Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon.
Dedication- Letta! Sorry for not doing this on your b-day. OO I'm bad with dates. And a late 'pi' day to all.
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Live On The Discovery Channel: A Very Boring Life
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"Neemon," Hideki finished.
For the first time in hours, Shinya burst out into laughter. The rest remained silent, gawking at Hideki in disbelief. Rai was the exception and she tried to stifle her laughter, but ended up giggling with Shinya.
"No wonder you lied to Kako about not having a shadow," Tomoki murmured in amazement.
Izumi let out a groan. "You guys," she murmured, "Neemon wasn't all that bad..."
At the memory, Junpei sighed and crossed his arms. He nodded in agreement. "Yeah...yeah, Neemon was cool. But he was kind of...iffy in the head, if you know what I mean. Perfect fit, Hideki!" the boy laughed.
Twitching, Hideki reddened with rage. Noticing this, Takuya quickly coughed his laugh away and pointed to Bokomon's book. "So what does it say?" he asked eagerly.
Hideki took his time to answer. He held out a hand in Tomoki's direction. After the boy handed the book to him, he turned the book to face the children and opened it to the last page. "Listen and listen well. No, it doesn't say that, Junpei, I'm telling you to listen, so if you doze off, don't expect me to repeat this," Hideki growled, glaring at Junpei. Junpei snapped to attention, and everyone focused their eyes in Hideki's direction as he continued, "There was a prophecy written in the ruins of Cherubimon's castle. By now, every digimon knows it. It's just like the 'Ten Legendary Warriors,' you know? It starts off like this-oh, unless Shinya wants to read?"
In an almost violent manner, Shinya shook his head and grabbed onto Ms. Kawai's arm. Rai smiled at Shinya in an encouraging manner and Hideki glared jealously at the boy. Making sure his thoughts wouldn't wander, he shook his head to clear it. "'Ancient evils will arise twice more. Darkness and Light will separate.' And after that, you have to ask Ichiro, because I never paid attention to Dad," Hideki announced.
Izumi twitched. "You mean to say you led us into this big dramatic listening mode just to tell us TWO LINES?" she screamed rising to her feet with her pillow in hand.
"Now, now...I'm just saying to call Ichiro. I know more, I'm just being kind and letting him have a say. Plus, I get to boast about how awesome I am," Hideki commented, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Hah, he'll be j-"
"You will tell him nothing," Rai interrupted sharply.
At that moment, the phone rang, interrupting any chance of Hideki replying or any of the children (especially Shinya, who was now more comfortable) asking Ms. Kawai what she had meant. "Got it," Takuya muttered, picking up the phone and answering in a bored and conditioned manner, "Hello, Kanbara residence, what can I do for you?"
"You can stop sounding stupid," came the reply.
Immediately, Takuya switched to the speakerphone. "YOU DORK, I DO NOT SOUND STUPID! I was expecting some other idiot to call, but you're still an idiot, bandana brain. How's Hawaii?"
Hideki looked away from his glaring at Shinya, who was still holding onto Rai's arm. "Eh? Twerp two? Wait! Is Kako there?" he yelled, racing towards the phone.
"It's on speaker," Takuya muttered, "You don't need to yell." He looked at Ms. Kawai with an eyebrow raised. In turn, she let out an exasperated sigh. "Tell Kako and Kouichi we all say hi," Takuya added.
Kouji was silent for a while. "Right...are you all there?" he asked.
"Um...yeah, actually, we are."
"Oh...say...uh, Takuya, how's everyth-"
Hideki pushed Takuya out of the way. "Hold it twerp two! Can you get Ichiro to come over?" he asked, one hand covering the goggle boy's mouth.
Angrily, Takuya bit Hideki's hand, pushed the young man away, and began coughing and spitting. He quickly ran to the bathroom, and everyone shook their heads.
"Do I want to know what's going on there?"
Gazing distastefully in Hideki's direction, Rai answered, "No...not really."
"Right...ah, whatever...I'll get Ichiro in half an hour," Kouji returned.
"GET HIM NOW!" Takuya screamed, racing back into the room.
"Why?"
Takuya shrugged and looking at Hideki. "Why?" he asked dumbly.
Biting back a retort, Hideki sat down in the empty chair by the computer. "Because," he said aloud, trying not to growl, "Ichiro's the one who can tell us the damn thing!"
"You mean pr-" Takuya started. He was unable to finish when Hideki 'accidentally' ran over his foot with a chair.
"Thing?" Kouji repeated.
"Yes, thing. Take your time, just make sure he calls us! Or you know what, we'll call his cell! Thanks anyway, twerp two!" Hideki said quickly before turning the speakerphone off.
Everyone stared at Hideki in disbelief. Clenching her fists Izumi yelled, "I didn't even get to ask him how the mall was!"
"Izumi...Kouji doesn't pay attention to those things..." Takuya murmured, patting her back.
"Whatever," Hideki said, rising to his feet with the phone in hand. He quickly dialed a number and pressed the phone to his ears. "Come on, pick up..." Nervously, Hideki bit his lower lip. After a few seconds of intense waiting, Hideki let out a yell, threw the phone down, and put on the speakerphone. "ICHIRO, I WIN! YOU OWE ME TWENTY!" he yelled triumphantly.
Rai twitched, but said nothing. Under his breath, Shinya mumbled something in disbelief. Aloud, Takuya told his brother, "Shinya, this is Hideki. He'd obviously do something stupid like that."
The younger Kanbara nodded and pointed to Rai. "Yeah, but still, she's right here!"
"Sakai, shut your trap, would you?" came the annoyed voice from the speaker. Ichiro cleared his throat. "Hi, Rai. I know you're there. Forgive Hideki, I pressured him into it. Say, how about a date sometime when-"
Wide-eyed, Hideki screamed, "STOP FLIRTING WITH HER, SHE'S MINE YOU TRAITOR!"
The blond haired girl rolled her eyes. "Ichiro, is it?" Izumi asked aloud so her voice would travel to the receiver.
Ichiro whistled. Laughing, he declared, "Wow, I hear an ang-"
"Don't finish that, Ichiro," Rai and Hideki warned the man on the other end.
Reddening, Izumi muttered, "Takuya..."
The goggle boy inclined his head. He silenced everyone with a wild wave of his hand and then turned to the phone. "What is the prophecy?" Takuya demanded.
Ichiro was silent for a while. After a sigh, he gave in. "Listen, and listen close. Don't go blabbing this out to anyone else, got it? Alright...this happened far before the ten legendary warriors or Lucemon..."
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"It's over so fast...the day, I mean."
"Is it?" Kouichi laced his fingers behind his head. He lay down on the sand with his eyes closed, catching the warm rays of the fading sun.
Kako sat beside him, gazing towards the horizon. They were well away from the water, and Piximon lay asleep, between the two. "He'll be the best digimon trainer ever," Kako vowed quietly.
Surprised, the boy tilted his head in her direction. "He? Piximon?" Kouichi asked. His upper body lifted slightly.
The girl nodded. A gentle breeze brushed past. Turning to Kouichi, Kako murmured, "Piximon's perfect for the job. But...that's besides the point. Kouichi, why did you come here...?" A small frown on her face, Kako lay back on the ground, still staring at Kouichi. Her hands reached for Piximon, bringing the digimon into an almost childish embrace, as one would hug a teddy bear.
Feeling slightly uncomfortable, Kouichi turned his back to Kako. "I..." he started. "I'm sorry, I really am." He whirled onto his other side, facing Kako with pleading eyes. "Please, Kako, understand, it's not that I didn't trust you, I did! I...I don't know...Duskmon wanted me to come, and a part of me did, too. And y-I mean, Hideki-"
"Quiet," Kako commanded, pressing a finger to his lips. Her heart quickened its pace at the touch. Placing Piximon behind her and sitting up, Kako told Kouichi, "You're starting to stutter." Her face quickly turned away from him.
Sitting up as well, Kouichi let out a sigh. "Kako, I-"
She shook her head. In a firm voice, Kako told him, "Please, don't try to explain." When he opened his mouth again, she looked at him, regarding him with eyes filled with amusement. "Kouichi, shut up," the girl laughed.
Laughing. She's laughing...? Confused, Kouichi reached over Kako, yanking her backpack over. He opened it slowly and took out the diary. "Kako...read a bit more, would you?" asked Kouichi somewhat hesitantly. He knew he couldn't push her, but the amount he wished to tell her couldn't be told if she wouldn't read the diary.
Immediately, the smile on Kako's face was replaced with a look of sorrow. She was ready to protest; he could tell as she looked at him, mouth open. Kako chose otherwise and took the book in her hands, opening it.
"Please...read it to yourself," Kouichi murmured, lying back down on the sand. Please, understand.
Kako was trembling as her hands pried open the book. The pages were blank, then she found the letters shining brightly in her eyes. Startled, Kako began to panic, struggling with the jacket that had been thrown upon her.
Chuckling lightly, Kouichi pulled it off and smiled at her. "Hey, remember? It's got to be slightly dark," he told her, handing Kako the jacket.
She took it in her hands and placed it slightly over her head and over the book. In a bare whisper, Kako said, "Right. Dark..." and trailed off as she began to read.
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'The Prophecy:
'It's been done. I have discovered through intensive research the origin behind the tree. They believe it's simply a miracle, just as they find all those rocks and other random debris to be from space or from the past. It is from the past, true. It is from the past of the Digital World.
'The tree serves as a gate between the dimensions. It wasn't long before Harumi and I discovered the true meaning of the so-called "runes" on the tree. It is an ancient language of the Digital World, from far before the origin of Lucemon. It is as old as the Chaos itself, and takes its origin there. It goes as follows:
"What was once pure will become corrupt. The corrupt will return to their former selves. Darkness and Light will separate and take opposite sides. Ancient evils will arise twice more from this day, nothing in comparison to the evil to come.
"A battle will be set, well known to all. Fire, Wind, Water, Ice, Thunder, Earth, Wood, Steel, and Darkness will combine. Should Light not join, Chaos will swallow all. Worlds will cease to exist, and terrible wars will erupt.
"With the aid of Light, all will return normal. Sides will be distinguishable and the battle easily won."
'Everything else is smeared, faint, unreadable. Speaking of unreadable, Harumi came up to me today. "Marise," she told me, "you're a horrible husband." Perhaps it is because I haven't spent that much time at home? Hawaii was a long trip, though. I suppose wives know the best, however strange they are.'
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"...and that's the prophecy according to Marise," Ichiro told them.
Aloud, Takuya thought, "That was it...? It's short!" He then added a good-natured joke, "Just like the krill." Takuya grinned at his younger brother and waved a dismissive hand and the angry tongue sticking out at him.
Ichiro laughed, "Yeah, it is short. Mr. S said it was short because it was, 'Well written, well prophesized and well spaced.' Not in that order, of course. Well...Ryu's here...uh...uh oh. Um, Hideki, talk to you later-"
"NO!" Tomoki shouted. "Wait! I have to ask you about the page in Bokomon's book!" Desperately, he made a grab for the speakerphone.
Amidst all the chaos that began to form, Hideki picked up the phone and turned it on, ending the speakerphone line. "Hey Ichiro, you've reached the Kanbara residence, housing the great star Hideki Sakai. Please call back any time," Hideki said in his most automatic message sounding voice.
"Oh, cool, it's Hideki!" Hideki froze. "Did you know Kako's going out with that...that guy?" the younger voice on the other side of the line asked.
Stuttering, Hideki answered, "Y-yeah...twerp one...hey, Ryu, how's life been...?" Give it back to your brother, you twerp, Hideki thought menacingly.
Out of despair, Ryu screamed, "YOU MEAN YOU LET HER DATE HIM?"
Yes, you unworthy twerp. "Yes," Hideki answered in a bored voice.
"Hey, are you going out with Rai?"
It's coming, Hideki realized, shooting Rai a look. She was too busy talking and laughing with Shinya. "Oh, yes. We're madly in love. Passionately. Much like Kako and Kouichi. Yeah, they've got major plans ahead of them," Hideki commented aloud. He wondered just how far he should lead the boy.
"R-Really...? Kako and-"
At that point, Ryuusei was cut off by an annoyed Ichiro. The older of the Egawas muttered, "Ryu, if you don't shut up, I'll tell Kouichi about that time when you were surfing." The threat shut his brother up with a squeak.
Unfortunately, it had also gotten Hideki's attention. "Hey, what happened then?" Hideki demanded.
"Nothing much, tell Rai I said hi, later Hideki!" Ichiro said quickly before hanging up.
Angrily, Hideki screamed at the dead line, "YOU DIDN'T KEEP YOUR PROMISE!" He slammed the phone down on the receiver and cursed quietly to himself.
Rai turned to Hideki, eyeing him curiously. "Promise?" she repeated, eyebrow raised. There was no hint of emotion on her face, but Hideki was sure if he said the wrong thing, she'd erupt far worse than any long dormant volcano.
He started off with a nod. Take it slow, he told himself. "See, I called Ichiro last night and we agreed he'd tell them who was his digimon shadow," Hideki told her, "but he didn't, so he owes me twenty dollars because I remembered to call him and another five because he didn't say." He winced and prepared for a hit of any kind.
Embarrassed, Rai looked at the ceiling. She was silent and for some reason Hideki could not comprehend, she looked guilty. He was about to ask when she murmured, "I thought...you were betting money on me like last time..."
"If you don't remember, last time you beat me to near-death," Hideki told her pointedly, taking a seat beside her and glaring at Shinya.
The little boy stuck his tongue out. Ignoring Hideki's growl, Shinya yelled, "Takuya! Ichiro already hung up. You guys can stop fighting, you know." He smiled in the direction of his brother, who was wrestling the book from Tomoki and Junpei's grasp. Izumi stood to the side, arms folded and head shaking side to side in disbelief.
Clearing his throat and smoothing down his shirt, Takuya muttered, "Right." He readjusted his goggles that had been knocked askew. "So...the prophecy is that short. And we've got to worry about us going to the evil side...?" he asked.
"No-" Rai started.
Bowing her head slightly, Izumi sighed. "And poor Kouji's going to have to deal with us. Wow, that's sad," murmured the girl, brushing her hair out of her eyes.
Rai opened her mouth again, this time cut off by Junpei.
Junpei declared, "Tie me to a tree. Kouji's going to pummel me if I do something wrong." He tried to stand straight, but found himself sinking lower and lower to the ground.
Angrily standing up and pushing Shinya forward a step, Rai snapped, "Would you all be quiet?" A quick silence ensued, and all eyes were focused on her. "Thank you. Now that isn't what the prophecy means, numbskulls!" she continued.
Takuya's jaw dropped. "It doesn't?"
Tomoki shook his head and mumbled a quick, "No." When everyone looked at him, Tomoki looked to Rai for permission. She nodded and he drew a breath. "It says that everything is pretty much dependent on Light. If Light does this, this will happen. If Light does that, that will happen. It's not that we're joining Lucemon. Kouichi's Darkness, remember? It's Kouji that we have to worry about, not ourselves," Tomoki told them.
Several more jaw drops took place, first Hideki, Junpei, then Shinya. The youngest boy then screamed, "I knew he couldn't be trusted!"
"I think...it's more of a separation of...I can't explain..." Frustrated, Tomoki let out a sigh and gazed up at the ceiling. "It's just...think about it. Of all of us, only Kouji hasn't gotten his spirit or D-Tector."
"Yeah...true," Takuya murmured.
The others seemed to slowly understand it. "So it's just that kind of separation?" inquired Junpei. Nothing else...? Kouji's probably the worst person to make an enemy of, he thought, shivering at the mental image.
Letting out a sigh, Takuya pointed to his brother. Letting the hand drop to his side, he opened his mouth, but nothing came out. "W-well, what do we do about Shinya, now? Tie him to the bed?" the boy suggested.
Shinya squeaked, tightening his hold on Rai. Hideki barely managed to suppress a growl. "No," Rai murmured, patting Shinya's head, "We just need to keep a watch on him at all times. He can't be around any computer for more than an hour. Okay?" She looked around and waited for a confirmation.
"Got it!" everyone returned enthusiastically. Soon, they were filing out of the door.
"Yeah, I've got to check if the prophecy matches with this last page," Tomoki admitted, waving to Takuya and walking out.
Junpei followed, claiming he had to clean the garage. Hideki and Rai left, too, and Takuya didn't want to hear their excuse. Izumi was the last to leave. She waved to Takuya and said, "Make sure you watch him, okay? I'll help you out tomorrow. Bye, Shinya!"
Smiling, Shinya waved and watched them all leave before turning to his older brother. "Say, Takuya..." he murmured, suddenly turning serious. "Am I...becoming evil...?"
Takuya, who had been spacing out for the past few seconds, turned to his brother and shook his head furiously. "No way, no how!" the older boy swore. He quickly removed his goggles and slipped them over Shinya's head, adjusting the straps to further secure them. Almost growling, Takuya ordered, "Keep this for me. Safe. Promise?" His eyes bore into Shinya's.
Shinya was surprised, running his fingers over the goggles with awe. "R-really...?" he asked in a soft voice. Takuya nodded. Without warning, Shinya threw his arms around his brother.
No more was said. Takuya let out a tired sigh, allowing one hand to fall onto his brother's head. Agunimon, he thought, gazing up at the digimon behind Shinya, make sure...if I'm not there...that he's safe. No matter what. I guess we have to switch from one mission to another.
Such is the way of heroes, Agunimon returned. The two smiled and Takuya's eyes slipped shut.
Right. Such is the way of heroes.
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Kako shut the diary, pushed the jacket off, and gazed at Kouichi. Hawaii. A tree...? "Hey, Kouichi, do you want to go for a walk?" Kako asked automatically before she had any time to think. She quickly placed the book in her bag and picked Piximon up.
"Why not?" Kouichi shrugged. He picked up his jacket and put it on.
The girl rose to her feet and slung her backpack on her shoulder. Where...would it be? She wondered, a tree like that would be in a forest and there's a forest...
"That way!" she finally decided, pointing towards a clump of green in the distance.
Kouichi peered into the distance, one hand raised above his eyes to shield them from the sun. In a murmur, he told her, "Seems like a long walk. How about..." He trailed off, seeming to be having an internal argument with himself.
Confused, she looked in his direction. "How about what?" Kako asked.
In a brisk pace, Kouichi walked towards a deserted alleyway between two restaurants, grabbing a hold of Kako's hand as he did. He grinned at her and brought out his D-Tector. Lowemon. "Beast Spirit Evolution," Kouichi muttered, smiling broadly.
With a yelp, Kako jumped back.
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They arrived at the edge of the forest in a matter of minutes at which point Kouichi dedigivolved. Kako stumbled around for a while, eyes wide. "That...was...so awesome," she mumbled in disbelief, stopping herself by placing a hand on a tree.
"Well let's go," Kouichi murmured, looking around the forest. "Uh...wherever we're going." He looked to Kako for information.
She shrugged. Trying to sound casual, Kako suggested, "How about...we...just wander around, you know? Without the getting lost part. I could do without that." As she said that, she nervously seized his arm. No getting lost...no getting lost, she repeated to herself for reassurance. In a few words, she was panicking.
Seeming to notice this, Kouichi brushed her off and took a good look at her. "Kako," he murmured, "we won't get lost." He pointed to Piximon and continued, "If we do, Piximon can fly and scout us out of here. And I'm sure KaiserLeomon can charge out of this place and I'm sure, if all else fails, Duskmon'll come in real handy!" He laughed when Kako cringed. Wordlessly, he walked into the forest, stopping after a few steps and motioning for her to follow. No words were needed to be exchanged to show the obvious fun Kouichi was already having.
However much fun Kouichi was having was twice the terror Kako was suffering. The thoughts of giant tarantulas or slimy bugs, even exotic, ferocious animals scared her out of her wits. They had walked for about thirty minutes before Kako decided a change was in order. "M-maybe we should go back," she stuttered, clinging tightly to Kouichi's arm as a nearby bush rustled due to the wind. Her imagination was running far wilder than she had wanted it to. What if there's a panther? No, slime molds? Ew...mold...I'm allergic to mold! I might die! AND WHAT ABOUT THE BUGS? The girl whimpered and shut her eyes as they continued to advance deeper into the forest. For the most part, she was squeezing Piximon in her other arm.
"Don't worry," Kouichi murmured, stopping in his tracks. Squinting, he peered ahead and half smiled. That light ahead...kind of reminds me of...that. He curiously stepped forward again, but was held back by Kako before anything else could happen. Desperately, Kouichi wriggled his arm in her grasp, trying to reassure Kako by saying, "Come on, it's just a whole bunch of trees. Kako, nothing's going to happen. Please, can we just go look ahead?" He looked at her with pleading eyes.
But...but...I, Kako thought, turning towards the direction Kouichi was heading in, I-oh...hey, what's that light? Immediately, she let go of his arm and dashed ahead without him.
Startled, Kouichi raced after her. What is it with her? She didn't want to go a second ago! "Wait for me!" he yelled, skidding to a stop a few feet ahead of her and in front of an almost glowing tree. Sunlight filtered down between the spaces of it's branches. It was only now that Kouichi began to notice that, for the past few minutes, all they had been walking past were bushes. His heart skipped a beat. Like the Village of Beginnings! Curiously, he approached the bush closest to the tree, spotting something on it.
In the meantime, Kako stood with her head tilted up, admiring the long stretching branches of the tree. Only where the branches ended did another tree stand. Underneath it's canopy, all were bushes. There was fidgeting in her arms. "Kako...I sense something important, yup yup!" Piximon mumbled with conviction, yet somewhat tiredly. He batted Kako's arms away and flew towards the tree, resting on the lower branches.
"Kako! Over here!"
Snapping out of her awe-filled daze, Kako walked over to Kouichi's side. Kouichi was kneeled by the bush, and his hands were supporting something. "What...is that?" Kako murmured. "It's like Piximon's digi-egg, only..."
Kouichi looked up at Kako with a gentle, but amused, smile. "Hey, you knew about this place, didn't you?" he asked her, withdrawing his hands from the egg and falling back on the forest ground.
She looked at her feet. There was a quiet voice that answered, something that Kako found completely unlike her, that said, "Uh, yeah. I..." She trailed off and walked towards the tree, feeling almost inferior as she observed it in greater detail.
The tree trunk itself could fit more than ten clones of Kako in the ring, or so the girl assumed. She guessed even more. The lowest branch, which Piximon was currently sitting on, was at least twenty-five feet above the ground. Instead of sparse grass, the area around the tree was surrounded by a lush field that stopped at the radius of ten feet. Kako couldn't determine the full height, but from the looks of it, it was more grown out than up; it had hardly stood apart from the rest of the forest when she looked at it from the distance.
But then, she realized, that guy did say that it was a gate between the dimensions, so technically it could be that the full height is partially hidden...? Kako turned to Kouichi and walked over to him. "There," she murmured, pointing to the area on the tree trunk just above her head. "That's the prophecy." She threw her backpack on the ground, kneeled down and pulled out the diary. Quickly scooting beside him, Kako opened the book to relocate the prophecy page. She found it, but all that remained of the entry was the prophecy. The notes before and after that had disappeared.
Kouichi quickly skimmed the page. Whatever smile that had been on his face prior to the reading had now disappeared. Quietly, he rose to his feet and regarded the egg. Then, sitting back down, he grabbed a hold of the book lightly, so Kako was still holding on, and flipped through some more pages until they came across more writing that was barely visible, despite the bright light.
'Shibuya.
'I've discovered something very interesting. The train station at Shibuya can be used as a gate. Perhaps, sometimes later, it will be used. It's potential as a gate, however, is weak. I cannot guarantee that it will last long after the first use.'
Surprised, Kako turned towards him. "S-some of the writing...wasn't here...it...I don't understand," she blurted, staring at him, wide-eyed.
For a while, Kouichi was silent. He continued to flip through the pages, but most were blank. Finally, he told her, "You're only meant to read what was written for you. Probably the only person who would be able to read all of the diary are Marise Saito himself and..." Your mother, Kouichi thought to himself to complete his sentence. Instead of saying anything more, Kouichi fell silent and read the next entry he came across, this time aloud so only Kako could hear. "'I have finished the last of my series. Hopefully it will be as he expected. I cannot say. As of one minute ago, it has started. In the next minute, all will end. This will be no more. Good day, good night. And yet, I shall never really leave.' Oh, holy digimon," Kouichi suddenly uttered, slamming the book shut with horror filling his eyes. The last sentences replayed themselves in his mind.
'Harumi, without you, it seems all my ills have come back tenfold stronger than they had originally been. This writing, unfortunately, is bloodstained, but as none but a select few will read it, all is well. Even with this last gasp, I cannot die. Cursed to watch you die, cursed to watch me die, cursed to watch the world fall apart. When he reads this, he will be by our tree. I can only hope that he is willing-'
And it lay cut off, blood stained, unfinished. Kouichi gazed at the egg on the bush. "A-alright," he breathed, "what should we do with the egg?" He looked to Kako, who was searching through the book for the page he had read. She hadn't been paying attention to the book so much as the tree when he had been reading.
"Uh...why don't we just leave it?" Kako finally murmured, shutting the book and placing it in her bag.
Without warning, Piximon swooped down, plucking the egg off the bush and shoving it in the backpack before Kako could close it. As Kako opened her mouth to protest, Piximon hit her over the head. "Quiet! Yup yup, you must take it! Tell no one or you'll regret it!" he warned them in a low voice, closing the backpack with some difficulty.
Kako shrugged and Kouichi understood. A few seconds later, footsteps were heard, and Kouichi spotted his brother among the bushes further away. While trying to get up and put on her backpack, Kako tripped over her feet and fell on Kouichi just as Kouji walked up to them. Trying to get Kako off of him, Kouichi stuttered, "Kouji! W-what are you doing here? How did you get here, too?"
The younger twin regarded the two with interest. Both hands, which had been shoved into his pockets, were held up in front of him defensively. "The tour bus. I was bored. Did I interrupt a moment?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow.
There were looks of innocence on everyone's face, save Kouji's (which was more amused than accusing). "A moment?" Kako repeated, faking an innocent tone.
It took Kouichi several seconds before the meaning sunk in. Turning red, he exclaimed, "A-a moment? What are you talking about? I-she-you think-I-WE-NO!" As Kako stood up, Kouichi scrambled to his feet and turned away from everyone.
Ooh, Kouichi's good at acting. Well that saved us the trouble, thought the girl, waving to Kouji absentmindedly. "So there's a tour bus that heads this way?"
"Yeah, past the forest edge. I...read about it somewhere," Kouji murmured. Nothing's going to get done. I might as well head back. "Uh...we should go back, huh? Dinner's in...a while," he murmured.
Furiously, Kouichi nodded, pushing Kako forward. "Right, dinner, let's go, bye," he blurted, pushing Kako forward, then, when she walked herself, pushing Kouji. Piximon flew ahead, humming happily to himself, but it didn't take a genius to tell he was warily watching Kako's bag.
From the forest edge, getting home with the direction of Kouji (while not as exhilarating as a ride on KaiserLeomon) was just as quick.
It was half an hour before dinner when they arrived home, tired and weary from the detours they had gone through at the forest (several times, Kako had led them the wrong way, insisting it was the right way). For the rest of the hour, the three sat on the couch, staring blankly at the TV. Only Kouichi was paying attention, watching the news. Piximon was in Kako's room, 'guarding' the bag, fast asleep.
Dinner, extravagantly prepared, was interesting to say at the least. From the moment Mr. Aizawa walked through the door, Kouji was sure something was going to be wrong. It was when Ichiro and Ryuusei followed that he knew for sure something was going to be wrong. He was ready to voice his concerns to Kouichi, but found that the older boy was completely calm, nodding politely in the direction of Ryuusei. What did I miss? Grumpily, Kouji took his seat between his father and Kouichi.
The food was great; everyone agreed with that, much to Satomi's delight. It was the matter that they ate in that was almost disturbing, Kouji realized. Ichiro, Kouichi, and Mr. Aizawa ate like nothing was going on, Ryuusei glared at Kouji, and many times, Kouichi while eating, Kousei watched the previously mentioned trio eat great amounts of food, Satomi asked Kako how the food was when the girl began picking at her food, then asked Kouji when he began to do the same thing.
After a very eventful dinner, they all sat in the living room, Mr. Minamoto, Ichiro and Mr. Aizawa standing, Kako and the twins on one couch, Mrs. Minamoto in the armchair and Ryuusei in another, arms folded grumpily as he glared in the direction of the twins.
"So..." Kako murmured, gazing nervously in front of her. Don't look at any of them. It's like...like Medusa! Only they aren't girls...
Ichiro snapped his fingers and pointed at Kako. "Hideki called me today!" he recalled aloud. "Come over tomorrow, would you? And if you call Hideki sometime soon, tell him that I don't owe him anything, because I refuse to-...no, don't call him. Just come over. Oh, and if you call Rai, tell her I said hi, okay?"
Kako smiled. "Okay," she replied, nodding once before tilting her head towards Kouichi.
At that point, Ryuusei rose to his feet and stormed out of the house. Letting out an exasperated sigh, Ichiro muttered, "Please excuse my dear brother Ryuusei. He has no manners. Please also excuse us for intruding upon your night, which should have been completely trouble free today. To make things easier, please excuse me..." He trailed off, and with a quick bow, turned towards the door. "Thanks for dinner, Mrs. Minamoto. It was lovely," he told Satomi with an honest expression before waving to them all and walking out the door.
Mr. Aizawa and Mr. Minamoto were engrossed in a conversation of their own. More tired than happy, Satomi fell asleep in the armchair. Between the twins, Kako soon found herself doing the same, resting her head on Kouichi's shoulder. Kouichi's gaze was almost childishly focused on his father, and Kouji's on his brother.
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The entire day seemed so spontaneous, so random, Kouji realized as he sat down in front of the laptop, staring blankly at the screen. Kouichi walked into the room, yawning. "Hey...you got any extra blankets...?" Kouichi mumbled.
Kouji pointed towards the closet, his eyes never leaving the screen. The older twin made for the closets, pulling out the sheets and dragging them onto the floor. Without another word, he plopped down on top of them. Surprised, Kouji looked at his brother. "Wait, what-" After several seconds, Kouji scowled and stood up. "Take the bed, idiot!" he snapped.
"No...I'm too tired to move, anyway."
"I'm not going to be sleeping for a long time," Kouji told him. He motioned to the laptop to prove his point.
Kouichi shrugged.
Now annoyed, Kouji muttered, "Kouichi, if you don't sleep on the bed, I will throw you out of the room." He growled the last part to emphasize his point.
Again, Kouichi shrugged.
Kouji twitched.
Kouichi shrugged.
Another twitch.
A stare.
The younger twin stood up.
Kouichi shut his eyes as he yawned.
There was a sharp yank of the blankets from under him that sent Kouichi sprawling out the door. "AND STAY OUT, WOULD YOU?" Kouji snapped, throwing the blankets out after his brother. Cursing loudly, he shut the door.
Twice in a day...keeps the doctor away? Kouichi let out a nervous laugh and rose to his feet.
That was lame, Kouichi, Duskmon told him, appearing beside the boy. I'll-oh, her. Fine, I'll bug you later.
Kouichi barely had any time to react before Duskmon disappeared a second later. He found Kako in front of him, regarding him with a strange look on her face. "Kouji kicked me out," he explained.
Rolling her eyes, Kako motioned to her room. "So sleep in there," she muttered.
For a while, Kouichi was silent. "Uh...as long as you won't kick me out because I'm sleeping on the floor," he said cautiously.
Kako frowned. Reluctantly, she opened her door and muttered, "Okay...I guess." It's your room, anyway, in all technicalities, Kouichi. Why are you being so guest-ish? She plopped down on the bed, watching as Kouichi spread the blankets and lay down. "Duskmon's here."
"Yeah..." Kouichi shut his eyes, trying to battle and submit to the sleep that overcame him.
"It was a statement."
"I know."
Rolling onto her stomach, Kako looked over at Kouichi from the edge of the bed. "So..." she murmured, "today was weird."
"I agree."
"You could say more."
Nodding, Kouichi admitted, "I could."
"And you don't want to...?"
"I guess..."
"I'll make you."
"Just try."
"I'm going to tell Kouji-"
"You wouldn't."
Kako stopped, realizing she needed to be slightly cleverer in the game. Smiling, she sang, "I can make you say one word."
His eyes opened, revealing his amusement. "Can you?" Kouichi inquired, chuckling as her face contorted with fury.
"I can make you say three words," Kako tried.
"Oh, really?"
"AHA! See! You said one word!"
"'Oh' counts."
"NO, it doesn't!"
"It does."
"Does not!"
"Does, does," Kouichi taunted, raising a finger to poke Kako's nose.
The girl squirmed back. "Grah! Jerk!"
"Admit defeat?"
"Fine, fine..."
"Game over."
Kako made a face. "Will you stop now?" she groaned.
Laughing, Kouichi nodded. "So...what was that all about?" he asked, suddenly becoming serious.
The girl fell silent, lying down on her bed and pulling the covers towards her chin. "What do you mean...?" Although she asked, Kako knew exactly what he was talking about. When he sat up and looked at her, Kako murmured, "I...was curious, that's all. Um, Kouichi?"
"Yeah?"
"How did this guy know my mother?" Kako asked quietly.
It was Kouichi's turn to fall silent. He lay back down against the blankets. "I..." he started, but quickly stopped himself. "I can't tell you, Kako. I can't lie, either. It's for you to...to find out another day," he said at last, turning his back to her.
That was the last time they spoke for the night. For the rest of the hours, Kouichi fell asleep to hearing his breathing, Kako's sighs and mumbles, and across the hall in Kouji's room, the tapping of fingers on a keyboard.
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A/N-
Well, it's a longer chapter, but long is nothing compared to it's quality. The action seemed cut short. And...it twisted into something else I can't take out. Entire message went well with the title (for once). Boring. I did something right. Cool! Yes, more action next chapter.
Thank you for the reviews! It's good to hear from all of you (especially after chapters of absence)-GemmaniGirl, The Light's Refrain, Snowy Leopardess, Winter's Light
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