DISCLAIMER: I don't own Digimon, but I do own the OCs introduced in this story and my other stories (except where stated).
Thanks to Blazing Chaos for beta-reading.
UNITED
By TheMightyBlues
CHAPTER 1
Confusion In Both Worlds
UNKNOWN DATE
DIGITAL WORLD
Lowest Plane
Unknown Time
The Digital World. A world of six different layers or planes as they are known, from the earliest plane at the bottom, to the highest plane that played home to the four Digimon Sovereign. In the beginning, the Digital World was nothing but a barren level of desert where the very first Digimon lived. As time progressed, the Digital World grew, resulting in the creation of more planes, each with a different environment.
The third Digital plane consisted of lakes, rivers and wildlife. The trees were in full bloom, and the exotic flowers bathed in the Sun's rays. The Wolf Village was located near one of the largest lakes on the third Digital plane. The Digimon who lived there took advantage of the lake's luxurious features, whether they drank from it, bathed in it or swam in it. They lived a peaceful, and somewhat secluded life there.
"Hey, I wonder what's going on over there."
"Over where?"
"Over to your left."
"Oh, I see," a small rounded blob said.
He had orange fur and a metallic horn on top of its head. It was known as a Tsunomon, and in training Digimon that lived with many other Tsunomon in Wolf Village, along with the much stronger Gabumon, Garurumon and WereGarurumon.
"I don't know, but those two strangers sure don't look too friendly," the Tsunomon said.
They were sat in a group of at least thirty Tsunomon, with twelve Gabumon at the front of the pack. Gabumon were rookie Digimon who had Digivolved from Tsunomon at one point, increasing in size and form. The majority of their bodies was covered with light blue fur with purple stripes, which covered their yellow skin. Each Gabumon had a yellow horn with markings around it on top of its head.
"Excuse me; do you know who those two are?" One of the Tsunomon questioned a Gabumon standing just in front of him.
The Gabumon glanced behind him, and then back towards the two figures who were conversing with the village leader, MetalGarurumon. MetalGarurumon was a heavily armoured wolf like Digimon, with yellow wings and a sword for a tail. He was a Mega level Digimon, and the strongest Digimon in the village. He was highly respected; the other Digimon always bowed their heads towards him whenever he passed by. The two figures wore large cloaks that shielded most of their bodies from view. The mysterious aura surrounding them struck up mixed feelings of curiosity and fear within the Tsunomon.
"I'm not sure. They don't look like the nicest of Digimon, but they wouldn't dare attack MetalGarurumon," Gabumon replied. "They would have to be very stupid to try anything."
"You don't think they could be part of that nasty group that are going around attacking innocent Digimon, do you?" one of the Tsunomon piped up.
His question was met by gasps from his peers, many of whom then frowned at him. The Gabumon shook his head.
"No, they couldn't be. There are only two of them. They couldn't beat all of us, even if they did try to attack. Besides, those are only rumours you've been hearing. You shouldn't listen to everything you're told, you know."
"But MetalGarurumon tells us we should always listen and obey our elders," another of the Tsunomon protested.
"You know what I mean," the Gabumon sighed.
"Good afternoon travellers. I am MetalGarurumon, leader of the Wolf Village. May I ask why you have come?" MetalGarurumon greeted.
The two figures stood slightly taller than he did. They wore hoods that covered their heads and cast their faces in shadow, and their cloaks were wrapped tightly around their bodies, covering them from head to toe.
"This isn't a social visit," the figure on the left stated. "We've come to make some demands, and you're going to listen to them."
"I am sorry, but you are sorely mistaken. I am the leader of this village, and we do not take orders from strangers like you," MetalGarurumon argued.
"You will take these orders whether you like it or not Wolf," the figure on the right said. MetalGarurumon stood tall, repositioning his four legs into a defensive stance. He looked into the hood of the figure on the right.
"And if I refuse?"
"We will force you to watch as we slaughter your innocent little Tsunomon..."
The Tsunomon cowered in fear and huddled closely to one another.
"...then we will end the lives of your Gabumon..."
The rookie level Digimon gasped at the horrifying prospect of death, several of them stepping back subconsciously.
"...you will see your Garurumon breathe their last breaths in front of you..."
The Garurumon lowered their heads and growled. They formed a semi-circle around the Gabumon and stared at their opponents in anger, their muscles tensing and ready for action.
"...your WereGarurumon will bed for mercy at our feet, and cry to you for help..."
The ultimate level WereGarurumon clenched their fists as they rushed to MetalGarurumon's side. They cast an intimidating shadow over the two figures as they height difference between the two parties became known. The figure on the right chuckled lightly, amused by the Digimon's defiance.
"...and finally you, MetalGarurumon, you will be put out of your misery at our Master's hands," the figure on the left explained, an evil smile playing on his lips unknown to MetalGarurumon. The mega level Digimon growled harshly, trying to control the rage boiling within his heart.
"We will not be slaves for you to order around and abuse as you see fit. I will give you one last chance to leave now, or we will be forced to load your data," MetalGarurumon threatened. The WereGarurumon at his sides nodded in agreement, raising their fists to show their willingness and determination to defend their village.
"I see you've made your decision," the figure on the left said. "I wish you'd have just taken the easy route. Your stubborn nature will be your downfall, MetalGarurumon."
"You are brave to stand against us. Let us see if your strength matches your courage!" the figure on the right cried.
MetalGarurumon was incensed. He would not allow two strangers to attack his village and hurt his family. It would be an insult to his ancestors if he did not protect his village. He hadn't expected to be treated with such disrespect and aggression. It was infuriating. MetalGarurumon arched his neck back. A ball of energy formed in his jaw, the light from it escaping through the gaps in his teeth and his parted lips.
"METAL WOLF CLAW!"
30TH MARCH 2009
REAL WORLD
Shinjuku Park, Shinjuku Ward
17:05 JST
"Takato, I'm hungry!"
The groan of complaint came from a particular red dinosaur as he walked beside his human companion and Digimon Tamer. They were following a winding path through Shinjuku park, heading for the exit on the Eastern side. The trees were starting to bloom once again after the winter, light green leaves sprouting from their branches. Various types of birds squeaked and squawked from their nests. As they walked past an open drain, the smell of fresh urine was very detectable, something which caused the red dinosaur to cough and splutter.
The boy turned his head to face the dinosaur, mouth slightly ajar and a look of utter disbelief in his crimson eyes. Were he not so surprised he may have chuckled at his partners little outburst. He glanced down at his wrist watch momentarily.
"How can you be hungry again Guilmon? We just ate an hour ago at the picnic!" he exclaimed. Guilmon shrugged his shoulders and scratched his left ear.
"Yeah, but I only got a small bit of food," he protested.
"I made sure everyone had a fair share. I know you have a big appetite, but I had to make sure all the other guys got some food too. Besides, you still had half of my share, and Jeri, Henry, Kenta and Kazu all gave you some of their food, so it's not like you didn't have enough," Takato said, sighing.
"I know, I know! But I am still hungry!" Guilmon moaned.
His stomach made a low rumbling noise to back up his statement.
"See Takato? I'm telling the truth!"
"Alright," Takato said, conceding defeat. "I'll get you some bread when we get home, but you can't have too much okay? My mom will flip if you eat too much, because then she'll have to bake more."
"Okay Takato!" Guilmon beamed.
Takato couldn't help but smile at the Digimon. He and Guilmon had been partners for three years now, and Guilmon still managed to make him smile by doing even the simplest of things. Needless to say, Takato had done a lot more than the average fifteen year old. He had faced death in the face several times, defeated countless dangerous and powerful Digimon, and saved the world from total destruction at the hands of the D Reaper. But none of that really mattered to him. The most important thing of all was that he and Guilmon were partners and best friends. Thankfully, that had never been in doubt.
"Takato," Guilmon said. "I have a question."
"What's on your mind boy?"
"What's love?"
Takato raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"Where did that come from? I hope he hasn't been watching any of my mom's romantic comedies. I don't want him to get any funny ideas." "What?" Takato blurted out. He hadn't meant to say that, but his mouth was still recovering from the initial shock.
"I saw the word 'love' in fluffy pink writing on the front of a book yesterday. I wanted to ask about it earlier but you gave me more bread so I forgot about it. Do you know what love is?" Guilmon explained.
Takato pondered for a moment.
"How do I approach this? Do I tell him about love between two people or do I tell him about making love?"Guilmon stared at Takato, waiting patiently for an answer. "Actually, I don't think my parents would be too pleased about having a couple of mini Guilmon running around the bakery. I guess I should stick with just explaining the feeling of love." "Uh, well, love is a very... complicated thing. It's when a person cares about another person very much. There are many types of love. There's a love between a parent and their child, a love between siblings, a love between friends and a love between one person and another person that they want to spend the rest of their life with."
"So, how do you know if you love someone so much that you want to be with them until you die?" Guilmon asked as he gently rubbed his left paw.
"Well, there are lots of signs I guess. Stuff like nervousness around the person they love and staring at them a lot are just a few of them. They care about them a lot, they want to laugh with them, go out with them, wipe away their tears when they cry and lots of other stuff like that."
Guilmon tilted his head to the side slightly and raised an eyebrow.
"Does that mean you love Rika?" he asked innocently.
"No!" Takato cried with a horrified expression on his face.
"Why did he have to ask me such an awkward question?"
"But you're always nervous around Rika, you stare at her a lot and you care about her a lot."
"That's different! I'm nervous around her because she might just decide to hit me or shout at me for no reason, I rarely stare at her after a battle in awe, and I only care about her as a friend!" Takato exclaimed in his defence.
"So, by staring at her in awe you mean you admire her?" Guilmon inquired.
"Yes," Takato replied quickly. "Wait! No! Not in the way you mean anyway. I admire her bravery, her never giving up attitude and her skills in battle."
"And her good looks?" Guilmon cheekily asked. He just about managed to stifle a giggle that was threatening to break out through his lips.
"Yes. No!" Takato cried. "Well, I'm not saying she's ugly or anything. I mean, she's far from ugly. She has fantastic features, especially her eyes - God what am I saying? I – she – Guilmon! I do not love Rika!"
Guilmon threw his head back as he roared with laughter. A small white blob with a four triangles on his forehead and big long ears bounced out of the bushes and landed in front of Takato and Guilmon.
"Hey Takato! Hey Guilmon! What's so funny? Tell me, tell me, tell me!" the blob known as Calumon shouted.
"Takato got embarrassed because he loves Rika!" Guilmon cried.
"Guilmon, I don't love Rika!" Takato yelled in frustration as his cheeks turned a bright shade of crimson.
"Takato loves Rika? That's so awesome! I've got to tell everybody!" Calumon's ears grew longer and larger, and he happily bounced off along the path.
"Takato loves Rika! Takato loves Rika! Takato loves Rika!" he chanted cheerily.
"CALUMON! GET BACK HERE!"
TO BE CONTINUED…
Well, that was chapter one. I hope you enjoyed it. I have the rest of the story planned out already, but I don't have a schedule for updates, so they could come at any time. Constructive reviews are welcome.
A massive thank you to Blazing Chaos who very kindly agreed to beta read this chapter for me. His advice has most definitely helped improve the quality of my writing.
Will the inhabitants of Wolf Village be deleted? Will Takato catch Calumon before he finds the Tamers? Find out in chapter two of United.