Note: Teddie's POV
A Shadow in my Heart
Chp5: Bear in the Woods
Teddie put his ear against the TV screen and listened closely for any signs of a crowd. His bear-senses told him that it was probably night-time over the other side due to the lack of noise his ears detected. He pulled back and slumped onto the floor, pouting behind that bear-mask of his. It had been a while since he had last visited his friends on the other side but he could never find the right moment to go. At times, there would be too big a crowd at the Junes Electronics Department to even get out of the TV stationed there but when Teddie waited too long for another chance, Junes would be closed and he wouldn't be able to get out of the Department store without breaking a few laws, and possibly a few windows. Finding another entry zone was also out of the question because that would run the risk of getting lost, and in the worst case scenario, he could accidentally wound up at a strangers house while they were making out with their lovers…not that Teddie would mind or anything. He would just love to become the girl's new 'hot' stud and score.
But here he was again sitting on the cold, hard floor of the usual meet-up place, feeling bored and restless. The patterns on the floor still manage to creep him out even after years of living here. He never really understood why the floor had outlines of dead bodies. Maybe the architect that designed the place thought it was a good idea?
In any case, Teddie was very bored.
Beary, beary bored. I'm so unbearably bored.
Ever since he and his friends had found the one responsible for throwing people into the TV World, life has been very boring for Teddie. He had told everyone that he would remain in this world to make sure nothing goes wrong but the problem was that nothing ever went wrong. All he wanted to do was hang out with Yosuke or Kanji even. He wished he could go over there and have dates with Chie or the ever-lovely Yukiko. Hell, maybe even Naoto but she'd probably shoot him if he asked her out.
It was just far too peaceful in this world now. He wished something would happen – anything to distract him from his current mundane living style.
And then he sensed it – a slight tremor in the air.
The feeling was faint but his keen bear-senses definitely picked up something. There was a flicker in the atmosphere and a droning sound that ticked him off, as a fly would on a dry summer day. Teddie scrambled up and sniffed.
"Uhh, guys? Are you guys here? Yosuke? Sensei?" He spun around as if he anticipated a surprise attack from a Shadow but he found nothing. "Rawrr…I have a bad feeling about this…"
As if on cue, Teddie detected a faint sound from afar – the sound of crying. He walked towards the direction of the noise and stopped at the edge of the platform of the 'TV set', looking around for signs of life.
"Hello? Somebody there?" The crying became louder and the poor bear was now trembling in fear. This was creepier than the time he was faced with his own Shadow. He just wanted to curl up into a ball and hide but the crying sound became cries of agony. Teddie couldn't stand still anymore. Maybe someone was in trouble? There was a slight possibility that somebody may have accidentally fallen through a TV from the other world, and if so, then it was his duty to go help them. When the wailing sounds almost died down, Teddie leapt from the main platform and headed towards the direction of the noise. "W-wait! I'm coming!"
The bear froze on the spot when he realized which gate the cries came from. He put his claw through the red vortex and proceeded inside. As soon as he got through, he was greeted with the howling of the winds and the sound of pure nature. Yes…this was Yomotsu Hirasaka, or what became of it when the plague of Izanami was destroyed. Teddie could hear the sound of distant waterfalls and smell the sweet nectar of life. The skies were pale blue and the earth was luscious with green and orange. It was like a painting come to life.
This was what the TV World really looked like – the world in people's hearts. Of course, the world in Yomotsu Hirasaka had not extended to the rest of the TV World because people's hearts still needed to settle especially after all that had happened on the other side. That was why many of the other locales in the TV World remained the same and unchanged from their usual state. Teddie hoped that when things were calmer in the other world, this world would also recover fully from Izanami's influence.
Teddie was so dazed by the beautiful scenery that he had forgotten why he had come to Yomotsu Hirasaka in the first place. Strangely enough, he could no longer hear any more suspicious crying. Or maybe something was wrong with his bear senses? Nah, no way. He called out just in case somebody was still here.
"Hello? Anybody there?" The bear wandered around a little before stopping to look at some flowers on the ground. He nearly gasped when he noticed an irregularity. Either that or he was going colour blind. He found patches of grey where the bed of flowers used to be, and those splotches of grey trailed through the field before disappearing into the bushes. They looked like footprints but even a bear could tell that footprints didn't leave grey stains like that on the ground.
He started whimpering. "Eh…I-is someone there?" He followed the footprints into the bushes. "I'm warning you…I can be a very scary bear if I wanted to be." Even when he claimed that, Teddie yelped in fear when the bushes began to ruffle. When he opened his eyes, he let out a huge sigh of relief when he realized what it was – a grey squirrel hiding in fear of getting eaten by a bear.
Wait…a grey squirrel? Those exist right?
Teddie continued to follow the suspicious trail when the footprints stopped abruptly. He lifted his head and found the trunk of a tree. Needles to say, its colour had also dulled to a depressing grey tone.
What's happening? Are the plants dying? Do I have to water them or something?
Before he knew it, he heard something break above him – a branch maybe – and it came crashing down onto him like a falling star. It collided onto him but the impact wasn't great enough to have knocked him out unconscious. He rolled over and struggled a bit before managing to stand up. He brushed himself of debris and turned around.
And then he gasped. Or he would've gasped if fear hadn't stolen his voice.
Without looking back, he ran. He ran as far as his legs could take him. He didn't need to give it another thought. There was no mistaking it. That mass of black smoke, those inhumanly golden eyes – it was a Shadow!
Teddie leapt through the red vortex and headed straight for the TV that led to the TV in Junes. Normally, he wouldn't need any help in taking care of stray Shadows but when his eyes met with the Shadow's, he knew that he needed more than brute force to destroy that thing. It was powerful – so powerful that even from this distance, Teddie could sense its powers. It was as if it was purposely letting its presence known to Teddie. Oh my god, what if it's chasing after me?
"Yargh, don't come closer!" And with that final scream, Teddie jumped into the TV screen and let his body be taken to the other side.
A/N: Happy New Years. Wow, uploaded 3 chapters for different fics at once. What a special day.