Hey guys. Back again with another chapter for ya. It's a little shorter than the other ones but I hope you guys like it and show your support. Well, without further adieu, let's get this chapter started.
Chapter 5: Closer to the Edge
The trip to Shibuya was pretty much pointless. The elevators only went as far as normal people should be allowed to go. They turned up nothing regarding the subterranean, multidimensional train station, the Digital World, or even evidence of Lucemon's short appearance in the human world.
"I still can't believe we didn't find one thing. Takuya's going to be so disappointed." Zoe said sadly, the four disembarking the train to return to the Minamoto residence.
"They added stuff to the stairs to prevent falls," Kouichi muttered, half amused half annoyed.
JP waved his hand, "Don't let it get to you Kouichi. It was an accident."
"Maybe they found something on the web." Tommy suggested, partly to help get Kouichi's mind off the stairs and partly to give them something to hope for.
"Let's keep our fingers crossed." JP shrugged as they approached the front door of Kouji's house. They knocked on the door and waited as Kouji got the door.
"Hey, did you guys find anything?" Kouji asked. He frowned a little after seeing them shake their heads. Takuya wasn't going to like this. He stepped aside letting them in. "Well, I at least got him to lighten up a little. And I got him something to distract himself with."
JP looked at Kouji curiously. "Uh, what'd you distract him with?"
Kouji pointed to the living room where Takuya was engrossed with a video game.
The group laughed lightly. Typical. They couldn't blame the boy for getting so caught up in the game. He looked up, hearing them, "Hey guys..." he stopped mid-sentence seeing their expressions.
"I'm so sorry Takuya..." Zoe approached him slowly, gauging his reaction. He looked crestfallen, completely forgetting the game. She pulled him into a tight embrace.
Kouichi turned to his brother "Any luck on the web?"
"No." Kouji said softly, "Couldn't find a damned thing."
Everyone seemed to have lost any smile they once had. Through all of their efforts, they ended up with absolutely no results.
Takuya just seemed to relax in Zoe's embrace, letting her just hold him. It offered some comfort but it wasn't enough to raise his spirits. At this point, not much would.
"What're we supposed to do now?" JP asked, breaking the silence.
Kouji shook his head. "I don't know."
"Poor Takuya." Tommy muttered, gazing at Takuya who was still slumped in the blonde's embrace.
Zoe yelped suddenly, "Ah, Takuya!"
The four still in the doorway turned to look. Takuya and Zoe had pulled apart suddenly. Zoe was holding her arm. Takuya was staring at his hands in horror. They approached the pair.
"What happened?" Kouichi asked tentatively.
Takuya stood paralyzed. Kouji came closer and stood beside the brunette, examining Takuya's hands. "Claws..." he breathed.
Takuya stared at his hands, shivering at the sight of his claws. They weren't much longer than normal but the difference was noticeable with the tips curving into sharp points. They looked sharp enough to draw blood with a touch.
JP went over to Zoe's side to check on her arm. "Is it bleeding?"
The gogglehead lifted his gaze to the blonde and to her arm. How he wished he didn't hurt her. He held his breath hoping that he didn't draw blood.
Zoe removed her hand revealing a few faint red lines along her arm. Shallow scratches. Not bad enough to bleed. "It's fine. Just a little scratch."
Takuya backed away slowly, relieved it wasn't something serious, but ashamed it happened at all. He sank to the floor, unable to look any of them in the eye.
"Takuya..." Zoe reached out to him.
"D-don't touch me..." he said weakly,
She withdrew her hand slowly. She knelt before him, "Takuya... It's okay- You didn't mean to do that. You didn't know that would happen." She tried to comfort him, reassure him that it would be okay.
"B-but I… it still happened… I still did it…" Takuya muttered and wrapped his arms around himself to keep himself together and to keep from hurting anyone else.
"Takuya… it wasn't your fault. You didn't have control over it. It just happened." JP said, trying to reassure his friend.
He didn't have control. Takuya was shivering down to his very being. He didn't have control… what if he lost control of himself as his body morphed against his will? He had already snapped at his friends several times when he didn't mean to. What would happen when this progressed? It would be BurningGreymon's rampage all over again. He shut his eyes tight as he heard the terrifying roar of the mighty Beast Spirit.
"Hey, Takuya- Takuya!" Kouji snapped his fingers in front of the boy, trying to bring him back to his senses.
The brunette shook his head, a soft whimper escaped him as he became lost in his fearful thoughts. The five kids stood there, at a complete lose as to how to help Takuya. He was a devastated wreck. Zoe bit her lip. She reached out, laying her hand on his face. He flinched away.
"Takuya please- It's okay..." Tommy pleaded with hated seeing his 'adoptive' big brother shaken to his core.
Takuya curled up in a ball, with his arms covering his face and claws digging into the top of his scalp. He didn't care if it hurt he just wanted some kind of protection; some kind of shield to hide himself behind.
His friends watched helplessly as their former leader sat there in a quivering heap, a shell of his former optimistic and goofy self. They had tried everything they could to help him but none of their efforts bore any fruit.
"Takuya…" Tommy sat beside Zoe and looked at his role model with great concern.
Their calls to him fell on deaf ears. Takuya didn't budge from his spot or stop shaking or even glance up at them. His gaze was on the floor, completely lost in his own self destructive thoughts.
Tears pricked at his eyes that he had squeezed shut. Can't lose control... can't lose it... Have to stay in control... Slipping... Can't... he whimpered again feeling weak, alone, and vulnerable.
The others had to bring the boy back somehow and fast. Zoe glanced at her companions. She pulled Takuya close, holding him gently as the others surrounded them, embracing them securely. "You're not alone Takuya... We're all here."
He struggled in their embrace for a moment before going limp.
"Takuya… you're our friend. You don't have to do this alone. We can help you." Tommy told him, tightening his grip in their hug. "You don't have to be afraid."
"You're one of the bravest guys I know. Nothing ever got you down. You were there to help us when we were afraid." JP added, hoping to get through to their friend. "Don't you remember?"
"You gave us the confidence we needed to face our fears to defeat Sakkakumon!" Tommy added with a soft smile.
Kouji nodded, "Tommy's right, You were so strong, no matter who we were facing."
"You help save me Takuya, You stood up to me and help save me from Cherubimon," Kouichi said.
Zoe whispered to the boy, still holding him tightly. "You're our best friend Takuya. You're our leader. Don't let this control you."
The boy's shoulders trembled as his breathing became shaky and uneven. He hiccupped trying desperately not to break down into tears before his friends. He couldn't handle the stress, the fear- it was suffocating him. Nothing could help him... The tears that had threatened to fall before finally broke through. Takuya sobbed softly, unable to hold in his emotions.
He cried, sobs wracking his boy as he clung to Zoe. He didn't care that he was crying in front of his friends. They now knew that their fearless leader was weak and pathetic.
Zoe held him gently in her arms, trying to soothe the distraught brunette. "It's okay Takuya- just let it all out," she encouraged, "It's okay to cry."
Takuya clung desperately to her, heaving with his sobs as they grew louder. After all this, he just couldn't hold it. He had to let it all out.
The others held onto him tightly and let the poor boy cry to his heart's content. They didn't look down on him. They didn't think any different of him. He was still their best friend and their leader. He was just hurting.
It felt like hours before Takuya fell quiet. He had stopped crying and just sat there quivering and holding onto Zoe like she were a lifeline. He didn't care about how he looked, he just wanted some kind of comfort and his friends gave him the best he could hope for.
He pulled away from her, pain still swirling in his eyes. Zoe smile softly, rubbing his back gently. "Feel better?" she asked.
Takuya nodded slowly. He rested his head on her shoulder, still adverted his gaze. "I'm sorry..."
"For what?" Kouji asked.
"I'm sorry for… for making you see me like this… for making you worry…" he answered softly, his voice hoarse from his loud sobs.
"Takuya…" Tommy looked to his role model with a sad look on his face. "You don't have to apologize for anything. You did the best you could. No one could think less of you."
"But…" Takuya looked to all of his friends, not sure what to say. He had an emotional breakdown right in front of them. How could they not look down on him with what happened?
"Hey, We're only human. It happens." Kouichi reassured, smiling softly.
JP smiled and nodded, "Kouichi is right. Besides, it's better to express your emotions than bottle them up."
Kouji placed a hand on the brunette's shoulder. "We don't think any less of you- I doubt the rest of us could hold as strong of a front as you have these past few days."
"You don't have to keep it all bottled up anymore Takuya." Tommy added in, a small smile on his face. "You can let us help you. Let us help you."
Takuya looked at all of them and wiped the tears out of his eyes. "Guys… I-I don't know what to say…" He took a deep long breath to help him calm down, to stop anymore tears from forming. "Thanks you guys… you're… you really are the best friends a kid could hope for…"
"That's what we're here for!" Kouichi said happily.
Zoe tilted her head, gazing at Takuya. "Are you alright now?" she asked, carefully taking his hand in hers, minding the new claws on his fingertips. He tensed at her touch, tempted to pull his hands away. "Don't be afraid, I'm not." She said calmly, griping his hand tightly.
Takuya bit his lip and tried to relax. A mixture of emotions filled his being; some such as fear for possibly hurting her and embarrassment from her simple gesture and the possibility of enjoying her holding his hands in hers. He stopped fidgeting and let her hold her hands. "I… I'll be okay." He told her, giving her a small smile.
She smiled back happily. Maybe now he could relax and get a handle on things. Something changed in the atmosphere. The air pressure was rising- rain. He could practically smell it in the air. It made him highly uncomfortable. Thunder rolled in the distance, confirming his suspicions.
"Aww man- I hate storms!" JP whined.
Kouichi raised an eyebrow, "Your Spirit was the Warrior of Thunder..."
"It's complicated, okay?" JP muttered, still mildly embarrassed about his fear of storms.
"It's okay JP." Tommy patted JP on the back, comforting the hefty teen. "We'll be okay as long as we stay indoors. Nothing to worry about."
"I think we might have to stay over though. The storm looks like it might get pretty bad." Zoe muttered, glancing out the window to see the darkening sky. "Is it okay if we spend the night while the storm rolls over?"
"I'm sure my mom won't mind." Kouji answered and shrugged. "You should probably call your parents to tell them about it."
"You got a good point." JP stated. "Our folks will probably freak if they don't hear from us when the storm hits."
They all got to calling their families to let them know they would stay at Kouji's house for the night so they wouldn't get caught out in the bad weather. Most everyone's parents were okay with this save for Zoe's, who were a bit uncomfortable about letting her stay overnight with a group of boys.
"Sheesh mom! They're just friends! Please stop freaking out. I'd much rather be here with them, then stranded on a train with a bunch of strangers."
"Isn't that how we met though? Trapped on a train?" JP commented to the others while Zoe argued with her mother.
"Pretty much." Takuya replied softly, his voice still hoarse from earlier.
The group of boys couldn't help but snicker at their little banter.
The blonde gave them a scathing look to shut them up before going back to arguing with her mother. "Mom, seriously! I'll be fine!"
"Wow they are going at it." Tommy whispered out of Zoe's range of hearing to the others who nodded in agreement as the argument continued.
Zoe sighed, completely exasperated and hung up. "Jeez, my mom worries way too much. Seriously, it's not like you guys are a bunch of thugs."
"Well when you think about all the Digimon we fought..." Kouichi began, smiling slightly
Kouji rolled his eyes, "You're terrible."
"No, I'm fun, Remember?" He grinned brightly.
"So now what?" JP asked, before the twins could start anything.
Tommy shrugged, "I don't know, but I don't think Takuya will be joining us." He nodded to the brunette, sound asleep in a chair.
"That honestly doesn't surprise me." Kouji commented, thankful the by was finally relaxed.
"Poor guy's really been through a lot." JP commented and sat down on the couch. "Wouldn't be surprised if he was out all night."
"Should we move him to a more comfortable place than the chair?" Tommy asked, wanting to make sure Takuya was perfectly comfortable in his sleep.
Kouji shrugged. "Maybe not the best idea. Just let him sleep."
The group nodded and went on with the night; setting everything up so that everyone had a place to sleep, explaining their situation to Satomi when she came home, and after taking care of everything they got settled in with quiet activities as to not wake Takuya up.
Takuya fidgeted in his seat on the chair, his nightmare repeating itself in his sleep. Agunimon and ShadowSeraphimon were locked in combat just like the last two times. Agunimon fell to the ground, just like before.
The gogglehead shot up in his seat panting, sweat drenched his face.
He scanned around the room, seeing the sleeping forms of his friends easily in the dark. He inhaled deeply a few times, calming down slowly. He felt sick to his stomach and dizzy. He pried himself out of the chair, extremely stiff from sleeping there for so long now.
There was a spare place laid out for him near Kouichi after he counted to make sure it was indeed a spare. He smiled to himself, his friends were going out of their way to look out for him. He crept slowly to the spot, careful not to disturb his companions. He half curled up on his side, drifting back to sleep.
