Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon.

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Donna Ni Hanarete Itemo

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He began to pick up his pace, not daring to turn around or even send a single glance behind his shoulder. Why...? After all those threats, why didn't she tell? The thought irked him, but all he could do for the moment was walk. He would walk until he reached home, and he would head straight to his room after locking the door. He would fall asleep until the nightmare ended.

Even if he hadn't looked behind him, Hideki could feel her presence there. Like a heavy perfume, it lingered in the air, waiting to settle down and seep it's way through other places. It was purely stubborn.

It even called for him to stop.

He wanted to stop. He wanted to stop, turn around, break down and cry. He wanted to be someone else. He wanted to just scream. He wanted her to leave him for good. Not just to leave; that wasn't enough. Hideki wanted her gone. Forgotten, unknown, completely erased from his memory.

"H-Hideki!" Rai yelled, now running to catch up to him.

His eyes narrowed crossly on the ground. It wasn't moving anymore. He wasn't moving anymore.

Why can't I move?

Loud footsteps stopped behind him, and harsh breathing could be heard. "Wh-why...?" Rai asked, gasping before erupting into a series of short-lived dry coughs.

Hideki could feel his blood boil and yet he was happy. Just tell her, he thought to himself. Turning around, he opened his mouth, ready to spew a bunch of lies her way. If it would save them both the pain, he would say it all. The words stopped at his throat, and Hideki closed him mouth. His eyes were glued to Rai's, and the words he spoke were much different than he imagined.

"I want to forget you," Hideki whispered. They broke eye contact and his eyes lowered to the ground. "I want to, but no matter how hard I try...you're so close to me, Rai. I can feel you...and you aren't even with me. I don't care about the future, that's to come. I want...I don't want..." The next few words were incoherent mumblings as there was an internal fight inside Hideki. "Rai, I don't want to feel you but not have you by me. I'd rather forget you," he finally said. His senses felt numbed and his emotions were a whirling mass ready to drive him into a wall.

He left her speechless, gazing up at him with wide eyes. Rai took a step back and Hideki couldn't be sure if it was intentional or not; he had taken a step forward himself. In a low murmur, Rai told him, "Hideki...I...I want you to forget me." It was almost inaudible, but Hideki caught every word as if she had been talking normally. "But," she continued, stepping forward and adjusting her head so she could meet his eyes, "since we both know it's fairly impossible, I propose...uh..."

Confusion filled Hideki's eyes before it was soon replaced by amusement. Chuckling, he leaned against the glass wall of the building to his right. "So," he asked, arms folding across his chest, "weekly meetings?" Grinning, Hideki rose an eyebrow and waited for her confirmation.

Letting out an annoyed growl, Rai snapped, "You're unbearable. Why do I get the feeling that-oh never mind, why am I asking? Yes, we'll meet once aday and only for the sake of Kako. I don't want her to worry. As for you yourself..." Giving him an overly sweet smile, she said, "I couldn't care a bit." Lifting a hand in a quick wave, Rai turned around and walked off, getting the feeling she was being watched.

As uncomfortable as he was amused, Hideki shook his head and continued in the direction of home. The nap could wait; a long overdue call to Ichiro awaited. Or maybe he would sleep and call Ichiro later. Either way, he had to admit, though, Izumi's plans worked quite well.

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Tomoki gazed at his computer, eyes wide and straining to keep open. I have to...what does this say? He was ready to tear his hair out.

"Tomoki, you should take a break," Kumamon advised, standing beside the boy.

From his chair in front of the computer, Tomoki replied fiercely, "No! No, I can't! Just...just look at the words I've deciphered, Kumamon! It has to be important!" He pointed to the screen and read off, "'Ancient evils will arise twice more. Darkness and Light will separate.'" There were only two lines so far, and that was all Tomoki had made out since he had reread the book for the umpteenth time that day.

The digimon let out a sigh and gave up. Bokomon's code was anything but obvious, and the boy still couldn't figure out the pattern. He didn't want help, he didn't want to stop. He's going to work himself to death, Kumamon was convinced. And if he doesn't, it'll be from the lack of food and sleep. "Go get food," he suddenly commanded the boy.

His eyes were still glued to the computer. "I'm not hungry," Tomoki replied.

"Tomoki, you need brain food, and the only way you'll get any into you is if you eat!" Kumamon told him in an exasperated tone. There was no response. "I'll tell Takuya and the others," he warned the boy. A threatening tone was hard to come up with, but Kumamon managed.

Tomoki turned to the digimon, eyes tearing and red. "Please," he whispered, "don't tell anyone. I've tried, but...I'm failing them, Kumamon...I'm failing them..." Tears fell down his face, and he quickly wiped them away. The boy sniffed, "I've found the names of all ten legendary warriors in there. There's references based on element, but I can't find anything else."

He sounded weak and frail. Kumamon told the boy this and added, "Go get something to eat. I won't tell if you do." As he hoped, Tomoki slowly rose from the chair and walked outside of the room.

A yawn could be heard from the kitchen. Kumamon shook his head. I'll tell him to sleep after a minute, he decided, walking into the kitchen to find Tomoki. There was no one in the kitchen. Instead, curled up on the couch, the boy lay down, eyes shut. Or...not. Hiding a smile, Kumamon made his way back to the room and looked over the last page of Bokomon's book. Each character stood out vividly, but held a messy side, obviously quickly scrawled. Perhaps, Kumamon mused, it isn't that Bokomon wrote this but copied it from somewhere. It's definitely happened before.

There was a ringing of the phone and Kumamon jumped. He could hear Mrs. Himi answer the call, "Hello? Oh...I'm sorry, Tomoki is asleep right now. Yes...would you like to leave a message?"

A call? Kumamon gazed at the computer, where Tomoki's inbox, moved to a corner, remained open. Curiously, he checked it.

One new e-mail. Kumamon found Tomoki's cell phone laying beside Bokomon's book. It had been in silent the entire time. One missed call. Kumamon shut his eyes, knowing very well what it meant. Tomoki will be upset he slept through this all.

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Ichiro sat down on the stool provided behind the desk, gazing intently at his papers. "Hmm...I smell salt," he said aloud, not looking up.

His younger brother walked in shirtless, brushing the excess water away from his skin. Shrugging, he replied, "Yeah, well..." Ryuusei fell quiet and took a seat on one of the lobby chairs, folding his arms somewhat crossly.

There was an all-knowing grin on Ichiro's face. "I told you," he told his younger brother, "she's taken. Come on, Ryu, don't look so sour because of that." Although Ichiro had only been joking, he knew his brother had taken him to heart.

The younger boy rose to his feet. Angrily, Ryu shouted, "I'm not sour! And I'm not jealous, or annoyed, or mad, or...or anything else you would say! Just shut up, Ichiro!" He scowled and sat back in his seat, looking at a plant with an angry gaze on his face.

Looking up, Ichiro commented, "Get a shirt. And do stop soaking the seat, will you? I'm not paid to clean those. Hey, Mr. A. How's it going?" He turned to his employer and gave a casual wave of his arm before returning to the papers in front of him.

"Did you give him a call?" inquired Mr. Aizawa, adjusting his sleeves.

Ichiro gave an affirmative nod. "Yep and he's asleep. Kako and her boyfriend are in one of the meeting rooms," he said, giving Ryuusei a nasty grin. "I don't know where the other kid is. Hideki's obviously asleep. That is to say, he should be by now. I don't really know. Hideki's strange like that." A skeptical look appeared on Ichiro's face as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Scowling, Ryuusei intensified his glare. To the older man, he muttered, "Hey, Mr. A." It was more forced and conditioned than because the boy wanted to.

Mr. Aizawa chuckled, obviously understanding what was going through the boy's mind. Letting out a heavy sigh, he walked over behind the counter, squatting down. His eyes were narrowed on a locked cupboard.

"Sir...?" Ichiro called out in a hesitant voice. He shifted uncomfortably, unsure of what to think. "Shall I go get Kako...?"

Surprised, the old man looked up at Ichiro. Under his breath, he mumbled, "No...no, that's fine. Ichiro, make sure I never open this." After his rather abrupt instruction, Mr. Aizawa exited the inn.

"Ooookay...hey-Ryuusei Egawa get back here!" Ichiro shouted, making a start for his younger brother. The boy had made his way for the meeting rooms. Cursing aloud, Ichiro placed a hand on his forehead. "I hate getting old."

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'The property of Marise Saito.

'Years, months, days...hours...? Minutes? Seconds? All are so unimportant. But you've grown.'

Kako frowned, trying to understand the meaning of what was written. One line on one page? What a loser...killing a notebook with just lines. He could have at least added more entries on one page. I didn't know Mr. Saito had a relative. Maybe it's his dad. Interested, she read on, making comments in her head.

In elegant calligraphy, the next page read: 'Harumi Aizawa.'

The girl nearly cried out in surprise. Mom? That makes no sense! She turned her head to look at the closed door. So badly, she wished ask Kouichi what it all meant.

The next few pages were blank, leaving Kako mystified. Eventually, she came upon pages of actual writing in less than a few seconds. "'Life is a chessboard, they say. You have to play wisely to make it across. If you don't play wisely, you die an early life. If you get reckless, you die an early life.' I like that...I should use it in one of my essays!" Kako laughed quietly. She continued to read the remainder of the entry silently, and discovered it was longer than most.

'Were we too reckless, Harumi? I'm so sorry...so sorry for not being there for you. For them. I wish I could have, but you know...what...I...I'm sorry.

'Harumi...you always said you would let go. We decided this would be best for them, but is it? I only hope, despite the fact that he may have lost his wings, Hideki does not make the same mistake.

'I can sense the new wings. It's slow, Harumi, but they're forming. He's trying them, slowly, that boy...If we can get him to reach his potential, perhaps we will get what we want. You told me to not use him, didn't you? I'm sorry. I see no other way. The Warrior of Darkness is a powerful ally, one I refuse to simply pass the chance on. If their friendship is at stake...You know as well as I that is not the case. I am positive Kako can find someone better.

'Forgive me, Harumi. I'll visit you soon.'

Kako let out a gasp, rereading the entry. In a murmur, she repeated, "'Warrior of Darkness.' What friendship? Is this nut case talking about Kouichi? And how does he know me? How does he know Mom?" Furiously, she turned the page. Although the turn would have ripped a page out of a normal book, these pages seemed to hold on, unwilling to tear.

The next entry was far longer than the one prior to it, and Kako found it after merely turning one page. It interested her greatly, but more questions erupted from it.

'The Shadow System:

'This system is far more complex than our normal world can comprehend. Where a normal planet would just exist, ours holds countless parallel dimensions. It exists along with these several other worlds, and the beings on one world are parallel to another. One being in our world has a parallel being on each dimension, thereby creating his own essence. Were one of these beings to disappear from his parallel, part of him would cease to exist. This would range from an emotion to something far more severe, such as lack of sanity or an arm. He may cease to exist on this world, in one possibility. This system is made of many unknown dimensions, and to many rules, we are left cluelessly in the shadows. Thus, the name, "Shadow System."

'For one to break this system, one would be required to supposedly "undo" it from its roots, much like a weed. And just like a weed, it rapidly draws dimensions in. The very base of the Shadow System lies in the Digital dimension. This dimension is definitely one of the more important of the many dimensions taken in by the Shadow System. It is said that in the ancient times of this Digital dimension (also called the Digital World), when Apocalymon was destroyed, a blanket of darkness covered his body and took him to the core of the Digital World. This blanket of darkness is more commonly known as Chaos, and is key to linking the dimensions together. Chaos is the key substance of the Shadow System, but if taken out, the Digital World will cease to exist.

'There is no way to remove the Chaos without in any way disturbing the normal means of living. Only a select few will ever know the existence of the Chaos, and if it is removed, only a select few will remember its removal. If the inhabitants of the Digital World will approve, the Chaos can be removed at the loss of the world itself.

'No price is too small to pay.'

"Chaos," Kako whispered, shutting the diary and placing it in her bag. She shivered at the name, trying to imagine what it looked like. "To remove it...to destroy the Digital World..." When he had said no price was too small to pay, Kako greatly agreed. I wonder, she thought, if this Marise guy felt the same way. Her hand fell upon the doorknob, and with great difficulty twisted it open. Kako took a step forward and nearly fell.

Kouichi whirled around and grabbed a hold of her hand, steadying her as she stumbled forward. "H-hey..." he mumbled, reddening. "What happened?"

Trembling, Kako tried to ignore the tears that stung her eyes. She tried to explain and stuttered, "I...Chaos...I...I don't want to destroy the world!" Trying not to cry, Kako stepped forward again, resting her head on his shoulder. Her breath steadied for a few seconds before breaking into hiccups and sobs.

Confused and startled, Kouichi awkwardly placed a hand on her back. "Um...K-Kako, I don't think you could even if you wanted to," he told her honestly, prying her off of himself by pushing gently on her shoulders. When her tear filled eyes met his, he smiled warmly and asked her, "Do you want to tell me what it said?" As curious as he was, the last thing Kouichi wanted to do was push her to explain.

Kako had now collected herself and was glaring at Kouichi. Giving him a look that said, 'I'll be asking the questions,' she demanded, "Who is this Marise guy, anyway? Hideki explained the whole system to me in bits and pieces, but the guy practically wrote an essay on it! And how'd you get his diary? And how does he know my mom?" The last part, she practically screamed.

"How about we talk about this over some food?" Kouichi suggested with a laugh. He took Kako's hand in his and yanked her (with great difficulty) towards the inn's exit.

There was a dull thud of footsteps and a blond haired boy stood in front of them, dripping wet. "Kak-...oh...hey..." Ryuusei mumbled as he ran by. His eyes lay on their hands, glaring distastefully.

Noticing this, Kouichi withdrew his hand as if it had been in boiling water. "U-uh..." he stuttered, feeling his cheeks warm up. What did I get myself into? His mouth opened, but no words came out.

Try as he might, Ryu simply could get angry at the other boy. He walked up to Kouichi, observant eyes searching for a fault he could use as a scapegoat. A hint of disgust in his eyes, a smirk, anything would work. But there wasn't a single thing. Finally, Ryu turned to Kako and smiled. "Say, if you would give us some time to talk...?" he inquired politely. A flash of annoyance ran through his eyes when Kako glared at him. He glared in return and watched as she reluctantly stalked off.

There wasn't a hint of confusion on Kouichi's face now. Turning around and walking further away from Kako, he murmured, "You like her?" It was more a statement than a question.

Ryu chuckled darkly, "You're good. How long have you been putting up this act?" He followed Kouichi into the room and shut the door, making sure to lock it.

"No act. Just takes time to read a person," Kouichi returned smoothly. He made his way towards the window again, opening it this time and letting the cool breeze enter the room.

The blond boy's eyes narrowed on Kouichi. Instead of causing an uncomfortable feeling in the air to cause the boy to look at him, Ryu realized Kouichi was completely unaffected. There was a new level of respect established between them. "Right," he replied, waving a hand in Kouichi's direction. "Are you planning to hurt her?"

Immediately, Kouichi whipped his head in Ryuusei's direction, focused in a piercing glare. "I could ask the same about you," he returned hotly.

The two exchanged glares for several seconds before Ryuusei shook his head. "I didn't mean it like that," he said, taking a seat in the nearest chair, at the head of the table. It wasn't to explain himself, it was just due to a lack of things to say. "I meant are you just with her for...for some stupid reason, you know." The words struggled to come out. Now that he was actually talking to Kouichi, Ryu wasn't sure how to phrase his questions.

An amused smile played on Kouichi's lips. "With Kako? For a stupid reason? If by stupid reason you mean getting tortured, yeah...I'm with her for a stupid reason," he laughed, his eyes slipping shut. Kouichi let out a sigh.

A mix of emotions came over Ryuusei. His mouth opened and closed several times before, defeated, he stood up and slammed his fist on the table. "You better take care of her!" he snapped.

In the process of closing the window, Kouichi nearly lost a finger. "Why are you making it sound like we're getting married?" Kouichi whined. "We aren't even really going out!" Immediately, he wondered if he should have said that. The last thing he wanted to do was give Kako up, but he didn't find any reason not to tell Ryu that. "Say, how long have you known her?" he asked out of interest, gaze peeling away from the window with reluctance. There was a small smile on Kouichi's face, one out of habit.

"A while," Ryu answered. Try as he might to be unhappy, all he could do was smile. It wasn't even a despaired, sad smile. It was a happy smile. Why, he wondered, why do I feel happy? Irritated with himself, Ryuusei drew a breath and looked at the direction of the door that had begun to creak slightly.

Kouichi walked towards the door, gazing up at the ceiling absentmindedly. Letting out a yawn, one hand flew to cover his mouth while the other rested on the doorknob, 'accidentally' pulling it forward.

Kako stumbled into the room, blinking innocently. Picking herself up from the floor, she waved to Kouichi. "Wow, I must have gotten lost! Guess I'm going around in circles!" she exclaimed, sweeping the room with her eyes.

An annoyed scowl was on Kouichi's face. "You don't think I can take care of myself!" he accused, pointing a finger at her.

"Not true!" Kako tried to insist, but the accusing look on Kouichi's face forced her to succumb. "OKAY, so I don't trust you! I can't be sure you're as bad as Kouji! I thought about it and came to the conclusion that there would be a fight in the room if you were, so I decided to check up on you two."

"And eavesdrop," Ryuusei added, leaning back in the chair and lifting his feet up on the table.

"And eavesdr-HEY!" Kako shouted, reddening considerably.

Laughing, Kouichi pushed her out the door. To Kako, he murmured, "One sec. I'll meet you at the front." He made sure she left before turning to Ryuusei. "It's been nice talking to you, Egawa. I can't say you like me very much, but I'd rather be on good terms than not," he told the boy, walking over and extending a hand.

For the longest time, Ryu tried to ignore it. Finally, he sighed and shook his head. It was inevitable, he realized. Ryu took Kouichi's hand firmly with both feet now planted on the ground. As he did this, he told the boy, "Well, Kimura, we may not be friends, but we aren't enemies either. See ya around."

Hiding a smile, Kouichi raced out of the room. For some reason, although he felt he knew why, he felt as if he had known Ryu all this time.

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"You're all against me," Piximon snapped, trying to wriggle out of his ropes. Kouji had tied him to a chair facing far away from the laptop screen. "What are you doing? It better not be about me!" Piximon loosened a hand and stretched it in the direction of his staff.

Kouji immediately snatched the staff away, glaring at the digimon. "I'll untie you if you shut up and stay away from my laptop," he growled. He made sure to put the staff out of reach. After all, he didn't have Lobomon; why give Piximon an advantage during a fight.

The pink digimon seemed to understand this and nodded, waiting to be untied. Kouji quickly undid the rope and returned to sitting down in front of his laptop and staring thoughtfully at the screen. The bandana boy's fingers tapped on the table. Another hand supported his head, which was tilted to the side. Finally, Kouji sat up straight. Both hands made for the keyboard and he began typing furiously.

Piximon sat far away from the laptop with his back to the screen. What's he doing? He doesn't want me to see, the digimon observed, feeling helpless without his staff. I don't trust him. He should have gotten Lobomon by now, shouldn't he have? He must be...Oh, Kako would kill me for thinking that.

Kouji heard the troubled growl that escaped Piximon. "You really should stop thinking so much," he told the digimon. I should really listen to my own advice. He pulled away from the computer and motioned Piximon over. "Can you make this out?" he inquired, gesturing in the direction of the screen.

Not sure if the boy just wanted Piximon to stop thinking he was doing something illegal or if it was a sincere question, the digimon fluttered over, hovering just above the keyboard and pressing his nose against the screen. He finally moved back to rest on Kouji's head. "Mmm...it's a ruin from the Digital World. How'd you find a picture of that?" Piximon carefully masked the accusing voice with a tone of curiosity. Nevertheless, he was sure the bandana boy could take the hint.

"You'd be surprised," Kouji returned with a wry smile. "The Digital World shares a lot more in common with the Real World than just a gate and parallel inhabitants." He let out a sigh and leaned back in his chair. "Don't tell anyone. So, what does it say? I can't make out a word," he told the digimon.

How much should I say? Piximon informed Kouji with great reluctance, "It's a prophecy. A lot of the digimon hoped it wouldn't come to pass, but with all the chaos going around in both worlds, it's coming..." He was careful not to volunteer any more information than necessary. I wonder if Marise knows he has this picture, Kouji thought.

He's smart, Kouji realized, deciding it was time to move up a level in the game. Innocently, he asked Piximon, "What's the prophecy about?" There was a look of pure innocence on Kouji's face, but his eyes held no emotion. He tilted his head back, trying to see Piximon's face.

"Not really sure. It's in an ancient text. I can't read it." It was only half a lie. Piximon knew the prophecy by heart, as did most digimon. And, just like most digimon, he couldn't remember a great deal of the ancient text.

Standing up and shutting the laptop, Kouji made his way out of his room. "We should go check on those two, huh?" he asked the digimon. Piximon flew off Kouji's head to fly just ahead of the boy as they walked out the door. Taking note of the affirmative nod, Kouji smiled slightly. They may not have trusted each other, but their common goal was obvious.

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Shinya sat in front of the computer, eyes focused unblinkingly on the screen. He wasn't sure what he was doing; he was typing meaningless symbols into documents he didn't know the computer had. He couldn't even stop, as badly as he wanted to.

It's just a dream, something told him. You're asleep. You're tired. Let me take over...

Trying to fight the calming presence, Shinya screamed. His mouth never opened. No sound came out. Why, he thought desperately, why can't I control myself? Just when he thought the shadows were swallowing him, a light turned on, and Shinya snapped back into reality. He was staring at the computer screen, but nothing was open. Wide-eyed and confused, he looked to the goggle boy at the doorway, who yawned sleepily.

"Shinya, what are you doing? It's..." Takuya trailed off and looked at the clock. "Four eighty-two in the morning..." He yawned again.

Tears flowed freely down Shinya's face, though Takuya mistook them as tears because Shinya wasn't used to the bright light. "I-It's four twenty-eight, Takuya," the younger boy corrected timidly. "I...I'm scared..."

That woke the older boy up with a start. Frowning and worried, Takuya ran towards his brother to check his temperature. It was completely unlike Shinya to confess something like that. Deciding Shinya didn't have a fever, Takuya murmured, "You've been acting kind of strange all week, Shinya...but you aren't sick. Are you-" He stopped when he caught the look on Shinya's face. "Oh...digimon, Shinya..." Trying not to panic, Takuya looked around the room. Finally, he pulled Shinya onto his feet and led the younger boy to the bed.

"N-no! Takuya, I-" Shinya started, frantically grabbing Takuya's wrist as the goggle boy pushed him down on the bed and pulled the covers over him.

Covering Shinya's mouth, Takuya told his brother gently, "I'll be right here, okay? You go to sleep, the light will be on, and I'll be sitting right here watching you." There was a hard-set look on Takuya's face, and no hint of a lie anywhere.

The younger boy calmed down somewhat, reluctantly relaxing. "But you need to sleep," insisted Shinya, trying to stay awake as well.

Takuya just grinned. "Go to sleep, krill. You need it," he told the boy, pulling up the seat in front of the computer beside the bed and watching his brother. Minutes later, Shinya lay asleep, a peaceful look on his face. The older Kanbara sent a glance in the direction of the computer. I'll move Shinya to my room tomorrow, he decided. There's something fishy going on here...and I bet it isn't because we had fish tonight. One hand reached for the phone to remind Takuya that he had plans to make.

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A/N-

Big improvement from last chapter. I want to write more about the diary! Clarifying it (and it's the third time it's been explained, I think) is hard work. However, Marise's version is correct. I'm guessing twenty more chapters. Shinya's role is coming into play!

Thank you very much for the reviews-Gemmani Girl, Winter's Light

Review or PM or Flame!