"No! Don't hurt me!" a weak voice said, sounding frightened and shocked.
Mizumi couldn't have expected something more different than the lame thing before her. It was a man, around her father's age. The man had dark, short hair and chocolate eyes. Those eyes looked frightened, sad, and tired. They were swollen, and with dark rings around them. The man was sitting on the floor, protecting himself from the intense light with his empty hands, and looking like a dog that has been beaten up.
"Who the heck are you?" Mizumi inquired, looking suspiciously at the man, and staring at him as if he had ran off from an assylum.
"Me? I'm Jake, Jake Anderson." The man answered with a bright smile, now squinting lightly to finish adjusting his gaze to the luminity.
"Yeah, like that helps much." Mizumi said, although the name did sound familiar to her.
"I expected it would... well." The man answered, looking decieved at that fact.
"Er... right, how did you enter my house, AND, my room for that matter?" Mizumi asked fiercely, still considering calling a psychiatric.
"I'm a Digi." Was Jake's concise, proud answer, and the glimmer in his eyes showed certain liking about his condition.
"Wa... wait a minute, you mean as in... like a..." Mizumi didn't know how to ask this question.
"I mean like a Digi. I can move through the Line, I lived in a Hideout and I've got a Digital Spirit like the rest of us." Jake explained impatiently, looking around.
"That doesn't explain what you are doing here." Mizumi said, still not sure if she could trust this man, Digi or not.
"I was part of the Alpha group. We got attacked by the Agents, it was a new attack, they used viruses to control us, instead of killing us off. Everything was a chaos, we didn't know how to fight this new enemy. I got shot, but managed to enter the line before the Agents could capture me. I came here with the hope that Izzy might have escaped as well, and refuged in his old house." Jake explained, looking troubled, and rubbing his left shoulder distractedly.
"My father is alive?" Mizumi inquired abruptly.
"I believe so, I think they want to use us against ourselves, more practical." Jake smiled grimly.
"But the thing is, how did the Agents find your Hideout?" Mizumi ventured, staring at Jake suspiciously.
"Because I told them..." the man lowered his head shamefully upon admitting his fault.
At first Mizumi wanted to blast his head off with a fireball, believing he was nothing but a traitor. However, something clicked in her mind just in time, something that explained a lot of things. The name, she knew that name, and had heard it more than a hundred times. It was her father's associated at InSysMat-X, and old friend. Not only that, but he was Chiyo's father, and husband to Hikari Yagami. To make matters worse, Kari was an Agent. It made sense.
"Have you been infected?" Mizumi inquired softly, making him know she understood his actions.
"Uhum." Jake nodded rubbing his shoulder, staring at Mizumi guiltily.
"Come on, we have to take you to the Hideout." Mizumi said, motioning at Jake to follow her, as an idea shone in her brain.
"But when the virus affectes me, I'll attack you!" Jake protested standing up.
"We'll see how to solve that out. As far as I know, you bear the formula to the antivirus. Follow me!" Mizumi said with severe authority, dragging Jake into the line by force.
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Takeru was sitting on a chair, his legs open and his face glancing at the ground throughout the gap between his fingers. There was this horrible sensation that he had done something extremely stupid. An even more horrible sensation was filling him, cold and cruel, tearing his soul with ravenous fangs. It was a strong heartache, the miserable feeling that he had lost Mizumi, and deceived her. It wasn't his fault, and he knew, but he couldn't keep from feeling that way.
"TK!" a familiar, excited and breathless voice snapped loudly behind his back, emerging from a bright flash of light.
"Mizumi?" Takeru literally leapt from his chair and turned around in a lightning flash, his voice excited and almost broken by the strength of his feelings.
The man froze before he could say nothing else. Standing next to Mizumi was one of the kindest, most attentive, loving and sacrificed man he had ever met. The burning feeling in his stomach reminded him how much he had envied him, and how much he pitied him, as well as the deep respect Takeru felt for the american. Jake smiled goofishly, looking pale but animated, moving his eyes back and forth in searching manner.
"We still have an oportunity to save my father and the rest of the Alpha Group." Mizumi said proudly and determined, smiling swiftly, briefly at Takeru.
"CHIYO!" Takeru called from his frozen position, eyeing Jake with suspicion.
The woman entered the room rapidly, upon hearing the urgency of the call. Chiyo stopped dry on her tracks upon seeing the man standing next to Mizumi. Seconds of recognition, of doubt, flashed through her eyes. Finally, Chiyo rushed forward and embraced the man in a tight hug, sobbing dry tears on his black suit.
"Dad!" Chiyo said through strangled sobs of relief, "you are alive!"
Mizumi was eyeing the situation with sharp pain stabbing her heart. It should have been her night, Mizumi was to reincounter with her long lost father. Almost wanting to slap herself, Mizumi knew she couldn't resist feeling jealows of the older woman and the fortunate man.
"What happened?" Takeru said clearing his throat, walking next to Mizumi upon seeing her face.
Splitting apart, the two turned to stare at Takeru. Jake explained the whole situation as clearly as he had told Mizumi, rubbing his left shoulder from time to time. From the point where Mizumi encountered him at her room, it was the red head who continued the story. Takeru payed close attention every time, and Chiyo, while being horrified, looked serious and calm.
"Well... from what you have told me, this virus controls the Digi's authonomy, hence making then do the Agent's bidings." Takeru said thoughtfully, staring with seriousness at Jake.
"Yes, Takeru." Jake was looking frightened and pale.
"When does this virus start to work?" Chiyo ventured fearfully, staring at her father with worry.
"I don't know. The rest of the members were taken alive, and conscious." Jake shuddered upon thinking of the executable program he had inside his organism.
"There is just one solution." Takeru commented staring at Jake with a look of sadness, "Locking you until we find a cure." The boy finished upon seeing the expectance in the other's eyes.
"No! He is my father!" Chiyo protested with a shriek.
"Chiyo, honey. Takeru is right. I might become very dangerous for you. It is better if I'm locked away, where I can't reach you." Jake said placing a hand on the woman's shoulder, and caressing the pale cheek.
"Chiyo, lock him away. I've got things to speak with Mizumi." Takeru said calmly, his gentle eyes pleading forgiveness, "I'm sorry things have to be this way."
"All right." Chiyo said calmly, "Mizumi. I have faith in you." The woman added with a gentle smile at the red head.
The two dissapeared through the door, closing it to allow the other two Digis some privacy. Takeru looked nervous and pale, while Mizumi was flushed and shy. There was the memory of her conffesion, and the reality of her strong feelings. Takeru was having similar doubts, and was begging so Mizumi was not angry at him any more.
"Tk..." the girl said softly, daring to raise her black eyes at Takeru's height.
"Yes?" Takeru said just too excitedly, slapping himself mentally at his impulsive reaction.
"My brother wants to meet you. This saturday, at the Crow's Nest." Mizumi said shyly, looking slightly annoyed.
"Sounds fine to me." Takeru said with a gentle smile, looking relieved that Mizumi was smiling again.
"I... I have to go now." Mizumi said softly, her cheeks turning red upon realizing the intense gaze Takeru was sending her.
"Er... good idea. Saturday?" Takeru's cheeks also turned red upon realizing Mizumi was looking flushed and slightly intimidated.
"Saturday..." Mizumi whispered in a way that made Takeru's blood concentrate somewhere else, before vanishing through The Line.
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Takeru was sitting at the terrace. Nobody had still come, so he was taking a cold beer acompanied by a small plate of olives and pickles. The afternoon was cloudy, and cold, but a feeble sun managedd to filtrate its rays through the sky. It had been raining throughout the past days, but now the day seemed to have cleared lightly. Takeru couldn't say that he wasn't nervous, but he managed to look as calm as he could.
"Td?" said a voice, a fearfully familiar voice.
"Oh boy." Thought Takeru letting the beer rest on the wooden table.
"Hello! It's been a long time, hasn't it?" said a mature, cheery, and seriously dressed Davis.
"Sixteen years to be more exact." Said Takeru smiling at Davis, deeply happy to meet him, but slightly annoyed by his pressence in this precise moment.
"Yeah, it's been a long time. You still look the same, it's amazing!" Davis said staring at Takeru with that naive, innocent look.
"Er... yes, I think all of us have matured a little." Takeru said more nervous, taking a large gulp of beer.
"Boy, you know? I thought I saw you the other day, but you disappeared into a cell phone so I didn't have time to talk to you." Davis said shrugging, commenting the fact as if it didn't matter.
Takeru chocked on the golden liquid and coughed. The terrified, blue eyes stared at Davis intensely. There was no sign, not a single demonstration that the boy knew. Actually, this whole conversation seemed very normal to him, as if he was still that young teenager, back in the Digital World.
"Back to the old days, hu?" Daivs said standing up and patting Takeru's shoulder, "Don't worry, I won't say a thing. Boy, I wish we could all be back to the Digital World like before." The boy commented with nostalgia.
"No, you don't." Takeru murmurred staring at Davis as if he had gone completely bonkers.
"Well, I've got a load of work to do. See ya around, TA." Davis said animatedly, and trotted off towards a bank.
"Thanks God for making Davis stupid." Takeru thought solemnly, glancing at the sky with gratefulness.
The boy took another refreshing gulp of his beer and cuddled deeper into his coat. A large, blue Kawasaki leapt out of the concrete into the tiles that formed the pedestrian way. Stopping the roaring of the motor, the proud rider dismounted and took of the black helmet. Mizumi smiled excitedly at Takeru, who smiled back at her with a brightness and a joy that renewed his day.
"Where is Kenji?" Takeru inquired, looking down the street and towards the cross further away.
"Parking his car. That monster of his doesn't fit anywhere!" Mizumi laughed, pointing at a manoeuvring, silver Mercedes ML trying to park on a piece of sandy terrain.
"I never liked that big cars, but I had a feeling for long ones. When I... er... lived here, I remember I had an Audi A8. Don't ask me how I managed to drive that thing, not even I know." Takeru laughed, remembering that blue car of his when he was young.
Kenji arrived with a calm smile, dressed in his office suit and carrying a bag with a laptop in it. The man stared at Takeru and smiled pleasantly, bowing before him and introducing himself. Takeru repeated the movement and sat, observing him closely however. Drinking and chatting, time seemed to fly, from feeble jokes to indirect warnings. Kenji was worried for his sister, it was normal, and Takeru relaxed visibly.
"You'll have to excuse me, I have to go to the bathroom." Mizumi said with a laugh, standing up and retreating.
"Now that we are alone, Takeru, be careful." Kenji said, suddenly very seriously.
"Hu? Why? What have I done?" Takeru inquired calmly, yet staring at Kenji with a slight worry.
"You know what have you done, Digi." Kenji said oppening the bag and showing the laptop, which's screen wobbled and rippled lazily at Takeru's proximity.
To Be Continued...
AN: Another chapter. I think this one was slightly boring, but I believe it'll get more interesting in the following chapters. I've got everything planned out, so don't worry, this won't be one of those stories that loose strength and plot as it goes on. Are you liking it? Not? What do you think? Where can I do it better? Did you know I tend to read my reviewer's stories?