Hello fanfic lovers! I have returned with more for the Veiled Truth. It's been almost four months. I do apologize for such a long delay but I have to say it wasn't planned. I did take a little over a month off for graduation (YAY, I did it) and I spent a few weeks traveling around Europe.

When I came back... someone had hacked my account. If the hacker is reading this, FUCK YOU DUDE/DUDETTE. I want to warn you guys of this person because he/she is out there. Hopefully it won't happen to any of you. It took a long time for me to recover this but I didn't give up ^_^ So, thank you for your patience and hopefully this person will stay away.

I have loved reading all of your reviews as always so do continue to write them :) I won't respond on this chapter since I want to get on with posting the new one for you guys as quick as possible. My responses will return on the next chapter so don't stop please :)

I will also make a little recap from now on, so you guys don't get so lost. Hope you guys enjoy this fun chapter! It sure is good to be back! So, without further or do... CHAPTER 18!

Previously on Veiled Truth...

Kouji asked Geji for help on finding Izumi, but he tried his best to deviate him from ever finding her. However, he seemed determined to keep looking.

Zoe was able to defeat Tadao and ruined him and his company, but now the man is out for blood and Zoe is the target.

Kari and Davis are still on a dead-end when it comes to finding Kari's long lost brother. But Davis promised Kari he wouldn't stop helping her. Of course, they got interrupted by Kami as they were about to share their first kiss. Oh well, more chances will come for some Daikari.

Kari revealed that Kami's sister, Serena, was taken because she saw some scientists talking about Digimons and a device. Nothing will stop this boy from avenging his sister, Kari and Arya.

Grayson also told Takuya the truth about the Spirits! Of course... his special version of the truth. But now, Takuya is a pawn in his evil schemes. Only time will tell if he will be joining his father's plans or not.

Chapter 18: The Darker Side of Me

NORMAL POV:

Diana was sitting in her backyard with what was now her third martini of the day. Things were bad for her. Her relationship with her children was a total roller coaster. She lost track of how they were doing because it kept changing that much. Then, there was the issue of him. Her past still haunted her since Grayson and her kept being on the verge of losing everything at any second. Sure, things were slowly progressing, but nothing was going as fast as he wanted. And to top things off, her imbecile of a husband just revealed the truth to Takuya. Well, at least the idiot thought of altering the truth a bit. Even so, he had no right to tell him what was going on. He was still a kid and involving him with... well... him... couldn't lead into anything good. She did not like it one bit.

"Damn, Grayson", cursed Diana under her breath as she drank the last of her martini. She hated that she had no control over any of the situations. And if there is ever anything a Queen Bee never wants and must not lose is exactly that: control.

Suddenly, the doors flung open and in came an infuriated Tadao Orimoto, followed by the mansion's head maid, Meg.

"Sir, I insist I must announce you", called the maid in desperation.

Tadao rolled his eyes and shot her an annoyed look. "I am perfectly capable of announcing myself, young miss. Tadao Orimoto!", he quipped. "Handsome but ruined man from what was once one of the top hedge funds in the world, here to see the Queen herself! Happy?" He spun around and gazed at Diana. "You and I need to have a little chat."

Diana narrowed her eyes and took notice of Meg's hopeless expression. "It's alright, Meg. Leave us."

Meg nodded. "Yes, Mrs. Kanbara."

The young maid closed the doors behind her and left Diana facing Tadao.

"To what do we owe this little visit, Orimoto?" asked the socialite. "Last I heard, you are no longer welcome into this home due to your little fallout. You made too many people lose their money to those pesty Digimons. And even worse, you made ME lose money to them."

Tadao scoffed. "That's just it, Diana. It wasn't my fault. I was tricked!"

"Oh, really?" sneered Diana. "Don't tell me. Someone forced you into buying that ridiculous stock... Give me a break, Tadao."

"I'm serious! I was mislead into thinking that Geji Yuru was going to invest big on Digi-Techs by what I thought at the time was a trusting source. You know that if he put his money there, the value of those stocks would have increased dramatically."

"But he didn't do it now, did he?" quipped Diana.

"Don't you mock me, Diana", threatened the enraged businessman. "I am very well aware of how things played out and I am not happy with the result. So I want to take retribution on the person responsible for all this, and I came here to ask for your help."

Diana laughed. "Why on Earth would I do that? Tadao, you were dumb enough to sink yourself down and that's how you shall stay. I don't owe you anything and you can't try to bribe me with the past we all share together, because that would be going against him as well. Trust me, if you try anything against him, then... let's just say you'll share the same fate as Jasmine DiLaurentis and Kyrie Kumato."

Tadao snickered. "I am not planning on turning against you, Grayson or him, Diana. Even if I have nothing else, I still value my own life. I will continue to be on your side and I am sure that, once this is all over, he will reward me accordingly. But for now... I just need to take down the person who tricked me. And, believe me when I say this, you're going to want to help me."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Because the one I'm after is someone you've been trying to bring down for a while now..." he smirked as he gazed at the woman before him , "... Zoe Capulet."

Diana's eyes widened as Zoe's name echoed in her ears. "I'm sorry... did you just say... Zoe Capulet?"

Tadao nodded.

"The Zoe?" Diana quipped. "The bitch who my dear son is in a relationship with? The same little homewrecker who has made me look like a fool in the eyes of my dear boy and turned him against me? That Zoe?"

"The one and only. That lying brat made me lose everything and I want to make her pay. She told me that a trusted source had told her about Mr. Yuru's plans. Obviously, that wasn't the case."

Diana rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Serves you right for trusting that vicious, gold-digging snake. However... you have gained my attention and interest with this target of yours."

Tadao smirked. "Good. Because your endless resources will help us unveil that little bitch."

Diana sighed. "There's just one slight problem. I tried that already and I ended up looking like an idiot. The only thing that Ryo found on her was that she went to this juvenile detention center when she was younger. I ratted her out but, apparently, she was put in there for self-defense against her abusive foster father. Other than that, she was squeaky clean."

Tadao snorted. "Come on, D. You and I both know that even angels have their wicked schemes. It's just a matter of finding them."

"I guess." The anxious woman's grip tightened around the glass as she began to feel anger take over her. "I know she's not the angel she pretends to be. I've known it from the beginning. The first thing she said to me when I asked her about why she moved here was that she wanted to be where people who mattered were. It seems too much of a coincidence that she happened to be working in the same booth as none other than my assistant, Mimi, during the Angel fundraiser a few years ago. Then she goes ahead and purchases the one property that everyone knows is damned for having belonged to Akito Orimoto. To make matters worse, she goes on and sets sights on my son. So, wanting to be where important people are, casually meeting the most important person on Terra-Byte's personal assistant and then targeting my son? I don't think so. No. That almost seems planned somehow. I want to know her real reason for coming here because I can tell that there something she's hiding. I need to prove she's been targeting my family in order for Takuya to see what she really is and bring her back to where she came from."

Tadao smirked. "Then call your bodyguard and let us handle things. I believe it's time for the curtain to fall on our little intruder's play."

Kari sat with her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them, as she gazed into the horizon on the shore of Akajima Beach. Having her toes curled up in the sand and feeling the cold water of the ocean against her was making her feel better after the terrible days she had been having.

First, she had spent several hours searching for her long-lost brother with Davis, yet, they had found nothing. It was as if he never existed. But the vivid memory of her brother wrapping his arms around her while they were being attacked will never leave her mind. He had to be out there. If only she knew where those people had taken him, she knew she would do anything to get him back.

The other thing that lingered on her mind was Kami's most recent revelation. Out of everyone, it was the Kanbara's fault. They were the ones behind it all. Not only that, but they had taken an innocent girl and separated her from her twin sister. Why would they ever do that?

Then, a thought popped into her head. If the Kanbaras were behind it all... that means they must know what happened to her brother. They had to. They did the same thing to them than they did to Amy and Arya. She knew that, as Kami had pointed it out, she had been lucky that they didn't recognize her. But how else would she find out the truth? She also didn't want to bother Kami, Zoe, Geji or Rika with this... they had their own problems. And it's not like she could tell Davis about this since she knew it'd be dangerous to get him involved.

Kari sighed in frustration and threw a wooden stick she found next to her as far as she could. The stick bounced in the waves and had a ripple effect.

"Nice shot."

A voice behind her made her jump slightly. She turned to find Tai Kanbara smiling kindly at her.

"Oh", she mumbled. "Hey, Tai."

"Hey", he grinned. However, he noticed Kari's sad expression and he immediately got worried. "Is everything ok?"

"Yeah", she lied. "I'm fine."

Tai didn't buy it. "You sure?", he asked as he sat next to her. "You don't seem like you are."

Kari was aware that she wasn't supposed to talk to him, but she debated with herself on how he could also be of help to find the truth. He could be the door to find her brother if she played her cards right. She had to know.

"I'm ok", she finally said with a faint smile. "I guess I'm just tired."

"Tired from kissing Davis?" he teased, wiggling his eyebrows.

Kari's face turned a deep shade of red. "No...", she mumbled under her breath.

Tai chuckled. "I'm kidding, Kar. But I have noticed how you two have become awfully close."

Kari smiled. "Yeah... he's been really nice to me."

"Well, he is a nice guy. Little clumsy, but he has a good heart. I approve of him."

Kari looked up and raised her eyebrow with a slight smirk. "You approve?"

Tai nodded goofily. "Oh, yeah. Trust me, I'm like that. You sort of remind me of Amy a bit and me and Takuya have always been extremely protective of her. She doesn't date anyone we don't like. Well... ok, that's not true. She dated one dude once who was an idiot... but my mom and dad thought he was a good match for her." He shook his head and scoffed. "Don't know where they got that idea from. But we never let our guard down with him."

"Sounds like you guys are just doing your job as an older brother."

Tai smiled. "I guess you can say that."

Kari returned his smile and sighed. "I wish I had my older brother."

Tai raised an eyebrow. "Isn't Kami your brother?"

Kari's eyes went wide after realizing what she said. "Oh... ehmm... yeah. I meant I wish we could spend more time together. As much as I love Kami and appreciate everything he's done for me, he's always really busy with work. So we never have a chance to hang out anymore."

"Oh... well, I'll be here if you need me."

Kari smiled. "Thanks, Tai."

Tai nodded and returned her candid smile. His eyes fixated on the horizon as he inhaled the saltiness in the air. Kari, however, did not take her eyes away from him. Something about Tai woke something in her. She couldn't quite put a finger on it, but he wasn't like anyone she'd ever met. Something familiar that made her feel comfortable around him. Tai felt the same way. He didn't know whether it was because she was the same age as Amy and she reminded her of him, but Kari was definitely someone special that he could not help to care for.

"Tai?"

Tai turned to see Kari's brown orbs staring at him. "Yes?"

Kari debated with herself on how to come about this. She had seen how Kami, Rika, Zoe and Geji operated and they were always one step ahead of their target. She had to try and be the same if she were to succeed. For now, she needed to find a way in.

"I was wondering,"she mumbled. "Were you always protective of Amy?"

Tai raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Of course."

"Really? Even when she was born?"

Tai opened his mouth to answer, but quickly closed it again. He had never really thought about the day Amy was born before.

"Actually," he said. "Now that you mention it, I actually don't remember when Amy was born."

Kari raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You don't?" Of course, she knew why that was.

"No... That's odd." Tai pondered in his thoughts for a while but there was no way of recalling Amy's birth. In fact, he didn't have any memories of his time with Takuya before Amy. "Well," he finally said, "I guess I was too young to remember."

"Maybe..." said Kari softly. "Well, for what it's worth, I think Amy is a lucky girl to have you an Takuya for brothers."

Tai smiled. "Thanks, Kar. I can say the same for Kami."

Kari chuckled. "Well thanks... and thanks for cheering me up. I kind of needed that."

"Hey, anytime. And also, I heard you are really into Digimons. So, please, feel free to stop at my place anytime. Agumon has many friends I can introduce you to."

Kari's eyes widened. "Seriously?"

Tai chuckled. "Yeah! It'll be fun."

"Oh my God! Thank you so much, Tai!"

Without even realizing it, she wrapped her arms around the boy and hugged him closer. Tai smiled and returned the gesture. That friendly embrace made both of them feel something that neither had felt in a very long time, even if they didn't realize it. They felt at home.

Unbeknownst to Tai and Kari, Davis,Mimi, Veemon and Palmon stood in the deck and happened to spot the two in the middle of their embrace. Davis was filled with shock in thinking that one of his so-called friends had made a move on his potential girl. Mimi was devastated and angry that a new girl could sink this low to a committed man.

"I can't believe this!" hissed Mimi, wiping away a tear. "What do they think they're doing?"

"It's ok, Mimi", said Palmon, consoling its partner. "I doubt Tai would ever cheat on you. He loves you too much."

Davis shook his head. "Still... There's something off about those two and I don't like it."

"Me either", Mimi agreed. "Tai and I took too long to be together and I don't want anyone to ruin that!"

"I agree. I'm so close with Kari... I can't let anyone get in the middle of that."

Then, a lightbulb lit in Davis's mind (which does not happen very often.) He turned to Mimi and smirked.

"We may have to intervene somehow."

Mimi raised her eyebrow and eyed the spiky-haired boy. "How?"

"I don't know yet. But I promise you, I'll think of something."

"Davis", warned Veemon. "You know that whenever you start planning something, it never ends well."

"What are you talking about Vee? My plans are brilliant!"

Veemon sweatdropped. "Oh really? What about the time you made me dress up as a woman to that baseball game we went to because they didn't allow Digimons in? You and I ended up in the kissing cam!"

Davis gagged at the memory. "Fine, that was stupid. But hey, this will work! So are you in, Mimi?"

Mimi shrugged. She was debating whether she should accept such a scheme, but when she took a second look at her boyfriend in the arms of the new girl, every doubt in her body disappeared.

"Count me in."

"Sir, I've repeatedly told you that she is not available."

The woman on the other line's firm and stern voice made Kouji frustrated. Since Geji's failed attempt to find Izumi, thanks to the coded system, he decided to take matters into his own hands. After all, that's the way he'd been used to do it. He had decided to call Veronica Sanders office himself and request a private meeting with her. However, her secretary was being less than useful.

"Look," said Kouji. "I know you're only doing your job and that I'm being difficult. But, you don't understand. I need to see Mrs. Sanders because of an urgent matter."

"I understand that, but I can't help you right now. Mrs. Sanders is not seeing anyone for the moment and I can't say when she will begin to see people again."

"Can't you just make an appointment for as soon as she's available?"

"I'm sorry, sir. I wish I could help you but she won't be available. If you want, feel free to give me a message so that I can pass on to her."

Kouji groaned in aggravation. "No, it's fine. Thank you, anyways."

"Have a good day, sir."

Kouji hung up the phone and sighed in frustration. This Veronica Sanders was the only lead he had in finding Izumi and she was conveniently unavailable. Nothing was ever that easy.

He was about to throw a few punches to the wall in fury, when he noticed Tsunomon sitting next to him; eyes filled with sadness.

"You didn't find her, did you?" asked the little orange creature.

Kouji sighed and have him a crooked smile. "Don't worry little guy. It's not over until we do. She is going to come home to us. I promise."

Tsunomon returned the gesture with a faint smile and nodded silently. He knew better than to ever doubt Kouji's determination.

"Everything ok?"

The two turned to see Calumon, followed by Amy and Kouichi. They had clearly been enjoying a day in the beach, since they were all dripping wet. Amy wore a purple sundress on top of her bathing suit, and Kouichi had simply decided to go with a sleeveless, green shirt.

Tsunomon smiled. "Yeah everything's fine, Calumon."

The white Digimon smiled in return. "If you say so... Hey, guess what? Gomamon learned a new trick with fishes! He can make them follow him like babies to their momma!"

"Really?" asked Tsunomon in excitement. "That's so cool!"

"Yeah! Want to come see?"

Tsunomon turned to Kouji. "Can I, Kouji?"

Kouji smiled at the in training Digimon and nodded. "Of course, little guy. Just be careful ok?"

"Sure thing, Kouji."

"Take care of each other Calumon", called Amy out to her partner.

"Will do, Amy", smiled Calumon.

The two Digimons rushed through the door to meet their other friends, leaving the humans behind at the bar. Kouichi chuckled for the excitement of the little creatures and shook his head. However, his laughter ceased when he took notice of his brother's grim expression.

"You sure you're ok, Kouj?" he asked, concern filling his voice. Although he already knew what the problem was, he couldn't help but worry for his brother's sanity.

Kouji shrugged. "Same as always. Hey can you please find out why that light bulb in table 3 keeps going off? JP is with Gino again."

"Sure... but I doubt that the light bulb is not what's causing that dramatic look in your face. Well... more than usual", he finished with a smirk.

Kouji rolled his eyes and didn't reply.

"No progress with your friend, I assume?" asked Amy.

"None. Veronica is simply 'unavailable' or whatever."

"We'll find a way man", smiled Kouichi. "We always do."

"I know", half-smiled the long-haired twin. "It's just frustrating."

"I understand. But maybe we just need a different strategy."

Kouji and Amy started at the short-haired twin with interest.

"What do you mean, baby?" asked Amy.

Kouichi smirked. "Ok. so this... Veronica Sanders, seems to be hiding for some reason. Well... why not just break into her office?"

"Dude, I tried that. Geji said everything was coded."

"Ok but even witness protection programs have got some way of knowing where people are sent. I bet if we break into her office, we can find something."

"Break in?" screeched Amy as she stared in awe at her boyfriend. "Are you crazy? We could get arrested!"

"We won't if we don't get caught... And who said you were coming with us?"

"Oh don't you dare and try to keep me away from this Kouichi Kimura! There is no way I'd stay here while you guys go play The Hardy Boys in Mrs. Sander's office. I'm coming."

"No you're not", argued Kouichi.

"Yes, I am!", insisted the youngest Kanbara.

"No way."

"Yes!"

"Guys!" cried Kouji, attempting to stop the couple's bickering. "Look, I appreciate the help. But we can't just go in breaking in people's offices. Amy's right, Kouichi. We could get arrested and we honestly can afford that."

Kouichi rolled his eyes. "Kouji... this is Izumi we're talking about. You've been obsessed with finding her since the day she left. Are you really going to tell me that you're going to just give up after you've come this far?"

Kouji pressed his lips hard against each other, pondering over Kouichi's point. He had been trying his best to find her. And if nobody was going to give him the information, he needed to get it one way or another.

Finally, the long-haired twin sighed. "You're right... But we can get in some serious trouble for this."

"Not if we don't get caught", chimed in Amy as she ignored her boyfriend's glares. Whether he liked it or not, she was going to be a part of it. Kouichi knew better than to keep on arguing with such a stubborn mind.

"Fine", sighed Kouichi in defeat. "I'll get some floor plans of the facility today. We'll meet here and we attack tomorrow night. Sounds good?"

Kouji and Amy nodded.

"What's tomorrow tonight?"

The three of them jumped slightly at the sound of a voice, and turned around to see Takuya staring at them.

Kouichi's eyes widened. "Oh! Hahah... nothing ... ummm ... we're just... eh... getting Amy drunk!"

Everyone raised an eyebrow at the short-haired twin's random excuse.

"What?!" snarled Amy. She elbowed Kouichi and he cried in agony. Amy rolled her eyes and made a mental memo to kill him later for that. "No! Ugh... Taki, we're just doing inventory."

"Yeah... that." Kouichi was blushing at his idiotic response, groaning in pain.. "That would've made more sense."

Takuya chuckled. "... Ok, you weirdos. Just don't get into any trouble, ok?"

"Don't worry, Taki", smiled Amy. She took Kouichi's hand and started dragging him away. "Come on you knucklehead, let's get another light bulb for that table... and good to know we can depend on your 'thinking on your feet' skills..." She hissed, whispering the last part.

TAKUYA'S POV:

I watched as Amy dragged Kouichi away and nagged him. I chuckled to myself at the image, though. I knew they were up to something... But, then again, when is my sister ever not planning something?

I smiled and returned my attention to Kouji. Words didn't escape my mouth when I took a good look at him. For the first time, I noticed dark circles under his eyes and a grim look behind that tranquil facade. He had always been the serious type... well... more like emo type... but I had never seen this kind of depression on him.

"You ok, man?" I asked

Kouji forced himself to chuckle. "People keep asking, but I'm fine Takuya."

"You don't seem too cheery, though."

"When am I ever?", he teased. "Besides, you don't look so good yourself, you know?"

I groaned. Of course I didn't look well. My dad's unexpected sharing of secrets has made my head spin constantly. I am paranoid and feel like a really big pile of responsibilities has now fallen upon me. And the worst part is, there was no one I could talk to about this.

"Thanks", I tried faking my mood with friendly sarcasm. "I'm just really tired. Things have been insane lately."

Kouji snorted. "You can say that again... With Gino and JP working so hard for your family, things have been getting out of hand here at the bar."

"Oh, I'm sorry, dude. It's probably my mom's fault for wanting the house all perfect for her stupid soirees... Is there anything I can do to help you? I could lend you some money to-"

"Whoa.." Kouji stopped cleaning the counter and stared at me with disbelief. "Don't even try to give me charity, Kanbara."

"I'm not!", I protested. "Kouji, I just want to make sure that you're in a good position financially... Especially if my parents are the source of things getting out of hand here."

Kouji sighed and returned to work. He opened the cash register and began organizing the money. "I know, dude. But you know I'm never the kind of guy that just accepts your money. Don't worry about it, ok? I always find a way. I'll be fine."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I mean... I'll hire some extra help as soon as I have the money to pay them."

Before I could respond, the sound of glass breaking made us jump slightly. We both turned to find Kouichi on top of a ladder, looking extremely guilty. Amy was glaring at him at the bottom of the steps and there was shattered glass all over the floor.

"Shit!" gulped Kouichi, who was trying to control the nervous laugh that was starting to surface. "My bad..."

"Kouichi!" cried Amy. "You broke the light bulb!"

"I almost slipped..." He then turned to Kouji, who was giving him his famous intense 'death glare'. Kouichi laughed nervously. "Sorry, Kouj..."

Kouji rolled his eyes and shook his head. "That's just going to come out of your paycheck. Now, replace it with a new one."

I chuckled when I saw Kouichi cursing under his breath and reaching for a new light bulb. However, something caught my eye and ceased my laughter. There it was... in his bare left arm... a mark just like the one on my back shoulder. Just like Amy's right hip and the back of Tai's neck... only it was obviously different. Kouichi was one of us!

"Takuya?"

Kouji's voice interrupted my trail of thoughts. "Huh?"

This caused Kouji to roll his eyes. "Stop thinking about doing dirty things to Zoe and listen to me... Things here are piling up and it would actually help me if you knew anybody that can work a bar. That is... for cheap."

"Ummm... not really..." But then, an idea popped into my head. "Wait... maybe I could do it."

Kouji laughed. "Get out."

"No, I'm serious!"

"Takuya, you haven't worked a day in your life!"

"Well... just listen... who better to do this than me? Huh? I mean, I know how to make drinks because I was kind of an alcoholic... I won't consume the drinks because of the same reason... I know the staff, the way you operate the place and you know me! So, you can trust me."

Kouji sighed and stared at me. "I don't know, Takuya..."

"I'll do it for free", I stated. "I don't need the money, Kouji. I want to help you out and I think I'll do a great job at it. Come on... give me a chance."

Kouji chuckled. "I do like the sound of not having to actually pay you... Ugh... ok, fine. But I won't let you work entirely for free. If you won't take money then at least help yourself with free meals. God knows JP does..."

I laughed. "Awesome."

Kouji rolled his eyes and smirked. "I am so going to regret this... but ok... you start tomorrow."

"Aye, aye, boss!" I teased, which only gained me a narrowing of Kouji's eyes.

"Don't ever say that again... like, ever."

We both laughed and he tossed me the cloth he had in hand. Perfect. Gino, JP, Tommy, Tai, Amy, me... and now Kouichi! We were all part of the same Spirit Warriors Circle that my dad was talking about. I think it's interesting that all of us somehow relate to each other. Could other members of the group be part of it as well? I'm not sure... But working here will help me keep an eye on everyone and figure it out. Hopefully, this can be solved soon.

NORMAL POV:

Back in Kanbara manor, Gino and JP continued with their investigation plans on John. As unsure as JP was, Gino insisted that there was something that didn't quite add up with the older handyman. As if his quirky personality, pirate-like accent and random mood swings weren't enough, John's chambers were filled with what Gino assumed was evidence for... something sketchy.

"Gino," whined JP as he continued to inspect the floor for any signs of footprints."I'm starting to think we shouldn't be doing this."

"Nonsense, my boy", shrugged Gino, as he exaggerated his British accent while picking the lock to John's basement. "I believe we're on the verge of a most fascinating discovery!"

"... You really creep me out with that accent, you know that? But anyways, how do you know he's really up to something? The others can be right... They're probably just wacky things but nothing more. Besides, I don't want to get yelled by him again!" JP shuddered at the memory.

Gino, too, felt chills going up and down his spine. However, he decided to shake them off. "Come on JP", he whined with a normal accent. "Don't be such a baby! I just have a feeling about this guy... I can't explain it. And don't worry...I saw him going out to get more fertilizer. We'll just go down, take some pictures of whatever there's on his table, and we can examine it later. One, two, three and we're out of there. What do you say?"

JP sighed. "Alright... but hurry up! I don't want to be down there anymore than we have to be."

"Excellent!" cried Gino, bringing back his British accent, which made JP roll his eyes. Gino continued to pick the lock until, finally, he heard a clicking noise and the door creaked open.

"I did it!", smiled Gino proudly. "Let's go."

The two of them descended in the darkness of the room slowly, making sure no one was able to hear them. The place was creepier than they remembered, but everything remained the same. All of the tools were still hanging up in the wall, and there were several papers thrown in the table.

"Look at this dump", observed JP as he took photographs of the wall of tools. "No wonder this guy is insane. It feels like a torture chamber from the 16th century down here."

Gino approached the table, where the papers were, and examined it. As usual, almost every news on papers were about the Kanbaras and their accomplishments.

"I have a feeling this guy is the Kanbara's groupie of some sort", teased Gino. "I mean, look at all this crap about them. It's as if he's obsessed."

"Figures. Maybe he has a weird fetish with -"
"Don't even finish that sentence", warned Gino. "I don't want to be more traumatized than I already am."

"I think it's too late for that, buddy. I'm going to need psychotherapy after this."

Gino laughed and continued to inspect the paperwork. He wished he could find something, but there was nothing more than articles about the Kanbaras. They probably belong to the Kanbara themselves and John is just in charge of stacking them, he thought to himself.

"Did you find anything?" asked JP.

Gino shook his head. "No... just a Kanbara obsession. I really thought there would be more."

JP sighed. "I told you. The man is probably just a bit of a loony, but harmless."

"I guess..."

"Good. Well, let's get out of here before something happens."

"Ok."

The two of them turned to leave, but something in the corner caught Gino's eye.

"Hey", he asked to JP. "What's that?"

JP took a closer look and picked up a sort of book. He opened it and scanned the pages to find endless amounts of symbols and notes written on them.

"It's his... notebook?" said JP.

"Let me see!" Gino took the notebook from him and took a closer look. To his surprise, there were stuff about the Kanbaras, the Celestial Digimons, and a list of names of people that were relevant in Okinawa. "Dude, this is like a... journal of observations!"

"I doubt it", said a skeptical JP. "Maybe he just loves history."

"Oh yeah?" asked Gino and showed him one of the entries. To their surprises, both of their names and several other of their friends were written in it. "If he's into history... then why are we in this?"

"What?"

JP took the notebook in his hands and read the entries about them. Next to his name, was the same symbol that he had imprinted in his lower back. "Junpei Shibayama: 24 years old. Checked. Doesn't know."

He turned to Gino, whose expression was as confused as his.

"I'm checked?", asked JP. "For what? And I don't know? I don't know what?"

"I have no idea", replied his redhead friend. He then pointed to his name in the book. "But the same thing is written about me. Gino Bishops: 23 years old. Checked. Doesn't know.... And it has the symbol I have on my wrist."

"Yeah, mine has the one from my lower back. Do you think it means anything?"

"It must... Wait... look at this!" He then pointed to one of the names in the list. "Takuya Kanbara: 23 years old. Checked. Knows."

"Takuya?" asked JP. "Knows? What does he know?"

"I don't know... but I'm guessing it's probably what we don't know and that it's something important... right?"

"Do you think we should ask him?"

Before Gino could reply, the sound of the front door opening made them both jump in place. They could hear footsteps above them, slowly approaching the basement door.

"Shit!" cursed JP in panic. "It's John! He's back!"

"Quick", cried Gino as he hid himself behind one of the boxes in the basement. "Hide!"

JP hurried and hid behind another box next to Gino. The footsteps seemed to be getting closer and the two young detectives feared for their lives. Finally, they heard the basement door being unlocked and opening.

The two of them squinted their eyes in the darkness, trying to make out the figure descending from the stairwell. It was, indeed, John who was back with fertilizer and brown bag. He grunted as he turned on a dimmed light, set the bags in the floor and leaned back to crack his back. He then reached into a top cabinet and grabbed a paper plate. He reached inside the brown bag and retrieved a beer and a sandwich, which he placed on the plate.

"How are we gonna get out if he's going to have lunch?" whispered a terrified JP.

"Shh!", tried hushing Gino. This made John jump in place and turn around in the same way as a watch dog. He began to look around the room.

"Shit", cursed Gino, under his breath.

John took a few steps towards them, which filled the two young detectives with panic. However, when he had reached too close to their hiding space, a rat ran out of a corner and passed right between his legs. John rolled his eyes and retrieved back to the food, to the relief of the two boys.

John proceeded to grab the plate and beer but, to their surprise, he did not sit back down. Instead, he retrieved a key that was hanging around his neck from a string. He then walked towards the corner, where a second door was located and unnoticed by Gino and JP.

"Did you notice that door before?", whispered JP. Gino shook his head while both watched intently at the manor's handyman.

John unlocked the door and slowly entered the door. He turned his face to the left and made a small nod.

"I got you a sandwich, lad", said John. "And a beer. Hope you're not allergic to sardines."

There was an echo of a laugh on the other room.

"I don't eat it by choice,"a voice of a man could be heard. "But thank you, John. For everything."

"Aye", said John. "I got you, mate."

Gino and JP exchanged confused glances. Unfortunately, from the angle they were, they had very limited vision of the mysterious room and couldn't see the person John was talking to.

"Who is that?" whispered Gino. "Do you recognize the voice?"

JP shook his head. "No."

Before they could do anything else, John closed the door behind him and they could hear the lock clicking.

"Dude," said JP. "We need to get out of here while he's in there."

"Are u crazy? He has someone locked up in there? We need to find out who that is!"

"If he catches us, he's going to kill us! So, come on! Let's go. We can come back some other time. But we need to go... now!"

Gino sighed. He knew JP was right, but the curiosity was killing him. He finally fought his instincts and decided to play it safe. "Fine."

They both tried their best to walk as quietly as possible to get away. They tiptoed across the room and tried their best to not bump into anything in the poor lighting.

"Wait!" whispered Gino. As he heard the indistinct chattering in the other room, he carefully made his way back to the desk.

"What are you doing?!" panicked JP.

Gino ignored him and grabbed the notebook they had been inspecting and made his way back to JP. "Evidence."

Before JP could protest, Gino hurried his way back up the stairs being as silent as possible. The heavier detective sighed and decided to follow his partner before getting caught. He hurried up the stairs as fast as possible, but froze when he heard one of the steps creak with his weight. Gino and JP's eyes widened and could both hear their hearts pounding in their ears.

"Did you hear something?" asked the mysterious man's voice.

"I did", answered John from the other room.

"Shit", cursed JP. As he heard the door starting to unlock, he hurried up the final steps and reached Gino just as he heard the door open.

He and Gino made a run for it and hid behind a column in the living room. They heard John ascending the stairs and froze in place. John poked his head out towards the house and tried to figure if anyone was there.

"Damn rats", he cursed. To our heroes' luck, John shrugged and closed the basement door behind him. A second later, they heard the lock clicking again.

"That was close", sighed Gino in relief.

"Too fucking close!" cried JP making his way out of the manor. "I'm never listening to you again, Bishops! Let's go home."

Gino nodded and followed his partner. He couldn't help but get everything he had learned out if his head, however. He was now more determined than ever to finding out what he was hiding, even if he had to come back there alone.

ZOE'S POV:

I don't know how much time had passed, but I had been going crazy on the whole Amy/Arya subject. I knew it would be a big way to bring down Diana and Grayson by exposing the truth, but I was unsure how to assess the situation because I feared hurting Amy along the way. Besides, we still had no idea where Arya was. Hopefully, Geji would locate her soon a person could do the atrocities that Grayson and Diana had done, was beyond me. But sooner or later, the evil do pay. I just wished collateral damage could be avoided. I couldn't leave with myself if Amy, Tai or Takuya got hurt. Eiki was right, my emotions will get the best of me.

I groaned in frustration. Turn them off Zoe... come on... First, Takuya... now this? Speaking of Takuya... where the heck is he?

Suddenly, I heard the door open downstairs "Baby, I'm home!" Takuya's voice echoed downstairs.

"I'm in the room!" I cried back.

As I heard his footsteps ascend, I closed the laptop with Amy and Arya's info and sat in the bed. Seconds later, my handsome boyfriend entered the room and smiled brightly at me.

"Hey, beautiful", he said as he lightly touched my lips with his.

"Hey," I smiled back. "Where were you?"

"Well," he smiled as he took of his shirt. "You're looking at the new bartender of the Dark Wolf Tavern."

I chuckled. "Really? I didn't think you'd be into that."

"Eh, I know. But Kouji could use the help, so I'm lending a hand. Don't worry though, I won't go back to my old ways with alcohol. I'm done with that."

I smiled and hugged him from behind, kissing his bare shoulder. "I trust you, Takuya. And I'm really proud of you for doing this."

He smiled back and turned around to face me. "Good to know I have my perfect girlfriend supporting me."

"Always. I love you."

"I love you too."

He smiled and kissed my nose gently and then pressed his lips against mine. I put my arms around his neck and deepened the kiss, leading him back to bed.

"Wait", he said taking a step back.

"What's wrong?" I asked, disappointed.

Takuya smiled and kissed my forehead. "Nothing. I just need to take care of something really quick, ok? Give me five minutes."

I smirked. "Well, alright. But don't keep a damsel waiting, for I, dear sir, have several plans for tonight."

Takuya chuckled and bit his lower lips. "Oh the lady has plans, huh? Well, don't you worry your pretty little mind. I'll be back in a second with plans of my own."

"Good."

He kissed me again and hurried out the door again. That boy brings way too many dangerous emotions out of me.

TAKUYA'S POV:

I made my way outside, making sure Zoe couldn't hear me. I hated lying to her, but I had to think I was protecting her.

I took out my phone from my jeans' pocket and dialed my father's number. I waited a few seconds until the other line picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, dad", I said. "It's me."

"Takuya... glad to hear back from you so soon. Do you need something or... do you have some news for me?"

"Well... I guess I have good news. I think I... found one."

"That's my boy! Who is it?"

"... Amy's boyfriend... Kouichi Kimura."

"The Kimura boy?" There was a pause on his side and I felt anxious as I waited for a response.

"Yeah..." I said, hesitantly.

"... Huh... well, excellent work, Takuya. Do you know which symbol was it?"

"It was on his left arm but I'm not sure. I drew it out as best as I could and sent you an image to your email. Did you get it?"

"Let me check"

I could hear him type onto his computer and patiently waited for his answer.

"Ah..."

"What?" I asked, concerned about his tone. "What is it?"

"You are good, boy. You just found the Spirit of Darkness!"

"Darkness?" I whispered. "Why do I have a feeling that that doesn't sound too good?"

"Don't worry about it, Takuya. Darkness is not always a bad thing. But I'm glad you found this one in particular."

"And why's that?"

"Because the Spirit of Darkness is the balance of the Spirit of Light. They go hand in hand somehow... or at least that's what I was told. So I'm sure the Warrior of Light must be close to this one. Do you have an idea of who could it be?"

I paused and took a deep breath. Of course I knew. I couldn't help but dread to tell my father about him... but it was probably my fear of having my friends have the same pressure as me. It wouldn't be fair, however, to keep him from fulfilling his destiny.

"Yeah...", I sighed. "Maybe his twin brother... Kouji Minamoto."

" A twin..." stated my father. "That could be... Keep a close eye on him and report soon."

"Well, I think you'll be happy to know that I just got a job there. See if I can find more things around that place."

"Excellent, son. You're doing well. Keep it up and the Digimons will owe you their very lives."

I half-smiled at his words. Honestly, this would be the first time somebody would depend on me. It was scary... but, hopefully, doing something good for others would make me feel better about myself.

"Takuya?"

Zoe's voice came from upstairs, but it made me jump in place. "I'm here, Z!"

"Are you coming?" she called.

"Yeah, I'm coming, baby!"

"...Ok"

I heard her retrieve and went back to my phone call. "Dad, I have to go."

"Allright. Report back as soon as possible."

"I will. Night, dad."

"Night, son."

NORMAL POV:

Grayson hung up on Takuya and smirked. He turned to face Diana, who was sitting across him with a hopeful gaze.

"He found the Spirit of Darkness", he said with a smirk.

Diana chuckled. "I gotta say, I didn't think putting Takuya in this position would benefit us. But it has."

"I told you. You should trust me more often."

Diana rolled her eyes. "Oh please, it's your fault we're in this problem to begin with. But, now what?"

"Well... now we report it to him and hope Takuya finds the remaining three as well as gets access to Yuru's company."

Diana sighed. "I damn hope this works, Grayson."

Grayson snorted. "With us, dear, it ALWAYS works."

And another chapter ends! Whew! Ok so... Now Tadao and Diana are partnering up to destroy Zoe! Will they succeed or will they look like fools once again? And yay for Tai/Kari bonding! Maybe Tai will be the key for Kari to find her brother, after all.. but how long will that last with Mimi and Davis scheming to intervene? Kouji, Kouichi and Amy are going to break into Ms. Sanders office to find Izumi! Will they succeed or will they get caught? And oh no... Takuya figured out Kouichi! To make matters worse, he told his father... Looks like Takuya is joining the wrong team!... And what the heck is John's deal? Why does he know so much about the Spirits... and who's locked in the mysterious room? Can he be trusted? Find out on the next chapter of Veilied Truth!

KEEP THOSE REVIEWS/FAVES COMING! And thank you all who wished me a happy birthday ^_^ I had a blast! 3