Frontier 02: Rebirthing – Chapter 31: Pushing Me Away
madjack89: Hi guys! Itachi's here today to help us with a little…issue concerning evil Kouichi.
Itachi: Madjack is afraid that Madara is going to invade her story, so she called me in order to help her set up a "Madara shield."
madjack89: He'll probably hop in and steal Kouichi and Nina if I don't take these precautions!
Kouichi: Nina says she wouldn't be stolen by Madara.
madjack89: And now Nina wants to run away with the guy! Argh!
Takuya: You know this is all your fault, right?
madjack89: …Choose your next words carefully, for they could be your last, Taki.
Takuya: *grows pale* Uh…never mind…
madjack89: That's what I thought you said.
Itachi: Perhaps you should answer reviews now.
madjack89: Good idea.
-
DigiBleach: (Itachi: In all honesty, he's freaking me out a little bit too.) No kidding. Hey Kouji, here's a helpful book! (Kouji: *looks at book title* I hate the world!) Aw, don't be like that! Anyway, thanks for the review!
apapa155: Well, you see, all the other rooms were filled, so I had to stick Allen in the closet. I've been feeding him though! Yay! Though I think I freaked JP out…anyway, Eva, I know you're mad, but I need Nina to stick around for more plot development, okay? Alright, thanks for reviewing!
Dawn of Glory: I don't know if this is just me, but Naruto's voice doesn't really bother me. It's just his voice. But who cares what I think? (lol) Anyway, I'm still mad at Sasuke, so I don't think he's very emo-licious, but whatever. I love Kyon's Crispin Freemanness! Kya! Wow, fangirl moment. Alright, thanks for reviewing! And stop taking all the credit, Kouji! (Kouji: *glares*)
TobiGB: Back Madara, back! *gets behind Itachi* Shield! Shield! (Itachi: *rolls eyes*) Uh, anyway, thanks for reviewing, GB!
GoldenDragon326: Itachi, block the plot holes so no one can mess with the plot! (Itachi: Okay.) Sorry, but I can't have anyone doing anything to Nina since she's so integral to future events. (Zoe: Damn it. *puts bazooka away*) Don't worry about Kouichi though, he'll be fine. (JP: Will he?) Stop questioning me! Okay, thanks for reviewing!
Aldamonburst: Aw, thank you Kaito! And you can call me Madjoke if you like since you're so cute! (I'm a sucker for cute things.) Thanks for reviewing! Cupcakes!
garnettfox: Dragramon, get out here! (Dragramon: No! *munching on crisps*) You'll finally get a fight sequence if you come out. (Dragramon: …Fine.) Yup, that's right, Dragramon's finally gonna Digivolve next chapter! Yay! Alright, thanks for reviewing!
(Nina: Uh, I don't think I want to crawl under a dust-bunny laden bed.) Wow, the fall out shelter works!
61wisampa: El apocalipsis! (Español!) Yeah, the point of this arc is basically to flip everything upside down so that everything can be resolved! How it gets resolved remains to be seen…anyway, thanks for reviewing!
beybladeingninjaprincess: Yay music puns! No, don't kill me evil Kouichi! If you do, you'll never get to kill Kouji! (Kouichi: Good point.) Alright, thanks for reviewing!
x3AnimeLuver: Aw, sorry about the solos and auditions and tsunamis! And I'm all good now! When next I get flamed, I shall be better prepared! (With the bazooka…) Anyway, thanks for reviewing!
13wolfsbane: Aw, that's cute! But don't worry Yin, your secret's safe with me! And don't be hatin' on Kouichi, just hate evil Kouichi! Yay! Alright, thanks for reviewing!
Shadowfox94: Cookie bonanza! (Dai: …I love you, Shadowfox94.) Yay! (Kouichi: I'm not going to bother getting revenge on Madjack. I honestly don't really care what she's done.) Well, there's something both Kouichis have in common! Okay, thank you for the gracious review!
fg1fg: Yay for evilness! I like both dubs and subs, I just tend to watch dubs more often. Wow, that is something Nina would say. But then, of course, she'd ruin the moment by giggling or dancing. (Nina: Tee hee!) Anyway, thanks for reviewing!
RandomPersonOfDoom: DOOOOOOOOOOOMED! (I feel like I'm in Invader Zim now!) Thanks for reviewing!
KeikoTakishita: Yay, Taru has a new fan and I have a new reviewer! (Hotaru: Um, thank you.) I'm glad you like the OCs! I try very hard to make them good and interesting! Alright, thank you for the review!
twilight'sfury hexer: It's all good! I've been having computer problems myself, so it's no big deal! I'd also never kill Tommy because he's in the prime of life! (Then again, so are the others…) Anyway, I think everybody's gonna be a little shocked by the evilness of evil Kouichi! *lightening crashes ominously* Alright, thanks for reviewing! (BTW, you got it right, it is Tomoyo!)
-
madjack89: Alright, time to start the chapter!
JP: Wait a second, where's Shino?
Kouichi: He ran away because he didn't want to face any of us after what happened last chapter and has probably already been kidnapped by Madara outside the shield and will most likely be used as a hostage in order to get Madara what he wants, a.k.a. me and Nina.
madjack89: …I liked you better when you weren't evil!
Kouichi: Heh…
madjack89: Okay, while I sort this situation out, enjoy chapter 31!
—
Masumon's eyes opened slowly, revealing an empty cavern. She proceeded to sit up, yawning and stretching groggily as she recalled the events of the previous day.
She'd finally been rescued from her sister's clutches. Her torture had come to an end! And the Legendary Warriors had indeed returned to halt Ilsemon's crazy resurrection plans! However, one of the Legendary Warriors in particular was beginning to worry her: Kouji.
She'd found him last night in the cavern she was currently in, sobbing uncontrollably. So, she'd done the only thing she could think to do and stayed with him, trying to comfort him. He'd fallen asleep at some point and eventually, she had too. Now, however, Kouji was gone.
"He must have left before I woke up," Masumon muttered to herself. "I wonder what was wrong…"
Masumon had already picked up on Kouji's reluctance to admit his feelings and therefore hadn't asked why he'd been upset. That didn't stop her from wondering, though. And then, of course, there was his odd behavior in general.
One minute, he'd be distant and cold, then the next he'd be all over Masumon asking if she was alright. He always seemed to be staring off into space with this tortured look on his face. Masumon could tell from his friends' reactions that this melancholic behavior wasn't Kouji's norm, so what in the world was wrong with him? Maybe Ilsemon did something to upset him…or maybe I…
Masumon shook her head, erasing this thought. What could she have done in so short a time? She couldn't recall doing or saying anything bad to him. Then again, she'd noticed several times a pained expression cross Kouji's face when he looked at her…
Suddenly, Masumon was on her knees, trembling from the overwhelming nausea sweeping through her frame. When she managed to think of something other than pain, she remembered the strange feeling she'd had yesterday around one of the Legendary Warriors…a darkness…
Masumon gasped, recognition crossing her features. "Kouichi!"
—
"Guys, Zoe and Shino just left the tunnels and went topside!" Kouichi exclaimed, rushing into the cavern occupied by the rest of the gang.
"What?" Takuya said, shocked that Zoe would do that after what happened last time.
"Doesn't she ever learn?" JP added exasperatedly. "Why didn't you just stop them when you saw them, anyway?"
"Nothing can stop Zoe once she's made up her mind," Kouichi explained flatly, rolling his eyes.
The others sighed, knowing this to be true. "Alright, let's go get Zoe before she gets herself AND Shino killed," Takuya stated. However, instead of leading the way out, he gestured for the rest of the gang to leave ahead of him. Taking the cue, the others left, though Kira, Dai, and Hotaru all avoided eye contact with Kouichi. Kouji didn't move an inch, head lowered.
Once the others, sans the twins, were gone, Takuya turned to Kouichi. "Hey, are you…okay?" he asked tentatively. "Last night, you seemed a little…"
"I'm sorry you had to see me like that, Takuya," Kouichi apologized suddenly, smiling sheepishly. "I was upset, and I took it out on you. But don't worry, I am definitely okay now."
Somehow, Kouichi seemed a little TOO fine to Takuya, but he decided it was best not to mention this. Instead, he muttered, "Well, if you're sure," and exited the cavern.
"I'm sure," Kouichi said to himself, smirking slightly. Before he followed Takuya, though, he turned to Kouji, who still hadn't moved.
Kouji flinched, feeling Kouichi's gaze locked on him. He couldn't look up, paralyzed by fear. He didn't want to see the look of hatred that was surely trained on him at that very moment. He couldn't…
"You coming, Ototo-chan?" Kouji jumped, startled by the friendly tone in Kouichi's voice. Then there was what Kouichi had said…
"Ototo…chan?" Kouji asked slowly, confused.
"You know, little brother," Kouichi explained, shrugging. "You've called me Nii-san before."
With that, Kouichi turned and left. Kouji, however, hesitated. "You've never called me Ototo-chan, though," he muttered to himself, feeling uneasy. Finally, he followed after his brother. "Kouichi…"
—
Two seconds. That's how long it took Zoe to recover from her initial shock, wrench her arm from Shino's grip, and proceed to shove him away from her. Then came the utter outrage.
"What the hell, Shino?!" Zoe shouted angrily, lashing out in her confusion. "What the hell do you think you're doing?! What the hell was that?! What the…?"
Zoe was poised to say more, but the look of horror on Shino's face stopped her. Her eyes slowly softened as she noticed how wide Shino's eyes were and how shocked he looked at his own actions. Then there were the tears slowly welling up in his eyes.
"Shino…" Zoe said gently, stepping forward.
Shino's gaze snapped up. When he saw Zoe, his brow creased in fear. "I…I'm sorry, Zoe," he apologized softly, reaching up to wipe the tears from his eyes. "God, I'm such an idiot…"
Zoe studied Shino closely, curiosity rising. She wanted to ask him, but she couldn't quite get the words past her lips. Why had Shino kissed her? It was so random. It didn't make any sense. Shino wouldn't just go up and kiss someone else's girlfriend, not to mention his friend's girlfriend. Besides, they didn't see each other that way. At least, Zoe didn't see Shino that way.
Suddenly, Zoe saw the acute blush on Shino's cheeks for what it really was.
"Shino." Shino looked up again, looking even more scared than before. Nevertheless, Zoe continued. "Shino, do you…like me?"
"Zee, we've got a boyfriend situation on our hands!" Both Zoe and Shino turned at the sound of Witchmon's voice. Secretly, Zoe was glad for the interruption.
"What do you mean by 'boyfriend situation'?" Zoe asked Witchmon curiously as both Dragramon and Masumon joined her. "Did Gotsumon finally get the message?"
"No, but that's not important right now!" Witchmon shouted, slightly annoyed by the mention of her nonexistent love life.
"She was talking about YOUR boyfriend," Dragramon added, looking uncharacteristically serious. "Masumon, explain to them what you sensed."
"Well," Masumon began, looking a bit uncomfortable. "I'd just like to say, first of all, that I'm so sorry I didn't tell you about this earlier, but Kouji said he was fine, but he wasn't, and I was confused…anyway, yesterday, I sensed a dark—"
"Nina!" Zoe exclaimed, interrupting Masumon's explanation. "Oh god, she didn't…oh god!"
"How do you know about Nina?" Masumon asked curiously. "I mean, we've had run-ins with her in the past, but—"
"Not important!" Zoe shouted, interrupting again. "Okay…um, maybe there's a way to…oh god, where's Kouji?"
"What about pretty boy?" Witchmon asked. "What does he have to do with Kouichi and Nina?"
"Okay, here's the deal," Zoe began. "Duskmon attacked Kouichi and made it so Nina could get to him and corrupt him and I sorta kinda forced Kouichi into telling me this but he was too self-conscious to tell the others and Nina's been trying to get control over him for days and are you telling me that she finally won, Masumon?!"
Biting her lip, Masumon nodded. "I think so. And from what you're saying, this is worse than we thought."
"Knowing Nina, she's gonna want to use Kouichi to blot out all the light she can find," Dragramon added, looking thoughtful. "Oh crap, she's gonna get him to…"
"Kill Kouji," Zoe finished, eyes wide with panic. "Where is he now?"
"Follow me," Masumon said, dashing down the tunnel. Witchmon, Dragramon, and Zoe followed after her.
Shino stared at their retreating forms for a moment, deciding whether to follow them or not. With what he'd just done, he'd probably be the next target on Kouichi's list…
But then again, that was the problem. Kouichi didn't have a list, and if he was about to do what Zoe had said he would do, they had to stop him before he committed the crime. So he trailed after the others, hoping against hope that Kouichi would never find out about the kiss.
—
Renamon walked slowly through the RMS's halls, staring off into space as she always did. There was nothing for her to do for Ilsemon, and she couldn't recall a time when she'd done something for her own amusement. So she did nothing.
"Poor little Duskmon." That is, until she heard this phrase coming from the hall to her right. Swiftly, she hid behind the wall, peering around it to reveal Ilsemon and Duskmon having a conversation. From experience, she knew that never ended well. If Duskmon would just take orders without complaint like the rest of them then the two wouldn't bicker so much.
Studying the two more closely, Renamon noticed that Ilsemon had a particularly smug expression on her face as she smiled wickedly at Duskmon. It looked as if she were winning this particular contest of wills, though Duskmon's reaction was a bit puzzling. His back was turned to Renamon, but she could see that his head was bowed. This was strange, because usually Duskmon at least faced Ilsemon when he was being reprimanded. He didn't care what she said. He never cared.
"You just can't catch a break, can you?" Ilsemon said, returning Renamon's attention to the conversation at hand. Reaching slowly toward Duskmon's face, Ilsemon continued, "You've always been everyone's toy. First Cherubimon, then Nina, and now me…"
Duskmon suddenly swatted Ilsemon's hand away, though he still didn't lift his head. "Who said I was yours?" he muttered quietly, though, Renamon noticed, not with the same spunk he usually had. "I only came to you because it was the easiest way for me to get to Kouichi. Now that I've fulfilled my duty to Nina, I'm done here."
As Renamon pondered who Nina could be, Ilsemon chuckled. "Oh Duskmon, you can be so funny sometimes! Where is it you plan on going, then? What will you do with your life now that it's finally yours? And if you were really leaving here, why did you bother stopping back? You have no friends!"
Duskmon didn't answer, which really threw Renamon for a loop. For the first time, she felt herself silently rooting for Duskmon. Why won't you say anything? At least speak up for yourself.
"You truly are a pathetic creature, Duskmon," Ilsemon said after several moments, smirking. "You don't know what to do with yourself now that you no longer have a master. You've been left for dead, suffering alone with your own thoughts…and tortured emotions."
Renamon clamped her paw over her mouth, stifling the gasp that had almost escaped her lips. Duskmon's…emotions? She was surprised he even had emotions. Renamon knew of Duskmon's origins, of his haphazard creation as the Warrior of Darkness's corrupted form, of his Spirit being passed off to that Kouichi child, of his supposed death at the hands of the Warriors of Light and Fire, and of his mysterious resurrection. As a corrupted creature, Renamon hadn't thought Duskmon possessed a wide range of emotions. They would just get in his way, so why…
"Sadness, loneliness, guilt…it hurts, doesn't it?" Ilsemon continued smugly, walking slowly around Duskmon. "You didn't have to worry about that before. Kouichi shouldered all the emotional damage, but now that you're your own being, there is no one to take your pain away. And since you've never dealt with these emotions before, you're slowly but surely being driven to madness."
So that was it. Now that Duskmon was more than just a spirit, he had what all other creatures were born with…a conscience. And he didn't know how to deal with it. Renamon wasn't sure, but she thought she felt a slight pang of…pity. For Duskmon.
"But I think the most ironic part of all of this is that Nina believed she was setting you free," Ilsemon muttered so softly that Renamon had to strain to hear. "She thought that she was rewarding you for helping her when the truth is that she's punishing you. She was the only thing keeping these guilty memories from resurfacing, and now that she's run off to Kouichi…"
Run off to Kouichi? What was that supposed to mean? Who was this Nina and what was her connection with Duskmon…and Kouichi?
Renamon was concentrating so hard on this thought that she didn't notice Ilsemon entering the hallway she stood in. "Never mind what you just heard, Renamon," Ilsemon said suddenly, startling Renamon. Smirking, Ilsemon added, "Duskmon is not a creature to be pitied," before turning and heading down the hall.
When she was out of sight, Renamon glanced around the corner to find that Duskmon was still rooted to the same spot, gaze fixed on his feet. Making a split second decision, Renamon decided to approach him. Despite what Ilsemon had said, she still couldn't help but to pity him at least a bit.
As she grew closer, one of Duskmon's eyeball appendages swiveled around in its socket until it planted its gaze on her. Biting back her revulsion at this sight, Renamon continued forward, the eyeball following her every move until she stood right in front of its owner.
"Duskmon," she began, trying to get the Digimon's attention.
After several moments of silence, he finally muttered, "What?"
Renamon cocked her head, confused by the strangled, quiet quality to Duskmon's voice when he'd spoken. Nevertheless, she continued, "Why did you let Ilsemon say those things to you? You should have stood up for yourself."
Duskmon took a shaky breath. Then he replied, "I know."
Renamon was even more confused by this response. Not only was Duskmon's voice extremely shaky, it had gone so far as to crack slightly when he'd responded to her. A moment later, Renamon asked, "What's wrong?"
"Why do you care?" Duskmon growled, eyes still fixed on the floor.
The answer to this question required some thought. Why did Renamon care? She'd felt pity for creatures before, but never like this. She'd never felt compelled to act on her impulses or to disobey Ilsemon. She'd strived for so long to hold her emotions back, but now, they seemed to be bursting forth. Because of Duskmon.
"Because someone has to," Renamon replied softly, surprising herself with the gentle quality to her voice.
It must have surprised Duskmon too, for he suddenly lifted his head, revealing the reason that his voice had been so shaky. There were tears in his eyes, spilling out onto his cheeks and rolling down his face. He was crying. Duskmon was crying.
As shocking as this was to Renamon, it couldn't compare to what happened next. Before she could recover from her shock, Duskmon had fallen to his knees, completely breaking down. As his body shook with sobs, he managed to utter weakly, "I'm bad."
Renamon watched Duskmon with wide eyes, wondering what to do. He'd just fallen apart in front of her. Duskmon had finally lost his cool.
Letting her pity overtake her, Renamon knelt down to Duskmon and tentatively wrapped her arms around him, careful to avoid touching the eyeballs. She was slightly surprised to find that he has actually warm with body heat. She'd assumed he'd be cold. Then she heard a faint THUMP THUMP coming from Duskmon's chest. His heart. So he wasn't heartless after all.
Since Duskmon had fallen too far into despair to even react to her touch, Renamon muttered, "If you're bad, then so am I." Then she laid her head on his shoulder, listening to the rhythmic beating of his heart as tears began to fall and dampen her fur.
—
"Okay guys, time to split up and search," Takuya declared as Kouji finally caught up to the others outside the tunnels.
"Damn it, Zee," Kira muttered to herself. For the first time that day, she glanced at Kouichi, who had his back turned from everyone. Trying to ignore the images of Duskmon flashing nonstop through her mind, she said, "Hey Chief, did Zee happen to mention where she might be going when you saw her or something…?"
Kouichi didn't say anything for several seconds. Then, without turning, he said, "You sound a little off, Kira. Not only that, but you, Dai, and Hotaru have been avoiding eye contact with me this whole time. What's wrong?"
The three glanced guiltily at each other. "Don't worry guys, I'll tell him," Takuya said quietly, stepping forward. "Kouichi…"
Suddenly, Kouichi turned on his heel, fist raised, and punched Takuya square in the face.
Everyone else watched, shocked, as Takuya fell backward, caught by surprise by the sudden attack. Kira was the first to react, catching Takuya before he hit the ground. After checking to make sure he was okay, Kira, along with the others, turned their attention toward Kouichi.
As for Kouichi, he was staring at his still-clenched fist. "That felt pretty damn good," he muttered to himself, chuckling slightly.
"Uh, Chief?" Kira said slowly, cocking her head. "Not that I don't applaud that killer punch, but…what the hell?"
"You didn't even give Takuya a chance to do something stupid," JP added. "At least let him see it coming."
Kouichi didn't respond as Takuya glared at JP, righting himself. Smiling, he finally muttered, "You guys really can be dense sometimes. Kouji already figured it out, but the rest of you are still clueless."
Confused, the others turned to Kouji, who looked like he still hadn't gotten over his shock. He'd even gone pale. "No…"
"Yes," Kouichi replied mockingly. "It looks like you've finally pushed me too far, little brother. Not that I blame you, of course. I'm kind of a pussy when it comes to revealing my past. In fact, I'm kind of a pussy overall."
"Is Chief calling himself a pussy?" JP muttered quietly to Takuya, who nodded. Too stunned to do anything, the others could only watch, wide-eyed, as Kouichi slowly approached Kouji.
With each footfall, Kouji flinched, causing Kouichi's smirk to grow. "Afraid of me?" he asked quietly, stopping right in front of his brother.
"You're going to do it…in front of them?" Kouji asked, horrified.
"Why not?" Kouichi retorted, glancing at the others. "After all, they actually helped tip the scale."
Understanding suddenly crossed Kouji's features. "You heard us telling the others about you and Duskmon."
"Oh, that's what this is about," Takuya said suddenly, coming to the wrong conclusion. "Kouichi, I'm sorry if you're upset, but—"
"Would it kill you to just shut up, Takuya?" Kouichi snapped, interrupting Takuya.
Shocked, Takuya fell silent while Kouichi turned his attention back to Kouji. "Now, where were we?" Kouichi pondered mockingly, getting back on topic. "Oh yeah, tipping the scale. You know, Ototo-chan, this probably wouldn't have happened the way it did if you had just listened to me. I tried to tell you the truth, but all you did was push me further away from you with your stupid jealousy. When I witnessed my betrayal at the hands of the one person I always trusted unequivocally, I finally snapped."
"He wasn't trying to betray you," Dai protested.
"Shut up!" Kouichi shouted, glaring at Dai. Something about the cold look in Kouichi's eyes unsettled Dai and he quickly did as told, shutting up.
Kouichi turned back to Kouji, that hard look still in his eyes. "Well, for your information, BROTHER, it wasn't just for my sake that I wanted to confess to you last night," he whispered with malice, so that only Kouji would hear.
Kouji's eyes slowly widened as Kouichi explained, "Sure, I wanted your help, but what I really wanted was to help you. With all the pain this broken bond was causing me, I could only imagine the agony you were suffering through. That, and the whole Seiko ordeal bringing you further down into your melodramatic depression. So, out of the goodness of my heart, I decided to figure out a solution to this problem with you. Together.
"And what do I get?" Kouichi asked, smirking darkly. "You say that you won't help me, that I don't care about you, that I should go help myself. Well here's the irony, bro; I was trying to help you all along."
Kouji dropped to his knees, no longer able to stand. Kouichi had been trying to help him…and he'd refused. He hadn't even let him explain…
"You've always been pushing me away, though," Kouichi continued, staring triumphantly down at his brother. "Ever since we first me, you've been subtly trying to keep me out. The truth is, you've always been afraid of me because I'm the one person who can fully understand everything about you. And all this time I've let you push me, thinking naively that you'd come around eventually. Well, I guess now you've pushed just a little too hard, you pathetic bastard."
That was it. Kouji's limit had finally been reached. All this pain was suffocating. It was almost maddening. It was too much…too much…too…much…
"Wow, I think I drove him catatonic," Kouichi muttered, studying Kouji's sightless eyes and blank expression. "That'll make this a lot easier, huh Nina?"
"Kouichi!" Kira suddenly shouted, stepping forward. As Kouichi turned, she continued, "Look, we know about you and Duskmon now. Well, so what? It doesn't change anything. You're still you, and Dusky's still Dusky. So let's undo whatever you just did to pretty boy and—"
Suddenly, Kouichi laughed. It wasn't good-natured or cheerful, though. It was mirthless. "You guys really are stupid, you know that? I mean, do I have to spell it out for you?"
"Guys, I think this is worse than we originally thought," Hotaru muttered, eyes narrowing.
"No kidding," JP retorted, taking a nervous step backward. "Either this is a very elaborate practical joke or Chief's gone bat-shit crazy."
"I'm sorry to say it's the latter, buddy," Kouichi said, glancing at Takuya. "Hope you don't mind my using your word, Taki."
"Since when did you call me Taki?" Takuya asked warily.
Kouichi smirked. "Since when did I need permission to call my friends by their nicknames?"
"Since the bat-shit craziness," Kira replied.
"Fair enough," Kouichi said, shrugging. Then he slowly approached the group, smiling darkly. "Looks like I'll have to come right out and say it. Okay…I'm going to kill Kouji, and you guys are going to watch helplessly while I do it."
Less than a second after this phrase was spoken, a fist connected with Kouichi's face, knocking him backward. The fist in question belonged to Hotaru.
The others were momentarily stunned silent. Then Kira exclaimed, "That was awesome, Taru! Did you break his nose?"
"Not quite," Kouichi muttered, staggering to his feet while holding his bleeding lip. "Didn't quite make it to the nose."
"Wasn't aiming for the nose," Hotaru retorted, glancing at his fist. "I am pretty out of practice, though. You were supposed to fly farther back."
"Hotaru," Dai began warningly.
"I'm fine, Dai," Hotaru muttered, keeping his glare fixed on Kouichi. "If I was going to lose it, I'd have told you to run a while ago. I just need to knock some sense back into Kouichi."
Kouichi smirked. "Strong words, but do you have the guts to back them up?"
"Try me," Hotaru growled, raising his fists threateningly.
"Wait!" Tommy shouted, stepping between the two. Turning to Kouichi, he said, "You didn't really mean what you said, did you? That you're going to…kill Kouji?"
Kouichi glanced at Tommy, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Tommy; the baby of the group; the one that everyone always feels the need to protect. And you let us protect you, because deep down, you know that you haven't grown one bit. Your still the same scared little kid you were two years ago, and you won't change, no, you CAN'T change."
Tommy took a startled step back while Takuya took a step forward. "You'd better be suffering from brain damage right now, Kouichi," he growled threateningly.
"Takuya," Kouichi muttered, ignoring the threat. "The leader; the group inspiration. But all those valiant words you throw around are just that; words. You've always worn a mask around your so-called 'friends' because you don't want to admit that you're just as scared as everyone else, perhaps more so."
"W-what are you…?" Takuya stammered nervously, eyes wide.
"Okay Chief, that just about does it!" Kira said angrily, glaring at Kouichi. "You don't pick on—"
"Kira," Kouichi suddenly said, interrupting. "The 'kickass' with a bigger façade than Takuya. You act so though to hide the fact that you're just a lonely little girl that no one ever gave a damn about."
"Quit psycho-analyzing us!" Kira shouted, fuming.
"Seriously Chief, the witty bursts of incite are supposed to be my thing," JP added.
"And you're even worse!" Kouichi exclaimed, turning on JP. "Everyone always ignored you, but you act like you don't care about that, when you actually care so much that it eats you up inside, thinking that it might happen again. And who knows, maybe we will get tired of you one day."
JP's eyes slowly widened as he turned to Takuya. "Does my philosophical talk sound this assholish?" he asked.
"And then there's you two," Kouichi said, turning his attention back to Hotaru and Dai. "Wow, where do I begin with your soap opera?"
"How about you don't?!" In response to Kouichi, Hotaru's fist flew toward Kouichi's face again, this time aiming for the nose. However, this time it didn't connect.
Instead, Kouichi ducked out of the way and managed to clip Hotaru's chin with his own fist. Caught by surprise, Hotaru stumbled back, earning a shocked gasp from Kira.
"Did Chief just dodge a punch…from Taru?" she muttered, completely stunned. "Holy crap…"
"Holy crap is right," Kouichi agreed thoughtfully, chuckling. "I'm more badass than I thought!"
"You won't dodge the next one," Hotaru growled, a mad glint in his eye.
"Hotaru!" Dai shouted, stepping in front of his cousin. In an even voice, he continued, "Calm down. We don't need two people going insane right now."
"Insane is kind of a harsh word, don't you think?" Kouichi commented, smirking. "I'd say I've just become…accepting."
The others gave Kouichi blank looks. Sighing, he explained, "I've been spending all this time pointing out your flaws when I'm probably the most flawed of all of us. And I've finally realized why everything crappy always happens to me; because I wouldn't accept my nature.
"I'm the Warrior of Darkness, yet I was always running away from my own element. I was almost afraid of it, for God's sake! But I'm not hiding behind Kouji anymore. I refuse to hide in the light. I've accepted the fact that I belong in darkness, and I always have."
"So instead of running from the darkness, you're running from the light?" Hotaru commented coolly, regaining his composure. "Still sounds pretty cowardly to me."
"You would know, Mr. Firefly," Kouichi retorted, causing Hotaru to flinch. "You're always running away from yourself, too. You can't accept your dark side either, but you can't remain stably in the light, because deep down, you're just as bad as you were back then…"
"Shut the hell up!" Dai suddenly exclaimed angrily. "Oh, you made me cuss!"
The others, along with Kouichi, gave Dai shocked looks. Recovering first, Kouichi smirked. "I've never heard you cuss, Dai."
"I don't cuss unless I'm really angry or the situation calls for it," Dai explained through his teeth. "This counts for both."
"First I get Hotaru mad and now Dai?!" Kouichi said incredulously, eyebrows raised. "You guys sure are turning on me fast. I thought it would take longer than this." To himself, he added, "You were right all along, Nina."
"We're not turning on you, Kouichi," Takuya said firmly, stepping forward. "We wanted to help you, so we told the others about Duskmon. That's all."
Kouichi lowered his head and silence followed for several minutes. Then he muttered just loud enough for the others to hear, "I'm dead to you. All of you. I've been corrupted, but this time, you can't save me. If you want Kouji to live, you'll have to kill me."
At that point, Kouichi lifted his head, revealing the evil glint in his eye. Now it was fully visible to the others. Kouichi was gone, and this time, he wasn't coming back.
Staring at the gang's anguish from losing him, Kouichi smirked. "But you won't kill me. Now, to quote from F2HF, 'step aside, you're blocking the way to my wimpy, pathetic brother.'"
"Stop…in the name of love!"
Confused and startled by this statement, everyone turned to find Witchmon, Dragramon, Masumon, Zoe, and Shino standing a few feet away. Half of them were glaring at Kouichi, while the other half looked horrified.
Witchmon, the one who had spoken, realized the others were staring at her and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, couldn't resist the reference. But seriously, that's as far as you go, Kouichi."
"Or should we say Nina," Dragramon added, flexing her claws.
"You know about…?" Kouichi muttered, staring wide-eyed at the three Digimon before him. "Oh, crap and a half."
—
madjack89: Good news, guys! We got Shino back! And he promised not to do something stupid like that again! (At least not in the commentaries…)
Shino: …Madara's scary.
madjack89: I hope you've learned a valuable lesson!
Shino: I sure did. If I'm ever in trouble, I'm calling Kisame.
Kisame: Heck yeah!
madjack89: Oh yeah, Kisame's here now.
Takuya: *glaring suspiciously at Kisame* That stupid shark better keep his hands off Kira…
madjack89: Uh, let me explain. You see, after Shino left the safety of the shield, he was instantly kidnapped by Madara…
Shino: I wouldn't say instantly.
madjack89: INSTANTLY KIDNAPPED BY MADARA…
Shino: Fine, whatever.
madjack89: …and was held hostage outside the shield. Then Madara got a megaphone and said he'd give Shino back if I gave him Kouichi and Nina. I said no, then he said he'd kill Shino, then I said I'd like to see him try, then he almost killed Shino, then Dai ate a cookie, then I told Madara to give me more time to think about it, and then he gave me fifteen minutes before he would really kill Shino.
Shino: He was actually pretty nice about it. He let me write my last will and everything.
madjack89: After that, we were all trying to come up with ideas to get Shino back when Kira suddenly remembered that Kisame had given her his number the last time we'd gone to one of TobiGB's parties.
Kira: It took us awhile to convince Taki to let me call him, though.
Kisame: *staring at Kira longingly*
Takuya: Hey, keep your eyes off her chest!
Kira: *sigh*
madjack89: So we called Kisame and asked him to help us stop Madara. I still can't believe this actually happened, but Kisame managed to sneak up on Madara, hit him over the head with his sword, knock him out, and grab Shino and run back into the safety of the shield completely unscathed.
Kisame: Not bad, huh Ranamon?
Takuya: Her name is Kira!
madjack89: Anyway, in exchange for Kisame's services, Kira agreed to go out to dinner with him, and Takuya's going nuts over it.
Takuya: If he does anything, even touches her, I'll kill him!
Kisame: Like you could.
Takuya: *fumes*
madjack89: So all's well that ends well!
JP: Wait, where's Chief?
madjack89: Oh, I let TobiGB borrow him!
Everyone else: WHAAAAAAAAAT?!
Takuya: After all we went through to keep him here, you gave him away?!
madjack89: We were keeping him away from Madara. I trust TobiGB. Besides, he gave me someone else in exchange!
Neji: *slowly wakes up and realizes he's in a crate* Crap.
madjack89: Yay Neji!
Neji: Double crap.
Sasori: Welcome to our hell.
Pein: We've got cookies.
Dai: Yay cookies!
Neji: *sighs*
madjack89: Okay, that about wraps everything up! See ya next chapter!