The Dark Light
Chapter 1: The Nightmare
"Tai! C-Come on now! You don't want t-to do this!" A terrified Izzy stuttered.
The redhead boy was sitting on the ground, with his back against a tree. The night sky was starless and the only light came from the pale moon. Tai stood over Izzy with a large dagger gripped in his hands.
"I have no choice. We can't let you kill anyone…… Not again." The brown haired boy raised the blade above the younger, petrified boy.
Izzy closed his eyes tightly, waiting for the stabbing pain.
Tai brought the dagger down.
"NO!" Izzy screamed.
"Izzy! Honey, wake up!" a voice said concerned.
Izzy shot up, screaming. He was sweating with fear, and his heart pounded in his chest. He looked around wildly. He was in his room, it was still dark. His mother was sitting on his bed and his father stood in the doorway.
"Izzy, you were kicking and screaming in your sleep. You were having another nightmare," the teen's mother calmly said as she stroked his red hair, gently.
"You scared us, son," his father said sternly, "We thought something terrible was happening to you. You were screaming Bloody Murder for crying out loud!"
"I'm sorry, dad," Izzy said once his breathing returned to normal and his heart slowed down.
"Its fine…" his father said, "It's just that this is the fifth time you woke up screaming….."
"Do you want me to get you a glass of water?" His mother asked.
"Thank you, but I can get it," Izzy said as he slowly took off the covers and stood up.
"I see you slept in your clothes again," his father said.
Izzy looked down, it was true. He was still wearing his jeans and a black and red long-sleeved shirt; he didn't even take off his camouflage boots!
"Oh, Honey!" his mother said, "You slept in your shoes, too!"
Izzy kicked off his boots, "I'm sorry, I must have been really tired," he sighed.
"Izzy, why don't you lie down, I'll get you water," his mother said as she sat up.
"Mom," Izzy said a bit embarrassed, "I'm 14, I can get it myself."
"Oh, I guess your right," his mother said as she stood up and gave him a hug.
Usually, anytime his parent's would give him a hug, he would recoil away from them, because it felt strange and uncomfortable to the computer geek. But Izzy was too tired to care right then.
"We're going to bed, now," his father said placing a hand on the young boy's shoulder, "Try to sleep well."
"Sure, thing dad," Izzy said. He walked down the hall into the kitchen as his parents went back to their bedroom. Izzy grabbed a glass out of the cupboards and held it under the running sink water. He turned off the sink and drank the water. It felt cool against his stinging, hot, throat, and then he realized he must have been screaming at the top of his lungs.
"Jeeze!" Izzy said quietly to himself when he finished drinking, "I was screaming Bloody Murder!"
He put the glass in the sink and stood there in the dark house with the only light coming from outside. The image of Tai holding the dagger came to mind. He heard what Tai's last words were to him, "I have no choice. We can't let you kill anyone…… Not again."
Again? Izzy thought, Did I kill someone before? I would never do that! And what did he mean by 'we'? Where there others, too?
Izzy's mind swam with questions. He decided to sleep on it and figure things out in the morning.
Izzy walked back down the hall, he stopped when he noticed a stream of light coming from his parent's bedroom. He tip-toed over to the cracked door and listened.
"Well, I'm just worried," his mother said.
"I know dear, but he'll get over it. It's probably just some teenage hormone, or maybe he watched a horror movie before he went to bed!" he heard his father say.
"I don't think so… Like you said, this is the fifth time he woke up from a nightmare this week," his mother said so quietly that Izzy had to strain to hear her.
"Do you think…..this has something to do with……with his father?" Izzy's dad said.
"Mark!" his mother cried in a hoarse whisper.
There was an uneasy silence in the room that made Izzy fidget a bit. About after a full two minutes, the father broke the silence.
"I'm sorry, I should have never brought that up," he said quietly.
"It's all right, Mark," his mother said calmly, "let's just go to sleep."
The light in the bedroom clicked off, leaving Izzy in the dark, silent hallway.
The Dark Light
Chapter 2: An Unexpected Party
Izzy woke up to the smell of bacon and eggs. He stood up and yawned and walked over to his yellow pineapple laptop that he had with him for years. He checked his files and his E-mails. He then took a quick shower and got dressed in clean clothes, a dark red shirt and a pair of black jeans.
He walked into the kitchen stretching his arms.
"Morning, honey," his mom said as he walked up to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek and mussed up his red hair.
"Good morning, mom," Izzy yawned.
His father was sitting at the kitchen tabled reading the newspaper as Izzy sat down. His mother set breakfast in front of them, "eat up!" she said cheerfully.
After breakfast, Izzy said he was going out to take a walk and go over to a few friends' houses. He said good-bye and walked out into the summer sun.
Izzy sighed and decided to go over to Matt's and T.K.'s apartment, see what's going on there.
Izzy knocked on the Ishida apartment door, and T.K. answered it.
"Hey, Izzy!" the seventh grader greeted.
"Hello, T.K. Is Matt there?" Izzy asked.
"Yea," T.K. answered. "He's in his room," he said pointing his thumb over his shoulder. He invited Izzy in. "I'm sure glad you came, you can help us with the party!"
"Uh…. Party?" Izzy asked.
"Yeah!" T.K. answered, "I'm going over to Cody's and Ken's apartments to see if they want to come help."
"Okay, see-ya," Izzy said.
And with that said, T.K. left the apartment.
Izzy knocked on the bedroom door and Matt answered, "Oh, hey Izzy! Come in! I called your house to see if you wanted to come over to help us with a party, but your mom said you already left."
"Well, I'm here now!" Izzy entered. He saw Sora sitting on Matt's bed, and, to his disappointment, Tai sitting at Matt's desk.
Izzy still didn't want to confront Tai with that nightmare still fresh in his mind, but he took a deep breath and tried to act casual, "Hey, Sora! Hi Tai!"
"Hi Izzy!" Sora said, "Ready to help with the party?"
"Sure!" Izzy looked over at Tai. The former Digidestined leader was looking at the computer geek funny. It was almost if Tai was afraid of Izzy…. Or what Izzy might do.
The Dark Light
Chapter 3: He Knows
"So, What's this party about?" Izzy asked.
The teens were sitting on Matt's bedroom floor with a bunch of papers scattered around with party plans written on them.
"It's gonna celebrate the release of my band's first CD!" Matt said excitedly as he held up a CD that read 'The Teenage Wolves: My heart, My Will'.
"Prodigious!" Izzy said.
"Yea!" Matt said as he set the CD back down, "We're gonna listen to it at the party."
"So, who are gonna invite?" Izzy asked.
"Our friends, the Digidestined!" Matt said as he held up a list with everybody's names on it.
Sora looked over at Tai, "Is something wrong? You haven't said a word since Izzy came in."
Tai was forced back to reality after being lost in a trance, "Oh! I was just thinking."
By this time, both Matt and Izzy were looking at Tai.
Tai's gaze held Izzy's, "Well…… It's just about a dream I had……"
Izzy saw a quick flash of his own dream, and Tai went on.
"Well….. I saw Izzy….. I saw him kill someone……" Tai said slowly.
Matt and Sora gasped as they looked from Tai to Izzy, then back to Tai.
Izzy felt his stomach do a flip-flop, and he broke out in cold sweat.
"I-I saw….." Tai continued, "Us….. and the others….. watching Izzy…… brutally stabbing a man…… continuously……." Tai started to shake, and the others sat there in horror.
"A-And then…… H-He looked a-at us….." Tai started to shake even harder, and his voice became weak and barley a whisper.
Izzy felt himself tense.
"H-He….. smirked….. a-and h-his eyes….. Those eyes….. H-He was far from human……. It was s-so real……"
"That's why you looked scared when I entered!" Izzy suddenly realized.
Tai looked fearfully at Izzy, "I-I know it was just a nightmare….. But it seemed so real!"
"Tai," Izzy said sternly, "I had a nightmare too, and I think they are connected."
All shocked eyes looked at the redhead.
Izzy told them his dream and Tai calmed down a bit, seeing Izzy's side of the story.
"Totally weird!" Matt said.
"I think this is serious guys," Sora told them.
"What if it's a Digimon?" Matt asked.
"I don't think so," Izzy said, "I always check the gate to the Digital world frequently, and it's always closed."
"Well, guys," Matt said trying to change the subject, "Let's just get on with the party planning! Let's not let a nightmare ruin all the fun."
The hot thick atmosphere cooled and became breathable, like someone opened a window, when the other three heard this. They were thankful for the change in subject, and the nightmare was not mentioned again that day.
The Dark Light
Chapter 4: Let the Party Begin
The party at Matt's place was at 7:30 PM and lasted until 10:02 PM. Just as planed, everyone showed up, Tai, Sora, Izzy, T.K., Kari, Joe, Davis, Yolei, Cody, and Ken. Mimi couldn't come, though, because she was in America. People brought food and drinks over, and they listened to other music, not just Matt's CD endlessly.
Izzy sat on the couch next to T.K. They were watching Davis make a fool out of himself, as usual.
"Hey Izzy?" T.K. asked.
"Yea?" Izzy answered the younger boy.
"Is something wrong? You sure have been quiet this evening."
"No, T.K." Izzy lied, "I'm fine, just tired I guess."
"Matt said you had a nightmare," T.K. continued.
"Did he?" Izzy asked, raising an eyebrow.
T.K. nodded.
"I guess I'll just have to thank him later," Izzy mumbled sarcastically under his breath.
"Say what? I didn't catch it," T.K. asked.
Izzy was about to come up with an excuse, but to his luck, a hyper Davis that had too much sugar and pop, did a flying somersault over the couch and landed between them.
"Oof!" he looked up, "Oh, hey there Izzy! Hiya P.J!" he then got off the couch and stumbled over to a group.
"No more sweets for you, mister!" they heard Yolei scold Davis.
"Why does he always mispronounce your name, T.K.?" Izzy asked.
T.K. put both hands behind his head and slouched against the couch, "Ah, because he's jealous of me 'cause I've known Kari longer then he has."
Izzy couldn't help but laugh. It was obvious that T.K. and Kari hung out often, and it was even more obvious that Davis liked Kari. So no wonder Davis hated T.K. but he seriously needed to come up with better insults.
Izzy looked up at the clock, 9:34 PM.
"I better start heading home," he said.
"Okay," T.K. yawned, "See you later!"
Izzy said his good-byes and left the apartment.
T.K. watched Izzy leave. His attention turned to the radio that had just been turned on, suddenly the song was stopped and a man's urgent voice came over, "We interrupt this program to bring you a special bulletin!"
"Shhh! Quiet everyone!" Matt said.
One by one, the kids fell silent to listen to the radio.
"About twenty and a half minutes ago, a man known as Kirio Izumi had escaped from the Kawada insane asylum, and was last seen heading north, towards Odaiba. This man is armed and extremely dangerous! All personal in the Kawada and Odaiba areas must stay indoors and securely locked until this murderer has been caught!" And the man's voice switched off, and back to the music.
Everyone was in a panic to get home, most were too scared to walk home so they called their parents using Matt's phone, as he and Tai went around the apartment locking windows.
T.K. sat on the couch with wide shocked eyes. He had heard the one major detail that the others had completely blown over.
Kirio Izumi?
Izumi?
T.K. gasped.
IZZY!
The Dark Light
Chapter 5: Like Father, Like Son
It was already dark out as Izzy walked under the lamp lights. His hands were in his pockets and his mind wandered aimlessly. The wind suddenly picked up and he felt cold, and even a little scared.
A sudden twig snapping made Izzy jump. He whirled around to find nothing but shadows. He looked cautiously into the dark park that he was passing.
Just a squirrel. Izzy shrugged it off and continued to walk.
Just then, he heard it again. And again, he turned around to face it.
Nothing.
Izzy trembled. He was really starting to get freaked. He started to hurry away quicker. But then someone stepped out of the shadows in front of the teen.
Izzy halted and stared at the figure. It was hard to see him since he wasn't standing under a light.
"My, my, my. Look at you, son. You have grown so much," the dark figure said.
Izzy stumbled back, "W-Who are you?" he demanded.
"Why, boy!" the figure said as he took a step into the light, "Don't you recognize me? I'm your dad."
Izzy gasped.
The figure had crimson hair like his own, but darker. He wore a trench coat that made him seem he was surrounded in a black aurora. His smile was far from friendly, but the worst part was. The man looked exactly like Izzy, only older.
The figure took a step towards the frightened boy and held out his hand, "Come."
"No!" Izzy shouted, "You are an inclusive stranger that has no business in saying that you're my father!"
The man lowered his hand, "Why, boy. What did they tell you?"
Izzy just glared at the man.
"No matter now," the man said evilly, "Come with me. We will live away from these people and I will teach you to join me in succeeding in something incredible!"
"What are you talking about?" Izzy asked, his heart starting to beat a billion miles per hour.
"We shall kill every person we come across, enjoy it and watch as their life's blood spills upon our hands and weapons! It is not a mater of choosing to do this, we have to do this!" The man laughed evilly.
Izzy could not believe what he was hearing; those were the exact words of a psycho. The image of the dream and what Tai had said came to mind.
"IZZY!"
Izzy spun around, "T.K.!"
The young blonde-haired boy had a metal pole in his hands as he ran at the two. "Izzy! Watch out!" He ran up to the man known as Kirio, and swung the pole at him. Knocking the man to the ground.
"T.K.? What are you doing here?" Izzy asked.
"I heard a man named Kirio Izumi was on the loose, that name, it's yours!" T.K. huffed, trying to catch his breath.
Izzy gasped, that man IS his father! Koushiro "Izzy" Izumi is the son of Kirio Izumi! But, didn't his parents die in a car crash? That's what his adoptive parents said!
"Izzy! We have to hurry! We-!" but T.K. was cut off by the sound that Izzy will now fear for the rest of his life…..
Gun fire.
"T.K.?" Izzy asked panic starting to rise to the surface.
T.K. just stared ahead blankly, as if looking right through Izzy.
"T.K.?"
A small trickle of blood rolled down the boy's mouth.
"T.K.!"
T.K. fell forward and Izzy lunged to catch him. The redhead spotted a bullet hole in T.K.'s back, just below the left shoulder.
"No!" he gasped.
The Dark Light
Chapter 6: Izzy's Arrest
"NO!" Izzy cried louder, tears filling his eyes.
"Koushiro," Kirio said.
Izzy looked up to see his father holding a gun.
"My...name...is...Izzy!" the redhead said through clenched teeth.
"It must be done, don't you like it as the blood of your first victim spills onto your body?" he asked evilly.
"What?" Izzy looked down. T.K.'s blood was already soaking into his jeans and shirt, and his hands were covered in it. The teen stared in horror, but then something caught his eye, a miracle!
T.K.'s sides were heaving!
He was breathing!
He was alive!
"T.K.!" Izzy cried happily.
Kirio's evil smile faded, "I see he is still alive…." he said quietly. He slowly raised his pistol up.
"NO!" Izzy jumped to his feet and charged at the man, head butting him in the gut.
They both flew backwards from the force. Kirio lost his grip on the gun.
Izzy rolled off the man and, without thinking, picked up the gun, spun around, and pulled the trigger.
The shot echoed in the cold night air, along with Kirio's scream.
Izzy dropped the gun in shock. He had just used a weapon! Izzy Izumi, the worlds smartest and polite computer geek, had jut killed someone!
Unfortunately, Kirio was not dead. He stood up and limped away back into the dark park, Izzy had only shot him in the leg.
The teen walked over to T.K. and kneeled down beside the wounded boy.
"I-Izzy...?" T.K. said weakly.
"Shhh," Izzy said gently as he lightly picked up T.K. in his arms, "I'll get you home."
Izzy started to run holding a heavy T.K.
Hang on... Come on, T.K... Please just hang on!
Izzy ran down the deserted sidewalk as T.K.'s apartment building came into view. What he saw is what made him panic.
T.K.'s parents were in front of the building and his mother was sobbing. The place was swarming in police and S.W.A.T teams, even a helicopter flew over head. The Digidestined were still there trying to calm a berserk Matt. There also had to be at least ten news crew broadcasters there, and dozens of journalists.
All they need now is the Japanese army! Izzy thought bitterly.
He took a deep breath and started to walk towards the crowd.
The first to see them was Matt, "T.K.!" he cried.
Soon, everyone's attention was turned to the teen carrying a bleeding boy.
Izzy started to place T.K. on the ground as people ran up surrounding him. T.K.'s mom, dad, and brother got there first as Izzy backed off.
"T.K.! His mother shrieked, " Takeru? Honey, please wake up!" she sobbed.
Izzy suddenly felt a strong hand grip his shoulder. Before he knew what was happening, he was flung around and was forced onto the hood of a cop car.
Oh, no!
He felt cold steel against his wrists. A voice then said, "Koushiro Izumi, You are under arrest for the attempted murder of Takeru Takaishi!"
Izzy felt sick in his stomach, "Wait! I didn't do it!"
The Dark Light
Chapter 7: I Didn't Do It!
Izzy began to struggle as the crowd watched on. The man held the teen's hands behind his back; Izzy used this as an advantage. When another cop came up to him from the front, Izzy jumped up and kicked the man away. His panicking made him thrash about and scream as more people tried to contain the boy.
He caught glimpses of his friends staring in disbelief.
The entire world might have been watching this. Everyone was in shock, the world's smartest kid, has turned into a murderer.
Izzy thrashed, struggled, stumbled, and fought to keep the cops away. Then something caught his eye that made the boy pale.
His parents.
They were looking at their adoptive son in dismay and he noticed his mother sobbing.
At this distraction, Izzy let his guard down, and he was shoved into the back seat of a police car, "Wait!" Izzy tried again, "I didn't-!"
But his pleading was cut off as the door slammed shut. The car started and, leaving the others in a stunned silence, watching the blood-stained, screaming boy, drove off.
About fifteen minutes in the car, Izzy gave up screaming and pleading and just sat silently, huddled on the seat. Tears streamed down his face as he watched the world go bye out the bared window.
Soon, the car stopped in front of a well-known jail.
Izzy felt himself tense; he didn't want to go to jail! He did nothing! He saved T.K.! He didn't try to kill him!
The door flung open and a large hand came in and vigorously pulled the boy out of the vehicle.
"Ow! Be careful!" Izzy spat.
But as usual, he was ignored.
What's gonna happen to me? Izzy thought sorrowfully.
They walked into the cold, unfriendly building. Everything was white, and some of the lamps overhead blinked or fizzed.
"Shouldn't I have a lawyer?" Izzy asked.
He was suddenly pushed into a cell and it closed behind him.
"You will at your trial," the cop growled as he locked the cell door and started to walk away.
"Trail?" Izzy called. He walked up to the door and held the bars in his hands, "But I didn't do anything! Do you hear me! I DIDN'T DO IT!"
His words were answered as the cop shut the hallway door, leaving Izzy alone to let his words echo off the walls in vain.
The Dark Light
Chapter 8: That's What Friends Are For
Izzy lay in his cell bed staring up at the ceiling. He was furious with these cops for not letting him have a saying in this, and not allowing his parents to come visit him. He had not slept at all that night, he was way too worried. He was still in his clothes from the day before, with T.K.'s blood on it.
Izzy heard footsteps and he sat up and saw the same cop that was very rude to him yesterday.
"Hey, Izumi!" he said, "I thought you should check this out!" The man smirked and tossed a newspaper into the cell.
Izzy stood up and walked over to were the paper lay. He picked it up and read the headline "COMPUTER WIZ FOLLOWS IN HIS MURDERING FATHER'S FOOTSTEPS!"
Izzy felt like a knife was stabbing him in the stomach as he read on.
"34 year old, Kirio Izumi escaped from the Kawada Insane Asylum at around 9:10 PM last night. The man was armed with a gun and two daggers. He went into Odaiba in search of his 14 year old son, Koushiro "Izzy" Izumi.
He had found the young boy with 12 year old Takeru "T.K." Takaishi. Kirio corrupted his son into shooting Takeru. He was later found with a blood-stained Koushiro standing over him. He has been caught, but the boy's father is still running loose. The High Jury are still discussing and deciding over the boy's fate, either they should place him in the Asylum or have him executed."
Izzy felt his heart lurch to his throat. "What? Put me in a mental institute or kill me! This can't be happening! I must be having another nightmare!"
The cop just sneered and walked away.
Izzy began to read again. What he saw next made him sigh with relief.
"Takeru was placed in the Odaiba Hospital. The doctors examined the bullet hole and said that the 12 year old was fortunate, and will live. He got better throughout the night."
Izzy dropped the paper and fell to his knees.
He was going to die…… for a crime he did not commit.
Two hours had passed and Izzy began to lose all hope, then he heard voices on the other side of the door at the end of the hall. He stood up, expecting the worse, when…..
The door flew open and someone ran in, "IZZY!"
"T.K.!" Izzy cried back joyfully.
"Hang on Iz! We'll get you outta here!" That was Tai's voice.
T.K. got to Izzy first and the two friends tried to hug each other through the bars. Izzy noticed that T.K.'s shoulder and back had been wrapped up good and tight. He wondered how T.K. could heal so fast!
"I told them what really happened!" T.K. said.
"I'm so glad your okay!" Izzy said, trying to hold back tears.
Soon, the others were there too.
"Izzy!" Joe called.
"Hey, guys!" Izzy called back.
And not far behind them, was a sore sight for Izzy, "Mom! Dad!" he yelled.
A cop opened up the cell and Izzy burst out into his mother's arms, sobbing.
All the others waited around the three. Izzy stood up and whipped his eyes with a dry, blood sleeve. "Thank you," he said to T.K.
T.K. placed a hand on Izzy's shoulder, "That's what friends are for."
The Dark Light
Chapter 9: A Needle In The Dark
Izzy lay huddled in his bed staring blankly at his wall. He was in clean clothes, thankfully, a black long-sleeved shirt and gray jeans.
T.K., Matt, Sora, and Tai all sat quietly in his room staring at the frightened redhead.
Joe, Davis, Yolei, Cody, Kari, and Ken sat in the Izumi living room watching as Mr. Izumi tried to dispose of the T.V. broadcasters and journalists gathered at the front door.
"No! I'm sorry, but I will not force him to do something that he doesn't want to do! Now good-bye!" Mr. Izumi then slammed the door on the people's faces.
Mrs. Izumi was in the kitchen washing dishes. She had a worried expression on her face, "What did they want?"
Izzy's father sighed and sat down at the table, "They wanted to talk to Izzy….. And T.K., but they both don't want to come out of the room….."
"I'm worried…." Kari sighed.
"I guess we just wait," Ken said.
This would be the perfect time for Davis to flirt with Kari since T.K. wasn't in the room, but even Davis felt uneasy and worried to care.
T.K. rubbed his shoulder tenderly.
Matt saw this, "T.K., we should get home and change your bandages; mom and dad also might get worried."
T.K. looked at his brother and back to Izzy, "Okay."
"We should be going too," Tai said.
They all stood up as Izzy stayed in the same position.
"Good-bye, Izzy," they said.
T.K. was the last to leave. He looked back at the pathetic redhead with sympathy in his eyes. He then left.
It soon got dark after everyone had left. Izzy's mom came into his bedroom and sat on the side of his bed and started to stroke his hair.
"It's all right," she said calmly, "Your father and I had a talk with the Officials, and you are going to be fine….. They're not going to send you back to that awful place."
Izzy sat up and looked at his mother, and noticed his father in the doorway.
"You lied to me," he said flatly, "Not only you lied to me about you being my parents, but also my true parent's fate…… No more secretes……. I want the truth……"
His mother looked to his father and he nodded, "I believe it's about time you learned, son," he said.
"Your father was born here in Odaiba; he looked exactly like you….. I was his cousin, and we lived far away from each other, so I never knew him. One night something seemed to possess him. He killed his parents at the age of 10 and walked out into the world. There, he killed four out of eight, of his friends. The other three got away, but not before one stabbed your father, Kirio, in the leg. He was taken to the Asylum, were he stayed there for years. When he was thought to be cured, they let him out into the world, but under careful surveillance. He met your mother, and I guess he fell in love. When they had you…. His mind had turned back to time. He said that you were a gift from the God and that you and he were the only perfect human beings….. He killed your mother, but a neighbor heard her screams and called the police. They arrested him and you came to us……" his father finished.
Izzy stared at he ground.
"We were extremely worried Izzy….." His father said, "Before he left, he said someday he would escape and find you. And as you grew older, we started to fear you too. You looked exactly like him, became extremely smart for your age as he was, and had an interest in computers as he…."
"So you were worried that I would end up like him," Izzy finished.
"Dear," his mother said, "We realized that you could never be like him, we love you no matter what."
Izzy sighed, "But if he contained the intelligence I have at this age, why did he turn mad and get put in the Asylum?"
"Well, Izzy," his father answered, "His mind just turned black as his heart…… He was a genius….. An evil one…."
Izzy felt tears starting to come, but he fought to hold them back.
"Please, dear," his mother pleaded, "get some rest."
Izzy lay down and his mother pulled the covers over him and kissed him on the cheek.
"Sleep tight," she whispered.
His mother and father left the room.
Izzy soon fell asleep.
During the middle of the night, a human figure opened the widow to Izzy's room; he silently crept in and stood over the sleeping teen. The figure pulled out something from his pocket. It was a needle with a strange red liquid in it.
"They poisoned you," he whispered quietly as he fiddled with the needle, "But I shall make you pure once again." And he stuck the needle into Izzy's back.
Izzy flinched but did not wake up.
The man smiled evilly as he watched the liquid enter the boy's body. He pulled the needle out, and disappeared.
The Dark Light
Chapter 10: Tears and Blood
Izzy's vision was blurry at first when he woke up. His head was throbbing as he slowly sat up. He felt as if was sitting on the floor, he was. He set his hand down and felt something warm and sticky.
"Ugh. What in the world?" he lifted his hand to look, and received the shock of his life.
Blood.
Izzy bolted fully awake and looked around wildly. He saw that he was in a gas station store. He looked back to the ground and saw a mutilated man by his feet.
Izzy had been lying in the man's blood.
He screamed and stumbled away, knocking into a shelf. It fell down, resulting in a huge crash.
"What was that?" a voice came from outside.
Izzy staggered to his feet, slipping in the blood, and ran to the back of the store. He heard the front door open and someone came in. He exited through the back door and slammed it shut, breathing heavily.
After a few moments, Izzy heard someone from in the store shriek.
He bolted across the pavement into the park. As he ran passed the playground, a voice called to him that made him feel panic.
"Hey, Izzy!" it was Tai.
Izzy ignored him and ran as fast as his legs would carry him. He heard Tai following him and calling his name. Izzy stumbled as he made it onto the sidewalk. He shoved a few people out of his way and made a dash for his apartment.
Izzy ran up stairs and stumbled into his apartment, slamming and locking the door behind him.
He slid to the ground from exhaustion and began to cry.
A sudden knocking at the door made Izzy jump.
"Hey Izzy! What happened? Are you okay? Let us in!" Tai yelled. Izzy could also hear Sora, Matt, and Joe on the other side of the door.
"D-Don't come in!" Izzy yelled as he staggered to his feet.
Tai tried to open the door, "Come on, dude! You're really starting to scare us!"
"No!" Izzy screamed, "I-I-I……. I got to do something!" He ran to the bathroom and flung open the toilet seat; he leaned over and closed his eyes tightly, feeling the bile rise to his throat.
The others outside the door heard Izzy puke.
"Oh, man!" Tai pounded the door, "Izzy! Are you okay!"
Izzy griped the sink and he pulled himself up to his feet. He took off his blood soaked clothes and put on clean ones. He threw his clothes into the tub and turned on the water.
Tai looked down on the door handle and saw blood; he gasped and looked at the floor. The others saw this and spotted a small blood trail down the hall.
"Hi kids!" a voice called.
Izzy's parents were walking down the hall, coming back from a shopping trip.
Izzy heard the muffled, cheery call of his mom.
He spun around but slipped on the wet floor. He fell backwards, hitting his head on the tub, and falling in.
The others heard the crash.
"Izzy?" they all shrieked in unison.
His dad took out the key and unlocked the door, they all sprinted in. They spotted the blood on the ground and raced to the bathroom. They flung open the door to see Izzy crawling out of the bloody tub, screaming and sobbing.
The Dark Light
Chapter 11: Death Craver
It was on all over the news in ten different cities. When Izzy ran home, he forgot the one important thing, surveillance cameras.
The video showed a man staying after to work late at the gas station. Izzy came in around 1:35, and snuck up to the man, with a large butcher knife. When the man turned around, Izzy plunged it deep into the man's chest. The man screamed and fell to the ground, lifeless. Izzy stood over the man and continually stabbed him, exactly like Tai's dream.
Then Izzy felt his head and staggered. He fainted onto the ground, next to the body.
His friends couldn't believe it, but they did.
Izzy shuddered as he looked around with frightened eyes. After what had happened he was put in the Asylum. He was in a white room with five, heavily armed, police men. His parents and friends were probably watching him through the shadowed window. Izzy was in a strait jacket for crying out loud!
A man in a white doctor's coat stood over the alarmed and absolutely confused redhead.
"All, right. I will ask you one more time Koushiro. Why did you kill the man?"
Izzy couldn't believe what was happening, and all too quickly.
"And I will tell you one more time. I was not conscious and must have been doing it in my sleep! The last thing I remember was falling asleep in bed, and waking up in the store!" Izzy was losing his patience quickly, "I know it seems fallacious, but it's true!"
The man sighed and stood up. He walked over to the door and exited.
Izzy felt sick with all these cold eyes watching him. He shifted a bit in the uncomfortable jacket.
'Why the Hell did they have to stick me in this unnecessary jacket?' he thought bitterly.
Izzy could easily think of what exactly the psychologists were saying to his parents. About how he has turned into a total psychopath with a lust for death and blood.
'That's what they'll say,' Izzy thought as he glared at the door, 'Yeah... 'He'll end up just like his father! Oh, wait, he IS his father!' That's exactly what they will say...'
It was the middle of the night; Izzy was still in the same room with that uncomfortable jacket on. He was just about to fall asleep when he felt a hand cover his mouth. Before he could even understand what was happening, he felt something hit him hard on the back of the head, and he blacked out.
The last thing he heard before he fell to darkness was, "Sorry son, but I must make sure you are a true death craver."
Chapter 12: Escape
When Izzy woke up, he could see the moon and stars. He slowly sat up, noticing that painful jacket was gone, and gently touched the back of his head, it stung and was sticky. He looked around; Izzy saw that he was in a camp somewhere in the woods. He was sitting on a sleeping bag. In the middle was a fire, with a pot hanging over it, cooking something that smelled absolutely foul. There was also another, larger, sleeping bag near. What else Izzy saw made him curious, a computer and a ton of technical equipment.
Izzy rubbed his head and moaned.
"I'm sorry I had to knock you out, but I couldn't afford to have you get us caught," a voice said.
Out from the shadows stepped Kirio.
Izzy jumped to his feet and tired to run. He didn't get more then three steps when something around his waist tightened, causing the teen to fall on his face. He rolled onto his back and he noticed a chain around his waist, the end was securely wedged into the ground.
"I guess I'm sorry about that too, but I still can't quite trust you until the medicine has taken full affect," Kirio said as he kneeled down next to Izzy.
"Get away from me!" Izzy shouted.
"All right," his father said as he stood up, "I'll give you time."
Izzy watched as Kirio made his way over to the computer, he sat down and started to work on it. Izzy struggled with the chain, but eventually gave up seeing as it wouldn't budge.
About twenty minutes had passed, Izzy tried to form an escape plan in his head. Kirio stood up and went over to the small black pot over the fire. He picked it up and walked over to Izzy.
"You must be hungry," Kirio said in a sickly sweet voice, "You have been out for three days."
When the odor hit Izzy's face, he turned green and jerked back. He saw in the pot was a bubbling, thick, red substance. There were lumps of something in it, but Izzy couldn't tell what they were.
"What is it?" Izzy demanded.
"Soup," his father answered matter-of-factly.
Izzy glared, "I'm not buying it," he growled.
"Ah, you mean the ingredients! Well, human blood, flesh, and organs."
Izzy immediately lurched back and tried to barf.
"Come, you must eat!" Kirio urged.
"You're sick!" Izzy shouted.
"I'm sorry, but I have no choice. You must eat!" Kirio grabbed Izzy's hair from the back of the head and yanked him to the ground. Kirio forced the concoction into Izzy's mouth. Izzy's eyes shot open and started to water, he could feel the bile rising in his throat to greet the gory mixture. Izzy was about to spit it out, but Kirio forced his mouth shut and plugged his son's nose to make him swallow.
When the horrid man let Izzy go, the teen shot up and started to cough. He kneeled over and tried to throw up the nasty liquid, but to no avail. His stomach needed food, and wouldn't recoil.
Kirio stood up and walked back to his computer.
Izzy's eyes were still watering and he could still taste the foul soup as he tried to spit onto the ground. Once the worst of it was gone, Izzy rolled onto his back and stared at the night sky, his sides heaving.
In the middle of the night, the fire had gone down to tiny embers. Izzy was still wide awake and he was listening to Kirio sleeping. He could hear him breathing deeply. But Izzy heard something other then his father's breathing.
Nothing.
Were we all the nighttime sounds?
A hand suddenly flew over Izzy's mouth.
Izzy jolted and was about to start to thrash, but stopped when he saw himself, staring in the moonlit face of a person that Izzy could have never been more relived to see.
T.K.
T.K. put a finger to his mouth as he let Izzy go. The young blonde boy stepped over Izzy and sneaked over to Kirio's electrical utensils. T.K. silently looked through the objects until he found some keys. He slinked back to Izzy, and used the keys to free the teen from his prison. T.K. helped a weak Izzy up, and they raced off into the night.
The Dark Light
Chapter 13: An Important Discovery
T.K. and Izzy raced through the dark forest and came out into the dark park. T.K. grabbed a hold of Izzy's arm and led him too the tubes that little kids played in. Izzy sat down and rested his back against one of the walls.
"I believe you," T.K. said.
Izzy looked at the younger boy, and smiled.
"You have to stay here, the area is crawling with police, S.W.A.T teams, and even the army!" T.K. said, "They patrol the streets day and night, so no one will bother you here, but you will have a slim chance of making it out there." T.K. started to go back through the tubes, he paused and came back, "Want something to eat or drink? I……. I sorta saw what Kirio made you eat….. I was kind of eavesdropping."
Izzy shuddered, "Yes please! Oh! And please retrieve my laptop!"
T.K. nodded and exited.
Izzy closed his eyes and drifted off.
T.K. ran off through the park and onto the street. He was heading back to his house when he heard a voice.
"Halt!"
T.K. froze and turned around.
A heavily armed S.W.A.T member on a horse trotted up to T.K. "What are you doing out here? Every personnel are commanded to stay locked in doors after 6:00 PM! It's already 1:23 AM!" he shouted.
"I-I'm sorry!" T.K. stammered. "I-I was at a friend's h-house and I w-wanted to g-go home s-since I-I was scared!"
The man glared at him, "But then why didn't you get a parent to drive you home?"
T.K. took off his white hat and scratched the back off his head, "Well, didn't you say so yourself that no one is supposed to be out? I would have gotten them into trouble! I mean, don't I have a more chance percentage to make it home unnoticed by running instead of driving?"
The man opened his mouth to say something, but he could think of nothing. He was furious that he had been outsmarted by a 12 year old, but tried not to show it.
"What's your name, kid?"
"Takeru Takaishi. Call me T.K."
"Okay "T.K.", I will escort you home. Where do you live?"
So T.K. told the man and he was taken home. Once he was in his building, T.K. ran off to the side door in the dark lobby. He knew it was always kept unlocked for the workers, he just hoped that it was unlocked since this temporary law had been passed. T.K. grabbed the door and slowly pulled it open.
'Yes! It's unlocked!'
T.K. ran across the dark ally and climbed up fire escapes till he came to Izzy's apartment building. He sneaked up to the front and saw a light on in the lobby window. He walked up to the doors and tried to open them, they were locked. T.K. knocked. He heard footsteps on the other side off the door and voices. A blind was moved aside from the door window and a man peeked out, when he saw T.K. he disappeared behind the door. There was more talking and finally sounds of something being unlocked. The door opened, spilling light out into the dark street.
"What do you want, boy?" a man asked.
T.K. had to think fast, "Well, I was coming to visit my aunt!"
The man looked at T.K. like he was crazy, "This early in the morning?"
"Yeah, she is plenty old, and I got a phone call from her, she really needs me! Besides, you wouldn't want me standing all alone out here with two psychos on the loose!" T.K. felt sad that he had to call Izzy a psycho, but he needed to get in desperately.
The man seemed to react to that. He stood aside and invited T.K. in. T.K. thanked the man and ran to the elevator. He went up to Izzy's floor and he ran down the hall till he came to the redhead's apartment. T.K. knocked.
No answer.
He knocked again and waited.
After his knocking was in vain, he slowly griped the door handle to find the apartment was unlocked.
T.K. knew he shouldn't be doing this, since it was breaking a law, but he thought that since he was a friend to the people who lived here, it wouldn't count against him.
"Hello!" T.K. called as he entered the dark room.
No answer.
T.K. found out that no one was home. He ran into Izzy's room and grabbed the yellow pineapple computer and stuck it in its pack.
T.K. made it back to his own apartment, unnoticed. He grabbed some food and drinks out of the fridge and shoved them into a backpack. He raced into his own room and grabbed an extra blanket and pillow and thrust them into the pack. He made it back to the park but stopped. He thought for a few moments then decided to check something out.
Izzy sat patiently for T.K. Soon, his patience ran out.
'T.K. should be back by now. What if he was found and forced to stay inside? What if Kirio found him? No Izzy! Think positive!'
Suddenly T.K. came in through the entrance and sat down in front of Izzy and handed him the pack and laptop.
"I found out something really important!" T.K. gasped excitedly.
"What?" Izzy urged.
"I went back to Kirio's camp and hacked into his computer, thanks to your lessons, and I found out that he had injected you with some strange serum. It controlled you to kill!"
Izzy gasped.
T.K. continued, "But the good part is, the serum has been used up. Kirio didn't have a strong enough toxin!"
Izzy sighed with relief.
"I gotta go home now," T.K. said.
"Take care," Izzy said.
The Dark Light
Chapter 14: The Devil Himself
Izzy was awoken by sirens and shouting. He heard gunfire and screams…. Not just any scream…..
"Sora!" Izzy bolted up and clambered out of the tube.
He stood up and watched police car after police car go down the road. Izzy followed, but not too closely. The cop cars came to a stop at a large store. Izzy saw the police had it surrounded. He listened to one conversation.
"He's got four kids held in there, Chief."
"Well, I'm just surprised he hasn't killed them yet!"
"That's the thing, he seems to be holding them hostage."
"Any one injured?"
"A female, about 14, 15."
"Have you any names on these kids?"
"Yes, one is known as Tai Kamiya and the other is Takeru Takaishi. I'm afraid I don't know the other two."
"Well, why is he holding them?"
"We don't know, Chief!"
Izzy couldn't take it anymore. He bolted out into the open, shoving people out of his way.
He heard someone yell, "It's the Izumi boy! He's going in! I repeat! The Izumi boy is going in!"
Izzy made it too the glass door and pulled on the handle, jammed! Izzy started to scream and pound on the glass with his fists. He didn't know what the others were doing behind them, but he could hear, "Stand back! Hold your fire!"
Izzy pounded harder until the glass cracked and his hands started to bleed. He backed up a few feet and he could hear the crowd shuffle back. He let out a battle cry and charged at the door, he jumped and hit the door with such force, the glass shattered and he rolled into the store. As Izzy stood up, he could hear the people behind him go into a complete commotion.
Izzy ran down one of the store's isles until he came to the end wall he stopped and ducked under a counter. He passed a register were a dead body lay, Izzy barely paid attention. One, because he was more concerned about his friends, and two, he was somewhat used to it by now. Izzy crawled right over the corpse, getting his pants covered in blood. When he got closer, he heard voices.
"You whacko! Why don't you just kill us now and get it over with!" That was Tai's voice.
"Well, I need you fresh if I want my son to come for you," a sickly voice answered.
Izzy stopped in his tracks, a trap! But he had to save his friends. He continued till the people came in sight.
T.K. was sitting on the floor next to Sora, whose leg was bleeding freely. Sitting on Sora's other side, was Matt. Tai was standing up with his hands balled into fits, glaring at Kirio, whom was blocking their only way out. Kirio had a gun with him, so that's probably why Tai and Matt weren't battling for their life.
"Izzy isn't that stupid to come!" Matt shouted.
"Oh, it appears he would risk his life for you, but when he comes," Kirio paused and cocked the pistol, "he will learn to kill."
"I already have," a growl came from behind them. Izzy had stood up and was making his way towards them.
"Izzy?" a shocked Tai called.
Kirio turned to face his son, "Boy, you have?" he asked with suspicion.
"Yeah, you!" Izzy spat.
Kirio smiled, "I hope your ancestry will come soon," he looked up to the clock, and chuckled, "It's almost time….."
"What? Time for what?" Izzy spat.
Kirio laughed which sent chills down everyone's spine, "You still don't get it do you? You are the next Devil! King of Death and Fire!"
The others just stared, petrified.
"Your hair! It's almost the color of blood! Not like other normal redheads! And your eyes! They are pitch black! No color at all!" Kirio laughed even harder, "When the time strikes 6:66, you will bring forth the demon! The true you! And you shall cover the world in pain!"
"Your nuts!" they all cried in unison.
Kirio looked at the clock and smiled, "It's time!"
The others gasped and looked, it was 6:66 right on the spot.
A dark shadow fell upon the room and it was bathed in red light. Time itself seemed to stop.
Izzy felt weird, like a strange pulsing in his chest. He started to feel panic and he fell to his knees.
T.K. tried to get up and help Izzy, but he was held back by Matt.
Izzy screamed in pain, like something was squeezing his heart.
Kirio smiled evilly, "The pain is only temporary, my boy!"
The Digidestined held their breath as Izzy sat on the ground breathing heavily.
Fight it! T.K. thought, Come on Izzy, fight it!
Izzy lifted his head and stood up slowly. He smirked at the teens. They realized, even though they hated to believe it, that Izzy as far from them.
He was the Devil, himself.
The Dark Light
Chapter 15: The Last Stand
Kirio handed his son the gun and the Digidestined cringed as Izzy walked towards them. Izzy reached down, grabbed T.K. by his shirt neck, and hauled the boy to his feet.
Matt jumped up ready to save his younger brother, but Kirio knocked him unconscious.
Izzy pointed the gun to T.K.'s chest and the younger boy felt tears streaming down his face. Then he caught something that the redhead had just did.
Izzy had winked.
With the speed of light, Izzy spun around and fired the gun at Kirio.
With lightning reflexes, Kirio dodged the bullet from hitting him in the chest, but it got him in the shoulder. He fell back dazed.
"Hurry!" Izzy shouted.
Tai helped Sora to her feet and Izzy and T.K. grabbed Matt and began to drag him away.
The street shouted with cheers as they saw Tai and Sora exit. Their parents ran up to them and dragged them back to the crowd, they saw the other Digidestined and their parent's too.
Izzy and T.K. dragged Matt out into the street. Kirio burst from the door, but Izzy shot him twice in the leg.
Kirio fell to the ground, and with the speed of light, people were on him pinning him down.
Izzy felt strong arms grip him. At first he thought they were police officers, but in the next instant, he realized he was in his mother's loving arms.
His father had come up too; soon he was surrounded by people he knew. He could also hear voices of other people.
"The Izumi kid saved them!"
"The boy is a hero!"
People were all talking at once but then calmed down when they heard another voice.
"I'll get you! You'll see!" Kirio was struggling against police escorting him, in a strait jacket, to a truck that looked like an ambulance. "I won't forget Izzy! They poisoned you! But I will escape again and make you pure! You are the Devil!"
Izzy's mother held him tightly as they watched the insane man go pass.
Before he was thrown into the truck, he looked back at Izzy with an evil determination in his eyes, "Your soul may be light because of how you were raised! But no matter how good you act, your heart will always be as dark as mine!"
The man was shoved into the truck and it sped off.
The Dark Light
Chapter 16: Home
Things started to get better real fast; Izzy was taken to the hospital, and was considered unharmed, except for a few bruises, a slight crack on the head, a couple of cuts from the glass, and blistered hands, and they decided that Izzy was not crazy like his father. At a trial, Izzy had been let go, and all casualties blamed on Kirio, they sentenced him to death.
Izzy was finally allowed to hang out with Tai, Matt, T.K., Joe, Sora, and the other Digidestined once again. The media has been ordered to stay away from Izzy, so he could have some peace. People still give him cautious looks when he goes to places, but he just shrugs them off.
Izzy is still the same computer geek everyone knows and he would still have fun with his friends, but his mind would wander to Kirio every once in awhile. Izzy knew he was dead, but then again. Something told him that Kirio wasn't dead…..
Izzy lay on the couch with his hands behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling. He slowly closed his eyes and drifted off into his first peaceful sleep in a long time.
THE END
