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Sorry it's taken so long. I just started my first year of university. Anyways, this one should bring this story up to the same point as the other one. Enjoy, and please review with some comments, advice, suggestions, whatever.
On to the show:
-N
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"The best things in life are never rationed. Friendship, loyalty, love do not require coupons."
- George Hewitt
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Oh my God.
Takato literally froze. He almost even fainted. He felt as if everything was happening slower—as if his own senses were heightened, when he knew in reality he wouldn't have been able to see turtle charge at him. Yamaki's words echoed through his mind. Ryo was infected.
Oh God no, not Ryo, not—
"Takato, he's infected. He's changing. He'll turn into what Dr. Nonaka is, maybe something worse. I don't like the situation any more than you do but you know what that means you have to do."
This isn't happening.
He must have muttered it outloud, because Guilmon shifted under his hand, looking into his eyes curiously. Takato absentmindedly stroked his hand on the side of his partner's face reassuringly. Takato had been squatting, and he barely noticed as flopped backwards to a sitting position. What he did notice, however, was the feel of the object in his pocket that drove itself into his thigh as he shifted.
No. Ryo, no.
The weight belonged to the yellow box. The serum. The weapon. The failsafe given to him to protect the tamers from a new infection carrier. He knew what Yamaki was going to ask him to do. He'd tell him it had to be done. He'd tell him that Ryo would be as much of a threat to him and his friends as Dr. Nonaka is. He'd tell him Ryo will kill him. Takato even knew. But he obviously rejected the thought of using the serum on Ryo.
He's my best friend…
What Yamaki told him was nearly verbatim to what he had anticipated. Takato wasn't really listening. He knew he should have, but he couldn't. He could always ask Yamaki later to repeat what he said; he probably understood how shocking this came. Takato soon realized that it wasn't so much the responsibility of being the one forced to make the decision or not to stop Ryo—
—to kill him—
—but it was the thought of losing him at all. If what Yamaki had told him was true, and he had no reason to believe it wasn't…then Ryo was already dead. No cure, no way to stop the infection…no hope? Ryo was his best friend. There were things Takato had told Ryo that he hadn't even told Jeri. Whether he used the serum or not, Ryo would still be gone. If he did use it, he'd be protecting the Tamers—protecting his friends—most of them. But he'd be betraying them just as much. So there Takato stood—or sat—with lives of people he loved in each hand—certain that he'd never felt so helpless.The last thing he remembered hearing before he hung up the phone to help make things quieter for him was Yamaki saying, "He's got two weeks, three at the most, and he'll kill you all."
--
Takato was sitting outside the cave. He held the yellow case, staring at its contents. The clear liquid in the small syringe. He thought about the responsibility that had been placed upon him, as he had every single second since it became just how important it was. Over and over, he rolled the needle through his fingers, watching the surface of the fluid dance.
Can end it all. Now.
He'd been told that Ryo would have two weeks, three at the most, and he'd be gone. After that, all that would be left is his body, and it would change, too. Then Ryo would be just like Dr. Nonaka—like Rika's father. Walking around with no soul, hurting people he once loved. May still love.
Ryo was his best friend. He didn't need to think for a moment what that meant to him. If he could trade places with him—give his life for Ryo's—he would. In a second.
But you can't.
He thought of all the lies he'd told the past few weeks. Lies told straight to the faces of the friends that trusted him. Takato deserved to be the one to be infected. Not Ryo. But he knew that wasn't an option. He knew that using the serum would be the greater good.
The greater good.
The phrase had lost all meaning to him. It'd become more of an excuse than anything else. He remembered what Jeri had told him about the importance of it.
Jeri.
Takato ran his hand through his hair, still not taking his eyes off the injection in his other hand.
What would she do?
He thought back to a conversation he'd had with her a few days before. He hadn't given her any details about Ryo being infected, but managed to ask her what she'd do if she had to fight for one of their lives, against all odds, and at great risk to a great number of people. He hoped she didn't assume he was talking about Ryo, as Ryo's condition was appearing to improve dramatically
"Takato, when I was inside the D-Reaper, none of you gave up on me. When I found that out, I swore I'd never give up on any of you."
. If he didn't stop Ryo, he'd come after her. And Henry. And Kazu, and Kenta. And Rika.
Ryo wouldn't want that.
The thought of Jeri being chased by one of those monsters—by Ryo—flashed through his mind as it had in his dreams the past four days. And it terrified him. Even if he died first himself, he couldn't imagine dying before keeping her safe. He then remembered what Jeri told him about never giving up on any of them. When she told him that, he swore to himself he wouldn't give up on her, either. He loved her too much to ever give up on her.
Love?
He hadn't considered giving up on Ryo before it became a fact that delaying the infection would basically be giving up on his friends.
Ryo's life, for theirs?
Three weeks, tops. What would Ryo want if he knew? Takato knew the answer already. He knew Ryo too well. Ryo would give his life in a minute if it meant protecting everyone. If anyone would volunteer to go down for a cause, be it protecting someone who doesn't know you exist, or a blaze of glory, Ryo would in a heartbeat. Takato knew that that was why he couldn't tell Ryo. He couldn't hear Ryo ask him to use it. Never. And Takato wouldn't pass off the burden onto Ryo.
"It's the weight that you gotta carry." He reminded himself
Takato realized how much time he'd spent during that session of sitting and thinking. He was supposed to have changed Ryo's bandages twenty minutes ago. Takato and Ryo were the only people in the group who knew any first aid at all, so Takato had been the one to spend the most time with him. He didn't need to do much, though, really. Yamaki had told him that the infection will heal him quickly, and Takato had seen that Yamaki was correct. Still, Takato wanted to keep him comfortable, if anything else. He put the needle carefully back into its case, which he then slid into his pocket. He picked up the bag of bandages, put on his poker face, and went inside.
"Hey buddy." Takato whispered.
Asleep?
There was no response. "Ryo?" he whispered a little louder. He squinted and saw Ryo's silhouette, and it wasn't moving. Takato inched closer, unsure what to make of it.
"Ryo?" he said, a little louder. It took him a while to realize, but he soon did. Ryo wasn't breathing.
Oh, shit, no—
Yamaki'd said Ryo had three weeks, it had only been four days. It didn't make sense, why would Ryo—
"Ryo." He whispered aloud, feeling a tear roll down his cheek as he reached forward to put his hand on his shoulder.
If his heart hadn't stopped already, it would have when Ryo suddenly jolted to life, flying into Takato, knocking him backwards, and landing on top of him in one fast motion.
I'm gonna die—
But when Ryo then rolled off him and broke into a roaring fit of laughter, he found relief. He didn't move still, didn't smile until he realized something. Something that made him hate himself a little less—he never reached for the needle.
He finally found himself able to enjoy Ryo's prank. He laughed with him for a while, and even had a few seconds of solace where he didn't feel like he was carrying half the burden he was. But a few seconds was plenty more than he'd recently hoped for.
"I hate you." He lied, as tradition dictated, before he finally joined in the laughter. "How's your wound? You know, before your tasteless little joke."
"Getting better. That didn't hurt nearly as much as I was expecting it to. Bandages are itchy as hell, though."
"Should probably change them." Takato forced himself to say, ignoring Ryo's comments of his condition 'improving'. He reached for the bag of bandages he'd dropped when Ryo tackled him, and pulled out a roll. Ryo, meanwhile, carefully lifted his shirt, exposing his current bandage, which had comparatively less blood soaking through. Takato suppressed a frown as Ryo poked at it in amazement of his supposed improvements.
"Cool." Ryo murmured.
Takato forced himself to ignore Ryo. He focused his attention on the bandages, convincing himself that it was important, and had to be done right. He wet the bandages, and removed some scissors from the bag.
"Where's Rika?" Ryo asked. Takato'd been a little curious as to what was going on with those two. He couldn't bring himself to hold any upset feelings towards either of them if something was going on, after all he himself hid from them. Still, it hurt him.
"Out killing things with Renamon and Jeri." Takato replied quickly. Takato had in fact been encouraging Rika to keep away from Ryo, but he wasn't obvious about it. He made the effort to suggest around her that the area needs to be patrolled regularly, and Rika seemed to be wanting to busy herself, heightening her suspicions of her having a relationship with Ryo. He knew she and Renamon could handle anything in this particular area of the digital world. His own motive for it, however, was that he couldn't handle lying to the three of them at the same time in the same place. He managed to push on, though. He had to. He carefully cut the bandages off of Ryo, and gently peeled them away after pressing the wet cloth against them.
Takato glanced at the wound, which was healing amazingly well. Under any other circumstance, he'd obviously be overjoyed. But he couldn't be. He started wrapping the new bandages.
"So how's life?" Ryo asked casually.
"Crappy as ever." Takato blurt out before he could restrain himself.
Ryo looked at him. It seemed like the first time in a very long while that eye contact was made. "Oh, I'm—I'm sorry, Takato. I know you'd rather be anywhere else than stuck in a cave." Ryo said awkwardly but sincerely.
"No, that's not—that's not what I meant—I don't mind being here, here. It's just some other stuff's been on my mind." Takato replied near-instantly. He couldn't believe he let Ryo feel bad about this.
"Like what?"
"Like why we're here. Like, why us, you know? Like why something chased you, and injured you for protecting Rika."
Damn it. Rika and Ryo had made up a story they told everyone else. Takato knew they were lying because he was there, he saw them.
"Well, it's just our luck, you know?" Ryo said, in his contagiously-optimistic manner. "We'll see it through. We always have."
Yeah. Just our luck.
Takato didn't say anything. The reason being not of guilt, but because he couldn't think of anything to say.
Luck. Roll of the dice.
In a way he was glad of where he was right then. He forced himself to admit the truth. Ryo would have been infected whether or not Takato had helped Yamaki. It wasn't his fault. He repeated the thought in his mind, and even started to believe it. He wanted to tell Ryo that not only did he not mind being in the cave helping him, but was glad to. But he chose, for whatever reason, not to express that. Takato still was the leader. People were depending on him. He had to take care of everyone; of Jeri, of Ryo, and of everyone else.
Takato finished wrapping the bandages, and bound them with a pin he'd asked Ryo to hold. Ryo slid back into his shirt, and began standing up. Takato nearly jumped up himself, preparing to catch him, but he didn't need to, as Ryo kept his balance.
"Well look't that." Ryo said quietly with a grin.
Takato managed a smile before turning to head outside. He was nearly out before he heard Ryo call.
"Hey, did you drop this?"
Takato didn't need to check his pocket to realize the weight was missing. He turned around, and saw Ryo holding the case containing the serum. He hurried over to Ryo, and almost snatched the case out of his hands. He looked it over quickly, making sure it was still sealed.
You'll need that. To take care of him.
He turned, and headed outside before he lost his nerve. He reached the end of the cliff, opened up the case, and threw the needle as far and as hard as he could over the edge. There was no way he'd use it. He'd find another way to bring him back.
--
"You what?" Yamaki demanded.
"I got rid of it. It's gone." Takato replied firmly.
"Takato, I admire your loyalty to your friend, but I honestly don't see us finding another way to deal with this." Yamaki said coldly.
Takato would have felt bad for upsetting Mr. Yamaki if the errands he'd been running for him hadn't left him with so much pent-up piss-iness. He was almost enjoying it.
"We'll find another way. We have to. I'm not giving up on Ryo." He said, reflecting upon what Jeri had told him."
Not gonna let him die out of bad luck.
"…Okay." Yamaki said finally. "You've got my support."
Finally.
Takato had been on the phone with him for quite some time trying to convince him so. He believed that he had, too. He trusted Yamaki not to kill Ryo himself if he got the chance. "Thank you, Mr. Yamaki." He said sincerely.
"Mm. Is he showing any improvements from his wounds?"
"Yeah, he is."
"Damn. Alright, I just got some data in that implies that the infection spreads noticeably faster when the carrier is asleep."
"Uh huh…" Takato murmured involuntarily.
"The more active you keep his mind while he's awake, the longer he'll have." Yamaki continued. "Keep him occupied. Keep him busy, and keep him thinking."
"What should we do?" Takato asked, almost at a loss as to carry out Yamaki's suggestions.
"Find that serum and use it?" Yamaki said bitterly.
"Besides that."
"Talk to him. It will keep him conscious and at least a little alert."
Takato was happy to hear that. He'd been doing a lot of that anyways, which means he'd at least bought Ryo some time. And Takato himself sure didn't mind.
"Okay."
"I'll open a portal for you in a few days. You're best off in the digital world if the serum isn't going to be used. If we're unable to cure him, then he can at least be quarantined." Yamaki said, changing tones completely.
"How long?" Takato asked, ignoring the last statement.
"A few days." Yamaki repeated. "We're still trying to track Dr. Nonaka."
"Hmm. You'll have us home by then?"
"Yes, I will."
"See you soon." Takato clicked his phone shut. It was then he turned to see Jeri and Rika approaching, followed by Renamon and Cyberdramon. He quickly thought about what he'd just said aloud, and realized he didn't say anything incriminating.
"Hey." He greeted with a smile. "How'd it go?"
"Nothing that half a chance against us." Rika replied smugly. "How's Ryo?" she asked immediately after.
"Better and better." He said, part truthfully. "He's asleep right now," he lied. "Don't get too close to him. He tackled me halfway outside earlier."
"Um," Jeri started. "I think we're gonna choose to ignore that for now." Takato grinned. He felt so relieved, even under the current situation. He felt confident that they really would find a way to help Ryo. It was like that serum weighed a few tons he didn't have to carry around anymore.
"Where's everyone?" Jeri asked.
"Out and about. Probably looking for you guys. They'll be back soon, I'd think."
In fact, Takato had asked Henry to keep everyone busy for a little while, saying he needed nobody barging in bothering Ryo. Takato really needed the time to talk to Yamaki. They would be back soon, though.
"So what was the phone call about? Do we have a plan?" Rika asked.
Crap.
Takato did his best to hide the worry on his face. "Well," he began, "that was Mr. Wong. He said that we shouldn't stay here too long. Whatever attacked you guys behaved at least in part like a digimon. He says we should predict it could follow us here. Mr. Wong says that we'd best keep on the move. But with Ryo's injuries, I'm thinking we're better off in this world."
Believable?
He'd thought when he'd rejected Yamaki's idea to use the serum that Yamaki wouldn't help them. If that were the case, Takato would have come clean about everything. But Yamaki was their best shot at curing Ryo, and that trust had to be kept.
"Is he well enough to walk?" Jeri asked.
"No, he's not. Besides, there's still that virus out there. Renamon, Cyberdramon, I know we promised to help out here, but it looks like it's going to have to wait a little while longer."
Takato was proud of his lie, until he realized that Rika was seeing right through it.
"Jeri, can you sit with him incase he wakes up?" Rika asked, not breaking her eye contact with Takato. "I need to talk to Takato about something. Renamon, Cyberdramon, go with her."
Damn it.
Takato sighed. He looked to Jeri, and he knew that she knew he was apologizing.
"What's going on?" She asked him.
"Huh?" was his immediate reply.
Smooth. He was really trying to buy some time to decide what to tell her.
"What you told us Mr. Wong said. That wasn't true, was it?"
"Yeah, it was."
"Takato."
Damn.
"…no."
"Tell me what's going on." She repeated.
I can't. I'm sorry.
"No." He said defiantly.
"What?" She snapped at him.
"I can't." he said, glad to be as truthful as he could.
"Why not?"
He sighed. Neither said anything for a moment, as he decided just how exactly to word what he needed to tell her. "Rika, if I tell you everything—it'd be really dangerous. For you, for Jeri, for Ryo, for all of us. But please believe me when I say that I'm still your friend. I can't say what this creature is, and I have no idea what it is capable of. But I will say that you need to stay away from it, and the threat it makes goes beyond itself. If we can't stop it, it is going to make the D-Reaper look like child's play."
Rika said nothing, but still stared at him.
"Rika, you know I'd never do anything to hurt you."
Please.
"Yeah, I do." Rika thought carefully. It took her several seconds to come up with the words to express what she wanted to say. "Takato, I know you're a lot smarter than you're ever given credit for, and nobody appreciates that as much as me, but you crossed a line.
"I know."
He felt terrible. And it didn't help when he noticed the glistening in Rika's eyes as they started to water.
"Who were you really on the phone with?"
"Not Janyu Wong."
"Is Ryo going to be okay?"
"I hope so."
"How can you be doing this?" she suddenly demanded. This took Takato aback, though he certainly didn't doubt he deserved it. "I swear to God if anything happens to him—"
"I didn't do anything to him, and I promise you that I'm doing everything I can to help him. He's my friend too." In any other time he'd have said that with a much colder tone to it, but he couldn't blame Rika for her accusation.
"I know he's important to you, Rika. I know about you guys."
Rika looked at him.
"Who told you?"
"Kinda figured it out myself." Takato paused for a minute, as he realized that someone else knew. Rika'd told someone. "Jeri knew?"
"I asked her not to tell anyone. I'm sorry."
She's apologizing to you?
"Takato, when this is over, you and I are going to have a talk."
"Counting on it."
"What's our next move?"
"We sit tight. Focus on Ryo. He's the priority. That thing is second."
"And what's our best shot at making it through this?"
"We hide." He replied, certainly not to Rika's surprise. Conventional attacks don't do anything to that thing. We think our best shot is something chemical. We think we have something that might work, but nothing I tried has."
Suddenly, he heard a scream from the cave, and Rika apparently heard it too.
"Jeri!" He called as he charged in. He had just entered the mouth of it when a flying black digimon charged out and knocked him down.
"Jeri! Renamon!" He heard Rika call. Renamon and Cyberdramon stumbled out of the cave, apparently injured.
"Rika!" Takato called in unison with Renamon. Rika reached for her Digivice, and Renamon was soon Taomon. The Devimon was dealt with quickly, and Takato was back on his feet, running into the cave, Rika right behind him. He found Jeri at the back, weeping.
"Jeri, what happened, are you okay?" he asked frantically as he wrapped his arms around her.
"A gate, it—it opened up underneath Ryo…he fell in, then that thing came out—I'm so sorry, I couldn't stop it, I—" Takato suddenly let her go, grabbed his phone from his pocket, and hit the speed dial to Yamaki.
"He's gone. We need a way out now." He said firmly.
"I'll have you out in one minute." He replied before hanging up.
"What's going on?" Takato heard Henry called from outside.
"Everybody outside, fast." Takato ordered. He helped Jeri to her feet, and began helping her outside.
"What the hell is going on?" Rika demanded. Takato sure didn't blame her for having questions, but this was something he didn't have the answers to hide.
Everyone was outside, and the timing was fortunate. The portal opened up, right outside the cave.
"Everybody, hurry." Takato called.
The digimon all entered first, then Kazu, followed by Henry, Kenta, and after a meanful look, Jeri. It was just him and Rika left.
"Rika, get in. Please."
"You first."
Fair enough.
He nodded, and stepped in.
He then found himself in Guilmon's house, which seemed more appropriate now that Guilmon was now in there, as well.
"Everyone here?" He called. There were affirmations. Before he could tell them they all had to go to Yamaki, there was a thump on the roof that Takato—that everyone recognized as the monster.
Oh God.
"Everyone, get ready to run. I'll try to draw it off." He looked to Jeri. "Stay with Rika." And he was off. He wasn't sure what exactly he was doing, but he knew he had to do it. He regretted it, though, as he knew that if he died, he wouldn't have had a proper goodbye with Jeri.
All the more reason to not die.
He ran as fast as he could, and he could tell from the crashing behind him that Dr. Nonaka was right behind him. He couldn't bring himself to look back. He knew that Dr. Nonaka was moving much faster than the last time. But Takato was still able to outrun him, but barely.
He ran through the trees, taking the narrowest paths he could, slipping and weaving the trees, hoping it would slow the monster down. He soon arrived in a grassy clearing, and about halfway through, he felt a blunt blow to the back of his head and fell forward before the darkness of the night was enveloped by something darker.
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Well, I hope you liked that one. I know there was a lot of repeat dialogue, but I promise there won't be too much of it in the future. Sorry it took me so long to update. Please review, it's really motivating for me.
'Til the next one,
-N