Digimon 03: A Darker Beginning

A/N: Well, I'm back (well, more like we) with a chapter for your viewing pleasure. Just to warn you that we have changed the ages around of most of the characters, due to some problems…but it's fan fiction, so we're allowed to do that. Don't sue. To note, Takato in the prologue is around 6 or 7 years old, and in the present Takato, Ruki, and Jenrya are between 11 to 12. Hopefully we'll be posting revised versions of all the chapters before this one soon. Hopefully.

Have a good read. :)

Disclaimer: You already knew what I was going to say before I said it, didn't you? I don't own Digimon.

Chapter Ten: Between Dreams and Nightmares

******

For the first time since the subway massacre, Hypnos' digital scanners were officially offline. Actually it was more then that; the entire building had been shut down.

The reason being: just a few days ago the Hypnos facilities had been evacuated by order of its Executives, for repairs. It had been a little over a week ago that a few of their computers had been mysteriously fried during an abnormal anomaly's arrival. That case had yet to be solved.

However, on this day the building was not as empty as it should have been…

In the command room of the Hypnos' facilities, was the largest viewing screen in the country. Usually said viewing screen was reserved for digital scanning and anomaly detection, but today must have been the exception, for a video was being played on it. However this video was not your typical store bought DVD or VHS type, but a video of a previous battle near the location of the old Mastuda Bakery…

Reika-san, magnify the blurred image on sector 45c\23b of the footage to 600%"

Yamaki sat in the assistant's chair, a deep frown set upon on his face, while he watched the footage from earlier that evening play out on the giant "wall sized" viewing screen.

No matter what he did and despite the amount of time he spent focusing on the video, only two figures appeared blurred.

"Yamaki-san, the footage magnification is set to your set perimeters." Reika finally replied in a tone that meant nothing but business exactly, how Yamaki liked it.

But this time, it was different.

Yamaki wasn't focusing upon the blurs, but more so on the blackish liquid that lingered on the ground. From the beginning and until the end, it remained there and he could not figure out what it was or how it had come to be.

Yamaki watched as the puddle of black liquid slowly gained a more reddish hue….

"Is that...blood? If so...where's the body...?"

He looked once more and noticed that it seemed to be rippling closer to one of the blurs, and nearly lost his temper for what felt like the sixth time since he'd arrived in the control room just a few hours before. Of all the expensive equipment this company possessed and the years he had spent monitoring the Digital plane, they couldn't even identify two blurs. "Pathetic." He thought with annoyance, "This is all just a waste of my time. I'm getting nowhere!"

"DAMN IT!"

Reika turned to the sound of the voice, watching as Yamaki slammed his fist onto the computer counsel in rage, and virtually breaking the machinery in the process. Reika's eyes continued to follow his movements closely, a puzzled expression crossing her face.

Unlike Yamaki, she couldn't lock her feelings inside as he did. All emotions were hidden beneath a shield of ice, and it was rare that this shield ever showed the slightest chance of weakening. Even at home he was like this, even in their most private moments together. And yet, that was what he had just done. The shield had fallen, and he'd revealed some of the frustrations he was facing alone, as always.

"Lets go, Reika. We're not going to get anything from these machines."

His last words had been filled with such venom that she almost felt sorry for him. He'd put so much work into this, only to give up now. But it was startling nonetheless. The normal Yamaki wouldn't have settled for anything less than success, and what was being displayed before her now, was much less than usual.

He had never given up on anything that infuriated him, and setbacks only made him work harder. Yamaki's determination was what Reika admired about him more than anything. He was stubborn, more so than any man she had ever known. Yet this time was different and Reika couldn't really say she liked the change.

"Now, Reika!"

The operator was suddenly startled from her musings when Yamaki called to her yet again. Quickly gathering her things, she headed followed him out the door.

******

Takato moaned as he slowly picked himself off the floor. "What hit me..?"

After a long and hard struggle against gravity he got to his feet. Opened his eyes slowly, he was forced to squint due to the sudden amount of light hitting his eyes.

After taking a few seconds to gain his bearings he began to examine his surroundings, hoping to at least find some clue as to where he was or how he had gotten here. Still he couldn't shake the feeling that continued to pester him, it was almost as though he'd been here before.

He turned around, finally noticing the still form of a child, a boy to be exact. He was young, but not as old as himself. Seven, maybe eight-years-old, and with chestnut brown hair. He sat at a desk, the only one in the room.

"Hey, kid-" He started to speak, but stopped himself. He was trying to start a conversation with someone he didn't even know, not to mention that he wasn't supposed to be there. But maybe the kid could help him figure out where exactly 'there' was.

Either way, it didn't matter now. The boy didn't seem to have heard him, in fact it was almost as if he didn't even know Takato existed. Perhaps he was deaf? Takato slowly walked over to the desk, standing only a foot away from the boy.

Kneeling right beside him, he waved his hand in front of the boy's face, only to receive no response. "That's strange…." He thought. Maybe in the boy's eyes, Takato truly didn't exist. Like he wasn't really here…

It was then that Takato looked into the boy's eyes they were maroon, a unique color for a boy his age. In fact he'd never seen eyes like that besides his own. It was almost creepy in a way, but then again, most of what was going on around him now was creepy.

It was then that he became distracted by voices. Those of a man and a women carried from downstairs. It sounded like a fight was going on, though he couldn't quite make out their words. The entire scene before him was so damn familiar and yet he couldn't put his finger on it.

"Where the hell am I?!" He was becoming more than just frustrated now. All of this, not knowing what was going on and where he was confusing him and he felt a headache coming on. He didn't like being left out of important events, and that was exactly what was happening.

It was then that the boy moved. Slowly, he got up from his chair and turned to face Takato still, he didn't seem to notice him. But, for Takato, this was just another piece of this confusing puzzle. "He looks just like me…" And it was true, now that they stood, face-to-face, Takato felt almost like he was looking in a mirror. They had the same hair, though now his older self had silver instead of the original chestnut, and the same facial features well, minus the scar his younger self had yet to receive. It was amazing, and at the same time it scared the hell out of him. The only real different was in size, Takato being quite a bit taller than the younger boy. As shocked as he was he knew that the boy that stood before him was him.

"Is that really me...? Me from the past?"

Suddenly, those eyes that had been the first real clue to his younger self began to glow a deep crimson color. The color of blood. He watched silently as he picked up a card from his desk. But, the moment he did so, the card seemed to spark with electricity, as if reacting to the boy's touch. In fact, it was almost as if the electricity was coming from the boy himself maybe it was, but at the time, Takato couldn't tell.

Takato squinted in hopes of seeing the picture on the card as the boy put it into his pocket. To his surprise; it was a Prototype Guilmon card.

The boy turned, as though he were ready to walk away, however he suddenly tossed the card away from him as it began to expand. The Light was so intense that Takato had to cover his eyes as it filled the entire room. "I don't remember this happening…." A figure appeared from the card, one that was about the size of Takato.

When the light cleared, and Takato could see again, his eyes opened wide in shock… in the card's place was Guilmon… with eyes just as soulless as the younger Takato.

"What the hell is going on?!"

Suddenly, the room became to shift, and Takato, not knowing what to do, had no choice but to go where it took him. Eventually, he found himself in an entryway to another room. The younger boy was there again, standing in front of him. Again, though this time Takato was not as surprised to find, he did not acknowledge his presence.

Glancing behind him, he saw a women lying on the ground. She also did not acknowledge his company, although Takato could tell that it was for entirely different reasons. Her eyes lay open, unblinking and unmoving. It was as though she was unable to believe what had just happened to her, whatever it had been. He didn't need to check her pulse to be sure; Takato knew she was dead.

The boy, still oblivious to the fact that Takato was standing right behind him, now had a cut just above his left eye and held a bloodied katana in his hand.

"Guilmon…."

By only speaking the creature's name, it seemed to know what he was asking for. The creature turned to the carcass of the dead adult male.

"FIREBALL!"

A bright ball of flame shot out of the creature's mouth and towards the dead body. When finished, only a charred spot with dried blood remained on the ground.

The young Matsuda could only stare in horror as the people around him started to fade away, and then…

He was alone.

Takato looked at his hands for the first time since he had arrived only to see that he was holding the bloodied katana that the boy, no, now he was hold his own katana that was covered in blood. Startled he dropped the Japanese blade, and backed away from it slowly, terrified of his once favorite weapon.

It was then he heard it.

Drip, drip.

"What..? Rain? Inside, though?"

He cupped his hands, looking to the ceiling to determine where the rain was coming from. Slowly, the liquid began to collect in his hands. "It's warm." He thought confused. The storms he could remember were ice cold, the kind you sat inside for while looking out your window and drinking hot chocolate. He almost smiled with nostalgia. Instead he took a deep breath and unable to find the source of rain, looked down with apprehension.

It was not clear liquid that collected in his hands. In fact, he was horrified to find his hands coated in a red, almost black liquid.

"B-blood..?" He asked with disbelief.

"Murderer!" He spun around as voice no louder than a whisper called to him. It was the unmistakable voice of Katou Juri who spoke to him so harshly.

"Murder!" Louder this time, it was Growmon who spoke, growling menacingly.

"You killed them!" A voice that sounded much like Kai yelled.

Looking around wildly, Takato could find no one. But those voices…

"You killed us! Why?!" Now it was his mother, father, and others he had met within the past five years, although the only one that stood out besides his parents was Sakura.

"I-I…I didn't. I didn't do it. It was Vamdemon! I didn't kill them…" He spoke, his voice unsteady. "Vamdemon killed him, It's Not My Fault!" Takato fell to his knees.

Takato looked around himself to find no one there, not a soul… but he could still hear the voices…

"Murderer!" They still accused him, his parents laying there. His mother her broken neck, and yet her eyes were fiery and wild as she spoke, and his father, no, a corpse that slowly let flames lick away at it.

"Murderer!" He could clearly hear the venom in that one word, despite the blank look in her eyes. Sakura in her summer Kimono stood before him, covered in blood. Behind her stood others. A few of them had been friends he had made in Okinawa. A young boy and girl. The boy had bandages over his eyes, while the girl was in a wheel chair. He had failed to protect both of them from a rampaging Monochromon.

"Die for your sins, Demon!" Suddenly a women in a cloak came out from nowhere and with these words she plunged her glowing sword into him.

******

"I DIDN'T DO IT!"

Takato awoke with a start, bring his right hand to his face, which was filled with nothing short of angst.

"It's a lie! I couldn't have done that, could I?"

Reluctantly, Takato laid back down on his futon. "No," He thought weakly, "I can't think of that now. It can't be true…" As soon as his head hit his pillow he was asleep so quickly, one would have thought he were dead.

******

In the hallway outside the room, Ruki shut the door to where Takato was recovering, and walked to her room lost in thought.

"What was that all about…? What didn't he do?" Even more questions filled her mind.

Her mission was a failure. Now, once again, even though this time she had the source of all her questions, all she earned were even more questions instead of answers about the Gogglehead.

"Just what are you hiding within that past of yours, Goggles?"

******

"Kenta, you should have seen it, there I was surrounded by four Monochromon, when suddenly…"

Hirokazu, paused to take a bite of his lunch; a sandwich, and a gulp of his soda then continued his story of his supposed battle.

"Where was I? Oh yeah, I was getting to the best part! Me and Hagurumon were surrounded by four Monochromon and then thanks to my genius maneuver I slash a Win Ratio 50% and evolved Hagurumon into Guardromon and after a slash of a few Power boosters, Guardromon slices and dices all the Monochromon no sweat with his 'Warning Laser'!"

Both Kenta and Hirokazu sat in the clubhouse, Hirokazu going on and on with obvious exaggeration, while waving the device they'd found the other day as he imitated the fights he'd supposedly been it, and Kenta half listening while he organized his Digimon cards.

When Hirokazu had called him earlier this morning, it had sounded like he had something important to tell him, and yet all he had done so far was tell him far fetched stories about Digimon he'd defeated in the past and with his own, real, live Digimon?! He was almost positive that his best friend had gone off the deep end.

"Digimon? Real? Who is he trying to kid, anyway? There's no way—"

"Hey, are you listening to me?" Hirokazu demanded. Kenta was amazed. He would have thought that Hirokazu could go on for hours without interruption, but he obviously wanted Kenta's full attention.

"Yeah, I'm listening…." He said with a small sigh, and a roll of his eyes.

"But you don't believe me, do you?"

Kenta looked up sharply, to see Hirokazu's accusing expression.

"Well…."

"Oh, come on, Kenta! You're just jealous you don't have one of your own!" Hirokazu stated, crossing his arms over his chest.

The blue haired boy rose to the challenge, "Am not!"

"Are too! You just don't like the idea that I'm a good enough Digimon card player to receive a Digimon and your not! Face it, I kick your butt every time we play. I'm obviously the better battler."

"Only because you cheat." Kenta's thought angrily, though he refused to say it out aloud. He knew it might be the end of their friendship if he ever did, "Besides, you doesn't always win. I've put up a pretty good fight at times…."

Instead he said, "Fine, prove it then. If you have a real Digimon, then show him to me!"

"Fine. I will!"

"What?" Kenta asked, shocked. If anything he had expected his friend to make some sort of excuse. Did he really think he had a real Digimon? It was too late to ask questions, though. The boy with the visor was already out the door. Kenta followed.

"Hey, Hagurumon!' Hirokazu called to the bushes that lay to the left of the clubhouse. "Come out, will ya?"

They waited. Nothing. They waited longer. Still nothing.

His friend almost smirked, and expression that didn't look particularly flattering on him. "I guess he isn't coming maybe you should just give up and admit to the truth. There's no such thing as a live Digimon, Hirokazu. It's just a card game!"

But Hirokazu's know-it-all expression hadn't changed a bit, "He'll come." Again he shouted towards the bushes, "Come on, Hagurumon, I know you're there! I saw you following me before!"

Kenta was starting to feel a little worried, "Does he really think he has his own live Digimon…? Maybe something's really wrong with him. Is he sick or something?"

Suddenly, a voice came from the bushes, "Are you sure, Kazu-san?" You told me I should stay out of sight…."

Kenta eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, "No way! This is got to be some kind of joke! Digimon aren't real!"

"Don't worry, it's okay." Hirokazu stated, still wearing that expression. "He's a friend of mine."

"Well, if you're sure…" There was a noise heard from the bush before a gear was seen, then another, and another. Three of them, and on the largest one was a face that smiled at him, his red eyes shining brightly as he floated before the two boys. Kenta's eyes had gone wider than he ever thought possible.

"Hello," the Digimon before him continued to smile, "My name is Hagurumon. And you would be…?"

"K-Kenta." He managed to stutter, almost completely lost for words. "You are real, aren't you?"

"Man…" Hirokazu put a hand on his forehead, "You're really dense, aren't you? Of course he's real!"

Kenta only reply was to reach out and poke the Digimon in his left gear, "Wow…."

"Ha! I bet you're sorry for doubting me now, aren't you?"

"No kidding." His shocked expression was finally gone, replaced with a smile, "How cool! Your own Digimon!"

"Hey, were a team!"

"A team…?"

"Yeah! Hirokazu's team! We can defeat any Digimon that gets in our way"

"...Can I be a part of your team?"

"Sure! I think were looking for a mascot!" Hirokazu laughed.

"Hey!" But he was laughing, too. Soon all three of them were.

Both Hirokazu and Kenta laid of the soft grass looking up at the sky, as Hagurumon floated around admiring the scenery.

"So, are you going to tell anyone else?"

His friend gave a half shrug, "Not sure."

They stayed like that for well over an hour, all of them engrossed in their own thoughts. "Man, Hirokazu's sure is lucky. I'm sorry I doubted him before. Now if only I could have my own Digimon…."

******

Ruki was doing what she would do on most days, kneeled in her room while wearing her usual 'Tamer' garb; some blue jeans with holes in the knees with a few tears here-and-there on the bottom of the pants legs. Along with that she wore a white T-shirt with a broken blue heart.

While this was the usual thing to do when there was nothing going on outside, the reason she was kneeling on the floor in her room was not to practice her gaming skills, or to organize her cards. Actually, the reason she was kneeling was something completely different entirely.

She was aiding her Digimon in the task of taking care of the mysterious Matsuda Takato.

The reason being for this uncharacteristic action was thanks largely due to her own self, some quick thinking, and some vague words used against her….

- Flashback -

Ruki quietly entered her yard with Renamon following her using her usual "Fox Change Void" technique to avoid being spotted while transporting the "Chosen."

Without a word Ruki quietly started to walk to her front door, and entered the house.

When she was in her home, she removed her shoes and placed them near the front door, and then walked as quietly as she could to her room so as not to draw the attention of her mother and grandmother… and to avoid another lecture from her mother about "being out late".

"Like she's never out." Ruki had thought with a snort of annoyance.

Avoiding the kitchen area, she stealthily walked towards her room with practiced ease, and then entered her room.

******

Just as Ruki shut her door, Renamon appeared in the center of the room carrying the mysterious Matsuda Takato within her arms.

As Renamon appeared, Ruki had already headed towards her closet and removed an extra futon, and had set it out. It was a good thing she had remembered that her mother had placed it in their hopes that she'd one day bring a friend over to spend the night.

Of course she was now using it for a different purpose, meaning this boy wasn't her friend, and she was only aiding him because; she felt bad that he was injured and because she wanted answers that only this boy would give.

It may have not have been used for its original purpose, but at least the futon that had been taking up dust for over two years would finally become useful. With that thought aside, Ruki quickly removed the covers from the futon and had Renamon ease the silver-haired boy onto the padding.

She knew without a doubt that he needed to be checked for injuries before they did anything else with him, and if she remembered the battle correctly, she was very sure the boy had many cuts and bruises.

With a slash of Renamon's left paw, Takato's shirt was torn down the front to reveal…blood, and lots of it, as well as some bandages that were wrapped around his entire torso.

"Where'd he get that…?" She questioned internally.

Taking a second glance she noticed not only was his entire chest covered in blood, but the bandages themselves were covered in dried blood. "Odd…" But, if she was going to be able to examine him more thoroughly she needed to get some water to get those bandages off.

Now realizing that water was needed she quickly left her room, and went to the kitchen. When she entered it, she automatically got a cup from the cabinet filled it with water and left without noticing her mother and grandmother's questioning looks.

She entered her room and dumped the liquid over Takato's chest and watched as most of the wet blood slipped away. She frowned when it didn't seem to affect the dried blood at all, and it took several trips to and from the kitchen before that was possible, and even then the bandages still wouldn't allow themselves to be removed.

Renamon's claws put an end to that annoyance.

It was now that she saw the damage that the young Matsuda had; it shocked her enough to make her gaze incredulously at the mysterious boy that lay upon her extra futon. Though she'd lectured herself on keeping her face completely blank in these types of situations, she was forced to look away.

"This couldn't have possibly happened during the battle, Garurumon never laid a claw on him…he obviously received it before the battle…" But how was he still alive, then..? Any normal person would have died of blood loss.

While she continued with her musings, Renamon took her leave to find some fresh bandages and the correct medicine in the Makino home. However, she wasn't gone for more than a minute when Ruki's shoji was suddenly opened. Ruki turned around quickly to find her mother standing in the doorway behind her.

Upon entering the room, her mother saw the body of the boy Ruki was tending to, and promptly screamed.

******

It was a while before Makino Rumiko finally regained some semblance of coherent thought.

"I guess I cant blame her…anyone who walked in on that kind of situation would have been more than a little surprised," Ruki decided. "Still…she could have knocked."

Finally awaking from her shock, Rumiko took the time to glance at both her daughter and the boy on the futon and shuddered. "Ruki…what are you doing w-with a dead boy in your room?" Her voice was barely over a whisper as she assumed the worse.

"Mom…he's still alive. He just needs a little time to recover…"

"But, how? I mean, who hurt him, and why bring him here?"

"Damn it! How am I going to explain this one?

"The idiot…well…he tried to protect me from some thugs." Ruki said slowly, making it up as she went along. "…Not that I need it or anything." She added hastily, after realizing what it sounded like.

"But why would he do something like that?" Rumiko inquired, having come to a conclusion that obviously hadn't reached her daughter's mind.

"He's a friend…yeah, a friend of mine."

"So, he's your boyfriend..? Well, that's wonderful, Ruki! And here I was worried that you might not like boys…" She smiled a smile that lit up the room, and darkened Ruki's thoughts.

Ruki couldn't help but roll her eyes, though she winced internally, "How did I manage to get a mother this dense..?"

"Mom…he's not my boyfriend."

"Now, now, Ruki-chan, it's not nice to lie to your mother." Once again that smile resurfaced, something the female Tamer was beginning to hate "Oh! I need to go call a hospital to take care of him, do you possibly know how to reach his parents and or guardians?"

"Wait...if he ends up in the hospital I won't be able to get my answers! Damn it!"

"Uh, Mom…since he got these injuries.. protecting me," it had been hard to say, but Ruki said it, "I think it's best if I take care of him."

Her mother stared at her oddly when she said that, and Ruki's face turned red. It was due to either blushing or anger, or perhaps both.

Seeing her mother's disbelieving look, she gave up trying to be reasonable, "Look, the Goggle-boy is my business, and my business alone!"

Instead of having her mother back down as usual, she only looked more pleased, looking at her with starry eyes. Ruki could only sweatdrop, as her mother got lost in visions of grandchildren.

"Kami-sama...what have I gotten myself into?"

- Present Time -

"This had better be worth it!" Ruki thought angrily while reaching for the bucket next to he, and retrieving a wet towel."This is not how I planned to spend my weekend." She sighed, "At least I finally learned some interesting things about that idiot…" She added in after thought, while placing a cold compress on Takato's forehead.

She paused in her work, and looked up to her ceiling and recalled some of the various things she learned. "For instance, his healing is just plain nuts, because his injures seem to vanish hours, even minutes after being made. Then he gets injuries even when he's not moving around, almost like some invisible force was hurting him…this is getting stranger and stranger…"

Ruki stopped her musings, and looked down towards the sleeping boy.

"He looks so innocent, like he wouldn't be able to hurt a fly in his sleep…yet this was also the kid who was fighting with a Garurumon, glowing sword in hand and blood pouring out of open wounds."

She removed the cold compress and turned to a bucket she had beside her, and retrieved a new one, and placed it on the boy's head.

"And of course he's been having nightmares and screaming out in his sleep." She frowned. She wished she had some idea of what he was talking about, and at the same time, wishing he could keep it down. No one was enjoying listening to him scream.

Ruki looked at her partner who was done tending to the bandages, and was now observing the sword; the 'Gogglehead' had been wielding earlier…

"Never mind…at least without his sword and Digimon he's harmless…" But that brought up another question where was his Digimon? He hadn't appeared at the battle.

"I'm sure Goggles could have used his help there, but then again, we probably wouldn't have been able to bring him back with us, so I guess it worked out alright. I just hope he doesn't show up later, looking for him. But, what kind of a Tamer…no…what kind of a Chosen would be abandoned by his partner Digimon…isn't there some unwritten rule they have to stay with their partners whether they do evil things or not?" Not that she thought he was evil or anything, but things weren't fitting into place….

"Kami-sama, just thinking about this boy is giving me a headache." Ruki muttered softly.

"Then maybe you should take a break from watching over him, I can see you've put a great deal of effort into taking care of him."

Ruki turned to find her grandmother standing in the doorway. Renamon was thankfully, nowhere to be found.

"I'll just watch over him while you get some sleep. After all, you do have school tomorrow. Don't worry, I'll warn you the instant he wakes up."

"Thanks, I think." Ruki said hesitantly, quickly bowing before heading towards her room.

Seiko watched her granddaughter depart, a kind smile playing across her face. "Usually Ruki would have just walked off without a word. Who knows, perhaps this boy may warm her heart…"

******