Yume Ja Nai Yo
Chapter 4
by Ashna

What happens when all a gal does is read fan fiction on ff.net and the site isn't working? She sits down and writes almost an entire fic that's what! I am so BORED!!! All I read is fan fiction nowadays and I wanna read MORE!!!! Instead, here I am writing the next chapter of this. Again. I've written the last two chapters all today and the first chapter yesterday! I have no life!!! Wait, I'm going out tomorrow... But still!!!

Ahem, I don't own Digimon or any of the ideas I'm taking from Mercedes Lackey cuz I can't think of stuff myself.

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Ken stared in shock at the trembling boy before him as ice seemed to trace itself through his veins. Something was wrong with Takeru but he didn't know what. So even though he didn't believe this was real or that anything wrong was truly happening he wrapped his arms around Takeru's shaking body and held him close.

"Takeru? Takeru what's wrong with you?" Ken asked as Takeru reacted to his presence and wrapped weak arms around his waist.

Takeru didn't answer and Ken brushed back sweat soaked hair off his face. The blonde would every now and then gasp and tense as if going through pain. It felt horrible to Ken to just sit and watch as Takeru seemingly went through so much but he didn't know what else to do but give what comfort he could. The only thing that kept him from breaking apart with worry was the litany in his mind that this wasn't real. Takeru wasn't real therefore nothing bad could happen to him.

Slowly, he realized that Takeru was becoming even more transparent and light as if he was slowly drifting off. The grasses had lost all their shine and seemed to begin wilting. Ken felt a slow feeling of panic begin to rise as he forgot his belief that this wasn't real. Pulling Takeru up into his lap and wrapping his arms tighter around him Ken held on for all he was worth.

"I am not going to let you leave Takeru. You're all I have. What would I do without you?"

Ken felt something strange as if another was saying this very same thing at the same time but ignored it. He just held on tighter and hoped beyond hope that Takeru would be fine and he wouldn't leave. He closed his eyes and buried his face in Takeru's hair something he never grew tired of, breathing his name over and over again. He held tightly on to Takeru refusing to let him go. He could feel something trying to drag the boy away from him and Ken wouldn't let it.

Still Takeru was being pulled away from him. With a frown Ken somehow reached out and pushed the invading force away from Takeru. He also began wrapping this new sense around Takeru holding him as close as possible. The sky above him glowed a vibrant indigo and the tiny stars flared brightly. The chill of the wind died down and the two boys were left in silence.

He could still feel something trying to take Takeru away but the more he fed into the protective layer around his love the further away this threat seemed. He began to grow tired but he ignored it refusing to give up. He wouldn't let Takeru go, ever. There was nothing that could take him away if Ken didn't want him to except an end to the dream.

Sometime later a gentle warm breeze blew through the grasses and in its wake a soft glow began to spread through it. It was slightly different from the golden glow from before, this time it was a combined blue/rose colored glow that fed the grasses and faintly behind them the golden light began to return.

Ken didn't notice this, all he noticed was that Takeru was slowly growing more substantial in his arms.

But then before Ken could feel relief Takeru suddenly winked out of existence and Ken was once again left to the cold barren dream scape.

"Takeru... " Ken whispered as a single tear tracked its way down his cheek.

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Daisuke held Takeru for who knows how long as Takeru grew weaker and weaker in his arms. He'd all but given up hope when a gentle hand touched his shoulder. He looked up into a pair of red brown eyes and a gentle face surrounded by soft brown hair.

"Who?" Daisuke asked but the girl cut him off.

"It's all right Daisuke. I heard you call for help and I came. Now just let go of Takeru for a second and I'll see what I can do." The girl said and Daisuke loosened his death grip on Takeru just a bit.

She pulled down the cloak and lifted out Takeru's arm. By now it was swollen and the skin was an angry looking purple laced with popping red veins. Daisuke was even more worried about that. The girl frowned and placed her hand over the bite marks and closed her eyes. After a while she opened her eyes and blinked with a surprised look on her face.

"Well somebody out there is smiling upon him because we have more time to do something about this problem. How far is the nearest village?" She asked turning her wide innocent eyes on Daisuke.

"Uh, about three candle marks south." Daisuke answered suddenly noticing she was quite pretty.

Nodding, the girl stood up. She was wearing flowing white robes with a rose colored design that looked like beams of light shining. She motioned Daisuke to stand up as well with Takeru and he did so, carrying the blonde like a baby. One hand on his back the other under his knees.

"We've got some extra time but we should still hurry."

"Extra time?" Daisuke asked confused as he began following the girl towards the village.

"Somebody is keeping him alive. I fear he would be dead already if it wasn't for this other presence." She said matter of factly while Daisuke tried to ignore the implications of what she said and the fears it brought up.

The girl seemed to sense his fear and stepped into place beside him. She put a comforting hand on his arm and gave him a gentle smile.

"Don't worry Daisuke he's going to be fine, I'm sure of it. Whoever it is holding him to life is very powerful and I doubt is going to let go." She said brightly.

Daisuke nodded trusting the girl's open personality and inner glow. She definitely had something about her that was special. Daisuke felt himself instantly trusting her. If she said Takeru was going to live he'd believe her.

It took quite some time but after what seemed like days to Daisuke's worried mind they reached the small village at the edge of the forest. People stared as they walked past and Daisuke wanted to yell at them for being so stupid.

*Don't they see he's hurt? Why won't they at least offer to help?*

But he knew why. They'd avoided Takeru the first time they entered the village. They feared magic and its power, so in turn they feared those who could control it. Takeru probably would get little gratitude for saving their forest and risking both his and Daisuke's life.

They reached the village's inn which had only two rooms, neither occupied at the moment. The inn master ignored them as they entered and head for one of the rooms.

"Put him on the bed Daisuke." The girl said and he did as he was told.

"Now sit down beside him for a moment. I need your help for this and I don't want you falling over standing up." She said sitting on Takeru's other side.

"Why my help? I can't do anything..." Daisuke said too sick with worry to think straight.

"You're his assistant right?" She asked, reaching over and taking one of Daisuke's hands.

"Yeah."

"Well since you're linked to him I can use you to not only bring him back from the edge of death but heal him as well without exhausting myself. I'm not sure if I could save him if it weren't for you being here." As she talked she took his hand and placed it on Takeru's arm where he'd been bitten.

There the skin felt hot and dry. He knew it must have been hurting rather painfully and wished he'd been able to do more for him. Then she placed her hands on top of his and closed her eyes. He felt a warm, tingly sensation travel through his hand and up his arm. His head felt sorta light and cloudy for a few moments until he began having this searching feeling inside. It found the place where he'd always been able to link to Takeru from that first audible snap and their connection had been locked in place by magic.

Right now it felt weak and wavered like a small flame in the wind. Then a jolt of energy flared and the bond strengthened and suddenly he could feel Takeru again even though the boy was in front of him physically. It wasn't as if he was too far away to help anymore. He then felt what he assumed was the girl reaching for him and pulling him around and through Takeru. It was distinctly unnerving but he could tell Takeru was growing stronger, the poison weaker. She pulled again and set up what seemed to be a steady flow between them and then withdrew her touch from the link.

Daisuke opened his eyes unaware that he'd closed them and blinked in confusion. The girl removed her hands from Daisuke's and he pulled his back. Takeru's arm was still swollen but looked infinitely better than it had. The angry purple color was gone and a sore red remained.

He swayed then and realized he felt exhausted. The girl got up and walked around the bed. She pushed Daisuke down beside Takeru with another of her gentle smiles.

"You're going to be tired for a bit, so sleep." She said pulling the blankets over them both.

"What about Takeru?" He asked.

"He'll be fine Daisuke. You just stay with him now until he wakes up okay?" She smiled and Daisuke nodded not about to argue.

"Hey? What's your name?" Daisuke asked as she went to leave.

"Hikari."

"Thank you, Hikari."

"My pleasure Daisuke. I'm a healer, this is what I do." Then she left closing the door behind her.

Daisuke sighed and looked back at Takeru. He was sleeping peacefully now without any of the feverish qualities he'd had before. He reached out and gently stroked Takeru's cheek before taking his uninjured hand and holding it in his own. Then closing his eyes, he let himself sleep, knowing Takeru was going to be okay.

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End chapter four. I'm bad. The last two chapters were combined from what was supposed to be four separate chapters. But as I wrote them, they ended up being too short so I put them together. Isn't Daisuke a sweety in this? I think he deserves to be a sweety after all the times he acts like a jerk. He really is nicer than that I think. You'll see him more IC later though. More to come!