Me: I am sooooooo sorry. I planned on having this done WEEKS ago, but that didn't happen… as you can see…
Terriermon: StoryMakingDragon210 does not own Digimon in any way, shape, or form. She's such an airhead 'cause she forgot to mention so last chapter.
Henry: Terriermon!
Terriermon: Momentai~!
Me: *sigh* I just hope you guys don't kill me… Anyway, I think I forgot to mention that Takato doesn't wear his sweatshirt out in public, Azulongmon's orders, because the digimon might recognize the Hazard symbol. Instead, he wears a red T-shirt with gold sleeves and lining (which is also under his sweatshirt); everything else is as I wrote it in Chapter 3 and the goggles. Read and review please…!
Going Your Way
Chapter 6
The Bakery and Planning (…somewhat…)
TK's POV:
I waited outside Takato's apartment door, waiting for him to be ready to leave for school. Luckily, unlike the last two days, he wasn't almost late to get going, so I didn't have to wait too long. After he was out and locked the door, I noticed something.
"What's up with that face? Something wrong?"
He sighed, "Nah. My parents just called me this morning to tell me that they'd take care of the bills and stuff like that…"
I was confused, why was that bad? "I don't see the problem there-"
He interrupted me, "But that's the thing! It's just the bills! I have to buy my own food! And I don't have a job!"
"Well, you're gonna have to talk to the principal to see if you can get a job, but you'll most likely have to get your parents to call him so you can get consent from the school."
He sighed again, "I'll just call my dad at lunch…" he winced.
"Can't you just call your mom?"
"No, she has back-to-back meetings today."
"But what's so bad about your dad?" I was curious.
"He's…" he hesitated, "He isn't… the easiest to talk to…"
"Huh?" That was new, "Then can't it wait until tomorrow?"
"I'd rather get it done sooner rather than later… finding a place to work is going to take enough time as it is…"
I chuckled, "That's true."
Then the elevator doors opened and revealed Cody and Yolei. "Hey guys!" I greeted as I walked in.
"Hey…" Takato expressed his opinion of the morning.
"Hey, what's up?" Yolei asked.
"Takato's parents basically told him to get a job earlier," I snickered.
"Why?" Cody questioned.
Takato sighed, "My parents called to let me know that I have to pay for food and whatnot while they pay the bills…"
We stood in silence until we got to the lobby and out the door, when Cody spoke up again, "Didn't you say that you lived in a bakery?"
"Yeah, I helped out, too. Why?" It was pretty obvious as to why Takato was confused.
"There's a bakery a couple blocks away on the way to school that need some help in the afternoons," he pointed out.
"Oh! You mean 'Nao's Bake 'N' Take' right?" I guessed, stopping as we passed it.
"Oh yeah!" I guess Yolei came to the same conclusion as me when she looked where I did, "They've been needing help for a few weeks haven't they?"
"Yes," Cody nodded, "That's why I brought it up in the first place."
We all laughed at Cody's blunt reply. When it died down, I suggested, "Hey, why don't we get something before school?"
"I don't know you guys…" Cody pointed out.
"We did leave pretty early," Yolei helped and Cody gave in pretty easily.
Takato stood outside a moment and looked at the name. "'Nao's Take 'N' Bake'…" he muttered to himself, "'We bake it, you take it'… catchy!" he smiled, and we went inside.
"Hey, Rachell!" Yolei greeted the 15-year-old at the register.
"Hey you guys!" she called back, then blinked, "I see you brought someone new."
"Yeah," Cody replied simply.
"My name's Takato," he introduced himself.
Before anything else could be said, Mr. Suzuki walked in with a fresh batch of donuts, American style.
"Oh! Hey, kids! I haven't seen you in a while," he greeted, "I'm trying out this recipe from America for donuts, but I don't think I did it right…"
"Let me try," Takato spoke up, then thought for a second, "But what type of donut is it?"
"Cinnamon-sugar," Mr. Suzuki replied.
"That doesn't sound like a special donut," Yolei huffed.
Takato looked offended, "Well, the outside isn't special, but getting the dough right is what makes it special."
"Huh?" Yolei blinked.
"With other American donuts, there's already a lot of sugary toppings that don't fall off, so the dough doesn't have to be special, but with cinnamon-sugar donuts, the cinnamon and sugar is put on lightly because larger amounts wouldn't stick as well; but because they're put on so lightly, you can taste the dough more clearly, so you have to be careful when making the dough."
"I still don't get it," Yolei whined.
Takato sighed, "Basically, it means that you can taste the dough more prominently than other donuts, so how you make the dough makes all the difference. Depending on how it's done, the donuts will either a big hit or total failure."
"You seem to know a lot about donuts, son," Mr. Suzuki pointed out.
"I know about baking in general, Mr…"
"Sorry, my name is Nao Suzuki, the owner of this bakery."
There was a small silence before Takato said, "Well, I think I should give it a try now." Mr. Suzuki nodded and picked up one of the donuts on the tray, then handed it to Takato.
He took a bite, then less than ten seconds later, said, "While the topping was done right, I think there's too much nutmeg and salt in the batter and not enough cinnamon, plus, for better effect, I suggest replacing the milk you're using soon, it seems a little old. To fix the too much-too less problem, use a dash less nutmeg, about half a teaspoon less of salt, and about three quarters teaspoon more cinnamon." We all blinked and he looked up, "What?"
"Let me see," Yolei didn't answer his question and tore off a piece of the donut he was holding. She popped it into her mouth and chewed. A few seconds later, she made a face and grabbed a tissue, spitting out the bite of donut, "Yuck!" she turned to Takato, "How can you eat this with a straight face?!"
He grimaced, "Practice."
Mr. Suzuki also took a bite of one, then set it down, "Yes, I can see that now. I'll do that and you can stop by later to test it, okay?" Takato nodded, "Now, what can I get you?"
Yolei ordered a large brownie, Cody got a raspberry scone, and I got three large, chocolate chip cookies, but Takato only said, "Do you have any cinnamon bread?"
We all blinked. "Cinnamon bread?" Mr. Suzuki questioned, then shook his head, "No, we don't have any."
It was Takato's turn to blink, then he scratched the back of his head, "Oh… I forgot that I made that myself… Then, could I have a strawberry tart and a small loaf of bread?"
Mr. Suzuki nodded, "Comin' right up," he then went about the bakery, grabbing what we ordered, and handed it to Rachell. Takato took the bag while I paid for the treats. After saying goodbye, we headed back toward school, where I handed Kari and Davis a cookie and Yolei split her brownie with Ken.
Lunch, on the other hand, was… interesting.
That Morning (Again)
Takato's POV:
I woke up earlier than usual, so I was able to take my time in getting out of bed. Sadly, though, I couldn't just go back to sleep. Gigimon, Guilmon's In-Training form, decided that we could spend the extra time playing…
"Takatomon!" he jumped on my stomach, causing me to sit up and gasp for air, "Let's play!"
"Gigimon…" I groaned, but couldn't say anymore because Impmon came in.
"Oi! Pineapple Head! He's got school today! He can play with you later! Right now, he's gotta get ready…" he grumbled. I don't think he's a morning digimon…
"But I still get to go to school with you right?" Gigimon used his puppy eyed look.
I sighed, "Yeah… I guess you can… Just let me find a jacket or something…"
"Yay! I'm going to school with Takatomon!"
"Gigimon… I know you haven't gone with me the last two days, but you really need to be quiet when there's people around. Azulongmon said that nobody can know that I'm a Tamer or that you're my digimon."
He laid his ears back, "Okay, Takatomon…"
I groaned, then smiled, "Let's get ready to go. Maybe we'll run into a bakery on the way to school."
He perked up, "Yay! Bread!" he then jumped off the bed and ran out the door.
"I guess I'll need to pack some peanut butter," I mused. Heading to my closet, I grabbed my clothes along with a thin, red jacket that had a hood big enough to hold Gigimon without him being seen. I then headed to the bathroom and took a shower, brushing my teeth afterward. Considering the fact that we ran out of food last night, we didn't have food for breakfast, so I'd rather do it now…
"Gogglehead!" I heard Impmon yelled as I left the bathroom, "You really need to get a job! I'd rather not use the emergency money so early!"
I sighed and walked out into the living room, clipping my goggles to my shorts, "You do realize that for that to happen, I'll have to get permission from the school, and for that to happen, you need to pretend to be my dad."
"What?!" he hissed, then sighed, "Fine, fine… just this once; as long as it will get us some food."
"But I'd prefer you being Beelzemon when you call, so you should go to the top of a tall building without people seeing you and digivolve. You don't have to do that right now, but somewhere around noon and call at 12:15… ish when I'm at lunch," I told him, grabbing the last of the peanut butter from the cupboard and putting it in my backpack.
Impmon only sighed and turned on the TV. I went about the rest of the morning peacefully with only being tackled by Gigimon a few times in his excitement. At some point, I lost a large portion of the energy I had gotten from going to sleep early the day before, and I think it showed when I left the apartment, because TK commented on it when I turned to see him.
The first competent thing that came to mind was the whole deal with getting a job, so I replied, sighing, "Nah. My parents just called me this morning to tell me that they'd take care of the bills and stuff like that…"
"I don't see the problem there-"
I interrupted him, not wanting to deal with this any longer than I needed to, "But that's the thing! It's just the bills! I have to buy my own food! And I don't have a job!"
"Well, you're gonna have to talk to the principal to see if you can get a job, but you'll most likely have to get your parents to call him so you can get consent from the school."
I sighed again, "I'll just call my dad at lunch…" I winced, thinking about how it would go with Beelzemon as my dad.
He looked confused, "Can't you just call your mom?"
Think fast! "No, she has back-to-back meetings today."
"But what's so bad about your dad?" I like to think he was just curious.
"He's…" I hesitated, not sure how to approach it, "He isn't… the easiest to talk to…"
"Huh? Then can't it wait until tomorrow?"
"I'd rather get it done sooner rather than later… finding a place to work is going to take enough time as it is…"
He chuckled, "That's true."
After that, we met up with Cody and Yolei, where we found a place that I could possibly get a job… and I had a few slip-ups.
I don't think introducing the place is really necessary besides saying that it was called 'Nao's Bake 'N' Take'.
My first slip-up was when I was testing the recipe for a donut Mr. Suzuki was trying out, letting myself go too far with my knowledge of baked goods. Then I almost slipped up when Yolei tried it. Calling the experiments of baking stuff for Guilmon 'practice' was a huge understatement. The worst slip-up was when I asked for 'cinnamon bread.' It was something I made for customers that wanted Guilmon Bread but not the peanut butter, which took more practice because it required a lot less cinnamon and more sugar. And I guess asking for a loaf of bread didn't help either… I'm just glad that TK agreed to pay for the food…
At school, I had to feed Gigimon somewhere away from the others, which was really hard to find… and then he continued to whine about not having Guilmon Bread… I just hope that I don't screw up with the phone call during lunch…
Time Skip
Lunch
Takato POV:
It was only 12:07 when I sat down with the others at what Yolei insisted was 'the hangout'. Everyone was talking when I got there, which confused me. How could people get into a deep conversation in two minutes?
At around 12:14, the conversation died a bit and TK asked me, "Isn't your dad supposed to call you soon?"
Kari, Davis, and Ken looked confused. "Why is that important?" Davis asked.
I sighed and went into a quick explanation, but I was interrupted about halfway by my phone ringing. I groaned and stood up, "That's gotta be him." I took a few steps away from them then pressed the talk button.
"Hello…?" I approached carefully.
"Brat! You're lucky I don't have a meeting until later!" I guess Beelzemon was really in character, but did he really have to be so loud? I had to pull the phone away from my ear.
I could see the DigiDestined giving me weird looks, so I brought the phone back to my ear and brought my voice down, "You're really in character aren't you?"
"No, Azulongmon called me earlier, sayin' somethin' about having a meeting later," he replied.
"I'll get back to the apartment as soon as I can after school so we can go."
He just sighed, "Da sooner da betta. Now, how's Pineapple Head doin'?"
"At the moment, he's just sleeping, but I don't expect him to stay calm when he wakes up… so we need to make this quick, talk to the principal, and talk about what Azulongmon told you."
"Sounds like a plan ta me. Anythin' else I need to know?"
"Just… be yourself. You sound totally fake when you try to be someone else. And if the principal wants to talk to… 'mom', just say she's in a meeting and won't be done for a while."
"Naw, I'll just say she got run over-"
I chuckled, "You have one sick sense of humor. Besides, I can't afford to miss any time at school because my fake mother got ran over. We've already been gone from the Southern Quadrant for a whole day. The faster we solve this problem, the sooner we can go home," I heaved a sigh, "Now, let's go talk to the principal and hope Gigimon doesn't wake up… Um, you might want to yell again so we don't look so suspicious to the DigiDestined…"
"Alright…" he sighed, and took a deep breath, his voice causing me to pull the phone away from my ear again, "Now, stop da chit-chat and go ta the principal! We are wasting valuable time! MY valuable time!"
"Okay, okay. I'm going, I'm going," I slightly chuckled, then headed for the principal's office.
Southern Quadrant: Real World
No POV:
It was early evening, a full day since Takato had disappeared from the Southern Quadrant. The Tamers (Henry, Rika, Kazu, Kenta, Ryo, and Jeri) were gathered outside Guilmon's old shed. They still had no idea how they were going to get to the DigiWorld, or coming back for that matter, but that wouldn't deter them from trying. Yamaki had not given them his support, so they didn't even try to bother the other adults.
"We don't even know where to find a portal!" Kazu whined.
"Shut it!" Rika snapped, "We can't stand around here waiting for a Field that'll never show up, so we might as well start looking here. Gogglehead's always found one in the shed, so that shouldn't stop us from finding one…"
Henry sighed, "It's the only place we could think of that could have a portal, but it's our strongest lead at this point without having to travel too far. Which reminds me, you guys didn't tell your parents about this, right?"
"No…" Kenta and Jeri supplied, not too happily, but not mad either.
"Nope!" Kazu beamed, happy to get away from his parents.
Ryo shrugged, "It's not like my dad really cares."
"So it's agreed that we go right in if we actually find a way into the DigiWorld?" Henry asked the group, with it being a rhetorical question toward Rika, "Because we have no way of knowing that it'll still be here." Words of agreement fluttered among the four, "Now that that's settled, let's head on in." With that, Henry walked into the shed, hoping that there is a portal in that strangely still-undug hole.
No one objected and, one by one, they all got down into the tunnel. They all looked every which way, with no sign of a portal anywhere.
"GAH!" Kazu ruffled his hair angrily, "This was a waste of time! We're never finding Chumley!" then he slumped down and sat on the ground, "I guess that means I'm not going to see Guardromon either, huh?"
"Just because it's not here doesn't exactly mean that there isn't one," Kenta told him, "It just means that it wasn't here."
Henry was still inspecting the back wall, but soon sighed and turned around, "I guess that we should look somewhere el-" he was cut off when a flash of light came and went, taking him with it.
"Brainiac?" Rika skeptically glared at the space he once occupied, "This isn't fun-" she was interrupted as well when it happened again, taking both Kenta and Kazu this time.
Jeri, frightened by the fact that the others had disappeared, ran behind Rika, "What's going on?"
"I don't know, Jeri," Rika replied.
"Well, Wildcat," Ryo approached, "It seems that someone's going nex-" then he was gone too.
"Looking at the situation, the next one to disappear is," she suddenly stopped, "Crap! Jeri, hold on tight."
"Wh-" and now the tunnel was completely empty.
Eastern Quadrant: DigiWorld
Unknown Location
No POV:
Damien, in his disguise, waited for Jericho just inside a cover of trees. It wasn't long before the white virus arrived.
"You're late Jericho. That is not a redeeming quality of a general, let alone second-in-command," he reprimanded.
"My apologies Sir," Jericho said, watching as Syukaigamon glared at him from behind his commander.
"We don't have time for apologies. I need to be informed of what caused you to require my presence."
"Yes Sir," Jericho then cleared his throat, "I came across some information. The DigiDestined seem to have visited an Agumon about four days ago, concerning figures he saw falling from the sky."
"Fuck!" Damien hissed, "That makes it even harder! He may have already fallen into their hands…!" he took a deep breath, "But that does not make it impossible… we just need to find him, and tell him the truth. The Master will not be pleased, but he will bear it."
"Do you have any questions, Sir? Preferably not a general question…" Jericho trailed off as Syukaigamon growled.
"I have a question for you," she said, her voice coming out creepily calm, a tone she usually used only for the Master and Damien, "Do the DigiDestined have any clue as to what the Master is doing?"
The digimon frantically shook his head, "As far as I know, they do not."
"The Sovereigns?" she asked.
"It is only logical to assume that they have an idea at the very least…"
"Damien," Syukaigamon's voice held a certain level of caring, "do you have any questions?"
"No, I don't. Only an order," he then turned to Jericho, "Keep an eye out for those DigiDestined and inform me if anything changes."
He nodded, "Of course, Sir," then he flew off.
"We must get back to safety, Damien," Syukaigamon told her partner.
"Why should we?" the disdain was almost tangible.
"Your safety is my first priority," she started, "I don't want you to get hurt, and Tsukaigamon wouldn't either if he were still with us."
Damien huffed, "Then by all means." Syukaigamon then proceeded to grab a secure hold on him and fly off toward what she deemed safe.
Southern Quadrant: DigiWorld
Forest Level
No POV:
Six bodies landed on the ground with grunts of, slight, pain.
"What now, Brainiac?" Rika gritted out as she got out of the pile.
"Well, it wouldn't be smart to try to find Takato without our digimon, so we should probably make finding them our top priorit-" before he could even finish, his D-Power beeped and the compass-thing popped up. It created a chain reaction, causing the others' to show up too. (Not Jeri's though, for obvious reasons)
They all blinked, and Ryo noticed something, "Hey, it looks like they're all pointing in the same direction."
"That must mean they're together. Or, at least, somewhere near each other," Henry observed, and they all headed in the direction the arrows pointed.
"If only finding Chumley would be this easy…" Kazu said, bringing realization to the whole group that finding Takato was going to take more than their D-Powers.
Me: Aaaaaaaaand… done!
Terriermon: Couldn't you have made the chapter longer?
Kazu: Yeah! They all waited this long to read a chapter, and this is what you give them?
Me: Why are you two out to get me? I just didn't think they would like to wait much longer just so I could make the chapter longer. Plus, I just wanted to get this over with after writer's block bit me in the ass and wouldn't let go for a couple weeks. It to almost a whole month to try to start the Tamers off correctly! (FYI: it was only 3 weeks because I was in L.A. for a week without computer access)
*A whole lecture begins, and it most likely never actually happened as I might have been a little busy chasing them around*
*Rika, Henry, and Takato walk in and stare at the weird scene while Guilmon goes right up to my new camera*
Guilmon: *looks into the lense so all you lovely viewers get a nice close-up of his eyes* Hello? *he backs up and pokes it* Takatomon!
Takato: *looks over at Guilmon* What is it buddy? *walks over*
Guilmon: *points at the camera* is this what the lady uses to talk to people with now?
Me: *in the background, but it's just my voice* I'm only 15!
Takato: *blinks* I guess she replaced the last one.
Guilmon: Okie dokie! So I just ask them to review?
Takato: *chuckles* I think you already did.
Terriermon: *off screen* Incoming! *screen goes dark* I think I broke it…
Me: Damnit! That was new!
Terriermon: Momentai!
*sound cuts out*