Hey guys. We're back with another chapter. I hope you all are having a good week. Now, I know that some of you have been asking about some Takumi and what not so I hope this satisfies you for the time being. Hope you guys enjoy the chapter and have a good Thanksgiving. I know I will. Laters.
Chapter 11: Good Life.
The following week went without trouble for Takuya. No more Digimon attacked, and the poison had completely disappeared from his body. Now, he just dreaded Monday- he would be back in school and separated from his friends once more.
Takuya moaned as he stood facing the school gate. He didn't want to be here. The boy wanted so badly for the break to last forever so he could spend his time with his friends and not with dull lectures or bullies.
He sighed again and looked down to the pair of goggles around his neck hoping they would give him an extra burst of courage to continue into school premises.
The school grounds were teeming with students; many of which were gathered in their cliques. Takuya felt like he used to fit in there somewhere but with everything that's happened he felt estranged.
"One of the perks of becoming a Digimon," he told himself as he made his way into the building. He just had to get through today and the rest of the week. Takuya could take comfort in the weekend. He just needed five days.
"Well look who decided to show up- the little do-good runt!" a voice sneered from behind.
Takuya froze. Not now. Going back to school was already difficult as it was. He turned, coming face to face with the bully from the locker room, flanked on either side by his lackeys. "Sh-shinoba..." the brunette gasped, taking the instinctive step back.
"Aww look boys, Not so tough now, are ya runt?" Shinoba taunted, his friends snickering behind him. "I believe I still owe you a lesson- in payback!"
"I didn't do anything to you!" Takuya countered, feeling cornered in the hallway.
The boy scoffed, "Oh no? Because of YOU, I go kicked off the basketball team!"
Takuya clenched his fists but he didn't know what to do. He couldn't fight back; that would give him nothing but trouble and that was the last thing he needed. "It wasn't my fault any of that happened!" Takuya tried to defend himself.
"If you had minded your own business runt then I'd still be on the team!" the older boy barked and nodded to his lackeys to grab a hold of the gogglehead.
"Hey! Get your hands off me!" Takuya struggled against him. He felt a powerful impulse come over him. How he felt the need to evolve and fend off his aggressors with his flames.
The lackeys had difficulty holding the boy still; his strength growing ever so slightly as his instincts were slowly taking over. "Hey Shinoba… this runt's… a little hard to hold down…"
"Is there a problem here?" a commanding female voice said. A teacher was approaching. The boys let Takuya go. They and Shinoba fled before the teacher could deal out any punishment. She looked at Takuya who was getting his backpack from the floor. "Get to homeroom Kanbara, and stay away from those boys."
Takuya nodded quickly before heading to his homeroom. He sank into his desk chair. He inhaled deeply a few times, trying to calm himself down. He'd nearly lost it there. He could have lost it. Takuya realized then he needed to get a better handle on his Digimon half or risk being discovered.
Instead of paying attention to his teacher's lecture Takuya was focusing on trying to control his powers. It was easy as a Digimon but as a human he realized it was far too difficult. He started things off small, not wanting to get carried away or earn any unnecessary attention.
Takuya looked down to his hand from under his desk and made a small flickering flame from the tip of his index finger. The flame was small, Takuya made sure of that as to not draw anyone's attention.
Next Takuya tried manipulating the fire, twisting it and making it bend in impossible ways.
"Kanbara."
Takuya snapped out of his trance once the teacher called out to him, the flame going out in an instant. He looked up and saw that everyone was looking at him. He gulped nervously. "Y-yes sir?"
"I suggest you pay attention from now on, Mr. Kanbara." The teacher warned before going back to his lecture.
He sunk back in his seat, deciding to stop practicing in class for the rest of the day. Takuya felt like the day dragged on as he tried to focus on his studies. He just wanted to have the day over with.
"Hey Takuya? You okay?" One of his classmates leaned over, looking concerned.
"huh? Oh yeah, 'm fine." Takuya whispered back, still not one-hundred percent there.
His classmate raised an eyebrow, not buying it but let it drop and return to taking notes. Takuya sighed, feeling alienated amongst his classmates. He didn't belong here, in a desk.
The boy moaned and ran his fingers through his hair trying to calm himself down. He had to relieve himself or he felt he might light himself on fire out of frustration. 'Please be over soon.' He chanted silently to himself.
Takuya was relieved when the lunch bell rang. He was absolutely exhausted and was anxious for the rest of the day. The boy had time to try and unwind before he was stuck for another few hours with the droning of his teacher's lectures.
There was only one issue. He knew Shinoba and his lackeys would be after him. He would have to be on constant alert during the lunch break if he wanted to avoid a conflict.
The goggle boy was making his way to the cafeteria. He felt vulnerable in the hallway. At least in the cafeteria there would be witnesses to keep his aggressors from confronting him.
He was fortunate enough to make it to the lunch room without any issues. Though it presented him another problem. He was so on edge now, he didn't want to be around anyone- let alone being in a room with his entire school and teachers.
Takuya sighed softly, taking a seat at an empty table. Alone. He just needed to be alone. Though, he already felt pretty alone.
Takuya groaned and dropped his head on the tabletop. His nerves were shot and he felt like he would pass out the moment he was alone and safe to let his guard down. Why did his friends have to go to different schools?
"Excuse me."
The boy moaned and looked up to who approached him. He was surprised to see it was the younger student from before, the one he saved from Shinoba. "Hey I remember you."
"Yeah… I just wanted to thank you for your help when… you know." The boy said shyly.
Takuya nodded. "Don't worry about it. Just be careful next time."
"What about Shinoba?"
The brunette tried to smile, finding it difficult. "He's not worth worrying about. Besides, he's forgotten all about ya by now."
The boy looked at takuya quizzically, "really?"
"Yeah. Don't worry." Takuya said, trying to reassure the boy without letting on that Shinoba had a new target to go after.
The younger boy grinned widely. "Oh thank you! Do you mind if I sit here? I don't have any friends yet."
Takuya almost objected until he heard the last bit. He sighed softly, "Yeah go ahead. I'm Takuya by the way.."
"Thanks! My name's Haru." The boy introduced himself and sat down at the table.
Takuya nodded and went back to his lunch. It took him a moment before he decided to try some small talk to keep the rest of lunch from being awkward. "So, how're you liking school here?"
"Well, I like it here despite that run in with Shinoba." Haru answered. "I kinda bumped into him and it went downhill from there."
"Well, you just gotta be careful from now on. That jerk Shinoba is constantly looking for a fight." The elder boy replied and leaned back in his seat.
"I know. My sister says to stay away from him." Haru mumbled. "Thank you again for saving me. I thought for sure he was gonna beat me up!"
Takuya smiled a bit, still picking at his lunch. "My friends seem to think I have a hero complex."
"Your friends? Oh! Are you waiting for them? I can leave!"
The brunette shook his head, "They go to different schools. You're free to stay as long as you like."
The younger boy beamed brightly at Takuya. Haru was about a year or two younger than Takuya, and a grade under him. Takuya suspected he and Tommy could be very good friends given the chance.
Takuya's mood became significantly lighter. He supposed having a new friend to talk to had been some help. It was an added bonus with no encounter with the bullies.
The lunch bell rung and the students were heading back to class. Takuya waved to his new friend bidding him farewell as he made his way to the classroom.
The rest of the day fell into routine; the teacher droned on to a lecture that Takuya was only half listening to, he would drift off into a daydream or think of his friends, the same thing as usual.
Hours passed when the school bell rung again. The school day was over now and Takuya bolted out of the building. He wanted to get away from school so bad. He was at the gate when he heard someone call him out.
"Hey runt!"
Not good. Takuya spun around, seeing Shinoba and his posse hot on his heels. Takuya took off running with Shinoba's sidekicks giving chase. He tried in earnest to give them the slip without doing anything inhuman in nature.
"When I catch you, I'm going to make you regret being such a hero!" Shinoba called, still chasing after Takuya. This was ridiculous. Takuya could easily turn around and beat up every last one of them without breaking a sweat. He felt like a coward running away. The reasonable side of his mind also point out that staying out of trouble and not raising suspicion was good too. Even if those jerks deserved to be flambed.
He rounded a corner and darted down an alleyway. He quickly check around for any prying eyes before becoming Flamon and scaling the walls to safety on the rooftops. He peered over the side, seeing Shinoba looking up and down the dead-end alley for Takuya, cursing to himself. Takuya laughed to himself- Shinoba was out of his league.
Takuya couldn't help but watch amused as Shinoba cursed and ranted to his lackeys about finding him. This was definitely the boost he needed. He had just outran and made fools of those jerks. Not as sweet it would have been having them run with their tails between their legs but it was good enough.
The Digimon decided to make his way home, jumping from rooftop to rooftop while being careful not to get anyone's attention.
There was one thing he could admit about being Digimon. He enjoyed the thrill from being able to jump so far and high; the wind in his face, the sun on his back, and the freedom to let loose.
He landed in the tree outside his home, perching there for a moment. It seemed almost surreal- being in this tree as Flamon once more, though in better circumstances. He thought back to that day, looking upon himself and his family wishing that things could be simpler.
As he relaxed in the tree, Ms. Kimura's words echoed in his mind. 'you should let your parents know about your ability. They'll still love you...' Takuya hesitated, would they? Would his parents accept him? He shuddered at the idea of finding out.
Takuya rolled to the side, dropping down from the tree gracefully. He changed back to his human state before going around the to enter the house.
Takuya made his way up to his room. By the look of things, no one else was home. Takuya had the house all to himself. He sighed in relaxation and crashed onto his bed after throwing his backpack in the corner by the desk.
School was finally over for the day and he couldn't be any more relieved. Sure he got a laugh from seeing Shinoba make a fool out of himself and made a new friend but it didn't make him excited enough to look forward to school.
He felt his D-Tector vibrate suddenly, startling him. The boy sat up and dug into his pocket fishing out the digivice. Zoe was calling him. Takuya quickly answered the phone. "Zoe? What's up?"
"Hey Takuya!" She chirped, "How're you doing?"
He sat there blinking, "How am I doing? Zoe you never call me to ask how I'm doing."
She paused. "I wanted to see how your day at school was Taku," she explained, "Those bullies didn't give you any trouble did they?"
"Oh... Um... " he paused, debating whether or not to tell her about giving the bullies the slip today or not.
"Takuya…" The blond said with a warning tone in her voice.
"Um… Nah, they didn't give me any trouble." Takuya answered, deciding to try and be subtle. He really hadn't gotten into any trouble; at least, not any trouble that he couldn't get away from.
"If you say so." Zoe replied though not really buying what Takuya was telling her.
"Trust me. It's all good. The jerk wasn't able to lay a finger on me." Takuya answered with a nervous chuckle. That was true to a sense. Shinoba was never really able to lay a finger on him.
Zoe huffed, "You are lying to my Takuya and I know it. However I will let you slide for now. Are you busy? I'm bored- all you boys went back to school except for Kouji and he begged me not to go shopping again."
"You dragged Kouji shopping?"
"Huh? Oh yes. He hated it." Zoe said almost gleefully.
Takuya snickered, "Tell me you have pictures."
"Sorry, but Kouji deleted 'em off of my phone," She replied with mock sadness, "Are you busy? I'm so bored!"
"Um, no. I'm not really busy." Takuya answered but stopped for a moment. "Wait, you're not going to drag me to go shopping are you?" he asked suspiciously.
"Come on Takuya. It won't be that bad." Zoe answered with a pout. "Besides, I thought you wanted to hang out with your friends."
Takuya moaned and ran his fingers through his hair. "I do but…"
"Please?" she added cutely. She had him hook, line, and sinker. Zoe knew that pouting would get Takuya to cave in.
The gogglehead groaned. "Fine. You're evil you know that?"
"I know. If it's any better, I won't make you go shopping," She chirped, "Would you like to meet at the park?"
"Sure!" Takuya Said with a relieved sigh. "When?"
"Now? I'm already at the station."
"What- really?"
"Yup. I shouldn't be too long either." She answered. "So you might want to get ready to go."
"Gee thanks." The boy muttered. "Lucky I could make it with Flamon's speed."
"So I'll see you soon?"
"Yeah. Just give me a little more warning next time alright?" Takuya asked before rummaging around for some more comfortable clothes. He was not going to stick with his uniform. "I'll be there in a few minutes."
"I'll see you then." Zoe chirped before hanging up.
The gogglehead sighed and put his D-Tector away before changing into his usual attire. Well, he at least had one of his friends to hang out with so he can't really complain. He just wished that it wasn't so last minute.
He scrambled around, throwing his uniform on his bed, and running a comb through his hair- trying to given some care to his appearance. Not that it would last long once he left the house. He dashed out the front door, after scrawling a quick note to his mother.
Takuya slipped around to the side of the house, quickly transforming into Flamon and leaping into the tree. He made his way to the park from rooftop to rooftop in very little time. Getting to the park from the rooftops would be trickier. There wasn't much of a place to hide and change back, nor was there any cover between the buildings and the trees- just an open street.
He glanced around, waiting for the right moment, deciding to just chance it and jump for the nearest trees. He poised himself to jump, judging the distance and his strength. Once the street was as clear as he saw fit, Takuya jumped, landing in the trees in the park gracefully; barely indicating he even touched them.
Grinning to himself, he leapt from one tree to another, coming to rest in the designated meeting tree. Zoe was no where to be seen yet. Takuya waited, grinning almost evilly with his plan to surprise her. She approached the tree, taking her time obviously expecting Takuya to appear after her.
Zoe stopped beneath the tree, messing with her phone idly. Takuya grinned more, wrapping his legs around a low branch before swinging around to come face to face with her. "Hello!"
She shrieked and fell backwards, completely terrified by the boy's surprise. She landed on her butt and looked up at her assailant in fear but upon seeing Takuya she became red with rage and embarrassment. "Takuya!"
The boy held his sides and laughed loudly whilst hanging from the tree branch. His laughter seemed only to further enrage the blond as she screamed at him. "You jerk! You scared me half to death!" Zoe screeched at him and went to throttle him but her prey had quickly swung himself to a sitting position on the branch and was out of her reach. "Get down here this instant!"
Takuya stifled his laughter after seeing the furious glare in her eyes. He had his fun and it wouldn't be worth getting completely beaten to a pummel. "Hey, easy Zoe. I was just having a little bit of fun."
"That was not funny!" she retorted and tried jumping to grab at his legs; but he just jumped to a different branch, keeping out of her reach. "Hold still damn it!"
"Promise not to hurt me and I'll come down." Takuya replied cooly, perched well out of her grasp and grinning like a cheshire cat.
She glared daggers at the boy, "Not a chance." She folded her arms, standing beneath the tree. "Get down here you coward!"
Takuya observed her carefully, deciding whether or not to push his luck with the already furious blonde. "Aww come on Z, it was funny!"
"No it was not!"
"It was just a little joke. I didn't mean any harm." Takuya explained in an attempt to cool her temper down. He chuckled nervously when all she did was growl in response. "Look, I'm sorry alright. Won't do it again. Promise."
"If you mean that, come down and ask again." Zoe replied, her tone sending shivers down the fire Digimon's spine.
Takuya scratched the back of his neck uneasily. He felt that there was a strong possibility that he would be walking into a trap but he didn't want to further upset the girl. He had to play this smart or he could end up getting himself in a load of trouble.
"I'm waiting." Zoe tapped her foot impatiently, waiting to see what Takuya's next move would be.
"Okay! I'm coming." He leapt to the ground in front of her, landing neatly on the grass. She immediately took a swipe at his head, which Takuya dodged all too easily. "Hey!"
"Sorry, won't happen again." She said, mocking him.
Takuya stuck out his tongue at her. She aimed to hit him again. He caught her arm mid swing. "You remember how long it took Kouji to figure out I'm untouchable- right?" he asked, half grinning.
She raised an eyebrow, "Untouchable? I don't think so." In one swift movement she had her free hand behind his ear, rubbing it gently. A loud purr rose in Takuya's chest and his eyelids fluttered dreamily.
"Cheater."
"I think its fair game Mr. 'Untouchable'." She countered, smirking at how easy it was to get Takuya to drop his guard.
Takuya only continued to purr, albeit against his will, as she continued to rub his ear. He nearly fell limp on the floor from his dreamy trance.
Zoe just shook her head in amusement. "This is just too easy."
"Not cool Z." He muttered in his daze.
"I think this makes us even." She retorted and finally stopped, allowing Takuya to snap out of his trance. Zoe giggled when the boy tried to regain his composure.
He blushed furiously, changing back to his human form to prevent any further embarrassment. "I hate you."
Zoe stuck out her tongue. She smiled, "Aww come on Takuya- It's adorable when you purr!"
"Zo-E" he half whined, blushing more. She just smiled more.
"Aww fine." She poked him in the chest, "Don't be so cute then." He scowled at her, muttering to himself. She giggled, "Are you going to act like Kouji now?"
"Glad to see you're so amused." Takuya muttered. He locked his hands together behind his neck and decided to look at anything but her until he was able to fully compose himself. "Why do you always have to win?"
"Because I can." Zoe answered simply with a victorious smile.
The gogglehead only rolled his eyes and continued the treatment of not looking at her directly.
"So you're just going to ignore me now?" Zoe asked, not amused with the way he avoided her gaze.
"Yup." He said curtly with a nod.
"Taku."
The gogglehead moaned. She was trying the cute act again to get him to respond. "Come on Zoe… don't do that…"
"Do what?" she asked in the same tone, knowing her act had an effect on him.
Takuya whined and gave in. "Alright! Just please, stop with the puppy dog thing."
Zoe just grinned in victory. She won again. "So, let's do something."
"Alright, so what do you want to do?" Takuya asked, feeling relieved from no longer making a fool out of himself. He could finally collect himself and keep his cool. At least for the time being. There's no telling what else Zoe might do to get him all flustered up. "There's not exactly much we can do here at the park."
Zoe shrugged. "Maybe we can go to the mall or something. Just walk around; maybe grab a bite to eat. Something like that. Sound good?"
"I suppose." Takuya stopped and eyed her suspiciously, not truly believing her motives for wanting to go. "How do I know this isn't a trick to get me to go shopping with you?"
"Oh come on Takuya! It's not going to kill you." Zoe teased. He grumbled in response. "Well, do you have any better ideas?" she asked with a huff.
Takuya shrugged, "I don't know, but please no shopping."
She rolled her eyes and smiled, "Would you just like to hang here and relax? You seem kinda tense."
"I do?"
Zoe nodded at him, "Yeah, just a bit. It's okay if you just want to relax. I understand."
Takuya smiled at her, "Thank you Zoe."
They sat down beneath the tree, deciding to just talk lightly and watch any people pass by.
"Hey Takuya? Do you like being able to become a Digimon?" Zoe asked after a long silence between them.
Takuya looked at her for a moment before looking down to his hands. "Well, at first it was terrifying. I hated it. I felt like a complete freak." He answered with a sigh.
Zoe looked concerned for her friend when she heard the way he was speaking. She couldn't blame him for feeling that way at first. The whole first few days were so trying for him. Takuya was a complete wreck then. "And now?"
"Well… I feel a lot better." He answered after taking in consideration of everything that's happened after he's gained control. "I feel so super human. Like I can do anything. When I jump along the rooftops… I dunno what the right word is… but it feels more than amazing."
"You've jumped across rooftops?" she asked, surprised.
He paused, glancing at her, wondering if telling her about that was such a good idea. "I um... well..."
Zoe smiled, "That's pretty cool Takuya. I'm kinda jealous."
"You are?" he asked, taken aback, "You're jealous of me being a Digimon?"
"Well, a bit- Yes. I really miss be able to be Kazemon or Zephyrmon- to be able to fly and be so powerful. It was so exhilarating!"
Takuya smiled and nodded with her. It was exhilarating. He remembered what it was like to fly as Aldamon or BurningGreymon; the limitless sensation of freedom. And though he wasn't able to fly, it didn't hinder the euphoric feelings.
"What else do you like?" Zoe asked curiously.
"I love how limitless I feel when I'm running or jumping. It really feels like I could do anything." Takuya said with a grin forming on his face. "I especially like being able to get away with calling Kou with that name without getting my butt kicked."
The blonde giggled at the addition of his answer. She recalled how Kouji tried in vain to get after the gogglehead when he was called by the name he dreaded so much.
"I also..." He stopped, blushing suddenly. He almost let slip how good it felt to be rubbed behind the ears and purr.
Zoe tilted her head, "Takuya?"
"It's n-nothing" he said quickly. He turned away, trying to his the fierce blush creeping into the cheeks.
"You can tell me Takuya!" She said with a light laugh, poking him in the shoulder, "Please?" she pouted for added effect.
Takuya whined, knowing that Zoe was going to persist as she continued to poke at his shoulder for a response. He also knew she was going to add up on the cute to get him to talk. "Zoe… come on…"
"Please Takuya? It can't be that bad." She said with a smile, knowing she had him on the run.
"I uh…" Takuya bit his lip and tried to think of something to come up with. "Fire. Yeah, I like the fire." He answered with a nervous smile. "You know, being able to control it and all. It's really cool."
The blond gave him an incredulous look. She didn't believe him for a second. "Oh really?"
"Yes really. That's my story and I'm sticking to it." He replied cooly, praying to himself she would let it go. He should know better by now though.
"Uh huh. Sure it is." Zoe shot back, smirking. "I will get you to confess Takuya Kanbara- don't you forget it!"
He paled slightly, It was on now. She was going to drive him to the edge of insanity and back until he told her the truth. You don't lie to Zoe Orimoto and get away with it. Not a chance of a snowflake in hell.
Takuya sighed, "You're impossible Zoe."
She grinned, "I do my best. Will you tell me now?"
Takuya groaned. He knew better than to prolong this. Better to come clean than to try and get her to drop it. "Fine… but you have to swear not to tell anyone!"
Zoe giggled in triumph. "Fine, fine. I won't tell anyone. I promise."
The gogglehead eyed her for a second, debating with himself about whether or not she was telling the truth. He sighed and locked his hands at the back of his head to hide his face. "I like…" he mumbled the rest softly.
"I'm sorry. Say that again?" Zoe asked, not hearing what he said.
"I like… being… rubbedbehindtheears." Takuya answered and turned his head away, not wanting her to see how badly he was blushing.
She tilted her head, trying to understand the run together mess he just said when it dawned on her, "You like having your ears rubbed?" He nodded, blushing furiously. She giggled, smiling widely. "Thought as much. You really purr up a storm. You're like my cat!"
"You have a cat?"
Zoe grinned, "No changing the subject. That's adorable!"
Takuya finally looked at her, "Please don't tell anyone!" His face was bright red with embarrassment. Zoe felt bad for dragging the truth out of him.
"I won't. Promise." She agreed softly. "There's no shame in enjoying that Takuya- it's just part of your Digimon side. Besides, You're awfully cute- you just melt in happiness."
Takuya just blushed even more brightly if possible. How he wanted to change the subject. Talking about this would only embarrass him further. He moaned and hid his face in his arms to hid his mortification.
Zoe sighed and decided that the boy had enough. She would let up for now. "Hey, are you hungry?"
"Hungry?" Takuya asked lifting his head up to face her. His stomach growled at the mention of food. He had only picked at his lunch at school. The boy was definitely hungry. "Now that you mention it…"
"Come on then Takuya. Let's go and find a place to eat." The blonde responding and got up from the ground and dusted herself off.
