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Ch 03 || Freefall
Time passed, it seemed, in the blink of an eye.
Takeru was stuck in a haze, ascending and then descending, ascending and then descending. After the Chosen met up with them at Takeru's location, they decided to leave the digimon in the digital world to keep an eye out for anything suspicious because Mirrormon had vanished under puzzling circumstances and they weren't entirely certain when or if he would show up again. Then they all went home, and Yamato asked if he'd wanted to stay at his place.
A spark of worry lingered in his gaze after he'd spoken, and so Takeru agreed. Except when Yamato called their mother to let them know, his mother had said that she wanted to speak with Takeru first. In person.
Even in his spacey state, Takeru thought that was odd. His mother had left for work around the time Koushiro sent a group message about the emergency alert. She always stayed longer than she needed to, and even then, she wasn't scheduled to come home until around eight or so. It was only one o'clock in the afternoon now.
So, at Koushiro's apartment, Yamato offered him a ride on his electric scooter. After all, Yamato wouldn't allow him to walk all the way home on that bruise on his foot.
He'd wanted to say that he'd walked all the way through the forest with no problem, and it didn't even hurt that much.
Which was true. Sure, it was bruised, but that was all it was—a bruise. Jou had even provided some medical advice before they left the digital world, and while he'd also backed it up with the disclaimer that he wasn't an expert and Takeru's best option would be to get it checked out by a professional, he'd at least said that nothing seemed broken.
Takeru had promised that should his pain get any worse, he would follow Jou's instructions to go see a licensed doctor. Yamato didn't look entirely convinced, but he let it slide in favor of getting Takeru home where he could elevate it.
"Nii-san, you really didn't have to come home with me," Takeru said as they reached his apartment door. Tried to ignore the strange feeling in his head. It felt like it'd only been a few minutes and suddenly they were at his home. Like his apartment was a floor beneath Koushiro's or something, rather than in a separate building entirely. "It really doesn't hurt. Honest."
"I've seen the bruise, bud," Yamato said. "I don't care if you've got a wicked pain tolerance. I wasn't going to let you walk."
Takeru was torn between feeling touched by his brother's concern and exasperated by it. Maybe Yamato was a bit overprotective, and that overshadowed Takeru's words a lot, but… it was nice to know that he cared so deeply.
They searched for me when I was separated from them, he reminded himself, his lips twitching with a fond smile. They weren't going to leave me alone.
That wasn't to say his mother didn't care for him. But—especially now that it was summer—his mother worked a lot of overtime. Sometimes she worked seven days a week. And with Patamon being away in the digital world most of the time… it was lonely. Going to Yamato's to spend the rest of the day with him was awesome.
"Thank you for the ride," he murmured, fingers lingering on the doorknob as he turned to face his brother with a grateful smile. "I really appreciate it."
Yamato's hand came to rest on the top of his head, ruffling his hair. "Anytime."
Takeru chuckled, and then he turned to open the door. It was surprisingly unlocked, which Takeru decided to appreciate because he wasn't even sure if he'd grabbed his key on the way out this morning.
Even before all of what happened in the digital world, Takeru had been in a daze. Maybe it was just the day or something. Even now, it was hard to stay in the now. He kept drifting higher. Higher. Higher...
His mother was waiting for him when they stepped inside and took off their shoes. She sat at the table, looking at her hands, still dressed in the clothes she'd gone to work in. As the door clicked shut, she looked up, and the nervousness in her eyes made Takeru swallow.
Down, down, down he went. Suspended in an endless freefall, pulled toward the ground by the frantic rush of emotions written across his mother's face.
"Takeru," she breathed out, now looking a little sad as she noticed Yamato was with him. "Hi, Yamato."
"Hey," Yamato said awkwardly, nodding in acknowledgment.
And the atmosphere shifted in a split second. Just as Takeru wasn't as close to his father as he would have liked, he knew that Yamato was estranged from their mother. It hurt to think about it, but Takeru learned to accept that this was inevitable. Their family spent more time apart than together.
He still longed for their family to be whole again, but the older he became, the more he realized that that wish would never be granted.
"You can wait outside if you want," Takeru blurted without thinking. He didn't want the tension to grow any thicker. "I'm… I'm sure it'll just take a second, right, Mom?"
Something hesitant and strangely cryptic crawled over his mother's expression. She opened her mouth, and then closed it. Smiled, forever strained and sad. "...right."
"You sure you'll be alright?" Yamato said, looking back at him.
He wasn't sure. "Totally."
"O...ok," Yamato said reluctantly, with a sigh. "I think I'm going to stop by the store down the street to pick up some things for lunch. I'll come back to get you?"
Takeru beamed. "Sounds like a plan."
"Put that foot up, 'k?"
"Got it."
Then he was gone again, and the smile, too, slid off his face to join the rest of his body in a state of freefall. Goosebumps rose all over his skin as he turned to look at his mother again. "What happened?"
His mom drew in a shuddering breath. Gestured for him to take a seat. "Your foot is bothering you?"
Takeru complied, but he knew she had a tendency to change the subject when she was nervous. It was something he'd picked up, too, after all. "It's fine." Met her gaze as he lowered himself into the chair across from her. "What's wrong?"
"I…" She swallowed. "I had a meeting today, at work."
"...yeah?"
"My boss… wants me to transfer," she said, each word coming out painfully slow. "He wants me to monitor something, and report on it."
Falling. Falling. Why couldn't he hit the ground yet? Why couldn't he reach that freedom?
She wrung her hands. "It's outside of Tokyo. In… In Kobe. It'd only be for about six months, nine at the latest. Then we could come back and—"
"You promised this was the last time," Takeru mumbled past the huge knot in his throat. It was a wonder he could speak at all while plummeting like this.
His mother fell quiet. Then: "I know I did, Takeru. I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting another transfer."
"All my friends are here."
"I know they are. I'm so sorry."
It was childish. The part of his brain that told him to think logically, rather than with emotion; told him that maybe he could come back and visit if it wasn't too expensive. And… and six months wasn't that long, compared to the last time they'd moved.
But… Takeru couldn't help it. They'd moved to Odaiba when he was eleven, and that was over two years ago, but suddenly it felt like it hadn't been that long at all. It felt like he'd only gotten one taste of friendships and stability. He'd have to go to a new school and meet new people and who knew if he could make friends again? It had been by chance that Hikari was in the same homeroom as him.
"I… I don't want to leave again. Please."
"I know you don't, hun…"
She reached across the table, probably wanting to offer some comfort through physical contact, but no amount of physical affection could lift the horrible weight of loneliness on his shoulders, inflicted upon him by her news.
Takeru pulled away, shrinking in on himself. Looked stubbornly at the table, away from her, with tear-glossed eyes.
"...but we have to," his mother finished quietly.
"Can't they ask someone else?" he pleaded. "Can't they get someone else to transfer so we can stay here?"
"It doesn't work like that, Takeru."
Of course it didn't. It was wishful, selfish thinking. Takeru couldn't convince himself to accept the news, though. He would cling to anything he could. Anything to stop him from plummeting or to break his fall completely.
"Please. Please."
"Takeru, I'm sorry." Her voice was strained. "I already accepted it."
Without his permission? Did she just expect him to go along with it? Sure, he had in the past, but he was younger then. He didn't really know what was going on then. And now he did, and he wanted no part of it.
"It's not fair," Takeru whispered.
"I'm sorry."
She kept saying it like that would make it all better. She kept repeating it like that would stop his tears. If she was truly sorry, though, wouldn't she try to change things? Wouldn't she have talked to him before she accepted the job? He didn't care if he was being selfish. He didn't want to leave when it felt like he'd only just arrived in Odaiba.
Without thinking, he stood. His foot didn't even so much as throb as he pushed the chair back with his legs. He didn't spare a second to even question it.
"Takeru, hey, wait a minute," his mom said, standing as well. "Don't do this. Just… just sit with me, and we'll talk about it, alright?"
There wasn't much to talk about. Takeru used a lot of self-control not to admit that out loud, but it was a close call. His world was just slipping past him, and it wouldn't slow down. Nothing would slow down and wait for him to catch up.
I can't leave my friends. I can't leave Nii-san.
"Takeru," she called again. "Takeru, please—"
Takeru didn't listen. He just bolted out the door again, barely even remembering to grab his shoes, and she didn't follow. Maybe because she knew that he needed to blow off some steam, or maybe because she didn't have the energy to argue with him. It didn't really matter to Takeru.
His brother. He had to find his brother.
The door slammed behind him. Takeru kicked off into a sprint, trying to focus through the haze in his brain so he could remember where Yamato had said he was going. His memories were way up high, and he was still sinking rapidly into a bottomless pit. Sinking. Sinking. No way would he be able to reach them.
Nii-san, he thought as he exited the apartment building and glanced around wildly. Where are you?
Where had Yamato parked his electric scooter? Takeru couldn't remember. Everything was already too loud, forever circling around him in his cursed, endless freefall.
His mother's words, painfully fresh in his mind, though he wished they would fly high like the rest of his memories.
The drumbeat in his chest, pumping blood through his entire body like hot, hot lava.
The pounding of his own footsteps, hitting the ground over and over with the desperate, aching need to get away.
And… and Mirrormon and…
And there had been someone else… someone, but who?
"...Nightmare Syndrome…"
Takeru stilled as the two words echoed through his mind out of nowhere and even when it was gone the effect lingered. His breath hitched, eyes popping wide. The hot lava in his veins cooled rapidly, turning into molten rock. Now there was no way to stop his fall—only added weight of the rocks, and he gained momentum as he went down, down, down…
He was so dizzy, and he just wanted to stop. Stop, stop, stop—
"—keru? What happened? You were only in there for a few minutes. Hey, stop. Stop, stop, it's just me—"
Hands closed around wrists, and suddenly Takeru was suspended again, just like before. Suspended and looking into crimson eyes…
Takeru blinked dazedly, gazing upward, and the crimson turned into blue. For a blessed, peaceful moment, everything was crystal clear. His lungs drew in cleansing, detoxifying oxygen into every cell in his body, purifying it.
And then the moment was gone before he knew it, and tears dribbled over his cheeks as he stared into his brother's eyes.
"Takeru?" Yamato pressed.
"Too fast," he whispered, swallowing hard. "I'm moving too fast… it's not fair..."
"What?" Yamato's expression was a hazy mix between frightened and concerned. "Takeru, what's wrong? You're scaring me. Do you feel sick at all? There's a bench over there… c'mon. I got you. I got you..."
Takeru blinked again, and the world was blurry, this time with tears. He swallowed again with difficulty, trying to ignore the choking sensation in his throat. Like someone's hands were wrapped around his neck. Squeezing. Squeezing.
He wasn't sure how they reached the bench. He didn't remember walking there himself, but he was too out of it to notice if Yamato had carried him. It wasn't until his brother spoke again that he realized he was finally sitting down.
"What happened?" Yamato repeated.
"I don't want to move," he blurted. "I don't want to go to Kobe, Nii-san. Mom says it's only for six months but I don't want to go… it's… it's happening too fast…"
"Hey, hey, hey, wait a minute. Moving? Slow down—"
Takeru sniffled. "I'm trying."
"Takeru, look at me. Please."
Takeru did, and all of a sudden he felt really pathetic. He could have handled his mother's news a lot better than he did, and he definitely could've done it without the tears. And they were outside now, in the public eye, and he was struggling to control himself.
Find that moment again. C'mon. Get yourself together.
Takeru released a slow, shuddering breath. Wrapped his arms around himself in a hug, rubbing his skin, because even with the mid-July heat, he was still covered in goosebumps. He couldn't figure out why he was so cold in the middle of summer.
"Mom… is moving," he said, very slowly. "She said her boss wants her to transfer to monitor something and… and report on it. She's already accepted the task, and she said it'd be at least six months. What if it's more? I… I'm tired, Nii-san, I don't want to move anymore. I want to stay here…"
"So then stay with me."
Yamato said it so casually, so naturally, like it was the most obvious solution in the world. Takeru looked up at him in surprise, all webbed exhaustion and wide-eyed vulnerability. "...for real?"
"Yeah," Yamato said, leaning back against the bench. "I mean, I've got band practice some nights, but you're more than welcome to come to watch, or have someone over, like Hikari, if you get a little lonely. School doesn't start for a while, so we'd have time to get you moved in before—"
"You… you mean it?" Takeru interrupted, tears drying on his cheeks as he continued to stare at his brother in wonder. "I could really live at your place?"
"'Course you can, Teek." Then Yamato chuckled. "Well… you'd have to stay in my room, and it miiiiight be a bit cramped for a while, but—"
"I'd love to," Takeru said. "Really. I'd love to, Nii-san! Thank you so much."
His voice broke at the last part, and he swallowed back tears again, but these stemmed from relief and happiness. His world had fallen apart in a matter of seconds, but it felt as though he could stitch it back together again in the same amount of time.
It had been a long time since he'd lived with his older brother.
A thought hit Takeru, abruptly, but with enough force that the weight was almost physical. "...what if Mom and Dad won't let me?"
"We'll figure it out, kiddo." He slid an arm around his shoulders. "Don't worry."
It was hard not to worry about it, but Takeru took another deep, refreshing breath and did his best. They sat quietly on the bench for a few minutes, and Takeru blinked away the remaining sensations of his crying spell, suddenly feeling very drowsy.
"Teek?"
"Hmm?"
"I told you not to walk on that foot," Yamato said. "Did… did you run from your apartment to outside, on your foot."
Takeru quieted for a moment, sheepish and hesitant. "Um. Maybe."
"Takeru."
"It doesn't hurt," Takeru persisted. "Really! I know it looks bad, but—"
Takeru reached down to pull down his sock so he could show his brother how well he could move his foot despite his wound, and even as his fingers brushed against his foot, he didn't feel any pain like he had in the digital world. He loosened his shoe just a bit to reveal—
—no bruise.
"...what in the world?" he whispered.
Yamato looked equally stunned at this new discovery. "You had a bruise in the digital world. I know you did. Jou looked at it—"
"...how strange," Takeru murmured. Then he looked back up at Yamato with a sheepish grin. "Well, I told you it didn't hurt."
Yamato didn't seem that amused at his attempt at humor. Looked more bewildered than anything, and eventually, his gaze slid from Takeru's foot up to his eyes. "You're sure?"
"I'm sure."
Yamato looked ready to say something else, but his words were stolen as his ringtone sounded through the air. Takeru blinked as he reached into his pocket to answer it, and sighed.
"Who is it?" Takeru asked in a whisper.
Yamato didn't answer him, or maybe he'd spoken so quietly that he didn't hear him. Regardless, Yamato tapped on the screen and said into his phone, "Moshi moshi? ...yeah. Yeah, he's with me. He's still staying with me for the night, yeah. Mm, he told me. Alright. I'll let you know. Ok. Bye."
Takeru found an answer to his own question. He looked down at his lap, chewing the inside of his cheek nervously. "That was mom, huh?"
Another sigh. "Yeah."
"What're we gonna do?"
"Don't worry about it, 'k?"
It was the second time he'd said it, and for some reason, Takeru felt compelled to trust him. His brother, after all, had searched and searched for him in the digital world and had told him he wouldn't have given up until he found him. He… he could trust his brother. There were things his friends and his brother knew about him that his parents would never know, after all.
Takeru opened his mouth to respond, but this time, it was he who was interrupted—by the grumbling of his own stomach.
It was loud enough that Yamato had to have heard it, and he was proven right when Yamato chuckled. "I need to pick up some groceries for lunch since we're running low on some essentials. Think you can wait a tiny bit longer? I can get you a snack to hold you over."
Takeru's face bloomed with warmth, and he hoped he could play it off as a product of the mid-summer heat. Though the mere thought of his brother's cooking was enough to make his mouth water. "I'll be fine, Nii-san. Thank you."
"Good. So I'll get you a snack."
"Nii-san."
"Glad we had this talk," Yamato said with a tiny smirk. Then he stood and added with more sincerity, "And… it's really freaking weird, but I'm glad your foot's all better. We'll have to tell the others about it later and… and see what happened. Let me know if it starts hurting again, ok?"
Takeru smiled, too; although his was much brighter than Yamato's, like he hadn't been crying only five minutes prior. "Right."
He'd stopped falling, finally. Everything… everything would be alright. He just needed to trust his brother. Maybe he could catch up. Maybe he'd get everything under control. Things were finally slowing down.
At least… for now.
