Hey there guys. It's chapter time again. We game to see what happens now? I'm not sure if you're going to be happy with what you see... or want to beat us to a bloody pulp. Who knows? We'll have to wait and see for your reactions.
"TsukiyoTenshi" - Yeah, these guys at the military really suck, huh? We'll have to wait and see what happens.
"AngeGirlmon" - We'll be sure to keep up with the consistent chapter updates so no worries. And Takky, well... I suppose we just have to keep on reading. As for the whimpering, well, that would land him into trouble. After all, if the scientists found out that he could speak their language, they would be more intrigued and would want to experiment on him more.
"BlueFlamedWolf" - That's one heck of a descent theory there with the Digimon evolution. It's awesome once you think about it and it totally make sense. Takky might not have a choice. That bunny needs to be careful. Who knows what'll happen?
"Digi-fanCapp" - Well... that's a hopeful theory. As much as I would like for that to happen... we're kinda dealing with a professional angst writer. Don't worry though, we'll be getting a resolution for this soon. Just keep an eye out.
"The Keeper of Worlds" - I know right? Those guys are seriously screwed up in the head. Kouji's getting the hang of it but will Takuya manage? Well, let's see what happens.
"skarkpedofromverpets" - Takuya's a strong guy, he can take a lot of abuse. Just gotta hope that he can manage more of it. We'll get to see more with the kids this chapter so I hope you enjoy it.
"Akrisakara" - Glad you enjoyed the new chapter. Yeah, Kouji's got a lot of trouble with this Digimon thing and Takuya's stubbornly clinging to the last bit of humanity he has so we got a lot of stuff going on. It's all coming together soon, you'll see.
"DiaSphere" - We um... can be a little cruel... yeah, just... yeah. At least Kouichi's got that part figured out, kinda. It was just a suggestion but hey, it's something. Now to just figure it out and save him.
"decode9" - Yeah, we're pretty good at that. Things just keep getting worse and worse for the guy. Now he's got a bunny... yeah, can't see that going wrong. As for the others, it seems like they're getting on track with everything. And sorry about the mix up with Akrisakara, ^^; happens sometimes. I was confused for a girl twice myself here so yeah... anywho, enjoy the chapter.
"Digidestinedkid6" - Well, these guys... they'll do anything to figure out just what kind of creature Takuya is... even if it's unimaginably cruel... Just gotta hope that Takuya can resist the hunger. And Kouji... um, swallow his pride? Not sure how that works. I mean, he's trying really hard but yeah. As for the Takumi fluff, just be patient, it'll be there soon enough and boy will it be a lot.
"Slinking Fox" - We enjoy putting those guys through pain. It's all apart of being fanfic writers. Glad you enjoyed Kouichi and the story in general. Hope you enjoy the rest as we keep going.
"DD Leader Dark heart of Water" - Yeah, a time difference makes sense. I'm here on the East Cost of the US so that might be it. Anyway, good to hear a positive review of the chapter. As for why he doesn't talk, just look up at my reply to AngeGirlmon's review. Enjoy the chapter.
"ChiMoira" - Wow... just, wow, I don't even know how to respond to such a review. I do gotta say that I'm definitely complimented with how you received the chapter. Going through it all in one night, I gotta say, is very impressive. And just, thanks for what you said about Secrets, it's really nice to hear that. I know FernClaw sent a reply so I hope it reciprocates both our thoughts on your review. Hope you keep on staying for the ride and hope to hear from ya next time.
"DarkFlame" - Well, glad you enjoyed the chapter and hope that LightFire enjoyed it too. Also hoping that you guys enjoy the next one too.
With that said, let's enjoy the next chapter shall we?
Chapter 33: Lonely Boy.
Time passed excruciatingly slowly for the Digimon boy. He prayed that these people would show some kind of mercy. He didn't want to do this.
He whimpered softly, tears rolling down his face. His body needed something to keep him alive. Takuya didn't want to die, but he didn't want to kill either.
Every rational part of his mind was screaming for him to kill the rabbit and sustain himself. The compassionate part was screaming to let it live. Takuya could feel himself going crazy trying to justify an answer to kill or not kill the rabbit.
Takuya glanced at it weakly, seeing it lap up water from the basin. Something inside him became angry. That was HIS water... He shook his head, not believing he was becoming territorial with a potential food source. He shook his head again.
'I can't think like that!' he chided to himself as he watched the rabbit.
How easy it would be to just snap it's neck and finally have food in his aching stomach. He clutched his head, fighting the growing urge to hunt the creature. He needed to eat, but he didn't want to kill.
'If I kill it... I'm just as bad as those people hurting me...' he thought to himself. 'but if I don't... I'm going to die from starvation...'
Takuya curled up even tighter and fought to try and sort his thoughts out. He knew what he had to do if he was going to survive. 'People go hunting all the time… People have eaten rabbit before…' part of his mind tried to rationalize it but it did not help his conscience. 'It's still taking a life though…'
He cried out in frustration, causing the rabbit to jump suddenly in fright. 'Don't do this… you don't have to do this… you'll get out of this somehow… you'll get out…' Takuya wanted to believe that; that he could be freed from this nightmare but he couldn't. After all this time he knew that he was alone. "…no. I can't…"
'No one's coming to help me… i-if I'm going to survive… I have to do it…" Takuya glanced at the rabbit and got up into a crouching position. 'I have to…' Tears welled up in his eyes as he slowly prowled towards the creature. 'No one's going to save me…'
The rabbit sensed the foreboding presence coming from the boy and backed away from him.
Takuya jumped forward suddenly and tightened his grip around the rabbit's neck, holding it still as it furiously tried to break free from his grip. 'No one is going to help me… if I'm going to survive… I have to…" Takuya held his grip as the rabbit slashed at it in its futile attempt to break free. 'if I'm going to survive…'
With one quick motion, he jerked his hand and the creature's movements came to an abrupt stop.
-testing room-
Shinoba wasn't sure what to expect when his father brought him to the lab. His father wanted to show him something that he had been working on for sometime now. He could get into a lot of trouble with his superiors but the man felt he needed to share his work with his son.
The young teen had his arms crossed; looking bored out of his mind as his father lead him into an elevator. "Just wait until you see this," his father said.
"Yeah, whatever." Shinoba rolled his eyes. He sighed, wishing he was anywhere but there.
The elevator stopped, and the pair exited. Shinoba's father lead his son down the hall to an observation deck. "Look down there."
Shinoba rolled his eyes again and peered through the tinted window. He held back a gasp of shock as he saw the creature lying on the floor in the room below. That thing... the orange mane and tail, the dusty brown skin... the very same creature Takuya Kanbara became.
He looked closer seeing the sickly pale color of his skin. He could make out bruises and cuts covering the boy's body. His bright green eyes looked distant and vacant. Shinoba could barely believe this was the same boy who nearly killed him and had saved his life from that demonic dog.
"Dad... what..." Shinoba couldn't find any words, too aghast to speak coherently.
"Isn't it amazing?" the man said, "Such a curious beast."
"W-what did you guys… do to it?" his son found himself able to ask. Shinoba could make out the dark welts on the Digimon's body. They were painful to look at.
The man looked down at Takuya and understood what his son was referring too. "It's nothing important, just a few tests, it should be fine." Was his reply, deciding not to go into details about the tests.
Shinoba remained silent, feeling troubled by everything. It was just too horrific to watch. While it was true that he plotted against Takuya, just seeing the boy in this state was enough to make him feel guilty. No one deserved this kind of torture, right?
"What're you going to do with it?" Shinoba ventured to ask, feeling a little nervous as to what kind of answer his father would give him.
"This is a new species, something that must be studied. You remember the story on the news, about those two creatures that fought in the city?" his father asked and looked back at Takuya. "They had such astounding power. If we can find a way to harness it, imagine what we can do with it."
The teenager wasn't sure how to take his father's answer. He seemed far too fascinated with this. "If you say so Dad."
Shinoba swallowed slowly, taking everything in. It became clear to him that his father had no idea that that thing was human, even if he didn't appear so. This was wrong. Takuya didn't deserve this. He wanted to help the Digimon.
"Um... can we go?" Shinoba inquired nervously, "So you uh, don't get in trouble?"
The scientist looked at his son, "Ah, I suppose you're right my boy." He lead his son out of the room and bak to the elevator.
The entire way out of the facility Shinoba tried to formulate a plan to help Takuya. He couldn't think of anything that would actually work though. And as much as he didn't want to, he felt that he was obligated to tell the boy's friends.
He wasn't sure they would believe him but what else could he do? Maybe one of them could figure out something.
-the park-
"Okay Kouji, you ready?" Kouichi called out, standing by the edge of the filed where they did their practice. The area was deserted most of the time and offered a good place for Kouji to hone in on his skills.
The younger twin took a long steady breath and nodded, enveloping himself in a cocoon of light. The light faded and in his place stood the wolf Digimon from before. He looked himself over to make sure everything was in its right place. "I'm all good."
"Okay, we're all set!" Tommy gave them the okay, standing at the sidelines with the others, making sure there were no other people around to disturb them.
Kouji took a crouching stance and took in his surroundings. He had adjusted quickly to his heightened senses and was now surveying the targets that were scattered around the field.
With a swift lunge, the wolfish Digimon struck one of the targets, hitting the red painted x on the target dead center. His sharp claws pierced through the wooden target and easily slid free when he pulled away to strike at another.
He would slash and jab into each target, trying hard to hit each shot perfectly. It had taken him a while to adjust to fighting with his bare hands, having been used to fighting with some kind of weapon most of the time.
"Your doing great brother!" Kouichi called. The wolf Digimon looked up, smiling wolfishly. Another board popped up directly in front of him, smacking the distracted wolf in the face. He yelped, falling backwards.
The others cringed before rushing to the dazed Digimon's sides. Kouji pushed himself up, rubbing his nose gingerly. "Ow..."
"Are you alright Kouji?" Tommy asked as Zoe helped the wolf Digimon to his feet.
He grunted, ""m alright." He swatted at his brother, "Thanks a lot Kouichi."
"Hey! It's not my fault you got distracted!"
"That looks like that really hurt." JP muttered, stating the obvious and earning a glare from the wolf Digimon.
Kouji grumbled and took his hand away from his nose and tried to inspect it for any damage. He sighed, deciding that he'd be fine. There wasn't any blood or a bruise it just hurt a little. "I'll be fine I suppose."
"That's good to hear." Kouichi nodded and took a good look around at the area, examining the field. "Well, despite that you did a pretty good job. You hit all the targets."
The younger twin surveyed the scene, fairly pleased with his performance. "I need to be better though- we'll never find Takuya if I'm not in top form."
The others looked at the wolf sadly, knowing how hard Kouji was pushing himself to save his best friend. "Kouji..." Zoe said softly. She laid her hand on his shoulder, trying to offer the boy some comfort. "We'll get him back..."
Kouji shrugged her hand away. "I know. I just.. I have to be ready for anything..." he replied softly. His ears flattened against his head sadly.
He tensed suddenly, eyes narrowing at the bushes surrounding the perimeter. He snarled and lunged. Kouji growled wildly at something- rather someone who had been spying on them from afar.
"Please don't hurt me!" a male voice yelped.
The wolf snarled, "Shinoba!"
The bully tried to speak up but was stopped when the wolf Digimon growled and jumped at him, his claws ready to tear into the boy in an instant.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Kouji glared down at Shinoba with piercing red eye, a gaze that would make one's blood grow cold in an instant. One hand was gripping tightly the collar of the bully's shirt and the other poised to strike.
"W-wait! I… I… j-just hear me out!" Shinoba stuttered and tried to gather his words. Just looking at the sharp tipped claws made him shake with fear.
The others gathered around them, glaring down at the stranger; Zoe in particular looking like she was ready to help Kouji beat him up.
Kouji snorted and loosened his grip slightly. "Alright, speak up. Make it fast or I swear I'll rip you to shreds."
Shinoba took a breath trying to calm down. "O-okay look…. I… I know… I know where your friend is… that fr… Kanbara." He corrected himself, not wanting to make things worse for himself.
The group went rigid in shock and disbelief. "Liar!" Kouji snarled, baring his teeth.
The bully yelped in fright, shielding his face. Kouichi grabbed his brother's arm before he could destroy Shinoba.
"Kouji wait! How did you know he was missing?" Kouichi asked, though he sounded somewhat skeptical.
"I saw him! M-my dad is a scientist- he works with the government on weapons development. T-they have Kanbara locked up. He... They're torturing him!"
The others exchanged nervous looks. "What proof do you have?" JP asserted, "we can't believe you without any hard evidence!"
"Look… I don't… just…" Shinoba had no way of proving himself. It's not like he had a chance to take any pictures for proof. They would just have to take his word. "I couldn't get any proof… alright? It's a military facility…"
The others seemed skeptical; while it was understandable that it would be improbable to get evidence from such a secure facility it seemed too convenient still. For all they knew, Shinoba could be lying.
"I… I wouldn't be here if I were lying…" the bully tried to reason for his lack of evidence.
Kouichi bit his lip, unsure of what to do in this situation, and turned to the others. "What do you think?"
JP folded his arms, not buying Shinoba's story. "This guy has to be lying. I mean, why the hell would he help us? He's the guy who made Takuya's life a living Hell."
"Yeah… but he's got a point. He doesn't really have a reason to be here if it weren't true." Tommy offered. "What'd be the point in lying?"
Kouji growled, "Does it matter? This guy has done nothing but make Takuya suffer- why should we believe him!"
"And if he's telling the truth?" Zoe asked softly, "You said it yourself Kouji- you'd do anything to find Takuya- this could be our only chance..."
Shinoba nodded, "I don't like the kid. Okay? I admit it. But he's going to die if he stays there much longer. He saved my life... I'm just repaying my debt."
Kouichi nodded once, "That... that is true... Takuya did save him from Cerberumon..."
"Give me the benefit of the doubt- just this once!" Shinoba pleaded, still eyeing Kouji's long claws dangerously close to his neck.
Kouji grunted irritably, "Alright, who thinks we should believe this scumbag?"
"I still don't think we should trust him." JP muttered, looking conflicted in whether or not to believe the bully.
Kouichi sighed weakly. "Well, you guys gave me a chance after the… Duskmon thing… it might be worth listening to him."
"We don't really have a choice in the matter. Takuya could be in real danger." Zoe stated firmly. As terrible a person Shinoba was she had to give him the benefit of the doubt for Takuya's sake.
Tommy nodded with Zoe. "If he's really being tortured we have to do something."
The bully turned his gaze back to the wolf Digimon after the others had their say. He felt more nervous with each passing second though it seemed like the majority believed him.
Kouji took in what his friends were saying and heaved a sigh before lowering his claw. "Looks like the majority rule."
Shinoba breathed a sigh of relief before Kouji got back in his face. "But if you're lying- I WILL Kill you," he growled dangerously.
The bully pulled away from the wolf's grasp, panting slightly. He trembled for a moment, trying to calm down.
"Alright, spill," JP said, folding his arms. Kouji's fur bristled in anticipation.
The elder boy sat up, wary of Strabimon sitting beside him. "The lab is located in the middle of the city. It's a heavily guarded building, but it looks like an office building from the outside."
"You know where in the building they're keeping him?" Tommy asked curiously.
Shinoba nodded. "Yeah, they're keeping him in the underground floor. My dad takes me down there sometimes. It's heavily fortified though. It won't be easy to bust him out."
Kouji took a moment to take in what the bully was sharing with them. The info was useful but it didn't really offer much in a way to plan a break out. "Is there anything else you can tell us?"
"Honestly… t-there's not much… I've only been there a few times… and even then, they don't let me see much…" was Shinoba's nervous reply. "It's just really guarded."
"So this will be more difficult than we thought..." Kouichi summed up with a solemn sigh.
Zoe and Tommy looked crestfallen by he news. Sure they knew where Takuya was now, but they were no closer to getting the boy back.
"I... I can try to keep you informed." Shinoba offered after a long silence linger over the group, "My dad likes to talk so I might be able to get him to share more information."
"You just said Takuya was dying," Kouji growled, "We don't have time to waste on reconnaissance!"
Kouichi tried to calm his brother, "Kouji we have to approach this rationally!"
Kouji huffed, "But!"
"Use your head," JP interjected, "You're acting like Takuya!"
"Am not."
The group gave him an incredulous look, one that made Kouji feel awkward under their gaze.
"Kouji, charging in is just plain reckless, we have to have a good plan if we're going to bust him out of that place." Kouichi tried rationalizing with his brother. "We'll get him out of there but we have to be smart about it."
Kouji clenched his jaw and nodded slowly. He was still resistant on taking their time but he realized that it was a reasonable action. Charging in would be stupid and just land them all in a lot of trouble. "Fine."
Zoe sighed in relief, glad that the wolf Digimon was being reasonable.
"Is that everything then?" JP asked looking over to Shinoba.
The bully nodded slowly. "Yeah… I'll try to get more by the end of the week."
The wolf groaned, not wanting to wait that long. Zoe elbowed him in the side, effectively shutting him up. "You'd better," he growled at Shinoba stood.
"Are all of you people like this?" Shinoba asked nervously seeing the murderous look in Kouji's red eyes.
Kouichi matched his brother's devious look, "Fail us and you'll find out."
Shinoba gulped nervously before running off. Kouji snorted, "why are we trusting that moron?"
"Because that moron is our only lead, like it or not," Zoe huffed back.
"What're we supposed to do in the meantime?" Tommy asked after a long moment of silence. "Do we practice some more till the weekend?"
Kouji grumbled. "Not like there's much else we can do."
His brother folded his arms across his chest. "I dunno, maybe we can take a look at the building. He gave us the address, we could check it out. You know, to get some idea of what we're dealing with here."
The others perked up a little. Surely checking the building out couldn't hurt. Who knows, they might find something.
"You think there's a good chance we'll find anything?" JP asked as Kouji took a moment to revert back to his human form. "I mean, there's only so much you can get from looking around."
"Maybe for us, but Kouji might be able to pick up more," Kouichi pointed out lightly. He stood and stretched,
Tommy nodded excitedly and looked up at Kouji, "Maybe you can get Takuya's scent!"
Kouji shrugged, "I'm not sure... I'm a wolf Digimon, not a bloodhound."
"Then let's work on that then!" Zoe said with a confident smile, "We'll work on your tracking abilities!"
"Hey, that's not a bad idea!" JP agreed, "It'll be really beneficial in the long run."
The half Digimon shrugged again, "I suppose."
Kouichi grinned and wrapped his arm around his brother's neck. "Come on, it won't be so bad. Let's get going."
The younger twin huffed and pulled himself free from his brother's grip as they got on their way. "This better work."
"Don't worry, I mean, Takuya got all these super abilities when he was a Digimon. You gotta have those super senses too." Tommy responded positively. "It could really work out."
Kouji gave the young boy a skeptical look. "Yeah… question. How am I supposed to sniff him out exactly?"
"Take a good whiff of his D-Tector." JP offered and took the device out of his pocket. "It's got to have Takuya's scent on it."
The boy wrinkled his nose, grimacing, "Not if it's been in your pocket! Besides, how am I supposed to be able to pick out his scent amongst god only knows what else?"
JP scowled and stowed the D-Tector back in his pocket. "Fine, but you'll need to learn soon!"
"Where exactly is this place anyway?" Kouji asked, changing the subject.
"It's not too far from the train Station in Shibuya" Kouichi said, inputting the address in his phone's turn by turn navigation application. They began walking towards the train station to go check this facility out.
Zoe sighed, "Poor Takuya... I hope he's okay..."
The others looked at each other nervously, not sure how to respond or whether they should respond at all. Zoe had been taking the boy's disappearance hard. She worried about him every day, and lost sleep worrying about him at night.
"Come on Zoe, brighten up," Kouichi tried to encourage her, "We're going to get him back."
Zoe's demeanor didn't improve despite Kouichi's attempt to cheer her up. "But… Shinoba said they were torturing him… w-what if he's really hurt? They could… they could be doing terrible things to him…"
"Zoe, he's going to be okay." The older twin persisted but he had no way of backing up his claim. They had no idea how bad Takuya was having it. For all they know Takuya could be on the verge of death.
"We'll get him out of there." Tommy stated, helping Kouichi in his attempt to make Zoe feel better.
The blond tried to look at the situation positively but after Shinoba revealed everything to them, she couldn't help but think of all the horrible things they could be doing to him. Zoe was on the verge of a breakdown.
"He's going to be okay Zoe… everything's going to be okay…" JP persisted, trying to keep her from breaking down into tears. Zoe didn't respond. Nothing they said would make her feel better until she knew for sure that Takuya was okay.
Kouji approached her, "Come on, Let's go survey this place and find a way to bust Takuya out. "Zoe gave him a weak smile in response, wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes. He smiled back, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. He gave her a small reassuring hug.
It seemed to do the trick. She relaxed a bit as they boarded the train. The train lurched into motion as they took their seats.
"It won't be long now," JP observed as the train took off down the tracks towards their destination. It doesn't take long before they were disembarking in the business district.
