Everything shall be explained soon…
Takuya: Thanks! I'm glad you like it.
Dragi: Thank you! Takuya's 'condition' will be explained very shortly.
Kenzy-chan: hugs back Thank you! I feel so honored that you added me to your favorites. I hope this horrible chapter didn't change your mind, lol.
Chatay: Thank you. I'm glad you feel that way. I was worried that my writing might confuse people. I'm so weird that way.
MilliKilo: Thank you so much. Here's the next chapter, as requested.
Demonmaster: Jealous Kouji is yummy, ne? Hehe, innocent little Taku… pats his head Watches are useful things, huh?
Angel Spirit: glomp LOL! I'm glad you liked Kouichi's little quote. I really want him to take part in guiding his misguided twin toward his love, lol. I'm so glad you like long-chaptered fics, because I don't think I can write a short one to save my life, lol. Kouji's always adorable, isn't he? I just hope he doesn't get an ulcer from worrying about Taku so much…or a popped vein from being so jealous. I hope this was worth the wait. I hated this chapter, as you already know. I'm glad to be done with it so I can move on to the good stuff. I shall email you if I run into any problems, don't worry. You'll grow sick of hearing from me. And thank you so much for reviewing.
The Angsty Gothic Angel: Thanks! Here it is, lol. Isn't that a song or something? I'm such a baka…
Evilchick: Don't worry; I can be impatient at times myself. Thank you very much. I'm glad you like it.
Cat: Thanks so much.
Review for me, if you have the time. You guys are very sweet.
