Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, nor do I own When the World's Not Ending, by Smartalec121 or any of their associated works.

Off the Beaten Path

Chapter: 38/ Red Eyes, Red Sword

"Ah, nuts."

Kenta looked over at Takato, who just stopped in the middle of Gyoen park, eyes wide with horror.

"What's up?"

"My notes and homework for English," Takato said, his voice full of dread. Swinging his bag up, he undid it and began a frantic scramble through its contents. Seconds later, his face fell. "I left them back in my desk. I've got to go back."

"O-Okay." Kenta nodded. "I'll let Hypnos know we'll be late."

Takato shook his head. "You go on ahead. If I run, I might still make it in time."

Not waiting for Kenta's response, Takato spun around back in the direction of the school and broke into a run.

"Tell everyone I'm sorry!" he yelled over his shoulder. Kenta watched him go for a moment, during which MarineAngemon rose up out of his uniform's pocket, head cocked to one side.

"Pih?"

Kenta shook his head.

"Nah, he'll be okay." Adjusting his bag, Kenta turned back toward the direction of Hypnos. A faint smile touched his lips. Takato forgetting something and having to run back to school to get it held a rather nostalgic feel to him. Even him having the risk of arriving at Hypnos late felt more 'normal' for him than things had been for years.

Heading off, Kenta began to whistle to himself.

###

Kouki watched Takato race off before turning back toward Kenta. Beside him, he could feel the tension in his friends rise, ready to break into a run. They didn't though. They waited on his order.

"Tadaaki, trail him," he said, thumbing in the direction of Takato.

Tadaaki, saluting, did just that. He kept a good pace, making sure he remained casual looking and far enough back so as to not draw too much attention. He was large, but not hulking. With his plain face and track uniform, he wouldn't stand out from a casual glance as being any different from a jogger.

"What about Kenta?" one of the remaining boys – a glasses-wearing youth named Teppei – asked. Kouki shook his head.

"He keeps that fairy in his shirt, remember? We're just keeping tabs on him to make sure he doesn't interfere. It's Takato we're taking down."

"But we'll still get him later, right?" asked one of the others – Katsuharu – sounding both angry and eager.

"One at a time," Kouki nodded.

"Why don't we go after Takatonow?" Katsuharu asked, impatience cracking his voice. Kouki glanced at the teen. His body trembled, clearly wanting to chase after Takato then and there. Reaching out, Kouki slapped him behind the head.

"Because he's in a hurry to go somewhere and if he's in a hurry to get back, he'll be tired. Simple as that. Don't fuck this up."

Continuing to keep their distance, Kouki and his troop continued following Kenta until he was well out of the park. Then, satisfied, they went back and there, waited for Tadaaki's report.

###

Takato ran off at a brisk pace, eager to get to school as quickly as possible. He knew he would get an earful about it later, but with the state of his grades and the amount of school he missed from hospital stays, he couldn't afford to forget a single assignment.

Can't wait until summer gets here, he thought. Maybe then I'll be able to turn things around.

He made it to school, sweating and panting, but still in decent shape. The spring sun and air helped a lot with that. Nerves that previously reacted badly during the recent rain were now singing with utter bliss. He wished he could bask in this weather with Guilmon, but their duties demanded their attention this afternoon.

If we can just find IceBeelzemon…

His mood immediately soured upon entering the building.

IceBeelzemon. Why did he have to look like him? He's already bad enough.

He felt it to be some cruel prank from the universe. He couldn't think of what else it might be, given the coincidence. He wondered what that said about Beelzemon as a digimon species.

They're supposed to be one of the Seven Great Demon Lords, he thought, going over what he knew about the lore of the Beelzemon species from the card game. That's usually not a good sign. But…what does that even mean? Are digimon cursed by the form they take to be just like the lore on them says?

Takato clenched a fist tightly. He remembered Impmon before he became Beelzemon. He wanted to be friends back then. He played with them in the water during their school's field trip. He had difficulty admitting he desired friendship.

He had a lot of pride, he remembered. He hated looking weak. He especially hated Terriermon for that. Every time they scuffled, Impmon would get blown away. And then when Indramon beat him up…

Turning a corner, Takato frowned. Impmon. He couldn't think of him without feeling anger for murdering Leomon, but at the same time he felt a certain conflicting empathy. Impmon wanted to be strong. It was a common motivation among digimon, but for Impmon it always felt more personal. Indramon's torturous beating drove that home, and ever since Takato found himself wondering what Impmon went through before they met. And then there were his final words, spoken after Jeri begged him to be spared.

"I am nothing now."

It's like he realized that even after getting everything he wanted, it still didn't change anything for him.

Takato entered his homeroom. The vase of flowers still remained on the floor next to his desk. Approaching, Takato quickly located his homework assignment. After tucking it into his school bag, he pondered the flowers for a moment. Despite the meaning behind them – that his classmates desired him to be gone – they were beautiful, and they didn't ask to be put where they were or to mean what they did. He picked them up, uncertain as to what he would do with them. Feeling that they deserved a better place than the school to wilt in, he turned and exited the room.

Maybe I can find a nice place in Gyoen park or something? Maybe I can change their meaning by leaving them somewhere else? Maybe-Maybe I can change their destiny?

A small, sad smile graced his lips. It was a strange thought, but one that had been creeping into his mind of late. It felt tempting to feed it more oxygen. After these last few years, he wanted something to hope for, no matter how small.

I guess that's another thing I can thank Rika for. She'd probably like that idea. She wants to change so much. His hand tightened about the vase thinking about her. I-I wonder how she's doing.

Again, thoughts of contacting her came to mind, but he quickly discarded them. He'd be seeing her at Hypnos shortly.

It's better to talk to her face to face anyway.

With nothing more holding him to the school, he headed off. Returning to the outdoors, his mood began to improve and upon breaking into a run, he began to hum a happy tune.

Behind him, he didn't notice Tadaaki following after him.

###

Kouki's phone buzzed. Taking it out, he flipped it open.

"What's he doing, Tadaaki?"

"He's on his way back to Gyoen park."

Smirking, Kouki closed his phone up.

"Get ready," he said, turning to the others. "It's fighting time again."

###

Masaru breathed a sigh of relief while he and Ayaka made their way down the streets. The copper-haired girl next to him held an ice cream cone in one hand, his solid, muscular arm in the other, and she wore a contented expression.

I escaped detention and suspension, he thought, elated that he hadn't needed to cancel their after-school date. She's still mad at me, but I can make it up to her.

"So, where are you going to take me now?" she asked, finishing off her ice cream. Masaru flinched, becoming uncertain.

"W-Well, I was thinking about the movies…"

Ayaka, grinning, rolled her eyes. "Let me guess: one that involves a ton of action and fight scenes, right?"

"Well, there is a bit of romance in it," Masaru said. "But fighting is a man's life's blood."

"Not romance?" Ayaka asked, raising an amused eyebrow. Feeling the heat baking off his face, he let out a loud laugh to cover his anxiety.

"Dad says romance is like fighting too. Just different."

"Yeah, yeah. Men talk with their actions." She gave his arm a slight squeeze. "I'm curious about how you'll talk about love after the movie."

Masaru opened his mouth to reply when he felt something akin to a warning tug at the corners of his attention. Whirling about with sudden alarm, he spotted Takato running down the street with a vase of flowers in one hand. Masaru cocked an eyebrow curiously at the sight.

"What's wrong?" Ayaka asked with concern. She knew his tells well enough by now to recognize that he perceived some kind of danger and was looking around them, trying to pinpoint what caught his attention. Zeroing in on Takato, she immediately frowned. "Oh."

"What's he doing with those flowers?" Masaru asked.

"One of our classmates left them on his desk. He's probably bringing them home to plant them or something."

Ayaka felt the muscles in Masaru's arm tighten at that. While she – like many of their classmates – had no liking for Takato after what happened with Jeri, she knew Masaru held a certain respect for the goggle-wearing Tamer since saving his sister from a rampaging digimon. For the sake of their relationship, and out of respect for that bit of good Takato did, she kept her criticisms about him to a minimum in front of Masaru.

Still, even she had to agree that the flowers were a bit much. Takato may have carelessly pulled Jeri into his 'adventures,' but such a blatant message stating that he should die was hateful in her eyes.

"Anyway, about that movie…" she began, hoping to steer the conversation back toward their date. Even as she did so however, her eyes caught sight of another figure, doggedly running after Takato, but keeping his distance. She immediately recognized Tadaaki and knew beyond a shadow of a doubt what he was doing and what it meant.

"Masaru…"

"I see him."

Ayaka felt as though a rock had just plunged into her stomach. She squeezed Masaru's arm tightly before quickly releasing him.

"Please don't get hurt too much, okay," she said in a soft voice. "And don't let them hurt Takato either."

Masaru flashed Ayaka a grin. "Not a chance," he said before quickly planting a kiss atop her forehead. He broke into a run, chasing after Tadaaki and Takato. Ayaka watched him go before pulling out her cellphone. Just because she couldn't fight didn't mean she couldn't affect things.

###

Tadaaki had just sent a report on Takato's current path when a shadow descended on him. A powerful fist collided with his skull, sending him sprawling to the ground with a cry of pain.

"What the fu…?!" he began, trying to get his bearings. Once more, a shadow fell over him and this time, looking up, he found Masaru towering over him. The sun was at his back, half blinding Tadaaki.

"You have five seconds to tell me where the ambush is," he said, cracking his knuckles. Tadaaki blinked, trying to get a better view of Masaru. As always, the school's number one fighter knew how to use the environment to his advantage.

Stall. I have to keep him busy. If I don't, this punk will ruin everything. Tadaaki looked hastily around. They were rapidly gathering a crowd of onlookers. If one of them called the police and they showed up here in time to arrest Masaru…

"Fuck you!" Tadaaki shouted back. Clambering to his feet, he brought his fists up to fight. He never saw Masaru's incoming punch.

There came a loud crack, followed by sudden darkness from which Tadaaki lost all sense of the world around him. He didn't feel his legs unhinge, nor did he feel the thud of his body hitting the pavement. Masaru stood over him, utterly pissed now. He quickly looked around, trying to locate Takato. He had lost track of him almost as soon as he spotted Tadaaki.

Forgot how fast he can move.

Tsking, Masaru ran through his options. Takato couldn't have gone too far since engaging Tadaaki and he had been running in a roughly western direction.

"Gyoen Park," he murmured to himself. It made the most sense. Takato had an affinity for parks and would cross through them at any opportunity he could. Paying no more attention to Tadaaki, he broke into a run. Bursting through the surprised and shocked crowd, he pushed himself with all the urgency and strength he could muster.

The southern end of the park arrived in his sight minutes later, but of Takato he found no sign. He clenched his teeth, looking desperately about.

He's already in! But…from which end?!

He couldn't afford to waste too much time. Unlike Chou, Gyoen was huge. Masaru dove in at breakneck speed.

"Takato!" he shouted, hoping to catch the boy's attention. "Takato!"

###

Takato slowed his pace a little upon entering Gyoen Park. A sheen of sweat shone on his forehead and he could feel it glueing his shirt to his chest, causing his stitches to itch again.

"I need to stop cutting out of gym class," he half laughed. Making his way through the freshly replanted rose beds, he decided that here was as good a place as any to put his classmates 'gift.'

"At least you'll be in good company," he said. Dropping to his knees, he set the vase down and began to remove the flowers one at a time, placing them amidst their brethren. He wasn't quite sure what more he could do. He wasn't a florist. With the roots cut, they would most certainly die all the more quickly compared to the rest.

"That's kind of sad, isn't it?" he said aloud. "You don't even get to live a full life."

There wasn't anything he could do about that though. Looking about, he took in the warm spring day.

"Well, at least it's nice out."

Snickering caught his attention.

"Talking to plants now, Takato?"

Recognizing Katsuharu's voice, Takato shot to his feet in alarm. Distantly, he heard someone shouting his name, but at the sight of Kouki and two others along with Katsuharu, all his attention fell on them.

"Hey," he greeted warily. The group of teens were spreading out, obviously trying to form a circle around him. Takato began to move in response to this, making sure that he kept them in a line where they would be more likely to get in one another's way. "What do you want?"

"It should be obvious," Katsuharu laughed. "You got the message, didn't you?"

Ignoring Katsuharu, Takato's focus fell on Kouki. Something about his quiet demeanor held his attention. Takato continued to step to the side as they continued to approach.

"We want you gone," said one of the other boys – Eiichi. "You don't belong in our school. You know that, right?"

"I don't want to fight you," Takato said, continuing to back away, this time angling more toward Katsuharu. Katsuharu approached him at the quickest walk, trying to close the distance between them as fast as possible and cut off his escape back into the more public areas. Takato's mind was working. Chou sensei's training seeped into his muscles, laying out what he would need to do. He would need to go through Katsuharu first, and he would have to take him out with one hit. It was the quickest way to end this because as soon as he made it back into the city, they would be forced to give up on him. At least for today.

"Too bad," Kouki said, his voice cracking with anger. "I've been wanting to fight you for a long time, but Masaru wouldn't let me. I'm done waiting and I'm done listening to him."

Takato glanced at Katsuharu. The boy was almost in range. His muscles tensed, preparing to strike, but once again he was struck by the overwhelming resemblance he bore to Kazu. Under Kouki's watchful eye, he froze.

Just like that, Kouki dashed toward him.

Kouki's movement didn't go unnoticed however, and it did Takato the favor of unfreezing him. Falling instinctively into a stance, Takato's foot whipped up in a straight kick, catching Kouki in the stomach like a spear. The taller boy's eyes went wide as the breath left his lungs in one mad rush, and he fell with a pained, silent gasp.

Katsuharu fell on him two seconds later and his attack was clumsy, owing to his own sudden hesitation. Whatever feelings of malice he bore, he clearly hadn't expected Takato to be so ready to fight back – or for Kouki to jump forward as quickly as he did. He slammed into Takato and attempted to wrestle him down. Takato, using his forward momentum, threw him off, sending him sprawling to the ground. With barely a second to spare, he danced out of the path of Eiichi's fist, narrowly avoiding getting his eye socket clipped. Eiichi continued after him, swinging wide, easily telegraphed punches that Takato dodged. Dropping down, he lashed out with a kick again, this time smashing his foot into Eiichi's thigh. Eiichi froze as the muscles in his leg seized up on him, giving Takato the opportunity to hit him with an open palm strike. With a surprised cry, Eiichi toppled backward, just in time for a recovered Kouki to jump in to take his place.

Takato had more than enough time to deal with him.

Stepping in with his front foot, Takato swung his hips as he brought a fist slamming straight home into Kouki's oncoming jaw. There came a loud, bone jarring impactand Kouki flew to the side, blood spewing from his mouth. He landed heavily on the ground with a loud grunt. Only Teppei still stood now, and his eyes were wide like saucers.

With a grunt, Kouki forced himself up into a sitting position. His eyes blazing with fury and murderous intent, he spat a bloody tooth. There would be no mistaking what he had in mind now. Escaping into the city would no longer be an option either as far as safety went. Kouki wouldn't be satisfied with just a little blood. He'd have all of it, consequences be damned.

Takato didn't bother sticking around. Whirling about, he broke into a run.

###

Teppei watched in astonishment while Takato fled from them. His thoughts were a storm of confusion and even, surprisingly, a little bit of fear at what he just witnessed. Kouki, spitting out another bloody tooth fragment to go along with its sibling, forced himself up. His jaw where Takato punched him was rapidly swelling.

"After him," he said in a strained voice.

"K-Kouki…"

"You heard him!" Katsuharu shouted while helping Eiichi back to his feet. "What are you waiting for?!"

Teppei could only shake his head. This wasn't how things were supposed to go. Takato shouldn't have fought back. He wasn't supposed too!

Yet, he had, and succeeded in flooring Kouki, Katsuharu, and Eiichi in record time without getting so much as a single scratch.

"I don't know if this is a good idea…" he said. "That kid… He's a monster!"

He looked around, hoping for some kind of validation or agreement. Kouki's answering glare, the only one he got, nearly made Teppei's bowels empty their contents into his pants.

"I'll deal with you later," he seethed before tearing off after Takato.

Eiichi followed after Kouki, albeit with a slight limp. Only Katsuharu paused long enough to meet Teppei's gaze. His expression looked mixed. They had been friends for years – far longer than they'd known Kouki. At the same time though, one didn't just refuseKouki and Katsuharu also hated Takato with a passion. It was that hatred that led them to Kouki in the first place, hoping that they could either use him to attack Takato, or to get strong enough to do it on their own.

For the first time in years – since they bullied a wimpy kid with the big orange hat – Teppei wondered if maybe things were going too far.

Takato fought back! Since when did he fight back?! He saw the flash of blood flying from Kouki's mouth. How he spat out a tooth like some bone-like booger. Takato was willing to actually do damage to them!

"Katsuharu…" he began, only for the boy to tsk at him in disapproval.

"Coward," he said, and then proceeded to chase after the others. Swallowing, Teppei found himself joining them a second later.

###

Takato couldn't say that he had much of a plan at this point except to try and lose his opponents, or, failing that, at least thin them out enough for him to engage one on one. He stood little chance of getting to Hypnos. It was too far away and he was tiring now while his attackers were fresh. Heading into the city would risk involving innocent people and potentially hurting them. Kouki wasn't interested now in anything other than hurting him. He had to figure out a plan.

He tried to recall what he knew of Gyoen's layout. He didn't visit it as much as he would like. He knew there were a number of ponds about, Azalea Hill and an area devoted to Cherry Trees, but they were all in the opposite direction. He recalled at least one pond in the path he currently ran on. He couldn't recall the name, but the image came clear to his mind.

If I remember right, it has a bridge! A bridge was good terrain. Narrow. He could use that to offset the numbers. Digging in for whatever stamina he could summon, he pounded down the path, hoping his strength wouldn't fail him before he got there.

###

Rika, Kayoko, and Toshiko entered into Gyoen Park and treated it like a much-needed breath of fresh air. Her two friends insisting on accompanying her as far as Hypnos and Rika wasn't about to argue with them any further. Knowing her situation, they weren't about to leave her alone and, truth be told, Rika didn't want to be left alone to stew in her emotions. She had a bad habit of spiraling around in them like a whirlpool and, when not dealt with properly, making things worse than they would normally be.

Renamon phased into view. Rika smiled at her, as did her friends.

"Hey, Bushy Tail," Kayoko greeted with a heft of her bokken's bag. "Would you like to try sword dancing here when your schedule is freed up?"

"It would appear to be a good place for training," the kitsune observed with a small smile.

"You like it here?" Rika asked.

"It has a good atmosphere." Renamon turned to look at Rika curiously. "Do you?"

Rika smiled again. "Yep!" she nodded. "Papa took me here a lot when I was a kid. The Cherry trees were my favorite."

"Maybe you should ask Takato if he would like to watch them bloom with you next year," Toshiko suggested. Rika's eyebrows rose up in surprise at her.

"Kayoko?" she began accusingly.

"Don't look at me. I didn't put her up to it."

"I-I mean it!" Toshiko blurted out hurriedly. "I'm not making fun of you! You said you like-like him, so it'd be good, right? W-When things calm down, I mean! I'm-I'm hoping to ask Kenta then."

"I am certain he will be more than happy to go with you at any time," Renamon said, smiling at Toshiko. The mousy girl blushed. "He appears to be quite taken with you," the kitsune added.

Kayoko snickered. "Sounds to me like you appreciate the finer points of romance more than Nonaka does."

"I find that I enjoy seeing people connect with one another. It is, admittedly, interesting to observe. Digimon do not normally have romances the way humans do. It occurs, but not with the same frequency."

"Why is that?" Rika asked, finding herself curious now. "The TV show had Veemon falling in love with Gatomon and there was a stupid love triangle subplot involving their friend, Patamon."

"You're such a nerd, Nonaka," Kayoko laughed. Rika blushed in embarrassment.

"I-It's not like there's anything else to go on," she protested.

Renamon simply shook her head. "I do not know," she replied to Rika's question. "Perhaps it is simply a matter of programming. For digimon, fighting and growing stronger is as natural as breathing. Perhaps it is also environment. During my travels, some areas of the digital world featured such companionship more than others. There was hardly any in the realm of the Sovereign that I served, but in Azulongmon's territory, I observed more."

"Weird," Rika said, arching an eyebrow. She began to say something more, only to be cut off by the sound of her phone buzzing. Her heart skipped a beat as a cold fear – previously nestled away by the presence of her friends – made itself known once more. Taking out her cellphone, she found herself almost relieved to find Kenta's number flashing on the caller ID.

"Hey, what's up?"

"I-It's Takato! Ayaka called me! She says Takato is going to be ambushed by some kids from school! She thinks it's Kouki! Masaru's out looking for him but Takato… He's not answering his phone! I think he's…!"

"Hold on! Slow down!" Rika interrupted, her mind beginning to race now. She hung onto the names of Ayaka and Kouki briefly before setting them aside for the only information she actually understood in all of Kenta's panicked babbling. "Takato's in trouble?"

"Rika."

At Renamon's voice, Rika looked at her. She pointed at something in the distance. Following her direction, she spotted a group of figures running after one lone person. Rika didn't need binoculars to recognize Takato. A furious rage suddenly erupted in her and she threw herself toward the group without so much as a second thought.

"Stay here," Renamon said to the other two girls. Kayoko shook her head. Unzipping her bag, she drew out her bokken. Its curved, polished, wooden blade glinted beneath the sunlight, promising violence.

"Toshiko stays here you mean," she said, and with that she charged after Rika. Renamon frowned uncertainly.

I cannot harm any humans, she thought, remembering the warnings she had been given by Himiko. At the same time however, she could not allow Rika to be hurt either, nor could she stand by and allow her friends to be hurt.

This will be delicate.

"Stay out of sight," she told Toshiko before fading out of view.

###

Takato's pace began flagging upon clearing the trees. It began with a stitch in his side, and before he knew it, his legs weren't putting out as much speed as they were earlier. His heart pounded in his chest as the enormity of his mistake – running so much earlier just to get a homework assignment – drove home to him like a stake in the chest.

The bridge! Just a little longer! Just a little…!

His foot caught on an exposed rock jutting out of the earth. He stumbled, tried to correct his balance, and then fell. His training took hold and he rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding Kouki as he dove at him. Takato just barely got to his feet when he found Eiichi charging him. The taller boy's arms were extended, clearly indicating his intent to grab hold of him and wrestle him to the ground. His reflexes sharpened by growing fear, Takato's reflexes moved his hands, slapping Eiichi's hands aside before stepping forward. His forehead connected hard and sure with Eiichi's face and the boy's nose made a terrible crunching sound. Eiichi screamed as blood sprayed, and he collapsed to the ground, clutching at his nose in a desperate bid to stem the flow.

Kouki fist plowed into Takato from the side just below his ribs and he gagged in surprise and pain. This was followed by another series of blows, all to his head and, particularly, his face. One fist struck his eye and his vision went white. A kick slammed into the back of his leg and in the next moment, Takato found himself on his back, the impact forcing air out of his lungs. Gasping in futility, he attempted to roll away, but instead he accidently ran right into Kouki's next kick, driving it right into his stomach. Takato spasmed, bunching up. Black spots filled his vision.

"I'm going to fuck you up, you freak," Kouki said. Grabbing hold of Takato by the hair, he yanked him up so that they were at eye level. He hawked up a wad of blood onto Takato's face. "I'm going to break all of your teeth now!"

Not fully done yet, Takato half-blindly lashed out, attempting to break free. His fist connected with Kouki's throat just barely to the left of his larynx. Abruptly releasing his grip on Takato's hair, he staggered up, making choking and gagging sounds. His eyes were wide almost to the point of popping and the chords on his neck stood out. With furious strength, he delivered a vicious kick straight into Takato's ribs, causing him to gasp in sudden pain.

"Asshole…" Kouki wheezed finally as Katsuharu and Teppei pulled up behind him.

"Are you okay?" Katsuharu asked.

"Fucker tried to kill me!" Kouki half-choked, half-roared. He spat out more blood. "I'm going to pay him back with interest!"

"Oh God…" Teppei breathed, eyes growing wide. Turning, Katsuharu gasped. Takato was getting to his feet! One eye was closed and swelling and he clutched at his ribs like they pained him, but he refused to stay down.

Clenching his fists, Kouki stalked toward him. He threw a punch. Unlike Eiichi, his strikes were straight and more in line with Takato's technique. Takato danced back, one fist held in front of him like a shield. Smirking, Kouki pressed forward.

So focused on Takato, he didn't see Rika until she plowed into him.

"Leave him alone!" Rika shouted with unrestrained fury, punching at Kouki's face. With every hit, she saw both Takato and her grandmother in hospital beds, covered in bandages. This lent an almost monstrous strength to her blows as she rained them down on Takato's assailant. The teen, managing to recover quickly, caught her next fist and followed up by a straight punch to her face. Rika's head snapped back from the blow, agony exploding throughout her skull and all went black. Distantly, she heard the cries of others floating about the darkness surrounding her, but she didn't recognize them. After what felt like an eternity, her vision cleared, revealing clear blue sky. She was flat on her back and two figures were struggling in front of her. She looked up to find Takato attempting to kick at their opponent, trying to drive Kouki away from her. His injuries however, plain even to her, prevented him from making the full, best use of his techniques. He paid for it as his attacker punched him down. Rika was on her feet again.

"Get away from him!" Her voice came out like a storm of thunder. Renamon suddenly appeared in front of Takato.

"Leave them alone," she said, her voice low and threatening. Her blue eyes glinted dangerously. She hoped this would be enough to scare this boy off, as her appearance could be frightening to humans. Upon closer inspection however, she saw something in his eyes that told her nothing she could do was going to give him pause. She saw that look far, far too often from digimon that were ravenous for data.

This one's a killer, she thought, tightening her fists. She wondered if she would have to fight him after all.

"Fuck you!" Kouki snarled. He started toward her, only for movement from out of the corner of his eye to catch his attention. Ducking, he narrowly avoided getting struck by Kayoko's bokken.

"Don't even bother warning him off, Fluffy Tail," Kayoko said, interposing herself between Kouki and Rika, her wooden blade held in a guard position. "Guys like this are little better than rabid dogs. There's only one way to deal with them."

Kouki fell back a step and looked around him. Eiichi remained down, groaning and clutching at his face. Katsuharu and Teppei were both nursing their heads in the dirt.

"Useless fucks," he growled before glaring at the newcomers. "Get out of the way."

"Or what?" Kayoko demanded, taking a threatening step toward him. The tip of her blade traced circles around his head. "Don't make me laugh. You're outnumbered, and from the looks of things Takato already took a chunk out of you. But if you want to continue this 'dance,' I'd be more than happy to oblige."

Kouki seethed. His eyes darted over to Takato and his rage boiled still hotter. This kid was always hiding behind a digimon! Always hiding behind someone else and Masaru respected him?!

He made a threatening step towards the group and Kayoko responded by returning the gesture. The tip of her bokken stabbed dangerously close to his face.

"I'm going to break that fucking stick," Kouki growled. Kayoko scoffed at him.

"Cute. You think you're a real fighter because you're too dumb to get off the train tracks."

The last thread of Kouki's temper snapped and he threw a punch at Kayoko. His movements were swift. Rika shouted a warning, but it died in her throat as her friend shifted her arms. Her movements were subtle and small, but the sword moved further and far faster. As Rika watched, it struck like a snake and Kouki screamed when the wooden blade smashed the bone in his forearm. Rika cringed, watching it break. She had no words for the sight, but the memory of Takato's attacker clutching at his arm, now bent at a horribly awkward angle, became branded in her memory.

"Last chance," Kayoko said, her voice flat and not in the least bit apologetic. "I'm playing nice right now. I don't want to get serious, but if you keep this up, I will."

Kouki's breathing came out horribly ragged and sweat stood out on his flushed face. Yet, it seemed that whatever possessed him to continue attacking them to begin with, despite the presence of Renamon, made him force his feet and take another threatening step toward Kayoko. Rika flinched, not from him but from something in the air about her friend. Something terrible was building about her. For half a second, she could have sworn she saw her like some great, terrible warrior, clad in armor and holding a blood-stained steel sword. Kouki, seeming to sense her startlingly abrupt bloodlust as well, froze in midstride, eyes growing wide with terror.

With a thunderous battle cry, Kayoko swung her bokken up and slammed it into the side of Kouki's head with a loud crack. Kouki froze. His face went slack and his eyes rolled up into their sockets. His balance wavered for a moment, and then he collapsed in a heap.

Kayoko drew in a shaky breath and lowered her bokken. Guardedly, she approached the fallen Kouki. Kneeling down, she felt for his pulse.

"He's alive," she said. Getting back up, she retreated away from Kouki's reach, not eager to be near in the event he woke back up. Her hand gripping her bokken began to tremble and she clasped it tightly.

"Kayoko…" Rika began, breaking the silence. Her eyes were wide, both with surprise and awe. She knew her friend had experience with sword fighting, but seeing her dismantle Takato's attackers so easily left her stunned. The feeling she were looking at a samurai remained, though it was swiftly evaporating.

"Check on your gogglehead, Nonaka," Kayoko said, massaging her arm. She pressed her lips together tightly, looking clearly conflicted about what she just did. She snuck a glance at Rika, and the two held one another's gaze for a moment. Of the two, Kayoko broke it first. Shame was writ upon her features.

"Sorry for showing you my ugly side," she said. Rika hastily shook her head.

"Kayoko, don't…"

"Check on your gogglehead," Kayoko reiterated in a harsher tone that Rika never remembered her using before. Getting the message, she dropped the topic and went over to where Takato lay.

The boy looked like a mess, but he was sitting up again with Renamon's support.

"A-Are you alright?" Takato croaked. She pressed a hand against her cheek where she had been struck. It hurt, but it didn't seem serious.

"I'll be fine. Shouldn't you be more worried about yourself?"

Takato forced on a grin that looked not in the least bit authentic. Rika's gaze fell on his lips where Kouki's last punch had split it open. A thin trickle of blood flowed from the wound. Rika felt the muscles in her body tense up at the sight, and straight away she thought of her grandmother, lying on the street with blood pooling beneath her.

"We seem to meet like this a lot," Takato said, breaking her out of her thoughts. Rika shifted, feeling ill at ease.

"Hazard of the job, I suppose," she said and knelt in front of him. Reaching out she touched his face tenderly. He didn't flinch away as she expected he would, but in his current condition, she wondered if he even could. To set him at ease, she smiled warmly at him. "We ought to try something different sometime. Mix things up a bit."

Her palm pressed against his cheek. She could feel the heat in his face, though whether it was from the swelling bruises or him blushing, she couldn't be sure. Kouki had done quite the job on him. Her thumb traced a path along his tender skin and their eyes met. She didn't look away and, for a wonder, he held her gaze for some time before finally looking away.

"Ah, s-sure. That…" He cleared his throat and she felt him grow tense beneath her touch. He then looked up at her with concern. "W-When he hit you… Rika, are you…?"

"Shut up. I already said I'm fine." Feeling annoyed at how little concern he paid to his own injuries, she drew closer to him. Her eyes brimming with tears, she pressed her forehead against his. Takato fell abruptly silent.

"I'm fine," she repeated in a hushed voice. "I'm…fine."

They continued to sit like that for a moment longer, her thumb continuing to massage his cheek. Her hand trembled against him, and feeling it, he reached up and took her hand into his own. He gave it a soft squeeze. Rika bit her lip.

"Stupid Gogglehead," she whispered tightly.

After a while, she began to hum.

###

Masaru broke free from the tree line to find emergency vehicles flashing their lights in the direction of the Shinjukugyoen Museum. His heart leaping into his throat, he raced the length of the garden, haphazardly cutting through it to get there as quickly as possible. He counted numerous police cars, two ambulances, and a pair of black, unmarked vehicles. As he grew closer, he recognized Takato seated at the back of one of the ambulances, being looked over. Nearby, stood three girls and a yellow-furred fox digimon. But only Takato held his attention.

"Takato!" he shouted. He saw the Renamon tense and so did the police officers standing nearby.

"Masaru!" Takato called back in a strained voice. Masaru saw him clasp his sides, evidently regretting hailing him at such a distance. Drawing up to him, he gave the girls a quick look before turning his full attention to Takato. His shirt was unbuttoned, revealing his still healing scar and the accompanying bruising lining his ribs. He wore a white eyepatch over one eye. Anger flashed in his heart and he looked about for any sign of Takato's assailants.

"Unforgiveable…" he growled. "Where's Kouki?!"

"You know the young man who did this?" asked a new voice from the side. Turning, he found a pale, dark-haired woman with obsidian eyes gazing at him with a penetrating look.

"He goes to my school, Himiko" Takato intervened. "So does Kouki. Masaru's a friend though."

"And his relationship with your attacker?" The woman's eyes bore down on Masaru in a way that made his temper flicker.

"My rival before this happened," Masaru declared, and he slammed a fist into an open palm. "Now he's my enemy! No one hurts my little brother and gets away with it!"

"Little brother?" Himiko cast a sidelong glance at Takato, who shrugged his shoulders.

"It's what he calls me."

"Well, Kouki won't be getting away with this, I assure you," she continued, looking back at Masaru. "We have numerous eyewitness accounts and multiple camera angles showing him attacking Takato as well as Rika when she attempted to intervene." She nodded to the group of girls indicatively. "We have enough on him to lock him up and throw away the key. I have reason to believe we'll find more on him before too long. I presume we can also count on your testimony…Masaru, was it?"

"Masaru Daimon!" he announced proudly. "One day I'm going to be the number one Champion Ultimate Fighter!"

"Right. Anyway, can we count on your testimony about your fellow classmate?"

"You sure can!" Masaru grinned. "I'd be more than happy to do more. Give him a little payback for what he did to my little brother!"

"Knock it off, Masaru," groaned one of the police officers. A young woman with magenta hair. "Sorry, Ma'am. He's always like this."

"You're familiar with him as well?"

"He's been in trouble for fighting, Ms. Hata. So has Kouki Tsubasa for that matter."

"Hey, he's…" Takato began, only for a pained expression to interrupt him. With an effort, he forced himself to continue. "He's not bad."

"Well, I'll grant that he doesn't cause the same kind of trouble…"

"I think that will be enough," Himiko interrupted. "If his hands are clean as far as the Tamers go, it's not my jurisdiction. Kouki Tsubasa on the other hand is a completely different matter. Make a statement and provide all requested information. We'll be in touch."

With seemingly nothing more to say, Himiko turned and made her way over to where the girls stood where she exchanged a few words with the redhaired girl before leaving. Masaru ignored them. The female officer approached him with a clipboard in hand.

"Masaru…"

"Not now, Toots. I need to talk to Takato."

"Masaru…!" the officer began, incensed. "You…! Fine! Just hurry up!"

Masaru nodded to her before approaching Takato.

"Little brother," he said, crouching down in front of the boy so they were more at eye level. "How are you doing?"

"I've been better."

Closing his eyes, Masaru punched the ground angrily. "I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner. I saw Tadaaki following you, but I lost track of you."

"Hey, it's okay…"

"It's not okay!" Masaru again slammed his fist into the ground. "I failed. I wasn't here to help you like you were for Chika. But I promise, I won't let it happen again!"

Takato gazed at Masaru for a moment, not at all sure what to say to that. In the end, he looked in the direction of Rika. Her eyes were on him, and the bruise marring her cheek stood out prominently. She appeared visibly shaken by the day's events, yet something in the way she looked at him was different from before. He could see the strange attentiveness she showed him from the day he first met her, but there was something more there that went back to that fateful day when IceBeelzemon hurt her grandmother. A new fire.

A fire that reminded him a little of Masaru.

13