Part 1: New Sun

Darkness. That's the first word that came in his mind — The sky was dark, but not like the night… And it was daytime yet.

"What...?! AHH A MONSTER!"
"Look out Shinichi! HEY WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! LET ME GO, LET MY CHILD GO!"

It was August 3rd 1999; he didn't notice what was happening outside his room, because the little kid had been watching a VHS of one of his favorite shows. You know those masked heroes with robots? That's one of Daisuke's favorite shows - about powerful heroes saving the world. He wanted to be like them, be strong and able to protect everyone.

It had been his wish from a long time ago; he never had been a naughty kid... Maybe just a prankster, and getting troubles thanks to his jokes. But he never had bad intentions, he wouldn't never do something to hurt them or their feelings. It could be what the bad guys from those shows would do.

"Mom! The door...!" - he heard Jun from the outside; suddenly some screams and an unknown noise (perhaps someone had broken the door). He paused the video and looked at his door; something tried to open it.

"Mama?" - Daisuke asked, without thinking twice. The apartment was in total silence now - "Mama? Papa? Neesan?" - the door shook violently; some seconds later, it was broken by three white 'bed sheet' with blue arms and creepy eyes. He couldn't scream because they were fast and captured the poor boy before he react, also Daisuke's physical strength weren't enough to escape from those hands.

He screamed, calling for his family. But it was useless because the rest of those strange monsters had captured them; those monsters carried him out of his room and then from the apartment. While feeling those arms holding him tight, he was able to see how the outside had been a mess: Many of those creepy monsters were invading houses and capturing people - mostly kids from his age. Some humans tried to resist the invasion, but they had no chance against them; others tried call for help, but it didn't work as well.

He heard more screams. More families and their children crying and trying desperately to escape from those monsters. Suddenly, a explosion happened and the building in front of his had its wall destroyed; a monster came from that wreckage - it caught the little boy's attention, because on the shoulder of that giant orange lizard with a brown skull helmet had a kid. He didn't notice the girl because she was by the boy's side and the dinosaur's face covered her.

"My children!"

He heard a muffled voice from that direction... There had more voices calling for names in the middle of those screams, but he couldn't stop watching the disaster his town was. Some days ago it had been kinda boring and normal... But now... It was like those movies that he had used to watch and wish to be part of that world.

This time he regretted for those wishes. Being a witness of chaos wasn't excitement at all, it was painful.

The strange ghosts led all the humans to the Tokyo International Exhibition Center, also called as "Big Sight". Many kids were separated from their families and put with other children, in a row. He was sent to that row just like the other kids, he saw many of them crying and calling for their parents or relatives.

Little kids... going to meet a white cat. A cat that looked a bit different from the other felines - Its tail had a shiny ring with some strange writing. Its tail also had purple stripes; it wore yellow gloves with claws, and its eyes were blue. But it didn't caught his attention, but the fact that animal could talk their language.

"No." - he heard its voice, and seemed it shook the head.

That scene repeated with all the kids, and when it came his turn...
The cat looked at him, inside his eyes. Daisuke was scared about what was happening, but he didn't feel like that feline was dangerous. The other kids who had been seen the cat were still or scared or crying... Some only kept in silence or tried to comfort the other ones. A ghost was stopped by the next kid of the row, calling the next to see that stranger animal.

"No." - it said, shaking its head slowly. The little boy noticed how the cat's facial expression was saying something like "I'm sorry for everything" or something like that.

"What are they doing..." - Daisuke thought, while walking to a group of children - "Why are they-"

"You understand, don't you?"

That voice interrupted his thoughts, but also made every single children scream in terror. The cat looked behind itself and saw a black aura, and from that aura appeared a vampire - a terrible and scaring one. They could be terrified, but all those pure-hearted children looked at him. Especially the young Motomiya.

"If you lie to me," - that monster said - "I'll kill all of those children."

More screams and tears. The cat looked back to the children, like if it could say "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry for everything!". The row kept moving, more children being pushed to the cat, being threatened by the monsters. That vampire seemed to be emotionless, or he was just enjoying that scene.

Some hours later, a weird fluff ball creature with bat wings came from somewhere and talked to the Vampire. By what he could hear from that direction, "they" had found the "Eighth Child". He had no idea what was "eighth child", and the rest of the conversation made the poor captive children fall in despair.

"We're going to die." - he heard someone whispering by his side - "We're going to die, it's the end... And I didn't... I didn't realize my dream..."

If he could say something... But he couldn't. It was dark again, and now he had no idea what was going on - Daisuke was alone in a black scenario... He had put to sleep, just like the others. While dreaming with an empty place, his dream-self sat and kept in silence.

"... What should I do..." - he asked himself - "Is this the end like that girl said...? But this is the real world, heroes like the ones from the series, mangas and movies don't exist...!" - wrapping his arms around himself, he muttered:

"I'm scared... I don't want to die...!"
"I want to be strong..."
"I want to be strong like my heroes are."
"to protect people and their dreams..."

That image of the boy riding one of those creatures came back in this mind. He got up from the ground and glanced at the picture, with a determined gaze. Remembering that boy and the dinosaur fighting against those ghost-like monsters gave him some hope...

"No," - he screamed - "Heroes do exist! I refuse to lose my hope here! That kid... Maybe there's some hero within him! Maybe within ourselves... That's the key to become stronger!"

He slowly opened his eyes, now in the middle of two kids in another area from that place. Many adults and kids where there, chanting something like "Vamdemon-sama". He had woke up in the middle of a "Vam", coming from his own mouth.

"What... What was I doing...?" - he blinked his eyes, looking around - "Mama? Papa? Neesan?" - he left that place and went to look for his family; when he found them, the Motomiyas kept that strange chanting. Then he left that place, wishing to find someone and ask for some help.

It was dark. Really dark. Odaiba was also almost destroyed thanks to that invasion; he kept running, there was no cars or people on the streets. At the outside, he saw a monster on the horizon - A big and creepy one who made him remind about that vampire from hours ago, but more a beast than a "human". Again, he felt like if there's no way to happen a miracle.

But it was what just happened: Two lights crossed the skies, surrounding the giant monster. He stopped immediately and watched that; a smile appeared in his face, his hope had been restored. It was like that action movies- No, he couldn't compare that feeling with fictional shows.

That was real, it was real and there were real heroes.

He even screamed at them, but no one could hear him. And the kids he saw with the other people didn't notice that he left the rest of the captives; but he saw them going to that battle... And also saw some strange shadows with those children. Maybe were going to fight too? He didn't know, and he didn't care. Watching the battle made him forget about looking for help.

It was still dark, but some light came from that place. Eight lights - Orange, Blue, Purple, Green, White, Red, Pink and Yellow - tied the giant monster. The next scene was the one that he couldn't explain to no one because how he wouldn't find words enough to express that feel: He witnessed something (at the distance where he was watching, it was a small creature) kicking hachitama (the ball containing the 25th-floor observatory) against the giant monster; next, a giant fireball and a blue laser crossing the sky, hitting the monster and killing it.

"Amazing!" - he exclaimed, his eyes full of tears of happiness and relief. That had been a real nightmare, but he also felt lucky to see something like that (that battle, of course).

But the sky kept dark. It was night now, perhaps 7 pm or 8 pm (he didn't know and he couldn't ask someone right now), suddenly he heard some noise... He looked back and noticed the adults and children leaving the Big Sight; his family also was there. He went to his mother and hugged her, he tried to tell what happened... But the skies called the attention of everyone. Especially his attention.

A strange continent appeared in the dark sky (now the normal dark sky from the night), an unexplained event. Then, a strange rainbow came from the sky, making many people go there to see what was happening. His family went tho, because they needed to go there to back home.

When passing by from that place... he saw it. The same kid with other kids... But he couldn't pay attention to the others, something caught Daisuke's attention - The boy with a giant hair... He was wearing goggles. He never had met someone who wear goggles before.

At home, he back to his room and looked at the mess - their house were destroyed, and his room wasn't exceptions. Instead to start cleaning it, he sat on the ground and closed his eyes. The flashbacks of that battle came in his mind once again... He couldn't believe it was real.

But it was. And he was there, and he witnessed it.

"That person had goggles..." - he opened his eyes, still thoughtful - "If I wear goggles... do I become strong like him?" - he got up and started to look for something in that mess - "Maybe... Maybe I can be like him! Maybe I can be strong and protect them from those bad things... To stop the tears and suffering...!"

"But you're a scared crybaby," - Jun appeared behind him, teasing the little boy.

"I'm not!" - he pouted, clenching his fists - "You're mean, neesan! get out of my room!"

She chuckled, but left the room; Daisuke kept pouting, until she come back.

"Ah, if you were looking for that..." - she pointed at the corner of his room - "are just there. But if you didn't notice, Odaiba is a big mess right now so I don't think they will open the pool..."

"Ah?" - the kid blinked confusingly, but some seconds later he understood the message - "Ah! Thank you, neesan!"

"And clean your room. That's what mom said," - she left, letting him alone in his room.

After that day, Daisuke changed. He changed too much that no one could believe that little kid - who was scared about almost everything - had a strong and determined heart.

Traits that was going to lead him to a new path, and make him become a hero.
A hero like Yagami Taichi was to him.

And this hero within him was going to impress all of them.
A new Chosen Child were going to appear and save the world.

A New Sun were going to shine and bless the world with his optimistic aura.

000


The title is based on Taichi's 02 Character Song, "Atarashii Taiyou" (New Sun), which is not a song about Taichi BUT about a new "sun". And guess who is this sun...? Yep, Daisuke. Because it's about the new Chosen of Courage, and the Crest of Courage is a sun. A friend of mine once told me this song and Daisuke's "Goggle Boy" are connected, that Dai's song is a response to Taichi's. Since that day, I didn't stop seeing the connection between these songs, also I ship TaiDai (in romantic & platonic ways) so much, more than DaiKen and Daikari/DaiHika lol.

And this chapter is based on the track 1 from "Digimon Adventure 02: Original Story ~Spring of 2003~", where Daisuke talks with his young self from three years ago. The track doesn't say the tiny kid is Daisuke, but you can notice by how the kid describes his family and that Daisuke doesn't ask where did the kid go in the end of the track. This is one of my favorite tracks of this CD Drama because I love Daisuke, his seiyuu, and it includes "Adventure Heart v1" (Daisuke's theme in 02) and "Goggle Boy" songs.

The AO3/tumblr. version has a link to "Atarashii Taiyou" song in the end. I recommend you listen to it and read the translation. It's a beautiful song. For extra effects, try to listen Atarashii Taiyou and then Goggle Boy, so you can notice the link between them.