65DarkFoxKit: *Looks around* Hey… this isn't my account. Where am I?
ZAFT Convoy: That would be mine. :P
DarkFoxKit: ZAFT? *Looks down* Ohhhh, it looks like you're re-posting Digital Phantom. Would you like to tell the readers why?
ZAFT Convoy: Sure. Basically, it's a re-write of my story, but with DarkFoxKit's help. She wanted to help improve it, so, here we are. *Shrugs*
DarkFoxKit: Well, after reading your original one, it was too much like my My Brother's a Ghost story. I feel like there was a lot of potential you could've done since you have Takuya in the story, so why not take advantage of it? Being a Digimon fan myself, I decided it might be fun to help you re-write the story and make it different from mine.
ZAFT Convoy: Makes sense. :P I'm a Digimon nut myself, and I had the idea, but the way I went about it was not so well thought out. ^^'
DarkFoxKit: Hopefully this will help take things off with your story then. Alright, readers, go on into the chapter and hopefully you'll enjoy it.
ZAFT Convoy: Enjoy~!
Chapter 1: Moving Back to Fenton Works
It was hard to believe for the goggle-wearing boy. It had been six years since he had been back in Amity Park. Some things remained the same, but others had changed, like a new eating joint called the Nasty Burger being built it seemed, Takuya cringed at the name. 15-year-old Takuya Kanbara sighed to himself. He could only wonder how his twin cousins were doing, it had been so long since he had last seen them.
'How long has it been since I've last seen them?' Takuya wondered to himself. 'About 5… maybe 6 years now? Danny and Andy must be all grown up.'
Takuya thought back on the day he had to move away to Japan.
Flashback
"Are you really moving to Japan, Takuya?" Takuya's younger cousin, Andy, asked with a sad frown.
"Don't move away, we'll never see you again!" Andy's twin brother, and Takuya's other cousin, Danny, cried.
"It's okay, Danny, Andy." Takuya said in a reassuring tone to the twins. "We can still call each other."
"But I don't want you to go…" Danny said sadly, tears running down his face. "We'll miss you so much…"
"We won't get to play anymore… and what if you forget how to speak English after living in Japan for so long?" Andy asked, also tearing up.
Takuya smiled sadly. "Don't worry, buddy. Things will work out. I mean, dad works in a job that requires English so, I won't forget." He assured the younger boy as he patted his head.
"You promise to call often so we can remind you how to speak English?" Andy asked.
"And hear if you've made any new friends?" Danny added.
Takuya laughed at that. "You bet!" He exclaimed.
"Takuya! It's time to go!" Takuya heard his mother calling from out the door.
The older boy realized it was time to leave and sighed. "Well, I guess this is it," He said before he gave his cousins one last hug before he turned and went out the door. But as he left, he gave one last glance back before turning away, tears running down his own cheeks.
"Bye Takuya! We'll talk to you again soon!" Both of the twins said in unison.
Sometimes Takuya wished he had a twin brother. Instead, he had a younger brother who was pretty spoiled, but he still cared for the brat.
Takuya sighed, realizing that he didn't exactly keep in touch with his younger cousins all that much after moving. It had been difficult to, especially whenever Jack Fenton answered the phone and accused the caller of being a ghost.
'But that wasn't the only reason…' Takuya frowned to himself as he thought about what had happened to him 4 years ago. 'I feel like a lot has changed since that day… I went to the Digital World with my friends. Even though it's been 4 years, it feels like it only happened yesterday.'
Takuya dug into his pocket and pulled out a device. To other people, it looked like a weird black device with a screen on it. To Takuya, it was something special and sentimental. The device in his hand connected him to his friends as well as great spirits that nobody but he could see.
'Too bad though… I'm sure Danny and Andy would love to hear about that, but they would never believe me. Not to mention, it would be hazardous to my health if they decide to tell their parents about it.' Takuya sighed to himself.
Takuya then stopped when he reached the house with the large OP Center that was connected to the roof. There was a large neon sign that said 'Fenton Works'. It was really hard to miss. Takuya couldn't help but laugh, it looked like the outside of the house hadn't changed since he moved.
Takuya walked up to the door and rang the doorbell. Though Takuya did brace himself in case Jack thought he was a ghost, again, tried to experiment on him. Takuya had a brief moment of remembering how when he was sick, Jack thought he had some kind of ghost disease, and Maddie didn't help, she instead encouraged it.
Takuya heard a voice calling out. "I'll get it!"
He wasn't sure what to expect, but if it was his uncle attempting to attack him because he claimed he was a ghost again, that would not fare well for him.
The door opened, and to Takuya's relief, it wasn't his uncle who answered the door, but it was one of the twins of his younger cousins. Takuya was 15-years-old, so that would mean his cousins should be 14-years-old. Even knowing that, however, it still surprised Takuya to see one of them being a teenager now since the last time he saw them, they were 8 years old, about the same age as Tommy was.
Despite himself, Takuya couldn't help but grin as he saw one of the twins. "Danny?" He asked, only to get a frown from the twin before him.
"Um...I'm Andy," The twin, Andy, said with a deadpan look.
Takuya blushed as he just remembered that Danny had blue eyes, and Andy had green eyes. The boy standing before him had green eyes. Despite Andy being a teenager now, however, his hair didn't change much. It remained the black tuff hair that it had always been, just longer now.
"So… who are you?" Andy asked when Takuya hadn't said anything for a while.
"Oh!" Takuya realized he had not yet revealed himself. "Don't you remember me?" He asked. "It was six years ago I moved away to Japan."
Andy furrowed his eyebrows, studying Takuya's face as if trying to recognize him. Takuya waited, hoping that Andy hadn't completely forgotten about him. Andy's eyes widened as he soon remembered who had moved away to Japan 6 years ago.
"Takuya…?" Andy asked.
"Been a while, eh buddy?" Takuya joked.
Takuya expected Andy to tackle him in a hug, or pull him in for a big hug. Andy, however, didn't do any of that. Instead he opened the door wider. "Hey, yeah, it's been a long time, hasn't it? About 6 years now? Why don't you come on in?"
Takuya entered the house, allowing Andy to shut the door behind him. He looked around, expecting to see some kind of change, but not much had changed in the house since he was last there.
"So what brings you back to America, cousin?" Andy asked.
Takuya wondered why Andy didn't tackle him like he would have normally, but he didn't press the issue, as he chalked it up to Andy more being surprised that he was back than anything. "Oh, mom felt it was time for me to come back and see you guys," He replied with a shrug. "Also, I think she registered me to attend Casper High as part of an exchange program."
"Really?" Andy blinked, surprise etched on his face. "So that means you get to stay here for a while, right?"
"Yeah," Takuya replied. "I am."
Andy smiled a little. "That's great. Where will you be staying while you're here?"
Takuya grinned. "Here! Where else?" He exclaimed as he put an arm around Andy's shoulders.
Andy smiled a little more. "Really? That's great, Takuya! I'm glad you're going to be around for a while. And I'm also glad you hadn't forgotten how to speak English. Though I do notice you have a little bit of an accent now."
Taluya chuckled at that. "That can happen," He replied. "What do you expect when one moves away to another country?"
"Well, I'm glad to see you haven't changed that much," Andy chuckled as he lightly tapped Takuya's head. "What've you been doing in Japan? We didn't get to hear much from you."
The older boy sighed a bit here, but it was a fond sigh. "I got to meet some new friends," Takuya replied with a smile. "And well...the usual stuff. School, homework, and what-not. And hanging out with my friends when we can."
Takuya noticed a slight frown on Andy, but Andy quickly covered it up with a smile.
"That's good. I'm glad that you've made new friends there," Andy said.
"Yeah...hey, you okay?" Takuya asked, having seen Andy's frown and his attempt to hide it.
Andy didn't seem to want to answer, as he looked away from Takuya. Before Takuya could ask, however, another voice caught his attention.
"Takuya!? Is that you?" A boy who looked very similar to Andy called out in surprise.
Turning around, Takuya saw it was none other than his cousin's twin. "Hey, Danny!" He exclaimed with a grin.
Unlike Andy, Danny had no problem running up to Takuya and tackling him in a hug. Takuya had to let go of Andy when Danny tackled him.
"It's been so long since I saw you!" Danny remarked loudly. "What've you been doing? Why haven't you called much?"
"I was in Japan," Takuya replied. "Time zone differences, and all that." He then hugged Danny back. "It's good to see you again too!"
"How long will you be staying here?" Danny asked, still not letting the older boy go.
"I was enrolled in Casper High by mom," Takuya replied with a grin before he winced. 'Since when has Danny been this strong?!' "That would be the rest of the school year." He added. "And...Can you let go? I can't breathe very well…"
Danny quickly let go of Takuya. "Whoops, sorry about that cuz! I didn't realize how hard I was squeezing you."
Takuya brushed it off. "It's fine," He assured the younger boy. "Just be mindful please." He added.
"What's going on out there?" A feminine voice spoke up from up the stairs. "I can hardly read with all this noise."
Takuya looked up, seeing a familiar long orange-haired girl standing there. He recognized her as Jazz; she was a year older than he was, and she was also the twins' older sister.
"Hey, Jazz!" Takuya greeted with a wave and a grin. "Been some time, huh?"
"Oh… is that Takuya?" Jazz said in shock.
"Yup!" Another voice said.
Takuya saw Jack and Maddie, his uncle and aunt, coming into the living room with big smiles on their faces. They still wore their orange and blue jumpsuits. Jack looked bigger than Takuya remembered. If it weren't for the fact they were in the real world, Takuya could've easily mistaken Jack for a Digimon.
"Takuya's mother sent in an email to us a week ago," Maddie explained. "Takuya will be staying with us while he attends the rest of the school year here as an exchange program."
Takuya smiled back. "Yeah, and I was glad I could come," He said. He was wary though in case Jack tried to attack him again. 'That was not a fun experience…' He thought with a slight shudder.
"It's great to have you back, Takuya! Have you been exposed to anything ghostly while you were in Japan?" Jack questioned.
"Ah...nope!" Takuya replied quickly; he cursed his quick reply, but it seemed to have passed over the older Fenton's head.
Jack seemed to pout at that. "Aww…" He moaned. "I wanted to know if there was a Japanese ghost that followed you so I could dissect it."
"I believe you'd have more luck finding Yokais in Japan then Japanese ghosts, Dad." Jazz rolled her eyes.
Takuya sighed at his uncle's antics. He did wish they had a better passion, but he still loved them anyway.
"Don't mind Dad, Takuya," Danny chuckled. "He and Mom just finished building their Ghost Portal, so they're a little overexcited about ghosts… well, more than usual."
"Yeah, I'll bet…" Andy mumbled.
"Wait...they finished the ghost portal?" Takuya asked, surprised as he looked at his twin cousins. "They actually made one that works?"
Danny flinched a little, and Andy looked away. Takuya was surprised by both boys' reactions.
"That's right! We can take you down into the lab to see it now." Jack grinned excitedly.
"Um...I would rather not…" Takuya began, but his uncle grabbed him by the arm and pulled him down into the lab, proudly showing off the newest invention.
"Behold, the Fenton Ghost Portal!" Jack proudly exclaimed. Takuya was more in shock and surprise at seeing the glowing green entrance. It seemed too amazing to be real, and yet he was seeing it for himself. However, unbeknownst to Jack, an odd look crossed Takuya's eyes at that point before it faded. Takuya felt uneasy around the portal, and he didn't know why. It was freaking him out somewhat, and it made him feel panicked.
Of course, Jack took no notice of Takuya's discomfort. "Now, Maddie and I have been working on this baby for years. You were still around when we were working on it in fact. This Fenton Ghost Portal supposedly releases ghosts into our world, and we could go into their world. Though it wouldn't be safe to try without proper gear of course. We try to keep the portal's doors closed to prevent any ghosts from coming in, and only open it when we're down here. Of course… even when we have it open, we still don't see any ghosts, but one day, I'm sure we'll finally get a ghost. Isn't this exciting? We have a purely scientific breakthrough!"
"Yeah...great…" Takuya murmured. He wasn't so sure he liked this idea. It just seemed wrong to him, and he wasn't sure why.
The two made their way back upstairs and Takuya then sat down on the couch, feeling a bit dizzy after leaving the lab. He put his head in his hands, wondering what was making him feel so on edge.
"Takuya… why don't you get settled in to your room?" Maddie suggested, likely seeing how tired the older boy looked. "Jack and I made sure it was ready for you to stay in when you came over. It's right next to Danny and Andy's bedroom."
Takuya smiled at that as he looked back up. "Thanks," He said gratefully. He did need a break it seemed. Jet lag could do that to anyone. He got up and grabbed his suitcase before taking it up to the room he used to stay in.
The room itself had a nostalgic feel to Takuya. He used to stay here all the time when he was a kid whenever he visited Fenton Works and stayed overnight.
The bedroom had not changed much in his time since he was gone, except for some of the furniture was now different in style, namely it was not so personalized now.
As Takuya was getting himself settled in, he couldn't help but wonder about his younger cousins. Their reaction to the Ghost Portal was a little strange. He would've thought they would be more excited about it when he expressed how shocked he was that the Ghost Portal was actually completed, but instead, Danny looked like he got shocked, and Andy looked troubled.
Takuya decided he would ask Jazz how it got turned on, mostly because he didn't want Andy and Danny to have to explain it if something had happened. So, with that in mind, he left the room and found Jazz in the family room.
"Hey, Jazz?" He asked as he approached her. "Can I ask you something?"
Jazz looked up at him, and Takuya noticed that Jazz had been reading a psychology book. "Sure, you can ask me anything."
"How did the Ghost Portal turn on?" Takuya asked. "Last time Aunt Maddie and Uncle Jack were working on it, they said it would be a while before it could work due to a lack of a power source powerful enough."
Jazz frowned at that, and closed her book. Takuya was a bit surprised at Jazz's reaction.
"Well… I suppose you do have a right to know about this…" Jazz said hesitantly. "But… you might want to sit down first."
Takuya sat down on the couch, not sure of what to expect.
"When the Ghost Portal turned on… Danny was inside it," Jazz explained.
Takuya felt fear flood his body. "He was inside it?!" He exclaimed, almost shouting until he realized this must have been why Danny and Andy reacted the way they did. He also lowered his voice so as to not freak the twins out again. "I… how did Danny survive that?" He murmured as he looked at the floor.
"To be honest… we didn't think he did…" Jazz said softly. "When it happened, we all heard Danny screaming. It was so loud that even Andy heard it from upstairs in the bedroom. We all came rushing into the lab, and Dad had to break down the door. Tucker and Sam were by Danny's side, who was lying unconscious on the floor. They told us Danny had been inside the Ghost Portal when it suddenly turned on. Andy was the first one to get to his brother. I was the only one who managed to snap out of it enough to call an ambulance. We… thought Danny… was dead, or was going to die."
Takuya felt a bit sick at the idea of one of his cousins dying like that. He then realized that he was shaking slightly as he looked down at his hands in shock. He also felt a few tears escape his eyes for a moment, and he realized he was also crying. He didn't know what else to feel at that point as he wiped at his eyes.
"I...I see…" Takuya rasped out. "T-thanks, Jazz. I...I did need to hear that."
If Takuya felt this scared for Danny just by hearing about it, he could only imagine how scary it was for the entire family when it was happening right before them.
Jazz walked over to Takuya before giving him a comforting hug. "But it's okay now. Danny is fine, there doesn't seem to be any ill side effects. This had been about a month ago already. But… I can't say that it doesn't have any… consequences."
"What do you mean, 'consequences'?" Takuya asked, although he had the feeling he would not like the answer.
"By consequences, I mean… it's been splitting Andy and Danny apart lately," Jazz answered softly as she broke off the hug so she could look at Takuya. "Danny has been keeping some kind of secret from us, and his friends, Tucker and Sam, are in on this secret. But because of that… they've been pushing Andy away. Andy has become a loner in school now…"
Takuya frowned at that. 'Danny has some kind of secret?' He wondered. 'That sounds a lot like Koji's and Koichi's situation before things got sorted out…' He shook his head before speaking to Jazz.
"And you want me to be helping Andy out so he is not alone?" Takuya questioned.
"Well, that would be ideal. I can only do so much to help him, but I don't go to the same classes as he does, and I also take a lot of extracurricular activities, so I'm not usually around during lunchtime either," Jazz answered. "Maybe if you're there to help keep him company, maybe Andy will open up a little more? I don't think this is healthy for him."
Takuya shrugged. "Sure, I don't see any harm in it." He replied. 'And maybe I can try and figure out this secret as well…' He mused to himself mentally.
Jazz smiled. "I'm sure Andy will appreciate that."
Takuya smiled back at her response. He would make sure he was there for Andy if it could be helpful. He didn't like it when one of his cousins was lonely after all.
Though despite Jazz's reassurance, Takuya also couldn't help but worry for Danny as well. The fact that Danny was electrocuted by the Ghost Portal disturbed him. There was no way Danny could've come out of it without some kind of side effect; perhaps Danny knew this, and that was what he was hiding.
It seemed possible to the older boy, but he couldn't be entirely sure. 'There's no way just asking Danny outright would get me information.' Takuya thought to himself. He knew Danny would keep things to himself if he could, only letting in those whom had been around him when it happened.
Takuya decided to talk to Andy first, since the younger twin had likely suffered the most when they thought Danny was dead after the accident. If Takuya knew anything about twins, it was that they were usually the other half of each other's souls, if Koji and Koichi had any indication to that.
Standing up, Takiya decided to find Andy. Looking around revealed Andy was in his and Danny's shared bedroom. Takuya knocked on the door as he walked in. "Knock knock," He joked as Andy turned to see him standing there.
"Hey, Takuya," Andy greeted without any enthusiasm.
"What's wrong?" Takuya asked as he entered the room, shutting the door so Danny wouldn't hear if he was nearby. "Is it about the accident?"
Seeing Andy's shocked look, Takuya decided to explain. "Jazz told me about it," He said quickly. "I...I didn't expect it to be as bad as she said...and...I want to make sure you're okay. You must have suffered seeing Danny like that the worst, considering you're twins and all." He made sure his voice and tone were as reassuring as possible as he spoke.
Andy sighed as he sat down on a desk chair. "It was… horrible, yeah. I thought I lost him. He's okay now, but… we haven't been talking much lately. He… Tucker, and Sam, seem to want to keep me away from something. Every time I try to talk to them, they tell me to talk about it another time. Danny would sometimes suddenly yelp about something, before Tucker and Sam stand in front of him and quickly ushered him away before telling me to talk to them later. It's been going on for a month now."
"It's okay," Takuya said soothingly. "Just give them some time to come around." Although the older boy doubted that highly. He just knew he needed to be there for Andy. "And honestly, I think they may do the same thing to me." He added in a half-joking, half-serious manner.
"They probably will," Andy sighed. "Well… heh, at least I won't be completely alone anymore, right?"
Takuya nodded with a smile. "You won't be for sure." He confirmed with a grin.
Casper High
Takuya couldn't help but take in the smell of Casper High. It was that nostalgic smell. Japanese schools were a bit different from American schools. Andy was following Takuya and looked at him.
"Taking in that Casper High smell, huh?" Andy chuckled.
"Heh...You know me well," Takuya said with a sheepish grin. "It's been a while since I have been here, so, why not?"
"Well, you haven't been here exactly, but I guess the smell is the same," Andy chuckled. "I mean this is Casper High, so it's a high school after all."
Takuya chuckled at that. "True," He admitted. "I wonder if Danny told Sam and Tucker I'm back yet." He added, wondering that question out loud.
"He's probably telling them right now," Andy said, gesturing to his twin brother, who was ahead of them.
Takuya could see Danny was already talking to Tucker and Sam, who were now also teenagers. Takuya was not used to seeing Tucker and Sam being that tall.
"Wow, looks like Sam and Tucker grew up as well," Takuya mused as he looked both of them over. Sam was now looking like she was on her way to becoming a well-endowed woman, and Tucker was looking every bit the tech geek he claimed to be.
"Heh, of course they did, did you expect them to be little kids forever?" Andy chuckled. "You grew up too, you know. I barely recognized you when you were at my door yesterday."
The older boy chuckled at that. "And I didn't recognize you at all," He joked back. "You and Danny look even more alike now."
"Do we?" Andy blinked. "Nobody at school had problems telling us apart. Then again we did grow up with most of the students."
Takuya rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, that could have been my memory of you two being fuzzy, so…" He admitted, a slight blush on his face from embarrassment.
"This is what happens when you don't keep in touch," Andy remarked.
Danny, Tucker, and Sam started walking into the building.
Andy gave a sigh. "I normally try to spy on them to see if I could figure anything out that they're hiding, but… well, since you're here, I should help show you to your classes so you don't get lost."
Takuya frowned at hearing Andy say that, but he didn't blame the younger twin. "Eh, I can get my class schedule from the main office. But I would like you to show me around. It would help." He said. "And Andy, spying on Danny, Sam, and Tucker will make you look like a stalker. Although I can't say I blame you for doing so."
Andy rolled his eyes. "Perhaps I have gotten a bit too desperate. Loneliness can do that to a person."
"Yes, it can," Takuya agreed.
"Well, come on, let's get into Casper High. I have a lot of places to show you, and little time to do it," Andy said.
Takuya made sure to follow his cousin into the building. But deep in his gut, the older boy couldn't help but get the feeling something was going to happen, and he didn't like it one bit.
The hallways of Casper High were a bit more chaotic than the school Takuya went to. There were clear popular kids and unpopular kids in the area. It was far too easy to stereotype each of them. Takuya remembered talking to Zoey about the popular girls at one point; she told him that they were pretty mean. As they were passing by a very pretty, and thin girl, who had long black hair, and wore a pink top, and skinny jeans, Takuya could already get a cruel vibe from her.
Andy looked at the girl, and she took notice of them. The girl glared at Andy, and Andy answered back with his own glare before they kept walking.
"Who was that?" Takuya asked, having seen Andy glaring at the girl. "She one of those popular kids I can see around?"
"She's the queen of the popular girls around here," Andy grumbled. "Her name is Paulina Sanchez. But I wouldn't suggest talking to her. She's as shallow as a freaking puddle. And she isn't afraid of pranking those she deems as losers. And I'm talking about cruel pranks like pouring glue on your hair and spread it across the school."
"Yikes!" Takuya winced at that. "I don't want to cross her."
"Yeah… unfortunately, about 99% of guys, my brother included, are head over heels for her," Andy sighed in irritation.
"Wow. Makes me glad I didn't meet her." Takuya grunted in annoyance.
Andy chuckled.
"What?" Takuya asked.
"The fact you're not falling for her beauty leads me to believe you've either had a run in with another beautiful girl like her before, or you have someone else you have eyes for," Andy answered.
Takuya blushed a bit at that. "Well, kind of both…" He admitted. It was a half-truth, half-like sort of thing.
Andy grinned at that. "Good for you, Takuya~! Glad to know my cousin's got it going on."
"J-just don't tell Danny…" Takuya murmured. "I don't want him to tease me about it…"
"I think Danny's got his own problems to deal with to be teasing you about your possible future girlfriend right now," Andy sighed. "Anyways, I'll take you to Principal Ishyiama's office so you can get your schedule."
Takuya frowned at that, but nodded. "Okay, lead the way, Andy." He said.
Andy led his older cousin to the principal's office, where Takuya was surprised to meet an Asian woman being the school's principal. Ishiyma greeted Takuya with a kind smile before handing him his class schedule.
To Takuya's delight, he had most of his classes with Andy. Something about that seemed to be good fortune smiling down on the younger twin, as it meant he would not be alone anymore.
"It looks like I have quite a few classes with you, Andy!" He exclaimed as he held out his schedule.
Andy smiled at that. "That's great! Now you can just follow me to your classes."
The older boy followed Andy out to their first class together. Their first class was English Literature. Takuya was groaning at that. Since Takuya had been taking Japanese lessons for the past 6 years, he was a little rusty on the English Literature.
"Great...I hope I am not too rusty at the English Lit stuff…" He moaned as he looked at the schedule again. "Mom really wants me to brush up on things it seems…"
"At least you get Mr. Lancer for a teacher," Andy chuckled. "He's great at teaching this stuff."
Takuya perked up. "Really?"
"Yeah… if you can get past some of his droning voice and not fall asleep." Andy grinned with some humor.
Takuya sighed. He didn't like having to listen to teachers drone on and on.
"We're a bit early though, so maybe you could try to brush up on a book or something?" Andy suggested.
"Sounds like a good idea," Takuya agreed with a smile. "I could use the practice."
Andy chuckled at that remark.
As Andy sat down at his desk, Takuya managed to take a seat next to him. Not long after that, the other students started walking in. Danny was in this class as well, and so was Tucker.
"Hey, you're right, your cousin is back." Tucker smiled before he approached Takuya. "Hey Takuya, it's been a while!"
Takuya looked back at Tucker and waved. "It sure has!" He greeted back with a grin.
The two boys gave each other a high-five. Tucker was grinning like a goofball. "So how was Japan? Were there any advanced technology there that hasn't come to America yet?"
The older boy chuckled at the tech-geek's eagerness for new technologies. "No, not yet." He replied with a grin.
"I heard cell phones down there are more advanced," Danny commented. "Maybe even more so than your PDA, Tuck."
Takuya laughed at Tucker's pout at the good-natured jab. "He has a point there, Tucker," Takuya teased the African-American boy.
"Is that so? Then let me see your cell phone," Tucker said. "I want to see how much more advanced it is compared to my baby."
Takuya nodded and took out his cell-phone; it was really his second one since his first one was no longer its original form. "Here," He said as he held it up. "This thing has email access on it."
Tucker looked over the cell-phone, surprised he could access email on it, as well as the internet in general. "Wow! I didn't think cell-phones could be used to access the internet like that! Or even email! And all from one device?! That's impressive!" The boy exclaimed as he geeked out over it. He was looking through Takuya's emails as well as seeing what sites he could access from it.
"Yo, Tuck, maybe you should give that back before you mess something u-" Danny suddenly cut himself off and yelped, like something just interrupted him.
Danny quickly hid his right arm behind his back, looking around frantically like a scared animal. "Y-you know what? I'll go sit down and get ready for class now."
Takuya heard the yelp and frowned as he saw Danny hide his arm behind his back. But he didn't press any further, as class was about to start. Tucker handed Takuya back his cell-phone and also sat down as Takuya looked at where the teacher sat, seeing whom had to be Mr. Lancer.
The bald, out of shape man spoke up once the bell rang. "Alright students, time to sit down and take out your textbooks."
Takuya really didn't like how Mr. Lancer sounded; his voice was meant to put people to sleep with how uninteresting his voice sounded.
And he felt it too. As class droned on, so did Mr. Lancer, making the goggle-wearing teen want to doze off in class, which would not make for a good first day. Once or twice, he was sure he did fall asleep too.
Andy once had to tap Takuya's back to get him to wake up, because Mr. Lancer was scanning the class. Takuya was grateful for that.
When class finally ended, Takuya was all too grateful to get out of the classroom.
"I guess English isn't your best subject, huh?" Danny chuckled as he, Tucker, and Andy were walking out of the classroom with Takuya.
"Don't remind me…" Takuya grumbled. He really wished his mom hadn't signed him up for that class first thing in the morning. "Why mom had to sign me up, I get it, but not so early!"
"If you want, I could help you through some of the English homework later today," Andy offered.
Takuya smiled at the offer. "Sure. I could use the help," He replied.
"I've totally gotta see what else you have, even though I couldn't read what was on your phone due to it being in Japanese…" Tucker pouted a little. "I'll bet I could translate it with my PDA though. And I want to see what else that baby can do."
"Sure, Tuck." Takuya said with a grin. "But I don't really have anything else with me. Just my phone." The last statement was a lie, but he was not revealing that it was. He had his reasons.
'Tucker would have a heart attack if he ever saw my D-Tector.' Takuya couldn't help but muse.
"Hey… maybe we could talk more at lunch today?" Andy suggested a little shyly.
Takuya grinned at that. "Sure, Andy." He said as he smiled at his cousins and Tucker.
Although that nagging feeling of something about to happen came back and Takuya had to wonder what it was that was bothering him. He knew it was a feeling he had felt before, but never in the real world.
"Right… yeah, we can," Danny said, looking guilty.
Takuya heard that and frowned. 'Why does Danny sound like he is feeling guilty? Oh, right...he has been pushing Andy away since the accident…' The older boy remembered.
"Great! I'm looking forward to you having meatloaf with us today, Takuya, it's been 6 years since you had proper American food!" Tucker smiled excitedly.
Takuya chuckled at the comment. "Still eating meat, Tuck?" He asked in a teasing manner.
Tucker grinned at the question. "Yep!" He replied. "And it's 14 years strong!"
"And it's about to end," A familiar voice spoke up. "Hey Takuya, glad to see you're back."
Takuya turned and saw Sam there. "Good to be back," He agreed, but then he frowned. "And what did you mean it is about to end?"
"Let's just say I wore down the school staff with serving nothing but meat these past 50 or so years in this school," Sam answered with a satisfying grin.
"Wait… what did you do?" Tucker frowned.
"And this cannot end well," Andy sighed, already seeing disaster on the horizon.
Takuya was not sure he liked what was going down, so he kept a safe distance from Sam and Tucker, knowing how bad their disagreements could get from past experience.
"Oh, you'll see during lunchtime~!" Sam smiled.
"Suddenly I'm getting a bad feeling…" Danny gulped.
Then out of the corner of Takuya's eyes, he could've sworn Danny was suddenly sinking. When he tried to look, there was a sudden yelp from Sam, which made him look at Sam.
"Oh, uh… something just startled me!" Sam quickly said.
Takuya frowned at that. He knew Sam had spoken too quickly for his liking, but he didn't call her out on it, since he had his own share of secrets to hide. He could have sworn she did it on purpose to keep him from seeing Danny sinking into the floor, if that was what had happened.
When Takuya and Andy looked at Danny again, he wasn't sinking anymore, if that was what was happening, but Tucker had a firm grip on his arm. Takuya heard Andy sighing beside him, likely having experienced this before.
"I see…" Takuya mumbled, not liking what he was seeing. It seemed Jazz was right about Andy being pushed away by Danny, Sam, and Tucker. It only confirmed for him that something was up with Danny, but the threesome didn't want anyone else to know, not even him or Andy.
"Let's get to class, you know, before we're late and get into trouble," Andy suggested, breaking up the tension.
After going through a couple more classes, it was finally lunchtime. Takuya didn't struggle too much with the mathematics class, or the history class. It was just the English literature class he had trouble with, especially with Mr. Lancer. But Takuya always enjoyed lunchtime in any school; it was a nice break from the classes.
As the five entered the lunch room, the older boy could see the students were grouped in their own groups like they tended to do in the halls.
The cafeteria, however, was filled with groans from students. When the group walked up to the lunch lady with their trays, they could see why. Danny looked down at the bread that had literal grass growing on it that was on his plate.
"What… is this? Grass on a bun?" Danny asked.
"Well, technically it's a bread, not a bun," Andy corrected.
Takuya poked his with a finger. "I don't think this is what humans are meant to eat, Sam," He muttered. "We are not cows."
"Please, please, puh-lease tell me there's some kind of meat or something you have!" Tucker begged the lunch lady.
"No, this is all we have, now move it along!" The lunch lady grumbled, clearly not happy to be there.
Tucker glared at Sam before he shouted. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?"
"I changed the menu," Sam said with a smug grin on her face.
Takuya frowned at that. "Without asking the rest of us?" He asked.
"Cheer up, guys, this stuff is way better for you than meat," Sam stated as they were walking to an empty lunch table.
"Sam, I get it. You want to be different, but this," Takuya said as he pointed at the bread with grass on his plate, "...is not what someone who wants to end meat consumption here should do. We are not cows!"
Then Takuya, for some reason, got a disturbing thought of 'what if one of his Spirits turned him into a Cowmon?'.
"Besides… don't you think this is a little extreme, Sam?" Danny asked, cutting up a piece of the grassy bread.
"Ah, Ms. Manson," Mr. Lancer suddenly came out of nowhere, and had a hand on Sam's shoulder. "The school board wanted me to personally thank you for adding this wonderful experience to our school."
"I wouldn't say 'wonderful' exactly," Andy muttered. "Couldn't you have just added the vegan option instead of making it the only option?"
Takuya gave Sam a glare. "And without the input from others?" He added in a growl.
Sam just brushed off their opinion. "It's better for everyone to eat vegan," She assured them.
"Hey! Why do I smell meat on you, Mr. Lancer?" Tucker asked, giving Mr. Lancer a suspicious glare.
"O-oh, it's probably your imagination. If you heard any rumors about the all-you-can-eat steak buffet in the teacher's lounge, just know they are completely untrue," Mr. Lancer quickly said before he smiled at Sam. "Thanks again."
With that, Mr. Lancer walked away.
"So I guess that means the teachers got to benefit with taking meat away from the menu…" Danny grumbled.
Takuya nodded. "Yeah, but that little story he just said? Completely false." The older boy muttered. "Why tell us those rumors were not true?"
"Stop complaining, at least try it," Sam said.
"You know Sam, there's a difference between being a different individual, and trying to shove your own ideals down other people's throats," Andy grumbled. 'Maybe she got that from her parents.'
Takuya sighed. "She's not going to listen, Andy," He said with a sigh. He then looked at his bread with grass on it. 'I really don't want to try it…'
Andy picked up the grass from the bread and studied it. "Is this actual grass?"
Danny looked like he was about to say something when he suddenly let out a small gasp, and blue mist suddenly came out of his mouth.
Hearing Danny gasp, Takuya looked over and swore he saw this blue mist escape from Danny's mouth, but then he felt something off, like a surge of heat rushed through his body before it faded. Now he was on edge, looking around slightly for anything unusual.
Andy looked at the two of them. "Hey, what's going on?"
Takuya looked back at Andy. "Just...something…" He trailed off, unsure of how to word it correctly without giving away he felt uneasy. "...feels off." He finished. "Like something is lurking here…"
"You…" Danny started to say, looking at Takuya in surprise. "... There's just a sudden chill in the air, I think that-"
Suddenly something that looked like mud slammed Danny in the back of the head, and it was soon followed by a loud voice.
"FENTON NUMBER 1!" The voice yelled in anger.
Andy lowered his head quickly as he looked back, seeing a muscular tall blond haired boy marching up to them, holding a plate of three mud with bits of grass growing from them. The boy wore a black t-shirt, a red and white long sleeve jacket, and blue skinny jeans. He glared at Danny, pointing at the plate.
"I ordered 3 mud pies from the cafeteria, and you know what they gave me? 3 MUD PIES! With mud, from the ground! All because of your girlfriend!" The boy snapped angrily.
Takuya glared at the boy, not liking how he was acting towards his cousin. He stood up and walked up to the boy. "And just who are you to bully my cousin?" The brown-haired boy asked as he glared at the jock.
"For the record, she's not my girlfriend!" Danny quickly added.
"I'm not his girlfriend," Sam agreed.
"And who are you!?" The larger boy snapped at Takuya, clearly irritated that his lunch was pretty much just mud and grass.
"I'm Takuya, the transfer from Japan, and cousin of Danny." Takuya replied, but he tried to keep his voice from gaining a low growl to it as well. This jock was ticking off not just his human form, but his Spirits as well.
"Then I will give you a fair warning now, stand down while I deal with Fenton #1!" The jock snapped.
"H-hey, maybe we should all calm down before we do something we'll regret," Andy quickly spoke up, sensing the tension in the atmosphere.
The jock turned his attention to Andy. "And what are you going to do about it, Fenton #2?"
Andy shrunk down from the blond's death gaze.
Takuya didn't back down though. "No, I don't think I will stand down." Takuya said, as he stood tall in front of the jock. "And just who are you to order me to do so, anyway?"
"Are you challenging me then, Japanese boy?" The jock glared at Takuya.
"Ah!" Danny suddenly picked up his plate. "Garbage fight!"
Danny suddenly tossed the plate of grass and mud right into Dash's face. It made a SMOOSH and SPLAT sound, and as if that triggered something, everyone in the cafeteria began to throw their muds and grasses at each other.
Seeing that, Takuya ducked down before he got hit in the face with it. "Danny!" He exclaimed. "What the heck?!"
"Hey! It's not garbage!" Sam shouted before Danny grabbed her arm and pulled her down under the table.
Andy yelped before he tackled Takuya down at another table, narrowly avoiding six mud pies that were being thrown in their direction.
"Thanks, Andy," Takuya panted as he looked at his cousin. "Would have been covered in mud back there."
"Yeah, when there's a food fight, you should be alert at all times, it's pretty much war here," Andy said, looking out from the table they were under. "... Where are Danny, Tucker, and Sam going?"
Takuya looked out to see what Andy was talking about, and noticed the trio were crawling towards the kitchen door.
"Looks like they're going to the kitchen," The older boy mused. "But why?"
"I don't know, but they're going to get in trouble going in there… well, more trouble than starting the food fight," Andy mumbled. "Then again, with how weird and secretive they've been acting lately, maybe they have more of a reason to be going into the kitchen. Maybe that's why Danny started that food fight, he wouldn't have without a good reason I'm sure."
"I guess that makes sense," Takuya agreed. "But we need to find out what they're doing in there and why." He looked back at Andy. "Are you willing to risk it?"
"YOU'RE GOING TO PAY FOR THIS FENTURD 1!" The jock's voice screamed out with rage, his face covered in mud.
"Who is that jerk anyways?" Takuya asked.
"That's Dash Baxter, he's the captain of the football team," Andy answered. "He's also the leader of most jock bullies around here. I wouldn't mess with him unless you're really good at fighting."
Good thing I am then… Takuya mused mentally. Not that Andy needs to know. "I will take your word for it then," Takuya said, trying to make it look like he was accepting Andy's advice.
"Whew!" A feminine voice suddenly spoke up, and someone ducked under the table they were hiding in. "It's crazy out there! I'd rather not get my clothes all muddy thank you very much."
Takuya looked over at the voice and saw it was one of the few people whom had been nice to Andy and Danny when he had been living in America before his move. "Hey...aren't you…" He trailed off, not sure if he truly remembered her. "You look familiar…"
The African-American girl looked at Takuya for a moment, before she noticed Andy beside him. "Oh, there you are Andy, I was wondering what you were doing when the food fight started."
"Hiding. Takuya, this is Valerie, she's one of the lower tier popular girls around here. Valerie, this is Takuya, my cousin, he moved to Japan 6 years ago, he just came back here yesterday for an exchange program," Andy introduced. "I think you two had seen each other a few times before Takuya moved away."
Now Takuya remembered who it was. "Hey, Valerie." He said with a grin. "It's been a while."
"Ah, right, you were the guy who could speak Japanese, it was pretty cool," Valerie remembered.
Takuya nodded before he suddenly felt that surge of heat again before it faded. He looked back at the kitchen area, a frown crossing his face. "Andy, I hate to interrupt, but we have to get to the kitchen before we lose track of Danny, Sam, and Tucker."
Andy looked at Takuya before he reached up the table they were hiding under and grabbed onto a tray. He handed the tray to Takuya. "Here, you can use this as a shield from the muddy ammo out there. You go on ahead, I'll catch up."
Takuya frowned at that, but nodded, taking the tray and diving out before standing up, running towards the kitchen as he did so. He held the tray in front of him like a literal shield, blocking any mud pies from hitting his face. I wish I could wear my goggles, but I don't want to get in trouble. He thought mentally. Well, the tray works well.
The boy reached the kitchen with no trouble, although he did have a few close calls from Dash throwing mud his way.
Takuya opened the kitchen door and poked his head inside, and what he saw shocked him. He saw Tucker and Sam, but they weren't who shocked him; he saw this fat looking lunch lady with green skin, she had this aura around her that was unnatural and hot. She was literally on fire as she was screeching about something. Then there was another being that made the hair on his neck stand up. This being was a boy, with hair that was as white as snow, and he wore some kind of black jumpsuit with some white on it. He also had an unnatural aura, but his was much more freezing.
There were plates that the ghost lunch lady was using telekinesis on, and were throwing them at Tucker and Sam. The ghost boy, however, quickly caught all the plates, keeping the two human children from harm. Neither Tucker nor Sam seemed too scared or surprised by the ghost boy when he flew in front of them to catch the dishes. The ghost boy put all the dishes back on the counter, before the lunch lady ghost began bringing three ovens to life.
Takuya's brown eyes were wide as he witnessed the fight. At the same time, that surge of heat came and faded again, and he could feel uneasy around the lunch lady ghost as well as the ghost boy. It was hard to believe, but he was seeing two real ghosts in front of him, and they were fighting. He didn't know what else to do except stare in horror. His mind was racing as he watched the two ghostly entities before him.
There are ghosts...here?! He thought. This...can't be real. It just can't! But it was, and he felt so on edge it was not funny to him.
"LUNCH IS SACRED! LUNCH HAS RULES!" The burning lunch lady ghost growled, before the fire around her went out, and she gave a kind smile, holding up a plate with a slice of cake on it. "Anybody want cake?"
Dumbfounded, Tucker and Sam nodded.
Then all at once, the lunch lady ghost's kindness disappeared and her fire was back. "TOO BAD! CHILDREN WHO CHANGE MY MENU DO NOT GET DESSERT!"
Takuya blinked, both surprised and scared at what he was seeing. Okay, first that lunch lady ghost is raging and then becomes nice? Two face personality? What is that about? He then realized Sam and Tucker were in danger and felt the urge to rush out to help them. But he had to stop himself. He was not going to risk his secret if he could. Or am I?
The Lunch Lady, that's what Takuya decided to call her, then floated up and through the ceiling, leaving the three ovens she brought to life to shoot out green fire at Tucker and Sam. Tucker and Sam quickly jumped out of the way, dodging the flames, while the ghost boy moved aside from the flames himself. Then the ovens jumped towards the two kids. Takuya was about to rush into action when, to his surprise, the ghost boy flew towards Tucker and Sam, grabbed onto them with his hands, then focused. Their bodies became clear and see-thru, then without a moment to spare, the ghost boy dragged them through the wall. The three ovens ended up smashing into the wall they just went through, and fell to the ground, broken.
Gaping, Takuya felt panic rush through him. Did that ghost boy just kidnap Sam and Tucker?! He didn't know what else to think about it at that point.
"Takuya?" A familiar voice suddenly spoke up from behind Takuya, making him jump. "Whoa, what's wrong?"
Takuya whirled around to face the voice, only to see Andy there. "Andy! You missed it! There was a fight here and everything!" The older boy exclaimed as he waved his arms a bit. "Two ghosts! Fighting! One kidnapped Sam and Tucker!"
"Okay, okay, calm down!" Andy spoke up while Takuya was ranting on about the fight he just saw.
Takuya was trying to breathe to calm himself down while Andy looked around him to see the three broken ovens. "Whoa, it looks like a tornado just went through here."
"You're telling me," Takuya grumbled. "The first ghost took control of the ovens. It was a fat lunch lady ghost, by the way."
"An actual ghost?" Andy asked, raising an eyebrow. "Like the spirit of a dead person?"
"Yes!" Takuya exclaimed. "I didn't expect to see one, but I did!"
"Okay, calm down… what were you saying about a fight and one kidnapping Sam and Tucker?" Andy asked, trying to get Takuya to calm down so he could talk straight.
Takuya took in a few deep breaths before he sighed. "Okay. There were two ghosts in here. One was the lunch lady ghost, and the other was a ghost boy. The two were fighting, and Sam and Tucker were off to the side. Then, the lunch lady ghost tried to attack them, and the ghost boy saved them by catching a bunch of plates that were hurled at the two. Then, the ovens were brought to life, Sam and Tucker were turned see-thru and clear by the ghost boy, and then it pulled them through the wall." Takuya explained, trying to remain calm. But it was not easy as he had just seen two ghosts.
Andy's eyebrows furrowed as he heard Takuya's testimony. "Two ghosts… a lunch lady ghost, and a ghost boy? Why would the ghost boy save two humans? And… where is Danny? Wasn't he with Tucker and Sam?"
Takuya paled as he realized Danny hadn't been with the two. "No...he wasn't…" He realized with dread. "I didn't see him at all…"
Before they could say anymore, the entire school was suddenly shaking. Supernatural powers spread across the school, it made Takuya uneasy and almost queasy.
"Okay, what the heck is going on?" Andy frowned.
"I don't know," Takuya muttered as he regained his sense of himself. "But that didn't sound good…" He looked to Andy. "Should we go and see where that came from?"
"Don't ask, just go!" Andy instructed.
Takuya and Andy started to run out of the cafeteria to try to find where all this shaking was coming from, when Andy ended up running into a brick wall, or rather, into Dash Baxter. Dash quickly grabbed onto Andy's shirt.
"Well, looks like I found the Fenturd Clone at least," Dash grumbled, his face and jacket covered in mud.
"Uh… could you let me go, please?" Andy asked politely.
Dash didn't let Andy go though. Instead, he held the boy's shirt tighter. "No." Dash said as he glared at Andy.
Takuya wanted to get past the bully, but because he was in the way of the door, the two of them were trapped. "Now's not a good time for this…" He said to Dash.
"You two aren't going anywhere except with me," Mr. Lancer spoke up, approaching them.
Takuya and Andy noticed that Tucker and, much to Takuya's immense relief, Danny were behind Mr. Lancer. But there was no sign of Sam.
While the older boy was relieved Danny was safe, he did not like the fact only Tucker was with him. But they had to deal with Mr. Lancer first.
"All of you are going to my office, now," Mr. Lancer said firmly, leaving no room for argument.
Dash let Andy go so he could follow Mr. Lancer, though not without giving a satisfying smirk.
Takuya returns to Amity Park, and begins a new adventure with his cousin Andy while trying to find out why his other cousin Danny is pushing his twin brother away. What will this adventure hold? Read on to find out~! :3
