Frontier 02: A Nightmare on Something-or-Other Street
madjack89: Hey guys! How's it going? You enjoying Halloween more than me? Most likely, because, if you recall, I've mentioned that I'm not the biggest fan of Halloween, mostly due to the fact that I'm kind of a scaredy cat and stuff like horror movies and…
Takuya: *sneaks up behind me* Boo!
madjack89: Ah! *turns and whaps Takuya with a conveniently heavy bag*
Takuya: Ow!
madjack89: So yeah, I'm not the biggest fan of Halloween, but that doesn't mean that I have to spoil everyone else's fun, right? Right! That's why, to celebrate this holiday, I decided to write this Frontier 02 Halloween special! It's not based on anything specific (though I have been working on a Halloween-themed youtube video with a certain creepy song…), just my own imagination this time!
Kouji: So it's twice the angst.
madjack89: Ignore. Anyway, since the gang wanted to dress up for the Halloween commentaries, I decided to give them a challenge to dress as any character that their respective voice actors have played!
Kira: Us OCs used the actors that played the parts of our corrupted spirits in the anime to pick our outfits.
Takuya: I didn't have many options, so I donned a green ninja vest and came as Mizuki from Naruto because I didn't feel like dressing as Matt. Then again, I could've gotten away with dressing as Naruto, but his outfit's too much work.
Neji: Really, why are all of our outfits so complicated…?
Sasori: Hey, speak for yourself. We Akatsuki members just have these cool looking cloaks.
Pein: Speaking of our cloaks, did the rest of you manage to convince Kouichi to dress as Itachi?
Takuya: Oh no, we've got a different character in mind.
Zoe: *from another room* Kouichi and I are almost ready! Just keep going!
Tommy: Okay then. I decided to dress up as Keenan from Digimon Data Squad, since I always thought his outfit was really neat!
madjack89: And you look lovely, Tommy! Alright, next!
Kouji: I dressed up as myself, since I'm a character voiced by Steve Staley and I'm not technically breaking Madjack's rules.
madjack89: I thought you'd try something like this. Sasori, Pein, grab him and proceed with phase two of the plan!
Sasori and Pein: *grab Kouji and start dragging him out of the room*
Kouji: Hey, what the hell are you gonna do to me?
madjack89: Oh, you'll see…JP, care to tell the readers who you're dressed as?
JP: Well, I had a plethora of options, since Steve Blum has played everything from random soldiers who have less than one line to a weirdo creeper snake guy, but I decided to keep it simple and dress as Vincent Valentine.
madjack89: …How is that outfit simple?
JP: Okay, I just like the outfit. Plus, check out this pimpin' gun! *holds up FAKE gun*
madjack89: Alright then. Next!
Dai: Okay! Well, this was a little awkward since Grumblemon is voiced by Derek Stephen Prince, and he's got an…interesting character list, but I eventually decided to dress as Impmon since I'm small enough to pull it off!
Impmon: I knew there was somethin' about ya I liked, kid!
madjack89: Man, you guys sure are good at pulling together costumes! Nice outfit, Dai!
Dai: Thanks!
Hotaru: Well…I just wore this suit, so…I guess I'm Timmy Turner's dad? Sure.
madjack89: Aw, c'mon Taru! You could've been Cosmo, or Jorgen von Strangle, or Count Spankulot! Count freakin' Spankulot, Taru!
Hotaru: *sigh* You're way too into cartoons.
madjack89: Kids Next Door FTW!
Shino: Uh, my turn, I guess. I couldn't think of anything, so I'm just gonna Spirit Evolve. *Spirit Evolves* There. I'm dressed as Arbormon. Woohoo.
madjack89: Fine. Now you have to do an impersonation of Rocky for the rest of today's commentaries!
Arbormon: What?
Takuya: Just add "right?" to everything, and you'll be good to go.
Arbormon: Uh…right?
madjack89: Good job! Kira, care to tell us who you've dressed as?
Kira: Why certainly, Madjack. I dressed as Jun Motomiya, otherwise known as Davis's stalker sister!
Takuya: Aw, why didn't you tell me you were dressing as Jun? We could've done a couple-type thing with you strangling me dressed as Matt or something!
JP: Strangling?
Kira: Sorry Taki, but the thought of you dressed as Matt sickened me. You're much too cool to dress as him!
Matt: *glares* Watch it with the insults.
madjack89: Excellent choice, Kira. And go away, Matt. Alright, while Kouichi and Zoe finish up their preparations, let's get Kouji back out here. Alright guys, bring him out!
Pein and Sasori: *drag Kouji back into room*
Kouji: *dressed as Kadaj (that's right, the one from FF7: Advent Children)* I…hate…you.
madjack89: But you two have so much in common! You both have mommy issues!
Kouji: Hate…you…so…much…right…now…
Tommy: …Madjack, I think you broke Kouji.
madjack89: Oh, he'll get over it. Chief, Zee, get out here!
Zoe: Alright, we're coming! *she and Kouichi enter room*
madjack89: OMG, are you dressed as who I think you're dressed as, Chief?
Kouichi: *words too muffled to decipher*
madjack89: Uh…what was that?
Kouichi: *words still too muffled to decipher*
madjack89: Hm…Duskmon, you speak muffled, right?
Duskmon: *glares*
Kouichi: *pulls down mask* I was trying to say I can't breathe with this thing on! Geez, how does Zelgadis put up with this mask…?
madjack89: That's right, guys, Kouichi's dressed as Zelly! Though an Alucard costume would've been pretty pimp…
Kouichi: *sigh* I didn't want to step on Takuya's toes with the goggles. Plus, you like Zelgadis, so why not?
madjack89: You did it for me? Aw, thanks Chief!
Kouichi: No problem.
Zoe: As for my costume, I decided to dress as Rukia, since Rukia's a badass.
Kira: Hell yeah, Zee!
madjack89: All of your outfits are lovely! Good job, guys! Now, while we partake in some treat-eating, you guys get a treat of your own; the first Frontier 02 Halloween special! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon Frontier, cuz these guys would've been a LOT worse off if I did. Mua ha ha ha ha…ha…
—
"Fear is only in our minds,
Taking over all the time…"
~ "Sweet Sacrifice" by Evanescence
Kouichi breathed in slowly, then exhaled, enjoying the peace of this moment. This blank, empty void was perfectly tranquil, a far cry from what he'd had to endure with Nina clouding his mind. Yes, this was far better than her black, abysmal void. Nothing was going to hurt him here. Everything was absolutely…
Suddenly, the peace Kouichi had felt a moment before turned to a sense of dread and, oddly enough, fear. What did he have to fear here? Nina was gone. However, the gnawing terror wouldn't leave, and soon it became so great that Kouichi felt the need to run, to get away from this feeling of horror.
So he ran, not having a single clue where he was going since nothing existed as a landmark in this empty void. As he ran, though, he did begin to notice something far in the distance. It started out as a small dot, but as he got closer, it took shape, becoming a large, grey rectangle. It was a door.
Kouichi didn't know why he'd need to have a door in his own mind, but he didn't have time to dwell on this as the feeling of fear began to intensify until he was flat-out sprinting toward the mysterious door. Somehow he knew that he'd be safe once he entered the room on the other side of this door. Whatever he was afraid of wouldn't get him in there.
Finally, he reached the door, wrenching it open and slamming it firmly shut before this vague terror could get to him. Breathing a sigh of relief, he turned around to see what kind of room he'd entered. He was surprised to find that he recognized this room as one he'd been in several times before. Still, it gave him chills (the good kind) to be in Zoe's room. Especially since Zoe was standing in the middle of it.
Kouichi smiled slightly. Of course this was his safe haven, even in his dream world. Zoe was and always would be his comfort, aside from Kouji, who was already a given.
This momentary happiness turned to confusion when he noticed that Zoe had her back to him and was standing ram-rod straight in the middle of her room, not moving a muscle. Surely she'd heard Kouichi's hasty entry into her room. Why wasn't she turning around to see who had come in?
Slowly, Kouichi walked to the middle of the room and tapped Zoe lightly on the shoulder. "Zo?" he said, so that she'd be able to tell it was him. He was the only one that called her Zo, after all.
Suddenly, at his touch, Zoe changed. It was like a black dye had sprouted from Kouichi's fingertips and the inky color had begun to spread sluggishly from Zoe's infected shoulder down the length of her back, turning her outfit dark as night.
"Zoe!" Panicked, Kouichi grabbed Zoe's arm in order to turn her around forcefully and see what was wrong. He quickly dropped his hand as more of the black color started to run from the spot on her arm where he'd touched her, spreading at a much faster rate than before. That was when the sickening truth dawned on Kouichi. He was hurting Zoe.
Kouichi clasped his hands tightly behind his back and took two steps away from Zoe, putting a sufficient amount of space between them. He couldn't risk touching her again, but what could he do now? The blackness had nearly covered Zoe completely at this point, and he'd watched it happen. Actually, he'd helped it happen.
This realization would have filled Kouichi with horrifyingly tremendous pain if it weren't for the fact that the one standing in the middle of the room wasn't Zoe anymore. For one thing, she was an inch or so too short. Her hair fell nearly to her waist, definitely longer than Zoe's hair. And this person's hair color was raven black, a complete opposite to Zoe's blonde. Slowly, Kouichi recognized the girl standing in the middle of his girlfriend's room, invading his mind yet again.
Nina.
As if reading his thoughts (which she may or may not have been able to do), Nina turned, a wide grin on her face. "Kitty!" she squealed, lunging forward and wrapping Kouichi in a tight hug.
Kouichi, however, was quick to react, and Nina hadn't been attached to him for more than a second or two before he managed to shove her back with his arms, giving him a window of escape while she regained her balance.
Turning quickly on his heel, Kouichi lunged for the door handle, meaning to grab it, race out the door, and take his chances with whatever was outside. It couldn't be as bad as Nina. Well, not Nina as a person, just what she could force him to do. However, he reached out and grabbed at thin air. With mingled shock and horror, Kouichi realized that the door handle was no longer there. He was trapped here with a psychopathic little girl.
As if, once again, in response to his thought, Nina giggled. Kouichi quickly turned toward her, back pressed firmly against the wall. This couldn't be happening. Not again. He'd been purified. He'd been saved. This couldn't happen right after nearly everything had been fixed. He couldn't hurt his friends again. Not again…
Kouichi watched with wide, wary eyes as Nina sauntered slowly toward him, smiling cheerfully as she came. "No," he muttered, hands trembling. As his desperation grew, so did his adrenaline. He'd fight his way out of this if he had to. He wasn't going to be someone's puppet. Never again.
"Get the hell away from me, Nina," Kouichi growled, trying to sound threatening. The thought of fighting a little girl, even something that only LOOKED like a little girl, wasn't altogether pleasant, but if it was what he had to do to keep from turning into a monster again, then he'd do it. With this thought in mind, Kouichi slowly raised his fists defensively. "Don't come any closer, or I'll…I'll kill you!"
That halted Nina, her grin faltering. Tilting her head to the side, she said, "Will you kill me, Kouichi?"
This statement confused Kouichi, both because Nina actually called him by his name and because she sounded so…rueful all of a sudden. Did she feel bad for what she'd nearly forced him to do? Was she trying to apologize to him?
He was so caught up in these thoughts that he jumped slightly when he felt Nina's hand lightly touch his arm. He quickly drew his arm tight against himself, not wanting Nina to be in such close proximity to him. In other words, not wanting her to infect him again.
Nina barely noticed Kouichi's abject terror as she leaned toward him, lips almost touching his ear before she whispered, "Will you save me, or will you need to be saved?"
So preoccupied with Nina's cryptic messages was Kouichi that he never turned to see the giant, black claw reaching through the closed door, ready to grab him…
—
Shino stood at the edge of a large forest, staring into its black depths. He knew that it was silly to be afraid of a bunch of trees, especially since he was the Warrior of Wood. But there was something about this forest that…frightened him. He felt as if there were something in its infinite darkness, waiting to take hold of him…
Shaking off this thought, Shino turned to his other option; a long, grey, bleak plateau stretching out for miles beyond the forest. Nothing dotted the landscape, and Shino was surprised to find that his dream world seemed to be entirely in black and white, save himself.
Suddenly, Shino felt a piercing ache in his chest, one he knew oh-so-well. The ache of rejection.
He placed his hand absently on his chest, right where his heart would be beating a feverish rhythm…or no rhythm. Panicking, Shino looked down, recognizing the wet, sticky substance he felt covering his hand. Removing his hand slowly from his chest, he saw a hole, large and bleeding, dug into his chest and out through his back, right where his heart should have been.
"My…heart…" Horrified, Shino realized that someone must have clawed into his chest and pulled it out without his noticing.
"We took it, Shino." Head snapping up at the mention of his name, Shino saw Zoe and Mai standing about a foot away from him, dressed all in black with empty, soulless expressions on their faces. They were like the scenery of the dream; all black and white. The only color shown between the two was the red paper heart that each of them had a hold on.
"Hey, give that back!" Shino shouted, panic increasing. "That belongs to me!"
The girls didn't heed his declaration, for when he took a step toward the two, they each pulled the heart in opposite directions, Zoe up, Mai down, leaving a small tear in it. Shino stopped, alarmed by what they'd done. "Stop that! Don't tear it!"
Zoe and Mai both turned to stare at Shino, mimicking each other's movements perfectly, as if they were somehow connected, save the direction in which they tore the heart. "But we've already broken this heart," they both replied in a monotone, continuing to slowly tear Shino's heart in two.
"Wait…" Shino said feebly, knowing it was futile to stop them. They'd torn his heart once; they'd do it again. So Shino could only watch as the two girls, the two objects of his affection, tore his heart in two, each taking a piece and placing it in their respective pockets. Then, without a second glance at Shino, they walked out onto the flat plateau, hand in hand, eventually fading into the scenery.
"They stole it…" Shino muttered, taking a few steps back. "They stole it from me…"
A gloved hand suddenly reached out from the trees directly behind Shino, grabbing his arm. Afraid, he immediately tried to wrench himself free, turning to see what had taken hold of him in the first place. His fear increased when he saw Wizardmon peeking through the thick growth of trees, eyes wide and pleading.
"Get the hell off me!" Shino exclaimed, tugging against Wizardmon's grip. He didn't know nor did he care why Wizardmon would be pleading with him. He'd just felt that same nauseous terror roll through him, and he knew he needed to run before whatever IT was got him.
Wizardmon kept an iron grip on Shino's arm, but never once left the confines of the forest. It was as if he…couldn't leave. Whether he was able to leave or not, he whispered quietly, so that Shino could barely hear, "Will you forgive me, or leave me to die?"
With that, Wizardmon released Shino and retreated back into the forest, barely making a sound as he did so.
Shino stared curiously at the spot where Wizardmon had been, puzzling over what he'd said. But behind him, he didn't realize that Kouichi was there, eyes wide and blank, arms outstretched and hands nearly clamped around Shino's throat…
—
Kouji continued to walk through a dark, abysmal space, not knowing where he was walking to or why he was even walking. He just knew that he needed to move. If he stopped, then his fear would rekindle and he'd feel the need to move yet again, to get away from whatever it was that he feared.
Somehow, though, despite the fear, this place seemed a bit familiar. Perhaps, for this particular dream, his memory had conjured up a place he'd been before and, for whatever reason, had decided to fill it with unseen terrors. Wait, a dark void and an unseen terror…
"Kouji, you have to break out of this dream!" To Kouji's surprise, Ellie suddenly popped up next to him, grabbing his arm and tugging on it. "We have to get out of this chain of nightmares before something really bad happens!"
"Chain of nightmares?" Kouji asked, not budging until he got some concrete answers. (Ellie's not that strong, so she couldn't really drag him away unless he let her.) "What do you mean by chain of nightmares? What's going to happen?"
Ellie stared up into Kouji's eyes, looking absolutely desperate now. "The fear you're feeling…it's coming to take you, too. It won't rest until it's had its way with all of you. It's already taken…"
"Ellie!" Kouji shouted, watching his confidante fade suddenly into the dark void, cutting off what she'd been about to say. Without her presence, the fear seemed to multiply ten-fold, causing Kouji to want to run, to get away from the presence that Ellie had been so afraid of.
However, as he turned to sprint away, he found Duskmon standing behind him, staring down at him with tired eyes. Kouji tensed, remembering what Ellie had said. Could this be the unseen terror, taking the form of a familiar enemy? He couldn't be sure, and he didn't want to find out.
But before he could turn and run, Duskmon placed one of his hand-like apparatuses on Kouji's shoulder, halting his hasty retreat. This gesture suddenly reminded Kouji why the scenery seemed so familiar here. This was where he'd fought Duskmon before, back when Kouichi had still been behind the spirit's reins. That dark space inside Mercurymon where he'd first gotten the ability to Fusion Evolve.
All of this just made him want to run even more, but Duskmon wouldn't let him. The Digimon held Kouji in place for several moments despite his struggling, then said, "Will you cure me, or kill me?"
With that question, Duskmon released Kouji and walked slowly backwards, letting the darkness surround him. Kouji stared after Duskmon, slightly confused. Cure him? Why would Duskmon need to be cured?
Suddenly, Kouji turned around. He hadn't made a conscious effort to do so, his body had just reacted on its own. It was too late, however, to stop Shino's bloody hand from firmly covering his mouth and nose, completely cutting off his air supply. As Kouji faded into oblivion, he noticed that Shino didn't look as if he were making a conscious decision to smother him. His eyes were too wide, too unfocused, too…
—
Dai…well…he wasn't really having a nightmare at the moment.
"Would you like another cookie, L?" Dai asked his favorite Death Note character, passing a large platter of cookies across the table to the detective.
"Why thank you, Dai," L replied, smiling slightly as he took a cookie between his thumb and index finger, then proceeded to lower the treat into his mouth.
Dai chuckled. "You're so quirky, L."
"He may be quirky, but he is also an ally of justice!" Amelia, Dai's other favorite anime character from the Slayers series, hopped up from her seat on Dai's right, pointing dramatically at L. "You have put countless criminals behind bars in order to pay for their crimes!" she continued grandiosely. "Truly, L, you are a valiant hero of all things good and just!"
Unfazed by Amelia's outburst, L smiled and replied, "Thank you, Amelia. I try my best."
"And you succeed!" Amelia proclaimed, turning toward the host of this little tea-less tea party. "Right, Dai?"
Hiding his acute blush, Dai nodded enthusiastically. "Right! You guys are both awesome! Man, this is one of the best, most vivid dreams I've ever had!"
Dai gazed around at his dream landscape, taking it all in once again. Surrounding the small round table where he and his two dream guests sat was a vast green field filled with all kinds of small, beautiful, unobtrusive flowers. To a lot of other guys, this dream world would seem a bit too…gay, but the scenery didn't bother Dai in the least. It was actually quite pretty.
And the fact that he was having a tea-less tea party with two of his most favorite anime characters of all time was pretty sweet, too. Gobbling down his fifth cookie, Dai looked at his two companions and asked, "So, what do you guys want to do now?"
"Hey, who are they?" Amelia suddenly said, pointing toward two figures approaching the trio from across the field. One looked like a yellow fox woman, while the other looked like a small purple imp-like creature.
"Impmon and Renamon?" Dai muttered, confused. It wasn't as if he disliked the two "villains," but why would he dream about them? "Hey guys! What's up?" he greeted the two Digimon when they stopped about three feet away from the table, both looking slightly uncomfortable.
Dai smiled knowingly. "Guys, it's okay. This is just a dream, and everyone can be friends with everyone else in dreams!"
"Dai is correct," L added, gesturing toward the Digimon. "Dreams defy the line between the just and the unjust."
"Dreams defy justice? Huh?" Amelia muttered, confused by L's comment.
As L tried to explain his reasoning to Amelia, Impmon stepped forward, obviously acting as spokesperson for himself as well as Renamon. "Yeah, we ain't exactly here ta join yer party, kid, though dat DOES sound pretty nice. I just came ta escort Renamon here. She's gotta tell ya somethin' important."
Dai cocked his head curiously. "Okay. What do you need to say, Renamon?"
Instead of answering, Renamon glanced down at Impmon, who sighed heavily. "Ya ain't gonna like what's about ta happen, kid."
Something about what Impmon said sent a sudden chill down Dai's spine. He had no idea why, but a sudden paralyzing fear gripped all of his senses, causing him to tremble.
The fear increased when the entire landscape, the field, the table, Amelia, L, and Impmon all faded to black, leaving Dai standing in the middle of an empty void with only Renamon for company. This didn't make Dai feel any better, though. He still felt the need to run.
Before he could force his trembling legs to move, though, Renamon stated her ominous question. "Can you help me redeem myself?"
"What…?" Dai muttered, staring at Renamon with wide eyes. "What are you talking about? What's going on?"
Instead of answering, Renamon lifted her head to stare past Dai at Kouji, who towered over the smaller child with a baseball bat in hand, ready to bash his friend's skull in. Knowing she wasn't allowed to warn Dai of his impending demise, Renamon sighed and faded into the blackness. Startled, Dai took a step forward. "Rena—"
WHAP!
—
"Hello? Anyone here?" Zoe shouted yet again, beginning to get extremely bored with the completely white space surrounding her. What kind of dream was this? Some sort of blank canvas, make-your-own-imaginative-dream-scenery thing? Well, all that Zoe knew was that something had better happen soon, or she'd find a way to wake herself up.
As Zoe started to think how odd it was that she was totally aware of her dream state, a nameless fear gripped her heart. Growing wary, she whipped her head left and right, searching for whatever was causing this fear. "I'm not in the mood for a nightmare tonight, so let's get this over with, boogeyman," she said, hiding her fear behind her overconfidence.
"Are you still scared of the boogeyman, Zee?" Zoe turned to find Kira standing behind her, an amused smirk on her friend's face. "Chill, Zee, chill! No creepy crawlies lurking around, just me."
Zoe relaxed slightly, comforted by Kira's presence. "Sorry Kira, I'm just feeling a little jumpy." Then, after a pause, she added, "Hey, what type of dream is this supposed to be, anyway; good or bad?"
Kira didn't answer for several moments, shielding her eyes from view. Then she finally said, "I think you can decide that for yourself, Zoe."
Zoe gasped, not just because Kouji's voice had come from Kira's mouth, but because Kira had transformed into Kouji, all in the blink of an eye. Chuckling at Zoe's startled expression, the newly transformed Kouji said, "It's weird enough to be a nightmare, isn't it?"
"But nothing bad's really happening, so it's hard to decide what kind of dream this is, huh?" Zoe rubbed her eyes. She hadn't caught Kouji's transformation into Tommy at all. One second he'd been Kouji, the next he'd been Tommy. And the more friends that appeared before her, the more wary Zoe became.
"I'm getting out of here," she stated to no one in particular, shoving past Tommy and walking, almost running, away from her friend(s).
Before she got more than six steps away, someone gripped her arm from behind, stopping her in her tracks. Somehow, Zoe knew exactly who her next dream visitor was without having to look. "Kouichi, please let go of my arm."
"If I do that, you'll leave." Yes, that was definitely Kouichi.
Rolling her eyes, Zoe turned to face her boyfriend, realizing that he wasn't going to let her leave. "Ha ha, hilarious. But unlike last time this happened, I'M not trying to break up with you."
"Harsh," Kouichi muttered, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Though I guess I did ask for that one. Sorry."
Zoe couldn't help but to smile. Even dream Kouichi could make her heart flutter. "It's fine. I'm just really anxious and I need some answers about this random, unidentified dream."
Kouichi was silent for a moment or so before he replied, "Well, I really wish I could tell you more, but in order to do that, I have to transform into someone else."
Zoe was a bit disappointed, but she didn't show it. "I suppose that's alright. But before you go…"
Kouichi smiled, instantly understanding what Zoe was thinking. "You read my mind," he muttered softly, leaning toward Zoe until their lips met. It seemed like the kiss had barely begun before Kouichi pulled away, no longer Kouichi anymore.
"Oh!" Zoe exclaimed, glancing away from Hotaru's bright red face in embarrassment. "Sorry, Hotaru! It's just that Kouichi was here and…well…"
"I get it, it's fine," Hotaru said quickly, the blush slowly draining from his face. "So, you're still not sure what this dream's supposed to mean."
"Kouichi said that you'd know something," Zoe answered, though Hotaru hadn't asked a question. "So what do you know?"
"I don't know what Taru knows, but I know that you know that this is a nightmare!" The transition from Hotaru to Dai was a bit awkward, but at least Zoe had gotten some information from her smaller friend.
"It's a nightmare, then," she muttered, still feeling the fear sitting deep inside her, refusing to be conquered. "This fear I'm feeling…"
"Is all part of the experience," Takuya finished, taking Dai's place. "Sorry, Zoe, but it looks like no amount of friendship-based courage is gonna help you out this time."
Zoe sighed. "I kinda figured that."
"But who said anything's wrong with being afraid?" JP stated this line. Ugh, all this sudden switching was giving Zoe a headache. "Heck, I've always been afraid of thunder. Thunder, for crying out loud! I think it's what you do with that fear that really matters."
"Oh boy, are you in one of your sage-y moods again, JP?" Zoe asked sarcastically, though the advice he'd given was sound, as always. "Is that all you guys needed to tell me? Can I wake up now?"
Instead of answering, JP vanished. Zoe waved her hand around the space he'd stood, but her friend had completely disappeared. She'd been about to try the old method of pinching herself awake when a loud bang sounded behind her, causing her to shriek in surprise. The sudden hand resting on her shoulder didn't help to calm her down.
"Get off of me!" Zoe cried, wrenching her shoulder out of the person's grip and raising a fist, planning to turn and plant a punch right in the creeper's face. However, she quickly stopped when she saw who was really behind her. Shino. Wrapping an arm around his stomach. As if he were in pain. "Shino…"
"Can you save me, Zoe?" Shino asked in a strained whisper, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. Horrified, Zoe watched her friend lift his arm and reveal the reason for his pain; blood was flowing from a wound in his stomach. Considering the small, blood stained hole in Shino's shirt, Zoe could only guess that he'd been…shot.
Taking a deep breath, Shino finished his question. "Can you save me, or will you kill me?"
Once more, Zoe watched her friend instantly change form, only this time, Shino didn't change into a person. He turned into a black cat. Comprehension suddenly dawned on Zoe. There was only one Digimon who could change its form like that. "Hallucimon."
At the sound of his name, Hallucimon darted away, running until he wasn't even an infinitesimal black dot in Zoe's sea of white.
Fear. Suddenly Zoe was surrounded by it. It was tangible. It was thousands of black claws coming from seemingly nowhere, grabbing Zoe's arms, her legs, her neck. She tried to scream, but that just made the claws squeeze her throat tighter.
Zoe tried to focus, tried to reach for the person who had appeared in front of her. Dai. Dai would help her. Dai would save her. But Dai didn't save her. Dai just watched, expression blank, as the claws gave one final squeeze, snapping Zoe's neck like a twig.
—
Hotaru had never liked dreams. When he fell asleep, he kind of just wanted to stay asleep. But sometimes his subconscious wouldn't let him rest.
His dream didn't have very imaginative scenery tonight. In fact, he was just sitting on the couch in his living room, waiting for something to happen. Something always happened in dreams, and Hotaru was patient enough to wait. Still, it was hard to stay seated. His legs were itching to get out of this place, to run as far as possible until he could escape the source of his sudden unexplained dread…
Luckily, he didn't have to wait long. "There's my little Firefly."
Hotaru jumped up from his seat, startled by the hand he'd felt on his shoulder a moment before. He turned around sharply, but no one was behind the couch. Could this have been the source of the fear he felt, trying to freak him out even further? Hotaru didn't want to find out.
"Not so fast, you!" Before Hotaru could leave, someone grabbed him around the waist from behind, pulling him into a…hug? Despite the fact that this faceless entity kept sneaking up on him, Hotaru felt no fear in her presence. (Whoever it was sounded like a girl.) In fact, he felt kind of nice with her for company. She felt safe and familiar, though Hotaru was sure he'd never heard her voice before and therefore didn't know this girl. But she'd called him Firefly…
"Man, all this waiting is pissing me off," the girl muttered. Hotaru tensed slightly when he felt her head resting against his upper back. Wow, he probably had a decent height advantage over her, though he was usually taller than just about everyone his age. (He'd also decided that the girl sounded his age.)
"How much longer are you gonna keep me waiting, Hotaru?" So she DID know his name. He'd thought for one painful second that she only knew him because of his dark past…painful? Hotaru realized with a jolt that, despite having no clue who this girl was, he cared what she thought about him. He cared about her in general. He wanted…to hug her back, to tell her that she didn't have to wait anymore, that he was here for her and always would be…
These thoughts came and went in an instant, replaced by the nagging fear as the girl behind him suddenly disappeared. He turned around, scanning the room for her, wondering where she'd gone, concerned for her well-being…
Hotaru's eyes widened. He…he really liked his girl, more than any other girl he'd ever met. He hadn't seen her face, yet he'd known her all the same. She'd even called him Firefly, and he hadn't cared…
Who was she?
"Will you come find me, Taru?" Hotaru whipped his head left, but the girl wasn't there. (She even knew his nickname…)
"Or will you be swallowed up by the dark before you get the chance?" She wasn't on his right, either. Where was her voice coming from?
The whereabouts of the girl preoccupied Hotaru for a moment. Zoe took advantage of that moment, raising her gun until the barrel was lined up perfectly, pointing straight at the back of Hotaru's head.
BANG!
—
"What the hell?" Kira muttered, sitting up slowly. She'd woken up just moments ago to find that she was lying on some beach. Some tropical beach in the middle of nowhere.
Kira stood, looking out across the sparkling sea that surrounded the island, stretching all the way to an island adjacent to the one she was on. Staring at this other island, Kira suddenly got the feeling that she'd been here before. That was ridiculous, though. Sure, she'd been to the beach a couple times when she was younger, but the places had always been kind of crowded and busy, whereas this place was calm and completely deserted. And they didn't have other islands blocking the view to the horizon.
No, this place was definitely new, but still…
"Aw, c'mon sugar. I know you can remember this place if you try."
Kira jumped, startled by the voice she'd heard behind her. She turned, but whoever had spoken was already gone. Refusing to show how creeped out this voice had made her, Kira exclaimed, "Okay, if all you're gonna do is screw with me, I'm waking myself up from this dream right now! Got it?"
"My, you're a sassy young thing, aren't you?" Kira turned to face the water, yet she still couldn't find the source of the voice. Then she had a thought. Was this voice coming from…inside her head?
"Oh, come on, Madjack! Now that you've had your fun with the twins and Shino, you're gonna make ME crazy?" Kira exclaimed, annoyed. "That's just no freakin' fair! I mean, you already did that whole Beast Spirit thing, so there's really no reason at all that you should be picking on me again—"
"You're not crazy, ya pinhead!" This time when Kira turned, she actually found the source of the voice, standing right behind her. Ranamon.
At first Kira was relieved. It was just her Legendary Spirit come to bug her in her dreams because she was bored sitting in a D-Tector all day or something like that. But then again, Ranamon was acting a little…strange. For one thing, her voice was different. Normally, Ranamon sounded similar to Kira, give or take a more mature edge to her Digimon Spirit's voice. But in this dream, Ranamon had a…Southern accent? And she was smiling…cutely?
"Uh…Ranamon? You okay?" Kira asked slowly.
Ranamon smirked, some of the sickly-sweetness leaving her expression to reveal a…devilish grin? "I'm just fine, sugar. Question is, are you fine with me?"
Kira couldn't help taking a small step back, suddenly wary. "What are you talking about?"
In response, Ranamon grabbed Kira by the shirt collar and pulled her forward until the two were face to face. All the false sweetness had now vanished from this Ranamon's face. "You'll remember me soon, sugar. The question I have for you is, will you be able to handle me, or will you be swallowed up by me?"
As soon as she said this, Ranamon vanished, leaving Kira to ponder what had just happened. Why had Ranamon been acting so weird? And what had her question meant? "Will you be able to handle me…or will you be swallowed up by me? The hell is she talking about?"
After a brief moment, Kira shrugged. "Eh, if it's important, I'll find out eventually." With this thought in mind, she decided to enjoy the rest of her dream and splash around a little in the water. Turning, she wondered if her friends would show up since it was, after all, her dream…
"Taru?" As if on cue, Hotaru was suddenly standing behind Kira, head lowered, eyes completely hidden from view…metal pole raised above his head? Confused, Kira took a step toward her friend. "Hey Taru, are you al—?"
A second later, Kira was forced to quickly dodge the pole as Hotaru swung it at her, nearly smashing her skull in the process. Kira fell backwards, having lost her balance when avoiding the attack. Fear began to well up inside her as she stared at Hotaru's slow approach with wide eyes. "What the hell are you doing, Taru? It's me, Kira! You know, happy, spunky, ass-kicking Kira?"
Either he was ignoring her or he couldn't hear her, because Hotaru struck with the pole again, this time forcing Kira to roll to the side. Quickly hopping to her feet, she booked it. Hotaru didn't remember, but she'd been in a fight with him once before. She probably hadn't been a very memorable opponent, seeing as he'd kicked her ass into next week. He hadn't been trying to kill her then, but he easily could have. And right now, it seemed as if he really wanted to kill her, and Kira already knew what the outcome of that would be.
Kira hadn't gotten far when she felt something grab her around her waist, keeping her rooted in place. "Get the hell off!" she exclaimed angrily, meaning to shove whoever had grabbed her away and keep moving, but when she looked down, all she saw was a loop of dark energy swirling around her, stronger than any person, easily keeping her pinned so that Hotaru could finish the job for it.
Kira struggled for a second, but quickly realized it was hopeless. So she did the only thing she could do. She shut her eyes.
WHAP!
—
"So, is this it?" JP asked his reflection flatly. "This is all my subconscious can come up with?"
JP's dream world was much like Zoe's, a blank white space. The only difference was that in the middle of this space sat a floor length mirror, reflecting JP's image back at himself. And doing nothing else. At all.
"Come on," JP muttered irritably, getting fed up waiting for something to happen. "Is there supposed to be some hidden meaning in this? Something like 'I have to look inside myself to find the answers' or some crap like that?"
Saying this, JP expected his reflection to retort with some snarky remark and finally get this dream going. Instead, his reflection disappeared. JP was slightly startled, then became skeptical again. "Okay, so I'm a vampire now? Great. Thanks for sharing."
Suddenly, a small red line appeared on the mirror, followed by a series of other lines being drawn around it. At least, it seemed like someone was drawing these symbols, but JP's reflection was gone. Nothing but these red symbols remained on the mirror's surface.
Staring at these symbols, JP realized that they were beginning to form characters (you know, the Japanese kind). When it seemed as if whoever was writing this message was done, JP read, "Man, you're a real smartass, you know?"
JP smirked. "Yeah, I can be. What about it?"
The previous sentence instantly disappeared from the mirror's surface and, a moment later, began to be replaced by a new one. Instead of being concerned that he was talking to a mirror, JP shrugged it off, partly because he was dreaming, and partly because he'd seen weirder.
The only thing that did bother JP was that the substance that the mirror was using to communicate with him looked suspiciously like blood…
Just then, the mirror finished its second message. Well, I happen to know someone else that uses being a smartass as a way to shield himself from people. Ring a bell?
"Oh boy," JP muttered, rolling his eyes. "Are you here to tell me I'm as bad as Kouji? Heck, I know I'm screwed up, but not THAT screwed up."
The mirror's message disappeared and was quickly replaced by a new one. Aren't you, Junpei?
JP frowned slightly. "I see. So that's what you're talking about. Well…they don't need to know all the unpleasant details of my life. Those are my problems to handle."
Fair enough, the mirror replied. Then a second later, it added, What if they find out? What if they want to know more? What if you can't tell them? What if…?
"Okay, I get it!" JP shouted, beginning to get annoyed. "Why bring it up now, though? What are you, predicting my future? Mirror, mirror, on the freakin' wall, who's the most messed up Digidestined of them all?"
Calm down, the mirror wrote, interrupting JP's rant. I'm just warning you that this shaky barrier you've created for yourself can't last forever. All you're doing is proving my point.
"Stupid mirror…" JP grumbled, though he knew it was right. Keeping his friends in the dark about his…he knew it wouldn't last. But still…
The mirror remained blank for several moments, letting JP mull over his thoughts. Then it began to write slowly. It took the mirror a full two minutes to finish writing, but when it was done, there was a single question on its surface.
Will you face yourself, or are you too cowardly?
This question only served to fuel JP's annoyance, but before he got the chance to voice any protest, the mirror wrote another message underneath its question. Turn around.
JP didn't need to turn, because the mirror suddenly became reflective again. He could see himself, see his wide, confused eyes. He could see Kira's head over his shoulder, eyes dull and expression blank. And he could see the knife she'd just plunged through his chest, dripping blood the same color as the mirror's last message.
Too late.
—
Tommy stood in front of the RMS, D-Tector in hand. Ilsemon had succeeded. She'd resurrected Lucemon. And he was the only one left to face him. The others…they'd all been beaten. But he could still fight.
Taking a deep breath, Tommy steadied himself, getting ready for the upcoming battle. He could do this. At the very least, he could distract Lucemon long enough for the others to…
"You're all alone." Tommy jumped, frightened by the voice he'd suddenly heard behind him. That fear increased when he turned to see who the voice belonged to. Lucemon.
Shaking off his fear, Tommy tensed, raising his D-Tector defensively. "Get ready, Lucemon, because I'm going to…"
Tommy's sentence trailed off when his D-Tector suddenly…disappeared. In fact, everything disappeared; the RMS, the surrounding scenery. Everything but Lucemon.
"What in the…?" Tommy muttered, wondering what could be going on. He'd had this dream before. Sometimes it ended well, sometimes not so well, but it was never like this.
Lucemon seemed unperturbed by the change of scene. In fact, he looked like he found it amusing. "Now you're really all alone, Tommy. Just like me."
Instead of biting back an insult, Tommy raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Just like…you? What do you mean?"
"Like you wouldn't know," Lucemon muttered, sounding suddenly bitter. "You took everything from me, and you don't even know…"
Tommy took a few steps back, feeling wary. Lucemon wasn't acting normal. The Lucemon he'd known was always so calm, so sure, like a child who knows he can get exactly what he wants all the time. But this Lucemon seemed sullen and bitter about something involving Tommy. What could he have done that was any different from what the others had done? They'd all defeated Lucemon together, even the other four to a certain extent, he was sure. So why was Lucemon singling him out?
While Tommy pondered running for it, Lucemon stared briefly up into the dark void of the dream world and sighed. "Our time is almost up. He'll be the last one to succumb…"
"What…?" Everything Lucemon was saying was completely confusing and out-of-character. And now this cryptic statement…what was he talking about?
"Well, I suppose it's time to pose the question," Lucemon muttered half to himself. Letting his gaze fall on Tommy, he said, "Will you remember me, Tommy? And if you do, will you bother to help me?"
"Hey kid." Tommy's fear was replaced by relief when he heard JP's voice. Lucemon was wrong. He wasn't alone. He…
WHAP!
—
"No…" Takuya stared in disbelief at the unlit candle before him. When this dream had begun, there had been ten steadily burning candles encircling him, not in a threatening way, but in a comforting way. He'd quickly figured out that they represented each one of his friends, and himself.
Their flames had made him feel safe and secure, as if he could do anything…until they'd started to go out. One by one, the flames had flickered and died, ending with the ninth. But the last flame still burned, solitary, lonely…
"What's the point of that?" Takuya asked, half to himself, half to the candle representing him. "Why burn when there isn't anyone else to burn with? Why not try to light the other candles again…and if you can't, then why don't you just…?"
"Does that flame really mean so little to you, Takuya?"
Takuya slowly turned, knowing exactly who was standing behind him. And knowing exactly what he meant. "It does mean something to me, Agunimon. But without the others…"
"…you're already dead," Agunimon finished Takuya's statement coldly, emotionlessly. "You're not afraid of that, are you? Dying for them?"
Takuya's eyes narrowed. "Why should I be? They're my friends. Of course I'd defend them, even if I did…die."
Despite his cold words and his uncaring exterior, Agunimon couldn't help but show his concern in his eyes. They shown with worry. Unfortunately, his words remained cold despite this. "Fine then. Die."
Takuya shuddered, feeling the blade running slowly, cleanly through him. He stared up at his Digimon Spirit with wide, confused eyes. "Why…?"
Too much blood gurgled in Takuya's throat when he tried to say more, choking him. By the time the blade of the sword finally broke through the front of his body, he was already dead.
"Takuya…" Agunimon whispered, head lowered. A single tear fell from the Digimon's eye as he grabbed Takuya's shoulders and pulled, letting the sword pierce through him as well. "I killed you…"
—
"Whoa!" The gang snapped awake, all at the same time, each completely confused by the sort of conjoined dream they'd just had. Staring at each other with wide eyes, they didn't speak for several moments.
Then Kira said, "What the f—"
—
madjack89: The end!
Everyone: ...
Takuya: …What just happened?
madjack89: A weird series of dream sequences, my dear Taki!
Kouji: …Why were we…?
madjack89: Because it was creepier with you guys killing each other!
Zoe: …What was coming after us in…?
madjack89: Just think of the phrase "we have nothing to fear but fear itself." FEAR ITSELF.
Zoe: …I get it.
madjack89: Good!
Kira: So what about the villains showing up and all of those weird, cryptic questions?
madjack89: Those were sort of foreshadowing certain future events in F2R and its sequel. Plus, I had to include the villains in a Halloween special!
Ilsemon: I wasn't included.
madjack89: Yeah…hee!
Ilsemon: -_-
madjack89: Okay, well…I guess that's about it! I hope you enjoyed this creepy, nonsensical Frontier 02 Halloween special! Now, let's watch something else creepy and nonsensical, guys!
Kouji: Oh god, you don't mean…
madjack89: That's right, Kouji. Get ready for the Time Warp!
Dai: Kudos to anyone that gets the reference!
Kouji: *sigh*
Takuya: Happy Halloween, everyone!
Kira: Go cosplay without being judged and get candy for it!
Tommy: Yeah!
madjack89: Oh, and thanks to Amelia from Slayers and L from Death Note for helping out with Dai's delusion!
L: Of course.
Amelia: Anything for allies of justice!
Kouji: Zoe, do you still have that gun?
Zoe: *sigh*
madjack89: See ya!
Arbormon: Right? Wow, this is dumb…