-"A friend is what the heart needs all the time."
~Henry Van Dyke
Chapter 2: A Night In The Park
Then
Day 56
We've done a considerable amount of progress from the likes we never imagined. The digital word is within our grasps and getting closer and closer the more we work on this project. Everybody is ecstatic. Never in our lives did we imagine we would make such progress. The data we have gathered is worth more than all of Tokyo and pretty soon, our goals will be achieved and this world will find the prosperity that it has lacked for so long. Project **** has so far proven to be successful, and we can only hope it stays that way.
Now
"Why are you burying your dinner?"
Takato watched curiously as his comrade continued to dig into the ground of the hideout with the sole purpose being to bury the bread Takato had brought him. The act reminded him of dogs who bury their bones into the ground, but Guilmon was not a dog and as such, this kind of action was rather puzzling to come from a dinosaur-like Digimon.
"So I can dig it up and eat it later." Guilmon chirped as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Takato laughed, "I had to ask. Logic is not your middle name."
"Nope. Don't have a middle name," the Digimon chuckled.
Takato smiled softly for a split second before it completely fell from his face - a grim expression taking its place. Despite all evidence pointing to the contrary, Takato wanted to believe that it wasn't his friend doing all these pranks that almost injured people in the park. Guilmon might be a bit clumsy and oblivious to his strength, but he wasn't mean. He didn't harm people on purpose. So, surely there had to be some other miscreant running around doing all these terrible things and pointing to Guilmon as the guilty one. Surely Guilmon was innocent. Surely...
Well, whoever it was that was causing all this harm, Takato would find out tonight.
He watched as his friend continued to dig passionately onto the ground.
"Promise me that you'll stay in today, alright?"
"Okay!" was the only answer Digimon offered, too focused on his digging to pay attention to Takato's departure.
Takato sighed. "Alright. See you tomorrow."
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
"Impmooooooooon!"
Naruto sighed as he stopped running and stood in the middle of a clearing in the park. He was tired. His legs hurt and it was already nighttime, which meant that Baa-chan would have his hide as soon as he walked through the door of his house. Actually, thinking about it now, she wouldn't even wait until he got to the door; she would strike him as soon as he entered the neighborhood. It's happened before and the beat-down was not quite pleasant. He shuddered - hell hath no fury, like a Tsunade Senju angry with her godson.
Still, imagining the wrath of one half of his guardians was not enough to convince him to stop his search and go back home. No matter what, his mind was set on finding Impmon - the culprit behind all of these dry pranks that had put people in danger and Guilmon on the suspects' table.
He didn't have to be a genius to know it was Impmon; it took a prankster to know a prankster at first glance. And Impmon was a prankster through and through. But, unlike Naruto, he was one who didn't have his boundaries set up.
There was a reason why Naruto was attracted to Impmon in the first place. It wasn't just because he was the first Digimon without a partner that Naruto encountered. It was because, if there was one thing that they were both similar in, it was their love for pranks. And it was the reason for their prankster attitude that the pull was that much stronger. Pranksters must stick together after started doing pranks because he wanted the attention people seemed to reject him at times. Impmon does them because, just like Naruto, he feels like he has something to prove.
Naruto believed that he could relate to Impmon in more ways than one, and that's what convinced him that they would be amazing as partners. Impmon, however, didn't see with Naruto eye-to-eye.
"Impmoooooon!"
He knew that the Digimon wouldn't appear to Naruto just by calling his name (he's made that rather evident for the past few days that Naruto has been chasing after him), but it was worth a try. There was no known way that Naruto could track Impmon and make him come out of hiding.
"Are you sure we should even be here?"
... or maybe there was.
Naruto's head whipped to the side in the direction of the voice, his eyes trailing to a patch of bushes between the trees. There was a bench just in front of those bushes, and on those benches, was a couple.
Slowly, a sly smile began to grace his lips. From the rumors he's heard, Impmon has mostly been targeting couples that come in at night to spend a romantic get-together. Those were Impmon's usual prey. Which meant that wherever a couple was in the park, Impmon was not far behind.
He slowly crept up to the bushes. Once he was close enough, he began to crawl and proceeded to hide himself behind the couple that didn't notice Naruto's presence.
"I mean, there is rumor about a kid going around scaring couples with fire," the girl that spoke was a teenager about sixteen years of age. She sat nervously next to a boy her age, who unlike her, slumped against the bench with a careless posture and a cocky smirk on his face.
"Re-lax," he waved his hand, "if that brat comes around, I'll just kick his ass."
Naruto and the girl rolled their eyes. As if that boy could beat up Impmon. Another reason Naruto picked Impmon, is because he knew that the Digimon was strong. He's proven that various times throughout their chase when he's managed to outsmart and defeat Naruto in their game of cat and mouse, which by now Naruto couldn't tell who was the cat and who was the mouse.
"Sure you will," muttered the unconvinced girl.
"Stop worrying so much, Ayame," the boy said, "besides, we'll leave soon. Your dad did threaten me to bring you back around this hour."
'Ayame?' Naruto's eyes widened and he leaned in closer to get a better look of the girl's face. Indeed it was Ayame. The girl who worked with her father at his restaurant, Ichiraku's Ramen Shop. Naruto was a frequent client and has been served various times by her in the past.
Ayame chuckled, "Yeah, otherwise he'll skin you alive and create a new ramen plate for his menu."
Whilst Ayame laughed at the mere idea of it, the boy shuddered, obviously taking the threat to heart. "Don't remind me," he said in a shaky voice.
Ayame's laughs finally quieted down and they both stared contently up at the sky, unaware of the young blond watching them from behind, his head twisting this way and that, waiting for his prey to show so he could strike.
After a few seconds of silence, the boy cleared his throat and turned to face the young beautiful brunette that had been so kind to Naruto in the past. And he definitely didn't like the way the boy was looking at her. Naruto's eyes narrowed as he saw the way the boy stared at Ayame's figure - whose eyes were still glued to the stars up above. They were the same eyes Naruto has seen on his pervy Godfather whenever a cute girl waltzes by him. But on Jiraiya, that look was semi-innocent. Despite his perverted nature, Jiraiya knew when it was wise to approach a girl and when it wasn't.
"Doesn't matter how they dress or look, a man must always respect a woman's words and wishes," he would say. They were words that quite honestly shocked Naruto at the young age of eight, who didn't expect such statements from a frivolous and silly man.
Naruto knew that Ayame was not one of the types of girls Jiraiya usually chased after, which is why the look the boy gave her was disconcerting and angered him greatly.
Still, the boy was unaware of Naruto's ire and he scooted closer to Ayame until their shoulders were touching. Ayame didn't move away, and using this as motivation, the boy wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Finally, Ayame turned to face the boy and made eye contact. Two sets of brown eyes locked with each other, and Naruto watched as they both leaned in closer. He almost swore he could hear their erratic heartbeats from where he was.
"Ayame," the boy whispered.
"Sora."
"Hey! Brat!"
"Gyah!"
Naruto yelped in shock as the back of his jacket was grabbed tightly and he was lifted up in the air, his limbs flailing wildly in surprise.
"Oi! Put me down!" he cried out.
The couple that had been about to share an intimate kiss jumped from their seat in surprise as their moment was ruined and eight-year-old Naruto was lifted from the bushes and suspended in between them by a rough hand that grabbed the scruff of his jacket.
"What do you think you're doing?!"
Naruto's flailing limbs began to calm down when he processed what was happening and he turned to glare at the owner of the voice, only for it to disappear and turn into a look of fear when he saw the badge that was pinned to a man's chest.
"Naruto!?" cried Ayame when she saw the boy that she frequently served at her father's restaurant. The boy next to her looked like he wanted to murder both the cop and Naruto for ruining his chance, not that the young blond cared. He's happy that their kiss was ruined. He had been planning on doing it anyway. The cop just came as a surprise.
"So, it was you this whole time?" the cop said as he finally put Naruto down, but didn't let go of the boys' jacket.
Naruto, on his part, was trying desperately to rid himself of the cop's clutches, but it only resulted with him running in place. It wasn't until the cop's insinuation processed in his mind that he finally stopped and turned to glare at the adult.
"What are you talking about?!"
The cop's brown eyes glared at him as his tongue moved the toothpick in his mouth from one side to the other. "You're the one that's been messing around the park for the past few days." he stated instead of asking.
"What?! No, I'm not!"
"Naruto, is it true?" Ayame questioned, looking worriedly between the angry cop and the blond in his grasps.
"No! I'm not the one that did it!" he cried out desperately.
"You're coming with me, young man." The cop began to drag Naruto away until he eventually fell on his butt.
Still, Naruto struggled and cried out ass he was dragged away, and Ayame and the boy stared at the scene in bewilderment.
"Please don't tell your father about this!"
Ayame continued to watch with concern as they faded from her sight.
"Sooooo, about that kiss?"
Ayame ignored him.
0o0o0o0o0o0o
'Booooooooring.'
Takato continued to stare at the hideout with a bored expression. He had been standing watch behind a couple of bushes for almost an hour now, but so far, there was absolutely no change nor sight of any other suspicious activity. Despite the fact that he couldn't see directly into Guilmon's hiding place, Takato should be able to notice if the Digimon got out through the gate, but so far there had been no movement nor anything that catches Takato's interest.
Even though it's only been less than an hour of watch, the boy was growing tired already and he knew that he would have to go back to check up on the ruse he pulled on his parents - he doubted the doll lying down underneath the covers of his bed would fool his parents for long. Pretty soon they'd have to catch on to his hoax and the repercussions for him would be far too great to name.
Still, he knew that he couldn't leave his plan without any form of evidence that would either prove Guilmon's guilt or innocence. He had to get something from this entire "operation" of his, otherwise Guilmon would be put further at risk and he couldn't stand the idea of his friend getting caught and put on a lab table like a rat.
He shuddered at the image that crossed his mind.
There was a part of him that knew - that just knew - Guilmon was innocent. The Digimon was far too innocent and oblivious and naive; he had the mentality equivalent to that of a child despite his menacing-looking physiology. But, there was another part of him - a detested part of him - that knew that Guilmon could be playing a small part to all of these "pranks" that were going around the park. Perhaps not intentionally, but the misdemeanor was still taking place nonetheless and it put Guilmon in danger.
He had to know what was going on in order to help his friend, otherwise, he might end up losing him in the process. And Takato would not be able to live through that.
So he sat silently behind the bushes. Watching the hideout with focused eyes in order to catch just the most minuscule twitch of the gate hatching open or any other dubious activity.
After a few seconds of waiting, his ears finally caught some activity alright, but not from within the cage.
"Let me go you grandpa!"
"Stop squirming, brat!"
Takato's ears perked up and he turned to the direction of the loud voices, one of them which sounded oddly familiar. "What the..." The voices seemed to get closer and Takato was finally able to hear them more clearly as they did.
"Ow! That hurt you jerk!"
"Then stop moving!"
Takato sweatdropped when he finally recognized one of the voices and he sighed in frustration. "Naruto, what have you gotten yourself into this time," he grumbled.
He ran to the direction of the struggle where Naruto seemed to be giving someone a hard time, like always. He made a sharp turn only to bump into something hard that sent him falling back on his butt.
"Oof!"
"Takato-nii?"
Takato groaned as he rubbed his forehead and looked up to see a really angry cop holding a confused Naruto by the wrist in a near-crushing grip. The sight wasn't an unfamiliar one as the brunette has seen Naruto in this same situation so many times before in the past. He wasn't even a decade old and already the kid had met more cops than any other known criminal.
"Ah-ha!" the cop cried out, surprising both boys. "You must be the leader of this operation, aren't you?"
Takato and Naruto blinked in confusion before the cop's words finally processed and Takato's eyes widened. He shook his hands and head furiously. "No! You got this all wrong-!" He didn't get to finish before the cop grabbed him by the wrist with his free hand.
"You're coming with me, young man!"
"W-w-wait!" Takato cried out as he was being pulled alongside Naruto who renowned his struggles from escaping the cop's grip.
"Let me go, fugly!"
"There you two are!"
"Huh?"
All three turned to the right to see Mrs. Asaji, Takato's fifth grade teacher, striding towards them, seemingly worried as she stared at the two kids in the cop's grip.
"I am so sorry about that, you two," she said as she stopped right in front of them.
"Huh?" The three individuals blinked simultaneously, confused as to what the teacher was referring to.
Her gaze shifted to the cop holding the two confused kids. "You see, officer, I was walking these two students home when we ran into one of my friends and I got distracted. We ended up splitting up."
The cop's eyes narrowed suspiciously and he glanced at the blond in his grip who he pulled slightly to stand in front of him, making Naruto yelp in surprise. "This kid was sneaking up on a couple earlier, I have reasons to believe that he's been the one disrupting the peace here at the park. And considering his background, I wouldn't be surprised."
Naruto glared at him and sneered, "I didn't do it! I already told you that I don't pay with fire!"
"With all due respect, sir," interrupted Mrs. Asaji, "I understand that Naruto has gotten in trouble various times in the past, but it is true that he does not usually utilize fire for any of his pranks. Also, his guardians never let him stay out late after a serious incident that occurred about a year ago. He's supposed to be home now, but he had to stay at school to help a teacher and Takato had to wait for him. I decided to walk them both home, but we got separated."
The cop scrutinized the young teacher who merely stood her ground as innocent as she could seem. Both kids glanced at each other briefly before turning to look back at both adults that seemed to be having an intense stare-down, despite Mrs. Asaji's innocent look.
Finally, the cop nodded and Naruto and Takato could feel the grip on their wrists disappear, leaving behind nothing but the ghost feeling of a rough hand that had once been there. They both rubbed their wrists and Naruto gave the cop a cocky triumphant look, which the man was either oblivious to, or simply decided to ignore.
"Alright, I'll let them go. For now," he added roughly, "But if I catch them here again at this time, I'll have no choice but to take them with me."
Mrs. Asaji nodded as she motioned for the kids to move and stand beside her. "I understand."
0o0o0o0o0o0o
Meanwhile...
Impmon watched the dragon-like Digimon continue to bury the box of bread. It confused him to no end why the pet Digimon had developed such a habit, but he chose not to say anything about it. He had bigger plans in mind and he couldn't get distracted.
The stupid brat had been here earlier; he had heard him calling for his name like he has done various times in the past since they first met. To say that it was aggravating was an understatement - the kid was persistent and annoying and a nuisance. Like a mosquito buzzing in his ear, only ten times more annoying. Naturally, he had avoided him like always. He was getting really tired of their confrontations and he prayed to whatever almighty being in this world that was willing to listen to him, that the blond would get tired too.
Fortunately, the wind had stopped calling his name just a few minutes ago and he was finally able to come out of his hiding place once he was sure that an annoying yellow pest wouldn't show his face any time soon.
Now, it was time to get going and have some fun. For days, Impmon has been messing around with the poor souls that venture into the park at night. It was in moments like this when his fire abilities came to a good use; he may not be able to defeat other Digimon with small balls of fire, but he was able to get some fun out of it by messing with a weaker species. And he had. There was nothing as joyful as hearing people scream and run away from him in fear.
It was soothing.
But, it gets boring when you have nobody there to laugh along with you. Impmon won't voice it, nor would he admit it, but it was getting pretty damn lonely doing all these pranks on his own. And when it gets pretty damn lonely, it gets pretty damn boring as well.
So, this time, he wasn't going at it alone. He had already set his eyes on the only other Digimon that would be forced to accompany him on his fun. And he was currently staring at him bury a good amount of food into the ground.
He rolled his eyes at the Digimon's habits before releasing a loud whistle in order to grab his attention.
Guilmon's ears perked up and he looked up to see Impmon standing on the other side of the gate, looking as angry and annoyed as always.
Guilmon gave the smaller Digimon a toothy smile, "Hey! It's you! Did you come for more bread? Sorry, I just buried it."
Impmon rolled his eyes when the red Digimon motioned to the beaten up ground where the bread had been buried. "Hoping it'll grow?" he joked with a small smirk.
Guilmon seemed struck, apparently actually considering the sarcastic statement. "Ooooohhh, I never thought of that," he said, looking at the dug up ground with a new view.
Impmon was taken by surprise by the Digimon's idiocy, to the point that he almost faceplanted on the ground in front of him had he not stopped himself on time.
"I was making fun of ya, you pineapple head! Don't you get it?!"
Guilmon blinked.
Impmon scoffed. "But, how could ya? How are you gonna learn anything locked up in a stupid cage?" He smiled and held his three-fingered gloved hand out towards the red Digimon, as if inviting him to a whole new world that he was eager to show the young Digimon. "Come with me my little rent-a-cycle and have some fun."
Guilmon was taken aback. "Me? Come with you?" he asked hesitantly.
Impmon smirked evilly, "That is, if you're not afraid of the dark."
Guilmon shook his head vehemently, "Not afraid! Not afraid! Not afraid!"
Impmon nodded before turning around and jumping down the steps. He sighed at the lack of sound of a gate opening and large footsteps following. He stopped in his decent and turned to the cage once again, where Digimon still stood on the other side, staring at him like the naive dog he was. "Chicken," he muttered.
"Don't like chickens. Takato said, 'Promise me you'll stay inside,' so I stay."
Impmon rolled his eyes when that name was brought up again. This Digimon's blind faith in a foolish human boy really got on his nerves. He was a Digimon who has seen the worst side of humans - they were greedy, selfish, prideful, and anything synonymous with the Seven Deadly Sins. It amused him at times that those Digimon pets were unable to see it - the way their owners could display the worst of traits and sometimes even treat them with a lack of respect and decency. This 'Takato' locked up his own Digimon, who still follows his human's commands like a freaking dog!
How could this foolish Digimon still call that human his friend after being treated like a lesser species? They were Digimon. They were not meant to be put in cages and told to stay!
'Idiots,' he thought with a sense of finality in his tone.
Impmon scoffed at the red Digimon as though he were a filthy piece of vermin. "Blegh! 'Takato told me to stay inside,'" he mocked, "Let me ask you this, if Takato told you to light your foot on fire, would you do it?" He didn't even wait for the Digimon to answer before he continued. "I think not, so why listen this time? Hm?"
Impmon stared at him imploringly, but when the Digimon simply stared back, he scoffed and turned around. "Forget it. You're no fun."
Guilmon seemed to take offense to this. He is a fun Digimon. Takato has even said so. Fun was his forte and to have that insulted, made something within him snap. Something that made him chase the shorter Digimon down the stairs and making him forget about the promise he had made to Takato.
"Aw, but I am fun! Really! Wait for me!"
Impmon smirked victoriously when he heard large footsteps rush up behind him, before slowing down to a walk once they caught up to him.
'Well, that was easier than I thought.'
0o0o0o0o0oo0o0o0o
On the other side of the park, Mrs. Asaji was walking, with Naruto and Takato trailing a bit slowly behind her. There was an awkward silence in the air now that the whole situation from earlier was avoided and both boys were free to go. The cop had left with a simple glare serving as a warning to both 'delinquents'. Now, Takato assumed that Mrs. Asaji was taking them both home, and Takato couldn't really argue with that.
That had been a scary experience, and one he had no wish of going through again. Naruto was the one that usually got in trouble with cops, Takato was the one that was paid to make sure that none of that happened. So, to suddenly be in the same position as Naruto was quite uncomfortable and it made him anxious. He honestly couldn't understand why an eight-year old continued to purposely put himself in that type of position.
He glanced at the short blond walking alongside him, keeping a pace that matched Takato's own so they were directly behind the teacher. There was a pensive look on his face that set off a few alarms in Takato's head; Naruto didn't usually think unless it was for pranks, but when he did, it could only be something serious that would be enough to scare Takato.
Whatever it was that had Naruto so quiet and walking peacefully, unsettled him. He'd been like this ever since a few days after his discover of Guilmon. The behavior was weird and it worried him. He didn't know what was it that caused Naruto to act in such a way, especially since every time Takato asked the blond, he would simply smile his usual fake smile and skipped away with a few choice words.
"Stop being such a worry-wart, Takato-ossan."
"Oof!"
That made two times today. Two times he's smashed against someone's body with the force making him fall back on his butt. He groaned slightly from his new position on the concrete ground and ignored Naruto's snickering, who apparently decided at that moment to leave his pondering mind and snap back to reality in time to laugh at Takato's klutzy antics.
Takato groaned and glared light-heartedly at the blond that was covering his mouth as he continued to laugh mockingly, before turning his stare to look at a frustrated Mrs. Asaji that stood above him. Sometime during their walk, the woman had stopped abruptly, causing him to bump into her, and turned around to glare at both boys. That glare turned specifically to a laughing Naruto, who stopped his laugh abruptly and smiled sheepishly at the woman.
"What were you boys thinking?!" she finally spoke.
"Uummm-"
"You boys shouldn't be out here at this time. Did I not tell you about the recent incidents that have occurred here, Takato?"
"Y-y-yeah?" Takato stuttered.
Mrs. Asaji crossed her arms in that teacher-like matter all educators seem to take whenever they disciplined a student. A pose of authority that Takato had adopted in order to help him when it came to putting Naruto in his place.
"And?" she asked.
"W-well-"
"We wanted to catch the bad guy."
Takato and Mrs. Asaji turned to stare at Naruto in bewilderment, who had his usual wide smile on his face.
"What?" asked Mrs. Asaji.
"The guy that's been doing all this stuff at the park," he continued to explain, waving his arms wildly in excitement like the little kid that he was "We wanted to catch him in the act. We just wanted to help, dattebayo."
Both Mrs. Asaji and Takato blinked at the blond boy as if he just grew a second head. Takato didn't know what he was planning (as usual), but what he did know is that he had no knowledge that Naruto was even in this park at such a late hour. He should be home by now, otherwise his guardian will chase him down and skin him alive before he can even get a word out... Oh, Kami... He's a dead man.
"Is this true, Takato?"
Takato snapped out of the thoughts of his funeral and looked up at Mrs. Asaji, who was staring back at him expectantly. He glanced at Naruto who was clearly motioning with his eyes to 'just go with it.'
He nodded hesitantly.
Mrs. Asaji sighed and closed her eyes. Takato could almost feel for her. He may not be a teacher, but he understood the pressure that came from the job of having to put up with bratty elementary school students that hardly listened to their educators and put them in trouble.
"Ok," she spoke, opening her eyes and staring earnestly at both students, "I understand that you guys want to be good Samaritans and help out, but it's too dangerous. Especially for young kids like you. You could get hurt and I certainly don't want parents to come up to me complaining."
Takato and Naruto let a small smile crack on their expressions at the teacher's joke.
"Not to mention that I don't want to hear about two of my students getting hurt, knowing that I could've done something."
Both kids glanced at each other.
"I don't want to see you two here at this hour, understood? Stay away from this park."
Takato's brown eyes met Mrs. Asaji's own; eyes that were filled with anger, strictness, and concern. Mrs. Asaji has always proven herself to care about her student's well-being, unlike many other teachers at the school. She was also kind to Naruto in a way that not many teachers were, seemingly able to understand Naruto's reasons for pranking his fellow classmates and teachers. It was because of her behavior towards Naruto, that she has remained to be the only teacher Naruto has never pulled a prank on.
Both boys nodded, "Understood."
Mrs. Asaji nodded, obviously satisfied with the honest answer. "Well, I guess I should get you guys home. I don't want Tsunade-san to find me with you two at this hour."
All three seemed to shudder when the name of one of Naruto's guardians was uttered. They could almost feel the air become chilly when she was simply mentioned, as if she might appear behind them at any moment.
"Wait, how did you know it wasn't us?" Naruto asked.
Mrs. Asaji scoffed, "Come on, you may look suspicious but even I know you two wouldn't be daring enough to stay late out at this hour every day for the past two weeks."
'Suspicious? What could be more suspicious than a big, red dinosaur?' Takato suddenly thought.
All of a sudden, he remembered what he had been doing here at the park in the first place. He had a mission. To locate the culprit that was causing all this havoc and putting Guilmon in danger - in order to free his friend of all accusations that were flitting around in his head.
This ongoing investigation was putting his friend in a position that was risking his life. And if he was ever found out...
An unsavory image crossed his head, of his partner being tossed in a truck by police before driving away, with Takato chasing them down and crying in desperation.
'They'll lock him up and I'll never see him again.' His stomach suddenly dropped when another horrible possibility popped up in his mind.
'Or worse, they'll kill him!'
He could already hear the gunshots. See his friend lying on the ground, cold and bloody. And the cops continued to shoot, yelling out things such as 'He's a threat to society!'
"I won't let them do it!"
Mrs. Asaji and Naruto flinched when Takato suddenly cried out and took off in a run.
"Wait, Takato!"
"Takato-nii!"
0o0o0o0o0o00o
"Tch, who needs him anyway?"
Impmon kicked a rock on the ground as he continued to stomp angrily in the park. It flew a couple of meters away before stopping, and Impmon glared at the ground angrily going over the events from earlier in his head.
The stupid pet Digimon had left. Apparently, they both had different definitions for what 'fun' should be, and his was as boring as a painting. He called Impmon a bully. Ha! A bully! If anybody was a bully, it was that kid that called himself that huge red idiot's 'friend'. What kind of friend locks the other up in a cage and leaves him every night where anybody could find and harm him?
Impmon wasn't a bully. He just knew how to spend his time better than others and actually have fun. Sure it was at the expense of other's suffering, but it's not like he did any permanent damage. Besides, the jerks deserved it. Humans were all the same vile creatures that were selfish and disgusting. He honestly couldn't understand the obsession those other three Digimon had with those human creatures. Especially with the way they were treated by them.
"Fools." he muttered angrily.
They didn't seem to be aware of the demeaning position they were in; Digimon weren't meant to be kept as pets. They were meant to fight and get stronger. And they were stronger than humans, yet, some chose to chase this unrealistic belief that humans were necessary in order to evolve and become stronger.
Where such a belief stemmed from, he hadn't the slightest clue. He had already worked alongside humans before. There were days when he still remembered the twins that had made his life a living hell. The life he had led back then was what began his hatred for humans. Those twins that were young and naive, already displayed the immaturity and selfishness that all humans seemed to possess.
Then, this stupid blond kid came along and further proved his viewpoint on humans as correct. His gloved hands clenched into fists just thinking about him. That kid had claimed him like he was some dog at the pound, and it angered him to no end. He chased him around like a butterfly with a net and took away the sense of peace he had built around himself in a lame attempt to break down Impmon's walls and make him his 'partner.'
Well, no way was that happening. Nope. Nope. No. Impmon was a free Digimon, unlike those three losers. He was strong on his own. And he didn't need any humans in his life to make himself feel better. He was going to show them that he didn't need anybody to become strong. That Digimon were more powerful on their own.
He kicked the rock again once he reached it. It flew and landed in the direction of two young boys that were walking towards him laughing together, probably over some stupid joke.
Impmon smirked evilly.
'Just in time.'
0o0o0o00o00o0o0o0o
"Takato!"
Naruto ran in the direction he had seen his babysitter go in. He already knew where he was headed: the hideout. The place where he had hid Guilmon so nobody would find him.
Naruto may be young, but he wasn't as naive as others were led to believe. He understood what this whole mess meant for both Takato and Guilmon - the risks that were involved and the consequences of Impmon's actions if this situation wasn't handled quickly enough. It was the reason why he had ran towards the park in the first place, calling for Impmon's name in hopes of finding him and convincing him to stop all these 'pranks' of his. But, if there's anything these past two weeks of chasing said Digimon around the city has taught him, it was that it wouldn't exactly be an easy job to make him stop. Let alone finding him in the first place.
Naruto wasn't exactly angry at Impmon for what he was doing; he was mostly just disappointed. Sure he expected no less of the Imp-like Digimon who seem to have an intense desire to grab attention to himself in a way of proving his worth, but the fact that he would get another Digimon in the crossfire, especially his own friend and Takato's partner, upset him greatly.
He already had planned a long speech to give to the small Digimon once he found him; about the dangers and consequences of his actions and how it could affect other people. Who knew what would happen if people found out about Guilmon's existence. There were so many possibilities such as experimentation, or circus display, or maybe just the shooting of Guilmon. No doubt these were images that had crossed Takato's mind and the reason for the fearful expression that seemed to take over him the entire day.
He couldn't exactly blame Takato for believing that Guilmon might be behind all these acts that were being conducted by Impmon, but honestly Naruto expected better from Takato. Sure the evidence and accounts pointed all towards Guilmon, a fire-breathing Digimon, as the perpetrator but Naruto doubted that such an innocent creature would purposely scare people out of their wits and nearly harm them. He knew that there was doubt in Takato's mind that it was Guilmon, but he also knew that if any more evidence surfaced that further pointed towards Guilmon as guilty, then that doubt would disappear.
And Naruto hated the idea of that happening.
But that's the way Takato was. Once he set his mind on something, it was hard to convince him fully of otherwise. Then again, Naruto did take part of the blame for that. He was after all, the reason for a lot of Takato's stress and grey hairs.
"Takato!"
The sight of the older brunette boy standing in the middle of a clearing was a relief to the blond. He slowed to a jog before finally coming to a complete stop once he was about a foot away from Takato. He rested his hands on his knees and panted in an attempt to catch his breathe.
Once his lungs were satisfied with the oxygen they received and calmed down, he looked up at Takato with a wide smile, only for it to fall when he saw the sullen expression on his face.
"What's wrong?" he asked quietly, in a voice that was so rare for him to use.
Takato didn't look up at him yet, but he muttered unintelligible words under his breathe to the point that Naruto had to lean in closer in order to hear it.
"What?" he asked again.
"It was him this whole time."
Naruto flinched when his ears finally caught the statement. Dread made itself known as it clenched his stomach and ran many terrifying scenarios in his head. 'Did he find out about Impmon?'
"It was him this whole time," Takato repeated softly, as if in a trance.
Naruto eyed him carefully and swallowed a ball of saliva that clogged his throat.
"Who was what, Takato?" he asked tentatively. He was afraid that if he pulled the ribbon, a bear might come out and bite his head off before he could even react.
"Guilmon," he whispered, "it was Guilmon."
Naruto's eyes widened, his whole body tensed up and he took a small step back, as if the news that Takato revealed to him had sucker-punched him in the face and laughed at his expression.
'It was Guilmon.'
Those words seemed to echo throughout the entire park. As if the very statement itself haunted them in the form of a ghost that mocked their fortune and made its presence known with a terrifying, yet unheard deafening screech that threatened to dissolve them into specks of dust where they stood.
Takato honestly couldn't believe it. And the fact that he said it made it worse. The fact that he said it made it real.
Ever since Guilmon's appearance in his life, Takato has tried his best to protect the young Digimon by hiding him from people who wouldn't be able to understand the innocence and harmlessness that Guilmon represented. In their eyes, they'd only see a terrifying beast that could burn their houses down and bite their faces off, not the cuddly newborn that wouldn't harm even a fly.
Takato hid him from the eyes of the judgmental who had the power to harm his friend, and he even got Guilmon to cooperate. To tuck himself into a small ball and hide from the rest so he wouldn't get in trouble. Takato did his best to teach him between the good and the bad, to draw the same line that his parents drew for him, for Guilmon.
But now...
This was a betrayal by his best friend. And it punched him in the gut and left him breathless and gasping for very much-needed oxygen like a fish out of water. It made his heart drop out of his body and land right next to his stomach on the ground.
He had trusted Guilmon. He had made him a promise. A promise that should be kept without hesitation. And Guilmon... he-
BAM!
Takato gasped as white hot pain pounded him on the cheek, the force of which made him fall back on the floor for the umpteenth time that day.
"OW!"
He groped his bruised and pounding cheek with his hands, and looked up at the perpetrator of the act with tearful eyes and betrayal written all over his expression.
He was about to yell at the younger blond who stood over him with a clenched and bloody fist, only to stop before any word could leave his mouth when he noticed the expression on the younger blonde's face.
He. Was. Pissed.
Takato has only seen Naruto angry a few times. Usually these moods would be caused by a lack of ramen or having his pranks ruined by upper-classmen. But never - never - has Takato seen Naruto this angry over something so trivial.
His expression was all scrunched up, and it would be funny if Takato didn't recognize said expression as one Tsunade has worn various times in the past. One that her godson was wearing now, flawlessly.
His eyes held a fire that burned immensely, and for the first time in a long time, Takato felt fear in his heart as he stared up at such a foreign expression on the younger boy's face.
"Baka. How dare you...?"
Takato flinched at the whispered words that passed solemnly through Naruto's lips, echoing in Takato's ears like a haunting.
"E...eh?"
Naruto's head snapped up and Takato jumped back at the anger reflected in his expression.
"Guilmon's your friend! How could you think he would do such a thing?!"
Takato was taken aback by the blonde's tone as the smaller boy took a threatening step forward.
Nonetheless, he himself could feel a slight anger awaken within him over the fact that the young boy would yell at him in such a manner with such an accusing voice. So he frowned and got up from his position on the ground before taking a small step forward as well in a vain effort to frighten the fearless child that has become a huge part of his life ever since his mother brought a flyer stating 'Babysitter needed,' to his room.
"It's not like I just accused him without any evidence!" he retorted, "Guilmon admitted to doing it. He said that he scared those people."
"Oh, yeah? Did he really say that, Takato-nii?!"
"Oh, Takato, you should've been there. I scared some people and they screamed really loud and they ran away but it really wasn't any fun so I came home and here I am."
"He said that he had scared some people earlier today!"
"And did you let him explain himself?!"
Takato froze.
No. Not exactly. As soon as Guilmon admitted to what he did earlier in the day, Takato had just assumed that he was the one who had done all those things previously. He hadn't stop to hear his friend out and listen to why he had done what he did.
"You and I both know that Guilmon-nii wouldn't purposely do something like this! He may be a baka at times, but he's no meanie!"
Damn it.
Here was Takato being scolded by a kid about two years his minor and to make matters worse, the guilt was slowly consuming him from top to bottom like a freaking disease.
"It wasn't even Guilmon who did it!"
Takato flinched and his eyes widened slightly as he looked at an angry Naruto, which made for a hilarious image that would make him laugh any other day - the pouting lips, the clenched fists, and the narrowed eyes on his bubbly face that made him look more like a frustrated fox kit who hadn't eaten the entire day than anything - but right now, it simply outright scared him. And the last words the kid spoke that his mind decided to latch onto, made the dread that consumed him already all the more overwhelming to the point that he felt his lungs would be completely sucked dry of air by the guilt that embraced him tightly like a python.
"Wha-what?"
"It was-"
BOOM!
The sound of a loud explosion interrupted both boys, frightening them and making them jump in surprise at the abrupt and loud sound that echoed throughout the park.
They both turned in the direction of the loud explosion and were surprised to see a familiar, large smoke cloud that encompassed a certain section of the city, and the sight of it made Takato tremble in anticipation.
That cloud could only mean one thing. The guilt turned to worry and concern - he was expected to be battle ready in order to face whatever Digimon decided to leave the Digital World and enter the real world, and his partner was nowhere in sight.
"What's that?" he heard Naruto whispered. Another concern made itself known to the Digimon tamer, and he was now more painfully aware of his charge that stood next to him, staring at the unfamiliar white cloud with a certain awe that contained a tinge of fear. Ever since Guilmon, Naruto has only met one other Digimon that he was aware of, and that was small and plushy Terriermon who had an intimidation equivalent to that of a pet bunny.
Naruto was not aware of the more dangerous Digimon that cared not for his well-being, nor wanted to play tag.
Digimon that would hurt him without hesitation.
Takato gulped as he glanced at the kid staring at the cloud with a look that Takato has come to know well - one that Naruto has worn various times whenever something excites him and an adventurous feeling makes itself known within him, which makes him fearless and careless in the face of danger. And realization suddenly hit him like a truck that he wasn't just responsible for his own well-being at the moment.
A loud beeping in his pocket snapped him out of his reverie, and he pulled out the bulge from his pouch. The Digivice in his hand glowed and a hologram came out of its screen. Takato stared at the red dot that moved across the screen map, moving further and further away from the blue dot that stood still and just so happened to be located right where he was standing.
'Guilmon.'
Takato's eyes widened and he turned to stare at the large cloud that began to slowly dissipate in the distance, the sight of it making his stomach clench in fear.
Well... shit.
0o0o0o0o00o0o0o
Impmon stared at the giant Digimon that stood before him, easily towering over him by miles.
"Well, you're an ugly one! Hahahahaha!"
To Be Continued...
A/N: OMG! Finally DONE! What did you think of this chapter? Was it good? Did it excite you? Are you shaking in anticipation for what's next?
If the answer is 'no', then I truly am sorry... I tried my best.
Anyway! The action picks up next chapter which I am truly excited for!
I am so sorry to have taken so long! Senior year is tough and I've been running around like a headless chicken applying for fafsa, scholarships, colleges and the such without any idea as to what I'm doing.
Seriously, so stressful.
Anyway, I'm almost done with another chapter for a different story (Arc of Fairies) so I'm going to be finishing that first before I continue with the next chapter for this story.
HERE'S A PREVIEW!
Preview
Chapter 3: Conflicts
"HE'S YOUR FRIEND!"
"Foolish Devidramon. You always were awfully weak."
"Would you leave me the hell alone?! I'm not becoming your partner even if my life depended on it!"
"Stop lying to yourself."
"Join me, Impmon. Let's show these foolish humans, who is truly the superior being."
Thank you to everyone who read, followed, favorited, and reviewed! I would love to answer to each and every one of the reviews, but I'm typing this in class and I don't want my teacher to discover that I'm writing fanfiction instead of reading Frankenstein the way I was supposed to.
Oh! I'd also like to thank my awesome friend and beta mellra for helping me so much with this story. I couldn't have done it without you!
Until next time! And please, Review! Tell me what you thought of this chapter!