Chapter 12 - Forgive Me

"Speech"

'Thought, Takuya's Inner Voice, Memories'

'Telamon's Inner Voice'

"Tommy!" Takuya yelled, reaching out where he hoped Tommy was as the light-brunette fell from the tree. The others gasped.

Clench-

Shf-

Tuck-

Thud!

"Tommy!" J.P. and Zoe

"Takuya!" Kouji and Kouichi

"Uh..." was what made it out of Takuya's mouth.

Tommy opened his eyes slowly. He blinked and his eyes widened when he remembered what happened.

"Tommy!"

Takuya/Telamon's hand snatched the sleeve of his long-sleeved green and yellow striped shirt. He could see Takuya slipping off the branch...

The human-digimon wrapped his arms around the smaller boy, protecting and shielding him...

They hit the ground, but Tommy only felt a light impact while Takuya took the full blow with his back...

"Ah! I'm sorry!" Tommy said suddenly, getting off his friend and helping him to sit up. "But...d-do you really not...remember us? Me?" he asked sadly, his right hand still on Takuya's left shoulder and his head down.

A hand was placed on his and he looked up. Takuya wasn't looking at him, but his hand was on Tommy's. Kouichi smiled lightly.

"Tommy, you can't blame him...He was given his amnesia by a digimon's powers...and his sight was taken by one too...It's not something very easily overcome..." he said.

"Kouichi..." Zoe mumbled, walking over. "Takuya...Takuya?"

The digimon leader turned his head to look at Zoe...well...where he thought she was at least...

"Do you know..." she paused, uncertain if asking at this time would seem selfish. "Do you know where the other digimon are?"

"Yea..." he muttered. They all seemed to brighten.

"Well, will you take us there?" J.P. asked.

Takuya opened his mouth to talk, but paused. Tommy hadn't taken his hand off of Takuya's shoulder yet. A memory passed through Takuya's head in that moment.

"See..." he whispered. "They do not care for you." he motioned to the small figures of J.P., Zoe, and Tommy, all walking home. "They gave up searching for you. Even your own brother doesn't care enough to keep searching." he pointed to Shinya, who was just arriving home. "You have no reason to protect them."

His breath hitched. A defiant fire, a defiant voice was resurrected within him. He glared up at Zoe, standing up and backing away, into the tree. The others gave him odd looks.

"They gave up searching for you. Even your own brother doesn't care enough to keep searching."

"You...you don't really care what happens to me...do you?" he asked darkly. "Why should I show you where the enemy is? What would I get from it?" he asked in a voice that wasn't Takuya's...but Telamon's. They all recognized it.

"Kouji!" J.P. whisper hissed. "Kouichi! What's wrong with him?"

Tommy was staring at his hand, which he'd had on Takuya's shoulder moments ago. His eyes were fearful, hurt...His head snapped to Takuya, who was still next to the tree, glaring blindly at his friends.

Kouji and Kouichi shrugged, Kouji was staring intently at Takuya. Tommy saw Takuya's hand flinch, and he knew a fireball was coming. The smaller boy launched himself at the fire digi, making the others gasp.

"Tommy!" Zoe, J.P., and Kouichi yelled softly, not wanting to draw too much attention to their little 'group.'

"Takuya! We didn't...we didn't want to!" he said, trying to reassure the other boy.

Everyone except Takuya gave him weird looks.

"He lied to you...I know he did! We do care! And we never stopped searching!" he cried into the shirt Takuya wore. "You've got to believe me...please!"

Takuya was about to throw Tommy off of him, the others could see it. They all went to stop him, but paused as Takuya did too. The red haired digimon could feel...tears...hitting his shirt...

'I don't...know what to believe...'

'Throw him off! He's lying! They don't care!'

'But...he's crying...'

'It's a trick! If you trust them they'll only end up hurting you again! Hurting...hurting us...'

The Telamon side of him was about to start crying.

'I know...we've been betrayed before...But...doesn't everyone deserve a second chance?'

'What about Matamon?'

'Hey, I should be the one upset about that. But it didn't go anywhere, so I can forgive him. You should learn to forgive too...'

'You're too kind, naive,...stupid...' Telamon assured him, sitting on the ground in his head. 'Why are you always so trusting?'

'Because...I have friends...' Takuya, in his mind, knelt down in front of Telamon. He placed a comforting hand on Telamon's shoulder. 'And so do you...so it's ok. Everything'll be okay...I promise...' Telamon hugged him at that point.

'I'm sorry...'

"Tommy..." Takuya's voice said. The others calmed down. "Tommy don't cry..."

He placed a comforting hand on Tommy's shoulder, making the younger boy look up at him and smiling.

"Ya know why?" Tommy shook his head. "Because you can't be crying when you face Heraldomon!" he smiled widely.

"So...you'll take us then?" Zoe asked. Takuya smiled in her general direction and nodded.

Cheers erupted from the other digi-destined as Tommy started crying happily, cheering along with them. Takuya heard everyone...except Kouji. He frowned, not knowing where the other boy was or what he was doing.

'Kouji?'

A hand was placed on his shoulder, after Tommy left his side, and he jumped. A small laugh was heard and he calmed, recognizing it.

"Thanks Takuya...I promise...We'll get you back to normal." Kouji said softly, so the others didn't hear.

"What're we waiting on? Let's go already!" J.P. called to the two.

Takuya nodded determinedly and told them about Heraldomon and Matamon. At least, what he knew and what he cared to tell that is. But they wouldn't go immediately. He was free for the moment and was enjoying himself.

-

"Lord Heraldomon." Matamon called softly as he entered the more powerful digimon's throne-like room. "Lord Heraldomon?"

"Yes Matamon?" he asked in a voice not portraying it's usual cheeriness.

"The children sir. They've-" he stopped. Heraldomon's eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

I know. After 3 days, it's obvious that he...wouldn't be coming back." The bluenette digimon sighed, as if sad. "He has chosen the other children over us, over me. Me who gave him power. Me who gave him a place to stay. Me who gave him a new purpose in life."

Matamon's eyes narrowed at the way his master spoke. He wasn't enjoying the way Heraldomon spoke of Telamon.

"After the boy showed such grand potential in the digital world, against all those obstacles...It seemed he was the obvious choice in a take-over plot. But I must have overlooked something. The boy's strength far surpasses his former comrades', yet he's going to follow them?" Heraldomon seemed truly perplexed. "The mind is something I can never understand."

Matamon felt himself growing angry. Heraldomon turned his head and looked at the blonde and noticed his crystal blue eyes were frustrated...angry maybe?

"What do you think Matamon?"

"Huh?" the anger dispersed slightly.

"I get the feeling that you have become angry, what with me talking so much. So I'm asking you. You're a controller of the mind, and you've been inside of his. What do you think is the reason he's going to follow them instead of me?"

Matamon's eyes glinted ever so slightly behind his eye mask as he recalled something.

"Kouji...I really like you."

"I have no ideas sir. Even though I myself wiped him of his memories...I still can not understand the human mind...or the human heart..." he seemed sad as he bowed. "Good day sir."

"Indeed." Heraldomon said in dismissal before Matamon vanished. He then took on a contemplating look. "The human heart? Did he say?" a smirk found it's way onto his face.

Heraldomon is a -bleep- But you'll learn that later. I know because I'm the authoress. Yes, sudden, abrupt change in Telamon's disposition there for a moment, he'll be back to normal next...whoa...I did I manage this? -checks chapter number- Yea...12 alright...I'm writing 16 so...-confusion- How'd I manage that?

-shrugs- Oh well. Thanks to all my reviewers, I'm so glad you liked last chapter, cause I was a little nervous about it. More nervous about this one though. Definately NOT nervous about my 'Evil-Doers-Lair' chapters. Cause they ROCK! Ok, I'm done. Be awaiting chapter 13, which will be posted the next time I can get online.