Author's notes
A few things: The first chapters will be from Lowemon's perspective, but later on the story will mostly be told by Kouichi. And Kouji will be in it, but it will be a while before he's in consistently.
The story... I'm sticking with the bare bones of the official story, but I've taken many creative liberties; some things will be unlike what they were in the show. I'll try to address my changes in the author's notes of a chapter if it seems necessary.
This story takes place three years and so many months before the kids are brought to the Digital World. Kouichi's seven when he takes over narration duties from Lowemon. Also for this story's sake, time moves much faster in the Digital World than in ours; keep that in mind for later on.
One more thing that's not too terribly important. Lowemon doesn't wear his 'lionesque' armor too much in my story. And Lobomon's is a bit different than it was in the show as well. It was just the way I'd pictured them in my mind. If I can come up with a decent drawing of the two, I'll post them on my deviantart account.
And forgive me, I haven't seen the full show in years, so if I mess up digimon/town names or the mythos of Frontier's universe, sorry.
I don't own Digimon. (Oh, and I really hope you enjoy my little story.)
He mustn't reach him. I dashed past Lord Cherubimon's flank in an attempt to lead him away.
"Ophanimon didn't hide him so well this time did she?" His voice boomed. She really didn't. Hiding him on the Dark Continent, and so close to our mansion in the Dark Woods; it was as if she wanted him to be found. Or me to be caught...
He was closer than he'd ever been before and I was trying to direct him away, as I had done many times in the past, but he'd grown smart to my trick and was moving opposite of me and toward my brother Lobomon's spirit.
I darted back and halted in front of him. "No, Lord Cherubimon. I say no." He only laughed.
"No?" He chuckled. "Come be my servant and I'll leave Lobomon be." He said.
"Conquer me, deal with me if you can; leave brother out of this." Lord Cherubimon settled back on his haunches and grinned.
"Lowemon," He started, with a tone a frustrated parent would use with his misbehaving child. "Why would I do that, when I have you stuck fast in a corner? You've no options left; come with me or I'll take Lobomon." I growled, so angry my body trembled. He chuckled. "That's right. Be angry; hate me. Those feelings make you stronger, Warrior of Darkness."
"Yes, I'll go and you'll take my brother's spirit anyway." He snorted at my condescending tone.
"I promise I won't." His lips curled into a sneer exposing more of his sharp teeth.
"As if you'd hold true to that." He stepped over me and started towards Lobomon's spirit.
"No, wait..." He paused, staring at me. One of my ears flicked in agitation. "Yes..." I muttered.
"What? What was that I heard?"
"Yes." I barked at him.
"Good, good. We're going to have fun together." He held up his hands and teleported us back to his castle under the Rose Morning Star.
"I highly doubt that." I snarled, following him to his inner chamber. My tail thrashed back and forth angrily; its golden fur puffed out in all directions.
"I have thought of an idea for your use." He commented. I grumbled. I sensed a presence from above a glanced up.
"How do you like my new decoration?"
"It's gaudy. Just a big ball of light." I answered. He laughed.
I glanced around, trying to appear indifferent. "It's been awhile since I was last here. You haven't really done anything different." I took the chance to look how he'd changed, I could never before, I was too concerned with protecting Lobomon, but now I could see. His face that had once been kindly and wise was hostile. His whole presence was malevolent and aggressive.
"Hello Lowemon." A soft voice addressed me from above.
"Lady Ophanimon. You okay?"
"Yes."
"This is your fault, you know. You told my brother to hide his spirit away like the others. Had you not, he would have been running with me instead of being a target to defend. He had decided to stay awake like me."
Lady Ophanimon had wanted all of our spirits put to rest and hidden until the children came, the others agreed. They went willingly, trusting her judgment. But I grabbed my brother and ran away. I wanted no part of this. But she found and convinced Lobomon that it was the only way to protect us from Lord Cherubimon.
"There's a reason for all this, Lowemon, I promise you that."
"Sure." I grumbled.
"A happy reunion." Cherubimon snorted. He sat back on his haunches as before and closed his eyes, his grin growing slowly. "I've already won."
"Cherubimon..."
"Lady Ophanimon, don't bother. He's deluded." I injected as much malice into my tone as I could muster. His grin grew wider.
"I'll break you." He whispered. "Even you can be bridled."
I laughed. "You've known me since I was a child milord. Surely you know better."
"Hmm..." He waved his hand and at once we were in his underground dungeon.
He had turned to his rookie form, Lopmon, something he'd do often when he needed to squeeze in a place to tiny for him. The oddest thing though was he still spoke with that deep, gravelly voice. Plus, unluckily for me he had learned how to hold on to his power and mind as Cherubimon.
But he appeared different in this form as well. His lips curled into a wicked snarl. His eyes had a faint glow to them that the dark around us magnified and his colors had turned shadowy.
I stared straight ahead as he floated beside me and directed me to a cell. I walked forward not gracing him with a look. The bars rattled and creaked as he pushed the door to with his mind.
"Ironic isn't it? How many ill-behaved digimon did you and your brother capture and bring here for my safe keeping? Weren't those the golden days, when we worked together for the good of this world?"
"...Back before you went mad? Yes that time was nice." I leaned against the stone wall forcing myself to appear unruffled. "So your plans?"
He chuckled. Good thing he'd always liked my aloof, fractious self; he often said I had an indomitable personality. Otherwise, I could see myself receiving a good thrashing before this was over. "You know the prophesy concerning the human children?"
I nodded, scowling. "You're going to force a child on me?" He laughed.
"No, no. At least not at this point. I know your aversion to humans. Although there is a child in the human world I've been observing. The darkness in his heart grows daily; he would be a perfect partner to you."
I cringed. I loathed thought of a human controlling me. When we were told of the six human children who would take our spirits, fight and bring peace to the digital world I was against it; why we couldn't fight Lucemon again ourselves was beyond me.
"But no, I have other ways I will try first. I want my Dark Warrior now; no one, save Ophanimon, knows when they will arrive. But I sense it won't be for many more years."
"I thought the children were all supposed fight for the good of this world. How are you going to get one to fight for you?"
"The child I've chosen, my trump card if you don't behave, his misery and despair permeates my mind. I can sense him even now." At one time this would have grieved him, but he only smirked. "Give him more time to ferment; when the timing is right, I'll steal him away and work on him myself."
"No one knows the identity of the children." I replied.
"That is true. The spirit chooses its child. Oh, but this one is very promising, and Ophanimon is watching him as well. I've never seen a little one's heart so pained. He's drowning in his anguish. But as I mentioned, this will be a last resort. I have gathered the blackest, most sinister of digimon here. I'll try them one by one to see if any can control you."
"It won't work. I'll destroy them."
"If you don't accept one of the digimon, I'll bring that child here forcibly—"
"I'll never accept any digimon or human." I interrupted.
"Choose on or the other. If you push me, I'll find Lobomon's spirit and destroy it. I won't allow him to be reborn. Consider your options and make the wisest choice Lowemon. We'll start tomorrow." He turned to float away, but gave me one last look. "Don't try to escape; I've fortified these bars and walls. You're not strong enough to break through them."
Was that a hollow threat? Could Lord Cherubimon possibly bring a human to this world without Lady Ophanimon's power? Never had I been so wedged in a problem that I couldn't figure a way out, but now I could neither move forward or back.
Forget the child. Would he actually risk killing Lobomon? My grief would give me so much darkness, maybe not enough to defeat him, but enough to draw on it would make me unmanageable.
I slipped to the floor and absently smoothed the fur on my tail. My choices were to be controlled by another digimon, a less powerful one, no doubt, one that Lord Cherubimon could control. Or I could be exploited by a human. Well there's no way I'd let a commonplace digimon restrain me. A human, a human child... Most young creatures are easy to intimidate. When I'm given to him, I could forcibly take control again. My mind is older, has witnessed more, experienced more; he'd be no more than a baby compared. There's no way he could rein me in as Lord Cherubimon plans.
But Lord Cherubimon had said his grief reached out even to this world. It's true; I can feel it. And suffering can make a person wiser if the experience is used properly, but I don't sense that in this child's case. I feel suffocating hopelessness. Whatever he's going through is still happening.
That's good for me. He'll be weak and fragile the longer his situation creeps on and plus whatever Lord Cherubimon plans to do to him will only wear him down further. When he's brought to me, I can overcome him easily. And it would be following the prophecy of the six children. It isn't essential the child is in control, just that he's here. I could draw from those hurt feelings; they would boost my own strength generously.
But why wouldn't Lord Cherubimon just force him on me in the first place? As much chance I think my plan of escaping could work, there's still a possibility Lord Cherubimon could control both of us. If he could, we would be the strongest of the six 'teams'. I can't see any of the other five children and their spirits being a better match seeing as I can feed off the child's darkness and become as strong as he is dark. And he's already quite dark. Unless, of course, Lobomon receives an ultra-lovey-dovey flower child...
Lobomon is the only other of the Warriors who's strength has the possibility to increase considerably without evolving. His power depends on the light, or goodness in him. Anything positive feeds his strength; as anything negative feeds mine. Love, in particular, gives him his largest boost. The other Warriors use their elements to add a punch to their attacks, but the level their strength can reach is fixed. The only way for them to break away from that limit and become stronger is to evolve to a higher level.
The other four Warriors that Lady Ophanimon hid away... What could the children offer to them? They can't draw from their respective child's light or darkness. And why not bring an adult instead? Human children must be fearsome creatures indeed that Lady Ophanimon would be satisfied bringing them in favor of a group of grown humans.
Is Lord Cherubimon afraid the child would fight back? Could a human resist him? If the boy can hold off Lord Cherubimon, he could with me certainly. I felt a shaking against my legs and looked down; my hands were trembling.
"No, no, no." I growled and hopped up. I walked over and grabbed the bars to lean on them, but received a shock. I staggered back glaring at the bars and rubbed my hands together.
I didn't want to be dominated by a human or any digimon. A rise of horror spread throughout me and after glancing around at the walls, I began to pant violently. I sensed a tremendous attack of claustrophobia looming, so I sat down on the little cot to calm myself by considering my plan further.
So what happens when this giving of spirits takes place? I focused on slowing my breathing. I couldn't even come up with a hypothesis. How do you make two people one? So jumping straight in and taking the human child option might not be the smartest. If I let him experiment on me with those digimon, if I could resist them, I could drain away their powers. I'm sure I could, I didn't sense anyone in the castle stronger than me, besides Lord Cherubimon and Lady Ophanimon.
If I did add their powers to mine, it would prepare me by adding to my strength, but more importantly giving me an idea of how it works. I could use it as practice to overwhelm the child when the time comes.
Once I was satisfied with my plan I laid back to try and sleep. I'd be better off being rested in the morning. It didn't take long; with my exertion and moments of panic from earlier, my exhaustion caught me and I descended in a dreamy stupor.
I awakened feeling disoriented. This place... I was surrounded by a sinister nothingness; a murky, black gloom in every direction. I could feel Lord Cherubimon's influence; he must have brought me here, but for what? I looked behind me, sensing another presence.
"Hi." A small voice addressed me. The boy... He stood off from me, eyes fixed on the ground. He frowned. "You're in my bad dream; I'm usually alone, except when the eyes come." He must mean Lord Cherubimon. He peeked up, but when our eyes met he looked away quickly.
"Lord Cherubimon, this is a nasty thing to do!" I roared. My companion cringed away, frightened.
"I'm sorry." I ignored his whimpering and looked around for an escape. "There's nowhere to go. I've walked all over and it's the same everywhere."
I faced him. He fidgeted again. He ventured a glance at me.
"You have ears and a tail like a dog." He smiled shyly.
"As do most of my family." I shot back. His smile dissipated.
"I didn't mean... I really like them. I wish I had ears and a tail too." I glared at him. His face flushed.
"Lowemon." Lord Cherubimon called for me. The boy looked alarmed. I felt myself being pulled back to consciousness.
"Lowemon." I flicked my ear annoyed and turned away from the voice. "It's time, Lowemon." I feigned sleep. "Lowemon!" Lord Cherubimon barked at me. I opened an eye and peeked at him.
I lingered on the cot glowering at him. He chuckled.
"Come Lowemon." I swung my feet to the side of my teeny bed and stood.
I made a show of stretching and yawning and he bore it all patiently, a slightly amused look on his disturbing little face.
"All right." I said when I was done.
He raised his arms, his eyes widened and in a twinkle we were back in his inner chambers where he took on his much larger Cherubimon form.
"Good morning Lowemon." Lady Ophanimon's soft voice reached down to me.
"Yes, you had a fine night I trust?" Lord Cherubimon added.
"Good morning to you both. Yes, it was lovely indeed." I said, continuing the pleasantries.
"How did you get along with your little visitor?" I flinched. Lord Cherubimon snickered. "You've thought carefully about what we discussed? You've made your decision?" He watched me intently.
"Yes."
"Well?" He asked. I glanced around focusing on this, observing that; fully aware of his growing aggravation.
"Hmm..." I glanced at Lady Ophanimon's cage. "That light your cell is giving off is quite pleasant. It's almost like the morning sun... There aren't any 'true' mornings on the Dark Continent so it's nice to see." I could almost see the smile she attempted to hide. She too had always been fond of me and my ways, not like Mr. and Mrs. Serious, all business Lord Seraphimon and Agunimon.
"Lowemon!" He roared at me again; I had my ears flat in anticipation and couldn't help the giggles that escaped me.
I composed myself and answered him. "I have decided to fight you tooth and nail. Bring on the digimon. Bring on the child."
"Lowemon..." She was saddened by my announcement. Did she really think I would go with this willingly? "Choose the child, Lowemon. He's your best hope."
"Let's see what these digimon you've gathered can do Lord Cherubimon."
"I really thought you'd submit. For your brother."
"You wouldn't do anything to him."
"Oh?" He scowled already aware of what I was about to say.
"You know that if you destroyed him, it would wound me immeasurably. The anger, hatred, the misery would be vast. You wouldn't risk giving me that much of my own darkness to draw from. You couldn't control me. And you certainly wouldn't be able to force that child on me. Even if you managed, with mine and his darkness for me to use, I could possibly overcome even you." He only stared at me; giving a silent validation to my words.
"Lady Ophanimon has probably hidden his spirit in a new spot. Do you even know where he is now?" His frown deepened. "Thought as much. So let's do this. We'll see how far we get."
"So be it." He raised his hand and brought forth a digimon.
The creature eyed me hungrily. He must have felt that this was his moment of glory. Poor fool.
Lord Cherubimon bent to where his face was level with me. He was frowning. His burning eyes shined golden. I couldn't help feel slightly intimidated by his enormity; although I didn't show it. My brother and I both were considered tall, but beside him anyone would feel tiny.
In that instant I was surrounded in blackness. I felt fine, but there was something, a secondary presence, who I 'saw' was thrashing, agonizing, suffocating; it was desperate to flee away. It dawned on me that it must have been the digimon that Lord Cherubimon had brought to his inner chamber and that it was me he was trying to escape from. I grinned. My mind was overwhelming him. I decided to have some fun.
I drew on his darkness, searching his mind, his fears, finding quite an interesting phobia against the pagumon. Yes, those creepy little things. He had a hard time keeping his composure when around them and tried his best to avoid them period. He pictured them as bouncing and rolling heads, disembodied, grinning and their screeching laugh drove him to hysterics. He often had frightful dreams of them. This fear of his stemming from an encounter from his youth.
How interesting this was. I'd not expected to enjoy this process. I'd never seen the ins and outs of another's mind. As a spectator I knew immediately his secrets, his experiences; I knew what to use against him to dominate and secure my place as the one in control.
But his mind was too small. He lusted after nothing more than splendor and a higher place than he deserved.
I reined him in taking control of his body and pushing him behind me. He curled up, eyes bugged, gasping desperately as if it would help him. You shouldn't have tried to conquer me. I thought to him. He trembled.
What's going to happen? He asked pitifully.
I'm going to drain your power. After that I have no clue. He shook harder. His mind racing through all the possibilities he could come up with. Strange ones too, he pictured me devouring him. None of his imaginings included him making it out of this.
I turned away and focused at controlling his movement. I shuffled his feet, touched his head with his hand. I noticed as I examined his hand, Lord Cherubimon examining him. How foreign these eyes felt. I was used to my keen eyesight; this dull and listless compared. I squinted to see my master better and he cocked his head to the side.
"Well?" He asked. I stared at him for a moment, deciding whether to tease him or drain this creature's power. I felt an attempted intrusion, he was trying read the digimon's thoughts to find out the status of his experiment, but the presence of my mind forbade it. For whatever reason he could never penetrate mine or my brother's minds along with his equals, Lady Ophanimon and Lord Seraphimon. It had never been an issue to him until now when he needed to.
Once I became bored, I turned to my 'neighbor' and smiled pleasantly. He shrinked away, but there was nowhere for him to go. I drained his darkness, ignoring his shrieks and writhing, and added it to mine. It was miniscule in comparison but every little bit was welcome and would aid me in my plan.
Once I was done I turned back to myself unexpectedly. I skipped ahead towards Lord Cherubimon when I felt a presence to my right lunge at me. On the floor where I had stood was a formless blob. It was purplish black with eyes and teeth and hands that reached to me as it moaned unformed words.
I heard gasps from behind and above me.
"Oh my... Is that—" Lady Ophanimon began.
"Yes. It was anyway." Lord Cherubimon sent the creature away and turned his attention on me. "Proud of yourself?" I shrugged. "This is not over; I have other stronger ones to try on you."
"Go ahead."
"Watch your pride. It could very well be your downfall." He left us. I fidgeted.
"He's right. Tread carefully, Lowemon." Lady Ophanimon warned.
"Sings the little kitty in her cage. I'm not the only one who thinks too highly of oneself. You thought you could juggle the two without cost?"
"So I can speak from experience." She answered.
"I suppose."
"Lowemon, accept the child." I crossed my arms stubbornly. "The poor boy; don't turn him into something like that creature." I kept silent. "You don't have to go through this process with the digimon if you become one with the boy."
"But it was such fun." I glanced up to her. What I could see of her through that light she wore a fierce scowl.
"Lowemon," She sounded like Lord Cherubimon when he forced himself to be patient. I grinned. "Promise me you won't mistreat him."
"Me? I have no interest in him. I'm the innocent one. It's you and Lord Cherubimon who want to bring him here. Do you think he's going to treat that little human with any kindness? The child's already damned."
"That's why I want you to accept him now. Maybe Cherubimon would give you to him straight away. He would be safe because your mind blocks out his control."
"You want me to protect the child then? Sorry, he already told me his plans for the boy. He said he was going to 'work on him'. To me the kindest thing would be to let the child be. Leave him in his world and let me fight on my own."
"We can't." I tilted my head a bit. Why not? What is so special about one child?
"Why?" She sighed. "Lady Ophanimon?"
"It'll only make you more stubborn."
"Oh, come now. Perhaps you could change my mind if I knew."
She studied me before continuing. I noticed she squeezed the bars of her enclosure tightly. "The child of darkness is the key. Lowemon's favored dark child, he'll be known. He will come sooner than the other children and will be considerably stronger because of his wounds and your strength to draw on that pain. At the final battle, victory will only be reached if manages to pull off his special feat."
"A special feat? And a key for what?" I asked.
"The key to bring light and darkness together and make them one. The feat is to have the strength of body and mind to wield that power."
"How do you make light and darkness one?"
"We don't know."
"We?"
"Cherubimon occasionally slips out of Lucemon's influence, and we've spoken about it. Perhaps it means combining yours and Lobomon's power." She answered. That would be a destructive power indeed.
"And you expect him to know how to do this?"
"Of course not. You two will have to discover it. Do you see now? Your child will not be like the others. He could not be left out."
"And what if we don't figure it out?"
"You have to."
"A lot to put on one little child's shoulders. He comes from whatever is causing all this pain, then to what Lord Cherubimon will do to him and then be responsible for the salvation of both the worlds."
"He won't be alone. You'll—"
"I'll be with him right? I'll be his nurse maid..."My tone mocking. I tensed; feeling crushed by the weight our shared future.
"Lowemon..." I became aware of Lord Cherubimon's presence approaching. My plan was still valid since the child would be with me the whole time. I decided not to deviate from it which meant draining the power from the rest of his digimon and learning more about overpowering their minds. I couldn't let him see that she had convinced me to take on that child.
"I'll take my chances with Lord Cherubimon's digimon, milady." Lord Cherubimon laughed as he floated by me. Seems like whatever he was doing had brought his humor back.
"Don't bother with him Ophanimon. You know how he is." Once he regained his form he addressed me.
"Have fun with your game, Lowemon. We'll see how long it lasts." He waved his hand, and I was back in my cell.
I sat on my cot, hunched over. So that's why it was so important to get me here. That child will decide how the end battle will go. And Lord Cherubimon wants to get him first. I laid back, staring at the cold stone ceiling. The thought I was underground made me tremble.
And so my days, weeks, months, however long I'd been stuck in my cage, were spent. From the cell to milord's inner chambers; back and forth. Given a few scraps of food every other day.
My predictions about his 'blackest' digimon were true so far, and I had my way with them easily; except I never let him see just how easy.
Each day a new digimon. Each experience ended like the first. I had no clue what he did with them after, but when I was in the room where he kept Lady Ophanimon, I could hear faint moans and whines coming from elsewhere in the castle. My lady didn't expand nor did I ask, but I couldn't imagine what else those cries could be coming from.
My strength had grown, but not by any great standard, nothing that would aid in fighting my master off. I hadn't even learned too much about conquering their minds. Each were like the first, dull and filled only with hunger for power and glory. A human child's mind would surely be more... vast? More intricate? I wasn't sure what a human's mind was like so I couldn't begin to guess what I was to deal with. This distressed me and wondered if I'd be ready in time.
I'd handled my confinement fairly well, save for a few claustrophobic attacks and I was grateful no one witnessed the 'great' Warrior of Darkness shriveled and writhing on the floor. And on occasion, the boy appeared in my dreams, or I was in his, whichever. I ignored him for the most part. He tagged along, never leaving my side, but had learned not to bother speaking to me.
I didn't dwell on how lean I was becoming from my scrawny meals, nor did I consider my deteriorating mental state. My brother was my saving grace. I kept sane by thinking of him. The moons, my Dark Woods, our mansion in that dark forest. The books in our library. Chatting with Lobomon by the fireplace in the great room.
Thinking on my brother and these things and convincing myself I'd see and do them again kept me rational.
I had awoken early this morning, unusual for me since I most times had trouble getting to sleep, and I liked to annoy Lord Cherubimon when he came to summon me, which I did every single morning to just to give him grief.
I felt off for some reason and nervous; I tried not to let myself be to bothered seeing as I'd been confined so long. I had every right to feel a bit off. But it was more than that—I felt achy as if I'd been in a scrap and had taken a good deal more of the blows than my opponent. The more I considered it, the more anxious I got.
My thoughts went to my brother and a rush of panic went through me. Had Lord Cherubimon found him? I started to doubt my earlier confidence that he wouldn't do anything to my brother. If I pushed him too far would he be rash? No, Lord Cherubimon is just as strategic as I am, even now. Killing my brother would only sever any hold he has on me; he wouldn't risk it.
I kept still, staring upward, wondering if it were close to time for him to come for me.
My thoughts were broken by a commotion approaching. I tilted my head but couldn't see a thing. It struck me odd because Lord Cherubimon never made a sound coming and going, he levitates.
I waited as the sound travelled closer. Footsteps. I sat up and leaned closer, straining my ears. I felt tingly, eager; I only felt this way when my brother was near. A twin thing.
I stood and hurried to the bars, being wary not to touch them. I sniffed, trying to catch his scent. Maybe I was delirious; maybe the stay here had brought me to the end of my wits.
My brother soon came into view, followed by Lord Cherubimon. "Lobomon..." He glanced at me. He looked roughed up. "Cherubimon!" I roared. He grinned as I lunged at him. I crashed into the bars and they fried me.
"Brother? I'm okay brother." Lobomon whispered. Our master opened the door to the cell across from mine and motioned him inside. He stepped inside and wobbled to the cot.
Lord Cherubimon grinned at me wickedly; his lips turning up in a snarl. His eyes were anxious, excited. And then he was gone.
"Lobomon?" I watched as he lowered himself carefully. He kept his head down. "Brother?"
He forced himself to look up and offered a weak smile. "I'm okay." He didn't look okay. His hair was mussed and his ears, which he usually held proudly erect, sagged. He took in shallow breaths.
I paced in my cell, neither of us breaking eye contact. "Never thought we'd be put in these cells..." He muttered. "You don't look like you've faired too well." I grinned.
"That bad?" I asked. He nodded.
"You look half-crazed." He smiled. He carefully laid back on the bed, watching me pace. "This is a mess, huh?" He said. I nodded again.
"What did he do to you?"
He hesitated. "It doesn't matter. We're together again." My breath caught.
"Not exactly." I examined the bars for a weakness like I hadn't done that countless times before. "It matters to me."
"Settle down, Lowemon." He smiled. His face had always reminded me of Lord Cherubimon's good side; the wisdom, patience, mostly his gentleness. We shared the same golden hair, crimson eyes, same pricked wolf-like ears and fluffed tails that our branch of the Garurumon line were known for. The only physical differences were our hair lengths. Our personalities, however, were as different as our powers.
"This is my fault he took his aggravation out on you."
"What's going on?"
"He wants me to accept the dark child." His eyebrows rose slightly.
"It's time for that? The children are here?" I shook my head.
"No, Lord Cherubimon has found a child with a remarkably dark heart and he says he can bring him to this world on his own power." He frowned as I spoke.
"I thought the children would be random. He can't do that can he? Choose a child? I mean, the children are supposed to fight on our side. Does he mean to use the child to fight for him?" He asked while I sat on my cot.
"It seems he can; he's sure of himself and Lady Ophanimon is interested in the boy too... He keeps showing up in my dreams."
"Your child?" I scowled at his phrasing, but nodded.
"And yes," I rambled on. It felt so nice to have my brother here to talk to. "He thinks he can control me using the child. He's been forcing digimon on me trying to do the same."
"Forcing digimon on you?" He asked.
"Yeah. I suppose it will be like when those children come. He placed me, my spirit, inside the digimon. He's trying to see if he can use one of them to control me, but I've been able to drain each of them of their power."
"Are you okay?" I nodded. "What was it like?" I placed a finger to my mouth and gave him an 'I can't speak about this right now' look. He nodded, understanding.
"What about you?" I asked.
"I don't know. I was in his inner chambers, I don't remember how I came to be there; Lady Ophanimon was there too, and few of the other Warriors. Lord Cherubimon froze me in place and the others took turns whipping me about." Rage; it was all I could feel. How dare they. Lobomon sensed this and grinned. "I'm okay, ya know? They were never as strong as us. It kinda tickled." I snorted a laugh at his attempt to calm me.
"Lowemon, how did he find the child?"
"The boy's darkness is so strong he sensed it."
"He could sense him from the human world?" I nodded.
"I can too." I replied.
"Is that good or bad?"
I shrugged. "If he's a weak-minded little human, it can't get worse."
"Even a strong-minded one would have trouble. But Lord Cherubimon can't control him if you're there right? He can't pass through your mind. He can only speak to you; he can't manipulate or even hear your thoughts."
"It seems that way with the digimon I've been draining; I can feel him trying, but he hasn't been able to. It might be different with a human."
"How long have you been here?"
"I don't know. Months for sure, maybe a year." I answered.
"He's trying to wear you down. You do look ragged. Has he mistreated you in any other way?"He asked.
I shook my head. "He knew sticking me in here would do more damage than any blow. Don't worry little brother, I'm fine. I'm so glad you're here." He smiled at me, but then it dissipated.
"What?" I asked.
"Why am I here? Not as a reward for sure."
"Maybe he's giving up. I don't sense many more of those 'blackest of the black' digimon left..." His threats to my brother returned to mind. "He's going to use you to make me accept one of them."
He shook his head. "You can't brother. I'll take what he gives. You can only accept the child." I laid back on my cot and stared at the wall.
"Promise me you won't become one with another digimon. Not even for my sake." I hesitated. I had already started thinking about doing just that to protect my brother.
"Lowemon? Don't even consider it." He scolded, which caused me to laugh. "I'll be fine." He sat up and stared at me imploringly. I nodded.
"So have we caught up? I love seeing the two of you together; it makes me wish I had a brother." Lord Cherubimon appeared instantly. My body went rigid and I could sense my brother's had too.
I growled at him which only made him laugh. "Oh come now, Lowemon. I warned you; you just had to push me." He waved his little paws and we were back with Lady Ophanimon. Lobomon stood awkwardly a few feet away, frozen as he had described earlier. Three of our past comrades stationed on his sides. Another wave of his hand brought a digimon; it wasn't hard to see where this was heading.
"Accept this digimon or your brother gets a beating."
"Cherubimon please. Don't do this." Lady Ophanimon begged.
I glanced at Lobomon. He stared back. The reminder of the promise I'd just made, I could read it in his eyes. I sighed and looked down.
Lord Cherubimon forced my spirit into the digimon and for a moment I hesitated. She took this as a signal to force me backwards; obviously she'd been instructed be Lord Cherubimon. Yes, her memories flowed through me easily and I could hear his every word to her. She was horrified when she realized this; she thought she had surprise on her side. I forced her down and drained her. In that instant I was myself again.
"So be it!" Lord Cherubimon roared. He motioned and the others moved towards Lobomon.
"Turn your head brother." Lobomon called out to me. I tried, but I could still hear them striking him. I rushed forward even though I knew doing so was futile. Lord Cherubimon stopped me right in front him. He forced me to watch; I couldn't even close my eyes.
"Cherubimon, enough! Please." Lady Ophanimon shouted, thrashing about in her cage.
"Ophanimon. Join me and I'll let these two go."
"You know that's not an option..." She spat at him.
"Fine." He grumbled and sat back on his haunches. "That's enough." The other Warriors stepped away from Lobomon. Lord Cherubimon 'unfreezed' us and Lobomon sagged to the floor. I tried to go to him, but I was stopped. I glared at Lord Cherubimon, but he only shook his head. He was stroking his forehead, a despaired look on his face. He lifted his other hand and we were back in our cells.
"Lobomon. Are you okay?" I stood close to the bars, trying to examine him.
He sat on his cot, shaking. His breathing was uneven. "Brother?" I whispered. He raised a trembling hand and waved at me.
"I'm okay." He tried to make his voice strong, but it came out in a whimper. We stayed still for several minutes; I waited for him to regain himself. I wanted so to go to him.
"This would've been a nice time to have my armor." He commented. Indeed. He'd taken it off prior to being put to sleep. It was my fault really; I'd told him the armor would only hamper him, slowing him down. All he had to protect him was clothes he usually wore under his armor. "Oh, but at least I have the scarf you gave me." He stammered when he saw me sag guiltily. He made a show of caressing his face with it.
"I'm proud of you."I offered. He looked up and grinned lopsidedly, but then his head drooped and he clenched his knees.
"And I of you. You almost kept still." He whispered.
"I'm sorry for this." He shook his head. I started to pace again.
"It can't be helped. It'll be over soon enough." He glanced up and frowned. "Settle down Lowemon. That doesn't do any good but get you more worked up."
I sat close to the bars, as close as I could to him. "Brother..." He stared at me, waiting for me to continue. "I... I don't want to..."
"I know. But maybe you'll grow attached to the boy." My whole body slumped. "It'll be okay Lowemon. We accept the children, fight and win and they'll go back to their world. Things here will return to the way they were. We just have to get through this rut first."
"Wise words child. Will your brother go by them?" Lord Cherubimon appeared. It made me jump; I was used to him showing up only once a day.
"Why are you here?" I hissed.
"I've made a decision. Come with me you two." At once we were back in his chamber. I reached for Lobomon, I just needed to touch him, but Lord Cherubimon blocked me. "I'm tired of this game of yours; I've decided it's time."
"For the boy?" I grumbled. He nodded. "I thought you said you were going to give him a few more years to simmer or whatever."
"Oh, I am. I'm sending you to him." I started. "I know how you dislike humans. Why not send you to the human world?" He laughed giddily at this idea. "It'll only grow your darkness further to be with those you hate. Coupled with not knowing what I'll do to your beloved brother."
"No! Lady Ophanimon please do something!" I begged.
"I'm sorry. I have no power to help." She replied.
"I'll send you as pretty little puppy. Children find them irresistible. How would you like to have that boy be your master?"
"Lord Cherubimon, please don't send him. It could backfire on you. Lowemon could become attached to the child; it would make them both harder to control." Brother begged.
"That's also a possibility. I'll handle it whe..." He stopped and his face scrunched up. He shook his head as if to get his bearings. When he focused on Lobomon again, he was his good self again.
"Lobomon, Lowemon... I'm truly sorry for all of this."
"Then don't do it." I shot out.
"I can't help myself." He stared pleadingly as if he could will me to understand.
"My brother, Lord Cherubimon..." I whined. I could feel the tears spilling down my cheeks. All my arrogance had dissipated.
"I'm sending him as well; I won't separate you. I'll hide his presence from my mind; I won't know he's even there."
"Really?" Lobomon and I asked. Lord Cherubimon nodded.
His face twisted and he grabbed his head with both hands. A smoky purple cloud swirled around him. "No, not yet." He growled. He looked at me. "Lowemon, you have to accept the child. I know how taxing this will be for you, but you must. Be kind to him. We'll need the bond between the two of you to be strong." I nodded. "Good."
"Thank you Lord Cherubimon." I whispered. He looked at Lobomon and back at me, smiling sadly.
"Well wishes, you two." Lady Ophanimon offered.
I glanced at my brother and found the same uncertainty in his eyes.
Lord Cherubimon lifted his hands, his brow wrinkled in concentration, and everything went white.