Nope, I don't own any rights to Digimon: Digital Monsters, or whatever they call it in Japanese. Don't own rights, characters, plot twists, names, or even stock to any of Digimon's subsidiaries (Something I probably should have done).
This fic was the result of a contest at a place now long dead, and I reserected this poor story just to put it up at fanfiction.net. Please enjoy the effort that that took to pull it out of the lightless, orderless, godforsaken, pits of hell that this was stashed.
After re-reading it after some six or seven months it made me want to scream: GOD THIS SUCKS!!! WHAT WAS I THINKING??? AHHHHHGRAHTH!!! Chopy sentences, run ons... My English teacher would laugh out loud! Oh well, it stays the way it is to mark growth... riiiiiight....
I stand above the whispering swells of the ocean that tells a story a thousand years old. I'm only halfway paying attention as I am more interested in the moonlight dancing on the reflexive waves that repeat the deep purple sky. The diamond stars sparkle brightly like they are trying to escape the rough canvas of blue. It extends so far out that the deep purple sky seems to meet the ocean in the distance were you can't tell where this world ended and the great heavens begins. I am only vaguely aware of Gomamon who is standing beside me, talking of things that happened today and what we will do tomorrow. I am too enveloped in my own thoughts that are called a reality...
There was never any problems in my own meandering existence, in my small sheltered, world. My life was insignificant, small, and ultimately soon to be forgotten. Here I make a difference, saving a world that is not my own. Once I had been brought here I--we grew up rather fast, rather abruptly. We never became so aware of our surroundings, never had to become so alert that not everyone could sleep at the same time; someone always has to keep watch. I missed my family, my mother, for a while, but then I had to learn how to depend on my self and if I hadn't I would have probably been dead within two days.
This was new for me and probably for the others too, like Mimi never had to fend for herself, everything was always handed to her on a silver platter. Izzy... he never talks much about his family, or anything for that matter. He is a very independent, very solid individual. Matt... I know he is more used to being on his own then probably the rest of us combined. All he really cares about is his brother, and would destroy himself without a second thought if he thought it would save TK. TK can depend on Matt so that was never a problem. Sora... I don't know much about her except for the fact that she loves soccer and the common man. As for Tai... he looks like a leader, but he's just a scared kid looking for home.
Fate. Fear. Freedom. Freedom is fear. Fear is fate. Fate is reality. We are reality... reality is our freedom... The thoughts run around in circles in my head. I turn away from the cliff side and wander back to my friends no so far away.
"Welcome back to reality." Sora says smiling. I wince at this.
"What do we do now?" I say with little energy. Watching the ocean crash and spray really took it out of me.
"Now? Now we sleep. Tomorrow we leave for the mountains. We'll take a pass through a gorge to Genni's new location. There we will receive instructions one were to go next." Tai said looking defiantly at Matt daring him to challenge. Matt looked at him nonchalantly and opened his mouth with an almost undetectable smugness like he knew something the rest of us didn't. His grin spread as he spoke.
"I agree with Tai." he simply said. I gasped. But my gasp was nothing compared to the shout of surprise that escaped Mimi. It echoed around us drowning out the ocean's laughter. Izzy and I exchange glaces. He had his jaw open and his eyes were wide. Sora and Agumon nearly chocked on the food that they were eating and Gabumon's head whipped around so fast it must have put a crick in his neck.
"Eep! Can you repeat that please? I think I heard wrong..."
"I agree with Tai. The gorge the best way to go. There's no getting around it. We have to go through the pass."
"I think we all need to get some sleep. Some of us are obviously delirious." Sora said smiling, as she teased Matt. He blushed just enough to see in the dimming firelight. TK sighed and wrapped his arms around his big brother. He was asleep in seconds. Patamon rested next to TK and Gabumon laid next to Matt, who looked overcrowded already. He smiled as he went to sleep. I sighed as Gomamon slept next to me. I really care about these people--and digimon. I don't know what I'd do if one of then got hurt...
"Arggg! *cough cough sputter* Ewww!" I awoke the next morning to wet sprits directed at my face. I opened my eyes and saw Gomamon standing over me with a dripping bag of water and a huge grin. Mimi was somewhere in the background laughing. I groaned.
"Humor in an overlooked virtue, Joe." Mimi said.
"So is sleep." I said yawning as I quickly wiped my face. Glancing around I could see that everyone but TK, Patamon, and Agumon were up. Matt was roasting something dark over the fire as he glanced at TK and stoked his younger brother's cheek, and whispered for him to get up. Quite a feat for only two hands.
"When do we leave?" I asked as I stretched. Sleeping on the cold ground wasn't fun especially if you were sleeping on a rock. I rubbed my side, wondering if there was any evil digimon that was going to attack us today.
"Soon." Tai said looking at the cliff side, as he roasted what appeared to be a fish except the insides were bright green. I longed for a waffles, instead of some alien creature that I wasn't sure I could get down without becoming sick. I sighed and took a bite of the green fish. It tasted like a squishy chicken.
"So what kind of monster do you suppose will attack us today?" I asked with a sigh, "Another Shogingekomon? A Drillmon? A Unimon? Or maybe just a third Kwagumon?"
"I'm voting Sarcasticmon." Matt said with a grin as he watched TK get up.
"Touche." I replied.
"Perhaps we should leave soon..." Sora said looking at the rising sun over the cliff side. She trailed off, mesmerized by the brilliant reds and oranges that filled the sky. I touched her hand gently, looking at her with concern.
"Are you ok?"
"I love it here. It reminds me of home..." Sora answered me with her eyes still in a faraway gaze.
"Never the less we've got to leave." Tai said also watching Sora with concerned eyes. He quickly turned back to the fish in the fire which was starting to burn. I glanced at Agumon and wondered what digimon dreamed about as he shifted in his sleep.
"Gomamon go over there and wake up Agumon the way you woke up me." I whispered.
"Maybe you do have a sense of humor Joe." he said a huge grin coming over his face as he made his way over to Agumon with another bag of water. I turned back toward Matt.
"Well I don't know about you guys but I'm terrified of meeting up with another evil digimon. We're starting to meet up with ultimates. Our digimon can't handle all these digimon we keep meeting."
"You worry to much Joe." Matt said not looking to sure himself.
"That's why I have the crest of reliability." I said smiling. In the background I heard Agumon's shout of protest as he got the same rude awaking I had gotten.
"Joe don't do that to my digimon anymore. He's not used to it, its an unusual situation for a fire digimon... Or at least it would be in most cases." Tai said sighing.
"Now that everyone's up we can go." Matt said smiling at the wet digimon, and his brother. We all tiredly got up and started heading towards the mountains and away from the comforting ocean. We walked in silence for a while. Gomamon rode on my shoulder for the most of it talking to me, most of it too pointless to repeat. We reached a small pass around a gorge as we were nearing the mountains. I spoke up in protest at the thought of crossing it because there was a vertical drop of a good 500 feet, which is quite a distance. I peered over the edge of the cliff side to the river below. It's song was too faint to hear over the huge distance.
"This can't be good for your health." I said.
"Shut up Joe and cross it." Matt said looking uneasy. Whatever tough-guy reputation he had was betrayed by his voice. He knew that this path was so narrow that we would have to have our backs to the sheer cliff above us and face the drop in front of us. This could be ugly, I thought as I began to descend onto the path. Not long after everyone was about a quarter way across the long narrow path, Tai, who had gone on before me stopped suddenly and called for us to go back.
"What's the deal Tai? We just risked falling to our deaths and you want us to go back? What's going on over there?" Mimi quipped.
"Guys I don't want to alarm you, but there's a digimon headed right for us. And he doesn't look too happy!"
"Nope, no alarm at all! Let's go we're sitting ducks up here!" Sora shouted. I peered over the gorge's edge, and saw a dark figure with huge metallic wings. He began to fly towards us increasing his attitude, but that requires deceasing speed, buying us time. This could be the difference between life and death. I snagged Gomamon as I began to run, fearing the fall that could cost us our lives. The digimon let loose a terrific blast of energy at us.
"Digivolve!" I cried to Gomamon
"I can't, there's no room to stand!" He shouted back.
"You've got wings Piyomon, digivolve!" Sora cried.
"You too Tentomon!" Izzy shouted
"Right! Piyomon digivolve to: Birdramon!"
"Tentomon digivolve to: Kabuterimon!" We continued to run as the firebird and insect like creatures fought the strange digimon. We finally got to a safe spot where we weren't in danger but we could still watch the battle.
"Meteor Wing!"
"Izzy what is that thing?"
"Don't know, don't care!" he shouted as he ran farther. The strange digimon let loose a powerful attack that hit the path spitting the group in two. Sora, Tai, Destined, Matt and Gabumon were on one side and Izzy, Mimi, Palmon, TK, Patamon, Gomamon and I were on the other.
"Matt!!" TK shouted his voice full of distress.
"TK!" Matt shouted his voice full of pain. "Keep going! Don't wait for us, we'll be fine! Go back to the entrance before the path!"
"I'm not leaving you Matt!"
"If we go our digimon can digivolve." Mimi shouted to be heard over the battle.
"TK he'll be fine, come with me." I said.
"Go with Joe, TK." Matt cried.
"Jump!" TK cried.
"Don't! One wrong move and your history!" I shouted. Then, faster they my eyes could see a blast came for us. Instinctively I grabbed TK and threw him to the ground. I heard Mimi scream. I looked up and saw it was only a scream of fear, not pain. The digimon let loose another fire blast. I winced as the ground shook violently and I could see where the ground stopped inches to my left. Rocks hit the earth and tumbled down into oblivion of the gorge. I glanced behind me just in time to see Matt jump over the broken path to save his brother.
I don't know how I was able to move so quickly, or how I even knew that he was falling but all I know is that I saw the ground collapse under Matt's weight as he tried to jump. I reached out and before I knew it I was holding Matt's wrist as he dangled from the cliff side over the gorge. I tried to pull him up but I wasn't strong enough. He was heavy and I was having trouble keeping his wrist from sliding out of my hand. I was never so frightened in my life. Here my best friend's life hung in my hand and I wasn't even strong enough to pull him up.
Another blast hit near us. The ground shook violently as Matt's extra weight pulled me closer to the cliffs edge. I saw a picture of TK crying for his brother because I couldn't hold his hand. I shook my head violently to banish the picture from my mind. I held Matt's wrist tightly as I tried to pull him up again.
My strength was giving out. No I can't let him go I have to save him. This is not Matt's fate. He's supposed to take care of TK, not become sidewalk pizza... I thought desperately. Matt held my wrist tightly and glanced at the river below. When he looked up at me I heard him say something.
"If I don't make it I want you to take care of TK!" he cried tears running down his face as stole another glace at the gorge's bottom for below us.
"We're gonna make it Matt!" I cried even as I felt the ground shift underneath me and I was pulled closer to the edge. I was never so scared in my life. I then realised it wasn't for myself of course, but the worst thing to happen would be that I survived and Matt didn't. I was more afraid of separating Matt and TK then I was of destroying myself. The adrenalin in me was racing at this thought. After what seemed like an eternity I gave one last heave and pulled Matt and myself up.
TK ran to his brother and hugged him so hard I thought Matt might burst like a plushie. They were crying and hugging and laughing. Evenly I reminded them that we were in great danger and if we didn't move we might all die. They got the message and moved. Palmon used her Poison Ivy to get the others across and we headed back to the mouth of the canyon.
Behind me I saw the mighty digimon that had attacked us fall down into the gorge. I winced as I heard the sound he made hitting the floor. That could have been Matt... I became sick to my stomach, and tossed my cookies over the edge. "
I was congratulated when we finally got to Genni's house, and about a million times too. I didn't think I really deserved it but I took it in stride. After all without the fear I wouldn't have been able to pull Matt up. And Matt's fate wasn't to die there, it was to take care of TK. And I kinda like the freedom I have not taking care of TK. Well that and I would have felt horribly, horribly guilty if Matt had died back at that gorge. After all freedom is fear. Fear is fate. Fate is reality. We are reality... reality is our freedom...