111break111
What now!
Rated: PG-13
drama/romance
Ch.-4 Explanations
111break111
"Matt?"
Yolie wanted to talk. I didn't. I wish Cody and Yolie would watch TV or something while they waited; stay away from me. She wanted to know. Where is TK? What is going on? Questions I didn't want to answer but knew I had to. Questions I preferred to answer only once.
"What is it Yolie?" I couldn't just ignore her.
"TK…is this about TK?"
I turned to look at her. The day was still bright and I preferred to continue to just stare blindly out the window, dreaming of TK and praying he's okay. But I knew, this is, after all, Yolie, that I wouldn't get peace until I at least answer this question.
Please, please! Just leave me alone!
I closed my eyes, lowered my head and murmured an answer. "Yes."
She left. I turned to look at the window again, but a lingering thought crossed my mind. I then turned my head to Mom. She was curled on the couch staring just as blindly as I had been at nothing in particular.
How do you get passed watching your youngest child disappearing into nothing?
I felt so wasted, so alone. And If I felt this way how did my parents feel?
I stood up, walked over to mom. I could at least provide some form of comfort for her. Dad disappeared; I think to the balcony. As bad as I felt there is no possible way anyone could feel worse then mom right now and me sitting there wasn't going to make things better.
"Mom?" I said as I approached the couch. She looked up at me and smiled. It wasn't empty but it wasn't happy. She didn't look through me, something I feared she might do, but looked right at me. "Do you want some tea?"
"Thank you Matt, I would appreciate that very much."
I nodded and walked into the kitchen. At least it would give me something to do.
As I dug around the kitchen for the fixings of tea I heard the doorbell ring and then the voices of Sora and Mimi. My heart leapt to my throat at the sound of Sora's voice and I froze in my tracks.
"Hi Mrs. Takaishi!"
"How are you today?"
"Hello, girls. Matt is making tea, would you like some?"
"Oooh! DO you have sweet jasmine? I'd like some of that with a dab of honey and lemon please!"
There was silence and then, to my horror, I heard Sora again.
"Where's TK?"
I knew the silence that followed was awkward as my mom was most likely staring at Sora. I couldn't quite picture the look on my mothers face but I was pretty sure Sora and Mimi were exchanging mystified expressions.
"Mrs. Takeishi?" Mimi asked
"What's going on?" I heard my father ask, then, "Nancy?" I heard footstep, hurried ones, fade off into the distance. "Nancy, wait!"
"Was it…something I said?"
"In a way." Yolie spoke for the first time. "Cody asked the same Question when we saw them come out of the elevator earlier. She had a similar reaction; only she curled up on the couch. A few minutes ago I asked Matt if this was about TK and, well…." There was a silence; I think Yolie shrugged. I've seen her do that on a few occasions when she trails off.
"He said yes." Cody finished for her.
I sighed deeply. At least it would keep questions off until everyone else got here. I just hoped they got here soon; I couldn't just hide in the kitchen forever. After all, I just found the tea in a drawer.
I walked over to the faucet and filled the kettle, put it on the stove, and sat down. A conversation started up in the living room about what could have happened. None of them wanted to go into too much thought; all seemed pretty worried about TK.
The kettle whistled. I got up quickly, took the kettle off the stove. Grabbing a few teacups I set them on the table just before I dug around for a tray and placed it near them. I sat the kettle on the tray, along with the cups and the bags, and then walked into the living room.
"Anyone want some tea?" I asked, and then added for Mimi's benefit. "Mom doesn't appear to have any jasmine, just chamomile. I didn't see any soda's or anything, either."
"Oh. Well, thanks anyway. I'll still take a cup though."
"Sure Matt." Sora looked at me with great concern, I avoided her gaze.
"Naw, I'm not a real tea fan." Cody said, "But thanks anyway."
"I'll take a cup."
I poured water into four cups (Cody's reply hadn't quite registered), then quickly left to find mom. When I got to her bedroom (considering the only other room was obviously TK's it wasn't hard to find hers) I found the door shut. I started to knock, but the sound of voices stopped me.
"We need to believe in Matt Nancy. It's all we can do."
"I know Steve. But he's too much like you. I wish I knew how to keep him from blaming the world on himself, there was nothing he could have done for TK. Nothing…you could have done."
Silence, then:
"Nancy. I'm sorry. If I had been…if I had just…."
"Steve, shh. The past is the past. If and when's, should have's could have's…we can't change what is past but we can make do with the present. The future is all that matters."
"The future." My dad repeated.
"The future." I found myself murmuring. I didn't understand what the future had to do with the current situation. A family tragedy is not what's supposed to bring them back together again. How could they think of each like this when TK was…was…?
I slammed my fist into the door, heard my mom gasp. Realizing what I did I quickly suppressed my anger and cleared my face, placing on a mask of indifference in its stead.
Dad answered the door.
"Matt?"
"Tea." I said.
"Oh, thank you."
I gave them the tray and kettle and began to walk off.
"Matt!" I glanced back at mom. "If…if anyone else wants tea…there is another kettle in the pantry."
I nodded and walked off. I had the feeling they knew I heard their conversation. As I passed the others in the living room I could tell they had seen my angry reaction. I couldn't care less right now.
"Matt?"
"Sora…I want to be left alone for a little while." I closed the kitchen door behind myself.
111break111
Sora stared after Matt, sympathy and compassion filling her, as well as irritation and anger. She wasn't exactly sure what was going on, she could have sworn Matt had gotten over that phase of his, that point in his life where he was just…out if it! She wasn't sure she could handle Matt going back there again, not when so much depended on him being the responsible individual he was supposed to have become. The one he had been for the past six years. Since his revelations in the digital world.
"So, umm…Mimi!" Yolie said after a moment, wanting to break the silence, "How much longer are you in Japan for anyway?"
"Oh, uhh, about another month I suppose." Mimi replied, rubbing the back of her head with a cheeky smile. "Dad said I can stay as long as I want so long as I am back by September."
"What's in September?" Cody asked
"That's when school starts in America."
"In September?"
"Mhm. It's much different then here, why do you think I get to come here for three months during the summer?"
"Oh." Cody was wide eyed at the thought of a whole three months of vacation.
"Yep! Three months of vacation time!"
The doorbell chimed once more and Sora quickly stood. "I'll get!" She cried as she hurried to the door.
"So, what's the deal?" Davis asked as Sora opened the door? "Kari sent me'n Ken a quick message, but no info. Something about an emergency meeting?"
"Yes." Sora replied as she ushered him and Ken into the room. "Please, keep your voices down. Mr. and Mrs. Takeishi are in the bedroom right now-."
"Really?" Davis interrupted with a grin.
"I don't think she means anything by that Davis." Ken replied somberly, his eyes traveling over the group. He sensed something wrong in the room and, when he looked at Yolie he saw something reflected there that made him begin to worry about the meeting. "Our host is missing."
At first Davis looked at Ken funny, then looked around the room. "Hey, waitaminute! Where's T.A.?
"It's TK!" Everyone jumped as Matt burst out of the kitchen, an empty teakettle in his hand as if he were about to hit someone with it. "For once just get it right! His name is TK! I know you know it you little jerk, now stop getting it wrong!" And with that he was inside the kitchen again.
"Wow." Davis murmured, a little perturbed. It had been a long time since he;d intentionally gotten TK's name wrong and was just playing around. He'd fully expected TK to come around the corner and make a comment about it. It bothered him that Matt over reacted. "What's his problem? I was only kidding."
"That's what the meeting is about." Yolie stated
"Has something happened to TK?" Ken asked
Yolie nodded.
There was a soft knock on the door and it opened a crack. Tai stuck his head in and looked around.
"Hey guys, is everyone here?"
"Not quite." Sora replied, "Now that your here all that's left is Izzy, Joe and Kari."
"I brought Izzy and Kari with me, Joe should be here in five." He stepped inside followed by Izzy and a very worried looking Kari. "Where's Matt?"
Sora flinched as something crashed in the kitchen and Tai nodded.
111break111
Stupid, stupid, stupid! He's known TK for years now, why can't he get a simple name straight!
I threw the teakettle into the sink angrily, turning the faucet's handle and watching as it began to fill with water. It was then that my stomach growled and I realized I hadn't had anything to eat yet today due to what happened. I mentally cursed my own bitter luck and walked over to the pantry in the hopes that I could find at least something. As I opened the thin door near the refrigerator I looked inside, hoping to see some food All I saw, however, was a lot of health food. Granola and the like, tasteless stuff dad and I never really bothered with.
No soda in the fridge, no food in the pantry…this is ridiculous! I just hope she just needs to go to the market.
I began to step back, uninterested in anything that was staring me in the face, but the heel of my foot stepped into a small pan that had managed to find it's way into the middle of the floor during my search for a kettle earlier and I was forced to quickly grabbed a shelf to keep from falling. To bad it didn't work.
The shelf apparently wasn't fastened into the pantry like the one at our place and it wound up falling with me, somehow making the shelf above and below it fall as well and I landed on the floor with several items landing on top of me.
My head was slammed with words I never said normally as my anger and irritation flared even more, the level of idiocy I felt for myself rising as well and I threw one of the boxes against the fridge.
"Matt?" Tai's voice brought a wash of relief flooding through me and I managed to turn my head, my anger melting away slightly. "Are you alright buddy?" He asked as he walked over, an expression of perplexity on his face.
"I'm fine." I lied, tossing another box at the fridge.
Tai knelt next to me, grinning uncertainly and began shoving the boxes off. "Yeah, and I'm Piedmon's long lost son."
"Well, ya never know." I replied humorlessly as he helped me to my feet.
"Matt." Tai began calmly, his hand landing gently on my shoulder. "I'm here now, you won't have to do this alone. You know that, right?"
My eyes met Tai's and I saw that same deep compassion and understanding that gave us such a strong bond as best friends and I found myself with a small half smile creeping in. "Yeah. Yeah, man, I do. Thanks."
"Anytime man."
I looked around the kitchen and exasperation filled me. "Man, Mom's gonna kill me."
"You can say that again!" Tai chuckled, then knelt down and began picking up the mess. "Give me a hand will ya? This is, after all, your mess."
I grinned and we began to clean the kitchen up together. It took us a few minutes, but that was okay though, I really appreciated having Tai with me right now. It made me happy to know he was there for me, my best friend.
I doubted I would have ever become such good friends with him if we hadn't been trapped together in the digital world and come to so many blows together. Tai was more then my friend, he was like a brother. And only one other person in my life had that sort of bond with me and that was TK.
By the time we were done the water was boiling and Joe was here. I grabbed the tea out of the pantry and cups out of the cupboard while Tai grabbed the teakettle and headed out the door. I followed closely and looked around the room, kinda shameful as everyone looked at me warily, and set the cups and tea down.
"Tea if anyone wants some."
"Great, I could really use a cup." Joe stated.
"Is everyone ready?" Tai asked, "Matt and I have called this meting because something horrible has happened."
Tai and I exchanged solemn expressions, a silent understanding flowing between us. I looked at the others, and then took a deep breath.
"This morning, about an hour or two ago, TK disappeared."
"Isn't that something you should talk to the police about?" Davis asked
"Not when he vanishes in your arms." I replied. "We were at a park, it was a picnic. TK looked pale, but I didn't think anything of it at the time. Mom and Dad had an announcement to make and…I was skeptical of quite a few things, preoccupied to say the least. Then TK…collapsed. It was like he was hit with a dizzy spell. I caught him just in time, but then he leaned into me. I helped him to the ground and called our parents over. His eyes were glazed and he didn't seem to comprehend anything. He looked like he was in pain." I clenched my fists as I retold the story. When I got to the part where his body seemed to convulse and relax in on itself I heard Sora and Mimi gasp. I couldn't look at any of them. I had to turn my head, avert me eyes. It was so hard to tell them what happened, but Tai remained by my side, his hand firmly, comfortingly, on my shoulder the whole time. When I finally finished the story, ending where Dad shocked me out of my stupor, I looked up. No one said anything, but you could read their minds by their faces.
Joe and Izzy were silent, pity reflecting their eyes and a touch of wariness as they remembered similar events. Ken gazed at me with that same calm calculating expression he wore at times of confusion, but I also saw warmth and understanding. He had lost his own brother and felt the heart ache. Davis was silent. I found it odd that he looked almost guilty. Mimi had tears in her eyes, looking at the floor. Yolie and Cody kept exchanging befuddled expressions and glancing every so often at Kari who was staring in shock at me. Sora had a hand on Kari's shoulder and was looking at me with a mixture of understanding and confusion. She now understood what my problem was but I was sure she didn't; understand why I couldn't talk to her about it.
I didn't want to talk about it more then once.
My eyes went back to Kari, though, and I noticed as she began to shake her head.
"I…I don't…understand." She murmured, "TK…why? What's the point? No, not that." She wasn't making any sense, but as she continued to ramble I began to catch a small understanding. "It's connected. It has to be. I think. I don't know, but…I felt it! I felt him!"
"What do you mean?" I asked quickly.
"It was about the same time! I'm sure it was! Before you called, a few minutes maybe. I got this headache. But it didn't feel right. More like a…an echo of a headache."
What?"
"And…and then it worsened while I was talking to Yolie. I took some Tylenol for it and it began to fade. I didn't realize it before, but it faded to fast to be the Tylenol working. And then…and then…."
"You were reaching for more Tylenol when I got to you." Tai stated, fear etching his face
"The headache was echoing again." She whispered.
"When TK disappeared." I whispered, "You felt…."
"TK was having headaches."
I looked up, just as everyone else turned, to see both my parents staring at us. Mom looked frightened, her hands clutched together again. Dad stood away from her.
"He had kept having them. I thought it was nothing."
"I was feeling echoes of his headaches." Kari murmured
"Man, this is totally weird!" Davis stated
"I wonder who could be behind this." Izzy rubbed his chin for a moment. "I wonder if-."
A beeping noise came from Kari and the 'new' kids and I watched as they pulled out their terminals.
"Looks like we all got mail." Davis announced as he opened his.
A small hope filled me and I quickly pulled it out of his grasp. "Maybe it's TK." But when I read the following all I saw was a weird E-mail, one that made a foreboding sensation seep throughout my body.
"What is it, Matt." Tai asked
"A poem." I replied, "A very bad one."
"Can I have my terminal back now?" Davis asked
I ignored him and began reading it out loud.
"With Light's defeat
Love will follow,
When Friendship dies
Courage shall cower.
With Hope comes Despair
And Darkness comes hand in hand."
"Mine say's the same thing." Kari whispered.
"I don't like the sound of this." Ken stated
"I wonder what it means." Davis said. "Is it a threat?"
"There's more." I replied, "It reads as follows…
"With the shining light of Hope in my hands, my darkness shall reign on high. With the key to the light in my power nothing can stop me. Once the Digital World is mine, nothing can stop me from the real one."
"We're being mocked." Tai stated "Izzy, check your laptop. I want to know if he has us all on his list or just the ones with terminals. Those things are linked to the digital world, he may not know us otherwise."
"Already on it." Izzy said s he typed his password in. Then his eyes widened and he set his laptop on the floor, quickly stepping away from it.
"What's-" Before I could finish my question his screen began to glow brightly.
"The digital gate!" Tai exclaimed as a robed figure fell out of the screen, collapsing onto the floor.
"Gennai!"
He was still young, the way he was the last time we had seen him. He was also battered and quite exhausted looking. Izzy and Ken, the two closest to him, helped Gennai sit up when he tried, and failed, to get up on his own.
"What happened dude?" Davis asked, "What happened to you?"
"For that matter, how did you even manage to get here?" Izzy asked, "The gates have been inoperable for the past two weeks. Zero contact with anyone in the digital world whatsoever."
"Am I…too late?" he gasped.
"What do you mean?" I asked
Gennai looked right at me and I saw a fear in his eyes that made my blood run cold.
"TK."
"What about him?" I asked quickly
"Am I too late?" He asked again. "Has he taken TK yet? Please, tell me he's still here."
My eyes were locked with his. I couldn't look away from the fear I saw there. Whatever it was that had happened to him….
I couldn't fly off the handle. Even though what he said shocked me I couldn't let myself go, couldn't allow myself to get sucked into that same gulf that I had fallen into before, almost fallen into a moment before.
As I stood there, staring at Gennai, a silent understanding passed between the two of us and he got his answer. He cursed, and then flinched as pain assaulted his chest.
"Too late. I'm…to late."
I couldn't take it. AS much as I wanted to stay calm I just couldn't. I had to know what was going on and I had to know now! Before I knew what I was doing I was pushing my way past Ken and grabbed Gennai's shoulder, whipping the injured man around to face me, desperation in my every movement.
"Tell me!" I cried out, "What is going on! What do you know about TK? What happened to him and who took him? Why!"
And then I felt strong hands grabbing me firmly and pulling me away from Gennai. I struggled at first, but then I heard dad's voice in my ear.
"Calm down Matt. You just assaulted an injured man! Get a hold of yourself!"
I froze in his arms. He was right; I let myself get carried away. Dad sat me down firmly next to Tai who placed his hand firmly on my shoulder. I looked at him, met his eyes, and lowered my head. He squeezed my shoulder reassuringly and when I heard my dad speak again I looked up.
"What do you know about my son? Where is TK?"
Gennai looked up at my dad, absolute failure written on his face. My father knelt down next to him and smiled softly.
"I'm sure you did all you could to help. Please, tell us everything you can. Everything you know."
Gennai nodded and began, though painfully, to explain.
"It was weeks ago, not sure how long exactly, that we intercepted a coded message. After decoding it we found a vague message hidden inside. We were able…able to recognize part of it. The angel of hope. We knew exactly what they had meant and I set out to find Patamon as soon as possible. It took me some time, but I found him just in the nick. I hadn't realized, just yet, that the gates had been blocked and when I tried to create one to the real world I, well…I was quite shocked to find I couldn't. I managed to contact my comrades and they informed me they deciphered another part of the message. One regarding TK."
"What did it say?" I asked quietly. Gennai looked at me for a moment, but he seemed to hesitate before responding.
"I am having difficulty remembering."
I didn't believe him in the least.
"Go on." My father urged softly, "What happened next?"
"I was about to request assistance to open a gate to the human world, but my contact was abruptly cut off. I believe the base of our operations had been seized and they were under attack. It was then that numerous Digimon under control of our enemy set upon us and I was forced to abandon my attempts. Grabbing Patamon I escaped as fast as I could. We ran for a week's time, constantly fighting in the process. The malignant influence of this enemy has seeped far and wide; there is nothing we can do to stop it. Either you live in fear or you end up in their service. Hope that your return will bring peace is the only thing keeping them going; a hope that is trying to be dashed.
"Patamon tried to digivole several times, but since he is in need of TK to do that he was left defenseless. That is the only drawback to being the partner of a chosen child, a drawback that began to wear on Patamon as we hid."
Gennai took a deep breath, halting his story for a moment and I began to wonder if he was choosing his words carefully. It was almost as if he was afraid to tell us everything, that if he said the wrong thing we might over react, or worse. In truth, it was awkward to see him like this. Awkward and a little frightening. I wasn't sure what to think about the situation. Was he underplaying the problem? Trying to keep us from worrying too much? Was there more to this then he was telling us? And is there something he is trying to hide from us? It didn't' make any sense. If that was true then why? After all this time, after everything we did, why would he do that now? Then again, there wasn't a whole lot we really knew about Gennai and his type of digimon. If he even was one. After all, he himself said his data was different then the other types. All we really knew about him was that he was a guardian and our primary source of information.
Suddenly I realized Gennai was talking again, his voice a little stronger. He seemed to be recovering from his ordeal and didn't seem to be in as much pain as before.
"There had been no sign of Azulongmon; I was beginning to fear something had happened to him. And then he had somehow managed to make contact with Patamon and I. It turned out he had been attacked and now sealed away; a was testament to how much influence they had gained in the Digital World. I don't know how he managed to weaken the seal enough to contact us, but we were lucky he did. Azulongmon managed to transfer a portion of his remaining energy to Patamon, giving him the power to digivolve but only once. He was warned not to use that power unless it was an absolute emergency, that the power must be stored until the right time. He told me to find Arissa as soon as possible, that she was the only one still out there and the only one that can help me open a gate."
I felt something brush against me and I saw Mom standing next to me, her eyes focused on Gennai and fearful. I watched as she sat down on the couch and absently fidget with a pillow, waiting for any information on TK she could hear.
Gennai shifted and winced a little before going on. "It took me about a day to find her, but I eventually found her at Primary Village with Elecmon. She was doing her best to help him protect the eggs, the last haven for all digimon. If the village were to be destroyed then there would no more digimon, no more rebirths. And if it were to fall under the control of…well, of the enemy, then the digital world would forever be under his control and all the digimon born there.
"Arissa was almost as spent as I was, trying hard to keep the village safe. But she managed to help me create a small portal and just as Patamon was about to enter it she was blasted in the back and I felt a sharp pain enter my side. I looked up just in time to see Patamon evolve into Angemon, I could do nothing to stop him. He charged into the enemy and fought hard, but then I saw as three at once attacked him and he fell to the ground, unconscious and reverted. One of them took him away and then focused on us, Elecmon had already been rendered unconscious by this time and Arissa and I were defenseless. It was then that our rescue came by…by someone I had not expected to see at all. She managed to fend them off, reviving us and giving us enough power to open a gate. After that she revived Elecmon and then left, telling us she had something important to do. Aissa and I discussed what to do and it was decided that she would continue to protect the village with Elecmon while I entered the digital world. She lent me power enough to create a portal on my own and I left them, not wanting to draw anymore attention to them, knowing that a portal would draw in more enemies. In the process I was attacked again and again and I finally managed to find some place to open a portal. I had hoped to make it through your laptop, Izzy, before TK was taken but…as I feared…I was too late."
Silence fell then and I reviewed everything he had said. But something was still bothering me, something he seemed to avoid talking about. It was Tai that asked the question that seemed to refuse leaving my lips and I was relieved that he had taken the initiative.
"Please, Gennai, could you tell us exactly what it is that is happening over there? Who exactly are these dark forces and why do they want TK?"
Gennai sighed but acknowledged Tai's question. "It's hard to explain everything, but I will do my best for you. It begins very simply, really, and involves the dark ocean."
I looked quickly over at Kari, knowing she had been there before, and saw her and ken exchanged deep expressions. They had both been there before and knew what it was like. TK had also been there, he had gone to save Kari.
"Does this have anything-?"
"No." Gennai interrupted Ken before he could finish his sentence. "It has nothing at all to do with Daemon. This far more dangerous then Daemon and far more dangerous then any evil you have faced so far. It is something that feeds off of pain and sorrow. And no, it is nothing like Appoclymon. I know that he was made of the very same material this beast feeds on, but it is far worse then that. It is the epitome of darkness that we are fighting, it is everything opposite of what you all represent. It is, in essence, the opposite of al things, or it's avatar really. For the entity known as the opposite of all things is just that. It isn't really even an entity. It is there, but it is not there. So it has created itself an avatar to bring about its plans, though I suspect it has also created minions for itself as well. In fact, I would not be surprised if what took TK was just one of it's many minions, even I don't know everything and this is no exception. What I do know, however, is that in the end nothing will be left, nothing."
"Dude, that makes no sense whatsoever." Davis stated, his eyes wide with horrified fascination.
"That's almost the point." Gennai replied, "Almost nothing makes perfect sense and this least of all. So long as there is light in the universe there is darkness. So long as Hope blooms so does despair. With love brings hate, courage and fear, happiness and sorrow…life and death. Everything that you are, that is the opposite. Everything you represent. It is time that you finally find out what it is you are truly fighting for.
111break111
k2: Ya know…there used ta be more here.
Mk: Your making it a trend to cut chaps off, aren't ya?
k2: Dunno. Let's find out, shall we?
