Before the Flame Burns Out

The Boy in the Distance

The group of six Legendary Warriors sat together in the park. They were all ecstatic that Kouichi is now allowed to hangout with them outside now. They were all just so happy and told Kouichi everything that he missed while he's been cooped up inside. Takuya, although smiling happily, was noticeably subdued. He normally would have been the first to shout out and forced the information on how he's been first. He's always been very vocal about his own opinions, but now he looked like a kicked puppy. The dark red bruise on his arm didn't do him any favors either.

"You should put aloe vera on that and wrap your arm to compress that bruise." Kouich pointed out to Takuya after awhile. He didn't ask about it didn't question if anything was happening at home, or at school. Just simply gave him some medical advice.

"O-oh! Uh... thanks for the advice, Kouichi." Takuya stuttered out, surprised. Everyone hid their own surprise as well. They're leader just openly stuttered and gotten flustered? Takuya wasn't the kind of person who would stutter or get flustered easily. Something must have happened if Takuya wasn't acting like himself. Or maybe, it's something that's been going on before they even met Takuya, Kouichi mused to himself. It was a possibility.

Kouichi then noticed that someone was watching them. He looked around and noticed a good distance away, a brown haired boy was watching them. He looked familiar to Kouichi, but he couldn't quite place the face to a name. Kouichi quickly turned back to his friends before anyone noticed. He looked over at Zoey. She gave him a pointed look saying 'so you noticed him too?' then nodded at her. They didn't bring it up because the boy was harmless. In fact, he was their age. He probably wanted to join them, try and make friends. However, Kouichi's own sixth sense was flaring, saying that there was more to the boy that meets the eye.

"I'm going to go to the bathroom real quick." Takuya suddenly said. Everyone waved him off and from the corner of his eye he noticed that the brown haired boy wasn't watching them, he was watching Takuya.

Once Takuya was out of hearing shot, he turned to his friends. "There's a boy over there who's been watching Takuya this whole time." Everyone looked to Kouichi. His first day out of the house and he's already spotted a stalker?

"Yeah I noticed him too, I just thought he was lonely, so I was going to approach him later." Zoey stated. "But... do you think maybe he has to do with Takuya's bruises?"

"Why don't we ask him." Kouji asked, obviously flared up and angry. Kouichi has to wonder if their elements were somehow switched. Then he would remember Kari, the holder of the crest of light. He slowly realized the similarities in Kouji's and Kari's actions and thought, maybe it's not so far fetched after all.

"Yeah let's ask if he knows anything. But no threatening." JP's said with a pointed look towards Kouji.

"Well unless they're a real jerk!" Tommy piped up.

"Boys." Zoey shook her head.

So they approached the boy. As they got closer Kouichi could see more and more of the boy's defining features. Like the yellow goggles he wore hanging around his neck, much like their own leader had taken to wearing his nowadays. Something about the boy nagged the back of his mind. He knew this kid from somewhere, but where?

"Ah you noticed." The boy said sheepishly when he noticed their approach. "You're all Taku's friends, right?"

"Why are you following Takuya?" Kouji asked, straight to the point as always.

"Ah, well I'm Takato Matsuki. See Takuya's a childhood friend of mine. I've been really worried about him lately, because he's been ignoring me for some reason. So I've been trying to follow him to find out why and uh..."

Something about Takato really bugged Kouichi. His mannerisms, the way he spoke. He reminded him of... "TK." Kouichi muttered, taking Takato and Kouji by surprise. The others weren't close enough to hear what Kouichi said, but Takato and Kouji were.

"How?" He muttered. "Uh here's my number if you want to know more about what I think is probably going on with Takuya." He quickly scribbled his number on a piece of paper before shoving it into Kouichi's hands before running off.

"That was weird." JP said.

"Let's hurry back before Takuya comes back from the bathroom to find out that we're not there." Kouji said, looking to his brother with a gaze that said 'we're talking about this later.'

The spent the rest of the day hanging out, even played a three on three soccer game. Finally they all had to leave. When Kouichi finally got home, he texted Takato.

Kouichi: You're TK, aren't you, Takato?

Takato: How did you know?

Kouichi: It's hard to forget the person that tried to beat sense back into you after going down the wrong path

Takato: KEN!? Seriously!?!?

Kouichi: yeah, and my brother Sam? He was reincarnated as my younger twin, his name is Kouji :)

Kouichi: But anyways, what's wrong with Takuya?

Takato: That's a bit complicated to explain

Kouichi: I have all night. It's Saturday.

Takato: Right.

Takato: So Takuya, me, and our other two friends, Kazu and Kenta go way back, right?

Takato: A few years ago he started to drift away from us. We didn't notice because the three of us and a few other friends I made during that time got caught up in something really huge.

Takato: Wait you used to be Ken. I can be totally honest about what happened!

Takato: It was Digimon. No one remembers the event because the government covered it up and a lot of people blocked their memories off because it was just that traumatizing. Although, you probably remember, right?

Kouichi: No actually. I was in Hokkaido and couldn't come back because Tokyo was quarantined off.

Koichi frowned. It must have happened while him and his mom were living in Hokkaido for the year because his grandfather was sick. He died later that year and they wanted to go back, with his grandmother, but couldn't because of the quarantine happening in Tokyo. That must have been what happened.

Takato: Anyways.

Takato: After everything has settled and I went back to my normal routine. Kenta and I noticed Takuya has been avoiding us. Kazu tried to get an answer of why out of him, but he hasn't told us anything. He was in a different class then us too and he lived farther away from us. Him being closed off. It's kind of worrying because he actually reminded me of Davis, it's kind of what drew me towards him, I realized. Well after I remembered my past life.

Kouichi: So what was your catalyst? Mine was blowing bubbles with my mom like I used to with my brother.

Takato: For me it was watching my friend's digimon partner get deleted. It reminded me of when Patamon had sacrificed himself to protect all of us during our first journey into the Digital World. When our first enemy was Devimon.

Kouichi: You know I'm still sorry about that. Devimon. The Dark Whirlpool.

Takato: It's all in the past. Right now, we should be worrying about Takuya.

Kouichi: Right. You go to the same school as Takuya, right?

Takato: Yeah?

Kouichi: Let's talk about this Monday then. Meet me at the school's front gates.

Takato: Wait

Takato: We go to the same school!?!?

Takato: What time???

Takato: Kouichi???

Takato: Hello?