Disclaimer: Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure 02 and Digimon: Tamers belong to Bandai. Kino's Journey is a light novel written by Keichi Sigsawa. Takato's Light is a story idea belonging to creepingshadow. Takato's Light 2: Hikari's Hazard is a fan-based narrative intended to promote the original Digimon franchise. This is a not for profit story.
Author's Notes: Hey! Wow! What a fast update! Naw, I'm kidding. I had this chapter written out immediately after I wrote the first chapter because I wanted to give you guys a little more to go on than just the downer first chapter. Here's the second chapter of Takato's Light 2: Hikari's Hazard!
Takato's Light 2: Hikari's Hazard
Chapter 2: Taichi's Address
The Beekman Tower Hotel was a tall brick building situated near the East River of Manhattan. It was also the accommodation for a young man with shoulder length blonde hair and a woman of the same age with slightly shorter red hair. They were both Japanese in appearance, with slightly tanned skin. The man dressed in a black turtle neck sweater, jeans, and tennis shoes while the woman was dressed in a blue sweater and white pants and a pair of black loafers. Both of them wore utility belts equipped with 9mm Berettas and their own digivices. Their names were Ishida Yamato and Takenouchi Sora, respectively. The two had been dating for many years now and found it difficult to spend too much time apart because of their occupations. To that end Sora would frequently accompany Yamato on his trips while working on new clothing designs.
Ishida's band, The Teenage Wolves, was a breakout success internationally and was currently in the middle of its World Tour. Today, or the day after tomorrow to be more accurate, Yamato and his band would be playing live in Central Park. At least that was the official reason Yamato was here. Unofficially, the two were DATA agents sent to New York to set up a digital gate between the Real World and Digital World. They weren't told why for security purposes and were instructed just to call the Director as soon as they arrived for further details.
Once in their room, Yamato locked the door behind him and peered through the peep hole to make sure no one outside could listen in. He then quickly inspected the room for any bugs that would spy in on them. It was one of the hazards of being both an international celebrity and an agent for a well known organization. It didn't take long, for the room was small, consisting of two queen sized beds separated by a fridge that doubled as a night stand and a bathroom off to the side. Once he was sure the area was secure, Yamato set down his travel bag and a brief case. The brief case had been handed to him personally by the Director; its contents were a laptop computer and a cell phone. On the surface, both appeared broken but really used a new kind of secure communication technology. It was something about using the Digital World as its primary medium as opposed to standard phone lines or satellites. Yamato didn't really understand it, not that he cared.
Yamato took out the cell phone first, a simple flip-up model with an extendable antenna. He was shown the number to dial only once and had to remember it from heart. He pressed the numbers sequentially and heard the line ring. After a few moments, someone on the other end picked up and greeted him, "Digi digi."
"Mon mon," Yamato replied. The voice on the other end let out a sigh of relief, "Good to see you're both there in one piece."
"Yeah, so what's so important that it has to be kept secret, Director Mitsuo?" Yamato asked.
"Sorry, that's still classified," Yamaki explained unapologetically, "Have you set up the Digiport yet?"
Yamato looked over his shoulder to see Sora already working on the laptop and typing away at it furiously. Once she was done, she turned it to Yamato to show the screen. The screen displayed an image of a metal frame enclosing a bright red light. Immediately, the red light flashed and was replaced by the image of a forest. Yamato nodded to Sora and said, "Yeah, it's set up."
"Okay, now set it to this code: Golf Echo Kilo Oscar Mike Oscar November Victor India Lima Lima Alpha Golf Echo."
Yamato repeated the code to Sora who quickly input them into the computer. Once she was done, there was a bright flash and the image of a forest was replaced by an image of a small village.
"Confirm?"
"Confirm - Golf Echo Kilo Oscar Mike Oscar November Victor India Lima Lima Alpha Golf Echo," Yamato repeated back into the phone. There was another sigh from Yamaki's end, "Okay hold on."
The line went silent for a full minute before Yamato heard Yamaki's voice again, "Okay we're clear. The VIP will go through in a second."
At that, there was a loud whooshing noise followed by a flash of light that enveloped the room. Once the light cleared, Yamato and Sora found there were two more people in the room. Or more accurately, a person and a digimon. A man with long hair that shot up like flames dressed in a blue business suit holding a briefcase and an a small orange dinosaur dressed in a similar manner. Slung around the man's waist was a utility belt equipped with a digivice similar to the Yamato and Sora's. Notably, he didn't have a hand gun on him. The two greeted Yamato and Sora casually, "Hey guys, how've you been?"
"Good to see you!" Sora embraced the two in a right hug. Only the digimon returned the hug.
"Hey," Yamato waved casually, "VIP has arrived."
"Good, I have a team of agents coming to pick up the VIP," Yamaki, "They'll move the VIP to a secure location. Your orders are to protect the VIP until they arrive."
"Yes sir," Yamato answered. The line died immediately afterwards and Yamato hung up the phone. After he put away the phone and laptop, he turned to face the VIP, "How've you been, Tai?"
"Tired, but I can't complain," Taichi shrugged, repeating the same excuse he always did. He set his brief case down on the floor and sat down on one of the beds. With a tired yawn, Taichi checked his watch before reaching into his coat to pull out a carton of cigarettes, "Do you guys mind?"
"Smoke by the window," Yamato stated plainly. Taichi nodded and opened the nearest window, leaning out of it and lighting his cigarette. He took a quick puff of smoke and blew it out into the New York air. Through the window, Yamato could see the night skies of New York. In the distance, Yamato could see the lights of Queens reflected into the East River. It wasn't an overwhelming site, given most of the more famous sights were in the opposite direction, but it was beautiful all the same. With a genuinely casual but interested voice, Taichi asked, "How's your band been, Yamato?"
"Great," Yamato said, "We have a concert in two days. We have practice until noon tomorrow and after that we're going to go sightseeing. You want to come along?"
"Can't," Taichi frowned, taking another puff on his cigarette, "I have an important meeting to get to."
"What's been going on anyway?" Yamato asked curiously, "We barely heard from you after the battle with Lucemon. What have you been doing?"
"Can't talk about it," Taichi said, "I've been working on it for a year. Granted, it really just built up off my senior project from Tokyo University so there wasn't that much work left to do. All the same, it's top secret."
"Well, have you spoken to Kari at least? She really worries about you!" Sora added. Taichi took another puff of his cigarette before throwing it out the window and explaining, "Yeah, I spoke with her a while ago. She seemed alright."
"You do know what today is, right?" Sora asked him. Taichi looked out the window into the night. After a long silence, Taichi crossed his arms and explained, "Yeah, I know. Hikari will be fine. She'll get through it. I know she will."
"Agumon, you can tell us what he's been up to, right?" Yamato asked the small dinosaur, who looked up at him with a frown, "Sorry, Tai doesn't even tell me what he's been up to."
Just then, there was a knock at the door and Sora went to answer it. She looked through the peep hole to see two people. A woman with short dark hair, dressed in a black business suit wearing a pair of shades. Beside her was a slightly taller man with shoulder length black hair dressed in the same black suit. The woman wore a utility belt from which hung an antique Colt 1851 revolver while the man slung a katana over his shoulder. Sora unholstered her pistol and looked at Yamato to do the same. Yamato pushed Taichi and Agumon to the floor and pointed his gun at the door, giving Sora a nod. Sora nodded back and recited the challenge she had been taught, "Rising."
"Sun," the woman said back. Sora replaced her pistol in its holster and relaxed a bit, opening the door so they could come in. The two agents came in and pulled out their DATA badges, "Agents Kino and Shizu. We're here for the VIP."
"That's me," Taichi took off his coat and threw it over Agumon before taking up his briefcase, "It was great seeing you guys. We should catch up after your concert, Yamato. I'll tell you guys all about what I've been doing then."
"We'll hold you to that," Yamato replied. A tired smile adorned Taichi's face as he and Agumon left the room with Kino and Shizu. Shizu closed the door behind them, leaving Yamato and Sora alone to wonder why Taichi was so secretive.
...
The following day, Hikari went with Daisuke and Miyako to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building after school. From there, they went to the Digital World on a Search and Rescue mission. Their mission brief was short - the couple that came back from the Digital World the other day disappeared from their hospital. A DATA team sent to the hospital found evidence of a dimensional weak point and concluded the couple was unexpectedly transported back to the Digital World. They were going together so they could cover more ground.
It was a chance for her to see the Digital World again, and to see her partner Gatomon. Gatomon was a bipedal feline who wore a pair of yellow gloves with tiger marks over her arms. Her most distinguishing feature were big blue eyes and striped tail which had a golden ring wrapped around it. As she searched the forests of the Digital World near Yokomon Village, she took the chance to listen to some new music albums she bought but didn't have time to because of school and work. She listened intently to the song through her mp3 player, scanning the area around her for some sign of their appearance.
I wake in the morning, tired of sleeping. Get in the shower and make my bed alone. I put on my make up, talk in to the mirror. Ready for a new day without you. And I walk steady on my feet, I talk, my voice obeys me. I go out at night, sleep without the lights. And I do all the things I have to, keeping you off my mind. When I think I'll be alright, I am always wrong cause: (My Hands) Don't want to start again, (My Hands) No they don't want to understand, (My Hands) They just shake and try to break whatever peace I may find, (My Hands) They only agree to hold, (Your Hands) And they don't want to be without, (Your Hands) And the will not let me go, No they will not let me go!
Hikari felt her radio buzz and paused her music to check in with the dispatch, "Dispatch, repeat last transmission, over."
"Alpha-08, what is your status?"
"Area is clear, continuing to the next sector," Hikari answered, noting that it wasn't Koushiro who answered. It was odd to hear someone other than Koushiro relaying orders from command to the other agents. She couldn't help but wonder what the boy was up to.
"Copy that. Bravo-01, check in," the dispatcher said. It wasn't Koushiro today, which made Hikari wonder where he was. Over the radio, Daisuke and Miyako also came on.
"This is Bravo-01, my sector's clean. Moving on to the next area."
"Copy that. Bravo-02, check in."
"This is Bravo-02, I've got nothing up here. Halsemon and I are going to circle around and give the area another sweep before we move on."
"Copy that. Hold on...And you're sure," the dispatcher was apparently talking to someone else, "Straight from the top...Okay. Alpha-08, I've got a message straight from the Director, he wants you to report to his office asap."
"Understood," Hikari answered. She turned to her Digimon partner and asked, "Will you be alright, searching the area by yourself?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine," Gatomon nodded.
"Alright, take care of yourself," Hikari waved as she parted from her partner. Hikari went to the nearest digital gate. In the Real World, these could be any computer. In the Digital World, it was televisions that could be found every few miles. Once she was in the Real World, she proceeded to Yamaki's office to find a rare sight before her. Yamaki's sunglasses were off, his necktie was loose, and his shirt was slightly unbuttoned with the sleeves rolled up. She had only seen him like this one other time, a year ago when he had been killed. Unfortunately, he had no memory of his death because Takato restored the worlds to their natural state just before Lucemon appeared. No one in the Real World had any memory of what happened between The Incident and the final battle with Lucemon.
Hikari knocked on the glass door to get his attention and he immediately straightened out his clothing. Before he put on his shades, Hikari noticed there were bags under his eyes. He left his office and motioned for her to follow him. With a tired voice, Yamaki said, "Come on, there's something you might like to see."
"Did you go home last night?" Hikari asked him. He shook his head and explained, "I had some important arrangements to take care of."
"Like what?"
"That's what I'm going to show you," Yamaki said. He led the way to a darkened conference room whose occupants watched a screen with heavy anticipation. A projector sat on the middle of the table, displaying an image of what looked like a grand hall crowded with people who anxiously observed a podium on a stage. Behind the stage was the golden symbol of the United Nations, while a marquee along the bottom of the screen read: Live! United Nations congregation awaits a report from Digital Advisory and Tactical Association concerning the number of dimensional fluxes, as well as an outlined plan to deal with the crisis. Hikari immediately recalled her brother mentioning something important he would be doing today and asked, "Is this what Tai's been doing?"
"Just watch," Yamaki pointed at the screen as he took a seat, "This is live, right Koushiro?"
Hikari took a seat at the end of the table and noticed Koushiro was working away on his laptop, which was connected to the projector. He was a short, red haired man who served as both the dispatch and the technical expert for DATA. Koushiro nodded and explained, "The video feed's coming in on a secure connection and is live. The rest of the world will get a five minute delay, but we'll see exactly what's happening as it happens."
"Good," Yamaki said. Hikari took the chance to look around the room and noticed several high ranking officials were here; the prime minister of Japan, the Emperor, several members of the National Diet, and a few others she didn't recognize. Amidst all these important people, Hikari felt quite out of place. Not like a fish out of water, more like a fish swimming with whales - whales that would eat her alive. Hikari felt every fiber in her being tense up when the Prime Minister asked who she was and why she was here.
"Relax," she heard Koushiro say, "They're important people, but they're people all the same."
"I guess," Hikari muttered, "It's kind of hard to believe that I'm actually sitting in the same room as them."
Before Koushiro could reply, the sound of applause erupted from the screen. Everyone in the room watched as a woman took the stage and silenced the applauding audience, "This meeting of the United Nations General Assembly is called to order. There is one topic on today's schedule: A representative from the Digital Advisory and Tactical Association will discuss the nature of the dimensional fluxes as well as outline their plans to deal with the crisis. I would now like to invite the DATA's Chief of Digital World Relations to the stage. Please welcome Yagami Taichi."
"I wasn't aware DATA had anyone with that title," the Prime Minister said to Yamaki. Yamaki nodded his head with an apologetic tone, "I'm sorry. It was important that nobody knew about this until we were ready to unveil it."
"That sounds an awful lot like a power play."
"With all due respect, Mr. Prime Minster, we answer to Interpol."
"And Interpol answers to us."
"Interpol answers to everyone."
The woman stepped away from the podium and took a seat just as Hikari saw her older brother walk into frame. He was accompanied by his partner, a small orange dinosaur dressed in a blue suit named Agumon. There was some brief snickering at the sight of Tai, not that Hikari could blame anyone. His fiery, brown hair which always looked like a mess made it difficult to take him seriously. Even the Prime Minister seemed irritated, "That's the Chief of Digital World Relations?"
"Yes," Yamaki answered. The Prime Minister scoffed, "Please tell me this is a joke."
"Just watch," Yamaki pointed at the screen. Taichi stood behind the podium and took a moment to gaze out at the audience before him. Hikari saw the look of fear in his eyes and immediately worried something was wrong. She never knew her brother to have either fear or hesitation, so seeing that expression on his face came as a shock to her.
"Come on Tai," Hikari quietly muttered.
"Dammit Yagami, don't choke on me now," Yamaki said quietly to no one in particular. Taichi stared out blankly at his audience for what must have been the longest time before he looked down at the podium and massaged his throat. Afterwards he said, "Ladies and gentlemen; leaders of the world. The last year has been a difficult time for all of us. We have each come to know loss and suffering as a result of the recent instabilities. Many out there say that the memory of these days will be written entirely in blood. That these cross-overs between the Digital and Real World are acts of aggression by a foreign menace seeking to overtake our world, and should be met with hostility."
"I am here to inform you, that is not the case. Despite their name, Digital Monsters are anything but monsters. They are living, breathing beings with the same capacity for emotion and intelligent thought as any human who simply want to live their lives in peace. Many of them are just as frightened by the thought of entering our world as we are of entering theirs. As things stand, they are no more responsible for the rifts between our worlds than we are."
"Even so, just as not all humans are good at heart, not all digimon have the capacity for good. Some of them are as depraved and dangerous as some of the more infamous amongst us. Many of us, have decided that Digimon must be removed from existence entirely because of some of the more deplorable digimon. Which is why to clear this fog of animosity that has settled between our worlds, I have invited two guests from the Digital - a close friend and a liaison for both worlds. Agumon, if you would please."
Agumon opened the briefcase to reveal a laptop with a long antennae sticking out of the top. Taichi reached into his pocket, retrieved his digivice and pointed it directly at the screen. With a loud voice, he said, "Digiport, Open!"
The screen flashed a bright light and two figures emerged from the small computer. The first was a man dressed in a long white coat whose hood concealed his face. He threw off his hood to reveal a handsome young man with spiky brown hair. The other person caught the attention of the audience and set off a wave of gasps. A figure in white armor concealed beneath a flowing white robe, whose face was hidden beneath a large silver helm with long blonde hair running down his back. Perhaps the most shocking feature was his set of pure white, angelic wings that were folded behind him. Hikari recognized them immediately as Gennai and Lord HolyAngemon. Gennai was something of a mentor to the Digidestined, always ready to guide them in the right direction and help them in their battle against threats to both the Real and Digital World. Lord HolyAngemon was a liaison between the digidestined and the Holy Digimon.
Agumon closed the laptop once the light faded, while Taichi returned his attention to the audience, "Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to Gennai and Lord HolyAngemon."
A few murmurs swept through the audience while Lord HolyAngemon took to the podium and bowed, "Greetings, I am Lord HolyAngemon. I am the liaison between the Chosen Children and the Holy Digimon. In the past year, there were many cross-overs between our worlds. Many humans found themselves in the Digital World while many digimon found themselves in your World. These instabilities between our dimensions are beyond anyone's control - it is neither the fault of humans or Digimon as a whole. This instability is the direct result of several weaknesses that appeared in both our worlds, a weakness abused by a powerful entity which has since been dealt with."
"The threat was handled by a group of children chosen to protect both of our worlds, as it has always been. These children were selected to be the guardians of our worlds because they each embodied one of the qualities of light or demonstrated themselves as the most capable to defend our world. I'm sure many of you wonder why children were burdened with this responsibility, and the answer is quite simple: children have purity in their hearts - a light that shines even in the darkest of shadows, warming the hearts of all those around them and providing hope in the gravest of times."
Lord HolyAngemon paused after he said those words. He glanced to the side at Taichi who stood off to the side with Gennai and Agumon. With a quick nod from Taichi, Lord HolyAngemon continued, "This system could not last, however. In the last conflict, one of the children lost their life to defeat the cause of these instabilities. Even though the child's death meant the end of further conflict, this loss was met with a strong demand for reform. Thanks to the help of what you call the Digital Advisory and Tactical Association, led by Yagami Taichi, the Digital World has reorganized its former heirarchy in favor of a more empowering system that allows each Digimon a voice in the Digital World's affairs. In addition, the Digital World now has a formal defense force to reduce our reliance on children from the Real World titled the Digimon Self Defense Force - a service that will be overseen by DATA."
"These actions are not to be taken as a sign of aggression. On the contrary, these actions are meant to demonstrate the digimon of the Digital World uniting to promote peace and prosperity in our world. I implore humanity to do the same in the your World. As a sign of our good will, the DSDF is formally investigating the cause of these dimensional rifts and handling known weak points in cooperation with DATA. Taichi, if you would please outline the Joint plan to handle any and all future weak points."
Lord HolyAngemon stepped aside for Taichi to retake the podium. They briefly shook hands in front of everyone before Taichi faced the audience, "Thank you Lord HolyAngemon. As he said, DATA has partnered with the DSDF to handle all future incidents. Our process is simple, but effective. Early warning systems have been set up throughout both worlds to help us more easily identify and locate any and all future weak points. As soon as a weak point is identified, agents from both DATA and the DSDF will evacuate the area of all life. Once evacuated, the area will be quarantined until such time that a way to stop the-"
BANG!
A single gunshot echoed as the entire assembly broke out into screams. Hikari watched in horror Taichi's left shoulder turned into a spray of blood before he was thrown backwards by the force of the shot. Lord HolyAngemon and Agumon instantly ran in front of Taichi while Gennai ran to his side. Lord HolyAngemon threw off his white robe and held a golden sword in his hands, which he pointed menacingly at some figure off camera, "Don't come any closer, or I will strike you down!"
The camera swung around to the side to two figures, a man and a woman dressed in patient gowns. The man was a full head shorter than the woman, both had dark hair and completely blank expressions on their face. Both were armed with pistols which they mindlessly waved around as they walked towards the stage. The man held a pistol in his hand which he fired again, this time at Lord HolyAngemon. With a simple swing, the angel digimon sliced the bullet in two and it hit the wall behind him. The woman cocked her head to the side, her voice carrying a dark tone, "You haven't changed at all, Lord HolyAngemon."
"That voice," the angel said, "You're..."
"We...," the man said.
"..Are...," the woman continued.
"...Legion," a third shadowy figure appeared between the two humans, its only distinguishing feature was a pair of glowing red eyes. The shadow disappeared as quickly as it appeared, just as two DATA agents approached the couple.
Hikari saw the agents and recognized them as Shizu and Kino. She had seen them around the facility every once in a while, but didn't really talk to them. Even though they weren't digidestined, Hikari knew they had been recruited into DATA because of their combat abilities. From what she heard, Shizu was a close quarters combat specialist with a katana and Kino was an unmatched marksman with a revolver. The two were often assigned missions together, because Yamaki believe the two's skills helped compensate for the others weakness. Kino and Shizu closed in on the couple, who raised their guns to their heads. With a sadistic voice, the couple said in unison, "Come any closer, and their lives are forfeit."
Shizu lowered his katana while Kino kept her revolver aimed steadily between the two adults. Hikari watched as Kino kept her gun trained on the couple. For a moment, it seemed Kino planned on taking the shot, until she lowered her weapon. As she did, a black shroud shot of bodies of the couple and threw Kino and Shizu aside. The couple fell to the ground unconscious as it glided through the air towards Lord HolyAngemon. The angel swung his blade with all his strength, only for the shroud to knock him away. Agumon took a swipe at it with his claws, only to find himself enveloped. The shroud grew in size, consuming everyone on the stage until it completely covered the stage of the General Assembly. It's voice echoed through the hall, an otherworldly voice that sounded as though many spoke at once, "Humans and Digimon alike, heed our word. You thought the cycles over and the war won. You bask in warmth of the light, while we are left to wander the shadows. But soon our guiding light will return and you will know true suffering!"
There was silence as the voice's cold laugh resounded through the walls while the camera continued rolling, "But worry not! We are not without mercy. Join us, and you shall be spared our wrath. You have one day."
With that, the shroud faded away and left nothing in its wake. All eyes were on the stage, where Gennai, Taichi and Agumon were absent. All that remained of their presence was a tiny pool of blood on the stage. Taichi's blood from the shoulder wound.
As the video feed died, the room instantly broke out into a panic. The Prime Minister and the Emperor quickly turned on Yamaki demanding an explanation he didn't have. At the same time, Hikari's mind raced. This was the reunion she planned last year all over again. Taichi was in the enemy's hands again. How could this happen? What were they after? They mentioned their guiding light, but could they mean Lucemon? He was dead! Takato destroyed him a year ago. Hikari was there, she had seen it with her own eyes.
Digimon that weren't destroyed in the Digital World had no way of reformatting and being reborn in Primary Village. Lucemon had destroyed the part of the Digital World around him, creating a gap between worlds. Lucemon was defeated inside this gap and therefore had nowhere to go. It wasn't like Myotismon, who was able to reside within Oikawa while he bided his time or Wizardmon whose spirit rested in the Real World. Lucemon died in the gap between worlds.
Even so, Hikari felt a powerful dread overtake her. This attack by Lucemon's remaining followers was publicly broadcast throughout the world. Everyone saw what happened and heard their threat. She reminded herself that there was a five minute delay between the filming and the broadcast. But that wouldn't stop the media's coverage of the attack. The whole world would soon know what happened, and would look to DATA for answers and a solution. Hikari just hoped that they were ready for whatever would come.
...
Author's Notes: Ain't I a stinker? I hoped you enjoyed the second chapter of the sequel. I'll be sticking with the twelve week schedule from now on simply because it gives me more time to think and decide how to handle each story. Plus it will allow me to write more chapters more frequently. My next update will be in twelve weeks on Friday, November 4th. If you loved it, let me know in the reviews section. I also welcome constructive criticism and analysis into the next chapter of the story. If you are attending Northern Illinois University and would like to chat, just PM me and we can meet face to face! Or add me on the Facebook or the Playstation Network (PSN ID leo112358). Until next time, this is leonardo1123581321 signing out!