Chapter 27: Secrets

When Takabi and Nana arrived at his home, he handed her his key and checked the mailbox out front. It was still relatively early in the day, around 12:30.

His eyes moved across the street towards the Martinez home, and he spotted Rose spraying a couple flowers with water inside. She looked up, as if feeling Takabi looking at her and gave a surprised smile, waving at him through the window before moving deeper into her home.

Takabi smiled slightly and moved up the stairs as Nana opened the door. They both stepped inside, the sun outside slowly getting blocked out by sudden grey clouds as Takabi closed the door.

He stopped, as did Nana and looked at each other, then readying themselves.

Someone was in the house. Multiple people actually, three in total.

Silently gesturing to one another, Takabi checked the upstairs while Nana checked downstairs.

He walked, so silently that even he didn't hear himself moving up the steps. Placing his back against the wall after reaching the top of the staircase outside his room, he peeked inside, eyes scanning over the oddly darkened space, and he stepped into the rugged area.

Raising his fingers, his flames sparked dimly on his tips, giving enough light to illuminate the room fully. It was empty.

"Guess no one's up here."

"Think so?"

Takabi spun around fast, bringing the back of his leg up to kick the voice behind him. Garuga blocked it effortlessly with his forearm, smiling down at the boy with his dark eyes shimmering with a black mist.

"That's not any way to greet a guest, Kid."

"The hell are you doing in my house," He asked, then his mind recalled that he was supposed to help comb the town for his sister. Groaning, he lowered his leg. "So, I take it the old man and Raia are here too?"

"Downstairs, waiting for us. I wanted to talk to you alone first." He said, sitting on the bed. His face looked somewhat serious, more than it had been the previous times he's seen him. He walked over towards his desk and pulled out his wheeled chair, sitting on it and facing the dark Dragon.

"What about?"

"It's about the evil in your heart. Last time we met, I didn't want to alarm you, as I felt it wasn't the right time." He paused, looking Takabi directly in the eye. "I think you should stop suppressing the darkness in you."

"Excuse me?" He sounded surprised. Takabi never thought of his inner feelings as darkness, but that description did fit nine times out of ten. "Why in the hell would I do that?"

"Two reasons. The first one, is that I think the reason you lose control over your mind and morals when you let the power free is because you view the darkness as pure evil." He began.

Takabi hunched over in his seat then, hands folded out in front of him. "Well isn't it? I mean we're taught to fear the evil of the world, aren't we?"

"Right, but in what part of those lessons do you hear that darkness equals evil? Light and dark are simple tools, manifestations for people like us based on a number of things in the soul. Take me for example. I'm a Shadow Dragon. I've tamed the darkness and nowhere near the line of evil."

"As far as I know anyway," Takabi said honestly. "So, what's your point? That I should trust the darkness in my heart to see it for what it is? A simple tool? Even though that simple tool has caused me numerous problems since I was a kid?"

"You understand it's a part of you though, don't you? A part you can never be without."

Takabi sighed, sitting back and slumping down in his seat. "Even if I could control the dark parts of me, what reason would I have to learn? What if I'm too afraid to allow that dark to roam free in my body? Each time I listened to it, I hurt someone or took a life. As far as I'm concerned, I have evil in me that I don't want to let out."

"Let me finish before you go all philosophical on me. I said I had two reasons and I just told you one. Let me ask you, how much of the explosion do you remember, if anything at all." Garuga crossed his arms, speaking a bit lower. "You know the one."

Takabi closed his eyes and tried to think back.

It was foggy and dark before the point of him waking up in the wasteland. A strong haze clouded anything that had nothing to do with Nana. The harder he thought, the more a vein bulge in his forehead from stress.

"Not… Much. It's still too cloudy for me to remember much." His eyes snapped open. "Wait, you're saying I can't remember anything because I won't let out the darkness?"

Garuga nodded. "Light and dark are what make up your very being, to say it simply. If you repress and deny a part of you, everything about that part will also be blanked out in your mind. Ever hear of people who are so traumatized they forget about that specific incident?"

Takabi nodded, speaking quietly, "Yeah. I caused someone to be that way."

"It's the same thing." He stood, walking towards the doorway. He stopped just short of leaving, looking back at him. "As of right now, I think the only way you're going to fully remember your past is if you come to complete terms with who you are."

"What if I can't?"

"Then you'll remain as you are. An incomplete, mentally unstable boy."

Takabi took a minute to think it over. Really think it over, and gripped the arms of his chair. Either he took a risk and allowed his darker self freedom, or he stayed a boy who was scared of the dark.

He closed his eyes and stood up, walking towards Garuga and the two left his room.

"I guess that makes sense. Not exactly sure I can apply that though. It's not as simple as riding a bike."

"To each their own. Time is something that certainly shows how one can change. I would know," Garuga replied.

Takabi nodded in agreement. He knew those words held some truth, to an extent. While he was unsure if he changed much himself, many around him from class certainly had mental and emotional changes.

Takabi and Garuga looked over the railing. Raia was sitting on the couch next to Nana, and the two had seemingly been talking about something that made Nana turn red in the face.

Garuga cleared his throat at the two, both looking up at him and Takabi. "Perhaps you both can save this conversation for another time and we can get down to business, yeah?"

They nodded and stood. Takabi and Garuga came downstairs, Nana moving around and standing next to the boy.

Shink came from around the corner of the wall, exhaling and patting his stomach. "Such a nice, cozy little home. I don't think I've ever had a sandwich that tasty before. Takabi, my compliments."

Ignoring the fact that Shink robbed him of food, he asked, "So what's the game plan? Split up and search everywhere?"

"Essentially. Riki has already started in the further parts of the town. We must be thorough and make haste. I've gotten wind of a really big player who is searching for..." He paused a moment, before saying, "Well. You, Takabi."

Blake's words flashed in his head. The Vampire who attacked Jewel and Carlos. It had to be him. "Any idea what for?"

"That, I cannot say for certain. I wouldn't want to say for the God Gems inside you, but it's not impossible. You must be careful." Shink paused and looked towards Nana. "Stay with him and be his extra eyes and ears. Death was already lurking around the corner in this town, and I wish that none of you are on his list of souls to collect."

Takabi stepped in between everyone. "How well do you guys know this town?" When no one answered, he sighed and walked towards the kitchen table. He reached underneath and pulled out a large paper, lying it on the table.

Garuga walked over, followed by the others, and glanced over his shoulder. He was surprised to see a map of the town. "Why do you have this just taped under the table?"

"In case I ever need to go away again." He said simply. "I may look dumb, but I do have back up plans so I can move out at short notice."

Takabi's eyes scanned over the multiple streets and buildings. The violet orbs kept falling back on the park, a couple thoughts slowly forming in his head.

"We can start around the Green. I remember hearing a while back that there were a bunch of different homeless people who would stay around there. If I'm right, my sister could be around here. If she's still alive anyway."

"Why the sudden doubts now," Garuga asked. "We've come all this way. Don't tell me you're getting cold feet now."

"It's not that," Takabi said. "Just… Just have a lot on my mind right now." He chose not to speak more on it. The idea of a twin running around sent a chill down his spine and goosebumps along his arms.

Everyone pushed it aside, except for Nana. Her eyes remained on his back, gazing at him questioningly.

Shink and Raia walked around the table and looked at the map. Their eyes quickly glanced over, before they looked at each other and nodded. "We��ll take the north and south of the park."

"I'll go east," Garuga said, straightening his silk shirt.

Takabi nodded and looked back at Nana. "That leaves the west to us. Comb every inch possible. We'll meet in the middle of the park and exchange information there." He rolled up the map and placed it on one of the chairs as the others started for the door.

They quickly left the home, dashing down the road at an invisible speed as Takabi began making his own way out. Nana stopped him, looking up at him and asking, "Are you hiding something?"

He didn't answer for a bit, but when he did it didn't sound genuine. "No, not at all."

"Takabi," She said in a warning tone.

"Nana, it's fine. Just unsure of how to feel right now." He clutched his hand over his heart and forced a half smile. "I may actually find a piece to my family. I'm just wondering what they were like, or what they may be like now."

"I've known you all my life. I can tell when you're hiding something from me." She moved closer and looked him directly in the eye. "You could never lie to me, not when you look me dead in my eye. So, spill the beans, since it's just us."

He bit his lip and sighed. "Alright. You caught me." He avoided eye contact with her, and spoke softly. "Garuga talked to me about the darkness inside. He said if I accepted it, maybe it could jog some of my memories. Thing is, I can't trust it."

"But it's a part of you."

"I know that, but we all have demons in us that we're sure if we listen to, we could do nothing but hurt people." He exhaled and looked back at her. "I don't want to trust that power. I don't want anything to do with it."

She didn't say anything at first. The look in her eyes weren't judging, and was completely unreadable for a moment. After what felt like an eternity, she calmly said, "We all have to do things we don't like. Eventually, you're going to need that power, and you're going to have to control it. If not that, at least aim it at your enemies."

There was a quiet understanding passing between them. Even at her words, he felt uneasy.

He closed his eyes, contemplating if he should come clean about the conversation he had with Blake before killing him. If he spoke up, it could change the entire situation, and they wouldn't be searching for someone that may not even be alive.

Yet, he couldn't bring himself to speak up to her. The simple words of hearing that it was possibly his twin in the town and not his sister were locked in his throat.

Maybe because it made him think back to the haze, to the man who looked down at him in fear. Maybe because the idea of a ghost from the past gave him the false hope that he never took a life. That everyone who he injured did indeed somehow survive his dark and angry outbursts.

This was reality though.

He knew that. His hands were still stained in blood. It just may be a lot more blood than he initially thought.

Nana moved towards the door and Takabi followed behind her.

It didn't register to him that the house had become colder until Nana touched the doorknob and pulled away fast. "Damn, that's freezing!"

"What?" He asked, blowing his breath into the air. "Why'd the temperature drop?"

Nana looked back at him, but froze. Her eyes were wide, and her lips began to tremble in shock, even as she cupped over her mouth.

"Nana? You alright? What's the matter?"

"Yeah. What's the matter, old friend?" Takabi slowly turned to the voice in the room.

He knew that voice.

It was deeper, but yet similar to the faint echoes in the back of his mind.

He couldn't place his thoughts on where it was from, even as his violet eyes gazed at the glowing green ones across the kitchen table.

The same face, the same skin, watched them both, the boy tossing an apple into the air, catching it as it came down and biting deep into it, chewing and swallowing as he simply waved. "What's up, Brother?"