Disclaimer: The muses would like to remind everyone that Angel Spirit doesn't own Digimon, just the plot of the fic. The muses would also like to remind readers that we're not responsible for any of the words that appeared to be smushed together...it's not our fault!
Author's Notes: LOL, for those of you who have read this chapter before, yes I did delete the ranting and raving about that certain episode where a certain blonde had a certain brunette laying his head in her lap...(sighs) It just...wasn't worth the space. This fic will have Takoujiness one hundred percent of the way throughout it, and that part won't even be mentioned in this fic, save for the AN here, which by the way I should point out that that episode was what inspired this chapter and for me to continue on with this fic, which is now nearly 24 chapters long...(grins madly) I don't even think I'm halfway through with it yet! (calculates total chapters in her head) Nope, I don't think so...Heh, chapter 24 is in the works but since I'm bored at work with not so much to do and free time in front of a computer before me, I decided to work in editing/revising Different Journey's, so don't be surprised if you guys find several chapters from this fic in your inboxes for the next few days or so...if you want to reread the chapters to see what I've changed, feel free to...not much has been changed except for the grammatical errors that readers have pointed out to me in reviews as well as any spelling mistakes...you guys might see a few small scene additions here and there but not to many so that if you don't reread it, it won't be too big of a deal! Anyway, on with the story shall we?
Story Rating: PG13
Couples/Pairings: Takuya/Kouji, and heavy hints of Junpei/Izumi
Different Journeys
Author: Angel Spirit
Chapter 5-Haunted by Light
"Takuya?" Takuya was quiet while they had been heading into the cave that they had found, and Kouji wanted to know why. He glanced behind him to see the brunette biting his lower lip, looking as though he was contemplating something.
"Yo, Earth to Takuya!" Kouji shouted, and snapped his fingers twice in front of Takuya's face, causing the teen to blink a couple of times, and shake his head as he cleared out any thoughts that had been running through his mind.
"Sorry Kouji..." He murmured apologetically as his eyes met Kouji's own inquiring orbs.
"Care to tell me what's on your mind?" Kouji whispered, and Takuya shook his head and offered Kouji a small smile instead.
"Nah, its okay...nothing bad, I was...just...hoping that this would be the last cave that we'd have to spendour nights in." At this, Kouji chuckled, remembering why Takuya probably didn't want to spend anymore nights in anymore caves.
"Yeah, I know exactly what you mean." Kouji replied sincerely, and then noticed that Takuya was shivering...a lot.The dark haired teen felt like smacking himself along the head...he was such a baka...here he was with his wind breaker already off, and a dry T-shirt on-as the windbreaker had caught most of the rain, so that now only his pants were still soaking wet from the downpour that still went on outside. But Takuya didn't have any kind of coat or anything like he did...just his red short sleeved over shirt, and the yellow shirt with the black design underneath-both of which,were soaking wet and clinged to his equally wet skin. No wonder why Takuya was shivering.
Once they entered the cave, and they'd gone in deep enough so that the storm no longer had any effect, Kouji ordered Takuya to take off both of his shirts. He smirked, as the brunette gave him the same look that Kouji knew he had given Takuya earlier, when Takuya himself had asked him to take off his own yellow and blue rimmed shirt-merely so that the brunette could clean his cuts.
"I only want you to take it off so you can get dry! You're shivering like crazy! And if you continue to wear those wet shirts, you're just going to get colder." Kouji pointed out to the brunette in a light scold, and crossed his arms over his chest afterwardslooking quitedefiantly at the shivering Takuya.
"If you won't take them off, I'll do it for you..." At Kouji's mischievously knowing glance, Takuya gulped-knowing that he wasn't going to win this argument-and started to peel off both ofhis wet shirts. His hands were shaking so bad from the cold,that he was having a little bit of trouble peeling off the yellow shirt and in the end Kouji had to help him.
But he was still shivering...however, he had the feeling it wasn't quite from the cold that chilled his body. He could always be wrong though...but, Takuya had the slightest inkling that one of the reasons why he shivered just then was because of Kouji's cool hands that had touched his chest as he'd helped him take off his shirt. There was something about the feeling of Kouji's hands that made Takuya long for him to touch him again...it felt...right.
"Let's see if we can't find anything in this place to make a fire with..." Takuya nodded as Kouji spoke his thoughts out loud, concern filling him...why wasn't he able to get warm? Why was he feeling so cold...? Kouji looked fine...he didn't seem to be as cold as he was...
The deeper they went into the cave, the darker it got until the two boys couldn't even see their hands in front of their faces...Takuya ended up stumbling, landing against Kouji-who caught him and steadied himself against the wall so neither of them would fall. Kouji winced as his wound pulled, and if Takuya had been able to see through the inky darkness, he would've seen Kouji frown afterwards. When he touched Takuya's skin, it still felt cold...icy to the touch. He was now starting to worry about the brunette...now was not a good time for either of them to get sick. They had no medical attention out here in the Digital World. They'd be helpless...and from what Kouji had seen of this world so far, that was not a good place to be.
"I can hardly see." Takuya complained, trying not to allow his teeth to shiver together...Kouji had decided to keep an arm around him after helping him regain his balance from slipping earlier, and Takuya had to admit that the extra body heat was definitely nice. He now had the spirit of fire, Agunimon...at the moment though, he felt far from it. And his legs were starting to get tired from walking. Kouji wouldn't admit it, but he was starting to feel the same way...cold and tired.
As if sensing his tiredness, the cave's darkness started to lighten up a bit as Kouji halted before another opening, debating on whether or not they should go through it. When he glanced at Takuya's still shivering form though, he quickly made his mind up. Still keeping his arm around the brunette and making sure that his coat was still tied around his waist, Kouji led the way.
When they walked through the opening, which was really no more than a slit in the cave wall, Kouji immediately felt a wave of heat greet them. As the two teenagers made it out into the open, they saw that they must've entered the end of the cave-or what looked to be the end of the cave. There was sand covering the ground, giving off a beach-like scenery...but what caught both boys attention was the fire that roared a little ways to the left, closer down to the water...which, was the next thing their eyes landed on.
Water...water that led out. They could see an opening quite a ways a way-at least a couple of miles anyway. It wasn't really close enough so that the storm had any effect on their position, and yet the water was calm...almost to calm. Kouji eyed it briefly before leading Takuya over to the fire...noticing that his shivering was lessening and that, Kouji decided, was a good thing.
Laying his windbreaker and Takuya's shirts out to dry by the fire, he sat down next to Takuya on the fallen log that was so rightfully placed before the warm flames. For awhile they didn't speak, lost in their own thoughts as the fire slowly started to die down. That was when Takuya's stomach rumbled and Takuya blushed madly.
"Sorry...been awhile since I've really ate anything..." The brunette allowed his voice to trail off, andKouji had to grin at that.
"Same here, but at least we're warm and considerably safe at the moment. Nothing bad has happened."
"Yet...nothing bad has happened yet. Wait a minute, what am I talking about, something bad has already happened!" Takuya added, with a glance at Kouji's healing shoulder wounds and Kouji sighed, not quite knowing what to say to that statement of truth.
"We really don't need any more bad things to happen then. How about that?" Kouji replied with, rephrasing what he'd just said, and Takuya nodded...suddenly feeling rather exhausted. He felt his eyes starting to slowly close. Maybe it was from spirit evolving and staying in his spirit form for so long, or maybe it was because his stomach was feeling so empty. He wasn't sure why he felt so tired.
He didn't feel his own body slump forward, as his heavy eyes finally closed in slumber, and he didn't feel Kouji catch him as he nearly fell face first into the sand. Kouji chuckled softly,as he held the brunette upright for a second.
"Takuya..." He whispered, brushing back the brunette's hair as a couple of locks had fallen out of his cap that he wore, with the goggles still miraculously placed on top. Taking off the hat and goggles, Kouji leaned Takuyaup against the log they had been sitting on as he decided to wonder around the area they had found and see if he could find any blankets-or better yet, food...
As he searched around the cavern that they had found, Kouji came to realize that he wasn't having any luck once so ever. Just when he was about ready to give up, he saw a bright white light shining through one of the cracks in the rock wall ahead of him. It was close by the water-close enough so that his sneakers got wetas he moved towards it. There was something about the light thatbeckoned him to move closer.
He felt like he had to touch it.
The crack in the wall he found near the light, was big enough for him to slip through. As he went inside of it he felt warmth spread through his body driving away the rest of the chill. It gave him the idea that maybe he should bring Takuya in here...it would warm him up both inside and out as it was doing for Kouji right then.
Remembering why he had been exploring the cavern in the first place, Kouji made to turn around. But, something inside of him decided to go forward instead. A part of him wanted to know exactly what was causing the light source. He just had to...and Kouji found that he couldn't stop himself.
Suddenly he felt like he was dreaming though...the outside world wasn't there anymore. He didn't remember why he had come into the cavern in the first place...in fact, he couldn't remember much anymore. What was going on?
He could remember that there was something...no, maybe someone...important to him outside of the light source that surrounded him. But the light was too warm, too inviting and so Kouji continued moving forward to where the light was the brightest.
Eventually he found the center of the light. Someone wastrapped inside ice...or something like ice...was what was creating the light. Kouji felt his eyes harden in determination. He had to get that someone out...
Kouji moved closer to the ice cage, remembering his own imprisonment in one a mere few hours ago, to find that there was a gorgeous woman inside it...but the closer he looked at her, the more he saw that she just wasn't a woman. She was a digimon...she had wings-large, angel-like wings.
There was a small tiara at the top of her head, sparkling from the diamonds embedded in it,and she had long dark golden spun hair. Her face held a gentle look to it and her eyes were closed with sleep. Kouji imagined that they had to either be green or blue eyes...hefound himselfhypnotized by her. The only thought on his mind was how to free her. A part of him believed that she was the reason why he had come into the cave.
"Wow..." He whispered, moving his hand forward to touch the glass and quite suddenly without warning the Digimon's eyes snapped open and he started, moving backwards. She stared at him, as she captured his eyes in her own...they were a dark emerald green like he'd thought they would be but what he was a little frightened of was that he saw no light in her eyes. They were dull, a big void. Lifeless…it kind of scared him that someone could make their eyes look like that.
Still though, he couldn't find a way out of her eyes. He was falling into them, falling further and further...
Suddenly he was remembering something that happened a long time ago...a memory with his mother...her eyes. Her eyes had been that color of green, he had gotten his eye color from his father. Strange, how this Digital Woman resembled his own mother in that sense, very strange indeed. As quickly as he had become immersed in her eyes, he snapped out of his trance and shook his head to clear it feeling foolish. He removed his hand and stepped away from the ice cage that the woman was trapped in.
As soon as Kouji had moved away though, the woman's eyes filled with sorrow. While he was moving away though, he could've sworn that he heard her voicesoundinside his head.
'You are the only one who can help me...'
Kouji's dark blue gray eyes opened wide and he shook his head in denial, while he continued to move his way backwards...back towards where he had firstentered through the crack, the urgency to leave this place behind him growing more. Just as strong as the urge to enter it had been. It filled him with dread...
'Please help me...'
Again she begged, and again Kouji shook his head. Her dark emerald eyes narrowed, this time no longer filling with sorrow butnow bright with anger. The bright white light that had once been so warm to Kouji when he had entered suddenly felt so cold...like ice...like the ice that surrounded the woman, keeping her trapped in here. And suddenly Kouji started to wonder if there was a reason why she was trapped in that ice.
It was a mistake to come in here...I should have never come. Kouji thought suddenly, and almostas though she could read his mind, the woman suddenly managed to shake her head.
'Not a mistake...you were meant to find me...you are meant to free me...free my soul...I've been trapped here for so long...it's time for me to pass this light onto someone else...'
"Yeah, well it's not gonna be me!" Kouji hollered, and backed fully out of the cavern shaking his head the entire time, and shaking from head to foot as well. He knew he could never go back in there again.
Once he was back out into the open, Kouji allowed himself a moment to breath deeply, calming himself.
I won't go back into that area...I refuse...
Was it because of fear? Kouji didn't know...he didn't know why he didn't want to go back in there. A small voice whispered in the back of his mind told him that he would go back in there. But he knew that he wouldn't. The next day if the storm was over with he'd leave...with...Takuya! He had suddenly forgotten about the brunette when he had gone through the slit in the wall. Stumbling over the rocks and the water-getting his sneakers wet even more-he made his way back over to Takuya, who was awake andstaring intothe fire.At least he wasn't shivering anymore,and this brought a smile to Kouji's face. The smile helped take away some of the foreboding feeling that was trying to take over him from his visit into the other cave.
"I woke up and you weren't here...I looked for you and you were nowhere...where'd you go?" Takuya asked softly, and Kouji sighed shaking his head.
"You'd never believe me even if I told you." As he said this, Takuya offered him a smug smile.
"Try me..." he whispered, "this place is pretty weird...this world I mean. Come on, if I can turn into a Digimon I think I can pretty much believe anything and everything defined as 'weird' now." He said,using hisfingers to create little quotation marks at weird and thatcausedKouji tosmile again. Takuya did have a goodpoint.
"Yeah, well...let's just say I think I took a trip to the twilight zone or something." Takuya snorted at Kouji's brief and short explanation.
"Whatever...just don't disappear on me again, okay?"
"What, don't like being alone?" Kouji asked in a teasing voice as Takuya shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest...he had put his shirts back on, as he had found them dry by the fire when he had woken.
"Nah, I just don't want to loose you again that's all...I mean, what fun would I have if I have to keep on going after you and saving your butt?" Kouji was now sitting next to Takuya on the log, and smacked him lightly across the back of his head. Takuya winced and rubbed it, but stuck his tongue out playfully into Kouji's direction.
"Whatever..." was all Kouji could reply to this, and rolled his eyes. That was when Takuya's stomach grumbled again a little louder this time though, and Kouji laughed.
"I can tell what's on your mind!" Kouji exclaimed as Takuya made a face.
"Yeah, well...I haven't had anything to eat in awhile...and neither have you." He pointed out, and Kouji had to admit that he was starting to feel hungry. Suddenly Koujiremembered the whole reason why he had gone searching around the cavern they were in, in the first place. To find food...well, he hadn't found any-and he wasn'tabout ready to gooff exploring by himselfin this cave again. He felt a yawn coming on and his eyes start to droop. It was all well and fine that Takuya was awake now, but now he himself was starting to feel sleep claim him.
Sensing this, Takuya found himself laughing merrily.
"Want to sleep?" He manged to ask, andKouji nodded and suddenly felt the urge to be close to Takuya. He scooted even closer to the brunette, who at first looked quite surprised, and than pleased as Kouji cuddled up next to him. Takuya placed an arm over his shoulders as Kouji buried his head into Takuya's chest...eventually he fell asleep. Even though Takuya himself had fallen asleep earlier and should've felt awake, he felt his own eyes start to close awhile after Kouji had fallen asleep . Takuya saw Kouji's breathing pattern change from normal to a slow one. Using his light brown eyes to sweep through the cavern, making sure that they were the only ones inside, Takuya shrugged.
Hey, if Kouji can go off and completely disappear, leaving me asleep, what's the harm if we both sleep? He thought to himself, as his eyes fell shut even more so that they were almost closed completely.
Besides, it's comfortable here like this... Smiling to himself at the thought, Takuya allowed his eyes to close fully as his mind slipped into the darkness...and soon, he too was fast asleep in the world of dreams...
Something caused him to waken, and Takuya wasn't sure how long he'd been asleep.
Takuya stirred quickly, opening his dark brown eyes and blinking them a few times before he sat up and stretched, yawning.
Takuya shivered in the darkness...he didn't know why it felt so cold again and why it was so dark. Darker than before...Kouji also stirred, his sleep growing restless, knowing somehow in his sleep riddled mind that the fire they had found upon entering the cave had gone out. The chill he felt increased as he roused, looking into Takuya's dark brown eyes...he looked restless too...
"Kouji?"
"Yeah?"
He whispered in the darkness as he found himself curling up into a tight ball, trying to keep the cold from seeping into his zipped up lightweight jacket...at least he had a jacket...all Takuya had was the red over shirt.
"I-I think it might've been a bad idea to come in here..."
Takuya whimpered a little as he quietly admitted this, and he licked his lips, suddenly feeling thirsty and uncomfortable. A part of him wanted to flee-go back outside even if it meant that they'd be in the pouring down rain.
"I know what you mean, but at the moment it's the driest place around, and I for one don't want to have to go back out in the rain...I think that I'll take what I can get at the moment." Koujiwhispered, trying to be brave...and having the feeling that he was slowly failing at the act.
Takuyameant it, that he felt that it had been a bad idea to come in here...but deep down inside he was feeling the way Takuya was feeling-the need to flee this place...something kept him grounded here though, but he couldn't figure out what it was...was it that woman he had found, trapped in ice? Was she the reason why he stayed here? He saw thatTakuya hadstarted shivering again, this time much harder...so hard that he noticed it and sat up, stretching a bit.
"Cold?" He asked, as Takuya nodded.
"I-it's so dark in here..."
The brunette murmured, not liking it at all. He suddenly felt very self-conscious in this place. He needed out...it felt like the walls were starting to fall in on him...
He heard the sound of a zipper being undone, and looked over as Kouji shrugged out of the windbreaker that he had. It had long since dried since their escapade in the storm outside.
Takuya's eyes widened a little bit and he continued to shiver as Kouji scooted closer to him again, and offered to share the coat...the brunette hesitated a moment, before nodding, and they sat there huddled together, sharing Kouji's coat, listening to the wind howling outside...like wolves on the hunt...
It was weird though, because when they'd first found the cavern they couldn't hear the wind...and now they could...not only could they heard the wind, but the water that acted and looked like a great big lake was starting to roughen up as well. And Kouji decided it was time to move from where they were...if the waves got high enough it could sweep away the embankment they were on.
"Time to go..." Takuya murmured, sensing what Kouji was thinking and stood, Kouji not to far behind. Takuya was still shivering and so Kouji let him have his coat...he wasn't feeling cold at the moment...until he remembered the woman trapped in ice. What if the water got into the slit in the rocks, and filled up the area she was trapped in? Even though she was trapped in ice...but what if it wasn't ice at all? What if she drowned...could she drown?
And suddenly without thinking, Kouji had started to head toward the slit, a concerned Takuya calling out after him, wondering what he was doing.
"We've got to save her!" Was all Kouji could holler back, the wind getting stronger...as though it was warning them not to continue any further.
"Save who?" Takuya exclaimed as he had caught up with the raven haired teen. Kouji shook his head, unable to explain anything ofwhat he had seen earlier that night.
"Did you find someone else in this cave and not tell me?" Kouji nodded at Takuya's next question, having trouble finding the slit now that there was no light to guide him...for some reason it wasn't shining with lightanymore.
"Yeah...earlier, when I'd gone off and disappeared...the reason why you couldn't find me is because I don't think I was really here...if that makes any sense." He muttered, and Takuya shook his head.
"No, that doesn't make any sense to me once so ever but...still..." Before Takuya could finish his sentence, Kouji had found the slit. He'd been clambering over the rocks, and Takuya had followed him. They were wet up to their knees, because the water had risen...the storm must've gotten worse outside to be affecting this place-or so Kouji assumed.
"I never realized this was here." Takuya admitted, and Kouji shook his head.
"I didn't either, not until I found it while you were sleeping. But there's a woman inside who needs our help...problem is that she's trapped in ice or something. It looks like ice, but it doesn't feel like ice." Kouji said, trying to explain what he had seen to Takuya but Takuya just shrugged, realizing that he'd probably see what Kouji was talking about soon enough.
"Lead the way." Takuya urged, and Kouji nodded as he slid through the crack, Takuya following him.
'Help me...please...you're the only one, you must help me...you and only you...'
As Kouji heard the woman's voice inside his head this time, he realized it didn't scare him as much as it had the first time. All Kouji did was nod, wanting to tell her that he was coming...but what he didn't know was that what she was really doing, was trying towarn him. As Takuya followed him, Kouji suddenly felt danger. And that was when the cave started to shake, it shook so hard that rocks started to fall all around them...all Kouji heard was a cry of pain from Takuya as he felt something hard slam into him...and than he felt the darkness close onto him as he fell into unconsciousness...
TBC...
Ending note: Chapter revised on 08/27/05
