Version 2.0 (Feb 5, 2007): Sort of a filler chapter, but (shrug) oh well. There is some worthwile stuff in here…And next chapter…oo-hoo! Can't wait to revise that one! lol

Hm...I suppose I could have used today to actually write something for ATTWT...too late now!

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon! (I am Neemon, keeper of my pants! … Don't own that, either.)

Old Demons

Chapter 2: Afraid of the Light

You can't have a light without a dark to stick it in.
-Arlo Guthrie

"Hey! Kouichi!"

Another poke to his ribs. More whispering.

"Kouichi!"

"I heard you the first time, Zoe," he groaned, lifting his head off his desk just enough to glare half-heartedly at the blonde girl. "Leave me alone."

"Mr. Hakuta's in a bad mood," she warned, apparently not noticing Kouichi's irritated tone. "You're going to get in trouble!"

Kouichi shifted his glare to the teacher. The balding man was at the blackboard, scribbling something incomprehensible. The Warrior of Darkness vaguely noted that Mr. Hakuta had accidentally wiped off some of the chalk with his coarse brown sweater. As a result, half of the right sleeve was a dusty white, distracting Kouichi further. Above the mess of numbers and letters the teacher had written on the board, Kouichi spotted a page number with a box drawn around it. Kouichi grabbed his Pre-Algebra textbook and opened it to the indicated page.

"Adding fractions. Great," he moaned. Kouichi stared at the page as if it were written in a foreign language, blinking several times as he tried to get anything to register in his muddled head. Find the LCD… What the heck is an LCD? he wondered, searching for an explanation. Mr. Hakuta had probably already explained the process, and soon would assign the homework.

Finding an example, Kouichi sighed. To be blunt, Bokomon's "Book of Knowledge" would have been easier to decipher. Well, great. At least I know that something plus something equals something else. Maybe, if he was lucky, Mr. Hakuta would let the class work in groups and Zoe could explain it to him.

"Kouichi." Oh, no… Heart starting to flutter nervously, Kouichi looked up at the teacher. This could only mean one thing… "Would you please do this problem on the board?"

Grimacing, Kouichi walked to the front of the classroom. Of course. This had to be one of the days he makes someone demonstrate! And it had to be me! He took the chalk from the teacher and stared at the problem, hoping in vain that he had suddenly developed a photographic memory and in the next two seconds something in the textbook would make sense. No such luck. "Um…" The numbers and x's on the board defiantly stayed exactly the same, not offering any help. Usually, Kouichi was decent at math, but today his mind refused to cooperate. He shook his head, trying to clear it.

"You seem to be having problems, Mister Kimura," Mr. Hakuta said. "Sit down." Kouichi bowed and returned to his seat, blushing furiously. "Oh, and I want to see you after class." Kouichi sighed as the teacher turned back to the board. As he began to explain the process once more, Kouichi struggled to comprehend what was being said. "Now, what you want to do is multiply the first fraction by x minus 3 and the second fraction by two-x plus one…"

He doubted today was going to get any better.

-(--)-

Forty-five minutes later, the bell rang, signaling the end of first period. As it happened, Mr. Hakuta hadn't allowed talking for the thirty-five minutes they had to work on the homework, so Kouichi had spent the time reading the entire lesson in the textbook four times. It didn't make any more sense now than it did when he had started.

Gathering her books, Zoe shot Kouichi a sympathetic smile before following the other seventh graders out of the classroom. Kouichi couldn't help cringing. Mr. Hakuta mad wasn't something he particularly wanted to see. The teacher waited until the room was empty, then studied Kouichi's face carefully.

"You seemed…distracted today," he prompted. "That's not like you. Care to explain?"

"It's nothing. I just didn't sleep well last night."

Mr. Hakuta raised an eyebrow in mild amusement. "Mister Kimura, I am not blind. I saw you talking to Miss Orimoto. If sitting next to a pretty girl is too great a distraction, I will gladly fix that."

Kouichi gaped at him, too shocked and embarrassed to speak for several seconds. "What… Listen, Zoe's my friend. She just wanted to know if something was wrong!"

Glancing at the clock, Mr. Hakuta sighed. "Very well. Let's hope this problem does not continue. Now go, before you're late for your next class."

Kouichi sighed as he left the room, for once glad he had a book bag, unlike most of the other students. He at least didn't have to stop at his locker in the two minutes he had left between classes. As he dodged the few cliques still clustered around lockers, Kouichi glanced anxiously at every clock he passed. The last thing he needed was a detention. Thankfully, he made it to his next class – science – with several seconds to spare, earning a suspicious glance from the teacher but making it to his desk before the bell rang.

"Today we will be talking about energy," the teacher said, finally shifting his gaze from Kouichi to the rest of the class, "something kids nowadays seem to have too little of."

The class groaned. One boy, who was leaning back onto the two rear legs of his chair, moaned dramatically and slumped backwards. With a loud crash, the chair toppled, leaving the boy on his back on the floor. Stifled laughter from other students made the boy blush, but the teacher watched silently as he righted himself.

Once the boy was sitting normally once more, he continued. "Mister Fujiwara has provided an excellent transition into today's lesson. While precariously positioned in his chair, he had ample potential energy…"

As the teacher switched into lecture mode, Kouichi leaned his head on a fist. He supposed energy was marginally more interesting than hearing about states of matter for an hour, but even so, he kept zoning out. His focus simply wasn't there today.

-(--)-

Kouichi managed to get to his next class early, practically sprinting down the hallway the instant the bell had rung. The quick pace had woken him up for a few moments, but he could already feel his fatigue returning. How much longer could this day possibly last? Folding his arms on the desk, he lowered his head. In the relative darkness, Kouichi's normal drive to do well in school melted in an instant to the prospect of sleep.

"Hey."

He looked up, partially annoyed at being disturbed and partially relived that Kouji had arrived. Kouichi's twin was half turned around in the seat in front of him, studying him carefully. Kouji's intense eyes slowly took in Kouichi's position, repeatedly staring questioningly into the older twin's eyes. Brow furrowed deeply, Kouji's mouth settled into a small scowl. To anyone else, the expression came across as disgust. But Kouichi knew it was his brother's own quirky way of showing concern.

"What's wrong?" Kouji asked softly, as if he didn't want anyone else to hear.

"Nothing's wrong. Why does everyone think something's wrong?"

Kouichi winced. There was no way Kouji would let that slip. Kouichi never snapped like that. In fact, he would have been better off not saying anything, although Kouji probably would have seen through that as well.

As Kouichi expected, Kouji's scowl turned into an all-out frown. "Everyone? Come on, it's third period! You probably haven't even seen Takuya yet. His ego wouldn't let it be 'everyone' without him." Kouichi could tell Kouji was determined to get the truth out of him, and he sighed. Sometimes having a twin who could read you like a cardboard children's book wasn't exactly a good thing.

Summoning up his best glare (which, compared to Kouji, wasn't really that intimidating), Kouichi met his younger twin's eyes. "Listen, I'm just not in the mood for school today. I didn't sleep well last night. That's all there is to it. Really."

They both knew the emphasis on "really" didn't convince Kouji in the least. Luckily, Kouichi was spared further interrogation when the bell rang. The teacher stood up from her desk, beginning the roll call. Just before turning around, Kouji sent Kouichi a glance that very clearly stated they would be finishing this discussion after class.

-(--)-

By the end of the period, however, Kouichi was feeling sick to his stomach. It didn't take long for him to decide to go to the nurse's office. It would at least be better than facing Kouji. Now if only he could figure out how to tell Kouji without sparking a whole new round of questions.

It turned out he didn't have to. One look at his twin after class and Kouji knew he wasn't feeling well. Of course he'd notice, Kouichi thought with a dry smile. We're twins.

"I thought you said there was nothing wrong," Kouji accused, a hint of panic in his voice, as they left the classroom. Kouichi suddenly remembered the Kouji in his dream and how the darkness – Kouichi's darkness – had attacked him. That Kouji's eyes had been filled with the same accusation that rang in Kouji's voice now. A chill ran up his spine. Kouji's frown deepened. "I'll walk you there."

For some inexplicable reason, Kouichi was extremely relieved to hear that. Despite the other students in the hall, he found himself not wanting to be left alone. The mere thought of walking across the school by himself caused the hair on the back of his neck to stand on end, and he crossed his arms, subconsciously moving closer to Kouji.

By the time they were halfway to the office, the knot of fear in his stomach had loosened, and Kouichi was feeling considerably less nauseous. He looked over at his brother, allowing himself to smile at the overprotective stance Kouji had assumed. The kendo student was glaring at every student who so much as crossed his path, and had sent more than a few 7th grade girls scampering out of his path.

"I'm fine, you know," Kouichi assured. "Just overtired, that's all."

"Why?"

"Hm?"

"Why are you so tired all of a sudden?"

"I had a dream last night." Kouichi shrugged, refusing to meet his twin's probing glare. "But it's no big deal. It's just a dream." By now they were outside the nurse's office, and Kouichi watched his right shoe scuff across the speckled carpeting. "You don't want to be late for P.E."

Kouji hesitated, no doubt debating asking more, but school was almost as important to him as it was to Kouichi and he was well aware of the time. Besides, neither twin was the type to give up a secret in less than twenty minutes, no matter who it was asking the questions. Giving his brother's shoulder a quick squeeze and smiling shyly, Kouji hurried off. Kouichi watched him go for a moment, reminded of his old ponderings as to whether Kouji really was the older brother after all. Shaking his head, he opened the door and stepped into the nurse's office.

-(--)-

Kouji barely made it to the locker room before the late bell rang, and was one of the last to finish changing and get to the gym. By the time he caught up to Takuya, the gogglehead was almost done stretching.

"Where's Kouichi?" Takuya asked offhandedly.

"Nurse's office." Not bothering to explain, Kouji turned away from his best friend and began his own stretches.

"What's he doing, skipping P.E.?" Takuya laughed. "I don't see why. We're playing soccer today! Speaking of which, I wouldn't want them to start without me!" He sprinted off to join the growing crowd of boys in the center of the gymnasium. "Better hurry up, Kouji!"

"Glad to see he's concerned," Kouji sighed, rolling his eyes.

-(--)-

After showering and changing at the end of gym, the two boys bought their lunches and sat down at the Legendary Warriors' customary table. Takuya, as usual, was ravenous and, between mouthfuls of food, started ranting about his second period Language Arts class. Vaguely hearing Zoe's name several times, Kouji picked at his food and barely noticed what was going on around him. At least until Zoe arrived.

"Shut up, Takuya!" Kouji glanced over at the Warrior of Wind as she sat down next to him. A nervous-looking JP sat across from her, next to Takuya. Kouji couldn't help but wonder if Zoe had been in a bad mood before or if JP was just bracing himself for another squabble between her and Takuya.

"What's your problem?" Takuya demanded. "You were edgy second period, too."

"So I'm edgy today!" Zoe screamed, drawing more than a few stares from other students. "Sue me!" Kouji frowned. Takuya looked ready to shout back, but JP stepped in, quickly changing the subject.

"So, Takky…how was Computers?"

With a groan and an exaggerated wave of his arms, Takuya said, "Horrible! Seriously, we're either doing something impossible or boring!" Kouji shook his head in amazement. Either Takuya's attention span had drastically shrunk for the day or he had actually wizened up enough to know not to mess with Zoe right now.

"I take it today was one of the impossible days?" JP asked. Takuya rolled his eyes; apparently it was an agreement.

"Why are you even taking that class?" Zoe asked, sounding like her normal, bright self, though her smile seemed a bit forced. "It's not required or anything."

"I thought it would be easy," Takuya groaned. "I mean, come on! Wouldn't you think computers would be simple after a few months in the Digital World? But nooo, they have to go and teach us all kinds of useless stuff!"

Zoe slapped her palm down on the table, leaning over to hush Takuya. "Stop talking about the you-know-what! Do you want the whole school to hear?!" Fuming, she sat back down before she lost her cool and slapped the gogglehead.

"Hey, Kouji, why are you so quiet today?" JP asked. Kouji paused a moment, trying to judge whether he was worried or just trying to stop the argument.

"Eh, he's always quiet." The Warrior of Fire waved his hand in dismissal. "It's nothing to get worked up about."

"But he's quieter than usual today," Zoe argued. "Seriously. How many days have we made it to the table before he's come up with at least one sarcastic reply to your complaints?"

Kouji sighed, wondering how he wound up at the center of Takuya and Zoe's arguments so often. One thing he did know, however, was that they would keep going the whole lunch period if he didn't say something. "I'm just worried about Kouichi."

"Not you too!" Takuya groaned, surprising even Zoe with his rapid change of pace.

"Does soccer dull your senses," Kouji snapped, "or are your goggles exceptionally tight today?"

"What?" Takuya blinked, genuinely confused.

Kouji rested his forehead on his hand in frustration. "Didn't you hear what I said in P.E.?"

"No."

Zoe made a face. "At least he's honest…"

Kouji glared at Takuya until the gogglehead fidgeted. When it looked like he was about to slither under the table, Kouji relented and explained. "Kouichi went to the nurse's office. He was feeling sick."

"He seemed kinda out of it first period," Zoe said. "He couldn't focus on anything. Did he tell you why?"

The younger twin sighed. "He said he didn't sleep well last night because of a dream."

Takuya, bouncing back as only he could, folded his hand behind his head and grinned. "I never get enough sleep. He'll be fine."

Kouji rolled his eyes. "Great…I always wanted a gogglehead for a brother." Zoe laughed at the offended look that appeared on Takuya's face, but Kouji ignored them both and stood. "I'm going to see how he's doing."

"You're overreacting!" Takuya called. Kouji didn't listen.

-(--)-

'You'll only hurt them.'

'You said that before,' Kouichi told the darkness, once more searching for a figure to go with the voice. Even as he took a step forward through the black clouds, he wondered if it was really a good idea to converse with the mystery being. But then, what else was there to do? There was no telling when this was going to end – though he was aware that this was a dream, he had tried everything he could think of to wake himself up and so far nothing had worked. And actually, it wasn't really that bad, at first. There hadn't been anyone else in this strange realm, and he had almost settled into a deep sleep when the voice returned.

'I just wanted to make sure you knew.'

'Well, I heard you. I don't agree or anything, but I definitely heard you.'

The voice laughed, sending chills up Kouichi's spine. It was definitely familiar, like he should have recognized it instantly. 'I can see that your brother and his friends have influenced you.'

'What do you mean, "his friends"? They're my friends too!'

'Are they?'

Kouichi wanted to scream his response, but it came out as a whisper: 'Of course they are.' Something about the voice's last question made him hesitate. It hadn't been taunting; it was genuinely curious, inviting an honest answer. It prompted doubt. But he refused to give the voice that satisfaction. He knew they were his friends and if he started doubting them now, everything they had done a year ago would have been for nothing.

The voice sighed. 'Your so-called friends only let you hang around because of your brother, and he feels like he has to hang out with you.'

'Shut up!'

'Is that…fear? Are you afraid of the truth... Warrior of Darkness?' The last part took on a teasing tone, like a schoolgirl teasing a friend about a crush, but with sinister undertones.

'No! Leave me alone!'

'It's no use lying. I can sense your fear. It's the Light! The Light keeps you from true peace, Kouichi. It is what has been causing these dreams! But it cannot reach you here.' The darkness swirled, slowly taking on the shape of a living being – not a human by the looks of it. Kouichi backed away, but the darkness latched on to him like thorn bushes, impairing his movement. His heart thudded in his throat.

Suddenly, a beam of light, impossibly bright and warm for this dark place, sliced through the dark form. The thing screamed, both in agony and fury, 'No! He should not be here! This is my realm! The Soul is mine!'

Somewhere in the distance, Kouichi heard someone call his name. Immediately the darkness released its hold on him and began to dissolve. The form had dissipated, but a pair of crimson eyes glared at him.

'This isn't over, boy. I will be back for you.'

-Child of Healing

Word count: 3100 (And once again I double the previous count! Thank you, thank you very much! (-3 lol)