sanityofthemind | (no subject)

[ She was headed home after school. Ikuto had to stay behind a lot lately for extra lessons, given that he kind of lived ten years without having any formal education at all. Fortunately, he was a pretty quick learner. So, she was walking home alone.

She was among those who had been worried about Takeru ... and Hikari, too. Hikari showed it less, but she could still tell her friends were upset.

And given the 'monster' attacks all over the news, she really couldn't blame them. She was worried, too ... if those Digimon were appearing here again, how were things really going in the Digital World? Was her brother all right? Were all of their Digimon friends all right?

She couldn't really talk about it with more than Ikuto, but even despite how worried they were, it wasn't like they could do anything about it. There had been no sign of Piyomon or Falcomon, or any of the others.

Chika passed by the park every day when walking home, and today as she walked by it she saw a familiar someone sitting on a bench by the swings. The park was deserted, except for him. Parents really wanted their children home as soon as possible these days.

She didn't want to just pass her friend by, though, so she quietly moved to the bench and sat by him. She didn't want to startle him, so she just sat there silently. ]

[As the images of these past events kept running through his head, he didn't know what to do. To make things even worse, it seemed like his brother and Taichi were fighting again too. While they had made up for the most part, it still didn't seem like they had.

Not only that, Koushirou had no idea what was going on either. With all these monsters coming by, they had to be ready at any given moment or else.

With all these thoughts running through his mind, he didn't seem to notice that Chika was sitting next to him!]

[ ... Okay, maybe it might be a good idea to break him out of his thought. She leaned over a little bit, trying to get a good look at his face. ]

Takeru-kun?

[ She didn't ask if he was okay. It was pretty obvious that he wasn't. ]

[And just like that? That got him to snap out of his thoughts! The moment he heard her voice, he quickly turned around and gave her big wide eyes!]

C-Chika-chan? How did...when did you get here?

I didn't even see you there!

[ She smiled brightly at him. ]

I'm a ninja, you know. I snuck up on you a few moments ago!

[ It was a joke, to try and lighten the mood. Her face fell into a concerned expression afterward, though. ]

Something's bothering you.

Then you better use those ninja powers of yours to good use, I'm pretty sure there's someone out there who would really appreciate it!

[Although, have those ninja powers to randomly appear out of nowhere seems like a really good idea right now.

But that's besides the point. As he chuckled, he couldn't help but give a smile to her]

I can't say I'm surprised. I don't have I've been doing a very good job at hiding it but I think I'll be okay. [Not like he has a choice]

[ He's smiling now? Well, at least he wasn't denying that something was bothering him. ]

It's about the Digimon, right?

[ ... Wait, whoops. Most people didn't know about Digimon. How confused was he going to be? ]

[See Takeru. See Takeru just stare at Chika. See Takeru continue to stare at Chika with huge wide eyes and having no idea what to say back.

If it was possible, his mind would have imploded by now!]

Y-Yeah but....how did...how did you know...?

[No seriously, how did you know????]

[ Well ... that was ... not the reaction she was expecting.

Wait, what. He knew? ]

... How do you know?

[That wasn't the reaction he was expecting from her either! Which was why he still kept staring at her as if he had suddenly grown a second head!]

That's because I'm a chosen child? But that doesn't explain how you know!

What do you mean, chosen child?

My family's been involved with Digimon for a long time ... my Papa was one of the scientists who led an expedition to the Digital World way long ago. My brother is currently over there helping Agu-chan protect it ...

[ Which was why she was so worried, Digimon appearing in the Real World again aside. What was going on with her brother over there? Was he okay? ]

[Blink blink blink]

But that can't be right? Didn't Gennai say that 7 years ago, we were the only humans in the Digital World?

[Hey, wait a minute here!]

Although, mind if I ask you something? Was your father one of the chosen child before?

[And the plot thickens!!]

[ This is the first time she's really heard the term 'chosen child,' to be honest. She shook her head. ]

Papa went to the digital world as an adult. It was a little bit after I was born. He ended up staying there for a really long time ... I didn't see him again until I was 10.

[ Our season timelines don't line up too well. ]

... So you've actually gone to the digital world, Takeru-kun?

[And thus equals weapons of mass confusion! Which was why he kept looking at her strangely. He didn't mean to but when everything was thrown at him all at once?

What else was he suppose to do?]

Yeah, I have. Twice even but outside of my friends, I don't think I ever heard of anyone going to the Digital World before. That just...doesn't make any sense!

Well, it happened. My brother's in the Digital World right now, working with Agu-chan to protect it.

[ ... She's so worried now. ]

But if Digimon are here again, I wonder what happened over there ...

[Hmmmm...]

I'm not sure but whatever is going on? It sounds like there's a lot of trouble going on!

But it would be nice to be able to go back to the Digital World though. It's closed right now.

I've never actually been there ... but if I could do something to help, I would go in a heartbeat. I'd find Piyomon, and we'd do whatever we could to make things right.

[ She's gone from sad and worried to serious and determined. ]

[For a moment, Takeru didn't say anything. Instead, he just softly smiled at her]

...Well...I don't know what's going on either but if we ever find out how to get to the Digital World, I'll be sure to let you know. And especially if we get a chance to find your Piyomon!

[ She nods, smiling back at him. ]

Anyway ... If you need to talk to someone about things ... I'm here for you. I know it can be really hard to keep all of that in.

[Again, for a moment or two, Takeru didn't know what to say back. While it was nice to see someone else who knew about Digimon?

There was a part of him that wasn't too sure if he should say anything about it.]

...Yeah but...how do I talk about it? It's...really a lot to cover and not to mention that there's a chance you might get hurt too.

Don't worry about me so much. I'm tough. I can handle whatever comes my way.

[ Really, man, her brother falcon paunches Digimon regularly. And on an emotional level, well ... she's seen some shit, too. ]

Do you want to start with the first time you went to the digital world?

... Or if you don't want to talk at all, that's okay too. I just want to make sure you know that I'm here if you need me.

I care about you a lot, you know ... you and all of our other friends.

[See that? Now that just makes Takeru feel even worse! Ahhh, what was he suppose to do here? He wants to keep it a secret but at the same time, he knows that he can't!]

Well....the first time I went there, I was 7 at the time with my friends. And at first, all we had to do was defeat Devimon and we could go back home.

But...I guess just a lot of evil things just didn't want that to happen. And it's starting to worry me if it might be happening again here in the real world.

[ Her eyes widen. ]

You were seven when you went there the first time? Holy cow! I was ten when I met Piyomon and I've never been to the digital world!

[ If he saw even half the shit she did when the digimon came to the real world then he must have been pretty messed up. Going to the digital world that young, though? He probably saw a lot more of it. Her father was a grown man, and her brother was a teenager when they went to that world for the first time. If she has ever gone back then ...

She was seeing her friend in a new light now. Getting thrown into the thick of things at that age was rough. It wasn'T like Ikuto, who had been transported there as a baby and raised as a digimon for most of his life ... ]

[And thinking back on it? It wasn't something he was really proud of. While it was pretty cool to see all those Digimon and how awesome they were, he quickly realized how dangerous it all was.

Not to mention leaving him some scars ~~that will not heal~~ will last him a lifetime]

Well, let me tell you, if you're not careful? It can be a really dangerous place to be in! There's a lot of Digimon that are always after you! And you don't have a choice but to fight really.

[Something at he didn't like but...]

... Sounds like the perfect place for my brother. People look at him funny and he wants to fight them.

[ Siiigh, Masaru ... but she does miss him terribly. He was the male figure in her life for 10 years, and as dumb as her brother is, she still adores him. ]