Digimon Dark Worlds Tri: Screeching darkness

A few days had passed, everyone still hanging out in the room as usual... Well, everyone except for Blaine. Ever since he confessed his feelings to Erik, him and Ryudamon haven’t returned to the room at all, nobody seeing them since. Right now everyone was hanging out in the room, since no Digimon attacks had happened for a few days as well, everyone basically just waiting for something to happen. 

Erik was on his phone, sending a text to Blaine. During the past few days, Erik had sent multiple texts and called Blaine many, many times, but had yet to receive a single response, which only worried Erik more and more.

“Has Blaine responded back yet?” Labramon asks, looking up at Erik’s phone.

“No, not yet. I’m getting really worried about him now...” Erik sighed, a worried look on his face. Erik looked over at Axel, who was sitting next to him.

“Hey, Axel... Any chance you’ve heard from Blaine at all these past few days? I’m getting worried about him...” Erik says.

“Nah, I haven’t...” Axel responded. “I’m sure he’s probably fine though, he must just be doing his own thing. It’s not like it matters much right now anyways, since we haven’t had any Digimon attacks in a while...”

“I guess, I just... I really hope he’s ok...” Erik sighed.

“What even happened between you two? It’s been days and you still haven’t told me!” Labramon says, Erik looking down at him as he took a deep breath.

“Sorry about that, Labramon...I guess I should finally tell you then.”

Meanwhile...

For the past few days, Blaine and Ryudamon were hanging out at this nearby park, sleeping and living there. Right now Blaine was sitting up in a tree, Ryudamon taking a nap below the tree. Ryudamon stretched and opened his eyes, looking up at Blaine as he grumbled with annoyance.

“Blaine... You need to tell me what’s going on. Now.” Ryudamon said sternly.

“I... I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Blaine responded sternly, keeping a straight face.

“Blaine, come on. We’ve been living at this park the past few days. You’ve refused to go see the others, or go home. And you’ve barely said a word to me...” Ryudamon states. “...I’m not stupid, Blaine. I know something is going on... Does this have anything to do with Erik? I know this all happened after your conversation with him...”

Blaine’s stoic expression quickly changed to an upset look. Blaine took a deep, shaky breath, finally hopping out of the tree and to the ground, kneeling down to Ryudamon’s level.

“Ryudamon, I... You’re right. I just... I really screwed things up with Erik.” Blaine says, looking down at the ground. “I... I kissed him. I finally confessed my feelings to him.”

“Whoa, seriously? I had no idea you liked him like that...” Ryudamon says, wide eyed. “Wait... How is this a problem?”

“The problem is that I don’t just like him, Ryudamon... I’m in love with him.” Blaine mumbled.

“How... Long exactly?” Ryudamon asked.

“Probably since forever. I don’t think I actually realized it until middle school, though.” Blaine says. “I used to get so jealous of every girlfriend he had, and I eventually figured out why. I’ve never even told anyone this until now. I’ve been so scared to finally talk about my feelings towards him... And now that he finally knows, I doubt he’s even gonna wanna stay friends with me.”

“Come on that’s not true, you two are great friends...” Ryudamon says. “And besides, how do you even know he doesn’t like you back?”

“I don’t know, I ran away before I gave him the chance to respond...” Blaine says. “But we’ve always been just friends, I doubt he even likes me that way...”

“Come on Blaine, you’re never gonna know if you don’t even give him the chance to respond...” Ryudamon says.

“I don’t know Ryudamon, what if he just... Leaves me? He pushes me out of his life forever? He’s my best friend, and the idea of losing him forever hurts too much to handle, but... What if it happens anyways? Everyone eventually leaves me anyways, so I know it’s gonna happen...” Blaine was getting choked up, feeling tears welling up in his eyes. “It always does, especially with you, Ryudamon... Every time we’re done with all this Digimon crap you always have to go back to the Digital World! And every time I wonder if I’ll ever see you again...”

“Blaine... No matter how Erik responds to your feelings, I want you to know this...” Ryudamon takes a step closer to Blaine. “I’ll still be here for you, no matter what. Even if I have to return to the Digital World once again, I promise I’ll see you again someday... And when that happens, I won’t leave you anymore.”

“I... I hope so...” Blaine felt tears streaming down his face, suddenly giving Ryudamon a tight hug as he sobbed. “I don’t wanna be alone anymore...”

Ryudamon hugged Blaine back, the two wrapped ino each other’s grasps for a moment as Blaine sobbed. After a bit the two finally let go of the hug, Blaine wiping away his tears.

“Thanks, Ryudamon... I’m glad I have you.” Blaine says, giving a weak smile.

Beep! A sudden alert then came from Blaine’s phone. Blaine grabbed his phone from out of his pocket, looking down at the screen as his eyes went wide.

“Oh, shit... I completely forgot about this!” Blaine sighed, standing up as he showed his phone’s screen to Ryudamon, showing off a phone reminder, which read: Dinner with parents.

“I’m supposed to meet my parents at this restaurant today...” Blaine says.

“Your... Parents? I thought you didn’t know them?” Ryudamon asks, looking a bit confused.

“You’re right, this is actually the first time I’m gonna be meeting them...” Blaine says. “I really can’t be late for this, I... We actually planned this months ago, but with all this Digimon stuff going on, I completely forgot... Ryudamon, do you mind staying at this park for a bit while I go meet them? I’m not sure if they know about this Digimon stuff, or not, so I don’t wanna freak them out or anything... I promise, I’ll come back here as soon as I can. And I’ll try to bring some food back for you too...”

“Of course, it’s fine with me...” Ryudamon nods. “Have fun meeting your parents.”

“Thanks, Ryudamon... I will.”

Sometime later...

Running fast enough, Blaine managed to make it to the restaurant they were meeting at in time, with at least a few minutes to spare. He walked into the restaurant, asking for his parent’s names at the front, where he was escorted to a table... Where his parents were waiting for him. Mr. and Mrs. Takao... Blaine’s grandpa was also with them as well, the three looking pretty happy to see him.

“Oh my goodness. Blaine...” Mrs. Takao quickly stood up, looking like she was struggling to hold back tears, smiling as she suddenly hugged Blaine. Mr. Takao stood up in his seat as well, also giving him a hug. “My son... I’m so glad I finally get to meet you...” Mrs. Takao says, letting go of the hug.

“It really is nice to finally meet you. And I’m sorry you had to wait so long to meet us...”Mr. Takao says.

“I’m glad to meet you two as well. And uh, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it...” Blaine says, the three smiling at each other.

“Hmm... Now where did that girl run off to...?” Grandpa asks, looking around.

“Girl?” Blaine looked at him in confusion.

“Oh, right. Your little sister... She’s here with us too.” Mr. Takao says.

“Wha- I have a sister?!” Blaine went wide eyed with shock.

“Yes, you do... Oh my god, dad, did you seriously forget to tell him this?!” Mrs. Takao glared at Blaine’s grandpa, who chuckled nervously.

“Heh, my bad... Guess it slipped my mind!” Grandpa says, Mrs. Takao rolling her eyes.

“There’s an arcade in this restaurant, she ran over to there a few minutes ago...” Mr. Takao says. “You can go in there and say hi to her if you want... Her name is Blaire.”

‘Blaire?! There’s no way...’ Blaine recognized the name immediately, remembering the little girl that traveled with him in the Digital World a few years back. ‘It’s gotta be a coincidence...’ Blaine quickly ran off, finding the arcade in the next room over. He walked past some of the machines, suddenly spotting two familiar faces playing one of the arcade games...

...It was Blaire. And her partner, Dorumon, right next to her.

“Yeah! New high score!” Blaire cheered, pumping a fist in the air. “Come on Dorumon, let’s-“ Blaire turned around, finally noticing Blaine. The three stood frozen, staring at one another with wide eyed shock for a quick, silent moment.

“Blaire? You’re my sister?” Blaine asked.

“Sister? What do you... Oh my god, wait a minute. You’re my brother?!” Blaire stared at him in pure shock. The two were silent for a moment, unsure of how to react... Before Blaire smiled, giggling as she ran forward and hugged Blaine.

“Oh my gosh, this is officially the best day ever!” Blaire says, the two smiling at each other as they let go of the hug.

“Yeah, this is so strange, but nice...” Blaine says, looking down at Dorumon. “Um, do our parents know about the Digimon?” He asked.

“Oh, they sure do alright...” Blaire responds.

“Really? Man, I should have brought Ryudamon with...” Blaine sighed.

“Hey, looks like you two are already getting along nicely!” The three suddenly heard Mr. Takao’s voice behind them. “You’ve met Dorumon too, Blaine? He’s supposed to be some creature called a Digimon...”

“Yeah, I know what they are... Uh, I actually have my own Digimon partner as well...” Blaine states.

“Whoa, really? Wow, what a coincidence...” Mr. Takao chuckled. “Where are they right now? What’s their name?” He asked.

“Ryudamon. He’s not with me right now, but he’s safe... At this nearby park.” Blaine responds.

“Ah, well that’s good. Hopefully we can meet him later...” Mr. Takao says. “Come on you three, let’s go back to our table.”

Everyone followed Mr. Takao back to the table, all sitting down as they started talking more about the Digimon.

“So, uh... How long have you two known about the Digimon for?” Blaine asked.

“Pretty long, actually. For over three years at least.” Mrs. Takao responded. “We found out about the Digimon after Blaire and Dorumon got into some Digimon trouble at school.

“Yup, I remember that day like it was yesterday...” Mr. Takao says. “I also remember when she went to the Digital World without telling us...”

“Oh my gosh, are you two still mad about that?” Blaire said sarcastically, chuckling as she rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, I’ve been to the Digital World, too. Twice actually... Me and Blaire met the second time I went there.” Blaine says, his parents gasping as their eyes went wide.

“Whoa, you two have already met? That explains why you two are already getting alone so well!” Mr. Takao chuckled.

“Ah, I do remember when Blaine first asked me to go to the Digital World when he was a kid...” Blaine’s grandpa says.

“Goodness, how polite! I wish Blaire had given us the same grace...” Mrs. Takao says, Blaire rolling her eyes. A waiter then came to the table, quickly getting their orders and walking away.

“So, Blaine, we wanna ask you something important...” Mr. Takao says, taking a sip of his water. “...Well, first of all, we heard you finally graduated from high school. Congrats on that!”

“Heh, um, thanks...” Blaine smiled awkwardly.

“Now that you’re done with school, do you know what you’re planning on doing next?” Mr. Takao asked.

“Uh, no. Not yet...” Blaine responded.

“Well, if you’re not sure, then we have an idea for you...” Mr. Takao states, smiling. “...How about you move back to Washington with us?” 

“Yeah! We have a place where we can get you a job there too, if you want...At our own company.” Mrs. Takao adds.

“Whoa, really?” Blaine went wide eyed, looking pretty surprised. “Wait, company? How do you guys have your own company?” He asked.

“Well, after we gave you away to your grandfather, we both started working our butts off to slowly get our money back...” Mrs. Takao explained. “With enough years of hard work, we eventually managed to get back on top, and eventually bought our own company building! It’s a sports convention center, where we hold many different sporting events and such, as well as lessons.”

“We can get you a job at the convention center, and we can even find you a good apartment we can help you rent out...” Mr. Takao says. “This way we can finally get the chance to spend some time with you! Your grandpa can even move there too if he wants to.”

“Oh my gosh, that sounds awesome! Blaine, please move back there with us...” Blaire pleaded.

“Um...” Blaine started thinking for a moment, taking in everything his parents told him. “The idea sounds nice, but I’m not entirely sure. There’s a lot here that I’d miss... Can I get the chance to think about it for a bit, before I decide?”

“Yes, of course you can Blaine...” Mrs. Takao nodded. “Take all the time you need.”

Sometime later...

Everyone relaxed at the table, happily eating as they talked for a while. Everyone seemed pretty happy and content, as they finally finished their food, almost getting ready to leave.

“Mom, dad! Can we check out the arcade one last time before we go?” Blaire asked.

“Alright Blaire, but just one more game.” Mrs. Takao says.

“Woo! Blaine, Dorumon, let’s go!” Blaire hopped out of her seat, Blaine and Dorumon following her to the arcade. The second they arrived at door to the arcade however, they suddenly saw a bunch of kids running out of there screaming. The three exchanged worried looks, as they peeked into the arcade... Where they saw two Troopmon there.

“Oh no... Troopmon...” Blaine mumbled to himself.

“Troopmon? Wha... What are they doing here?” Blaire asked.

“...Looking for us.”

The two Troopmon quickly noticed them, turning around as they took a few steps towards them.

“Digi...Destined...Must...Attack... ELECTRO WAVE!!” 

In the blink of an eye, one of the Troopmon unleashed an attack on Blaine... But out of nowhere, Ryudamon suddenly jumped forward, taking the attack for him.

“Ryudamon! Wh-what are you doing here?! Are you alright?!” Blaine kneeled down, helping his partner stand back up.

“I followed you here... Ugh, I’m alright, though... I’ve taken attacks worse than this.” Ryudamon says.

“We gotta lead these two outside... It’s not safe to fight in here.” Dorumon says.

“Alright then... Come on, Troopmons! Let’s take this outside!!” Blaire shouted. The four quickly ran outside, the two Troopmon following them...

“RYUDAMON DIGIVOLVE TO... GINRYUMON!!”

“DORUMON DIGIVOLVE TO... DORUGAMON!!”

All the Digimon quickly went back and forth with their attacks...

“ELECTRO WAVE!!” One of the Troopmon attacked Ginryumon...

“BOUJINHA!!” But Ginryumon blocked the attack with his one, tackling and ramming into Troopmon hard enough to send him flying into the air...

“CANNONBALL!!” And Dorugamon fired while Troopmon was midair, quickly poofing him to dust. 

“ELECTRO WAVE!!” The remaining Troopmon attacked Dorugamon, doing a bit of damage. Ginryumon suddenly ran forward, pinning Troopmon to the ground...

“Now, let’s finish him off!” Ginryumon shouts. Dorugamon starts to focus, feeling power well up in him...

“POWER METAL!!”

“PIERCING BLADES!!” The two attacked at once... Poofing the last Troopmon to dust.

“Oh my goodness... You two were amazing!” The two heard their parent’s voices behind them, congratulating the two as their partners reverted back to their rookie forms.

“So, you must be Ryudamon, right...? It’s nice to meet you. We’re Blaine’s parents.” Mr. Takao kneeled down to Ryudamon’s level, smiling at him.

“It’s nice to meet you two as well...” Ryudamon nods.

“Uh, listen... I should probably get going now...” Blaine says.

“Aw, alright... Well, text us tomorrow! We’re gonna be in town all week, so let’s hang out again soon!” Mrs. Takao says, both her and Mr. Takao giving Blaine a hug. “Thanks, Blaine... It was so nice to finally meet you.”

“Hey, Blaine... Any chance the others are in town right now too? I wanna go and say hi to them.” Blaire asks.

“Uh, yeah, they are... Here.” Blaire hands Blaine her phone, as he types in the address of the building, and the room number. “They should all be in that building.”

“Sweet! Thank you.”

Sometime later...

Blaine and Ryudamon made their way back to the park, Blaine explaining everything his parents had told him earlier on the way there.

“Your parents really want you to move back to Washington with them...? You think you’re gonna do it?” Ryudamon asked.

“I’m not sure yet... I mean, I really like the idea of moving there, but I’d really miss leaving my friends.” Blaine says. “Especially Erik. I know I’m trying to run away from him right now, but I don’t want that to be permanent.”

“Blaine, you realize you’re going to have to face him eventually, right?” Ryudamon says.

“I know Ryudamon, I just need a bit more time is all.” Blaine says. “I’m just really nervous about how he’s gonna react, and I need a bit more time to mentally prepare for it. After I talk to him, then I’ll probably be able to make my decision about whether or not I move to Washington.” 

“Alright... I understand.” Ryudamon nods.

“...You know what? Despite everything that’s happening right now, I actually feel kinda happy.” Blaine says, smiling. “I’m really happy I finally got to meet my parents, and I never expected Blaire to end up being my little sister... But I’m glad she is.”

Ryudamon didn’t respond to Blaine, suddenly having a horrified look on his face as he stepped back a bit.

“Ryudamon...? What’s wrong?”

Blaine suddenly felt a sharp pain in the back of his neck. He suddenly felt his whole body go numb and limp, as he fell to the ground. There was a syringe that had been thrown into his neck, a man taking a few steps towards the two.

“St-stay away from us! I’ll-“ Ryudamon tried to attack the man, but had a tranquilizer syringe thrown at him as well. Ryudamon’s body shook violently, as he wriggled his arms and legs, trying to stand up, but to no avail.

“...Don’t struggle. You’ll only make it worse.” Blaine heard the voice of the man speaking to the two. The voice almost sounded familiar to him, but he couldn’t make it out, with his vision getting blurry.

‘I... Can’t move.’ Blaine’s body was temporarily paralyzed, and he couldn’t move a single muscle, nor speak. He felt the man reach into his pocket, grabbing his Digivice.

‘No... Don’t...’

“It’s ok. Go to sleep now, you’ll be alright...” The man spoke softly to them. The two could do nothing, as they felt themselves slowly slipping out of conciousness... Before finally passing out.

The next day...

Blaire and Dorumon made their way to the building where everyone else was at, walking up to the room. She peeked inside, noticing that everyone else was in there, as she casually walked in.

“Hey, everyone... Who’s happy to see me?!” Blaire shouted. Everyone quickly turned to her, gasping as they all ran up to her.

“Blaire?! It’s so nice to see you again!” Logan says. “Uh, what are you doing here exactly?”

“I’m on a trip here with my parents for about a week.” Blaire says. “Blaine gave me the address to this room. Uh, this is gonna sound weird, but it turns out Blaine is actually my brother.” She says, everyone gasping as they exchanged looks.

“Whaa? Blaine has a sister now? Man, I’m really lost here...” Taeka says.

“It’s alright, it shocked me too...” Blaire says. “I’ll explain everything to you guys later.”

“Wait a minute... Blaire, you saw Blaine? Where is he?” Erik asked.

“I don’t know, last time I saw him was yesterday at dinner...” Blaire responds. “He seemed fine, though. Man, I really should have asked for his number...”

“Oh, alright...” Erik mumbled, trying to hide the hurt in his voice. “That’s... That’s good.”