[O] You Haunt Me

[Kael Caibre]

[atrb=width,375,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true]

[atrb=background,http://i56.tinypic.com/2z3nntv.png] _____The letter had been planted on his desk, though no one had any answers for him as to where it came from. There wasn't anything on the security cameras in the halls or the lobby either, or at least nothing that could help. The single image that was captured was the faint outline of something almost entirely translucent. A small stereotypical looking ghost figure. It had left many confused, but Kael wasn't bothering with that section of the mystery. It didn't matter what had delivered the letter so much as the content. Kael felt as if he was being haunted. A foolish notion certainly, but he couldn't shake the idiotic feeling. Then of course the anger at him emotions only further fueled Kael's spiral into oblivion. No, oblivion would be more pleasant than this anxiety, Kael thought as a scowl crossed his face. Cutemon let out a few sounds of frustration that Kael chose to ignore for the moment. _____Luckily it wasn't long before the chime of a bell distracted the little digimon. Shea's ears perked up and his eyes went wide with interest at the noise. If there was one thing the digimon couldn't resist or ignore it was the sound of a bell. The pink creature stopped walking and looked towards a nearby building, wondering if it was from there that the sounds came to his ears. Kael paused only long enough to see how enthralled his partner was before continuing his trudge down the street. It was late. Kael's eyes took in the setting sun about the same amount of time he spent looking on his partner before he cast the beautiful sight from his mind. Surroundings. Beauty. Shea. None of it could stick in his mind for very long with the importance of what he found himself doing. _____It wouldn't take him much longer to reach the location that was specified in the letter and Kael could feel his unrest growing with each step he took. Before long he could hear the rushed footfalls of Shea behind him, meaning that the digimon had finally gotten over the distraction of the bell noises. "Alright you've had a moment. What's got you so upset?" Shea asked in a soft tone of voice, not the usual one that he would use when asking questions. Kael didn't tell him. What good would it have been for Shea to know of the note? Knowing the digimon he would probably burst into some form of emotion that would only further burden Kael, and he didn't need that with the haunting breathing down his neck like it was. Kael ran his fingers through his hair with a light sigh and continued to stare forward, not wishing to meet his partners eyes. _____"It's nothing. You agreed to go on this walk, so remember this was you choice. You could have stayed at home like I insisted," The memory of trying so hard to prevent Shea from coming with made Kael pucker with dissatisfaction. He honestly hated the idea of what would happen with whoever left him the note revealed themselves before Shea, but the little creature was so insistent that there wasn't much a way around it. If only Kael had a music box that he could turn on and leave the digimon with. That would keep him amused for hours on end. Kael made a mental note to invest in a music box for later dates when such a distraction would really come in handy. _____"If you say so..." Shea shrugged and went back to his sight-seeing. The digimon was pretty content just being outside because he was normally cooped up within the DEATHS HQ while Kael was running all the experiments he could. Unless of course Shea was needed for the project, but those days were much more horrifying. Shea shivered slightly at the memory, and so wrapped up in his own mind he didn't realize that Kael had stopped walking. Shea bumped into the back of his leg and stumbled back with a few words of confusion. "W-What...?" Cutemon's eyes went wide as he looked up and took in the surroundings and realized he knew where they were. "Did you mean to come here... Kael?" Shea looked up to Kael's face for a moment in awe, then suddenly his expression scrunched up with frustration. "You did! There is something going on here that you aren't telling me!" _____Kael looked over the first park he was allowed to play in as a child a frowned. This location meant something to him and whoever left the note for him knew it did, though he didn't know how. "Yeah. Yeah I guess so," Kael replied rather complacent. His hands found their way to his pocket where he pulled out the note that sent him here to this playground of his childhood and passed it down to Shea without another word. Cautiously the digimon took the note and began to read: There is much to say and none can be expressed on paper. Meet me at the attached location and I will tell you everything.

[Ashling Caibre]

[atrb=width,375,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true]

[atrb=background,http://i55.tinypic.com/jtoq48.png] *****Ashling was incredulous. "You did what!?" She shouted, fists balled at her sides. The woman couldn't contain herself that was for long though, because soon she found herself pacing across her small living-room. Devona had reluctantly left to work with a handful of words about Ashling trying to take it easy today and now the woman realized that she wouldn't be getting that opportunity after all. Oh she didn't want to think about the expression on Devona's face if she should learn what Ashling really had to do now. The thought sparked her fury at her partner again and she tossed up her arms in frustration. "Kuze! You're suicidal!" *****The Puffmon frowned his response and turned about in a ghostly pirouette. Secretly, the tiny digimon knew he had done the right thing. There was a lot that Ashling was keeping inside about her son and she hadn't gathered the strength to talk about any of it, but she needed to. Puffmon knew better than anyone how much she needed to, though the exception to that may be Devona. Kuze wondered what Devona was feeling about the whole matter, but he couldn't wait until she got home to do what he did. If Devona was around she might still be forcing Ashling to rest because she knew she still needed the relaxation. To a certain extent Kuze did agree with that, but he also knew she couldn't be entirely at ease until after she at least saw Kael. "It's what you want," He muttered in his own frustration. *****Ashling took a deep breath, trying to defend herself from the comment as if it was going to be something outrageous, but it wasn't. She paused, holding her breath as she tried to get some form of a reply together, but it didn't work. Ashling let the breath go with a sigh of defeat and walked to the nearby closet, pulling forth her lightest coat. She sent Kuze a wry look once she had it on. "You're going to take responsibility for this if Devona finds out." Though her face didn't express it, Ashling was feeling a little bit of excitement for the meeting. She couldn't imagine what eight years had done to her boy though and that was still a terrifying subject. "Let me just leave a note saying we went on a walk in case Devona comes home early." As she was scribbling out the note and placed in on a desk, a look of confusion spread across her face. "How in the world did you write a letter without any hands...?" *****For the first time all day the digimon gave a smile, albeit devious, and looked away. "That's a trade secret. Come on, let's hurry." Finally the tension seemed to have left the two as they left their home together. Ashling still worried about Devona and wanted to get home before her, but she knew that after eight years there must be so much she needed to talk about with Kael. He was a man now. The thought broke her heart the more she thought about it and she didn't think it would ever stop hurting. At the very least she could rekindle her relationship with him and that would dull the constant ache. Devona seemed so reluctant to speak of it beyond where she thought he worked and Ashling wondered why. Did something happen that would make Ashling regret going along with Kuze's stupid scheme? She tried not to think about it as they came to the park designated for the meeting. *****It was surreal to see the park where she first took her son to play. That was after they had the problems with him wishing to go into public schooling. It turned out a sour experience, but Kael was so very insistent. And as surreal as all of that was, Ashling had a harder time grasping something else entirely. The man was standing there with his back to her, clearly he had arrived before she, and Ashling knew it was her son. Once she had been able to hold him in her arms and now he was a tall strong young man. Ashling almost didn't want to see his face and run before he could catch sight of her. Then she could preserve the feeling and meet with him perhaps in a different place with Devona beside her. Kuze did not, however, intend to let that happen. *****"Over here," The digimon spoke the words before Ashling could even think of stopping him. Her heart raced and her hands shook rather insistently. Ashling couldn't even picture his face in her frantic state. His name, she told herself silently. Say his name. Say something! But her words didn't come out and she stood, as if waiting for judgement.

[Kael Caibre]

[atrb=width,375,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true]

[atrb=background,http://i56.tinypic.com/2z3nntv.png] _____Kael didn't want to feel. His ability to think clearly was being overwhelmed by be his sheer desire not to think anything at all. Rage. He furrowed his brow. Anger. Hate. Those emotions were such a lovely mask. Kael brought a hand to his face and realized with disdain that he was shaking slightly. It was certainly unlike Kael to let something so simple shake him up, but the location alone set his soul afire. It bothered Kael that his childhood felt so much like an entirely different lifetime. The child he used to be screamed from somewhere deep within when he tried to think about it too much. Nothing could resurrect the dead, and the past was dead to him. _____But the dead never failed to haunt Kael. Ghosts lay in his past and Shea knew how much they silently tore away small pieces of Kael's failing sanity. A look of fear crept onto Shea's face as he wondered how much longer Kael would stay 'sane' as if his current status could really be called sane in the first place. The mood swings and the hate for the world scared the cutemon more than he would like to say and there wasn't a day that he didn't wonder what could ever fix it. Family probably wasn't the answer, especially after all that happened with Devona. Kael seemed like he'd rather just stay angry at Devona and blame her for what happened to Ashling. Shea didn't think that way and it broke his heart that he lost what he considered his family too. Devona and Light, Ashling and Kuze. Shea missed them all, but couldn't ever say a word of it. _____Shea felt like crying because he actually paused to ask himself if Kael missed them at all. Why did Kael become like this? Shea brought his paws to his face as he heard a soft voice from behind. By the time the digimon looked up, Kael had already turned about to confront whoever had brought him to a place of his childhood. Shea caught a look of horror on his face before he too saw who had summoned them. It was like taking a punch to the gut and losing every last bit of air as the cutemon caught sight of those ghosts. The woman looked so old to Shea, but he knew that it was her. Ashling. With her, the one that spoke, was a digimon he had never seen before. A weak child digimon. Was it Kuze? Cutemon wondered why, if it was him, he was so small. _____Kael's eyes didn't betray any emotion after he recovered from the initial shock. Shea watched, wishing that he could read the mind of his partner, but even the little cutemon was completely lost within his own mind. Ashling. How long had it been since... "Is it really you...?" Shea realized after he spoke that he was shaking and he sounded painfully shaky. Shea stole a glance to Kael and realized that his fists were clenched and shaking, but Shea couldn't understand why. Was he angry for some reason or just struggling with the disbelief of the entire issue? The small pink digimon took a step forward, but felt something pulling him back. _____Kael grasped Shea's scarf with desperate fury and tugged the digimon back with a strength that could be classified as excessive. The young man didn't ask if the digimon was fine when he tumbled back and landed on his back, nor could he so much as tear his gaze away from Ashling. The vengeance in his eyes was enough to cause tears to well up in Shea's eyes. "What is this? Some kind of fucking joke?" The clear festering hate in his voice scared Shea beyond reason.

[Ashling Caibre]

[atrb=width,375,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true]

[atrb=background,http://i55.tinypic.com/jtoq48.png] *****It was as if everything in Ashling's like had suddenly paused. There was so much tension in the air she could hardly breath steady, but she managed somehow. As Kael turned about, Ashling felt her hands clasp tight around each other, as if that single nervous action was enough to rid her whole body of all of the nerves. His face was still the same, but somehow so very different. Kael aged well though and still looked like he could pass for a teenager to Ashling. She wondered what he was thinking, but she couldn't bring her voice out. It frightened Ashling that Kael almost looked terrified to see her. It had been too long. Suddenly the salvation of her relationship with her son seemed so impossible that tears were building up in her eyes. *****Shea, the lovely little creature, didn't look horrified so much as concerned and excited maybe. When Shea asked if it was really them, she couldn't help but smile just the slightest bit. It was hard for her to believe that she was seeing her son and his partner too, but she resisted the urge to ask the question. Ashling sent a quick glance over to Puffmon who looked pretty shaken despite it being all his idea. It was really beginning to set in that they were no longer trapped and they had free reign over what they'd like to do every day. Who they'd like to see. For a moment the elder woman felt like her heart would bust, until she saw that the look on Kael's face had changed from shock to something else entirely. Was he angry? *****Ashling began to waver as she notice Shea trying to step forward, to get closer, when Kael pulled him back viciously. There wasn't a doubt in her mind. Kael was furious. She watched as Shea tumbled back and hoped he was alright. Perhaps this was why Devona didn't tell her about Kael or insist she go see him. Had something horrible happened why she was away to her son? Then he spoke and Ashling cringed. He wasn't just furious, but rather filled entirely to the brim with hatred that Ashling didn't understand. Did he not get her letters? Did he think that she had abandoned him? The thoughts made her wonder all the more what had happened between Kael and Devona because it must have been something overwhelmingly substantial for him to be like this. This angry. This hateful. *****Ashling's voice shook slightly when she started, "W-What do you mean? This isn't a joke. Kael..." She stopped herself, realizing that there really wasn't anything good she could possibly say to make things alright. Something had gone wrong that was beyond her power to fix and mere words would not alleviate the pains. Ashling tried to prepare herself to say something when Kuze spoke up. The little puffmon was suddenly in a rage, the anger showing in his normally pleasant eyes as if a fire was lit in his mind. "Who the hell do you think you are Kael? I've known you since you were a babe and neither your ma nor your ba would even humor such foul actions. Don't you touch Shea like that again. Get your damn head out of your ass!" *****The elder woman looked to her partner in horror, knowing that this was only going to irritate the situation more. Ashling wanted nothing more than to fade into the background for a while, like before when she was lost to this world. Kael looked at her in such a way that made Ashling wonder if he would have been better if she was never rescued. "Stop it. Please just stop," Her words were so soft that she could hardly hear them.

[Kael Caibre]

[atrb=width,375,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true]

[atrb=background,http://i56.tinypic.com/2z3nntv.png] _____Shea whimpered slightly as he recovered from what Kael had done, rubbing at his neck absent-mindedly. The digimon had seen Kael in his weakest moments all throughout his life, but he had never seen him like this. The madness that the digimon had so feared might descend upon Kael seemed to have settled in and dug it's claws deep into Kael's mind. It was so defined that Shea feared there was no solution. Kael had been so harsh to Devona, but to see him acting so sourly to Ashling was like a slap to the face. Ashling had always been the nurturing type of parent that nursed the sweeter side of Kael, but it seemed in her absence all of her parenting flew out the window. _____The change started just after Ashling's letters stopped coming. Kael was quick to argument and inconsolable, though Devona couldn't console him due to her odd emotional detachment. That was always why Devona and Ashling raised Kael together, because while one couldn't offer the stern hand of the father-figure, the other couldn't offer the warm emotional embrace of the mother-figure. They had been a happy family. Shea felt like he was parented by the Kuze and Light too so it was really as if they were two perfectly connected families to him, but to see the conflict made the little digimon want to cry. His neck ached from Kael throwing him back, but that was the least of his worries. _____When Ashling began to speak Shea brought his eyes up to watch Kael's reaction. The young man remained steel-faced and angry, fists still shaking. It didn't take long for Ashling's voice to drop off into silence, but that wasn't the end of the conversation. Kuze, looking painfully pathetic in his baby form, suddenly puffed up and began to speak. It was clear he was enraged by what was happening, but Shea couldn't help thinking it was only going to make the situation worse. Kael didn't take well to harsh words in the slightest anymore, especially when they were meant to reprimand him. _____Shea looked back to Kael in horror, hoping that things wouldn't go bad, though it was so very likely that he would take it badly. The young man remained stark-faced, staring silently even after Kuze was done speaking. Shea could feel himself shaking in anticipation, constantly flitting his gaze back and forth from Kael to Kuze, wondering who was going to end up speaking first. It felt like it was forever that Kael was standing in ominous silence, staring at his long-lost mother and her partner. "Kael please just..." Shea's voice trailed off as Kael's booming voice overpowered him. _____"Shut up, Shea," Kael barked harshly, not removing his stare from Ashling. It took him a few more prolonged moments before Kael could bring himself to say anything. "I don't care what you have to say. Your words mean nothing to me. You're imposters. Ghosts." The young man stopped himself, finally breaking his gaze for a moment. It was startling to Shea to see him so upset, though it wasn't unexpected. The digimon watched Kael struggle silently with his emotions, clearly not wanting to say a word until he had everything in order. That was how he was. _____And then all of a sudden the young man snapped. He brought his fists up and began to scream, "Get away from me! Leave me alone! I swear I'll fucking hurt you both!" Shea stumbled back, alarmed and afraid. Such a loss of composure was entirely out of character for the young man and the digimon had absolutely no idea what to do or say.

[Ashling Caibre]

[atrb=width,375,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true]

[atrb=background,http://i55.tinypic.com/jtoq48.png] *****So then this was what Devona seemed so afraid to tell Ashling, the woman thought with a pained expression. It appeared that her absence had done more harm to her young son than anyone else. The look in his eyes tore her heart asunder and all of her thoughts slipped from her head like discarded trash. The woman was terrified of what would happen, not to herself, but to her son if he continued down such a path of complete rage and hate. Kuze had said he worked in a university, yet it seemed peculiar to Ashling. She wasn't sure how someone with such rage just below the surface would really do in such a setting. *****Kuze wasn't fooled though. The digimon had seen the backs of that University and could tell that something was off about it. It was almost as if it was a front for something, but it still seemed to function as an actual school. The digimon wasn't entirely unconvinced that the two matters were connected in one way or another. Kuze could also tell that something had changed within Shea since the last time he had seen the little digimon. Perhaps he was more fearful in general or more subdued, though it was hard to tell generally considering how terrified he looked by Kael's actions. *****It was frustrating to the creature that his words didn't have much of an impact. At the very least Kael remained silent for an extended period of time. In fact the first one two speak next was Shea, timid though his attempt may have been. The cutemon couldn't even get out a full sentence though when Kael cut him off with a harsh shout. Even Kuze flinched at the sound in his voice. It took the young man a few moments after his shouting before he could speak again, but when he could speak it was clear he wasn't going to cool down anytime soon. As far as Kuze could tell it would remain tense and dangerous as long as Ashling tried to talk to him for some reason. *****For reasons that neither Kuze nor Ashling could understand, Kael seemed to be dealing with unknown demons. It was as if he viewed Ashling and Kuze as a conspiracy theory or a hallucination of some sort. In Kael's exact words they were nothing but ghosts. Ashling stared in disbelief, not sure of any words to say for the situation. When Kael began to scream about she blinks the start of tears from her eyes and struggled to tear her gaze away. Even Shea was shocked by his actions. If his partner didn't even seem to know what to do for the situation, Ashling wasn't sure she could. After all, Shea had been with him every day of his life and she had missed eight years. It was all just too much to handle. *****Desperately, Ashling took a few unsteady steps forward, trying to summon up courage and the right words for the situation. She stumbled over her words as she began to speak softly, "I don't... I don't know what happened Kael, but you're still my son. What happened? Why do you look at me with such contempt? I know I wasn't there, but I would have been if I could!"

[Kael Caibre]

[atrb=width,375,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true]

[atrb=background,http://i56.tinypic.com/2z3nntv.png] _____Shea shook nervously and muttered under his breath. The words were things that even the digimon himself didn't understand, but he couldn't contain himself. Everything had been going so wrong it tore the little creature to bits within, and he knew that he couldn't do anything about the whole situation. Nervously, he began to pace behind Kael, thinking of what he might be able to do to influence the situation even a little. If he could tip the balances he might be able to make the whole encounter safer, though he doubted he would be able to make it the pleasant encounter it should have been no matter what he accomplished. _____Kael returned to his stark silence after he had issued his threat. It was clear he was nowhere near being calm, but he at least wasn't screaming. That small amount of composure began to crumble away as he saw Ashling taking a few steps forward. It remained to be only a few steps, but it was enough to cause the young man to start shaking uncontrollably. The small amounts of control he had over himself continued to shatter away as her voice reached his ears. Each word sunk in slowly, pushing Kael further and further until he couldn't take it anymore. _____The little pink creature suddenly stopped his pacing though, knowing that something was about to happen. His beady little eyes looked up to Kael, full of worry and fear and all other forms of emotion that the digimon wasn't really allowed to express. Shea wondered what was going to happen hopelessly, dropping his earlier thought process of ways to help. It was the end for him in that sense, and all he could do was focus on the current situation. Shea took constant mental notes of the whole encounter, silently reminding himself how useless he really was. _____"I won't sit here and listen to this dammit!" Kael screamed, clenching his fists tightly in anger. He couldn't hold himself together anymore though and his shaking fists were brought up in fury. Before he even realized what he was doing, Kael was throwing a punch with intent to hit Ashling. Thoughts had all fled from his head and all that the young man could really think or feel was the rage. The rage that he was being deceived. The rage that his mother had been taken from him at a young age. The agonizing fury that someone was reminding him of it all. _____Nothing really mattered in the end.