Frontier 02: Home Frontier- Chapter 30: And Now For Something Completely Different
madjack89: Just as the title says, this chapter's gonna take us in a much different direction than what you guys are used to with this story, but it'll still be cool! I promise!
Yutaka: Where did everybody go?
madjack89: Well, since they've been working so hard, I gave the main characters a little time off to enjoy their Christmas!
Shinya: Wait, they get time off and we don't?
Chikao: We're supporting characters. We're just lucky to be here.
madjack89: That's the spirit, Chikao! Anyway, this chapter will focus mainly on two characters: Takuya's little brother, Shinya, and Takuya's cousin, Chikao!
Yutaka: And me!
madjack89: And let me introduce to you Shino's little sister, Nanami!
Nanami: Hi, everyone! My name's Nanami Kosuke! I'm ten years old (almost eleven), I have an impeccable fashion sense, if I do say so myself, and I'm in the same class as Tom-Tom and Shinya!
Yutaka: Tom-Tom? You mean Tommy?
Nanami: Yeah, that's what I call him!
Shinya: She likes to use pet names with people. Though I don't have a pet name…
madjack89: Okay, let me describe Nanami's appearance. She's about as tall as Tommy; she has really light brown hair, and grey eyes. Her hair goes down to right above her shoulders, so she has the shortest hair of all the girls in this story. cough AndshehasamajorcrushonTommy cough
Yutaka: What was that?
madjack89: Oh, nothing!
Chikao: Is it review time yet?
madjack89: Yes Chikao, I'll answer reviews. And then I'll explain how this chapter's gonna work!
hazeleyedharmony: Let me answer this in the following way: snowballs, Tommy, snowballs; I'm sure Duskmon would dominate at DDR; Shino says he thanks you once again for being his fan and stuff, but I still couldn't let him get the tail ring (aww…); I secretly think Takuya has ADD; use the force Kouji, the force; Dai ruins many moments, but that's what he's there for; you know, Dai is twelve, and he only acts innocent; ha ha, it snowed! Okay, that was one big run-on sentence for you to enjoy! Thanks for reviewing!
GoldenDragon326: Yay big stupid happy families! …Darn, Kouji's not here to rain on my parade, and Takuya's not here to boost me up! Oh well, I'll live! Anyway, I really wish I had Kumamon's snowball gun! That would be amazing! Rapid-fire snowballs baby! Ha ha ha…but yeah, thanks for reviewing!
agoodcupoftea: You know, I freak out like Kouichi does when I get poked in the side, so I find that part doubly funny! And it got really cold where I live the other day! Like, negative temperatures! So yeah, I was bundled like an Eskimo! Thanks for the review!
JewelledTears: Man, everyone wants a snowball gun! They should have made some sort of Digimon Frontier snowball gun or something! They would have made big bucks! Anyway, sorry about the lack of snow, but yay for no school! Thank you for the review!
garnettfox: Aw, I'm glad they care! But why is it so much fun to hit Taki? I wonder if it would be fun to hit Kouji, too. I'll try hitting them when they get back! Anyway, thanks for reviewing!
Dawn of Glory: Yeah, I know it's you! But ha ha, Madjack got out of school, baby! Woot! It's all good to take your time on your stories, though! I can be patient! Anyway, thanks for reviewing!
kyokoaurora: Wow, lots of people have said that I give the characters depth! Well, I'm glad that I seem to do that kind of thing! Thanks!
Aldamonburst: Hey there, new buddy (god, I'm picking up Takuya's phrases)! This is seriously your favorite fanfic on this site! Wow, I am truly flattered! Thank you so much! (And sorry no one's Tommy's age. That's the way things worked out.)
Kayland Elric: I'm glad that this chapter was more interesting (this part bores me too)! But luckily, after this, we're going to get into the really juicy stuff! I'm so excited! Yay! But oh my gosh, the comment box didn't let you give me the address of the site! It didn't show up! Darn it! Well, I'll find the site sometime! And don't worry, Stars Wars references have not yet died! Thanks!
aluminion: Yay for idiots who don't turn on the heating! Oh god, Dai is gonna flip when he sees this thing (and yes, I mean literally flip). Then when I give everyone a piece, they'll all get in a sugar rush. So I think I'll keep this here for them until the next chapter! Okay, thank you and a merry Christmas to you, too!
Megmo8214: Thank you, Megmo! I was wondering where you went actually! But it's all good!
nikigrl-123: Oh, that makes sense! Thanks! And thanks for the review!
madjack89: Okay, here's how it'll go. This chapter's gonna be told from Shinya and Chikao's points of view, so it's not gonna be lovely little me narrating (aw). I'll indicate at the beginning of each section whose point of view it is to clear up confusion. Okay?
Chikao: Sounds good.
Shinya: I'm okay with that.
madjack89: Alright, let's start this thing!
--
Shinya's POV
I peered into my brother's room, trying to get a glimpse of my older cousin, Chikao. He had come "right out of the blue," as Mom said, because he never visits any of our family members, ever.
Needless to say, I had never met him before, but I'd heard stories from Takuya. He always talked about Chikao like he had been his idol or something. And Takuya's my idol, so I was instantly curious by Chikao's sudden visit. But when I tried to introduce myself, he completely ignored me. He just walked right by me and headed into Takuya's room, closing the door behind him.
Luckily, over the years, I had become an expert at spying on my brother when he was in his room. All I would ever have to do was carefully, quietly open the door just a crack, and he never noticed I was there.
I hoped that, since Chikao and Takuya were supposedly alike, I'd be able to pull the same trick. And, sure enough, I managed to open the door wide enough to see Chikao sprawled out on Takuya's bed without him noticing me.
I smirked because he looked just like Takuya always does when he's lying on his bed. I guess they really are alike, I thought.
Then I heard a voice coming from the other side of the room, but I didn't want to give myself away by opening the door further, so I just stood and listened.
"He'll be coming in a few moments," said the voice quietly. "He won't harm them; he'll merely take them somewhere and lock them up. When it's over, their memories will be erased so they won't remember what happened."
Who is "them?" I wondered, beginning to get nervous. The voice I heard sounded like it was staging a coup or something.
I watched as Chikao sat up on the bed and stared blankly at the floor. "You know I don't care what happens to them," he muttered. "They can all just die."
My eyes widened in fear when Chikao lifted his head and stared right at me. "Right, Shinya?"
Suddenly I saw the source of the voice I'd heard. The person was small, kind of like a dwarf. He had on this ancient-looking tattered cloak and an equally old wizard hat. I couldn't see his face, but it didn't matter, because I knew who this person was when he took a large wand from his cloak and pointed it at me.
He was a monster.
I ran. I didn't think, I just ran. Out the door, down the street. Everything went by in a giant blur. My heart was pounding in my chest, but I couldn't stop. My legs just kept going until I finally hit something.
I fell to the ground and now that I was done running, I finally considered what the monster had said. He'll be coming in a few moments…
"He's coming after my family!" I exclaimed, jumping to my feet.
"Who?" I realized then that I had run into a someone, not a something. I blushed as Nanami got to her feet, brushing dirt off her pants.
"Nanami," I murmured in greeting, staring at my feet to try to hide my blush. "I'm sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going."
"Neither was I," she said, and I realized her voice sounded shaky and there were unshed tears in her eyes.
"Are you alright?" I asked.
She looked at me with wide eyes. "Shinya, would you believe me if I told you that my parents were just kidnapped by a monster?"
This day was just getting more and more complicated as it went on. But there was one thing that I could put together through my jumble of thoughts. For one reason or another, monsters were out to kidnap both my family and Nanami's.
"It's not really that hard to believe," I began slowly, "because I think that it's about to happen to my family, too."
Nanami looked at me for a moment, and all I could see was concern for me in her eyes. Then she pulled me into a tight hug and began to sob on my shoulder.
Despite everything that that happened, I couldn't help but feel pure ecstasy when she hugged me like that. At that moment, I was the only one who could comfort and help her, and I would.
So, reluctantly, I pulled myself out of her embrace and said, "Where's your brother, Nanami? You said your parents were kidnapped, but what about him?"
"Shino?" Oh right, that was his name. "I…I don't know. When he got home, he shut himself in his room again. He's been really moody lately. I don't even know if the monster knew he was there."
"But wouldn't Shino have noticed the noise?" I countered. "I mean, doesn't kidnapping involve some noise?"
Nanami shook her head. "If I hadn't seen it, I wouldn't have known it was happening. It didn't make any noise at all. I just happened to be walking out of my room and I saw it sneaking up behind my mom. It just touched her and she fell over. I guess the monster knows about pressure points or something.
"Then it moved to my dad. He was sitting in a chair reading the paper, and the monster did the same thing to him. I was scared and I didn't know what to do, so I crept back into my room, climbed out my window, and ran. What if I left Shino there with it alone?!"
"It'll be fine," I said, though I didn't know if it would be fine myself. "Shino can take care of himself. He'll be fine."
"But what if he's not!" Nanami exclaimed. "I don't want him to get hurt!"
"Calm down," I muttered, glancing over my shoulder. No one was near us, so I continued. "Okay, let's just think about this for a second."
Nanami nodded. "Okay."
"Alright," I began. "First of all, our parents have been kidnapped by monsters for who knows what reason. We're just kids, so there's no way we're a threat to them. That's a problem, because there's no way we would be able to bargain them back."
"And no one would believe us if we said our parents were kidnapped by monsters," Nanami added, looking exasperated. "We are screwed!"
Suddenly a thought came to me. Maybe there was one person who would believe me. It was a stretch, but he might just be able to help. "Takuya," I muttered.
"Your brother?" Nanami asked.
"Yeah," I said, a plan forming in my head. "He was sleeping over at what's-his-face's house tonight! And maybe if we just told it to him straight out, he'd believe us!"
Nanami frowned. "But why would he believe that a monster randomly decided to kidnap our families?"
"Because he's interested in them," I said smugly. "He always reads stuff about them in the paper and everything. He's crazy enough to believe us!"
"It might work," Nanami said, smiling at me (I love it when she smiles at me!). "But there's one thing we're over-looking."
"And that would be?" I asked.
"Who is what's-his-face and where does he live?"
--
a while later (use your imaginations)
still Shinya's POV
"Okay," I began, "We have narrowed it down to either JP's house or…um…"
"Kouji's house," Nanami said.
"Right, Kouji," I said, grinning sheepishly. "I really should be able to remember that considering how much Takuya complains about him."
"You really are terrible with names," Nanami said, chuckling. I blushed as she continued. "Well, I guess we'll just start with Kouji's house and see if Takuya's there."
"Why Kirby's?" I asked.
"Kouji's!" Nanami corrected. "And it's closer than JP's house. Plus, Kouji isn't half bad looking!"
I frowned, feeling a little put out. "Why do girls always go for the older men," I muttered to myself.
"What?" Nanami asked.
"Nothing!" I said quickly. "C'mon, let's go!"
--
STILL Shinya's POV
A few minutes later, we approached the house, feeling a bit wary. Nanami hovered shyly behind me as I walked up to the door and knocked twice. When no one answered, I knocked again. Still nothing.
"Shinya?" Nanami crept up next to me, trembling. "Wh-what if the monsters came here, too? What i-if they're planning some sort of invasion?"
Swallowing my own fears, I replied, "Well, then the army or something will handle it, right? I mean, we're just kids."
We stood there for a moment, silent. Then Nanami said, "I wonder if Tom-Tom's okay."
I winced as I always did when our conversations turned to Tommy. I knew I shouldn't be, but I couldn't help it. I was jealous of Tommy. I knew that it wasn't his fault that Nanami liked him, but because of him, she never seemed to notice that I had feelings for her…
"Shinya?" Nanami's voice snapped me out of my darker thoughts.
"What?" I asked listlessly, still thinking about Tommy.
"Isn't that your brother's watch over there?" she asked, pointing to a watch lying on the sidewalk.
"Yeah," I said, walking over and picking up the watch. It had the initials TK on the back of it. "Either this is my brother's or Season 2 characters are invading this story."
"Why was it lying on the ground like that?" Nanami asked thoughtfully, examining the watch.
I stared at the watch for a moment. "Takuya," I muttered to myself. "Where are you?"
--
Chikao's POV
I sighed, feeling weary. I had been to hell and back today, and my entire outlook on life had been altered. Plus, I was being held captive.
I tried to reposition my arms, which only caused Yutaka to grip me tighter. "Not so fast," he muttered.
I sighed again, glancing back at my captor. "Yutaka, please let me go. You've already won; I concede defeat. Now all I want to do is lie down. Please."
I don't know if it was my pleas or that he was just as tired as I was, but after a moment of silence, he let me go.
"Just don't try anything," Yutaka said as I lat down on Takuya's bed. "I'll be watching you."
I didn't answer, instead choosing to stare blankly at the ceiling. Now that I had a chance to calm down and think, I realized that I felt relieved. I'd finally told someone my deepest, darkest secret; the weight that I carried had been lifted however slightly. I smiled, closing my eyes.
Just as I was drifting into sleep, Yutaka said, "So, what the hell was going through your head earlier?"
I glanced to my right, seeing Yutaka sitting in a chair and staring at me curiously. "I might as well tell you, since you already know about Digimon," I said, sitting up. Then, for the second time that day, I recounted my tale. Yutaka was shocked and sympathetic in all the right places, just like Takuya.
"Wow," Yutaka muttered after I had finished. "I had no idea that you were going through all that. I just thought you were a two-faced jerk."
I smirked. "You mean how I treated you differently than anyone else?"
Yutaka nodded. "Why was that?" he asked. "Is it because Tommy's got…powers?"
"I didn't know about that until recently myself," I said. "But somehow I'd always suspected Takuya would do something great in his lifetime. I just didn't know how great."
Yutaka chuckled. "Everyone likes to think that about their relatives." We sat in silence for a few moments, then Yutaka said, "So, why did you treat me differently?"
"I wasn't fake with you," I replied simply and honestly, gauging Yutaka's reaction. He seemed baffled by my response. I smirked.
"Wait, so, you being friendly and stuff with everyone…that was a lie?" he asked slowly.
I nodded. "I'm not what you'd call a friendly person by nature. Neither is Takuya. That's another one of the things we have in common."
"Takuya's pretty friendly." I knew he would say that.
"Like I said, that's one of the ways we're alike," I replied. "Do you ever see him hanging out with anyone but his small circle of friends?"
Yutaka paused, then said, "Wow, I guess not. You two really are alike."
I smiled, saying, "Aren't you going to ask me why I acted like myself around you?"
Yutaka looked at me for a moment and smiled. "You've been waiting for my to ask that, haven't you?" I nodded. "Okay, what makes me so special?"
I paused for a moment, and then said, "Because I like you."
"Whoa!" Yutaka exclaimed, blushing. "I'm sorry there, man, but I don't exactly play for THAT particular team, if you know what I mean."
"I didn't mean like that," I said, sighing. "I'm straight, too."
"Oh," he said, sighing with relief. "Well, what do you mean?"
"I mean that you're interesting," I attempted to explain. "You just kind of fascinate me. I really don't know how to describe it. But…if you'd rather just avoid me after this or something like that, I wouldn't blame you. I've been an ass."
I stared at my hands, suddenly feeling depressed again. After tonight, no one that actually mattered to me would want anything to do with me. I'd be alone again…
"Chikao." I looked up just as Yutaka pulled me into a hug. Before I could stop it, a tear escaped my eye and ran down my cheek.
"You mean…?" I murmured, unable to finish the sentence.
"That's right," Yutaka said, hugging me tighter. "You don't have to be alone anymore. From now on, you and I are friends."
After a few moments I put my arms around Yutaka, embracing him as well. "Friends."
--
Shinya's POV
Nanami and I wandered aimlessly through the streets, not sure what to do next. Our parents were gone. Our siblings were gone. Our siblings' weird friends were gone, as were their parents. What did it all add up to?
This is what I wish I had been thinking, but instead, I was busy thinking of my jealousy toward Tommy. It's not fair, I thought, clenching my fists. Why is Tommy so special? Why do Nanami and Takuya always talk about him? What about me? I'm important, too!
"Shinya, get down!" Nanami suddenly exclaimed, dragging me into a bush with her. I was about to protest until I noticed what had caught her attention.
In the middle of the street we had almost walked on, I saw a whole group of monsters, with Tommy and another one of Takuya's friends lying unconscious in the middle of their group.
Nanami squeezed my arm. "They have Tom-Tom! We have to do something!"
"I know," I said, reminding myself that Tommy was my friend. "We need to save the giant, too."
"You mean Hotaru?" How did she know all these names?
I looked around, trying to find something I could use as a weapon.
"Shinya, two of the monsters just left!" Nanami hissed, pointing in the direction of the retreating monsters.
I looked up and my whole world turned upside-down. Before my eyes, all the monsters standing before us turned into my brother's friends. One after another, they transformed into their human counterparts. But what surprised me the most was when, right before my eyes, a red monster turned into my brother, Takuya.
"Shino," Nanami murmured, staring at the scene before us with wide eyes. I couldn't even put into words what I was feeling at that moment.
I barely noticed when a fairy-like monster joined the group with Kirby's brother in its grasp.
"His name is Kouichi, Shinya, and his brother's name is Kouji." Seriously, how does she know all this?
I also saw my brother's girlfriend, Kira (at least I know her name), run up and start yelling about something-or-other.
"I'm going out there." I jumped as Nanami began to get to her feet.
"Nanami, wait!" I said. "Didn't you see that? They just…" I couldn't finish the sentence, it was so surreal.
Nanami crouched down and stared me right in the eye. "The only people I see out there are my brother, your brother, and their friends. They are not monsters, no matter what we just saw."
I hung my head, knowing she was right. "Okay," I said quietly, standing up. Then both of us stepped out of the bushes, making enough noise to cause the others to look in our direction.
Everything froze for a moment as Nanami and I watched our brothers' eyes widen.
"Um, you guys didn't happen to see what we were doing a second ago, did you?" asked JP (his name's easy to remember).
"We did," Nanami and I said at the same time.
We stood in silence for another few moments. "Crap," Takuya muttered. "You guys better grab a seat; this is gonna be a long explanation!"
--
no one's POV
Witchmon gently placed Mrs. Kimura on her couch and sighed in relief. "Operation foil Wizardmon's plans by bringing back everyone's parents is a success!" she said to herself, smiling. "I love ruining his day!"
Witchmon flinched when Mrs. Kimura suddenly began to moan softly. Crap, she's waking up!
Before Mrs. Kimura saw her, Witchmon dove out the window and hid behind a dumpster to regroup.
"Next order of business," Witchmon muttered to herself. "Find my sister."
--
still no one's POV
Gatomon checked every run down, burnt out building in the area, but she didn't find the kidnapped parents anywhere.
"Wizardmon," Gatomon grumbled. "If you let that slime ball Duskmon harm one hair on their heads…"
"What would you do to him, my dear Gatomon?"
Gatomon froze, recognizing instantly the voice coming from behind her. "Ilsemon."
Ilsemon chuckled, reaching down and petting a paralyzed Gatomon with her hand. "You've been a very bad pet, Gatomon. You need to be punished for your naughtiness."
Ilsemon picked Gatomon up, cradling her in her arms. And, with Gatomon in tow, she walked down the street, headed back to the Digital World.
--
madjack89: Yeah, this took longer than I expected and the whole Christmas vacation thing is over, but the gang isn't coming back until the next chapter, so deal with it!
Chikao: …Okay.
Nanami: Why did you do that to Gatomon? I liked her!
madjack89: Um, sorry!
Yutaka: So, are we ever going to get back in the story again?
madjack89: Of course! From now on the four of you, plus Tomoyo, will be the Scooby Gang, because you're the only ones that know the gang's secret!
Yutaka: Are you copying that from Buffy?
madjack89: Shut up!
Shinya: reads notes Wait a minute! The next chapter is the last one in this story?
madjack89: Yup! I'm wrapping it all up (for now) in the next chapter!
Chikao: So you're bringing Takuya and everyone back just to end the story?
madjack89: Well…look at the time! See you in the next chapter, everyone!