Hi guys. We're back with another chapter for you guys... and yeah, you're probably going to hate us for this but yeah... hope you enjoy it. On a separate note, you guys amaze me with the amount of input you've given us. I mean, we're almost up to 300 reviews! That's amazing if I do say so myself. Now to address you guys' reviews.
"decode9" - Yeah, you're going to see the full extent of how much of a mama bear Kouji is... believe me, he's out for blood. As for breaking in... we'll just have to see what happens.
"adventuremaker16" - Um... I dunno about giving them Digimon forms but they play their parts okay I think.
"The Keeper of Worlds" - Thanks for the props man. It was difficult figuring that out during the original go but we like where it went. As for Kouji's role in the break in... well, he's got some pressure on him as you'll soon see.
"DiaSphere" - Yeah, I bet none of you guys were expecting Shinoba to show his face again, huh? He's still kind of a d-bag but hey, at least he helped. And yeah... I wouldn't eat raw rabbit either but hey, Takuya's been locked for a long time so he didn't really have much of a choice.
"Something dictionary related" - Well, glad some of these little plot points are connecting to you. It's still a work in progress but hey, we're doing pretty good so far. And you're right, Cerberumon is still out there and with Takky's human data. I suspect he'll be showing his face relatively soon.
"Akrisakara" - Yay for Kouji! Though, to be honest, a lot of time has been implied to have passed. A few months at the least but hey, whatever he can manage, right? Now they can save Takuya and try and get things back to normal.
"Digi-fanCapp" - Yeah, that would be an awkward topic at the dinner table. Probably would think his son is crazy but hey, this is Digimon, crazy shit happens all the time. As for Shinoba as a character, my opinion of his is relatively "meh" but hey, everyone's got their own opinion.
"DD Leader Dark heart of Water" - They're so close they can almost feel it! And Kouji's willing and ready to take action with Strabinmon. And as for the rabbit... yeah, we're pretty mean for doing it but... that's kinda one of the reasons we changed the rating. Gets into some really dark stuff sometimes as you'll see.
"ChiMoira" - It's cool, long chapters are awesome. We enjoy reading those. Now, you're right to assume that the rabbit's gonna have an effect on the poor guy. I think it would affect anyone really. And I doubt Shinoba's done much to redeam himself. I suppose he was just paying Takuya back for the rescue in a previous chapter but I don't give it much thought. I guess we did kinda underplay that part with he kids. Kinda unintentional but it's an interesting point you brought up. And the reassurance... we'll keep that in mind.
"Slinking Fox" - Hmmm... yeah, sounds about right. I woulda done the same. Shinoba was a jerk through and through. I don't think anyone likes him so yeah. Glad you enjoyed the chapter. And don't worry, I'm sure Takuya will be okay once he gets out of that hell hole.
"Digidestinedkid6" - I guess everyone has their rare moments, even jerks like Shinoba. Well, we'll be getting some Takuya stuff soon but we got just a bit more angst to deal with before we can get with the cute and fluffy fluff. Just be patient.
"AngeGirlmon" - Glad you liked where the chapter went. We'll just have to see what happens next to find out if they can bust out Takky.
And with that said let's get started on the chapter, shall we?
Chapter 34: Breakout
The business district was packed, people and cars traversing the streets with practiced ease. Everyone was busy, everyone had somewhere to be, including the group of teens who looked out of place amongst the businessmen and women. They were hurrying down the street towards their destination.
"You really think Takuya's going to be there?" Tommy asked as they continued to push and maneuver through the crowd of people.
"I certainly hope so…" JP repsoneded, standing in front of Tommy to part the crowd for his younger friend. "Shinoba better not have lied to us."
The older twin shrugged. "He'd have to be an idiot to lie after the death threat Kouji gave him. I've never seen anyone so scared in my life. He looked like he was going to faint at any moment."
JP laughed awkwardly, recalling the chills he got from the display of aggression and rage that Kouji had shown. "Yeah, never mess with your brother. That's a valuable lesson to learn."
Kouji was about to remark but stopped suddenly, going rigid in his spot. He could feel something… just like Takuya had. Another presence. "No... It can't be… not here- not now!"
The others stopped and stared at the younger twin. "Kouji are you… wait… you don't think…"
The younger twin rushed forward towards the building, cutting his brother off as he ran ahead. There was a loud alarm blaring from the building, muted out only by the sounds of small explosions.
"What the heck is going on in there?" JP asked, scared by what was going on with the building.
"There's a Digimon in there…" Kouji muttered with a low growl, feeling himself grow on edge with each passing moment. "But I can't tell what…"
They all pulled away, startled by a sudden green flame that flared out through the building windows. Everyone got out of the way as shards of glass rained down onto the streets. "Everyone be careful!"
"Kouji… that was…" Zoe shuddered, recognizing what the green flames meant. "Ceberumon…"
She turned to look and gauge Kouji's reaction but the boy was gone. "Kouji?!" They all looked around wildly, trying to find the boy in question to no avail.
"He wouldn't..." JP whispered as they were forced to back away.
Kouichi nodded numbly, "He would."
A sharp howl got their attention. Kouji, now Strabimon bolted past them and into the building.
The wolf Digimon took in his surroundings, surmising that Cerberumon was up on one of the upper levels. Kouji wasted no time sprinting up the stairs past scientists and officials. He made a point to knock a few over.
Then it occurred to him, these people no matter how horrible, could help him find Takuya. "Emerald Blaze!" A rush of green flames swirled into the stairwell. Kouji reacted and pulled a man in a white lab coat out of the way.
He gasped in fright, trying to pull away from Kouji once the fire had dissipated. "Another monster!"
"Where are they keeping him?!" Kouji growled, holding the man against the wall.
"I-I-I don't know what you're talking about…" the scientist stuttered, Kouji's red eyes making his blood turn could on the spot. That answer only made Kouji growl in response.
"Don't lie to me! I know you have my friend in here!" Strabimon snarled, making a point to bare his teeth to intimidate the whimpering man.
The scientist nearly fainted at the sight of the canine's sharp teeth. And it didn't help having the building slowly catch on fire. He was a stuttering mess and that just agitated Kouji to no end.
The wolf Digimon heaved a heavy sigh and gave the scientist an even glare. "Tell me where you're keeping the other creature. The fire one."
"T-the underground floor… W-we keep it in the underground floor." The scientist finally spoke though was still shaking with fear of being mauled. With shaky fingers, the man pointed in a direction towards the elevator. "J-just take that to the bottom floor…"
Thinking it good enough, Strabimon dropped the scientist and turned to the direction he was pointed to. "Hurry up and get out of here. That thing upstairs is going to tear this whole place apart."
With that, Kouji quickly made his way to the elevator and pried the doors open. He took a moment to look up and down the elevator chute and saw the cart still dangling up above him. There was a good chance that it would crash down to the floor at any moment but the stairwell was swallowed by flames.
The wolf Digimon grunted and grabbed a hold of the elevator cables and shimmied down to the basement floor. He had a good grip so there was no worries of accidentally falling.
He reach the bottom floor in a few short yet agonizing minutes. He pried the heavy metal door apart. Kouji found the entire underground level eerily quiet. He proceeded with caution, making sure to be aware of his surroundings.
Despite the mayhem happening upstairs, this floor was deathly still. Kouji vaguely wondered if the scientist had lied to him, but he didn't dwell on it.
He went from door to door, opening them and peering inside. He found labs, computers, offices, and storage closets, but no flame Digimon. He growled in frustration. "Takuya... where are you..."
Kouji's ears twitched, hearing footsteps. Another scientist came down the hall, glued to his clipboard. He didn't even notice Kouji as he swept past him down the hallway, mumbling to himself.
The wolf Digimon followed him into a darkened room. Kouji was about to pounce on the man when he realized he was in a observation room like in a operating room at a hospital. He watched the man look into the room below and scribble notes down on his clipboard.
He peered past the man into the room below. Takuya was lying on the ground. His body was covering in dark bruises, welts and cuts. He was barely breathing. Kouji felt his blood boil, let out a low snarl and tackled the man.
The man shrieked in fright. "Please! Don't kill me! Please!"
"What the hell did you people do to him?! That's my friend you bastard!" Kouji snapped viciously, a murderous look in his eye. The wolf Digimon had half a mind to rip the man to shreds but he stilled his claws, resisting the urge to take the man's life.
The scientist couldn't move. "P-please… d-don't hurt me… just… don't…"
That just infuriated the wolf Digimon even more. They experimented and torture his friend and this man was begging for his life. "I have half a mind to tear this whole place apart!"
"P-please… I…" the scientist was interrupted when the building suddenly shook. He shrieked when the shaking grew worse, the lights flickering off and on and the tiles threatening to fall from the ceiling. "What's happening?!"
Kouji growled in response. He had no time to take his anger out on these people; he had to get Takuya out of there quickly. The wolf Digimon got off the man and jumped towards the connecting window to see if he can break his way through.
The glass shattered upon impact, raining down broken shards onto the weakened Digimon below. Takuya yelped in pain, curling up tightly to protect his already injured body from any further harm. He whimpered softly, unable to pull the shards of glass from his own skin.
"Takuya..." Kouji breathed. After all this time, Takuya was right in front of him. He looked sickly pale and horridly thin but he was alive. "Gods Takuya... Let's get you out of here."
The boy didn't respond to his name, only flinching at the sound of a voice. Kouji moved to his friend's side, confused and worried.
"Come on Takuya..." Kouji persisted. Takuya just remained silent with his eyes squeezed shut. Kouji frowned. This wasn't like Takuya at all...
He reached out and touched the boy's arm gingerly. Takuya yelped, pulling away in fright. He looked at Kouji as though he meant to do him harm. He sat there, his frightened gaze locked with Kouji's and he trembled in fear.
Kouji reached out again, "What happened to you Takuya...?"
Takuya pulled away from the wolf Digimon, his fear keeping Kouji from getting any closer. He tried growling and hissing at the wolf hoping it would be enough to keep him away.
"Takuya… I'm not going to hurt you…" Kouji told him, somewhat disheartened by Takuya's attempts to keep him at bay. "I'm your friend… it's me… Kouji…"
The small fire Digimon lifted his gaze and studied Kouji closely. He didn't look like one of the people who had been causing him all this pain. This one was different from the humans in the white coats.
"You can trust me Takuya." Kouji persisted, trying to ease Takuya's state of mind. "I'm going to get you out of here."
Takuya looked uneasy still but he didn't turn away from the other Digimon. The wolf Digimon reached out gently. "You have to trust me Takuya, I'm not going to hurt you."
The younger boy flinched away once more. Kouji grunted in frustration, only spooking the flame Digimon further.
"Takuya... Please..." Kouji pleaded, made one more attempt to reach out to his terrified friend. He held his claw hand before Takuya, trying to ease him into trusting him. Takuya trembled as he took a tentative sniff of Strabimon's hand.
He didn't smell like the scientists. Takuya shuddered at the sheer thought of them. He whimpered softly, looking up at Kouji. Kouji took this a sign of trust. He slowly reached out, and gently pulled a shard of glass from the boy's shoulder. He yelped but the glass wasn't hurting him anymore.
"See Takuya? I want to help you..." Kouji moved closer, carefully pulling the remaining shards from Takuya's skin and mane. The small act of kindness made Takuya want to trust the wolf Digimon. "Now let's get you out of here."
Kouji carefully wrapped his arms around Takuya, lifting him up to carry him out of this hell and to safety. Takuya whimpered softly as Kouji held him close to his chest. The wolf Digimon smiled softly at him trying to offer him some reassurance before leaping back into the observation room and darting down the hallway.
It took a moment for Kouji to realize that getting back up to the ground floor would be difficult. The elevator wasn't a good idea and it was likely that the stairwell was still on fire. The stairwell seemed liked the best option for now.
Takuya whimpered as the building shook once again. He could feel the heat from the upper levels. The whole building must be on fire by now.
Kouji stopped by the stairway and kicked the door open. A sudden blast of heat hit them making the wolf Digimon grimace. It wouldn't be pleasant to be in this heat, especially with his coat of fur.
Taking a deep breath, Kouji stepped into the stairway and made his way up while doing his best to ignore the increasing heat. He had been quick to make it back up to the ground floor and out into the hallway. "Almost there…"
Takuya was a mess through the whole thing as the people in the building ran wildly outside to safety. He yelped suddenly as a burst of green flames shot down from the stairs and spread the fire out throughout the floor.
"Where are you whelp!?" Cerberumon howled in a rage. Kouji held his breath and tried to stifle Takuya's whimpering. The beastly Digimon roared in a rage expelling more green flames throughout the building.
Kouji had to escape- deal with Cerberumon another day. Takuya's safety was his top priority and he wasn't going to chance it by getting into a confrontation with the demon dog. He just had to get past him and he would be home free.
He held a finger to his lips, indicating for Takuya to be quiet as Strabimon carefully picked his way from the stairwell to the entrance. The entire entry way was ablaze, desks and plants burning steadily as Cerberumon prowled about.
"I know you're here whelp! You can't hide from me! I'm going to destroy you!" the beast snarled angrily into the air, completely unaware of Kouji sneaking around behind him. The smoke and flames masked the small wolf's scent as he crept closer to a broken floor length window.
Takuya meanwhile buried his face into the thick fur on Kouji's chest, shaking like a leaf. Kouji tightened his grip on the smaller boy, and made a dash for the window.
Cerberumon heard the sound of Strabimon's feet pounding on the floor and breathed a great green blaze in their direction. "You're not getting away from me whelp!"
Luckily, Kouji was fast enough to avoid the flames as he and Takuya crashed through the window and landed out in the middle of the street. The wolf Digimon could make out the sounds of sirens, no doubt the fire department and police coming to the scene. The last thing they needed was to be seen by the police.
Kouji couldn't make out his friends with all the smoke and panicking people. They would have to meet up with them later if they were going to get to safety. Cerberumon was probably hot on their trail.
The small fire Digimon in the wolf's grasp whimpered and held tight when Kouji made a jump for the rooftops. The sudden push of air and the bright light was disorienting and upsetting.
The large black dog jumped out through the windows and snarled wildly in search of his prey. He heard the sirens and growled in agitation before jumping to rooftops to avoid the nuisance the police would present.
Kouji didn't stop running along the rooftops until the bigger parts of the city were well behind him. He felt exhausted but he wouldn't stop until he was sure both he and Takuya would be safe. He was nearing his home, but at this rate they would never reach the Minamoto residence before Kouji collapsed from fatigue. If only Kouichi or the others...
Kouichi. It dawned on him that his brother and birth mother's home was a short distance away. Tomoko already knew about both of them, and she was a licensed nurse. She could help Takuya more than anyone else right now.
He made a sharp turn doubling back and heading to the Kimura's home. He landed roughly from the house across the street on his mother's doorstep and banged his fist against the door a few times. Takuya flinched with each strike, clutching Strabimon's fur tightly.
Tomoko came to the door a moment later, opening it to see the pair of beaten up Digimon before her. She gasped in shock and ushered Kouji inside. "Kouji, sweetheart..." she started to fuss before realizing he held Takuya's battered form in his arms.
"Mom..." Kouji rasped weakly. He made his was to the couch and laid Takuya down on it. The boy yelped at the sight of Tomoko and clung to Kouji's side as he sat down.
"Is that...?" she seemed breathless upon seeing how bad Takuya looked, "oh my goodness..."
Kouji looked Takuya over really good for the first time. His body was beaten up badly, his mane was matted and bloodied, and he looked deathly thin. Takuya's eyes appeared sunken and hollow. Even his soft, frightened cries seemed weak as he clung tightly to Kouji's side with what little strength he had left.
"My god… w-what happened to him?" Tomoko tried to get closer to examine the extent of the poor boy's condition, but pulled away when Takuya gave another cry and tried to push himself deeper into the couch away from her.
"I-I don't know… they experimented on him…" Kouji tried to explain, taking what he heard from Shinoba. "The military… they did this to him…"
The mother was horrified with what she heard. They experimented on him? "That's terrible… all this time they…"
Kouji just nodded and tried to help his friend calm down. He noticed the blood stained on his fur and remembered that Takuya had glass all over his back and shoulders. The scratches and cuts were still there and bleeding. "Mom… we need to tend to these wounds."
"I'll go get some bandages and disinfectant. Try to calm him down… I can't help him if he keeps me away…" Tomoko instructed and gave the boys a worried look before going to get her supplies.
Takuya seemed to ease up a little when Mrs. Kimura stepped out of the living room but he was still tense and frightful. He looked around to take in his surroundings and tugged and scratched at the collar around his neck.
"What's this?" Kouji muttered after noticing the collar. It was a thick band of hardware with blinking lights that just looked painful to ware; like a shackle. He tried to get a good look at it but Takuya pulled away in fear. "Takuya, I'm not going to hurt you…"
The small fire Digimon shook his head and curled up against the edge of the couch, his arms wrapped protectively around his body.
Kouji sighed softly. What was he going to do with him? There was no way that he or his mother would be able to help the poor boy at this rate. "Hey mom? Can you call Kouichi and let him know we're here?"
"Of course," Tomoko answered from the kitchen, stepping away from the first aid box to retrieve the phone.
The wolf Digimon closed his eyes, inhaling deeply to try and calm himself down. Takuya was a complete basket case at this point. It seemed that without his humanity to keep him grounded, Takuya went wild to defend himself.
Tomoko returned after speaking with Kouichi with her arms full of bandages and a bottle antibiotic solution. She knelt beside Takuya who buried his face into his arms, whimpering softly. "Shhh It's okay..." she soothed, reaching out to touch his arm.
Takuya shied away. Kouji watched his mother back away, biting her lip all the while. "He's too scared..." Kouji said softly.
"I see that... Oh if only he could just relax," Tomoko said with a quiet sad sigh.
"Yeah... Do you have anything? You know... to take the edge off?" the wolf Digimon asked hopefully.
Tomoko bit her lip, and took a moment to go over everything in her mind. "I'm not sure, I don't know if we have anything like that. I can take a look around though."
Kouji nodded and watched his mother leave the living room for a moment in search of sedatives. In the meantime, he would try his best to help Takuya calm down. The small fire Digimon was hunched over and tense, almost like a rock.
"Takuya…" the wolf Digimon spoke up apprehensively, trying not to put his friend more on edge. "We're going to help you. You don't need to be afraid of us."
Takuya looked to Strabimon, his eyes a plethora of emotions. He turned away shamefully, hugging his knees tighter to his chest.
"We're not going to hurt you." He persisted, though doubted it had much effect on the distraught boy.
Tomoko came back into the living room, her presence putting Takuya even more on edge. She looked conflicted, holding a small bag in her hands. She had found something but must have been questioning herself about whether it would help matters or not.
Kouji looked up at her. "What is that?"
"It's Kouichi's. I found it tucked in a drawer in the kitchen... It's catnip," she explained quietly, "He told me that Takuya reacted to it like a cat once before. I scolded Kouichi for pulling a prank like that on him with his condition."
The wolf nodded, recalling the incident. Takuya had no sense of anything and seemed genuinely happy under the herb's scent. "That... That could work... but just a little bit... I don't feel comfortable drugging him."
"I understand completely," Tomoko said. She took a pinch from the pouch. Kouji took it from his mother and held it out to Takuya flat in his palm.
The smaller Digimon looked up at Kouji eyes wide. He looked frightened as Kouji held his hand out closer. He took a tentative sniff of the dried leaves. His pupils grew large as he sniffed it again. Takuya rubbed his face against Kouji's hand. A soft purr rose in the smaller Digimon's chest.
It felt wrong at first, he had just drugged his best friend, but it needed to be done if they were going to tend to Takuya's injuries. It did do his mind some good seeing the tension melt away from the fire Digimon as he purred.
Tomoko watched carefully and approached the two Digimon. She reached out and softly stroked Takuya's wild mane, testing to see if he would be comfortable enough to work with.
Takuya continued to purr and rubbed against the mother's gentle hand. The catnip had taken off the edge like it intended. It was as if he had forgotten all about his ordeal.
Mrs. Kimura smiled weakly, glad to see that the small pinch catnip had worked. Immediately, she went to work on cleaning and dressing Takuya's wounds. He would whine when the antibiotics came in contact with his wounds but he didn't resist. She was able to work easily and managed to wrap the bandages snuggly over every injury.
"You think that'll do it?" Kouji asked, surveying the work she had done.
"Well, we've tended to all his flesh wounds, and it doesn't seem like he has any broken bones. All in all, they should be okay. I'm just worried about how skinny he's gotten." His mother replied.
Kouji nodded, "He is really thin... Did those horrible people even try to take care of him?"
Tomoko hugged her wolfish son gently, "It'll be okay now Kouji. He's safe here."
He nodded and leaned into his mother's side. Takuya yawned tiredly, feeling lightheaded from the catnip. He shifted around, edging closer to Kouji. He looked at the wolf carefully, whimpering softly. Kouji looked down and gently laid a hand on the boy's shoulder.
Takuya tensed at first but relaxed slowly, and snuggled up against Kouji's side. He buried his face in a nearby pillow and drifted off to sleep.
"It looks like he's finally calmed down." Tomoko whispered softly as to not wake the boy up. "Thank goodness. Some rest should really do him some good. Now the only thing to worry about right now is cleaning you up."
Kouji took a good look at himself noticing the soot, debris, and blood that stained his partially singed fur. He was a mess.
"Why don't you try to clean up a bit before your friends show up?" the mother asked and looked to the sleeping Takuya. "I'll make sure Takuya gets some sleep."
The wolf Digimon looked hesitant at first but knew that it would probably be a good idea to clean up a bit. Takuya would probably still be asleep by the time he was cleaned up and back.
He nodded, giving in to his mother's suggestion, and slowly tried getting out of his seat while making sure not to disturb his friend's slumber.
